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because the art of magnetic recording and playback through a television receiver is well known in general , and specifically in connection with magnetic disks , the present description will for the most part be directed to elements forming part of , or cooperating more directly with , apparatus embodying the present invention . elements not specifically shown or described , especially those pertaining to mechanical components and electrical circuits , may be selected from those known in the art . fig1 portrays a video disk player arranged according to the invention for use with a plurality of video disks organized into a video picture file . mechanical and electrical components of such a player . . . which are not directly pertinent to disclosure of the present invention . . . are further described in related patent application ( a ), serial no . 644 , 096 . in fig1 a video disk 10 has been automatically removed from a container 12 storing , say , thirty such disks . the disk may be optical or magnetic , rigid or floppy . the disk 10 has many concentric video tracks 1a , 1b , 1c . . . , each storing one picture . fifty such tracks , and fifty pictures , are typically placed on the disk . a playback head 14 is seen adjacent one of these tracks . ( ordinarily the disk 10 will be contained in a protective cartridge , which is not shown here .) a player circuit 16 , shown as a block diagram , reproduces each picture for display on a television receiver 18 according to a particular arrangement prescribed by the display attributes of the video picture file . data necessary for establishing the video picture file is contained in a remote memory 20 appended to the container 12 . the remote memory 20 may be a solid state device attached to the container 12 as a separate element as shown by fig1 . it may also be a magnetic stripe formed on the container 12 or a removable element , say one of the disks , taken from the container 12 when it is in the player . in related patent application ( a ), ser . no . 644 , 096 , the remote memory 20 is shown as a detachable memory module containing one or more electrically - erasable programmable read - only memories ( eeproms ). the remotely - stored data includes display attributes initially obtained by editing the pictures , that is , by assigning the pictures to one or more of , say , twenty albums or categories of like image content , by rearranging the viewing order ( from the order on the disks ), by skipping some pictures , by adding text to the assigned pictures , by setting individual viewing times , and so on . the viewer communicates with the player circuit 16 by observing editing &# 34 ; screens &# 34 ; produced on the television receiver 18 , which provide a guide to selections , and then entering a decision via an infra - red remote controller 24 . ( one such screen -- the &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ;-- is shown in an abbreviated form on the display tube 18 &# 39 ; of the television receiver 18 . this and other &# 34 ; screens &# 34 ; are disclosed in detail in related patent application ( b ), ser . no . 644 , 166 .) the video picture file data is stored in the remote memory 20 and remains there though the container 12 is removed from the player . to view an album , the container 12 is inserted into the player and the remote memory 20 is connected into the player circuit 16 . an album is selected by observing album selection &# 34 ; screens &# 34 ; generated from the picture file data and pressing appropriate buttons on the controller 24 . the pictures are then obtained in a rearranged order according to the particular album by accessing the disks , and the picture tracks on the disks , in a rearranged sequence -- that is , a sequence unlike the order of disks , and tracks on the disks , as stored in the container 12 . viewing then proceeds automatically through the album according to the preselected display attributes with the viewer essentially unaware of the particular disks and tracks being accessed . the player circuit 16 includes a digital processor 26 that operates by means of programs and data stored in a memory array 28 . the digital processor preferably is a microcomputer , such as the 8031 microcomputer manufactured by the intel corporation . the 8031 microcomputer has 32 input / output ( i / o ) lines configured as four 8 - bit parallel ports . one port connects to an 8 - bit data bus 30 and provides for multiplexing both a low - order address byte and data onto the bus . the low - order address byte is latched off the data bus 30 and put on a 16 - bit address bus 32 . a high - order address byte is provided by another eight - bit port to the address bus 32 . the memory array 28 includes a set of read - only memories ( roms ) 34 for storing the operating programs and a word library for text generation . read and write memories include the aforementioned remote memory 20 and input / output ( i / o ) space 36 for memory - mapped i / o , that is , an area of memory space dedicated to memory addresses that are actually used to address peripheral devices ( such as motors and sensors ) and circuits . ( though not shown by fig1 such peripheral devices and circuits are inter - connected with the data bus 30 .) each memory in the array 28 is connected to the address bus 32 and the data bus 30 . the processor 26 has a further port for interchanging data with a video circuit 38 , which processes video data read from the video disk 10 . the video circuit 38 is a conventional circuit for generating two color - difference signals r - y and b - y and a luminance signal y from its input signal . the processor 26 is also connected to a text generator 40 , which generates the aforementioned &# 34 ; screens &# 34 ;. the digital processor 26 operates the player by coordinating signals from a variety of input sensors , including the remote controller 24 and the head 14 , with commands to a variety of output devices , including the motors ( shown generally by a block 42 ) that move the container 12 in the player , remove the disk 10 , position the head 14 , and rotate the disk 10 . the remote controller 24 is shown with several control buttons , including a &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button and a pair of buttons for moving a cursor . pressing one of these buttons causes the controller 24 to generate and emit an infra - red signal that is modulated to indicate which button is being depressed . the infra - red signal is detected by an infra - red decoder 44 , which has a unique decoded output corresponding to each of the controller buttons . the decoded output drives a corresponding input line of a buffer 46 . the buffer 46 is addressed via memory - mapped i / o space 36 , thereby asserting its input states onto the data bus 30 and to the processor 26 . the display signal to the television receiver 18 is provided by operating a video line switch 48 so as to switch between a picture signal from the video circuit 38 and a text signal from the text generator 40 . according to instructions from the processor 26 , the text generator 40 assembles text messages for display on the television receiver 18 as the aforementioned &# 34 ; screens &# 34 ;. the text controller 40 generates color line scan signals for text and a text indicator signal t . the existence of text for all or part of a particular line of the display is indicated by the text signal t being &# 34 ; high &# 34 ;; the absence of text by being &# 34 ; low &# 34 ;. the color line scan signals are converted in a conventional matrix circuit ( not shown separately ) into two color - difference signals r - y and b - y and a luminance signal y . the color difference and luminance signals -- representative of text or background color surrounding text -- are introduced to the video switch 48 , which also receives picture signals from the video circuit 38 . the video switch 48 can take many conventional forms . for example , it can be a configuration of single - pole double - throw switches employing bipolar or field - effect transistors for switching . it may switch within the duration of each line , for example , line - by - line , but preferably switches in ten - line groups since a text character typically occupies ten lines of video . the video switch 48 may be conditioned to switch during portions of the line period so that the display from the video picture signals will &# 34 ; box in &# 34 ; a segment of text . that is , text may be inserted in only a portion of a line with the picture on either or both sides by operating the switch more than once within the duration of a line . the transmitted signals are applied to an ntsc generator 50 , which puts out a composite video signal in ntsc format suitable for application to , and viewing on , the television receiver 18 . sync timing for the ntsc generator 50 , the text generator 40 and the processor 26 comes from a sync generator 52 , which in turn is locked to the incoming video signal via connection to the video circuit 38 . the signal into the receiver 18 is typically processed therewithin by a conventional automatic gain control ( agc ) circuit 49 . a video detector 49a produces an agc voltage proportional to the average signal level . the agc voltage is fed back through a conventional agc amplifier 49b to control the gain of radio frequency and intermediate frequency amplifiers 49c . the agc circuit 49 is shown to emphasize that the average level of the signal to the display tube 18 &# 39 ; may be influenced by the character of the incoming signal , that is , whether its line level represents picture or text . though agc circuits in newer receivers may lock upon sync - tip levels ( keyed agc ), agc circuits in older or misadjusted receivers may be affected by an &# 34 ; abnormal &# 34 ; line level due to text or constant - color background between and around text characters . a switching signal sw put on an external control line of the switch 48 determines which set of video signals the switch 48 will transmit , i . e ., text video or picture video signals . the switching signal sw is obtained by combining the text indicator signal t from the text generator 40 and a viewing signal vw appearing on an output line of an output latch 54 . the processor 26 changes the state of the viewing signal vw when , under certain conditions that will be discussed , the person using the video player presses or releases the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button on the controller 24 . pressing the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button at such time signifies a desire to see the whole picture rather than a cropped picture combined with the text . the depressed &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button generates a corresponding infra - red signal which is decoded by the decoder 44 and input to the processor 26 through the buffer 46 . the processor 26 then puts a corresponding signal on the data bus 30 while enabling the latch 54 . the latch 54 accordingly brings the viewing signal vw on its output line &# 34 ; high &# 34 ;. the viewing signal vw is applied to an inverter 56 . the output signal vw &# 39 ; of the inverter 56 and the text indicator signal t are applied to the inputs of an and gate 58 , which produces at its output the switching signal sw for the video line switch 48 . the switching signal sw will then remain &# 34 ; low &# 34 ;-- causing the switch 48 to pass picture video only regardless of the state of the text indicator signal t . when the person using the video player releases the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button , this condition is again noted by the processor 26 . the latch 54 is again enabled and the viewing signal vw on its output line is brought &# 34 ; low &# 34 ;. after inversion , the signal vw &# 39 ; is &# 34 ; high &# 34 ;. the state of the switching signal sw will then follow the state of the text indictor signal t . the particular relationship of the switching signal sw ( and its constituent signals ) to the image on the display tube 18 &# 39 ;-- either all picture or part picture and other part text -- is shown by the timing diagram of fig2 . the video signal for each frame shows the vertical synchronization pulses and the intervening portions of text video and / or picture video ( when the two parts are combined , the text is assumed for sake of discussion to cover one - half of the picture ). the condition of the switching signal sw is shown over the period of each frame --&# 34 ; low &# 34 ; for picture and &# 34 ; high &# 34 ; for text . the viewing signal vw ( and its inverted counterpart vw &# 39 ;) and the text indicator signal t are juxtaposed time - wise with the switching signal sw to show the logical relationship of these signals , as processed by the and gate 58 . the format of an &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ; is shown in an abbreviated form on the face of the display tube 18 &# 39 ; in fig1 . each picture in the video picture file is produced on the display tube 18 &# 39 ; with such an &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ;. this &# 34 ; screen &# 34 ; shows a cropped portion of each picture and an album menu overlayed over the bottom of the picture . due to the number of albums , the album menu may occupy as much as half or more of the face of the display tube 18 &# 39 ;. such an &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ; for twenty albums and a skip attribute is shown by the following diagram : ______________________________________picturearea______________________________________ * album 1 album 9 album 17album 2 album 10 album 18album 3 album 11 album 19album 4 album 12 album 20album 5 album 13 skipalbum 6 album 14 viewalbum 7 album 15 exitalbum 8 album 16______________________________________ the album menu at the bottom of the picture includes a list of twenty possible albums to which the picture may be assigned , as well as certain other possible actions such as &# 34 ; skip &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; view &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; exit &# 34 ;. a cursor is shown as an asterisk (*) and moved by pressing the cursor buttons on the remote controller 24 . for a color receiver , the albums to which the picture is already assigned would be shown in a different color . a picture is filed in an album ( or deleted from an already assigned album ) by moving the cursor to the selected album name and pressing the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button on the controller 24 ; then the selection is stored in the remote memory 20 . additional albums are similarly selected ( if desired ) and the disk is stepped to the next picture by use of frame advance buttons ( not shown ) on the controller 24 . pressing the select button while the cursor points to &# 34 ; skip &# 34 ; enters the picture into a &# 34 ; skip frame &# 34 ; category . ( activating the &# 34 ; skip frame &# 34 ; option according to related patent application ( a ), ser . no . 644 , 096 , causes the video player to bypass any picture previously edited to &# 34 ; skip frame &# 34 ;.) the &# 34 ; skip frame &# 34 ; selection is also stored in the memory 20 . pressing the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button while the cursor points to &# 34 ; view &# 34 ; activates the video switch 48 as heretofore discussed in connection with fig1 and 2 , causing the album menu at the bottom part of the &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ; to be replaced with the remaining part of the picture ( as characterized by the &# 34 ; view &# 34 ; screen shown on the display tube 18 &# 39 ; in fig1 ). the user then can see the entire picture before deciding which album ( s ) to put it in . releasing the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button returns the album menu to the &# 34 ; screen &# 34 ;. pressing the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button while the cursor points to &# 34 ; exit &# 34 ; takes the user out of this part of the editing procedure . more detail on this and other &# 34 ; screens &# 34 ; and the editing procedure can be found in related patent applications ( a ) and ( b ), ser . nos . 644 , 096 and 644 , 166 . fig3 is a flowchart showing a procedure by which the player circuit 16 temporarily substitutes the missing part of the picture for the text in the course of using the &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ;. a disk ( denoted m ) is first removed from the container 12 . then a picture ( denoted n ) is reproduced . the viewing signal is set &# 34 ; low &# 34 ;, causing the video switch 48 to pass text and / or picture video according to the state of the text indicator signal t . the composite &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ; is displayed . the user then faces a decision . doing nothing keeps the display as is . making a selection loops the procedure back to the beginning , but first storing the selection in the remote memory 20 and then checking to see if the picture ( n ) was the last picture ( n max ) and , if so , if the disk ( m ) was the last disk ( m max ) then , either the process stops or a new picture is displayed . ( if the viewer is given the option of assigning a picture to more than one album , then the same picture is redisplayed after each selection until a frame advance button ( not shown ) is pressed . when the signal for frame advance appears , the above - mentioned picture checks are made and the process flow continues as shown ). if the user was unable to make a selection because too much of the picture was missing , the cursor is moved adjacent &# 34 ; view &# 34 ; on the &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ; and the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button on the controller 24 is pressed . . . then the viewing signal vw is set &# 34 ; high &# 34 ;. the video switch 48 , regardless of the condition of the text indicator signal t , passes the picture video signal only . as long as the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button is held down , the whole picture is displayed . when the user releases the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button , the viewing signal vw is set &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; and the &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ;, which was continuously produced but temporarily not passed by the video switch 48 , returns to the display tube 18 &# 39 ;. the description of the &# 34 ; edit screen &# 34 ; and of the control function represented by the &# 34 ; select &# 34 ; button , as well as the flowchart illustrated by fig3 forms the basis from which a computer program can be written to operate the player circuit 16 according to the invention . a computer programmer of ordinary skill can take this material and design the appropriate program to fulfill the requirements set out therein . the statements used in the program will depend upon the approach taken by the individual programmer but the process is straight - forward and conventional . it does not require experimentation in design . the invention has been described in detail with particular references to a presently preferred embodiment thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .	7
fig1 illustrates multipoint network 10 which embodies the principles of the present invention . multipoint network 10 includes a plurality of stations . by way of example , there are fifteen such stations which are denoted 101 - 1 through - 15 and which are structurally identical to one another . in particular , station 101 - 1 comprises a plurality of data devices 103 , 105 and 107 , cluster controller 111 , protocol adapter 113 and tributary modem 115 . the data devices in each of the stations are configured to communicate with host computer 127 which may be , for example , a mainframe computer . cluster controller 111 is of conventional design . illustratively , the cluster controller in fig1 is that designated as model 3274 and manufactured by international business machines , corp . ( ibm ). such a cluster controller has thirty - two interface ports , denoted as 102 - 1 through - 32 with each port supporting a data device . this being so , cluster controller 111 can service up to thirty - two data devices such as a data terminal , a printer and a personal computer . cluster controller 111 packetizes , in a standard way , individual sequences of data bits received from the data devices . each data packet , thus created , includes fields that indicate the addresses of the data originating device and the cluster controller connected thereto . the data packets are temporarily stored in buffers in cluster controller 111 . at the same time , cluster controller 111 issues to protocol adapter 113 a standard request - to - send signal indicating to the latter that the former has data packets to send . protocol adapter 113 runs a random access algorithm which is fully described hereinbelow . this algorithm determines the timing of data packet transmission . once determined , protocol adapter 113 sends a standard clear - to - send signal to cluster controller 111 , thereby acquiring a data packet from the latter . protocol adapter 113 thereupon processes the acquired data packet and generates a data message , which is described in further detail hereinbelow . this data message contains an identification header , one or more continuation bits as well as the data packet bits . in this illustrative embodiment , there are fifteen such identification headers , each of which is comprised of a plurality of identification bits in a particular pattern . each bit pattern identifies a particular one of the fifteen cluster controllers in multipoint network 10 . since in this case cluster controller 111 is the one that issues the data packet to protocol adapter 113 , the identification header of the data message generated by the latter accordingly has a bit pattern which identifies cluster controller 111 . the functionality of the aforementioned continuation bits is also further described hereinbelow . it suffices to know for now that these bits are indicative of the length of the associated data message . protocol adapter 113 stores the newly generated data message in a buffer and simultaneously releases a copy thereof to tributary modem 115 . accordingly , tributary modem 115 takes in copies of data messages at a rate of 9 . 6 kb / s . in a conventional manner , tributary modem 115 transmits a modulated signal representing the data messages over communications channel 119 - 1 which may be , for example , an analog voice channel . like station 101 - 1 , stations 101 - 2 through - 15 separately transmit similarly modulated signals via their respective communications channels 119 - 2 through - 15 . the modulated signals transmitted for host computer 117 converge at bridge 120 which is of conventional design . in the transmit direction , bridge 120 principally acts as an adder and , accordingly , generates on communications channel 121 a signal representing the arithmetic sum of the individual modulated signals on channels 119 - 1 through - 15 . channel 121 has a limited bandwidth and provides a common communications link for host computer 127 . control modem 123 performs an inverse function to a tributary modem . specifically , control modem 123 demodulates the signal received from communications channel 121 and recovers data messages therefrom . in addition , it provides a master clock signal of 9 . 6 khz to the components of multipoint network 10 . these components , such as the tributary modem and the protocol adapter of each station , derive their clocks from the master clock signal . protocol controller 125 takes in the recovered data messages from control modem 123 and compares each of the identification headers with the fifteen permissible identification headers associated with the fifteen cluster controllers . in a situation where an identification header of a data message is not recognizable as one of the permissible headers , protocol controller 125 discards the data message . this situation arises whenever in accessing channel 121 , two or more data messages transmitted from different stations overlap in time at bridge 120 . under this situation , these data messages are said to have &# 34 ; collided &# 34 ; at bridge 120 . since bridge 120 acts as an adder in this instance , individual signals representing the colliding data messages thereby interfere with one another , resulting in a corrupted data message which is received by controller 125 . this corrupted data message contains , in particular , an unrecognizable identification header . in response thereto , protocol controller 125 sends a control bit pair having a particular binary value , indicative of the collision , to the protocol adapter of each station . otherwise , it issues control bit pairs of different binary values to inform the same that no collision occurred . ( in this illustrative embodiment , the control bit pair value indicative of a collision is arbitrarily selected to be 11 , and its default value is 00 .) the way by which each protocol adapter utilizes the control bit pair information is fully described hereinbelow . for those data messages having recognizable identification headers , protocol controller 125 extracts the underlying data packets from the received data messages and temporarily stores those packets in buffers . in this illustrative embodiment , there are fifteen such buffers , each of which is associated with a particular one of the fifteen cluster controllers . this being so , each data packet is placed in a buffer which corresponds to the cluster controller which its associated identification header identifies . moreover , protocol controller 125 responds to the polling initiated by front end processor ( fep ) 126 . fep 126 polls , in a sequential manner , all the cluster controllers in the network for any data packet to be communicated to host computer 127 . typically , this polling is communicated to each of the individual cluster controllers . however , by having the polling responded to by protocol controller 125 , as in this particular embodiment , it advantageously saves the transit time of the polling signal and the response thereto . this time saving stems from the elimination of the actual trips of the polling and response signals to and from individual cluster controllers through the aforementioned communications channels and modems . this being so , the polling arrangement in this embodiment mitigates the undue access delay which would otherwise be imposed on the communications from each data device to host computer 127 . protocol controller 125 releases data packets , if any , from the buffer associated with the cluster controller which is polled by fep 126 . the latter is , illustratively , an fep manufactured by ibm and designated as model 3745 . fep 126 reformats , in a standard way , the data packets received from protocol controller 125 so as to properly present their content to host computer 127 . accordingly , the latter runs various application processes and communicates the results to the appropriate data devices . to this end , fep 126 packetizes , in a conventional manner , the responses from host computer 127 . protocol controller 125 takes in the data packet bits sequentially and periodically inserts the aforementioned control bit pairs . protocol controller 125 thereupon provides a bit sequence to control modem 123 . the latter transmits the bit sequence over channel 121 at a rate of 9 . 6 kb / s . in the receive direction , bridge 120 operates in a broadcast mode . that is , after it has received a signal from channel 121 , the same signal is communicated to each of stations 101 - 1 through - 15 via , respectively , communications channels 119 - 1 through - 15 . the tributary modem of each station demodulates the broadcast signal and recovers the bit sequence therefrom . each protocol adapter extracts from the recovered bit sequence the previously inserted control bit pairs which indicates thereto the traffic condition of channel 121 . the remaining bits in the sequence which are in the form of data packets are provided at the input of each cluster controller . the latter selects from the data packets those that are addressed thereto and sends the selected packets to the appropriate data devices . fig2 is a timing diagram of the communications traffic on multipoint network 10 in the transmit and receive directions . specifically , in the transmit direction , time is divided into time slots . data messages , each having a variable number of bits , are transmitted by a tributary modem at the beginning of a time slot . the duration of a time slot is fixed and is determined based upon the statistical distribution of different lengths of data messages communicated in a particular network . it can be shown that a time slot which is extremely long , with respect to a data message , wastes much of the bandwidth of communications channel 121 . on the other hand , an extremely short time slot requires more frequent transmission of the identification header or similar &# 34 ; overhead &# 34 ;, resulting in ineffective utilization of the bandwidth . as such , the actual time slot duration is selected so that the bandwidth of channel 121 is effectively utilized . in the present illustrative embodiment , the duration of the time slot is statistically determined to be 960 bits or 960 bits / 9 . 6 kb / s = 100 ms long . the time slots in fig2 are grouped into frames . each frame has fifteen time slots which are denoted 1 through 15 as shown in fig2 . as described hereinbelow , the aforementioned random access algorithm residing in a protocol adapter may instruct the associated station to transmit in an assigned time slot . if station 101 - 1 is so instructed , it would accordingly transmit in the upcoming time slot 1 which is assigned to station 101 - 1 for this purpose ; if station 101 - 2 is so instructed , it would transmit in the upcoming time slot 2 ; if station 101 - 3 , the upcoming time slot 3 and so on and so forth . the time slots are tracked by each protocol adapter based on its own internal clock ( not shown ) which is synchronized with the master clock signal provided by control modem 123 . as seen in fig2 in the receive direction , the control bit pairs are periodically inserted by protocol controller 125 into the data packet stream originating from fep 126 . this insertion of control bit pairs may involve breaking data packets apart . the insertion of control bit pair 201 into data packet 203 is such an example . in this illustrative embodiment , the control bit pairs are 100 ms apart and are received by each protocol adapter at a rate of 10 hz . each control bit pair is temporally positioned immediately before the end of each time slot . as such , a protocol adapter which causes a data message to be transmitted at the beginning of a time slot can be informed by the received control bit pair at the end of the time slot whether the data message has collided with another data message . the control bit pair can also communicate other ancillary information as will be discussed . if indeed there was a collision , the protocol adapter would be instructed by the random access algorithm therein to immediately cease sending any remaining part of the data message to the associated tributary modem . since the data messages are of variable lengths , there is a probability that some data messages are longer than one time slot , and the probability is a function of the selected duration of the time slot . in order for protocol controller 125 to properly assemble a data message in one or more time slots , the data message generated by each protocol adapter provides an indication of its length to controller 125 . as shown in fig3 a data message includes in addition to a data packet , an identification header and one or more continuation bits . these continuation bits may be inserted into the packet . each continuation bit assumes a binary value of 0 or 1 . a value of 0 indicates that the data message ends in the current time slot and a value of 1 indicates otherwise . therefore , when a data message lasts for more than one but no more than two time slots , the first continuation bit has a value of 1 and the second continuation bit has a value of 0 . that is , in general , except for the last continuation bit , all of the continuation bits in a data message have a 1 value . it should also be pointed out that the first continuation bit of a data message always immediately follows the identification header . each subsequent continuation bit for that data message assumes the first bit position at the beginning of the associated time slot . it should be noted at this point that in addition to the collision information that a protocol adapter needs from protocol controller 125 , other information may also be helpful . in this illustrative embodiment , each protocol adapter is also informed whether a particular data message which has successfully accessed channel 121 in a time slot ( i . e ., without any collision ) has any remaining portion occupying one or more succeeding time slots . but for this information , another data message could have been initiated by a second protocol adapter and could have collided with the message portion in the succeeding time slots . in fact , this information is easily provided by protocol controller 125 once it determines that there has been no collision in the current time slot . the provision of such information simply requires protocol controller 125 to further check the value of the currently received continuation bit . if the continuation bit value is 0 which indicates that the received data message is complete , protocol controller 125 accordingly sends a control bit pair of the binary value 10 , indicating the same , to individual protocol adapters . otherwise , if the continuation bit value is 1 , protocol controller 125 sends a control bit pair of the binary value 01 , indicating that the remaining portion of the data message is to be expected . turn now to fig4 which shows a flow chart of the aforementioned random access algorithm residing in each protocol adapter of multipoint network 10 . as mentioned before , the random access algorithm orchestrates the traffic controlling operation of a protocol adapter . for example , protocol adapter 113 starts to operate , as indicated at 401 , at the same time that multipoint network 10 is initially activated . immediately thereafter , as shown by step 403 , protocol adapter 113 monitors cluster controller 111 for any data packet to be sent by the latter . as soon as protocol adapter 113 receives the request - to - send signal from cluster controller 111 , the former is instructed by the algorithm to retrieve a data packet from the latter , as indicated at step 404 . the random access algorithm thence advances to step 405 wherein protocol adapter 113 generates a data message based upon the retrieved data packet and stores the message in a buffer . the algorithm thereupon proceeds to step 406 . at this step , the algorithm checks the value of the upcoming control bit pair received by protocol adapter 113 . assuming for now that this control bit pair value is 01 ( i . e ., the transmission was successful in the last time slot , but the data message has not yet been completely communicated ), the algorithm enters an idle state . in this idle state , protocol adapter 113 is inhibited from sending out any data message copy . such an idle state persists till the time slot preceding an assigned slot arrives , as indicated at step 407 . ( since protocol adapter 113 is in station 101 - 1 , the assigned time slot in this instance is the upcoming time slot 1 , i . e ., time slot 1 in the immediately following frame .) at such time , the algorithm returns to aforementioned step 406 to recheck the control bit pair value . let us assume now that the received control bit pair value at step 406 is not 01 , but 11 , 10 or 00 instead . in response thereto , the random access algorithm proceeds to step 409 . at this step , protocol adapter 113 is instructed to send a copy of the buffered data message to the tributary modem for transmission in the next time slot . after the data message copy has been promptly transmitted , the algorithm checks the control bit pair value as indicated at step 413 . if this control bit pair value is 11 ( i . e ., a collision occurred ), the algorithm returns to the aforementioned routine of step 407 , followed by step 406 . it should be pointed out at this juncture how random access algorithm reacts to the traffic volume on channel 121 when it , for example , becomes substantially heavy . an initial effect of such an increase in the traffic volume is , of course , that a significant number of collisions occur at bridge 120 . in fact , if any protocol adapter checks the control bit pair value during this transition period , the value would most likely be 11 . if the protocol adapter continues to send out data messages in such a traffic condition , it would end up performing a routine of steps in the order of 407 , 406 , 409 , 410 and 413 repeatedly , as instructed by its own random access algorithm . a closer look reveals that this routine leads a protocol adapter to initiate data messages only during the time slots assigned to its associated station . this being so , where the traffic is extremely congested , each station tends to initiate its data messages in its assigned time slots . since each data message could be more than one time slot long , it could occupy one or more succeeding time slots following the assigned slot . had the data message length been uniformly shorter than or equal to one time slot , this scheme would thus approach the well - known tdma scheme in an extremely congested traffic condition . returning to step 413 , let us now assume that the algorithm finds out that the control bit pair value is 01 , instead . that is , the data message copy which was sent out by protocol adapter 113 at previous step 409 is longer than one time slot and the first part of the data message copy is successfully received by the other end . accordingly , the algorithm instructs protocol adapter 113 to continue to send out the rest of the data message copy until its end , as indicated at step 410 . otherwise , if the received control bit pair value is 10 ( i . e ., the transmission in the last time slot was successful , and the data message was completely communicated ), the random access algorithm enters an idle state for a predetermined period of time in accordance with the present invention . such an idle period is advantageously at least one time slot . the algorithm thence proceeds to step 417 wherein protocol adapter 113 is instructed to check whether the buffer of cluster controller 111 has no more data packets to send . if so , the algorithm returns to aforementioned step 403 where protocol adapter 113 keeps monitoring the cluster controller for any data packet to be sent from the latter . otherwise , the algorithm performs step 411 and then step 412 , which are identical to , respectively , aforementioned step 404 and step 405 . as required by steps 411 and 412 , protocol adapter 113 retrieves a data packet from cluster controller 111 , generates a data message based thereon and stores the message in a buffer . thereafter , the algorithm returns to step 407 as described before . turn now to fig5 which shows an alternative means of implementing the aforementioned random access algorithm residing in each protocol adapter of multipoint network 10 . in this case , the protocol adapter 113 starts to operate as indicated at 501 , at the same time that multipoint network 10 is initially activated . steps 501 , 503 , 504 , 505 and 506 in the flow chart of fig5 are respectively identical to steps 401 , 403 , 404 , 405 and 406 in fig4 . at step 506 , if the control bit pair value received by the protocol adapter 113 is 01 , the protocol adapter proceeds to step 507 and thence back to step 506 , so as to recheck the control bit pair value . however , if the control bit pair value is not 01 , the protocol adapter proceeds to step 509 and thence to step 513 . at step 513 , the value of the control bit pair is checked and , depending on this value , the protocol adapter proceeds to step 515 , 507 or 510 . these steps are again identical to steps 415 , 407 and 410 of fig4 . in step 515 , however , the protocol adapter 113 inhibits any transmission for a predetermined time period , even if the protocol adapter has more data messages ready for transmission , when the immediately prior message was successfully transmitted . after this predetermined time period , which advantageously is at least one time slot but in any event is substantially greater than the time interval from the end of a data message to the next upcoming time slot , the protocol adapter proceeds back to step 503 , where the cluster controller is examined for the presence of data messages and the process starts anew . now , consider a scenario in which the protocol adapter 113 has a lot of messages to transmit , but others do not have any messages to transmit . in this case , the protocol adapter 113 will follow the routine of steps 503 , 504 , 505 , 506 , 509 , 513 , 510 , 513 and 515 repeatedly . consequently , successively transmitted messages will be separated by a one time slot interval . the foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the present invention . it will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous other arrangements which embody the principles of the invention and are thus within its spirit and scope . for example , although the access scheme disclosed herein requires a feedback in the form of control bit pairs from the protocol controller to all of the transmitting stations , such a feedback is not necessary in a communications network where a transmitting station can monitor the channel , for example , a radio channel , and determine the traffic condition . in addition , the access scheme disclosed herein utilizes time slots which are grouped in frames and where the time slots in every frame are assigned to the stations in a fixed manner . specifically in this instance , time slot 1 in each frame is assigned to station 101 - 1 , time slot 2 to station 101 - 2 and so on and so forth . however , this assignment is not necessarily so fixed . depending on the application , it may be desirable to vary the time slot assigned to each station from one frame to another or periodically . moreover , although the time slots are of a fixed duration , the disclosed access scheme can also be implemented with time slots of variable durations or without the time - slot requirement at all . finally , although the disclosed network is embodied in the form of various discrete electronic building blocks and components , the invention could equally as well be embodied in a system in which the functions of any one or more of those building blocks and components or indeed , all of the functions thereof , are realized , for example , by one or more appropriately programmed processors .	7
a description is given of one embodiment of the invention with reference to the following drawings . fig1 is a configuration view of a range measuring system 1 , fig2 a to 2c are schematic views of a configuration of an reid tag ( radio frequency identification tag ) 20 , and fig3 a and 3b are schematic views of a configuration of reader / writer 10 . the range measuring system 1 is composed of a reader / writer 10 and an rfid tag 20 . the reid tag 20 is provided with a sub carrier generation portion 22 , a modulation portion 23 , a communications controller 24 and a memory portion 25 in addition to an antenna 21 as shown in fig2 a . the antenna 21 communicates with the reader / writer 10 in a non - contacted state . the antenna may be composed of an appropriate antenna such as a uhf antenna or a loop antenna . the sub carrier generation portion 22 generates a sub carrier ( sub carrier wave ) whose frequency is different from the first frequency ( frequency fc ) used by the reader / writer 10 as a carrier wave . in the embodiment , phase shift keying ( psk ) or frequency shift keying ( fsk ) may be selectively used as the modulation system of the sub carrier . also , a lower frequency than the first frequency is adopted for the sub carrier . the memory portion 25 stores id being identification information of the rfid tag 20 and other data . the communications controller 24 carries out communications control by which it receives a command from the reader / writer 10 , modulates digital data in the memory portion 25 and responds to the reader / writer 10 . the communications controller 24 is composed of digital circuits ( logic ) to execute parallel processing such as sub carrier generation . the modulation portion 23 modulates the sub carrier based on digital data transmitted from the communications controller 24 . it is composed so that the modulation is selectively carried out based on two types of psk and fsk . first , a detailed description is given of the psk . as shown in fig2 b , the calculator 26 obtains an exclusive logic sum ( xor : exclusive or ) of the sub carrier 28 ( sub carrier wave shown at [ 1 ] in fig2 c ) and digital data ( data shown at [ 2 ] in fig2 c ) that is framed by adding a preamble and crc ( cyclic redundancy check ), etc ., in a framing portion 29 , and an after - calculated signal ( signal shown at [ 3 ] in fig2 c ) is generated . and , reflected signals of the first frequency fc , which are from the reader / writer 10 , by the antenna 21 are controlled by changing the impedance of the antenna 21 based on the signals . the reflected signals by the antenna 21 become a response to the reader / writer 10 . a detailed description is given of fsk . as shown in fig3 a , output signals ( signals shown at [ 4 ] in fig3 b ) are generated by changing a sub carrier 28 a and a sub carrier 28 b by a multiplexer 27 ( mux ) using the sub carrier 28 a ( sub carrier wave shown at [ 1 ] in fig3 b ), sub carrier 28 b ( sub carrier wave shown at [ 2 ] in fig3 b ) and digital data ( data shown at [ 3 ] in fig3 b ) framed by adding a preamble and a crc thereto at the framing portion 29 . and , the signals are sent back from the antenna 21 to the reader / writer 10 . also , the rfid tag 20 is provided with a demodulator and a decoder ( illustration of which is omitted ). the demodulator demodulates signals received by the antenna 21 and acquires command signals transmitted from the reader / writer 10 . the decoder decodes demodulated command signals , and takes out coded command data , wherein processes of reading ( transmitting a designated area of the memory portion 25 ) and writing ( writing data following the command in the designated area of the memory portion 25 ) are carried out . in addition , for the rfid tag 20 , there are two types , one of which is a passive type that does not have any power source and responds to actuation by an electric field or magnetic field and the other of which is a semi - passive type that internally includes a power source and responds when receiving a response request from the reader / writer 10 . therefore , the rfid tag 20 can synchronize with carrier waves transmitted from the reader / writer 10 . the reader / writer 10 is provided with the antenna 11 , and is also provided with a controller and a memory portion , illustration of which is omitted . the memory portion stores various types of data and also stores a range measuring program to measure the range . in addition , the reader / writer 10 includes a range calculating portion 13 , a frequency component separating portion 14 and a frequency converting portion 15 as shown in fig4 a . the frequency converting portion 15 carries out frequency conversion in regard to signals received from the antenna 11 , and sends the frequency component (± fs ) of a sub carrier to the frequency component separating portion 14 . the frequency component separating portion 14 separates the received frequency component (± fs ) into usb and lsb . herein , the lsb can be picked up by the configuration shown in fig4 b . that is , first , i components and q components are extracted from input frequencies by means of an orthogonal mixer 14 a , wherein the phase of the q components is changed by + 90 ° by a phase converter 14 b . and , the after - phase changed q component and i components for which the phase has not been changed are synthesized by a synthesizer 14 c , thereby extracting the lsb . in addition , usb can be picked up by the configuration shown in fig4 c . that is , first , i components and q components are extracted from input frequencies by an orthogonal mixer 14 a , wherein the phase of the q components is changed by − 90 ° by a phase converter 14 d . and , the after - phase changed q component and i components for which the phase has not been changed are synthesized by a synthesizer 14 c , thereby extracting the usb . the range calculating portion 13 shown in fig4 a calculates the range using the usb and lsb that are extracted by the frequency component separating portion 14 . the range calculation is carried out as follows . first , where it is assumed that the phase of the signal of the first frequency fc transmitted by the reader / writer 10 is the reference phase , the signals of the first frequency fc reach the rfid tag 20 located at a distance r from the reader / writer 10 and is reflected therefrom , and phase of carrier waves returned to the reader / writer 10 becomes φt . and , the phase φru of the usb signal , which is generated by modulation with respect to the signal of the first frequency fc at the rfid tag 20 and has reached the reader / writer 10 , for the reference phase and the phase φrl of the lsb signal for the reference phase may be expressed by the following expression . therefore , the range from the reader / writer 10 to the rfid tag 20 may be calculated by the following expression . fig5 a to 5c are schematic views describing a carrier wave , a response signal , usb and lsb where psk is used . as shown in fig5 a , an inquiry signal ( carrier wave ) transmitted by the reader / writer 10 is a signal of the first frequency fc . as shown in fig5 b , the response signal ( reflected wave ) responded by the rfid tag 20 is a signal obtained by synthesizing the first frequency fc and the second frequency fs . for the response signal , data are expressed in the psk system . as shown in fig5 c , the response signal can pick up usb and lsb by separation of frequency components . fig6 a and 6b are schematic views describing a carrier wave , a response signal , usb and lsb where fsk is used . as shown in fig6 a , a response signal ( reflected wave ) that the rfid tag 20 responds to is a signal obtained by synthesizing the first frequency fc and the second frequency fs and the third frequency fs 2 , which are sub carriers . for the response signal , data are expressed in the fsk system . as shown in fig6 b , the response signal may obtain a number of components separated into usb and lsb and separated into the second frequency fs 1 component and the third frequency fs 2 component by separation of frequency components . in this case , three or more frequency components may be used , wherein a high - resolution power algorithm based on the music ( multiple signal classification ) method disclosed by the international publication wo2006 / 095463 , etc ., may be used . accordingly , the accuracy under multi - pass environments can be improved with transmission frequency from the reader / writer 10 remaining as one frequency . fig7 is a flowchart showing actions when a range from the reader / writer 10 to the rfid tag 20 is obtained by the range measuring system 1 . first , the reader / writer 10 carries out command transmission and requests a response for id from the rfid tag 20 ( step s 1 ). at this time , the command is transmitted by the first frequency fc . also , the command includes a modulation system code to determine whether the modulation system is based on psk or fsk . the rfid tag 20 analyzes the command from the reader / writer 10 ( step s 2 ) and extracts the modulation system code . if the modulation system is based on the psk ( step s 4 : psk ), the rfid tag 20 changes the modulation portion 23 to the psk circuit ( step s 5 ). if the modulation system is based on the fsk ( step s 4 : fsk ), the rfid tag 20 changes the modulation portion 23 to the fsk circuit ( step s 6 ). the rfid tag 20 reads memory data stored in the memory 25 ( this example includes id ) ( step s 7 ), and frames by adding a preamble and crc thereto ( step s ). the rfid tag 20 modulates framed data by the system ( psk or fsk ) changed by steps s 4 through s 6 ( step s 9 ), and sends back a response signal ( response ) ( step s 10 ). the reader / writer 10 receives a response signal ( response ) ( step s 11 ), and detects whether or not there is any error , by a crc check ( redundancy cyclic inspection ) ( step s 12 ). if any error occurs ( step s 12 : ng ), the reader / writer 10 returns the process to step s 1 , and carries out the process again . if there is no error ( step s 12 : ok ), the reader / writer 10 carries out a process of fft ( fast fourier transform ) of the received signal by the frequency converting portion 15 ( step s 13 ). the reader / writer 10 further separates lsb and usb from each other by the frequency component separating portion 14 ( step s 14 ), calculates a phase by the range calculating portion 13 ( step s 15 ), and carries out estimation of the range based on the phase difference ( step s 16 ). the reader / writer 10 combines the calculated range with an id included in the signals received in step s 11 and outputs the same ( step s 17 ), and then terminates the process . also , the output may be carried out by an appropriate method such as storing the output in a memory unit of the reader / writer 10 , transmitting the same to another device connected to the reader / writer 10 or displaying the same in a display device secured at the reader / writer 10 . based on the above - described configuration and actions , only by an inquiry signal being transmitted one time at a single frequency from the reader / writer 10 , the reader / writer 10 receives a response signal including multiple frequency components from the rfid tag 20 , and can calculate the range from the reader / writer 10 to the rfid tag 20 . therefore , even if the reid tag 20 , which is the object for range measurement , is moving at a high speed , it is possible to carry out highly accurate range measurements . that is , where a plurality of frequencies are transmitted from the reader / writer 10 one after another , if the rfid tag 20 is moving , accurate range measurements become difficult if the positions of the reid tag 20 differ from each other when transmitting respective frequencies . however , in the above - described embodiment , since an inquiry signal is transmitted one time at a single frequency , no time lag occurs , wherein accurate range measurements are enabled . also , since calculation is carried out by obtaining a phase difference of a sub carrier ( the second frequency ), it is possible to accurately measure the range by canceling the reflected wave . in addition , since the frequency transmitted by the reader / writer 10 is regulated by the radio wave law , it was difficult to change the frequency of transmission waves as in the prior art . however , since the frequency of reflected waves from the rfid tag 20 is not regulated , range measurement can be carried out by frequency separation using frequencies for which differences are sufficiently widened based on the above reason . where the psk is used , a range can be simply measured . also , where the fsk is used , the rfid tag 20 returns reflected waves ( response signals ) with respect to a single frequency transmitted from the reader / writer 10 , using frequency components , wherein the measurement accuracy can be improved by using multiple frequencies . in addition , since the upper side band ( usb ) and the lower side band ( lsb ) are separated from each other , noise in the reflected waves can be separated , wherein highly accurate range measurement can be achieved . further , in the above - described embodiment , although psk and fsk are used , the frequency separation is not limited thereto , but various methods may be used to separate frequencies to enable range measurement . for example , the modulating portion 23 of the rfid tag 20 carries out modulation in the psk system . the reader / writer 10 extracts high frequency components ( odd - number order such as primary , tertiary , quinary , etc .) as shown in fig8 , and these high frequency components may be used . in this case , since three or more frequency components may be used , a high - resolution power algorithm based on the music method may be utilized . therefore , the accuracy under a multiple - pass environment can be improved with the transmission frequency from the reader / writer 10 remaining as one frequency . furthermore , where such high frequency components are used , it is preferable that the rfid tag 20 is of a semi - passive type having a power source . accordingly , power necessary to pick up high frequencies can be secured , and can be effectively utilized . also , as shown in fig9 , it may be composed that the frequency component separating portion 14 uses a complex fft operation . in this case , received signals are separated into i signals and q signals by the orthogonal mixer 14 a , and the respective signals may be separated into real parts and imaginary parts by complex fft operations 14 e and 14 f . and , usb components and lsb components for which addition and subtraction are further carried out are extracted , and phases of usb and lsb may be calculated from the respective i components and q components . in this case , the respective phases of usb and lsb may be obtained by the following mathematical expressions . φ ru = arctan ( fft ( i ) re + fft ( q ) im )/( fft ( i ) im − fft ( q ) re ) * fft ( i ) re : real part separated from 1 signals by complex fft operation fft ( i ) im : imaginary part separated from 1 signals by complex fft operation fft ( q ) re : real part separated from q signals by complex fft operation fet ( q ) im : imaginary part separated from q signals by complex fft operation φ rl = arctan ( fft ( i ) re − fft ( q ) im )/( fft ( i ) im + fft ( q ) re ) fft ( i ) re : real part separated from 1 signals by complex fft operation fft ( i ) im : imaginary part separated from 1 signals by complex fft operation fft ( q ) re : real part separated from q signals by complex fft operation fft ( q ) im : imaginary part separated from q signals by complex fft operation in this case , only by an inquiry signal being transmitted from the reader / writer 10 one time at a single frequency , the reader / writer 10 receives a response signal from the rfid tag 20 corresponding thereto , and can calculate the range from the reader / writer 10 to the rfid tag 20 . in addition , the rfid tag 20 may be composed so as to function as a sensing device . in this case , the rfid tag 20 may be equipped with an appropriate sensor such as a temperature sensor , a humidity sensor , etc ., instead of the memory portion 25 or connecting thereto . and , it may be composed that the rfid tag 20 frames a measurement value of the corresponding sensor as data , modulates the same and responds to the reader / writer . therefore , the reader / writer 10 can acquire sensing information in a non - contacted state , and is able to recognize by range calculation at which position ( range ) the sensing information has been obtained . the composition of the invention matches or corresponds to the above - described embodiment as shown below ; the range measuring system according to the invention matches or corresponds to a range measuring system 1 according to the embodiment . similarly , the reader unit and range measuring apparatus match or correspond to the reader / writer 10 , the communication unit matches or corresponds to the antenna 11 , the range measuring unit matches or corresponds to the range calculating portion 13 , the frequency component acquiring unit matches or corresponds to the frequency component separating portion 14 , the non - contacted ic medium matches or corresponds to the rfid tag 20 , the communications unit matches or corresponds to the antenna 21 , and the modulating unit matches or corresponds to the modulating portion 23 . however , the invention is not limited to only the composition of the above - described embodiment , but may be subjected to various embodiments . according to an aspect of the invention , it is possible to provide a range measuring method , a range measuring apparatus , a non - contacted ic medium and a range measuring system , which are capable of executing highly accurate range measurements even if the non - contacted ic medium is in motion .	6
for ease of description , the fluidics system set forth in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 826 , 364 ( fig1 ) will be used as a model system . all reference numbers used hereinafter will refer to that patent . it will be appreciated that the practice of this invention does not depend on the specific configuration of the fluidics system , its individual components , the direction of fluid flow or on how the flow cytometer is to be used . for example , in the absence of a sample reservoir , there may simply be a sample port , such as that used on a facscan ™ flow cytometer ( becton dickinson immunocytometry systems ), wherein the sample is contained in a disposable test tube which then is fitted onto the sample port for each sample to be run and then removed . the sample port then is connected to the sample feed line . in any case , how the system is configured is not as important as assuring that each component that comes in contact with the sample fluid is cleaned by the method of the invention . the fluidics system of the flow cytometer comprises the sample fluid reservoir 14 , the sample feed line 18 , sheath fluid reservoir 16 , sheath fluid feed line 20 , pressure regulators 24 and 26 and nozzle assembly 10 . the nozzle assembly 10 further comprises inner and outer coaxially located nozzles 28 and 30 which supply fluid from feeds 18 and 20 respectively . the coaxial flow stream 12 comprises an inner cell - containing portion 12a and an outer cell - free sheath fluid containing portion 12b . receptacles to collect the cells , in the case of a cell sorter ( or separator ) are shown generally as 68a - c . in the case of an analyzer , where sorting is not required , there may be a waste discharge line or collection receptacle ( not shown ). to clean the flow cytometer , a strong oxidizing solution is added to reservoirs 14 and 16 . strong oxidizing solutions useful in the practice of this invention should have an oxidizing potential of greater than 0 . 7 v . examples of such solutions include a mixture of naoh and naocl and a mixture of koh and kocl . the mixture of naoh and naocl is preferred . without applying any pressure through the regulators 24 and 26 , the solution is allowed to flood the entire fluidics system . it is left in the system for between 10 seconds to 10 minutes with 30 seconds being optimal . after this time period , the sample reservoir 14 is drained through the system and air is introduced through the sample reservoir 14 . as air is introduced , the oxidizing solution is run through the sheath reservoir 16 under pressure until empty . the reservoirs then are filled with a neutral ph fluid . this fluid must be particle free . preferredly , the fluid is deionized water . a preservative , such as sodium azide , may be added to the fluid . the purpose of the preservative is to prevent microorganism growth . the fluidics system then is run under pressure with the neutral ph fluid until empty . the reservoirs 14 and 16 then are filled with a weak acid having a p k value of approximately 3 . weak acids useful in the practice of this invention include 0 . 01m acetic acid and 0 . 1m n - tri - chloroacetic acid . acetic acid is preferred . again , the fluidics system is run under pressure until the reservoirs are empty . finally , sheath fluid is re - filled into the sheath fluid reservoir 16 and run under pressure for approximately 2 minutes to wash away and remaining acid . the fluidics system now will be essentially free of cells that could contaminate a sample . in another embodiment of this system , three reservoirs may be added to the fluidics system . see , e . g ., fig4 . one reservoir 80 will contain the strong oxidizing solution , one 81 will contain the neutral ph fluid and the other 82 will contain the weak acid . air to pressurize the reservoirs is provided by a pump 83 which is in line with a filter 84 . a rotary valve 85 is provided to direct the flow of air to each of the reservoirs . the reservoirs will be connected to the fluidics system at a point where cells first come in contact with the system ( e . g ., sample port 88 ) by means of a common feed metered through another rotary valve 86 . in the embodiment shown , the common feed connects in with the sheath fluid inlet 87 . this inlet has two points of entry : one into the flow cell 89 and the other 90 into the sample port 88 . the flow sheath fluid is controlled by pinch valves 91 , 92 and 93 . the sample injection tube from the sample port 88 to the flow cell ( not shown ) is shown generally as 94 . an additional metered air supply to pressurize the sample port is shown generally as 95 . in another embodiment , a sample preparation station , such as facsprep ™ ( bdis ), which provides for programmable staining of samples followed by introduction of the samples into the flow cytometer also can be modified to be cleaned in accordance with the invention . in this embodiment the reservoir system described above can incorporated into the preparation station alone or in combination with a system in the flow cytometer . to demonstrate the effectiveness of this method , a facscan ™ flow cytometer which had been used to run a variety of cell samples was cleaned in accordance with the manufacturer &# 39 ; s directions ( e . g ., by running a solution of household bleach through the fluidics system and then flushing with sheath fluid ). phosphate buffered saline ( free of any particles ) then was run through the flow cytometer as a &# 34 ; sample .&# 34 ; two measurements of scatter were recorded and three measures of fluorescence were recorded ( ungated ). the results are set forth in fig1 . as can be seen , significant background levels of scatter and fluorescence were detected using conventional cleaning methods . in accordance with the invention , a strong oxidizing solution consisting of a mixture of 0 . 5m naoh and 0 . 07m naocl , particle - free deionized water , and 0 . 01m acetic acid were run through the flow cytometer sequentially . pbs then was run through the flow cytometer as a &# 34 ; sample .&# 34 ; again , two measures of scatter and three measures of fluorescence were recorded . as can be seen from fig2 and 3 , after 9 hours of the pbs &# 34 ; sample &# 34 ; only six events were recorded by scatter and none by fluorescence within the gate . contamination of the fluidics system of the flow cytometer , therefore , was reduced essentially to zero . all publications and patent applications mentioned in this specification are indicative of the level of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains . all publications and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference . it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many changes and modifications can be made in the invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the appended claims .	8
turning now to the figures , fig1 depicts a front view of a component 10 for internal placement within a vehicle fuel tank 12 ( fig2 ). for purposes of illustrating the present invention , the component 10 has been shown as including a grade vent valve 14 which includes a first housing 16 . the details of the valve 14 will not be described here , but suffice it to say that a grade vent valve is a typical fuel tank component which closes off the flow of fuel from the tank based on the grade or angular position of the valve 14 and vehicle relative to the ground . nonetheless , it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that numerous other components that are desired to be located within the fuel tank 12 may be employed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention . the component 10 further includes a second housing 18 and a third housing 20 . while the first and second housings 16 , 18 have been shown as separate elements connected by screws 22 , it will be recognized that the first and second housings 16 , 18 may be integrally formed as a single housing member . the second and third housings 18 , 20 are tubular in shape , and the second housing 18 telescopically receives the third housing 20 . it will be recognized that the third housing 20 could also telescopically receive the second housing 18 . in either case , the inner housing member could comprise a solid member , although the housing preferably has a tubular shape . it can be seen in fig2 that the first , second and third housings 16 , 18 , 20 , and more specifically the entire component 10 is located entirely within the fuel tank 12 . that is , the component 10 does not utilize an access opening into the tank 12 to secure the component 10 therein . stated another way , the receiving members 50 , 52 and their depressions 56 , 60 are horizontally spaced from the access opening . as best seen in the cross - sectional view of fig3 , the second housing 18 telescopically receives the third housing 20 , and a spring 24 is interposed between the housings 18 , 20 . more specifically , the spring 24 is positioned within the second housing 18 and engages a first end 26 of the first housing 16 and a first end 28 of the third housing 20 . the spring 24 biases the second and third housings 18 , 20 away from each other , i . e ., in opposing directions . a pin 19 extends through the second housing 18 and limits the distance which the third housing 20 may extend into the second housing 18 . the first housing 14 includes a first connection member 30 at its free end 32 , while the third housing 20 includes a second connection member 34 at its free end 36 . the first connection member 30 generally includes a projection 38 extending away from a flange 40 . similarly , the second connection member 34 includes a projection 42 extending away from a flange 44 . as best seen in fig2 and 3 , the connection members 30 , 34 are structured to correspond with receiving members 50 , 52 formed in the fuel tank 12 . more specifically , the fuel tank 12 is defined in part by a lower wall 46 and an opposing upper wall 48 . as best seen in fig3 , the receiving member 50 is integrally formed in the lower wall 46 and includes a raised portion or plateau 54 defining a depression 56 . similarly , the upper tank wall 48 includes the receiving member 52 integrally formed therein , defined by a raised plateau 58 having a depression 60 formed therein . the depressions 56 , 60 are sized and structured to correspond to the projections 38 , 42 defined by the first and third housings 16 , 20 . the flanges 40 , 44 are structured to rest against the exposed surface of the plateaus 54 , 58 . as shown in the figures , the projections 38 , 42 are tapered , as are the corresponding depressions 56 , 60 . this aids in the proper seating of the component 10 within the fuel tank 12 . as also shown , the projections 38 , 42 have a circular cross - sectional shape . however , it will be recognized that the projections 38 , 42 may have any desired shape . one preferred shape is a non - circular shape , such as a polygonal or oblong shape . such non - circular cross - sectional shapes aid in restricting the motion of the component 10 , and more specifically the first and second housings 16 , 20 . by virtue of the non - circular shape , the structural members ( i . e ., housings 16 , 18 , 20 ) will be prevented from rotating within the tank 12 . to the same end , the first and second projections 38 , 42 could also include a radially extending key member ( not shown ) which corresponds with a key hole or key slot formed into the depressions 56 , 60 . in operation , the fuel tank 12 is molded with the receiving members 50 , 52 integrally formed therein . the component 10 is then inserted through an access opening , and the third housing 20 is displaced relative to the second housing 18 to shorten the overall length of the component 10 . the projections 38 , 42 are then located within the depressions 56 , 60 , and the biasing force provided by spring 24 presses the first housing 16 and its projection 38 into engagement with the depression 60 formed in the upper wall 48 of the tank 12 . similarly , the third housing 20 is biased downwardly such that the projection 42 engages the depression 56 of the lower wall 46 of the fuel tank 12 . in this way , the relative positioning of the first and second connection members 30 , 34 ( biased apart from each other via spring 24 ) allows for selective engagement of the fuel tank 12 , and in turn such as the attachment of the component 10 . this provides easy servicing of the component 10 while being nondestructive of the fuel tank 12 . the foregoing description of various embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise embodiments disclosed . numerous modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiments discussed were chosen and described to provide the best illustration of the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable one of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . all such modifications and variations are within the scope of the invention as determined by the appended claims when interpreted in accordance with the breadth to which they are fairly , legally , and equitably entitled .	8
a printing apparatus 1 as shown in fig1 - 4 is used for the direct printing of containers . in the depicted embodiment , these containers are bottles , specifically pet bottles 2 . the printing apparatus 1 comprises a printing wheel or rotor 3 that can be rotated in the direction arrow a about a vertical machine axis z . a plurality of handling or printing positions 4 are disposed on the rotor 3 at evenly distributed angular distances about the machine axis z . an outer conveyor 6 feeds the bottles 2 to be printed upon to a container intake of the printing apparatus 1 . in one embodiment , the container intake is an infeed star 5 . as they are being fed , the bottles 2 stand upright , i . e . with their bottle axis vertically oriented , and succeed one another in the transport direction b of the conveyor 6 . each bottle 2 arrives at a printing position 4 via the infeed star 5 . at a container discharge , an outlet star 7 takes printed bottles 2 from the printing position 4 . an outer conveyor 8 then carries the bottles 2 away in a transport direction c . referring to fig2 , each printing position 4 comprises a container carrier . in the depicted embodiment , the container carrier includes a container plate 9 that can be controlled to rotate or swivel about a container plate axis y thereof . the container plate axis y runs parallel to the machine axis z ( arrow d ). each printing position 4 has a plunger 10 , best seen in fig3 . the plunger 10 secures the bottle 2 from tipping over after it is transferred to the printing position 4 . it does so by clamping the bottle 2 between itself and the container plate 9 . each plunger 10 can be controlled to move down and up on a rotary plate axis y to secure and to release a bottle 2 . each of the printing positions 4 also comprises a sleeve - like enclosure or protective sleeve 11 . in the illustrated printing apparatus 1 , the sleeve 11 has first , second , and third sleeve elements 11 . 1 , 11 . 2 , 11 . 3 . when closed , the sleeve 11 encloses and houses the bottle 2 provided at the printing position 4 . in doing so , the sleeve 11 encloses the entire height of the bottle 2 and leaves clearance between itself and the bottle 2 . the first sleeve element 11 . 1 is rotationally fixed on the rotor 3 . as a result , the first sleeve element 11 . 1 does not rotate with the container plate 9 . the first sleeve element 11 . 1 defines a portion of a cylinder having a cylinder axis . the cylinder axis is aligned with the container plate axis y of the associated container plate . in relation to the machine axis z , the first sleeve element 11 . 1 is offset radially inwards relative to the associated container plate axis y . at its upper edge , the first sleeve element 11 . 1 connects to the second sleeve element 11 . 2 . in the illustrated embodiment , the second sleeve element 11 . 2 is a circular disc - shaped enclosure element . the second sleeve element 11 . 2 is part of or connected to the plunger 10 and arranged along the container plate axis y . in the illustrated embodiment , the third sleeve element 11 . 3 comprises an enclosure element . in relation to the machine axis z , the third sleeve element 11 . 3 is offset radially outwards relative to container plate axis y and can be controlled to move up and down in an axial direction e , f parallel to the machine axis z . in doing so , the third sleeve element 11 . 3 opens and closes the protective sleeve 11 . referring to fig4 , a print head 12 and fixing device 13 are provided at each printing position in the first sleeve element 11 . 1 . the fixing device 13 follows the print head 12 in the direction of rotation d of the container plate 9 . the print head 12 creates a polychrome print image on a region of the exterior surface of the bottle 2 . rotating the container plate 9 then moves the region to the fixing device 13 , which then fixes the printing ink . the print head 12 consists of multiple individual print heads that can each be digitally or electronically triggered and that operate , for example , according to the tonejet principle or tonejet method . each individual print head has a plurality of nozzle orifices to dispense the printing ink . the nozzle orifices are disposed in at least one row that is parallel or essentially parallel to the container plate axis y . each nozzle orifice can be independently triggered to discharge ink . the print head 12 is disposed such that the print direction of the print head 12 , i . e . the direction in which the ink is dispensed from the print head 12 or from the individual nozzle orifices , is oriented radially or essentially radially to the machine axis z . as a result of this orientation , centrifugal force generated by the rotating rotor 3 assists in discharging printing ink onto the bottle 2 . the individual print heads contain printing inks of different colors , for example red , blue , yellow and black . these are used to generate the different color separations . the print image is generated by triggering the print head 12 or the individual print heads and controlling the rotation of the bottle 2 about the container plate axis y , and hence about the bottle &# 39 ; s axis . control over triggering and rotation is based on artwork stored electronically in a computer . printing on bottles 2 is carried out in such a way that each bottle 2 is transferred to a printing position 4 with the protective sleeve 11 of that printing position 4 open , i . e . with the third sleeve element 11 . 3 raised . at the same time as this transfer , while the bottle 2 is still held in the infeed star 5 , the plunger 10 lowers to secure the bottle 2 against tipping over . the bottle 2 is centered such that its bottle axis is coaxial with the container plate axis y of the container plate 9 . on a first angular range of the rotary motion of the rotor 3 , the protective sleeve 11 is closed by controlled lowering of the third sleeve element 11 . 3 . on a further angular range of the rotary motion of the rotor 3 , the printing of the respective bottle 2 is carried out with the protective sleeve 11 closed . in some embodiments , printing is carried out by having the bottle 2 undergo one complete revolution about its bottle axis for each color set of the print image . during each revolution , a printing head 12 assigned to that color set prints that color set on the bottle 2 and the fixing device 13 fixes it . the fixing device 13 carries out the fixing by , for example , drying the ink using an energy input , such as thermal energy , e . g . hot air or infrared radiation , uv radiation , microwave energy , etc . subsequently during a further revolution of the bottle 2 about its bottle axis , the next color set is applied with whatever print head 12 is assigned to that color . the ink is again fixed by the fixing device 13 . this procedure continues until all color sets have been printed . other methods of applying the individual color sets of the polychrome print image are also possible . for example , in some embodiments , the polychrome print image is generated in a single pass with one print head 12 or with multiple print heads oriented on the container periphery . this procedure is called “ wet on wet printing .” the inks are then fixed at the fixing device 13 . regardless of what printing method is used , some of the printing ink does not make it to the bottle 2 . instead , it forms an ink aerosol that surrounds the bottle 2 . this ink aerosol contains atomized printing ink that can contaminate the printing apparatus 1 . to avoid contamination by this ink aerosol , the printing of each bottle 2 is carried out with the protective sleeve 11 closed . an extraction system extracts the ink aerosol from the enclosure . in the embodiment shown in fig3 , the extraction system comprises a plurality of extractor tubes 14 . these extractor tubes 14 open out into the interior of the protective sleeve 11 at the second sleeve element 11 . 2 . the extractor tubes 14 are each connected via collector tubes or pipes 15 to an extraction unit that is common to all print positions 4 . to facilitate the extraction of the atomized printing ink , each protective sleeve 11 is configured in such a way that , at the lower edge of the closed protective sleeve 11 , a slit - like opening remains for a flow of supply air into the interior of the protective sleeve 11 . extracting the ink aerosol from the interior of the protective sleeve 11 also prevents printing ink droplets from settling uncontrollably on the exterior surface of the bottle 2 , thus avoiding potential impairment of the bottle &# 39 ; s appearance and overall commercial impression . in order to reduce the amount of atomized printing ink and to enhance the quality and / or sharpness of the print image , there is provided , on the inside of each protective first sleeve element 11 . 1 , at least one rod - shaped electrode 16 upstream of the print head 12 in the direction of rotation d of the container plate 9 . the electrode 16 is connected to a high dc voltage , for example a dc voltage of up to 30 kv . the high voltage is applied at least before and during the printing process . this high voltage promotes static charge of the bottle 2 at the region to be printed upon . as a result , if the print head 12 has an opposite voltage , an electrostatic field accelerates the ink droplets towards the bottle , and specifically towards the print region of the bottle . moreover the voltage at the electrode 16 generates a cloud of ions . these ions capture the ink droplets and take them away . the act of enclosing the bottles 2 in the protective sleeves 11 during printing has advantages beyond merely preventing the printing apparatus 1 being contaminated by atomized printing ink . air turbulence around the bottles 2 impairs the quality of the print image . the enclosure avoids this problem . the problem of air turbulence is particularly important given that the rotor 3 rotates at high speed about the machine axis z , especially when the printing apparatus 1 is operated at high output so that a large number of bottles 2 are processed per unit of time . at each printing position 4 , this motion results in considerable air flow 17 , as shown in fig4 . the closed protective sleeve 11 protects the bottles 2 and / or the printed regions against this air flow 17 during printing . this in turn prevents discharged ink droplets from being deflected from their flight path by moving air . this enables achievement of the desired droplet placement , thus improving the quality of the required mage . the ratio of droplet velocity to printing speed as specified by the print head manufacturer is therefore not adversely affected by externally acting air flow 17 . in the embodiments described thus far , upon the transfer of a bottle 2 from the infeed star 5 to a printing position or upon the removal of the printed bottle 2 from a printing position 4 at the outlet star 7 , with the protective sleeve 11 being open in each case , the plunger 10 is lowered and raised . however , only relative motion is needed . thus , for non - movable plungers 10 , it is also possible for the bottles 2 to be raised and pressed up against the plunger 10 at the infeed star 5 , and lowered down from the plunger 10 at the outlet star 7 . in the embodiments described thus far , the third sleeve element 11 . 3 is lowered and raised under control to open and close the protective sleeve 11 . other embodiments lower the third sleeve element 11 . 3 to open the protective sleeve 11 and to raise it to close the protective sleeve 11 , and / or to provide it pivotably for opening and closing the protective sleeve 11 . yet other embodiments lower and raise the protective sleeve 11 altogether to enclose the bottle 2 for printing and to release the bottle 2 after printing . in a depiction that is similar to fig2 , fig5 shows a printing apparatus 1 a that differs from printing apparatus 1 by having a closed protective sleeve 11 a configured as a hollow cylinder with a hollow - cylinder - shaped interior and exterior surface being provided for each enclosure during printing . at the container intake or infeed star 5 , each bottle 2 transferred to a container plate 9 is introduced into the protective sleeve 11 a from below through the controlled raising of the container plate 9 . at the container discharge or outlet star 7 , each printed bottle 2 is lowered down out of the protective sleeve 11 a through the controlled lowering of the associated container plate 9 so that it can be accepted by the outlet star 7 and transferred on to the outer conveyor 8 . the protective sleeve 11 , and in particular its first and third sleeve elements 11 . 1 and 11 . 3 as well as the protective sleeve 11 a , are made , for example , from plastic or from cardboard or paperboard . as such , they are disposable elements that can be replaced by fresh sleeve elements 11 , 11 a when heavily contaminated by atomized or splashed printing ink . in the embodiments described thus far , a gap is formed at the lower edge of the protective sleeve 11 , 11 a through which supply air can flow into the protective sleeve interior when the atomized or splashed printing ink is extracted . other openings for the supply air can also be provided in addition to or instead of this gap . in particular , openings in the side wall or in the jacket of the protective sleeve 11 , 11 a can be provided . in another embodiment , the protective sleeves 11 , 11 a have double walls at least in partial regions . in yet other embodiments , they have a multiply perforated wall on the inside such that the supply air that is required for extraction no longer flows into the protective sleeve interior through a gap at the lower edge of the particular sleeve 11 , 11 a . instead , it flows through the space between the outer and the inner wall element and the openings provided in the inner wall element . the invention has been described by reference to selected embodiments . numerous variations as well as modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concept underlying the invention .	1
the present invention will now be described in detail with respect to several preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings . alumina - silica short fibers having 3 microns average fiber diameter and 1 . 5 mm average fiber length ( manufactured by isolite kogyo kk ), aluminum alloy powder ( jis standard ac8a ) having 150 microns average particle diameter or aluminum alloy powder ( jis standard ac7a ) having 100 microns average particle diameter , pure titanium powder having 20 microns average particle diameter , and pure nickel powder having 20 microns average particle diameter were mixed in various proportions and subjected to compression forming to produce preforms such as shown in fig1 having 45 × 25 × 10 mm dimensions and including the alumina - silica short fibers 10 at 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 % or 20 % by volume , the aluminum alloy powder 12 at 40 %, 50 %, 60 %, 70 % or 80 % by volume , the pure titanium powder 14 at 0 %, 1 %, 5 %, 10 % or 15 % by volume , and the pure nickel powder 16 at 0 %, 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, 7 %, 10 % or 15 % by volume , respectively , except such cases that the total volume proportion would exceed 95 %. next , as shown in fig2 each preform 18 was immersed in a melt 22 of aluminum alloy ( jis standard ac8a ) maintained at 570 c .° by a heater 20 , was held there for 10 seconds , and then was removed from the melt , and then the molten metal infiltrated in the preform was solidified without further treatment . next , each composite material thus formed was sectioned , and by observation of the section , the penetration of the melt was investigated . the results are shown in table 1 and table 2 in which & lt ; double circle & gt ; indicates that there were no micropores at all , & lt ; circle & gt ; indicates that there were an extremely small quantity of micropores , and & lt ; triangle & gt ; indicates that there were a small quantity of micropores . table 1 shows the results when the volume proportion of the alumina - silica short fibers was 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 % or 20 %, and the volume proportion of the pure nickel powder was 0 % or 15 %, and table 2 shows the results when the volume proportion of the alumina - silica short fibers was 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 % or 20 %, and the volume proportion of the pure nickel powder was 1 %, 3 %, 5 %, 7 % or 10 %. from table 1 and table 2 it will be seen that irrespective of the composition of the aluminum alloy powder , it is desirable that the volume proportion of the aluminum alloy powder is between 60 % and 80 %, and the volume proportions of the pure nickel powder and the pure titanium powder are between 1 % and 10 %, respectively . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of those composite materials indicated by & lt ; double circle & gt ; in table 2 , it was confirmed that the pure nickel powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to produce fine intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and nial , that in the case where the volume proportion of the alumina - silica short fibers was 0 % the aluminum alloy matrix was compositely reinforced by these fine intermetallic compounds , and that in the case where the volume proportion of the alumina - silica short fibers was between 5 % and 20 % the aluminum alloy matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the alumina - silica short fibers but also by these fine intermetallic compounds . 5 % by volume silicon carbide whisker ( manufactured by tokai carbon kk , having 0 . 3 micron average fiber diameter and 100 microns average fiber length ) as a reinforcing material , 70 % by volume pure aluminum powder ( 50 microns average particle diameter ), 5 % by volume pure nickel powder ( 30 microns average particle diameter ) and 5 % by volume pure titanium powder ( 30 microns average particle diameter ) were mixed and subjected to compression forming to produce four preforms , and composite materials were manufactured in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 1 , except that the melts of matrix metal were aluminum alloy ( jis standard a2024 ) at 550 c .°, 600 c .°, 650 c .°, 700 c .° and 750 c .°, and by observation of sections of these materials , the penetration of the melt was investigated . as a result , it was confirmed that whatever the temperature of the melt of matrix metal was , satisfactory composite materials were formed with no the generation of micropores . 10 % by volume silicon carbide particles ( manufactured by showa denko kk , 30 microns average particle diameter ) as a reinforcing material , 60 % by volume aluminum alloy powder ( jis standard a2024 , 150 microns average particle diameter ), 8 % by volume pure nickel powder ( 30 microns average particle diameter ), and 3 % by volume pure titanium powder ( 30 microns average particle diameter ) were mixed and subjected to compression forming to produce preforms , and composite materials were manufactured in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 1 , except that the melt of matrix metal melt was a semi - molten aluminum alloy ( al - 30 % cu ) at a temperature of approximately 550 c .°, and the immersion time of the preform in the melt was 30 seconds , and then by observation of sections of this material , the penetration of the melt was investigated . as a result , it was confirmed that also in this embodiment , satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials formed in embodiments 2 and 3 , it was confirmed that the pure nickel powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to produce fine intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and nial , and that the aluminum alloy matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the reinforcing material but also by these intermetallic compounds . 15 % by volume alumina short fibers (&# 34 ; safil rf &# 34 ; manufactured by ici , 3 microns average fiber diameter , 1 mm average fiber length ) as a reinforcing material , 65 % by volume aluminum alloy fibers ( manufactured by aisin seiki kk , al - 5 % mg , 60 microns average fiber diameter , 3 mm average fiber length ), 5 % by volume pure nickel fibers ( manufactured by tokyo seiko kk , 20 microns average fiber diameter , 1 mm average fiber length ), and 10 % by volume pure titanium fibers ( manufactured by tokyo seiko kk , 20 microns average fiber diameter , 1 mm average fiber length ) were mixed and subjected to compression forming to produce a preform . then , this preform was disposed within a die ( jis standard no . 10 ) at 400 c .°, molten magnesium alloy ( sae standard az91 ) at 650 c .° was poured into this die , and the preform infiltrated with the molten magnesium alloy was cooled to room temperature under supply of sulfur hexafluoride gas over the surface of the melt to prevent oxidation of the magnesium alloy . then , the composite material thus formed was sectioned , and by observation of sections of this material , the penetration of the melt was investigated . as a result , it was confirmed that also in this embodiment a satisfactory composite material including no micropores was formed . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite material formed in this embodiment , it was confirmed that the matrix at a central portion was an aluminum alloy while the matrix at peripheral portions was a magnesium alloy , that the nickel fibers had reacted with aluminum so as to produce intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and nial , that particularly at peripheral portions the pure nickel fibers had reacted also with magnesium so as to produce intermetallic compounds such as mg 2 ni and mgni 2 , such intermetallic compounds being higher in density toward outer peripheral portions , and the matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the reinforcing material but also by these intermetallic compounds . further , when a composite material was produced in the same way except that the nickel fibers were replaced by the nickel powder used in embodiment 3 or the molten magnesium alloy was replaced by molten pure magnesium at 680 c .°, in both cases satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . 72 % by volume pure aluminum powder ( 50 microns average particle diameter ), 6 % by volume pure nickel powder ( 30 microns average particle diameter ), and 5 % by volume pure titanium powder ( 30 microns average particle diameter ) were mixed and subjected to compression forming to produce preforms , and composite materials were manufactured in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 1 , except that the melt of matrix metal was an aluminum alloy ( jis standard a2024 ) at 650 c .°. then , by observation of sections of the materials thus formed , the penetration of the melt was investigated , and as a result , it was confirmed that satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials , it was confirmed that the matrix at a central portion and peripheral portions were substantially pure aluminum and aluminum alloy , respectively , that the pure nickel powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to produce intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and nial , and that the matrix was compositely reinforced by these intermetallic compounds . when in this embodiment the melt of matrix metal was replaced by a pure magnesium melt at 680 c .°, the composite material formed in the same way had again a satisfactory composite structure including no micropores . composite materials were formed in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 1 , except in that the pure nickel powder was replaced by pure copper powder having 30 microns average particle diameter , and by investigation of sections of the composite materials thus formed , the penetration of the melt was investigated . the results obtained were similar to those obtained in embodiment 1 . in other words , regardless of the composition of the aluminum alloy powder , it is desirable that the volume proportion of the aluminum alloy powder is between 60 and 80 %, and the volume proportion of each of the pure copper powder and the pure titanium powder is between 1 and 10 %, respectively . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials thus , it was confirmed that the pure copper powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as cual 2 , that when the volume proportion of the alumina - silica short fibers was 0 %, the aluminum alloy matrix was compositely reinforced by these intermetallic compounds , and that when the volume proportion of the alumina - silica short fibers was from 5 % to 20 %, the aluminum alloy matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the alumina - silica short fibers but also by the intermetallic compounds . composite materials were formed in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 2 , except that the pure nickel powder was replaced by pure copper powder having 30 microns average particle diameter . as a result , it was confirmed that at all temperatures of the melt of matrix metal satisfactory composite materials were obtained with no generation of micropores . composite materials were manufactured in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 3 , except that the pure nickel powder was replaced by pure copper powder having 30 microns average particle diameter . as a result , it was confirmed that in this embodiment also satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials formed in embodiment 7 and embodiment 8 , it was confirmed that the pure copper powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as cual 2 , and that the aluminum alloy of the matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the reinforcing material but also by these intermetallic compounds . a composite material was manufactured in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 4 , except that the pure nickel fibers were replaced by pure copper fibers ( manufactured by tokyo seiko kk , 20 microns average fiber diameter , and 1 mm average fiber length ), and by observation of sections of the composite material thus formed , the penetration of the melt was investigated . as a result , it was confirmed that also in this embodiment a satisfactory composite material including no micropores was formed . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite material thus formed , it was confirmed that a central portion of the matrix was aluminum alloy while peripheral portions of the matrix was magnesium , that the pure copper fibers had reacted with aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as cual 2 , that particularly in the peripheral portions the pure copper fibers had also reacted with the magnesium so as to form fine intermetallic compounds such as mgcu 2 , and that the proportion of these intermetallic compounds was higher toward the peripheral portion . thus it was confirmed that the matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the reinforcing material but also by these intermetallic compounds . when in this embodiment the composite material was formed in the same manner except that the pure copper fibers were replaced by the pure copper powder used in embodiment 8 or the melt of magnesium alloy was replaced by a melt of pure magnesium at 680 ° c ., in both cases satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were obtained . composite materials were formed in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 5 , except that the pure nickel powder was replaced by pure copper powder having 30 microns average particle diameter . then , by examining sections of the composite materials thus formed , the penetration of the melt was investigated , and as a result it was confirmed that satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials , it was confirmed that the pure copper powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as cual 2 , and that the matrix was compositely reinforced by these intermetallic compounds . when in this embodiment composite materials were formed in the same manner except that the melt of matrix metal was replaced by a melt of pure magnesium at 680 ° c ., satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were also obtained . alumina - silica short fibers having 3 microns average fiber diameter and 1 . 5 mm average fiber length ( manufactured by isolite kk ), aluminum alloy powder ( jis standard ac8a ) having 150 microns average particle diameter or aluminum alloy powder ( jis standard ac7a ) having 100 microns average particle diameter , pure titanium powder having 30 microns average particle diameter , pure nickel powder having 30 microns average particle diameter , and pure copper powder having 30 microns average particle diameter were mixed in various proportions and subjected to compression forming to produce preforms having 45 × 25 × 10 mm dimensions and including the alumina - silica short fibers at 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 % or 20 % by volume , the aluminum alloy powder at 40 %, 50 %, 60 %, 70 % or 80 % by volume , the pure titanium powder at 0 %, 1 %, 5 %, 10 % and 15 % by volume , the pure copper powder at 0 . 5 % by volume , and the pure nickel powder at 0 . 5 % to 15 % ( in steps of 0 . 5 %) by volume , respectively , except such cases that the total volume proportion would exceed 95 %. moreover , preforms were prepared in the same manner as above to have 45 × 25 × 10 mm dimensions except that the volume proportion of nickel powder was 0 . 5 % and the volume proportion of pure copper powder was 0 . 5 % to 15 % ( in steps of 0 . 5 %). then , composite materials were formed in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 1 , except that the above preforms were used , and by examination of sections thereof the penetration of the melt was investigated . as a result , as in embodiment 1 , it was confirmed that regardless of the composition of the aluminum alloy powder , it was desirable for the volume proportion of the aluminum alloy powder to be between 60 and 80 %, for the volume proportion of the pure nickel powder plus the pure copper powder to be between 1 and 10 %, and for the volume proportion of the pure titanium powder to be between 1 and 10 %. further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials formed with the volume proportions of the aluminum alloy powder , the pure nickel powder plus the pure copper powder , and the pure titanium powder within the above described preferable ranges , it was confirmed that the pure nickel powder and the pure copper powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and nial and cual 2 , respectively , and that in the case where the volume proportion of the alumina - silica short fibers was 0 %, the matrix of aluminum alloy was compositely reinforced by these intermetallic compounds , and in the case where the volume proportion of alumina - silica short fibers was between 5 and 20 %, the matrix of aluminum alloy was compositely reinforced not only by these alumina - silica short fibers but also by the intermetallic compounds . composite materials were formed in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 2 , except that the pure nickel powder was replaced by 2 . 5 % by volume pure nickel powder ( 5 microns average particle diameter ) and 2 . 5 % by volume pure copper powder ( 30 microns average particle diameter ). as a result , it was confirmed that regardless of the temperature of the melt of matrix metal satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . composite materials were manufactured in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 3 , except that the pure nickel powder was replaced by 3 % by volume pure nickel powder ( 10 microns average particle diameter ) and 3 % by volume pure copper powder ( 20 microns average particle diameter ). as a result , it was confirmed that in this embodiment satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were also obtained . as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials formed in embodiment 12 and embodiment 13 , it was confirmed that the pure nickel powder and the pure copper powder had reacted almost completely with the aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and cual 2 , respectively , and that the matrix of aluminum alloy was compositely reinforced not only by the reinforcing material but also by these intermetallic compounds . a composite material was manufactured in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 4 , except that the pure nickel fibers were replaced by 5 % by volume pure nickel fibers ( 30 microns average fiber diameter and 3 mm average fiber length ) and 5 % by volume pure copper fibers ( 20 microns average fiber diameter and 1 mm average fiber length ), and by examination of sections of the composite material thus formed , the penetration of the melt was investigated . as a result , it was confirmed that in this embodiment a satisfactory composite material including no micropores was also formed . as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite material , it was confirmed that a central portion of the matrix was aluminum alloy while peripheral portions of the matrix was magnesium , that the pure nickel fibers and the pure copper fibers had reacted with aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and cual 2 , respectively , that particularly in the peripheral portions the pure nickel fibers and the pure copper fibers had reacted also with the magnesium so as to form intermetallic compounds such as nimg 2 and mgcu 2 , respectively , and that the matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the reinforcing material but also by these intermetallic compounds . when in this embodiment a composite material formed in the same manner with the nickel fibers and the copper fibers being replaced respectively by the pure nickel powder and the pure copper powder used in embodiment 13 , or when the melt of magnesium alloy was also replaced by a melt of pure magnesium at 680 ° c ., in both cases satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . composite materials were formed in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 3 , except that the pure nickel powder was replaced by 4 % by volume pure nickel powder ( 15 microns average particle diameter ) and 4 % by volume pure copper powder ( 25 microns average particle diameter ). then , by observation of sections of the composite materials thus formed , the penetration of the melt was investigated , and as a result it was confirmed that satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials , it was confirmed that the pure nickel powder and the pure copper powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to produce intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and cual 2 , respectively , and that the matrix was compositely reinforced not only by the reinforcing materials but also by these intermetallic compounds . composite materials were formed in the same manner and under the same conditions as in embodiment 5 , except that the pure nickel powder was replaced by 5 % by volume pure nickel powder ( 15 microns average particle diameter ) and 5 % pure copper powder ( 25 microns average particle diameter ). then , by observation of sections of the composite materials thus formed , the penetration of the melt was investigated , and as a result it was confirmed that satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were formed . further , as a result of x - ray analysis of sections of the composite materials , it was confirmed that a central portion and peripheral portions of the matrix were substantially pure aluminum and aluminum alloy , respectively , that the pure nickel powder and the pure copper powder had reacted almost completely with aluminum so as to form intermetallic compounds such as nial 3 and cual 2 , respectively , and that the matrix was compositely reinforced by these intermetallic compounds . when in this embodiment the melt of matrix metal was replaced by a melt of pure magnesium at 680 ° c . and composite materials were formed in the same manner , satisfactory composite materials including no micropores were also obtained . although the fine fragments of some particular compositions were used in the various embodiments described above , in the present invention the fine fragments may have other compositions . the composition of the aluminum alloy may be , for example , jis standard ac7a , jis standard adc12 , jis standard adt17 , or 8 % al - 3 . 5 % mg , and so forth , the composition of the nickel alloy may be , for example , ni - 50 % al , ni - 30 % cu , ni - 39 . 5 % cu - 22 . 1 % fe , 8 . 8 % b , and so forth , the composition of the copper alloy may be , for example , cu - 50 % al , cu - 29 . 6 % ni - 22 . 1 % fe - 8 . 8 % b , and so forth , and particularly when the nickel alloy or the copper alloy is a nickel - copper alloy , the nickel and copper contents may have any proportions , and further , the titanium alloy may be , for example , ti - 1 % b . as will be clear from the above descriptions , according to the present invention the molten matrix metal satisfactorily infiltrates into the preform , and by the reaction of titanium with oxygen and nitrogen in the preform , air is substantially removed from the preform , and as a result an even more satisfactory composite material including no micropores is manufactured . further , according to the present invention , since the temperature of the molten matrix metal may be relatively low , and since the time duration for the preform to be in contact with the molten metal is shortened as compared with the case where no fragments of nickel , copper , nickel alloy , copper alloy , titanium or titanium alloy is included in the preform , a composite material can be manufactured at lower cost and at higher efficiency as compared with the above - mentioned prior proposal . although the present invention has been described in detail in terms of several embodiments , it will be clear to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments , and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention . for example , all or some of the fine fragments of nickel , nickel alloy , copper or copper alloy may be replaced by fine fragments of silver or silver alloy or fine fragments of gold or gold alloy . table 1______________________________________ volume proportion of ti powder (%) 0 1 5 10 15______________________________________volume 40 δ δ δ δ δproportion 50 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ of al 60 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ powder 70 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯(%) 80 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ______________________________________ table 2______________________________________ volume proportion of ti powder (%) 0 1 5 10 15______________________________________volume 40 δ δ δ δ δproportion 50 ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ ◯ of al 60 ◯ ⊚ ⊚ ⊚ ◯ powder 70 ◯ ⊚ ⊚ ⊚ ◯(%) 80 ◯ ⊚ ⊚ ⊚ ◯ ______________________________________	1
the present invention is intended primarily for use with cans and bottles of the types used to contain soft drinks , beer and the like . the blank 10 is formed from a foldable sheet material , such as paperboard . the blank has a top flap 12 which is connected by fold line 14 to side panel 16 , which in turn is connected by fold line 18 to bottom panel 20 . bottom panel 20 is connected by fold line 22 to side panel 24 , which in turn is connected by fold line 26 to top flap 28 . this carton is capable of containing cans or bottles in two rows of six containers each . this carton has the “ racetrack ” handle 30 and 32 formed in the top flaps , 12 and 28 , respectively . cushioning flaps 34 and 36 are provided for the comfort of a person &# 39 ; s hands , and are foldably joined to top flaps 12 and 28 . on the exiting - end of the carton , top end flap 38 is joined to top flap 12 by fold line 40 . side end flap 42 is joined to side panel 16 by fold line 44 . bottom end flap 46 is joined to bottom panel 20 by fold line 48 . side end flap 50 is joined by fold line 52 to side panel 24 . top end flap 54 is joined to top flap 28 by fold line 56 . on the closed end of the carton , top end flap 58 is connected to top flap 12 by fold line 60 , side end flap 62 is connected to side panel 16 by fold line 64 , bottom end flap 66 is attached to bottom panel 20 by fold line 68 , side end flap 70 is connected to side panel 24 by fold line 72 and top end flap 74 is connected to top flap 28 by fold line 76 . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the carton of the present invention is generally symmetrical about a horizontal line of bisection , as viewed when fig1 is rotated lengthwise . this symmetry aids in the efficient production of the present carton . in forming this blank 10 into a carton , top flap 12 is glued to top flap 28 forming a sleeve . the cans or bottles are then loaded into the carton on their sides and the various end flaps on both ends are closed . using one end as an example , top end flaps 38 and 54 are folded downwardly and bottom end flap 46 is folded upwardly and then side end flaps 42 and 50 are folded sideways . these various end flaps are held together by glue or other means . the other end of the carton is glued and closed in the same fashion . when the blank is folded and glued , the resulting carton has a closed end and an exiting end . however , a dispenser can be placed on both ends of the carton . the containers exit the carton through the exiting end of the carton . the exiting end of the carton has a tear line 78 that extends through the top flaps 12 and 28 , through the side panels 16 and 24 to form a triangular dispensing flap on the dispenser 79 into the side end flaps 42 and 50 . in order to facilitate the opening of this dispenser 79 , a finger flap 82 may be provided for the easy insertion of the fingers to start the tearing of the dispenser 79 . finger flap 82 is connected to top flaps 12 and 28 by tear line 80 . finger flap 82 may be provided with insertion flap 86 to facilitate entry of the fingers into the carton . for the opening of the dispenser 79 , insertion flap 86 is connected to finger flap 82 by fold line 84 . finger flap 82 and insertion flap 86 are connected to the dispenser 79 by fold line 88 which interrupts the tear line 78 . it will be noticed that tear line 78 extends into side end flaps 42 and 50 so as to form a substantial bottom portion 90 and 92 so that the end of the carton will have a bottom end when the dispenser 79 is opened . fig2 shows the carton full of cans with the dispenser 79 open except for the tear lines 78 through the side end flaps 42 , 50 . it will be noted that the dispenser is a unitary structure . the dispenser 79 is opened by a person inserting his or her fingers into finger flap 82 and pulling the dispenser 79 open . insertion flap 86 is provided to facilitate the entry of the fingers into the opening provided by finger flap 82 . finger flap 82 and insertion flap 86 are placed so that the fingers will enter the interior of the carton between the first and second cans . fig3 shows the dispenser 79 completely opened but still attached to the carton by tear line 78 not being torn open through side end flaps 42 and 50 . when the dispenser 79 is completely opened , the top can c will fall into the basket formed by the dispensing flap 79 and be retained . this dispenser 79 serves as a safety net to prevent the can from leaving the vicinity of the carton . the dispenser 79 forms a basket with triangular flaps forming side walls , side end flaps 42 and 50 forming a bottom wall and the torn off portions of the top flaps 12 and 28 forming an end wall . in order to maintain the structural integrity of this carton , the bottom portions 90 and 92 of the side end flaps 42 and 50 are not removed from the carton when the dispenser is removed . the structural integrity of the carton is improved by the fact that the bottom end flap 46 is not removed . the bottom end flap 46 has a height h approximately equal to the distance between a and b along fold lines 44 and 52 respectively . this means that the bottom end flap 46 has the same height as the bottom portions 90 and 92 of the side end flaps 42 and 50 , thus producing a strong bottom end structure . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the height of the bottom end structure formed by 46 , 90 , and 92 is less than the diameter of a can c . if desired , the dispenser 79 can be totally removed from carton or left attached along tear line 78 in side flaps 42 and 50 and reclosed . as illustrated in fig4 , a can c can be easily removed from the carton by using the fingers f and the thumb t of a hand . fig5 is a plan view of a blank from which a carton containing cans in three rows of four cans each according to the invention is formed . this carton has a single slot handle for carrying . the blank 110 has a bottom flap 112 which is connected by fold line 114 to side panel 116 , which in turn is connected by fold line 118 to top panel 120 . top panel 120 in turn is connected by fold line 122 to side panel 124 which in turn is connected by fold line 126 to bottom flap 128 . on the closed end of the carton , bottom end flap 130 is foldably connected by fold line 132 to bottom flap 112 . side end flap 134 is connected by fold line 136 to side panel 116 . top end flap 138 is connected by fold line 140 to top panel 120 . side end flap 142 is connected by fold line 144 to side panel 124 and bottom end flap 146 is connected by fold line 148 to bottom flap 128 . the exiting end of the carton has a bottom end flap 150 which is connected to bottom flap 112 by fold line 152 . side end flap 154 is connected by fold line 156 to side panel 116 . top end flap 158 is connected by fold line 160 to top panel 120 . side end flap 162 is connected by fold line 164 to side panel 124 . bottom end flap 166 is connected by fold line 168 to bottom flap 128 . this carton has a slot handle 170 formed by cut line 172 and fold lines 174 and 176 . it also has a score line 178 to assist in dissipating the forces involved in lifting a loaded carton . a dispenser 180 is formed by tearing tear line 182 which extends from the top panel 120 through side panels 116 , 124 and into side end flaps 154 and 162 . tear line 182 extends into side end flaps 154 and 162 , so as to leave bottom portions 184 , 186 that has a height when the carton is formed along lines 156 , 164 respectively that is approximately equal to the height of bottom end flaps 150 and 166 in order to provide structural strength to the carton . this carton may have a finger flap 188 connected to dispenser 180 by fold line 190 and insertion flap 192 connected to finger flap 188 by fold line 194 . finger flap 188 and insertion flap 192 are joined to top panel 120 by tear line 196 . a sleeve from this carton is prepared by gluing the bottom flaps 112 and 128 in an overlapping relationship . this carton is then loaded in the same manner as the carton shown in fig2 through the end of the carton . side end flaps 134 , 142 , 154 , and 162 are glued over the bottom end flaps 130 , 146 , 150 , 166 and top end flaps 138 and 158 to close the ends of the carton . the dispenser is opened in the same manner as the dispenser shown in fig1 and 2 . the dispenser of this invention can be used for both cans and other types of cylindrical containers . it is particularly useful for pet bottles having a stubby configuration . one of the unique features of the dispenser of this invention is that it provides easy access to the cans or bottles in the carton but yet does not greatly diminish the structural integrity of the carton . this is partly because the bottom end of the end panel in which the dispenser is located is retained . this accomplished by leaving a bottom portion on the side end panel that is equal in height to the bottom end flaps . the dispenser of this invention provides an easy opening feature in that it has a finger flap and insertion flap so that a person &# 39 ; s fingers can be inserted between the first and second cans to open the dispenser . this dispenser also provides a safety net or basket in that if the tear line for the dispenser is not torn along the side end flaps , it remains attached to the carton and can catch in its basket a can as it is removed from the carton . while the invention has been disclosed in its preferred forms , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications , additions , and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and its equivalents as set forth in the following claims .	1
[ 0021 ] fig1 reveals a health monitor 11 that may be set up for monitoring the “ health ” of utility power transformer 13 . a micro gas detector apparatus 15 may have two tubes or pipes 17 and 19 connected to a head space 21 of transformer 13 . apparatus 15 may pump a fluid 23 through tube 17 into head space 21 . fluid 23 may displace a fluid 25 in head space 21 . fluid 25 may be “ pushed ” by displacing fluid 23 through tube 19 to entry port 34 of micro gas apparatus 15 . “ fluid ” is a generic term that includes liquids and gases as species . for instance , air , gas , water and oil are fluids . in the transformer health monitor , fluid 23 is typically air and fluid 25 may be gas including “ fault ” gases emanating from insulating oil 27 in transformer 13 . sample stream or gas 25 may be pumped through micro gas detector 15 as shown in fig2 . some excess gas 37 may be discharged via apparatus 15 through tube or pipe 39 from exhaust port 36 as shown in fig1 and 3 . there are certain fault gases that may indicate potential transformer 13 failure . an example is the breakdown of insulation . such gases may include acetylene , methane , ethane , carbon monoxide , carbon dioxide , hydrogen , oxygen and ethylene . detection and analysis by monitor 11 may detect , identify and quantify the fluid , i . e ., determine the amount of or parts - per - million of the fluid detected . monitor 11 may be used to detect fluids , monitor the environment around and determine the health of internal and external combustion equipment or mechanisms . an external combustion mechanism may be a space heater , furnace , boiler , or the like . also , monitor 11 is capable of detecting miniscule amounts of pollutants in ambient environment of a conditioned or tested space . monitor 11 may indicate the health and the level of toxins - to - people in ambient air . detectors 127 and 128 results may be sent to microcontroller / processor 29 for analysis , and immediate conclusions and results . this information may be sent on to observer stations 31 for review and further analysis , evaluation , and decisions about the health of transformer 13 . data and control information may be sent from stations 31 to microcontroller / processor 29 . data and information may be sent and received via the wireless medium by a transmitter / receiver 33 at monitor 11 and at stations 31 . or the data and information may be sent and received via wire or optical lines of communication by a modem 35 at monitor 11 and station 31 . the data and information may be sent to a scada ( supervisory control and data acquisition ) system . these systems are used in industry to monitor and control plant status and provide logging facilities . the monitor 11 may be used to detect hazards to people in the environment of or around equipment . in fig1 transformer 13 may replaced with another kind of equipment such as an electric motor , a generator , an internal combustion engine , air conditioner or other types of equipment . microcontroller / processor 29 may be programmed to provide a prognosis of the equipment whose health is being monitored in view of the expected fault gases that would be emanated by a certain piece of equipment having potential “ health problems .” [ 0024 ] fig2 reveals health monitor 11 with a hook - up that may be used in a space 41 such as an aircraft - cabin , machinery room , factory , or some place in another environment . the end of input tube or pipe 19 may be in space 41 and exhaust of exit tube 37 may be placed at a distance somewhat removed from space 41 . there is no return or air supply tube 17 as in health monitor 11 for equipment in fig1 . monitor 11 for space 41 may itself be within space 41 except that tube 39 may exit space 41 . [ 0025 ] fig3 reveals certain details of micro gas apparatus 15 . further details and variants of it are described below in conjunction with subsequent figures . sample stream 25 may enter input port 34 from pipe or tube 19 . there may be a particle filter 43 for removing dirt and other particles from the stream of fluid 25 that is to enter apparatus 15 . this removal is for the protection of the apparatus and the filtering should not reduce the apparatus &# 39 ; ability to accurately analyze the composition of fluid 25 . dirty fluid ( with suspended solid or liquid non - volatile particles ) could possibly impair proper sensor function . a portion 45 of fluid 25 flows through a thermal - conductivity detector 127 and a portion 47 of fluid 25 flows through tube 49 to a one - way valve 51 . pump 53 causes fluid 47 to flow from the output of particle filter 43 through tube 49 and valve 51 . modulating valve 51 controls the flow through the sensor via tube 45 by adjusting the suction pressure of pump 55 in tube 129 . pump 55 causes fluid 45 to flow from the output of filter 43 through detector 127 , concentrator 124 , flow sensor 125 , separator 126 , thermal - conductivity detector 128 and tube 129 . pump 55 pumps the fluid through tube 57 to tube 59 where it joins fluid 47 as a combined fluid 61 . fluid 61 is pumped to output port 36 by pump 53 . fluid 61 may split into two streams 23 and 37 which flow through tubes or pipes 17 and 39 , respectively . data from detectors 127 and 128 may be sent to control 130 , which in turn relays data to microcontroller and / or processor 29 for processing . resultant information may be sent to station 11 . [ 0026 ] fig4 is a schematic diagram of part of the sensor apparatus 10 or 15 . the sensor apparatus may include a substrate 12 and a controller 14 . controller 14 may or may not be incorporated into substrate 12 . substrate 12 may have a number of thin film heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 positioned thereon . while only four heater elements are shown , any number of heater e elements may be provided , for instance , between two and one thousand , but typically in the 20 - 100 range . heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 may be fabricated of any suitable electrical conductor , stable metal , or alloy film , such as a nickel - iron alloy sometimes referred to as permalloy , with a composition of eighty percent nickel and twenty percent iron ; platinum , platinum silicide , and polysilicon . heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 may be provided on a thin , low - thermal mass , low - in - plane thermal conduction , support member 30 , as shown in fig5 . substrate 12 also has a well - defined channel 32 for receiving the sample fluid stream 45 . channel 32 may be fabricated by selectively etching silicon substrate 12 beneath support member 30 . the channel includes an entry port 34 and an exhaust port 36 . the sensor apparatus may also include a number of interactive elements inside channel 32 so that they are exposed to the sample fluid stream 45 . each of the interactive elements may be positioned adjacent , i . e ., for closest possible contact , to a corresponding heater element . for example , and referring , to fig5 interactive elements 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 may be provided on the lower surface of support member 30 , and adjacent to heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 , respectively . the interactive elements may be formed from any number of films commonly used in liquid or gas chromatography , such as silica gel or active carbon . interactive elements may be formed by passing , a stream of material carrying the desired sorbent material through channel 32 . this provides an interactive layer throughout the channel . if separate interactive elements are desired , the coating may be selectively “ developed ” by providing a temperature change to the coating , via the heater elements . after the coating is developed , a stream of solvents may be provided through channel 32 to remove the coating everywhere except where the coating has been developed , leaving only the sorbent material that is adjacent the heater elements . controller 14 or 130 may be electrically connected to each of the heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 , and detector 50 as shown in fig4 . controller 14 or 103 may energize heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 in a time phased sequence ( see bottom of fig6 ) such that each of the corresponding interactive elements 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 become heated and desorb selected constituents into a sample fluid stream 45 at precisely the time when an upstream concentration pulse , produced by one or more upstream interactive elements , reaches the interactive element . any number of interactive elements may be used to achieve the desired concentration of constituent gases in the concentration pulse . the resulting concentration pulse may be provided to detector 50 , 128 , 164 for detection and analysis . detector 50 , 127 , 128 or 164 may be a thermal conductivity detector , discharge ionization detector , or any other type of detector such as that typically used in gas or fluid chromatography . [ 0031 ] fig6 is a graph showing illustrative heater temperatures , along with corresponding concentration pulses produced at each heater element . as indicated above , controller 14 or 130 may energize heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 in a time phased sequence . illustrative time phased heater temperatures for heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 are shown by temperature profiles or lines 60 , 62 , 64 , and 66 , respectively . in the example shown , the controller 14 , 130 ( fig4 ) may first energize first heater element 20 to increase its temperature as shown at line 60 . since first heater element 20 is thermally coupled to first interactive element 40 , the first interactive element desorbs selected constituents into the sample fluid stream 45 to produce a first concentration pulse 70 at the detector 128 or 50 or 164 , if no other heater elements were to be pulsed . the sample fluid stream carries the first concentration pulse 70 downstream toward second heater element 22 , as shown by arrow 72 . controller 14 ( or 130 ) may next energize second heater element 22 to increase its temperature as shown at line 62 . since second heater element 22 is thermally coupled to second interactive element 42 , the second interactive element also desorbs selected constituents into sample fluid stream 45 to produce a second concentration pulse . controller 14 , 130 may energize second heater element 22 such that the second concentration pulse substantially overlaps first concentration pulse 70 to produce a higher concentration pulse 74 , as shown in fig6 . the sample fluid stream carries larger concentration pulse 74 downstream toward third heater element 24 , as shown by arrow 76 . controller 14 , 130 may then energize third heater element 24 to increase its temperature as shown at line 64 in fig6 . since third heater element 24 is thermally coupled to third interactive element 44 , third interactive element 44 may desorb selected constituents into the sample fluid stream to produce a third concentration pulse . controller 14 , 130 may energize third heater element 24 such that the third concentration pulse substantially overlaps larger concentration pulse 74 provided by first and second heater elements 20 and 22 to produce an even larger concentration pulse 78 . the sample fluid stream carries this larger concentration pulse 78 downstream toward an “ nth ” heater element 26 , as shown by arrow 80 . controller 14 , 130 may then energize “ nth ” heater element 26 to increase its temperature as shown at line 66 . since “ nth ” heater element 26 is thermally coupled to an “ n - th ” interactive element 46 , “ n - th ” interactive element 46 may desorb selected constituents into sample fluid stream 45 to produce an “ n - th ” concentration pulse . controller 14 , 130 may energize “ n - th ” heater element 26 such that the “ n - th ” concentration pulse substantially overlaps larger concentration pulse 78 provided by the previous n - 1 interactive elements . the sample fluid stream carries “ n - th ” concentration pulse 82 to either a separator 126 or a detector 50 , 128 or 164 , as described below . as indicated above , heater elements 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 may have a common length . as such , controller 14 , 130 can achieve equal temperatures of the heater elements by providing an equal voltage , current , or power pulse to each heater element . the voltage , current , or power pulse may have any desired shape including a triangular shape , a square shape , a bell shape , or any other shape . an approximately square shaped voltage , current , or power pulse is used to achieve temperature profiles 60 , 62 , 64 , and 66 shown in fig6 . [ 0037 ] fig7 is a graph showing a number of heater elements having lengths to match the expected increased length of the concentration pulses due to diffusion . it is recognized that each of the concentration pulses may tend to reduce in amplitude and increase in length when traveling down channel 32 due to diffusion . to accommodate this increased length , it is contemplated that the length of each successive heater element may be increased along the sample fluid stream . for example , a second heater element 102 may have a length w 2 that is larger than a length w 1 of a first heater element 100 . likewise , a third heater element 104 may have a length w 3 that is larger than length w 2 of second heater element 102 . thus , it is contemplated that the length of each heater element 100 , 102 , and 104 may be increased , relative to the adjacent upstream heater element , by an amount that corresponds to the expected increased length of the concentration pulse of the upstream heater elements due to diffusion . to simplify the control of the heater elements , the length of each successive heater element may be kept constant to produce the same overall heater resistance between heater elements , thereby allowing equal voltage , current , or power pulses to be used to produce similar temperature profiles . alternatively , the heater elements may have different lengths , and the controller may provide different voltage , current , or power pulse amplitudes to the heater element to produce a similar temperature profile . [ 0039 ] fig8 is a graph showing a concentration pulse 110 that achieves a 100 percent concentration level . it is recognized that even though concentration pulse 110 has achieved a predetermined concentration threshold , such as 100 percent , the concentration of the corresponding constituent can still be determined . to do so , detector 50 , 128 , 164 may detect the concentration pulse 110 , and controller 14 , 130 may integrate the output signal of the detector over time to determine the concentration of the corresponding constituent in the original sample of stream 45 . [ 0040 ] fig9 is a schematic view of another illustrative sensor assembly 15 similar to that of fig3 . the sensor assembly may include a solenoid pump 120 , a sample fluid stream 122 , a concentrator 124 , a separator 126 , a detector 128 , and a controller 14 or 130 . at the request of the controller 14 , 130 , solenoid pump 120 may draw a sample 45 from a flue gas stream 132 through a one - way valve 134 . controller 14 , 130 may then direct solenoid pump 120 to provide sample fluid stream 45 , at a desired pressure , to concentrator 124 . concentrator 124 may include two or more interactive elements that are in communication with sample fluid stream 45 . concentrator 124 also may include two or more heater elements that are in thermal communication with the interactive elements . when energized , each heater element heats a corresponding interactive element , causing the interactive element to desorb selected constituents into the sample fluid stream . as described above , controller 14 , 130 may energize the heater elements in a time phased sequence to provide an increased concentration pulse . sample fluid stream 45 may carry the concentration pulse to separator 126 . separator 126 may separate selected constituents of the concentration pulse and provide the separated constituents to detector 50 , 128 , 164 . this detector may provide a signal to controller 14 , 130 indicating the concentration level of each constituent . controller 14 , 130 may determine the actual concentration level of each constituent in the original gas sample by dividing the sensed concentration level by the concentration amplification provided by the sorbent material of each interactive element and the multiplier effect provided by the phased heater arrangement . [ 0043 ] fig1 is a schematic view of another illustrative sensor assembly 15 . fig1 is a timing chart showing the operation of sensor assembly 15 of fig1 . sensor assembly 15 may include a pump 152 , a gas preheater 154 , and a microbridge type integrated circuit chip 156 . the microbridge type integrated circuit includes a channel 158 , 32 , a number of heater elements 160 a , 160 b , 160 c , and 160 d , a separation heater 162 , and a detector 164 , 128 , 50 . each of heater elements 160 a , 160 b , 160 c , and 160 d , separation heater 162 , and detector 164 are provided on a support member 30 that extends over the channel 158 , 32 ( e . g ., fig5 ). interactive elements ( not explicitly shown ) are placed in channel 158 , 32 and in thermal communication with each of heater elements 160 a , 160 b , 160 c , and 160 d . microbridge type integrated circuit chip 156 also may include a heater control block 166 and a number of energizing transistors 168 a , 168 b , 168 c , 168 d , and 170 . heater control block 166 can individually energize each of heater elements 160 a , 160 b , 160 c , and 160 d , by activating a corresponding energizing transistor 168 a , 168 b , 168 c , 168 d , respectively . likewise , heater control block 166 can energize separation heater 162 by turning on transistor 170 . heating or cooling block 169 ( of fig1 ) complements preheater 154 in maintaining an average or overall temperature that is optimal for operation of sensor assembly 15 . a sensor assembly control block 180 directs the overall operation of sensor assembly 15 . sensor assembly control block 180 first asserts a flow control signal 190 to pump 152 . flow control signal 190 is shown in fig1 . in response , pump 152 draws a sample from flue 182 and provides the sample , at a desired pressure , to preheater 154 and eventually to channel 158 , 32 . preheater 154 preheats and the heater maintains the sample gas at optimal operating element temperature and thus helps to prevent loss of sample due to condensation and to increase the amount of constituents that can be accumulated in each of the interactive elements . the sample fluid stream passes down channel 158 , 32 for a predetermined time period 192 until the interactive elements reach a state of substantially saturation of adsorption of one or more constituents from the sample fluid stream and reach equilibrium . thereafter , sensor assembly control block 180 notifies heater control block 166 to begin heating the heater elements in a time phased sequence . heater control block 166 first provides a first heater enable signal 194 and a separation heater enable signal 196 , as shown in fig1 . first heater enable signal 194 turns on transistor 168 a , and separation heater enable signal 196 turns on transistor 170 . transistor 168 a provides current to first heater element 160 a , causing first heater element 160 a to increase in temperature . this heats the corresponding interactive element , which desorbs one or more constituents into the sample fluid stream in the form of a first concentration pulse . the first concentration pulse is carried downstream toward second heater element 160 b by the sample fluid stream . this process is repeated for the 3rd , 4th and n - th elements . heater control block 166 then provides a second heater enable signal 198 , which turns on transistor 168 b . transistor 168 b provides current to second heater element 160 b , causing second heater element 160 b to increase in temperature . this heats the corresponding interactive element , which desorbs one or more constituents into the sample fluid stream in the form of a second concentration pulse . heater control block 166 may time second heater enable signal 198 such that the second concentration pulse substantially overlaps the first concentration pulse . both the first and second concentration pulses are carried downstream toward third heater element 160 c . the timing of second heater enable signal 198 relative to first heater enable signal 194 may be established by prior calibration . however , the heater control block 166 may sense the resistance of second heater element 160 b . it is recognized that the resistance of second heater element 160 b will begin to change when the first concentration pulse arrives at second heater element 160 b because the first concentration pulse is typically hotter than the sample fluid stream . once a predetermined resistance change is sensed in second heater element 160 b , heater control block 166 may energize second heater element 160 b via transistor 168 b . the remaining heater enable signals may be likewise controlled . heater control block 166 may then provide a third heater enable signal 200 , which turns on transistor 168 c . transistor 168 c provides current to third heater element 160 c , causing third heater element 160 c to increase in temperature . this heats the corresponding interactive element , which desorbs one or more constituents into the sample fluid stream in the front of a third concentration pulse . heater control block 166 may time third heater enable signal 200 such that the third concentration pulse substantially overlaps the first and second concentration pulses . the first , second , and third substantially overlapping concentration pulses are carried downstream toward “ nth ” heater element 160 d . heater control block 166 may then provide an “ nth ” heater enable signal 202 , which turns on transistors 168 c . transistor 168 c provides current to “ nth ” heater element 160 d , causing “ nth ” heater element 160 d to increase in temperature . this heats the corresponding interactive element , which desorbs one or more constituents into the sample fluid stream in the form of an “ nth ” concentration pulse . the heater control block 166 may time “ nth ” heater enable signal 202 such that the “ nth ” concentration pulse substantially overlaps the previously generated concentration pulses . the resulting concentration pulse is carried downstream to separator heater 162 . separator heater 162 , in conjunction with the channel 158 , may separate selected constituents in the concentration pulse into individual constituent components . the separator &# 39 ; s temperature ramp should not start before the end of the nth pulse to the n - th concentrator element . thus , pulse 196 begins after pulse 202 ends , as shown in fig1 . the individual constituent components may include one or more compounds , depending on a number of factors including the sample gas provided . transistor 170 then energizes separation heater 162 at the beginning of pulse 196 in fig1 resulting in the heater 162 temperature having an increasing amplitude from room temperature up to about 200 degrees c . ( or other temperature of design ) versus time up to about one - half of the length of pulse 196 and then to remain at that temperature for the remaining time of pulse 196 . heater 162 separates the various constituents into individual components , as described above . the separated constituents are carried downstream to detector 164 by the sample fluid stream . detector 164 may be a thermal conductivity detector , discharge ionization detector , or any other type of detector such as those commonly used in gas chromatography . detector 164 may sense the concentration levels of each individual constituent component , and provides a corresponding signal to amplifier 210 . amplifier 210 may amplify the detector output signal and provide the detector output signal to a data processing unit for analysis . heater control block 166 may provide a detector enable signal 212 to enable the detector only when the individual constituent components are present . [ 0052 ] fig1 is a basic layout of an integrated circuit that includes a concentrator , a separator , and a detector of micro gas apparatus 15 . the integrated circuit may include a channel 250 that traverses back and forth across the chip as shown in fig1 . a first part of channel 250 has a number of heater elements 252 extending thereover on a support member , like support member 30 as described above . interactive elements ( not explicitly shown ) are positioned in channel 250 adjacent each of the heater elements . while only one column of heater elements 252 is shown , it is contemplated that each of the channel legs 254 a - h may have a column of heater elements 252 . there may be between one two hundred and one thousand heater elements spaced along channel 250 . a second downstream portion of channel 250 has a separation heater 260 extending thereover . the separation heater helps separate the various constituents in the concentration pulses provided by the heater elements 252 . finally , a detector 264 is provided over the channel 250 downstream of the separation heater 260 . the detector may sense the concentration of each of the separated constituent components provided by the separator . because the concentrator , separator , and detector are provided on an integrated circuit , other conventional electronic circuits can be easily integrated therewith . a phased heater control block 270 and amplifier 272 may be fabricated on the same substrate . chemical sensors , especially chemical microsensors as described , potentially afford many attractive features such as low cost , high sensitivity , ruggedness , and very small size . although the invention has been described with respect to at least one illustrative embodiment , many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the present specification . it is therefore the intention that the appended claims be interpreted as broadly as possible in view of the prior art to include all such variations and modifications .	6
the bolt 1 , whose free end 1a is shown in fig1 and 2 , is in particular a large screw bolt , as is used in great numbers in particular with flanges , covers , or similar closures of pressure containers , boilers , and reactor vessels . a screw bolt of this type formed in the manner of a stud bolt has , on its part not shown in the drawings , an outer thread by means of which it may be screwed into a corresponding threaded bore . onto a further thread 2 of a bolt of this type a securing nut 3 ( fig3 ) may be screwed , which is disposed on the upper side of a flange or cover . in order to pre - tension such bolts hydraulic tightening apparatus is used which for example engages on a further nut 5 , screwed onto an upper thread 4 of the bolt 1 . a construction of a tightening apparatus shown by way of example in fig3 comprises a bearing member 6 , which may be mounted onto the upper side of a cover flange , a drive 7 ( for example an electromotor ) with gears 8 connected downstream for rotating the securing nut 3 , provided on the outside with toothing , on the bolt 1 , further tightening cylinders 9 , disposed above one another , with stepped pistons 10 , the upper of which lies against the lower side of the tightening nut 5 screwed onto the thread 4 , and a rotary drive 11 ( e . g . also an electromotor ) with gears 12 connected downstream and a sleeve , which has toothing on the outside and surrounds the nut 5 , as the rotary drive for the tightening nut 5 and at the same time for an entrainment ring 13 which is disposed at a certain distance above this nut 5 and is carried by supports or the like . in the entrainment ring 13 there is an aperture 14 with an inner profile 15 , in particular in the form of two diametrically opposed and axially extending projections , strips , or the like , with which an outer profile 16 , in particular grooves for receiving the projections or strips on the entrainment ring 13 , on the body 31 of a coupling part 30 corresponds . the latter part is displaceable in the direction of its longitudinal axis l by means of a hydraulic piston - cylinder unit 17 , as a result of which the body 31 may be made to engage , with its outer profile 16 , in the inner profile 15 of the entrainment ring 13 . in this engagement position the coupling part 30 may therefore be rotated by the drive 11 in both directions of rotation . the piston - cylinder unit 17 is held pivotally by a fork - shaped holder 18 on a frame 19 , connected to the bearing member 6 , in pivots 20 , but cannot rotate about its longitudinal axis l . reference numeral 21 denotes a diagrammatically indicated connection and bearing arrangement in its entirety . in the latter , the upper end of the coupling part 30 is supported in such a way that it can rotate about its longitudinal axis l and furthermore is connected to the end of a piston rod 22 of the dual - acting piston - cylinder unit 17 in order to transmit axial forces in both directions . a cam strip 23 with one or more adjustable cams 24 is attached to the piston rod 22 in order to actuate switches 25 in dependence upon the path in which the piston rod 22 and therefore also the coupling part 30 travels . a gear 26 secured to the upper end of the body 31 engages with a pinion 27 of an electrical angle indicator 28 which is attached to the connection and bearing arrangement 21 such that it is moved axially with the latter and the coupling part 30 . therefore in each case the rotational movement of the coupling part 30 or its angular position and the axial movement or position of the coupling part 30 are recorded and indicated exactly by means of this angle indicator 28 and by means of the switches 25 , respectively the signals from which can be further processed and used to control a desired operating cycle . this may be a programmed automatic cycle . the means necessary for this are available and will be known to the person skilled in the art . a shaft 32 , which is for example cylindrical , is connected to the body 31 of the coupling part 30 towards the bottom and ends in a head 33 . the head is formed in the manner of a hammer head in the advantageous construction shown , so that there are two projections 33a transverse to the longitudinal axis l of the coupling part or the shaft 32 . the aperture 14 in the entrainment ring 13 is sufficiently large for the head 33 of the coupling part 30 to pass freely through when the latter is moved axially . as fig1 and 2 show particularly clearly , in the upper end 1a of the bolt 1 there is a chamber 34 which is accessible from the front end 1b . the chamber is delimited by a closing part 37 which has an aperture 38 which is somewhat larger than the head 33 with the shaft 32 , but has such a shape and arrangement that it is possible for the head 33 to pass through axially only at a specific angular position , as can be clearly seen in fig2 . the closing part 37 which in the shown construction consists of one part with the bolt 1 , but may also be produced separately and then be connected to the bolt , has on its upper side inclined regions 39 , i . e . formed by conical partial surfaces , which regions may be used to guide the head 33 before the introduction thereof into the aperture 38 . for the same purpose , the head 33 also has at its lower end , i . e at parts of its lower side , inclined regions 35 . advantageously moreover , at the upper side of the head 33 there are inclined parts 36 which may facilitate passage into the aperture 38 during the reverse movement . in the interior of the chamber 34 , tangential ( or circumferential ) abutments for the head 33 or its projections 33a are provided in such a way that the parts are able to engage in a locking manner in order to carry out a joint movement of the coupling part 30 and the bolt 1 . in the advantageous construction shown in fig1 and 2 , two of the tangential abutments are formed by pins 41 which extend over the entire height of the chamber 34 , are diametrically opposed to one another ( fig2 ), and are held by means of their upper ends in bores of the closing part 37 and by means of their lower ends in bores , in the material of the bolt 1 , originating in the base 34a of the chamber 34 . the pins may in particular be pressed into the bores . two further pins 42 , held in bores of the closing part 37 , extend over only part of the height of the chamber 34 , as fig1 shows . these pins 42 are also diametrically opposed to each other . they are in each case at a horizontal distance from the pins 41 which is somewhat greater than the width of the projections 33a of the head 33 . furthermore , two more diametrically opposed thinner pins 43 extending over the entire height of the chamber 34 are provided and are also held at their ends in like manner to the pins 41 . the pins 43 are in each case disposed directly on the edge of the aperture 38 and are additionally used as stops or to guide the head 33 when it moves . they are not absolutely necessary but may increase secureness or facilitate the operation . starting from one position of the parts according to fig3 the dual - acting piston - cylinder unit 17 is actuated in such a way that the piston rod 22 slides out and as a result of this the coupling part 30 is moved downwards . its head 33 thus passes through the aperture 14 in the entrainment ring 13 and then reaches the bolt 1 . the reaching of specific positions may be indicated by the compulsory actuation of the switches 25 . if the head 33 is at the correct angle over the aperture 38 in the bolt end , the axial movement is continued . otherwise firstly by slowly rotating the coupling part 30 by means of the drive 11 the correct angle is arrived at , the member 31 firstly engaging with the entrainment ring 13 . while rotating , the lower side of the head 33 may slide on the regions 39 of the closing part 37 . then the head 33 passes into the chamber 34 . the further downward movement ( when the rotary drive is switched off ) may be ended by the head 33 bearing on the base 34a of the chamber 34 or on a sleeve 34b , which is inserted therein and is used for another purpose not explained in detail here , and by a pressure increase , which is necessitated thereby , but in particular by actuating the lowest of the switches 25 by means of a control command . thus the state according to fig1 and 2 is produced . now the rotary drive 11 is switched on such that the coupling part 30 and therefore the head 33 rotates in an counter - clockwise direction , until the position shown in fig2 with the dash - dotted line 33 &# 39 ; is reached , which may be effected by switching off the rotary drive 11 in dependence on the signals of the angle indicator 28 . during this rotation , the projections 33a of the head 33 pass without obstruction under the ends of the shorter pins 42 . there now follows an upwards movement of the coupling part 30 , it being possible to displace the projections 33a of the head 33 in the region between the pins 41 and 42 , until the flat parts of the upper sides of the projections 33a come to rest against the axial abutment constituted by the flat lower side 37a of the closing part 37 . the reaching of this position may also be indicated by one of the switches 25 or by other sensors or the like , whereupon a command may be given to commence the screwing out procedure . for this , the rotary drive 11 is switched on and the piston - cylinder unit 17 is supplied with pressure medium such that an axial upwards force is produced and is transmitted by way of the head 33 of the coupling part 30 to the bolt 1 . owing to the fact that the lateral faces of the head 33 come to bear against the tangential abutments 41 the torque is transmitted to the bolt 1 . the bolt is therefore screwed out of its threaded bore with weight relief until it is free and hangs in the apparatus . it may then be transported away by the apparatus . accordingly , the bolt 1 is screwed into its receiving bore in the reverse manner . for this , the coupling part 30 is rotated by means of the drive 11 in the other direction . owing to the fact that the lateral faces of the projections 33a come to bear against the tangential abutments 42 the torque is transmitted to the bolt 1 . simultaneously weight relief occurs by supplying pressure medium to the piston - cylinder unit 17 in such a way that whilst lowering , during the screwing - in procedure , an upwardly directed axial force of a desired magnitude is maintained . after the end of the screwing - in procedure , the coupling part 30 is moved downwards when the drive 11 is switched off and then when the drive 11 is switched on again it is rotated until its head is in the position according to fig1 and 2 . then the head 33 is moved out of the chamber 34 , for example until the parts reach the position according to fig3 . the pins 43 may be used as stops and guides when rotating back the head 33 , as lastly mentioned , and when lifting the head . departing from the construction shown , the pins 41 and 42 may be offset with respect to each other about another center angle . furthermore the construction may be such that a part containing the chamber is produced separately . this may have inter alia advantages with respect to manufacturing techniques . such a part , forming to a certain extent a fixture or attachment for the bolt , can then be rigidly connected to the bolt , for example using a pinned fitting , by welding , or in any other suitable manner . in this way , for example the bolt may form the base of the attached chamber with its front end . in order to illustrate a construction of this type fig1 may be taken into consideration , according to which it would then be possible for the original dividing line between the bolt and a fixture or attachment part to be approximately at the height of the upper edge of the sleeve 34b . the abutments may already be present in the separately produced fixture or attachment part or may also be produced or mounted after the latter has been attached to the bolt . it is further possible to fasten a searately manufactured part , containing the chamber , on the bolt so as to be detachable , in particular in a construction forming an actual adapter , with corresponding possibilities for adaptation and connection to the bolt end . in all the above - mentioned constructions , which all fall within the scope of the invention , the fixture or attachment part or adapter may also have a greater diameter than a bolt . all the features mentioned in the above description or shown in the drawings are to be considered individually or in combination as coming within the scope of the invention , provided this is allowed by the known state of the art .	5
fig5 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment 1 of the present invention . fig6 is a view showing the principle of stereoscopic observation of the embodiment shown in fig5 . fig7 is a view showing an area allowing stereoscopic observation in the embodiment shown in fig5 . in fig5 there is shown a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) 1 for image display , provided therein with a pixel display unit 3 , glass substrates 2a , 2b respectively provided in front of and behind the pixel display unit 3 , polarizing plates ( not shown ) having mutually orthogonal polarizing directions and provided respective in front of the glass substrate 2a and behind the glass substrate 2b , electrodes ( not shown ), a rear light source ( light source means ) 21 etc . on the pixel display unit 3 for image display , there are displayed two parallax images ( r , l ) corresponding to two viewing points respectively for the right and left eyes , alternately in horizontal stripes extended in the h direction . a display drive circuit 22 displays the images synthesized in horizontal stripes , on the display 1 . an image processing circuit 23 extracts a plurality of parallax images l , r in horizontal stripes from a set of parallax images obtained by observing a three - dimensional object from two viewing points , and combines thus extracted images by arranging these images with a predetermined order and a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction v thereby obtaining a combined horizontal stripe image for supply to the display drive circuit 22 . a polarization control plate 4 is composed of a repeated array , with a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction , of two polarizing plates 4l , 4r of a horizontal stripe shape , respectively transmitting polarized lights of mutually orthogonal directions . such polarizing plates 4l , 4r of horizontal stripe shape respectively correspond to the horizontal striped parallax images l , r on the pixel display unit 3 . a barrier 5 is provided with apertures 6a of a horizontal stripe shape , with a width narrower than the pitch of the polarizing plate of the polarization control plate 4 , and with light shielding portions 6b . the barrier 5 is formed by forming a film of chromium or chromium oxide on a glass substrate and patterning such film , or by coating the glass substrate wit black resin and patterning such black resin layer . now , reference is made to fig6 for explaining the state of stereoscopic observation of the parallax images displayed on the pixel display unit 3 of the present embodiment . as shown in fig6 the polarizing plates 4l , 4r in horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate 4 are positioned on the line between the eyes 12 of the observer wearing the polarization spectacles 13 and the pixel apertures 11 where the parallax images l , r are displayed on the pixel display unit 3 of the liquid crystal display 1 . the barrier 6 is provided in front of the polarization control plate 4 , in such a manner that the apertures 6a of the barrier 5 respectively correspond to the polarizing plates 4l , 4r of the polarization control plate 4 and are on the lines between the eyes 12 of the observer and the centers of the pixel apertures 11 displaying the parallax images . when the eyes 12 of the observer lie in a vertical position b1 , the observer observes a part ( width w ) of the pixel apertures 11 of the pixel display unit 3 , through the apertures 6a of the barrier 5 and the corresponding polarizing plates 4l , 4r . the left - eye image l and the right - eye image r are completely separated by the polarization spectacles 13 whereby the normal stereoscopic observation can be attained . when the observer moves to a vertical position b4 , the line between the aperture 6a of the barrier 5 and the eyes of the observer is shifted from the center of the pixel aperture , but the observed width w does not still reach the black matrix 10 of the pixel display unit 3 but remains in a part of the same pixel aperture 11 , whereby the left - eye image l and the right - eye image r can be completely separated to enable normal stereoscopic observation as in the eye position b1 . as the observer moves further upwards in the vertical direction v , the observed width w of the pixel display unit 3 rides on the black matrix 10 whereby the amount of light gradually decreases , and the observed width moves to the adjacent pixel aperture 11 . the adjacent pixel aperture 11 displays the parallax image for the other eye , which is also observed through the same polarizing plate , whereby the crosstalk gradually increases . when the eyes of the observer moves to a position b2 , the parallax image for the other eye alone is observed through the same aperture 6a of the barrier 6 , whereby the left eye only receives the image for the right eye while the right eye only receives the image for the left eye . thus there is reached a state of inverse stereoscopic observation . a graph at the left - hand side of fig6 shows the change in the polarized component , wherein abscissa indicates the proportion of the polarized component of light entering either eye or the amount of crosstalk . when the eyes 12 of the observer is in a solid - lined range including the position b1 , the left and right images are completely separated and the normal polarized component alone is received without crosstalk , so that the above - mentioned proportion becomes 1 . in a broken - lined range , the light amount decreases while the crosstalk increases whereby the stereoscopic observation is significantly deteriorated . in the position b2 or b3 , the proportion of the polarized component becomes 0 , thereby providing a state of completely inverse stereoscopic observation . fig7 shows the actual stereoscopic observation areas of the present embodiment , indicating the stereoscopic observation area in the stereoscopic display 301 of the present embodiment , at the optimum observation distance . 302 indicates a normal stereoscopic observation area where proper stereoscopic image can be observed . 303 indicates inverse stereoscopic observation areas which appear periodically in the vertical direction . the stereoscopic observation area enabling stereoscopic observation without crosstalk in the vertical direction is expanded , from a mere linear area in the conventional stereoscopic display , to a certain width in the present embodiment , whereby the observer is assured of satisfactory stereoscopic observation without paying too much attention to the vertical position and is therefore relieved from fatigue . in the present embodiment , the barrier 5 is positioned in front of the polarization control plate 4 , but it may also be positioned behind the polarization control plate 4 , namely at the side of the display 1 thereof . also barrier portions may be provided between the polarizing plates constituting the polarization control plate 4 . it is also possible to obtain a stereoscopic observation area having a width in the horizontal direction , by displaying , on the pixel display unit 3 , two parallax images in vertical stripes of a predetermined pitch instead of the parallax images of horizontal stripes and arranging the polarizing plates of the polarization control plate 4 and the apertures of the barrier 5 in corresponding vertical stripe shapes . in the present embodiment , as explained in the foregoing , a polarization control plate composed of an array of polarizing plates of different polarizing states is provided in front of the display , and , for the observation with the polarization spectacles , there is employed a barrier with plural apertures is combined with the polarization control plate . this configuration is further featured by facts that the polarization control plate is composed of an alternate array of the polarizing plates of mutually orthogonal polarizing directions in horizontal stripes , and that the barrier is provided with apertures in horizontal stripe shapes corresponding to the pitch of the horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate , the width of such apertures being smaller than the pitch of the horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate . fig8 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment 2 of the present invention , while fig9 is a view showing the principle of stereoscopic observation of the embodiment shown in fig8 and fig1 is a view showing an area allowing stereoscopic observation in the embodiment shown in fig8 . this embodiment is only different from the embodiment 1 in that the barrier 5 is positioned between the polarization control plate 4 and the liquid crystal display 1 but is same in all other aspects . now , reference is made to fig9 for explaining the state of stereoscopic observation of the parallax images displayed on the pixel display unit 3 of the present embodiment . the polarizing plates 4l , 4r in horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate 4 are positioned on the line between the eyes 12 of the observer wearing the polarization spectacles 13 and the pixel apertures 11 where the parallax images l , r are displayed on the pixel display unit 3 of the liquid crystal display 1 . also the apertures 6a of the barrier 5 are positioned on the lines between the eyes 12 of the observer and the centers of the pixel apertures 11 displaying the parallax images , whereby the observer observes the corresponding pixel apertures 11 through the polarizing plates and the apertures 6a of the barrier 5 . when the eyes 12 of the observer lie in a vertical position c1 , the observer observes , in superposed manner , the polarizing plates and a part ( width w ) of the pixel apertures 11 of the pixel display unit 3 , through the apertures 6a of the barrier 5 . the left - eye image l and the right - eye image r are completely separated by the polarization spectacles 13 whereby the normal stereoscopic observation can be attained . when the observer moves in the vertical direction v , the line between the aperture 6a of the barrier 5 and the eyes of the observer is shifted from the center of the pixel aperture , but , as long as the observed width w does not still reach the black matrix 10 , a part of the same pixel aperture 11 is still observed . if the position of the barrier 5 is so selected that the line between the aperture 6a of the barrier 5 and the eyes of the observer moves within the same corresponding polarizing plate 4 , the left - eye image l and the right - eye image r can be completely separated to enable normal stereoscopic observation as in the eye position c1 . as the observer moves further upwards in the vertical direction v to a position c4 , the observed width w of the pixel display unit 3 rides on the black matrix 10 whereby the amount of light gradually decreases and the crosstalk is generated . with further movement , the observed width moves to the adjacent pixel aperture 11 and the corresponding polarizing plate is switched to the adjacent one , but , at a position c2 , the normal stereoscopic observation is made possible as the combination between the left and right images l , r and the polarizing directions of the polarizing plates remains same . a graph at the left - hand side of fig9 shows the change in the polarized component , wherein abscissa indicates the proportion of the polarized component of light entering either eye or the amount of crosstalk . when the eyes 12 of the observer is in a solid - lined range including the position c1 , the left and right images are completely separated and the normal polarized component alone is received without crosstalk , so that the above - mentioned proportion becomes 1 . in a broken - lined range , the light amount decreases while the crosstalk increases whereby the stereoscopic observation is significantly deteriorated . in the position c2 or c3 , the combination of the left and right images and the polarizing directions of the polarizing plates remains same , whereby normal stereoscopic observation can be obtained . fig1 shows the actual stereoscopic observation areas of the present embodiment , indicating the stereoscopic observation area in the stereoscopic display 401 of the present embodiment , at the optimum observation distance . 402 indicates normal stereoscopic observation areas which appear periodically in the vertical direction , and there is no inverse stereoscopic observation area . the stereoscopic observation area enabling stereoscopic observation without crosstalk in the vertical direction is further expanded , whereby the observer is assured of satisfactory stereoscopic observation without paying too much attention to the vertical position and is therefore relieved from fatigue . fig1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment 3 of the present invention , while fig1 is a view showing the principle of stereoscopic observation of the embodiment shown in fig1 , and fig1 is a view showing an area allowing stereoscopic observation in the embodiment shown in fig1 . this embodiment is only different from the embodiment 2 shown in fig8 in that the barrier 5 is replaced by a lenticular lens 7 which is composed of an array , with a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction v , of cylindrical lenses 7a of a horizontal stripe shape having a refractive power in the vertical direction v , but is same in all other aspects . in the present embodiment , the lenticular lens 7 is positioned between the polarization control plate 4 and the liquid crystal display 1 . the cylindrical lenses 7a constituting the lenticular lens 7 are arrayed horizontally , with a pitch corresponding to that of the polarizing plates 4l , 4r in horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate 4 . the lenticular lens 7 is prepared by molding a resinous material such as acrylic resin or polycarbonate , or by replica formation with photosensitive resin on a glass substrate . now , reference is made to fig1 for explaining the state of stereoscopic observation of the parallax images displayed on the pixel display unit 3 of the present embodiment . the polarizing plates 4l , 4r in horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate 4 are positioned on the line between the eyes 12 of the observer wearing the polarization spectacles 13 and the pixel apertures 11 where the parallax images l , r are displayed on the pixel display unit 3 of the liquid crystal display 1 . also the cylindrical lenses 7a of the lenticular lens 7 are positioned on the lines between the eyes 12 of the observer and the centers of the pixel apertures 11 , whereby the observer observes the corresponding pixel apertures 11 through the polarizing plates 4l , 4r and the cylindrical lenses 7a . the position of the lenticular lens 7 and the curvature of the cylindrical lenses 7a thereof are so designed as to focus the image of the pixel display unit 3 on the polarizing plates 4 with such a magnification that the pitch of the pixel display unit 3 coincides with that of the polarizing plates 4l , 4r . when the eyes 12 of the observer are in a vertical position d1 , the lights coming from the pixel apertures 11 of the pixel display unit 3 on the lines passing through the eyes 12 of the observer and the principal points 0 of the cylindrical lenses 7a of the lenticular lens 7 are focused on the polarizing plates 4l , 4r and the observer observes a part of the lights spreading therefrom . since , in this state , the images of the pixel apertures 11 are formed in complete one - to - one correspondence on the polarizing plates 4l , 4r , the left - eye image l and the right - eye image r are completely separated by the polarization spectacles 13 whereby the normal stereoscopic observation can be attained . when the eyes of the observer lies in a position d2 , the correspondence between the pixel apertures 11 and the polarizing plates 4l , 4r are simultaneously switched on the lines between the eyes 12 and the principal points of the cylindrical lenses of the lenticular lens 7 in comparison with the situation at the point d1 , so that the polarized states of the left - eye image and the right - eye image remain same to enable normal stereoscopic observation . if the eyes 12 of the observer moves in the vertical direction v to a position d4 , the lines passing through the eyes 12 and the principal points of the cylindrical lenses 7a lie on the black matrix 10 of the pixel display unit 3 , but the lights from the pixel apertures 11 are focused on the polarizing plates 4l , 4r and are spread after passing the polarizing plates , whereby the eyes 12 of the observer can receive the lights from the adjacent pixel apertures . thus the normal stereoscopic observation is made possible though image becomes somewhat darker . a graph at the left - hand side of fig1 shows the change in the polarized component , wherein abscissa indicates the proportion of the polarized component of light entering either eye or the amount of crosstalk . it is indicated that the proportion of the polarized components always remains as 1 regardless of the position of the eyes of the observer , whereby the left and right images are always completely separated to enable the normal stereoscopic observation . fig1 shows the actual stereoscopic observation areas of the present embodiment , indicating the stereoscopic observation area in the stereoscopic display 501 of the present embodiment , at the optimum observation distance . 502 indicate normal stereoscopic observation areas , and there is no inverse stereoscopic observation area . the normal stereoscopic observation area is represented by a rectangle for the purpose of simplicity , but in fact it is spread over the plane of the rectangle . thus the stereoscopic observation area enabling stereoscopic observation without crosstalk in the vertical direction is further expanded , whereby the observer is assured of satisfactory stereoscopic observation without paying attention to the vertical position and is therefore relieved from fatigue . in the present embodiment , the lenticular lens may be replaced by biconvex or plano - convex cylindrical microlenses . in the present embodiment , as explained in the foregoing , a polarization control plate composed of an array of polarizing plates of different polarizing states is provided in front of the display , and , for the observation with the polarization spectacles , there is employed a microlens array composed of cylindrical lenses between the polarization control plate and the image display area of the display . this configuration is further featured by facts that the polarization control plate is composed of an alternate array of the polarizing plates of mutually orthogonal polarizing directions in horizontal stripes , and that the microlens array is composed of lenticular lenses in horizontal stripe shapes corresponding to the pitch of the horizontal stripes of the polarization control plate . the foregoing embodiments 1 , 2 and 3 have employed the liquid crystal display as the image display means , but similar effects can also be obtained with other displays such as a plasma display , a fluorescent display tube , an el display , a crt or a rear projection display , by a configuration including a polarization control plate and a barrier or a microlens array in front of the display . as explained in the foregoing , a three - dimensional image is displayed utilizing a polarization control plate , and , at the observation of the image , a barrier with apertures extended in a suitably predetermined direction or a lenticular lens is employed to expand the stereoscopic observation area with limited crosstalk in the vertical direction . in this manner there is provided a stereoscopic image display apparatus which reduces the fatigue of the observer and is particularly suitable for observation by plural observers .	7
the fitting of this invention is made up of two sleeves 10 and 11 . the lefthand end of the sleeve 10 , as illustrated , is conventional , including a tapered end surface 12 and an exterior shoulder 13 for connection as an ordinary flared fitting . the exterior of the sleeve 10 includes a surface 15 that tapers at a shallow angle to one end 16 of the sleeve . at the inner end of the surface 15 is a relatively long cylindrical surface 17 . a curved transition surface 18 connects the surface 17 with a shorter cylindrical part 19 of smaller diameter . beyond the surface 19 is a second curved transition surface 20 to a still shorter cylindrical portion 21 of narrower diameter adjacent the shoulder 13 . interiorly , the sleeve 10 has a cylindrical portion 22 of constant relatively small diameter adjacent the tapered end surface 12 , which connects through a shoulder 23 to a central interior surface 24 of larger diameter . the surface 24 is shorter axially than the surface 22 . the sleeve 10 is proportioned so that the shoulder 23 is radially inwardly of the exterior surface 19 of the sleeve and the transition surface 18 on the exterior of the sleeve 10 is outwardly of the internal surface 24 . a rounded shoulder 26 connects the surface 24 to an additional interior cylindrical surface 27 of still greater diameter . the surface 27 connects to a surface 28 of slightly larger diameter , which forms the entrance to the fitting at the end 16 . there are , in addition , three equally spaced axially extending broached slots 29 in the surface 27 which carry the diameter of the entrance surface 28 to their inner ends , which are spaced from the shoulder 26 . these slots provide an anti - rotational affect when the fitting is swaged onto a tube , as discussed below . this construction provides the sleeve 10 with a thinner wall at the surfaces 27 and 28 then the wall on the opposite side of the shoulder 26 . the sleeve 10 has its greatest wall thickness beyond the shoulder 23 . the sleeve 11 is of smaller diameter than the sleeve 10 and of lesser wall thickness . it is made of a material having a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the sleeve 10 . the material of the sleeve 11 also is harder than that of the sleeve 10 , and has a higher yield strength . the sleeve 11 includes a first cylindrical interior surface 31 adjacent one end 32 , and a longer cylindrical surface 33 that connects to the surface 31 and is of slightly larger diameter . the surface 33 extends all the way to the opposite end 34 of the sleeve 11 . exteriorly , the sleeve 11 has a rounded exterior edge that leads to a cylindrical exterior surface 36 adjacent the end 34 . an annular groove 37 interrupts the surface 36 inwardly of the end 34 . a short distance from the annular groove 37 is a much wider annular groove 38 , which is of the same depth as the groove 37 . this leaves a land 39 between the grooves 37 and 38 . at the end 32 of the sleeve 11 is an exterior annular enlargement that includes a tapered outer end wall 40 and a tapered inner end wall 41 that connects to the inner end part of the surface 36 beyond the wide groove 38 . the enlargement is provided with a shallow arcuate annular groove 42 in its outer periphery . the intersections of the surfaces 40 and 41 with the surface of the groove 42 produce two closely spaced annular ridges . initially the sleeve 11 is positioned within the sleeve 10 , as shown in fig2 with the sleeve end 32 intermediate the ends of the sleeve 10 , abutting the interior shoulder 23 of the sleeve . the end 34 of the sleeve 11 is adjacent but recessed axially inwardly of the end 16 of the outer sleeve 10 . a compressive force then is applied to the sleeve 10 at the surface 91 , rolling this portion of the sleeve radially inwardly to attach the sleeves 10 and 11 together , as seen in fig3 . this deflects the exterior surface 19 inwardly to the level of the exterior surface 21 of the sleeve 10 , causing the material of the inner wall of the sleeve 10 at the surface 24 to be deflected inwardly into the annular groove 42 and around the annular ridges defined by the end enlargement of the sleeve 11 . thus , the material of the sleeve 10 is deflected inwardly around the tapered surface 40 and the end 32 of the sleeve 11 , as well as being deflected around the tapered surface 41 . this forms a secure attachment and a fluid seal between the two sleeves . the tube 43 , to be attached to the fitting , is introduced into the annular space 44 between sleeves 10 and 11 , as seen in fig5 . the end 45 of the tube 43 is advanced past the land 39 of the sleeve 11 , normally being positioned adjacent the shoulder 26 that connects the internal diameter portions 24 and 27 of the sleeve 10 . preferably the parts are proportioned so that the tube 43 can enter the space between the sleeves 10 and 11 freely , yet without much clearance . the materials of the components of the fitting are selected so that the inner sleeve 11 has a coefficient of thermal expansion greater than that of the tube 43 . the coefficient of thermal expansion of the sleeve 10 may be less than that of the tube 43 . next the fitting is swaged to complete the attachment to the tube 43 . this is accomplished by applying an external compressive force by a radial swaging tool on the surface 17 of the sleeve 10 . this forces the surface 17 radially inwardly until it is of substantially the same diameter as that of the surface 19 of the sleeve 10 . as this occurs , the inner wall of the sleeve 10 presses against the tube 43 , which is forced inwardly against the outer surface of the sleeve 11 . the latter experiences some deflection but resists the inward compression sufficiently to cause the inner surface of the tube 43 to be deflected inwardly around the land 39 and against the surface of the sleeve 11 at the grooves 37 and 38 . as a result , the corners 47 and 48 at either end of the land 39 are caused to dig into the inner surface of the tube 43 . similarly , the corner 49 at the outer end of the groove 37 of the sleeve 11 becomes embedded in the inner surface of the tube 43 . this creates metal - to - metal seals at the locations of these corners , effectively preventing the leakage of fluid along the inner surface of the end part of the tube 43 . at the same time , the deflection of the tube securely attaches it to the sleeve 11 . the exterior of the tube 43 is forced into the three spaced broached grooves 29 , which prevents rotation of a tube relative to the sleeves 10 and 11 . the inner sleeve 11 , being of relatively hard material with a high yield strength , can resist the compression force of the swaging so that the tube deflects as described above . the relatively thin wall of the sleeve 11 maximizes the internal diameter of this sleeve so that the fitting will not unduly restrict the flow of fluid . the outer sleeve 10 , being more malleable than the inner sleeve and of lesser yield strength , can compress the tube in the swaging operation and hold it inwardly against the sleeve 11 . the malleability of the sleeve 10 assists the fitting in withstanding bending forces on the tube to which it is attached . the fitting is well suited for use at elevated temperatures , such as in the environment of jet aircraft engines . as the components become elevated in temperature , the sleeve 11 becomes pressed even more tightly against the inner wall of the tube 43 . this comes about from the coefficients of thermal expansion of these elements . the sleeve 11 , by having a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the tube 43 , will maintain an increasing outward pressure against the inner wall of the tube as temperatures rise . similarly , because the sleeve 11 has a greater coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the sleeve 10 , it will have a greater outward force against the sleeve 10 at the connection between the two as temperatures rise . the tube 43 can be made to increase its force against the outer sleeve 10 when the latter is made of a material having a smaller coefficient of thermal expansion than that of the tube . thus , the fitting does not lose its properties at elevated temperatures , always being mechanically held together securely with an effective metal - to - metal seal . performance under flexure is improved significantly by the application of a thin coating of dry film lubricant 50 on the bore entrance surface 28 of the sleeve 10 . the lubricant will impregnate the surface 28 , filling in low spots to provide a uniform and smooth surface . metal - to - metal contact between the sleeve 10 and the tube 43 is avoided at the zone where the dry lubricant is present . as a result , the fitting does not scuff the tube at the surface 28 under vibration and greatly extended tube life is obtained . without the lubricant , the roughness from normal machining of the surface 28 may produce stress risers on the tube 43 that can lead to tube failure under vibration . only a very thin film of lubricant is needed , most of it penetrating the surface 28 . a solid film extreme environment dry lubricant , such as a molybdenum disulfide base mixed with graphite , of a total thickness of 0 . 0005 inch , is effective up to 1100 ° f . in addition to flexing , the fitting also withstands severe tensile loads , impulse loads and other adverse conditions . although shown in the previously described embodiment as used in conjunction with a conventional flared fitting at one end , a fitting manufactured in accordance with this invention may have many other configurations . for example , as shown in fig7 the fitting 51 is a coupling , both ends of which are to receive tube ends just as did the right - hand end portion of the fitting as illustrated in fig1 - 6 . after swaging the tubes will be connected together . fig8 shows one of the other embodiments of the invention , this time as a tee 52 . the foregoing detailed description is to be clearly understood as given by way of illustration and example only , the spirit and scope of this invention being limited solely by the appended claims .	8
the &# 34 ; vegetable matter &# 34 ; useful for incorporation into the cheese - based products via the process of the present invention includes a wide variety of products , and is not strictly limited to vegetables . fruits , nuts and other materials may be treated in accordance with the present invention and added in appropriate amounts to cheese base to provide a stable cheese dip type product . examples of useful &# 34 ; vegetable matter &# 34 ; include but are not limited to whole , chopped , sliced or otherwise comminuted tomatoes , tomatillos , peppers including chili , jalapeno , bell , serrano , habanero and anaheim peppers , onions , scallions , beans , peas , corn , broccoli , asparagus , cauliflower , carrots and potatoes . for the purposes of this invention &# 34 ; vegetable matter &# 34 ; also includes various nuts , such as peanuts , cashews , pistachios , pecans , walnuts and almonds , various fruits such as apples , blueberries , blackberries and raspberries , as well as pasta in all of its forms . the vegetable matter , if packed in liquid , first may be drained , rinsed with warm water and then drained again to remove as much of the low - ph packing liquid as possible . next , the vegetable matter is comminuted , if desired , to provide pieces of desired size and shape . the vegetable matter is buffered in accordance with the present invention by contacting it with a buffer solution . suitable buffer solutions must be edible and otherwise approved for use in foodstuffs . examples of useful buffer solutions are solutions based on ( 1 ) mono - and dibasic sodium phosphate ; ( 2 ) mono - and dibasic potassium phosphate ; ( 3 ) monobasic potassium phosphate and dibasic sodium phosphate ; ( 4 ) monobasic potassium or sodium phosphate and potassium or sodium hydroxide ; ( 5 ) acetic acid and sodium or potassium acetate ; and mixtures of the same . see , for example , crc handbook of chemistry and physics , 56th ed . ( 1975 ). the components of the buffer solution are selected to produce a final buffered ph of at least about 5 . 5 , and preferably in the range of ph 6 . 0 to 8 . 0 when measured at 250 ° c . the concentration of the buffer salts may be varied from 0 . 01 molar to 0 . 40 molar , preferably between about 0 . 02 to 0 . 2 molar . the specific buffer employed , as well as the most appropriate ph and concentration of the buffer salts , will be chosen in large part based on the particular vegetable matter sought to be used and ph - adjusted according to the present process . the dairy protein content of the cheese base also will influence the ph requirements for the buffered vegetable matter . those of ordinary skill in the art will readily make such choices based upon the teachings herein and their knowledge of the ph of the starting vegetable product and the protein content of the cheese base being employed . the ph of the vegetable matter is buffered in the desired range by contacting the vegetable matter with the buffer solution and allowing the vegetable particulates to equilibrate with the buffer system . the amount of buffer needed is determined by the starting ph of the vegetables , the concentration and quantity of the buffer solution used , and the buffering capacity of the particular buffer system chosen . again , this choice is well within the level of skill of the ordinary scientist in this field in view of the teachings herein . typically , the vegetable matter must remain in contact with the buffer solution for at least about 5 minutes in order for sufficient buffer to be absorbed . if desired , samples can be removed from the buffer solution every 10 minutes for ph measurement . if the desired equilibrated ph has not been attained , the vegetable matter can be strained from the buffer and contacted with fresh buffer solution for another period of time . this cycle of sampling and adding fresh buffer can be repeated as necessary . once the desired equilibrated ph has been achieved , the vegetable matter is drained and incorporated into the cheese base or other cheese - containing product . cheese base preparations preferred for use in this process have a low total solids content ( 40 % or less solids by weight ), typically contain only about 5 to 25 %, preferably 5 to 15 % natural cheese , have a low acid content and a low reducing sugar content . the cheese base preparations are based on one or more cheeses which are characterized by a low reducing sugar content ( for example in total less that 1 % by weight of the reducing sugars galactose , lactose , glucose , fructose and the like ). preferred cheeses having the desired low reducing sugar content include monterey jack , colby , mozzarella , and provolone . although aged cheddars have the desirable low reducing sugar content , they solubilize poorly in processed cheese emulsions and thus can be difficult to formulate into acceptable products using commercially desirable processing technology . the cheese base compositions also contain from about 4 . 0 to about 8 . 0 percent weight of at least one starch selected from modified ( heat resistent ) and unmodified ( or lightly modified ) waxy and dent corn starches , potato , rice , wheat , barley , sorghum and tapioca starches . a blend of modified and unmodified or lightly modified waxy corn starch , comprising a ratio of from 6 : 1 to 3 : 1 , most preferably 4 : 1 of modified : unmodified starch is preferred . the cheese base compositions further contain fats and / or oils in amounts sufficient to impart a smooth consistency , good flavor and acceptable &# 34 ; mouthfeel &# 34 ; characteristics . the compositions typically contain from about 3 . 0 to about 20 . 0 % by weight of at least one fat , of which the following are examples : partly hydrogenated soybean , corn , cottonseed , canola , sunflower , safflower , coconut , palm , palm kernel and other vegetable oils . anhydrous milk fat , butter fat and other dairy fats also are acceptable for use in the cheese base . other animal fats , such as lard or tallow , may be used once rendered and refined for food use . the cheese base compositions also contain from about 3 . 0 to about 11 . 0 % by weight of at least one maltodextrin having a dextrose equivalent ( de ) of 8 or lower . suitable maltodextrins are commercially available , being derived from for example corn , wheat , rice , tapioca or potato starch which has been partially hydrolyzed by acids or enzymes . additionally , the cheese base compositions typically contain about 1 . 0 to about 4 . 0 % by weight of at least one edible alkali or alkaline earth buffer or emulsifier salt selected from but not limited to mono - and dibasic sodium phosphate , mono - and dibasic potassium phosphate , sodium and potassium tripolyphosphate , sodium hexametaphosphate and mixtures of the same ; about 0 . 05 to about 0 . 20 % by weight of an emulsifier selected from for example , mono and diglycerides , lecithin and mixtures thereof ; about 60 . 0 to about 80 . 0 % by weight of water and , optionally , color , seasoning and flavorants . color additives commonly include fd & amp ; c # 5 , fd & amp ; c # 6 , canthantin and mixtures thereof . seasonings commonly employed include white pepper , monosodium glutamate and table salt . other useful seasonings will be chosen based upon the design of the product . other examples of flavorants which can be used include enzyme modified cheddar cheese , and weak acids such as phosphoric , citric , lactic , acetic , succinic and malic acids , as well as combinations thereof . as described above and discussed in the prior art , the major drawback found when adding high acid , heat - packed ( canned ) vegetables to cheese based compositions ( cheese sauces ) is the precipitation of one or more of the dairy proteins present in the emulsion . it was found that increasing the equilibrated ph of the vegetable matter to a point above the isoelectric points of the three major proteins present in the cheese has a major affect in preventing any precipitation or separation of the emulsion . without this buffering treatment of the vegetables additives , a phase separation , graininess and precipitation at the bottom of the container is seen . unlike pasteurized process cheese spreads , which are destroyed by prolonged heat treatment ( retort ), the vegetable - containing cheese products produced according to the present invention are stable to retort conditions . thus , the compositions are filled into suitable glass , metal or plastic containers while hot . the containers are sealed and then subjected to retort as known in the art . a phosphate buffer is prepared by adding 5 . 42 grams of disodium phosphate and 2 . 69 grams of monosodium phosphate per liter of warm water ( 120 °- 150 ° f ). the solution is mixed until a clear solution is obtained . the final ph of the solution should be 7 . 0 plus or minus 0 . 5 ph units . approximately one liter of the buffer solution are required to treat one kilogram of rinsed and drained chopped vegetables . the packing solution is drained from canned comminuted tomatoes , jalapeno peppers and chili peppers . the vegetables are rinsed with a soft warm ( 100 °- 120 ° f .) water spray while using gentle agitation . the vegetables are drained of the rinse water and added to an appropriate volume of buffer solution . the vegetables are contacted by and soaked in the buffer solution for at least 10 minutes . samples are periodically removed , and the ph of a blended sample is measured at room temperature . if the ph is between about 5 . 5 and 7 . 0 , the equilibration is complete . if the ph is still below this range , the vegetables are added to a fresh volume of buffer and the soaking process is repeated until the ph reaches the required range . once the required ph has been obtained , the vegetables again are rinsed with water and thoroughly drained . the vegetables treated in the above manner are gently stirred into hot cheese base which is held at a temperature of 130 °- 190 ° f . when even mixing has been obtained , the finished sauce is pumped into a filler which dispenses the sauce into glass jars which are then sealed and retorted . although the invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments and specific examples , it is not so limited . modifications and variations within the scope of the appended claims will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in this field .	0
for purposes of teaching and discussion , it is useful to provide some overview as to the way in which the invention disclosed herein operates . the following information may be viewed as a basis from which the present invention may by properly explained . such information is offered for purposes of explanation only and , accordingly , should not be construed to limit the broad scope of the present invention and its potential applications . turning to fig1 a , a side view of the tablet keyboard case 10 embodiment is shown in the closed tablet position . as described herein , the closed tablet position describes a position in which tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 are folded over on to each other so that the keyboard and tablet devices enclosed in tablet keyboard case 10 face each other with the external surfaces of tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 exposed to the outside environment . in this configuration , the external surfaces of the tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 protect the tablet and keyboard from damage or shock . as shown , tablet edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d ( as marked in fig2 - 5 ) are substantially aligned and concentrically oriented with keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d ( as marked in fig2 - 5 ) and tablet cover 12 acts to cover and protect the keyboard surface secured within keyboard cover 14 . spine 16 is integrated as part of the tablet cover 12 exterior surface in the closed tablet position as shown . as depicted in fig1 b , 1 c , 2 b , and 2 c , tablet keyboard case 10 includes tablet cover 12 with tablet cover edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d , a keyboard cover 14 with keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d , a tablet , smartphone , or other electronic device 20 secured by tablet cover 12 and a keyboard secured by keyboard cover 14 . a perspective view of tablet keyboard case 10 is shown in the closed tablet position in fig1 b . in this view , a portion of spine 16 forms a corresponding portion of tablet cover 12 when the tablet keyboard case 10 is in the closed tablet position . spine 16 includes at least one folding hinge 18 incorporated into spine 16 for adjustability of the tablet cover 12 relative to the keyboard cover 14 due to the folding nature of spine 16 via hinge 18 and as further described herein . in one embodiment , spine 16 is connected by hinge 18 on the exterior surface of tablet cover 12 ( as shown in fig2 a ). spine 16 may be manufactured from flexible , stretchable , shrinkable materials such as metal , wood , nylon , neoprene , spandex , and / or layered , flexible metal bistable bands contained within a fabric or plastic covers , which allow the spine 16 to stretch , shrink , bend and / or flex to function and fit the different tablet keyboard case configurations described herein . fig1 c shows a cross - section of the tablet keyboard cover 10 with a tablet or other electronic device 20 detachably secured with tablet cover 12 , a keyboard 22 detachably secured with keyboard cover 14 , and spine 16 which connects tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 . groove 14 e is shown which provides a friction or rest stop for an edge of tablet 20 or tablet cover edge 12 d to rest in while the tablet keyboard cover 10 is placed in the open keyboard position which is explained in greater detail below . groove 14 e is generally parallel with keyboard edges 14 a , 14 d and generally extends the length of the keyboard cover 14 bounded by keyboard edges 14 b , 14 c . keyboard 22 is secured within an area preformed into keyboard cover 14 as depicted . tablet cover 12 , keyboard cover 14 , and groove 14 e or multiple or a plurality of grooves 14 e may be dimensioned to accommodate various sizes of electronic devices as known in the art . with reference to fig2 a , a side view of tablet keyboard cover 10 in the open keyboard position is depicted . as described herein , the open keyboard configuration is the position in which the user desires to use a keyboard which is detachably secured in keyboard cover 14 to input information or otherwise operate a tablet detachably secured in tablet cover 12 . in this position , the user adjusts tablet cover 12 by folding spine 16 via hinges 18 while keyboard cover 14 remains in a substantially horizontal position when placed upon a stable surface such as a desk or worktable . additional hinges 18 may be incorporated into spine 16 to provide variable viewing angles resulting from the variable folded configurations of spine 16 provided by each section of spine 16 disposed between hinge ( s ) 18 for the tablet touchscreen while the user is utilizing the keyboard enclosed by keyboard cover 14 . in this position , the user may input data , interact or otherwise operate tablet 20 by depressing or otherwise actuating the keys of keyboard 22 . in the depicted embodiment , keyboard 22 communicates wirelessly with tablet 20 by a wireless protocol such as bluetooth wireless technology . the bluetooth wireless protocol is a short - range wireless communication system intended to replace cables connecting portable devices , such as a tablet and a keyboard , while maintaining data transfer security . bluetooth and other known wireless communication methodologies are well known in the art . in similar fashion , a wire or cable ( not shown ) could also be used to establish a communication pathway between tablet 20 and keyboard 22 if a wired connection is desired . fig2 b provides a rear perspective view of tablet keyboard cover 10 shown in the open keyboard position . in this position , tablet cover 12 is oriented at an angle relative to keyboard cover 14 and is maintained in this position by placing an edge , such as tablet cover edge 12 d , in contact with an edge of the keyboard 22 or in a formed groove 14 e which acts as a friction stop . in one embodiment , groove 14 e may consist of multiple rows of grooves extending in a substantially parallel fashion and parallel to keyboard edges 14 a , 14 d providing the user with multiple grooves in which to rest tablet cover edge 12 d in the open keyboard position . in one embodiment , one or more magnets or other fasteners may be incorporated into various locations along , within or on edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d of tablet cover 12 and edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d of keyboard cover 14 and groove 14 e which may act to secure tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 in various angular configurations to provide multiple , securely adjustable viewing positions at the desire of the user . in one embodiment , parallel notches may be formed into one or more edges 14 b , 14 c of keyboard cover 14 with corresponding extensions formed and protruding from one or more edges 12 b , 12 c in tablet cover 12 into which an edge of tablet cover 12 may be inserted to act as a friction stop and still provide multiple , securely adjustable viewing positions at the desire of the user . turning to fig2 c , a front perspective view of tablet keyboard cover 10 is shown in the open keyboard position . in this position , the user may utilize keyboard 22 that is secured in keyboard cover 14 for interacting with tablet 20 that is secured in tablet cover 12 . spine 16 acts to provide support for maintaining the viewing angle of tablet touchscreen 20 while the user utilizes keyboard 22 for inputting data and controlling the operation of tablet 20 . the user may also use a finger , stylus or other input device for inputting data or otherwise controlling tablet 20 by touching touchscreen surface 30 . in the depicted embodiment , keyboard 22 is detachably secured substantially within keyboard cover 14 with the top of the keyboard 22 substantially level and parallel with keyboard cover foreground 24 . in various embodiments , keyboard foreground 24 may consist of a series of parallel grooves 14 e which provide variable adjustability for positioning of the tablet viewing angle . in various embodiments , keyboard cover foreground 24 may consist of one or multiple component pieces that may be removed and sized to accommodate keyboard 22 of various dimensions and to provide variable viewing angles . for example , the selected viewing angle in the open keyboard position may range from about zero to ninety degrees , such as 30 , 40 , 50 , 60 , 70 and 80 degrees in various embodiments depending on the spacing and locations of grooves 14 e or in another embodiment comprising the width of keyboard cover foreground 24 . fig3 a depicts a side view of tablet keyboard case 10 that is shown in the open tablet position . in this position , the tablet cover 12 is rotated substantially 180 degrees at the point of hinged rotation where the spine 16 attaches to tablet cover 12 and tablet cover 12 is folded on to the keyboard cover 14 and acts to cover and protect the keyboard secured by keyboard cover 14 . in the open tablet position , the user may operate the tablet by accessing the tablet touchscreen with a finger , stylus or other input device while keeping the keys on keyboard from being inadvertently depressed as the manipulates the tablet or while walking and carrying the tablet . in the open tablet position , tablet cover edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d are substantially parallel and concentric with keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d all of which are detachably secured by fasteners such as magnets , hook and loop , studs , snaps , hooks or other fasteners as known in the art . spine 16 as folded may protrude ( as shown ) or may be constructed so as to fold or mold around keyboard cover edge 14 d in symmetrical fashion . fig3 b depicts a perspective view of tablet keyboard case 10 in the open tablet position . as shown , tablet edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d are substantially aligned and concentrically oriented with keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d and tablet cover 12 acts to cover and protect the keyboard surface secured within keyboard cover 14 . in this configuration , the user may easily interface with tablet touchscreen 30 of tablet 20 that is secured with tablet cover 12 . while interfacing with tablet touchscreen 30 on the surface of tablet 20 , tablet cover 12 which is now detachably secured to keyboard cover 14 by releasable fasteners such as magnets , hook and loop material or snaps or other fasteners as known in the art and which maybe position along or within the tablet cover edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d and / or positioned along or within the keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d , to provide protection to the keyboard 22 secured by keyboard cover 14 and prevents the inadvertent depression of keys located on the keyboard 22 . in this configuration , the tablet 20 is easily utilized by the user and easily transported while being carried by the user in the tablet keyboard case 10 . fig4 a and 4b show one embodiment of the tablet keyboard case 10 which includes a tilt support 32 which acts to provide an adjustable viewing angle for the user while the tablet is in the tilted tablet position . in the depicted embodiment , tablet cover 12 is rotated in general fashion to the tilted tablet position . instead of aligning concentrically and fastening tablet cover edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d with keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d , the user folds out tilt support 32 which is stored and integrated as a portion of tablet cover 12 allowing an edge of tilt support 32 to rest on keyboard 22 and / or against keyboard cover edge 14 a as shown . in one embodiment , at least one groove ( not shown ) is integrated between keyboard 22 and keyboard cover edge 14 a to act as a friction stop when tilt support 32 is placed in such groove or in another embodiment against keyboard cover edge 14 a . alternatively , multiple grooves could be integrated parallel to keyboard cover edge 14 a to provide for a plurality of tilted viewing angles for the user . alternatively , fasteners such as magnets , hook and loop material , levees , or peg and notch fasteners or such as is known in the art could be utilized to keep the tilt support 32 in the desired position . in this configuration , keyboard 22 is still substantially protected from inadvertent depression of keys located on keyboard 22 while the user uses , views content or otherwise interacts with tablet touchscreen 30 while using tablet 20 . fig5 a and 5b show one embodiment of the tablet keyboard case 10 which includes at least two tilt support legs 34 which act to provide an adjustable viewing angle for the user while the tablet is in the tilted tablet position . in the depicted embodiment , tablet cover 12 is rotated in general fashion to the tilted tablet position . instead of aligning and fastening tablet cover edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d with keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d , the user folds out tilt support legs 34 which are stored and integrated as a portion of tablet cover 12 allowing the free ends of each tilt support leg 34 to rest on keyboard 22 and / or against keyboard cover edge 14 a as shown . in one embodiment , at least one groove or notch ( not shown ) is formed between keyboard 22 and keyboard cover edge 14 , or along edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d to act as a friction stop when tilt support legs 34 are placed in such groove or notch . alternatively , multiple grooves or notches could be integrated between keyboard 22 and keyboard cover edge 14 , or along edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d as discussed above to provide for a plurality of adjustable tilted viewing angles for the user . alternatively , fasteners such as magnets , hooks , studs , snaps , levees , posts , hook and loop material , or peg and notch could be utilized along or within edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d to keep the tilt support legs 34 in the desired position . in this configuration , keyboard 22 is still substantially protected from inadvertent depression of keys located on keyboard 22 while the user uses , views content or otherwise interacts with tablet touchscreen 30 while using tablet 20 . fig6 a - 6b depict one embodiment of the tablet keyboard case 10 that utilizes at least one reusable fastener for securing the tablet keyboard case 10 in a variety of positions , and in the instant figures , the tilted tablet position . it is noted that such fasteners could be integrated in a variety of locations around the periphery of tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 along or within tablet cover edges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , 12 d and keyboard cover edges 14 a , 14 b , 14 c , 14 d in positions to facilitate fastening the tablet keyboard case 10 into the open tablet position , closed tablet position and open keyboard position in similar manner . by way of example , folding and fastening the tablet keyboard cover 10 into the tilted tablet position is depicted in fig6 a - 6b . fig6 a depicts fasteners 36 which have been integrated into tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 in the corner peripheral region along tablet cover edge 12 d and corresponding keyboard cover edge 14 a . fig6 b demonstrates the folding hinges 18 included in spine 16 providing the user with the ability to tilt the tablet cover 12 at various multiple acute angle relative to the keyboard cover 14 . as shown in fig6 a , the fasteners 36 are detachably mated to connect the tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 together to form the desired viewing angle so the user may interact or otherwise operate the tablet secured with tablet cover 12 while preventing actuation or depression of the keys on they keyboard secured with keyboard cover 14 . fig6 b is a rear perspective view of tablet keyboard case 10 shown in the tilted tablet position with fasteners 36 shown detachably mated to maintain tablet keyboard case 10 in the tilted tablet position . when the user desires to alter the position of the tablet for viewing purposes or move the tablet keyboard case 10 into the open tablet , closed tablet , or open keyboard positions , they may simply pull the mated portions of tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 apart , reposition them in the desired configuration and press tablet cover 12 and keyboard cover 14 in sufficient proximity so as to engage the particular fasteners 36 . fasteners 36 which may be utilized to perform the reusable fastener function may include magnets , hook and loop material and snap fasteners among others as known in the art and as described elsewhere herein . the invention disclosed herein may be manufactured from various plastics , woods , carbon fiber , leather and metals . for example , the tablet cover and keyboard cover may be manufactured from polycarbonate , plastics , metals , rubber or soft polymers such as silicone . other examples include thermoplastic , polyvinyl chloride , synthetic leather , leatherette , and carbon fiber . a touchscreen protector may also be incorporated to provide protection to the exposed touchscreen surface . the tablet cover case would also incorporate various openings and slots at various locations to allow the user to access the tablet control buttons , switches and connector ports . the tablet and keyboard covers would likewise be shaped to securely hold tablet and keyboard devices . for example , the tablet and keyboard covers may be contained within a pliable hard or soft shell designed to form a moldable , snug fit around the tablet and keyboard . alternatively , the tablet and keyboard covers may include a snap flap along one or more edges to allow a user to open the flap and insert the keyboard and / or tablet into their respective covers and then snap the flap shut to provide secure retention of the keyboard and tablet in their respective covers . the spine may include both rigid and pliable materials manufactured in sections so as to hinge as described herein . the spine may incorporate metal , wood , carbon fiber , thermoplastic or hard plastics that are stitched or incorporated into a flexible or semi - flexible covering such as cloth , microfiber , plastic , and leather among others , providing a rigid or semi - rigid spine as desired with one or more hinged sections . in certain implementations , the hinge or hinges show as crease lines where the material ( e . g . leather , plastic or fabric ) at the crease line can be flexed , allowing the flaps or panels of the spine to swing or rotate with respect to each other . other hinges and techniques may not result in crease lines in the material forming or covering the spine . these hinges may be referred to as hidden or invisible hinges . whether shown or invisible , hinges which may used in connection with the invention include swing hinges , living hinges , flush hinges , piano hinges , continuous hinges , concealed hinges , and spring hinges among others as known in the art . the hinge or hinges may be made from various materials including leather , microfiber , plastic , metal , rubber , silicone , carbon fiber and other materials as known in the art . it should also be noted that the tablet keyboard case described and shown herein could easily be sized and manufactured for electronic devices of various sizes and shapes including computers , laptop computers , tablet computers , tablets , smartphones , personal digital assistant ( pda ) devices , music storage and listening devices such as the ipod and ipod touch and other such devices produced by other manufacturers . as such , the description and claims herein are not to be construed as limited to certain types or dimensions of phones , computers , laptops , tablets , keyboards or other electronic devices . the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof . the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive . accordingly , the scope of the invention is established by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description . while various alterations and permutations of the invention are possible , the invention is to be limited only by the following claims and equivalents .	6
