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referring now to fig1 a power supply 10 includes an input module 12 and an output module 14 . input module 12 contains rectifying , filtering and control circuitry and is connected to an ac source 16 . the input module rectifies the ac signal and generates an intermediate output . for example , input module 12 may generate an intermediate output of about 120 vdc . these functions are well known in the art and need not be described in any further detail . ( see for instance , u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 488 , 214 and 4 , 805 , 081 ). the output module 14 includes an inverter 16 , a transformer 18 and two half rectifier bridges 20 &# 39 ;, 20 &# 34 ;. transformer 18 has two secondary coils 18 &# 39 ;, 18 &# 34 ;, each feeding one of the half rectifier capacitor bridges 20 &# 39 ;, 20 &# 34 ;. the half bridges also include capacitors c1 and c2 respectively . half bridges 20 &# 39 ;, 20 &# 34 ; are composed of diodes d1 , d2 , d3 and d4 arranged as shown . the bipolar outputs ± vo , of the module 14 are delivered on lines 22 , 24 to a load l . the modules 12 and 14 may be constructed and sized to form , for example , a nominal 24 kw power supply to deliver for example to load l 70k volts dc at 200 ma . in order to provide a different power supply 10a having the same voltage but double the power rating , the input modules 12a , 12b and two modules 14a , 14b are provided . modules 12a , 12b are similar to module 12 . modules 14a and 14b are similar to the module 14 . more particularly , each has an inverter circuit 16a , 16b , a transformer 18a , 18b . importantly , the diodes of the half bridge rectifiers 20 &# 39 ;, 20 &# 34 ; are now rearranged as shown to form respectively two full wave rectifiers 20a and 20b . rectifier 20a is formed of diodes d1a - d4a , and capacitor c1a . rectifier 20b is formed of diodes d1b - d4b and capacitor c1b . diodes d1a - d4a , d1b - d4b are identical to diodes d1 - d4 respectively , except that the orientation of some of the diodes have been reversed as shown . capacitors c1a , c1b represent the parallel combinations of capacitors c1 , c2 . in this new arrangement , load l1 receives a voltage + vo from output module 14a and a voltage - vo ( with respect to ground ) from output module 14b . l1 may be , for example , a ct scanner . in this manner a nominal 48 kw power supply is formed to deliver a bipolar ± 70 kvolts dc at a maximum of 400 ma using the modules 12a , 12b , 14a , 14b . importantly the main modification between the configurations of fig1 and 2 is the orientation of the diodes as described . in addition , some of the control logic may have to be changed as well , if required . referring to fig3 power supply 10 may be constructed of two modules 40 and 42 , with module 40 containing the input section 12 and module 42 containing the output section 14 . in order to construct power supply 10a , a common case 40 may be used to house both input modules 12a , 12b . this arrangement is advantageous because the control circuitry may be shared for these input modules . thus , for a nominal bipolar ± 70 kv , 400 ma power supply , the case 40 could contain control circuitry and two 24 kw rectifieriltering subassemblies . the intermediate outputs therefrom , are fed to two cases 42 and 44 . cases 42 and 44 contain output sections 14a , 14b respectively , and generate outputs + 70 kv , and - 70 kv , as shown . although the invention has been described with reference to several particular embodiments , it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention . accordingly , the embodiments described in particular should be considered exemplary , not limiting , with respect to the following claims .	7
fig1 generally shows a pacemaker 10 implanted in a patient 12 . the pacemaker leads 14 and 15 electrically couple the pacemaker 10 to the patient &# 39 ; s heart 11 via a suitable vein 18 . the leads act to both sense polarizations in the heart , and to deliver pacing stimuli the heart . fig2 is a block circuit diagram illustrating a multi - programmable , implantable , dual - chamber , bradycardia pacemaker 10 capable of carrying out the present invention . although the present invention is described in conjunction with a microprocessor - based architecture , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that it could be implemented in other technology such as digital logic - based , custom integrated circuit ( ic ) architecture , if desired . it will also be understood that the present invention may be implemented in cardioverters , defibrillators and the like . lead 14 includes an intracardiac electrode 24 located near its distal end and positioned within the right ventricle 16 . electrode 24 is coupled by a lead conductor 14 through an input capacitor 26 to the node 28 , and to the input / output terminals of an input / output circuit 30 . similarly , the lead 15 has a distally located intracardiac electrode positioned within the right atrium 17 . electrode 22 is coupled by a lead conductor 15 through an input capacitor 75 to a node 76 , and to the input / output terminals of the input / output circuit 30 . input / output circuit 30 contains the operating input and output analog circuits for digital controlling and timing circuits necessary for the detection of electrical signals derived from the heart , such as the cardiac electrogram , output from sensors ( not shown ) connected to the leads 14 and 15 , as well as for the application of stimulating pulses to the heart to control its rate as a function thereof under the control of software - implemented algorithms in a microcomputer circuit 32 . microcomputer circuit 32 comprises an on - board circuit 34 and an off - board circuit 36 . on - board circuit 34 includes a microprocessor 38 , a system clock 40 , and on - board ram 42 and rom 44 . off - board circuit 36 includes an off - board ram / rom unit 46 . microcomputer circuit 32 is coupled by data communication bus 48 to a digital controller / timer circuit 50 . microcomputer circuit 32 may be fabricated of custom ic devices augmented by standard ram / rom components . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the electrical components represented in fig2 are powered by an appropriate implantable - grade battery power source ( not shown ). an antenna 52 is connected to input / output circuit 30 for purposes of uplink / downlink telemetry through a radio frequency ( rf ) transmitter / receiver circuit ( rf tx / rx ) 54 . telemetering both analog and digital data between antenna 52 and an external device , such as an external programer ( not shown ), is accomplished in the preferred embodiment by means of all data first being digitally encoded and then pulse position modulated on a damped rf carrier , as substantially described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 127 , 404 , issued on jul . 7 , 1992 , entitled &# 34 ; telemetry format for implantable medical device &# 34 ;, which is held by the same assignee as the present invention and which is incorporated herein by reference . a reed switch 51 is connected to input / output circuit 30 to enable patient follow - up via disabling the sense amplifier 146 and enabling telemetry and programming functions , as is known in the art . a crystal oscillator circuit 56 , typically a 32 , 768 hz crystal - controlled oscillator , provides main timing clock signals to digital controller / timer circuit 50 . a vref / bias circuit 58 generates a stable voltage reference and bias currents for the analog circuits of input / output circuit 30 . an adc / multiplexer circuit ( adc / mux ) 60 digitizes analog signals and voltages to provide telemetry and a replacement time - indicating or end - of - life function ( eol ). a power - on - reset circuit ( por ) 62 functions to initialize the pacemaker 10 with programmed values during power - up , and reset the program values to default states upon the detection of a low battery condition or transiently in the presence of certain undesirable conditions such as unacceptably high electromagnetic interference ( emi ), for example . the operating commands for controlling the timing of the pacemaker depicted in fig2 are coupled by bus 48 to digital controller / timer circuit 50 wherein digital timers set the overall escape interval of the pacemaker , as well as various refractory , blanking and other timing windows for controlling the operation of the peripheral components within input / output circuit 50 . digital controller / timer circuit 50 is coupled to sense amplifiers ( sense ) 64 and 67 , and to electrogram ( egm ) amplifiers 66 and 73 for receiving amplified and processed signals picked up from electrode 24 through lead 14 and capacitor 26 , and for receiving amplified and processed signals picked up from electrode 22 through lead 15 and capacitor 75 , representative of the electrical activity of the patient &# 39 ; s ventricle 16 and atrium 17 , respectively . similarly , sense amplifiers 64 and 67 produce sense event signals for re - setting the escape interval timer within circuit 50 . the electrogram signal developed by egm amplifier 66 is used in those occasions when the implanted device is being interrogated by the external programmer / transceiver ( not shown ) in order to transmit by uplink telemetry a representation of the analog electrogram of the patient &# 39 ; s electrical heart activity as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 556 , 063 , issued to thompson et al ., entitled &# 34 ; telemetry system for a medical device &# 34 ;, which is held by the same assignee as the present invention , and which is incorporated herein by reference . output pulse generators 68 and 71 provide the pacing stimuli to the patient &# 39 ; s heart 11 through output capacitors 74 and 77 and leads 14 and 15 in response to paced trigger signals developed by digital controller / timer circuit 50 each time the escape interval times out , or an externally transmitted pacing command has been received , or in response to other stored commands as is well known in the pacing art . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , pacemaker 10 is capable of operating in various non - rate - responsive modes which include ddd , ddi , vvi , voo and vvt , as well as corresponding rate - responsive modes of dddr , ddir , vvir , voor and vvtr . further , pacemaker 10 can be programmably configured to operate such that it varies its rate only in response to one selected sensor output , or in response to both sensor outputs , if desired . details of the adir / vvir mode of the present invention follow below , with reference to fig3 through 9 . in those figures the following abbreviations are used to indicate the occurrence of cardiac events : as for atrial sense ; ap for atrial pace ; vs for ventricular sense ; and vp for ventricular pace . the pacemaker 10 operates as a combination of a separate aair pacemaker for the atrial channel , and a separate vvir pacemaker for the ventricular channel . atrial blanking follows both atrial and ventricular events , with the blanking period equal to approximately 180 ms when the ventricular event is either paced or premature , and approximately 120 ms at the start of an orthodromically conducted ventricular beat . the blanking periods may be different from the above numbers , according to the needs of the patient , etc . the lower rate of the ventricular pacemaker is lower than the lower rate of the atrial pacemaker so that ventricular pacing occurs only during episodes of av block . in addition to av block , the patient must also experience atrial arrhythmias ( i . e ., flutter , fibrillation ) in order for the ventricular pacemaker to be activated . thus , in cases of av block , but sinus rhythm , the pacemaker 10 switches to a fully automatic mode , which includes such modes as dddr , dddr with , ddir , vvir , etc . table 1 summarizes the operation of the pacemaker 10 under various conditions . table 1______________________________________summary of adir / vvir pacemaker operationcondition result______________________________________1 . av conduction aair activated ; vvir sensing only2 . sinus rhythm with av block pacemaker switches to dddr operation3 . atrial arrhythmia , vvi activated no av block4 . atrial arrythmia with vvir activated av block______________________________________ fig3 is a timing diagram illustrating condition 1 in table 1 , supra . during normal operation with av conduction , the atrial pacemaker is enabled while the ventricular pacemaker is disabled ( i . e ., the only function of the ventricular pacemaker in this case is to monitor ventricular sense events ). an atrial refractory period starts at the beginning of each atrial event . the pacemaker 10 uses atrial - to - atrial ( a - a ) timing to determine the escape interval . at the detection of a ventricular event ( sense in this case ) the atrial pacemaker begins an atrial blanking period ( 120 ms in the preferred embodiment ) followed by an atrial refractory period . fig4 illustrates the operation of the pacemaker 10 after the occurrence of a premature ventricular contraction ( pvc ), a ventricular sense event occurring without an intervening atrial event since the last ventricular event . at the occurrence of a pvc ( the third ventricular sense event shown ) the longer atrial blanking period starts ( 180 ms ), and the atrial pacemaker is reset to pace after the expiration of the current a - a interval minus the intrinsic conduction time of the patient as measured by the pacemaker . this reset delay period is hereby referred to as the &# 34 ; pseudo &# 34 ; v - a interval . fig5 illustrates an alternate approach to a pvc involving rate smoothing to minimize ventricular rate drops . in this approach the pseudo v - a interval used to reset the atrial pacemaker equals the current ventricular - to - ventricular ( v - v ) interval minus the intrinsic conduction time . fig6 illustrates the pacemaker &# 39 ; s adir / vvir operation during the presence of atrial arrhythmia and intermittent av block . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , numerous references discuss methods for detecting arrhythmias . one such reference is an article entitled &# 34 ; automatic tachycardia recognition &# 34 ; by robert arzbaecher et al ., pace 7 ( 1984 ) 541 - 547 , hereby incorporated by reference . another reference is u . s . pat . no . 4 , 880 , 005 issued to benjamin d . pless et al . on nov . 14 , 1989 for &# 34 ; pacemaker for detecting and terminating a tachycardia ,&# 34 ; which is also incorporated by reference . during the first two cardiac cycles shown , the atrial paces are conducted normally to the ventricles , thus inhibiting the ventricular pacemaker . in the third and fourth cardiac cycles , however , av block triggers the ventricular pacemaker , causing it to pace the ventricle at the expiration of the ventricular escape interval . recall that atrial blanking and atrial refractory periods follow each ventricular event ( when the ventricular event is paced the blanking period equals 180 ms in the preferred embodiment ). in the above example , a potential exists for retrograde conduction of ventricular pace events , which is undesirable . to eliminate this problem , the atrial pacemaker is reset following a ventricular pace ( at expiration of the ventricular escape interval ) as shown in fig7 . the pseudo v - a interval is chosen to be either the current a - a escape interval minus the intrinsic conduction time as described in conjunction with fig4 or the current ventricular rate minus the av interval as described in conjunction with fig5 . fig8 illustrates the response of the pacemaker 10 to a non - conducted premature atrial contraction ( pac ). after the third cardiac cycle in the illustration , an atrial sense event occurs during the atrial refractory period . in order to minimize the drop in ventricular rate after the occurrence of a non - conducted pac , the atrial escape interval is timed not from the pac , but from the previous atrial event . in order to determine that a pac has not conducted , the pacemaker must wait for the av interval plus a predefined interval unique to the delay in conduction from pacs . if the pac is conducted , the atrial escape interval is timed from the pac . otherwise , the atrial escape interval is timed from the previous atrial event . fig9 is a flowchart summarizing the procedure / program 900 used by the pacemaker 10 to implement the adir / vvir mode . steps 902 through 916 describe the operation of the atrial pacemaker , while steps 920 through 938 describe the operation of the ventricular pacemaker . atrial pace events ( step 904 ) trigger ventricular blanking at step 906 . both atrial sense events ( step 902 ) atrial pace events trigger the atrial blanking and atrial refractory periods at step 908 . at step 910 the atrial escape rate is set equal to the current sensor rate . the pacemaker 10 determines at step 912 whether a ventricular pace is scheduled within the programmed minimum ventricular pace ( vp )- to - atrial pace ( ap ) interval ( the minimum interval which must occur after a vp before an ap can occur ). if the vp is to occur in the minimum vp - ap interval , it is moved up in time to occur at the scheduled ap time minus the minimum vp - ap interval ( step 914 ). at step 916 the atrial refractory period is set to end 300 ms before the next scheduled atrial pace event . step 918 , the last step in the program 900 , places the pacemaker 10 in a monitoring mode to await re - triggering of the program by an atrial or ventricular event ( steps 902 , 904 , 920 or 922 ). a ventricular sense event ( step 920 ) advances the program 400 to step 924 , which determines whether the ventricular event is a pvc . if so , the program advances to step 930 , where a short atrial blanking period is started ( i . e ., about 120 ms , as described supra .). at step 926 , whenever a ventricular pace occurs ( step 922 ), or a pvc , a longer atrial blanking period is started ( i . e ., about 180 ms , as described supra .). following a ventricular pace or a pvc the next atrial pace is scheduled to occur after the atrial escape interval minus the av conduction time ( step 928 ). at step 932 the ventricular blanking and refractory periods are started , as well as the atrial refractory period ( the atrial period is set to end 300 ms before the next scheduled atrial pace , as in step 916 ). the pacemaker 10 determines at step 934 whether the next atrial pace is scheduled within the programmed minimum ventricular pace - to - atrial pace interval ( the minimum interval which must occur after a vp before an ap can occur ). if the ap is to occur in the minimum vp - ap interval , it is moved back in time to occur at the scheduled ap time plus the minimum vp - ap interval ( step 936 ). if the next atrial pace is not scheduled to occur within the minimum vp - ap interval , the next ventricular pace is then scheduled to occur at the current ventricular escape interval ( step 938 ). the program then advances to step 918 so that the pacemaker 10 resumes its monitoring mode , as described supra . variations and modifications to the present invention are possible given the above disclosure . however , such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the invention claimed by this letters patent .	0
a phage - inducible suicide system useful for fermentation methods requires an appropriate death gene , a phage - inducible promoter triggered only after phage infection ( i . e ., not constitutively active in the bacterial cell or activated by stimuli other than those presented by bacteriophage ), and a suitable vector that provides adequate copies of the suicide cassette in the bacterial host . numerous inducible phage promoters that are not expressed by the bacteria in the absence of a phage infection are available . many such promoter elements are responsible for temporal expression and have been described in well characterized bacteriophages attacking e . coli and bacillus subtilis ( lee and pero , ( 1981 ); dunn and studier , 1983 ; elliot and geiduschek , 1984 ; kassavetis et al ., 1986 ). however , only one inducible element has been characterized to date for a lytic lactococcal bacteriophage . a middle , phage - inducible promoter from the p335 species lactococcal bacteriophage φ31 was initially cloned on a 888 - bp fragment ( seq id no : 1 ) ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., bio / technol . 14 : 82 - 87 ( 1996 )). molecular characterization and primer extension analysis of the promoter - containing region revealed four transcription sites , two of which were strictly inducible after infection of l . lactis with phage φ31 ( s . walker et al ., j . dairy sci . 78 , 108 ( 1995 )). as described below , a 239 - bp fragment was subcloned containing two tandem transcription starts that are expressed only after phage infection . the suicide system was assembled by placing the phage φ31 - specific , trigger promoter ( designated φ31p ) 5 &# 39 ; of the llair + cassette . additional sources of bacteriophage promoters useful for carrying out the present invention include phage φt3 ( morris et al ., gene 41 : 193 - 200 ( 1986 )), phage φsp6 ( butler and chamberlin , j . biol . chem . 257 : 5772 - 5778 ( 1982 )), phage φt4 ( geiduschek and kassavetis , in the bacteriophages pp . 93 - 115 ( r . calendar , ed . 1988 )), phage φsp ( talkington and pero , proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 76 : 5465 - 5469 ( 1978 )) and phage φ29 ( monsalve et al ., virology 207 : 23 - 31 ( 1995 )). as indicated above , the promoter employed should be a phage - inducible promoter . this is , the promoter should be normally silent , or should not be a constitutively active promoter ( i . e ., have insufficient constitutive activity to activate transcription of the dna encoding the product lethal to the bacterial cell to an extent sufficient to kill the cell in the absence of phage infection ). promoters that possess constitutive activity may be modified so that they are phage - inducible promoters , as described herein . any suitable vector may be used to carry out the present invention , including both plasmid vectors and cassettes inserted into the bacterial genome by recombinant techniques . copy number of the vector is not critical , and may be adjusted as necessary in light of the choice of the . particular dna encoding the lethal product , and the sensitivity of the particular bacterial cell thereto . heterologous dnas employed in carrying out the present invention encode a product which is lethal to bacterial cells . a wide variety of protein or peptide products that are lethal to bacterial cells can be used , including ( but not limited to ) enzymes capable of degrading nucleic acids ( dna , rna ) such as nucleases , restriction endonucleases , micrococcal nuclease , rnase a , rnase cl - 3 , rnase t1 , and barnase ; enzymes that attack proteins such as trypsin , pronase a , carboxypeptidase , endoproteinase asp - n , endoproteinase glu - c , cellulase with an export signal , and endoproteinase lys - c ; toxins from plant pathogenic bacteria such as phaseolotoxin , tabtoxin , and syringotoxin ; lipases such as produced from porcine pancrease and candida cyclindracea , membrane channel proteins such as glp f and connexins ( gap junction proteins , and antibodies that bind proteins in the cell so that the cell is thereby killed or debilitated . genes which produce antibodies to bacterial cell proteins can be produced as described in w . huse et al ., science 246 , 1275 - 1281 ( 1989 ). proteins to which such antibodies can be directed include , but are not limited to , rna polymerase , respiratory enzymes , cytochrome oxidase , krebs cycle enzymes , protein kinases , and aminocyclopropane - 1 - carboxylic acid synthase . additional products lethal to bacterial cells that may be used in carrying out the present invention are discussed below . particularly preferred is a structural gene encoding mature bacillus amyloliquefaciens rnase ( or barnase ). see , e . g ., c . mariani et al ., nature 347 , 737 - 741 ( 1990 ); c . paddon and r . hartley , gene 40 , 231 - 39 ( 1985 ). it is preferred , particularly where the bacteria is employed in the fermentation of a food product , that the bacteria - lethal product of the heterologous dna is non - toxic to animals , and particularly is non - toxic to mammals , including humans . the art of fermentation is well known and the instant method is useful in a wide variety of fermentation processes . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , the instant method relates to bacteria capable of fermenting food substrates , and more particularly milk . bacteria capable of fermenting foods include those bacteria used in any type of food fermentation , including , but not limited to , the fermentation of milk , egg , meat , fruit , vegetables , and cereals . see generally food biotechnology , ( d . knorr ed . 1987 ) ( marcel dekker , inc . ); fermented foods ( a . rose ed . 1982 )( academic press ); c . pederson , microbiology of fermented foods , ( 2d ed . 1979 )( avi publishing co .). bacteria used for the fermentation of meat ( including beef , pork , and poultry ) include , but are not limited to , lactic acid bacteria , pediococcus cerevisiae , lactobacillus plantarum , lactobacillus brevis , micrococcus species , leuconostoc citrovorum , leuconostoc citrovorum , and mixtures thereof . see food biotechnology , 538 - 39 ( d . knorr ed . 1987 ); c . pederson , microbiology of fermented foods , 210 - 34 ( 2d ed . 1979 ); u . s . pat . no . 2 , 225 , 783 to jensen and paddock . bacteria used for the fermentation of vegetables ( e . g ., carrots , cucumbers , tomatoes , peppers , and cabbage ) include , but are not limited to , lactobacillus plantarum , lactobacillus brevis , leuconostoc mesenteroides , pediococcus pentosaceus , and mixtures thereof . see food biotechnology , 540 ( d . knorr ed . 1987 ); c . pederson , microbiology of fermented foods , 153 - 209 ( 2d ed . 1979 ); u . s . pat . no . 3 , 024 , 116 to engelland ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 403 , 032 to etchells et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 932 , 674 to etchells et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 897 , 307 to porubcan et al . bacteria used in the fermentation of dough formed from cereals ( e . g ., wheat , rye , rice , oats , barley , and corn ) include yeasts such as saccharomyces cerevisiae and candida utilis ; and lactic acid bacteria of the genera lactobacillus , lactococcus , pediococcus and leuconostoc , including , but not limited to lactobacillus delbrueckii , lactobacillus debreuckii subsp . leichmanni , lactobacillus plantarum , lactobacillus casei , lactobacillus brevis , lactobacillus fermenti , lactobacillus pastorianus , lactobacillus buchneri , and leuconostoc mesenteroides . see generally food biotechnology , 235 - 70 ( d . knorr ed . 1987 ); u . s . pat . no . 3 , 734 , 743 to kline and sugihara ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 681 , 083 to everson ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 993 , 783 to khoudokormoff and langejan ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 843 , 800 to langejan ; u . s . pat . no . 3 , 410 , 692 to wutzel . wine is produced by the fermentation of fruit juice , typically grape juice , with yeasts , such as saccharomyces cerevisiae and saccharomyces ellipsoideus , as well as with a broad variety of lactic acid bacteria including pediococcus pentosaceus , lactobacillus plantarum , leuconostoc mesenteroides , leuconostoc dextranicum , leuconostoc cremoris , lactobacillus brevis , and lactobacillus fermenti . beer is produced by the fermentation of malt with yeasts such as saccharomyces cerevisiae and saccharomyces carlsbergensis . see c . pederson , microbiology of fermented foods , 271 - 309 ( 2d ed . 1979 ). milk is fermented to produce products such as cheese , yoghurt , kefir , and acidophilus milk . cheese fermentation bacteria are discussed separately below . otherwise , bacteria used for the fermentation of milk include , but are not limited to , lactobacillus debreuckii subsp . bulgaricus , lactobacillus acidophilus , streptococcus salivarius subsp . thermophilus , and mixtures thereof . see food biotechnology , 530 ( d . knorr ed . 1987 ); c . pederson , microbiology of fermented foods , 105 - 35 ( 2d ed . 1979 ). bacteria used for the fermentation of milk to produce cheese include , but are not limited to , lactobacillus bulgaricus , lactobacillus helveticus , streptococcus salivarius subsp . thermophilus , lactococcus lactis subsp . lactis , lactococcus lactis subsp . cremoris , lactococcus lactis subsp . lactis biovar . diacetylactis , and mixtures thereof . see food biotechnology , 530 ( d . knorr ed . 1987 ); c . pederson , microbiology of fermented foods , 135 - 51 ( 2d ed . 1979 ). bacteria used for the fermentation of egg include pediococcus pentosaceus , lactobacillus plantarum , and mixtures thereof . see food biotechnology , 538 - 39 ( d . knorr ed . 1987 ). in a particularly preferred embodiment , the present invention is employed for the fermentation of milk with the lactococci ( previously classified as the group n streptococci ), such as lactococcus lactis subsp . lactis , lactococcus lactis subsp . cremoris , and lactococcus lactis subsp . lactis biovar . diacetylactis . while the present invention is , in one embodiment , directed to the fermentation of food , the invention may be practiced with any process involving fermentative bacteria susceptible to disruption by bacteriophage infection , including but not limited to processes for the production of antibiotics , amino acids , and solvents . products produced by fermentation which are known to have encountered bacteriophage infection , and the corresponding infected fermentation bacteria , include cheddar and cottage cheese ( lactococcus lactis , lactococcus cremoris ), yogurt ( lactobacillus bulgaricus , streptococcus thermophilus ), swiss cheese ( s . thermophilus , lactobacillus lactis , lactobacilluis helveticus ), blue cheese ( leuconostoc cremoris ), italian cheese ( l . bulgaricus , s . thermophilus ), viili ( lactococcus cremoris , lactococcus lactis subsp . diacetylactis , leuconostoc cremoris ), yakult ( lactobacillus casei ), casein ( lactococcus cremoris ), natto ( bacillus subtilis var . natto ), wine ( leuconostoc oenos ), sake ( leuconostoc inesenteroides ), polymyxin ( bacillus polymyxa ), colistin ( bacillus colistrium ), bacitracin ( bacillus licheniformis ), l - glutamic acid ( brevibacterium lactofermentum , microbacterium ammoniaphilum ), and acetone and butanol ( colstridium acetobutylicum , clostridiumsaccharoperbutylacetoni - cum ). see generally m . sanders , bacteriophages of industrial importance , in phage ecology , 211 - 44 ( s . goyal , c . berba and g . bitton eds . 1987 ). escherichia coli genetically engineered to produce materials such as chymosin , insulin , or factor viii by fermentation is susceptible to phage infection . thus , the present invention may , for example , be employed in a fermentation process for producing any of the foregoing products with the foregoing bacteria in the manner described herein . starter cultures employed in practicing the present invention may be in any physical form , including liquid cultures of the fermentation bacteria in a suitable growth medium , as well as lyophilized cultures and frozen cultures prepared therefrom . starter cultures employed in the present invention are preferably defined cultures , that is , cultures of known bacterial content . such defined cultures may be either single strain cultures , i . e ., pure cultures , or multiple strain cultures , i . e ., mixed cultures . all of the bacteria in the culture may contain the defense mechanism described herein , or some of the bacteria may contain the defense mechanism while others do not . the fermentation apparatus and conditions under which fermentation may be selected and determined by persons of skilled in the art to produce the desired product , in accordance with known fermentation techniques . bacteria of the present invention may be employed with or without rotation with other bacteria in a rotation strategy . when employed in a rotation strategy , the other , or second , bacteria employed may be nonisogenic or isogenic ( i . e ., have the same bacteriophage binding characteristics ) with the bacteria of the present invention . where isogenic bacteria are employed as the second bacteria in the rotation strategy , they may carry a different bacteriophage defense mechanism ( including , but not limited to , any of those defense mechanisms set forth below ) as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art , bacteria of the present invention may optionally include one or more additional bacteriophage defense mechanisms in addition to the phage - inducible suicide system described herein . the additional bacteriophage defense mechanism ( s ) may be directed against the same or different bacteriophage as the phage - inducible suicide system described herein . any additional bacteriophage defense mechanism may be employed , including , but not limited to , restriction / modification ( r / m ) systems and abortive infection ( abi ) systems including phage - encoded resistance ( per ) systems ( as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 538 , 864 to c . hill and t . klaenhammer ), and the particular plasmid - based defense mechanisms as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 883 , 756 , 4 , 931 , 396 ; 4 , 732 , 859 ; 4 , 918 , 014 ; and 4 , 874 , 616 ( applicant specifically intends that the disclosures of all u . s . patent references cited herein be incorporated herein by reference . abortive infection systems are particularly preferred . described herein is a novel bacteriophage protection strategy by genetic engineering of a mechanism that aborts the phage infection and intentionally kills the propagation host . as described below , the killing capacity of a three gene restriction cassette extracted from the llai r / m operon was exploited to develop a novel bacterial suicide system , triggered by a phage infection . the phage φ31 - inducible promoter used to drive expression of the llair + cassette did not exert detrimental effects on the host in the absence of a phage infection . however , when transcription of the restriction cassette was initiated by phage infection , the plaquing efficiencies of φ31 and related phages were limited to very low levels of 10 - 4 - 10 - 6 . moreover , phage progeny that escape restriction are not modified and will continue to suffer full restriction in subsequent attempts to infect host cells carrying φ31p / llair +. as a result , any phage development within liquid cultures is severely retarded since each new host infected is triggered to commit suicide and destroy the incoming phage genome . both components of this particular embodiment of a bacterial suicide system , the category of death gene and the inducible expression signal , are unique . first , the promoter and restriction cassette are of lactococcal origin and , therefore , could be considered within a generally recognized as safe ( gras ) category for food - grade applications . the gras status of this phage protection system allows deployment of the φ31p / llair + cassette in starter cultures used in dairy fermentations . second , to our knowledge , this is the first attempt to employ a restriction endonuclease component of an r / m system as a death gene in a conditional - suicide system . numerous types of conditional - suicide systems have been developed where potent killing genes are coupled to inducible expression signals ( reviewed by s . molin et al ., annu . rev . microbiol . 47 : 139 - 166 ( 1993 )). the combinations are designed not to interfere with normal growth and expression occurs under very specific conditions defined by the physical or chemical composition of the environment . environmental signals used to trigger expression of bacterial suicide systems have included iptg ( a . bej et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 54 : 2472 - 2477 ( 1988 ); k . knudsen et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 61 : 985 - 991 ( 1995 ); d . kloos et al ., j . bacteriol . 176 : 7352 - 7361 ( 1994 )), poor nutrient conditions ( k . tedin et al ., j . biotechnol . 39 : 2 137 - 148 ( 1995 )), limitation of phosphate ( t . schweder et al ., appl . microbiol . biotechnol . 42 : 718 - 723 ( 1995 )) or tryptophan ( s . molin et al ., bio / technol . 5 : 1315 - 1318 ( 1987 )), and availability of aromatic compounds in environment ( a . contreras et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 57 : 1504 - 1508 ( 1991 )). conditional suicide systems in bacteria have been developed for a single purpose , to prevent release of recombinant strains outside a controlled environment . signals most successfully applied are those directing plasmid transfer ( gerdes et al ., new biologist 2 : 946 - 956 ( 1990 ); e . bahassi et al ., mol . microbiol . 15 ( 6 ): 1031 - 1037 ( 1995 ); r . roberts et al ., j . mol . biol . 237 : 35 - 51 ( 1994 ); s . tsuchimoto et al ., mol . gen . genet . 215 : 463 - 468 ( 1989 )). the death genes studied most extensively in these applications are two - component toxin / antidote e . coli suicide systems involved in postsegregational killing of plasmid - free cells . suicide systems of this kind include members of the gef gene family , such as hok / sok gene pair responsible for the maintenance of plasmid rl ( s . molin et al ., supra ( 1987 ); k . gerdes et al ., supra ( 1990 )) and hok / sok homologous chromosomal loci relf ( k . gerdes et al ., supra ( 1986 ); k . knudsen et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 61 : 985 - 991 ( 1995 )) and gef ( l . poulsen et al ., mol . microbiol . 5 : 1639 - 1648 ( 1991 )), ccd loci of sex - factor f ( e . bahassi et al ., supra ( 1995 )), parde of rp4 plasmid ( r . roberts et al ., supra ( 1994 )), and pem of r100 ( s . tsuchimoto et al ., supra ( 1989 )). potent killing genes used to design several suicide systems have also included the following : gene e from φ174 ( d . kloos et al ., supra ( 1994 )), phage φt7 lysozyme gene ( t . schweder et al ., supra ( 1995 )), gene s from φλ ( k . tedin et al ., supra ( 1995 )), bacillus subtilis sacb gene ( g . recorbet et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 59 : 1361 - 1366 ( 1993 )), barnase from bacillus amyloliquefaciens ( g . strittmatter et al ., bio / tech . 13 : 1085 - 1089 ( 1995 )), and endonucleases from serratia marcescens ( t . ball et al ., gene , 57 : 183 - 192 ( 1987 )) and staphylococcus aureus ( a . davis et al ., j . biol . chem . 18 : 6544 - 6553 ( 1977 )). in contrast to these suicide systems , the φ31p / llair + cassette is designed to provide protection against bacteriophage by creating a genetic trap that triggers after a phage infection and destroys both the phage genome and bacterial host . the efficiency of the φ31p / llair + system was improved by two approaches . presenting the suicide cassette on a high - copy - number replicon dramatically increased the level of phage restriction . this construction was largely responsible for development of a functionally effective defense system . noting this , efforts to stabilize the phage - inducible restriction cassette in the chromosome would likely require use of a stronger promoter , a promoter recognized earlier in the phage development cycle , and / or a more effective death gene . second , the presence of c . llai elevated restriction 10 - fold against phage φ31 . this regulatory protein appears to serve a bifunctional role in the native llai r / m operon by both repressing transcription and promoting restriction activity ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan and t . klaenhammer , vol . 85 , p . 591 - 595 . in j . j . feretti , m . s . gilmore , t . r . klaenhammer , f . brown ( eds . ), genetics of the streptococci , enterococci , and lactococci . dev . biol . stand . basel , karger . 1995 )). in this latter role , the c · llai protein has been proposed to enhance rna stability and facilitate translation of the three gene restriction cassette . the existing φ31lp / llair + system could be improved by incorporating llaic within the cassette . the φ31p trigger promoter selected and used in the design of the suicide system presents two inherent limitations , timing and tight recognition specificity . φ31p is a middle phage promoter that is transcribed approximately 20 minutes following the phage infection ( s . walker et al ., j . dairy sci . 78 : 108 ( 1995 )). considering the dynamics of the phage life cycle , activation of the φ31p / llair + cassette at this later stage does allow some dna to escape restriction and progeny phage to survive in 15 % of the infected cells . the efficiency of the llai - based suicide system could be improved substantially if the restriction cassette is expressed from a phage - specific promoter triggered earlier during the phage infection . however , it is critical that the earlier trigger promoter is completely phage - specific and that it is not recognized by bacterial host in the absence of phage . such trigger promoter is being sought , but has not yet been defined . therefore , in the design of the phage - induced suicide system a fine balance must be accomplished between tight control of expression signals and the optimal stage of temporal phage development when those promoters are recognized . suicide genes expressed too late in the cycle may serve only to facilitate cell death and release of assembled phage progeny . second , because of the high specificity of phage expression signals , the φ31p / llair +- based suicide cassette can be triggered only by phage φ31 or related phages that contain similar promoter regions or encode transcriptional factors with similar promoter specificity . attempts to induce the φ31p promoter with other phages from the p335 species , as well as phages from other lactococcal species ( p936 and c2 ) were not successful ( data not shown ). due to this promoter specificity , the defense system would not be practically effective against the diverse combinations of phage strains and species that attack lactococci . in conclusion , disclosed is a novel bacteriophage defense strategy that programs cell death and intracellular destruction of phage dna post infection . the system is designed as a genetic trap to invite phage adsorption and dna injection . in bacterial populations where every cell harbors a phage - inducible suicide cassette , infected cells hydrolyze the phage genome and undergo programmed cell death in an altruistic fashion designed after naturally - occurring abortive infection mechanisms . various combinations of death genes and promoter elements can be envisioned to design similar systems for virtually any bacteria . when alone , or combined with other defense systems , phage - triggered . intracellular suicide / defense systems are capable of trapping and eliminating phages , and their genetic potential , from fermentation environments . the examples which follow are illustrative of specific embodiments of the invention , and various uses thereof . they are set forth for explanatory purposes only , and are not to be taken as limiting the invention . escherichia coli mc1061 ( n . casadaban and s . cohen , j . mol . biol . 138 : 179 - 210 ( 1980 )) was used as primary transformation host throughout the study . e . coli mc1061 derivatives harboring plasmids ptrk414l or ptrk414h were designated nck785 and nck781 , respectively . lactococcus lactis nck690 was the sensitive host for bacteriophage φ31 . this strain is a derivative of l . lactis nck203 ( c . hill et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 55 : 2416 - 2419 ( 1989 )) spontaneously cured of all plasmids , except a 7 . 5 kb plasmid ( e . durmaz , unpublished data ). l . lactis nck690 harboring ptrk414l or ptrk414h were designated nck786 and nck782 , respectively . phage φ31 is a small isometric , p335 species , cohesive ended , lactococcal bacteriophage with a double - stranded dna genome of 31 . 9 kb . this phage is sensitive to both abia - mediated abortive resistance and llai restriction ( t . alatossava and t . klaenhammer , appl . environ . microbiol . 57 : 1346 - 1353 ( 1991 )). recombinant phages φ31 . 1 , 031 . 2 , φ31 . 7 , and φ31 . 8 are per31 - resistant derivatives of phage φ31 ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 59 : 2449 - 2456 ( 1993 )), selected following a homologous recombination event between the phage genome and l . lactis nck203 chromosome ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan and t . klaenhammer , in abstracts of the 7 th international symposium on the genetics of industrial microorganisms , montreal , canada , p . 186 ( 1994 ); e . durmaz et al ., j . dairy . sci . 78 : 109 ( 1995 )). plasmids used or constructed in this study are listed in table 1 . e . coli strains were grown at 37 ° c . in luria - bertani ( lb ) medium ( j . sambrook et al ., molecular cloning : a laboratory manual , 2nd ed . cold spring harbor laboratory , cold spring harbor , n . y . ( 1989 )) or brain heart infusion medium ( bhi , difco laboratories , detroit , mich .). erythromycin ( em ) 100 μg / ml was added for selective propagation of e . coli in broth where appropriate . agar plates ( 1 . 5 % granulated agar , bbl microbiology systems , cockeysville , md .) were prepared from bhi medium . erythromycin ( em r ) resistant e . coli transformants were selected on bhi agar with 200 μg / ml erythromycin . l . lactis was propagated at 30 ° c . in m17 broth ( difco ) containing 0 . 5 % glucose ( gm17 ). erythromycin 2 . 5 μg / ml or chloramphenicol 3 . 0 μg / ml were used for antibiotic selection in lactococci . bacteriophage plaque assays were conducted as described previously ( b . terzaghi and w . sandine , appl . microbiol . 29 : 807 - 813 ( 1975 )). center of infection ( coi ) assays , one - step growth curves , and burst size determinations were all performed at 30 ° c . in accordance with known techniques ( w . sing and t . klaenhammer , j . gen . microbiol . 136 : 1807 - 1815 ( 1990 )). table 1______________________________________plasmids used or constructed herein . plasmid relevant characteristics______________________________________pbluescript 2 . 96 kb , ap . sup . r ( stratagene ) ks ii + ptrkl2 6 . 4 kb , lacz , em . sup . rptrkh2 6 . 9 kb , lacz , em . sup . rptrk370 15 . 9 kb , encodes complete llai operon , em . sup . r , r . sup .+ / m . sup .+ ptrk394 6 . 6 kb , ap . sup . r , pbluescriptiiks + with 3 . 7 kb pvuii - clai dna fragment from ptrk370 that contains the promoterless llai . 1 , ll / ai . 2 , llai . 3 cassette . ptrk395 9 . 8 kb , em . sup . r , ptrk12 with 3 . 7 kb pvui - hindii dna fragment from ptrk394 that contains the promoterless llai . 1 , llai . 2 , llai . 3 cassette . ptrk397 10 . 3 kb , em . sup . r , ptrk12 with 3 . 7 kb pvui - xhoi dna fragment from ptrk394 that contains the promoterless llai . 1 , llai . 2 . llai . 3 cassette . ptrk414l 10 . 1 kb , em . sup . r , the 239 bp fspi - bamhi φ31 promoter fragment from ptrk391 . sup . 4 added to ptrk395ptrk414h 10 . 6 kb , em . sup . r , the 239 bp fspi - bamhi φ31 promoter fragment from ptrk391 . sup . 4 added to ptrk397ptrk400 7 . 9 kb , km . sup . r , cm . sup . r , pnz18 with 2 . 4 kb fragment from ptrk370 , encoding llaic with the native promoter from the llai operon______________________________________ . sup . 1 d . o &# 39 ; sullivan and t . klaenhammer , gene 137 : 227 - 231 ( 1993 ). . sup . 2 d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., j . bacteriol . 177 : 134 - 143 ( 1995 ). . sup . 3 g . djordjevic and t . klaenhammer , plasmid 35 , 37 - 45 ( 1996 ). . sup . 4 d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., bio / technology 14 : 82 - 87 ( 1996 ). rapid isolation of e . coli plasmid dna was accomplished by an alkaline lysis method of h . birnboim and j . doly , nucleic acids res . 7 : 1513 - 1519 ( 1979 ). large scale isolation of e . coli plasmid dna was accomplished using the qiagen plasmid kit ( qiagen , inc ., chatsworth , calif .) following the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions . isolation of plasmid dna from lactococci was performed by the alkaline lysis protocol described by b . bojovic et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 57 : 385 - 388 ( 1991 ). phage dna was isolated using the large scale protocol described by r . raya et al ., appl . environ . microbiol . 55 : 2206 - 2213 ( 1989 ). standard techniques were used for endonuclease restriction , dephosphorylation and ligation of bacterial dna ( sambrook et al ., supra ( 1989 )). ligation of phage dna was performed as described by sambrook et al ., supra ( 1989 ) with the following modifications : phage dna fragments were heated at 65 ° c . for 15 minutes before adding vector dna ; the ligation mixture was heated at 65 ° c . for an additional 10 minutes , and then slowly cooled to 30 ° c . before adding ligation buffer and t4 dna ligase . all dna used in cloning reactions was first purified in seakem gtg agarose ( fmc bioproducts , rockland , maine ) and extracted using qiaex dna extraction kit ( qiagen , inc ., chatsworth , calif .) following the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions . electrocompetent e . coli cells were prepared as described by w . dower et al ., nucleic acids res . 16 : 6127 - 6145 ( 1988 ) and electroporated using the gene pulser ™ apparatus ( bio - rad laboratories , richmond , calif .). l . lactis cells were electrotransformed as described by g . djordjevic and t . klaenhammer , plasmid 35 : 37 - 45 ( 1996 ) the promoterless llai restriction cassette , composed of three genes llai . 1 , llai . 2 , and llai . 3 , designated llair +, was first cloned as a 3 . 7 - kb pvuii - clai fragment from the r / m plasmid ptrk370 into pbluescript ii ks + ( ptrk394 , table 1 ). the llair + cassette was then subcloned into the low and high - copy - number shuttle vectors ptrkl2 and ptrkh2 to generate ptrk395 and ptrk397 , respectively ( see table 1 ). to prevent transcription from lacz promoter , the restriction cassette was positioned in an orientation opposite to lacz in all three plasmids . the 239 bp fspi - bamhi dna subfragment encoding a phage - inducible promoter with tandem transcription starts was isolated from ptrk391 ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., bio / technol . 14 : 82 - 87 ( 1996 )) and designated φ31p . the promoter element exhibits no detectable activity in the absence of a φ31 infection ( s . walker et al ., supra 1995 ). the φ31p fragment was cloned 5 &# 39 ; of the llair + cassette encoded on ptrk395 and ptrk397 , and ptrk414l ( low copy number ) and ptrk414h ( high copy number ) plasmids were recovered in e . coli mc1061 ( see table 1 , fig1 and fig2 .). the two plasmids were transformed subsequently into l . lactis nck690 by electroporation . no differences in transformation frequencies were observed when e . coli or l . lactis were transformed with ptrk414l and ptrk414h , compared to ptrk395 and ptrk397 encoding the promoterless llair + cassette . as llai ( r + / m - ) plasmids are lethal in l . lactis ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., j . bacteriol . 177 : 134 - 143 ( 1995 )), it was evident that the φ31p promoter was not recognized in these l . lactis transformants in the absence of a phage infection . the plasmids were stable during repeated subculture under antibiotic selection . standard plaque assays were used to evaluate the efficiency at which phage φ31 infected l . lactis harboring the restriction cassettes ( table 2 ). when l . lactis nck690 contained either ptrk395 or ptrk397 , both encoding the promoterless restriction cassette , was infected with phage φ31 it plaqued at full efficiency . however , in the presence of ptrk414l that contains the φ31p / llair + cassette on a low - copy number replicon , the eop was reduced to 0 . 5 with no notable changes in plaque size or morphology . in the presence of ptrk414h that contains the φ31p / llair + on the high - copy number replicon ptrk414h , the eop for φ31 was reduced dramatically to 2 . 2 × 10 - 4 ( table 2 ) and the plaques were very small and aberrant in size . therefore , the φ31p / llair + cassette did restrict the plaquing efficiency of phage φ31 at levels that correlated with the high or low copy number of the replicon on which it was cloned . l . lactis nck690 and nck690 ( ptrk414h ) were also challenged with 10 5 , 10 6 , and 10 7 pfu / ml of phage φ31 in broth cultures ( fig3 ). the multiplicities of infection ( moi ) ranged from 0 . 001 to 0 . 1 . as expected , phage φ31 readily lysed l . lactis nck690 ( fig3 b ). in contrast , lactococcal cells harboring the suicide system on ptrk414h did not suffer phage - induced cell lysis at any level of infection and continued to grow normally ( fig3 c ). when the suicide system was presented on the low copy replicon , ptrk414l , phage φ31 was still able to lyse the culture when challenged with 10 5 - 10 7 pfu / ml . these results correlated with negligible effect of ptrk414l on the eop of phage φ31 in l . lactis nck690 ( table 2 ). table 2______________________________________efficiency of plaquing ( eop ) for phage φ31 on lactococcuslactis nck690 harboring phage - inducible llai restriction cassette . plasmidcontent relevant characteristics eop______________________________________none * propagation host for phage φ31 1 . 0ptrk395 promoterless llair + cassette encoded on 1 . 0 the low - copy plasmidptrk397 promoterless llair + cassette encoded on 1 . 0 the high - copy plasmidptrk414l the φ31p / llair + cassette encoded on the 0 . 5 low - copy plasmidptrk414h the φ31p / llair + cassette encoded on the 2 . 2 × 10 . sup .- 4 high - copy plasmidptrk400 the regulatory protein c . llai encoded on 1 . 0 a high - copy plasmidptrk414l + the φ31p / llair + cassette encoded on the 0 . 6ptrk400 low - copy plasmid in the presence of the regulatory protein c . llaiptrk414h + the φ31p / llair + cassette encoded on the 2 . 0 × 10 . sup .- 5ptrk400 high - copy plasmid in the presence of the regulatory protein c - llai______________________________________ * l . lactis nck690 is a derivative of l . lactis nck203 cured of all plasmids , but one ( e . durmaz , unpublished data ). one - step growth curves and center of infection ( coi ) assays for phage φ31 were conducted on l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ) harboring the φ31p / llair + suicide cassette ( fig4 ). cells were propagated until the od 600 reached 0 . 4 and then infected with 10 8 pfu / ml of phage φ31 ( moi = 5 ). the number of infective centers ( pfu / ml ) formed initially on l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ) was 5 . 4 × 10 4 , 85 % lower than on l . lactis nck690 ( 3 . 6 × 10 5 ; fig4 ). only 15 % of infected cells harboring ( ptrk414h ) released progeny phages and phage development was notably retarded over the course of the one - step growth experiment . phage burst sizes in l . lactis nck690 , with and without ptrk414h , were estimated at 41 and 161 , respectively . therefore , the φ31p / llair + suicide cassette encoded on ptrk414h reduced the burst size of phage φ31 four - fold and severely limited the efficiency at which infections were completed . phages present in plaques formed on lawns of the restrictive host l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ) were evaluated for their sensitivity or resistance to restriction by the llai r / m system . several small plaques were recovered from l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ) and suspended by vortexing in 2 ml gm17 . the samples were then plaqued on l . lactis nck690 ( r - / m - ), l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk370 ) ( r + / m + ), and on l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ). approximately 10 7 pfu / ml were obtained on l . lactis nck690 . no plaques were detected on l . lactis nck690 bearing either ptrk370 or ptrk414h . therefore , progeny phages released from cells bearing ptrk414h remained fully sensitive to restriction by llai . these results are consistent with the appearance of small aberrant φ31 plaques on l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ). phage φ31 is limited in burst size and progeny phage continue to be severely restricted during subsequent infections of surrounding cells in the lawn . the llaic gene product , encoded upstream of the methylase llaim gene in the llai r / m operon , enhances the restriction activity of the llai system ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan and t . klaenhammer , supra ( 1995 ); g . djordjevic and t . klaenhammer , supra ( 1996 )). the effects of c - llai on the efficiency of the phage - inducible restriction cassette were evaluated . plasmid ptrk400 encoding llaic ( table 1 ) was introduced into l . lactis nck690 , l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414l ), and l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ). the ptrk400 transformants were challenged with 10 6 pfu / ml of phage 31 ( moi of 0 . 01 ). the results in table 2 show that the eop for φ31 on l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h + ptrk400 ) was 2 . 0 × 10 - 5 , ten - fold lower than the eop of 2 . 2 × 10 - 4 obtained for nck690 bearing ptrk414h alone . no enhancement was observed due to the presence of ilaic in lactococcal cells harboring ptrk414l ( table 2 ). this likely reflects the low baseline level of restriction activity encoded on the low copy number vector . at functional levels of restriction activity , the c · llai protein markedly enhanced the effectiveness of the φ31p / llair + cassette . the phage - inducible promoter φ31p is positioned near the right cos end of the phage φ31 genome ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., supra ( 1996 )). this region has been recently identified in the genomes of a series of φ31 - derived , per31 resistant , recombinant phages ( e . durmaz et al ., supra ( 1995 )). therefore , we evaluated if the φ31p / llair + suicide cassette would also confer resistance to φ31 - derived recombinant phages ( table 3 ). in all cases , the recombinant phages were restricted by the presence of the φ31p / llair + suicide cassette at levels which were at least 10 - fold greater than phage φ31 ( table 3 ). plaques formed by the recombinant phages were substantially smaller in size and their appearance altered as compared to φ31 plaques . the lower eops observed for φ31 - derived recombinant phages suggest that they are more sensitive to the lethal activity of the φ31p / llair + cassette than phage φ31 . of the φ31 - derived recombinant phages , phage φ31 . 1 was the most sensitive to restriction by the φ31lp / llair + suicide cassette . table 3______________________________________efficiency of plaquing ( eop ) for phage φ31 and φ31 - derivedrecombinant phages on lactococcus lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ) phage eop * ______________________________________ plaque size on l . lactis nck690φ31 1 . 0 2 . 1 plaque size on l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ) φ31 2 . 14 × 10 . sup .- 4 0 . 5 - 1 . 3φ31 . 1 5 . 24 × 10 . sup .- 6 0 . 4φ31 . 2 1 . 86 × 10 . sup .- 5 0 . 5 - 0 . 7φ31 . 7 3 . 04 × 10 . sup .- 5 0 . 5 - 0 . 7φ31 . 8 3 . 67 × 10 . sup .- 5 0 . 5 - 1 . 2______________________________________ eops represent the average of 3 - 4 independent experiments . plaque size ( mm ) on sensitive host l . lactis nck690 ranged from 2 . 1 ( φ31 ), 1 . 9 ( φ31 . 8 ) 1 . 8 ( φ31 . 1 , φ31 . 2 ) to 1 . 7 ( φ31 . 7 ). l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ) broth cultures were also challenged with φ31 - derived recombinant phages . four cultures at an od 600 of 0 . 15 - 0 . 2 were individually infected with 10 7 pfu / ml ( moi of 0 . 1 ) of the recombinant phages φ31 . 1 and φ31 . 8 and cell growth monitored over 320 min . ( fig5 ). those cultures harboring ptrk414h were unaffected by the phage challenge and continued to grow normally . evaluation of the φ31p / llair + cassette with abortive phage devenses per3l and abia in this example , the llaic gene and the φ31p / llair + cassette were combined on the same replicon ( ptrk414ht711aic ). the plasmid also contains the t7 terminator cloned 5 &# 39 ; to the restriction cassette . when l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414ht711aic ) was challenged with page φ31 , the eop was 4 . 4 × 10 - 5 ( table 4 ), a five - fold lower compared to that on l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414h ). the abortive phage defenses per31 ( d . o &# 39 ; sullivan et al ., bio / technology 14 : 82 - 87 ( 1996 )) are encoded on high - copy - number plasmids ptrk375 and ptrk406 , respectively . ptrk375 is a pnz - 18 - derivative ( de vos , ( 1987 )) with a 4 . 5 - kb fragment of φ encoding phage replication origin ( e . durmaz and t . klaenhammer , appl . environ . microbiol . 61 : 1266 - 1273 ( 1995 )). ptrk406 is also a pnz18 - derivative , with a 2 . 2 - kb fragment encoding the abia abortive infection gene ( dinsmore and klaenhammer , 1996 ). to evaluate the efficiency of the φ31p / llair + cassette in l . lactis in the presence of per31 or abia , plasmid ptrk414ht711aic was combined with ptrk375 and ptrk406 , respectively . when either per31 or abia were present in trans , the eop for phage φ31 was lowered to & lt ; 10 - 10 ( table 4 ). similarly , when l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414ht711aic - ptrk375 ) and l . lactis nck690 ( ptrk414ht711aic + ptrk406 ) broth cultures were challenged with 10 6 pfu / ml ( moi = 0 . 01 ) of φ31 , phage was eliminated from the infected population which continued to grow normally . table 4______________________________________efficiency of plaquing ( eop ) of φ31pllair . sup .+ cassette incombination with abortive phage defenses per 31 and abia . plasmid content relevant characteristics eop______________________________________ptrk414ht7llaic the φ31p / llair . sup .+ cassette and 4 . 4 × 10 . sup .- 5 regulatory protein c . llai encoded on the same high - copy plasmidptrk414ht7llaic the φ31p / llair . sup .+ cassette and & lt ; 10 . sup .- 10 + per31 regulatory protein c . llai encoded on the same high - copy plasmid , in the presence of per31ptrk414ht7llaic the φ31p / llair . sup .+ cassette and & lt ; 10 . sup .- 10 + abia regulatory protein c . llai encoded on the same high - copy plasmid , in the presence of abia______________________________________ the foregoing examples are illustrative of the present invention , and are not to be construed as limiting thereof . the invention is defined by the following claims , with equivalents of the claims to be included therein . a1 __________________________________________________________________________sequence listing ( 1 ) general information :( iii ) number of sequences : 2 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 1 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 888 base pairs ( b ) type : nucleic acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic )( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 1 : gatccgatgtttataaacaaaatccacttagcagagcatttgtaaggttggttggtattc60cagttacagacagagatattgaagaacattttacaaaatatgatgaatctaaagatgtat120taatgccagattaataacaaaaaaagcccactgcaatgggctttaaaaacagatttctta180actactattatatcataaatataaggagttgagacactatgagtagaagatataacctta240ctgacagcgacttgaaagctatagagaagaagctctttatgtgtcaacgaattgaccacg300ctattcaatatcgcaagtatgagttagaagttaaacaatcacatgataataatgtaggtg360gtggtaggtcaagtataatctcaaagccagtagaagatatggttatgaaatgggatgctg420acagtaaactccaaagtctatatgagtttaagaaccgaatcaatgagttacaagattggt480ttggagatgatgaagatatgcaattggtattccactaccgttggttatctggtaaacgtt540atacagtaccagagatagctgataagtgtcacataacagagcgccaatactttagaaaga600gaagagcaatacttgagaagtatgatgagatatgtgacggcttctggtaatttgtcacct660tttgggcgaaaactgacaagataaatgttgtattatagtatcatcaaataaaacaaataa720agccagcggatatattctgttggctttttgtgtggagaaagtgaggtgacctcccatagc780attacgtgctgaccgtactggtgcgcatcgtgtagcctttgataagaatagaaagattct840tttaaagacacagaacacttgtggaatatgtggcaagccaatcggatc888 ( 2 ) information for seq id no : 2 :( i ) sequence characteristics :( a ) length : 265 base pairs ( b ) type : nucleic acid ( c ) strandedness : single ( d ) topology : linear ( ii ) molecule type : dna ( genomic )( xi ) sequence description : seq id no : 2 : ggatccgtgtcacataactgagcgccaatactttagaaagagaagagcaatacttgagaa60gtatgatgagatatgtgacggcttctggtaatttgtcaccttttgggcgaaaactgacaa120gataaatgttgtattatagtatcatcaaataaaacaaataaagccagcggatatattctg180ttggctttttgtgtggagaaagtgaggtgacctcccatagcattacgtgctgaccgtact240ggtgcgggctgcagaattcgatctg265__________________________________________________________________________	2
the invention will be explained below in more detail with reference to a few examples . immersion extraction of cocoa aroma with hot water , determination of the effect of the extraction temperature in a stirred 10 liter autoclave , 400 g of natural cocoa powder having a fat content of 10 . 5 % and denoted by the type code n - 11 - n were admixed with 4 liters of demineralized water . the autoclave was sealed and the whole set - up then heated to the desired extraction temperature while being stirred intensively with a speed of 1000 rpm , followed by extraction over a period of 1 hour . after the extraction , the aqueous extract was separated from the residue with the aid of an ultracentrifuge at a speed of 30 , 000 rpm . an entirely clear extract was thus obtained . the clear extract was then inspissated to a thick paste by means of freeze - drying . the paste was then pasteurized at 80 ° c . to make it suitable for the tasting panel . in this way , four extractions were carried out at 90 , 110 , 125 and 150 ° c ., respectively . the pastes were assessed in terms of smell and taste in a tasting panel consisting of six persons . to this end , 2 g of paste were mixed with 100 ml of warm water of about 50 ° c . for each panel member . as a reference , a 2 % strength suspension of the original cocoa powder was also assessed . the taste was assessed in terms of various top notes on a scale from 0 to 6 , no taste being observed at 0 and the aroma aspect in question being very prominent at 6 . the table below reproduces the results from the tasting panel . the results show that the best results were obtained at 110 ° c . at 125 ° c . and above an anomalous taste is produced which resembles burnt milk . at 90 ° c ., aroma and taste are less intense . compared with the reference , the aroma and taste intensity is less , with the exception of the “ bitter ” note , which is distinctly more prominent in the case of the aqueous extracts . notwithstanding advice to the contrary in the literature ( k . h . ney , gordian , 1986 ( 11 ), 204 - 205 ), a good extract is obtained with an extraction above 100 ° c . ( 100 - 125 ° c ., the preference being between 105 - 115 ° c .). at 125 ° c . and above , distinctive taste anomalies are obtained . immersion extraction of cocoa aroma with hot water determination of the effect of the extraction time the extraction was carried out in the same way , using 500 g of cocoa powder , as in example 1 , except that the extraction was carried out at 110 ° c . and the extraction time was extended to 3 hours . after 1 , 2 and 3 hours a sample was drawn which was worked up and assessed in the same way as in example 1 . the table shows that the taste strength , in particular , increases with time . after 3 hours , however , an anomalous taste begins to be observed in the aroma . extraction times of less than 1 hour give a lower yield . longer extraction times lead to anomalies in taste . immersion extraction of cocoa aroma with hot water , pilot plant - scale experiment , effect of repeating the extraction in this experiment , 6 kg of cocoa powder were extracted with 60 liters of demineralized water in a stirred 100 liter autoclave . the extraction was carried out at 110 ° c . over a period of 3 hours . after extraction , the extract was separated in a centrifuge at 2200 rpm . the residue from the centrifuge was re - extracted under identical conditions and was separated . the extract was then admixed with 0 . 1 % of potassium sorbate to prevent the growth of mould during storage . part of the extracts was inspissated by means of freeze - drying for the purpose of the taste being assessed in the tasting panel . in addition , a sample of the residue after the second extraction was drawn , which was treated in the same way as the reference . the table indicates that even on a pilot - plant scale it is possible to obtain good extraction , with a powerful cocoa aroma , under the stated conditions , with the exception of the “ bitter ” note , which again is more prominent than in the reference . as it was not possible to use an ultracentrifuge at this scale , the separation had to be carried out by means of an ordinary centrifuge , with the result that the extract was not entirely clear . the residue after the second extraction has a weak cocoa taste . this indicates that by means of the immersion extraction using hot water the aroma components are removed effectively . immersion extraction of cocoa aroma with hot water pilot plant - scale experiment effect of the technique of inspissating the extract portions of the extract of the pilot plant experiment in example 3 were inspissated in various ways : by means of freeze - drying , the extract having been clarified beforehand by means of microfiltration . by means of reverse osmosis , the extract having been clarified beforehand by means of microfiltration . the results indicate that freeze - drying does afford an aroma concentrate having a good odour and taste , except that the taste is considerably more bitter compared with the reference . moreover , the solution of the concentrate in water remains turbid , which is also less desirable . to counteract the turbidity , the aqueous extract was first clarified via a microfilter and then inspissated by means of freeze - drying . now the concentrate did produce a clear solution . however , as the table shows , the cocoa aroma has considerably decreased and the taste notes “ bitter ”, “ astringent ” and “ acidic ” have increased . all this indicates that the quality of the aroma considerably diminishes by this action . when the concentrate is inspissated by means of vacuum distillation , the aroma and the taste are largely lost . only the bitter , acidic and astringent components remain . this therefore is an unacceptable inspissation technique . in the case of inspissation by means of reverse osmosis , the aroma and the taste were well preserved , except that the “ bitter ” note became more prominent . in the course of inspissation , however , crystalline material formed in the concentrate , causing clogging of the membrane and thereby considerably hampering industrial implementation , as the membrane had to be cleaned each time with a solution of dilute hydrochloric acid . when analysed , these crystals were found largely to consist of theobromine . this is a component which occurs in amounts of about 2 to 3 % in cocoa and is co - extracted with hot water . for the purpose of inspissation by means of freeze - drying the solid particles must first be separated off . this can be done effectively only with the aid of ultracentrifuging ( examples 1 and 2 ). this is a very expensive technique . if an ordinary centrifuge is used ( example 3 ), a clear extract is not obtained . to achieve this , the extract must first be filtered via an ultrafilter . this produces a loss in aroma . another drawback of inspissation by means of freeze - drying is that the aroma is very bitter , since the bitter components are co - extracted . concentration by vacuum evaporation results in a large loss of aroma components even at a low temperature of 40 ° c . effectively , all that remains are the bitter and astringent components . many of the literature references relate to the use of vacuum evaporation . concentration by means of reverse osmosis presents major problems on an industrial scale , because of crystallization of the theobromine . furthermore , the aroma is again very bitter . moreover , a clear extract can again be obtained only by ultracentrifuging . in this experiment , various techniques of isolating the cocoa aroma from cocoa powder were compared with one another : 1 . immersion extraction as specified in example 2 using an extraction time of 3 hours 2 . extraction using steam over a filter bed comprising cocoa powder . 100 g of cocoa powder of type n - 11 - n were mixed with 200 g of calcined sea sand to keep the filter bed open during the extraction . the mixture was introduced into a double - layer press filter of type sietz supra 2600 , provided with paper filters s & amp ; s 589 - 2 . after the filter had been sealed , open steam of 100 ° c . was forced through the filter bed . this experiment had to be aborted , because the bed became entirely clogged owing to moisture being absorbed in the cocoa powder , despite the admixture of calcined sea sand . this extraction method was therefore not considered in the assessment . 25 g of cocoa powder of type n - 11 - n were placed on a fluted filter . then , four portions of 250 ml of demineralized water of 85 ° c . were poured onto the powder . the extracts were collected and inspissated by means of freeze - drying as specified hereinabove . the extraction sleeve was filled with 25 g of cocoa powder of type n - 11 - n , and the flask was charged with 100 ml of demineralized water , the powder subsequently being extracted for 4 hours under reflux . the extract was then inspissated by means of freeze - drying as specified earlier . after extraction , the ethanol was evaporated at room temperature in vacuo , and the residue was taken up in a small amount of water to produce a thick paste . in a batch set - up for supercritical extraction , 120 g of cocoa powder were extracted , at a pressure of 175 bar and a temperature of 50 ° c ., for 35 hours using 10 , 000 1 of atmospheric c 2 . the extract was collected in the decompression vessel at 60 - 80 bar . the extract obtained consisted of fat and was suspended in the warm water for the assessment . the trials show that by far the best and most powerful aroma is obtained by means of immersion extraction at 110 ° c . whilst percolation does in principle afford a good aroma , its extraction from the powder is highly incomplete . in the case of the soxhlet extraction , a significant fraction of the aroma is lost , both with water and with ethanol . in the case of supercritical extraction , the yield of the extraction was very unsatisfactory . assessment of aroma concentrates of various aroma producers compared with cocoa powder of type n - 11 - n in a chocolate coating samples of cocoa aroma were obtained from three producers . these samples were assessed in a liquid white chocolate coating . the composition of the coating was as follows : the aroma was admixed to the liquid coating in a percentage as stated in the table . they were tasted in comparison with reference 2 . a negative number means that the aroma in question was characteristically less intense than the reference . in the case of a positive score it was more intense . the aromas tested in exp . 1 to 5 inclusive are so - called nature - identical aromas from haarman & amp ; riemer . experiment no 6 is a natural cocoa aroma from prova sa . experiment no 7 is a natural aroma from nutritec . as stated by the panel , the cocoa sensation is much weaker compared with cocoa powder and many differences in taste are found . 50 kg of cocoa powder were added to 500 1 of water at room temperature . mixing produced a homogeneous mixture . the mixture was heated for 1 hour at 100 ° c . with continuous stirring , followed by cooling to 60 ° c . within 30 minutes . it is important that the extract be rapidly cooled after extraction , given the risk of thermal degradation of aromatic substances in the extract . the liquid extract was filtered with a 0 . 1 mm filter and then , at a temperature of 45 ° c ., passed through a hollow - fibre module at a flow rate of 2 m 3 / h . the hollow fibres were internally coated with a pdms layer having a thickness of 2 μm . the feed side was subject to atmospheric pressure , the permeate side to a pressure of 7 mbar . the permeate was condensed in two steps , a first condenser operating at a temperature of + 3 ° c ., with about 95 % of the permeated water being collected in said first condenser . the uncondensed permeate , viz . the remaining water , and the major fraction of the cocoa aromas were collected in a second condenser . this condenser operated at a temperature of − 196 ° c . the yield of condensate , i . e . the contents of the second condenser , was about 175 g after 1 . 5 hours pervaporation . on the basis of instrumental analyses it could be established that enrichments of relevant aroma compounds in the extract in the second condenser were at an order of magnitude of 200 - 400 compared with the feed . the extract was colourless and had an intense cocoa aroma . sensoric tests by an expert panel confirmed the enrichment found and the high quality of the product . the drawbacks mentioned in example 4 regarding the various inspissation methods do not apply to pervaporation . in the case of pervaporation a simple separation is carried out in which the bitter taste constituents remain in the retentate and may afterwards be added back to the cocoa aroma as desired , since the cocoa aroma requires the bitter components . furthermore , virtually no loss of aromatic substances occurs with the aid of this method , as can be demonstrated with the aid of dynamic - headspace gc ( dh - gc ) analyses ( wampler , see above ) and static - headspace gc ( sh - gc ) analyses . for dh - gc , aroma concentrate and cocoa ( d - ii - a , from adm cocoa bv , netherlands ) were obtained in accordance with the above and a dh - gc analysis was carried out as follows ( for details see wampler hereinabove ): chromatograms of samples of the undiluted pervaporation feed ( i . e . liquid cocoa extract ) of aroma concentrate diluted 30 × ( with water ) as collected in the first condenser and of a 400 × dilution ( with water ) as collected in the second condenser , as shown in fig1 a , b and c , respectively . this technique can be compared with the p & amp ; t gc technique used earlier . in the case of dgi - gc , a small amount of vapour from the thermostatted headspace of the sample is injected directly into the gc . this method is quicker than the p & amp ; t - gc method , but provides reliable results , particularly for the volatile components . about 2 grams of a cocoa sample were weighed into a 40 ml glass vial and sealed with an aluminium screw cap having a teflon ® septum in the centre . the samples were equilibrated for 30 minutes , before 0 . 5 ml of the headspace was injected into the gc ( 1 : 10 split ). an hs850 ce instruments autosampler was used , coupled to a fisons 8533 gc . a 50m × 0 . 32 mm internal diameter ( d f = 1 . 0 μm ) db - waxetr ( j & amp ; e scientific ) column was used for separating the samples , with a helium flow rate of 3 . 8 ml / min . the column temperature was kept isothermal during a run time of 15 minutes . the volatile components were detected by means of an fid detector at a temperature of 250 ° c . all measurements were carried out in duplicate or triplicate ; the results are shown in fig2 . fig2 a shows a chromatogram of undiluted pervaporation feed of cocoa powder n - 11 - n , and fig2 b is a chromatogram of permeate diluted by a factor of 5 , in which extracts of condenser 1 and 2 were combined . this clearly shows that the peak pattern after pervaporation ( fig1 b and 1c , and fig2 b ) substantially matches the pattern after extraction ( fig1 a and fig2 a , respectively ), which means that the concentration ratio of the aromatic substances in question in the condensate ( i . e . after pervaporation ) substantially matches the ratio in the extract .	0
referring to fig1 lamp bulbs such as bulbs 11 and 12 are supplied to the accumulator on a flat belt conveyor 13 which receives the bulbs from a bulk storage facility , not shown . from flat belt conveyor 13 , the bulbs enter an infeed section 14 in which the bulbs are transferred in a manner well known to those of skill in the art from flat belt conveyor 13 to a pair of parallel round belts which enable the bulbs to be suspended by the bulbous portion thereof so that the cullet portion is pendent . infeed section 14 is well known per se to those of skill in the art and typically includes , for example , devices for orienting the randomly positioned bulbs transferring from flat belt conveyor 13 and a device to remove bulbs with no cullet . it is preferred that the round belts be driven faster than the flat belt so that any groups of bulbs on the flat belt are pulled apart upon transfer . infeed section 14 also removes broken glass from the system since it falls off flat belt conveyor 13 between the parallel round belts . from infeed section 14 , the bulbs pass to accumulator section 15 which comprises a cullet drag strip 16 positioned beneath the support level provided by round conveyor belts 17 so that the cullet of the bulb drags on the strip causing the cullet to be inclined away from the direction of travel . leading edge 18 of drag strip 16 ( as seen by the bulbs ) is preferably curved to aid in the transition from pendent to inclining . other transition aids may be used as well . positioned above the support level of the bulbs , at a distance sufficient to enable the bulbs to convey underneath without touching , is hold - down strip 19 which serves to prevent one bulb from climbing too high on the bulb in front of it during accumulation . it also prevents the bulb from becoming misoriented and thus jamming the accumulator . the mechanism by which the bulbs are accumulated and stacked slightly to relieve contact with round conveyor belts 17 may be more fully understood by considering fig2 which represents an enlarged portion of accumulation section 15 . in fig2 drag strip 16 comprises a metal base 21 having a plastic covering or coating 22 . covering 22 may comprise any suitable material upon which the cullets drag . it is only required that the material exhibit friction against glass , and , for practical reasons , it is also desired that the material be highly resistant to abrasion for long life . by way of example only , polyurethane has been found to fulfill these requirements . in particular , polyurethane 85 shore a as sold by newage industries , inc . is suitable . as known in the art , the 85 indicates hardness and &# 34 ; shore a &# 34 ; indicates the test procedure . the covering may be provided in any suitable fashion , e . g ., a strip fastened by adhesive . a preferred embodiment is the use of an inverted u - shaped strip which snaps in place around base 21 . round belts 17 may comprise a material similar to that of covering 22 , i . e ., they exhibit friction against glass . by way of example only , &# 34 ; super rounthane &# 34 ; 92 shore a has been found suitable . it is this frictional engagement of the bulbs with the round belts that limits round belt conveyors of the prior art to 12 to 20 bulbs . beyond 12 bulbs or so , the bulb - to - bulb pressure on the first becomes considerable , leading to breakage . by removing the bulbs from contact with the belts in accordance with the present invention , the bulb - to - bulb pressure is greatly reduced . hold - down strip 19 , on the other hand , comprises a material across which the bulbs may readily slide ; for example , flexible high density linear polyethylene . it is necessary that the bulbs be able to slide when in contact with hold - down strip 19 to prevent jamming . in general , the coefficient of friction between glass and the drag strip or round belts is higher than the coefficient of friction between glass and the hold - down . in operation , consider that bulb 24 is at rest and and is resting on the neck portion of the bulb in front of it . contact with round belt conveyor 17 is eliminated due to the lifting of bulb 24 away from belt 17 . a succeeding bulb , in contact with belts 17 , travels in the position indicated by dashed line 25 and , upon encountering the neck of bulb 24 , climbs slightly up and away from round belt conveyor 17 to assume position 26 in which it is similarly removed from contact with belt 17 . as bulbs are removed from accumulation section 15 , the mass of accumulated bulbs move forward with only momentary contact with the round belts . as can be seen from fig2 successive bulbs are supported by the bulb in front of it and by drag strip 16 . in this manner , the accumulation of the bulbs is made considerably more gentle and damage to the bulbs is reduced compared to accumulation systems of the prior art . it is to be noted that an additional advantage of the present invention is that the construction of the present invention is open such that if a bulb should break it can easily fall away from drag strip 16 without pieces thereof causing a jam - up in the accumulator . another advantage of the open construction is that , if a piece of broken glass should lodge on drag strip 16 , the cullets of the succeeding bulbs merely ride up and over the obstruction , thus not impeding the normal flow of bulbs . from accumulation section 15 , the bulbs are removed by escapement section 27 in fig1 and shown in a top view in fig3 . the bulbs are removed , without the use of a stop gate , by means of a pair of opposing cleated belts 28 , which gently grip the bulbs from opposing sides and move them forward continuously , at a slower rate than that of conveyor belt 17 . cleated belts 28 are parallel , and the portions facing each other move in the same direction and at the same speed , forming a moving defile for the bulbs . cleated belts 28 are supported and driven by pulleys 29 and 31 , one of which may comprise an idler pulley . it is essential that , to provide translation without rotation of the bulbs , one pulley for each belt is a driving pulley , driven synchronously with the other by any suitable means ( not shown ). this is most easily implemented , for example , by drive pulleys of equal diameter rotating at the same speed . while the cleated belts may stop and start , depending upon the needs of the sealing machine , which is downstream therefrom , the operation of the cleated belts is continuous in that , as opposed to prior art devices , a physical impediment is not inserted in the train of bulbs to stop the procession thereof . round belt conveyor 17 may operate continuously , and operates at a higher rate than belts 13 and 28 . as bulbs are removed from the accumulator , the remaining bulbs are momentarily lowered into contact with round belts 17 and moved forward where they again accumulate . the visual impression of the procession of bulbs is one of undulation or a waving motion . this undulation could be used as an indication for setting the proper spacing of drag strip 16 from belts 17 , although it is not preferred . if drag strip 16 is too far from belts 17 , the bulbs are too vertical , with the effect that the bulbs move almost simultaneously . this tends to eliminate the wave action , causing the entire accumulation of bulbs to contact the belt and then stop simultaneously , resulting in a greatly increased noise level and greater jarring of the bulbs . if drag strip 16 is too near belt 17 , the bulbs are inclined too much with the result that the bulbs may drop sufficiently so that the bulbous portion strikes the cullet rather than the neck of the bulb in front , which may crack or break a percentage of the bulbs . this will also reduce the potential amount of accumulated bulbs significantly . while optimum spacing depends upon the size and shape of the bulbs , a spacing producing a bulb inclination of 45 ° ± 15 ° has been found suitable for use in the present invention . while forming no part of the present invention , various control devices known in the art may be used in conjunction with the present invention . for example , as previously noted , the operation of output or escapement section 27 is typically controlled by the needs of the sealing machine into which output section 27 feeds the bulbs . similarly , means for sensing the fullness of the accumulation section , for stopping flat belt conveyor 13 , may also be incorporated with the present invention . there is thus provided by the present invention an in - line bulb accumulator that is more gentle than those of the prior art since the bulbs are removed from contact with the round conveyor belts and are therefore not continuously jammed into one another . recovery time is short since the drum - type accumulator is eliminated and the bulbs travel at a high speed over the empty portion of accumulation section 15 , i . e ., at the speed of the belt , and at a low speed after accumulation , as determined by the escapement . further , a smoother escapement is provided which does not cause further impacting of the bulbs . having thus described the invention , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that various modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , while described in conjunction with lamp bulbs , it is apparent that the accumulator of the present invention can also be utilized to accumulate finished lamps . also , while illustrated in fig1 as inclined from the horizontal , the accumulator of the present invention can operate over a range of approximately a 30 ° angle from horizontal , either uphill or downhill ; i . e ., it is not critical that the accumulator be inclined downhill for proper operation . also , accumulation section 15 can be as long as desired , comprising a number of separate sections . while any suitable mechanism can be used to drive the belts , it is preferred that the round belt driving mechanism include a slip clutch and a spring - loaded take - up , known per se in the art , to accommodate variations in load or stretching of the round belts .	1
preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the attached drawings . in the drawings , like numerals are assigned to corresponding elements , and duplicate description are omitted . referring to fig1 - 5 , a transmission type reticle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described . fig1 is a schematic view of an example wherein the present invention is applied to a reduction projection exposure apparatus . fig2 a and 2b illustrate reflection light inside a reticle . fig3 shows changes in the light intensity distribution upon a wafer surface , due to reflection light . fig4 shows reflectance characteristic of a monolayer anti - reflection film , and fig5 is a schematic view for explaining irradiation of a region outside a device region , with reflection light . in fig5 , denoted at 1 is an illumination optical system for projecting light from a light source , onto a reticle . denoted at 11 is that reticle having a circuit pattern 12 formed thereon . denoted at 2 is a projection optical system for projecting the circuit pattern 12 onto a wafer 3 , in a reduced scale . in this embodiment , illumination light 21 projected from the illumination system 1 is incident on the transmission type reticle 11 , such that the pattern 12 formed in a pattern region of the reticle is transferred to the wafer 3 through the projection optical system 2 and with exposure light 22 ( see fig1 ). in accordance with a step - and - repeat method or step - and - scan method , the pattern is transferred to different shots of the wafer successively . in accordance with this embodiment , an anti - reflection film 13 is provided at the back surface of the reticle 11 , that is , on the surface remote from the reticle 11 surface where the circuit pattern 12 is formed ( see fig2 b ). illumination light 12 a incident on the reticle passes through the light transmitting portion 12 a formed on the reticle pattern surface 12 , and it is projected on the wafer surface as exposure light 22 . on the other hand , illumination light 21 b incident on the reticle is intercepted by a light blocking portion 12 b . a portion of the illumination light 12 b is then reflected and it reaches the reticle back surface . since however there is an anti - reflection film 13 provided at the reticle back surface , almost no light of illumination light 21 b is reflected by the reticle back surface . thus , there is substantially no possibility that the illumination light 21 b passes the transmitting portion 12 a and impinges on the wafer 3 through the projection optical system 2 . namely , creation of stray light can be avoided . the effect of such anti - reflection film 13 will be explained in terms of gaussian intensity distribution ( fig3 ). the curve denoted in fig3 at 32 is an intensity distribution of exposure light to be defined on a wafer 3 when fine lines are to be produced on the wafer . in this case , if it is assumed that the finish linewidth after exposure and development is determined with a certain slice level ( which is determined by exposure amount or resist sensitivity ) and that the slice level is 50 % of the peak intensity , a finish linewidth of about 140 nm is obtainable . on the other hand , the curve denoted at 33 is an intensity distribution in a case where there is stray light of 5 % to light 22 . if the width of the curve at the slice level ( exposure amount ) 50 %, as determined by the region where flare is small , is the region to be patterned by the exposure , the exposure linewidth of the curve 32 becomes larger by about 7 . 5 % as compared with the curve 32 . namely , it is seen that , as compared with a case wherein the exposure amount is determined on the basis of a region having small stray light , the linewidth in the region having stray light grows by about 1 . 5 % per 1 % of stray light . this means that the linewidth becomes larger by 1 . 5 % from what has been aimed at . fig4 shows the reflectance characteristic as calculated when an anti - reflection film of monolayer type , for example , is provided on the back surface of the reticle . according to this reflectance characteristic , if exposure light having a wavelength 248 nm , for example , is used , the reflectance can be suppressed to 0 . 5 % or less . taking into account that the reflectance in a case where light is perpendicularly incident on a glass surface without an anti - reflection film is about 4 %, creation of stray light can be reduced to ⅛ or lower . thus , a distribution of exposure light near the idealistic intensity distribution 32 can be produced on the wafer , and a correct linewidth can be formed by exposure . the anti - reflection film is not limited to a monolayer film . a multilayered film , for example , may be used , and the reflectance can be lowered more in that occasion . the advantageous effects as described above can be extended . further , while the exposure wavelength is 248 nm in the above - described example , a different wavelength such as 157 nm or 134 nm may be used . this embodiment is effective also in regard to a case wherein reflection light at a light blocking portion provided at the outer periphery of a device region of a reticle , where a circuit pattern is formed , produces an adverse influence to a region outside the device region . this will be explained below , in conjunction with fig5 . usually , while taking into account the light shielding of an illumination region , a reticle is provided with a light blocking zone 14 at the outer periphery of the reticle pattern region . the width thereof is 1 . 5 mm , for example . where the na is small ( na = sin θc ), illumination light 21 c enters from the device region ( the region of the reticle at the left - hand side of the light blocking zone 14 as viewed in the drawing ). illumination light 22 c as reflected by the light blocking zone is again reflected by the reticle back surface and , again , it is blocked by the light blocking zone . thus , it does not go out to the wafer side , as stray light . the illumination light as reflected plural times between the light blocking zone 14 and the reticle back surface may advance toward the wafer side . in such case , however , it would be easily expected that the intensity is very low so that it does not have an influence to the exposure . if , on the other hand , the na is large ( na = sin θd ) and illumination light 21 d incident from the device region is reflected twice by the light blocking zone and the reticle bask surface , the light may goes beyond the width of the light blocking zone and it may leaks toward the outside of the device region , as shown at 22 d . namely , this means that an area not included in the exposure region is exposed thereby . since this applies an adversely influence to an adjacent shot region , reflection light from the reticle back surface as described above should be avoided . it may be possible to make the light blocking zone larger as the exposure na becomes large . however , usually , at an area on the reticle which is outside the device region , namely , outside the light blocking zone , there are marks provided for alignment operation . if the light blocking zone becomes larger , these alignment marks have to be placed outwardly . since the alignment marks should be projected onto a wafer through a projection optical system , this necessitates enlargement of the effective region of the projection optical system . however , because it requires extension of the performance assured region of the projection optical system , production difficulties are much raised on one hand and the size is enlarged on the other hand . in consideration of this , the light blocking region should be kept small . now , the relationship between the range of influence of reflection light due to enlargement of the na and the width of the light blocking zone , will be considered . if the refractive index of a medium before incidence of light upon the reticle is n 1 , the refractive index of the reticle is n 2 , the thickness of the reticle is t , the width of the light blocking zone is d , and the incidence angle of light is θ ( it is θc if na is low , and θd if na is high ), the condition for that the light goes beyond the width of the light blocking zone and leaks to the outside of the device region can be given by : if , for example , numerical condition that n 1 = 1 . 0 , n 2 = 1 . 5 , t = 6 . 35 mm , and d = 15 mm are applied as the conditions in an ordinary exposure apparatus , the na ( sin θ ) must be not less than about 0 . 175 upon the reticle , otherwise it couldn &# 39 ; t be set up . thus , the present invention can be effectively applied to a case where the na is not less than 0 . 175 . the conditions described above are a mere example , and the invention is not limited to them . furthermore , not only they can be used for calculation of the na but also they can be used for calculation of d or t for a certain na . if the projection magnification ( reduction ratio ) for transferring a pattern of a reticle onto a wafer is 4 ×, the numerical aperture 0 . 175 or more upon the reticle means that the numerical aperture on the wafer is 0 . 7 or more . of course , if the projection magnification is different , the na on the wafer becomes different . furthermore , this embodiment can provide a larger technical advantage with higher reflectance from the reticle pattern surface is . generally , a dual - layer coated reticle has a higher reflectance than a triple - layer coated reticle . an example is that , with respect to an exposure wavelength of 248 nm , the reflectance of a pattern surface of a triple - layer coated reticle may be about 5 %, whereas the reflectance of a pattern surface of a dual - layer coated reticle may be about 35 %. although the numerical values of the reflectance are not limited to this example , it is well known that there would be produced a large difference in reflectance . thus , it can be said that the present invention provides a larger advantageous effect with a dual - layer coated reticle . the semiconductor exposure process includes a variety of processes such as from a process for performing a fine exposure to a process for performing exposure of a relatively rough linewidth . thus , production of reticles may be carried out appropriately selectively . that is , the anti - reflection treatment may be carried out to those reticles to be used in such exposure process that should satisfy the conditions described above , whereas the anti - reflection treatment may be omitted for those reticles to be used in a process of relatively rough linewidth , that is , a process with relatively small na . in this manner , the production cost can be minimized , and yet a uniform and satisfactory fine - exposure operation is assured . next , referring to fig7 and 8 , an embodiment of a device manufacturing method which uses a projection exposure apparatus such as shown in fig1 , will be explained . fig7 is a flow chart for explaining the procedure of manufacturing various microdevices such as semiconductor chips ( e . g ., ics or lsis ), liquid crystal panels , ccds , thin film magnetic heads or micro - machines , for example . step 1 is a design process for designing a circuit of a semiconductor device . step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the circuit pattern design . step 3 is a process for preparing a wafer by using a material such as silicon . step 4 is a wafer process which is called a pre - process wherein , by using the thus prepared mask and wafer , a circuit is formed on the wafer in practice , in accordance with lithography . step 5 subsequent to this is an assembling step which is called a post - process wherein the wafer having been processed at step 4 is formed into semiconductor chips . this step includes an assembling ( dicing and bonding ) process and a packaging ( chip sealing ) process . step 6 is an inspection step wherein an operation check , a durability check an so on , for the semiconductor devices produced by step 5 , are carried out . with these processes , semiconductor devices are produced , and they are shipped ( step 7 ). fig8 is a flow chart for explaining details of the wafer process . step 11 is an oxidation process for oxidizing the surface of a wafer . step 12 is a cvd process for forming an insulating film on the wafer surface . step 13 is an electrode forming process for forming electrodes upon the wafer by vapor deposition . step 14 is an ion implanting process for implanting ions to the wafer . step 15 is a resist process for applying a resist ( photosensitive material ) to the wafer . step 16 is an exposure process for printing , by exposure , the circuit pattern of the mask on the wafer through the exposure apparatus described above . step 17 is a developing process for developing the exposed wafer . step 18 is an etching process for removing portions other than the developed resist image . step 19 is a resist separation process for separating the resist material remaining on the wafer after being subjected to the etching process . by repeating these processes , circuit patterns are superposedly formed on the wafer . with the provision of an anti - reflection film at the back surface of a reticle , according to the present invention , the influence of reflection light can be reduced significantly . this effectively avoids creation of stray light from any other element , or prevents light reflected by the pattern surface from being reflected by a glass surface and from impinging on a wafer surface to cause a non - uniform linewidth in an adjacent region . furthermore , unwanted reflection , inside the reticle , of illumination light from a device region and resultant illumination of a non - exposure region with such light , can be avoided effectively . particularly , if a light blocking zone is provided outside the pattern region and alignment marks should be placed outside the light blocking zone , the arrangement of the present invention effectively assures uniform and fine exposure without enlargement of the size of the apparatus or an increase of the cost . while the invention has been described with reference to the structures disclosed herein , it is not confined to the details set forth and this application is intended to cover such modifications or changes as may come within the purposes of the improvements or the scope of the following claims . this application claims priority from japanese patent application no . 2003 - 194940 filed jul . 10 , 2003 , for which is hereby incorporated by reference .	6
with reference to the drawing , fig1 illustrates the portable test set of the invention . a box like container 10 contains all elements of the testing system . the box may be provided with a hinged ( 12 ) cover 14 with conventional snap latches 16 and a handle for carrying 17 . fig2 shows the housing with the cover open . a chain 18 or other suitable means would be appropriate to restrain the cover from opening excessively and damaging the cover . attached to the inside of the cover is the power supply for the system shown as a battery 20 . the battery is secured to the cover by straps 22 which are attached at one end to the cover by screws 24 thereby making removal of the battery more convenient . the power supply is connected electrically to the test system via wires 26 . within the container are a pair of test plug adapters 28 , 30 shown with wire plugs 32 , in phantom for purposes of illustration . control display panel 36 contains three operational controls and five visual indicators . a power on - off switch 38 controls all power to the test system . start - reset switch 40 resets led digital indicators 42 and causes the system to begin its scan . led 44 indicates a short and led 46 indicates an open . led &# 39 ; s 48 and 50 indicate which wire of the pair is defective , tip or ring respectively . advance switch 52 causes the system to resume its scan once it has been stopped by a defect indication . fig3 shows in block diagram form , the system of the invention . the power supply 20 is connected through on - off switch 38 to start - reset switch 40 . activation of switch 40 resets the binary coded decimal ( bcd ) counter 54 and led display 56 , 58 and additionally activates free running clock 60 . the clock outputs approximately sixteen pulses per second and feeds the bcd counter which counts clock pulses and provides bcd information to the display section . block 56 utilizes a standard seven segment light emitting diodes cascaded for a two digit display . block 58 is an odd - even display and functions with block 56 to display the specific wire of the pair under test , e . g ., tip or ring . a manual advanced switch 52 provides a method of advancing the bcd and test counters to continue testing after clock 60 is stopped when a defect is found , as will be explained hereinafter . the output from clock 60 is also sent to binary counter 62 which sends a binary count of clock pulses to drive the decoder circuit 64 . the decoder circuit then takes binary information from binary counter 62 , and provides it to each of fifty - three outputs , thereby allowing each wire of a twenty - six paired cable to be tested as an individual basis . the additional output ( fifty - three ) provides a signal to stop the clock when the entire cable has been tested . the wire test circuit 66 provides the input to the wire being tested and provides for drivers to feed each wire . although fifty - two circuits are required to test the fifty - two wires in a twenty - six paired cable for purposes of illustration and convenience only one circuit will be shown since the circuits are identical . wire test circuit 68 is the output test circuit and compares the wire being tested for a known condition and in this circuit it is determined if the wire is good , open or shorted . two outputs are provided to show open or short conditions . the cable under test ( 70 ) is connected between input circuit 66 and output circuit 68 . wire 111 represents a plurality of wires , one wire for each wire in cable 70 detailed in fig4 b . open circuit information from wire test circuit 68 is fed to &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; gate combiner 72 . this circuit is effectually a fifty - two input and gate and collects information from all test circuits and combines it in order that information from each tested wire is combined into one output which will drive &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; gate 74 . output from combiner 72 also operates the led open display 76 . short circuit information from wire test circuit 68 is fed to the &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; gate combiner 78 where short information from the fifty - two tested wires is combined into one output which will also drive or gate 74 . output from combiner 78 operates the led short display 80 . or gate 74 is driven then by either the fifty third output from decoder 64 , a signal showing an open or a signal showing a short in the wires under test . if any of these conditions exist or gate 74 sends a signal to clock 60 which causes the clock to stop . the clock is restarted by either the manual advance switch 52 or start - reset switch 40 . fig4 a , 4b , 4c and 4d refer to the specific circuit of the invention . where applicable , boxes represent integrated circuits utilizing transistor - to - transistor logic and specific information and technical data describing the circuits may be found in the t . t . l . data book for design engineers , published by texas instruments corporation . concerning fig4 a , the components of fig3 are shown in dashed lines with their corresponding reference numerals . clock 60 consists of a standard ne 555 timer 82 that sends approximately sixteen pulses per second through nand gate 84 and inverter gate 86 to a 7476 microprocessor circuit 88 . manual advance switch 52 is also connected through nand gate 84 to the microprocessor . output from the processor is sent to display 58 where led &# 39 ; s identifying the tip 48 and ring 50 wires are located . connected to the processor is bcd counter 54 and binary counter 62 . the bcd consists of a pair of 74192 counters ( 90 , 92 ) for the units and tens display ( 56 ) and a pair of 7448 decoders 94 , 96 which convert the clock pulses to information useable by the seven segment led &# 39 ; s ( 56 ). binary counter 62 provides six outputs to decoder 64 containing four , 1 of 16 decoders 98 , 100 , 102 and 104 . this allows system to start with zero then progress to wire 1 , 2 , 3 etc . as counter 62 counts clock pulses . the pulses pass through wire under test as shown by example for one wire . this circuit is duplicated fifty - one more times for a twenty - six pair cable . using open collector logic , line 106 from decoder 64 passes a logical low pulse through the 7404 inverter gate 108 , to test for short circuits in the cable . line 110 represents only one of fifty - two wires 111 , hardwired between input test circuit 66 and output test circuit 68 . using reverse logic and comparing all wires in the cable to the wire under test ( in or gate combiner 78 ) a logical high output from nor gate 112 indicates a good circuit i . e ., no short defect . using conventional logic , the logical low passes through 7407 gate 114 through the wire under test 116 to nand gate 118 . an open circuit will cause an output from nand gate 118 which is processed in and gate combiner 72 and an indication of a defect . if the wire is fault free nand gate 118 will have no output indicating a closed circuit output . the fifty third output 120 is sent to the 7400 nand gate 122 fig3 d and stops clock 60 when the fifty two wires have been tested . output from nand gate 118 is sent to the and gate combiner 72 ( 745133 processor ) where the signals from all circuits are combined and reduced to a single output via nand gates 124 , 126 , 128 , 130 , inverter gates 132 , 134 , 136 , 138 and nand gate 140 . the output signal , if any , is sent via line 142 ( fig4 d ) to nor gate 74 where a pulse will be sent to clock 60 and the scanning stopped . output ( if any ) from nand gate 112 is sent to or gate combiner 78 where the signals from all the wires are reduced to a single output via a series of or gates sent through nand gate 122 to nor gate 74 and to clock 60 . the signal from or gate combiner follows line 144 to 7407 gate , 146 to the open led 76 . similarly , a signal from the and gate combiner follows line 142 to 148 through 7404 inverter gate 150 , 7407 gate 152 to short led 80 . although the invention has been described with reference to a particular embodiment , it will be understood to those skilled in the art that the invention is capable of a variety of alternative embodiments within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	6