referring now to the drawings , an embodiment of the present invention will be described . [ 0028 ] fig1 a to 1 f are cross - sectional views showing the steps of a method of fabricating a semiconductor device according to the present invention . as shown in fig1 a , a low trench interconnection layer 11 is formed in a substrate 1 using cu , and a protective film 12 serving as a first insulation film is then deposited in order to protect the interconnection . the protective film 12 is formed by forming a silicon nitride film using plasma cvd . the silicon nitride film is formed by plasma cvd under a film formation temperature of 360 ° c ., an rf power of 420 w , and 500 pa using monosilane ( sih 4 ), nitrogen ( n 2 ), and ammonia gas ( nh 3 ). an organic sog film is then applied over the protective film 12 and sintered . ions are implanted into the organic sog film , thereby forming a modified sog film 13 a . the modified sog film 13 a serves as a second insulation film . the composition of the organic sog film is [ ch 3 si ( oh ) 3 ]. in a method of forming the organic sog film , a solution obtained by dissolving a silicon compound in an organic solvent is dropped on the substrate 1 , and the substrate 1 is rotated , to form a film of the solution on the protective film 12 . by successively performing , in an atmosphere of nitrogen , heat treatment for one minute at 100 ° c ., for one minute at 200 ° c ., for one minute at 300 ° c ., for 30 minutes at 200 ° c ., and for 30 minutes at 300 ° c ., alcohols are vaporized , and polymerization reaction progresses , thereby forming an organic sog film having a flat surface . argon ions ( ar + ) are doped into the organic sog film under conditions of an acceleration energy of 140 kev , and a dosage of 1 × 10 15 atoms / cm 2 using ion - implantation . by the ion - implantation , an organic component in the organic sog film is decomposed , and the amount of moisture and a hydroxyl group contained in the film is decreased . accordingly , the organic sog film is modified into an sog film containing no organic component and containing a small amount of moisture and a hydroxyl group . in the present invention , the sog film is referred to as a modified sog film 13 a . the modified sog film 13 a is formed to a uniform thickness because there exists no step caused by the interconnection . a technique for implanting argon ions into an organic sog film , to decompose an organic component in the film , and decreasing the amount of moisture and a hydroxyl group contained in the film is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 071 , 807 , for example . an etch stopper film 14 serving as a third insulation film is then formed . the etch stopper film 14 is formed by forming a silicon nitride film using plasma cvd . the etch stopper film 14 is formed similarly to the protective film 12 . an organic sog film is then applied over the etch stopper film 14 and sintered , and ions are implanted , to form a modified organic sog film 15 a , similarly to the modified sog film 13 a . the modified sog film 15 a serves as a fourth insulation film . the modified sog film 15 a is formed to a uniform thickness because there exists no step caused by the interconnection . although in the above - mentioned example , description was made of a method of modifying the organic sog films 13 a and 15 a by implanting ions twice , the organic sog films may be modified by implanting ions once or a plurality of times . as shown in fig1 b , a resist pattern 16 is then formed by a normal exposure method , and a via hole 17 is provided by anisotropic etching . the anisotropic etching is performed by rie ( reactive ion beam etching ) under 10 pa using o 2 , c 4 f 6 , or ar gas , for example . since the etching selection ratio of the modified sog film 13 a to the protective film 12 is high , the protective film 12 remains with the modified sog film 13 a removed . thereafter , as shown in fig1 c , a resist pattern 18 is formed by a normal exposure method , and an opening 19 for a trench interconnection is then formed by anisotropic etching , similarly to the above - mentioned etching . since the etching selection ratio of the modified sog film 15 a to the protective film 12 and the etch stopper film 14 is high , the protective film 12 and the etch stopper film 14 remain with the modified sog film 15 a removed to form the opening 19 . as shown in fig1 d , the resist 18 is then removed . in the step , the organic sog film can be processed without being brought into a void state because it is modified . moreover , it is significantly effective not to degrade the lower interconnection layer 11 because the protective film 12 remains . as shown in fig1 e , the modified sog film 15 a to which ions have been implanted is then used as a mask , to etch the protective film 12 and the etch stopper film 14 which are exposed . the etching is performed by rie under 10 pa using cf 4 , chf 3 , o 2 , or ar gas , for example . although in a normal dual damascene structure , an etch stopper film just below a trench interconnection remains , the method according to the present embodiment has the effect of reducing capacitance between interconnections because the etch stopper film just below the trench interconnection is removed without remaining . thereafter , as shown in fig1 f , an embedded contact and an embedded interconnection are simultaneously formed by filling with the conductive material 10 . examples of the conductive material include copper , aluminum , and tungsten . when copper is used as a conductive material , the copper is easily diffused into a silicon oxide film , which is formed by plasma cvd , frequently used as an interlayer insulation film . in order to restrain the diffusion , therefore , a barrier metal such as ti , ta , tin , tan , tiw , or taw is generally formed before forming the copper . when such a barrier metal is formed , however , the resistance of the barrier metal is higher than that of the copper . therefore , the interconnection resistance of the entire trench interconnection is higher , as compared with that in a case where the trench interconnection is formed of only the copper . on the other hand , in the present embodiment , the modified sog film having a low copper diffusion rate , which is approximately the same as that of a silicon nitride film , is used as an interlayer insulation film . accordingly , the barrier metal can be thinned or omitted . as a result , it is possible to prevent the interconnection resistance from being increased . as described in the foregoing , according to the present embodiment , the ratio of a silicon nitride film can be made lower , and an interconnection having lower resistance and higher reliability can be formed , as compared with those in the conventional method . although the modified sog films 13 a and 15 a are formed by implanting impurities thereinto by ion - implantation , the same effect as that of the present invention is obtained even if the organic sog film is replaced with polyimide or a polysiloxane - denatured polyimide film , and a film modified by implanting impurities thereinto by ion - implantation is used as an interlayer insulation film . the above - mentioned films , including the organic sog film , are generically referred to as an organic polymer ( or an organic rotary coating film ). when the organic sog film is replaced with an inorganic sog film having no organic component contained in a silicon compound , and the film is modified by implanting impurities thereinto using ion - implantation , the amount of moisture and a hydroxyl group contained in the inorganic sog film can be decreased . even if the modified sog film is used , the same effect as that in the present invention can be expected . although in the above - mentioned embodiment , argon ions are used as ions to be implanted into the organic sog film , any ions may be used , provided that they modify the organic sog film . specifically , argon ions , boron ions , and nitrogen ions are most suitable . the effect can be sufficiently expected even by using the following ions in addition to the ions . there are inert gas ions other than argon ions , for example , helium ions , neon ions , krypton ions , and radon ions . the same effect can be expected even by using element unitary ions of the groups iiib , ivb , vb , vib , and viib other than boron ions and nitrogen ions and their compound ions , and particularly element unitary ions of oxygen , aluminum , sulfur , chlorine , gallium , germanium , arsenic , selenium , bromine , antimony , iodine , indium , tin , tellurium , lead , and bismuth , and their compound ions . with respect to the metal element ions out of the ions , the dielectric constant of the organic sog film after ion - implantation may be reduced . however , the amount of the ions to be implanted is very small . therefore , there is no problem in practical use in cases other than a case where an interlayer insulation film having a particularly high dielectric constant is required . the same effect can be expected even by using element unitary ions of the groups iva and va and their compound ions , and particularly element unitary ions of titanium , vanadium , niobium , hafnium , and tantalum , and their compound ions . an oxide of the element of each of the groups iva and va has a high dielectric constant , thereby making it possible to increase the dielectric constant of the organic sog film after ion - implantation . furthermore , the plurality of ions may be used in combination . in this case , it is possible to obtain a more superior effect by a synergistic effect of the ions . although in the above - mentioned embodiment , the ions are implanted into the organic sog film , the ions may be replaced with atoms , molecules , or particles having a kinetic energy ( they shall be generically referred to as impurities in the present invention ). as described in the foregoing , according to the present invention , an interlayer insulation film composed of an insulation film which has been modified by containing impurities in a coating film is applied to a dual damascene structure , thereby making it possible to form a semiconductor device having interconnections between which resistance is reduced and which have low resistance and high reliability . although the present invention has been described and illustrated in detail , it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be taken by way of limitation , the spirit and scope of the present invention being limited only by the terms of the appended claims .	7
the present principles employ game theory to predict attacker targets . using a probabilistic model of attacker behavior , the interactions between a network defender and attacker are modeled , allowing the defender to anticipate future steps of the attack and identify the most likely attack targets based on the observed network events . the present principles use attack scenario trees which represent the possible sequences of high - level attack steps that can be executed at different nodes of the network . this approach differs from the attack - response trees used previously , which represent attack steps within a single network host . attack scenario trees can be constructed based on past incident reports . the interaction between the defender and the attacker is modeled as a two - player stackelberg game . the defender can use the model to further decrease uncertainty about attack target predictions by blocking specific network paths ( and indirectly any attack steps that traverse those paths ) and influencing the attacker to reveal their intentions while conducting the attack . this allows defenders the benefit of proactively blocking future attack steps . referring now to fig1 , an exemplary network graph and associated attack scenario tree are shown . a given network 100 may be represented by a graph of interconnected nodes , with each node being a device or point of vulnerability on the network , and each edge representing a communication link between two nodes . each node also has one or more associated vulnerabilities , which an attacker may exploit to compromise the security of the node . combining the vulnerabilities with the edges of the graph provide structure for the attack scenario tree . the nodes of the attack scenario tree represent high - level steps of a potential attack on a defended network . in the present example , an attacker 102 may approach network 100 from one of three externally available systems : web server 104 , file server 106 , and an email or web client 108 . each of these points of attack has an associated vulnerability . for example , web server 104 may be vulnerable to an sql injection attack 116 , and file server 106 may be vulnerable to a respective file server attack 114 . compromising either of these nodes may give access to active directory ( ad ) server 110 , allowing the attacker 102 to gain access to ad credentials 120 . the attacker 102 can then use the ad credentials to install a remote access tool 122 on a target device 112 . as an alternative approach , the attacker could stage a phishing attack 118 at a web or email client 108 , allowing the attacker 102 to steal a user &# 39 ; s credentials 124 . either approach will allow the attacker to obtain access 126 to data or services . it should be noted that any given node may be an and node , where all of the nodes leading up to it must be reached before accessing the and node , an or node where any one input node may be reached , or the nodes may implement any other condition or combination of conditions . the present principles allow a defender to monitor the attack in - progress and provide probabilistic information regarding likely attack paths and targets . by blocking the attacker &# 39 ; s access to particular connections , the attack scenario tree can be trimmed and certainty regarding the attacker &# 39 ; s goals can be increased . to formalize the model , the network 100 may be represented as a graph g = v , e , where the nodes v correspond to the services and machines in the network ( for example , a web server 104 , an sql server 109 , user machines 112 ), and the edges e correspond to the connections between them . each node νεv belongs to a certain type θ ( ν ), where θ : v → θ . the node types incorporate the information about node vulnerabilities that can be exploited by the attacker 102 . the attack scenario trees are thus constructed of elements of the type set θ . the set of all attack scenario trees known to the defender is denoted by s ={ s }. cyber attacks can be assessed from either the point of view of the defender or from the point of view of the attacker . to the defender , the attacks are paths in the network graph g from the attacker &# 39 ; s starting point ν a εv to a target tεv . from the point of view of the attacker , an attack is a path from one of the leaves to the root of an attack scenario tree sεs . since s is composed of node types θ ( ν ) and not of specific nodes , each path in an attack scenario tree s can correspond to multiple paths in g as long as the sequence of node types in g matches the types in scenario s . suppose i ( s ) is the set of all paths in g corresponding to a scenario s = θ q 1 , . . . θ q k . then , for each path iεi ( s ), i = ν r 1 , . . . , ν r k , one has θ ( ν r i )= θ q i , i = 1 , . . . , k . i ( s ) is the set of instantiations of the attack scenario s . referring now to fig2 , an abstract representation of the mapping between the network 100 and the associated attack tree is shown . each node is identified by a name and a type . in this case , an attacker starting at node 202 can proceed to one of three nodes 204 . the attacker may then take different paths to reach one of the three target nodes 206 . it can be assumed that the attacker always has control over the starting node 202 ν a εv . as the attacker advances towards one of the target nodes 206 t , the set of active nodes a ⊂ v which are controlled by the attacker expands until tεa . this process of attacker &# 39 ; s expansion over the nodes in v corresponds to a simultaneous expansion of the set ⊂ θ of active node types in the attack scenario tree until includes the root of the tree . inferring a probability distribution over the possible sets a and helps in predicting the attack targets . as noted above , the interaction between the defender and the attacker is modeled as a two - player stackelberg game . a stackelberg two - player game models strategic interaction between two intelligent agents , designated the leader and the follower . each player has a finite set of actions to choose from . the leader &# 39 ; s set of actions is marked as a l , and the follower &# 39 ; s set of actions is marked as a ƒ . a pair of actions ( a l , a ƒ ) chosen by the players is called the outcome of the game . the players &# 39 ; utilities are functions of the outcome . the leader &# 39 ; s utility function is denoted by u ƒ ( a l , a ƒ ) and the follower &# 39 ; s utility function by u l ( a l , a ƒ ). the game proceeds as follows . first , the leader chooses ( or commits to ) a mixed strategy having a probability distribution over the actions in a l . then , the follower observes the distribution and chooses a best - response which , generally , can be a probability distribution over a ƒ . there is always a pure - strategy best response for the follower . in other words , one of the optimal best - responses is a degenerate distribution . moreover , an optimal mixed strategy for the leader can be computed in polynomial time using linear programming techniques . for the purpose of computing an optimal leader &# 39 ; s strategy to commit to , the follower &# 39 ; s preferences can be represented by choosing an action for each distribution over the leader &# 39 ; s actions , instead of using the follower &# 39 ; s utility function u ƒ . the follower &# 39 ; s preferences are written as a mapping ƒ : σ ( a l )→ a ƒ , where the operator σ (·) denotes a set of distributions over a given finite set . the present principles provide an extension to the described stackelberg model in which the follower &# 39 ; s preferences are described by a mapping ƒ : θ ( a l )→( a ƒ ). in other words , if the leader commits to a mixed strategy s l εσ ( a l ) then the follower plays a mixed strategy ƒ ( s l ). this extension is called herein a probabilistic stackelberg model . a probabilistic stackelberg model can be used to describe irrational behavior of the follower . the present principles provide a probabilistic stackelberg model in which the function ƒ is a linear mapping from the vector of probabilities describing the leader &# 39 ; s mixed strategy to the vector of probabilities describing the follower &# 39 ; s mixed strategy . table 1 shows the potential increase in utility that the leader can achieve by considering a probabilistic follower model rather than assuming that the follower is perfectly rational and optimizing a known utility function is shown . in the following two - player normal - form game , the leader is the row player and the follower is the column player . the leader has two strategies u , d , and the follower has two strategies l , r . each cell in the table shows the leader &# 39 ; s and the follower &# 39 ; s utility for the corresponding choice of actions . if the follower is perfectly rational and always chooses the action that maximizes its utility , the optimal strategy to commit to for the leader is ( 1 2 - ɛ ) ⁢ u + ( 1 2 + ɛ ) ⁢ d . as a result , the follower best - responds with r , and the leader gets a utility of approximately 3 . 5 . note that the follower best - responds with l if the follower plays u with probability 0 . 5 or higher , and the follower plays d otherwise . however , if the follower is not perfectly rational , the leader &# 39 ; s optimal strategy may be different . for example , consider the case in which the follower is actually playing accordingly to a quantal response model . in a quantal response model , each strategy is played with a positive probability proportional to e λuf . setting λ = 5 and assuming that the leader is playing the stackelberg strategy the leader can get an even higher utility by deviating to play d more frequently , because the follower will still play r with a relatively high probability after such deviation . this example demonstrates the potential benefits of using a probabilistic follower model , whether derived from the follower &# 39 ; s utility function or defined directly as a probability function on the set of the defender &# 39 ; s actions . referring now to fig3 , a method for determining probable targets of an attack is shown . it is assumed that the defender has the ability to monitor some or all of the nodes in a network 100 to recognize possible intrusion . block 302 monitors such network events . the defender &# 39 ; s history of observations = o 1 , . . . , o k indicate possible nodes that became active for the attacker at block 304 , so that o 1 εv . block 306 estimates a probability distribution over the sets of active nodes a and active node types . toward this end , block 306 computes heuristical likelihood scores l for each instantiation path π in i ( s ) as follows ) here , p ( o q q \| π r 1 ) is the probability of making an observation o q i when the node π r i is attacked , and p ( π j ) is the probability of the node π j being attacked without triggering any observations . this likelihood score function can be efficiently computed using the following dynamic programming algorithm : l ( π 1 : i \| 1 : j )= max ( l ( π 1 : i − 1 \| 1 : j − 1 ) p ( φ j \| p i ), using l , block 308 computes a probability distribution over the targets t ε v under the assumption that the attacker will follow one of the attack scenario trees in s according to the estimated distribution over the active node types and the active network nodes a . the distribution over the attack targets is estimated using monte carlo simulation : here , p [ t \| a ] is estimated by simulating the attack steps according to the corresponding attack scenario tree starting with active node types . the method of fig3 is repeated each time an attacker advances the attack to a new node . on each step of the simulation , the attacker chooses a network node ν adjacent to the set of active nodes a such that the type φ ( ν ) matches one of the possible next steps in the current state of the attack scenario tree . such attack actions are simulated until the set a expands to include one of the targets t , at which point t is assumed to be the intended target of the attack in the current run of the simulation . the frequency with which target t is attacked in the simulations is the estimate of p [ t \| a ]. as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art , aspects of the present invention may be embodied as a system , method or computer program product . accordingly , aspects of the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment , an entirely software embodiment ( including firmware , resident software , micro - code , etc .) or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “ circuit ,” “ module ” or “ system .” furthermore , aspects of the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in one or more computer readable medium ( s ) having computer readable program code embodied thereon . any combination of one or more computer readable medium ( s ) may be utilized . the computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium . a computer readable storage medium may be , for example , but not limited to , an electronic , magnetic , optical , electromagnetic , infrared , or semiconductor system , apparatus , or device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . more specific examples ( a non - exhaustive list ) of the computer readable storage medium would include the following : an electrical connection having one or more wires , a portable computer diskette , a hard disk , a random access memory ( ram ), a read - only memory ( rom ), an erasable programmable read - only memory ( eprom or flash memory ), an optical fiber , a portable compact disc read - only memory ( cd - rom ), an optical storage device , a magnetic storage device , or any suitable combination of the foregoing . in the context of this document , a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that can contain , or store a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . a computer readable signal medium may include a propagated data signal with computer readable program code embodied therein , for example , in baseband or as part of a carrier wave . such a propagated signal may take any of a variety of forms , including , but not limited to , electro - magnetic , optical , or any suitable combination thereof . a computer readable signal medium may be any computer readable medium that is not a computer readable storage medium and that can communicate , propagate , or transport a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system , apparatus , or device . program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmitted using any appropriate medium , including but not limited to wireless , wireline , optical fiber cable , rf , etc ., or any suitable combination of the foregoing . computer program code for carrying out operations for aspects of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages , including an object oriented programming language such as java , smalltalk , c ++ or the like and conventional procedural programming languages , such as the “ c ” programming language or similar programming languages . the program code may execute entirely on the user &# 39 ; s computer , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer , as a stand - alone software package , partly on the user &# 39 ; s computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server . in the latter scenario , the remote computer may be connected to the user &# 39 ; s computer through any type of network , including a local area network ( lan ) or a wide area network ( wan ), or the connection may be made to an external computer ( for example , through the internet using an internet service provider ). aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods , apparatus ( systems ) and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention . it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams , can be implemented by computer program instructions . these computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine , such that the instructions , which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus , create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . these computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function / act specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer , other programmable data processing apparatus , or other devices to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer , other programmable apparatus or other devices to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks . the flowchart and block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture , functionality , and operation of possible implementations of systems , methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention . in this regard , each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module , segment , or portion of code , which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function ( s ). it should also be noted that , in some alternative implementations , the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the figures . for example , two blocks shown in succession may , in fact , be executed substantially concurrently , or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order , depending upon the functionality involved . it will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustration , can be implemented by special purpose hardware - based systems that perform the specified functions or acts , or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions . as the defender observes network events and collects information about the progress and location of attacker 102 , the defender can modify the network 100 in order to force the attacker 102 to reveal the intended target 112 of the attack . in real - world applications , one way for the defender to react to an ongoing cyberattack is to block network connections over a certain port . translated into the present model , the defender has the ability to block a network edge in response to the observed network events . since there are likely multiple ways from the attacker &# 39 ; s starting node 202 to the any target 206 in a realistic computer network 100 , blocking one edge will not prevent the attack . however , the defender may improve the future predictions about the attacker &# 39 ; s intended target by carefully choosing a single graph edge to block . referring now to fig4 , a method for computing an optimal defender response is shown . given the observed network events , collected at block 402 , block 404 computes a posterior probability distribution over the attacker &# 39 ; s state ( a , ). the optimal edge eεe to block is the one that minimizes the defender &# 39 ; s expected future uncertainty over the attack targets given the history of the observed network events . in other words , block 406 calculates an edge e = arg min , e [ h \| ]. block 408 implements that action by , e . g ., disabling the network connection represented by edge e . in one scenario , the attacker has only reached node s 202 , and all attack paths going from the bottom of the graph to the top are possible . additionally , the attacker chooses the next possible node to attack uniformly at random . at first , the probability distribution over the targets is ( 1 / 3 , 1 / 3 , 1 / 3 ). note that the distribution will remain the same if the attacker chooses node b as the next node to attack . however , if the attacker chooses node a , then it is certain that t 1 is the target of the attack . if the attacker chooses node c , targets t 2 and t 3 are two equally likely targets . given a probability distribution p over the targets ( e . g ., as calculated in fig3 ), the defender &# 39 ; s uncertainty is measured as shannon &# 39 ; s entropy h as follows : h = - ∑ t ⁢ ⁢ p ⁡ ( t ) ⁢ log ⁢ p ⁡ ( t ) in the above example , the entropy which represents the uncertainty over the attack target , given the history of attacked nodes , is computed as follows : h ⁡ ( s ) = 3 ⁢ ( - 1 3 ⁢ log ⁢ ⁢ 1 3 ) = 0 . 477 ⁢ h ⁡ ( sb ) = h ⁡ ( s ) = 0 . 477 h ⁡ ( sa ) = 0 ⁢ ⁢ h ⁡ ( sc ) = 2 ⁢ ( - 1 2 ⁢ log ⁢ 1 2 ) = 0 . 301 referring now to fig5 , a graph showing expected entropy for two scenarios is shown . the vertical axis shows the calculated entropy , while the horizontal axis shows which step of the attack is being considered . the expected entropy is plotted with a solid line . the entropy can be reduced , however , if the possibility of the attacker choosing node b is removed . removing the edge between s and b results in a reduction of the expected entropy after the next attack step . this reduced entropy with a dashed line on the same plot . by step 2 , entropy is zero for both plots because the attacker has reached the target t . using the present principles provides a significant improvement in terms of the defender &# 39 ; s uncertainty as to the attacker &# 39 ; s potential targets . moreover , by blocking paths in concordance with the probabilistic stackelberg model of the present principles , the defender is able to further reduce the uncertainty by influencing the attacker &# 39 ; s next move . furthermore , the present principles are scalable , with good performance in attack paths of length 3 , 4 , and 5 — it should be noted that practical attack paths rarely exceed four steps in length . simulations run with over 1000 nodes and with attack path lengths of five were able to complete in a matter of seconds , making the present principles practical for real - world application . referring now to fig6 , a system for network defense is shown . a defender employs a defender administration terminal 602 to observe and respond to an attacker &# 39 ; s actions . the defender administration terminal 602 may be a stand - alone device , or may be part of a more general purpose administration terminal . the defender terminal 602 communicates with sensors 604 distributed throughout a network 100 to collect information regarding potential intrusions . the sensors may be incorporated in any node in a network 100 and may monitor any process or component to detect irregular activities . multiple sensors 604 may be incorporated in a single node . sensors 604 may provide detailed information regarding the attacker and its activities , may report on any irregular activity , or may simply represent logs for all activities in the system , said logs to be analyzed by the defender terminal 602 . the sensors 604 may include software installed on nodes to monitor system calls and user activities , or alternatively be standalone devices such as traffic sniffers configured to detect particular suspicious forms of network traffic to or from monitored nodes . the defender administration terminal 602 processes the data provided by sensors 604 and determines likely targets for the attacker . the defender terminal 602 also calculates an optimal defender response to reduce the uncertainty in the attacker &# 39 ; s targets . defender terminal 602 includes a processor 608 and memory 610 to collect and utilize the sensor data using network monitor 614 . the network monitor 614 collects data from sensors 604 and processes that data from potentially heterogeneous sources into a usable form . the network monitor may , for example , parse logs provided by sensors 604 to find suspicious or abnormal entries . the processor 608 uses the sensor data provided by network monitor 614 and stored in memory 610 to produce the most probable targets and response . once the processor 608 calculates an optimal response , the network control module 612 executes the response using a network management interface 606 . the network management 606 interface may represent any appropriate form of network management , including for example a simple network management protocol ( snmp ) device . in this manner , the defender administration terminal 602 can disconnect links in a network 100 , or take similar network - level measures that prevent the attacker to proceed along the chosen network links ( e . g ., the defender could choose to enable a firewall system on that link , instead of disconnecting the link ). the changed network topology forces the attacker along different paths , and the attacker &# 39 ; s response to the defender &# 39 ; s action substantially reduces the uncertainty regarding the attacker &# 39 ; s intentions . having described preferred embodiments of a system and method ( which are intended to be illustrative and not limiting ), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons skilled in the art in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that changes may be made in the particular embodiments disclosed which are within the scope of the invention as outlined by the appended claims . having thus described aspects of the invention , with the details and particularity required by the patent laws , what is claimed and desired protected by letters patent is set forth in the appended claims .	6
the mud flap mounting device of this invention is generally designated by the numeral 10 ( fig2 ) and is shown mounted to a conventional trailer truck 12 in fig1 . in fig1 a mounting device 10 &# 39 ; is attached to frame rail 14 adjacent wheels 16 and a corresponding mounting device 10 is attached to frame rail 18 adjacent wheels 20 . mounting device 10 is shown in the &# 34 ; operating &# 34 ; position , while mounting device 10 &# 39 ; is shown in the &# 34 ; transport &# 34 ; position . in accordance with highway requirements , a trailer truck without an attached trailer is required to use mud flaps on the dual rear wheels to protect following vehicles from spray or debris from the tires as exemplified by the position of mounting device 10 . when a trailer is connected to truck 12 , mud flaps are not required and are therefore rotated to the transport position as exemplified by the position of mounting device 10 &# 39 ; as will be explained in greater detail subsequently . mounting device 10 is the &# 34 ; mirror image &# 34 ; of mounting device 10 &# 39 ; with device 10 being adapted for mounting on the passenger &# 39 ; s side and device 10 &# 39 ; being adapted for mounting on the driver &# 39 ; s side . therefore , description and explanation will be limited to device 10 . mounting device 10 comprises frame member 22 , support rod 24 , and a spring or biasing means 26 . frame member 22 is preferably of cast metal construction and has an upper surface 28 and lower surface 30 with a recess or trough 32 contained in upper surface 28 ( fig4 ). a bore 34 extends between upper surface 28 and lower surface 30 . securement brace 36 is an integral part of frame member 22 and extends transversely with respect to bore 34 . base 36 contains bolt - receiving apertures 38 to facilitate attachment to the frame rails as shown in fig4 with recess 32 disposed rearward of rail 18 . support rod 24 is generally an l - shaped rod preferably of solid construction and having a downwardly extending leg 40 , a transverse leg 42 and an arcuate portion 44 connecting leg 40 and leg 42 ( fig2 and 5 ) with leg 42 being of sufficient length to support a mud flap behind the dual tires ( fig1 ). leg 40 is slidably received within bore 34 so as to be rotatably mounted therein . trough 32 is positioned orthogonally with respect to bore 34 and extends transversely to upper surface 28 as shown in fig3 . arcuate portion 44 and a portion of leg 42 are contained in trough 32 to provide support , stability , and protection to support rod 24 . since the bend of the rod , i . e ., arcuate portion 44 , is considered the weakest part of the rod , substantially encompassing the bend in trough 32 supports and protects this weak point from undue strain and shock . annular flange 46 is securely attached by welding or the like to downwardly extending leg 40 . spring 26 is an expansion - type spring mounted concentrically about leg 40 between flange 46 and frame member 22 . lower surface 30 of frame 22 contains a recess 48 to receive and seat one end of spring 26 . therefore , spring 26 pushes against flange 46 and frame member 22 to pull and thereby bias leg 42 into trough 32 . spring 26 is preferably of sufficient expansive force to maintain leg 42 in trough 32 during the extreme vibration incurred in tractor trailer movement , yet allow manual rotation from the operable position to the transport position . for purposes of explanation , trough 32 is considered to be divided into an end portion 50 and an end portion 52 ( fig3 ). leg 42 is received in end portion 50 when mounting device 10 is in the operating position . conversely , leg 42 is received in end portion 52 when support rod 24 is rotated clockwise into the transport position as illustrated in phantom in fig3 . it is preferred that end portion 50 and end portion 52 be in linear alignment , although other respective orientations may be utilized . as shown in fig4 trough 32 adjoins upper surface 28 at edges 54 and 56 . when mounted to the frame rail 18 , edge 54 is the leading edge and edge 56 is the following edge . edge 54 is cambered or beveled to allow leg 42 to more easily ride over edge 54 in the event of unexpected forward force on mounting device 10 . as shown in fig2 , and 5 , recess 32 is of a depth to encompass more than one - half of the transverse dimension of rod 24 . mounting device 10 is securely attached to frame rail 18 by bolts 58 and nuts 60 as shown in fig3 . mud flap 62 is attached to leg 42 by means of mounting clips 64 . mounting clips 64 securely attach mud flap 62 to arm 42 , yet allow mud flap 62 to freely pivot about the longitudinal axis of arm 42 . when trailer truck 12 is to be used without a hitched trailer , leg 42 is positioned such that mud flap 62 is located directly behind dual wheels 20 . spring 26 will maintain arcuate portion 44 and leg 42 securely in end portion 50 of trough 32 . the biasing force of spring 26 together with the support leg 40 receives from bore 34 provides a sturdy , stable mud flap support assembly that is resistant to sway and vibration during travel . in the event that leg 42 should strike an obstacle while the truck is going in a reverse direction or the mud flap should become entangled , arm 42 will &# 34 ; break away &# 34 ; or yield its position in trough 32 and slide over cambered edge 54 to prevent damage to the mounting assembly . a predetermined amount of force upon arm 42 is necessary to overcome the biasing force of spring 26 and the frictional force of arm 42 relative to trough 32 and cambered edge 54 . the position of arcuate portion 44 in trough 32 provides additional support and strength to the weakest part of the rod , i . e ., the bent portion . thus , the possibility of damage to the mounting device is further reduced . when truck 12 is to be utilized in hauling a trailer , mud flaps are not required and leg 42 is manually rotated clockwise 180 ° to assume the transport position shown by mounting device 10 &# 39 ; in fig1 . in this position , mud flap 62 and mounting device 10 &# 39 ; will not come in contact with the support legs or landing gear of the trailer and thus cannot be damaged during manuevering of the trailer . again , spring 26 securely maintains leg 42 in end portion 52 of trough 32 . the rotation of arm 42 from the operational position to the transport position does not involve the removal or withdrawal of any elements of the mounting device and thus , accidental loss is prevented . in the event the operator fails to rotate the mud flaps from the operating position to the transport position , cambered edge 54 will aid in reducing damage to the mounting device because of contact with the support legs . since mounting device 10 &# 39 ; is the &# 34 ; mirror image &# 34 ; of mounting device 10 , economy in manufacturing is obtained by casting frame member 22 with a trough 33 in lower surface 30 approximately parallel to trough 32 in upper surface 28 . likewise , a spring recess 49 is cast in upper surface 28 . this allows the same casting of frame member 22 to be utilized on either the driver &# 39 ; s or passenger &# 39 ; s side of the vehicle by just reversing the orientation of support rod 24 and spring 26 during assembly . an alternate embodiment is shown in fig6 and generally designated by the numeral 66 . like elements are identified by prior numeral designations . frame member 68 of mounting device 66 comprises an elongated lower body portion 70 . bore 72 through frame member 68 is thus elongated compared to mounting device 10 . the elongated bore 72 provides additional stability to leg 40 and leg 42 to further reduce sway or vibration . the lower surface 74 of frame member 68 does not have a trough therein and accordingly separate castings must be made for the driver &# 39 ; s and passenger &# 39 ; s side of the truck . thus , it can be seen that a durable , damage resistant mud flap assembly is disclosed that is easy to operate , economical to manufacture , and accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives .	1
the first embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a circuit block diagram of an optical disc player according to the present invention . an optical disc 1 is loaded onto a disc motor 2 . description will now be given about the case where the optical disc 1 is the conventional cd and a write - once disc compatible with the cd . in accordance with a control signal 115 provided from a system controller 11 , a motor drive circuit 12 outputs a motor drive signal 118 to rotate the disc motor 2 . next , in accordance with a control signal 113 provided from the system controller 11 , a laser drive circuit 13 outputs a laser drive signal 109 to light a semiconductor laser ( not shown ) disposed in an optical pickup 3 of cd . a detecting signal 101 provided from a photodiode ( not shown ) in the optical pickup 3 for cd is fed to a preamplifier 5 , which in turn outputs a servo signal 103 and an rf signal 105 . on the basis of a control signal 116 provided from the system controller 11 and the servo signal 103 a servo circuit 7 outputs an actuator drive signal 107 to drive a lens actuator ( not shown ) in the optical pickup 3 for cd , whereby focusing control and tracking control are performed . a decoder 9 decodes the rf signal 105 into a data signal 111 . the data signal 111 is fed to the system controller 11 , which in turn , in accordance with a clock signal contained in the data signal 111 , controls the motor drive circuit 12 to rotate the optical disc 1 at a predetermined speed . on the other hand , the data signal 111 is converted to , for example , an audio signal or a video signal . reference will now be made to the case where the optical disc 1 is a high - density optical disc . the optical disc 1 is loaded onto the disc motor 2 . in accordance with the control signal 115 provided from the system controller 11 the motor drive circuit 12 outputs the motor drive signal 118 to rotate the disc motor 2 . next , in accordance with a control signal 114 provided from the system controller 11 , a laser drive circuit 14 outputs a laser drive signal 110 to light a semiconductor laser ( not shown ) disposed in an optical pickup 4 which is for high - density optical disc . a detecting signal 102 provided from a photodiode ( not shown ) in the optical pickup 4 is fed to a preamplifier 6 , which in turn outputs a servo signal 104 and an rf signal 106 . on the basis of a control signal 117 provided from the system controller 11 and the servo signal 104 a servo circuit 8 outputs an actuator drive signal 108 to drive a lens actuator ( not shown ) in the pickup 4 for high - density optical disc , whereby there are performed focusing control and tracking control . a decoder 10 decodes the rf signal 106 into a data signal 112 . the data signal 112 is fed to the system controller 11 , which in turn , in accordance with a clock signal contained in the data signal 112 , controls a motor drive circuit 12 to rotate the optical disc 1 at a predetermined speed . on the other hand , the data signal 112 is converted to , for example , an audio signal or a video signal . fig2 is a flow chart explaining a series of operations of the optical disc player shown in fig1 . upon loading of the optical disc 1 onto the optical disc player , the disc motor 2 rotates and the semiconductor laser for cd lights . subsequently , there are performed focusing control , tracking control and revolutional speed control for the disc motor 2 , and the data signal 111 is outputted from the decoder 9 . in the case where the optical disc for reproduction is a cd , the system controller 11 , in accordance with the data signal , identifies the optical disc being reproduced as a cd and continues reproduction . however , if the optical disc is a high - density optical disc , it is very likely that the servo control , especially tracking control , will become infeasible . this is because the track pitch of the high - density optical disc is about one half of that of cd . further , even if the tracking control is feasible , it will be impossible to obtain a correct data signal because the minimum pit length of the high - density optical disc is about one half of that of cd . thus , in both cases there is not obtained a correct data signal . therefore , the system controller 11 identifies the optical disc being reproduced as a high - density optical disc and not a cd . as a result , the system controller 11 stops focusing control and tracking control , turns off the semiconductor laser for cd and turns on the semiconductor laser for high - density optical disc . then , in the same manner as in the case of cd described above the system controller performs focusing control , tracking control and revolutional speed control to reproduce the high - density optical disc . a concrete construction of the optical pickup has not been described above because it has no bearing on the essence of the present invention , but it may be such a construction as disclosed in japanese patent laid open no . 61 - 61240 ( 1986 ) for example . description is now directed to the second embodiment of the present invention . fig3 is a circuit block diagram of an optical disc player according to the second embodiment of the invention , in which the same components , circuits and signals as in fig1 are indicated by the same reference numerals as in fig1 . the second embodiment is different in the construction of optical pickup from the first embodiment illustrated in fig1 . the optical pickup used in the second embodiment , which is indicated at 17 , is provided with two semiconductor lasers , two photodiodes and an objective lens . for example , the optical pickup 17 may be of such a construction as disclosed in japanese patent laid open no . 6 - 259804 ( 1994 ) which corresponds to the foregoing prior art . upon loading of an optical disc 1 onto a disc motor 2 , a motor drive circuit 12 outputs a motor drive signal 118 in accordance with a control signal 115 provided from a system controller 11 to rotate a disc motor 2 . next , in accordance with a control signal 113 provided from the system controller 11 a laser drive circuit 13 outputs a laser drive signal 109 to light a semiconductor laser 18 for cd disposed in the optical pickup 17 . a detecting signal 101 provided from a photodiode 20 for cd in the optical pickup 17 is fed to the preamplifier 5 , which in turn outputs a servo signal 103 and an rf signal 105 . on the basis of a control signal 119 provided from the system controller 11 and a servo signal 103 a servo circuit 15 outputs an actuator drive signal 120 to drive an lens actuator ( not shown ) in the optical pickup , whereby there are performed focusing control and tracking control . a decoder 16 common to both cd and high - density optical disc decodes the rf signal 105 into a data signal 111 . the data signal 111 is fed to the system controller 11 , which in turn , in accordance with a clock signal contained in the data signal 111 , controls the motor drive circuit 12 to rotate the optical disc 1 at a predetermined speed . on the other hand , the data signal 111 is converted to , for example , an audio signal or a video signal . now , a description will be given of the case where the optical disc 1 is a high - density optical disc . in accordance with the control signal 115 provided from the system controller 11 the motor drive circuit 12 outputs the motor drive signal 118 to rotate the disc motor 2 . next , in accordance with a control signal 114 provided from the system controller 11 a laser drive circuit 14 outputs a laser drive signal 110 to light a semiconductor laser 19 for high - density optical disc . a detecting signal 102 provided from a photodiode 21 for high - density optical disc is applied to a preamplifier 6 , which in turn outputs a servo signal 104 and an rf signal 106 . on the basis of the control signal 119 provided from the system controller 11 and the servo signal 104 the servo circuit 15 outputs the actuator drive signal 120 to drive the lens actuator ( not shown ) disposed in the optical pickup 17 to make focusing control and tracking control . the common decoder 16 decodes the rf signal 106 into a data signal 112 . the data signal 112 is applied to the system controller 11 , which in turn , in accordance with a clock signal contained in the data signal 112 , controls the motor drive circuit 12 to rotate the optical disc 1 at a predetermined speed . on the other hand , the data signal 112 is converted to , for example , an audio signal or a video signal . although in the embodiment illustrated in fig3 there is used a common decoder , there may be used separate decoders as in fig1 . a series of operations of the optical disc player illustrated in fig3 may be carried out in the same manner as in the flow chart of fig2 . in the optical disc player provided with a semiconductor laser for cd and a semiconductor laser for high - density optical disc according to the present invention , reproduction is tried first using the semiconductor laser for cd which is of 770 - 800 nm to identify the type of the optical disc being reproduced and therefore a write - once disc compatible with cd is sure to be reproduced by the semiconductor laser for cd of 770 - 800 nm , with no fear of breakdown of its recording layer .	6
a problem with recess in the substrate is overcome by waiting until later in the process to remove the nitride anti - reflective coating ( arc ) so that the recess that occurs has much less impact with regard to the source and drain moving in to close proximity to the gate dielectric and overlapping with the gate . one way this is achieved is by waiting until the sidewall spacer stack that is utilized for masking the heavy source / drain implant is in place before removing the nitride arc . in an alternative , the nitride arc is removed after formation of the sidewall spacer that is used for the source / drain extension implant and in such case the nitride arc is removed with a wet etch . shown in fig1 is a device 60 after formation of a sidewall spacer 70 as an alternative to the structure shown in fig2 . the structure of fig1 follows the device structure shown in fig1 . device 60 comprises a substrate 62 , a gate 64 , which may be made of polysilicon and is a type of patterned conductive layer , a gate oxide 66 , an arc 16 , which may be nitride , and a sidewall spacer 70 . preferable material for substrate 62 is silicon and for sidewall spacer 70 is oxide . arc 16 could be of some other effective anti - reflective material than nitride as well . gate 64 could be materials other than polysilicon also . sidewall spacer 70 results from an oxide layer that is relatively conformal being anisotropically etched . as a consequence of this anisotropic etch will be a recess 71 of substrate 62 . this is a consequence of the necessary over - etch to ensure that all of the layer that is being used to form the sidewall spacer is removed except where the sidewall spacer is to be formed . since the only exposure of the substrate is during an over - etch time , the recess is relatively small . shown in fig1 is device 60 after a source / drain extension implant forming source / drain region 72 and source / drain region 74 adjacent to sidewall spacer 70 which surrounds gate 64 . shown in shown in fig1 is device 60 after formation of liner 76 , a layer 78 , and a layer 80 . layer 76 , 78 and 80 are all typically dielectric materials . layer 76 is preferably oxide , layer 78 is preferably nitride , and layer 80 is preferably oxide , but instead of a typical dielectric may be amorphous silicon . shown in fig1 is sidewall spacer 82 formed from layer 80 using an anisotropic etch . this exposes layer 78 of nitride in areas adjacent to sidewall spacer 82 including an area over gate 64 and arc 68 as well as a portion of layer 76 which functions as a liner . shown in fig1 is device 60 after a nitride etch has been performed so that uncovered portions of layer 78 are removed to leave nitride portions 84 around gate 64 . this also has the effect of removing the portion of layer 76 above arc 68 to leave a portion 86 of layer 76 . during this processing regions 72 and 74 diffuse toward each other and toward being under gate 64 . with the relatively small amount of recess of substrate 62 , the diffusion process is effective in overcoming that small amount of recess . the removal of nitride continues until arc 68 has been removed which also causes a reduction in the height of sidewall spacer 84 to leave sidewall spacer 88 . sidewall spacer 88 is slightly lower than polysilicon 64 due to over - etching which is necessary to be certain that all of arc 68 has been removed . a relatively large recess in substrate 62 aligned with sidewall spacer 82 occurs primarily during the etch of arc 68 . this etch is preferably a dry etch because of its superior defectivity characteristics over that of a wet etch . the dry etch will result in a greater recess in substrate 62 than if a wet etch had been used . in this case , however , the relative difference is not material because the recess is significantly removed from the area where it would have a negative impact on the ability of source / drain regions 72 and 74 to become overlapped with gate 64 . shown in fig1 is device 60 after a heavy source / drain implant resulting in heavily doped source / drain regions 90 and 92 aligned to sidewall spacer 82 which acts as an implant mask . if sidewall spacer 82 is chosen to be amorphous silicon , it should be removed after this implant . shown in fig1 is device structure 60 after a silicide step forms silicide regions 94 and 96 that is also aligned to sidewall spacer 82 . if sidewall spacer 82 was chosen to be amorphous silicon , it should be removed before this step of forming silicide . in the depicted example , sidewall spacer 82 is oxide . shown in fig1 are portions 100 and 102 of source / drain regions 72 and 74 , respectively , that have diffused sufficiently to overlap gate 64 . the relatively small recess caused during the over - etch in the formation of sidewall spacer 70 is all that needs to be overcome so that source / drain regions 100 and 102 overlap gate 64 . the recess caused by the etching away of arc 16 is not visible in the final device structure shown in fig1 . the formation of silicide in the area of the recession removes the evidence that there was even a recess present . thus it is seen that by moving the location of the relatively large recessed area caused as a result of the removal of the arc layer by a dry etch further away from the gate area , this relatively large recessed area does not impact the distance that the source / drain must diffuse to obtain the desired overlap . shown in fig1 is a device structure 110 is shown as a beginning point for another embodiment comprised of a non - volatile memory ( nvm ) transistor 111 and a regular transistor 113 both of which are formed in a substrate 112 . transistor 111 , as shown in fig1 , comprises a gate oxide 130 , a floating gate 114 , an interlayer dielectric 120 , and a control gate 118 . regular transistor 113 comprises a gate oxide 132 and a gate 116 . over control gate 118 is an arc layer 126 and over gate 116 is an arc layer 128 . these are two transistors are formed simultaneously and are shown as transistors that would occur as a result of formation of sidewall spacers 122 and 124 and analogous to fig1 . thus there is a recess in the surface of substrate 112 shown as 134 and 136 in fig1 . this recess is caused by the over - etch in the formation of sidewall spacer 122 . shown in fig2 is device structure 110 after arc layers 126 and 128 have been removed using a wet etch . by using a wet etch the recess shown in 134 and 136 in fig1 is significantly less than it would be if a dry etch were used . a typical wet etch chemistry is phosphoric acid . a typical dry etch for nitride is cf4 + hbo . the wet etch is effective in this situation because sidewall spacer 122 protects interlayer dielectric 120 . a wet etch without sidewall spacer 122 protecting interlayer dielectric 120 would degrade dielectric layer 120 and cause a problem between the storage element 114 and the control gate 118 . it is important that there not be leakage between storage element 114 , which in this depicted case is a floating gate , and control gate 118 . with the protection of sidewall spacer 122 , the wet etch will not harm interlayer dielectric 120 . this also shows the resulting transistor 113 with arc 128 removed . shown in fig2 is device structure 110 after an extension implant using sidewall spacer 122 as a mask and sidewall spacer 124 as a mask . the resulting source / drain extension regions 138 , 140 , 142 , and 144 are formed . shown in fig2 is device structure 110 after deposition of a liner 146 and a nitride layer 148 . nitride layer 148 is then anisotropically etched to form sidewall spacer 150 and sidewall spacer 152 . liner 146 is substantially , if not completely , removed in those areas where it is exposed as a consequence of the removal of nitride layer 148 in the forming of sidewall spacers 150 and 152 . shown in fig2 is device structure 110 after a heavy implant to form heavily doped source / drain regions 154 , 156 , 158 , and 160 using sidewall spacers 150 and 152 as a mask . shown in fig2 is device structure 110 after silicide formation to form silicide regions 170 , 172 , 174 , and 176 . thus the source / drain regions 142 and 144 have , to a large extent , been consumed by silicide regions 170 , 172 , 174 , and 176 . similarly , gate regions 114 and 116 have been somewhat consumed by silicide regions 164 and 168 respectively . this leaves a polysilicon portion 167 for transistor 111 and a polysilicon portion 166 for transistor 113 . source / drain portions 178 , 180 , 182 , and 184 expand and diffuse sufficiently to overlap gate regions 167 and 166 although there is a recess to overcome caused by removal of the arc . such arc removal is by wet etch so that the amount of the recess is significantly less then that of a dry etch . although the dry etch is preferred , in the case of a non - volatile memory the significance of having sufficient overlap is greater than for a regular transistor . thus it is more important that the overlap between the floating gate , the area that has charge storage in it , to have good overlap in the source / drain area . also , by having the arc removed after formation of sidewall spacer 122 , the location of the recess does not have as severe of an impact as for the case depicted in fig1 - 9 in which the arc removal occurs prior to formation of such sidewall spacer . in the case of fig1 - 9 , the sidewall spacer 24 is formed after removal of the arc layer .	7
fig1 is a plan view and fig2 is an isometric view of a representative or example expansion card 20 having an edge connector 22 on a forward or connector - side of the expansion card 20 and defined by a plurality of spaced parallel conductive traces ( unnumbered ) and a rear edge 24 on the side opposite the front or connector side . the expansion card 20 shown is representative of a contemporary pci architecture ; however , the invention is suitable for use with any type of known interface board including the isa , at , eisa , agp , and current and proposed pci variants as well as any other board configurations that may or may not correspond to an industry - accepted standard . as shown , the board is populated with electronic components as symbolically represented at 26 , and , while not shown , can include one or more subsidiary boards , currently known a “ mezzanine ” boards . for those components that require augmented heat removal , a heat sink and / or fan can be mounted upon or associated with the component , as is known . in a typical configuration and as explained below , the edge connector 22 of the various expansion boards / cards is designed to be received by respective socket , socket - like receptacle , or similar connectors on a motherboard , baseboard , backplane , mainboard , systemboard , etc . fig3 and 4 show the expansion card 20 of fig1 and 2 mounted in a protective enclosure , generally designed by the reference character 30 . the enclosure 30 is defined by first sub - housing 32 and a second sub - housing 34 ( described in more detail below ) that cooperate with end plates 36 ( fig3 only ) to define a protected volume for the expansion card 20 ; in the preferred embodiment , the end plates 36 are fabricated from flat sheet stock . the protective containment defined by first sub - housing 32 and the second sub - housing 34 provides a measure of physical protection and emi shielding for the so - enclosed expansion card 20 as well as plural heat transfer paths for transferring heat therefrom . fig5 and 6 show the opposite ends of the enclosure 30 with the end plates 36 removed for reasons of clarity . as shown , the first sub - housing 32 and the second sub - housing 34 are designed to interengage around the expansion card 20 to provide support therefor along the rear edge 24 and an area 38 spaced from the edge connector end at the forward or connector end of the expansion card 20 . both the first sub - housing 32 and the second sub - housing 34 are preferably fabricated as an extrusion from a heat - conducting metal ( i . e ., aluminum or aluminum alloy or equivalent metal or metal alloy ) or a non - metallic material have sufficient thermal conductivity ; the sub - housings are at least as long as the end - to - end dimension of the expansion card to fully contain the expansion card therein . the first sub - housing 32 and the second sub - housing 34 include respective fins , 40 and 42 ; while fins are preferred , other heat - radiating structures , such as slotted fins or spines , or some combination thereof , are also suitable . additionally , the first and second sub - housings , 32 and 34 , are provided with screw - accepting formations , generally indicated at 44 , for accepting self - tapping screws to secure the end plates 36 to the opposite ends of the enclosure 30 . while the use of self - tapping screws is preferred , conventionally threaded bores for accepting machine screws are also suitable . as shown in the lower part of fig5 and 6 , the second sub - housing 34 includes a flange 64 that is spaced by one flange thickness from the back surface 66 of the sub - housing 32 . additionally , the sub - housings 32 and 34 include a fin or fins 68 that extend rearwardly of the sub - housings 32 and 34 . fig7 illustrates the formations on the first sub - housing 32 that interengage with complementary formations on the second housing 34 to embrace the rear edge or rear margin of the expansion card 20 . as shown , the first sub - housing 32 includes a forwardly facing cleat 46 that , along with a raised ridge 48 a formed on a fin 48 , defines a slot 50 . in a similar manner , the second sub - housing 34 includes a rearward facing cleat 52 that also defines a slot 54 . as shown in fig8 , the cleats 46 and 52 interengage with one another with the cleat 46 received in the slot 54 and the cleat 52 received in the slot 50 while the ridge 48 a defines a backstop for the rear edge 24 of the expansion card 24 . as shown , the spacing between the cleat 52 and the fin 48 is sufficient to accommodate the thickness of the expansion card 20 and hold the rears portion 24 in a channel , groove , or slot ( unnumbered ) defined between the cleat 52 , the fin 48 , and the ridge 48 a . while not shown in the figures , a heat transfer gel or an elastomeric heat - transfer material ( not shown ) can be interposed between the two sides of the expansion card 20 and the corresponding surfaces of the first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 to enhance conductive thermal transfer from the expansion card 20 to the first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 . fig9 illustrates the expansion card 20 mounted between the first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 with forward end of the expansion card 20 constrained between surfaces of the first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 as shown at 38 . since most expansion cards 20 have conductive traces at or adjacent the area 38 , various types of electrically insulating materials , layers , tapes , sheets , gaskets , etc , are interposed between the surface of the expansion card 20 the sub - housings to preserve electrical integrity . if desired , a heat transfer gel or an elastomeric heat - transfer material ( not shown ) can be interposed between the two sides of the expansion card 20 and the corresponding surfaces of the first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 to enhance conductive thermal transfer from the expansion card 20 to the first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 . the assembly of fig9 is completed by installation of an end plate 36 ( fig3 ) on opposite ends of the assembly of fig9 to connect the first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 together to define the protected enclosure 20 . in the preferred embodiment , the end plates 36 are held in place by threaded fasteners ; however , other attachment arrangements , including spring clips are suitable . the protected volume defined by the enclosure shown in fig9 provides a measure of physical protection and emi shielding for the so - enclosed expansion card 20 and both conductive and convective heat transfer paths for transferring heat therefrom . in general and as shown in fig1 , expansion cards 20 of the type described are designed to “ plug - in ” to socket - type strip connectors on a motherboard ( also known as the system board , mainboard , and / or baseboard ). fig1 shows a representative motherboard system 100 in which a single enclosure 30 ( without its end plate 36 ) is installed immediately adjacent a thicker enclosure 30 ′ ( also without its end plate 36 ). enclosures of different thicknesses are contemplated and , in the case of the enclosure 30 ′, the additional interior volume can accommodate an additional sub - board ( i . e ., a “ mezzanine ” board ) connected to the board 20 as well as a heat sink and / or cooling fan ( s ) ( not shown ) that are often mounted on expansion cards . the structure of fig1 includes a motherboard 102 having spaced socket - like connectors 104 designed to receive the edge connector 22 extending from each enclosures 30 . while not shown in the figures , cable trays or conduits are provided for any cabling that enters / exits the motherboard system 100 . as shown in the enlarged detail of fig1 a , each of first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 include interengaging flanges 64 and 66 at the back ends of the respective sub - housing with one of the flanges offset from the other by approximately the thickness of one flange so that the two flanges overlap with the overlapping flanges secured together by removable screws or similar fasteners ( not shown ). the overlapping flanges 64 and 66 thus allow the adjacent enclosures 30 to be secured to one another to define a connected set of enclosures 30 that increases the overall structural sturdiness of the system . fig1 illustrates the motherboard system 100 of fig1 fully “ populated ” by enclosures 30 with their end plates 36 and increased thickness enclosure 30 ′ and its endplate 36 ′ in place and secured to one another as described in relationship to fig1 a . the system shown in fig1 thus provides a physical and emi protected volume for each expansion card 20 with enhanced thermal paths from the expansion card 20 to address heat transfer concerns and with the various enclosures 30 mechanically connected or “ ganged ” together to provide an additional level of structural and emi protection . as shown in fig1 and 11 , the cooling fins 40 of the sub - housing 32 and the cooling fins 42 of the sub - housing 34 are located on their respective sub - housings so that they occupy different ‘ staggered ’ or interdigitated planes “ a ” and “ b ” as best shown in fig1 ; this staggered relationship allows for increased convective heat flow . in the preferred embodiment described above , the enclosure 30 is defined by first and second sub - housings 32 and 34 to thus define a two - piece arrangement for the enclosure 30 . as can be appreciated and as shown in fig1 , a one piece housing is contemplated in which the housing is extruded as a one piece component . in the arrangement of fig1 , the expansion card 20 is slid into the housing from one end or the other with the end plates 36 thereafter assembled to the one - piece housing to thereby create the enclosure 30 . as will be apparent to those skilled in the art , various changes and modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment of the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as determined in the appended claims and their legal equivalent .	7
embodiments of the present invention will be explained with reference to the drawings as follow . fig1 shows a pcb 50 comprising : an insulator 40 is made of fr - 4 , bt , epoxy or the like , said insulator 40 having an upper surface 41 , a lower surface 42 and a recess 48 ; a trace 70 is made of copper , copper alloy , nickel , aluminum or the like , said trace 70 having an upper surface 71 , a lower surface 72 and a side edge 73 , wherein said lower surface 72 of trace 70 consists of a first lower surface 721 and a second lower surface 722 , both said first lower surface 721 and said second lower surface 722 are co - planar , said trace 70 embedded in said insulator 40 , in this manner , said trace 70 is encapsulated by said insulator 40 , wherein both said side edge 73 and said first lower surface 721 of trace 70 are encapsulated by said insulator 40 , wherein said upper surface 71 of trace 70 exposed to atmosphere ( i . e . said upper surface 71 of trace 70 exposed out of said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 ) for connecting external substance ( s ), and wherein said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 placed within said recess 48 of insulator 40 , and wherein said second lower surface 722 is the bottom of said recess 48 of insulator 40 , said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 exposed to atmosphere ( i . e . said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 exposed out of said lower surface 42 of insulator 40 ) for connecting external substance ( s ), meanwhile , said first lower surface 721 corresponding to the portion of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 enables to be employed as a path for transmitting electrical current , and furthermore , said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 is employed as a ball pad too ( refer to the detailed descriptions of fig8 ), accordingly , not only said trace 70 enables to be employed as a path for transmitting electrical current , but said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 enables to be employed as a ball pad ; a solder mask 80 covering said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 and a portion of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 for protection , wherein another portion of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 exposed to atmosphere for connecting external substance , wherein said solder mask 80 is optional , and wherein said external substance ( s ) employed as : solder ball , conductive wire , conductive layer , resistor , capacitor , another trace ( refer to the detailed descriptions of fig3 ) and / or a slot of electrical device ( e . g . camera , cell phone ); and a plurality of conductive layers 90 , said conductive layers 90 coupled with said upper surface 71 and said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 respectively , wherein the conductive layer 90 coupled with said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 is placed within said recess 48 of insulator 40 , and wherein each upper surface of conductive layer 90 exposed to the atmosphere for connecting to conductive wire , conductive bump , solder ball , resistor and / or capacitor , said conductive layer 90 can be made of either a multi - layered metal or a single metal layer . for example : please , refer to the conductive layer 90 coupled with said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 , in case that ( 1 ). said conductive layer 90 is made of a multi - layered metal such as two - layered metal which is comprised of a layer of nickel and a layer of gold ( or silver ), both said layer of nickel and said layer of gold are stack , wherein the lower surface ( not shown ) of said layer of nickel is employed as said lower surface of conductive layer 90 , the upper surface ( not shown ) of said layer of gold is employed as said upper surface of conductive layer 90 , the lower surface of said conductive layer 90 coupled with said second lower surface 722 , in this manner , the upper surface of conductive layer 90 is exposed to atmosphere ; and moreover . in case that said conductive layer 90 is made of a three - layered metal which is comprised of a layer of nickel , a layer of palladium and a layer of gold , wherein said layer of nickel , said layer of palladium and said layer of gold are stack , and wherein said layer of palladium is between said layer of nickel and said layer of gold , in this manner , the lower surface ( not shown ) of said layer of nickel is employed as said lower surface of conductive layer 90 , the upper surface ( not shown ) of said layer of gold is employed as said upper surface of conductive layer 90 , the lower surface of said conductive layer 90 coupled with said second lower surface 722 , in this manner , the upper surface of conductive layer 90 is exposed to the atmosphere . in addition , due to gold , palladium , and silver are valuable ( expensive ), as this reason , the smaller area of conductive layer 90 is , the saved the cost is ; and ( 2 ). in case that said conductive layer 90 is made of a single metal such as a tin ( solder ), wherein the lower surface ( not shown ) of said layer of tin is employed as said lower surface of conductive layer 90 , the upper surface ( not shown ) of said layer of tin is employed as said upper surface of conductive layer 90 , the lower surface of conductive layer 90 coupled with said second lower surface 722 , in this manner , the upper surface of conductive layer 90 is exposed to the atmosphere ; consequently , the advantages of said pcb 50 in accordance with the present invention are : ( a ). the path of transmitting electrical current of said pcb 50 from the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 to the lower surface 42 of insulator 40 of said pcb 50 is from the upper surface 71 of trace 70 to said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 exclusively , in this manner , the blind via ( shown in fig9 , numeral of “ 44 ”) is omitted ; meanwhile , said path of transmitting electrical current of said pcb 50 enables to become shorter , furthermore , the ball pad 7 b ( shown in fig9 ) is substituted by the second lower surface 722 of trace 70 , wherein due to the blind via ( 44 ) is omitted , in this manner , the thickness t 50 of pcb 50 enables to be thinner than the thickness t 52 of conventional pcb 52 ( shown in fig9 ); moreover , due to the trace 70 embedded in the insulator 40 , then it is not necessary for said side edge 73 of trace 70 to be covered with either solder mask 80 or conductive layer 90 , in this manner , not only the thickness t 8 of solder mask 80 enables to become thinner than the thickness ta of solder mask 80 of conventional pcb 52 but the cost of said pcb 50 enables to be saved ; and ( b ). it is easy to respond the demand of height of solder ball , due to the width “ w ” of second lower surface 722 of trace 70 enables to be changed easily , then it is easy for said pcb 50 to reach the height qualification of electrical device , and then it is convenient for said pcb 50 to be used in electronic industry ; for example : in case that the volume of solder ball is unchanged , and the height of solder ball is needed to be decreased ( i . e . it is necessary for the width of second lower surface 722 of trace 70 to be getting wider than the width “ w ” ( shown in fig1 ) for reaching the demand mentioned above ), wherein due to said “ w ” of second lower surface 722 can be changed to become wider , then the height of solder ball can be reached to the qualification of electrical device ( i . e . when said trace 70 embedded in said insulator 40 , wherein while a wider recess of insulator 40 is formed , and then a wider width of second lower surface 722 is formed too , as this result , said pcb 50 enables to have a wider width of second lower surface 722 of trace 70 to respond the demand mentioned above ), in this manner , said pcb 50 enables to be invited to said electrical devices , as this result , the application of said pcb 50 is convenient ; in addition , the advantages of said first lower surface 721 of trace 70 is described in fig8 later . fig2 shows a pcb 55 in accordance with the present invention , said structure of pcb 55 is similar to the structure of pcb 50 shown in fig1 , the differences between said pcb 55 and said pcb 50 are : ( 1 ). the upper surface 71 of trace 70 of pcb 55 is below the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 , in this manner , said upper surface 71 of trace 70 is not co - planar to said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 ; wherein the upper surface 71 of trace 70 enables to be protruding the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 ( refer to fig5 or fig6 ), said upper surface 71 of trace 70 is not co - planar to said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 either while the upper surface 71 of trace 70 protruding the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 , accordingly , it is optional that the upper surface 71 of trace 70 is below the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 ; and ( 2 ). the second lower surface 722 of trace 70 is below the first lower surface 721 of trace 70 , in this manner , said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 is not co - planar to said first lower surface 721 of trace 50 , in this manner , said trace 70 further having a second side edge 732 which is between said first lower surface 721 and said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 , said second side edge 732 of trace 70 placed in said recess 48 of insulator 40 too , consequently , due to said second side edge 732 of trace 70 , the area that said trace 70 contacted to the conductive layer 90 which is coupled with the second lower surface 722 of trace 70 enables to be increased , then it allows said conductive layer 90 to be not only coupled with the second lower surface 722 but also coupled with said second side edge 732 of trace 70 , in this manner , said conductive layer 90 enables to be coupled with said trace 70 more securely , then it can prevent said conductive layer 90 from peeling off said trace 70 , and then the reliability of said pcb 50 can be enhanced , accordingly , due to said second side edge 732 of trace 70 , in case that either a conductive material such as an another trace ( refer to fig3 ) or an isolative material such as a solder mask ( refer to fig4 ) coupled with said second side edge 732 , the reliability of said pcb 50 can be enhanced ; wherein the second lower surface 722 of trace 70 enables to be protruding the first lower surface 721 of trace 70 ( not shown ), as this result , said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 is not co - planar to said first lower surface 721 of trace 70 either , accordingly , it is optional that the second lower surface 722 of trace 70 is below the first lower surface 721 of trace 70 ; furthermore , either the conductive layer 90 coupled with the upper surface 71 of trace 70 or the conductive layer 90 coupled with the second lower surface 722 ( associated with the second side edge 732 ) of trace 70 can be protruding ( or below ) the upper surface 41 or the lower surface 42 of insulator 40 as required . fig3 shows a pcb 50 in accordance with the present invention , said structure of pcb 50 is similar to the structure of pcb 55 shown in fig2 , the difference between said pcb 50 and said pcb 55 is : said pcb 50 further comprising an another trace 75 which is coupled with the lower surface 42 of insulator 40 , in this manner , said another trace 75 enables to be lay out on said lower surface 42 of insulator 40 freely , and wherein a portion of said another trace 75 is placed within said recess 48 of insulator 40 and is coupled with both the second lower surface 722 and the second side edge 732 of trace 70 , by means of said second side edge 732 of trace 70 , the area that said another trace 75 contacted to the trace 70 enables to be increased , ( i . e . it allows said another trace 75 to be not only coupled with the second lower surface 722 but also coupled with said second side edge 732 of trace 70 ), in this manner , said another trace 75 enables to be coupled with said trace 70 more securely , then it can prevent said another trace 75 from peeling off said trace 70 , and then the reliability of said pcb 50 can be enhanced ; in additional , a further another trace ( s ) ( not shown ) or an another insulator ( s ) ( not shown ) can be coupled with the lower surface 42 of insulator 40 , in this manner , said pcb 55 is employed as a multi - layer pcb . fig4 shows a pcb 50 in accordance with the present invention , said structure of pcb 50 is similar to the structure of pcb 55 ( shown in fig2 ), the differences between said pcb 50 and said pcb 55 are : ( 1 ). said pcb 50 further comprising a solder mask 80 which is coupled with the lower surface 42 of insulator 40 , wherein a portion of said solder mask 80 is placed in said recess 48 of insulator 40 and is coupled with both the second lower surface 722 and the second side edge 732 of trace 70 , by means of said second side edge 732 of trace 70 , the area that said solder mask 80 contacted to the trace 70 enables to be increased , ( i . e . it allows said solder mask 80 to be not only coupled with a portion of the second lower surface 722 but also coupled with said second side edge 732 of trace 70 ), in this manner , said solder mask 80 enables to be coupled with said trace 70 more securely , then it can prevent said solder mask 80 from peeling off said trace 70 , and then the reliability of said pcb 50 can be enhanced ; and ( 2 ). due to a portion of said solder mask 80 is placed within said recess 48 of insulator 40 and is coupled with said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 , then the width “ w ” of second lower surface 722 enables to become shorter , and then the materials of said conductive layer 90 coupled with the second lower surface 722 can be saved , in this manner , the cost for manufacturing said pcb 50 can be saved , and it is good to electronic industry . fig5 shows a pcb 55 comprising : an insulator 40 having an upper surface 41 and a lower surface 42 ; a trace 70 having an upper surface 71 , a lower surface 72 and a side edge 73 , wherein said side edge 73 consists of a first side edge 731 and a third side edge 733 , said first side edge 731 and said third side edge 733 are co - planar , said trace 70 embedded in said insulator 40 , in this manner , said trace 70 is encapsulated by said insulator 40 , wherein said first side edge 731 of side edge 73 and said lower surface 72 of trace 70 are encapsulated by said insulator 40 , and wherein said upper surface 71 of trace 70 is protruding said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 and said third side edge 733 of side edge 73 is protruding said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 too , in this manner , both said upper surface 71 of trace 70 and said third side edge 733 of side edge 73 exposed to atmosphere ( i . e . both said upper surface 71 of trace 70 and said third side edge 733 of side edge 73 exposed out of said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 ) for connecting external substance ( s ), moreover , said trace 70 can be employed as either a ball pad or a path of transmitting electrical current ; a solder mask 80 covering said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 and a portion of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 for protection , wherein another portion of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 exposed to the atmosphere for connecting external substance , wherein said solder mask 80 is optional ; accordingly , by means of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 which is protruding the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 , it allows the thickness of said trace 70 to become thicker , in this manner , said pcb 55 enables to respond the demand of high current and high speed transmission , then it is more convenient for said pcb 55 to be used in electronic industries ; in addition , said insulator 40 can further have a recess ( refer to fig6 ; numeral “ 48 ”) on the lower surface 42 of insulator 40 as required , in case that said insulator 40 further having a recess ( 48 ), then a portion of said lower surface 72 of trace 70 can be placed therein and exposed to atmosphere ( i . e . said a portion of lower surface 72 of trace 70 exposed out of said lower surface 42 of insulator 40 ) for connecting external substance ( s ); moreover , said first side edge 731 and said third side edge 733 enable to be not co - planar ( refer to fig7 ; numerals “ 731 ” and “ 733 ”) as required . fig6 shows a pcb 55 in accordance with the present invention , said structure of pcb 55 is similar to the structure of pcb 50 ( shown in fig1 ), the differences between said pcb 55 and said pcb 50 are ( 1 ). said side edge 73 consists of a first side edge 731 and a third side edge 733 , said first side edge 731 and said third side edge 733 are co - planar , wherein said first side edge 731 of side edge 73 and said first lower surface 721 of trace 70 are encapsulated by said insulator 40 , wherein said upper surface 71 of trace 70 is protruding said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 and said third side edge 733 of side edge 73 is protruding said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 too , in this manner , both said upper surface 71 of trace 70 and said third side edge 733 of side edge 73 exposed to atmosphere , in this manner , it allows that said trace 70 further having an extending portion ( refer to the detailed descriptions of fig7 ) which is extending on the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 and the thickness of said trace 70 enables to become thicker ; and ( 2 ). said trace 70 further having a dimple 724 which is on the second lower surface 722 and is exposed to the atmosphere , in this manner , the second lower surface 722 is uneven ( i . e . not flat ), meanwhile , by means of said dimple 724 of trace 70 , the area that said second lower surface 722 of trace 70 contacted to external substance ( s ) ( such as solder ball , conductive wire , conductive layer , resistor , capacitor , and / or another trace ) enables to be increased , in this manner , said trace 70 enables to be coupled with said external substance more securely , then it can prevent said external substance from peeling off said trace 70 , and then the reliability of said pcb 55 can be enhanced , wherein the depth ( not shown ) of said dimple 724 can be 1 μm , 2 μm or more than 2 μm . in additional , said trace 70 also can further have a second side edge ( refer to fig2 ; numeral “ 732 ”) fig7 shows a pcb 50 in accordance with the present invention , said structure of pcb 50 is similar to the structure of pcb 55 ( shown in fig6 ), the differences between said pcb 50 and said pcb 55 are ( 1 ). said trace 70 of pcb 50 further having an extending portion 74 which is a portion of said trace 70 , said extending portion 74 having an upper surface 741 and a lower surface 742 , said lower surface 742 of extending portion 74 coupled with said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 , in this manner , said extending portion 74 enables to be extended on said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 freely , as this result , it is more convenient for said pcb 50 to be used in the electronic industry ; and wherein said side edge 73 consists of a first side edge 731 and a third side edge 733 , said first side edge 731 and said third side edge 733 are not co - planar , wherein said first side edge 731 of side edge 73 and said first lower surface 721 of trace 70 are encapsulated by said insulator 40 , and wherein said upper surface 71 of trace 70 is protruding said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 and said third side edge 733 of side edge 73 is protruding said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 too , in this manner , both said upper surface 71 of trace 70 and said third side edge 733 of side edge 73 exposed to atmosphere , meanwhile , said upper surface 71 of trace 70 comprised of a first upper surface 711 and a second upper surface 712 , and wherein both said first upper surface 711 and said second upper surface 712 are not co - planar , said first upper surface 711 is protruding the upper surface 41 of insulator , meanwhile , a portion of said first upper surface 711 , said second upper surface 712 of trace 70 and said upper surface 41 of insulator 40 are covered with the solder mask 80 , wherein said upper surface 741 of extending portion 74 is employed as a portion of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 , in this manner , said upper surface 71 of trace 70 further includes said upper surface 741 of extending portion 74 , and wherein said upper surface 741 of extending portion 74 ( i . e . a portion of said upper surface 71 of trace 70 ) exposed to the atmosphere for connecting external substance ; furthermore , the second upper surface 712 of trace 70 enables to be co - planar to the first upper surface 721 of trace 70 as required , accordingly , it is optional that the first upper surface 711 of trace 70 is not co - planar to the second upper surface 712 of trace 70 ; and ( 2 ). the second lower surface 722 is uneven such as conical and / or curvy or the like , in this manner , the area that said second lower surface 722 contacted to external substance ( s ) enables to be increased , then it can prevent said external substance from peeling off said trace 70 , and then the reliability of said pcb 50 is enhanced , in addition , said extending portion 74 and said trace 70 can be unitary or said extending portion 74 and said trace 70 can be made of different metals . fig8 shows a package 30 which is involved in a pcb 55 in accordance with the present invention , said structure of pcb 55 ( shown in fig8 ) is similar to the structure of pcb 55 ( shown in fig2 ), wherein the difference between said pcb 55 ( fig8 ) and said pcb 55 ( fig2 ) is : there is not any conductive layer ( 90 ) coupled with the second lower surface 722 of trace 70 ( shown in fig8 ), compared with the second lower surface 722 of trace 70 ( shown in fig2 ); said package 30 further comprised of : a chip 20 which is coupled with said solder mask 80 on the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 ; a conductive wire 95 which is electrically connected said chip 20 to said pcb 55 ; an encapsulant 60 which is made of sumitomo g1250 or the like , said encapsulant 60 seals said pcb 55 , said chip 20 and said conductive wire 95 ; and a solder ball 96 , wherein said solder ball 96 coupled with said second lower surface 722 and said second side edge 732 , accordingly , said pcb 55 enables to be coupled with said chip 20 and said encapsulant 60 , wherein said chip 20 can be employed as a flip chip , in case of flip chip , then said chip 20 coupled with said pcb 55 through a plurality of conductive bumps and sealed by an adhesive means such as encapsulant ; moreover , in case that said package 30 coupled with a mother board ( not shown ) by said solder ball 96 , once said package 30 is attacked by an impact , due to the area that said second lower surface 722 ( associated with said second side edge 732 ) of trace 70 contacted to said solder ball 96 is increased , then it allows said solder ball 96 enables to be coupled with said trace 70 more securely , then it can prevent said conductive layer 90 from peeling off said trace 70 , and then the reliability of said pcb 50 can be enhanced . furthermore , due to the first lower surface 721 of trace 70 encapsulated by said insulator 40 , accordingly , said trace 70 can be held by said insulator 40 firmly too , in this manner , it can prevent said trace 70 from peeling off said insulator 40 while impacting , and then the reliability of said pcb 55 can be enhanced , consequently , by means of the second side edge 732 or the first lower surface 721 of trace 70 which is encapsulated by said insulator 40 , the reliability of said pcb 55 enables to be enhanced . in accordance with the foregoing descriptions accompanying drawings , this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments , various alternations and modifications can be made to become apparent to those skilled in the art ; for examples : as shown in fig1 , wherein the second lower surface 722 enables to be not co - planar to the first lower surface 721 of trace 70 as required , then said trace 70 also having a second side edge ( 732 ), moreover , the upper surface 71 of trace enables to be protruding the upper surface 41 of insulator 40 , furthermore , an another trace 75 can be instead of said conductive layer 90 as required too ; accordingly , since many such various alterations and / or modifications can be made to the foregoing descriptions , it is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is defined by the appended claims .	7
the present invention generally provides systems and methods for improved range sensing in a construction environment . more specifically , the present invention provides more accurate distance determination . this may be achieved using multiple sensors of multiple sizes in a single sensing unit , infrared temperature sensing , and / or a foldable temperature bar . in an embodiment of the invention , multiple sensors of varying sizes ( e . g ., diameters ) on a sensing unit are used to determine an approximate distance from the sensing unit to a reference point ( e . g ., from a range sensor to a surface ). the present invention employs sensors of different sizes and diameters in order to more accurately determine the distance between the sensing mechanism and the intended point or surface of measurement . in such an embodiment , these sensors are used to determine most accurately this distance through the means of ultrasonic emission and reception whereby each sensor has a unique weighting or influence on a determined distance . that is , a mathematical calculation may be performed which more heavily regards ( e . g ., weights , assigns a multiplier to , etc .) distances measured by one set of sensors . these sensors are configured in a single housing or component piece , so as to enable more accurate determination of the distance to be measured . in the same and / or alternative embodiments of the invention , various temperature sensing apparatus ( e . g ., temperature sensors ) are included at ( e . g ., integrated into and / or coupled to ) the sensing unit . these temperature sensors establish a reference for use in determining ( e . g ., calculating ) a distance to the road surface . ideally , air temperature between the temperature sensor and the surface should be known because uncompensated variations in air temperature may compromise the accuracy of the range measurements . the temperature sensor may help compensate ( e . g ., aid in accounting , calculating , and / or adjusting ) for variations in air temperature . while an appropriate compensation factor may be more easily determined when the air temperature is relatively constant between the sensor and surface and is only disturbed by temporary air turbulence , the inventive system may account for more significant fluctuations in temperature and conditions . additionally and / or alternatively , one or more temperature sensors are used to determine the temperature of the work surface to determine if appropriate working conditions exist . fig1 a and 1b depict an exemplary sensing unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 a shows a bottom - side perspective view of the sensing unit 100 and fig1 b shows a bottom perspective view of the sensing unit 100 . the sensing unit 100 comprises a housing 102 , which encloses a controller 400 ( not shown in fig1 a and 1b , but discussed below with respect to fig4 ) for controlling the various components and functions of the sensing unit 100 . sensing unit 100 includes one or more outer sensors 104 a and 104 b . in the exemplary embodiment of fig1 a and 1b , the sensing unit 100 has two outer sensors 104 a and 104 b located on a bottom surface 106 of the sensing unit 100 . it may be understood that , in some embodiments , other numbers of outer sensors 104 may be used . also located on the bottom surface 106 are one or more inner sensors 108 a and 108 b . similar to outer sensors 104 a and 104 b , any number of inner sensors 108 may be used . of course , subsequent sensors , rows of sensors , or arrangements of sensors may be used such as a set of inner - inner sensors ( e . g ., sensors arranged inboard of the inner sensors 108 a and 108 b ) or arranging the sensors in a substantially circular pattern or sets of concentric circles , for example . generally , outer sensors 104 a and 104 b are located outboard ( e . g ., closer to an end or edge of sensing unit 100 ) of inner sensors 108 a and 108 b . in alternative embodiments , inner sensors 108 a and 108 b may be located outboard of outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and / or adjacent outer sensors 104 a and 104 b . as will be discussed further below with respect to fig3 , outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and inner sensors 108 a and 108 b may be spaced apart a predetermined distance from each other and / or from a point on or section of sensing unit 100 and may be of varying diameters and / or sizes which may be correlated to each other . though depicted as residing on / within bottom surface 106 , outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and inner sensors 108 a and 108 b may be located in any other appropriate location on the sensing unit 100 ( e . g ., on an end , on top , projecting from a surface , etc .). sensing unit 100 may also include one or more temperature sensing devices . in the embodiment depicted in fig1 a and 1b , the temperature sensing device may be a temperature bar 110 protruding from the bottom surface 106 . the temperature bar 110 may be coupled ( e . g ., attached ) to the sensing unit 100 via a flexible or otherwise moveable , rotatable , and / or detachable connection 112 at its proximal end and may include a temperature detector 114 at its distal end . as shown in fig1 b , a portion on or near the distal end of temperature bar 110 may be securable to the housing 102 at one or more catches 116 when the temperature bar 110 and / or the temperature detector 114 is not in use , when the sensing unit 100 is being transported , etc . temperature bar 110 may additionally or alternatively be secured to the housing 102 at other locations along its length using other catches or any other appropriate securing means . other temperature sensing means such as temperature sensor 118 may also be included . sensing unit 100 may be a stand - alone unit and / or may be included as part of a construction system ( e . g ., attached to a paving vehicle 602 of fig6 ). in some embodiments , the sensing unit 100 may be coupled to the paving vehicle 602 ( fig6 ) such that it is capable of feeding back information such as temperature and / or range information . such information may be recorded ( e . g ., with control circuitry of controller 400 ), displayed to one or more users , or otherwise catalogued so as to provide information in real - time and / or in a memory to one or more users . that is , the sensing unit 100 may record and / or send temperature and / or range information to a paving vehicle operator for use during construction operations . similarly , one or more parts ( e . g ., components ) of the sensing unit 100 may provide distance and / or temperature information to an automated system ( e . g ., in conjunction with a system such as paving system 600 of fig6 ). additionally , sensing unit 100 may be removable , angleable , and / or otherwise positionable to provide the most accurate temperature and range information possible . outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and inner sensors 108 a and 108 b may be ultrasonic sensors as are known . other types of sensors may be used as appropriate such as highly collimated light beam ( e . g ., laser ) sensors , optical sensors , interferometers , etc . outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and inner sensors 108 a and 108 b may be controlled via control circuitry of the sensing unit 100 ( e . g ., controller 400 ), by an external source , or by any other appropriate method . outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and inner sensors 108 a and 108 b may be configured to measure a respective distance from the sensor to a surface and / or object . that is , outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and inner sensors 108 a and 108 b are used to measure a distance from the sensing unit 100 to a surface . temperature bar 110 may be a rod , shaped wire , substantially u - shaped bar , support means , etc . of any appropriate length secured to the sensing unit 100 via a flexible connection 112 or secured directly to the sensing unit 100 . flexible connection 112 may be a spring , hinge , pivot , or other flexible apparatus to secure temperature bar 110 to the housing 102 , but also to allow temperature bar 110 to be moved . in some cases , temperature bar 110 may be moved manually ( e . g ., secured by a user to catch 116 ). in other cases , temperature bar 110 may be moved in response to an obstacle . that is , in the course of operation , the temperature bar 110 and / or temperature detector 114 may contact an obstacle ( e . g ., a road surface , rock , debris , etc .) and the flexible connection 112 may allow the temperature bar 110 to move ( e . g ., swing and / or bend ) out of the way of the obstacle without breaking off as in prior rigid extended temperature sensors . in some embodiments , temperature bar 110 may itself be flexible such that it is capable of bending , flexing , and / or moving as when encountering an obstacle or acted upon ( e . g ., pushed ) by an outside force . temperature - detector 114 may be a temperature sensor . similarly , temperature bar 110 may be a temperature sensor and / or may be adapted to transmit temperature information from the temperature detector 114 to a controller 400 of fig4 or other appropriate location as discussed above . in operation , the temperature detector 114 ( or the temperature bar 110 if no temperature detector 114 is used ) may measure a temperature near a surface and / or may measure one or more temperatures of air between the sensing unit 100 and a surface . temperature sensor 118 may be an infrared sensor capable of measuring a temperature at and / or near to a surface and transmitting the temperature information to the sensing unit 100 and / or another appropriate location . similar to temperature detector 114 and temperature bar 110 , temperature sensor 118 may also be capable of measuring one or more temperatures of air between the sensing unit 100 and a surface . in some embodiments , the temperature sensor 118 may be capable of triggering an alarm condition when a detected temperature is outside of a predetermined temperature range . that is , temperature sensor 118 ( or similarly temperature bar 110 and / or temperature detector 114 ) may be configured to transmit temperature information to controller 400 . the temperature information may be used to indicate ( e . g ., by controller 400 ) an alert condition ( e . g ., surface too hot , a temperature difference between the sensing unit 100 and the work surface , etc .). temperature sensor 118 may also be any other appropriate type of sensor . in some embodiments , temperatures determined using temperature bar 110 and / or temperature detector 114 ( e . g ., a temperature of air between sensing unit 100 and a surface ) and temperatures determined using temperature sensor 118 ( e . g ., a temperature at or near to the surface ) may be used in combination to estimate a curve of air temperatures between the sensing unit 100 and the surface . for example , sensing unit 100 and / or controller 400 of fig4 may utilize one or more temperatures determined using temperature bar 110 , temperature detector 114 , and / or temperature sensor 118 to approximate a distribution of the actual air temperatures between the sensing unit 100 and the surface . fig2 a and 2b depict an alternative exemplary sensing unit 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 a shows a bottom perspective view of the sensing unit 200 with an extended temperature bar 210 and fig2 b shows a bottom perspective view of the sensing unit 200 with a folded temperature bar 210 . the sensing unit 200 may be similar to sensing unit 100 of fig1 a and 1b and accordingly comprises similar components . for simplicity of presentation , only those components of sensing unit 200 that differ from sensing unit 100 are discussed in further detail . substantially similar components of sensing unit 200 are referred to hereinafter and in fig2 a and 2b by the same reference numerals . in the embodiment depicted in fig2 a and 2b , sensing unit 200 includes a temperature bar 210 protruding from the bottom surface 106 . the temperature bar 210 may be coupled ( e . g ., attached ) to the sensing unit 200 via a flexible or otherwise moveable , rotatable , and / or detachable connection 212 and may include a temperature detector 214 . as shown in fig2 b , a portion of temperature bar 210 may be securable to the housing 102 at one or more catches 216 when the temperature bar 210 and / or the temperature detector 214 is not in use , when the sensing unit 200 is being transported , etc . temperature bar 210 may additionally or alternatively be secured to the housing 102 at other locations along its length using other catches or any other appropriate securing means . in the exemplary embodiment of fig2 a and 2b , temperature bar 210 may be a rod , shaped wire , or substantially u - shaped bar of any appropriate length secured to the sensing unit 200 via flexible connection 212 . in some embodiments , temperature bar 210 may be a 3 mm steel wire shaped into an approximately u - shaped configuration and including a crossbar 218 near the “ open ” end of the u - shaped wire . temperature bar 210 may be secured to the housing 102 at the crossbar 218 such that a portion of the length of temperature bar 210 is free to pivot away from the housing 102 as shown in fig2 b . of course , other configurations and materials may be used . for example , a temperature detector 214 may be secured between multiple temperature bars 210 moveably secured to sensing unit 200 . fig1 a , 1 b , 2 a , and 2 b depict exemplary configurations of temperature bars , but any appropriate temperature sensing mechanism and / or means may be used in their stead . flexible connection 212 may be a spring , hinge , pivot , or other flexible and / or moveable apparatus to secure temperature bar 210 to the housing 102 , but also to allow temperature bar 210 to be moved . in at least one embodiment , flexible connection 212 may include multiple components to secure the temperature bar 210 . for example , a clasp , pin , bar , or other means for securing may be used to hold the crossbar 218 of fig2 a and 2b to the bottom surface 106 , but allow rotational movement of the crossbar 218 ; this allows the temperature bar 210 and temperature detector 214 to be capable of pivoting , but holding the temperature bar fast to sensing unit 200 . in some cases , temperature bar 210 may be moved manually ( e . g ., secured by a user to catch 216 ). in other cases , temperature bar 210 may be moved in response to an obstacle . that is , in the course of operation , the temperature bar 210 and / or temperature detector 214 may contact an obstacle ( e . g ., a road surface , rock , debris , etc .) and the flexible connection 212 may allow the temperature bar 210 to move ( e . g ., swing and / or bend ) out of the way of the obstacle without breaking off as in prior rigid extended temperature sensors . in some embodiments , temperature bar 210 may itself be flexible such that it is capable of bending , flexing , and / or moving as when encountering an obstacle or acted upon ( e . g ., pushed ) by an outside force . temperature detector 214 may be a temperature sensor . similarly , temperature bar 210 may be a temperature sensor and / or may be adapted to transmit temperature information from the temperature detector 214 to a controller 400 of fig4 or other appropriate location as discussed above . in operation , the temperature detector 214 ( or the temperature bar 210 if no temperature detector 214 is used ) may measure a temperature near a surface and / or may measure one or more temperatures of air between the sensing unit 200 and a surface . fig3 depicts a side schematic layout of the sensing unit 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention . various diameters and frequencies of sensors may be used in operation of the sensing unit 100 . fig3 is presented as an illustrative embodiment to show the interaction of multiple sensors and is not meant to limit the invention to a single set of outer sensors 104 a and 104 b of a specific diameter or a single set of inner sensors 108 a and 108 b of a specific diameter . in the exemplary embodiment of fig3 , outer sensors 104 a and 104 b may have a diameter a and a frequency f a . in one embodiment , the diameter a may be substantially 25 mm and the frequency f a may be approximately 120 khz . similarly , inner sensors 108 a and 108 b may have a diameter b and a frequency f b . in one embodiment , the diameter b may be substantially 16 mm and the frequency f b may be approximately 200 khz . each of sensors 104 a and 104 b and 108 a and 108 b may be separated by a center - to - center distance ( e . g ., approximately c ). in practice , larger diameter sensors generate a wider radiation cone while smaller diameter sensors generate a narrower radiation cone . the distance c between sensors is preferably such that at the minimum advantageous reading distance l ( discussed below ) all radiation cones very slightly overlap . though depicted here as pairs of sensors having equal diameters and frequencies , it may be understood that each sensor may have its own unique diameter and / or frequency . as discussed generally above , temperature bar 110 may be a length l , extending from the bottom surface 106 . in some embodiments , a controller 400 may be included and may be or may include any components or devices which are typically used by , or used in connection with , a computer or computer system . such a controller may be control circuitry as described with respect to fig1 a and 1b , reside at another location in the sensing unit 100 , and / or be associated with ( e . g ., be in communication with and / or coupled to ) the paving vehicle 602 discussed below with respect to fig6 . fig4 is a schematic drawing of a controller 400 according to an embodiment of the invention . controller 400 contains a processor 402 which controls the overall operation of the controller 400 by executing computer program instructions which define such operation . the computer program instructions may be stored in a storage device 404 ( e . g ., magnetic disk , database , etc .) and loaded into memory 406 when execution of the computer program instructions is desired . thus , applications for performing the herein - described method steps , such as weighting measured distances ( step 508 of method 500 ) and determining calculated distance ( step 510 of method 500 ), are defined by the computer program instructions stored in the memory 406 and / or storage 404 and controlled by the processor 402 executing the computer program instructions . the controller 400 may also include one or more network interfaces 408 for communicating with other devices via a network ( e . g ., a controller area network ( can )). these devices may be other sensing units 100 , 200 , other controllers 400 , or any other relevant device . the controller 400 also includes input / output devices 410 ( e . g ., display , keyboard , mouse , speakers , buttons , etc .) that enable user interaction with the controller 400 . controller 400 and / or processor 402 may include one or more central processing units , read only memory ( rom ) devices and / or random access memory ( ram ) devices . one skilled in the art will recognize that an implementation of an actual controller could contain other components as well , and that the controller of fig4 is a high level representation of some of the components of such a controller for illustrative purposes . according to some embodiments of the present invention , instructions of a program ( e . g ., controller software ) may be read into memory 406 , such as from a rom device to a ram device or from a lan adapter to a ram device . execution of sequences of the instructions in the program may cause the controller 400 to perform one or more of the method steps described herein , such as those described below with respect to methods 500 and 700 . in alternative embodiments , hard - wired circuitry or integrated circuits may be used in place of , or in combination with , software instructions for implementation of the processes of the present invention . thus , embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware , firmware , and / or software . the memory 406 may store the software for the controller 400 , which may be adapted to execute the software program and thereby operate in accordance with the present invention and particularly in accordance with the methods described in detail below . however , it would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that the invention as described herein could be implemented in many different ways using a wide range of programming techniques as well as general purpose hardware sub - systems or dedicated controllers . such programs may be stored in a compressed , uncompiled and / or encrypted format . the programs furthermore may include program elements that may be generally useful , such as an operating system , a database management system and device drivers for allowing the controller to interface with computer peripheral devices , and other equipment / components . appropriate general purpose program elements are known to those skilled in the art , and need not be described in detail herein . in operation , sensing units 100 , 200 may be used to determine a distance from the sensing unit 100 , 200 to a surface s . fig5 illustrates the method steps of a method 500 of ultrasonic sensing using the sensing unit 100 , 200 and will be described in conjunction with fig3 . the method begins at step 502 . in step 504 , distances to a surface are measured using sensors . for example , outer sensors 104 a and 104 b and inner sensors 108 a and 108 b each measure a respective distance d 1 , d 2 , d 3 , and d 4 to a surface s as shown in fig3 . specifically , sensor 104 a measures distance d 1 , sensor 108 a measures distance d 2 , sensor 108 b measures distance d 3 , and sensor 104 b measures distance d 4 . in step 506 , temperatures are measured . in some embodiments , a temperature may be measured by , for example , temperature bar 110 , temperature detector 114 , and / or temperature sensor 118 . in such embodiments , the temperature may be a temperature in the vicinity of a work surface . additionally and / or alternatively , temperatures may be measured in more than one location ( e . g ., at the work surface , midway between the work surface and sensing unit 100 , and at sensing unit 100 , etc .). in this way , temperature variations may be measured . in step 508 , the measured distances ( e . g ., d 1 - d 4 ) are weighted . as is known , measurement devices ( e . g ., sensors ) may be more or less accurate under certain conditions . in the context of the present invention , range sensors of a smaller diameter may be more accurate when close to a surface than range sensors of a larger diameter . similarly , the larger diameter range sensors may be more accurate than the smaller diameter range sensors at a greater distance to the surface . accordingly , it may be preferable to give more account to the sensors that are more likely to be more accurate at a certain distance . in this way , the input of multiple sensors may be used in determining the distance from the sensors to the surface while taking into account the likelihood that the inputs ( e . g ., measured distances ) are accurate . in some embodiments , the distances are weighted based on the distance from the sensors ( e . g ., sensors 104 a , 104 b , 108 a , and 108 b ) to the surface s . this may be an approximate predetermined distance that may be input by a user , may be known at controller 300 , and / or may be approximated based on the measured distances . that is , sensors 104 a , 104 b , 108 a , and 108 b may each measure a distance to the surface s and the approximate predetermined distance may be determined using these initial measurements . in the same or alternative embodiments , when the surface s is greater than a distance l ( e . g ., the closest the sensing unit 100 can be to the surface s without impacting temperature bar 110 and / or temperature detector 114 ) and less than a maximum advantageous sensing distance of the inner sensors 108 a and 108 b , the distances measured by the inner sensors 108 a and 108 b ( e . g ., distances d 3 and d 4 ) are weighted by a factor of x ( e . g ., x ( d 3 ) and x ( d 4 ), x ( d 3 + d 4 ), etc .). in an alternative embodiment , each measured distance has its own weighting factor ( e . g ., x 1 ( d 3 ), x 2 ( d 4 ), etc .). in practical application , the minimum sensing distance may be limited by the function of the chosen sensor and not the length l of the temperature bar 110 . that is , the minimum sensing distance may be limited by the abilities of the sensors and the related electronics . in the example described herein , inner sensors 108 a and 108 b have a diameter b of 16 mm and a frequency f b of 200 khz and a minimum sensing distance ( e . g ., the minimum distance at which an acceptably stable reading may be achieved ) of approximately 20 cm and a maximum advantageous sensing distance of approximately 40 cm . when the surface s is further away than the maximum advantageous sensing distance of the inner sensors 108 a and 108 b ( e . g ., approximately 40 cm ), the distances measured by the outer sensors 104 a and 104 b ( e . g ., distances d 1 and d 2 ) are weighted by a factor of y ( e . g . y ( d 1 ) and y ( d 2 ), y ( d 1 + d 2 ), etc .). in an alternative embodiment , each measured distance has its own weighting factor ( e . g ., y 1 ( d 1 ), y 2 ( d 2 ), etc .). of course , other inner sensors , 108 a and 108 b and / or outer sensors 104 a and 104 b with different respective diameters a and b and / or frequencies f a and f b may be used . in such cases , different minimum sensing distances and maximum advantageous sensing distance may be used . in an exemplary embodiment , when sensing unit 100 is relatively far from the surface ( e . g ., greater than approximately 50 cm ), the distances measured by the outer sensors 104 a and 104 b ( e . g ., distances d 1 and d 2 ) are each weighted by a factor of 50 % and the distances measured by the inner sensors 108 a and 108 b ( e . g ., distances d 3 and d 4 ) are each weighted by a factor of 0 %. similarly , when the sensing unit 100 is relatively close to the surface ( e . g ., less than approximately 25 cm ), the distances measured by the inner sensors 108 a and 108 b ( e . g ., distances d 3 and d 4 ) are each weighted by a factor of 50 % and the distances measured by the outer sensors 104 a and 104 b ( e . g ., distances d 1 and d 2 ) are each weighted by a factor of 0 %. when the sensing unit 100 is positioned at intermediate distances ( e . g ., between approximately 25 cm and approximately 50 cm ), the relative weights for each sensor varies linearly with the distance from the surface . of course , other variation gradients and / or weights may be used for various distances from the surface . measured distances d 1 - d 4 may be weighted based at least in part on a measured temperature . that is , an additional weighting factor may applied to one or more of the measured distances to account for variations in temperature between the sensing unit 100 in the region of the sensors 104 a , 104 b , 108 a , and 108 b and the surface s . since each sensor may be affected differently by variations in temperature , each sensor may have its own weighting factor . similarly , equal weighting factors may applied to similar sensors ( e . g ., the same weighting factor for sensors 104 a and 104 b and a different weighting factor for sensors 108 a and 108 b , etc .). in step 510 , a calculated distance is determined . in some embodiments , a weighted average distance is calculated . the weighted measured distances may be averaged to determine an approximate calculated distance ( acd ). thus , in the above example : it is understood that the weighting factors x and y may be the same , may be of any value ( e . g ., 0 , 0 . 5 , 1 , 2 , etc . ), and / or may be predetermined and / or continually re - determined . if more or less sensors are used , different and / or additional weighting factors may be used . similarly , a weighting factor based on the one or more measured temperatures may also be used in the calculation of the distance to the surface . following step 510 , the method 500 may return control to step 504 . that is , a new distance may be measured by one or more sensors to be used in calculation of a weighted average distance ( e . g ., acd ). this method may be repeated continually in real - time to provide a constant updated of the distance to the surface for use in construction operations . fig6 depicts a top schematic view of a paving system 600 for distance and / or temperature sensing according to an embodiment of the present invention . the system 600 comprises a paving vehicle 602 . paving vehicle 602 may be a construction vehicle for use in road paving and / or construction or may be any other type of movable and / or stationary platform . coupled to paving vehicle 602 may be one or more sensing units 100 as described above . fig6 also shows a first lane of road 604 , a second lane of road 606 , and the joint 608 between them . in operation , the paving vehicle 602 may be used in ultrasonic distance sensing , temperature measurement , and / or related construction tasks such as road paving . for illustrative purposes , fig7 illustrates the method steps of a method 700 of paving . the method begins at step 702 . in step 704 , the paving vehicle 602 paves a first section of road ( e . g ., first lane 604 ). in some embodiments , the paving vehicle 602 paves a lane of road at a time . when laying asphalt ( e . g ., paving ) on a first lane 604 , the joint 608 of asphalt exposed to a future second lane 606 ( e . g ., the section to be asphalted ) may cool . this may prevent the second lane 606 from properly bonding with the first lane 604 . in step 706 , a temperature of a road surface is measured . in some embodiments , the temperature bar 110 , temperature detector 114 , and / or temperature sensor 118 will measure the temperature of the asphalt on the first lane 604 . any of these or other sensors may be used to measure such a temperature as appropriate . in step 708 , the suitability of the measured temperature for paving operation is determined . if the road surface is an unsuitable temperature , an alarm condition is triggered in step 710 . in step 712 corrective action is taken . in at least one embodiment , the alarm condition may comprise an indication to heat the joint 608 ( e . g ., the corrective action of step 712 ) using an appropriate method or may be transmitted to a user by controller 400 ( e . g . via input / output device 410 ). after corrective action is taken , the method passes to step 706 to re - measure the surface temperature and / or to step 714 . if the road surface temperature is measured as a suitable temperature , the method passes control to step 714 . in step 714 , a second section of road ( e . g ., second lane 606 ) is paved by the paving vehicle 602 . the method ends at step 716 . the foregoing description discloses only particular embodiments of the invention ; modifications of the above disclosed methods and apparatus which fall within the scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . for instance , it will be understood that , though discussed primarily as a stand - alone unit with one set of inside sensors and one set of outside sensors , any number and / or type of sensors in any suitable arrangement may be used with a corresponding weighting and / or calculating algorithm . similarly , other components may perform the functions of methods 500 and 700 even when not explicitly discussed . the foregoing detailed description is to be understood as being in every respect illustrative and exemplary , but not restrictive , and the scope of the invention disclosed herein is not to be determined from the detailed description , but rather from the claims as interpreted according to the full breadth permitted by the patent laws . it is to be understood that the embodiments shown and described herein are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention and that various modifications may be implemented by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . those skilled in the art could implement various other feature combinations without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention .	6
this invention will now be described more in detail referring to the drawing . fig1 shows an example of the configuration of the invented electronic voice desk calculator . in the configuration shown in the drawing , kb is the keyboard section for inputting data necessary for calculation such as numerical data and arithmetic data on which are arranged , beside the group of ordinary keys such as 0 ˜ 9 , + , - , × , ÷ and = , the voice quality selector switches sw1 , sw2 , sw3 and sw4 to select the voice quality of male voice , boy &# 39 ; s voice , female voice , etc ., item count switch sw ic to designate whether or not to count the number of items , etc . cc is the control circuit which supplies key scan signal to the keyboard section kb , and performs sequential control by deciding the kinds of operated keys by the key scan signal or detecting the state of each key and switch . a is a read only memory ( rom ) which stores micro instruction datas for performing sequential control and which generates different micro instruction datas corresponding to the control signal coming from the control circuit cc . in other words , processing data needed in calculation such as data about registered number and arithmetic operation or control data for invented voice quality control are stored . c is the rom decoder used to decode the code signal representing the data from the read only memory a . cpu is the arithmetic section which performs arithmetic operation according to the decoded data from the rom decoder c , which is provided with a group of random access memories ( ram ) which memorize and hold numerical data once , adders for executing arithmetic operation , decoders for displaying registration data and the data about the results of arithmetic operations , memory group for storing time measuring data such as year , month , day , hour , minute , counters which count these time measuring data every moment , and control circuits which perform other controls . d is the displayer used to display registration data and data about results of arithmetic operation . r1 , r2 , r3 and r4 are voice read only memories ( rom ) which store voice digital data respectively . rom r1 stores male voice data expressing coded word group consisting of zero , one , two , three , four , --, plus , minus , multiply , divide , overflow , item count , etc ., rom r2 stores coded boy &# 39 ; s voice data expressing the same word group as r1 , rom r3 stores coded female voice data expressing the same word group as r1 , and rom r4 stores coded girl &# 39 ; s voice data expressing the same word group as r1 . cr is the voice control section consisting of address counters etc . for making access to voice rom &# 39 ; s r1 , r2 , r3 and r4 , and to pick up of the voice data expressing each word such zero , one , two , three , --, etc . mentioned above , cr decodes , corresponding to the decode data from rom decoder c , the voice data expressing which word should be generated and , according to the result of the decision , accesses the voice rom &# 39 ; s r1 through r4 respectively , to have these rom &# 39 ; s output the same voice digital data respectively . for example in the case where the word &# 34 ; one &# 34 ; is to be generated , cr has the voice rom r1 output male voice digital data , has the voice rom r2 output boy &# 39 ; s voice digital data , has the voice rom r3 output female voice digital data , and has the voice rom r4 output girl &# 39 ; s voice digital data , then has the gates g1 through g4 select which voice digital data of each digital data output at the same time should be passed through and through which voice should external communication be made . f1 , f2 , f3 and f4 are flip flops which are set and reset respectively by the decoded data from rom decoder c , and the output of each of these flip flops f1 through f4 is connected to the gates g1 through g4 to control these gates respectively . in other words , the gates g1 through g4 are all closed when the flip flops f1 through f4 are all reset and the voice digital data from the voice rom &# 39 ; s r1 through r4 are all cut off . and , when only the flip flop f1 is set , only the gate g1 is opened , and only the male voice digital data from the voice rom r1 is passed through the gate group and supplied to the or gate g5 . similarly when only the flip flop f2 is set , only the gate g2 is opened and only the boy &# 39 ; s voice digital data from the voice rom r2 is supplied to the or gate g5 , when only the flip flop f3 is set , only the gate 3 is opened and only female voice digital data from the voice rom r3 is supplied to the gate g5 , and when only the flip flop f4 is set , only the gate g4 is opened and the girl &# 39 ; s voice digital data from the voice rom r4 is supplied to the or gate g5 . the voice digital data that have passed through the or gate g5 are all supplied to the digital - analog converter da to be converted into voice analog data and , by way of the low - pass filter lp f and amplifier amp supplied to the loudspeader to generate the voice of each voice quality and at the same time , as the end signal e , applied from the or gate g5 to the voice control section cr to notify cr that the voice digital data of each word has been ended and to have cr stop reading from voice rom . in the electronic voice desk calculator according to this invention , it is possible , because of said configuration , to perform external announcement by using , properly a plural number of kinds of voices , each having a plural number of kind of voice qualities . next , for the operator of the electronic desk calculator to select an arbitrarily desired voice and have the invented electronic voice desk calculator perform external announcement , he should first turn on the switch sw1 on the keyboard kb . the control circuit cc detects the on state of the switch sw1 and informs rom a of this fact . rom a issues an instruction to set the flip flop f1 , the rom decoder decodes the instruction and sets the flip flop f . when the flip flop f1 is set , the gate g1 is opened and only the male voice digital data from the voice rom r1 is passed through the gate g1 and male voice is spoken from the loudspeaker sp . similarly , when the switch sw2 on the keyboard kb is turned on , the flip flop f2 is set , the boy &# 39 ; s voice digital data is selected from the voice rom r2 , and , when the switch sw3 is turned on , the female voice digital data is selected from the voice rom r3 , and further , when the switch sw4 is turned on , the girl &# 39 ; s voice digital data is selected from the voice rom r4 . in this way , the operator of the electronic desk calculator is enabled to select desired voice at will by , for example , turning on the switch sw3 if the desires female voice . next , in order to announce positive numerical data by male voice and negative numerical data by female voice , first various kinds of arithmetic processings are performed in the arithmetic section cpu and when the result obtained is a positive numerical value , the cpu informs the control circuit cc that the result of the arithmetic operation is &# 34 ; positive &# 34 ;. the control cc directs rom a to output instruction to set the flip flop f1 , an instruction to set the flip flop f1 is output from rom a , the flip flop f1 is set , and the positive numerical data is announced by the male voice from the voice rom r1 . on the other hand , when the result of the arithmetic operation is a negative numerical data , an instruction to set the flip flop f3 is output and female voice is generated . the decision whether the result of the arithmetic operation is positive or negative , is made by normal arithmetic processing of electronic computer and can be realized by well known technique . moreover , the discrimination between the registration data and the data about the result of arithmetic operation is also a well known technique . the arithmetic section cpu discriminates between registration data and the data about the result of arithmetic operation , sets the flip flop f1 when speaking out the registration data , sets the flip flop f3 when speaking out the result of arithmetic operation . as a result the registration data is communicated by male voice and the result of arithmetic operation is communicated by female voice and each can be spoken out clearly differently . next , the discrimination between the number of item counts and other numerical data can be made easily , and speaking out distinctively normal data about arithmetic operation and the result of arithmetic operation which has overflown , or overflow state can be realized by well known technique similar to the ones described above . further , it is also possible to distinguish normal numerical data , time data , and large numerical data by the digit positions , and to distinguish between numerical data and the function key data such as + ( plus ) and - ( minus ). as is clear from the description given so far , according to this invention the operator of the electronic desk calculator is enabled to select by himself a voice having the most understandable voice quality arbitrarily and establish announcement by voice , and to have the electronic desk calculator cast by using distinctively different kind of voices for example , the male voice and female voice and by distinguishing between an important data and less important data and to increase drastically the functions of electronic voice desk calculator compared with the conventional ones .	6
the invention is related to and describes the methods relating to discoveries surrounding increased tissue copper and mechanisms leading to tissue damage , including nerve and vascular damage , for example , diabetic nerve and / or vascular damage . it is believed , without wishing to be bound by any particular mechanism or theory of operation or effectiveness , that tissue accumulation of trace metals plays a role in the mechanisms of tissue damage in diabetes as well as in other disorders , diseases , and conditions as set forth or referenced or suggested herein . histological evidence from experiments showed that six months of treatment with trientine appears to protect the hearts of diabetic wistar rats from development of diabetic damage ( cardiomyopathy ) as judged by histology . the doses of trientine required for copper and iron to be excreted in the urine have also been investigated , for example , as well as possible differences between the excretion of these metals in diabetic and nondiabetic animals . for example , the excretion profiles of copper and iron in the urine of normal and diabetic rats were compared after acute intravenous administration of increasing doses of trientine . additionally , it was ascertained whether acute intravenous administration of trientine has acute adverse cardiovascular side effects . methods used in the experimentals were as follows . male wistar rats ( n = 28 , 303 ± 2 . 9 g ) were divided randomly into diabetic and nondiabetic groups . following induction of anesthesia ( 5 % halothane and 2 l · min − 1 o 2 ), animals in the diabetic group received a single intravenous dose of streptozotocin ( stz , 55 mg · kg − 1 body weight , sigma ; st . louis , mo .) in 0 . 5 ml saline administered via the tail vein . nondiabetic animals received an equivalent volume of saline . following injection , both diabetic and nondiabetic rats were housed in like - pairs and provided with access to normal rat chow ( diet 86 pellets ; new zealand stock feeds , auckland , nz ) and deionized water ad libitum . blood glucose and body weight were measure at day 3 following stz / saline injection and then weekly throughout the study . diabetes was identified by polydipsia , polyuria and hyperglycemia (& gt ; 11 mmol · l − 1 , advantage ii , roche diagnostics , nz ltd ). six to seven weeks ( mean = 44 ± 1 days ) after administration of stz , animals underwent either a control or drug experimental protocol . all animals were fasted overnight prior to surgery but continued to have ad libitum access to deionized water . induction and maintenance of surgical anesthesia was by 3 - 5 % halothane and 2 l · min − 1 o 2 . the femoral artery and vein were cannulated with a solid - state blood pressure transducer ( mikrotip ™ 1 . 4f , millar instruments , texas , usa ) and a saline filled pe 50 catheter respectively . the ureters were exposed via a midline abdominal incision , cannulated using polyethylene catheters ( external diameter 0 . 9 mm , internal diameter 0 . 5 mm ) and the wound sutured closed . the trachea was cannulated and the animal ventilated at 70 - 80 breaths · min − 1 with air supplemented with o 2 ( pressure controlled ventilator , kent scientific , connecticut , usa ). the respiratory rate and end - tidal pressure ( 10 - 15 cm h 2 o ) were adjusted to maintain end - tidal co 2 at 35 - 40 mm hg ( sc - 300 co 2 monitor , pryon corporation , wisconsin , usa ). body temperature was maintained at 37 ° c . throughout surgery and the experiment by a heating pad . estimated fluid loss was replaced with intravenous administration of 154 mmol · l − 1 nacl solution at a rate of 5 ml · kg − 1 · h − 1 . following surgery and a 20 min stabilization period , the experimental protocol was started . trientine was administered intravenously over 60 s in hourly doses of increasing concentration ( 0 . 1 , 1 . 0 , 10 and 100 mg · kg − 1 in 75 μl saline followed by 125 μl saline flush ). control animals received an equivalent volume of saline . urine was collected in 15 min aliquots throughout the experiment in pre - weighed polyethylene epindorph tubes . at the end of the experiment a terminal blood sample was taken by cardiac puncture and the separated serum stored at − 80 ° c . until future analysis . hearts were removed through a rapid mid - sternal thoracotomy and processed as described below . mean arterial pressure ( map ), heart rate ( hr , derived from the map waveform ) oxygen saturation ( nonin 8600v pulse oximeter , nonin medical inc ., minnesota , usa ) and core body temperature , were all continuously monitored throughout the experiment using a powerlab / 16s data acquisition module ( ad instruments , australia ). calibrated signals were displayed on screen and saved to disc as 2 s averages of each variable . instrumentation : a perkin elmer ( pe ) model 3100 atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with a pe hga - 600 graphite furnace and pe as - 60 furnace autosampler was used for cu and fe determinations in urine . deuterium background correction was employed . a cu or fe hollow - cathode lamp ( perkin elmer corporation ) was used and operated at either 10 w ( cu ) or 15 w ( fe ). the 324 . 8 nm atomic line was used for cu and the 248 . 3 nm atomic line for fe . the slit width for both cu and fe was 0 . 7 nm . pyrolytically coated graphite tubes were used for all analyses . the injection volume was 20 μl . a typical graphite furnace temperature program is shown below . * a pre - treatment temperature of 1050 ° c . was used for tissue digest analyses cu , fe and zn in tissue digests were also determined at hill laboratories ( hamilton , new zealand ) using either a pe sciex elan - 6000 or pe sciex elan - 6100 drc icp - ms . the operating parameters are summarized in the table below . reagents : all reagents used were of the highest purity available and at least of analytical grade . gf - aas standard working solutions of cu and fe were prepared by stepwise dilution of 1000 mg · l − 1 ( spectrosol standard solutions ; bdh ). water was purified by a millipore milli - q ultra - pure water system to a resistivity of 18 mω . standard reference material 1577b bovine liver was obtained from the national institute of standards and technology and used to evaluate the efficiency of tissue digestion . the results obtained are reported below . urine : urine was collected in pre - weighed 1 . 5 ml micro test tubes ( eppendorf ). after reweighing , the urine specimens were centrifuged and the supernatant diluted 25 : 1 with 0 . 02 m 69 % aristar grade hno 3 . the sample was stored at 4 ° c . prior to gf - aas analysis . if it was necessary to store a sample for a period in excess of 2 weeks , it was frozen and kept at − 20 ° c . heart : following removal from the animal , the heart was cleaned of excess tissue , rinsed in buffer to remove excess blood , blotted dry and a wet ventricular weight recorded . using titanium instruments a segment of left ventricular muscle was dissected and placed in a pre - weighed 5 . 0 ml polystyrene tube . the sample was freeze - dried overnight to constant weight before 0 . 45 ml of 69 % aristar grade hno 3 was added . the sample tube was heated in a water bath at 65 ° c . for 60 minutes . the sample was brought to 4 . 5 ml with milli - q h 2 o . the resulting solution was diluted 2 : 1 in order to reduce the hno 3 concentration below the maximum permitted for icp - ms analysis . serum : terminal blood samples were centrifuged and serum treated and stored as per urine until analysis . from the trace metal content of serum from the terminal blood sample and urine collected over the final hour of the experiment , renal clearance was calculated using the following equation : renal clearance of trace metal =( a ) the concentration of metal in urine ( μg · μl − 1 ) times ( b ) the rate of urine flow ( μl · min − 1 ), divided by ( c ) the concentration of metal in serum ( μg · μl − 1 ) statistical analyses were as follows : all values are expressed as mean ± sem and p values & lt ; 0 . 05 were considered statistically significant . student &# 39 ; s unpaired t - test was initially used to test for weight and glucose differences between the diabetic and control groups . for comparison of responses during drug exposure , statistical analyses were performed using analysis of variance ( statistica for windows v . 6 . 1 , sas institute inc ., calfornia , usa ). subsequent statistical analysis was performed using a mixed model repeated measures anova design . statistical analysis using a mixed linear model : data for each dose level were analyzed using a mixed linear model ( proc mixed ; sas , version 8 ). the model included diabetes , drug and their interaction as fixed effects , time as a repeated measure , and rats as the subjects in the dataset . complete independence is assumed across subjects . the full model was fitted to each dataset using a maximum likelihood estimation method ( reml ) fits mixed linear models ( i . e ., fixed and random effects models ). a mixed model is a generalization of the standard linear model , the generalization being that you can analyse data generated from several sources of variation instead of just one . a level of significance of 0 . 05 was used for all tests . the results were as follows . effects of stz on blood glucose and body weight ( table 1 ): blood glucose increased to 25 ± 2 mmol · l − 1 ′ three days following stz injection . despite a greater daily food intake , diabetic animals lost weight whilst nondiabetic animals continued to gain weight during the 44 days following stz / saline injection . on the day of the experiment blood glucose levels were 24 ± 1 and 5 ± 0 mmol · l − 1 and body weight 264 ± 7 g and 434 ± 9 g for diabetic and nondiabetic animals respectively . cardiovascular variables during infusion : baseline levels of map during the control period prior to infusion were not significantly different between nondiabetic and diabetic animals ( 99 ± 4 mm hg ). hr was significantly lower in diabetic than nondiabetic animals ( 287 ± 11 and 364 ± 9 bpm respectively , p & lt ; 0 . 001 ). infusion of trientine or saline had no effect on these variables except at the highest dose where map decreased by a maximum of 19 ± 4 mm hg for the 2 min following administration and returned to pre - dose levels within 10 min . body temperature and oxygen saturation remained stable in all animals throughout the experiment . urine excretion : diabetic animals consistently excreted significantly more urine than nondiabetic animals except in response to the highest dose of drug ( 100 mg · kg − 1 ) or equivalent volume of saline ( fig1 ). administration of the 100 mg · kg − 1 dose of trientine also increased urine excretion in nondiabetic animals to greater than that of nondiabetic animals receiving the equivalent volume of saline ( fig1 ). this effect was not seen in diabetic animals . urinary excretion of cu and fe : analysis of the dose response curves shows that , at all doses , diabetic and nondiabetic animals receiving drug excreted more cu than animals receiving an equivalent volume of saline ( fig1 ). to provide some correction for the effects of lesser total body growth of the diabetic animals , and thus to allow more appropriate comparison between diabetic and nondiabetic animals , excretion rates of trace elements were also calculated per gram of body weight . fig1 shows that diabetic animals had significantly greater copper excretion per gram of body weight in response to each dose of drug than did nondiabetic animals . the same pattern was seen in response to saline , however the effect was not always significant . total copper excreted over the entire duration of the experiment was significantly increased in both nondiabetic and diabetic animals administered trientine compared with their respective saline controls ( fig2 ). diabetic animals receiving drug also excreted more total copper per gram of body weight than nondiabetic animals receiving drug . the same significant trend was seen in response to saline administration ( fig2 ). in comparison , iron excretion in both diabetic and nondiabetic animals receiving trientine was not greater than animals receiving an equivalent volume of saline ( fig2 ). analysis per gram of body weight shows diabetic animals receiving saline excrete significantly more iron than nondiabetic animals , however this trend was not evident between diabetic and nondiabetic animals receiving trientine ( fig2 ). total iron excretion in both diabetic and nondiabetic animals receiving drug was not different from animals receiving saline ( fig2 ). in agreement with analysis of dose response curves , total iron excretion per gram of body weight was significantly greater in diabetic animals receiving saline than nondiabetic animals but this difference was not seen in response to trientine ( fig2 ). serum content and renal clearance of cu and fe ( table 2 ): while there was no significant difference in serum copper content , there was a significant increase in renal clearance of copper in diabetic animals receiving drug compared with diabetic animals receiving saline . the same pattern was seen in nondiabetic animals , although the trend was not statistically significant ( p = 0 . 056 ). there was no effect of drug or state ( diabetic versus nondiabetic ) on serum content or renal clearance of iron . metal content of cardiac tissue ( table 3 ): wet heart weights in diabetic animals were significantly less than those in nondiabetic animals while heart / body weight ratios were increased . in some animals cardiac tissue was also analyzed for cu and fe content . there was no significant difference in content of copper between diabetic and nondiabetic animals receiving saline or trientine . iron content of the non - diabetic animals administered saline was significantly greater than that of the diabetic animals administered saline . copper : diabetic rats excreted significantly higher levels of copper across all dose levels . baseline copper excretion was also significantly higher in diabetic rats compared to and prior to drug administration . the drug resulted in a significantly higher excretion of copper compared to saline at all dose levels . there was no difference at baseline levels between the drug and saline groups . the interaction effect for the model was significant at dose levels of 1 . 0 mg · kg − 1 and above . the presence of a significant interaction term means that the influence of one effect varies with the level of the other effect . therefore , the outcome of a significant interaction between the diabetes and drug factors is increased copper excretion above the predicted additive effects of these two factors . iron : diabetic rats in the saline only group excreted significantly higher levels of iron at all dose levels . this resulted in all factors in the model being significant across all dose levels . in sum , the acute effect of intravenous trientine administration on the cardiovascular system and urinary excretion of copper and iron was studied in anesthetized , diabetic ( 6 weeks of diabetes , streptozotocin induced ) and nondiabetic rats . animals were assigned to one of four groups : diabetic + trientine , diabetic + saline , nondiabetic + trientine , nondiabetic + saline . drug , or an equivalent volume of saline , was administered hourly in doses of increasing strength ( 0 . 1 , 1 . 0 , 10 , 100 mg · kg − 1 ) and urine was collected throughout the experiment in 15 min aliquots . a terminal blood sample was taken and cardiac tissue harvested . analysis of urine samples showed the following main points : at all drug doses , diabetic and nondiabetic animals receiving drug excreted more cu ( μg ) than animals receiving an equivalent volume of saline . when analyzed per gram of bodyweight , diabetic animals excreted significantly more copper ( μg · gbw − 1 ) at each dose of trientine than did nondiabetic animals . the same pattern was seen in response to saline but the effect was not significant at every dose . at most doses , in diabetic animals iron excretion ( μg ) was greater in animals administered saline than in those administered drug . in nondiabetic animals there was no difference between iron excretion in response to saline or trientine administration . analysis per gram of body weight shows no difference between iron excretion in nondiabetic and diabetic animals receiving trientine . diabetic animals receiving saline excrete more iron per gram of bodyweight than nondiabetic animals receiving saline . analysis of heart tissue showed no significant difference in total copper content between diabetic and nondiabetic animals , nor any effect of drug on cardiac content of iron and copper . renal clearance calculations showed a significant increase in clearance of copper in diabetic animals receiving trientine compared with diabetic animals receiving saline . the same trend was seen in nondiabetic animals but the affect was not significant . there was no affect of trientine on renal clearance of iron . thus , there were no adverse cardiovascular effects were observed after acute administration of trientine . trientine treatment effectively increases copper excretion in both diabetic and nondiabetic animals . the excretion of copper in urine following trientine administration is greater per gram of bodyweight in diabetic than in nondiabetic animals . iron excretion was not increased by trientine treatment in either diabetic or nondiabetic animals . experiments relating to the efficacy of trientine to restore cardiac function in stz diabetic rats were also carried out . as noted above , histological evidence from earlier studies showed that treatment with trientine appears to protect the hearts of diabetic wistar rats from development of cardiac damage ( diabetic cardiomyopathy ), as judged by histology . however , it was unknown whether this histological improvement translates into an improvement in cardiac function . one aim of this study was to use an isolated - working - rodent heart model to compare cardiac function in trientine - treated and non - treated , stz diabetic and normal rats . male albino wistar rats weighing 330 - 430 g were assigned to four experimental groups as follows : d7 = trientine treatment for 7 consecutive weeks commencing 6 weeks after the start of the experiment . diabetes was induced by intravenous streptozotocin ( stz ; sigma ; st . louis , mo .). all rats were given a short inhalational anaesthetic ( induction : 5 % halothane and 2 l / min oxygen , maintained on 2 % halothane and 2 l / min oxygen ). those in the two diabetic groups then received a single intravenous bolus dose of stz ( 57 mg / kg body weight ) in 0 . 5 ml of 0 . 9 % saline administered via a tail vein . non - diabetic sham - treated animals received an equivalent volume of 0 . 9 % saline . diabetic and non - diabetic rats were housed in like - pairs and provided with free access to normal rat chow ( diet 86 pellets ; new zealand stock feeds , auckland , nz ) and deionized water ad libitum . each cage had two water bottles on it to ensure equal access to water or drug for each animal . animals were housed at 21 degrees and 60 % humidity in standard rat cages with a sawdust floor that was changed daily . blood glucose was measured in tail - tip capillary blood samples ( advantage ii , roche diagnostics , nz ltd ). sampling was performed on all groups at the same time of the day . blood glucose and body weight were measured on day 3 following stz / saline injection and then weekly throughout the study . diabetes was confirmed by presence of polydipsia , polyuria and hyperglycemia (& gt ; 11 mmol · l − 1 ). in the drug treated diabetic group , trientine was prepared in the drinking water for each cage at a concentration of 50 mg / l . each animal consumed about 260 ml water per day once diabetes was established , to yield a total drug dose per animal per day of ˜ 13 mg / kg . the trientine - containing drinking water was administered continuously from the start of week 7 until the animal was sacrificed at the end of week 13 . in the case of the sham / d7 non - diabetic group that drank less water per day than diabetic animals , the drug concentration in their drinking water was adjusted each week so that they consumed approximately the same dose as the corresponding stz / d7 group . at the time the drug started in the diabetic group the diabetic animals were expected to have to have established cardiomyopathy , as shown by preliminary studies ( data not shown ) and confirmed in the literature . see rodrigues b , et al ., diabetes 37 ( 10 ): 1358 - 64 ( 1988 ). on the last day of the experiment , animals were anesthetized ( 5 % halothane and 2 l · min − 1 o 2 ), and heparin ( 500 iu · kg − 1 ) ( weddel pharmaceutical ltd ., london ) administered intravenously via tail vein . a 2 ml blood sample was then taken from the inferior vena cava and the heart was then rapidly excised and immersed in ice - cold krebs - henseleit bicarbonate buffer to arrest contractile activity . hearts were then placed in the isolated perfused working heart apparatus . the aortic root of the heart was immediately ligated to the aortic cannula of the perfusion apparatus . retrograde ( langendorff ) perfusion at a hydrostatic pressure of 100 cm h 2 o and at 37 ° c . was established and continued for 5 min while cannulation of the left atrium via the pulmonary vein was completed . the non - working ( langendorff ) preparation was then converted to the working heart model by switching the supply of perfusate buffer from the aorta to the left atrium at a filling pressure of 10 cm h 2 o . the left ventricle spontaneously ejected into the aortic cannula against a hydrostatic pressure ( after - load ) of 76 cm h 2 o ( 55 . 9 mm hg ). the perfusion solution was krebs - henseleit bicarbonate buffer ( mm : kcl 4 . 7 , cacl 2 2 . 3 , kh 2 po 4 1 . 2 , mgso 4 1 . 2 , nacl 118 , and nahco 3 25 ), ph 7 . 4 containing 11 mm glucose and it was continuously gassed with 95 % o 2 : 5 % co 2 . the buffer was also continuously filtered in - line ( initial 8 μm , following 0 . 4 μm cellulose acetate filters ; sartorius , germany ). the temperature of the entire perfusion apparatus was maintained by water jackets and buffer temperature was continuously monitored and adjusted to maintain hearts at 37 ° c . throughout perfusion . a modified 24 g plastic intravenous cannula ( becton dickson , utah , usa ) was inserted into the left ventricle via the apex of the heart using the normal introducer - needle . this cannula was subsequently attached to a sp844 piezo - electric pressure transducer ( ad instruments ) to continuously monitor left ventricular pressure . aortic pressure was continuously monitored through a side arm of the aortic cannula with a pressure transducer ( statham model p23xl , gould inc ., ca , usa ). the heart was paced ( digitimer ltd , heredfordshire , england ) at a rate of 300 bpm by means of electrodes attached to the aortic and pulmonary vein cannulae using supra - threshold voltages with pulses of 5 - ms duration from the square wave generator . aortic flow was recorded by an in - line flow meter ( transonic t206 , ithaca , n . y ., usa ) and coronary flow was measured by timed 30 sec collection of the coronary vein effluent at each time point step of the protocol . the working heart apparatus used was a variant of that originally described by neely , j r , et al ., am j physiol 212 : 804 - 14 ( 1967 ). the modified apparatus allowed measurements of cardiac function at different pre - load pressures ( fig1 and fig1 ). this was achieved by constructing the apparatus so that the inflow height of the buffer coming to the heart could be altered through a series of graduated steps in a reproducible manner . as in the case of the pre - load , the outflow tubing from the aorta could also be increased in height to provide a series of defined after - load pressures . the after - load heights have been converted to mm hg for presentation in the results which is in keeping with published convention . all data from the pressure transducers and flow probe were collected ( powerlab 16s data acquisition machine ; ad instruments , australia ). the data processing functions of this device were used to calculate the first derivative of the two pressure waves ( ventricular and aortic ). the final cardiac function data available comprised : cardiac output ; aortic flow ; coronary flow ; peak left ventricular / aortic pressure developed ; maximum rate of ventricular pressure development (+ dp / dt ); maximum rate of ventricular pressure relaxation (− dp / dt ); maximum rate of aortic pressure development ( aortic + dp / dt ); maximum rate of aortic relaxation ( aortic − dp / dt ). [ cardiac output ( co ) is the amount of buffer pumped per unit time by the heart and is comprised of buffer that is pumped out the aorta as well as the buffer pumped into the coronary vessels . this is an overall indicator of cardiac function . *+ dp / dt is the rate of change of ventricular ( or aortic pressure ) and correlates well with the strength of the contraction of the ventricle ( contractility ). it can be used to compare contractility abilities of different hearts when at the same pre - load ( textbook of medical physiology , ed . a . guyton . saunders company 1986 ). − dp / dt is an accepted measurement of the rate of relaxation of the ventricle ]. the experiment was divided into two parts , the first with fixed after - load and variable pre - load the second , which immediately followed on from the first , with fixed pre - load and variable after - load . fixed after - load and changing pre - load : after the initial cannulation was completed , the heart was initially allowed to equilibrate for 6 min at 10 cm h 2 o atrial filling pressure and 76 cm h 2 o after - load . during this period the left ventricular pressure transducer cannula was inserted and the pacing unit started . once the heart was stable , the atrial filling pressure was then reduced to 5 cm h 2 o of water and then progressively increased in steps of 2 . 5 cm h 2 o over a series of 7 steps to a maximum of 20 cm h 2 o . the pre - load was kept at each filling pressure for 2 min , during which time the pressure trace could be observed to stabilize and the coronary flow was measured . on completion of the variable pre - load experiment , the variable after - load portion of the experiment was immediately commenced . fixed pre - load and changing after - load : during this part of the experiment the filling pressure ( pre - load ) was set at 10 cm h 2 o and the after - load was then increased from 76 cm h 2 o ( 55 . 9 mm hg ) in steps of 8 cm h 2 o ( 5 . 88 mm hg ); again each step was of 2 min duration . the maximum height ( after - load ) to which each individual heart was ultimately exposed , was determined either by attainment of the maximal available after - load height of 145 cm h 2 o ( 106 . 66 mm hg ), or the height at which measured aortic flow became 0 ml / min . in the later situation , the heart was considered to have “ functionally failed .” to ensure that this failure was indeed functional and not due to other causes ( e . g ., permanent ischaemic or valvular damage ) all hearts were then returned to the initial perfusion conditions ( pre - load 10 cm h 2 o ; after - load 75 cm h 2 o ) for 4 minutes to confirm that pump function could be restored . at the end of this period the hearts were arrested with a retrograde infusion of 0 . 4 ml of cold kcl ( 24 mm ). the atria and vascular remnants were then excised , the heart blotted dry and weighed . the ventricles were incised midway between the apex and atrioventricular sulcus . measurements of the ventricular wall thickness were then made using a micro - caliper ( absolute digimatic , mitutoyo corp , japan ). data from the powerlab was extracted by averaging 1 min intervals from the stable part of the electronic trace generated from each step in the protocol . the results from each group were then combined and analyzed for differences between the groups for the various cardiac function parameters ( aortic flow , cardiac flow , mlvdp , lv or aortic +/− dp / dt ). differences between repeated observations at different pre - load conditions were explored and contrasted between study group using a mixed models approach to repeated measures ( sas v8 . 1 , sas institute inc , cary n . c .). missing random data were imputed using a maximum likelihood approach . significant mean and interaction effects were further examined using the method of tukey to maintain a pairwise 5 % error rate for post hoc tests . all tests were two - tailed . survival analysis was done using proc liftest ( sas v8 . 2 ). a one - way analysis of variance was used to test for difference between groups in various weight parameters . tukey &# 39 ; s tests were used to compare each group with each other . in each graph unless otherwise stated . indicates p & lt ; 0 . 05 = stz v stz / d7 , #. p & lt ; 0 . 05 = stz / d7 v sham / d7 . results showing that the weights of the animals at the end of the experimental period are found in table 4 . diabetic animals were about 50 % smaller than their corresponding age matched normals . a graph of the percentage change in weight for each experimental group is found in fig5 , wherein the arrow indicates the start of trientine treatment . blood glucose values for the three groups of rats are presented in fig6 . generally , the presence of diabetes was established and confirmed within 3 - 5 days following the stz injection . the sham and sham / d7 control group remained normoglycemic throughout the experiment . treatment with the drug made no difference to the blood glucose profile ( p = ns ) in either treated group compared to their respective appropriate untreated comparison group . final heart weight and ventricular wall thickness measurements are presented in table 5 . there was a small but significant improvement in the “ heart : body weight ” ratio with treatment in the diabetic animals . there was a trend toward improved “ ventricular wall thickness : bodyweight ” ratio in treated diabetics compared to non - treated but this did not reach significance . part i results : the following graphs of fig7 to 12 represent cardiac performance parameters of the animals ( stz diabetic ; stz diabetic + drug ; and sham - treated controls ) while undergoing increasing atrial filling pressure ( 5 - 20 cm h 2 o , pre - load ) with a constant after - load of 75 cm h 2 o . all results are mean ± sem . in each graph for clarity unless otherwise stated , only significant differences related to the stz / d7 the other groups are shown : * indicates p & lt ; 0 . 05 for stz v stz / d7 , # p & lt ; 0 . 05 for stz / d7 v sham / d7 . unless stated , stz / d7 v sham or sham / d7 was not significant . cardiac output ( fig7 ) is the sum to the aortic flow ( fig1 ) and the coronary flow as displayed in fig8 . since the control hearts and experimental groups have significantly different final weights , the coronary flow is also presented ( fig9 ) as the flow normalized to heart weight ( note that coronary flow is generally proportional to cardiac muscle mass , and therefore to cardiac weight ) the first derivative of the pressure curve gives the rate of change in pressure development in the ventricle with each cardiac cycle and the maximum positive rate of change (+ dp / dt ) value is plotted in fig1 . the corresponding maximum rate of relaxation (− dp / dt ) is in fig1 . similar results showing improvement in cardiac function were found from the data derived from the aortic pressure cannula ( results not shown ). under conditions for constant pre - load and increasing after - load the ability of the hearts to cope with additional after - load work was assessed . the plot of functional survival , that is the remaining number of hearts at each after - load that still had an aortic output of greater than 0 ml / min is found in fig1 and table 6 . treatment with trientine had no obvious effect on blood glucose concentrations in the two diabetic groups ( as expected ). there was a small but significant improvement in the ( heart weight )/( body weight ) ratio in the trientine - treated diabetic group compared to that of the untreated diabetic group . when the pre - load was increased with the after - load held constant , cardiac output was restored to sham values . both the aortic and absolute coronary flows improved in the drug treated group . indicators for ventricular contraction and relaxation were both significantly improved in the drug treated group compared to equivalent values in the untreated diabetic group . the improvement restored function to such an extent that there was no significant difference between the drug treated and the sham - treated control groups . the aortic transducer measures of pressure change also showed improved function in the drug treated diabetic group compared to the untreated diabetics ( data not shown ). when after - load was increased in the presence of constant pre - load , it was observed that the heart &# 39 ; s ability to function at higher after - loads was greatly improved in the drug treated diabetic group compared to the untreated diabetic group . when 50 % of the untreated diabetic hearts had failed , about 90 % of the trientine treated diabetic hearts were still functioning . compared to the untreated diabetic hearts , the response of the drug treated diabetic hearts showed significant improvements in several variables : cardiac output , aortic flow , coronary flow , as well as improved ventricular contraction and relaxation indices . drug treatment of normal animals had no adverse effects on cardiac performance . it is concluded that treatment of stz diabetic rats with trientine dramatically improves several measures of cardiac function . it is also concluded that administration of oral trientine for 7 weeks in wistar rats with previously established diabetes of 6 weeks duration resulted in a global improvement in cardiac function . this improvement was demonstrated by improved contractile function (; + dp / dt ) and a reduction in ventricular stiffness (− dp / dt ). the overall ability of the trientine treated diabetic heart to tolerate increasing after - load was also substantially improved . therapeutic formulations for use in the methods and preparation of the compositions of the present invention can be prepared by any methods well known in the art of pharmacy . see , for example , gilman et al . ( eds .) g oodman and g ilman &# 39 ; s : t he p harmacological b ases of t herapeutics ( 8th ed .) pergamon press ( 1990 ); and remington , t he s cience of p ractice and p harmacy , 20th edition . ( 2001 ) mack publishing co ., easton , pa . ; avis et al . ( eds .) ( 1993 ) p harmaceutical d osage f orms : p arenteral m edications dekker , n . y . ; lieberman et al . ( eds .) ( 1990 ) p harmaceutical d osage f orms : t ablets dekker , n . y . ; and lieberman et al . ( eds .) ( 1990 ) p harmaceutical d osage f orms : d isperse s ystems dekker , n . y . dosage forms useful herein include any appropriate dosage form well known in the art to be suitable for pharmaceutical formulation of compounds suitable for administration to mammals particularly humans , particularly ( although not solely ) those suitable for stabilization in solution of therapeutic compounds for administration to mammals preferably humans . the dosage forms of the invention thus include any appropriate dosage form now known or later discovered in the art to be suitable for pharmaceutical formulation of compounds suitable for administration to mammals particularly humans , particularly ( although not solely ) those suitable for stabilization in solution of compounds for administration to mammals preferably humans . one example is oral delivery forms of tablet , capsule , lozenge , or the like form , or any liquid form such as syrups , aqueous solutions , emulsion and the like , capable of protecting the compound from degradation prior to eliciting an effect , for example , in the alimentary canal if an oral dosage form . examples of dosage forms for transdermal delivery include transdermal patches , transdermal bandages , and the like . included within the topical dosage forms are any lotion , stick , spray , ointment , paste , cream , gel , etc ., whether applied directly to the skin or via an intermediary such as a pad , patch or the like . examples of dosage forms for suppository delivery include any solid or other dosage form to be inserted into a bodily orifice ( particularly those inserted rectally , vaginally and urethrally ). examples of dosage units for transmucosal delivery include depositories , solutions for enemas , pessaries , tampons , creams , gels , pastes , foams , nebulised solutions , powders and similar formulations containing in addition to the active ingredients such carriers as are known in the art to be appropriate . examples of dosage units for depot administration include pellets or small cylinders of active agent or solid forms wherein the active agent is entrapped in a matrix of biodegradable polymers , microemulsions , liposomes or is microencapsulated . examples of implantable infusion devices include any solid form in which the active agent is encapsulated within or dispersed throughout a biodegradable polymer or synthetic , polymer such as silicone , silicone rubber , silastic or similar polymer . alternatively dosage forms for infusion devices may employ liposome delivery systems . depending on the disease to be treated and the subject &# 39 ; s condition , the compounds of the present invention may be administered by oral , parenteral ( for example , intramuscular , intraperitoneal , intravenous , icv , intracisternal injection or infusion , subcutaneous injection , or implant ), by inhalation spray , nasal , vaginal , rectal , sublingual , or topical routes of administration and may be formulated , alone or together , in suitable dosage unit formulations containing conventional non - toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carriers , adjuvants and vehicles appropriate for each route of administration . the pharmaceutical composition and method of the present invention may further comprise other therapeutically active compounds as noted herein which are usually applied in the treatment of the above mentioned conditions . in the treatment or prevention of conditions which require copper modulation an appropriate dosage level will generally be about 0 . 001 to 100 mg per kg patient body weight per day which can be administered in single or multiple doses . preferably , the dosage level will be about 0 . 01 to about 25 mg / kg per day ; more preferably about 0 . 05 to about 10 mg / kg per day . a suitable dosage level may be about 0 . 01 to 25 mg / kg per day , about 0 . 05 to 10 mg / kg per day , or about 0 . 1 to 5 mg / kg per day . within this range the dosage may be about 0 . 005 to about 0 . 05 , 0 . 05 to 0 . 5 or 0 . 5 to 5 mg / kg per day . for oral administration , the compositions are preferably provided in the form of tablets containing about 1 to 1000 milligrams of the active ingredient , particularly about 1 , 5 , 10 , 15 , 20 , 25 , 50 , 75 , 100 , 150 , 200 , 250 , 300 , 400 , 500 , 600 , 750 , 800 , 900 , and 1000 milligrams of the active ingredient for the symptomatic adjustment of the dosage to the patient to be treated . the compounds may be administered on a regimen of 1 to 4 times per day , preferably once or twice per day . it will be understood , however , that the specific dose level and frequency of dosage for any particular patient may be varied and will depend upon a variety of factors including the activity of the specific compound employed , the metabolic stability and length of action of that compound , the age , body weight , general health , sex , diet , mode and time of administration , rate of excretion , drug combination , the severity of the particular condition , and the host undergoing therapy . the compounds of the present invention can be combined with other compounds having related utilities to prevent and treat tissue damage or excess tissue copper . all patents , publications , scientific articles , web sites , and other documents and materials referenced or mentioned herein are indicative of the levels of skill of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains , and each such referenced document and material is hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if it had been incorporated by reference in its entirety individually or set forth herein in its entirety . applicants reserve the right to physically incorporate into this specification any and all materials and information from any such patents , publications , scientific articles , web sites , electronically available information , and other referenced materials or documents . the specific methods and compositions described herein are representative of preferred embodiments and are exemplary and not intended as limitations on the scope of the invention . other objects , aspects , and embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of this specification , and are encompassed within the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the claims . it will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that varying substitutions and modifications may be made to the invention disclosed herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the invention illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element or elements , or limitation or limitations , which is not specifically disclosed herein as essential . thus , for example , in each instance herein , in embodiments or examples of the present invention , any of the terms “ comprising ”, “ consisting essentially of ”, and “ consisting of ” may be replaced with either of the other two terms in the specification . as used herein the term “ and / or ” means both “ and ” and “ or ”. as used herein the addition of “( s )” as part of a word embraced both the singular and plural of that word . also , the terms “ comprising ”, “ including ”, containing ”, etc . are to be read expansively and without limitation . the methods and processes illustratively described herein suitably may be practiced in differing orders of steps , and that they are not necessarily restricted to the orders of steps indicated herein or in the claims . it is also that as used herein and in the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” include plural reference unless the context clearly dictates otherwise . under no circumstances may the patent be interpreted to be limited to the specific examples or embodiments or methods specifically disclosed herein . under no circumstances may the patent be interpreted to be limited by any statement made by any examiner or any other official or employee of the patent and trademark office unless such statement is specifically and without qualification or reservation expressly adopted in a responsive writing by applicants . the terms and expressions that have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intent in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude any equivalent of the features shown and described or portions thereof , but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention as claimed . thus , it will be understood that although the present invention has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments and optional features , modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed may be resorted to by those skilled in the art , and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims . the invention has been described broadly and generically herein . each of the narrower species and subgeneric groupings falling within the generic disclosure also form part of the invention . this includes the generic description of the invention with a proviso or negative limitation removing any subject matter from the genus , regardless of whether or not the excised material is specifically recited herein . other embodiments are within the following claims . in addition , where features or aspects of the invention are described in terms of markush groups , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the markush group .	0
with reference to the drawings , embodiments of a system 10 , 110 incorporate a new way of thinking about how arbitrary devices or clients are incorporated into computer systems . this has led to the implementation of a system that allows , for example , an application on a distant or remote computer 13 , 113 to create a graphical user interface ( gui ) on a ( remote ) display 16 , 116 device and to handle the interactions with a person using the device 11 , 111 on which the display is located . one of the most basic problems in the construction of large systems concerns communication networks . systems that involve only a single computer are much easier to design and understand than systems that involve interactions between autonomous execution environments . an understanding of single computer design does not scale simply into an understanding of distributed system design . when thinking about any computer system , there are some questions whose answers are often enlightening : a system that has clear answers to these questions has a chance of working in a production environment . unfortunately , few of the large systems built so far satisfy this condition . instead : data is stored in databases , separate from the “ application ” and in a form that must be transformed when it crosses the boundary between the database and the rest of the system . pieces of application logic are scattered around the system , from database tables to application servers to clients . it is perceived as desirable to be able to create a mechanism that will allow interaction with arbitrary devices connected to a remote computer via a network using as little bandwidth as possible . in particular , it is desirable to be able to allow interaction between control applications on the remote computer and a client such as : desirably the interactions should work over low bandwidth connections . in particular , it is desirable to use the system over a 9600 baud modem line ( the communication rate of current mobile phone networks ). desirably , the mechanism should be “ natural ” for application programmers to use . they should not have to learn about the details of how the devices communicate with the system . they should be able to make use of the capabilities of external devices without losing the idea that they are building a direct model of an application . details should not influence design . various embodiments of the present invention achieve one or more of these desired attributes , broadly speaking , by the adoption of an approach whereby both the remote computer ( server ) and client application agree to adopt a “ capability set definition library ”. the adoption of this library permits the communication between the computers of short codes which can trigger much higher level data manipulation and utilisation with reference to a specified member or members of the capability set definition library . the members of the capability set definition library can be chosen or formulated with a view to the volume of communication traffic comprising the codes which can be tolerated for any given application and the likely communications environment in which it is expected to operate . so , for example , a local intranet or network having a high band width and reliable communications system in place could be expected to tolerate a much higher volume of data comprising or relating to the codes than a system which may have to operate over low band width dial up modems or the like . the concept of a capability set definition library is defined more fully immediately below and by way of example provided by the various embodiments to be described in detail below . adoption of the concept of a common , agreed capability set definition library permits the remote computer or server application to influence the operation of the client application if not , in some circumstances , entirely control it . the server application is able to do this by , effectively , building a local model of the operation of the client application . local operation on the model leads to equivalent operations taking effect on the client application . in order to create a capability set definition library it is first necessary to determine the desired or actual functionality of a device and then define operations which can be invoked on the device or by the device to give effect to that desired functionality . each operation is , effectively , a “ capability ” of that device and can form a member of the capability set definition library for that device . in particular instances the operations will be very basic or primitive capabilities and will be a subset of the total functionality of the device . so , for example , for a display device , one whose primary function is to display , the primitives will be display primitives which , for example , can be defined at the level of a character , the level of a geometrical shape or , alternatively , can be defined mathematically as vectors . these primitives , when invoked and caused to display according to their particular capability will drive the total appearance of the display device . in alternative embodiments the operations can comprise combinations of primitives which build to form a higher level or more sophisticated or more complex capability . these operations thus identified to give effect to the desired functionality are placed into a library so as to form the capability set definition library . the preferred criteria for selecting members of a capability set definition library are as follows : 2 . what the client wants to do or is expected to do with that capability ; and 3 . the bandwidth of the communications channel and / or other characteristics of the communications channel such as , for example , latency . taking into account the criteria the members of a capability set definition library can then be formulated so as to ensure acceptable performance by the client application . with reference to fig1 there is illustrated in block diagram form a flexible , distributed system for computer interaction 10 according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention . in this case the system 10 comprises a device 11 which can communicate via communication channel 12 with a remote computer 13 . it is to be understood that both device 11 and remote computer 13 include computing means and memory within them ( not shown ) which permit the execution of software code . such code is most usually executed in the environment of an operating system operating on a computing hardware platform . example current operating systems include windows ™ 95 / 98 / ce / nt , unix , linux . example current hardware platforms include the intel series of microprocessors ( e . g . pentium ) and the motorola series of microprocessors . the system of this embodiment is not limited to operation on any particular hardware platform nor under any particular operating system . indeed it is expected that , most usually , the hardware platform of the remote computer 13 will differ from the hardware platform of the device 11 . similarly it is expected that , most usually , the operating system of remote computer 13 will differ from the operating system of device 11 . all that is required for operation of the system is a compatible communications protocol ( an example of which will be given in greater detail below ) to permit the transmission of data between remote computer 13 and device 11 . device 11 is adapted to run or execute via its computing means a client application 14 , the client application being able to reference a capability set definition library 15 also loaded or stored on device 11 . whilst device 11 can be almost any kind of device having a computing capability such as , currently but by no means exclusively , a personal computer , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a “ palmtop ” or hand held ( e . g . windows ce ) computer or a controller device operating or assisting the operation of devices such as mobile phones , lifts , industrial controllers ( e . g . plc &# 39 ; s ) and the like the device 11 will be exemplified with reference to fig2 as a personal digital assistant ( pda ) having a display screen 16 which can communicate with a user via a graphical user interface ( gui ). in the specific example of fig2 and 3 the pda device 11 is loaded with a gui client application 14 which is capable of drawing specific objects on screen 16 so as to provide a graphical user interface with a user of pda device 11 . the objects which can form part or all of the graphical user interface are defined in the capability set definition library 15 , in this instance being “ flow panel ”, “ text field ” and “ button ”. the remote computer 13 is adapted to run a control application 17 , in this case a “ gui control application ”, the source code for which is listed in fig3 . the source code includes commands which rely on definitions of objects to be found in capability set definition library 18 which , in this example , correspond directly with the object definitions to be found in capability set definition library 15 on pda device 11 . that is , definitions are to be found in the library for “ flow panel ”, “ text field ” and “ button ” and giving rise to the same graphical constructs as displayed in fig2 on screen 16 . lines 16 , 17 and 38 , 39 define the objects which form the model 20 used by the control application 17 . in this instance , and with reference to earlier discussions in this specification as to the definition of the meaning of “ capability set ” and “ capability set definition library ” used in this specification , it is the case in this example that these three library members , flow panel , text field and button are each built from a combination of primitives . these library members are built from selected primitive functions of pda device 11 , specifically flow panel determines screen layout and relies on ( a ). text field relies on ( a ) to present an appearance recognisable to a user as a text field . it relies on ( b ) for selection of text . it relies on ( c ) for text character input . button relies on ( a ) to present an appearance which the user recognises as a button . it relies on ( b ) to recognise when the button has been clicked . with reference to fig4 initiation and maintenance of a communication session between device 11 and remote computer 13 over communication channel 12 is illustrated diagrammatically and indicates that a user ( not shown ) invokes client application 14 which , in turn , creates a remote control protocol ( rcp ) client 19 which then establishes an rcp connection 20 with an rcp server program 21 running on remote computer 13 which , in turn , communicates with , in this instance , gui control application 17 . it will be observed that a negotiation phase 22 initiates communication and establish an agreed capability set definition library which both the client application and the control application will reference . having established this agreement the communication moves to an activity phase 23 whereby predetermined aspects of operation of device 11 are determined by control application 17 with reference to the capability set definition library , which is to say the corresponding capability set definition library 18 for the control application 17 and the capability set definition library 15 for the client application 14 . as will be described in more detail below with reference to fig5 this arrangement permits a user to invoke the flow panel , text field and button appearing on screen 16 of the user &# 39 ; s pda device 11 and to have a text message which the user subsequently enters in the text field and a click of the button to be recognised by control application 17 . in practice far more complex interactions will occur . with reference to fig5 a through to fig5 k a more detailed description of the interaction between pda device 11 and remote computer 13 will be given and , in particular , describing in detail the character strings under a particular preferred remote control protocol ( rcp ) on the communication channel 12 : a pda device 11 , with a set of “ simple gui ” capabilities ( buttons , text fields , menus ) and a simple application called “ input ” that wants to display a text field and a button to get input from a user ( not shown ) of the pda device 11 . note that this example is slightly contrived for simplicity . in particular , issues about screen layout are avoided here . in this instance , the communication channel 12 comprises a tcp / ip network . the components of this scenario are outlined in fig5 a . communication over the network follows the following sequential steps : step 1 : the client application 14 running on the pda 11 establishes a connection to the remote computer 13 running the control application 17 called “ input ”. step 2 : the server software 24 accepts the incoming connection . step 3 : the server sends “ rcp / 1 . 0 ” to identify that it is using the rcp protocol , version 1 . 0 step 4 : the client receives the protocol version and verifies that it is as expected step 5 : the client sends the application name and capability set version . in this case , that is encoded : “ 5 ! input500 !” the capability set library , in this instance , comprises three members namely flow panel , text field , and button . step 6 : the server receives the message from the client step 7 : the server checks the capability set version ( 500 ) in this case to make sure the requested application can make use of that capability set . in this case , the check succeeds and the server sends “!” ( representing zero ) to indicate that the negotiation has succeeded . if initial negotiation indicates a partial overlap in capabilities of the proposed capability sets then a new capability set definition library would be defined comprising either a super set or a sub set of the first proposed libraries so as to ensure that an exact match of capabilities is achieved for both the server and the client . step 8 : the client receives the confirmation message from the server step 9 : in this case , there are no application parameters , so the client sends “!” ( representing zero ) to inform the server of the number of parameters , and the client becomes “ active ”. step 10 : the server receives the message and also becomes “ active ”. step 11 : the application now takes control of the connection . the first thing this application does is create a model 20 of the user interface which the application is programmed to present on pda 11 consisting of a text field object and a button object from the simple gui library of classes . this causes the following two commands to be sent from the server : “ n1 ! tf !”— creates a text field on the pda 11 corresponding to the text field object in the model 20 from the capability set with object identity “ 1 ”. “ n2 ! bu2 ! ok ”— creates a button on the pda 11 corresponding to the text field object in the model 20 with identity “ 2 ” containing the string “ ok ” step 12 : the client receives these two commands and creates the text field and button objects on the client as instructed . step 13 : the user can see the objects on the screen and interact with them . when the user enters something into the text field , the client generates the following event : “ e1 ! 2 ! tc ” step 14 : the server receives this event and the text field object created by the application is notified that its text has changed ( i . e . that the client has a new value ) step 15 . the user finishes entering the text “ hello ” into the text field and then clicks the button . this generates the following event sent from the client to the server : “ e2 ! 2 ! cl ” informing the server that the client &# 39 ; s button object has been clicked . step 16 : the server receives this event and the button object created by the application is notified that it was clicked . step 17 : the application responds to this notification by asking the text field what value it holds . step 18 : the text field knows that the contents held on the server are not up to date because of the earlier “ tc ” event , ( steps 13 and 14 ) so it requests the text from the client with the following “ get text ” command : step 19 : the client receives this command , and the text field on the client generates the following event : step 20 : the server receives and decodes this event , and the application is informed of the result . note that at this point , the user has entered data into a remote application 17 running on remote computer 13 . there has been a total of 30 bytes sent from the server remote computer 13 to the client device 11 and 40 bytes sent from the client device 11 to the server remote computer 13 . step 21 : the remote application 17 changes the model 20 by creating a new window object . this change is communicated to the client application by sending the event “ n3 ! din5 ! hello ” “ m3 ! 3 ! svy ” with the end result that a new window with the title “ hello ” is displayed on the gui interface of the pda client . it will be observed that this last step illustrates the active ability of the server application to influence the client application and to do so in a manner which requires only relatively short codes to trigger what can be high level data manipulation or other “ high level ” activity on or by the client . in light of the above more detailed account , the example application source code of fig3 will also be described in greater detail corresponding to the usage scenario described above with reference to fig5 a - 5 j . the source code of gui control application 17 contains everything that an application programmer would need to know to make use of the system 10 . all of the details about the establishment of the communication session and the messages that are passed back and forth between the device and the computer are hidden from applications . with reference to fig3 : the application is started by calling the method named “ start ” ( line 22 ). this method registers the application with the name “ input ” so that a client can later interact with it . this must be done on the computer before step 1 in the usage scenario . when a client establishes a connection , it is accepted by the server / library code , and after negotiation the application is activated . this results in the server / library code invoking the “ newconnection ” method ( line 35 ). this corresponds to step 11 in the usage scenario . this application creates four objects , a frame , a flow panel , a text field and a button ( lines 41 - 44 ). the application also registers itself with the button so it can be notified when the button is clicked ( line 48 ). these are then displayed on the newly established connection ( line 51 ). this results in four “ new ” commands being sent to the client . when the user clicks the button ( step 15 ), the client sends an event to the server , which then passes it to the button . so far , this is invisible to the application . the button then notifies the application ( step 16 ) by calling the “ buttonclick ” method ( line 55 ). this application then prints out a message on the computer to show that it has been informed that the button was clicked . having now described a simplified example of interaction the reader is referred to annexure a which is a specification for the remote control protocol ( rcp ) and to annexure b which is a specification for a capability set suitable for the gui example previously given . both of annexures a and b form part of this specification . implementation can be in any suitable programming language such as , for example , c ++. with reference to fig6 there is shown an implementation of a flexible , distributed system for computer interaction according to a second embodiment of the invention and , in particular , showing more detail of an implementation on a remote computer . in this embodiment like components are numbered as for the first embodiment , except that they are prefixed with the numeral 1 to provide a “ 100 ” series of numbers . so , for example , remote computer 13 of the first embodiment becomes remote computer 113 of the second embodiment . with reference to fig6 there is illustrated in block diagram form a remote computer 113 connected via communications channel 112 to a client device 111 . within remote computer 113 a capability set definition library 118 is in communication with a plurality of applications including a particular control application 117 . the applications run under and with reference to kernel 130 of an operation system . the relevant parts of a high level architecture of the environment in which applications for system 110 are written is as follows : the capability set definition library 118 , which is a set of classes that allows control applications 117 to display graphical user interfaces , and includes a server , which sends commands to the client device 111 describing layout of gui elements in windows and receives and processes events from the client device 111 . the client application 114 , which is a program that runs on device 111 with a display 116 and presents a user interface . it performs commands as instructed by the server and responds to the user &# 39 ; s interactions by sending events to the server . the client application should be can be installed as a web browser plug - in for easy access to kernel services ; and available across a range of platforms , with implementations for windows , unix , macos , palm os , phones , etc . has built in , transparent , standards - compliant security ( based on ssl / tls , x . 509 certificates ); supports coordination of services to provide a distributed business transaction ( e . g ., amazon writes code to choose books then links in fedex for shipping and visa for payment ); is an extensible model can take advantage of higher bandwidth if available ( plug - ins for streaming audio / video , canvas support , etc . ); and the system 110 is designed by concentrating on device capabilities as a central idea . each device that an application may want to interact with has certain capabilities . it might be able to display a particular set of gui elements such as buttons and text fields , or it may have a very limited display such as that found on a mobile phone . to integrate diverse capabilities into a single programming model , the idea is to represent the capabilities of a device in an abstract model on the server . this involves creating a “ class ” for each of the capabilities a client might have . in the case of a desktop client , the capabilities include : the ability to place gui elements ( buttons , text fields , etc .) inside windows ; and the preferred capabilities set , comprising a gui library thus includes classes corresponding to windows , buttons , text fields , and web viewers . some devices may also have additional capabilities such as handlers for specific types of data , unusual input devices like cameras and microphones , and so on . each of these can be modeled on the server by a class . to make use of a device in this model , its primitive operations must be abstracted into a capability set . the same device may be abstracted in different ways . for example , a device with a bitmapped display can be abstracted either as a primitive such as a simple frame buffer that allows applications to set the color of each pixel , or it can be abstracted in terms of higher level gui constructs composed of multiple primitives such as buttons , text fields and tree controls . the level of abstraction will determine the bandwidth requirements and the application interface . a capability set is implemented by a set of classes ( called the capability set model ), and a set of client classes ( called the client capability set ). a device may implement more than one capability set , and an application may be written to make use of more than one capability set . to establish an active connection , the client and server must agree on which capability set to use for the remainder of the connection . reaching this agreement is the purpose of negotiation . the client and server negotiate about the capabilities to be used for this session the client and server agree on a versioned set of classes , including a basic capability set ( e . g . desktop pc , palm device , robot ) once client and server agree on the classes representing the basic capability set , the operations are simple : check whether a particular extension supported ( e . g ., can the client handle a particular kind of data , or is a particular input device available , etc .) the “ objects ” constructed on the client are very different from the objects being manipulated by server applications . on the client side the objects have direct control of the corresponding capability of the underlying client device . on the server side , they are only lightweight models . all messages are class - specific ( i . e ., not specified by the basic protocol ), so the implementation of each server class and the client class must match for the system to work . this can be achieved for example by requiring that all interfaces including extended capability classes are versioned , so that the set of classes that the client and server agree on match . a device 111 with the client application 114 has an extra capability , the ability to make further connections to other servers . that is , a recursive capability which can be supported in exactly the same way as “ ordinary ” capabilities described thus far . this particular capability is interesting , however , because it provides further new ways to use the client program : one application can cause the client to make a sub - connection to another application e . g . of use : bookshop implements book choosing , then delegates to fedex for shipping and visa for payment with reference to fig7 possibilities resulting from invoking of multiple connections , for example over the internet , are illustrated diagrammatically including the recursive scenario referred to above . the end result is a powerful system which , when tuned appropriately , can provide rapid response times as perceived by a user operating the devices , 11 , 111 , 211 notwithstanding that a significant level of overhead is initiated in the process on remote computers 13 , 113 , 213 . with reference to fig8 an example is given where the client device is a mobile telephone 21 and the capabilities ( or individual functions ) which work together to define the total functionality of the mobile phone can include : these defined capabilities can be thought of as primitives , each of which defines only a small portion of the total functionality of the mobile phone device but which , when collected together , provide , in totality , useful capabilities grouped into the device commonly known as a mobile telephone . in this instance it is desirable to select the capabilities with a view to minimising the amount of update information that will need to be passed between the client device and remote computer having the control application on it . typically the aim will be not to define the capabilities at a very high level which would require the passing of many parameters between the client and the remote computer in order to update the status of that capability or to implement that capability . equally it will typically not be desirable to define the capabilities at too low a level where the number of capabilities needed to be invoked and / or kept track of in order to provide meaningful functionality on the client device will be too large which , in turn , will also contribute to an unnecessarily large amount of traffic passing between the client device and the remote computer . with reference to fig9 an example is illustrated wherein the client device is a lift controller 22 and its capabilities are broken down into the following members : with reference to fig1 there is illustrated a particular implementation of the arrangement of fig6 and wherein the client is a laptop computer 23 which is loaded with the capability set definitions by means of a cd - rom 24 having thereon the necessary definitions . in an alternative form the definitions can be downloaded via the internet from a host site . the system according to various embodiments of the invention can be applied on almost any device which has a computing capability and the ability to communicate with other computing devices , whether on a one to one basis or as part of a much wider network of computing devices . the system can be utilised to enhance the capabilities of personal computing devices such as pda &# 39 ; s , pc &# 39 ; s , hand held computers and the like . it can also be used to enhance the capability of computer enabled industrial devices including controllers of various kinds such as lift controllers , programmable logic controllers and the like . the above describes only some embodiments of the present invention and modifications , obvious to those skilled in the art , can be made thereto without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention .	7
in the description that follows , the terms “ upper ,” “ lower ,” “ left ,” and “ right ” refer to the particular figure . identical or identically functioning parts are labeled with the same reference characters whenever possible , and are described only once . fig1 is a longitudinal section through an exemplifying embodiment of an arrangement 20 according to the present invention . the latter has externally an approximately cylindrical fan housing 22 . this is connected , via obliquely extending struts or spokes 32 , to cylindrical part 36 of a pump housing that , in the completed state , is closed off by a cover 38 on which is located an inlet tube 40 . cover 38 can be connected to part 36 in liquid - tight fashion , for example by way of an adhesive join , by plastic welding , by means of an o - ring seal , etc . part 36 transitions on its left side ( in fig1 ) into a portion 44 that proceeds perpendicular to a rotation axis 42 and transitions on its radially inner side into a cylindrical partitioning tube 46 . at its left end ( in fig1 ) partitioning tube 46 is closed off by a portion 48 , on which is mounted in suitable fashion a shaft 50 that is made of a ceramic material and projects to the right , in the direction defined by rotation axis 42 . partitioning tube 46 and portion 48 together form a so - called partitioning can 52 . the latter can also have a geometrical shape other than the one depicted in fig1 . a partitioning tube or partitioning can is understood in electrical engineering as a component , made of a nonmagnetic material such as plastic or stainless steel , that extends at least in part through the air gap of a magnetic circuit and forms there a fluid barrier that does not , or does not substantially , impede the magnetic flux in the air gap . the term “ canned motor ” is often used . adjoining portion 48 on the left is a non - rotating shaft 54 . the latter has an outer corrosion - inhibiting layer 49 that is formed by a plastic , normally the plastic of partitioning can 52 with which said layer 49 is usually integrally configured . located inside layer 49 is ceramic shaft 50 , which therefore in this case has the function , together with plastic layer 49 , of forming and stiffening second shaft 54 . journaled on it by means of a left rolling bearing 55 and a right rolling bearing 56 is a sleeve 57 ( fig2 ), made of soft ferromagnetic material , that is part of a rotor 60 whose rotor magnet is labeled 64 . the outer corrosion - inhibiting layer 49 also produces hermetic sealing of the region through which a liquid flows , which region is depicted on the right in fig1 . the risk of leaks thereby becomes particularly low . layer 49 , applied by injection molding , also ensures that the straightness and running tolerance of shaft 54 , relative to shaft 50 and relative to an opening 72 described below , are further improved , resulting in an even lower level of solid - borne sound for the entire unit . sleeve 57 made of ferromagnetic material has a dual function : it forms a magnetic yoke for rotor magnet 64 , which latter is depicted particularly clearly in fig2 and is implemented as a cylindrical ring made of magnetic material that , as depicted , is preferably magnetized radially , e . g . with four poles that are indicated partly in fig2 . sleeve 57 is connected for this purpose , at a lower ( in fig2 ) region 58 , to the inner side of rotor magnet 64 , for example by adhesive bonding or by being pressed on . it forms the hub of a fan wheel 80 of any design , which wheel will be described below with reference to an example and rotates during operation about non - rotating shaft 54 , being driven by rotor 60 . as fig1 shows , ring magnet 64 is separated by an air gap 66 from stator 68 of an electronically commutated internal - rotor motor ( ecm ) 70 . as fig1 shows , stator 68 is mounted in the cylindrical opening 72 of a carrier part 74 that preferably is implemented integrally with portion 44 . during operation , ring magnet 64 rotates around partitioning can 52 . fan wheel 80 , which can be implemented e . g . as an axial , diagonal , or radial fan wheel , is mounted on sleeve 57 . said fan wheel has an approximately cylindrical outer part 81 whose outside diameter corresponds to that of the carrier part , and fan blades 82 are arranged , in the manner depicted in fig1 , on said part 81 . during operation , blades 82 rotate within fan housing 22 and deliver air through it . fan wheel 80 is preferably injection - mounted onto sleeve 57 by plastic injection molding . for that purpose , sleeve 57 is placed into the injection mold before the injection operation . alternatively , fan wheel 80 can also be manufactured as an individual part , and then pressed or adhesively bonded onto sleeve 57 . pump wheel 90 of a centrifugal pump or other fluid kinetic machine 91 is rotatably journaled on shaft 50 by means of a plain bearing 89 , said pump wheel preferably being implemented integrally with a plastic - matrix first permanent magnet 92 . the latter preferably has the same number of magnet poles as ring magnet 76 ( which hereinafter will also be referred to as the second permanent magnet ), and forms therewith a magnetic coupling 93 that transfers to pump wheel 90 , through partitioning can 92 , the torque generated by motor 70 , and thereby drives said wheel at the rotation speed of rotor 60 . the result is that during operation , liquid is drawn in through connecting pipe 40 in the direction of an arrow 94 , and delivered outward through an outlet connecting pipe ( not depicted ). rotor 60 therefore drives not only fan wheel 80 by way of a direct mechanical coupling , but also pump wheel 90 via magnetic coupling 93 . it is space - saving and therefore very advantageous that motor 70 and magnetic coupling 93 are nested into one another , magnet 92 of pump wheel 90 being the innermost rotating element . this enables the diameter of magnet 92 to be made as small as is tolerable , given the torque to be transferred . because magnet 92 rotates directly in the pumped fluid , the fluid immediately adjacent to it adheres directly to it , and moves at the same circumferential speed . this fluid also adheres at the interface to the stationary partitioning can 52 , with the result that it is at a standstill there . a monotonic velocity gradient exists between these two extreme values . the fluid in the gap between first magnet 90 and housing 52 is thus exposed to shear stresses , and frictional losses occur because of the viscosity of the fluid . a critical factor for these losses is the diameter of the rotating surfaces , the square of which diameter enters into the equation for the frictional torque . the frictional power dissipation thus increases as the cube of the diameter ( d 3 ) of the rotating surfaces , and can consequently be minimized in the context of the present invention . the design that has been depicted and described allows very high efficiency for a pump of this kind that is driven via a magnetic coupling 93 , since the rotating surfaces on first magnet 92 can be implemented to be small . as already stated , the smallest possible diameter is determined by the torque that must be transferred by magnetic coupling 93 . if the diameter were made even smaller , this would result in a decrease in pump output , i . e . with the arrangement described , the magnetic coupling can be designed so that good efficiency is obtained at the working point . further optimization is possible by using particularly high - grade magnetic materials for permanent magnets 64 and 92 . this allows a further reduction in the diameters of the rotating surfaces , which yields particularly high efficiency , but it increases cost . as fig1 and fig2 show , in this embodiment the sleeve 57 has a radially inwardly protruding projection 100 that , in fig2 , separates a short lower cylindrical portion 102 from a long upper cylindrical portion 104 of the same diameter . outer ring 105 of rolling bearing 56 is placed into portion 102 , and the lower ( in fig2 ) shoulder 106 forms a stop for the upper shoulder of outer ring 105 . inner ring 108 of rolling bearing 56 is slid onto shaft 54 . projection 100 has an upper ( in fig2 ) shoulder 110 that serves as an abutment for the lower end of a compression spring 112 whose upper end bears against the lower shoulder of outer ring 114 of upper abutment 55 . the latter has an inner ring 116 whose upper shoulder abuts against a retaining member 120 such as a snap ring or a claw washer . an example of a claw washer 120 is depicted in fig4 and 5 . as depicted , a snap ring is mounted in an annular groove of shaft 54 , and claw washer 120 can be directly pressed , to the correct dimension , onto shaft 54 into the desired position . a claw washer 120 can be particularly advantageous for leak - prevention reasons . fig4 and 5 show a typical claw washer 120 at enlarged scale . it has claws 121 that protrude radially inward from an outer ring 123 and , upon assembly , dig into plastic layer 49 of shaft 54 and thereby retain the inner ring of rolling bearing 56 in its position . fig5 shows claw washer 120 at approximately actual size , i . e . at 1 : 1 scale . under load , compression spring 112 presses outer ring 114 of rolling bearing 55 upward , and thereby biases outer ring 114 with respect to inner ring 116 ; this produces quiet running . stator 74 , on which are arranged left - hand ( in fig1 ) shaft 54 and right - hand shaft 50 , is installed first . rolling bearing 56 is then slid , pressed , or adhesively bonded onto shaft 54 . rotor 60 is then inserted so that shoulder 106 of projection 100 abuts against outer ring 105 of rolling bearing 56 . alternatively , rolling bearing 56 can also be first slid , pressed , or adhesively bonded into sleeve 57 and into portion 102 , and rotor 60 together with rolling bearing 56 is then slid or pressed onto shaft 54 . compression spring 112 is then inserted so that its lower end abuts against shoulder 110 , and rolling bearing 55 is then brought into the position shown in fig1 and 2 , spring 112 being loaded and rolling bearing 55 being retained in this position by snap ring 120 . a cover is then inserted into an opening 124 provided therefor , in order to protect rolling bearings 55 and 56 from contamination . one such cover 230 is depicted and described in fig3 . rolling bearings 55 and 56 journal sleeve 57 and , with it , fan wheel 80 and ring magnet 64 , which in turn is driven by internal - rotor motor 70 during operation . pump 91 is driven via magnetic coupling 93 , ring magnet 64 of internal - rotor motor 70 interacting with ring magnet 92 of pump wheel 90 as magnetic coupling 93 . fig3 shows a variant of the first exemplifying embodiment according to fig1 and 2 . this variant is identical to fig1 and 2 with regard to pump 91 , internal - rotor motor 70 , and shafts 50 and 54 , and differs in terms of the manner of journaling ; for that reason , only the differing parts are depicted in order to avoid unnecessary length . in fig3 as well , a sleeve 157 made of soft ferromagnetic material is used ; onto its outer side , at 58 , rotor magnet 64 is adhesively bonded or pressed on so that sleeve 157 serves as a soft ferromagnetic yoke for ring magnet 64 , which is implemented identically to rotor magnet 64 according to fig1 and 2 . sleeve 157 also serves as a carrier for fan wheel 80 . the sleeve has at its right end ( in fig3 ) an inwardly projecting shoulder 160 that serves as a stop for a right rolling bearing 156 that is introduced with its outer ring 205 into sleeve 157 and is applied with its inner ring 208 onto shaft 54 ; both operations are possible by sliding on , pressing on , or adhesive bonding . a left rolling bearing 155 is also slid with its outer ring 214 into sleeve 157 and is supported there by means of a snap ring 220 that is inserted into an annular groove 222 on inner side 224 of sleeve 157 . alternatively , retaining member 220 can also be embodied as a claw washer that is pressed to the correct dimension , i . e . as far as the desired position , into sleeve 157 . inner ring 216 of rolling bearing 155 is arranged on shaft 54 with a slight clearance , in order to enable bracing by a compression spring 212 that is arranged on shaft 54 between the two inner rings 208 , 216 . the two rolling bearings 155 , 156 are reciprocally biased with respect to one another by it , resulting in particularly quiet running of arrangement 20 . the advantage that results , as compared with fig2 , is that spring 112 can be smaller and thus more economical , and that it is easier to manufacture a permanent annular groove 222 in metal part 157 . assembly is similar to what was described with reference to fig1 and 2 . firstly , stator 68 is installed , usually together with pump 91 . the latter can , of course , also be installed later . the rotor with ring magnet 64 , and sleeve 157 with rolling bearing 156 arranged therein , are then installed on shaft 54 . these are followed by bracing spring 212 , left rolling bearing 155 , and lastly retaining member 220 , e . g . a snap ring or a claw washer . lastly , a cover 230 , that protects bearings 155 , 156 from contamination , is installed . numerous variants and modifications are of course possible within the scope of the present invention .	5
reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of phosphor / frit glass materials and their use in led articles , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings . whenever possible , the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts . one embodiment is an article comprising a glass layer , wherein the layer comprises a glass comprising bi 2 o 3 and at least 30 mol % b 2 o 3 ; and at least one phosphor , wherein the layer is a fired mixture of a frit comprising the bi 2 o 3 and b 2 o 3 and the at least one phosphor , and wherein the layer is pb free . another embodiment is a method for making a glass article , the method comprising : providing a glass composition comprising bi 2 o 3 and at least 30 mol % b 2 o 3 ; grinding the glass into particles to form a frit glass having the composition ; blending the frit glass with one or a more phosphors to form a phosphor - frit glass mixture ; converting the phosphor - frit glass mixture into a paste by adding at least one organic liquid to the mixture ; firing the applied paste to burn out organic material to form a phosphor - frit glass . providing a glass composition comprising bi 2 o 3 and at least 30 mol % b 2 o 3 ; grinding the glass into particles to form a frit glass having the composition ; blending the frit glass with one or more phosphors to form a phosphor - frit glass mixture ; converting the milled and sieved phosphor - frit glass mixture into a paste by adding at least one organic liquid to the mixture ; 10 - 30 % bi 2 o 3 ; greater than 0 % na 2 o ; 15 - 50 % zno , znf 2 , or a combination thereof ; 30 - 55 % b 2 o 3 ; 0 - 3 % sio 2 ; 0 - 1 % wo 3 ; 0 - 12 % bao , cao , sro , or combinations thereof . the glass composition , according to some embodiments , comprises at least 1 % na 2 o . 12 - 20 % bi 2 o 3 ; 5 - 12 % na 2 o ; 20 - 30 % zno ; 38 - 52 % b 2 o 3 ; 0 - 3 % sio 2 ; 0 - 1 % wo 3 ; 1 - 12 % bao , cao , sro , or combinations thereof . 14 - 16 % bi 2 o 3 ; 5 - 11 % na 2 o ; 22 - 27 % zno ; 40 - 51 % b 2 o 3 ; 0 - 3 % sio 2 ; 0 - 1 % wo 3 ; 1 - 11 % bao , cao , sro , or combinations thereof . the glass composition , according to some embodiments , has a refractive index of 1 . 81 - 1 . 83 at 473 nm and a glass transition temperature of 460 ° c . or less . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass comprising in mole percent : 10 - 30 % bi 2 o 3 ; 0 - 20 % m 2 o , wherein m is li , na , k , cs , or combinations thereof ; 0 - 20 % ro , wherein r is mg , ca , sr , ba , or combinations thereof ; 15 - 50 % zno , znf 2 , or a combination thereof ; 0 - 5 % al 2 o 3 ; 0 - 5 % p 2 o 5 ; and 30 - 55 % b 2 o 3 . 0 - 6 li 2 o ; 0 - 20 na 2 o ; 0 - 10 k 2 o ; and 0 - 3 cs 2 o . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass further comprising 0 - 5 % tio 2 , zro 2 , ta 2 o 5 , moo 3 , wo 3 , or combinations thereof . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass further comprising 0 - 15 % sio 2 . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass further comprising 0 - 5 % of one or more rare - earth dopants . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass comprising 0 - 5 % of eu 2 o 3 . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass comprising in mole percent : 10 - 30 % bi 2 o 3 ; greater than 0 % na 2 o ; 15 - 50 % zno , znf 2 , or a combination thereof ; 30 - 55 % b 2 o 3 ; 0 - 3 % sio 2 ; 0 - 1 % wo 3 ; 0 - 12 % bao , cao , sro , or combinations thereof . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass comprising at least 1 % na 2 o . the article , according to some embodiments , comprises a glass comprising 15 - 50 % zno . 12 - 20 % bi 2 o 3 ; 5 - 12 % na 2 o ; 20 - 30 % zno ; 38 - 52 % b 2 o 3 ; 0 - 3 % sio 2 ; 0 - 1 % wo 3 ; 1 - 12 % bao , cao , sro , or combinations thereof . 14 - 16 % bi 2 o 3 ; 5 - 11 % na 2 o ; 22 - 27 % zno ; 40 - 51 % b 2 o 3 ; 0 - 3 % sio 2 ; 0 - 1 % wo 3 ; 1 - 11 % bao , cao , sro , or combinations thereof . the glass can further comprise 0 - 5 % tio 2 , zro 2 , ta 2 o 5 , moo 3 , wo 3 , or combinations thereof . the glass can further comprise 0 - 5 % of one or more alkaline earth metals . the glass can also further comprise 0 - 25 % sio 2 . in some embodiments , the glass has a refractive index in the range of from 1 . 8 to 1 . 9 . the glass can have a glass transition temperature of 460 ° c . or less . the difference in refractive index between the frit and the at least one phosphor can be ≦ 0 . 20 ( e . g ., less than 0 . 2 or less than 0 . 1 ) in some embodiments . in one embodiment , the surface can be either a surface of a substrate or surface of a carrier substrate , for example , a glass or tape , respectively . the article can further comprise a substrate having the glass layer disposed thereon . the cte of the glass layer and the substrate can be within ± 2 × 10 − 6 of each other . in one embodiment , the substrate can be a glass substrate . the glass substrate can have a thickness of 5 mm or less , for example , 4 mm or less , for example , 3 mm or less , for example , 2 mm or less , for example , 1 mm or less , for example , 0 . 5 mm or less . the glass substrate can be a thin flexible glass substrate . in one embodiment , the carrier substrate can be a tape or substrate in which the glass layer can be removed from after it is made . the glass layer can be removed from the carrier and then attached to another surface after fabrication and also fired on its own . the glass layer can have a thickness of 5 mm or less , for example , 4 mm or less , for example , 3 mm or less , for example , 2 mm or less , for example , 1 mm or less , for example , 0 . 5 mm or less , for example , 0 . 4 mm or less , for example , 0 . 3 mm or less , for example , 0 . 2 mm or less , for example , 0 . 1 mm or less , for example , 0 . 09 mm or less , for example , 0 . 08 mm or less , for example , 0 . 07 mm or less , for example , 0 . 06 mm or less , for example , 0 . 05 mm or less . in some embodiments , the glass layer has a thickness of from 0 . 01 to 1 mm , for example , from 0 . 01 mm to 0 . 2 mm . the glass layer , on the substrate or alone , can be used to fabricate led lights in for example , fabrication processes such as wafer sized processes , for example , 6 inches by 6 inches or even larger . multiple leds can be fabricated on the glass layer and separated into single leds after fabrication . in an embodiment one or more phosphors are mixed with a glass frit material ( the encapsulating material ) to form a phosphor - frit glass mixture , and then applied to an led , for example , a gan or ingan led , within a vessel . in fig2 , which is similar to fig1 , a phosphor 114 ( illustrated as circular dots ) has been mixed with a glass frit material 116 to form a phosphor - frit glass mixture which is fired to create a glass sheet having a phosphor embedded into it . in addition , package 120 shown in fig2 illustrates the led 110 , wire bonds 112 and package substrate 118 and the vessel or cup 122 . the phosphor - containing frit glass mixture ( 114 , 116 ) can also be applied to a substrate using standard paste processes , by a screen printing , or by spraying , followed by firing to produce a dense glass layer , the phosphor / frit layer , overlying the foregoing substrate . since the fired phosphor - containing frit mixture is a glass , a cover lens may not be required . this disclosure is directed to the preparation , application , and thermal processing of the mixed frit / phosphor materials in the form shown in fig2 . the disclosure further includes a choice of frit glass compositions that can be used to provide the correct thermal characteristics while being consistent with the addition of the phosphor and its application to an appropriate glass substrate . in various embodiments , the bi - containing borate glasses are envisaged to be used as encapsulating frits in either of two methodologies . in one case , a mixture of powdered glass and phosphor , blended with a suitable organic binder , dispersant and solvent , is screen printed onto a thin , high thermal expansion coefficient glass substrate . examples of the substrate include any of the high na content aluminosilicate glasses that corning manufactures via the fusion process . screen printing typically involves the deposition of multiple layers in order to build up a phosphor - frit layer of sufficient thickness . the substrate / frit assembly is then fired at ˜ 350 ° c . in order to burn off the organic constituents of the paste , and then subsequently heated to 500 - 550 ° c . to sinter the frit to a sufficiently transparent state . in embodiments , the binder can be fully removed or substantially removed from the glass composition prior to sintering . as such , the temperature at which binder burnout occurs can be less than the sintering temperature . in further embodiments , the loading of phosphor in the sintered glass can range from about 1 to 30 vol . %, e . g ., 1 , 2 , 5 , 10 , 15 , 20 or 30 percent by volume . in order to avoid reduction of bi , the sintering may be carried out in an o 2 - enriched atmosphere rather than air . exemplary glasses 15 , 10 , 29 , 31 , 71 , 84 and 97 from the tables have been processed in this fashion to yield an encapsulated phosphor layer of sufficient transparency ( e . g ., at least 60 % or at least 70 %). in another embodiment , a free - standing frit / phosphor film is made by a tape casting procedure . exemplary glass sample 29 and ce : yag phosphor powders were jet milled to d50 of & lt ; 5 um . a tape casting slip was prepared by mixing the powders in a proportion of 85 volume % exemplary glass 29 and 68 ( from the tables below ) and 15 volume % ce : yag in ethyl acetate solvent with emphos ps - 236 dispersant and polypropylene carbonate binder . slip was cast using a 22 - mil draw - down blade on telfon carrier film . the tape was dried , released and sintered at 550 ° c . in air . the sample remains substantially glassy after such treatment . polypropylene carbonate was chosen as binder as we found it critical to employ a binder which burns out at & lt ; 300 ° c . in order to prevent trapping of organics in the sintered glass matrix . the tape was sintered on a fibrous alumina setterboard with alumina felt as a cover . the fibrous board limits bonding of the glass to the setter during firing . precise dimensioned parts were cut from the sintered tape using an ablative laser cutting system with an nd : yvo4 laser at 355 nm . the final thickness of the ce : yag in glass sample was 100 um , though thicknesses in the range of 50 to 250 microns are contemplated . casting uniformity was improved with polypropylene carbonate ( ppc ) binder using a solvent system comprising dimethylcarbonate ( dmc ) and propylene glycol diacetate ( pgd ). of the relatively limited set of solvents known to solubilize ppc , dmc and pgd are advantageous in that they are relatively non - toxic , readily dissolve ppc and the solvent evaporation rate can be tuned by adjusting the proportion of pgd ( low volatility ) to dmc ( high volatility ). a smooth setter board is advantageous to improve the surface finish of the fired composite . the glass compositions described herein fire at a relatively low temperature of about 600 ° c . or less . at this temperature , stainless steel setter boards with a smooth surface may be used . lower firing temperature can eliminate or substantially minimize the issue of glass reaction with the phosphor particle . the particle size distribution of the glass frit may be instrumental in achieving good optical performance , especially high quantum efficiency . much improved performance is found if the glass powder average particle size is above about 10 um . it is believed larger glass particle size mitigates reduction of bi 2 o 3 contained in the glass during sintering of the glass / phosphor composite . composites made with a glass having a particle size distribution d50 under 1 um are less transparent than composites made with the same glass at a d50 of over 1 um , for example , over 10 um . it is also anticipated that , in the case of a yag - based phosphor , which has similar density to the glass compositions described herein , that the particle size be similar to reduce segregation of the glass and phosphor particles during drying of the green tape . fig3 is a graph comparing the total transmission spectra of tape cast glass - phosphor films made from the same glass composition , but different particle size . the glass composition is summarized in example 76 ( from the tables below ) with ce : yag phosphor particles . the films were fired under the same conditions , and produced dense , self - supporting films which were ˜ 100 um thick . particle size is indicated by the conventional “ d50 ” measurement which indicates the size where 50 % by volume of the particles are below the indicated size . the data clearly show membranes made with submicron glass powder show browning of the glass which reduces transmission , especially in the region near 400 nm , which interferes with the ce : yag phosphor absorption peak centered near 450 nm . lines 26 , 28 , and 30 show d50 - 0 . 81 um , d50 - 3 . 55 um , and d50 - 15 . 85 um , respectively . the film fabricated from glass at d50 - 15 . 85 um measured a quantum efficiency of 97 %. it is desirable to achieve a quantum efficiency of over 90 %, more preferably 95 % or more . high performance membranes can be obtained with a volume fraction of phosphor in the range of 1 % to 30 %, for example , in the 5 % to 30 % range . higher phosphor content allows for a higher sintering temperature , but requires a thinner film for optimal color point . film thickness can be in the range of 30 to 1000 um , for example , 50 to 300 um , for example , 75 to 200 um . in the case of ce : yag phosphor of conversion of blue led light to white light , in order to achieve a desirable color point for converting blue led to white light , the volume fraction of phosphor required varies inversely with film thickness , and can be described by the following : vf = a / t , wherein vf is expressed in % and t is in um , the constant a , with units um -%. vf can be in the range of 1000 to 2000 . for example for a film thickness of 100 um , the phosphor volume fraction can be in the range of 1000 / 100 % to 2000 / 100 % or 10 % to 20 %. in various embodiments , one or both of the film thickness and the amount of the phosphor loading can be controlled in order to affect the color point of the glass layer . a free - standing glass - phosphor composite was produced as follows : drigaged exemplary glass 76 ( from the tables below ) was dry ball - milled and sieved at − 400 mesh to achieve a particle size distribution with d50 - 15 . 85 um . commercially available ce : yag phosphor powder with d50 - 14 um was added to the glass powder in a 85 vol % glass / 15 vol % phosphor ratio . ppc binder and a 50 / 50 solvent mix of dmc and pgd were added in the weight fractions shown in the below table . a commercial dispersant made by byk company , dispersbyk - 142 , was used . the ingredients were mixed in a planetary mixer to achieve a uniform tape casting slip . slip was cast using a conventional 18 - mil gap doctor blade on a teflon - coated mylar carrier film . after drying the cast green tape was released , cut to size and sintered on a stainless - steel setter board at 510 ° c . for 2 hours . at this temperature acceptable density and optical quality is achieved while minimizing the possibility of either excessive sticking of the part to setter board , or loss of dimensional tolerance through excessive glass flow which can occur at sintering temperature as little as 10 ° c . higher . since the glass viscosity decreases exponentially with increasing temperature , furnace uniformity is critical . it is desirable to fire the part in a furnace with thermal gradient across the part less than 20 ° c ., more preferably less than 10 ° c ., most preferably less than 5 ° c . after firing , a part with precise dimensions was laser cut out of the fired casting to produce a 10 cm × 10 cm part with a uniform thickness of 100 +/− 2 um . quantum efficiency was measured at 97 %. table 1 shows the exemplary components and weight fractions . fig4 is a graph showing absorbance normalized to thickness ( a / t ) of composite glass / phosphor films as a function of wavelength . the quantum efficiency ( qe ) of composite glass / phosphor films is related to measured transmission spectra . in particular it is desirable to produce a glass - phosphor composite , where the phosphor is for example , ce - doped yag , wherein the transmission of the glass component is as high as possible in the blue range , namely 400 to 500 nm range . in this way , the maximum quantum efficiency can be achieved as the phosphor absorbs substantially all the available photons capable of exciting fluorescence in the phosphor . in particular , the correlation of quantum efficiency and the thickness - normalized absorbance peak height 32 ( in fig4 ) is shown in fig5 and the correlation of quantum efficiency and the wavelength of the local minima in a / t 34 ( in fig4 ) is shown in fig6 , both figures demonstrating the good correlation of absorbance data to qe . in embodiments , the wavelength of the a / t minimum can be below about 416 nm to achieve a quantum efficiency of over 90 %. similarly , the a / t peak height as shown generally exceeds 1 to achieve quantum efficiency over 90 %. exemplary glasses are shown in tables 2 - 14 , where compositions are given in terms of mol %. tg , tx , α300 refer to the glass transition temperature ( over the range of 25 ° c . to 300 ° c . ), temperature of the onset of crystallization , thermal expansion coefficient at 300 ° c ., respectively . softening point refers to the temperature at which the glass viscosity is log 10 7 . 6 . n473 , n532 , n633 refer to the refractive index measured at 473 nm , 532 nm , and 633 nm , respectively . the disclosure is directed to glass containing at least one phosphor ; and to a process whereby a phosphor powder , or plurality of different phosphor powders , is combined with a suitable fritted glass material , the “ frit glass ”, and a liquid organic vehicle ( for example without limitation , terpineol , ethylcellulose with dispersants and surfactants ) to form a frit paste . the paste is then deposited on a compatible substrate ( a substrate whose cte is matched to within 2 × 10 − 6 /° c . of the frit glass ), for example without limitation , by screen printing or spraying , ( screen print , or spray ) and then heated to a suitable first temperature to drive of the organic vehicle and then heated to a higher second temperature to consolidate the phosphor / frit glass mixture into a dense phosphor - containing glass . the phosphor may comprise quantum dots , for example , quantum dots having a particle size ranging from 1 to 10 nm . the first temperature is for driving off the organic vehicle and it is determined by , for example , the boiling point of the organic vehicle or the use of vapor pressure data and can be carried out at atmospheric pressure or under vacuum . the second higher temperature that is used to consolidate or fire the phosphor / frit glass mixture into a dense glass is determined by the frit material , with the provision that the softening temperature of the substrate to which the phosphor / frit glass mixture is applied has to be at least 100 ° c . higher than the consolidation or firing temperature of the phosphor / frit glass mixture . this phosphor / frit glass mixture can be applied as a layer on or adjacent to the active plane of a led device . the amount of phosphor powder in the phosphor / frit glass mixture can be varied to the desired amount . the ultimate thickness of the consolidated phosphor - contain frit layer can be increased by a plurality of depositions of the phosphor / frit glass mixture . in various embodiments , the phosphor powder can be homogeneously distributed throughout the glass . in further embodiments , the distribution of phosphor powder can be localized within the glass , i . e ., at one or both of the free surfaces of the glass layer . the phosphor - containing frit glass mixture materials are different from the same frit material without the phosphor . specifically , the addition of a specific phosphor phase to the frit material alters the rheological properties of the resulting phosphor - frit glass paste and the subsequent consolidation thermal treatment . the consolidation thermal treatment must be such that it does not degrade the fluorescent property of the phosphor . this is an important factor in the choice of the frit glass and the subsequent processing . it is the appropriate finding of this combination of the properties , namely the frit glass composition , the particular phosphor material and the glass substrate , that constitute various embodiments of the instant disclosure . because of the temperature limitation of the phosphor - frit glass material and the potential for degradation of certain phosphor materials , for example , ce / yag , or for reaction between frit glass and the phosphor materials , embodiments relate to the use of frit materials whose sintering temperature or flowing temperature is sufficient low such that the phosphors present in a phosphor - frit mixture are not degraded . the result of this restriction is that higher cte frit materials are typically used , which can , in turn , impact the choice of the substrate glass so that the cte of the phosphor - containing frit glass formed by firing a phosphor - frit glass mixture will match the substrate cte . phosphor materials are commercially available from beijing yugi science & amp ; technology co . ltd . ( beijing , china ), shanghai keyan phosphor technology co . ltd ( shanghai , china ) and litec - lll gmbh ( greifswald , germany ); and have also been described in patents and technical literature , for example , u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 572 , 785 and 7 , 442 , 326 , and w . j . park et al ., “ enhanced luminescence efficiency for bi , eu doped y 2 o 3 red phosphors for white leds ,” solid state phenomena , vols . 124 - 126 ( 2007 ), pages 379 - 382 , and rong - jun xie et al ., “ silicon - based oxynitride and nitride phosphors for white leds — a review ,” science and technology of advanced materials 8 ( 2007 ), pages 588 - 600 . as indicated above , fig1 is a drawing of a white light led in a typical surface mount package , fig1 illustrates the led 10 , wire bonds 12 , phosphor particles 14 ( illustrated as circular dots ) in a silicone material 16 surrounding phosphor particles 14 , a substrate 18 and a package 20 for a led , for example , an marubeni smtw47 ingan led ( http :// tech - led . com / data / l850 - 66 - 60 - 130 . pdf ). the package 20 comprises a substrate 18 , an epoxy resin lens 24 , and a vessel or cup 22 made from white plastic or ceramic to contain the silicone - phosphor mixture , protect the led , and to reflect the light from the package . in fig2 , a phosphor 114 ( illustrated as circular dots ) has been mixed with a glass frit 116 to form a phosphor / frit glass mixture and fired to create a glass sheet . in addition , fig2 illustrates the package 120 , which comprises the led 110 , wire bonds 112 and package substrate 118 and the vessel or cup 122 . the phosphor / frit glass mixture material ( 114 , 116 ) can also be applied to a substrate using standard paste processes , by a screen printing , or by spraying , followed by firing to produce a dense phosphor / frit glass layer overlying the substrate . as a result of incorporating the phosphor into a glass layer numerous advantages are obtained over the practice of mixing the phosphor into a silicone or epoxy material . in particular , the phosphor / frit glass layer and the resulting device overall are thermally more robust than when a silicone is used as the encapsulation material , and the phosphor / frit glass layer has better chemical and environmental stability . for example , one can incorporate red and yellow phosphors into a single frit glass blend . since the phosphor / frit glass blend can be formed into a “ paste ” of varying fluidity , the blends are suitable for thick film application to the active plane . example liquids used to form the blend include various solvent mixtures , including a mixture of propylene glycol diacetate and dimethyl carbonate . other advantages include ( 1 ) reduced backscatter because the frit glass material can be chosen so that there is phosphor / frit glass materials achieve a better refractive index match between the phosphor and the frit glass and the layer containing the pn - junction ( the led ); and ( 2 ) the ability to make geometric patterns of the phosphor on the substrate . finally , the use of the phosphor / frit glass blend imparts the ability to control the packaged led color or white point . since the phosphor - containing plate is made as a separate piece , the optical thickness and emission color can be measured before assembly , thus reducing the number of reject leds . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed subject matter . thus it is intended that the specification cover the modifications and variations of the various embodiments described herein provided such modification and variations come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents .	2
in accordance with the preferred embodiments of the present invention , a computer system and motherboard assembly are described for interconnecting and distributing signals and power between co - planar boards that function as a single motherboard . fig3 illustrates a top view perspective of motherboard assembly 300 , which may be used in a computing system , comprising two co - planar pcbs 302 and 308 electrically interconnected using double stacked lgas 306 . in one embodiment , pcb 302 , which in this embodiment is the “ bottom ” board , has multiple lgas on its “ top ” surface to facilitate electrical communication with high power modules 304 ( such as central processing units (“ cpus ”) 1 through 8 ) and associated memory modules 320 , and also in region 318 to facilitate communication with pcb 308 . in a second embodiment , pcb 302 is alternatively divided into four separate co - planar pcbs 310 , 312 , 314 , and 316 . cpus 1 - 2 , a portion of associated memory modules 320 , and two lgas 306 position on the top surface of pcb 310 , cpus 3 - 4 , a portion of associated memory modules 320 , and two lgas 306 position on the top surface of pcb 312 , and so on . one skilled in the art will recognize that other combinations of pcbs could be used as well . pcb 308 , which in this embodiment is the “ top ” board , positions various other modules thereon , such as hubs 1 - 8 , and includes functionality such as pci express interconnects 1 - 18 and other links 324 . other or different modules and functionality — collectively referred to as “ components ”— may be positioned / incorporated on pcb 308 as well . pcb 308 is referred to as the “ top ” board because it overlaps pcb 302 ( or alternatively pcbs 310 - 316 ) at region 318 , which is the location of a plurality of double stacked lgas 306 . double stacked lgas 306 electrically interconnect signals and power between pcbs 302 and 308 , such that they function as a single motherboard . in region 318 , pcb 308 has lgas disposed on its “ top ” surface to electrically interconnect with concentrator modules 322 ( e . g ., hubs 1 - 8 ), and lgas disposed on its “ bottom ” surface ( which is parallel to the “ top ” surface ) to electrically interconnect with pcb 302 . as such , the board - to - module interconnect area overlaps the board - to - board interconnect area in region 318 . for large smp computing systems , the density of placed components can be maximized without requiring the development of a printed circuit motherboard beyond the tooled capabilities of printed circuit board vendors . fig4 illustrates a cross sectional view of motherboard assembly 300 in a portion of region 318 , which contains double stacked lgas 306 . for ease in explanation , only one concentrator module 322 is shown . motherboard assembly 300 includes heat sink 402 ( not shown in fig3 ) for providing heat transfer functions , pressure plate 404 ( not shown in fig3 ) for applying compression to the stacked components , concentrator module 322 ( which illustratively may be one of hubs 1 - 8 shown in fig3 ), lga interposers 408 and 412 , pcbs 302 and 308 , and stiffener 416 . concentrator module 322 has electrically conductive lga pads ( not shown ) disposed on its bottom surface , at 406 , for electrically connecting to pcb 308 via lga interposer 408 . to do so , lga interposer 408 also has : i ) electrically conductive pads disposed on its top surface , at 406 , for coupling ( mating ) to the conductive pads of module 322 , and ii ) a bottom surface , parallel to its top surface , having conductive pads , at 410 , for coupling to an lga 306 disposed on the top surface of pcb 308 . the electrically conductive pads disposed on the top and bottom surfaces of lga interposer 408 connect via copper contacts ( not shown ) disposed within lga interposer 408 . typically , an lga interposer , such as lga interposers 408 and 412 , is a molded insulator or thin polymer insulator . a plurality of lga contacts are press - fit into holes drilled in the molded or thin polymer insulator . these lga contacts may be , for example , of a press - fit design , surface mount design , and / or friction fit design ( e . g ., waded wire buttons or molded metal filled elastomer contacts ). as previously described , pcb 308 is the “ top ” board , and has gold plated conductive lga pads disposed on both its top surface at 410 and parallel opposing bottom surface at 414 ( described in more detail in fig6 ) for coupling ( mating ) with lga pads on lga interposers 408 and 412 , respectively . pcb 302 is the “ bottom ” board and also has gold plated conductive lga pads on its top surface , at 418 , to electrically couple with lga pads on the bottom surface of lga interposer 412 . accordingly , lga interposer 412 is sandwiched between pcb 308 and pcb 302 to electrically interconnect them . further , pcb 308 is sandwiched between module 322 and pcb 302 , with lga interposers 408 and 412 providing the respective connectivity . the average static forces through lga interposers 408 and 412 are substantially the same and are set by conventional load screw and springs ( not shown ). the flatness of each pcb 308 and 302 divides between lga interposers 408 and 412 such that the contact load distribution is no worse than expected with a conventional single lga . stiffener 416 positions to the bottom surface of pcb 302 to provide rigidity support , and is preferably a metal or steel plate . the wiring layers in pcbs 302 and 308 required to interconnect the various component impact the thickness of pcbs 302 and 308 . fig5 illustrates the wiring layers required to interconnect components of motherboard assembly 300 . referring to fig3 and 5 , the wiring layers for transmitting signals between concentrator modules 322 are denoted by ‘ y ’ layers , and between concentrator modules 322 and other concentrator modules and functionality ( collectively referred to as components ) 324 are denoted by ‘ z ’ layers , both of which reside only in the top board ( i . e ., pcb 308 ). accordingly , because layers y and z are not included in the bottom board ( i . e ., pcb 302 ), signals on those layers are not routed through double stacked lgas 306 . similarly , the wiring layers required to connect high power modules 304 to other components ( e . g ., memory modules 320 ) positioned on the bottom board ( i . e ., pcb 302 ) are denoted as ‘ v ’ layers , which also need not be routed through double stacked lgas 306 because v layers are not included in the top board ( i . e ., pcb 308 ). the wiring layers required to transmit signals between high power modules 304 on the bottom board ( i . e ., pcb 302 ) and : i ) the concentrator modules ( e . g ., hubs 1 - 8 ) on the top board ( i . e ., pcb 308 ) are denoted by ‘ x ’ layers ; and ii ) other concentrator modules and functionality 324 on the top board ( i . e ., pcb 308 ) are denoted by ‘ w ’ layers . signals on layers x and w are transmitted between pcbs 302 and 308 using the double stacked lgas 306 . the wiring layers in pcbs 302 and 308 required to interconnect the various component impact the thickness of pcbs 302 and 308 . fig5 illustrates the wiring layers required to interconnect components of motherboard assembly 300 . referring to fig3 and 5 , the wiring layers for transmitting signals between concentrator modules 322 are denoted by ‘ y ’ layers , and between concentrator modules 322 and other concentrator modules and functionality ( collectively referred to as components ) 324 are denoted by ‘ z ’ layers , both of which reside only in the top board ( i . e ., pcb 308 ). accordingly , because layers y and z are not included in the bottom board ( i . e ., pcb 302 ), signals on those layers are not routed through double stacked lgas 306 . similarly , the wiring layers required to connect high power modules 304 to other components ( e . g ., memory modules 320 ) positioned on the bottom board ( i . e ., pcb 302 ) are denoted as ‘ v ’ layers , which also need not be routed through double stacked lgas 306 because v layers are not included in the top board ( i . e ., pbc 308 ). the wiring layers required to transmit signals between high power modules 304 on the bottom board ( i . e ., pcb 302 ) and : i ) the concentrator modules ( e . g ., hubs 1 - 8 ) on the top board ( i . e ., pcb 308 ) are denoted by ‘ x ’ layers ; and ii ) other concentrator modules and functionality 324 on the top board ( i . e ., pcb 308 ) are denoted by ‘ w ’ layers . signals on layers x and w are transmitted between pbcs 302 and 308 using the double stacked lgas 306 . as can be seen , the number of layers in the bottom board ( i . e ., pcb 302 ) and top board ( pcb 308 ) may be reduced , while a conventional single motherboard used in this manner would require more layers . the yield of those smaller boards will be improved due to the significant reduction in risk sites compared with a single printed circuit board . fig6 illustrates a top view perspective of the top surface of pcb 308 at region 318 in fig3 , which shows a representative lga 306 disposed on pcb 308 . this view also illustrates the opposing lga 306 on the bottom surface of pcb 308 at region 318 , which is parallel and opposed to the top surface . lga 306 includes a plurality of electrically conductive pads 602 having , with the exception of pads 608 , holes or vias 604 drilled into pcb 308 to electrically connect top and bottom opposed pads 602 together at each x , y location . this allows module 322 , for example , to electrically connect to pcb 302 through pairs of pads 602 disposed on both surfaces of pcb 308 . on the other hand , at each pad 608 on the top surface of pcb 308 , a “ dogbone ” trace may be made from such top pad to via 606 . similarly , at each pad 608 on the corresponding opposed bottom surface of pcb 308 , another “ dogbone ” trace may be made from such bottom pad to via 610 . vias 606 and 610 do not overlap and may terminate at different layers within pcb 308 , such that opposed top and bottom pad pairs 606 do not electrically connect through pcb 308 . this enables module 322 , for example , to electrically interconnect to a particular layer within pcb 308 at a particular upper pad 606 , while at the opposed bottom pad 606 , pcb 302 may electrically interconnect to a different layer within pcb 308 . in summary , the present embodiment interconnects components via two coplanar pcbs , functioning as a single motherboard , using double stacked lga interposers . one skilled in the art will appreciate that many variations are possible within the scope of the present embodiment . thus , while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that these and other changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	7
our conductive paste includes silver - coated particles in which a conductive core is coated with silver ; and a photosensitive organic compound , wherein the ratio of silver to the silver - coated particles is 10 to 45 % by mass . a conductive pattern formed by a method of producing a conductive pattern is a composite of an organic component and an inorganic component , where , when the conductive pattern is heated at 100 to 300 ° c . or exposed to light from a xenon flash tube , a photosensitive organic compound as the organic component is cured and shrunk to cause silver - coated particles as the inorganic component to come into contact with one another , and thus conductivity is exhibited . the conductive paste includes silver - coated particles in which a conductive core is coated with silver . by using particles having a configuration in which a conductive core is coated with silver , occurrence of an ion migration phenomenon in a conductive pattern formed can be suppressed as compared to when particles formed of only silver are used . the ion migration phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which a metal component affected by an electric field moves over the surface or through the inside of a non - metal substance under a low temperature of lower than 100 ° c . silver is known to most frequently cause an ion migration phenomenon among metals that are often used electrically . when silver or the like contained in the conductive pattern moves over the surface or through the inside of an insulating material in the ion migration phenomenon , the conductive pattern may be short - circuited due to a reduction in insulation resistance value . the conductive core refers to a particle of a substance having an electrical conductivity . the conductive core is preferably a metal core having a satisfactory electrical conductivity . examples of the metal that forms the conductive core include copper , lead , tin , nickel , zinc , aluminum , tungsten , molybdenum , ruthenium oxide , chromium , titanium , indium , particles of alloys of these metals , and composites of these metals . from the viewpoint of conductivity and costs , copper , zinc , nickel , aluminum and alloys thereof are preferable , and copper , zinc , nickel and alloys thereof are more preferable . particularly , it is preferable that the conductive core contains copper . in an alloy of copper and zinc or an alloy of copper and nickel , the ratio of zinc or nickel to the conductive core is preferably 1 to 50 % by mass for preventing oxidation of the copper component . the volume average particle size of silver - coated particles is preferably 0 . 1 to 10 μm , more preferably 0 . 5 to 6 μm . when the volume average particle size is 0 . 1 μm or more , the contact probability of silver - coated particles in heating at 100 to 300 ° c . or exposure to light from a xenon flash tube increases so that the resistivity and breakage probability of a conductive pattern formed decrease . further , in exposure of a coating film of a conductive paste applied onto a substrate , light for exposure can smoothly pass through the coating film so that fine patterning is facilitated . on the other hand , when the volume average particle size is 10 μm or less , the surface smoothness , pattern accuracy and dimensional accuracy of a conductive pattern formed are improved . the volume average particle size can be measured by a coulter counter method . the ratio of silver to silver - coated particles should be 10 to 45 % by mass . when the ratio of silver to silver - coated particles is 10 % by mass or more , a conductive pattern having a low resistivity and high stability can be formed . further , it is preferable that the ratio of silver to silver - coated particles is 20 % by mass or more because a pattern having a lower resistivity can be formed . on the other hand , when the ratio of silver to silver - coated particles is more than 45 % by mass , the cost of silver - coated particles increases , and the effect of suppressing an ion migration phenomenon is reduced . when the ratio of silver to silver - coated particles is 10 to 45 % by mass , the viscosity of the conductive paste can be properly controlled . the ratio of silver to silver - coated particles and the composition of the conductive core can be determined by making a measurement by a x - ray fluorescence analyzer ( zsx priumus manufactured by rigaku corporation ) under a vacuum atmosphere using a sample prepared by applying a load to silver - coated particles to form the particles into a pellet shape . as a coating form of silver - coated particles , it is preferable that the surface of the conductive core is fully coated to suppress a chemical reaction of the conductive core with a photosensitive organic compound or the like contained in the conductive paste . the surface of the conductive core may be partially coated , or the silver coating film may be provided with a hole . when the conductive paste contains a photosensitive organic compound having a carboxyl group , and the conductive core contains an easily cationically ionizable metal such as copper , zinc or nickel , the conductive core and the carboxyl group may be bonded to each other leading to a considerable increase in viscosity of the conductive paste or gelation of the conductive paste . accordingly , it is preferable that the surface of the conductive core is sufficiently coated with silver that is chemically stable . examples of the method of coating the conductive core with silver include a chemical reduction method using a substitution reaction between the conductive core and silver , another chemical reduction method in which silver or a silver precursor is precipitated on the surface of the conductive core using a reducing agent together , and a physical method in which silver particles are electrically adsorbed to the conductive core , and firmly bonded to the conductive core with a pressure . these chemical reduction methods are preferable because the circumference of the conductive core is uniformly coated with silver , and even particles having a small particle size are easily coated . in the chemical reduction method using a substitution reaction , when the conductive core contains an easily ionizable metal , a substitution reaction between the easily ionizable metal and silver easily takes place , leading to further improvement of coating efficiency . for example , when copper in the conductive core further contains zinc or nickel that is easily ionizable , the conductive core is easily uniformly coated with silver . accordingly , it is practical to use silver - coated particles prepared by a chemical reduction method using a substitution reaction . examples of the silver compound to be used to coat the conductive core include silver salts such as silver nitrate , silver acetate and silver chloride . preferably , the silver salt is dissolved in water or an organic solvent , and used . a reducing agent , a chelating agent and a ph adjuster may be added as additives . the ratio of silver - coated particles to the solid content in the conductive paste is preferably 40 to 80 % by mass . when the ratio of silver - coated particles to the solid content is 40 % by mass or more , the contact probability of silver - coated particles in heating at 100 to 300 ° c . or exposure to light from a xenon flash tube increases so that the resistivity and breakage probability of a conductive pattern formed decrease . on the other hand , when the ratio of silver - coated particles to the solid content is 80 % by mass or less , light for exposure can smoothly pass through the coating film so that fine patterning is facilitated . the total solid content refers to all constituents of the conductive paste excluding the solvent . the photosensitive organic compound ( hereinafter , referred to as a “ compound ( a )”) contained in the conductive paste refers to a monomer , an oligomer or a polymer which contains one or more unsaturated double bond . examples of the compound ( a ) include acryl - based copolymers . the acryl - based copolymer refers to a copolymer containing as a copolymer component an acryl - based monomer having a carbon - carbon double bond . examples of the acryl - based monomer having a carbon - carbon double bond include acryl - based monomers such as methyl acrylate , acrylic acid , 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate , ethyl methacrylate , n - butyl acrylate , iso - butyl acrylate , iso - propane acrylate , glycidyl acrylate , n - methoxymethylacrylamide , n - ethoxymethylacrylamide , n - n - butoxymethylacrylamide , n - isobutoxymethylacrylamide , isobutoxymethylacrylamide , butoxy triethylene glycol acrylate , dicyclopentanyl acrylate , dicyclopentenyl acrylate , 2 - hydroxyethyl acrylate , isobornyl acrylate , 2 - hydroxypropyl acrylate , isodexyl acrylate , isooctyl acrylate , lauryl acrylate , 2 - methoxyethyl acrylate , methoxyethylene glycol acrylate , methoxydiethylene glycol acrylate , octafluoropentyl acrylate , phenoxyethyl acrylate , stearyl acrylate , trifluoroethyl acrylate , acrylamide , aminoethyl acrylate , phenyl acrylate , phenoxyethyl acrylate , 1 - naphthyl acrylate , 2 - naphthyl acrylate , thiophenol acrylate and benzylmercaptan acrylate ; styrenes such as styrene , p - methylstyrene , o - methylstyrene , m - methylstyrene , α - methyl styrene , chloromethyl styrene and hydroxymethyl styrene ; γ - methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane ; 1 - vinyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ; allylated cyclohexyl diacrylate ; 1 , 4 - butanediol diacrylate ; 1 , 3 - butylene glycol diacrylate ; ethylene glycol diacrylate ; diethylene glycol diacrylate ; triethylene glycol diacrylate ; polyethylene glycol diacrylate ; dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate ; dipentaerythritol monohydroxypentaacrylate ; ditrimethylolpropane tetraacrylate ; glycerol diacrylate ; methoxylated cyclohexyl diacrylate ; neopentylglycol diacrylate ; propylene glycol diacrylate ; polypropylene glycol diacrylate ; triglycerol diacrylate ; trimethylolpropane triacrylate ; epoxy acrylate monomers such as acrylic acid adducts of ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether , acrylic acid adducts of diethylene glycol diglycidyl ether , acrylic acid adducts of neopentyl glycol diglycidyl ether , acrylic acid adducts of glycerin diglycidyl ether , acrylic acid adducts of bisphenol a diglycidyl ether , acrylic acid adducts of bisphenol f and acrylic acid adducts of cresol novolac each having a hydroxyl group formed by ring - opening an epoxy group with an unsaturated acid ; and compounds in which the acrylic group of the acryl - based monomer is replaced by a methacrylic group . among them , acryl - based monomers having a back bone selected from the group consisting of a bisphenol a backbone , a bisphenol f backbone , a bisphenyl backbone and a hydrogenated bisphenol a backbone are preferable for ensuring that a conductive pattern formed has a moderate hardness . an alkali - soluble acryl - based copolymer soluble in an alkaline developer and the like is obtained by using as a monomer an unsaturated acid such as an unsaturated carboxylic acid . examples of the unsaturated acid include acrylic acid , methacrylic acid , itaconic acid , crotonic acid , maleic acid , fumaric acid , vinyl acetate , and acid anhydrides of these acids . the acid value of the resulting acryl - based copolymer can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the amount of an unsaturated acid to be used . by reacting carboxyl groups of the acryl - based copolymer with a compound containing an unsaturated double bond such as glycidyl ( meth ) acrylate , an alkali - soluble acryl - based copolymer containing a reactive unsaturated double bond on the side chain is obtained . the acid value of the compound is preferably 40 to 250 mg koh / g to ensure that the compound has optimum alkali - solubility . when the acid value is less than 40 mg koh / g , the solubility of the soluble moiety decreases . on the other hand , when the acid value is more than 250 mg koh / g , the development allowance range is narrowed . the acid value of the compound can be measured in accordance with jis k 0070 ( 1992 ). preferably , the conductive paste contains a nitrogen - containing compound . the nitrogen - containing compound ( hereinafter , referred to as a “ compound ( b )”) refers to a compound selected from the group consisting of imidazole , triazole , ethyleneimine and an oxime compound . when the conductive paste contains the compound ( b ), a conductive pattern having a low resistivity at a low temperature can be formed . specifically , the compound ( b ) is more dominantly bonded to the surfaces of silver - coated particles in comparison with other organic components , or unevenly distributed over the surfaces of the particles so that the dispersibility of the silver - coated particles can be improved to form a pattern which is fine and excellent in conductivity . when as another organic component , one containing a carboxyl group is used , the above - mentioned effect can be more remarkably achieved when the compound ( b ) coexists than when the compound ( b ) is not contained . a time - dependent increase in viscosity of the conductive paste and a time - dependent change such as gelation can be suppressed . the compound ( b ) is also effective when coating is insufficient due to existence of a hole in the silver coating film on the surface of the conductive core . examples of the compound ( b ) include 2 - hydroxy - 4 -( 2 - hydroxy - 3 - methacryloxy ) propoxybenzophenone , benzotriazole - based compounds such as 2 -( 2 ′- hydroxy - 5 ′- methyl - phenyl ) benzotriazole , 2 -( 2 ′- hydroxy - 3 ′, 5 ′- di - t - butylphenyl ) benzotriazole , 2 -( 2 ′- hydroxy - 3 ′- t - butyl - 5 ′- methylphenyl )- 5 - chlorobenzotriazole , 2 -( 2 ′- hydroxy - 3 ′- 5 ′- di - t - butylphenyl )- 5 - chloro - benzotriazole and 2 -( 2 ′- hydroxy - 4 ′- n - octoxyphenyl ) benzotriazole , n -( 2 - aminoethyl ) piperazine ; 1 -( 2 - aminoethyl )- 4 - methylpiperazine hydrochloride ; 6 - amino - 1 - methyluracil , polyethylene - imine ; octadecyl isocyanate - modified polyethyleneimine ; propylene oxide - modified polyethyleneimine ; and oxime ester compounds such as 1 , 2 - octanedione - 1 -[ 4 -( phenylthio )- 2 -] o - benzoyloxime )], ethanone - 1 -[ 9 - ethyl - 6 -( 2 - methylbenzoyl )- 9 - h - carbazole - 3 - yl ]- 1 -( acetyloxime ) and 2 -( acetyloximinomethyl ) thioxanthene - 9 - one . the added amount of the compound ( b ) based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is preferably 0 . 01 to 20 parts by mass . when added amount of the compound ( b ) based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is 0 . 01 part by mass or more , the conductivity of the pattern can be exhibited in heating at a lower temperature , and a time - dependent increase in viscosity of the conductive paste and a time - dependent change such as gelation can be suppressed . on the other hand , when the added amount of the compound ( b ) is 20 parts by mass or less , fine patterning is facilitated . preferably , the conductive paste contains a thermosetting compound ( hereinafter , referred to as a “ compound ( c )”). examples of the compound ( c ) include epoxy resins , novolac resins , phenol resins , polyimide precursors and ring - closed polyimides . epoxy resins are preferable to improve adhesion to the substrate and forming a conductive pattern having high stability . by appropriately selecting a backbone of the epoxy resin , the rigidity , stiffness and flexibility of the pattern can be controlled . examples of the epoxy resin include ethylene glycol - modified epoxy resins , bisphenol a - type epoxy resins , brominated epoxy resins , bisphenol f - type epoxy resins , hydrogenated bisphenol a - type epoxy resins , hydrogenated bisphenol f - type epoxy resins , novolac - type epoxy resins , cycloaliphatic epoxy resins , glycidylamine - type epoxy resins , glycidyl ether - type epoxy resins and heterocyclic epoxy resins . the added amount of the compound ( c ) based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is preferably 1 to 100 parts by mass , more preferably 10 to 80 parts by mass , further preferably 30 to 80 parts by mass . when the added amount of the compound ( c ) based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is 1 part by mass or more , adhesion to the substrate is improved . on the other hand , when the added amount of the compound ( c ) is 100 parts by mass or less , a conductive pattern having stability can be formed . preferably , the conductive paste contains a photopolymerization initiator . the photopolymerization initiator refers to a compound which generates radicals by absorbing short - wavelength light such as an ultraviolet ray to be decomposed or by undergoing a hydrogen - withdrawing reaction . examples of the photopolymerization initiator include 1 , 2 - octanedione , 1 -[ 4 -( phenylthio )- 2 -( o - benzoyloxime )], 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylbenzoyl - diphenyl - phosphine oxide , bis ( 2 , 4 , 6 - trimethylbenzoyl )- phenyl - phosphine oxide , ethanone , 1 -[ 9 - ethyl - 6 - 2 ( 2 - methylbenzoyl )- 9h - carbazole - 3 - yl ]- 1 -( o - acetyloxime ), benzophenone , methyl o - benzoylbenzoate , 4 , 4 ′- bis ( dimethylamino ) benzophenone , 4 , 4 ′- bis ( diethylamino ) benzophenone , 4 , 4 ′- dichlorobenzophenone , 4 - benzoyl - 4 ′- methyldiphenylketone , dibenzylketone , fluorenone , 2 , 2 ′- diethoxyacetophenone , 2 , 2 - dimethoxy - 2 - phenylacetophenone , 2 - hydroxy - 2 - methylpropiophenone , p - t - butyldichloroacetophenone , thioxanthone , 2 - methylthioxanthone , 2 - chlorothioxanthone , 2 - isopropylthioxanthone , diethylthioxanthone , benzyl , benzyl dimethyl ketal , benzyl - β - methoxyethyl acetal , benzoin , benzoin methyl ether , benzoin butyl ether , anthraquinone , 2 - t - butylanthraquinone , 2 - amylanthraquinone , β - chloroanthraquinone , anthrone , benzanthrone , dibenzosuberone , methylene anthrone , 4 - azidebenzalacetophenone , 2 , 6 - bis ( p - azidebenzylidene ) cyclohexanone , 6 - bis ( p - azidebenzylidene )- 4 - methylcyclohexanone , 1 - phenyl - 1 , 2 - butanedione - 2 -( o - methoxycarbonyl ) oxime , 1 - phenyl - propanedione - 2 -( o - ethoxycarbonyl ) oxime , 1 - phenyl - propanedione - 2 -( o - benzoyl ) oxime , 1 , 3 - diphenyl - propanetrione - 2 -( o - ethoxycarbonyl ) oxime , 1 - phenyl - 3 - ethoxy - propanetrione - 2 -( o - benzoyl ) oxime , michler &# 39 ; s ketone , 2 - methyl -[ 4 -( methylthio ) phenyl ]- 2 - morpholino - 1 - propanone , naphthalenesulfonyl chloride , quinolinesulfonyl chloride , n - phenylthioacridone , 4 , 4 ′- azobisisobutyronitrile , diphenyl disulfide , benzothiazole disulfide , triphenylphosphine , camphor quinone , 2 , 4 - diethylthioxanthone , isopropylthioxanthone , carbon tetrabromide , tribromophenylsulfone , benzoyl peroxide , and combinations of a photo - reductive pigment such as eosin and methylene blue , and a reducing agent such as ascorbic acid and triethanolamine . the added amount of the photopolymerization initiator based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is preferably 0 . 05 to 30 parts by mass , more preferably 5 to 20 parts by mass . when the added amount of the photopolymerization initiator based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is 0 . 05 parts by mass or more , the curing density of an exposed part of coating film of the conductive paste increases so that the residual film ratio after developing increases . on the other hand , when the added amount of the photopolymerization initiator is 30 parts by mass or less , excessive absorption of light at the upper part of the coating film of the conductive paste is suppressed . as a result , the formed conductive pattern is inhibited from being reversely tapered to suppress reduction in adhesion to the substrate . the conductive paste may contain a sensitizer along with the photopolymerization initiator . examples of the sensitizer include 2 , 4 - diethylthioxanthone , isopropylthioxanthone , 2 , 3 - bis ( 4 - diethylaminobenzal ) cyclopentanone , 2 , 6 - bis ( 4 - dimethylaminobenzal ) cyclohexanone , 2 , 6 - bis ( 4 - dimethylaminobenzal )- 4 - methylcyclohexanone , michler &# 39 ; s ketone , 4 , 4 - bis ( diethylamino ) benzophenone , 4 , 4 - bis ( dimethylamino ) chalcone , 4 , 4 - bis ( diethyl amino ) chalcone , p - dimethyl - aminocinnamylideneindanone , p - dimethylaminobenzylideneindanone , 2 -( p - dimethyl amino - phenylvinylene ) isonaphthothiazole , 1 , 3 - bis ( 4 - dimethylaminophenylvinylene ) isonaphthothiazole , 1 , 3 - bis ( 4 - dimethylaminobenzal ) acetone , 1 , 3 - carbonylbis ( 4 - diethylaminobenzal ) acetone , 3 , 3 - carbonylbis ( 7 - diethylaminocoumarin ), n - phenyl - n - ethyl ethanolamine , n - phenylethanolamine , n - tolyldiethanolamine , isoamyl dimethylaminobenzoate , isoamyl diethylaminobenzoate , 3 - phenyl - 5 - benzoylthiotetrazole and 1 - phenyl - 5 - ethoxycarbonylthiotetrazole . the added amount of the sensitizer based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is preferably 0 . 05 to 10 parts by mass , more preferably 0 . 1 to 10 parts by mass . when the added amount of the sensitizer based on 100 parts by mass of the compound ( a ) is 0 . 05 parts by mass , the light sensitivity is sufficiently improved . on the other hand , when the added amount of the sensitizer is 10 parts by mass or less , excessive absorption of light at the upper part of the coating film of the conductive paste is suppressed . as a result , the formed conductive pattern is inhibited from being reversely tapered to suppress reduction in adhesion to the substrate . the conductive paste may contain a solvent . by mixing a solvent , the viscosity of the conductive paste can be appropriately adjusted . the solvent may be added at the end in the process of preparing the paste . by increasing the amount of the solvent , the thickness of the conductive film after drying can be reduced . examples of the solvent include n , n - dimethylacetamide , n , n - dimethylformamide , n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , dimethyl imidazolidinone , dimethyl sulfoxide , diethylene glycol monoethyl ether , diethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate ( hereinafter , referred to as “ dmea ”), diethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate , γ - butyrolactone , ethyl lactate , ethylene glycol mono - n - propyl ether and propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate . for improving the stability of the conductive paste , an organic solvent having a hydroxyl group is preferable . examples of the organic solvent having a hydroxyl group include terpineol , dihydroterpineol , hexylene glycol , 3 - methoxy - 3 - methyl - 1 - butanol ( hereinafter , referred to as “ solfit ”), 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethyl - 1 , 3 - pentanediol monoisobutyrate , triethylene glycol monobutyl ether , diethylene glycol mono - 2 - ethylhexyl ether , diethylene glycol monobutyl ether , ethylene glycol mono - 2 - ethylhexyl ether , ethylene glycol butyl ether , diethylene glycol ethyl ether , tripropylene glycol methyl ether , tripropylene glycol n - butyl ether , propylene glycol phenyl ether , propylene glycol methyl ether , propylene glycol ethyl ether , propylene glycol n - propyl ether , propylene glycol n - butyl ether , dipropylene glycol n - propyl ether , dipropylene glycol methyl ether , dipropylene glycol n - butyl ether , 2 - ethyl - 1 , 3 - hexane diol , 1 - methoxy - 2 - propanol , 1 - ethoxy - 2 - propanol , diacetone alcohol , tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol , isopropyl alcohol , n - propyl alcohol and benzyl alcohol . the viscosity of the conductive paste may be in a range which allows that the conductive paste can be applied , and when the conductive paste is applied by screen printing , the viscosity thereof is preferably 4 , 000 to 150 , 000 mpa · s , more preferably 4 , 000 to 50 , 000 mpa · s as a value measured at 3 rpm using a brookfield viscometer . when the viscosity is less than 4 , 000 mpa · s , it may be unable to form a coating film on the substrate . in this case , it is preferred to use a method such as spin coating by a spinner , spray coating , roll coating , offset printing , gravure printing or die coating . on the other hand , when the viscosity is more than 150 , 000 mpa · s , irregularities are generated on the surface of the coating film so that exposure unevenness easily occurs . the conductive paste may contain additives such as a plasticizer , a leveling agent , a surfactant , a silane coupling agent , an antifoaming agent and a pigment as long as desired properties of the conductive paste are not impaired . examples of the plasticizer include dibutyl phthalate , dioctyl phthalate , polyethylene glycol , and glycerin . examples of the leveling agent include special vinyl - based polymers and special acryl - based polymers . examples of the silane coupling agent include methyltrimethoxysilane , dimethyldiethoxysilane , phenyltriethoxysilane , hexamethyldisilazane , 3 - methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane , 3 - glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane , and vinyltrimethoxysilane . the conductive paste is produced using , for example , a disperser or a kneader such as a three - roll mill , a ball mill , and a planetary ball mill . a method of producing a conductive pattern using the conductive paste will now be described . first , a method of producing a pattern will be described . the method of producing a pattern includes applying the conductive paste onto a substrate , and exposing and developing the conductive paste to obtain a pattern with a line width of 2 to 50 μm . similarly , the method of producing a conductive pattern includes applying the conductive paste onto a substrate , exposing and developing the conductive paste to obtain a pattern with a line width of 2 to 50 μm , and further heating the resulting pattern at 100 to 300 ° c . to obtain a conductive pattern . a conductive pattern is also obtained by exposing the pattern to light from a xenon flash tube instead of heating the pattern at 100 to 300 ° c . examples of the substrate include polyethylene terephthalate films ( hereinafter , referred to as “ pet films ”), polyimide films , polyester films , aramid films , epoxy resin substrates , polyether imide resin substrates , polyether ketone resin substrates , polysulfone - based resin substrates , glass substrates , silicon wafers , alumina substrates , aluminum nitride substrates , silicon carbide substrates , decorative layer - formed substrates and insulating layer - formed substrates . examples of the method of applying the conductive paste to the substrate include spin coating by a spinner , spray coating , roll coating and screen printing , and coating by a blade coater , a die coater , a calender coater , a meniscus coater or a bar coater . the thickness of the resulting coating film may be appropriately determined according to , for example , a coating method , or a total solid concentration or a viscosity of the conductive paste . the thickness after drying is preferably 0 . 1 to 50 m . preferably , the conductive paste is applied by screen printing to obtain a thickness in the above - mentioned range . the thickness can be measured using a probe type step profiler such as surfcom ( registered trademark ) 1400 ( manufactured by tokyo seimitsu co ., ltd .). more specifically , the film thickness is measured at randomly selected three positions using a probe type step profiler ( measurement length : 1 mm ; scanning speed : 0 . 3 mm / sec ), and an average value thereof is defined as a thickness . when the conductive paste contains a solvent , it is preferable to volatilize the solvent by drying the resulting coating film . examples of the method of volatilizing and removing a solvent by drying the resulting coating film include heating / drying by an oven , a hot plate , an infrared ray or the like , and vacuum drying . the heating temperature is preferably 50 to 180 ° c ., and the heating time is preferably 1 minute to several hours . the resulting coating film is exposed via a pattern forming mask by photolithography . the light source for exposure is preferably an i ray ( 365 nm ), a h ray ( 405 nm ) or g ray ( 436 nm ) from a mercury lamp . the exposed coating film is developed using a developer , and an unexposed part is dissolved and removed to form on a substrate a desired pattern with a line width of 2 to 50 μm . examples of the development method include alkali development and organic development . examples of the developer to be used for alkali development include aqueous solutions of tetramethylammonium hydroxide , diethanolamine , diethylaminoethanol , sodium hydroxide , potassium hydroxide , sodium carbonate , potassium carbonate , triethylamine , diethylamine , methylamine , dimethylamine , dimethylaminoethyl acetate , dimethylaminoethanol , dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate , cyclohexylamine , ethylenediamine , and hexamethylenediamine . to these aqueous solutions may be added a polar solvent such as n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n , n - dimethylformamide , n , n - dimethylacetamide , dimethyl sulfoxide or γ - butyrolactone , an alcohol such as methanol , ethanol or isopropanol , an ester such as ethyl lactate or propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate , a ketone such as cyclopentanone , cyclohexanone , isobutyl ketone or methyl isobutyl ketone , or a surfactant . examples of the developer to be used for organic development include polar solvents such as n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n - acetyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , n , n - dimethylacetamide , n , n - dimethylformamide , dimethyl sulfoxide , and hexamethylphosphortriamide , and mixed solutions of these polar solvents and methanol , ethanol , isopropyl alcohol , xylene , water , methyl carbitol or ethyl carbitol . examples of the development method include a method in which a developer is sprayed to the surface of a coating film while a substrate is left at rest or rotated , a method in which a substrate is immersed in a developer , and a method in which a substrate is immersed in a developer while an ultrasonic wave is applied thereto . the pattern obtained by development may be subjected to a rinsing treatment with a rinsing liquid . examples of the rinsing liquid include water , and aqueous solutions obtained by adding to water an alcohol such as ethanol and isopropyl alcohol , or an ester such as ethyl lactate and propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate . by heating the resulting pattern at 100 to 300 ° c ., conductivity is exhibited to obtain a conductive pattern . the heating temperature for curing is preferably 100 to 180 ° c . when the heating temperature is lower than 100 ° c ., curing / shrinkage of the photosensitive organic compound or the like as an organic component is insufficient so that the resistivity cannot be reduced . on the other hand , when the heating temperature is higher than 300 ° c ., a substrate having low heat resistance cannot be used . the heating temperature is preferably 180 ° c . or lower for suppressing damage to the substrate by heating . the heating time is preferably 1 minute to several hours . examples of the method of heating the resulting pattern include heating / drying by an oven , an inert oven , a hot plate , an infrared ray or the like and vacuum drying . by exposing the resulting pattern to light from a xenon flash tube , conductivity is also exhibited to obtain a conductive pattern . the exposure time in this case may be appropriately determined according to an irradiation energy amount while damage to the substrate and the pattern is taken into consideration . the exposure time is preferably 0 . 01 to 10000 msec . to suppress damage to the substrate and the pattern , it is preferable that irradiation of light from a xenon flash tube is pulse irradiation , and it is more preferable that the irradiation energy per pulse is 2 . 0 j / cm 2 or less . as a process of ensuring that the resulting pattern exhibits conductivity , heating at 100 to 300 ° c . may be performed in combination with exposure to light from a xenon flash tube . the conductive pattern produced using the conductive paste and the conductive pattern produced by the method of producing a conductive pattern are each suitably used as a sensor , particularly as a detection sensor in peripheral wiring for a touch panel or a touch panel display section . examples of the type of a touch panel include a resistive film type , an optical type , an electromagnetic induction type , and an electrostatic capacitance type . particularly in an electrostatic capacitance type touch panel , fine wiring is required , and therefore the conductive paste which can be processed into a fine pattern of 50 μm or less is more suitably used . in a touch panel including the conductive pattern as peripheral wiring with a pitch ( wiring width + width between wiring lines ) of 100 μm or less , the frame width can be narrowed and the display section can be widened . in a display section of a touch panel including the conductive pattern as a detection sensor with a width of 10 μm or less , satisfactory visibility can be achieved with a low cost . our pastes , patterns , methods and sensors will be described below more in detail by way of examples and comparative examples . this disclosure is not limited to these examples . a conductive paste was applied onto a substrate such that the dried film had a thickness of 5 μm , and the thus obtained conductive paste coating film was dried in a drying oven at 100 ° c . for 5 minutes . one unit was defined as linear transparent patterns arranged with a fixed line - and - space ( hereinafter , referred to as “ l / s ”), and the dried coating film was exposed via photomasks having nine units having different l / s values , respectively and was developed to obtain nine patterns having different l / s values . the l / s values of the units of the photomasks were set to 500 / 500 , 250 / 250 , 100 / 100 , 50 / 50 , 40 / 40 , 30 / 30 , 25 / 25 , 20 / 20 , 15 / 15 , 10 / 10 , 8 / 8 and 5 / 5 ( each showing a line width ( m )/ interval ( m )). the obtained patterns were observed with an optical microscope to identify a pattern which was free from residues between patterns and free from pattern peeling and had the smallest l / s value , and the l / s value was defined as a development - enabling l / s value . exposure was performed over the entire line at an exposure amount of 150 mj / cm 2 ( in terms of a wavelength of 365 nm ) using exposure equipment ( pem - 6m manufactured by union optical co ., ltd . ), and development was performed by immersing a substrate in a 0 . 2 % by mass na 2 co 3 solution for 30 seconds , and then subjecting the substrate to a rinsing treatment with ultrapure water . a conductive paste was applied onto a substrate such that the dried film had a thickness of 5 μm , and the thus obtained conductive paste coating film was dried in a drying oven at 100 ° c . for 5 minutes . the dried coating film was exposed via a photomask , and developed to obtain a pattern . the obtained pattern was heated at 140 ° c . for 30 minutes ( the pattern was irradiated with light from a xenon flash tube for 0 . 3 msec with 1 . 0 j / cm 2 when a pet substrate was used ) to exhibit conductivity , thereby obtaining a conductive pattern for measurement of a resistivity . the obtained conductive pattern had a line width of 0 . 400 mm and a line length of 80 mm . conditions for exposure and development were the same as those in the method of evaluating patterning performance . to the ends of the obtained conductive pattern for measurement of a resistivity , an ohmmeter was connected to measure a resistance value , and a resistivity was calculated based on the following formula ( 1 ): the line width is an average value obtained by observing line widths at three random positions with an optical microscope , and analyzing image data . a conductive paste was applied onto a substrate such that the dried film had a thickness of 5 μm , and the thus obtained conductive paste coating film was dried in a drying oven at 100 ° c . for 5 minutes . the dried coating film was exposed via a photomask having a comb - like pattern , and developed to obtain a comb - like pattern . the obtained pattern was heated at 140 ° c . for 30 minutes ( the pattern was irradiated with light from a xenon flash tube for 0 . 3 msec with 1 . 0 j / cm 2 when a pet substrate was used ) to exhibit conductivity , thereby obtaining a conductive pattern for evaluation of migration resistance . the obtained conductive pattern had a line width of 50 μm , an interline space width of 50 μm and a line length of 40 mm . conditions for exposure and development were the same as those in the method of evaluating patterning performance . an ultra - high ohmmeter ( r8340 manufactured by advantest corporation ) was connected to the ends of the obtained conductive pattern for measurement of migration resistance , a current was made to pass with an applied voltage dc of 20 v , the conductive pattern was exposed for 60 minutes under a constant temperature and humidity of 85 ° c . and 85 rh %, and a change of the conductive pattern was then observed . a sample in which a dendrite or a short - circuit occurred was rated b , and a sample which was not changed was rated a . a sample in which there was almost no change in the state of the conductive paste after kneading and after storage for 2 weeks , and the conductive paste was viscous , and able to be applied was rated s , a sample in which slight separation of the solid occurred to form a lump on the bottom of a conductive paste storage container , but the conductive paste was able to be applied when mixed was rated a , and a sample in which the whole conductive paste was considerably hard , and was difficult to mix , or gelated so that the conductive paste was unable to be applied was rated b . a sample in which the conductive paste started solidifying within an hour after kneading , and was changed to the extent that the conductive paste was unable to be applied was also rated b . copolymerization ratio ( mass basis ): ethyl acrylate ( hereinafter , referred to as “ ea ”)/ 2 - ethylhexyl methacrylate ( hereinafter , referred to as “ 2 - ehma ”)/ styrene ( hereinafter , referred to as “ st ”)/ glycidyl methacrylate ( hereinafter , referred to as “ gma ”)/ acrylic acid ( hereinafter , referred to as “ aa ”)= 20 / 40 / 20 / 5 / 15 in a reaction vessel in a nitrogen atmosphere , 150 g of dmea was added and the temperature was elevated to 80 ° c . using an oil bath . to this was added dropwise for 1 hour a mixture including 20 g of ea , 40 g of 2 - ehma , 20 g of st , 15 g of aa , 0 . 8 g of 2 , 2 ′- azobisisobutyronitrile and 10 g of dmea . after completion of the dropwise addition , a polymerization reaction was further carried out for 6 hours . thereafter , 1 g of hydroquinone monomethyl ether was added to stop the polymerization reaction . subsequently , a mixture including 5 g of gma , 1 g of triethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and 10 g of dmea was added dropwise for 0 . 5 hours . after completion of the dropwise addition , an addition reaction was further carried out for 2 hours . the obtained reaction solution was refined with methanol to remove unreacted impurities , and dried under vacuum for 24 hours to obtain a compound ( a - 1 ) having a carboxyl group and an unsaturated double bond . the acid value of the obtained compound ( a - 1 ) was 103 mg koh / g . copolymerization ratio ( mass basis ): tricyclodecane dimethanol diacrylate ( irr214 - k ; manufactured by daicel - cytec co ., ltd . )/ modified bisphenol a diacrylate ( ebecryl150 ; daicel - cytec co ., ltd . )/ st / aa )= 25 / 40 / 20 / 15 in a reaction vessel in a nitrogen atmosphere , 150 g of dmea was added and the temperature was elevated to 80 ° c . using an oil bath . to this was added dropwise for 1 hour a mixture including 25 g of irr214 - k , 40 g of ebecryl150 , 20 g of st , 15 g of aa , 0 . 8 g of 2 , 2 ′- azobisisobutyronitrile and 10 g of dmea . after completion of the dropwise addition , a polymerization reaction was further carried out for 6 hours . thereafter , 1 g of hydroquinone monomethyl ether was added to stop the polymerization reaction . the obtained reaction solution was refined with methanol to remove unreacted impurities , and dried under vacuum for 24 hours to obtain a compound ( a - 2 ) having a carboxyl group and an unsaturated double bond . the acid value of the obtained compound ( a - 2 ) was 89 mg koh / g . copolymerization ratio ( mass basis ): ethylene oxide - modified bisphenol a diacrylate ( fa - 324a manufactured by hitachi chemical company , ltd . )/ ea / gma / aa = 50 / 10 / 5 / 15 in a reaction vessel in a nitrogen atmosphere , 150 g of dmea was added and the temperature was elevated to 80 ° c . using an oil bath . to this was added dropwise for 1 hour a mixture including 50 g of ethylene oxide - modified bisphenol a diacrylate , 20 g of ea , 15 g of aa , 0 . 8 g of 2 , 2 ′- azobisisobutyronitrile and 10 g of dmea . after completion of the dropwise addition , a polymerization reaction was further carried out for 6 hours . thereafter , 1 g of hydroquinone monomethyl ether was added to stop the polymerization reaction . subsequently , a mixture including 5 g of gma , 1 g of triethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and 10 g of dmea was added dropwise for 0 . 5 hours . after completion of the dropwise addition , an addition reaction was further carried out for 2 hours . the obtained reaction solution was refined with methanol to remove unreacted impurities , and dried under vacuum for 24 hours to obtain a compound ( a - 3 ) having a carboxyl group and an unsaturated double bond . the acid value of the obtained compound ( a - 3 ) was 96 mg koh / g . copolymerization ratio ( mass basis ): difunctional epoxy acrylate monomer ( epoxy ester 3002a manufactured by kyoeisha chemical co ., ltd . )/ difunctional epoxy acrylate monomer ( epoxy ester 70pa manufactured by kyoeisha chemical co ., ltd . )/ gma / st / aa = 20 / 40 / 5 / 20 / 15 in a reaction vessel in a nitrogen atmosphere , 150 g of dmea was added and the temperature was elevated to 80 ° c . using an oil bath . to this was added dropwise for 1 hour a mixture including 20 g of epoxy ester 3002a , 40 g of epoxy ester 70pa , 20 g of st , 15 g of aa , 0 . 8 g of 2 , 2 ′- azobisisobutyronitrile and 10 g of dmea . after completion of the dropwise addition , a polymerization reaction was further carried out for 6 hours . thereafter , 1 g of hydroquinone monomethyl ether was added to stop the polymerization reaction . subsequently , a mixture including 5 g of gma , 1 g of triethyl benzyl ammonium chloride and 10 g of dmea was added dropwise for 0 . 5 hours . after completion of the dropwise addition , an addition reaction was further carried out for 2 hours . the obtained reaction solution was refined with methanol to remove unreacted impurities , and dried under vacuum for 24 hours to obtain a compound ( a - 4 ) having a carboxyl group and an unsaturated double bond . the acid value of the obtained compound ( a - 4 ) was 101 mg koh / g . ( b - 3 ) epomin ( registered trademark ) sp - 200 ( manufactured by nippon shokubai co ., ltd .) ( c - 1 ) epoxy resin ( jer828 ( epoxy equivalent : 188 ); manufactured by mitsubishi chemical corporation ) ( c - 2 ) epoxy resin ( adeka resin epr - 21 ( epoxy equivalent : 210 ); manufactured by adeka corporation ) irgacure ( registered trademark ) 369 ( hereinafter , referred to as “ ic369 ”) ( manufactured by basf japan ltd .) in a 100 ml clean bottle , 10 . 0 g of the compound ( a - 1 ), 0 . 50 g of ic369 and 23 . 5 g of dmea were added and mixed by “ awatori rentaro ” ( registered trademark ) ( are - 310 ; manufactured by thinky corporation ) to obtain 34 g of a resin solution ( solid content : 50 % by mass ). the composition is shown in table 1 . 34 g of the obtained resin solution and 24 . 5 g of silver - coated particles ( copper - nickel alloy ) were mixed together , and kneaded using a three - roll mill ( exakt m - 50 ; manufactured by exakt ) to obtain 58 . 5 g of a conductive paste . the viscosity after kneading was 25 , 000 mpa · s . patterning performance , resistivity and adhesion to ito for the conductive pattern were evaluated using the obtained conductive paste . the development - enabling l / s value serving as an evaluation index for patterning performance was 15 / 15 μm , and it was thus confirmed that proper pattern processing was performed . the resistivity of the conductive pattern was 7 . 2 × 10 − 5 ωcm . the results of performing evaluations are shown in table 3 . conductive pastes having compositions as shown in table 1 were produced in the same manner as in example 1 , and were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 . the results thereof are shown in table 3 . conductive pastes having compositions as shown in table 1 were produced in the same manner as in example 1 , and evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 except that the conductive paste was irradiated with light from a xenon flash tube instead of being heated . the results thereof are shown in table 3 . conductive pastes having compositions as shown in table 2 were produced in the same manner as in example 1 , and were evaluated in the same manner as in example 1 . the results thereof are shown in table 3 . from the conductive paste of each of examples 1 to 15 , a conductive pattern excellent in patterning performance , resistivity and migration resistance was formed . the conductive patterns formed from the conductive pastes of comparative examples 1 to 3 , 5 to 7 and 9 were poor in migration resistance . in comparative example 4 , there was no problem as to migration resistance , but the resistivity was considerably high . in comparative example 8 , a gel - like paste was obtained , and therefore it was unable to apply the paste so that it was unable to evaluate patterning performance . the conductive paste can be suitably used to produce a conductive pattern for a detection sensor in a touch panel display section , peripheral wiring for a touch panel or the like .	6
turning now to the drawings , the block diagram of fig1 relates to the temperature control apparatus 10 of this invention wherein stabilization at set point temperatures are rapidly attained over a wide temperature range . in apparatus 10 , peltier units 12 and 14 are disposed within a cascade arrangement to control thermal transfer between a specimen 16 and an ambient heat sink 18 . peltier units are electrical heat pumps across which thermal transfer in either direction is possible depending on the polarity of the control signal thereto . thermal transfer across peltier unit 12 is regulated by a means 20 for controlling the power thereto according to the temperature differential between the specimen and a set point , while thermal transfer across peltier unit 14 is regulated by a means 22 for controlling the power thereto proportionally to the temperature differential across peltier unit 12 . peltier unit 12 approaches shut - off as the specimen temperature approaches the set point , whereas peltier unit 14 approaches shut - off as the temperature differential across peltier 12 approaches zero . when the set point is reached any overshoot occurring due to the thermal lag between peltier 12 and specimen 16 will cause reversal of peltier unit 12 by the control means 20 . furthermore , this reversal will quickly cause reversal of peltier unit 4 through means 22 so that the overshoot which does occur is considerably reduced in comparison to prior art cascade peltier arrangements . because the apparatus 10 of this invention reduces both the overshoot at set point and the thermal oscillations thereabout to settle the overshoot , stabilized specimen temperature at set points are reached in low response times over a wide temperature range . of course , those skilled in the art will appreciate that any number of peltier units greater than one could be cascaded in the temperature control apparatus 10 of this invention or that any number of peltier units could be utilized in each cascade segment thereof . artisans will also appreciate that the power rating of the peltier units in each cascade segment will depend on the particular application to which the invention is applied . although many applications exist in analytical instruments for the temperature control apparatus 10 of this invention , for brevity only embodiments thereof which apply to temperature control of specimen cells in spectrophotometers will be disclosed hereinafter . the first such embodiment is illustrated in fig2 where the block elements of fig1 are identified by the same reference numerals . in this embodiment , the specimen 16 is a flow cell into which the sample for spectrophotometer analysis is aspirated and the ambient heat sink 18 is the frame of the spectrophotometer or some other heat sink of substantially constant temperature . of course , the temperature control apparatus 10 of this invention is incorporated in this embodiment to regulate thermal transfer between the sample in the flow cell 16 and the ambient heat sink 18 . the flow cell 16 is a block 24 of high thermal conductivity material , with a passage 26 therethrough and with windows 28 aligned on an axis transverse to passage 26 to pass the radiation beam through the sample for analytical purposes . in this embodiment , a transfer heat sink 30 is disposed to interface between one thermal junction on each of the peltier units 12 and 14 , while the other thermal junction of the peltier unit 12 is interfaced directly with the block 24 and the other thermal junction of the peltier unit 14 is interfaced directly with the ambient heat sink 18 . the power control means 20 for peltier unit 12 includes a temperature sensor 32 which is thermally disposed in the block 24 and electrically disposed in a suitable bridge circuit 34 from which the output is connected to one input of a comparator 36 . a means 38 for establishing a variable set point is connected to the other input of the comparator 36 and the output therefrom is connected to control the thermal transfer across peltier unit 12 . the power control means 22 for peltier unit 14 includes temperature sensors 40 and 42 which are thermally disposed separately in the block 24 and the transfer heat sink 30 respectively , and electrically disposed respectively in suitable bridge circuits 44 and 46 from which the outputs thereof are separately connected to the inputs of a comparator 48 . output from the comparator 48 is connected to control the thermal transfer across peltier unit 14 . temperature sensor 32 is disposed adjacent to the sample flow passage 26 , while temperature sensors 40 and 42 are disposed adjacent to the thermal junctions of the peltier unit 12 , so that thermal lags are avoided where possible . thermal transfer to raise or lower the sample in the flow cell 16 to a desired temperature is accomplished through the block 24 for which such design parameters as specific heat , thermal conductivity and configuration must be given due consideration so that the merits of this invention will not be frustrated . as a result , the sample is maintained substantially at the temperature set point of the power control means 20 which regulates the thermal transfer between the peltier unit 12 and the block 24 . the thermal response time required for the sample in the flow cell 16 to stabilize at any set point over a wide temperature range is low by comparison to prior art cascaded peltier arrangements for the same reasons discussed previously in regard to fig1 . even when insulation is utilized for inhibiting thermal losses to ambient , such losses are always present to some degree as long as a temperature differential exists relative to ambient . the temperature control apparatus 10 of fig2 will maintain the sample in the flow cell 16 at the temperature set point while thermal losses to ambient of moderate magnitudes occur . however , where the temperature differential relative to ambient is very large and / or no insulation can be used , a portion of the output fro comparator 48 may be applied to offset the temperature set point at the input of comparator 36 to compensate for thermal losses to ambient . to give the proper correction the output from comparator 48 must be substantially proportional to the temperature differential across peltier unit 12 and independent of the average temperature of said unit . this compensation is only applied to the degree that the thermal losses to ambient are sufficient to affect that temperature differential . the output from comparator 48 is grounded through a potentiometer 50 on which the wiper is connected to offset the temperature set point at the input of comparator 36 and therefore , the degree of compensation is variable . in practice any type of temperature sensors having suitable sensitivity may be utilized in the temperature control apparatus 10 of this invention and the bridge circuits thereof must be suitable to provide voltage signals that are proportional to the temperatures monitored by these sensors . where thermistors are utilized to monitor the differential temperature across peltier unit 12 , bridge circuits 44 and 46 can be combined into a single bridge circuit as shown in fig3 . because the response of thermistors to temperature is characteristically nonlinear , this bridge circuit is linearized , i . e ., made to have a substantially constant sensitivity , by including an operational amplifier 52 which is connected differentially with the output therefrom fed back to drive the bridge at circuit point 60 . resistor 54 and thermistor 40 establish a voltage at point 62 in one leg of the bridge connected to one input of amplifier 52 ; the other input thereof is connected to the tap point on a voltage divider 56 . another resistor 58 is connected to resistor 54 at the output of operational amplifier 52 at bridge circuit point 60 . thermistor 42 is connected to the other side of resistor 58 to thereby establish bridge circuit point 64 and the thermistors 40 and 42 are interconnected through ground to complete the bridge circuit . because of the closed loop around operational amplifier 52 , the inputs thereof are at substantially at the same voltage levels with no current flowing into either of these inputs . therefore , the voltage at bridge circuit point 62 remains substantially constant as the resistance of thermistor 40 changes with temperature so that the current flowing through this thermistor is low when the resistance of the thermistor is high . since the current flowing through thermistor 40 must also flow through resistor 54 , the voltage at bridge circuit point 60 must vary in direct proportion to the resistance of thermistor 40 and hence changes as a function of the temperature . consequently , the current flowing through thermistor 42 is also low when the resistance of thermistor 40 is high and the bridge circuitry provides substantially constant sensitivity in that the voltage per degree temperature differential between the thermistors 40 and 42 is the difference of two ir drops , both of which are controlled to stay within the same narrow range of magnitude . comparator 48 , then , may have one input connected to circuit point 64 , while the other input may be connected to circuit point 62 or an equivalent constant voltage , so that the output of comparator 48 is a substantially constant linear function of the temperature difference between thermistors 40 and 42 at any temperature of thermistor 40 over a design range . another embodiment of this invention as applied to the art of spectrophotometers is shown in fig4 where , because of the similarities that exist with the apparatus of fig2 similar components are designated with the same reference numerals as those used in fig2 except that a prime (&# 39 ;) is added thereto . in this embodiment , the specimen 16 &# 39 ; is a cuvette having glass or silica walls and containing samples for spectrophotometer analysis . the ambient heat sink 18 &# 39 ; is again the frame of the spectrophotometer or some other heat sink of substantially constant temperature . thermal transfer to the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; is made through a thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; which is analogous to the block 24 in fig2 . peltier 12 &# 39 ; interfaces between the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; and a cuvette basket 30 &# 39 ; which is analogous to the transfer heat sink 30 in fig2 . a spring 66 of low thermal conductivity is affixed on the cuvette basket 30 &# 39 ; to hold the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; against the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; and peltier 14 &# 39 ; interfaces between the cuvette basket 30 &# 39 ; and the ambient heat sink 18 &# 39 ;. an agitator 68 may be disposed within the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; to stir the sample continuously and temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; is disposed within a sheath which is immersed into the sample . temperature sensors 40 &# 39 ; and 42 &# 39 ; are disposed across the peltier 12 &# 39 ; in the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; and the cuvette basket 30 &# 39 ; respectively . peltiers 12 &# 39 ; and 14 &# 39 ; are controlled as described and explained previously for the temperature control apparatus 10 of fig2 and thermistors 40 &# 39 ; and 42 &# 39 ; may be disposed in the constant sensitivity bridge circuitry of fig3 . it should be recognized without further explanation by those skilled in the art that cuvette basket 30 &# 39 ; and the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; could be extended along an axis perpendicular to the plane of fig4 in providing for a plurality of cuvettes 16 &# 39 ;. of course , the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; would interface with each such cuvette 16 &# 39 ; and the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; would be disposed in the thermally centered cuvette 16 &# 39 ;. because thermal lag in the contact bar will limit the speed and accuracy of equilibration attainable with the apparatus of this invention , high thermal conductivity and low thermal storage capacity is exceptionally important in this member . at any location where thermal transfer occurs by conduction through a material , the thermal storage capacity is determined by the material &# 39 ; s specific heat . therefore a possible improvement over a metal bar is afforded by a heat pipe wherein thermal transfer occurs through vapor convection . heat pipes in the art to be of low thermal storage capacity . conventionally within heat pipes , thermal transfer is made between two walls by the vapor of a liquid without changing the temperature of the liquid . the vapor condenses on the wall being heated and a wicking system returns the condensate to the other wall where vaporization takes place . for spectrophotometer applications , a 0 °- 100 ° c working temperature range is usual for the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; in the fig4 embodiment and methanol would be a suitable liquid for a heat pipe used in such an application . as compared to the use of solid copper for the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; in that application , a reduction in thermal storage capacity of over 80 % can be realized from the use of a heat pipe . when it becomes necessary to change the sample in the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; of the fig4 embodiment , the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; must be removed therefrom for some period of time . because during this period of time the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; is exposed to ambient conditions rather than to the sample temperature it is probable that control of the peltier units 12 &# 39 ; and 14 &# 39 ; will be lost to cause a condition of thermal runaway . to prevent failure of either peltier unit 12 &# 39 ; or 14 &# 39 ; which could result from thermal runaway , a single direction safety shut - off feature for peltier 12 &# 39 ; is included in the circuitry of fig3 . the gate of an fet switch 70 is connected to the output from a comparator 72 , with the fet switch 70 being connected to ground the output from comparator 48 . the inputs to the comparator 72 are connected to the bridge circuit point 60 and a d . c . voltage reference respectively . as discussed previously , the voltage at bridge circuit point 60 varies as a function of the temperature of thermistor 40 and therefore , this voltage can be used to measure the temperature of peltier 12 &# 39 ;. the voltage reference at the input to comparator 72 can be set so that before a destructive temperature is reached , output from comparator 72 renders fet switch 70 conductive to ground out the control signal of peltier 12 &# 39 ;. when peltier 12 &# 39 ; is shut off , input to peltier 14 &# 39 ; will also be shut down since peltier 14 &# 39 ; is controlled by the heat pumping rate of peltier 12 &# 39 ;. because the wall of the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; in fig4 presents an undesirable thermal lag , another embodiment of this invention is shown in fig5 . as many similarities exist between the apparatus of fig4 and that of fig5 similar components are designated in fig5 with the same reference numerals as those used in fig4 but with a double prime (&# 34 ;) added thereto . in this embodiment , and extending portion is disposed on the thermal contact bar 24 &# 34 ; and is immersed into the sample within the cuvette 16 &# 34 ; from above the cuvette basket 30 &# 34 ;. the temperature sensor 32 &# 34 ; is adjacently disposed to the sample within the extending portion of the thermal contact bar 24 &# 34 ; and the agitator 68 &# 34 ; is again disposed within the cuvette 16 &# 34 ; to stir the sample continuously . as before , peltier unit 12 &# 34 ; interfaces between the thermal contact bar 24 &# 34 ; and the cuvette basket 30 &# 34 ;, while peltier unit 14 &# 34 ; interfaces between the cuvette basket 30 &# 34 ; and the ambient heat sink 18 &# 34 ;. temperature sensors 40 &# 34 ; and 42 &# 34 ; are again disposed across the peltier unit 12 &# 34 ; in the thermal contact bar 24 &# 34 ; and the cuvette basket 30 &# 34 ; respectively . otherwise , peltier units 12 &# 34 ; and 14 &# 34 ; are controlled as described and explained previously for the temperature control apparatus 10 of fig2 and thermistors 40 &# 34 ; and 42 &# 34 ; may be disposed in the constant sensitivity bridge circuit of fig3 . with some loss in temperature accuracy the inconvenience of an immersed sensor can be avoided . instead of a well for the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; ( fig4 ) can be provided in the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; ( as shown in fig6 ) to prevent the thermal runaway of the peltier units 12 &# 39 ; and 14 &# 39 ;. of course , if an immersed sensor is desireable , by placing the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; in this well when the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; is removed , the temperature control apparatus of fig4 would maintain the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; at the set temperature and thermal runaway would be thereby avoided . furthermore , a liner 74 presenting the same thermal lag as the wall of the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; may be provided within this well so that the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; can be permanently disposed therein to track the temperature of the sample , as shown in fig6 . the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; may be extended to completely surround the cuvette 16 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; where the reponse time to stabilization at the temperature set point may be compromised . this embodiment is shown in fig7 . as shown is this form the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; could be permanently located without a liner being required externally on the wall of the extended thermal contact member 24 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; at a point best representing cuvette temperature , usually near the top . the extent of overshoot which results from slewing to the temperature set point in either thermal direction depends on the thermal gradient which exists between the thermal contact bar 24 &# 39 ; ( fig4 ) and the cuvette 16 &# 39 ; at the time when the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; detects that the temperature set point has been reached . in the configuration of fig7 the greater mass of the contact member 24 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; augments overshoot . to reduce this overshoot without increasing the thermal response time , a set point antcipation feature can be accomplished by thermally disposing another thermistor 76 in the thermal contact member 24 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; of fig7 to track the temperature of the sample and series connecting this thermistor with another resistor 78 in the bridge circuitry of fig3 . a comparator 80 is included as part of this anticipation feature in the circuitry of fig3 with the inputs thereof connected respectively to the bridge circuit point 62 or an equivalent voltage and the bridge circuit point between resistor 78 and thermistor 76 . although not shown in fig3 the output from comparator 80 is connected in the additive sense to the input of comparator 36 &# 39 ; to which output from the bridge circuit 34 &# 39 ; with the temperature sensor 32 &# 39 ; therein is connected . because the output from comparator 80 is proportional to the thermal gradient across cuvette 16 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; as represented by the temperature difference between thermistors 40 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; and 76 , the output from comparator 36 &# 39 ; that controls peltier unit 12 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; includes components that are proportional to the gradient across the cuvette 16 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; and to the deviation from the set point of the sample temperature respectively . as these components are additive peltier 12 &# 39 ;&# 34 ; shuts - off before the set point is reached to reduce the thermal overshoot encountered . as the gradient then decays as the temperature of the thermal contact member approaches the set temperature the set point anticipation feature functions to bring the sample temperature to set point with little or no overshoot . we have found this anticipation circuit to be so effective that the stirrer can be omitted without overshoot resulting from the increased thermal lag . those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure has been made by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and the combination or arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the true spirit and the scope of this invention . therefore , the present disclosure should be construed as illustrative rather than limiting .	5
embodiments of the present invention are described below with respect to fig2 - 4 . referring initially to fig2 , a gas turbine engine 200 is provided comprising a compressor 201 , a combustion system 202 , and a turbine 203 in fluid communication . the compressor 201 takes in ambient air and compresses it , through a multi - stage compression process , to a higher temperature and pressure and passes the compressed air to the combustion system 202 . a portion of the compressed air 210 is directed from the compressor discharge for purposes of cooling components in the turbine 203 . the compressed air 210 is passed to an electric backup compression system 220 that is also in fluid communication with the turbine 203 . the electric backup compression system 220 comprises a motor 222 powered by an electrical supply 224 . the motor 222 provides shaft power to turn the backup compressor 226 . this electric backup compression system 220 takes compressed air 210 from the engine compressor 201 , or an engine compressor discharge at the exit of compressor 201 , and further compresses the air to a higher operating pressure . depending on the temperature and pressure requirements for the cooling air 231 being supplied to the turbine 203 , the compressed air may pass through a cooler 228 , to cool the air to a lower temperature . however , care must be used when cooling the air temperature of air from the backup compressor in order to ensure the temperature is not lowered to the point of causing cracking in turbine parts due to thermal shock . compressed air 230 , also referred to as a second supply of pressurized air , then passes through a valve 232 , which controls flow to the turbine 203 . the electric backup compression system 220 can be used alone as a way to further compress cooling air , as shown in fig3 , or can be used in the event of trouble or availability issues with an auxiliary air compression system 250 , as shown in fig2 . referring back to fig2 , the electric backup compression system 220 operates in conjunction with or as a separate unit to the auxiliary air compression system 250 . the auxiliary air compression system 250 comprises a reciprocating engine 252 , which takes in fuel 254 and ambient air 256 and generates power in the form of torque on a shaft , and provides shaft power to turn a multistage intercooled compressor 258 . the compressor 258 draws in ambient air 260 and compresses the air to form warm compressed air 262 . the auxiliary air compression system 250 also comprises a recuperator 264 , which receives exhaust 266 from the reciprocating engine 252 and the warm compressed air 262 from the compressor 258 . as the compressed air 262 passes through the recuperator 264 , the compressed air 262 is heated by the exhaust 266 from the reciprocating engine 252 . as a result , a supply of hot compressed air 268 , also referred herein as a first supply of pressurized air , exits from the recuperator 264 . the remaining exhaust 270 , which is now cooler due to it being used as a heating source , is routed to the atmosphere or to the gas turbine exhaust . the electric backup compression system 220 can be sized to continuously supply a portion of the cooling air where the portion of the cooling air represents a fraction of the capacity of the electric driven system . by doing this , the electric backup compression system 220 can operate continuously to minimize any lag time in the event all of , or a portion of , the auxiliary compression system 250 goes offline . referring back to fig3 , the electric backup compression system 220 is capable of supplying all of the cooling requirements to the turbine 203 . although only a single electric backup compression system 220 is depicted , it may be advantageous to utilize multiple electric backup compression systems in order to provide redundancy to the cooling system . referring back to fig2 , the valve 232 regulates the flow of compressed air for cooling in the turbine 203 . that is , the valve 232 is adjustable and can restrict the compressed air to that of the first supply of pressurized air 268 from the auxiliary air compression system 250 or a second supply of pressurized air 230 from the electric backup compression system 220 , or a combination of the first supply of pressurized air 268 and the second supply of pressurized air 230 to form the cooling air 231 for cooling components in the turbine 203 , such as turbine vanes or turbine blades . as one skilled in the art can appreciate , it is beneficial to be able to control the temperature of the hot compressed air 268 . this control is accomplished by a compressed air bypass or an exhaust bypass around the recuperator 264 , both of which are not depicted for clarity purposes . depending on the pressure ratio of the backup compressor 226 , it may be advantageous to pull the compressed air for the electric backup compression system 220 from a location other than a compressor discharge plenum , such as an upstream stage in the compressor 201 . if air is withdrawn from an earlier stage of the compressor 201 , then the cooler 228 may be eliminated from the electric backup compression system 220 because the air entering the system will be cooler than air taken from the compressor discharge plenum . furthermore , utilizing a backup compressor 226 having more than one stage of compression , such as an intercooled compressor , is another way of reducing the compressor exit temperature by intercooling one or more stages . one of the main aspects of cooling turbine components through an auxiliary supply system , as disclosed herein , is that the present invention provides cooling air at a pressure higher than the compressor discharge pressure of the engine 200 , allowing for more efficient cooling and advanced cooling schemes to be used , resulting in a reduced amount of cooling air required . using less air for cooling increases the amount of air going through the combustion process , which translates into improved engine efficiency . furthermore , by lowering the operating temperatures of hot gas path turbine parts , operating life of the turbine parts can be extended . referring now to fig4 , a system 400 for providing compressed air to cool gas turbine engine components is depicted . the system 400 comprises a gas turbine engine having a compressor 401 , a combustor 402 , and turbine 403 fluidly connected where a portion of the air 405 from the compressor 401 is used to cool components in the turbine 403 . shaft power from the gas turbine engine drives a generator 404 . a plurality of auxiliary compression systems 420 are in selective fluid communication with the gas turbine engine at least one of the auxiliary compression system 420 comprises a fueled engine 422 , an intercooled compressor 424 , and a recuperator 426 . the auxiliary compression systems 420 depicted in fig4 are in accordance with the auxiliary air compression system discussed above , and as shown in fig2 . while the cooling air 405 for the components of turbine 403 is taken from the compressor 401 , the compressed air 430 produced by auxiliary compression systems 420 provides a backup supply of cooling air to the components in turbine 403 . the flow of compressed air 430 from the auxiliary compression systems 420 to turbine 403 is regulated by a valve 440 . as used herein , the term “ fueled engine ” means a heat engine , such as a piston driven or rotary ( e . g . wankel ) internal combustion engine ( e . g . gasoline engine , diesel engine , natural gas fired engine , or similar fuels , or a combination of such fuels ) or a gas turbine , that produces work by combusting a fuel with air to heat a working fluid which then drives blades or the like . the shaft of the engine turns a multi - stage auxiliary compressor which compresses the air , thereby heating the air . depending on the configuration of the separate compressed air source , the compressor of the backup compression system may be an intercooled compressor , where the air is cooled between each stage of the compressor , thereby allowing for further compression of the air over more typical compression systems . according to one embodiment , the auxiliary compressor is a multistage compressor having at least one upstream compression stage and at least one downstream compression stage fluidly downstream of the upstream compression stage , and the step of operating the fueled engine to drive the auxiliary compressor to produce compressed air from the auxiliary compressor includes the step of cooling the compressed air exiting the upstream compression stage before delivering it to the downstream compression stage . preferably , the apparatus further comprises an intercooler heat exchanger fluidly connected to at least one of the stage inlets and at least one of the stage outlets to cool the compressed air exiting the at least one of the stage outlets prior to delivering the compressed air to the at least one of the stage inlets downstream thereof . as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate , each of the embodiments of the present invention may also include flow control valves , backflow prevention valves , and shut - off valves as required to insure that the flow of air , auxiliary compressed air , and compressor discharge air flow only in the directions described herein . while the particular systems , components , methods , and devices described herein and described in detail are fully capable of attaining the above - described objects and advantages of the invention , it is to be understood that these are but embodiments of the invention and are thus representative of the subject matter which is broadly contemplated by the present invention . the scope of the present invention fully encompasses other embodiments which may become obvious to those skilled in the art , and that the scope of the present invention is accordingly to be limited by nothing other than the appended claims . it will be appreciated that modifications and variations of the invention are covered by the above teachings and within the purview of the appended claims without departing from the spirit and intended scope of the invention .	5
without restrictions to the scope of the invention , in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention , the invention is presented against the background and within the scope of a current gsm / umts implementation of mobile communication system deployed in a combinational network environment . however , the present invention may be deployed in any communication system comprising combinational networks . fig1 illustrates schematically a combinational network 10 comprising several networks of different network type 11 , 12 , 13 , with a first user equipment ( ue ) 1 and a second ue 2 connected to all or at least two of the networks 11 , 12 , 13 . as to provide physical connection to the networks 11 , 12 , 13 , the ue 1 , 2 has network interfaces 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , 2 a , 2 b , 2 c , each associated with a network address , towards said networks 11 , 12 , 13 . for the explanation of the invention , it is arbitrarily assumed that the network 11 is a network of a cs - network type , and the networks 12 and 13 are of a ps - network type . in the present invention , it is assumed that the cs - call uses dtap , isup and dss1 as bearer . other bearer types may be used . the invention provides a solution to the problem of retrieving the ps - domain addresses and ps - domain terminal capabilities of a b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 by having the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 query a b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 or a network service node 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 for the desired address ( es ) or terminal capabilities of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . the solution uses either one of the following two different types of queries : a ) ue 1 , 2 initiated query using a cs - domain method , b ) ue 1 , 2 initiated query using a ps - domain method . at the cs - domain based address retrieval method , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 deploys cs - domain methods via the cs network , in particular an unstructured supplementary service data mechanism [ ussd , 3gpp ts 23 . 090 ] as to query either a service node 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 35 in the network or the peer ue 1 , to retrieve the ps - domain address ( es ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . the invention provides that the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , being a calling party in the cs - domain , generates a terminal - initiated unstructured supplementary service data mechanism [ ussd , 3gpp ts 23 . 090 ] for retrieving the ps identifier ( s ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , being the called party in the cs - domain . when having received the called party &# 39 ; s ps identifier such as an address , the calling a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 queries the called b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 directly to obtain the ue &# 39 ; s 1 terminal capabilities . depending on the terminal capabilities of a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , the presence of appropriate terminal capabilities of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 are highlighted on a graphical user interface gui of the calling a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the b - party may deploy the same method to retrieve the terminal capabilities of the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the ussd mechanism allows a user of the ue 1 , 2 such as a mobile station , and a public land mobile network ( plmn ) operator defined application to communicate in a way , which is transparent to the ue 1 , 2 and to intermediate network entities . according to 3gpp ts 23 . 090 , which specifies the handling of ussd at the ue and network entities , a ussd mechanism is applied by the ue 1 , 2 user , in a method described below : the ue 1 , 2 can at any time initiate a ussd request to the cs - network 11 . when the a - party or b - party of the ue 1 , 2 or an application running in the ue 1 , 2 makes a request for an address retrieval , wherein the ue 1 , 2 determines to make use of the ussd mechanism , the ue 1 , 2 sets up a transaction to the cs - network 11 , sends the request to a mobile switching center ( msc ) and awaits a response . when the ue 1 , 2 receives a response . the ue 1 , 2 displays information contained in the response to the a - or b - party or relays the information to the application running in the ue 1 , 2 . when the msc receives a ussd request containing a home public land mobile network ( hplmn ) service code , the msc sets up a transaction to a visitor location register ( vlr ) and forwards the ussd request unchanged to the vlr . when a vlr receives the ussd request containing the hplmn service code and the ue 1 , 2 is not in the hplmn , the vlr sets up a transaction to the hlr and forwards the ussd request unchanged . when the msc receives a ussd request containing a local service code , the msc and the vlr process the ussd request locally . when the ussd request is relayed to the hlr , the msc and the vlr are transparent to any further ussd requests or responses ( in either direction ) for that transaction , passing them between the ms and hlr without taking any action . when one transaction is released ( ms - msc / vlr or msc / vlr - hlr ), the msc / vlr shall release the other transaction as well . if the msc or the vlr does not support an alphabet used in the ussd request , it shall set up a transaction to the vlr or hlr respectively and forward the ussd request unchanged , in the same way as when the hplmn service code is received . according 3gpp ts 23 . 090 , the hlr forwards the ussd request , or process the ussd request locally . the location , nature and contents of the ussd application ( s ) is , by definition , service provider and network operator dependent , but generally includes ; setting up or releasing signalling and / or speech channels ; passing the ussd request to another network entity ( unchanged or changed ); passing a different ussd request to another network entity ; and / or requesting further information from the ue 1 , 2 ( one or more times ). upon completion of handling the ussd request , the network entity shall respond to the ussd request and shall release the transaction . the ussd - aided address retrieval of a ps - identifier is implemented in either of two ways . a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends ussd request to b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends a ussd request to a network service . at the first way of retrieving the ps identifier of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends the ussd request , via the cs - network directed to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , requesting ps - domain identifier ( s ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . in this first way , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 composes a ussd request inquiring about the internet protocol ( ip ) address of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . if the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 is in a visited public land mobile network ( vplmn ), the ussd request is received by the vlr and is sent to the hlr of the a - party in the hplmn of the a - party . upon analysis of the service code in the ussd request , it is detected that the ps - domain identifier ( s ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 is requested . the hlr initiates a second ussd request to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . this second ussd request towards the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 may pass through the hlr of the b - party . an application in the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 decodes the ussd request , and sends the requested ps - domain identifier ( s ) of the ps - terminal part of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 back to the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the response from the b - party may pass through the hlr of the b - party and the hlr of the a - party when the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 replies with a session initiation protocol ( sip ) unified resource identifier uri , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 subsequently sends a “ sip options ” message to b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , using the b - party &# 39 ; s sip uri , and inquires for the terminal capabilities of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . in accordance with the terminal capabilities of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , certain icons may be highlighted on the graphical interface of a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends pictures to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 if picture messaging gets enabled , based on the retrieved information on b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 terminal capabilities . this first way of ussd - aided address retrieval requires that there are terminal applications loaded and running at the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 and b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 that are able to send and process ussd queries and generate ussd responses . these applications , e . g . embedded in the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 and in the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 are proprietary or standardized ; the latter is preferred to avoid interoperability problems . it is an option that the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 sends an acknowledgement using ussd signaling via the cs - network 11 and uses an entirely different protocol to send the ps - domain identifiers . another option is that the incoming ussd request received at the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , carries the ip - address of the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 and thus the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 directly uses this ps - domain network address information for further communication . at the second way of this ussd - aided address retrieval the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 sends a ussd message directed to a network based service . the service , implemented as a lookup database server 34 or a proxy server 35 , returns a ussd response towards the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . the difference with the first ussd - aided address retrieval way , presented above , is that instead of relaying the ussd message to the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , the hlr sends a response to the a - party . via the hlr , which may use any time interrogation ( ati ) [ 3gpp ts 23 . 078 v6 . 1 . 0 ch . 11 . 3 . 3 . 1 . 2 ] to obtain information from the vlr or a serving gprs support node ( sgsn ) [ 3gpp ts 23 . 078 v6 . 1 . 0 ch . 11 . 3 . 6 . 1 . 2 ] the “ state ” of a subscriber is made available , whereby the subscriber ( here the b - party ) is identified in the ussd request to hlr either by the international mobile subscriber identity ( imsi ) or the mobile station integrated services digital network ( msisdn ) number . in particular , information is obtained about the “ ps - domain subscriber state ” and “ packet data protocol ( pdp ) context information list ” of a subscriber . this list also contains the ip - address of the subscriber , in this case the ip - address of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , connected to the ps - network 12 , 13 . depending on the requested ps - domain identifier , the hlr contact other network entities 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 that maintain appropriate databases ( e . g . presence servers ). network nodes 21 , 22 , 32 , 33 , are arranged to retrieve the network address of ue 1 , 2 . the nodes 21 and 22 are comprised inside the network 11 , 12 , and the nodes 32 , 33 are located external to the networks 11 , 12 , 13 . network node 31 is an e . 164 number server [ enum network working group request for comments : 3761 ], network node is a lookup database server 34 and network node 35 is a proxy server 35 . the network nodes 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 are attached to the networks 11 , 12 , 13 by means of associated connections 21 a , 22 a , 31 a , 32 a , 33 a , 33 b , 34 a , 34 b , 35 a , 35 b , 35 c . also in this second way of ussd - aided address retrieval , the response is either based on cs - domain ussd signalling or uses another protocol to deliver the response . both these presented cs - domain based ussd - aided address retrieval ways are identical from a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 viewpoint , however they differ from the viewpoint of b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . these two cs - domain ways also differ from the network &# 39 ; s viewpoint because in the first ussd - aided address retrieval way , the network is only relaying ussd messages while in the second ussd - aided address retrieval way , the service is implemented a network node as the lookup database server 34 or the proxy server 35 , that intercepts the ussd message , processes it and takes actions . radio resources of an access network ( gsm / umts ) towards the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 are not used up in the second way , which is regarded as an advantage . at the ps - domain based address retrieval method , the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 deploys ps - domain methods via the ps - network , for example by means of sip messages , towards an entity in the network such as the network nodes 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 that maintain appropriate databases ( e . g . presence servers , lookup servers , proxy servers ) as to retrieve the ps - domain address ( es ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . since the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 does not have the b - party &# 39 ; s ps - domain address ( neither ip nor sip uri ), the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 cannot be contacted directly by the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . information regarding the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , which is currently in an ongoing cs - call with the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , comprises the cs - domain network address , which is available to a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 . this cs - domain network address may be , among others , a telephone number of the called b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , msisdn or imsi . the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 queries a network service where the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 provides the network service with the telephone number ( or imsi , msisdn ) of the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 . this service is implemented using an e . 164 number server 31 [ enum network working group request for comments : 3761 ]. both the cs - domain and ps - domain based address retrieval methods described above , are carried out in the background without the intervention of the user of the ue 1 , 2 . by deploying the invention the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 presents , depending on the graphical terminal capabilities of the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 , an icon to appear on his / her gui a few seconds after the set up of the cs - call . with the implementation of this invention , either the a - party &# 39 ; s ue 2 or the b - party &# 39 ; s ue 1 initiates during an ongoing cs - call , a ussd mechanism as to query the other party &# 39 ; s ue 1 , 2 or the network nodes 21 , 22 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 in order to obtain the ps - domain address ( e . g . ip address ) of the ue 1 , 2 of the other party . the present invention provides an efficient and inventive method for retrieving the ps - domain address and the terminal capabilities of the ue of the other party . an indication at the user &# 39 ; s ue 1 , 2 might be provided , indicating the other user &# 39 ; s ue 1 , 2 terminal capabilities .	7
an optical switch package in accordance with one embodiment of the invention will be initially described with reference to fig2 - 10 . fig2 is a diagrammatic illustration of an interposer based optical switch component 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the optical switch component 120 includes an interposer 122 , a die 123 having an array of mirrors 124 , a fiber array mount 128 and a plurality of electrical interposer connectors 129 . a fiber termination 126 is secured to the interposer 122 by the fiber array mount 128 and a bundle of optical fibers 127 exits from the fiber termination 126 . the interposer 122 can take a wide variety of forms . one suitable interposer construction is illustrated in fig3 . in this embodiment , the interposer 122 has a mirror opening 131 that is surrounded on one side by an array of contact pads 134 that make up a contact pad field . the contact pads , in turn , are electrically coupled to the electrical connectors 129 via electrical traces ( not shown ). the traces may be any type of electrical conductors produced using modern micro - fabrication techniques . with this arrangement , the die 123 can be mounted on the interposer 122 in a mirror array down configuration to expose the mirror array through the mirror opening 131 . the die 123 can be electrically connected to the contact pads 134 on the interposer 122 by any suitable method . by way of example , direct soldering in a flip chip mounting style or wire bonding may be used . in the illustrated embodiment , a flip chip mounting style is contemplated such that bond pads ( not shown ) on the die 123 are directly soldered to the contact pads 134 on the interposer using solder balls , posts or the like . in other embodiments , wire bonding , tab , conductive adhesives , as well as other conventional interconnection techniques can be used to electrically couple the die 123 to the interposer 122 . an alignment hole 136 may be provided to provide a reference for handling equipment during assembly of the optical switch component 120 . in the embodiments shown the die is mounted in a mirror array down configuration so that the mirror array 124 is exposed through the mirror opening 131 . this configuration has several advantages , one of which is that it allows the die 123 to be mounted on the opposite side of the interposer from the fiber termination 126 which makes it easier to prevent interference between the fiber array mount 128 and the die . however , in alternative embodiments , the die 123 may be mounted on the same side of the interposer 122 as the fiber termination 126 which eliminates the need for the mirror opening 131 . this arrangement has some advantages as well . for example , same side die mounting generally permits the use of smaller dice , which can have a significant impact on the production costs of the mirror arrays . interposers in general ( as well as suitable interposer fabrication techniques ) are well known in the semiconductor packaging area and any of a wide variety of interposer designs may be used . generally an interposer is a substrate structure that provides both mechanical support and electrical interconnection . by way of example , the interposers may be formed from ceramic materials such as alumina or aluminum nitride , or from a composite laminate ( such as printed circuit board laminates ), silicon , polymer composites , ceramic or metal matrices or a wide variety of other materials . the interposer may be constructed with traces on one side , both sides , or in a layered manner with multiple conductive layers depending upon the needs of the optical switch . the fiber termination 126 is mounted to the interposer by fiber array mount 128 . it should be appreciated that the fiber array mount 128 must both hold the fiber termination 126 and align the fiber array relative to the mirror array 124 . a wide variety of mount structures may be used and the actual construction of a particular mount 128 will depend in large part on the nature of the fiber termination being held . in the embodiment shown , a collimator is formed as part of the fiber termination by aligning a lens array ( not separately shown ) at the face of the optical fibers . in other embodiments , the lens array may not be necessary and / or additional components ( such as an optical multiplexer / demultiplexer , optical detectors , etc .) may be made part of the fiber termination 126 . in any of these embodiments , an appropriate mount 128 can be made to secure the fiber array to the interposer 122 . referring next to fig4 and 5 , a particular mount 128 will be described . as best seen in fig5 the mount includes a base 205 , an adjustable alignment stage 210 and a bracket 215 . the base 205 is substantially u - shaped and includes an alignment ridge 207 . the stage 210 is also substantially u - shaped and includes a substantially u - shaped slot 212 , which has a ledge 214 therein . the slot 212 is arranged to fit over the alignment ridge 207 . the bracket 215 is also sized and shaped to fit into the slot 212 in alignment stage 210 and its lower end is stepped down to form a ledge 216 arranged to rest on the ledge 214 . the bracket 215 has a recess in the bottom surface thereof ( not shown ) that is arranged to nest over alignment ridge 207 on base 205 to position the stage 210 . fasteners 218 ( which may be screws , bolts or a variety of other suitable fastening or locking means ) are then used to secure the bracket 215 to the base 205 . the fiber array termination 126 is held in the stage 210 . appropriate features ( not shown ) may be added to either the termination 126 or the stage 210 to help the stage hold the termination in place . in some embodiments , an adhesive such as epoxy may be used to secure the stage to the termination . it should be appreciated that in the described fiber array mount 128 , the position of the stage may be adjusted within the tolerances between the relative widths of the slot 212 and alignment ridge 207 . this permits the fiber array to be relatively precisely aligned relative to the mirror array 124 during installation of the fiber array . guide grooves 220 may be provided to provide a precision gripping point for handling equipment and may be used in combination with interposer alignment hole 136 to facilitate precise alignment of the fiber array relative to the mirror array 124 . when the proper alignment has been made , stage 210 is locked in place by tightening the fasteners ( e . g . screws ) 218 . it should also be appreciated that with the described independent alignment stage arrangement , the bracket 215 substantially only presses down against the ledge 214 in stage 210 . thus only vertical forces are transmitted from the bracket 215 to the stage 210 to lock the stage in place . the nesting of the recess in bracket 215 over ridge 207 absorbs any torsional component without passing any of that force to the stage 210 . notably , when screws are used as the fasteners , rotational forces are not transmitted from the fasteners 218 to the alignment stage 210 during tightening , which could have the effect of throwing off the alignment of the fiber array . as best seen in fig4 the mount 128 holds the fiber array termination 126 over the mirror array 124 , in a manner that covers only a portion ( e . g . half ) of the mirror array to leave an optical path for reflected light to pass through . it should be appreciated that the u - shaped nature of the various illustrated mount structures provide a good connection with the interposer without interfering with the optical path . however , a variety of other mount structure geometries and configurations may be used as well . in the illustrated embodiments , the only electrical components carried by the interposers are the dice , the connectors and the conductive features that electrically couple the connectors to the dice . however , it should be appreciated that a wide variety of other electrical components can be incorporated onto the interposer . by way of example , this may include other integrated circuits ( such as various asics or programmable logic devices ) as well as various discrete components ( e . g ., resistors , capacitors , inductors etc .) mounted on , formed on or formed within the interposer . referring next to fig6 the assembly of an optical switch 300 using a pair of identical optical switch components 120 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention will be described . the optical functioning of the switch 300 requires that the relative position of the input mirror array and the output mirror array be fixed . in the illustrated embodiment , this is accomplished by mounting an input optical switch component 304 and an output optical switch component 308 to an alignment frame 311 which provides the required spacing between the interposers . that is , the alignment frame 311 cooperates with the interposers to provide the physical structure holding the mirror arrays in a fixed relationship relative to one another thereby maintaining the required linear spacing ( in a direction parallel to the mirror planes ) and normal spacing ( in a direction perpendicular to the mirror planes ) between the mirror arrays . it will be appreciated that the required linear and normal spacing are determined by the design characteristics of the switch optics . the nature of the alignment frame 311 may be widely varied . in the embodiment shown , it takes the form of a rectangular open frame . as best seen in fig6 the frame 311 rests directly on the input and output interposers 305 , 309 . the frame is positioned such that it circumscribes the pairs of mounts 128 , dice 123 and fiber array terminators 126 , while leaving the connectors 129 outside of the frame 311 to facilitate external electrical connections . the frame 311 may be formed in any suitable manner . in the embodiment shown , the frame is composed of two pieces . the first piece is a u - shaped element 316 and the second piece is a cross bar element 318 that is secured to the u - shaped element 316 using an appropriate fastening arrangement such as screws 319 . an alignment pin 321 carried by the frame 311 may cooperate with alignment holes in the interposer to facilitate alignment of the frame relative to the interposers and to hold the frame in position . one noteworthy feature of the described optical switch 300 is that the switch is composed of two identical optical component halves . it should be appreciated that forming a switch from identical switch halves may have some significant production cost advantages over switches that are formed from different components due to standardization . on the other hand , the use of identical switch halves is not required by any means and the described interposer and alignment frame based packaging structure works well regardless of whether the optical switch components are identical . by way of example , it may be desirable to provide the optical connectors with all of the fiber connections on one side . one way that this can be accomplished is to utilize a folded switch geometry as discussed above with respect to fig1 ( b ). in this arrangement , the fixed mirror 145 may be carried by a rigid substrate 148 having a geometry similar to an interposer , while the moveable mirror array is carried by the interposer . it should be appreciated that the fiber arrays would only need to be attached to substrate in this arrangement , while the interposer connectors 129 ( which have large number of connections ) may only be required on the interposer . this arrangement has the benefit of requiring fewer components than the previously described embodiment . however , the described packaging arrangement can readily be used to protect either arrangement , or with a variety of other optical switch configurations . fig1 illustrates a suitable substrate that carries a fixed mirror . the optical switch 300 has all of the components necessary to form a fully functioning switch . however , since the mems mirror arrays in particular are somewhat delicate , it is generally desirable ( and necessary ) to provide environmental protection for the switch to create a commercially viable product . the environmental protection preferably isolates the switch from dirt , moisture and other contaminants . it also protects the switch from mechanical shock and vibration , electrostatic shock , rf interference and temperature extremes . referring next to fig7 a housing arrangement suitable for protecting the heart of the switch 300 will be described . in the embodiment shown , an inner housing 330 is arranged to slide over the interposers 305 , 309 between the alignment frame 311 and the electrical connectors 129 . thus , the housing has interposer slots 332 arranged to fit over the interposers as well as terminator slots 334 arranged to fit over fiber array terminations 126 . a base 336 forms a cap for the housing . in the embodiment shown , the base 336 is secured to the frame 311 by screws , although this is not required . flashings 339 are then slipped over the fiber bundles 127 and fiber array terminations 126 to enclose the terminator slots 334 . in some ( and possibly most ) applications , it will be desirable to seal ( and potentially hermetically seal ) the inner chamber of the switch . this can readily be done by joining the base 336 to the inner housing 330 , joining the housing 330 to the interposers 305 , 309 and joining the flashings 339 to the housing 330 . in the described embodiment , the various components are joined by soldering . however , such joining can be accomplished by a wide variety of conventional techniques including soldering , welding , adhesive bonding and the like . in some embodiments , metallic seal lines ( not shown ) may be formed on the interposer surface to serve as a solder base for soldering the housing to the interposers . when assembled with an inner housing , the optical switch 300 has the appearance illustrated in fig8 . it is not uncommon for optical switches to be placed in environments where it can get relatively cold . accordingly , a resistive heating blanket 342 may be placed over the inner housing to facilitate heating when necessary or desired . if a heater is desired , a heater cord 345 is provided to power the heating blanket 342 . the heater also allows the package to be held at a constant temperature for improved optical performance . in alternative embodiments it may be desirable to provide a cooler and / or a bi - directional heat pump either in addition to , or in place of the heater . referring next to fig8 ribbon cables 350 having internal connectors 351 and external connectors 353 may be provided to electrically couple the switch to external drivers . the internal connectors 351 plug into the interposer connectors 129 and the external cable connectors 353 plug into connectors external to the package . of course , when desired , connectorless joining methods may be used to couple the ribbon cable to the interposer . in the illustrated embodiment , each interposer has four connectors 129 and a separate ribbon cable 350 is provided for each connector . thus the optical switch has a total of eight ribbon connectors . of course the actual number of control lines and thus , the number and size of the various connectors that are required will vary significantly based on the needs of a particular switch . in current electrostatic mems mirrors that are rotatable in two degrees of freedom , four control lines are required for each mirror . in switches having 256 input ports , that requires over 2000 different control lines for the input and output mirrors alone ( four lines per mirror , 256 input mirrors , 256 output mirrors ). additionally , relatively high voltages are currently required to rotate electrostatic mirrors ( e . g . voltages on the order of 100 volts in available systems ). thus , high voltage drivers are required . in some embodiments , the high voltage drivers can be mounted on the interposers themselves . however , due to space limitations , it may be impractical to place the high voltage drivers on the interposers . thus , the drivers can be located on external circuit boards . one effect of this approach is that the spacing between conductors must be a bit larger than would be required in lower voltage applications which tends to increase the size of the required connectors . of course , these technologies are rapidly advancing and as the technology develops , it is likely ( indeed expected ) that lower drive voltages and higher connector densities will become common . although four control lines per mirror may be required in some mems based mirror arrays , it should be appreciated that fewer or more control lines may require for other mirror arrays . for example , mems based mirror arrays that have rotation though a single degree of freedom , may require just two control lines per mirror and further work in the area may be able to reduce the required number of control lines even further . once the ribbon cables have been attached an external housing assembly 360 , can be placed over the entire switch assembly to further environmentally protect the switch . of course , the actual design of the outer housing may be widely varied . by way of example , one suitable embodiment is illustrated in fig9 . in the embodiment shown , the outer housing assembly 360 includes an outer housing shell 362 , an outer housing base 365 , flexible cable strain relief clamps 386 , fiber bundle strain relief clamps 390 , and clamp covers 394 . the various components can be coupled together using appropriate fasteners such as screws ( not shown ). in the embodiment shown , the fiber bundle strain relief clamps 390 are coupled to the housing shell 362 using screws or other suitable fasteners . the clamp covers 394 are then coupled to the strain relief clamps 390 ( again using suitable fasteners such as screws ). similarly , the flexible cable strain relief clamps 386 may be attached to the base 365 by screws or other appropriate fasteners . foam padding ( not shown ) or another highly damping resilient filler material is placed within the outer housing assembly 360 so that the only mechanical support suspending the inner housing assembly within the outer housing assembly is the resilient foam padding . in the described embodiment , a loose piece of foam is placed within the housing . however , in alternative embodiments a resilient material may be adhered to or molded into the outer housing shell 362 . the foam padding allows substantially independent movement of the inner housing assembly within the outer housing assembly thereby isolating the switch from vibrations and / or shock impulses that may disturb the outer housing . a thermal path can be provided between the inner and outer housings by using a thermally conductive ( yet resilient ) filler material . although only a few embodiments of the present invention have been described , it should be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . for example , although the illustrated embodiment has been described primarily in the context of a device having optical inputs and outputs carried by different interposers ( e . g ., using a simple 2 mirror array optical switch approach ), it should be appreciated that the majority of the described packaging techniques can be readily applied to folded optical path based optical switches as well . these might include optical switches wherein both the input and output fiber bundles are carried by the same interposer and the second interposer carries all of the moveable mirrors and their associated electronics and / or other components . it may also apply to mirror array based optical switches having other optical paths and to optical switches having a single , or more than two fiber bundles . the described packaging techniques can be used with optical switches of any appropriate size . current efforts are primarily focusing on building 64 , 256 and 1000 channel optical switches , however the described packaging can readily be applied to substantially larger and smaller switches as well . the invention has been described primarily in the context of semiconductor based mims mirror array structures . however , it should be apparent that most of the described techniques can apply equally well to switches using other mirror array technologies . also , a number of unique packaging features have been described that combined to provide a particular optical switch packaging arrangement . however , it should also be appreciated that many of the described features are independent and do not need to be used in combination . therefore , it should be apparent that the present examples are to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive , and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein , but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims .	6
referring first to fig1 and 2 , the present invention is shown embodied in a portable automatic frame assembly apparatus 20 which assembles lumber of standard dimensions into a building wall frame 22 , applies sheathing material to the frame , and cuts holes in the wall for apertures such as doors , windows , and the like . in the frame assembly apparatus 20 , construction of a wall takes place by assembling the raw materials and fastening them to each other in a horizontal position on an elongate support 24 . the elongate support 24 is carried on a wheeled supporting structure such as the trailer 26 , so that the apparatus 20 may easily be transported by highway from one building construction site to another . the wall frame plates 28 , which will be the top and bottom horizontal pieces of the wall frame when the wall is erected , are fed longitudinally onto the front of the elongate support 24 at opposite sides thereof until their ends reach a fastening station 30 . there a frame stud 32 of a preselected size is placed automatically to extend transversely between and perpendicular to the plates 28 , and is nailed thereto by automatic stud - nailing assemblies 34 , one of which is located on each side of the support 24 . each stud - nailing assembly 34 preferably has a pair of nailers 35 mounted so as to drive a pair of nails through each plate 28 and into the ends of the stud 32 . thereafter , the plates 28 and nailed stud 32 are moved toward the rear of the trailer along the support 24 , as shown by the arrow 36 , a predetermined distance corresponding to the desired stud spacing of the wall frame 22 , and another stud 32 is placed between the plates 28 and nailed thereto at the fastening station 30 . this process is repeated until a complete wall frame 22 has been assembled and nailed together . for framing around openings for doors , windows , and the like , additional studs are nailed as required between the regularly spaced studs . after a completed portion of the wall frame 22 passes from the fastening station 30 , it is stopped over the wall frame squaring devices 29 where adjustable wall frame squaring forks 31 ( fig6 ) are extended upward to ensure that the studs 32 are perpendicular to the plates 28 and hold them in that configuration . pieces of standard sized sheathing material are then laid individually by hand upon the top of the frame in edge - to - edge abutment . a semi - automatic sheathing fastener unit 37 has multiple ( preferably four ) automatic fastener guns such as the overhead nailer guns 38 which are arranged abreast , longitudinally of the support 24 , and are drivably mounted on transverse tracks 40 of a carriage 42 . the carriage 42 is movable on rails 44 located along the exterior edges of the support 24 so as to be aligned properly with the completed portion of the wall frame 22 . pins 45 are spring biased to engage holes 47 to retain the carriage 42 properly aligned with a section of a wall frame 22 while sheathing is nailed in place . this allows the nailer guns 38 to be advanced along the studs 32 transversely to the length of the support 24 , nailing the sheathing to the studs 32 and plates 28 . in addition , a router or saw 50 , adapted for movement into a variety of positions , is provided for cutting openings in the wall frame 22 and sheets of sheathing , for placement of windows , doors , and the like , either before or after the sheathing has been attached . finally , a slideway 52 , which includes a pulley 53 , is attached at the rear of the elongate support 24 and permits use of a winch 55 and a hook - equipped cable 57 to slide completed wall frames 22 from the apparatus 20 to a desired location for use . to allow the apparatus 20 to be transported on highways in compliance with legal vehicle width limitations , yet be capable of assembling wall frames of desired height , the elongate support 24 has hinged rear trackway sections 54 , which are attached by hinges 56 and interconnected by latches 58 ( fig3 ). there are also laterally extendible forward sections 60 and forward plate support extensions 62 . the apparatus 20 is placed in a transport configuration by removing the stud - nailing assemblies 34 from the fastening station 30 and placing the sheathing nailer carriage 42 in a stowed position shown in fig2 . this is accomplished by moving the sheathing fastener unit 37 forward along the rails 44 to a position above the lift 46 . a cradle 48 raises the carriage 42 clear of the rails 44 , and the cradle 48 and carriage 42 may then be rotated 90 ° to a position above the trailer 26 . the carriage 42 is then lowered by the lift 46 and may be steadied , for example by corner guides ( not shown ), to prevent shifting during transport . the hinged trackway sections 54 are raised to the position illustrated in fig2 as permitted by the hinges 56 and latches 58 , while the extendible forward sections 60 are slid inwardly , and the forward plate support extensions 62 are slid rearwardly within the extendible forward sections 60 . the slideway 52 may be removed from the rear of the elongate support 24 for storage ( not shown ) atop the apparatus 20 . the automatic frame assembly apparatus 20 is thus made small enough for legal transport on the highways yet in extensible to a width sufficient to permit assembly of standard height walls . referring now to fig4 through 8 , the trailer 26 is seen to comprise a trailer hitch 64 ( fig4 ) and a pair of jacks 66 at each end , used to level and firmly support the trailer 26 in position at a construction site . a stud stack holder 68 , located at the front end of the apparatus 20 , is used to hold a stack of studs 32 in readiness for placement between a pair of plates 28 for assembly into a wall frame 22 . the stud stack holder 68 comprises a pair of roller - equipped rails 70 . the rails 70 are higher than the extendible forward sections 60 to hold the supply of studs 32 where they do not interfere with the plates 28 . right and left side walls 72 and 74 have flared edges 76 and 78 to align the ends of the studs 32 as the stack of studs is moved rearward . a stanchion 80 may be fitted into any of three pairs of sockets 82 of a table 84 which may be moved by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 88 to move the stack of studs 32 rearwardly toward a pair of vertical retaining members 90 , which align the studs 32 vertically to permit selection and transfer to the fastening station 30 . the extendible forward sections 60 may be seen to include lateral support members 92 which slide laterally with respect to the trailer 26 within lateral support tubes 94 . the support members 90 are held at a desired position of lateral extension by pins 96 which fit in corresponding holes 98 in the lateral support tubes 94 . similarly , the forward plate support extensions 62 slide in tubular support 100 . the stud - selector mechanism in the preferred embodiment comprises a pair of stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 located between the rearward portions of the rails 70 and mounted for reciprocal rotation about an axis which extends laterally of the trailer 26 . a double acting hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 104 is connected to the stud - selecting plate 103 to reciprocatingly rotate both of the stud - selecting plates 102 and l03 , as will be explained in greater detail below . the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 each include a stud - receiving recess 106 of adjustable size used to transfer a stud 32 from the stack holder 68 to the stud - fastening station 30 . a stud / plate hold - down unit 108 , comprising a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly and a pressure plate connected to the piston , is located on each side of the apparatus , attached to the respective retaining member 90 where the pressure plate can exert downward pressure on both a plate 28 and a stud 32 in the stud - fastening station 30 . right and left elongate plate - support members 110 are provided to support the plates 28 which form the top and bottom of each completed wall frame 22 . diagonal guides 112 are provided on each plate - support member 110 to align each plate 28 properly for assembly into a wall frame 22 . a hydraulic plate spreader cylinder and piston assembly 113 is located on each side of the apparatus , near the diagonal guides 112 . a hydraulic pump and pressure tank unit 119 is located at the right - hand front corner of the trailer 26 . a magnetic timer 125 and two three - position four - way solenoid operated valves 123 and 127 are also located nearby the hydraulic pump and pressure tank unit 119 . the solenoid - operated valve 123 controls a hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 , while the solenoid - operated valve 127 controls the hydraulic cylinder and piston assemblies 104 . rearward from the stack holder 68 , a spacer table 114 is supported for forward and rearward reciprocal motion in slide bearing gibs 116 . the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 is connected between the undercarriage of the trailer 26 and the spacer table 114 to move the spacer table 114 reciprocatingly forward and rearward . switch operating tabs 120 and 122 , mounted on the spacer table 114 , operate switches 124 and 126 respectively to control movement of the spacer table 114 and other operation of the apparatus 20 as will be explained in greater detail below . a pair of stud pusher brackets 128 extend vertically from the forward edge of the spacer table 114 and extend above the level of the plate support members 110 . the brackets 128 engage the forward side of a stud 32 which has been nailed between a pair of plates 28 , to push the wall frame 22 rearward during assembly . a pair of parallel rails 130 extend rearwardly from the rails 70 , with their top surfaces 132 at the same height as the tops of the elongate plate support members 110 . a finger 134 is mounted in each rail 130 for reciprocal rotation by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 135 , between a lowered position below the top surface 132 of the rail 130 , and a raised position in which the fingers 134 extend above the top surface 132 . when raised , the fingers 134 hold a stud 32 in the stud - fastening station 30 , while it is being nailed to the plate members 28 . a pair of rubber bumpers 136 limit rearward movement of the spacer table 114 as it completes its rearward stroke . each trackway section 54 has a plurality of horizontal rollers 138 which support the plates 28 as a wall frame 22 is moved rearwardly during assembly . a plurality of edge rollers 140 , also mounted on the trackway sections 54 , guide the frame 22 to keep it moving straight toward the rear of the apparatus 20 . for building wall frames 22 of different heights , the separation between the edge rollers 140 of the two sides of the apparatus may be varied by mounting the edge rollers 140 in appropriate ones of a plurality of sets of locator holes 142 . the stud - nailer assemblies 34 comprise small wheeled stud - nailer carriages 144 which permit a double action pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 146 ( fig1 ) to move each stud - nailer carriage 144 laterally toward and away from the respective fastening station 30 . a clamping screw 149 holds each stud - nailer assembly 34 in a socket 148 connected to one of the laterally extendible forward sections 60 of the apparatus 20 . the pair of nailers 35 are adjustably mounted on the carriage 144 , permitting proper placement of nails in plates of differing sizes . each nailer 35 includes a trigger 150 which actuates the nailer when depressed by contact with an object . referring now to fig5 it may be seen that the trailer 26 comprises a plurality of wheels 151 supporting the trailer . springs 152 provide a suitable suspension for highway transport of the apparatus 20 . the sheathing nailer lift 46 may be seen to comprise a hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 154 , mounted within a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ;- shaped frame 156 . an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;- shaped lever 158 supports the cradle 48 . the lever 158 is pivotably supported by a pivot connection 160 , so that extension of the cylinder and piston assembly 154 causes the cradle 48 to rise relative to the trailer 26 . a compressor 161 , powered preferably by an electric motor 162 which may be operated on electrical power normally available at the construction site , compresses air , which is then stored in an air flask 164 , whose capacity in a preferred embodiment of the invention is 120 gallons . a relief valve 166 protects against excessive air pressure , and the motor 162 is controlled by a pressure - operated switch to maintain the pressure within the air flask 164 within about 10 % of its rated pressure of 160 pounds per square inch . the air pressure is lowered to about 100 psig by a reducing valve ( not shown ) before the air is further distributed . air at a known pressure is thus made available for operation of the several pneumatic cylinder and piston assemblies and the pneumatically operated fasteners . the frame squaring device 29 mounted on each side of the apparatus includes a fork 31 mounted on a hinge 170 and may be movable , for example , by means of a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 172 controlled by manually operated valves ( not shown ) as may be seen in greater detail in fig6 . the forks 31 are raised by the cylinder and piston assemblies 172 to fit around each end of one stud of a completed or partially completed frame 22 . this squares the frame , making the studs 32 perpendicular to the plates 28 , before a sheet of sheathing material is fastened to the frame 22 . referring now to fig7 showing the rearward portion of the apparatus 20 of the present invention , as indicated by the bracket 7 in fig1 the sheathing fastener unit 37 may be seen to comprise a carriage 42 which rides on rollers 174 permitting the carriage 42 to move longitudinally of the apparatus 20 along the tracks 44 . pins 45 , which operate similarly to pins 58 ( fig3 ), may be engaged in holes 47 to properly locate the carriage 42 for nailing into the studs 32 and plates 28 of a frame 22 engaged by the frame squaring devices 168 . the rollers 174 are secured to the carriage 42 by bolts which pass through c - shaped slots 176 allowing the carriage 42 to be raised or lowered with respect to the level of the trackway sections 54 , to accommodate wall frames 22 made from studs and plates of various sizes of lumber . a pneumatic hold - down cylinder and piston assembly 178 is mounted at each corner of the carriage 42 to hold sheathing material firmly in place on to of a section of an assembled wall frame 22 as the sheathing is nailed in place by the nailers 38 . a nailer transport unit 180 , moved by motor 182 through a drive pinion 183 which engages a rack 184 , carries the four nailer guns 38 along the tracks 40 to automatically place nails at predetermined positions . a plurality of cams 186 are located along a flange of one of the rails 40 to operate a valve periodically during movement of the transport unit 180 along the rails 40 to cause each of the center pair of the nailer guns 38 to discharge a nail into the sheathing and underlying stud 32 . a plurality of similar cams 188 at a different , preferably closer , spacing similarly operate the nailer guns 38 on each end of the transport unit 180 . a cable support member 190 and slides 192 attached thereto support the hoses and electrical cables which supply electricity and compressed air to the nailer guns 38 , motor 182 , and control devices for the nailer guns 38 . switches are included in a control panel ( not shown ) to individually enable and disable the nailer guns 38 . limit switches 194 and 196 limit the motion of the transport unit 180 in each direction . referring now to fig8 it may be seen that each nailer gun 38 is attached to a pivotally mounted frame 198 which is attached by a pivotal connection 200 to a nail gun support 202 . the nailer guns 38 are adjustably mounted on slotted plates which are part of the frames 198 , to allow tilting and horizontal or vertical adjustment . the position of each nailer gun 38 can thus be adjusted to properly place nails through sheathing of various thicknesses into the studs 32 and plates 28 . a double acting pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 204 is normally provided with air at about 25 psig , via its bottom air inlet 206 , while each impulse initiated by one of the cams 186 or 188 supplies high pressure air to an upper air inlet 208 , overcoming the air pressure in the lower end of the cylinder and forcing the respective nailer 38 down toward sheathing or other material below . if a nail gun trigger 210 contacts material , it causes the nailer gun 38 to place a nail . as the respective follower goes off the cam 186 or 188 , the respective valve dumps pressure from the upper end of the cylinder 204 , allowing the 25 psig air to raise the associated nailer gun 38 . a solenoid - operated valve 207 connected with each cylinder 204 permits exclusion of high pressure air , to selectively disable a nailer gun 38 . lifting any nailer gun from its normal position opens a mechanically operated valve , dumping the air pressure from the nailer gun 38 and thus rendering the nailer gun safe . fig9 and 10 show the left hand side of the stud - selecting mechanism and fastening station 30 of the invention , with the stud - selecting plate 102 in the downward position . at this point in the wall frame assembly cycle , the fingers 134 are in their raised position , holding a stud 32 tightly adjacent to the rearward faces 212 of the rails 70 . a slotted adjustment plate 214 is adjustably bolted to the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 to adjust the size of the recesses 106 to the width of the studs 32 being used . with the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 in the lowered position , the stud - selector operating cylinder and piston assembly 104 ( fig4 and fig1 - 13 ) is extended . one of a pair of stud holder dogs 216 , operated by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 218 , is pivotally attached to each end of a crossbar 220 which interconnects the left and right stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 , providing simultaneous rotation . operation of the stud holder dog operating cylinder and piston assembly 218 is controlled by means of a valve 222 operated by a raised cam plate 224 attached to the side of the stud - selecting plate 102 on the left side of the frame assembly apparatus 20 . when the cam 224 raises the cam follower , operating the valve 222 , the cylinder and piston assembly 218 raises the stud holder dog 216 . the valve 222 also directs air to the plate spreader assemblies 113 ( fig4 and 10 ) at the same time . one of a pair of catcher hooks 226 is located on each side of the apparatus , ( see also fig1 - 13 ) attached to the laterally extendible forward section 60 by a pivot connection 228 . the catcher hooks 226 may be raised by a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 230 . a valve 232 , situated along the slide bearing gibs 116 on the left side of the apparatus , is operated by the spacer table 114 during the rearward portion of its cycle , and causes the cylinder and piston assemblies 230 to extend , raising the catcher hooks 226 to catch the most recently nailed stud 32 and thus positively stop the rearward motion of a wall frame 22 . referring now particularly to fig1 , each stud - nailing assembly 34 may be seen to comprise a track 234 which guides the roller - supported stud nailer carriage 144 . the double action pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 146 is interconnected between mounting points on the track 234 and the carriage 144 to move the carriage 144 toward and away from a plate 28 and stud 32 in the nailing station 30 . referring now to fig1 through 13 , it may be seen that additional switches are operated by the righthand stud - selecting plate 103 . a stud - selector upper limit switch 240 is operated by a pin 242 extending from the stud - selector plate 103 , and controls solenoid - operated valve 27 to stop retraction of the stud - selector cylinder and piston assemblies 104 . a stud - selector lower limit switch 244 is operated by a switch operating tab 246 as the right - hand stud - selector plate 103 approaches its fully down position , and causes solenoid - operated valve 127 to stop extension of the stud - selector cylinder and piston assembly 104 . a nailer sequence initiating valve 248 is attached to the left side of the right - hand rail 40 , adjacent to the right - hand stud - selector plate 103 . a cam 250 protruding from the right side of the right - hand stud - selecting plate 103 operates the nailer sequence initiating valve 248 as the stud - selecting plate 103 rotates downward , a hinge in the cam follower connected to the nailer sequence initiating valve 248 allowing the stud - selecting plate 103 and cam 250 to move in the opposite direction without operating the valve 248 . referring to fig1 , the stud nailers 34 are seen to be controlled by a network of mechanically and electrically operated valves controlling the compressed air supplied from the air flask 164 . while the majority of the work is done by the 100 psig compressed air , a pressure reducing valve 249 also provides air at about 25 psig . the pneumatic valve 248 initiates the stud nailer operational sequence . a pilot - operated air control valve 252 controls distribution of air from the air flask 164 to operate the various elements of the stud - nailing mechanism . in one position , valve 252 supplies air pressure to retract the finger - operating cylinder and piston assemblies 135 , raising the fingers 134 , and also supplies air pressure to the solenoid - operated valve 254 . in its other position control valve 252 retracts cylinder and piston assembly 108 , allowing cylinder and piston assembly 135 to extend by exhausting air previously directed to solenoid - operated valves 254 and 255 . a normally open solenoid - operated valve 255 is located in the air line between the control valve 252 and the cylinder and piston assemblies 135 , and may be closed by a switch located at a control panel ( not shown ). the valve 254 is electrically controlled by the spacer table power control switch ( not shown ) and is always open if the spacer table is energized . this is a safety feature , preventing the nailers 35 from being moved should the valve 248 be accidently operated , with the machine deenergized , but while air pressure is present in the lines . the solenoid - operated air cut - off valve 254 , when the solenoid is actuated , admits air pressure from the pilot - operated air control valve 252 to an air timer unit 256 . the air delay timing unit 256 may , for example , by a model 59121 mechanical air delay timer manufactured by a . p . 0 . of bryon , ohio , which delays passage of air for an adjustable period of time . the outlet side of the air delay timer 256 is connected to extend the stud / plate hold - down units 108 and to an air metering valve 258 . the air metering valve 258 is adjustable to allow air to pass at a predetermined rate from the air delay timer 256 to a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 connected to move a cam 262 . a cam follower 264 rides on the cam 262 , and is connected by a pivotal connection 266 to the operating lever of an air valve 268 which is biased to a normally closed condition . the cam follower 264 opens the valve 268 in response to the cam 262 as the piston and cylinder assembly 260 extends , directing air to pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 148 and drawing the stud - nailing assembly 34 toward the plate 28 and stud 32 in the nailing station 30 . the cam follower 264 , however , is free to pivot as indicated in broken line in the drawing without opening the pneumatic valve 268 during the return stroke of the cam 262 as the cylinder and piston assembly 260 contracts . as the cylinder and piston assembly 260 approaches its fully extended position it moves an air valve 239 , which is biased to an exhaust position , to a transmitting position . in its transmitting position the air valve 239 pneumatically operates valve 252 , which provides air to retract the stud / plate holders 108 . in an alternative embodiment of the invention , the magnetic timer 125 is connected to an actuation switch 129 located on the right stud / plate hold - down unit 108 . the switch 129 is closed when the hold - down unit 108 retracts , sending an electrical signal to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 123 . the solenoid - operated valve 123 , in response , directs hydraulic fluid to extend the cylinder and piston assembly 118 . since the fingers 134 and the stud / plate hold - down units 108 retract simultaneously when the air valve 239 is opened , the switch 129 ensures that the spacer table 114 is not moved rearwardly while the fingers 134 are still raised . additionally , the actuation switch 129 reduces cycle time for the operation of the apparatus from about 11 seconds / cycle to about 9 seconds / cycle . operation of the frame assembling portions of the apparatus 20 is initiated by energizing the hydraulic unit 119 and the air compressor 161 , ensuring sufficient compressed air pressure is available in the air flask 164 , and energizing the electrical control systems for the spacer table and stud - selecting mechanism . upon being energized , the spacer table 114 ( fig4 ), powered by the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 , moves rearward until the switch operating tab 120 engages the limit switch 124 . the switch 124 is located so that the spacer table 114 comes into contact with the rubber bumpers 136 as the spacer table 114 completes a stroke of rearward movement which is equal to the desired spacing between consecutive studs 32 of the frame 22 being assembled . the switch 124 sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 123 , which reverses the direction of the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 , returning the spacer table 114 toward the front of the apparatus . the switch 124 also sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 127 , which initiates the cycle of the stud - selector mechanism by valving hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 104 , causing it to contract and rotate the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 , moving the stud - receiving recesses 106 toward the raised position . as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 rotate upward , the cam plate 224 actuates the valve 222 ( fig1 ), directing air pressure which causes the pneumatic cylinder and piston assemblies 218 to contract , raising the stud - holder dogs 216 , and also causes the plate spreader pneumatic cylinder and piston assemblies 113 to extend . during this rotation of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 , the bottom - most stud 32 in the stack nearest the retaining members 90 rests upon the arcuate edges of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 and the slotted adjustment plates 214 . as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 approach their uppermost position , the operating arm roller of the valve 222 rolls off the cam plate 224 , extending the cylinder and piston assemblies 218 , moving the stud - holder dogs 216 away from the recesses 106 of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 . as the right - hand stud - selecting plate 103 ( fig1 ) approaches its uppermost position , the pin 242 engages a lever arm of the upper limit switch 240 , sending an electrical impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 127 , which stops the flow of hydraulic fluid to the cylinder and piston assembly 104 , terminating the rotation of the stud - selector mechanism . when the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 are in this uppermost position , the bottommost stud in the stack adjacent to the retaining members 90 drops into the recess 106 in each of the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 . as the spacer table 114 approaches the front of the apparatus , the switch - operating tab 122 engages the limit switch 126 , which sends an electrical impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 123 which then stops the contraction of the cylinder and piston assembly 118 . the limit switch 126 also starts the magnetic timer 125 , which measures the time during which the spacer table should remain forward during a cycle of operation of the stud - selecting and nailing sequences . the switch 126 also sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 127 , which initiates the downward rotation of the stud - selector mechanism . upon receiving an impulse from the switch 126 , the solenoid - operated valve 127 sends hydraulic fluid to extend the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 104 , moving the stud - receiving recesses 106 downward toward the nailer station 30 . as the cylinder and piston assembly 104 extends , the lowermost stud 32 in the stack is pushed rearwardly and out from under the rest of the stack of studs 32 by the slotted plates 214 . as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 rotate downward , the cam follower of the valve 222 again rides up onto the cam 224 , contracting the cylinder and piston assembly 218 to close the stud holder dogs 216 around the selected stud 32 and extend the plate - spreader cylinder and piston assemblies 113 . the stud - selector assembly thus brings the selected stud 32 positively downward into position adjacent to the rearward faces 212 of the rails 70 and between the slightly spread apart plates 28 . as the stud - selector plate 103 rotates downward , the cam 250 actuates the nailer sequence initiating valve 248 . valve 248 sends an impulse of air to reposition control valve 252 , which initiates contraction of the cylinder and piston assemblies 135 to raise the fingers 134 to hold the selected stud 32 in position for nailing between the plates 28 . the control valve 252 also sends air to the solenoid - operated air valve 254 . if the solenoid - operated valve 254 is open it allows compressed air to proceed into the air delay timer 256 . during the delay period required by the air delay timer 256 , as the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 approach the lowermost position , the cam follower of the stud - holder operating valve 222 again rolls off the cam plate 224 . in response , the stud - holder hooks 216 open and the plate spreader cylinder and piston assemblies 113 retract , allowing the plate members 28 to return toward the stud 32 . after a predetermined delay period during which the stud - selecting plates 102 and 103 arrive and stop in their lowered position and the fingers 134 move upward to hold the stud 32 in the nailing position , the air delay timer 256 admits air pressure to the stud / plate hold - down cylinder and piston assemblies 108 , which extend to hold the plates 28 and the selected stud 32 down tightly against the supports 110 , the air delay timer 256 also admits air to an adjustable metering valve 258 which sends air at a predetermined rate to a pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 which moves the cam 262 . the cam follower 264 connected to the pneumatic valve 268 rides along the cam 262 , operating the pneumatic valve 268 . the valve 268 admits air to the cylinder and piston assemblies 146 on each nail gun assembly 34 , retracting the piston into the cylinder to move the stud nailer carriages 144 toward the plates 28 in the nailing station 30 on each side of the apparatus . as the stud nailer carriages 144 move the nailers 35 toward the plates 28 , actuating triggers 150 on the individual nailers 35 are pushed toward each nailer 35 by the plates 28 , causing each nailer 35 to place a nail . as may be seen in fig1 the nailers are aligned so as to place a pair of nails through each plate member 28 into the stud 32 in the fastening station 30 so that the nails converge slightly toward one another . as the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 continues to extend , the cam follower 264 of the valve 268 rolls off the cam 262 , allowing the air valve 268 to move to the exhaust position , and allowing reduced pressure ( about 25 psig ) from the pressure reducing valve 249 to re - extend the cylinder and piston assemblies 146 , holding the stud nailer carriages 144 normally away from the plates 28 . continued movement of the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 260 to its fully extended position engages the pneumatic valve 239 , which causes the plate hold - down cylinder and piston assembly 108 to contract , releasing the plates 28 and stud 32 , and simultaneously causes the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 135 to extend , lowering the fingers 134 . upon expiration of the preset time during which stud - selection and nailing occur , the magnetic timer 125 sends an electrical pulse to the solenoid - operated hydraulic valve 123 , initiating the rearward movement of the spacer table 114 by the hydraulic cylinder and piston assembly 118 . in the alternate embodiment , when the actuation switch 129 is closed , after expiration of the preset time of the timer 125 , by the retraction of the right side hold - down cylinder and piston assembly 108 , it causes operation of the solenoid - operated valve 123 for the same purpose . as the spacer table 114 moves rearwardly , it engages the valve 232 ( fig9 ) which causes the pneumatic cylinder and piston assembly 230 on each side of the apparatus to extend , raising the catcher hooks 226 to engage the rearward side of the just - nailed stud 32 , limiting rearward movement of the frame 22 . at about the same time , the switch - operating tab 120 engages the arm of the switch 124 ( fig4 ) which sends an impulse to the solenoid - operated valve 123 . the solenoid - operated valve 123 redirects hydraulic fluid to the retraction side of the cylinder and piston assembly 118 , reversing the direction of movement of the spacer table 114 , which moves forward to initiate the next stud - selection and fastening cycle . the above cycle may be repeated automatically until studs 32 have been nailed between a pair of plates 28 at the desired spacing along the full length of the pair of plates 28 . adjustment of stud spacing is accomplished by relocation of the switch 124 , valve 232 , bumpers 136 , and catcher hooks 226 . double studding , or shorter distance studding capability is provided by manually operable electric switches on a control box ( not shown ). these switches close valve 225 , keeping fingers 134 down , close a solenoid - operated valve ( not shown ) between catcher valve 232 and catcher cylinder and piston assembly 230 , keeping the catchers 226 down , and parallel the functions of limit switch 124 , signaling for the return of the spacer table 114 and initiating another stud - selection and nailing cycle . successive plates 28 must be manually positioned on each support 110 as the first stud 32 of each frame 22 is selected and nailed . as enough of a given section of frame 22 is completed to receive a sheet of sheathing material , the frame straighteners 168 are raised by the cylinder and piston assemblies 172 , under manual control , to ensure that the frame 22 is properly aligned with the studs 32 perpendicular to the plates 28 , before sheathing is nailed into place . with the frame straighteners 168 raised , a sheet of sheathing is manually positioned over the frame 22 , after which the nailer carriage 42 is positioned appropriately along the tracks 44 where it is held in place by the pins 45 in the holes 47 . the nailer transport unit 180 , moved by the motor 182 , carries the four nailer guns 38 along the track 40 to automatically place nails at predetermined positions . a plurality of cams 186 located along a flange of one of the rails 40 operate a switch ( not shown ) periodically during movement of the transport unit 180 along the rails 40 controlling solenoid valves to cause each of the center pair of the nailer guns 38 to move downward and discharge a nail into the sheathing and underlying stud 32 . a similar plurality of cams at a different , preferably closer , spacing similarly operate the nailer guns 38 on each end of the transport unit 180 . limit switches 194 and 196 limit the motion of the transport unit 180 in each direction , so that once the motor 182 is energized , the transport unit 180 moves across the entire width of a panel of sheathing , automatically nailing the sheathing to the frame 22 across the entire width of the frame 22 and then stops . after nailing one piece of sheathing to a frame 22 the carriage 42 is moved along the rails 44 into position over the next sheet of sheathing to be nailed . the carriage 42 is again secured by pins in proper position for nailing by additional holes placed relative to the frame squaring devices 168 . the next sheet of sheathing is then nailed with the transport unit 180 moving in the opposite direction along the tracks 40 . if a double - sheathed wall section is desired , the wall frame 22 may be manually inverted after the first sheathing has been applied . thermal insulation may be placed between the studs , and sheathing may be affixed to the opposite side of the plates 28 and studs 32 by the sheathing fastener unit 37 in the same general manner previously described . the apparatus of the invention may be used to assemble frames completely of uniform dimension studs , later cutting out apertures for windows and the like , or pre - cut cripples and headers may be used to assemble frames around apertures for windows and doorways . similarly , openings may be cut in sheathing material either before or after nailing to the wall frames 22 . completed wall sections may be pulled along the slideway 52 by the winch 55 and cable 57 for delivery directly to the floor of a building being erected . the terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation , and there is no intention , in the use of such terms and expressions , of excluding equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof , it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow .	1
before describing detailed embodiments of the invention , it will be useful to set forth abbreviations and definitions that are used in describing the invention . the definitions set forth apply only to the terms as they are used in this patent . the following description of the preferred embodiments and examples are provided by way of explanation and illustration . as such , they are not to be viewed as limiting the scope of the invention as defined by the claims . additionally , when examples are given , they are intended to be exemplary only and not to be restrictive . for example , when an example is said to “ include ” a specific feature , that is intended to imply that it may have that feature but not that such examples are limited to those that include that feature . in describing and claiming the present invention , the following terminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below . “ oligoguanidine compound ” refers to an oligomer of subunits , each subunit of which contains a chemically tethered guanidine group . a guanidine residue has the general structural characteristics of a guanidine head group , plus a tether of up to 12 methylene groups linking the guanidine moiety to the core of the transporter composition , where the core includes at least one triazine ring . accordingly , in one embodiment of the invention , one component of an oligoguanidine compound has the following sectional formula a : wherein : m and n are integers of from 2 to 6 . in the formula above , the guanidine group is illustrated as being neutral . one of skill in the art will appreciate that the extent to which an oligoguanidine compound is charged will depend on the environment in which it is present ( including medium , ph , etc .) and both charged and uncharged forms are contemplated by the present invention . the core of the oligoguanidine transporter composition is a “ triazine ” which serves as the scaffold on which the guanidine - containing components are assembled . one site on this triazine moiety is used to install a linker or a linking group for conjugation with bioactive substances . the other two sites on the triazine are used to install the side chains of amino groups in a protected form , which are subsequently deprotected and converted to guanidines , preferably after coupling with bioactive substances . accordingly , in one embodiment of the invention , the core structure of the delivery composition has the following formula b : wherein : m is an integer of from 0 to 10 ; n is an integer of from 1 to 5 . l is a linker or a linking group to conjugate to a bioactive substance . therefore , merger of formula a and b represents a whole piece of transporter composition containing oligoguanidine head groups , triazine core scaffold and a linker bound to or suitable for binding to a bioactive substance . as used herein , the term “ oligoguanidine compound ” refers to an oligomer of subunits , each of which contains a chemically tethered group that is a guanidine or that has been chemically transformed to generate a guanidine group . transformation to the guanidine group can be done prior to the conjugation with a bioactive substance by using an appropriate starting material ( i . e ., an oligomer having chemically built - in guanidine in a suitably protected form ). alternately , an oligoguanidine compound can be made at the end of the synthesis by a perguanidinylation step . a linking moiety “ l ” has two termini , one that covalently attaches to the transporter composition and one that covalently bonds to a bioactive substance . examples of such groups include , without limitation , carboxylic acid , carboxylic acid derivatives , alcohols , amines and thiols . for example , one end of a dicarboxylic acid is used in attaching the transporter composition , while the other in attaching a bioactive substance . the cleavable linking moiety is preferable when it is used in vivo . “ cleavable ” in this case refers to separation of transporter composition from the bioactive substance . the separation is effected through cleavage of a covalent bond unstable in a biological environment . for example , a linking moiety containing a disulfide bond may be cleaved in the reducing environment within cells in the living organism . or a linking moiety contains a short section of peptide , which can be cleaved by peptidases or proteases in the living organism . the cleavage releases a free bioactive substance from the transporter composition . “ delivery ” refers to an increase in amount and / or rate of transporting a bioactive substance across a biological barrier . the term is also meant to include altering tissue distribution , localization and release of a bioactive substance or agent . “ biological barrier ” refers to a physiological barrier to the delivery of a bioactive substance to its intended target site . it includes , for example biological membranes . “ biological membrane ” refers to a lipid - containing barrier that separates cells or groups of cells from extracellular space . “ bioactive substance ” refers to a therapeutic compound or a diagnostic agent , as well as lead compounds in a research and development setting . still further the term is meant to include various probes ( e . g ., oligonucleotides alone or those having attached imaging agents ) and substances effective to alter biological processes within cells . the term “ therapeutic compound ” refers , without limitation , to any composition that can be used to the benefit of a mammalian species . a number of such agents cause an observable change in the structure , function or composition of a cell upon uptake by the cell . observable changes include increased or decreased expression of one or more mrnas , increased or decreased expression of one or more proteins , phosphorylation of a protein or other cell component , inhibition or activation of an enzyme , inhibition or activation of binding between members of a binding pair , an increased rate of synthesis of a metabolite , increased or decreased cell proliferation and the like . other agents exert therapeutic effects when present in a tissue , even in the absence of cellular entry . the term “ diagnostic agent ” refers to both diagnostic imaging agents and contrast agents . the following are non - limiting examples of diagnostic agents : radio - labeled substances such as 99 mtc glucoheptonate ; substances used in magnetic resonance imaging such as gadolinium doped chelation agents ( e . g ., gd - dtpa ); metals bound to chelating agents such as eu , lu , pr , gd , tc 99 m , ga 67 , in 111 , y 90 , cu 67 and co 57 ; and , proteins such as β - galactosidase , green fluorescent protein and luciferase . other diagnostic agents include molecular sensors . the term “ macromolecule ” refers to large molecules ( mw greater than 1000 daltons ) of biological or synthetic origin , exemplified by , but not limited to , peptides , proteins , oligonucleotides , polynucleotides and analogs thereof , such as peptide nucleic acids and morpholinos . “ small organic molecule ” refers to a carbon - containing agent having a molecular weight of less than or equal to 1000 daltons . in describing and claiming the present invention , the following abbreviations will be used in accordance with the definitions set out below . alt alanine aminotransferase ast aspartate aminotransferase bnpc bis ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) carbonate dce 1 , 2 - dichloroethane dcm dichloromethane diea n , n - diisopropylethylamine dmi 1 , 3 - dimethyl - 2 - imidazolidinone edci 1 - ethyl - 3 -[ 3 -( dimethylamino ) propyl ] carbodiimide hydrochloride ep endo porter , a peptide delivery composition ( gene tools , llc ) etoac ethyl acetate hmds hexamethyldisilazane hobt 1 - hydroxybenzotriazole hydrate l linking group mecn acetonitrile meoh methanol mw molecular weight pg protecting group rt room temperature tbme t - butyl methyl ether tea triethylamine tfa trifluoroacetic acid tfe 2 , 2 , 2 - trifluoroethanol thf tetrahydrofuran tlc thin layer chromatography tr trityl vm vivo - morpholino commonly referred to a conjugate of transporter composition of this invention and a morpholino oligo . the present invention relates to the finding that guanidine residues provide an enhanced transport of drugs and other agents across biological membranes when the residues are part of an oligoguanidine that provides suitable assembly of the guanidines . this is in contrast to the previously described polymers of , for example , arginine , in which the guanidine moieties are present on essentially all subunits of the linear transport polymer . this is also different from the previously described dendrimers of guanidines , in that the guanidine moieties in the present invention are assembled on a triazine scaffold . thus , the transporter oligomers of the present invention can be viewed in one group of embodiments as polymers in which guanidine residues are present , but spaced by dendrimeric branches such that each guanidine moiety is in the terminal head group of side chains . synthetically , the side chains can be selected to enhance the freedom of the arm length and adjust the lipophilicity of the transporter oligomer . furthermore , the central amino group can provide a site for attachment to a linking group which can conjugate with bioactive substances . more importantly , guanidine moieties are prepared from their amine precursors , which are transformed by a single step perguanidinylation . this process takes the advantage of avoiding using the expensive reagent as compared with the prior art which involves use of costly reagents for conversion and protection of guanidines . the whole assembly of the transporter composition and its joining to the bioactive compound was designed in a concise manner which can be implemented simply and cost - effectively . as noted above , the present invention provides compositions and methods that enhance the transport of bioactive substances across biological membranes . the compositions are represented by the structures containing triazine as scaffold , oligoguanidine as head groups of each side chains and bioactive substances attached to a linking group . accordingly , the invention also includes the oligoguanidine compounds described herein that are chemically tethered to a bioactive substance ( which includes therapeutic agents and prodrugs thereof ). the oligoguanidine compounds can be tethered to the therapeutic agent in a variety of different ways . the therapeutic agents can be linked to a transporter composition of the invention in numerous ways , including a direct bond or by means of a linking moiety . in particular , carbamate , amide , ester , thioether , disulfide , and hydrazone linkages are generally easy to form and suitable for most applications . in addition , various functional groups ( e . g ., hydroxyl , amino , halogen , etc .) can be used to attach the therapeutic agent to the transporter composition . for those therapeutic agents that are inactive until the attached transporter composition is released , the linker is preferably a readily cleavable linker , meaning that it is susceptible to enzymatic or solvent - mediated cleavage in vivo . for this purpose , linkers containing carboxylic acid esters and disulfide bonds are preferred , where the former groups are hydrolyzed enzymatically or chemically , and the latter are severed by disulfide exchange , e . g ., in the presence of glutathione . therapeutic agents that benefit from the transporter composition of the invention include both small organic molecules and macromolecules ( e . g ., nucleic acids , oligonucleotides and the analogs thereof , morpholinos and peptide nucleic acids , polynucleotides , peptides , polypeptides , and proteins ). exemplary therapeutic agents include local and systemic anti - cancer agents , antibiotics , antisense drugs , protease inhibitors , and so forth . in addition , there are numerous releasable linkers that can be used with the transporter composition of the invention , which can be cleaved by phosphatases , proteases , esterases , redox compounds , photochemical agents , nucleophilic agents , acidic compounds , and so forth . release of the therapeutic agent can be the result of either enzymatic or non - enzymatic action . turning next to the bioactive substance , the present invention finds broad application to essentially any therapeutic or diagnostic agent . examples of therapeutic compounds include , without limitation , the following : oligonucleotides and polynucleotides formed of dna and rna ; oligonucleotide analogs such as phosphonates ( e . g ., methyl phosphonates ), phosphoramidates , thiophosphates , locked nucleic acids ( lna ), uncharged morpholinos and peptide nucleic acids ( pnas ) or their structural variations containing positive or negative charges ; proteins such as kinase c , raf - 1 , p21ras , nf - κb and c - jun ; and , polysaccharides and polysaccharide analogs . diagnostic agents include both diagnostic imaging agents and contrast agents . the following are non - limiting examples of diagnostic agents : radio - labeled substances such as 99 mtc glucoheptonate ; substances used in magnetic resonance imaging such as gadolinium doped chelation agents ( e . g ., gd - dtpa ); metals bound to chelating agents such as eu , lu , pr , gd , tc 99 m , ga 67 , in 111 , y 90 , cu 67 and co 57 ; and proteins such as β - galactosidase , green fluorescent protein and luciferase . still other useful agents include dyes such as , for example , fluorescein . in certain embodiments , the transporter composition is attached to the bioactive substance through a linking moiety . such a linking moiety has two termini , one that covalently bonds to the transporter composition and one that covalently bonds to the bioactive substance . the termini each contain a functional group that serves as a facile point of attachment . examples of such groups include , without limitation , carboxylic acid , carboxylic acid derivatives , alcohols , amines and thiols . for example , suberic acid is a linking moiety having a carboxylic acid at each terminus . one terminus is used in attaching the transporter composition , while the other in attaching the bioactive substance . the linking moiety is preferably cleaved in vivo . “ cleaved ” in this case refers to separation of a linking moiety from the bioactive substance . the separation is effected through cleavage of a covalent bond . for instance , a linking moiety containing a disulfide bond may be cleaved in the reducing environment in the cells of a living organism , resulting in the separation of transporter composition from the bioactive substance . or a linking moiety contains a short section of peptide , which can be cleaved by proteases in the living organism . the cleavage releases a free bioactive substance from the transporter composition . fig1 provides an illustration for the synthesis of a dendrimeric octaguanidine beginning with monoprotected piperazine 1 . the protected piperazine 1 reacts with cyanuric chloride to give monosubstituted dichlorotriazine . the dichloride is then treated with diethanolamine to give tetraalcohol 4 . the hydroxyl groups are activated with a suitable activating reagent to provide tetracarbonate 5 . the tetracarbonate 5 is treated with a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine to tetracarbamate 6 containing octaamine in a protected form . the secondary amine of piperazine 7 is regenerated by deprotection , which reacts with an activated linker 3 to give the transporter moiety 8 with an active functional moiety at one terminus . this active functional group 8 couples with a bioactive substance to give a conjugate 9 . the final removal of protecting groups to give octaamine 10 and perguanidinylation thereof fulfills the whole entity assembly for a transporter - enabled bioactive substance 11 . more detail below is provided for perguanidinylation . fig2 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing four side chains each with a protected primary amine . the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine is treated with a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine to give an entity containing triazine as scaffold and four primary amines in a protected form 13 . fig3 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing six side chains each with a protected primary amine . the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine is treated with aminotrialcohol to give hexa - alcohol intermediate 14 which is activated to form the corresponding carbonate 15 . the carbonate 15 is then treated with suitably protected amines to give hexa - primary amines in a protected form 16 . fig4 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing twelve side chains with a protected primary amine . by using the same reactive carbonate intermediate 15 as shown in fig3 , and introducing a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine , a dozen of side chains each with a protected primary amine are furnished to afford compound 17 . fig5 illustrates a synthetic scheme of assembling a protected central nitrogen functional group and a triazine scaffold containing sixteen side chains with a protected primary amine . by using the same reactive carbonate intermediate 5 as shown in fig1 b , treatment of diethanolamine gives octa - alcohol 18 . activation of the alcohol 18 to the corresponding carbonate intermediate 19 , followed by introduction of a secondary amine 2 obtained from selective protection for primary amines of a triamine , gives a triazine scaffold 20 containing sixteen side chains each with a protected primary amine . fig6 illustrates a sequence for construction of a rigid core scaffold of octaamines in a protected form . the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine is treated with piperazine to give di - secondary amine 21 . disubstituted monochlotriazine 22 , obtained from treatment of cyanuric chloride with the secondary amine 2 by a controllable manner , reacts with the di - secondary amine 21 , resulting in a fully protected form of octaamine 23 . fig7 illustrates a sequence for construction of a flexible scaffold of octaamines in a protected form . reaction of monoprotected alcohol or amine 24 with cyanuric chloride gives monosubstituted dichlorotriazine 25 , which is further exposed with two equivalents of secondary amine to give trisubstituted triazine 26 . removal of the trityl group generates a primary amine 27 , which is again treated with the monosubstituted dichlorotriazine 25 to yield a fully protected form of octaamine 28 . as can be seen from fig1 to 7 , use of triazine as a scaffold can assemble oligoamines in an efficient manner . all these amino groups are orthogonally protected ( trityl vs . trifluoroacetyl ). removal of trityl group provides a site for installing a linking group which can be used for conjugation with bioactive substance . fig8 illustrates a general scheme following fig2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 for subsequent manipulation . the linking site of 30 , generated after deprotection of 29 , is coupled with a linking group to afford 31 . the active end of the linking group of 31 is connected with a bioactive substance to give a conjugate 32 . the oligoamine 33 , generated from removing the protecting groups of 32 , undergoes guanidinylation to give 34 , an oligoguanidine conjugated with bioactive substance . fig1 to 7 also show the same methodology which requires a deprotection and perguanidinylation process after conjugation with bioactive substance . fig9 illustrates a sequence where guanidine groups are built - in before the transporter composition is coupled with bioactive substance . this is very useful for those bioactive substances which are vulnerable to the conditions used for perguanidinylation . the selective protection of primary amine 35 with trifluoroacetyl group gives free secondary amine 36 which is orthogonally protected with trityl group to give intermediate 37 . the primary amine 38 re - generated by deprotection can be transformed to guanidine 40 in a protected form . removal of the trityl group gives the secondary amine 41 which reacts with the carbonate intermediate 5 to furnish the octaguanidine 42 in a protected form . although the transformation described in fig9 is useful for some bioactive substances which are vulnerable to the conditions used for perguanidinylation , one of skill in the art will readily understand that this route is rather lengthy whereas post - coupling perguanidinylation is the cost - effective way . as a matter of fact , in one embodiment of the invention , the deprotection and perguanidinylation is carried out in a single reaction vessel without intermediate purification , providing a practical process for efficient streamlined production of conjugate containing transporter composition and bioactive substance . accordingly , one embodiment of the invention is a method for the preparation of an oligoguanidine compound , comprising contacting an oligomer having chemically tethered amines , at least a portion of which are protected , with a protecting group removal agent and a guanidinylation reagent to convert each of said protected amines to a guanidinyl group , to produce an oligoguanidine compound . more specifically , the method may comprise the steps of ( a ) assembling a dendrimeric structure using triazine as a core scaffold to install a plurality of side chains each containing a chemically tethered amine , ( b ) contacting one amino group which is orthogonally protected to the amino groups at the end of each side chain with a linking group having reactive functional entities on each end . the linking group having the remaining reactive functional entity is conjugated with a bioactive substance , ( c ) contacting an oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines , wherein a portion of the tethered amines have attached protecting groups , with a protecting group removal agent to remove the protecting groups to produce an oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines ; and ( d ) contacting the resulting oligomer with a guanidinylation reagent to convert each of the chemically tethered amines to a guanidinyl group to produce an oligoguanidine compound . in some embodiments , the oligomer having chemically tethered amines will be isolated and purified using methods such as ion exchange chromatography , hplc , column chromatography and the like . this oligomer ( tethered amine ) compound can be isolated as a salt or in neutral form . however , in a preferred embodiment , the oligomer compound having chemically tethered amines is not isolated , but is carried on directly to step ( d ) in certain embodiments , steps ( c ) and ( d ) are carried out in the same reaction vessel . therefore , an oligomer compound having protecting groups on each of the amines can be treated with a protecting group removal agent and subsequently a guanidinylation reagent to provide the oligoguanidine compound in a single vessel . in one particularly preferred embodiment , an oligomer having trifluoroacetyl protecting groups on each of the ω - amines is contacted with a protecting group removal agent , preferably aqueous ammonia solution , and afterwards with a guanidinylation reagent , preferably o - methylisourea hydrochloride . in other embodiments , the oligomer having chemically tethered amines is a dendrimeric scaffold with a triazine as the center piece . in another embodiment , the branching moiety from triazine is dialcoholamine ( wherein “ dialcoholamine ” refers to those compounds having hydroxyl group at each end of the side chains and the side chains containing multiple methylene and other heteroatom such as o , s , b and the like .) in one particularly preferred embodiment , diethanolamine is used for multiplication of the side chains . the nitrogen atom from the dialcoholamine connects to the triazine core and the hydroxyl groups from the alcohols develop further for a plurality of side chains . the multiplication of side chains is preferably enabled by formation of carbonate intermediate , which is in turn preferably connected with a secondary amine of bis ( hexamethylene ) triamine wherein both primary amines are protected with preferably trifluoroacetyl groups . another embodiment of the invention is a method for the preparation of an oligoguanidine compound from a suitably protected oligoamine , comprising the steps of : ( a ) connecting two dialcoholamine to monosubstituted dichlorotriazine to produce a tetraalcohol ; ( b ) activating each of the hydroxyl group of the tetraalcohol to form carbonate intermediate ; ( c ) treating each of the carbonate groups with dialcoholamine to generate an octahydroxyl compound and thereafter activating each of the hydroxyl group of the octahydroxyl to octacarbonate ; ( d ) subjecting the carbonate compound with a secondary amine of bis ( hexamethylene ) triamine wherein both primary amines are protected with preferably trifluoroacetyl groups to give oligoamines in a protected form . when step ( c ) is done once , an oligomer is obtained which has sixteen side chains each containing a primary amine in a protected form . in one particularly preferred embodiment , step ( c ) is skipped and step ( d ) is conducted directly after step ( b ) to give an oligomer having eight side chains each containing a primary amine in a protected form . perguanidinylation has been described for the preparation of cationic oligonucleotides ( deglane , g . et al . chembiochem 7 : 684 - 692 ( 2006 )). perguanidinylation has now been found to have utility in the preparation of oligoguanidine transporter composition as described herein . for example , a suitable synthesis of the guanidine octamer was desired due to the utility of this compound as a membrane transport reagent . in view of the perguanidinylation studies noted above , octaguanidine could in principle be prepared from an octaamine through a late stage perguanidinylation reaction . the primary amino groups can be transformed to guanidines by final perguanidination , a step offering additional advantages of avoiding the use of expensive protecting groups for the guanidinium subunit if it is pre - formed otherwise . selective protection of a triamine having a secondary amine in the middle or close to the middle of the chain and two primary amines on each end of the chains can be achieved to give the free secondary amine and the protected primary amines . this strategy can make use of a triamine for connecting the secondary amine to a core scaffold and for converting two primary amines to a couple of guanidines at the final stage . in order to manipulate the chemistry in an orthogonally protected manner , base - labile trifluoroacetamide protecting group is incorporated on the primary amine for the ultimate conversion to guanidine after deprotection , and acid - labile trityl protecting group is installed on the amine for the linkage with a leash connecting with a bioactive substance . the requisite mono - tritylated piperazine used for starting the construction of a triazine core scaffold is prepared by exposing trityl chloride with excess amount of piperazine . after treatment of tritylpiperazine with cyanuric chloride , diethanolamine is used to doubling the functional site . the tetrralcohol thus formed is activated to give tetracarbonate by using bis ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) carbonate . reaction of the tetracarbonate with the secondary amine of a triamine having the primary amines protected with trifluoroacetyl group gives rise to the octaamine in a protected form . removal of the trityl group is achieved by acid treatment . the free amine thus generated is exposed to a large excess of linking reagent , suberic di ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) ester , resulting in the connection of the octaamine with the linking moiety and yielding an active ester for subsequent conjugation with a bioactive substance . after conjugation of the octaamine with a bioactive substance through a linking moiety , the final deprotection and perguanidinylation can be accomplished via a single vessel operation . since ammonia has been utilized to effect the deprotection of trifluoroacetamides , and also as one of the reagents in the guanidinylation of amines , a single vessel operation was investigated . thus , treatment of the octaamine derivative with concentrated ammonia gives a conjugate of octaamine and the bioactive substance . without purification , the mixture is treated further with o - methylisourea hydrochloride with additional 18 % ammonia solution to give octaguanidine coupled with a bioactive substance . the conversion of octaamine to octaguanidine by using this guanidinylation system is virtually quantitative and the purification can be carried out by using oasis hlb lp extraction cartridge ( waters corporation , milford , mass ., us ). significantly , eight trifluoroacetamides were removed to eight primary amines and subsequently converted to eight guanidines under mild conditions in quantitative yield . and more significantly , the ammonolytic deprotection , and subsequent perguanidinylation carried out in a single reaction vessel , without intermediate purification , enables the practical streamline production of conjugate containing bioactive substance and transporter composition . this process improvement constitutes a very valuable and cost - effective advantage over prior art production procedures . the precise conditions and reagents or agents used in the process will depend on the nature of the protecting groups to be kept or removed . protecting groups selected for the protection of the chemically tethered amine groups on the side chains are generally those groups that can be distinguished from the other protecting groups in other portions of the molecule ( e . g ., the trityl group protecting the amino group for linking the leash with a bioactive substance ). such protecting groups are often referred to as “ orthogonal ”. generally , the reagents and conditions can be employed by following the guidelines in such protecting group treatises as wuts and greene , protective groups in organic synthesis , 4 th ed ., john wiley & amp ; sons , new york n . y . ( 2007 ), and the references cited therein . as noted above , the method of the invention involves contacting an oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines , with a protecting group removal agent to remove the protecting groups . in one embodiment of the invention , trifluoroacetyl group is selected for the protecting groups on each of the chemically tethered amines for four critical reasons : ( a ) methyl or ethyl trifluoroacetate is a mild and selective reagent to protect primary amines in the presence of secondary amine , therefore , it is useful to keep the secondary amine intact while protecting the primary amine in a polyamine ( a triamine in this particular case ) so that the secondary amine can be used to connect to reactive functional groups in the scaffold ; ( b ) a different amino group is used for linking the leash for conjugation with bioactive substance . acid labile trityl group is selected for this amino group since trifluoroacetyl group is labile towards basic conditions but stable towards acidic conditions ; ( c ) trifluoroacetyl protecting groups on the amines can be cleaved by ammonolysis , a condition also used for removing protecting groups in some bioactive substances . therefore , exposure of ammonia can remove protecting groups both in the bioactive substance and in the oligoamine moieties . this strategy proves very useful in the cases where for example , coupling of the precursor transporter composition , i . e . oligoamine in a protected form , is carried out with morpholino antisense oligo while it is still on the synthesis resin and subsequent ammonolytic treatment not only removes all the protecting groups on the morpholino oligo and the oligoamine moiety , but also cleave the conjugate of precursor transporter composition and morpholino from the synthesis resin . this advantage of convenience being able to cleave the conjugate from the synthesis resin and remove the protecting groups for subsequent guanidinylation paves the way for simple operation and economic production . ( d ) ammonia is also a reagent for converting amino group to guanidine in the presence of a guanidinylation agent , o - methylisourea hydrochloride . therefore , without any purification , the ammonia used for deprotection of protecting groups in oligoamine can be carried over for the subsequent guanidinylation . by choosing the selected protecting groups and the selected protecting group removal agent , the whole production process for a conjugate containing a bioactive substance and transporter composition is significantly simplified and its cost is considerably reduced in comparison to prior art methods . as noted above , the method of the invention involves contacting the oligomer having a plurality of chemically tethered amines , with a guanidinylation reagent to convert each of the chemically tethered amines to a guanidinyl group to produce an oligoguanidine compound . any guanidinylation reagent useful for converting an amino group to a guanidinyl group can be used in the present invention . preferably , the guanidinylation reagent is a salt of o - methylisourea . most preferably , the guanidinylation reagent is o - methylisourea hydrochloride . other suitable guanidinylation reagents are described in bernatowicz et al ., j . org . chem . 57 : 2497 - 2502 ( 1992 ). the practice of the present invention will employ , unless otherwise indicated , conventional techniques of synthetic organic chemistry , biochemistry and the like , which are within the skill of the art . such techniques are explained fully in the literature . see , for example , kirk - othmer &# 39 ; s encyclopedia of chemical technology ; and house &# 39 ; s modern synthetic reactions . the following examples are put forth so as to provide those of ordinary skill in the art with a complete disclosure and description of how to make and use the compositions / compound / methods of the invention . efforts have been made to ensure accuracy with respect to numbers ( e . g ., amounts , temperature , etc .) but some experimental error and deviations should , of course , be allowed for . unless indicated otherwise , parts are parts by weight , temperature is degrees centigrade and pressure is at or near atmospheric . all components were obtained commercially unless otherwise indicated . piperazine ( 107 . 5 g , 1 . 25 mole ) was dissolved in dcm ( 500 ml ). trityl chloride ( 69 . 7 g , 0 . 25 mole ) was added to the mixture cooled in an ice bath . after addition , the mixture was kept at room temperature for 30 min . the mixture was washed with water ( 500 ml , three times ). and the organic layer was separated and dried over sodium sulfate . the mixture was concentrated to ca . 100 ml and added to hexane ( 1 liter ). the solid was removed by filtration . the filtrate was evaporated to dryness to give a white solid ( ca . 100 g ). bis ( hexamethylene ) triamine ( 8 . 62 g , 40 mmol ) was dissolved in acetonitrile ( 120 ml ). water ( 0 . 864 ml ) was added to the mixture . ethyl trifluoroacetate ( 16 . 7 ml , 140 mmol ) was added to the mixture cooled in an ice bath . after addition , the mixture was refluxed for 16 hours . the solvents were removed by evaporation . the residue solidified upon storing at room temperature and was used for next step without purification . suberic acid ( 8 . 71 g , 50 mmol ) and 4 - nitrophenol ( 14 . 61 g , 105 mmol ) were dissolved in dce ( 100 ml ). 1 , 3 - diisopropylcarbodiimide ( 16 . 28 ml , 104 mmol ) was added to the mixture . the mixture was kept at room temperature for 16 hours . the solid was removed by filtration . the filtrate was loaded on a silica gel column ( silica gel 140 g ), eluting with dcm . after removal of the solvent , a white solid was obtained ( 18 . 4 g , 88 %). cyanuric chloride ( 922 mg , 5 mmol ) was dissolved in a solution of thf ( 10 ml ) containing diea ( 1 . 74 ml , 10 mmol ). n - tritylpiperazine ( 1 ) ( 1 . 642 g , 5 mmol ) dissolved in thf ( 10 ml ) was added to the mixture cooled in an ice bath . the mixture was kept at 0 ° c . and 25 ° c . for 30 min , respectively . diethanolamine ( 5 ml , 52 mmol ) was added to the mixture . the mixture was heated at 70 ° c . for 16 hours . the volatile materials were removed by evaporation . the residue was dissolved in etoac ( 200 ml ) and washed with sodium bicarbonate ( 150 ml ) and water ( 200 ml × 2 ) and dried over sodium sulfate . after removal of the solvent , a white solid was obtained ( 2 . 82 g , 92 %). 2 -( 4 - tritylpiperazinyl )- 4 , 6 - bis ( diethanolamino ) triazine ( 4 ) ( 2 . 82 g , 4 . 59 mmol ) was dissolved in acetone ( 40 ml ). tea ( 1 ml ) was added to the mixture , followed by bis ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) carbonate ( 8 . 4 g , 27 . 54 mmol ). the mixture was kept at room temperature for 48 hours . the solvent was then removed . the product was obtained by column purification to give a yellowish solid . 2 -( 4 - tritylpiperazinyl )- 4 , 6 - bis [ di ( 4 - nitrophenyloxycarbonyloxyethyl ) anino ] triazine ( 5 ) ( 2 . 03 g , 1 . 6 mmol ) was dissolved in acetone ( 40 ml ). diea ( 2 . 8 ml , 16 mmol ) was added to the mixture , followed by bis ( trifluoroacetamidohexyl ) amine ( 2 ) ( 4 . 16 g , 8 mmol ). the reaction mixture was kept at room temperature for 16 hours . the volatile materials were removed by evaporation . the residue was chromatographed to give an oily foam ( 3 . 28 g , 87 %). 2 -( 4 - tritylpiperazinyl )- 4 , 6 - bis { di [ di ( trifluoroacetamidohexyl ) aminocarbonyloxyethyl ] amino } triazine ( 6 ) ( 1 . 0 g , 0 . 43 mmol ) was dissolved in methanol ( 3 . 2 ml ) and the solution was mixed with 5 % cyanoacetic acid in tfe ( 5 ml ). the mixture was kept at room temperature for 10 min . the solvents were removed by evaporation . the residue was then diluted with dcm ( 50 ml ) and washed with saturated sodium bicarbonate ( 30 ml ). the organic layer was separated and dried over sodium sulfate . after removal of the solvent , the crude product 7 was dissolved in acetone ( 10 ml ). diea ( 0 . 4 ml , 2 . 3 mmol ) was added to the mixture , followed by di ( 4 - nitrophenyl ) suberate ( 3 ) ( 732 mg , 1 . 76 mmol ). the reaction mixture was kept at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . the solvents were removed and the product was isolated from silica gel column chromatography to give an oily paste . general procedure for synthesis of a conjugate 12 containing the transporter composition and morpholino antisense oligo the precursor transporter composition 8 in dmi solution containing 5 % hobt as catalyst and adequate base such as 4 - methylmorpholine or triethylamine was incubated with morpholino at 60 ° c . for 2 hours . after removal of the solvent , a certain volume of concentrated ammonia was added and the mixture was incubated at 50 ° c . for 5 hours . same volume of 18 % ammonia was added to the mixture , followed by o - methylisourea hydrochloride . the mixture was incubated at 65 ° c . for 45 min . water was added to dilute the mixture and the product was isolated by using oasis hlb lp extraction cartridge . functional quantitative assessment of delivery of a conjugate containing transporter composition and morpholino in cultured animal cells details of the method were described ( summerton , j . e ., u . s . pat . no . 7 , 084 , 248 ). basically , the cytosolic delivery is assessed by a quantifiable signal proportional to the amount of cargo delivered into the cytosol . this technology was developed by kole and co - workers ( kang , s ., et al . biochemistry 37 : 6235 - 6239 ( 1998 )) by using the splice - correction system , coupled with a morpholino antisense oligo targeted against the splicing error site . a cell line has been stably transfected with a gene that codes for an rna transcript that includes a mutation that generates a splicing error which acts to prevent the translation of luciferase coded by that rna transcript . when a properly - targeted morpholino antisense oligo is delivered into the cytosol / nuclear compartment of such cells , the morpholino blocks the mutant site . this leads to normal translation of the luciferase , and the light emission from that luciferase is readily quantitated in a luminometer . the experiments were carried out in the presence of 10 % serum in comparison with endo porter , a peptide delivery composition ( gene tools , llc ). after incubation at 37 ° c . for 24 hours , the cells are lysed and assayed for both luciferase and total cell protein . the results were shown in fig1 . the conjugate of transporter composition of this invention and morpholino shows some delivery efficacy ( ca . 10 % compared with endo porter in a comparable concentration ). alternate parallel experiments were carried out in the presence of 100 % serum in comparison with endo porter . the results were shown in fig1 . the conjugate of transporter composition of this invention and morpholino shows greater delivery efficacy ( ca . 2 and 4 folds at 24 hours and 48 hours incubation , respectively , compared with endo porter in a comparable concentration while the higher the concentrations , the more efficient the delivery ). functional quantitative assessment of delivery of a conjugate containing transporter composition and morpholino in vivo kole and co - workers have developed a strain of transgenic mice carrying an expressed gene that codes for an rna transcript that potentially codes for a green fluorescent protein ( sazani , p ., et al . nature biotechnology 20 : 1228 - 1233 ( 2002 )). that rna transcript contains a mutation that causes a splicing error which prevents expression of the green fluorescent protein . contacting an appropriate morpholino antisense oligo with that mutant rna transcript blocks that mutant site , thereby correcting the splicing error and generating green fluorescent protein . thus , the technology of visualizing green fluorescence in a specific tissue has been used to assess cytosolic delivery into cells of that tissue in vivo . the ability of the conjugate containing the transporter composition of this invention and morpholino to achieve cytosolic delivery in vivo is assessed . the conjugate was administered intravenously at 12 . 5 mg / kg for 4 days into the mice of the transgenic strain and the results were shown in fig1 . excellent delivery are achieved in liver , small intestine , colon , muscle and diaphragm , while fairly good in spleen and stomach , even modestly good in lung , heart , skin and brain . the ast - alt data was also collected ( fig1 ), indicating that the conjugate of the transporter composition of the invention and morpholino is not toxic to the liver in mice . it is understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims . all publications , patents , and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes .	0