reference will now be made in detail to potentially preferred embodiments of the invention , examples of which have been illustrated in the accompanying drawings . it is to be understood that it is in no way intended to limit the invention to such illustrated and described embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover all alternatives , modifications and equivalents as maybe included within the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereto . turning now to the drawings , wherein like elements are denoted by like reference numerals throughout the various views , in fig1 there is shown a fabric web 10 , wherein eight fabric panels to be cut 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 , 20 , 22 , 24 , and 26 have been outlined . also , specific fabrics pieces to be removed and slits 28 , 30 , 32 within the two largest fabric panels 12 , 14 are outlined as well . the fabric web 10 in this specific example comprised nylon 6 , 6 , 630 denier yarns , woven on a jacquard loom into a fabric comprising 41 picks by 41 ends per inch . in fig2 , two smaller preferred fabric panels 16 , 18 have been connected to one preferred large fabric panel 12 by substantially straight seams 34 , 36 , 38 , 40 . the composite fabric structure now has two small fabric portions 39 , 41 uncovered by the two smaller fabric panels 16 , 18 . the free space 30 remains and an imaginary straight line 42 denotes the future fold line within the fabric composite of the fabric panels 12 , 16 , 18 . in fig3 , tie - rods 31 , 44 have been placed over the small fabric portions 39 , 41 parallel to the seams 38 , 40 , and the fabric portions 39 , 41 have been folded back in a manner to form a right angle at the point of contact between the two portions 39 , 41 . in fig4 , the small fabric portions 39 , 41 have been folded over once again and seams 35 , 37 have been produced to connect the fabric portions 39 , 41 to themselves and to the smaller fabric panels 16 , 18 . the folded over fabric portions 39 , 41 provide reinforcement in order to withstand inflation pressures at the mouth opening of the cushion . in fig5 , the fabric panel 12 has been folded over imaginary line 42 ( in half ) leaving one smaller fabric panel 16 in view ( the other is not illustrated as it is now located on the bottom portion of fabric panel 12 directly beneath smaller fabric panel 18 ). a seam 46 connects fabric panel 12 to itself and also connects the smaller fabric panels 16 , 18 both to the larger panel 12 and to themselves . upon unfolding of the connected composite , the non - connected ends of the panel 12 will form the same shape as the front panel 24 of fig6 . fig7 then shows the seam 48 needed to sew the non - connected ends of the large panel 12 ( of fig5 ), and fig8 provides a side view of the finished cushion 50 after all the connections through seams 34 , 35 , 46 have been made . fig9 shows a fully deployed inflatable restraint cushion 60 in opposing relation to an occupant 52 located on the front seat 54 of a vehicle 56 such as an automobile , airplane , and the like . as shown , the cushion 50 may be outwardly deployed from the dash panel 57 by an inflation means 58 from a position directly opposite the occupant 52 . it is to be understood , however ) that the cushion 50 may likewise be deployed from any other desired location in the vehicle 56 including the steering wheel ( not illustrated ), the vehicle side panels ( not illustrated ), the floor ( not illustrated ), or the backrest of the front seat 54 for disposition in opposing relation to a rear passenger ( not illustrated ). in fig1 there is shown a fabric web 110 , wherein eight fabric panels to be cut 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 , 124 , and 126 have been outlined . also , specific slits 128 , 129 , 130 , 32 within the two largest fabric panels 112 , 114 are outlined as well . the fabric web 110 in this specific example comprised nylon 6 , 6 , 630 denier yarns , woven on a jacquard loom into a fabric 110 comprising 41 picks by 41 ends per inch . in fig1 , two smaller preferred fabric panels 116 , 118 have been connected to one preferred large fabric panel 112 by substantially straight seams 144 , 146 , 148 . the composite fabric structure now has two small fabric portions 131 , 150 , 152 uncovered by the two smaller fabric panels 116 , 118 . an imaginary straight line 142 denotes the future fold line within the fabric composite of the fabric panels 112 , 116 , 118 , which is noticeably off - center relative to the center of the mouth m , in order to ultimately allow for the bag to be deployed at an angle from a horizontally disposed dashboard ( not illustrated ). in fig1 , tie - rods 153 , 155 have been placed over the small fabric portions 150 , 152 which have been folded back over the tie - rods 153 , 155 as shown , folded again , as in fig1 , and connected to themselves by seams 154 , 156 . the folded over fabric portions 150 , 152 provide reinforcement in order to withstand inflation pressures at the mouth opening of the cushion . in fig1 , the fabric panel 112 has been folded over imaginary line 142 leaving one smaller fabric panel 116 in view ( the other is not illustrated as it is now located on the bottom portion of fabric panel 112 directly beneath smaller fabric panel 118 ). a seam 158 connects fabric panel 112 to itself and also connects the smaller fabric panels 116 , 118 both to the larger panel 112 and to themselves . upon unfolding of the connected composite , the non - connected ends of the panel 112 will form the same shape as the front panel 124 of fig1 . fig1 then shows the seam 159 needed to sew the non - connected ends of the large panel 112 ( of fig1 ), and fig1 provides a side view of the finished cushion 160 . fig1 shows a fully deployed inflatable restraint cushion 160 in opposing relation to an occupant 162 located on the front seat 164 of a vehicle 166 such as an automobile , airplane , and the like . as shown , the cushion 160 may be outwardly deployed from the dash panel 167 by an inflation means 168 from a position directly opposite the occupant 162 . it is to be understood , however , that the cushion 160 may likewise be deployed from any other desired location in the vehicle 166 including the steering wheel ( not illustrated ), the vehicle side panels ( not illustrated ), the floor ( not illustrated ), or the backrest of the front seat 164 for disposition in opposing relation to a rear passenger ( not illustrated ). in fig1 there is shown a fabric web 210 , wherein eight fabric panels to be cut 212 , 214 , 216 , 218 , 220 , 222 , 224 , and 226 have been outlined . also , specific fabrics pieces to be removed and slits 228 , 230 , 232 within the two largest fabric panels 212 , 214 are outlined as well . the fabric web 210 in this specific example comprised nylon 6 , 6 , 630 denier yarns , woven on a jacquard loom into a fabric 210 comprising 41 picks by 41 ends per inch . in fig2 , two smaller preferred fabric panels 216 , 218 have been connected to one preferred large fabric panel 212 by substantially straight seams 234 , 236 , 238 , 240 . an imaginary straight line 242 denotes the future fold line within the fabric composite of the fabric panels 212 , 216 , 218 . in fig2 , the fabric panel 212 has been folded over imaginary line 242 ( in half ) leaving one smaller fabric panel 216 in view ( the other is not illustrated as it is now located on the bottom portion of fabric panel 212 directly beneath smaller fabric panel 218 ). a seam 244 connects fabric panel 212 to itself and also connects the smaller fabric panels 216 , 218 both to the larger panel 212 and to themselves . upon unfolding of the connected composite , the non - connected ends of the panel 212 will form the same shape as the front panel 224 of fig2 . fig2 then shows the seam 252 needed to sew the non - connected ends of the large panel 212 ( of fig2 ), and fig2 provides a top view of a finished cushion 260 and showing a looped pocket 250 for an inflation means and fig2 provides a side view of a finished cushion 260 after all the connection through seams 234 , 244 , 248 have been made . fig2 shows a fully deployed inflatable restraint cushion 260 in opposing relation to an occupant 262 located on the front seat 264 of a vehicle 266 such as an automobile , airplane , and the like . as shown , the cushion 260 may be outwardly deployed from the dash panel 267 by an inflation means 268 from a position directly opposite the occupant 262 . it is to be understood , however , that the cushion 260 may likewise be deployed from any other desired location in the vehicle 266 including the steering wheel ( not illustrated ), the vehicle side panels ( not illustrated ), the floor ( not illustrated ), or the backrest of the front seat 264 for disposition in opposing relation to a rear passenger ( not illustrated ). these specific configurations and shapes provide the lowest overall fabric usage as compared to the available inflation airspace volume . specific measurements for each inventive cushion manufactured in this configuration ( but with different amounts of fabric utilized ) are further described in table 2 , below . each of the panels utilized in these preferred embodiments may be formed from a number of materials including by way of example only and not limitation woven fabrics , knitted fabrics , non - woven fabrics , films and combinations thereof . woven fabrics may be preferred with woven fabrics formed of tightly woven construction such as plain or panama weave constructions being particularly preferred . such woven fabrics may be formed from yarns of polyester , polyamides such as nylon 6 and nylon - 6 , 6 or other suitable material as may be known to those in the skill in the art . multifilament yarns having a relatively low denier per filament rating of not greater than about 1 - 4 denier per filament maybe desirable for bags requiring particular good foldability . in application , woven fabrics formed from synthetic yarns having linear densities of about 40 denier to about 1200 denier are believed to be useful in the formation of the airbag according to the present invention . fabrics formed from yarns having linear densities of about 315 to about 840 are believed to be particularly useful , and fabrics formed from yarns having linear densities in the range of about 400 to about 650 are believed to be most useful . while each of the panels maybe formed of the same material , the panels may also be formed from differing materials and or constructions such as , without limitation , coated or uncoated fabrics . such fabrics may provide high permeability fabric having an air permeability of about 5 cfm per square foot or higher , preferably less than about 3 cfm per square foot or less when measured at a differential pressure of 0 . 5 inches of water across the fabric . fabrics having permeabilities of about 1 - 3 cfm per square foot may be desirable as well . fabrics having permeabilities below 2 cfm and preferably below 1 cfm in the uncoated state may be preferred . such fabrics which have permeabilities below 2 cfm which permeability does not substantially increase by more than a factor of about 2 when the fabric is subjected to biaxial stresses in the range of up to about 100 pounds force may be particularly preferred . fabrics which exhibit such characteristics which are formed by means of fluid jet weaving may be most preferred , although , as noted previously , weaving on jacquard and / or dobby looms also permits seam production without the need for any further labor - intensive sewing or welding operations . in the event that a coating is utilized on one or more material panels , neoprene , silicone urethanes or disperse polyamides may be preferred . coatings such as dispersed polyamides having dry add on weights of about 0 . 6 ounces per square yard or less and more preferably about 0 . 4 ounces per square yard or less and most preferably about 0 . 3 per square yard or less may be particularly preferred so as to minimize fabric weight and enhance foldability . it is , of course , to be understood that aside from the use of coatings , different characteristics in various panels may also be achieved through the use of fabrics incorporating differing weave densities and / or finishing treatments such as calendaring as may be known to those in the skill of the art . while the airbag cushions according to the present invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is to be understood that such cushions may also include additional components such as shape defining tethers , gas vents , and the like as may be known to those in the skill of the art . with regard to comparable airbag cushions , the following table presents comparative seam usage factors for other well known and commercially available airbag cushions . the labels used are those used within standard & amp ; poor &# 39 ; s dri , a well known publication which denotes many different types of products offered for sale to the automotive industry . the 414t and cf bags listed above are tilted cushions for use in conjunction with relatively horizontal dashboards . the others are used in conjunction with substantially vertically configured dashboards . generally , an airbag module manufacturer or automobile manufacturer will specify what dimensions and performance characteristics are needed for a specific model and make of car . thus , airbag inflation airspace volume , front panel protection area ( particularly for passenger - side airbag cushions ), and sufficient overall protection for a passenger are such required specifications . in comparison with those commercially available airbag cushions listed above , the inventive airbag cushions which meet the same specifications ( and actually exceed the overall passenger protection characteristics versus the prior art cushions ) but require less fabric , less seam length for sewing operations , and thus cost appreciably less than those competitive cushions . the dimensions and seam usage factors for the inventive bags ( which compare with those in table 1 , above , directly , and as noted ) are presented below in tabular form : clearly , the inventive bags , which possess the same available inflation airspace volume and front fabric panel area as the comparative prior art commercially available cushions ( bags ), require much less in the way of total fabric utilization , which thus correlates into overall much lower effective fabric usage factors . furthermore , as noted above , in standard crash tests , these inventive bags ( cushions ) either performed as well as or outperformed their commercially available , more expensive , counterparts . while specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto , since modifications may certainly be made and other embodiments of the principals of this invention will no doubt occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , it is contemplated by the appended claims to cover any such modifications and other embodiments as incorporate the features of this invention which in the true spirit and scope of the claims hereto .	1
the craft in the unfolded position is shown in fig1 . the main deck 10 is flanked by left folding deck 11 and right folding deck 12 . hinges such as 13 serve to connect the folding decks 11 and 12 to the main deck . in the folded position , the folding decks 11 and 12 are upside down with their upper surfaces facing downward atop the main deck 10 . cables such as 14 are attached to each outboard edge of the folding decks 11 and 12 and are attached at their other end to winches such as 15 . the winches such as 15 are used for raising and lowering the folding deck sections 11 and 12 . the winches such as 15 are mounted upon a swivel so that they may be moved passed dead center when the folding decks 11 and 12 are passing the vertical position . when the decks are in the unfolded position as drawn in fig1 they are locked in place by locking pins such as 16 attached to the left deck lock bar 17 and the right deck lock bar 18 . the locking pins such as 16 fit into cylindrical chambers in the structural frame of main deck 10 . the deck lock bars 17 and 18 are provided with holes such as 19 to receive side rail supports such as 20 . the side rail supports such as 20 serve both to provide support for the side rails such as 21 and to lock the deck lock bars 17 and 18 into place . the side rail supports can be provided with a simple locking mechanism to prevent inadvertant raising of the rails . only the locking pins such as 16 actually transfer the load from main deck 10 to folding decks 11 and 12 . left pontoon 22 and right pontoon 23 are firmly attached to the underside of folding decks 11 and 12 respectively . the pontoons provide buoyancy for the entire craft . when in the folded position , the pontoons 22 and 23 are upside down atop the folded decks . a retractable wheel mechanism such as 24 at the front and rear of the pontoons is provided a means for lowering pontoon wheels ( left front wheel 25 shown ) during launching and landing , and for raising pontoon wheels out of the way into the pontoons during towing and during periods afloat . tow socket 26 is attached to tow structure 27 to permit towing behind a vehicle on land . the tow structure 27 has three positions . the towing position is drawn in fig1 . additionally , the tow structure is mounted on axles which carry rollers which run in tracks afixed beneath each edge of the main deck 10 . the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; shaped track 28 is visible in fig1 in its furtherest forward projection beneath the right edge of the main deck 10 . the rear most extention of track 28 is visible extending over the stern of the craft and is labelled 28a . during towing , the tow structure 27 is locked in place relative to track 28 by means of pins or other locking device . when the tow vehicle is to mount the craft , the tow structure 27 is unlocked and moved along the tracks until it is sufficiently out of the way beneath main deck 10 . after the vehicle has mounted aboard the craft , the tow structure 27 is brought to the extreme forward position and pivoted upward on its support axle . this provides for tow structure 27 to be out of the water when the craft is launched and for protection of tow socket 26 from damage . water resistance is diminished since tow structure 27 would not be in the water . finally , in the upright position , tow structure 27 provides protection to those on the craft from accidentally falling off the craft forward . rear tower supports 29 and 30 serve as a continuation of the tracks to the rear of the craft and upward . the rear tower supports 29 and 30 also serve to support the truck winch 31 and the winches and swivels for the folding decks . the operations of the rear extentions of the tracks and the operation of the truck winch 31 will be described below . four hooks such as 32 are placed strategically at the left and right edges of main deck 10 . these hooks receive the cables and turnbuckles that serve to hold the vehicle fast to the deck . four cutouts such as 33 in the folding decks 11 and 12 provide the recess needed for hooks like 32 when the craft is folded in the towing position . the cutouts such as 33 may be provided with covers to prevent accidental injury . the front tower supports 34 and 35 support the winches and swivels for the folding decks . in addition , they may be provided with hooks to serve to tie down a canopy that extends from the front of the mounted vehicle . ramp slots 36 and 37 provide recessed storage for the ramps used to load and unload the vehicle . when pulled forward to their furtherest extention , the ramps are free to swivel downward to engage the ground . control panel 38 is unfolded from its storage position in folding deck 12 . it provides a place for craft and motor controls . seat 39 , seen here in the folded position pops up for use when control panel 38 is operational . fig2 shows the craft from below with the tow structure 27 removed to the lower right corner of the drawing for clarity . tow structure 27 is free to swivel about axle 40 of tow frame 41 . axle 42 and axle 40 carry roller wheels such as 43 that run in track 44 and 28 . this arrangement permits the three positions described above for tow structure 27 and the attached tow socket 26 . rear wheel 45 as well as all other pontoon wheels are visible in this view . the enlargement of a pontoon wheel is drawn in the upper left corner . internal division 46 is provided to maintain watertight integrity to the entire pontoon independent of the position of the wheel mechanism . piston 47 raises pontoon wheel mechanism 24 flush with pontoon 22 and serves to lower pontoon wheel mechanism 24 towards the ground . the wheel mechanism is provided with ski like framework to prevent the wheel from digging into underwater mud . the truck 48 carries the tow wheels such as 49 mounted on springs such as 50 . two additional axles 51 and 52 pass through the truck and are afixed to roller wheels such as 53 that ride in tracks 44 and 28 . the tow wheels such as 49 and the track wheels such as 53 are provided braking mechanisms , one for the tow wheels and one for the track wheels . the track wheels or their axles need not carry brakes if the tracks themselves are provided with a mean of locking the truck in place , such as by means of a pressure plate or locking pins . the brake controls may be run by cable to the upper side of the craft . axles 51 and 52 further carry hook mechanisms such as 54 that are free to rotate about the axles . the front hook 54 is attached by chain or cable around pulley 55 around pulley 56 and thence to truck winch 31 . rear hook mechanism 57 ( on fig3 ) is attached similarly via pulley 58 to winch 31 . the chain labelled 59 from front hook mechanism 54 around pulleys 55 and 56 to winch 31 may continue to pulley 58 to rear hook mechanism 57 . the action of the truck winch will either tend to pull the truck forward or rearward relative to the tracks 44 and 28 and hence relative to the entire craft . if the tow wheels such as 49 are locked and fixed relative to the ground , then the action of winch 31 will be to pull itself and hence the entire craft over the fixed ( relative to the ground ) truck 48 . it is this action which serves to launch and land the craft . fig3 shows the truck in an upright position . the rear hook mechanism 57 is now visible as are the four track wheels 53 , 60 , 61 , and 62 . the relative placement of tracks 44 and 28 are shown . fig4 is a cross - section through the craft with the left side unfolded and the right side folded . visible in this view is pontoon supports 63 which serve to attach the pontoons to the folding decks . the pontoon wheels such as 25 are shown extended on the left . normally they are not extended fully to assure that most weight remains on the tow wheels . the right pontoon shows the pontoon wheel mechanism 24 in the fully retracted position . only a portion of the wheel extends beyond the pontoon . this provides some protection to the bottom of the pontoon but minimizes the water resistance . ramp 64 is visible inside of ramp slot 36 . rollers 65 provide for ease of movement of the ramp in its slot . pivot pin 66 provides for pivoting the ramp to the ground when in the fully extended position . hinge 13 is visible as are deck lock bars 17 and 18 . locking pin 16 is set all the way into the receptacle 67 in the main deck 10 . deck lock bar 18 can be seen to be locked in place by side rail support 20 . pins 68 and 69 are provided in folding decks 12 and 11 to permit the raising and lowering of side rail supports . they also provide for the rail supports to pivot flat when in the folded position , yet without permitting their removal . slots 70 and 71 cut in support 20 allow this action . on the right , the same mechanisms are shown in the unlocked and folded position . fig5 shows the craft in various modes . in part a , the craft is folded and being towed by a recreational vehicle . upon reaching the launch area , track wheels are unlocked and the tow wheels are locked and the recreational vehicle is driven forward a short distance . this brings the craft forward over the stationary truck as shown in part b . the track wheels are locked in place and the tow wheels are unlocked and the recreational vehicle is backed up down the launching ramp to the water &# 39 ; s edge . the tow wheels are now locked again . if the slope of the ramp is shallow rather than steep as drawn , the craft may have to be backed up into the water , but not so far as to provide for buoyancy . the craft is unfolded as shown in part c . the front pontoon wheels are lowered lifting the tow socket off the recreational vehicle &# 39 ; s tow ball as shown in part d . the vehicle drives forward . the rear pontoon wheels are lowered , the tow structure is pushed along the tracks under the craft and the loading ramps are extended and pivoted until they reach the launching ramp as shown in part e . the recreational vehicle drives up the loading ramps onto the craft and held fast by means of turnbuckles . the tow structure is brought forward and pivoted upward as shown in part f . the track wheels are unlocked and the craft slides down the launching ramp over the truck . if the craft does not slide down by gravity , the truck winch may be used . a mid position is illustrated in part g . the process continues in parts h and i until the buoyancy of the pontoons lifts the craft off the bottom as shown in part j . finally the pontoon wheels are raised and the truck is winched out of the water and the craft is afloat as shown in part k . landing essentially reverses the steps .	1
the present invention is predicated upon the provision of at least one intraocular lens ( iol ) and preferably two iols that have a coating for aiding in the prevention of opacification , particularly interlenticular lens opacification ( ilo ). the iol [ s ] typically form an intraocular lens system such as a dual optic or piggyback lens system . the coating is typically formed of a hydrophilic or super - hydrophobic material for aiding in the resistance or prevention of ilo . unless otherwise specifically stated , percentages of materials as used herein are weight percentages ( w / w ). fig1 illustrates an exemplary intraocular lens system 10 in accordance with an aspect of the present invention . the system 10 includes a first intraocular lens 12 and a second intraocular lens 14 . as used herein , the terms “ first ” and “ second ” as they are used to indicate a lens of the system are merely used to indicate one of the lenses as opposed to the other . these terms are not intended to suggest any order such as order of implantation , unless otherwise specifically stated . each of the lenses 12 , 14 includes a body 18 defining an outer surface 20 and a coating 24 disposed upon a region 28 of that outer surface 20 . the coatings 24 of the lenses 12 , 14 can aid in the prevention of ilo as is discussed further below . each of the lenses 12 , 14 also includes haptics 32 extending outwardly from the bodies 18 of the lenses 12 , 14 . each coating 24 of each of the lenses 12 , 14 faces and opposes the outer surface 20 of the other of the lenses 12 , 14 . this is particularly the case after both lenses have been implanted within an eye . the intraocular lenses 12 , 14 define an interlenticular space 36 therebetween and the coatings 24 of the lenses 12 , 14 are both located directly adjacent and at least partially define the interlenticular space 36 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , each of the lenses 12 , 14 has its own coating 24 . however , it is contemplated that only one of the lenses may have a coating while the other lens may be uncoated . this configuration is shown in fig2 . this may be the case , for example , when the intraocular system includes a set of piggyback lenses for which a first uncoated lens has already been implanted and a second coated lens is implanted as an adjustment to the first lens . in the embodiment of fig1 , the coating 24 of each lens 12 , 14 is disposed upon a region 28 of the body 18 and more particularly is disposed only upon one of two opposing sides 40 , 42 of the body 18 . it is contemplated , however , that the coating may be disposed upon other regions of the body or the entirety of the body of the lens . the term “ region ” as used herein is intended to mean only a portion of the body . however , the suggestion that the coating covers or is disposed upon a region of the outer surface of the body is not intended to restrict the coating from being located on other portions of the body unless it is specifically stated that the coating is only disposed upon that region . in instances where the coating is selectively disposed upon only a region of the iol , it is generally preferred that the region be a substantial portion of the outer surface of the body of the iol . preferably , that substantial portion is at least 20 %, more preferably at least 40 % and even possibly at least 60 % of the outer surface of the body . the substantial portion is typically less than 90 % and more typically less than 80 % of the outer surface of the body . the aforementioned percentages are taken as percentages of total surface area of the body . the outer surface of the body is considered exclusive of any outer surface area of the haptics . of course , the haptics may also be coated , but are not considered part of the body . in one preferred embodiment , the coating is formed as a ring about only a peripheral region of the iol body as shown in fig3 . in such an embodiment , the peripheral region may be on only one side of the iol or on both sides . it is contemplated that a second iol in a system according to the present invention could have a ring shaped coating that is configured to oppose and face the ring shaped coating of fig3 or such second iol may have an alternative coating shape such as a coating covering one entire side of its body . the body , the haptics or both of any of the intraocular lenses according to the present invention are preferably formed of a hydrophobic material . such hydrophobic material will typically have a contact angle that is no greater than 90 degrees , more typically no greater than 85 degrees and even possibly no greater than 80 degrees . such material will also typically have a contact angle that is at least 50 degrees and more typically at least 60 degrees and even possibly at least 65 degrees . unless stated otherwise , contact angles for the materials of the present invention are determined in accordance with young &# 39 ; s equation as discussed in physical chemistry of surfaces ( sixth edition ), adamson , arthur w . et al ., chapter x , pgs . 352 - 354 . the material of the body , the haptics or both is preferably an acrylate based material . acrylate based materials are defined as having a substantial portion of acrylate monomers , which are preferably of formulation 1 below : y is nothing , o , s , or nr wherein r is h , ch 3 , c n h 2n + 1 ( n = 1 - 10 ), iso - oc 3 h 7 , c 6 h 5 , or ch 2 c 6 h 5 ; ar is any aromatic ring which can be unsubstituted or substituted with ch 3 , c 2 h 5 , n - c 3 h 7 , iso - c 3 h 7 , och 3 , c 6 h 11 , c 6 h 5 , or ch 2 c 6 h 5 ; suitable monomers of structure ( i ) include , but are not limited to : 2 - ethylphenoxy methacrylate ; 2 - ethylphenoxy acrylate ; 2 - ethylthiophenyl methacrylate ; 2 - ethylthiophenyl acrylate ; 2 - ethylaminophenyl methacrylate ; 2 - ethylaminophenyl acrylate ; phenyl methacrylate ; phenyl acrylate ; benzyl methacrylate ; benzyl acrylate ; 2 - phenylethyl methacrylate ; 2 - phenylethyl acrylate ; 3 - phenylpropyl methacrylate ; 3 - phenylpropyl acrylate ; 4 - phenylbutyl methacrylate ; 4 - phenylbutyl acrylate ; 4 - methylphenyl methacrylate ; 4 - methylphenyl acrylate ; 4 - methylbenzyl methacrylate ; 4 - methylbenzyl acrylate ; 2 - 2 - methylphenylethyl methacrylate ; 2 - 2 - methylphenylethyl acrylate ; 2 - 3 - methylphenylethyl methacrylate ; 2 - 3 - methylphenylethyl acrylate ; 24 - methylphenylethyl methacrylate ; 2 - 4 - methylphenylethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 - propylphenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 4 - propylphenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 -( 1 - methylethyl ) phenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 4 -( 1 - methylethyl ) phenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 4 - methoxyphenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 - cyclohexylphenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 4 - cyclohexylphenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 2 - chlorophenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 2 - chlorophenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 3 - chlorophenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 - chlorophenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 4 - chlorophenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 - bromophenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 4 - bromophenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 3 - phenylphenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 3 - phenylphenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 - phenylphenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; 2 -( 4 - phenylphenyl ) ethyl acrylate ; 2 -( 4 - benzylphenyl ) ethyl methacrylate ; and 2 -( 4 - benzylphenyl ) ethyl acrylate , and the like . it is contemplated that the first and second iols of a system can be formed of substantially identical material , but may be formed of different materials . preferably , the material of both iols of the system are acrylate based , however , it is possible for one to be acrylate based while another may be formed of a different material ( e . g ., a silicone based material ). in such circumstances , the acrylate based iol will typically include a coating according to the present invention while the other iol of different material may or may not include a coating . the material of the body and / or haptics is typically formed from at least 30 %, more typically at least 70 % and even possibly at least 95 % acrylate monomers . the material of the body and / or haptics is typically formed from no greater than about 99 . 9 % acrylate monomers . these acrylate based materials are typically mixed with a curing agent and / or a polymerization initiator so that the materials may be cured to form the iols . as such , it will be understood that these monomers are linked to form polymers in the finished iols . examples of acrylate - based lenses are , without limitation , described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 922 , 821 ; 6 , 313 , 187 ; 6 , 353 , 069 ; and 6 , 703 , 466 , all of which are fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes . the coating is preferably formed of a hydrophilic material or a super - hydrophobic material . a suitable hydrophilic material will typically have a contact angle that is no greater than 50 degrees , more typically no greater than 45 degrees and even possibly no greater than 35 degrees . such material will typically have a contact angle that is at least 5 degrees . a hydrophilic coating can also be formed of a hydrogel material . in such an embodiment , functionalized hydrogel precursors of hydrogel materials such as polyacrylic acid ( paa ), polyvinyl acetate ( pva ), polyvinyl pyrrolidone ( pvp ), polyethylene glycol ( peg ), polyether imide ( pei ), combinations thereof or the like may be coated upon the outer surface of the iol body . the precursors can then be cross - linked by ultraviolet and / or visible light , plasma , radiation , heat energy or the like to form the coating of hydrogel material . a suitable super - hydrophobic material for the coating will typically have a contact angle that is at least 90 degrees , more typically at least 100 degrees and even more possibly at least 130 degrees . such material will typically have a contact angle no greater than 177 degrees . when the coating is formed of a super - hydrophobic material , silicone based materials are typically quite desirable . silicone based materials are those materials that include a substantial portion of silicon or silicon monomers ( e . g ., silane or siloxane ). when silicone based , the material of the coating typically is formed from at least 30 %, more typically at least 60 % and even possibly at least 80 % silicone monomers . in such embodiment , the material of the coating is typically formed from no greater than about 99 . 9 % silicone monomers . examples of silicone materials are , without limitation , described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 420 , 213 ; 5 , 494 , 946 ; 7 , 033 , 391 ; and 7 , 071 , 244 , all of which are fully incorporated herein by reference for all purposes . silicone based coatings can be formed upon the body of the iol using various techniques . in one embodiment , silicon monomers ( e . g ., silane or siloxane monomers ) can be coated on the outer surface of the body by plasma deposition or polymerization onto the surface of the body . in another embodiment , plasma treatment ( e . g ., oxygen or water plasma treatment ) can be employed to introduce hydroxyl groups onto the outer surface of the iol body followed by a silanization treatment . in yet another embodiment , a surface modifying agent containing silicone block copolymer can be blended with the acrylate material prior to casting and curing of the iol . as an alternative to silicone , super - hydrophobic materials with even greater hydrophobicity ( e . g ., contact angles of at least 130 degrees ) may be used . these super - hydrophobic coatings can be formed using continuous or , more preferably , modulated plasma deposition / polymerization treatment of perfluorocarbons monomers , which can then be cross - linked to form a polytetrafluoroehtylene ( ptfe ) coating . as an alternative , benzene moieties can be attached to the iol body outer surface by direct fluorination to form a super - hydrophobic coating . as another alternative , plasma treatment ( e . g ., oxygen or water plasma treatment ) can be used to introduce hydroxyl groups onto the outer surface of the iol body followed by a fluorinated silanization treatment . as an alternative or addition to a hydrophilic or super - hydrophobic coating , it is contemplated that a coating may be formed of bioactive agents . as one example , natural or synthetic molecules that modulate or inhibit protein adsorption and / or cell adhesion can be attached to the outer surface of the body to form a modified surface coating ( e . g ., a modified surface that preferentially adsorb serum albumin ). as another example , pharmacological agents such as immunosuppressants , mtor inhibitors or the like can be attached or otherwise coated on the outer surface of the iol body to form a coating that prohibits or inhibits lens epithelial cell ( lec ) growth . it is also contemplated that a coating may only cover a peripheral region ( e . g ., a peripheral edge ) of the lens body and , for example , may form a ring about the lens body and / or may extend radially outwardly from the peripheral region . still further , it is contemplated that the coating may be formed as a separate solid film ( e . g ., an annular disc shape film ) that is then disposed over the surface of the lens body and preferably attached ( e . g ., adhered ) thereto . lens systems of the present invention can be implanted in the eye according various protocols . typically a first lens is implanted followed by a second lens . it is contemplated , however , that two lenses may be implanted at least partially simultaneously . both lenses may be implanted in the capsular bag or one may be located in the capsular bag while the other is outside of the capsular bag . in one preferred embodiment , a first lens is implanted in the capsular bag and then , upon discovery that the first lens is not providing the desired visual performance , a second lens is implanted in the sulces of the eye . such lenses are typically referred to as piggy - back lenses . as example of such lenses are shown in fig4 . as can be seen , a first lens 50 is disposed in the capsular bag and is without a coating . however , a second lens 52 , which has been implanted later in the sulces does include a coating 54 in accordance with the present invention . generally , for piggy - back lens systems , the lens implanted in the sulces or the second lens implanted will be the only lens to include a coating since the lens in the capsular bag will have been implanted without the knowledge that a second lens would necessarily be implanted . of course , it would be possible for the first implanted lens 50 ( i . e ., the lens in the capsular bag ) to also include a coating , particularly if there is a likelihood that a second piggyback lens will be implanted later . in the embodiment shown , the coating 54 is in opposing facing relation to an outer side surface 56 of the first lens 50 and directly adjacent an interlenticular space 58 between the lenses . in another preferred embodiment , a first lens is implanted in the capsular bag and then a second lens is implanted in the capsular bag and connected to the first lens to form a dual optic intraocular lens system ( e . g ., an accommodative system ). as can be seen in fig5 , a first lens 60 having positive power is implanted and a second lens 62 having negative power is implanted . they are then attached to each other with attachment members 64 ( e . g ., interlocking haptics or other members ) to form a dual optic accommodative intraocular lens system . as can also be seen , both of the lenses 60 and 62 having coatings 66 , 68 on only one side of the lenses 60 , 62 and those coatings 66 , 68 are in opposing facing relation to each other and adjacent an intralenticular space 70 . the entire contents of all cited references in this disclosure are specifically incorporated herein by reference . further , when an amount , concentration , or other value or parameter is given as either a range , preferred range , or a list of upper preferable values and lower preferable values , this is to be understood as specifically disclosing all ranges formed from any pair of any upper range limit or preferred value and any lower range limit or preferred value , regardless of whether ranges are separately disclosed . where a range of numerical values is recited herein , unless otherwise stated , the range is intended to include the endpoints thereof , and all integers and fractions within the range . it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific values recited when defining a range . other embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the present specification and practice of the present invention disclosed herein . it is intended that the present specification and examples be considered as exemplary only with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims and equivalents thereof .	0
the invention is based at least in part on cells that have been modified with an ltbeta receptor agonist . in particular , cells have ltbeta receptor agonist attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of a cell . such cells are useful for treating undesirable or aberrant cell proliferation , hyperproliferation ( e . g ., hyperproliferative disorders ), tumors , cancer , metastasis and neoplasia , as well as pathogen - infected cells . in accordance with the invention , there are provided cells that have been modified with an ltbeta receptor agonist , including cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell . ltbeta receptor agonists include , for example , light ( p30 polypeptide ), light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras , ltalpha1 beta2 , ltalpha2 beta1 , ltbeta and an ltbeta receptor antibody . cells modified with an ltbeta receptor agonist include undesirable cells or hyperproliferating cells , tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells and pathogen infected cells . cells modified with an ltbeta receptor agonist include eukaryotic cells , such as mammalian ( e . g ., primate or human ) cells , which may be alive , non - viable or dead . the invention is also based in part on light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms that exhibit altered affinity and / or avidity for a receptor . such light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms have altered affinity and / or avidity for receptors , such as ltbeta receptor , hvem , or dcr3 ( decoy receptor 3 ), as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), set forth as seq id no : 1 , for example . in accordance with the invention , there are provided light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants that exhibit altered affinity and / or avidity for a receptor , such as ltbeta receptor , hvem , or dcr3 ( decoy receptor 3 ). in one embodiment , a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant exhibits reduced or less affinity and / or avidity for dcr3 ( decoy receptor 3 ) as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ) set forth as seq id no : 1 . in another embodiment , a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant exhibits increased or greater affinity and / or avidity for ltbeta receptor or hvem as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ) set forth as seq id no : 1 . light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants include polymorphic forms that have been isolated or purified from the naturally occurring environment , and have a sequence distinct from seq id no : 1 . as used herein , the terms “ attached , conjugated or coupled ” to the membrane of the cell and grammatical variations thereof , when used in reference to an ltbeta receptor agonist , means that the agonist binds to or is physically attached to the membrane of a cell or a molecule ( e . g ., a polypeptide , carbohydrate , etc .) present on the membrane of a cell . thus , for example , an ltbeta receptor agonist attached to or present on the membrane of a cell is not on the cell surface due to expression of an ltbeta receptor agonist from a nucleic acid in the cell that encodes the ltbeta receptor agonist . an ltbeta receptor agonist can be attached , conjugated or coupled to any molecule present on the membrane of the cell , such as a hyperproliferative cell , a tumor cell , cancer cell , neoplastic cell , metastatic cell , or a pathogen infected cell . ltbeta receptor agonist binding to the molecule on the cell membrane can be mediated by a covalent ( e . g ., cross - linking ) or non - covalent ( e . g ., ligand - receptor , antibody - antigen ) bond . cells upon which ltbeta receptor agonist is bound can be or express an antigen selected from a tumor cell or a cancer cell antigen , a neoplastic cell or a metastatic cell antigen , a viral antigen , a bacterial antigen , a fungal antigen , or a parasite antigen . ltbeta receptor agonists can be “ attached , conjugated or coupled ” to the membrane of the cell or an molecule present on the membrane of a cell by non - covalent or covalent bonds . non - covalent bonds include hydrogen bonding , ionic interactions , van der waals interactions , and hydrophobic interactions . non - limiting examples of non - covalent bonds are receptor - ligand , antibody - antigen and enzyme - substrate . covalent bonds typically involve sharing of electrons and are also referred to as chemical bonds . non - limiting examples of covalent bonds are amide bonds , non - natural and non - amide chemical bonds , other chemical bonds or coupling means including , for example , a carbon chain , such as carboxylic acids , multi - carbon chains ( e . g ., dicarboxylic acids , such as glutaric acid , succinic acid and adipic acid ), glutaraldehyde , n - hydroxysuccinimide esters , bifunctional maleimides , n , n ′- dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcc ) or n , n ′- diisopropylcarbodiimide ( dic ). groups alternative to amide bonds include , for example , ketomethylene ( e . g ., — c (═ o )— ch 2 — for — c (═ o )— nh —), aminomethylene ( ch 2 — nh ), ethylene , olefin ( ch ═ ch ), ether ( ch 2 — o ), thioether ( ch 2 — s ), tetrazole ( cn 4 —), thiazole , retroamide , thioamide , or ester ( see , e . g ., spatola ( 1983 ) in chemistry and biochemistry of amino acids , peptides and proteins , vol . 7 , pp 267 - 357 , “ peptide and backbone modifications ,” marcel decker , n . y .). an ltbeta receptor agonist can be attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell or an molecule present on the membrane of a cell via a distinct molecular entity , or an intermediary molecule . an intermediary molecule can be itself covalently or non - covalently bound to the membrane of the cell or an molecule present on the cell membrane . in one embodiment , an intermediary molecule includes two or more components such as a first moiety and a second moiety . in particular aspects , a first and second moiety binds to or physically interacts with each other , for example , a first moiety includes biotin or a biotin derivative , and a second moiety includes avidin , neutravidin or streptavidin , or a derivative or amino acid variant thereof . ltbeta receptor agonist binding to cell membrane or an molecule present on the membrane of a cell therefore includes binding to avidin , neutravidin or streptavidin , or a derivative or amino acid variant thereof that binds to an molecule present on the cell membrane . the ltbeta receptor agonist or the molecule to which the agonist is attached , conjugated or coupled , can each be bound via covalent or non - covalent binding to biotin or a biotin derivative , or avidin , neutravidin or streptavidin . ltbeta receptor agonists include mammalian forms , such as primate and human ltbeta receptor agonists . such agonists include “ amino acid ” “ protein ,” “ polypeptide ” and “ peptide ” sequences . the terms “ amino acid ,” “ protein ,” “ polypeptide ” and “ peptide ” are used interchangeably herein to refer to two or more amino acids , or “ residues ,” covalently linked by an amide bond or equivalent . amino acid sequences can be linked by non - natural and non - amide chemical bonds including , for example , those formed with glutaraldehyde , n - hydroxysuccinimide esters , bifunctional maleimides , or n , n ′- dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcc ). non - amide bonds include , for example , ketomethylene , aminomethylene , olefin , ether , thioether and the like ( see , e . g ., spatola in chemistry and biochemistry of amino acids , peptides and proteins , vol . 7 , pp 267 - 357 ( 1983 ), “ peptide and backbone modifications ,” marcel decker , n . y .). ltbeta receptor agonists , chimeras and light ( p30 polypeptide ) include full length native wild type , variant and polymorphic forms of ltbeta receptor agonists , such as light ( p30 polypeptide ), hvem and light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras that retain at least partial ltbeta receptor agonist or binding activity . exemplary ltbeta receptor agonist variant and polymorphic forms include light ( p30 polypeptide ) with reduced or less affinity for dcr3 ( decoy receptor 3 ) as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), e . g ., seq id no : 1 , light ( p30 polypeptide ) with increased or greater affinity or avidity for ltβr or hvem as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), e . g ., seq id no : 1 , as well as light ( p30 polypeptide ) with increased or greater affinity or avidity for ltβr or hvem and with reduced or less affinity for dcr3 ( decoy receptor 3 ), as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), e . g ., seq id no : 1 . particular non - limiting variant and polymorphic forms of light ( p30 polypeptide ) include an amino acid sequence selected from any one of seq id nos : 3 to 10 . full length human light ( amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 1 ) meesvvrpsvfvvdgqtdipftrlgrshrrqscsvar qlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpa ahltganssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiys kvqlggvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssr vwwdssflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residues of the transmembrane domain are shaded . the amino acid residues of the extracellular domain of light are underlined . soluble form of light ( aka : lightt66 , amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 2 ) gemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaahltganssltgsggpllwe tqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskvqlggvgcplglastithg lykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvwwdssflggvvhleageev vvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv human light e214k ( amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 3 ) meesvvrpsvfvvdgqtdipftrlgrshrrqscsvarvglglllllmgag lavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaahltg anssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskvqlg gvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvwwds sflggvvhleage vvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at position 214 of seq id no : 3 is highlighted . human light s32l ( amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 4 ) meesvvrpsvfvvdgqtdipftrlgrshrrq csvarvglglllllmgag lavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaahltg anssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskvqlg gvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvwwds sflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at position 32 of seq id no : 4 is highlighted . human light s9a ( mutation from s to a at amino acid position 9 , amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 5 ) meesvvrp vfvvdgqtdipftrlgrshrrqscsvarvglglllllmgag lavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaahltg anssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskvqlg gvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvwwds sflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at position 9 of seq id no : 5 is highlighted . human light s27a ( mutation from s to a at amino acid position 27 , amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 6 ) meesvvrpsvfvvdgqtdipftrlgr hrrqscsvarvglglllllmgag lavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaahltg anssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskvqlg gvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvwwds sflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at position 9 of seq id no : 6 is highlighted . human light s9a & amp ; s27a ( mutation from s to a at amino acid positions 9 and 27 , amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 7 ) meesvvrp vfvvdgqtdipftrlgr hrrqscsvarvglglllllm gaglavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaah ltganssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskv qlggvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvw wdssflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at positions 9 and 27 of seq id no : 7 are highlighted . human light s9a & amp ; s32l ( mutation from s to a at amino acid position 9 and s to l at position 32 , amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 8 ) meesvvrp vfvvdgqtdipftrlgrshrrq csvarvglglllllm gaglavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaah ltganssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskv qlggvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvw wdssflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at positions 9 and 32 of seq id no : 8 is highlighted . human light s27a & amp ; s32l ( mutation from s to a at amino acid position 27 and s to l at position 32 , amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 9 ) meesvvrpsvfvvdgqtdipftrlgr hrrq csvarvglglllllm gaglavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaah ltganssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyyiyskv qlggvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgratsssrvw wdssflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at positions 27 and 32 of seq id no : 9 are highlighted . human light s9a & amp ; s27a & amp ; s32l ( mutation from s to a at amino acid positions 9 and 27 , and s to l at position 32 , amino acid sequence ) ( seq id no : 10 ) meesvvrp vfvvdgqtdipftrlgr hrrq csvarvglglllllm gaglavqgwfllqlhwrlgemvtrlpdgpagsweqliqerrshevnpaah ltganssltgsggpllwetqlglaflrglsyhdgalvvtkagyyytyskv qlggvgcplglastithglykrtprypeelellvsqqspcgpatsssrvw wdssflggvvhleageevvvrvlderlvrlrdgtrsyfgafmv the amino acid residue at positions 9 , 27 , and 32 of seq id no : 10 are highlighted . ltbeta receptor agonists also include subsequences of full length native wild type , variant and polymorphic forms of ltbeta receptor agonists , light ( p30 polypeptide ), hvem and light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras . exemplary lengths of ltbeta receptor agonists , chimeras and light ( p30 polypeptide ) include full length native wild type , variant and polymorphic forms of ltbeta receptor agonists , light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras , light ( p30 polypeptide ) and hvem , as well as subsequences of ltbeta receptor agonists , light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras , light ( p30 polypeptide ) and hvem that retain at least partial ltbeta receptor agonist or binding activity . exemplary ltbeta receptor agonist subsequences include from about 5 to 15 , 20 to 25 , 25 to 50 , 50 to 100 , 100 to 150 , 150 to 200 , or 200 to 300 amino acid residues in length . in particular embodiments , ltbeta receptor agonists , light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras and light ( p30 polypeptide ) and hvem include or consist of an amino acid sequence of about 1 to 10 , 10 to 20 , 15 to 20 , 20 to 30 , 30 to 40 , 40 to 50 , 60 to 70 , 70 to 80 , 80 to 90 , 90 to 100 or more residues . specific non - limiting examples include soluble forms of ltbeta receptor agonist , for example , agonists that lack a transmembrane domain , e . g ., an extracellular amino acid sequence of light ( p30 polypeptide ), set forth in any of seq id nos : 1 - 10 , or a soluble form of light ( p30 polypeptide ) set forth in seq id no : 2 ( lightt66 ), that bind to and retain at least partial ltbeta receptor activity . additional specific non - limiting examples include soluble forms of light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphisms set forth in any of seq id nos : 3 - 10 , that bind to ltbeta receptor or hvem , exhibit ltbeta receptor agonist activity , or exhibit reduced or less binding to dcr3 , as compared to seq id no : 1 . ltbeta receptor agonists , such as light ( p30 polypeptide ), light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , and hvem therefore include sequences with one or more ( 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , etc .) conservative and non - conservative substitutions . a “ conservative substitution ” is a replacement of one amino acid by a biologically , chemically or structurally similar residue . biologically similar means that the substitution is compatible with a biological activity , e . g ., agonist activity . structurally similar means that the amino acids have side chains with similar length , such as alanine , glycine and serine , or having similar size , or the structure of a first , second or additional domain is maintained . chemical similarity means that the residues have the same charge or are both hydrophilic or hydrophobic . particular examples include the substitution of one hydrophobic residue , such as isoleucine , valine , leucine or methionine for another , or the substitution of one polar residue for another , such as the substitution of arginine for lysine , glutamic for aspartic acids , or glutamine for asparagine , serine for threonine , etc . routine assays can be used to determine whether a variant or polymorphic form has activity , e . g ., agonist activity or binding activity . specific examples include a substitution or deletion of one or more amino acid ( e . g ., 1 - 3 , 3 - 5 , 5 - 10 , 10 - 20 , or more ) residues of an ltbeta receptor agonist , such as light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms . a variant or polymorphic sequence typically has 85 %, 90 %, 95 %, 96 %, 97 %, 98 %, or more identity to a reference sequence . the term “ identity ” and “ homology ” and grammatical variations thereof mean that two or more referenced entities are the same . thus , where two amino acid sequences are identical , they have the same amino acid sequence . “ areas , regions or domains of identity ” mean that a portion of two or more referenced entities are the same . thus , where two amino acid sequences are identical or homologous over one or more sequence regions , they share identity in these regions . due to variation in the amount of sequence conservation between structurally and functionally related proteins , the amount of sequence identity required to retain a function or activity depends upon the protein , the region and the function or activity of that region . the term “ complementary ,” when used in reference to a nucleic acid sequence means the reference regions are 100 % complementary , i . e ., exhibit 100 % base pairing with no mismatches . the extent of identity between two sequences can be ascertained using a computer program and mathematical algorithm known in the art . such algorithms that calculate percent sequence identity ( homology ) generally account for sequence gaps and mismatches over the comparison region . for example , a blast ( e . g ., blast 2 . 0 ) search algorithm ( see , e . g ., altschul et al ., j . mol . biol . 215 : 403 ( 1990 ), publicly available through ncbi ) has exemplary search parameters as follows : mismatch - 2 ; gap open 5 ; gap extension 2 . for polypeptide sequence comparisons , a blastp algorithm is typically used in combination with a scoring matrix , such as pam100 , pam 250 , blosum 62 or blosum 50 . fasta ( e . g ., fasta2 and fasta3 ) and ssearch sequence comparison programs are also used to quantitate the extent of identity ( pearson et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 85 : 2444 ( 1988 ); pearson , methods mol . biol . 132 : 185 ( 2000 ); and smith et al ., j . mol . biol . 147 : 195 ( 1981 )). programs for quantitating protein structural similarity using delaunay - based topological mapping have also been developed ( bostick et al ., biochem biophys res commun . 304 : 320 ( 2003 )). ltbeta receptor agonists , such as light ( p30 polypeptide ), light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , and hvem sequences can be entirely composed of natural amino acids or synthetic , non - natural amino acids or amino acid analogues , or derivatized forms . non - naturally occurring amino acid sequences include l - amino acid sequences , d - amino acid sequences and amino acid sequences with mixtures of l - amino acids and d - amino acids . in various embodiments , a ltbeta receptor agonist includes one or more d - amino acids substituted for l - amino acids , mixtures of d - amino acids and l - amino acids , or a sequence composed entirely of d - amino acid residues . amino acid sequences can be a linear or a cyclic structure , attached , conjugated or coupled to a distinct moiety ( e . g ., an intermediary ), form intra or intermolecular disulfide bonds , be modified to include , for example , sugar or carbohydrate residues , phosphate groups , fatty acids , lipids , and also form higher order multimers or oligomers with the same or different amino acid sequence , e . g ., different ltbeta receptor agonists , such as wild type and variants or polymorphisms of light ( p30 polypeptide ) in a multimer combination . additional examples of ltbeta receptor agonists include antibodies and antibody fragments . an “ antibody ” refers to any monoclonal or polyclonal immunoglobulin molecule , such as igm , igg , iga , ige , igd , and any subclass thereof . exemplary subclasses for igg are igg 1 , igg 2 , igg 3 and igg 4 . specific examples of ltbeta receptor agonist antibodies include 3c8 and 4h8 ( rat anti - mouse ), goat polyclonal antibodies and mouse anti - human bda8 antibody . additional specific examples of ltbeta receptor agonist antibodies include fully human antibodies . ltbeta receptor agonists include chimeric proteins in which a portion that is distinct from ltbeta receptor agonist . in other words , a chimeric ltbeta receptor agonist can include a portion that is distinct from a native wild type ltbeta receptor . specific examples include an antigen , ligand , receptor or an antibody that binds to an antibody , receptor , ligand or antigen present on a cell membrane . additional specific examples include protein a domains that bind immunoglobulin . peptides and peptidomimetics can be produced and isolated using methods known in the art . peptides can be synthesized , whole or in part , using chemical methods known in the art ( see , e . g ., caruthers ( 1980 ). nucleic acids res . symp . ser . 215 ; horn ( 1980 ); and banga , a . k ., therapeutic peptides and proteins , formulation , processing and delivery systems ( 1995 ) technomic publishing co ., lancaster , pa .). peptide synthesis can be performed using various solid - phase techniques ( see , e . g ., roberge science 269 : 202 ( 1995 ); merrifield , methods enzymol . 289 : 3 ( 1997 )) and automated synthesis may be achieved , e . g ., using the abi 431a peptide synthesizer ( perkin elmer ) in accordance with the manufacturer &# 39 ; s instructions . peptides and peptide mimetics can also be synthesized using combinatorial methodologies . synthetic residues and polypeptides incorporating mimetics can be synthesized using a variety of procedures and methodologies known in the art ( see , e . g ., organic syntheses collective volumes , gilman , et al . ( eds ) john wiley & amp ; sons , inc ., ny ). modified peptides can be produced by chemical modification methods ( see , for example , belousov , nucleic acids res . 25 : 3440 ( 1997 ); frenkel , free radic . biol . med . 19 : 373 ( 1995 ); and blommers , biochemistry 33 : 7886 ( 1994 ). the invention further provides nucleic acids encoding light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphisms and subsequences thereof that are distinct from native naturally occurring light ( p30 polypeptide ) ( e . g ., seq id no : 1 ). nucleic acids also provided encode variants , polymorphic forms and subsequences of light ( p30 polypeptide ) that have reduced or exhibit no detectable binding to dcr3 , as compared to native naturally occurring light ( p30 polypeptide ) ( e . g ., seq id no : 1 ), but retain at least partial binding to one or more of lt beta receptor or hvem . nucleic acids further provided encode variants , polymorphic forms and subsequences of light ( p30 polypeptide ) that have increased or greater binding to one or more of ltbeta receptor and hvem , as compared to native naturally occurring light ( p30 polypeptide ) ( e . g ., seq id no : 1 ). in particular embodiments , a nucleic acid encodes any of seq id nos : 3 - 10 , or a subsequence thereof . in further embodiments , a nucleic acid is complementary to a nucleic acid sequence encoding any of seq id nos : 3 - 10 , or a subsequence thereof . nucleic acid , which can also be referred to herein as a gene , polynucleotide , nucleotide sequence , primer , oligonucleotide or probe refers to natural or modified purine - and pyrimidine - containing polymers of any length , either polyribonucleotides or polydeoxyribonucleotides or mixed polyribo - polydeoxyribo nucleotides and α - anomeric forms thereof . the two or more purine - and pyrimidine - containing polymers are typically linked by a phosphoester bond or analog thereof . the terms can be used interchangeably to refer to all forms of nucleic acid , including deoxyribonucleic acid ( dna ) and ribonucleic acid ( rna ). the nucleic acids can be single strand , double , or triplex , linear or circular . nucleic acids include genomic dna , cdna , and antisense . rna nucleic acid can be spliced or unspliced mrna , rrna , trna or antisense . nucleic acids include naturally occurring , synthetic , as well as nucleotide analogues and derivatives . as a result of the degeneracy of the genetic code , nucleic acids include sequences degenerate with respect to sequences encoding light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms of the invention . thus , degenerate nucleic acid sequences encoding light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphisms and subsequences thereof that are distinct from native naturally occurring light ( p30 polypeptide ), for example , seq id no : 1 , are provided . nucleic acid can be produced using any of a variety of known standard cloning and chemical synthesis methods , and can be altered intentionally by site - directed mutagenesis or other recombinant techniques known to one skilled in the art . purity of polynucleotides can be determined through sequencing , gel electrophoresis , uv spectrometry . nucleic acids of the invention may be inserted into a nucleic acid construct in which expression of the nucleic acid is influenced or regulated by an “ expression control element ,” referred to herein as an “ expression cassette .” the term “ expression control element ” refers to one or more nucleic acid sequence elements that regulate or influence expression of a nucleic acid sequence to which it is operatively linked . an expression control element can include , as appropriate , promoters , enhancers , transcription terminators , gene silencers , a start codon ( e . g ., atg ) in front of a protein - encoding gene , etc . an expression control element operatively linked to a nucleic acid sequence controls transcription and , as appropriate , translation of the nucleic acid sequence . the term “ operatively linked ” refers to a juxtaposition wherein the referenced components are in a relationship permitting them to function in their intended manner . typically expression control elements are juxtaposed at the 5 ′ or the 3 ′ ends of the genes but can also be intronic . expression control elements include elements that activate transcription constitutively , that are inducible ( i . e ., require an external signal for activation ), or derepressible ( i . e ., require a signal to turn transcription off ; when the signal is no longer present , transcription is activated or “ derepressed ”). also included in the expression cassettes of the invention are control elements sufficient to render gene expression controllable for specific cell - types or tissues ( i . e ., tissue - specific control elements ). typically , such elements are located upstream or downstream ( i . e ., 5 ′ and 3 ′) of the coding sequence . promoters are generally positioned 5 ′ of the coding sequence . promoters , produced by recombinant dna or synthetic techniques , can be used to provide for transcription of the polynucleotides of the invention . a “ promoter ” is meant a minimal sequence element sufficient to direct transcription . nucleic acids may be inserted into a plasmid for propagation into a host cell and for subsequent genetic manipulation if desired . a plasmid is a nucleic acid that can be stably propagated in a host cell ; plasmids may optionally contain expression control elements in order to drive expression of the nucleic acid . a vector is used herein synonymously with a plasmid and may also include an expression control element for expression in a host cell . plasmids and vectors generally contain at least an origin of replication for propagation in a cell and a promoter . plasmids and vectors are therefore useful for genetic manipulation of peptide and antibody encoding nucleic acids , producing peptides and antibodies or antisense , and expressing the peptides and antibodies in host cells or organisms , for example . bacterial system promoters include t7 and inducible promoters such as pl of bacteriophage λ , plac , ptrp , ptac ( ptrp - lac hybrid promoter ) and tetracycline responsive promoters . insect cell system promoters include constitutive or inducible promoters ( e . g ., ecdysone ). mammalian cell constitutive promoters include sv40 , rsv , bovine papilloma virus ( bpv ) and other virus promoters , or inducible promoters derived from the genome of mammalian cells ( e . g ., metallothionein iia promoter ; heat shock promoter ) or from mammalian viruses ( e . g ., the adenovirus late promoter ; the inducible mouse mammary tumor virus long terminal repeat ). alternatively , a retroviral genome can be genetically modified for introducing and directing expression of a protein or antibody in appropriate host cells . expression systems further include vectors designed for in vivo use . particular non - limiting examples include adenoviral vectors ( u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 700 , 470 and 5 , 731 , 172 ), adeno - associated vectors ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 604 , 090 ), herpes simplex virus vectors ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 501 , 979 ), retroviral vectors ( u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 624 , 820 , 5 , 693 , 508 and 5 , 674 , 703 ), bpv vectors ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 719 , 054 ) and cmv vectors ( u . s . pat . no . 5 , 561 , 063 ). yeast vectors include constitutive and inducible promoters ( see , e . g ., ausubel et al ., in : current protocols in molecular biology , vol . 2 , ch . 13 , ed ., greene publish . assoc . & amp ; wiley interscience , 1988 ; grant et al . methods in enzymology , 153 : 516 ( 1987 ), eds . wu & amp ; grossman ; bitter methods in enzymology , 152 : 673 ( 1987 ), eds . berger & amp ; kimmel , acad . press , n . y . ; and , strathern et al ., the molecular biology of the yeast saccharomyces ( 1982 ) eds . cold spring harbor press , vols . i and ii ). a constitutive yeast promoter such as adh or leu2 or an inducible promoter such as gal may be used ( r . rothstein in : dna cloning , a practical approach , vol . 11 , ch . 3 , ed . d . m . glover , irl press , wash ., d . c ., 1986 ). vectors that facilitate integration of foreign nucleic acid sequences into a yeast chromosome , via homologous recombination for example , are known in the art . yeast artificial chromosomes ( yac ) are typically used when the inserted polynucleotides are too large for more conventional vectors ( e . g ., greater than about 12 kb ). expression vectors also can contain a selectable marker conferring resistance to a selective pressure or identifiable marker ( e . g ., beta - galactosidase ), thereby allowing cells having the vector to be selected for , grown and expanded . alternatively , a selectable marker can be on a second vector that is cotransfected into a host cell with a first vector containing an invention polynucleotide . selection systems include but are not limited to herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene ( wigler et al ., cell 11 : 223 ( 1977 )), hypoxanthine - guanine phosphoribosyltransferase gene ( szybalska et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 48 : 2026 ( 1962 )), and adenine phosphoribosyltransferase ( lowy et al ., cell 22 : 817 ( 1980 )) genes which can be employed in tk −, hgprt − or aprt − cells , respectively . additionally , antimetabolite resistance can be used as the basis of selection for dhfr , which confers resistance to methotrexate ( o &# 39 ; hare et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 78 : 1527 ( 1981 )); the gpt gene , which confers resistance to mycophenolic acid ( mulligan et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 78 : 2072 ( 1981 )); neomycin gene , which confers resistance to aminoglycoside g - 418 ( colberre - garapin et al ., j . mol . biol . 150 : 1 ( 1981 )); puromycin ; and hygromycin gene , which confers resistance to hygromycin ( santerre et al ., gene 30 : 147 ( 1984 )). additional selectable genes include trpb , which allows cells to utilize indole in place of tryptophan ; hisd , which allows cells to utilize histinol in place of histidine ( hartman et al ., proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 85 : 8047 ( 1988 )); and odc ( ornithine decarboxylase ), which confers resistance to the ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor , 2 -( difluoromethyl )- dl - ornithine , dfmo ( mcconlogue ( 1987 ) in : current communications in molecular biology , cold spring harbor laboratory ). host cells that express a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic amino acid sequence are also provided . such cells which have a nucleic acid encoding light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic amino acid sequence introduced into the cell are referred to as a transformed cell . host and transformed cells include cells that do not express light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic amino acid sequence , but are used to propagate nucleic acid or vector which includes a nucleic acid encoding a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic amino acid sequence , or subsequence thereof . exemplary host and transformed cells express an amino acid sequence selected from any one of seq id nos : 3 to 10 . in one embodiment , a host or transformed cell is a prokaryotic cell . in another embodiment , a host or transformed cell is a eukaryotic cell . in various aspects , the eukaryotic cell is a yeast or mammalian ( e . g ., primate , human , etc .) cell . host and transformed cells include but are not limited to microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast ; and plant , insect and mammalian cells . for example , bacteria transformed with recombinant bacteriophage nucleic acid , plasmid nucleic acid or cosmid nucleic acid expression vectors ; yeast transformed with recombinant yeast expression vectors ; plant cell systems infected with recombinant virus expression vectors ( e . g ., cauliflower mosaic virus , camv ; tobacco mosaic virus , tmv ) or transformed with recombinant plasmid expression vectors ( e . g ., ti plasmid ); insect cell systems infected with recombinant virus expression vectors ( e . g ., baculovirus ); and animal cell systems infected with recombinant virus expression vectors ( e . g ., retroviruses , adenovirus , vaccinia virus ), or transformed animal cell systems engineered for transient or stable propagation or expression , are provided . cells in which an ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell or to an molecule present on the cell , such as light ( p30 polypeptide ), light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras , ltalpha1 beta2 , ltalpha2 beta1 , ltbeta or an ltbeta receptor antibody , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphisms and subsequences thereof , as well as nucleic acids encoding light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphisms and subsequences thereof include isolated or purified forms . the term “ isolated ,” when used as a modifier of a composition , means that the composition is made by the hand of man or is separated , substantially completely or at least in part , from the naturally occurring in vivo environment . generally , an isolated composition is substantially free of one or more materials with which it normally associates with in nature , for example , one or more protein , nucleic acid , lipid , carbohydrate , cell membrane . the term “ isolated ” does not exclude alternative physical forms of the composition , such as multimers / oligomers , variants , modifications or derivatized forms , or forms expressed in host cells produced by the hand of man . the term “ isolated ” also does not exclude forms ( e . g ., pharmaceutical formulations and combination compositions ) in which there are combinations therein , any one of which is produced by the hand of man . an “ isolated ” composition can also be “ purified ” when free of some , a substantial number of , most or all of the materials with which it typically associates with in nature . thus , a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphism that also is substantially pure does not include polypeptides or polynucleotides present among millions of other sequences , such as proteins of a protein library or nucleic acids in a genomic or cdna library , for example . a “ purified ” composition can be combined with one or more other molecules . in accordance with the invention , there are provided mixtures or combination compositions . in one embodiment , a mixture includes two or more cells in which an ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled , each of which cells optionally have a different ltbeta receptor agonist attached thereto . in another embodiment , a mixture includes two or more light ( p30 polypeptide ) sequences , such as a variant or polymorphism and a wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), or a first light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphism and a second light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphism different from the first light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphism . in a further embodiment , a mixture includes a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient , i . e ., a pharmaceutical composition or pharmaceutical formulation . compositions such as cells modified with an ltbeta receptor agonist and light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic amino acid sequences can be used to target undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells , hyperproliferative cells such as tumor , cancer , neoplastic and metastatic cells , and pathogen infected cells for lysis , cell death or apoptosis . disorders treatable in accordance with the invention therefore include undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation and hyperproliferative cells and disorders , for example , a subject having or at risk of undesirable , aberrant cell or abnormal hyperproliferative cells , tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells , or pathogen infected cells . cells modified with an ltbeta receptor agonist include cells that express one or more antigens of the target undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells or hyperproliferating cells , tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells and pathogen infected cells are applicable in various methods . thus , to target undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells , hyperproliferative cells , tumor , cancer , neoplastic and metastatic cells , these cells can be modified to have an ltbeta receptor agonist attached , conjugated or coupled to the cell membrane , and the modified cells are then in turn used to target the undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells , hyperproliferative cells , tumor , cancer , neoplastic , metastatic or pathogen infected cells for lysis , cell death or apoptosis . in this way , cells so modified can be used to target the undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells , hyperproliferative cells , tumor , cancer , neoplastic and metastatic cells , and pathogen infected cells . in accordance with the invention , there are provided methods of promoting , stimulating , inducing or increasing immunity against a hyperproliferative cell , tumor cell , cancer cell , neoplastic cell or metastatic cell , or pathogen infected cell . in one embodiment , a method includes administering to a subject or contacting a subject with an amount of a cell having ltbeta receptor agonist attached , conjugated or coupled to the cell membrane sufficient to promote , stimulate , induce or increase the subject &# 39 ; s immunity against the hyperproliferative cell , tumor cell , cancer cell , neoplastic cell metastatic cell or pathogen infected cell . in accordance with the invention , there are also provided methods of treating a subject for undesirable or abnormal hyperproliferative cells , tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells , or pathogen infected cells . in one embodiment , a method includes administering to the subject or contacting a subject with an amount of a cell having ltbeta receptor agonist attached , conjugated or coupled to the cell membrane effective to treat the subject for undesirable or abnormal hyperproliferative cells , tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells , or pathogen infected cells . in various aspects , the ltbeta receptor agonist includes light ( p30 polypeptide ), ltalpha1 beta2 , ltalpha2 beta1 , ltbeta or an ltbeta receptor antibody . in a particular aspect , an ltbeta receptor agonist includes light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic sequence , e . g ., light ( p30 polypeptide ) with increased or greater binding affinity for ltbeta receptor or hvem , or reduced or less binding affinity or avidity for dcr3 , such as any of seq id nos : 1 , 2 - 10 alone , or in combination . in an additional particular aspect , an antibody is an agonist that stimulates or increases activity of ltbeta receptor . the term “ hyperproliferative disorder ” refers to any undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell survival ( e . g ., failure to undergo programmed cell death or apoptosis ), growth or proliferation . such disorders include benign hyperplasias , non - metastatic tumors and metastatic ( neoplastic ) tumors and cancers . undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation and hyperproliferative disorders can affect any cell , tissue , organ , region or system in a subject . a tumor can arise from a multitude of tissues and organs , including but not limited to breast , lung , nasopharynx , thyroid , head and neck , brain , lymphoid , gastrointestinal ( mouth , esophagus , stomach , small intestine , colon , rectum ), genito - urinary tract ( uterus , ovary , cervix , bladder , vagina , testicle , penis , prostate ), kidney , pancreas , liver , bone , muscle , skin , which may or may not metastasize to other secondary sites . undesirable or aberrant cell proliferation and hyperproliferative disorders can affect any cell or tissue type , e . g ., carcinoma , sarcoma , melanoma , neural , and reticuloendothelial or hematopoietic neoplastic cells and disorders ( e . g ., myeloma , lymphoma or leukemia ). undesirable or aberrant cell proliferation and hyperproliferative disorders can be present in a subject locally , regionally or systemically . the terms “ tumor ,” “ cancer ” and “ neoplasia ” are used interchangeably and refer to a cell or population of cells whose growth , proliferation or survival is greater than growth , proliferation or survival of a normal counterpart cell , e . g . a cell proliferative or differentiative disorder . typically , the growth is uncontrolled . the term “ malignancy ” refers to invasion of nearby tissue . the term “ metastasis ” refers to spread or dissemination of a tumor , cancer or neoplasia to more distal tissues or sites within the subject . the term “ pathogen infected cell ” refers to cells such as a autologous human blood cell infected with a virus , or is induced ( transformed ) to express a viral , bacterial or parasite ( pathogen ) gene or genes that may stimulate immunity when that cell also has attached , conjugated or coupled thereto an ltbeta receptor agonist . administering such pathogen infected cells that have attached , conjugated or coupled thereto an ltbeta receptor agonist allows the expressed pathogen antigens to induce an immune response ( e . g ., protective immunity ) against the antigen . the term “ contacting ” means direct or indirect binding or interaction between two or more entities ( e . g ., between ltbeta receptor and an agonist , a cell in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane and a subject , etc .). contacting as used herein includes in solution , in solid phase , in vitro , ex vivo , in a cell and in vivo . contacting in vivo can be referred to as administering , or administration . cells comprising a tumor may be aggregated in a cell mass or be dispersed . a “ solid tumor ” refers to neoplasia or metastasis that typically aggregates together and forms a mass . specific non - limiting examples include visceral tumors such as melanomas , breast , pancreatic , uterine and ovarian cancers , testicular cancer , including seminomas , gastric or colon cancer , hepatomas , adrenal , renal and bladder carcinomas , lung , head and neck cancers and brain tumors / cancers . carcinomas , which refer to malignancies of epithelial or endocrine tissue , include respiratory system carcinomas , gastrointestinal system carcinomas , genitourinary system carcinomas , testicular carcinomas , breast carcinomas , prostatic carcinomas , endocrine system carcinomas , and melanomas . exemplary carcinomas include those forming from the uterus , cervix , lung , prostate , breast , head and neck , colon , pancreas , testes , adrenal , kidney , esophagus , stomach , liver and ovary . the term also includes carcinosarcomas , e . g ., which include malignant tumors composed of carcinomatous and sarcomatous tissues . adenocarcinoma includes a carcinoma of a glandular tissue , or in which the tumor forms a gland like structure . sarcomas refer to malignant tumors of mesenchymal cell origin . exemplary sarcomas include for example , lymphosarcoma , liposarcoma , osteosarcoma , chondrosarcoma , leiomyosarcoma , rhabdomyosarcoma and fibrosarcoma . a “ liquid tumor ,” which refers to neoplasia that is diffuse in nature , as they do not typically form a solid mass . particular examples include neoplasia of the reticuloendothelial or hematopoetic system , such as lymphomas , myelomas and leukemias . non - limiting examples of leukemias include acute and chronic lymphoblastic , myeolblastic and multiple myeloma . typically , such diseases arise from poorly differentiated acute leukemias , e . g ., erythroblastic leukemia and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia . specific myeloid disorders include , but are not limited to , acute promyeloid leukemia ( apml ), acute myelogenous leukemia ( aml ) and chronic myelogenous leukemia ( cml ). lymphoid malignancies include , but are not limited to , acute lymphoblastic leukemia ( all ), which includes b - lineage all and t - lineage all , chronic lymphocytic leukemia ( cll ), prolymphocytic leukemia ( pll ), hairy cell leukemia ( hll ) and waldenstrom &# 39 ; s macroglobulinemia ( wm ). specific malignant lymphomas include , non - hodgkin lymphoma and variants , peripheral t cell lymphomas , adult t cell leukemia / lymphoma ( atl ), cutaneous t - cell lymphoma ( ctcl ), large granular lymphocytic leukemia ( lgf ), hodgkin &# 39 ; s disease and reed - sternberg disease . the tumor , cancer , malignancy or neoplasia , may be in any stage , e . g ., early or advanced , such as a stage i , ii , iii , iv or v tumor . the tumor may have been subject to a prior treatment or be stabilized ( non - progressing ) or in remission . cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , and methods of the invention include anti - proliferative , anti - tumor , anti - cancer , anti - neoplastic treatments , protocols and therapies , which include any other composition , treatment , protocol or therapeutic regimen that inhibits , decreases , retards , slows , reduces or prevents a hyperproliferative disorder , such as tumor , cancer , malignant or neoplastic growth , progression , metastasis , proliferation or survival , or worsening in vitro or in vivo . particular non - limiting examples of an anti - proliferative ( e . g ., tumor or cancer ) therapy include chemotherapy , immunotherapy , radiotherapy ( ionizing or chemical ), local thermal ( hyperthermia ) therapy and surgical resection . any composition , treatment , protocol , therapy or regimen having an anti - cell proliferative activity or effect can be used in combination with a cell in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , in a method of the invention . anti - proliferative or anti - tumor compositions , therapies , protocols or treatments include those that prevent , disrupt , interrupt , inhibit or delay cell cycle progression or cell proliferation ; stimulate or enhance apoptosis or cell death , inhibit nucleic acid or protein synthesis or metabolism , inhibit cell division , or decrease , reduce or inhibit cell survival , or production or utilization of a necessary cell survival factor , growth factor or signaling pathway ( extracellular or intracellular ). non - limiting examples of chemical agent classes having anti - cell proliferative and anti - tumor activities include alkylating agents , anti - metabolites , plant extracts , plant alkaloids , nitrosoureas , hormones , nucleoside and nucleotide analogues . specific examples of drugs having anti - cell proliferative and anti - tumor activities include cyclophosphamide , azathioprine , cyclosporin a , prednisolone , melphalan , chlorambucil , mechlorethamine , busulphan , methotrexate , 6 - mercaptopurine , thioguanine , 5 - fluorouracil , cytosine arabinoside , azt , 5 - azacytidine ( 5 - azc ) and 5 - azacytidine related compounds such as decitabine ( 5 - aza - 2 ′ deoxycytidine ), cytarabine , 1 - beta - d - arabinofuranosyl - 5 - azacytosine and dihydro - 5 - azacytidine , bleomycin , actinomycin d , mithramycin , mitomycin c , carmustine , lomustine , semustine , streptozotocin , hydroxyurea , cisplatin , mitotane , procarbazine , dacarbazine , taxol , vinblastine , vincristine , doxorubicin and dibromomannitol . additional agents that are applicable with the compositions and methods can be employed . for example , monoclonal antibodies that bind tumor cells or oncogene products , such as rituxan ® and herceptin ( trastuzumab )( anti - her - 2 neu antibody ), bevacizumab ( avastin ), zevalin , bexxar , oncolym , 17 - 1a ( edrecolomab ), 3f8 ( anti - neuroblastoma antibody ), mdx - ctla4 , campath ®, mylotarg , imc - c225 ( cetuximab ), aurinstatin conjugates of cbr96 and cac10 ( doronina et al . nat . biotechnol . 21 : 778 ( 2003 )) can be used in combination with , inter alia , a modified cell or light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form in accordance with the invention . methods of treating a tumor , cancer , neoplasia malignancy , or pathogen infected cells , methods of treating a subject in need of due to having or at risk of having a tumor , cancer , neoplasia , malignancy , or pathogen infected cells and methods of increasing effectiveness or improving an anti - tumor , anti - cancer , anti - neoplasia , anti - malignancy , or anti - pathogen infected cell therapy are provided . in respective embodiments , a method includes administering to a subject with or at risk of a tumor , cancer , neoplasia , malignancy , or pathogen infected cells an amount of cell in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell , or an amount of a variant and polymorphic form of light ( p30 polypeptide ), sufficient to treat the tumor , cancer , neoplasia , malignancy or pathogen infected cells ; administering to the subject an amount of a cell in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell , or a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form , sufficient to treat the subject ; and administering to a subject that is undergoing or has undergone tumor , cancer , neoplasia , malignancy therapy or therapy for pathogen infected cells , an amount of a cell in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell , or variant or polymorphic form of light ( p30 polypeptide ), sufficient to increase effectiveness of the anti - tumor , anti - cancer , anti - neoplasia , anti - malignancy or anti - pathogen infected cell therapy . methods of the invention may be practiced prior to ( i . e . prophylaxis ), concurrently with or after evidence of the presence of undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation or a hyperproliferative disorder , or pathogen infected cells e . g ., one or more symptoms . administering cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , or a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form , prior to , concurrently with or immediately following development of a symptom of undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation , a hyperproliferative disorder or pathogen infected cells may decrease the occurrence , frequency , severity , progression , or duration of one or more symptoms in the subject . in addition , administering cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , or a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form , prior to , concurrently with or immediately following development of one or more symptoms may decrease or prevent the spread of hyperproliferating cells ( e . g ., tumor or cancer metastasis ) or pathogen infected cells to other regions , tissues or organs in a subject . cells having ltbeta receptor attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , and the methods of the invention , such as treatment methods , can provide a detectable or measurable therapeutic benefit or improvement to a subject . a therapeutic benefit or improvement is any measurable or detectable , objective or subjective , transient , temporary , or longer - term benefit to the subject or improvement in the condition , disorder or disease , an adverse symptom , consequence or underlying cause , of any degree , in a tissue , organ , cell or cell population of the subject . therapeutic benefits and improvements include , but are not limited to , reducing or decreasing occurrence , frequency , severity , progression , or duration of one or more symptoms or complications associated with a disorder , disease or condition , or an underlying cause or consequential effect of the disorder , disease or condition . cells having ltbeta receptor attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , and methods of the invention therefore include providing a therapeutic benefit or improvement to a subject . in a method of the invention in which a therapeutic benefit or improvement is a desired outcome , cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , or light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , can be administered in a sufficient or effective amount to a subject in need thereof . an “ amount sufficient ” or “ amount effective ” refers to an amount that provides , in single or multiple doses , alone or in combination , with one or more other compositions ( therapeutic agents such as a chemotherapeutic or immune stimulating drug ), treatments , protocols , or therapeutic regimens agents , a detectable response of any duration of time ( long or short term ), a desired outcome in or a benefit to a subject of any measurable or detectable degree or for any duration of time ( e . g ., for hours , days , months , years , or cured ). the doses or “ sufficient amount ” or “ effective amount ” for treatment ( e . g ., to provide a therapeutic benefit or improvement ) typically are effective to ameliorate a disorder , disease or condition , or one , multiple or all adverse symptoms , consequences or complications of the disorder , disease or condition , to a measurable extent , although reducing or inhibiting a progression or worsening of the disorder , disease or condition or a symptom , is considered a satisfactory outcome . the term “ ameliorate ” means a detectable objective or subjective improvement in a subject &# 39 ; s condition . a detectable improvement includes a subjective or objective reduction in the occurrence , frequency , severity , progression , or duration of a symptom caused by or associated with a disorder , disease or condition , an improvement in an underlying cause or a consequence of the disorder , disease or condition , or a reversal of the disorder , disease or condition . treatment can therefore result in inhibiting , reducing or preventing a disorder , disease or condition , or an associated symptom or consequence , or underlying cause ; inhibiting , reducing or preventing a progression or worsening of a disorder , disease , condition , symptom or consequence , or underlying cause ; or further deterioration or occurrence of one or more additional symptoms of the disorder , disease condition , or symptom . thus , a successful treatment outcome leads to a “ therapeutic effect ,” or “ benefit ” or inhibiting , reducing or preventing the occurrence , frequency , severity , progression , or duration of one or more symptoms or underlying causes or consequences of a condition , disorder , disease or symptom in the subject . treatment methods affecting one or more underlying causes of the condition , disorder , disease or symptom are therefore considered to be beneficial . stabilizing or inhibiting progression or worsening of a disorder or condition is also a successful treatment outcome . a therapeutic benefit or improvement therefore need not be complete ablation of any one , most or all symptoms , complications , consequences or underlying causes associated with the condition , disorder or disease . thus , a satisfactory endpoint is achieved when there is an incremental improvement in a subject &# 39 ; s condition , or a partial reduction in the occurrence , frequency , severity , progression , or duration , or inhibition or reversal , of one or more associated adverse symptoms or complications or consequences or underlying causes , worsening or progression ( e . g ., stabilizing one or more symptoms or complications of the condition , disorder or disease ), of one or more of the physiological , biochemical or cellular manifestations or characteristics of the disorder or disease , over a short or long duration of time ( hours , days , weeks , months , etc .). an amount sufficient or an amount effective can but need not be provided in a single administration and , can but need not be , administered alone or in combination with another composition ( e . g ., chemotherapeutic or immune stimulating agent ), treatment , protocol or therapeutic regimen . for example , the amount may be proportionally increased as indicated by the need of the subject , status of the disorder , disease or condition treated or the side effects of treatment . in addition , an amount sufficient or an amount effective need not be sufficient or effective if given in single or multiple doses without a second composition ( e . g ., chemotherapeutic or immune stimulating agent ), treatment , protocol or therapeutic regimen , since additional doses , amounts or duration above and beyond such doses , or additional compositions ( e . g ., chemotherapeutic or immune stimulating agents ), treatments , protocols or therapeutic regimens may be included in order to be considered effective or sufficient in a given subject . amounts considered sufficient also include amounts that result in a reduction of the use of another treatment , therapeutic regimen or protocol . an amount sufficient or an amount effective need not be effective in each and every subject treated , prophylactically or therapeutically , nor a majority of treated subjects in a given group or population . as is typical for treatment or therapeutic methods , some subjects will exhibit greater or less response to a given treatment , therapeutic regimen or protocol . an amount sufficient or an amount effective refers to sufficiency or effectiveness in a particular subject , not a group or the general population . such amounts will depend in part upon the condition treated , such as the type or stage of undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation or hyperproliferative disorder ( e . g ., a cancer , tumor , neoplasia or malignancy ), or pathogen infected cell , the therapeutic effect desired , as well as the individual subject ( e . g ., the bioavailability within the subject , responsiveness of the subject , gender , age , etc .). particular non - limiting examples of therapeutic benefit or improvement for undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation , such as a hyperproliferative disorder ( e . g ., a cancer , tumor , neoplasia or malignancy ) or pathogen infected cells , include a reduction in size , mass or volume , inhibiting or preventing an increase in size , mass or volume , or increased numbers or metastasis of hyperproliferative cells ( e . g ., tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells ), or pathogen infected cells , a slowing or inhibition of worsening or progression , stimulating cell lysis or apoptosis , decreasing , reducing or inhibiting proliferation or numbers of the hyperproliferative cells , tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells , or pathogen infected cells , or decreasing , reducing or inhibiting tumor or cancer metastasis , or stabilizing numbers of hyperproliferative cells ( e . g ., tumor cells , cancer cells , neoplastic cells , metastatic cells ), or pathogen infected cells , reducing mortality , and prolonging lifespan of a subject . thus , inhibiting or delaying an increase in size , mass , volume or metastasis ( stabilization ) can increase lifespan ( reduce mortality ) even if only for a few days , weeks or months , even though complete ablation of the cancer , tumor , neoplasia , malignancy or pathogen infected cells has not occurred . a reduction in the occurrence , frequency , severity , progression , or duration of a symptom of undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation , such as a hyperproliferative disorder ( e . g ., a cancer , tumor , neoplasia or malignancy ), or pathogen infected cells , such as an improvement in subjective feeling ( e . g ., increased energy , appetite , reduced nausea , improved mobility or psychological well being , etc . ), are all examples of therapeutic benefit or improvement . adverse symptoms and complications associated with a hyperproliferative disorder ( e . g ., a cancer , tumor , neoplasia or malignancy ) that can be reduced or decreased include , for example , pain , nausea , lack of appetite , lethargy and weakness . for example , a sufficient or effective amount of cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , or a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form , is considered as having a therapeutic effect if administration results in less chemotherapeutic drug , radiation , immunotherapy or pathogen therapy being required for treatment of undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cell proliferation , such as a hyperproliferative disorder ( e . g ., a cancer , tumor , neoplasia or malignancy ) or pathogen infected cells . the term “ subject ” refers to animals , typically mammalian animals , such as humans , non human primates ( apes , gibbons , chimpanzees , orangutans , macaques ), domestic animals ( dogs and cats ), farm animals ( horses , cows , goats , sheep , pigs ) and experimental animal ( mouse , rat , rabbit , guinea pig ). subjects include animal disease models , for example , animal models of undesirable or aberrant cell proliferation , such as a hyperproliferative disorder ( e . g ., a cancer , tumor , neoplasia or malignancy ) or pathogen infected cells for analysis or study in vivo . subjects appropriate for treatment include those having or at risk of having undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells , such as tumor , cancer , neoplastic , malignant or metastatic cells , or pathogen infected cells , those undergoing as well as those who are undergoing or have undergone anti - tumor , anti - cancer , anti - neoplastic , anti - malignant or anti - metastatic cells , or anti - pathogen infected cells therapy , including subjects in remission . the invention is therefore applicable to treating a subject who is at risk of undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells , a tumor , cancer , neoplastic , malignancy or metastasis , or pathogen infected cells or an associated complication , for example , due to reappearance or regrowth following a period of quiescence or remission . “ at risk ” subjects typically have risk factors associated with undesirable or aberrant immune response , immune disorder or immune disease , development of hyperplasia ( e . g ., a cancer or tumor ), or exposure to or contact with a pathogen . risk factors include gender , lifestyle ( diet , smoking ), occupation ( medical and clinical personnel , agricultural and livestock workers ), environmental factors ( carcinogen exposure ), family history ( autoimmune disorders , diabetes , etc . ), genetic predisposition , exposure , etc . for example , subjects at risk for developing melanoma include excess sun exposure ( ultraviolet radiation ), fair skin , high numbers of naevi ( dysplastic nevus ), patient phenotype , family history , or a history of a previous melanoma . subjects at risk for developing cancer can therefore be identified by lifestyle , occupation , environmental factors , family history , and genetic screens for tumor associated genes , gene deletions or gene mutations . subjects at risk for developing breast cancer lack brca1 , for example . subjects at risk for developing colon cancer have early age or high frequency polyp formation , or deleted or mutated tumor suppressor genes , such as adenomatous polyposis coli ( apc ), for example . subjects at risk for immunodeficiency with hyper - igm ( him ) have a defect in the gene tnfsf5 , found on chromosome x at q26 , for example . susceptibility to autoimmune disease is frequently associated with mhc genotype . for example , in diabetes there is an association with hla - dr3 and hla - dr4 . compositions , including cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , can be administered to provide the intended effect as a single or multiple , for example , in an effective or sufficient amount . exemplary dosages are administered on consecutive days , or alternating days or intermittently . single or multiple doses can be administered on the same or consecutive days , alternating days or intermittently . compositions can be administered and methods may be practiced via systemic , regional or local administration , by any route . for example , cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , or light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , may be administered systemically , regionally or locally , intravenously , orally ( e . g ., ingestion or inhalation ), intramuscularly , intraperitoneally , intradermally , subcutaneously , intracavity , intracranially , transdermally ( topical ), parenterally , e . g . transmucosally or rectally . compositions and methods of the invention including pharmaceutical formulations can be administered via a ( micro ) encapsulated delivery system or packaged into an implant for administration . the invention further provides cells in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants and polymorphic forms , and light ( p30 polypeptide ) chimeras , included in pharmaceutical compositions and formulations . a pharmaceutical composition refers to “ pharmaceutically acceptable ” and “ physiologically acceptable ” carriers , diluents or excipients . as used herein , the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ” and “ physiologically acceptable ,” when referring to carriers , diluents or excipients includes solvents ( aqueous or non - aqueous ), detergents , solutions , emulsions , dispersion media , coatings , isotonic and absorption promoting or delaying agents , compatible with pharmaceutical administration and with the other components of the formulation . such formulations can be contained in a tablet ( coated or uncoated ), capsule ( hard or soft ), microbead , emulsion , powder , granule , crystal , suspension , syrup or elixir . pharmaceutical compositions can be formulated to be compatible with a particular route of administration . compositions for parenteral , intradermal , or subcutaneous administration can include a sterile diluent , such as water , saline solution , fixed oils , polyethylene glycols , glycerine , propylene glycol or other synthetic solvents . the preparation may contain one or more preservatives to prevent microorganism growth ( e . g ., antibacterial agents such as benzyl alcohol or methyl parabens ; antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or sodium bisulfate ; chelating agents such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid ; buffers such as acetates , citrates or phosphates and agents for the adjustment of tonicity such as sodium chloride or dextrose ). pharmaceutical compositions for injection include sterile aqueous solutions ( where water soluble ) or dispersions and sterile powders for the extemporaneous preparation of sterile injectable solutions or dispersion . for intravenous administration , suitable carriers include physiological saline , bacteriostatic water , cremophor el ™ ( basf , parsippany , n . j .) or phosphate buffered saline ( pbs ). the carrier can be a solvent or dispersion medium containing , for example , water , ethanol , polyol ( e . g ., glycerol , propylene glycol , and polyetheylene glycol ), and suitable mixtures thereof . fluidity can be maintained , for example , by the use of a coating such as lecithin , or by the use of surfactants . antibacterial and antifungal agents include , for example , parabens , chlorobutanol , phenol , ascorbic acid and thimerosal . including an agent that delays absorption , for example , aluminum monostearate and gelatin can prolonged absorption of injectable compositions . for transmucosal or transdermal administration , penetrants appropriate to the barrier to be permeated are used in the formulation . such penetrants are known in the art , and include , for example , for transmucosal administration , detergents , bile salts , and fusidic acid derivatives ; for transdermal administration , ointments , salves , gels , or creams . additional pharmaceutical formulations and delivery systems are known in the art and are applicable in the methods of the invention ( see , e . g ., remington &# 39 ; s pharmaceutical sciences ( 1990 ) 18th ed ., mack publishing co ., easton , pa . ; the merck index ( 1996 ) 12th ed ., merck publishing group , whitehouse , n . j . ; pharmaceutical principles of solid dosage forms , technonic publishing co ., inc ., lancaster , pa ., ( 1993 ); and poznansky , et al ., drug delivery systems , r . l . juliano , ed ., oxford , n . y . ( 1980 ), pp . 253 - 315 ). in accordance with the invention , there are provided , methods of producing a cell having an ltbeta receptor agonist attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell ( e . g ., to a molecule present on the cell membrane , such as a polypeptide , or carbohydrate ). in one embodiment , a method includes contacting a cell with ltbeta receptor agonist under conditions allowing binding between said cell and said ltbeta receptor agonist ( e . g ., via an intermediary molecule ), thereby producing a cell having ltbeta receptor agonist attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell . in a particular aspect , the ltbeta receptor agonist is not expressed from a nucleic acid in the cell that encodes the ltbeta receptor agonist , but rather is attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane via a covalent or non - covalent bond . in another embodiment , a method includes contacting a cell with a light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form under conditions allowing binding between the light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form , thereby producing a cell having light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane of the cell . in a particular aspect of this embodiment , the light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form is expressed from a nucleic acid in the cell that encodes the light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form . in particular aspects , an ltbeta receptor agonist includes one or more of light ( p30 polypeptide ), ltalpha1 beta2 , ltalpha2 beta1 , ltbeta or an ltbeta receptor antibody , or a chimeric protein which comprises a binding portion , such as a ligand , receptor or antibody or antibody subsequence that binds to a molecule present on the cell membrane . in more particular aspects , light ( p30 polypeptide ) includes a full length amino acid sequence , an extracellular amino acid sequence of light ( e . g ., as set forth in seq id no : 1 ), or a soluble form of light ( e . g ., lightt66 , or as set forth in seq id no : 2 ). in additional particular aspects , light ( p30 polypeptide ) includes light ( p30 polypeptide ) amino acid sequence with reduced affinity for dcr3 ( decoy receptor 3 ) as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), a light ( p30 polypeptide ) amino acid sequence with greater affinity for ltβr or hvem as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), or a light ( p30 polypeptide ) amino acid sequence with greater affinity for ltβr or hvem and with reduced affinity for dcr3 ( decoy receptor 3 ) as compared to native wild type light ( p30 polypeptide ), for example , a light ( p30 polypeptide ) amino acid sequence selected from any one of seq id nos : 3 to 10 . in further particular aspects , the cell is a hyperproliferative cell , a tumor cell , cancer cell , neoplastic cell , a metastatic cell or a pathogen infected cell , or the cells expresses a molecule selected from a tumor cell or a cancer cell antigen , a neoplastic cell or a metastatic cell antigen , a viral antigen , a bacterial antigen , a fungal antigen , or a parasite antigen . cells may be eukaryotic , mammalian ( e . g ., human ) cells , that may be dead or alive . in additional particular aspects , the cell is contacted with a first moiety ( e . g ., biotin or a biotin derivative ) followed by contact with a second moiety ( e . g ., avidin , neutravidin or streptavidin , or a derivative or amino acid variant thereof ) thereby producing a molecule comprising a first moiety bound to the cell , and a second moiety bound to the first moiety , said moieties comprising an intermediary molecule . in still further particular aspects , the ltbeta receptor agonist binding to the cell membrane occurs via binding to an antibody present on the cell membrane , the ltbeta receptor agonist binds to the cell membrane via cross - linking the ltbeta receptor agonist to a molecule ( e . g ., protein or carbohydrate ) on the cell membrane . the invention provides kits including a cell having an ltbeta receptor agonist attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane , light ( p30 polypeptide ) variants or polymorphic forms , combination compositions and pharmaceutical formulations thereof , packaged into suitable packaging material . a kit optionally includes a label or packaging insert including a description of the components or instructions for use in vitro , in vivo , or ex vivo , of the components therein . exemplary instructions include instructions for reducing or inhibiting proliferation of a cell , reducing or inhibiting proliferation of a hyperproliferating cell , reducing or inhibiting proliferation of a neoplastic , tumor or cancer cell , malignancy or metastasis , or pathogen infected cell , treating a subject having a hyperproliferative disorder , treating a subject having a metastatic or non - metastatic neoplasia , tumor , cancer , or malignancy , or pathogen infected cells . the term “ packaging material ” refers to a physical structure housing the components of the kit . the packaging material can maintain the components sterilely , and can be made of material commonly used for such purposes ( e . g ., paper , corrugated fiber , glass , plastic , foil , ampules , vials , tubes , etc .). kits of the invention can include labels or inserts . labels or inserts include “ printed matter ,” e . g ., paper or cardboard , or separate or affixed to a component , a kit or packing material ( e . g ., a box ), or attached to an ampule , tube or vial containing a kit component . labels or inserts can additionally include a computer readable medium , such as a disk ( e . g ., floppy diskette , hard disk , zip disk ), optical disk such as cd - or dvd - rom / ram , dvd , mp3 , magnetic tape , or an electrical storage media such as ram and rom or hybrids of these such as magnetic / optical storage media , flash media or memory type cards . labels or inserts can include identifying information of one or more components therein , dose amounts , clinical pharmacology of the active ingredient ( s ) including mechanism of action , pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics . labels or inserts can include information identifying manufacturer information , lot numbers , manufacturer location and date . labels or inserts can include information on a condition , disorder , disease or symptom for which a kit component may be used . labels or inserts can include instructions for the clinician or for a subject for using one or more of the kit components in a method , treatment protocol or therapeutic regimen . instructions can include dosage amounts , frequency or duration , and instructions for practicing any of the methods , treatment protocols or therapeutic regimes set forth herein . exemplary instructions include instructions for treating undesirable , aberrant or abnormal cells , a hyperproliferative disorder or pathogen infected cells . kits of the invention therefore can additionally include labels or instructions for practicing any of the methods of the invention described herein including treatment , detection , monitoring or diagnostic methods . labels or inserts can include information on any benefit that a component may provide , such as a prophylactic or therapeutic benefit . labels or inserts can include information on potential adverse side effects , such as warnings to the subject or clinician regarding situations where it would not be appropriate to use a particular composition . adverse side effects could also occur when the subject has , will be or is currently taking one or more other medications that may be incompatible with the composition , or the subject has , will be or is currently undergoing another treatment protocol or therapeutic regimen which would be incompatible with the composition and , therefore , instructions could include information regarding such incompatibilities . invention kits can additionally include other components . each component of the kit can be enclosed within an individual container and all of the various containers can be within a single package . invention kits can be designed for cold storage . invention kits can further be designed to contain host cells expressing peptides or antibodies of the invention , or that contain encoding nucleic acids . the cells in the kit can be maintained under appropriate storage conditions until the cells are ready to be used . for example , a kit including one or more cells can contain appropriate cell storage medium so that the cells can be thawed and grown . unless otherwise defined , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . although methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention , suitable methods and materials are described herein . all applications , publications , patents and other references , genbank citations and atcc citations cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety . in case of conflict , the specification , including definitions , will control . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ”, “ and ,” and “ the ” include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . thus , for example , reference to “ a cell in which ltbeta receptor agonist has been attached , conjugated or coupled to the membrane ” or a “ light ( p30 polypeptide ) variant or polymorphic form ” includes a plurality of such cells , variants or polymorphic forms , and so forth . as used herein , all numerical values or numerical ranges include integers within such ranges and fractions of the values or the integers within ranges unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . thus , for example , reference to a range of 90 - 100 %, includes 91 %, 92 %, 93 %, 94 %, 95 %, 95 %, 97 %, etc ., as well as 91 . 1 %, 91 . 2 %, 91 . 3 %, 91 . 4 %, 91 . 5 %, etc ., 92 . 1 %, 92 . 2 %, 92 . 3 %, 92 . 4 %, 92 . 5 %, etc ., and so forth . the invention is generally disclosed herein using affirmative language to describe the numerous embodiments . the invention also specifically includes embodiments in which particular subject matter is excluded , in full or in part , such as substances or materials , method steps and conditions , protocols , procedures , assays or analysis . thus , even though the invention is generally not expressed herein in terms of what the invention does not include , aspects that are not expressly included in the invention are nevertheless disclosed herein . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the following examples are intended to illustrate but not limit the scope of invention described in the claims . biotin based immobilization of light on tumor cells : a schematic illustration for the assembling of a light decorated cancer cells ( fig1 ) shows the procedure involves three successive steps : ( i ) biotinylation of cancer cells , ( ii ) biotinylation of soluble light , and ( iii ) immobilization of soluble light on the biotinylated cancer cells . aseptic techniques are required throughout the procedures . biotinylation of cancer cells : the source of cancer cells can be purified from wide variety of malignant tissues after tumor resection ( greiner , et al ., j lab clin med 109 : 244 ( 1987 ); and o &# 39 ; brien , et al ., cytometry 28 : 81 ( 1997 ). in this preparation , we used el4 cells . 50 × 10 6 of el4 cells were washed 3 times with ice - cold dulbecco &# 39 ; s phosphate buffer saline ( pbs ) ph 8 . 0 ( invitrogen corporation , usa ; cat . # 14190 - 144 ) to remove any contaminating proteins from the tissue culture media . the cells were equally divided into 2 tubes ( 25 × 10 6 cells / tube ), and were resuspended in 1 ml pbs ( ph 8 . 0 ). a commercially available biotinylation reagent , nhs - peo4 - biotin ( pierce , ill ., usa ; cat . # 21329 ), was used in this labeling reaction . immediately before use , 200 μl of ultrapure distilled water ( invitrogen corporation , cat . # 10977 - 015 ) was added to 2 mg of nhs - peo4 - biotin , and 50 μl of the nhs - peo4 - biotin solution was added to each tube containing 25 × 10 6 el4 cells . the samples were incubated at room temperature for 30 minutes with intermittent mixing in every 5 minutes . the cells were then washed 3 times with 1 ml cold pbs ( ph 8 . 0 ) to remove non - reacted biotinylation reagent . the prepared el4 cells were fixed in 1 % formalin ( protocol ™, usa ; cat . # 245 - 684 ) on ice for 30 minutes , washed for 4 times with 1 . 2 ml ice - cold pbs ( ph 7 . 4 ), and stored at 4 ° c . biotinylation of soluble light : purified soluble human light ( lightt66 , concentration = 0 . 262 mg / ml in pbs , ph 8 . 0 ) was used in the biotin labeling reaction ( rooney , et al . j . biol . chem . 275 : 14307 ( 2000 )). immediately before use , 200 μl of ultrapure distilled water ( invitrogen ) was added to 2 mg of nhs - peo4 - biotin , and 3 . 7 ml of the nhs - peo4 - biotin solution was added to lightt66 . the sample was incubated on ice for 2 hours . afterwards , 42 μl of 1 m tris ( ph 8 . 0 ) ( fisher scientific , usa ; cat . # bp154 - 1 ) was added to stop the reaction . the sample was dialyzed against 1 liter of pbs with buffer exchanged three times . the biotinylated lightt66 was sterilized by filtering through a 0 . 22 mm millex - gv filter ( millipore , ireland , cat . # slgv004sl ), subdivided into small aliquots , and stored in − 80 ° c . immobilization of soluble light on the biotinylated cancer cells : biotinylated and formalin fixed el4 cells ( 30 × 10 6 ) were used in this preparation . the cells were resuspended in 1 ml pbs ( ph 7 . 4 ) and were incubated with 10 μg / ml of neutravidin ™ ( pierce ; cat . # 31000 ) for 30 minutes . the cells were washed 4 times with 1 ml ice - cold pbs ( ph 7 . 4 ) to remove the free neutravidin ™. the cells were then incubated with biotinylated lightt66 ( 1 μg / ml ) for 45 minutes and washed 3 times with 1 ml ice - cold pbs ( ph 7 . 4 ) to remove the unincorporated light . the prepared cells were resuspended in sterile pbs ( 40 × 10 6 cells / ml ) and stored in 4 ° c . for in vivo anti - tumor studies . this example shows data demonstrating suppression of tumor growth by expressing light on the surface of tumor cells . to analyze the efficacy of light mediating tumor rejection , the el4 tumor model was used . el4 is a mouse thymoma cancer cell line derived from c57 / bl6 ( b6 ) mouse . when el4 cells were injected subcutaneously into syngeneic b6 mouse , a solid tumor develops in 5 to 7 days and progresses to a lethal tumor typically by 15 - 20 days . human light as a potential immunotherapeutic was used . an el4 cell line stably expressing light was made using recombinant retrovirus . human light expressing el4 cells ( el4 - light ) were injected subcutaneously into syngeneic b6 mice , and the growth of the tumor was monitored . the average tumor size achieved between the control ( 7 . 5 cm 3 ) and the test group over a 15 - 20 day time frame was significantly different ( p & lt ; 0 . 05 ) ( fig1 a ). a massive tumor grew in mice injected with el4 cells that were transduced with control empty vector ( el4 - v ). in contrast , in mice injected with el4 - light cells tumors did not grow and thus were rejected . this result demonstrates that human light induced anti - tumor responses when expressed in mouse tumor cells . to determine if unmodified el4 cells would grow in the presence of light - expressing el4 cells , equal numbers of el4 - v and el4 - light cells were separately injected in the same mouse . el4 - v cells were used as a control ( fig1 b ). in mice injected with el4 - v cells , the tumor grew rapidly . for the co - injection group , the presence of light - expressing el4 cells triggered the rejection of the non - light expressing el4 tumor at the distal location , showing a systemic effect of tumor rejection . this result is important for two reasons . first , it shows that the tumor rejection was not due to the present of a human protein because the el4 - v cells , which did not have light , were also rejected . second , the results demonstrated that light expressing el4 cells were capable of mediating a systemic response against the el4 tumor . this example shows the effect of the light isoform in stimulating anti - tumor responses . in human and mouse , there exist at least three major isoforms of light ( membrane light , soluble light and lightδtm )( granger , et al ., j immunol 167 : 5122 ( 2001 ). membrane light represents the full - length form of light with a transmembrane anchor . membrane light can be shed ( proteolytically cleaved on the outside of the cell ), into a soluble form , and the third isoform of light is formed by alternate splicing , generating a deletion of the transmembrane domain ( lightδtm ). lightδtm lacks the transmembrane domain and is located to the cytosol . to determine if these other isoforms of light induce anti - tumor responses , el4 cell lines that stably express a soluble form of light ( el4 - lightt66 ) and lightδtm ( el4 - lightδtm ) were made using recombinant retroviruses . these cell lines were injected into two groups of mice and the growth of tumor monitored . the results ( fig2 a ) establish that cells expressing either soluble light or lightδtm were unable to induce an anti - tumor response . to determine if soluble light impairs tumor rejection mediated by el4 - light , a mixture of el4 - light and el4 - lightt66 were injected into b6 mice and the tumor growth was monitored ( fig2 b ). mice injected with el4 - light cells showed a complete loss of tumor growth . in contrast , in mice injected with both el4 - light and el4 - soluble light tumors grew rapidly . thus , soluble light impaired light - dependent anti - tumor responses . these results indicate that membrane bound light is essential for light - mediated anti - tumor activity . viral and bacterial based vector delivery systems in humans have inherent safety issues . to circumvent these inherent issues with vector - based delivery systems , a biochemical - based approach , independent of vectors , was developed to attach functional light to the surface of tumor cells . the procedure is an immobilization system to display soluble proteins on virtually any cell surface in a stable format using a chemical ( biotin ) linkage . this method ( illustrated in fig3 a and b ) used purified recombinantly expressed soluble light ( lightt66 ) ( rooney , et al ., j . biol . chem . 275 : 14307 ( 2000 )) and el4 tumor cells for enhanced immunity . first , the cell surface proteins on el4 cells were biotinylated . second , soluble light ( lightt66 ) was also biotinylated . biotinylated soluble light was immobilized to the biotinylated el4 cell membrane proteins through addition of tetrameric neutriavidin . since the binding between biotin and neutriavidin is very strong , this biotin - neutriavidin - biotin complex is extremely stable in vivo . to determine the efficiency of immobilization , lightt66 was detected by flow cytometry and el4 - light cells were used for comparison . immobilized soluble light on the surface of em cells was detected by antibody staining or with hvem - fc ( fig3 c , e ). surrogate receptors for light , ltβr - fc and hvem - fc were prepared as described ( rooney , et al ., methods enzymol 322 : 345 ( 2000 )). the fluorescence intensity of the light - decorated el4 cells ( el4 - na - lightt66 ) was 27 % of the level expressed by retrovirus transduced el4 cells ( el4 - light ) ( fig3 d ) indicating that the method can deliver light to cell membrane comparable to retrovirus transduction . the results demonstrate that this biotin - based immobilization system is an effective way to attach purified light to the surface of cells , such as tumor cells . thus , this biotin - based immobilization system serves as an example that biologically active ltbeta receptor agonists such as light can be attached or coupled to tumor cell surface . this biotin - based cell membrane immobilization system is a viable non - vector based alternative for modifying tumor cells with ltbeta receptor agonists such as light in order to enhance immune responses against tumor cells when cells are administered to animals . this example includes data demonstrating suppression of tumor growth by el4 cells having light attached , coupled or conjugated to the cell membrane . to ascertain the ability of light decorated cells to function as a cancer vaccine , a protocol was designed to evaluate efficacy of light conjugated el4 cells as cancer vaccine ( fig4 a ). two groups of mice were injected with formalin fixed el4 cells either conjugated to lightt66 ( el4 - na - lightt66 ) or conjugated to neutravidin ( el4 - na ). mice were injected with el4 - na - lightt66 or el4 - na cells 14 days prior to injection with viable el4 tumor cells in order to generate an immune response , as in a typical vaccine strategy . to examine the induction of humoral immunity by light - decorated el4 cells , pre - and post - immune sera were collected from each group of mice and tested for anti - el4 antibody activity by flow cytometry using unmodified el4 cells ( fig4 b ). mice vaccinated with el4 - na cells did not generate detectable anti - el4 activity . in contrast , anti - el4 antibody activity was detected in sera of 3 of 5 mice that were injected with el4 - na - light , demonstrating that immunization with light - decorated el4 cells elicited antibody responses to el4 antigens . to determine efficacy of light decorated el4 cells as an immune enhancing vaccine , el4 cells were injected in each group and tumor growth was monitored . the mice immunized with lightt66 - decorated el4 cells showed a significant reduction in tumor growth rate ( fig4 c ). these data demonstrate immunization with light - decorated el4 cells generates an immune response against the el4 tumor that inhibits tumor progression . this example includes data demonstrating suppression of primary tumor growth with el4 cells having light attached , coupled or conjugated to the cell membrane . to evaluate the ability of light - decorated el4 cells to inhibit growth of a primary tumor , el4 cells were injected into mice subcutaneously and the cells were allowed to proliferate so a pre - established tumor was formed . then , formalin fixed el4 - na - light cells were injected into tumor area , and tumor growth was monitored for an additional 16 days ( fig5 a ). formalin fixed el4 - na was used as control . mice injected with el4 - na - light cells showed a reduction of tumor growth compared to the el4 - na control . these results demonstrate the efficacy of light - decorated el4 cells to suppress growth of an established tumor . tumor cells having attached , conjugated or coupled ltbeta receptor agonists such as light are therefore also useful as treatments of established tumors ( fig5 b ). this example includes data demonstrating receptor requirement for light - mediated anti - tumor responses . to gain molecular insight into light - mediated anti - tumor response , receptor requirement for light - mediated anti - tumor activity was evaluated . light can interact with 2 signaling receptors , hvem and ltβr . to determine which of these two receptors were required for light - mediated anti - tumor responses , analysis of tumor rejection in ltβr and hvem knockout ( ko ) mice was performed . in hvem ko mice , el4 - light cells were rejected ( fig6 a ), suggesting that hvem was not essential for light - mediated anti - tumor responses . when these mice were later challenged with parental el4 cells , no tumor developed . in contrast , in ltβr ko mice , el4 tumors were not rejected , indicating that light signaling through ltβr participates in light - mediated anti - tumor activity ( fig6 b ). this example includes data demonstrating that light stimulates ccl21 production in tumor environment . eta - light cells when injected into recombinase activating gene - 2 ( rag2 −/− ) mice , which lack t and b cells , through the intravenous route , were detected in spleen , liver and lung . to examine the ability of light to stimulate chemokines in tumor environment , eta - light cells were injected into rag2 −/− mice and spleens were collected for the detection of ccl21 using real time rtpcr ( fig7 a ). mice injected with eta - light exhibited a 2 . 5 fold increase in ccl21 expression compared to mice injected with eta cells as control ( fig7 b ). this result demonstrates that light in the tumor environment increases ccl21 production in the absence of t and b cells . this example includes a discussion of data indicating a mechanism of light - mediated anti - tumor activity . ltβr interacts with light , ltβ , and ltα1β2 . to examine the contribution of endogenous light , ltβ and ltα to light - meditated anti - tumor activity , el4 - light cells were injected subcutaneously into mice genetically deficient in one or more of the cellular ligands of the ltβr ( light −/− ltβ −/− , light −/− , ltβ −/− , and ltα −/− ). in mice deficient in both light −/− and ltβ −/− , eta - light tumors were not rejected , suggesting that endogenous light and / or ltβ participate in light - mediated anti - tumor activity ( fig8 a ). however , when eta - light cells were injected into light −/− mice , the tumor was rejected , indicating that endogenous light was not required for tumor control . when these mice were later challenged with parental eta cells , the tumor was still rejected ( fig8 b ). to determine if lymphotoxin participates in tumor rejection , el4 - light cells were injected into ltβ −/− or ltα −/− mice ( fig8 c and d ). mice deficient in ltβ were not able to reject the eta - light tumor , indicating that ltβ participates in light - mediated tumor control . in contrast , the eta - light tumor was rejected in the ltα −/− mice , although it required a longer time for the process of rejection , suggesting that ltα may contribute to but was not essential for light - mediated tumor control . el4 - light cells were capable of inducing anti - tumor responses in the absence of secondary lymphoid organs which are missing in the ltα −/− mice . furthermore , ltα −/− mice served as a phenotypic control for the other mutant mice lacking secondary lymphoid organs such as ltβr −/− ( fig6 b ) and ltβ −/− ( fig8 c ). mice deficient in light −/− or ltα −/− , which rejected el4 - light tumors , when subsequently challenged with unmodified el4 cell , showed no tumor formation ( fig8 b and d ) and these mice remained tumor free of tumors for & gt ; 5 months , indicating a sustained memory response to the el4 tumor was induced by the treatment . this example includes data indicating that expression of ltβ in t and b lymphocytes contributes to light - mediated anti - tumor activity . to further investigate the cellular requirement for ltβ expression for light - mediated tumor rejection , conditional knock out mice with ltβ specifically deleted in either t cells ( t - ltβ −/− ) or b cells ( b - ltβ −/− ) were used as a host to examine the immunostimulating effect of el4 - light . el4 - light cells were injected subcutaneously into t - ltβ −/− and b - ltβ −/− mice , and tumor growth was monitored for 22 days . mice deficient in ltβ in either t or b cells were unable to reject the el4 - light tumor . this data indicates that both t or b cell expression of ltβ participates in light - mediated tumor rejection ( fig9 ). this example includes a description of variant forms of light that can enhance immunotherapy . the efficacy of light in cancer - immunotherapy in humans is potentially adversely affected by dcr3 expressed by tumors in humans . certain combinations of the variant forms of human light alter its binding affinity to human ltβr and human dcr3 . a combination of light subunits ( 32l - 214e and 32s - 214k ) enables light to attain a high affinity binding to human ltβr , but a reduced affinity for human dcr3 relative to the predominant form of human light ( fig1 and table 1 ). furthermore , the interaction between this heterotrimeric form of light 32l - 214e / 32s - 214k and ltβr in the presence of dcr3 was evaluated . competition binding assays demonstrated that the inhibition concentration at 50 % binding ( ic50 ) of dcr3 - fc to the binding of ltβr to a combination of light - e214k ( mutation from e to k at amino acid position 214 ) and light - s32l ( mutation from s to l at amino acid position 32 ) is approximately 2 . 5 times higher than the predominant form of light ( light 32s and 214e , fig1 , seq id no : 1 ). in particular , 2 . 5 times higher concentration of dcr3 - fc was needed to inhibit binding of ltβr - fc to the combination of light - e214k and light - s32l compared to the predominant form of light ( seq id no : 1 ). thus , light - e214k and light - s32l could be a potent reagent for activating ltβr signaling system . light variant 32l - 214e / 32s - 214k molecule is therefore likely to be a more effective form for enhancing immune responses , particularly but not limited to cancer cells . enhanced efficacy is due to high binding avidity to ltβr and low binding avidity to dcr3 . as dcr3 has been found to be highly expressed in a wide variety of cancer cells , light variant 32l - 214e / 325 - 214k will minimize the inhibitory effect of dcr3 towards the interaction between light and its receptors hvem and ltβr . in addition , the high binding avidity of light 32l - 214e / 32s - 214k to ltβr can also enhance anti - tumor activity mediated by light as the data above demonstrate that ltβr contributes to light - mediated anti - tumor responses .	2
in the motion compensation encoding system according to the present invention , the motion prediction error can be decreased by enlarging the range of detection and by detecting pixels with high accuracy . on the other hand , increased accuracy of the motion detection causes an increase in variations of motion vectors , increasing the amount of information generated by the motion vector . such a relationship between the amount of information of the motion vector and the amount of information of the prediction error , in one macro block , is given by the following equation ( 2 ). b mb = vlc ( dmv x )+ vlc ( dmv y )+ f ( sad , q ) ( 2 ) in the above , vlc ( dmv x ) and vlc ( dmv y ) are code length of vlc ( variable length code ) of difference motion vectors in the x and y directions , respectively , and the function f ( sad , q ) is the number of bits which are produced when the sum of absolute differences sad between the motion vectors mv x and mv y is quantized using a step size q . since the number of bits assigned to each macro block is constant irrespective of the motion vector value , the quantization of the macro block with the highest degree of accuracy requires the detection of a motion vector which minimizes the step size q in eq . ( 2 ). to find the property of the function f , the relationships between the sum of absolute differences , sad , of prediction errors calculated over the entire range of motion detection for each macro block and the number of bits generated by quantizing the value sad with the step size q were derived from real images ; these relationships are shown in fig6 and 7 . it is evident from fig6 and 7 that there is a meaningfull correlation between the value sad and the number of bits generated , but the latter varies greatly with respect to the value sad in the image domain . on the other hand , these figures demonstrate that the number of bits generated does not greatly vary with respect to the value sad calculated in the dct domain , and hence it can be predicted with high accuracy . this is considered to be attributable to the fact that the quantization of the motion compensation error is carried out after dct . based on the above , the function f in eq . ( 2 ) can be approximated by the following equation ( 3 ) using α and β as constants . f  ( sad , q ) = α q  sad dct + β ( 3 ) accordingly , a motion detection evaluation function , which is used to provide the minimum step size for each macro block , is such as given by the following equation ( 4 ) based on eqs . ( 2 ) and ( 3 ), and the motion vector which provides the maximum evaluation value e is the optimum point . e = b mb - { vlc  ( dmv x ) + vlc  ( dmv y  ) } - β sad dct ( 4 ) since this evaluation function e is b mb −[ vlc ( dmv x )+ vlc ( dmv y )} ≈ b mb at high bit rates where the proportion of vector is small , the motion vector which provides the maximum evaluation value e is one minimizes sad dct , that is , sad . [ 0038 ] fig1 illustrates in block form an embodiemnt of the present invention , in which the input terminal 1 , the current frame memory 2 , the previous frame ( reference frame ) memory 3 , the motion vector generator 4 , the motion compensation circuit 5 and the substractor 6 are the same as those used in the prior art example depicted in fig1 . an orthogonal transformation circuit 7 is used as required , from which is provided an orthogonal transformation output produced by subjecting the motion prediction error information from the subtrator 6 to orthogonal transformation such as dct , hadamard transformation or fourier transformation . the orthogonal transformation output ( sad dct , for instance ) is fed to a generated information - quantity prediction circuit 8 , which generates an output indicative of the aforementioned function f ( sad , q ) corresponding to a generated information - quantity prediction value . such an orthogonal transformation as shown in fig2 a may be replaced with a transformation which obtains an absolute value - sum by an absolute - sum circuit 7 a as shown in fig2 b or a square sum by a square sum circuit 7 b as depicted in fig2 c . a difference vector , which corresponds to a difference between the motion vector from the motion vector generator 4 and the motion vector from the motion vector memory 9 , is provided from the subtractor 10 . this difference vector is used to make a step size prediction in a step - size predictor 11 , then the resulting prediction value is used to choose a difference vector by a minimum value detector 12 so that the predicted step size is minimized , and the difference vector is fed to and encoded by an encoder 16 . the motion vector read out of the motion vector memory 9 is added by an adder 13 to the output from the minimum value detector 12 , and the added output is delayed by a delay circuit 14 for a predetermined period of time and is then stored as an updated motion vector in the motion vector memory 9 . [ 0043 ] fig3 illustrates an example of the generated information - quantity prediction circuit 8 ; the output from the substractor 6 or the orthogonal transformation circuit 7 is applied to a switch 8 - 1 . the switch 8 - 1 is turned on by a timing pulse which is generated upon each readout of the block from the aforementioned memory 2 or 3 . reference numeral 8 - 2 denotes an absolute value circuit or a square circuit , 8 - 3 an adder and 8 - 4 a memory ; the circuits 8 - 2 , 8 - 3 and 8 - 4 constitute a sum circuit 8 - 0 . in case of using the square sum circuit 7 a or the absolute value - sum circuit 7 b in place of the orthogonal transformation circuit 7 as described previously with reference to fig2 the sum circuit 8 - 0 is omitted . the output sad dct from the sum circuit 8 - 0 is provided to a logical operation circuit 8 - 5 , wherein an operation [ α / q ( sad dct + β )] is performed using the step size q from the step - size predictor 11 and from which an output corresponding to the function f ( sad , q ) is taken out and applied to the step - size predictor 11 . [ 0044 ] fig4 shows an example of the step - size predictor 11 , in which the difference motion vector ( dmv x , dmv y ) from the adder 10 is coded by a vlc coder 11 - 1 into a vlc code , which is then coded by a bit - length calculator 11 - 2 into a bit - length signal vlc ( dmv x )+ vlc ( dmv y ). this bit - length signal is applied to a step - size calculator 11 - 3 , wherein a signal representative of the function f ( sad , q ) from the generated information - quantity prediction circuit 8 is used to calculate the step size q , which is fed to the generated information - quantity prediction circuit 8 . the step size q is converted by a step - size evaluation function calculator 11 - 4 into the step size evaluation function e , which is provided to the minimum value detector 12 . [ 0045 ] fig5 illustrates an example of the minimum value detector 12 , wherein the maximum value of the step size evaluation function e is detected by a maximum value detector 12 - 1 , and a switch 12 - 2 is held - on by the detected output for an extremely short time but returns again to the off state . while the switch 12 - 2 is the on - state , the difference motion vector ( dmv x , dmv y ) from the substractor 10 is fed as the minimum value of the difference motion vector to the encoder 16 and the adder 13 . for performance evaluations of the scheme according to the present invention , simulations were done by h . 263tmn5 . the frame rate was fixed at 5 fbp and the coding bit rate was set at 10 kbps , 20 kbps , 50 kbps , 100 kbps and 200 kbps . in fig8 there are shown the simulation results obtained on a qcif image “ carphone ” at 20 kbps . in fig9 the relationships between the proportion of the motion vector obtained by the conventional motion detection intended to minimize the prediction error and improvements in snr values obtained by the present invention are depicted in respect of a total of 15 values obtained by encoding three test images ( carphone , susie , kdd original ) at the abovementioned five bit rates . the proportion of the motion vector and the improved snr value are mean values throughout the sequence . according to fig8 the snr by the present invention are better than those by the conventional system over the entire area of the scene , and reaches a maximum of 0 . 5 db . the proportion of the motion vector present in this image is 20 . 4 % per scene in the conventional system but 12 . 3 % in the present invention . the conventional motion detection system is employed with a view to minimizing the prediction error ; hence , at ultra - low bit rates below 20 kbps , the situation may sometimes arise where the number of bits of the motion vector increases relative to the number of bits assigned to the quantization of the prediction error and makes the latter unaptly small . on the other hand , the use of the present invention permits an 8 . 1 % reduction of the proportion of the motion vector . by assigning this surplus proportion to the quantization of the prediction error , the snr could be improved . according to fig9 the higher the proportion of the vector bits , the more the snr is improved by the present invention . further , the snr improving effect greatly differs , depending on whether the proportion of the vector is above or below 5 %. this confirms that the present invention is effective in improving the picture quality at ultra - low bit rates above 5 % and that the present invention covers the conventional system at high bit rates where the proportion of the motion vector decreases . as described above in detail , it has been confirmed that the motion detection scheme according to the present invention , which minimizes the quantization step size for the prediction error based on the estimation of the number of quantization bits and the motion - vector bit length , is effective at ultra - low bit rates where the proportion of the motion vector increases . moreover , it has been clarified that the influence of the motion vector length on the quantization depends on whether the proportion of the vector is above or below 5 %. from such points of view , the present invention is highly effective and of great utility when employed in the image information transmission field .	7
the present invention , stalk and root eliminator 10 , is illustrated in fig1 . stalk and root eliminator 10 generally includes chassis 12 which may be attached behind a tractor by 3 - point linkage 14 . one or more front wheels 24 and rear wheels 36 are attached to chassis 12 . the height of chassis 12 may be adjusted relative to front wheels 24 and rear wheels 36 to set a maximum plow depth . front wheel 24 is attached to chassis 12 by post 26 which is height - adjustably mounted within post receiver 80 . similarly , rear wheel 36 is attached to chassis by post 38 which is also situated within a height - adjustable receiver . cutting manifold 16 is attached beneath chassis 12 . cutting manifold 16 houses a cutting device for cutting vegetation such as cotton stalks . the cutting device may be driven by the power take - off of the tractor via drive shaft 18 or by a separate motor . a series of plows 28 are attached to chassis 12 rearward of cutting manifold 16 . each plow 28 is attached to beam 30 which extends beneath chassis 12 . rotary picker 32 is attached rearward of plow 28 on chassis 12 by extender arm 34 . as shown more clearly in the rear view of stalk and root eliminator 10 in fig4 , each plow 28 has a corresponding rotary picker 32 . the purpose of this linear arrangement of the cutting device , plows , and rotary pickers will be described in greater detail subsequently . a front view of stalk and root eliminator 10 is illustrated in fig2 . flaps 60 cover the front of cutting manifold 16 and prevent cut vegetation and other objects from being kicked - back toward the operator of the tractor . flaps 60 are made of a flexible material , however , to permit vegetation to pass between and under flaps 60 to be cut . opening 20 is provided in the middle of cutting manifold 16 for receiving drive shaft 18 ( see fig1 ). referring back to fig2 , drive shaft 18 engages transmission 56 which transfers the torque from drive shaft 18 to shafts 52 and 54 . shafts 52 and 54 transmit power to blade shaft 58 via gearboxes 22 and 42 . this powertrain is illustrated more clearly in fig3 . the reader will note that a series of cutting blades 40 are attached to blade shaft 58 . each cutting blade 40 rotates with blade shaft 58 along a horizontal axis of rotation which is substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the tractor . fig5 is a detail view of rotary picker 32 . each rotary picker 32 is attached to chassis 12 by extender arm 34 . rotary picker 32 is attached below extender arm 34 by swivel shaft 62 and includes a plurality of pick fingers 64 which freely rotate about shaft 66 . rotary picker 32 separates stalks and roots from the soil after plow 28 passes through the soil ahead of rotary picker 32 . pick fingers 64 roll and “ comb ” through the plowed soil and separate the vegetation from the soil . although not shown in fig5 , extender arm 34 may be removably attached to chassis 12 , so that rotary pickers 32 may be removed from chassis 12 when desired . fig6 and fig7 illustrate cutting blade 40 which may be used with stalk and root eliminator 10 . four l - shaped blades 68 are attached to mounting plate 74 by bolts 70 . fig7 shows the opposite side of cutting blade 40 . each l - shaped blade 68 has flange 76 that wraps around mounting plate 74 . bolts 70 pass through mounting plate 74 and flange 76 and the assembly is secured together with nuts 78 . if one of l - shaped blades 68 is bent or otherwise damaged during cutting , it is only necessary to replace the part that is bent — which can be easily unbolted from mounting plate 74 . fig8 illustrates the operation of stalk and root eliminator 10 . stalk and root eliminator 10 is pulled behind a tractor across uncut vegetation 50 . the top portion of the vegetation passes into cutting manifold 16 where it is chopped off by cutting blades 40 leaving cut vegetation 44 . plow 28 passes through the soil behind cutting manifold 16 and loosens the roots of cut vegetation 44 leaving behind an area of plowed vegetation 46 . rotary pickers 32 then comb through plowed vegetations 46 and lift the vegetation to the surface of the soil , leaving behind an area of separated vegetation 48 . fig9 illustrates how a harrow may be substituted for the rotary picker . harrow 82 is attached to chassis 12 like — rotary picker 32 — via extender arm 34 and swivel shaft 62 . harrow disks 84 rotate about shaft 66 when harrow 82 is allowed to roll on the ground . those that are skilled in the art will appreciate that harrow disks 84 will break up clods and lumps of soil created by the plows , thus providing a finer soil finish that is more suitable for seeding and planting operations . fig1 illustrates yet another cutting blade that may be employed on stalk and root eliminator 10 . cutting blade 90 includes plate 86 having collar 88 for receiving the blade drive shaft . keyway 92 is provided to allow cutting blade 90 to be locked in place on the blade drive shaft . blades 94 are attached to flanges 102 with bolts 96 or other fasteners . blades 94 extend from plate 86 parallel to the blade drive shaft . as such , blades 94 extend in both the positive and negative z direction when plate 86 lies in the x - y plane . each blade 94 includes both two cutting edges — leading edge 98 and trailing edge 100 . when oriented as shown in fig9 , only leading edge 98 cuts the vegetation . cutting blade 90 may be reversed on the blade drive shaft from time to time such that trailing edge 100 may be used to cut the vegetation . thus , if collar 88 normally extends in the positive z direction relative to plate 86 , cutting blade 90 may be turned such that collar 88 extends in the negative z direction . this may be useful when leading edge 98 begins to dull after extended use . when leading edge 98 and trailing edge 100 are both dull , the user can replace blade 94 or sharpen the cutting edges . with the present invention now more thoroughly described , the reader may now appreciate the various features of the present invention which allows stalk and root eliminator 10 to transform a field of rooted vegetation into a field of “ separated ” vegetation in a single pass . referring back to fig5 , the reader will now appreciate that swivel shaft 62 allows rotary picker 32 to turn with the tractor ( such as when executing a u - turn ) so as not to stress pick fingers 64 . pick fingers 64 are curved to induce angular rotation of rotary picker 32 when rolled through the plowed soil . the direction of angular rotation is preferably the same direction as the rotation of the wheels of the tractor . the curvature also helps lift the vegetation as each pick finger 64 rotates out of the soil . the preceding description contains significant detail regarding the novel aspects of the present invention . it should not be construed , however , as limiting the scope of the invention but rather as providing illustrations of the preferred embodiments of the invention . thus , the scope of the invention should be fixed by the following claims , rather than by the examples given .	0
fig1 is a block diagram of a microprocessor based system utilizing a dynamically selected operating system 100 . battery backup 102 or a / c power source 104 can be automatically switched at switch 118 to deliver power depending up on power availability . when alternating - current for power supply 104 is disconnected or otherwise interrupted , power delivery is automatically switched from power supply 104 to battery backup 102 . microprocessor based systems , such as illustrated in fig1 , are generally built around a central processing unit , such as microprocessor 112 . supporting devices such as peripherals 110 , memory 114 , data storage devices 106 , and cache 108 are power consuming devices commonly found in microprocessor based systems . a plurality of different operating systems are stored in a data storage device 106 that is connected to microprocessor 112 . data storage devices 106 exist on the data bus and can reside internally to the system in such forms as a hard drive , a solid state drive , flash memory drive or other similar form of data storage . data storage devices 106 may also exist on the data bus while residing externally to the system in such forms as universal serial bus drives , network attached devices , external hard drives or other similar form of data storage . the plurality of operating systems 109 can be accessed by microprocessor 112 so that microprocessor 112 can load any of the operating systems 109 that is the most desirable for the operating environment of the microprocessor based system 100 . operating systems 109 vary depending upon the operating environment of the system and the functions the system performs . operating systems can be written , for instance , to maximize system speed and minimize power efficiency , or maximize power efficiency at the expense of system speed . an operating system written to increase power efficiency may often sacrifice system performance and system features in order to reduce power consumption . some operating systems may go so far as not enabling certain devices to minimize power consumption . such a strategy may be important when limited power resources may be available to protect critical data . as shown in fig1 , operating power for the microprocessor 112 , and other parts of the system is typically obtained from an alternating current power supply 104 . in the event of loss of power emanating from the alternating current power supply 104 , a battery backup 102 system can supply power to the system as illustrated in fig1 via the switch 118 . the microprocessor 112 checks the status and consistency of the power delivery and stores the status in a bit register . the bit register will send an instruction signal to the microprocessor depending upon value found in the boot option matrix ( explained in fig3 ), the microprocessor 112 will load the appropriate operating system 109 in accordance with the current status of the power delivery system . the microprocessor 112 also registers the status of the peripherals 110 , the configured memory 114 , input - output controller 116 and any cache 108 in use and stores them in the bit register 406 as explained in fig4 . in the event that the microprocessor based system 100 boots into an operating system with a restricted instruction set , the operating system will load only critical devices necessary for retrieving important data and securely storing that data to the data storage device 106 . loading only critical devices is needed for placing a limited load on the battery backup 102 to allow the system to shutdown , reboot , load a limited operating system , save critical data and shutdown again before running out of backup power . fig2 is a chart illustrating flow diagram of a boot - up sequence 200 utilized in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention showing multiple boot options based upon current hardware states and operating system selections . as shown in fig2 , at step 202 the process is initiated . at step 204 , microprocessor 112 scans the data bus to determine the current status of the power source , either battery backup power source 102 or alternating current power source 104 . a common data bus used in microprocessor based systems is the peripheral component interconnect or pci bus , but a boot up sequence will work on most data bus systems . at step 208 , the bit register 406 reads the current device status including the power source status . the microprocessor then reads the bit register to check the power source status at step 212 . at step 214 , if alternating - current power is not available and the battery is engaged , the system described in fig1 will send an instruction signal from the bit register to proceed to step 216 and select secondary operating system ( 2 ). however , if a / c power is available and the battery is not engaged , the system 100 will continue to step 218 and select primary operating system ( 1 ). the microprocessor 112 continues to monitor the bit register 406 for current power source state at step 222 . if the power source changes as in step 206 , the system shuts down and reboots and then re - reads bit register 406 for a / c power availability and loads the appropriate operating system for the microprocessor based system . at step 224 the system is available for normal use . at step 226 the boot sequence is complete . fig3 illustrates an embodiment showing a boot option table 300 of a dynamically selected operating system 100 that can be accessed by microprocessor 112 , as shown in fig1 . fig3 demonstrates various options available to the microprocessor based system 100 , which the processor can use to select an operating system without user intervention , based upon the bits that are set in a register that stores a data bit indicating the power status , such as illustrated in fig3 . for example , when the battery enabled bit is read as 0 , and a / c available bit is read as 0 , the microprocessor shuts down due to non - availability of power . when the battery enabled bit is read as 0 , and a / c available bit is read as 1 , the microprocessor dynamically selects boot operating system ( 1 ). however , when battery enabled bit is read as 1 , and a / c available bit is read as 0 , the microprocessor dynamically selects boot operating system ( 2 ). in the final example when battery enabled bit is read as 1 , and a / c available bit is read as 1 , the microprocessor will dynamically select boot operating system ( 1 ). this list is not exhaustive and could continue on with multiple bit selection options as well as multiple boot operating system options . fig4 is a block diagram of one embodiment of a microprocessor 400 that can be used in the microprocessor based system 100 shown in fig1 . most microprocessors 400 have internal cache 402 , which stores recently or frequently used data . a data bus 404 connects the cache 402 , bit register 406 , processing unit 408 and boot loader 410 , and delivers data from peripherals 110 . a bit register 406 stores data bits containing system and data information ( such as the data stored in boot option table 300 of fig3 ). the processing unit 408 processes system instructions from bit register 406 send via the instruction signal including the selection of an operating system from the boot option table 414 from data contained in table 300 of fig3 . when microprocessor 400 is first powered up , boot loader 410 loads the operating system selected by processing unit 408 utilizing the logic from table 300 to select the operating system for the conditions as determined by the data in the bit register 406 . the boot loader 410 is a small program which may be stored in read - only memory along with data needed to access nonvolatile devices from which operating system programs and data are loaded into random access memory . the boot loader program functions to load other data and programs which are then executed from random access memory . hence , the microprocessor 400 does not utilize an operating system in read - only memory or random access memory , but rather , is able to select from various operating systems stored on a data storage device 412 and delivered on the data bus 404 . the foregoing description 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 form disclosed , and other modifications and variations may be possible in light of the above teachings . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include other alternative embodiments of the invention except insofar as limited by the prior art .	6
the following reaction schemes illustrate the preparation of the compounds of the present invention . unless otherwise indicated r 1 , r 2 , r 3 , r 4 , n and ar in the reaction schemes and the discussion that follow are defined as above . ## str6 ## in reaction 1 or scheme 1 , the amino acid compound of formula vii , wherein r 16 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , benzyl , allyl or tert - butyl , is converted to the corresponding compound of formula vi by reacting vii with a reactive functional derivative of an arylsulfonic acid compounds , such as an arylsulfonyl chloride , in the presence of a base , such as triethylamine , and a polar solvent , such as tetrahydrofuran , dioxane , water or acetonitrile , preferably a mixture of dioxane and water . the reaction mixture is stirred , at room temperature , for a time period between about 10 minutes to about 24 hours , preferably about 60 minutes . in reaction 2 or scheme 1 , the arylsulfonyl amino compound of formula vi , wherein r 16 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , benzyl , allyl or tert - butyl , is converted to the corresponding compound of formula v , wherein n is 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 or 6 , by reacting vi with a reactive derivative of an alcohol of the formula ## str7 ## such as the chloride , bromide or iodide derivative , preferably the bromide derivative , wherein the r 17 protecting group is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , benzyl , allyl or tert - butyl , in the presence of a base such as potassium carbonate or sodium hydride , preferably sodium hydride , and a polar solvent , such as dimethylformamide . the reaction mixture is stirred , at room temperature , for a time period between about 60 minutes to about 48 hours , preferably about 18 hours . the r 17 protecting group is chosen such that it may be selectively removed in the presence of and without loss of the r 16 protecting group , therefore , r 17 cannot be the same as r 16 . removal of the r 17 protecting group from the compound of formula v to give the corresponding carboxylic acid of formula iv , in reaction 3 or scheme 1 , is carried out under conditions appropriate for that particular r 17 protecting group in use which will not affect the r 16 protecting group . such conditions include ; ( a ) saponification where r 17 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl and r 16 is tert - butyl , ( b ) hydrogenolysis where r 17 is benzyl and r 18 is tert - butyl or ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c ) treatment with a strong acid such as trifluoroacetic acid or hydrochloric acid where r 17 is tert - butyl and r 16 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , benzyl or allyl , or ( d ) treatment with tributyltinhydride and acetic acid in the presence of catalytic bis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( ii ) chloride where r 17 is allyl and r 16 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , benzyl or tert - butyl . in reaction 4 of scheme 1 , the carboxylic acid of formula iv is condensed with an amine , r 1 r 2 nh , or the salt thereof , to give the corresponding amide compound of formula iii . the formation of amides from primary or secondary amines or ammonia and carboxylic acids is achieved by conversion of the carboxylic acid to an activated functional derivative which subsequently undergoes reaction with a primary or secondary amine or ammonia to form the amide . the activated functional derivative may be isolated prior to reaction with the primary or secondary amine or ammonia . alternatively , the carboxylic acid may be treated with oxalyl chloride or thionyl chloride , neat or in an inert solvent , such as chloroform , at a temperature between about 25 ° c . to about 80 ° c ., preferably about 50 ° c ., to give the corresponding acid chloride functional derivative . the inert solvent and any remaining oxalyl chloride or thionyl chloride is then removed by evaporation under vacuum . the remaining acid chloride functional derivative is then reacted with the primary or secondary amine or ammonia in an inert solvent , such as methylene chloride , to form the amide . the preferred method for the condenation of the carboxylic acid of formula iv with an amine to provide the corresponding amide compound of formula iii is the treatment of iv with ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate in the presence of a base , such as triethylamine , to provide the benzotriazol - 1 - oxy ester in situ which , in turn , reacts with the amine , r 1 r 2 n , in an inert solvent , such as methylene chloride , at room temperature to give the amide compound of formula iii . removal of the r 16 protecting group from the compound of formula iii to give the corresponding carboxylic acid of formula ii , in reaction 5 of scheme 1 , is carried out under conditions appropriate for the particular r 16 protecting group in use . such conditions include ; ( a ) saponification where r 16 is lower alkyl , ( b ) hydrogenolysis where r 16 is benzyl , ( c ) treatment with a strong acid , such as trifluoroacetic acid or hydrochloric acid , where r 16 is tert - butyl , or ( d ) treatment with tributyltinhydride and acetic acid in the presence of catalytic bis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( ii ) chloride where r 16 is allyl . in reaction 6 of scheme 1 , the carboxylic acid compound of formula ii is converted to the hydroxamic acid compound of formula i by treating ii with 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide and 1 - hydroxybenztriazole in a polar solvent , such as dimethylformamide , followed by the addition of hydroxylamine to the reaction mixture after a time period between about 15 minutes to about 1 hour , preferably about 30 minutes . the hydroxylamine is preferably generated in situ from a salt form , such as hydroxylamine hydrochloride , in the presence of a base , such as n - methylmorpholine . alternatively , a protected derivative of hydroxylamine or its salt form , where the hydroxyl group is protected as a tert - butyl , benzyl or allyl ether , may be used in the presence of ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorphosphate and a base , such as n - methylmorpholine . removal of the hydroxylamine protecting group is carried out by hydrogenolysis for a benzyl protecting group or treatment with a strong acid , such as trifluoroacetic acid , for a tert - butyl protecting group . the allyl protecting group may be removed by treatment with tributyltinhydride and acetic acid in the presence of catalytic bis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( ii ) chloride . n , o - bis ( 4 - methoxybenzyl ) hydroxylamine may also be used as the protected hydroxylamine derivative where deprotection is achieved using a mixture of methanesulfonic acid and trifluoroacetic acid . in reaction 1 of scheme 2 , the arylsulfonylamino compound of formula vi , wherein r 16 ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , benzyl or tert - butyl , is converted to the corresponding compound of formula viii , wherein r 18 is 2 - propenyl or 3 - butenyl , by reacting ix with a reactive functional derivative , such as the halide , preferably the iodide derivative , of 2 - propen - 1 - ol when r 18 is 2 - propenyl or 3 - buten - 1 - ol when r 18 is 3 - butenyl , in the presence of a base , such as potassium carbonate , cesium carbonate or sodium hydride , preferably sodium hydride when r 18 is 2 - propenyl or cesium carbonate when r 18 is 3 - butenyl . the reaction is stirred in a polar solvent , such as dimethylformamide , at room temperature , for a time period between about 2 hours to about 48 hours , preferably about 18 hours . in reaction 2 of scheme 2 , the compound of formula viii is converted to the carboxylic acid compound of formula iv , wherein n is 2 . the compound of formula viii , wherein r 18 is 2 - propenyl , is converted to the compound of formula iv , wherein n is 2 , by reacting viii with borane - dimethylsulfide complex , followed by immediate oxidation using chromium trioxide in aqueous acetic acid . the oxidative cleavage of terminal olefins to carboxylic acids can be achieved by several methods known in the art . the preferred method for the oxidative cleavage of the compound of formula viii , wherein r 18 is 3 - butenyl , to obtain the carboxylic acid compound of formula iv is to react viii with sodium periodate in the presence of a catalytic amount of ruthenium ( iii ) chloride in a mixture of carbon tetrachloride , acetonitrile and water . the compound of formula iv , wherein n is 2 , is further reacted to provide the hydroxamic acid compound of formula i , wherein n is 2 , according to the procedure described above in reactions 4 , 5 and 6 of scheme 1 . an alternative method for the synthesis of the hydroxamic acid compound of formula i , wherein n is 1 and r 3 and r 4 are both hydrogen , is shown in reaction 1 of scheme 3 , beginning with reacting iminoacetic acid or a metal or ammonium salt of iminoacetic acid of formula x with a functional derivative or an arylsulfonic acid compound , such as an arylsulfonyl chloride , at room temperature , in the presence of a suitable base , such as triethylamine , and a polar solvent such as tetrahydrofuran , dioxane , water or acetonitrile , preferably a mixture of dioxane and water , to give the corresponding dicarboxylic acid compound of formula xi . in reaction 2 of scheme 3 , the dicarboxylic acid compound of formula xi is dehydrated to give a cyclic anhydride compound of formula xii . the formation of cyclic anhydrides by dehydration of dicarboxylic acids may be achieved by a variety of means . the preferred method for the dehydration of the dicarboxylic acid compound of formula xi to give a cyclic anhydride compound of formula xii is to treat xi with an excess of acetic anhydride at a temperature between about 25 ° c . to about 80 ° c ., preferably about 60 ° c . excess acetic anhydride and acetic acid , a by - product of the reaction , are removed by evaporation under reduced pressure leaving the cyclic anhydride compound of formula xii . in reaction 3 of scheme 3 , the cyclic anhydride compound of formula xii is reacted , at room temperature , with an amine , nr 1 r 2 , or a salt of the amine , such as the hydrochloride , in the presence of a base , such as triethylamine , to give the carboxylic acid of formula ii , wherein n is 1 and r 3 and r 4 are both hydrogen . suitable solvents for the reaction are those that will not react with the starting materials , which include chloroform , methylene chloride and dimethylformamide , preferably methylene chloride . the compound of formula ii is further reacted to give the hydroxamic acid compound of formula i , wherein n is 1 and r 3 and r 4 are both hydrogen , according to the procedure described above in reaction 6 of scheme 1 . in reaction 1 of scheme 4 , the carboxylic acid compound of formula iv , wherein n is 2 , is converted to the corresponding compound of formula v , wherein r 19 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or tert - butyl , by reacting iv with a compound of the formula wherein r 19 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or tert - butyl , in an inert solvent , such as toluene , at a temperature between about 60 ° c . to about 100 ° c ., preferably about 100 ° c ., for a time period between about 1 hour to about 3 hours , preferably 2 hours . in reaction 2 of scheme 4 , the arylsulfonyl amino compound of formula vi wherein n is 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 or 6 and r 16 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , benzyl , allyl or tert - butyl , is converted to the corresponding compound of formula xiii , wherein r 19 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or tert - butyl , by reacting vi with a reactive derivative of an alcohol of the formula ## str8 ## such as the chloride , bromide or iodide derivative , preferably the bromide derivative , wherein r 19 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or tert - butyl , in the presence of base such as potassium carbonate or sodium hydride , preferably sodium hydride , and a polar solvent , such as dimethylformamide . the reaction is stirred , at room temperature , for a time period between about 60 minutes to about 48 hours , preferably about 18 hours . the r 16 protecting group , of the compounds of formulas iv and vi , is chosen such that it may be selectively removed in the presence of and without loss of the r 19 ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or tert - butyl group , therefore , r 16 cannot be the same as r 19 . removal of the r 16 protecting group from the compound of formula xiii to give the corresponding carboxylic acid of formula xiv , wherein n is 1 to 6 , in reaction 3 of scheme 4 , is carried out under conditions appropriate for that particular r 16 protecting group in use which will not affect the r 19 ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or tert - butyl group . such conditions include ; ( a ) saponification where r 16 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl and r 19 is tert - butyl , ( b ) hydrogenolysis where r 16 is benzyl and r 19 is tert - butyl or ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , ( c ) treatment with a strong acid such as trifluoroacetic acid or hydrochloric acid where r 16 is tert - butyl and r 19 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , or ( d ) treatment with tributyltinhydride and acetic acid in the presence of catalytic bis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( ii ) chloride where r 16 is allyl and r 19 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl or tert - butyl . in reaction 4 of scheme 4 , the carboxylic acid of formula xiv is converted to the to the hydroxamic acid compound of formula xv , wherein n is 1 to 6 , by treating xiv with 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide and 1 - hydroxybenztriazole in a polar solvent , such as dimethylformamide , followed by the addition of hydroxylamine to the reaction mixture after a time period between about 15 minutes to about 1 hour , preferably about 30 minutes . the hydroxylamine is preferably generated in situ from a salt form , such as hydroxylamine hydrochloride , in the presence of a base , such as n - methylmorpholine . alternatively , a protected derivative of hydroxylamine or its salt form , where the hydroxyl group is protected as a tert - butyl , benzyl or allyl ether , may be used in the presence of ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate and a base , such as n - methylmorpholine . removal of the hydroxylamine protecting groups is carried out by hydrogenolysis for a benzyl protecting group or treatment with a strong acid , such as trifluoroacetic acid , for a tert - butyl protecting group . the allyl protecting group may be removed by treatment with tributyltinhydride and acetic acid in the presence of catalytic bis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( ii ) chloride . n , o - bis ( 4 - methoxybenzyl ) hydroxylamine may also be used , when r 19 is ( c 1 - c 6 ) alkyl , as the protected hydroxylamine derivative where deprotection is achieved using a mixture of methanesulfonic acid and trifluoroacetic acid . in reaction 5 of scheme 4 , the amide formula of formula xv is , if desired , converted to the corresponding carboxylic acid compound of formula xvi by ( a ) saponification where r 19 is lower alkyl or ( b ) treatment with a strong acid , such as trifluoroacetic acid or hydrochloric acid , where r 19 is tert - butyl . pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the acidic compounds of the invention are salts formed with bases , namely cationic salts such as alkali and alkaline earth metal salts , such as sodium , lithium , potassium , calcium , magnesium , as well as ammonium salts , such as ammonium , trimethyl - ammonium , diethylammonium , and tris -( hydroxymethyl )- methylammonium slats . similarly acid addition salts , such as of mineral acids , organic carboxylic and organic sulfonic acids e . g . hydrochloric acid , methanesulfonic acid , maleic acid , are also possible provided a basic group , such as pyridyl , constitutes part of the structure . the ability of the compounds of formula i or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts ( hereinafter also referred to as the compounds of the present invention ) to inhibit matrix metalloproteinases or the production of tumor necrosis factor ( tnf ) and , consequently , demonstrate their effectiveness for treating diseases characterized by matrix metalloproteinase or the production of tumor necrosis factor is shown by the following in vitro assay tests . human recombinant collagenase is activated with trypsin using the following ratio : 10 μg trypsin per 100 μg of collagenase . the trypsin and collagenase are incubated at room temperature for 10 minutes then a five fold excess ( 50 μg / 10 μg trypsin ) of soybean trypsin inhibitor is added . 10 mm stock solutions of inhibitors are made up in dimethyl sulfoxide and then diluted using the following scheme : twenty - five microliters of each concentration is then added in triplicate to appropriate wells of a 96 well microfluor plate . the final concentration of inhibitor will be a 1 : 4 dilution after addition of enzyme and substrate . positive controls ( enzyme , no inhibitor ) are set up in wells d1 - d6 and blanks ( no enzyme , no inhibitors ) are set in wells d7 - d12 . collagenase is diluted to 400 ng / ml and 25 μl is then added to appropriate wells of the microfluor plate . final concentration of collagenase in the assay is 100 ng / ml . substrate ( dnp - pro - cha - gly - cys ( me )- his - ala - lys ( nma )-- nh 2 ) is made as a 5 mm stock in dimethyl sulfoxide and then diluted to 20 μm in assay buffer . the assay is initiated by the addition of 50 μl substrate per well of the microfluor plate to give a final concentration of 10 μm . fluorescence readings ( 360 nm excitation , 460 nm emission ) were taken at time 0 and then at 20 minute intervals . the assay is conducted at room temperature with a typical assay time of 3 hours . fluorescence vs time is then plotted for both the blank and collagenase containing samples ( data from triplicate determinations is averaged ). a time point that provides a good signal ( the blank ) and that is on a linear part of the curve ( usually around 120 minutes ) is chosen to determine ic 50 values . the zero time is used as a blank for each compound at each concentration and these values are subtracted from the 120 minute data . data is plotted as inhibitor concentration vs % control ( inhibitor fluorescence divided by fluorescence of collagenase alone × 100 ). ic 50 &# 39 ; s are determined from the concentration of inhibitor that gives a signal that is 50 % of the control . if ic 50 &# 39 ; s are reported to be & lt ; 0 . 03 μm then the inhibitors are assayed at concentrations of 0 . 3 μm , 0 . 03 μm , 0 . 03 μm and 0 . 003 μm . inhibition of gelatinase activity is assayed using the dnp - pro - cha - gly - cys ( me )- his - ala - lys ( nma )- nh 2 substrate ( 10 μm ) under the same conditions as inhibition of human collagenase ( mmp - 1 ). 72 kd gelatinase is activated with 1 mm apma ( p - aminophenyl mercuric acetate ) for 15 hours at 4 ° c . and is diluted to give a final concentration in the assay of 100 mg / ml . inhibitors are diluted as for inhibition of human collagenase ( mmp - 1 ) to give final concentrations in the assay of 30 μm , 3 μm , 0 . 3 μm and 0 . 03 μm . each concentration is done in triplicate . fluorescence readings ( 360 nm excitation , 460 emission ) are taken at time zero and then at 20 minutes intervals for 4 hours . ic 50 &# 39 ; s are determined as per inhibition of human collagenase ( mmp - 1 ). if ic 50 &# 39 ; s are reported to be less than 0 . 03 μm , then the inhibitors are assayed at final concentrations of 0 . 3 μm , 0 . 03 μm , 0 . 003 μm and 0 . 003 μm . inhibition of stromelysin activity is based on a modified spectrophotometric assay described by weingarten and feder ( weingarten , h . and feder , j ., spectrophotometric assay for vertebrate collagenase , anal . biochem . 146 , 437 - 440 ( 1985 )). hydrolysis of the thio peptolide substrate [ ac - pro - leu - gly - sch [ ch 2 ch ( ch 3 ) 2 ] co - leu - gly - oc 2 h 5 ] yields a mercaptan fragment that can be monitored in the presence of ellman &# 39 ; s reagent . human recombinant prostromelysin is activated with trypsin using a ratio of 1 μl of a 10 mg / ml trypsin stock per 26 μg of stromelysin . the trypsin and stromelysin are incubated at 37 ° c . for 15 minutes followed by 10 μl of 10 mg / ml soybean trypsin inhibitor for 10 minutes at 37 ° c . for 10 minutes at 37 ° c . to quench trypsin activity . assays are conducted in a total volume of 250 μl of assay buffer ( 200 mm sodium chloride , 50 mm mes , and 10 mm calcium chloride , ph 6 . 0 ) in 96 - well microliter plates . activated stromelysin is diluted in assay buffer to 25 μg / ml . ellman &# 39 ; s reagent ( 3 - carboxy - 4 - nitrophenyl disulfide ) is made as a 1m stock in dimethyl formamide and diluted to 5 mm in assay buffer with 50 μl per well yielding at 1 mm final concentration . 10 mm stock solutions of inhibitors are made in dimethyl sulfoxide and diluted serially in assay buffer such that addition of 50 μl to the appropriate wells yields final concentrations of 3 μm , 0 . 3 μm , 0 . 003 μm , and 0 . 0003 μm . all conditions are completed in triplicate . a 300 mm dimethyl sulfoxide stock solution of the peptide substrate is diluted to 15 mm in assay buffer and the assay is initiated by addition of 50 μl to each well to give a final concentration of 3 mm substrate . blanks consist of the peptide substrate and ellman &# 39 ; s reagent without the enzyme . product formation was monitored at 405 nm with a molecular devices uvmax plate reader . ic 50 values were determined in the same manner as for collagenase . human recombinant mmp - 13 is activated with 2 mm apma ( p - aminophenyl mercuric acetate ) for 1 . 5 hours , at 37 ° c . and is diluted to 400 mg / ml in assay buffer ( 50 mm tris , ph 7 . 5 , 200 mm sodium chloride , 5 mm calcium chloride , 20 μm zinc chloride , 0 . 02 % brij ). twenty - five microliters of diluted enzyme is added per well of a 96 well microfluor plate . the enzyme is then diluted in a 1 : 4 ratio in the assay by the addition of inhibitor and substrate to give a final concentration in the assay of 100 mg / ml . 10 mm stock solutions of inhibitors are made up in dimethyl sulfoxide and then diluted in assay buffer as per the inhibitor dilution scheme for inhibition of human collagenase ( mmp - 1 ): twenty - five microliters of each concentration is added in triplicate to the microfluor plate . the final concentration in the assay are 30 μm , 3 μm , 0 . 3 μm , and 0 . 03 μm . substrate ( dnp - pro - cha - gly - cys ( me )- his - ala - lys ( nma )- nh 2 ) is prepared as for inhibition of human collagenase ( mmp - 1 ) and 50 μl is added to each well to give a final assay concentration of 10 μm . fluorescence readings ( 360 nm excitation ; 450 emission ) are taken at time 0 and every 5 minutes for 1 hour . positive controls consist of enzyme and substrate with no inhibitor and blanks consist of substrate only . ic 50 &# 39 ; s are determined as per inhibition of human collagenase ( mmp - 1 ). if ic 50 &# 39 ; s are reported to be less than 0 . 03 μm , inhibitors are then assayed at final concentrations of 0 . 3 μm , 0 . 03 μm , 0 . 003 μm and 0 . 0003 μm . the ability of the compounds or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof to inhibit the production of tnf and , consequently , demonstrate their effectiveness for treating diseases involving the production of tnf is shown by the following in vitro assay : human mononuclear cells were isolated from anti - coagulated human blood using a one - step ficoll - hypaque separation technique . ( 2 ) the mononuclear cells were washed three times in hanks balanced salt solution ( hbss ) with divalent cations and resuspended to a density of 2 × 10 6 / ml in hbss containing 1 % bsa . differential counts determined using the abbott cell dyn 3500 analyzer indicated that monocytes ranged from 17 to 24 % of the total cells in these preparations . 180μ of the cell suspension was aliquoted into flate bottom 96 well plates ( costar ). additions of compounds and lps ( 100 ng / ml final concentration ) gave a final volume of 200 μl . all conditions were performed in triplicate . after a four hour incubation at 37 ° c . in an humidified co 2 incubator , plates were removed and centrifuged ( 10 minutes at approximately 250 × g ) and the supernatants removed and assayed for tnfα using the r & amp ; d elisa kit . for administration to humans for the inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases or the production of tumor necrosis factor ( tnf ), a variety of conventional routes may be used including orally , parenterally and topically . in general , the active compound will be administered orally or parenterally at dosages between about 0 . 1 and 25 mg / kg body weight of the subject to be treated per day , preferably from about 0 . 3 to 5 mg / kg . however , some variation in dosage will necessarily occur depending on the condition of the subject being treated . the person responsible for administration will , in any event , determine the appropriate dose for the individual subject . the compounds of the present invention can be administered in a wide variety of different dosage forms , in general , the therapeutically effective compounds of this invention are present in such dosage forms at concentration levels ranging from about 5 . 0 % to about 70 % by weight . for oral administration , tablets containing various excipients such as microcrystalline cellulose , sodium citrate , calcium carbonate , dicalcium phosphate and glycine may be employed along with various disintegrants such as starch ( and preferably corn , potato or tapioca starch ), alginic acid and certain complex silicates , together with granulation binders like polyvinylpyrrolidone , sucrose , gelation of acacia . additionally , lubricating agents such as magnesium stearate , sodium lauryl sulfate and talc are often very useful for tabletting purposes . solid compositions of a similar type may also be employed as fillers in gelatin capsules ; preferred materials in this connection also include lactose or milk sugar as well as high molecular weight polyethylene glycols . when aqueous suspensions and / or elixirs are desired for oral administration , the active ingredient may be combined with various sweetening or flavoring agents , coloring matter or dyes , and , if so desired , emulsifying and / or suspending agents as well , together with such diluents as water , ethanol , propylene glycol , glycerin and various like combinations thereof . for parenteral administration ( intramuscular , intraperitoneal , subcutaneous and intravenous use ) a sterile injectable solution of the active ingredient is usually prepared . solutions of a therapeutic compound of the present invention in either sesame or peanut oil or in aqueous propylene glycol may be employed . the aqueous solutions should be suitably adjusted and buffered , preferably at a ph of greater than 8 , if necessary and the liquid diluent first rendered isotonic . these aqueous solutions are suitable intravenous injection purposes . the oily solutions are suitable for intraarticular , intramuscular and subcutaneous injection purposes . the preparation of all these solutions under sterile conditions is readily accomplished by standard pharmaceutical techniques well know to those skilled in the art . the present invention is illustrated by the following examples , but it is not limited to the details thereof . to a solution of d - valine benzyl ester hydrochloride ( 2 . 4 grams , 10 mmol ) and triethylamine ( 2 . 5 grams , 3 . 5 ml , 25 mmol ) in water 50 ml ) and 1 , 4 - dioxane ( 50 ml ) is added 4 - methoxybenzenesylfonyl chloride ( 2 . 3 grams , 11 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour and then most of the solvent was removed by evaporation under vacuum . the mixture was diluted with ethyl acetate and was washed successively with dilute hydrochloric acid solution , water and brine . the organic solution was dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated to leave n -( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )- d - valine benzyl ester as a white solid , 3 . 6 grams ( 97 %); m . p . 92 - 94 ° c . n -( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )- d - valine benzyl ester ( 1 . 50 grams , 4 . 0 mmol ) was added to a suspension of sodium hydride ( 0 . 1 grams , 4 . 2 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 20 ml ) and , after 30 minutes , tert - butyl bromoacetate ( 0 . 8 ml , 4 . 2 mmol ) was added . the resulting mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and was then quenched by addition of saturated ammonium chloride solution ( 3 ml ). the dimethylformamide was removed by evaporation under vacuum . the residue was taken up in ethyl acetate and washed with water and brine . after drying over magnesium sulfate , ethyl acetate was evaporated to leave an oil from which 2 -( r )- 2 -[ tert - butoxycarbonylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester , a clear oil ( 1 . 92 grams , 98 %), was isolated using flash chromatography on silica gel eluting with 15 % ethyl acetate in hexane . to a cold ( 0 ° c .) solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ tert - butoxycarbonylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 1 . 92 grams , 3 . 9 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 28 ml ) was added trifluoroacetic acid ( 7 ml ). the resulting solution was allowed to warm to room temperature and was stirred overnight . the methylene chloride and trifluoroacetic acid were evaporated under vacuum leaving 2 -( r )- 2 -[ carboxylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as a clear oil , 1 . 70 grams ( 100 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ carboxylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 573 mg , 1 . 32 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 12 ml ) were added sequentially triethylamine ( 0 . 46 ml , 3 . 28 mmol ), morpholine ( 0 . 127 ml , 1 . 46 mmol ) and benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate ( 646 mg , 1 . 46 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 40 % ethyl acetate in hexane affording 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as a clear oil , 590 mg ( 89 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 590 mg , 1 . 17 mmol ) in ethanol ( 50 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on activated carbon ( 200 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 3 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 2 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through nylon ( pore size 0 . 45 μm ) and the solvent was evaporated leaving 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid as a white foam , 485 mg ( 100 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid ( 485 mg , 1 . 17 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 12 ml ) were added sequentially triethylamine ( 0 . 52 ml , 3 . 71 mmol ), o - benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 205 mg , 1 . 28 mmol ) and ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate ( 570 mg , 1 . 29 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed sequentially with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution , water , saturated sodium hydrogen carbonate solution and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 20 % hexane in ethyl acetate to afford 2 -( r )- n - benzyloxy - 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyramide as a white foam , 510 mg ( 84 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- n - benzyloxy - 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric ( 510 mg , 0 . 98 mmol ) in methanol ( 50 ml ) was added 5 % palladium on activated carbon ( 120 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 2 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 2 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through nylon ( pore size 0 . 45 μm ) and the solvent was evaporated leaving 2 -( r )- n - hydroxy - 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyramide as a white solid , 418 mg ( 99 %); 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ10 . 3 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 90 ( br s , 1 h , overlapped ), 7 . 86 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h , overlapped ), 6 . 94 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 4 . 39 ( d , j = 17 . 1 hz , 1h ), 4 . 09 ( d , j = 17 . 1 , 1h ), 3 . 84 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 80 - 3 . 48 ( m , 9h ), 2 . 20 - 1 . 95 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 82 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 45 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ); ms ( lsims ): m / z 430 ( m + h ). to a solution of n -( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )- d - valine benzyl ester ( 2 . 2 grams , 5 . 83 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 40 ml ) were added cesium carbonate ( 2 . 3 grams , 7 . 1 mmol ) and 1 - iodo - 3 - butene ( 1 . 3 grams , 7 . 1 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and was then poured into water . the mixture was extracted twice with ether and the combined ether extracts were washed with brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure . the residue was taken up in 20 % ethyl acetate / hexane ; starting material n -( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )- d - valine benzyl ester ( 1 . 5 g ) crystallized from the mixture and was recovered by filtration . the filtrate was concentrated under vacuum and the residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 20 % ethyl acetate / hexane as eluant to provide 2 -( r )- 2 -[ but - 3 - enyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as a clear oil , 404 mg ( 16 %). to a mixture of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ but - 3 - enyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 780 mg , 1 . 81 mmol ) and ruthenium ( iii ) chloride hydrate ( 10 mg , 0 . 048 mmol ) in acetonitrile ( 6 ml ), carbon tetrachloride ( 6 ml ) and water ( 8 ml ) was added sodium periodate ( 1 . 7 grams , 7 . 9 mmol ). after stirring at room temperature for 2 hours , the mixture was diluted with methylene chloride and filtered through diatomaceous earth . the organic layer was separated , washed with dilute hydrochloric acid solution and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated to leave 2 -( r )- 2 -[ 2 - carboxyethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as a clear oil , 710 mg ( 87 %). alternatively , the intermediate 2 -( r )- 2 -[ 2 - carboxyethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester was prepared by the following higher yielding procedure : n -( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )- d - valine benzyl ester ( 18 . 8 grams , 49 . 8 mmol ) was added to a suspension of sodium hydride ( 1 . 3 grams , 54 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 200 ml ) and , after 1 . 5 hours , a solution of allyl bromide ( 4 . 7 ml , 54 mmol ) was added . the resulting mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and was then quenched by addition of saturated ammonium chloride solution . the dimethylformamide was removed by evaporation under vacuum . the residue was taken up in ether and washed with water and brine . after drying over magnesium sulfate , ether was evaporated to leave an oil from which 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) prop - 2 - enylamino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester , a clear oil ( 18 . 1 grams , 87 %), was isolated using flash chromatography on silica gel eluting with 10 % ethyl acetate in hexane and then 20 % ethyl acetate in hexane . to a 1 m solution of borane / disulfide complex in methylene chloride ( 1 . 45 ml , 2 . 9 mmol ) was added a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) prop - 2 - enylamino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 3 . 6 grams , 8 . 6 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 8 ml ). the solution was stirred at room temperature for 4 hours at which time more 1 m solution of borane / disulfide complex in methylene chloride ( 2 . 0 ml , 4 . 0 mmol ) was added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and was then added dropwise to a mechanically stirred solution of chromium trioxide ( 5 . 1 grams , 51 . 6 mole ) in acetic acid ( 31 ml ) and water ( 3 . 5 ml ) while keeping the internal temperature between - 5 ° c . and 10 ° c . after stirring at room temperature overnight , the mixture was diluted with water and extracted with methylene chloride . the extract was washed with brine , dried ( magnesium sulfate ) and concentrated . the residue was chromatographed on silica gel eluting successively with chloroform and 2 % methanol in chloroform to afford 2 -( r )- 2 -[ 2 - carboxyethyl2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl as an oil ( 2 . 42 grams , 63 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ 2 - carboxyethyl2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 710 mg , 1 . 58 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 15 ml ) were added sequentially triethylamine ( 0 . 47 ml , 3 . 35 mmol ), morpholine ( 0 . 15 ml , 1 . 72 mmol ) and ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphoniumhexafluorophosphate ( 769 mg , 1 . 74 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with methylene chloride . the solution was washed with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the solid residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 20 % hexane in ethyl acetate affording 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 3 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 3 - oxopropyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as a clear oil , 725 mg ( 88 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 3 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 3 - oxopropyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 725 mg , 1 . 40 mmol ) in ethanol ( 35 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on activated carbon ( 50 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 3 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 3 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through nylon ( pore size 0 . 45 μm ) and the solvent was evaporated leaving 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 3 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 3 - oxopropyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid as a white solid , 540 mg ( 90 %). to a solution 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 3 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 3 - oxopropyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid ( 540 mg , 1 . 26 mmol ) and 1 - hydroxybenztriazole hydrate ( 205 mg , 1 . 33 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 12 ml ) was added 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodimide hydrochloride ( 289 mg , 1 . 51 mmol ). after stirring for 30 minutes , hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 350 mg , 5 . 04 mmol ) and then triethylamine ( 1 . 0 ml , 7 . 17 mmol ) were added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed sequentially with water , 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine . the solution was then dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum to leave a white foam . the material was dissolved in toluene , filtered and concentrated . the residue was triturated with ether to afford 2 -( r )- n - hydroxy - 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 3 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 3 - oxoethyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyramide as a solid , 200 mg ( 36 %); 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 ): δ9 . 35 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 73 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 6 . 95 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 3 . 86 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 83 - 3 . 73 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 70 - 3 . 52 ( m , 7h ), 3 . 46 - 3 . 43 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 41 - 3 . 29 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 92 - 2 . 69 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 30 - 2 . 17 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 84 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 41 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ); ms ( particle beam ): m / z 444 ( m + h ), 428 , 383 , 329 ; hrms calculated for c 19 h 30 n 3 o 7 s ( m + h ): 444 . 1804 , found : 464 . 1818 . the title compounds of examples 3 - 6 were prepared by a method analogous to that described in example 2 using 2 -( r )- 2 -[ 2 - carboxyethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as the starting material which is coupled with the amine indicated . coupled with benzylamine ; 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 72 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 89 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 39 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 74 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2h ), 7 . 32 - 7 . 21 ( m , 5h ), 7 . 05 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2h ), 4 . 21 ( d , j = 5 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 02 - 3 . 87 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 82 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 63 ( d , j = 10 . 8 hz , 1h ), 3 . 29 - 3 . 17 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 71 - 2 . 57 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 52 - 2 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 06 - 1 . 94 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 77 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 0 . 74 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ); ms ( lsims ): m / z 464 ( m + h ); hrms calculated for c 22 h 30 n 3 o 6 s ( m + h ): 464 . 1855 . found : 464 . 1832 . coupled with 3 - pyridylmethylamine : 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 72 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 89 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 49 - 8 . 42 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 73 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 63 - 7 . 60 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 32 ( dd , j = 4 . 8 , 7 . 8 hz , 1h ), 7 . 05 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 23 ( d , j = 5 . 8 hz , 2h ), 4 . 00 - 3 . 88 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 81 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 62 ( d , j = 10 . 8 hz , 1h ), 3 . 27 - 3 . 17 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 69 - 2 . 58 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 52 - 2 . 41 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 07 - 1 . 94 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 76 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 72 ( d , j = 6 . 4 hz , 3h ); ms ( lsims ): m / z 465 ( m + h ). coupled with 3 -( n - methylaminomethyl ) pyridine : 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 75 ( br , s , 1h ), 8 . 92 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 52 - 8 . 29 ( m , 2h ), 7 . 75 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 1 . 4 h ), 7 . 67 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 0 . 6 h ), 7 . 62 - 7 . 58 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 42 - 7 . 32 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 06 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 1 . 4 h ), 7 . 01 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 0 . 6h ), 4 . 55 - 4 . 41 ( m , 2h ), 3 . 94 - 3 . 82 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 81 ( s , 2 . 1 h ), 3 . 80 ( s , 0 . 9 h ), 3 . 68 - 3 . 60 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 33 - 3 . 19 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 90 - 2 . 50 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 88 ( s , 2 . 1 h overlapped ), 2 . 79 ( s , 0 . 9 h ), 2 . 05 - 1 . 80 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 79 - 0 . 63 ( m , 6h ): ms ( thermospray ): m / z 479 ( m + h ), 364 . coupled with tert - butyl - 1 - piperazinecarboxylate : 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 77 ( br , s , 1h ), 8 . 93 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 74 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 06 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 3 . 90 - 3 . 80 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 82 ( s , 3h , overlapped ), 3 . 64 ( d , j = 10 . 8 hz , 1h ), 3 . 60 - 3 . 16 ( m , 9h ), 2 . 80 - 2 . 71 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 59 - 2 . 47 ( m , 1h ) 2 . 03 - 1 . 91 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 39 ( s , 9h ), 0 . 77 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 71 ( d , j = 6 . 5 , 3h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 543 ( m + h ), 443 , 382 , 328 . a solution of 4 -( 3 -[( 1 -( r )- 1 - hydroxycarbamoyl - 2 - methylpropyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ] propionyl ) piperazine - 1 - carboxylic acid , tert - butyl ester [ example 6 ] ( 430 mg , 0 . 79 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 11 ml ) was cooled to 0 ° c . hydrogen chloride gas was then bubbled through the solution for about 0 . 5 minute . the solution was allowed to warm to room temperature with stirring over 1 hour . volatiles were removed by evaporation and the residue was filtered , washing with methylene chloride to collect solid 2 -( r )- n - hydroxy - 2 -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 3 - oxo - 3 - piperazin - 1 - ylpropyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyramide hydrochloride , 375 mg ( 99 %). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 78 ( br s , 1h ), 9 . 16 ( br , s 1h ), 7 . 74 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 7 . 07 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 3 . 82 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 62 ( br , s 4h ), 3 . 38 - 3 . 18 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 16 - 3 . 07 ( br s , 2h ), 3 . 07 - 2 . 98 ( br s , 2h ), 2 . 83 - 2 . 73 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 65 - 2 . 53 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 06 - 1 . 90 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 76 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 72 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ). a broad water peak between δ4 . 0 and 3 . 5 obscured some signals from this compound ; ms ( thermospray ): m / z 443 m + h ), 382 , 328 . to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( example 1 ) ( 905 mg , 2 . 08 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 18 ml ) were added sequentially triethylamine ( 0 . 72 ml , 5 . 14 mmol ), benzylamine ( 0 . 25 ml , 2 . 29 mmol ) and benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate ( 1 . 01 grams , 2 . 28 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was chromatographed on silica gel using a 2 : 5 : 16 ratio of methylene chloride / ethyl acetate / hexane affording 2 -( r )- 2 -[( benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as a clear oil , 933 mg ( 86 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 933 mg , 1 . 17 mmol ) in ethanol ( 50 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on activated carbon ( 85 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 3 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 4 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through nylon ( pore size 0 . 45 μm ) and the solvent was evaporated leaving 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid as a white foam , 755 mg ( 98 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid ( 655 mg , 1 . 51 mmol ) and 1 - hydroxybenztriazole hydrate ( 224 mg , 1 . 46 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 15 ml ) was added 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride ( 316 mg , 1 . 65 mmol ). after stirring for 30 minutes , hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 416 mg , 6 . 0 mmol ) and then n - methylmorpholine ( 0 . 99 ml , 9 . 0 mmol ) were added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed sequentially with water , 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine . the solution was then dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum to leave a white foam which was chromatographed on silica gel eluting with ethyl acetate to afford 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyramide as a white foam , 570 mg ( 84 %); 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 75 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 90 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 47 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 85 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 83 - 7 . 19 ( m , 5h ), 7 . 04 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 37 ( d , j = 11 . 4 hz , 1h ), 4 . 28 ( d , j = 5 . 9 hz , 2h ), 3 . 89 ( d , j = 11 . 4 hz , 1h ), 3 . 82 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 45 ( d , j = 10 . 3 hz , 1h ), 1 . 90 - 1 . 79 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 73 ( d , j = 6 . 3 hz , 6h ); ms ( lsims ): m / z 450 ( m + h ). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( example 1 ) ( 1 . 05 grams , 2 . 41 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 20 ml ) were added sequentially triethylamine ( 0 . 84 ml , 6 . 0 mmol ), n - benzylmethylamine ( 0 . 34 ml , 2 . 63 mmol ) and benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate ( 1 . 17 grams , 2 . 69 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 35 % ethyl acetate in hexane ( plus a small amount of methylene chloride to load the sample on the column ) affording 2 -( r )- 2 -[( benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyramide benzyl ester as a clear oil , 1 . 14 grams ( 88 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 1 . 14 grams , 2 . 12 mmol ) in ethanol ( 100 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on activated carbon ( 400 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 3 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 3 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through nylon ( pore size 0 . 45 μm ) and the solvent was evaporated leaving 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid as a white foam , 902 mg ( 95 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid ( 902 mg , 2 . 01 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 20 ml ) were added sequentially triethylamine ( 0 . 90 ml , 6 . 42 mmol ), o - allylhydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 242 mg , 2 . 21 mmol ) and ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy )- tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate ( 978 mg , 2 . 21 mmol ). the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was chromatographed on silica gel using 40 % hexane in ethyl acetate to afford 2 -( r )- n - allyloxy - 2 -[( benzylmethylcarbamoylmethyl )( 4 - methoxy - benzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyramide as an oil , 1 . 008 grams ( 100 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- n - allyloxy - 2 -[( benzylmethylcarbamoylmethyl )( 4 - methoxy - benzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyramide ( 500 mg , 0 . 99 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 40 ml ) was added bis ( triphenylphosphine ) palladium ( ii ) chloride ( 280 mg , 0 . 4 mmol ) and then , dropwise , tributyltinhydride ( 0 . 43 ml , 2 . 2 mmol ). the solution was stirred at room temperature for 1 hour , diluted with methylene chloride , washed with 1n hydrochloric acid solution , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated . the residue was taken up in ethyl acetate and filtered to remove a solid . after concentration , the filtrate was chromatographed on silica gel eluting with chloroform and then 2 % methanol in chloroform to afford 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - benzylcarbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyramide as a white solid ( 340 mg , 74 %). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 66 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 87 ( br s , 0 . 6h ), 8 . 84 ( s , 0 . 4 h ), 7 . 91 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 1 . 2 h ), 7 . 78 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 0 . 8 h ), 7 . 43 - 7 . 21 ( m , 5h ), 7 . 05 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 1 . 2 h ), 7 . 00 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 0 . 8 h ) 4 . 72 ( d , j = 17 . 7 hz , 0 . 4h ), 4 . 70 ( d , j = 17 . 7 hz , 0 . 6h ), 4 . 59 - 4 . 25 ( d , j = 17 . 8 hz , 0 . 6h ), 4 . 07 ( d , j = 17 . 7 hz , 0 . 4h ), 3 . 82 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 46 - 3 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 91 ( s , 1 . 8h ), 2 . 83 ( s , 1 . 2 h ), 1 . 92 - 1 . 70 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 75 - 0 . 69 ( m , 6h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 464 ( m + h ), 307 , 239 . the title compounds of examples 10 - 11 were prepared by a method analogous to that described in example 9 using 2 -( r )- 2 -[ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( example 1 ) as the starting material which is coupled with the amine indicated . coupled with 4 -( 2 - aminoethyl ) morpholine : 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 74 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 90 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 84 ( br s , 1h , overlapped ), 7 . 84 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 7 . 06 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 4 . 33 ( d , j = 17 . 5 hz , 1h ), 3 . 83 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 78 ( d , j = 17 . 5 hz , 1h ), 3 . 57 - 3 . 54 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 49 ( d , j = 10 . 2 hz , 1h ), 3 . 28 - 3 . 06 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 34 - 2 . 30 ( m , 6h ), 1 . 93 - 1 . 77 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 77 - 0 . 74 ( m , 6h ). coupled with pyrrolidine : 1 h nmr ( cd 3 od ): δ7 . 90 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 04 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 50 ( d , j = 17 . 6 hz , 1h ), 4 . 15 ( d , j = 17 . 6 hz , 1h ), 3 . 87 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 56 - 3 . 39 ( m , 5h ), 2 . 07 - 1 . 82 ( m , 5h ), 0 . 3 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 0 . 73 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 414 ( m + 1 ); hrms calculated for c 18 h 28 n 3 o 6 s ( m + h ): 414 . 1699 . found 414 . 1703 . a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( example 1 ) ( 1 . 89 grams , 4 . 34 mmol ) in thionyl chloride ( 25 ml ) was heated at reflux for 1 hour . after cooling , the excess thionyl chloride was evaporated . the residue was taken up in methylene chloride ( 50 ml ) and the solution was cooled in an ice bath . dimethylamine gas was slowly bubbled through the solution for 1 hour . after evaporation of the solvent , the residue was taken up in ethyl acetate , washed with 1 n hydrochloric acid solution , water and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated to leave dimethylcarbamoylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzensulfonyl ) amino - 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as an oil , 1 . 77 grams ( 88 %). to a solution of dimethylcarbamoylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino - 3 - methylbutymic acid benzyl ester ( 1 . 77 grams , 3 . 83 mmol ) in ethanol ( 100 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on activated carbon ( 644 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 3 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 1 . 5 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through nylon ( pore size 0 . 45 μm ) and the solvent was evaporated leaving dimethylcarbamoylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzensulfonyl ) amino - 3 - methylbutyric acid as a white foam , 1 . 42 grams ( 100 %). to a solution of dimethylcarbamoylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzensulfonyl ) amino - 3 - methylbutyric acid ( 1 . 42 grams , 3 . 81 mmol ) and 1 - hydroxybenztriazole hydrate ( 687 mg , 4 . 48 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 7 ml ) was added 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride ( 974 mg , 5 . 08 mmol ). after stirring for 30 minutes , hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 1 . 17 grams , 16 . 8 mmol ) and then n - methylmorpholine ( 2 . 8 ml , 25 . 5 mmol ) were added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then concentrated under vacuum . the residue was taken up in ethyl acetate and the resulting solution was washed sequentially with water , 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution and brine . the solution was then dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum to leave an oil which was chromatographed on silica gel eluting successively with ethyl acetate , 5 % methanol in chloroform and 10 % methanol in chloroform to afford 2 -[ dimethyl - carbamoylmethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyramide as a white solid , 390 mg ( 26 %). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 70 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 89 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 80 ( d , j = hz , 2h ), 7 . 10 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 62 ( d , j = 17 . 7 hz , 1h ), 4 . 14 ( d , j = 17 . 7 hz , 1h ), 3 . 84 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 40 ( d , j = 10 . 4 hz , 1h ), 2 . 97 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 82 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 88 - 1 . 72 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 72 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 6h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 388 ( m + 1 ); hrms calculated for c 18 h 28 n 3 o 6 s ( m + h ): 388 . 1542 . found : 388 . 1592 . 2 -( r )- n - hydroxy - 2 -(( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )([( pyridin - 3 - ylmethyl )- carbamoyl ] methyl ) amino - 3 - methylbutyramide was prepared by a procedure similar to that of example 12 starting with 2 -( r )- 2 -[ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( example 1 ) and coupling this to 3 - pyridylmethylamine via the acid chloride . 1 h nmr ( cd 3 od ): δ8 . 55 - 8 . 53 ( m , 1h ), 8 . 43 - 8 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 7 . 90 - 7 . 82 ( m , 1h , overlapped ), 7 . 86 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 40 ( dd , j = 4 . 8 , 7 . 8 hz , 1h ), 7 . 04 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 50 ( d , j = 17 . 5 hz , 1h ), 4 . 39 ( d , j = 17 . 5 hz , 1h ), 4 . 32 ( d , j = 17 . 7 hz , 1h ), 4 . 02 ( d , j = 17 . 7 hz , 1h ), 3 . 87 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 60 ( d , j = 10 . 3 hz , 1h ), 2 . 08 - 1 . 93 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 85 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h , 0 . 70 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 451 ( m + h ), 336 , 320 . to a solution of iminoacetic acid disodium salt monohydrate ( 5 . 0 grams , 25 . 6 mmol ) in dioxane ( 50 ml ) and water ( 50 ml ) was added triethylamine ( 5 . 3 ml , 38 mmol ) followed by 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl chloride ( 5 . 8 grams , 28 . 0 mmol ). the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and diluted with methylene chloride . the solution was washed with 1 n hydrochloric acid solution , water and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum leaving [ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ] acetic acid as a white solid , 3 . 83 grams ( 49 %). [ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ] acetic acid ( 0 . 5 grams , 1 . 65 mmol ) in acetic anhydride ( 15 ml ) was dissolved in acetic anhydride by gentle warming . the resulting solution was stirred at room temperature overnight . the acetic anhydride was removed by evaporation under vacuum ; the residue was dissolved in methylene chloride and morpholine ( 0 . 16 ml , 1 . 82 mmol ) was added . the mixture was stirred overnight at room temperature and then concentrated under vacuum . the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate , washed with 1n hydrochloric acid solution , water and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated to afford [( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ] acetic acid as an oil , 0 . 33 grams ( 54 %). to a solution of [( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ] acetic acid ( 0 . 33 grams , 0 . 89 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 10 ml ) were added sequentially triethylamine ( 0 . 43 ml , 3 . 1 mmol ), o - benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 0 . 15 grams , 0 . 94 mmol ) and ( benzotriazol - 1 - yloxy ) tris ( dimethylamino ) phosphonium hexafluorophosphate ( 0 . 43 grams , 0 . 97 mmol ). the mixture wsa stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution wsa washed sequentially with 0 . 5 n hydrochloric acid solution , water and brine , dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum . the residue was chromatorgraphed on silica gel using ethyl acetate to afford n - benzyloxy -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ] acetamide as a white solid , 0 . 33 grams ( 78 %). to a solution of n - benzyloxy -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ] acetamide ( 0 . 33 grams , 0 . 69 mmol ) in methanol ( 35 ml ) was added 5 % palladium on activated carbon ( 85 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 2 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 1 . 5 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through nylon ( pore size 0 . 45 μm ) and the solvent was evaporated . the residue was chromatorgraphed on silica gel with 5 % methanol in methylene chloride to afford n - methoxy -[( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl )( 2 - morpholin - 4 - yl - 2 - oxoethyl ) amino ] acetamide as a white solid , 65 mg ( 24 %); 1 h nmr ( cd 3 od ): δ7 . 82 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2h ), 7 . 08 ( d , j = 9 . 0 hz , 2h ), 4 . 24 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 88 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 84 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 68 - 3 . 64 ( m , 4h ), 3 . 58 - 3 . 50 ( m , 4h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 388 ( m + 1 ), 387 ( m ); hrms calculated for c 16 h 22 n 3 o 7 s ( m + h ): 388 . 1178 , found 338 . 1180 . the title compounds of examples 15 - 16 were prepared by a method analogous to that described in example 14 using [ carboxymethyl ( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ] acetic acid as the starting material which , after treatment with acetic anhydride , is coupled with the amine indicated . coupled with pyrrolidine : 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ11 . 26 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 89 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 81 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 10 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 09 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 85 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 74 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 45 - 3 . 25 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 93 - 1 . 72 ( m , 4h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 372 ( m + 1 ): analysis calculated for c 15 h 21 n 3 o 6 s : c , 48 . 51 ; h , 5 . 70 ; n , 11 . 31 . found c , 48 . 51 ; h , 5 . 82 ; n , 11 . 24 . coupled with dimethylamine : mp : 170 ° c . ( dec . ); 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 69 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 88 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 91 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 06 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 4 . 19 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 85 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 73 ( s , 2h ), 2 . 94 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 84 ( s , 3h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 346 ( m + 1 ); analysis calculated for c 13 h 19 n 3 o 6 s : c , 45 . 21 ; h , 5 . 55 n , 12 . 17 . found : c , 44 . 93 , h , 5 . 61 ; n , 12 . 03 . to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( example 2 ) ( 900 mg ., 2 . 0 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 10 ml ) was added thionyl chloride ( 0 . 16 ml , 2 . 2 mmol ). the reaction mixture was stirred for 1 . 5 hours at room temperature and then concentrated in vacuo . after dissolving the residue in methylene chloride ( 10 ml ), ammonia gas was bubbled through the solution for 0 . 5 minutes . the solution was stirred at room temperature overnight and was concentrated under vacuum . flash chromatography of the residue on silica gel eluting with 2 % methanol in chloroform provided 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as a clear oil ( 275 mg , 31 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 275 mg , 0 . 61 mmol ) in ethanol ( 15 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on activated carbon ( 30 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 3 atmosphers hydrogen in a parr shaker for 5 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through diatomaceous earth and the solvent was evaporated leaving 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid as a white foam , 211 mg ( 96 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid ( 205 mg , 0 . 57 mmol ) and 1 - hydroxybenztriazole hydrate ( 85 mg , 0 . 55 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 5 ml ) was added 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride ( 120 mg , 0 . 63 mmol ). after stirring for 30 minutes , hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 158 mg , 2 . 3 mmol ) and then n - methylmorpholine ( 0 . 37 ml , 3 . 4 mmol ) were added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then diluted with ethyl acetate . the solution was washed with water and brine . the solution was then dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated under vacuum to leave an oil which was chromatographed on silica gel eluting with 2 % methanol in chloroform to afford 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyramide as a white solid , 45 mg ( 21 %); 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 74 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 91 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 74 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 7 . 33 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 07 ( d , j = 8 . 8 hz , 2h ), 6 . 79 ( br s , 1h ), 3 . 93 - 3 . 82 ( m , 1h , overlapped ), 3 . 83 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 64 ( d , j = 10 . 7 hz , 1h ), 3 . 25 - 3 . 12 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 62 - 2 . 48 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 42 - 2 . 30 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 06 - 1 . 94 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 79 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ), 0 . 76 ( d , j = 6 . 6 hz , 3h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 374 ( m + h ). a solution of n , n - dimethylformamide di - tert - butyl acetal ( 1 . 9 ml , 7 . 9 mmol ) in toluene ( 15 ml ) was added dropwise to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( example 2 ) 900 mg , 2 . 0 mmol ) in toluene at 80 ° c . after heating for 2 hours at 80 ° c ., the mixture was cooled and concentrated to leave an amber oil which was chromatographed on silica gel eluting with chloroform to afford 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - tert - butoxycarbonylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester as an oil , 3 . 75 mg ( 37 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - tert - butoxycarbonylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid benzyl ester ( 370 mg , 0 . 73 mmol ) in ethanol ( 20 ml ) was added 10 % palladium on activated carbon ( 40 mg ). the mixture was agitated under 3 atmospheres hydrogen in a parr shaker for 5 hours . the catalyst was removed by filtration through diatomaceous earth and the solvent was evaporated leaving 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - tert - butoxycarbonylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid as a white foam , 30 mg ( 100 %). to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - tert - butoxycarbonylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyric acid ( 303 mg , 0 . 73 mmol ) and 1 - hydroxybenztriazole hydrate ( 108 mg , 0 . 70 mmol ) in dry dimethylformamide ( 10 ml ) was added 1 -( 3 - dimethylaminopropyl )- 3 - ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride ( 153 mg , 0 . 80 mmol ). after stirring for 45 minutes , hydroxylamine hydrochloride ( 203 mg , 2 . 9 mmol ) and then n - methylmorpholine ( 0 . 48 ml , 4 . 4 mmol ) were added . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight and then concentrated under vacuum . the residue was chromatographed on silica gel cluting with 2 % methanol in chloroform and again with 10 % ethyl acetate in hexane to afford 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - tert - butoxycarbonylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyramide as a white foam , 135 mg ( 43 %); 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 77 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 74 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 08 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 3 . 93 - 3 . 82 ( m , 1h , overlapped ), 3 . 83 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 64 ( d , j = 10 . 8 hz , 1h ), 3 . 26 - 3 . 14 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 70 - 2 . 60 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 50 - 2 . 38 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 04 - 1 . 91 ( m , 1h ), 1 . 38 ( s , 9h ), 0 . 78 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 72 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ); ms ( thermospray ): m / z 431 ( m + h ), 375 , 314 . to a solution of 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - tert - butoxycarbonylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyramide ( example 18 ) ( 100 mg , 0 . 23 mmol ) in methylene chloride ( 1 ml ) at 0 ° c . was added trifluoroacetic acid ( 1 ml ). the mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature while stirring overnight . after evaporation of the trifluoroacetic acid and methylene chloride , the residue was chromatographed on silica gel eluting with 5 % methanol in chloroform . concentration of the appropriate fractions afforded 2 -( r )- 2 -[( 2 - carbamoylethyl )( 4 - methoxybenzenesulfonyl ) amino ]- n - hydroxy - 3 - methylbutyramide as a white solid , 35 mg ( 41 %). 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 ): δ10 . 79 ( br s , 1h ), 8 . 97 ( br s , 1h ), 7 . 76 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 7 . 09 ( d , j = 8 . 9 hz , 2h ), 3 . 95 - 3 . 82 ( m , 1h , overlapped ), 3 . 84 ( s , 3h ), 3 . 66 ( d , j = 10 . 8 hz , 1h ), 3 . 30 - 3 . 20 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 73 - 2 . 62 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 50 - 2 . 40 ( m , 1h ), 2 . 07 - 1 . 94 ( m , 1h ), 0 . 80 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ), 0 . 74 ( d , j = 6 . 5 hz , 3h ): ms ( thermospray ): m / z 375 ( m + h ), 314 .	2