fig1 is schematic view showing an example in which a light - wave rangefinder is utilized for measuring the liquid level in a crude oil tank making use of an optical adapter in accordance with the present invention . on the inner wall of a crude oil tank t is mounted a front objective lens system 101 , which is an objective optical means of an optical adapter 100 with an objective lens opposed to a crude oil surface s . the objective lens system 101 is connected to a light - wave rangfinder 1 installed in a management house m through a photoconduction pipe 102 which is a photoconduction means . a measuring light emitted from the light - wave rangfinder 1 is transmitted through the photoconduction pipe 102 and projected from the objective lens system 101 towards the crude oil surface s . the reflecting light from the surface s is again received by the objective lens system 101 , after which the light is transmitted to the light - wave rangefinder 1 through the photoconduction pipe 102 . a time delay , for example , a phase difference between the light reflected at the liquid surface and the aforesaid distance measuring light , is measured by the light - wave rangefinder 1 , and the distance from the objective lens system 101 and the crude oil surface s is determined precisely from said phase difference . the distance l from the bottom surface b of the tank t to the objective lens system 101 is measured beforehand , and the height h of crude oil surface can be determined with accuracy from the difference between the value of said distance l and the aforementioned measured value . fig2 is a block diagram of the above - described liquid surface height measuring system . this liquid surface height measuring system consists of the light - wave rangefinder 1 and the optical adapter 100 connected thereto . a frequency divider 10 of the light - wave rangefinder 1 divides a 15 mhz signal from an oscillator 11 to generate two signal of 75 khz and 3 khz . a synthesizer 13 generates a signal of 14 . 997 mhz which is a difference between 15 mhz from the oscillator and 3 khz from the frequency divider 10 ( 15 mhz - 3 khz ), and another signal of 72 khz which is 24 times 3 khz from the frequency divider 10 . a first switch 14 is controlled by a signal 16 from a processing control circuit 15 , so as to put out a signal of either 15 mhz or 75 khz . a light emitting element 18 comprising a light emitting diode radiates a light modulated by the output signal of the first switch 14 . the modulated light released from the light emitting element 18 is released to either distance measuring light path 23 or internal reference light path 24 by a shutter 25 by which the distance measuring light path 23 and internal reference light path 24 are switched . in the event the distance measuring light path 23 is selected , the modulated light is reflected at an inclined surface 26a of a prism 26 and thereafter shaped into a bundle of parallel light rays by means of an objective lens 27 and is incident upon an objective lens 28 of an objective lens system of an optical adapter 100 . the distance measuring light 23a projected from the objective lens 28 is reflected at a reflecting surface 29a of a prism 29 and focused at an incident end 104a of an optical fiber 104 which constitutes a photoconduction pipe 102 . a secondary light source image of the light emitting element 18 is thus formed on the end 104a of the optical fiber 104 . the light transmitted through the optical fiber 104 is projected from the other end 104b of the optical fiber 104 onto a reflecting prism 40 in the housing ( not shown ) of the objective lens system 101 . the light 23a reflected by the prism 40 , after passing through an objective lens 41 , falls on the crude oil surface s which is the target . the light reflected at the liquid surface s , after travelling past the lens 41 and the prism 40 , enters an incident end 105a of optical fiber 105 which constitutes the photoconduction pipe 102 together with the aforementioned optical fiber 104 . the reflected light is thrown out from the opposite end 105b after passing through the optical fiber 105 . since the end 105b is located at a position conjugate with a focus of the objective lens 28 , the light 23b from the optical fiber 105 is , after being reflected at a reflecting surface 29b of the prism 29 , formed into a bundle of parallel light rays by the objective lens 28 and enters the light - wave rangefinder 1 . the objective lens 27 of the light - wave rangefinder 1 causes the light 23b to fall upon a light receiving element 30 , which comprises an avalanche photodiode , past the prism 26 . when the internal reference light path is selected by the shutter 25 , the modulated light from the light emitting element 18 is reflected at an internal reflecting surface 26c of the prism 26 and is directly incident upon the light receiving element 30 . this internal reference light path is provided so as to prohibit an error in distance measuring data from being generated by changes in phase due to a temperature drift or the like of an electric circuit which constitutes the lightwave rangefinder itself . the measured value by the internal reference light path is subtracted by the measured value by the distance measuring light path to obtain accurate distance measuring data . a second switch 31 is controlled by the signal 16 from the processing control circuit 15 so as to provide an output signal of either 14 . 997 mhz or 72 khz . the output from the light receiving element 30 , past a capacitor 50 , is amplified by an amplifier 32 whose output is supplied to the mixer 33 . the mixer 33 mixes the signal from the amplifier 32 and the signal from the second switch 31 to form a beat signal , which is detected to produce an output sine wave of 3 khz . a waveform shaping unit 34 shapes the sine wave of 3 khz into a rectangular wave . a gate circuit 35 receives the 3 khz signal from the frequency divider 10 as a start signal , and the signal from the waveform shaping unit as the stop signal , and allows between the start and stop signals the 15 mhz signal from the oscillator 11 . this signal is counted by the the counter 36 to measure the phase difference . the counted value obtained by the counter 36 is the total number obtained by n times of measurement . to know the frequency of n times , the signal of 3 khz from the frequency divider 10 is supplied to the processing control circuit 15 . upon termination of counting of n times , a reset signal 37 is supplied from the processing control circuit 15 to the counter 36 so that the counter 36 is reset . the counted value of measurement of n times is multiplied by 1 / n in the processing control circuit to obtain an average value , which is converted into distance which is then displayed on a display 39 . it is noted that the distance here obtained is the sum ( v + l ) of the length l of the optical adapter and the distance v from the front end of the optical adapter to the liquid surface . since the length of the optical adapter is known , and the distance l + l to the bottom surface of the tank has been pre - measured precisely , the liquid surface height h can be obtained by for setting the output of the mixer 33 to 3 khz , the output signal of the first switch 14 and the output signal of the second swich 31 are controlled by the signal 16 from the processing control circuit 15 such that their frequencies are 15 mhz and 14 . 997 mhz respectively , or 75 khz and 72 khz respectively . the two modulation frequencies for the light emitting element 18 , 15 mhz and 75 khz , corresponding to wave lengths 20 m and 4 km respectively , are used for precise measurement and rough measurement respectively . frequencies of 15 mhz and 75 khz are reduced to 3 khz by the mixer 33 to improve the resolving power of phase measurement or to reduce the phase of 15 mhz or 75 khz to the phase of 3 khz for measurement . fig3 is a partial sectional view showing the construction of the optical adapter 100 . parts indentical to or equal to those shown in fig2 are indicated by the same reference numeral , and duplicate explanation will be omitted . an objective lens mount 200 of the light - wave rangefinder 1 is formed with an external thread portion 201 , threadedly engaged on which is an internal thread portion 204 of a mounting ring 203 fitted on an objective lens mount 202 of the objective lens system 103 of the optical adapter 100 . the objective lens system 103 is thus connected to the lightwave rangefinder 1 . a locating pin 205 is provided on the fore end of the lens mount 202 , and this pin is fitted into an engaging hole 206 formed in the lens mount 200 of the light - wave rangefinder , whereby optical axis of the objective lenses 27 and 28 are disposed in line and confronting edges 26d and 29c of the prisms 26 and 29 are disposed parallel with each other . in front of the objective lens 28 in the lens mount 202 there is provided an elongate diaphragm plate 207 laterally extending across the optical axis of the lens 28 . this plate 207 serves to prevent interference between the light toward the target and the light from the target , which interference may degrade the measurement . in the illustrated embodiment , the objective lenses 27 , 28 and 41 all have the same lens structure ; use of lenses of the same structure results in reduction in manufacturing costs and contributes to stabilization of optical characteristics . as will be understood from the above - described embodiment , only the front objective lens system 101 of the optical adapter 100 is installed internally of the crude oil tank t , and the body of the light - wave rangefinder may be installed interiorly of the management house m away from the tank . therefore , measurement can be easily accomplished , and concentrated measurement of heights of the liquid surfaces s of a number of crude oil tanks t is possible . in addition , since the light - wave rangefinder body need not be installed within the tank t , there is no danger of explosion occuring due to short - circuiting or spark of an electronic circuit housed in the body itself , which is preferable in terms of explosion prevention . since the emitting optical fiber 104 and receiving optical fiber 105 which constitute the photoconduction pipe 102 are long , if an ordinary si ( step index ) fiber is used , individual light rays may travel different distance in the optical fiber ; the difference may result in phase difference between the individual light rays , which will cause an error in distance measuring data . for solving this drawback , gi ( graded index ) fiber should be used . any light rays will travel the same distance through a gi fiber , so that such fiber will cause no phase difference . the height of the liquid level is measured based on a phase difference as a time lag between the distance - measuring light waves and reflected distance - measuring light waves . the above liquid level height - measuring apparatus according to the aforementioned first embodiment is adapted to directly measure the distance to be measured including the whole length of the photoconduction pipe . the height of the liquid level is determined by subtacting the whole length of the photoconduction pipe as a known physical amount from the measured distance . however , as the crude or the petrolum oil tanks have been large - scaled and a number of the crude oil tanks have come to be concentratively controlled , the distance from the control housing to the respective crude oil tanks increases and the whole length of the photoconduction pipe accordingly increases . thus , it is necessary to employ from several ten to one hundred and several ten meters in length of the photoconduction . however , with the increase in length of the light wave transmission piping member , expansion and contraction amounts due to temperature changes increases , so that the whole length of photoconduction pipe can no longer be regarded as the known physical amount , and errors in the measured distance take place due to the expansion and contraction of the photoconduction pipe owing to temperature changes . the errors of the measured distance due to the expansion and contraction of the photoconduction pipe owing to the temperature changes take place when a photoconductive wave pipe of a refraction and reflection optical system is employed . further , since difference in the transmission distance between the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected distance - measuring light waves both transmitted inside of the optical fiber which is curved as the photoconduction pipe is proportional to the whole length of the optical fiber , the phase difference between the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected light waves increases with the increase in length of the optical fiber due to the above proportional relation to produce errors in the measured distance . in addition , the phase difference between the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected light waves changes due to bent portions on way of the arranged optical fiber and bending thereof by wind , and errors of the measured distance induced thereby increases with increase in length of the optical fiber . the second through sixth described hereinafter , of the present invention has been made taking the above - mentioned circumstances into consideration , and is aimed at the provision of a liquid level height - measuring apparatus which can eliminate errors of measured distances due to increase in length of a light wave transmission piping member to the utmost . fig4 shows the second embodiment of this invention . the distance - measuring light wave generating means is provided with a luminescent diode 18 , which faces a reflecting face 41a of a reflection prism 41 through a shutter member 500 . the light receiving means has a light receiving diode 30 , which faces a reflecting face 41b of the reflection prism 41 . when the shutter member 500 is located at a position shown in fig4 the distance - measuring light waves optically modulated at a given modulation frequency are led to the reflection prism 41 and reflected on the reflecting face 41a thereof , and then the reflected light waves are led to the incident face 104a of the outward optical fiber 104 through the lens 43 and 44 . the distance measuring light waves are transmitted inside of the outward optical fiber 104 and ejected from the ejecting face 104b thereof . then , the light waves are led to the objective lens 41 where they are converted into a beam of parallel light rays , and the light rays are irradiated upon the crude oil surface s . upon being reflected on the crude oil surface s , the distance - measuring light waves are converted into the reflected distance - measuring light waves . the reflected distance - measuring light waves are condensed by the objective lens 41 again and reflected by the reflecting face 40b of the reflection prism 40 . the reflected distance - measuring light waves are transmitted inside of the return optical fiber 105 and ejected from the ejecting face 105b thereof , the ejected light waves being led to the light receiving element through the reflection prism 42 , the lenses 44 and 43 and the reflection prism 41 to be photoelectrically converted . the reflection prisms 42 and the lens 44 constitutes a joint optical system 10 . the light wave distance - measuring circuit 2 is adapted to generate a processing signal to an operation circuit 3 on the basis of the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected distance - measuring light waves . the operation circuit 3 is adapted to calculate a measurement distance l including the length l of the optical fiber 102 on the basis of the distance - measuring light waves and the reflected distance - measuring light waves . a reference photoconduction pipe 5 is arranged between the light wave distance - meter main body 1 and the objective optical system unit 101 . the reference photoconduction pipe 5 is disposed along the optical fiber 102 , and has substantially the same physical properties as those of the optical fiber 102 . further , the length l &# 39 ; of the reference photoconduction pipe 5 is designed to be almost the same as the length l of the optical fiber 102 . an optical fiber is used as the reference photoconduction pipe 5 , and is provided with an incident face 5a and an ejecting face 5b . the incident face 5a is opposed to the luminescent diode 18 , and the ejecting face 5b is opposed to the light receiving element 30 . when the shutter 500 is moved in the arrow direction x , the reference optical fiber 5 receives the distance - measuring light waves generated from the luminescent diode 18 as reference light waves . the reference light waves are circularly transmitted inside of the reference optical fiber 5 , ejected toward the light receiving diode 30 from ejecting face 5b thereof and received by the light receiving diode 30 . when the shutter member 500 is moved in the arrow direction y , the distance - measuring light waves ejected toward the reflection prism 41 is shut . the operation circuit 3 preliminarily measures the whole length l &# 39 ; of the reference optical fiber 5 , and the height h of the liquid level is determined by subtracting the whole length l from the measured distance tl while the whole length l &# 39 ; being regarded as the whole length l of the optical fiber 102 . a calculating formula therefore is shown in th following : wherein l is a distance from the tip end of the objective lens - optical system unit 101 to the bottom b of the crude oil tank shown in fig1 and the distance tl is the known physical amount . the height h of the liquid level is indicated as a measured datum by a display 4 . in the illustrated second embodiment , the reference photoconduction pipe 5 is formed completely independent of the outward optical fiber 104 and the return optical fiber 105 for measuring the distance . however , the present invention is not restricted thereto . for instance , as mentioned below , the outward optical fiber and / or the return optical fiber may be also used for the reference photoconduction pipe when a light branching means and a light switch are used . fig5 shows an third embodiment of this invention described such a modification in which an outward optical fiber is divided into 104a &# 39 ; and 104b &# 39 ; in the vicinity of an objective optical system unit 101 , and a half mirror 501 as a light branching means is interposed therebetween . on the other hand , a return optical fiber 105 is divided into 105a &# 39 ; and 105b &# 39 ; in the vicinity of the objective optical system unit 101 , and a half mirror 502 is interposed therebetween . a reflection light path 501a of the half mirror 501 is coincident with an incident light path 502a of the other half mirror 502 . by so doing , after light rays from the luminescent diode 18 are transmitted through the outward optical fiber 104b &# 39 ;, a part thereof is reflected by the half mirror 501 and reflected by the half mirror 502 again to provide reference light waves to be fed to the light receiving element 30 through the return optical fiber 105b &# 39 ;. a chopper 503 is so disposed as to be alternatively inserted between the half mirror 502 and the ejecting face of the return optical fiber 105a &# 39 ; and between the half mirror 501 and the half mirror 502 so that the light receiving element 30 may receive the distance - measuring light waves or the reference light waves selectively . switching of the chopper 503 is performed by a rotary solenoid 504 . by the above construction , the outward and return optical fibers 104 and 105 for measuring the distance may be also used for the reference light waves . if the liquid level to be measured is strongly flammable and therefore the above rotary solenoid 504 can not be used from the explosion - preventing standpoint of view , it may be that while the return optical fiber 105 is not divided , the reference light wave optical fiber for transmitting the light waves reflected from the half mirror 501 is provided for the return side only along the return optical fiber for measuring the distance and a light path switch means is provided for selectively introducing the light waves from the distance - measuring return photoconduction pipe and the light waves from the reference light wave return photoconduction pipe to the light receiving element 30 . in this case , the outward optical fiber 104 serves as the common outward photoconduction pipe for both the distance - measuring light waves and the reference light waves . fig6 illustrates an objective optical system unit , photoconduction piping member , and light generating and receiving sections of a fourth embodiment of this invention . the incident face 104a of the outward optical fiber 104 which functions as photoconduction piping member faces a lens 605 , and an ejecting face 104b thereof faces the reflecting face 40a of the reflection prism 40 . the incident face 105a of the return optical fiber 105 which also functions as photoconduction piping member faces reflecting face 40b of the reflection prism 40 , and its ejecting face 105b faces a lens 606 . the distance - measuring light wave generating means is provided with luminescent diodes 603a , 603b , which are adapted to generate distance - measuring light waves with different wavelengths , respectively . the luminescent diode 603a generates , for instance , near infrared rays of a middle wavelength of 820 nm . the luminescent diode 603b generates , for example , near infrared rays of a middle wave length of 860 nm . the near infrared rays generated by the luminescent diode 603a are used as the reference light waves for measuring the length of the photoconduction transmission piping member . the near infrared rays generated by the luminescent diode 603b are used as the distance - measuring light waves for measuring the height of the liquid level . the light wave distance - meter main body of this embodiment has the same construction and functions as that of the above - mentioned first embodiment , thus , the light wave distance - meter main body of this embodiment is not described to omit the duplicate explanations . the oscillation output selected in the first switch 14 shown in fig2 is inputted into a third switch 601 which has a function to make alternatively selection between a luminescent diode 603a and a luminescent diode 603b to be radiated on the basis of a control signal 600 generated in the processing control circuit 15 shown in fig2 . the reference light wave generated at the luminescent diode 603a penetrates a half mirror 604 to be led to a lens 605 by which the light wave is caused to form an image at an incident face 104a . the distance - measuring light wave generated at the luminescent diode 603b is reflected by the half mirror 604 to be led to the lens 605 . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is caused to form an image at the incident face 104a by the lens 605 . the half mirror 604 functions as a dichroic mirror to penetrate near infrared rays of a middle wavelength of 820 nm of the reference light wave but to reflect near infrared rays of a middle wavelength of 860 nm of the distance - measuring light wave . the distance - measuring and the reference light waves led to the incident face 104a of the outward optical fiber 104 are transmitted within the outward optical fiber 104 to be led to the ejecting face 104b thereof . the light waves are ejected from the ejecting face 104b , are reflected at the reflecting face 40a of the reflection prism 40 , and are led toward the objective lens 41 . the objective lens 41 is so arranged that the location of its focal point may be optically in coincidence with the ejecting face 104b and the incident face 105a . a reflection prism 610 as a light wave selecting means is positioned between the reflection prism 40 and the objective lens 41 while being spaced therefrom at specific intervals . the reflection prism 610 is provided with a dichroic mirror faces 610a and 610b . the dichroic mirror face 610a has a function to reflect the reference light wave of the middle wavelength of 820 nm but to penetrate the liquid level height - measuring distance measuring light wave with the middle wavelength 860 nm . the distance measuring light wave is penetrated through the reflection prism 610 and is then converted into a parallel light beam by the objective lens 41 . the parallel light beam is reflected at the liquid level surface s of crude oil to be converted to refelcted distance - mearsuring light wave . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is collected by the objective lens 41 again and is penetrated through the reflection prism 610 to be led to the reflecting face 40b of the reflection prism 40 . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is reflected again at the reflecting face 40b to be led to the incident face 105a of a return optical fiber 105 at which the light waves form an image . the distance - measuring light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 to be led to the ejecting face 105b thereof and then ejected toward a lens 606 . the lens 606 has a function to collect the distance - measuring light wave and cause the light wave to form an image at a light receiving face of the light receiving diode 30 constituting a part of a light receiving means . after the reference light waves is ejected from the outward optical fiber 104 , it is reflected at the dichroic faces 610a and 610b of the reflection prism 610 and is led to the incident face 105a of the return optical fiber 105 as it is without passing through the objective lens 41 . then , the reference light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 , and is caused to make an image at a light receiving face of a light receiving diode 30 by the lens 606 . the light receiving diode 30 has a function to make photoelectric conversion of both the distance - measuring light waves of the middle wavelength of 820 nm and the reference light waves of the middle wavelength of 860 nm at substantially the same sensitivity . fig7 is an optical system circuit view of an objective optical system unit 101 showing a fifth embodiment of the liquid level height - measuring apparatus according to the present invention . the light wave selecting member is constituted by dichroic mirror 611 arranged between the reflection prism 40 and the outward optical fiber 104 , a dichroic mirror 612 arranged between the reflection prism 40 and the return optical fiber 105 , and collimeter lenses 613 and 614 and reflection mirrors 615 and 616 for leading the reference light wave reflected at the dichroic mirror 611 to the dichroic mirror 612 . the dichroic mirrors 611 and 612 have a function to penetrate the distance - measuring light wave but to reflect the reference light wave . fig8 through 10 show an optical system circuit view of an objective optical system unit 101 showing a sixth embodiment of the liquid level height - measuring apparatus according to the present invention . according to this embodiment , as shown in fig1 , the central portion of an objective lens 41 is used as a round portion ( 411 ) for converting the distance - measuring light wave into a parallel light beam and leading it upon the surface s of the liquid level of the crude oil , while the peripheral portion is used as a light - collecting portion ( 412 ) for collecting the reflected distance - measuring light waves . in the illustrated embodiment , a distance - measuring light wave selecting means is constituted by an inclined mirror 620 , a lens 623 , an optical fiber 624 , a collimeter 625 , a dichroic mirror 626 , and collimeters 627 , and 628 . the dichroic mirror 626 is arranged betweeen the collimeter lenses 627 and 628 . the inclined mirror 620 has a reflecting face 621a and a dichroic opening 622 . the reference light wave ejected from an outward optical fiber 104 is reflected both by the reflecting face 621a and the dichroic opening 622 , is led to an incident face 624a of the optical fiber 624 by the lens 623 , and is ejected from an ejecting face 624b after being transmitted within the optical fiber 624 . the ejected light wave is converted into a parallel light beam by the collimeter lens 625 , which parallel light beam is reflected by the dichroic mirror 626 and is led to the return optical fiber 105 through the collimeter 628 . then , the reference light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 , and is led to the light receiving element 30 . only the distance - measuring waves which penetrate the dichroic opening 622 are led to the round portion 411 of the objective lens 41 . this reflected on the reflecting face 621a is led to the optical fiber 624 , and is ejected from the ejecting face 624b to be irradiated to the dichroic mirror 626 as a parallel light beam . since the dichroic mirror 626 functions to penetrate the distance - measuring light wave , it is not led to the return optical fiber 105 to prevent the influence thereof upon the measurement of the distance of the photoconduction piping member . the distance - measuring light wave led to the round portion 411 of the objective lens 41 is reflected on the surfaces of the liquid level of the crude oil and is led to the objective lens 41 as the reflected distance - measuring light wave , which is collected by the light collecting portion 412 of the objective lens 41 and is reflected by the reflecting face 621b . the reflected distance - measuring light wave is then converted into a parallel light beam by the collimeter 627 , which penetrates the dichroic mirror 626 and is led to the collimeter lens 628 . the collimeter lens 628 causes the parallel light beam to form an image at an incident face 105a . thereafter , the reflected distance - measuring light wave is transmitted within the return optical fiber 105 , and is received by a light receiving diode 30 . in fig1 above - mentioned embodiment , the objective optical means 101 is attached to the upper portion of the side wall of the crude oil tank t such that the optical axis of an objective lens ( not shown ) thereof may be perpendicular to the liquid level surface s . this attaching is performed in the state that no crude oil is contained in the crude oil tank t . when crude oil is stored in such a crude oil tank t , the tank is deformed and a deformation amount varies depending upon the stored amount of the crude oil . the side wall of the crude oil tank t is largely deformed sidewise in an arch fashion by the crude oil stored therein and the upper wall is relatively largely deformed toward a flattening direction . therefore , the objective optical means 101 is largely inclined in this case . as a result , even if the distance - measuring light waves are irradiated upon the liquid level surface s from the objective optical means 101 , the reflected light waves from the liquid level surface s do not return to the objective optical means 101 . thus , it becomes impossible that the reflected light waves are received by the objective lens of the objective optical means 101 to measure the height h of the above - mentioned liquid level s . this poses a problem . furthermore , in the case that the objective optical means 101 and the optical fiber 102 as the light wave transmission means are connected together and supported inside of the crude oil tank t , the centroid of the objective optical means 101 may deviate due to the weight of the optical fiber 101 itself depending upon the arranged state of the optical fiber 101 , external vibrations , etc . if the centroid deviates , the orientating direction of the objective optical means 101 is not perpendicular ( an normal state ) with respect to the liquid level surface s , so that there is a fear that the measurement of the height of the liquid level s becomes impossible . in fig1 to 13 which show a seventh embodiment of this invention , an objective optical means 101 is constituted by an objective optical unit 422 and an auxiliary optical unit 423 . the objective optical unit 422 is constituted by an upper casing 425 containing the prism 40 and an objective lens 41 &# 39 ; a , a lower casing 427 containing a relay lens 41 &# 39 ; b , a couple ring 428 integrally coupling the upper casing 425 and the lower casing 427 , etc . the auxiliary optical unit 423 is constituted by an objective lens 41c and a casing 430 containing and supporting the objective lens 41c . the auxiliary optical unit 423 is integrally connected to the objective optical unit 422 by the below - mentioned gimbal mechanism 431 as a kind of suspension support mechanisms . the focal point 432 of the relay lens 41b is coincident with that of the objective lens 41c . for this reason , when the objective optical unit 422 and the auxiliary optical unit 423 are both directed perpendicularly with respect to a liquid level surface 11 ( not shown ), as shown in fig1 , the objective lens 41c receiving the light waves from the focal point 432 is so arranged as to eject the light waves perpendicularly upon the liquid level surface s and receive the reflected perpendicular light waves from the liquid level surface s . as shown in fig1 , two conical projections 433 are formed in right and left directions within the same horizontal plane of the focal point 432 , and in the vicinity of the lower end of the objective optical unit 422 , and engage with two conical recesses 435 formed in an intermediate ring 434 , respectively . further , two conical projections 436 are formed in the intermediate ring 434 in forward and rearward directions within the same horizontal plane of the focal point 432 . the projections 436 engage with two conical recesses 437 formed near the upper edge of the auxiliary optical unit 423 , respectively . the gimbal mechanism 31 is constituted by these projections 433 , 436 , the recesses 435 , 437 , the intermediate ring 34 , etc . therefore , when the objective optical unit 422 is rotated in a rightward or leftward direction , the objective optical unit 422 and the intermediate ring 434 rotate around the engaging portions between the projections 436 and the recesses 437 as fulcrum , while the auxiliary optical unit 423 does not rotate and maintains the normal posture thereof . when the objective optical unit 422 is rotated in a forward or rearward direction , only the objective optical unit 422 rotates around the engaging portions between the projections 433 and the recesses 435 as fulcrum , while the auxiliary optical unit 423 does not rotate together with the intermediate ring 434 and the normal posture thereof is also maintained . accordingly , even when the objective optical unit 42 is rotated around the focal point 432 as a center in any direction , the auxiliary optical unit 423 does not rotate and always keeps its normal posture . the construction of this embodiment is as mentioned above . next , a function thereof will be explained below . the distance - measuring light wave generated from the light wave distance - measuring section is fed into the objective optical unit 422 through the optical fiber 104 , and is reflected by the prism 40 and forms an image at the focal point 432 after passing through the objective lens 41 &# 39 ; a and the relay lens 41 &# 39 ; b . the distance - measuring light wave passing through the focal point 432 is perpendicularly irradiated upon the liquid level surfaces ( not shown ) through the objective lens 41c in the auxiliary optical unit 423 . the light wave is perpendicularly reflected from the liquid level surface and passes through the focal point 432 after the objective lens 41c . then , the reflected light wave passes through the relay lens 41b and the objective lens 41a , is reflected on the prism 40 , and returned to the light wave distance - measuring section through the optical fiber 105 . thereby , the height of the liquid level is measured . as shown in fig1 , when the upper wall of the crude oil tank or the like ( not shown ) to which the objective optical unit 42 is attached is deformed to rotate the objective optical unit 422 by an angle θ , the rotation takes place around the focal point 432 as a center . since the auxiliary optical unit 423 is not moved by the action of the gimbal mechanism 431 , the distance - measuring light wave entering the objective optical unit 422 is perpendicularly irradiated upon the liquid level surface through the objective lens 41c after passing through the objective lens 41 &# 39 ; a , the relay lens 41 &# 39 ; b and the focal point 432 as in the state prior to the rotation of the objective optical unit 422 . the light wave is perpendicularly reflected from the liquid level surface , and passes through the focal point 432 after the objective lens 41c . thus , as in the case with the state prior to the rotation of the objective optical unit 422 , the light wave returns to the light wave distance - measuring section through the optical fiber 105 in spite of the rotation of the objective optical 422 . that is , even when the upper portion of the side wall of the crude oil tank or the like to which the objective optical unit 22 is attached is deformed to rotate the objective optical unit 22 , the height of the liquid level can be equally measured as usual . the suspension support mechanism for the auxiliary optical unit may be constituted as a mechanism for hanging the auxiliary optical unit by means of three wires instead of the gimbal mechanism . fig1 shows a eighth embodiment of the optical adapter in accordance with the present invention installed in a light - wave alidade . the alidade comprises a base bed 300 to be placed on a flat plate and a telescope section 310 rotatably mounted on a column 301 of the base bed 300 . a longitudianally extending incline surface 300a is formed on one side of the base 300 . a measure 302 of a desired scale may be mounted on the inclined surface 300a by mounting screws 303 , which is used for plotting points on a recording paper on the flat plate in accordance with the measurements . the telescope section 310 comprises an objective lens 311 , a dichroic prism 312 , a focusing lens 313 , an erecting optical device 314 , a collimating reticle plate 315 and an eye piece 316 to constitute a reticle plate 315 and an eye piece 316 to constitute a collimation telescope for collimating the alidade . a dichroic surface 312a of the dichroic prism 312 is transparent to visible light , but reflective to infrared light which is the distance measuring light . the distance measuring light 23a from the light emitting element 18 shown in fig1 is , after being thrown out of the optical fiber 104 , reflected at a reflecting surface 317a of the prism 317 and at the dichroic surface 312a , and then it is directed through the objective 311 towards a reflector ( not shown ) placed at the target point . the reflected light 23b reflected from the reflector again passes through the objective lens 311 and is reflected at the dichroic surface 312a of the dichroic prism 312 . the light 23b is then reflected at the other reflecting surface 317b of the prism 317 and then enters the optical fiber 105 . the light is , after travelling through the optical fiber 105 , received by the light receiving element 30 as shown in fig1 , and thereafter , the distance is obtained from a measuring operational section 400 similar to the aforementioned first embodiment and is displayed on a disply 39 . an input keyboard 401 is provided to input various control commands and correction data or to input measured value conversion commands . according to this embodiment , it is possible to provide a light - wave alidade having a collimating telescope which , althrough the inlet and outlet ends of a light conduction pipe 102 and a dichroic prism 312 are incorporated , is of almost the same size as a known telescope for alidade . in addition , the light - wave rangefinder 1 has the same construction as an ordinary light - wave rangefinder , and therefore , it is not necessary to make forcible design for miniaturization and to delete unavoidable function elements . besides , if the light - wave rangefinder 1 is not made of the exclusive use type as shown in fig1 but shows that the incident side of the optical adapter is constructed as shown in fig3 it can serve also as a general light - wave rangefinder . in all the above - mentioned embodiments , the photoconduction pipe 102 is constituted by two separate optical fibers , one 104 for transmission and the other 105 for reception . the provision of separate optical fibers is preferable in order to prevent interference between the distance measuring light and reflected light , but is not always essential . in addition , in an application wherein , as in the first to seventh embodiments , the front objective lens system is fixed and not often moved , this photoconduction pipe 102 need not be constituted by optical fiber but may be substituted by a well known mirror and lens system .	6
embodiments of the presently disclosed anvil delivery system will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding elements in each of the several views . in the description that follows , the term “ proximal ,” as is traditional , will refer to the end of anvil delivery system , or a portion thereof , that is closer to the operator , while the term “ distal ” will refer to the end of the anvil delivery system that is farther from the operator . with reference to fig1 , an anvil delivery system is generally shown as 10 . anvil delivery system 10 includes a flexible tube 12 , an adapter 14 , and an anvil assembly 16 . anvil assembly 16 may be a 21 mm or a 25 mm anvil assembly , sold under the trademark eea orvil ™. alternatively , other anvil assemblies may be used with the presently disclosed anvil delivery system . flexible tube 12 has an open end 12 a and a blunt end on the opposite end . adapter 14 and anvil assembly 16 are supported on open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 , as described in detail below . referring to fig2 and 3 , anvil assembly 16 includes an anvil head 30 , an anvil center rod 20 , and an anvil 60 . anvil 60 , which is supported on anvil head 30 , has a plurality of pockets 60 a for receiving and deforming surgical staples . center rod 20 is operatively connected to anvil head 30 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 , center rod 20 is pivotably coupled to anvil head 30 . further , center rod 20 includes flexible legs 26 configured to capture at least a portion of adapter 14 therebetween . with continued reference to fig2 and 3 , adapter 14 includes a first end 14 a dimensioned to be received within open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 and a second end 14 b configured to be received in the center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . first end 14 a includes a series of annular rings 22 dimensioned to frictionally retain first end 14 a of adapter 14 within open end 12 a of flexible tube 12 . it is envisioned that other retaining structure can be provided to retain first end 14 b of adapter 14 to flexible tube 12 , e . g ., clamps , pins , threads , etc . second end 14 b of adapter 14 includes a longitudinal guide member 24 dimensioned to be received between flexible legs 26 of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . in addition , second end 14 b of adapter 14 is dimensioned to allow center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 to freely slide on and off second end 14 b of adapter 14 . referring to fig4 , anvil head 30 of anvil assembly 16 includes spaced apart openings 32 that are in communication with each other . adapter 14 includes a first throughbore 40 formed in a central hub portion 14 c and a second throughbore 42 formed in first end 14 a . as will be discussed below , anvil delivery system 10 includes a suture 50 to secure anvil assembly 16 to adapter 14 . referring to fig2 and 4 , suture 50 has a first end 50 a and a second end 50 b . to secure adapter 14 to anvil assembly 16 , first end 50 a of suture 50 is inserted into one opening 32 of anvil head 30 and pulled out of the other opening 32 such that the ends 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 are positioned on opposite sides of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 . next , second end 14 b of adapter 14 is positioned within center rod 20 and each end 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 is inserted through an opposite end of throughbore 40 of central hub portion 14 c of adapter 14 to define a first suture loop 54 ( see fig2 ). each end 50 a and 50 b of suture 50 is pulled tight such that adapter 14 is held against center rod 20 . thereafter , each end 50 a and 50 b is inserted through an opposite end of throughbore 42 of first end 14 a of adapter 14 to define a second suture loop 56 ( see fig2 ). second suture loop 56 extends about first end 14 a of adapter 14 . the frictional contact between rings 22 of first end 14 a of adapter 14 and the inner surface of flexible tube 12 secures adapter 14 to flexible tube 12 and prevents suture 50 from loosening up . with reference to fig1 a and 1b , after operatively connecting flexible tube 12 to anvil assembly 16 via adapter 14 , a healthcare professional may decide to shorten flexible tube 12 . in some bariatric surgeries , for instance , short flexible tubes 12 are beneficial . therefore , the healthcare professional may decide to cut flexible tube 12 , thereby creating another open end 12 b on the new distal end of flexible tube 12 . because the cut end of flexible tube 12 may be abrasive and / or include jagged or irregular surfaces , a fitting 62 may be attached to open end 12 b of tube 12 to facilitate smooth atraumatic passage of tube 12 through or into a body lumen . with reference to fig5 - 9 , fitting 62 includes a body 64 having a proximal end portion 66 adapted to be supported in open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 , a distal end portion 68 , and a middle portion 70 . distal end portion 68 has bore 74 defined therethrough and a blunt tip 72 configured for insertion into a body lumen such as the esophagus . in a preferred embodiment , the tip 72 is bullet - shaped to aid insertion . bore 74 may be dimensioned to receive a suture ( not shown ) so it can be pulled through the lumen if desired . middle portion 70 is between proximal end portion 66 and distal end portion 68 . proximal end portion 66 includes a plurality of protrusions 76 adapted to frictionally retain proximal end portion 66 of fitting 62 within open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 . in operation , a surgeon employs anvil delivery system 10 to position anvil assembly 16 in the body during minimally invasive procedures . during such procedures , the surgeon initially secures adaptor 14 to open end 12 a of flexible tube , 12 and sutures anvil assembly 16 to central hub portion 14 c of adapter 14 . flexible tube 12 may then be cut at any desired length . the cut creates a distal open end 12 b from the blunt closed end in flexible tube 12 . after cutting flexible tube 12 , the surgeon secures fitting 62 in open end 12 b . specifically , proximal end portion 66 of fitting 62 is inserted into open end 12 b . the frictional contact between protrusions 76 of distal end portion 66 of fitting 62 and the inner surface of flexible tube 12 secures fitting 62 to flexible tube 12 . for transoral applications , once fitting 62 has been secured to flexible tube 12 , the surgeon inserts fitting 62 in the patent &# 39 ; s mouth and moves fitting 62 along with flexible tube 12 down through the esophagus to the surgical site , e . g ., stomach . it is also contemplated that the anvil delivery system can be used for other applications besides transoral insertion , such as transgastric and transanal approaches for colorectal , bariatric and other applications . this can be achieved due to the bullet shaped tip which can penetrate tissue , e . g . the stomach wall to deliver the anvil assembly . other penetrating tip configurations could be provided . after insertion , the surgeon should then make a small incision at the surgical site to create an inner access to the fitting 62 . after making the incision , the surgeon pulls fitting 62 through the incision , thereby pulling anvil assembly 16 through the esophagus ( or other body tissue or organ depending on the procedure ) to the surgical site . if a suture is used through bore 74 , the suture can be grasped and pulled to pull the anvil assembly . as flexible tube 12 is pulled through the incision , the distal end of center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 advances through the incision . when anvil assembly 16 is properly positioned at the surgical site , the surgeon may release adapter 14 from anvil assembly 16 by cutting suture 40 and sliding center rod 20 from end 14 b of adapter 14 . next , the flexible tube 12 ( with fitting 62 ) and adapter 14 may be pulled from the body through the incision . the surgeon can now mount center rod 20 of anvil assembly 16 on a surgical stapling device ( not shown ) and perform the desired surgical procedure . the components of anvil delivery system 10 may be provided in kit form . the kit may include a flexible tube 12 adapted to be secured to the anvil assembly 16 , an adapter 14 configured to secure an anvil assembly 16 to the flexible tube 12 and a fitting 62 configured to be attached to flexible tube 12 . fitting 62 , in turn , may include a body 64 having a proximal end portion 66 and a distal end portion 68 , a blunt tip 72 disposed on the distal end portion 68 , and a plurality of protrusions 76 disposed on the proximal end portion 66 . proximal end portion 66 of body 64 may be dimensioned to be supported within flexible tube 12 . the plurality of protrusions 76 may be adapted to operatively attach the body 64 of the fitting 62 to flexible tube 12 . blunt tip 72 may be configured for insertion into a body lumen . fitting 62 may include a bore 74 extending through distal end portion 68 of body 64 . the kit may further include an anvil assembly 16 . in one embodiment , the anvil assembly 16 , the flexible tube 12 , and adapter 14 are fastened together with a suture 50 , as discussed above , and the fitting 62 is provided to blunt the end of flexible tube 12 if the flexible tube 12 has to be cut and to provide an insertion tip . with reference to fig1 a and 10b , another embodiment of anvil delivery system 10 includes an alternative fitting 82 . like fitting 62 , fitting 82 is attached to open end 12 b of tube 12 to facilitate smooth atraumatic passage of tube 12 through or into a body lumen . since the structure and operation of an anvil delivery system 10 with fitting 62 is substantially identical to the structure and operation of an anvil delivery system 10 with fitting 82 , the present disclosure only discusses in detail the structural features of fitting 82 . referring to fig1 - 14 , fitting 82 includes a body 84 having a proximal end portion 86 supported in open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 , a distal end portion 88 , and a middle portion 90 . distal end portion 88 has a bore 94 defined therethrough and a blunt tip 92 configured for insertion into a body lumen such as the esophagus . body 90 of fitting 82 has a tapered surface 98 leading to blunt tip 92 . tip 92 is bullet - shaped to aid insertion . bore 94 is dimensioned to receive a suture ( not shown ). the suture is attached to tip 92 and pulled to pull tube 12 through a lumen if desired . proximal end portion 86 includes a plurality of protrusions 96 adapted to frictionally retain proximal end portion 86 of fitting 82 within open end 12 b of flexible tube 12 . protrusions 96 are disposed around an outer periphery of proximal end portion 86 . it will be understood that various modifications may be made to the embodiments disclosed herein . for example , the particular configuration of fitting 62 need not be exactly as shown but rather may be configured in any manner capable of facilitating atraumatic passage of tube 12 through a body lumen . therefore , the above description should not be construed as limiting , but merely as exemplifications of the embodiments . those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto .	0
referring to the schematic diagram of the preferred embodiment illustrated in fig6 r designates the potentiometer , having three terminals numbered one to three . terminal 2 designates a mechanically variable sliding contactor terminal , although for practical purposes , this invention applies to other types of potentiometers that may not use sliding type contactors . an external source provides the circuit with power via the terminals designated b + and gnd . additionally illustrated is an operational amplifier u1 , which , in the preferred embodiment , is selected for input and output voltages that will extend as close to or beyond , if possible , supply voltage . a variety of operational amplifiers or other voltage follower circuits might be satisfactory for this application depending upon the ultimate requirements for the unit . while a reversing of polarity would not normally be detrimental to potentiometer r , such accidental connection would likely destroy u1 . in the preferred embodiment , diode q1 provides protection against accidental reverse polarity connection . q1 , in the preferred embodiment , is selected for low forward voltage drop . capacitor c1 provides a certain degree of isolation from noise transmitted to the b + and gnd terminals . the characteristics of an ideal operational amplifier voltage follower are : infinite input impedance ; zero output impedance ; and precise equality between input and output voltages . while operational amplifiers may not exactly meet the ideal conditions , they come very close . for a typical operational amplifier , input impedance will be greater than 1 megohm , output impedance will be less than eight ohms , and output voltage will typically be within a few microvolts of input voltage . while these values are typical , one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that there are various types of amplifiers with &# 34 ; better &# 34 ; performance and that cost and design requirements also affect component selection . for example , even greater values of input impedance are obtainable with some types of op - amps , particularly cmos or jfet input types . when the electrical characteristics of the operational amplifier are combined with the potentiometer , the effect of sag and contact resistance is understandably negligible . for example , in order to effect a one percent change in the output voltage vsense via contact resistance , using the op - amp of the preferred embodiment having an input resistance of one megohm , the contact resistance must be at least 10 , 000 ohms . in order to cause sag , rload is now paralleled by an effective r of only 8 ohms . therefore , again to produce a one percent deviation in the plot , rload must be only 800 ohms . clearly , the use of a 10 , 000 ohm contact resistance and an 800 ohm load resistance in the prior art circuit of fig4 would produce an enormous deviation from linear . not including sag , the sensed output voltage for the prior art design under those conditions would be less than 10 percent of desired , or linear voltage . in the prior art , to minimize deleterious effects , r is reduced to a low resistance since this reduces the potential effect of sag . however , to lower r either the voltage v + must be reduced or the potentiometer must be made to be more robust , since with a lower resistance and same voltage , more power will be dissipated by the potentiometer . the ill economic effects of making the potentiometer more robust are obvious . however , lowering v + may not be a practical alternative . depending upon the application , the voltage source may be supplied over long interconnecting leads . these leads act like antennas and pick up large amounts of electromagnetic interference ( emi ) or radio frequency interference ( rfi ). as the supply voltage is reduced , the relative strength of the emi / rfi is increased . emi / rfi is noise in this application , and the signal to noise ratio ( s / n ) therefore worsens by lowering v +. another measure to improve the performance of the prior art device is to increase rload to a resistance value as great as may be practicable . this both reduces sag and reduces the effect of a noisy contactor . however , this is generally done at some remote location from the position sensor . as the resistance of rload is increased , again the sensitivity to emi / rfi is increased , deleteriously affecting the signal to noise ratio . the present invention overcomes this disadvantage by locating rload very near r , as fig7 to 9 illustrate . fig7 illustrates the physical interconnection of the electronic circuitry to the electrical connector in the preferred embodiment of the present invention . forming an electrical connector in a known manner from standard leadframe stock achieves the interconnection . the leadframe stock may typically have a frame 73 having therein sprocket or guide holes 77 that provide a way to feed the leadframe and to maintain positional registration during manufacturing operations . formed from the original leadframe stock material are four terminals . terminal 70 forms the electrical connection between the external source for b + and the potentiometer and also provides power to printed circuit board 78 via tabs 76 . two tabs 76 are present on each terminal ( 70 , 71 , 72 , and 75 ). these tabs are inserted into corresponding holes in printed circuit board 78 and may then be crimped . after electronic component placement , the entire assembly 79 may then be soldered by an appropriate method , such as wave or vapor phase reflow soldering . continuing with the terminal structure , terminal 71 provides electrical connection between the potentiometer contactor and u1 . terminal 72 electrically interconnects the external source for ground to both the printed circuit board 78 and the potentiometer r . terminal 75 serves to connect the output from u1 to the external sensing load . once the assembly 79 is completely assembled and electrically attached ( via soldering or other suitable method ), leadframe supports 74 may be removed . these supports , which would otherwise short - circuit the assembly , are provided strictly for mechanical strength during manufacturing processes and are removed by methods well established in the lead frame art . fig8 provides details of printed circuit board 78 , wherein the leadframe terminals have not been attached but the electronic components have been placed . from the figure , interconnection pad 80 , which serves as the connection site for terminal 71 is illustrated . interconnection pad 81 provides the connection site for terminal 70 , and similarly interconnection pads 83 and 84 provide connection sites for terminals 75 and 72 respectively . although diode q1 has three terminals visible in both fig7 and 8 , q1 is a diode and uses only two of the three terminations . after completion , assembly 79 is encapsulated in the insert molding process of housing 90 , illustrated in fig9 just as a standard set of terminals would be . should molding parameters warrant , assembly 79 may be provided with a partial or complete covercoat or encapsulant as required . the selection of an appropriate covercoat or encapsulant is recognized as being within the level of ordinary skill for one familiar with the molding art . as can be seen from the illustration in fig9 the completed position sensor is produced in a package and in every way from an exterior view resembles a position sensor without electronic circuitry . this fact is most desirable since the new device may be used as a direct replacement for the prior art device in most applications without requiring customer redesign or retooling , while still providing all the benefits aforementioned of the electronic circuit . additionally , since the circuit is within the connector portion of the position sensor housing , the circuitry may be used with a great variety of potentiometer physical designs without interfering in any way with already refined potentiometer performance . while incorporation of the electronic circuit directly into the potentiometer housing minimizes lead lengths and reduces coupling of noise into the circuit thereby enhancing resistance to emi / rfi , there may be additional cases which warrant further noise protection . this may be accomplished using one of a variety of well - known shielding techniques that affect only the exterior package of the position sensor . u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 795 , 660 , 4 , 774 , 270 , 4 , 678 , 260 and 4 , 519 , 664 , for exemplary purposes , illustrate such methods . the preferred embodiment synergistically accomplishes this because of the packaging arrangement that includes both a potentiometer and an electronic circuit , and the low output resistance of the electronic circuit which reduces the signal to noise ratio of the output signal when monitored at some external location . fig1 schematically illustrates an alternative embodiment of the circuitry which could desirably be incorporated into a potentiometer package . the circuit is similar to fig6 and like parts will not be repeated herein . particularly advantageous in this schematic is the inclusion of a low pass filter . r y and c y comprise a low pass filter , and r y might be an unnecessary component depending upon the equivalent resistance of divided resistor r . c y may be a discrete capacitor or may be comprised by capacitance from a neighboring ground or v + trace . the incorporation of a filter circuit offers several potential advantages . first , dynamic changes in contact resistance such as shown by plot b in fig5 will have reduced significance ( although the filter will not affect static changes in contact resistance ). second , output from the potentiometer used in high vibration applications such as moving machinery will not be as corrupted by the vibration . third , high frequency emi / rfi picked up within the body of the potentiometer or through the supply and ground connections will be attenuated and so will have even a more reduced affect on the circuitry . while the foregoing details what is felt to be the preferred embodiment of the invention , no material limitations to the scope of the claimed invention is intended . further , features and design alternatives that would be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art are considered to be incorporated herein . for example , while the preferred embodiment illustrates the use of a particular voltage follower circuit and an alternative embodiment , there are many other voltage follower , amplifier and other circuits , op - amp , transistor and otherwise , which could be adopted within the scope of the invention . for example , fig1 introduces a single low pass filter . however , the use of a compound filter or other variations of low pass filters as known in the filtering art would be within the realm of one of ordinary skill in light of the present disclosure , and so is considered to be incorporated herein . the scope of the invention is set forth and particularly described in the claims hereinbelow .	7
the gas separation membranes of this invention are fabricated from uncross - linked polymers containing meta , para - bisphenol moieties and preferably comprise polycarbonates , polythiocarbonates , polyestercarbonates , polyesters , polyetheresters , polysulfones , and polyethers based upon 3 , 4 &# 39 ;- dihydroxybisphenolic monomers , 3 , 4 &# 39 ;- dihydroxybisphenolic monomers , and 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dihydroxybisphenolic monomers . r is preferably selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , a -- no 2 radical , a -- so 3 h radical , and a halogen . more preferably , r is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . even more preferably , r is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine ; more preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , and bromine ; most preferred halogens are chlorine and bromine . l preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 15 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 15 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- s --, -- so --, -- so 2 --, or -- ss --. l more preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 15 hydrocarbyl radical , or a divalent c 1 - c 15 halohydrocarbyl radical . even more preferably , l is a divalent c 1 - c 6 hydrocarbyl radical or a divalent c 1 - c 6 halohydrocarbyl radical . preferred halohydrocarbyl radicals include -- c 7 h 5 cl -- and -- ccl 2 --. preferably , r 1 is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of -- co --, -- cs --, -- so 2 --, -- coc 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 6 z 4 c 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 10 z 6 co --, -- coc 15 z 12 co --, -- coc 6 z 3 ( co ) 2 --, and -- coc 6 z 4 --. more preferably , r 1 is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of -- co --, -- cs --, -- coc 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 6 z 4 c 6 z 4 co --, -- coc 10 z 6 co --, and -- coc 15 z 12 co --. most preferably , r 1 is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of -- co --, -- cs --, -- coc 6 z 4 co --, and -- coc 15 z 12 co --. z preferably is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a c 1 - c 8 monovalent halohydrocarbyl radical , a -- no 2 radical , a -- so 3 h radical , and a halogen . z more preferably is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a c 1 - c 8 monovalent halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . z most preferably is individually in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . r &# 39 ; preferably is independently in each occurrence selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , a -- no 2 radical , a -- so 3 h radical , and a halogen . more preferably , r &# 39 ; is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a monovalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , and a halogen . preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine ; more preferred halogens are fluorine , chlorine , and bromine ; most preferred halogens are chlorine and bromine . l &# 39 ; preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 15 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 15 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- o --, -- s --, -- so --, -- so 2 --, or -- ss --. l &# 39 ; more preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 8 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 8 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- o --, -- s --, -- so --, or -- so 2 --. l &# 39 ; most preferably is a direct bond , a divalent c 1 - c 4 hydrocarbyl radical , a divalent c 1 - c 4 halohydrocarbyl radical , -- o --, -- s --, -- so --, or -- so 2 --. preferred halohydrocarbyl radicals are -- c 7 h 5 cl -- and -- ccl 2 --. x is preferably a positive integer between about 0 and 1 inclusive , more preferably between about 0 . 33 and 1 inclusive , even more preferably between about 0 . 67 and 1 inclusive , and most preferably about 1 . y is preferably a positive integer between about 0 and 1 inclusive , more preferably between about 0 and 0 . 75 inclusive , even more preferably between about 0 and 0 . 50 inclusive , and most preferably between about 0 and 0 . 25 inclusive . n is preferably a positive integer between about 10 and about 2 , 000 , more preferably between about 40 and about 1 , 000 . the condensation polymers useful in this invention may be prepared by the reaction of a bisphenol with phosgene , thiophosgene , sulfuric acid , or other aromatic acid such as terephthalic acid , isophthalic acid , or 3 - tert - butyl isophthalic acid , or their derivatives such as terephthaloyl chloride , isophthaloyl chloride , or hydroxy benzoic acid , or a combination thereof . the starting materials may be individual monomeric species as well as oligomeric species of the previously described compositions . the polymerization may be accomplished by the use of a homogeneous solution technique wherein the starting material and an optional monofunctional terminating species are dissolved in a suitable organic solvent , such as methylene chloride in the presence of a base , such as pyridine , and condensed with a gaseous , liquid , or solid condensing species . the reaction is preferably carried out in a dry inert atmosphere such a dry nitrogen or argon and at temperatures between about 0 ° c . and the boiling point of the solvent . upon completion of the polymerization , the reaction mixture is acidified with a dilute solution of an acid such as hydrochloric acid , washed with water to remove residual pyridinium salts , passed through an ion exchange column to remove residual entrained water , and precipitated in a non - solvent such as heptane . the precipitated polymer is recovered by filtration , optionally air dried , and subsequently dried under vacuum at elevated temperature . the polymerization may also be accomplished by the use of a heterogeneous interfacial technique wherein the starting material and an optional monofunctional terminating species are dissolved in a solution of base , such as sodium hydroxide , and an organic solvent , such as methylene chloride , which solvates the gaseous , liquid , or solid condensing species as well as the polymerized product , and is facilitated by the use of a phase transfer catalyst , such a tetrabutyl - ammonium bromide , or by the use of an amine catalyst , such as dimethylamino pyridine . the reaction is also preferably carried out in a dry inert atmosphere , such as dry nitrogen or argon , and at a temperature between about 0 ° c . and the boiling points of both the aqueous solvent and organic solvent . upon completion of the polymerization , the reaction mixture is acidified with a dilute solution of an acid , such as hydrochloric acid , the separated polymer containing organic phase is washed with water to remove residual sodium salts , passed through a coalescer or dried using a drying agent , such as magnesium sulfate , to remove residual entrained water , and precipitated in a non - solvent such as heptane . the precipitated polymer is recovered by filtration , optionally air dried , and subsequently dried under vacuum at elevated temperature . the uncross - linked polymers so formed possess a number - average molecular weight ( m n ) such that the polymers are useful for forming fibers , films , molded articles , foams , coatings , and the like . the number - average molecular weight of such polymers as measured by gel permeation chromatography based upon polystyrene standards is preferably at least about 3 , 000 , more preferably at least about 10 , 000 ; the number - average molecular weight of such polymers is preferably less than about 500 , 000 , more preferably less than about 250 , 000 . the weight - average molecular weight of such polymers as measured by gel permeation chromatography based upon polystyrene standards is preferably at least about 6 , 000 , more preferably at least about 20 , 000 ; the weight - average molecular weight of such polymers is preferably less than about 1 , 000 , 000 , more preferably less than about 500 , 000 . the intrinsic viscosity of such polymers is preferably between about 0 . 1 and about 2 . 0 deciliters per gram , more preferably between about 0 . 2 and 1 . 0 deciliters per gram , as measured in a chlorinated hydrocarbon solvent such as methylene chloride . the uncross - linked polymers of this invention are preferably soluble in common chlorinated hydrocarbon solvents such as methylene chloride , chloroform , and chlorobenzene , as well as common dipolar aprotic solvents such as n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , dimethylacetamide , dimethylformamide , dimethylsulfoxide , and sulfolane . the uncross - linked polymers useful in this invention preferably possess glass transition temperatures of at least about 50 ° c ., more preferably of at least about 70 ° c ., even more preferably of at least about 90 ° c . the polymers preferably possess a tensile strength as measured by astm d - 1708 of at least about 4 , 000 psi ( 27 , 580 kpa ), more preferably of at least about 6 , 000 psi ( 41 , 370 kpa ); the polymers also preferably possess a tensile modulus as measured by astm d - 1708 of at least about 100 kpsi ( 689 , 475 kpa ), more preferably of at least about 150 kpsi ( 1 , 034 , 215 kpa ). the polymers preferably possess an elongation at break as measured by astm d - 1708 of at least about 2 percent , more preferably of at least about 4 percent . such uncross - linked polymers are used to fabricate the semi - permeable membranes of this invention . the membranes of this invention may be formed into any useful configuration known to one skilled in the art . in particular , the membranes may be shaped in the form of flat sheets or films , hollow fibers of various cross - sectional shapes , or hollow tubes . films and hollow fibers of substantially circular cross - section are preferred membrane configurations . in addition , the membranes of this invention may possess any morphological structure known to one skilled in the art . in particular , the membrane may be a homogeneous membrane , a composite membrane , or an asymmetric membrane . asymmetric and composite membranes are preferred ; asymmetric membranes are more preferred . in the embodiment wherein the membranes possess a hollow fiber configuration , asymmetric membranes may have the discriminating region either on the outside of the hollow fiber , at the inside ( lumen ) surface of the hollow fiber , or located somewhere internal to both outside and inside hollow fiber membrane surfaces . in the embodiment wherein the discriminating region of the hollow fiber membranes is internal to both hollow fiber membrane surfaces , the inside surface and the outside surface of the hollow fiber membranes are porous , yet the membranes demonstrate gas discriminating ability , that is , the ability to separate gases . homogeneous membranes are prepared by forming a continuous thin discriminating layer which is dense and free of voids and pores . such membranes possess a discriminating region which generally has substantially the same structure and composition throughout the membrane . in one preferred embodiment , the uncross - linked polymers useful in this invention are dissolved in a solvent , thus forming a polymer / solvent solution which is cast onto a uniform surface from which the membrane may thereafter be readily separated . preferred casting solvents for the polymers useful in this invention include chlorinated solvents such as methylene chloride and chloroform , and dipolar aprotic solvents such as n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidinone , n , n - dimethylacetamide , and dimethylformamide . the polymer / solvent solution should be substantially homogeneous and possess sufficient viscosity to allow casting of the solution onto a uniform surface . preferably , the solution of polymer / solvent contains polymer in weight percents of between about 5 and about 50 , more preferably of between about 10 and about 40 , even more preferably of between about 10 and about 30 . the solution is cast onto a uniform surface possessing a low surface energy such as silicone or coated glass , or a surface to which the membrane will not adhere such as mercury , or a liquid with which the polymer is substantially immiscible , such as water . alternatively , the membrane may be cast onto a surface which may be dissolved away from the membrane following curing and drying . casting is performed by pouring the solution onto the appropriate surface and using an appropriate tool to form a film of the appropriate thickness . a continuous casting process may be achieved by casting the solution onto endless belts or rotating drums . thereafter , the cast solution is exposed to curing or drying conditions . such conditions are used to substantially remove the solvent , thereby leaving a thin discriminating layer of polymer which is homogeneous . the solution may be cured or dried either by exposure to a vacuum , exposure to elevated temperatures , by allowing the solvent to evaporate over time , or any combination thereof . generally , it is preferable to expose the cast solution to elevated temperatures which are below the glass transition temperature ( tg ) of the polymer , preferably less than about tg - 100 ° c ., more preferably less than about tg - 50 ° c ., even more preferably less than about tg - 20 ° c . composite membranes are prepared by forming a continuous thin discriminating layer of the polymer on a porous supporting layer . such membranes possess a discriminating layer which generally has a different structure and composition than the porous supporting layer . to prepare a composite membrane , a homogeneous discriminating layer can be formed and thereafter adhered to a porous supporting layer . alternatively , the porous supporting layer can be the surface upon which the discriminating layer is cast . in such an embodiment , the composite membrane is prepared by casting a solution as a coating on the porous support . penetration of the polymer from which the discriminating layer is formed into the pores of the porous supporting layer is acceptable so long as the desired thickness of the membrane is not exceeded . the porous supporting layer is characterized in that it preferably does not significantly impede the transport of gas through the membrane . in one embodiment , the porous supporting layer can be a metal or polymeric plate with a plurality of holes drilled through it . however , such a drilled plate is not advantageous because it may significantly reduce the effective area of the membrane . in a preferred embodiment , the porous supporting layer is a porous polymeric membrane . examples of such porous polymeric membranes suitable as porous supporting layers in composite membranes include commercially available porous cellulose ester and polysulfone porous membranes . other preferred porous supporting layers include porous membranes fabricated from polycarbonates , polyester - carbonates , polyimides , and polyethersulfones . where such porous supporting membranes are thin or highly deformable , a frame or screen may also be used to adequately support the membrane . in one especially preferred embodiment , the porous polymeric supporting layer is a hollow fiber of a porous polymeric membrane such as a microporous polysulfone membrane . the hollow fiber itself provides adequate support for the discriminating layer coated on the inside or the outside surface of the hollow fiber . after the solution is cast onto the porous supporting layer to form the thin discriminating layer , the membrane is then exposed to curing or drying conditions to substantially remove solvent from the discriminating layer such as described hereinbefore for the formation of homogeneous membranes . asymmetric membranes may be prepared by forming a thin discriminating layer on a porous supporting layer . such membranes possess a discriminating layer which generally has the same composition but a different structure than the porous supporting layer . to prepare an asymmetric membrane , a solution of uncross - linked polymer , solvent , and optional non - solvent is formed and cast as hereinbefore described for homogeneous membranes . preferred non - solvents for use in this invention include alcohols such as methanol , hydrocarbons such as heptane , and c 2 - c 6 glycols . the cast solution is partially cured to remove a portion of the solvent and optional non - solvent . thereafter , one or both surfaces of the partially cured membrane is contacted with a non - solvent for the polymer such as water so as to form a thin discriminating layer on one or both sides of the membrane while substantially removing the solvent and optional non - solvent from the membrane . the porous supporting layer formed provides support for the thin discriminating layer without significantly impeding the transport of gas through the membrane . the drying step is performed in a manner similar to that described hereinbefore with respect to the formation of homogeneous membranes . alternatively , an asymmetric membrane with two porous surfaces and an internal discriminating region may be formed . flat sheet , tubular , and hollow fiber membranes which are homogeneous , composite , or asymmetric may be formed by extrusion from an appropriate solution of the uncross - linked polymer in a solvent and optional non - solvent . such extrusion processes are well known to those skilled in the art and the formation of such membranes requires the adaptation of the hereinbefore described techniques . extrusion is a preferred process for the fabrication of flat sheet , tubular , or hollow fiber membranes . in the case of extrusion , the components of the extrusion mixture may be combined prior to extrusion by mixing in any convenient manner with conventional mixing equipment , as for example , in a hobart mixer . alternatively , the extrusion mixture may be homogenized by extruding the mixture through a twin screw extruder , cooling the extrudate , and grinding or pelletizing the extrudate to a particle size readily fed to a single or twin screw extruder . the components of the extrusion mixture may also be combined directly in a melt - pot or twin screw extruder and extruded into membranes in a single step . the uncross - linked polymer , solvent , and optional non - solvent mixture is heated to a temperature at which the mixture becomes a substantially homogeneous fluid . the substantially homogeneous fluid is then extruded through a sheet , hollow tube , or hollow fiber die ( spinnerette ). hollow fiber spinnerettes are typically multi - holed and thus produce a tow of multiple hollow fibers . the hollow fiber spinnerettes include a means for supplying fluid to the core of the extrudate . the core fluid is used to prevent collapse of the hollow fibers as the exit the spinnerette . the core fluid may be a gas such as nitrogen , air , carbon dioxide , or other inert gas , or a liquid which is a non - solvent for the polymer such as water . following extrusion , the membrane is treated as hereinbefore described for homogeneous , composite , or asymmetric membranes . in one preferred embodiment , the membranes are annealed before use . the membrane is preferably exposed to temperatures above about 50 ° c . and below about 300 ° c . for a period of time to partially densify the polymer . this procedure may optionally be performed under vacuum . preferably , the homogeneous membranes useful in this invention have a thickness of between about 5 microns and about 500 microns , more preferably between about 10 microns and about 150 microns . hollow fiber homogeneous membranes preferably have an outer diameter of between about 50 microns and about 800 microns , more preferably between about 100 microns and about 300 microns . preferably , the effective discriminating layer in composite or asymmetric membranes has a thickness of between about 0 . 02 microns and about 10 microns , more preferably between about 0 . 02 microns and about 2 microns . preferably , the supporting layer in composite or asymmetric membranes possesses a thickness of between about 5 microns and about 500 microns , more preferably between about 10 microns and about 150 microns . hollow fiber composite or asymmetric membranes preferably have an outer diameter in the range of from about 50 microns to about 800 microns , more preferably in the range of from about 100 microns to about 300 microns . the membranes are fabricated into flat sheet , spiral wound , tubular , or hollow fiber devices by methods known in the art . see u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 228 , 876 ; 3 , 422 , 008 ; 3 , 455 , 460 ; 3 , 475 , 331 ; 3 , 526 , 001 ; 3 , 528 , 553 ; 3 , 690 , 465 ; 3 , 702 , 658 ; 3 , 755 , 034 ; 3 , 801 , 401 ; 4 , 271 , 900 ; 3 , 872 , 014 ; 3 , 966 , 616 ; 4 , 045 , 851 ; 4 , 061 , 574 ; 4 , 080 , 296 ; 4 , 083 , 780 ; 4 , 220 , 535 ; 4 , 235 , 723 ; 4 , 265 , 763 ; 4 , 315 , 819 ; 4 , 430 , 219 ; 4 , 351 , 092 ; 4 , 367 , 139 ; 4 , 666 , 469 ; 4 , 707 , 167 ; 4 , 752 , 305 ; 4 , 758 , 341 ; 4 , 871 , 379 ; 4 , 929 , 259 ; 4 , 961 , 760 ; 5 , 013 , 331 ; and 5 , 013 , 437 ; the relevant portions of each patent relating to device fabrication incorporated herein by reference for all legal purposes which may be served thereby . the membranes are sealingly mounted in a pressure vessel in such a manner that the membrane separates the vessel into two fluid regions wherein fluid flow between the two regions is accomplished by fluid permeating through the membrane . under certain conditions , it may be highly desirable to provide support for the membrane when the membrane is employed in a separation apparatus or process . in one embodiment , the peripheral area of the membrane is affixed to a framing structure which supports the outer edge of the membrane . the membrane can be affixed to the framing structure by a clamping mechanism , adhesive , chemical bonding , or other techniques known in the art . the membrane affixed to the frame can then be sealingly engaged in the conventional manner in a vessel so that the membrane surface inside the framing support separates two otherwise non - communicating regions in the vessel . one skilled in the art will recognize that the structure which supports the membrane can be an internal part of the vessel or even the outer edge of the membrane . the membrane divides the separation chamber into two regions , a high pressure side into which the feed gas mixture is introduced and a low pressure side . one side of the membrane is contacted with a feed gas mixture under pressure , while a pressure differential is maintained across the membrane . in the embodiment wherein the membrane is in hollow fiber form , the feed gas mixture may be introduced on the outside or the inside of the hollow fiber . at least one gaseous component in the gas mixture selectively permeates through the membrane more rapidly than the other gaseous component or components in the gas mixture . gas which is enriched in the selectively permeating gaseous component or components is thus obtained on the low pressure side of the membrane which is removed from the low pressure side of the membrane as permeate . gas depleted in the selectively permeating gaseous component or components is obtained on the high pressure side of the membrane which is removed from the high pressure side of the membrane as non - permeate . gas permeability is defined as ## equ1 ## a standard permeability measurement unit is the barrer ( ba ), which is equal to ## equ2 ## the reduced gas flux is defined as ( permeability )÷( membrane thickness ). a standard reduced flux unit is ## equ3 ## alpha , the gas separation factor or gas selectivity , is defined as the ratio of the permeability or flux of the faster permeating gas to the permeability or flux of the slower permeating gas . the membranes of this invention are particularly useful for separating gas mixtures containing at least one gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , helium , oxygen , nitrogen , carbon monoxide , carbon dioxide , argon , water vapor , hydrogen sulfide , ammonia , nitrogen oxides , sulfur oxides , and light hydrocarbons . as used herein , the term light hydrocarbons refers to gaseous saturated and unsaturated c 1 - 4 hydrocarbons such as methane , ethane , ethylene , propane , propylene , butane , and butylene . preferably , the membranes useful in this invention exhibit a permselectivity of an oxygen / nitrogen gas mixture at about 30 ° c . of about 2 . 5 , more preferably about 3 . 5 , and even more preferably about 4 . 0 . preferably , the membranes have a permeability for oxygen at about 30 ° c . of 0 . 01 barrer , more preferably about 0 . 05 barrer , and even more preferably about 0 . 1 barrer . preferably , the membranes have a reduced gas flux for oxygen at about 30 ° c . of ## equ4 ## preferably , the membranes useful in this invention exhibit a permselectivity of a helium / methane gas mixture at about 30 ° c . of about 20 °, more preferably about 35 °, most preferably about 50 °. preferably , the membranes have a permeability for helium at about 30 ° c . of about 2 . 0 barrers , more preferably about 3 . 5 barrers , most preferably about 5 . 0 barrers . preferably , the membranes have a reduced gas flux for helium at about 30 ° c . of about ## equ5 ## the separation process is carried out at pressure and temperatures which do not deleteriously affect the membrane . preferably , the pressure on the high pressure side of the membrane is between about 10 psig ( 69 kpa ) and about 1 , 000 psig ( 6 , 895 kpa ), more preferably between about 50 psig ( 345 kpa ) and about 500 psig ( 3 , 447 kpa ). the temperature of the feed gas mixture is preferably between about - 50 ° c . and about 100 ° c ., more preferably between about - 20 ° c . and about 100 ° c . the temperature of the membrane is independent of the temperature of the feed and is preferably between about - 50 ° c . and 100 ° c ., more preferably between about - 20 ° c . and about 80 ° c . the membrane devices used in the process of this invention may be arranged in parallel , series , recycle , or cascade configurations . the membrane separation process of this invention may be combined with non - membrane separation processes such as cryogenic distillation and pressure or temperature swing adsorption . the following examples are included to illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or claims . about 10 . 95 grams ( 48 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were dissolved in a 500 milliliter erlenmeyer flask containing a magnetic stir bar and about 100 milliliters of methylene chloride and about 5 milliliters of methanol . aliquots of bromine solution ( 5 milliliters of br 2 diluted to 100 milliliters with methylene chloride ) were added to the solution over a period of about 20 minutes . the extent of reaction was monitored using an hp 5890 gas chromatograph equiped with a 5 foot ( 1 . 5 meter ) hp - 1 methyl silicone gum column . two product peaks were obtained . additionally , a small aliquot of product was removed from the reaction mixture , extracted with aqueous sodium sulfite , dried with magnesium sulfate , and derivatized with a small amount of acetyl chloride in the presence of pyridine . the derivatized product was analyzed using an hp 1090 liquid chromatograph equipped with a spheri - 10 rp - 18 column . once again , two product peaks were obtained ( 6 . 48 minutes ( major , derivatized dibromo species ) and 7 . 38 minutes ( minor )). the sample mixture was isolated as a gummy , tacky solid . about 10 . 95 grams ( 48 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were dissolved in a 500 milliliter erlenmeyer flask containing a magnetic stir bar and about 100 milliliters of methylene chloride and about 5 milliliters of methanol . aliquots of bromine solution ( 10 milliliters of br 2 diluted to 100 milliliters with methylene chloride ) were added to the solution over a period of several hours . the extent of reaction was monitored using an hp 5890 gas chromatograph equiped with a 5 foot ( 1 . 5 meter ) hp - 1 methyl silicone gum column . three product peaks were obtained . additionally , a small aliquot of product was removed from the reaction mixture , extracted with aqueous sodium sulfite , dried with magnesium sulfate , and derivatized with a small amount of acetyl chloride in the presence of pyridine . the derivatized product was analyzed using an hp 1090 liquid chromatograph equipped with a spheri - 10 rp - 18 column . once again , three product peaks were obtained ( 7 . 38 minutes ( minor ), 7 . 82 minutes ( minor ), and 8 . 15 minutes ( major )). the sample was isolated as a white , free flowing , powdery solid after recrystallization from methanol / water . about 10 grams ( 43 . 8 mmoles ) of white , powdery 2 , 2 , bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were weighed and transferred to a three - neck , 500 milliliter round bottom flask equipped with a stirrer , sparge tube for dry nitrogen , and a ph electrode . about 7 . 4 grams ( 92 . 5 mmoles ) of 50 percent naoh solution was diluted to a volume of 50 milliliters with water and transferred to the flask . stirring was initiated and the solid was dissolved within a few minutes . fifty milliliters of methylene chloride was added to the flask and stirring was continued . an addition funnel was fitted to the flask and 41 milliliters of phosgene / methylene chloride ( 96 . 4 mmoles of 2 . 32m solution ) was transferred to the funnel . phosgene solution was added dropwise to the stirred solution over a period of about 20 minutes while maintaining the ph of the aqueous phase at about 10 . 5 with occasional additions of 1n naoh . when the phosgene addition was complete , the aqueous phase was tested for the presence of phenates ( negative ) and the organic phase was tested for chloroformates ( positive ). eighty milligrams ( 0 . 7 mmoles ) of n , n - dimethylaminopyridine was weighed and added at once to the heterogeneous mixture . slowly , the acidity began to increase ; the ph was maintained at about 9 with the addition of 1n naoh . the reaction was judged complete when no chloroformates could be detected in the organic phase . the reaction mixture was acidified with 1n hcl , washed with water and phase separated . the organic phase was dried using magnesium sulfate and the clear water - white was precipitated in 4 volumes of heptane . the fluffy white solid was air dried , then oven dried under vacuum at 80 ° c . overnight . a small sample of dried polymer ( about 125 milligrams ) was dissolved in a 25 milliliter volumetric flask with methylene chloride . size exclusion analysis was performed using a hewlett packard 1090 liquid chromatograph equipped with a pair of dupont zorbax psm trimodal columns and a diode array detector . the eluting solvent was hplc grade tetrahydrofuran ( thf ). the calibration curve was established using narrow standard polystyrene samples monitored at 254 nm . the sample was found to have a weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) of about 75 , 000 . about 5 grams ( 13 mmoles ) of the 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 - bromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 4 &# 39 ;- bromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane were weighed into a 100 milliliter screw - cap bottle and dissolved in methylene chloride ( 25 milliliters ) and 25 milliliters of 1n aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 25 mmoles ). phosgene in methylene chloride ( 2 . 32m , 10 milliliters ) was added to the mixture . the mixture was then shaken for ten minutes . additional aqueous sodium hydroxide was added to maintain the alkalinity ( ph approximately 10 ). when the aqueous phase was found to be free of phenates , a small amount of n , n - dimethylaminopyridine ( 16 milligrams , 0 . 13 mmoles ) was added to the mixture and vigorous shaking was continued . after 10 minutes , additional aqueous sodium hydroxide solution was added to the mixture to maintain the alkalinity ( ph approximately 10 ). during this period , a small volume of phosgene solution ( 2 . 32m , 2 milliliters ) was also added to the mixture . vigorous shaking was once more initiated and continued until the milky emulsion thickened into a massive gumlike liquid . the contents were transferred to a waring blender , further diluted with methylene chloride and water , and stirred for several minutes . the mixture was acidified with dilute acid ( 1n hcl ). the stirring was then stopped and the mixture was allowed to separate into two liquid phases . the aqueous phase was discarded and the organic phase was washed with water . the hazy organic solution was then dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate and filtered through a celite bed on a fritted glass filter . the clear solution was reduced in volume and precipitated in four volumes of heptane . the white , fiberous solid was air dried and oven dried under vacuum at 80 ° c . for sixteen hours . a small sample of dried polymer ( about 125 milligrams ) was dissolved in a 25 milliliter volumetric flask with methylene chloride . the poly ( 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 - bromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 4 &# 39 ;- bromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane ) carbonate sample was analyzed and found to have a number - average molecular weight ( mn ) of about 85 , 975 and a weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) of about 439 , 539 . the process of example 4 was repeated with the exception that about 7 . 07 grams ( 13 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 , 5 - dibromo - 4 - hydroxy - 4 &# 39 ; 6 &# 39 ;- dibromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane was used in place of 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 - bromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 4 &# 39 ;- bromo - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane . a three neck , 250 milliliter round bottom flask , equipped with a stirrer , nitrogen sparge tube , and an addition funnel , was charged with about 5 . 00 grams ( 21 . 9 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane , 50 milliliters of methylene chloride , and 5 milliliters ( 62 mmoles ) of pyridine . the resultant clear , colorless solution was stirred under nitrogen for 10 minutes . a mixture of terephthaloyl chloride , about 1 . 776 grams ( 8 . 75 mmoles ), and isophthaloyl chloride , about 0 . 440 grams ( 2 . 17 mmoles ), was dissolved in 20 milliliters of methylene chloride and transferred to an addition funnel . an aliquot of phosgene / methylene chloride solution , about 5 . 0 milliliters ( 12 . 2 mmoles ), was also transferred to the addition funnel . the flask was immersed in a water bath and moderate stirring of the solution was continued while the acid chloride / phosgene solution was added dropwise over a period of 15 minutes . when the addition was complete , an additional 0 . 2 grams ( 1 mmole ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl - 3 &# 39 ;- hydroxyphenyl ) propane was added to the stirring solution , followed by the slow addition of 2 milliliters of phosgene / methylene chloride solution . stirring was continued for another 30 minutes . the viscous solution was diluted with 50 milliliters of methylene chloride , washed with 30 milliliters of 1n , hcl , and transferred to a separatory funnel . the organic phase was washed twice again with water . the colorless , water - wet organic phase was dried with magnesium sulfate and filtered through celite to yield a clear , colorless solution . the polymer was found to have a weight - average molecular weight ( mw ) of about 102 , 000 and a number - average molecular weight ( mn ) of about 27 , 700 , based on polystyrene standards and a polydispersity of 3 . 7 . the process of example 3 was repeated with the exception that about 10 grams ( 43 . 8 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propane was used . the process of example 3 was repeated with the exception that about 23 . 8 grams ( 43 . 8 mmoles ) of 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 , 5 - dibromo - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) propane was used . the polymers of examples 3 , 4 , 5 , and 6 were used to prepare membranes therefrom . films were obtained by casting about 20 weight percent polymer solution onto glass plates , allowing the solutions to slowly devolatilize , removing the films from the glass plates , and placing the films in a heated vacuum oven to remove residual solvent . the gas permeabilities of nitrogen , oxygen , helium , methane , and carbon dioxide were measured on a dense film having a diameter of about 3 . 8 centimeters using a constant - volume , variable - pressure apparatus . the permeability coefficients were measured at about 25 ° c . using a feed pressure of about 50 psig ( 340 kpa ). performance data for the membranes are reported in table i . table i______________________________________ex - p p p alphaam - o . sub . 2 alpha he alpha he / c . sub . 2 h . sub . 4 he / ple ( barrers ) o . sub . 2 / n . sub . 2 ( barrers ) he / ch . sub . 4 ( barrers ) c . sub . 2 h . sub . 6______________________________________3 0 . 3 4 . 3 5 . 8 109 223 11604 0 . 15 9 . 1 5 . 7 630 630 & gt ; 20005 0 . 9 8 . 2 16 180 157 15006 -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 1 . 6 4 . 8 13 35 -- -- 8 1 . 2 8 . 3 16 150 86 380______________________________________	1
in the following detailed description of the present embodiments , reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that process , electrical or mechanical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention . the following detailed description is , therefore , not to be taken in a limiting sense , and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims and equivalents thereof . fig1 illustrates a portion of a projector , e . g ., for use in a front or rear projection system , according to an embodiment of the invention . the projector includes a light modulator 110 . for one embodiment , light modulator 110 is a multi - color modulator , e . g ., red , blue , and green . for another embodiment , light modulator 110 is a single color , such as red , and another modulator 120 , shown by dashed lines , is a two - color modulator , such as blue and green . modulators 110 and 120 may include pixilated mems devices , such as micro - mirrors , or interference - based modulators , lcd devices , etc . an optical system 130 is included for receiving light from a light source 135 and delivering the light to modulator 110 or modulators 110 and 120 . optical system 130 also delivers modulated light from modulator 110 or modulators 110 and 120 to an outlet 140 of the projector . optical system 130 includes a polarizer ( or polarizing beam splitter ) 150 , such as a polarizing beam spitting cube or plate . polarizer 150 is located between modulator 110 and a lens 155 . polarizer 150 is also located between a mirror 160 and lens 155 . lens 155 is located between polarizer 150 and a mirror 165 . polarizer 150 passes light having one polarization and reflects light having another polarization . for embodiments having modulators 110 and 120 , a dichroic beam splitter 170 , such as a dichroic beam spitting cube or plate , is located between polarizer 150 and modulator 120 and between modulator 110 and lens 155 . dichroic beam splitter 170 separates light according to its color , e . g ., dichroic beam splitter 170 may pass red light to modulator 110 and reflect blue and green light to modulator 120 . a quarter wavelength plate 175 is located between polarizer 150 and modulator 110 . for one embodiment , quarter wavelength plate 175 is butted against modulator 110 . for another embodiment , a face 176 of quarter wavelength plate 175 is substantially co - planer with mirror 160 . for another embodiment , a quarter wavelength plate 180 is located between modulator 120 and dichroic beam splitter 170 . for one embodiment , optical system 130 may be formed as a transparent solid , such as glass , so that the various components or optical system are integral with the solid . that is , the material of the transparent solid physically interconnects the elements . for another embodiment , the components of optical system are physically discrete , i . e ., are not physically connected . for example , gas filled spaces , e . g ., air , or evacuated spaces may separate the components of optical system 130 . fig2 a – 2d illustrate optical system 130 in operation , according to another embodiment of the invention . optical system 130 receives linearly ( or plane ) polarized light at a first polarization from light source 135 . the light enters optical system 130 along an illumination path 205 , as shown in fig2 a . for one embodiment , illumination path 205 is contained within an angle 210 with respect to an axis 215 that is substantially parallel to face 176 of quarter wavelength plate 175 ( fig2 a ). as shown in fig2 a , the incoming light rays , represented by a ray 220 1 , are reflected off polarizer 150 to lens 155 . the subscript “ 1 ” of “ 220 ” is used to denote the first polarization . ray 220 1 is refracted upon exiting lens 155 and is subsequently reflected by mirror 165 to lens 155 . ray 220 1 is refracted upon exiting lens 155 and enters quarter wavelength plate 175 . note that the polarization of ray 220 1 changes , e . g ., becomes circularly polarized , when it passes through quarter wavelength plate 175 . however , the subscript “ 1 ” will be retained for purposes of discussion . when modulator 110 is on it reflects substantially all of the light of ray 220 1 , back through quarter wavelength plate 175 . passing ray 220 1 through quarter wavelength plate 175 , reflecting it back through quarter wavelength plate 175 using modulator 110 rotates the polarization of ray 220 1 to a second linear ( or plane ) polarization upon exiting quarter wavelength plate 175 that is orthogonal to the first polarization . specifically , the circularly polarized light changes to linearly ( or plane ) polarized light at the second polarization when it passes back through quarter wavelength plate 175 . the exiting ray is referred to as ray 222 2 , where the subscript “ 2 ” denotes the second polarization , as shown in fig2 a . when modulator 110 is off , it absorbs and / or transmits most of the light of ray 220 1 and / or reflects the light of ray 220 1 away from optical system 130 . the remaining fraction is reflected from modulator 110 back into optical system 130 . this reflected light passes back through quarter wavelength plate 175 so that the polarization of ray 220 1 is rotated to the second polarization upon exiting quarter wavelength plate 175 , as just described , as the ray 222 2 . therefore , ray 222 2 contains substantially all of the light that ray 220 1 does when modulator 110 is on and a fraction of the light that ray 220 1 does when modulator 110 is off . note that for embodiments that include modulators 110 and 120 and dichroic beam splitter 170 , dichroic beam splitter 170 reflects one or more color components of ray 220 1 corresponding to modulator 120 and passes one or more color components of ray 220 1 corresponding to modulator 110 . as shown in fig2 a ray 222 2 enters lens 155 . fig2 b shows ray 222 2 passing through lens 155 and being refracted onto mirror 165 upon exiting lens 155 . mirror 165 reflects ray 222 2 back to lens 155 . ray 222 2 is refracted upon entering lens 155 and subsequently passes therethrough to polarizer 150 . polarizer 150 passes ray 222 2 therethrough and onto mirror 160 . mirror 160 reflects ray 222 2 to lens 155 . fig2 c shows ray 222 2 passing through lens 155 and being refracted onto mirror 165 upon exiting lens 155 . mirror 165 reflects ray 222 2 back to lens 155 . ray 222 2 is refracted upon entering lens 155 and subsequently passes therethrough to quarter wavelength plate 175 . ray 222 2 passes through quarter wavelength plate 175 and reflects off modulator 110 back through quarter wavelength plate 175 . as described above this rotates the polarization of ray 222 2 orthogonally back to the first polarization so that a ray 224 1 exits quarter wavelength plate 175 and enters lens 155 . note that for the reasons described above , ray 224 1 contains substantially all of the light that ray 222 2 does when modulator 110 is on and a fraction of the light that ray 222 2 does when modulator 110 is off . this means that when modulator 110 is off ray 224 1 is blacker than ray 222 2 and thus the contrast is improved compared to passing the light into modulator 110 only once while modulator 110 is in the off state . moreover , when modulator 110 is off and since ray 222 2 contains a fraction of the light of the ray 220 1 when ray 220 1 enters quarter wavelength plate 175 in fig2 a , ray 224 1 contains a fraction of a fraction , e . g ., about a square of the fraction , of the light of the ray 220 1 . fig2 d shows ray 224 1 passing through lens 155 and being refracted onto mirror 165 upon exiting lens 155 . mirror 165 reflects ray 224 1 back to lens 155 . ray 224 1 is refracted upon entering lens 155 and subsequently passes therethrough to polarizer 150 . polarizer 150 reflects ray 224 1 to a projection path 230 and to outlet 140 of the projector , as shown in fig2 d . for one embodiment , projection path 230 is contained within an angle 240 with respect to axis 215 . comparing the projection path 230 of fig2 d with the illumination path 205 of fig2 a shows that the angle 210 containing illumination path 205 and the angle 240 containing projection path 230 are on opposite sides of axis 215 . this separates illumination path 205 from projection path 230 . note that due to the polarization state of the light at polarizer 150 , polarizer 150 does not allow light to exit optical system 130 until it passes into modulator 110 twice . when modulator 110 is off , this reduces the light exiting system 130 , thereby producing blacker blacks and a higher contrast . although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein it is manifestly intended that this invention be limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereof .	6
in fig1 the valve is shown in an open position . valve member 4 pivots in hinge 10 . on closer examination of fig7 close up of the hinge can be seen . waterflow will enter the valve chamber from inlet intake orifice 1 through primary channel a 1 see arrows a fig1 then proceed to outlet 2 at swivel 3 that connects to the hose and filtration pump when water flow through primary channel ; see arrows a , the flow pattern acting on the valve surfaces will rotate the valve member to the closed position shown in fig2 . with valve in closed position flow is sufficiently interrupted by valve protrusion member 4 . 1 closing on flow - control - diverter plate 5 thereby creating a shockwave effect to move cleaner in a stepwise manner . since valve can not rotate any further , waterflow will now follow the secondary path , see arrows fig2 , which will move the valve to open position fig1 . this process repeats itself flow - control - diverter 5 , functions as a tuning plate to stabilize and control the valve pulse frequency i . e . oscillating speed thereby omitting need for a rigid tube section at the outlet side of the valve . generally by having the flow - control - diverter plate decrease the intake orifice 1 through the main channel the faster the pulse frequency and vice versa . the flow control diverter plate fig3 , 3 . 1 also determines the size of the intake orifice 3 a between plate 3 . 1 and valve inlet face 3 b . by increasing and decreasing the orifice size 3 a between flow control plate and valve inlet face 3 b the valve travel distance towards the open position can be determined . it speaks for itself that the valve can only rotationally oscillate to the open position till contact is made with the casing face 3 . 3 ; however the preferential orifice size is such that the valve barely touches the casing to minimize wear and noise . 3 . 4 fig3 depict the enlarged plenum zone . another feature of the flow - control - diverter plate is to function as a debris diverter by diverting debris to the primary channel . as can be seen in fig3 , 3 . 1 the flow - control - diverter plate has numerous projected members 3 . 2 aligned towards the primary channel to fulfill this function . the projected members are spaced apart with half moon gaps 3 . 5 inbetween to allow for sufficient flow to secondary channel while fulfilling their main function as debris guides . while the circular design of the embodiment shown is preferred the flow - control - diverter plate can also be flat 11 fig4 as long as it is placed so that plate inside face 16 fig4 forms an angle to valve protrusion 4 . 1 fig4 , such angle as to allow for sufficiently large plenum zone 13 fig4 to exist between said plate and valve secondary inlet face 15 fig4 as to allow debris through passage . also note position of valve protrusion 4 . 1 fig1 in relation to flow control diverter 5 fig1 when valve in open position , sufficient gap exist between the two members to allow for debris to pass it is therefore of vital importance that the flow - control - diverter plate allows for enlargement of the gap between the valve protrusion 4 . 1 fig4 and the flow control plate inside surface 16 fig4 as valve rotates to the open position . this feature will allow debris entering through inlet orifice 3 a fig3 and 3 . 5 fig3 to proceed through secondary channel to outlet unhindered . ideally valve protrusion member 4 . 1 fig2 should not make physical contact with diverter - flow control plate 5 fig2 when valve in closed position see fig2 as this will increase wear on both parts . a gap between 0 mm and 3 mm should sufficiently interrupt flow to move cleaner in stepwise manner flow - control - diverter 5 fig2 therefore performs multiple functions by determining the pulse frequency and valve travel as well as managing debris through both primary and secondary channels . generally larger debris will proceed through primary channel a 1 fig1 due to the efficiency of the debris guides while smaller debris may occasionally enter secondary channel b 1 fig2 . a water buffer step feature 6 fig6 placed on the intake side of the valve inlet face 1 b fig6 so valve closes with inlet face 1 b in close proximity generally within 0 . 1 - 2 mm to edge 6 a fig6 , momentarily compress water when valve in the closed position to create hydraulic flow cut - off , i . e . valve will return to opening stroke without physically hammering the casing side . this hydraulic cut off equates to very quiet valve oscillation , surpassing even the low noise level of diaphragm type cleaners . increasing the distance between valve top end 1 b fig6 and step 6 will subsequently increase noise level as hydraulic cut off will disappear and valve will make contact with surface 7 fig6 fig5 illustrates the preferred swivel design ; male fig5 . 1 and female fig5 . 2 parts clip together for ease of assembly , importantly all inside surface of the assembled swivel is chamfered to enlarge towards the inside of the swivel to allow for small particles such as sand to proceed through the swivel into the main outlet . as can be seen female part has protrusions fig5 . 3 where it makes contact with a flat surface 5 . 1 b on the male part 5 . 1 . once assembled any debris caught inbetween the two parts will fall out as swivel rotates . the design also has the added benefit that friction is minimized due to the decrease in surface contact between the two parts thereby creating a very smooth swivel . in fig7 preferred valve member is illustrated , by narrowing the sides of the valve behind the inlet face smaller debris will not get caught between valve sides and casing sides . valve integral protrusion 7 . 1 slides into cavity 7 . 2 and surface 7 . 3 is supported by 7 . 4 fig8 illustrates a cutaway of the preferred embodiment of the cleaner , as can be seen in the drawings the housing design is of a simple two piece clip together design to assemble in seconds , without need of screws or fasteners , the swivel 8 . 6 and shoe 8 . 2 keeps the whole unit together . 8 . 1 illustrates the flexible membrane ( disk ) 8 . 3 right housing , ( left housing not shown ) 8 . 4 flow control diverter , 8 . 5 valve , 8 . 7 flotation cavity , 8 . 8 sliding weight pin , 9 weight , 8 . 9 cavity to slide over pin 8 . 8	4
the present invention , hereinafter referred to as a battery tester device , indicated generally at 10 , for measuring the remaining battery life in a battery 12 . easily portable in a user &# 39 ; s hand or pocket , the battery tester device 10 functions simply , quickly and effectively to measure batteries 12 that the user suspects to be low on electrical power . the battery tester device 10 of the present invention includes a length of wire 14 having a first end 16 , a second end 18 , and a middle portion 20 . in a preferred embodiment , the wire 14 is constructed from a galvanized metal material and has a length of approximately three and one quarter ( 3¼ ″) inches . it should be noted , however , that it is within the scope of the present invention for the wire 14 to be constructed from any type of electrically conductive material and have a length greater than or less than three and one quarter ( 3¼ ″) inches . preferably , the first end 16 of the wire 14 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention has a first bend portion 22 bent approximately ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 . the first end 16 of the wire 14 further has a second bend portion 24 bent approximately an additional ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the first bend portion 22 in a general direction toward the second end 18 of the wire . in a preferred embodiment , the middle portion 20 , the first bend portion 22 , and the second bend portion 24 are in the same plane . it should be noted that while the first bend portion 22 and the second bend portion 24 of the first end 16 of the wire 14 are described and illustrated as being ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the middle portion 20 and each other , respectively , it is within the scope of the present invention for the first bend portion 22 and / or the second bend portion 24 of the first end 16 of the wire 14 to be bent at an angle greater than or less than ninety ( 90 °) degrees . the second end 18 of the wire 14 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention has a first bend portion 26 bent approximately ninety ( 90 °) degrees relative to the middle portion 20 and parallel to the first bend portion 22 of the first end 16 of the wire 14 . in addition , the second end 18 of the wire 14 has a coil bulb spring 28 formed therein for receiving a light bulb 30 , as will be described in further detail below . it should be noted that while the first bend portion 26 of the second end 18 of the wire 14 has been described and illustrated as being bent approximately ninety ( 90 °) degrees , it is within the scope of the present invention for the first bend portion 26 of the second end 18 of the wire 14 to be bent greater than or less than ninety ( 90 °) degrees . the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention has a coil wire spring 32 formed therein biasing the first end 16 and the second end 18 of the wire 14 in a general direction toward each other . the coil wire spring 32 allows the first end 16 and the second end 18 of the wire 14 to be moved away from each other to insert the battery 12 to be tested between the first end 16 of the wire 14 and the light bulb 30 , as will be described in further detail below . it should be noted that while the coil wire spring 32 has been described as being formed in the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 , it is within the scope of the present invention for the coil wire spring 32 to be a separate spring mounted within a break in the middle portion 20 of the wire 14 . as stated above , the light bulb 30 of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention is releasably secured within the coil bulb spring 28 . the light bulb 30 has a bulb 34 and a bulb housing 36 . the bulb housing 36 is preferably constructed from an electrically conductive material with the bulb housing 36 electrically contacting the bulb 34 , and the bulb 34 electrically contacting the battery 12 thus allowing an electrical circuit to be completed between the second end 18 of the wire 14 , the bulb housing 36 , the bulb 34 , and the battery 12 positioned between the first end 16 of the wire 14 and the light bulb 30 thereby completing an electrical circuit . if there is any remaining life in the battery 12 being tested , the light bulb 30 will illuminated indicating the amount of life remaining . the light bulb 30 glows in accordance with how much juice or power is left in the battery 12 . the light bulb 30 is preferably colored and transparent to permit even the faintest glow of light produced by the battery 12 to shine from the light bulb 30 . the weaker the battery 12 , the dimmer the light bulb 30 shines . the stronger the battery 12 , the brighter the light bulb 30 shines . by placing the ends of a battery 12 to the galvanized wire of the battery tester device 10 of the present invention , the user sees an immediate , visual cue of the remaining battery life . unless the battery 12 is completely drained , the small light bulb 30 glows when a battery 12 is attached to the present invention . the glow intensity of the light bulb 30 corresponds directly to the amount of power remaining in the battery 12 . if the battery 12 is full or nearly full , the light bulb 30 glows brightly , indicating the battery 12 has many hours of electrical power left in it . if the battery 12 is low or very low , the light bulb 30 glows dimly and poorly , indicating the battery 12 has little to almost no electrical power left in it and needs to be replaced in the near or immediate future . the battery tester device 10 of the present invention is an excellent tool for anyone with a drawer full of used batteries 12 , appliances and children &# 39 ; s toys that run on batteries 12 , or stray batteries 12 found under tables and behind sofas . the battery tester device 10 is an excellent tool for individuals who work regularly with electronic equipment such as microphones , portable lights , and recorders . for people who rely on batteries to get their work done , a dead battery can mean that they lose everything . on the other hand , throwing out batteries 12 that are still useful can incur a substantial loss of resources and money over the long run . although this invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments , it is not intended to be limited thereto and various modifications which will become apparent to the person of ordinary skill in the art are intended to fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as described herein taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claim .	6
referring to fig1 there is illustrated a known compound vacuum pump comprising a regenerative section 1 and a molecular drag ( holweck ) section 2 . the pump includes a housing 3 made from a number of different body parts bolted or otherwise fixed together and provided with relevant seals therebetween . mounted within the housing 3 is a shaft 6 supported by an upper ( as shown ) bearing 4 and a lower ( as shown ) bearing 5 . the shaft 6 is rotatable about its longitudinal axis and is driven by an electric motor 7 surrounding the shaft 6 . securely attached to the shaft 6 for rotation therewith is a rotor 9 which overlies a body portion 16 of the housing 3 . attached to the body portion 16 by means of bolts 17 ( only one shown ) is a body portion 22 which forms part of the holweck section 2 . the body portion 22 includes a central inlet 31 for the holweck section 2 . depending from the body portion 22 and forming the stator for the holweck section are a set of three hollow annular cylinders 23 , 24 , 25 whose longitudinal axes are parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 6 and the rotor 9 . a set of three further concentric hollow cylinders 26 , 27 , 28 whose longitudinal axes are also parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 6 and the rotor 9 are securely fixed at their lower ( as shown ) ends to the upper surface of the rotor 9 . each of the six cylinders 23 to 28 is mounted symmetrically about the main axis that is the longitudinal axis of the shaft 6 and , as shown , the cylinders of one set are interleaved with those of the other set thereby to form a uniform gap between each adjacent cylinder . this gap , however , reduces from the innermost adjacent cylinders 23 , 26 to the outermost adjacent cylinders 25 , 28 . situated in the gap between each adjacent cylinder is a threaded flange ( or flanges ) which define a helical structure extending substantially across the gap . this flange can be attached to either of the adjacent cylinders . fig2 shows part of the cylinder 23 with an upstanding flange 30 attached in the form of a number of individual flanges to form a helical structure . the other cylinders 24 , 25 would have substantially the same construction . as shown in fig1 the rotor 9 is in the form of a disc the lower ( as shown ) surface of which has formed thereon a plurality of raised rings 10 which , as is known in the art , form part of the regenerative section 1 the details of which form no part of this invention . in use , with the shaft 6 and rotor 9 spinning at high speed gas is drawn into the inlet 31 within the body portion 22 and into the gap between adjacent cylinders 23 , 26 . it then passes down the helix formed by the upstanding flange in the cylinder 26 and hence up the gap between the cylinders 23 , 27 and so on until it passes down the gap between cylinders 26 , 28 . it then passes through porting not shown in a manner known per se into the inlet of the regenerative section 1 and hence out to atmosphere via an outlet 38 . according to the present invention , a further turbo - molecular section 50 is added to the known compound vacuum pump illustrated in fig1 . in particular , the turbo molecular section 50 is enveloped by the holweck section 2 . referring now to fig3 where like reference numerals denote like parts , mounted on the rotor 9 for rotary movement therewith is a cylindrical rotor body 52 from which extend radially outwardly therefrom rotor vanes 54 which collectively define three spaced arrays of vanes , each array having in the region of 20 such vanes . section 50 also comprises a stator 56 which is formed with and within the body portion 22 and from which radially extend a plurality of stator vanes 58 again defining three spaced arrays of vanes each array consisting of about 20 vanes . as shown , the arrays of rotor vanes 54 interleave with the arrays of the stator vanes 58 , the vanes 54 , 58 being angled relative to each other in a manner known per se in turbo molecular vacuum pump technology . in operation , gas is drawn through the turbo - molecular section within the stator 56 in the direction shown by the arrows a towards the lower stage outlet beyond the third annular array of stator vanes and hence into the holweck section 2 . as previously explained the gas will then leave the holweck section and enter the regenerative section 1 in a manner known per se and exit the compound vacuum pump via the outlet 38 . it will be observed that in the above described embodiment the turbo - molecular section 50 is totally enveloped within the molecular drag section 2 . to achieve good inlet speed the inlet stage of the turbo - molecular pump section 50 needs maximum area so that the ( upper ) as shown vane array 54 has a larger diameter than the remaining vane arrays . this in the past has been achieved by increasing the rotor hub diameter of the subsequent stages and maintaining the outer diameter of the rotor vanes thus keeping a maximum tip speed . however , in the above described embodiment where the hub diameters are kept substantially the same and the tip diameters of the rotor vanes are reduced it has been found that performance loss is not too great . this , as a consequence , leaves space for the molecular drag stages to be mounted around the lower turbo - molecular stages without extending the pump diameter beyond that of the inlet turbo - molecular stage , that is the upper vane array of the turbo - molecular section . as shown , the stages of the holweck section can be mounted concentrically with inner stages being shorter thus allowing the turbo - molecular stages to be stepped down gradually . molecular drag stages are more restrictive to flow than turbo - molecular stages thus mounting the molecular drag stages at a larger diameter increases the tip speed and improves the flow rate . the regenerative section 1 follows the molecular drag section as is known in the art but could be replaced by some other mechanism or even a separate vacuum pump .	5
referring to fig3 a , there is shown a block diagram incorporating features of the present invention . although the present invention will be described with reference to the single embodiment shown in the drawings , it should be understood that the present invention can be embodied in many alternate forms of embodiments as shown in fig3 . the invention is implemented as a windows nt service if a custom internet protocol stack is not available . the availability of a custom protocol stack would allow the invention to span multiple networks and would not be limited by the windows nt service environment . the invention does not identify any one computer as a client or server and the invention executes the same on all computers . thus , all computers on the network are considered peer from the perspective of the invention . referring now to fig3 there is shown an embodiment of the current invention . fig3 shows a computer network system with n computers 30 , where n is any integer number . each n computer is connected to multiple data links m , where m is any integer number and corresponds to the number of network interface cards ( nics ) per computer . fig3 a shows a dual network system where n is equal to two and m is equal to two . computer 10 and computer 20 , each with two nics 11 - 12 , 21 - 22 are exploded views of n computers and m data links shown in fig3 . nics 11 - 12 , and 21 - 22 are on dual subnets with identical subnet mask addresses forming two independent but parallel subnet data links 15 a , 15 b . the preferred embodiment also uses window &# 39 ; s nt 4 . 0 with service pack 4 or later to provide software access to the data link library utility iphlpa1 . dll . access to the software utility provides the ability to modify how the windows operating system performs routing . reference will be made to computer 10 as a sending computer and computer 20 as a receiving computer but it should be understood that all computers on the network are at the same time preferably both sending and receiving computers . sending computer 10 broadcasts a data message identifying itself , i . e ., its ip address . a separate broadcast is sent through each nic 11 - 12 , to the subnets 15 a - 15 b connected to the nics . receiving computer 20 receives the broadcasts through nics 21 , 22 . if a computer in its receive mode fails to receive a broadcast on one nic then a failure of that data link is declared and the computer will automatically modify its local routing table such that the ip addresses corresponding to the failed data link will be switched to the alternate data link or subnet 15 a or 15 b . the sending computer , in its receive mode , will have also detected that the data link has failed and will similarly modify its local routing table . the sending computer will then use the alternate data link when sending application data . the receiving computer , acting as a gateway , receives the data on the alternate data link and will automatically forward the data to its correct destination , its other nic where the data is accepted . the automatic forwarding by the receiving computer is a result of selecting ip forwarding in windows nt environment . referring now to fig2 a , one method used in each computer , is achieved by three software process threads and two nics in parallel with identical subnet mask addresses . at initialization two nic listener arrays are created as indicated by blocks 81 , 88 , one array for each nic 11 - 12 , or 21 - 22 . the length of the arrays correspond to the number of ip addresses that are possible , i . e ., one entry location or byte space per potential ip address . the listener data structure for each array is formed during initialization when the machine is queried , as indicated by block 80 , for its subnet mask address . the subnet mask address directly correlates to the number of ip addresses that are possible on each subnet . as indicated by blocks 82 and 89 , each thread then listens for a broadcast on its respective subnet . when a broadcast containing an ip address is received 83 , 90 by a nic , the thread process for that nic calculates 84 , 91 a unique index into the corresponding nic array for each ip address received . at the index location 86 , 93 the thread process sets 85 , 92 the least significant bit ( lsb ) to a logical one , thereby signifying that this ip address was received . thus , the first two threads , one for each nic , essentially “ listen ” and store a data bit for each ip address received . later , the third process thread will periodically shift the bits and act on the results . referring now to fig2 b , the first step of the third process thread is accomplished by querying 94 a the data link library utility iphlpapi . dll , also part of the windows nt environment , to determine the ip addresses of the local computer . the ip addresses returned by the library utility are then broadcasted 94 b through both nics on both subnets to other listening computers . the third process thread &# 39 ; s next step is to check the results of its own local listening threads . this is accomplished by examining 95 the three lowest order or lsbs in each byte area for each ip address in the nic arrays 96 . if a logical one is detected in at least two of the lsbs then the ip and its corresponding subnet are considered active 97 or live . the next step 111 after determining the subnet is live determines if the data routing tables have been altered due to the now live subnet being previously unavailable . if so , the data routing tables are restored 107 and the bits in the three lowest order lsbs are all shifted one bit to the left and the thread is repeated after sleeping 101 for a predetermined amount of time . if the determination 97 that all three lsbs are each a logical zero then the corresponding subnet is declared to be inactive and the data routing table is altered 99 after which the alter data routing table flag is set 109 . if the corresponding subnet is still unavailable on the subsequent cycle the set flag is detected 105 and the bits in the three lowest order lsbs are all shifted 100 one bit to the left and the thread is repeated after sleeping 101 for a predetermined amount of time . if the corresponding subnet is not determined 97 to be live or dead the remaining states are considered 97 inconclusive and constitute a wait and see state and the bits in the three lowest order lsbs are all shifted 100 one bit to the left and the thread is again repeated after sleeping 101 for a predetermined amount of time . an rtable array 87 or data routing table created at initialization contains state information for each ip address as follows : 0 = normal , 1 = ip on nic 1 has been redirected via nic 2 , and 2 = ip on nic 2 has been redirected via nic 1 . thus , for each possible ip address on the subnet , action is taken as indicated in table 1 . * table entries represent no change . the last action by the third process before it sleeps is the logical shift left of the data bits in the nic arrays for each ip address index 100 . this action provides the ip address connection a lifetime status indication . for example , the lifetime of an ip address and its corresponding connection is three times the time - out period . finally , as noted above , the third process thread sleeps for a pre - configured amount of time 101 . a small time - out period will result in transparent data link failures , but higher bandwidth requirements . if set to a larger time - out period a network failure may be less transparent while the data link is reestablished through the alternate data path . in summary , the third process thread , through a series of steps , periodically sends broadcasts out through each nic ; examines the information recorded by the two listener threads ; makes any required adjustments to the routing tables ; pauses for a configurable amount of time ; and then repeats the process . thus , it is readily appreciated that the invention provides a high reliability network infrastructure in a peer - to - peer environment . it should be understood that the foregoing description is only illustrative of the invention . various alternatives and modifications can be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the invention . accordingly , the present invention is intended to embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variances which fall within the scope of the appended claims .	7
the primary / preferred embodiment of this invention is a safety sign for the interior of a building . this safety sign comprises a recipient base , with the signage information / indicia being integrated within and surrounded by the recipient base ; but the signage originates from a different piece of base material , the donor element . the finished sign product is shown in fig6 ; and the different materials employed , along with the progressive method of fabrication , are shown in fig1 - 5 . [ 0014 ] fig1 shows in perspective a standard piece 2 of base . the term “ base ”, as employed hereinafter , encompasses other similar items , such as : carpet coving , cove base , stair riser , carpet cove cap , wall base , cove wall base , etc ., as are well known in the building , flooring and carpeting trades . as also well known , the base is to be secured to the bottom few inches of a wall and overlies a small edge portion of the flooring , so as to cover the gap between the wall and flooring and protect the bottom of the wall from being scuffed . the baseboard 2 also can be employed as a stair riser . baseboard often is delivered to the job site in selected lengths of two to eight feet , as well as in rolls of greater length . typical materials for bases have been rubber and plastic . astm standard f - 1861 identifies three acceptable materials , to meet safety requirements : thermoset vulcanized sbr rubber ( ts ); thermoplastic rubber ( tp ); and thermoplastic vinyl ( tv ). the baseboard 2 in fig1 preferably is of any one of the astm - accepted materials , such as extruded type ts and would have any one of many colors , such as tan 4 , ( a first color ) that would be compatible with the decor of the wall / floor / stair area in which the sign is to be installed . the color 4 is shown by upward right shading of the same type in fig1 and 6 . a very good quality of base material for the recipient element 2 would be ⅛ ″ ( 3 . 175 mm ) thick , but could be thinner , such as 0 . 080 41 ( 2 . 03 mm ). to enable the safety sign resulting from the base 2 with integral indicia signage to be able to wrap around posts , corners , etc ., it should meet the flexibility of astm f - 137 . the base material also should meet fire codes as well as be easily washable . to be easy to install with standard adhesives and for long lasting adhesion , the backside of the base 2 can be ribbed , as is well known . although the base in fig1 is shown with a standard toe 5 , it could be provided with other toes , or no toe . the running length of the finished safety sign could be any convenient length , or a little longer than the signage length , or some increment lengths such as two , four or six feet . likewise the height of the base 2 could be anything , but would be better to conform to industry standards , such as 2½ ″ ( 63 . 5 mm ), 4 ″ ( 101 . 6 mm ) and 6 ″ ( 152 . 0 mm ). the surface of the base element 2 suitably can be of a low - gloss satin finish , which would be easy to clean with soap and water as well as other typical industrial cleaners used inside buildings for flooring and baseboards . with reference to fig2 a front view of the base 2 , take as an example that the safety sign finished product ( shown only in fig6 ) is to have the signage indicia “ exit ” 6 , with an arrowhead 8 pointing to the right . accordingly , as first steps in the fabrication of the sign according to this invention , there would be : a selection of base 2 material , color 4 and content of signage indicia 6 , 8 . then , a suitable length of recipient base 2 of tan color 4 is obtained . next , as shown in fig2 the indicia 6 , 8 are to be cutout from the base 2 , preferably by cutting completely through the thickness of the base as if making a stencil . the method and equipment for such cutting can be determined by the fabricator ; however , die cut and water jet cutting are useful . for ease of viewing and understanding fig2 and not part of the fabrication , assume that the base 2 is lying on a workbench having a top surface of color 10 , such as white , in color contrast to the tan 4 of the base . also assume that the exit indicia 6 has been cut out and fully removed from the base . thus , there remains the hollow shapes 12 , stencil - like , of the letters of exit , surrounded by the tan colored 4 material of the donor base 2 . also assume that the arrowhead 8 has been cut , around the line 14 , but not yet removed . once the arrowhead 8 is removed , the recipient base 2 will be ready for final assembly into the safety sign product 16 , shown in fig6 . as will be understood , the recipient base 2 defines the background , the support and the framework for the signage . the next step of fabrication is to select one or more colors for the indicia of the sign 16 . for simplicity , let us select dark green ( slant to the upper left shadings in fig3 and 6 ) for all of the indicia 6 ′ and 8 ′, the letters of the word exit and the arrowhead , as they will appear in the sign 16 . to obtain donor material for the dark green 18 ( the second color ) indicia 6 ′, 8 ′, a piece of base material 20 of dark green 18 , as shown in fig3 is chosen . the material 20 preferably would be the same thickness and substance as the base 2 , but does not have to be a piece of toed base ; it can be flat , not coved , and narrower ( less height ) than the base 2 . however , its height has to be at least that of the tallest portion of the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′, which in the present example is the letter e . for the same reasons as discussed with respect to fig2 assume that in fig4 : the dark green piece of material 20 is lying on the white top 10 of a workbench ; the exit indicia 6 ′ has been cut out and removed , leaving the white top 10 visible below the hollow , stencil - like letter shapes 12 ′; and the arrowhead 8 ′ has been cut around the line 14 ′, but not yet removed . if the cutting process , which makes the cut line 14 and similar cut lines around the exit indicia 6 , removed essentially none of the recipient base 2 , then the indicia 6 ′ and 8 ′ cut from the donor material 20 could be the same size as the indicia 6 and 8 ; however , that is not to be expected for most cutting processes . hence , the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ from the donor material 20 will have to be slightly larger than the indicia 6 , 8 removed from the base 2 , so as to fit snugly into the hollow shapes 12 of the indicia in the recipient base 2 . such a snug fit also can be termed a snap - in fit , but need not be so tight as a force fit , requiring machine pressure insertion . in fig2 , 4 - 6 , the size differences between the indicia 6 and 6 ′, and 8 and 8 ′ and the hollow shapes 12 and 12 ′ are not easily seen , because of the scale of these figs . [ 0019 ] fig5 shows the green colored indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ lying on the workbench top 10 , after cutout and removal from the donor material 20 . although the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ now are ready to be inserted , for example manually , into the base 2 and , in the present example will be seen as dark green 18 on a tan 4 background , it could be advantageous to increase their visual recognition in the event of hazy / smoky conditions or dim lighting . the indicia surfaces could be coated / impregnated , either before or after being cut out , with phosphorescent substance ( escape routing photo - luminescent , per d . i . n . 67510 ), glitter particles , etc ., as symbolized by the references 22 , 24 in fig5 . the entire surface of the donor material 20 could thus be enhanced . another recognition enhancement would be tactile by providing the surface of the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ with a texture significantly different from the texture of the surrounding surface of the recipient base 2 . for example , a rough surface 26 , also shown in fig5 . once the signage indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ are ready , as in fig5 they are inserted snugly into their respective , recipient cutout shapes 12 in the base 2 ; and the resulting product 16 can be packed and shipped for use in a building site , to be installed as shown in fig6 against the bottom of a wall 28 and over the top edge of flooring 30 . the installing would be the same as for standard base , for example mastic troweled onto the wall 28 behind the position of the safety sign 16 , which then is placed into firm surface contact with the wall . such mastic or other installing means also would secure the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ in their positions . not shown in fig6 are pieces of baseboards which normally would be positioned to the left and right of the sign 16 , in the typical installation of the baseboard . since the steps of packing , shipping , unpacking and handling the sign product 16 might dislodge the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ from their positions in the base 2 , the backside of the base 2 could be provided with a peel off , sticky backing 32 ( shown with a phantom reference line in fig2 ) after the indicia 6 , 8 are removed . thereupon , when the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ are inserted into the base 2 , they will adhere to the sticky side of the backing 32 until it is removed , just prior to mounting the entire sign product 16 against the wall 28 . although it is believed preferable for the front surfaces of the base 2 and the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ to lie in a common plane , for ease of periodic cleaning the sign product 16 subsequent to its installation , and that is why the base 2 and the second piece of base material 20 would be of the same thickness ; there could be circumstances , for example tactile recognition , where it was desired for the indicia 6 ′, 8 ′ to be inset ( thinner than ) or projecting forward from ( thicker than ) the front surface of the base stencil , support 2 , which would require that the donor base material 20 also be respectively thinner or thicker than the base 2 . although the preferred example shown in fig1 - 6 employs only two pieces of base material 2 and 20 to attain a background color ( tan 4 ) of the recipient ( first ) base element and an indicia color ( green 18 ), from the second base element , the donor , more pieces of donor base can be employed to achieve more than one color of signage . also , each component of the signage , the individual letters and the arrow of fig4 - 6 , for example , need not be cut out to be separate from each other . some or all donor portions can be linked to each other , as in a script font . likewise then , the stencil - like cutting out and removal from the first base member 2 , the recipient , of the indicia need not be one component separate from the next . the sign of this invention and the method of its fabrication will be understood to be advantageous over signs made of a similar base or baseboard material upon which the signage merely is inked or painted upon , or a signage sheet is glued on top of , or the signage is laminated upon . the term “ safety sign ” has been used hereinabove to emphasize the preferred content of the signage . however , the word “ safety ” could be replaced by the word “ information ” or be omitted . likewise , the preferred — just above the floor level — location of this sign of this invention should not be its only place of use . as mentioned hereinabove , the sign could be positioned on a stair riser . indeed , other placements of the unique sign of this invention are well within the skill of the building and interior finishing trades , to accomplish signage needs . that which is considered within the ambit of my invention is set forth in the next following claims .	6
the present invention will be understood more fully from the detailed description given below and from the accompanying drawings of preferred embodiments of the invention which , however , should not be taken to limit the invention to a specific embodiment but are for explanation and understanding only . in accordance with the present invention , the first step in the utilization of intellectual capital its measurement and identification . in order to properly inventory intellectual capital , a hierarchical cataloging system provides the most portability and is preferred . in accordance with aspects of the present invention , this catalog will preferably consist of five levels in the hierarchy , although more or less levels can be used . the preferred names for these five levels are class , knowledge group , skill group , skill set , and skills . these names are not meant to be exclusive or inclusive , but to be illustrative of the hierarchical nature of the categories . in this fashion , codes may be determined for each category within each level and from which a combination of codes from the different levels will result in an individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital code . one possible breakdown of this hierarchy is shown in table 1 : for example , in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , these codes may be used to create an individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital code such as “ 01 - 09 - 55 - 021 - 233 ”. the format of this number would be standardized for use in multiple applications . it will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that a variety of numbering schemes can be employed , such as decimal , hexadecimal , octal , etc . the present invention also provides a way to weight the intellectual capital that is now identified by the intellectual capital code . for example , this measurement might include : “ last year used ”, as well as “ number of years used as user ”, “ number of years used as planner ”, “ number of years used as developer ”, as “ number of years used as implementer ” and “ number of years used as certified ”. thus a weighted intellectual capital code might look like : “ 01 - 09 - 55 - 021 - 233 : 2000 / 02 / u0d00 ”. this individual would be , for example , a user and developer for 2 years of it - application software - email - server - imail until the year 2000 . moreover , a total dollar value of this individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital could also be determined based upon this example intellectual capital code of 01 - 09 - 55 - 021 - 233 : 2000 / 02 / u0d00 . dollar values may be placed upon each of the measured values . for example , it may be determined that value of the skill associated with the “ last year used ” drops by $ 80 per year for each year prior to the present . and , for each year that that skill has been used the value of that skill increased by $ 120 . and , being a user of that skill adds $ 20 . and , that being a planner of that skill adds $ 60 , that being a developer of that skill adds $ 50 , that being an implementer of that skill adds $ 40 , that being certified in that skill adds $ 50 , and that the skill itself is worth $ 200 . combining these together , the value of this measured intellectual capital code is $ 510 . this creates a catalog of skills , categories and codes , and a method of measuring and applying values to an inventory of intellectual capital codes created using the skills catalog , which may be stored in a data source . the data source of the present invention may comprise any number of data sources well known to those of skill in the art , such as relational databases or linked files . moreover , the standardization of the aforementioned catalog and methods could be regulated through an independent body , to allow transportability of this catalog and methods ( or appropriate portions thereof ) to different applications where the valuation of intellectual capital is necessary . a central repository of the codes would then exist , allowing any business to be able to determine the value of the human capital in their organization , and that determination would have meaning to anyone else having knowledge of the coding system . in addition , in one preferred embodiment of the present invention , a recruiting business can also directly match the skills needed by a job opening to skills that a job seeker holds . the business will further be able to evaluate on that match utilizing the aforementioned valuation technique to significantly decrease the decision making time required by a recruiter in determining the value of a match . the process in its simplest form will involve a business posting the skills it needs for a particular job , and a job seeker posting the skills they have . both entities will also post other relevant information such as contact information , relocation , travel , training , education , etc . the user will be able to select skills using a standard drill down multi - screen elimination process , such as in a sequence of web forms as discussed in more detail below , or the user will be able to quickly search each hierarchy level name and associated keywords to get a list of appropriate skills . utilizing this list , the user may also select multiple skills . on the final skill selection screen , the user will be able to enter the measurement characteristics for each skill to create an intellectual capital inventory for an individual or an intellectual capital requirement for a position . an individual &# 39 ; s intellectual capital inventory ( as embodied in his individual intellectual capital code ) may be entered using a variation of the above process , derived from the intellectual capital codes contained in the aforementioned skill catalog . in addition , the intellectual capital requirements of a job may also be entered using a variation of the above process , derived also from the codes contained in the skill catalog , creating a position requirement set . then a simple comparison or match of the intellectual capital ( skills ) inventory of various individuals and the position requirement set will reveal the number of matching skills . the matching skills may also be weighted to allow , for example , early disqualification of candidates for a specific job , and allow zeroing in on properly qualified candidates based upon the candidate &# 39 ; s skills inventory compared to the position skills requirement . the results can then be displayed by various means well known to those skilled in the art to the user , based on the weighting or other criteria . upon finding prospective job seekers , the user will be able to compare side by side the skills that match and the relationship of the measurements of each skill , e . g . greater or less than the requirements . the user will also be shown the skills that the job seeker lacks and the skills that the job seeker has that the job doesn &# 39 ; t require . the user will also be able to view other non - skill related comparisons such as relocation , travel , etc . some of the many significant uses of the present invention , which are not capable with the systems of the prior art , are , matching jobs , measuring the human capital value of a business , and evaluating training needs . it will also be appreciated to one skilled in the art that the system of the present invention could easily be utilized in a number of additional areas . the data source interface used to accomplish the above tasks may comprise any of a number of such systems that are well known to those of skill in the art . for example , if the data source is a relational database , then the data source interface may comprise the corresponding database engine used to access that database . the user interface may comprise , for example , a graphical user interface that is integrated with the database engine , or may comprise a separate application , such as an internet web browser . furthermore , the user interface and / or the data source interface may incorporate , for example , an internet web server , and possibly associated cgi (“ common gateway interface ”) applications — all of which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . fig1 is a schematic demonstrating the typical components used in a preferred embodiment of the invention when used over the internet . those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present invention , while described below in connection with its use over the internet , is certainly not limited thereto . an electronic document , such as a web page created using html , is loaded into document viewer 1 . document viewer 1 may be any software application capable of viewing electronic documents and loading additional electronic documents from within the original document , such as through the use of a hypertext link or form ( although not limited thereto ). for example , the document viewer could include a web browser , such as navigator from netscape communications or microsoft &# 39 ; s internet explorer . the electronic document may be loaded automatically when document viewer 1 is first started , or may be opened into the viewer by the user from a file stored locally or at a remote address . for example , the user may load the document by typing the document &# 39 ; s address into the web browser &# 39 ; s command line . document viewer 1 may be accessed by the user through any of a number of computer systems , such as through the use of a terminal connected to a mainframe system , from a personal computer , or over computer connected to a local computer network . document viewer 1 is connected to the internet along with personal computer 2 , through network connection 3 . this connection is typically made through local telephone lines using an analog , isdn , or dsl connection , though it can be over a direct network connection , such as an ethernet network and leased line . network connection 3 may be a computer network that routes any requests from document viewer 1 to the appropriate location on the internet . this operation is well known to those of skill in the art . network connection 3 connects document viewer 1 to web server 4 through any of a number of well - known connection schemes , such as through the use of leased lines . this combination essentially comprises user interface 8 in this particular preferred embodiment of the invention . web server 4 is typically a software application running on a remote computer that is capable of forwarding or processing requests from document viewer 1 . for example , web server 4 may include any one of a number of well - known server applications , such as the nsca web server , the apache web server , etc . web server 4 passes a document request from document viewer 1 to data source interface 5 for accessing data source 6 . data source 6 contains the complete hierarchical list of intellectual capital codes , and the information on each individual , job opening , etc . after a document , such as an html form ( or series of forms ), is loaded into document viewer 1 , the user enters in the appropriate information and activates a hypertext link or form “ submit ” button , generating a signal back to data source interface 5 . this is preferably in the form of an http request sent over the internet using tcp / ip and possibly a secure socket layer (“ ssl ”). the request may be routed through network connection 3 and through web server 4 to data source interface 5 . it will be appreciated that the details of http operation in conjunction with tcp / ip and ssl are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art and will , therefore , not be elaborated on here . when the http request is received by data source interface 5 , it accesses data source 6 to retrieve the requested information based upon the signal from document viewer 1 . in one embodiment of the invention , a common gateway interface (“ cgi ”) program , well known to those of skill in the art , may be used to parse the data from document viewer 1 . this program acts as an interface between the web server 4 and / or data interface 5 and data source 6 by executing a set of instructions . the interaction of web servers and cgi programs and the sending of information between them is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art . the cgi program may extract the document information from the information passed to it by the server and retrieve the appropriate information from data source 6 . this may be accomplished in a number of ways known to those of ordinary skill in the art . for example , if the cgi program is a perl script or other api , a database access module can be used to interface with the majority of commercial relational database applications . examples of such databases include oracle , sybase , sql server , and the like . it is also possible for these systems to be accessed directly by web server 4 using their own internal data engines . information is submitted to or extracted from data source 6 , depending on the signal sent by the document viewer 1 . data source interface 5 then generates a signal back to document viewer 1 through web server 4 . the system of the present invention may preferably be used by at least five types of users : a prospect , a client , a recruiter , a system manager , and the system administrator . it will be appreciated , however , that the present invention is not limited thereto and may include any users desiring to catalog , inventory , select , measure , value or match intellectual capital , or match or inquire as to an individual &# 39 ; s particular skills . a prospect , i . e . an individual desiring to enter his / her intellectual capital into the system of the present invention , and / or look for matching job openings , may enter skills into data source 6 using a series of html forms , as described above , through user interface 8 and will have the ability to retrieve from data source 6 all of the job positions that fit those skills . examples of such forms are shown in fig2 ( a )–( e ). after receiving a request from the prospect , data source interface 5 conducts a comparison of the information submitted by the prospect with the relevant information in data source 6 ( e . g . job positions ) using the hierarchical set of intellectual capital codes described above . by using the hierarchical intellectual capital codes match information , the system of the present invention provides significant benefits over the systems of the prior art , including increased efficiency and accuracy in matching a request ( e . g . for job positions ) with items stored in the knowledge base . data source interface 5 then returns a set of results to the prospect through user interface 8 . the results screen sent back by data source interface 5 will display by percentage of match the jobs that the prospect might be interested in . an example of such results screens are shown in fig3 ( a )–( c ). by clicking on one of the results contained therein , the prospect may then retrieve a detailed report from data source interface 5 of the skills required for the position , which skills match his / her profile , and which skills don &# 39 ; t . the prospect will have the option at this time to update his / her skill set , if necessary , this updated information is stored in data source 6 using the hierarchical set of intellectual capital codes discussed above . the prospect will also have the option to submit his / her interest in that position to a recruiter via email , or similar messaging systems well known to those of skill in the art . the recruiter would then receive an email message from web server 4 or data source interface 5 through email server 7 in a conventional manner with all the pertinent information needed to contact the prospect . the prospect also has the ability to edit their own intellectual capital codes in data source 6 through the use of a unique username and password . a client , e . g . an employer using a recruiter that participates in the system of the present invention and looking for job candidates , enters their position information in a similar manner and receives a similar results page from data source interface 5 . the results from data source interface 5 will display by percentage the prospects that match the job by intellectual capital codes — all personal information for the candidate stored in data source 6 may be left out . by clicking one of the results , the client can see exactly what skills the prospect has and what skills match . the client will have the ability to edit the position skills , adding or deleting skills as needed . the client will also have the option of submitting a prospect information request to the responsible recruiter — using email for example . each recruiter has control over prospects and clients they are assigned to . they can enter / update in data source 6 information about both prospects and clients , and can perform any of the tasks described above . the recruiter can also start the interview process during any phase by clicking an appropriate link provided on their html forms . this will retrieve a screen from data source 5 that will allow the recruiter to send a resume to any of the contacts listed in with a matching client &# 39 ; s information . a recruiter &# 39 ; s access may be limited to clients , prospects and interviews that are assigned to them , and , in this situation , a recruiter can only add clients , prospects , positions and the interviews that go with them . the system manager has control over all aspects of the “ web site ” ( the combination of web server 4 , data interface 5 , and data source 6 ) including adding and deleting recruiters from the system and viewing recruiter activity reports . the manager has total control over all clients and prospects , and has total editorial control over all interview entries . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , the manager can only add recruiters , clients , prospects and interviews . the system administrator is responsible for the technical administration of the system and preferably has total unrestricted control over all users of web site . the client recruiter ( i . e . a recruiter working for a client ), managers , and administrators all have control of the “ interview process .” taking this ability away from prospect recruiters provides the significant advantage that it allows for a more controlled process , and provides for responsibility in the interview process . the interview process controls the flow of the interview status between the prospect and the client when the prospect is submitted for a position . using , for example , a set of dropdown boxes on an html form to select the prospect and client , the recruiter can send the prospect &# 39 ; s resume to the client through the use of the aforementioned web site . once the entry has been made , data source interface 5 creates a record in data source 6 that will track the process . the preferred default phases are : send resume , initial interview , 2nd interview , tech interview , face to face , offer , offer accepted , offer rejected , start at work , other , and delete . the particular names and order of the phases can be changed by the administrator through the set up screen , and are not limited thereto . during each phase , the client recruiter can choose to send out a preformatted email that informs each party involved of the action that took place . for example , if an initial interview was set by the client recruiter , an email can be sent automatically by the system containing all of the information needed to carry on that interview : phone numbers , times , names of everyone involved . these emails can be configured by the administrator through the setup screen or left at program defaults . they are then generated dynamically by the system and sent at the appropriate time . preferably , only the client recruiter ( and managers and administrators ) can edit an interview . this is to ensure the client recruiter is in total control of the interview process . the ownership of a client or prospect may determined during login to the system of the present invention through document viewer 1 , when a cookie file ( well known to those in the art ) is placed on personal computer 2 , or other identification methods ( also well known to those in the art ) that will identify the user to the system . ownership of clients and prospects is defined in data source 6 . managers and administrators are preferably the only users that can change ownership , as this will enforce the integrity of the information . initially , an organization using the system of the present invention will preferably determine the nature of intellectual capital that they desire based on a target market , i . e ., oracle , jd edwards , etc . each data source 6 in each such system of the present invention may be populated with skills and intellectual capital codes from the central repository 9 ( described above ) based on the appropriate intellectual capital catalog needed , and will be oriented towards the user based on the job or project in question . for example , in an embodiment of the present invention used by an organization in the information technology ( it ) sector , data source 6 would be populated only with intellectual capital code information related thereto , excluding other industries and business sectors . the administrator will populate data source 6 with the information on each recruiter associated with the organization . each recruiter using that system will then be able to input clients , prospects , and positions . both clients and prospects will be able to remotely enter their starting information on the web site without recruiter intervention , however after that preferably the recruiter will control their entries . clients will preferably have a password to allow them to submit new positions . the recruiter will be notified by email and they will make the final decision whether the job is approved or deleted . once positions and prospects are entered into the database , the recruiter will be able to match them using the intellectual capital codes . this matching can generate both the position choices for the prospect , as well as the prospect choices for the position based on the predefined intellectual capital codes built into the portion of central repository 9 included in data source 6 . this is preferably a weighted match using a weighted intellectual capital code ( as described above ). from this screen , the recruiter will be able to initiate the interview process . the recruiter upon finding a match sufficient to fulfill the skills requirements for a position , will then begin the interview process by submitting a resume to the client . the interview process will be controlled and monitored from within that portion of the web site , providing a consistent method to follow and ensure communication is maintained . the organization will have the ability to measure performance and monitor progress through a series of reports available to them from the information stored in data source 6 . although this invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments , it will be appreciated that many variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention . for example , the user interface , data source interface , and data source of the present invention may comprise a single software application , and may be operated from a single computer or a network of computers via the internet or an internal intranet . moreover , for example , a network of personal computers may be used , a mainframe system , or a server and peripheral thin clients .	8
in order to be able to appreciate the filter which is the object of this invention graphically , in which we have managed to combine and couple two layers of filtering element , a description thereof will be made , referring to the attached sheets of drawings in which : fig1 shows us a perspective view with different sections that show the different parts forming the filter which is the object of this discovery , in which : number 1 shows us the exterior concentric tube , which we could say is the body of the filter , which can be manufactured of any class of material . number 1 &# 39 ; indicates the perforations in the concentric exterior tube specified by the number 1 ; such perforations may be of any diameter and be arranged in the most convenient form . number 2 indicates the first concentric retention layer , or first layer of filtering element , which in the filter which is the object of this discovery is found inside the tube specified with the number 1 . number 3 indicates the second concentric retention layer , or second layer of filtering element . as particularly seen in fig2 and fig6 the first concentric retention layer , or first layer of filtering element 2 , is radially spaced from the second concentric retention layer , or second layer of filtering element 3 , to avoid radial overlapping of the layers of filtering elements 2 and 3 . number 4 indicates the interior concentric tube which can be manufactured of any class of material and which , in the filter which is the object of this discovery , is found inside the second layer of filtering element indicated with number 3 . the interior concentric tube 4 shows perforations that may be of any diameter and be arranged in the most convenient form . number 5 indicates the concentric spring that in the filter which is the object of this discovery is found inside the concentric tube marked with number 4 in order to avoid having the pressure exerted on the filter by the element for filtration binding or crushing the interior concentric tube marked with the number 5 . number 6 indicates the upper cap of the filter which is the object of this discovery , which may be manufactured with any class of material ; this upper filter cap may be closed entirely or have a central perforation . number 7 indicates the lower cap of the filter and no . 8 the seal , gasket or packing of such filter . fig2 is a lateral , transparent section of the filter , object of this discovery , in which all the pieces mentioned in the previous figures are traced ; further , a piece appears with no . 9 which is a screw and nut assembly . no . 10 indicates a filter fastening screw which is lodged in the nut specified with no . 11 . in fig3 no . 1 shows us a filter normally used to filter lubricant in internal combustion engines which has the gasket , object of this discovery , adapted on its lower part . this gasket , as will be appreciated , has three different concentric sealing diameters , marked respectively with numbers 12 , 13 and 14 . these three concentric diameters make possible a perfect sealing function between the filter and the exit connection of the filter box , in spite of the fact that the latter has different diameters . thus , for example , if the exit connection of the filter box has a diameter greater than the interior concentric diameter of the gasket marked with number 12 and less than the interior concentric diameter of the gasket marked with number 13 , the sealing will be done by the interior concentric diameter marked with number 12 , since because it is of neoprene rubber , it will have sufficient elasticity to expand sufficiently and in this way perform its sealing function . thus , successively , we can cite many examples in which we would appreciate that depending on the diameter of the exit connection of the &# 34 ; filter box &# 34 ;, the sealing would be done by any of the concentric sealing diameters of the gasket which is the object of this discovery . supposing now , that the &# 34 ; filter box &# 34 ; did not have an exit connection or that this had a lesser diameter than the lesser concentric diameter of the neoprene rubber gasket , the sealing would be done with the base of the gasket . the lower cap has sufficient elasticity to seal the filter with the exit connection of the filter box in the case when the diameter of the exit connection is greater than any of the interior concentric diameters of the gasket . fig4 shows us a perspective view of the gasket in which is shown , in a profile projection , the sealing of this discovery which has been modified to include three different interior , concentric sealing diameters . fig5 shows us a section view along the a -- a &# 39 ; axis of the gasket where we appreciate the three interior concentric sealing diameters . in the above description , we have shown the preferred embodiments of this discovery , but it must be understood that the discovery can be put into practice by making some modifications to it . for example , the packing can consist not only of two or three or four sealings , but the number of sealings necessary can be used . likewise , the packing has been described as manufactured of neoprene rubber , but any other adequate material may be used . as regards the filtering means which forms an integral part of this invention , the filter for lubricating oil particularly for locomotives includes a pulp of fibers that contain lignin . fibers that contain lignin are derived from the thermo - mechanical formation of pulp from a source of fibers that has a lignin content of at least 10 percent , with pressure conditions of some 3 . 5 to 8 . 4 kg / cm 2 at a temperature of 149 °- 176 . 5 ° c . and a refinery energy utilization in the margin of 8 to 35 horsepower - day / air dry ton of raw material ( hpd / adt ). the resulting fibers that contain lignin are characterized by having the majority of their original content of lignin and with a smooth wall structure , substantially free of superficial fibrils that join with the fiber and substantially do not self - adhere to similar adjacent fibers in the absence of high temperatures . using a filter means comprised of a substantial portion of pulp of fibers that contain lignin , in accordance with this invention , the severe problem of swelling and obturation due to water in the lubricating oil is obvious . likewise , the use of pulp of fibers that contain lignin in accordance with this invention also results in a filter means that exhibits an improved filtering capacity and good filtration . further , one has the advantage of a cheaper filter . the pulp of fibers that contain lignin can be used in combination with other adequate pulps , for example , pulps with a high alfa - cellulose or cotton down content . it is generally preferred using the pulp of fibers that contain lignin in quantities of at least 30 percent . the pulp of fibers that contain lignin , used in the locomotive lubricating oil filter of this invention is that obtained by the processes described in the u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 455 , 195 and 4 , 455 , 237 , which are expressly incorporated here as a reference . the pulp is produced with selected , controlled thermomechanical conditions . surprisingly , we have found that the filter means that comprises a substantial portion of , for example , at least 30 percent of such pulp of fibers which contain lignin does not suffer from the problem of swelling or obturation and easily pass the water extrusion resistance test . therefore , these filter means are advantageously adequate for use in locomotive lubricating oil applications . the source of fibers that contain lignin is not specifically critical and may be taken from a wide variety of fibers that contain lignin , although , of course , some are in a given manner preferred to others . these sources include peeled wood ( both soft and hard varieties ) and other materials that contain lignin , such as bamboo , bagasse , certain grasses and straws and the like . for the purposes of this invention , the fiber - forming material must have a lignin content of at least 10 % and preferably 15 % or more ( the majority of pulp woods have a lignin content above 20 %). in the present state of development , the preferred fiber source is peeled wood , whether soft or hard woods , from the north or the south , with some preference for soft woods from the north . after removing the bark , which is not used in the process to obtain the pulp , the pieces of pulp wood are cut into shavings of a size adequate for the thermomechanical process . conveniently , a typical shaving size is in the range of 0 . 95 by 1 . 27 by 1 . 91 cm with the fibers aligned with the long axis of the shaving . of course , in any chip - forming process , the size and configuration of the chips is very much haphazard . nevertheless , the purpose is to look for a typical chip that has a minimum dimension of 0 . 95 cm and a maximum dimension of 1 . 91 cm , that can reasonably be approximated in approximate form by sifting the chips using a sifting screen of 2 . 54 cm maximum and a sifting screen of 0 . 95 cm minimum . the sifted chips , typically after cleaning via a conventional washing procedure with water , are reduced to pulp fibers following the general techniques of the u . s . pat . no . 2 , 008 , 892 of asplund , whose revelation is here included as reference . a first stage in this process is the preheating of the chips by steam , and this is advantageously carried out in a recipient like a horizontal tube digester . the digester , which is a conventional piece of equipment , can have a rotary valve or similar device ( also conventional ) in the entrance to accomodate the feeding of the wood chips while the recipient is maintained under a superatmospheric steam pressure . the wood chips , generally of the indicated size , are preheated to a temperature no less than some 149 ° c . and more conveniently to a temperature in the range of 165 ° to 176 . 5 ° c . approximately . this corresponds to a pressure margin of some 3 . 5 kg / cm 2 up to 8 . 4 kg / cm 2 , with the preferred range being some 6 . 3 to 8 . 4 kg / cm 2 . conveniently the chips are moved progressively via a partially full ( 1 / 8 to 1 / 2 ) digester while they are stirred continuously . this ensures highly efficient heat transference between the wood chips and the steam and uniform preheating . typically , a retention time of three minutes inside the horizontal tube digester is adequate and it is believed this takes the interior of the chip to within some 10 ° of the steam temperature . the preheated wood chips are ground into pulp fibers in a disc refiner while kept in a pressure steam atmosphere and a substantially dry condition . the grinding is done in a disc refiner of the general class revealed in the above - mentioned asplund patent . more specificially , a c . e . bauer no . 418 counter - rotary 91 . 44 cm disc refiner is a preferred piece of equipment for this aim . this machine uses a pair of 91 . 44 cm opposing rotary discs arranged in communication with the horizontal tube digester and to receive preheated wood chips from the digester ( preferably with the same pressure conditions ), in which case , a pressure valve device placed between the digester and the disc refiner is not required . according to known principles , when the wood chips are submitted to cutting and abrasion by the counter - rotating refining discs , they are submitted to a later heating as a result of the entrance of energy from the crusher . it is known that with certain preheating conditions of the chips and operation of the disc refiner , the lignin content of the chips becomes softened and plastified , allowing easy separation of the individuals fibers with minimum damange and destruction of the fibers . the desired degree of refining is controlled by adjusting the peripheral hollow between the disc refiner . in general , the narrower the hollow , the greater the utilization of energy required to refine the pulp and make it possible for the fibers to emerge from the hollow . typically , this energy utilization is measured in braking horsepower days per air dry ton ( hpd / adt ) of raw material . to produce pulp fibers ideally adequate for the filter means of this inventions , it has been determined that utilization of energy in the disc refiner should not be less than 8 hpd / adt and not greater than some 35 hpd / adt . in many cases , achieving the desired energy levels requires adjusting the hollow to the minimum size -- substantially with a zero clearance , although for certain woods , such as soft woods from the south , it may be convenient to slightly enlarge the hollow to restrict the energy to some 35 hpd . after refining , the fibrous pulp is unloaded from the refiner via an adequate blow valve or the like , which makes it possible for the fibrous material to be taken from a pressurized condition to another unpressurized condition . after the disc refining operation , the pulp fibers are mixed with sufficient water to derive an aqueous paste with 0 . 5 to 1 % of solids , adequate for sifting or screening the fibers . in this aspect , the fibers produced in accordance with the procedures outlined are significantly larger and more rigid than the conventional pulp fibers , and are not easily screened in conventional pulp screens without excessive rejection of good fibers and unnecessary loss of yield . because of the characteristics of the pulp fiber thus produced , it is convenient to use a rotary type screen that has circumferentially aligned splits ( rather than axially , as is more typical ). the &# 34 ; ultrascreen &# 34 ; screen sold by black - clawson is effective in the process . this screen , which has a split width of approximately 152 microns , facilitates effective screening of the pulp with a reliable rejection of chips and other foreign material , without excessive rejection of good fibers . an important economic advantage of the asplund type pulp forming procedure mentioned above is the extremely high yield of fibers . the fiber yield can be as high as 95 % of the dry wood material started with , in comparison with high execution chemical processes for pulp which give a yield as low as 35 % usable fibers . to a large extent , this results in the fact that the exit of fibers from the pulp forming process retains substantially all the lignin and semicellulose content of the original source of fibers without forming pulp . chemical processes , on the other hand , substantially remove the lignin and semicellulose material , resulting in an immediate loss of yield . further , due to the essentially fragile nature of the resulting fiber product , significant additional losses occur in the entire subsequent process . the presence of lignin and materials related with lignin in the exit of fibers is significantly advantageous in the final filter means , when fiber production has been achieved with the conditions of the above - described process . thus , with adequate pressure and temperature conditions , the lignin materials are in a plastified state during the refining operation , which not only makes it possible to produce a relatively large , undamaged fiber , but also the resulting fiber is extremely rigid and firm and has a very smooth exterior surface . this structure is exceptionally ideal for use in filter means , since it exhibits exceptionally low adhesion characteristics , and due to its structure which is similar to &# 34 ; uncooked spaghetti &# 34 ;, it results in a voluminous , extremely porous means when placed in chance form , as in moist or air placement , for example . directly related to the high voluminosity feature is the extremely high freedom in the area of 760 and greater . this is equal to or exceeds the freedom of chemical high execution pulps with better quality . for the purposes of this invention , the filter means contains a substantial portion , that is , at least 30 percent in weight , and preferably at least 40 percent in weight and especially from 40 to 75 percent in weight of a pulp of fibers that contain lignin . the remaining constitution of the filter means , if there is any , can include adequate fibers and / or pulp which do not result in a failure in the water extrusion test , that is , a ratio greater than 1 . 1 examples of such adequate pulps are pulps with high alfa - cellulose , such as the &# 34 ; hpz &# 34 ; buckeye pulp , xj pulp of merciner , placetate of merciner and esparto ( which is a bleached pulp of grass ). the remaining constitution can also include cotton down fibers if desired , so that the filter means comprises a mixture of a substantial portion of fibers that contain lignin and cotton down fibers , and is within the scope of this invention . &# 34 ; kraft &# 34 ; wood pulps may be present in the filter means in lesser amounts , that is , less than 5 to 10 percent in weight , and preferably less than 5 percent in weight . the presence of more than 10 percent in weight of kraft wood pulp results in a filter means that exhibits insufficient resistance to water extrusion to be used commercially . in the manufacture of filters for commercial use , typically although not necessarily , the pulp mixture is generally prepared as an aqueous paste , sufficiently beaten to give uniform distribution , and then placed moist over a screen for manufacturing paper . also typically , the moist belt is dried and then impregnated with an agglutinant resin . alternatively , the filter device can be produced using air placement techniques . the resin typically is cured only partially by the belt manufacturer . the final manufacturer of the filter later usually converts the belt material in an accordeon folded configuration , forming quite frequently , a cylinder of accordeon folds , which accommodates a generally radial flow of the lubricating oil that is going to be filtered . in this stage of production , the resin in the belt material can be completely cured to provide relatively permanent hardening to the manufacturer &# 39 ; s configuration . the resulting filter means , in accordance with this invention , exhibits excellent resistance to water extrusion and also provides an economic advantage of a less costly filter means in comparison with the cotton down filters now used in the industry . the cost of the pulp of fibers that contain lignin , used according to this invention , is only some $ 450us / ton , in comparison with $ 1200us / ton of the cotton fibers . in addition to the economic advantage , the use of pulp with fibers that contain lignin results in a filter device that exhibits an improved filtering capacity and good filtering efficiency . the following examples are provided as specific illustrations of this invention . however , it must be understood that the specific details indicated in the examples are merely illustrative and in no way restricting . all the parts and percentages in the examples and the rest of the specification are in weight , unless otherwise specified . ______________________________________a : 40 % pulp containing lignin40 % hpz pulp20 % espartob ( comparative ): 100 % cottonc ( comparative ): 47 % pulp of fibers containing lignin23 % westvaco bleached kraft hard wood30 % bleached kraft pulp made of sequoia chipsd : 47 % pulp of fibers containing lignin30 % placetate ( bleached alfa pulp made of softwood fibers ) 23 % espartoe : 47 % pulp of fibers containing lignin25 % placetate20 % esparto8 % bleached kraft pu . p made of sequoia chips______________________________________ a water extrusion resistance test was done on each manual sheet in order to prove the applicability of the materials as a locomotive lubricating oil filter device . the operations were done proving first the flow resistance of the manual sheets to lubricating oil at 82 ° c . in four flow rates that go from 3 . 785 to 15 . 14 liters per minute . then the lubricating oil was taken and mixed with water in a commercial waring blender mixer to form a percent of water in oil emulsion . then the flow resistance of the manual sheets to the emulsion was tested at 82 ° c . with the same four flow quantities . the flow resistance was inspected in each case , and the results were tabulated in the following table 1 . table 1 also indicates the water extrusion resistance ratio ( pressure at × gpm of emulsion / pressure at × gpm of lubricant ) as well as the cfm of frazier . table no . 1__________________________________________________________________________water flow ( extrusion ) resistance average cfm ofmanual sheet 1 gpm 2 gpm 3 gpm 4 gpm ratio frazier__________________________________________________________________________a oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 1715 kg / cm . sup . 2 0 . 402 . 5 0 . 679 1 . 015 21 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 175 0 . 420 0 . 707 1 . 064 ratio 1 . 02 1 . 04 1 . 04 1 . 05 1 . 04b oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 217 0 . 448 0 . 791 1 . 197 14 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 231 0 . 497 0 . 819 1 . 288 ratio 1 . 06 1 . 11 1 . 04 1 . 08 1 . 06c oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 196 0 . 427 0 . 742 1 . 128 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 224 0 . 518 0 . 994 1 . 4 + ratio 1 . 14 1 . 27 1 . 34 -- 1 . 25 + d oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 147 0 . 357 0 . 602 0 . 931 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 154 0 . 371 0 . 637 0 . 959 ratio 1 . 05 1 . 04 1 . 06 1 . 03 1 . 05e oil at 82 ° c . 0 . 140 0 . 350 0 . 588 0 . 917 26 emulsion at 82 ° c . 0 . 161 0 . 378 0 . 637 1 . 001 ratio 1 . 15 1 . 08 1 . 08 1 . 09 1 . 10__________________________________________________________________________ as can be seen from the preceding table 1 , the filter means of this invention has a ratio in the water extrusion resistance test of around 1 . 1 or less . this is comparable to the water extrusion resistance of the filter means of cotton fibers ( operation b ). if in the filter means more than the right amount less of kraft wood pulp is used , however , the ratio greatly exceeds 1 . 1 ( operation c ). the manual sheets a and b were tested as to their filtering capacity in mgms / 6 . 45 cm 2 and the filtering efficiency using standard test methods in order to compare the filtering capacity and the efficiency of the locomotive lubricating oil filter device of this invention with a convention locomotive lubricating oil filter device made completely of cotton . the results are tabulated below and it is shown that while the efficiency is comparable , the filtering capacity of the filter means of this invention is greatly improved . table no . 2______________________________________manual sheet a e______________________________________capacity ( mgms 6 . 45 cm . sup . 2 ) 55 30efficiency (%) 87 91 . 8______________________________________ although the invention has been described in the preferred embodiments , it will be understood that experts in the material can perform variations and modifications on it . these variations and modifications must be considered within the scope of the following claims .	1