it is noted that like parts are designated by like reference numerals . fig5 shows a storage container for a magnetic recording tape cartridge , suitable for storing a so - called philips type magnetic recording tape cartridge &# 34 ; compact cassette &# 34 ;, as a preferred embodiment of the present invention , wherein the receptacle container body 1 and the lid 2 are constituted in the same manner as in the conventional storage container of this kind . a pair of hub locking members 11 for preventing rotation of tape hubs 6 of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 are provided on the bottom surface 1a of the body 1 at the positions corresponding to the driving shaft insertion holes 10 of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 as shown in fig6 . the locking members are parallel and protrude upwardly from the container bottom surface 1a . the hub locking members 11 are each constituted by a columnar boss 12 and the two engaging keys 13 and 14 projected radially outwardly from said boss 12 . fig7 and 8 illustrate an example of the hub locking member 11 for preventing the rotation of the hub applied to the storage container . in this embodiment , a columnar boss 12 having the diameter of about 6 . 7 mm is vertically erected at a height of about 12 mm from the bottom wall 1a of the body 1 , with its top portion tapered to form a cone 15 of the vertical or apex angle α of about 135 °. from each boss 12 the first engaging key 13 protrudes toward the front wall 1b of the body 1 and the second engaging key 14 protrudes toward the right rear portion , respectively in radial directions at the length l of about 1 . 2 mm , with the angle β between the engaging keys 13 and 14 being set at about 150 °. the angle β between the engaging keys 13 and 14 is so determined that , when one hub toothing 9a is positioned opposite to the first engaging key 13 , the second engaging key 14 is positioned in the intermediate space defined by other hub toothings 9c and 9d as shown in fig1 a . the upper ends of the engaging keys 13 and 14 are positioned on the level lower than the bottom end of the cone 15 of said boss 12 , and are inclined downward from said boss 12 with an angle of inclination of about 20 ° to the bottom surface 1a . the upper ends of the engaging keys 13 and 14 are pointed in trigonal pyramid forms . the width α and a &# 39 ; of the engaging keys 13 and 14 are of about 2 . 0 mm . in general , the width α of one key 13 is set to be smaller than the distance c between the tub toothings adjacent each other ( about 2 . 8 mm ) and larger than the difference obtained by deducting the total of the width a &# 39 ; of the other key 14 and the diameter b of the section of the hub toothings ( about 1 . 5 mm ) from the distance c between the two hub - toothings , namely a & lt ; c and a & gt ; c -( a &# 39 ;+ b ). also , the total length of the diameter d3 of the boss 12 ( 6 . 7 mm ) and the length l of the engaging keys 13 or 14 ( 1 . 2 mm ), d3 + l = 6 . 7 + 1 . 2 = 7 . 9 mm , is smaller by about 0 . 1 mm than the diameter d0 ( 8 . 0 mm ) of the above inscribed circle 16 along each end face of the hub toothings 9 ( see fig1 b or 11 ). by setting the respective dimensions of the hub locking member 11 as described above , it is understood from fig1 , that since either of the engaging keys 13 or 14 is out of the inscribed circle 16 or 16 &# 39 ;, when any one of the hub - toothings 9 opposes to one of the engaging key 13 ( or 14 ), another engaging key 14 ( or 13 ) is located in the space between two hub - toothings 9c and 9d ( or 9a and 9b ). on the other hand , generally , the hub 6 is placed with a play t of about 0 . 7 mm between the hub supporting wall 17 of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 and the shoulder 18 of the hub 6 . accordingly , the hub 6 can be moved idly within the play t ( see fig9 ). therefore , when the width of the hub - toothing 9 is smaller than predetermined value , the hub 6 is unexpectedly brought into rotation as hereinafter described . this mechanism is explained with reference to fig1 a through 10d and 11 as follows : fig1 b and 10c show critical states for the engaging key 14 to be in contact with either hub - toothings 9c or 9d . between the both states shown in fig1 b and 10c , the hub - toothing 9c can be offset relative to the engaging key 14 by the difference ( c - a &# 39 ;) obtained by deducing the width a &# 39 ; of the engaging key 14 from the distance c between the hub - toothings 9c and 9d . in this case , the end face 13a of the other engaging key 13 must be located within the range of the hub - toothing 9a . the maximum length over which the engaging key 13 can move within the range of the hub toothings 9a is ( c - a &# 39 ;). accordingly , if this length of ( c - a &# 39 ;) were larger than the value of ( a + b ). the engaging key 13 which had been in contact with or closely opposed to the hub - toothing 9a would be disengaged from the hub - toothing 9a . when the hub - toothing 9a is disengaged from the engaging key 13 under such state as shown in fig1 b or 10c , the hub 6 may be allowed to rotate by way of planetary movement . accordingly , the relation of ( c - a &# 39 ;)& lt ;( a + b ) is to be maintained . the above relation between the first and the second engaging keys must be satisfied even when their positions are reversed . in view of the above relations , when the columnar boss 12 is inserted into the openings of the drive shaft insertion hole of the hub 6 and the drive shaft insertion hole 10 of the magnetic tape cartridge 3 when the lid 2 is closed , if the hub 6 in the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is offset from the regular position , the hub 6 is moved toward the predetermined position by the action wherein the cone 15 of the boss 12 pushes the hub - toothings contacting the cone 15 , thereby resulting in engaging of the engaging keys 13 , 14 with the hub - toothings 9 . even if the hub 6 in the magnetic recording tape cartridge 3 is inserted into the boss 12 in such way that a hub - toothing is opposed to the engaging key 14 , the hub 6 can be inserted by being guided to a correct position ( as shown in fig1 a ) by the aid of the cone 15 of the boss 12 and the inclined surface on the upper end of the engaging keys 13 and 14 . in this case , the hub 6 may be allowed to move slightly around the axis of the boss 12 , but the second engaging key 14 can be engaged with the hub - toothings 9d or 9c to prevent rotation of the hub 6 . such action and effect of the second engaging key 14 is obtained by substantially protruding the first and the second engaging keys 13 and 14 from the boss 12 in such manner that , when the first engaging key 13 is protruded from the boss 12 with a length that the total length ( d3 + l ) i . e ., the length of the first engaging key 13 plus the diameter of the boss 12 does not exceed the diameter d0 of the inclined circle along the hub - toothings 9 and when the end face 13a of said first engaging key 13 may be brought into contacting with an end face g &# 39 ; of one of the hub - toothings , e . g . 9a , while the second engaging key 14 is located within the space between the hub - toothings 9c and 9d . and yet the diameter d4 of the circumscribed circle of hub locking member 11 is set to be larger than the diameter d0 of the inserted circle 16 along said hub - toothings 9 . in the above embodiment , the boss 12 of the hub locking member 11 for preventing the rotation of the hub 9 is made of a columnar shape with conical top portion . however , the hub locking member 11 need not be of a columnar boss with a conical top portion , but , as shown in fig1 and 13 , be of a post of polygonal cross - section such as ellipse or hexagon boss 20 with polygonal pyramid top portion 21 . but , when the hub locking member is formed into a conical topped columnar shape as shown in fig5 in the above embodiment , the hub 6 may slide readily along the conical tapered top portion of the boss , causing the hub to be placed in a correct position where the hub entirely engages with the hub locking member , and , in case of displacing the hub 6 by means of the upper face of the first and / or second engaging keys 13 and / or 14 , the hub - toothing comes into contact with the outer periphery of the boss to permit smooth displacement of the hub 6 . when the top cone portion 15 of the boss 12 is formed into a tapered configuration with the vertical angle smaller than 160 °, displacement of the hub 6 is effectively performed . another embodiment of the hub locking member is shown in fig1 and 15 , wherein two engaging keys 23 and 24 are protruded from the columnar boss 12 having the conical top portion 15 . the engaging keys 23 and 24 extend up to the conical top portion 15 . a further embodiment of the hub locking member is shown in fig1 and 17 . in this embodiment , the boss 12 is constituted in combination of two half columnar parts 12a and 12b with different radii r 1 and r 2 . the ridgeline 14a of the engaging key 14 is offset from the center of the engaging key 14 . a still further embodiment of the hub locking member is shown in fig1 , wherein two engaging keys 13 and 14 are located with the angle of about 90 °. in any of the embodiments described above , in order to prevent the rotation of the hub 6 when the end of the first engaging key 13 is directly contacted or opposed with the end of a hub - toothing , for example 9a , the second engaging key 14 may be in a position to receive the hub idly in the space which comes either the first space 9ab or the second space 9bc ( see fig1 a ). but , when the second engaging key 14 is so positioned as to receive the hub 6 idly in the third space 9cd , the allowance of the length of projection of the engaging key 14 becomes the largest , by which the projection can prevent the rotation of the hub easily and securely . the first engaging key 13 and the second engaging key 14 are not required to have the same length of projection from the boss 12 . their lengths of projection may be selected according to necessity . also , it is possible to provide each engaging key with a ridge at its top , so that the ridgeline can help to guide the hub - toothing . further , the hub locking members for preventing the rotation of the tape hub adopted in the present invention may be provided on either the receptacle container body 1 or the lid 2 which constitutes the storage container . it is not essential for the hub locking members to be provided by the number corresponding to the number of the hubs of the magnetic recording tape cartridge to be contained in the storage container . however , in order to store a magnetic tape cartridge in which two hubs , engaging a magnetic tape at the starting end and the terminal end thereof respectively , are mounted in freely movable state as in the so - called &# 34 ; compact casette &# 34 ; of philips type , it is preferred to provide two hub locking members for preventing the rotation of the hubs at the positions corresponding to the hubs respectively , because , by so providing , charging of the magnetic tape cartridge in the storage container at a fixed position is assured and the rotation of the hub is effectively prevented . in a storage container having a receptacle container body and a lid , being operable to close the receptacle container body , with a magnetic recording tape loaded within the pocket as shown in fig1 or fig5 when the hub locking members according to the present invention are provided on the bottom wall of the receptacle container body , desirable results can be expected because of a successful prevention of wedging of the engaging keys of the hub locking members into the hub - toothings . in case of forming the hub locking members by molding with a plastic material in one body with the body 1 or with the lid 2 of the storage container , it is preferred to form the hub locking members with hollow space therein in which case deformation of boss that may result from shrinkage in molding can be prevented . according to the present invention , when the lid 2 in which the magnetic tape cartridge 3 is loaded is closed to enclose the cartridge 3 in the body 1 under such condition that some of the hub - toothings 9 lie on the boss 12 , said hub - toothings 9 come to contact the cone 15 of the boss 12 causing the hub 6 to move in both transverse direction and downward direction along said cone 15 . as a result , the hub 6 may be brought in the engaged position as shown in fig1 d where the rotation of the hub 6 is prevented . however , when two of the hub - toothings 9 contact onto the two engaging keys 13 and 14 at the time of enclosing into the body , the hub 6 may not be successfully engaged with the hub locking member 11 . in order to avoid such state , according to the present invention , the radius of the boss 12 should be selected within the predetermined range as explained hereinafter . before the description proceeds , it is noted that such state that the ridgelines of any two hub toothings contact the ridgelines of both of the engaging keys 13 and 14 is designated as critical state . various critical states are shown in fig2 through 22 . this critical state may cause collision of the hub - toothings and engaging keys which prevents the cartridge from being contained in the storage container correctly . an advantage of the present invention is to readily avoid the critical state as hereinafter explained . in order to avoid the occurrence of the critical state , the boss 12 must push the hub to move it in the directions of either x or - x shown in fig2 to 22 when the cartridge 3 is enclosed in the container . for this purpose , as understood from fig2 , for example , the radius r of the boss 12 must be larger than the radius r ac of the critical circle 30 . assuming that z is such point that the ridgeline of the hub - toothing 9a contacts the ridgeline of the engaging key 13 , while z &# 39 ; is such point that the ridgeline of the hub - toothing 9c contacts the ridgeline of the engaging key 14 ( such point is designated as critical point ), and the angle θ represents & lt ; z p z &# 39 ; ( critical angle ): wherein p is the center of the boss 12 . ( i ) where both engaging keys 13 and 14 engage with two hub - toothings 9a and 9c as shown in fig2 ; where the boss 12 pushes the hub - toothing 9b , as shown in fig2 , to move the hub 6 toward x direction , the angle θ falls within the range of 120 °& lt ; θ & lt ; 240 °. wherein r is the radius of the inscribed circle along the inner face of the hub - toothings ; thus , ## equ2 ## where the boss 12 pushes the hub - toothings 9e to move the hub 6 toward - x direction , the angle θ falls within the range of 60 °& lt ; θ & lt ; 120 °; ( ii ) in the case where the critical points z , z &# 39 ; occur on both hub - toothings 9a and 9b as shown in fig2 ; where the boss 12 pushes the hub - toothings 9b and 9c to move the hub 6 toward x direction , the angle θ falls within the range of 90 °& lt ; θ180 °. by adopting the rectangular co - ordinate with the origin coinciding the center p0 of the hub , the position of the center p of the boss is ( x , 0 ) while the critical points z is ( 0 , r ). since & lt ; z p p0 is θ / 2 , then ## equ5 ## on the other hand , the position of w where the boss contacts the hub - toothing 9b is nearly equaled to ## equ6 ## thus , ## equ7 ## is established . where the boss 12 pushes the hub - toothings 9e and 9f to move the hub 6 toward - x direction , the angle θ falls within the range of 180 °& lt ; θ & lt ; 270 °, then ## equ8 ## is also established ; wherein ## equ9 ## ( iii ) where the critical points z and z &# 39 ; occur on the hub - toothings 9a and 9b as shown in fig2 ; where the boss 12 pushes the hub - toothings 9a and 9b to move the hub 6 toward the x direction , the angular θ falls within the range of 60 °& lt ; θ & lt ; 180 °. the position of w where the boss contacts the hub - toothing 9a is nearly equal to ## equ10 ## thus , ## equ11 ## is established ; wherein ## equ12 ## in the case where the boss 12 pushes the hub - toothings 9d and 9e to move the hub 6 toward - x direction , the angle θ falls within the range about 32 °& lt ; θ & lt ; 60 °. the position of the center p of the boss 12 is represented by (- x , 0 ). thus , the value x appearing in the equation ( 6 ) is replaced by ## equ13 ## fig1 shows various curvatures plotted by the equations ( 1 &# 39 ;), ( 2 &# 39 ;), ( 4 ), ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) wherein vertical axis shows the values of the radii r ac , r ab and r ad while the horizontal axis shows the angle θ . it is sufficient to choose the radius of the boss 12 according to the present invention in the range higher than any curvatures as shown by the shadowed portions in fig1 . an example of the application of the equations mentioned above and graph shown in fig1 is explained below , taking the angle ω shown in fig1 as 142 °, the ( 2π - ω ) becomes 218 °. assuming that radius r is 4 mm ( which is the radius of the inscribed circle of the hub - toothings of &# 34 ; compact cassette &# 34 ;). by putting the values ω and r into any of the equations defined as above depending on the angle ω or ( 2π - ω ), two sets of radii are calculated as follows : ## equ14 ## thus , both radii r 1 and r 2 of the boss 12 shown in fig1 may be sufficient in case where ## equ15 ## such radii are depicted by r 1 &# 39 ; and r 2 &# 39 ; in fig1 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 , the radius r 1 is set at 3 . 27 mm and the radius r 2 is set at 2 . 92 mm so that the boss 12 always prevents the occurrence of the critical state defined as above .	6
it should be understood at the outset that although an exemplary implementation of the present invention is illustrated below , the present invention may be implemented using any number of techniques , whether currently known or in existence . the present invention should in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations , drawings , and techniques illustrated below , including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein . one aspect of the invention generally involves the conversion of any container , van , or trailer ( hereinafter referred to as “ storage container 50 ”) into a drying container 100 . in this aspect of the invention , a crop , such as peanuts , can be deposited through an opening 124 ( fig3 ) into a bin 200 ( fig3 ) within the drying container 100 . the crop , upon being inserted into the drying container 100 , rests upon a floor 150 ( fig3 ), which is made of a screen 152 ( fig8 ), having a plurality of holes therein . the holes are preferably small enough to prevent the crop from passing therethrough . the floor 150 ( fig3 ) is elevated above an interior bottom 148 ( fig3 ) of the drying container 100 to create a plenum 300 ( fig3 ), which may be referred to as a lower volume 300 . the elevation of the floor 150 ( fig3 ) above the interior bottom 148 ( fig3 ) is facilitated via a support system 160 ( fig4 - 6 ). the plenum 300 ( fig3 ) is in communication with at least one plenum opening 310 ( fig2 a , 12 , and 16 ), which couples with a blower to pressurize the plenum 300 ( fig3 ) with warm air flow . the pressurization of the plenum 300 with warm air flow forces air up into the bin 200 ( fig3 ), which may be referred to as an upper volume , through the screen 152 to facilitate a drying of the crop . after drying of the crop , the drying container 100 can be unloaded in a variety of manners . for example , the entire drying container 100 can be hydraulically lifted to a vertical position , doors 105 ( fig2 b ) can be opened , and the contents of the bin 200 can be dumped out . while these general aspects of the invention have been described above , other aspects of the invention will become apparent with reference to the description below and figures , corresponding thereto . another aspect of the invention generally includes utilization of a drying container 100 , having wheels 500 , which allows movement of the drying container 100 — e . g ., in a crop field or on the road towards a storage facility . fig1 , 2 a , and 2 b show a general “ before and after ” view of a storage container 50 / drying container 100 , according to an aspect of the invention . fig1 is a view of a storage container 50 ( the before ) while fig2 a and 2b are a view of a drying container 100 ( the after ). as referenced above , the storage container 50 can be any commercially - available storage container including , but not limited to , rail vans , cargo boxes , trailers , and the like . the general description of the storage containers 50 , described herein , is intended as being only illustrative of some of the many storage containers 50 that can be converted into a drying container 100 . other storage containers 50 should become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . additionally , while a general description of a conversion of a storage container is given herein it should be expressly understood that in other aspects of the invention the drying container 100 can be made directly rather than being converted from a storage container 50 . with reference to fig2 a and 2b , the conversion of the storage container 50 into the drying container 100 includes incorporation of several features , namely a plenum opening 310 and a ladder 106 at a front end 102 , which may also be referred to as a front wall , of the drying container 100 and a tarp 180 on the top of the drying container 100 . such features , along with other features described below , allow the drying container 100 to facilitate the drying of crops — e . g ., peanuts . fig2 b generally shows a back end 104 of the drying container 100 , which may also be referred to as a back wall . the back end 104 can include standard component parts generally available in a storage container 50 — e . g ., doors 105 . while the plenum opening 310 is generally shown on a front end 102 of the drying container 100 in the aspect of fig2 a , it should be expressly understood that the plenum opening 310 can be positioned in other locations as will be described below with reference to fig1 . in the general design of the drying container 100 , care must be taken to ensure that the drying container 100 can withstand the loads that will be placed thereon . therefore , for example , in aspects of the invention involving a conversion of a storage container 50 into a drying container 100 , consideration can be given to certain structural features of the storage container 50 , which have been designed to support a load . in several aspects of the invention , structural features of the storage container 50 can be utilized in support of the load being placed on the drying container 100 . more details of this aspect of the invention will be described below . fig3 shows a perspective view of an interior of the drying container 100 , according to an aspect of the invention . this view is taken from a back end 104 of the drying container with doors 105 opened . the plenum opening 310 is partially seen on an opposite end of the drying container 100 . in this aspect of the invention , the drying container 100 generally includes an interior side wall 140 which may include a first side wall and a second side wall , an interior bottom 148 , cross members 120 , ridge straps 170 , a floor 150 , and a support system 160 . while such features will generally be described below , it is to be expressly understood that in other aspects of the invention , other component parts may be utilized and the component parts described herein may additionally be modified . the ultimate design of the drying container 100 will , to a certain degree , depend on the dynamics of the particular use in which the drying container 100 will be used . the interior sidewalls 140 and interior bottom 148 help define the interior space of the drying container 100 . the insertion of a floor 150 above the interior bottom 148 divides the interior space of the drying container 100 into a bin 200 and a plenum 300 . generally , a crop , such as peanuts , can be placed inside the bin 200 — the bin 200 being elevated above the interior bottom 148 . warm air or the like can then be injected into the plenum 300 ( area between the interior bottom 148 and floor 150 ) and allowed to seep up through the floor 150 to dry the crop . the details of the floor 150 will be described in more detail below with reference to fig4 , 6 , 6 a , and 6 b . the crop can be placed into the storage bin 200 utilizing any techniques , now known or later developed . such techniques include , but are not limited to , depositions into the bin via an auger or conveyer belt . to facilitate the deposition of a crop , such as peanuts , into the bin 200 , this aspect of the drying container 100 includes an opening 124 . in aspects of the invention involving the conversion of a storage container 50 that has a roof ( e . g ., if the storage container 50 is a rail van ), the roof can be cut off or stripped from the storage container 50 . roof bows or cross members 120 can serve to provide structural integrity similar to that provided by a roof — e . g ., a brace for the interior sidewalls 140 . the cross member 120 can be mounted to top rails 122 atop the interior sidewalls 140 of the drying container 100 . such cross members 120 can be made of virtually any material suitable for their intended purposes including , but not limited to , tube steel . a tarp 180 can be incorporated adjacent the cross members 120 to allow selective covering of the opening 124 of the drying container 100 to prevent environmental elements , such as rain , from entering the interior of the drying container 100 . the use of a tarp 180 — e . g ., that is rolled over the cross members 120 — should become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . the cross members 120 in this aspect of the invention have a peaked center portion , which allows the environmental elements to roll off the tarp 180 . to prevent environmental elements , such as water , from standing in areas upon the tarp 180 between the cross members 120 , ridge straps 170 can be used . in this aspect of the invention , two independent ridge straps 170 are positioned on top of the cross members 120 down the length of the drying container 100 . the ridge straps 170 elevate the tarp 180 ( when placed over the cross members ) to decrease the surface area of the tarp 180 between the cross members 120 — helping to prevent sinking of the tarp 180 between the cross members 120 . the ridge straps 170 can be adjusted ( e . g ., tightened down onto the cross members 120 ), utilizing ridge strap winches 172 . the interior sidewalls 140 in this aspect of the invention include sidewall members 142 — one on each interior sidewall 140 . the sidewall members 142 can be coupled to posts ( not seen ), which may extend inside the interior sidewalls 140 . chains 190 are stretched between the sidewall members 142 to provide additional structural support to the interior sidewalls 140 . when a large crop load is placed within the bin 200 , the chains 190 prevent the sidewall members 142 and sidewalls 140 from extending outwardly . the deposition of a large crop load in the bin 200 creates a large force on the floor 150 . the support system 160 works to support the floor 150 , resisting the load while facilitating air flow through the plenum 300 . in one aspect of the invention , gates ( not shown ) can be placed over an end area generally defined by the plenum 300 . in this aspect , the gates would not allow any particles that fell into the plenum 300 to escape , e . g ., during dumping of the drying container 100 as described above ( e . g ., hydraulically lifting the drying container 100 into a vertical position and opening the doors 105 ). such an aspect can be beneficial in circumstances in which sand , gravel , or the like fell into the plenum 300 . the gates that are placed over an end area generally defined by the plenum 300 would not allow the sand , gravel , or the like to escape the drying container 100 during dumping of the contents of the bin 200 . after dumping of the bin 200 , the sand , gravel , or the like can easily be cleaned out of the plenum 300 by opening the gates that are placed over an end area generally defined by the plenum 300 and the doors 105 and injecting air into the plenum opening 310 ( shown in fig2 a ). fig4 , 5 , 6 a , and 6 b show several views of a support system 160 which can be used to support the floor 150 , according to an aspect of the invention . as referenced above , the plenum 300 allows the circulation of airflow under the floor 150 to allow seeping through the floor 150 . to support the floor 150 , the support system 160 in this aspect of the invention includes a series of trussed support members 162 and angle members 164 . these may be referred to as “ engineered joists ” and are designed to support the crop , such as a load of peanuts , above the ventilated floor or screen 152 . with reference to fig6 a , a schematic of an orientation of the support member 162 , angle members 164 , interior bottom 148 , and floor 150 is shown . a pair of lower angle members 164 b are in contact with the interior bottom 148 and a pair of upper angle members 164 a are in contact with the floor 150 ( such as ventilated floor 150 ). the support member 162 is disposed between each pair of angle members between the floor 150 and the interior bottom 148 . with reference to fig6 b , a schematic of a side view of the support system 160 is shown in isolation , according to an aspect of the invention . the support members 162 are shown in a trussed configuration between the upper angle members 164 a and lower angle members 164 b . trussing the support members 162 provides structural advantages , which should become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art — e . g ., a structural rigidity . while such a specific trussing configuration is shown in this aspect of the invention , it should be understood that in other aspects of the invention , other trussing configurations can additionally be used . with reference to fig4 , 6 a and 6 b , the trussed support members 162 ( along with angle members 164 ) can generally be seen in rows . with reference to fig1 , four rows of trussed support members 162 are shown through the plenum opening 310 . the trussed support members 162 are preferably primed or processed to prevent rust and / or deterioration . such priming and / or processing can include any technique , now known or later developed . additionally , in one aspect of the invention , the rows of trussed support members 162 can be coupled to the interior bottom 148 at two locations : near the front end 102 and the back end 104 of the drying container 100 , e . g , via welding . such a coupling prevents the rows of trussed support members 162 from rising up from the interior bottom 148 . in other aspects of the invention , the rows of trussed support members 162 can be coupled in other areas . as the air flows through the plenum 300 , the trussed support members 162 will create some disturbance of the air flow . in some aspects of the invention , additional disturbance may be necessary . as such , in those aspects of the invention , baffles ( not shown ) can be positioned in various locations of the plenum 300 . with the configuration shown in this aspect of the invention ( four rows of trussed support members 162 ), the support system 160 can support 125 , 000 pounds of pressure — allowing heavy crop loads to be placed upon the floor 150 . such a support loading is intended as only illustrative of a load that can be supported as other loads can be supported in other aspects of the invention — e . g ., heavier loads or lighter loads . fig7 shows a bottom perspective view of the floor 150 , looking up . the floor 150 in this aspect of the invention is shown as a screen 152 , which will be described in more detail below with reference to fig8 . the support members 162 are providing support to the upper angle members 164 a . the screen 152 could be placed directly on the upper angle members 164 a ; however , in this aspect of the invention , a flat bar or support piece 166 is mounted on the upper angle members 164 a between the rows of trussed support members 162 and angle members 164 . the mounting of the support piece 166 to the upper angle members 164 a can include a variety of coupling techniques known by one of ordinary skill in the art , including , but not limited to , soldering . the support piece 166 provides additional support to the screen 152 as should be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art — e . g , a reduced support area that prevents sinking of the screen 152 between the rows of double trussed members and double paired angle members . the screen 152 is coupled to the support piece 166 via coupling members 154 , which in this aspect of the invention is shown as rivets . the use of rivets for the coupling members 154 allows an ease of removability of the coupling members 154 . for example , rivets can be drilled out and easily replaced if the coupling member 154 or a portion of the screen 152 becomes damaged . fig8 shows a top perspective view of the floor 150 looking down . the floor 150 , as referenced above , can be a screen 152 . the screen 152 in this aspect of the invention is shown having a plurality of holes disposed therein . preferably , the screen 152 has a 40 % opening ; however , other percentages of opening can additionally be used as will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . additionally , the screen 152 preferably has a fourteen gauge thickness ; and the material for the screen 152 is preferably a cold rolled metal that is processed with a brush and a rust prevention oil . cold rolling is a metal processing technique , which should become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . the use of cold rolled metal that has been brushed and processed with rust prevention oil extends the life of the floor 150 . fig9 shows a bottom perspective view of the floor 150 and its coupling to the interior sidewall 140 . in addition to the use of support members 162 ( described with reference to fig4 - 6a and 6 b ), the support system 160 can utilize portions of interior sidewall 140 . in such an aspect of the invention , the interior sidewall 140 can include posts or side supports ( not seen in fig9 , but generally referenced in fig1 ) that are typically available in the interior sidewalls 140 of a storage container 50 . a mounting member 146 can be coupled to the posts utilizing a mounting piece 149 ( e . g ., bolts and screws ). in some aspects of the invention ( e . g ., a conversion of a storage container 50 into a drying container 100 ), the sidewalls 140 may already have a mounting member 146 . in other aspects of the invention , the mounting member 146 may need to be coupled to the post of the interior sidewall 140 . in yet other aspects of the invention , the floor 150 may not utilize portions of the interior sidewall 140 . the screen 152 is shown coupled to the mounting member 146 via a coupling member 154 in the same manner in which the screen 152 is coupled to the support piece 166 via the coupling member 154 . fig1 shows another bottom perspective view of the floor 150 and its coupling to the interior sidewall 140 . the mounting member 146 is shown generally secured to the interior sidewall 140 . a support piece 166 is mounted on top of the mounting member 146 . in this aspect of the invention , the support piece 166 is shown as soldered onto the mounting member 146 . the screen 152 is shown positioned on top of the support piece 166 and the screen 152 is shown coupled to the mounting member 146 via the coupling member 154 . the mounting member 146 is additionally shown in this aspect of the invention as being coupled to a corner post 144 — for example , via soldering . fig1 shows a close - up view of a front of a standard storage container 50 similar to fig1 . in the standard storage container 50 , a variety of component parts exist , including items such as hookups 52 ( e . g ., an air break access point ) and document boxes 54 . fig1 shows a close - up view of a front of a drying container 100 — e . g ., converted from the storage container 50 of fig1 — with a new location for various component parts . the hookups 52 of fig1 have been elevated to the location of hookup 52 a of fig1 . additionally , the document box 54 in fig1 has been moved to the new location of document box 54 a of fig1 . the new location of these component parts allows the positioning of a plenum opening 310 in the front of the drying container 100 . the front of the drying container 100 in this aspect of the invention includes blower couplings 188 , which facilitate the connection of any blower , now known or later developed . the blower injects air pressure into the plenum opening 310 and into the plenum 300 to seep up through the floor 150 and dry the crop that is placed within the bin 200 . additionally shown is the ladder 106 , which allows an individual to view the opening 124 ( fig3 ). fig1 and 14 show close - up views of component parts that can be utilized to tighten down a tarp 180 . fig1 generally shows tarp straps 184 . the tarp straps 184 , as should be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art , facilitate the bracing of the tarp 180 to the top of the drying container 100 . with reference to fig1 and 14 , winches 182 can be used to tighten down the tarp straps 184 . additionally shown in fig1 are sidewall support members 141 , which correspond to side supports that are within the walls of the drying container 100 . as indicated above with reference to fig9 , such side supports can be contained within a variety of different storage containers 50 ( ultimately transformed into drying containers 100 ). the sidewall member 142 ( fig3 ) and mounting member 146 ( fig9 ) can be coupled to the side supports of drying containers 100 containing such side supports . fig1 shows a close - up view of a tarp stop 186 , which can be used with the tarp 180 . the particular tarp stop 186 shown in fig1 is an easy off tarp stop 186 , which allows for easy removal of the tarp 180 without using any tools , as would be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art . fig1 shows a view of a back of a drying container 100 with a conversion at the back end 104 a of the drying container 100 . the back end 104 a can be a custom made end to replace doors 105 ( see fig2 b ) to include the plenum opening 310 at this location in addition to or instead of being located at the front end 102 or elsewhere on the drying container 100 . additionally , the back end 104 a can be made to hingeably position to the remaining portion of the drying container 100 , for example , to empty the bin 200 in a manner similar to that described above ( the entire drying container 100 can be hydraulically lifted to a vertical position , the dump gate can be opened , and the contents of the bin 200 can be dumped out ). such a conversion of the back end 104 a illustrates that the plenum opening 310 can be in a variety of locations . for example , in some aspects of the invention , the plenum opening 310 could be positioned on a side of the drying container 100 or underneath the drying container 100 . in yet other aspects of the invention , more than one plenum opening 310 can be utilized — e . g , one in the front and one in the back with blowers or other equipment being capable of connecting to both plenum openings 310 . in still further aspects of the invention , multiple plenum openings 310 can be provided , but only one plenum opening 310 utilized — e . g ., giving an operator a choice of which plenum opening 310 to utilize in particular situations . in such an aspect of the invention , the plenum openings 310 can be outfitted with sealable doors such that the plenum that is not utilized can be sealed to maintain the pressure buildup inside the plenum 300 . fig1 shows a view of another type of storage container 50 , which can be converted into a drying container 100 . the illustration of the storage container 50 in fig1 is intended as expounding upon the concept briefly described above — that any storage container 50 can be utilized . the storage container 50 of fig1 is a 28 - foot pup trailer . such a storage container 50 allows for smaller drying containers 100 . as described above , features of storage container 50 can be utilized in facilitating structural support of the drying container 100 . in fig1 , the corner posts 144 can be utilized in a manner similar to that described above with reference to fig1 . additionally , an end 104 a — e . g ., a custom made end — can be used on the back of the drying container 100 to replace , e . g ., a roll - up door that may exist on the storage container 50 . fig1 a , 18 b , 18 c , 18 d , 18 e , and 18 f are a series of drawings that illustrate the conversion of the support legs of a mobile drying container 600 to a skid support system with moveable connections or couplings to allow the mobile drying container 600 to be supported on uneven ground . the mobile drying container 600 is shown with an opening 602 in a front wall ( or end wall ) leading to the lower volume of the mobile drying container 600 so that a dryer , such as a peanut dryer , may be connected to the mobile drying container 600 to allow hot or warmed air to flow into the lower volume , up through the ventilated floor , and through the crop , such as peanuts , previously loaded into the upper volume of the mobile drying container 600 . in other embodiments , the opening 602 may be provided on the opposite back wall or , in some embodiments , on the long side wall . it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the number or the placement of the opening ( s ) 602 . wheels are shown to illustrate that the mobile drying container 600 may be easily and conveniently moved . the moveable connections , described more fully in connection with fig1 e and 18f , reduce the likelihood that the skid support system will bind when the skid support system is being raised and lowered . a traditional support leg system is shown in fig1 a . this support leg system includes a first extendable support leg and second extendable support leg connected through a horizontal member 652 . the first extendable leg includes an upper portion 614 , a retractable end 606 , and a footing 608 . the second extendable leg includes an upper portion 612 , a retractable end 604 , and a footing 608 . a crank 610 is shown for raising and lowering ( or extending and retracting ) the skid support system . in fig1 b , the footings 608 are shown removed from the retractable end of each extendable leg . in fig1 c , a first plate 622 is shown coupled or attached to the end of the retractable end 606 , and a second plate 620 is shown attached to the end of the retractable end 604 . this may be achieved , in certain embodiments , by welding the plates to the end of the retractable ends of the extendable legs . fig1 d illustrates a tray or skid 624 shown positioned under the first plate 622 and the second plate 620 , and extending between the two extendable and retractable legs . in one embodiment , a rigid member 626 is provided between the two legs and on the skid 624 to provide additional stability or rigidity to prevent the skid 624 from bending or buckling when the mobile drying container is positioned on an uneven surface or ground . the depth of the skid 624 is illustrated by the distance 630 . this distance is greater than the thickness of the first plate 622 and the second plate 620 . because , in one embodiment , the first plate 622 and the second plate 620 are not directly welded or coupled to the skid 624 , the difference in the thickness or distance 630 and the thickness of the plates 622 and 620 allow for some movement , as will be discussed more fully below . fig1 e illustrates the installation of an end cap 640 and 642 to both ends of the skid 624 . the end caps 640 and 642 prevent the skid from being removed from the first plate 622 and the second plate 620 , but allow for a “ moveable connection ” because the distance 630 is greater than the thickness of the first plate 622 and the second plate 620 . this provides the significant advantage of reducing the frequency and tendency for the extendable legs to “ freeze ” or “ bind ” up when being raised and lowered using the crank 610 . this allows the skid 624 of the mobile drying container 600 to be conveniently raised and lowered , even when positioned on uneven ground while still being able to raise and lower the legs . fig1 f illustrates the mobile drying container 600 with a chain 650 attached between the horizontal member 652 and the skid 624 ( or the rigid member 626 ). this provides additional safety assurances to prevent the skid 624 from falling or breaking loose while the mobile drying container 600 is in transit . fig1 , 20 , 21 and 22 illustrate an opening 602 , such as a plenum opening , at a front wall leading to a lower volume of the mobile drying container 600 , and the installation of a front opening cover . fig2 illustrates a close - up view illustrating one mechanism to hold an opening cover in position as desired when the opening is not being used . a rod 702 may extend above the opening and include tabs that rotate up and down when a lever 704 is moved . the tabs can grip the opening plate or cover . fig2 and 22 shows this installation of the opening cover 730 with the tabs at the top holding the upper edge of the cover 730 and the slots 700 holding the bottom edge of the opening cover 730 to securely hold the opening cover 730 . fig2 illustrates a hinged gate 802 of the back wall of a mobile drying container . the hinges 800 are shown at the top of the hinged gate 802 so that the crop , such as a load of peanuts , may be safely dumped from the top or upper volume of the mobile drying container . a lever 750 is shown connected to a member or rod 760 such that the lever 750 may be pulled , while standing at the side of the container to rotate the rod 760 allowing for one or more tabs on the rod 760 to be moved away from the bottom edge of the hinged gate 802 . this allow for the crop to push open the bottom edge of the hinged gate 802 so that the crop can be dumped . fig2 , 25 , and 26 illustrate an opening at a back wall leading to a lower volume within the mobile drying container , and included as part of the hinged gate , such as that illustrated in fig2 . a bar 720 is shown with various tabs 706 , 708 and 710 shown with a lever 704 to operate as described above in connection with fig2 - 22 to hold and secure an opening cover . a lever 750 is shown coupled to a rod 760 with various tabs 752 , 754 and 756 to secure the bottom edge of the hinged gate 802 . a hinge 800 is shown in fig2 . when the rod 760 is turned the tabs release the bottom edge of the hinged gate so that the upper volume of crop , such as peanuts may be dumped . although the preferred embodiment has been described , it should be understood that various changes , substitutions , and alterations can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present invention , even if all , one , or some of the advantages identified above are not present . these are only a few of the examples of other arrangements or configurations of the system that is contemplated and covered by the present invention . the various components , configurations , and materials described and illustrated in the preferred embodiment as discrete or separate may be combined or integrated with other components , configurations , and materials of other embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention . other examples of changes , substitutions , and alterations are readily ascertainable by one skilled in the art and could be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	8
fig1 and 2 show a monolithic flexure hinge suspension system suitable for gyroscopes and accelerometers in accordance with the present invention . in the immediately following discussion , assistance may be had by viewing fig9 a perspective view showing the completed invention in elevation , as well as the cross - section views of fig1 and 2 . a common numbering scheme will be used throughout for aid in understanding the invention . a monolithic flexure hinge suspension 10 is shown having three distinguishable portions . a gimbal portion 12 is substantially cylindrical in shape , and spaced from a shaft connection portion 14 , also cylindrical in shape . portion 14 is spaced from portion 12 , and aligned along a common axis 16 . while the portions are described herein as cylindrical or like a ring , it should be understood that substantially ring - like , or closed annular shapes may , in fact , prove useful . a rotor connecting portion 18 is also substantially cylindrical in shape . rotor connecting portion 18 is aligned along axis 16 and spaced from portion 12 . portion 18 is separated from portion 12 by an irregular cut 20 passing completely through the suspension 10 . portion 12 is similarly separated from portion 14 by an irregular cut 22 , also passing completely through the suspension 10 . portion 18 is integrally connected with portion 12 by flexures 26 and 28 disposed diametrically opposite each other . flexure 26 comprises a first bridge 30 and a second bridge 32 . both bridges 30 , 32 consist of a thin , blade - shaped portion of material integrally connecting portion 12 and portion 18 . bridge 30 is positioned in skew relation with bridge 32 within the cylindrical opening through the cylindrical walls of the portions 12 and 18 which the bridges 30 , 32 are positioned . bridges 34 and 36 are positioned within the same geometric cylinder encompassing the bridges 30 , 32 but on the opposite side of the axis 16 . the bridges 34 and 36 are integral with the connected portions 12 and 18 and are skew in relation to each other . it should be noted that there is a discrete gap between the proximate bridges 34 and 36 , as well as between the proximate bridges 30 and 32 . similarly , a pair of flexures 40 and 42 integrally connect portion 12 with shaft - connecting portion 14 . flexures 40 and 42 are encompassed by a common cylinder , and are positioned in diametrically opposite sides of the substantially cylindrical portions 12 and 14 . flexure 40 comprises two skew bridges 44 and 46 integral with the connected portions 12 and 14 . flexure 42 comprises two skew bridges 48 and 50 similarly integral with the connected portions 12 and 14 . these bridges , as well as the bridges in the afore - mentioned flexures , are considered skew in that they do not touch each other . each has a distinct gap between it and the adjacent bridge within its respective opening through the cylindrical walls of the portions . since the principles of rotational pivoting about the intersection of crossed straps are well known in the specific art of gyroscope engineering and design , these principles need not be described here for conveying an understanding of the invention , and no further detailed description nor illustration is believed necessary . u . s . pat . no . 3 , 832 , 906 to the inventor of the present invention , which discloses , for example in fig7 crossed blade x - flexures , and of u . s . pat . no . 3 , 413 , 858 to samet , as well as other patents cited in the background of the present specification show flexure pivots and hinge assemblies utilizing the criss - crossed blade pivoting concept . as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art from the foregoing description , portion 14 is now able to rotate about axis 52 relative to the gimbal portion 12 . similarly , rotor connecting portion 18 can rotate about axis 38 relative to the gimbal portion 12 . in fig3 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 8a , 9 , 10 , 10a and 11 , a method for manufacturing the unique monolithic flexure hinge suspension of fig1 and 2 is illustrated . in the manufacture or formation of the flexure hinge suspension , a workpiece 60 is mounted to a rotatable mandrel 62 , which in turn is mounted to a movable block 64 . the workpiece 60 , shown in cross - section in fig3 may have a central portion 66 vacated , bored or otherwise formed prior to mounting on the mandrel 62 . if desired , however , boring or other machining of the cylindrical interior 66 may be performed as the first step . the workpiece 60 is substantially , therefore , cylindrical in form having an annular flare or flange 68 at one end . the cylindrical workpiece 60 has an outside surface 61 and an interior surface 67 . a movable cutting tool 70 is mounted on a vertically movable machine element 72 . the cutter 70 is held to the element 72 by a holder 74 which is capable of , along with the cutter 70 , being inserted within the cylindrical interior 66 , the operation therein being described in greater detail below . the cutter 70 is brought vertically into contact with the outside of the cylindrical wall of workpiece 60 . the cutter 70 comprises an electro - discharge machining cutter having the spaced semi - cylindrical tips form detailed in fig5 . thus , by the development of a voltage potential at the two tips 73a and 73b , two semi - cylindrical depressions or holes are formed from the exterior or outside surface of the cylindrical workpiece 60 , as shown in perspective in fig4 . edm tip 73a forms the hole 76 , and edm tip 73b forms hole 78 . both holes 76 and 78 are spaced apart from each other to fit within a common cylinder , and to leave a bridge 30 diametrically thereacross . other shapes for the edm spaced tips may be used . for example , a pair of spaced triangularly shaped , complemental tips may be used with satisfactory results . other edm tips will provide the resulting desired bridge . the holes 76 , 78 are formed or cut to a depth slightly more than one - half the thickness of the cylindrical wall of workpiece 60 . the cutter 70 is then vertically removed from the so - formed holes or depresssions , and the mandrel 62 is rotated precisely one - quarter of a turn three times in succession . after each quarter turn , the cutter 70 forms similar holes or depressions partially through the cylindrical wall from the outside surface of the workpiece 60 . the method encompassed by the present description is directed to the formation of a three portion hinge gimbal having two degrees of freedom . it should be readily appreciated from this description that a two portion gimbal having only one degree of freedom may be formed using the same method , but omitting the formation of half of the described depressions and flexures , and by omitting half of the separation cuts that will be described below . for example , to form two flexures oppositely disposed relative to the cylinder axis , the workpiece may be rotated only twice , a half - turn each time . at the end of this hole - forming step , the workpiece 60 will have the general appearance as seen in fig4 . the workpiece 60 , it may be appreciated , may remain connected to the mandrel 62 for the next step illustrated in fig6 and 7 . the movable machine element 72 is manuevered so as to insert the cutter holder 74 within the cylindrical interior 66 , as seen in elevation in fig6 . the cutter 70 is then vertically brought into contact with the workpiece 60 at its interior surface 67 . the cutter 70 then , again preferably by electro - discharge machine techniques , forms two semi - cylindrical holes or depressions 82 and 84 , seen in fig7 . the holes 82 and 84 are formed within the coincidental cylinder encompassing holes 76 and 78 formed from the outside surface 61 as described above . the cutter forms the depressions slightly more than half - way through the thickness of the cylindrical wall of the workpiece 60 . thus , in forming the holes from the interior surface 67 , the cutter removes part of the bridge 30 left remaining after the formation of the holes 76 and 78 . the formation of the holes 82 and 84 leave the bridge 32 diametriclly across the encompassing cylinder . the bridge 32 , it is noted , criss - crosses bridge 30 and is skew relative thereto . this relationship of the bridge 30 to bridge 32 is formed without manuevering or adjusting the orientation of cutter 70 . the gap 73 in the cutting end of cutter 70 has an alignment which is substantially at variance with the longitudinal diameter of the workpiece 60 . the cutter holder 70 is then elevated in a vertical direction to remove the cutter 70 from the newly formed holes 82 , 84 . the workpiece 60 is then rotated 90 degrees three times to form additional holes 82 , 84 coaxially with , and totally encompassed by the encompassing cylinders encompassing the diametrically opposite flexure hinges 28 , 40 and 42 . the cutter 70 and cutter holder 74 are then removed from the interior 66 . there remains openings 86 , 88 and 90 , as well as a fourth opening not seen in fig7 of the drawings , each of which openings penetrates all the way through the cylindrical wall of workpiece 60 . each of the openings 82 , 88 , 90 are bifurcated two separate ways by the corresponding bridges 30 , 32 , in opening 84 , bridges 44 , 46 in opening 88 , bridges 34 and 36 in opening 90 , and bridges 48 and 50 and the opening not seen in fig7 . the cutter 70 , in the preferred method of production , is now discarded . it may be appreciated that in forming the openings 86 , 88 , 90 , etc ., it is important that the formations be identical with the others , in order to insure symmetry of the hinge arrangement . thus , in order that the rotations of the portions relative to each other be sufficiently symmetrical about the spin axis and the pivot axes , it is desirable that the bridges 34 and 36 in flexure 28 be identical with and symmetrical to corresponding bridges 30 and 32 in the diametrically opposite flexure 26 . if all of the holes or depressions , therefore , are formed by the same identical cutter 70 , the depressions as well as the remaining bridges more likely will be identical on the same workpiece . fig8 a and 9 illustrate the steps of separating the workpiece into the three coaxially aligned and spaced portions 12 , 14 and 18 . while this step is described next in the sequence , it may be understood that the order of performing this step in relation to the formation of the holes and of steps which follow may be interchanged in accordance with manufacturing techniques and skill . the workpiece 60 , having the openings 86 , 88 , 90 , etc ., formed therein if desired , remains on the mandrel 62 . the cutter 70 and cutter holder 74 are removed from the movable machine element 72 . in their place is inserted a second cutter holder 94 holding an electro - discharge machine cutter 96 , shown in cross - sectional detail in fig8 a . edm cutter 96 has the general appearance of three sides of a rectangle , having flared ends 100 . the cutter 96 has a gap 98 between two halves thereof . the gap 98 is positioned over the workpiece to coincide with the cylinder encompassing the openings 86 , 88 , 90 , etc . the cutter 96 is then brought into engagement with the workpiece 60 , and cuts gap 22 from the uppermost portion of the outside surface 61 , through the cylindrical wall , through the opposite portion of the same cylindrical wall from the interior surface and on through the entire workpiece , as indicated by the broken lines in fig8 . in such a manner , portion 14 is completely separated from gimbal portion 12 , except for the criss - crossed bridge connections 44 , 46 of flexure 40 , and bridge connections 48 and 50 of flexure 42 . the cutter is then repositioned 180 degrees from the position as shown in fig8 . the flanges 100 are aligned with the annular flange 68 , so that upon descent they will pass in contact with the annular step 68 &# 39 ;. the workpiece , prior to this second separating step , is rotated 90 degrees so that the gap 98 coincides with the second encompassing cylinder encompassing the openings 90 and 86 . the edm cutter 96 is then moved to cut gap 20 completely through the workpiece 60 . in such a step , the gimbal portion 12 is completely separated from the rotor engaging portion 18 except for the integral bridge connections 30 and 36 in flexure 28 , and bridges 30 and 32 in flexure 26 . the annular flange 68 , along with a substantially rectangular t - shaped legs comprises one portion 18 of the flexure hinge arrangement . when the flange 68 is fixed to the rotor , it may be appreciated that there is a cylindrical gap between the workpiece flexure hing assembly &# 39 ; s outside surface 67 and the attached rotor , so that the rotor may exercise its degrees of freedom relative to the gimballed portion 14 . the edm cutter 96 is then removed from the workpiece 60 . if the aligning of the edm cutter 96 is precise , the gaps 20 and 22 will have substantially equal volumes . further , by precisely positioning the cutter 96 relative to the workpiece 60 , the weight and distribution of workpiece material will be symmetrical about a plane encompassing the mutually orthogonal axes 38 and 52 . as indicated in fig1 , 10a and 11 , the process of forming the flexure hinge thus far described leaves a tether 104 connecting the two skew bridges in each opening . opening 90 is shown representatively in fig1 having the bridges 34 and 36 connecting portions 12 and 18 across gap 20 . the tether 104 integrally connects bridge 34 with bridge 36 . in order for the flexure 28 to pivot , however , it will be necessary for the adjacent bridges within each opening to criss - cross each other across the opening in an unconnected , skew relationship . an l - shaped edm cutter 106 can be inserted through the opening 90 and manuevered into contact with the tether 104 as illustrated in fig1 a . the tether 104 then is removed to free bridge 34 from bridge 36 . a similar process of tether removal can be used to remove the corresponding tethers remaining in the remaining openings 86 , 88 , 90 , etc ., to result in the cross bridge flexure 28 illustrated in the cutaway , enlarged detail perspective of fig1 . it may be noted that the flexure hinge suspension system of fig1 and 2 , if used in a gyroscope , will have the portion 14 connected to the spinning shaft , while the portion 18 is connected to the inertially sensitive element such as a rotor . if the portion 14 suffers an axial force , the bridges 30 , 32 , 34 and 36 , providing a degree of freedom about axis 38 , as well as the bridges 44 , 46 , 48 and 50 providing rotational freedom about axis 52 are all placed under a tensive stress relative to the portion 18 . it has been discovered that the thin metal strips comprising these bridges have far greater tensile strength than compressive strength . if the portion 14 is compressed toward portion 18 , the failure of the thin metal strips under such a compression will occur at a pressure much less than a failure of the same thin metal strips under a tensive stress . that is to say , the thin metal strips of flexure pivot - type hinges have a far greater tensile strength than an ability to sustain compressive stresses . it can be seen , therefore , that the unique methods employed herein produce a novel , monolithic flexure hinge gyro gimbal arrangement . there are many applications where extreme stresses will be placed on the flexure pivot connection strips or blades . it is not inconceivable that such stresses might approach hundreds of times the force of gravity in some applications , a force which the thin metal strips comprising a flexure pivot hinge will simply not take in compression without failure . the structure of the present flexure hinge suspension system invention is to be compared with the more common flexure hinges of the prior art , a representative example of which is illustrated in exploded form in fig1 for convenient reference . in the prior art , a completely separate inner hinge unit 110 and outer hinge unit 140 are provided . in the inner hinge unit 110 , circumferentially extending slots 114 , 116 are formed through the cylindrical unit . a bore having a diameter exceeding the width of the slots forms openings 118a and 118b as well as similar openings , not shown , on the opposite portion of the cylindrical side of the hinge unit 110 . the bores 118a and 118b form what has been called a &# 34 ; necked - down &# 34 ; thin metal flexure portion 120 therebetween . an additional pair of circumferential slots 124 and 126 are formed through the inner hinge member 110 axially spaced from the slots 114 , 116 . like slots 114 and 116 , slots 124 and 126 are generally u - shaped but inverted with respect to the slots 114 , 116 . at the end of these slots , bores 128a and 128b as well as corresponding bores generally on the opposite portion of the cylindrical wall of hinge 110 are formed to leave a thin , metal flexure strip 130 having a thickness comparable to the so - called &# 34 ; necked - down &# 34 ; flexure portion 120 . the inner hinge unit 110 then comprises gimbal portions 132 , 134 and 136 connected to each other only by the flexure strips 120 , 130 , etc . in a similar manner , the outer hinge unit 140 is formed . a pair of slots 144 and 146 are circumferentially formed through the wall of unit 140 at an axial location precisely identical with the slots 114 and 116 formed in the inner unit 110 . the somewhat u - shaped slots 144 , 146 terminate in bores 148a and 148b which are oriented quite differently than the bores 118 , 128 of the inner unit 110 . additional slots 154 and 156 are circumferentially formed in a somewhat u - shape pattern to precisely coincide with corresponding slots 124 and 126 of the inner unit 110 . the slots 154 and 156 also terminate in bores 158a and 158b having an orientation similar to , but 90 degrees rotatably spaced from the bores 148a and 148b . the bores 148a and 148b have corresponding , diametrically opposite bores , not shown in fig1 . similarly , bores 158a and 158b have diametrically opposite bores not shown . the bores 148a and 148b are formed to leave a thin metal , flexure strip 150 therebetween . similarly , the bores 158a and 158b are formed in proximity to each other to result in a thin flexure strip 160 . the slots and bores of the outer hinge unit 140 separate the outer hinge unit into gimbal portions 162 , 164 and 166 connected to adjacent gimbal portions only by corresponding flexure strips 150 or 160 . the inner hinge unit is then telescopically inserted within the outer hinge unit so that the slot 114 coincides substantially with slot 146 , slot 116 coincides substantially with slot 144 , slot 124 coincides substantially with slot 154 and slot 126 coincides substantially with slot 156 . inner hinge unit gimbal portion 136 is fixed to outer gimbal hinge unit 166 . the gimbal portions 134 and 164 probably will be substantially independent of each other , and the flexure strip 120 will criss - cross flexure strip 150 . similarly , flexure strip 130 will criss - cross flexure strip 160 . other flexure strip criss - crossings occur on the opposite sides of the assembled inner and outer hinge units 110 , 140 . it will be noted that each flexure has only a single blade that will accept the compressive ( or tensive stress ) and such stress is not shared by a pair of blades as in the present invention , thus providing approximately half as much strength as the suspension system of the present invention . axial force in the opposite , downward direction as seen in the view of fig1 will place simple bending or flexion load stresses on the flexure strips 150 and 160 . such a structure inherently and severely limits the applications of such a gyro flexure hinge . further , the ferocious precision with which the slots and bores must be made in separate , independent elements also may be appreciated . moreover , in the prior art the use of cement or other bonding means to interconnect the many separable elements of the suspension system causes severe problems of both short and long term mechanical and thermal instability , especially because of lack of free thermal flow between parts . the presently described method of making a flexure hinge assembly , and the flexure hinge assembly produced thereby , obviates substantial portions of problems herein observed in the prior art . the present method of forming a monolithic flexure hinge assembly may be utilized to form a flexure hinge suspension system connected to the spinning shaft and the inertially sensitive rotor at approximately the same axial position . fig1 , for example , shows such a formed , monolithic flexure hinge suspension system in an alternative embodiment . a workpiece , similar to workpiece 60 , but not having a cylindrical bore formed completely along the longitudinal length therethrough , is placed on the mandrel 62 . a cylindrical hole is removed from a portion of the axial length of the workpiece , to form substantially a cylindrical workpiece having one end closed . flexures substantially identical to flexures 26 , 28 , 40 and 42 are formed through the cylindrical portion of the workpiece to form flexures 170 and 180 at 90 degree intervals as shown . it is to be understood , of course , that diametrically opposite flexures are formed on that portion of the cylindrical flexure hinge suspension system of fig1 not shown . separation cuts 182 and 184 can then be made to separate the closed end of the workpiece from the cylindrical portion . in a separate step , or simultaneously with the step of forming the separation cuts 182 and 184 , cuts 186 and 188 can be formed . the gimbal portion 190 is then completely separated from the remaining portion of the workpiece , except by the integral bridges of the flexures 170 , 180 , etc . a second separation cut can then be made concentrically with the axis to form cuts 192 and 194 on opposite sides of a diametrical cross piece 196 . additionally , separation cuts 198 and a corresponding cut in the cutaway portion diametrically opposite thereof can be axially made to completely separate gimbal portions 200 and 202 . an axial opening 204 can be formed to allow attachment to the gyroscope spinning shaft . similar to the preferred embodiment , a flange on the workpiece can result in a gimbal portion 200 having a radius greater than the radius of gimbal portion 190 , for attachment to a concentrically positioned rotor . it can be seen that the embodiment of fig1 provides for attachment of the rotor and the shaft to the intermediate gimbal at a substantially coincidental position along the spin axis . axial forces on the shaft will therefore be communicated to the rotor through the flexures 170 , 180 wherein the integral , skew bridges will sustain simultaneously compressive and tensive stresses . perfect symmetry about the spin and pivot axes , however , can be achieved in the monolithic structure as described . in fig1 , we turn to yet another alternative embodiment of the invention comprising a gyroscope assembly 230 . the gyroscope 230 comprises a housing having a cover 232 and a base 234 . the lip of the cover 232 is fitted over a groove 236 of the base 234 , and on top of an annular seal ring 238 . the seal ring 238 may be welded to create a vacuum - tight seal . alternatively , a strip of metal 240 may be welded or otherwise secured to cover the seal ring 238 and the joinder of the cover 232 in the groove 236 . a flexible tube 244 pneumatically communicates with the interior of the single compartment of the gyroscope assembly 230 and its housing . air can be evacuated through the tube 244 , and a substitute medium may be inserted into the interior compartment . typically , a one - half atmosphere of hydrogen is inserted into the interior . the pressure within the single interior compartment is thus reduced , reducing the windage affects of the rotating rotor . thermal gradients caused by differential thermal expansion characteristics of the various materials can be controlled better . the tube 244 can be pinch - sealed at its tip 246 , which can be then tucked into a short groove formed along a portion of the circumference of the base 234 . prior to the sealing of the cover 232 to the base 234 , the gyroscope is assembled . particularly , an annular hysteresis motor 250 is mounted to a mounting plate 252 . the mounting plate forms a central recessed cylinder to receive shaft bearings 254 appropriately spaced by annular spacer 256 . annularly disposed torquers 257 and are mounted to the mounting plate 252 by threaded fasteners 259 . fig1 and 15 illustrate the assembly of a portion of the gyroscope unit . an annular rotor 270 , having a somewhat inverted u - shape in cross section , is assembled to the shaft 260 through the flexure hinge arrangement as described above with regard to fig1 and 2 . shaft connecting portion 14 can be bonded or cemented beneath upper flange 262 of the upper shaft portion 264 by bond 265 . either cumulatively or alternatively , the upper flange 262 can be secured to the shaft engaging portion 14 by a threaded fastener 266 . a balancing wheel 267 can be assembled onto the upper flange 262 . the balancing wheel 267 may be supplied with balancing lugs 268 for balancing the spin of the shaft about the spin axis 269 . the rotor engaging portion 18 can be bonded as by epoxy bond 265 to the rotor 270 . rotor 270 can be formed to cooperate with balancing lugs 272 , 274 . the balancing lugs 272 , 274 have external threads on a shank adapted to be received by internal threads 276 . internal threads 276 are formed wholly within the rotor 270 itself , thus minimizing any unbalancing effects sometimes caused by special nut arrangements for balancing lugs . permanent magnets 278 are mounted on the interior of the rotor u - shape design so that when the rotor 270 is aligned with the spin axis 269 , the permanent magnets 278 are arranged in a concentric path with , and in flux influencing proximity to the torquers 257 and 258 . the permanent magnets 278 and the torquers 257 , 258 are shielded from the effects of the hysteresis motor 250 by the mounting plate 252 in the ultimate assembly . it can be seen at this point that the rotor 270 is gimballed to shaft upper portion 264 by the flexure hinge arrangement 10 through the gimbal portion 12 . the flexure bridges of flexures 40 and 42 , and flexure 28 in phantom can be seen in fig1 , while the flexures 26 and 40 can be seen in fig1 . the thus assembled upper shaft portion 264 can be connected to lower shaft portion 260 through threaded fastener 282 through the axial opening 284 in the upper shaft portion 264 . a drive flange 288 on one side of the mounting plate 252 , can be joined with the shaft 260 by nut 290 . by tightening nut 290 , the shaft 260 can be preloaded into the bearing assembly by virtue of upper flange 292 . the driving flange 288 has an annular wheel concentric with the driving means such as motor 250 , the wheel having permanent magnet 294 attached to inductively receive power from the motor 250 . inductive sensors 296 and 298 are positioned on the mounting plate 252 to receive differential , inductively generated signals from the rotor 270 , to produce a signal corresponding to displacement of the shaft 260 relative to the rotor 270 . the thus assembled gyroscope can be fit into an annular seat 300 in the interior of base 234 . threaded fasteners 302 can be used to secure the mounting plate , and thus the single unit assembled gyroscope to the base 234 . the cover 232 can then be mounted on the groove 236 and a vacuum - tight seal arranged as explained above . as can be seen by the foregoing description , a gyroscope can be completely assembled independent of a housing in which later it might be deployed . the gyroscope , as a single unit , can be very easily and efficiently mounted in a single interior compartment of a housing which can be made vacuum - tight by securing a single seal . the housing can be substantially evacuated and a controlled medium for controlling the atmosphere within the housing supplied . the unitary housing compartment shown in fig1 illustrates an alternative method of gyro construction which provides for greater accuracy of shaft and bearings . the motor 250 , bearings 254 , shaft 260 and drive plate 288 can be mounted to the mounting plate 252 and , as a unit , positioned on seat 300 and secured by threaded fastener 302 . the shaft 260 then can be rotated at operational speeds to pre - test the shaft stability and bearing balance precision prior to the seating of the rotor assembly constructed on shaft upper portion 264 . indeed , the shaft and bearing balance can be pre - tested in the actual housing base 234 prior to rotor assembly mating . for further manufacturing and assembly convenience , the shaft 260 , bearings 254 , drive plate 288 and race 256 may be pre - assembled on the mounting plate 252 to form a bearing cartridge . the cartridge , if desired , may include also the motor 250 . power can be supplied to the drive means 250 from leads 308 . the leads 308 supply power through electrical connector 310 penetrating through the base 234 in sealed cap 312 . signals from pickups 296 , 298 can be similarly conveyed through the vacuum - tight interior compartment to electrical circuitry 314 mounted on a circuit board 316 , which may be of the conventional printed circuit board or printed wire board types well known in the art . fig1 and 16 illustrate alternative embodiments of uses of the discoveries encompassed by the present invention . it may be noted that one advantageous embodiment of the monolithic flexure hinge arrangement is that the hinge portion 14 connected to the shaft 264 is axially spaced a distance relative to the spin axis 269 , from the hinge portion 18 connected to the rotor 270 . as may be seen in fig1 , if the shaft 264 is positioned vertically having portion 14 higher than portion 18 , the bridges in each and every flexure are in tension . the rotor 270 &# 34 ; hangs &# 34 ; through the gimbal portion 12 from the rotatably mounted shaft 264 . of course , if the rotor , shaft and gimbal assembly of fig1 were inverted along a vertical spin axis 269 , each and every bridge in the flexure hinge system would suffer compressive stress . it has been found , however , that thin blades used for flexure hinges buckle and fail far more readily , by a factor of five or more , under compressive stress loads than under tensive stresses . it is now desired to have a tensile strength in the flexure bridges equal to many times gravity without failure . the present embodiment is believed to provide such capability , when the assembly is aligned vertically to establish tensive stress loading in the flexure bridges . it will be appreciated that in the present structure , in each flexure hinge g - loads are shared by both bridges of the flexure hinge . in fig1 , the spin axis is aligned orthogonally to the vertical so that the spin axis is substantially orthogonal to the field forces of gravity . the rotor 270 is connected by gimbal 2 to the horizontal shaft 264 . the stresses in the bridge 30 will be different from the stresses in bridge 32 . in many applications , the embodiment of fig1 is desired . it is believed that the tension stress of one such paired bridge cancels any imbalance effect caused by the compressive stress of the other bridge in the pair . in any event , a slight but crucial structural change is made in the resonant spin frequency of the embodiment of fig1 , from that of the embodiment of fig1 . in field activities , especially where large inventories of replacement gyros are maintained it is desirable to have complete interchangeability and uniformity for replacement and routine servicing . this uniformity , however , can result in serious , practical problems in gyro operation in certain applications . for example , in two gyro systems , such as the strapped - down platform system shown in fig1 , the spin axis 330 on one gyro 332 is oriented orthogonally to the spin axis 336 in the second gyro 338 . if the axis 330 is considered oriented in the z direction , and the axis 336 is considered to be oriented in the y direction the x axis in the cartesian coordinate system will be seen to lie in a plane parallel to the base 340 . the gyroscope 332 will then sense movements about its x axis and the y axis . the second gyroscope 338 will sense movements about its x axis and its z axis . movement about all 3 of the cartesian coordinate axes will be sensed by either one or the other of the two gyros 332 , 338 with a redundant reading about the x axes by both gyros . power is supplied from motor power supply 342 through leads 344 , 346 to , respectively , gyroscopes 332 and 338 . it is well known that if two dynamically tuned gyros are mounted on the same base 340 and are operated at the same spin speeds , the slight vibrations set up by one gyro 332 degrades the performance of the other gyro 338 . this effect is referred to as &# 34 ; cross - talk &# 34 ; and is described in greater detail in craig &# 34 ; theory of errors of a multigimbal , elastically supported , tuned gyroscope &# 34 ;, i . e . e . e . transactions on aerospace and electronic systems , vol . aes - 8 , no . 3 , may 1972 and &# 34 ; dynamically tuned gyros in strapdown systems &# 34 ;, conference proceedings no . 116 , agard , nato . in order to eliminate this degradation of accuracy , it is a common practice to operate the two gyros at different speeds . thus , a frequency f 1 is delivered to gyroscope 332 , while a different frequency f 2 is transmitted to the motor of gyroscope 338 . such practice , however , inherently leaves problems unresolved . where two gyros have the same tune independent of their orientation with respect to gravity , one such practice known is to drive the gyros with two different frequencies , each of which is slightly off the tuned frequency . both instruments are thereby detuned , in effect . the operation at different spin speeds thus produces detuning errors . if the gyros are tuned to different speeds , on the other hand , the normal requirement for interchangeability is not satisfied . the present invention , as embodied by the use simultaneously of the embodiments of fig1 and 16 in the gyro system , eliminates the necessity for such de - tuning . identical gyros can be used , and the inherent tuned spin frequency shift caused by the differential loading of the differently oriented flexure bridges will result in sufficiently different spin frequency to prevent gyro coupling or interference . that is to say , if f 1 = f 2 in fig1 , the stress in all of the bridges being tensive or being compressive establishes as in the embodiment of fig1 , a peculiar tuned frequency resonance . this tuned frequency resonance will be distinct from and observably different from a tuned frequency resonance established by the identical structure having its spin axis oriented in a substantially horizontal plane as illustrated in fig1 . the different tuned frequency resonance is caused by the fact that the bridges in each pair constituting a flexure will have opposed or opposite types of stress . fig1 shows yet another alternative embodiment to which the present invention is well suited . in fig1 , a three gimbal configuration 350 is shown in cross - sectional elevation . the upper shaft portion or hub 354 spins about the spin axis 352 . the inertially sensitive element is the rotor 356 . unlike the suspension system of fig1 and 2 , the three gimbal configuration 350 of fig1 contains three interrelated monolithic gimbal suspension systems 360 , 370 and 380 . gimbal suspension system 360 has a structure , and is made in a manner , similar to the gimbal suspension system 10 . suspension system 360 has a shaft attaching portion 362 , a rotor attaching portion 364 , and a gimbal portion 366 . the rotor attaching portion 364 has two degrees of freedom relative to the shaft attaching portion 362 by virtue of the monolithic flexures 368 , shown schematically in fig1 . the second monolithic suspension system 370 is constructed similarly to suspension system 360 , but having a greater diameter so that it can fit concentrically about suspension system 360 . suspension system 370 is comprised of a shaft attaching portion 372 , a gimbal portion 376 , and rotor attaching portion 374 . shaft attaching portion 372 is fixed to suspension system shaft attaching portion 362 by a bonding , such as weld 378 . similarly , rotor attaching portion 374 is fixed to rotor attaching portion 364 of monolithic suspension system 360 by a bonding such as weld 379 . in like manner , monolithic suspension system 380 is constructed similarly to the hinge suspension 10 , having a greater diameter than monolithic suspension system 370 . suspension system 380 fits concentrically about suspension system 370 , having a shaft attaching portion 382 , a rotor attaching portion 384 , and a gimbal portion 386 . rotor attaching portion 384 has two degrees of freedom about orthogonal pivot axes relative to shaft attaching portion 382 , even as rotor attaching portion 374 of suspension system 370 has two degrees of freedom relative to its shaft attaching portion 372 , by virtue of mutually orthogonal pivot axes in the gimbal portion 376 . shaft engaging portion 372 is fixed to shaft engaging portion 382 by a bonding such as weld 388 . similarly , rotor engaging portion 374 is fixed to rotor engaging portion 384 . the mutually orthogonal axes of suspension system 370 are rotatably or angularly spaced from the mutually orthogonal axes of suspension system 360 by 60 degrees . further , the mutually orthogonal axes of suspension system 380 are rotatably spaced from the mutually orthogonal axes of suspension system 360 by 120 degrees . the shaft attaching portions 362 , 372 and 382 are fixed to the shaft upper portion or hub 354 . since the rotor attaching portions 364 , 374 and 384 are fixed to the rotor 356 , it can be seen that only the gimbal portions 366 , 376 and 386 are free relative to each other . the rotor 356 will have the desired two degrees freedom about the hub 354 , even as in the flexure hinge suspension system 10 of fig1 and 2 , but will have such two degrees of freedom about three separate sets of mutually orthogonal axes , each set of mutually orthogonal axes rotatably displaced 60 ° from the other of the two mutually orthogonal axes . the principal moments of inertia of the three gimbal configuration 350 can be selected to completely cancel errors of twice spin frequency rectification effects by merely adjusting the inertias of the gimbals 366 , 376 and 386 . the concept of a dynamically tuned , three rotor gyro having three concentric gimbals is described in greater detail in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 832 , 906 to the inventor of the present invention . some advantage in a multi gimbal arrangement can be achieved by having two concentrically positioned , attached gimbal suspension systems , such as suspension systems 360 and 370 in fig1 . the suspension system 380 is eliminated , so that the rotor 356 can be connected directly to the rotor connecting portion 374 of suspension system 370 . in such a two gimbal arrangement , the degree of freedom pivot axes of the individual gimbals are rotatably displaced from each other by 90 °. for further detailed description , of the advantages and operation of such a multigimbal configuration , attention is directed to fig1 of the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 832 , 906 . the foregoing detailed description is illustrative of several embodiments of the invention . it is to be understood , however , that additional embodiments will be perceived by those skilled in the art . the embodiments described herein together with those additional embodiments are considered to be within the scope of the present invention .	8
referring to fig1 a principal embodiment of the present invention may be represented by a data acquisition block 10 , a data sampling block 12 , an output determination block 14 , and a reset block 16 . the data acquisition block 10 includes light shielding means subsequently described which defines an airspace 18 through which ambient light 20 passes for incidence upon light sensor means internal to the data acquisition block via a narrow window or slit disposed orthogonally to the direction of anticipated object movement . a detection signal 22 , produced by data acquisition block 10 , is responsive to a change or blockage in ambient light 20 , this blockage being caused by the presence of an object in airspace 18 . while no object is present in the airspace , detection signal 22 remains at a quiescent level . as an object passes through airspace 18 , detection signal 22 rises above its quiescent level in response to the size and shape of the object . the term &# 34 ; ambient light &# 34 ; as used in this specification and claims is meant to comprehend existing light conditions not associated with the activation circuit . that is to say , the presently described activation circuit is not dependent on a particular light source . the term &# 34 ; optical airspace &# 34 ; as used herein refers to a space through which ambient light passes and impinges upon light sensitive elements such as photoconductors . the presence of an object in the airspace results in a decrease in ambient light incident upon light sensitive elements . the signal sampling block 12 monitors the detection signal 22 and captures a peak value occurring therein to provide a scaled peak signal 24 , e . g ., a fixed percentage of the captured peak value . the output determination block 14 detects the occurrence of the peak in the detection signal 22 by comparison of the scaled peak signal 24 with the detection signal 22 ; when the detection signal 22 falls below the scaled peak signal 24 , a peak in the detection signal 22 is implied . when a peak has been found in the detection signal 22 , the output determination block 14 generates an activation signal 26 . the reset block 16 supplies a reset signal 28 in response , for example , to the activation signal 26 , or in response to manual push buttons or the like to initiate a reset condition in blocks 10 and 12 . the data acquisition block 10 compensates for naturally occurring changes in ambient light unrelated to the passage of objects through window 18 . during reset , the data sampling block 12 abandons the currently held peak value in preparation for the next peak in the detection signal 22 whereby the circuit is then ready for detection of the next object passing through airspace 18 . referring to fig2 describing portions of the circuit of fig1 in greater detail , an operational amplifier 30 , having its non - inverting input grounded and its inverting input coupled to a voltage v1 through a photoconductor array 32 , produces at its output the detection signal 22 representative of the blockage of ambient light 20 incident upon photoconductor array 32 from airspace 18 . a photoconductive feedback resistor 31 is connected between the output and the inverting input of amplifier 30 . the photoconductor array 32 and feedback resistor 31 cooperate to provide automatic gain control for amplifier 30 . without a photoconductive resistor in the feedback , the gain of amplifier 30 would vary as the ambient light conditions vary , the gain of amplifier 30 being a function of the relative resistance of the array 32 and resistor 31 . by utilizing a photo sensitive resistor , i . e ., a resistor 31 similar to those in the array 32 , the relative resistance of the array 32 and the feedback resistance is stabilized despite changes in ambient light , and , accordingly , the gain of operational amplifier 30 is more nearly constant . data acquisition block 12 suitably includes an input amplifier 34 , an output amplifier 36 , a diode 38 , and a holding capacitor 40 . the amplifier 34 receives the detection signal at its non - inverting input , while its output is coupled by way of diode 38 to the non - inverting input of the amplifier 36 . the output of the amplifier 36 is fed back to the non - inverting input of amplifier 34 . holding capacitor 40 is interposed between the non - inverting input of the amplifier 36 and ground , while the output of amplifier 36 is returned to a voltage source - v through serially connected resistors r1 and r2 , the resistors r1 and r2 being interconnected at a node 44 for scaling the output of the amplifier 36 to a predetermined percentage value . the signal present at the node 44 suitably provides the scaled peak signal 24 . prior to &# 34 ; arming &# 34 ; of the circuit , a switch 42 is momentarily set to a reset position to discharge any voltage across the holding capacitor 40 , and is then returned to an arm position . when an object enters airspace 18 ( fig1 ), a portion of the ambient light 20 otherwise incident upon photoconductor array 32 is blocked . as a result , detection signal 22 rises and the output of amplifier 34 rises to charge holding capacitor 40 , while the output of amplifier 36 , taking its input as the voltage across the holding capacitor 40 terminals , also begins to rise . when a peak in the detection signal 22 has occurred , detection signal 22 begins to fall , causing the output of amplifier 34 to fall , thereby discontinuing the charging of the holding capacitor 40 . the voltage then present across the terminals of the holding capacitor 40 is stabilized and the output of the operational amplifier 36 is representative of the peak in detection signal 22 . the scaled peak signal 24 present at the node 44 comprises a predetermined percentage of the detection signal 22 , the predetermined percentage being a function of the resistances of the resistors r1 and r2 . the output determination block 14 includes a comparator 46 , receiving the scaled peak signal 24 at its positive input and the detection signal 22 at its negative input . comparator 46 asserts at its output the activation signal 26 when the scaled peak signal 24 is greater than the detection signal 22 . it is desirable to ignore peak values in the detection signal which are below a given threshold . to this end , fet 46 having its drain coupled to node 44 and its source coupled to voltage source - v is utilized to maintain the scaled peak signal 24 normally at or near the voltage of source - v . a potentiometer p1 is connected between a voltage v2 and ground and includes a movable tap 48 . the output of a comparator 50 is coupled to the gate of fet 46 , while its positive input is coupled to tap 48 . the negative input of comparator 50 receives detection signal 22 . potentiometer p1 is adjusted for providing a threshold voltage such that when the detection signal 22 is below the threshold , the output of the comparator 50 turns the fet 46 on and drives the voltage at the node 44 close to the potential of source - v , inhibiting production of an activation signal 26 . when the detection signal 22 rises above the threshold , fet 46 is turned off and the voltage at the node 44 is representative of the predetermined percentage of the detection signal . referring to fig3 an aircraft 100 is illustrated as passing through airspace 18 in the direction of arrow 102 while the corresponding detection signal 22 is seen immediately therebelow . as the aircraft 100 passes airspace 18 , the ambient light 20 blocked by the aircraft 100 varies . a shaded portion 104 of an optical window or slit 18 &# 39 ; represents the blockage of ambient light due to the presence of aircraft 100 in the corresponding airspace , and , at the instant depicted in fig3 represents the amount of blockage due to a body section 106 . the waveform presented by the detection signal 22 is generally proportional to the size of shaded portion 104 and is therefore generally a function of the size and shape of the passing aircraft 100 . the various portions of the illustrated waveform of the detection signal depict its amplitude when parts of the aircraft immediately thereabove are aligned with window 18 &# 39 ;. as the aircraft 100 first enters airspace 18 , the body section 106 causes the detection signal 22 to rise as indicated by reference numeral 114 . when a wing section 108 of aircraft 100 passes through the window 18 &# 39 ;, the size of the shaded portion 104 will increase to a maximum as noted by reference numeral 116 . as the last of the winged section 108 passes , the shaded portion 104 suddenly becomes smaller as a body section 110 then enters airspace 18 . the passage of wing section 108 thus causes a peak 118 in detection signal 22 , while a second peak 120 in detection signal 22 is the result of passage of a tail section 122 . the output of amplifier 36 ( fig2 ), a signal 123 , follows the detection signal 22 through regions 114 and 116 until the occurrence of the peak 118 and thereafter maintains a value substantially equal to the peak 118 value . the scaled peak value 24 follows the signal 123 as a fixed percentage thereof . when the detection signal 22 then becomes less than the scaled peak signal 24 , at a point indicated by reference numeral 124 , the activation signal 26 increases from a non - activation state to an activation state , i . e ., at a time tφ . at a later time , not shown in fig3 the signal 123 , the scaled peak signal 24 , the detection signal 22 , and the activation signal 26 will be returned to their respective initial values in preparation for the detection of another aircraft passing through the same airspace . in fig4 and 5 , with fig5 being taken along lines 5 -- 5 of fig4 a first light sensitive activator 150 and a second light sensitive activator 152 , each similar to the one depicted in fig1 - 3 , are positioned along the flight path of an aircraft 154 having a direction of travel indicated by arrow 156 . the light sensitive activators 150 and 152 include light shields 151 and 153 which define , respectively , airspace 158 and airspace 160 intersecting the path of aircraft 154 . a first activation signal 162 , generated by light sensitive activator 150 in response to the passage of aircraft 154 through window 158 , is employed to start a counting operation by counter element 164 . a second activation signal 166 , generated in response to the passage of aircraft 154 through window 160 , is used to terminate the counting operation . the value remaining in the counter element 164 after termination of the counting operation is representative of the ground speed of aircraft 154 between airspace 158 and airspace 160 . the light sensitive activator 150 is further illustrated in fig6 and 7 wherein the photoconductive array 32 and photoconductive feedback resistor 31 are illustrated as mounted on a slidable circuit board 170 and coupled to operational amplifier 30 as well as voltage source v1 . each of the photoconductive resistors of the array 2 and resistor 31 include a rectangular photoconductive area of approximately 0 . 25 inches by 0 . 050 inches , the photoconductive areas being aligned on the board 170 to form an overall photoconductive area 171 of approximately 1 . 25 inches by 0 . 050 inches . a slot 172 having dimensions of 1 . 25 inches by 0 . 040 inches is formed in a section of tape 174 disposed immediately above the photoconductive array 32 and photoconductive resistor 31 . a second slot 176 , substantially proportional to the slot 172 and having dimensions 4 inches by 0 . 2 inches , is formed in an upper portion 178 of activator 150 at a location directly above the photoconductive array 32 at the base of the light shield 153 . the board 170 is moved vertically to adjust the spacing between the photoconductive array 32 and the slot 176 as a means changing the dimensions of airspace 18 . as the board 170 is moved toward the slot 176 , airspace 18 increases in dimension , while moving the board 170 down and away from the slot 176 reduces the dimensions of airspace 18 . to compensate for the loss of contrast at higher altitudes due to dust and moisture in the air , and to adjust for the amount of light received , the voltage v1 is varied in accordance with the vertical position of the board 170 . the voltage v1 is increased as the board 170 is moved away from slot 176 and decreased as it is moved toward slot 176 . the voltage v1 ( fig2 and 7 ) may be derived from a potentiometer , such as indicated at reference numeral 60 of fig8 operated by movement of the board 170 or alternatively may be taken from a terminal on the board 170 contacting a portion of a stationary resistor ladder ( not shown ) adjacent the board 170 . thus , for a higher altitude aircraft the voltage v1 is increased to improve the sensitivity of the photoconductors and provide a relatively consistent detection signal 22 for any given airplane as the board 170 is moved to provide an airspace corresponding to the altitude of the given airplane . fig8 is a more detailed schematic diagram illustrating a further and preferred embodiment of the circuit of fig1 . in fig8 reset block 16 includes a flip - flop 54 controlled by an arm switch and a reset switch . the flip - flop 54 suitably comprises pnp transistors q1 and q2 having their emitters returned to positive voltage source v3 and their collectors connected to negative voltage source v4 via resistors r3 and r4 . the base of transistor q1 is coupled to the collector of transistor q2 through a resistor r5 , to positive voltage source v3 by way of resistor r6 , and to negative voltage source v4 through resistor r7 and the arm switch in series . in similar fashion , the base of transistor q2 is coupled to the voltage source v3 by resistor r8 , to the collector of transistor q1 by resistor r9 , and to the voltage source v4 through resistor r10 and the reset switch . a reset signal on lead 28 is taken from the collector of transistor q2 whereby when the reset switch is engaged , the voltage at the base of transistor q2 is reduced causing transistor q2 to conduct current through resistor r4 and raise the voltage on lead 28 . by virtue of the connection including resistor r5 , the potential at the base of transistor q1 also rises such that transistor q1 ceases conducting current through resistor r3 , and transistor q2 is then maintained in a conductive state even after the reset switch is disengaged . when the arm switch is engaged the potential at the base of q1 is reduced whereby transistor q1 conducts current through resistor r3 . as a result the potential at the base of transistor q2 increases cutting off the flow of current in resistor r4 and lowering the reset signal 28 voltage . thus , the reset signal 28 can be asserted and remains asserted until the arm switch is pressed at which time the reset line returns to a relatively low voltage . photoconductor array 32 , comprising a plurality of separate photoconductive resistors pcr connected in parallel , is interposed between variable voltage source 60 and the inverting input of operational amplifier 30 . amplifier 30 is connected in substantially the manner described in reference to fig2 . variable current source 74 couples voltage v3 to the emitters of pnp transistors q8 and q9 , the collectors of which are connected to negative voltage v4 via resistors r13 and r14 respectively . the base of transistor q9 is connected to ground through resistor r15 . the base of transistor q8 is returned to ground through diode d2 while also being coupled to detection signal path 22 at the output of amplifier 30 via resistor r16 . a negative voltage , between ground and negative v4 , is provided at a node 75 from a transistor circuit configured as a voltage source 76 wherein node 75 is connected to the inverting input of operational amplifier 30 by way of resistor r17 and fet 77 in series . the gate of fet 77 is returned selectively to voltage v4 through one of the capacitors c4 , c5 , and c6 . resistor r18 connects the collector of transistor q8 to the base of fet 77 , with resistor r18 being disposed in parallel with the combination of resistor r19 and diode d3 in series . it is desirable to be able to adjust the output of operational amplifier 30 , i . e ., the detection signal on lead 22 , to a quiescent state near ground in preparation for detecting changes in the detection signal . operational amplifier 30 comprises an inverting summing amplifier wherein a first input is provided through the photoconductor array 32 , and a negative compensating input is supplied from the negative voltage at the node 75 through resistor r17 and fet 77 . the negative compensating input is used to bring the detection signal path 22 up to ground level . when the circuit is armed , voltage source potentiometer 60 together with array 32 presents a positive signal to operational amplifier 30 and correspondingly a negative signal occurs at the output of amplifier 30 . transistor q8 then conducts current from current source 74 raising its collector voltage to charge a selected one of capacitors c4 , c5 , and c6 , increasing the gate voltage of fet 77 . a resulting reduction in the resistance of fet 77 has the effect of raising the path 22 level towards ground . as signal path 22 approaches ground potential , transistor q8 tends toward turn off causing a drop in potential at the collector of transistor q8 . current source 74 is adjusted to maintain the quiescent state of the detection signal path 22 substantially at ground potential . a relatively short term increase in the detection signal above ground potential then indicates a blockage of ambient light otherwise incident upon the photo conductor array 32 . the selected one of the capacitors c4 , c5 , and c6 establishes a sensitivity level whereby relatively slow moving objects such as clouds do not produce significant changes in the detection signal , while faster moving objects such as airplanes are able to produce detection signal peaks . in conjunction with the aforementioned operation of photoresistor 31 , the circuit compensates for changes in ambient light not associated with the passage of airplanes . it will be seen the selected capacitance ( c4 , c5 or c6 ) establishes a time constant for voltage change at the gate of fet 77 wherein a large capacitance would allow only relatively slow voltage changes at the gate of fet 77 and a smaller capacitance would permit relatively faster voltage changes at the gate of fet 77 . if the voltage at the gate of fet 77 is held to change relatively slowly , then the activation circuit is more sensitive in that the negative compensation voltage provided by the fet 77 will be less effective in maintaining the detection signal 22 near ground potential . the signal sampling block 12 receives the detection signal 22 at the non - inverting input of operational amplifier 34 , the latter having its output fed back to its inverting input by way of resistor r22 , and its output returned to ground through diode 38 , resistor r23 , and holding capacitor 40 in series . amplifier 36 takes as its non - inverting input the voltage present across holding capacitor 40 while its output is fed back to its inverting input via resistor r24 and to the inverting input of amplifier 34 through resistor r25 . serially connected resistors r1 and r2 return the output of operational amplifier 36 to ground for providing scaled peak signal 24 at node 44 . fet 80 , with its drain coupled to the non - inverting input of amplifier 36 through resistor r26 , its source returned to ground , and its gate coupled to reset signal 28 through drive circuitry 82 , is employed to discharge the holding capacitor 40 when the reset signal on lead 28 is asserted . after arming , and as the detection signal on lead 22 rises above its quiescent level due to the blockage of ambient light otherwise incident upon the photo conductor array 32 , the output of amplifier 34 charges the holding capacitor 40 until the detection signal on lead 22 reaches a peak and begins to fall . the voltage present across the terminals of the holding capacitor 40 becomes stabilized for representing the peak value detection signal , since diode 38 prevents discharge of the holding capacitor . the output of amplifier 36 , i . e ., on lead 240 , is then representative of the peak in the detection signal whereby the voltage present at the node 44 provides the scaled peak signal on lead 24 as a fixed percentage of the peak in the detection signal . the last mentioned percentage is a function of the relative resistances of resistors r1 and r2 . output determination block 14 compares the detection signal on lead 22 with the scaled peak signal on lead 24 and , when the detection signal has peaked , solenoid 90 is activated to cause a camera 92 to take a picture of an object in airspace 18 ( fig1 ). the peak in the detection signal is implied when the detection signal falls below the scaled peak signal . a comparator 94 for detecting this condition comprises transistors q3 and q4 having their collectors returned to positive voltage source v3 through resistors r28 and r29 , their emitters connected together and coupled to negative voltage source v4 via the collector - emitter path of current source transistor q5 , and their bases coupled to detection signal lead 22 and scaled peak signal lead 24 respectively . the base of transistor q5 connects to node 75 of voltage source 76 for maintaining a constant current flow through transistor pair q3 , q4 . pnp transistor q6 , having its base attached to the collector of transistor q3 , its emitter returned to voltage source v3 , and its collector coupled to voltage source v4 via resistor r30 and capacitor c3 in series , is controlled by the voltage present at the collector of transistor q3 for charging capacitor c3 . similarly , pnp transistor q7 is controlled by the voltage present at the collector of transistor q4 , wherein the base of transistor q7 is connected to the collector of transistor q4 , its emitter is connected to the voltage source v3 , and its collector is coupled to the voltage source v4 through resistor r31 , capacitor c7 , and resistor r32 in series . a first lead of solenoid 90 connects to the junction between capacitor c3 and resistor r30 while a second terminal of the solenoid is returned to voltage source v4 via silicon controlled rectifier 96 whereby when the silicon controlled rectifier conducts current , the voltage across capacitor c3 is discharged through solenoid 90 , e . g ., for activating camera 92 , or a counter ( not shown ). the gate of silicon control rectifier 96 is coupled to the midpoint between capacitor c7 and resistor r32 so that when the resistor conducts a predetermined current , the rectifier 96 gate voltage rises and the rectifier 96 fires . as long as the detection signal on lead 22 is more than the scaled peak signal on lead 24 , transistor q3 conducts and transistor q4 does not . the voltage at the collector of transistor q3 is low enough to turn on transistor q6 while the voltage at the collector of transistor q4 is high enough to turn off the transistor q7 . it will be seen the flow of current through transistor q6 results in charging of the capacitor c3 . subsequently , when the detection signal on lead 22 first becomes less than scaled peak signal 24 , transistor q3 ceases conduction and transistor q4 turns on which turns off transistor q6 as transistor q7 conducts . the current through transistor q7 passes through resistor r32 dropping a voltage thereacross and bringing about conduction in silicon controlled rectifier 96 whereby capacitor c3 is discharged through solenoid 90 to activate camera 92 . potentiometer 93 can be used to determine the minimum turn - on level for transistor q4 . hence the minimum peak in the fig3 waveform is detected . during reset , the output determination block 14 is inhibited from activating the camera 92 . pnp transistor q10 , having its base coupled to lead 28 through drive circuitry 98 , its emitter returned to voltage source v3 , and its collector connected to the collector of transistor q4 , is responsive to an asserted reset signal on lead 28 for maintaining the voltage at the collector of transistor q4 and the base of transistor q7 high enough to ensure the transistor q7 remains off . thus , silicon controlled rectifier 96 is held in a non - conductive state whereby solenoid 90 is inoperative . as previously noted it is desirable to inhibit the activation circuit for peaks in the detection signal 22 below a given threshold . as an alternative to manually adjusting a threshold voltage , e . g ., with a potentiometer p1 of fig2 or potentiometer 93 in fig8 an automatic threshold circuit as illustrated in fig9 may be employed for storing a voltage level corresponding to a forward portion of a plane body to establish a reliable threshold voltage above which the wing section is known to drive the detection signal . the established threshold voltage is used to inhibit the activation circuit until the detection signal is found to be above the threshold . referring to fig9 a flip - flip circuit 200 , having a first input terminal 201 coupled to the reset signal 28 line of the activation circuit in fig8 and a second input terminal 202 connected to a timed pulse circuit 203 , is used to operate fets 204 and 206 . fet 204 receives at its source terminal a version of the increasing detection signal ( stored on capacitor 40 ) from lead 240 via resistor r40 , while its drain terminal is returned to ground through a capacitor c10 as well as being coupled to the non - inverting input of an operational amplifier 208 . the gate of fet 204 is connected to a first output lead 210 of the circuit 200 through resistor r42 . fet 206 is coupled at its gate to another output lead 212 of circuit 200 via resistor r44 and to ground through a diode 214 . the source terminal of fet 206 is returned to ground . the drain terminal of the same fet is connected to the positive input of the operational amplifier 208 by way of resistor r46 . a timed pulse circuit 203 is controlled by the output of a comparator 218 such that when the output of comparator 218 is driven negative , circuit 203 presents a positive pulse of predetermined duration at input terminal 202 of circuit 200 . the duration of the pulse is less than the time required for the forward portion of a body section of a plane , not including the wing section , to pass through an optical window . the non - inverting input of comparator 218 is taken from a voltage divider 220 set to provide a voltage level comparable to the signal produced pursuant to detecting the nose section of an airplane . the inverting input of the comparator 218 receives the stored detection signal from lead 240 for comparison with the last mentioned voltage level such that its output is driven negative when the detection signal from lead 240 rises above the voltage level . a positive pulse is consequently presented at the terminal 202 when a nose section of an airplane is detected . at the inverting input of the operational amplifier 208 , a - 50 mv signal is applied through a resistor r48 , and the output of operational amplifier 208 is fed back to its inverting input through resistor r50 having twice the resistance of resistor r48 so as to provide amplifier 208 with a gain of two . the output of operational amplifier 208 is connected to an auto contact of a switch 222 . a manual contact of the switch 222 is connected to a movable terminal 224 of potentiometer p3 coupled between a positive and a negative voltage . the signal on lead 240 is applied to the inverting input of operational amplifier 230 while the non - inverting input of amplifier 230 is connected to the movable contact of switch 222 for providing selective coupling between the operational amplifier 230 and either potentiometer p3 or the output of the operational amplifier 208 . the output of operational amplifier 230 is connected via resistor r52 to the gate of fet 232 having its source terminal coupled to a - 1 . 2 voltage supply 234 and its drain connected to terminal 44 of the activation circuit of fig8 . by means of coupling the terminal 44 ( fig8 ) to the negative voltage supply 234 ( fig9 ), the activation circuit is disabled because the scaled peak signal on lead 24 ( fig8 ) will be held below the detection signal . thus , when the output of operational amplifier 230 is driven high , the activation circuit is disabled , and when its output is negative the activation circuit is enabled . the circuit may be operated in one of two modes , i . e ., manual setting of the threshold level and automatic setting of the threshold level . manual adjustment of the threshold level can be most effective when the sun is near the horizon . when the switch 222 is set to couple the movable terminal 224 to the non - inverting input of operational amplifier 230 , the potentiometer is manually adjusted to provide a suitable threshold voltage . when the switch 222 couples the output of operational amplifier 208 to the non - inverting input of operational amplifier 230 , the threshold circuit will detect the presence of a nose section in the window 18 ( fig1 ) and establish a suitable threshold voltage . when the activation circuit is reset via lead 28 , circuit 200 presents a high voltage at its output 212 and a low voltage at its output 210 thereby turning fet 204 off and fet 206 on . at this time , the detection signal on lead 240 will be substantially at ground potential and the output of operational amplifier 208 is approximately + 0 . 1 volts , such that the output of operational amplifier 230 is positive , turning on fet 232 and disabling the activation circuit . when the activation circuit is then armed , i . e ., the signal on lead 28 drops , circuit 200 changes state whereby fet 204 is turned on and fet 206 is turned off . in this condition it will be seen the voltage across capacitor c10 follows the detection signal on lead 240 . as the nose of an airplane passes through the optical window and the detection signal on lead 240 exceeds the voltage level taken from voltage divider 220 , the output of operational amplifier 218 becomes negative and causes the timed pulse circuit 203 to present a positive pulse at terminal 202 of circuit 200 . during this positive pulse , the voltage across the capacitor c10 increases to a point corresponding to the width of the forward body section of the airplane ; this voltage is doubled by operational amplifier 208 and presented as a suitable threshold voltage to the non - inverting input of the operational amplifier 230 , assuming switch 222 is in the auto position . on the falling edge of the positive pulse presented to terminal 202 , circuit 200 changes state to turn fet 204 off and thereby decouple the operational amplifier 208 from the detection signal on lead 240 , the output of operational amplifier 208 then being a function of a stored voltage on the capacitor c10 . in this manner a suitable threshold voltage is stored and provided to operational amplifier 230 . subsequently when the system is reset , transistor 206 is again turned on for discharging capacitor c10 . the automatic threshold circuit may be used in an alternative manner wherein it is incorporated into an activation circuit used to generate and store a threshold voltage on a first fly by for use during a subsequent fly by . while plural embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects . the appended claims are therefore intended to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	6
referring to fig1 - 2 , a heat dissipation device in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention comprises a heat sink 10 , a pair of heat pipes 20 , a fan 30 and a fan holder 40 . the heat sink 10 comprises a base 12 for intimately contacting with a cool - waiting component ( not shown ) by a contact face , and having a flatly main face disposed opposing to the contact face and a plurality of side faces surrounding the contact face . the heat sink 10 further comprises a plurality of fins 16 spanning on the base 12 . each fin 16 forms a perpendicularly bent flange facing the base 12 . the fins 16 are parallel to each other , and are arranged at substantially uniform intervals via the flanges formed therebetween . all of the perpendicularly bent flanges of the fins 16 define a continuous surface exposed to the base 12 . the base 12 defines two parallel grooves 122 on the main face facing the fins 16 . two separate through holes 162 extend across the fins 16 . the through holes 162 are parallel to the grooves 122 . the through holes 162 are closer to the fan 30 than to the base 10 . each heat pipe 20 comprises an evaporating section 22 and a condensating section 26 parallel to the evaporating section 22 . the evaporating sections 22 of the heat pipes 20 are accommodated in the grooves 122 of the base 12 , for transferring heat accumulated on the base 12 to the condensating section 26 . the condensating sections 26 of the heat pipes 20 are engagingly inserted in the through hoes 162 of the fins 16 , for releasing heat accumulated thereon to the fins 16 distant from the base 12 . the fan holder 40 covers the fins 16 and is disposed at an opposite side of the fins 16 relative to the base 12 . the fan holder 40 comprises a support plate 42 and locating ears 46 . the locating ears 46 extend perpendicularly from a pair of opposite edges of the support plate 42 . the support plate 42 defines a central opening 422 . the opening 422 communicates with an outlet ( not labeled ) of the fan 30 and an inlet ( not labeled ) of the heat sink 10 . the support plate 42 further defines locking holes 426 . the locking holes 426 are aligned with the positioning holes 32 of the fan 30 . screws or pins ( not shown ) pass through the positioning holes 32 of the fan 30 , and further engage within the locking holes 426 of the fan holder 40 , to thereby secure the fan 30 to the fan holder 40 . the locating ears 46 are parallel to the fins 16 . the locating ears 46 attach outmost fins 16 and sandwich all of the fins 16 therebetween . an engaging hole 462 is defined in each locating ear 46 for receiving a corresponding condensating section 26 of the heat pipes 20 . a cutout 466 is defined at a free end of each locating ear 46 , communicating with the engaging hole 462 . the width of the cutouts 466 are smaller than the diameter of the engaging holes 462 , and provide a guide way for having the condensating sections 26 to enter the engaging holes 462 . in assembly of the heat dissipation device , the heat pipes 20 are first secured into the through holes 162 of the heat sink 10 . the fan holder 40 is then placed onto the heat sink 10 and is pressed . the condensating sections 26 of the heat pipes 20 enter the engaging holes 462 via the cutouts 466 . eventually , the locating ears 46 of the fan holder 40 grip the condensating sections 26 of the heat pipes 20 at the engaging holes 462 . thus , the fan holder 40 is mounted onto the heat sink 10 by means of the heat pipes 20 . it is practicable that the locating ears 46 merely define the engaging holes 462 without the cutouts 466 . under this circumstance , the fan holder 40 is first placed onto the heat sink 10 . the condensating sections 26 of the heat pipes 20 respectively extend through the engaging holes 462 at one side of the heat sink 10 , the through holes 162 of the fins 16 , and the engaging holes 462 at an opposite side of the heat sink 10 . as a result , the ears 46 grip opposite ends of the condensating sections 26 of the heat pipes 20 , and thus the fan holder 40 is secured to the heat sink 10 . it is understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms without departing from the spirit thereof . thus , the present examples and embodiments are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , and the invention is not to be limited to the details given herein .	5