referring to the drawings in greater detail , and initially to fig3 and 4 in particular , a seal according to the present invention comprises a pair of body portions which in the embodiment illustrated , comprise a lower body indicated generally by reference number 10 and an upper body or cover portion indicated by reference numeral 12 . the lower body portion , in the preferred form illustrated , has a bottom wall 14 , a side wall 16 surrounding the bottom wall on all sides thereof except for an end wall which is indicated by reference numeral 18 and which forms the &# 34 ; top &# 34 ; of the seal . the top and bottom portions which together form a seal , are structured so as to provide a mating relationship of one with the other and to this end , again in the embodiment illustrated , the side wall 16 is provided with an inwardly extending shoulder 20 extending about the side wall 16 , preferably continuously . this shoulder may also extend adjacent the top or end wall 18 ( see fig . 4 ) to provide a seating surface 21 for the cover portion 12 of the seal assembly . the shoulder 20 is preferably set at a depth so that the cover portion 12 , when seated on the shoulder 20 , will be flush with the upper portion 16a of the side wall 16 when in an assembled position . the shoulder 20 may further be provided as a stepped surface by virtue of shoulder 50 provided on shoulder 20 . with such a stepped shoulder arrangement , some one attempting to insert a tool down the side of the seal would not be able to pass the tool over the shoulder 50 to gain access to the shackle legs within the body . the seal body 10 as illustrated in the drawings basically defines an enclosure for the shackle legs of the shackle and in one form , that which is illustrated in the drawings , the body is provided with one portion having a greater length than the other . thus , the body portion 10 is provided with an extension indicated by reference numeral 22 adapted to receive the longer leg of a shackle ( described hereinafter ), which is normally the shackle leg inserted into the seal by the manufacturer , the other one being left &# 34 ; free &# 34 ; to be inserted by the user of the seal . the side walls 16 , the end wall 18 , the top portion 12 form with the bottom 14 of the seal an enclosure , which contains a chamber or cavity for receiving the legs of the shackle . within the chamber , and located on either wall but as illustrated in fig3 and 4 located on the bottom wall , there is provided a shackle - leg separation means 24 which is fixedly secured to the bottom of wall 14 and which is raised thereabove . the separation means 24 also provides the function of a shackle leg engaging means and to this end , the member 24 comprises an elevated land having a first recess or shoulder 26 adapted to engage one shackle leg ; there is also provided a second recess or shoulder 28 to engage the opposed shackle leg with each shoulder 26 and 28 being spaced from the other by the body portion of the land 24 . the height of the land preferably approaches the depth of the cavity or chamber in the lower portion 10 of the seal so that it is dimensioned to prevent a shackle leg from passing over the land 24 when the cover portion 12 is in place . the cover portion 12 is preferably dimensioned to seat on the shoulder 20 and thus has a general configuration corresponding to the configuration of the lower portion 10 of the seal assembly . on the other hand , if desired , the cover portion 12 may seat on the upper edge 16a of the seal assembly by dimensioning the cover portion 12 accordingly ; in that embodiment the shoulder 20 would be eliminated and the land 24 would be raised accordingly . the end wall 18 is preferably dimensioned so as to be wider than the height of the wall 16 of the body for certain applications ; in particular , where the seal is used to secure e . g ., a cabinet or the like where there is a possibility that the seal body could pass through a slot in the cabinet , the side 18 by having a greater width will prevent that occurring without the necessity of increasing the width of the total body for that purpose . various types of shackles can be employed with the seal assembly of the present invention ; a typical shackle is shown in the drawings and has a body member 30 and a pair of opposed legs 32 and 34 , one of which may be longer as illustrated in the drawings . again , although various types of leg structures can be employed , a typical leg structure includes a pair of inwardly extending &# 34 ; hook &# 34 ; portions 36 each adapted to engage a shoulder 26 or 28 when inserted into the seal assembly . for this purpose , the end wall 18 is provided with a pair of apertures 38 each dimensioned so as to receive a leg ; the apertures 38 actually may be slightly shorter in width than the width of the legs of the shackle with the hooks 36 thereon since due to compression of the hooks 36 , an inwardly extending force can be exerted on the hooks to pass through a narrower aperture 38 . from the above , it will be seen that there is thus provided a shackle leg channel 39 extending from the apertures 38 into the body cavity , defined between the separation means 24 and the side walls 16 of the seal body . the channels 39 , basically form a receiving area for the shackle leg , as described , and in accordance with this invention , have a lower portion which is contoured as indicated by reference numeral 41 , preferably arcuately contoured . this is achieved by providing an appropriately contoured outline to the side wall 16 ; by providing at least the shackle leg receiving area for the shackle leg which is inserted by the user ( but preferably both shackle leg receiving areas ) with such a contour , any instrument or tool inserted through the narrow entrances 38 in an attempt to release the shackle leg hook portions from their engagement with the shoulders will normally be deflected by the contoured walls into the central area of the seal body , thereby reducing the potential for tampering with the seal . the seating surface 21 adjacent end wall 18 preferably extends into the aperture 38 , forming an arcuate curved surface 23 provided inside the apertures at the outer edge of each aperture . the arcuate surface 23 forms guide means which aid in insertion of the shackle legs through the apertures and into the body . the angle of curvature of the surface 23 is preferably constant or uniform throughout the surface and can range from 15 ° to 85 °, preferably 25 ° to 75 °, and more preferably 40 ° to 60 °. in use , if some one tampering with the seal broke off the shackle , by virtue of the shackle configuration as discussed hereinafter , and in conjunction with the curved surface in the aperture , the shackle would be broken off flush with the end wall 18 , with the remaining portion of the shackle leg still being within the body . the curved surface 23 also , together with the remaining portion of the leg of the shackle , &# 34 ; blocks &# 34 ; off the aperture so that the broken leg could not be reset into the aperture . a preferred feature of the present invention is also evident from fig3 and 4 of the drawings , wherein the raised land 24 is provided with outwardly tapering shoulders 25 , against which the legs 36 &# 34 ; slide &# 34 ;. in this manner , the legs 36 are inwardly compressed as the shackle legs are inserted through the apertures 38 and once passing the shoulders 36 and 28 , are permitted then to engage the shoulders . in conjunction with the above and in accordance with a feature of another embodiment of the present invention , the shackle 30 may also be provided with tapering shoulders 30a and 30b joining the leg portions 32 and 34 respectively , which are designed to prevent access to the apertures 38 by being positioned a distance from the bottom of the legs such that when the shackle is inserted into the seal ( fig4 ) the inwardly extending shoulders 30a and 30b are adjacent the upper surface of the wall 18 . the shackle shoulders 30a , 30b may also be provided with a line of weakness such as notches 30c , 30d or the like so that in the event tampering occurs , the shackle would break off along the notches . by providing notches 30c , 30d at the appropriate location , the shackle will break off flush with the end wall 18 , leaving the remaining portions of the legs within the body and basically preventing any further tampering with the device . if desired more than one notch could be provided on each shoulder . as will be seen from fig3 shoulders 30a and 30b may be provided with differing configurations . leg 34 for example has a somewhat v - shaped portion constituted in part by shoulder 30b . upon insertion into the body of the seal , portion 30e of the v - shaped configuration will abut the inside surface 39 of the aperture , thus , substantially blocking access to the entrance aperture 38 and thereby preventing an attempt to compress the hook portion 36 towards the leg 34 to remove the shackle from the seal . leg 32 , in the illustrated embodiment , is of a configuration such that shoulder 30a is closely adjacent the upper surface of wall 18 and leaves little room for trying to gain access between the wall 18 and shoulder 30a . in an alternative embodiment , the shackle could be provided with outwardly directed hook portions 36 with a suitable shoulder arrangement for engagement with the hook being provided along the inner surface of side wall 16 . a still further arrangement is wherein the raised land portion 24 is provided on the cover member 12 . the cover portion 12 may also have the structure illustrated in greater detail in fig4 as to the side mating with the body portion 10 of the seal assembly . in this particular arrangement , the cover portion 12 may be provided with a downwardly extending shoulder 40 which preferably extends about the inner circumference of the cover and which may be dimensioned to seat on the shoulder 20 of the body portion 10 . in this manner , the thickness of the cover portion can be reduced . as illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the cover 12 may also be provided with a projecting tab 42 , fixedly secured to the inner portion of the cover , and which extends beyond the upper wall or edge 44 . this tab 42 may be dimensioned so as to pass through the aperture 38 and terminate at the exterior of the end wall 18 . tab 42 is designed to prevent access to the aperture 38 once the shackle leg as been inserted in that portion of the seal ; normally , during assembly , one shackle leg 32 will be inserted into the seal , with the cover portion 12 then being seated in the body portion with the tab 42 projecting into the aperture 38 to form the arrangement shown in fig1 and 2 . tab 42 may be provided as a separate component which could be ultrasonically or otherwise sealed in place . cover portion 12 may also be provided with build - ups 100 and 102 which act to steer or guide the wire shackle towards the central land arrangement for engagement therewith . in many cases , the seals of the present invention will be formed of appropriate plastic material chosen for individual applications ; in one embodiment of the present invention , such plastic seals will be assembled using various types of adhesives or , for the embodiments particularly illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the cover and body portions of the seal assembly may be sealed ultrasonically using conventional equipment which will provide a more secure seal assembly for many applications . to this end , certain portions of the body and cover members may be provided with a small ridge of plastic material seen in fig3 and 4 and designated generally by reference numeral 50 , on those parts of the seal which are in mating contact with each other . thus , for example , on the cover assembly a bead 50 of the plastic material ( the balance of the seal likewise being made of the same or similar plastic material ) is located on the downwardly extending shoulder 40 ; on the body portion , the ridge 50 may extend about the shoulder 20 and further , there may be provided a ridge or bead of plastic material 52 on the raised land portion 24 so that when the cover and bottom members are placed in juxtaposition with each other , and then subjected to ultrasonic sealing , the ridge or beads 50 and 52 will melt and secure the touching portions together in a very strong bond . as seen from fig4 a guide 60 may be employed for guiding the leg 32 into the proper area of the body , when it is inserted . alternatively , it will be appreciated that appropriate glue , adhesive or other suitable means for securing the cover and body portions together may be employed as is conventionally available to those skilled in the art . preferably , in use , the front of the seal is constituted by the side where cover portion 12 has been secured to body 10 so that if tampering is attempted through the sealed joint , this would be readily evident on the front of the seal . in assembly , as indicated above , the cover and body members are placed in juxtaposition , normally after one leg of the shackle assembly is inserted into the seal with the hook 36 being placed onto the channel adjacent shoulder 25 ; this may also engage notch 27 . the seals are thus distributed in a manner illustrated in fig2 so that the user merely places the body 30 of the shackle about the item to be secured , and then by inwardly bending the leg 34 into the aperture 38 and downwardly forcing the same into the locking position with the shoulder 26 , a permanent connection is made . in fig3 a and 3b , there is illustrated an alternative embodiment for the body of the seal . in this embodiment , the land portion 24a of the lower body portion 10a is of the same general configuration ( except as described herein ) as that of land portion 24 of fig3 and 4 . however , in the case of fig3 a , the land portion 24a has an outer peripheral raised edge 62 defining the land portion 24a . within the raised edge 62 , the land 24 comprises a recessed cavity 64 for receiving a mating component associated with the cover portion 12a . cover portion 12a , as shown in fig3 b , comprises a mating or cooperating tab or member 66 . member 66 comprises an enlarged portion at one end forming shoulder 68 and elongated narrower portion 70 . as will be appreciated , member 66 is dimensioned so as to fit within cavity 64 of lower body portion 10a so that shoulder 68 engages the inner surface 26a and elongated portion 70 seats within its corresponding portion in cavity 64 . in this respect , the end portion 65 may be made solid to fill - up that area not otherwise occupied by the member 66 . if desired , a bead of plastic material , ( not shown ), may be provided on cooperating member 66 so that when the seal is subjected to ultrasonic sealing , the bead will melt and secure the member 66 within the cavity 64 . it will be understood that various modifications can be made to the above described embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention herein .	6
fig2 depicts the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 as put forth in the present invention . it essentially comprises a signal amplifier 21 , an analog - to - digital converter 22 , a computer 23 , a digital input / output device 24 , an electrocardiogram signal detector 25 , an “ execution ” button 26 , and a case 32 . the case 32 is a rectangular container whose dimensions are 14 cm × 11 cm × 4 . 5 cm , and it contains the signal amplifier 21 , the analog - to - digital converter 22 , the computer 23 and the digital input / output device 24 . the electrocardiogram signal detector 25 is composed of three detection electrodes 251 . one end of each detection electrode 251 is connected to the subject , and the other end passes through the case 32 to be connected to the signal amplifier 21 so as to capture a person electrocardiogram signals and transmit them to the signal amplifier 21 . after being amplified by the signal amplifier 21 , the electrocardiogram signals are converted into digital signals by means of the analog - to - digital converter 22 , and then are entered into the computer 23 . the computer 23 executes a program 231 to carry out a series of analyses and control - related tasks ( for further details , please refer to later description ). the digital input / output device 24 functions as the transmission interface between the computer 23 and the “ execution ” button 26 . in practice , being a user - machine interface intended for external communication , the digital input / output device 24 may be additionally connected to a “ noise ” indicator 33 , a “ no signal ” indicator 34 , a “ print ” indicator 35 , a “ recording ” indicator 36 , and a “ stand by ” indicator 37 , to indicate the status of the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 . moreover , the digital input / output device 24 may be connected to a “ cancel ” button 27 for the sake of manual interruption of the process . the above - mentioned buttons 26 and 27 as well as various indicators 33 - 37 may be installed on the same side of the case 32 to facilitate control and surveillance . cables 38 connect the signal amplifier 21 and the analog - to - digital converter 22 , the analog - to - digital converter 22 and the computer 23 , and the computer 23 and the digital input / output device 24 to transmit signals . in addition , the computer 23 may be connected to a display 29 and a printer 30 , so as to display and print the findings of the heart rate variability analysis of the electrocardiogram signals . the signal amplifier 21 may be connected to a battery 31 or an ac power source to meet its electric demand . the process of heart rate variability analysis put forth in the present invention is shown in fig3 . the following is the explanation of the analytical process , with references made to the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 depicted in fig2 . the “ stand by ” indicator 37 gets turned on as soon as the power for the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 is switched on , telling the user that the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 is standing by . all the procedures of the heart rate variability analysis are started by the “ execution ” button 26 . immediately after the user pressed the “ execution ” button 26 , the “ recording ” indicator 36 turns on , and the electrocardiogram signal detector 25 begins to capture a transient electrocardiogram signal which is then amplified by the signal amplifier 21 or additionally undergoes wave filtration performed with a band pass filter before being sent to the analog - to - digital converter 22 . after that , the user performs analog - to - digital conversion , and carries out sampling at a rate of 256 to 2048 times per second on the electrocardiogram signal by means of the analog - to - digital converter 22 , which is under the control of the program 231 . in the meantime , the program 231 may have an additional function of detecting the 50 / 60 hz components of the electrocardiogram signal . the “ noise ” indicator 33 gets turned on whenever the signal is too strong . the peak of the electrocardiogram signal corresponding to each heartbeat , i . e ., the qrs wave , is searched out ( please refer to fig4 ), and it stands for each heartbeat . the “ no signal ” indicator 34 turns on whenever no peak is identified . the program 231 measures parameters such as height and duration of the peak of each heartbeat , and calculates the mean and standard deviation of individual parameters in order to create a standard template . afterward , each of the heartbeat peaks is compared with the template . in comparison , a heartbeat peak found to fall beyond a first predetermined standard deviation of the standard template is deemed a noise and , therefore , should be deleted . in practice , the first predetermined standard deviation is mostly set to three standard deviations . the interval between the respective peaks of two successive heart - beats is measured to be the period of heartbeat at that point . the mean and standard deviation of all the heartbeat intervals are figured out , and then all the heartbeat intervals are verified . a heartbeat interval which falls beyond a second predetermined standard deviation is deemed as either a noise or an unstable signal , and thus it has to be deleted . similarly , the second predetermined standard deviation is generally set to be as large as three standard deviations . all qualified peaks are sampled at an appropriate frequency , e . g ., 7 . 11 hz , and performed interpolation to keep the time consecution , with the program 231 to detect and see whether the “ cancel ” button 27 is pressed . if it is , the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 returns to the standby status ; otherwise , the next step proceeds . moreover , the program 231 is used to judge whether the amount of data is enough . if negative , the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 continues to capture electrocardiogram signals so as to form a loop ; otherwise , the next step proceeds . fourier transform is adopted in spectrum analysis . in the first place , any linear drift of signal is eliminated to evade the interference from low - frequency band , and the hamming computation is employed to prevent the mutual leakage between individual frequency components of the spectrum . after that , 288 - second data ( 2048 points ) is taken and fast fourier transform is conducted so as to acquire heart rate power spectral density ( hpsd ), and the compensation with regard to any effects of sampling and hamming computation is performed . the powers of the lf ( 0 . 04 - 0 . 15 hz ) and hf ( 0 . 15 - 0 . 4 hz ) bands of the heart rate power spectral density are quantified by integral , and the quantitative parameters like lf / hf or tp are figured out as well , as shown in fig5 . eventually , the findings are displayed on the display 29 or printed out with the printer 30 . the “ print ” indicator 35 turns on whenever the printer 30 is printing . in addition to external installation , the display 29 and the printer 30 may also be built - in , that is , installed inside the heart rate variability analytical apparatus 20 . the program 231 not only measures , filters and analyzes electrocardiogram signals , but , as illustrated with the present embodiment , also has the additional function of controlling the steps of the aforesaid heart rate variability analytical method , so a user merely needs to press the “ execution ” button 26 to accomplish all the steps . unlike a conventional heart rate variability analysis that requires a user to enter a large amount of data , the present invention reduces the number of keystrokes to one during the process of heart rate variability analysis , and even the traditional keyboard can be replaced with a button , under the integrated control of the computer program . the method put forth in the present invention may not only be applied to small machines , but also provide a friendly operating interface . besides tremendously minimizing operational errors , it becomes accessible to laymen . in practice , the heart rate variability analytical apparatus put forth in the present invention is quite time - saving and easy to use , as it prints out a person heart rate variability analytical result and autonomic function data in just five minutes after a button is pressed . the above - described embodiments of the present invention are intended to be illustrative only . numerous alternative embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the following claims .	0
the following detailed description is directed to technologies for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . through the use of the technologies and concepts presented herein , a software product key can be associated with a user id and stored on an application server . the remotely stored product key can be recovered by the application itself using credentials from the associated user without the user having to receive or enter the product key manually . also , product activation can be carried out autonomously by the application as a background process . this may occur without user intervention . while the subject matter described herein is presented in the general context of program modules that execute in conjunction with the execution of an operating system and application programs on a computer system , those skilled in the art will recognize that other implementations may be performed in combination with other types of program modules . generally , program modules include routines , programs , components , data structures , and other types of structures that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . moreover , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the subject matter described herein may be practiced with other computer system configurations , including hand - held devices , multiprocessor systems , microprocessor - based or programmable consumer electronics , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . in the following detailed description , references are made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof , and which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments or examples . referring now to the drawings , in which like numerals represent like elements through the several figures , aspects of a computing system and methodology for simplifying software license management by associating a product key with a user id and storing the key to a remote application server . turning now to fig1 , details will be provided regarding techniques for simplifying the purchase , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . in particular , a user 110 can operate a user system 115 . the user system 115 can be a typical computer system , such as a desktop or a laptop . the user system 115 can also be an embedded computer system such as a handheld computer , a kiosk , a mobile terminal , a mobile telephone , a set top box , or any other type of computer system . the user system 115 can be attached to a computer network 105 . through the computer network 105 , the user 110 operating the user system 115 may access an application vendor 140 . the user 110 may request purchase of application software from the application vendor 140 . at the time of purchasing software from the application vendor 140 , a product key 155 may be associated with the software product being purchased . the application vendor 140 may associate the product key 155 with a user id 112 of the user 110 . this associated product key 155 and user id 112 may be stored on an application server 130 by the application vendor 140 . prior to storing the product key 155 on the application server 130 , a key distribution server 150 may have been accessed to supply the product key 155 to the application vendor 140 . an application client 120 may be downloaded over the network 105 to the user system 115 after the user 110 purchases the software product , or license , from the application vendor 140 . the application client 120 may be executed upon the user system 115 . upon the first execution , the user 110 may be prompted to enter their user id 112 and other credentials such as a password or information associated with the user 110 . this user information may be used by the application client 120 to retrieve the product key 155 from the application server 130 over the network 105 . automatic retrieval of the product key 155 by the application client 120 can replace the traditional manual entry of the product key 155 . at any point where the user 110 is requested to supply their credentials , such as their user id 112 , the user &# 39 ; s information can be authenticated against an authentication server 170 . such authentication can support verification that the user is who they claim to be . as part of the initial execution of the application client 120 , the software application may be activated using the activation server 160 over the network 105 . the activation procedure may be carried out by the application client 120 as a background process . this autonomous activation of the application software by the application client 120 can replace the traditional operation of manual activation that typically involved user intervention . the user system 115 , the key distribution server 150 , the application server 130 , the authentication server 170 , the activation server 160 , and servers associated with the application vendor 140 may all be computer systems . some of these computer systems may involve components in common , or may be co - located . for example , the key distribution server 150 , the application server 130 , the authentication server 170 , the activation server 160 , servers associated with the application vendor 140 , or any subset thereof may by operated by the software manufacturer . in another example , the application vendor 140 may be a third party operating with the authority of the software manufacturer , or as a retail distribution affiliate of the software manufacturer . in yet another example , the authentication server 170 may be operated by a third party security provider . turning now to fig2 , additional details will be provided regarding techniques for simplifying the purchase , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . in particular , a functional block diagram illustrates various components of a licensing management system 200 for software products according to aspects of an embodiment presented herein . a user 110 can initiate the purchase of application software from an application vendor 140 . in response to the purchase of application software , the application vendor 140 can request a product key 155 from a key distribution server 150 . in response , the key distribution server 150 can provide a product key 155 to the application vendor 140 . the application vendor 140 can associate the product key 155 with information related to the purchasing user , such as a user id 112 . the application vendor 140 can cause the associated product key 155 and user id 112 to be stored at an application server 130 . after the product key 155 has been obtained and properly stored , the application client 120 associated with the software being purchased can be downloaded from the application vendor 140 to the user system 115 . the application client 120 downloaded at the time of purchase can be a low impact software module that is a reduced version of a full application client 120 . according to one embodiment , the downloaded module may provide an icon , shortcut , or other mechanism for launching the purchased application , along with a bootstrapping mechanism for obtaining remaining modules of the full application client 120 as needed . the downloaded low impact module can also contain the functionality for obtaining the product key 155 and also for authenticating the user 110 and activating the purchased software against an activation server 160 . as such , a downloaded low impact module can support the technologies discussed herein for simplifying the purchase , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . after an application client 120 has been delivered to a user system 115 , the user 110 can execute the application client 120 . upon the first execution of the application client 120 , the user 110 may be prompted by the application client 120 to enter their user credentials . the user credentials can include a user id 112 , a user password , and other information associated with the user . in response to this request , the user 110 can provide their user credentials to the application client 120 . the application client 120 can authenticate the user credential information against an authentication server 170 . the authentication server 170 can provide an authentication token to the application client 120 . once the application client 120 has authenticated the user 110 to be who they claim to be , the application client 120 can pass the user credentials , or a related authentication token , to an application server 130 . at the same time , the application client 120 can also pass along product information associated with the application client 120 . the product information may include an identifier of the application that was purchased , the version number , language , license type , and so forth . the application server 130 can use the information provided to it by the application client 120 to locate the product key 155 that was previously stored to the application server 130 . the application server 130 can provide the product key 155 associated with the application client 120 and the user 110 to the application client 120 . thus , the application client 120 may retrieve its own product key 155 from the application server 130 . this retrieval may be based upon the user id 112 of the purchasing user . the application client 120 can submit an activation request to an activation server 160 . this activation procedure can occur as a background operation of the application client 120 . in response to receiving an activation request from the application client 120 , the activation server 160 can provide activation to the application client 120 . the activation may take the form of an activation certificate . this functionality can support autonomous activation , by the application client 120 , of the software applications associated with the application client 120 . this activation can be performed , in the background , without the traditional intervention of the user 110 . it should be appreciated that the activation exchange with the activation server 160 may also involve , or be performed by , the application server 130 . according to one embodiment , a software licensing system 200 may be used for purchasing microsoft office office automation software from microsoft , corporation . for example , microsoft office version 14 may use software license management technologies discussed herein . using these technologies can support purchase , product key 155 provisioning , and activation of microsoft office using an online application vendor 140 . a user 110 can request to purchase microsoft office from an application vendor 140 . according to one embodiment , the application vendor 140 may be digital river , incorporated . during the online purchase procedure , the user 110 may be requested to enter their user id 112 to the application vendor 140 . in this example , the user id 112 may be a windows live id ( wlid ) associated with the user 110 . identification information supplied by the user 110 , including their user id 112 , may be authenticated against an authentication server 170 . during an online software purchase operation for microsoft office , the user 110 may specify a specific flavor of microsoft office that they are interested in purchasing . one example of a specific flavor of microsoft office may be a trial version that may allow the user to try the software prior to making a purchase . in such an example , the product key 155 provided may be a time limited key supplied without payment . another example of a specific flavor may be a permanent license version of microsoft office . such a permanent license may be considered to be similar to a traditional license as supplied when purchasing the boxed cd - rom version of a software package . yet another specific flavor of microsoft office may be a temporary subscription . for example , a temporary subscription may involve a product key 155 lasting a term of one year , or some other amount of time . in all of these cases , the specific product key may be requested by the application vendor 140 , such as digital river , from a key distribution system 150 . in this example , the key distribution system may be a microsoft sellkeys server operated by microsoft corporation . once a product key 155 is issued from a key distribution server 150 , the application vendor 140 may support download of the selected flavor of the application client 120 , or microsoft office client , according to one example . during this purchase procedure , the user 110 may not have a product key 155 explicitly provided to them . instead , the application vendor 140 may pass the product key 155 acquired from the key distribution server 150 on to the application server 130 . at the application server 130 , the product key 155 may be associated with the user id 112 of the user 110 . in this example , the application server 130 may be an office live server operated by microsoft , corporation . in association with the office live server , the user id 112 may take the form of a wlid . the product key 155 may be stored on the office live server so as to allow retrieval based upon the user id 112 , or wlid , of the user 110 . the office live server may store product keys 155 for multiple software application in association with each user id 112 or wlid . once the downloaded microsoft office product has been delivered to the user system 115 , the user 110 can execute the microsoft office client as the application client 120 . during initial execution of the microsoft office client , the user 110 may be requested to enter user credentials . these user credentials can include a user id 112 , wlid , or other user related information . the microsoft office client may authenticate the user credential information against an authentication server 170 . in this example , the authentication server 170 may be a windows live server where the windows live server is capable of authenticating a wlid provided by a user 110 . in another example , the authentication server 170 can be the authentication server associated with the hotmail email system from microft corporation , or the dot - net internet services from microsoft corporation . after successfully authenticating the user 110 , the application client 120 , or in this example the microsoft office client , may pass an authentication token to an application server 130 such as the microsoft office live server . the application client 120 may also pass specific information regarding the software product being used to the office live server . this specific information can include the version of the software product , the language of the software product , such as english , japanese , french , or spanish , or so forth . in response , the application server 130 , or in one example the office live server , may supply a product key 155 to the application client 120 . as discussed , the application client 120 can perform an activation request against an activation server 160 and receive an activation certificate . this activation process can occur in the background without manual intervention of the user 110 . referring now to fig3 , additional details will be provided regarding the embodiments presented herein for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . in particular , fig3 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a process 300 for managing licenses associated with software products . it should be appreciated that the logical operations described herein are implemented ( 1 ) as a sequence of computer implemented acts or program modules running on a computing system and / or ( 2 ) as interconnected machine logic circuits or circuit modules within the computing system . the implementation is a matter of choice dependent on the performance and other requirements of the computing system . accordingly , the logical operations described herein are referred to variously as state operations , structural devices , acts , or modules . these operations , structural devices , acts and modules may be implemented in software , in firmware , in special purpose digital logic , and any combination thereof . it should also be appreciated that more or fewer operations may be performed than shown in the figures and described herein . these operations may also be performed sequentially , in parallel , or in a different order than those described herein . the routine 300 begins at operation 310 , where a user 110 can initiate the purchase of an application software license from an application vendor 140 . at operation 320 , a product key 155 can be associated with a user id 112 of the user 110 . the associated user id 112 and product key 155 pair may then be stored to an application server 130 by the application vendor 140 . at the time of purchase of the software product license , the product key 155 can be obtained by the application vendor 140 from the key distribution server 150 . at operation 330 , the application client 120 can prompt the user 110 to enter their user credentials , such as their user id 112 . the request for user credentials can occur when the user 110 executes the application for the first time . these user credentials can include a user id 112 , a password , other user information , or any combination thereof . at operation 340 , the application client can authenticate the user id 112 obtained in operation 330 against an authentication server 170 . the authentication procedure is optional . at operation 350 , the application client 120 can retrieve its product key 155 from the application server 130 . the product key 155 can be retrieved using the authenticated user id 112 as obtained from the user 110 in operation 330 . at operation 360 , the application client 120 can activate itself autonomously to an activation server 160 as a background operation . this background operation can occur without manual intervention from the user 110 . the routine 300 can terminate after operation 360 . turning now to fig4 , an illustrative computer architecture 400 can execute software components described herein for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products . the computer architecture shown in fig4 illustrates a conventional desktop , laptop , or server computer and may be utilized to execute any aspects of the software components presented herein . it should be appreciated however , that the described software components can also be executed on other example computing environments , such as mobile devices , television , set - top boxes , kiosks , vehicular information systems , mobile telephones , embedded systems , or otherwise . any one or more of the user system 115 , the key distribution server 150 , the application server 130 , the authentication server 170 , the activation server 160 , and servers associated with the application vendor 140 may be implemented as computer systems 400 according to embodiments . the computer architecture illustrated in fig4 can include a central processing unit 10 ( cpu ), a system memory 13 , including a random access memory 14 ( ram ) and a read - only memory 16 ( rom ), and a system bus 11 that can couple the system memory 13 to the cpu 10 . a basic input / output system containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer 5 , such as during startup , can be stored in the rom 16 . the computer 400 may further include a mass storage device 15 for storing an operating system 18 , software , data , and various program modules , such as those associated with the application client 120 . the application client 120 can execute portions of software components described herein . a product key 155 associated with the application client 120 may be stored on the mass storage device 15 . the mass storage device 15 can be connected to the cpu 10 through a mass storage controller ( not illustrated ) connected to the bus 11 . the mass storage device 15 and its associated computer - readable media can provide non - volatile storage for the computer 5 . although the description of computer - readable media contained herein refers to a mass storage device , such as a hard disk or cd - rom drive , it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that computer - readable media can be any available computer storage media that can be accessed by the computer 400 . by way of example , and not limitation , computer - readable media may include volatile and non - volatile , removable and non - removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer - readable instructions , data structures , program modules or other data . for example , computer - readable media includes , but is not limited to , ram , rom , eprom , eeprom , flash memory or other solid state memory technology , cd - rom , digital versatile disks ( dvd ), hd - dvd , blu - ray , or other optical storage , magnetic cassettes , magnetic tape , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other medium which can be used to store the desired information and which can be accessed by the computer 400 . according to various embodiments , the computer 400 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to remote computers through a network such as the network 105 . the computer 400 may connect to the network 105 through a network interface unit 19 connected to the bus 11 . it should be appreciated that the network interface unit 19 may also be utilized to connect to other types of networks and remote computer systems . the computer 400 may also include an input / output controller 12 for receiving and processing input from a number of other devices , including a keyboard , mouse , or electronic stylus ( not illustrated ). similarly , an input / output controller 12 may provide output to a video display , a printer , or other type of output device ( also not illustrated ). as mentioned briefly above , a number of program modules and data files may be stored in the mass storage device 15 and ram 14 of the computer 400 , including an operating system 18 suitable for controlling the operation of a networked desktop , laptop , server computer , or other computing environment . the mass storage device 15 , rom 16 , and ram 14 may also store one or more program modules . in particular , the mass storage device 15 , the rom 16 , and the ram 14 may store the application client 120 for execution by the cpu 10 . the application client 120 can include software components for implementing portions of the processes discussed in detail with respect to fig1 - 3 . the mass storage device 15 , the rom 16 , and the ram 14 may also store other types of program modules . the mass storage device 15 , the rom 16 , and the ram 14 can also store a product key 155 associated with the application client 120 and other product keys associated with other applications . based on the foregoing , it should be appreciated that technologies for simplifying the purchase , licensing , delivery , installation , and activation of software products are provided herein . although the subject matter presented herein has been described in language specific to computer structural features , methodological acts , and computer readable media , it is to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features , acts , or media described herein . rather , the specific features , acts and mediums are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims . the subject matter described above is provided by way of illustration only and should not be construed as limiting . various modifications and changes may be made to the subject matter described herein without following the example embodiments and applications illustrated and described , and without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention , which is set forth in the following claims .	6
in one embodiment of the present invention , preferred crystal orientation and effective stress control are achieved simultaneously in piezoelectric aluminum nitride films deposited with ac ( for example , 40 khz ) reactive sputtering processes using a dual cathode s - gun magnetron , and also in molybdenum electrodes deposited by a dc powered version of the s - gun . in this preferred embodiment , the sputter system employed is the endeavor - at manufactured by tegal corporation equipped with the s - gun magnetrons , but the result of this invention can be applied to other deposited films and other sputter systems . in the schematic illustration provided in fig1 , a number of key attributes of the preferred embodiment are shown . the preferred embodiment consists of a process chamber 110 within which is contained a cavity 115 . two conical sputter targets , an outer sputter target 110 and an inner sputter target 120 , are mounted concentrically around a center shield 130 . center shield 130 can receive a bias , can be left floating , or can be grounded . additional shields 140 in the preferred embodiment are shown at the top and periphery of the process chamber 110 . a wafer land 150 is shown supporting substrate 155 at the top of the process chamber in this preferred embodiment in which the side of the substrate upon which the sputtered layer is deposited faces downward into the cavity 115 containing sputter targets 110 and 120 . wafer land 150 is connected to a power supply 200 to produce a bias on the wafer during deposition when required . in the preferred embodiment for reactive sputtering of aluminum nitride and other dielectric films , an ac power supply 160 with a bimodal output signal is electrically connected between the outer sputter target 110 and the inner sputter target 120 . in another preferred embodiment for the sputtering of metal films , power supply 160 is a dc power supply . additionally , the process chamber has an attached vacuum pumping system 180 that typically consists of a turbomolecular pump and a backing pump such as a diaphragm pump . a gas source 190 is connected through a gas delivery system to provide the process gases required for operation of the sputter system . typical operating pressures for the sputter system in the preferred configuration are between 0 . 001 torr and 0 . 010 torr . in operation during in this preferred embodiment , the sputtering tool is evacuated to a base pressure of less than the operating pressure , and preferably less than 1 × 10 − 7 torr using vacuum pumping system 180 . in the case in which the preferred embodiment is used to reactively sputter deposit a film , argon gas mixed with a reactive gas such as oxygen or nitrogen , is provided from gas source 190 and delivered to process chamber 110 through gas delivery system 195 . a plasma discharge is generated by applying power from power supply 160 at between 20 - 200 khz , and preferably 40 khz , between the sputter targets 110 and 120 . magnetic fields are generally present in the vicinity of sputter targets 110 and 120 to enhance ionization of the process gas . typical aluminum nitride ac reactive sputtering processes achieve deposition rates of approximately 60 nm / min at a cathode power of 5 . 5 kw . in another preferred embodiment in which a reactive sputtering process is not required as , for example , for the deposition of metal films , argon gas is provided from gas source 190 and delivered to process chamber 110 through gas delivery system 195 . a plasma discharge is generated by applying dc power from power supply 160 . magnetic fields are present in the vicinity of the sputter targets 110 and 120 to enhance ionization of the process gas . typical dc sputtering processes for molybdenum have deposition rates of 400 nm / min at a cathode power of 6 kw . in the s - gun configuration manufactured by tegal corporation , the material from the sputter targets 110 and 120 travels upward toward a substrate and lands on the side of the substrate 155 that faces downward toward the sputter targets . the substrate 155 facing the sputter targets 110 and 120 can be either the frontside or the backside of the wafer depending on which side of the wafer requires the sputter deposited film . the wafer support assembly 150 is connected to power supply 200 . in the embodiment in which the wafer assembly 150 provides for biasing of the substrate , rf power is applied to the wafer support assembly 150 from power supply 200 , typically , in the range of 0 - 100 watts , igniting a rf plasma discharge in the wafer vicinity , which generates a negative self - bias potential on the substrate 155 resulting in ion bombardment during film growth . in the preferred embodiment , aluminum nitride and molybdenum films are deposited at ambient temperature , without external heating , although the s - gun is equipped with a heater that could be utilized . for pre - deposition wafer treatment , a capacitively coupled planar rf plasma etch module is typically employed to pre - clean the wafer surface prior to deposition . in - plane residual stress ( stress parallel to the substrate surface ) in the deposited films was calculated using maps of the wafer curvature radius before and after deposition obtained by an fsm - 128 , laser beam - based thin film stress and flatness measurement system . a philips x &# 39 ; pert mrd x - ray diffractometer was employed to measure the crystallographic orientation of deposited films . a plot of the full width at half maximum ( fwhm ) values for sputter - deposited aluminum nitride films ( 002 ) and molybdenum ( 110 ) diffraction peaks were measured by completing rocking curve measurements in three points on each sample . scanning electron microscope ( sem ) and atomic force microscope ( afm ) observations were used also to explore the film morphology and grain structure . fig2 shows that the full width at half maximum value ( fwhm ) for aluminum nitride films directly correlates with the fwhm value of the molybdenum underlayer . highly oriented aluminum nitride films with fwhm & lt ; 2 ° have been obtained on molybdenum electrodes when fwhm crystallographic orientation of the underlying molybdenum is less than 3 °. fig3 shows that as rf bias on the wafer support assembly 150 is increased , stress levels in deposited molybdenum films are reduced and that the least acceptable crystal orientations are produced in the molybdenum films where the diffraction angle is & gt ; 2 degrees . it is the intent of the present invention to overcome the limitation imposed on achieving both desirable crystallographic orientation and low stress . in the present invention , a two - step molybdenum deposition process is taught that provides a method for creating superior crystal orientation in sputtered films in combination with near zero or , if required , compressive stress in deposited molybdenum films . the process flow for the bottom molybdenum electrode consists of a rf plasma etch of the wafer and a “ seed layer ” deposition to initiate oriented molybdenum grain growth at the start of the sputter deposition process . thin titanium or aluminum nitride films can be used as seed layers to initiate preferred molybdenum grain growth . deposition of the first 10 - 30 % of the total thickness of the molybdenum electrode is completed in the preferred embodiment without rf bias on substrate 155 . the remaining 70 - 90 % of the molybdenum film is deposited with bias . the molybdenum electrodes deposited by this technique exhibit strong ( 110 ) crystallographic orientation with fwhm & lt ; 2 ° and have a columnar grain structure and pebble - like surface morphology with root mean square surface roughness of approximately 0 . 5 nm as shown in fig5 a and 5 b . the formation of bottom electrodes with preferred crystallographic orientation enables the growth of highly oriented aluminum nitride films with very sharp ( 002 ) x - ray diffraction peaks ( fwhm = 1 . 3 ° and 0 . 9 ° for 1000 nm and 2000 nm thick films , respectively ). fig6 shows a cross - sectional sem image of well oriented aluminum nitride film that was deposited on a molybdenum electrode . additionally , fig7 shows x - ray rocking curves of the same aluminum nitride and molybdenum films that also demonstrate the preferred crystallographic orientations of fwhm = 1 . 3 ° for aluminum nitride and a fwhm = 2 ° for the molybdenum films that are available using the inventive process . in general , the optimization of the aluminum nitride reactive sputtering process by the s - gun is performed to optimize the crystallographic orientation of the film to produce , in the ideal case , as close to a perfect ( 002 ) crystal orientation , with optimized film thickness and uniformity prior to introducing the stress adjustment . if the preliminary optimized deposition process produces tensile stress , the s - gun , by design , creates the opportunity for reducing the stress value to zero , or converting it to compressive stress , by means of film deposition with active rf substrate bias using power supply 200 . applying relatively low rf power in the range of 0 - 60 w enables a remarkable stress tailoring in the films from tensile + 300 mpa to compressive − 500 mp as illustrated in fig8 . the two - step deposition process taught in the present invention overcomes the limitations of current sputtering tools and processes for obtaining preferred crystal orientation in molybdenum films deposited with rf bias compared to the films deposited without rf bias . the two - step deposition for controlling the preferred crystallographic orientation in deposited molybdenum films behaves similarly for aluminum nitride . that is , the two - step process eliminates the observed limitations of existing tools and processes for achieving preferred crystallographic orientation of deposited films when aluminum nitride thin films are deposited with substrate bias . in the first step of the two - step process , the deposition is performed without bias on substrate 155 during film nucleation and initial grain formation , and then in the second step of the two - step process , rf bias is applied to substrate 155 during bulk film growth to preserve the preferred crystallographic orientation and to reduce tensile stress in the deposited aluminum nitride films . in this preferred embodiment , the deposition of aluminum nitride films on underlying molybdenum films with preferred crystallographic orientation is taught . this approach , however , is not limited to the use of aluminum nitride as the dielectric or to molybdenum as the underlying metal layer upon which the crystallographically - oriented dielectric layer is deposited . the two - step approach taught in the present invention can be effective for depositing any dielectric or conductive thin films that is reactively sputtered and any metal film that is sputtered using dc power applied to the target or targets . examples of other films that can be deposited using the present invention are titanium nitride , silicon nitride , aluminum oxide , silicon oxide , chromium oxynitride , tantalum oxide , tantalum nitride , platinum , chromium , nickel , nickel vanadium , ruthenium , iridium , among many others in which the sputter deposited films require preferred crystallographic orientation and low stress levels . other embodiments of the sputtering equipment and the applicable film structures will be apparent to persons of ordinary skill in the art . the invention is , therefore , to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims . h . windischmann , crit . rev . solid state mater . sci . 17 , 547 ( 1992 ). k . f . chiu , z . h . barber , and r . e . somekh , thin solid films , 39 - 42 , 343 ( 1999 ). g . este and w . d . westwood , j . vac . sci . technol . a5 , 1892 ( 1987 ). g . iriarte , f . engelmark , m . ottosson , and i . katardjiev , j . mater . res . 18 , 423 ( 2003 ). y . oshmyansky , j . larson , r . ruby , and s . mishin , semicond . int ., march 2003 .	2
fig1 schematically illustrates a watercraft 1 with a water - jet drive mechanism 2 . same consists substantially of an elbow 3 , in which a propeller pump 4 is supported . the propeller pump is driven by a motor 5 through drive elements which will be described below . the elbow is pivotable about a pivot axis 6 and is supported drivably therefor . the propeller shaft which carries the propeller of the propeller pump 4 is inclined to the pivot axis . the ejector passage 7 of the elbow is directed inclined downwardly . the watercraft is driven by the ejected water jet and is controlled by pivoting the elbow . however , in the absence of the invention , the water jet is not angled downwardly , but instead the direction of the jet , as indicated at 8 , lies along the hull of the ship , which results in the above - described disadvantages . with the invention , which is described in greater detail hereafter in connection with fig2 and 3 , the water jet is directed at a downward inclination , as indicated at 9 . the water - jet drive mechanism will be referred to hereinafter more briefly as the drive mechanism . fig2 illustrates a drive mechanism , in which the propeller pump 10 is arranged , in contrast to fig1 parallel to but eccentrically of the pivot axis 6 of the elbow 3 . the propeller pump is driven by the motor 5 through a drive shaft 11 , a bevel gear set 12 , a spur gear set 13 and a propeller shaft 14 , on which the propeller of the propeller pump 10 is mounted . the invention is also usable for embodiments in which the propeller shaft is supported axially with respect to the pivot axis 6 . the elbow 3 is pivotally housed within a recess defined by a housing 20 fixed within the watercraft 1 . the elbow 3 can be pivoted about the axis 6 by being driven by a second motor 15 ( here mounted on the housing 20 ) through a gear drive 16 or the like . a suitable bearing 17 and seal 18 are provided between the elbow 3 and housing 20 . the elements and principles for this are known , and thus parts 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 are only schematically illustrated . the propeller pump 10 sucks water in through a suction passage 19 and ejects it through the ejector passage 7 in a desired direction depending on the position of the elbow . in the absence of the invention , the jet flows along the surface of the hull of the ship , as shown at 8 in fig1 . to prevent this , an inlet opening 21 is provided in the housing 20 and at least one opening 22 is provided in the elbow . the openings 21 and 22 form at least one passageway through which air can pass from outside the housing 20 into the ejector passage 7 . a gap 23 between the housing and the elbow acts as an annular groove , which insures that in every position of the elbow air can pass serially through the openings 21 and 22 . the gap 23 is sealed from the outside on the one side by the water and on the other side by the seal 18 . if necessary , several inlet openings , an additional annular groove and additional seals can be provided . the described air supply takes care that the water jet does not lie against the hull of the ship , but indeed exits at a downward inclination , as at 9 in fig1 . the exemplary embodiment according to fig3 differs from the one according to fig2 in that the pump shaft 25 , on which the impeller of a centrifugal pump 24 is mounted , is supported so as to be inclined to the swivel axis 6 . the torque is transmitted through a cardan shaft 26 . in place of the cardan shaft , a suitable gear drive , for example a bevel gear set , can be provided . the fig3 embodiment differs further from that of fig2 in that the inlet opening 27 is provided higher in the housing , so that the air enters an annular chamber 28 , which is provided above the elbow 29 . from here an opening 30 extends into the ejector passage 7 . the annular chamber 28 is sealed off like in fig2 . the air supply here too causes the water jet 9 to exit inclined downwardly . it is also advantageous for several reasons , for example for the noise damping , if the inlet opening , or openings , 21 or 27 is , or are , connected to the exhaust passage of the motor 5 . &# 34 ; motor &# 34 ; in the sense of the invention is any power engine which serves the drive , for example an internal combustion engine , a gas or steam turbine or a steam engine . although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes , it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus , including the rearrangement of parts , lie within the scope of the present invention .	1
as used herein , the term &# 34 ; polyethylene &# 34 ; means essentially linear homopolymers of ethylene as well as essentially linear interpolymers of at least about 90 mole percent ethylene and up to about 10 mole percent of one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers copolymerizable therewith . the monomers suitably contain from about 3 to about 18 carbon atoms and include , for example , propylene , butene - 1 , pentene - 1 , 3 - methylbutene - 1 , 4 - methylpentene - 1 , hexene - 1 , octene - 1 , dodecene - 1 , octadecene - 1 , 1 , 7 - octadiene and the like . polyethylene resins are suitably prepared under conditions characteristic of ziegler polymerization in the presence of a transition metal - containing catalyst and at least one cocatalyst or activator . an illustrative catalyst is taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 244 , 838 . the use of that catalyst is taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 246 , 383 . other catalysts and processes may be used provided the polyethylene resins produced therewith meet the criteria specified herein . polyethylene resins used herein meet two criteria . first , the resins have a density of from about 0 . 94 to about 0 . 97 grams per cubic centimeter . second , the resins have a melt viscosity of from about 2000 to about 9000 poise ( 200 to 900 pascal seconds ). the polyethylene resins are beneficially chlorinated by the suspension or slurry process disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 454 , 544 , the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference thereto . in a typical slurry chlorination run , the polyethylene resins is first chlorinated up to a chlorine content of from about two to about ten percent while being heated from a temperature of about 90 ° to about 110 ° centigrade over a suitable time interval , e . g ., about ten minutes . the partially chlorinated resin is then further chlorinated by one of two alternative schedules . in one schedule , chlorination is continued while the slurry is heated to a line - out temperature over a short time interval , e . g ., about twenty minutes . the line - out temperature is chosen to achieve a desired amount of residual crystallinity as reflected by heat of fusion . a typical line - out temperature is in the range of from about 115 ° to about 123 ° centigrade . the term &# 34 ; line - out &# 34 ; is used herein to refer to a constant temperature of isotherm at which the slurry is maintained until chlorination is complete . in the second alternative , there is no line - out temperature . the slurry is simply heated at a constant rate , while continuing chlorination , until a final temperature and a desired chlorine content are reached . the final temperature and the line - out temperature are less than the crystalline melting point of the polyethylene starting material . as a general rule , the final temperature used in the second alternative must be higher than the line - out temperature of the first alternative in order to achieve the same level of crystallinity . the second alternative is used when a higher 100 percent modulus rating is desired . as a general rule , 100 percent modulus decreases as the amount of chlorine added at the line - out temperature increases and vise versa . the temperatures and times are readily determined without undue experimentation . it has been found that the solution process usually provides noncrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resins when the chlorine content is from about 25 to about 29 percent by weight of polymer . the fluidized bed ( bulk ) process produces chlorinated polyethylene resins which , although suitable for purposes of the present invention , tend to be less stable and have higher 100 % modulus values than resins having the same chlorine content but prepared by the suspension process . as such , the suspension chlorination process is preferred over either of the other processes . the chorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention have certain characteristic properties . the characteristic properties include chlorine content , heat of fusion , lightly formulated 100 percent modulus and formulated low temperature brittleness rating . the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention have a chemically combined chlorine content which is suitably from about 20 to about 33 , beneficially from about 23 to about 30 and desirably from about 24 to about 26 percent by weight of polymer . it has been found that a formulated low temperature brittleness rating of less than about - 25 ° centigrade , e . g ., - 3020 centigrade , cannot be attained if the chemically combined chlorine content is less than about 21 percent or greater than about 33 percent , based on chlorinated polyethylene weight . the chlorinated polyethylene resins have a heat of fusion , measured by differential scanning calorimetry , of from about 7 . 5 to about 16 , desirably from about 8 to about 14 , calories per gram . it has been found that as heat of fusion increases at a constant chlorine content , the formulated low temperature brittleness rating also degrades , e . g ., it occurs at temperatures above - 2520 centigrade . accordingly , care must be taken to avoid an excessively high heat of fusion . a heat of fusion of less than about 7 . 5 calories per gram is also to be avoided because 100 % modulus decreases as heat of fusion decreases . the chlorinated polyethylene resins have a melt viscosity of from about 5 , 000 to about 11 , 000 , desirably from about 5 , 500 to about 10 , 000 , poise . in terms of pascal seconds , the viscosity is from about 500 to about 1100 , desirably from about 550 to about 1000 . at viscosities of less than about 500 pascal seconds , the formulated low temperature brittleness rating increases above - 25 ° centigrade . at viscosities of greater than about 1100 pascal seconds , the resin becomes very difficult to process on conventional extrusion or calendering equipment used in making roofing membranes and conventional extrusion equipment used in making cable jackets . the chlorinated polyethylene resin has a lightly formulated 100 percent modulus of from about 150 to about 750 pounds per square inch ( 1 . 0 to 5 . 2 megapascals ), desirably from about 350 to about 650 pounds per square inch ( 2 . 4 to about 4 . 5 megapascals ). the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention may be used in preparing a variety of articles , e . g ., polymer - based membranes , wire and cable jackets and the like . the membranes are beneficially thermoplastic , but may be thermoset if vulcanized , e . g ., by radiation curing . the thermoplastic membrances have a membrane blocking value which is suitably less than 1 . 5 pounds per inch ( 26 . 8 kilograms per meter ) and desirably less than or equal to 1 . 0 pound per inch ( 17 . 8 kilograms per meter ). the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention may be compounded with other components such as fillers , pigments , stabilizers , process aids and the like . amounts and types of &# 34 ; other components &# 34 ; will vary depending upon factors such as effect upon composition properties and cost . fillers which may be used in conjunction with the resins of the present invention are finely - divided , inorganic materials or natural or synthetic origin in the form of regular or irregular particles , platelets or fibrous pieces . suitable materials include various types and grades of calcium carbonate ( whiting ), calcium sulfate , mica , talc , kaolin and other clay minerals , silicates , silica , barytes , magnesium oxide , magnesium carbonate , aluminum trihydrate and the like , and mixtures of such fillers . the fillers are suitably of a fineness sufficient to pass through a 100 - mesh screen sieve ( u . s . standard sieve series ). the fillers beneficially have equivalent spherical diameters less than about 15 microns . the fillers , whether used in preparing roofing membranes or wire and cable compounds , are suitably present in an amount of from about 10 to about 80 parts per hundred parts by weight of chlorinated polyethylene resin . the fillers are desirably present in an amount of from about 10 to about 50 parts per hundred parts by weight of chlorinated polyethylene resin . organic and mineral pigments which may be used in combination with the chlorinated polyethylene resin in roofing membrane compounds or wire and cable jacketing compounds include carbon black , titanium dioxide and the like as well as mixtures thereof . the pigments are suitably present in an amount of from about 2 to about 50 parts per hundred parts of chlorinated polyethylene resin . the amount of pigment is desirably from about 10 to about 40 parts per hundred parts of chlorinated polyethylene resin . stabilizers are normally used in conjunction with the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention in order to protect said resins against possible decomposition by heat of processing and the like . stabilizers conventionally used in preparation of vinyl polymer and copolymer sheet compositions are generally suitable . examples include organic complexes , oxides and / or salts of lead , tin , barium , cadmium , magnesium , sodium , etc . specific examples include dibasic lead phthalate , lead oxide , magnesium oxide , magnesium hydroxide , sodium phosphate , magnesium carbonate , barium - cadmium stearate and the like . small quantities of such stabilizers are generally effective . two to twenty parts of stabilizer per hundred parts of chlorinated polyethylene resin are generally suitable . compounds including the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention are suitably mixed by a heated two roll mill , a banbury type mixer , a compounding extruder or equivalent mixing and compounding equipment . the semicrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention , when used as part of a wire and cable jacketing compound , are suitably blended with a conventional semicrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resin such as that commercially available from the dow chemical company under the trade designation tyrin ® 2552 . satisfactory results , in terms of physical property retention with improved processability , are obtained when the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention are present in an amount of from about zero to about 50 percent by weight of all chlorinated polyethylene in the compound . the amount is beneficially from about zero to about 40 , and desirably from about five to about 30 , percent by weight of total chlorinated polyethylene content . the amount will vary with the properties of the chlorinated polyethylene resin of the present invention and the properties desired of the compound . it is , however , readily discernible without undue experimentation . commercially and practically viable wire and cable jacketing compounds have an elongation greater than about 350 percent , a 100 % modulus greater than about 1000 pounds per square inch ( psi ) ( 6 . 9 megapascals ( mpa )), an ultimate tensile strength greater than about 1300 psi ( 9 . 0 mpa ) and a low temperature brittleness rating of less than about - 25 ° centigrade . the following examples are solely for purposes of illustration and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention . all parts and percentages are on a weight basis unless otherwise stated . all water used herein is deionized unless otherwise stated . examples of the present invention are identified numerically whereas comparative examples are identified alphabetically . an aqueous slurry comprising about twenty pounds ( 9 . 07 kilograms ) of polyethylene resin , 25 milliliters of a surfactant commercially available from thomson hayward under the trade designation t - det n 9 . 5 , 100 grams of talc , commercially available from cyprus industrial minerals company under the trade designation mistron vapor ® and 189 pounds ( 85 . 73 kilograms ) of water was charged into a reactor and heated to a temperature of 100 ° centigrade . after venting the reactor to remove oxygen , the slurry was cooled to a temperature of about 95 ° centigrade before starting addition of gaseous chlorine . in stage one , chlorine was added to the reactor at a rate of 0 . 268 pounds per minute ( 0 . 12 kilograms per minute ), while the slurry was heated at a constant rate over a period of about 13 minutes to a temperature of about 110 ° centigrade . the chemically combined chlorine content at th end of the first stage was calculated to be about eight percent . in stage two , the slurry was heated at a constant rate over a period of about 23 minutes to a line - out temperature of from about 15 to about 123 ° centigrade while gaseous chlorine was added at a rate of 0 . 214 pounds per minute ( 0 . 097 kilograms per minute ). at a temperature of about 115 ° centigrade , an additional 100 grams of talc and two liters of water were added to the slurry . the chemically combined chlorine content at the end of the second stage was about 17 percent . chlorination was continued at the line - out temperature and the same flow rate of gaseous chlorine until a desired chemically combined chlorine content and heat of fusion were obtained . by way of example , a chlorine content of about 25 percent was obtained by chlorination at the line - out temperature for a period of about 23 minutes . the chlorinated resin was then cooled , washed with water and dried for further testing and compounding . table i contains a listing of the polyethylene resins chlorinated by the foregoing procedure . resin a was a powder prepared by a slurry process . it was not commercially available . resins b through e were prepared by a solution process and commercially available in pellet form from the dow chemical company under the trade designations listed in table i . accordingly , resins b through e were ground using the thermofine size reduction system ( standard se - 12 - c mill ) commercially available from wedco to a particle size of about 13 mils ( 0 . 33 millimiter ) prior to chlorination . table i______________________________________polyethylene feedstocks melt weightresin index vis - heat of averageidenti - ( g / 10 cosity fusion molecular tradefication min ) ( poise ) ( cal / g ) weight designation______________________________________a 8 . 58 3441 47 . 16 86 , 000 not applicableb 4 . 0 8535 34 . 36 86 , 000 pe / hd 04052nc 12 . 0 3875 34 . 08 62 , 000 pe / hd 12050nd 17 . 0 2893 33 . 37 54 , 000 pe / hd 17050ne 30 . 0 2031 38 . 05 57 , 000 pe / hd 30060m______________________________________ a . 100 parts of a chlorinated polyethylene resin prepared as hereinabove specified ; b . 2 . 5 parts of a barium - cadmium - zinc stabilizer commercially available from argus chemical under the trade designation mark ® 7119 ; c . 1 . 5 parts of an oxidized polyethylene wax commercially available from allied chemical corporation under the trade designation 629a wax ; e . 10 parts of talc commercially available from cyprus industrial minerals company under the trade designation mistron vapor ®; f . 0 . 7 parts pf a pentaerythritol diphosphite antioxidant commercially available from borg - warner chemical company under the trade designation ultranox ® 626 ; g . 0 . 5 parts of dilauryl thiodipropionate , a thioester antioxidant commercially available from carstab corporation under the trade designation dltdp ; h . 0 . 5 parts of an alkylated phenol antioxidant commercially available from ciba - geigy corporation under the trade designation irganox ® 1076 ; and i . 25 parts of titanium dioxide commercially available from e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; company under the trade designation tipure ® r - 960 . the physical blend was converted to a fused mixture using a two roll plastic compounding mill . the two roll mill had a set roll temperature of 320 ° fahrenheit ( 160 ° centigrade ). the fused mixture was then further processed on the same two roll mill at the same set temperature for an additional five minutes . the further processed mixture was removed from the two roll mill in the form of a smooth heat plastified sheet . the sheet had a thickness of 80 - 90 mils ( 0 . 20 - 0 . 23 centimeters ). pieces of the sheet were compression molded to form samples having a thickness of 0 . 065 inches ( 0 . 165 centimeters ). compression molding was accomplished in the following sequential manner using a hydraulic press : a . heating at a temperature of 350 ° fahrenheit ( 177 ° centigrade ) and at a force of 100 pounds per square inch ( 70 , 307 kilograms per square meter ) for a period of three minutes ; b . heating at the same temperature , but at a force of 333 pounds per square inch ( 234 , 122 kilograms per square metal ), for a period of three minutes ; c . cooling by circulating ambient water ( about 70 ° fahrenheit or about 21 ° centigrade ) through the press while maintaining the force at 333 pounds per square inch ( 234 , 122 kilograms per square meter ) for a period of three minutes . test specimens were cut from the samples so prepared for testing as hereinafter set forth . a . an amount ( see table iv ) of a chlorinated polyethylene resin having a chemically combined chlorine content of 25 percent , a nominal melt viscosity of 12 , 500 poise and a nominal heat of fusion of 11 calories per gram and being commercially available from the dow chemical company under the trade designation tyrin ® 2552 ; b . an amount ( see table iv ) of one of the chlorinated polyethylene resins ( see , table ii ) prepared as specified herein ; c . 6 parts of a lead phthalate stabilizer commercially available from associated lead company under the trade designatio dythal ® xl ; e . 2 parts of the oxidized polyethylene wax used in preparing roofing membrane test samples ; f . 0 . 5 parts of a polymerized 1 , 2 - dihydro - 2 , 2 , 4 - trimethylquinoline antioxidant commercially available from r . t . vanderbilt company incorporated under the trade designation agerite ® resin d powder ; g . 20 parts of carbon black commercially available from cabot corporation under the trade designation n - 330 ; h . 25 parts of the talc used in preparing roofing membrane test samples ; i . 6 parts of a chlorinated polyethylene compound containing 85 % antimony oxide commercially available from wyrough & amp ; loser under the trade designation ha - 85 ; j . 14 . 7 parts of a chlorinated polyethylene compound containing 80 percent decabromodiphenyloxide , commercially available from wyrough & amp ; loser under the trade designatin he - 25 ; and k . 25 parts of a high density polyethylene resin ( see , resin e , table i ). an &# 34 ; upside - down &# 34 ; mixing technique was used to compound the listed components in a br - size banbury mixer . the term &# 34 ; upside - down &# 34 ; means that the resinous components ( a ) and ( b ) were added to the mixer last rather than first . the components were mixed adiabatically and converted to a fused mixture according to the following schedule : ( a ) three minutes at 77 revolutions per minute ( 8 radians per second ); ( b ) three minutes at 116 revolutions per minute ( 12 radians per second ); and ( c ) three minutes at 155 revolutions per minute ( 16 radians per second ). the fused mixture was removed from the mixer when the mixture reached a temperature of about 300 ° fahrenheit ( 149 ° centigrade ). the fused mixture was further processed for a period of three minutes using a two roll plastic compounding mill . the two roll mill had a set roll temperature of 325 ° fahrenheit ( 163 ° centigrade ). the further processed fused mixture was removed from the two roll mill in the form of a smooth heat plastified sheet . the sheet had a thickness of about 200 mils ( 5 . 1 millimeters ). a 600 gram quantity of the sheet was returned to the two roll mill and further mixed for a period of 5 minutes . the two roll mill had a set roll temperature of 325 ° fahrenheit ( 163 ° centigrade ). the further mixed sheet was removed from the two roll mill in the form of a smooth heat plastified sheet . the sheet had a thickness of about 90 mils ( 2 . 3 millimeters ). pieces of the 90 mil ( 2 . 3 millimeter ) sheet were compression molded to form samples having a thickness of about 75 mils ( 1 . 9 millimeters ). compression molding was accomplished in the following sequential manner using a hydraulic press : ( a ) heating at a temperature of 350 ° fahrenheit ( 177 ° centigrade ) and at a force of 0 pounds per square inch for a period of 3 minutes ; ( b ) heating at the same temperature but at a force of 500 pounds per square inch ( 351 , 535 kilograms per square meter ) for a period of 3 minutes ; and ( c ) cooling by circulating ambient water ( about 70 ° fahrenheit or 21 ° centigrade ) through the press while maintaining the force at 351 , 535 kilograms per square meter for a period of 3 minutes . test bar specimens were cut from the samples so prepared for testing as hereinafter set forth . two test bar specimens ( strips ) measuring two inches by six inches ( 5 . 1 centimeters by 15 . 2 centimeters ) are used for this test . the strips are laid flat on a suitable support , such as a board , in a forced air convection oven with one strip being superimposed on the other strip . at one end of the paired strips , a separator sheet , e . g ., a polyethylene film , is placed between the two strips so they are not in intimate contact for about two inches of their length . a metal block measuring two inches ( 5 . 1 centimeters ) on a side and weighing four pounds ( 1 . 8 kilograms ) is placed on top of the paired strips at the end opposite the separator sheet so that it covers an area of two inches by two inches ( 5 . 1 centimeters by 5 . 1 centimeters ). the oven has a set temperature of 200 ° fahrenheit ( 93 . 3 ° centigrade ). with the block and separator strip in place the strips are left in the oven for a period of 1 hour at the set temperature . after the one hour period , the block is removed from the strips and the strips are removed from the oven . the strips are then transferred to a cooling chamber wherein astm standard conditions are maintained . astm standard conditions are 23 °± 2 ° centigrade and 50 ± 5 % humidity . the strips are left in the cooling chamber for a period of 24 hours . after being cooled , the strips are removed from the cooling chamber . the ends of the strips separated by the separator sheet are placed in the jaws of a tensile testing machine ( 180 ° peel ) and pulled apart at a rate of five inches per minute ( two centimeters per minute ). the force in pounds required to peel the strips apart is divided by the width of the strip in inches to provide a &# 34 ; membrane blocking value &# 34 ;. b ultimate tensile strength -- astm test d - 412 - 80 , method a using two inch by one inch ( 5 . 1 by 2 . 5 centimeter ) strips . the strips were placed in an instron tensile testing apparatus with a 0 . 5 inch ( 1 . 3 centimeter ) gap and pulled apart at a crosshead speed of 20 inches ( 50 . 8 centimeters ) per minute . f . melt viscosity -- measured with a capillary rheometer having a capillary size of 0 . 05 by 2 inches ( 0 . 13 by 5 . 08 centimeters ) at a temperature of 190 ° centigrade and a shear rate of 145 reciprocal seconds . g . heat of fusion -- determined by differential scanning calorimetry over a temperature range of either 360 °- 420 ° kelvin or 320 °- 420 ° kelvin [ example 6 ( table ii ) only ] at a rate of heating of 10 ° kelvin per minute . test bar specimens prepared as hereinabove specified are tested by the following american society for testing and materials ( astm ) test methods : d . melt viscosity -- measured with a capillary rheometer having a capillary size of 0 . 05 by 2 inches ( 0 . 13 by 5 . 08 centimeters ) at a temperature of 190 ° centigrade and a shear rate of 145 reciprocal seconds . the chlorination procedure detailed herein was used , except for example 3 , to prepare a number of chlorinated polyethylene resins . in example 3 , the rate of gaseous chlorine addition was one - half the rate for the other examples and comparative examples . table ii identifies the polyethylene starting materials and lists selected physical properties of the chlorinated resins . table ii__________________________________________________________________________chlorinated polyethylene physical property data formulatedexample / low temper - lightly formulatedcompara - polyeth - heat of ature 100 % modulustive ylene percent fusion viscosity brittleness psi / mpaexample resin chlorine ( cal / g ) ( poise ) (° c .) 25 ° c . 80 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________1 a 29 . 1 9 . 0 6880 - 34 303 / 2 . 1 86 / 5 . 9a a 25 . 1 0 . 1 4276 - 36 317 / 2 . 2 30 / 2 . 1b a 26 . 5 22 . 6 6452 - 10 1221 / 8 . 4 398 / 2 . 72 a 21 . 6 12 . 2 5225 - 27 731 / 5 . 0 185 / 1 . 33 a 25 . 1 12 . 8 5878 - 30 498 / 3 . 4 167 / 1 . 14 a 25 . 0 11 . 8 5884 - 32 473 / 3 . 3 112 / 7 . 75 e 24 . 1 15 . 1 6191 - 42 731 / 5 . 0 217 / 1 . 5c b 24 . 7 6 . 8 13 , 400 - 51 468 / 3 . 2 117 / 8 . 1d a 34 . 6 7 . 2 9133 - 17 260 / 1 . 8 82 / 5 . 6e a 24 . 6 25 . 5 7398 + 1 1305 / 9 . 0 393 / 2 . 76 a 20 . 3 8 . 3 4606 - 33 738 / 5 . 1 156 / 1 . 1f b 24 . 1 9 . 3 16 , 060 - 52 512 / 3 . 5 173 / 1 . 2g a 29 . 9 18 . 2 9380 -- 984 / 6 . 8 384 / 2 . 67 c 23 . 8 9 . 4 9627 - 42 470 / 3 . 2 142 / 9 . 88 a 23 . 6 9 . 1 5249 - 37 384 / 2 . 6 88 / 6 . 19 d 23 . 8 8 . 6 7880 - 40 424 / 2 . 9 119 / 8 . 210 e 24 . 3 12 . 9 5105 - 32 596 / 4 . 1 179 / 1 . 211 a 25 . 7 11 . 2 6881 - 29 474 / 3 . 3 -- h a 24 . 9 17 . 1 5627 -- 1111 / 7 . 7 -- __________________________________________________________________________ &# 34 ;--&# 34 ; means not measured . certain of the chlorinated polyethylene resins listed in table ii were fabricated into roofing membrane samples using the procedure detailed herein . results of physical property testing of the samples are presented in table iii . table iii__________________________________________________________________________physical property data for roofing formulationsresinexample / tear sheet low temperaturecomparative 100 % modulus at hardness type &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; blocking brittlenessexample 25 ° c . ( psi / mpa ) shore a ( lb / in / kg / m ) ( lb / in / kg / m ) (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________1 430 / 3 . 0 75 193 / 3447 0 . 8 / 14 . 3 - 342 912 / 6 . 3 86 286 / 5107 0 . 4 / 7 . 1 - 353 673 / 4 . 6 83 258 / 4607 1 . 4 / 25 . 0 - 304 570 / 3 . 9 85 228 / 4072 1 . 2 / 21 . 4 - 325 860 / 5 . 9 89 274 / 4893 1 . 0 / 17 . 8 - 426 883 / 6 . 1 86 301 / 5375 1 . 0 / 17 . 8 - 33a 440 / 3 . 0 77 154 / 2750 7 . 0 / 125 . 0 - 36b 1500 / 10 . 3 89 416 / 7429 0 / 0 - 10c 598 / 4 . 1 77 237 / 4232 1 . 5 / 26 . 8 - 51d 354 / 2 . 4 72 167 / 2982 1 . 5 / 26 . 8 - 17e 1488 / 10 . 2 88 385 / 6875 0 / 0 + 1f 668 / 4 . 6 88 231 / 4125 1 . 8 / 32 . 1 - 52__________________________________________________________________________ a review of the data presented in tables ii and iii amply demonstrates the suitability of the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention and distinguishes them from the resins of comparative examples a - f . the resins of comparative examples a - f are unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons . comparative examples b , d and e have low temperature brittleness ratings which are above - 2520 centigrade . comparative examples c and f have viscosities too high for fabrication into roofing membranes using conventional equipment . comparative example a is not a semicrystalline resin . comparative example a also has an excessively high blocking value . similar satisfactory results are obtained with other chlorinated polyethylene resins which are representative of the present invention . a number of wire and cable formulation blends were prepared , fabricated into test bar samples and evaluated for physical properties as specified hereinabove . results of the testing are presented in table iv . the resin identified as &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; is tyrin ® 2552 . the data presented in table iv clearly illustrate the beneficial effect of blending one of the chlorinated polyethylene resins of the present invention with a conventional semicrystalline chlorinated polyethylene resin . the data shows improved processability , in terms of lower viscosity , without appreciable degradation of desirable physical properties . similar benefits are attained with other chlorinated polyethylene resins within the scope of the present invention . table iv______________________________________ physical property data forwire & amp ; cable blendchlorinated poly - ethylene resin a - ultimate percent 100 % mounts by resin type * tensile elon - viscosity modulust 1 2 4 ( psi / mpa ) gation ( poise ) ( psi / mpa ) ______________________________________100 0 0 0 1423 / 9 . 8 388 14 , 900 1111 / 7 . 775 25 0 0 1374 / 9 . 5 473 13 , 190 1068 / 7 . 475 0 25 0 1426 / 9 . 8 444 12 , 440 1157 / 8 . 075 0 0 25 1312 / 9 . 0 465 12 , 260 1074 / 7 . 450 0 0 50 1227 / 8 . 5 443 10 , 080 1057 / 7 . 325 0 0 75 1112 / 7 . 7 422 9 , 305 1037 / 7 . 1______________________________________ * see table ii	2
referring initially to fig1 a , a typical molecule 10 from which nmr information is to be obtained is illustrated . molecule 10 is a type ab 3 molecule in which scalar coupling exists between a single hydrogen atom 10a , having a single bond with a middle carbon atom in the ha ( a ) moiety , and the three hydrogen atoms 10b , each having a bond with an end carbon atom in the hb ( b 3 ) moiety . when this molecule is subjected to a polarizing magnetic field b 0 and a transverse rf excitation field b 1 is applied , a nmr signal is produced by this molecule which has a number of resonant peaks . since the ha ( a ) hydrogen atom 10a can have the spin of its nucleus pointing either up or down , the nuclear spins of the hb ( b 3 ) atoms 10b encounter one of two different local environments , so that the peak of their resonance is split into a doublet of spectral lines , each of a substantially similar amplitude . similarly , the three b hydrogen atoms 10b can assume spin configurations with any one of : all three spins pointing in the upward direction , one spin in the downward direction and the other two spins in the upward direction , two spins in the downward direction and one spin in the upward direction , or all three spins in the downward direction . therefore , the a hydrogen atom 10a sees four different environments and its resonance is split into a quartet of spectral lines , having relative intensities 1 : 3 : 3 : 1 . an example of the transformed nmr signal produced by the molecule 10 is shown in fig1 b . the nmr signal has been converted to the frequency domain such that its signal components are shown as peaks , or &# 34 ; spectral components &# 34 ;, at different frequencies along the horizontal frequency axis . one spectral component produced by the hydrogen nuclei in the water is shown at the frequency ω h , although it can be appreciated by those skilled in the art that there are typically many other unwanted spectral components present which are produced by uncoupled resonant spin . these other spectral components are often many orders of magnitude greater than the desired spectral components . the nmr signal components due to the a hydrogen spin resonance ha ( a ) of the illustrative molecule 10 provides the quartet of spectral components r , s , t and u at respective frequencies ω r , ω s , ω t and ω u . each of these peaks are separated by the spin - spin coupling constant j . the b hydrogen resonances hb ( b 3 ) provide the doublet spectral components v and w , at respective frequencies ω v and ω w . the separation therebetween is determined by the same spin - spin coupling constant j . the sum of the frequency offsets from the rf transmitter for the two coupled protons ( h a and h b ) defines the double quantum modulation frequency ( dqmf ). the shift correlation pulse sequence is a sequence in which a pair of rf pulses separated by an evolution period create coherence of the spin populations in the nmr spin system . these coherences evolve during the time period ( t 1 ) between rf pulses and with coupled spins this results in the phase modulation of the detected nmr signal . spin resonances which are coupled exhibit modulation frequencies which can be exploited to correlate coupled spin resonances . the present invention enables this phenomena to be used in the production of correlation maps without the need for time consuming phase cycling . fig3 is a simplified block diagram of the major components of an nmr system suitable for acquiring the data according to the present invention . the system , generally designated 400 , is made up of a general purpose minicomputer 401 which is functionally coupled to disk storage unit 403 and an interface unit 405 . an rf transmitter 402 , signal averager 404 , and gradient power supplies 406 , 408 and 410 for energizing , respectively , g x , g y and g z gradient coils 416 , 418 , and 420 , are coupled to computer 401 through interface unit 405 . rf transmitter 402 contains an rf oscillator oscillating at the desired larmor frequency . the transmitter is gated with pulse envelopes from computer 401 to generate rf pulses having the required modulation to excite resonance in the object under study . the rf pulses are amplified in rf power amplifier 412 to levels varying from 100 watts to several kilowatts and applied to transmitter coil 424 . the nmr signal is sensed by receiver coil 426 , amplified in a low noise preamplifier 422 , and applied for further amplification , detection , and filtering to receiver 414 . the signal is then digitized for averaging by signal averager 404 and for processing by computer 401 . preamplifier 422 and receiver 414 are protected from the rf pulses during transmission by active gating or by passive filtering . computer 401 provides gating and envelope modulation for nmr pulses , blanking for the preamplifier and rf power amplifier , and voltage waveforms for the gradient power supplies . it also advances the gradients and the frequency of rf pulses during scanning . the computer also performs data processing such as fourier transforms , data filtering , and storage functions . referring particularly to fig7 the transmit coil 424 and the receive coil 426 are formed on a cylindrical glass insert 30 that is supported in a holder 31 made of a nonconductive material such as the ceramic sold under the trademark &# 34 ; macor &# 34 ;. an rf shield 32 is formed by a thin 1 mil copper sheet that is bonded to the inner surface of the holder 31 . the probe is further supported by a nonconductive cover 33 . a sample volume 38 is thus provided which receives a nmr sample tube ( not shown ). magnetic field gradient coils 416 , 418 , and 420 ( fig3 ) are necessary to provide gradients g x , g y and g z , respectively . in the nmr pulse sequences described herein , the gradients should be monotonic and linear over the region of interest . and most importantly , the gradient fields produced by the coils 416 , 418 and 420 must be precise in their amplitude and duration since the accuracy of the measurements depends upon the ability of the nmr system to dephase the transverse magnetization by a selected amount and to then rephase by the same selected amount . this requires not only that the gradient coils produce the commanded magnetic fields , but that those fields are not distorted by eddy currents induced in conductive elements such as the rf coils 424 and 426 and the surrounding structures used to produce the polarizing magnetic field . accordingly , it is a teaching of the present invention that actively shielded gradient coils be employed such as those described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 737 , 716 which issued on apr . 12 , 1988 , which is entitled &# 34 ; self - shielded gradient coils for nuclear magnetic resonance imaging ,&# 34 ; and which is incorporated herein by reference . shielded gradient coils 416 for producing the g x magnetic field gradient are illustrated in fig6 . these include two coil sets 416a and 416b which are connected in series to conduct the same current from the gradient amplifiers . one set of gradient coils 416a is located radially inward from the second set of gradient coils 416b and both are formed on a cylindrical insulating sleeve 37 . the current flowing through the gradient coils 416a produces the desired magnetic field gradient pattern within the region of interest 38 along the central axis 39 , and the same current flows through the gradient coils 416b to produce a magnetic field that precisely cancels the magnetic field produced outside the central region of interest 38 . thus , the gradient field does not reach the surrounding polarizing magnet structure ( not shown ) and does not induce eddy currents therein which would otherwise distort the magnetic field gradient in the region of interest 38 . the first preferred embodiment of the invention employs a cosy pulse sequence illustrated in fig4 . as with the conventional cosy sequence shown in fig2 the improved sequence employs a pair of 90 ° rf excitation pulses 50 and 51 separated by an evolution period t 1 . an nmr echo signal 52 is produced after production of the second rf excitation pulse 51 , and it is acquired and digitized over a time period t 2 . a series of such measurements are conducted with the value of t 1 incrementally stepped through a series of values . a two dimensional array of nmr data is thus acquired with the values of t 1 disposed along one dimension of the array and the values of t 2 disposed along the other dimension . when a two dimensional fourier transform is performed on this nmr data array , it is transformed to the frequency domain and used to produce a two dimensional correlation map . in contrast to the conventional cosy measurement , however , the pulse sequence of the present invention employs a pair of gradient pulses 53 and 54 to select the desired coherence . the gradient pulses 53 and 54 are disposed on each side of the second rf pulse 51 and they are precisely the same in magnitude . the first gradient pulse 53 dephases the transverse magnetization produced by the first rf pulse 50 , the second rf pulse 51 and the second gradient pulse 54 refocuses the desired , dephased transverse magnetization to produce the nmr echo signal 52 . no phase cycling is required when the gradient pulses 53 and 54 are employed to select coherence , and thus , only a single measurement is required for each value of t 1 . this is substantially quicker than the eight or more measurements required by the conventional cosy sequence . to provide meaningful results , however , it is imperative that the magnitudes of the gradient pulses 53 and 54 be precisely controlled to rephase the transverse magnetization by exactly the same selected amount that it was dephased . in the preferred embodiment this is achieved by producing two gradient pulses of identical shape and peak amplitude , but it should be apparent that the term &# 34 ; magnitude &# 34 ; as used herein refers to the total area under the applied gradient pulse waveform . thus a second gradient pulse of equal magnitude can be produced with a pulse of shorter duration , higher amplitude or with a pulse of longer duration , lower amplitude than the first gradient pulse . in the first preferred embodiment a spectrum of strychnine was obtained as a 512 by 512 array of nmr data in a 9 . 4 tesla polarizing magnetic field . the transformed array had a spectral width in both dimensions of 3500 hertz and a single measurement was conducted at each value of t 1 with a pre - delay of 1 second . to select the desired coherence , two millisecond , half - sinusoid gradient pulses 53 and 54 were applied with a maximum gradient of [. ] 8 gauss / cm . a double quantum version of the cosy measurement is illustrated by the pulse sequence of fig5 . in this second preferred embodiment of the invention three 90 ° rf excitation pulses 60 , 61 and 62 are applied to produce a single quantum evolution period t 1 and a double quantum evolution period t m . a first gradient pulse 63 is applied during the first evolution period t 1 to dephase the transverse magnetization prior to the second rf pulse 61 , and a second gradient pulse 64 is applied during the evolution period t m to dephase the new coherence states generated by the second rf pulse 61 . and finally , a third gradient pulse 65 is applied after the third rf pulse 62 to refocus the desired magnetization and produce an echo nmr signal 66 . the gradient pulses 63 - 65 are two milliseconds in duration and they produce gradients having amplitudes of . 8 gauss / cm , . 8 gauss / cm , and - 2 . 4 gauss / cm respectively . one third of the gradient pulse 65 refocuses the single quantum coherence dephased during the t 1 evolution period , and two thirds of the gradient pulse 65 serves to refocus the double quantum coherence dephased during the t m evolution period . the pulse sequence is repeated for a succession of values of t 1 to produce a two - dimensional array of nmr data in which one dimension is time t 2 and the other dimension is time t 1 . a correlation map is produced by performing a two - dimensional fourier transformation on this data array . as with the cosy sequence of fig4 the magnitudes of the gradient pulses 63 , 64 and 65 must be precisely controlled to produce meaningful data , and to accomplish this it has been found necessary to employ actively shielded gradient coils as described above . while high precision is thus required , the benefits are enormous since only a single measurement is required for each value of the evolution time t 1 rather than the eight or more measurements required by prior techniques .	6
referring to the drawings for a better understanding of the present invention , as shown in fig1 the squareangle 10 is depicted as checking the bevel of an unknown angle on the edge of a flat object a . the squareangle blade 21 is pivotably attached to the outside perfect square base 13 with lockknob 24 . the squareangle 10 contains within itself a hole 18 which is also a perfect square . triangle 16 is affixed to the base of the squareangle , and scale 15 is rigidly attached to the front of the base of the squareangle 10 . as shown in fig2 squareangle 10 is formed of a rigid material having opposite sides 11 and 13 parallel to each other and precisely perpendicular to side 12 at the base and rectangular edge 14 at the top of the device with side 12 parallel to rectangular edge 14 . a square opening 18 is formed in squareangle 10 at equal distances from the edges of the outer sides 11 , 12 , 13 , and rectangular straight edge 14 . triangle 16 , formed of rigid material , having two 45 degree angles 16a and 16b at the base and one right angle 16c . the base of triangle 16 is the same length as the base of the squareangle 10 . triangle 16 is affixed to the rear of base 12 as is shown in fig4 . slotted rectangular straight edge 14 is located directly opposite but parallel to base 12 of the squareangle . rectangular straight edge 14 is slotted as shown in fig3 with slot 17 parallel to the longer side of rectangular straight edge to accommodate blade 21 which is attached to rectangular straight edge 14 by pivot screw 23 and held firmly by lockknob 24 . rectangular straight edge 14 is formed of rigid material and is attached to the squareangle 10 with edge 14t being parallel to side 12 and tangent to the square outer edge and edge 14b being parallel to side 12 and tangent to the square inner edge . as shown in fig2 rectangular straight edge 14 also has a semi - circular grove 19 removed and which is recessed into slot 17 to allow simple upward access to blade 21 thereby allowing it to be pushed upward from the slot 17 in a circular motion around pivot screw 23 . blade 21 , having two parallel edges 21t and 21b , is slightly less in length than slotted rectangular edge 14 . blade 21 is rotatively attached to squareangle through pivot hole 24a by pivot screw 23 and held in position by lock knob 24 as shown in fig3 and 4 . blade 21 is rotatively attached to squareangle so that blade edges 21t and 21b can be rotatively positioned precisely parallel to rectangular straight edge 14 , and blade 21 can be rotated around pivot screw 23 so that blade edges 21t and 21b are positioned precisely parallel to side 11 . as shown in fig2 blade 21 comes to a point at 22c formed by the junction of blade edges 22a and 22b at the center line of blade 21 . scribe hole 22 is located on the center line of blade 21 near point 22c . blade top edge 21t is parallel along its length to blade bottom edge 21b . the pivot end of blade 21 is rounded to a perfect semi - circle with pivot hole 24a positioned in the center of the radius of the circle . blade 21 can be locked at any angle through its rotation by engaging lockknob 24 , and it can be fully retracted within slot 17 of rectangular straight edge 14 . blade 21 is constructed symmetrically and is of sufficient weight to hang vertically as a plumb when not locked in position firmly by lockknob 24 . referring to fig2 a thin scale 15 is scribed unto or is affixed to the front surface of squareangle base 12 . a legible mark 15a is scribed on scale 15 to indicate a level or plumb condition when point 22c of blade 21 is centered precisely on mark 15a . scale 15 can be used for measuring distance or scribing lines using a bottom scale for english measuring units and a top scale for metric units . the functions which can be performed by the squareangle device are illustrated in fig5 through 10 . fig5 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to mark a 45 degree angle on surface a on either the right using side 11 or the left side utilizing rectangular straight edge 14 . fig1 and 6 show positioning of squareangle 10 to record an unknown angle on the edge of object a . blade 21 is positioned with its top edge 21t parallel and abutting the unknown angle on the edge of the frame a and held in position by lockknob 24 . the 90 ° compliment of the unknown angle , which can not be determined with the use of a conventional bevel , is obtained between bottom edge 21b and rectangular straight edge 14 . fig7 depicts the positioning of squareangle 10 to check the inside squareness formed by junction of surfaces b and b - 1 . side 13 is placed parallel and abutting to one edge of surface b to be checked . the absence of a gap between the bottom edge of squareangle side 12 and the top edge of surface b - 1 indicates perfect inside squareness of surfaces b and b - 1 . fig7 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to check the outside squareness of the angle formed by the junction of two edges a and a - 1 . blade 21 is positioned with edge 21b parallel and continuous to top edge of rectangular straight edge 14 . squareangle side 11 is placed parallel and abutting to outer edge a of the surface to be checked . the absence of a gap between blade edge 21t and outer edge of surface a - 1 indicates perfect squareness of the outer angle formed by the junction of a and a - 1 . fig7 also depicts the positioning of squareangle 10 to locating the center of a dowel or circle . squareangle 10 is positioned with triangle 16 facing front . dowel c is placed inside the square opening and abutting side 11 and base side 12 ( as shown in fig7 ) or abutting side 13 and base side 12 . a line is scribed across dowel c using the adjoining edge of triangle 16 . dowel c is rotated to any extent and must remain abutting the inside sides of the squareangle ; a second line is scribed across dowel c . the intersection of the two scribed lines on dowel c is the center point . the device can also be used to locate the center of a square of octagon in a similar manner ( not shown ). fig8 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to mark a 90 degree angle on surface a with triangle 16 facing front . rectangular straight edge 14 is positioned abutting one edge of surface a with the edge abutting the flat surface of sides 11 and 13 . a 90 degree reference angle may be scribed on surface a using either the outside or inside edge of side 13 on the right or side 11 on the left of squareangle 10 . fig9 indicates the positioning of squareangle 10 for marking a line parallel to one edge of flat object b . rectangular straight edge 14 is positioned abutting the bottom edge of the flat surface to be marked . blade 21 is positioned at height where parallel line d is required and locked firmly in position by lockknob 24 . a line d parallel to the bottom edge of object b can be marked or scribed using a pencil or scribe in hole 22 and moving squareangle 10 along the surface of surface b while rectangular straight edge 14 continues to abut along the bottom edge of object b . fig9 also depicts positioning of squareangle 10 to mark off a distance using scale 15 which can be marked with both english and metric measuring units . fig1 shows positioning of squareangle 10 to check plumb with reference to surface a . outside edge 13 is positioned firmly abutting surface a . lockknob 24 is loosened to permit blade 21 to move freely . blade point 22c will be centered precisely with mark 15a if surface a is plumb with reference to squareangle 10 . fig1 also indicates positioning of squareangle 10 to check for levelness of surface b . bottom edge of base side 12 is positioned firmly abutting the top edge of surface b . lockknob 24 is loosened to permit blade 21 to move freely . blade point 22c will be centered precisely with mark 15a if surface b is level with base side 12 of squareangle 10 . because other variations , sizes , changes , and modifications may be made to the embodiments described , it is intended that all matter in the foregoing description be interpreted as illustrative and not as limitations of my invention or the scope of the appended claims .	6
hereinafter , an embodiment of an electric vacuum cleaner according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . an electric vacuum cleaner 10 shown in fig1 includes a vacuum cleaner body 20 . the front portion of the vacuum cleaner body 20 is provided with a hose connection port 21 . a dust collection hose 12 has one end detachably connected to the hose connection port 21 and has the other end provided with a hand operation unit 13 . an extension wand 14 is detachably connected to the hand operation unit 13 . a suction port 15 is detachably connected to the leading end portion of the extension wand 14 . the hand operation unit 13 is provided with an operation part 13 a including a plurality of operation switches s . the vacuum cleaner body 20 includes a body case 30 , a dust collection container 50 detachably mounted on the body case 30 and a cover body 40 having the back portion connected to the body case 30 by a hinge so as to be openable and closable in the up and down direction , as illustrated in fig2 . in addition , an electric fan 33 ( refer to fig3 ) is built in a back portion 30 a of the body case 30 , and a cord reel 34 is disposed below the electric fan 33 . a plate - like mounting section 35 is provided in front of the body case 30 ( on the left side in fig3 ). the dust collection container 50 is detachably mounted on the mounting section 35 . the cover body 40 and the mounting section 35 enclose the dust collection container 50 , so as to fasten the dust collection container 50 when the cover body 40 is closed . the cover body 40 is provided with a tube portion 22 as shown in fig3 . the leading end of the tube portion 22 is the hose connection port 21 and the back end of the tube portion 22 is a connection opening 23 . a front opening ( not shown ) is formed in a front wall portion 31 ( reference to fig2 ) of the back portion 30 a . the front opening communicates with a suction opening 33 a of the electric fan 33 via a communication air path ( not shown ). the communication air path opposed to the front opening is provided with a dust removing device 90 . the dust removing device 90 includes a reciprocating body ( not shown ) for reciprocating in the width direction of the body case 30 ( in the direction orthogonal to the page space of fig3 ) and a projection 91 provided in the reciprocating body . the projection 91 shallowly engages with a top portion of a pleat of an after - mentioned pleated filter body 100 , and the projection 91 moves over the top portions of the pleat by the reciprocating of the reciprocating body . the dust removing device 90 thereby removes the dust adhering to the pleated filter body 100 by vibrating the pleated filter body 100 . the reciprocating body reciprocates for a predetermined time every time the driving of the electric fan 33 is stopped . as shown in fig4 , 5 , the dust collection container 50 includes a round air path section 51 formed on the upper portion thereof , a dust collection section ( a first dust collection section ) 60 formed below the round air path section 51 , a negative pressure room 70 formed at the back of the dust collection section 60 , and a bottom pad 80 . the round air path portion 51 includes a dust separation section ( a first dust separation device ) 52 provided in the central portion thereof and a circular arc round air path 53 provided around the dust separation section 52 , as shown in fig6 . a leading end opening 54 of the leading end of the round air path 53 is connected to the connection opening 23 of the tube portion 22 of the cover body 40 as shown in fig3 . the round air path 53 communicates into the dust collection section 60 via a back end opening 55 . moreover , the round air path 53 includes an opening 57 which is formed in the bottom portion in the middle of the round air path 53 and communicates with the negative pressure room 70 . a net filter f 2 is stretched to the opening 57 . the dust separation section 52 includes a frame ( not show ) having an almost cylindrical shape and a net filter f 1 stretched to the frame . the bottom portion of the dust separation section 52 opens , such that the dust separation section 52 communicates with the negative pressure room 70 via an opening 56 . a dividing wall 61 provided in the back portion of the dust collection section 60 includes an opening 62 which communicates with the negative pressure room 70 . a lower portion wall 61 a of the dividing wall 61 includes a communication hole ( communication opening ) 63 positioned in an upper portion of a fine dust collection section 74 . more particularly , the communication hole 63 is formed below the opening 62 . a net filter ( the first dust separation device ) f 3 is stretched to the opening 62 . a frame 71 for detachably installing a pleated filter body ( a second dust separation device ) 100 is integrally formed in the back portion of the negative pressure room 70 ( on the right side in fig5 ). a back end opening 72 of the frame 71 is connected to the front opening ( not shown ) of the body case 30 shown in fig3 . a lower portion back wall 73 is formed in the lower portion of the frame 71 . the fine dust collection section ( the second dust collection section ) 74 includes a space surrounded by the lower portion back wall 73 , the lower portion wall 61 a of the dividing wall ( partition wall ) 61 of the dust collection section 60 and the bottom pad 80 . the fine dust collection section 74 communicates with the dust collection section 60 via the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 . in addition , as shown in fig7 , an introduction opening 75 is formed between a lower frame wall 71 a of the frame 71 and the lower portion wall 61 a of the dividing wall 61 as shown in fig7 . in addition , one end portion ( upper portion in fig7 ) of an opening and closing plate ( opening and closing member ) 76 for closing the introduction opening 75 is supported by the lower portion of the dividing wall 61 of the dust collection section 60 . the opening and closing plate 76 is rotatable upon one end portion of the opening and closing plate 76 . the opening and closing plate 76 closes the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 by its own weight and opens the introduction opening 75 of the fine dust collection section 74 , when the electric fan 33 is not driven . the opening plane of the communication hole 63 is configured such that the opening and closing plate 76 rotates to close the introduction opening 75 ( refer to fig9 ), if the pressure in the negative pressure room 70 becomes negative by the driving of the electric fan 33 . the bottom pad 80 is a rotatable in the clockwise direction about an axis 81 illustrated in fig3 . if a button b provided in a holding portion 58 of the dust collection container 50 is pressed , the bottom portion of the dust collection section 60 and the bottom portion of the fine dust collection section 74 are opened . accordingly , the dust accumulated in the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 can be disposed . next , the operation of the electric vacuum cleaner having the above structure will be explained . at first , as shown in fig2 , the dust collection container 50 is mounted on the mounting section 35 of the body case 30 , and the cover body 40 is closed . as shown in fig1 , one end of the dust collection hose 21 is connected to the hose connection port 21 of the cover body 40 . in this state , as illustrated in fig3 , 7 , the opening and closing plate 76 of the dust collection container 50 closes the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 by its own weight . if the switch s of the operation part 13 a is operated , the electric fan 33 is driven . by the driving of the electric fan 33 , air is sucked from the suction opening 33 a of the electric fan 33 , creating a negative pressure in the negative pressure room 70 of the dust collection container 50 . thereby , the opening and closing plate 76 rotates by this negative pressure so as to close the introduction opening 75 as shown in fig8 , 9 . if the introduction opening 75 is closed by the opening and closing plate 76 , the fine dust accumulated in the fine dust collection section 74 is prevented from rising to adhere to the pleated filter body 100 . in addition , since the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 of the dust collection container 50 is formed in the upper portion of the fine dust collection section 74 , the air flows as illustrated by the arrows in fig7 , 9 when the opening and closing plate 76 rotates to close the introduction opening 75 . accordingly , the dust accumulated in the fine dust collection section 74 is not raised by this air . as described above , the opening and closing plate 76 rotates by the driving of the electric fan 33 so as to close the introduction opening 75 ; thus , the structure of the opening and closing plate 76 is simplified . on the other hand , a negative pressure is created in the dust collection section 60 and the round air path 53 by the negative pressure of the negative pressure room 70 of the dust collection container 50 . this negative pressure acts on the tube portion 22 , the dust collection hose 12 , the extension wand 14 and the suction port 15 , so as to vacuum the dust together with air from the suction port 15 . the vacuumed dust and air are sucked into the hose connection port 21 of the cover body 40 via the extension wand 14 and the dust collection hose 12 . the dust and air sucked into the hose connection port 21 is sucked into the dust collection section 60 through the round air path 53 of the dust collection container 50 . a part of the air is separated from the dust by the round air path 53 , and the separated air is sucked to the negative pressure room 70 through the net filters f 1 , f 2 . the dust and air sucked into the dust collection section 60 are separated , and the separated air is sucked to the negative pressure room 70 through the net filter f 3 and also the dust is collected in the dust collection section 60 . the air sucked to the negative pressure room 70 is sucked to the suction opening 33 a of the electric fan 33 via the pleated filter body 100 or the like . the sucked air is discharged from a discharging port 33 b of the electric fan 33 , and is discharged outside from a discharging port ( not shown ) of the body case 30 . if the driving of electric fan 33 is stopped , the sucking of dust and air from the suction port 15 is stopped . the degree of vacuum of the negative pressure room 70 of the dust collection container 50 is thereby increased to atmospheric pressure . the opening and closing plate 76 of the dust collection container 50 rotates by its own weight , so as to close the communication hole 63 of the dividing wall 61 as shown in fig3 , 7 , opening the introduction opening 75 of the fine dust collection section 74 . on the other hand , the reciprocating body ( not shown ) of the dust removing device 90 reciprocates for a predetermined time by stopping the driving of the electric fan 33 ; thus , the dust adhering to the pleated filter body 100 is removed . the dust removed from the pleated filter body 100 is disposed into the fine dust collection section 74 because the introduction opening 75 is opened as shown in fig7 . in order to dispose of the dust accumulated in the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 of the dust collection container 50 , the dust collection container 50 is removed from the body case 30 , and the bottom pad 80 rotates in the clockwise direction about the axis 81 to open the bottom portion of the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 . accordingly , the dust accumulated in the dust collection section 60 and the fine dust collection section 74 is disposed . according to one embodiment of the present invention , the introduction opening of the second dust collection section can be opened and closed by means of a simple structure ; thus , the re - adhesion of dust can be prevented . the present application is based on and claims priority from japanese application no . 2006 - 99862 filed on mar . 31 , 2006 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . although the present invention has been described in terms of an exemplary embodiment , it is not limited thereto . it should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiment described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims . in addition , the number , position , shape , or the like of the components are not limited to the above embodiment , and can be changed to the number , position , shape or the like of components preferable for conducting the present invention . moreover , no element or component in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims .	0
a preferred embodiment of the invention is now described in detail . referring to the drawings , like numbers indicate like elements throughout the views . in one embodiment , the present invention may be implemented as a unix - based messaging gateway for global system for mobile communications (“ gsm ”) network operators . of course , any other suitable communication protocol may be used as well , such as code division multiple access (“ cdma ”), time division multiple access (“ tdma ”), or the like . fig1 depicts an overall functional diagram showing the main components that may be utilized in implementing the present invention . with reference to fig1 an overall configuration 100 is shown . the network operator components 110 may include a standard short message service center ( smsc ) 102 module as well as a switch 103 for communicating to and from the transmission towers 131 , and hence the mobile phones 130 . the functionality performed by the present invention may be included within the gateway 101 , which may also form part of the network operator components 110 . in one embodiment , the gateway 101 may comprise software running under the solaris unix operating system , running on a sun sparc ultra 2 machine , available from sun microsystems . the c ++ programming language ( such as in the sun neoworkshop ) may be used to implement the software to implement the gateway 101 , and the user interface may be implemented in java , the tools for which are also available from sun . of course , any other suitable machine , operating system and / or development tools may also be used . the gateway 101 may be connected to the internet 140 ( and / or other equivalent public or private data network ) via line 141 , which in one embodiment may comprise a dds leased line , a standard telephone line , or equivalent , using any type of transport protocol ( e . g ., tcp / ip , etc .). the gateway 101 may also be connected to a local area network ( lan ) 120 via an x . 25 dedicated circuit , a dial - up tcp / ip connection , or the like ( 161 ), using any type of transport and connection protocol , such as generic bulletin message protocol ( gmp ), telelocator application protocol ( tap ), smtp , etc . the gateway 101 may be connected to the lan 120 via an access server 125 , which will be described in further detail later . the gateway 101 may also be connected to a facsimile machine 150 , or equivalent communication device , via a variety of communication mechanisms 151 , such as via a standard telephone line , etc . the kernel of the gateway 101 component of fig1 comprises 3 main daemon processes , or subsystems , depicted in fig2 . in addition to the service interfaces 204 ( described further later ), the kernel processes are : 1 . manager 202 . provides database connectivity , message queue management , billing interface , and client authentication . 2 . sms 203 . manages interaction with the smsc 102 via a communications protocol ( e . g . smpp for aldiscon sms systems , over the x . 25 or tcp / ip transport protocol ). 3 . watchdog 201 . ensures that all kernel processes are functioning correctly , which involves constant monitoring of the state of the process to ensure maximum system up time . the gateway services and interface subsystems 204 comprise 5 separate and distinct processes , which are usually transient in duration and started on demand by the operating system services . the service subsystems are : 1 . smtp interface 204 a . this service provides the core client message submission services . all client and internet mail ( e . g ., from the internet 140 , lan 120 , etc .) eventually use this service to submit messages to the messaging kernel 200 . 2 . tap / pet interface 204 b . this service provides a pager protocol interface for message submission , allowing paging terminals , and switches to send to gsm mobile phones 130 . 3 . pop3 interface . although not specifically shown in fig2 pop3 is a protocol component of internet mail , and is used by clients to retrieve internet mail from a server . this service is used by the lan access server 125 for message retrieval . 4 . internet mail interface 204 c . this service allows normal internet e - mail ( from 140 ) to be forwarded to , for example , a digital mobile phone 130 , and allows for messages to be composed and sent from a mobile phone 130 to the internet . 5 . x . 25 conversion interface . in one embodiment of the present invention , there are two available transmission layers supported : x . 25 and tcp / ip . while the tcp option is primarily referred to in the present specification , it will be understood that x . 25 may be used as well . the x . 25 service provides a translation layer to allow incoming x . 25 based connections to use the tap , smtp and pop3 facilities provided by the other subsystems . monitor services 301 . this service provides a periodic signal to the watchdog process to indicate system health . the interval is programmable at initialization . billing services 302 . this service is part of the manager process 202 . after all successful messages transfers through the gateway 101 , a billing record is added to the current billing file . if no file has been created , a new billing file , with the current date and time is created and the billing record recorded . database services 303 . this service provides the interface layer for the external datastore 304 . this is accomplished using a library of embedded sql , such as those provided by rogue wave inc . all access to database objects is via the rogue wave library . oracle database 304 . an oracle workgroup database is used for all datastore , including short term queues and long term message store . access is achieved via embedded sql calls . smtp services 305 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager process 202 and the smtp server ( 204 a ). lan services 306 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager 202 and the pop3 server 204 c . the pop3 server is used by the lan access server 125 to retrieve messages from the mobile phone 130 destined for the lan clients 121 . sendmail services 307 . this service provides the interface layer between the sendmail application that is used to send internet emails from the gateway 101 , and the manager process 202 . fax services 308 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager process 202 and the fax server application . fax messages are formed as a system command to a remote computer that hosts the fax server application . soup layer 309 . this service provides the interface layer between the manager process 202 and the java based application that is used to provide screens used to configure and control the gateway application 101 . one important feature of the gateway system 101 is its ability to route messages both from the lan 120 and / or the internet 140 to the mobile phone 130 , and from the mobile phone 130 , back to the lan 120 or internet 140 again . to accomplish this , the gateway 101 uses the concept of addressing schemes . addressing schemes are used to resolve the inherent differences in the addressing between computer based mail systems , and mobile phones . on a computer mail system ( e . g ., on lan 120 ), individual users 121 are assigned an identifier ( usually their name and home domain ) which other clients 121 can use to send mail to them . mobile phones 130 however only use numbers to identify other phone users . to simplify sending messages between mail clients 121 and mobile phones 130 , the gateway 101 of the present invention can use a number of addressing schemes and methods to determine the recipient . messages sent from a computer based mail system to a mobile phone 130 require a valid msisdn ( mobile phone number ), and the unix domain name where the gateway 101 resides . for example , a valid msisdn / domain name address might be “[ error ! bookmark not defined .] 6421200300 @ sms . domain . com ”, where the number “ 6421200300 ” identifies the msisdn , and “ sms . domain . com ” identifies the unix domain name of the gateway 101 . however , according to the teachings of the present invention , messages sent from a mobile phone to a destination ( lan 120 , internet 140 , etc .) may be addressed using a number of different methods . when a message is sent from an outside e - mail source to a mobile phone 130 , the gateway 101 may create a new , temporary and unique reply msisdn number associated with the reply address , before sending the message and the reply msisdn number onto the mobile phone 130 . if the user of the mobile phone 130 replies to this message , the reply msisdn number is sent with the reply message back to the gateway 101 , which the gateway 101 can map back onto the e - mail address of the original sender — either an internet mail address or some other type of client id . thus , the user of the mobile phone 130 can reply to messages without knowing the address of the original sender — the gateway 101 performs all necessary mapping . for messages originating from the mobile phone 130 , and not using the reply function , there are two methods available for determining delivery . if the message is destined for the internet 140 , the full internet address of the recipient may be specified in the body of the message . the mobile phone 130 then transmits the message to the gateway 101 using a selected internet mail relay msisdn , which is a special number for internet mail only . the gateway 101 is configured such that any message sent to this msisdn number will be forwarded to the internet 140 , and delivered to the recipient address specified in the body of the message . messages destined for a client 121 using the server 125 have two additional addressing options available to them . these options include two addressing schemes called number map addressing and number name map addressing . for corporate lan e - mail systems , number map addressing requires a permanent msisdn number be setup for each individual client 121 configured on the system 120 . the system administrator for the system 120 assigns an additional 2 to 4 digit default id that is tagged onto the permanent msisdn when messages are sent . these number ranges are used to identify the destination client 121 to receive the message . only a portion of the overall number is used — the remainder is used by the client 121 to identify the individual user within the client mail system 120 . for example , if the gateway client id prefix is “ 642100200 ”, and the client mail user default id is “ 01 ”, then the full originating address would be “ 6410020001 ”— this address is what would be used to reply to messages , and to originate mobile phone based messages to the client mail system . for internet e - mail and number map addressing , incoming internet messages may be assigned msisdn numbers on an ad - hoc basis from a pool of available numbers . this temporary msisdn is stored with the source address of the internet mail , and is used if the message is replied to . all numbers in this temporary msisdn pool may be reused in oldest first date order . for example , suppose a message comes in from the internet to a mobile number “ 6421605600 ”. it may be addressed as “ 642160500 @ sms . bulletin . net ” from “ anyperson @ anothercompany . com ”. the gateway 101 assigns a new temporary msisdn for the life of the message ( e . g ., “ 64210010011234 ”) and saves the originating address with this temporary msisdn . when a reply from the mobile phone comes back , the destination address “ 6421001001234 ” is matched to the internet address of the original message sender . this address (“[ error ! bookmark not defined .] anyperson @ anothercompanycom ”) is then used to transmit the message reply . using the number name map addressing scheme with the server 125 only requires the gateway client id prefix to be used when transmitting the message from the mobile phone 130 . this will identify the client 121 to receive the message . using an “ aliasing facility ” in the access server 125 ( described in further detail later ), the client 121 can then use a simple address like john , or 123 in the body of the message to identity the intended recipient . for example , if the gateway client id prefix is “ 642100200 ” and the lan mail user is “ johnsmith ”, the message would be received on the mobile phone 130 as from “ johnsmith ”. messages sent to the lan 120 from the mobile phone 130 would have to be addressed as “ to johnsmith & lt ; message body & gt ;” and “+ 642100200 ” entered as the destination phone number , when requested by the phone . using the number name map scheme with the internet 140 requires the mobile phone user 130 to address the internet destined message in the body of the message to identity the intended recipient . once the message is address to the intended recipient , the message is sent to a predefined , and known msisdn . this number is referred to as a relay number . messages to this number are checked by the gateway 101 and the destination address is obtained from the body of the message . given that some mobile phones 130 cannot produce the @ character , substitutes like * and $ can be used . as an example , suppose the gateway internet mail relay number is “ 6421900900 ” and the internet mail destination is “[ error ! bookmark not defined .] johnsmith @ somecompany . com ”. the message would be received from the mobile addressed to the msisdn “ 6421900900 ”. the body of the message would contain the address “ johnsmith * somecompany . com ”. the gateway 101 may be programmed using standard object - oriented programming techniques . a description of the various gateway 101 objects , and classes used to define the objects , is provided below . the basic system classes are a set of “ utility ” classes used by many of the main server object classes . there are 2 timer classes . one is based on the timer services provided by the native operating system , which provides second based granularity . the other is a time of day trigger class , used to tie specific actions to a particular time of day . the period timer class and time of day class are defined below in tables 1 and 2 : the thread class provides an object - oriented interface to the native operating system lightweight processes , or thread interface . all classes using threads will utilize this class . the thread class is defined below in table 3 . the core system services objects are a group of persistent server processes . these processes provide the implementations for the core service objects . these objects provide the primary and essential services for the gateway server 101 . the core system service objects and their containing processes are described below . each server process has one parent object , which is created at the same time the process is created . this object is responsible for the global “ process ” initialization , termination and any specific initialization or termination on any of the other server objects . this object also checks the health of the server objects . any problems are reported to the admin server . the watchdog timer 201 functionality is depicted in fig3 in one embodiment , error conditions are reported with the return from function calls . there is not a timer implemented in the code for process health . each process maintains a text log file of all debug and diagnostic information for this server process and its &# 39 ; contained objects . the detail of information produced is controlled by an operating system environment variable . the server parent object is defined below in table 4 . the intrinsic data objects , or object datum , are a group of shared c ++ objects . they exist purely as the fundamental datum from which the core gateway 101 object services are built . the objects are often passed from object to object and service to service , and generally exist independent of the server process or object instantiation . these object datum are not necessarily fine grained , and therefore pass by reference semantics should be used when passing them from object to object . the message object datum contains the details of an individual message . this object is defined below in table 5 . the notification object datums are passed from one object to another to inform the target object of some external event ( e . g ., parameter change , subsystem outage , object termination , etc .). the notification object is defined below in table 7 . the request object is used by the various processes to obtain data from the manager process 202 . the request object is defined below in table 8 . acknowledgment object datums are sent in response to a request . the acknowledgment should contain the serial id of the sender , and be directed back to the source object . the acknowledgement object is defined below in table 9 . association object datums are used to map one data type to another , such as routing table entries and address mappings . the association object is defined below in table 10 . the core service object superclass is the base or super class for each of the core service objects . this class provides the interface used for generic object communication such as request , notification and acknowledgment passing . all objects must implement this interface . the core service object superclass is defined below in table 11 . the manager server 202 implements the object interfaces for the message , queue , billing , msisdn objects . these objects manage all interfaces to the database . all objects in this server process are multi - threaded , with one thread per object instantiation . all objects are generally one instantiation . the message store object is the most basic and fundamental object in the gateway server 101 . this object contains all the logic related to storing and retrieving messages from the data store 304 . the message store object is defined below in table 12 . the queue management object maintains the queue tables in the data store . for each new unsent message added to the message store , an entry is created in the queue data store by this object . messages are retrieved in order of the message priority and submission date . message objects are sent to the sms 203 ( fig2 - 3 ) for transmission to the smsc 102 ( fig1 ). sent messages are placed in a holding data store waiting for a positive acknowledgment . if a message submission is not acknowledged by the receiving transmitter , and the failure was not an unrecoverable error it is placed back into the queue data store . successfully sent objects are archived back to the message store object . the billing object handles all aspects of the call detail record ( cdr ). the cdr is used for the integration of call information from a switch with the billing system 302 so an operator can supply a detailed bill to end users . when a message has been successfully sent the billing object 302 will be sent the message details . a billing record is then created . the billing files created are in the same format as the aldiscon billing file format 2 . a description of this billing record may readily be found in the “ aldiscon short message peer to peer manual ”. an example of an aldiscon billing record is shown below : the billing object 302 is defined below in table 14 . the sms server object 203 implements the object interfaces for the various sms and paging protocol objects such as smpp for aldiscon smscs and sema open interface for sema smsc &# 39 ; s . in either case , the actual object interface remains the same — only the actual implementation details differs . messages are forwarded to the sms 203 for transmission via the selected transport protocol . the sms object 203 must then acknowledge all messages as having been successfully sent , failed to send , or un - sendable . the various responses will depend on the response from the smsc 102 when a submission was attempted . messages are attempted once only , as retries are handled by the queue manager object in the manager server 202 . the sms object 203 is also responsible for starting and maintaining the physical link , and any protocol management required by the various smscs 102 . the sms object 203 implements the actual native communication protocol of the host smsc 102 . the current alternatives are smpp on an aldiscon smsc or the sema open interface protocol for a sema smsc . the sms object is defined below in table 15 . [ 1101 ] read the configuration file and store the system parameters required to log into the smsc 102 . information includes ports used for transmit / receive , password , username and message type . [ 1102 ] open the transmit port for communication of messages to the smsc 102 . [ 1104 ] test for requirement for two - way communication . if two - way , open receive port , otherwise skip to next section ( 1107 ). [ 1105 ] open the receive port for communication of messages from the smsc 102 . [ 1107 ] send bind request to the smsc 102 for the transmit port . information includes usemarnme , password , message type , etc . [ 1108 ] check for successful bind . a bind acknowledgement should be received from the smsc 102 over the specified port . [ 1109 ] test for requirement for two - way communication . if two - way communication , attempt to bind using the receive port , otherwise skip to the next section ( 1112 ). [ 1110 ] send bind request to the smsc 102 for the receive port . information includes username , password , message type , etc . [ 1111 ] check for successful bind . a bind acknowledgement should be received from the smsc 102 over the specified port . [ 1112 ] exit with true , indicating successful bind of the gateway 101 into the smsc 102 . [ 1113 ] exit with false , indicating unsuccessful bind of the gateway 101 into the smsc 102 . the admin server implements the object interfaces for the task scheduling , parameters , statistics , and alarm monitoring objects . these objects monitor and check the status of the server as a whole , and provide dynamic access to the runtime parameters . the task scheduler object manages a list of tasks that need to be run periodically . the tasks may include bill file creation , statistics gathering , and health monitoring . each task is scheduled either as a period timer , or as a time of day timer . as each task timer expires , a request is sent to the destination object requesting that the task be completed . if a task fails to complete a notification is sent to the alarm object and the task is rescheduled . task timer details are retrieved from the parameter object . the task scheduler object is defined below in table 16 . the parameter object maintains the central gateway database of preferences and options . each object can request the value for a parameter or update its value . the parameter object is also responsible for loading and saving this file . each individual parameter is stored in the form of a key and value pair . string , numeric , and boolean value types may be supported . the parameter object is defined below in table 17 . the alarm object responds to alarm notifications from any other object and maintains a health check on all server objects . any object failure is logged to an alarm log file , and sent to the admin server to be displayed . alarms are considered active until either a cancel alarm notice is received from the originating object or an acknowledgment is received from a system administrator via the administration tool interface . the alarm object is defined below in table 18 . the address resolver object takes care of the details of mapping internet addresses to msisdn based addresses , as described elsewhere . this mapping is handled by association objects , and the general store object . the address resolver is passed incorrectly addressed messages from the router object . the resolver then either looks up the correct destination address for the destination type ( mobile network or internet ) or creates a new mapping for new messages . the address resolver object has an address range that is used to assign temporary msisdn - based addresses to outbound internet messages . this address acts as a source address to the mobile network , and provides a way for the router to find the correct source address if the message is replied to . source msisdn addresses , created in real time in this manner , live only as long as it takes to cycle through the complete range of available addresses . all incoming messages from the mobile network are routed through a requester object . the destination and contents of the message are inspected and compared to a list of delivery services . delivery services are keyed to a specific ‘ known ’ destination address , or to specific instructions contained in the body of the message . for messages sent to a known address , the complete message is forwarded to that service for delivery . messages containing instructions usually relate to another message , and this second message can be found based on the destination address of the mobile message using the address resolvers source address method . once this second message is retrieved , the request action can be carried out by the delivery service . delivery services consist of an optional “ known ” address and either an internal delivery mechanism , or a pointer to an external delivery agent . internal agents are defined as an internal method or set of cooperative methods used to complete the delivery function . examples of this are a mail delivery agent . external agents are usually defined as an external process or script . messages containing instructions are usually in the form of commands . these commands identify the delivery agent , and or any additional instructions to be passed to the delivery agent . these commands can be used to complete complicated instructions , or to spawn a series of commands to complete a function . an example of this is the fx command which instructs the fax external delivery agent to fax a message to the supplied fax number . additional commands and agents can be added at any time . the transient system services objects are a group of non - shared server processes . these processes provide the implementations for the transient service objects . these servers provide the external communications objects for the gateway server 101 . the smtp object 204 a ( fig2 - 3 ) implements the object interfaces for the smtp receiver object 305 . this object implements the smtp protocol for external message submission by internet mail compatible systems . in the smtp object 305 is implemented a full server side version of the smtp protocol as defined in the internet rfc 821 and succeeding standards documents . this server object is used by both the access server 125 ( fig1 ) and any internet mail clients for message submission . each individual message is validated against the msisdn database for authority to send , resource limits etc . therefore as each message is received from the smtp client , a request to the manager server 202 for the msisdn verification for that message must be received and checked before any acknowledgment can be sent back to the smtp client . the msisdn to be checked is obtained in the rcpt to : field where the destination will be in the form of “ rcpt to : someuser @ somedomain . com ”. invalid msisdn message should be rejected during the smtp transaction . accepted messages are then passed to the manager object 202 for transmission . internet mail extension headers , referred to as x headers , are used to control certain message properties . properties controlled by the x headers are priority , message lifetime or validity , and the billing method to be used . an additional ‘ service provider ’ x header is used to identify clients with special privileges or rights . the mail object implements the object interfaces for the pop3 transmitter object ( described elsewhere ). this object implements the pop3 protocol for external message reception by any internet mail compatible system . the pop3 object responds to any incoming pop3 mail requests . pop3 client authentication consists of a username , which is the msisdn , and a password . once this has been received from the client the pop3 object gets the msisdn objects from the manager server 202 to authenticate the transaction . authenticated sessions can then proceed to receive mail . any invalid user / password combinations will result in session termination . after the pop3 client as logged off the successfully sent messages are removed from the message object store . the aim object implements the object interfaces for a generic tcp / ip based protocol for advanced message submission and reception by external applications . the aim object responds to incoming tcp requests on an assigned port . using the inet service daemon , incoming calls cause the inet daemon to start this process . the object implements a generic 3 phase protocol ( bind , transaction , terminate ), that perform the same functionality as the smtp and pop3 protocols combined . each packet consists of a header and data . each connecting host must be authenticated in a similar manner to the pop3 authentication — that is msisdn / password . once authenticated , the client can proceed with message submission until either side terminates the session . the aim object will generally only terminate a session if resource limits are exceeded or if a system outage occurs . the tap object implements the object interfaces for a tap alphanumeric paging protocol for message submission . the tap object implements a full server side version of the tap protocol . this interface is for use by any client page submission software . given that most tap client software supports direct dial - up connections , supporting a tap interface would require a modem pool or terminal servers and local points of presence . the tap interface requires direct management of the client connect and login process , and it is therefore necessary to use the svr4 service access controller ( sac ) facility to manage the connection terminal equipment directly . with the tap object , each individual message is validated against the msisdn database for authority to send , resource limits etc . therefore as each message is received from the smtp client , a request to the manager server 202 for the msisdn profile object for that message must be received and checked before any acknowledgment can be sent back to the tap client . the msisdn to be check is obtained from the message destination field . invalid msisdn message should be rejected during the transaction . accepted messages are then passed to the router object for transmission . fig4 - 10 depict the processes performed by the gateway 101 in order to implement the present invention . all the steps shown in these figures reference the various servers and objects they contain using the syntax of & lt ; server process & gt ;::& lt ; object name & gt ;. additionally , the reference numerals shown below in [ brackets ] correspond to the associated reference numerals in the various figures . with reference to fig4 a process for submitting a message from a mail client 121 to the router object for transmission is shown , as described below : [ 401 ] smtp connect request from mail client 121 . inet service starts smtp :: smtp object . [ 402 ] smtp :: smtp exchanges smtp greetings with client 121 , and mail transactions begin . [ 403 ] client 121 submits a mail message to a msisdn . [ 404 ] smtp object requests the msisdn object from the manager :: msisdn object . [ 406 ] manager :: msisdn returns either a success , or an error . [ 412 - 413 ] on error , smtp :: smtp reports and error to the client . [ 407 - 411 ] smtp :: smtp sends a complete message to manager :: router for transmission . with reference to fig5 a process for routing a message to the destination object for transmission to the final target smsc 102 is shown , as described below . [ 501 - 503 , 507 - 508 ] manager :: router receives a message , and extracts the destination address . [ 504 ] manager :: router passes the message to the destination transmitter object . [ 504 ] if the transmission object was not active then manager :: router passes the object to the manager :: qmanager . with reference to fig6 the steps described below illustrate the process for maintaining the queue of messages waiting to be sent . [ 601 - 602 ] manager :: qmanager checks with manager :: message whether the message exists in the data store . [ 603 ] if not manager :: message adds it to the data store . [ 604 - 607 ] manager :: qmanager adds the message to the waiting queue , if it is not already present . if there are less than the message queue cache size , the message is added to the queue cache for the transmitter object . manager :: qmanager cycles throughout the various queue caches for each queue . [ 608 - 609 ] manager :: qmanager sends the top message to sms :: router . [ 610 ] manager :: qmanager adds the message to the sent messages cache . [ 611 ] manager :: qmanager checks the timestamps on all entries in the sent message cache . all old entries that have not been acknowledged are placed back in the message store . with reference to fig7 the steps described below illustrate the process for transmission of a message to the final destination . [ 701 ] manager :: router passes a message to the designated active ( sms ) transmitter . [ 702 ] sms : sms packetises and sends the message to the smsc 102 . [ 703 ] sms : sms adds the message to a sent messages queue . [ 704 ] sms :: sms receives an acknowledgment from the smsc 102 . [ 705 ] sms :: sms checks this acknowledgment against the list of sent messages . the matching entry is removed from the sent message cache . [ 706 ] for both positive and negative smsc acknowledgments an acknowledgment object is created and sent to the manager :: qmanager . [ 707 ] for positive acknowledgements , manager :: qmanager removes the message from the sent queue . [ 708 - 709 , 713 ] manager :: qmanager informs manager :: message that the message can now be archived . [ 710 - 711 , 713 ] for negative acknowledgments manager :: qmanager will remove the message from the sent messages cache and add it back into the queue data store . [ 712 - 713 ] if the negative acknowledgment was a permanent one manager :: qmanager removes the message from all queues . [ 712 - 713 ] manager :: qmanager then passes a request for a “ transmission failure ” message to admin :: alarm for processing . with reference to fig8 the steps described below illustrate the process for receiving a message from the smsc 102 , and performing the required action for final delivery . [ 801 ] sms :: sms receives and acknowledges a delivery request from the smsc 102 . [ 803 ] manager :: requestor examines the destination address against the list of delivery services . [ 803 ] if there is a match , manager :: requestor passes the message to the delivery agent for processing ( 806 ) [ 804 ] if there is no a match on delivery address , manager :: requestor parses the body of the message looking for any text “ keys ” that match any of the delivery agent keys . [ 805 ] if there is a match manager :: requestor passes the message to the delivery agent for processing ( 807 ). otherwise , to step 811 . [ 808 ] if there was a match on either manager :: requestor passes the message details to manager :: bill . [ 809 ] manager :: bill generates a call detail record ( cdr ), and passes the message to manager :: message . [ 806 ] if no match was found , manager :: requestor passes the message to manager :: router , where a system “ non - delivery ” message is generated . with reference to fig9 the steps described below illustrate the process for transmitting a message destined for the smsc 102 , but which for some reason fails to be transmitted successfully , and the failure is deemed permanent . [ 901 ] sms :: sms sends a ‘ transmission failed ’ message to admin :: alarm . [ 902 ] admin :: alarm logs the details of the message failure into the system log . [ 903 ] admin :: alarm constructs a new “ failed to transmit ” message to the source address of the message . [ 904 ] admin :: alarm passes the new message to manager :: router to send . with reference to fig1 , the steps described below illustrate the process involved with a client &# 39 ; s 121 connection to the gateway 101 to receive waiting messages , or replies . [ 1001 ] pop3 connect request from mail client 121 . inet service starts mail :: mail object . [ 1002 ] mail :: mail exchanges pop3 username and password with client 121 . [ 1003 - 1004 ] mail :: mail requests the msisdn object from the manager :: msisdn object . [ 1005 - 1006 ] manager :: msisdn retrieves the msisdn from the msisdn data store . manager :: msisdn returns either a msisdn object , or an error . on error mail :: mail reports and error to the client , and terminates the connection . [ 1007 - 1008 ] mail :: mail checks the password and profile for a mail service and resource limitations . if the target msisdn has a mail service and not exceeded resource limits the transaction proceeds , otherwise an error is returned to the client 121 . [ 1009 - 1010 ] smtp :: smtp sends a complete message to manager :: router for transmission . as described previously with respect to fig1 the lan access server 125 of the present invention provides for the transparent forwarding of e - mail from a client 121 on a lan 120 to a mobile phone 130 ( e . g ., a pcs mobile phone ) via the gateway 101 . additionally , as a further feature of the present invention , the lan access server 125 may also interface to , for example , an appointment and task management system ( such as microsoft scheduler +, or the like ) operating on the server 125 , lan 120 and client 121 , to provide automatic forwarding of appointment reminders , task reminders , etc ., to a mobile phone 130 . in a preferred embodiment , the software applications implemented on access server 125 in order to implement the teachings of the present invention may be complied as 32 - bit c ++ code to operate with , for example , any of the following operating systems : windows 95 , windows 98 , windows nt ( 3 . 51 and 4 . 00 workstation and server ), or equivalent . of course , any other suitable operating system may also be used . the access server 125 itself may therefore be any suitable hardware platform that supports these or any other chosen operating system . for example , in one embodiment , access server 125 may comprise a pentium pc ( ibm compatible ), with the windows nt 4 . 0 workstation operating system ( or equivalent ). the software of the present invention that controls the operation of access server 125 may be designed to be compatible with mapi ( exchange and ms mail ), vim ( lotus notes and ccmail ), mhs , or any other suitable protocol . also , the following application programming interfaces ( apis ) may be used in one embodiment : microsoft foundation classes , extended mapi , remote access server ( ras ), winsock , and remote procedure call ( rpc ). with reference to fig1 in one embodiment , the access server 125 and clients 121 operate as three general components in a client / server architecture . the basic components include the access server 125 itself , as well as a client administration tool that operates on a client 121 and a server administration tool that operates on the access server 125 . the server 125 and clients 121 may communicate with one another via rpc calls over the lan 120 , such as through the tcp / ip protocol , or any other suitable protocol . fig1 - 21 are flow diagrams depicting the various steps performed by the lan access server 125 in order to process mail between one or more clients 121 of the network 120 and one or more phones 130 , through the intervening components ( gateway 101 , smsc 102 , switch 103 , etc .). these figures are described in detail below , and again the reference numerals shown below in [ brackets ] correspond to the associated reference numerals in the figures . fig1 describes an overall process performed by lan access server 125 . [ 1201 ] initialize the system , including setup of the timer for mail system polling and gateway 101 access ( further details in fig1 ). [ 1202 ] backup user database , forward e - mails , and contact gateway 101 . this is a main “ artery ” of the system ( farther details in fig1 ). [ 1203 ] clean up and exit the system ( further details in fig1 ) fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1201 , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1303 ] on the video display of lan access server 125 , show the startup - splash screen , create main window ( but not show it ), setup the timer , initialize the send queue and the reply queue . [ 1307 ] shut off the startup - splash screen , show the main window . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1202 , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1402 ] if low , show a suitable warning and put the program in standby mode . [ 1403 ] check if it is time to back up the user database . [ 1404 ] if so , send a windows message to mail processing thread to back up the user database . [ 1405 ] check if it is time to connect to the gateway 101 . [ 1405 a ] if so , then signal gateway thread for sending mail to and polling mail from the gateway 101 . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . [ 1406 ] check if it is the time to process mail . [ 1406 a ] if so , then signal mail thread for mail processing . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1203 , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1501 ] on the video display of lan access server 125 , show the shut down splash screen . [ 1505 ] save the messages in send and reply queues to a file . [ 1506 ] shut off the shut down splash screen and the main window . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1405 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1601 ] if there are messages in the send queue or two - way mode , and ppp dialup is enabled , then do the ppp dial up . [ 1602 ] try to connect to the pop3 mailbox 204 c at the gateway 101 . [ 1603 ] retrieve all messages from the pop3 mailbox 204 c at the gateway 101 and put them into the reply queue . [ 1604 ] try to connect to the gateway 101 using smtp protocol . [ 1604 a ] retrieve each message from send queue and send it to the gateway 101 . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig2 . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1406 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1701 ] get the user database and take the first user . [ 1701 a ] process mail for this user . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1701 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1801 ] start a mapi session for the user . open a mapi session by means of the user &# 39 ; s mail profile ; open the user &# 39 ; s address book , open the user &# 39 ; s mail store and all standard mail folders , and open the “ forward ” and the “ forwarded ” folders created by the lan access server 125 for the user . [ 1802 ] call the mapi flush function to send out all messages in the “ outbox ” folder and get all incoming messages to the “ inbox ” folder . [ 1802 a ] send out replies for this user in the reply queue . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig1 . [ 1803 ] move all messages from the user &# 39 ; s “ inbound ” directory to the “ forward ” folder . [ 1803 a ] check the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder and move messages to “ forward ” folder . this step is described in further detail with respect to fig2 . [ 1804 ] copy all messages in the user &# 39 ; s “ forward ” folder to send queue . [ 1805 ] move all messages in the “ forward ” folder to “ forwarded ” folder . [ 1806 ] check schedule + ( or equivalent calendaring and appointment software package ) for occurrences of appointment , task and event . create messages according to the information obtained and put the messages in the send queue . [ 1807 ] send synchronization messages from the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” and “ sent ” folders to the “ outbound ” directory . fig1 depicts the process performed by step 1802 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 1902 ] if there is not a message in the “ forwarded ” folder corresponding to this reply , or if there is then if this is a rejected message , then generate a non - delivery notice for the message and put the notice into the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder . [ 1903 ] if this is a reply to an originated message , then put the reply into the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder . [ 1904 ] otherwise , put the reply into the user &# 39 ; s “ outbox ” folder . fig2 depicts the process performed by step 1803 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 2001 ] get the first unread message from the user &# 39 ; s “ inbox ” folder . [ 2002 ] if the message &# 39 ; s delivery time is not earlier than the cutoff time , and the message has not been forwarded before and the messages passes the filter , then move the message to the “ forward ” folder . fig2 depicts the process performed by step 1604 a , described above with respect to fig1 . [ 2102 ] send this message to gateway 101 . [ 2104 ] if no sending error occurred but the message is rejected by the gateway 101 , then mark the status of the message as rejected and put it to the reply queue . the present invention has been described previously in a preferred embodiment . it will be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art that the present invention may be implemented in a variety of ways , while still remaining within the scope of the claims set forth below .	7
the present disclosure is here described in detail with reference to embodiments illustrated in the drawings , which form a part here . other embodiments may be used and / or other changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure . the illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description are not meant to be limiting of the subject matter presented here . reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings , and specific language will be used here to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended . alterations and further modifications of the inventive features illustrated here , and additional applications of the principles of the inventions as illustrated here , which would occur to one skilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure , are to be considered within the scope of the invention . various embodiments of the systems and methods disclosed here collect data from different sources in order to identify independent events using systems and methods to train customized and data source - specific event templates , and event models for different input data streams originating from various data sources , which may yield possibly high accuracy event detection . ingestion modules executed by various nodes of an exemplary system may be customized for each type of data source , in an automated or manual fashion . systems and methods may provide an event - based communication system , which may enable embodiments to gather and communicate event - related information between “ ingestion modules ,” which may then perform verification and validation of events detected by ingestion modules , by comparing detections of the same events ( in parallel ) at each of the other ingestion modules . comparison of event detection results may be facilitated by embodiments implementing an event data normalization technique , which may produce a common event definition template ( i . e ., description schema ) thus providing compatible data fields for comparing an event detected from different data sources by different ingestion modules of the system . fig1 is a block diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment of data streams extraction 100 , which may include an ingestion module 102 for extracting data streams from a plurality of sources . such sources may include social media , news sources , and / or any other sources that contain information related to events . ingestion module 102 may collect , scan or receive data streams from a specific and single source such as a social media web page ( e . g ., facebook ® or twitter ®), news page , and online forums , among others . furthermore , ingestion module 102 may be fed by a variety of sources , which may include a combination of web pages , social media , short message service (“ sms ”), really simple syndication or rich site summary (“ rss ”) feeds , and similar networked electronic messaging services and protocols . such sources may be facebook ® 108 , twitter ® 110 , an rss feed from a news source 112 , and sms feeds 114 . ingestion module 102 may include one or more algorithms , one or more sets of instructions , one or more search protocols , and one or more search engines , for collecting data streams from a plurality of sources . ingestion modules 102 may have access to one or more of databases 104 containing templates , models , search paths , definitions , instructions among others . thus , ingestion module 102 may perform data pre - processing by comparing data streams with the stored templates ; this may reduce noise and redundancy of data streams . templates may define an event ( e . g ., kidnapping ) in terms of semantic roles for the entities involved ( e . g ., perpetrator , victim , date time ). such databases 104 may be able to facilitate automated learning by ingestion module 102 . thus , new information and corrections may be automatically updated in a database 104 . this automated training and correcting may be performed as a semi - supervised process , a supervised process , and / or an unsupervised process . the training process may allow human users to manually update templates , and event models , among others , as well as to check system when required . in the case of receiving data streams from a specific source , ingestion module 102 may be optimized in order to obtain data streams with high speed and quality . thus , algorithms , search engines and databases 104 may be specifically focused to the data streams produced from the specific source . templates and search engines may possess predefined specific search criteria . ingestion module 102 may take keywords and / or metadata from data streams and then may compare them against models and / or templates in databases 104 . ingestion module 102 may determine if a set of keywords and / or metadata pertains to a certain event by comparing them against all event models and / or templates in each database 104 . after comparison , ingestion module 102 may deliver data streams to data processing module 106 , which may perform data processing framework . fig2 depicts training process 200 to build a database 208 . a plurality of documents 204 may be manually tagged by a person 202 in order to identify features pertaining to specific events and assign weights to those features . in this example , the features are keywords . in some embodiments the features may be images , sounds , or other identifying characteristics for determining an event . for example , an event model 206 may be “ explosion ”; a person can manually identify in a document 204 relating to an explosion the co - occurrence of keywords such as “ bomb ” and / or “ fire ”. the user may then assign a weighted value to each keyword , depending on the repetition or the co - occurrence of these keywords with others in a plurality of documents 204 related to explosions , and associate those with an event model 206 for “ explosion ” stored in database 208 . fig3 depicts training process 300 to build a database 310 . a plurality of documents 304 may be automatically tagged by a computer software 302 , algorithm and / or set of instructions at ingestion module 102 . training process 300 may be performed in order to identify features , which in this example are keywords , pertaining to specific events and assign weighted values to those keywords . in some embodiments , a person 308 may semi - supervise training process 300 by evaluating and correcting information tagged and assigned to specific events , this may add an extra layer of data reliability . in addition to the automatic training process 300 , person 308 may , in some embodiments , be able to manually tag other keywords in order to identify keywords pertaining to specific events and assign weights to those keywords . for example , an event model 306 may be associated with the event “ explosion ”; computer software 302 can automatically identify in a document 304 relating to an explosion the co - occurrence of keywords such as “ bomb ” and / or “ fire ”. computer software 302 may then assign a weight to each word depending on the repetition or the co - occurrence of these keywords with others in a plurality of documents 304 related to explosions , and associate those with an event model 306 for explosion stored in database 310 . fig4 is a flowchart depicting ingestion module operation 400 , which may start at scan / receive data streams step 402 , when one or more ingestion modules 102 receive or scan for data streams from a plurality of sources . scanning may be performed through active reading of publication in data stream sources ; such sources may include social media web pages ( e . g ., facebook ®, twitter ®), blogs , and the like . moreover , ingestion modules 102 may receive data streams from a plurality of data stream sources . this may be allowed through subscriptions , rss delivery , sms , e - mails , and the like . ingestion modules 102 may be able to perform these two methods ( scanning and receiving ) at the same time and independently . subsequently , in a step for determining whether a data stream source corresponds to a specific ingestion module , in check 404 , data streams scanned and received may be sent to a generic ingestion module 102 which may collect data streams from a plurality of sources , or data streams scanned and received may be sent to an optimized ingestion module 102 . an optimized ingestion module 102 may be customized for specific data stream sources , such as facebook ® or twitter ®, among others . a specific data stream source may be a single source or a group of sources gathered by common topic , type of data received ( e . g ., text , images , videos ), and / or format of publication ( e . g ., limitation of characters ), this may include groups of forums or blogs about an specific topic , news pages , and the like . if data streams do not correspond to a specific ingestion module 102 , then at analyze data streams based on common criteria step 406 , ingestion module 102 may authorize scanned / received data streams to be analyzed through common criteria set for any data stream source . the common criteria analysis may be performed at “ data streams match with database ” check 408 , by a comparison between templates , models , search paths , definitions , and / or instructions , among others , which may be previously stored in a database 104 . by comparing data streams with the stored templates , models , search paths , and the like , ingestion module 102 may perform data streams pre - processing by comparing , which may reduce noise and redundancy of data streams . templates may define an event ( e . g . kidnapping ) in terms of semantic roles for the entities involved ( e . g . perpetrator , victim , date time ). templates may take keywords and / or metadata from data streams and may establish a comparison with the database 104 template . for example , if a group of keywords such as , “ building ,” “ ground moving ,” “ earthquake ,” and “ walls cracked ” are scanned / received , then ingestion module 102 may compare such terms with the templates in database 104 , templates may be indexed by event , in this case , the event may be labeled as “ earthquake ”. thus , by applying check 408 means that ingestion module 102 may avoid delivering data streams that are redundant or not related with the event or topic ( noise ) at “ do not send data streams ” step 410 , and the ingestion module operation 400 may end . if data streams match with templates in database 104 , then ingestion module 102 may send data streams 414 to data processing modules , data storages , and the like . subsequently , ingestion module operation 400 may end . if , in check 404 , data streams correspond to a specific ingestion module 102 , then at “ data streams meet specific criteria ” check 412 , ingestion module 102 optimized for a specific data / source may perform an analysis to scanned / received data streams , which may be based on specific criteria set for the data streams source , such criteria may include type of vocabulary used , data format , limitation of characters , frequency of new data streams released and the like . an optimized ingestion module 102 may perform comparison between scanned / received data streams with the templates , models , and search paths , among others , that are stored in database 104 . because there are specific criteria for the optimized ingestion module 102 , specific templates , models , and search paths , among others , may be employed in database 104 too . by comparing data streams with the stored specific templates , models , search paths , and the like , ingestion module 102 may perform data streams pre - processing by comparing , which may reduce noise and redundancy of data streams . templates may define an event ( e . g . kidnapping ) in terms of semantic roles for the entities involved ( e . g . perpetrator , victim , date time ). templates may take keywords and / or metadata from data streams and may establish a comparison with the database 104 template . for example , if a group of keywords such as , “ building ,” “ ground moving ,” “ earthquake ,” and “ walls cracked ,” are scanned / received from and a specific source , such as an rss news feed , then optimized ingestion module 102 may compare such terms with the templates in database 104 , then templates may be indexed by event , in this case , the event may be labeled as “ earthquake ”. thus , ingestion module 102 may avoid collecting data streams that are redundant or not related ( noise ) at “ do not send data streams ” step 410 , and the ingestion module operation 400 may end . if data streams match with templates in database 104 , then ingestion module 102 may send data streams 414 to data processing modules , data storages and the like . subsequently , ingestion module operation 400 may end . the foregoing method descriptions and the process flow diagrams are provided merely as illustrative examples and are not intended to require or imply that the steps of the various embodiments must be performed in the order presented . as will be appreciated by one of skill in the art the steps in the foregoing embodiments may be performed in any order . words such as “ then ,” “ next ,” etc . are not intended to limit the order of the steps ; these words are simply used to guide the reader through the description of the methods . although process flow diagrams may describe the operations as a sequential process , many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently . in addition , the order of the operations may be re - arranged . a process may correspond to a method , a function , a procedure , a subroutine , a subprogram , etc . when a process corresponds to a function , its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function . the various illustrative logical blocks , modules , circuits , and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware , computer software , or combinations of both . to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software , various illustrative components , blocks , modules , circuits , and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality . whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system . skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application , but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention . embodiments implemented in computer software may be implemented in software , firmware , middleware , microcode , hardware description languages , or any combination thereof . a code segment or machine - executable instructions may represent a procedure , a function , a subprogram , a program , a routine , a subroutine , a module , a software package , a class , or any combination of instructions , data structures , or program statements . a code segment may be coupled to another code segment or a hardware circuit by passing and / or receiving information , data , arguments , parameters , or memory contents . information , arguments , parameters , data , etc . may be passed , forwarded , or transmitted via any suitable means including memory sharing , message passing , token passing , network transmission , etc . the actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these systems and methods is not limiting of the invention . thus , the operation and behavior of the systems and methods were described without reference to the specific software code being understood that software and control hardware can be designed to implement the systems and methods based on the description herein . when implemented in software , the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or code on a non - transitory computer - readable or processor - readable storage medium . the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein may be embodied in a processor - executable software module which may reside on a computer - readable or processor - readable storage medium . a non - transitory computer - readable or processor - readable media includes both computer storage media and tangible storage media that facilitate transfer of a computer program from one place to another . a non - transitory processor - readable storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer . by way of example , and not limitation , such non - transitory processor - readable media may comprise ram , rom , eeprom , cd - rom or other optical disk storage , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other tangible storage medium that may be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer or processor . disk and disc , as used herein , include compact disc ( cd ), laser disc , optical disc , digital versatile disc ( dvd ), floppy disk , and blu - ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically , while discs reproduce data optically with lasers . combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer - readable media . additionally , the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions on a non - transitory processor - readable medium and / or computer - readable medium , which may be incorporated into a computer program product . the preceding description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention . various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the following claims and the principles and novel features disclosed herein . while various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed , other aspects and embodiments are contemplated . the various aspects and embodiments disclosed are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting , with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims .	6
[ 0023 ] fig1 through 5 , discussed below , and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present invention in this patent document are by way of illustration only and should not be construed in any way to limit the scope of the invention . those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present invention may be implemented in any suitably arranged wireless network . [ 0024 ] fig1 illustrates exemplary wireless network 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention . wireless network 100 comprises a plurality of cell sites 121 - 123 , each containing one of the base stations , bs 101 , bs 102 , or bs 103 . base stations 101 - 103 communicate with a plurality of mobile stations ( ms ) 111 - 114 over , for example , code division multiple access ( cdma ) channels . mobile stations 111 - 114 may be any suitable wireless devices , including conventional cellular radiotelephones , pcs handset devices , personal digital assistants , portable computers , or metering devices . the present invention is not limited to mobile devices . other types of access terminals may be used . however , for the sake of simplicity , only mobile stations are shown and discussed hereafter . dotted lines show the approximate boundaries of the cell sites 121 - 123 in which base stations 101 - 103 are located . the cell sites are shown approximately circular for the purposes of illustration and explanation only . it should be clearly understood that the cell sites may have other irregular shapes , depending on the cell configuration selected and natural and man - made obstructions . as is well known in the art , cell sites 121 - 123 are comprised of a plurality of sectors ( not shown ), each sector being illuminated by a directional antenna coupled to the base station . the embodiment of fig1 illustrates the base station in the center of the cell . alternate embodiments position the directional antennas in corners of the sectors . the system of the present invention is not limited to any one cell site configuration . in one embodiment of the present invention , bs 101 , bs 102 , and bs 103 comprise a base station controller ( esc ) and one or more base transceiver subsystem ( s ) ( bts ). base station controllers and base transceiver subsystems are well known to those skilled in the art . a base station controller is a device that manages wireless communications resources , including the base transceiver stations , for specified cells within a wireless communications network . a base transceiver subsystem comprises the rf transceivers , antennas , and other electrical equipment located in each cell site . this equipment may include air conditioning units , heating units , electrical supplies , telephone line interfaces , and rf transmitters and rf receivers . for the purpose of simplicity and clarity in explaining the operation of the present invention , the base transceiver subsystem in each of cells 121 , 122 , and 123 and the base station controller associated with each base transceiver subsystem are collectively represented by bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 , respectively . bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 transfer voice and data signals between each other and the public switched telephone network ( pstn ) ( not shown ) via communications line 131 and mobile switching center msc ) 140 . line 131 also provides the connection path to transfers control signals between msc 140 and bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 used to establish connections for voice and data circuits between msc 140 and bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 . communications line 131 may be any suitable connection means , including a t1 line , a t3 line , a fiber optic link , a network packet data backbone connection , or any other type of data connection . line 131 links each vocoder in the bsc with switch elements in msc 140 . those skilled in the art will recognize that the connections on line 131 may provide a transmission path for transmission of analog voice band signals , a digital path for transmission of voice signals in the pulse code modulated ( pcm ) format , a digital path for transmission of voice signals in an internet protocol ( ip ) format , a digital path for transmission of voice signals in an asynchronous transfer mode ( atm ) format , or other suitable connection transmission protocol . those skilled in the art will recognize that the connections on line 131 may a provide a transmission path for transmission of analog or digital control signals in a suitable signaling protocol . msc 140 is a switching device that provides services and coordination between the subscribers in a wireless network and external networks , such as the pstn or internet 190 . msc 140 is well known to those skilled in the art . in some embodiments of the present invention , communications line 131 may be several different data links where each data link couples one of bs 101 , bs 102 , or bs 103 to msc 140 . alternatively , bs 101 , bs 102 and bs 103 may transfer voice and data signals directly with internet 190 via network communications line 132 , thereby bypassing mobile switching center msc ) 140 . in the exemplary wireless network 100 , ms 111 is located in cell site 121 and is in communication with bs 101 . ms 113 is located in cell site 122 and is in communication with bs 102 . ms 114 is located in cell site 123 and is in communication with bs 103 . ms 112 is also located close to the edge of cell site 123 and is moving in the direction of cell site 123 , as indicated by the direction arrow proximate ms 112 . at some point , as ms 112 moves into cell site 123 and out of cell site 121 , a hand - off will occur . as is well known , the hand - off procedure transfers control of a call from a first cell site to a second cell site . as ms 112 moves from cell 121 to cell 123 , ms 112 detects the pilot signal from bs 103 and sends a pilot strength measurement message to bs 101 . when the strength of the pilot transmitted by bs 103 and received and reported by ms 112 exceeds a threshold , bs 101 initiates a soft hand - off process by signaling the target bs 103 that a handoff is required as described in tia / eia is - 95 or tia / eia is - 2000 . bs 103 and ms 112 proceed to negotiate establishment of a communications link in the cdma channel . following establishment of the communications link between bs 103 and ms 112 , ms 112 communicates with both bs 101 and bs 103 in a soft handoff mode . those acquainted with the art will recognize that soft hand - off improves the performance on both forward ( bs to ms ) channel and reverse ( ms to bs ) channel links . when the signal from bs 101 falls below a predetermined signal strength threshold , ms 112 may then drop the link with bs 101 and only receive signals from bs 103 . the call is thereby seamlessly transferred from bs 101 to bs 103 . wireless network 100 further comprises radio frequency ( rf ) coverage server 195 , which is used to detect rf holes in the rf coverage area of wireless network 100 , including cell sites 121 - 123 . according to the principles of the present invention , the wireless service provider that operates wireless network 100 distributes to some ( and perhaps all ) of its subscribers specially - equipped mobile stations ( e . g ., cell phones ). each of the specially - equipped mobile stations is equipped with a global positioning system ( gps ) device that enables the mobile station to rapidly determine its position in the event that a call is dropped or service is dropped . this gps information is the geographical position of the mobile station at the time the call was dropped or service was lost . when service is restored , the mobile station establishes a session with rf coverage server 195 and relays the gps position and / or time information to rf coverage server 195 . over time , rf coverage server 195 builds up a database of service drop / call drop position information only from those phones that actually experience a call or service drop . this information is used to establish a map of the coverage area of wireless network 100 that illustrates the location of rf coverage holes . [ 0036 ] fig2 illustrates exemplary wireless mobile station 111 in greater detail according to one embodiment of the present invention . wireless mobile station 111 comprises antenna 205 , radio frequency ( rf ) transceiver 210 , transmitter ( tx ) processing circuitry 215 , microphone 220 , receiver ( rx ) processor circuitry 225 , speaker 230 , main processor 240 , input / output ( i / o ) interface ( if ) 245 , keypad 250 , display 255 , and position locator 260 , which may be , for example , a global positioning system ( gps ) receiver . wireless mobile station 111 further comprises memory 270 , that stores basic operating system ( os ) program 271 , drop location data file 281 , encryption - decryption key ( s ) file 282 , encryption - decryption application program 283 , and ms location server access application program 284 . drop location data file 281 comprises drop type field 291 and gps position / time field 292 . wireless mobile station 111 may be a cell phone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ) device equipped with a wireless modem , a two - way pager , a personal communication system ( pcs ) device , or any other type of wireless mobile station . rf transceiver 210 receives , from antenna 205 , an incoming rf signal transmitted by a base station of a wireless communication network . rf transceiver 210 down - converts the incoming rf signal to produce an intermediate frequency ( if ) or a baseband signal . the if or baseband signal is sent to rx processing circuitry 225 that produces a processed baseband signal by filtering , decoding , and / or digitizing the baseband or if signal to produce a processed baseband signal . rx processing circuitry 225 transmits the processed baseband signal to speaker 230 ( i . e ., voice data ) or to main processor 240 for further processing ( i . e ., web browsing ). tx processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital voice data from microphone 220 or other outgoing baseband data ( i . e ., web data , e - mail , interactive video game data ) from main processor 240 . tx processing circuitry 215 encodes , multiplexes , and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to produce a processed baseband or if signal . rf transceiver 210 receives the outgoing processed baseband or if signal from tx processing circuitry 215 . rf transceiver 210 up - converts the baseband or if signal to an rf signal that is transmitted via antenna 205 . main processor 240 may be implemented as a microprocessor or microcontroller . main processor 240 executes basic os program 271 in order to control the overall operation of wireless mobile station 111 . in one such operation , main processor 240 controls the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by rf transceiver 210 , rx processing circuitry 225 , and tx processing circuitry 215 , in accordance with well known principles . main processor 240 is also capable of controlling and / or interfacing with position locator 260 in order to transfer the location of ms 111 to memory 270 . main processor 240 is capable of executing other processes and programs that are resident in memory 270 . main processor 240 can move data into or out of memory 270 , as required by an executing process . main processor 240 is also coupled to i / o interface 245 . i / o interface 245 provides the mobile station with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptop computers and handheld computers . i / o interface 245 is the communication path between these accessories and main controller 240 . main processor 240 is also coupled to keypad 250 and display unit 255 . keypad 250 is used by the end - user of the mobile station to enter data into the mobile station . display 255 , in the preferred embodiment , is a liquid crystal display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics from web sites . alternate embodiments use other types of displays . memory 270 is coupled to main processor 240 . memory 270 may be comprised of solid - state memory such as random access memory ( ram ), various types of read only memory ( rom ), or flash ram . memory 270 may also include other types of memory such as micro - hard drives or removable storage media that stores data . memory 270 stores basic operating system 271 that provides the basic operational control of mobile station 111 . drop location data file 281 indicates the location and time of mobile station 111 at the time that service and / or a call was dropped . memory 270 also stores encryption - decryption key ( s ) 282 that are used to transfer position location information in drop location data file 281 to bs 101 and rf coverage server 195 . the use of encryption - decryption keys enables the mobile station to transmit its location securely over - the - air and through public data networks . memory 270 also stores rf coverage server access application program 284 , which enables ms 111 to transfer position data to rf coverage server 195 in fig1 . rf coverage server access application program 284 may be an e - mail program , a transmission control protocol / internet protocol ( tcp / ip ) program , a user datagram protocol ( udp ) program , a short messaging service ( sms ) program , a cdma data burst program , or any combination of these programs . these various types of communication programs are for illustration purposes only . the present invention is not limited to any one type or combination of server access programs . [ 0047 ] fig3 illustrates exemplary radio frequency ( rf ) coverage server 195 in greater detail according to one embodiment of the present invention . rf coverage server 195 comprises data processor 305 and memory 310 . data processor 305 , in one embodiment , is a microprocessor or microcontroller . other embodiments use other types of controllers , such as parallel processors , for greater processing power . data processors are well known in the art and are not discussed further . memory 310 may be comprised of solid - state memory such as random access memory ( ram ), various types of read only memory ( rom ), or flash ram . memory 310 may also include other types of memory such as micro - hard drives or removable storage media that stores data . memory 310 is coupled to data processor 305 and stores basic operating system 320 , rf coverage server application program 330 , mobile station interface ( if ) application program 340 , mobile station database 350 , and rf coverage map 380 . mobile station database 350 contains n mobile station records , including exemplary mobile station records 360 , 370 and 380 , which are arbitrarily labeled ms1 record , ms2 record , and msn record , respectively . exemplary mobile station record 360 contains ms1 drop data field 361 , and encryption - decryption key ( s ) 363 . ms drop data field 361 contains the geographic location and time information for a particular mobile station ( e . g ., ms 111 ). exemplary mobile station records 370 and 380 contain similar data fields . basic operating system 320 is run by data processor 305 in order to control the overall operation of the location server . rf coverage server application program 330 is responsible for securely gathering location information from mobile stations that have dropped calls or lost service and generating therefrom rf coverage map 380 , which identifies rf coverage holes in wireless network 100 . according to one embodiment of the present invention , rf coverage map 380 may be a simple two dimensional map showing dots , squares , or other icons that represent the locations of mobile stations at the time of a service loss or call drop . the map may illustrate drop location data gathered over an entire extended time period , such as a month , a week , or a day . alternatively , rf coverage map 380 may comprise multiple two dimensional maps for certain times of day , such as a first map that shows drop location data for the time period between 12 am and 1 am on a particular day , a second map that shows drop location data for the time period between 1 am and 2 am on the same day , a third map that shows drop location data for the time period between 2 am and 3 am on the same data , and so forth . also , the maps may cover multiple days . for example , the first map may show drop location data for the time period between 12 am and 1 am for every day for an entire month . mobile station if application program 340 communicates with rf coverage server access application program 284 in ms 111 in order to receive drop location data from ms 111 . mobile station if application program 340 may comprise an e - mail program ( e . g ., eudora ), a transmission control protocol / internet protocol ( tcp / ip ) program , a user datagram protocol ( udp ) program , a short messaging service ( sms ) program , a cdma data burst program , or any combination of these programs . these various types of communication programs are for illustration purposes only . the present invention is not limited to any one type or combination of server access programs . according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention , ms 111 and bs 101 may utilize new parameters in the extended system parameters message ( base station - to - mobile station paging channel message ) and in the registration message in order to relay exact location and time information of ms 111 in the event of a call drop or a service loss . the present invention thus provides an efficient mechanism to report the call drop location and time information to rf coverage server 195 via the appropriate messaging , in the event of a call drop or service failure due to a coverage hole in wireless network 100 . this enables the network operator to pinpoint the exact location of a call drop or service failure , thereby facilitating collection of valuable data to determine rf holes in wireless network 100 . the present invention greatly reduces the required efforts of wireless service providers to improve service coverage and to reduce dropped calls . advantageously , the base station is not required to continually request location information from all mobiles , which is highly inefficient . the present invention discloses an efficient mechanism for identifying coverage holes with minimum additional impact on air - interface . 1 . two new trigger bits , report service loss and report call drop are defined in the extended system parameters message and in - traffic system parameters message , 2 . when report service loss is set to true ( e . g ., logic 1 ) for the current cell , if the mobile is idle and it loses service ( pilot channel / sync channel / paging channel / access trouble ), the mobile station stores the service loss location and time . this information should not be overwritten until it is reported to the base station . 3 . when report call drop is set to true for the current cell , if the mobile is in a call and a call drops due to rf signal failure , the mobile station stores the call failure location and time . this information should not be overwritten until it is reported to the base station . 4 . usually , a mobile station loses service or a call , the mobile station tries to re - acquire the system . in doing so , the mobile station can send a registration message with additional information : which event ( call drop / pilot signal / sync signal / paging signal / access failure ) occurred , event location , and event time . 5 . field registration type ( reg type ) in registration message is modified to include service reconnect as a new reason . every time after the mobile station acquires the system , the mobile station should complete its regular registration processing , then send another registration message with the service reconnect reason , if it has stored an unreported call drop event or service loss event . for example , the following fields may be used in the registration message : integer event type ( 0 = call drop , 1 = pilot lost , 2 = sync error , 3 = paging error , 4 = access failure , etc . ), appropriate type to specify the event time , and an appropriate type to report the gps location where the event happened . [ 0061 ] fig4 depicts message flow diagram 400 , which illustrates the operation of mobile station 111 and base station 101 during a call drop according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . initially , ms 111 has already accessed bs 101 . bs 101 transmits control message 405 with report call drop set to logic 1 ( true ). this alerts ms 111 to report call drop events . at time t1 , ms 111 establishes a call ( i . e ., call origination ) with bs 101 . at time t2 , ms 111 enters an rf coverage hole and ms 111 drops the call ( i . e ., call drop ) with bs 101 . at time t3 , ms 101 leaves the rf coverage hole and ms 111 reacquires ( reacq .) bs 101 ( or some other base station ). ms 111 then transmits special registration message 410 that reports the call drop event , location , and time . [ 0062 ] fig5 depicts message flow diagram 500 , which illustrates the operation of mobile station 111 and base station 101 during a service loss according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . initially , ms 111 has already accessed bs 101 . bs 101 transmits control message 505 with report service loss set to logic 1 ( true ). this alerts ms 111 to report service loss events . at time t1 , ms 111 enters an rf coverage hole and ms 111 loses service with bs 101 by losing one of the control channels ( e . g ., pilot , page , sync ). at time t2 , ms 101 leaves the rf coverage hole and ms 111 reacquires ( reacq .) bs 101 ( or some other base station ) ms 111 then transmits special registration message 510 that reports the service loss event , location , and time . advantageously , a service provider is not required to implement gps position locator 260 , drop location data file 281 , and rf coverage server access application program 284 in every mobile station distributed to subscribers of wireless network 100 . the present invention may adequately identify coverage holes in wireless network 100 even if only a subset of subscribers use mobile stations ( i . e ., cell phones ) that are equipped according to the principles of the present invention . the wireless service provider need only ensure that an adequate number of phones are so equipped in order to obtain a good sampling of the rf coverage holes in wireless network 100 . for example , if a wireless service provider has 200 , 000 subscribers in a certain metropolitan area ( e . g ., dallas , tex . ), the wireless service provider may distribute , for example , 1 , 000 , 5 , 000 , or 10 , 000 mobile stations that are equipped as shown in fig2 and according to the principles of the present invention . these mobile stations would then be used to identify holes in the rf coverage of wireless network 100 . moreover , out of the subset of mobile stations that are equipped according to the principles of the present invention , the wireless service provider may further reduce the number of mobile stations that are reporting rf coverage holes by selectively enabling the present invention in only some of the equipped mobile stations . as explained in fig4 and 5 , the equipped mobile stations only report a service loss event or a call drop event if the trigger bits report service loss and report call drop , respectively , are enabled . if the service provider does not set these trigger bits as described with respect to fig4 and 5 , then the mobile stations do not report service loss events or call drop events . it should also be noted that the present invention may operate in the reverse manner by disabling the trigger bits report service loss and report call drop . in other words , when a mobile station is powered on , it may be enabled , by default , to report service loss events and call drop events . the trigger bits report service loss and report call drop may then be used to disable ( i . e ., turn off ) the reporting of service loss events or call drop events . although the present invention has been described in detail , those skilled in the art should understand that they may make various changes , substitutions and alterations herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form .	7