now , the present invention will be described in detail hereunder with reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment thereof . referring first to fig1 and 2 , a crankcase 1 for an engine e mounted on a body frame f of a scooter type motorcycle is connected with a rearwardly extending transmission case 2 on one side of the crankcase 1 and an axle 3 spline - connected to a hub of a rear wheel wr is rotatably supported at the rear end of the transmission case 2 via a pair of left and right ball bearings 4 and 4 &# 39 ;. in addition , a belt type continuously variable transmission t operatively connected to a crankshaft ( not shown ) of the engine e and a gear type deceleration unit r adapted to rotate the axle 3 at a reduced speed via an output shaft 5 of the transmission t are accommodated in the transmission case 2 . in order to assure that the transmission case 2 freely rocks along with the rear wheel wr in the vertical direction , the fore part of the crankcase 1 is supported on the body frame f via a link 6 and the rear end part of the transmission case 2 is connected to the body frame f via a damper 7 . a caliper 9 adapted to impart a braking force to the rear wheel wr in cooperation with a rotor 8 secured to the hub of the rear wheel wr and an antilock controlling device a for controlling a braking hydraulic pressure to be applied to the caliper 9 are arranged in association with the transmission case 2 . particularly , the antilock controlling device a is located rearwardly of the transmission t so as not to be adversely affected by collision with any foreign matter coming from the foreward side as viewed from the motorcycle and moreover it is located at a possibly high position so as not to be adversely affected by foreign matters scattered upwardly from the road surface . the rotor 8 and the caliper 9 as mentioned above constitute a known disc brake b . additionally , a master cylinder m to be operated by a brake pedal 10 and an oil reservoir 11 located upwardly of the master cylinder m are fitted to the body frame f . the oil reservoir 11 is communicated with the master cylinder m via a first oil supply passage l 1 , the master cylinder m is communicated with the antilock controlling device a via an upstream - side braking oil passage l 3 , the antilock controlling device a is communicated with the caliper 9 for the disc brake b via a downstream - side braking oil passage l 4 and moreover the antilock controlling device a is communicated with the oil reservoir 11 via a second oil supply passage l 2 . owing to the communication established in this way , a working oil stored in the oil reservoir 11 is supplied to the master cylinder m and the antilock controlling device a and an output hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder m is applied to the caliper 9 of the disc brake b via the antilock controlling device a . the antilock controlling device a includes a casing 12 which is comprised of a case body 12a having a locating boss 13 fitted into the outer wall of the transmission case 2 and secured thereto by means of bolts 14 and a cap - shaped cover 12b fitted onto the open end of the case body 12a . an extension portion 12c extending rearwardly of the rear surface of the case body 12a is made integral with the latter . a driving shaft 15 , a hydraulic pump 16 , a modulator 17 , a discharge valve 20 and a wheel deceleration sensor 21 are arranged in the casing 12 . the driving shaft 15 is supported by the casing 12 via bearings 19 and 19 &# 39 ;. one end of the driving shaft 15 is protruded into the interior of the transmission case 2 and is spline - fitted thereat with a pinion 23 which meshes with a final gear 22 having the largest diameter among a group of gears of the deceleration unit r . the hydraulic pump 16 comprises an eccentric cam 26 formed on the driving shaft 15 in a region located between both the bearings 19 and 19 &# 39 ;, a push rod 27 of which inner end is located opposite to the eccentric cam 26 , a pump piston 28 placed in abutment against the outer end of the push rod 27 , a working piston 29 placed in abutment against the outer end of the pump piston 28 and a return spring 30 for biasing the push rod 27 in a direction of moving away from the eccentric cam 26 . the push rod 27 and the pump piston 28 are slidably inserted in a first cylinder bore 33 in such a manner as to define an inlet chamber 31 and outlet chamber 32 around their outer peripheral surfaces . in addition , a plug 34 is threadably engaged with the outer end of the first cylinder bore 33 to define a pump chamber 35 between the pump piston 28 and the plug 34 , and the working piston 29 is slidably inserted into the plug 34 to define a hydraulic chamber 36 . the inlet chamber 31 is communicated with the oil reservoir 11 via the second oil supply passage l 2 and is moreover communicated with the pump chamber 35 which in turn is communicated with the outlet chamber 32 via a one way seal member 39 adapted to function as a delivery valve . additionally , the hydraulic chamber 36 is hydraulically connected to the upstream - side braking oil passage l 3 in such a manner that it is normally communicated with the output port of the brake master cylinder m . the modulator 17 comprises a pressure reducing piston 46 , a stationary piston 47 adapted to receive one end of the pressure reducing piston 46 to define a limit of backward movement thereof and a return spring 48 for biasing the pressure reducing piston 46 in a direction of coming in contact with the stationary piston 47 . both the pistons 46 and 47 are slidably inserted in a second cylinder bore 52 which is formed adjacent to the first cylinder bore 33 in the extension portion 12c . the pressure reducing piston 46 defines a controlling hydraulic chamber 18 between it and the inner wall surface of the second cylinder bore 52 and moreover defines an output hydraulic chamber 55 between it and the stationary piston 47 , while the stationary piston 47 defines an input hydraulic chamber 54 around the outer peripheral surface thereof . the input hydraulic chamber 54 is communicated with the hydraulic chamber 36 of the hydraulic pump 16 via a hydraulic passage 56 and the output hydraulic chamber 55 is hydraulically connected to the downstream - side braking oil passage l 4 so as to be normally communicated with the input port of the caliper 9 . further , the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 is communicated with the outlet chamber 32 of the hydraulic pump 16 via a hydraulic passage 57 . the stationary piston 47 is formed with a valve chamber 58 which is normally communicated with the input hydraulic chamber 54 and a valve bore 59 for allowing the valve chamber 58 to be communicated with the output hydraulic chamber 55 therethrough . a valve body 60 for opening and closing the valve bore 59 and a valve spring 61 for biasing the valve body 60 in a direction of closing the valve bore 59 are accommodated in the valve chamber 58 . to open the valve body 60 , a valve stem 62 is provided so as to extend through the valve bore 59 . when the pressure reducing piston 46 assumes its position at a limit of its backward movement , the valve stem 62 thrusts the valve body 60 whereby the latter is brought in an opened state . the outer opening of the second cylinder bore 52 is closed with a plug 63 which is threadably engaged with the extension portion 12c , and the stationary piston 47 is normally held at a position where it comes in contact with the plug 63 , under the effect of resilient force of the return spring 48 or hydraulic pressure introduced into the input hydraulic chamber 54 and the output hydraulic chamber 55 . referring to fig3 and 4 , the pressure discharge valve 20 comprises a valve casing 65 fitted into a fitting recess 64 formed on the inner wall of the casing body 12a , a valve body 67 accommodated in the valve casing 65 to open or close a valve bore 66 and a valve spring 68 for resiliently biasing the valve body 67 in a direction of closing the valve bore 66 . the outer end of the valve bore 66 is communicated with the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 of the modulator 17 via a through hole 70 and the interior of the valve casing 65 leading to the inner end of the valve bore 66 is communicated with the inlet chamber 31 of the hydraulic pump 16 via a hydraulic passage 71 . after all , it follows that the interior of the valve casing 65 is communicated with the oil reservoir 11 . referring to fig3 to 7 , the wheel deceleration sensor 21 includes a cam mechanism 73 adapted to be driven by the driving shaft 15 via a clutch plate 75 , a flywheel 72 adapted to be driven by the cam mechanism 73 via a resilient driving member 76 and an output lever mechanism 74 for actuating the pressure discharge valve 20 in response to actuation of the cam mechanism 73 due to overrunning of the flywheel 72 . all the above - mentioned components are accommodated in the casing 12 . the cam mechanism 73 comprises a driving cam plate 82 for rotatably but axially immovably supporting a boss 82a on the driving shaft 15 via ball bearings 78 , a driven cam plate 83 located closer to the eccentric cam 26 from the driving plate 82 and located opposite to the plate 82 and a plurality of thrust balls 84 annularly arranged between both the cam plates 82 and 83 . the clutch plate 75 spline - fitted onto the driving shaft 15 is brought in pressure contact with one end face of the boss 82a of the driving cam plate 82 under the effect of resilient force of a clutch spring 79 . a plurality of cam recesses 85 and 86 allowing the thrust balls 84 to be engaged therewith are provided on opposite surfaces of both the cam plates 82 and 83 . specifically , each of the cam recesses 85 on the driving cam plate 82 is inclined in such a manner that its bottom surface becomes shallower in a rotational direction a of the driving shaft 15 , while each of the cam recesses 86 on the driven cam plate 83 is inclined in such a manner that its bottom surface becomes deeper in the rotational direction a . accordingly , in a normal case where the driving cam plate 82 assumes a driving side with respect to the driven cam plate 83 , the thrust balls 84 are brought in engagement with both the recesses 85 and 86 at their deepest positions so that the driving cam plate 82 transmits rotational torque received from the driving shaft 15 to the driven cam plate 83 , causing no relative rotation to occur between both the cam plates 82 and 83 . however , in a contrary case where the driven cam plate 83 overruns with respect to the driving cam plate 82 , the result is that relative rotation occurs between both the cam plates 82 and 83 and thereby the thrust balls 84 roll and climb the inclined bottom surfaces of the cam recesses 85 and 86 . this causes a certain intensity of thrust force to be imparted to both the cam plates 82 and 83 whereby the driven cam plate 83 is axially displaced away from the driving cam plate 82 . the flywheel 72 is supported on the boss 82a of the driving cam plate 82 on the opposite side to the driven cam plate 83 so as to be rotatable relative to the boss 82a via a ball bearing 87 but against movement in the axial direction . additionally , the flywheel 72 is connected to the driven cam 83 via the driving member 76 . the driving member 76 is made of elastic material such as spring steel plate , synthetic resin or the like material and comprises an annular plate 76a and a plurality of driving pawls 76b projecting radially inwardly of the inner periphery of the annular plate 76a . each of the driving pawls 76b has such a flexibility that it can flex only in the axial direction of the flywheel 72 . when the flywheel 72 is connected to the driven cam plate 83 , the annular plate 76a is secured to the side surface of the flywheel 72 by using bolts 77 and the driving pawls 76b are engaged with radially extending grooves 89 on the outer side surface of the driven cam plate 83 . to prevent the driving pawls 76b from being disengaged from the grooves 89 , an inner race of a ball bearing 92 to be described later is fitted onto the boss 83a of the driven cam plate 83 . the output lever mechanism 74 includes a support column 90 projecting from the inner end surface of the case body 12a at an intermediate position between the driving shaft 15 and the pressure discharge valve 20 and a lever 91 supported by a semispherical fulcrum portion formed at the foremost end of the support shaft 90 so as to be swingable in the axial direction of the driving shaft 15 . the lever 91 comprises a first arm 91a extending from the support column 90 while bypassing the driving shaft 15 and a second arm 91b extending from the support column 90 toward the pressure discharge valve 20 . additionally , a semispherical abutment portions 93 formed at an intermediate portion of the first arm 91a are brought in engagement with the driven cam plate 83 via the ball bearing 92 . a set spring 94 for resiliently biasing the first arm 91a toward the ball bearing 92 side is provided between the foremost end of the first arm 91a and the case body 12a , and the foremost end of the second arm 91b is jointed to the valve disc body of the pressure discharge valve 20 with a predetermined amount of play kept therefore . a resilient force imparted to the lever 91 by the set spring 94 permits the abutment portions 93 on the first arm 91a to abut against the outer race of the ball bearing 92 . this allows the lever 91 to be normally parted away from the valve body 67 of the pressure discharge valve 20 whereby the latter is maintained in a closed state . the biasing force imparted to the ball bearing 92 by the set spring 94 functions to urge the driven cam plate 83 toward the driving cam plate 82 . while a vehicle travels , the final gear 22 in the deceleration unit r directly rotates the axle 3 of the rear wheel wr and moreover rotates the pinion 23 on the driving shaft 15 at an increased speed . the rotational torque generated by the pinion 23 is transmitted to the flywheel 72 via the driving shaft 15 , the clutch plate 75 , the driving cam plate 82 , the thrust balls 84 , the driven cam plate 83 and the driving member 76 to rotate the flywheel 72 at a speed higher than that of the rear wheel wr . this leads to a result that the flywheel 72 has a large rotational inertia force . now , when the master cylinder m is actuated to brake the rear wheel wr by depressing the brake pedal 10 , an output hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder m is transmitted to the disc brake b via the upstream - side braking oil passage l 3 , the hydraulic chamber 36 in the hydraulic pump 16 , the input hydraulic chamber 54 in the modulator 17 , the valve chamber 58 , the valve bore 59 , the output hydraulic chamber 55 and the downstream - side braking oil passage l 4 so that a braking force can be imparted to the rear wheel wr . on the other hand , since the output hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder m is introduced into the hydraulic chamber 36 in the hydraulic pump 16 , a reciprocal movement is imparted to the pump piston 28 by a biasing function given to the working piston 29 under the effect of the hydraulic pressure as well as a lifting function of the eccentric cam 26 given to the push rod 27 . during a suction stroke in which the pump piston 28 moves to the push rod 27 side , the suction valve 38 is caused to open so that an oil in the oil reservoir 11 is introduced into the pump chamber 35 via the second oil supply passage l 2 and the inlet chamber 31 . during a delivery stroke in which the pump piston 28 is displaced toward the working piston 29 side , the one - way seal member 39 is opened so that an oil in the pump chamber 35 is pumped to the output chamber 32 and then to the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 in the modulator 17 via the hydraulic passage 57 . when a pressure in the outlet chamber 32 and the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 is increased to a predetermined value , the pump piston 28 is held along with the working piston 29 at an abutment position against the plug 34 , under the effect of hydraulic pressure in the outlet chamber 32 . here , since communication between the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 in the modulator 17 and the oil reservoir 11 is initially interrupted due to closing of the pressure discharge valve 20 , a hydraulic pressure fed to the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 from the hydraulic pump 16 acts directly on the pressure reducing piston 46 to forcibly displace the latter to its rearward position and thereby the valve body 60 is maintained in an opened state by means of the valve stem 62 . this permits an output hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder m to pass through the valve bore 59 . accordingly , in a normal braking state , a braking force to be applied to the disc brake b is in proportion to an output hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder m . when an angular deceleration ( namely , a negative angular acceleration ) is produced on the rear wheel wr during such braking operation , the flywheel 72 which has sensed that condition tends to perform overrunning rotation along with the driven cam plate 83 with respect to the driving shaft 15 under the effect of its rotational inertia force . namely , a relative rotation tends to occur between both the cam plates 82 and 83 . however , at a stage where there is no possibility that the rear wheel wr is locked , the rear wheel wr has a low angular deceleration and thereby the relative rotation between both the cam plates 82 and 83 is suppressed under the influence of a set load of the set spring 94 . when the rear wheel wr is liable to be locked due to an excessively increased braking force or a reduced frictional coefficient of the road surface , this causes an angular deceleration of the rear wheel wr to exceed a predetermined value , resulting in a relative rotation being produced between both the cam plates 82 and 83 by a rotational inertia force of the flywheel 72 . thus , a thrusting force caused by rolling of the thrust balls 84 exceeds the set load of the set spring 94 whereby the driven cam plate 83 is axially displaced toward the lever 91 side . at this moment , the driving pawls 76b are caused to flex in response to the driven cam plate 83 being displaced in the axial direction . thus , there is no need of allowing the flywheel 72 having a high magnitude of inertia mass to be displaced in the axial direction . accordingly , the driven cam plate 83 can reliably respond to a thrusting force greater than a specified level which has been produced between both the cam plates 82 and 83 , while preventing a delay in actuation of the cam mechanism 73 . additionally , the output lever mechanism 74 can be actuated quickly . in response to the axial displacement of the driven cam plate 83 , the lever 91 is caused to turn about the support column 90 serving as a fulcrum in such a manner as to compress the set spring 94 whereby the valve body 67 of the pressure discharge valve 20 is moved leftward against a resilient force of the valve spring 68 . consequently , the pressure discharge valve 20 assumes an opened state . after an axial displacement of the driven cam plate 83 , if the rotational torque caused by the inertia of the flywheel 72 is in excess of the transmission torque specified for the clutch plate 75 , a slippage occurs between the driving cam plate 82 and the clutch plate 75 and the flywheel 72 continues overrunning rotation with respect to the driving shaft 15 along with the cam mechanism 73 . this assures that transmission of any excessive load to the cam mechanism 73 or the like can be interrupted . when the pressure discharge valve 20 is opened , the hydraulic pressure in the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 is released to the oil reservoir 11 via the through hole 70 , the valve bore 66 , the interior of the valve casing 65 , the oil passage 71 , the inlet chamber 31 of the hydraulic pump 16 and the second oil supply passage l 2 whereby the pressure reducing piston 46 is displaced toward the control hydraulic chamber 18 side against the resilient force of the return spring 48 . this permits the valve body 60 to be closed by retraction of the valve stem 62 so that communication between the input hydraulic chamber 54 and the output hydraulic chamber 55 is interrupted and the volume of the output hydraulic chamber 55 is increased . as a result , the braking hydraulic pressure applied to the disc brake b is reduced , followed by a decrease in braking force for the rear wheel wr so that an occurrence of locking phenomenon at the rear wheel wr can be avoided . then , as the rear wheel wr restores its rotating state , the thrusting force imparted to the lever 91 via the cam mechanism 73 is released and thereby the lever 91 returns to its original position under the effect of resilient force of the set spring 94 , resulting in the pressure discharge valve 20 being kept in a closed state . once the pressure discharge valve 20 is closed , a hydraulic oil delivered from the hydraulic pump 16 is promptly enclosed in the controlling hydraulic chamber 18 , causing the pressure reducing piston 46 to be displaced rearwardly toward the output hydraulic chamber 55 side to increase a hydraulic pressure in the output hydraulic chamber 55 . otherwise , the pressure reducing piston 46 thrusts the valve body 60 upwardly to open the latter so that an output hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder m is transmitted to the output hydraulic chamber 55 and thereby a braking force is restored . since the aforementioned operations are repeated at a high speed , the rear wheel wr can be braked at a high efficiency .	1
for the following description of preferred , but purely exemplary embodiments , it should first be noted that essentially the same components or those with equivalent properties are represented in the drawings with the same reference signs . fig1 to 3 represent a simplified view of a first embodiment according to the invention of a flat cable connector in different successive assembling stages , embodying a pressurization device , i . e . a device for applying pressure , with which two sealing elements are moved pincer like in direction of the upper and lower side of the flat cable arrangement into a position essentially closing a flat cable insertion opening and are subjected to pressure . in detail there is a representation of a flat cable connector , generally marked with 100 with a connector housing generally marked with 101 . the connector 100 is engineered as a connector socket and as in fig1 has a rear receptacle opening 102 for the reception of a complementarily designed counter - connector , but which is not shown . on the opposite side of the receptacle opening 102 as in fig1 the flat cable connector 100 comprises a flat cable insertion opening to insert a flat cable arrangement 200 of a familiar variety . an exemplary representation of a flat cable arrangement 200 as in fig1 in the preferred form is designed as essentially being a flex foil , in particular comprising a flexible flat cable ( ffc ) or a flexible printed circuit ( fpc ). however , a flat cable capable of use according to the invention can comprise another flat ribbon cable , an extruded ( flat ) cable or a laminated ( flat ) cable . hence fundamentally in the following description and in the claims the general term of a flat cable or a flat cable arrangement is used . the flat cable arrangement 200 represented comprises in addition connecting leads or terminals 201 specific to the application , which are connected to the conductors of the flat cable e . g . by pressure , crimping , welding or also by ( laser -) soldering technologies . the flat cable arrangement 200 as a whole is normally provided by a cable harness manufacturer prior to insertion in the connector in order to effect the electrical connection of the flat cable arrangement . the housing 101 of the connector 100 is on principle sealed at transition or interface faces and depending on the application has at the connecting points or areas in the interior corresponding terminal contacts and / or terminal position assurance means ( tpa ), as it is known in general . the flat cable insertion opening 103 has a larger and essentially rectangular cross - section , which is limited laterally as well as to the top and bottom , in relation to the flat cable arrangement 200 which must be inserted . the lateral limitation is achieved by plate - formed frame elements 104 and 105 , which are connected to the housing 101 . guiding grooves 106 are formed on the frame elements 104 and 105 , e . g . by means of cutting or by the use of corresponding pre - formed parts during manufacture , each running in the insertion direction of the flat cable arrangement diagonally from the upper or lower area of the frame elements 104 , 105 to the middle section of the frame elements 104 , 105 . two pillow or cushion - like sealing elements 107 and 108 made out of a compressed gel are installed movably across and between the frame elements 104 and 105 and limit the flat cable insertion opening 103 at the top and bottom . assigned to the sealing elements 107 and 108 are guiding projections 109 extending in direction of the frame plates 104 and 105 up to the guiding grooves 106 . hence the sealing elements 107 and 108 can be moved along the guiding grooves 106 between a position opening the flat cable insertion opening 103 and a position closing the flat cable insertion opening 103 , that is in the insertion direction e of the flat cable arrangement from the upper or lower area of the frame elements 104 , 105 to the middle area of the frame elements 104 , 105 and vice versa . furthermore assigned to the sealing element 107 are snapping , catching or locking means 107 a and 107 b working in combination with complementary catching or locking means 108 a and 108 b assigned to the sealing element 108 to achieve catching or locking , when the sealing elements 107 and 108 are in the position closing the flat cable insertion opening 103 . the guiding projections 109 and the catching means 107 a , 107 b , 108 a and 108 b can be directly connected to the sealing elements 107 and 108 . however , the guiding projections 109 and the catching or locking devices 107 a , 107 b , 108 a and 108 b are constructed in a preferred manner at respective cassette - shaped support devices 110 , as in fig1 to 3 , in which the sealing elements 107 and 108 being insertable in such a way that the opposing surfaces of the sealing elements 107 and 108 project out of the support device 110 . as can be seen in fig2 , in the position of the sealing elements 107 and 108 unblocking the flat cable insertion opening 103 , the flat cable arrangement 200 is inserted with the end providing the terminals 201 into the flat cable insertion opening 103 until the terminals are aligned at a predefined , not represented position within the flex foil connector , in accordance with the example described , at the terminal contacts or terminal position assurance means . since the sealing elements 107 and 108 are here far apart , an unimpeded insertion of the flat cable arrangement 200 and in particular of the terminals 201 is ensured . the terminals 201 must in particular not penetrate through the sealing gel during insertion . hence there is no danger that the compressed sealing gel has an effect on the flat cable arrangement prematurely or unintentionally or that particles of the sealing elements 107 and 108 , for example as a result of friction , penetrate into terminals 201 . since in addition no or very little force is required for the insertion , the flat cable arrangement as a whole is not subjected to any damaging strain during insertion . following the insertion of the flat cable arrangement 200 there follows , as can be seen in fig3 , its sealing by moving the sealing elements 107 and 108 into the position closing the flat cable insertion opening 103 . due to the guidance means 106 and 109 , especially the arrangement of the guiding grooves 106 , only minimal force need be applied here , an undesired canting or displacement of the sealing elements is prevented and a pressurization of the gel - based sealing elements 107 and 108 to achieve sealing both in the normal ( n ) and axial ( a ) direction in relation to the flat cable arrangement 200 is guaranteed . to support the sequence of movements , housing walls 111 arranged behind the support constructions 110 have essentially the same angle of inclination as the guiding grooves 106 . once the sealing elements 107 and 108 have reached their final position , they are fixed in this by the interlocking of the locking means 107 a and 108 a or 107 b and 108 b and maintained by pressure in a functional manner . depending on the application it is particularly advantageous if the gel - based sealing elements are pre - selected , sized and arranged in the housing 101 with such a viscosity that the gel used for sealing in the sealing elements 107 and 108 during pressurization reaches from the terminals 201 at least as far as to the conductors of the flat cable 200 as well as to the predefined areas in the connector housing 101 . in addition different gels can be used depending on the application area , e . g . silicon gels , which are particularly media - resistant , but other gel - based elastomers as well . sealing with gel has in particular the advantage that depending on the degree of firmness of the gel used it reaches virtually every cranny , creates no sharp edges and closes the open edges of a meniscus that may have been caused . in addition the gel sealant in accordance with the invention provides protection against vibration , anti - kink protection and soft kink edges as well as , if so selected , a certain strain relief . depending on the gel selected , the flat cable connector is sealed against water splashes and pressurized water , both at excess and negative pressure , other fluids , including aggressive kinds , e . g . petrol , and / or air and correspondingly protected . since the gel sealant is also a dielectric , based a suitable choice and the dimensions of the compressed gel used an adjustment depending on the application is attainable with regard to a desired protection against disruptive discharges , a desired impedance , especially in hf ( high frequency )- applications and / or a reflector attenuation . if the connector housing has a hole opening leading outwards in the area of at least one of the gel sealing cushions , of such a kind that when the pressurized gel gets into the hole opening or an indicator agent is pressed outwards this can be seen from the outside , then this will in addition provide an indicator in relation to the spreading process of the gel produced by the pressurization and hence on the sealing achieved by the gel . fig4 to 8 show a further preferred embodiment of the invention as an example , which includes a pressurization device with guidance and catching means dedicated to it to guide the pressurization device , first in a normal direction in relation to the flat cable arrangement at the connecting point and then in an axial direction in relation to the flat cable arrangement at the connecting point . the flat cable connector 100 as in fig4 to 8 in addition to the design as in fig1 to 3 features a gasket sleeve 150 which can be inserted into the housing 101 , as is particularly evident in fig4 and 5 a , from the side of the receptacle opening 102 for receiving a complementarily shaped , but not represented counter plug connector . this gasket sleeve 150 is kept in housing 101 by the attachment clip 151 in the area of the terminal contacts in the housing for additional sealing . in turn , the flat cable insertion opening 103 according to the embodiment of fig4 to 8 has a larger and essentially rectangular cross - section in relation to the flex foil that has to be inserted . furthermore two plate - like frame elements 104 and 105 attached to the housing 101 and having guiding grooves or ribs 106 ′ arranged therewith provide lateral limitation of the flat cable insertion opening 103 . but in amendment to the first embodiment described , these guiding grooves or ribs 106 ′ essentially run vertically to the insertion direction e ( fig5 a ) of a flat cable arrangement 200 . one of the two remaining sides of the flat cable insertion opening 103 , in fig4 the left or upper side , is limited by a further plate - like frame element 125 connected to the housing 101 and / or to the plate - like frame elements 101 and 105 . on the side opposite of the frame element 125 a cover 130 is inserted and guided , as hereafter described in more detail , to achieve sealing pressurization as well as to close the insertion opening 103 in assembled condition with the flat cable arrangement 200 . for this purpose the cover 130 has two frame elements 131 and 132 , essentially arranged to each other at a right angle , whose longitudinal extension essentially corresponds to the inner distance of the frame elements 104 and 105 . the frame element 132 , for the purpose of the insertion of the cover 130 , being aligned diagonally or at an angle to the insertion direction of the flat cable arrangement 200 and the frame element 131 essentially being aligned parallel to the insertion direction of the flexible foil 200 ( fig5 a , b ). the open side areas formed by the angled arrangement of the frame elements 131 and 132 are closed by two frame elements 133 which are connected essentially vertically at their long side ends with the frame elements 131 and 132 . hence the frame elements 133 limit the frame elements 131 and 132 in their longitudinal extent and are aligned parallel to the frame elements 104 and 105 and inserted between these to achieve the attachment of the cover 130 . on the outer sides of the frame elements 131 and 132 guidance strips or ribs 109 ′ and 136 are formed , which work in combination with the guidance tracks 106 ′ during the insertion of the cover 130 . thus the cover 130 , as can be seen in fig4 to 8 , is essentially inserted at first across the insertion direction of the flat cable arrangement in the housing 101 between the frame elements 104 and 105 , that is , in a kind of upside down installed drawer without a back wall , and is guided in direction to the frame element 125 . also in this embodiment two sealing elements 107 ′ and 108 ′ are used to seal a flat cable arrangement 200 connected with a flat cable connector 100 . the sealing element 107 ′, as can be seen in particular in fig4 and 5 b , is inserted into the insertion opening 103 between the frame element 125 and the terminal contacts or terminal position assurance means 140 arranged within connector 100 for the terminals 201 attached to the conductors of the flat cable and essentially completely fills this intermediate area . the sealing element 108 ′ is inserted in the cover 130 , as shown by the arrow x in fig4 , and thus routed together with the cover 130 in direction to the frame element 125 , so that in the end there is a sealing element arranged on each side of the inserted flat cable arrangement at the connecting area . in this embodiment both sealing elements 107 ′ and 108 ′ are again preferably compressed gel cushions , though in this design it is in principle sufficient to provide only the sealing element 108 ′ in gel form , since as will be - hereafter described , no or very little pressure is exercised on sealing element 107 ′, so that in order to reduce costs resort could also be had to another sealant material . cover 130 in addition has catching or locking devices 134 on the frame elements 133 formed with guidance devices 109 ′. the catching or locking devices 134 interact with complementarily formed catching or locking devices 135 a and 135 b on the frame elements 104 and 105 to lock the cover in a first or second snap - in or locking position , as is described in detail below . to install the flat cable connector 100 as in fig4 to 8 with the flat cable arrangement 200 the two sealing elements 107 ′ and 108 ′ are first inserted in the insertion opening 103 or the cover 130 . then the cover is installed in a functional manner as in fig5 a and 5 b between the frame elements 104 and 105 and guided into the first snap - in or locking position . then the flat cable arrangement 200 is inserted into the insertion opening 103 with its attached terminals 201 to the terminal contacts or terminal position assurance means 140 in the connector 100 ( fig6 a , 6 b ). hence in this embodiment an unimpeded insertion of the flat cable arrangement 200 and especially the terminals 201 in relation to the sealing elements 107 ′ and 108 ′ is also provided for . hereafter the cover 130 , as shown in fig7 , is guided further in direction to the frame element 125 up to the second snap - in or locking position , whereby in the embodiment shown the flat cable arrangement 200 is led via the sealing element 107 ′ to the frame element 125 and thus in its final position projects outwards directly between the frame element 125 and the cover - frame element 132 . this achieves a strain relief of the flat cable arrangement and through the cover 130 a pressurization on the gel - based sealing element 108 ′ in relation to the flat cable arrangement in the normal direction n . after this the cover , as can be seen in fig8 , is guided into by light pressurization in the insertion direction of the flat cable arrangement into its final position , thereby completing the sealing of at least the connection area through axial pressurization a of the sealing element 108 ′, and is preferably locked by further complementarily designed catching or locking means . for this purpose the ribs 136 arranged on the frame element 133 can in addition snatch behind one of the ribs 106 ′ arranged on the inside of the frame elements 104 and 105 in order to fix the cover 130 closing the insertion opening . it is worth pointing out that in modification to the embodiment shown in fig4 to 8 , depending on the application the cover and the sealing elements to be inserted can also be so designed , that the flat cable arrangement does not project straight out of the connector between the frame element 125 and the cover 130 , but instead on the side , in particular essentially turned by 90 °, that is , in relation to fig5 b for example , it projects below the frame element 131 . here it is preferable that the flat cable arrangement is inserted first and then the cover is installed on the connector housing in the first position . in this case depending on the application , an arrangement of the guidance and catching devices can also be provided for that first a displacement of the cover in an axial direction in relation to the insertion direction is carried out and then a displacement in the normal direction . given a correspondingly mirrored design of the cover and the frame elements 104 , 105 and 125 the extension of the flex foil 200 to the opposite side , that is with reference to fig8 for example essentially in an angle of 90 ° to the left , also can be guaranteed . the fundamental design of a cover that is positioned off - set to the insertion opening on the connector housing , which can then be successively moved in the insertion opening in a normal or axial direction , or vice versa , to achieve the corresponding pressurization of the sealing elements , thus enables a “ straight ” and an angled flat cable connector in combination with the sealing elements suitable inserted in the housing and cover . the fig9 to 12 show an example of another embodiment of a flat cable connector according to the invention , which has been realized with sealing elements and a pressurization device , which can inserted following the insertion of the flat cable arrangement in the insertion opening . as can be seen in the first essential modifications with regard to the first embodiment as afore - described based on fig1 to 3 , result from the fact that the gel - based sealing elements 107 ″ and 108 ″, designed in the form of pillows or cushions , are only arranged after a pre - assembly of the flat cable connector 100 as in fig9 to 12 with the flat cable arrangement 200 inside the flat cable connector 100 and / or the housing 101 . in addition , to achieve a pressurization of the sealing elements 107 ″ and 108 ″ following their arrangement in the flat cable insertion opening 103 , a cover 120 for pressurization is provided , which is connectable in the insertion direction e of the flat cable 200 with the wall of the flat cable insertion opening 103 . for this purpose the exterior dimensions of the opening cover 120 designed for pressurization are so sized that it can be inserted in direction of the insertion direction of the flat cable arrangement 200 at least partly into the flat cable insertion opening 103 and preferably here undergoes a sliding — or press fit with the flat cable insertion opening 103 . complementary catching or snapping devices 121 and 122 are constructed on the opening cover 120 and the wall of the flat cable insertion opening 103 to achieve the final fixation . in addition the opening cover 120 has a slot 123 essentially corresponding to the cross - section of the flat cable arrangement 200 , through which the flat cable arrangement 200 is led . a preferred assembly of the flat cable connector 100 with the flat cable arrangement 200 according to fig9 to 12 is described below . first the flat cable arrangement 200 is guided through the slot 123 of the opening cover 120 and then the terminal 201 are linked by crimping or soldering to the conductors of the flat cable arrangement 200 . the flat cable arrangement 200 with the end possessing the terminals 201 is then inserted into the flat cable insertion opening 103 , as shown in fig1 . if the other end of the flat cable arrangement is freely available and not equipped with terminals , the opening cover 123 can also subsequently be pushed on to the flat cable arrangement in its insertion direction . it is worth pointing out that for the purposes of the subsequent attachment of the opening cover 120 at the flat cable arrangement 200 the opening cover 120 can also e . g . be in one piece with two halves that can be brought together or in two parts , depending on the application . thus in this embodiment too essentially the same advantages accrue during the insertion of the flat cable arrangement 200 as in the first embodiment . following the insertion of the flat cable arrangement 200 with the terminals 201 in the desired position the two sealing elements 107 ″ and 108 ″ are inserted above and below the flat cable arrangement in the insertion opening 103 , as can be seen in fig1 . the sealing elements 107 ″ and 108 ″ are preferably so sized that in this assembled state the outer overall dimension of both sealing elements 107 ″ and 108 ″ combined essentially corresponds to the inner cross - section of the insertion opening 103 and as a result remain in position as a matter of principle . in a next step , represented in fig1 , the opening cover 120 is inserted for pressurization purposes in the insertion opening 103 from behind , that is in the insertion direction e of the flat cable arrangement 200 , until the complementary catching or snapping devices 121 and 122 engage with each other and fix the opening cover 120 on the flat cable connector 100 , preferably by applying pressure , so that in this final position permanent pressure is exercised on the sealing gel by the opening cover 120 . in this embodiment too the insertion opening 103 can be reopened by releasing the interacting catching devices .	7
the origin of pain are the biochemical mediators of inflammation and the inflammatory response . to treat pain , we must block these mediators and block the signals they send up through the nerve cells . we can now measure many of these inflammatory mediators in the blood and spinal fluid . however , our current technology does not allow us to image these mediators . hopefully sometime in the future we will be able to do so . inflammation occurs when there is infection or tissue injury . tissue injury may arise from a physical , chemical or biological trauma or irritation . degeneration of tissue subsequent to aging or previous injury can also lead to inflammation . injured tissues can be muscle , ligament , disks , joints or nerves . a variety of mediators are generated by tissue injury and inflammation . these include substances produced by damaged tissue , substances of vascular origin as well as substances released by nerve fibers themselves , sympathetic fibers and various immune cells 24 . there are three phases of an inflammatory response : initiation , maintenance and termination . upon tissue injury or painful stimulation , specialized blood cells in the area such as basophils , mast cells and platelets release inflammatory mediators serotonin , histamine and nitric oxide . subsequent to the binding of serotonin to its receptor , there is inflammation of the adjacent nerves and the nerve endings release short - lived inflammatory peptide proteins such as substance p , calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ). in addition , clotting factors in the blood produce and activate potent inflammatory mediator peptide proteins called neurokinin a , bradykinin , kallidin and t - kinin . all of these proteins increase blood flow to the area of injury , stimulate arachidonic acid metabolism to generate inflammatory mediators prostaglandins and attract specialized immune cells to the area . the first immune cells to the area are tissue macrophages , which provide the front line defense against bacterial infection . macrophages release powerful enzymes to digest any bacteria that are present and produce potent inflammatory chemical mediators ( called cytokines ) to attract and activate other cells of the immune system . shortly thereafter the area of bacterial invasion or tissue injury is invaded by the other immune cells , which include white blood cells such as t helper cells , lymphocytes , neutrophils , eosinophils , and other cells such as fibroblasts and endothelial cells . these immune cells respond to the chemical mediators , release destructive enzymes to kill any invading organism and release more chemical mediators to attract more immune cells . a consequence of this immune response is tissue damage , pain and spasm . in a sense the initial immune reaction ignites a cascade of immune reactions and generates an inflammatory soup of chemical mediators . these chemical mediators produced by the immune cells include prostaglandin , nitric oxide , tumor necrosis factor alpha , interleukin 1 - alpha , interleukin 1 - beta , interleukin - 4 , interleukin - 6 and interleukin - 8 , histamine , serotonin , in the area of injury and subsequently in the spinal cord , enzymes such as cyclooxygenase increase the production of these inflammatory mediators . these chemical mediators attract tissue macrophages and white blood cells to localize in an area to engulf ( phagocytize ) and destroy foreign substances . the chemical mediators released during the inflammatory response give rise to the typical findings associated with inflammation . the primary physical effect of the inflammatory response is for blood circulation to increase around the affected area . blood vessels around the site of inflammation dilate , allowing increased blood flow to the area . gaps appear in the cell walls surrounding the area , allowing the larger cells of the blood , i . e . the immune cells , to pass through . as a result of the increased blood flow , the immune presence is increased . all of the different types of cells that constitute the immune system congregate at the site of inflammation , along with a large supply of chemical mediators , which fuel the immune response . there is an increase in local or body heat . the main symptoms of the inflammatory response are as follows . 1 . the tissues in the area are red and warm , as a result of the large amount of blood reaching the site . 2 . the tissues in the area are swollen , again due to the increased amount of blood and proteins that are present . 3 . the tissues in the area are painful , due to the presence of the inflammatory mediators and due to the expansion of tissues , causing mechanical pressure on nerve cells . the inflammatory mediators activate local pain receptors and nerve terminals and produce hypersensitivity in the area of injury . activity of the mediators results in excitation of pain receptors in the skin , ligaments , muscle , nerves and joints . excitation of these pain receptors stimulate the specialized nerves e . g . c fibers and a - delta fibers that carry pain impulses to the spinal cord and brain . subsequent to tissue injury , the expression of sodium channels in nerve fibers is altered significantly thus leading to abnormal excitability in the sensory neurons . nerve impulses arriving in the spinal cord stimulate the release of inflammatory protein substance p . the presence of substance p and other inflammatory proteins such as calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ) neurokinin a and vasoactive intestinal peptide removes magnesium induced inhibition and enables excitatory inflammatory proteins such as glutamate and aspartate to activate specialized spinal cord nmda receptors . this results in magnification of all nerve traffic and pain stimuli that arrive in the spinal cord from the periphery . activation of motor nerves that travel from the spinal cord to the muscles results in excessive muscle tension . more inflammatory mediators are released which then excite additional pain receptors in muscles , tendons and joints generating more nerve traffic and increased muscle spasm . persistent abnormal spinal reflex transmission due to local injury or even inappropriate postural habits may then result in a vicious circle between muscle hypertension and pain 25 . separately , constant c - fiber nerve stimulation to transmission pathways in the spinal cord resulting in even more release of inflammatory mediators but this time within the spinal cord . inflammation causes increased production of the enzyme cyclooxygenase - 2 ( cox - 2 ), leading to the release of chemical mediators both in the area of injury and in the spinal cord . widespread induction of cox - 2 expression in spinal cord neurons and in other regions of the central nervous system elevates inflammatory mediator prostaglandin e 2 ( pge 2 ) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid . the major inducer of central cox - 2 upregulation is inflammatory mediator interleukin - 1 β in the cns 26 . basal levels of the enzyme phospholipase a 2 activity in the cns do not change with peripheral inflammation . abnormal development of sensory - sympathetic connections follow nerve injury , and contribute to the hyperalgesia ( abnormally severe pain ) and allodynia ( pain due to normally innocuous stimuli ). these abnormal connections between sympathetic and sensory neurons arise in part due to sprouting of sympathetic axons . studies have shown that sympathetic axons invade spinal cord dorsal root ganglia ( drg ) following nerve injury , and activity in the resulting pericellular axonal ‘ baskets ’ may underlie painful sympathetic - sensory coupling 27 . sympathetic sprouting into the drg may be stimulated by neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor ( ngf ), brain derived neurotrophic factor ( bdnf ), neurotrophin - 3 ( nt - 3 ) and neurotrophin 4 / 5 ( nt - 4 / 5 ). the central nervous system response to pain can keep increasing even though the painful stimulus from the injured tissue remains steady . this “ wind - up ” phenomenon in deep dorsal neurons can dramatically increase the injured person &# 39 ; s sensitivity to the pain . local tissue inflammation can also result in pain hypersensitivity in neighboring uninjured tissue ( secondary hyperalgesia ) by spread and diffusion of the excess inflammatory mediators that have been produced as well as by an increase in nerve excitability in the spinal cord ( central sensitization ). this can result in a syndrome comprising diffuse muscle pain and spasm , joint pain , fever , lethargy and anorexia . the inflammatory mediators interact in a complex way to induce , enhance and propagate persistent pain . there are also natural anti - inflammatory mediators produced by the body to cool down inflammation and the inflammatory response . interleukin - 1 beta is a potent pain - generating mediator . two pain producing pathways have been identified : inflammatory stimuli or injury to soft tissue induces the production of mediator bradykinin , which stimulates the release of mediator tumor necrosis factor alpha . the tnf - alpha induces production of ( i ) interleukin - 6 and interleukin - 1 - beta which stimulate the production of cyclooxygenase enzyme products , and ( ii ) inflammatory mediator interleukin - 8 , which stimulates production of sympathomimetics ( sympathetic hyperalgesia ) 28 . effects of interleukin - 1 beta include : interleukin - 1 beta stimulates inflammatory mediators prostaglandin e 2 ( pge 2 ), cyclooxygenase - 2 ( cox - 2 ) and matrix metalloproteases ( mmps ) production 29 , 30 interleukin - 1 beta is a significant catalyst in cartilage damage . it induces the loss of proteoglycans , prevents the formation of the cartilage matrix 31 and prevents the proper maintenance of cartilage . interleukin - 1 beta is a significant catalyst in bone resorption it stimulates osteoclasts cells involved in the resorption and removal of bone 323334 this is another potent pain - generating inflammatory mediator . a significant amount of interleukin - 6 is produced in the rat spinal cord following peripheral nerve injury that results in pain behaviors suggestive of neuropathic pain . these spinal il - 6 levels correlated directly with the mechanical allodynia intensity following nerve injury 35 . this is a pain - generating inflammatory mediator . in one study of patients with post herpetic neuralgia , the patients who received methylprednisolone , had interleukin - 8 concentrations decrease by 50 percent , and this decrease correlated with the duration of neuralgia and with the extent of global pain relief 36 ( p & lt ; 0 . 001 for both comparisons ). this is one of the natural anti - inflammatory cytokines , which also include interleuken - 1 receptor antagonist ( il - 1ra ), interleukin - 4 , interleukin - 13 and transforming growth factor - betal ( tgf - betal ). interleukin - 10 ( il - 10 ) is made by immune cells called macrophages during the shut - off stage of the immune response . interleukin - 10 is a potent anti - inflammatory agent , which acts partly by decreasing the production of inflammatory cytokines interleukin - 1 beta ( interleukin - 1 beta ), tumor necrosis factor - alpha ( tnf - alpha ) and inducible nitric oxide synthetase ( inos ), by injured nerves and activated white blood cells , thus decreasing the amount of spinal cord and peripheral nerve damage 3738 . in rats with spinal cord injury ( sci ), a single injection of il - 10 within half an hour resulted in 49 % less spinal cord tissue loss than in untreated rats . the researchers observed nerve fibers traveling straight through the spared tissue regions , across the zone of injury . they also reported a decrease in the inflammatory mediator tnf - alpha , which rises significantly after sci . prostaglandins are inflammatory mediators that are released during allergic and inflammatory processes . phospholipase a2 enzyme , which is present in cell membranes , is stimulated or activated by tissue injury or microbial products . activation of phospholipase a2 causes the release of arachidonic acid from the cell membrane phospholipid . from here there are two reaction pathways that are catalyzed by the enzymes cyclooxygenase ( cox ) and lipoxygenase ( lox ). these two enzyme pathways compete with one another . the cyclooxygenase enzyme pathway results in the formation of inflammatory mediator prostaglandins and thromboxane . the lipoxygenase enzyme pathway results in the formation of inflammatory mediator leukotriene . because they are lipid soluble these mediators can easily pass out through cell membranes . in the cyclooxygenase pathway , the prostaglandins d , e and f plus thromboxane and prostacyclin are made . thromboxanes are made in platelets and cause constriction of vascular smooth muscle and platelet aggregation . prostacyclins , produced by blood vessel walls , are antagonistic to thromboxanes as they inhibit platelet aggregation . prostaglandins have diverse actions dependent on cell type but are known to generally cause smooth muscle contraction . they are very potent but are inactivated rapidly in the systemic circulation . leukotrienes are made in leukocytes and macrophages via the lipoxygenase pathway . they are potent constrictors of the bronchial airways . they are also important in inflammation and hypersensitivity reactions as they increase vascular permeability and attract leukocytes . tumor necrosis factor alpha — this inflammatory mediator is released by macrophages as well as nerve cells . very importantly , tnf - alpha is released from injured or herniated disks . during an inflammatory response , nerve cells communicate with each other by releasing neuro - transmitter glutamate . this process follows activation of a nerve cell receptor called cxcr4 by the inflammatory mediator stromal cell - derived factor 1 ( sdf - 1 ). an extraordinary feature of the nerve cell communication is the rapid release of inflammatory mediator tumor necrosis factor - alpha ( tnf alpha ). subsequent to release of tnf - alpha , there is an increase in the formation of inflammatory mediator prostaglandin . excessive prostaglandin release results in an increased production of neurotransmitter glutamate and an increase in nerve cell communication resulting in a vicious cycle of inflammation there is excitation of pain receptors and stimulation of the specialized nerves e . g . c fibers and a - delta fibers that carry pain impulses to the spinal cord and brain . studies have established that herniated disk tissue ( nucleus pulposus ) produces a profound inflammatory reaction with release of inflammatory chemical mediators . disk tissue applied to nerves may induce a characteristic nerve sheath injury 394041 increased blood vessel permeability , and blood coagulation . the primary inflammatory mediator implicated in this nerve injury is tumor necrosis factor - alpha but other mediators including interleukin 1 - beta may also participate in the inflammatory reaction . recent studies have also shown that that local application of nucleus pulposus may induce pain - related behavior in rats , particularly hypersensitivity to heat and other features of a neuropathic pain syndrome . nitric oxide — this inflammatory mediator is released by macrophages . other mediators of inflammation such as reactive oxygen products and cytokines , considerably contribute to inflammation and inflammatory pain by causing an increased local production of cyclooxygenase enzyme . the cyclooxygenase enzyme pathway results in the formation of inflammatory mediator prostaglandins and thromboxane . concurrently to the increased production of the cyclooxygenase - 2 ( cox - 2 ) gene , there is increased production of the gene for the enzyme inducible nitric oxide synthetase ( inos ), leading to increased levels of nitric oxide ( no ) in inflamed tissues . in these tissues , no has been shown to contribute to swelling , hyperalgesia ( heightened reaction to pain ) and pain . no localized in high amounts in inflamed tissues has been shown to induce pain locally and enhances central as well as peripheral stimuli . inflammatory no is thought to be synthesized by the inducible isoform of nitric oxide synthetase ( inos ). substance p ( sp )— an important early event in the induction of neuropathic pain states is the release of substance p from injured nerves which then increases local tumor necrosis factor alpha ( tnf - alpha ) production . substance p and tnf - alpha then attract and activate immune monocytes and macrophages , and can activate macrophages directly . substance p effects are selective and substance p does not stimulate production of interleukin - 1 , interleukin - 3 , or interleukin - 6 . substance p and the associated increased production of tnf - alpha has been shown to be critically involved in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain states . tnf protein and message are then further increased by activated immune macrophages recruited to the injury site several days after the primary injury . tnf - alpha can evoke spontaneous electrical activity in sensory c and a - delta nerve fibers that results in low - grade pain signal input contributing to central sensitization . inhibition of macrophage recruitment to the nerve injury site , or pharmacologic interference with tnf - alpha production has been shown to reduce both the neuropathologic and behavioral manifestations of neuropathic pain states 42 gelatinase b or matrix metallo - proteinase 9 ( mmp - 9 )— this enzyme is one of a group of metalloproteinases ( which includes collagenase and stromelysin ) that are involved in connective tissue breakdown . normal cells produce mmp - 9 in an inactive , or latent form . the enzyme is activated by inflammatory mediators such as tnf - alpha and interleukin - 1 that are released by cells of the immune system ( mainly neutrophils but also macrophages and lymphocytes ) and transformed cells 4344 . mmp - 9 helps these cells migrate through the blood vessels to inflammatory sites or to metastatic sites . activated , mmp - 9 can also degrade collagen in the extra cellular matrix of articular bone and cartilage and is associated with joint inflammation and bony erosions 45 . consequently , mmp - 9 plays a major role in acute and chronic inflammation , in cardiovascular and skin pathologies as well as in cancer metastasis . mmp - 9 can also degrade a protein called beta amyloid . normal cells produce mmp - 9 in an inactive , or latent form , converting it to active enzyme when it is needed . but when normal brain cells producing mmp - 9 fail to activate the enzyme , insoluble amyloid - b could accumulate in brain tissue . previous research has shown that the undegraded form of amyloid - beta accumulates in the brain as senile “ plaques ” that signal the presence of alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease 46 . immune cells produce anti - inflammatory cytokine mediators that help to suppress the inflammatory response and suppress the production of pro - inflammatory cytokines . the natural anti - inflammatory cytokines are interleuken - 1 receptor antagonist ( il - 1ra ), interleukin - 10 , interleukin - 4 , interleukin - 13 and transforming growth factor - betal ( tgf - betal ). research has shown that administration of these anti - inflammatory cytokines prevents the development of painful nerve pain that is produced by a naturally occurring irritant protein called dynorphin a 47 under normal circumstances ,, the inflammatory response should only last for as long as the infection or the tissue injury exists . once the threat of infection has passed or the injury has healed , the area should return to normal existence . one of the ways that the inflammatory response ends is by a phenomenon known as “ apoptosis ”. most of the time , cells of the body die by being irreparably damaged or by being deprived of nutrients . this is known as necrotic death . however , cells can also be killed in another way , i . e . by “ committing suicide ”. on receipt of a certain chemical signal , most cells of the body can destroy themselves . this is known as apoptotic death . there are two main ways in which cells can commit apoptosis . 1 . by receiving an apoptosis signal . when a chemical signal is received that indicates that the cell should kill itself , it does so . 2 . by not receiving a “ stay - alive ” signal . certain cells , once they reach an activated state , are primed to kill themselves automatically within a certain period of time , i . e . to commit apoptosis , unless instructed otherwise . however , there may be other cells that supply them with a “ stay - alive ” signal , which delays the apoptosis of the cell . it is only when the primed cell stops receiving this “ stay - alive ” signal that it kills itself . the immune system employs method two above . the immune cells involved in the inflammatory response , once they become activated , are primed to commit apoptosis . helper t cells emit the stay - alive signal , and keep emitting the signal for as long as they recognize foreign antigens or a state of injury in the body , thus prolonging the inflammatory response . it is only when the infection or injury has been eradicated , and there is no more foreign antigen that the helper t cells stop emitting the stay - alive signal , thus allowing the cells involved in the inflammatory response to die off . if foreign antigen is not eradicated from the body or the injury has not healed , or the helper t cells do not recognize that fact , or if the immune cells receive the stay - alive signal from another source , then chronic inflammation may develop . the final pathway for the natural suppression of the inflammatory response is in the spinal cord where there is a complex network of inhibitory neurons (‘ gate control ’) that is driven by descending projections from brain stem sites . these inhibitory neurons act to dampen and counteract the spinal cord hyper excitability produced by tissue or nerve injury . thus , peripherally evoked pain impulses pass through a filtering process involving inhibitory transmitters gamma - aminobutyric acid ( gaba ), glycine and enkephalins . the activity of these substances in the spinal cord usually attenuates and limits the duration of pain . in the case of persistent pain , there is evidence of pathological reduction of the supraspinal inhibitory actions in combination with ectopic afferent input in damaged nerves 48 . arthritis means inflammation of the joints . people of all ages including children and young adults can develop arthritis . the symptoms are intermittent pain , swelling , redness and stiffness in the joints . there are many different types of arthritis , some of which are rheumatoid arthritis , osteoarthritis , infectious arthritis and spondylitis . in rheumatoid arthritis , and other autoimmune diseases like systemic lupus erythematosus ( sle ), the joints are destroyed by the immune system . in osteoarthritis , the biggest risk factor is a previous injury to the joint , ligament or cartilage . injuries that seem to heal perfectly well appear to set up a process of deterioration that can produce severe pain and disability decades later . the injury need not be sustained in one episode . long term or repeated trauma can have the same effect . tnf - alpha and interleukin 1 - beta play an important role in rheumatoid arthritis by mediating cytokines that cause inflammation and joint destruction . tnf - alpha , interleukin 1 - beta and substance p are elevated in the joint fluids in patients with rheumatoid arthritis 49 . these inflammatory mediators are also elevated in the joint fluid in patients with osteoarthritis albeit to a far less extent . along with mechanical factors , growth factors and cytokines such as tgf beta 1 , il - 1 alpha , il - 1 beta and tnf - alpha may be involved in the formation and growth of osteophytes , since these molecules can induce growth and differentiation of mesenchymal cells . the incidence and size of osteophytes may be decreased by inhibition of direct or indirect effects of these cytokines and growth factors on osteoid deposition in treated animals 5051 . inhibition of interleukin - 1 receptor also decreases the production of metalloproteinase enzymes collagenase - 1and stomelysin - 1 in the synovial membrane and cartilage . these enzymes are involved in connective tissue breakdown 52 . back and neck pain most commonly results from injury to the muscle , disk , nerve , ligament or facet joints with subsequent inflammation and spasm . degeneration of the disks or joints produces the same symptoms and occurs subsequent to aging , previous injury or excessive mechanical stresses that this region is subjected to because of its proximity to the sacrum in the lower back . herniated disk tissue ( nucleus pulposus ) produces a profound inflammatory reaction with release of inflammatory chemical mediators most especially tumor necrosis factor alpha . subsequent to release of tnf - alpha , there is an increase in the formation of inflammatory mediator prostaglandin and nitric oxide . it is now known that tumor necrosis factor alpha is released by herniated disk tissue ( nucleus pulposus ), and is primarily responsible for the nerve injury and behavioral manifestations of experimental sciatica associated with herniated lumbar discs 53 . this has been confirmed by numerous animal studies and research wherein application of disk tissue ( nucleus pulposus ) to a nerve results in nerve fiber injury , with reduction of nerve conduction velocity , intracapillary thrombus formation , and the intraneural edema formation 5455 . one study demonstrated that disk tissue ( nucleus pulposus ) increases inducible nitric oxide synthetase activity in spinal nerve roots and that nitric oxide synthetase inhibition reduces nucleus pulposus - induced swelling and prevents reduction of nerve - conduction velocity . according to the authors , the results suggest that nitric oxide is involved in the pathophysiological effects of disk tissue ( nucleus pulposus ) in disc herniation 56 . tumor necrosis factor alpha and other inflammatory mediators induce phospholipase a2 activation . high levels of phospholipase a2 previously have been demonstrated in a small number of patients undergoing lumbar disc surgery . phospholipase a2 is the enzyme responsible for the liberation of arachidonic acid from cell membranes at the site of inflammation and is considered to be the limiting agent in the production of inflammatory mediator prostaglandins and leukotrienes 57 . subsequent to the release of inflammatory mediators , activation of motor nerves that travel from the spinal cord to the muscles results in excessive muscle tension , spasm and pain . the vast majority of herniated disk pain is inflammatory in origin , can be treated medically and does not require surgery . surgery is only indicated when there is compression of the nerve roots producing significant muscle weakness and or urinary or bowel incontinence . fibromyalgia is a chronic , painful musculoskeletal disorder characterized by widespread pain , pressure hyperalgesia , morning stiffness , sleep disturbances including restless leg syndrome , mood disturbances , and fatigue . other syndromes commonly associated with fibromyalgia include irritable bowel syndrome , interstitial cystitis , migraine headaches , temporomandibular joint dysfunction , dysequilibrium including nerve mediated hypotension , sicca syndrome , and growth hormone deficiency . fibromyalgia is accompanied by activation of the inflammatory response system , without immune activation 58 . in fact , there is some evidence that fibromyalgia is accompanied by some signs of immunosuppression 59 . several studies have shown that there are increased levels of the inflammatory transmitter substance p ( sp ) and calcitonin gene related peptide ( cgrp ) in the spinal fluid of patients with fibromyalgia syndrome ( fms ) 606162 . the levels of platelet serotonin are also abnormal 63 . furthermore , in patients with fibromyalgia , the level of pain intensity is related to the spinal fluid level of arginine , which is a precursor to the inflammatory mediator nitric oxide ( no ) 64 . another study found increases over time in blood levels of cytokines interleukin - 6 , interleukin - 8 and interleukin - 1r antibody ( il - 1ra ) whose release is stimulated by substance p . the study authors concluded that because interleukin - 8 promotes sympathetic pain and interleukin - 6 induces hypersensitivity to pain , fatigue and depression , both cytokines play a role in producing fm symptoms 65 . interstitial cystitis is a severe debilitating bladder disease characterized by unrelenting pelvic pain and urinary frequency . this sterile painful bladder disorder is associated with a defective glycosaminoglycan bladder mucosal layer and an increased number of activated mast cells . mast cells are ubiquitous cells derived from the bone marrow and are responsible for allergic reactions as they release numerous vasodilatory , nociceptive and pro - inflammatory mediators in response to immunoglobulin e ( ige ) and specific antigen . mast cell secretion is also triggered by a number of peptides , such as bradykinin and substance p , and may also be involved in the development of inflammatory responses 66 . sp - containing nerve fibres are increased in the submucosa of the urinary bladder of interstitial cystitis ( ic ) patients and are frequently seen in juxtaposition to mast cells 6768 . there is enhanced sympathetic innervation of the bladder in the submucosa and detrusor muscle . in interstitial cystitis the number of neurons positive for inflammatory mediator vasoactive intestinal polypeptide and neuropeptide y is higher 69 . substance p ( sp ) and bradykinin ( bk ) influence the excitatory motor innervation of the urinary bladder . these peptides potentiate the responses to the purinergic component of the neurogenic stimulation ( that part of the contractile response that remains after treatment with atropine ) and potentiate the responses to exogenously applied adenosine triphosphate ( atp ) 70 . significant elevations in interleuken - 2 , interleukin - 6 , and interleukin - 8 have also been found in the urine of subjects with active interstitial cystitis compared with subjects with interstitial cystitis in remission and control subjects 71 migraine headache is caused by activation of trigeminal sensory fibers by known and unknown migraine triggers . there is subsequent release of inflammatory mediators from the trigeminal nerve . this leads to distention of the large meningeal blood vessels in the skull and brain and the development of a central sensitization within the trigeminal nucleus caudalis ( tnc ). genetic abnormalities may be responsible for altering the response threshold to migraine specific trigger factors in the brain of a migraineur compared to a normal individual 72 . the painful neurogenic vasodilation of meningeal blood vessels is a key component of the inflammatory process during migraine headache . the cerebral circulation is supplied with two vasodilator systems : the parasympathetic system storing vasoactive intestinal peptide , peptide histidine isoleucine , acetylcholine and in a subpopulation of nerves neuropeptide y , and the sensory system , mainly originating in the trigeminal ganglion , storing inflammatory mediator substance p , neurokinin a and calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ) 73 . a clear association between migraine and the release of inflammatory mediator calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ) and substance p ( sp ) has been demonstrated . jugular plasma levels of the potent vasodilator , calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ) have been shown to be elevated in migraine headache . cgrp - mediated neurogenic dural vasodilation is blocked by anti - migraine drug dihydroergotamine , triptans , and opioids 74 . in cluster headache and in chronic paroxysmal hemicrania , there is additional release of inflammatory mediator vasoactive intestinal peptide ( vip ) in association with facial symptoms ( nasal congestion , runny nose ) 75 . immunocytochemical studies have revealed that cerebral blood vessels are invested with nerve fibers containing inflammatory mediator neuropeptide y ( npy ), vasoactive intestinal peptide ( vip ), peptide histidine isoleucine ( phi ), substance p ( sp ), neurokinin a ( nka ), and calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ). in addition , there are studies reporting the occurrence of putative neurotransmitters such as cholecystokinin , dynorphin b , galanin , gastrin releasing peptide , vasopressin , neurotensin , and somatostatin . the nerves occur as a longitudinally oriented network around large cerebral arteries . there is often a richer supply of nerve fibers around arteries than veins . the origin of these nerve fibers has been studied by retrograde tracing and denervation experiments . these techniques , in combination with immunocytochemistry , have revealed a rather extensive innervation pattern . several ganglia , such as the superior cervical ganglion , the sphenopalatine ganglion , the otic ganglion , and small local ganglia at the base of the skull , contribute to the innervation . sensory fibers seem to derive from the trigeminal ganglion , the jugular - nodose ganglionic complex , and from dorsal root ganglia at the cervical spine level c2 . the noradrenergic and most of the npy fibers derive from the superior cervical ganglion . a minor population of the npy - containing fibers contains vasoactive intestinal peptide ( vip ), instead of na and emanates from the sphenopalatine ganglion . the cholinergic and the vasoactive intestinal peptide ( vip )- containing fibers derive from the sphenopalatine ganglion , the otic ganglion , and from small local ganglia at the base of the skull . most of the substance p ( sp -), neurokinin a ( nka ), and calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp )- containing fibers derive from the trigeminal ganglion . minor contributions may emanate from the jugular - nodose ganglionic complex and from the spinal dorsal root ganglia . neuropeptide y ( npy ), is a potent vasoconstrictor in vitro and in situ . vasoactive intestinal peptide ( vip ), peptide histidine isoleucine ( phi ), substance p ( sp ), neurokinin a ( nka ), and calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ) act via different mechanisms to induce cerebrovascular dilatation 76 . meningeal blood vessels are involved in the generation of migraine pain and other headaches . classical experiments have shown that blood vessels of the cranial dura mater are the most pain - sensitive intracranial structures . dural blood vessels are supplied by trigeminal nerve fibers , and dilate in response to activation of the trigeminal nerves and release of neuropeptide cytokines such as substance p ( sp ) and calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ) 77 . cgrp can be released experimentally from dural nerve fibers , and there is evidence that this occurs also during migraine attacks . stimulation of dural nerve fibers causes vasodilatation and an increase in dural arterial flow , which depends on the release of cgrp but not sp . sp , on the other hand , is known to mediate plasma leakage ( extravasation ) from small veins in the dura mater . the dural arterial flow depends also on the formation of cell wall nitric oxide . the introduction of serotonin ( 5 - ht 1 ) receptor agonists such as sumatriptan changed the treatment strategies for migraine . sumatriptan and other triptans may inhibit the release of inflammatory mediators from the trigeminal nerve . sumatriptan has been shown to block the release of vasoactive cytokines from trigeminal nerves that surround the blood vessels in the dura mater during migraine . sumatriptan blocks nerve fiber induced plasma extravasation but has only minor effects on nerve fiber mediated vasodilatation and dural arterial flow . foods like cheese , beer , and wine can also induce migraine in some people because they contain the mediator histamine and / or mediator - like compounds that cause blood vessels to expand . women tend to react to histamine - containing foods more frequently than men do , on account of a deficiency in an enzyme ( diamine oxidase ) that breaks histamine down . taking supplemental b 6 has been shown to be helpful in migraine , as it can increase diamine oxidase activity . nerve ( neuropathic ) pain syndromes ( e . g . carpal tunnel syndrome , trigeminal neuralgia , post herpetic neuralgia , phantom limb pain ) nociceptive pain is mediated by receptors on a - delta and c nerve fibers , which are located in skin , bone , connective tissue , muscle and viscera . these receptors serve a biologically useful role at localizing noxious chemical , thermal and mechanical stimuli . nociceptive pain can be somatic or visceral in nature . somatic pain tends to be well - localized , constant pain that is described as sharp , aching , throbbing , or gnawing . visceral pain , on the other hand , tends to be vague in distribution , spasmodic in nature and is usually described as deep , aching , squeezing and colicky in nature . examples of nociceptive pain include : post - operative pain , pain associated with trauma , and the chronic pain of arthritis . neuropathic pain , in contrast to nociceptive pain , is described as “ burning ”, “ electric ”, “ tingling ”, and “ shooting ” in nature . it can be continuous or paroxysmal in presentation . whereas nociceptive pain is caused by the stimulation of peripheral a - delta and c - polymodal pain receptors , by inflammatory mediators , ( e . g . histamine bradykinin , substance p , etc .) neuropathic pain is produced by injury or damage to peripheral nerves or the central nervous system the hallmarks of neuropathic pain are chronic allodynia and hyperalgesia . allodynia is defined as pain resulting from a stimulus that ordinarily does not elicit a painful response ( e . g . light touch ). hyperalgesia is defined as an increased sensitivity to normally painful stimuli . examples of neuropathic pain include carpal tunnel syndrome , trigeminal neuralgia , post herpetic neuralgia , phantom limb pain , complex regional pain syndromes and the various peripheral neuropathies . subsequent to nerve injury , there is increase in nerve traffic . expression of sodium channels is altered significantly in response to injury thus leading to abnormal excitability in the sensory neurons . nerve impulses arriving in the spinal cord stimulate the release of inflammatory protein substance p . the presence of substance p and other inflammatory proteins such as calcitonin gene - related peptide ( cgrp ) neurokinin a , vasoactive intestinal peptide removes magnesium induced inhibition and enables excitatory inflammatory proteins such as glutamate and aspartate to activate specialized spinal cord nmda receptors . this results in magnification of all nerve traffic and pain stimuli that arrive in the spinal cord from the periphery . in one study , monocytes / macrophages ( ed - 1 ), natural killer cells , t lymphocytes , and the pro - inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor - alpha ( tnf - alpha ) and interleukin - 6 ( il - 6 ), were significantly produced in nerve - injured rats . interestingly , ed - 1 -, tnf - alpha - and interleukin - 6 - positive cells increased more markedly in allodynic rats than in non - allodynic ones . the magnitude of the inflammatory response was not related to the extent of damage to the nerve fibers because rats with complete transection of the nerves displayed much lower production of inflammatory cytokines than rats with partial transection of the nerve 78 . this is a finding commonly observed in patients where a minor injury results in severe pain that is out of proportion to the injury . getting back to the study , the authors determined that the considerable increase in monocytes / macrophages induced by a nerve injury results in a very high release of interleukin - 6 and tnf - alpha . this may relate to the generation of touch allodynia / hyperalgesia , since there was a clear correlation between the number of ed - 1 and interleukin - 6 - positive cells and the degree of allodynia . abnormal development of sensory - sympathetic connections follow nerve injury , and contribute to the hyperalgesia ( abnormally severe pain ) and allodynia ( pain due to normally innocuous stimuli ). these abnormal connections between sympathetic and sensory neurons arise in part due to sprouting of sympathetic axons . studies have shown that sympathetic axons invade spinal cord dorsal root ganglia ( drg ) following nerve injury , and activity in the resulting pericellular axonal ‘ baskets ’ may underlie painful sympathetic - sensory coupling 79 . sympathetic sprouting into the drg may be stimulated by neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor ( ngf ), brain derived neurotrophic factor ( bdnf ), neurotrophin - 3 ( nt - 3 ) and neurotrophin 4 / 5 ( nt - 4 / 5 ). in another study , animals exhibiting heat hyperalgesia as a sign of neuropathic pain seven days after loose ligation of the sciatic nerve exhibited a significant increase in the concentration of brain derived neurotrophic factor ( bdnf ) in their lumbar spinal dorsal horn . 80 administration of nerve growth factor to rodents has resulted in the rapid onset of hyperalgesia . in clinical trials with nerve growth factor for the treatment of alzheimer disease and peripheral neuropathy , induction of pain has been the major adverse event 81 . in one study , the use of trka - igg , an inhibitor of nerve growth factor ( ngf ) reduced neuroma formation and neuropathic pain in rats with peripheral nerve injury 82 in another study , the systemic administration of anti - nerve growth factor ( ngf ) antibodies significantly reduced the severity of autotomy ( self mutilating behavior induced by nerve damage ) and prevented the spread of collateral sprouting from the saphenous nerve into the sciatic innervation territory 83 . activity in sympathetic fibers is associated with excessive sweating , temperature instability of the extremities and can induce further activity in sensitized pain receptors and , therefore , enhance pain and allodynia ( sympathetically maintained pain ). this pathologic interaction acts via noradrenaline released from sympathetic terminals and newly expressed receptors on the afferent neuron membrane 84 . activation of motor nerves that travel from the spinal cord to the muscles results in excessive muscle tension . more inflammatory mediators are released which then excite additional pain receptors in muscles , tendons and joints generating more nerve traffic and increased muscle spasm . persistent abnormal spinal reflex transmission due to local injury or even inappropriate postural habits may then result in a vicious circle between muscle hypertension and pain 85 . separately , constant c - fiber nerve stimulation to transmission pathways in the spinal cord results in even more release of inflammatory mediators but this time within the spinal cord . the transcription factor , nuclear factor - kappa b ( nf - kappab ), plays a pivotal role in regulating the production of inflammatory cytokines 86 . inflammation causes increased production of the enzyme cyclooxygenase - 2 ( cox - 2 ), leading to the release of chemical mediators both in the area of injury and in the spinal cord . widespread induction of cox - 2 expression in spinal cord neurons and in other regions of the central nervous system elevates inflammatory mediator prostaglandin e 2 ( pge 2 ) levels in the cerebrospinal fluid . the major inducer of central cox - 2 upregulation is inflammatory mediator interleukin - 1 β din the cns 87 . basal levels of the enzyme phospholipase a 2 activity in the cns do not change with peripheral inflammation . the central nervous system response to pain can keep increasing even though the painful stimulus from the injured tissue remains steady . this “ wind - up ” phenomenon in deep dorsal neurons can dramatically increase the injured person &# 39 ; s sensitivity to the pain . the neurotrophins are a family of growth promoting proteins that are essential for the generation and survival of nerve cells during development , neurotrophins promote growth of small sensory neurons and stimulate the regeneration of damaged nerve fibers they consist of four members , nerve growth factor ( ngf ), brain derived neurotrophic factor ( bdnf ), neurotrophin - 3 ( nt - 3 ) and neurotrophin 4 / 5 ( nt - 4 / 5 ). nerve growth factor and brain - derived neurotrophic factor modulate the activity of a sodium channel ( nan ) that is preferentially expressed in pain signaling neurons that innervate the body ( spinal cord dorsal root ganglion neurons ) and face ( trigeminal neurons ). transection of a nerve fiber ( axotomy ) results in an increased production of inflammatory cytokines and induces marked changes in the expression of sodium channels within the sensory neurons 88 . following axotomy the density of slow ( tetrodotoxin - resistant ) sodium currents decrease and a rapidly repriming sodium current appears . the altered expression of sodium channels leads to abnormal excitability in the sensory neurons 89 . studies have shown that these changes in sodium channel expression following axotomy may be attributed at least in part to the loss of retrogradely transported nerve growth factor 90 . in addition to effects on sodium channels , there is a large reduction in potassium current subtypes following nerve transection and neuroma formation . studies have shown that direct application of nerve growth factor to the injured nerve can prevent these changes 91 . reflex sympathetic dystrophy ( rsd ) syndrome also called chronic regional pain syndrome ( crps ) has been recognized clinically for many years . it is most often initiated by trauma to a nerve , neural plexus , or soft tissue . diagnostic criteria are the presence of regional pain and other sensory changes following a painful injury . the pain is associated with changes in skin color , skin temperature , abnormal sweating , tissue swelling . with time , tissue atrophy may occur as well as involuntary movements , muscle spasms , or pseudoparalysis 92 . like other organs with a blood supply , the bones also react to the disturbances in permeability caused by various inflammatory mediators . there is fluid accumulation in the bones and loss of bone density ( osteoporosis ) 93 . in addition , the inflammatory mediators accelerate the rate at which bone is broken down . the bone loss is further aggravated by decreased use of the affected body part due to pain . complex regional pain syndrome , type i ( reflex sympathetic dystrophy ; crps - i / rsd ) can spread from the initial site of presentation . in one study of 27 crps - i / rsd patients who experienced a significant spread of pain , three patterns of spread were identified . ‘ contiguous spread ( cs )’ was noted in all 27 cases and was characterized by a gradual and significant enlargement of the area affected initially . ‘ independent spread ( is )’ was noted in 19 patients ( 70 %) and was characterized by the appearance of crps - i in a location that was distant and non - contiguous with the initial site ( e . g . crps - i / rsd appearing first in a foot , then in a hand ). ‘ mirror - image spread ( ms )’ was noted in four patients ( 15 %) and was characterized by the appearance of symptoms on the opposite side in an area that closely matched in size and location the site of initial presentation . only five patients ( 19 %) suffered from cs alone ; 70 % also had is , 11 % also had ms , and one patient had all three kinds of spread 94 . in 1942 paul sudeck suggested that the signs and symptoms of rsd / crps including sympathetic hyperactivity might be provoked by an exaggerated inflammatory response to injury or operation of an extremity . his theory found no followers , as most doctors incorrectly believe that rsd / crps is solely initiated by a hyperactive sympathetic system . recent research and studies including various clinical and experimental investigations now provide support to the theory of paul sudeck 95 . as we now understand , soft tissue or nerve injury causes excitation of sensory nerve fibers . reverse ( antidromic ) firing of these sensory nerves causes release of the inflammatory neuropeptides at the peripheral endings of these fibers . these neuropeptides may induce vasodilation , increase vascular permeability , attract other immune cells such as t helper cells and excite surrounding sensory nerve fibers — a phenomenon referred to as neurogenic inflammation . at the level of the central nervous system , the increased input from peripheral pain receptors alters the central processing mechanisms . sympathetic dysfunction , which often has been purported to play a pivotal role in rsd / crps , has been suggested to consist of an increased rate of outgoing ( efferent ) sympathetic nerve impulses towards the involved extremity induced by increased firing of the sensory nerves . however , the results of several experimental studies suggest that sympathetic dysfunction also consists of super sensitivity to catecholamines induced by nerve injury ( autonomic denervation ) 96 . part of this occurs due to injured sensory nerves and immune cells developing receptors for the chemical transmitter norepinephrine and epinephrine ( catecholamines ), which are normally released by sympathetic nerves and also circulate in the blood . stimulation of these receptors by locally released or circulating catecholamines produces sympathetic effects such as sweating , excessive hair growth and narrowing of blood vessels 97 . in addition and under certain conditions , catecholamines may boost regional immune responses , through increased release of interleukin - 1 , tumor necrosis factor - alpha , and interleukin - 8 production . in several studies , patients with rsd / crps showed a markedly increased level of the inflammatory peptide bradykinin as well as calcitonin gene - related peptide 98 . the levels of bradykinin were four times as high as the controls . a few showed increased levels of the other inflammatory chemical mediators 99 . two pain producing pathways have been identified : inflammatory stimuli induce the production of bradykinin , which stimulates the release of tnf - alpha . the tnf - alpha induces production of ( i ) interleukin - 6 and interleukin - 1b , which stimulate the production of cyclooxygenase products , and ( ii ) interleuken - 8 , which stimulates production of sympathomimetics ( sympathetic hyperalgesia ) 100 . abnormal development of sensory - sympathetic connections follow nerve injury , and contribute to the hyperalgesia ( abnormally severe pain ) and allodynia ( pain due to normally innocuous stimuli ). these abnormal connections between sympathetic and sensory neurons arise in part due to sprouting of sympathetic axons . this can be induced by neurotrophins such as nerve growth factor ( ngf ), brain derived neurotrophic factor ( bdnf ), neurotrophin - 3 ( nt - 3 ) and neurotrophin 4 / 5 ( nt - 4 / 5 ). inflammation of the bursa is known as bursitis . a bursa is a small sac containing fluid that lies between bone and other moving structures such as muscles , skin or tendons . the bursa allows smooth gliding between these structures . a bursa allows a tendon or muscle to move smoothly over a bone by acting as an anti - friction device and shielding the structures from rubbing against bones . bursae are found in the knee , elbow , shoulder and wrist . if the tendons become thickened and bumpy from excessive use , the bursa is subjected to increased friction and may become inflamed . tendonitis is inflammation or irritation of a tendon . tendons are the thick fibrous cords that attach muscles to bone . they function to transmit the power generated by a muscle contraction to move a bone . since both tendons and bursae are located near joints , inflammation in these soft tissues will often be perceived by patients as joint pain and mistaken for arthritis . symptoms of bursitis and tendonitis are similar : pain and stiffness aggravated by movement . pain may be prominent at night . almost any tendon or bursa in the body can be affected , but those located around a joint are affected most often . the most common cause of tendonitis and bursitis is injury or overuse during work or play , particularly if the patient is poorly conditioned , has bad posture , or uses the affected limb in an awkward position . occasionally an infection within the bursa or tendon sheath will be responsible for the inflammation . tendonitis or bursitis may be associated with diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis , gout , psoriatic arthritis , thyroid disease and diabetes . in one study of thirty - nine patients with rotator cuff diseases , the levels of the cytokine interleukin - 1 beta was significantly correlated with the degree of pain . the combined results of immunohistochemistry indicated that both synovial lining and sublining cells produce il - 1beta , while synovial lining cells predominantly produce the anti - inflammatory intracellular interleukin - 1 receptor antagonist ( icil - 1ra ) and sublining cells secrete secreted interleukin - 1 receptor antagonist ( sil - 1ra ) 101 . in another study , the levels of interleukin - 1 beta were significantly higher in the shoulder joints in patients with anterior instability and chronic inflammation of the joint 102 . in another study , immunohistological staining demonstrated the expression of interleukin - 1 beta ( interleukin - 1 beta ), tumor necrosis factor alpha ( tnf - alpha ), transforming growth factor beta ( tgf - beta ), and basic fibroblast growth factor ( bfgf ) in subacromial bursa derived from the patients suffering from rotator cuff tear 103 . vulvar vestibulitis syndrome is a major subtype of vulvodynia . it is a constellation of symptoms and findings involving and limited to the vulvar vestibule that consists of : ( 1 ) severe pain on vestibular touch to attempted vaginal entry , ( 2 ) tenderness to pressure localized within the vulvar vestibule , and ( 3 ) physical findings confined to vulvar erythema of various degrees . the syndrome has been seen in association with subclinical human papillomavirus , chronic recurrent candidiasis , chronic recurrent bacterial vaginosis , chronic alteration of vaginal ph , and the use of chemical and destructive therapeutic agents 104 . in a study of vvs cases and asymptomatic controls , median tissue levels of inflammatory cytokines : il - 1 b and tnf - a , from selected regions of the vulva ,, vestibule , and vagina were 2 . 3 - fold and 1 . 8 - fold elevated , respectively , in women with vvs compared to pain - free women . analysis revealed a significant 2 . 2 - fold higher median level of tnf alpha at the vulvar site compared to the vestibule . cytokine elevations correlated poorly with inflammatory cell infiltrate and suggested cytokine production from another cell source . the study authors concluded that inflammatory cytokine elevation may contribute to the pathophysiology of mucocutaneous hyperalgesia 105	0
attention is first directed to fig1 of the drawings illustrating a gaming machine in accordance with an example of the present invention generally designated 10 . the gaming machine comprises a floor mounted main cabinet 12 fitted with a base unit 16 in the form of a lower door , and a main door 18 on the front of the machine , both being pivotally secured by hinges ( not seen ) to the main cabinet 12 and are openable to provide access to the interior of the machine . a pair of video display monitors 26 and 28 are provided ( mounted on a separate pivotable door extending behind the main door 18 ) and a card slot 30 ( e . g . a credit card reader ). fitted on the side wall 14 there are a key activated door lock 34 and key activated switches for administration purposes 36 , as well as a vent grate 38 for exhaustion of hot air from the machine &# 39 ; s interior . fitted on the main door 18 comprises a coin / slot scepter 40 and a coin / slot tray 42 as well as a pair of speakers 44 . further mounted on the base unit 16 an operating panel generally designated 50 and comprises a plurality of push button 52 for use at user &# 39 ; s choice . there is further provided an elongated wrist panel 46 to allow an individual to support his wrist and rest thereupon . as can further be seen in more detail in the remaining fig2 to 4 , the base unit 16 is provided with a wrist support and hand grip collectively designated 50 positioned so as to interact with two main push buttons namely 52 and 54 . the wrist support and hand grip 50 comprise a wrist support in the form of a wrist support 60 extending at the edge of a depression 62 with a cavity 64 formed under the wrist support 60 to facilitate gripping thereof as illustrated in fig3 a to 3c ( in the so - called second position ). wrist support 60 may be made of hard material e . g . a molded plastic martial , metal , etc . or it may be cushioned and comprise at least a layer of soft material . a hand grip 70 extends in alignment with the wrist support 60 , said hand grip 70 being in the form of a bent bar having a first portion 72 extending substantially horizontally and substantially parallel to the video displays ( fig1 ), with a second bar portion 76 extending from the first bar portion 72 in the direction away from the wrist support 60 , suitable for serving as a sun rest . the hand grip 70 is used in accordance with the so - called first position ( as illustrated in fig4 a to 4c ). as can be seen in fig3 a to 3c , the second position is used in conjunction with push button 52 easily engageable by the individual &# 39 ; s thumb 59 whilst fingers grip the wrist support pad 60 . however , in the so - called first position ( fig4 a - 4c ), push button 54 is easily engageable by individual &# 39 ; s thumb whilst gripping on a first bar portion 72 with the individual having the choice of resting his wrist over the cushioned wrist support 60 . while at the first position , the individual may opt to position his arm such that his wrist rests over the wrist support 60 . with further reference to fig5 a to 5c there is illustrated a third operating position , wherein three fingers of the individual , namely the little finger , ring finger and middle finger grip the bar section 72 whilst the index finger 88 manipulates push button 54 and the thumb 59 manipulates push button 52 and the open palm portion rests over wrist support 60 . as can be seen in fig2 c , the wrist support 60 is detachably attachable to the base unit 16 , at user &# 39 ; s / operator &# 39 ; s choice . likewise , as illustrated in fig2 d , the hand grip 70 is detachably attachable as well . those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will readily appreciate that numerous changes , variations , and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention . mutatis mutandis .	6
various embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is a sectional view of electrophotographic photoreceptors , according to one embodiment of the present invention . in the electrophotographic photoreceptor shown in fig1 barrier layer 2 is formed on conductive substrate 1 , photoconductive layer 3 consisting of charge - retaining layer 5 and charge - generating layer 6 formed on barrier layer 2 , and surface layer 4 is formed on photoconductive layer 3 . charge retaining layer 5 and charge - generating layer 6 have a superlattice structure . fig2 to 4 are sectional views of electrophotographic photoreceptors , according to the other embodiments of the present invention . in the electrophotographic photoreceptor shown in fig2 a part of charge - generating layer 6 has a superlattice structure . in the electrophotographic photoreceptor shown in fig3 a part of charge - retaining layer 5 has a superlattice structure . and , in the electrophotographic photoreceptor shown in fig4 parts of charge - retaining layer 5 and charge - generating layer 6 have a superlattice structure . the details of the parts in the embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 are as follows . barrier layer 2 may be formed using μc - si , a - si : h , or a - bn : h ( nitrogen - or hydrogen - doped amorphous boron ). barrier layer 2 may be made of an insulating film . for example , at least one element selected from the group consisting of carbon ( c ), nitrogen ( n ), and oxygen ( o ) is contained in μc - si : h or a - si : h to form an insulating barrier layer having a high resistance . the thickness of barrier layer 2 is preferably 100 a to 10 μm . barrier layer 2 restricts a flow of a charge between conductive substrate 1 and photoconductive layer 3 ( or charge - generating layer 6 ) to improve a charge - retaining capacity on the surface of the photoconductive layer and to improve a charging capacity of the photoconductive layer . therefore , when a carlson photoreceptor is manufactured using a semiconductor layer as a barrier layer , barrier layer 2 must have a p or n conductivity type so as not to degrade the charge - retaining capacity of the surface . more specifically , in order to positively charge the surface of the photoreceptor , p - type barrier layer 2 is formed to prevent an injection of electrons into the photoconductive layer for neutralizing the surface charge . however , in order to negatively charge the surface , n - type barrier layer 2 is formed to prevent an injection of holes for neutralizing the surface charge into the photoconductive layer . carriers injected from barrier layer 2 serve as noise for carriers generated in photoconductive layers 3 and 6 upon the radiation of light . by preventing the carrier injections described above , the sensitivity of the photoconductive layers can be improved . in order to obtain p - type μc - si : h or p - type a - si : h , elements belonging to group iii of the periodic table , such as boron ( b ), aluminum ( al ), gallium ( ga ), indium ( in ), and thallium ( tl ) are preferably doped in c - si : h or a - si : h . in order to obtain n - type c - si : h or n - type a - si : h , elements belonging to group v of the periodic table , such as nitrogen ( n ), phosphorus ( p ), arsenic ( as ), antimony ( sb ), and bismuth ( bi ) are preferably doped in c - si : h or a - si : h . in the electrophotographic photoreceptor shown in fig1 charge - generating layer 6 generates carriers upon the reception of incident light . the carriers having one polarity are neutralized with the charge on the surface of the photoreceptor , and the carriers having the other polarity are moved through charge - retaining layer 5 up to conductive substrate 1 . in the embodiment shown in fig1 charge retaining layer 5 and charge - generating layer 6 each have a superlattice structure obtained by alternately stacking thin layers 11 and 12 , as shown in fig5 . at least one element selected from the group , consisting of carbon , oxygen , and nitrogen , is contained in thin layers 11 and 12 constituting charge - generating layer 6 and in thin layer 11 or 12 constituting charge - retaining layer 5 . the concentrations of impurities in the thin layers 11 and 12 constituting charge - generating layer 6 are different from each other . the thickness of thin layers 11 and 12 falls within the range of 30 to 500 å . fig6 is a graph showing an energy band of the superlattice structure . the direction of thickness is plotted along the ordinate , and the optical band gap is plotted along the abscissa . surface layer 4 is formed on charge - generating layer 6 . the refractive index of μc - si : h or a - si : h , constituting charge - generating layer 6 , is as relatively large as 3 to 3 . 4 , and reflection tends to occur on the surface of the layer . when such reflection occurs , the amount of light to be absorbed in the charge - generating layer is decreased , and optical loss typically occurs . for this reason , surface layer 4 is preferably formed to prevent light reflection . in addition , surface layer 4 prevents charge - generating layer 6 from being damaged . furthermore , the formation of the surface layer allows for the improvement of the charging capacity , and the surface can be satisfactorily charged . a material of the surface layer is an inorganic compound ( e . g ., a - sin : h , a - sio : h , or a - sic : h ) or an organic material ( e . g ., polyvinyl chloride or polyamide ). when the surface of the electrophotographic photoreceptor is negatively charged by corona discharge with a voltage of about 500 v , a potential barrier shown in fig7 is formed . when light ( hν ) is incident on the photoconductive layer , carriers , i . e ., electrons and holes , are generated in the superlattice structure of charge - generating layer 6 . the electrons in the conduction band are accelerated toward surface layer 4 by an electric field in the photoreceptor , while the holes are accelerated toward conductive substrate 1 . in this case , the number of carriers generated at an interface between the adjacent thin layers having different optical band gaps is larger than that generated in the bulk . for this reason , in this superlattice structure , high light sensitivity can be obtained . in the potential well layer , due to the quantum effect , the carrier lifetime is 5 to 10 times that of a single layer which is not a superlattice structure . in addition , in the superlattice structure , discontinuity of the band gaps forms periodic barrier layers . however , the carriers can easily pass through the bias layer by the tunnel effect , so that the effective mobility of the carriers is substantially the same as that in the bulk , thus achieving high - speed carrier movement . also in the potential well layer of charge - retaining layer 5 , due to the quantum effect , the carrier lifetime is 5 to 10 times that of a single layer which is not a superlattice structure . in addition , in the superlattice structure , discontinuity of the band gaps forms periodic barrier layers . however , the carriers can easily pass through the bias layer by the tunnel effect , so that the effective mobility of the carriers is substantially the same as that in the bulk , thus achieving high - speed carrier movement . as described above , according to the electrophotographic photoreceptor having the charge - generating layer and charge - retaining layer of the superlattice structure wherein thin layers having different optical band gaps are stacked , a good photoconductive property can be obtained , and therefore a clearer image can be obtained as compared with a conventional photoreceptor . fig8 shows an apparatus for manufacturing an electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention , utilizing the glow discharge method . gas cylinders 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 store source gases such as sih 4 , b 2 h 6 , h 2 , and ch 4 . gases in cylinders 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 can be supplied to mixer 48 , through flow control valves 46 and pipes 47 respectively . each cylinder has pressure gauge 45 . the operator controls each valve 46 while monitoring corresponding pressure gauge 45 , thereby controlling the flow rate of each gas and their mixing ratio . the gas mixture is supplied from mixer 48 to reaction chamber 49 . rotating shaft 10 vertically extends from bottom 11 of reaction chamber 49 , and can be rotated about the vertical axis . disk - like support table 52 is fixed on the upper end of shaft 50 such that the surface of table 52 is perpendicular to shaft 50 . cylindrical electrode 53 is arranged inside chamber 49 such a that the axis of electrode 53 is aligned with the axis of shaft 50 . drum - like substrate 54 for a photoreceptor is placed on table 52 such that the axis of the former is aligned with the axis of shaft 50 . drum - like substrate heater 55 is arranged inside substrate 54 . rf power source 56 is connected between electrode 53 and substrate 54 , and supplies an rf current therebetween . rotating shaft 50 is driven by motor 58 . the internal pressure of reaction chamber 49 is monitored by pressure gauge 57 , and chamber 49 is connected to a proper evacuating means , such as a vacuum pump , through gate valve 59 . in order to manufacture a photoreceptor in the 5 apparatus having the construction described above , drum - like substrate 14 is placed in reaction chamber 49 , and gate valve 59 is opened to evacuate chamber 49 to a vacuum of about 0 . 1 torr or less . the predetermined gases from cylinders 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 are supplied to chamber 49 , at a predetermined mixing ratio . in this case , the flow rates of the gases supplied to chamber 49 are determined such that the internal pressure of chamber 49 is set to be 0 . 1 to 1 torr . motor 58 is operated to rotate substrate 54 . substrate 54 is heated to a predetermined temperature by heater 55 , and an rf current is supplied between electrode 53 and substrate 14 , thereby generating a glow discharge therebetween . an a - si : h layer is deposited on substrate 54 . n 2 o , nh 3 , no 2 , n 2 , ch 4 , c 2 h 4 , and o 2 gases and the like may be added to the feed gas to add the element n , c , or o in the a - si : h layer . as is apparent from the above description , the electrophotographic photoreceptor according to the present invention can be manufactured in a closed - system manufacturing apparatus , thus guaranteeing the safety of the operators . since the electrophotographic photoreceptor has high resistance to heat , to humidity , and to wear , repeated use thereof does not result in degradation ; thus , a long service life is assured . electrophotographic photoreceptors according to the present invention were formed , and their electrophotographic characteristics were tested in the following manner . an aluminum drum substrate having a diameter of 80 mm and a length of 350 mm and subjected to acid , alkali , and sandblast treatments as needed to prevent interference , was mounted in a reaction chamber , and the interior of the reaction chamber was exhausted by a diffusion pump ( not shown ) to obtain a vacuum pressure of about 10 - 5 torr . thereafter , the drum substrate was heated to a temperature of 250 ° c . and rotated at 10 rpm , and an sih 4 gas with a flow rate of 500 sccm , a b 2 h 6 gas with a ratio of flow rate of 10 - 5 with respect to the sih 4 gas , and a ch 4 gas with a flow rate of 100 sccm were supplied into the reaction chamber , so that the interior of the reaction chamber was adjusted to be 1 torr . then , a high - frequency electric power of 13 . 56 mhz was applied to an electrode to generate plasma of sih 4 , b 2 h 6 , and ch 4 between the electrode and the substrate , thereby forming a barrier layer consisting of p - type a - sic : h . high - frequency discharge was temporarily interrupted , an nh 3 gas was supplied at a flow rate of 120 sccm , a reaction pressure was controlled to 1 . 2 torr , and a 500 - w high - frequency power was applied to the chamber , thereby forming a 100 - å thick a - sin : h thin layer . the flow rate of the sih 4 gas was then controlled to 500 sccm , and b 2 h 6 was supplied at a flow rate ratio of 10 - 7 with respect to the sih 4 gas . a 500 - w high - frequency power was applied to the reaction chamber to form a 100 - å thick a - si : h thin layer . the above operations were repeated to alternately form 600 a - sin : h thin layers and 600 a - si : h thin layers to obtain a 1 . 2 μm thick charge - retaining layer having a heterojunction superlattice structure . thereafter , discharge was temporarily stopped , and the sih 4 , ch 4 , and h 2 gases , respectively with flow rates of 50 , 7 , and 450 sccm were supplied into the reaction chamber to adjust the reaction pressure to be 1 . 2 torr . then , the high - frequency electric power of 800 w was applied to form a 100 - å thin μc - sic : h layer ( carbon content : 0 . 5 atomic %). the flow rate of the ch 4 gas was increased to 9 sccm , and a 100 - å thick μ - sic : h thin layer ( carbon concentration : 8 atomic %) was formed . this operation was repeated to alternately form 250 μc - sic : h thin layers and 250 μc - sic : h thin layers having different carbon concentrations in the adjacent thin layers , thereby forming a 5 - μm thick charge - generating layer having a heterojunction superlattice structure . a 0 . 5 - μm thick a - sic : h layer was formed as a surface layer . when the photoreceptor surface thus formed was negatively charged at about 500 v and exposed to white light , the light was absorbed in the charge - generating layer , and photocarriers of electron - hole pairs were generated . in this test example , a large number of photocarriers were generated , and a long lifetime and high propagating property of photocarriers were obtained . as a result , a clear image of high quality was obtained . in addition , when the photoreceptor manufactured in this test example was repeatedly charged , a transferred image was proved to have very good reproducibility and stability and superior durabilities such as high resistance to corona , humidity , and wear . furthermore , the photoreceptor thus manufactured has a high sensitivity to light having a long wavelength of 780 to 790 nm which is an oscillation wavelength of a semiconductor laser . when the photoreceptor was mounted in a semiconductor laser printer to form an image by the carlson process , a clear image was obtained with high resolution even when an exposure amount of the photoreceptor was 25 erg / cm 2 . an electrographic photoreceptor was manufactured following the same procedures as in example 1 except that a 100 - å thick a - sic : h thin layer was used in place of the 100 - å thick a - sin : h layer constituting one thin layer of the charge - retaining layer . the a - sic : h layer was formed by setting the flow rate of the ch 4 gas at 75 sccm and the pressure of the reaction chamber at 1 . 2 torr , and applying 500 - w high - frequency power . the resultant photoreceptor was tested following the same procedures as in example 1 , and similar test results were obtained . note that in the above examples , a thickness of the charge - generating layer was 5 μm , but it is not limited to this value . for example , when the thickness is set to be , e . g ., 1 or 3 μm , the photoreceptor can be similarly put to practical use . furthermore , the number of types of the thin films is not limited to two as in the above examples , but three or more types of thin layers may be stacked . more specifically , a boundary need only be formed between thin layers having optical band gaps which are different from each other .	6