fig2 is a block diagram of typical computer system 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention . in the present embodiment , computer system 200 typically includes a monitor 210 , computer 220 , a keyboard 230 , a user input device 240 , a network interface 250 , and the like . in the present embodiment , user input device 240 is typically embodied as a computer mouse , a trackball , a track pad , a joystick , wireless remote , drawing tablet , an integrated display and tablet ( e . g . cintiq by wacom ), voice command system , eye tracking system , and the like . user input device 240 typically allows a user to select objects , icons , text and the like that appear on the monitor 210 via a command such as a click of a button or the like . embodiments of network interface 250 typically include an ethernet card , a modem ( telephone , satellite , cable , isdn ), ( asynchronous ) digital subscriber line ( dsl ) unit , and the like . network interface 250 are typically coupled to a computer network as shown . in other embodiments , network interface 250 may be physically integrated on the motherboard of computer 220 , may be a software program , such as soft dsl , or the like . computer 220 typically includes familiar computer components such as a processor 260 , and memory storage devices , such as a random access memory ( ram ) 270 , disk drives 280 , and system bus 290 interconnecting the above components . in one embodiment , computer 220 is a pc compatible computer having one or more microprocessors such as pentiumiv ™ or xeon ™ microprocessors from intel corporation . further , in the present embodiment , computer 220 typically includes a linux - based operating system . ram 270 and disk drive 280 are examples of tangible media configured to store data , audio / video files , computer programs , scene descriptor files , object models , object components , mapping of specified components to groups of components , animation variables , shader descriptors , different component hierarchies for one or more objects , output image files , texture maps , displacement maps , object creation environments , animation environments , asset management systems , databases and database management systems , and the like . other types of tangible media include floppy disks , removable hard disks , optical storage media such as cd - roms , dvds and bar codes , semiconductor memories such as flash memories , read - only - memories ( roms ), battery - backed volatile memories , networked storage devices , and the like . in the present embodiment , computer system 200 may also include software that enables communications over a network such as the http , tcp / ip , rtp / rtsp protocols , and the like . in alternative embodiments of the present invention , other communications software and transfer protocols may also be used , for example ipx , udp or the like . fig2 is representative of a computer system capable of embodying the present invention . it will be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that many other hardware and software configurations are suitable for use with the present invention . for example , the computer may be a desktop , portable , rack - mounted or tablet configuration . further , the use of other micro processors are contemplated , such as pentium ™ or itanium ™ microprocessors ; opteron ™ or athlonxp ™ microprocessors from advanced micro devices , inc ; powerpc g4 ™, g5 ™ microprocessors from motorola , inc . ; and the like . further , other types of operating systems are contemplated , such as windows ®, windowsxp ®, windowsnt ®, or the like from microsoft corporation , solaris from sun microsystems , linux , unix , mac os from apple computer corporation , and the like . fig3 illustrates a block diagram of an embodiment of the present invention . specifically , fig3 illustrates an animation environment 300 , an object creation environment 310 , and a storage system 320 . in the present embodiment , object creation environment 310 is an environment that allows users ( modelers ) to specify object articulation models , including armatures and rigs . within this environment , users can create models ( manually , procedurally , etc .) of other objects ( components ), and specify how the objects articulate with respect to animation variables ( avars ). in one specific embodiment , object creation environment 310 is a pixar proprietary object creation environment known as “ geppetto .” in other embodiements , other types of object creation environments can be used . in the present embodiment , the object models that are created with object creation environment 310 may be used in animation environment 300 . typically , object models are heirarchically built , and the user ( modeler ) specifies how the components are interconnected via an object hierarchy 330 . the heirarchical nature for building - up object models is useful because different users ( modellers ) are typically assigned the tasks of creating the different models . for example , one modeller is assigned the task of creating a hand model , a different modeller is assigned the task of creating a lower arm model , and the like . accordingly , by dividing - up the responsibility for object creation , the object creation process time is greatly reduced . in the present embodiment , animation environment 300 is an environment that allows users ( animators ) to manipulate object articulation models , via setting of animation variables ( avars ). in one embodiment , animation environment 300 is a pixar proprietary animation environment known as “ menv ,” although in other embodiments , other animation environments could also be adapted . in this embodiment , animation environment 300 allows an animator to manipulate the avars provided in the object models ( generic rigs ) and to move the objects with respect to time , i . e . animate an object . additionally , in the present embodiment , animation environment 300 supports the use of an object hierarchy , that may be different from the heirarchy used by the object modelers . for example , within animation environment 300 an object hierarchy 340 may specify the direct connection between components not directly connected in object hierarchy 330 . also shown is a logical mapping 370 between specified components and groups of components . in other embodiments of the present invention , animation environment 300 and object creation environment 310 may be combined into a single integrated environment . in fig3 , storage system 320 may include any organized and repeatable way to access object articulation models . for example , in one embodiment , storage system 320 includes a simple flat - directory structure on local drive or network drive ; in other embodiments , storage system 320 may be an asset management system or a database access system tied to a database , or the like . in one embodiment , storage system 320 receives references to object models from animation environment 300 and object creation environment 310 . in return , storage system 320 provides the object model stored therein . as illustrated , object models typically specify one or more animation variables 350 . in response , via animation environment 300 , the user may specify values 360 for animation variables 350 either graphically , via keyboard , or the like . fig4 a – b illustrate a block diagram of a flow process according to an embodiment of the present invention . initially , one or more users ( e . g . object modelers ) creates a model of a three - dimensional object , step 400 in an object creation environment . the specification of the model typically includes a specification of sub - objects or components , interconnected in a first connection hierarchy . additionally , the user defines animation variables applicable to the components . next , in the present embodiment , the user ( e . g . object modeler ) also defines a second connection hierarchy for the components of the object , step 410 . in various embodiments of the present invention , a different user ( e . g . an animator , a shader ) specifies the interconnections in the second connection hierarchy . the object modeler then implements the second connection hierarchy . in various embodiments , any number of connection hierarchies may be created for different users and for different uses , for example , types of hierarchies may include a deformer hierarchy , a shading hierarchy , a geometric hierarchy , a animation hierarchy , and the like . in embodiments of the present invention , the different users may directly define the second connection hierarchy , and / or may define the hierarchy on - the - fly ( i . e . add interconnections between the components as needed ). in various embodiments , the second connection hierarchy may include the first connection hierarchy and include additional interconnections . in other embodiments , the second connection hierarchy may include only some , or even none , of the same interconnections as the first connection hierarchy . in the present embodiment , the user ( e . g . object modeler ) also defines a mapping from selected components to one or more components ( group of components ), step 420 . for example , one mapping may be between a right arm component and a group of components including : the right arm , the right shoulder , and right elbow ; another mapping may be between a head component , and a group of components including : the head component , a group of components including a neck component , a manipulation component ; yet another mapping may be between a torso component and a group of components including : the torso component , the hips component , and the chest component , and the like . in various embodiments of the present invention , different users ( e . g . an animator , a shader ) specify the mappings , and the object modeler then implements the mappings . in various embodiments , mappings between a component and one or more components may be created for different users and for different uses . in other embodiments of the present invention , the different users may directly define the mappings and / or may define the mappings on - the - fly ( i . e . define a mapping as needed ). examples of this will be given below . in the present embodiments , the model of the three - dimensional object , the first connection hierarchy and the second connection hierarchy , and at least one mapping between components and other components are then saved , step 430 . in embodiments of the present invention , it is contemplated that a first class of users ( e . g . object modelers ) define a model , implement the custom connection hierarchies , and implement the mapping between components ; and different class of users ( e . g . animators , shaders ) use the custom connection hierarchies and the mapping . in the example in fig4 a , a user ( e . g . animator ) initiates an animation environment , step 440 , and retrieves the object model , the second connection hierarchy , and the mapping , step 450 . in other embodiments , the object model , second connection hierarchy , and the mapping may be retrieved within the object creation environment , a shading environment , or the like . in the present embodiment , when the object model is retrieved into the animation environment , the object is displayed to the user on a display , step 460 . the object may be represented on the display in a number of ways including an armature mode that illustrates the underlying “ skeleton ” of the object . another way includes a wire - frame mode that illustrates the armature and surface of the object as a series of wire - frames . yet another way includes a rendered mode that simply renders the surface of the object . in the animation environment , the rendering process includes converting geometric descriptions of the physical components of the object into a two - dimensional representation on the display . in embodiments of the present invention , a user ( e . g . animator ) can easily switch between the different appearances of the object within animation environment . in embodiments of the present embodiment , when the object is displayed , the animation environment maintains a link between the two - dimensional output on the display and components in the second connection hierarchy , step 470 . more particularly , the animation environment maintains a link between two - dimensional regions on the display and components of the three - dimensional object . for example , the animation environment will know for a particular view of the object , pixel x 1 , y 1 on the display represents a surface of a rendered head , pixel x 2 , y 2 on the display represents a surface of a rendered torso , pixel x 3 , y 3 on the display represents a surface associated with an eye tracking component , and the like . in the present embodiment , a user then positions a cursor on the display , step 480 . the user may perform this action in any number of conventional ways , such as with a mouse , drawing pen , track ball , voice command or the like . in response to the cursor position on the display , and the link discussed in step 470 , the animation system identifies the linked component , step 490 . using the example above , if the cursor is on pixel x 1 , y 1 on the display , the animation environment identifies the head component ; if the cursor is on pixel x 2 , y 2 on the display , the animation environment identifies the torso component ; if the cursor is on pixel x 3 , y 3 on the display , the animation environment identifies the eye tracking component , and the like . next , the animation system determines to which group of components the identified component belongs , step 500 . more particularly , the animation system determines which group of components , defined in step 420 , above , includes the identified component . using the example above , the head component would be identified as part of the group of components including the head component , a neck component , and a manipulation component ; a torso component would be identified as part of the group of components including the torso component , the hips component , and the chest component ; and the like . in the present embodiment , two - dimensional regions on the display associated with components from the group of components may be highlighted on the display , step 510 . to the user , the effect is to highlight components that belong to the same group , as the user moves the cursor on the display . for example , as the cursor is positioned on top of a two - dimensional region associated with any of : the torso component , the hips component , or the chest component , all of the associated two - dimensional regions will be highlighted . in various embodiments , highlighting may including displaying the two - dimensional regions in a different color , outlining the two - dimensional region or regions , or other visual indication , and the like . examples of this will be illustrated below . in addition , audio cues can also be output to the user . for example , as a different group of components are highlighted , a sound may be output to the user . as another example , the sound may have a different pitch as different groups of components are highlighted . as still another example , when the cursor is positioned on top of the head component , the user may hear “ head ;” when the cursor is positioned on top of the eye tracker component , the user may hear “ eye tracker component ;” when the group of components including a torso component is highlighted , the user may hear “ torso group ;” and the like . in still other embodiments , force feedback devices may also be integrated . for example , as a new group of components is highlighted , a mouse , or the like may vibrate . many other ways to provide sensory feedback are contemplated and are included in alternative embodiments . in embodiments , if the user continues to reposition the cursor on the display , the process discussed above may be repeated , step 520 . in various embodiments , the process may result in the same group of components being highlighted , or a different group of components being highlighted . as one example , if the cursor is moved from a two - dimensional region associated with a torso component to a two - dimensional region associated with a chest component , the same group of components are highlighted . as another example , if the cursor is moved from a two - dimensional region associated with a torso component , to a two - dimensional component associated with a head component , the group of components including the torso , hips , and chest component is first highlighted , and the group of components including the head , neck , and manipulation component is then highlighted . in various embodiments , the user may make a selection of the highlighted two - dimensional regions on the display , step 520 . in some embodiments , the user may click a mouse button , tap a button a stylus , strike a key on a keyboard , make a voice command , or the like . in response to the user selection , the animation system refers to the mapping defined in step 420 to determine which specified component the group of components is mapped , step 530 . as discussed above , the mapping maps between the groups of components to a selected component . using the example described above , if the group of components including the right arm , the right shoulder , and right elbow was highlighted ( step 510 ), and selected ( step 520 ), the animation system refers to the mapping and determines that the right arm is selected . as another example , if the groups of components including the head , the neck , and a manipulation component was highlighted and selected , the head component is selected according to the mapping . examples of this will be illustrated below . in embodiments of the present invention , after the component selection above , the user may navigate to other components using a variety of techniques , step 540 . for example , the user may navigate referring to the first connection hierarchy or the second connection hierarchy . in some embodiments , the user may use techniques described in the “ pickwalking ” application , referred - to above to easily navigate the component hierarchy using an animator connection hierarchy , or the like . once the component is selected , the user manipulates one or more animation variables associated with the component , step 550 . in various embodiments , the animation variables may be manipulated through the entry of numeric values in a table , through graphical user interface , direct - manipulation techniques pioneered by pixar , or the like . in various embodiments , the animation variables may be associated with physical components , manipulation components , or the like of the three - dimensional model . in the present embodiment , in response to the changed animation variables , the geometric description of the object typically changes , and the object is re - rendered and displayed . the process above is then repeated . fig5 a – g illustrate examples according to embodiments of the present invention . in the example of fig5 a illustrates an a component hierarchy 600 provided for an animator is illustrated . as shown , a mapping 610 is also illustrated that maps particular components 620 to groups of components 630 . for example , a left lower arm component , 640 is mapped to a group 650 including a left lower arm component , a left upper arm component , and a left hand component . fig5 b illustrates a display 670 of a portion of a three - dimensional object ( person ) displayed to a user ( e . g . animator ). in the following examples , a number of cursor positions are illustrated including position 680 , 690 , and 700 . in the example in fig5 c , a cursor is positioned on position 680 on display 670 . according to an embodiment described above , the animation system first determines what component position 680 is linked to ( step 490 ). in this example , the component is the left lower arm 710 . as further described in the embodiments above , the animation determines that left lower arm 710 belongs to component group 650 , as shown in fig5 a ( step 540 ). the components belonging to component group 650 are then highlighted 720 on the display ( step 510 ). in the example in fig5 d , the cursor has been repositioned to position 690 . in this example , position 690 is linked to the left upper arm 730 , and left upper arm 730 is also mapped to component group 650 . accordingly , the components in component group 650 remain highlighted 720 on the display . in the example in fig5 e , the cursor has been repositioned to position 700 . in this example , position 700 is linked to the chest 740 , and chest 740 is mapped to a component group including a chest component , torso component , and hips component in fig5 a . in fig5 e , these components are then highlighted 745 on the display . continuing the example , in fig5 f , the user selects the group of components highlighted . in the present example , when the user makes a selection while the component group is highlighted 745 , the animation system determines that chest component is selected , per the mapping 610 . accordingly , as shown in fig5 f , the armature 750 of chest component 740 is then highlighted . in the example in fig5 g , the user makes one or more hierarchy navigation commands to select different components of the three - dimensional object . in this example , the user may hit a “ down ” arrow key on the keyboard to select torso component 760 . as shown , the armature 770 of torso component is then highlighted . subsequently , the user may modify one or more animation variables of torso component 760 . fig6 a – c illustrate examples of embodiments of the present invention . in fig6 a , a cursor 800 is positioned such that a group of components 810 is highlighted . in fig6 b , the user repositions cursor 810 to another location 820 on the display . in the present embodiment , location 820 is associated with a manipulation component . one such manipulation component is as an eye - tracking component . specifically , when the user selects the eye tracking component , animation variables specifying the location on the screen where the eyes 830 will point to can be set . as illustrated , in various embodiments , components belonging to a first group ( eye components 830 ) may be manipulated from a selection of a second component ( eye tracking component ). in various embodiments , the animation system may automatically enter different manipulation modes in response to selection of specific components . for example , as shown in fig6 b , selection of the eye - tracking component may cause the animation system to automatically enter a “ translate mode ” so that eyes 830 will “ track ” a user - defined location 840 in space . other types of manipulation modes or components are also contemplated . fig7 a – d illustrate additional examples of embodiments of the present invention . in fig7 a – d , the same view of the three - dimensional object shown in fig1 b is shown . in fig7 a , the surfaces of a three - dimensional object 900 are shown . using the process described above , the cursor 910 is positioned as shown . in response to the position of cursor 910 on the display , a group of components is highlighted 920 on the display . fig7 b illustrates an alternative embodiment of the same group of components highlighted 930 on the display . in this embodiment , as different groups of components are highlighted , they are visually brought to the “ front .” in fig7 c , the user has selected the highlighted group on components on the display . as shown , in response to the selection , in various embodiments , the “ skeleton ” of three - dimensional object is displayed , and the specified component 930 mapped to the group of components is selected . next , using hierarchy navigation techniques , the user simply selects the left upper arm component 940 . as can be seen , the embodiments illustrated above provide a simpler method for the users to select specific components of a three - dimensional object via selection of surfaces ( or patches ) of an object . many changes or modifications are readily envisioned . in light of the above disclosure , one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that more than one component may be selected when a highlighted group of components is selected . additionally , other “ non - geometric ” components may have user pickable patches displayed on the display . for example , a bend component or a squash and stretch component may also appear as pickable locations on the surface of the object , or the like . in other embodiments , gestures , keyboards commands , and the like may also be used to select objects on the display in embodiments of the present invention , techniques may be implemented in any number of object system , such as an animation environment , object creation environment , and the like . further embodiments can be envisioned to one of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure . in other embodiments , combinations or sub - combinations of the above disclosed invention can be advantageously made . the block diagrams of the architecture and flow charts are grouped for ease of understanding . however it should be understood that combinations of blocks , additions of new blocks , re - arrangement of blocks , and the like are contemplated in alternative embodiments of the present invention . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereunto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims .	6
an embodiment will now be described with respect to fig4 to 7 of the drawings . remote direct memory access instructions are disclosed that support memory correctness checking . these instructions are primarily intended to be implemented in the network interface controller ( or programmable switch or router ) of fig1 or 2 . the embodiments disclosed may also be performed in software making use of ordinary data transfer methods over a network , but this would result in the loss of many of the benefits gained with a preferred implementation . the embodiments provide functionality falling into the session and transport layers of the open systems interconnection ( osi ) model ( see table 1 below ) and may be implemented in software , but the embodiments are intended to be implemented in hardware ( the physical layer ) for high performance . for comparison , mpi is mainly applicable to the session and presentation layers . six remote direct memory access instructions to support memory correctness checking are provided in an embodiment . the instructions are intended to be used by compilers as part of memory correctness checking instrumentation , or by previously described instrumentation tools , and not used directly by a programmer using languages such c / c ++/ fortran , although some of the described functionality may indeed be made directly available to the user for finer control during memory correctness debugging . the novel instructions defined in an embodiment may be written as follows : the support instruction rdma_mc_init specifies that memory correctness ( mc ) checking is to be activated for rdma operations . in particular , this means that any region of memory specified for remote reads and writes has a corresponding region of memory maintaining the allocation and initialization status . it is an error to call any of the subsequently disclosed rdma memory correctness instructions without first calling this initialization instruction . the memory correctness memory ( equivalent to the shadow memory in valgrind or rational purify ) is not necessarily in the same place as the data being tracked . the location of shadow memory and data does not influence what is transferred . the rdma_mc_put_mode is used to specify what combinations of allocation states will result in a remote write , and rdma_mc_get_mode is used to specify what combinations of allocation states will result in a remote read . as is usual , “ put ” and “ get ” refer respectively to writing and reading of data , in each case involving a “ copy ” operation whereby the data is held in original location . ( the data may also enter temporary locations from where it is later deleted ; thus there may be copy , overwrites and deletes happening in the background which are not relevant .) fig4 provides an overview of how the instruction rdma_mc_put works in an embodiment (“ proposed process ”) as compared to the state of the art (“ old process ”). in the state of the art , a put ( respectively get ) operation in an application will result in two separate communication instructions : the transfer of the user data : step s 1 in fig4 , and the transfer of the full memory correctness information ( mc ): step s 2 . although simple conceptually , this results in a large amount of data being transferred , possibly unnecessarily and / or illegally . moreover , separate send operations also require synchronization to ensure that user data and mc accesses occur when they are mutually consistent . to ensure this at the software level may be difficult or impossible . in contrast , the embodiments provide instructions to accomplish high performance memory correctness checking , and allowing co - ordination of transferring user data and mc at the hardware level . in the embodiment , first ( step s 10 ) the network interface controller of the source processor determines which portions of the user data to send . as explained below , this step checks the mc of user data requested to be sent , against the selected mode to see if it may be sent . this step may be performed bit by bit of the user data ; alternatively any other required subdivision of the user data ( such as in byte units ) may be used . the appropriate parts of the user data are then sent to the network interface controller of the destination node ( step s 20 ). in step s 30 , it is determined how to send the memory correctness information mc . the choice here is between normal , uncompressed mc or “ compressed ” mc ( see below ). the criterion for sending compressed mc , as opposed to full ( uncompressed ) mc , is whether sending compressed mc is more efficient than sending full mc taking into account compression and transfer cost . a threshold , for example 1000 or 100000 bytes , may be employed , depending on whether the nic is more efficient at processing data ( so that compression and / or calculation of ranges is preferred ) or transferring data ( so that a direct data transfer is preferred ). if it is determined in step s 30 to send compressed mc , the compressed mc is then transmitted over the network to the network interface controller of the destination processor in step s 40 ; if not , the full mc is sent instead ( s 50 ). thus , if the user wants to check memory correctness , rdma_mc_put / rdma_mc_get are used in place of standard put / get . in the absence of the embodiments , standard put / get must be used in an ad hoc fashion to accomplish one or two features perhaps in a limited part of the code . note that the mc need not be in same remote location as user data . although fig3 shows mc being sent after the user data , this is purely for illustrative purposes . it is possible to send the mc first ; parallel transmission of both is also possible and may indeed be preferable . the determination of which parts of user data to send ( step s 10 in fig4 ) will now be explained in more detail . each subunit of the user data , down to as little as each individual bit of memory assigned to the user , will have one of two possible allocation states and one of two possible initialization states . note that this differs from rational purify where each byte will have one of two possible allocation states and one of two possible initialization states . the difference is in granularity of the correctness tracking , allowing neighboring bits in a byte to be tracked separately ( bit - granularity ) and not necessarily treated together ( byte - granularity as in rational purify ). for efficiency , the preferred implementation maintains the allocation and initialization states separately and contiguously although other arrangements are possible . thus , in the mc memory there will be distinct but contiguous memory areas for both allocation and initialization data . each bit of memory assigned to the user will therefore have one of four possible memory correctness states in a similar fashion to that illustrated in fig3 , and as shown in table 2 . a single bit of memory assigned to the user has one of four possible memory correctness states shown in the rows of the table . these states correspond to the possible combinations of allocation and initialization states , as also shown in fig3 the present embodiment allows data transfer to be handled differently for the different memory correctness states in table 2 . the instructions rdma_mc_put_mode and rdma_mc_get_mode are used to select how user data transfers are handled by selecting one of the sixteen possible modes shown in table 3 below , numbered 0 to 15 . such mode selection may be changed during execution . some of these modes will be more useful than others , but all are presented here for completeness . mode 8 is the most appropriate mode for ensuring that user data is only transferred when it is both legal and useful to do so . to maintain the same behavior as for the case when memory correctness checking is not used , both the default put and get modes will be 15 so that all user data is transferred regardless of whether the user - chosen data is allocated or initialized . a completely correct program would give the same output using mode 8 or mode 15 ( mode 15 corresponds to standard put / get ). the permissive setting will use put and get mode 14 to allow tolerance of user errors with regard to allocation and initialization of memory assigned to the user . after verifying that a program works correctly in normal mode 15 but fails for strict mode 8 , modes 9 to 14 can then be used to identify the type of incorrectness being relied on . mode 7 can be used to identify that either the whole program or a portion of the program relies on accessing memory in one of the incorrect states 0 , 1 and 2 . modes 1 to 6 can then be used to identify the type of incorrectness being relied on . the put and get modes may be set independently of each other and independently for each switch , router or nic associated with different processing elements ( able to carry out calculations and other computations ) in order to isolate different types of memory correctness errors and localize them to a particular processing element . data transfer handling of any particular bit of memory assigned to the user depends on the data transfer mode selected for the four different memory correctness states . the memory correctness states are shown in the top row . in the body of the table , the number zero indicates non - transfer of data whereas the number one indicates transfer of data . here , transfer and non - transfer refer only to memory assigned to the user . the transfer of memory correctness states is handled separately . the different user data transfer modes are numbered in the left - most column , from zero to 15 . bit - by - bit checking will be necessary to catch single - bit errors ; however , this is computationally expensive and not always needed . as already mentioned , rational purify works at the byte ( i . e . 8 - bit level ) and an embodiment may provide this less computation - intensive option too . this can be achieved either using rational purify &# 39 ; s byte level granularity , or by keeping bit - granularity but allowing switching to only checking the first bit of the byte and assuming that the other 7 bits are the same . the concept of “ state ranges ” ( see below ) can also be applied to the checking step . that is , the mc may be maintained in a compressed state right up until de - compression is decided to be absolutely necessary . it is then possible to manipulate compressed ranges of mc , which is a simpler task than manipulating uncompressed memory correctness information . the rdma memory correctness instructions rdma_mc_put and rdma_mc_get carry out remote memory accesses while maintaining the memory correctness state of memory assigned to the user . fig5 shows remote memory accesses using rdma_mc_put and rdma_mc_get with complete transfer of memory correctness state information . the data transfer illustrated in fig5 is a simplified illustration showing either complete transfer of user data or non - transfer . in general , and in accordance with the mode selected from table 3 , part of the data will be transferred and part of the data will not be transferred . in one embodiment , only the memory correctness information associated with the data actually transferred , is also transferred , in order to maintain consistency of data and mc . in this case , table 3 describes what happens both to the user data and the associated mc . in an alternative embodiment , all mc is transferred regardless of how much of the user data is actually transferred . an advantage of this approach is to allow tracking of the spread of an error which taints other calculations . the disadvantage is that the user data and mc become inconsistent at the destination . to track the spread of an error . valgrind for example will allow pointless or erroneous actions and only flag these when these influence a decision point in the program . to make allowance for some incorrectness ( memory correctness state 0 , 1 and 2 in table 2 may be considered harmless in certain circumstances ) in the program , while tracking down a more serious error . that is , non - sending of data allows faster execution if the send is pointless — for example , uninitialized data is logically interchangeable . related to the first item , to make an incorrect program fail more quickly . the program may be incorrect and rely on contents of memory in state 0 , 1 or 2 being transferred , so not sending some of this will probably result in an earlier error allowing backtracking to the incorrectness . the following discussion with respect to fig5 to 7 assumes that all mc is to be transferred . turning now to fig5 , this shows remote memory access between a local process 100 and a remote process 200 with full sending of memory correctness state information . the user data , data is shown as dark - shaded blocks and memory correctness ( mc ) state information is shown as light - shaded blocks . the proximity and positioning of the dark - shaded and light - shaded blocks are purely for illustration . the arrows show transfers of between processes 100 , 200 . the empty blocks indicate that no transfer has taken place into these regions of memory . thus , fig5 illustrates four possible ways in which data may be transferred : ( a ) rdma_mc_put with transfer . that is , the user data 110 is transferred in full to create data 210 in the remote process , which is a copy of the user data 110 . in addition ( whether before , after or simultaneously does not matter ), the associated memory correctness information mc is transferred to create a copy 220 of the mc . ( b ) rdma_mc_put without transfer . in this possibility , after comparison of the memory correctness state of the user data ( table 2 ) with the selected mode ( table 3 ), a determination is made not to transfer the user data . ( for simplicity , an “ all or nothing ” decision is assumed here although in practice , the determination is made on a subunit - by - subunit basis down to individual bits if necessary ). however , in this example , the memory correctness information 120 is still transferred in full . in this way , mc book - keeping continues to take place so that the spread of the error can be tracked . ( c ) rdma_mc_get with transfer . in this case the local process 100 sends a request to the remote process which results in transfer of the data 210 along with the associated mc 220 , creating copies of both kinds of data at the local process . ( d ) rdma_mc_get with transfer . in this mode of operation it is determined , based on memory correctness state and data transfer mode , not to transfer the user data requested by the local process . however , in this example the remote process still transmits the associated mc 220 to make a copy 120 in the memory space owned by the local process . referring back to fig4 showing the “ proposed process ” in combination with the “ old process ” known in the art , it will be apparent that possibilities ( a ) and ( c ) mentioned above will take longer than in the prior art , owing to the additional checks involved ; however , transfer types ( b ) and ( d ) ( as well as operations in fig6 and 7 discussed below ) will take less time than is needed in the prior art , owing to the reduced volume of data transferred . the embodiment allows avoidance of put / get of user data when the corresponding mc shows that put / get is both pointless and erroneous ( states 0 and 1 in table 2 ), or just erroneous ( state 2 in table 2 ). it is usual that the user data will all be of one or two of the memory correctness states shown in table 2 , so that the memory correctness state information can be sent in compressed form as “ state ranges ”, or lengths ( in byte or address terms ) of user data having the same mc state . fig6 shows placement of state ranges from a local process 100 onto a remote process 200 to achieve efficient sending of memory correctness state information ( mc ). as compressed mc , for example , two bytes are used to signify the number of state ranges sent and this will typically number in the tens . the state ranges themselves are coded in eight bytes ( more bytes may be used ) with the highest two bits reserved to denote one of the states in table 2 , the size of the range being represented by the remaining 62 - bits ( or more if a larger size was chosen ). the ranges are assumed to run one after another . thus , compressed mc state information can take the form of a sequence of state ranges , preceded by a 2 - byte value to signify the number of state ranges which follow . the exact form of representation will be hardware dependent and various possibilities will occur to the skilled person . for example , a virtual start address and a length may be used to define the start and end points of a state range . in fig6 and 7 , the user data is again shown as dark - shaded blocks and memory correctness state information is shown as light - shaded blocks . the solid arrows show transfers between processes 100 , 200 and dashed black arrows show the expansion or recreation of the complete memory correctness state information 222 from a compressed representation 221 . in a transfer ( a ), rdma_mc_put with transfer , as in fig5 ( a ) the user data 110 is transferred along with the mc , the difference being that the mc 120 is compressed prior to transmission , to form compressed memory correctness information 221 . a copy 210 of the user data is thus created at the remote process 200 , and upon receipt of the compressed mc 221 this is expanded to form a copy ( mc ( recreated )) 222 of the original mc 120 . in transfer ( b ), rdma_mc_put without transfer , as in fig5 ( b ) no user data is transferred in view of its memory correctness state and the selected data transfer mode ; on the other hand the mc is still transferred , again in compressed form , the received compressed mc 221 being decompressed to reconstruct the original as mc ( recreated ) 222 . incidentally , it may not be necessary to decompress the mc immediately at the receiving process , as it may be maintained and / or manipulated in compressed form . fig7 likewise shows remote collection of data from a remote process 200 onto the local process 100 with efficient sending of memory correctness state information ( mc ). in a process ( a ) for rdma_mc_get with transfer , the user data 210 is transferred from remote process 200 to local process 100 in similar fashion to fig5 ( c ), and the mc is also obtained ; however , it is transmitted in compressed form , the received compressed mc 111 being expanded as mc 112 . finally , fig7 ( b ) shows an rdma_mc_get without transfer of user data , analogous with fig5 ( d ) except for receiving the mc in compressed form . after the program under analysis has completed execution , such that all rdma is finished , a novel rdma_mc_end instruction may be invoked to perform necessary “ clean - up ” operations . for example , memory which has been reserved for rdma may be returned to the system so that regular operations such as copying memory to and from disk can occur ( rdma reserved memory cannot be “ paged ” to disk as reads and write occur unexpectedly ). summary information may be calculated ( e . g . total number of puts / gets requested and amount of data transferred ) and , for example , output to a display device for inspection by a human operator . as already mentioned , the embodiments are intended to be implemented in the nic of each processor or processing element which is part of a larger system . referring back to fig2 , one form of implementation of the disclosed rdma instructions supporting memory correctness checking is in the on - chip network interface controllers or switches . that is , each network interface controller or switch is adapted to recognize the novel instructions provided and act on them accordingly for rdma purposes . more particularly , a nic includes hardware means such as a control unit ( possibly , a dma controller ) which is responsive to the novel instructions described above , these instructions being received from the local node , for example via a local bus . the control unit then controls reading and / or writing over the network , for example via packet transmitting and receiving units . such a packet transmitting unit may be arranged to receive data from a local memory of the local node and configured to form the data into one or more suitably - formatted packets for transmission over the network . the packet receiving unit may be arranged to receive packets over the network and decode , divide or recombine them to a form understood by the local processor . both circuits will be coupled , through the network , to corresponding units at the destination node . in one embodiment , the instructions may direct data transfer between storages local to two processing elements . in a second embodiment , the large shared storage / cache may be divided equally between the different processing elements and the rdma instructions direct data transfer between parts of the large shared cache currently allocated to different processing elements . the embodiments could also be implemented at a higher level in the system in software form . both mpi and non - mpi methods could be applied ( e . g . pvm , shmem , armci ). however , this is less preferred for the following reasons : ( i ) a software implementation would place a burden on the cpu for “ mc ” computations . ( loss of off - loading - to - nic benefit .) ( ii ) a software implementation would require multiple logical transfers to be initiated and synchronized . ( loss of minimization of overheads benefit .) ( iii ) a software implementation would have poorer performance as compared to a hardware implementation because of the above points . the reference in ( ii ) above to “ logical ” transfers is because a logical transfer is likely to be broken up into some and perhaps many smaller transfers depending on the hardware . to summarize , an embodiment can provide a process to send memory correctness information ( to support memory correctness checking ) on systems ( e . g . a supercomputer or network - on - chip ) with distributed memory and with different parts of the system connected by a network . six remote direct memory access ( rdma ) computer instructions are disclosed which support memory correctness checking . the rdma_mc_put and rdma_mc_get instructions activate the transfer of compressed or fully expanded memory correctness information to maximize efficiency . transfer modes may be specified separately for the put and get operations and these are independent for each processing element to allow localization of memory handling errors to a particular processing element . the disclosed rdma memory correctness checking instructions enable high performance as compared to the state - of - the - art as exemplified by the valgrind tool with its mpi wrappers , ibm rational purify &# 39 ; s memory error detection functionality , insure ++ and other such tools . thus , embodiments of the present invention can provide remote direct memory access instructions supporting memory correctness checking , by transferring memory correctness information , implemented in network interface controllers or switches or routers of a conventional computer or a network - on - chip processor . the above - mentioned rdma instructions may use a compressed mode of transfer for ranges of memory correctness information . the above - mentioned rdma instructions allow configurable transfer modes separately selectable for the put / get operations and separately selectable for different processing elements . the disclosed embodiments allow memory correctness checking to be performed efficiently and in a highly configurable way in traditional and emerging languages for network - on - chip processors and massively parallel computers . the embodiments provide an automated way of debugging memory correctness that shortens time taken in debugging and shortens development time for programming on distributed memory systems .	6
fig1 a and 1b are views for illustrating a fundamental mode of the optical modulation method and an optical modulation element used therein . in the figures , a first prism 1 and a second prism 2 are spaced apart from each other with a predetermined gap by means of spacers 7 . these prisms may be in the same shape or in different shapes depending on the purpose . a layer of transparent elastic body 3 is disposed on a surface of the second prism 2 . on the peripheral part of the elastic body 3 is disposed a pressing member 4 driven by a driving means ( not shown ) and capable of pressing the elastic body 3 toward the second prism 2 . the pressing member has or defines an opening 4a , the shape of which may be circular , rectangular , polygonal other than the rectangular , etc . alternatively , the pressing member may be composed of a pair of members 9 disposed spaced apart from each other , as shown in fig3 on the elastic member 3 . the first prism 1 has a surface 1a facing the second prism 2 and forming an interface with air or the elastic layer 3 . the surface 1a may be coated , if necessary , with a film of teflon ( polytetrafluoroethylene ), etc ., in order to prevent the adhesion thereof with the elastic body 3 . instead , the surface layer of the elastic member 3 may be cured or hardened , e . g ., by incorporating therein a crosslinking agent , to such an extent that any adhesivity of the surface is removed . it is possible that the surface 1a of the first prism 1 contacting the elastic body can be curved . thus , the optical element shown in fig1 comprises a first prism 1 and a second prism 2 spaced apart from each other , an elastic body 3 disposed on a part of the surface facing the first prism 1 of the second prism 2 , and a pressing member 4 so disposed on the elastic body 3 that it is capable of pressing the elastic body 3 . in the state shown in fig1 a , the elastic body 3 is not pressed or compressed and a gap 8 is left between the elastic body 3 and the first prism 1 , so that a light beam 10 entering the first prism 1 is totally reflected by the surface or interface 1a and travels in a deflected light path to issue upwardly . the conditions for the total reflection of light are well known and need not be described in detail . briefly speaking , however , assuming that the first prism 1 has a refractive index of 1 . 5 , total reflection occurs , if the incident angle of the light beam traveling in the first prism 1 with respect to the interface 1a is 41 . 8 ° or greater . next , when the elastic body 3 is pressed or compressed by the pressing member 4 , the pressed elastic body 3 protrudes out of the opening 4a of the pressing member 4 and is pressed against the surface 1a as shown in fig1 b . when the elastic body 3 is transparent and has a refractive index substantially equal to that of the first prism 1 , the incident light beam 10 does not cause total reflection at the interface 1a but passes the interface as it is to issue as a light beam 12 . as a result , the optical path of the incident light beam 10 is switched depending on whether the elastic body is pressed or not pressed , whereby the optical element shown in fig1 functions as an optical switch . the elastic body 3 can be composed of a nontransparent , light - absorbing material . in this case , the incident light beam is totally reflected or absorbed depending on whether the elastic body is pressed or not pressed , whereby the element shown in fig1 can be used as an optical modulation element . the incident light beam is not only visible light but also may be light of any wavelength including ultraviolet light and infrared light . it is only required for the incident light that it can attain either one state of total reflection and transmission or absorption , depending on whether the elastic body 3 is pressed against the first prism 1 . in the above example , the pressing member 4 is moved to cause protrusion of the elastic member out of the opening 4a , so that the elastic member 3 is in or out of contact with the first prism . alternatively , it is possible to move the prisms 1 and 2 per se by an external force , so that the elastic body disposed between the prisms is in or out of contact with the prisms . further , it is also possible to cause voluminous expansion or shrinkage of the elastic body by applying heat or a chemical action thereto , so that the elastic body is in or out of contact with the surface 1a . the pressing member 4 may be moved , for example , as follows . accordingly , a pressing member 4 made of an iron plate can be moved by turning on or off electromagnets 30 disposed on a face 2a ( facing the prism 1 ) of the second prism 2 ( as shown in fig2 ) with the medium of the elastic layer 3 . the elastic body which can be utilized in the present invention may be any material which undergoes deformation when a force is applied thereto and returns to its original form before deformation , provided that the force applied is not too large ( within the elastic limit ), i . e ., has an elasticity . in ordinary solids , the maximum strain within the elastic limit ( limiting strain ) is about 1 %. in contrast , in a vulcanized elastic rubber , the elastic limit is very large , with its limiting strain being as large as approximately 1000 %. in the optical device according to the present invention , any material having a desired modulus of elasticity corresponding to the characteristics of the optical device to be formed may be used . however , it is generally preferred to use a material with a smaller modulus of elasticity , in order to obtain easily a large elastic deformation or in order to make the state after deformation optically more homogeneous . the modulus or elasticity ( g ) is represented by g = ρ / γ ( where ρ = stress , γ = elastic strain ). an elasticity capable of giving a large deformation with a small stress is called as high elasticity or rubber elasticity , and therefore such a kind of elastic body is preferably utilized in the present invention . such rubbery elastic bodies are generally known as &# 34 ; rubbers &# 34 ;, including natural rubber , styrenebutadiene rubber ( sbr ), isoprene rubber ( ir ), ethylenepropylene rubber ( epm , epdm ), butyl rubber ( iir ), chloroprene rubber ( cr ), acrylonitrile - butadiene rubber ( nbr ), urethane rubber ( u ), silicone rubber ( si ), fluorine rubber ( fpm ), polysulfide rubber ( t ), polyether rubber ( por , chr , chc ) and others . among them , ethylene - propylene - rubber or silicone rubber which is transparent to visible light can be effectively used . any of these rubbers is rubbery at room temperature . however , polymeric materials in general assume either a glassy , rubbery or molten state depending on the degree of the brownian movement . accordingly , polymeric materials exhibiting the rubbery state within the temperature range at which the optical device is used can be utilized as elastic bodies of the present invention . the modulus of elasticity under the rubbery state can be determined depending on the degree of crosslinking of polymeric chains constituting the elastomer . thus , vulcanization of natural rubber is nothing but a treatment which determines the modulus of elasticity . the elastic body to be used in the present invention should desirably be deformed greatly with a small stress , and for this purpose it is important to control the degree of crosslinking . however , reduction in elasticity ( tendency to exhibit greater deformation with smaller stress ) leads to , on the other hand , lowering in strength . therefore , it is necessary to choose adequately an elastic body to be used so that the strength corresponding to the purpose of the optical device to be formed can be maintained . also , modulus of elasticity is measured by various methods depending on the kind of stress under use in the optical device , for example , by measurement of tensile , flexural or compression strength . the elastic body to be used in the present invention should have a modulus of elasticity smaller than 10 11 to 10 13 dyne / cm 2 of ordinary solid materials , appropriately not more than 10 8 dyne / cm 2 , preferably not more than 10 6 dyne / cm 2 , particularly preferably not more than 5 × 10 5 dyne / cm 2 . the lower limit should preferably be as small as possible , provided that the elastomer when constituting the optical device has a shape - retaining property , as different from liquids in general . in this regard , optical devices are used at room temperature in most cases but may sometimes be used at higher or lower temperatures . thus , the above values for modulus of elasticity should be understood as those at the temperature at which the optical device is used . hardness or softness of an elastic body depends more or less on its elasticity . according to jis k 6301 , a simple method for evaluation of hardness of rubber is defined , in which a minute strain is given by a spring on a sample surface to measure its penetration . however , if the elasticity is as low as 10 6 dyne / cm 2 or lower , it cannot be measured according to the above method . in such a case , 1 / 4 inch microconsistometer is used and the measured value of penetration is used for evaluation . also , when the modulus of elasticity is small , it is difficult to determine its value according to &# 34 ; tensile - elongation &# 34 ; relationships and therefore its value is determined by compression ( 5 % deformation ). the value can be correlated to the penetration as previously mentioned . rubbery elastomers , other than the vulcanized ( crosslinked ) products well known in the art , are inclusive of ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymers and butadiene - styrene block copolymers which require no vulcanization , or alternatively , they can be obtained by appropriate gelling ( controlling the molecular chain length between the crosslinked points ) of a chain polymer . these rubbers are controlled in their elasticities by controlling their crosslinking degrees , combination of molecules in block copolymer or the state of gelling . also , instead of controlling the elastic body through the structure of the elastic body itself , its characteristics can be also changed or controlled by addition of a diluent or a filler . for example , when a silicone rubber ( ke - 104 , trade name , produced by shinetsu kagaku kogyo k . k . and a catalyst ( catalyst - 104 , trade name , produced by sinetsu kagaku kogyo k . k .) are added , hardness and tensile strength are lowered , while elongation increased contrarily , as the amounts of addition increase . such a material can have various moduli of elasticity depending on its density of crosslinking . if a particularly large deformation is desired , it is effective to use a polymer gelled with a small density of crosslinking . it is also possible to vary refractive index or dispersion by mixing various kinds of materials with the elastomer . fig4 shows another embodiment of the optical modulation element according to the invention , which has a structure comprising an array or stack of optical elements , each of which is substantially the same in function as the one explained with reference to fig1 . in fig4 the members denoted by reference numerals 1 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 are prisms ; 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 elastic bodies ; and 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 pressing members . each of the pressing members is driven by a driving means ( not shown ) independently of the other to press an elastic member , so that the elastic member is placed in contact with a surface 1a , 13a , 14a , 15a or 16a . thus , the combination including the prisms 1 and 13 corresponds to the optical element shown in fig1 . likewise , the combinations including the prisms 13 and 14 , 14 and 15 , 15 and 16 , and 16 and 2 , are respectively equivalent to the optical element shown in fig1 . an incident light beam enters the element or device shown in fig4 from the left , passes successively surfaces or interfaces 1a and 13a contacting elastic bodies 17 and 18 , and is totally reflected at an interface 14a which is spaced apart from an elastic body 19 to issue upward . thus , the element shown in fig4 wherein unit elements are arranged or stacked in the form of an array functions as an optical switching array capable of successive scanning or random scanning . the element shown in fig4 is constituted by stacking two types of prisms , one including the prisms 1 and 2 and the other including the prisms 13 - 16 . a similar function of element is also formed by arranging an optical element as shown in fig1 in the direction of the incident light 10 . fig5 shows another embodiment of the optical modulation element according to the present invention . the element or device shown in fig5 fundamentally has a structure in which a plurality of elements each equivalent to the one shown in fig1 are arranged in the form of an array or in parallel with each other with respect to incident light beams . thus , a plurality of pressing members 29 each capable of being driven independently from the others are disposed between prisms 27 and 28 for respective openings 30a - 30d and respective incident beams 10a - 10d . this embodiment is different from the second embodiment shown in fig4 in that the unit elements are arranged in an array in a direction perpendicular to that of the incident light while the array shown in fig4 is formed in the direction of the incident light . the function of each unit switching element is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment shown in fig1 . this embodiment is characteristic in that , as distinguished from the second embodiment , a plurality of incident light beams can be modulated independently and simultaneously and thus functions as a monodimensional light value . the prism 27 ( or prism 28 ) may be formed of a single body or an assembly of a plurality of prisms . instead , a plurality of optical elements each equivalent to the one shown in fig1 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the incident light 10 , so that an assembly of unit optical elements which is as a whole equivalent to the element array shown in fig5 . fig6 shows still another embodiment of the optical modulation element according to the present invention , wherein a plurality of array elements each equivalent to the one shown in fig5 are arranged or stacked with each other to form a two - dimensional light valve . in the optical element shown in fig6 each pressing member 29 ( refer to fig5 ) is driven independently of the others . the total number of the pressing members 29 is equal to the product of the number of windows through which the respective incident beams 10a - 10g enters by the number of element arrays arranged in the direction of the incident light beams , each element array being equivalent to the one shown in fig5 . prisms 27 and 28 are contiguous with each other and forming a pair are constituted by separate bodies in this embodiment but may be composed of a single body . being constituted as described above , the element or device shown in fig6 can be driven in such a manner that light beams 10a - 10g entering the element from a side face thereof can be issued from an arbitrary place of an upper surface of the element . the element thus constituted can be suitably applied to a thin display device , since the thickness in the light - issuing or viewing direction of the element can be made thin . further , a device equivalent to the one shown in fig6 may also be composed by arranging a plurality of the optical modulation elements shown in fig4 in a direction perpendicular to those of the beams 10a - 10g or by arranging two - dimensionally a plurality of the optical modulation elements as shown in fig1 . as described hereinabove , the present invention provides an optical modulation method and an optical modulation element therefor adapted for a variety of applications including a printer head and a display device . further , a wide variety of elastic materials can be utilized for the optical modulation element . further , from the viewpoint of production , it is less difficult to make the element in an elongated form , an array form or large - area form as compared with a device such as an ic ( integrated circuit ). in the above embodiment of the optical modulation method according to the present invention , total reflection of light is utilized . however , the critical angle for the total reflection is hardly influenced by the wavelengths of the light used . accordingly , the method has an advantage that the light to be used is hardly restricted with respect to its wavelengths . the present invention will be further described with reference to a working example . an optical modulation element as shown in fig1 a was produced in the following manner . an iron plate having an opening with a diameter of 10 mm was used as the pressing member 4 . the elastic body 3 was formed by a silicone rubber ( trade name : ke 104 gel , produced by shinetsu kagaku k . k .). electromagnets were disposed in the neighborhood of the pressing member 4 and actuated to move the iron plate up and down by the magnetic force thereof . as a result , the silicone rubber was pressed or compressed to protrude out of the opening . when the silicone rubber was caused to protrude out of the opening , it contacted a surface 1a of a prism disposed 1 mm spaced apart from the silicone rubber under no pressure to form a region of 5 mm in diameter where no total reflection occurred . incidentally , a perforation was provided in the side of the pressing member so that the space between the prism and the silicone was in communication with the outside and the change in pressure in the space due to movement of the iron plate was prevented .	6
the present invention for beneficiating coal involves absorbing gaseous carbon dioxide or carbon dioxide mixed with air bubbled in coal slurried with aqueous solutions of primary or secondary amines in a simple bubble column , wherein carbon dioxide absorption is accomplished by a desired chemical reaction . the coal particles are captured by the bubbles and conveyed to the top of the cell have a diminished mineral content as compared to the feed coal , while the solids which tend to accumulate in the aqueous phase have an elevated mineral content as compared to the feed coal . the process is benefited by the chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and amines . the reaction converts larger carbon dioxide bubbles associated with turbulence in situ into microbubbles wherein turbulence and liquid wakes are virtually absent . referring now more particularly to fig1 a flow diagram of a preferred continuous process of the invention will be discussed . pulverized feed coal 10 is charged into a slurry tank 12 by line 11 . an aqueous amine solution 16 is also charged into tank 12 through line 18 . the aqueous amine solution includes a make - up amine solution from line 20 and recycled amine solution from line 22 . the slurry tank 12 is preferably provided with an agitator 24 which facilitates intimate mixing of the pulverized feed coal 10 with the aqueous amine solution to produce a coal slurry . the feed coal 10 is preferably first ground to an ultrafine particle size such as , for example , smaller than about 200 mesh . as improved clean coal yields are achieved by reducing the particle size of the feed coal , the present invention can be applied to various types and grades of feed coal 10 such as , for example , bituminous , sub - bituminous , anthracite , lignite , peat , and coal fines . the coal slurry is then fed through line 30 into a flotation cell 32 including a gas distributor 34 . if desired , a denver cell or agitair machine or simple bubble column can be used as a flotation cell . carbon dioxide gas enters the flotation cell 32 through line 38 and the gas distribution portion 34 . the carbon dioxide preferably comes from three different sources ( i ) an outside source 39 such as a tank of gas , through line 40 , ( ii ) unused carbon dioxide gas recycled from the top of the flotation cell 32 , through line 44 , and ( iii ) recycled carbon dioxide from the desorption unit 80 ( described hereinbelow ) through line 48 . the carbon dioxide gas is charged through the gas distributor 34 into the bottom portion 51 of the flotation cell 32 and allowed to bubble upwardly to the top portion 52 of the flotation cell 32 . the unused carbon dioxide is recycled back to the flotation cell 32 through line 44 as was discussed hereinabove . the bubbling action carries the &# 34 ; clean coal &# 34 ; product to the top 52 of the flotation cell 32 . the clean coal product , along with the carbamate solution ( discussed hereinbelow ) produced by the amine and coal mixture , is drawn off through line 62 and delivered to a filtration unit 66 . the clean coal product is separated from the carbamate in the filtration unit 66 , with the clean coal product being sent through line 68 to storage tank 70 and the carbamate being sent through line 72 to , eventually , the desorption unit 80 . the larger coarse mineral matter particles of the coal slurry remain at the bottom 51 of the flotation cell 32 . these particles and the carbamate solution are carried off by line 86 to a filtration unit 88 wherein the carbamate is separated and then fed into the desorption unit 80 through line 89 . the coarse refuse is taken away from the filtration unit 88 by line 90 and delivered to a storage container 91 . the desorption unit 80 thus receives carbamate solution from filtration unit 66 and filtration unit 88 through lines 72 and 89 respectively . lines 72 and 89 join to form line 92 . in the desorption unit 80 , the carbamate is decomposed into carbon dioxide and the amine by steam heating means 93 . the carbon dioxide is drawn from the top of the desorption unit 80 and delivered , by pump means 94 , through line 48 back to the flotation cell 32 . the aqueous amine solution is drawn from the bottom of the desorption unit 80 and pumped by pump means 95 , through line 22 for recycling back to the slurry tank 12 . the hot aqueous amine solution withdrawn from the desorption unit 80 through line 22 is passed through a heat exchanger 96 to heat the liquor entering the desorption unit through line 92 . fig2 is a more detailed schematic illustration of the apparatus and bubble behavior in the flotation cell 32 . carbon dioxide is bubbled upwardly through the coal slurry prepared in the aqueous solution in the slurry tank 12 and transferred to the bottom of the flotation cell by line 30 . a zone 100 of large bubbles associated with high turbulence is disposed near the bottom of the cell 32 and in the immediate vicinity of the gas distributor 34 . a zone 102 of smaller bubbles of decreased turbulence is disposed above zone 102 and spaced from the distributor 34 and towards the top 104 of the cell . because of the introduction of the gas into the lower zone 100 , the bubbles in zone 100 create high turbulence which tends to shear or thin the liquid film on the coal particles . this increases the exposure of the natural surface area of the coal particle leading to better particle - bubble attachment . the zone of small bubbles 102 ( with associated low turbulence ) has bubbles which carry the coal particles to the top of the cell 32 . the small bubbles and low turbulence minimize liquid wakes which in turn , resists entrainment of undesired mineral matter up the flotation cell . the relative heights of the zones 100 and 102 will depend upon the operating conditions , i . e ., temperature , amine concentration and gas flow rates , for example . the large bubbles will generally have a diameter of about , 0 . 3 to 3 . 0 mm and preferably 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 mm . the small bubbles will generally have a diameter of about 0 . 1 to 0 . 3 mm with 0 . 1 to 0 . 2 mm being preferred . thus , the bubbles will be reduced by about 50 to 90 % as they rise from zone 100 to 102 . among the amines that are preferred are amines selected from the group consisting of monoethanolamine ( mea ), diethanolamine ( dea ), and diisopropylamine ( dipa ). carbon dioxide reacts readily with the amine at near ambient conditions to form carbamate which is water soluble and is present in solution in ionic form . both carbon dioxide and the amine can be easily recovered by heating or steam stripping the aqueous solution containing the carbamate at temperatures of between 80 ° c . and 100 ° c . waste steam is generally available in most facilities . both fugitive carbon dioxide and the amines pose no environmental problem . the process , therefore , offers an inexpensive way of beneficiating ultrafine coals , as carbon dioxide is available inexpensively in large quantities or can be generated on - site in a coal preparation plant by burning coal . the extent to which carbon dioxide will dissolve in water is limited by its saturation solubility at the operating temperature and pressure . consequently , the extent to which the bubble size can be decreased is also limited . absorption of carbon dioxide in aqueous solutions of amines , however , produces a chemical reaction which converts the dissolved carbon dioxide and amine to form a carbamate which is present in solution in its ionic form . a greater amount of carbon dioxide therefore can be absorbed into the solution because the chemical reaction , in essence , destroys the carbon dioxide dissolved in the solution . as opposed to physical absorption of carbon dioxide in water , absorption of carbon dioxide in aqueous amine solutions is enhanced due to chemical reaction . the chemical reaction between carbon dioxide and amine may be given by the equations : ## str1 ## in these equations , for both mea ( primary amine ) and dea ( secondary amine ), r = c 2 h 4 oh - ; for dipa , r = c 3 h 7 - . dissolved carbon dioxide reacts with amines at temperatures as low as 6 ° c . the reaction between carbon dioxide and mea is a second order reaction -- first order in carbon dioxide and first order with respect to the amine . the reaction between carbon dioxide and dea is first order with respect to carbon dioxide , but the order with respect to the amine is either one or two depending upon the reaction conditions . consequently , absorption of carbon dioxide in amines can be manipulated and the extent of the reaction controlled by variation in both the pressure of carbon dioxide and the concentration of the amine , which in turn will allow for the control of the bubble size . an increase in the concentration of the amine , and / or partial pressure of carbon dioxide , and / or temperature increases the rate of the reaction between dissolved carbon dioxide and the amine , which in turn causes greater amounts of carbon dioxide to be absorbed into the solution from the bubbles . therefore , as the bubbles move upwards through the suspension , rather than increasing in size either due to coalescence or a decrease in the hydrostatic pressure , the bubble size would decrease or remain constant depending on how one chooses to control the reaction medium . also other conditions in the flotation cell such as temperature , initial bubble size and residence time of the bubbles can be used to control the size of the bubbles . the initial bubble size is also determined by the nature of the gas distributor in the cell . gas distributors such as porous plates , perforated plates or ejector nozzles are preferred . the residence time of the bubbles can be manipulated by changing the cell height and initial size of the bubbles . the amine concentration in the aqueous solution will generally be in the range of 0 . 015 - 5 gmole / liter , depending on the type of amine used and the conversion of carbon dioxide desired . the lower concentrations are preferred for economic reasons . the partial pressure of carbon dioxide would be in the range of about 0 . 1 - 1 atmosphere . temperature in the flotation cell would be in the range of about 5 °- 35 ° c ., though the prevailing ambient temperature is the preferred temperature . coal concentrations that would be employed would be typical of other froth flotation processes , that is , 5 - 10 weight percent of the raw coal . the decomposition of carbamate to carbon dioxide and amine , that is , the reverse reaction described in the equations hereinbefore set forth is favored at higher temperatures namely about 80 °- 100 ° c . consequently , the slurry withdrawn from the flotation cell 32 will be dewatered by filtration units 66 and 88 and the solution heated or steam stripped by stripping means 93 to recover the amine and the carbon dioxide . tests were performed on a middle kittaning coal in a batch bubble column made of glass and the clean coal fraction skimmed from the top at regular intervals was analyzed for ash content . the ash content of the feed coal was 7 . 21 %. the typical experimental conditions employed were : ______________________________________temperature , ° c . 15 - 30aqueous slurry concentration , wt % of solid 8 - 10amine concentration ( mea ), gmole / liter . 05 - 2 . 0particle size - 200 meshpressure , atm 1time , sec up to 2400ash content , wt % ( feed coal ) 7 . 21 % ______________________________________ table 1 shows the ash content of the &# 34 ; clean coal &# 34 ; product skimmed off from the top of the liquid and the feed coal and the percent ash reduction during one test . table 1______________________________________ feed slurry % ash concen - contact reduction tration time ash clean coalsample coal ( wt %) ( sec ) ( wt %) product______________________________________middle kittaning 8 . 92 0 7 . 21 600 3 . 382 53 . 09 1200 4 . 437 38 . 46 2400 5 . 756 20 . 17mea concentration1 . 802 gmole / liter______________________________________ it may be noted that although the concept has been described for the beneficiation of ultrafine coals , it could be used for upgrading other mineral ores . additionally , other amines which are more reactive than those outlined above may also be suitable for use in the process . whereas a particular embodiment of the invention has been described hereinabove , for purposes of illustration , it would be evident to those skilled in the art that numerous variations of the details may be made without departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims .	1
some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a tubular spring for receiving and for preloading a piezoelectric or magnetostrictive actuator of an actuator unit which is suitable , in particular , for actuating a fuel injector valve for internal combustion engines and in which nonuniform loads and deformations in the tubular spring , both in the longitudinal and the transverse direction thereof , are minimized . in some embodiments , the tubular spring has a number of apertures , which are normally punched out of a spring steel blank . after the spring has been rolled , the apertures extend from the outer surface of the tubular spring to the inner surface . each aperture has a cross - sectional contour line at one of the two surfaces , the outer surface or the inner surface . on one surface side in each case , the cross - sectional contour line defines a respective maximum longitudinal extent of the aperture and a respective maximum transverse extent , the transverse extent being oriented substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal extent . depending on the punching tool used and the punching method used , the cross - sectional contour lines on the outer surface and on the inner surface may not be congruent in a common plane of projection , with the result that the maximum longitudinal extent and / or the maximum transverse extent of the aperture on the outer surface differs from that on the inner surface . in some embodiments , however , the transverse extents of two apertures already differ from one another on the same of the two surfaces of the tubular spring . in this way , it is possible to structurally reinforce or weaken areas of the tubular spring in order to distribute the loads and deformations within the tubular spring more uniformly , both over the circumference and along the longitudinal axis of the tubular spring . at the same time , the web width between the individual apertures in the transverse direction can be kept constant . the maximum longitudinal extent of an aperture is usually oriented at least substantially transversely to the axis of the tubular spring . the cross - sectional contour lines of the apertures may be rounded at the respective ends in the longitudinal direction and can be described by a radius . since the apertures may be produced first of all by punching the apertures out of a spring steel blank , rounded aperture ends that can be described by a radius are particularly easy to produce since fewer dimensional errors due , for example , to punching burrs can occur in comparison with , for example , angled ends . the apertures of different transverse extents may also correspondingly have different radii at the ends thereof in the longitudinal direction . an aperture with a relatively large transverse extent accordingly has a larger radius at the longitudinal end thereof than an aperture of relatively small transverse extent . it is advantageous if two or more apertures , each of different transverse extents , are arranged within one row of apertures in order to equalize nonuniform loads in the tubular spring over the extent of the tubular spring , at least in the circumferential direction . two or more apertures , each of different transverse extents , may be arranged in a plurality of rows of apertures , allowing nonuniform transverse and longitudinal loads in the tubular spring to be distributed uniformly in the best possible way over the entire structure of the tubular spring . the at least two or more apertures may alternate along a row of apertures . since the nonuniform loads in the tubular spring , in particular , are distributed over the tubular spring , starting from the two abutting edges , it may furthermore be advantageous if those apertures which extend across the abutting edges and consequently are divided by the two abutting edges in each case in the cross - sectional extents thereof along the axis of the tubular spring . for example , successive apertures along the abutting edges can alternately have different end radii in the longitudinal direction of the tubular spring . in this way , nonuniform loading introduced into the tubular spring at the abutting edges is distributed in a particularly effective manner as uniformly as possible along the entire longitudinal direction of the tubular spring , even at the location where it arises . fig1 shows a section through a piezoelectric actuator unit 1 , which can be used , in particular , as a drive unit for actuating an injector nozzle in a fuel injector . the piezoelectric actuator unit 1 has an actuator module 2 which is constructed from several hundred piezoelectric ceramic layers in the form of a stack - type actuator . arranged between each pair of ceramic layers is an inner electrode , said electrodes being connected alternately in an electrically conductive manner to two outer electrodes extending vertically on the outer wall of the actuator module 2 . two contact pins 7 are furthermore arranged parallel to the two outer electrodes , said pins being brought into contact with the two outer electrodes by means of corresponding lines . for assembly , the actuator module 2 is inserted , with the two contact pins 7 wired up , into a plastic sleeve ( assembly sleeve ) 5 and fixed . the plastic sleeve 5 is simultaneously designed as a casting mold , in which the inserted components 2 , 7 are encapsulated with a potting compound 9 , e . g . with a potting silicone , elastomer or the like . the plastic sleeve 5 is manufactured from a plastic , e . g . from a pa plastic ( polyamide ). a top plate 3 is arranged at an upper end of the actuator module 2 , being connected nonpositively to the actuator module 2 . the top plate 3 thus delimits the actuator module 2 at the top . two insulated bushings in the top plate 3 for the two contact pins 7 are embodied in such a way that the projecting ends of the two contact pins 7 can subsequently be connected to a control voltage of a corresponding control unit in order to supply the actuator module 2 with electric power . the lower end of the actuator module 2 is delimited by a bottom plate 4 , which is likewise connected nonpositively to the actuator module 2 . a tubular spring 8 is arranged in the form of a sleeve between the top plate 3 and the bottom plate and surrounds the potted actuator module 2 . the tubular spring 8 is mounted with a preloading force which acts as a restoring force on the actuator module 2 and thus assists return of the actuator module 2 into the home position thereof when said module is not activated . the entire subassembly is encased in the manner of a sleeve by an actuator housing 6 . in this case , the upper end of the actuator housing 6 is connected securely and in a sealing manner to the top plate 3 . the lower end of the actuator housing 6 , in contrast , is arranged in such a way that it can move axially relative to the bottom plate 4 but is likewise sealed off in a fuel - tight manner . when the actuator module 2 is activated , a slight axial stroke motion thus arises between the bottom plate 4 and the underside of the actuator housing 6 , and this can be used to control a servo valve , a nozzle needle or the like . fig2 a and 2b show the construction of a known tubular spring 8 . apart from the edge regions , on which the cover plates 3 , 4 are secured , the tubular spring has uniformly distributed apertures a over its entire surface , said apertures being bone - shaped in the illustrative embodiment shown and extending through the tubular spring transversely to the axis . the apertures a ensure adequate elasticity of the tubular spring 8 receiving the preloaded piezoelectric actuator 2 , with the result that the tubular spring only slightly hinders the elongation of the actuator 2 in the longitudinal direction caused by application of a voltage to the piezoelectric actuator 2 . here , the elasticity of the tubular spring 2 can be adapted to the desired elongation of the preloaded piezoelectric actuator 2 by means of the number and length of the apertures a . the offset arrangement of the apertures a , one above the other , which is shown in fig2 a and 2b is also advantageous here . this arrangement ensures optimum elasticity of the tubular spring with , at the same time , sufficient strength to be able to apply the preload to the piezoelectric actuator 2 . in particular , the elasticity is also promoted by the bone - shaped form of the apertures a in this illustrative embodiment , in which two circular apertures are connected to one another by a slot . example size ranges for the circular apertures are given by diameters of 0 . 8 mm to 1 . 6 mm and spacings between the centers of the apertures in a range of from 1 . 5 mm to 3 . 5 mm . moreover , this shape can be formed very easily and accurately , e . g . by punching , in a spring steel sheet . the tubular spring may be manufactured from a spring steel strip with a thickness of 0 . 5 mm . in a first step , the apertures a are punched into the spring steel strip . as an alternative , there is also the possibility of forming the apertures by wire erosion , milling or boring or by an electrochemical method . after the formation of the apertures a , the spring steel strip is cut to the desired size for the tubular spring 8 , the apertures a preferably being cut through centrally during this process . the blank is then rolled , with the cut or punched edges being oriented outward . the edges are then deburred , and the tubular shape is then fixed with a longitudinal weld seam preferably produced by means of a laser . instead of fixing the tubular shape by welding , fixing can also be accomplished by means of the upper and lower cover plates 3 , 4 , with the result that the abutting edges merely rest against one another . fig2 b shows a sectional representation of the tubular spring 8 shown in fig2 a . an aperture a and the outer surface 40 and inner surface 41 of the tubular spring 8 are illustrated by way of example . fig3 shows a detail of a known tubular spring 8 in the unrolled state . an alternative embodiment of the apertures a to that in fig2 a and 2b , in which the apertures a have a rectangular basic shape which is rounded at both ends of the apertures a and , at that point , can be described by a radius r a , is shown . the outline of the apertures a is described on each of the surfaces 41 , 42 by the cross - sectional contour line cl of the apertures . consequently , the cross - sectional contour line cl merges into the radius r a at the two ends of the apertures a . the cross - sectional contour line cl defines a maximum transverse extent h a of the apertures a perpendicularly to the longitudinal orientation of the apertures a . in the circumferential direction of the tubular spring 8 , the apertures a are arranged spaced apart by webs of width a , it being possible , in particular , also for the web width a to be constant ; as an alternative , however , it can also be variable . an abutting edge 42 of the tubular spring 8 is likewise illustrated . here , the longitudinal extent of the apertures a may be cut in half , with the result that the two half apertures each form one aperture a across the abutting edge in the finished tubular spring 8 ; and are thus identical to the other apertures a , which are not arranged at the abutting edge . the illustrated embodiment of a tubular spring 8 has just one type of aperture a , each of the apertures having both the same maximum longitudinal extent 1 and a maximum transverse extent h a . in an illustration similar to fig3 , fig4 shows a first embodiment of a tubular spring 8 according to one embodiment . it illustrates apertures a of the first type with a maximum transverse extent h a in rows 10 , 12 , 14 , each distributed along the circumference of an outer or inner surface 41 , 42 of the tubular spring 8 . according to this embodiment of the tubular spring 8 , apertures b with a maximum transverse extent h b , are also arranged along the circumference of the tubular spring , in row 11 , in addition to apertures a . the apertures a and b alternate with each other around the spring , with two corresponding half apertures forming an aperture b across the abutting edges . each of the apertures b is also rounded at the longitudinal ends thereof . the rounding can be described by a radius r b , which is smaller than the corresponding radius r a of an aperture of type a . in addition , apertures of a type c are additionally arranged in the tubular spring 8 , in row 13 for example , the maximum transverse extent h e of said apertures being greater than the maximum transverse extent h a of the apertures of type a . these apertures b are also arranged along the circumference of the tubular spring 8 ( on the outer surface 41 or the inner surface 42 ), in each case alternating with apertures of type a . similarly to the arrangement in row 11 , an aperture of type c is also arranged across the abutting edge 42 in row 13 . the apertures of type c also have rounded end regions , which can be described by a radius r c , where r c & gt ; r a . apertures of all three illustrated types a , b and c are arranged in row 15 . fig5 shows an alternative embodiment of a tubular spring 8 according to one embodiment . in this embodiment , apertures of types b and c are arranged only across the abutting edge 42 . in the illustration in fig5 , this applies only to rows 11 and 13 , in which apertures b and c , respectively , are arranged across the abutting edge 42 . otherwise , the tubular spring 8 according to this embodiment has only apertures of type a on each surface side 40 , 41 . by arranging apertures of different types across the abutting edge 42 , the nonuniform loads introduced at the abutting edges are distributed over the tubular spring 8 as uniformly as possible in the longitudinal and transverse direction of the tubular spring 8 , even at the location where they arise . however , embodiments are , of course , not restricted to the two embodiments in fig4 and 5 . as an alternative , it is also possible for other arrangements of apertures with different maximum transverse extents to be implemented in a tubular spring 8 , e . g . it is also possible for more than three apertures of different types , each with a different maximum transverse extent , to be used in accordance with this invention .	7
a sequential drawer slide constructed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings and generally designated 10 . the slide includes a drawer slide member 12 , an intermediate slide member 14 , and a cabinet slide member 16 . both the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 are slidably interfitted with the intermediate slide member 14 enabling the slide members to travel in a linear path with respect to one another . the slide 10 further includes a sequencing mechanism including a control lever 18 , a drawer notch or receiver 20 , and a cabinet receiver 22 . the control lever is carried by the intermediate slide member 14 ; while the drawer and cabinet receivers 20 and 22 are carried by the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 , respectively . as illustrated in detail in fig7 - 12 , the control lever and receivers cooperate to sequence movement of the slide members to insure that , during opening , the drawer and intermediate slide members are first withdrawn as a unit from the cabinet slide member , and then are interlocked during continued movement of the drawer slide member . with the exception of the sequencing mechanism , the slide 10 is of a type generally well known to those having ordinary skill in the art . examples of similar constructions are illustrated in u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 067 , 632 to sekerich , entitled drawer slide ; 3 , 901 , 565 to hagen et al , entitled adapter and latching means for removably attaching drawers to telescoping ball bearing drawer slides ; and 3 , 778 , 120 to hagen et al entitled precision telescoping ball bearing drawer slide suspension for wood and metal furniture production . the cabinet slide member 16 is generally c - shaped in cross section and includes a forward end 24 and a rear end 26 . the curved portions 28 of the c - shape define races in which balls 30 ride . stops or tabs 32 and 34 are integrally formed with the cabinet slide member and extend from the forward and rear ends 24 and 26 , respectively . the stops cooperate with the intermediate slide member as will be described to limit the movement of the intermediate slide member 14 with respect to the cabinet slide member 16 between fully extended and fully retracted positions . the drawer slide member 12 is generally identical to the cabinet channel member 16 with the exception that the drawer member is oriented directly opposite to the cabinet member . the drawer slide member 12 is generally c - shaped in cross section and includes a forward end 36 and a rear end 38 . the curved portions 40 of the c - shape define races in which balls 30 ride to slidingly interfit the drawer and intermediate slide members . integral stops or tabs 42 and 44 extend from the forward and rear ends 36 and 38 , respectively . the stops 42 and 44 cooperate with the intermediate slide member 14 as will be described to limit movement of the drawer slide member with respect to the intermediate slide member between fully extended and fully retracted positions . the intermediate slide member 14 includes three pieces welded , riveted , or otherwise fixedly secured together . the three pieces include a drawer rail 46 , a cabinet rail 48 , and an interconnecting bracket 50 . the drawer and cabinet rails 46 and 48 are generally identical to one another and each are generally c - shaped in cross section . the cabinet rail 48 includes reverse curves 52 at the upper and lower extent of the c - shape cross section to define races in which balls 30 ride . similarly , the drawer rail 46 includes reverse curves 54 at its upper and lower extent to define races in which balls 30 ride . an integral stop 55 extends from the rear end of the cabinet rail 48 ; while an integral tab or stop 56 extends from the forward end of the drawer rail 46 . the intermediate bracket 50 is generally z - shaped in cross section and includes a drawer - rail - supporting flange 57 , a cabinet - rail - supporting flange 58 , and an interconnecting flange 60 . the flanges 57 and 58 are generally parallel to one another and offset by the width of the flange 60 . the drawer and cabinet rails 46 and 48 overlie and are welded to the supporting flanges 57 and 58 , respectively . other suitable attachment means can be utilized to rigidly intersecure these pieces . a plurality of balls ( fig1 and 4 ) ride in the raceways defined by the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 and the drawer and cabinet rails 46 and 48 . the balls 30 are retained in position by upper and lower retainers 61 and 63 as is customary in the art . linear movement of the slide members 12 , 14 , and 16 is limited via the engagement of the stops 32 , 34 , 42 , and 44 with the drawer and cabinet rail stops 55 and 56 and the ball retainers 61 and 63 as is conventional in the art . in the fully closed or retracted position ( fig3 and 7 ), the stop 55 on the cabinet rail 48 engages the stop 34 on the cabinet slide member 16 , and the stop 56 on the drawer rail 46 engages the stop 42 on the drawer slide member 12 . in the open or fully extended position ( fig1 ), the lower ball retainer 63 within the cabinet slide member engages the stop 32 on the cabinet slide member 16 and the stop 55 on the cabinet rail 48 ; and the upper ball retainer 61 within the drawer slide member 12 engages the stop 44 on the drawer slide member 12 and the stop 56 on the drawer rail 46 . consequently , the intermediate slide member 14 is movable with respect to the cabinet slide member 16 between fully extended and fully retracted positions ; and the drawer slide member 12 is movable relative the intermediate slide member 14 between fully extended and fully retracted positions . the control lever 18 is illustrated in greatest detail in fig6 . the control lever includes an upper arm 66 and a lower arm 68 interconnected at loop 70 . the control lever 18 is mounted on a pin 64 which extends through the loop 70 and is supported on arms 62a and 62b . accordingly , the control lever can be mounted in the position of the roller in a progressive drawer slide to simplify construction of the slide . preferably , the entire control lever 18 is formed of an integral piece of material such as steel or plastic . a finger 72 extends upwardly from the terminal end of the arm 66 to selectively engage the notch 20 as will be described . similarly , a curved foot 74 extends downwardly from the terminal end of the arm 68 to selectively engage the receiver 22 or forward end 24 of the cabinet slide member 16 also as will be described . as seen in fig4 and 5 , the preferred control lever 18 is generally uniform in width . preferably , the arms 66 and 68 of the control lever are not compressed between the drawer and cabinet slide members 12 and 16 to eliminate drag which would be caused by such compression . alternatively , and if a stay - closed bump 75 ( fig8 ) is provided , the arms 66 and 68 can be slightly compressed in the closed position in the slide as illustrated in fig8 to permit the foot 74 to ride over the bump . to this end , it is preferable to fabricate the control lever 18 of a resilient material such as spring steel or resilient plastic . the notch 20 is integrally formed in the drawer slide channel 12 and more particularly in the lower curved position 28 of the c - shape . alternatively , the receiver could be provided by generally any suitable method providing an engagement mechanism for the control lever 18 . the receiver 22 for the cabinet slide member 16 comprises the forward edge 24 of the member . if the control lever 18 were carried at a different position along the length of the intermediate slide member 14 the catch 22 might alternatively be a notch in the cabinet slide member similar to notch 20 in the drawer slide member . again , any suitable receiver or engagement mechanism can be provided to cooperate with the control lever 18 . the position of the receivers 20 and 22 with respect to the control lever 18 is extremely important to the proper sequential operation of the slide members as described below . as illustrated , the drawer notch 20 is approximately midway along the length of the drawer slide 12 , and the cabinet detent is immediately adjacent and identical to the forward end 24 of the cabinet slide member 16 . in the depicted embodiment , both legs 66 and 68 extend outwardly of the loop 70 . fig7 - 12 illustrate the sequential operation of the multi - part slide as sequenced by the control lever 18 and the receivers 20 and 22 . as used herein , the terms &# 34 ; forward &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; outward &# 34 ; mean movement toward the position illustrated in fig1 wherein the drawer is fully open ; and the terms &# 34 ; rearward &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; irward &# 34 ; mean movement toward the position illustrated in fig7 wherein the drawer is fully closed . fig7 and 8 illustrate the slide 10 in the fully closed position . the cabinet rail 48 abuts the stop 34 ; and the drawer rail 46 abuts the stop 42 . as illustrated in greater detail in fig8 the finger 72 of the control lever 18 interfits with the drawer notch 20 , so that the drawer slide member 12 is locked or fixed with respect to the intermediate slide member 14 . movement of the drawer slide member 12 is also prohibited in the rearward direction by the stop 42 engaging the drawer rail 46 . if a stay - closed bump 75 is provided , the control lever foot 74 abuts the bump to maintain the drawer in the closed position until an opening force is exerted on the drawer to move the foot over the bump . initial withdrawal of a drawer supported on the slide 10 causes the interlocked drawer and intermediate slide members 12 and 14 to move as a unit with respect to the cabinet slide member 16 until the position illustrated in fig9 and 10 is reached . the position illustrated in fig9 and 10 is known both as the &# 34 ; half - open &# 34 ; position and as the &# 34 ; transition point &# 34 ;. this stage of extension ( i . e . drawer opening ) is referred to as the transition point because it is the location at which movement of the intermediate slide member 14 stops and at which movement of the drawer slide member 12 begins . at the transition point , the channel ball retainer 63 ( not visible ), engages the forward stop 32 on the cabinet slide member 16 and the stop 55 on the cabinet rail 48 to prevent further movement of the intermediate slide in the forward direction . at this point , the foot 74 of the control lever 18 drops under gravity down in front of the receiver 22 or forward end 24 of the cabinet slide member 16 ( fig1 ). this slight pivotal shifting movement of the control lever 18 disengages the finger 72 from the notch 20 . after the control lever 18 has shifted at the transition point during opening , the intermediate and cabinet slide members 14 and 16 are interlocked ( i . e . intersecured ). engagement of the control lever foot 74 with the forward edge 22 of the channel slide member prevents rearward movement of the intermediate slide member 14 with respect to the cabinet slide member . as noted above , engagement of the cabinet ball retainer 63 with the forward stop 32 prevents forward movement of the intermediate slide member with respect to the cabinet slide member . as the drawer continues to be withdrawn or extended from the cabinet , the drawer slide member 12 moves relative the intermediate slide member 14 toward its fully extended position . the finger 72 does not engage the drawer slide member 12 during this continued opening movement as illustrated in fig1 . the fully open position of the slide 10 is illustrated in fig1 and 12 . the control lever foot 74 still engages the cabinet member end 22 ; and the cabinet ball retainer 63 still engages the stops 32 and 55 to interlock the intermediate and cabinet members 14 and 16 . additionally , the drawer ball retainer 61 ( not illustrated in fig1 ) engages the stops 44 and 56 to limit further forward movement of the drawer slide member 12 with respect to the intermediate slide member 14 . the closing sequence of the slide is exactly opposite that described for the opening sequence with the slide passing from the fully extended position illustrated in fig1 and 12 to the half - open position illustrated in fig9 and 10 to the fully retracted position illustrated in fig7 and 8 . on closing , the inward push on the drawer slide member 12 tends to rotate the control lever 18 by lifting , but the finger 72 strikes the bottom edge of the drawer slide member to prevent the control lever from pivoting . consequently , the cabinet and intermediate slide members remain interlocked . as the slide 10 reaches the half - open position ( fig9 and 10 ), the finger 72 meets and is lifted up into the notch 20 because the foot 74 is lifted back on top of the cabinet slide member 16 . in the preferred embodiment , there is no drag or catch at the transition point as the control lever shifts . only an unnoticeable force is required to lift the control lever 18 as one slide member is released and another is locked . in the alternative construction , the control lever is slightly compressed when the drawer and intermediate rails are interlocked . if compression is light , any increased frictional drag caused thereby is minimal or even unnoticeable . the simple sequencing mechanism , comprising the control lever 18 and the detents 20 and 22 , insures that ( 1 ) during opening , the intermediate slide member 14 is fully extended before the drawer slide member 12 begins its movement and ( 2 ) during closing , the drawer slide member 12 is fully retracted before the intermediate slide member 14 begins its movement . this sequenced motion of the drawer slide greatly enhances the slide life and / or enables lighter weight components to be utilized in its manufacture . the sequencing mechanism requires an unnoticeable change in opening or closing force to move the drawer past the transition point during closing . tests conducted to date indicate that the present slide has a functional life approximately 4 to 8 times longer than that of commercially available progressive slides with rollers . the increased life is due to ( 1 ) decreased dynamic stress loading on the outer end of the cabinet slide member and ( 2 ) the long life of the control lever sequencing mechanism , which is not subjected to the continual wear of a progressive roller . an alternative control lever 118 ( fig1 and 14 ) is fabricated of plastic . the alternative lever includes an upper arm 166 and a lower arm 168 interconnected by a body portion 170 . the lever 118 is mounted on a pin 64 which extends through the body portion 170 and is supported on arms 62a ( not visible ) and 62b . a finger 172 extends upwardly from the upper arm 166 to selectively engage the catch 120 on the drawer slide member 112 . the terminal end of the lower arm 168 is beveled at 174 to facilitate passage of the lever 118 over the stay - closed bump 175 . the function of the alternative lever 118 is generally identical to that of the lever 18 with the exception that the finger 172 selectively engages a catch 120 rather than a notch . the above description is that of a preferred embodiment of the invention . various alterations and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and broader aspects of the invention as set forth in the appended claims , which are to be interpreted in accordance with the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents .	0
the invention is described in further detail below by way of exemplary embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which : fig1 is a block diagram of a prior art dls / sls measurement system that can be used as the basis for an illustrative system according to the invention ; fig2 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a dual - mode scattering system according to the invention based on the dls / sls measurement system of fig1 ; fig3 is an illustrative raman spectrum for a 50 mg / ml solution of bsa at 61 ° c . obtained with the system of fig2 ; fig4 is an illustrative size distribution plot for the 50 mg / ml solution of bsa at 61 ° c . obtained with the system of fig2 ; fig5 is an illustrative combined plot of raman and dls size measurements for a range of different temperatures obtained with the system of fig2 ; fig6 is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a dual - mode scattering system according to an alternative embodiment based on a laser diffraction measurement system ; fig7 is a graph showing plots of z - average radius and raman amide iii intensity ( 1297 cm − 1 ) as a function of ph for a sample of bsa during a titration fig8 is a plot of raman shift measurements and a correlation with dls size measurements for a bsa 10 mg / ml solution ; fig9 is a plot of raman intensity as a function of raman shift for 10 mg / ml solutions of bsa and icg ; and fig1 shows plots of raman intensity as a function of raman shift for bsa ( fig1 a ) and igg ( fig1 b ) solutions , together with correlations with dls polydispersity and size . systems according to the invention can be built from the ground up or may be based on a pre - existing off - the - shelf optical instrument . such a system can be based on an optical instrument 100 such as the zetasizer nano particle measurement system , which is outlined schematically in fig1 . the zetasizer particle measurement instrument line is available from malvern instruments ltd of malvern , uk and is described in further detail in wo 2010 / 04182 , the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference . the particle measurement system 100 includes a coherent radiation source 101 , such as a laser . the output of this laser 101 is provided to an attenuator 102 , optionally via one or more intervening reflectors 110 a , 110 b , through a sample cell 103 , and on to a transmission monitor 104 . classical 90 ° optics 106 and / or backscatter optics 105 receive scattered radiation from a suspended particulate sample in the sample cell 103 and measure an intensity of light received from the light source 101 and elastically scattered by the sample in the sample cell 103 . the received scattered radiation for one or both of these sets of optics 105 , 106 can then be relayed via an optical fiber 107 to an avalanche photo diode ( apd ) 108 . the output of the photodiode 108 can then be correlated using a correlator 109 in the case of dls , or integrated using an integrator in the case of sls ( not shown ). referring to fig2 and 3 , one approach to modifying the system 100 of fig1 to achieve dual - mode detection in accordance with an aspect of the invention is to add a dielectric filter 211 in the backscatter path . this dielectric filter 211 relays longer wavelength light to a spectrometric detector 212 , such as a raman detector . the raman detector 212 can include one or more laser notch filters 213 , a diffraction grating 214 , and a dimensional detector 215 , such as a charge coupled device ( ccd ). although raman detection is shown in fig2 to take place in the backscatter path , it can also or alternatively take place from one or more of a number of different angles including from a pickoff point 216 in the classical 90 ° path . in a general aspect therefore , the spectrometric detector 212 may be configured to receive scattered light from the sample cell along a path orthogonal to the incident light and / or along a path reverse to the incident light for detection of backscattered light . in operation , the laser 101 in the system 200 of fig2 is used for both dls and raman measurements . during dls measurements , the attenuator 102 is turned on so that the apd 108 ( fig1 ) is not saturated . during raman measurements , the attenuator 102 is turned off to allow the high level of illumination used in raman measurements . by alternating between dls and raman measurements , the system 200 can acquire information about both elastic and inelastic scattering . these two types of detection can provide complementary information about a particular suspension . for example , dls measurements can provide information about the aggregation of particulates , while raman measurements can provide information about the cause of the aggregation or whether the structure of individual particles has changed . this can be helpful in investigating the aggregation of biopharmaceuticals , which can be a serious problem in that they can lose their efficacy and even be harmful when they aggregate . the instrument 200 can also be used to compare one particulate suspension with another . this may be useful for example when comparing one biopharmaceutical formulation from one company with a biosimilar manufactured by another company . there are a number of other ways to build a system that is configured to obtain these types of complementary information . for example , a system can be built with separate sources for the different measurements organized around separate optical paths . the system can also employ a different arrangement of optical elements and / or different selective or switching elements , such as moving mirrors or choppers , to make both types of measurements . in one embodiment , for example , the attenuator 102 can be placed in the fiber optic 107 path , allowing dls and raman measurements to be taken simultaneously . referring to fig3 to 5 , the system 200 of fig2 can be operated to provide spectral information , such as a raman spectrum 301 ( fig3 ) and physical property information , such as a size distribution 401 ( fig4 ) for the same sample at effectively the same time . these measurements can also be taken in succession under different conditions , such as sample temperature , concentration , ph or composition . fig5 illustrates plots of dls average size data 501 ( left hand scale , in nm ) and raman shift data 502 ( right hand scale , in cm − 1 ) as a function of temperature ( in ° c .) for a protein solution . as the temperature increases , the dls size data indicates an increase in particle size , indicating aggregation of the protein , while the raman shift information indicates a structure change in the protein , which in this case is interpreted as a loss of alpha helix . in a general aspect therefore , both the light intensity detector and the spectral light detector are configured to receive and measure light during a measurement period while a property of the sample in the sample cell changes . the property of the sample may be deliberately changed , such as by changing the ph or temperature of the sample , or may change as a result of an ongoing reaction while the sample is being measured . the advantage of such dual measurements is therefore clear , in that different measurements can be taken on the same sample over the same measurement period by alternating between dls and raman measurements . the measurements can be performed manually , or may alternatively be performed automatically using standard robotic loading systems , such as x - y stages or using automated pipetting systems . to derive information from the measurements , such as size distributions or chemical information , the optical instrument system according to embodiments of the invention may be implemented in connection with special - purpose software programs running on general - purpose computer platforms , in which stored program instructions are executed on a processor . the system could also be implemented in whole or in part using special - purpose hardware to achieve the same function . while the system can be broken into the series of modules and steps shown for illustration purposes , one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that it is also possible to combine them and / or split them differently to achieve a different breakdown . referring to fig6 , another approach to dual - mode characterization of particulates is to perform simultaneous raman and laser diffraction measurements . the technique of laser diffraction is based around the principle that particles passing through a laser beam will scatter light at an angle that is directly related to their size . as the particle size decreases , the observed scattering angle increases logarithmically . the observed scattering intensity is also dependent on particle sizes and diminishes , to a good approximation , in relation to the particle &# 39 ; s cross - sectional area . large particles therefore scatter light at narrow angles with high intensity , whereas small particles scatter at wider angles but with low intensity . the primary measurement that is carried out within a laser diffraction system is the capture of the light scattering data from the particles under study . systems according to this aspect of the invention can be built from the ground up or they can be based on a pre - existing off - the - shelf instrument . in one embodiment , such a system can be based on the mastersizer 3000 particle size analyzer , which is available from malvern instruments ltd of malvern , uk . an exemplary system 300 , illustrated schematically in fig6 , comprises a coherent light source such as a red laser 601 with an optional attenuator 602 , for providing a source of coherent , intense light of a fixed wavelength . an optional second coherent light source such as a blue laser 621 may also be provided . the system 300 further comprises a sample presentation system such as a sample cell 603 configured to pass a material under test through the incident laser beam , preferably as a homogeneous stream of particles 604 in a known , reproducible state of dispersion . a first series of detectors , including a focal plane detector 605 a and an array of large angle detectors 605 b , are provided to measure the light pattern produced over a wide range of angles by scattering of incident light by the dispersed particles in the sample cell 603 . a second series of detectors 606 , 612 are provided to measure backscattered light from the sample cell 603 and for raman detection . a dielectric filter 611 may be placed in one of the backscattered light paths , the filter 611 configured to relay longer wavelength light to a spectrometric detector such as a raman detector 612 . the raman detector 612 can include one or more laser notch filters 613 , a diffraction grating 614 , and a dimensional detector 615 , such as a charge coupled device ( ccd ). although raman detection is shown to take place in one of the backscatter paths , it can also or alternatively take place from one or more of a number of different angles including from a pickoff point in the classical 90 ° path , as in the embodiment of fig2 described above . in operation , the laser 601 ( and / or 621 ) in the system 300 of fig6 is used for both laser diffraction and raman measurements . during laser diffraction measurements , the attenuator 602 is turned on so that the scattering detectors are not saturated . during raman measurements , the attenuator 602 is turned off to allow the high level of illumination used in raman measurements . by alternating the laser diffraction and raman measurements , the system can acquire complementary information about a particular suspension . for example , the laser diffraction measurements can provide information about physical properties of the sample , while the raman measurements can provide information about the chemical makeup of the sample . as with other embodiments , there are a number of other ways to build a system that obtains these types of complementary information . for example , a system can be built with separate sources for the different measurements organized around separate optical paths . the system can also employ a different arrangement of optical elements and / or different selective or switching elements , such as moving mirrors or choppers , to make both types of measurements . in one embodiment , for example , the attenuator 602 can be placed in such a way as to allow laser diffraction and raman measurements to be taken simultaneously . the size range accessible during the measurement is directly related to the angular range of the scattering measurement . modem laser diffraction instruments make measurements from around 0 . 02 degrees through to 135 degrees . a logarithmic detector sequence , where the detectors 605 are grouped closely together at small angles and more widely spaced at wide angles , yields the optimum sensitivity . the detector sequence can also be set up such that equal volumes of particles of different sizes produce a similar measured signal . with this approach , the size of the detectors is increased as the measured scattering angle increases . once simultaneous measurements have been performed a relationship between the measurements can be established . this can provide further insight into the sample and / or allow one measurement to derive information that another other might ordinarily be used to measure . this approach is described in more detail in connection with the following example . referring to fig7 , dual - mode raman and dls measurements were performed for a sample of bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) at different ph levels . as the ph was increased , the dls measurements 701 showed a trend indicating a change in particle size . at the same time , the raman measurements 702 also changed in a way that was correlated with changes in the dls measurements . it is believed that the changes in both the dls and raman measurements were caused by the unfolding of the protein resulting from the ph changes . this unfolding is believed to have caused an increase in the size of the molecule , and also a measurable change in the secondary structure of the protein as it unfolds . referring to fig8 to 10 , dual - mode raman and dls measurements were performed for a sample of bovine serum albumin ( bsa ) at different temperature levels . as the temperature was increased , dls measurements and raman measurements 801 ( fig8 ) were taken and recorded . these two sets of values were correlated to produce a plot ( dotted line 802 ) that indicates how well size changes correlate with changes in the raman spectrum at different wavelengths . the experiment was then repeated with immunoglobulin g ( igg ). temperature adjustments were used in this first part of the experiment , but other physical properties can be varied , such as ph . while the dls size parameter was used in this instance , other dls parameters can also be used , such as polydiversity , which provides a measurement of the distribution of sizes in a sample . as shown in fig9 , chemical structural features correspond to different parts of the raman spectrum of a compound . a large peak in a first region 901 at higher raman shifts , for example , corresponds to the backbone of both bsa and igg , while smaller peaks in a second region 902 at somewhat lower shifts correspond to aromatic side - chains . this knowledge can provide insight into the way that a physical property affects a molecule . as shown in fig1 a and 10 b , correlation plots between dls and raman measurements show stronger correlations at different wavelengths . fig1 a illustrates a plot of raman measurements 1001 a and correlations with dls polydispersity 1002 a and size 1003 a for bsa , while fig1 b illustrates raman measurements 1001 b and correlations with dls polydispersity 1002 b and size 1003 b for igg . these correlations can be matched with corresponding molecular features to determine which features are likely to have been affected by the physical changes . using this technique it can be shown , for example , that a protein denatures and / or aggregates differently in response to changes in temperature than it does in response to changes in ph . experiments for other types of changes such as temperature , salt concentration , drug or other chemical concentration , ionic strength , and / or level of denaturation , could also be performed . these types of dual - mode experiments could also be performed to determine other types of chemical and physical properties of different materials . for example , raman measurements could be used to detect crystallinity of a sample and laser diffraction used to detect size of the sample , while a condition of the sample is varied . this may allow a deeper understanding of the degree to which a sample exhibits crystalline , amorphous , and / or polymorphic properties in different conditions . with this type of understanding , it is possible to perform raman measurements to learn information about physical properties of a sample in a particular system , such as size , shape , diameter , or aspect ratio . it is also possible to learn about other properties that might otherwise be measured using dls , including physicochemical properties , such as the protein zeta potential , charge or isoelectric point . this cross - measurement principle can be used between any types of measurements in a dual - mode system according to different schedules . in a quality control situation , for example , a material under test might be fully characterized with both measurement techniques , but routine testing might then be performed with only one of them . the selected technique for routine testing might be selected for a variety of reasons , such as because it is less expensive , quicker , more scalable , or more reliable . systems according to the invention can be applicable to a wide variety of applications , including research , quality control , formulation development , stability testing , manufacturability testing , efficiency testing , release testing , and drug discovery . they are also applicable to a wide variety of materials , such as biopharmaceuticals , small - and large - molecule proteins , excipients , and pigments and other industrial powders . the present invention has been described in connection with a number of specific embodiments thereof . however , numerous modifications which are contemplated as falling within the scope of the present invention should also be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , it is intended that the scope of the present invention be limited only by the appended claims . in addition , the order of presentation of the claims should not necessarily be construed to limit the scope of any particular term in the claims .	6
before the subject devices , systems and methods are described , it is to be understood that this invention is not limited to particular embodiments described , as such may , of course , vary . it is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to be limiting , since the scope of the present invention will be limited only by the appended claims . the present invention will now be described in detail by way of the following description of exemplary embodiments and variations of the systems and methods of the present invention . referring now to fig1 through 7 , there is shown a promotional material display device 10 comprising a first promotional material receiving portion 12 , a second promotional material receiving portion 14 , and a direction indicator 16 . the second promotional material receiving portion 14 and direction indicator 16 are connected to the first promotional material receiving portion 12 as shown in the figures . the first promotional material receiving portion 12 is configured to receive promotional material 18 that is larger than the promotional material 20 that the second promotional material receiving portion 14 is configured to receive . in one variation , the first receiving portion 12 is configured to receive 8½ by 11 inches sized sheets of paper 18 and the second receiving portion 14 is configured to receive business cards 20 . the direction indicator 16 is any information indicator . in one variation , the direction indicator 16 is a compass 36 which extends outwardly from the first receiving portion 14 . the display 10 is preferably made of plastic ; however , the invention is not so limited and the display can be made of any kind of suitable material known to one having ordinary skill in the art . in one variation , the display is made of transparent material but this is also not required and the display may be made of any opaque , transluscent , semi - transparent , colored or any kind of material . the promotional material holder 10 is generally configured to be displayed on a substantially flat surface such as a table top and designed such that the first receiving portion 12 is angled with respect to the flat surface for ease of access to the promotional material 18 , 20 . with particular reference to fig2 and general reference to fig1 through 7 , the flyer holder 10 includes a back wall 22 , a first sidewall 24 and a second sidewall 26 . the first sidewall 24 is spaced apart from the second sidewall 26 and , in one variation , the first sidewall 24 is substantially parallel to the second sidewall 26 . the flyer display 10 further includes a first front wall 30 that is spaced apart from the back wall 22 and , in one variation , the first front wall 30 is substantially parallel to the back wall 22 . a first bottom 28 is also provided . the back wall 22 , the first and second sidewalls 24 , 26 , the first front wall 30 and the first bottom 28 are configured to define a first cavity 32 of the first promotional material receiving portion 12 . the first front wall 30 is interconnected to the back wall 22 by at least one or more of the first bottom 28 , the first sidewall 24 and the second sidewall 26 . in one variation of the invention , the first front wall 30 is interconnected to the back wall 22 by all three of the first bottom 28 , the first sidewall 24 and the second sidewall 26 . the first cavity 32 has an open top through which promotional material 18 is inserted into the cavity 32 . with particular reference to fig4 and 5 , the first bottom 28 is oriented substantially perpendicular to the back wall 22 . in general , the first bottom 28 slopes upwardly from the back wall 22 to the first front wall 30 . this slope advantageously keeps promotional material 18 propped up nicely inside the first cavity 32 . as pages of promotional material 18 are removed from the first cavity 32 , remaining pages slide down the slope of the first bottom 28 keeping the stack of promotional material neatly stacked . as seen in the figures , the first front wall 30 is shorter than the back wall 22 . the first front wall 30 typically rises a quarter to two - thirds of the way up from the first bottom 28 with respect to the back wall 22 such that the promotional material 18 in the first receiving portion 12 is not covered by the first front wall 30 . this is particularly advantageous when non - transparent material is used to construct the first front wall 30 . if transparent material is employed for the first front wall 30 , the first front wall 30 can be designed to rise higher with respect to the back wall 22 . as seen in fig2 and fig3 , the top edge of the back wall 22 includes a scalloped or relieved portion 34 to facilitate removal of promotional material from the first cavity 32 . in one variation , the direction indicator 16 provides the direction of at least one cardinal compass direction such as “ north ,” “ south ,” “ east ” and “ west ” with respect to the display device 10 . in one variation , the direction indicator 16 is a magnetic compass 36 that is inserted through an opening 38 in a flange 40 that extends outwardly from the first front wall 30 as shown in fig2 . in one variation , the compass 36 is removable and rotatable with respect to the display 10 . also , the direction indicator 16 is connected at any functional location on the display 10 . preferably , the direction indicator 16 is connected to the front wall 30 and is substantially horizontal to the flat surface on which the display 10 is placed as shown in fig4 and 5 to provide easy viewing of the direction information . furthermore , if a compass is employed as the direction indicator , it need not be a functioning magnetic compass but may be any kind of compass including a representational compass . an example of a representational compass is an element disposed within the opening 38 of the flange 40 with an arrow pointing to the direction “ north ” for example . the element being rotated by the user with in the opening 38 of the flange 40 to match a true compass direction . any representational form of compass may be employed with the invention . furthermore , the direction indicator is not limited to showing the cardinal compass directions , but any direction information can be indicated by the direction indicator . one example of a direction information is a sunny or southern exposure direction of the relevant structure that is indicated by the color yellow or graphic depiction of a sun for example . another example of a direction information is a dark side and the color blue or black or a graphic depiction of a moon to indicate a dark side on a dial or other formatted structure of the direction indicator . other examples of direction informations are the direction of the nearest city , largest city , downtown , the ocean , lake , grocery store , water feature , street , airport , sitting direction and facing direction of the home . any direction information conveyed via the direction indicator is within the scope of the present invention and , of course , any distance or other information associated with a direction information may also be included on the direction indicator . in one variation of the invention , there is no second promotional material receiving portion 14 . in another variation as shown in fig1 through 7 and with particular reference to fig2 , and 4 - 7 , the second promotional material receiving portion 14 of the display device 10 includes a third sidewall 42 and a fourth sidewall 44 . the third sidewall 42 is spaced apart from the fourth sidewall 44 and in one variation the third sidewall 42 is substantially parallel to the fourth sidewall 44 . the second promotional material receiving portion 14 further includes a second bottom 48 and a second front wall 46 that is spaced apart from the first front wall 30 . the first front wall 30 , the third and fourth sidewalls 42 , 44 , the second front wall 46 and the second bottom 48 are configured to define a second cavity 50 of the second promotional material receiving portion 14 . the second front wall 46 is interconnected to the first front wall 30 by at least one or more of the second bottom 48 , the third sidewall 42 and the fourth sidewall 44 . in one variation , the second front wall 46 is interconnected to the first front wall 30 by all of the second bottom 48 , and third and fourth sidewalls 42 , 44 . the second cavity 50 has an open top and is configured to receive promotional material 20 such as business cards . in one variation , the second bottom 48 is substantially horizontal relative to the flat surface on which the display device 10 is placed . in another variation , the second bottom 48 is substantially perpendicular with respect to the first front wall 30 and as a result angled with respect to the surface on which the device 10 is placed . also in one variation , the second front wall 46 is substantially parallel with respect to the first front wall 30 and in another variation the second front wall 46 is substantially perpendicular with respect to the horizontal surface on which the device 10 is placed . any combination of the above variations in one embodiment is within the scope of the present invention . also , the upper edge of the second front wall 46 includes a scalloped or relieved portion 52 for easy finger access to the second cavity 50 and the promotional material 20 therein . in one variation , the display device 10 includes a support 54 as visible in fig1 , 6 and 7 . the support 54 is connected to the first promotional material receiving portion 12 and is configured to support the first receiving portion 12 on a flat surface such that the first receiving portion 12 is angled with respect to the flat surface . in one variation , the support 54 includes a base wall 56 that is substantially parallel to the flat surface on which the device 10 is placed . the base wall 56 is generally connected to the first receiving portion 12 such that the base 56 forms an acute angle with the back wall 22 . the base wall 56 is configured to support the device 10 on a flat surface in a substantially upright or slightly angled orientation as shown in the figures . in one variation , the base wall 56 is integral with the first bottom 28 and in another variation it is not . of course , the display device 10 may be provided without a support and mounted on a wall . in such a variation , the support 54 would be configured for mounting the display device on a wall . the preceding merely illustrates the principles of the invention . it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements which , although not explicitly described or shown herein , embody the principles of the invention and are included within its spirit and scope . furthermore , all examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventors to furthering the art , and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions . moreover , all statements herein reciting principles , aspects , and embodiments of the invention as well as specific examples thereof , are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof . additionally , it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents and equivalents developed in the future , i . e ., any elements developed that perform the same function , regardless of structure . the scope of the present invention , therefore , is not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiments shown and described herein . rather , the scope and spirit of present invention is embodied by the appended claims .	6
in the drawing , fig1 shows a composite which is shown in this instance as a billet 2 having a sheath 4 surrounding a core 6 . the sheath 4 is composed of a copper alloy containing from 0 . 1 to 30 atomic percent gallium with the balance of the alloy being made up of copper . in a preferred embodiment of our invention we additionally incorporate up to 10 atomic percent aluminum into the copper alloy forming sheath 4 shown in fig1 . the core 6 in fig1 is composed of a vanadium alloy containing from 0 . 1 to 25 . 0 atomic percent aluminum . the billet 2 shown in fig1 can be prepared by conventional methods such as taking a solid rod made of a copper alloy suitable for use in our invention , as a sheath 4 boring a hole lengthwise in the center of the rod and thereafter inserting a solid rod and inserting it into the hole bored in the sheath 4 to form the core 6 of the billet 2 . thereafter , the billet 2 can be passed through a swaging die 8 as shown in fig2 with the swaged portion 12 of the billet 2 being greatly reduced in diameter to form a wire of the billet 2 . any conventional billet forming , swaging , and wire reducing processes can be used in carrying out our invention . thereafter the swaged portion 12 obtained from the billet 2 as shown in fig3 is heat - treated to make gallium diffuse selectively from sheath 4 shown in fig1 and 2 into the core metal to produce a continuous layer of v 3 ga 10 as shown in fig3 between the core 6 and the sheath 4 , the sheath 4 shown in fig3 containing a small amount of residual gallium and in a preferred embodiment aluminum when aluminum is incorporated into the copper alloy making up the sheath . it is not necessary to have an unreacted amount of vanadium as a core after the heat treatment . according to the present invention , a superconductor of v 3 ga containing 0 - 10 atomic percent aluminum is produced by making a composite comprising copper , containing 0 . 1 to 30 atomic percent gallium and 0 to 10 atomic percent aluminum and a core metal , i . e ., vanadium alloy containing 0 . 1 to 25 atomic percent aluminum and fabricating the resulting composite to a desirable configuration , for example , the composite is fabricated into wires , tapes or pipes by wire drawing , rolling or pipe drawing , respectively . the composite thus fabricated to a desirable shape is then heat - treated to make gallium diffuse selectively from the alloy composed of copper , gallium and aluminum into the core metal to produce a continuous layer of v 3 ga between the core metal and the copper containing a small amount of residual gallium at aluminum . it is not necessary to leave unreacted vanadium core after the heat treatment . copper is no diffused into v 3 ga compound so the intrinsic superconducting properties of v 3 ga are not degraded . on the basis of such fact , the method of this invention has been accomplished . as compared with the conventional methods as mentioned above the method of the present invention has the following advantages . as a result of the diffusion occuring between the core metal and the alloy composed of copper and gallium , a v 3 ga layer and a metallic layer for stabilizing superconductivity consisting mainly of copper and formed . furthermore , the copper gallium of copper - gallium - aluminum alloys used for producing v 3 ga materials in the present invention can be readily melted in air and fabricating thereof at room temperature is exceedingly easy . consequently , compared with the conventional production method , the method of the present invention simplified the process , and is valuable in the practical applications . moreover , a multi - filimentary v 3 ga superconductor suitable for ac application can be easily fabricated according to this invention . as compared with the previous solid state diffusion method as mentioned above , the method of the present invention has the following advantages . the addition of aluminum to the vanadium core , and the optional addition of aluminum to the copper - gallium alloy matrix , facilitates the formation of a v 3 ga layer at lower , i . e ., 500 ° c .- 600 ° c ., temperatures than heretobefore . this results in shorter reaction times , improved superconducting current capacities , and the possibility of incorporating pure aluminum into the composite as a stabilizer prior to reaction . according to the present invention , in the case of v 3 ga a composite is made by using an alloy consisting of copper containing from 0 . 1 to 30 , preferably 5 to 25 , atomic percent of gallium and 0 - 10 , preferably 0 - 5 atomic percent of aluminum and a core metal , that is vanadium containing from 0 . 1 to 25 , preferably 1 to 10 atomic percent of aluminum to be subsequently fabricated into wires , tapes or pipes , etc ., by means of wire drawing , rolling or pipe drawing , etc . next , the product is heat - treated at temperatures of from 500 ° c . to 750 ° c . for the period of from 1 to 800 hours to make gallium selectively diffuse from said alloy into the core metal , i . e ., vanadium alloy so as to form v 3 ga layer on the core metal . said heating temperature and period of time are determined depending upon the thickness and gallium and aluminum contents in the alloy composed of copper and gallium . in general when it is desirable to produce poducts having relatively thick sheaths surrounding the v 3 ga layer longer periods of heat treatment at relatively higher temperatures e . g ., 750 ° c . are utilized to ensure that the vanadium and gallium are capable of migrating to the interface layer formed between the sheath and core . the incorporation of aluminum into the copper alloy forming the sheath in the preferred embodiment of the process reduces both the length of time and the degree of temperature required to form the v 3 ga layer . also , due to the heat - treatment , the metallic layer consisting mainly of copper which may serve as a layer for stabilizing superconductivity is formed on the surface of v 3 ga superconductor . according to the present production method , it is possible to omit a high diffusion equipment involving large amount of construction cost requrired for continuously diffusing gallium into a vanadium substrate in the conventional v 3 ga conductor production method . therefore , the manufacturing cost is considerably reduced . according to this invention , one or more of the composites are covered with or otherwise combined with a good conductive normal metal such as copper , silver or aluminum and fabricated into a desired configuration for the purpose of improving stabilization of superconductivity . the good normal conductor coating may be produced by inserting the composite to a hole in the good normal conductor having a cross sectional shape corresponding to that of the composite , or by using a pipe - like composite and a pipe - like coating metal processed in such a manner that the outer diameter of the former is correspondent to the inner diameter of the latter and the former can be fitted into the latter . the cross sectional configuration of the superconductive matter can be prepared by an appropriate coating means in such a manner that the superconductive layer is located at a desirable position in the latter . alternately , the good normal conductor may be incorporated within its final structure by combining strands of wire of the normal conductor , copper , silver or aluminum , together with strands of the single or multifilimentary composite described above , in such proportion as required to ensure the desired degree of stability , together if necessary with further strands of wire of steel , tungsten or other such strong metal to confer the necessary mechanical strength , and twisting , braiding or cabling these various strands together into a final flexible round or flat configuration . by the present invention , a conductor including many thin v 3 ga superconductive filaments embedded in cu - ga alloy matrix can be easily fabricated . for example , a composite composed of cu - ga alloy and a number of vanadium alloy cores is fabricated into thin wire followed by heat treatment to produce a superconductor including many thin filaments of v 3 ga . up to the present , both alloy or compound superconductors have not been used for ac application such as transformers , ac motors or generators due to their ac hysteresis losses . it is theoretically calculated than an ac loss in superconductors is proportional of d 3 where d is a diameter of a superconductor . therefore , it can be expected that multi - filimentary v 3 ga superconductor produced by the present invention is not only suitable for dc application but also for ac application . in the case of ac application , on the contrary to dc application , it is desirable that the matrix around superconductive filaments has relatively high electrical resistivity for decoupling each superconductive filament electrically . in the case of the present invention , the resistivity of cu - ga or cu - ga - al alloy matrix can be increased by increasing the ga or al content . the cu - ga or cu - ga - al alloy matrix should be also effective for mechanical reinforcement of the superconductor . example . an ingot , approximately 100 grams in weight , of vanadium and ˜ 5 wt . percent aluminum , based on the weight of the ingot , was melted in an arc furnace in an argon atmosphere . the ingot homogenized at 1400 ° c . for one hour , swaged to a rod 6 . 35 mm in diameter , and annealed for a further hour at 1200 ° c . the composition of the rod was subsequently found to be 10 . 1 atomic percent aluninum . an alloy of copper with 16 . 7 atomic percent gallium was melted in a vacuum induction furnace and chill cast into a bar 15 mm in diameter by 250 mm long . the bar was swaged to 12 . 7 mm diameter , and a hole 6 . 35 mm in diameter and 100 mm long was bored down the axis of the bar from one end . the bar was annealed for 5 hours at 700 ° c . a piece 100 mm long was cut from the vanadium alloy rod . both rod and bar were carefully cleaned , and the vanadium alloy - rod inserted into the hole in the copper - alloy bar . the resulting composite was drawn through wire - drawing dies and reduced to a diameter of 0 . 635 mm , with intermediate anneals , ˜ 1 hr . at 400 ° c ., as necessary . in its sectional structure the vanadium alloy core is 0 . 318 mm diameter and the copper - alloy sheath is 0 . 159 mm thick . samples , 100 mm long , were cut from the wire , individually sealed under vacuum in quartz capsules , and were heat treated at temperatures between 525 ° c . for times up to 768 hours . a portion of each sample was examined metallographically to determine the thickness and nature of the reaction layer . electron beam microanalysis was performed on selected samples to determine the composition of the reacted layers . the results are given in table 1 . table i______________________________________ microprobe results analysis ( a / 0 ) heat treatment layer thickness v ga al______________________________________550 ° c . 384 h 2μm 74 22 4600 ° c . 192 h 2μm 72 20 . 5 7 . 5650 ° c . 192 h 4μm 75 . 5 21 . 5 3700 ° c . 96 h 8μm 75 23 2______________________________________ the presence of copper in the v 3 ga layer was not detected . the superconducting critical temperature of specimens reacted to 550 , 600 , 650 and 700 ° c . were measured inductively . the onset initial temperature is the highest temperature at which superconductivity was detected , the mid - point temperature corresponds to the temperature at which the magnitude of the inductive signal was exactly midway between its maximum and minimum values . critical currents and upper critical fields at a temperature of 4 . 2 k were measured in externally applied transverse magnetic fields on samples heat - treated at 550 ° c . and 650 ° c . the upper critical fields and critical currents in applied fields of 6 , 10 , 16 and 20 . 2 tesla are given in table ii , together with those of layer thickness and critical temperature . table ii__________________________________________________________________________summary of experimental resultsheat treatment layer thickness critical temperature h . sub . c2 ( 4 , 2k ) critical current ( 4 . 2k ). a . temperature ° c . time hrs μm onset mid - point t 6 tesla 10 tesla 16 tesla 20 . 2__________________________________________________________________________ tesla525 96 0 . 5 192 0 . 75 367 1 . 0 768 1 . 5550 96 1 15 . 2 14 . 15 21 . 5 26 . 2 14 . 2 4 . 9 0 . 65 192 1 . 5 15 . 35 14 . 3 21 . 8 28 . 6 16 . 4 5 . 7 1 . 0 384 2 15 . 35 14 . 5 22 . 0 33 . 6 18 . 4 6 . 5 3 . 2600 24 0 . 75 15 . 0 14 . 2 18 . 1 10 . 1 3 . 2 48 1 15 . 0 14 . 25 21 . 5 24 . 7 13 . 5 4 . 8 0 . 45 96 1 . 5 15 . 15 14 . 3 21 . 7 5 . 2 0 . 9 192 2 15 . 2 14 . 6 6 . 2 384 2 . 5 15 . 25 14 . 5 22 . 0 36 . 1 9 . 1 1 . 9650 8 1 14 . 8 13 . 8 20 . 8 0 . 25 24 1 . 5 15 . 0 14 . 05 21 . 3 0 . 8 48 2 15 . 0 14 . 35 21 . 5 1 . 3 96 2 . 5 15 . 0 14 . 3 192 4 15 . 05 14 . 4700 4 1 . 5 14 . 6 13 . 4 8 2 14 . 7 13 . 9 24 3 14 . 75 14 . 1 48 5 14 . 75 14 . 25 96 8 14 . 7 14 . 1750 4 3 . 75__________________________________________________________________________ it is clear from the said measurements of layer thickness , initial temperatures , critical field and critical current , and analytical results of the electron - probe microanalyser , that gallium in the copper - gallium alloy was selectively diffused into vanadium - aluminum alloy core by heat treatment at temperatures between 525 ° c . and 750 ° c ., resulting in v 3 ga layer containing some aluminum . it is also clear that this layer is capable of carrying appreciable lossless currents up to fields close to its upper critical field .	8
referring to the drawing , there is shown a microwave oven comprising a cavity 10 having a door 12 through which bodies to be heated , such as food body 14 , may be positioned in the oven . microwave energy is supplied to the cavity 10 via a waveguide structure 16 , and the particular mode patterns in the oven are varied by means of a mode stirrer structure 18 driven by a motor 20 , in accordance with well - known practice . microwave energy is generated by a magnetron 22 comprising a magnetron anode containing vanes 24 attached to a cylindrical shell 26 to form a cavity anode , in accordance with well - known practice . a microwave output structure comprises a conductor 28 connected to one of the vanes and extending into a dielectric output seal member 30 extending into waveguide 16 so that microwave energy is radiated from output probe 28 through seal 30 into the waveguide and , hence , into the oven cavity 10 . a directly heated filament 34 is positioned in the central bore of the magnetron defined by the vanes and is insulatingly sealed from the anode structure by seal 36 . a permanent magnet structure 38 produces a magnetic field across the space between pole pieces 40 and 42 and in the presence of said magnetic field and a d . c . voltage applied between filament 34 and anode vanes 24 , electrons from the cathode circle the cathode and produce oscillations of the magnetron . heater power for the filament 34 is supplied by a filament transformer 44 which is supplied with power from an interlock and control circuit 46 supplied with 60 - cycle 110 - volt power from a conventional wall plug 48 . the d . c . voltage of , for example , 4000 volts is produced between the filament 34 and the anode vanes 24 by a conventional high voltage supply 50 whose input is supplied through contacts 66 of a relay 52 controlled by a photoconductor 54 positioned outside waveguide 16 . photoconductor 54 responds to radiation , preferably in the red or infrared region of the spectrum between 0 . 1 and 1 micrometers produced by the heated filament 34 and its support or end shield structure . such radiations pass through output dielectric seal 30 and are picked up by light pipe 56 of , for example , plastic , which extends through an aperture in waveguide 16 and couples a portion of said radiation to photoconductor 54 . the voltage from the output of interlock and control circuit 46 is connected in series with the coil 58 of relay 52 , the photoconductor 54 and a variable resistor 60 . resistor 60 is adjusted to a value which allows sufficient current to flow through coil 58 to actuate relay 52 to close contacts 66 of relay 52 and thereby energize d . c . supply 50 when the temperature of filament 34 is heated to the minimum desired operating temperature of , for example , 1500 ° c . thereby emitting the necessary infrared radiation to reduce the resistance of photoconductor 54 . in operation , a food body 14 is placed in cavity 10 and door 12 is closed , mechanically closing an interlock switch or switches in interlock and control circuit 46 . a timer 62 is set to the desired time of cooking and a start button 64 in circuit 46 is pushed , producing a voltage at the output of control circuit 46 which is applied to transformer 44 to heat filament 34 . this voltage is also applied to relay coil 58 in series with resistor 60 and with photoconductor 54 which has a high resistance . after a period of a few seconds , filament 34 which may be , for example , thoriated tungsten , reaches a temperature of , for example , 1500 ° c . at which electron emission from filament 34 is sufficient to produce stable microwave operation by the magnetron 22 . this temperature , which may be selected in the range between 1200 ° c . and 1600 ° c . by adjusting resistor 60 , produces radiations over a wide spectrum having a substantial component in the red region of the spectrum and producing a sufficient reduction in the resistance of photo conductor 54 to actuate relay 52 , closing contacts 66 and connecting power to high voltage supply 50 which applies a negative voltage to filament 34 . high voltage supply 50 may comprise a conventional magnetron supply shown , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 396 , 342 issued on aug . 6 , 1968 to a . e . feinberg having a saturable transformer with leakage reactance whose secondary is connected in series with a condenser sized for optimum line voltage regulation and a rectifier to the grounded anode of magnetron 22 , the junction between condenser and rectifier being connected to filament 34 to form a modified voltage doubler . due among other things to said voltage doubler characteristic , the power supply can produce voltage peaks many thousand volts above normal when the filament is below its normal operating temperature . such voltage peaks also appear across the anode and filament of magnetron 22 . thus , it may be seen that by ensuring that magnetron 22 has its filament in electron emitting condition , the voltage output of power supply 50 will not exceed its rated value , and voltage breakdown of the magnetron and / or power supply is avoided . furthermore , generation of spurious output frequencies due , for example , to moding or other phenomenon associated with low electron emission from the filament 34 may be prevented . this completes the description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated herein . however , many modifications thereof will be apparent to persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention . for example , a wide range of photosensors can be used for the photoconductor 54 , radiations from the filament 34 could be sensed from specially designed apertures in the magnetron 22 or through apertures in the filament support . in addition , the relay 52 is illustrated by way of example only and a semiconductor switch such as a thyristor could be used , and the power supply 50 could be a super audible switching frequency power supply . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be not limited to the particular details of the embodiment described herein except as defined by the appended claims .	5
the following describes the best way of carrying out the invention . all specific materials , sizes , dimensions , suppliers and parts mentioned are provided as an example only to enable easy reproduction of the invention and are not limiting . other materials , dimensions and parts from different suppliers can be used to achieve the same effect . fig1 a illustrates , generally , a processing system utilizing the invention shown from the top , front , and one side . there are two main sections , a stationary synthesizer section 10 and a removable kit 100 . depending on the process , the synthesizer section may have various inputs and outputs , namely : fluid or gas input / output lines ; compressed air , nitrogen , or vacuum lines ; an electric power input ; and electronic control cables . the stationary synthesizer 10 may also contain , as needed : various sensors used for feedback control such as pressure or radioactivity sensors ; electric relay controlled solenoid valves used to control pneumatic devices with magnetic position sensor feedback ; manually adjustable needle valves for gas flow control ; a local vacuum pump ; and a microprocessor - based control module . the above devices are employed in the manner commonly used in similar systems and well known to any person skilled in the art . the stationary synthesizer 10 also has , mounted on a side , linear pneumatic actuator kit positioners 20 ( three are shown on one side ) connected to a kit mounting plate 22 having two side supports 24 with slots 26 aligned with a sensibly vertical plate 102 of the kit 100 . the slots 26 ( not shown to scale ) are wide enough to permit the kit 100 to slide up and down . two kit support rods 32 protrude from the synthesizer underneath the kit support the bottom of the vertical plate 102 . this version also contains a reagent heater 42 that is raised up and down by two linear pneumatic actuator heater positioners 44 ( one is shown ). when the kit has finished processing a batch , the reagent heater ( if used ) is lowered and the kit positioners 20 ( located behind the hex mounting nuts with protruding pistons shown ) can push the kit away from the synthesizer off the end of the support rods 32 into a shielded bin below ( not shown ). as generally illustrated in fig1 a and shown in detail in fig2 , there can be a variety of reagent bottles , cartridge filters , reaction vessels and collection bottles . fig1 b is a top view of the kit mounting apparatus and interfaces to the processor 10 . the front of the processor box is plate 27 . an intermediate actuator guiding plate 28 has clearance holes for the linear actuators 20 , a plurality of rotary actuators 50 and fluidic connections 70 ( discussed below ). in operation , the kit 100 would be contained within slots 26 in side supports 24 that are attached to kit mounting plate 22 . support rods 32 for the kit 100 extend out from the front plate 27 . heater 42 is not shown in this view . fig1 c illustrates how horizontal kit plate 104 is connected to sensibly vertical kit plate 102 with a plurality of rectangular cross - section snap fingers 106 . these are formed integrally with plate 104 and protrude from it into rectangular holes 108 in plate 102 . the fingers 106 have catches mounted on the end and the location of fittings and holes on the plates is such that when the plates are forced together , the fittings lock around the far side of plate 102 . fig2 illustrates a vertical cross section of the kit 100 and both a plurality of mechanical interfaces 50 and fluidic ones 70 to the processor 10 . details of these interfaces will be given below . three fixed plates are shown : the front of the processor 27 , actuator guiding plate 28 and an internal pneumatic actuator 51 mounting plate 29 . ( the kit mounting plate 22 and kit mounts 24 are omitted for clarity .) plate 104 has mounted thereon a plurality of filtration cartridges 121 . these are mounted on the plate 104 with luer - type receptacles 122 . also mounted on plate 104 are a variety of reagent vials 131 , a reactor vessel 133 , and a collection vial 134 . the number , size and type will depend on the process . the vials ( generally referred to as “ serum vials ”) are commercial glass bottles with aluminum crimp seals 135 that hold elastomer seals 136 to the mouth of the vial . the aluminum crimp seals 135 are held to the plate by protruding snap fingers 137 . when vials are filled with reagents , stainless steel needles 139 connected to tubing 140 can be inserted through the elastomer seals 136 into the vials just prior to use of the kit . in other cases , the tubing is inserted through undersized holes in the seals 136 . the luer - type connectors for the fluidic interface to the processor and cartridges have barb - type tube fittings . various lengths of the flexible polymer tubing 140 can be used to make all necessary connections . in some cases , gravity is used to control liquid position inside the vials , dictating the convenience of a using a horizontal plate , but that is not always essential . on the other extreme , a single horizontal plate could be used with a processor interface in a horizontal plane , but this would require kit release actuators on the side supports 24 or a combination of vertical and horizontal linear actuators . the combination of a vertical processor interface plate with a horizontal vial mounting plate connected at the center of the vertical plate does reduce overall dimensions of the kit . a major advance of this invention over the prior art is represented by the rotary slide valves 150 located in the vertical plate 102 . two are illustrated in the cross - section , but eight are contemplated for a typical kit . these are constructed inside a round cavity 151 in the plate having tubing pass through holes 152 . the stator 153 is comprised of an elastomer ( e . g ., viton ® or buna n ) having enough friction and having under - sized holes 154 so that tubing 140 can be directly inserted into them and will remain in place even under hydrostatic pressure . this avoids the use of fittings and their cost . the rotor 155 is preferably comprised of plastic and has a channel 156 cut into the side facing the rotor and a slot 157 to allow it to be turned by a mechanical actuator . a circular rim 158 allows the rotor to be snap fit into the plate 102 past its rim 159 so that the stator is retained during shipment . the rotary valve mechanical actuator 50 is driven by a pneumatic rotary actuator 51 with an output shaft 52 that is held in a rotating coupling 53 by a setscrew 54 . the transfer tube contains a spring 55 that pushes a screwdriver type valve engagement 56 having a pin 57 that slides in a slot 58 in the tube . the pin 57 insures that screwdriver type actuator 56 turns together with shaft 52 while being free to move back and forth and transfer the force of spring 55 to the rotor 155 which achieves a leak tight interface with stator 153 . in one version , the actuators 50 rotate through 90 ° steps . this is shown by the two positions of the rotors 156 . fluidic connection to the kit is made via commercial luer - type female receptacles 171 . the connection to the processor 10 is completed with spring - loaded couplings 70 . commercial luer type male fittings 71 are screwed into tube 72 ( threads not shown ) that is positioned by plate 28 and urged forward by spring 73 . both fittings are barb - type and connections to tubing 140 are made in a conventional manner . a laboratory prototype of both a synthesizer 10 and kits 100 were constructed . on the synthesizer 10 , six parallel pneumatic linear actuators 20 , three on each side , with a bore of 15 mm and a stroke of 75 mm were mounted on the front panel . the support rods 32 were 5 mm dia . and extended 70 mm in front of the synthesizer to prevent the kit from falling down unless the kit holder is in a fully extended position . in a retracted position , the back of the kit 100 is pulled into valve actuators 50 and luer fittings 70 with a force of over 1000 n . in extended position , the kit is allowed to drop freely into a prepared shielded receptacle placed under the synthesizer . to install the kit , an operator shifts the kit mounting plate 22 to a middle position , and slides the kit into the slots 26 from the top . after that , the shielding door is closed and pneumatic cylinders are remotely engaged to pull the kit mounting plate 22 with the kit 100 back and attach it to the synthesizer 10 so that the processing can be carried out . finally , upon completion of the processing , extending the kit mounting plate 22 forward , beyond the guiding rods 32 and allowing the kit 100 to drop into a prepared receptacle removes the kit . this last step is accomplished automatically , without operator intervention or opening the shielding door . to achieve the heating and evaporation processes necessary for radiotracer production , the synthesizer was equipped with a cylindrical aluminum block reagent heater 42 . this is heated with compact cylindrical cartridge , omega engineering co . ( hartford , conn .) model css - 10150 / 120 and pt100 - type temperature probe model px177 - 050ai . the heating block can be heated to 200 ° c . the heater positioner 44 was driven with two 6 mm bore pneumatic cylinders having an up and down travel of 50 mm . when in the upper position , the heating block is in contact with the reactor vessel 133 mounted on the kit 100 . when in the lower position , the heating block is clear of the reactor and other parts of the kit allowing automatic kit ejection . the synthesizer 10 was equipped with eight spring - loaded rotary valve actuators 50 , arranged in two rows of four , spaced 30 mm between centers vertically and horizontally . festo ag & amp ; co . ( esslingen , germany ) swivel module dsm - 6 - 90 - p rotary actuators , equipped with model sme - 10 - kl position sensors and model cpa - sc solenoid valves , were used for the rotary pneumatic actuator motor 51 . these can operate over a pressure of 3 . 5 – 8 bar and produce 0 . 15 nm torque at 6 bar . however , many laboratory compressors do not operate comfortably above 5 bar ( 75 psi ) so the limit was 0 . 13 nm the rotation coupling 53 was stainless , 51 mm long having an id of 5 mm and a slot 1 . 6 mm × 7 mm . the valve engagement rod 56 was stainless 43 mm long with an od of 4 mm . this material and dimensions are not critical . the spring 55 was about 25 mm long x 4 mm od . the dimensions and spacings were designed , so that the springs were compressed approximately 5 mm , to 20 mm , in length to provide a force of 30 n there is a tradeoff for the force on the rotor . a greater force on the rotor 155 provides a tighter seal against the stator 153 and better leak resistance . however , this also requires a larger torque to turn the rotor . the 30 n force was enough to prevent leaks up to 100 kpa ( 14 . 5 psi ) which is adequate for processing in the kit 100 . however , it was found that when a force of more than 45 n was used , the rotary actuators could not easily turn the stator ; they were sticky . ( actuators with more torque are available , but they could take up too much space .) commercial standalone rotary slide valves do not have this problem . the rotor and stator are generally made from hard materials , e . g ., ceramics that can be highly polished , or from low coefficient - of - friction materials such as teflon ®. however , these commercial rotary valves are expensive , not disposable , and require fittings to hold connecting tubing . the spring loaded coupling adapter housing 72 was made of brass and equipped with a standard luer fitting , upchurch scientific p / n p - 619 , made from polypropylene . the spring 73 was selected to provide about 34 n when compressed 6 . 6 mm or about 13 n when compressed the same 2 . 5 mm as the valve springs 55 . this provided an adequate seal for the luer - type fittings . a number of conventional components , not illustrated in drawings , were also included in the synthesizer 10 . to transfer liquids between reagent tubes and reactor and to achieve evaporation , it is necessary to apply vacuum to various parts of the kit . the synthesizer 10 was equipped with a compact two - head diaphragm type vacuum pump , model 85 . 3kti supplied by knf neuberger ( freiburg , germany ). this vacuum pump can supply vacuum down to 2 mbar and was connected with other system components by means of 3 mm od polypropylene tubing . the synthesizer 10 has minimal pathways and elements that come in contact with radioactive material , so that residual radiation inside the shielding after removal of the kit 100 is minimized to safe levels , allowing servicing and reloading the synthesizer for the next processing cycle . all plumbing connections within the synthesizer were made with 1 . 59 mm od and 3 mm od tubes made of peek ( an acronym for polyetheretherketone ) or polypropylene . fittings employed to connect tubes to valves inside the synthesizer and to the kit are flangeless ¼ in . dia .- 28 threads / in . flat bottom threaded fittings made of peek or polypropylene and equipped with tefzell ® ferrules . all tubes , fittings and ferrules can be obtained from upchurch scientific ( oak harbor , wash .). the synthesizer was also equipped with an array of sensors and actuators including temperature probe type rtd pt100 and pressure sensor type px177 - 050ai , supplied by omega engineering co . ( hartford , conn . ), at least one radioactivity sensor based on silicone diode backed scintillator , and other routine sensors and actuators necessary to monitor important process parameters and allow for operator control of the synthesis process . to control the flow of inert gases and vacuum as well as to provide an external waste collection container , a number of solenoid valves and a needle valve were installed inside the synthesizer 10 . these components do not come in contact with radioactive material and therefore do not require frequent replacement . the removable kit 100 was made from machined acetal plastic . ( commercial quantities would use an injection - molding process .) the vertical plate 102 was about 130 mm wide and 50 mm high . to make the rotary valves 150 , eight round cavities 151 were machined with an internal diameter of 10 mm spaced to interface with the rotary valve actuators 50 on the processor 10 . each valve 150 was comprised of a stationary stator 153 made of viton ® rubber having a shore a hardness of 65 – 75 . buna n or a silicone rubber can also be used , also preferably having a shore a hardness of 65 – 75 . the rotor 155 was made from polypropylene . each stator 153 is 3 . 2 mm ( 0 . 125 in .) thick and 10 mm dia . and fits tightly into a cavity 151 in the vertical plate 102 . each stator can be molded with two , three or four holes 154 to accommodate the desired number of connecting tubes . holes 154 are 1 mm diameter to provide a leak tight fit for 1 . 59 mm od tubes without use of any fittings . the pattern of the holes in stators 153 corresponds to slightly larger 1 . 6 mm dia . holes in the vertical plate 102 through which tubes are connected . each rotor 155 fits loosely into the cavity and is interfaced on the backside with a rotating actuator engagement 56 , which can rotate it back and forth 90 ° driven by the pneumatic swivel module type 51 . as noted above , the rotor is pressed into the stator by the force of spring 55 . the face of each rotor has one or more depressions ( groves ) 1 mm wide and 1 mm deep that can connect holes in the stator . when a rotor is turned , a different pair of holes will be connected thus changing the fluid flow path . by using different orientations or depressions in the rotor and different placements and numbers of holes in the stator , several different flow patterns can be achieved without the need to replace the main vertical plate 102 . using interchangeable rotor and stator combinations , one can achieve flexible plumbing patterns without the additional cost of modifying large components . the horizontal plates ( several were made ) 104 were about 130 mm wide and 75 mm long . horizontal plates 104 also had at least two female luer receptacles 122 to mount filtration cartridges and contained receptacles to hold at least four crimp top vials 131 in inverted position on the top side of the plate and at least two larger crimp top vials 131 and 134 on the bottom side . the horizontal plate is attached to the vertical plate 102 by means of at least four pins 106 equipped with locking teeth to allow snap - in assembly without the use of glue or fasteners . the horizontal plate , when attached to a vertical plate , provides structural strength and prevents the vertical plate from deforming under stress when attached to the synthesizer . six or more crimp - sealed vials , pre - filled with pre - measured amounts of reagents as necessary or empty , are attached to the top and bottom sides of the horizontal plate 104 . the entire kit can be assembled and preloaded with reagents prior to use so that automated processes can be accomplished without extensive preparation . empty vials , such as a reactor and a product collection container placed on the bottom side of the horizontal plate , are equipped with septa with 1 mm diameter holes through which the 1 . 59 mm od tubes are pre - inserted when the kit is assembled . the vials attached to the top side of the plate are pre - loaded with reagents and equipped with sealed septa so that reagents remain intact during storage and shipping . during processing , reagents are withdrawn from these vials by means of 22 gauge ( 0 . 9 mm od ) needles , which are connected to 1 . 59 mm tubes . the needles are pre - inserted into the guiding holes in the plate , but they do not penetrate the septa of the vial until the kit is ready to use . these needles are inserted immediately before automated processing begins . this allows use of highly sensitive reagents and greatly reduces the chances of operator error during preparation . the size and shape of reagent vials and reactors can be easily changed without modifying the carrying plate . the vial holders are designed to interface with standard crimp - top necks of vials . reagent vial receptacles are fitted to hold 11 mm and 15 mm crimp - top vials , while reactor and collection vial receptacles are equipped for 20 mm crimp top serum vials . a wide variety of vials , ranging in volume from 0 . 1 to 25 ml , can be used with the kit providing the flexibility needed to accommodate a multitude of different chemical processes . the entire kit , including all necessary reagents , filters , tubes and fittings , can be pre - assembled and pre - loaded with chemicals before it is delivered to an end user . this allows for much better quality control , reproducibility and reliability of synthesis by eliminating operator errors . this arrangement also allows for sterilization of the kit using gamma sterilization or an ethylene oxide method before use . removing and re - furbishing of the kit is also possible if needed . all plumbing within the kit is made by 1 . 59 mm od polypropylene tubing ; except for an evacuation tube for connecting vacuum to the reactor which can be made with 3 mm od , 1 . 59 id tubing . the tubes are connected to vials and valves by inserting them into pre - formed holes in rubber septa of the vials and stators of the valves . thus , use of threaded fittings is eliminated . barbed fittings are used where necessary to connect tubes to luer adapters needed to connect filters and cartridges . it is important to note that all tubes are free hanging , and may be re - routed in any direction to connect any port of any valve to any other valve or vial with no restrictions , unlike what is frequently the case with existing similar kits . all materials used in kit construction , polypropylene , viton ®, buna n and peek are carefully selected to provide the best chemical and radiation resistance . viton ® and buna n are , generically , cross - linked thermoplastic polyolefin elastomers . materials with low radiation resistance such as teflon ®, silicon rubber , polyurethane etc . should be carefully avoided . silicone rubber can be used , however , when it is essential to avoid possible contamination with fluorides which are contained in the other preferred elastomers . it is frequently necessary to conduct multi - stage synthesis . although each kit contains a sufficient number of reagent vials , reactors , and filter holding positions to conduct a typical one - stage process , such as fdg production , it will be necessary to use multiple modules for more complex processes , such as f - dopa production . as discussed , the kits 100 can be easily reconfigured for a many different processes . although limited to one reactor , a module of processor 10 with kit 100 is only 16 cm ( 6 in .) wide so that three or more modules can be placed in a typical shielded enclosure . each module can be equipped with a different kit especially designed for one stage of the multistage process . in this case , all reagents needed in the first stage to produce intermediate product # 1 are placed in kit # 1 and attached to synthesizer # 1 . after processing the first stage , the intermediate product is passed to kit # 2 via tubing connecting the two processors ( or directly between kits if more convenient ) where reagents needed for the second stage are installed . in this way , four and , possibly , five stage processes can be carried out in one enclosure using the same basic processors and , especially , single - use kits . the following example is provided for illustration only and is not limiting in the sense that many other radiotracers can be produced using the system . fig3 shows a schematic process 200 for fdg synthesis that can be obtained by configuring the kit 100 . input from a cyclotron is represented by 201 reagent vials 205 – 208 are represented on the top of the diagram and contain all reagents and solutions necessary for the synthesis . the top row of four rotating valves 211 – 214 are configured as two port valves , with top and bottom port unused and not connected . they are shown in open position in the diagram , however they will be normally closed at the beginning of the process and only open to add reagent when necessary . reactor vessel 233 is schematically represented in the center of the illustration . the smaller vessel 232 to the right is used to collect and homogenize the reaction mixture before filtration through the sterile filter 225 . qma cartridge 221 is connected between valves 215 and 216 , which are configured as three port switching valves , and purification cartridges 222 , 223 , and 224 are connected to valve 218 , which is configured as a four - port valve . stationary solenoid valves 243 and 244 mounted inside the synthesizer control nitrogen flow into the reactor . solenoid valve 242 , when opened , connects vacuum pump 251 to the reactor . pressure is monitored by the pressure sensor 252 . the synthesis of fdg is carried out according to method described by hammacher et al . synthesis of the fdg itself is not considered to be part of this invention and only a basic description of a process is included here . the usual synthesis of fdg is a two - step process consisting of two chemical reactions : a nucleophilic f - 18 fluorination followed by a hydrolysis step . the fluorination step incorporates an f - 18 label into an organic precursor , 1 , 3 , 4 , 6 - tetra - o - acetyl - 2 - o - trifluoro - methanesulfonyl - βd - mannopyranose ( mannose triflate ). the substitution reaction is accomplished by combining a phase transfer catalyst , with 18f fluoride extracted from an irradiated target material . to extract 18f fluoride , the irradiated water enriched with an o - 18 isotope and containing f - 18 fluoride is directed through qma cartridge 221 and into o - 18 collection vessel 231 by way of valves 215 and 216 . f - 18 fluoride remains trapped in qma cartridge 221 and is eluted by passing a mixture of kryptofix ® 222 with potassium carbonate through the cartridge and into reaction vessel 233 by way of valves 211 , 215 and 216 . the mixture is evaporated for 8 – 10 min . in a stream of inert gas ( n 2 or he ) via flow regulating needle valve 253 by opening valves 242 , 243 and 244 and heating the reactor 233 to 80 – 100 ° c . and then dried in vacuum by closing valve 243 for 1 – 2 min . after cooling the reactor by lowering block 42 ( see fig1 a ), a solution of the mannose triflate in acetonitrile is added to this dried mixture by way of valve 212 and incubated at 85 ° c . for 3 min . the resulting solution is heated and dried in a stream of inert gas ( n 2 or he ). the hydrolysis step , as exemplified by a base - catalyzed hydrolysis of the acetyl protecting groups , generates the free hydroxyl groups of the final drug product . a predetermined amount of solution of naoh in water is added by way of valve 214 as a hydrolyzing reagent to the dry fluorinated mannose triflate and the resulting solution is heated at 75 – 90 ° c . for 3 – 5 min . in a stream of inert gas by opening valves 243 and 242 to achieve complete removal of acetyl groups . to purify the resulting mixture and leave a solution of fdg in water , it is diluted in 5 ml of water added through valve 213 and filtered through purification cartridges 222 , 223 , and 224 and particle filter 225 by way of valve 217 , homogenization vessel 232 , and valve 218 ultimately sent through output 202 to external collection vessel 234 . teflon ® and tefzel ® are registered trademarks of e . i . du pont de nemours & amp ; co . for synthetic resinous fluorine - containing polymers . teflon ® is also known as polytetraflourethelne . viton ® is a registered trademark of dupont dow elastomers l . l . c . for synthetic rubber and rubber compositions , more specifically , it is a cross - linked thermoplastic polyolefin elastomer , as is buna n , whereas silicone rubber is high temperature vulcanizing polyorganosiloxane elastomer . kryptofix ® is a registered trademark of merck kgaa limited partnership for a phase transfer catalyst , namely , a polycyclic crown ether that forms a stable cryptate with potassium cations . kryptofix ® 222 is also known as cryptand 222 . all of these trademarks have designated the same goods for several decades and are readily available under the trademarks from many suppliers . irrespective of the survival of the marks , those skilled in the relevant arts will be able to obtain the material used in carrying out this invention for the indefinite future . while the best modes have been described with particular examples , the invention is only limited by the appended claims . in particular , it was convenient to construct prototypes from metal and plastic plates . however , the structures are not so limited as long as the defined functions can be carried out . for example , planar structures could be made from a lattice - work . many other equivalent structures will occur to those with ordinary skill in this art . the terms vertical , horizontal , up , and down are defined in the usual manner with respect to gravity . note that all documents referenced herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety .	0
in fig1 through 3 , left and right ends of a supporting ring ( i . e ., supporting frame ) 11 correspond to a front end on the side of an object to be photographed , and a rear end on the side of a film , respectively . cylindrical supporting ring 11 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a flexible printed circuit board mounting opening ( i . e ., mounting opening ) 12 which extends in the axial direction from a flange 11f provided at the rear end of the supporting ring 11 . a flexible printed circuit board ( i . e ., an fpc board ) 21 and a flexible printed circuit board mounting plate ( i . e ., a mounting plate ) 23 are fitted in the mounting opening 12 . mounting opening 12 is provided on the front end thereof with a shoulder portion ( i . e ., stepped portion ) 13 . supporting ring 11 is provided on the inner peripheral surface thereof with a pair of engaging grooves 14 on opposite sides of the shoulder portion 13 . flange 11f of the supporting ring 11 is provided with a pair of engaging projections 15 which are circumferentially spaced from one another and located on opposite sides of the mounting opening 12 . engaging projections 15 project toward the front end of the supporting ring 11 . mounting plate 23 is preferably made of an elastic or flexible insulation material having a width slightly larger than that of the fpc board 21 . since the fpc board 21 is usually made of an insulation material , it is not always necessary to make the mounting plate 23 of an electrical insulation material . the generally l - shaped mounting plate 23 is provided on the front end thereof with a holding portion 23a which can be disposed on the shoulder portion 13 , and on the rear end thereof with a bent portion 23b which is bent substantially at a right angle . mounting plate 23 is also provided with a pair of holding projections 25 on opposite sides of the holding portion 23a , so that when the latter is disposed on the shoulder portion 13 , the holding projections 25 will engage with the engaging grooves 14 to hold the opposite edges of the shoulder portion 13 between the holding portion 23a and the holding projections 25 . bent portion 23b has an ear portion 26 which has a pair of engaging holes 26a in which the corresponding engaging projections 15 are fitted . engaging projections 15 are spaced at a predetermined distance so that the fpc board 21 can be received therebetween . fpc board 21 is connected at one end thereof , for example , to an af / ae unit 43 , discussed hereinafter , and extends backward along the inner surface of the supporting ring 11 and is bent forward again with a large curvature , as indicated at 21a . fpc board 21 is wrapped around the holding portion 23a of the mounting plate 23 , as indicated at 21b , and extends rearwardly along the outer surface of the mounting plate 23 . fpc board 21 is then bent along the bent end 23b of the mounting plate 23 and extends along a predetermined path to be connected to a controller 81 within the camera body . fig7 through 9 show an embodiment of a lens shutter type of zoom lens to which the present invention is applied . the zoom lens includes three groups of lenses ( first lens group l1 , second lens group l2 , and third lens group l3 ) which are movable relative to one another . a stationary member 5 is secured to the camera body ( not shown ) and is provided with a helicoid ring 7 . a first lens holding frame 31 , which holds the first lens group l1 , is formed integrally with a first lens barrel 32 . first lens barrel 32 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a helicoid 32a which is in mesh with a helicoid 63 formed on an inner peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 . first lens barrel 32 is also provided on the inner peripheral surface thereof with a linear movement guide key ( not shown ) which extends in the axial direction and which is slidably fitted in an axially extending key way 11a formed on the supporting ring 11 . cam ring 61 is connected to the supporting ring 11 so as to rotate without moving in the axial direction . helicoid 62 , formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 , is in mesh with a helicoid 7a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the helicoid ring 7 . a linear movement guide plate 71 is secured to the supporting ring 11 by machine screws . linear movement guide plate 71 is provided with radially extending guide key projections 73 which are slidably fitted in corresponding linear movement guide key ways 5a formed on the stationary member 5 . consequently , when the cam ring 61 rotates about the optical axis x , the axial movement thereof in the optical axial direction takes place in accordance with the lead of the helicoids 62 and 7a engaged with each other . as a result , supporting ring 11 is moved together with the cam ring 61 in the optical axis direction x along the linear movement guide key ways 5a , so that the first lens barrel 32 moves in the optical axis direction x together with the cam ring 61 . at the same time , relative movement of the first lens barrel 32 to the cam ring 61 in the optical axis direction x also occurs in accordance with the lead of the helicoids 63 and 32a . a second lens holding frame 41 , which holds the second lens group l2 , is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a helicoid 41a , which is engaged with a helicoid 43a formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical af / ae unit 43 . second lens holding frame 41 has a projection 41b which projects in the radial direction and which is engaged by an af drive lever 43b projecting from the af / ae unit 43 . the latter is fitted in a cylindrical second lens moving frame 45 and moves together therewith in the optical axis direction . second lens moving frame 45 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with guide keys 45a which extend in the optical axis direction and which have guide rollers 46 ( fig7 ) mounted therein . guide keys 45a are slidably fitted in axially extending guide key ways 11b formed in the inner peripheral surface of the supporting ring 11 . accordingly , second lens moving frame 45 is moved along the guide key ways 11b . guide rollers 46 extend through the linear movement guide grooves 11c formed in the bottom of the guide key ways 11b , so that the front ends of the guide rollers 46 are fitted in a second cam groove ( not shown ) formed on the inner peripheral surface of cam ring 61 . namely , when cam ring 61 rotates , the af / ae unit 43 is moved with respect to supporting ring 11 , while being restricted by the movement of the intersection of the second cam groove and the linear movement guide grooves 11c . a third lens holding frame 51 which holds the third lens group l3 is provided on the outer peripheral surface thereof with a threaded portion 51a which is in mesh with a threaded portion 53a formed on the inner peripheral surface of a third lens moving frame 53 . third lens moving frame 53 has three guide keys 53b which are formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof and which are slidably fitted in corresponding guide key ways 11d formed on the supporting ring 11 . guide keys 53b have guide rollers 34 ( fig7 ) mounted therein , which extend through the linear movement guide grooves 11e formed in the guide key ways 11d , so that the front ends of guide rollers 34 are fitted in a third cam groove ( not shown ) formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 . a coil spring 56 is provided between the second lens moving frame 45 and the third lens moving frame 53 to continuously bias them away from one another , thereby eliminating spaces between the guide rollers 46 , 34 and the associated cam grooves . as mentioned above , the fpc board 21 , connected to the af / ae unit 43 , extends backwards along the inner peripheral surface of the supporting ring 11 and is bent forward again with a large curvature at the bent portion 21a . the fpc board 21 is then bent rearwardly at 21b and extends along the upper surface of the mounting plate 23 . the fpc board 21 is then bent around the bent end 23b of the mounting plate 23 to enter the supporting ring 11 and is bent around the linear movement guide plate 71 . the fpc board 21 is secured to the opening 12 of the supporting ring 11 . after being bent around the linear movement guide plate 71 , the fpc board 21 extends through the fpc board holding groove 75 of the linear movement guide plate 71 and extends behind the cam ring 61 towards the stationary member 5 . the fpc board 21 is then bent backward at the bent portion 21c to extend forward along the inner surface of the stationary member 5 and enters the camera body through a gap defined between the stationary member 5 and the helicoid ring 7 , where it is connected to the controller 81 . the zoom lens operates as follows in accordance with the rotation of cam ring 61 . cam ring 61 is rotated by a zoom motor ( not shown ) through the gear train and the gear ( not shown ) provided on the outer peripheral surface of the cam ring 61 to transmit the rotation of the zoom motor . consequently , cam ring 61 is moved in the optical axis direction in accordance with the lead of the helicoids 43 and 7a , while being rotated about the optical axis , as mentioned before . as a result , supporting ring 11 is moved together with cam ring 61 in the optical axis direction along the linear movement guide key ways 5a , so that second lens moving frame 45 and , accordingly , the af / ae unit 43 , are axially moved together with the cam ring 61 . during this movement , the movement of the af / ae unit 43 , relative to cam ring 61 , is caused by the restriction of the second cam groove . it should be appreciated that during the relative movement of the af / ae unit 43 , with respect to the supporting ring 11 , the fpc board 21 elastically deforms at the bent portion 21a thereof in accordance with the movement of the af / ae unit 43 . when the supporting ring 11 is moved in the optical axis direction relative to the stationary member 5 , the displacement of bent portion 21c of the fpc board 21 takes place , so that the fpc board 21 permits movement of the supporting ring 11 in the optical axis direction . the attachment of the mounting plate 23 will be discussed below with reference to fig4 through 6 . first , the fpc board 21 is bent at bent portion 21b to hold the holding portion 23a of mounting plate 23 between the bent portion and the remaining portion of the fpc board 21 . in this state , the af / ae unit 43 , etc ., are mounted to the supporting ring 11 , and the fpc board 21 and the mounting plate 23 are inserted in the supporting ring 11 . thereafter , the holding portion 23a is protruded outward through the opening 12 and pushed forward ( in the direction a ), so that the holding portion 23a is located on the shoulder portion 13 , as shown in fig4 . thereafter , when the bent portion 23b or the portion in the vicinity thereof is pressed upward in the direction b thereby causing a protrusion of the associated portion of the fpc board 21 from the opening 12 , the engaging projections 25 are engaged in the corresponding engaging grooves to prevent the holding portion 23a from being detached from the shoulder portion 13 . accordingly , the mounting plate 23 is entirely and elastically deformed or deflected upwardly . consequently , the mounting plate 23 is positioned in the opening 12 , while bringing the bent portion 23b into sliding contact with the engaging projections 15 ( see fig5 ). as soon as the engaging projections 15 are registered with the engaging holes 26a , the engaging projections 15 are fitted in the engaging holes 26a , so that the mounting plate 23 is returned to the free state ( i . e ., flat plate state ) thereof by the elastic restoring force . namely , the holding portion 23a of the mounting plate 23 and the holding projections 25 hold the shoulder portion 13 of the supporting ring 11 , and the engaging projections 15 are engaged in the engaging holes 26a . consequently , the fpc board 21 , which is bent at the holding portion 23a , and the shoulder portion 13 , can be secured to the supporting ring 11 , as shown in fig6 . as can be seen from the above discussion , according to the present invention , the intermediate portion of the fpc board 21 can be easily mounted to the supporting ring 11 by fitting the mounting plate 23 in the opening 12 . furthermore , since the mounting plate 23 is firmly held , not only by the engagement , at the front end 23a , of the holding projections 25 and the shoulder portion 13 , but also by the engagement of the engaging projections 15 and the corresponding engaging holes 26a , the fpc board will not be accidentally detached from the supporting ring 11 as a result of aging , etc . the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment discussed above . in summary , the present invention is generically addressed to a basic concept in which a stationary portion to which a flexible board or sheet is to be mounted is provided with holes , grooves , or openings , etc ., so that the flexible board or sheet can be mounted to the stationary portion , using a mounting plate which can be engaged in the holes , grooves , or openings etc . as can be understood from the foregoing , according to the present invention , the mounting operation of a flexible printed circuit board ( particularly the intermediate portion thereof ) which connects an electrical member , which moves in accordance with the zooming or focusing operation , to a controller , provided in a camera body , is simplified by mounting the circuit board to a supporting ring through a mounting member . furthermore , the flexible printed circuit board can even be effectively secured to a stationary portion in which a securing means , such as screws or adhesive etc ., is not used .	6
we have found that unexpectedly , the cultivation of a microorganism very different from that employed by endo , a microfungus of the genus aspergillus , produces new substances that are also very potent inhibitors of the biosynthesis of cholesterol in mammals . we have further found that these substances comprise principally the new compounds i and ii , of the above structures , accompanied by only traces of other compounds . these new compounds are much more potent inhibitors of cholesterol synthesis in vivo than is the compound , ml236b described by endo . the pharmaceutically acceptable salts of this invention include those formed from cations such as sodium , potassium , aluminum , calcium , lithium , magnesium , zinc , ammonia , ethylenediamine , n - methylglucamine , lysine , arginine , ornithine , choline , n , n &# 39 ;- dibenzylethylenediamine , chloroprocaine , diethanolamine , procaine , n - benzylphenethylamine , 1 - p - chlorobenzyl - 2 - pyrrolidine - 1 &# 39 ;- yl - methylbenzimidazole , diethylamine , piperazine , tris ( hydroxymethyl ) aminomethane , and tetramethylammonium . the compounds of this invention are highly useful as antihypercholesteremic agents for the treatment of atherosclerosis , hyperlipemia and like diseases in humans . they may be administered orally or parenterally in the form of a capsule , a tablet , an injectable preparation or the like . it is usually desirable to use the oral route . doses may be varied , depending on the age , severity , body weight and other conditions of human patients but daily dosage for adults is within a range of from about 2 mg . to 2000 mg . ( preferably 2 to 100 mg ) which may be given in two to four divided doses . higher doses may be favorably employed as required . the compounds of this invention also have useful antifungal activities . for example , they may be used to control strains of penicillium sp ., aspergillus niger , cladosporium sp ., cochliobolus miyabeanus and helminthosporium cynodnotis . for those utilities they are admixed with suitable formulating agents , powders , emulsifying agents or solvents such as aqueous ethanol and sprayed or dusted on the plants to be protected . in another aspect of this invention , it relates to a process for producing the compounds of this invention which comprises cultivating a microorganism belonging to the genus aspergillus and then recovering said compounds of this invention from the cultured broth . based upon taxonomic studies , this aspergillus , isolated and identified as a hitherto undescribed microorganism , has been designated mf - 4833 in the culture collection of merck and co ., inc ., rahway , n . j . and a culture thereof has been placed on permanent deposit with the american type culture collection , 12301 parklawn drive , rockville , md . 20852 , and has been assigned accession number atcc 20541 . another sample , of a similar organism , designated mf - 4845 in the merck culture collection , has likewise been placed on deposit and has been given the accession number atcc 20542 . the latter organism is the one giving the better yield . although the use of these is described in connection with the process of this invention , other organisms of the genus aspergillus including mutants of the above ones are also capable of producing these novel compounds and their use is contemplated in carrying out the process of this invention . the morphological characteristics of the microorganisms mf - 4833 and mf - 4845 have been found to be those of the genus aspergillus . using the criteria specified in the standard authority &# 34 ; manual of the aspergilli &# 34 ;, charles thom and kenneth b . rasper , published by the williams and wilkins company , baltimore , md ., 1945 , and by comparison with known species , it has been determined that both strains are aspergillus terreus . the culture of these organisms to produce the novel compounds is carried out in aqueous media such as those employed for the production of other fermentation products . such media contain sources of carbon , nitrogen and inorganic salts assimilable by the microorganism . in general , carbohydrates such as sugars , for example , glucose , fructose , maltose , sucrose , xylose , mannitol and the like and starches such as grains , for example , oats , ryes , cornstarch , corn meal and the like can be used either alone or in combination as sources of assimilable carbon in the nutrient medium . the exact quantity of the carbohydrate source or sources utilized in the medium depend in part upon the other ingredients of the medium but , in general , the amount of carbohydrate usually varies between about 1 % and 6 % by weight of the medium . these carbon sources can be used individually , or several such carbon sources may be combined in the medium . in general , many proteinaceous materials may be used as nitrogen sources in the fermentation process . suitable nitrogen sources include for example , yeast hydrolysates , primary yeast , soybean meal , cottonseed flour , hydrolysates of casein , corn steep liquor , distiller &# 39 ; s solubles or tomato paste and the like . the sources of nitrogen either alone or in combination , are used in amounts ranging from about 0 . 2 % to 6 % by weight of the aqueous medium . among the nutrient inorganic salts which can be incorporated in the culture media are the customary salts capable of yielding sodium , potassium , ammonium , calcium , phosphate , sulfate , chloride , carbonate , and like ions . also included are trace metals such as cobalt , manganese , iron and magnesium . it should be noted that the media described in the examples are merely illustrative of the wide variety of media which may be employed , and are not intended to be limitative . specifically , the carbon sources used in the culture media to produce the novel compounds of this invention included dextrose , dextrin , oat flour , oatmeal , molasses , citrate , soybean , oil , glycerol , malt extract , cod liver oil , starch , ethanol , figs , sodium ascorbate and lard oil . included as nitrogen sources were peptonized milk , autolyzed yeast , yeast rna , tomato paste , casein , primary yeast , peanut meal , distillers solubles , corn steep liquor , soybean meal , corn meal , nz amine , beef extract , asparagine , cottonseed meal and ammonium sulfate . the major ionic components were caco 3 , kh 2 po 4 , mgso 4 . 7h 2 o and nacl and small amounts of cocl 2 . 6h 2 o and traces of fe , mn , mo , b and cu were also present . the fermentation is carried out at temperatures ranging from about 20 ° to 37 ° c . ; however , for optimum results it is preferable to conduct the fermentation at temperatures of from about 22 ° to 30 ° c . the ph of the nutrient media suitable for growing the aspergillus culture and producing the novel compounds can vary from about 6 . 0 to 8 . 0 . although the novel compounds are produced by both surface and submerged culture , it is preferred to carry out the fermentation in the submerged state . a small scale fermentation is conveniently carried out by inoculating a suitable nutrient medium with the aspergillus culture and , after transfer to a production medium , permitting the fermentation to proceed at a constant temperature of about 28 ° c . on a shaker for several days . the fermentation is initiated in a sterilized flask of medium via one or more stages of seed development . the nutrient medium for the seed stage may be any suitable combination of carbon and nitrogen sources . the seed flask is shaken in a constant temperature chamber at about 28 ° c . for 2 days , or until growth is satisfactory , and some of the resulting growth is used to inoculate either a second stage seed or the production medium . intermediate stage seed flasks , when used , are developed in essentially the same manner , that is , part of the contents of the flask from the last seed stage are used to inoculate the production medium . the inoculated flasks are shaken at a constant temperature for several days , and at the end of the incubation period the contents of the flasks are centrifuged or filtered . for large scale work , it is preferable to conduct the fermentation in suitable tanks provided with an agitator and a means of aerating the fermentation medium . according to this method , the nutrient medium is made up in the tank and sterilized by heating at temperatures of up to about 120 ° c . upon cooling , the sterilized medium is inoculated with a previously grown seed of the producing culture , and the fermentation is permitted to proceed for a period of time as , for example , from 3 to 5 days while agitating and / or aerating the nutrient medium and maintaining the temperature at about 28 ° c . this method of producing the novel compounds is particularly suited for the preparation of large quantities . the compounds are conveniently isolated from the fermentation broth as the lactone ( i ), or as salts of compound ii . compound i can be hydrolyzed with bases such as naoh to yield the salts such as the sodium salt of compound ii . the use of bases with other pharmaceutically acceptable cations affords salts of these cations . careful acidification of the salts affords the hydroxy acid ii . the hydroxy acid ii can be converted to compound i at acidic ph . treating compound i under acidic or basic catalysis with methanol , ethanol , propanol , or butanol or with phenyl , dimethylamino , or acetylamino alkanols yields the corresponding esters of compound ii which also form a part of this invention . compound ii can be conveniently isolated without need of chromatography , in the form of the ammonium salt . the process comprises acidifying whole broth , preferably with phosphoric acid and preferably to about ph 5 ; extracting the acidified broth with a water - immiscible , inert , organic solvent , preferably ethyl acetate ; extracting the organic solvent extract with aqueous alkali , such as 0 . 1 to 0 . 5 n sodium hydroxide ; reacidification to ph 5 with phorphoric acid ; extracting the acidified aqueous extract with a water - immiscible , inert , organic solvent preferably a mixture of n - hexane / ethyl acetate and preferably about a 2 : 1 ( v / v ) mixture ; drying the extract ; and bubbling in gaseous ammonia causing precipitation of the ammonium salt . this isolation is convenient and is much more adapted to commercial use than is chromatography . furthermore , salts of ii are much more active than compound i in vitro in the inhibition of cholesterol biosynthesis and as antifungal agents . therefore , these salts are one of the especially preferred dosage forms . preferred salts , in addition to ammonium , include tetramethylammonium , and salts of ethylenediamine , sodium , potassium , calcium , n - methylglucamine , lysine , arginine and ornithine . the physico - chemical properties of compound i ( msd - 803 ) are summarized as follows : ______________________________________1 . melting point 170 - 171 ° 2 . molecular weight 404 ( mass spectrum ) 3 . formula c . sub . 24 h . sub . 36 o . sub . 5 ( found by mass spec - 404 . 2555 trometry calculated ) 404 . 25634 . uv spectrum ( in acetonitrile ): maxima 230 . 5 nm with e % 505 . 7 237 . 5 nm with e % 576 . 6 246 nm with e % 395 . 2______________________________________ the spectrum has been recorded in cdcl 3 solution ( 20 . 1 mg in 0 . 35 ml ). chemical shifts are given relative to internal tetramethylsilane at zero ppm ; under the experimental conditions the solvent ( cdcl 3 ) signal appears centered at 70 . 0 ppm . in agreement with mass spectral data 24 carbon atoms are observed ; their chemical shifts are : 11 . 5 , 13 . 6 , 16 . 0 , 22 . 6 , 24 . 1 , 26 . 6 , 27 . 2 , 30 . 5 , 32 . 5 , 32 . 8 , 35 . 9 , 36 . 4 , 37 . 1 , 38 . 4 , 41 . 3 , 62 . 4 , 67 . 8 , 76 . 4 , 128 . 4 , 129 . 7 , 131 . 7 , 133 . 2 , 170 . 8 and 177 . 2 ppm . the spectrum was recorded in cdcl 3 solution and chemical shifts are shown in fig1 in ppm relative to internal tetramethylsilane at zero ppm . the infra red spectrum was recorded in a kbr pellet preparation of a sample . it is shown in fig2 . the specific optical rotation [ α ] d 25 = 320 . 7 ° has been determined on a solution of 5 . 30 mg / ml ch 3 cn . this value has been obtained by measuring at the sodium - d - line wave length . on the basis of these and other data , the structure of the product is believed , with a considerable degree of certainty , to have the stereo chemical structure : ## str3 ## the corresponding hydroxy acid compound ii , has the structure : ## str4 ## the absolute configuration of the centers of assymetry in these molecules has been determined from x - ray diffraction patterns . a tube of lyophilized culture mf - 4833 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing approximately 20 ml of medium a . medium a has the following composition : ______________________________________medium a______________________________________corn steep liquor 10 gtomato paste 80 goatmeal 20 gglucose 20 gtrace element mix no . 2 20 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 8 with naohtrace element mix no . 2feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgmnso . sub . 4 . 4h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgcucl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 25 mgcacl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 100 mgh . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 56 mg ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 6 mo . sub . 7 o . sub . 24 . 4h . sub . 2 o 19 mgznso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 200 mgdistilled deionized water 1000 ml______________________________________ the inoculated flask is incubated for 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). two unbaffled 2 liter erlenmeyer flasks each containing 500 ml of medium b are then each inoculated with 10 ml per flask of the growth from the seed flask . medium b has the following composition : ______________________________________medium b______________________________________tomato paste 20 gprimary yeast 10 gcpc starch 20 gcocl . sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o 5 mgdistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 2 - 7 . 4 with naoh______________________________________ these two inoculated flasks are incubated for 96 hours at 28 °. one flask is incubated without agitation . the other flask is incubated on a 150 rpm shaker ( 2 &# 34 ; throw ). after 96 hours , the contents of each flask is set aside for isolation of the product . the whole broth is centrifuged for 20 - 30 min . solids are saved for extraction . the supernatant liquid ( ph 6 - 8 ) is charged to a 950 ml bottle and 150 ml xad - 2 resin is added . using an automatic extractor , operating on a preset schedule , the mixture is stirred for 2 hours . the spent broth is then siphoned off and discarded . the resin is washed twice with 200 ml of deionized water and the washes were discarded . there then is added a charge of 300 ml of mixed solvent : isopropanol - ethyl acetate - dichloromethane 25 - 45 - 30 . the mixture is stirred two hours . the solvent - resin slurry is filtered on a buchner or sintered glass funnel and the resin is discarded . the broth solids are stirred with 100 ml acetone for 1 / 2 hour . the mixture is then centrifuged and the supernatant liquor is decanted . the combined filtrate and decantate are concentrated to 15 ml . the filtrates were tested as inhibitors of hmg - coa reductase enzyme by the method described by beg , stonik , and brewer ( 1977 febs letters 80 123 to 129 ) using enzymes prepared as described by kleinsek , rangatham and porter ( 1977 proc . nat . acad . sci . 74 1431 to 1435 ). the positive test ( over 90 % inhibition at 20 micrograms per milliliter -- an ic 50 of 2 . 3 micrograms per milliliter indicated the presence of a very potent inhibitor of sterol synthesis acting at the hmg - coa reductase level . a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus sp . mf - 4833 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask no . 1 ) containing 40 ml of medium c . medium c has the following compositions : ______________________________________medium c______________________________________corn steep liquor 5 gtomato paste 40 goatmeal 10 gglucose 10 gtrace elementmix no . 2 10 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 8 with naoh______________________________________ this inoculated flask is incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ) for 24 hours . eight more unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flasks ( no . 2 seed flask ) each containing 40 ml of medium c are then each inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from seed flask no . 1 . these eight no . 2 seed flasks are incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). twenty , two liter unbaffled erlenmeyer flasks , containing 500 ml of medium b are then each inoculated with 14 ml per flask of the combined growth of the eight no . 2 seed flasks . these twenty flasks are incubated at 28 °, without agitation for 11 days . after 11 days incubation , the contents of these twenty flasks are pooled . 10 . 2 liters of whole broth , ph 6 . 0 was blended in a waring blender to break up the heavy mycelial pads , centrifuged and the clear supernatant decanted . after filtration the 10 liters of filtrate was extracted with 3 liters of ethyl acetate , yielding 1820 ml of clear extract . a second extraction with 3 liters of ethyl acetate yielded 3350 ml of clear extract . the broth solids were extracted by stirring one hour with 2 liters of methanol and filtering to yield 2100 ml of filtrate . aliquots of these extracts were dried and sent for assay by the procedure of example 1 ( c ), with the following results : ______________________________________extractvolume ( ml ) total solids ( mg ) total units of activity______________________________________1820 1133 1 , 496 , 6953350 787 314 , 9002100 13 . 15 1 , 144 , 067______________________________________ the total solids obtained from the first two extracts in example 2 ( b ) were combined , dissolved in methanol and filtered to remove insoluble solids . the 30 ml of filtrate was loaded onto a gel filtration column ( 2 . 5 cm × 200 cm , 980 ml ) packed with sephadex lh - 20 and the sample fractionated according to molecular size using methanol as solvent . with refractive index and u . v . recordings as guides , the best fractions were identified by bioassay . ______________________________________total solids ( mg ) total units of activity______________________________________fraction 1 - 89 106 , 271fraction 2 - 278 1 , 099 , 680fraction 3 - 779 210 , 357______________________________________ a sample from fraction 2 above was prefiltered through a 1 - gram bed of waters bondapak c18 / porasil b and eluted with five volumes of methanol . the methanol eluate was concentrated to 0 . 5 ml . this sample was chromatographed , over several runs , on a waters μc18 column ( 3 . 9 mm × 30 cm ) with methanol : 0 . 05 m ammonium phosphate , ph 2 . 9 ( 75 : 25 ), as the developing solvent . fractions were scanned on a beckman spectrophotometer , and those showing absorption maxima at 236 nm , with shoulders at 229 nm and 245 nm were combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to an aqueous solution . the ph of the concentrate was adjusted to 6 . 5 with 2 m potassium hydroxide and the active components were extracted with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was dried , concentrated to dryness , and the residue was dissolved in 0 . 3 ml methanol . the methanol solution was chromatographed as above and recycled . cuts containing earlier eluting component were combined , concentrated to an aqueous solution and extracted with chloroform . the chloroform residue was taken up in methanol and the solvent evaporated under nitrogen . 3 . 5 mg . of dried product was obtained and identified as hydroxy acid ( compound ii ). cuts containing the second component were combined and extracted with chloroform as above . 0 . 87 mg of dried product was obtained and identified as lactone , ( compound i ). best mode of fermentation of mf - 4833 to produce compounds i and ii a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus sp . mf - 4833 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). two , 250 ml unbaffled erlenmeyer flasks each containing 40 ml of medium d are then each inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from the seed flask . medium d has the following composition : ______________________________________medium d______________________________________lactose 20 gdistillers solubles 15 gautolyzed yeast 5 gdistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 0 with naoh______________________________________ these two inoculated flasks are incubated for 96 hours at 28 ° on a 150 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). after 96 hours incubation the contents of these two flasks is submitted for extraction by the procedure described in example 2 ( b ). total production in these flasks is 1450 - 2000 units / ml . a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus , mf 4845 , is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask no . 1 ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 24 - 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). a portion ( approx . 0 . 5 ml ) of this flask is then used to inoculate a slant tube containing medium e . medium e . has the following composition : ______________________________________medium e______________________________________yeast extract 4 gmalt extract 10 gdextrose 4 gagar 20 gdistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 0 with naoh______________________________________ the inoculated slant tube is incubated for 11 days at room temperature . it is then stored at - 60 ° c . for 3 - 4 months . a portion of the contents of this slant is then suspended in an unbaffled , 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( no . 2 seed flask ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). six unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flasks ( no . 3 seed flasks ) containing 40 ml of medium c are then each inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from the no . 2 seed flask . these six inoculated flasks are incubated for 48 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). six unbaffled two liter erlenmeyer flasks containing 500 ml of medium f are each then inoculated with the contents of no . 3 seed flask . medium f has the following composition : ______________________________________medium f______________________________________corn steep liquor 15 gcpc starch 20 gcorn meal 1 gsoybean meal 4 gglucose 5 gsoybean oil 2 . 5 g ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 so . sub . 4 4 gkh . sub . 2 po . sub . 4 0 . 3 gcaco . sub . 3 6 gdistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 7 with naoh______________________________________ the inoculated flasks are incubated for 11 days without agitation at 28 ° c . after 11 days broth is delivered for extraction by the procedure of example 2 ( b ). total production in these flasks is 1231 units / ml . best mode of fermentation with mf - 4845 to produce compounds i and ii a tube of lyophilized culture of an aspergillus , mf - 4845 , is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing 40 ml of medium c . the inoculated flask is incubated for 30 hours at 28 ° on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). an unbaffled , 250 ml erlenmeyer flask containing 40 ml of medium g is inoculated with 2 ml per flask of the growth from the seed flask . medium g has the following composition : ______________________________________medium g______________________________________dextrose 45 gpeptonized milk 24 gautolyzed yeast 2 . 5 gpolyglycol p2000 2 . 5 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 7 . 0 with naoh______________________________________ this inoculated flask is incubated for 120 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). after 120 hours incubation , the contents of the flask is submitted for extraction by the procedure of example 2 ( b ). total production in this flask is 21 , 500 units / ml . a . large scale fermentation with mf - 4833 to produce compounds i and ii ______________________________________corn steep liquor 5 gtomato paste 40 goat flour 10 gglucose 10 gtrace element solution 10 mldistilled water 1000 mladjusted to ph 6 . 8 with sodium hydroxide . ______________________________________ ______________________________________feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 1 gmnso . sub . 4 . 4h . sub . 2 o 1 gcucl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 25 mgcacl . sub . 2 100 mgh . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 56 mg ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 6 mo . sub . 7 o . sub . 24 . 4h . sub . 2 o 19 mgzn so . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 200 mgdistilled water 1 liter______________________________________ all media were checked for sterility before innoculation with a microorganism . to a 250 ml non - baffled erlenmeyer flask was charged 40 ml of medium and the contents of one tube of lyophillized organism mf 4833 . it was then shaken for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a rotary shaker at 220 rpm . new flasks were then charged with 40 ml of medium and 1 ml of the first flask &# 39 ; s contents and were shaken an additional 24 hours at 28 ° c . a 2 liter flask was then charged with 400 ml of medium and 10 ml of the second stage fermentation mixture and this too was shaken for 24 hours at 28 ° c . a 200 gallon stainless steel fermentation vat was then charged with 501 liters of a medium comprising : ______________________________________lactose 2 % wt / voldistiller solubles 1 . 5 % wt / volautolyzed yeast 0 . 5 % wt / volpolyglycol p2000 0 . 25 % wt / vol______________________________________ whose ph was adjusted to 7 . 0 . this was sterilized 15 minutes at 121 ° c . one liter of the third stage above was then charged and the mixture was incubated at 130 rpm at 28 ° c . for 96 hours with an air flow of 10 cfm . about 37 . 5 lbs . ( 3 / 4 bag ) of a silicaceous filter aid was added to 110 gal . whole broth from the culture of mf - 4833 described above and the mixture was filtered through an 18 - inch filter press . the clarified filtrate , ( ph 6 . 6 ) was adjusted to ph 4 . 0 by careful addition of 450 ml of concentrated hydrochloric acid , and extracted by agitation with about one - third volume ( 36 gal .) of ethyl acetate . after separation , the upper solvent layer was removed , and the water phase again extracted with ethyl acetate ( 38 gal .) in a similar fashion . after separation , the two extracts were combined and back - washed by agitation with about twelve gallons of water . after separation , the ethyl acetate solution was concentrated under vacuum at a temperature below 30 ° c ., first in a stirred kettle , and finally in a rotary vacuum evaporator to a residual volume of slightly less than one gallon . approximately 1 gal . ( 3800 ml ) of ethyl acetate concentrate from the preceding extraction was further concentrated in a rotary evaporator ( ca 10 mm , 40 ° c . bath ) to a syrup and was then concentrated twice more , after addition of about one liter of methylene chloride in two portions , to free the syrup of polar solvent . the final oil of about 300 ml which contained about 250 g of solids by dry weight determination , was made up to about 750 ml with ethyl acetate methylene chloride ( 30 / 70 ; v / v ) and 200 g of silica gel was added and mixed in to form a slurry . this was layered over the top of a 14 cm by 36 cm column bed holding 2 . 5 kg of the same silica gel , in about 7 . 5 l volume , which had been packed as a slurry in the same solvent mixture . development with the same solvent was continued until 3 liters of effluent was taken off as forerun . development with ethyl acetate - methylene chloride ( 50 / 50 ; v / v ) was begun , taking 800 ml effluent fractions . twelve fractions were taken , then 100 % ethyl acetate elution was begun , and after seven more fractions , 100 % acetone elution was begun . fractions four through twenty - four were assayed for bio - activity in the hmg - coa reductase inhibition assay referred to in example 1 . substantial activity was found in fractions 7 through 11 . peak activity was found in fraction 8 . it was concentrated to an oil for further purification ; dry wt . by solids determination was 9 . 0 gm . fraction 8 from the silica gel column was triturated with 50 ml methylene chloride and filtered ; the dried filter cake weighed 4 . 9 gm . the filtrate was charged to a 2 - inch i . d . by 1 - meter long column filled with sephadex lh - 20 dextran gel ( pharmacia ) swollen and equilibrated in methylene chloride , and the column was eluted with methylene chloride at a rate of 15 ml / min . compound i was eluted between 0 . 64 and 0 . 81 column volumes . solvent was removed from this peak leaving a slightly brown residue weighing approximately 0 . 290 gm . this residue ( 213 mg ) was taken up in 1 . 5 ml of ch 2 cl 2 -- ch 3 cn ( 65 - 35 ), charged to a prepacked and equilibrated silica gel column ( em lobar size b ) and eluted with ch 2 cl 2 -- ch 3 cn ( 65 - 35 ) at 5 ml / min . evaporation of solvent from the peak eluting between 235 and 360 ml of eluant left 121 mg of crystalline product , m . p . 155 °- 160 ° c . hplc of this material on a em rp 18 reverse - phase analytical column ( e . merck hibar ii , cat . no . 906046 ) using 0 . 05 m sodium phosphate ph 3 . 0 - acetonitrile 45 - 55 as eluant at 2 ml / min . showed a characteristic uv absorbing peak at 11 min . eighty - two mg of this material was recrystallized from 0 . 6 ml of absolute ethanol , then again from 0 . 4 ml of the same solvent to afford , after drying over - night in a desiccator over p 2 o 5 , 40 mg of white feathery crystals . analytical hplc on the system described above gave a single sharp peak at 11 minutes elution time . after further recrystallizations , a melting point of 170 °- 171 ° c . was obtained . the product was identified by spectra , etc ., as compound i . this material , in the in vitro hmg - coa reductase test ( of example 1 ) gave an ic 50 of 0 . 01 micrograms per milliliter . a tube of lyophilized culture mf - 4845 is opened aseptically and the contents suspended in an unbaffled 250 ml erlenmeyer flask ( seed flask ) containing approximately 10 ml of the medium which has the following composition : ______________________________________medium______________________________________corn steep liquor 5 gtomato paste 40 goatmeal 10 gglucose 10 gtrace element solution 10 mldistilled water 1000 mlph 6 . 8 with naohtrace element solution : feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgmnso . sub . 4 . 4h . sub . 2 o 1000 mgcucl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 25 mgcacl . sub . 2 . 2h . sub . 2 o 100 mgh . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 56 mg ( nh . sub . 4 ). sub . 6 mo . sub . 7 o . sub . 24 . 4h . sub . 2 o 19 mgznso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 200 mgdistilled deionized water 1000 mg______________________________________ the inoculated flask is incubated for 24 hours at 28 ° c . on a 220 rpm shaker ( 2 inch throw ). an unbaffled 2 liter erlenmeyer flask containing 500 ml of the medium and then inoculated with 10 ml of the first stage fermentation growth from the seed mixture . this too was shaken 24 hours at 28 ° c . a 200 gallon stainless steel fermentation vat was then charged with 485 liters of a medium comprising : ______________________________________cerelose 4 . 5 % wt / volpeptonized milk 2 . 5 % wt / volautolyzed yeast 0 . 25 % wt / volpolyglycol p2000 0 . 25 % vol / vol______________________________________ whose ph was adjusted to 7 . 0 . this was sterilized 15 minutes at 121 ° c . one liter of the second stage above was then charged and the mixture was incubated at 85 rpm for 12 hours then 130 rpm for 84 hours at 28 ° c . with an air flow of 5 cfm for 12 hours then 10 cfm for 84 hours . the broth from the fermentation as in example 7a ( 100 gal ) is acidified with h 3 po 4 to ph of 5 . ethyl acetate ( 70 gal ) is added and the mixture is stirred vigorously . it is then filtered from the mycelia residue and the cake is washed with a small amount of ethyl acetate which is combined with the main extract . the organic phase is separated and mixed with 5 gallons of 0 . 2 n sodium hydroxide solution . the mixture is stirred vigorously and then allowed to settle . the aqueous layer is separated and the ph is adjusted from 9 to 5 by addition of h 3 po 4 . it is then extracted , first with 2 gallons of hexane - ethyl acetate 2 : 1 mixture and then with one gallon of the same mixture . the separate organic extracts are combined and dried over anhydrous mgso 4 . the drying agent is then separated by filtration and the cake washed with one liter of the same hexane - ethyl acetate solution , the rinse being combined with the filtrate . this filtrate solution , after further dilution with 2 l of acetone , is stirred while ammonia gas is passed in . the gas is absorbed and a crystalline precipitate appears . when ammonia is no longer absorbed , and a darkening in color is observed in the precipitate , the introduction of ammonia is terminated and the mixture is allowed to stand several hours after which it is filtered . the crude ammonium salt filter cake is washed with acetone to a colorless wash and is then air dried ( 128 g ). the crude ammonium salt can be recrystallized by dissolving it in a mixture of chloroform , methanol and concentrated aqueous ammonium hydroxide ( 80 : 20 : 2 ) and filtering the colored insoluble material ( about 10 % of the crude ). the filtrate solution is then diluted with an equal volume of ether . the crystalline , tan colored ammonium salt is obtained by filtration . alternatively , the 128 g of crude ammonium salt are suspended in 2 liters toluene and heated to reflux under a water separator while a slow stream of nitrogen is passed through the solution . after about 21 / 2 hours no more water is separated and the effluent gas contains no more ammonia . the hot solution of the lactone is filtered from about 10 g of undissolved , dark material with the help of 13 g of activated charcoal and some super - cel . the filtrate is allowed to cool and kept at - 20 ° c . overnight . the crystalline product is filtered , washed with cold toluene and low boiling petrolether and air dried ( 76 . 6 g ). from the combined and concentrated mother liquor and washing solutions a second batch of 17 . 4 g is obtained . the product from this and a second similar batch ( total 164 . 4 g ) is recrystallized from ethanol yielding 143 . 4 g of ≧ 99 % pure compound in several batches . 71 . 5 g of recrystallized lactone is suspended in 200 ml of 1 n naoh and 200 ml ch 3 oh and stirred until all material is dissolved . the solution is filtered , the methanol evaporated under reduced pressure at 30 ° c . and 200 ml ethylacetate and 200 ml 2 m h 3 po 4 added . the aqueous phase is saturated with nacl and separated . the organic phase is dried over mgso 4 and filtered and diluted to about 1 liter with ethylacetate and some ether ( filter washes ). one liter of a mixture of chloroform , methanol and concentrated ammonium hydroxide ( 80 : 20 : 2 ), followed by 1 liter of acetone are then added with stirring . the precipitated product is filtered and washed with acetone and low boiling petrolether and air dried ( 75 . 0 g ). a second batch of 2 . 5 g is obtained from the combined mother liquor and washing solution . the final purification is achieved by dissolving 75 g of this ammonium salt in 2 liters of hot isopropanol containing 5 % concentrated aqueous ammonium hydroxide . the hot solution is rapidly filtered into a preheated flask and allowed to cool to room temperature after the excess of ammonia , which had been lost in the vacuum filtration , is replenished by some nh 3 gas . crystallization is completed by further cooling , first to 0 ° c . and overnight to - 20 ° c . the product is filtered and washed with isopropanol and acetone at - 20 ° c . and with low boiling petrolether and air dried under exclusion of moisture ( 65 . 2 g ; ≧ 99 . 5 % pure ). to a solution of 40 mg of the product of example 6 in 2 ml of ethanol is added 1 ml of aqueous naoh ( 10 - 4 moles ; 1 equivalent ). after one hour at room temperature , the mixture is taken to dryness in vacuo to yield the sodium salt of compound ii . in like manner the potassium salt is prepared using one equivalent of potassium hydroxide . a solution of 146 mg of l - lysine in 1 . 5 ml of 65 % ethanol is added to a solution of 440 mg of the ammonium salt of compound ii in 11 . 5 ml of 85 % ethanol . the solvents are distilled off in vacuo . the residue is triturated with 10 ml of warm ethanol , cooled , and filtered , and the white solid is dried to obtain 430 mg of the l - lysine salt of compound ii , m . p . 178 °- 180 ° ( d ). anal . calcd . for c 30 h 52 n 2 o 8 : c , 63 . 35 ; h , 9 . 22 , n , 4 . 93 ; found : c , 62 . 80 ; h , 9 . 13 ; n , 4 . 83 . in the manner substantially as described in example 9 , a solution of 174 mg of l - arginine base and a solution of 440 mg of the ammonium salt of compound ii are combined . the solvent is evaporated in vacuo , and the residue is triturated with warm ethanol , cooled , filtered , and dried to give the l - arginine salt of compound ii . in the manner substantially as described in example 9 , a solution of 132 mg of l - ornithine free base and a solution of 440 mg of ammonium salt of compound ii are combined . the solvent is evaporated in vacuo and the residue is triturated with warm ethanol , cooled , filtered , and dried to give the l - ornithine salt of compound ii . in the manner substantially as described in example 9 , a solution of 195 mg of n - methylglucamine in 1 . 5 ml of water and 440 mg of compound iii ammonium salt in 11 . 5 ml of 85 % ethanol are combined . the solvent is evaporated in vacuo to obtain the n - methylglucamine salt of compound ii . 18 g of compound i are dissolved in 180 ml of warm isopropanol and treated with 90 ml of 0 . 5 m aqueous naoh solution , aged one hour , diluted with 180 ml of water , evaporated in vacuo to remove the isopropanol , and cooled in an ice bath . slowly , 90 ml of 0 . 5 m hcl is added and the mixture is extracted with 2 × 150 ml of ethyl acetate which is backwashed with 100 ml of water , dried over mgso 4 . the solvent is removed in vacuo at low temperature and the residue is dissolved in 150 ml of ethanol . 3 ml of ethylenediamine is added and the solvent is evaporated in vacuo , and the residue triturated with boiling ethyl acetate , cooled , filtered , and recrystallized from 30 ml of isopropanol and dried in vacuo over p 2 o 5 to obtain 13 . 1 g of white crystals , m . p . 152 °- 153 . 5 ° c . anal . calcd . for ( c 24 h 37 o 6 ) - 2 . ( c 2 h 10 n 2 ) ++ : c , 66 . 35 ; h , 9 . 35 ; n , 3 . 09 ; found : c , 66 . 08 ; h , 9 . 49 ; n , 3 . 01 87 . 9 mg ammonium salt of compound ii are dissolved in 3 ml h 2 o with stirring and heating . 7 . 4 mg analytical grade ca ( oh ) 2 are then added and the mixture stirred and heated until no more ammonia evaporates and only a slight turbidity remains which is separated by centrifugation . the colorless , clear supernatant is lyophilized and probes of the dry material set up for crystallization from various solvents and solvent mixtures . the product crystallizes in needles when a hot concentrated solution in dry isopropanol is allowed to cool to room temperature . 34 mg compound i in 1 ml ch 2 cl 2 are treated with 0 . 04 ml 24 % tetramethylammonium hydroxide in methanol . the product is precipitated with ether in partially crystalline form , centrifuged and the precipitate first washed with ether and then recrystallized as hexagonal plates from 1 ml isopropanol by the addition of 5 ml ether and about 5 ml low boiling petrol ether . 27 mg or 65 % are obtained . ______________________________________1h nmr spectrum of compound ii tetramethylammonium salt______________________________________ ( 6 mg / 0 . 35 ml at 25 ° c . in cdcl . sub . 3 at 300 mhz ) 0 . 83 t ( 3h , j = 6 . 5 ) 0 . 84 d ( 3h , j = 7 ) 1 . 02 d ( 3h , j = 7 ) 1 . 05 d ( 3h , j = 7 ) 1 . 24 m (˜ 1h ); 1 . 30 - 1 . 80 br . m . envelope1 . 88 ddd ( 1h , j = 2 , 8 , 15 ) 1 . 98 dd ( 1h , 3 , 15 ) 2 . 16 dd ( 1h , j = 8 . 5 , 15 . 5 ) 2 . 23 m ( 1h , obscured ) 2 . 32 m ( 1h , obscured ) 2 . 37 dd ( 1h , j = 3 , 15 . 5 ) 2 . 40 m (˜ 1h , obscured ) 3 . 42 s ( 12h , men . sup .+) 3 . 79 m ( 1h , symmetrical multiplet ) 4 . 06 m ( 1h , symmetrical multiplet ) 5 . 32 dt ( 1h , j ≃ 3 ) 5 . 50 br . s ( 1h ) 5 . 79 dd ( 1h , j = 6 , 10 ) 5 . 98 d ( 1h , j = 10 ) ______________________________________ chemical shifts are in ppm downfield of internal tms coupling constants i brackets are in hz . abbreviations : s = singlet , d = doublet , t = triplet , m = multiplet in the manner substantially as described in example 13 , compound i is converted to the hydroxy acid , compound ii , extracted into ethyl acetate , dried over mgso 4 , filtered , and treated with anhydrous ammonia with stirring and cooling to precipitate the ammonium salt . 453 mg of the ethylenediamine salt of compound ii are dissolved in 6 ml of 80 % ethanol , cooled in an ice bath , treated with 1 ml of 1 m hcl , evaporated in vacuo to remove the ethanol , treated with 3 ml more water , extracted into 2 × 5 ml of ethyl acetate , and backwashed with water , keeping all solutions cold in an ice bath . the extract is dried over mgso 4 and concentrated to dryness in vacuo to obtain the hydroxy acid as a colorless oil . a 13 c - nmr spectrum in cdcl 3 ( 190 mg / ml ) exhibits chemical shifts for the first six carbons of the hydroxy acid moiety as listed in the table . upon standing , this hydroxy acid slowly reverts to the lactone . table______________________________________ . sup . 13 cnmr spectrum , ppm downfield from tetramethylsilane hydroxy acid , compound ii______________________________________ ## str5 ## c . sub . 1 c . sub . 2 , c . sub . 4 c . sub . 3 c . sub . 5 c . sub . 6 174 . 8 42 . 4 , 41 . 6 68 . 8 72 . 3 34 . 9______________________________________ the spectrum of the remainder of the molecule is only slightly changed from the cyclized structure . a suspension of 500 mg ( 1 . 24 mmol ) of compound i ( msd - 803 ) in 20 ml of ethanol is stirred at room temperature under a nitrogen atmosphere . a small piece of sodium ( ca . 1 mg ) is added . after 15 minutes a second small piece of sodium is added . after a total reaction time of 30 minutes the homogeneous reaction mixture is diluted with ether , washed with water and with saturated brine and dried ( mgso 4 ). evaporation of the solvent gives a waxy solid . analysis by hpcl on a whatman partasil 10 pac column ( 4 . 6 mm × 25 cm ) with 10 % isopropanol / hexane pumped at 6 ml / min indicated a mixture of ethyl ester and msd - 803 ( 77 : 23 ). this mixture is separated by medium - pressure chromatography on silica gel ( 230 - 400 mesh ) by elution with 3 % ethanol / methylene chloride . the fractions containing the ester are combined and evaporated to give 358 mg ( 66 %) of an off - white solid , m . p . 67 ° c . a portion of this material is recrystallized from hexane to give white needles : m . p . 66 . 5 °- 68 . 5 °. anal . calc . for c 26 h 42 o 6 : c , 69 . 30 ; h , 9 . 40 ; found : c , 69 . 22 ; h , 9 . 58 . in like manner , by the use of equivalent amounts of methanol , propanol , butanol , isobutanol , t - butanol , amyl alcohol , isoamyl alcohol , 2 - dimethylaminoethanol , benzyl alcohol , phenethanol , 2 - acetamidoethanol and the like , the corresponding esters are obtained . comparison of i and ml - 236b as inhibitors of sterol synthesis in cell culture employing the procedure of example 1c , purified samples of compound i and ml - 236b were shown to have ic 50 of 2 . 2 and 5 . 6 nm respectively as inhibitors of hmg - coa reductase .	2