with reference now to fig1 wherein like numerals designate like components throughout all of the several figures , the shut - down heat removal system of the invention is shown installed within a pool - type liquid metal reactor facility 1 , although it may be used within a loop - type liquid metal reactor as well . such pool - type reactor facilities 1 include a generally cylindrical reactor vessel 3 that is surrounded by a guard vessel 5 . fig1 illustrates the reactor vessel 3 as being of the bottom - supported type ; however , the invention is compatible with suspended - type reactor vessel designs as well . between the reactor vessel 3 and the guard vessel 5 is an annular gas space 7 that helps to insulate the walls of the reactor vessel 3 from the rest of the facility 1 . this annular gas space 7 is typically filled with an inert gas , such as nitrogen , that will not react with the liquid sodium in the unlikely event that the vessel 3 should develop a leak . both the reactor vessel 3 and the guard vessel 5 are in turn further surrounded by a concrete , reactor cavity structure 9 that is again generally cylindrical in shape . the guard vessel 5 is concentrically disposed within the reactor cavity structure 9 so as to create a second insulating annular gas space 11 therebetween . unlike the first annular gas space 7 , this space 11 may be filled with air or nitrogen . in order to provide both support and thermal insulation for the bottom of the reactor vessel 3 , an insulating bed 13 of sand - like magnesium oxide about twenty inches deep is placed over the base mat 15 of the reactor cavity structure 9 . this insulating bed 13 is circumscribed by an annular support ring 16 . the ring 16 includes a plurality of inwardly , radially extending members ( not shown ) that allow for radial thermal expansion of the vessel 3 , but which prevent lateral motions of the vessel 3 which may occur as a result of seismic disturbances . the reactor vessel 3 further includes a slightly tapered , circular bottom end wall 21 , as shown . this bottom end wall 21 overlies the insulating bed 13 of magnesium oxide . the edge of the circular , bottom end wall 21 is connected to the upper edge of the annular support ring 16 for support . the insulating bed 13 of magnesium oxide also provides support for the bottom end wall 21 of the reactor vessel 3 . centrally disposed over the bottom end wall 21 is a column 23 that helps to support a nuclear core 30 . on its upper end , the column 23 is surrounded by a conical wall 29 that defines an inlet plenum for the reactor core 30 . the reactor core 30 is centrally disposed within the reactor vessel 3 , as shown . although not specifically shown in fig1 the reactor core 30 includes an array of fuel rod assemblies that impart a substantial amount of heat to the liquid sodium that circulates through the core 30 . disposed between the column 23 and the nuclear core 30 is a circular support plate 39 . this plate 39 co - acts with column 23 to support the core 30 and also divides the liquid sodium within the reactor vessel 3 into a cold pool plenum 40 located at the bottom of the vessel 3 , and a hot pool plenum 41 located at the middle and upper portions of the vessel 3 . the support plate 39 also forms a pressure boundary between the liquid sodium in the cold pool plenum 40 , and the relatively hotter liquid sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 . underneath the circular support plate 39 are a plurality of radially oriented trusses 43 . these trusses 43 assist the plate 39 in supporting both the primary pump 44 ( located on the left side of the core 30 ) and the intermediate heat exchanger 45 ( located on the right side of the core 30 ). the primary pump 44 is generally formed from a vertically oriented standpipe 47 that is laterally supported by a lateral baffle 48 . the inlet port 49 of the pump 44 is located at the bottom edge of the pump standpipe 47 , in order that it may communicate through a port in the support plate 39 with the liquid sodium in the cold pool plenum 40 . the outlet of the pump 44 is connected to an outlet conduit 51 that communicates with an opening ( not shown ) in the inlet plenum defined by conical wall 29 . in operation , the primary pump 44 sucks the relatively cooler liquid sodium from the cold pool plenum 40 and forcefully circulates it through the outlet conduit 51 to the plenum within the conical wall 29 which in turn uniformly distributes the sodium to the fuel rod assemblies located within the core 30 in order to heat it up . under normal operating circumstances , the primary pump 44 creates approximately a 100 psi pressure differential between the liquid sodium in the cold pool plenum 40 , and the liquid sodium disposed in the inlet plenum defined by the conical wall 29 . this pressure is dissipated as the sodium passes through the core 30 , and flows into the hot pool plenum 41 , but remains large enough after reaching the hot pool plenum to create a substantial pressure differential between the hot and cold pools . like the primary pump 44 , the intermediate heat exchanger 45 includes a vertically oriented standpipe 54 that is prevented from lateral movement by the lateral baffle 48 . although not specifically illustrated in fig1 the intermediate heat exchanger 45 includes a secondary system conduit for circulating sodium through the hot pool to a secondary heat exchange system that ultimately generates nonradioactive steam that is used to turn the turbines of electric generators . the relatively cooler liquid sodium that circulates past the heat extraction tubes of the secondary heat exchange system is ultimately discharged through the outlet 58 at the bottom of the intermediate heat exchanger 45 and into the cold pool plenum 40 , as shown . such discharge , of course , is created as a result of the suction pressure differential that the primary pump 44 creates between the cold pool plenum 40 and the hot pool plenum 41 . located on top of the reactor vessel 3 is a closure deck 60 formed from steel plates , steel ribs , and iron oxide shielding materials . the purpose of the closure deck 60 is to provide a thermal barrier between the reactor vessel 3 and the ambient atmosphere , as well as a radiological barrier for blocking the radiation emitted by the nuclear core 30 . between the lower edge of the closure deck 60 and the upper edge of the reactor vessel 3 is a metallic bellows 62 . this metallic bellows 62 is a relatively flexible structure that will accommodate dimensional changes between the closure deck 60 and the walls of the reactor vessel 3 that are generated as a result of thermal differential expansion . also included around the upper edges of the reactor vessel 3 are a series of top guide assemblies 64 . these top guide assemblies 64 make sure that the vessel closure deck 60 moves in phase with the top edge of the reactor vessel 3 in case of a seismic disturbance . other features of the bottom supported reactor facility illustrated in fig1 are specifically described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 795 , 592 , filed nov . 6 , 1985 , by j . e . sharbaugh , and assigned to the westinghouse electric corporation , the entire specification of which is specifically incorporated herein by reference . although not shown in fig1 the primary pump drive motor includes an auxiliary ( or &# 34 ; pony &# 34 ;) motor capable of creating a circulation flow that amounts to at least one - tenth of the normal circulation flow between the cold pool plenum 40 and the hot pool plenum 41 . with reference now both to fig1 a and 2b , the first preferred embodiment of the shut - down heat removal system 70 includes a heat exchanger 72 whose inner end generally circumscribes the upper portion of the reactor vessel 3 , as well as a redan 76 or wall that likewise circumscribes the upper portion of the reactor 3 . as is best seen in fig2 b , the inner end of the heat exchanger 72 is formed from four banks 73a , 73b , 73c and 73d ( of which only banks 73a and 73b are shown ) of hairpin - shaped pipes 74 . each of the hairpin - shaped pipes 74 is bent in the shape of a quadrant so that it may conform to the circular shape between the upper part of the redan 76 , and the upper wall of the reactor vessel 3 . one end of each of the hairpin - shaped pipes in banks 73a , 73b ( as well as 73c , 73d , not shown ) converges into a header 75 which is essentially a manifold . both of the headers 75 ( only one of which is shown for simplicity ) are connected to inlet and outlet pipes 77 which terminate in coils 78 that are in turn situated in natural - draft flues 79 ( illustrated in schematic ). these flues 79 are constantly kept open so that the coils 78 may be continuously cooled by a draft of ambient air . because the invention 70 obviates the need for louvers across the draft entrances 79 . 1 of the flues 79 , there is considerably less flow resistance for the drafts entering the entrances 79 . 1 . this reduction in flow resistance allows the stacks 79 . 2 used in such flues to be advantageously shortened , thereby reducing the overall cost of constructing such flues 79 . in the preferred embodiment , each of the banks 73a - 73d shown in fig2 b includes between thirteen and fifteen hairpin - shaped pipes 74 stacked in the configuration indicated in fig1 . additionally , each of the pipes 74 is preferably formed from 21 / 2 inch , schedule 40 stainless steel piping . the use of headers 75 in lieu of individual connections between the hairpin - shaped pipes 74 and the inlet and outlet pipes 77 advantageously minimizes the amounts of pipe penetrations required in the closure deck 60 . while it would be possible to replace the banks 73a - 73d with a single coil structure with 360 ° coils that wound completely around the reactor vessel 3 , the pressure drop associated with such a design would lessen the efficiency of the heat exchanger 72 . accordingly , the use of four separate banks 73a - 73d of hairpin - shaped pipes 74 is preferred . finally , while liquid sodium would be operative as a coolant in each of the hairpin - shaped pipes 74 , a mixture of liquid sodium and liquid potassium ( or &# 34 ; nak &# 34 ;) is preferred since such a mixture will remain in a liquid phase at a lower temperature than pure liquid sodium would . this is an important consideration , because the response time of the system 70 could be impaired if the coolant within the coils 78 ever dropped to a temperature which allowed it to solidify , either partially or completely . turning now to fig1 and 2a and a more specific description of the redan 76 , this structure is formed from a first cylindrical wall 80 having an upper section 82 , a mid - section 84 that is offset from the upper section 82 , and a lower section 86 that is offset from the mid - section 84 . the bottom edge of the lower section 86 includes flow ports 88 for a purpose that will be described presently , while the top edge of the upper section 82 includes a plurality of spillover ports 89 . the provision of such ports 89 ensures that any spillover of liquid sodium from the hot pool plenum 41 will occur uniformly around the circumference of the cylindrical wall 80 . the mid - section 84 and the lower section 86 of the wall 80 are joined by a lower conical shell 90 , and the mid - section 84 and upper section 82 are further joined by an upper conical shell 92 . these shells 90 and 92 have the effect of spacing the midsection 84 and upper section 82 farther away from the inner wall of the reactor vessel 3 in a stepped fashion . as a result of this spacing , an annular space 93 is formed between the first cylindrical wall 80 and the reactor vessel 3 that radially increases in size from the lower section 86 to the upper section 82 of the first cylindrical wall 80 . the flow ports 88 located at the bottom of the lower section 86 of the wall 80 bring this annular space 93 into communication with the liquid sodium in the cold pool plenum 40 . the heat removal system 70 further includes a second cylindrical wall 94 that extends away from the inside surface of the reactor vessel 3 by means of a conical shell 96 that parallels the previously described conical shell 92 . the purpose of the second cylindrical wall 94 is to create an insulating gas space 98 between the upper portion of the reactor vessel 3 , and the hot liquid sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 . finally , the system 70 of the first preferred embodiment includes a syphon mechanism 100 , best seen in fig2 a . this syphon mechanism 100 straddles the edge 101 of the upper section 82 of the wall 80 with one leg 102 projecting into the liquid sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 , and another leg 104 projecting down over the heat exchanger 72 located between the walls 80 and 94 . a priming conduit 106 fluidly connects the syphon mechanism 100 to a suction pump 108 . this conduit 106 has a valve mechanism 109 that is preferably remotely operable for a purpose that will be described hereinafter . in operation , the flow ports 88 in the lower section 86 of the wall 80 allow the liquid sodium level 112 in the annular space 93 to fall to a level that barely immerses the lowest pipes 74 . if there were no pressure differential between the liquid sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 and the cold pool plenum 40 , then the sodium level 112 and the level of the sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 would be equal to the sodium level 110 . however , due to the suction pressure differential generated by the primary pump 44 , the level 112 of the sodium in the annular space 93 defined by the wall 80 of the redan 76 drops to the level that barely immerses the first or second pipes 74 of the heat exchanger 72 . while it would be possible to design the redan 76 so that the level 112 of the liquid sodium within the annular space 93 made no contact whatever with the lower pipes 74 of the heat exchanger 72 , some minimal contact is preferred in order to keep the liquid metal within the pipes 74 liquid at all times so that there is always at least some circulation of coolant moving through the heat exchanger 72 . such minimal contact is not enough to significantly affect the efficiency of the reactor facility 1 as a whole , but yet will insure that the system 70 will respond rapidly to a shut - down condition , since the coolant will never have a chance to solidify in the pipes 74 . as is evident from the foregoing description , if the primary pump 44 should ever fail to create the pressure differential between the sodium in the hot and cold plenums 41 and 40 , the level 112 of the liquid sodium in the annular space 93 will rise to a point where it substantially ( if not completely ) immerses all of the pipes 74 forming the heat exchanger 72 . such immersion will immediately heat the coils 78 that the hairpin - shaped pipes 74 are all ultimately connected to , which in turn will increase the draw of air through the flue 79 . the end result is that the heat exchanger 72 would immediately begin to conduct a substantial amount of heat out of the reactor system 1 and through the stack 79 . 2 of the flue 79 . moreover , as the temperature in the sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 began to rise as a result of the decay heat from the core 30 , the level 110 of the liquid sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 would rise to a level 114 ( shown in phantom ) level with the flow holes 89 in the upper section 82 of the wall 80 , thereby causing an overflow of liquid sodium over the redan 76 . such an overflow would in turn cause the hottest liquid sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 ( which has risen over the dashed line drawn across the plenum 41 to the top of the pool ) to flow down through the annular space 93 into the relatively cooler sodium in the cold pool plenum 40 , thereby circulating the sodium within the vessel 3 by natural convection . if the condition which caused the failure of the primary pump 44 does not render the syphon pump 108 inoperative , this pump 108 may be actuated ( after valve 109 is opened ) in order to induce such a natural circulation before the sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 thermally expands to a level 114 which causes it to overflow onto the heat exchanger 72 . if circumstances permit , this is the preferred manner of operation of the first embodiment of the invention , since it results in a lower peak temperature for the sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 . fig3 a and 3b illustrate an alternative embodiment of the shut - down heat removal system 70 of the invention . in this embodiment , a heat exchanger 120 is formed from a plurality of nesting coils 122 , each of which is formed in the shape of a conical helix . while the heat exchanger 120 preferably includes a multiplicity of such coils , only two are shown in fig3 in order to simplify the drawing . a liquid metal coolant such as nak is conducted to and from these nesting coils 122 by means of inlet and outlet manifolds 124a , 124b . the entire set of nesting coils 122 is contained in a cylindrical housing 125 as shown . inlet and outlet conduits 126a , 126b connected to the manifolds 124a , 124b in turn circulate the liquid metal coolant from the nesting coils 122 to coils ( not shown ) situated in natural air draft flues constructed like the previously described flue 79 . it should be noted that the cylindrical housing 125 includes a plurality of inlet ports 127 in order that liquid sodium from the hot pool plenum 41 may freely flow over these coils 122 in the event of a shut - down condition . in lieu of the wall - type redan 76 utilized in the first embodiment of the invention , the second embodiment houses the heat exchanger 120 in the upper portion of a vertically oriented , outer standpipe 128 . this standpipe 128 is secured against lateral motion by a lateral baffle 48 . the bottom edge 130 of the outer standpipe 128 is mechanically mounted and sealingly engaged onto the support plate 39 that forms the pressure boundary between the hot and cold sodium plena 41 and 40 . the top of the outer standpipe 128 is spaced a short distance away from the bottom surface of the closure deck 60 , and includes a set of upper inlet ports 134 , and a set of lower inlet ports 136 . a skirt - like annular wall 138 circumscribes the inner surface of the upper portion of the outer standpipe 128 . this annular wall 138 has an upper edge 140 that is sealingly engaged to the inner wall of the outer standpipe 128 just above the lower inlet ports 136 so that any liquid sodium that enters these ports 136 must flow through the space between the annular wall 138 and the inner surface of the outer standpipe 128 before reaching the heat exchanger 120 . the bottom edge of the annular wall 138 terminates in a ring - like lower edge 142 as shown . the second embodiment of the shut - down heat removal system further includes an inner standpipe 145 that is contained within the outer standpipe 128 . the bottom edge 147 of the inner standpipe 145 is also mounted onto and sealingly engaged with the support plate 39 . further , as is not the case with the outer standpipe 128 , the interior of the inner standpipe 145 communicates with the cold sodium plenum 40 through an aperture ( not shown ). the top edge 149 of the inner standpipe 145 extends to a point adjacent to the bottom of the cylindrical housing 125 of the heat exchanger 120 . in the preferred embodiment , the inner standpipe 145 is concentrically disposed with respect to the outer standpipe 128 , so that an elongated , annular space 150 is defined between the outer surface of the inner standpipe 145 , and the inner surface of the outer standpipe 128 . this elongated , annular space 150 communicates with the discharge outlet of the primary pump 44 through a laterally disposed port 152 that is connected to a discharge conduit 154 that leads to the outlet ( not shown ) of the primary pump 44 . hence , the elongated , annular space 150 is normally filled with liquid sodium that is pressurized relative to the liquid sodium in the cold pool plenum 40 . a ring - shaped piston member 158 is slidably disposed within the elongated , annular space 150 between the inner and outer standpipes 145 , 128 . this piston member 158 includes a plurality of outer seals 160 that engage the inner wall of the outer standpipe 128 , as well as a plurality of inner seals 162 that slidingly engage the outer surface of the inner standpipe 145 . finally , the inner standpipe 145 is circumscribed by an annular ledge 164 . as will be seen hereinafter , the ledge 164 defines the lowest position that the piston member 158 can attain , while the ring - like lower edge 142 of the annular wall 138 defines the highest position that the piston member 158 can attain . in operation , pressurized sodium from the primary pump 44 flows through the conduit 154 , port 152 , and pushes the ring - shaped piston member 158 upwardly so that its top surface sealingly engages the ring - shaped ledge 164 that defines the lower edge of the annular wall 138 . when the piston member 158 is so positioned , liquid sodium entering the lower inlet ports 136 of the outer standpipe 128 can flow no further than the annular space defined between the annular wall 138 , and the inside surface of the outer standpipe 128 . while liquid sodium from the cold plenum 40 can exist in the inner standpipe 145 , the level it attains will be no higher than the lowermost coils 122 of the heat exchanger 120 . it will not attain the same level as the liquid sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 due to the pump suction pressure differential developed between the cold and hot plenums 40 and 41 when the pumps 44 are operating . however , if the primary pump 44 should ever cease to create the suction pressure differential between the cold and hot plenums , the weight of the piston member 158 will cause it to fall down toward the annular ledge 164 that circumscribes the upper portion of the inner standpipe 145 , so that the piston member assumes the position illustrated in fig3 a . when this occurs , liquid sodium is free to flow through the lower inlet ports 136 , around the ledge 142 that forms the lower edge of the annular wall 138 , and up into the inlet port 127 of the cylindrical housing 125 of the heat exchanger 120 . from there , the liquid sodium will spill through the plurality of helical coils 122 that form the heat exchanger 120 , and ultimately spill downwardly to the liquid sodium in the cold plenum 40 ( which has risen to approximately the same level as the liquid sodium in the hot plenum 41 due to the lack of any pressure differential therebetween ). hence , not only are the coils 122 that form the heat exchanger completely immersed in liquid sodium , but the circulation path between the hot pool plenum 41 and the cold pool plenum 40 is also immediately established . as is evident from the foregoing , the second embodiment of the invention has the advantage of immediately establishing such a circulation path without depending upon decay heat from the nuclear core 30 to thermally expand the sodium in the hot pool plenum 41 to a spillover point over the redan .	8
fig1 and 2 are schematic views of a winding machine 1 . the winding machine 1 comprises a rotary plate or a turret 2 . the turret 2 is rotated by an appropriate driving unit relative to a supporting structure 3 of the winding machine 1 about a rotational axis which has an orientation perpendicular to the plane of projection according to fig1 . the turret 2 supports spindles 4 , 5 . the rotational and longitudinal axes 18 , 19 of the spindles 4 , 5 also have an orientation perpendicular to the plane of projection according to fig1 . the rotational and longitudinal axes 18 , 19 are located on diametrically opposed sides of the rotational axis of the turret 2 . the axes 18 , 19 have the same distance from the rotational axis of the turret 2 . a completely wound package ( preferably with a sleeve 7 ) is located on the spindle 4 . the completely wound package 6 has a diameter d . on the spindle 5 , there is a partially wound package 8 ( preferably with a sleeve 9 ). the wound package 8 has a diameter d increasing to d during the winding process . the winding material 10 is fed to the wound package 8 by a traversing device 11 . like known from prior art , the distance between the traversing 11 and the longitudinal and rotational axis of the spindle 5 might vary during the build - up of the package with increasing diameter d . for this purpose the traversing device 11 or the spindle 5 might be provided with an appropriate degree of freedom in the projection plane of fig1 for a relative displacement . according to fig1 , the wound package 6 is located in a resting position 12 . in the resting position 12 , the wound package 6 has to be removed from the spindle 4 by an operator or in an at least partially automated manner . further , a new sleeve 7 might be put onto the spindle 4 in the resting position 12 . different from the wound package 6 , the wound package 8 is located in a working position 13 . in the working position 13 , the winding material 10 is caught by the spindle 5 or a sleeve 9 . it is possible that a fixation winding and / or a transfer winding or a spare winding is wound . the winding with increasing diameter d is performed . when the winding of the wound package 8 is completed , i . e . when the diameter d of the wound package 8 is equal to the diameter d , the turret 2 is rotated by 180 degrees about its rotational axis . by the rotation of the turret 2 , the spindle 5 is transferred into the resting position 12 . the spindle 4 ( from which the wound package 6 has already been removed ) is transferred into the working position 13 such that it is possible to wind a new package on spindle 4 . in fig1 , it is shown that a distance 21 between the outer surfaces of the wound packages 6 , 8 decreases with increasing diameter d . if no action is taken , at a certain time of the package build - up , the outer surface of the wound package 8 will finally collide with the outer surface of the wound package 6 . this would cause an interruption or a stop of the winding process . to prevent such a stop or interruption , the wound package 6 has to be removed from the spindle 4 before the diameter d has increased such that the distance 21 is equal to zero . fig2 shows that each of the wound packages 6 , 8 comprises an axial extension 14 , 15 . the axial extensions 14 , 15 are defined by the fanning width of the winding material and the traversing path of the traversing device 11 . further , fig2 shows that the sleeves 7 , 9 project beyond front surfaces of the wound packages 6 , 8 , i . e . the sleeves 7 , 9 have a length which is larger than the axial extensions 14 , 15 . the front surfaces 16 , 17 of the wound packages 6 , 8 are located without any offset in the same plane perpendicular to the rotational axis 18 , 19 of the wound packages 6 , 8 . consequently , the wound packages 6 , 8 have an overlap 20 , wherein the overlap 20 of the prior art is equal to the axial extensions 14 , 15 . the spacing 21 of the wound packages 6 , 8 is given in a plane comprising the longitudinal axes of the spindles 4 , 5 . in particular , the axial overlap 20 can be determined by projecting the axial extensions 14 , onto a longitudinal or rotational axis 18 , 19 of the wound packages 6 , 8 . the front view of a winding machine according to the invention might look like the front view shown in fig1 . fig3 shows a schematic top view of an inventive winding machine , wherein the completely wound package 6 is in the resting position 12 and wherein the wound package 8 is in the working position 13 for build - up of the package . initially , the wound packages 6 , 8 have an overlap 20 , because both wound packages 6 , 8 are in a winding position 22 , i . e . both wound packages 6 , 8 are located in the same vertical plane . the winding position 22 corresponds to a relative arrangement of the wound packages 6 , 8 with regard to the corresponding spindles 4 , 5 or with regard to the supporting structure 3 or the turret 2 . in the resting position 12 as well as in the winding position 22 of the wound package 6 according to fig3 , the completely wound package 6 is not yet removed . instead , before the spacing 21 of the outer surfaces of the wound packages 6 , 8 has reduced to zero due to the increasing diameter d , the completely wound package 6 is transferred by actuation of a shifting device 23 from the winding position 22 into the removal position 24 shown in fig4 . by actuation of the shifting device 23 the wound package 6 with sleeve 7 is axially shifted relative to the spindle 4 over a shifting path 25 from the winding position 22 into the removal position 24 . the shifting path 25 is chosen such that the axial extensions 14 , 15 of the wound packages 6 , 8 do not have any overlap 20 . instead , they are arranged at a distance 26 in a projection of the axial extensions 14 , 15 onto a longitudinal or rotational axis 18 , 19 . the shifting path 25 of the shifting device 23 is larger than the axial extensions 14 , 15 of the wound packages 6 , 8 . as shown in fig4 , a collision of the wound packages 6 , 8 is avoided independent from the diameter d of the wound package 8 . it is possible to shift the wound package 6 along the shifting path 25 at any time . for example , the wound package 6 might be shifted at the beginning of the winding process of the wound package 8 or during the package build - up of the wound package 8 . it is also possible that the wound package 6 normally is not shifted by the shifting device 23 but normally removed by an operator when being in the winding position 22 according to fig3 . for this embodiment also covered by the invention an actuation of the shifting device 23 is only performed in case of an emergency , i . e . in case of an automatic detection that the wound package 6 has not yet been removed from the spindle 4 although the diameter d of the wound package 8 has reached or passed a critical diameter d limit . in case of this emergency , the removal position 22 according to fig4 builds a kind of “ safety position ”. the shifting device 23 shown in fig3 and 4 comprises a movable push rod 27 controlled by an actuator . for moving the push rod 27 , a pneumatic piston / cylinder unit might be used . it is possible that the pneumatic piston / cylinder unit is pneumatically biased against a spring such that with an exhaustion of the pneumatic piston / cylinder unit the push rod 27 is returned by the spring . furthermore it is possible that , when the piston / cylinder unit is exhausted , the push rod 27 is returned , when a new sleeve 7 is put onto the spindle 4 . according to the embodiment shown in fig4 , the front surface of the push rod 27 contacts a front surface of the sleeve 7 , e . g . by a contact plate 37 , for shifting the wound package 6 along the shifting path 25 . it is also possible that a front surface of a respective push rod 27 directly engages the wound package 6 , in particular in case the wound package 6 is build without sleeve 7 . further , the wound package 6 or the sleeve 7 might be axially and / or radially fixed on the spindle 4 in the working position 13 as well as during the transfer from the working position 13 to the resting position 12 . in the latter case , the axial and / or radial fixation has to be released before an actuation of the shifting device 23 . a comparison of fig2 and 3 shows that the spindles 4 , 5 according to the invention are longer than those according to the prior art : as shown in fig3 , in the winding position 22 the spindles 4 , 5 project beyond the wound packages 6 , 8 ( here the sleeves 7 , 9 ) by a length 28 . this length 28 is individually chosen . preferably , the length 28 is about 50 percent to 100 percent of the axial extensions 14 , 15 of the wound packages 6 , 8 . for a minimal length 28 of 50 percent of the axial extensions 14 , 15 , the wound packages 6 , 8 are held in the removal position 24 without tilting . for a small length 28 , the path along which the wound package 6 has to be moved along the rotational axis 18 for removal by an operator or in an automatic manner is reduced . the length 28 might be about 60 percent , 70 percent , 80 percent , 90 percent or 100 percent of the axial extension 14 , 15 . the length 28 might also be longer than the above mentioned lengths . preferably , the distance 36 of the rotational axis 18 , 19 , i . e . the longitudinal axes of the spindles 4 , 5 , which is shown in fig3 and 5 in a projection , is smaller than the diameter d . the distance 36 of the rotational axis 18 , 19 might be about 60 percent , 70 percent , 80 percent , 90 percent or 100 percent of the diameter d . however , the distance of the rotational axes 18 , 19 might also be larger than the diameter d . all in all , according to the invention , the available space and the time for handling the completely wound package is increased , and the shifting device 23 might provide a partial execution of the removal . in step 29 , the complete winding of the wound package 6 is performed on the spindle 4 located in the working position 13 . with regard to the spindle 4 , the wound package 6 is in a winding position 22 . in a subsequent step 30 , the turret 2 is rotated by an angle of 180 degrees , and the spindle 4 is transferred into a resting position 12 as shown in fig3 . preferably , the wound package 6 remains in the winding position 22 with regard to the spindle 4 during the rotation of the turret 2 . in step 31 ( which might be executed concurrently with or after step 30 ), the winding material 10 is fed to the spindle 5 being located in the working position 13 or to the sleeve 9 located on spindle 5 . in the working position 13 , the winding material 10 might be caught by an appropriate catching device . further , for a preparation of the winding process , a fixation winding and / or transfer winding or spare winding might be wound . finally , in step 31 the winding material 10 is cut . in a subsequent step 32 , the winding material 10 is wound onto the wound package 8 located in the working position , wherein the wound package 8 is located in the winding position 22 with regard to the spindle 5 . the wound package 6 on the spindle 4 might be slowed down concurrently with the winding of the wound package 8 . steps 29 to 32 are equal to the steps during a changing or transfer process in a winding machine 1 known from the prior art . according to the invention , an additional step 33 is performed . in step 33 , the wound package 6 in the resting position 12 is shifted by the shifting device 23 from the winding position 22 into the removal position 24 . in the removal position 24 the axial extensions 14 , 15 have no overlap 20 . step 33 might include step 34 , wherein in step 34 , the shifting device 23 is automatically actuated under the control of a control unit of the winding machine 1 . in step 35 , the wound package 6 is removed from the spindle 4 . here , it is also possible that the wound package 6 has already been partially removed during step 35 with the actuation of the shifting device 23 by movement along the aforementioned length 28 . in fig5 , different dashed lines indicate that there are various options with regard to the sequence of the steps . in particular , the steps 33 , 34 might start at certain times or continue during at least one of the steps 30 to 32 . the upper dashed line indicates for example that the actuation of the shifting device 23 in step 34 is performed ( at least partially ) during the rotation of the turret 2 in step 30 . the dashed line in the middle indicates that the actuation of the shifting device 23 might be performed together with a preparation of the winding of the wound package 8 , i . e . together with the transfer of the winding material , the winding of the fixation winding , the transfer winding or the spare winding and / or the cutting of the winding material . furthermore , the partial actuation of the shifting device 23 in step 34 and / or the removal in step 35 might be performed during the winding of the wound package 8 . for each spindle 4 , 5 a respective shifting device 23 might be provided . these two shifting devices 23 might be supported by the turret 2 , and they might be rotated together with the turret 2 . a simplification in construction might be achieved by using a single shifting device 23 for both spindles 4 , 5 . for example , the shifting device 23 provided for both spindles 4 , 5 might be supported by a supporting structure 3 at a position to which the spindles 4 , 5 are moved by rotation of the turret 2 for removal of the wound packages . in case that the shifting device is built with a pneumatically actuated cylinder , the cylinder might be a double acting cylinder for enabling a pneumatic return or reset of the shifting device 23 . the wound packages or sleeves might be fixed on the spindles in a friction locked manner by radially expanding springs surrounding the spindles . the radial expansion of the springs effects that the springs are pressed at the inside at the sleeves so that both a rotary as well as an axial fixation is effected . the springs might be located in v - shaped grooves of the spindles , wherein the v - shaped outline of the grooves builds a wedge like bevel . by spiral springs these springs are pushed along the bevels to the outside , so that the radial expansion is effected . the fixation is pneumatically released by an actor counteracting the force of the spiral springs . here , the actor might be located immediately below the shifting device 23 . preferably , the ratio of the diameter d to the distance 36 is about 0 . 7 to 0 . 9 and even more preferred about 0 . 75 to 0 . 85 . for example , the ratio might be 0 . 80 . in terms of the volume that might be wound and thus in terms of the duration before a collision might occur , this ratio means that a collision would occur at about 1 / 5 of the total package build - up in case that the completely wound package is not removed . for a non - limiting example the ratio of the distance of the front surface of the spindle 4 from the front surface 16 of the wound package 6 and the axial extension 14 of the completely wound package 6 might be about 0 . 7 to 0 . 8 , e . g . 0 . 73 . the ratio of the length 28 and the axial extension 14 of the completely wound package 6 might be about 0 . 6 to 0 . 7 , in particular 0 . 66 . however , other ratios are also possible within the scope of the invention . preferably , the shifting device 23 is actuated not until the completely wound package 6 has been completely slowed down by an appropriate braking device . however , it is also possible that the shifting device 23 is actuated at a pint in time wherein the completely wound package 6 is still rotating . in the latter case , it might be advantageously if the shifting device 23 is integrated in the spindle ( i . e . if the rotating spindle or a part thereof is axially moved ). many variations and modifications may be made to the preferred embodiments of the invention without departing substantially from the spirit and principles of the invention . all such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of the present invention , as defined by the following claims .	1
the carrier shown in fig1 to 5 in a perspective view includes a base body 3 and a holding body 4 firmly connected with the base body , which contains two holding jaws 41 connected with each other via a connection tab 43 , between which a window pane 2 is clamped and firmly connected with the holding body 4 by means of a locking device 44 . the base body 3 is mounted on a guide rail 1 shown in fig1 in broken lines and is movable in longitudinal direction of the guide rail 1 for lifting and lowering the window pane 2 , wherein the adjustment of the carrier on the guide rail 1 is effected via a non - illustrated bowden cable which is provided with a nipple which is inserted into a nipple chamber 30 in the base body 3 and thus is connected with the carrier . by means of a likewise non - illustrated drive means , the carrier is shifted translatorily along the guide rail 1 . the window lift containing the guide rail 1 and the carrier 3 , 4 is mounted in a motor vehicle door and in particular in a frameless motor vehicle door for lifting and lowering the window pane 2 . the window pane 2 defines a window plane along which the window pane 2 extends in a state in which it is connected to the holding body 4 constituting a window pane holder for connecting the window pane 2 to the carrier . to ensure that in a frameless motor vehicle door the window pane bears on the sealing contour of the motor vehicle body in a tightly sealing manner , the window pane 2 is pretensioned in the direction of the sealing contour , so that with closed window pane 2 and closed motor vehicle door a sufficient contact pressure of the window pane 2 against the sealing contour also is ensured at higher speeds and hence at a corresponding excess pressure in the vehicle interior . the tightly sealing bearing of the window pane 2 on the sealing contour of the motor vehicle body is achieved both by a corresponding alignment of the pull - off line of the window pane 2 with respect to the sealing contour of the motor vehicle body and also by a corresponding inclination of the window pane 2 towards the sealing contour . as shown in fig1 , the guide rail 1 illustrated in broken lines includes a section which is embraced and engaged behind by two guiding claws 5 , 6 arranged on the base body 3 at a distance from each other and thus ensures a safe guidance of the carrier 3 , 4 and hence of the window pane 2 on the guide rail 1 of the window lift . while the one guiding claw 6 — the upper one in the embodiment — is firmly formed on the base body 3 of the carrier , the guiding claw 5 — the lower one in the embodiment — is adjustable with a component of adjustment vertical to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail 1 , i . e . in y - direction of the motor vehicle with a window lift mounted in a motor vehicle door . for this purpose , the adjustable guiding claw 5 as shown in fig2 to 5 includes a connecting link guide 52 , 53 extending at an angle with respect to the guide rail 1 , which consists of connecting link guide grooves 52 in guide legs 56 , 57 of a guiding claw holder 50 formed as part of the base body 3 of the carrier and of connecting link guide webs 53 slidingly engaging in the connecting link guide grooves 52 in an adjusting body of a movable guiding claw member 51 of the adjustably guiding claw 5 . due to this configuration of the connecting link guide 52 , 53 the adjustable guiding claw 5 is adjusted in z - direction , i . e . in direction of the vertical axis of the motor vehicle and hence with a corresponding alignment of the guide rail 1 in direction of the longitudinal extension of the guide rail 1 with a superposition in y - direction of the motor vehicle , i . e . vertical to the longitudinal extension of the guide rail 1 . for adjusting the adjustable guiding claw 5 an adjustment gear 7 is used , which consists of an adjusting screw 71 with an external thread 73 , an adjusting tab 72 with an internal thread 74 , which is firmly and integrally connected with the base body 3 of the carrier , a coupling ring 75 formed on the adjusting screw 71 and a coupling groove 77 in a coupling claw 76 , which is formed on the adjusting body 58 of the movable guiding claw member 51 of the adjustable guiding claw 5 . in the space surrounding the rail , which is formed by the adjustable guiding claw 5 and the fixed guiding claw 6 , a sliding insert 9 is inserted to improve the sliding properties of the guiding claws 5 , 6 on the guide rail 1 . the end of the adjusting screw 71 opposite the coupling ring 75 includes a tool holder 70 , which includes an internal polygon , in particular a torx holder , into which a turning tool 8 , in particular in the form of a torx tool , can be inserted . by rotating the turning tool 8 in the one or other direction of rotation , the adjusting screw 71 of the adjusting gear 7 is rotated in the corresponding direction , so that by engagement of the external thread 73 of the adjusting screw 71 into the internal thread 74 of the adjusting tab 72 firmly connected with the base body 3 , the adjusting screw 71 is lifted or lowered in the direction of the double arrow shown in fig1 . in the process , the coupling ring 75 likewise is lifted or lowered . as a result of the engagement of the coupling ring 75 into the coupling groove 77 of the coupling claw 76 , the coupling claw 76 is lifted or lowered together with the movable guiding claw member 51 , wherein as a result of the connecting link guide 52 , 53 with the connecting link guide grooves 52 and the connecting link guide webs 53 the adjustable guiding claw 5 is adjusted in z - direction of the motor vehicle with a superimposed adjusting movement in y - direction of the motor vehicle and the carrier thereby is swiveled about the fixed upper guiding claw 6 . by means of the elongated coupling claw 76 it is ensured that the coupling ring 75 remains in engagement with the coupling groove 77 during the y - z adjusting movement . by aligning the tool holder 70 in direction of the longitudinal extension of the guide rail 1 it is achieved that the turning tool 8 can be introduced for example through the upper slot of the door shaft and thereby the adjustment of the position and orientation of the window pane 2 in the completely mounted condition of the window lift can be effected with firmly mounted interior lining of the motor vehicle door . alternatively , an adjustment through the bottom of the door shaft is possible , when a correspondingly closeable opening is provided at the door bottom . the adjustment of the lower , adjustable guiding claw 5 is illustrated with reference to the longitudinal sections through the carrier as shown in fig6 and 7 . fig6 shows the carrier in a starting position in which the lower , adjustable guiding claw 5 is at a distance x from the holding body 4 connected with the base body 3 . in this setting , the movable guiding claw member 51 is in a lower position with respect to the guiding claw holder 50 . by actuating the turning tool 8 , the adjusting screw 71 is lifted with respect to the adjusting tab 72 , i . e . the coupling ring 75 is moved towards the adjusting tab 72 and hence the coupling claw 76 together with the movable guiding claw member 51 is lifted along the connecting link guides 52 , 53 in z - and y - direction of the motor vehicle , until the position shown in fig7 is reached , in which the movable guiding claw member 51 with the sliding element 9 inserted therein , which embraces the guide rail , has a distance x + a from the holding body 4 of the carrier . the dash - dotted line illustrates that a swivel angle is obtained with respect to the pull - off line of the window pane 2 defined by the extension of the guide rail 1 , as due to the adjustment of the adjustable guiding claw 5 and the fixed guiding claw 6 a corresponding swivel movement of the base body 3 of the carrier occurs around the fixed guiding claw 6 . instead of the connecting link guides 52 , 53 a combined connecting link and wedge - shaped guide can be provided for adjustment of an adjustable guiding claw 5 ′ in z - direction with a superposition of the adjusting movement in y - direction corresponding to the embodiment described below with reference to fig8 to 13 . the embodiment shown in fig8 to 13 corresponds with the embodiment described above with reference to fig1 to 7 with the exception of the formation of the adjusting means of the movable guiding claw 5 ′, so that with respect to the corresponding components reference is made to the above description , wherein in fig8 to 13 identical components are designated with reference numerals which correspond with the reference numerals of the components shown in fig1 to 7 . the embodiment shown in fig8 to 13 is characterized by improved guiding and sliding properties , since the guiding claw holder 50 ′ connected with the carrier 3 , 4 and the movable , adjustable guiding claw member 51 ′ have larger guiding and sliding surfaces . in an isometric representation with exploded representation of the movable guiding claw 5 ′, fig8 shows the guiding claw holder 50 ′ integrally connected with the base body 3 of the carrier 3 , 4 , which consists of two guide legs 56 ′, 57 ′ arranged parallel to and spaced from each other and of a guide tongue 54 ′ arranged between the guide legs 56 ′, 57 ′, which is arranged centrally between the guide legs 56 ′, 57 ′ and spaced from the same . in the guide legs 56 ′, 57 ′ a box - shaped guide channel 52 ′ is formed , which is aligned to extend at an angle with respect to the extension of the guide rail 1 , i . e . at an angle with respect to the pull - off direction of the carrier 3 , 4 and hence of the window pane 2 connected with the carrier 3 , 4 . the movable guiding claw member 51 ′ insertable in the guiding claw holder 50 ′ consists of an adjusting body 58 ′, in which an angled recess is arranged for holding the sliding and guiding member 9 and which includes laterally protruding guide webs 53 ′ directed away from each other , which slidingly engage in the guide channels 52 ′ of the guide webs 56 ′, 57 ′. from the adjusting body 58 ′, the coupling claws 76 protrude substantially vertically , which cooperate with the adjusting gear 71 , 72 , 75 . in addition , the movable guiding claw member 51 ′ on the adjusting body 58 ′ includes an opposing guide surface 55 , which corresponds with the guide surface of the guide tongue 54 ′ of the guiding claw holder 50 ′. due to the box - shaped guide channels 52 ′ and the large - surface guide surface 55 ′ in conjunction with the guide tongue 54 ′ a large sliding and guiding surface is provided , which increases the sliding and guiding properties of the adjustable guiding claw 5 ′ of the second embodiment as compared to the first embodiment . the embodiments described above with reference to fig1 to 13 permit numerous variants , some of which will briefly be outlined below . instead of a connecting link guide 52 , 53 a wedge - shaped guide can be provided for adjusting the adjustable guiding claw 5 in z - direction with a superposition in y - direction . by varying the angle included by the slotted guide 52 , 53 with the pull - off line of the window lift , the degree of adjustment of the movable guiding claw 5 in y - direction , which is superimposed on the adjustment in z - direction , can be varied . with the same path of adjustment in z - direction , the amount of the adjusting angle by which the base body 3 is swiveled with respect to the guide rail 1 about the fixed guiding claw 6 can be increased or decreased and the fineness of the adjusting movement can be increased or reduced , respectively . instead of an adjusting movement of the adjustable guiding claw 5 in z - direction with superimposed adjustment in y - direction , a purely translatory adjustment in y - direction can be provided . this purely translatory y - adjustment can be realized by means of an adjusting gear 7 , in which for example the rotary movement of the turning tool 8 is converted into a shifting movement of the movable guiding claw member 51 , 51 ′ in y - direction . an embodiment suitable for this purpose would be the arrangement of a pinion connected with the tool holder 70 , whose teeth engage in teeth of the coupling claw 76 formed in the manner of a rack - and - pinion gear , which is integrally or in some other way connected with the movable guiding claw member 51 , 51 ′. instead of an adjusting gear 7 formed in the manner of a rack - and - pinion gear , the adjusting gear 7 can consist of an eccentric gear in which the tool holder 70 is connected with an eccentric which is arranged in a bore of a coupling member which is connected with the movable guiding claw member 51 , so that by rotating the eccentric an adjusting movement of the movable guiding claw is effected in y - direction of the motor vehicle . if an adjustable guiding claw likewise is provided instead of an upper guiding claw 5 firmly connected with the base body 3 , the kind of adjustment of the carrier 3 , 4 with respect to the guide rail 1 is varied further and , if necessary , the swivel angle with which the carrier 3 , 4 can be swivelled with respect to the guide rail 1 can be increased . if both adjustable guiding claws 5 , 5 ′, 6 are connected with a separate adjusting device , an adjustment with large swivel angle can be performed beside a purely translatory adjustment of the carrier in y - direction of the motor vehicle , in that the adjustable guiding claws 5 , 5 ′, 6 are shifted with respect to each other in opposite directions . in addition , an adjustment of each of the two movable guiding claws 5 , 5 ′, 6 in z - direction with superposition in y - direction and a purely translatory adjustment in y - direction is possible as described above . with a common adjusting device for both movable guiding claws 5 , 5 ′, 6 both a common adjustment in z - direction with superposition of an adjustment in y - direction and a purely translatory adjustment in y - direction of the carrier can be performed with respect to the guide rail .	4
turning to fig1 , a system 20 for rotating a work implement with respect to a track undercarriage , or , in other words , a slue positioning system 20 is disclosed . the positioning system 20 may include a swing motor assembly 21 disposed on top of a swing sensor housing 22 . the swing sensor housing 22 , in turn , may be disposed on top of a swing drive 23 . the swing drive 23 is illustrated in fig2 with the swing sensor housing 22 and swing motor assembly 21 removed . specifically , the swing drive 23 may include a casing 24 and a swing drive cover plate 25 . the swing drive cover plate 25 in combination with the swing casing 24 may house a series of gears , one of which is a sun gear 26 and a plurality of planetary gears , two of which are shown in partial view at 27 in fig2 . a series of studs 28 may be used to secure the swing sensor housing 22 to the swing drive cover plate 25 . turning to fig1 , an oil dip stick tube 31 and dip stick 32 are employed to check the oil levels in the swing drive 23 . a speed sensor 33 may be used to measure the speed of the angular motion transmitted from the swing motor assembly 21 to the swing drive 23 . as an alternative or for purposes of redundancy , a rotary position sensor 40 may be mounted to the swing sensor housing 22 . one or both of the sensors 33 , 40 may be used to determine the slue position and will be described in greater detail below in connection with fig1 - 13 . turning to fig3 , the swing sensor housing 22 may include a breather assembly 34 , a coupling opening 35 , which is used to accommodate and support a coupling end 36 of the target shaft 38 shown in fig4 . an additional opening 29 is provided for supporting the speed sensor 33 ( fig1 ), which may be used with the target shaft 38 and rotary position sensor 40 or instead of the target shaft 38 and rotary position sensor 40 . the studs 28 extend through the swing sensor housing 22 and may be used to secure the swing sensor housing 22 to the swing motor assembly 21 ( fig1 ) or , in other words , to sandwich the swing sensor housing 22 between the swing motor assembly 21 and the swing drive 23 . a series of fasteners 37 may be used to secure the swing drive cover plate 25 to the swing casing 24 . the target shaft 38 , the function of which will be described in greater detail in below , is illustrated in fig4 and may be used with a rotary position sensor 40 . again , as an alternative or as a back - up , a speed sensor 33 may be employed . the target shaft 38 may include a coupling end 36 and a sensor end 39 . bushings 41 may be used to support the target shaft for rotational movement within the swing sensor housing 22 as discussed below . the target shaft 38 may include a shaft portion 42 that may pass through a driven gear 43 . the shaft portion 42 may extend to the coupling end 36 or , as illustrated in fig4 , may pass through a separate sleeve 44 . the position and support of the target shaft 38 within the swing sensor housing 22 is illustrated in fig5 . the swing sensor housing 22 is illustrated in phantom for this purpose . the coupling end 36 of the target shaft 38 may be supported within a coupling opening 35 and the sensor end 39 of the target shaft 38 may be supported within a sensor opening 45 . the sensor housing 22 may include an upper opening 46 through which a splined drive shaft 47 ( fig6 - 7 ) may pass as well as through opening 59 through which the studs 28 may pass . turning to fig6 - 7 , the splined drive shaft 47 , target gear 48 , helical gear 49 and the coupling between the driven gear 43 and the target shaft 38 are illustrated . the splined drive shaft 47 may include a motor end 51 with a female splined opening 50 that may be coupled to the swing motor assembly 21 . the splined drive shaft 47 may pass through the target gear 48 as well as the helical gear 49 . as shown in fig7 , the splined drive shaft 47 may also include a swing drive end 60 , which may be splined , and which may be received in the sun gear 26 ( see fig2 and 5 ). the splined drive shaft 47 may pass through the helical gear 49 or the helical gear 49 may be an integral part of the splined drive shaft 47 . the target gear 48 may be held in place on the splined drive shaft 47 by one or more snap rings shown at 53 . a snap ring 54 can also be used to retain the coupling end 36 of the target shaft 38 in the coupling opening 35 ( fig3 ). an additional fastener such as a nut 55 may also be used to secure the bushings 41 in place against the sleeve 44 . the snap ring 56 ( fig7 ) may be used to secure the swing drive end 60 of the splined drive shaft 47 in the sun gear 26 ( fig9 ). turning to fig8 - 10 , and first to fig8 , the target gear 48 and motor end 51 of the splined drive shaft 47 are accommodated within the swing sensor housing 22 . as shown in fig9 , the coupling opening 35 may be enclosed by a cover 57 in suitable sealant or sealing members such as silicone or an o - ring . the distal end or swing drive end 60 of the splined drive shaft 47 may be received in the sun gear 26 and secured in place by the snap ring 56 . the sun gear 26 may be enmeshed with a plurality of planetary gears 58 as illustrated in fig9 . fig1 is a top view of the swing sensor housing 22 , particularly illustrating the opening 61 that receives the target gear 48 and splined drive shaft 47 . fig1 also illustrates the relative position of the target shaft 38 , which is shown in phantom and the rotary position sensor 40 . fig1 - 12 are sectional views of fig1 . in fig1 and 11 , it can be seen that the target shaft 38 may pass in close proximity to the speed sensor 33 . fig1 also illustrates the coupling or enmeshment between the helical gear 49 and the driven gear 43 of the target shaft 38 . fig1 also illustrates the female splined opening 50 for coupling the splined drive shaft 47 to the swing motor assembly 21 . fig1 illustrates the relative position between the target shaft 38 and the splined drive shaft 47 . the target shaft 38 may be supported in the sensor opening 45 and the coupling opening 35 by the bushings 41 . the driven gear 43 may be enmeshed with the helical gear 49 which rotates the target shaft 38 and the magnet or magnetized sensor end 39 of the target shaft 38 . rotation of the sensor end 39 in close proximity to rotary position sensor 40 provides a signal that reflects the number of rotations of the helical gear 49 and therefore the splined drive shaft 47 . this , in turn , can be directly converted to a slue position angle . thus , the slue positioning system 20 illustrated in fig1 - 12 may employ one speed sensor 33 , two speed sensors 33 , a rotary position sensor 40 / target shaft 38 or a combination of a speed sensor 33 and rotary position sensor 40 / target shaft 38 . fig1 illustrates the use of a speed sensor 33 in combination with a rotary position sensor 40 . fig1 illustrates the use of two speed sensors 33 . fig1 - 17 illustrate an embodiment applicable to equipment that does not include a target gear 48 . as shown in fig1 - 15 , and a lower frame 70 ( or undercarriage ) is rotatably coupled to an upper frame 71 by a ring gear 72 that is enmeshed with the swing gear 73 . the swing gear 73 is accommodated within a bearing 74 that is connected to the upper frame 71 . the lower frame 70 is connected to the ring gear 72 by one or more shafts or posts 75 . rotation of the upper frame 71 with respect to the lower frame 70 is detected and measured by the rotary position sensor assembly 80 , which is illustrated in greater detail in fig1 - 17 . turning to fig1 - 16 , rotary position sensor 40 is mounted to a cover 81 which encloses a slip ring assembly 82 ( see fig1 ). the cover 81 or the slip ring assembly 82 may be mounted to a swivel 83 . the swivel 83 may be a hydraulic swivel with a central passageway 84 and various ports shown at 85 in fig1 - 16 for the purpose of communicating hydraulic fluid between the upper and lower frames 70 , 71 . the swivel 83 includes an upper end 86 that is coupled to the upper frame 71 and a lower end 87 that is coupled to the lower frame 70 as best seen in fig1 . turning to fig1 , the upper end 86 of the swivel 83 includes a tab or fork 88 which is coupled to the upper frame 71 to maintain an alignment between the sensor 40 , cover 81 and the upper frame 71 . similarly , the lower end 87 of the swivel 83 also includes a tab 89 which is received in the fork 91 that is connected to the lower frame 70 to maintain an alignment between the magnet 92 , slip ring assembly 82 and lower frame 70 ( as well as lower end 87 of the swivel 83 ). as shown in fig1 , the rotary position sensor 40 is mounted on top of the cover 81 which encloses the slip ring assembly 82 . the slip ring assembly 82 is coupled to the upper end 86 of the swivel 83 . in operation , as the upper frame 71 rotates with respect to the lower frame 70 , the sensed element or magnet 92 rotates with respect to the rotary position sensor 40 , which has a fixed positional relationship with the upper frame 71 . the rotary position sensor 40 may be coupled to an electronic control module ( ecm ) 63 as shown . if the rotary position sensor assembly 80 of fig1 - 17 is not employed , a speed sensor 33 may be positioned above the swing gear 73 as illustrated in fig1 . regardless , the speed sensor 33 could be employed for the sake of redundancy . thus , a system for sensing or detecting the slue position of a machine , such as an excavator , crane , foundation drill , material handler , etc . is shown and described . one disclosed system may include a swing sensor housing sandwiched between a swing motor or swing motor assembly and a swing drive . the swing motor may be coupled to the swing drive assembly through the swing sensor housing . a rotary position sensor or a speed sensor may be used to measure the rotation of the target gear . as described above , the rotary position sensor or the speed sensor may be a mems based device . another disclosed slue position sensing system may be employed for upper and lower frames that rotate with respect to each other , such as an upper frame and an undercarriage of a wheel excavator that are rotatably coupled together by a ring gear and a swing gear . the upper frame is coupled to at least one of a rotary position sensor or speed sensor . when a rotary position sensor is employed , the rotary position sensor is part of an assembly that includes a slip ring assembly and a magnetized element disposed between the slip ring assembly and the rotary position sensor . the slip ring assembly is mounted to a swivel , one end of which is coupled to the upper frame and the other end of which is coupled to the lower frame . when a speed sensor is employed , the speed sensor is mounted to the upper frame in close proximity to the swing gear so the speed sensor can detect rotation of the swing gear . methods for retrofitting a swing motor and a swing drive assembly with a slue position sensing system are also disclosed . one disclosed method may include disassembling the swing motor from the swing drive and mounting a swing sensor housing between the swing motor and swing drive . a target gear may be installed in the swing sensor housing and may be coupled to a splined drive shaft that may be coupled to the swing motor through the swing sensor housing to the swing drive . a speed sensor or a rotary position sensor may be used to measure the rotation of the target gear for determining slue position . another method for retrofitting a swing drive assembly with a slue position sensing system includes providing an upper frame and a lower frame . the lower frame is coupled to a ring gear and the upper frame is coupled to a swing gear . the swing gear and ring gear are enmeshed so the upper frame may rotate about the ring gear . the method includes coupling at least one of a rotary position sensor or a speed sensor to the upper frame .	8
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . it is understood that the term “ vehicle ” or “ vehicular ” or other similar term as used herein is inclusive of motor vehicles in general such as passenger automobiles including sports utility vehicles ( suv ), buses , trucks , various commercial vehicles , watercraft including a variety of boats and ships , aircraft , and the like , and includes hybrid vehicles , electric vehicles , plug - in hybrid electric vehicles , hydrogen - powered vehicles , fuel cell vehicles and other alternative fuel vehicles ( e . g . fuels derived from resources other than petroleum ). as referred to herein , a hybrid vehicle is a vehicle that has two or more sources of power , for example both gasoline - powered and electric - powered vehicles . additionally , it is understood that the below methods are executed by at least one controller . the term controller refers to a hardware device that includes a memory and a processor configured to execute one or more steps that should be interpreted as its algorithmic structure . the memory is configured to store algorithmic steps and the processor is specifically configured to execute said algorithmic steps to perform one or more processes which are described further below . furthermore , the control logic of the present invention may be embodied as non - transitory computer readable media on a computer readable medium containing executable program instructions executed by a processor , controller or the like . examples of the computer readable mediums include , but are not limited to , rom , ram , compact disc ( cd )- roms , magnetic tapes , flash drives , smart cards and optical data storage devices . the computer readable recording medium can also be distributed in network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable media is stored and executed in a distributed fashion , e . g ., by a telematics server or a controller area network ( can ). fig1 is an overall configuration diagram of a fuel cell system . referring to fig1 , the fuel cell system may include a stack 210 including a cooling channel , a fuel electrode , and an air electrode . the fuel cell system may include a filter 130 , a silencer 140 , a compressor 150 , an intercooler 160 , a humidifier 170 , and a discharge valve 180 as components that circulates air to the air electrode of the stack 210 . the fuel cell system may also include a coolant reservoir 105 , a radiator 120 , and a water pump 110 as components that circulate coolant to the cooling channel , and an ejector 100 , a humidifier 220 , a reservoir 202 , a purge valve 190 , and a drain valve 200 as components that supply hydrogen which is fuel to the fuel electrode . in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the related art is referred to for a detailed description of structures and functions of respective components of the fuel cell system and a detailed description thereof will be omitted . water is generated from the air electrode in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell ( pemfc ) of the stack 210 and conductivity of an electrode membrane is improved by moisture being supplied from the outside . that is , forming appropriate moisture to an mea is essential for proper operation . as illustrated , a humidifier is included in a line that is circulated to the air electrode and the humidifier is installed at a hydrogen supply side to achieve proper operation . however , a separate installation space is required to install a separate humidifier and piping may be complicated . moreover , the moisture ( h 2 o ) generated from the air electrode in the stack 210 is present in a liquid or vapor form depending on temperature and is transferred to the fuel electrode through a membrane of the air electrode due to a pressure difference . the amounts of water and vapor of the fuel electrode are changed depending on driving conditions and the water and vapor are discharged to the outside by a condensed water reservoir or drain valve through an appropriate method by reducing a hydrogen reaction . that is , an unbalanced driving pattern is provided in which the moisture is replenished from the outside in the air electrode and the moisture is discharged to the outside in the fuel electrode . fig2 is an overall configuration diagram of a fuel cell system having an ejector according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . fig3 is a partial detailed cross - sectional view of a fuel cell system having an ejector according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 and 3 , a part of the fuel cell system may include the stack 210 , the condensed water reservoir 202 , the ejector 100 , a fuel injection nozzle 255 , a mixture pipe 280 , a water injection nozzle 267 , a water supply line 265 , a heater 260 , a pressure sensor 280 , and a humidity sensor 282 . an intake chamber 275 is disposed inside the ejector 100 and the fuel injection nozzle 255 is disposed in the intake chamber 275 . a fuel injection aperture 270 is formed at the end of the fuel injection nozzle 255 the water injection nozzle 267 may be disposed inside the fuel injection nozzle 255 , and a water injection aperture 300 of the water injection nozzle 267 may be disposed at a center of the fuel injection aperture 270 of the fuel injection nozzle 255 . a fuel control valve 250 may be disposed in the system in order to control the flow of hydrogen which is the fuel supplied to the fuel injection nozzle 255 and a control unit 10 may be configured to control the fuel control valve 250 according to a driving condition including a load / pressure / humidity of the stack 210 . furthermore , a water supply line 265 may be provided in order to supply water to the water injection nozzle 267 . this water supply line 265 may extend downward into the condensed water reservoir 202 . when the fuel control valve 250 is opened by the control unit 10 , the hydrogen may be injected from the fuel injection aperture 270 of the fuel injection nozzle 255 . at this point , a vacuum is formed by the injected hydrogen . as a result , water is pulled through the water supply line 265 , and is injected from the water injection aperture 300 of the water injection nozzle 267 in to the fuel injection nozzle 255 . in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the amount of moisture discharged from the stack 210 of the fuel cell varies due to various factors including driving temperature , pressure , and the like . as such , the hydrogen injected by the fuel injection nozzle 255 has a sonic velocity ( mach = 1 , approximately 1200 m / s ) and the water is pulled into the fuel injection nozzle via vacuum pressure which is caused by the velocity . the water injected by the water injection nozzle 267 is atomized by the flow of the hydrogen to be mixed with the fuel . moreover , supply / mixture performance of the fuel and the water may be improved by intermittently opening the fuel control valve 250 . in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , when a driving load is increased , an operating temperature of the stack is increased , an inlet of the fuel electrode becomes dry , and the amount of discharge water is increased . as described above , the discharged water is recirculated to the fuel electrode again to reduce a size of an external humidifier or omit the external humidifier altogether . fig4 is a partial detailed cross - sectional view of a fuel cell system having an ejector according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a description of similar parts will be skipped in fig4 as compared with fig1 to 3 and only a distinct difference will be described . referring to fig4 , a notch 400 is formed at the fuel injection aperture 270 of the fuel injection nozzle 255 . the notch 400 is formed inside the fuel injection aperture 300 ( fig3 ) in an a or v shape and turbulence intensity of the hydrogen injected from the fuel injection nozzle 255 is increased to minimize and unify a particle size and strengthen a mixture of the hydrogen and the recirculated gas . in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention , water injection may be suppressed under a low - load condition and the water injection may be performed under a set load or more . moreover , an inner diameter of the water supply line 265 may be controlled , an aperture ( not illustrated ) may be formed on the water supply line , or the height of the water supply line 265 may be controlled . in addition , a separate control valve ( not illustrated ) may be mounted on the water supply line 265 to actively control injection of water . further , a heater 260 ( fig2 ) may be applied to the mixture pipe 280 of the ejector 100 or the fuel recirculation line , and as a result , low - temperature operation efficiency may be improved by managing increasing the temperature of the water an internal circulation line . fig5 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fuel cell system having an ejector according to a third exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a description of similar parts will be skipped in fig5 as compared with fig1 to 4 and only a distinct difference will be described . referring to fig5 , the fuel cell system includes the stack 210 , the condensed water reservoir 202 , the ejector 100 , the mixture pipe 280 , and the control unit 10 . a main fuel injection nozzle 255 a is disposed at the center of the intake chamber 275 formed in the ejector 100 , and the control unit 10 controls a main hydrogen control valve 250 a to control the amount of hydrogen injected from the main fuel injection nozzle 255 a . a fuel injection nozzle 255 b may be disposed in the condensed water reservoir 202 and a water injection nozzle 267 may be disposed inside the fuel injection nozzle 255 b . the water supply line 265 may extend to supply water contained in the condensed water reservoir 202 to the water injection nozzle 267 . moreover , the control unit 10 may be configured to control a hydrogen control valve 250 b that regulates the amount of hydrogen supplied to the fuel injection nozzle 255 b . in addition , the amount of the water injected from the water injection nozzle 267 may also controlled according to the amount of hydrogen injected from the fuel injection nozzle 255 b . additionally , the fuel injection nozzle 255 b may be inclined to easily supply the fuel and the moisture to the ejector 100 from the condensed water reservoir 202 . fig6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fuel cell system having an ejector according to a fourth exemplary embodiment of the present invention . a description of similar parts will be skipped in fig6 as compared with fig1 to 5 and only a distinct difference will be described . referring to fig6 , the main fuel injection nozzle 255 a is disposed at a center of the intake chamber 275 formed in the ejector 100 , and the control unit 10 may be configured to control the main hydrogen control valve 250 a to regulate the amount of hydrogen injected from the main fuel injection nozzle 255 a . in addition , a manifold 600 may be formed adjacent to the stack 210 and the hydrogen which is the fuel may be supplied to the stack 210 through the manifold 600 . the fuel injection nozzle 255 b may be disposed in the manifold 600 and the water injection nozzle 267 may be disposed inside the fuel injection nozzle 255 b . the water supply line 265 may extend into the condensed water reservoir 202 to supply the water contained in the condensed water reservoir 202 to the water injection nozzle 267 . moreover , the control unit 10 may be configured to control the hydrogen control valve 250 b to regulate the amount of hydrogen supplied to the fuel injection nozzle 255 b . in addition , the amount of water injected from the water injection nozzle 267 may also be controlled according to the amount of hydrogen injected from the fuel injection nozzle 255 b . fig7 is a schematic configuration diagram of a fuel cell system having an ejector according to a fifth exemplary embodiment of the present invention . fig7 is to compared with fig2 and a distinct difference will be described and a description of similar parts will be skipped . referring to fig7 , the fuel cell system may include an air condensed water reservoir 710 , a level sensor 720 , and a water supply control valve 730 . the air condensed water reservoir 710 may be a space that is disposed on an air circulation line that is circulated in the air electrode to condense and collect moisture included in air . the water supply line 265 may supply water gathered in a lower portion of the condensed water reservoir 202 and water gathered in a lower portion of the air condensed water reservoir 710 to the water injection nozzle 267 . in addition , the water supply control valve 730 may regulate the supply of the water contained in the air condensed water reservoir 710 . a level sensor 720 that senses stored water may be disposed in the air condensed water reservoir 710 , and the control unit 10 may be configured to determine a level of water through the level sensor 720 and control the water supply control valve 730 according to sensed level . that is , when it is determined that the level of the water contained in the air condensed water reservoir 710 is below a given value , the control unit 10 may close the water supply control valve 730 and when it is determined that the level of the water is equal to or higher than a set value , the control unit 10 may open the water supply control valve 730 . accordingly , air may be prevented from flowing into a line where the fuel of the fuel cell is circulated . fig8 a , 8b , and 8c are schematic configuration diagrams illustrating a method for heating hydrogen in the fuel cell system having an ejector according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig8 a , the heater 260 may be installed within a hydrogen line supplied to the ejector 100 to heat hydrogen . referring to fig8 b , a heat exchanger may be installed within the hydrogen line supplied to the ejector 100 and coolant and hydrogen pass through the heat exchanger 800 and the hydrogen is heated by the coolant . referring to fig8 c , a heat exchanger 800 may be disposed within the hydrogen line supplied to the ejector 100 , condensed water may be discharged from the humidifier 170 through the discharge valve 180 and the discharged condensed water may pass through the heat exchanger 800 . the hydrogen may then be heated by the condensed water . fig9 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating a position of a heat exchanger that heats hydrogen in the fuel cell system having an ejector according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig9 , the stack 210 is installed at a front - wheel side of a vehicle and a hydrogen tank 900 is installed at a rear - wheel side . hydrogen is supplied from the hydrogen tank 900 to the stack 210 and the heat exchanger 800 is installed within a supply line . air discharged from the stack 210 to the outside may pass through the heat exchanger 800 and the discharged air heats the hydrogen . further , the discharged air can pass through the ejector housing 290 to heat the hydrogen passing the ejector housing 290 . fig1 a and 10b are a plan view and a side view illustrating a method for installing the ejector in the fuel cell system having an ejector according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 a and 10b , the ejector 100 may be installed at an inlet side of a fuel supply manifold 101 , hydrogen may be injected from the ejector 100 and a to direction in which the hydrogen is injected and a longitudinal direction of the fuel supply manifold 101 may coincide with each other . moreover , recirculated combustion gas discharged from a fuel discharge manifold 102 may be supplied to the ejector 100 and new hydrogen gas may also be supplied to the ejector 100 . while this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments , but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	8
the embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non - limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and detailed in the following description . descriptions of well - known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein . the examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein . accordingly , the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein . the embodiments herein provide devices and processes of fabricating ring - shaped devices ; i . e ., circular devices with a concentric hole . for example , the embodiments herein use nano - pillars as templates and a process that deposits some material to cover the sidewalls of the nano - pillars . embodiments herein benefit from the structure and processes described below , for example , by protecting the devices from shorting between layers of the device . referring now to the drawings , and more particularly to fig1 a through 7 , where similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the figures , there are shown preferred embodiments . as described above , there is considerable interest in magnetic storage devices that include giant magnetic resistance devices and magnetic tunnel junctions especially in the form of rings . conventional systems , however , have been unable to reliably fabricate planar devices in the form of nano - rings . for example , conventionally fabricated planar devices ( e . g ., planar nano - rings ), which may include ferromagnetic layers , have a risk of creating short circuits between the different ferromagnetic layers that comprise the planar device . the embodiments described herein offer several improvements over conventional devices — for example , the embodiments herein minimize the risk of creating shorts between ferromagnetic layers and does not fabricate the individual devices in a serial fashion thus reducing the fabrication time . fig1 a and 113 illustrate schematic diagrams of planar device 1 in a closed ring geometry . while not shown , planar device 1 has active ferromagnetic films ( or layers , as described below ) and forms a closed ring . the geometry shown in fig1 a and 1b can have advantages over conventional devices in that planar device 1 may offer a small geometry ( as described below ) and thereby occupies less valuable area and does not have the domain walls ( e . g ., separating magnetic domains ) experienced by larger geometries . further , less energy is required to change the magnetization because there is no shape anisotropy . as shown in fig1 a and 1b , planar device 1 has two possible magnetization geometries ( e . g ., clockwise geometry 5 and counterclockwise geometry 10 ). the embodiments shown in fig2 a through 6 illustrate various steps used to fabricate planar device 1 . fig2 a , with reference to fig1 , illustrates a substrate 20 and a plurality of nano - pillars 25 affixed thereto . nano - pillars 25 further include a diameter 30 and each nano - pillar 25 is separated by spacing 35 . while not shown in the embodiment of fig2 a , each nano - pillar 25 has roughly the same diameter 30 to create a uniform array of nano - pillars 25 of spacing 35 . for example , in one embodiment herein , each nano - pillar 25 has a diameter 30 approximately equal to 30 nanometers and spacing 35 ( i . e ., the space between individual nano - pillars 25 ) is approximately equal to 50 nanometers . in addition , the embodiment shown in fig2 a also includes nano - pillars 25 with nearly vertical sidewalls 27 . while not shown , nano - pillars 25 of the embodiment shown in fig2 a are insulating pillars ( e . g ., oxide nano - pillars ). in addition , while not shown in the embodiment of fig2 a , spacer pillars may also be deposited on the edge of substrate 20 ( e . g ., on the edge of a wafer , where the wafer includes substrate 20 ). in such embodiment , these spacer pillars prevent subsequent masks from touching nano - pillars 25 . furthermore , although not shown , the embodiment of fig2 a uses photolithographic techniques to mask , standard deposition techniques to deposit material , and etching and lift off techniques to remove excess material from substrate 20 . an alternative embodiment is shown in fig2 b where each of the nano - pillars 25 may also include a cap 26 . in the embodiment shown , caps 26 are used to minimize the possibility of shorting between the ferromagnetic layers ( as described in further detail below ). the following is an example how the structure in fig2 b can be fabricated . a layer of silicon dioxide , which becomes the nano - pillars 25 followed by a layer of silicon , which becomes the cap 26 , is deposited or grown on substrate 20 . electron beam lithography can be used define the diameter of the nano - pillars 25 and silicon caps 26 . reactive ion etching can be used to remove the unwanted silicon and leave the silicon caps 26 . suitable etching with hydrofluoric ( hf ) acid can be used to remove the unwanted silicon dioxide and create the pillars . controlling the conditions of the hf step allows undercutting the silicon caps 26 as shown in fig2 b . fig3 a through 7b , with reference to fig2 a and 2b , illustrate various embodiments herein . according to fig3 a through 3d , a first embodiment is illustrated . in the first embodiment , a lithography plus vertical deposition process is provided . here , the process is shown to continue after the configuration of fig2 a . a sequential layering is applied to substrate 20 and nano - pillars 25 including a conducting , metallic layer that constitutes a first electrode 40 , followed by an anti - ferromagnetic pinning layer 45 , and then a first ferromagnetic layer 50 . next , as shown in fig3 b , a tunnel barrier layer 55 , and a second ferromagnetic layer 60 are deposited . the tunnel barrier layer 55 may be deposited using either atomic layer deposition ( to cover all exposed surfaces ) or the tunnel barrier layer 55 may be deposited at an angle while rotating substrate 20 ( e . g ., rotating a wafer that includes substrate 20 ). possible tunnel barrier materials include crystalline magnesium oxide ( mgo ). in so doing , in the embodiment of fig3 b , the tunnel barrier layer 55 covers the sidewalls 27 of nano - pillars 25 . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other embodiments may include alternative and / or additional materials in tunnel barrier layer 55 and may include alternative and / or additional deposition techniques to cover sidewalls 27 of nano - pillars 25 . the thickness of the tunnel barrier layer 55 is controlled and kept sufficiently thin ( i . e ., approximately 1 nanometer ) to optimize the electron tunneling . while not explicitly , shown , the deposition in the embodiments of fig3 a and 3b is made with the atoms of the corresponding deposited material ( e . g ., layers 40 , 45 , 50 , 60 ) coming down normal to the surface of the substrate 20 thereby minimizing the deposition of material on sidewalls 27 of nano - pillars 25 . the tunnel barrier layer 55 deposition should be made so the sidewalls 27 of the nano - pillars 25 are covered . consequently , the embodiments of fig3 a and 33 minimize deposited metallic material on sidewalls 27 . next , as shown in fig3 c , a planarization step occurs down to the second ferromagnetic layer 60 on the portion of the stacked layers on top of substrate 20 with the nano - pillars 25 being planarized as well so that the top of layer 60 is co - planar with the top of nano - pillars 25 . thereafter , a conducting , metallic layer that constitutes a second electrode 65 is deposited . finally , as shown in fig3 d , the nano - ring structures 75 , having diameter d o , are formed by performing a photolithographic technique and etching to remove the excess material down to the first electrode 40 . according to fig4 a through 4c , a second embodiment is illustrated . in the second embodiment , a lithography plus cap process is provided . here , the process is shown to continue after the alternative configuration of fig2 b . a sequential layering is applied to substrate 20 and caps 26 including the first electrode 40 , followed by the anti - ferromagnetic pinning layer 45 , and then the first ferromagnetic layer 50 . in this embodiment , the first electrode 40 , anti - ferromagnetic pinning layer 45 , and first ferromagnetic layer 50 are deposited with the atoms coming down vertically to minimize the number of the atoms being deposited under the cap 26 near the sidewalls 27 of the nano - pillars 25 . then , the caps 26 and overlying material are removed by etching . next , the tunnel barrier layer 55 is deposited . the material of the tunnel barrier layer 55 fills the space between the three - layer stack of the first electrode 40 , anti - ferromagnetic pinning layer 45 , and first ferromagnetic layer 50 and the sidewalls 27 of the nano - pillars 25 . thereafter , the second ferromagnetic layer 60 is deposited on the tunnel barrier layer 55 . these steps minimize the likelihood of shorting between the two ferromagnetic layers 50 , 60 . after a planarization step that removes the nano - pillar 25 down to the level of the top of the second ferromagnetic layer 60 , the second electrode 65 is deposited with the resulting structure shown in fig4 b . finally , as shown in fig4 c , the nano - ring structures 75 , having diameter d o , are formed by performing a photolithographic technique and etching to remove the excess material down to the first electrode 40 . according to fig5 a through 5e , a third embodiment is illustrated . in the third embodiment , a sidewall spacer plus vertical deposition process is provided . here , the process is shown to continue after the configuration of fig2 a . a sequential layering is applied to substrate 20 and nano - pillars 25 including a first electrode 40 , followed by an anti - ferromagnetic pinning layer 45 , a first ferromagnetic layer 50 , a tunnel barrier layer 55 , and a second ferromagnetic layer 60 as illustrated in fig5 a . the metallic layers are deposited vertically to minimize covering the sidewalls 27 of the nano - pillars 25 and minimize creating shorting . one can then cover the sidewalls 27 of the nano - pillars 25 with a sidewall spacer 63 and then perform an etching process as shown in fig5 b that removes material down to the top of the first electrode 40 . now the space that has been etched is filled with sio 2 80 as shown in fig5 c . upon completion of this step , the surface is planarized by mechanical polishing down to the top of the second ferromagnetic layer 60 . at this point lithography is performed and the second electrode 65 is deposited as shown in fig5 d . the nano - ring structures 75 , having diameter d o , are defined by the thickness of the sidewall spacer 63 . the last step shown in fig5 e is to remove the sio 2 80 by etching down to the first electrode 40 . according to fig6 a through 6d , a fourth embodiment is illustrated . in the fourth embodiment , a sidewall spacer plus cap process is provided . here , the process is shown to continue after the configuration of fig4 a with a sequential layering having been applied to substrate 20 and caps 26 including the first electrode 40 , followed by the anti - ferromagnetic pinning layer 45 , and then the first ferromagnetic layer 50 . then , the caps 26 and overlying material are removed . next , the tunnel barrier layer 55 is deposited along the sidewalls 27 of the nano - pillars 25 all the way down to the substrate 20 . thereafter , the second ferromagnetic layer 60 is deposited on the tunnel barrier layer 55 . these steps minimize the likelihood of shorting between the two ferromagnetic layers 50 , 60 . the resulting structure is shown in fig6 a . after this , as illustrated in fig6 b , sidewall spacer material 63 is deposited to define the thickness of the ensuing nano - rings . next , the stack of films 40 , 45 , 50 , 55 , and 60 are etched . then , the space is again filled with silicon dioxide 80 . after a planarization step in which the planarization is performed to the top of the second ferromagnetic layer 60 , the second electrode 65 is deposited with the resulting structure shown in fig6 c with the nano - ring structures 75 having diameter d o . the last step shown in fig6 d is to remove the sio 2 80 by etching down to the first electrode 40 . a fifth embodiment , not specifically shown , is to start with the configuration shown in fig3 a . next , one can etch the sidewalls 27 of the nano - pillars 25 after depositing the first ferromagnetic layer 50 to create a space that will be filled when the tunnel barrier layer 55 is deposited . this prevents shorting . from the above , one can easily see other variations of this embodiment . fig7 , with reference to fig1 a through 6d , illustrates cross - sectional top view of the substrate 20 with nano - ring structure 75 , nano - pillar 25 , first electrode 40 , and second electrode 65 . it is noted that , in an alternative embodiment , the first electrode 40 may be deposited and structurally defined prior to the creation of nano - pillars 25 . the foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept , and , therefore , such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments . it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation . therefore , while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	6
fig1 is software flowchart view of a software application process in sequence from the moment a user is logged in successfully . it consists of an authoring module 10 , which allows the author to assort data ( text , audio , images ) appropriate for event , and to predetermine the tasks for the quizzes ( questions and answers , words and their correct spelling convention etc . ), along with the order in which the tasks will be presented . the authoring module 10 is supplying information to the quiz database 12 . they are the prerequisites for the quiz . the quiz database 12 is storing and managing the data created in the authoring module 10 , and sending it to the user interface upon demand . it may contain text , audio , images or similar information . the transmitting module sends the information to the quiz interface 14 in predefined order . a optional timer 16 may be used for limiting the total time available for each task . it monitors the time allowed for each task based on settings predetermined by the system administrator . it also provides visible feedback regarding time restrictions . the session terminator 18 will be terminating the session when a task is completed incorrectly or not completed in time . the final score registration 20 is computing and finalizing the user &# 39 ; s test score and submitting it to the user database 44 for storage . the user database 44 is maintaining and storing the session data of users . if used for fundraising purposes , this component may offer the option to “ buy a second chance ,” so that the session can be reactivated for another trial . the task trigger 42 is then triggering the quiz database 12 to display the next task to the user . the competition ends at the predetermined day and time . no further activity by the user is accepted and the final ranking table 28 starts processing the user scores . the final ranking table 28 sorts the scores of various users from highest to lowest score and other pre - defined criteria and ranks the users accordingly . it then sends the data on to the report generator 30 . the report generator 30 generates reports based on the information provided by final ranking table 28 and user database 44 that summarize the quiz session . it generates virtual reports and graphics or documents suitable for printout . the format chosen along with which user data is displayed or hidden is based on system administrator &# 39 ; s directives . the optional certificate mailer 32 generates documents or certificates that communicate the results of the quiz to the user , transmitted online , via email , mail or other suitable means . fig2 is software flowchart view of a procedure to verify that parameters for a user to log in are correct before the quiz session starts . the initial user registration 34 module allows the user to register with the program and to create a computer id that associates the user &# 39 ; s performance with the right user account . this user registration 34 then sends the identifying information to the user database 44 and creates a new account . the log - in module 36 is used to provide a means of verification of the true identity of the participating user , as well as of payment or other pre - qualifying requirements . it may also allow the user to choose which quiz to participate in , if more than one is offered . the identity verification engine 38 compares the data entered in the log - in module 36 with the associated user entry in the user database 44 and creates a record for the new quiz in the user database . the optional payment processor 40 secures payment if an entry fee is part of the quiz before allowing the user to proceed . the optional supervision verification 46 is an additional feature to ensure fair completion of the quiz in compliance with the competition standards , and without the use of non - allowed aids . this optional supervision verification 46 functionality can be provided by requesting that the quiz be taken in a certain environment and under supervision of a registered supervisor — a teacher , librarian , test administrator , for example . activating a web cam or automatically detecting the use of disallowed aids such as online dictionaries etc . maybe additional features utilized here . after successful completion of the prior steps , the task trigger 42 starts the quiz . since other modifications and changes varied to fit particular operating requirements and environments will be apparent to those skilled in the art , the invention is not considered limited to the example chosen for purposes of disclosure , and covers all changes and modifications which do not constitute departures from the true spirit and scope of this invention . having thus described the invention , what is desired to be protected by letters patent is presented in the subsequently appended claims .	0
considering the drawings , wherein like reference numerals denote like parts throughout the various drawing figures , reference numeral 10 is directed to a impulse monitoring system : apparatus and method for determining impulse events of assets in the form of , for example , rotating and / or reciprocating machines . in its essence , and referring to the drawings , an embodiment of the invention provides a system 10 : apparatus and method for receiving , digitizing , transforming , compressing , storing , transmitting , and displaying transducer measurement data correlative to machine status in which the measurement data is continuously sensed by at least one transducer 20 , and digitized , transformed , compressed , and displayed by monitor 30 and computerized monitoring system 100 for determining impulse events of machines by , for example , comparing relative magnitudes to other known magnitudes or other measurements of the machine and / or relative to its own history ( e . g ., is it getting stronger or weaker ) and identifying emerging problems , correlating them to machine operation to determine probable cause , and formulating some proactive action to alleviate the problem . the system 10 also determines an event timing to be able to accomplish event correlation to other machine events ( such as suction and discharge valve operation , rod reversal , et cetera ), and determines relative magnitudes of the events so they can be compared historically to previous records . more specifically , and referring to fig1 , one embodiment of the system 10 is comprised of a monitor 30 including a sampling / digitizing device or analog to digital converter ( a / d ) device 40 , a processing device 50 , and an associated memory 60 . the analog to digital converter 40 is operatively coupled to at least the one transducer 20 via connection 22 and also to the processing device 50 via connection 42 . in turn , the processing device 50 is operatively coupled to the associated memory 60 as discussed below and includes a maximum and minimum ( max / min ) transform means 70 and a filter means 72 . each transducers 20 , 24 can take the form of a seismic or inertial transducer which is operatively coupled to an asset such as machine m for making , for example , bearing housing , casing , or structural vibration measurements from the machine and each outputting analog transducer measurements or an analog electrical signal indicative machine status . seismic transducers are well known in the art and a wide variety of seismic transducers such as velocity transducers and acceleration transducers are manufactured by bently nevada , llc , 1631 bently parkway south , minden ; nev ., usa 89423 . at least one transducer 20 is operatively coupled , via connection 22 , to the analog to digital converter device 40 for receiving , sampling and digitizing the analog signal from at least the one transducer 20 indicative of asset or machine status and transmitting the digitized signal to processing device 50 via connection 42 . the processing device 50 can provide a control signal to the analog to digital converter device 40 for sampling the analog signal at , for example , a known sampling rate . additionally , the processing device 50 can be comprised of one or more processors each having an associated memory such as one or more digital signal processors ( dsp ) 50 and associated memory 60 . the processing device 50 receives the digitized signal outputted from the analog to digital converter device 40 via connection 42 and , in turn , preferably employs filter 72 for filtering the sampled waveform with , for example , a low pass such as a butterworth filter and then , the processing means employs the max / min transform means 70 for determining a plurality of maximum and minimum sample or digital packets each comprising a maximum and a minimum value from a plurality of samples of the filtered digitized signal taken during predefined degrees of rotation of a rotating element of the asset for defining a location and a maximum and minimum value to each of the plurality of digital packets wherein each digital packet location is defined by each predefined degree of rotation of the rotating element thereby transforming the analog signal outputted by at least the one transducer 20 into the plurality of maximum and minimum sample or digital packets each having a unique identified location . the system 10 then further compresses the analog signal outputted by the transducer 20 by only storing in memory 60 , preferably consecutively , each maximum and minimum value in each digital packet including its associated location , for example , first a maximum and then a minimum per each predefined degree of rotation for defining a waveform of maximum and minimum values associated with a unique location or predefined degree of rotation . monitor 30 may be used to compare the maximum and minimum values and locations to previously known values for determining impulse events based on the comparison step such as , for example , having at a particular location a maximum and / or minimum meeting or exceeding a predefined criteria based on the previously known values . furthermore , and in one embodiment of the invention , fig1 shows that the monitor 30 can also include a controller or microcontroller 80 operatively coupled to the processing device 50 such that the processing device 50 and associated memory 60 are connected , via connections 82 ( data bus ), 84 ( address bus ), and 86 ( control lines ), to each other and to the controller 80 . the monitoring system 30 and thus , the processor 50 including the max / min transform 70 and filter 72 , may be programmed via the microcontroller 80 or other external computer . additionally , and in one embodiment of the invention , the system 10 is further comprised of a computerized condition monitor 100 operatively coupled to the monitoring system 30 via connection 102 . the computerized condition monitor 100 can be a laptop , notebook , desktop , networked , and / or a distributed computer or the like . computerized condition monitor 100 is generally comprised of software running on a processing and storage means or device 104 comprised of a processor , memory , and storage medium . the processing and storage device 104 is operatively coupled to at least one entry device such as a selection or mouse device 106 , and / or a keyboard 108 and also , to a graphical user interface 110 including a display 112 . communication between a user , the processing and storage device 104 , and the monitor 30 is done through the graphical user interface 110 such that the computerized condition monitor 100 can be employed for displaying , for comparison , the defined maximum and minimum value waveform with a known waveform and / or criteria for determining any impulse events based on the comparison step which can be done visually or computationally via the computerized condition monitor 100 . the computerized condition monitor 100 and monitor 30 can be programmed to provide bi - directional communication via connection 102 and thus , provide the means for communicating , among other things , the digitized analog electrical signals engendered from the transducer 20 and transformed by the monitor 30 and transmitted to the computerized condition monitor 100 for displaying , for comparison purposes , the defined maximum and minimum waveform with a known waveform and for determining any impulse events based on the comparison step such as by having the maximum and / or minimum at a location meeting or exceeding a predefined criterion for a same location on the known waveform . hence , impulse events can be determined visually or computationally via the system 10 . the monitor 30 can further include a digital to analog converter 90 operatively coupled to the controller 80 via connection 91 , to the processing device 50 via connection 92 , and / or to the computerized condition monitor 100 via connection 102 for providing , for example , means for receiving and conveying information , via connection 93 , to physical output devices 94 such as relay outputs , current output such as 4 - 20 ma outputs , and communication links between processors or monitors and other external platforms for , among other things , generating alarms 96 based on determined impulse events and using the alarms to automatically shut down the machine m being monitored by at least the one transducer 20 and / or automatically annunciate machinery problems to operators and other plant personnel . one or more power supplies 98 are operatively coupled to provide any required power to transducers 20 , 24 , monitor 30 , physical output devices 94 , and / or computerized condition monitor 100 . referring to fig2 , in combination with fig1 , and in light of the above description , one method embodiment of the invention for determining impulse events of a machine correlative to machine status includes the steps of : 1 ) monitoring a machine with at least one transducer outputting an electrical signal correlative to machine status ; 2 ) sampling the electrical signal into a digitized signal ; 3 ) transforming the digitized signal into a plurality of digital packets by determining for each of the plurality of digital packets a maximum and a minimum value of the digitized signal taken over a sampling range correlated to a predefined degree of rotation of a rotating element of the machine and each of the plurality of digital packets having a location defined by the correlated predefined degree of rotation of the rotating element over which it was sampled for transforming and compressing analog transducer measurements into the plurality of digital packets each having a unique location ; 4 ) comparing the values of the plurality of digital packets to known values ; and 5 ) determining impulse events based on the comparison step for providing machine protection . the above steps in the above method can be further comprised of any one or more of the following : step 1 can further include the step of monitoring vibration of a reciprocating or rotating machine with at least one transducer outputting an electrical signal correlative to machine status ; step 2 can further include the step of sampling and digitizing the electrical signal into a digitized vibration signal at a known sampling rate ; step 3 can further include the step of employing a digital signal processor and associated memory for transforming the digitized vibration signal into a plurality of digital packets by filtering the digitized vibration signal and then determining , for each of the plurality of digital packets , a maximum and a minimum value of the filtered digitized vibration signal taken over the sampling range correlated to a predefined degree of rotation of a rotating element of the machine and each of the plurality of digital packets having a location defined by the correlated predefined degree of rotation of the rotating element over which it was sampled for transforming and compressing analog transducer measurements or outputs into the plurality of digital packets each having a unique location for use in identifying impulse events based on the comparison step ; step 3 can further include the step of consecutively storing each of the plurality of digital packets and its associated location , for example , first a maximum and then a minimum per each predefined degree of rotation for defining a waveform of max / min values for each unique predefined degree of rotation ; step 4 can further include the step of displaying for comparison the defined waveform with a known waveform for determining any impulse events based on the comparison step such as by having the maximum and minimum meeting or exceeding a predefined criterion based on the known waveform for visually or computationally determining impulse events ; step 5 can further include the step of generating alarms based on impulse events determined based on the comparison step of comparing the maximum and minimum values at particular locations to previously known values and using the alarms to automatically shut down the machine being monitored by the transducer and / or automatically annunciate machinery problems to operators and other plant personnel . a specific example follows for further explaining the system 10 ( apparatus and method ) and how the system 10 solves the problems discussed hereinabove . to describe the solution by way of example , data was taken from a hydrogen compressor crosshead and valve cover using accelerometers such as transducers 20 , 22 coupled to the hydrogen compressor asset m . the data was gathered from these locations at a sample rate of 262 . 1 k samples per second . the machine was operating at 276 rpm so a single revolution is : 262 . 1 ⁢ ⁢ k ⁢ ⁢ samples ⁢ / ⁢ sec 276 ⁢ ⁢ rpm = 262100 * 60 ⁢ ⁢ samples ⁢ / ⁢ 276 ⁢ ⁢ rev = 56980 ⁢ ⁢ samples ⁢ / ⁢ rev this data was considered as the infallible truth and used as a guiding principle or base line for the system . fig3 shows a graphical view of the base line data for a single revolution of throw number 2 . the two plots on the graph represent the accelerometer data on the crosshead and on the suction valve . specifically , fig3 shows two plots 120 , 122 of two signals from respective transducers 20 , 24 being sampled at the base line sample rate of 262 , 100 samples per second or 56 , 980 samples per revolution and plotted with voltage values versus crank angle in degrees . the two plots 120 , 122 on the graph of fig3 represent , respectively , the accelerometer data on a crosshead and on a suction valve of the hydrogen compressor machine m . recognizing that the data sample rate of one typically used monitoring system is 64 , 000 samples per second , and that the base line data is sampled at a higher rate than the 64 , 000 samples per second rate resulted in the conclusion that the input data has to be decimated in order to represent the raw analog to digital samples that this typical monitor would have available to process . this data results in the plots shown in fig4 . particularly , fig4 is a graphical representation of two plots 124 , 126 from the two signals from the two respective transducers 20 , 24 which have been sampled at the 64 , 000 samples per second rate and plotted on a plot of voltage values versus crank angle in degrees . it can be seen from fig4 , in comparison with fig3 , that even at this sample rate , some of the high magnitude data around − 7 . 5 and − 9 . 5 volts does not show in the 64 , 000 samples per second data . if we were able to plot every sample for each revolution of the crankshaft , the plot in fig4 is what we would get , and represents the very best that this typical monitor could do if it could save every a / d sample for a revolution of the crankshaft . however , to accomplish this would require that the monitor support a 13 , 913 - point waveform . in contrast , data that is typically obtained from other measurement points in the reciprocating compressor application is set at 360 or 720 points per revolution . when set at 720 points , the waveforms are gathered by picking a sample every ½ degree of crankshaft rotation for a total of 720 points . so if we agree to only return 720 points for the cycle above , we can simulate this by performing the 720 - point sample picking from the 64 , 000 samples per revolution data and would result in the waveform shown in fig5 . fig5 is a graphical view of two 720 - point sample plots 128 , 130 respectively obtained by picking 720 samples from each of the two 64 , 000 samples per revolution plots 124 , 126 shown in fig4 . as can be seen , the data sample rate aliases the data so that the original waveform shape and content is severely changed . a requirement is that there will be an ability to correlate the impulse events to operational events in the compressor . comparing the two plots reveals that the peak magnitudes have been altered and much of the form of the waveform has been lost . this is primarily due to the aliasing effect of sampling . from this plot it is difficult to determine what is a real impulse event and when aliasing gives the impression of an event . this plot emphasizes our conclusion that we must consider enough samples such as all of the analog to digital base line samples in a revolution to adequately describe the data shape . remember that our intent is to determine the magnitude and location of an impulse event , but still be able to present the data in an abbreviated set of data points such as no more than 720 points of data . hence , in one aspect , the invention includes a method of preserving the information performing a process of looking at enough samples such as all base line samples , and for each degree ( or fraction thereof ) of crankshaft rotation determining the maximum and the minimum values and recording them . this gives us the highest and lowest points of the modulation to a 1 - degree resolution ( or fraction thereof ) so we can accurately assess the location to within 1 degree ( or fraction thereof ) and the magnitude of the impulse event . then , this data is alternatively ( e . g . first the maximum then the minimum ) stored in a waveform file in memory in monitor 30 and / or in computer 100 thereby resulting in a compressed 720 point data file . the result can then be plotted in the same fashion as other waveforms for comparison such as with other 720 points per revolution waveforms used in a reciprocating compressor plot group . fig6 shows the resulting plot . specifically , fig6 shows is a graphical view of two 720 - point sample plots obtained by 720 samples picked from results of the impulse monitoring system transforming each of the two 262 , 100 samples per revolution plots shown in fig3 . that is , the system 10 uses , for example , all the base line samples and for each degree ( or fraction thereof ) of crankshaft rotation it determines the maximum and the minimum value for obtaining a plurality of maximum and minimum sample or digital packets , and then , records them resulting in a modulation envelope which is preserved , as are as the impulse data locations or events in the cycle as shown in fig6 . hence , each maximum and minimum sample packet includes a unique location defined by each predefined degree of rotation of the rotating element such that the system 10 transforms analog transducer measurements into a plurality of maximum and minimum sample packets each having a unique location , and then continues to compress the analog transducer measurements by consecutively storing only the maximum and minimum packets and their associated locations , for example , first a maximum and then a minimum per each predefined degree of rotation for defining a waveform of maximum and minimum values for each unique predefined degree of rotation for further analysis such as comparing the max / min values to previously known values for determining any impulse events based on the comparison step such as by having the maximum and minimum meeting or exceeding a predefined criterion based on the previously known values . additionally , in one embodiment of the invention the system 10 is further comprised of the computerized condition monitor 100 operatively coupled to the monitoring system 30 for displaying for comparison the defined waveform with a known waveform and for determining any impulse events based on the comparison step such as by having the maximum and minimum meeting or exceeding a predefined criterion based on the known waveform . hence , impulse events can be determined visually and / or computationally via the computerized condition monitor 100 and monitor 30 . fig7 is a graphical view providing a better understanding of one embodiment of the invention by showing a selection of data from 270 to 300 degrees of rotation with the selection being an overlay of the sample picked data plots 128 , 130 shown in fig5 on the 64 , 000 sampled data plots 124 , 126 shown in fig4 . fig8 is a graphical view providing a better understanding of one embodiment of the invention by showing a selection of data from 270 to 300 degrees of rotation with the selection being an overlay of the transformed data plots 132 , 134 shown in fig6 overlaid on the 64 , 000 sampled data plots 124 , 126 shown in fig4 . the maximum and minimum values for each degree of rotation are reflected in the plot shown in fig9 . specifically , fig9 is a graphical view of a selection of data from 270 to 300 degrees of rotation with the selection being the transformed data plots 132 , 134 shown in fig6 without the 64 , 000 sampled data plots 124 , 126 shown in fig4 thereby more clearly showing the alternating maximum and minimum values plotted in fig8 by leaving out the 64 , 000 sampled data plots 124 , 126 shown in fig4 . one method embodiment of the invention for determining asset impulse events is to identify the sources of impulses so that action can be taken to manage machinery . much of the high frequency signal is generated as acoustic noise in the process flow through piping , valves and in the cylinder . the high frequency signal is transmitted through the case and can give valuable information on valve leaks , restrictions or metal - on - metal rubs . impulse events that excite the natural resonances occur at lower frequencies and can be masked by the high frequency acoustic noise . one method looks for the impulse events in a waveform that is filtered . resonance frequencies occur in the several hundred hertz range , so if we filter the data with a cutoff of 1 khz , the acoustic signals should be filtered out and the impulse events should be easier to locate . referring to fig1 , a graphical view is shown of two plots obtained from passing the same 64 , 000 sampled data plots shown in fig4 through a 1 khz low pass filter ( butterworth ). referring to fig1 , a graphical view is shown of two 720 - point sample plots obtained by picking 720 samples from each of the two 64000 samples per revolution plots which have been passed through the 1 khz low pass filter . referring to fig1 and 11 reveals that some events appear to be retained in the waveform after the filtering but when we apply the 720 - sample selection currently done in the monitors to this data the plot reveals differences between the plots ( on the crosshead curve ) around 50 degrees of rotation . referring to fig1 , a graphical view is shown of two 720 - point sample plots obtained by picking 720 samples from each of the two results from the impulse monitoring system transforming each of the two 262 , 100 samples per revolution plots which have been passed through a 1 khz low pass filter resulting in the data around 50 degrees being preserved better than in the sample picking methods . because the frequency content is lower , the aliasing is considerably less than when looking at the unfiltered signals . hence , the maximum / minimum transform will fit within the existing waveform data format of existing reciprocating compressor data presentations , gives a good representation of the modulation and allows event detection to the resolution needed to allow correlation between the max / min plot and others included in a reciprocating compressor plot group . the typical monitoring system employed in the above example is a 3500 monitoring system manufactured and sold by bently nevada , llc located in minden , nev . u . s . a . in use and operation , and referring to the drawings , one embodiment of the invention provides impulse monitoring system 10 : apparatus and method which can be embodied in a machinery protection system monitoring rotating and / or reciprocating machines or mechanical systems . in this embodiment , the system 10 is operatively coupled to at least the one transducer 20 operatively coupled to the rotating or reciprocating machine m for monitoring the machine and outputting an analog signal to the system 10 indicative of machine status . the monitor 30 of system 10 includes analog to digital converter 40 operatively coupled to at least the one transducer 20 for receiving , sampling , and digitizing the outputted analog signal into a digitized signal . in turn , the a / d converter 40 is operatively coupled to processor 50 including a filter 72 for filtering the digitized signal and further including a max / min transform 70 for transforming the filtered digitized signal into a plurality of maximum and minimum sample or digital packets each having a maximum and minimum value taken from values of a plurality of samples of the filtered digitized signal taken during predefined degrees of rotation of a rotating element of the asset for defining a location and a maximum and a minimum value to each of the plurality of digital packets wherein each digital packet location is defined by each predefined degree of rotation of the rotating element thereby transforming the analog signal outputted by at least the one transducer 20 into the plurality of maximum and minimum sample or digital packets each having a unique identified location . the processor device 50 can then continue to compress the analog signal outputted by the transducer 20 by only storing , preferably consecutively , each maximum and minimum value of each sample packet and its associated location , for example , first a maximum and then a minimum per each predefined degree of rotation for defining a waveform of maximum and minimum values associated to a unique predefined degree of rotation . the monitoring system 30 may be used to compare the maximum and minimum values at particular locations to previously known values at the same location for determining impulse events based on the comparison step for providing machine protection . the comparison step can also include displaying , for comparison , the defined waveform with a known waveform for visually or computationally determining impulse events via computerized condition monitor 100 . additionally , alarms can be generated based on determined impulse events in the form of , for example , automatically shutting down the machine being monitored by the transducer and / or automatically annunciating machinery problems to operators and other plant personnel . hence , in one aspect , the present invention provides a system 10 : apparatus and method for identifying impulse events on machines by using inertial sensors with monitor 30 and computerized condition monitor 100 for detecting the higher frequency magnitudes of the impulse events and the position in the rotation ( for rotating machinery ) or the location of the piston in its stroke ( for reciprocating machinery ) when impulse events occur . additionally , for the case of reciprocating compressors , individual alarm magnitude set point limits can be set for different banded crank angle increments . further , banded crank angle increments can be set to “ track ” other machine events , such as rod reversal , suction valve opening or closing , discharge valve opening or closing , et cetera . in another aspect , the present invention provides a system 10 : apparatus and method that determines impulse events which occur in the operational cycle of the machine and compares their relative magnitudes to other events of the machine and / or relative to their own history ( e . g . are they getting stronger or weaker ) such that emerging problems are identified , correlated to a probable cause , and alleviated by a formulated proactive action . in another aspect , the present invention provides a system 10 : apparatus and method for processing asset data for retaining event timing to be able to accomplish event correlation ( to other machine events such as suction and discharge valve operation , rod reversal , etc ), and retaining relative magnitudes of the events so they can be compared historically to previous records for monitoring impulse events . these aspects , among other things , demonstrate industrial applicability of this invention . moreover , having thus described the present invention , it should be apparent that numerous modifications and adaptations may be resorted to without departing from the scope and fair meaning of the present invention as set forth hereinabove and as described herein below by the claims .	6
in general , the teachings herein provide for a label assembly that includes at least one or any combination of a base layer , an adhesive layer , a handling layer , a cut - out portion and a channel portion . the cut - out portion may extend through one or any combination of the base layer , the adhesive layer and the handling layer . the base layer may have first and second surfaces and may be in planar contact with one or more of the adhesive layer and the handling layer . the adhesive layer may be in planar contact with the second surface of the base layer . the handling layer may be in planar contact with the adhesive layer so that the adhesive layer is located between the base layer and the handling layer . the channel portion may be located so that it covers at least a portion of the cut - out portion . the present invention further provides for a label assembly that includes an adhesive label having a first surface and a second opposing surface that can be customized and modified while in use by placing a removable insert within a channel portion of the label assembly . the label assembly may include printed material on both the first and second opposing surface of the base layer . the adhesive layer may permit the label assembly to be adhered to a first surface , removed from the first surface , and adhered to a second surface . the adhesive layer may permit transfer to a plurality of surfaces without a substantial reduction in adhesion strength of the adhesive layer . the channel portion may or may not be covered with the adhesive layer . the channel portion may be located on the first surface of the base layer , the second surface of the adhesive label , or both the first and second surface of the base layer . the label assembly includes a base layer . the base layer may be substantially planar . the base layer includes a first surface and an opposing second surface . the base layer may include at least a portion that is substantially planar . the base layer may include a top edge , a bottom edge and one or more side edges . the base layer may include only three edges . the base layer may be circular , having only one edge . the top edge and bottom edge may be substantially parallel . the base layer may include a pair of substantially parallel side edges . the base layer may comprise a substantially continuous material layer . alternatively , the base layer may include one or more cut - out portions . the base layer may be formed of a flexible material . the base layer may be formed of a substantially rigid material . the base layer may be formed of a flexible material having a coating or additional material layer placed thereon to impart increased rigidity to the base layer . as discussed further herein , the base layer may be contacted with an adhesive layer that may provide increased rigidity to the base layer material . the base layer may also be contacted with a handling layer so that the handling layer provides increased rigidity to the base layer . the base layer may include one or more cut - out portions . the one or more cut - out portions may be formed by removing a portion of the base layer . the base layer material may be die - cut to remove a portion of the base layer , thus creating the cut - out portion . the one or more cut - out portions may be confined within the edges of the base layer so that the one or more cut - out portions do not contact any edges of the base layer . the cut - out portion may be formed so that a portion of the cut - out portion contacts one or more edges of the base layer so that an opening is created along one or more edges of the base layer . the cut - out portion may include one or more side edges . the cut - out portion may include at least two side edges that are substantially parallel to one another . the cut - out portion may include only one continuous side edge . the side edges of the one or more cut - out portions may be substantially parallel to one or more side edges of the base layer . each side edge of the cut - out portion may be substantially parallel to a side edge of the base layer . the one or more cut - out portions may have four side edges , each side edge being substantially parallel to at least one side edge of the base layer . the length of each side edge of the one or more cut - out portions may be shorter than the length of any side edge of the base layer . the length of each side edge of the one or more cut - out portions may be shorter than the length of at least one side edge of the base layer . the shape of the cut - out portion may be similar to that of the base layer . for example , both the base layer and cut - out portion may both have a rectangular shape . alternatively , the base layer and cut - out portion may have different shapes . as an example , the base layer may be rectangular in shape and the cut - out portion may be circular in shape . the cut - out portion may also encompass the majority of the base layer , so that only a small amount of base layer exists while the majority of the label assembly is comprised of the cut - out portion . each of the one or more cut - out portions includes a front face and a back face . the front face of the cut - out portion may be adjacent the first surface of the base layer , while the back face of the cut - out portion is adjacent the second surface of the base layer . the faces of the one or more cut - out portions may be covered by additional material layers that contact the base layer or that contact other additional material layers . as an example , one or both faces of the one or more cut - out portions may be covered by the handling layer . the one or more cut - out portions may be covered by the adhesive layer on one or more faces . one or more faces of the cut - out portion may remain exposed ( e . g ., uncovered ) by any additional material layer . the base layer may be contacted with an adhesive layer . the adhesive layer may allow the label assembly to adhere to a surface . the adhesive layer may be such that the label assembly can be adhered to a first surface , removed from the first surface , and adhered to a second surface and / or any number of additional surfaces . the adhesive layer may be a substantially permanent adhesive so that the label assembly is difficult to remove from a substrate , thus deterring theft of the label assembly . the adhesive layer may be located on the entire base layer . the adhesive layer may be located upon only a portion of the base layer . alternatively , the base layer may include one or more mechanical fasteners for fastening the label assembly to a surface . the base layer may include no means for attachment , but may be placed onto a substrate that includes an adhesive or mechanical fastening means to attach the label assembly to the substrate . any adhesive layer may be contacted with a handling layer so that a tacky surface of the label assembly is not exposed prior to use . as an example , the handling layer may cover any portions of the base layer that are contacted by the adhesive layer . the handling layer may be flexible to allow for bending of the label assembly . the handling layer may be substantially planar . the handling layer may be placed in direct planar contact with the adhesive layer . the handling layer may also lie substantially parallel in relation to the base layer . one or more faces of the cut - out portion may be covered by a channel portion . the channel portion may be formed so that it can receive an insert . the channel portion may be formed of a single continuous portion of material . the channel portion may be formed of multiple connected portions of material . the channel portion may include one or more folded edges . the one or more folded edges of the channel portion may be fastened to the base layer , the adhesive layer , the handling layer , or any material layer included within the label assembly . the one or more folded edges of the channel portion may be fastened to the base layer ( or any material layer included within the label assembly ) via an adhesive layer ( e . g ., adhesive tabs ). the adhesive layer ( e . g ., adhesive tabs ) may be located along the perimeter of the cut - out portion . the channel portion may be fastened via a mechanical fastener such as a pin , clip , staple or the like . the one or more folded edges may contact areas of the base layer that are adjacent ( e . g ., located at the perimeter of ) the one or more cut - out portions . the channel portion may include two folded edges so that two remaining edges are open and the open edges can receive the insert . the channel portion may be scored along the folded edges or at locations adjacent the folded edges to promote folding of the edges and prevent bowing of the channel portion . the scoring may be increased as the thickness of the intended insert decreases so that the folded edges form a thinner channel . alternatively , the scoring may be reduced to receive inserts having increased thickness . one open edge may include a stopper or may be adhered or mechanically fastened to the base layer to further prevent an insert from becoming dislodged from the channel portion . the folded side edges may be formed as channels located along the top and bottom edges of the cut - out portion . the channels may thus receive an edge of an insert . alternatively , the channel portion may also be formed of a continuous portion of material that is folded to form an envelope . the side edges of the envelope may be fastened ( e . g ., adhered ) together so that the channel portion includes only one open edge for receiving a removable insert . the only one open edge may be the top edge or may be a side edge . the envelope formed may be large enough so that it can hold a plurality of coupons , brochures , or other informational material that can be retrieved by consumers or other individuals to which information should be supplied . the removable insert may be planar so that it includes a top surface and a bottom surface . the top surface and bottom surface may include printed information so that the printed information can be viewed from both the first surface and second surface of the base layer . the printed information on the top surface and bottom surface of the removable insert may be identical . the removable insert may have a one or more side edges . the removable insert may have any shape or form so that it fits within the channel portion . the removable insert may include two substantially parallel side edges . the removable insert may include a top edge and a bottom edge . the top edge and bottom edge of the removable insert may be substantially parallel to one another . the lengths of each side edge and the top and bottom edge may correspond to the lengths of the channel portion so that the removable insert fits securely within the channel portion to prevent the removable insert from becoming unintentionally detached from the channel portion . the thickness of the removable insert may be such that the insert can slide into the channels created by the channel portion . however , the removable insert preferably has a thickness that prevents the insert from easily falling out of the channel portion during use . the base layer and removable insert discussed herein may be composed of a pliable material to provide flexibility to the label assembly . a particular feature of the material may be that it is durable enough to resist tearing during attempts to place and remove the label assembly . the base layer and removable insert may be formed of the same material , or of different materials . the base layer and removable insert may be formed of paper materials including but not limited to paperboard , chipboard , cardboard , fiberboard , natural fibers , mineral fibers or any combination thereof . the material may be a virgin material , a post - consumer recycled material , or both . the material may be a recyclable material and / or a biodegradable material . if the base layer and / or removable insert material includes paperboard , the paperboard may be a bleached or unbleached paperboard . for example it may be a solid bleached sulfate ( sbs ) paperboard . the base layer and removable insert may be formed of a more rigid material , such as a polymeric material including but not limited to thermoplastics , thermoset plastics , elastomer containing materials or any combination thereof . examples of polymeric materials that may be employed include polyamide , polyester , polystyrene , polyethylene ( including polyethylene terephthlate , high density polyethylene and low density polyethylene ), polypropylene , polyvinyl chloride , bio - based plastics / biopolymers ( e . g ., poly lactic acid ), silicone , acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), or any combination thereof . the base layer and removable insert may also be composed of a paper - based material that includes a coating , which may be a polymeric coating , to enhance the strength and / or rigidity of the label assembly . the coating may be a film layer . common plastic films that may be used include nylon , polyvinyl chloride , polypropylene , high - density polyethylene , low - density polyethylene , linear low - density polyethylene , polyvinylidene chloride and combinations thereof . the film layer may be any material with sufficient transparency for viewing information printed onto the base layer and / or removable insert . the channel portion may be composed of any material having sufficient transparency so that any printed information located on the removable insert may be viewed through the channel portion . the channel portion may be formed of a more rigid material , such as a polymeric material including but not limited to thermoplastics , thermoset plastics , elastomer containing materials or any combination thereof . examples of polymeric materials that may be employed include polyamide , polyester , polystyrene , polyethylene ( including polyethylene terephthlate , high density polyethylene and low density polyethylene ), polypropylene , polyvinyl chloride , bio - based plastics / biopolymers ( e . g ., poly lactic acid ), silicone , nylon , acrylonitrile butadiene styrene ( abs ), or any combination thereof . the adhesive layer may include one or more adhesives for adhering at least a portion of base layer to a substrate . the adhesive may be capable of adhering to multiple types of substrates , including both rigid and flexible substrates . such substrates may include , but are not limited to glass , polymeric materials , metal , paper - based materials , woven materials and the like . suitable adhesives may include synthetic adhesives such as polymeric ( e . g ., thermoplastic , elastomeric , emulsion or thermosetting ) adhesives . the adhesive may also include a bioadhesive such as starch , casein or albumin based adhesives . the adhesive may also include a uv curing adhesive . the adhesive may be a pressure sensitive adhesive such as a fugitive adhesive . as shown for example in fig1 and 2 , the label assembly may include a base layer 10 , and adhesive layer 12 , and a handling layer 14 . the base layer 10 includes a first surface 16 and a second opposing surface 18 . the base layer further includes a top edge 20 , a bottom edge 22 , and two substantially parallel opposing side edges 24 ( shown at fig3 ). a cut - out portion 26 may be located within the base layer 10 . the cut - out portion 26 includes a top edge 28 , a bottom edge 30 and two substantially parallel side edges 32 ( shown at fig3 ). the cut - out portion 26 includes a front face 34 and a back face 36 ( shown at fig5 ). the front face 34 of the cut - out portion may be covered with a channel portion 38 . the channel portion 38 may be located onto the first surface 16 of the base layer 10 via adhesive tabs 40 . the channel portion 16 includes two folded edge portions 42 that create channels 44 for receiving an insert ( not shown ). the adhesive layer 12 may be located in planar contact with the second surface 26 of the base layer 10 . the handling layer 14 may be located in planar contact with the adhesive layer 12 . as shown for example in fig2 , the handling layer 14 may be removed so that the adhesive layer 12 is exposed and the base layer 10 may be adhered to a substrate . as shown in fig3 , the channel portion 38 is attached to the first surface 16 of the base layer 10 . the channel portion 38 is composed of a single continuous transparent sheet 46 that includes two folded edge portions 42 that create channels 44 for receiving a removable insert 48 . the removable insert has a top surface 50 and a bottom surface 52 ( shown in fig5 ). the top surface 50 of the removable insert 48 is arranged adjacent the first surface 16 of the base layer 10 . fig4 shows the base layer 10 attached to a substrate 54 via the adhesive layer 12 . the substrate may be a substantially transparent substrate having two opposing surfaces ( a front surface 56 and a rear surface 58 ( shown in fig5 )). note that the removable insert 48 can be removed from within the channel portion 38 while the base portion 10 is adhered to the substrate 54 . fig5 shows the base layer 10 adhered to a substrate 54 as viewed from the rear surface 58 of the substrate 54 . the back face 36 of the cut - out portion 26 remains uncovered and the bottom surface 52 of the removable insert 48 is visible and uncovered . note that prior to removal of the handling layer , the back face of the cut - out portion 26 and bottom surface 52 of any removable insert 48 located within the channel portion 38 may not be covered by the handling layer . fig6 shows the removal of the removable insert 48 from within the channel portion 38 so that a second removable insert 60 may be located within the channel portion 38 as shown in fig7 . the label assembly may be shipped to the customer in one assembled piece , whereby an adhesive layer is included and the channel portion is already attached to the base layer . alternatively , the label assembly may be shipped without an integrated adhesive layer , but may include a separate adhesive or mechanical fastener . the customer may provide a separate adhesive or mechanical fastener . the label assembly may be shipped to the customer in two pieces , whereby the channel portion is not attached to the base layer . again , an adhesive or mechanical fastener may be provided to the customer for attaching the channel portion to the base layer or the customer may provide the adhesive or mechanical fastener for attaching the channel portion to the base layer . the label assembly as disclosed herein provides a two - sided label assembly where the information can be frequently modified while the label is in use and the label can be viewed from two opposing surfaces of a transparent substrate during use . the label assembly may be beneficial in advertising or any other capacity where it is necessary to transmit information while still maintaining the ability to quickly modify the information as needed . the label assembly further provides such benefits at a minimal cost , whereas digital signage provides similar benefit at extremely high cost . the label assembly further provides a means to remove the assembly from one location and adhere the assembly to another location multiple times with little or no damage to the label assembly . any numerical values recited herein include all values from the lower value to the upper value in increments of one unit provided that there is a separation of at least 2 units between any lower value and any higher value . as an example , if it is stated that the amount of a component or a value of a process variable such as , for example , temperature , pressure , time and the like is , for example , from 1 to 90 , preferably from 20 to 80 , more preferably from 30 to 70 , it is intended that values such as 15 to 85 , 22 to 68 , 43 to 51 , 30 to 32 etc . are expressly enumerated in this specification . for values which are less than one , one unit is considered to be 0 . 0001 , 0 . 001 , 0 . 01 or 0 . 1 as appropriate . these are only examples of what is specifically intended and all possible combinations of numerical values between the lowest value and the highest value enumerated are to be considered to be expressly stated in this application in a similar manner . as can be seen , the teaching of amounts expressed as “ parts by weight ” herein also contemplates the same ranges expressed in terms of percent by weight . thus , an expression in the detailed description of the invention of a range in terms of at “‘ x ’ parts by weight of the resulting polymeric blend composition ” also contemplates a teaching of ranges of same recited amount of “ x ” in percent by weight of the resulting polymeric blend composition .” unless otherwise stated , all ranges include both endpoints and all numbers between the endpoints . the use of “ about ” or “ approximately ” in connection with a range applies to both ends of the range . thus , “ about 20 to 30 ” is intended to cover “ about 20 to about 30 ”, inclusive of at least the specified endpoints . the disclosures of all articles and references , including patent applications and publications , are incorporated by reference for all purposes . the term “ consisting essentially of ” to describe a combination shall include the elements , ingredients , components or steps identified , and such other elements ingredients , components or steps that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the combination . the use of the terms “ comprising ” or “ including ” to describe combinations of elements , ingredients , components or steps herein also contemplates embodiments that consist essentially of the elements , ingredients , components or steps . by use of the term “ may ” herein , it is intended that any described attributes that “ may ” be included are optional . plural elements , ingredients , components or steps can be provided by a single integrated element , ingredient , component or step . alternatively , a single integrated element , ingredient , component or step might be divided into separate plural elements , ingredients , components or steps . the disclosure of “ a ” or “ one ” to describe an element , ingredient , component or step is not intended to foreclose additional elements , ingredients , components or steps . it is understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive . many embodiments as well as many applications besides the examples provided will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reading the above description . the scope of the invention should , therefore , be determined not with reference to the above description , but should instead be determined with reference to the appended claims , along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled . the disclosures of all articles and references , including patent applications and publications , are incorporated by reference for all purposes . the omission in the following claims of any aspect of subject matter that is disclosed herein is not a disclaimer of such subject matter , nor should it be regarded that the inventors did not consider such subject matter to be part of the disclosed inventive subject matter .	1
referring now to fig1 , self - checkout system 10 includes attendant computer 12 , self - checkout terminals 14 , and attendant communicator 40 . attendant computer 12 includes processor 16 , sound circuitry 18 , and wireless communication circuitry 20 . processor 16 executes lane management software 26 , speech generating software 28 , and speech recognition software 30 . lane management software 26 receives status information and automated intervention requests from self - checkout terminals 14 . lane management software 26 is configured to recognize and respond to messages from self - checkout terminals 14 . speech generating software 28 works with sound circuitry 18 to convert the requests to sound signals . speech recognition software 30 works with sound circuitry 18 to convert speech signals to digital or software instructions directed to lane management software 26 . wireless communication circuitry 20 wirelessly transmits the sound signals to attendant communicator 40 . wireless communication circuitry 20 wirelessly receives speech signals from attendant communicator 40 . the attendant wears attendant communicator 40 and may additionally carry portable scanner 48 . attendant communicator 40 includes wireless communication circuitry 42 , speakers 44 , and microphone 46 . attendant communicator 40 may include a headset worn by the attendant . wireless communication circuitry 42 wirelessly receives sound signals from wireless communication circuitry 20 and sends the sound signals to speakers 44 . wireless communication circuitry 42 further receives speech signals from microphone 46 and wirelessly transmits the speech signals to wireless communication circuitry 20 . wireless communication circuitry 20 and 42 may include radio frequency ( rf ) communication circuitry . wireless communication circuitry 42 additionally includes amplification circuitry and a battery for amplifying received sound signals and speech signals . portable scanner 48 preferable includes a wireless handheld scanner for scanning large items . portable scanner 48 may decode bar code labels or send undecoded bar code information to self - checkout terminals 14 via wireless communication circuitry 20 and attendant computer 12 . attendant computer 12 further includes display 22 and input device 24 . display 22 displays status information and intervention requests provided by lane management software 26 . input device 24 records attendant selections in response to intervention requests . attendant computer 12 and self - checkout computers 14 are preferably coupled together via a network . self - checkout terminals 14 execute self - checkout software 34 , which process self - service transactions . self - checkout software 34 generates intervention requests and sends the intervention requests to attendant computer 12 . in operation , an attendant wears communicator 40 so as to communicate remotely with attendant computer 12 . if the attendant is called to one of self - checkout terminals 14 by a customer or by self - checkout software 34 to verify an identification card , scan a large item , or provide other assistance , the attendant receives status information and intervention requests through speakers 42 . the attendant may speak a response into microphone 44 rather than walk back to attendant computer 12 . table i below illustrates typical tasks of a self - checkout attendant , information supplied to the attendant , and actions taken by the attendant . turning now to fig2 , example operation of attendant computer 12 is illustrated in detail beginning with start 50 . in step 52 , lane management software 26 waits for an intervention request from self - checkout software 34 . in step 54 , lane management software 26 receives a request from self - checkout software 34 in connection with an attempted purchase of a product . for example , suppose self - checkout software 34 at one of self - checkout terminals 14 determines that a scanned item is an alcohol product that can only be sold to persons aged 21 or older . self - checkout software 34 sends attendant computer 12 an intervention request . the attendant may be located at attendant computer 12 or may be walking among self - checkout terminals 14 , viewing what is happening or assisting customers with questions posed directly to the attendant . in step 56 , lane management software 26 sends a message to the attendant . lane management software 26 wirelessly sends the message to attendant communicator 40 and displays the message on display 22 . speech generating software 28 works with sound circuitry 18 to convert the requests to audio messages . preferably , audio messages and spoken responses from the attendant are standardized to make communication easier . wireless communication circuitry 20 wirelessly transmits the sound signals to attendant communicator 40 . the attendant receives the message through attendant communicator 40 and walks over to self - checkout terminal 14 and determines the age of the customer by checking his driver &# 39 ; s license . the attendant speaks into microphone 46 , “ lane one age 25 ”. in step 58 , lane management software 26 receives a response from the attendant either allowing or denying the purchase . wireless communication circuitry 20 wirelessly receives speech signals from attendant communicator 40 . speech recognition software 30 works with sound circuitry 18 to convert speech signals to software responses directed to lane management software 26 . in step 60 , lane management software 26 sends a response to self - checkout software 34 , in the same way as if the attendant were responding through input device 24 . operation returns to step 52 to wait for another intervention request from any of self - checkout terminals 14 . table i task audio messages attendant speech customer “ age validation attendant walks to lane one , purchases an required , lane looks at the customer &# 39 ; s age restricted one ” plays identification and speaks into item on lane through speakers microphone 44 “ lane one age 25 ” one 42 customer on lane “ unpurchased attendant walks to lane three three places an item in bag , lane and determines if an unpurchased three ” unpurchased item is in the bag . item in a bag the attendant can then remove the item . customer on “ unpurchased attendant walks to lane three lane three places item in bag . lane and asks the customer to remove a purse on a bag three ” the purse . attendant may then scale , triggering approve the transaction by an unpurchased speaking , “ lane three approve .” item violation customer bags an “ wrong item attendant walks to lane two , item after bagged , lane two ” and speaks , “ lane two approve ”, scanning it on if correct item is bagged . lane two , but lane management software 26 detects an incorrect weight on a bag scale customer at lane none . attendant walks to lane one , one appears and speaks , “ scan lane one ” to unable to lift and instruct the system that the scan a large item . next item scanned with the attendant &# 39 ; s handheld wireless scanner should be part of lane one &# 39 ; s transaction . the attendant then scans the item for the customer on lane one . advantageously , the attendant is able to walk among self - checkout terminals 14 while still being able to handle requests . the invention reduces transactions times and allows the attendant to process more customers . finally , the invention may reduce shrinkage . a headset communicator allows the attendant to operate in a “ hands - free ” mode , which makes tasks such as helping with a scan or validating an identification card easier . although the invention has been described with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , variations and modifications of the present invention can be effected within the spirit and scope of the following claims .	0
the present invention may be used in the cervical , lumbar , or thoracic regions of the spine . some components of the embodiment described herein , such as the cage bodies , are preferably made of biocompatible oxpekk , a poly - ether - ketone - ketone sold under the registered trademark of oxford performance materials , inc ., enfeld , conn ., usa . alternative embodiments contemplate fabrication from biocompatible peek ( poly - ether - ether - ketone ). oxpekk has approximately one - and - a - half to two times the compressive strength of peek , and therefore may be suited for constructing the cage body . in addition to the foregoing , it should be noted that , while the embodiments described herein are solid bodies , they may also be formed as porous bodies , as described in u . s . application ser . no . 612 / 952 , 788 ( filed nov . 23 , 2010 ), entitled “ spinal cage device ” and incorporated by reference herein . while the terms “ upper ,” “ lower ,” “ front ,” “ rear ,” and similar terms are used throughout this document , it should be expressly understood that such are simply terms of convenience only to aid in description of the invention , and the orientation of the invention disclosed herein after during implantation is primarily within the surgeon &# 39 ; s discretion . a first embodiment 18 of the invention is shown in fig1 - 5 . fig1 is an assembly view of the first embodiment 18 , which comprises a cage body 20 having upper and lower walls 22 , 24 with ridges 26 . upper and lower walls 22 , 24 partially define a cavity 28 of the cage body 20 . openings 30 through the upper and lower walls 22 , 24 provide access to the cavity 28 to allow for bone growth thereinto from adjacent vertebrae . a piston 32 having upper and lower angled surfaces 34 , 36 is insertable into the cavity 28 through a piston opening in the posterior sidewall of the cage body 20 to engage and drive nails 56 . piston screws 38 may thereafter be inserted through a piston faceplate 40 and secured to screw mounts 42 located in the cavity 28 near the posterior opening . fig2 a - 2c show the cage body 20 is greater detail . upper and lower rails 44 , 46 extend along the length of , and protrude into the cavity 28 from , the upper and lower wails 22 , 24 , respectively . screw mounts 42 are located near the posterior side of the cavity 28 . openings 30 through the upper wall 22 and lower wall 24 provide access the cavity 28 to allow for bone growth thereinto from adjacent vertebrae . cylindrical channels 31 are located between the two openings 30 and provide a cylindrical path through the upper wall 22 to the cavity 28 . a pair of cylindrical channels ( not shown ) is disposed through the lower wall in similar fashion and aligned with the upper channels 31 . fig3 a - 3c show the piston 32 of the first embodiment in greater detail . the piston 32 has upper and lower angled planar surfaces 34 , 36 approximately sixty degrees apart . upper and lower grooves 48 , 50 are formed longitudinally along the piston 32 and extend between the faceplate 40 and the upper and lower angled planar surfaces 34 , 36 . the grooves 48 , 50 are alignable with , and during insertion guide the piston 32 along , upper and lower rails 44 , 46 ( see fig2 a ), respectively , of the cage body 20 . shoulders 52 are formed in the piston body having a thickness t1 . engagement surfaces 53 are located between the shoulders 52 and the angled surfaces 34 , 36 . fig4 a and 4b show a titanium nail 56 and bushing 58 of the first embodiment in greater detail . the nail 56 is generally cylindrical and has a nail head 60 of thickness ti at a proximal end and tapers to a point 62 at the distal end . the nail head 60 has an angled portion 64 corresponding to the angled surfaces 34 , 36 of the piston 32 ( see fig3 a - 3c ). the upper end 66 of the bushing 58 corresponds in shape to the upper wall 22 ( see fig2 a - 2c ) such that , when assembled , the bushing 58 is flush with the ridges 26 of the upper surface of the cage body 20 ( see , e . g ., fig5 a ). fig5 a and fig5 b are an isometric view and a top elevation view , respectively , of the first embodiment 18 with the nails 56 in a second engaged position . during implantation , the angled portions 60 of the nail heads 60 ( see fig4 a - 4b ) are contacted by and become flush with the angled surfaces 34 , 36 of the piston 32 ( see fig3 a - 3c ), which , as the piston 32 is inserted further into the cavity 28 , causes the nails 56 to move upwardly through the channels 31 . in this manner , engagement of the upper angled surface 34 with the nail head 60 causes movement of the piston 32 into the cavity 28 to drive the nail 56 into the adjacent vertebra above the embodiment 18 . similarly , engagement of the lower angled surface 36 with nail heads causes movement of the piston 32 into the cavity 28 to drive lower nails ( not shown ) into the adjacent vertebra below the embodiment . after complete insertion of the piston 32 , each nail head 60 becomes flush with the corresponding engagement surface 53 to prevent the nail 56 from receding back into the cavity 28 . this ensures fastening of the nail 56 to adjacent bone matter . the upper and lower rails 44 , 46 ( see fig2 a , 2 c ) occupy the upper and lower grooves 48 , 50 , respectively , to ensure proper alignment of the piston 32 within the cavity 28 . the ridged bushings 58 are fitted within the channels 31 in the annular space between the nail 56 and channel walls to facilitate slidable movement of the nail 56 therein . by threading the screws 38 through the faceplate 40 and the screw mounts 42 , the piston 32 is drawn into the cavity 28 and secured to the cage body 20 . a second embodiment 118 of the invention , shown in fig6 - 10 , comprises a cage body 120 having upper and lower walls 122 , 124 with ridges 126 . upper and lower walls 122 , 124 partially define a cavity 128 of the cage body 120 . openings 130 through the upper and lower walls 122 , 124 provide access to the cavity 128 to allow for bone growth thereinto from adjacent vertebrae . a piston 132 having upper and lower angled planar surfaces 134 , 136 is insertable into the cavity 128 through a piston opening in the posterior wall of the cage body 120 . screws 138 may thereafter be inserted through a piston faceplate 140 and secured to screw mounts 142 located in the cavity 128 proximal to the piston opening . fig7 a - 7c show the cage body 120 of the second embodiment is greater detail . fig7 a and 7c are bottom and top elevations , respectively , of the cage body 120 . fig7 b is a rear elevation of the cage body 120 . upper and lower rails 144 , 146 extend along the length of , and protrude into the cavity 128 from , the upper and lower walls 122 , 124 , respectively . screw mounts 142 are located near the rear side of the cavity 128 . openings 130 through the upper and lower walls 122 , 144 provide access to the cavity 128 to allow for bone growth thereinto from adjacent vertebrae . as shown in fig7 a , a channel 131 is located between the two openings 130 and provides a path through the lower wall 124 to the cavity . as shown in fig7 b , two channels 133 are located between the two openings 130 and provide a path through the upper wall 122 to the cavity 128 . fig8 a and 8b show the piston 132 of the second embodiment 118 in greater detail . the piston 132 has upper and lower angled surfaces 134 , 136 angled approximately sixty degrees apart . upper and lower grooves 148 , 150 are formed longitudinally along the piston 132 from the faceplate 140 to the upper and lower angled surfaces 134 , 136 . upper and lower grooves 148 , 150 are alignable with , and during insertion guide the piston 132 along , upper and lower rails 144 , 146 ( see fig7 b ) of the cage body 120 . shoulders 152 are formed in the piston body having a thickness t2 . engagement surfaces 153 are located between the shoulders 152 and the angled surfaces 134 , 136 . fig9 a and 9b show a titanium pin 156 and bushing 158 , respectively , of the second embodiment 118 in greater detail . each pin 156 has an angled engagement surface 160 that corresponds to the angle of the upper and lower angled surfaces 134 , 136 of the piston 132 ( see fig8 b ). each pin 156 tapers to a wedge 162 at the distal end . the upper end 166 of the bushing 158 corresponds in shape to the upper wall 122 ( see fig7 a - 7c ) such that , when assembled , the bushing 158 is flush with the ridges 126 of the upper surface of the cage body 120 ( see , e . g ., fig1 ). fig1 is a perspective view of the second embodiment 118 with the pins 156 in an engaged position . during implantation , the angled engagement surfaces 160 ( see fig9 a - 9b ) of the pins 156 are contacted by and become flush with the upper and lower angled surfaces 134 , 136 of the piston 132 , which , as the piston 132 is inserted further into the cavity 128 , causes the pins 156 to move through the channels 131 , 133 to an engaged position . in this manner , engagement of the upper and lower angled surfaces 134 , 136 with the pins 156 causes movement of the piston 132 into the cavity 128 to drive the pins 156 into the adjacent vertebra . the piston screw heads are positioned anterior of the posterior surface of the faceplate 140 . after insertion of the piston 132 is complete , each engagement surface 160 is flush with the engagement surfaces 153 of the piston to prevent the pins 156 from receding back into the cavity 128 and ensuring fastening of the pins 156 with adjacent bone matter . the upper and lower rails 144 , 146 ( see fig7 b ) occupy the upper and lower grooves 148 , 150 , respectively , of the piston 132 to ensure proper alignment of the piston 132 within the cavity 128 . the ridged bushings 158 are fitted within the upper and lower channels 131 , 133 in the annular space between the pin 156 and channel wails to facilitate movement between disengaged and engaged positions . a third embodiment 218 of the invention , shown in fig1 - 15 , comprises a cage body 220 having upper and lower walls 222 , 224 with ridges 226 . upper and lower walls 222 , 224 partially define a cavity 228 . openings 230 through the upper and lower wall 222 , 224 and sidewalls provide access to the cavity 228 to allow for bone growth thereinto from adjacent vertebrae . upper and lower lock openings 225 , 227 are formed through the upper and lower walls , 222 , 224 , respectively proximal to a piston opening in the posterior wall of the cage body 220 . a piston 232 having upper and lower angled surfaces 234 , 236 is insertable into the cavity 228 through the piston opening . a screw 238 may thereafter be inserted through a piston faceplate 240 and secured to a screw mount 242 located at the posterior of the cavity 228 . a locking plate 280 having a closed end 283 and an opened end 284 defined by upper and lower fingers 286 , 288 is rotatably attached to the faceplate 240 with a locking member screw 282 . fig1 a - 12c show the cage body 220 in greater detail . a screw mount 242 is located near the front of the cavity 228 . openings 230 through the upper wall 222 provide access to the cavity 228 to allow for bone growth thereinto from adjacent vertebrae . rectangular channels 231 , 233 are located between the openings 230 and provide paths through the upper wall 222 and lower wall 224 to the cavity . as shown in fig1 c , upper and lower rails 244 , 246 extend along the length of , and protrude into the cavity 228 from , the upper and lower walls 222 , 224 , respectively . fig1 a - 13c show the piston 232 , piston screw 238 , and locking plate 280 of the third embodiment in greater detail . the piston 232 has upper and lower angled surfaces 234 , 236 angled approximately sixty degrees apart . upper and lower grooves 248 , 250 are formed longitudinally along the piston 232 between the faceplate 240 and the upper and lower angled surfaces 234 , 236 . upper and lower grooves 248 , 250 are alignable with , and during insertion guide the piston 232 along , upper and lower rails 244 , 246 ( see fig1 c ) of the cage body 220 . shoulders 252 are formed in the piston body having a thickness t3 . engagement surfaces 253 are located between the shoulders 252 and the upper and lower angled surfaces 234 , 236 . fig1 a - 14d show a titanium pin 256 and bushing 258 , respectively , of the third embodiment 218 in greater detail . each pin 256 has an angled engagement surface 260 that corresponds to the angle of the upper and lower angled surfaces 234 , 236 of the piston 132 ( see fig1 c ). each pin 256 tapers to an angled wedge 262 at the distal end . the upper end 266 of the bushing 258 corresponds in shape to the ridged upper surface ( see fig7 a - 7c ) such that , when assembled , the bushing 258 is flush with the ridges 226 of the cage body 220 ( see , e . g ., fig1 ). fig1 a - 15c disclose rear , front , and side elevations , respectively of the third embodiment 218 . during implantation , the angled engagement surfaces 260 ( see fig1 a - 14c ) are contacted by and become flush with the upper and lower angled surfaces 234 , 236 of the piston 232 , which , as the piston 232 is inserted further into the cavity 228 , causes the pins 256 to move upwardly through the channels 231 , 233 to an engaged position . in this manner , engagement of the upper and lower angled surfaces 234 , 236 with the pin 256 causes movement of the piston 232 into the cavity 228 to drive the pins 256 into the adjacent vertebra . after insertion of the piston 232 is complete , each engagement surface 260 becomes flush with the engagement surface 253 to prevent the nail from receding back into the cavity 228 and ensuring fastening of the nail 256 with adjacent bone matter . the upper and lower rails 244 , 246 ( see fig1 a , 12 c ) occupy the upper and lower grooves 248 , 250 , respectively , to ensure proper alignment of the piston 232 within the cavity 228 . the ridged bushings 258 are fitted within the channels 231 , 233 in the annular space between the titanium pin 256 and channel walls to facilitate movement and retain the pins 256 in the channels 231 , 233 . operation of the locking plate for this embodiment is identical to operation of the locking mechanism described hereafter with reference to the fourth embodiment a fourth embodiment comprises a cage body 320 , shown in fig1 a - 16c , comprises upper and lower walls 322 , 324 with ridges 326 . upper and lower walls 322 , 324 partially define a cavity 328 . openings 330 through the upper wall 322 provide access to the cavity 328 to allow for bone growth thereinto from adjacent vertebrae . upper and lower lock openings 325 , 327 are formed in the upper and lower walls 322 , 324 , respectively near the piston opening 328 . a piston 332 having upper and lower angled surfaces 334 , 336 is insertable into the cavity 328 . a screw 338 may thereafter be inserted through a piston faceplate 340 and secured to a screw mount located in the cavity 328 . a locking plate 380 having a closed end 383 opened end 384 defined by upper and lower fingers 386 , 388 is rotatably attached to the faceplate 340 with a screw 382 . as shown in fig1 b , the fastening members of the fourth embodiment 318 comprises porous blades 356 with lateral passages 357 therethrough to allow bone growth . fig1 b and fig1 c , which both depict the piston in an engaged position within the cage body 320 , show the locking plate 380 in the unlocked and locked position , respectively . in the unlocked position , the screw 338 may be passed between the upper and lower fingers 386 , 388 , with the screw head accessible . once the piston 382 is engaged with the cage body 320 to support the blades 356 , the locking plate 380 is rotated around the locking plate screw 381 so that the lower finger 386 extends into the lower lock opening 325 and upper finger 386 covers the head of the piston screw 382 . in this position , the locking plate 380 prevents “ back out ” of the piston screw 382 and piston 332 , which assures engagement of the blades 356 with the adjacent vertebrae . although the embodiments of the present invention disclose titanium fastening members , alternative embodiments include stainless steel fastening members . for each of the above - described embodiments , the upper and lower walls are at least substantially parallel . in alternative embodiments , however , the upper and lower walls may be angled relative to one another to correspond to curvature of the spine ( e . g ., to correspond to a lordotic curvature ) at the targeted region of implantation . in such case , the front and rear sides will be of differing heights . in addition to the nail and / or pins described hereinabove , alternative embodiments of the present invention contemplate a fastening member with a blade - or knifelike appearance , such as the porous blades shown in fig1 and fig2 . the present invention is described in terms of preferred illustrative embodiments of specifically described stand - alone spinal cages . those skilled in the art will recognize that yet other alternative embodiments of such a device can be used in carrying out the present invention . other aspects , features , and advantages of the present invention may be obtained from a study of this disclosure and the drawings , along with the appended claims .	0
[ 0020 ] fig1 is a side view of a bicycle that incorporates a particular embodiment of a braking apparatus according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the bicycle is a touring bicycle comprising a frame 1 with a double - loop frame body 2 and a front fork 3 , a handle assembly 4 for steering , a drive unit 5 for transmitting the rotation of pedals 5 a to a rear wheel 7 , a front wheel 6 , and a brake system 8 for braking the front and rear wheels 6 and 7 . the handle assembly 4 comprises a handle stem 10 fixedly mounted in the upper portion of the front fork 3 and a handlebar 11 fixedly mounted on the handle stem 10 . the handle assembly 4 , drive unit 5 , front wheel 6 , rear wheel 7 , and brake system 8 are mounted together with a saddle 9 and other components on the frame 1 . as shown in fig2 the brake system 8 comprises front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , braking devices 13 f and 13 r actuated by the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r , front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r connected between the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r and the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and a cable connector 15 for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r in a manner described below . the brake cables 14 f and 14 r comprise inner cables 16 f and 16 r connected at both ends to the brake levers 12 f and 12 r and to the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , and outer casings 17 f and 17 r for covering the inner cables 16 f and 16 r . the outer casings 17 f and 17 r are divided by the cable connector 15 into the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra extending from cable connector 15 toward the brake levers 12 f and 12 r , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb extending from cable connector 15 toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . the front brake lever 12 f is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 a attached to the left end of the handlebar 11 , and the rear brake lever 12 r is mounted inwardly from a grip 18 b attached to the right end of the handlebar 11 . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r are mirror images of each other . the brake levers 12 f and 12 r each comprise a lever bracket 20 mounted on the handlebar 11 , a lever member 21 pivotably supported by the lever bracket 20 , and an outer retainer 22 fixedly screwed into the lever bracket 20 . each lever bracket 20 comprises a rocking shaft 20 a for pivotably supporting the lever member 21 , a mounting component 20 b detachably mountable on the handlebar 11 , and an internally threaded component 20 c capable of threadably accepting the outer retainer 22 and receiving the inner cables 16 f and 16 r therethrough . each lever member 21 is biased by a biasing member ( not shown ) in the direction of brake release , and each lever member 21 has an inner retainer 21 a for securing the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . as shown in fig4 , each outer retainer 22 comprises a cable sleeve 23 , a guide 24 , a coil spring 25 , and a cable cover 26 . the guide 24 is a cylindrical member whose tip is provided with an externally threaded portion 24 a for detachable threaded engagement with the internally threaded component 20 c of a conventional lever bracket 20 . such a structure makes it easy to remove and / or repair outer retainer 22 . the cable sleeve 23 is a perforated cup - shaped member capable of securing the tips of the outer casings 17 fa or 17 ra , and it has on the external periphery thereof a spring sleeve 23 a that is folded near the opening . guide 24 is designed to support the cable sleeve 23 on the internal peripheral surface thereof while allowing cable sleeve 23 to move a predetermined distance along the axis of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r . the coil spring 25 , disposed in compressed form between the tip of guide 24 and the spring sleeve 23 a of cable sleeve 23 , biases the cable sleeve 23 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of guide 24 . the base end of guide 24 opens to allow the passage of the cable sleeve 23 , and an annular lid member 27 made of metal and capable of accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra therein is fixedly mounted in the opening by press fitting . the cable sleeve 23 is thus retained inside guide 24 against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 . cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the tip of guide 24 ( toward the brake lever ) against the biasing force of the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are pulled , and the cable sleeve 23 is moved toward the base end of guide 24 ( toward the lid member 27 ) by the coil spring 25 when the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are released from tension , as shown by the chain line in fig4 . the cable cover 26 , which is a contractible bellows member made of an elastic material , sealingly covers the external peripheral surfaces of the guide 24 and the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra to prevent the entry of water or other contaminants to prevent freezing or corrosion of the components . as shown in fig2 , 3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r are roller - type internal expanding brakes . the braking devices 13 f and 13 r comprise fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r fixedly mounted to the back portions of the bicycle front fork 3 and frame body 2 , play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r for securing the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb and adjusting the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r , brake bodies 32 f and 32 r , and brake operating arms 33 f and 33 r that can pivot relative to the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r . the play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r are provided with outer retainers screwed into the fixed brackets 30 f and 30 r , thus allowing the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be adjusted by moving the end positions of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb back and forth in the axial direction . the brake bodies 32 f and 32 r have substantially the same structure , so the rear brake body 32 r alone will be described herein . as shown in fig3 ( a ) and 3 ( b ), the rear brake body 32 r comprises a rotary component 40 that rotates integrally with the hub shell of the rear wheel 7 , a brake drum ( braked member ) 41 fixedly mounted on the internal peripheral surface of the rotary component 40 , and brake shoes ( braking members ) 42 capable of coming into contact with and disengaging from the brake drum 41 . the brake shoes 42 are brought into contact with the brake drum 41 for applying a braking force to the rear wheel 7 when a plurality of rollers 44 supported by a roller case 43 are moved radially outward by the rotation of a rotary cam 45 . the rotary cam 45 rotates in conjunction with the brake operating arm 33 r , wherein the inner cable 16 r is secured to the brake operating arm 33 r . thus , pulling the inner cable 16 r by gripping the brake lever 12 r will cause the brake operating arm 33 r to rotate clockwise from the brake release position shown in fig3 ( a ) to the braking position shown in fig3 ( b ). this , in turn , causes the brake shoes 42 to come into contact with the brake drum 41 and apply a braking force to the rear wheel 7 . the gap formed between the brake shoes 42 and the brake drum 41 during brake release constitutes the play of the braking device 13 r . the cable connector 15 is a device for connecting the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together so that both the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r may be actuated by operating either one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r . as shown in fig4 - 6 , the cable connector 15 comprises a connection member 45 for connecting the inner cables 16 f and 16 r of the front and rear brake cables 14 f and 14 r together , a bracket 46 for housing the connection member 45 , a play confirmation component 47 that allows the play of the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r to be confirmed visually , and a casing 48 for covering the bracket 46 . the connection member 45 is movably mounted inside the bracket 46 and comprises a first connector 45 a connected by screws 45 c to a second connector 45 b . the front and rear inner cables 16 f and 16 r are connected together by the insertion of the two cables 16 f and 16 r between the two connectors 45 a and 45 b . the connection member 45 is biased by two coil springs 49 in the direction of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . such biasing aids the initial setting of connection member 45 . the bracket 46 comprises a bracket body 46 a formed of metal and press - molded into a substantial u shape , and a bottom plate component 46 b mounted over the open portion of the bracket body 46 a . the central portion of the bracket body 46 a is provided with outer retainers 46 c for securing the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra on the side of the brake levers 12 f and 12 r . the bottom plate component 46 b , which is disposed opposite the central portion , is provided with outer retainers 46 d designed to secure the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb on the side of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . a guide 50 is disposed in contact with the lower surface of the bottom plate component 46 b . guide 50 allows confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r to be supported while allowing movement of confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r in the axial direction . a casing 48 is mounted to cover the bracket 46 and the guide 50 , and a transparent indicator window 52 with the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r is provided to the casing 48 . the upper end of the casing 48 is closed while the lower end is blocked by the guide 50 . the upper end of the casing 48 is provided with through holes 48 f and 48 r for accommodating the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra . the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra are sealed with an o - ring 55 ( fig6 ) around the through holes 48 f and 48 r to prevent liquids from penetrating inside . the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r comprise cup - shaped indicators 53 f and 53 r and knob components 54 f and 54 r . the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are sealed with a seal ring 56 mounted inside the indicators 53 f and 53 r . indicators 53 f and 53 r are made readily visible by being colored , for example , red or yellow , and they are fixed by crimping to the tips of the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb . guide 50 movably guides the indicators 53 f and 53 r . thus , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the end portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r in relation to the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . when the brake cables 14 f and 14 r are set , the inner cables 16 f and 16 r are in a retracted state , so the cable sleeves 23 are moved by the outer casings 17 fa and 17 ra toward the brake lever against the biasing force of the corresponding coil springs 25 . when one of the front and rear brake levers 12 f and 12 r ( for example , the rear brake lever 12 r ) is operated , the inner cable 16 r is pulled , and the rear braking device 13 r experiences a braking force . the inner cable 16 f , which is connected to the inner cable 16 r by connection member 45 , also is pulled , thus causing the braking device 13 f to experience a braking force as well . however , at this time no tension is applied to the portion of inner cable 16 f between the connection member 45 and the brake lever 12 f , thus causing slack in the inner wire 16 f . when this happens , the cable sleeve 23 is biased and moved by the coil spring 25 toward the base end ( cable insertion side ) of outer retainer 22 as shown by the chain line in fig . 4 . consequently , the lever member 21 remains taut . to adjust the play of braking devices 13 f and 13 r during manufacture or during routine brake adjustment , the knob components 54 f and 54 r of the confirmation knobs 51 f and 51 r are grasped , and the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking devices 13 f and 13 r . at that time , the play of the braking devices 13 f and 13 r can be visually confirmed by determining the position occupied by the bottom portions 57 f and 57 r of the indicators 53 f and 53 r on the graduation marks 52 f and 52 r . the play of the rear braking device 13 r should be slightly reduced if the goal is to provide the front braking device 13 f with a slower response than the one possessed by the rear braking device 13 r . in this case , the play should be adjusted using play adjusting components 31 f and 31 r so that the bottom portion 57 f of the indicator 53 f for the front braking device 13 f is aligned with the graduation mark 52 fb shown by the broken line in fig7 and so that the bottom portion 57 r of the indicator for the rear braking device 13 r is aligned with the graduation mark 52 ra shown by the solid line in fig7 . while the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention , further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . for example , the size , shape , location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired . components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them . the functions of one element may be performed by two , and vice versa . it is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which roller - type internal expanding brakes for exerting a braking force on wheel hubs were used as the braking devices , such brakes may include band or disk brakes for exerting a braking force on hubs , or caliper or cantilever brakes for exerting a braking force on rims . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which coil springs 49 and 25 were mounted on the cable connector 15 and outer retainer 22 , respectively , it is also possible to adopt an arrangement in which a coil spring is provided to either of the components , and the inner cable or the outer casing is biased in the direction in which the inner cable is exposed . fig8 is a partial cross sectional view of another embodiment of a cable connector according to the present invention . the cable connector 65 shown in fig8 is devoid of a coil spring for biasing a connection member 75 . the rest of the structure is the same as in the above embodiment . in this structure , the gap between the brake cables 14 f and 14 r can be reduced in proportion to the absence of springs . a more compact cable connector 65 can therefore be designed . although the original embodiment was described with reference to a case in which separate brackets and casings were used , it is also possible to integrate the casings and brackets together . fig9 is a partial cross sectional view of such an embodiment . in the cable connector 80 shown in fig9 the cylindrical bracket 84 doubles as a casing , and the connection member 85 is mounted while allowed to move in the axial direction . in this case , the entire connection member 85 is biased by a single coil spring 86 . in this embodiment , the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are provided with annular markings 87 . play should be adjusted such that the markings 87 reach a position beyond the bottom portion 84 a of the bracket 84 when the outer casings 17 fb and 17 rb are pulled toward the braking device during play adjustment . it is also possible to mount a modulator ( brake force adjusting mechanism ) capable of varying the braking force of one of the two front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r during braking . in fig1 , a modulator 95 is mounted inside a hub 94 connected to a front braking device 93 f . the modulator 95 comprises washers 96 with retaining holes nonrotatably secured in the hub 94 , and lugged washers 97 disposed between the washers 96 with retaining holes . the lugged washers 97 are secured in an annular cup 99 that rotates in conjunction with the rotary component 98 of the braking device 93 f , and are caused to rotate in conjunction with the rotary component 98 . the modulator 95 allows the rate at which the braking force increases with the operating force during braking to be reduced in accordance with the contact pressure of the two types of washers 96 and 97 . although the original embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the casing 48 was not fixedly mounted on the frame 1 , it is also possible immovably mount the casing on the frame 1 . furthermore , although the above embodiment was described with reference to an arrangement in which the play confirmation mechanism was provided to the cable connector 15 , it is also possible to provide the gauge to the front and rear braking devices 13 f and 13 r . every feature which is unique from the prior art , alone or in combination with other features , also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant , including the structural and / or functional concepts embodied by such feature ( s ). thus , the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus on a particular structure or feature .	5
one advantage shown by the present invention is to increase the number of commands that may simultaneously transit on an interchip link bus , particularly pervasive commands . it is a further advantageous that the invention permit a programmed reversal of command priority , such that a functional command may be sent over the interchip link bus , while a pervasive command is held waiting . fig2 is a representative microprocessor or chip that may perform the functions of receiving and dispatching timing signals and occasionally recovering when soft errors occur . chip 200 may have a first core processor 201 a and a second core processor 201 b . each core processor may be simply referred to as a core . a core processor may have multithreading capability , error detection and recovery functions , numerous general purpose registers ( gpr ) and special purpose registers ( spr ). connectivity of first core 201 a and second core 201 b may be with the level 2 cache 203 or l2 , and the non - cacheable unit 205 or ncu . ncu 205 may handle commands to store data received from a core onto a fabric bus 210 for storage to main memory . such stores may be memory - mapped i / o . access to memory that may be susceptible to frequent accesses later may be stored to the l 2 203 in order to reduce latency of operations performed by a core . l 2 203 may similarly provide access to its contents via the fabric bus 210 which may interconnect to other chips on the same board , and also beyond the board upon which the chip 200 is placed . a nearby , but off - chip level 3 cache or l3 may be provided . controls governing access between the cores and the l3 are in l3 cache control 213 . similarly , a memory controller 215 , and an i / o interface 217 may be provided on - chip to facilitate long - latency access to general ram and to various peripheral devices , respectively . symmetric multi - processor ( smp ) fabric controls 219 , is a special purpose device that mediates the contention for the fabric bus by the various attached devices , and provides for smp topology configuration via expansion ports a , b , x , y and z . five expansion ports are shown in the embodiment , however , it is understood that to achieve varying levels of complex multichip topologies , fewer or more expansion ports may be used . it is anticipated that five ports may provide 64 chips with rapid instruction , data and timing signals between and among them . pervasive controls 221 are circuits that exist both outside and mingled within the various processing blocks found on chip . among the functions of pervasive controls is the providing of back - ups to the processor state on each core by providing redundant copies of various gprs and sprs of each core at convenient instruction boundaries of the each core processor . in addition pervasive controls may assist in the detection of errors and communication of such errors to an outside service processor for further action by , e . g . firmware . pervasive controls 221 are a gating point for redundant oscillators and other circuits which provide or receive derivative timing signals . it is appreciated that a fault , or other condition may remove one or more redundant oscillators from the configuration , and it is an object of the pervasive control to select the better timing signal ( or at least one that is within tolerances ) from among the redundant oscillators , and step - encoded signals that may arrive via the expansion ports . in addition , pervasive controls may form and issue commands through the interchip link bus or fabric bus , such as fabric maintenance operations , io hotplug , and error indications , so called pervasive commands . the pervasive controls , however , share authority over the interchip link bus with other functional units of the chip , which may issue , from time to time functional commands , which may include memory reads , memory writes , cache - inhibited reads and cache - inhibited writes , among others . fig3 shows a first embodiment configuration of a symmetric multiprocessor using the chip of fig2 in the form of a processor node 300 . processor node 300 may contain memory banks 301 a , 301 b , i / o hubs 303 , service processors 305 a , 305 b , ports or connectors 307 a and 307 b handling the a and b ports from each of the multichip modules ( mcm ) 321 a , 321 b , 321 c , and 321 d . each multichip module may be identical in its hardware configuration , but configured by software to have varying topologies and functions as , e . g . between master and slave functions . within a mcm may be found the chip 322 of fig2 , as well as level 3 cache memory 323 a and 323 b . the processor node 300 may have a primary oscillator 331 and a secondary oscillator 333 that are each routed to each chip found on the processor node . connections between the oscillators and functional units extend throughout the board and chips , but are not shown in fig3 in order to limit clutter . similarly , it is understood that many convoluted interconnects exist between the ports and i / o hubs , among other components — though such interconnects are not shown here . the chips within a node are connected by a synchronous coherency fabric . the separate nodes are connected by an asynchronous coherency fabric , i . e . each node may have its own logic oscillator pair sourced on the node . the master - slave relationship among the nodes is established by service firmware at initial program load , which among other things , sets up various configuration registers in each processor chip . the configuration registers may exist as two different sets , indicating two alternate topologies for the smp wherein a primary control register set organizes the nodes by one topology ( e . g . using a first node as a ‘ master ’) and another topology ( secondary control register set ) may use a second node as a ‘ master ’. a set of pervasive commands may permit the pervasive control of fig2 to accomplish its varied functions . table 1 depicts some of the commands and further shows whether various attributes may be applicable to the pervasive command . some commands are broadcast , i . e . all chips that snoop on the interchip link bus receive the commands . otherwise a command may be point - to - point , i . e . directed to a particular chip or core processor . regardless of whether a command is a pervasive command or a functional command , existing as a single command or multiplexed together with others , all commands that exist on the interchip link bus are said to transit the interchip link bus . an omnibus command may be a pervasive command that is transmitted on an interchip link bus , or it may be several pervasive commands that are transmitted in a collective set of bit fields that are transmitted via the interchip link bus in consecutive bus beats . an omnibus command may include a time - of - day ( tod ) pervasive command . an omnibus command may include a miscellaneous command , wherein one or more pervasive commands are present , but none are a tod pervasive command . a miscellaneous command can include any number of broadcast commands that can be fit into the data space of a single omnibus command , but can only include one point - to - point command . conversely , a point - to - point command can be combined with any number of broadcast commands , but may not be combined with another point - to - point command . since a tod command from a pervasive control may be 64 bits wide , there may not be enough bits available in an address request to support transmittal in a single command . therefore a tod command , e . g . “ send tod value ”, may be split into two sub - commands , each sending 32 bits of tod data at a time during an address bus beat of the fabric bus . even though a tod command is a broadcast command , in this embodiment it may not be combined with other commands since it requires the transmittal of a large amount of data and no other commands will fit into the same omnibus command . table 1 depicts each pervasive command and its attributes as a ) broadcast among the chips ; b ) point - to - point to a single chip ; c ) able to combine with other broadcast commands ; d ) the number of fabric bus commands that may be required to transport the command . each fabric bus command is 2 beats . fig4 shows a pervasive command interface or pervasive control to the interchip link , which may be a interchip link bus of the symmetric multiprocessor system . such a pervasive control may , for example transmit a tod register value by using the tod command structure , as organized in tables 2 and 3 . a macro or send block 441 may be active in transmitting a tod command , which may include a tod register value . the macro may also be known as tp_fbc_snd_pmac . the send block 441 may have tod queue 443 , which may be two deep , for accepting commands for later dispatch along the interchip link bus 449 . additional pervasive functions may have respective queues 443 b , 443 c , 443 d , 443 e and 443 f , for staging commands concerning in - memory trace ( htm ) global triggering , trace array global triggering , and io hotplug pervasive commands , among others . a macro or receive block 442 also known as , tp_fbc_rcv_pmc , may exist on the chip to receive such pervasive commands as well . associated with tod queue 443 may be a valid bit 444 to indicate to a command arbiter 445 that a command is available and stored as contents to the queue . when a valid command is in the command queue a request may be sent to the icl 449 that a command is waiting to be sent . the icl 449 will respond with a request sent signal or grant and the command is placed into the interchip link . when command arbiter 445 delivers a valid command to pending fabric register 446 , a valid bit may be set 446 b . each chip has a tp_fbc_rcv_pmc macro or receive block 442 that snoops the fabric line for pervasive commands that are broadcast or point - to - point addressed to the chip . each pervasive command has a unique command type , or ttype , that indicates to the snooping logic that it is a pervasive command . in this embodiment that ttype is 0x3c . referring to fig4 and fig5 , fig5 shows flow diagram of steps that may occur when a tod command or other pervasive command arrives at the send block 441 . each queue may receive pervasive commands from various specialty macros of the pervasive control block of fig2 . each queue may be a two position queue , and may initially be empty or without valid data . thus each command may arrive and depart at a queue in typical first in first out fashion . the first step , once a queue obtains a command , is the embodiment examines ( step 501 ) the command that is a time - of - day ( tod ) command on tod queue 443 , and examines a next - lower - priority pervasive command ( step 503 ) from a queue among queues 451 a , 451 b , 451 c , 451 d and 451 e , if a tod command is not available . in many cases , a timeout ( step 505 ) will not be applicable , since we may want pervasive commands to have high priority access to the interchip link bus . if such is the case , execution continues to determine ( step 507 ) if a tod command is among the one or more pervasive commands obtained . if the yes branch is taken , then the tod command may be marked valid , so that it may be immediately susceptible to placing on the interchip communications link ( step 511 ). if the no branch is taken , then the first examined pervasive command marked as valid is placed in the pending command register 446 for the next frame of the interchip communications link ( icl ) ( step 513 ). the data stored in the pending command register 446 is known as the pending command . next it is decided if the secondary command ( from step 503 ) is compatible with the command already queued for the icl frame ( step 515 ). if so , the command is placed ( step 520 ) in the pending command register with the command already queued for the next icl frame occurrence , and its queue entry is marked invalid . if not , the command is left in its command queue ( step 519 ), wherein the queue may be any of the queues 443 b , 443 c , 443 d , 443 e , and 443 f , and left marked valid so that it will be available to be added to the next command to be placed on the icl . note that the effort of marking valid , or marking invalid , may simply involve setting or resetting a latch associated with the data to be considered either valid or invalid . a determination is made to see if another pervasive command has arrived at the head of a queue before a icl frame has occurred ( step 521 ). if so , and the new command is compatible with the commands already present in the pending icl command , the additional command is added to the icl command in queue ( step 515 ). each queue head is examined iteratively , until the last one is reached , and all compatible commands are either added to the pending icl command or left valid for the next available command . when the icl frame arrives , the pending command is loaded into the icl and the fabric gives a “ request sent ” signal ( step 531 ). the interchip link bus transmits an initial set of data in bus beat 0 ( step 535 ), and then a second set of date in bus beat 1 ( step 537 ). collectively , during the bus beats , the interchip link bus may transmit several pervasive commands at once . once the bus beat 1 transmittal ( step 537 ) is complete , the embodiment may advance ( step 539 ) each queue that had its head vacated when the command formerly contained therein had been placed on the pending command register 446 of the icl . at the decision point to determine if a command is compatible with existing commands , table 1 , shows the rules used . moreover , if two commands of the same type arrive , the first of the two commands is not compatible with the second of the two commands , since the two commands are assigned the same bit fields for data transport . in addition , two commands that are point - to - point may not be compatible , for example , not all pervasive commands are compatible with a xscom status reporting . a fabric and io hotplug command is not compatible with an xscom status reporting . in addition to a tod command , the present invention may transmit a miscellaneous command . like the tod command , the miscellaneous command may transport several pervasive commands among the bit fields of the miscellaneous command , provided that no two commands that are point - to - point are multiplexed together into the same omnibus command . the field structure of a pair of bus beats is shown is table 4 and table 5 which represent the condition of bits in a miscellaneous type of omnibus command . the purpose of the timeout loop ( step 506 ), for those cases where a timeout may be set to operate , is to provide a time during which the lower priority functional commands may also access the interchip link bus , without being pre - empted by pervasive commands . a determiniation that pervasive commands are lower priority , as compared to functional commands , causes the yes branch of the timeout applicable ( step 505 ) to be taken . during the times that that the flow of fig5 experiences a timeout loop , another routine may seize the interchip link bus and dispatch functional commands . giving priority to the dispatch of functional commands over pervasive commands is called applying a timeout . it is important to note that while the present invention has been described in the context of a fully functioning data processing system , those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the processes of the present invention are capable of being distributed in the form of a computer readable medium of instructions and a variety of forms and that the present invention applies equally regardless of the particular type of signal bearing media actually used to carry out the distribution . examples of computer readable media include recordable - type media , such as a floppy disk , a hard disk drive , a ram , cd - roms , dvd - roms , and transmission - type media , such as digital and analog communications links , wired or wireless communications links using transmission forms , such as , for example , radio frequency and light wave transmissions . the computer readable media may take the form of coded formats that are decoded for actual use in a particular data processing system . the description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description , and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the invention in the form disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . the embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention , the practical application , and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated .	8
the word “ exemplary ” is used herein to mean “ serving as an example , instance , or illustration .” any aspect described herein as “ exemplary ” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects . in this description , the term “ application ” may also include files having executable content , such as : object code , scripts , byte code , markup language files , and patches . in addition , an “ application ” referred to herein , may also include files that are not executable in nature , such as documents that may need to be opened or other data files that need to be accessed . further , an “ application ” may be a complete program , a module , a routine , a library function , a driver , etc . the term “ content ” may also include files having executable content , such as : object code , scripts , byte code , markup language files , and patches . in addition , “ content ” referred to herein , may also include files that are not executable in nature , such as documents that may need to be opened or other data files that need to be accessed , transmitted or rendered . for example , in this description , reference to “ returned goods content ” may include any , or all of , but not limited to , a picture of a returned good , a proof of purchase ( e . g ., scan of a barcode , scan of a qr code , an optical character recognition file of a receipt , etc . ), customer contact information , returned goods authorization number , etc . in this description , the term “ qr code ” is used generally to refer to any type of matrix barcode ( or multi - dimensional bar code ) or identifier associated with a returned goods transaction and is not meant to limit the scope of any embodiment to the use of the specific type of barcode understood in the art to be a quick response code . that is , it is envisioned that any given embodiment of the systems and methods within the scope of this disclosure may use data identifiable in the form of barcodes , plain text user entries , nfc transmissions , wifi transmissions , short wave radio transmissions ( e . g ., bluetooth ), light modulations , sound modulations . etc . moreover , as one of ordinary skill in the art understands , a matrix barcode is an optical machine - readable label that may be associated with data such as data representative of a returned good or a damaged good in inventory . an exemplary matrix barcode may include black modules ( square dots ) arranged in a square grid on a white background . the information encoded by the barcode may be comprised of four standardized types of data ( numeric , alphanumeric , byte / binary , kanji ) or , through supported extensions , virtually any type of data . as one of ordinary skill in the art further understands , a matrix barcode may be read by an imaging device , such as a camera , and formatted algorithmically by underlying software using error correction algorithms until the image can be appropriately interpreted . data represented by the barcode may then be extracted from patterns present in both horizontal and vertical components of the image . in this description , the terms “ item ,” “ good ” and “ merchandise ” are used interchangeably . also in this description , the terms “ customer ,” “ consumer ” and “ end user ” are used interchangeably to refer to a person or entity other than a retailer who has purchased a good . similarly , the terms “ merchant ” and “ retailer ” are used interchangeably to refer to an entity that markets and sells goods to an end user . and , the terms “ supplier ” and “ manufacturer ” are used interchangeably to refer to an entity that provides goods to a retailer for sale to end users . in this description , the term “ returned good ” will be understood to capture both goods ( e . g ., damaged goods ) that have been returned to a retailer by a consumer and goods that have been received by a retailer from a supplier . moreover , the terms “ goods ,” “ items ,” “ products ,” “ merchandise ” and the like are used interchangeably . as used in this description , the terms “ component ,” “ database ,” “ module ,” “ system ,” and the like are intended to refer to a computer - related entity , either hardware , firmware , a combination of hardware and software , software , or software in execution . for example , a component may be , but is not limited to being , a process running on a processor , a processor , an object , an executable , a thread of execution , a program , and / or a computer . by way of illustration , both an application running on a computing device and the computing device may be a component . one or more components may reside within a process and / or thread of execution , and a component may be localized on one computer and / or distributed between two or more computers . in addition , these components may execute from various computer readable media having various data structures stored thereon . the components may communicate by way of local and / or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets ( e . g ., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system , distributed system , and / or across a network such as the internet with other systems by way of the signal ). in this description , the terms “ communication device ,” “ wireless device ,” “ wireless telephone ,” “ wireless communication device ,” “ wireless handset ” and portable computing device (“ pcd ”) are used interchangeably . with the advent of third generation (“ 3g ”) and fourth generation (“ 4g ”) wireless technology , greater bandwidth availability has enabled more portable computing devices with a greater variety of wireless capabilities . therefore , a portable computing device (“ pcd ”) may include a cellular telephone , a pager , a pda , a smartphone , a navigation device , a tablet personal computer (“ pc ”), or a hand - held computer with a wireless connection or link . embodiments of the systems and methods provide for efficient management of a returned goods process . a “ bizzap ” server in communication with both a retailer inventory management and accounting system and a manufacturer inventory management and accounting system , and optionally a consumer pcd , centrally documents and reconciles returned goods transactions . by doing so , embodiments of the solution work to minimize unnecessary scrapping of damaged goods otherwise eligible for cost effective repair . moreover , embodiments of the solution enable accurate accounting of returned goods chargebacks from a retailer to a supplier . further , embodiments of the solution provide a manufacturer with a channel for direct interaction with a consumer that may enable the manufacturer to repair damaged goodwill resulting from a less than satisfying product experience . an exemplary embodiment of the solution leverages a tablet - based application configured to communicate with back end hardware / software to manage captured return goods content . advantageously , embodiments automate the return or repair process of an item from the consumer to the retailer to the manufacturer , keeping all interested parties “ in the loop .” in some embodiments , however , it is provided for a consumer to process returns and requests for damaged parts directly with the manufacturer . by capturing returned goods content in the manner envisioned , embodiments of the solution enable a retailer and a manufacturer to immediately access and share common data associated with a particular good purchased and returned by a particular consumer . embodiments of the solution provide for , among other functionality : a ) automating the selection of the appropriate item to be returned or repaired / replaced via barcode or qr code scanning , point and touch image selection , and / or product search features ; b ) generation of an associated return authorization number from the manufacturer ; c ) automating appropriate dispensation instructions from the manufacturer to the retailer or end consumer for a returned good ( i . e ., a defective product ); d ) documentation via actual photo of returned good ; e ) generation of shipping label and tracking information viewable to all parties for either replacement parts to the consumer directly or retailer for repairs , or to track the defective product to the manufacturer ; f ) reporting to the retailer and manufacturer to provide analytics and business intelligence data for the manufacturer and retailer including , but not limited to , common returns and repair histories to facilitate engineering or product changes ; data to more accurately calculate end of year chargebacks for returns ; returns by product , manufacturer , geographic area , cost and final dispensation ; actual cost of returns per vendor and / or per product to produce a true running total of rgd ( returned goods ); customer information for customers who experienced defective items for promos to rejuvenate the manufacturer brand reputation ; manufacturing defect information including photos of defective product to assist in reengineering of product , etc . fig1 a is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary components of a system 100 a for managing returned goods 102 from a merchant retail location 135 . embodiments of a system 100 for managing returned goods from a merchant retail location and / or a customer location ( fig1 b ) has many potential advantages . to provide the basis for an exemplary , non - limiting application scenario in which aspects of some embodiments of the disclosed systems and methods may be suitably described , consider a supplier of bicycles to a retailer . any one or more of the bicycles manufactured by the supplier and shipped to the retailer may be damaged and unsuitable for resale to a customer of the retailer . for example , a given bicycle may have a bent handlebar . in the event that the bent handlebar is discovered by the retailer before the bike is sold to a customer , the retailer may either repair / replace the handlebar or scrap the entire bicycle . similarly , in the event that the bent handlebar is discovered by a customer who bought the given bicycle from the retailer , the customer may either return the bicycle to the retailer for repair / replacement or work directly with the manufacturer of the bicycle to repair or replace in kind returning to the fig1 a illustration , a returned good 102 ( such as the exemplary bicycle with a damaged handlebar ) and an associated proof of purchase 103 or other information uniquely associated with the returned good 102 ( e . g ., a serial number , an invoice or po number , etc .) may be presented to the retailer at the retailer location 135 . notably , in the fig1 a illustration , it will be understood that the returned good 102 may be merchandise that was bought by an end user and is being returned to the retailer or may be damaged merchandise that has been received by the retailer from the supplier but not yet sold to a customer . regardless , returned good 102 represents potentially repairable product that , if scrapped , would unnecessarily contribute to a future chargeback transaction between the retailer and supplier . the merchant portable computing device 110 a ( more detail in fig2 illustration and related description regarding pcd 110 ) may form part of a merchant point of sale (“ pos ”) system 125 and be equipped with , among other components and functionality , a returned goods management (“ rgdm ”) module 212 a , a display 232 a , a communications module 216 a and a processor 224 a . using the rgdm module 212 a , the merchant pcd 110 a may capture a digital picture of the returned good 102 that documents the type of returned good 102 and the nature of damage to the returned good 102 . the rgdm module 212 a may also be configured to receive proof of purchase data 103 ( such as may be represented by a qr code ) for uniquely identifying the customer and / or the good itself . using the proof of purchase data 103 and / or the digital picture of the returned good 102 , embodiments of the solution may provide for a user of the merchant pcd 110 a to interface with a merchant inventory management and accounting ( im & amp ; a ) system 106 to verify an identification of the returned good 102 . for example , the merchant pcd 110 a may render pictures of products and models sold by the retailer so that the user of the pcd 110 a may match the returned good 102 thereto . depending on embodiment , the user of the merchant pcd 110 a may make a judgment call as to whether the returned good 102 should be scrapped or repaired . in other embodiments , the system 100 a may be preconfigured to dictate to the user of merchant pcd 110 a whether the returned good 102 should be designated for scrap of repair . in some embodiments , the supplier may review the returned goods content and return instructions to the retailer regarding scrapping or repairing the returned good . regardless , in the event that the returned good 102 is designated for repair , the user of the merchant pcd 110 a may query merchant im & amp ; a system 106 for a necessary part , or engage the supplier to provide the necessary part , and subsequently coordinate the repair of the returned good . working through the bizzap server 105 , the user of the merchant pcd 110 a may trigger provision of a returned goods authorization (“ rga ”) from the supplier im & amp ; a system 107 for return of the damaged good to the supplier . a replacement good ( not depicted in fig1 ) may be pulled from the retailer inventory and provided to a customer in exchange for a returned good 102 . alternatively , a returned good 102 may be repaired and placed in inventory or given back to a customer , depending on the scenario . regardless , all returned good content is managed through and documented by the bizzap server 105 , thereby aggregating an accurate and multi - party accessible accounting in database 120 of returned goods over a period of time . advantageously , the data captured by the merchant pcd 110 a in association with the returned good may be transmitted to the bizzap server 105 via communications network 130 . in turn , the bizzap server 105 may leverage rgdm module 212 b to interface with the rgdm module 212 a to store the returned good transaction data in the rgd and customer relationship database 120 . as such , an accurate accounting of the returned goods over a period of time may be accessed by , and provided to , both of the retailer and supplier . in this way , inventory data represented in both merchant im & amp ; a system 106 and supplier im & amp ; a system 107 may be reconciled against data captured by and stored by bizzap server 105 . also , returned goods designated for scrap by the retailer may be disputed by the supplier based on digital pictures and other return good transaction data managed by the bizzap server 105 . or , in some embodiments , returned goods previously designated for scrap by the supplier based on digital pictures and other return good transaction data managed by the bizzap server 105 may be indisputable . resulting from the returned goods reconciliation aspect , embodiments of the system and method may be able to provide both the supplier and the retailer with an accurate and fair accounting of chargebacks . the fig1 b is a functional block diagram illustrating exemplary components of a system 100 b for managing returned goods 102 from a customer location 145 , as opposed to the retail location 135 of fig1 a . the system 100 b is similar to the system 100 a , with the exception that the returned good transaction may be handled via a customer pcd 110 b in communication directly with the supplier via the bizzap server 105 . the returned good 102 , such as a bicycle with a bent handlebar , may be captured in a digital picture documenting the damage using the customer pcd 110 b and rgdm module 212 b . the customer pcd 110 b may transmit the digital picture and proof of purchase 103 data via network 130 to bizzap server 105 . the rgdm module 212 b may work with the rgdm module 212 c to document the returned good transaction in the database 120 . the supplier may then work through the bizzap server 105 to coordinate a repair or replacement of the damaged item . turning to the fig1 illustrations , exemplary embodiments of a pcd 110 envision remote communication , real - time software updates , extended data storage , etc . and may be leveraged in various configurations by users of system 100 . advantageously , embodiments of pcds 110 configured for communication via a computer system such as the exemplary system 100 depicted in the fig1 illustrations may leverage communications networks 130 including , but not limited to cellular networks , pstns , cable networks and the internet for , among other things , software upgrades , content updates , database queries , data transmission , etc . other data that may be used in connection with a pcd 110 , and accessible via the internet or other networked system , will occur to one of ordinary skill in the art . the illustrated computer system 100 may comprise a bizzap server 105 , supplier and merchant backend server systems ( such as may comprise im & amp ; a systems 106 , 107 ) that may be coupled to a network 130 comprising any or all of a wide area network (“ wan ”), a local area network (“ lan ”), the internet , or a combination of other types of networks . it should be understood that the term server may refer to a single server system or multiple systems or multiple servers . one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that various server arrangements may be selected depending upon computer architecture design constraints and without departing from the scope of the invention . the bizzap server 105 , in particular , may be coupled to a rgd and customer relationship database 120 . the database 120 may store various records related to , but not limited to , pcd user - specific contact or account information , historical content , purchase transaction data , return good transaction data including digital pictures and / or videos of returned goods , supplier specific information , retailer specific information , inventory levels , accounts receivable data , repair work in progress , filters / rules algorithms for designating a scrap or repair status , survey content , previously recorded feedback , etc . when a server in system 100 , such as but not limited to a bizzap server 105 , is coupled to the network 130 , the server may communicate through the network 130 with various different pcds 110 associated with customers and / or retailers . each pcd 110 may run or execute web browsing software or functionality to access the server and its various applications including rgdm module 212 b . any device that may access the network 130 either directly or via a tether to a complimentary device , may be a pcd 110 according to the computer system 100 . the pcds 110 , as well as other components within system 100 such as , but not limited to , a wireless router ( not shown ), may be coupled to the network 130 by various types of communication links 145 . these communication links 145 may comprise wired as well as wireless links which may be either uni - directional or bi - directional communication channels , as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art of networking . a pcd 110 may include a display 232 , a processor 224 and a communications module 216 that may include one or more of a wired and / or wireless communication hardware and a radio transceiver 217 . it is envisioned that the display 232 may comprise any type of display device such as a liquid crystal display (“ lcd ”), a plasma display , an organic light - emitting diode (“ oled ”) display , a touch activated display , a cathode ray tube (“ crt ”) display , a brail display , an led bank , and a segmented display . a pcd 110 may execute , run or interface to a multimedia platform that may be part of a plug - in for an internet web browser . the communications module 216 may comprise wireless communication hardware such as , but not limited to , a wifi card or nfc card for interfacing with a digital rendering of returned good transaction data . further , the communications module 216 may include a cellular radio transceiver to transmit returned good content as well as other information to exemplary bizzap server 105 , as depicted in the system 100 embodiment . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a communications module 216 may include application program interfaces to processor 224 . it is envisioned that a pcd 110 may be configured to leverage the cellular radio transceiver of the communications module 216 to transmit data , such as a returned good content by way of a secure channel using a wireless link 145 to the bizzzap server 105 . it is also envisioned that a pcd 110 a in some exemplary embodiments of system 100 may established a communication between the pos 125 and pcd 110 a to transmit data to and from bizzap server 105 . communication links 145 , in general , may comprise any combination of wireless and wired links including , but not limited to , any combination of radio - frequency (“ rf ”) links , infrared links , acoustic links , other wireless mediums , wide area networks (“ wan ”), local area networks (“ lan ”), the internet , a public switched telephony network (“ pstn ”), and a paging network . an exemplary pcd 110 may also comprise a computer readable storage / memory component 219 ( shown in fig2 ) for storing , whether temporarily or permanently , various data including , but not limited to , returned goods content . the memory 219 may include instructions for executing one or more of the method steps described herein . further , the processor 224 and the memory 219 may serve as a means for executing one or more of the method steps described herein . data added to , extracted or derived from the returned goods content may comprise a consumer id , a transaction id , a digital picture or video content , a qr code , a directory number (“ dn ”) or calling line id (“ clid ”) associated with pcd 110 , a retailer id , a hash value , a codec key , encryption or decryption data , account numbers and other account related data , etc . fig2 is a diagram of an exemplary , non - limiting aspect of a portable computing device (“ pcd ”) comprising a wireless tablet or telephone that corresponds with fig1 . as shown , the pcd 110 includes an on - chip system 222 that includes a digital signal processor 224 and an analog signal processor 226 that are coupled together . as illustrated in fig2 , a display controller 228 and a touchscreen controller 230 are coupled to the digital signal processor 224 . a touchscreen display 232 external to the on - chip system 222 is coupled to the display controller 228 and the touchscreen controller 230 . fig2 further indicates that a video encoder 234 , e . g ., a phase - alternating line (“ pal ”) encoder , a sequential couleur avec memoire (“ secam ”) encoder , a national television system ( s ) committee (“ ntsc ”) encoder or any other video encoder , is coupled to the digital signal processor 224 . further , a video amplifier 236 is coupled to the video encoder 234 and the touchscreen display 232 . a video port 238 is coupled to the video amplifier 236 . a universal serial bus (“ usb ”) controller 240 is coupled to the digital signal processor 224 . also , a usb port 242 is coupled to the usb controller 240 . a memory 219 and a subscriber identity module (“ sim ”) card 246 may also be coupled to the digital signal processor 224 . further , a digital camera 248 may be coupled to the digital signal processor 224 and the rgdm module 212 . in an exemplary aspect , the digital camera 248 is a charge - coupled device (“ ccd ”) camera or a complementary metal - oxide semiconductor (“ cmos ”) camera . as further illustrated in fig2 , a stereo audio codec 250 may be coupled to the analog signal processor 226 . moreover , an audio amplifier 252 may be coupled to the stereo audio codec 250 . in an exemplary aspect , a first stereo speaker 254 and a second stereo speaker 256 are coupled to the audio amplifier 252 . fig2 shows that a microphone amplifier 258 may be also coupled to the stereo audio codec 250 . additionally , a microphone 260 may be coupled to the microphone amplifier 258 . in a particular aspect , a frequency modulation (“ fm ”) radio tuner 262 may be coupled to the stereo audio codec 250 . also , an fm antenna 264 is coupled to the fm radio tuner 262 . further , stereo headphones 268 may be coupled to the stereo audio codec 250 . fig2 further indicates that a radio frequency (“ rf ”) transceiver 217 may be coupled to the analog signal processor 226 . an rf switch 270 may be coupled to the rf transceiver 217 and an rf antenna 272 . as shown in fig2 , a keypad 274 may be coupled to the analog signal processor 226 . also , a mono headset with a microphone 276 may be coupled to the analog signal processor 226 . further , a vibrator device 278 may be coupled to the analog signal processor 226 . also shown is that a power supply 280 may be coupled to the on - chip system 222 . in a particular aspect , the power supply 280 is a direct current (“ dc ”) power supply that provides power to the various components of the pcd 110 that require power . further , in a particular aspect , the power supply is a rechargeable dc battery or a dc power supply that is derived from an alternating current (“ ac ”) to dc transformer that is connected to an ac power source . fig2 also shows that the pcd 110 may include rgdm module 212 and a communications module 216 . as described above , the rgdm module 212 may be operable work with the rf antenna 272 and transceiver 217 to establish communication with another pcd 110 or server or backend system ( such as one or more of im & amp ; a system 106 , pos 125 , etc .) and send a returned good content via a bizzap server 105 . as depicted in fig2 , the touchscreen display 232 , the video port 238 , the usb port 242 , the camera 248 , the first stereo speaker 254 , the second stereo speaker 256 , the microphone 260 , the fm antenna 264 , the stereo headphones 268 , the rf switch 270 , the rf antenna 272 , the keypad 274 , the mono headset 276 , the vibrator 278 , and the power supply 280 are external to the on - chip system 222 . in a particular aspect , one or more of the method steps described herein may be stored in the memory 219 as computer program instructions . these instructions may be executed by the digital signal processor 224 , the analog signal processor 226 or another processor , to perform the methods described herein . further , the processors , 224 , 226 , the memory 219 , the instructions stored therein , or a combination thereof may serve as a means for performing one or more of the method steps described herein . fig3 is a functional block diagram of a general purpose computer 310 that may form at least one of the merchant inventory management and accounting system 106 , supplier inventory management and accounting system 107 , and bizzap server 105 illustrated in fig1 . generally , a computer 310 includes a central processing unit 321 , a system memory 322 , and a system bus 323 that couples various system components including the system memory 322 to the processing unit 321 . the system bus 323 may be any of several types of bus structures including a memory bus or memory controller , a peripheral bus , and a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures . the system memory includes a read - only memory ( rom ) 324 and a random access memory ( ram ) 325 . a basic input / output system ( bios ) 326 , containing the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within computer 310 such as during start - up , is stored in rom 324 . the computer 310 may include a hard disk drive 327 a for reading from and writing to a hard disk , not shown , a memory card drive 328 for reading from or writing to a removable memory card 329 , and / or an optional optical disk drive 330 for reading from or writing to a removable optical disk 331 such as a cd - rom or other optical media . hard disk drive 327 a and the memory card drive 328 are connected to system bus 323 by a hard disk drive interface 332 and a memory card drive interface 333 , respectively . although the exemplary environment described herein employs hard disk 327 a and the removable memory card 329 , it should be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art that other types of computer readable media which may store data that is accessible by a computer , such as magnetic cassettes , flash memory cards , digital video disks , bernoulli cartridges , rams , roms , and the like , may also be used in the exemplary operating environment without departing from the scope of the invention . such uses of other forms of computer readable media besides the hardware illustrated may be used in internet connected devices such as in portable computing devices (“ pcds ”) 110 that may include personal digital assistants (“ pdas ”), mobile phones , tablet portable computing devices , and the like . the drives and their associated computer readable media illustrated in fig3 provide nonvolatile storage of computer - executable instructions , data structures , program modules , and other data for computer 310 . a number of program modules may be stored on hard disk 327 , memory card 329 , optical disk 331 , rom 324 , or ram 325 , including , but not limited to , an operating system 335 and rgdm modules 212 b . consistent with that which is defined above , program modules include routines , sub - routines , programs , objects , components , data structures , etc ., which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types . a user may enter commands and information into computer 310 through input devices , such as a keyboard 340 and a pointing device 342 . pointing devices 342 may include a mouse , a trackball , and an electronic pen that may be used in conjunction with a tablet portable computing device . other input devices ( not shown ) may include a microphone , joystick , game pad , satellite dish , scanner , or the like . these and other input devices are often connected to processing unit 321 through a serial port interface 346 that is coupled to the system bus 323 , but may be connected by other interfaces , such as a parallel port , game port , a universal serial bus ( usb ), or the like . the display 347 may also be connected to system bus 323 via an interface , such as a video adapter 348 . the display 347 may comprise any type of display devices such as a liquid crystal display ( lcd ), a plasma display , an organic light - emitting diode ( oled ) display , and a cathode ray tube ( crt ) display . a camera 375 may also be connected to system bus 323 via an interface , such as an adapter 370 . the camera 375 may comprise a video camera such as a webcam . the camera 375 may be a ccd ( charge - coupled device ) camera or a cmos ( complementary metal - oxide - semiconductor ) camera . in addition to the monitor 347 and camera 375 , the computer 310 may include other peripheral output devices ( not shown ), such as speakers and printers . the computer 310 may operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers such as the portable computing device ( s ) 110 illustrated in fig1 . the logical connections depicted in the fig3 include a local area network ( lan ) 342 a and a wide area network ( wan ) 342 b , as illustrated more broadly in fig1 as communications network 130 . such networking environments are commonplace in offices , enterprise - wide computer networks , intranets , and the internet . when used in a lan networking environment , the computer 310 is often connected to the local area network 342 a through a network interface or adapter 353 . the network interface adapter 353 may comprise a wireless communications and therefore , it may employ an antenna ( not illustrated ). when used in a wan networking environment , the computer 310 typically includes a modem 354 or other means for establishing communications over wan 342 b , such as the internet . modem 354 , which may be internal or external , is connected to system bus 323 via serial port interface 346 . in a networked environment , program modules depicted relative to the remote portable computing device ( s ) 110 , or portions thereof , may be stored in the remote memory storage device 327 e ( such as rgdm module 212 b ). a portable computing device 110 may execute a remote access program module for accessing data and exchanging data with rgdm modules 212 b running on the computer 310 . those skilled in the art may appreciate that the present solution for returned goods management may be implemented in other computer system configurations , including hand - held devices , multiprocessor systems , microprocessor based or programmable consumer electronics , network personal computers , minicomputers , mainframe computers , and the like . embodiments of the solution may also be practiced in distributed computing environments , where tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network , such as network 130 . in a distributed computing environment , program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices , as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art . in one or more exemplary aspects , the functions described may be implemented in hardware , software , firmware , or any combination thereof . if implemented in software , the functions may be stored on or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer - readable media . computer - readable media include both computer storage media and communication media including any device that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another . a storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer . by way of example , and not limitation , such computer - readable non - transitory media may comprise ram , rom , eeprom , cd - rom or other optical disk storage , magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices , or any other medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer . also , any connection is properly termed a computer - readable medium . for example , if the software is transmitted from a website , server , or other remote source using a coaxial cable , fiber optic cable , twisted pair , digital subscriber line (“ dsl ”), or wireless technologies such as infrared , radio , and microwave , then the coaxial cable , fiber optic cable , twisted pair , dsl , or wireless technologies such as infrared , radio , and microwave are included in the definition of medium . disk and disc , as used herein , includes 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 non - transitory computer - readable media . fig4 is a product and communications flow diagram associated with a prior art system and method for management of returned goods . as described above , employees and retailers using prior art systems for returned goods management , such as that illustrated in fig4 , often find it more efficient to simply discard or scrap defective product than to coordinate for returning the product back to the manufacturer , especially in light of the ability to negotiate the discarded product in a chargeback at the end of a sales process . moreover , retailers often have to cannibalize other products at the store to repair returned goods for customers , thereby rendering the cannibalized product unavailable to sell . the result of these shortcomings in the prior art is that manufacturers are charged back for products that could have been easily fixed with a replacement part sent to the store or customer . there is also no “ true ” data trail in the prior art systems and methods documenting what happened to a returned product , and so end of year chargebacks are often contentious negations between a manufacturer and retailer . consider the fig4 product and communications flow diagram 400 , for example , where the solid arrows indicate movement of a product and the dashed arrows indicate communication of data . beginning at step 401 , the supplier ships a product to a merchant , such as a bicycle . the product is received by the merchant and placed into inventory . as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , the merchant may have paid the supplier for the product with the intention of placing the product on sale to the consuming public . if the product is discovered to be damaged , such as the bicycle with a bent handlebar , the merchant documents the product as a damaged good ( i . e ., a returned good ) at step 403 . notably , the merchant may simply discard the bicycle or allow it to “ find its way home ” with an employee . at any rate , whether the damaged good is returned to the supplier or earmarked for repair is at the discretion of the merchant and / or an employee of the merchant . the supplier , of course , may be charged back for the entire value of the product because the product was not sold to a consumer . moving to step 405 , a damaged good may be sold to a customer of the merchant . at step 407 , the customer may return the damaged good to the merchant as he has no other remedy . the merchant , in an effort to provide quality customer service , may give the customer a replacement product at step 409 and discard the damaged product . the damaged product , which may have been easily fixed if the supplier were in the loop , or may have at least presented to the supplier a problem to avoid with future product , may be discarded by the merchant and documented at step 411 as a returned good . at the end of the sales cycle , the merchant may provide at step 413 a total chargeback amount to the supplier for the discarded goods . the supplier , absent any opportunity throughout the sales cycle to verify the nature of the damaged goods and remedy the damaged goods , is unable to mitigate its chargeback obligations to the merchant . fig5 a - 5c is a product and communications flow diagram illustrating various aspects of a system and method for management of returned goods according to an exemplary embodiment of the solution . in the fig5 product and communications flow diagram 500 , the solid arrows indicate movement of a product and the dashed arrows indicate communication of data . beginning at step 501 , the supplier may ship a damaged product to a merchant . using a pcd 110 that may be a part of the merchant pos 125 , the merchant may communicate with a bizzap server at step 503 to document the damaged goods . as explained above , any amount of returned goods content may form the documentation including a digital picture of the damaged goods , the model and type of goods , shipping information , purchase order information , serial numbers , etc . at step 505 , the bizzap server 105 may communicate with the supplier , such as via the supplier im & amp ; a system 107 , to make the buyer aware of the damaged good . in the event that the damaged good is deemed repairable , at step 507 the supplier may provide the merchant with a repair part . notably , the bizzap server 105 and , by extension the rgd and customer relationship database 120 , may be updated to reflect that the replacement parts have been shipped from the supplier , the nature of the parts , associated repair instructions , etc . it will be understood that every step explicitly and inherently described herein may be documented by the bizzap server 105 even if such is not depicted in the figures or mentioned in this description . returning to the fig5 illustration , at step 509 the merchant may repair the goods and place them into inventory , thereby avoiding a scrap event or chargeback for the full value of the product . at step 511 , the merchant may update the bizzap server 105 to reflect that the damaged good has been repaired . beginning at step 513 , a good may be purchased from the merchant by a customer . the customer may later discover that the good is damaged and elect to return the damaged good to the merchant at step 515 . similar to that which has been described above , the merchant may leverage the pcd 110 a to document the nature of the returned good and the returned good transaction and update the bizzap server 105 at step 517 . the bizzap server 105 then notifies the supplier at step 519 . the supplier may subsequently determine that the returned good is repairable and should not be scrapped . at step 523 the supplier may provide the merchant with repair parts to repair the returned good . at step 525 , the merchant may repair the returned good and place it back in inventory or return it to the customer . at step 527 , the merchant may update the bizzap server 105 . turning now to steps 529 through 539 of fig5 b , dispensation instructions provided through a bizzap based solution may require scrapping of a damaged or returned good not economically repairable . beginning at step 529 , a merchant may ship a damaged product to a merchant . recognizing that the product is damaged , the merchant may leverage the pcd 110 a to interface with the bizzap server 105 and provide documentation of the damaged product at step 531 . at step 533 the supplier is notified and , at step 535 , elects to scrap the damaged product . at step 537 the bizzap server 105 updates the database 120 to reflect that the product was damaged beyond repair and should be charged back to the supplier at the end of the sales cycle . at step 539 , the merchant receives instructions to scrap the item . turning now to steps 541 through 555 , dispensation instructions provided through a bizzap based solution may require repair of a damaged item that proves irreparable . beginning at step 541 , a merchant may ship a damaged product to a merchant . recognizing that the product is damaged , the merchant may leverage the pcd 110 a to interface with the bizzap server 105 and provide documentation of the damaged product at step 543 . at step 545 the supplier is notified and , at step 547 , ships repair parts to repair the damaged product . at step 549 , the merchant may determine that the product cannot be repaired and updates the bizzap server 105 accordingly . the supplier is notified at step 551 and , at step 553 , elects to scrap the damaged product . at step 555 the bizzap server 105 updates the database 120 to reflect that the product was damaged beyond repair and should be charged back to the supplier at the end of the sales cycle . turning now to steps 557 through 571 of fig5 c , a supplier may leverage a bizzap based solution to directly interface with a customer for repair of a damaged product . beginning at step 557 , the customer may purchase a good that it later determines is damaged . using a pcd 110 b configured with a rgdm module , the customer may document to the bizzap sever 105 the damaged good along with any required returned good content at step 559 . the supplier may be notified of the damaged good and return request at step 561 . subsequently , at step 563 the supplier may provide the customer with repair parts . at step 565 , the customer may repair the product , thereby avoiding the need to return the entire good to the supplier . at step 567 , the bizzap server 105 may be updated that the previously damaged product is repaired to the satisfaction of the customer . at step 569 , the supplier may be updated as to the status of the product . at step 571 , using the returned good content collected by the bizzap server 105 and stored in the database 120 , the supplier may reach out to the customer in an effort to repair and damaged goodwill . for example , the supplier may provide the customer with a discount on a future purchase . at step 573 , the total chargeback for a sales cycle , whether such chargeback is attributable to scrapped items , merchant labor associating with repairing damaged items , etc ., may be calculated by the bizzap server 105 and provided to the supplier and merchant at step 575 . notably , it should be understood that any data collected over the sales cycle and aggregated by the bizzap server 105 may be provided to the supplier and / or merchant . such data may include , but is not limited to including , customer information , product return rates , repair lead times , etc . certain steps in the processes or process flows described in this specification naturally precede others for the invention to function as described . however , the invention is not limited to the order of the steps described if such order or sequence does not alter the functionality of the invention . that is , it is recognized that some steps may performed before , after , or parallel ( substantially simultaneously with ) other steps without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . in some instances , certain steps may be omitted or not performed without departing from the invention . also , in some instances , multiple actions depicted and described as unique steps in the present disclosure may be comprised within a single step . further , words such as “ thereafter ”, “ then ”, “ next ”, “ subsequently ”, 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 exemplary method . additionally , one of ordinary skill in programming is able to write computer code or identify appropriate hardware and / or circuits to implement the disclosed invention without difficulty based on the flow charts and associated description in this specification , for example . therefore , disclosure of a particular set of program code instructions or detailed hardware devices is not considered necessary for an adequate understanding of how to make and use the invention . the functionality of the claimed computer implemented processes is explained in more detail in the above description and in conjunction with the figures which may illustrate various process flows . therefore , although selected aspects have been illustrated and described in detail , it will be understood that various substitutions and alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention , as defined by the following claims .	6