there are a considerable number of liquid precursors which can be utilized in accordance with the modular apparatus of the present invention . however , the apparatus of this invention is particularly useful in connection with precursors which are based upon solid materials dissolved in various solvents , such as precursors with low volatility , high sublimation temperatures , and / or high solids contents and viscosities . thus , a particular preferred embodiment of the present invention for use in connection with cvd reactors employs appropriate precursors to produce what are generally referred to as bst films for deposition on various substrates . such bst ( barium strontium titanates ) films are thus produced from just one class of liquid precursors for use in connection with a liquid vaporizer apparatus or method of the present invention for producing a vapor for subsequent deposition such as on semiconductor wafers or the like . the present invention , however , is not limited to such bst films , but can also find significant utility in deposing a variety of other compounds for semiconductor use and the like , including , for example , the known group iii - v compound semiconductors . the use of the term &# 34 ; liquid precursor &# 34 ; in accordance with the present invention thus requires a particular precursor determined by the nature of the film , whether it be a bst film or some other film , which is eventually to be produced in the modular cvd reactor . furthermore , at ambient conditions , some of these precursors can be in a liquid form or in a powder form , in which case the powdered material would be dissolved in an appropriate solvent . various solvents can be used even in connection with the normally liquid precursors , in order to dilute the specific precursor to a desired concentration therewith . this can , in fact , be a significant method of controlling deposition of the ultimate film in the modular cvd reactor . in any event , in connection with the preferred bst films produced in accordance with the present invention , examples of precursors for the barium component can include various barium oxide compounds , for example , such as ba ( c 11 h 19 o 2 ) 2 , which is a powder at room temperature ; ba ( ch 3 ) 5 c 5 ! 2 , which is also a powder at room temperature ; ba ( c 10 h 10 f 7 o 2 ) 2 , which is also a powder at room temperature ; while the strontium component can be provided by the following oxides : sr ( c 11 h 19 o 2 ) 2 , a powder at room temperature ; sr ( c 10 f 7 h 10 o 2 ) 2 , also a powder at room temperature ; sr ( c 5 f 6 ho 2 ) 2 , also a powder at room temperature ; and sr ( o 2 c 11 h 26 n 5 ) 2 , a powder at room temperature . finally , the titanium component can be provided by various titanium oxides , including ti ( c 11 h 19 o 2 ) 3 , which is also a powder at room temperature , or compounds of the formula ti ( or ) 4 in which r is an alkyl group , such as ethyl , propyl , butyl or octyl , and the like . each of these compounds is a powder or liquid at room temperature . in addition , the present invention can also be utilized to produce other known films for semiconductor deposition , including from group iii - v and group ii - iv compound semiconductors . in this regard , conventional precursors can be utilized , such as trimethyl gallium or triethyl gallium , as well as arsines and nitrides to produce gallium arsinide and gallium nitride films , and / or metal alkyls can be utilized with the hydride or nitride of the group v constituent in which the alkyl is tmg , teg , or the like , and the hydride can be arsine , phosphene , or stilbene . in addition , the alkyl compound of the group iii metal compound can also include trialkyl aluminum , indium , or the like . depending upon the specific film which is to be deposited , the liquid precursor compound , whether the precursor is normally a powder or a liquid , can also be included in a solvent which is specifically selected based upon the particular precursor being utilized . thus , in connection with bst films as discussed above , a number of possible solvents exist , including , for example , tetrahydrafuran ( thf ), isopropanol , tetraglyme , xylene , toluene , butyl acetate , and the like . it is possible for one of ordinary skill in this art to select a particular solvent for the particular liquid precursor being utilized in the apparatus or method of the present invention . the atomizing means used for converting the liquid precursor into an atomized mist is preferably an ultrasonic spray , preferably having a frequency of from 50 to 120 khz . the basic objective here is to produce a fine mist of the liquid precursor so that highly uniform droplets are provided . this uniformity of both size and concentration is essential in producing the highly improved results achievable with the present invention . in a preferred embodiment of this invention , the atomizing means is a removable atomizing module which can be readily inserted into the housing of the apparatus of the present invention and removed therefrom . in this manner , the removable atomizing module can not only be replaced when it does not operate properly , needs to be refitted , or the like , but can also be replaced by an atomizing module which differs from the module which it is replacing , such as by operating at a different frequency when an ultrasonic spray is being produced therein . thus , where , for example , a specific precursor solution which is of particularly low volatility or is to be utilized at a high flow rate is utilized , it may be necessary to employ a higher frequency ultrasonic atomizer . the particular ultrasonic device so selected will thus depend upon the frequency required in order to obtain the required uniform droplet spray at the particular conditions involved in each case . once the atomized mist of the liquid precursor has been prepared according to the apparatus of the present invention , vapor is produced by contact with a heated contact surface . the heated contact surface itself can take a variety of forms , but it must provide sufficient surface area to accommodate the atomized mist , while at the same time permitting the vapor produced therefrom to pass outwardly to the vapor outlet in the vaporizer apparatus hereof , to be used , for example , in a cvd reactor . the heated contact surface is thus interposed between the atomizing means , or ultrasonic device , and the vapor outlet from the reactor . in this manner , all or substantially all of the atomized mist is forced to contact the heated contact surface at a predetermined temperature such that the vapor is produced by such direct contact , and not by being heated with high temperature gas or the like . therefore , it is preferred to use a porous contact surface or one which has a high surface area and includes openings or passages to permit the vapor produced after such contact to exit therefrom . it is essential that these porous contact surfaces be made of material having a high thermal conductivity , in order to provide for uniform temperature distribution . it is also important that these materials have a high specific heat , in order to provide for high thermal inertia and for low transient temperature variations . it is also important in the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention that the porous contact surface be a removable heatable contact surface which can be removably inserted into the housing at the proper location downstream of the removable atomizing module . in this manner , once again , not only can the used porous contact surfaces be replaced , but various series of such contact surfaces , both in construction and number can be utilized . a preferred form of the heated contact surface of the present invention takes the form of one or more shaped media members or disks . such a unit or disk can thus be produced by a porous or sintered body such as a metal body such as aluminum , nickel , or a ceramic body , such as silicon carbide ( sic ). one preferred embodiment thus employs a high - porosity metal , such as a material sold under the designation celmet by sumitomo electric usa , inc . this material is a nickel or nickel chromium alloy material which has a high porosity , generally over about 90 %, and a high specific surface area , as well as a high permeability without undue clogging . the material itself can be produced in sheets of various forms and sizes , and is relatively light in weight . the specific surface area of this material can vary over wide ranges , generally from about 500 m 2 / m 3 up to 7500 m 2 / m 3 and higher . in a preferred embodiment , a number of disks or other shaped members of this type can be aligned perpendicularly to the flow of the atomized mist to further increase the surface area in contact with the atomized particles . as an alternative , however , it is possible to use other forms of heated contact surfaces , such as , for example , a number of grill - like or mesh surfaces stacked and relatively rotatable with respect to each other to again provide not only high surface area but high permeability for the flowing vapor as it is produced therefrom . in addition , depending upon the particular liquid precursor being utilized , the selection of the material from which the contact surface is produced can be varied to accommodate the particular substance used in the liquid precursor . the material must , however , be chemically inert to the particular liquid precursors used therewith . again , in each of these cases , however , in the preferred embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention , whatever type of contact media is employed must be removable from the system , and must also therefore be removably insertable into the system in any of the forms discussed above . more particularly , it is most desirable that each of these removable heatable contact surfaces be associated with a removable heating module which preferably surrounds the contact surface itself for individually heating these units in connection with this invention . for a more detailed appreciation of the invention , attention is first invited to fig1 which shows an overall schematic of a chemical vapor deposition system , including the basic external liquid delivery system with which the present invention can be utilized . fig1 thus illustrates a chemical vapor deposition system which includes a liquid precursor tank 20 , preferably made of stainless steel . the liquid precursor is delivered from the precursor tank 20 to the vaporizer 40 by use of a feed pump 25 . the feed pump 25 draws the liquid precursor from the precursor tank 20 through a feed tube 22 in a controllable fashion , and delivers the precursor to the vaporizer 40 . in view of the nature of this invention , however , it might not always be necessary to utilize such a feed pump . that is , since an ultrasonic nozzle is preferably employed herein for producing a spray or cloud of the liquid precursor , it is unnecessary to provide a high pressure stream of the liquid precursor thereto . therefore , in some cases , it might be possible to merely employ a valve - type system to merely control the supply of liquid precursor to the ultrasonic nozzle . fig1 also represents a carrier gas supply tank 30 connected to the vaporizer 40 by a feed tube 42 . typical inert carrier gases for use in the present invention include nitrogen , hydrogen , argon and helium . the vaporizer exit is connected to the chemical vapor deposition reaction chamber 50 by a feed tube 44 which carries the vaporized precursor vapor to the reaction chamber 50 . fig2 illustrates a schematic representation of the vaporizer apparatus 40 . an ultrasonic nozzle 24 is mounted at one end of the vaporizer apparatus 40 . the ultrasonic nozzle 24 receives liquid precursor from feed tube 22 mounted in an atomizer housing 12 . a cooling jacket 26 surrounds the vaporizer apparatus segment where the ultrasonic nozzle 24 is housed . thus , a coolant , preferably a cooling liquid , is fed into the cooling jacket 26 for temperature control of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . a curtain gas inlet port 28 is positioned adjacent the cooling jacket 26 and oriented perpendicularly to the ultrasonic nozzle 24 whereby the inlet port 28 inner orifice faces the base of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . this creates a curtain of gas 25 , such as nitrogen or argon , descending along the walls of the vaporizer 40 as shown by the arrows in fig2 . a thermocouple 32 is mounted immediately adjacent to the cooling jacket 26 and is oriented perpendicularly to the ultrasonic nozzle 24 whereby the thermocouple 32 terminus faces the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; s effluent end . the thermocouple 32 can thus be used to control the application of coolant into the cooling jacket 26 , so as to control the temperature of the atomized mist generated by the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . an expansion chamber 34 extends from the ultrasonic nozzle 24 to the front face of the heated contact surface 48 , in this case in the form of a series of three porous disks 52 , 54 and 56 , respectively . the particular heated contact surfaces 48 used in the embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention shown in fig2 comprise porous metallic disks , preferably made of the celmet material discussed above . in this embodiment , it is preferred that the disks have a decreasing porosity as one travels away from the injector , or nozzle 24 . thus , in a preferred embodiment porous disk 52 has a porosity of 10 ppm ( pore per inch ), porous disk 54 has a porosity of 50 ppm , and porous disk 56 has a porosity of 100 ppm . the porous contact disks 52 , 54 and 56 are contained within a vaporizing portion of the vaporizer 40 , which includes heating element 62 which extends from one end of the contact surface 48 which faces the ultrasonic nozzle 24 , through the opposite end of the porous contact disks 52 , 54 and 56 , and which terminates at a reaction chamber interface 64 . in addition , a thermocouple 68 is shown which is positioned within the housing in close proximity to the heating element 62 . the carrier gas heating chamber or jacket 72 surrounds the heating element 62 and channels through into an intermediate point within the heated contact surface 48 . in this manner , the carrier gas from feed tube 42 ( see fig1 ) is introduced through entry port 64 , circulates through the jacket 72 , in which the carrier gas will be heated by its proximity to heating element 62 , and then passes into the heated contact surface 48 where it can admix with the vaporized precursor material being generated therein . the flow of carrier gas thus proceeds to a flow ring 76 ( see fig3 a and 3b ) which is positioned between individual ones of the porous contact disks . a vacuum insulator jacket 82 encompasses the entire vaporizing portion of the vaporizer 40 in order to insulate the apparatus from ambient conditions . fig3 a and 3b illustrate two different embodiments of the heated contact surface 48 . fig3 a illustrates the use of a heated contact surface employing three porous contact disks 84 , 86 , and 88 , aligned in series where the flow ring 76 is positioned between porous disks 86 and 88 . in fig3 b , the three porous contact disks utilized are designated by reference numerals 92 , 94 and 96 , and flow ring 76 is positioned between porous disks 92 and 94 . note that in either orientation , as in fig3 a or 3b , the set of porous disks is always disposed within the portion of the vaporizer 40 which includes vaporization as depicted in fig2 where the disks are facing the orifice of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . in operation , liquid precursor is fed through feed tube 22 and is atomized by the operation of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . once atomized in a fine liquid mist , the precursor is surrounded by curtain gas emitted through the curtain gas inlet 28 . the curtain 25 of gas keeps the atomized mist from contacting the walls of the vaporizer 40 and escorts the atomized precursor mist to the heated contact surface 48 through the expansion chamber 34 . the walls of the vaporizer 40 are cooled by virtue of the cooling jacket 26 to prevent premature vaporization of the atomized liquid precursor mist generated by the ultrasonic nozzle 24 . this feature of the invention thus allows vaporization to take place in a specified segment of the vaporizer and provides for independent flow rate and stoichiometry adjustment due to the controlled vaporization . once the atomized liquid precursor mist arrives at the face of the first heated contact disk 52 , it vaporizes upon contact therewith , and passes through the contact disk 52 . the temperature of the heated contact surface 48 may be controlled using the heating element 62 voltage control . when the precursor vapor is between the contact disks 52 , 54 and 56 , it is mixed with carrier gas introduced through the flow ring 76 . it is thus noted that the carrier gas travels through a preheater chamber 72 so the vaporized precursor does not experience a temperature change when it makes contact with the carrier gas . thus , there is no threat of condensation present within the heated contact surface 48 . the vapor mixture continues through the contact disks and out into the reactor 50 past interface 64 . by choosing contact disks with differing porosities , the proper pressure drop can be established between the ultrasonic nozzle and the vaporizer exit . the porosity of each contact disk is determined from a relationship between the surface area within the disk and the in - line pressure drop through the disk . the sum of the drop in pressure equals the drop required between the ultrasonic nozzle and the rest of the path distance which the precursor must travel . when the sums are equal , the nozzle is effectively isolated from the pressure at the exit of the vaporizer . the total surface area of the disk is generally chosen as a multiple of the area covered by a 1μ thick layer of liquid after 1 minute of flow ( area = mult ×( ml / min )/ 1μ ). through the selection of disk porosity and thickness the proper set of contact disks for any application may be determined . in addition to choosing the proper contact surface , the pressure drop may be controlled and adjusted with even more precision by placing the flow ring 76 between either contact disks 52 and 54 , or between 54 and 56 . by choosing the proper media and flow ring configuration , the pressure drop can be modified so as to establish the appropriate exit pressure . once the precursor vapor mixture exits the vaporizer apparatus 40 , the vapor will travel to the reaction chamber 50 where the precursor will deposit onto the desired target substrate . reference is now made to fig4 - 12 herein , which relate to the preferred embodiment of the present invention . in particular , the embodiment shown in these drawings demonstrates a modular liquid vaporizing apparatus which incorporates all of the principles of the apparatus discussed above and shown in fig1 - 3 , but in which the atomizer and the heatable contact surface are both removable modular units which can be readily inserted and removed from the apparatus and / or replaced by one or more such units , particularly in the case of with the heatable contact surface modular units . again , in a most preferred embodiment , each one or plurality of heatable contact surfaces is associated with a removable heating module . in this embodiment , a modular ultrasonic nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; as shown in fig4 is mounted at the upstream end of the vaporizer apparatus 40 &# 39 ;. the construction of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; which is mounted within the nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; ( in this case , a high frequency ultrasonic nozzle ) can be more specifically seen in the cross - sectional view shown in fig5 b hereof . thus , the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; again receives liquid precursor from a feed tube 22 &# 39 ; mounted at the upstream end of the vaporizer apparatus itself . the specific high frequency ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; shown is fig5 b includes cooling jacket 26 &# 39 ; which surrounds the portion of the vaporizer apparatus housing the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ;. thus , a cooling liquid , such as water , is fed into the cooling jacket 26 &# 39 ; through cooling liquid inlet 29 &# 39 ; and cooling liquid outlet 30 &# 39 ; ( see fig7 ) for temperature control of the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ;. in this respect , the nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; and the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; correspond to the nozzle mounting segment 25 and the ultrasonic nozzle 24 as shown in fig2 . however , a different nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 34 ; and a medium frequency ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ;, as shown in fig5 a , can be substituted for nozzle mounting segment 25 &# 39 ; and the high frequency ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; shown in fig5 b . ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ; in fig5 a thus includes stepped cooling jacket 26 &# 34 ; which surrounds the elongated portion of the vaporizer apparatus housing ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ;. thus , in this case cooling liquid , such as water , is fed into the cooling inlet 49 &# 34 ; through the cooling jacket 26 &# 34 ; and out of cooling outlet 30 &# 34 ; ( see fig6 ). a curtain gas inlet corresponding to curtain gas inlet 28 shown in fig2 is also part of the atomizing module , and in this regard is positioned adjacent to cooling jacket 26 &# 39 ; and oriented perpendicularly to the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; or 24 &# 34 ;, so as to face the base of the ultrasonic nozzle . in this manner , a curtain of gas such as that shown in fig2 by reference numerals 27 &# 39 ; and 27 &# 34 ; descends along the walls of the nozzle mounting segments 25 &# 39 ; and 25 &# 34 ;, respectively , as shown therein . an expansion chamber 34 &# 39 ; extends from the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; to the front face of the heated contact surface as discussed below . similarly , an expansion chamber 34 &# 34 ; extends from the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 34 ; to the front face of the heated contact surface discussed below . in both of the cases shown in fig5 a and 5b it can thus be seen that the nozzle mounting segments 25 &# 39 ; and 25 &# 34 ;, as well as the associated ultrasonic nozzles 24 &# 39 ; and 24 &# 34 ; mounted therein , comprise separate modular , readily removable units within the overall vaporizer systems thereof . both of the nozzle mounting segments 25 &# 39 ; and 25 &# 34 ; are thus readily mounted and dismounted from the overall apparatus by means of bolts applied through bolt apertures 37 &# 39 ; and 37 &# 34 ; shown in fig5 a and 5b . one such bolt 38 &# 39 ; is shown in fig4 . furthermore , in order to mount the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; onto the nozzle segment 25 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig4 it is merely necessary to bolt the peripheral flange 33 &# 39 ; ( see fig5 b ) on the ultrasonic nozzle 24 &# 39 ; to the corresponding flange 37 &# 39 ; on the nozzle segment 25 &# 39 ;, using bolts 39 &# 39 ; as shown in fig4 . in this manner , removal and replacement of the ultrasonic nozzle itself is readily facilitated . the heated contact surfaces in the case of the embodiment shown in fig4 et seq . include porous disks 52 &# 39 ;, 54 &# 39 ; and 56 &# 39 ;, which are not only removable , but are also each contained within an evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;. evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; is the modular heating module associated with the removable contact surfaces . thus , evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;, which is also shown in fig8 - 11 , surrounds the porous disks 52 &# 39 ;, 54 &# 39 ; and 56 &# 39 ; shown therein . evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; itself includes an outer tapered wall 60 &# 39 ; and an inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig1 and 11 . the modular evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; shown in fig4 and 8 , for example , is similar to the evaporator unit 58 shown in fig2 . however , in at least a general sense , it is inverted ; i . e ., the heating elements 62 &# 39 ; ( not shown ) enter the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; from the bottom , into heating element slots 63 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig1 , as compared to the arrangement in fig2 where the heating elements 62 are inserted into the evaporator unit 58 from above . in addition , the carrier gas entry port 64 &# 39 ; is now located at the bottom of evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;, as shown in fig4 while entry port 64 in evaporator unit 58 is at the upper end thereof , as shown in fig2 . in addition , the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; does not include a vacuum insulator jacket 82 as used in the apparatus shown in fig2 . finally , a somewhat elongated space element 76 &# 39 ; is utilized below the porous disks in fig4 primarily to fill in the larger space therein . the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; shown in fig4 however , is a modular , easily removable unit . once again , it is mounted to adjacent units solely by means of bolts , which are thus readily removable in order to separate these units from one another . additionally , a thermocouple 68 &# 39 ; is shown in fig4 being positioned within the housing in close proximity to the heating elements . once again , this corresponds to the thermocouple 68 shown in fig2 . in the case of the embodiment shown in fig4 the carrier gas is introduced through entrance port 64 &# 39 ; for circulation through the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; in the manner discussed below in order for the carrier gas to be heated because of its proximity to the heating elements contained in heating element slot 63 &# 39 ;, so that it can then pass into the heated contact surfaces for admixture with the vaporized precursor material being generated therein . the carrier gas can then proceed to flow between the individual porous contact disks discussed above by flowing through spacer 76 &# 39 ; therebetween . more particularly , referring to fig8 after entry through the entrance port 64 &# 39 ;, the carrier gas passes upwardly through the various levels within the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; created by inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ; and , in particular , the series of flanges 65 &# 39 ; extending therefrom ( see fig1 and 11 ). referring specifically to fig8 the flow of carrier gas through the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; can be more readily seen . thus , after entering the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; through entrance port 64 &# 39 ;, the carrier gas enters each level within the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; between flanges 65 &# 39 ;, thus comprising levels 65a through 65e as shown in fig8 . upon entering the first level 65a , the gases surround the entire structure and , again as discussed above , the carrier gas is continuously heated by proximity to the heating elements contained in heating element slots 63 &# 39 ; as shown in fig1 . the carrier gas can move upwardly to the next level through an aperture 65a &# 39 ; in the first flange 65 &# 39 ; between levels 65a and 65b . the gas will then redistribute as shown by the arrows in fig8 to fill the entire level 65b , and will then proceed upwardly to the next level 65c through an opening which cannot be seen in fig8 ; i . e ., it is on the opposite side of the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;. similarly , the gas then proceeds upwardly from level 65c to level 65d through aperture 65c &# 39 ;, and then upwardly to level 65e through an aperture on the opposite side of the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ;. all of the carrier gas can then enter the interior of the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; for mixture with the vaporized precursor material being generated therein through aperture port 65e &# 39 ; in level 65e . referring to fig1 , which is a sectional view through the interior of the inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ;, a sectional view which is different from that of fig1 , showing the thermocouple slot 68 &# 39 ; for the thermocouple , similar to the thermocouple 68 shown in fig2 . again , however , the thermocouple in this case extends from the bottom of the inner heater unit 61 &# 39 ;. the lower portion of fig4 provides for completion of the mounting of the overall evaporative system , as well as means for connecting the unit both to exhaust and to the cvd chamber and / or additional modular units . thus , the splitter 84 &# 39 ; includes an upper flange 85 &# 39 ; and a lower flange 86 &# 39 ;, as well as an intermediary body 90 &# 39 ; therebetween . the upper flange 85 &# 39 ; is thus bolted to the bottom of the evaporator unit 58 and to corresponding bolt apertures 91 &# 39 ; by means of bolts 92 &# 39 ;, preferably six such bolts disposed therearound . the intermediate portion 90 &# 39 ; of the splitter 84 &# 39 ; includes reactor connector 96 &# 39 ;, for attachment by means of an additional flange or other conduits to the cvd reactor itself , and exhaust conduit 98 &# 39 ;. the lower flange 86 &# 39 ; can thus be closed off by an end flange 99 &# 39 ;, again being bolted in the same manner discussed above , or can be connected to additional units as required . in addition , the entire splitter arrangement 84 &# 39 ; can be removed , and the evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; connected to , for example , a second evaporator unit or a number of additional evaporator units by merely bolting such units thereto in the same manner that evaporator unit 58 &# 39 ; is bolted to the bottom of vaporizer unit 40 &# 39 ; as discussed above . thus , referring , for example , to fig1 , various modular designs can be provided by using either the high frequency or medium frequency ultrasonic nozzles 25 &# 39 ; or 25 &# 34 ;, and a variety of evaporator units 58 &# 39 ;; i . e ., either one or more of same . furthermore , a separate evaporator unit 58 downstream thereof can be affixed to the flow flange 100 &# 39 ; entering the cvd reactor itself , for merely reheating the combination of precursor and heated carrier gas after it has passed through a conduit 102 &# 39 ;, in order to prevent any condensation thereof . each of these units can again be readily mounted and / or dismounted because of their modular design , and by utilizing flanges and bolt arrangements as discussed in detail above . furthermore , each of these evaporator units 58 &# 39 ; includes the combination of porous disks therein as also discussed above . because this invention provides for independent controllability of temperature , pressure , and precursor stoichiometry it may be employed for many cvd applications requiring the use of solid or low volatility precursors . as such , this invention is not limited to microelectronic applications . superconductors , nitride and oxide depositions are all possible by virtue of this invention . while the above preferred embodiments of the present invention are completely described , various modifications , alternatives and equivalents may be used . therefore , the above descriptions should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the metes and bounds of the appended claims .	2
fig1 shows a system 1 for navigating a land vehicle ( not shown in more detail ), for example a car or a truck . the system 1 has a processing device 2 . the processing device 2 has an input 3 which can be used to supply pulses from a tachometer 4 . the tachometer 4 is connected ( not shown in more detail ) to a wheel which , as stipulated , is in permanent contact with the ground . while the vehicle is moving , the wheel is turned and outputs a predetermined number of pulses per revolution , in the present case four pulses . the processing device 2 also has an antenna 5 which it is able to use to receive signals from satellites 6 . as is known from the global positioning system , or gps , the position of the processing device 2 can then be determined relatively accurately if the distance from three satellites 6 can be measured , for example using the delay time of signals between the satellites 6 and the antenna 5 . however , the position which can be ascertained by this means is subject to an inaccuracy in the order of magnitude of 50 to 100 m . the processing device 2 also has ( not shown in more detail ) a device 7 for determining a direction of movement . in many cases , this is in the form of a gyroscope . however , as it is not of any great significance for the present invention , it is not described in any more detail . for the sake of completeness , it should be mentioned that the processing device 2 also has a holding channel 8 for a data medium 9 , for example a cd - rom . by way of example , the data medium 9 may store a map in the form of a database . the processing device 2 has an output 10 connected to three gag modules ( not shown in more detail ) performing various tasks , namely position determination in module 11 , route planning in module 12 , and navigation in module 13 , i . e ., instructions for guiding the vehicle driver . for the position ascertained in the module 11 , the distance covered by the vehicle is significant , amongst other things . this is because the current position can be ascertained by compiling the direction and the distance covered in this direction on the basis of vectors , starting from a starting position . to ascertain the distance covered , the tachometer 4 is used . the procedure is described with the aid of fig2 . the tachometer 4 has a sensor wheel 14 having four pulse transmitters 15 . the sensor wheel 14 rotates in sync with a wheel which is in permanent contact with the ground . the pulse transmitters pass a pickup 16 . it is also possible to obtain the information in a different way , for example using a pulse transmitter on an anti - lock brake system or using an electronic tachometer . in the present illustrative embodiment , therefore , four pulses are produced per revolution of said wheel . in most cases , however , many more pulses are produced per revolution , for example 20 . these pulses ni are counted in a counter 17 . this ascertains the pulses per unit time . this is illustrated by the expression ni / t . at the same time , signals are received from the satellites 6 via the antenna 5 . a speed determination device 18 uses the doppler effect to ascertain the speed vgps , i . e ., the speed at which the vehicle is moving relative to the ground . the speed determination device 18 ascertains the speed vgps at a frequency of 1 hz and also stipulates the starting and ending instant ti , j for the counter 17 . the ending instant tj of one counting interval is at the same time the starting instant ti for the next interval . since the circumference of the wheel is in any case known in principle and can be used to calculate the distance covered between two pulses , the variable ni / t ascertained in the counter 17 can be used to calculate a first speed value . this speed value may still contain errors , however , because the circumference of the wheel can change in operation , for example on account of the centrifugal force at relatively high speeds , on account of temperature influences , or on account of vehicle loads . to compensate for these errors , a correction device 19 divides the second speed value , namely the speed vgps , by the first value ni / t . this gives an output variable dppi , where the abbreviation dpp stands for distance per pulse and i indicates the number of the counting interval . for the sake of form , it should be noted here that division by time in the counter 17 is not essentially necessary , because the information about the period of time is also forwarded to the correction device 19 by the speed determination device 18 , as illustrated by dashed lines . arranged in series with the correction device 19 is a filter 20 which forms a filtered value { overscore ( dppi )} new on the basis of the following formula dppi _ new = i i + 1  dppi _ alt + 1 i + 1  dppi where i forms a running counter from 0 to n max and remains constant once n max has been reached . by way of example , n max = 128 can be set for n max . the filtered value { overscore ( dppi )} new is regarded as calibrated and can be used accordingly i ≧ 15 . otherwise , a calibrated value from another class is used where possible , and otherwise { overscore ( dppi )} new . the product of the pulses ni and the corrected distance per pulse { overscore ( dppi )} can then be used to calculate the distance d covered . it is also possible to implement a number of additional conditions . for example , the acceleration agps can be ascertained by means of the satellite 6 . if this acceleration is greater than 1 m / s 2 , for example , then calibration of the dppi values is interrupted . after a certain acceleration , the speed within an interval can no longer be ascertained with the required degree of accuracy . the speed ascertained by means of the satellite 6 should also be higher than 5 m / s . in addition , the individual speeds can be classified in a plurality of classes , for example the first class from 0 to 70 km / h , the second class from 70 to 130 km / h and the third class from 130 km / h up to the top speed of the vehicle concerned . alternatively , the first class can also be made to extend over the entire speed range of the vehicle . the second and third classes are then subranges of this . in this case , two calibration values are also ascertained at speeds after the second class , so that the required number of calibration operations is reached more quickly in the first class . the higher the speed , the more accurate the measurement , both in the case of the doppler effect and when ascertaining the values ni ( digitization errors ). by way of example , it is possible to provide that , as soon as a valid calibration value is available in the second class , this dppi value is also used for relatively low speeds . however , while no calibrated value has been obtained for the second class , the speed values for the first class are used .	6
there is shown in fig1 a portion of a mat for stabilizing particulate materials , which mat includes a plurality of tubular members which , in the illustrated embodiment , take the form of cylindrical rings designated by reference numerals 10 - 25 disposed in a uniform rectangular array defined by a plurality of perpendicular rows and columns . for example , as shown in fig1 tubular members 10 , 11 , 12 , and 13 define the upper - most row , while tubular members 10 , 14 , 18 , and 22 define the left - most column . it should be noted that the use of tubular members of other than cylindrical shape may be employed within the scope of the present invention . for example , tubular members having oval , hexagonal , rectangular , square , triangular , octagonal , and other cross - sectional shapes may be utilized . further , the tubular members may be disposed in non - rectangular arrays , for example in circular patterns , or randomly distributed . in order to allow a plurality of the mats to be secured together to form a large mat , first and second cooperating fasteners are formed on the side edges of the mat . although the cooperating members may take the form as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 250 , 340 , in the illustrated embodiment , the first fastener members may take the form of a plurality of sockets , designated by reference numerals 28 , spread along two opposing sides of a quadrilateral mat . the second fastener members in the illustrated embodiment take the form of a pair of upstanding prongs , designated by reference numerals 30 , spaced along the other two sides of the mat , such that the prongs 30 are located opposite the sockets 28 . two of the mats may be secured in an adjacent relation by inserting the prongs 30 spaced along one side edge of one mat through the sockets 28 spaced along a side edge of another mat . as shown in fig2 a , each socket may include a centrally positioned , substantially square aperture 32 therethrough , which is adapted to receive the pair of prongs 30 as shown in fig2 d , each one of the prongs 30 extends generally upright from a base 34 , and includes , a trunk section 36 and a distal flange section 38 having a clasping lip 40 . as best shown in fig2 b , the distance between the outermost sections of the trunks 36 of the prongs 30 is only slightly less than width of the square shaped aperture 32 in the socket 28 . when the prongs 30 are pressed centrally against the socket 28 , the distal ends of the flange sections 38 will extend slightly into the aperture 32 of the socket 28 and will abut opposing walls of the socket 28 that define the aperture 32 . by further forcing the prongs 30 toward the socket 28 , the flange sections 38 of the prongs 30 will resiliently deflect toward each other so that the prongs 30 may be further inserted into the aperture 32 of the socket 28 . since the width of the socket 28 is approximately equal to the height of the trunk 36 of each of the prongs 30 , when the prongs 30 are sufficiently inserted through the aperture 32 of the socket 28 , the flange portions 38 of the prongs 30 will spring away from each other , back to their original upstanding position , such that the lip 40 of each of the flange sections 34 overlaps a surface of the socket 28 adjacent to the aperture 32 . as shown in fig2 c the opposing edges of the aperture 32 along one surface of the socket 28 are indented to form a pair of opposing indentations 42 , 44 , which are designed to accommodate the lip 40 of a corresponding flange section 38 of each of the prongs 30 . in such a condition , the prongs are maintained in a cooperative fastening relationship with the socket 28 . the prongs 30 may be disengaged from the associated socket 28 by manually compressing the flange portions 38 toward each other and then withdrawing the prongs 30 from the aperture 32 and the socket 28 . the tubular members 10 - 25 are preferably integrally molded with a planar grid formed by a plurality of intersecting perpendicular struts . for example , the tubular member 10 is disposed centrally with respect to an intersection 50 of perpendicular struts 52 and 54 . it is contemplated that the struts may be disposed in other than a perpendicular rectangular grid pattern , for example , concentric ring struts with intersecting radially extending struts may be employed . additionally , the struts may be arranged such that the grid openings are circular , oval , triangular , hexagonal , octagonal , etc . within the spirit and scope of the present invention . in order to add strength and rigidity to the grid and tubular members , a plurality of longitudinal ribs ( not shown ) may extend along internal cylindrical side walls of the tubular members such that each of the ribs intersects one of the struts . in the illustrated embodiment , each cylindrical tubular member would possess four such longitudinal ribs disposed at 90 ° angular intervals . the mat shown in fig1 is preferably integrally molded from a semi - rigid thermal plastic material , preferably high density polyethylene , in an injection molding process . polypropylene , thermoplastics , or plastic resins may also be suitable materials . the material selected should provide sufficient rigidity to resist undesired deformation and lateral shifting , but also be sufficiently flexible to allow the mat to be rolled for shipment and also to accommodate uneven terrain and base materials . it will be seen that the columns and rows of tubular members are spaced so that a series of parallel , linear passages or pathways are formed between the columns ( i . e ., the pathways indicated by the arrows 60 , 62 , and 64 in fig1 ) and also between the rows ( i . e ., as indicated by the arrows 70 , 72 , and 74 in fig1 ) of tubular members . although the embodiment as shown in fig1 depicts a series of parallel , linear passageways that are orthogonal to each other , it should be appreciated that in a different array of tubular members , the pathways may be non - linear and may be non - orthogonal . fig3 depicts a fragmented , cross - sectional view of the mat as shown in fig1 taken in a direction generally along the line of arrow 70 and depicting a portion of tubular member 10 and of tubular member 14 and interconnecting struts 52 , 54 . in addition , fig3 generally illustrates a length of pipe 76 extending along the pathway 70 . the pipe 76 may be fashioned of metal , plastic , or elastomer material and may be substantially rigid or deformable , for example . the pipe 76 generally possesses a cylindrical cross - sectional configuration , with the outer diameter of the pipe 76 being slightly less than the shortest distance between the tubular member 10 and the tubular member 14 . also preferably , when the pipe 76 rests upon the struts 52 , 54 , the upper peripheral edge of the pipe 76 is disposed slightly below the topmost edge of the tubular members 10 , 14 . in such a preferred relationship , when the mat is covered with material such as soil or asphalt , and traffic upon the material tends to wear away the upper most layer of material , it will be appreciated that the upper edges of the tubular members 10 , 14 , and not the pipe , will bear the weight of any traffic , thus protecting the pipe 76 from damage . as shown in fig1 a series of stiffening ribs 78 may extend between tubular members in a row of tubular members . such ribs 78 may also , alternatively , extend between tubular members in a column of tubular members . the stiffening ribs 78 generally extend along a line interconnecting the centers of the tubular members . fig4 shows a fragmented , cross - sectional view of the mat , generally taken in the direction of the arrow 60 , showing the tubular member 10 and the tubular member 11 as well as a stiffening rib 78 extending therebetween . preferably the stiffening rib 78 is integrally molded with the other portions of the mat . the stiffening rib 78 as shown in fig4 includes an upper , generally linear surface or edge 80 spaced a short distance 82 below the upper edges of the tubular members 10 , 11 . the upper edge 80 also includes a recess or depression that is located mid - way along the upper edge 80 and that is shaped as an arcuate portion of a circle . it should be appreciated that the arcuate portion of the circle may range from a few degrees to 360 °, and may be in the range of 45 to 120 °, and may be in the range of 160 to 270 °. as shown in fig4 , the arcuate recess is about 250 °. the arcuate configuration is adapted to receive a pipe ( not shown ) having a cylindrical configuration in which the radius of the outer peripheral surface of the pipe is slightly less than the radius of the arcuate configuration of the rib 78 . thus , the rib 78 is designed to maintain and hold a pipe . when the pipe is placed within the arcuate recess of the rib 78 , then the upper peripheral edge of the pipe will be spaced a short distance 84 below the upper edges of the tubular members 10 , 11 . again , such positioning helps to protect the pipe from damage due to traffic . the invention contemplates that non - cylindrical pipes may be employed and that the recess in the upper edge 80 may possess a configuration that conforms with the configuration of a portion of the pipe periphery . although it is contemplated that the mat may be slightly flexible so that the rib 78 also flexes to receive the pipe , the invention also contemplates that the upper edge 80 of the rib 78 shown in fig4 forms a pair of opposing corners or ears 86 that may be resiliently flexed relative to the remaining portion of the rib 78 so that the pipe may be inserted into the arcuate recess in a slightly “ snap fit ” retention due to the ears 86 assuming their normal position after deflection . it should also be appreciated that the pipe 76 as shown in fig3 may be made sufficiently small in diameter so that when the pipe 76 rests upon the struts 52 , 54 , the pipe 76 will be located below the pipe ( not shown ) that occupies the arcuate recess in the rib 78 as shown in fig4 . thus , the pipes may also form an orthogonal grid in the directions of the pathways 60 , 62 , 64 and 70 , 72 , 74 , as shown in fig1 . it should be further appreciated , however , that only pipes disposed along the vertical passageway 60 , 62 , 64 might be employed , or that pipes disposed in alternating passageways or at regularly spaced passageways may be employed . fig5 shows a variation of a mat , tubular members , and rib 78 shown in fig4 . the variation is especially adapted to facilitate the movement of a particulate or viscous material , such as soil or asphalt , throughout all interstitial regions of the mat . as shown in fig5 the tubular members 10 ′, 11 ′ include arched apertures 90 extending upwardly from the bottom edge of each tubular member 10 ′, 11 ′. also , the rib 78 ′ includes an upper surface or edge 80 ′ that is beveled downwardly from the upper edge of each adjacent tubular member 10 ′, 11 ′. such configuration provides more strength to the rib 78 than is created by the linear upper edge 80 of the rib 78 as shown in fig4 . the lower edge of the rib 78 ′ as shown in fig5 includes a lower edge comprising a central horizontal surface 94 connected through beveled surfaces 92 to a corresponding lower edge of each tubular member 10 ′, 11 ′. the lower edge of the rib 78 ′ thus creates a lower aperture beneath the rib 78 ′. it will be appreciated that when particulate or viscous material covers or is spread over the mat , the mat construction of fig5 permits the material to more readily migrate through and to completely fill the interstitial regions of the mat , whereby there are no voids , and whereby weight from traffic applied to an upper surface of the material will be firmly supported . otherwise , a material with voids might result in depression , cracks , and other deformities of the upper surface of the material . there is shown in fig6 a schematic illustration of a pipe 76 maintained within a pathway of the mat . the dashed line 100 above the pipe 76 represents the plane formed by the upper edges of the various tubular members of the mat . the dashed line 102 above the pipe 76 represents the upper surface of the material in which the mat and pipe 76 are disposed . segments of the pipe 76 may be joined together by a cylindrical collar 104 , which is threadably secured , adhesively secured , or otherwise secured to adjacent ends of the segments of the pipe 76 . a valve stem 106 or a nozzle may extend generally perpendicularly from the pipe 76 / collar 104 in a generally vertical or upward direction so that the upper edge of the valve stem 106 is approximately coextensive with the upper surface 102 of the material . the valve stem 106 is preferably ring - shaped , and may be formed of plastic , metal , or an elastomer . preferably a hard - wear elastomer is utilized . preferably there is a substantially open area or void in the material substantially immediately above the valve stem 106 or nozzle . the valve is preferably a one - way valve which permits liquid within the pipe 76 to escape through the valve stem 106 when liquid pressure within the pipe 76 reaches a predetermined magnitude or level . the valve may simply permit liquid from the pipe 76 to ooze through the valve and onto the upper surface of the material 102 , or more preferably , may spray the liquid above and onto the upper surface 102 of the material . when the instant invention is employed in the environments of sod or concrete or asphalt pavings for a driveway , then the valve may be a “ pop up ” valve such as valves conventionally used for sprinkler systems for lawns . when the invention is employed with asphalt or concrete airport runways or asphalt or concrete roads , then the valve is preferably not a “ pop up ” type valve , since when the valve is exposed above the upper surface 102 of the material , the wheels of frequent vehicular traffic might damage the valve . it should be appreciated that instead of a valve being located at the location where liquid from the pipe 76 is to be discharged upwardly and onto the upper surface 102 of the material , a main valve may be used to permit or prevent liquid from entering the pipe system . when such a main valve allows liquid to enter the pipe system , then the liquid may automatically pass through the pipe 76 , through a passive port or nozzle , and upwardly onto the upper surface 102 of the material . the present invention may be used to deliver water , or a combination of water and fertilizer to sod . it may also employed to deliver a deicing fluid , such as ethyl glycol , onto a pavement such as a sidewalk , a driveway , an airport runway , or a road . it should be further appreciated that in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , liquid within the pipe need not escape outside the pipe and that the pipe may be used to deliver a relatively hot liquid or fluid ( such as steam ) to a material surrounding the mat and pipe 76 . for example , if the mat and pipe system of the present invention is disposed in sod beneath a football or soccer field , then a hot gas or liquid may be passed through the pipe system so as to heat the sod and keep the field from freezing or thaw a frozen field . in such an embodiment , it is preferred that the temperature of the fluid be hotter than the freezing point of water , and even more preferably , be at least about 60 ° f . in such a system , the fluid may be recirculated and passed through a heater to elevate the temperature of the fluid . although particular embodiments of the particular invention are described and illustrations herein , it should be recognized that modifications and variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art and that such modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention . consequently , my invention as claimed below may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described above .	4
the axial piston machine illustrated in fig1 to 4 is of swash plate construction having adjustable displacement volume and one flow direction and includes in known manner as main components a hollow cylindrical housing 1 having one end ( the upper end in fig1 ) open at the end face , a connection block 2 attached to the housing 1 and closing the open end of the housing , a stroke disc or swash plate 3 , a control body 4 , a drive shaft 5 , a cylinder drum 6 and a cooling circuit 7 . 1 ; 7 . 2 ; 7 . 3 and 7 . 4 provided , respectfully , one each , in the associated embodiment of respectively fig1 to 4 of the drawings . the swash plate 3 is formed as so - called tilting rocker having a half - cylindrical cross - section ( c . f . fig5 ) and bears with two bearing surfaces , extending parallel to the tilt direction and with mutual spacing , under hydrostatic balancing , on two correspondingly formed bearing shells 8 which are attached to the inner surface of the housing end wall 9 opposite to the connection block 2 . the hydrostatic balancing is effected in known manner via pressure pockets 10 which are formed in the bearing shells 8 and are supplied with pressure medium via connections 11 . a setting device 13 accommodated in a bulge in the cylindrical housing wall 12 engages the swash plate 3 by means of an arm 14 extending in the direction of the connection block 2 and serves for tilting the swash plate around a tilt axis perpendicular to the tilt direction . the control body 4 is attached on the inner surface of the connection block towards the housing inner chamber and is provided with two through - going openings 15 in the form of kidney - shaped control slots which are connected via a pressure channel 16d and suction channel 16s in the connection block 2 to a pressure and suction line ( not shown ). the pressure channel 16d has a smaller cross - section than the suction channel 16s . the spherically formed control surface of the control body 4 , towards the housing inner chamber , serves as bearing surface for the cylinder drum 6 . the drive shaft 5 penetrates through a through - bore in the housing end wall 9 into the housing 1 and is rotatably mounted by means of a bearing 17 in this through - bore and by means of a further bearing 18 in a narrow bore section of a blind bore 19 in the connection block 2 , which blind bore is widened towards its end , and in a region of a central through - bore 20 in the control body 4 bounding on this narrow bore section . the drive shaft 5 penetrates , in the interior of the housing 1 , further a central through - bore 21 in the swash plate 3 , the diameter of which is dimensioned correspondingly to the largest tilt movement of the swash plate 3 , and a central through - bore , having two bore sections , in the cylinder drum 6 . one of these bore sections is formed in a sleeve - like extension 23 formed on the cylinder drum 6 and extending beyond the end face 22 of the cylinder drum towards the swash plate 3 , via which extension the cylinder drum 6 is connected for rotation with the drive shaft 5 by means of a splined connection 24 . the remaining bore section is formed with a conical development ; it tapers starting from its cross - section of largest diameter near to the first bore section down to its cross - section of smallest diameter near to the end or bearing surface of the cylinder drum 6 abutting on the control body 4 . the annular chamber defined by the drive shaft 5 and this conical bore section is indicated with the reference sign 25 . the cylinder drum 6 has generally axially running , stepped cylinder bores 26 which are arranged evenly on a pitch circle coaxial with the drive shaft axis , and which open at the cylinder drum end face 22 directly and at the cylinder drum bearing surface towards the control body 4 via opening channels 27 on the same pitch circle as the control slots . respective bushes 28 are placed in the cylinder bore sections of larger diameter which open directly at the cylinder drum end face 22 . the cylinder bores 26 together with the bushes 28 are here referred to as cylinders . within these cylinders 26 , 28 , displaceably arranged pistons 29 are provided at their ends towards the swash plates 3 with ball heads , which are mounted in slippers 31 and via these are mounted hydrostatically on an annular slide disc 32 attached to the swash plate 5 . each slipper 31 is provided at its slide surface towards the slide disc 32 with a respective pressure pocket ( not shown ) which is connected with a stepped axial through - channel 34 in the piston 29 via a through - bore 33 in the slipper 31 and in this way is connected with the working chamber of the cylinder bounded by the piston 29 in the cylinder bore 26 . in each axial through - channel 34 in the region of the associated ball head 30 , there is formed a choke . a holding - down device 36 , arranged axially displaceably on the drive shaft 5 by means of the splined connection 24 and acted upon by means of a spring 35 in the direction of the swash plate 3 , holds the slippers 31 in abutment on the slide disc 32 . the space within the housing interior which is not taken up by the components 3 to 6 etc . therein accommodated serves as leakage chamber 37 which receives the leakage fluid emerging in operation of the axial piston machine through all gaps , such as for example between the cylinders 26 , 28 and the pistons 29 , the control body 4 and the cylinder drum 6 , the swash plate 3 and the slide disk 32 , and the bearing shells 8 etc . the functioning of the above - described axial piston machine is generally known and in the following description , relating to use as a pump , is restricted to that which is significant . the axial piston machine is provided for operation with oil as fluid . via the drive shaft 5 , the cylinder drum 6 together with the pistons 29 , is set into rotation . when , through actuation of the setting device 13 , the swash plate 3 is tilted into a tilted position ( c . f . fig5 ) with respect to the cylinder drum 6 , all pistons 29 carry through stroke movements ; with rotation of the cylinder drum 6 through 360 ° c . each piston 29 runs through a suction and a compression stroke whereby corresponding flows of oil are generated , the supply and discharge of which are effected via the opening channels 27 , the control slits 15 and the pressure and suction channels 16d , 16s . thereby , during the compression stroke of each piston 29 , pressure oil runs from the cylinder 26 , 28 concerned via the axial through - channel 34 and through - bore 33 in the associated slipper 31 into the pressure pocket thereof and builds up a pressure field between the slide disc 32 and the respective slipper 31 , which serves as hydrostatic bearing for the latter . further , pressure oil is delivered into the pressure pockets 10 in the bearing shells 8 , for hydrostatic support of the swash plate 3 , via the connections 11 . during the compression stroke , a normal force f n is exercised by the swash plate 3 on each slipper 31 , which force , with negligible friction , acts vertically on the swash plate 3 . in the ball piston 30 , this normal force is resolved into a piston force f k and a radial or transverse force f q . the transverse force f q acts in the ball head 30 on the piston 29 as upon a bar mounted in the cylinder drum 6 , which brings about the axial reaction forces f r , with corresponding spacing of their actions and oppositely directed , indicated in fig5 . thereby , the piston 29 comes into metallic contact with the bush 28 , whereby very high surface compressions can appear , which are the cause of corresponding high frictional forces and therewith heating at the contact point . with conventional axial piston machines , without the cooling circuit 7 . 1 to 7 . 4 in accordance with the invention , this can -- particularly during the start - up phase , in which there is not yet present sufficient piston lubrication by means of the pressure oil in the cylinders 26 , 28 -- lead to seizing of the pistons 29 and therewith to corresponding damage thereof and of the cylinders 26 , 28 . the cooling circuit 7 . 1 to 7 . 4 illustrated with regard to each respectively associated embodiment shown in fig1 through 4 of the invention is connected to the leakage chamber 37 and includes the conical annular chamber 25 ( so - called leakage fluid receiving chamber ), the through - bore 20 in the control body 4 , the blind bore 19 ( so - called further leakage fluid receiving chamber ), a connection line 38 connecting the latter with the leakage chamber 37 , which connection line opens into a circular groove 39 in the inner surface of the connection block 2 , along with the cooling regions associated around the cylinders 26 , 28 , which are connected via supply channels 40 to the conical annular chamber 25 and which open out via discharge channels 41 at the cylindrical boundary surface 42 of the cylinder drum 6 into the leakage chamber 37 . all supply channels 40 open from the conical annular chamber 25 at its cross - section of largest diameter and proceed , as with all discharge channels 41 , in substance radially through the cylinder drum 6 . in the configuration according to fig1 there is associated with each cylinder 26 , 28 a cooling region in the form of an annular chamber 43 which is formed as a circumferential groove in the wall of the cylinder bore section of greater diameter and is covered by the bush 28 . the annular chamber 43 extends from the vicinity of the opening region of the cylinder bore 26 over about two thirds of the length of the same in the direction of the opening channels 27 and thus represents an upper cooling region associated with the upper dead centre position of the piston 29 . a supply channel 40 and a discharge channel 41 open approximately in the middle into the annular chamber 43 and run coaxially with one another . the centrifugal forces which arise in operation of the axial piston machine upon rotation of the drive shaft 5 and the cylinder drum 6 place the leakage oil located in the annular chamber 25 under a slight over - pressure which brings about a leakage oil flow via the supply channels 40 , the annular chambers 43 and the discharge channels 41 to the leakage chamber 37 and from this via the connection line 38 , the blind bore 19 and the through - bore 20 back into the annular chamber 25 . thereby , the energy of motion of the flowing leakage oil is converted into pressure in the annular chamber 25 which widens in the direction of flow and thereby manifests a diffusor effect , which increases the speed of flow in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 . the generated heat in particular upon tilting out of the axial piston pump to greatest displacement volume ( corresponding to the largest tilted position of the swash plate 3 ) due to the correspondingly high reaction forces f r , is to a significant proportion transported away into the leakage chamber 37 by means of the leakage oil flowing into the annular chambers 43 around the bushes 28 . since the pressure difference of at maximum almost 400 bar between the pressure oil delivered by the axial position machine , standing under high pressure , and the leakage oil in the leakage chamber 37 corresponds to a temperature difference of about 7 ° c . per 100 bar , the critical points of the metallic contact between the pistons 29 and the bushes 28 are effectively cooled and thus the seizing of the piston 29 prevented . with continuing operation of the axial piston machine , the leakage oil in the leakage chamber 37 , which becomes warmer , is cooled by flowing through the blind bore 19 in the connection block 2 since this connection block is exposed to the room temperature and is thus cooler than the leakage oil in the leakage chamber 37 . through corresponding configuration of the connection block 2 and of the blind bore 19 , and if appropriate through additional cooling of the same by means of a separate cooling medium , the leakage oil in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 can be held at correspondingly lower temperatures . the cooling circuit 7 . 1 serves exclusively as a cooling circuit , because there is no connection with the cylinders 26 , 28 ( due to the closed annular chambers 43 ). since the above - described axial piston machine is provided for operation with oil , the cooling circuit 7 . 1 can additionally assume a lubrication function if , for example , the annular chambers 43 are connected with the cylinders 26 , 28 by way of corresponding bores through the bushes 28 . the axial piston machine equipped with the cooling circuit 7 . 1 is , for reason of the arrangement of the annular chambers 43 in the opening region for the cylinders 26 , 28 configured for medium power . the cooling circuit 7 . 2 according to fig2 differs from that of fig1 with otherwise similar construction and cooling function , in that its cooling regions have the form of annular grooves 44 which are formed in the bushes 28 and are open towards the interior of the cylinders 26 , 28 . the axial piston machine equipped with the cooling circuit 7 . 2 is , due to the lesser axial width of the annular grooves 44 in comparison to the annular chambers 43 , configured for lesser power than the axial piston machine of fig1 and assumes at the same time an additional lubrication of the pistons 29 . the cooling circuit 7 . 3 according to fig3 differs from that of fig2 with otherwise similar construction and function , in that a distributor groove 45 is connected to each annular groove 44 , which distributor groove is formed in the bush 28 encircling it in a spiral manner and opening out at the end face 22 of the cylinder drum 6 . the effective range of the cylinder grooves 44 with regard to cooling and lubrication is extended up to the opening of the cylinders 26 , 28 by means of the leakage oil flowing out of those grooves via the distributor grooves 45 into the leakage chamber 37 . the cooling circuit 7 . 4 in accordance with fig4 includes for each cylinder 26 , 28 the upper annular chamber 43 illustrated in fig1 however with a lesser axial width , and a further , lower annular chamber 46 of the same dimensions which is formed in the lower end region of the bush 28 , i . e . in the region of the cylinder 26 , 28 above the piston floor 47 when the piston 29 is in the lower dead centre position . at the upper annular chamber 43 there is connected a supply channel 40 and at the lower annular chamber 46 there is connected a discharge channel 41 . for maintaining the leakage oil flow there is provided a distributor channel 48 which connects the two annular chambers 43 , 46 with one another . the cooling circuit 7 . 4 according to fig4 like that according to fig1 does not stand in connection with the cylinders 26 , 28 and thus has solely the function of cooling . since this cooling takes place at the two critical positions of metallic contact between piston 29 and running sleeve 28 , and in the region located therebetween , the cooling circuit 7 . 4 is provided for axial piston machines of very high power . this cooling circuit can find employment for axial piston machines of the highest power when the annular chambers 43 , 46 and if appropriate the distributor channels 48 stand in connection with the cylinders 26 , 28 via corresponding bores through the bushes 28 . the same effect is attained when the annular chambers 43 , 46 , the distributor channels 48 and the above - mentioned bores are replaced by annular grooves and distributor grooves in accordance with fig3 . fig6 shows the cooling circuit 7 . 1 already illustrated in fig1 . however , the exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig6 differs from that according to fig1 in that between the suction channel 16s and the blind bore 19 there is provided a through - bore 51 which connects the suction channel 16s of the axial piston machine with the cooling circuit 7 . 1 . an anti - pulsation choke 50 is arranged in the bore 51 . via the anti - pulsation choke 50 the fluid of the suction channel 16s , which is subjected to a pre - compression , flows into the cooling circuit 7 . 1 , whereby leakage losses are compensated . through the fluid flowing across the choke 50 there is achieved a certain forced flow in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 , whereby the cooling characteristics of the cooling circuit are improved . further , through the supply flow of the fluid from the suction channel 16s , which is at a lower temperature , an effective cooling of the fluid circulated in the cooling circuit 7 . 1 is attained . as a further advantage there is provided , through the employment of the anti - pulsation choke 50 , a reduction of pressure pulsation in the suction channel 16s , which leads to a significant reduction of operation noise . the supply from the suction channel 16s may be arranged at various positions of the axial piston machine and can open into various regions of the cooling circuit . the arrangement of the throttle 50 in the connection block 2 , where the throttle can be integrated in simple manner between the blind bore 19 and the suction channel 16s , is however particularly advantageous . of course , the anti - pulsation choke 50 illustrated in fig6 can also be put to employment with the exemplary embodiments described above with reference to fig2 to 4 , without further ado . the above - mentioned configurations of the cooling regions are exemplary and may be altered to adapt to the operating requirements in each case . thus , it is for example possible , in the cooling circuit according to fig4 to connect the two annular chambers or annular grooves each to a respective supply channel and a discharge channel and to omit the distributor channels or the distributor grooves . the invention can also be realized in bent - axis machines , since also here there can appear radial forces skewing the pistons in the cylinders ; this because of an oblique positioning of the piston or piston rods as a consequence of deviations between the pitch circles of the ball seats in the drive disc , appearing as an ellipse , and the pitch circle of the cylinders .	5
fig2 shows an instrument 10 according to certain aspects of the invention operable with an image - guided surgical navigation system . as described above , an image - guided surgical navigation system can be any of a variety of systems that capture anatomical characteristics and / or other references connected to the body and / or other surgical devices and / or other structures associated with a reference . such a system then tracks parts of the body and the surgical devices relative to one another . generally , reference to a system as “ image - guided ” means that the system produces images by which surgical navigation information is conveyed to the user . for example , a computer display showing virtual representations of an instrument and its relationship with a bone is considered one example of an image - guided system . as shown in fig2 , the position and orientation of instrument 10 are being recorded by placing finger 14 on a portion of a bone reference 15 . as shown , the bone reference 15 is connected to an upper proportion 16 of a femur . the instrument 10 may be used to align fractured segments of a bone such as the upper portion 16 of a femur and a lower portion 20 of the femur shown in fig3 . as illustrated in fig2 , instrument 10 includes an elongated body 11 and a reference 12 that is coupled to the elongated body 11 . fig4 shows elongated body 11 in one embodiment of the invention . as shown , the elongated body 11 is tubular or in similar terminology , cannulated . in other embodiments , the elongated body 11 may be solid . fig2 and 12 illustrate an elongated body 11 greater than half the greatest length of the fractured bone 25 . in other embodiments such as shown in fig1 , the elongated body 11 may be less than or equal to half the greatest length of the fractured femoral bone 26 . the condition of being less than or equal to half the greatest length is not limited to association with the femur , but can be with regard to any bone . the elongated body 11 may be curved as shown in fig1 or substantially straight as shown in fig1 and 16 . the elongated body 11 shown in fig2 and 4 has substantially the same curvature as an implant 21 ( for example , the implant shown in fig3 ). implant 21 may be used to fix bone segments such as upper portion 16 and lower portion 20 in place . the intramedullary reduction device may be bent to follow the shape of whatever implant is used for fixation : im nails , im rods , im hip screws , etc . this has the benefit of positioning the segments in the same position as the subsequent fixation device . however , less exact bends in the elongated body 11 may also be beneficial . the reference 12 enables the instrument 10 to be located by an image - guided surgical navigation system . as illustrated in fig2 , reference 12 is coupled to the elongated body 11 in a predefined physical relationship . fig4 – 11 show one embodiment of a structure for coupling the reference 12 to the elongated body 11 . as illustrated , a bracket 30 is rigidly affixed near a proximal end 17 of the elongated body 11 . as best seen in fig6 – 8 , a dovetail mount 31 is located at one end of the bracket 30 . the dovetail mount 31 is designed to be received by a reference 12 that has a mating dovetail opening ( not shown ). bracket 30 is shown as adapted to slide over proximal end 17 of elongated body 11 . although not shown , it is understood that the bracket may alternatively be a clamp that opens and closes to secure elongated body 11 or any other attachment device or structure suitable for attaching components to each other . those skilled in the art will understand that any member that can rigidly attach reference 12 to instrument 10 is considered a “ bracket ” within the scope of this invention . another embodiment of this invention provides a reference 12 having an integral attachment structure ( not shown ). attachment structure may be a bracket integrally formed with reference 12 or any other connection element that will achieve securement of reference 12 to instrument 10 . fig1 and 15 show articulating brackets 32 releasably movably coupled with elongated body 11 . with such a feature , the instrument 10 can be effectively used on either side of the patient by moving the articulating bracket 32 among two or more predetermined positions . in some embodiments , the instrument 10 is releasably movable between positions located at ninety degree intervals around the elongated body . in other words , viewing elongated body from one end , instrument 10 may be positioned at a first ninety degree position , a second ninety degree position , a third ninety degree position , or a fourth ninety degree position . it is advantageous in some embodiments of the invention to limit the number of positions to which the articulating bracket 32 , and thereby the reference 12 , may be positioned . this is because a predefined physical relationship must be maintained between the elongated body 11 and the reference 12 . by limiting the number of positions , the number of predefined relationships may be more easily defined and tracked . fig5 illustrates an embodiment of the bracket 30 a that is asymmetrically coupled to the elongated body 11 . consequently , if a reference 12 were coupled to the bracket 30 a , the reference 12 would also be asymmetrically fixed relative to the elongated body 11 . such an arrangement may be beneficial to more effective use on a particular side of a patient and is sometimes preferred . in other instances , a reference may be symmetrically coupled to the elongated body 11 . preferences are typically dictated by the ability of the image - guided surgical navigation system to effectively detect a reference in a particular application . in some embodiments , the system &# 39 ; s detector is a line - of - site device . the reference 12 may also include energy - reflecting surfaces 13 that are detectable by a sensor . fig2 shows four such energy - reflecting surfaces 13 mounted on the reference 12 . as illustrated , the energy - reflecting surfaces 13 reflect energy in at least the visible and infrared ranges . however , as discussed in the background section above , various types of energy detectors may be employed . energy - reflecting surface 13 is considered a passive device because it does not internally generate or convert energy to emit . fig1 illustrates an active energy emitting component 23 that is incorporated into an active reference 22 . note that the active reference 22 includes a wire 24 through which electricity is supplied to the active energy emitting components 23 . as shown , there are four active energy emitting components 23 . as with the passive device , the active energy emitting components 23 may be operable with various types of energy detectors . in some embodiments of the invention , the instrument 10 may include a handle 40 ( shown in fig1 , 13 , 21 ) connected at proximal end 17 . such a handle 40 would be useful in manipulating the instrument 10 during a surgical procedure . the handle 30 may or may not be removable from instrument 10 . if handle 40 is not removable , bracket 30 may be a clamp or other device or structure suitable for attaching components to each other . some embodiments of the invention also include a finger 14 , shown for example in fig4 . fig1 shows a variety of finger shapes that may also be advantageous in various embodiments of the invention , although different finger shapes may be preferred for various procedures . note that each of these shapes may be placed on the end of a solid or cannulated elongated body and may themselves be solid or cannulated . the invention may also be embodied in a system for enabling reduction of a fractured bone . the system is operable to virtually represent at least one fractured segment of the bone and virtually represent an instrument for aligning the at least one fractured segment . the system includes a first reference coupled to the at least one fractured segment , and a second reference coupled to the instrument . the first reference may be coupled to a bone segment through which the instrument is inserted . in this case , position and orientation of another segment of the bone would have to be determined as well , which could be accomplished in any technically effective way . alternatively , the first segment could be coupled to a segment of bone toward which the instrument was being directed . in any case , the system also includes a detector operable to collect position and orientation information regarding the at least one fractured segment and the instrument . as discussed in the background section above , the detector could be an infrared camera , visual camera , or any of a variety of sensors capable of detecting any kind of reference or characteristic . the system also includes a data processing device operable to store position and orientation information about one or more fractured segments and the instrument . the data processing device calculates virtual positions of the at least one fractured segment and the instrument based upon inputs from the detector . such calculations could involve matrix transformations , table look - up functionality , or any other operation effective in calculating the respective virtual positions . an indicator device for notifying a user of the relative positions of the at least on fractured segment and the instrument is also provided . such an indicator could be a visual cue on a computer screen such as color changes or alignment of articulating lines , sounds , flashes of light , or any device for showing a changeable condition , or some combination of any of these . another embodiment of the invention is a method of aligning segments of a fractured bone . as shown in fig3 , one method includes attaching a first reference , such as a distal reference 18 , to a first segment of a fractured bone , such as a lower portion 20 . the position and orientation of distal reference 18 may then be recorded relative to a first datum . as used herein , the term “ recording ” includes without limitation capturing or storing in computer memory or on a tangible medium such as film . any such acquisition of information associated with position or orientation , regardless of how transiently maintained in a system , medium , or component is within the definition of recording as used herein . in some embodiments of the invention , recording may include the use of an infrared camera that registers the positions of energy - reflecting surfaces 13 . alternatively , a reference may not be coupled with a segment of bone , but may be attached to a probe . such a probe may be recorded at a predetermined anatomical position and orientation . therefore , by knowing the position of the reference attached to the probe , and the probe &# 39 ; s position and orientation on the anatomy , the position of the anatomy can be calculated . in either case , a position and orientation of the first segment of the bone relative to a second datum is recorded . such a recording may be accomplished by capturing fluoroscopic images of the first segment . as discussed in the background section , the imaging may be through processes other than fluoroscopic imaging , such as ct , mri , or other effective technologies . the first datum may be the same as the second datum , or information relating the first datum and the second datum may be stored such that transforms relating their relative positions may be calculated . as a result , the first segment will be located relative to the first reference . the term “ datum ” as used herein is generally a coordinate system to which three - dimensional association can be made . as such , a number of datums can be defined and then associated to one another by use of three - dimensional transforms , matrix calculations , or the like . such calculations are well - suited to implementation on computing devices . similarly , objects being tracked can be positioned and oriented relative to a single datum . in any case , to effectively track objects &# 39 ; positions and orientations , association among the objects must be established and maintained . a strength of the current system is that sensor or camera positions and orientations and patient and instrument positions and orientations may change relative to one another , but through the tracking that embodiments of the invention provide , accurate location and bone segment alignment can be accomplished . as shown in fig2 , a second reference , such as bone reference 15 , may be attached to a second segment , such as upper portion 16 . as with the first segment and reference , the positions and orientations of the second reference and the second segment are recorded relative to respective third and fourth datums , and the second segment is located relative to the second reference . a third reference is attached to an instrument 10 , such as a reducer . as described above , the reducer is operable to align segments of a fractured bone through the medullary canal of the segments . the term “ reducer ” as used herein may refer more generally to any instrument used to assist with the alignment of bones . as with the first and second references , a position and orientation of the third reference relative to a fifth datum is recorded . in the case of a reducer or other instrument , locating the reducer relative to the third reference is simplified because there is a predetermined relationship between the reducer and the third reference . as discussed in association with the bracket 30 , a single or at least finite number of predetermined relationships between portions of the instrument and the associated reference may be defined . given a predetermined setting of the instrument relative to the reference , tracking of the reference is effective to track the instrument . recording of the third reference position and orientation may be accomplished inter - operatively or prior to the beginning of an operation . once all of the references , segments , and instrument ( or instruments ) have been located , they may all be continuously or intermittently tracked without the use of fluoroscopy for as long as desired . as used herein , “ continuously ” shall mean at a rate that appears substantially continuous to a user , but could include tracking accomplished at a standard electronic sampling rate such as a rate greater than one sample per second . typically , this tracking is accomplished by use of a computer system that is interfaced with an infrared camera or other device , the computer also calculating transforms regarding each datum and its relationship to each other datum . insertion of the instrument 10 may be accomplished prior to , during , or after the process of recording and locating described above . with each of the first segment , the second segment , and the reducer being tracked , the reducer can be aligned with a representation of the second segment . for instance , a surgeon could hold and manipulate a first segment of fractured bone with an inserted reducer while observing a representation of the second segment on a computer screen . the image on the computer screen may also include representations of other bone segments or instruments , such as the reducer . when an indication is received that alignment has been achieved , the surgeon inserts the reducer into the medullary canal of the second segment . the upper portion 16 of a femur shown in fig2 and the lower portion 20 of a femur shown in fig3 are merely examples of the first and second segments . as previously discussed , the fractured bone need not be a femur . additionally , the first and second segments may be either the lower or upper portions of bone , depending upon surgeon preference . in many orthopedic procedures , entry can be made from two or more possible approaches . in some embodiments of the invention , a representation of alignment may include only a representation that the first segment and the second segment , each of which is being tracked , are aligned . in other embodiments , the key to a representation of alignment may be the reducer that is being tracked . in some embodiments of the invention , only two of a first segment , a second segment , and an instrument may need to be recorded , located , and tracked . for example , if two segments are being tracked , alignment of those segments could be indicated to the user . given the fact that the user knows that the reducer is located in the medullary canal of one of the segments , the user would know that the reducer could be pushed into the medullary canal of the other segment . similarly , if only the reducer and the segment into which the reducer is to be inserted second are being tracked , the locations of only that second segment and the reducer could be represented to the user . in this embodiment , the reducer is located in the medullary canal of the other segment . therefore , by aligning the reducer with the segment into which the reducer is to be inserted second , the user has adequate information to accurately complete the procedure . in other embodiments and for some procedures , an at least partially flexible reducer 50 , as shown in fig2 , may be beneficial . for instance , a surgeon may desire to use a flexible reducer if the bone fracture to be aligned or reduced is so misaligned that a rigid reducer is not workable or would be particularly difficult to use . for example , two bone segments of a fracture may be so offset from one another that a rigid reducer would not appropriately engage the second segment . in these instances , the at least partially flexible reducer 50 of the present invention could be used . ( for the purposes of this document , “ at least partially flexible ” and “ flexible ” mean capable of being even slightly flexed or bent , turned , bowed , or twisted , without breaking ; or pliable ; or yielding to pressure , whether strong pressure or slight pressure .) the flexible reducer 50 is at least partially flexible to allow the surgeon to more easily manipulate the flexible reducer 50 in order to properly guide it into the second segment . it should be understood that there may be other instances in which a flexible reduced 50 may be preferred . flexible reducer 50 according to the particular embodiment shown in fig2 features an at least partially flexible elongated portion or shaft 52 . the at least partial flexibility may be provided by a shaft that is hollow , cannulated , or solid . the shaft may have a spiral or helical configuration , a laser cut shaft , a shaft of a material that becomes flexible when subjected to heat ( for example , nitinol ), a shaft of a thin material that permits flexibility , a shaft with a plurality of flexible elements joined by a connection , a shaft having a series of inter - engaged links , a shaft with a plurality of slots ( provided in any configuration ) cut at an angle relative to the shaft , a plastic tube ( or any other material that provides at least partial elasticity ), or any other design that provides a reducer of a flexible nature . examples of flexible shafts are provided in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 053 , 922 , which is incorporated herein by this reference . once flexible reducer 50 has been positioned with respect to both bone segments , the surgeon may wish to impart at least partial rigidity to the flexible reducer 50 in order to more properly align the bone segments . in this instance , flexible reducer 50 can be provided with a separate rigid member ( not shown ), a feature or features on the flexible reducer 50 itself that imparts rigidity to the flexible reducer ( also not shown ), or any structure or mechanism that imparts at least partial rigidity to reducer 50 . for example , the flexible reducer 50 may be provided with a rigid member with an outer diameter smaller than the inner diameter of the flexible reducer 50 , such that inserting the rigid member through the flexible reducer adds rigidity at the desired point in the procedure . alternatively , the flexible reducer 50 itself can be provided with a cable or wire disposed through the flexible reducer 50 such that when the cable or wire is pulled taut , the flexible shaft 52 is forced to undertake at least partial rigidity . flexible reducer 50 may alternatively be provided with a trigger , such that once the trigger is activated , the flexible portions become rigid . the flexible portions may be made rigid by a magnetic force , by a mechanical force , or any other mechanism that imparts at least partial rigidity to the flexible reducer 50 at a specified time during the surgery . it should be understood that any feature that provides an at least partially flexible reducer 50 with at least partial rigidity is considered a feature that imparts at least partial rigidity to the reducer within the scope of this invention . one challenge presented with the use of a flexible reducer 50 is the fact that , by its very nature , it is flexible , and thus , does not retain a rigid position from tip 54 to end 56 in relation to reference 12 . this presents a challenge to the use of the image - guided systems and methods described herein , because the flexible elongated portion 52 will not necessarily remain in a fixed position with respect to the reference 12 ( or any other reference point being used , such as a bone segment , another instrument , a surgical table , etc .) in order to provide the surgeon with accurate cues about its physical position . thus , there is also a need to provide a way to determine the position of the flexible elongated portion 52 when it is flexed in a particular direction . flexible reducer 50 is consequently provided with one or more location elements 75 . one or more location elements 75 assist the determination of at least portions of the physical relationship of the flexible elongated portion 52 with respect to reference 12 . a location element 75 may be provided at or near the tip 54 of flexible elongated portion 52 , at or near the middle of flexible elongated portion 52 , at multiple positions along the flexible elongated portion 52 , or any combination of these positions . the location elements may be spaced as close together or as far apart as necessary . the more location elements 75 provided , the more trackability is provided to flexible elongated portion 52 . location element 75 may be any component or device that permits the physical position of flexible elongated portion 52 to be sensed , detected , imaged , or mapped with respect to reference 12 . for example , location elements 75 may be sensed actively or passively by one or more of the following methods : infrared , visual , reflective , sound , ultrasound , radio waves , mechanical waves , magnetic , electromagnetic , electrical , x - ray , gps systems or chips , transponder , transducer , or any other desired technique . this list is not intended to be inclusive , and any way in which the location of flexible elongated portion 52 can be relayed to a component that can track , sense , image , or map flexible elongated portion 52 for the surgeon to view is considered within the scope of this invention . it should be understood , however , that the flexible elongated portion 52 will be positioned within patient tissue in use , so the location method chosen should be able to sense location element 75 through various tissues , such as bone , muscle , blood , and skin . location elements 75 are preferably configured to sense , track , image , and map the physical position of reducer 50 in any plane , location , and / or orientation . in other words , in addition to sensing and tracking the medial - to - lateral movement of flexible reducer 50 , location elements 75 are also preferably adapted to sense and track anterior - to - posterior movement . location elements may be provided in any configuration or any shape . it is possible for location elements 75 to sense 2 - dimensional movement for a rough view of the reducer &# 39 ; s location and orientation . in other aspects of the invention , the location elements 75 sense 3 - dimensional movement and provide a finer ability to sense and track the location and orientation of reducer 50 . location elements 75 may be provided in any shape or configuration , such as the square - like elements 75 shown in fig2 , oval or round - like elements , cross - shaped elements , band - shaped elements , indented elements , bead - shaped elements , and so forth . location elements may be located along only one side of flexible elongated portion 52 , wrapped around elongated portion 52 , positioned in specific increments from one another , or scattered in various , unequal positions about elongated portion 52 . as previously mentioned , embodiments according to various aspects of this invention may include only a single location element 75 . a single location element 75 may be used to track and sense the location and orientation of elongated portion 52 with respect to reference 12 . to the extent that any other reference point is being used , such as another instrument , a bone segment , or another reference point , it is preferred that two or more location elements 75 be provided . location elements 75 may operate in conjunction with systems which are preferably connected to other systems according to various aspects of the invention which sense and track references 12 , body portions , instruments , components of other devices , and so forth . embodiments of the invention are directed toward enabling reduction of a fractured bone by virtually representing at least one fractured segment of the bone and virtually representing an instrument for aligning two or more segments of bone . as described above , positions and orientations of a segment of bone and an instrument may be recorded and tracked in three - dimensional space with the use of cameras or sensors , imaging devices , and a digital computer . then , through the use of a sound , visualization , or other stimulation , an indication that alignment has been achieved is provided to a user . alternatively or in addition , indications regarding the progress of alignment may be provided to the user . “ tracking ” as defined for use in this embodiment can include both detecting distinguishing characteristics , such as references or instrument configurations , and processing information regarding changes in position and orientation . therefore , embodiments of the invention provide for the location and tracking of bone segments and instruments such that the instruments may be aligned to assist with fixation or therapy . this is accomplished with reduced numbers of x - ray , fluoroscopic , and other such energy - intense imaging devices . there is no requirement for pre - operative imaging or any surgical procedures prior to the primary procedure . with various embodiments of the invention , continuous or nearly continuous monitoring of bone segment and instrument positions is accomplished . therefore , rapid alignment of bone segments and instruments is facilitated using images of at least one of the bone segments in combination with images of one or more implements , instruments , trials , guide wires , nails , reducers , other surgically related items , or other bone segments which are properly positioned and oriented in the images .	0
in fig1 through 4 a structural component designed for use as a door is generally identified by 10 . the structural component 10 is intended for use in an armored land vehicle , for example a military armored personnel carrier , an armored infantry fighting vehicle , an armored reconnaissance vehicle , or a combat tank . by way of introduction it is to be noted that fig1 through 4 do not show the per se known construction of suitable additional armor platings . such an additional armor plating (“ add - on ”) is , however , always mounted at the enemy side on the structural component 10 in the operationally readiness condition of the vehicle , for most effectors or projectiles are nowadays capable of penetrating common basic protection , including for example the structural component 10 . therefore generally modules which are adapted to the respective mission of an additional armor plating are mechanically removably fixed in the form of so - called “ add - on protection ” to a structural component 10 according to the invention in order to increase the protection level and in particular to minimize the risk of penetration of different effectors . such additional armor platings which are not shown in greater detail produce the main contribution to the desired multi - hit capacity , for resistance against “ improvised explosive devices ” ( ieds ) and so - called “ explosive formed projectile ieds ” ( efp - ieds ) which are increasingly occurring . a decisive basic protection function at least in relation to shock waves and fragmentation splinters is however also achieved by the structure ( described hereinafter ) of a structural component 10 as shown in fig1 through 4 . governed by the use involved , the structural component 10 is first of a contour with a flat structure , that is suitable for the intended use , here as a door . the structural component 10 shown in fig1 through 4 is of a two - part construction with an upper portion 12 and a lower portion 14 which are angled from each other by a flexing region 16 , with a suitable angle for example of about 10 - 30 o . the angling configuration by virtue of the flexing region 16 reduces the probability of a highly detrimental perpendicular strike of effectors as at least a partial region of the structural component 10 , for example the upper portion 12 , can be disposed inclined relative to the vertical after being fitted to the vehicle . an opening 17 can be provided , for example for an armored glass window , in the upper portion 12 . for fixing the structural component 10 to a frame of the vehicle , there are provided bores 18 distributed over the periphery , through the structural component 10 . the opening 17 is equally bordered by regularly distributed bores 19 for fixing of the armored glass panel . as can best be seen from fig3 - 4 , the structural component 10 is of a comparatively simple layer structure 20 . the layer structure 20 is only made from two substantial constituent parts , namely a core composite 22 and a fragmentation protection layer 24 at the rear or friend side . the fragmentation protection layer 24 is made for example from a continuous plate - like layer of monolithic high - strength pe of per se known kind , for example dyneema ® from koninklijke dsm n . v ., heerlen , netherlands . other materials suitable as the fragmentation protection can also be used , for example kevlar ® ( from dupont , wilmington , usa ). the fragmentation protection layer 24 is materially bonded as shown in fig1 - 4 by adhesive to the inwardly disposed cover layer 26 of the core composite 24 , but it could also be fixed in another fashion , for example by riveting . the core composite 22 which is essential to the invention in turn substantially only comprises three layers , namely the honeycomb core 25 which extensive in terms of surface area and cover layers 26 on both sides thereof . in this case the honeycomb core 25 is of a known structure with hollow cells in hexagonal cross - sectional form or honeycomb form . the honeycomb core 25 is produced in per se known manner for example using an expansion process . the cell walls in the honeycomb core 25 are directed in the core composite 22 perpendicularly to its areal direction of extension , that is to say horizontally in fig4 . suitable processes for the production of composite panels or the core composite 22 are known to the man skilled in the art . both the honeycomb core 25 and also the cover layers 26 are preferably each made from fcp , wherein different material combinations are considered . highly modular fiber materials like for example glass fiber honeycomb , kevlar ®, nomex ® or other aramide fibers , carbon fibers , or also metal or mineral fibers which impregnated with suitable synthetic resin are hardened to give a highly modular fcp can be recommended for production of the honeycomb core 25 . unimpregnated honeycomb cores 25 of metal film , in particular aluminum film , are also basically suitable . the thickness or wall thickness d 1 of the honeycomb core 25 depends in particular on the weight of the add - on protection to be fitted , wherein d 1 should be in the region of between 0 . 5 cm and 5 cm . single - layer or multi - layer composite materials or also monolithic layers can be used in the core composite 22 as cover layers 26 of the honeycomb core 25 . in particular lightweight materials like grp , crp , aluminum film or also monolithic aramides or other polymers like high - strength pe are considered . the thickness or wall thickness of the cover layers 26 , denoted by d 3 in fig3 , can typically be between 0 . 3 mm and 10 mm depending on the respectively required weight of the basic protection structure , and do not have to be identical on both sides . besides the load - carrying capacity of the core composite 24 , further basic protection functionalities , for example including in relation to fragmentation splinters , can also be adjusted by way of the material and thickness of the cover layers 26 . the cover layers 26 are materially bonded to the honeycomb core 25 by adhesive . the adhesive adopted is an adhesive join which is suitable in accordance with the material pairings of cover layers 26 and honeycomb core 25 . in the case of cover layers 26 and honeycomb core 25 of grp a good adhesive bond can be effected by hardening a thin intermediate layer ( not shown ) of a suitable thermoplastic material . finally , in regard to production of the core composite 22 , it is also to be noted that the angle between the lower portion 12 and the upper portion 14 , that is to say the curvature in the flexing region 16 , is preferably already implemented by plastic deformation and without cutting machining prior to hardening of the fcp cover layers 26 and the adhesive join thereof to the honeycomb core 25 . accordingly in the flexing region 16 in the preferred configuration the honeycomb core 25 is seamlessly continuous or is formed in one piece without a join , in particular without an assembly of two separate honeycomb portions . in fig3 reference d 2 also denotes the wall thickness of the fragmentation protection layer 24 . that wall thickness d 2 in contrast depends substantially purely on the function of the fragmentation protection layer 24 and should preferably be in the region of between 1 cm and 5 cm . tests ( see below ) have shown that in particular high - strength polyethylene ( pe ) is capable of coherently defending against an efd - ied , type 5 ( internal designation of the german federal armed forces ), that is to say with buckling but without cracking or tearing of the fragmentation protection layer 24 . the necessary thickness of a fragmentation protection layer 24 can however vary according to the respective application . a plurality of fixing elements 30 are provided in the structural component 10 on the enemy side for removably fixing an additional armor plating linked to use involved . as shown in fig1 , in the case of symmetrical components , the fixing elements 30 are desirably distributed approximately equally and symmetrically over the area . that achieves a more uniform load distribution , both in regard to weight of the additional armor plating and also and in particular in regard to strike impact forces . to simplify the view , fig1 does not show any fixing elements in the upper portion 14 , but they can also be provided there . preferably , one fixing element 30 is provided approximately per 0 . 2 m 2 - 0 . 5 m 2 . the structure and function of the fixing elements 30 can be seen in greater detail from fig4 . each fixing element is in the form of a flange bush 30 , for example of suitable steel or light metal . the fixing elements 30 can alternatively be made from high - strength plastic . in the illustrated example the flange bush 30 has a female thread 32 into which a suitable pin ( not shown ) is screwed , as a further part of the fixing elements . an additional armor plating is in turn releasably fixed to that pin , wherein the pin is used as a spacer for producing an air gap between the structural component 10 and the additional armor plating . an air gap is typically used , inter alia as that renders certain effectors substantially ineffective against the armor . it will be noted however that the additional armor plating can also be removably screwed on by means of the flange bushes 30 in such a way as to bear directly against the structural component 10 . to increase the load - bearing capability the flange bushes 30 have at their end a flange 34 which is integrally formed thereon . the flange 34 bears in a disc shape against the surface at the enemy side , of the outer cover layer 26 . the flange socket 30 is additionally supported by the flange 34 to achieve improved force transmission to the core composite 22 which is optimized in respect of pressure loading . as can further be seen from fig4 , a respective locally delimited fixing region 40 is also provided for the transmission of force from the fixing element 30 into the core composite 22 . to produce the fixing regions 40 a filling material 42 is already introduced into the cells of the honeycomb core 25 prior to production of the core composite 22 . the filling material 42 is introduced in such a way that all cells within the respectively desired surface regions are completely filled up . a hardenable thermoset is particularly preferably used as the filling material 42 . it is however also possible to use metal , plastic or fiber composite filling materials or other filling material 42 which is usually employed for so - called “ potting .” it is only after the filling material 42 is introduced that the cover layers 26 are applied so that the cover layers , like also the honeycomb core , are bondingly connected to the filling material 42 . that provides overall for a high resistance force against pressure and tension in each fixing region 40 , such force still exceeding that of the rest of the surface of the core composite 22 . to minimize weight the smallest possible amount of filling material 42 overall should be used . the hardened filling material 42 is then bored to produce a blind hole which projects to just before the inner cover layer 26 , that is to say at the friend side . then , as shown in fig4 , a respective flange bush 30 is anchored in each fixing region 40 as a fixing element , in the blind hole of the finished core composite 22 . anchoring is effected by suitable adhesive involving bonding between the materials , depending on the pairs of materials respectively used for the filling material 42 and the flange bush 30 , in the blind hole of the core composite 22 . flange bushes 30 can however also be anchored in bores passing through the core composite 22 . the fragmentation protection layer 24 is at any event not adversely affected by the flange bush 30 or its bore . that provides that the fixing element in the form of the flange bush 30 is also secured in relation to tensile force generated by the weight of the additional armor plating . finally , key data relating to specific prototypes and test results achieved therewith are set forth below : in a blast impact test initially without additional armor plating dynamic buckling was measured with tnt with steel collars in direct comparison with armor steel of an 8 mm wall thickness . the maximum value ( peak ) of the dynamic buckling was surprisingly only ⅔ in the result , that is to say 66 % of the dynamic buckling of the comparative test sample of armor steel . in a further test , to simulate an additional armor plating ( add - on ) a ceramic plate of about 5 cm wall thickness and while retaining about a 10 cm air gap was fixed to the fixing elements 30 of a structural element 10 as shown in fig1 through 4 , with the dimensioning of example 1 . that structure was bombarded from a distance of 5 m with an efp - ied ( internal german federal armed forces designation : efp - ied , type 5 , coherent ). protection from ballistic action was admittedly achieved primarily by the additional armor plating , but that was pierced by the efp - ied projectile . the projectile was contained with buckling but without cracking or tearing in the integrated fragmentation protection layer 24 ( spall liner ) of the layer structure 20 . this prototype of example 2 , which in spite of the same total thickness d 4 is still lighter , was subjected to a stricter blast impact test with spherical tnt charge in the miedas test installation ( meppen improvised explosive device assessment structure ). to simulate a less impact - resistant additional armor plating an armor steel plate which was only 3 mm in thickness was screwed without an air gap directly on to the structural component 10 , with the dimensions of example 2 . in spite of the wall thickness of the cover layers 26 , that is reduced by more than an order of magnitude , and the markedly increased explosive force , buckling without cracking could also be achieved in that test . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof . it is understood , therefore , that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed , but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	5
describing now the drawings , in all of the herein illustrated embodiments and variants the clamping or chucking apparatus of the invention is assigned the task of providing a rigid or fixed but easily and rapidly releasable connection between a shaper cutter 10 , which serves for generating shaping externally teethed gears in the illustrated examples , and a ram spindle 12 of a generating gear shaping machine . the ram spindle 12 is guided to be axially displaceable in a shaping or ram head 14 of the gear shaping machine by means of two guide bushings or sleeves 16 and 18 which are mounted in the shaping or ram head 14 . for the axial to - and - fro displacement movements and the rotation of the ram spindle 12 there are provided conventional drive means which are therefore not particularly illustrated in detail in the drawings . at a shaper cutter holder 20 there is formed a centering body or element 22 which engages into a corresponding bore section 12 &# 39 ; in the lower portion or end region of the ram spindle 12 which is drilled or otherwise machined to be hollow throughout its entire length . thus , the centering body 22 centers the cutter holder 20 in a most accurate manner with respect to the ram spindle 12 . with the embodiment according to fig1 the centering body 22 and the related bore section 12 &# 39 ; of the ram spindle 12 have a substantially conical shape . inserted into the cutter holder 20 and arranged substantially axially parallel thereto is a fitting bolt 24 which engages into a radial slot or keyway 26 provided at the lower end face 12 &# 34 ; of the ram spindle 12 , so that the cutter holder 20 is arrested in its position . thus , a precise positional correlation between the cutter 10 and the workpiece or blank can be achieved . on its side facing away from the ram spindle 12 the cutter holder 20 is provided with a contact surface 28 normal to the lengthwise axis of the ram spindle 12 and a centering projection 30 for the shaper cutter 10 , as can be best seen by referring to the lower portion of the drawings of fig1 . the cutter holder 20 further comprises another axially parallel fitting bolt 32 which engages into a radial slot or keyway 34 of the shaper cutter 10 , so that such shaper cutter 10 is located in a predetermined position with respect to the centering body 22 . from the centering projection 30 there protrudes axially downwards a clamping mandrel or plug 36 which piercingly extends through the shaper cutter 10 and carries a chucking or clamping plate 38 which maintains the shaper cutter 10 clamped between itself and the contact surface 28 of the cutter holder 20 . with the embodiment according to fig1 the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 and the cutter holder 20 are constructed as one piece in conventional manner and are threadably connected or screwed to the chucking or clamping plate 38 , which is therefore formed in this case substantially like a nut member in the embodiment under discussion . guided in the hollow ram spindle 12 is a piston or piston member 40 which is connected to the cutter holder 20 by means of a rapidly releasable coupling or coupling means 42 which is formed as a substantially bayonet - like closure or fastening device for transmitting axial tension or tractive forces . according to the arrangement of fig1 the coupling 42 is formed by a bayonet pin 44 or equivelent structure which is arranged at the upper end of the cutter holder 20 and a complementary recess or opening 46 formed at the piston 40 . in an angular position which is turned by 90 ° with respect to the position shown in fig1 the bayonet pin 44 can be inserted into the recess 46 when the piston 40 has reached its lower terminal or end position . by subsequently turning through 90 ° the cutter holder 20 reaches the position indicated in fig1 and there is established a tension - proof connection between the piston 40 and the cutter holder 20 and the head 24 &# 39 ; of the fitting bolt 24 of the cutter holder 20 engages into the related slot or keyway 26 of the ram spindle 12 . by means of a pin or bolt 48 or the like which is arranged in an axially parallel orientation within the ram spindle 12 , the piston 40 is kept from rotating in relation to the ram spindle 12 . with its upper end face 40 &# 39 ; the piston 40 delimits a cylinder chamber 50 within the ram spindle 12 . this piston or piston member 40 is provided with a piston rod 52 which extends upwards through an insert member or insert 54 which is threaded into the ram spindle 12 . the insert 54 is provided with axially extending substantially parallel channels 56 , so that the cylinder or compartment chamber 50 flow communicates with a space or chamber 50 &# 39 ; located above the insert 54 . threaded or otherwise appropriately affixed to the upper end of the piston rod 52 are nuts or nut members 58 which maintain clamped between themselves and the insert 54 a spring arrangement 60 having a considerable prebiasing or prestressing for instance 600 kp . in all exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings , the spring arrangement 60 is composed , for instance , of a number of plate springs 62 and two intermediate disks 64 . the space or chamber 50 &# 39 ; which flow communicates with the cylinder chamber 50 and contains the spring arrangement 60 is connected to a pressure medium connection or stud 70 of a standard source of pressurised medium by means of radial channels or bores 66 provided in the ram spindle 12 and an annulus or annular space 68 located in the upper guide bushing or sleeve 16 . the pressure medium connection 70 , as stated , can be connected to a herein not particularly illustrated but conventional pressure medium source . as long as no pressure is present in the cylinder chamber 50 , the entire prebiasing or prestressing force of the spring arrangement 60 is transmitted via the piston rod 52 and the coupling 42 to the cutter holder 20 in the form of a force which is directed axially upwards . thus , the cutter holder 20 and together therewith the shaper cutter 10 are clamped to the ram spindle 12 . however , if the cylinder chamber or compartment 50 is placed under a pressure which emanates from the above - mentioned pressure medium source and causes a downwardly directed force to impinge upon the piston 40 and which force is greater than the prebiasing force of the spring arrangement 60 , then the piston 40 and together therewith the coupling 42 move downwards . thus , the cutter holder 20 together with the shaper cutter 10 can easily be turned or rotated through 90 ° and removed from the ram spindle 12 . the embodiment illustrated in fig2 and 3 differs from that of fig1 primarily in that here the cutter holder 20 is provided with a substantially cylindrical centering body 22 and is screwed or threadably connected to the lower end of the ram spindle 12 by means of screws or threaded bolts 72 or the like , of which only one has been shown in the drawings . another important difference in relation to fig1 exists in the fact that here the clamping mandrel or plug 36 is constructed as a separate component or element . this clamping mandrel or plug 36 is guided to be axially displaceable in the cutter holder 20 , extends therethrough in an upward direction and with its upper end is threaded or screwed into the piston 40 . with this embodiment , the rapidly releasable coupling 42 is formed by a bayonet pin 44 provided at the lower end of the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 and a complementary recess 46 or the like provided in the chucking or clamping plate 38 . thus , the coupling 42 connects the piston 40 via the clamping plate 38 and the shaper cutter 10 with the cutter holder 20 , rather than directly connecting such piston 40 with the cutter holder 20 . all components or elements which are arranged above the piston 40 are arranged and constructed in the same manner as previously illustrated and described in connection with fig1 and are therefore only partially illustrated in fig2 . with the embodiment according to fig2 and 3 the force which is exerted by the spring arrangement 60 upon the piston rod 52 in axial upward direction , is transmitted from the piston 40 to the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 , from that location via the coupling 42 and the clamping plate 38 to the shaper cutter 10 and from there finally to the cutter holder 20 . for exchanging the shaper cutter 10 , as likewise was described with reference to fig1 the cylinder chamber 50 is placed under pressure by the pressure medium source , so that the piston 40 overcomes the clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 and downwardly displaces the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 . a minimal displacement is sufficient for neutralizing or eliminating the effect of the clamping force which acts upon the coupling 42 . thereafter , the clamping plate 38 can be effortlessly turned through 90 ° with respect to the position indicated in fig2 and downwardly removed away from the clamping mandrel or plug 36 . at the same time or thereafter the shaper cutter 10 can be downwardly detached from the centering body 22 . such detachment is facilitated in that the massive centering projection 30 shown in fig1 has been here replaced by a ball - bearing or ball guide 30 &# 39 ; which centers the shaper cutter 10 with respect to the cutter holder 20 . the embodiment according to fig4 differs from the embodiment shown in fig2 and 3 in that here the coupling 42 between the lower end of the clamping mandrel or plug 36 -- also may be referred to as a spindle -- and the clamping plate 38 is formed by a threaded connection , generally indicated by reference character 110 . although this threaded connection 110 does not need to be constructed in a different way than with comparable or similar clamping or chucking apparatuses of the prior art , it nonetheless forms a rapidly and easily releasable coupling , because in this case the threaded connection 110 can be relieved from any axial chucking or clamping force , since the cylinder chamber or compartment 50 is placed under pressure in the afore - described manner . the embodiment according to fig4 further differs from the embodiment shown in fig2 and 3 in that in this case the cutter holder 20 is not directly bolted or threadably connected to the ram spindle 12 , but rather by means of a bushing - shaped or sleeve - like intermediate element 76 . extending through this intermediate element 76 is a traction or tension rod 78 which at its upper end is permanently screwed into the piston 40 . at the neighborhood of its lower end the intermediate element 76 is provided with a substantially ring - shaped or annular piston surface 80 which faces away from the clamping mandrel or spindle 36 , i . e . is here directed upwards with respect to the showing of fig4 . the piston face or surface 80 , or rather more exactly stated a substantially ring - shaped or annular seal 82 which is arranged forwardly thereof , bounds a space or chamber 84 within the intermediate element 76 . by means of channels 86 provided in the intermediate element 76 and the cutter holder 20 this space or chamber 84 flow communicates with a space or chamber 88 arranged within the cutter holder 20 . the upper end of the space or chamber 88 is bounded by a substantially ring - shaped or annular piston surface or face 90 and a forwardly arranged seal 92 respectively , which faces the shaper cutter 10 , i . e . is here directed downwards with respect to the showing of fig4 . the piston surface or face 90 is formed at the clamping mandrel 36 and is larger in size by a multiple than the size of the piston surface 80 . the lower end of the space or chamber 88 is closed by a further seal 94 which is supported by the cutter holder 20 . the chambers 84 and 88 and the channels 86 are entirely filled with an incompressible pressure medium , e . g . &# 34 ; mipolam &# 34 ;, and form a self - contained system which constitutes a hydraulic pressure intensifier or pressure step - up system . if the cylinder chamber 50 is pressureless and the clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 therefore is a tension or tractive force which is directed upwards and transmitted from the piston rod 52 to the traction rod 78 , the piston surface 80 of the traction rod 78 exerts a pressure upon the liquid medium in the chamber 84 . this pressure propagates to the chamber 88 and acts upon the larger piston surface or face 90 . as a result , the chucking or clamping mandrel 36 is pushed upwards by a force which is a multiple of the clamping force exerted by the spring arrangement 60 . such increased force is transmitted via the coupling 42 to the clamping plate 38 , so that the same clamps the shaper cutter 10 to the cutter holder 20 by means of a force which is correspondingly intensified with respect to the embodiment according to fig2 and 3 . the embodiment according to fig5 differs from the heretofore described embodiments in the first instance in that there are here omitted the insert 54 located above the piston 40 and the nuts 58 which are arranged at the upper end of the piston rod 52 . the upper end of the piston rod 52 is guided to be axially displaceable in a bushing or sleeve 96 which is arranged internally of the ram spindle 12 and supported at its upper end at this ram spindle 12 . the spring arrangement 60 is clamped between the bushing or sleeve 96 and the piston 40 , upon which it exerts a clamping force which is directed axially downwards . when the apparatus is in operation , this clamping force is transmitted to an axially arranged pressure rod or bar 98 . according to the showing of fig5 the lower end of the pressure rod 98 is guided to be axially displaceable in the clamping mandrel 36 and its upper end is likewise guided for axial movement in the substantially bushing - shaped intermediate element 76 . the clamping mandrel or spindle 36 , in turn , is guided to be axially displaceable in the intermediate element 76 . this intermediate element 76 is prevented from performing axial displacements with respect to the ram spindle 12 in that it is screwed to the cutter holder 20 . an involuntary release of this threaded connection is prevented by means of a radially arranged stud screw 100 or equivalent structure . by means of a fitting spring 102 the clamping mandrel 36 is prevented from rotating with respect to the intermediate element 76 , and thus , with respect to the ram spindle 12 . axially clamped between the clamping mandrel 36 and the intermediate element 76 is a pressure spring 104 which has the tendency to downwardly displace the clamping mandrel 36 . according to the embodiment of fig5 the chucking or clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 which is directed axially downwards is transmitted from the piston 40 to the pressure rod or bar 98 . the lower end face of the pressure rod or bar 98 acts as the smaller piston face or surface 80 and via a forwardly located seal 82 pressurizes a medium or liquid contained in chamber 84 , as previously described with reference to the embodiment according to fig4 . in the same manner as with the embodiment of fig4 here also the pressure propagates through channels 86 to the space or chamber 88 and acts upon a larger piston surface or face 90 which faces the shaper cutter 10 , and thus , is directed downwards according to the showing of fig5 . thus a correspondingly intensified chucking or clamping force is transmitted via the coupling 42 to the clamping plate 38 , and from there via the shaper cutter 10 finally to the cutter holder 20 . by means of this force the shaper cutter 10 is positively clamped at the cutter holder 20 and connected to the ram spindle 12 . just as in the embodiment according to fig2 to 4 , the threaded screws or bolts 72 in the embodiment according to fig5 are only of importance in the event that the cylinder chamber or compartment 50 is pressurized and as a result thereof the clamping force of the spring arrangement 60 at the clamping mandrel or spindle 36 is therefore not effective . while there are 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 embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims . accordingly ,	1
by properly proportioning the synthetic high polymers , and / or an emulsion from the group of the silicon organic compounds with respect to the aqueous silica sol , and also by a variation of the refractory material used as a filler , the back - up dip can be adapted to the respective conditions or requirements . in this connection , one proposal of the invention suggests for the binder to contain 2 to 20 % by volume , in particular 14 to 18 % by volume , of synthetic high polymers . another proposal suggests that the binder contains 2 to 20 % volume , in particular 3 to 7 % by volume , of a synthetic high polymer to which are added 0 . 2 to 20 % by weight , referred to the weight of the synthetic polymer , of an emulsion from the group of the silicon - organic compounds . it has also been found to be very convenient to use an emulsion of the group of the silicon - organic compounds with droplet sizes & lt ; 200 nm . in addition , the aqueous colloidal silica sol can contain 0 to 20 % by weight of the total water content of the binder , in particular 0 . 005 to 15 % by weight of an emulsion of the group from the silicon - organic compounds . it is also possible to add a surfactant or surface tension - reducing agent to the binder , in particular in a quantity of 0 . 08 % by volume , referred to the volume of the dip - coat mass . the surfactant assists the uniform distribution of colloidal silica sol , high polymer and / or an emulsion from the group of silicon - organic compounds , and improves the wettability of the dip - coat mass without affecting the silica sol , the high polymers and / or the emulsion from the group of the silicon - organic compounds . to prevent segregation of the colloidal silica sol and the high polymers in the case of the long storage times it may be of an advantage to prepare the dispersion of aqueous silica sol and synthetic high polymers and to process it into the dip - coat mass only shortly before it is used . a high polymer which possesses the desired properties has the following characteristic data : ______________________________________solids 50 +/- 1 % by weightviscosity at 20 ° c . 800 to 1500 mpa · s ( d = 57 . sup .- 1 ) ph - value 7 . 0 to 8 . 5density approx . 1 . 02 g / ccmfilm condition viscoplastic , waterproof , alkaliproof or alkali - resistant______________________________________ an emulsion of the above mentioned silicon - organic compounds which possesses the desired properties has the following characteristic data : ______________________________________quantity of solids 52 to 57 % by weightviscosity 25 mpa · sdensity approx . 1 g / ccmsolvent waterph - value 7 to 9______________________________________ in the following , the invention is described on the basis of application examples : ______________________________________binder approx . 30 % of colloidal silica sol or other aqueous colloidal silica solsdeluting agent : deionised water , if requiredhigh polymer as film form - e . g . aqueous high - polymer dis - ing agent : persion with hydrophobic making character and / or hydrophobic character and / or emulsion from the group of silicon - organic compoundsfiller : filler is the ceramic refractory material which is mixed into the colloidal silica - sol binder with the addition of high polymers and / or an emulsion from the group of silicon - organic compounds , in order prepare the dip . it consists of approx . 45 % by weight of fused silica - 12 mesh to & lt ; 350 mesh , approx . 45 % by weight and approx . 10 % by weight of zircon silica 350 meshstuccoing material for the zircon - silica sand1st and 2nd layer : stuccoing material for the aluminum silica3rd layer : 3rd layer = 1st back - up layerstuccoing material for the mixture of 50 % mullite and4th and all following layers : 50 % aluminum silicate grain size 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 mm______________________________________ in a mixing vessel of 600 mm diameter and 650 mm height the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 41 . 5 % by weight = 94 kg2 . filler 58 . 5 % by weight = 132 kg3 . total quantity 141 1 = 226 kg back - up dip4 . the 94 kg of binder , corre - sponding to 82 1 , consist of : 56 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 13 1 of deionished water 13 1 of high polymer5 . the 132 kg of filler consists of : 59 . 5 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 350 mesh 59 . 5 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 13 kg of zircon powder 350 mesh______________________________________ the resulting zahncup no . 2 viscosity of the back - up dip was 22 sec . by increasing the filler quantity to 63 % by weight the zahncup no . 2 viscosity was increased to 37 sec . and was thus within the range of the rated viscosity of 33 to 41 sec . wax clusters from production and 2 clusters of bending specimens were provided , as usual , with the 1st and 2nd dip coat and then immersed into the back - up of the above described composition as follows : 1 . immersion of the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by hand with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up dip - coat applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by hand with 50 % aluminum silicate and 50 % mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . this means that the shells were completed in a 2 - shift operation . the relative humidity was 50 ± 5 % and the ambient temperature 23 °± 1 ° c . drying was performed partially with fan assistance . the resulting multiple - core castings were of very good quality . the following average bending strength values were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramicflat specimens σ bb : ______________________________________green 349 n / cm . sup . 2fired 309 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 400 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ in a production mixing vessel the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 37 % by weight = 423 kg2 . filler 63 % by weight = 720 kg3 . total quantity of the 630 1 = 1143 kg back - up4 . the 423 kg of binder , corre - sponding to 367 1 , consist of 251 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 58 1 of deionished water 58 1 of high polymer5 . the 720 kg of filler consist of : 327 . 5 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 350 mesh 327 . 5 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 65 kg of fused silica 350 mesh______________________________________ the ph - valve of the finished back - up ranged between 9 and 10 units . the actual viscosity was within the range of the rated viscosity , i . e . between 33 and 21 sc . according to zahncup 2 . the theoretical quantity of solids of colloidal sio 2 in the binder was calculated to be 21 . 5 %. the theoretical quantity of solids of high polymers in the binder was calculated to be approx . 7 %. the total quantity of solids of colloidal sio 2 and high polymer in the binder was approx . 28 . 5 %. after the application of the 1st and 2nd dip the following dipping cycle was adhered to by means of a robot : 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with 50 % of aluminum silicate and 50 % of mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . the respective shells were produced in a 2 - shift operation . a total of 1 . 334 clusters were produced . the following average bending strength values ( σ bb ). were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens σ bb______________________________________green 450 to 660 n / cm . sub . 2fired 480 to 660 n / cm . sub . 2fired 590 to 870 n / cm . sub . 2______________________________________ in a production mixing vessel the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 36 % by weight = 434 . 8 kg2 . filler 64 % by weight = 737 . 7 kg3 . total quantity of the 636 . 7 1 = 1172 . 5 kg back - up dip4 . the 360 . 2 1 of binder consist of : 247 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 57 . 2 1 of deionished water 56 1 of high polymer5 . the 737 . 7 kg of filler consist of : 335 . 3 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 120 mesh 335 . 3 kg of mullite powder 130 mesh 67 . 1 kg of zircon silicate 350 mesh______________________________________ the ph - value of the finished back - up dip ranged between 9 and 10 units . the actual viscosity was within the range of the rated viscosity which , for reasons of production , had been changed in the meantime , i . e . between 28 and 36 sec . according to zahncup 2 . the total quantity of solids of colloidal sio and high polymer in the binder was approx . 28 . 25 %. relative air humidity inside the dipping room 50 ± 5 %. temperature inside the dipping room 23 °± 1 ° c . drying time between individual back - up layers = 2 . 5 to 3 hours . after the application of the 1st and 2nd dip the following dipping cycle was adhered by means of a robot : 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with 50 % of aluminum silicate and 50 % of mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . the respective shells were produced in a 2 - shift operation . a total of 333 clusters were produced . the following average binding strength values ( σ bb ) were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens σ bb : ______________________________________green 417 n / cm . sup . 2fired 582 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 696 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ in a production vessel of 600 mm diameter and 630 mm height the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 36 % by weight = 73 . 7 kg2 . filler 64 % by weight = 130 . 9 kg3 . total quantity of the 113 1 = 204 . 6 kg back - up dip4 . the 73 . 7 kg , corre - sponding to 61 . 6 1 , consist of : 58 . 7 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 2 . 9 1 of high polymer with addition agent5 . the 130 . 9 kg of filler consists of : 59 . 5 kg of fused silica powder - 120 mesh 59 . 5 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 11 . 9 kg of zircon silicate 350 mesh______________________________________ the resulting zahncup no . 2 viscosity was 43 sec . by reducing the filler quantity to approx . 61 % by weight the zahncup no . 2 viscosity was reduced to 36 sec . and was thus within the range of the rated viscosity of 28 to 36 sec . wax clusters from production and 2 clusters of bending specimens were provided , as usual , with the 1st and 2nd dip coat and then immersed into the back - up dip of the above described composition as follows : 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing with 50 % aluminum silicate grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm , by hand . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by hand with 50 % aluminum silicate and 50 % mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 and 4 . this means that the shells were completed in a 2 - shift operation . the relative humidity was 50 ± 5 % and the ambient temperature 23 °± 1 ° c . the resulting multiple - core castings were of very good quality . the following average bending strength values were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens σ bb : ______________________________________green 366 to 394 n / cm . sup . 2fired 558 to 684 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 725 to 807 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ in a production mixing vessel the following back - up dip was prepared : ______________________________________1 . binder 37 % by weight = 426 kg2 . filler 63 % by weight = 726 kg3 . total weight of the 637 = 1152 kg back - up dip4 . the 426 kg of binder , corre - sponding to 360 1 , consist of : 331 1 of aqueous colloidal 30 % silica sol 29 1 of an emulsion of a silica - organic compound5 . the 726 kg of filler consist of : 330 kg of fused silica powder & lt ; 120 mesh 330 kg of mullite powder 150 mesh 66 kg of zircon powder 350 mesh______________________________________ the ph - value of the finished back - up dip ranged between 9 and 10 units . the actual viscosity was within the range of the rated viscosity , i . e . between 24 and 28 sec . according to zahncup 2 . the relative air humidity inside the dipping room was 50 ± 5 %. temperature inside the dipping room : 23 °± 1 ° c . drying time between individual back - up layers : 2 . 5 to 3 hours . after the application of the 1st and 2nd dip - coat the following dipping cycle was adhered to by means of a robot . 1 . immersion for the 1st back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with aluminum silicate , grain size 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . 2 . drying of the back - up layer applied 2 . 5 to 3 hours . 3 . immersion for the 2nd back - up layer into the back - up dip and stuccoing by means of a robot with 50 % aluminum silicate and 50 % mullite , grain size 0 . 3 to 1 . 0 mm . 5 . 3rd , 4th and 5th back - up layer same as under 3 . and 4 . above . the following average bending strength values ( σ bb ) were measured on ceramic flat specimens : ______________________________________condition of the ceramic flat specimens : σ bb : ______________________________________green 400 to 600 n / cm . sup . 2fired 470 to 690 n / cm . sup . 2fired and redipped 620 to 750 n / cm . sup . 2______________________________________ while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .	2
fig1 shows a mark recognition means 12 for recognizing a defect information mark m attached to a vehicle body b which is an inspected object , also shown is a water jet robot 14 which is a non - contact processing means for removing a defect portion r1 ( fig2 ) from the body b with no contact in accordance with the defect information mark m recognized by the mark recognition means 12 . as shown in fig2 the defect information mark m includes a removal area mark m1 specifying the defect portion r1 and a surrounding removal area r2 ( including the defect portion r1 . also shown is a removal speed mark m2 for specifying a removal speed for a water jet w ( fig1 ), in other words , a scan speed of a nozzle 14n . a jet type mark m3 for specifying the strength , the shape , or the like of the water jet w is also provided . the removal area mark m1 is torus shaped having an inside diameter d1 and an outside diameter d2 and includes the removal area r2 . thus , a size of the removal area mark m1 is changed depending on a size of the removal area r2 and is always greater than that of the removal area r2 . therefore , the removal area mark m1 is easily recognized in the image processing . the removal speed mark m2 is circular and the number thereof exhibits a removal speed . the jet type mark m3 is rectangular and the number thereof exhibits , for example , spray strength . the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are disposed adjacent to the removal area mark m1 . preferably , shapes of the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are simple in order to facilitate easy recognition , and have distinct features to avoid confusing them . the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 can be omitted . in this case , standard removal speed and jet types are preset . if the numbers of the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are set between 0 and 3 respectively , sixteen ( 4 × 4 ) combinations thereof can be set as the removal conditions . the number of removal speed marks m2 and jet type marks m3 represent information , for example , the information shown in fig3 . in this embodiment , the mark is stamped and recognized in such a way shown in fig3 . referring to fig4 a removal area mark m11 encloses a remove area r12 &# 39 ; including a defect portion r11 , with an elongated loop . thus , a shape of the removal area mark m11 is not limited to be torus shaped . any shape may be allowed as long as the removal area mark m11 encloses the remove area r12 and is a closed loop . in the embodiment shown in fig4 the removal area mark m11 is inscribed with a felt pen . the defect information mark m may also be painted with an aqueous paint including a fluorescent substance . the fluorescent substance emits lights upon receiving a uv ray . referring back to fig1 the mark recognition means 12 is composed of , for example , an uv lamp 121 for embossing the defect information mark m , a ccd camera 122 for inputting an image including the defect information mark m , a robot 123 mounted to the ccd camera 122 , a recognition controller 124 for controlling the ccd camera 122 and the robot 123 , and an image processor 125 for extracting the defect information mark m based on the image obtained through the ccd camera 122 to specify a position of the defect information mark m . the recognition controller 124 and the image processor 125 are composed of , for example , a microcomputer and are operated by a control program and an image processing program , respectively . the water jet robot 14 is composed of , for example , an water jet processing machine 141 , a robot 142 mounted to the water jet processing machine 141 and a removal controller 143 for controlling the water jet processing machine 141 and the robot 142 . the water jet processing machine 141 refers to a machine tool for processing by spraying water from the nozzle 14n with high pressure . the remove controller 143 is composed of , for example , a microcomputer and is operated by a control program . the defect information mark m may be attached to the body b by a visually inspecting operator or system . a conveyor then carries the body b in front of the mark recognition means 12 . the uv lamp 121 radiates uv rays onto the whole body b . the defect information mark m receives the uv rays and emits light . the status is then recorded by the ccd camera 122 . the robot 123 moves the ccd camera 122 in three - dimensions . the ccd camera 122 then outputs image signals of the whole body b to the recognition controller 124 . the image processor 125 inputs the image signals and position information of the ccd camera 122 from the recognition controller 124 , extracts the defect information mark m from the image signals , calculates a position coordinate of the removal area r2 from the removal area mark m1 and decodes the removal speed and the jet types from the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 . the removal area mark m1 should be large enough to be recognized easily . once the removal area mark m1 is recognized , the removal speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 therearound can also be easily recognized . because the defect information mark m is light - emitting , the defect information mark m can be extracted depending on a degree of the light intensity output to the removal . accordingly , the defect information mark m is extremely easily recognized . in this way , the information obtained in the image processor 125 is output to the removal controller 143 . then , the body b is carried in front of the water jet robot 14 . the removal controller 143 controls the robot 142 and the water jet processing machine 141 based on the information input from the image processor 125 . in other words , the nozzle 14n of the water jet processing machine 141 is moved at a designated scan speed within the removal area r2 via the robot 142 to spray the water jet w within the removal area r2 according to the specified jet type . a diameter of the water jet w can be easily reduced by the nozzle . therefore , micro remove area r2 can also be removed . the water jet processing machine 141 does not directly contact the removal area r2 unlike a sanding machine . consequently , a base coat of the removal area r2 is unlikely to be damaged . referring to fig5 to remove coating defects from a four - wheeled vehicle body , a plurality of cameras is used . in the embodiment shown in fig5 two ccd cameras 16 are focused on an engine hood , four ccd cameras 17 on a roof and two ccd cameras 18 on a trunk lid . respective photograph areas are shown by chain double - dashed lines . when the mark is recognized within the camera range , the body surface having the mark is recorded by a mark pick - up camera 20 . accordingly , the mark can be photographed with a sufficient magnification for image processing , even if the mark m is attached where both camera ranges 16 are overlapped as shown in fig5 or if the mark is small . output from the respective cameras are input to the image processor 125 . depending on the recognition result from the image processor 125 , the robot 142 is driven . in addition , if the mark pick - up camera 20 photographs , records , or takes an image of the mark , posture information of the mark pick - up camera is stored . in other words , if the robot 142 supporting the mark pick - up camera 20 has , for example , five axes , angle information for each of the five axes is stored . the angle information is used for controlling the robot 142 supporting the water jet . when the mark pick - up camera is positioned on the mark , zooming is then performed . the mark pick - up camera photographs around and at a constant distance from the closed loop to verify whether or not the remove speed mark m2 and the jet type mark m3 are attached . referring to fig6 a , in the closed loop image recognition , if scanning begins at an upper left pixel , a pixel being at ( x1 , y1 ) is first found . once the pixel is found , it tracks , for example , in a clockwise direction 23 , how far an outside perimeter from the pixel continues . after tracking around the perimeter , it reaches the initial pixel at ( x1 , y1 ). if it does not reach the initial pixel , the outside perimeter is not a closed loop . after tracing the outside perimeter , its pixel column and an approximate function thereof are stored . scanning continues in scanning direction ( value y ) of the initial pixel at ( x1 , y1 ) to a downward direction to find an end pixel at ( x2 , y2 ). then , it tracks , for example , counterclockwise 24 to extract an inside perimeter . pixel column and an approximate function of the inside perimeter are also stored . if the tracking directions of the outside and the inside perimeters are different in capturing the closed loop , the closed loop can be clearly defined and handled in the processing thereafter . needless to say , various methods for extracting the closed loop by the image processing are known and widely used by those skilled in the art . therefore , suitable methods are applicable to the present invention . one embodiment of recognition processing of the painted mark having a peculiar shape will be described referring to fig6 b and 6c . to avoid influence of size or noise , a distance from a center to a perimeter , for example , is utilized . in a circle m2 of fig6 b , a distance 25 from a center 27 to an upper end and a distance 26 from the center to a left end are approximately the same . on the other hand , in a rectangle m3 of fig6 c , a distance 28 and a distance 29 have an entirely different ratio . utilizing this fact , individual shapes can be recognized quickly and certainly . of course , any other methods known by those skilled in the art , for example , overlapping with a predetermined shape , may be used for extracting the shape . as shown in fig7 the water jet processing machine 141 is held by the robot 142 that is disposed straddling the vehicle body . the robot is controlled by the removal controller 143 . the water jet processing machine 141 is first positioned approximately the marked area , and a jet angle thereof is then determined based on the result of the image processing . for removing micro defects , it is desirable that the water jet scans only inside the closed loop . according to this embodiment , a detailed shape of the vehicle body is relevant because of the non - contact system of the present invention . in other words , the removal is not specified with three - dimensional points , but with a certain plane and its two - dimensional coordinates . even in the two - dimensional coordinates , the water jet sprays , or the laser radiates straight , thereby accurately removing only the micro defects . thus , no three - dimensional positioning is needed using the non - contact system . consequently , no body shape of the vehicle is required to be input in advance . according to this embodiment , if the body shape of the vehicle is changed , the defects can be removed without alteration . preferably , the mark pick - up camera 123 stores the posture information of the recorded closed loop . the water jet robot is driven so as to be in the same posture as the posture information . the water jet processing machine 141 is directed to the same posture and direction as the mark pick - up camera 123 , and its jet angle is then controlled in accordance with the recognition result of the image processing . in other words , the angle of the water jet is determined in view of a zoom ratio of the mark pick - up camera and the position of the closed loop . while the described embodiments represent the preferred form of the present invention , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto . for example , the inspected object is not limited to a vehicle body and may be a chassis or the like instead . the ccd camera as the mark recognition means may be incorporated into the water jet processing machine itself . moreover , the present invention is applicable , for example , to defects caused by contamination , foreign materials or the like as well as coating defects .	1
the present invention , a 37 mm screw apart shell , is an improvement on existing 37 mm launcher shells . the same improvement also applies to 40 mm launcher shells . the present invention is comprised of two items : a circular threaded base and a 37 mm tube that is threaded on one end to accept the threaded base . the threaded base is comprised of three components : the opening to house an ignition source such as a blank or a primer , a bowl to house propellant such as black powder or a black powder equivalent , and a threaded portion to mate with the tube . the ignition source for a 37 mm shell is typically a 209 shotgun primer . the 209 shotgun primer is commercially available and is an industry standard primer used in many applications . the threaded base of the present invention has a circular opening in the center of the bottom face of the base . the circular opening is of such a diameter that a 209 shotgun primer can be inserted and press - fit into the opening remaining in place after insertion . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , a blank cartridge may be substituted for a 209 shotgun primer ( diameter of bottom face opening would be such that the blank cartridge would fit and remain in place after insertion ). the opening in the bottom face of the base terminates at the propellant bowl . the propellant bowl is a revolved “ u ”- shaped depression in the threaded base . the walls of the chamber are smooth and without striations . at the center of the bottom of the bowl is the opening where an ignition source would be housed . the bowl is of such size that it will hold 50 grains of black powder ( fffg grade ). if desired , a cover disk can be inserted atop the black powder inside the bowl to provide a greater propulsive force . the threaded portion of the base is on the outside edge of the propellant bowl chamber . the threads are on the exterior face ( male portion ) designed such that engagement with the tube threads ( female portion ) will result in a uniform outer diameter extending the full length of the tube and base , up to the base flange . the threads are machined as a part of the base unit . the 37 mm launcher screw apart shell base threads into the shell tube . the tube may be of varied length , depending on the desired shell application . the walls of the tube are of a constant thickness and are of a smooth , non - bored consistency , with the exception of the threading on the lower portion of the tube . the interior face of the bottom of the tube is threaded to mate with the exterior face of the shell base in such a manner that when assembled , the interior of the tube has a smooth and clean finish , not interfering with the launching of the payload . when assembling the present invention , the ensuing methods should be followed . the two - piece assembly should be unscrewed in such a manner that the user is left with a base separately detached from the tube . the base and tube should be inspected for damage prior to use . if damage is noted , shell should not be used . once inspected , a new 209 shotgun primer should be inserted into the base and pressure applied until primer is lodged inside base . once the primer is secure , black powder or black powder equivalent ( i . e ., pyrodex ) is measured and poured into propellant bowl . if desired , propellant bowl should be sealed with a base disk , which is lodged into inside edge of propellant bowl . tube is screwed onto base tightly . once shell is formed in its entirety , the payload tube and payload can be inserted into the shell and prepared for launch . upon firing , shell is removed from launcher and the two portions of shell should be unscrewed . pressure should be applied to previously fired 209 shotgun primer from the inside of the propellant bowl until primer becomes dislodged from base . both portions of shell should be inspected for damage . if no damage is noted base should be thoroughly cleaned before continuing . once clean , procedure for assembly is repeated as detailed above . the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses 6061 - t6 aluminum for all portions of the shell . however , alternative embodiments could be formed from a variety of materials ( including , but , not limited to , other metals , metal alloys , composites , or plastic ). the tube is manufactured from either thick - wall tubing or solid cylindrical stock . the base is formed out of solid cylindrical stock . both pieces are individually shaped and formed on a lathe , and assembled upon completion of forming . as many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing form the scope thereof , it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limited sense . it is also to be understood that the language used in the claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of the scope of the invention , which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween .	5
the hydroisomerizations carried out in accordance with the invention involve the use of catalysts contaning ( a ) a palladium component , ( b ) a cerium component , and ( c ) an alumina support . other conventional ingredients can also be present . the palladium component of the inventive catalyst can be in the form of finely divided palladium metal or compouns of palladium which are reducible by hydrogen to palladium metal . the palladium component is preferably used in the form of palladium metal deposited on a suitable support or in the form of hydrogen - reducible compounds of palladium on a suitable support . compounds of palladium which are reducible by hydrogen to palladium metal include the oxides , halides , nitrates , sulfates , oxalates , acetates , carbamates , propionates , tartrates , hydroxides , and the like , and mixtures thereof . exemplary compounds include palladium oxide , palladium chloride , palladium nitrate , palladium acetate , palladium carbonate , palladium hydroxide , palladium oxalate , and the like . the cerium component of the catalyst can be finely divided elemental cerium , or compouns of cerium reducible to finely divided cerium by hydrogen . preferably , the cerium component will comprise cerium or a cerium compound reducible by hydrogen to cerium metal when deposited on a suitable support . the compounds of cerium which are reducible by hydrogen to elemental cerium include oxides , halides , nitrates , hydroxides , acetates , oxalates , carbonates , propionates , tartrates , and the like , and mixtures thereof . specific examples of useful cerium compounds include cerium ( iii ) oxide , cerium ( iv ) oxide , cerium triacetate , cerium trichloride , cerium trihydroxide , cerium nitrate , and the like . the weight ratio of palladium to cerium in the mixed catalyst of the invention will generally lie within the range of about 0 . 1 : 1 to about 10 : 1 , preferably within the range of about 0 . 3 : 1 to about 3 : 1 . generally , the alumina component employed will be a high surface area alumina . gamma -, eta -, and beta - aluminas are operable . &# 34 ; high surface area &# 34 ; generally means a surface area of about 25 - 700 m 2 / g , with surface areas of 100 - 300 m 2 / g preferred . alumina - containing materials , such as combinations containing alumina and other refractory oxides or other conventional carrier components , can be used . while combinations containing at least one of silica , magnesia , thoria , zirconia , and the like , are operable , it is generally preferred to use a high surface area alumina alone . the amount of alumina or alumina - containing material employed in the catalyst of the invention may vary . generally , those amounts which assure a high rate of hydroisomerization activity will be employed . typical catalysts used in accordance herewith will contain about 0 . 1 to about 10 . 0 , and preferably about 0 . 25 to about 5 . 0 , weight percent of palladium and cerium combinations , with the balance being alumina or alumina - containing material . other modifiers may be present either as catalyst components or as additives to the feedstream . when present , they will be used in quantities consistent with their functions . the catalysts used herein are generally prepared by contacting the palladium and cerium components , either at the same time or in any suitable order , with a support component . a typical catalyst preparation can be described as follows : the mixture of palladium and cerium can be prepared in any convenient manner . for example , a mixture of palladium or a reducible compound of palladium and cerium or a reducible cerium compound can be codeposited from a solution onto a support . the palladium or reducible compound of palladium and cerium or reducible compound of cerium can also be deposited on the support separately or in any order . suitable solvents include those in which the palladium or reducible compound of palladium and cerium or reducible compound of cerium are soluble such as alcohols , nitriles , organic and inorganic acids , water , and the like , and mixtures thereof . exemplary solvents include acetonitrile , acetic acid , aqueous hydrochloric acid , methanol , ethanol , and water . typically , the minimum volume of solvent necessary to suspend or dissolve the palladium or reducible compound of palladium and the cerium or reducible compound of cerium is employed . the support is soaked in the palladium / cerium containing solution for sufficient time to allow adsorption of the metal components dissolved therein . typically , 15 minutes to 2 hours are suitable . excess solvent is then removed , for example , by drying the wet catalyst on the rotary evaporator . the dired catalyst is calcined in air at temperatures of 300 °- 700 ° c . for about 1 / 2 hour to about 4 hours , and then reduced under hydrogen atmosphere at temperatures of 300 °- 700 ° c . for about 1 / 2 hour to about 4 hours . the organic feeds to be hydroisomerized , i . e ., converted to internal olefins , in accordance with the invention include unsaturated compounds of the general formula wherein r &# 39 ; is methyl or hydrogen , with hydrogen preferred , and r &# 34 ; is an organic moiety containing from 2 to 30 carbon atoms . useful compounds include terminally unsaturated olefins containing from about 4 to about 33 carbon atoms , with those containing 4 to 10 carbon atoms preferred . typical 1 - olefins to be employed as an organic feed include : 1 - butene , 1 - pentene , 4 - methyl - 1 - pentene , 1 - hexene , 3 - ethyl - 1 - hexene , 5 - ethyl - 1 - octene , 1 - decene , and the like , and mixtures thereof . preferred are straight chain 1 - olefins with 5 - 10 carbons . especially preferred is 1 - pentene . generally , a conversion of terminal olefins to internal olefins in accordance with the invention will take place in the liquid or gas phase , depending upon the character of the feed and the type of apparatus employed . a typical conversion reaction will involve the gas phase conversion of 1 - olefins to 2 - olefins in a tubular reactor . suitable reaction devices include a stirred tank reactor or the like . conversion temperatures will usually lie between about 80 ° and about 250 ° c ., with about 130 - 170 ° c . preferred . at these temperatures , the production of a 50 : 50 cis / trans isomer mixture is optimized . hydrogen is required in the practice of the invention . the order of addition is unimportant , i . e ., the hydrogen can be introduced prior to , concurrent with , or subsequent to the time that hydrocarbon is brought in contact with the catalyst . for example , the hydrogen and hydrocarbon stream may be admixed prior to contacting the catalyst . the hydrocarbon , the hydrogen , or both , can be added undiluted , or diluted with a suitable inert medium such as inert gases and saturated hydrocarbons . exemplary inert gases include nitrogen , argon , carbon dioxide , and the like . exemplary saturated hydrocarbons include methane , ethane , propane , butane , isobutane , pentane and the like , and mixtures thereof . the hydrogen is added at the rate of about 10 to about 1000 lhsv , with about 100 lhsv preferred . the invention can be carried out under varying pressure conditions . pressures employed are generally about 100 mm hg to about 120 psig , preferably from about 1 atm . to about 70 psig most preferably about 30 psig . space velocities of about 0 . 2 to about 10 , preferably about 0 . 5 to 5 lhsv are operable . suitable techniques for recovery of the internal olefins produced in accordance with the invention include distillation , selective adsorption , and the like . other conventional recovery techniques , as well as other processes , not associated with the handling and storage of internal olefins may be used in conjunction with the process of the invention . control catalysts a - e were obtained from commercial sources , as indicated in table i . invention catalyst f was prepared as follows . a solution containing 0 . 5 g pd ( oac ) 2 and 0 . 6 g ce ( oac ) 3 in about 50 ml of glacial acetic acid was added to a beaker containing 50 g of t1370 ( alumina support from catalysts and chemicals , inc ., louisville , ky ). the mixture was allowed to stand for 30 - 60 minutes , the solvent was removed on the rotary evaporator . dried catalyst was calcined in air at 350 ° c . for about 3 hours , followed by hydrogen reduction at 350 ° c . for about 3 hours . table i______________________________________catal - metal supplieryst support loading ( catalyst number ) ______________________________________a al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 5 % pd engelhard industries (# 25359 ) b al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 5 % pd catalysts and chemicals , inc . (# t - 1370 pd ) c al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 pd harshaw chemical co . (# pd - 0803 ) d al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 3 % pt calsicat div ., mallinchrodt , inc . (# 05b - 027d ) e catapol sb 0 . 5 % pd catalysts and chemicals , inc . (# l - 119 ) f al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 5 % pd + invention catalyst 0 . 5 % ce______________________________________ control catalysts a - e were subjected to a variety of hydroisomerization conditions , as summarized in table ii . variable 1 - pentene feed rate , reaction pressures , hydrogen / diluent ratios and reaction temperatures were studied . table ii__________________________________________________________________________ gas flow 1 - pentene feed ml / min reaction conditions 1 - pentene 2 - pentenerun # catalyst rate , ml / hr h . sub . 2 n . sub . 2 temp ., ° c . press ., psig conversion , % selectivity , __________________________________________________________________________ % 1 a 36 20 60 25 30 53 . 8 8 . 52 36 40 60 25 30 43 . 6 41 . 53 36 60 60 25 30 50 . 5 41 . 84 b 36 20 60 90 30 62 . 8 86 . 35 36 20 60 110 30 69 . 4 82 . 46 36 40 60 110 30 79 . 3 79 . 47 36 60 60 110 30 84 . 7 75 . 98 36 60 60 130 30 92 . 8 71 . 39 36 40 60 130 30 89 . 6 82 . 610 36 40 60 150 30 91 . 4 83 . 211 36 20 60 150 30 81 . 1 85 . 912 36 0 60 150 30 39 . 1 06 . 913 36 0 60 170 30 44 . 5 96 . 914 36 20 60 170 30 85 . 7 89 . 115 36 0 60 200 30 55 . 5 97 . 816 36 20 60 200 30 80 . 6 79 . 717 36 40 60 200 30 84 . 8 73 . 918 c 72 20 60 130 70 23 . 3 61 . 419 d 72 20 60 130 70 23 . 3 55 . 420 e 72 20 60 130 70 49 . 4 91 . 521 72 20 60 150 70 52 . 8 81 . 1__________________________________________________________________________ this example demonstrates that palladium on alumina catalyst promotes the isomerization of 1 - pentene to 2 - pentene . note , however , that high conversions (& gt ; 80 %) are typically accompanied by low selectivity to the desired 2 - pentene . high selectivities (& gt ; 90 %) to the desired product , 2 - pentene , are only obtained where low conversions (& gt ; 60 %) per pass are observed . invention catalyst f was subjected to a variety of hydroisomerization conditions , as summarized in table iii . variable 1 - pentene feed rate , reaction pressures , hydrogen / diluent ratios and reaction temperatures were studied . table iii__________________________________________________________________________1 - pentene feed ml / min reaction conditions 1 - pentene 2 - pentenerun # rate , ml / hr h . sub . 2 n . sub . 2 temp ., ° c . press ., psig conversion , % selectivity , % __________________________________________________________________________1 36 20 60 170 30 94 . 0 88 . 92 36 20 60 200 30 96 . 5 65 . 83 36 20 120 170 30 89 . 8 86 . 34 72 20 60 170 30 94 . 8 73 . 95 72 40 60 170 30 92 . 2 78 . 66 72 40 120 170 30 87 . 5 91 . 97 72 40 120 130 30 91 . 6 90 . 58 72 40 120 120 30 90 . 3 90 . 89 72 40 120 110 30 89 . 0 90 . 710 72 40 120 130 30 91 . 6 90 . 511 72 40 120 130 50 95 . 6 84 . 612 72 40 120 130 10 86 . 5 95 . 813 72 40 120 130 0 77 . 4 97 . 814 72 40 120 110 70 91 . 5 83 . 715 72 40 120 150 70 95 . 9 84 . 816 72 40 120 130 50 95 . 2 88 . 817 72 40 120 130 70 96 . 1 85 . 118 72 60 120 130 70 96 . 9 76 . 819 72 20 120 130 90 96 . 6 91 . 220 72 40 120 130 90 97 . 3 79 . 221 72 40 180 130 90 97 . 3 75 . 622 72 20 180 130 90 97 . 1 84 . 6__________________________________________________________________________ this example demonstrates the effectiveness of the inventive hydroisomerization process for the conversion of 1 - pentene to 2 - pentene . excellent conversions (& gt ; 80 %) and selectivities (& gt ; 80 %) are obtained in most cases under a variety of reaction conditions . under optimum conditions , as illustrated by runs 7 , 8 , 10 , and 19 , 1 - pentene conversions in excess of 90 % with greater than 90 % selectivity to the desired product , 2 - pentene , are achieved . reasonable variations , such as those which would occur to one of ordinary skill in the art , may be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention .	2
present computer systems can be distributed in various forms . fig1 a shows a logical relationship in which processor 10 sits at the top and collects information from processors 12 , 14 , and 16 . processor 14 collects information from processors 18 , 20 and 22 . in the hierarchical logical configuration , updates flow up the hierarchy to processor 10 . these updates then eventually flow back down the hierarchy so that lower level processors may receive changes made by those processors at equal and higher levels . processors 12 , 14 , and 16 collect updates from processor 10 . processors 18 , 20 , and 22 collect updates from processor 14 . fig1 b schematically illustrates what is known as a star configuration in which processor 30 is the central node and is connected to processors 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 and 42 . fig1 c illustrates a peer network configuration in which each processor 50 , 52 , 54 and 56 has a connection to every other processor within the network . network configurations are well - known in the computer industry and further discussion of network structures are beyond the scope of this description and unnecessary for an understanding of the present invention . regardless of the type of network , it is often necessary for all of the processors or nodes to contain identical information in their databases . in the preferred embodiment , the database to be considered is a phone directory / address book for a corporation . it is understood by those skilled in the art that the invention is extendable to all types of databases . since the invention for synchronizing the databases to be described herein is the same for all network structures , the detailed description will be limited to the hierarchical structure as further shown in fig2 . in this example , node 22 has recently been updated with changes to its phone directory / address book . it is referred to as the collectee node . node 14 is known as the collector node because it collects data from the collectee node 22 . in turn node 14 is in the collectee node for collector node 10 . the shadowing process is always initiated by the collector node . this ensures that no undesired data is sent to a node . the collector node can be any node within the network . a node doesn &# 39 ; t need to be only a collector , it can also be a collectee in another shadowing process , so the place the node has within the network does not matter . the network configurations shown represent logical data flows only . a line connecting two nodes only means that a data collection takes place between those two systems . physically , there may be several other nodes in between the collector and collectee . as long as the collector and collectee can talk to each other , it doesn &# 39 ; t matter what the physical configuration of the network is . referring to fig3 the control table ( shadow -- tbl ) 60 for the database to be shadowed in the collector node is illustrated . shadow -- tbl 60 contains several data entries as follows : also shown in fig3 is the shadow control table 62 ( collectee -- tbl ) which is contained in the collectee node . this table contains the following data : tlc = time last called . ( a time stamp of the last time a successful conversation was completed normally with tp2 ). dtc = delta time between collections ( amount of time between collection calls to this node .) tls = time last serviced . ( a time stamp of the last time a successful conversation was completed with tp1 . updated by tp2 ). referring now to fig4 the method of the invention is as follows . the steps in the left side of the figure take place in the collector node and are implemented by tp1 . the steps in the right side of the figure take place in the collectee node and are implemented by tp2 . of course , since a particular node can be both a collector and collectee at different times , each node contains both tp1 and tp2 . in block 100 , the collector node checks the current time . block 102 checks the tlc in the collectee -- tbl 62 ( fig3 ). if the time since the last update exceeds the specified delta times ( dtc ) between conversational exchanges of the 2 nodes , then tp1 will initiate a conversation with tp2 in the collectee node ( blocks 104 , 106 ). if not , then block 100 will continue , at regular intervals , to check the time until the delta time has been exceeded . in the tp2 program in the collectee node , initialization of the program is done in block 200 . block 202 prepares a structured query language data query to find data that has been changed in the phone / address book database . the changed data is obtained ( block 204 ) and sent to the collector node ( block 206 ). when updating is complete , block 210 updates the tls in the collectee -- tbl . tp1 then receives the updated data , applies the updates to its phone directory / address book database ( shadow -- tbl ) ( block 108 ), and updates tlc in its collectee -- tbl . fig5 and 6 contain pseudocode listings for the collector and collectee programs , also known as tp1 and tp2 respectively . while these examples employ the lu6 . 2 communications protocol , it is readily apparent that any suitable peer - to - peer communications protocol can be used . while the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes to the described method can easily be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the computer network can be of any configuration and the database of any type . accordingly , the invention shall be limited only as specified in the following claims .	8
an object or module is a section of computer readable code embodied in a computer . the detailed description that follows may be presented in terms of program procedures executed on a computer or network of computers . these procedural descriptions are representations used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art . these procedures herein described are generally a self - consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result . these steps require physical manipulations of physical quantities such as electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , compared , or otherwise manipulated readable medium that is designed to perform a specific task or tasks . actual computer or executable code or computer readable code may not be contained within one file or one storage medium but may span several computers or storage mediums . the term “ host ” and “ server ” may be hardware , software , or combination of hardware and software that provides the functionality described herein . the present invention is described below with reference to flowchart illustrations of methods , apparatus (“ systems ”) and computer program products according to the invention . it will be understood that each block of a flowchart illustration can be implemented by a set of computer readable instructions or code . these computer readable instructions may be loaded onto a general purpose computer , special purpose computer , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine such that the instructions will execute on a computer or other data processing apparatus to create a means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . these computer readable instructions may also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in a computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer executed process such that the instructions are executed on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks . accordingly , elements of the flowchart support combinations of means for performing the special functions , combination of steps for performing the specified functions and program instruction means for performing the specified functions . it will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations can be implemented by special purpose hardware based computer systems that perform the specified functions , or steps , or combinations of special purpose hardware or computer instructions . the present invention is now described more fully herein with reference to the drawings in which the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown . this invention may , however , be embodied any many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiment 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 . referring to fig1 , a computer 10 having a computer readable medium 12 contains computer readable instructions . a display 14 is in communication with computer 10 for displaying images to a user . referring to display 14 a , a sensor 16 is able to determine an individual &# 39 ; s pupil in order to determine the direction of the individual &# 39 ; s gaze . therefore , an eye tracking sensor or sensor 16 will allow computer readable instructions to determine which area of the display the user is gazing . further , sensor 16 will also be able to determine fixation and saccade . fixation is the amount of time that an individual gazes at a specific location . saccade is the amount of time that transpires when a user looks from one location to another on the display . in one embodiment , the user has eight images which are displayed on display 14 . the set of images 18 can be numbered one through eight for identification purposes . the test subject can then be asked a question such as “ which of these do you find most sexually attractive ?”, and can use the mouse or other input device to indicate which of the images is selected . during the time in which the user is viewing the set of images , sensor 16 is determining fixation and saccade of the test subject for each of the images . this information is transmitted to computer 10 and stored in computer readable medium 12 . with fixation and saccade known for a particular image , a gaze time can be calculated for each of the displayed images . saccades are quick , simultaneous movements of both eyes in the same direction . using the fixation on an image and the saccade across displayed images , a gaze time for each of the displayed images can be determined . knowing the total display time of a display set having displayed images , a percentage of total gaze score for each image displayed can be determined . while there are multiple methods for calculating the gaze percentage of a test subject for displayed images , one example is if it is determined that the display set is displayed for 18 seconds and one image holds the gaze of the test subject for 4 seconds , the image is calculated to have held the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze for approximately 22 % of the time ( 4 / 18 ). in this example , the gaze percentage would be 22 %. in another example , the number of fixations to a specific image can be included in the calculation . if the test subject returns his gaze to a particular image 10 times , then the number of fixations score would be 10 and this value can be used in combination with the gaze percentage score to provide more reliable data about the test subjects gaze returning to a particular image . in one embodiment , sensor 16 is located on a desk below display 14 . sensor 16 then determines gaze of the user and saccade of the user and will transmit this information at computer 10 . in one embodiment , the eye - tracking sensors are the tm3 offered by eye tech digital systems . in one embodiment , the sensor can be worn by the test subject . referring now to fig2 , a set of images is shown generally as 22 . in one embodiment , sixteen sets are used . four different models of each gender ( male and female ) are used in a set . further , the attire is held consistent across a display set and ranges from fully clothed to wearing swimsuits or undergarments . each set also contains four age groups which can be described as adult , teenage , prepubertal , and preschool . generally , prepubertal is the age range between eight to thirteen , while preschool is under eight years old . each set can also be of a different ethnic origin and the ethnic origins can be held constant across a particular display set . ethnic origins can include caucasian , african - american , hispanic , or other ethnic origins . therefore , each set would contain four males and four females , two adults , two teenagers , two prepubertal and two preschool individuals and have ethnicity and attire consistent . in one embodiment , two ethnicities are used and two attires are used which result in sixteen sets of eight or 128 images . advantages that are offered by this invention are that images are presented in groups rather than one at a time and the test subject &# 39 ; s fixation duration , number of fixations to each image and saccades between each image can be measured . it does not rely on simply measuring how long , or fixation , a test subject has with a single image . although fixation can be measured for an image of the group , the invention also allows the measurement of saccade between the images . for example , results from the sensor 16 are shown generally as 24 of fig2 . it can be shown the test subject initially gazes upon image 7 having an initial point 26 . the amount of time the individual gazes at image 7 is recorded in the computer readable medium . the test subject then moves the gaze to point 28 which allows the invention to measure both the amount of time it took for the test subject to move to point 28 as well as how long the test subject gazed at point 28 . the test subject then moves to point 30 , 32 , 34 , 36 , and 38 , respectively , with the amount of time measured when the gaze shifts as well as the fixation on the particular images . as can be seen , this test subject had a fixed gaze , mostly at image 2 . if image 2 represents an adult female and the test subject is male , the results would be typical for a heterosexual male &# 39 ; s sexual attention . however , if image 2 was a preschool male , it would indicate there may be an atypical sexual attention propensity to boys in this test subject . test results shown as 40 show that the saccade of the test subject follows a greater path , but again shows that the test subject gazed upon image 6 more than the remainder of the images . further , it can be shown that the saccade of the test subject caused a viewing path to travel through image 3 , but the test subject did not fix his gaze on image 3 for any appreciable period of time . based upon the fixation durations , number of fixations and saccade durations measured by the invention and relationship of these measures with the particular type of image displayed , an indication can be given toward the sexual attention of the test subject . in addition to the fixation duration determined by sensor 16 , the invention is also able to determine the number of times the test subject visually fixates on a particular image . further , since multiple sets of images are provided , the time the test subject views each model or type of model can be determined . the sets of images also allow for the progression of the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze so that the sequence of images can be determined as viewed by the test subject . this can be helpful in showing if a test subject re - fixates on an image previously viewed since sets of images are displayed . it should also be noted that in one embodiment and according to research and literature on sexual interests , ethnicity is consistent across each set since there is some indication that adult males tend to have sexual interests and attention in persons of their same ethnicity by making the test having the ability to be tailored toward the ethnicity of the test subject . further advantages provided by this invention are that measurements are done in near real - time and therefore can calculate unconscious , reflexive eye movements beyond a test subject &# 39 ; s awareness . this can provide for more accurate and valid indications of sexual interest since fixation and saccade as well as image progression and other recorded information are much more difficult to consciously control . this invention also has the ability to generate group information allowing normalized test ranges which can help establishing base lines for using this invention . further , the test results of this invention can be immediately knowable to the clinician or individual administering the tests without the need to transmit the measurements to any third party and await an interpretation or diagnosis . further , the results can be independently verified by other clinicians or researchers since the scoring of the invention can be repeated . this invention can assist in psychological testing to aid in the evaluation , diagnosis , and treatment of pedophilia in both adult and adolescent males and although much rarer , in adult and adolescent females . this invention may also help to empirically validate the diagnosis of a person &# 39 ; s particular pedophilia as well as a test subject &# 39 ; s type of pedophilia . this invention can also be used for adolescents and can be helpful in the early diagnosis of pedophilia allowing a clinician much longer time for treatment which may reduce the likelihood of adult sexual recidivism , particularly against children . this invention also has applications as a screening tool to determine the pedophilic interests of job applicants . clearly , there are some jobs such as daycare , child protective services , juvenile justice , handicap services , education field , and other industries in which knowing whether an individual has unacceptable pedophilic interests would be of great value . in use of the invention , the sensor is calibrated at 42 . the images are then randomized into sixteen subsets with ethnicity and attire remaining constant and having four male , four female , in two of each age group , in each of the sixteen subsets at 44 . if the last subset is displayed at 46 , the information recorded from the test subject viewing the images is made at 48 . if the last subset of images is not displayed , the current subset is displayed at 50 . the eye movement information including fixation and saccade is measured at 52 . if the set has been displayed for eighteen seconds at 54 , at a two - second interval , then the invention moves to the next subset at 56 . the process returns to 46 to determine if that was the last subset displayed . if the subset has not been displayed for eighteen seconds , it remains viewable by the test subject and eye movement information continues to be recorded at 52 . referring to fig4 , an example of test results is given . there are several scales which can be used . “ nr ” represents no response ; “ cn ” represents congruence ; “ offd ” represents off duration ; “ a +” represents adult female +; “ c −” represents child −; “ scd ” represents saccade duration . there are also a number of clinical scales which can measure the subject &# 39 ; s eye movement and can include fixation duration ( fxd ) or number of fixations ( nfx ) to each of the various model types and images viewed . the invention can also provide composite clinical scales that focus on same sex children of certain age groups ( cmt ) ( cft ) as well as boys and girls in a single age group ( pm + pf ) and non - adolescent boys and girls ( ct ). the test subjects can be compared to normals of the same ethnicity so as to remove any data distortion between ethnicities . these scores can then be reported which would represent the test subject &# 39 ; s results per the scale compared to the average test score of a normal group . this will allow the evaluator or clinician to quickly interpret the text subject &# 39 ; s sexual interest and can be used to formulate categories of sexual interest in children as being very high , high , within normal limits , low , or very low . this allows for quick and easy determinations of the results . referring to fig5 , an example of cumulation of results is shown . as can be shown , for a normal male , over sixty percent of the gaze was spent on adult females from results taken from this invention . however , for sexually violent predators ( svp ), almost forty percent of the gaze percentage was spent on prepubertal females . this invention can also use a tobii e - 17 eye tracking device in order to determine the gaze and saccade of a test subject . this invention can record initial fixation which is the first duration and location of the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze . the initial fixation to one of the images of the set of images is the first fixation , then saccade to another image of the set for the second fixation which is the amount of time the test subject gazes at the second image , then a saccade back to the first image , or another image , which would be third fixation , and so on . the frequency , consistency , fixation , duration , and pattern of re - fixation of the test subject &# 39 ; s gaze provides information to indicate the individual &# 39 ; s sexual attention preferences for males and / or females of varying ages . this invention can also be used to assist and aid in the evaluation , diagnosis , and treatment of paraphilias ( especially pedophiles ) of certain sexual dysfunctions , gender identification disorders , and related sexual disorders such as ego - dystonic gender orientation . this invention may also be helpful to determine whether the sexual attention of an individual is changing . since this is an objective way of measuring the psychological treatment of a test subject &# 39 ; s pedophilia , it can be measured to determine if there are improvements based upon treatment or other factors . this invention can enhance psychiatrists , psychologists , and other health care providers to diagnose and perform forensic analysis concerning test subjects who have been charged or convicted of sexually violent predator acts and / or have become subject to post - incarceration involuntary treatment in the various states . while a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms , such description is for illustrative purposes only , and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims .	0
fig1 a and 1b illustrate a pair of mufflers 10 and 12 having essentially identical muffler bodies 14 and 16 , respectively , and respective pairs of muffler nipples 18a / 18b and 20a / 20b in accordance with the present invention . muffler 10 , provided with muffler nipples 18a and 18b is adapted to replace an original equipment muffler having a nipple - to - nipple distance l 1 and nipple diameters d 1 and d 3 , while muffler 12 , provided with nipples 20a and 20b which are shorter and of greater diameter than nipples 18a and 18b , is adapted to replace an original equipment muffler having a nipple - to - nipple distance of approximately l 2 and nipple diameters d 2 and d 4 . those skilled in the art will appreciate that if the nipple pairs 18a / 18b and 20a / 20b could be secured to the muffler bodies 14 or 16 at the time of installation , great savings in inventory requirements and cost can be achieved . since muffler bodies 14 and 16 can be used interchangeably with different sets of muffler nipples many different types of replacement mufflers can be produced from the same muffler body , and may thus be used to replace a wide range of original equipment mufflers . more specifically , the muffler installer who would otherwise stock either exact duplicates of the original equipment mufflers , which would require an inventory of 600 to 800 different types of mufflers , or the universal mufflers which require the special nipple swaging and trimming operations , would be able to stock a relatively small number of different types of muffler bodies and a full line of threaded muffler nipples which would allow the muffler bodies to be &# 34 ; customized &# 34 ; to replace virtually any original equipment muffler by providing the appropriate nipple - to - nipple distance and nipple diameters . stated differently , by stocking 60 to 80 different types of basic muffler bodies , a full line of 600 to 800 different types of replacement mufflers could be produced , assuming that each of the 60 to 80 body styles could be fit with approximately 10 different sets of muffler nipples . due to the size and expense of producing an individual muffler body , compared to the size and expense of producing muffler nipples , it will be appreciated that a muffler installer could greatly increase his operating efficiency by stocking relatively few different types of muffler bodies and a larger number of customized muffler nipple sets . since the nipple portions of the muffler are smaller and more cheaply and readily produced , a large number of the different types of nipples may be easily stored and readily manufactured upon demand . the manner in which the muffler nipples are secured to the muffler body will be briefly discussed with reference to fig2 . the muffler 10 can be produced by securing muffler nipple 18a to muffler body 14 at muffler bushing 22 which in turn is secured to muffler head 24 at the end of the muffler body 14 by means of bead 48 . the muffler can be completed by attaching muffler nipple 18b to the other muffler head ( not shown ) at the other side of the muffler body 14 . in accordance with a fundamental principle of the present invention , the muffler 12 , rather than muffler 10 , can alternatively be produced by using the same muffler body ( in this case designated as muffler body 16 ) by securing to the bushing 22 muffler nipple 20a having a different nipple length and nipple diameter d 2 , and by accordingly securing the right hand nipple 20b to the other side of the muffler body . the muffler nipple 18a ( or 20a ) in accordance with the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to fig3 . illustrated therein is a nipple portion 26 having an outer nipple radius r n , and a threaded portion 28 joined to the nipple portion at shank portion 30 . a pair of holes 31a and 31b , notches ( not shown ), or any other expedient , may optionally be provided on diametrically opposed sides of nipple portion 26 to facilitate the tightening of the nipple as will be described below . each of the nipple , shank and threaded portions 26 , 30 and 28 , respectively , are generally cylindrical in shape and co - axially disposed about an axis of rotation 32 . threaded portion 28 is provided with a continuous helical thread 34 which is disposed at a helix angle ψ 1 relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 . the side walls of the thread 34 are each disposed at thread angle α 1 relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 , thus providing a double thread angle between the thread walls of 2α 1 . in accordance with the preferred embodiment , the continuous helical thread 34 makes approximately two revolutions of the threaded portion 28 . the thread 34 is provided with a pitch p and outer major thread radius r 2 measured from the axis of rotation 32 to the peak of the thread . the base portion 36 of threaded portion 28 is provided with an outer minor thread radius r 1 relative to the axis of rotation 32 . the shank portion 30 is defined by an annular section of a cone having an inclined angle θ relative to the axis of rotation 32 . nipple portion 26 intersects shank portion 30 at an interface formed by an annular radius 38 formed at the intersection , as better illustrated in fig5 . it will be appreciated that nipple 20a is essentially identical to nipple 18a except for nipple portion 26 which will have the length and diameter as generally illustrated in fig1 b or 2 . the details of bushing 22 will now be discussed with reference to fig4 . the bushing is comprised of connector portion 40 and threaded portion 42 connected to the connector portion 40 . connector portion 40 and threaded portion 42 are both generally cylindrical and co - axially disposed about the axis of rotation 32 &# 39 ; corresponding to the axis of rotation 32 of the threaded nipple when the nipple is disposed within the bushing 22 . bushing 22 is disposed almost exclusively within the interior of the muffler body 14 and is connected at the end of connector portion 40 to an aperture 44 provided in the muffler head 24 . the bead 48 is produced by the connection between the bushing and the muffler head . the connection between the muffler bushing 22 and the muffler head 24 is better illustrated in fig5 . included on threaded portion 42 is a continuous helical thread 34 &# 39 ; adapted to mate with nipple thread 34 . thread 34 &# 39 ; is disposed about the base 46 of the threaded portion 42 at a helix angle ψ 2 relative to a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 &# 39 ;. the side walls of the thread 34 &# 39 ; are each disposed at a thread angle α 2 relative to the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation 32 &# 39 ; to thus produce a double thread angle 2α 2 between the side walls of the thread . although not shown , the major and minor thread radii are defined for the bushing thread in a manner similar to that for the nipple thread . in operation the muffler nipple 18a is adapted to be threadedly engaged by the muffler bushing 22 as generally illustrated in fig5 . if desired , the pair of through holes 31a and 31b , or other means , could be provided in the nipple through which a screwdriver or other similar tool could be inserted to facilitate the tightening of the nipple into the bushing . as shown in fig5 the connector portion of bushing 22 is connected to head 24 at the aperture 44 ( fig4 ). the juncture between the bushing , 22 and the head 24 forms the annular bead 48 against which the shank portion 30 abuts when the nipple is secured to the bushing . the mating relationship between the thread 34 on the muffler nipple and the thread 34 &# 39 ; on the bushing is clearly illustrated in the figure . use of the threaded nipple and bushing to produce a replacement muffler in accordance with the present invention strictly requires that the nipple will not become unthreaded or otherwise loosen within the bushing . such parameters as helix angles ψ 1 , ψ 2 , thread angles α 1 , α 2 , the shank angle θ , nipple radii r 1 and r 2 , as well as the relative thicknesses of the nipple and bushing materials , may be selected to insure that such unthreading or loosening will not occur . it has been found that the average muffler is subjected to a wideband force spectrum from approximately 15 to 60 hz of approximately 40 to 60 ft . lbf . total cyclic torque . working with 40 to 60 ft . lbf . as the typical maximum cyclic torque range , a tightening torque requirement can be developed . since the loosening torque of a threaded fastener is less than the tightening torque , the difference or ratio must be determined in order to specify the tightening torque . it is known that the loosening , or removal torque t r is related to the axial force or preload p produced by the shank bearing upon the annular bead 48 , by the equation : ## equ1 ## the preload p is related to the tightening torque t tight by ## equ2 ## thus relating the loosening torque t r to the tightening torque t tight by ## equ3 ## with reference to fig6 a pair of plots are shown illustrating the relationship between tightening and loosening torque for two different sets of parameters . it can be seen that by decreasing the thread angle ψ from 12 ° to 5 °, the loosening - to - tightening torque ratio may be increased from approximately 60 % to approximately 72 %. therefore , the helix angles ψ 1 and ψ 2 for the nipple thread 34 and the bushing thread 34 &# 39 ; are preferably chosen to be approximately 5 ° for the nipple thread 34 and approximately 51 / 2 ° for the bushing . the 1 / 2 ° difference between the nipple and bushing threads produces a tight interference fit between the threads . thus , a loosening torque t r of approximately 40 ft . lbf . can be achieved by providing a tightening torque of about 55 ft . lbf . additionally , the radius 38 provided between the nipple and shank portions acts to prevent a portion of the torques imparted to the nipple from propagating to the shank , resulting in even higher effective loosening - to - tightening torque ratios . for some applications , however , it is envisioned that radius be omitted as long as a suitable loosening - to - tightening torque ratio is developed by the threads alone . even further increases in the loosening - to - tightening torque ratio may be achieved by making the outer major thread diameter of the nipple slightly greater ( i . e . on the order of 0 . 001 &# 34 ;) than the inner major thread diameter of the bushing , or by using a suitable temperature stable adhesive between the nipple and bushing threads during assembly . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , the use of these techniques will depend upon a determination of the desired loosening - to - tightening torque ratios , the available tightening torques and the expected loosening torques . fig7 is a graph which illustrates the axial force or preload p as a function of helix angle ψ for three tightening torques t . since a high preload p produces a high removal torque t r ( equation 1 ), and since the preload p is inversely proportional to the helix angle ψ , the choice of a 5 ° helix angle produces a desirably high axial preload p . based on a tightening torque of at least approximately 55 ft . lbf ., which in turn is based on the expected loosening torques and the relationship between tightening and loosening torque as shown in fig6 it is apparent that an axial preload p of at least 500 lbf . will be experienced . similar results obtain from the graph illustrated in fig8 which compares the axial preload p to the one - half thread angle , α , where for a thread angle α of 45 °, the minimum expected preload would be on the order of 500 lbf . using a tightening torque of about 55 ft . lbf . although equations 1 - 3 are given for a single thread angle α , it has been found that when fabricating the nipple and bushing in accordance with the present invention it is desirable to increase the thread angle α 2 for the bushing approximately 10 ° relative to the thread angle for the nipple . thus , in accordance with the example illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the thread angle α 1 for the nipple thread 34 is approximately 45 °, while the thread angle α 2 for the bushing thread 34 &# 39 ; is approximately 55 °. since at least approximately 55 ft . lbf . in tightening torque will be employed thus producing at least 500 lbf . in axial preload p , it is necessary to provide continuous threads 34 and 34 &# 39 ; which make approximately two full revolutions of the nipple and bushing , respectively . the continuous threads provide a uniform thread stress distribution and an essentially gas tight connection while reducing the chances of failure by creep . the continuous threads also provide lower temperature gradients between the nipple and bushing thereby reducing the possibility of loosening due to differential thermal expansion between the nipple and the bushing . further , the continuous threads ensure bushing to nipple thread engagement , allow wide thread tolerances , and allow for a significant amount of nipple over - tightening . in order to prevent excessive strain on the nipple because of high preloads on the order to 500 to 700 lbf ., the nipple material is preferably set to a minimum of approximately 0 . 06 inches in thickness . since it is desirable that the bushing threads 34 &# 39 ; slightly deform or yield to the pressure exerted on them by the nipple threads 34 to ensure uniform thread stresses , a thickness for the bushing slightly less than the thickness of the nipple material is desired . in the above example , a 0 . 042 inch thick material is preferably employed for the bushing . both the nipple and bushing may be made of commonly used material such as 1010 c . r . s . alternatively , the bushing thread geometry , rather than material thickness , may be altered to insure that bushing threads 34 &# 39 ; will yield under the force exerted by the nipple threads . fig9 illustrates the axial preload p as a function of shank angle θ for three different tightening torques t . although a shank angle of 90 ° is theoretically desirable , a more practical shank angle has been found to be approximately 30 °. the 30 ° shank angle θ allows the desired preloads to be easily achieved . finally , fig1 illustrates preload p as a function of nipple diameter for three tightening torques t and for two different sets of parameters α , μ c , μ and θ . with the tube diameter of approximately 2 inches it can be seen that the desired preload can also easily be achieved . the correct positioning and proper torque can , if desired , be accomplished by aligning properly located scribe marks ( not shown ) on the nipple and bushing as the nipple is torqued on . in accordance with the example illustrated in fig3 and 5 , the helix angles ψ 1 and ψ 2 were selected to be approximately 5 ° and 51 / 2 °, respectively , and the thread angles α 1 and α 2 were selected to be approximately 45 ° and 55 °, respectively . the thread pitch p was selected to be approximately 0 . 55 inches . the radius of the base r 1 was selected to be approximately 0 . 950 inches , while the radius r 2 of the thread 34 was selected to be approximately 1 . 021 inches . the thicknesses of the nipple and bushing materials were selected to be approximately 0 . 060 inches and 0 . 042 inches , respectively , thus insuring a certain degree of deformation of the bushing threads with a sufficient tightening torque . finally , the shank angle θ of 30 ° was also selected . the nipple and bushing produced in accordance with the above example have provided a torque of at least 150 ft . lbf . and can probably achieve a much higher torque , although this would not be necessary . at the 150 ft . lbf . torque , the nipple would not come loose from the bushing with a conventional torque wrench without heating and then applying a loosening torque of 120 ft . lbf ., representing an 80 % loosening - to - tightening torque ratio , even higher than that expected from fig6 . the reason for the high loosening torque was not precisely determined , but it is suspected that the bushing yielded , the inner diameter of the bushing becoming smaller thus creating a high frictional force on the nipple . it has also been found that if the bushing is not tightly connected to the head 24 , the bushing may tend to rotate with the nipple upon tightening . if such is the case , it may be necessary to spot weld the bushing to the head or some internal part of the muffler , or to otherwise insure a highly secure and tight connection between the bushing and the head . thus , the present invention provides a technique for threadedly securing a muffler nipple to a bushing connected to a muffler body . when used in this manner , the present invention allows a wide variety of replacement mufflers to be made from a relatively smaller number of muffler bodies , thus increasing the operating efficiency and reducing the inventory requirements of replacement muffler shops . however , the present invention readily lends itself to use in retail auto parts stores where the selected muffler body and nipples could be sold to the user in &# 34 ; do it yourself &# 34 ; kit form . further , the present invention may be employed in warehouses or distribution centers which would store large numbers of muffler bodies and nipples . based on specific orders , the requested mufflers could be assembled at the distribution centers and delivered in final form to the users . although the preferred embodiments and examples of the invention has been described with reference to the foregoing specification and drawings , the scope of the invention shall now be defined with reference to the following claims .	5
all cited patents and literature are incorporated by reference in their entirety . although nasal administration to mammals ( especially humans ) of certain therapeutic agents is known , it is not to be presumed that all therapeutic agents can be effectively administered by this route . to the contrary , many therapeutic agents cannot be nasally administered . at present , the molecules which have proved suitable for this route of administration are still very few and consist essentially of only small peptide or hormone molecules ( such as calcitonin , cerulean , β - endorphin , glucagon , horseradish peroxidase , b - interferon , oxytocin and insulin ) in special formulations . the ability of drug molecules to be absorbed by the nasal mucous membranes is utterly unpredictable , as is the ability of intranasal formulations to avoid irritation of the mucous nasal membranes . in fact , mucous membrane irritation caused by the drug and / or excipient is the most common reason for which intranasal administration has not gained wider acceptance . the new compositions according to the invention include the active ingredient in quantities ranging from 0 . 5 to 40 mg per dose , preferably 5 to 30 mg per dose , diluted in excipients such as humectants , isotoning agents , antioxidants , buffers and preservatives . a calcium chelating agent is also preferably included . the intranasal formulations of the invention contain ketorolac ® concentrations ranging from 5 to 20 %, preferably about 15 % weight / volume . of course , the selection of the particular excipients depends on the desired formulation dosage form , i . e . on whether a solution to be used in drops or as a spray ( aerosol ) is desired or a suspension , ointment or gel to be applied in the nasal cavity are desired . in any case , the invention make it possible to have single - dose dosage forms , which ensure application of an optimum quantity of drug . administration of the present intranasal formulations provides very good absolute bioavailability of ketorolac , as demonstrated in tests involving rabbits . the predictive value of the rabbit model with respect to bioavailability of nasally administered ketorolac ® in humans is art - recognized ( mroszczak , e . j . et al ., drug metab . dispos ., 15 : 618 - 626 , 1987 , especially tables 1 and 3 ). according to the results of the rabbit tests set forth below it is extrapolated that in humans intranasal administration of a composition according to the invention in amounts ranging between 0 . 5 mg / kg / day and 4 mg / kg / day will generate plasma levels of ketorolac ® within the range of 0 . 3 - 5 mg / liter of plasma . suitable vehicles for the formulations according to the invention include aqueous solutions containing an appropriate isotoning agent selected among those commonly used in pharmaceutics . substances used for this purpose are , for instance , sodium chloride and glucose . the quantity of isotoning agent should impart to the vehicle ( taking into account the osmotic effect of the active ingredient ), an osmotic pressure similar to that of biological fluids , i . e . generally from about 150 to about 850 milliosmoles ( mosm ) preferably from about 270 to about 330 mosm . however , it is known that nasal mucous membranes are also capable of tolerating slightly hypertonic solutions . should a suspension or gel be desired instead of a solution , appropriate oily or gel vehicles may be used or one or more polymeric materials may be included , which desirably should be capable of conferring bioadhesive characteristics to the vehicle . several polymers are used in pharmaceutics for the preparation of a gel ; the following can be mentioned as nonlimiting examples : hydroxypropyl cellulose ( klucel ®), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose ( methocel ®), hydroxyethyl cellulose ( natrosol ®), sodium carboxymethyl cellulose ( blanose ®), acrylic polymers ( carbopol ®, polycarbophil ®), gum xanthan , gum tragacanth , alginates and agar - agar . some of them , such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and acrylic polymers , have marked bioadhesive properties and are preferred if bioadhesiveness is desired . other formulations suitable for intranasal administration of ketorolac ® can be obtained by adding to the aqueous vehicle polymers capable of changing the rheologic behavior of the composition in relation to the temperature . these polymers make it possible to obtain low viscosity solutions at room temperature , which can be applied for instance by nasal spray and which increase in viscosity at body temperature , yielding a viscous fluid which ensures a better and longer contact with the nasal mucous membrane . polymers of this class include without limitation polyoxyethylene - polyoxypropylene block copolymers ( poloxamer ®). in addition to aqueous , oil or gel vehicles , other vehicles which may be used in the compositions according to the invention comprise solvent systems containing ethyl alcohol , isopropyl alcohol , propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol , mixtures thereof or mixtures of one or more of the foregoing with water . in any case , a pharmaceutically acceptable buffer should be present in order to create optimum ph conditions for both product stability and tolerance ( ph range about 4 to about 8 ; preferably about 5 . 5 to 7 . 5 ). suitable buffers include without limitation tris ( tromethamine ) buffer , phosphate buffer , etc . other excipients include chemical enhancers such as absorption promoters . these include chelating agents , fatty acids , bile acid salts and other surfactants , fusidic acid , lysophosphatides , cyclic peptide antibiotics , preservatives , carboxylic acids ( ascorbic acid , amino acids ), glycyrrhetinic acid , o - acylcarnitine . preferred promoters are diisopropyladipate , poe ( 9 ) lauryl alcohol , sodium glycocholate and lysophosphatidyl - choline which proved to be particularly active . finally , the new compositions according to the invention preferably contain preservatives which ensure the microbiological stability of the active ingredient . suitable preservatives include without limitation , methyl paraoxybenzoate , propyl paraoxybenzoate , sodium benzoate , benzyl alcohol , benzalkonium chloride and chlorobutanol . the liquid ketorolac ® formulations , preferably in the form of solutions , may be administered in the form of drops or spray , using atomizers equipped with a mechanical valve and possibly including a propellant of a type commercially available , such as butane , n 2 , ar , co 2 , nitrous oxide , propane , dimethyl ether , chlorofluorocarbons ( e . g . freon ) etc . vehicles suitable for spray administration are water , alcohol , glycol and propylene glycol , used alone or in a mixture of two or more . generally , illustrative formulations will contain the following ingredients and amounts ( weight / volume ): it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill that ingredients such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and carbopol exist in many types differing in viscosity . their amounts are to be adjusted accordingly . different adjustments to each formulation may also be necessary including omission of some optional ingredients and addition of others . it is thus not possible to give an all - encompassing amount range for each ingredient , but the optimization of each preparation according to the invention is within the skill of the art . another , although not preferred , alternative for the intranasal administration of the ketorolac ®- based compositions comprises a suspension of finely micronized active ingredient ( generally from 1 to 200 micrometers , preferably from 5 to 100 micrometers ) in a propellant or in an oily vehicle or in another vehicle in which the drug is not soluble . the vehicle is mixed or emulsified with the propellant . vehicles suitable for this alternative are , for instance , vegetable and mineral oils and triglyceride mixtures . appropriate surfactants , suspending agents and diluents suitable for use in pharmaceutics are added to these vehicles . surfactants include without limitation sorbitan sesquioleate , sorbitan monooleate , sorbitan trioleate ( amount : between about 0 . 25 and about 1 %); suspending agents include without limitation isopropylmyristate ( amount : between about 0 . 5 and about 1 %) and colloidal silica ( amount : between about 0 . 1 and about 0 . 5 %); and diluents include without limitation zinc stearate ( about 0 . 6 to about 1 %). the following examples of formulations for the intranasal administration of ketorolac ® serve to illustrate the invention without limiting its scope . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g edta disodium ( chelating agent ) 0 . 01 1 g nipagin ( preservative ) 0 . 1 10 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . the isotonicity of this composition was 190 mosm but can be adjusted e . g . to 270 mosm by the addition of 0 . 3 % nacl or . 2 . 03 % of glucose . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g poe ( 9 ) lauryl alcohol ( enhancer / promoter ) 5 500 g nipagin 0 . 1 10 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g sodium carboxymethyl cellulose 1 100 g tromethamine , q . s . to ph = 6 nipagin 0 . 1 10 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . dissolve ketorolac ® and continue stirring to complete dissolution of the drug . adjust the ph to the required value by suitably adding tromethamine dissolved in water . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g nipagin 0 . 1 10 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g carbopol 940 0 . 1 10 g tromethamine , q . s . to ph = 7 - 7 . 4 glycerol 2 200 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 4 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . complete the dissolution of the active ingredient and adjust the ph to a value of 7 . 1 - 7 . 4 by adding a 5 % tromethamine solution . in a separate vessel equipped with mixer , introduce the quantity of glycerol called for in the formulation . introduce carbopol and mix until a homogeneous dispersion in the glycerol is obtained . add 4 liters of purified water with vigorous stirring and continue stirring the solution to complete hydration of the polymer . if necessary , adjust the ph to the required value with the tromethamine solution . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 5 500 g lutrol f127 17 1 . 7 kg edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 1 10 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 4 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . cool the solution to 4 c and then , maintaining it between 4 and 6 c throughout the operation , gradually add lutrol f127 with stirring . the procedure of example 3 was used to make the above formulation except that no buffer was added . the procedure of example 5 was used to make the above formulation . the procedure of example 1 was used except that sodium glycocholate was dissolved with the nipagin and disodium edta at 80 ° c . in water . the isotonicity of this composition was 190 mosm ; it can be adjusted e . g . to 330 mosm by the addition of 0 . 44 % nacl or 3 . 05 % glucose . the procedure of example 5 was used except that sodium glycocholate was dissolved along with nipagin and disodium edta at 80 ° c . we studied the stability of the preparations described in the examples 1 , 2 , 6 , 7 , 8 and 9 . the storing conditions were 4 ° c ., 22 ° c ., 45 ° c . and 55 ° c . we analyzed the preparations at the beginning of the storing period and after 1 , 2 , 3 and 6 months . we used uv and hplc analysis . content of active compound ( uv and hplc ) content of keto and hydroxy degradation products ( uv and hplc ) appearance and color ( visual examination ) ph ( digital ph meter ) we tested in vitro the thermosetting properties of some preparations ( examples 1 , 2 , 7 , 9 ). we sprayed a standardized amount of every preparation to a 37 ° c . constant - temperature , vertical glass surface and we measured the time that the drops of preparation spent to cover 10 cm . the speed of solution in moving on the constant - temperature surface is an indicator of the thermosetting properties of the dosage form . examples 7 and 9 gave the best results in terms of thermosetting properties . we studied the nasal absorption and the local tolerance of four preparations ( examples 1 , 6 , 8 , 9 ) in white new zealand rabbits ( three rabbits for each experimental group plus three controls ). each rabbit received a active preparation in one nostril and its placebo in the other . each animal received 2 mg / kg of ketorolac ® tromethamine ( ktm ), twice a day for seven days and once on the eighth day . the control rabbits were treated , after seven days of nasal administration of physiologic solution , with 2 mg / kg of ktm by intravenous route once . after the last treatment plasma samples were collected at several times and ktm plasma levels were investigated by hplc . after the last blood sample was drawn all the animals were killed by excision of femoral arteries , after having been completely anaesthetized . nasal turbinates , larynx and pharynx were removed and subjected to histological examinations . pharmacokinetic parameters are reported in tables 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 and in fig1 . the local ( nasal mucous ) tolerance data showed good tolerance of the ketorolac - containing intranasal preparations with the formulation of example 1 being the best tolerated followed by that of example 6 , example 9 and example 8 in that order . the foregoing results indicate that intranasal formulations of ketorolac ® according to the invention compare favorably with intravenous formulations in terms of absorption ( formulation b from example 8 being the best absorbed ), time to maximum plasma concentration , and maximum plasma concentration and exhibit good absolute bioavailability ( especially formulation b ). composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 15 1500 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 2 20 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 15 1500 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 2 20 g glycocholic acid 0 . 3 30 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 9 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . composition % for 10 liters ketorolac ® tromethamine 15 1500 g edta disodium 0 . 01 1 g nipagin 0 . 2 20 g glycocholic acid 0 . 3 30 g lutrol f 127 15 1500 g purified water , q . s . to 100 10 l in a suitable vessel equipped with mixer and heating sleeve , introduce about 8 liters of purified water and heat to a temperature of 80 ° c . stir the solution to 4 ° c . and then , maintaining it between 4 ° and 6 ° c . throughout the operation , gradually add lutrol f127 with stirring . gum tragacanth : colony ip . & amp ; exp . co ., new york , n . y ., usa	8
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the preferred embodiments thereof , and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended , such alterations , modifications , and further applications of the principles of the invention being contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . referring to fig1 there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the present invention , indicated generally at 10 . the dual zone solar sensor 10 comprises several components that are illustrated in detail in fig2 and 3 . the dual zone sensor 10 as fully assembled in fig1 shows a cap 70 and a housing 40 . turning now to consider fig2 a circuit board 20 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated therein . the circuit board 20 comprises at least one photodetector 21 , 22 ( see fig4 ) disposed on each side of the circuit board 20 . the circuit board 20 also comprises at least one aperture for each photodetector through which a terminal may pass and be connected to the circuit board 20 . in a most preferred embodiment illustrated in fig2 and 4 , there are two apertures 23 defined through the circuit board 20 that are connected by circuits to the photodetector 21 . this most preferred embodiment also comprises apertures 24 defined through the circuit board 20 and connected by circuitry to the photodetector 22 on an opposite side of the circuit board 20 from the side containing the photodetector 21 . the apertures 23 are adapted to receive long terminals 25 and the same are illustrated in their attached position on the circuit board 20 . similarly , apertures 24 are adapted to receive short terminals 26 and the same are illustrated in their attached configuration . although the apertures 23 are illustrated with the long terminals 25 and the apertures 24 are illustrated with the short terminals 26 , those of ordinary skill will recognize that the positions of the apertures 23 , 24 are unimportant , so long as at least one terminal of a desired length may be mounted to the circuit board 20 and connected by circuitry to at least one photodetector . therefore , all variations in the placement and size of the apertures 23 , 24 and the terminals 25 , 26 that are capable of transferring an electronic signal from a photodetector to a remote electronic processor are contemplated by and intended to come within the scope of the present invention . it is also to be understood that , in other embodiments of the invention , the photodetectors 21 , 22 could have other configurations besides those in fig2 such as circular configurations , or any shape . with reference to fig3 and 4 , the components comprising the most preferred embodiment of the present invention are illustrated therein . the dual zone sensor 10 comprises the cap 70 , an optic separator 60 , a diffuser 50 , a diffuser retainer 30 adapted to retain the diffuser 50 in position over the circuit board 20 , and the housing 40 . the housing 40 is adapted to slidably mate with the diffuser retainer 30 to thereby maintain the optic separator 60 , the diffuser 50 , the circuit board 20 , and the diffuser retainer 30 in place and protect the circuit board 20 from damage . the cap 70 is adapted to overlie the optic separator 60 , the diffuser 50 , the diffuser retainer 30 , and the circuit board 20 when these components are assembled in order to protect these components from damage . the diffuser retainer 30 comprises an upper surface 31 , a lower surface 32 having a short side 33 and a long side 34 , and a vertical channel 35 disposed within an interior circumference of the diffuser retainer 30 . the channel 35 is preferably provided with a channel width x that corresponds closely to a width x &# 39 ; of the circuit board 20 . as demonstrated in the exploded view of fig4 the channel 35 is adapted to slidably receive the circuit board 20 and maintain it in a substantially vertical orientation with regard to the housing 40 and the diffuser 50 . the short side 33 and the long side 34 of the diffuser retainer 30 are adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the diffuser retainer 30 and the terminals 25 , 26 of the circuit board 20 . more precisely , the short side 33 is adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the diffuser retainer 30 and the long terminals 25 of the circuit board 20 , while the long side 34 is adapted to maintain a spaced relationship between the diffuser retainer 30 and the short terminals 26 , when the circuit board 20 engages the channel 35 . in this way , the most preferred embodiment of the present invention prevents upward movement of the terminals 25 , 26 , and the fatigue associated therewith , during installation of the dual zone sensor 10 in its end - use location . this stepped configuration of the most preferred embodiment of the diffuser retainer 30 therefore helps prevent damage to the terminals 25 , 26 and makes the dual zone sensor 10 easier to manufacture . as shown in fig3 the most preferred embodiment of the present invention contemplates use of the housing 40 , which is adapted to slidably receive and mate with the diffuser retainer 30 and the circuit board 20 . the external stepped configuration of the lower surface 32 of the diffuser retainer 30 is mirrored in certain interior surfaces of the housing 40 . for example , a first mating surface 41 defined within the housing 40 is adapted to receive and mate with the long side 34 of the diffuser retainer 30 . similarly , a second mating surface 42 is defined within the interior surface of the housing 40 that is adapted to receive and mate with the short side 33 of the diffuser retainer 30 . apertures 43 are defined through the first mating surface 41 and the second mating surface 42 . these apertures are adapted to slidably receive the terminals 25 , 26 of the circuit board 20 and are sized to minimize lateral movement of the terminals 25 , 26 throughout the life of the dual zone sensor 10 . as shown more clearly in fig5 the apertures 43 of the housing 40 extend from the first and second mating surfaces 41 , 42 to a plug cavity 44 defined within an underside of the housing 40 . when the circuit board 20 and diffuser retainer 30 are installed within and mated with the housing 40 , the terminals 25 , 26 protrude into the plug cavity 44 to create a male - type plug configuration that may be mated with any suitable female - type receptacle ( not shown ). those of ordinary skill will recognize that the most preferred embodiment of the housing 40 is provided with a clip 45 that is adapted to receive and releasably engage a suitable wiring harness ( not shown ). it will be understood that this clip 45 may take any of a number of configurations adapted to retain wiring , and such configurations are intended and contemplated to come within the scope of the present invention . the present invention also contemplates the use of no clip when space demands dictate that the relevant wiring be located away from the dual zone sensor 10 . referring again to the exploded view of fig3 the calibratable diffuser feature of the present invention will now be described . the diffuser 50 comprises a base 51 having an upper surface 53 and a lower surface 54 and at least one diffuser lens 52 formed integral with the upper surface 53 . while the most preferred embodiment of the present invention displays two diffuser lenses 52 placed in a parallel configuration and having a space between them sufficient to accommodate the width x &# 39 ; of the circuit board 20 , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that there exist many configurations for the diffuser lenses 52 that would accomplish the objective of providing a calibratable angular response to a photodetector , such as , for example , a single diffuser lens , with or without a base , that would overlie each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 and be movable relative thereto . as well , the shape of the diffuser 50 may be designed so that its angular response matches that desired for a given application . these configurations are therefore contemplated by and intended to come within the scope of the present invention . the lower surface 54 of the diffuser 50 is substantially planar in order to allow for lateral sliding movement of the diffuser 50 on the substantially planar upper surface 31 of the diffuser retainer 30 . this lateral sliding movement allows the dual zone solar sensor 10 to be calibrated by moving the diffuser 50 on the upper surface 31 of the diffuser retainer 30 until the precise desired angular response is obtained from the photodetectors 21 , 22 . the optic separator 60 defines apertures 61 therethrough through which the diffuser lenses 52 of the diffuser 50 protrude when the diffuser 50 and the optic separator 60 are assembled . the optic separator 60 is adapted to overlie the diffuser 50 , and the apertures 61 are adapted to receive the diffuser lenses 52 therewithin . the optic separator 60 is also provided with clips 62 with which corresponding detentes 71 in the interior of the cap 70 can releasably engage to thereby lock the cap in position over the entire assembly of the diffuser retainer 30 , the circuit board 20 , the diffuser 50 , and the optic separator 60 . as with the other components of the present invention , those of ordinary skill will recognize that the optic separator 60 may assume a number of configurations that would be effective to create a bounded field of view for each photodetector 21 , 22 and thereby enhance the ability of the photodetectors 21 , 22 to obtain high responses to light close to the horizon . those various configurations are therefore intended and contemplated to come within the scope of the present invention . once all the components except the cap 70 have been assembled as described above , the angular response of each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 is measured and , if any deviations from the precise desired angular response are present , the diffuser 50 and the overlying optic separator 60 are laterally adjusted to calibrate the device and thereby obtain the precise desired angular responses from each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 . the diffuser 50 and the optic separator 60 are then attached to the upper surface 31 of the diffuser retainer 30 by any means known in the art , including , by way of example and not of limitation , by ultrasonic welding or the like . after the diffuser 50 and optic separator 60 are so attached , the cap 70 may be installed over the optic separator 60 and the clips 62 engaged with the detentes 71 of the cap to thereby lock the cap in place and form the dual zone sensor 10 as shown in fig1 . the cap 70 is preferably not a light modulator and is present mainly to protect the sensitive components contained thereunder . those of ordinary skill in the art , however , will recognize that , although the cap 70 is not a light modulator in the most preferred embodiment of the present invention , there exist uses to which the present invention may be put for which a light - modulating cap would be desirable . a light - modulating cap is therefore contemplated and intended to come within the scope of the present invention . in operation , the dual zone sensor 10 is installed , for example in the interior of a motor vehicle , in a location where it is capable of receiving incident solar radiation . the optic separator 60 ensures that the photodetector 21 will receive incident solar radiation from a direction opposite that of the incident radiation received by the photodetector 22 and that both photodetectors 21 , 22 will have strong responses to incidental radiation close to the horizon . each of the photodetectors 21 , 22 is provided with a respective output terminal 25 , 26 for providing an output electrical signal that is responsive to an input light from the source of incident radiation . in this manner , the output electrical signals , in combination , are responsive to the position of the source of light . because each photodetector 21 , 22 is mounted on an opposite side of the circuit board 20 , each detector 21 , 22 therefore has a mutually exclusive hemispherical view . the maximum response of a given detector occurs when the light source is perpendicular to the detector , and when one detector &# 39 ; s response is at its maximum , the other detector will have a very low response . the only light reaching the other detector in this situation would presumably be from stray light leakage or reflections . the device therefore provides information about the intensity of the light source and basic information about the relative position of the light source with respect to the photodetector 21 , 22 . the most preferred embodiment of the present invention is designed for use in an automobile in order to obtain information about light source intensity and relative position of the light source in order to adjust the vehicle &# 39 ; s air conditioning system . it will be appreciated by those of skill in the art , however , that while the dual zone solar sensor 10 is suitable for use as an air conditioning control element or the like , it may find application in numerous other areas . because the dual zone sensor of the present invention is small , easy to manufacture , and has very few parts , this sensor may be used in any application that requires use of a rugged sensor to determine the position and intensity of a source of radiation . the foregoing arrangement provides several advantages over prior art solar sensors . first , because the photodetectors 21 , 22 are mounted on opposite sides of the circuit board 20 and their respective fields of view are bounded by the optic separator 60 , the dual zone solar sensor 10 of the present invention does not need to calculate the position of the sun using complex , delicate , and bulky circuitry and other electronic signal processing components . second , as another result of the photodetectors &# 39 ; 21 , 22 orientation , the present invention does not require use of an external light modulator to limit the detectors &# 39 ; field of view . rather , the detectors of the present invention are mounted to the circuit board 20 so that their respective fields of view are determined by their orientation on the circuit board 20 . a further advantage of the dual zone solar sensor 10 of fig1 results from the fact that the diffuser 50 is movable with respect to the diffuser retainer 30 and is therefore calibratable with respect to the photodetectors 21 , 22 . once calibrated , the device of the present invention may be permanently mounted in place , thereby eliminating the need for any correction factor processing circuitry and eliminating the problems associated with such circuitry . it will be appreciated from the above description that the dual zone solar sensor device of the present invention offers significant advantages over prior art devices . no prior art device offers the desirable combination of features including a vertically mounted circuit board having at least one photodetector mounted on either side ; a component configuration that minimizes lateral and vertical movement , and thus fatigue , on the terminals attached to the circuit board ; and a manufacturer - calibratable diffuser , all of which features allow the dual zone solar sensor of the present invention to be simple , compact , and rugged . all of these features are conveniently provided for in the present invention . while the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative 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 .	6
hereinafter will be described preferred embodiments of a magnetic separation apparatus and a magnetic separation method , and a wastewater treatment apparatus and a wastewater treatment method according to the present invention with reference to accompanying drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing a structure of a wastewater treatment apparatus 12 to which a magnetic separation apparatus 10 of an embodiment is applied . this wastewater treatment apparatus 12 is configured such that a raw water tank 14 , a rapid stirring tank 16 , a slow stirring tank 18 , and a magnetic separation apparatus 10 are arranged from upstream to downstream of a wastewater treatment system in that order . water to be treated , i . e ., wastewater ( wastewater containing suspended solids , oil , and heavy metals ) is first supplied from the raw water tank 14 to the rapid stirring tank 16 by a raw water pump 20 . next , an inorganic flocculant , for example , pac ( polyaluminum chloride ), ferric sulfate , ferric chloride , aluminum sulfate , etc ., is added into the rapid stirring tank 16 from an inorganic flocculant tank 22 by an inorganic flocculant injection pump ( not shown ), and then stirring is performed rapidly . here , while collision frequency of suspended substances and oil particles rises due to rapid stirring , a large number of small lumps called microflocs are formed by an effect of the flocculant . subsequently , magnetic powder , such as magnetite , is added into the wastewater from a magnetic powder tank 24 by a magnetic powder injection pump ( not shown ) inside the rapid stirring tank 16 or just when the wastewater is discharged from the rapid stirring tank 16 . the wastewater containing the magnetic powder and the microflocs is then flowed into the slow stirring tank 18 after discharged from the rapid stirring tank 16 . here , a high molecular polymer ( polymeric flocculant ) is injected into the slow stirring tank 18 from a high molecular polymer tank 26 by a pump ( not shown ), and the wastewater having the polymer injected therein is stirred in the slow stirring tank 18 at a low speed to thereby grow magnetic flocs . the high molecular polymer in this case is preferable to be anionic one , for example , polyacrylamide is suitable therefor . in a case of using polyacrylamide , it can be considered that polyacrylamide is stored as powder , and that a fixed quantity thereof is injected into the high molecular polymer tank 26 with a feeder to then be stirred . in addition , although an example of using an inorganic flocculant and an anionic high molecular polymer is illustrated above , the following effects can be similarly obtained even when using only a cationic high molecular polymer without using an inorganic flocculant . the water containing the magnetic flocs formed as described above is supplied from the slow stirring tank 18 to the magnetic separation apparatus 10 , where it is separated into the magnetic flocs and treated water . the above is a flow of wastewater treatment with the wastewater treatment apparatus 12 . the magnetic separation apparatus 10 according to a first embodiment will be shown in fig2 to 6 . namely , fig2 is a plan view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 , fig3 is an elevational view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 shown in fig2 , fig4 is a right side view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 shown in fig3 , fig5 is a sectional view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 taken along an a - a line shown in fig2 , and fig6 is a sectional view of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 taken along a b - b line shown in fig2 . the magnetic separation apparatus 10 is a disk - shaped magnetic separation apparatus . namely , in a separation tank 30 of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 , at a predetermined interval arranged are two disk - shaped disks 32 and 34 having magnetic force inside which permanent magnets are provided . a shaft 36 is fixed to centers of these disks 32 and 34 , it is rotated by a motor ( not shown ), and thereby the disks 32 and 34 are rotated in a counterclockwise direction shown in fig5 . in addition , height positions of the disks 32 and 34 have been set so that lower halves thereof may be under wastewater when it flows into the separation tank 30 . it is to be noted that electromagnets may be provided at the disks 32 and 34 instead of permanent magnets . in addition , the number of disks is not limited to two , but three or more may be provided . the separation tank 30 is a tank whose cross section is formed as a substantially semicircular shape . a supply portion 38 of wastewater is provided on one wall surface 30 a of both upper wall surfaces of the separation tank 30 , the wall surface 30 a being located upstream in a rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 . in addition , an outlet portion 40 of treated water is provided on the other wall surface 30 b of the both upper wall surfaces of the separation tank 30 , the wall surface 30 b being located downstream in the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 . the supply portion 38 of the wastewater is a liquid pipeline formed as pipe - shaped , and has been fixed to an opening portion of the one wall surface 30 a . in addition , similarly , the outlet portion 40 is also a liquid pipeline formed as pipe - shaped , and has been fixed to an opening portion of the other wall surface 30 b . further , the supply portion 38 and the outlet portion 40 are arranged in a same horizontal surface . still further , a supply amount of the wastewater in the supply portion 38 and a discharge amount of the treated water in the outlet portion 40 have been balanced with each other so that a surface level at which substantially lower halves of the disks 32 and 34 are under the water may be maintained in the separation tank 30 as shown in fig5 . consequently , wastewater supplied from the supply portion 38 to the separation tank 30 , i . e ., wastewater containing flocculation - treated magnetic flocs flows along one path toward the outlet portion 40 without branching , as well as flowing in a same direction as the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 in the path . since the surface level of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 is then maintained to be the level at which the substantially lower halves of the disks 32 and 34 are under the wastewater as described above , there does not exist a portion where a flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 and the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 become opposite to each other . it is to be noted that the supply portion 38 has been provided on the one wall surface 30 a of the separation tank 30 , and the outlet portion 40 has been provided on the other wall surfaces 30 b due to a shape of the separation tank 30 , but not limited to this . namely , if the cross section of the separation tank 30 is semicircular , the supply portion 38 may be provided at one end of both top ends of the separation tank , the end being located upstream in the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 , and the outlet portion 40 may be provided at the other end of the both top ends , the end being located downstream in the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 . in addition , if the rotational direction of the disks 32 and 34 and the flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 become the same as each other , installation positions of the supply portion 38 and the outlet portion 40 are not limited to the above - described ones . for example , the supply portion 38 and the outlet portion 40 may be provided by displacing them in a height direction from positions on the same horizontal surface . meanwhile , as for the wastewater supplied to the separation tank 30 , magnetic flocs in the wastewater adhere to the rotating disks 32 and 34 with magnetic force . the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 are scraped by a scraper 42 arranged between the disks 32 and 34 at a position of having come up from a water surface at a time of rotation of the disks 32 and 34 . subsequently , the scraped magnetic flocs are scraped by a spiral - shaped sludge scraper 44 provided along the scraper 42 as shown in fig2 , and then discharged to an outside of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 . the above are functions of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 . hence , according to the magnetic separation apparatus 10 configured as described above , a force that detaches the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 is substantially reduced since the flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 and the rotational direction of the rotatory disks 32 and 34 are the same as each other , thus substantially improving an efficiency of collecting the magnetic flocs using the disks 32 and 34 . since the above - described effect makes a conventionally required filter unnecessary , an installation space of the magnetic separation apparatus 10 can be saved . in addition , since the filter is unnecessary also in the wastewater treatment apparatus 12 in which this magnetic separation apparatus 10 has been installed , the installation space of the wastewater treatment apparatus 12 can be saved . particularly , the present invention is suitable for wastewater treatment equipment that is installed in structures on the ocean , such as offshore platforms , whose installation space is limited . results of a wastewater treatment experiment will be shown in fig7 . relative velocities represented with a horizontal axis of fig7 are ratios of circumferential velocities ( maximum circumferential velocities ) of the disks 32 and 34 to an average flow velocity of wastewater in the separation tank 30 . a relative velocity 100 % shows that the average flow velocity of the wastewater and the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 are the same as each other , relative velocities larger than 100 % the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 is larger than the average flow velocity of the wastewater , and relative velocities smaller than 100 % the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 is smaller than the average flow velocity of the wastewater . a vertical axis of fig7 shows removal rates of suspended solids in the wastewater . run1 of a sample 1 showed that the smaller the relative velocities , the better the removal rates of the suspended solids . run2 of a sample 2 showed a best removal rate of the suspended solids when the relative velocity was 100 %, and showed slightly lower removal rates of the suspended solids when the relative velocity was larger than 100 % or when smaller than that . run3 of a sample 3 showed a best removal rate of the suspended solids when the relative velocity was approximately 80 %. from the results described above , it is preferable that the relative velocity is not more than 100 %. such experimental results have been obtained due to the following reasons . namely , a force that magnetic flocs having adhered to surfaces of the disks 32 and 34 experience under the water depends on the flow velocity of the wastewater and the rotational velocities of the disks 32 and 34 . on that occasion , a force that the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 experience when pulled up from the water becomes the smallest when the relative velocity is not more than 100 %. in other words , since the force that the flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 experience when pulled up from the water becomes larger when the relative velocity becomes larger than 100 %, a ratio that the flocs are detached from the surfaces of the disks 32 and 34 increases , thus resulting in a lower removal rate of the suspended solids . in addition , since the magnetic flocs having adhered to the disks 32 and 34 are affected largely by the gravity when coming up from and leaving a surface of the wastewater by the rotations of the disks 32 and 34 , they tend to leave the disks 32 and 34 . consequently , when the maximum circumferential velocities of the disks 32 and 34 are set to be not more than the flow velocity of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 , to the magnetic flocs added is a force that pushes the magnetic flocs upwardly along with the disks 32 and 34 with flow momentum of the wastewater when the magnetic flocs tend to leave the water . as a result of this , since detachment of the magnetic flocs from the disks 32 and 34 can be suppressed , an efficiency of collecting the magnetic flocs is further improved . specifically , if a diameter of the two disks 32 and 34 shown in fig2 to 6 is set to be 900 millimeters , an interval between the disks 32 and 34 is 50 millimeters , and there is a discoid with a diameter of 300 millimeters between the disks that presses down the disks but that does not work as a water flow path , an average flow velocity of the wastewater in the separation tank 30 is 0 . 135 m / s when an amount of water to be treated is 7 . 3 m 3 / h . hence , it is preferable that the maximum circumferential velocity of the disks 32 and 34 is set to be 0 . 068 to 0 . 135 m / s ( the relative velocity is not more than 50 to 100 %). a magnetic separation apparatus 50 of a second embodiment will be shown in fig8 and 9 . it is to be noted that fig8 is a plan view of the magnetic separation apparatus 50 , and that fig9 is an elevational view thereof . the magnetic separation apparatus 50 shown in these drawings has a drum 52 instead of the disks 32 and 34 shown in fig2 to 6 . magnet pieces are densely attached to a surface of the drum 52 . this drum 52 is arranged so that a lower half thereof may be under the water in a separation tank 54 whose cross section is semicircular . in addition , a shaft 56 is fixed to side surfaces of the drum 52 , and this shaft 56 is connected to a motor ( not shown ). the drum 52 is rotationally driven in a counterclockwise direction at a predetermined velocity by driving this motor as shown in fig9 . a supply portion 58 of the wastewater is provided at one end of both top ends of the separation tank 54 , the end being located upstream in a rotational direction of the drum 52 , and an outlet portion 60 is provided at the other end of the both top ends , the end being located downstream in the rotational direction of the drum 52 . it is to be noted that if the rotational direction of the drum 52 and a flow direction of the wastewater in the separation tank 54 become the same as each other , installation positions of the supply portion 58 and the outlet portion 60 are not limited to the above - described ones . magnetic flocs that adhere to a surface of the drum 52 with magnetic force are scraped by a scraper 62 at positions above the water , and then collected to a lower portion along the scraper 62 . for example , if a diameter of the drum is set to be 600 millimeters , a length thereof is 600 millimeters , a height of a water flow path is 25 millimeters , and an amount of water to be treated is 7 . 3 m 3 / h , an average flow velocity of the wastewater in the separation tank is 0 . 135 m / s , so that it is preferable that a circumferential velocity of the drum is set to be 0 . 068 to 0 . 135 m / s ( the relative velocity is approximately 50 % to not more than 100 %). although the scraper 42 and the sludge scraper 44 are respectively required between the disks in the disk - shaped magnetic separation apparatus 10 shown in fig2 to 6 , according to the drum - shaped magnetic separation apparatus 50 shown in fig8 and 9 , a structure of the apparatus can be simplified since sludge can be collected only with the scraper 62 .	1
because the illustrated embodiments of the present invention may for the most part , be implemented using electronic components and circuits known to those skilled in the art , details will not be explained in any greater extent than that considered necessary as illustrated above , for the understanding and appreciation of the underlying concepts of the present invention and in order not to obfuscate or distract from the teachings of the present invention . referring now to fig1 , a first example of apparatus 100 for monitoring battery current is provided with two inputs 101 , 102 which may be connected across a shunt resistor 103 . the shunt resistor 103 may have a value of , typically , around 100 micro ohms and may be connected so that it senses current flowing from the negative terminal 104 of a battery to a ground reference ( such as the chassis of a vehicle in which the battery is placed ). this current is monitored by the apparatus 100 by measuring the voltage drop across the shunt resistor 103 , that is , between the two inputs 101 , 102 . a positive voltage drop may mean that a positive current is flowing and a negative voltage drop may mean that negative current is flowing . the inputs 101 , 102 of the apparatus 100 may be connected to an input mixer 105 which may receive an input from a chopper module 106 . the chopper module 106 may supply on line 107 , a reference clock signal for the purpose of modulating the signals appearing on the inputs 101 , 102 . in this way , the dc signal to be measured is modulated at a known chopping frequency in order to distinguish between the desired signal and any dc offsets which may be added by subsequent stages of the measuring circuit . if offset and signal are not at the same frequencies , then the offset can be removed by adequate filtering , for example in an average - by - two process . the modulated signals appearing at the output of the input mixer 105 may be fed to a low pass filter 108 whose purpose is to eliminate any high - frequency noise which would be detrimental to the performance of subsequent functions . filtered output signals from the low pass filter 108 may be fed to a programmable gain amplifier ( pga ) 109 whose purpose is to amplify the relatively small signals which may typically range from a few microvolts to several hundred millivolts . a gain control signal on line 110 may be provided to the pga 109 . the gain of the pga 109 may be controlled digitally by a gain control module 111 to be described below . amplified signals appearing at the output of the pga 109 may be fed to an extended counting analog to digital converter ( adc ) 112 . this analog to digital converter 112 operates in accordance with an extended counting technique such as that described in c . janson , “ a high - resolution , compact and low - power adc suitable for array implementation in standard cmos ,” ieee trans . circuits syst . i , vol . 42 , pp . 904 - 912 , november 1995 . briefly , for one analogue to digital conversion , the converter passes through two modes . in the first mode , the converter operates as a resettable first order delta sigma modulator to convert the most significant bits ( the counting conversion mode ). in a second mode , the least significant bits are converted by an algorithmic analog to digital conversion technique (“ extended conversion ”). in contrast , delta signal analog to digital converters require digital decimation filters which can take up additional silicon area . high resolution may be obtained but at the expense of oversampling which leads to increased power consumption . the extended counting technique is a compromise between the known sigma delta modulation with its high accuracy but low speed and the known algorithmic analog to digital conversion technique with its higher speed but low accuracy . the main advantages of the extending counting adc are its speed and low latency . the extended counting adc 112 converts an input analog signal into a digital one and outputs the digitised signal on line 113 . at this point , the signal on line 113 may include dc offsets introduced by the pga 109 and adc 112 . the digitised output from the adc 112 may be fed from the adc 112 into an output mixer 114 . in one example , the most significant bit ( msb ) is output from the adc 112 and fed into the gain control module 111 . in the gain control module 111 , in a first operation , the modulus ( or absolute value ) of the msb is determined ( as the output from the adc 112 could be positive or negative ). in a second operation in the gain control module 111 , the determined absolute value is compared with predefined maximum and minimum threshold values . depending on this comparison , the gain control module 111 may increase the gain of the pga 109 if the determined absolute value is below the minimum threshold value or decrease the gain if the determined absolute value is above the maximum threshold value . if the determined absolute value is within a minimum - maximum window then the gain may be held constant . by this means , the amplification provided by the pga 109 may be set to match the dynamic range of the adc 112 . in the output mixer 114 , the digitised signal which is output by the adc 112 is mixed with the clock signal from the chopper circuit 106 received on line 115 . the mixer 114 demodulates the signal originally modulated by the input mixer 105 and modulates any dc offset which has been introduced by the pga 109 and adc 112 . the output of the output mixer 114 may be sent to a multiplier 116 . the multiplier 116 may also receive an input from the gain control circuit 111 on line 117 . in the multiplier 116 , a gain compensation signal may be applied in order to compensate for the irregularities in the gain of the analog functions , for example , the pga 109 and / or the adc 112 . this gain compensation may be determined at final test . the signal appearing at the output of the output mixer 116 may then be fed to an averager module 118 . the averager module 118 may also receive a clock signal on line 119 from the chopper module 106 . in the averaging module 118 , an average of two successive samples is taken . the desired output signal from the multiplier 116 is now at dc but includes an unwanted dc offset introduced by the pga 109 and adc 112 which has been modulated at the chopper module clock frequency by the output mixer 114 . the average - by - two filtering process carried out in the averager module 118 has an infinite rejection at the chopper module clock frequency . so the desired dc signal is kept , while the unwanted offset is removed . hence , this averaging process cancels any offsets in the pga 109 and the adc 112 . a signal appearing at the output of the averaging module 118 comprises a compensated digital value indicating battery current . the signal may comprise , typically , 16 - bit data . the output of the averager 116 may be linked to a digital bus ( not shown ) so that a user may read the content of this digital value via some appropriate communication means . in one example , a first switch 120 may be provided to allow zeroing of the input of the pga 109 in a conventional manner . in another example , a second switch 121 may be provided for zeroing the input of the adc 112 in a conventional manner . in a further example , a diagnostic module 122 may be provided for generating a diagnostic voltage for verifying the operation of the apparatus 100 . this may be connected to the inputs of the lowpass filter 108 prior to connecting the apparatus to a battery which is to be monitored . referring now to fig2 , a second example of apparatus 200 for monitoring battery current is provided with two inputs 201 , 202 which may be connected across a shunt resistor 203 in a similar fashion to the first example of fig1 . the shunt resistor 203 may have a value of , typically , around 100 micro ohms and in the same fashion as the first example , may be connected so that it senses current flowing from the negative terminal 204 of a battery to a ground reference ( such as the chassis of a vehicle in which the battery is placed ). this current is monitored by the apparatus 200 by measuring the voltage drop across the shunt resistor 203 , that is , between the two inputs 201 , 202 . a positive voltage drop may mean that a positive current is flowing and a negative voltage drop may mean that a negative current is flowing . the inputs 201 , 202 of the apparatus 200 may be connected to a lowpass filter 205 . the lowpass filter 205 eliminates any high - frequency noise on the inputs 201 202 , which would be detrimental to the performance of subsequent functions . the outputs of the lowpass filter 205 may be operably coupled to a mixer 206 which may receive an input from a chopper module 207 . the chopper module 207 may supply on line 208 a reference clock signal for the purpose of modulating the filtered signals from the lowpass filter 205 . in this example , the modulated signals appearing at the output of the mixer 206 are fed to a programmable gain amplifier pga 209 which amplifies the modulated signals . a gain control signal on line 210 may be provided to the pga 209 . the gain of the pga 209 may be controlled digitally by a gain control module 211 to be described below . amplified signals appearing at the output of the pga 209 may be fed to an extended counting analog to digital converter ( adc ) 212 . in a similar fashion as described with reference to fig1 , the adc 212 performs an analog to digital conversion of input signals by operating as a resettable first - order delta sigma modulator in a first mode , to convert the most significant bits , and by using an algorithmic analog to digital conversion technique , and a second mode to convert the least significant bits . the output from the adc 212 may be fed to a multiplier 213 where it is multiplied with a gain control signal on line 214 provided by the gain control circuit 211 . the gain control signal on line 214 serves the purpose in the multiplier of compensating for irregularities in the gain of the analog functions , for example the pga 209 and / or the adc 212 . the compensated , digitised output signal from the multiplier 213 may then be fed to a demodulator and averager module 215 . the demodulator and averager module 215 may also receive a clock signal from the chopper module 207 . after demodulation in the demodulator and averager module 215 , the desired output signal from the multiplier 213 is now at dc but includes an unwanted , modulated dc offset introduced by the pga 209 and adc 212 . a subsequent averaging process takes an average of two successive samples . this average - by - two filtering process carried out in the demodulator and averager module 215 has an infinite rejection at the chopper module clock frequency . so the desired dc signal is kept , while the unwanted offset is removed . hence , this chopping and averaging process cancels any offsets in the pga 209 and the adc 212 . a signal appearing on line 216 at the output of the demodulation and averaging module 215 comprises a compensated digital value indicating battery current . this may comprise , typically , 16 - bit data . the output line 216 may be linked to a digital bus ( not shown ) so that a user may read the content of this digital value by way of some appropriate communication means . the digitised output on line 216 may also be fed to the gain control module 211 in order to control the gain applied to the pga 209 and to provide the gain compensation signal applied to the multiplier 213 on line 214 . in this way , gain , adjustment may be done using fully compensated data . the most significant bit ( msb ) of the output value on line 216 is fed into the gain control module 211 . in the gain control module 211 , in a first operation , the modulus ( or absolute value ) of the msb is determined ( as the output from the adc 212 could be positive or negative ). in a second operation in the gain control module 211 , the determined absolute value is compared with predefined maximum and minimum threshold values . depending on this comparison , the gain control module 211 may increase the gain of the pga 209 if the determined absolute value is below the minimum threshold value or decrease the gain if the determined absolute value is above the maximum threshold value . if the determined absolute value is within a minimum - maximum window then the gain may be held constant . by this means , the amplification provided by the pga 209 may be set to match the dynamic range of the adc 212 . optionally a first switch 217 may be provided for zeroing the input to the pga 209 in a conventional manner . optionally , a second switch 218 may be provided for zeroing the inputs to the adc 212 in a conventional manner . the apparatus 200 for measuring battery current may be attached to a battery 219 of a vehicle 220 . an example of a method for monitoring electrical current will now be described with reference to fig3 which is a simplified flowchart 300 illustrating an exemplary method of monitoring electrical current . at 301 , a shunt resistor is connected in the current supply line , and at 302 , input signal lines are connected across the shunt resistor . an input signal which is received on the input signal lines is chopped at 303 to produce a modulated analog signal . at 304 , the modulated analog signal is amplified in a variable gain amplifier to produce an amplified analog signal . at 305 , the amplified analog signal is converted to digitised samples using an extended counting analog to digital converter . at 306 , the gain of the variable gain amplifier is set in response to a value of the digitised samples so that the gain of the variable gain amplifier is matched to the dynamic range of the extended counting analog to digital converter . at 307 , the digitised samples which are produced by the extended counting analog to digital converter are demodulated . at 308 , unwanted offsets are filtered out by taking an average of successive digitised samples in order to compensate for any offsets introduced by the amplification and analog to digital conversion processes . the resulting averaged , digitised samples represent a current flowing through the shunt resistor and may be fed to a communications bus . the invention may also be implemented in a computer program for running on a computer system , at least including code portions for performing steps of a method according to the invention when run on a programmable apparatus , such as a computer system or enabling a programmable apparatus to perform functions of a device or system according to the invention . as an example , a tangible computer program product may be provided having executable code stored therein to perform a method for monitoring electrical current in a supply line , the method comprising ; connecting a shunt resistor in said supply line , connecting input signal lines across the shunt resistor , receiving an input signal on said input signal lines , chopping the input signal to produce a modulated analog signal , amplifying the modulated analog signal in a variable gain amplifier to produce an amplified analog signal , converting the amplified analog signal to digitised samples using an extended counting analog to digital converter , controlling the gain of the variable gain amplifier in response to a value of the digitised samples so that a gain of the variable gain amplifier is matched to a dynamic range of the extended counting analogue to digital converter , demodulating the digitised samples , and filtering the demodulated digitised samples to remove any unwanted dc offset . a computer program is a list of instructions such as a particular application program and / or an operating system . the computer program may for instance include one or more of : a subroutine , a function , a procedure , an object method , an object implementation , an executable application , an applet , a servlet , a source code , an object code , a shared library / dynamic load library and / or other sequence of instructions designed for execution on a computer system . the computer program may be stored internally on computer readable storage medium or transmitted to the computer system via a computer readable transmission medium . all or some of the computer program may be provided on computer readable media permanently , removably or remotely coupled to an information processing system . the computer readable media may include , for example and without limitation , any number of the following : magnetic storage media including disk and tape storage media ; optical storage media such as compact disk media ( e . g ., cd - rom , cd - r , etc .) and digital video disk storage media ; nonvolatile memory storage media including semiconductor - based memory units such as flash memory , eeprom , eprom , rom ; ferromagnetic digital memories ; mram ; volatile storage media including registers , buffers or caches , main memory , ram , etc . ; and data transmission media including computer networks , point - to - point telecommunication equipment , and carrier wave transmission media , just to name a few . a computer process typically includes an executing ( running ) program or portion of a program , current program values and state information , and the resources used by the operating system to manage the execution of the process . an operating system ( os ) is the software that manages the sharing of the resources of a computer and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources . an operating system processes system data and user input , and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system . the computer system may for instance include at least one processing unit , associated memory and a number of input / output ( i / o ) devices . when executing the computer program , the computer system processes information according to the computer program and produces resultant output information via i / o devices . in the foregoing specification , the invention has been described with reference to specific examples of embodiments of the invention . it will , however , be evident that various modifications and changes may be made therein without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . for example , in an alternative embodiment the input gain is split between a pga and the input stage of the adc . this can give more flexibility for lowering the requirements on the pga , and also achieve higher gains . while an average - by - two process has been described in the exemplary embodiments , it will be understood that any process which filters out the unwanted offsets ( which are at a different frequency to the desired signal ) may be employed . the connections as discussed herein may be any type of connection suitable to transfer signals from or to the respective nodes , units or devices , for example via intermediate devices . accordingly , unless implied or stated otherwise , the connections may for example be direct connections or indirect connections . the connections may be illustrated or described in reference to being a single connection , a plurality of connections , unidirectional connections , or bidirectional connections . however , different embodiments may vary the implementation of the connections . for example , separate unidirectional connections may be used rather than bidirectional connections and vice versa . also , plurality of connections may be replaced with a single connections that transfers multiple signals serially or in a time multiplexed manner . likewise , single connections carrying multiple signals may be separated out into various different connections carrying subsets of these signals . therefore , many options exist for transferring signals . those skilled in the art will recognize that the boundaries between functional modules are merely illustrative and that alternative embodiments may merge functional modules or circuit elements or impose an alternate decomposition of functionality upon various functional modules or circuit elements . thus , it is to be understood that the architectures depicted herein are merely exemplary , and that in fact many other architectures can be implemented which achieve the same functionality . any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality is effectively “ associated ” such that the desired functionality is achieved . hence , any two components herein combined to achieve a particular functionality can be seen as “ associated with ” each other such that the desired functionality is achieved , irrespective of architectures or intermedial components . likewise , any two components so associated can also be viewed as being “ operably connected ,” or “ operably coupled ,” to each other to achieve the desired functionality . furthermore , those skilled in the art will recognize that boundaries between the above described operations merely illustrative . the multiple operations may be combined into a single operation , a single operation may be distributed in additional operations and operations may be executed at least partially overlapping in time . moreover , alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation , and the order of operations may be altered in various other embodiments . also for example , in one embodiment , the illustrated examples may be implemented as circuitry located on a single integrated circuit or within a same device . for example , the apparatus of the examples of either of fig1 and fig2 may be implemented within one device . further , the entire functionality of the various functional modules shown in fig1 and 2 may be implemented in an integrated circuit . such an integrated circuit may be a package containing one or more dies in a single package with electronic components provided on the dies that form the modules and which are connectable to other components outside the package through suitable connections such as pins of the package and bondwires between the pins and the dies . alternatively , the examples may be implemented as any number of separate integrated circuits or separate devices interconnected with each other in a suitable manner . also for example , the examples , or portions thereof , may implemented as soft or code representations of physical circuitry or of logical representations convertible into physical circuitry , such as in a hardware description language of any appropriate type . also , the invention is not limited to physical devices or units implemented in non - programmable hardware but can also be applied in programmable devices or units able to perform the desired device functions by operating in accordance with suitable program code , such as mainframes , minicomputers , servers , workstations , personal computers , notepads , personal digital assistants , electronic games , automotive and other embedded systems , cell phones and various other wireless devices , commonly denoted in this application as ‘ computer systems ’. however , other modifications , variations and alternatives are also possible . the specifications and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than in a restrictive sense . in the claims , any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim . the word ‘ comprising ’ does not exclude the presence of other elements or steps then those listed in a claim . furthermore , the terms “ a ” or “ an ,” as used herein , are defined as one or more than one . also , the use of introductory phrases such as “ at least one ” and “ one or more ” in the claims should not be construed to imply that the introduction of another claim element by the indefinite articles “ a ” or “ an ” limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim element to inventions containing only one such element , even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases “ one or more ” or “ at least one ” and indefinite articles such as “ a ” or “ an .” the same holds true for the use of definite articles . unless stated otherwise , terms such as “ first ” and “ second ” are used to arbitrarily distinguish between the elements such terms describe . thus , these terms are not necessarily intended to indicate temporal or other prioritization of such elements . the mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage .	7
as used herein the term “ anti - neoplastic ” means inhibiting or preventing the development , maturation or proliferation of malignant cells . the term “ therapeutically effective ” means an amount of drug , or combination or composition , which is effective for producing a desired therapeutic effect upon administration to a patient , for example , to stem the growth , or result in the shrinkage , of a cancerous tumor . “ q3w ” means every 3 weeks . “ therapeutic index ” is a well - recognized term of art and is an important parameter in the selection of anticancer agents for clinical trial . therapeutic index takes into consideration the efficacy , pharmacokinetics , metabolism and bioavailability of anticancer agents . see , e . g ., j . natl . cancer inst . 81 ( 13 ): 988 - 94 ( jul . 5 , 1989 ). the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ,” such as pharmaceutically acceptable carrier , excipient , etc ., means pharmacologically acceptable and substantially non - toxic to the subject to which the particular compound is administered . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable salt ” refers to conventional acid - addition salts or base - addition salts that retain the biological effectiveness and properties of the compounds of the present invention and are formed from suitable non - toxic organic or inorganic acids or organic or inorganic bases . sample acid - addition salts include those derived from inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid , hydrobromic acid , hydroiodic acid , sulfuric acid , sulfamic acid , phosphoric acid and nitric acid , and those derived from organic acids such as p - toluenesulfonic acid , salicylic acid , methanesulfonic acid , oxalic acid , succinic acid , citric acid , malic acid , lactic acid , fumaric acid , and the like . sample base - addition salts include those derived from ammonium , potassium , sodium , and quaternary ammonium hydroxides , such as for example , tetramethylammonium hydroxide . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ester ” of a compound means a conventionally esterified compound having a carboxyl group , which esters retain the biological effectiveness and properties of the compound . chemical modification of a pharmaceutical compound ( i . e ., drug ) into a salt is a technique well known to pharmaceutical chemists to obtain improved physical and chemical stability , hydroscopicity , and solubility of compounds . see , e . g ., h . ansel et . al ., pharmaceutical dosage forms and drug delivery systems ( 6 th ed . 1995 ) at pp . 196 and 1456 - 1457 . the term “ tumor control ” means that the size of the tumor has either decreased , or has not increased by the defined and generally accepted criteria : e . g ., the sum of the longest dimensions of the measurable tumor lesions has not increased by 20 % or more as compared with the baseline , or with the shortest dimension of that lesion achieved post - treatment ( recist = response evaluation criteria in solid tumors , rules 1 . 1 published january 2009 ), or for specific tumor lesions such as those related to lymphoma and / or intracranial metastases of solid tumors , the sum of the products of the perpendicular diameters of measurable lesions has not increased by 25 % or more from the baseline or from the last measurement . ( see , e . g ., world health organization (“ who ”) handbook for reporting results of cancer treatment , geneva ( 1979 ). in certain instances , the criteria for the volumetric ( three - dimensional = 3d ) tumor measurements might be applied ( e . g ., for the brain metastatic lesions ). “ tumor volume ( in cubic millimeter )” for purposes of measuring tumor size is calculated using the ellipsoid formula : where “ d ” represents the large diameter of the tumor , and “ d ” represents the small diameter . the term “ autoinduction ” shall mean a promotion of the compound &# 39 ; s own metabolism by compound a inducing the activity of the relevant cyp450 metabolizing enzyme ( s ). in the first two embodiments of the invention , the 3 - 4 schedule ( 3 days - on ; 4 days - off ; for 2 weeks , q3w ) ( a ) and the 7 - 14 schedule ( 7 days - on ; 14 days - off ; q3w ) ( b ) both contain rest weeks in the 3 - week cycle . this will enable the collection of pd data using these two schedules . these two schedules ( a and b ) include 6 and 7 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle , respectively . in yet another embodiment of the invention , the 1 - 1 schedule ( 1 day - on ; i day - off q3w ) ( schedule c ) provides a simple schedule and is relevant considering that the mean terminal half - life defined thus far in an ongoing first phase i trial of compound a is reported to be 42 . 2 hours ( range between 10 to 93 hours ). this schedule ( c ) includes 11 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . in another embodiment of the invention the 1 - 6 schedule ( 1 day - on ; 6 days - off ; q3w ) ( schedule d ) will assess the relevance of a weekly administration of compound a . because it does not include any consecutive dosings , this simple regimen should minimize the risk of auto - induction . moreover , it should allow assessment of maximal concentration ( cmax ) effect on toxicity and efficacy . it incorporates 3 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . in another embodiment of the invention the 1 - 2 - 1 - 3 schedule ( 1 day - on ; 2 days - off ; then 1 day - on ; 3 days - off ; q3w ) ( schedule e ) represents an intermediate intermittent regimen between the 1 - 6 schedule and the 1 - 1 schedule . it integrates compound a administration twice a week to limit the risk of autoinduction while increasing systemic exposure with respect to the 1 - 6 schedule . it includes 6 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . in another embodiment of the invention the 5 - 2 schedule ( 5 days - on ; 2 days - off ; q3w ) ( schedule f ) represents the most dose intense schedule to be tested in this study . in this schedule ( f ), patients are to be dosed for 5 consecutive days with 2 days off each week , without any rest weeks . it comes close to a continuous administration schedule which was investigated with success in a preclinical model ( teachey , seif et al . 2008 ). moreover , it will allow assessment of safety of a regimen that could be used concommitently with radiation treatment . it includes 15 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle . although the different schedule schedules ( a to f ) include an increasing numbers of dosing days ( from 3 to 15 dosing days in a 3 - week cycle ), the initial drug doses will be adapted so that the dose intensity of compound a given in a 3 - week cycle does not exceed the one offered by the 3 - 4 schedule at the highest safe dose tested so far ( 270 mg / day * 6 dosing days every 3 weeks in 3 - 4 schedule ). if deemed safe , then dose escalation to dose intensities at and above that given in the 3 - 4 schedule at 270 mg / day will be performed . for safety reasons , the first cohorts of patients enrolled in schedules c , d , e and f will be treated with lower doses ( dose level 1 : 14 % to 37 % of dose intensity of 3 - 4 schedule at 270 mg ). then in the subsequent cohorts , the dose will be escalated by 50 %- 100 %. the objective of experiment 1 in the table of example 1 was to compare six new dosing schedules of compound a with different clinical schedules at different dose levels and determine treatment safety , efficacy , pk and pd parameters . patients enrolled in the above studies have a variety of tumors including solid tumors such as , non - small cell lung cancer , various subtypes of breast cancer , colorectal cancer , prostate cancer , pancreatic cancer , melanoma , various sarcomas and primary brain tumors . also patients with blood cancer such as leukemia are included	0
antibodies recognizing preselected regions of a protein can be generated by immunization with appropriate synthetic peptides . the application of such antibodies , having predetermined specificity , in biology and medicine is becoming increasingly attractive ( r . a . lerner , &# 34 ; tapping the immunological repertorie to produce antibodies of predetermined specificity &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 299 , 592 - 596 , 1982 ). synthetic peptide analogues also offer the opportunty to serve as reagents for discerning antibodies of predetermined specificity among the repertoire of antibodies produced by immunization with complex proteins , viruses and their subunits . this may be especially advantageous in the search for antibodies specifically recognizing biologically important epitopes . domains encoded by the pre - s region of the hbv env gene play a significant role in the life cycle of hbv ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , ( 1985 ). therefore , it has become important to detect antibodies recognizing these domains in sera of humans who had been infected with hbv or who were immunized with hepatitis b vaccines . earlier studies ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , 1985 ) established that anti - hbv sera recognize at high dilutions a synthetic peptide pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) corresponding to the 26 n - terminal amino acids ( encoded by the pre - s gene ) of the hbv middle protein . therefore , it is believed that this peptide could represent the basis for the design of an assay more sensitive than the tests used heretofore . applicants herein indeed developed such an assay using a pre - s peptide - beta - lactamase conjugate , e . g ., a pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) beta - lactamase conjugate . this particular conjugate lead to an assay 50 to 100 times more sensitive than the preceding tests . without wishing to be bound by any particular theory of operability , it is believed that the enhanced sensitivity afforded by the conjugates of this invention are the result of a glutaraldehyde induced polymerization between the peptide and beta - lactamase which leads to products preferentially recognized by antibodies elicited by hbv ( hbsag ) containing pre - s sequences . applicants have developed an assay for antibodies specifically recognizing the hbv large protein . this assay is based on the synthetic peptide pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) linked to beta - lactamase ( a pre - s ( 12 - 32 )- beta - lactamase conjugate ). since the content of the hbv large protein in hbsag is usually much lower than the content of the middle protein ( heermann et al ., 1984 , supra ; a . r . neurath , nathan strick , p . taylor and s . b . h . kent , 1985 , supra ), the dilution endpoints of sera from vaccinated persons were by two orders of magnitude lower in this assay as compared to endpoints in elisa utilizing pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta lactamase . ( see fig1 and fig2 ). this assay is ( 1 ) useful for studying the antibody repertoire in sera of persons who have been infected with hbv or who were vaccinated against hepatitis b virus , and ( 2 ) potentially important for immunogencity studies on hepatitis b vaccines . the use of synthetic peptide - beta - lactamase conjugates in combination with magnetic protein a offers a good opportunity for the development of screening assays for detection of anti - viral antibodies in general . the availability of protein a expressed in e . coli ( repligen , cambridge , ma ) makes such assays economically feasible . such assays should permit the detection of antibodies specifically reacting with defined functional domains of a virus if sequences corresponding to these domains are determined . the physical structure and proposed genetic organization of the hbv genome are described by p . tiollais , p . charnay and g . n . vyas , science , 213 , 1981 at pp . 408 - 409 . there are two dna strands , namely the long ( l ) strand and the short ( s ) strand . the l strand transcipt has four open reading frame regions which are termed ( s + pre - s ), c , p and x . the open reading frame region ( s + pre - s ) corresponds to the envelope ( env ) gene of hbv dna and codes for a family of proteins found in the hbv envelope and in virus related particles . a schematic representation of the potential translation products of the env gene ( s ) of hbv dna is as follows : ## str4 ## the numbers in the above schematic refers to amino acids ( aa ). a translation initiation site at met 1 exists for the adw 2 and adr subtypes only . the first amino acid for the other subtypes correspond to position pre - s 12 . hereinafter , amino acid sequences corresponding to the pre - s region ( env 1 to 174 ) are designated with the prefix &# 34 ; pre - s &# 34 ; and amino acid sequences corresponding to the s region ( env 175 to 400 ) are designated by the prefix &# 34 ; s &# 34 ;. in the env gene product representation , the s region spans amino acids 175 to 400 as compared to amino acids 1 to 226 in the &# 34 ; s region only &# 34 ; representation . in the above schematic , the pre - s region is defined by amino acid sequence positions pre - s 1 to amino acid sequence position pre - s 174 . the s region is defined by sequence positions s 1 ( amino acid 175 of the open reading frame and adjacent to pre - s 174 ) to sequence position s 226 ( amino acid 400 of the open reading frame ). the s - gene product ( s - protein ) consists of this 226 amino acid sequence . non - limiting pre - s peptides for linking to beta - lactamase according to the present invention include the following : ( 1 ) pre - s ( 12 - 32 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mgtnlsvpnplgffpdhqldp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 2 ) pre - s ( 120 - 145 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mqwnstafhqtlqdprvrglylpagg for subtype adw 2 ; ( 3 ) pre - s ( 32 - 53 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) pafgansnnpdwdfnpvkddwp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 4 ) pre - s ( 117 - 134 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) pqamqwnstafhqtlqdp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 5 ) pre - s ( 94 - 117 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) pastnrqsgrqptpispplrdshp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 6 ) pre - s ( 153 - 171 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) papniashissisartgdp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 7 ) pre - s ( 1 - 21 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mggwsskprkgmgtnlsvpnp for subtype adw 2 ; ( 8 ) pre - s ( 57 - 73 ), wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) qvgvgafgprltpphgg for subtype adw 2 ; a . for adw 2 , wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mggwsskprkg b . for adr , wherein the sequence is ( see fig3 ) mggwsskprqg . particularly preferred sequences for binding to beta - lactamase are pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) and pre - s ( 120 - 145 ). the tests design described herein may contribute to the solution of recent problems associated with the diagnosis and prevention of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome ( aids ). the specificity of antibody detection can be assured by using for elisa appropriate synthetic peptides conjugated with beta - lactamase in analogy with methods for detection of anti - pre - s - specific antibodies described above . these synthetic peptide correspond to n - terminal and c - terminal portions of the processed and cleaved env proteins of htlv iii / lav , for example : __________________________________________________________________________nh . sub . 2 -- te k l w v t v y y g v p v w k e a t t tl f c -- cooh ( n - terminal ) ; nh . sub . 2 -- cr a i r h i p r r i r r q g l e r i l l -- cooh ( c - terminal ) nh . sub . 2 -- ra v g i g a l f l g f l g a a g ; s t m g a r s m -- cooh ( n - terminal ) ; andnh . sub . 2 -- pg g g d m r d n w r s e l y k y k v vk i e p l g v a p t k a k -- cooh ( c - terminal ) . __________________________________________________________________________ the present invention can be employed as a diagnostic tool to determine the presence of specific antibodies to specific antigens by employing peptides which mimic the natural antigens . these peptides can be conjugated with beta - lactamase . thus , for example , the following peptide which mimic the antigenic determinant of natural hepatitis b s - protein could be used in conjunction with the detection of antibodies to the s - protein . __________________________________________________________________________135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145pro ser cys cys cys thr lys pro thr or ser asp gly146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155asn cys thr cys ile pro ile pro ser ser__________________________________________________________________________ other peptides mimicking the antigenic determinant of hbsag ( s region ) include the following : ## str5 ## g . r . dreesman , y . sanchex , i . ionescu - matiu , j . t . sparrow , h . r . six , d . l . peterson , f . b . hollinger and j . l . melnick , &# 34 ; antibody to hepatitis b surface antigen after a single inoculation of uncoupled synthetic hbsag peptides &# 34 ;, nature , 295 , 158 - 160 , 1982 ; and ( 2 ) the following peptides : __________________________________________________________________________position sequence__________________________________________________________________________48 - 81 cys -- leu -- gly -- gln -- asn -- ser -- gln -- ser -- pro -- thr -- ser -- asn -- his -- ser -- pro -- thr -- ser -- cys -- pro -- pro -- thr -- cys -- pro -- gly -- tyr -- arg -- trp -- met -- cys -- leu -- arg -- arg -- phe -- ile 2 - 16 glu -- asn -- ile -- thr -- ser -- gly -- phe -- leu -- gly -- pro -- leu -- leu -- val -- leu -- gln -- cys22 - 35 leu -- thr -- arg -- ile -- leu -- thr -- ile -- pro -- gln -- ser -- leu -- asp -- ser -- trp -- cys38 - 52 ser -- leu -- asn -- phe -- leu -- gly -- gly -- thr -- thr -- val -- cys -- leu -- gly -- gln -- asn47 - 52 val -- cys -- leu -- gly -- gln -- asn 95 - 109 leu -- val -- leu -- leu -- asp -- tyr -- gln -- gly -- met -- leu -- pro -- val -- cys -- pro -- leu104 - 109 leu -- pro -- val -- cys -- pro -- leu__________________________________________________________________________ r . a . lerner , n . green , h . alexander , f . - t . liu , j . g . sutcliffe and t . m . shinnick , &# 34 ; chemically synthesized peptides predicted from the nucleotide sequence of the hepatitis b virus genome elicit antibodies reactive with the native envelope protein of dane particles &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 78 , 6 , 3403 - 3407 , 1981 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of coliphage ms - 2 antigen is as follows : ______________________________________89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97glu leu thr ile pro ile phe ala thr99 99 100 101 102 103 104 105asn ser asp cys glu leu ile val106 107 108lys ala met , ______________________________________ r . arnon , m . sela , m . parant and l . chedid , &# 34 ; antiviral response elicited by a completely synthetic antigen with built - in adjuvanticity &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci usa , 77 , 11 , 6769 - 6772 , 1980 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of human leukocyte interferon antigen is as follows : ## str6 ## h . arnheiter , r . m . thomas , t . leist , m . fountlakis , and b . gutte , &# 34 ; physicochemical and antigenic properties of synthetic fragments of human leukocyte interferon &# 34 ;, nature , 294 , 19 , 1981 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of human fibroblast interferon is as follows : f . shimizu , y . ohmoto and k . imagawa , &# 34 ; production of anti - ifn - beta sera with chemically synthetic ifn - beta fragment ( 1 - 13 )&# 34 ;, biochem and biophys . res . comm ., 103 , 1149 - 1156 , 1981 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of retrovirus r antigen is as follows : j . g . sutcliffe , t . m . shinnick , n . green , f . - t . liu , h . l . niman and r . a . lerner , &# 34 ; chemical synthesis of a polypeptide predicted from nucleotide sequence allows detection of a new retroviral gene product &# 34 ;, nature , 287 , 1980 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of avian sarcoma virus antigen is as follows : t . w . wong and alan r . goldberg , &# 34 ; synthetic peptide fragment of src gene product inhibits the src protein kinase and cross reacts immunologically with avian onc kinases and cellular phosphoproteins &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . usa , 78 , 12 , 7412 - 7416 , 1981 . peptides containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of foot - and - mouth disease virus antigen are as follows : ## str7 ## j . l . bittle , r . a . houghten , h . alexander , t . m . shinnick , j . g . sutcliffe , r . a . lerner , d . j . rowlands and f . brown , &# 34 ; protection against foot - and - mouth disease by immunization with a chemically synthesized peptide predicted from the viral nucleotide sequence &# 34 ;, nature , 298 , 30 - 33 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of hemagglutinin x - 31 ( h3n2 ) influenza virus antigen is as follows : ## str8 ## d . c . jackson , j . m . murray , d . o . white , c . n . fagan and g . w . tregear , &# 34 ; antigenic activity of a synthetic peptide comprising the ` loop ` region of influenza virus hemagglutinin &# 34 ;, virology , 120 , 273 - 276 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of hemagglutinin of type a h3n2 influenza virus antigen was synthesized by g . m . muller , m . shapira and r . arnon , &# 34 ; anti - influenza response achieved by immunization with a synthetic conjugate &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 79 , 569 - 573 , 1982 . the peptide corresponds to the sequence serine - 91 to leucine - 108 of the amino acid chain of the virus . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of polyoma virus medium size tumor antigen is lys - arg - ser - ars - his - phe , g . walter , m . a . hutchinson , t . hunter and w . eckhart , &# 34 ; purification of polyoma virus medium - size tumor antigen by immunoaffinity chromatography &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci usa , 79 , 4025 - 4029 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of poliovirus replicase antigen is as follows : ## str9 ## m . h . baron and d . baltimore , &# 34 ; antibodies against a synthetic peptide of the poliovirus replicase protein : reaction with native , virus - encoded proteins and inhibition of virus - specific polymerase activities in vitro &# 34 ;. jour . virology , 43 , 3969 - 3978 , 1982 . peptides containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen are as follows : g . walter , k . h . scheidtmann , a . carbone , a . p . laudano and r . f . doolittle , &# 34 ; antibodies specific for the carboxy - and amino - terminal regions of simian virus 40 large tumor antigen &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci usa , 77 , 9 , 5179 - 5200 , 1980 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of influenza virus strain 3qb antigen is ile l val l asx 2 thrl ser 2 glx 2 pro 1 gly 3 ala 1 leu 1 lys 1 , a . aitken and c . hannoun , &# 34 ; purification of hemagglutinin and neuraminidase from influenza virus strain 3qb and isolation of a peptide from an antigenic region of hemagluttinin &# 34 ;, eur . j . biochem , 107 , 51 - 56 , 1980 . peptides containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of diptheria antigen are given as follows : f . audibert , m . jolivet , l . chedid , r . arnon and m . sela , &# 34 ; successful immunization with a totally synthetic diphtheria vaccine &# 34 ;, proc . natl . acad . sci . usa , 79 , 5042 - 5046 , 1982 . a peptide containing an amino acid sequence mimicking the antigenic determinant of streptococcus pyogenes m antigen is as follows : ## str12 ## e . h . beachy , j . m . seyer , d . b . dale , w . a . simpson and a . h . kang , &# 34 ; type - specific protective immunity evoked by synthetic peptide of streptococcus pyogenes m protein &# 34 ;, nature , 292 , 457 - 459 , 1981 . indeed , any amino acid sequence which includes at least the antigenic determinant for a specific antigen can be employed in the present invention . a sequence of amino acids for the human histocompatibility antigen hla - b7 which determine the antigenic determinant is postulated as pro arg glu glu pro arg corresponding to amino acids 43 - 48 of the protein . a sequence of amino acids for the influenza hemagglutinin antigen ( x31 strain ) which determine the antigenic determinant postulated as val glu arg ser lys ala corresponding to amino acids 105 - 110 of the protein . two sequences of amino acids postulated for the influenza hemagglutinin antigen ( japanese strain ) which determine the h - epitopes are glu lys glu asn pro arg corresponding to amino acids 97 - 102 and lys glu asn pro arg asp corresponding to amino acids 97 - 102 . a sequence of amino acids for the influenza hemagglutinin antigen ( victoria a strain ) which determine the antigenic determinant is postulated as asn asp asn ser asp lys corresponding to amino acids 188 - 193 . two sequences of amino acids postulated for the fowl plague virus hemagglutinin antigen which determine the antigenic determinants are as follows : glu arg arg glu gly asn corresponding to amino acids 97 - 102 and arg glu gly asn asp , corresponding to amino acids 98 - 103 . a sequence of amino acids for the human chlorionic gonadotropin b subunit antigen which determine the antigenic determinate is postulated as arg arg ser thr thr asp corresponding to amino acids 94 - 99 . a sequence of amino acids for the human beta - 2 microglobulin antigen which determines the antigenic determinant is postulated as pro thr glu lys asp glu corresponding to amino acids 73 - 78 . a sequence of amino acids for the human myelin basic protein antigen which determines the antigenic determinant is postulated as gly arg asp ser arg ser corresponding to amino acids 159 - 164 . a sequence of amino acids for the cholera toxin b - chain antigen which determines the antigenic determinant is postulated as glu ala lys val glu lys corresponding to amino acids 79 - 84 . a sequence of amino acids for the e . coli heat labile toxin which determine the antigenic determinant is postulated as glu arg met lys asp thr corresponding to amino acids 66 - 71 . a sequence of amino acids for the e . coli heat stabile toxin provides two identical antigenic determinants whose amino acid sequences are postulated as asp ser ser lys glu lys and ser glu lys lys ser glu , which correspond to amino acids 26 - 31 and 46 - 41 , respectively . the streptococcial m protein ( strain 24 ) has two identical antigenic determinants whose amino acid sequences are postulated as arg lys ala asp leu glu and lys ala asp leu glu lys , corresponding to amino acids 58 - 63 and 59 - 64 , respectively . the trypanosoma brucei variant surface glycoprotein 117 has an antigen determinant whose amino acid sequence is postulated as lys ala lys glu lys gly corresponding to amino acids 50 - 55 . in the formation of a peptide derived from natural sources , a protein containing the required amino acid sequence is subjected to selective proteolysis such as by splitting the protein with chemical reagents or using enzymes . synthetic formation of the peptide requires chemically synthesizing the required chain of amino acids . chemical synthesis of peptides is described in the following publications : s . b . h . kent , biomedical polymers , eds . goldberg , e . p . and nakajima , a . ( academic press , new york ), 213 - 242 ,( 1980 ); a . r . mitchell , s . b . h . kent , m . engelhard , and r . b . merrifield , j . org . chem ., 43 , 2845 - 2852 , ( 1978 ); j . p . tam , t . - w . wong , m . riemen , f . - s . tjoeng , and r . b . merrifield , tet . letters , 4033 - 4036 , ( 1979 ); s . mojsov , a . r . mitchell , and r . b . merrifield , j . org . chem ., 45 , 555 - 560 , ( 1980 ); j . p . tam , r . d . dimarchi and r . b . merrifield , tet . letters , 2851 - 2854 , ( 1981 ); and s . b . h . kent , m . riemen , m . le doux and r . b . merrifield , proceedings of the iv international symposium on methods of protein sequence analysis , ( brookhaven press , brookhaven , n . y . ), in press , 1981 . chemical synthesis : in the so - called &# 34 ; merrifield solid phase procedure &# 34 ; the appropriate sequence of l - amino acids is built up from the carboxyl terminal amino acid to the amino terminal amino acid . starting with the appropriate carboxyl terminal amino acid attached to a polystyrene ( or other appropriate ) resin via chemical linkage to a chloromethyl group , benzhydrylamine group , or other reactive group of the resin , amino acids are added one by one using the following procedure . the peptide - resin is : ( b ) neutralized by mixing for 10 minutes at room temperature with 5 % ( v / v ) diisopropylethylamine ( or other hindered base ) in methylene chloride ; ( d ) an amount of amino acid equal to six times the molar amount of the growing peptide chain is activated by combining it with one - half as many moles of a carbodiimide ( e . g ., dicyclohexylcarbodiimide , or diisopropylcarbodiimide ) for ten minutes at 0 ° c ., to form the symmetric anhydride of the amino acid . the amino acid used should be provided originally as the n - alpha - tert . butyloxycarbonyl derivative , with side chains protected with benzyl esters ( e . g . aspartic or glutamic acids ), benzyl ethers ( e . g ., serine , threonine , cysteine or tyrosine ), benzyloxycarbonyl groups ( e . g ., lysine ) or other protecting groups commonly used in peptide synthesis ; ( e ) the activated amino acid is reacted with the peptide - resin for two hours at of the new amino acid to the end of the growing peptide chain ; ( g ) the n - alpha -( tert . butyloxycarbonyl ) group is removed from the most recently added amino acid by reacting with 30 to 65 %, preferably 50 % ( v / v ) trifluoroacetic acid in methylene chloride for 10 to 30 minutes at room temperature ; ( i ) steps ( a ) through ( h ) are repeated until the required peptide sequence has been constructed . the peptide is then removed from the resin and simultaneously the side - chain protecting groups are removed by reaction with anhydrous hydrofluoric acid containing 10 % v / v of anisole or other suitable ( aromatic ) scavenger . subsequently , the peptide can be purified by gel filtration , ion exchange , high pressure liquid chromatography , or other suitable means . in some cases , chemical synthesis can be carried out without the solid phase resin , in which case the synthetic reactions are performed entirely in solution . the reactions are similar and well known in the art , and the final product is essentially identical . isolation from natural sources : if sufficient quantities of the whole protein antigen are available , a limited portion of the molecule , bearing the desired sequence of amino acids may be excised by any of the following procedures : ( a ) digestion of the protein by proteolytic enzymes , especially those enzymes whose substrate specificity results in cleavage of the protein at sites immediately adjacent to the desired sequence of amino acids ; ( b ) cleavage of the protein by chemical means . particular bonds between amino acids can be cleaved by reaction with specific reagents . examples include : bonds involving methionine are cleaved by cyanogen bromide ; asparaginyl - glycine bonds are cleaved by hydroxylamine ; it should also be possible to clone a small portion of the dna , either from natural sources or prepared by synthetic procedures , or by methods involving a combination thereof , that codes for the desired sequence of amino acids , resulting in the production of the peptide by bacteria , or other cells . the present invention can be employed as a diagnostic tool to determine the presence of specific antibodies to specific antigens by employing peptides which mimic the natural antigens . the peptides utilized in the present invention have no more than 60 amino acids in the peptide chain . in a preferred embodiment , the number of amino acids in the peptide chain may range from between about 6 and about 30 amino acids . the present invention concerns processes for detecting a given antibody in a sample . one such process involves the following : ( 1 ) contacting the sample ( serum ) with protein a ( e . g ., staphylocci bearing protein a or magnetic protein a ), protein a in the above method can be replaced by a second antibody , e . g ., anti - human igg , anti - human igm , anti - human ige or antibodies to immunoglobulins of any animal species . the incubation steps utilized in carrying out the above procedures can be effected in a known manner , such as by incubating at temperatures of between about 20 ° c . and about 50 ° c . for between about 1 hour and about 48 hours . washings as described above are typically effected using an aqueous solution such as one buffered at a ph of 6 - 8 , preferably at a ph of about 7 , employing an isotonic saline solution . the coupling of the beta - lactamase enzyme and a peptide can be brought about in a known way , for example , by glutaraldehyde - induced polymerization . sera generally preselected on the basis of a high level of antibodies to the hbv s - protein ( anti - hbs ) were obtained from individuals immunized with one of the following hepatitis b vaccines : merck , sharp & amp ; dohme heptavax - b ( msd ) ( m . r . hilleman , e . b . buynak , w . j . mcaleer , a . a . mclean , p . j . provost and a . a . tytell , &# 34 ; hepatitis a and hepatitis b vaccines &# 34 ;, viral hepatitis , pp . 395 - 398 , edited by w . szmuness , h . j . alter and j . e . maynard , philadelphia , franklin institute press , 1982 ); pasteur hevac - b ( pasteur ) ( p . r . guesry , p . adamowicz , p . jungers , a . - m . courouce , a . laplanche , b . lacour , e . benhamou , f . degos and j . crosnier , &# 34 ; vaccination against hepatitis b in high - risk hemodialysis units : a double - blind study &# 34 ;, viral hepatitis , pp . 493 - 507 , edited by w . szmuness , h . j . alter and j . e . maynard . philadelphia , franklin institute press , 1982 ); and the central laboratory of the netherlands red cross blood transfusion service hb - vaccine ( clb ) ( e . e . reerink - brongers , h . w . reesink , h . g . j . brummelhuis , b . j . t . schut , p . j . dees , p . n . lelie , a . k . raap , l . a . wilson - desturler , w . g . vanaken , h . balner , p . m . c . a . van eerd , t . c . van schie , l . w . stitz , b . van steenis and t . m . feltkamp - vroom , &# 34 ; preparation and evaluation of heat - inactivated hbsag as a vaccine against hepatitis b &# 34 ;, viral hepatitis , pp . 437 - 450 , edited by w . szmuness , h . j . alter and j . e . maynard , philadelphia , franklin institute press , 1982 ). additional sera were used in the course of the development of the elisa test : rabbit antisera to hbv from which antibodies to the s - protein had been removed ( neurath et al ., 1976 , supra ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , 1985 ; rabbit atisera to the synthetic peptides pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) and pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 , 1984 ; neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ) and pooled serum from individuals vaccinated with an experimental vaccine ( mcauliffe et al ., 1982 , supra ). the latter serum pool contained sera of individuals positive for antibodies with anti - pre - s specificity as determined by double antibody radioimmunoassays ( ria ) ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ). for comparison , sera from individuals who were infected with hbv or acquired anti - hbs as a result of hbv infection were also tested for anti - pre - s specific antibodies . human sera were tested for anti - hbs by ria ( ausab test ; abbott laboratories , chicago ), and the results were expressed in international milliunits ( miu )/ ml calculated from a calibration curve relating cpm to serial dilutions of an international anti - hbs standard . procedures for the conjugation of antibodies with beta - lactamase ( r . h . yolken , s . - b . wee and m . van regenmortel , &# 34 ; the use of beta - lactamase in enzyme immunoassays for detection of microbial antigens &# 34 ;, journal of immunological methods , 73 , 109 - 123 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , n . strick , p . sproul , l . baker , p . rubenstein , c . e . stevens , p . taylor , r . c . gallo , j . w . m . gold , y . s . lee and t . nilsen , &# 34 ; radioimmunoassay and enzyme - linked immunoassay of antibodies to the core protein ( p24 ) of human t - lymphotropic virus ( htlv - iii )&# 34 ;, journal of virological methods , 11 , 75 - 86 , 1984 ) were followed . one mg of either synthetic peptide pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) or pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , 1985 , supra ) in 250 μl of 0 . 1m phosphate ph 6 . 8 were each mixed with 2 mg of beta - lactamase ( type i , sigma , st . louis , mo ) ( 250 μl , 8 mg / ml predialyzed against the same buffer ). fifty μl of 0 . 2 % glutaraldehyde were added to the mixture in 5 μl aliquots . after incubation for 2 hours at room temperature , the conjugate was dialyzed at 4 ° c . against phosphate - buffered saline , ph 7 . 4 , changed 3 times . ethanolamine ( 0 . 05m ) was added to the conjugate after the first dialysis buffer change . ten μl aliquots of serum samples were mixed with 400 μl of 0 . 14m nacl , 0 . 01m tris , 0 . 02 % nan 3 , ph 7 . 2 ( ts ) containing 10 mg / ml of bovine serum albumin ( tsb ). to determine the dilution endpoints of various sera , serial dilutions ( 400 μl ) were made in tsb containing 0 . 5 % ( v / v ) normal rabbit serum . twenty μl of magnetic protein a ( biomag m4600 , advanced magnetics , nnc ., cambridge , ma ) were added to the diluted specimens . after 30 minutes at room temperature , the magnetic protein a with immunoglobulins adsorbed from the serum specimens was separated in a magnetic field using the m4700 magnetic separator ( advanced magnetics ). excess fluids were aspirated from the magnetic particles which were subsequently washed twice with tsb . the synthetic peptide - beta - lactamase conjugate ( 400 μl ; diluted 2 . 5 × 10 4 - fold in tsb ) was added to the magnetic particles and the mixtures were incubated 30 minutes each at 37 ° c . and 20 ° c . the particles were separated in a magnetic field and washed twice with ts and once with the substrate solution ( 1 mg / ml of soluble starch , 15 μg / ml of penicillin g , 30 μg / ml of i 2 and 0 . 8 mg / ml ki in 0 . 14m nacl , 0 . 05m phosphate ph 7 . 2 ). finally , 400 μl of the substrate solution were added and 90 minutes later , the optical density ( od at 570 nm ) of the samples was read using the mr600 microplate reader ( dynatech laboratories , alexandria , va ) after transfer into wells of 96 - well plates . the specimens were considered positive for antibodies if the corresponding od was less than 1 / 2 of the od corresponding to normal serum controls . the performance of the tests was monitored daily by including positive controls [ 1 / 5 , 000 and 1 / 1 , 000 diluted rabbit antisera to the peptides pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) and pre - s ( 12 - 32 )], respectively [ anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) and anti - pre - s ( 12 - 32 )]. double antibody ria test and elisa tests using either synthetic peptide - beta - galactosidase ( beta - gal ) conjugates ( a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent and n . strick , &# 34 ; location and chemical synthesis of a pre - s gene coded immunodominant epitope of hepatitis b virus &# 34 ;, science , 224 , 392 - 395 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent and n . strick , &# 34 ; monoclonal antibodies to hepatitis surface antigen ( hbsag ) with anti - a specificity recognize a synthetic peptide analogue ( s - 135 - 155 ) with unmodified lysine &# 34 ;, journal of virological methods , 9 , 341 - 346 , 1984 ; a . r . neurath , s . b . h . kent , n . strick , p . taylor and c . e . stevens , &# 34 ; hepatitis b virus contains pre - s gene encoded domains &# 34 ;, nature ( london ), 315 , 154 - 156 , 1985 ), has been used to detect antibodies recognizing synthetic peptide analogues of the hbv env proteins . using the ria test , anti - pre - s specific antibodies were detected in sera of 7 out of 12 persons immunized with an experimental hepatitis b vaccine ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ; mcauliffe et al ., 1982 , supra ). these antibodies were not detected in recipients of the msd vaccine lacking pre - s sequences due to the conditions used for vaccine manufacture ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ). when the ria test was applied to sera from recipients of two other vaccines ( pasteur and clb ), known to contain small amounts of pre - s sequences at least in some lots of vaccine , only marginally positive results were obtained ( ria ratio units between 2 . 1 and 3 . 0 ) with a portion of vaccine recipients . negative results were obtained with elisa assays based on beta - gal conjugates or the corresponding fusion protein . applicants continued their efforts to demonstrate with confidence the presence of anti - pre - s specific antibodies in vaccinated individuals by attempting to develop more sensitive assays . first an assay was developed differing from the test finally adopted ( see above ) in two aspects : ( 1 ) staphylococci bearing protein a were used instead of magnetic protein a , and all separations were done by centrifugation rather than by a magnetic field ; and ( 2 ) diluted serum samples were first incubated with the synthetic peptide - beta - lacatamase conjugates and the immune complexes were subsequently adsorbed on the staphylococcal particles . excellent results were obtained with this test applied to anti - hbv , to anti - peptide sera and to a group of sera from recipients of the pasteur vaccines . however , screening of normal human and chimpanzee sera surprisingly revealed that a high proportion of sera gave false positive results . this unexpected problem was avoided by adsorbing first the immunglobulins from serum specimens to protein a and subsequently adding the peptide - beta - lactamase conjugate to the washed protein - a - immunoglobulin complexes . replacement of staphylococci by magnetic protein a further simplified the performance of the assays . the dilution endpoints of anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) anti - hbv and pooled sera from hepatitis b vaccine recipients in this assay were approximately 1 / 3 × 10 6 , 1 / 3 × 10 5 and approximately 1 / 2 . 5 × 10 4 , respectively , using pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase ( see fig1 ). with pre - s ( 12 - 32 )- beta - lactamase , the respective endpoints were approximately 1 / 1 . 25 × 10 4 , approximately 1 / 300 and 1 / 130 ( see fig2 ). the comparatively lower endpoints for antibodies recognizing pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) in anti - hbv and the human serum pool probably reflects the lower content of the large hbv env protein in hbsag ( hbv ) in comparison with the content of middle protein ( heermann et al ., 1984 , supra , neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens 1985 , supra ). the assays were sequence - specific , i . e ., anti - pre - s ( 12 - 32 ) did not react with pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase and anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) did not react with pre - s ( 12 - 32 )- beta - lactamase . the assay utilizing pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase , because of its higher sensitivity for detection of anti - pre - s specific antibodies , was selected for screening of sera from humans who had been infected with hbv or were immunized with distinct hepatitis b vaccines . comparative tests with serial dilutions of pooled sera from recipients of a hepatitis b vaccine ( mcauliffe et al ., 1982 , supra ) revealed that elisa tests with pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - lactamase are approximately 50 to 100 times more sensitive than double antibody ria tests or elisa assays with pre - s ( 120 - 145 )- beta - gal . sera previously screened by the two latter methods , and found to be negative , were actually positive for anti - pre - s - specific antibodies . the pasteur vaccine ( except group 2 , table 1 ) elicited anti - pre - s antibodies in both staff members and patients of hemodialysis units more efficiently than the clb vaccine , although the latter induced higher levels of anti - s - protein (= anti - hbs ) in patients ( compare groups 3 and 4 with groups 5 to 7 ). the antibody responses to either vaccine were higher in personnel than in patients of hemodialysis units . these conclusions were confirmed by determining the anti - pre - s ( 120 - 145 ) dilution endpoints ( for comparison , see fig1 ) of anti - pre - s - positive sera from groups 3 , 4 , and 5 , respectively . the corresponding values were approximately 1 / 5 , 000 , 1 / 200 and 1 / 50 . within a single group ( compare 4a and 4b ) the prevalence of anti - pre - s positive samples was correlated to the level of anti - hbs . in accordance with data reported earlier , the msd vaccine did not elicit anti - pre - s antibodies . a portion ( 65 %) of homosexual men who acquired anti - hbs as a result of hbv infection had detectable anti - pre - s in their serum . all individuals tested ( group 11 ) who had transient hepatitis b became anti - pre - s - positive in the course of disease in accordance with published data ( neurath , kent , strick , taylor and stevens , 1985 , supra ). interestingly , six of these preselected hemodialysis patients had been vaccinated with the msd vaccine ( all but one patient developed anti - hbs ) but were not protected against hepatitis b . ( c . e . stevens , h . j . alter , p . e . taylor , e . a . zang , e . j . harley and w . szmuness , &# 34 ; hepatitis b vaccine in patients receiving hemodialysis immunogenicity and efficiency &# 34 ;, new england journal of medicine , 311 , 496 - 501 , 1984 ). table 1__________________________________________________________________________results of screening selected from persons who had been infected with hbvor were vaccinatedwith distinct hepatitis b vaccines for anti - pre - s - specific antibodies level of anti - number of anti - pre - s ( anti - s - protein antibodies ) source of vaccine * positive sera per miu / mlcharacterization and lot number total number of geometricalof population ( if available ) sera tested range mean__________________________________________________________________________1 . healthy indi - pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 4 ) 10 / 10 2 , 500 - 10 , 500 4 , 460 viduals after 02 receiving 3 doses of vaccine2 . healthy indi - pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 4 ) 0 / 12 600 - 12 , 000 7 , 170 viduals after 1005 receiving 3 doses of vaccine3 . hemodialysis pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 15 / 15 53 , 000 - 533 , 000 152 , 000 personnel 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine4 . hemodialysis pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 14 / 20 49 - 15 , 520 646 personnel 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine 4a . subdivision pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 12 / 12 364 - 15 , 250 2 , 150 of group 4 4b . subdivision pasteur . sup . ( a ) ( 3 ) 2 / 8 49 - 291 55 of group 45 . hemodialysis clb . sup . ( b ) ( 3 ) 11 / 15 50 , 000 - 690 , 000 133 , 800 pesonnel 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine6 . hemodialysis clb . sup . ( c ) ( 3 ) 2 / 20 3 , 200 - 88 , 700 9 , 030 patients 1 month after 4th dose of vaccine7 . hemodialysis clb . sup . ( b ) ( 3 ) 0 / 20 10 , 400 - 119 , 600 40 , 710 patients 1 month after 5th dose of vaccine8 . healthy clb . sup . ( b ) ( 5 ) 10 / 25 610 - 7 , 800 1 , 990 individuals after receiving 3 doeses of vaccine . sup . ( d ) 9 . hemodialysis msd . sup . ( f ) ( 1 ) 0 / 10 -- . sup . 13 , 000 . sup . ( e ) personnel 1 to 5 months after 3rd dose of vaccine10 . homosexual men -- ( 1 ) 13 / 20 280 - 1 , 020 595 who acquired anti - hbs after hbv infection hemodialysis -- ( 1 ) . sup . 10 / 10 . sup . ( g ) -- -- patients in the course of transient hepatitis b__________________________________________________________________________ * indicates manufacturer of vaccine and , in parenthesis , laboratory from which the sera were obtained , indicated by numbers identical to those given on the title page for the authors &# 39 ; affiliations . sup . ( a ) vaccine dose = 5 ug . sup . ( b ) vaccine dose = 3 ug . sup . ( c ) vaccine dose = 27 ug . sup . ( d ) different bathces of vaccine were used . sup . ( e ) the pool of 10 sera was assayed by the ausab test . . sup . ( f ) vaccine dose = 20 ug . sup . ( g ) six of these patients had received the msd vaccine but were not protected . it will be appreciated that the instant specification and claims are set forth by way of illustration and not limitation , and that various modifications and changes may be made without departure from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	8
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without such specific details . in other instances , well - known circuits have been shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present invention in unnecessary detail . for the most part , details concerning timing considerations and the like have been omitted in as much as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the present invention and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art . refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by the same reference numeral through the several views . fig1 illustrates the major functional blocks of a computing device ( in this case a pda ) wherein a motion sensor 108 is incorporated . motion sensor 108 may comprise a simple set of electrical contacts that “ make contact ” whenever the computing device is moved in any direction . other , more sophisticated implementations of motion sensor 108 may use proximity devices which provide an output signal in the presence of a user . in fig1 , a central processing unit ( cpu ) 101 is connected over a system bus 110 to a number of subsystems , among them are memory 102 , i / o 103 , interrupt controller 104 and a real - time and date clock ( real - time clock ) 112 . memory 102 includes the non - volatile memory that functions to hold both programs that are executed by the computing device and data ( such as date - book entries ) entered by the user . the i / o subsystem 103 provides a means for connecting various input and output components such as a display screen 105 , touch pad or keyboard 106 , application specific pushbuttons 107 and a motion or proximity sensor 108 . in normal use , the cpu 101 receives input from the user via the touch pad or keyboard 106 regarding the dates and times of the events for which the user wishes a reminder . the information regarding these events is stored in memory 102 . a stored event program in memory 102 sorts through the list of events and queues the event for the first compare . the event program compares the current date and time from real - time clock 112 to the times of queued event times . when the time of the first queued event arrives , the cpu may display messages on display screen 105 , activate audio circuits and / or vibration components ( not shown ). if the first queued event is sufficiently far in the future , it may warrant the program controlling the computing device to reduce power consumption . in preparation , the cpu 101 programs a register in the real - time clock 112 to send an interrupt signal 111 to interrupt controller 104 when the time of the future event arrives . the cpu may then reduce power consumption using a number of techniques , such as reducing clock speed or executing a halt instruction to normally operating system programs . when the time of the first queued event arrives , the real - time clock 112 sends the interrupt signal 111 to the interrupt controller 104 which causes the cpu 101 to resume normal execution . however , embodiments of the present invention sample the motion or proximity sensor 108 to determine if the user is present before notifying the user by visual , audible or tactile means . if the user does not respond , then the cpu 101 may determine that the device should go into low power again . this time , the cpu 101 programs registers in the i / o interface 103 to send an i / o interrupt 109 to interrupt controller 104 whenever the motion sensor 108 detects movement of the device . if the user is not present , the cpu 101 may program the real - time clock 112 with a new interrupt time for the near future and the computing device may re - enter the low - power state . alternatively , the computing device may invoke the visual , audible or tactile notification procedures for only the first occurrence of an interrupt for a given event . cpu 101 may then set a flag in memory that prevents future interrupts for the same event from invoking the notification procedures . once cpu 101 re - enters the low - power state , the computing device may be awakened either by the presence of the user , as indicated by motion sensor 108 , or by a real - time clock interrupt 111 . if the computing device is awakened by the real - time clock interrupt 111 , it first determines if the user is present before invoking notification procedures . in either of the cases , if the user is present , the computing device presents the first missed event and then may present subsequent queued events in order of their occurrences . the same action is taken if motion sensor 108 senses actual motion of the computing device or motion indicating a user is in proximity of the computing device and no response to a reminder was obtained from the user . alternatively , when a proximity sensor is used , the cpu 101 may program the real - time clock to repetitively interrupt at programmed short time intervals ( e . g ., every five minutes ) and the computing device will re - enter the low - power consumption state . when the short interval has passed , the cpu 101 may be returned to the normal operational power mode when it samples the output of the proximity sensor 108 through the i / o subsystem 103 to determine if the computing device appears to be in the presence of the user . if it is determined that the user is not present , another short interval wait is programmed into the real - time clock and the computing devices return to the low - power consumption state without having activated high - power consuming devices . on the other hand , if the proximity sensor indicates that the user is present , the computing device attempts to remind the user of the events as is currently done . if the user is present but does not respond , the computing device may go back to the low - power state . electrical devices capable of sensing motion , acceleration or proximity are well known within the industry . in its simplest form , a motion sensor 108 may be a mercury switch ( wherein a pool of liquid mercury shorts across two electrical contacts when the switches moved to a certain angle , likewise , any making or breaking of contacts would be indicative of a motion ). because of health hazards associated with liquid mercury , this type of device is rarely used . however , other types of sensors exist that provide an electrical output based upon the inertial effects , sensing a change in ir light reaching the computing device , changes in capacitance around a computing device and so on . fig2 is a flow chart of method steps according to embodiments of the present invention . in step 201 , the cpu 101 of a computing device 100 receives user updated event times and dates for which a user desires notification and queues the earliest future event for setting an interrupt from real - time clock 112 . in step 202 , a test is done to determine if the motion sensor 108 indicates that the user is present . if the result of the test in step 202 is yes , then normal operation is continued in step 203 where a test is done to determine if there has been a predetermined period of user inactivity . if the result of the test in step 203 is no , then a return is taken to step 201 waiting for motion sensor 108 to indicate that the user is not present . if the result of the test in step 202 is no , then in step 204 the earliest queued event time and date are programmed to generate a real - time clock 112 interrupt . in step 205 , the computing device 100 goes into or stays in the low - power mode . in step 206 , a test is done to determine if a queued event time has arrived . if the result of the test in step 206 is no , then in step 207 a test is done to determine if a motion sensor based interrupt has been received . this would indicate that the user has returned prior to the particular queued event time . if the result of the test in step 207 is no , then a branch is taken back to step 205 . if the result of the test in step 207 is yes , then a branch is taken to step 211 where the user may be notified of any missed events . if the result of the test in step 206 is yes , then in step 208 a test done to determine if motion sensor 108 indicates that the user is present . if the result of the test in step 208 is no , then in step 209 the real - time clock 112 is programmed to interrupt at the next pending event time or at a next reminder time . a return is then taken to step 205 where the computing device 100 either enters or stays in the low - power state . if the result of the test in step 208 is yes , then in step 210 the user notification procedures are activated for the current arrived event time . the user is also notified of any missed event ( s ) in step 211 . in step 212 , a test is done to determine if the user acknowledged the event notifications . if the result of the test in step 212 is no , then step 209 is executed . if the result of the test in step 212 is yes , then in step 213 the pending event list is updated by removing the acknowledged events from the event list and a return is taken back to step 201 . 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 herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	8
the current market for intellectual property (“ ip ”) and sophistication of current exchanges provide an opportunity to develop efficiencies in the ip marketplace and maximize ip valuation through an ip trading exchange . an ip trading exchange may be used for licensing or selling all types of ip , including patents , copyrights , trademarks , trade dress , and trade secrets . moreover , in one embodiment of the present invention , the ip may include issued patents , registered copyrights , registered trademarks , or any other granted or registered ip . in another embodiment of the present invention , the ip may include pending patent applications , pending trademark applications , or any other pending ip application or registration . an ip trading exchange offers a forum in which ip owners , licensees , or financial investors or speculators may buy or sell ip rights through licenses and / or related futures contracts . for example , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , an ip trading exchange may be used to buy or sell ip rights through licenses , which may then be used to practice the invention or legitimize current operations that may be infringing . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , an ip trading exchange may be used to buy or sell speculative ip rights through futures contracts , the goal of which is to earn appreciation by re - selling for a higher price at some time in the future . following are descriptions of key elements of a computerized ip trading exchange in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention . a computerized ip trading exchange may have some or all of these elements , as well as any additional elements necessary for the setup , execution , and daily operation of a computerized ip trading exchange . intellectual property . intellectual property (“ ip ”) includes patents , copyrights , trademarks , trade dress , trade secrets , and any other intangible ideas or expressions . ip is a form of legal entitlement , which allows its owner or holder to control the use , manufacture , or sale of the ip . for example , a patent allows the owner or holder to exclude others from practicing an invention . manufacturers and other potential holders gain the right to practice an excluded invention by licensing or purchasing the rights from a patent owner . in an ip trading exchange , certain ip is accepted for listing on the exchange , as described below . ip owner . the ip owner ( licensor ) provides licensing and sub - licensing rights to licensees in exchange for royalties or other compensation as stipulated by the license agreement . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , an ip owner licenses the ip to an investment bank in exchange for a cash payment . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , an ip owner performs the listing and underwriting of ip license contracts itself and without the assistance of an ip investment bank . the ip owner may include multiple individuals and / or entities . for instance , the ip owner may include all of the owners of various intellectual property rights relating to a specific product or industry . ip investment bank . in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention , investment banks receive the ip rights from the ip owner and package them for listing or inclusion on the ip trading exchange . specifically , an investment bank rates , insures , and values the ip , as described below . additionally , the investment bank may perform other functions such as underwriting the licensing transaction , or the ip investment bank may work with a separate underwriter or an underwriting syndicate to carry out the underwriting processes . further , the investment bank may certify that ip license contracts comply with the regulations of trading and the requirements of listing on the ip trading exchange . the investment bank may then list the ip on the ip trading exchange and sub - license the ip to perspective buyers . in another embodiment of the present invention , the ip investment bank may have the right to enforce the ip should an infringer not purchase a license from the ip trading exchange . the ip owner may choose to join the ip investment bank in any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . underwriter . the ip investment bank and / or ip trading exchange may retain a separate underwriter or an underwriting syndicate to carry out the due diligence and underwriting processes . alternatively , the underwriting process may be carried out by one or more of the ip owner , ip investment bank , and / or ip trading exchange . the underwriter reviews information relating to the intellectual property submitted by the ip owner and evaluates the deal , performs due diligence , and may recruit a syndicate . the underwriter may negotiate an underwriting agreement with the ip investment bank and / or ip trading exchange , and based on the agreement , the underwriter may purchase a certain volume of the intellectual property licensing contracts as part of the initial sale or offering . computerized ip trading exchange . the computerized ip trading exchange monitors disclosures and may guarantee and / or clear transactions similar to today &# 39 ; s commodities and futures exchanges , in addition to other functions performed by today &# 39 ; s exchanges . the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce regulations relating to trading , including regulations created by the exchange as well as governmental regulations . further , the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce requirements for listing ip license contracts on the exchange . after the initial offering , ip pricing is achieved by continuous or day - to - day trading , as described below . the ip trading exchange keeps track of pricing information and provides pricing information on a realtime basis . pricing information may be provided in any print ( e . g ., newspaper , facsimile ) or electronic ( e . g ., ticker , rss feed , webstream , e - mail , internet webpage ) medium . additionally , the ip trading exchange may provide pricing information in the form of industrial averages or indices , which may be based on average pricing information for license contracts relating to various technologies , industries , and / or companies . the ip trading exchange is computerized and ip owners , ip investment banks , ip investors , and licensees can access the ip trading exchange through the internet by accessing a website of the ip trading exchange , through other computerized systems or networks such as nasdaq and / or the nasdaq portal , and / or through other online connections or portals . the ip trading exchange may have an independent computerized platform with its own servers and databases . in another embodiment , the ip trading exchange is hosted on third - party networks or computerized systems . as one example , the ip trading exchange may be implemented on a hosted network with information stored on one or more databases that may be part of the hosted network or may be accessible to but separate from the hosted network . the ip trading exchange maintains electronic information relating to the unitized license contracts that are listed on the exchange . the ip trading exchange also maintains electronic information relating to the ip owners , ip investment banks , ip investors , and licensees . the information is stored in one or more databases maintained by or at the direction of the ip trading exchange . ip investors . ip investors ( which may include speculators , market makers , and arbitrageurs ) add liquidity to the market . ip investors purchase ip licensing and / or futures contracts with the goal of re - selling the contracts at higher prices sometime in the future . in some embodiments of the present invention , the ip investors may act on behalf of licensors or licensees . licensees . licensees are the ultimate buyers of the ip rights and consumers of the ip trading exchange . licensees purchase ip licensing in order to practice the invention . in some cases , licensees purchase ip licensing in order to legitimize current operations that may be infringing . in some embodiments of the present invention , the licensee also may serve as the ip investor . for purposes of illustration only , an ip trading exchange may be thought of as a hybrid of today &# 39 ; s stock and commodities exchanges . for example , the initial offering of rights to a particular ip may be modeled after a stock initial public offering (“ ipo ”) on a traditional stock exchange . in the first step of an ip initial offering , the ip owner identifies ip that it desires to license . alternatively , the ip trading exchange and / or an ip investment bank may approach the ip owner to solicit interest in listing the intellectual property rights on the exchange . the ip owner may execute a mutual non - disclosure agreement ( mnda ) with the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank prior to making a submission . an mnda allows the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank to share confidential information relating to the intellectual property with one or more underwriters that assist with the listing and underwriting process . the ip owner then submits a schedule of intellectual property to be listed on the ip trading exchange . the ip owner also may submit one or more of the following : a checklist covering key representations and terms from any seller agreement or unitized license contract ( including , for instance , field of use , geographical restrictions , whether research was federally funded , among others ); any due diligence checklist , including validity opinions and / or analyses such as prior art searches , infringement analyses such as claim charts , encumbrances , and prior licensing experience ; descriptions of the technology to the licensed , including expected commercial embodiments in which the technology could be used , and market analyses ; any financial information relating to anticipated deals and / or licensing revenues ; and any plans for future production of the licensed technology . the ip owner then solicits bids from the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment banks to perform the listing and underwriting process . alternatively , the ip owner may perform the listing and underwriting process itself if the ip owner utilizes an ip investment bank , then ip investment banks bid on the listing and underwriting process , and the ip owner selects one of the investment banks , typically the lowest bidder , to carry the process forward . investment banks typically work out a fee structure for the listing and underwriting process , which may be fixed fees , success or percentage fees based on the success of the ip initial offering , or a combination of both fixed and success fees . next , ip trading exchange and / or the selected ip investment bank may begin the due diligence phase of the listing process . as described below , the due diligence phase includes : packaging the ip for listing ; performing legal analysis of the strength and ownership of the ip , including validity and noninfringement analyses ; performing market analysis of the products and / or parties which may infringe the ip and require or benefit from licensees to the ip , including a determination of the likely market size and market segments ; performing valuation analyses , including a determination of the likely range of royalties ; and marketing the ip . the due diligence phase may be conducted by the ip owner and / or the ip investment bank . alternatively , the due diligence phase may be contracted out to lawyers , economists , marketing firms , or other specialists and third parties . by packaging the ip , the ip owner ( or , for example , marketing firms ) determine which of the relevant ip should be included in the listing . for instance , an ip owner may only have one patent , and only that patent would be listed . but in instances where the ip owner has numerous ip or multiple related ip , determining which ip should be included in a single listing may require careful consideration . for example , ip may be grouped by product or product group , such as all of the patents and trademarks related to a particular car or line of cars . as another example , ip may be grouped by patent families , such as a parent patent and all patents relating or based on the parent . the legal analysis of the ip is to determine the strength , or at least an opinion of the strength , of the ip . for instance , with patents , the prior art may be assessed and opinions may be made concerning any possible invalidity issues based on the prior art . additionally , claim charts may be made and the claims may be construed to determine the patent &# 39 ; s scope of coverage . it also may be important to ensure that certain formalities have been followed , such as proper recordation of any assignments , perfection of claims of priority , and / or payment of any annuities or maintenance fees . with , for example , trade secrets , the extent to which the trade secrets have been kept confidential may be assessed , including whether non - disclosure agreements have been used and the extent to which the trade secret has been disclosed , taught , or demonstrated . as another example , with trademarks , a trademark search and / or consumer surveys may be conducted to determine the brand recognition or strength of the mark . also , it may be important to determine whether formalities have been followed , such as timely filing of statements of use and / or payment of any annuities or maintenance fees . valuation of the ip may involve the consideration of numerous factors , such as the strength of the ip , the ability to use or the availability of substitute or competing technologies , the market need for the technology , and / or the market size and number of parties that may be benefit from or require licensing . also , valuation may depend on the quantity of ip packaged together in the listing . valuation may require the consideration of economists and lawyers . additionally , third party ratings or assessments of ip may be helpful in determining the value of the ip . upon completion of the due diligence phase , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank determines whether or not the ip should be listed on the ip trading exchange based on the due diligence review . this determination is based on particular underwriting criteria and may further include the determination of an underwriter . as with all risks , some underwriters and investment banks are more conservative than others and may have different standards in evaluating the above factors of the due diligence review . should the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank accept the ip for listing on the ip trading exchange , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank assigns a listing price and provides an estimate of the cash from listing the ip to the ip owner . at this point , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank may use an underwriter to accept and underwrite the listing and the license contracts . for instance , the underwriter , as lead with an underwriting syndicate or acting alone , may decide to purchase a certain amount of license contracts at a predetermined price as part of an initial sale of the intellectual property rights . the underwriter may execute an mnda with the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank and , in exchange , the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank provides the information submitted by the ip owner and any internal analyses or evaluations . the underwriter may perform its own due diligence in analyzing the deal or it may recruit a syndicate . the underwriter also may execute an underwriting agreement with the ip trading exchange and / or ip investment bank . if the listing price is satisfactory , the ip owner may grant the ip investment bank an exclusive license for the intellectual property with the right to sub - license on a limited ( e . g ., quantity ) non - exclusive basis . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , the ip owner may retain a non - exclusive right to practice the ip at no cost or at a reduced cost . in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention , the ip investment bank may obtain an exclusive license in order to have the ability to enforce the ip against infringers . the ip owner may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . the ip trading exchange may issue an offering memorandum pursuant to and consistent with rule 144a of the securities act of 1933 addressing one or more of the following : a schedule of the intellectual property rights to be listed and the products with which the intellectual property rights may be used pursuant to the license contract ; a description of the technology or intellectual property rights to be listed ; a description of the market for the listed technology or intellectual property rights ; a comparison with other known competing technologies ; any pre - existing encumbrances ; ip owners &# 39 ; projections on production , if applicable ; if an industry - accepted standard exists , any comparison and / or likelihood of adoption as a standard ; any validity analyses , risk factors , and any fees ; and ip trading exchange rules and disclosures , including underwriting disclosures , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to enforce and settlement policies , buyer obligations to report licensing usage , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to audit , and any restrictions or policies with respect to resale , sublicensing , and enforcement . upon receiving the exclusive license , the ip investment bank may prepare an ip prospectus and / or other marketing materials to attract potential licensees , investors , and / or speculators . these materials likely include information obtained from the due diligence review . for instance , the materials may include : a listing of the ip included in the non - exclusive license ; legal analysis of the strength of the ip ; the terms of the non - exclusive license contract including the number of units that can be produced and the duration of the contract ; the nature of the enforcement actions that may be taken against infringers ; portions of the valuation analysis ; when and under what terms additional licenses may be made available ( e . g ., if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses will be made available ). next , the ip owner and / or ip investment bank prepares for the initial offering of the ip rights . as with stock ipos , the ip owner and / or ip investment bank seeks to list certain ip license contracts on the ip trading exchange . the initial offering may be based on a certain quantity of ip license contracts , a certain duration for the ip license contracts , or a combination of both quantity and duration . the ip trading exchange may schedule the date on which the license contracts will first trade and the initial offering price . on the date of the initial trade , the ip trading exchange and / or a clearinghouse , such as the nasdaq portal or the depository trust clearing corporation (“ dtcc ”), will have the number of electronic certificates authorized for the first issue on hand . the ip trading exchange and / or the clearinghouse will disseminate live or realtime license contract trading information , such as the bid or offer and details relating to the last trade . the underwriter will sell through its volume commitment first , and then the ip trading exchange pays a flat fee for each license contract that issues . then , the ip trading exchange allows the ip license contracts to be listed on the exchange . the ip license contracts may be listed by members or member firms of the exchange , which may include ip investment banks or other investors . alternatively , the ip license contracts may be listed by the ip owner . the ip trading exchange carries out duties which may be similar to current stock exchanges . for example , the ip trading exchange monitors disclosures , guarantees transactions , and clears transactions . the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce any trading regulations , including regulations enacted by the exchange and / or any governmental regulations . alternatively , this function in whole or in part also may be carried out by ip investment banks . additionally , the ip trading exchange may monitor and / or enforce any requirements of listing on the exchange . alternatively , monitoring and / or enforcing of any listing requirements may be carried out , in whole or in part , by if investment banks . listing requirements , which may be created by the exchange , may include considerations such as whether the intellectual property rights have been litigated and , if so , the extent to which they have been litigated ; whether competent prior art searches have been conducted ; and / or whether any opinions of counsel have been made . based on listing requirements such as the above , the ip license contracts may be listed separately on the exchange under different types or classes . for example , ip license contracts relating to intellectual property that has been litigated may be classified separately from those contracts relating to intellectual property that has not been litigated . ip contracts which relate to intellectual property that has been litigated may be further classified depending on the extent of litigation . for example , ip contracts relating to intellectual property that has been litigated in district courts and found valid and enforceable may be placed in one class , while ip contracts relating to intellectual property that has been litigated in the federal circuit or the supreme court may be placed in different classes . additionally , ip license contracts relating to intellectual property where opinions of counsel have been made may be placed in a class separate from those ip license contracts relating to intellectual property where opinions of counsel have not been made . one or more of the above requirements and / or considerations may be used in listing the ip license contracts on the exchange . investors , licensees , and licensors may purchase the ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange . investors purchase ip license contracts with the goal of seeking appreciation or re - selling at a higher price at some time in the future . in this sense , the ip license contracts are similar to a futures contract . licensees , on the other hand , purchase the contracts in order to practice the ip or legitimize infringing uses of the ip . in this sense , licensees take delivery of the actual license . unused ip license contracts may be re - listed at a later time on the ip trading exchange upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange in order to resume operations . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , the listing ip investment bank may initiate patent infringement actions and other enforcement proceedings against infringers who refuse to purchase licenses through the ip trading exchange . the ip owner may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess proceeds from infringement actions may be used by the investment bank to purchase ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange , thereby increasing the price of the contracts and raising the value of the ip . for purposes of illustration only , an ip trading exchange may be thought of as a hybrid of today &# 39 ; s stock and commodities exchanges . for example , day - to - day transactions of rights to a certain listed ip may be modeled after a traditional commodities exchange where contracts are traded on a daily basis . as part of the first step of a typical day - to - day transaction of ip rights , the owner or seller of at least one ip license contract lists the contract and an asking or specified price on the ip trading exchange . in situations where multiple contracts are owned , the ip license holder may list multiple if not all of the license contracts on the exchange . the ip license holder may perform the listing itself or it may retain an exchange member to perform the listing . the ip license holder may be an investor or speculator who is re - selling the license contract for a higher price . alternatively , the ip license holder may be a licensee who no longer needs the license , as described below , or is selling excess license contracts . the ip trading exchange and / or third - party networks such as nasdaq portal host the secondary market , which may be brokered or non - brokered . through the ip trading exchange , buyers determine whether or not demand is sufficient to buy the license contract for the ip license holder &# 39 ; s specified price as listed on the exchange . if buyers are unwilling to pay the specified price , then the seller retains the license contract until such time when the price becomes more attractive in the market . alternatively , the seller may lower the asking price to attract a buyer , which may be necessary to sell the license contract if expiration is imminent . if buyers are willing to pay the specified price , then the sale moves forward towards closing . typically , an exchange member purchases the license contract on behalf of the buyer at the specified price , and the ip trading exchange clears the transaction . in most any situation , the ip trading exchange monitors any disclosures and guarantees and clears the transaction . with investors , the buyer may hold the license contract until such time that the price becomes attractive for the buyer to sell the contract . if expiration is imminent , the buyer may be forced to sell the license contract , perhaps even at a discounted price . in the situation of a licensee or licensor , the buyer may hold the contract beyond expiry and take delivery of the actual license . for instance , a licensee may require the actual license in order to practice the ip or legitimize current operations that may be infringing . typically , the actual license is delivered by the specialist holding the license . where delivery of the actual license has occurred , the holder of the license may only re - list the license upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange in order to resume operations . the ip trading exchange retains the right to audit any ip owner at its discretion using an internal or third - party auditing team . for instance , one auditing scenario may require that all buyers that hold license contracts as of the end of a particular quarter must report their license contract usage to the ip trading exchange within a specified amount of time following the quarter - end . the ip trading exchange then reports to the market , through its website or other reporting mediums , the individual usage numbers per buyer ( e . g ., buyer a holds 1 , 200 , 000 license contracts and has consumed 800 , 000 as of the most recent quarter - end ) and may report the identities of the specific buyers . the ip trading exchange may choose to report usage information only if a buyer is holding more than a specified percentage of the original issue amount of the license contracts . the ip trading exchange also may report other details relating to the status of listed license contracts , such as any supplemental information or material disclosures regarding the technology or intellectual property rights . for instance , the ip trading exchange may announce the filing of a suit against an alleged infringer upon filing of the complaint , as well as the number of license contracts the defendant is alleged to need to remove liability for alleged past infringement . while contracts are listed on the ip trading exchange , the ip investment bank that initially listed the transaction or its agents may encourage potential licensees to purchase licenses from the exchange . conducting a licensing and / or marketing campaign often fosters interest in the licenses , which may generate activity in the market and ultimately raise the exchange prices and ip value . depending on trading activity , it may be necessary to release additional license contracts . for instance , if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses may be warranted . the initial offering stipulates the conditions under which additional licenses may be released . as with the initial offering , the release of additional licenses may be based on a certain quantity of ip license contracts , a certain duration for the ip license contracts , or a combination of both quantity and duration . for example , the initial offering may stipulate that a release often new licenses is warranted when trading of the existing licenses exceeds $ 1 , 000 , 000 for more than a thirty - day trading period . the second offering of new licenses may stipulate the conditions under which yet another release of new licenses may be warranted . additional licenses are released in a manner similar to the initial release described above . the new licenses are then bought and sold as described above with respect to day - to - day transactions . in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention , the ip trading exchange , ip investment bank , or their agents may take legal action to require a potential licensee to purchase a license , such as where potential licensee may be infringing the ip and refuses to purchase a license . the ip trading exchange may employ an enforcement committee for investigating allegedly infringing entities and conducting pre - litigation assessments and investigations . the ip owner may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess funds generated from any resolution of legal action may be used to purchase licenses from the ip trading exchange , which mitigates the high cost of litigation and , at the same time , increases the price of the contracts and value of the ip . the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the figures in which the preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown . the subject matter of this disclosure may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiment set forth herein . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , fig1 shows the steps of an initial offering of licenses on an ip trading exchange according to one embodiment of the present invention . initially , the ip owner 10 identifies ip that it desires to license . the ip may include patents , copyrights , trademarks , trade dress , and trade secrets . moreover , the ip may include issued patents , registered copyrights , registered trademarks , or any other granted or registered ip . additionally , the ip may include pending patent applications , pending trademark applications , or any other pending ip application or registration . the ip owner 10 then solicits bids from ip investment banks 12 to perform the listing and underwriting process . the ip investment banks 12 then bid on the listing and underwriting process , and the ip owner 10 selects one of the banks , typically the lowest bidder , to carry the process forward . investment banks 12 typically work out a fee structure for the listing and underwriting process , which may be fixed fees , success or percentage fees based on the success of the ip initial offering , or a combination of both fixed and success fees . the selected ip investment bank 12 begins the due diligence phase of the listing process . the due diligence phase may include : packaging the ip for listing ; performing legal analysis of the strength and ownership of the ip ; performing market analysis of the products and / or parties which may infringe the ip and require or benefit from licensees to the ip ; performing valuation analyses ; and marketing the ip . the due diligence phase may be conducted by the ip owner 10 or contracted out to lawyers , economists , marketing firms , or other specialists and third parties . upon completion of the due diligence phase , the ip investment bank 12 determines whether or not the ip should be listed on the ip trading exchange 14 based on the due diligence review . this determination is based on the ip investment bank &# 39 ; s own underwriting criteria . as with all risks , some banks are more conservative than others and may have different standards in evaluating the above factors of the due diligence review . should the ip investment bank 12 accept the ip for listing on the ip trading exchange 14 , the ip investment bank 12 assigns a listing price and provides an estimate of the cash from listing the ip to the ip owner 10 . if the listing price is satisfactory , the ip owner 10 may grant the ip investment bank 12 an exclusive license for the intellectual property with the right to sub - license on a limited ( e . g ., quantity ) non - exclusive basis . additionally , the ip owner 10 may retain a non - exclusive right to practice the ip at no cost or at a reduced cost . further , the ip investment bank 12 may obtain an exclusive license in order to have the ability to enforce the ip against infringers . upon receiving the exclusive license , the ip investment bank 12 may prepare an ip prospectus and / or other marketing materials to attract potential licensees , investors , and / or speculators . these materials likely include information obtained from the due diligence review . for instance , the materials may include : a listing of the ip included in the non - exclusive license ; legal analysis of the strength of the ip ; the terms of the non - exclusive license contract including the number of units that can be produced and the duration of the contract ; the nature of the enforcement actions that may be taken against infringers ; portions of the valuation analysis ; when and under what terms additional licenses may be made available ( e . g ., if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses will be made available ). next , the ip owner 10 and / or the investment bank 12 prepares for the initial offering of the ip rights . as with stock ipos , the investment bank 12 seeks to list certain ip license contracts on the ip trading exchange 14 . the listing of ip license contracts may be based on quantity , duration , or a combination of both . then , the ip trading exchange 14 allows member firms to list the ip license contracts on the exchange . the ip trading exchange 14 carries out duties similar to current stock exchanges . for example , the ip trading exchange 14 monitors disclosures , guarantees transactions , and clears transactions . speculators and investors 16 and / or licensees 18 may purchase the ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange 14 . speculators and investors 16 purchase ip license contracts with the goal of seeking appreciation or re - selling at a higher price at some time in the future . in this sense , the ip license contracts are similar to a futures contract . licensees 18 , on the other hand , purchase the contracts in order to practice the ip or legitimize infringing uses of the ip . in this sense , licensees 18 take delivery of the actual license . unused ip license contracts may be re - listed at a later time on the ip trading exchange 14 upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee 18 has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee 18 will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange 14 in order to resume operations . the listing ip investment bank 12 may initiate patent infringement actions and other enforcement proceedings against infringers who refuse to purchase licenses through the ip trading exchange 14 . the ip owner 10 may choose to join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess proceeds from infringement actions may be used by the investment bank 12 to purchase ip license contracts from the ip trading exchange 14 , thereby increasing the price of the contracts and raising the value of the ip . fig2 shows typical day - to - day transactions on an ip trading exchange according to one embodiment of the present invention . as part of the first step of a typical day - to - day transaction of ip rights , the ip contract owner 20 of at least one ip license contract lists the contract and an asking or specified price on the ip trading exchange 14 . in situations where multiple contracts are owned , the ip contract owner 20 may list multiple if not all of the license contracts on the exchange . the ip contract owner 20 may perform the listing itself or it may retain an exchange member 22 to perform the listing . the ip contract owner 20 may be an investor or speculator who is re - selling the license contract for a higher price . alternatively , the ip contract owner 20 may be a licensee who no longer needs the license , as described below , or is selling excess license contracts . through the ip trading exchange 14 , buyers determine whether or not demand is sufficient to buy the license contract for the ip contract owner &# 39 ; s specified price as listed on the exchange . if buyers are unwilling to pay the specified price , then the ip contract owner 20 retains the license contract until such time when the price becomes more attractive in the market . alternatively , the ip contract owner 20 may lower the asking price to attract a buyer , which may be necessary to sell the license contract if expiration is imminent . if a buyer 24 is willing to pay the specified price , then the sale moves forward towards closing . typically , an exchange member 22 purchases the license contract on behalf of the buyer 24 at the specified price , and the ip trading exchange 14 clears the transaction . in most any situation , the ip trading exchange 14 monitors any disclosures and guarantees and clears the transaction . when the buyer 24 is an investor or speculator , the buyer 24 may hold the license contract until such time that the price becomes attractive for the buyer 24 to sell the contract . if expiration is imminent , the buyer 24 may be forced to sell the license contract , perhaps even at a discounted price . when the buyer 24 is a licensee , the buyer 24 may hold the contract beyond expiry and take delivery of the actual license . for instance , a licensee may require the actual license in order to practice the ip or legitimize current operations that may be infringing . typically , the actual license is delivered by the specialist holding the license . where delivery of the actual license has occurred , the holder of the license may only re - list the license upon an audit of current operations indicating that the ip is no longer being practiced or is within levels considered acceptable by the license . further , if future operations require a license and the licensee has sold the license through re - listing , then the licensee will need to acquire a new license from the ip trading exchange 14 in order to resume operations . while contracts are listed on the ip trading exchange 14 , the ip investment bank that initially listed the transaction or its agents may encourage potential licensees to purchase licenses from the exchange . conducting a licensing and / or marketing campaign often fosters interest in the licenses , which may generate activity in the market and ultimately raise the exchange prices and ip value . depending on trading activity , it may be necessary to release additional license contracts . for instance , if license contracts trade for more than a certain value for more than a specific number of continuous trading days , a new release of licenses may be warranted . the initial offering stipulates the conditions under which additional licenses may be released . for example , the initial offering may stipulate that a release often new licenses is warranted when trading of the existing licenses exceeds $ 1 , 000 , 000 for more than a thirty - day trading period . the second offering of new licenses may stipulate the conditions under which yet another release of new licenses may be warranted . additional licenses are released in a manner similar to the initial release described above . the new licenses are then bought and sold as described above with respect to day - to - day transactions . additionally , the investment bank or its agents may take legal action to require a potential licensee to purchase a license , such as where potential licensee may be infringing the ip and refuses to purchase a license . the ip owner may join any enforcement proceedings if desired or if necessary . excess funds generated from any resolution of legal action may be used to purchase licenses from the ip trading exchange , which mitigates the high cost of litigation and , at the same time , increases the price of the contracts and value of the ip . fig3 shows certain steps during the lifecycle of another embodiment of an unitized license contract of the present invention . as shown in fig3 , a potential ip owner 110 may execute a mutual non - disclosure agreement ( mnda ) with the ip trading exchange 114 prior to making a submission . an mnda allows the ip trading exchange 114 to share confidential information relating to the intellectual property with one or more underwriters 140 that assist with the listing and underwriting process . the ip owner 110 then submits a schedule of intellectual property to be listed on the ip trading exchange 114 . the ip owner 110 also may submit one or more of the following : a checklist covering key representations and terms from any seller agreement or unitized license contract ( including , for instance , field of use , geographical restrictions , whether research was federally funded , among others ); any due diligence checklist , including validity opinions and / or analyses such as prior art searches , infringement analyses such as claim charts , encumbrances , and prior licensing experience ; descriptions of the technology to the licensed , including expected commercial embodiments in which the technology could be used , and market analyses ; any financial information relating to anticipated deals and / or licensing revenues ; and any plans for future production of the licensed technology . the ip trading exchange 114 evaluates the intellectual property submission of the ip owner 110 and determines whether to move forward with the due diligence and underwriting processes . if the ip trading exchange 114 decides to move forward , then the ip owner 110 enters into a license contract 142 with the ip trading exchange 114 and / or members of the ip trading exchange 114 . at this point , information relating to the intellectual property and the ip owner 110 is stored in an electronic data warehouse or database 144 that is maintained by or for the ip trading exchange 114 . the ip trading exchange 114 may issue an offering memorandum 146 pursuant to and consistent with rule 144a of the securities act of 1933 addressing one or more of the following : a schedule of the intellectual property rights to be listed and the products with which the intellectual property rights may be used pursuant to the license contract 142 ; a description of the technology or intellectual property rights to be listed ; a description of the market for the listed technology or intellectual property rights ; a comparison with other known competing technologies ; any pre - existing encumbrances ; projections by ip owner 110 on production , if applicable ; if an industry - accepted standard exists , any comparison and / or likelihood of adoption as a standard ; any validity analyses , risk factors , and any fees ; and ip trading exchange rules and disclosures , including underwriting disclosures , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to enforce and settlement policies , buyer obligations to report licensing usage , ip trading exchange &# 39 ; s right to audit , and any restrictions or policies with respect to resale , sublicensing , and enforcement . the ip trading exchange 114 may distribute the offering memorandum 146 to one or more underwriters 140 , working alone or as part of a syndicate . the underwriter 140 carries out the due diligence and underwriting processes . based on the evaluations of the intellectual property by the underwriter 140 , the underwriter may chose to accept the license contracts and begin soliciting interest of potential buyers 124 . the underwriter 140 may solicit commitments from one or more buyers 124 , which will assist the underwriter in firming up the pricing of the initial sale of the intellectual property license contracts . the underwriter 140 may further commit with potential buyers 124 on certain terms on volume and discounts relating to the initial sale . information relating to these initial deals and buyer commitments may be stored in an electronic deal information database 148 , which is maintained by or for the underwriter 140 and / or the ip trading exchange 114 . upon completion of the underwriting process , the underwriter 140 and ip trading exchange 114 firm up the deal and prepare for the initial sale . the ip trading exchange 114 may schedule a date on which the license contracts 142 will first trade and the initial price . on the date of the initial sale , the ip trading exchange 114 and / or a clearinghouse , such as the nasdaq portal or depository trust clearing corporation (“ dtcc ”), will have the number of electronic certificates authorized for the first issue on hand . the ip trading exchange 114 and / or the clearinghouse will disseminate live or realtime license contract trading information , such as the bid or offer and details relating to the last trade . the underwriter 140 will sell through its volume commitment first , and then the ip trading exchange 114 pays a flat fee for each license contract 142 that issues . the initial sale may be structured to comply with either rule 144a (“ 144a ”) or regulation d (“ reg . d ”) of the securities act of 1933 . the underwriter 140 may set up a separate limited liability company 150 or other corporate vehicle to issue the initial sale of license contracts , and the license contracts may be issued under either 144a or reg . d . for instance , the limited liability company 150 may issue a first set or subscription of initial license contracts under 144a that may be offered for sale through the nasdaq portal , the dtcc , or other clearinghouse . at the same time , the limited liability company 150 may issue a second set or subscription of initial license contracts under reg . d that may be offered for sale through an in - house trading platform , such as a trading platform operated by the ip trading exchange 114 . two alternative secondary markets may exist for trading the license contracts , one under 144a and the other under reg . d . after the secondary market develops , in which license contracts 142 are regularly traded with buyers 124 , the ip trading exchange 114 may engage in oversight , auditing , reporting , and / or enforcement functions . the ip trading exchange 114 may engage in oversight functions to be sure that license contracts are properly traded pursuant to 144a , reg . d ., or other federal securities regulations and rules . the ip trading exchange 114 also may engage in auditing functions to be sure that buyers 124 are accurately representing their licensing usage and are no exceeding the scope or quantity of the license contract . the ip trading exchange 114 also may engage in reporting functions to provide the market with realtime market prices and related data , or to announce the filing of enforcement proceedings or litigation relating to the license contracts . the ip trading exchange 114 also may undertake enforcement functions and carry out enforcement proceedings , including infringement litigation , when recalcitrant buyers refuse to purchase licenses or a sufficient number of licenses . many changes and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon studying this description . all such changes and modifications which are within the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the claims .	6
referring now to the drawings , the present invention is shown particularly in fig1 operatively associated with a horizontal feed table 2 located directly before a circular saw 1 , and depicted in top view . the feed table 2 is formed by a plurality of freely rotatable rollers ( not shown ). on the side opposite the saw 1 , or its cutting plane 3 , a feed unit 4 is arranged having a path of movement indicated by the arrow 5 . this feed unit operates to move workpieces 7 which lie on the feed table 2 toward the saw 1 or toward its cutting plane 3 . an alignment guide 6 against which the planar workpieces 7 are pressed extends perpendicularly to the cutting plane of the circular saw 1 . the workpieces 7 placed on the feed table are pressed against the guides 6 before the feed unit 4 and the saw 1 are placed in operation . the saw 1 may be constructed in such a way that , when it is put in operation , it will move along the cutting plane 3 above the feed table , the saw then being lowered below the plane of the feed table at the end of the cutting stroke in order to again return to its original position below the plane of the table . such saws are commonly known in the art . the alignment means 8 may serve for alignment of the workpieces which may be in strip planar form . here , the alignment means 8 are provided in two rows wherein the alignment means of one row are supported on a common slide . the slides 9 may be moved to and from the alignment guide 6 in the direction of the arrows 11 . the alignment means 8 , shown in solid line are in the active position , i . e ., they are located to extend above the plane of the feed table and consequently are adapted to come into contact with the edges of the workpieces 7 . as indicated in fig1 the portions of the alignment means 8 which are located below the workpieces 7 are shown in dotted lines and the portions which extend from beyond the edge 10 of the workpieces 7 are shown in solid lines . the alignment means which are located within the circumference to the workpieces 7 and therefore below the workpieces 7 are pressed downwardly by the weight of these workpieces and are consequently brought to an inactive position . fig2 illustrates in top view a feed table 2 &# 39 ; which may also be constructed from a plurality of freely rotatable rollers or balls . alignment guides 6 &# 39 ; are here arranged at two adjoining edges . here again a feed unit 4 &# 39 ; is arranged to be slidable in the direction of the arrow 5 &# 39 ; by means of which the aligned plates or stacks of plates can be pushed to an additional processing station . for each stop guide 6 &# 39 ; several rows of alignment means 8 &# 39 ; are provided which are arranged in rows in a manner already described always on a slide 9 &# 39 ; movable in the direction of the arrow 11 &# 39 ;. fig2 shows different sizes of plates and it is evident from this figure as well as from fig1 that the alignment means 8 , 8 &# 39 ; will automatically adjust to the respective size of the workpiece so that for the respective alignment only short paths of movement need be covered by the slide 9 , 9 &# 39 ; whose maximum length corresponds to the space between the alignment means in one row . these spaces between the alignment means in one row may be equal or they may also vary . fig3 shows in greater detail the structural configuration of the basic element of the invention comprising the alignment means 8 . as indicated in fig3 an alignment device 20 is shown which includes a lever arm 21 which is pivotally mounted at one end thereof about a swivel axis 22 . the alignment device 20 is shown in the active position in fig3 with the lever arm 21 in a raised condition above the plane of the feed table 2 . the lever arm 21 is pivotally mounted upon a base member which comprises a bearing bracket 23 attached upon a slide 24 which is laterally movable in a guide 26 by means of an adjusting element 25 . in the active position , the lever 21 is held against the force of its weight by a small pneumatic piston - cylinder unit 27 which acts as a biasing means to bias the lever 21 in the raised position shown in fig3 . at the second or upper end of the lever 21 there is provided a small , freely rotatable roller or cylinder 28 arranged to turn about a horizontal axis of rotation which lies perpendicularly to the direction of adjustment ( arrow 29 ) of the alignment means . a stack of plates comprised of several plates is identified by the reference numeral 30 . the supporting power or holding power of the biasing means of the piston - cylinder unit 27 is so designed as to be small enough that the weight of a workpiece which comes in contact partially or completely on the stop , especially the roller 28 , presses the alignment means downwardly and thus transfers it into an inactive position whereupon the lever 21 is pivoted to a lower position beneath a workpiece or plate 30 . in the embodiment shown in fig4 the supporting power or holding power for the alignment means is achieved by means of a small pneumatic piston - cylinder unit . instead of such a piston - cylinder unit , other power elements , for example springs or the like are conceivable . several alignment means of the type shown in fig3 which form a row on a common slide are arranged in such a way that their swivel axes 22 lie parallel with respect to each other . also , as seen from fig4 the swivel axes 22 may lie in a common horizontal plane . referring now in greater detail to fig4 rollers 31 forming the feed table are arranged with the alignment guide 6 in cooperative arrangement with several of the alignment means of the present invention which are assembled in a row on a slide 24 in a manner which will be evident from fig3 . some of the alignment means are in the active position . that is , the two alignment means shown at the right which are not located below a workpiece 30 are brought to their raised positions by the biasing means 27 . these alignment means lie above the circumference of the stack of workpieces 30 . the other alignment means which lie below the stack of workpieces 30 are pressed downwardly by the weight of the workpieces . so that the pressed down alignment means located at the underside of the bottom workpiece do not damage the surface of the workpiece during actuation of the adjusting element 25 , the freely rotatable rollers or cylinders 28 are provided at the upper side of the alignment means . these rollers can freely roll off at their contact surface without damaging the surface during an adjustment movement in the direction of the arrow 11 . as a result of the present invention , an automatic adjustment to the respective size of the workpiece is possible while completely protecting the surfaces of the workpiece wherein the alignment means must only cover short adjusting distances ( arrows 11 , 11 &# 39 ;) during the alignment process so that the work may be performed at high cycle times . the adjustment path of the alignment means , necessary for alignment , is at the maximum equal to the distance between two successive alignment means in one row . while specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the inventive principles , it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles .	8
referring now to the drawings in detail , wherein the same reference numbers indicate the same parts and details in each of the several figures , as follows : in fig1 , a frontal view of a preferred embodiment of the invention ( in this instance a faux monarch butterfly that functions as a bowtie ) the reference numeral 10 indicates the generally hard inflexible sheetlike material that comprises the opened wings and central body area of a butterfly ; wherein material 10 &# 39 ; s front surface 10 - s shows the coloration of a recognizable species of butterfly , and material 10 &# 39 ; s outline 10 - o indicates the shape of the opened wings of said species of butterfly . due to patent formalities this figure &# 39 ; s preferred embodiment &# 39 ; s ( i . e . monarch butterfly &# 39 ; s ) actual colors of black , orange , yellow , and white appear in the fig1 as several shades of black , gray , and white . in this figure the butterfly &# 39 ; s two wings 10 l and 10 r are symmetrically arranged on each side of the butterfly &# 39 ; s body 12 , wherein body 12 is a narrow thin material ( a small piece of leather about 1 / 25 inch thick is a suitable but not the only choice ) whose intent is to realistically portray and add depth to the central thoracic region of the represented butterfly . body 12 may be glued , stapled , or attached by other suitable means to the central frontal area of material 10 . in fig2 , a top or plan view of the same embodiment of fig1 , material 10 , the generally hard inflexible sheetlike material that comprises the opened wings and central thoracic area of a faux butterfly , appears as a thin line and as such indicates this material &# 39 ; s sheetlike construction . the butterfly &# 39 ; s body 12 appears as a slightly thicker material which is attached to the vertically central area of material 10 . this view also indicates the location of the front surface 10 - s on which appears the coloration of a recognizable species of butterfly , and this view also shows how the two halves of the faux butterfly &# 39 ; s wings 10 l and 10 r are bent slightly forward to simulate the natural pose of a real butterfly &# 39 ; s wings when open . in fig3 , a rear perspective view and exploded assembly taken from above and to one side of the same embodiment of fig1 and 2 , material 10 is the generally hard inflexible sheetlike material that comprises the opened wings and central body area of a species of butterfly , outline 10 - o indicates the shape of the butterfly &# 39 ; s opened wings , 10 l indicates the butterfly &# 39 ; s left wing and 10 r indicates its right wing . this view also shows the butterfly &# 39 ; s body 12 s in solid form before it is attached to the central frontal area of material 10 and the location of body 12 d in dotted lines after it is attached to the central frontal area of material 10 . although the means of mounting the disclosed bowtie invention on a wearer is not part of said invention , since a bowtie must include such a means of mounting on its wearer in order to be useful , in order to indicate the practicality of said invention the following describes two of several simple means of mounting said invention on a wearer . ( 1 ) drill two tiny holes in the thoracic region of material 10 and staple body 12 through the holes in material 10 to a beltlike strap situated behind material 10 wherein said beltlike strap would buckle around the neck of the wearer ; or ( 2 ) solder or braze a clip or other connecting means to the central back region of material 10 wherein said clip would hold said invention to the collar of the wearer . although the disclosed invention has been described and shown herein in terms of certain exemplary embodiments , it should be understood that various modifications and alterations could likely be made to the invention by any person skilled in the art or science to which the invention pertains without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention as defined in the following claims :	0
referring to fig1 ˜ 5 , a multi - in - one card connector 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown comprised of a base frame 11 , multiple terminal sets 21 , two vertically movable limiter blocks 31 , two elastic members 41 , and a top cover 51 . the base frame 11 is an electrically insulative member having a bottom panel 12 , two upright sidewalls 14 perpendicularly upwardly extending from the bottom panel 12 at two opposite lateral sides , two vertical sliding grooves 16 respectively formed on the upright sidewalls 14 near the front side , and a front insertion opening 18 defined by the bottom panel 12 and the upright sidewalls 14 through which a memory card is insertable into the multi - in - one card connector 10 . the upright sidewalls 14 each have a front shoulder 15 suspending above the front insertion opening 18 . the front shoulder 15 has a through hole 151 in communication with the associating vertical sliding groove 16 . the bottom panel 12 has two locating grooves 161 bilaterally disposed on the top surface adjacent to the vertical sliding grooves 16 , and an upright pin 162 in each locating groove 161 . the number of the multiple terminal sets 21 according to the present preferred embodiment is 3 . these three terminal sets 21 are respectively installed in the bottom panel 12 at different locations for the contact of a respective memory card ( for example , a ms ( memory stick ) memory card , sd ( secure digital ) memory card , or xd ( extreme digital ) memory card ). the two limiter blocks 31 are respectively mounted in and movable along the vertical sliding grooves 16 . further , the limiter blocks 31 have a respective stepped inner lateral side facing each other to fit the side edge configurations of different memory cards . the two limiter blocks 31 each have a top stop flange 32 and a bottom stop flange 34 respectively extending from the top and bottom sides in same direction . at least one of the top stop flange 32 and the bottom stop flange 34 is suspending in the front insertion opening 18 . the top flange 32 of each limiter block 31 is inserted through the through hole 151 of the associating front shoulder 15 and constrained by the associating through hole 151 . the bottom flange 34 faces one locating groove 161 of the bottom panel 12 . when the limiter blocks 31 are lowered , the bottom flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are respectively forced into the locating grooves 161 of the bottom panel 12 . the bottom flange 34 of each limiter block 31 has a sloping surface 35 disposed at the front side and facing upwards . each limiter block 31 further has an accommodation groove 36 at the outer lateral side opposite to the stepped inner lateral side . the two elastic members 41 according to the present preferred embodiment are compression springs respectively accommodated in the accommodation grooves 36 of the limiter blocks 31 and respectively sleeved onto the upright pins 162 in the locating grooves 161 of the bottom panel 12 and respectively stopped between the bottom panel 12 and the limiter blocks 31 . the top cover 51 is covered on the base frame 11 over the shoulders 15 . subject to the spring force of the elastic members 41 , the limiter blocks 31 are stopped at the bottom side of the top cover 51 . referring to fig5 , before insertion of a card , the spring force of the two elastic members 51 supports the limiter blocks 31 in the upper limit position . at this time , the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are suspending in the front insertion opening 18 and the top stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are in the associating through holes 151 in flush with the associating shoulders 15 . referring to fig6 and fig7 , when inserting a ms card 91 into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the two opposite stepped side edges 911 of the ms card 91 do not touch the sloping surfaces 35 of the bottom flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 ( see fig2 ), and therefore the ms card 91 can be smoothly inserted through the front insertion opening 18 into contact with the corresponding terminal set 21 . at this time , the ms card 91 occupies the major part of the cross section of the front insertion opening 18 , and therefore there is no room for the insertion of any other memory card . referring to fig8 and 9 , when inserting a xd memory card 92 into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the front edge of the xd memory card 92 will touch the sloping surfaces 35 of the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 ( see fig2 ) and will further force the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 downward to the associating locating grooves 161 . when the bottom stop flanges 34 of the limiter blocks 31 are downward to the associating locating grooves 161 , the top stop flanges 32 are also lowered into the front insertion opening 18 to prohibit insertion of any other memory card . fig1 illustrates the positioning status of the limiter blocks 31 after the xd memory card 92 has been set into position . when inserting any other memory card , for example , mmc ( multimediacard ) memory card 91 ′ into the space above the xd ( extreme digital ) memory card 92 at this time , the front edge of the mmc memory card 91 ′ will be stopped by the top stop flanges 32 , and therefore the insertion of the mmc memory card 91 ′ is prohibited . further , because a ms ( memory stick ) memory card ( not shown ) is thicker than a sd card 91 , when a ms memory card is inserted into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , it occupies the whole space of the front insertion opening 18 , prohibiting insertion of any other memory card . the insertion status of a ms memory card is similar to the insertion status of a sd card 91 , no further description in this regard is necessary . as stated above , the multi - in - one card connector 10 does not allow insertion of any other memory card after the insertion of a sd memory card 91 . when a xd memory card 92 is inserted into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the top stop flanges 32 are lowered with the limiter blocks 31 into the front insertion opening 18 to prohibit insertion of any other memory card ( sd memory card 91 or mmc memory card 91 ′). the invention effectively reduces the vertical height and allows insertion of one single memory card only . when inserting a sd memory card 91 into the multi - in - one card connector 10 , the limiter blocks 31 are immovable . the limiter blocks 31 will be moved only when a xd memory card 92 is inserted into the multi - in - one card connector 10 . therefore , designing the space for allowing movement of the limiter blocks 31 needs only to consider the moving range of one kind of memory card . further , the limiter blocks 31 needs to be lowered through a small distance to prohibit insertion of a sd memory card 91 or mmc memory card 91 ′ after the insertion of a xd memory card 92 . although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration , various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be limited except as by the appended claims .	7
the methodology of the present invention can be used or incorporated in a transmission system as disclosed in copending application , ser . no . 187 , 772 , filed apr . 29 , 1988 , now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 875 , 391 , and entitled &# 34 ; an electronically - controlled , adaptive automatic control system &# 34 ; by inventors leising et al , which is hereby incorporated by reference . referring to the figure , an in - gear tolerance ( igt ) methodology according to the present invention is shown . the methodology enters through bubble 10 and advances to diamond 12 . in diamond 12 , the methodology determines whether the transmission ( not shown ) is in first ( 1st ), second ( 2nd ), third ( 3rd ) or fourth ( 4th ). if the transmission is not in - gear , the methodology retains the last or previous value of igt if a shift is in progress and advances to bubble 14 . in bubble 14 , the methodology returns or exits . if the transmission is in first , second , third or fourth gear , the methodology advances to diamond 16 and determines whether the transmission is on the first pass or loop of the methodology in the current in - gear condition . if so , the methodology advances to diamond 18 and determines whether the last or previous in - gear condition of the transmission equals reverse ( r ) or neutral ( n ). if not , a shift between 1st , 2nd , 3rd or 4th gears has just been completed and the methodology advances to block 20 and sets the igt variable equal to the following equation : in other words , the igt is set equal to the previous learned value of igt plus a first predetermined value such as two ( 2 ) times or multiplied by the quotient of the current gear ratio ( rj ) divided by the gear ratio ( ri ) of the previous in - gear condition . in other words , a shift has just completed resulting in a gear ratio change from ri to rj . the previous value of igt is thus adjusted based on this rate change to provide a more accurate initial value of igt for the new in - gear condition . in diamond 18 , if the last in - gear value does equal reverse or neutral , the methodology advances to block 22 and sets the value of igt equal to a predetermined value such as twenty ( 20 ). the methodology then advances from blocks 20 and 22 to block 24 and sets the values of maximum slip ( max slip ) variable and igt timer equal to a second and third predetermined value , respectively , such as zero . the methodology then advances to block 26 to be described . additionally , if the transmission is not in - gear on the first loop in diamond 16 , the methodology advances to block 26 . it should be appreciated that if the methodology is in the first pass or loop , the methodology advances through diamond 18 and blocks 20 through 24 to initialize variables such as igt . in block 26 , the methodology calculates the value of indicated slip ( slip ) each loop of the methodology according to the following equation : where n t equals the turbine speed and n o equals the output speed . in other words , the slip is calculated by multiplying the output speed n o by the in - gear ratio , which value is subtracted from the turbine speed n t . the methodology then advances to diamond 28 and determines whether the value of slip is greater than the value of the max slip . if so , the methodology advances t block 30 and sets or retains the value of the max slip equal to the value of the slip calculated in block 26 . the methodology then advances to diamond 32 . if the value of slip is not greater than the value of max slip , the methodology advances to diamond 32 . in diamond 32 , the methodology determines whether the value of slip calculated in clock 26 is greater than the current value of igt . if so , the methodology advances to block 34 and sets or retains the value of slip for the current value of igt . the methodology then advances to diamond 36 . if the value of slip is not greater than igt in diamond 32 , the methodology advances to diamond 36 . in diamond 36 , the methodology determines whether the value of the igt timer is greater than a predetermined time value such as two hundred milliseconds ( 200 ms ). if so , the methodology advances to block 38 and sets igt equal to the following equation : in other words , igt is calculated by a fourth predetermined value such as three ( 3 ) multiplied by the old or previous value of igt , which value is added to max slip and that product is divided by a fifth predetermined value such as four ( 4 ). the methodology then advances to block 40 and sets the value of the max slip and igt timer equal to a sixth and seventh predetermined value , respectively , such as zero . the methodology then advances to block 42 . if the igt timer is not greater than the predetermined time value in diamond 36 , the methodology advances to block 42 . it should be appreciated that if the igt timer is greater than the predetermined value , the methodology slowly reduces igt by a weighted average . in block 42 , the methodology limits igt equal or greater to a eighth predetermined value such as three ( 3 ) and equal or less than a ninth predetermined value such as thirty ( 30 ). the methodology then advances to bubble 14 and returns . the present invention has been described in an illustrative manner . it is to be understood that the terminology which has been used is intended to be in the nature of words of description rather than of limitation . obviously , many modifications or variations are possible in light of the above teachings . therefore , within the scope of the appended claims , the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described .	5
the enzyme system used in the invention consists of a suitable oxidase together with o 2 or a suitable peroxidase together with h 2 o 2 . suitable enzymes are those which oxidize and polymerize aromatic compounds such as phenols and lignin . examples of suitable enzymes are catechol oxidase ( ec 1 . 10 . 3 . 1 ), laccase ( ec 1 . 10 . 3 . 2 ) and peroxidase ( ec 1 . 11 . 1 . 7 ). some preferred enzymes are peroxidase derived from a strain of coprinus , e . g . c . cinerius or c . macrorhizus , peroxidase from bacillus , e . g . b . pumilus and laccase from trametes , e . g . t . versicolor ( previously called polyporus ). it may be preferable to use two different phenol oxidizing enzymes together . the amount of peroxidase should generally be in the range 10 - 10 , 000 podu per g of dry substance ( podu unit of peroxidase activity defined below ). the amount of laccase should generally be in the range 10 - 10 , 000 units per g of dry substance ( unit of laccase activity defined below ). molecular oxygen from the atmosphere will usually be present in sufficient quantity . a suitable amount of h 2 o 2 will usually be in the range 0 . 01 - 10 mm , particularly 1 - 10 mm . the enzyme treatment can be done at conventional consistency , e . g . 0 . 5 - 10 % dry substance , at temperatures of 20 - 90 ° c . peroxidase activity is determined from the oxidation of 2 , 2 ′- azinobis ( 3 - ethylbenzothiazoline - 6 - sulfonate ) ( abts ) by hydrogen peroxide . the greenish - blue colour produced is photometered at 418 nm . the analytical conditions are 0 . 88 mm hydrogen peroxide , 1 . 67 mm abts , 0 . 1 m phosphate buffer , ph 7 . 0 , 30 ° c ., 3 minutes reaction . 1 peroxidase unit ( podu ) is the amount of enzyme that catalyses the conversion of 1 μmol hydrogen peroxide per minute at these conditions . laccase activity was determined by a similar method without addition of hydrogen peroxide . 1 unit of laccase activity was defined as the amount of enzyme that catalyses the oxidation of 1 μmol abts per minute . 6 . 96 g of a ground wood pulp ( gwp ) was dissolved in 72 ml 0 . 1 m buffer ( britton - robinson buffer consisting of boric acid , phosphoric acid , and acetic acid ) at ph 5 . 5 , corresponding to a dry solid content of 1 . 8 g ( 2 . 5 %). a laccase from polyporus pinsitus was added to a concentration of 528 laccase units / g dry pulp . the mixture was shaken in a water bath at 50 ° c . for 2 hours . subsequently a paper sheet was made from the pulp in a laboratory hand sheet former . the sheet was subsequently pressed and dried in a rapid sheet dryer . the tear index of the paper sheet was determined , and for comparison a similar experiment was done without any enzyme added . the results were as follows : 249 g of a ground wood pulp having a dry solid content of 15 %, was dissolved 2500 ml 0 . 1 m buffer similar to the one described in example 1 at ph 5 . 5 , corresponding to a dry solid content of 1 . 5 %. the mixture was defibrated in a lab - pulper for 5 minutes and thereafter divided into 3 different parts . to one part laccase from polyporus pinsitus was added in the same concentration as in example 1 , to another part inactivated laccase was added , and to the last part water was added . the mixtures were treated for 24 hours at 50 ° c . subsequently paper sheets were made as in example 1 , and the tear index and the tensile index were determined . the results were as follows :	3
referring now to fig1 there is shown an isometric view of a rotor hub according to the invention . the hub barrel 2 is formed in a barrel shape and is attached to the rotor shaft as described below . in the hub of this illustration , there is shown a hub for a five bladed rotor . the blade arms 4 are composed of a cone shapes outer member 16 having blade attachment members 6 at the end of each outer member . referring now to fig2 a partial isometric view of the hub illustrates the hub support bearings of the rotor of the invention . the hub is supported on a pair of spherical elastomeric bearings well known in the art . the upper bearing is shown at 8 and the lower bearing at 10 . this bearing assembly is retained in the hub assembly by the cover plate 12 shown in fig4 . this spherical elastomeric bearing allows the hub to teeter in all directions about the rotor axis . this pair of bearings serves the functions of the individual rotor flap and lag bearings of a conventional helicopter articulated rotor head and allows the rotor hub to tilt in all directions . fig4 also illustrates the construction details of the individual blade arms 4 . these blade arms are composed of a hollow outer member 16 which is attached to the ditch arm 14 by means of bolts 19 or similar fasteners . inside the outer member 16 there is provided an inner member 18 . this inner member , in conjunction with the outer member 16 and pitch housing 15 provide the mounting surfaces for elastomeric blade pitch bearings 20 and 22 . these bearings support the outer member 16 for rotation about the blade pitch axis . this blade support assembly will be described in more detail in connection with the detailed descriptions of fig4 and 5 below . as can be seen in this figure , the blade pitch arm attachment point 24 is positioned inside the hub barrel 2 . it is this feature , described in more detail below , that allows the incorporation of 4 , 5 , or more blades in the tilt rotor hub of the invention . referring now to fig3 there is shown a sectional view of the hub taken along line 3 -- 3 of fig1 . in this fig3 the location and functions of the elastomeric blade pitch bearings is illustrated more clearly . as can be seen , the inner cone 18 is attached to the hub barrel 2 by conventional fasteners such as bolts or it may be fabricated as an integral part of the hub barrel . this inner cone , illustrated in more detail in the exploded view of fig4 is provided with three attachment legs 28 , evenly spaced about the periphery of the inner end of the cone . between these legs 28 are spaces 30 which allow the pitch arm attachment points 24 of the pitch arm 14 to be placed inside the hub barrel . the arcuate openings 30 allow the pitch arm to rotate about the blade pitch axis to provide blade pitch motions . this inner cone includes bearing mounting surface 32 which , in conjunction with surface 34 of the pitch arm 14 , provides the mounting points for inner elastomeric pitch bearing 22 . the outer end of the cone 18 has a central opening in which is inserted pin member 36 . collar 42 is attached to the pin 36 by nut 44 . this collar includes bearing mounting surface 40 which , in conjunction with surface 62 on the outer cone 16t provides the mounting means for the outer elastomeric pitch bearing 20 . a flanged thrust washer 63 is provided to react inboard axial forces and to serve as a reaction surface for preloading the two conical bearings 20 and 22 . these bearings provide the freedom of rotational movement required for blade pitch inputs and also react the blade centrifugal forces and blade moments as a couple . fig5 illustrates , in an isometric view , the outer cone and pitch arm assembly described above . referring now to fig6 a and 6b , there is illustrated an alternate embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the inner cone has been replaced by an alternate inner member 65 . this member is attached to the hub barrel in the same manner as described above . however , instead of being an inner cone shaped member , this inner member 65 provides two flexure webs 67 at each side of the inner member 65 . these flexures provide for differences in the blade coning angles when in the fixed wing cruise mode and the hover or helicopter mode . absent these flexures , the coning angles are adjusted by allowing the rotor blades to be in constant bending during these modes . provision of these flexures 67 reduces this constant blade bending thus enhancing blade life . referring now to fig7 and 8 there is illustrated the functional advantages provided by the unique structure of the hub of this invention . fig7 is a plan view of a rotor hub according to the invention . as can be seen , the pitch arms 14 are contained within the hub barrel 2 of the rotor head . only two of the pitch arms 14 are shown . however , it can be seen that these pitch arms can be located in a circular fashion about the interior opening in the hub barrel and are free to move about their respective blade pitch axes without interfering with each other or other parts of the hub assembly . as was discussed above in the description of the background of this invention , it is desirable to provide automatic blade pitch inputs when the rotor assembly is subjected to inputs from wind gusts or to sudden large inputs from the pilot of the aircraft . this function is provided by offsetting the pitch arm attachment point from the flap axis of the blade by an angle conventionally designated as delta 3 . this correction is different for conventional rotary wing helicopters than it is for rotary wing aircraft which are convertible to a fixed wing configuration in flight . in a conventional helicopter , when a blade tip is raised suddenly about its flap axis , the appropriate correction is to reduce the angle of blade pitch ( flap up - pitch down ). for convenience , this will be referred to as positive delta 3 . however , in a tilt rotor aircraft , the opposite correction is required when the aircraft is in the process of converting to fixed wing mode and while in a steady state fixed wing configuration . in the case of a tilt rotor , when a blade tip is raised about its flap axis , the correct response is to increase the angel of blade pitch ( flap up - pitch up ). for convenience this condition will be referred to as negative delta 3 . in fig7 this negative delta 3 is illustrated . the flap axis for the blade fully shown at the extreme left side of the figure is shown as line c -- c of fig7 . as was discussed earlier , the flap axis for the blades of this rotor is provided by the universal rotor support bearing . if the delta 3 correction was zero , the pitch arm attachment point 24 would lie on the flap axis c -- c . as illustrated , in this invention the pitch arm attachment point 24 has been offset from the flap axis by the angle designated delta 3 . thus , when the rotor head teeters about axis c -- c because of a wind gust or sudden pilot input , the blade assembly 4 is rotated about its pitch axis d -- d causing a change in the blade pitch angle . referring now to fig8 there is shown a conventional rotor hub applicable to a tilt rotor aircraft . here there are provided three rotor blades shown at 48 , 48 &# 39 ; and 48 &# 34 ;. each of the blades is required to rotate about its respective blade pitch axis . one of these axes is illustrated for blade 48 as line b -- b . in this conventional design , the pitch arms 52 are located outside of the rotor hub 51 . as can be seen , the pitch arm 52 of blade 48 has little clearance with the adjacent blade 48 &# 39 ;. if it were desired to add additional blades to this hub , there would be insufficient clearance between blade assemblies . thus it can be seen that there is provided by this invention a head for a rotary wing aircraft suitable for a tilt rotor machine which allow the use of a large number of rotor blades while at the same time providing all of the flight control functions required .	1

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