an embodiment of the present invention is described below with reference to drawings . a net - shaped protective material of the embodiment shown in fig1 is a sheet . the sheet 1 is net - shaped by fusing sectionally elliptic vertical strands 2 and horizontal strands 3 to each other at intersection points 4 thereof to form rhombic vacancies 5 surrounded with the vertical strands 2 and the horizontal strands 3 . because the vacancies 5 are rhombic , the vertical strands 2 are not parallel with a longitudinal direction ( axis direction ) l of the sheet 1 , and the horizontal strands 3 are not orthogonal to the axial direction l , but both the vertical strands 2 and the horizontal strands 3 are in a tilt direction to the axial direction l . strands are distinguishably named the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 . both the vertical strands 2 and the horizontal strands 3 consist of identical flame - retardant resin fibers 10 and are elliptic in section , as described above . in detail , the flame - retardant resin fiber 10 is composed of not less than one kind of a halogen - free resin component selected from among mixtures each consisting of not less than two kinds of polypropylene , polyester , polyethylene terephthalate , polyamide , polyphenylene ether , polybutylene terephthalate , and polyphenylene sulfide and a flame retardant , added to the halogen - free resin component , which is selected from among a bromine - based flame retardant , phosphates , metal hydroxides , and melamine . 0 . 5 to 100 parts by mass of the flame retardant is added to 100 parts by mass of the resin component . if necessary 0 to 50 parts by mass of a filler consisting of magnesium oxide or / and calcium carbonate is added to 100 parts by mass of the resin component . in this embodiment , the polypropylene ( pp ) is used as the resin component , and the bromine - based flame retardant consisting of tetrabromobisphenol is used as the flame retardant . the vertical strands 2 and the horizontal strands 3 are not braided , but fused to each other at intersection points 4 by layering the vertical strands 2 on the horizontal strands 3 with the vertical strands 2 being disposed at an upper side and the horizontal strands 3 being disposed at an upper side . as shown in fig2 ( c ) , the sectionally elliptic vertical strands 2 disposed at the upper side and the sectionally elliptic horizontal strands 3 disposed at the lower side make surface contact at the intersection points 4 and are fused to each other with a portion 3 m , of the lower - side horizontal strand 3 , which occupies 40 to 50 % of the sectional area thereof being penetrated into the upper - side vertical strands 2 . the major axis of each of the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 is set to 0 . 35 mm to 0 . 5 mm . the thickness of the net - shaped sheet 1 composed of the vertical strands 2 and the horizontal strands 3 is set to 0 . 4 mm to 0 . 8 mm . in the net - shaped sheet 1 , the length of the vertical strand 2 and that of the horizontal strand 3 surrounding the rhombic vacancy 5 are set to 1 . 4 mm × 1 . 4 mm in this embodiment . the tensile strength , tear strength , and tensile elongation of the sheet 1 in the vertical direction ( axial direction ) and in the horizontal direction are set to not less than 15 . 7n , not less than 15 . 7n , and 180 to 230 % respectively . as shown in fig3 , by using a method described later , the net - shaped sheet 1 is so bent in advance that the net - shaped sheet 1 has an undeformable cylindrical configuration to overlap both ends thereof in the width direction thereof orthogonal to the longitudinal direction thereof , namely , the axial direction l thereof on each other . at the process of mounting the sheet 1 on a wire harness 20 , the sheet 1 is disposed along the longitudinal direction of a group w of electric wires of the wire harness 20 . in this state , the bent sheet 1 having the undeformable cylindrical configuration is wound around the peripheral surface of the group w of the electric wires . in this state , both ends of the net - shaped sheet 1 in the width direction thereof are overlapped each other . thus the net - shaped sheet 1 is capable of completely covering the entire peripheral surface of the group w of the electric wires . thereafter an adhesive tape t is wound around both ends of the sheet 1 in its longitudinal direction and the group w of the electric wires drawn out of the sheet 1 to fix the adhesive tape t and the sheet 1 as well as the electric wires to each other . the method for producing the net - shaped sheet 1 is described below . the sheet 1 is formed by using a sizing machine shown in fig4 ( a ) and 4 ( b ) . in detail , after the resin component , the flame retardant , a stabilizer , and the like are supplied to a hopper 25 , they are stirred to mix them with one another . a mixture obtained by stirring and mixing the components is transported to a die set 27 with the mixture being kneaded by a screw conveyor 26 . the die set 27 molds the kneaded material into the net - shaped sheet consisting of the flame - retardant resin fiber 10 . the die set 27 is constructed of an outer die 27 a and an inner die 27 b . the outer die 27 a and the inner die 27 b are rotated in opposite directions by a motor 29 . an intersection portion ( intersection point ) where the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 overlap on each other is formed at a portion 27 c where a hole of the outer die 27 a and a hole of the inner die 27 b overlap on each other . when the hole of the outer die 27 a and that of the inner die 27 b move apart , a grating shape ( rhombic shape in this embodiment ) is formed . when the net - shaped sheet is extruded from the die set 27 , the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 are heated and pressurized to fuse them to each other . because the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 are heated and pressurized , both are thermally fused to each other with the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 being penetrated into each other at the intersection point 4 of the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 , as shown in fig2 ( c ). thereafter a net - shaped sheet 40 is transported to a cooling bath 31 and thermally stretched by a draw roll 32 . thereafter the net - shaped sheet 40 is transported to a stretching bath 33 and wound in a coil 41 . the net - shaped sheet 40 is so bent that the net - shaped sheet 40 has an undeformable cylindrical configuration to overlap both ends thereof in the width direction thereof . fig5 ( a ) shows a method of producing a sheet 1 - a having a predetermined length from the net - shaped sheet 40 . fig5 ( b ) shows a method of producing a continuous sheet 1 - b from the net - shaped sheet 40 . in the method shown in fig5 ( a ) , the uncoiled sheet 40 is cut to a predetermined length by a sheet - cutting machine ( not shown ) to obtain a cut sheet 42 . thereafter the cut sheet 42 is passed through a heated roll 43 to obtain a cut sheet 42 c so bent that an obtained cut sheet 40 has an undeformable circular arc configuration . in the method shown in fig5 ( b ) , a conic cylindrical molding machine 45 is used , and pull rolls 46 a and 46 b are disposed upstream and downstream from the molding machine 45 respectively . the sheet 40 is passed through the molding machine 45 from the roll 46 a to shape the sheet 40 into an undeformable circular arc configuration inside the molding machine 45 so that both ends of sheet 40 in its width direction overlap on each other at a small - diameter portion of the molding machine 45 disposed at the rear portion thereof . the sheet 40 is drawn out by a roll 46 b in this state . in this manner , the continuous sheet 1 - b is produced . the sheet 1 - b is cut to a required length by a cutting machine 47 in dependence on a use condition . as shown in fig2 ( c ) , in the net - shaped sheet 1 having the above - described construction , at the intersection point 4 of the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 , the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 are deformed sectionally elliptically and thermally fused to each other with the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 being penetrated into each other . therefore unlike a case in which the peripheral surface of the vertical strand and that of the horizontal strand are welded to each other , the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 are unlikely to peel from each other . therefore the net - shaped sheet 1 has the above - described degree of tensile strength and tear strength and the shape and size of meshes of the net are prevented from being changed and is thus reliable . because the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 are formed from the flame - retardant resin fiber 10 , the net - shaped sheet 1 has flame retardance and thus can be used as a sheathing material for the wire harness to be wired inside the engine room . further because the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 are firmly fixed to each other , each of the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 do not generate fray at a cut end thereof . furthermore because the sheet 1 is net - shaped , the weight thereof can be reduced to half the weight of a round tube . particularly by using the sheet 1 as a sheathing material for a large number of wire harnesses to be wired on a car , the sheet 1 is capable of contributing to a decrease of the weight of the car and thus decreasing fuel consumption . in the net - shaped sheet 1 having the above - described construction , by adjusting the position of the intersection point 4 of the vertical strand 2 and the horizontal strand 3 , it is possible to arbitrarily alter the size of the vacancy 5 and the configuration thereof . fig6 shows a coarse net n - 1 having large vacancies 5 and a fine net n - 2 having small vacancies 5 . regarding the relationship between the size of the vacancy 5 and the stretchability , wear resistance , and strength of the net - shaped sheet 1 , as shown in fig6 , the coarse net n - 1 has a high stretchability , but has a low wear resistance and strength . the fine net n - 2 has a low stretchability , but has a high wear resistance and strength . as apparent from the foregoing description , in dependence on a use condition of the wire harness , the net tube 1 is allowed to have a demanded degree of elongation and strength by adjusting the size of the vacancy 5 . the vacancy 5 can be shaped as shown in fig7 ( a ) through 7 ( h ) . the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( a ) has rectangular meshes so that the net tube 1 is unlikely to stretch . the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( b ) has rhombic meshes so that the net tube 1 is stretchy . the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( c ) has hexagonal meshes so that the net tube 1 has a strength higher than that of the net tube 1 of ( b ) and has a stretchability a little lower than that of the net tube 1 of ( b ). the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( d ) has circular meshes so that the net tube 1 has a strength higher than that of the net tube 1 of ( c ) and does not have stretchability . the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( e ) has narrow rhombic meshes obtained by stretching the vertical strands 2 and the horizontal strands 3 . although the net tube 1 has a low strength , it has an excellent stretchability . in the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( f ), as the vertical strands and the horizontal strands , large - diameter strands 2 a and 3 a and small - diameter strands 2 b and 3 b are formed respectively . the large - diameter strands 2 a and 3 a and the small - diameter strands 2 b and 3 b are arranged by sandwiching a plurality of the small - diameter strands 2 b and 3 b between the large - diameter strands 2 a and 3 a . net - shaped portions formed with the small - diameter strands 2 b and 3 b are disposed in vacancies surrounded with the large - diameter strands 2 a and 3 a . the net tube 1 has a strength higher than that of the net tube 1 of ( d ) and stretchability to some extent . the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( g ) has rectangular meshes . the net tube 1 has a selvage , having a solid portion ns , which is formed at both ends of the net tube 1 in its longitudinal direction to allow an adhesive tape to be easily wound around a group of electric wires and the front end of the net tube 1 . the solid portion is formed by heating resin fibers to melt them and immersing them in a cooling bath to solidify them . the net tube 1 shown in fig7 ( h ) has rhombic meshes , and the net tube 1 has a selvage . as apparent from the above description , the configuration of the vacancy 5 can be easily adjusted according to a demand for a stretchy net tube or a net tube unlikely to stretch . comparison between physical properties of the net - shaped sheets of the examples and those of net - shaped sheets of the comparison examples is described below . in examples 1 , 2 , and 3 , four parts by mass of a bromine - based flame retardant was added to 100 parts by mass of polypropylene to form vertical strands and horizontal strands . at the intersection point of the vertical strand and the horizontal strand , as described in the embodiment , the vertical strand and the horizontal strand were thermally fused to each other with 40 to 50 % of the sectional area of the horizontal strand being penetrated into the vertical strand to obtain a net - shaped sheet having rhombic meshes . the lengths of sides of vacancies of the examples 1 , 2 , and 3 were different from each other , as shown in table 1 . in the net tube of the comparison example 1 , the sectionally circular vertical strand and horizontal strand were made of the polypropylene , and the surface of the vertical strand and that of the horizontal strand at an intersection point thereof were fused to each other in line contact . the net - shaped sheet had rhombic meshes similarly to the net - shaped sheets of the examples . in a tube of the comparison example 2 , the vertical strand and the horizontal strand were made of polyester and woven densely . a tape of the comparison example 3 was a vinyl chloride tape generally used to be wound around a wire harness . in the test apparatus , an auxiliary weight 31 was mounted on a supporting bar 30 , and a bracket 32 is disposed below the auxiliary weight 31 . the bracket 32 was coupled to the front end of a cantilevered shaft arm 33 . a test tape 40 was fixed to a horizontal supporting bar 34 . in this state , a wear tape 36 consisting of 150 a sand paper was moved in a direction shown with arrows with the wear tape 36 being held by a supporting pin 35 and sliding the test tape 40 . the wear volume of the test tape 40 was measured at a portion thereof where the wear tape 36 slid . the tear strength shown in table 1 was measured as follows : as shown in fig8 ( b ) , a slit 41 a having a length of 25 mm was formed from the center of one side of a test tape 41 having vertical and horizontal lengths of 50 mm . the test tape 41 was pulled in left - ward and right - ward directions by setting the slit 41 a as the boundary . as shown in table 1 , the test net - shaped sheets of the examples 1 , 2 , and 3 were excellent in the flame retardance ( oi value ) thereof . the oi values of the test net - shaped sheets of the examples 2 and 3 were more than the target value of 23 . 5 . the test net - shaped sheets of the examples 1 , 2 , and 3 had a tensile strength 3 to 10 times higher than the test net tube of the comparison example 1 in which intersection points of the vertical strands and the horizontal strands were fused to each other in line contact and tear strengths higher than the test net tube of the comparison example 1 . in the wear test , the test net - shaped sheets of the examples 1 , 2 , and 3 had wear volumes not less than the target value of 1000 , which proved that they were excellent in the wear resistance thereof . in the above - described embodiment , the net - shaped sheet 1 is shaped into a circular arc configuration such that both ends in its width direction overlap each other . besides , as shown in fig9 ( a ) , overlapped both ends of the net - shaped sheet 1 may be thermally fused to each other to form a tube 50 . as shown in fig9 ( b ) , after a wire harness 20 is inserted through the contracted net - shaped tube 50 , the net - shaped tube 50 is stretched as shown in fig9 ( c ) to fix a group of electric wires to an adhesive tape t .	8
in fig1 the belt press has been designated generally by the numeral 10 and shown to include substantially identical upper and lower sections 12 and 14 , respectively , that are aligned one above the other . each section includes a pair of belt rolls 11 , 13 on the upper and 15 , 17 on the lower . the rolls are rotatably mounted to frame ( not shown ). traveling around rolls 11 , 13 is a metal alloy belt 18 and around rolls 15 and 17 an identical belt 20 . both belts coact to form a constant height nip section within the frame hereafter referred to as the heating and cooling zone 22 . each belt is supported on its back side in the zone 22 by a stationary antifriction bearing 24 sandwiched between the stationary zone and the moving belts . belt tension rolls 28 , 30 are mounted for rotatable and vertical movement as indicated by the direction arrows . the belts are driven in the direction of the arrows by conventional drive means ( not shown ). each zone 22 is composed of heating sections 32 , 34 , and cooling sections 36 separated by thermal barriers 38 . the zones are attached to the frame with mechanical shims 26 , 26 a in a fashion to allow vertical positioning for maintaining a constant spacing between the belts . there are numerous heating and cooling concepts practiced by commercial belt press suppliers . heating systems use an electrical heat source to generate heat and then carry the heat to the belt via pneumatic , hydraulic and regular conduction techniques . the source of cooling is usually a water supply with the heat being carried from the belt by pneumatic , hydraulic and conductive sytems . in order to provide capability for the belt press to operate at temperatures above 540 ° f . the static anti friction bearings 24 of woven screen must be permanently impregnated with either a dried graphite paste , a dried molylube n ( molybdenum ) paste or a graphite sheeting , which are all high temperature and low volatility substrates which fill the voids in the screen . the bearing surface must then be coated periodically with a high temperature and low volatility lubricant such as c5a ( fel pro , inc ., skokie , ill . ), a copper based lubricant , molylube - 16 ( bel - ray co ., inc ., farmingdale , n . j . ), a molybdenum based lubricant , or krytox ™ paste ( du pont ), a fluorinated lubricant . in a batch mode of operation shown in fig1 a , a layup consisting of a core member 50 and facings 50a comprised either of preimpregnated fiber reinforced sheets or sheets of thermoplastic resin and fabrics of high performance fibers ( glass , aramids or carbon ) 50 is introduced from platform 49 into the nip between the belts 18 and 20 . if necessary , a release film 52 is unrolled from the supply roll 51 to cover belts 18 and 20 . the facings are bonded to the core as the layup passes through zone 22 of fig1 under a positive pressure created by the difference in the opening between the belts and the thickness of the core and its facings . usually the bonding pressure is limited by the compressive strength of the core at the processing temperature . a stationary platen press of the type known to one skilled in the art could also be used to heat and bond the facing 50a to the core 50 . while fig1 a shows a system set up for a batch mode of operation , it is to be understood that a ( single step ) continuous mode of operation could be obtained as disclosed in fig2 wherein a continuous core 50 &# 39 ; is fed to the nip of the belt press 10 from platform 49 . upper and lower facings 60 , 62 , respectively , are formed from a reinforcing fabric 64 , sandwiched between thermoplastic resin sheets 66 , 68 ( in the case of upper facing 60 ) and 64a sandwiched between thermoplastic resin sheets 65 , 67 ( in the case of lower facing 62 ) a release film 70 such as kapton ™ is fed between the upper and lower facings and the belts of the belt press 10 . kapton ™, aluminum or teflon ™ coated glass fabric are needed for a release agent with certain thermoplastic sheets but may not be required by others . the panels are formed in the belt press in substantially the same manner as described above except the operation is continuous . panels made according to the above procedure are then tested for damage tolerance via the climbing drum peel test ( astm d781 - 76 ; reapproved 1986 ). panels exhibiting at least 10 pounds of peel per 3 &# 34 ; sample have sufficient damage tolerance for use in aircraft interiors . if higher peel strengths are desired with honeycomb of nomex ™, crushed - core panels can be made . with the above technology , peel strengths can be enhanced by as much as 3 - 4 times versus noncrushed core panels . this is because the bonding surface area has been increased . more particularly , as shown in fig3 a honeycomb core member 50 &# 34 ; is introduced into the nip between belts 18 , 20 along with a fiber reinforced resin facing 51 &# 39 ;. as they pass through the nip under positive pressure , the cell walls of the honeycomb structure are folded into hooklike configurations pointed generally in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the core , thus increasing the surface area of the honeycomb structure contacting the facings 52 &# 39 ;. with the new thermoplastic facing technology , the core is heated above its softening point such that the cells are crushed much more uniformly than with conventional thermoset crushed - core panels which have considerable cell damage after panel fabrication leading to a decrease in certain physical properties such as bending stiffness . an alternate embodiment using a foam core is shown in fig5 wherein a foam core member 50 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is introduced into the nip between belts 18 and 20 along with a fiber reinforced resin facing 52 &# 34 ;. if the foam is thermoplastic in nature , as shown in fig6 a strong bond 54 is formed between the foam and the facing resin as defined by peel strength exceeding 30 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; width . this strong bond results from fusion bonding ( i . e . melting together of the facing resin and the melted foam surface ) between the resin and the foam at the interface . the heat from the belt press melts the surface of the foam as seen by thickening of the foam cell walls near the interface . the heat is not applied long enough to penetrate through the thickness of the foam , therefore , the foam interior remains intact . examples of foams which will bond to thermoplastic pekk resin in this manner are polymethacrylimide foams ( rohacell ™) and polyetherimide foams ( airex ™). if the foam is not thermoplastic in nature , as shown in fig7 a strong bond 54 &# 39 ; is formed between the foam and facing resin which results from flow of the pekk polymer into the cells at the interface , resulting in a bond of increased surface area at the interface . the resin flows into and around the surface cell walls of the foam core . the strong bond is characterized by peel strength of greater than 25 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; width . examples of foams which will bond to pekk resin in this manner are polyurethanes and polyisocyanurates ( last - a - foam ™). in addition to being used as core materials , these foam materials have been demonstrated for use as an edge trim to honeycomb - cored sandwich panels as shown in fig8 and 9 . the foam edge trim member acts as a barrier to moisture for the honeycomb , as a location for fastener attachment , and also as a smooth edge finish for an aircraft part . the foam edge 50 &# 34 ;&# 39 ; is held in place around the honeycomb core member 50 &# 34 ; for processing by a variety of methods . in the preferred method a screw 56 is used to mechanically fasten the foam strips together at each splice point . other types of fasteners at the splice point which have been demonstrated include kapton ™ tape or fast drying adhesives . ultrasonic bonding of the face sheets to the core or a wooden frame around the edges of the panel have been demonstrated as techniques to hold the foam in place without fasteners . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . three pieces of amorphous ( 60 / 40 t / i ) pekk film ( 1 . 5 mils thick , 150 melt index as measured by astm 1238 - 79 procedures ) were placed on the core bonding side of kevlar ™ 49 aramid fiber ( by du pont ) style 285 fabric ( 5 . 1 oz ./ sq . yd ., 9 mils thick ) and one piece on the belt contact side to form the top facing . the bottom facing consisted of a balanced 2 pieces of film on each side of the kevlar ™. the resin percentage by weight of the facings was 54 %. the facings were placed on each side of a piece of honeycomb of nomex ™ aramid paper ( by du pont ) ( 3 lbs ./ cu . ft ., 1 / 8 &# 34 ; cell , 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick ). the warp direction of the fabric was aligned with the ribbon direction of the core . the warp face of the fabric was placed against the core . the facing layers were anchored to the core material with two 1 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape strips along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press ( substantially as shown in fig2 ) was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ; per min . ( approximately 32 sec . residence time in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was fixed to give a panel thickness of 0 . 518 &# 34 ;. a kapton ™ polyimide release sheet ( by du pont ) was placed over both sides of the entire laminate . the front edge of the sample , perpendicular to the warp direction of the facing fabric and containing the kapton ™ tape anchors , was inserted into the belt press . once consolidated , the kapton ™ release film and tape anchors were removed from the sample . the panel was cut into three 3 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ; samples ( length perpendicular to the warp direction ). peeling the 3 ply pekk / kevlar ™/ 1 ply pekk facing from the core gave an average peel strength of 28 . 4 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . two pieces of amorphous ( 60 / 40 t / i ) pekk film ( 1 . 5 mils thick , 150 melt index as measured by astm 1238 - 79 procedures ) were placed on each side of style 7781 glass ( 9 mils thick ). the facesheet was consolidated at belt press conditions of 650 ° f . and 15 &# 34 ;/ min . belt speed ( about 32 sec . in the heating zone ). the gap between upper and lower belts was adjusted to give a sample thickness of 0 . 012 &# 34 ;. a second facesheet was consolidated in an identical fashion . the resin percentage by weight of the facings was 39 %. the described facings were then placed on each side of a piece of honeycomb of nomex ™ ( 3 lbs ./ cu . ft ., 1 / 8 &# 34 ; cell , 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick ). the facings were anchored to the core material with two 1 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape strips along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 625 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ; per min . ( residence time approximately 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was fixed to give a sample thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ;. a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate . the front edge of the sample , perpendicular to the warp direction of the facing fabric and containing the kapton ™ tape anchors , was inserted into the belt press . the belt press conditions were then adjusted to a constant 500 ° f . and 3 . 5 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 2 . 3 min . in the heat zone ) belt speed and the panel was inserted as before . once consolidated , the kapton ™ release film and tape anchors were removed from the sample . the panel was cut into three 3 &# 34 ; by 8 &# 34 ; samples ( length parallel to the core ribbon direction ). the specimens gave an average short beam shear value of 100 psi . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . two pieces of amorphous ( 60 / 40 t / i ) pekk film ( 1 . 5 mils thick , 180 melt index ) were placed on each side of a kevlar ™ style 281 fabric , 5 . 1 oz ./ sq . yd ., 10 mils thick , to form the facing . to achieve a sample size of 14 &# 34 ;× 17 &# 34 ;, 6 . 5 &# 34 ; strips of the above mentioned amorphous pekk film were concurrently placed over a 14 &# 34 ;× 17 &# 34 ; piece of core material being careful not to overlap film edges . identical facings were placed on each side of a piece of honeycomb of nomex ™ ( 3 lbs ./ cu . ft ., 1 / 8 &# 34 ; cell , 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick ). the warp direction of the fabric was aligned with the ribbon direction of the core . the facing layers were anchored to the core material with two 2 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape strips along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . and a belt speed of 12 &# 34 ; per min . ( residence time approximately 48 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to achieve a total sample thickness of 0 . 36 &# 34 ; ( 70 % of the theoretical thickness ). a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate according to the above described procedure . the front edge of the sample , perpendicular to the warp direction of the facing fabric and containing the kapton ™ tape anchors , was inserted into the belt press . the kapton ™ release film and the tape anchors were removed from the sample . the average sample thickness , as measured by a micrometer , was found to be 0 . 387 &# 34 ;. three 3 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ; samples ( long direction perpendicular to the warp direction ) were cut from the sample . the average peel strength was determined to be 56 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . two pieces of polyethermide ultem ™ film were placed on each side of a kevlar ™ style 281 fabric , 5 . 1 oz ./ sq . yd ., 10 mils thick , to form the facing . identical facings were placed on each side of a piece of honeycomb of nomex ™ ( 3 lbs ./ cu . ft ., 1 / 8 &# 34 ; cell , 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick ). the warp direction of the facing fabric was aligned with the ribbon direction of the core . the facing layers were anchored to the core material with two 1 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape strips along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to achieve a total sample thickness of 0 . 44 &# 34 ; ( 85 % theoretical gap ). a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate according to the above described procedure . the front edge of the sample , perpendicular to the warp direction of the facing fabric and containing the kapton ™ tape anchors , was inserted to the belt press . the kapton ™ release film and the tape anchors were removed from the sample . a climbing drum peel test was performed on three samples and had an average result of 11 . 0 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . two pieces of 70 / 30 t / i , pekk film were placed on the top side of a kevlar ™ 49 style 281 fabric ( 5 . 1 oz ./ sq . yd ., 10 mils thick ) and two pieces of 60 / 40 t / i pekk film ( 180 melt index as measured by astm 1238 - 79 ) on the bottom to form the facing . the percentage of resin by weight was about 49 . identical facings were placed on each side of a piece of honeycomb of nomex ™ ( 3 lbs ./ cu . ft ., 1 / 8 &# 34 ; cell , 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick ). the 60 / 40 t / i film was placed next to the honeycomb core on both sides . to achieve a sample size of 13 &# 34 ;× 17 &# 34 ;, 6 . 5 &# 34 ; strips of the above mentioned amorphous pekk films were concurrently placed over a 14 &# 34 ;× 17 &# 34 ; piece of the core material being careful not to overlap film edges . the warp direction of the fabric was aligned with the ribbon direction of the core . the facing layers were anchored to the core material with two 1 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape strips along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time approximately 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was fixed to 0 . 360 &# 34 ; ( 70 % theoretical thickness ). a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate . the front edge of the sample , perpendicular to the warp direction of the facing fabric and containing the kapton ™ tape anchors , was inserted into the belt press . once consolidated the kapton ™ release film and tape anchors were removed from the sample . the average sample thickness , as measured by a micrometer , was found to be 0 . 365 &# 34 ;. three 3 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ; samples ( length perpendicular to the warp direction ) were cut from the sample . the peel strength was determined to be 27 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the panel were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . three pieces of amorphous polyetheretherketone ( peek ) film ( stabar k200 - 782 ), 1 . 06 oz ./ sq . yd ., melt index 19 @ 360 ° c ., as measured by astm 1238 - 79 procedures , were laid over a piece of 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick nomex ™ honeycomb core . then a piece of 7781 glass fabric was placed atop the film layers with the warp direction of the fabric parallel to the core ribbon direction and the warp face towards the core . three more layers of film were then placed on the fabric . this layup was intended to produce a resin content on the face sheets of approximately 41 %. the film and fabric stacked layup was duplicated on the reverse side of the core . the layers of film and fabric were anchored to the core by ultrasonic welder along the leading edge of the panel . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 680 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ; per min . ( about 32 sec . residence time in the heat zone ). the gap between the belts was adjusted to give a product thickness of 0 . 44 &# 34 ;, or 85 % of the theoretical thickness expected . a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate . the laminate was placed into the belt press such that the ribbon direction of the core was parallel to the machine direction , with the edge that had been ultrasonic spot welded entering the belt press first . after consolidation , the release sheets were removed from the surfaces of the laminate . three 3 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ; samples were cut from the panel , length perpendicular to the core ribbon direction . the average peel strength of the three samples was found to be 15 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . two pieces of amorphous ( 60 / 40 t / i ) pekk film ( 130 melt index as measured by astm 1238 - 79 procedures ) were placed on each side of a kevlar ™ 49 style 281 fabric , 5 . 1 oz ./ sq . yd ., 10 mils thick , to form the facing . the percentage of resin by weight was calculated to be 51 %. identical facings were placed on each side of a piece of honeycomb of aluminum ( 3 lbs ./ cu . ft ., 1 / 8 &# 34 ; cell , 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick ). to achieve a sample size of 13 &# 34 ;× 17 &# 34 ;, 6 . 5 &# 34 ; strips of the above mentioned amorphous pekk film were concurrently placed over a 14 &# 34 ;× 17 &# 34 ; piece of the core material being careful not to overlap film edges . the warp direction of the fabric was aligned with the ribbon direction of the core . the facing layers were anchored to the core material with two 1 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape strips along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time approximately 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was fixed to give a sample thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ;. a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate . the front edge of the sample , perpendicular to the warp direction of the facing fabric and containing the kapton ™ tape anchors , was inserted into the belt press . once consolidated the kapton ™ release film and tape anchors were removed from the sample . the average sample thickness , as measured by a micrometer , was found to be 0 . 523 &# 34 ;. three 3 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ; samples ( length perpendicular to the warp direction ) were cut from the sample . the peel strength was determined to be 11 . 9 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were drid for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . two pieces of amorphous ( 60 / 40 t / i ) pekk film ( 150 melt index ) were placed on either side of a kevlar ™ style 281 fabric , 5 . 1 oz ./ sq . yd ., 10 mils thick , to form the panel facings . one inch wide strips of 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick foam ( last - a - foam ™ fr - 10118 polyisocyanurate by general plastics mfg . co ., tacoma , wash .) were cut from a sheet of foam and assembled into a frame with outer dimensions measuring 12 &# 34 ;× 16 &# 34 ;. the strips of foam were held together using a rigid wooden frame with inner dimensions of 12 &# 34 ;× 16 &# 34 ;. a piece of nomex ™ honeycomb core cut exactly to 10 &# 34 ;× 14 &# 34 ; was fitted into the center of the frame . the identical facings described above were then placed on each side of the foam - framed nomex ™ honeycomb such that the warp direction of the fabric ran in the ribbon direction of the honeycomb core . one inch wide strips of kapton ™ tape were used to anchor the facings to the frame along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . with a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time approximately 32 secs . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to produce a finished sample thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ; or 100 % of the theoretical thickness . the front edge of the sample with the kapton ™ tape anchors ) was inserted into the belt press . this sample was covered with kapton ™ film as a release agent to prevent the sample from sticking to the belts . once consolidated the kapton ™ release film and tape anchors were removed from the sample . the finished panel edges were trimmed , leaving 1 / 2 &# 34 ; width of foam around the panel . the average thickness of the foam trimmed portion of the panel , as measured by a micrometer , was 0 . 507 &# 34 ; and the average thickness of the honeycomb cored portion of the sample was measured to be 0 . 494 &# 34 ;. the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . identical panel facings as described in example 8 were laid up . 1 . 5 &# 34 ; strips of 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick foam ( rohacell ™ 200 wf polymethacrylimide by rohm tech , inc ., malden , mass .) were cut from a foam sheet and assembled into a frame with outer dimensions measuring 12 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ;. the strips of foam were anchored together using kapton ™ tape . a piece of nomex ™ honeycomb core cut exactly to 9 &# 34 ;× 9 &# 34 ; dimensions was fitted into the center of the frame . the identical facings were placed on either side of the foam - framed nomex ™ honeycomb with the warp direction of the fabric parallel to the ribbon direction of the honeycomb core . the kapton ™ tape was used to anchor the facings in place along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . with a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to produce a finished sample thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ;. the panel was then consolidated in the belt press using kapton ™ release film . after processing , the kapton ™ film and tape were removed . this sample was then reprocessed to apply a decorative laminate to one side of the panel . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 250 ° f . and 6 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 80 sec . in the heat zone ). the panel was consolidated using kapton ™ release film which was removed after processing . the finished average thickness of the foam was measured to be 0 . 521 &# 34 ; and the honeycomb core thickness was 0 . 516 &# 34 ;. the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . two pieces of amorphous ( 60 / 40 t / i ) pekk film ( 150 melt index ) were placed on either side of a kevlar ™ style 281 fabric , 5 . 1 oz ./ sq . yd ., 10 mils thick , to form the panel facings . dimensions of the fabric and film measured 16 &# 34 ;× 25 &# 34 ;. a piece of foam core ( rohacell ™ 200 wf polymethacrylimide ) was cut to these same dimensions . the facings were placed on either side of the foam and anchored in place using two 1 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape anchors along the leading edge of the sample . the warp direction of the fabric was aligned along the length ( 25 &# 34 ;) direction of the panel . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . with a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to produce a finished sample thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ; or 100 % of the theoretical thickness . the leading edge of the sample was inserted into the belt press . a kapton ™ release film was used when processing the sample . after consolidation the release film and tape anchors were removed . the average sample thickness , as measured by the micrometer , was 0 . 540 &# 34 ;. this panel was cut into five 3 &# 34 ;× 24 &# 34 ; strips for long beam flex evaluation as described in test boeing mil . spec . 256 , page 29 . the average flex strength was determined to be 14 . 7 ksi at maximum machine deflection . an identical sample was manufactured but with the warp direction of the fabric perpendicular to the length of the foam cored panel . this sample was cut into 3 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ; samples for climbing drum peel evaluation . the average peel strength was determined to be 33 lbs . per 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . identical facings as described in example 9 were placed on each side of a piece of foam ( last - a - foam ™ fr 3718 polyurethane ) measuring 16 &# 34 ;× 25 &# 34 ; with the warp direction of the fabric parallel to the length of the panel . two kapton ™ tape strips were used to anchor the facings to the core along the leading edge of the panel . the panel was consolidated using a constant belt press temperature of 600 ° f . and a constant belt speed of 12 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 48 sec . in the heat zone ). kapton ™ release film was used during consolidation . after consolidation the release film and tape anchors were removed . the average panel thickness was measured to be 0 . 541 &# 34 ;. this panel was cut into samples for long beam flex evaluation . the average flex strength was determined to be 13 ksi at maximum machine deflection . an identical sample was manufactured with the warp direction perpendicular to the length of the panel for climbing drum peel evaluation . manufacturing conditions for this sample were 650 ° f . belt temperature and 15 &# 34 ;/ min . belt speed ( residence time about 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the average peel strength was determined to be 27 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . identical facings of amorphous ( 60 / 40 ) pekk film and kevlar ™ fabric style 281 were placed on either side of a foam ( last - a - foam ™ fr 10118 polyisocyanurate ) core . two 1 &# 34 ; wide strips of kapton ™ were used to anchor the facings in place along the leading edge of the sample . all parts of the lay - up were cut to dimensions of 12 &# 34 ;× 16 &# 34 ;. the warp direction of the fabric was laid parallel to the length of the panel . the panel was consolidated using a constant belt press temperature of 650 ° f . and a constant belt speed of 12 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 48 sec , in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to achieve a finished panel thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ;. the kapton ™ release film was used during panel processing . after consolidation the kapton ™ film and tape were removed . the panel was cut into four 3 &# 34 ;× 12 &# 34 ; samples with the warp direction of the fabric parallel to the 3 &# 34 ; dimension . the average peel strength of this panel by the climbing drum peel strength test method was determined to be 27 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . one piece of amorphous nylon film ( 0 . 008 &# 34 ; thick ) was placed on each side of a flat woven 5 × 5 harness satin fabric ( 15 oz ./ sq . yd . code , t5674 - 34 ) made from e - glass / amorphous nylon impregnated tow ( binnersley and krueger u . s . pat . no . 4 , 640 , 861 ) to form the facing . identical facings were placed on each side of a piece of honeycomb of nomex ™ ( 3 lbs ./ sq . ft ., 1 / 8 &# 34 ; cell , 1 / 2 &# 34 ; thick ). the warp direction of the facing fabric was aligned with the ribbon direction of the core and the predominently warp faced side of the fabric placed closest to the core . the facing layers were anchored to the core with ( 3 ) 1 &# 34 ; wide kapton ™ tape strips along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 32 sec . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to achieve a total sample thickness of 0 . 504 &# 34 ;. a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate according to the above described procedure . the front edge of the sample , perpendicular to the warp direction of the facing fabric and containing the kapton ™ tape anchors , was inserted into the belt press . the kapton ™ release sheet and the tape anchors were removed from the sample . the average sample thickness , as measured by micrometer , was found to be 0 . 507 &# 34 ;. a climbing drum peel test was performed on three samples ( in the fabric warp direction ) and had an average result of 19 . 1 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of this panel were dried for at least 2 hours at 120 ° c . and then laid up in the following manner . a piece of amorphous pekk ( 60 / 40 ) film ( melt index 150 ) was laid over a piece of 1 / 2 &# 34 ; nomex ™ honeycomb core . a piece of peek / as4 uni tape ( ici fiberire apc - 2 / as - 4 12 &# 34 ; uni tape , batch no . n89 - 0038 , roll no . 11 ) was then placed upon the core with the fibers in the tape running perpendicular to the ribbon direction of the core . another piece of the same tape was then placed on the stack , but with the as - 4 fibers running parallel to the ribbon direction of the core . the tape layup was repeated in the same fashion for the opposite side of the core , including the layer of pekk film . the facing layers were fastened to the core material with kapton ™ tape along the leading edge of the sample for insertion into the belt press ( an edge perpendicular to the ribbon direction of the core ). the belt press was set up for a constant temperature of 680 ° f . and a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . ( residence time about 32 secs . in the heat zone ). the gap between the upper and lower belts was fixed to a final sample thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ;. a kapton ™ release sheet was placed over both sides of the entire laminate . the leading edge of the layup was inserted into the belt press . once consolidated , the kapton ™ release film and the kapton ™ tape were removed from the sample . the average sample thickness as measured by micrometer was found to be 0 . 512 &# 34 ;. the completed panel was then cut into three 3 &# 34 ;× 24 &# 34 ; specimens ( length parallel to the ribbon direction of the core ) and tested for flexural strength and modulus according to method bms - 256 . another sample was fabricated in the above manner except that the facing ply orientation of the uni graphite tape was reversed to give maximum peel srength . therefore , the 0 ° axis of the fibers was placed parallel to the ribbon direction of the honeycomb core and the outer ply was placed perpendicular to the core ribbon direction . peel strength samples were then cut in a perpendicular orientation to the core ribbon direction . the measured peel value was determined to be 13 . 6 lbs ./ 3 &# 34 ; sample . the components of the laminate were laid up in the following manner . two strips of foam measuring 17 . 5 &# 34 ;× 2 &# 34 ; and two strips measuring 8 &# 34 ;× 2 &# 34 ; were cut from a sheet of rohacell ™ 200wf foam . these foam strips were assembled into a frame 17 . 5 &# 34 ; long and 12 &# 34 ; wide held together with 2 . 5 &# 34 ; regular screws inserted into the side approximately 1 / 2 &# 34 ; from the panel edge . a piece of honeycomb was cut to fit tightly into the center of the frame . identical panel facings composed of two pieces of amorphous ( 60 / 40 t / i ) pekk film ( 150 melt index ) on either side of a kevlar ™ style 285 fabric were assembled and placed on either side of the honeycomb core / foam frame assembly . one inch wide strips of kapton ™ tape were used to anchor the panel facings in place along the leading edge of the sample . the belt press was set to a constant temperature of 650 ° f . with a belt speed of 15 &# 34 ;/ min . sample residence time in the heat zone was approximately 32 secs . the gap between the upper and lower belts was set to produce a finished sample thickness of 0 . 516 &# 34 ; or 100 % of the theoretical thickness . the sample was inserted into the belt process with kapton ™ film as the release agent . after consolidation , the relese film and tape anchors were removed . visual inspection of the panel suface indicates that minimal space exists at the foam / honeycomb interface . the finished average thickness of the foam trimmed portion of the panel , as measured by a micrometer , was 0 . 539 &# 34 ;, and the average thickness of the honeycomb - cored portion of the sample was measured as 0 . 536 &# 34 ;.	1
referring to fig1 and 2 , a horizontal balance control system of motor vehicle in accordance with a first configuration of the invention is shown . the system comprises a pneumatic conveyor ( or electromagnetic device ) 10 which is operable to actuate hydraulic devices , links , and other mechanical elements for enabling wheels in the same line or wheels not in the same line to rotate toward the same direction and thus , overcoming irregularity of road surface . as a result , forces adapted to various road conditions can be generated , the restraint of wheels can be appropriately controlled , and balance of the car can be obtained . in the invention , the pneumatic conveyor ( or electromagnetic device ) 10 is mounted in a suitable position of a car . at least one first valve 11 and a second valve 21 are provided at one end of the pneumatic conveyor ( or electromagnetic device ) 10 . a first line 111 is interconnected the first valve 11 and a first lower pneumatic cylinder 12 . one end of the first lower pneumatic cylinder 12 is coupled to a front right wheel suspension device ( see fig2 ). the first lower pneumatic cylinder 12 comprises an extended first piston 121 coupled to a first upper hydraulic cylinder 13 . hydraulic fluid is stored in the first upper hydraulic cylinder 13 . the other end of the first upper hydraulic cylinder 13 is coupled to a front right portion of car body ( not shown ). also , a second line 112 is interconnected one end of the first upper hydraulic cylinder 13 and one end of a second upper hydraulic cylinder 14 . one end of the second upper hydraulic cylinder 14 is coupled to a front left portion of the car body ( not shown ). hydraulic fluid is stored in the second upper hydraulic cylinder 14 . a third line 113 is interconnected the other end of the second upper hydraulic cylinder 14 and the other end of the first upper hydraulic cylinder 13 . the second upper hydraulic cylinder 14 comprises an extended second piston 141 coupled to one end of a second lower pneumatic cylinder 15 . the other end of the second lower pneumatic cylinder 15 is coupled to a front left wheel suspension device ( see fig2 ). a fourth line 114 is interconnected the other end of the second lower pneumatic cylinder 15 and the first valve 11 . in the invention , a fifth line 115 is interconnected the second valve 21 and a third lower pneumatic cylinder 16 . one end of the third lower pneumatic cylinder 16 is coupled to a rear right wheel suspension device ( see fig2 ). the third lower pneumatic cylinder 16 comprises an extended third piston 161 coupled to a third upper hydraulic cylinder 17 . hydraulic fluid is stored in the third upper hydraulic cylinder 17 . the other end of the third lower pneumatic cylinder 16 is coupled to a rear right portion of car body ( not shown ). also , a sixth line 116 is interconnected one end of the third upper hydraulic cylinder 17 and one end of a fourth upper hydraulic cylinder 18 . one end of the fourth upper hydraulic cylinder 18 is coupled to a rear left portion of the car body ( not shown ). hydraulic fluid is stored in the fourth upper hydraulic cylinder 18 . a seventh line 117 is interconnected the other end of the fourth upper hydraulic cylinder 18 and the other end of the third upper hydraulic cylinder 17 . the fourth upper hydraulic cylinder 18 comprises an extended fourth piston 181 coupled to one end of a fourth lower pneumatic cylinder 19 . the other end of the fourth lower pneumatic cylinder 19 is coupled to a rear left wheel suspension device ( see fig2 ). an eighth line 118 is interconnected the other end of the fourth lower pneumatic cylinder 19 and the second valve 21 . configured as above , one ends of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth lower pneumatic cylinders 12 , 15 , 16 , and 19 and all wheels are disposed in normal positions when a car is running on a straight road . in case that a car is making a turn a control device ( not shown ) is activated to cause the pneumatic conveyor ( or electromagnetic device ) 10 to activate . next , output compressed gas ( in the case of pneumatic conveyor ) flows from the first and the second valves 11 and 21 to the first and the second lower pneumatic cylinders 12 and 15 and the third and the fourth lower pneumatic cylinders 16 and 19 via the first and the fourth lines 111 and 114 and the fifth and eighth lines 115 and 118 respectively . as such , pressure is built up in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth lower pneumatic cylinders 12 , 15 , 16 , and 19 . hence , pressure of hydraulic fluid in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth upper hydraulic cylinders 13 , 14 , 17 , and 18 is increased by compressed gas in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth lower pneumatic cylinders 12 , 15 , 16 , and 19 respectively . the pressurized hydraulic fluid in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth upper hydraulic cylinders 13 , 14 , 17 , and 18 flows to the first , the second , the third , and the fourth pistons 121 , 141 , 161 , and 181 via the second , the third , the sixth , and the seventh lines 112 , 113 , 116 , and 117 respectively . as a result , a restraint force among the first , the second , the third , and the fourth pistons 121 , 141 , 161 , and 181 is generated . as an end , poor maneuverability of an inclined car due to centrifugal force when making a turn is greatly improved . referring to fig3 , there is shown a horizontal balance control system of motor vehicle in accordance with a second configuration of the invention . in the system , one end of a fifth hydraulic cylinder 51 is coupled to the second line 112 . an eighth line 118 is interconnected the other end of the fifth hydraulic cylinder 51 and one end of the second upper hydraulic cylinder 14 . the third line 113 is interconnected the other end of the second upper hydraulic cylinder 14 and one end of a sixth hydraulic cylinder 52 . a ninth line 119 is interconnected the other end of the sixth hydraulic cylinder 52 and one end of the first upper hydraulic cylinder 13 . the fifth and the sixth hydraulic cylinders 51 and 52 are arranged side by side . hydraulic fluid is stored in each of the fifth and the sixth hydraulic cylinders 51 and 52 . the fifth hydraulic cylinder 51 comprises an extended fifth piston 511 coupled to a seventh pneumatic cylinder 53 and the sixth hydraulic cylinder 52 comprises an extended sixth piston 521 coupled to the seventh pneumatic cylinder 53 respectively . a tenth line 311 is interconnected the seventh pneumatic cylinder 53 and a third valve 31 . the third valve 31 is in turn coupled to one end of the pneumatic conveyor ( or electromagnetic device ) 10 . also , the seventh pneumatic cylinder 53 comprises an extended seventh piston 531 coupled to an eighth hydraulic cylinder 54 . hydraulic fluid is stored in the eighth hydraulic cylinder 54 . an eleventh line 541 is extended from one end of the eighth hydraulic cylinder 54 . a twelfth line 542 is extended from the other end of the eighth hydraulic cylinder 54 . in the invention , the sixth line 116 is coupled to one end of a ninth hydraulic cylinder 55 . a thirteen line 551 is interconnected the other end of the ninth hydraulic cylinder 55 and one end of the fourth upper hydraulic cylinder 18 . the seventh line 117 is interconnected the other end of the fourth upper hydraulic cylinder 18 and one end of of a tenth hydraulic cylinder 56 . a fourteenth line 561 is interconnected the other end of the tenth hydraulic cylinder 56 and one end of the third upper hydraulic cylinder 17 . the ninth and the tenth hydraulic cylinders 55 and 56 are arranged side by side . hydraulic fluid is stored in each of the ninth and the tenth hydraulic cylinders 55 and 56 . the ninth hydraulic cylinder 55 comprises an extended eighth piston 552 coupled to an eleventh pneumatic cylinder 57 and the tenth hydraulic cylinder 56 comprises an extended ninth piston 562 coupled to the eleventh pneumatic cylinder 57 respectively . a fifteenth line 571 is interconnected the eleventh pneumatic cylinder 57 and the other end of the third valve 31 . the eleventh pneumatic cylinder 57 comprises an extended tenth piston 572 coupled to a twelfth hydraulic cylinder 58 . hydraulic fluid is stored in the twelfth hydraulic cylinder 58 . two ends of the twelfth hydraulic cylinder 58 are coupled to the eleventh line 541 and the twelfth line 542 respectively . configured as above , in a case that a car is braking or accelerating the control device is activated to cause the pneumatic conveyor ( or electromagnetic device ) 10 to activate . next , output compressed gas ( in the case of pneumatic conveyor ) flows from the first and the second valves 11 and 21 to the first and the second lower pneumatic cylinders 12 and 15 and the third and the fourth lower pneumatic cylinders 16 and 19 via the first and the fourth lines 111 and 114 and the fifth and eighth lines 115 and 118 respectively . as such , pressure is built up in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth lower pneumatic cylinders 12 , 15 , 16 , and 19 . hence , pressure of hydraulic fluid in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth upper hydraulic cylinders 13 , 14 , 17 , and 18 is increased by compressed gas in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth lower pneumatic cylinders 12 , 15 , 16 , and 19 respectively . the pressurized hydraulic fluid in each of the first , the second , the third , and the fourth upper hydraulic cylinders 13 , 14 , 17 , and 18 flows to the first , the second , the third , and the fourth pistons 121 , 141 , 161 , and 181 via the second , the third , the sixth , and the seventh lines 112 , 113 , 116 , and 117 respectively . as a result , a restraint force among the first , the second , the third , and the fourth pistons 121 , 141 , 161 , and 181 is generated . at the same time , the activated pneumatic conveyor ( or electromagnetic device ) 10 causes output compressed gas ( in the case of pneumatic conveyor ) to flow from the third valve 31 to the seventh and the eleventh pneumatic cylinders 53 and 57 via the tenth and the fifteenth lines 311 and 571 respectively . as such , pressure is built up in each of the seventh and the eleventh pneumatic cylinders 53 and 57 . hence , pressure of hydraulic fluid in each of the eighth and twelfth hydraulic cylinders 54 and 58 is increased by compressed gas in each of the seventh and the eleventh pneumatic cylinders 53 and 57 respectively . the pressurized hydraulic fluid in each of the eighth and twelfth hydraulic cylinders 54 and 58 flows to the seventh and the tenth pistons 531 and 572 via the eleventh and twelfth lines 541 and 542 respectively . as a result , a restraint force between the seventh and the tenth pistons 531 and 572 is generated . as an end , discomfort of driver and passenger ( s ) due to moving forward or backward while a car is braking or accelerating can be greatly improved . referring to fig4 , there is shown a first preferred embodiment according to the invention . a gearbox 61 is interconnected two links 60 . each link 60 is further coupled to either the first or the second piston 121 or 141 . as such , the first and the second upper hydraulic cylinders 13 and 14 can be replaced by the above configuration . similarly , a restraint force between the first and the second pistons 121 and 141 is generated . likewise , in another configuration the gearbox 61 is interconnected both links 60 . each link 60 is further coupled to either the third or the fourth piston 161 or 181 ( not shown ). as such , the third and the fourth upper hydraulic cylinders 17 and 18 can be replaced by the above configuration . similarly , a restraint force between the third and the fourth pistons 161 and 181 is generated . referring to fig5 , there is shown a second preferred embodiment according to the invention . two ends of one u - shaped link 70 are coupled to the first and the second pistons 121 and 141 respectively . two ends of another u - shaped link 70 are coupled to the third and the fourth pistons 161 and 181 respectively . a bar 71 is perpendicularly coupled to each of the u - shaped links 70 . another bar 72 is interconnected the other end of the bar 71 and a pair of aligned pneumatic cylinders 73 and 74 . the third valve 31 is interconnected the pneumatic cylinders 73 and 74 . as such , pressure is built up in each of the pneumatic cylinders 73 and 74 . compressed gas in each of the pneumatic cylinders 73 and 74 will activate another bar 72 . hence , a restraint force between the bars 71 is generated . as an end , discomfort of driver and passenger ( s ) due to moving forward or backward while a car is braking or accelerating can be greatly improved . while the invention has been described by means of specific embodiments , numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention set forth in the claims .	1
referring to fig1 a domino circuit 40 includes a p - channel transistor 42 having its source coupled to an external power supply potential . the drain of the transistor 42 is coupled to the output node 44 . a set of three n - channel input transistors 46 , 48 and 50 form a logic structure 51 . the devices 46 , 48 and 50 are illustrated as being coupled to the drain of the p - channel device 42 . in one embodiment of the present invention , the logic structure 51 is a nand gate formed of n - channel transistors . an additional n - channel transistor 52 has its source coupled to external ground and its gate connected to a clock signal that also drives the gate of the p - channel transistor 42 . the drain of the transistor 52 is coupled to the logic structure 51 , and in the illustrated embodiment , the source of the input transistor 50 . while a logic structure 51 that is a nand gate having three input transistors is illustrated , a variety of other logic structures may be implemented using the principles set forth in the present invention . another logic structure normally implemented with domino circuits is nor gate as an example . when the clock signal ( clock ) is active or low , the output node 44 is charged up and is prevented from being discharged because the transistor 52 is not conducting . this condition generally corresponds to the precharge state of the domino circuit 40 . each input transistor 46 , 48 and 50 has its gate coupled to receive an input signal indicated as i 1 , i 2 or i 3 . each input signal is also coupled to a p - channel transistor 54 , 56 or 58 , each arranged to act as a keeper device . each p - channel transistor 54 , 56 and 58 has its drain coupled to the output node 44 and its source coupled to the external supply voltage . in one embodiment of the present invention , the drains of adjacent pairs of p - channel transistors , such as the transistors 54 and 56 , may share drain diffusions as indicated in dashed ovals in fig1 . also coupled to the output node 44 is an inverter 60 and a p - channel transistor 62 that form a keeper circuit . like the transistors 54 , 56 and 58 , the transistor 62 is also coupled between the external supply voltage and the output node 44 . as an example , where the input transistors 46 , 48 and 50 are eight microns in width , and the transistor 52 is also eight microns in width , the effective width of the combined transistors is two microns . in this case , the transistors 54 to 62 may be relatively smaller devices , each have a width of about one micron for example . however , as can been seen in fig2 due to the use of a plurality of transistors 54 , 56 , 58 and 62 , the node 44 charge sustaining ability may be increased . when all of the input signals i 1 , i 2 and i 3 are high , the transistors 54 , 56 , and 58 are all shut off and thus the transistors 54 , 56 and 58 do not deteriorate the delay . however , when one or more of the input signals i 1 , i 2 or i 3 is inactive or low , the domino circuit 40 does not evaluate and one or more of the p - channel transistors 54 , 56 and 58 is enabled or active . thus , the transistor 54 , 56 or 58 coupled to an inactive input signal tends to sustain the potential on the output node 44 . for example , if i 2 is inactive or low , p - channel transistor 56 may be active . by sustaining the potential on the output node 44 , the soft error rate may be improved . in some embodiments of the present invention , the effective keeper strength ( which is a result of the transistors 54 , 56 , 58 and 62 ) may be increased two to four times compared to the design shown in fig2 . this domino technology may be used effectively in address decoders and particularly in situations where domino circuits are driven directly from latches . thus , in the circuit 10 , the transistors 54 , 56 and 58 act as data driven keepers . that is , they selectively sustain the potential on the node 44 depending on the state of the input signals i 1 , i 2 and i 3 . where the input signal to a given transistor in the logic structure 51 is low , a keeper transistor 54 , 56 or 58 coupled to that transistor &# 39 ; s gate may actively supply charge to the node 44 . while the present invention is illustrated as using n - channel transistors in the logic structure , n - channel transistors may be used in place of p - channel transistors and vice versa . the principles described in connection with a nand gate domino circuit can also be applied to an exclusive or ( xor ) domino circuit as shown in fig2 . in this case , a p - channel transistor 66 is coupled to an output node 74 . a transistor 68 is also coupled to the output node 74 and has the signal b coupled to its gate . anther transistor 70 has an input signal a coupled to its gate . a clock signal is coupled to the gate of the p - channel transistor 66 and an n - channel transistor 72 which is also coupled to ground . a second pair of transistors 88 and 90 have the input signals b and a coupled to their gates . each of the transistors 68 , 70 , 80 and 90 also have their gates coupled to a p - channel transistor 76 , 78 , 80 or 82 as illustrated . the drains of the transistors may share diffusions as indicated in dashed lines . a keeper transistor 84 has its gate coupled to an inverter 86 as described previously . in this case , the transistors 76 , 78 , 80 and 82 act as data driven keepers . that is , they selectively sustain a potential on the node 74 depending on the state of the input signals a , b , { overscore ( b )} and { overscore ( a )}. where the input signal to a given transistor in the logic structure is low , a keeper transistor 76 , 78 , 80 or 82 coupled to that transistors gate may actively supply charge to the node 74 . referring next to fig3 an embodiment of the present invention in connection with a nor domino gate receives the input signals i 1 , i 2 and i 3 on the gates of transistors 96 , 112 and 114 . these gates are also coupled to keeper p - channel transistors 102 , 104 and 106 . in this case , the p - channel transistors 102 , 104 and 106 are connected in series between a supply voltage and an output node 100 . also coupled to an output node 100 , is an inverter 110 and a keeper p - channel transistor 108 . a clock input signal in connected to the gate of a p - channel transistor 94 and an n - channel transistor 98 . again , the p - channel keeper transistors 102 , 104 and 106 maintain the potential on the output node 100 when an input signal to a given transistor 96 , 112 or 114 is low by actively supplying charge to the node 100 . while the present invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , those skilled in the art will appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom . it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this present invention .	7
in the most recent past , the development of c - arm x - ray systems has advanced so far that not only is a three - dimensional reconstruction of high - contrast subjects ( such as , for example , bones of vessels filled with contrast agent ) possible , but also three - dimensional representations of low - contrast subjects ( such as , for example , organs ) can be determined from the projection exposures . this is substantially due to improvements in planar image detectors and the evaluation methods used . c - arm x - ray systems thus can provide structure information of organs . in order to obtain an image dataset for a three - dimensional representation of a measurement subject , a series of projection images of the measurement subject must be acquired from different spatial directions . the acquisition time is short , with typical times of 15 to 20 seconds . this is primarily because the technique of obtaining individual slices obtained with linearly arranged detectors is no longer used , but instead a planar image detector with which a complete projection image can be acquired in one pass of the radiation source and detector is used . the image quality is , in fact , clearly less than that which is achievable with a computer tomography system , but it is more than sufficient in order to provide structural information about organs for which anatomical functional measurements are to be effected . in an apparatus to acquire radiographic projection images , a planar image detector 2 is disposed opposite the emission opening of an x - ray source 3 , such that the x - rays are incident on the x - ray - sensitive surface of the detector 2 . in the exposures , the patient or the examination subject is located between the x - ray source 3 and the planar image detector 2 . the subject is irradiated , and x - ray absorption distributions are acquired as projection images . in order to acquire sufficient data for a three - dimensional reconstruction of the examination subject , the arrangement composed of the planar image detector 2 and the x - ray source 3 rotates around the examination subject . up to 200 projection exposures are acquired in equal or variable angle increments . using a projection matrix describing the image geometry , an image dataset with a three - dimensional representation of the irradiated subject is generated from these projection exposures in a known manner . the apparatus to acquire radiographic projection images therefore is suited to acquire information about the anatomical structures of a patient in the shortest time . there is no need to undertake a corresponding measurement simultaneously with the measurement of functional anatomic processes . typically , corresponding measurements with a spect , pet or mr system take some minutes . in contrast to this , the radiographic exposure to determine the anatomical structures lasts approximately one minute , and thus represents ( when effected separately ) no significant extension of the total measurement time . a reliable measurement of the anatomical structures therefore can be acquired with a radiographic examination just before or after the corresponding functional examination . the figure shows an inventive combination apparatus 1 . it is composed of a pet system 4 having a gantry tunnel 5 , in front of which is mounted a unit composed of a planar image detector 2 and an x - ray source 3 opposite thereto . the unit composed of the planar image detector 2 and the x - ray source 3 rotates around a common rotation axis that substantially coincides with the axis of symmetry of the gantry tunnel 5 . instead of being mounted at the entrance of the gantry tunnel 5 of a pet system 4 , the unit composed of the planar image detector 2 and the x - ray source 3 can be mounted at the entrance of the gantry tunnel of a spect or mr system . for the examination , a patient is positioned on the patient bed 6 . this bed 6 can be moved , monitored with regard to position , parallel to the tunnel axis of the gantry tunnel 5 . the examination region of the patient is brought into the beam path of the radiographic apparatus composed of the planar image detector 2 and the x - ray source 3 either before or after the functional tomography . for the measurement , the radiographic apparatus is rotated around its rotation axis through a defined angle range , during which radiographic projection exposures are acquired at defined angle increments . the measurement volume from which the data are acquired is a cube approximately 30 cm long on each side , so that in practice the entire examination region is acquired with a single radiographic exposure series . a spatial association of both image datasets is achieved by knowledge ( by monitoring ) of the shift path of the patient bed between the radiographic exposure and the functional exposure . this is sufficient since the patient does not have to be transferred and the shifting time is short enough in relation to the total measurement time so as to exclude patient movements . as an alternative to the arrangement shown in the figure , a c - arm x - ray apparatus can be fixedly mounted in front of the gantry of a functional tomography apparatus , meaning a pet , spect or mr system . a fixed spatial relation between the radiographic and the functional measurement region is given by the fixed mounting . the equipment of the functional tomography apparatus with its own mechanism for isocentric rotation of the unit composed of the planar image detector 2 and the x - ray source 3 can be advantageously foregone with this solution , so a significant cost savings can be achieved , particularly given low production numbers . if the connection between the c - arm x - ray apparatus and the functional tomograph is detachable , both apparatuses can be used independently of one another as needed . a number of diagnostic methods thus can be implemented with flexible apparatus use . it is also possible , however , to integrate the radiographic apparatus into a common housing with the functional tomographic apparatus . this solution is particularly preferable for particle emission - tomographic systems and when the combination apparatus is predominantly used to examine organ functions with simultaneous acquisition of the anatomical structures . the integration enables both detector systems , meaning the detector system for the acquisition of the decay products and the planar image detector , to be arranged adjacent to one another . the patient no longer has to be moved a short distance between the two measurements . furthermore , it is also possible to tilt the radiographic apparatus with regard to its rotation axis , such that the connection line between the planar image detector 2 and the x - ray source 3 permeates the measurement region of the emission - tomographic detector . a shifting of the patient between the two measurements thus is unnecessary , and both measurements can possibly ensue within the same time span . the above - described combination , in one apparatus , of an apparatus to acquire tomographic image datasets and an apparatus to acquire radiographic projection images allows multi - modal imaging to associate functional anatomical information with structural anatomical information for diagnosis , therapy planning and therapy support . due to the substantially short measurement times ( with regard to ct combination apparatuses ), the radiation exposure as well as the emotional stress on the patient is substantially reduced . in addition , the above - described system can be substantially more cost - effectively produced than a comparable ct combination apparatus . although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the inventor to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of his contribution to the art .	6
fig1 a - b and 2a - b illustrate article 10 , an example of the present invention . in this example article 10 is a two - piece ( bikini ) bathing suit and includes top 14 and bottom 18 . top 14 thus comprises cups 22 and straps 26 for attachment about the neck and torso of a female wearer . straps 26 may be made of pvc or any other material capable of being connected permanently to cups 22 . each of cups 22a and 22b includes two plies of material 30a and 30b formed to be impervious to air ( or other appropriate inflation fluid ). although in presently - preferred embodiments of article 10 plies 30a and 30b are made of pvc , those skilled in the art will recognize that compositions other than pvc may be useable consistent with the present invention . those so skilled will also recognize that in some cases two separate plies may not be necessary ( as , for example , with materials whose internal structures permit entrapment of air ). nonetheless , for article 10 , plies 30a and 30b are shaped substantially identically and their respective edges 34a and 34b are sealed ( by heating , ultrasonic welding , or any other suitable technique ). sealing edges 34a and 34b effectively forms a pocket into which air may be introduced . fig2 a details valves 38a and 38b , one for each of cup 22a and 22b , through which air may be inserted into the cups 22 . because valves 38a and 38b are in the illustrated embodiments designed to be placed in plies 30b closest to the skin of the wearer , they may be covered by displaceable flaps 42 of suitable material . greater stability in structure or shape of top 14 may sometimes be obtained by connecting ( by , for example , spot welding or otherwise ) portions of plies 30a and 30b in the area of the pocket . doing so results in a lattice of connected and unconnected portions of plies 30a and 30b , with any injected air filling the space between the unconnected portions of the plies 30 . bottom 18 is conceptually similar to top 14 . intended to cover the pubic region of a female wearer , bottom 18 shown in fig1 b and 2b includes plies 46a and 46b whose respective edges 50a and 50b are sealed together . bottom 18 additionally may incorporate thong 54 and hook and loop fasteners 58 to facilitate attachment to the wearer . valve 62 may be used to inflate the pocket formed by plies 50a and 50b and may be covered ( when desired ) by flap 66 . like plies 30a and 30b of top 14 , plies 50a and 50b may be connected in some areas of the pocket they form . for stability in use , bottom 18 additionally may include a waistband 70 whose plies inflate as ( horizontally - oriented ) rectangles 74 . those skilled in the art will , however , recognize that other stabilizing methods may be employed consistent with the present invention . thus , although the foregoing is provided for purposes of illustrating , explaining , and describing embodiments of the present invention , further modifications and adaptation to these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the scope of spirit of the invention .	0
referring now particularly to fig1 of the drawings , the present invention will be seen to relate to a self propelled hay roll transporter truck 10 providing for the pickup of large , generally cylindrical hay rolls in the field , transporting the hay rolls to another location either by public roads or off road , and depositing the hay rolls at the destination , without requiring any other vehicles , equipment , or labor other than the single operator of the transporter 10 . while the present disclosure refers to the transporter 10 being used for the pickup and carriage of hay rolls , it will be understood that it may also be used for the pickup , transport , and delivery of other large , heavy objects , such as hay bales and the like , if desired . the transporter 10 generally comprises a relatively large and flat bed 12 , defined by a plurality of longitudinal members 14 extending from the front end 16 to the rear end 18 of the bed 12 . the longitudinal members 14 may be relatively wide and shallow inverted u - shaped steel channels , or other suitable material as desired . preferably , four such members 14 are spaced apart to form a left side pair and a right side pair , and are supported by a plurality of lateral crossmembers 20 extending from the left side 22 to the right side 24 of the bed , which crossmembers 20 may also be formed of steel channel components , or other materials as desired . the bed 12 of the prototype transporter 10 is on the order of thirty five feet in length by nine feet in width ; however , other dimensions may be used as desired . it may be desirable to restrict the maximum width so as not to exceed the nine foot width of the prototype to a great extent , however , in order to allow for travel on public roads without special permit . each of the longitudinal members 14 has a section removed along the majority of its length , with the removed sections of each member 14 comprising a pair , facing one another so that the members 14 of each pair are in mirror image . another channel component is inserted in the cutaway section of each channel 14 , and placed on its side to form two mutually facing channels or tracks 26 in each pair of longitudinal members 14 . these bed tracks 26 are on the order of twenty seven feet on the prototype , and thus extend substantially the length of the bed 12 ; their lengths may be modified as desired . the two pairs of bed tracks 26 provide for the retention of the wheels of a left and a right bed rack 28 , which bed racks 28 move longitudinally along the bed 12 . fig5 and 6 provide detailed views of one of the bed racks 28 . a base 30 is provided , with wheels 32 disposed along the sides or edges thereof and engaging the facing channel members comprising each pair of tracks 26 for each bed rack 28 . each bed rack 28 is propelled along its respective pair of facing track channels 26 by a pair of cables , roller chains , or other suitable elements 34 , each pair of which is preferably actuated by a conventional hydraulic motor 36 ( shown schematically in fig9 in order to provide clarity in the other drawing figures ). each bed rack 28 also includes a pair of forks 38 , which are pivoted about a lateral axis 40 by a hydraulic cylinder 42 which drives an adjustable linkage 44 . ( the hydraulic system which actuates the cylinders 42 , as well as the bed rack motors 36 ; is shown schematically in fig9 and is discussed further below .) these bed racks 28 are thus able to pick up an object by means of the pivoting forks 38 and hold the object therein , and transfer the object essentially from one end of the bed 12 to the other , as required . the present invention preferably includes two such bed racks 28 , disposed side by side in parallel pairs of bed rack tracks 26 in the transporter bed 12 . such provision of two bed racks capable of working parallel to one another , allows two rows of material ( hay rolls , etc . . .) to be placed side by side on the transporter bed 12 , thus essentially doubling the load which the present transporter 10 may carry . however , smaller ( particularly narrower ) versions of the present transporter 10 may include only a single bed rack thereon , if desired , although such would limit the capacity of such a vehicle . hay rolls or the like are lifted onto the bed racks 28 by means of a single front ramp 46 and front ramp rack 48 , shown in fig1 through 3 . the ramp 46 comprises two mutually facing channel sections 50 , which serve as tracks for the front rack 48 . the front rack 48 is substantially similar to the bed rack ( s ) 28 discussed above , and includes a base 52 which travels longitudinally between the two tracks 50 on wheels 54 contained within the two channels comprising the tracks 50 . a pair of cables or chains 56 drive the front rack base 52 along the tracks or channels 50 , and are in turn powered by a front rack or ramp lift movement hydraulic motor 58 ( shown schematically in fig9 ). a pair of front ramp forks 60 are pivotally actuated about a lateral axis 62 , by one or more front ramp fork lift pivot hydraulic cylinders 64 , which are connected to a linkage similar to the linkage 44 of the bed racks 28 discussed above . the two front ramp track channels 50 include cross bracing 66 therebetween ( shown in fig2 and 3 , but deleted from the other figures for clarity ) for rigidity , as they are not rigidly affixed to the truck bed members 14 , as are the bed tracks 26 for the bed racks 28 . in addition to the pivoting and traveling actuation of the front forks provided respectively by the hydraulic cylinder 64 and front ramp rack movement motor 58 ( similar to the actions provided by the bed rack fork pivot cylinders 42 and travel motor 36 discussed above ), the he front ramp assembly 46 may also be arcuately lifted about its bed attachment end 68 at the front end 16 of the transporter , and may also be laterally translated across the front end 16 of the transporter , from the left side 22 to the right side 24 of the bed 12 . the arcuate lifting action is provided by a pair of front ramp lifting cylinders 70 , which serve to arcuately lift and lower the distal forward end of the front ramp 46 as desired . the lateral movement of the forward ramp 46 across the front end 16 of the truck 10 , serves to align the forward ramp 46 and the front rack 48 thereon with one of the two bed racks 28 , as desired . a transverse front rack pivot bar 72 extends from the left side 22 to the right side 24 of the transporter 10 , immediately in front of the forward edge 16 of the bed 12 , with a lower lateral track 74 serving to secure the bottom edge of a front ramp plate 76 to which the front ramp assembly 46 is secured . a set of wheels 78 disposed in both horizontal and vertical planes , is provided along the lower back portion of the from ramp plate 76 and between the plate 76 and the fixed front end of the truck 10 , to accommodate vertical and rearward compressive loads as the ramp 46 is lifted . further accommodation of loads is provided by a supplemental upper transverse bar 80 and a collar 82 which slides along the two bars 72 and 80 and serves to transfer loads from the primary bar 72 to the secondary bar 80 . the lateral translation of the front ramp 46 is provided by a hydraulic motor 84 ( fig9 ) and chain assembly , similar to that described above for the bed racks 28 . obviously , any objects to be loaded from the front ramp 46 to the truck bed 12 will be blocked by the cab 86 , if the front ramp 46 is positioned directly in front of the cab 86 . if the cab 86 were fixed in position , then only one side of the bed 12 would be usable , or a much more complex arrangement would have to be provided to transfer hay rolls or the like - laterally from one side of the bed 12 to the other , around such a fixed cab . the present invention overcomes this problem by providing for the lateral translation of the entire cab 86 and controls located therein , across the front end of the bed 12 , as shown in fig1 , and 4 . the cab 86 is laterally translated across the front of the truck 10 by means of a conventional hydraulic motor 88 ( shown schematically in fig9 ) and chain 90 ( or cable or the like ), similar to the other motors 36 , 58 , and 84 discussed further above for translational movement of the bed racks 28 , front rack 48 , and front ramp assembly 46 . the cab 86 is supported by a pair of lateral i section members 92 , which in turn have their bottom flanges captured within a pair of upwardly facing cab guide channels 94 , serving to secure the cab 86 against fore or aft movement relative to the bed 12 . the channels 94 are supported by a pair of cab support crossmembers 96 . ( guide wheels or bearings , not shown , may be provided between the cab support i section members 92 , the guide channels 94 , and the cab support crossmembers 96 to reduce frictional forces during lateral translation of the cab 86 .) the two innermost longitudinal bed members 14 have lateral slots 98 thereacross , providing for passage of the i section cab supports 86 therethrough when the cab 86 is laterally translated from one side of the bed 12 to the other . the various transporter controls within the cab 86 may be connected to their respective systems by various flexible means , such as those disclosed in fig8 . clutch operation ( assuming the present transporter is equipped with a manual , rather than an automatic , transmission ) may be provided by a clutch pedal 100 and clutch master cylinder 102 actuating a hydraulic clutch cylinder 104 . the brake pedal 106 may conventionally actuate a brake master cylinder 108 for the hydraulic brakes 110 in a like manner , via flexible hydraulic lines 112 . the throttle or gas pedal 114 may actuate the carburetor ( or fuel injection system ) 116 , and the shift lever 118 may control the transmission 120 , by means of flexible cables 122 . while other control means are possible ( e . g ., electronic , etc ), the above hydraulic and mechanical cable systems are well proven in other applications and are relatively economical , durable , and easy to maintain . in a like manner , the various hydraulic controls 124 discussed above for operation and movement of the bed racks 28 , front ramp assembly and rack 46 and 48 , and cab 86 may be connected by means of flexible hydraulic lines 126 , shown schematically in fig9 . thus , movement of the cab 86 may be easily accomplished without disruption of any control functions . electrical wiring for lighting , etc . may also be flexibly connected to switches in the cab 86 , as desired . the steering system for the laterally translatable cab 86 is shown in fig2 with the steering box 128 being connected to the steering column 130 by plural u - joints 132 and conventional splined couplings or the like , to allow for the angular and length deflection of the steering column 130 as the cab 86 moves from one side to the other of the transporter 10 . other means ( hydraulic , etc .) may be used , as desired . the present transporter 10 is powered by a conventional internal combustion vehicle engine 134 ( gasoline or diesel ), as shown in the side elevation view of fig7 . the engine 134 provides power to drive the transporter 10 by means of the transmission 120 , and further provides power for all of the hydraulically powered devices described above by means of a hydraulic pump 136 ( also shown schematically in fig9 ). various other conventional hydraulic accessories ( reservoir , accumulator , pressure relief valves , etc .) may also be included in the above system as required for operation . preferably , the present transporter 10 is equipped for operation on public roads , and includes such equipment as an audible warning or signalling device ( horn ) 138 , lights 140 , windshield and other glass 142 for the cab 86 enclosure and door ( s ) 144 , and windshield wiper ( s ) 146 . other equipment and instruments ( not shown ) may be provided as needed . the present transporter 10 as described above , will be seen to provide for the picking up and loading of large hay rolls r in the field , the transport of such hay rolls r either off road or on public roads as required to a destination , and further for the off loading and stacking of such hay rolls r or the like onto another vehicle or for storage at the destination , all by a single operator . the operator of the transporter 10 need only drive the transporter 10 through the hay field and align one side of the truck 10 with the hay roll ( s ) r to be picked up . the front ramp 46 is positioned to the appropriate side of the transporter to align it with the hay roll r as needed , and the cab 86 is positioned to the side opposite the front ramp 46 . ( it may assist the operator in alignment , to have the cab 86 to the same side as the front ramp 46 , until the ramp 46 is aligned ) before moving the cab 86 .) when the front ramp 46 properly aligned , it is lowered and the front forks 60 pivoted or tilted forwardly , with the front tines parallel to the surface , and the front rack 48 moved forward to the distal end of the ramp . the truck 10 is then driven slowly forward to push the front fork tines under the hay roll r until the roll r is completely on the front forks 60 ; this is shown at the right end of the side elevation view of fig7 . the appropriate bed rack 28 is then positioned at its forwardmost limit of travel , adjacent the front end 16 of the truck bed 12 , with the forks 38 pivoted forward so the forwardmost forks are substantially parallel to the longitudinal bed members 14 . ( it will be noticed that the forks are displaced from their lateral pivot axis 40 , to position the tines below the upper surface of the bed members 14 , in order to fit beneath a hay roll r or the like loaded onto the bed 12 .) at this point , the operator pivots or tilts the front forks 60 rearwardly , as in the configuration shown for the forks 38 shown in broken lines of the bed rack 28 of fig6 . in such a position , the hay roll r is securely retained within the right angle defined by the forks 60 , add cannot shift as it is placed upon the truck 10 . the operator then uses the appropriate controls to move the front rack 48 upwardly and rearwardly along the front ramps or tracks 50 , to its rearmost travel position adjacent the front end 16 of the truck bed 12 . the front ramp assembly 46 is then raised upwardly , to tilt the assembly 46 back toward the truck bed 12 . the front forks 60 are then pivoted to their most rearward position , whereupon the narrower spacing of the rearmost tines ( those which were upwardly disposed when the roll r was first picked up ) allows them to fit between the forwardly disposed tines of the bed rack 28 . at this point , the forks 38 of the appropriate bed rack 28 are pivoted or tilted rearwardly , to lift and transfer the hay roll r from the front forks 60 of the front rack 48 and to cradle the hay roll r therein . the bed rack 28 is then moved rearwardly by means of the appropriate hydraulic controls , with an intermediate position showing a hay roll r being cradled within the bed rack 28 being shown in fig7 . the bed rack 28 is moved to the most rearward position available ( depending upon the number of hay rolls r previously loaded , as indicated on the rear portion of the truck 10 shown in fig7 ), and the forks 38 are tilted rearwardly to nest between the longitudinal bed members 14 . the hay roll r will then be supported by the bed members 14 to each side of the bed rack 28 , for transport . essentially , the above process is repeated until the transporter 10 is fully loaded , or until no further hay rolls r remain for pickup . in order to keep the load balanced laterally , the front ramp 46 may be shifted laterally across the front of the truck 10 after one or two hay rolls r are loaded , with the cab 86 being shifted to the opposite side . ( e . g ., the front ramp 46 may be shifted from the right side 24 to the left side 22 , with the cab 86 being shifted from the left side 22 to the right side 24 . the left side bed rack 28 is then used to move and position the hay roll r on the truck bed 12 .) once the truck 10 is fully loaded , the hay rolls r thereon cannot roll forward due to the location of the cab 86 to the front of the bed on one side , and due to the opposite side bed rack 28 being positioned to hold the last loaded hay roll r thereon . the hay rolls r cannot fall from the rear end 18 of the transporter 10 , due to a rear retaining bar 148 provided thereon . once the truck or transporter 10 is loaded as desired , it may be driven to the appropriate off loading location or destination by the same single operator who loaded the transporter 10 , either off road or on public roads , as appropriate . off loading of the transporter 10 is just as easily accomplished as the loading operation described above , by essentially reversing the operation . however , it will be noted that the capability of elevating the front ramp 46 for ground clearance while en route , and for assisting in loading operations , provides an additional benefit : two vertical rows of hay rolls r may be stacked , by positioning a first row on the surface and then raising the forward or distal end of the front ramp 46 to off load further hay rolls r on top of the first row on the surface . thus , the present transporter 10 not only provides for the pickup , transport , and off loading of such hay rolls r , but also for their compact storage by means of the ability to stack the rolls r one row atop another . although the present disclosure is directed to the handling of relatively large hay rolls r , that the present transporter 10 may be used for the pickup , carriage , and delivery of a multitude of other agricultural and non - agricultural articles . conventional hay bales , large , heavy , and / or bulky machinery or equipment , etc . . . may also be carried using the present transporter 10 , particularly for relatively short distances off road on farm property or the like . the present transporter 10 will be seen to be a highly versatile and labor saving device , which further reduces or eliminates the need for several other pieces of equipment to accomplish the task . it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above , but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims .	0
detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein ; however , it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely illustrative of the invention that may be embodied in various forms . in addition , each of the examples given in connection with the various embodiments of the invention are intended to be illustrative , and not restrictive . further , the figures are not necessarily to scale , some features may be exaggerated to show details of particular components . therefore , specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting , but merely as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention . referring now to fig1 ( as well as fig2 a and 2b , showing exploded perspective views of the bone plate apparatus of fig1 ), one embodiment of a bone plate apparatus according to the present invention is shown . as seen in these figs ., bone plate 101 may be attached to bone using bone screws 103 a , 103 b and 103 c . in one example ( which example is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive ), bone plate 101 may have a length between 20 mm and 30 mm ( e . g ., bone plate 101 may be provided in a number of distinct lengths ). in another example ( which example is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive ), each of bone screws 103 a , 103 b and 103 c may be a self - tapping bone screw . in another example ( which example is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive ), each of bone screws 103 a , 103 b and 103 c may have a diameter selected from the group including ( but not limited to ) 1 . 5 mm , 2 . 0 mm and 2 . 7 mm . in another example ( which example is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive ), each of bone screws 103 a , 103 b and 103 c may have a length from 4 mm to 8 mm , in 0 . 1 mm increments . further , locking plate 105 ( which may itself be held in place by fastener 107 ( e . g ., a machine screw )) may be used to help prevent screw back - out ( fig2 a and 2b show use of locking plate 105 and fastener 107 most clearly ). further still , slot 109 ( which may have distinct holding positions or detents ( as shown in these figs . ), and / or which may not have such detents in order to allow essentially free positioning anywhere within the slot ) may be provided to aid in adjustment to an individual patient &# 39 ; s anatomy . further still , one or more protrusions ( or “ teeth ”) may be provided to aid in maintaining position during and / or after implantation ( a number of such teeth are shown but not separately numbered in these figs .). further still , the bottom profile may be streamlined as shown in these figs . ( e . g ., in order to reduce the penetration inside the spine ). referring now to fig3 a , 3b and 3 c , a plan view , a side elevational view and a front view of the bone plate apparatus of fig1 are shown . of note , the dimensions identified in these figs . are , of course , illustrative and not restrictive . referring now to fig4 a , 4b and 4 c , a plan view , a side elevational view and a front view of a bone plate apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown . of note , these figs . depict the bone plate apparatus without showing the bone screws . of further note , the dimensions identified in these figs . are , of course , illustrative and not restrictive . referring now to fig5 a , 5b and 5 c , a plan view , a side elevational view and a front view of a bone plate apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention are shown . of note , these figs . depict the bone plate apparatus without showing the bone screws . of further note , the dimensions identified in these figs . are , of course , illustrative and not restrictive . referring now to one example use of a bone plate apparatus according to the present invention ( which example is intended to be illustrative and not restrictive ), it is noted that under this example an “ open door laminoplasty ” ( wherein the vertebrae are made to swing open like a door ) may be simplified and / or stability may be maintained ( such simplification / stability may be obtained by replacing and / or supplementing certain steps and / or components of a conventional laminoplasty with steps and / or components of the present invention ( e . g ., with an embodiment of the bone plate apparatus described herein ). such an open door laminoplasty is typically performed on a restricted spinal canal in the neck ( e . g ., a painfully restricted spinal canal ), wherein the laminoplasty relieves pressure ( e . g ., immediately ) by creating additional space for the spinal cord and roots . the surgeon makes an incision on the back of the patient &# 39 ; s neck . the surgeon creates a “ hinge ” by cutting a groove down one side of the cervical vertebrae . the surgeon cuts all the way through the other side of the vertebrae . in order to create room for the bones to open like a door , the surgeon removes the tips of the spinal process . in order to take pressure off the spinal cord and roots , the surgeon bends open the back of each vertebrae ( like a door on its hinge ). the surgeon places , in the opened space of the door , appropriately sized wedges made of bone . the surgeon allows the door to swing shut . since the wedges stop the door from closing all of the way , the spinal cord and roots receive additional space . referring now to fig6 , it is seen that insertion tool 601 may be used to aid insertion into a patient ( e . g ., to make placement quick and easy ), and that insertion tool 601 may include handle 603 , shaft 605 and mounting mechanism 607 ( which may be used to hold a bone plate and / or to aid in turning the various screws associated with the bone plate ). referring now to fig7 , a cut - away view of a bone plate apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown . of note , this fig . clearly shows detents 703 a , 703 b and 703 as well as machine screw retaining thread 705 . referring now to fig8 , another perspective view of two bone plate apparatus according to embodiments of the present invention are shown . in another embodiment , some or all of the components may include or be made essentially entirely from a commercially pure material ( e . g ., titanium and / or alloy titanium ). in another embodiment , indications relating to use of the present invention may include ( but not be limited to ): for use as laminoplasty plate for cervical spine ( from c2 - c7 ) for use as orthognathic plate for fixation ( e . g ., permanent fixation ) of bone segment ( s ) after a sagittal split osteotomy . while a number of embodiments of the present invention have been described , it is understood that these embodiments are illustrative only , and not restrictive , and that many modifications may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . for example , while the present invention has been described principally with respect to three bone screws , any desired number may , of course , be utilized . further , the teeth , grooves and / or ridges may be placed at any desired position ( s ) on the bone plate apparatus . further still , one or more slots may be utilized for one or more bone screws . further still , any desired number of detents may be utilized . further still , the angle between the portion of the bone plate shown principally with one bone screw and the portion of the bone plate shown principally with two bone screws may be any desired angle . further still , any desired mechanism ( s ) for locking one or more bone screws relative to the bone plate may be utilized ( instead of or in addition to the locking plate described above ). further still , the bone plate apparatus may , of course , have any desired dimensions ( e . g ., for any desired patient — man , woman or child ). further still , the bone plate apparatus of the present invention may be provided in a “ line ” or “ family ” of devices ( e . g ., small , medium and large ; adult , child ; male , female ). further still , the bone plate apparatus of the present invention may be provided in standard sizes . further still , one or more components may be constructed of ti , cobalt chromium , surgical steel and / or any combination thereof . further still , a “ hole ” may be of any desired shape ( e . g ., circular , square , oval , rectangular , etc .). further still , any steps relating to manufacture and / or use may be performed in any desired order .	0
reference is made to fig1 , illustrating an example of an optical system 100 configured according to the invention for a semiconductor laser based light source . system 100 includes a cooling chamber 110 containing a light source 150 formed by at least one semiconductor laser , generally at ls i , three lasers ls 1 , ls 2 , and ls 3 being seen in the figure ; an optical window 170 , and an optical unit 130 . the cooling chamber can be configured as a vacuum or low - pressure chamber . light source 150 is associated with a cooler assembly 105 operable to maintain a desired temperature of the lasers . cooler assembly 105 is , for example , configured as a mechanical system that approximates the ideal gas cycle and is fed by electricity . preferably , the use of a cryogenic cooler assembly is considered . preferably , this cooler is capable of providing to the light source a cooling capacity of a hundred of milliwatts to several watts or higher . also , preferably , this cooling capacity can be provided at a temperature as low as 240k , more preferably at a temperature as low as 170k , and even more preferably at a temperature as low as 140k or lower . the temperature of 170k defines the limit of cryogenic temperatures for the purposes of this patent application . preferably , the cooler assembly is of a one of three types : stirling , joule thompson , or pulse tube . for example , the cooler may be one of ricor &# 39 ; s cryogenic coolers ( www . ricor . com ). other general types of cryogenic coolers suitable for use with the present invention include active transport , reverse brayton , active refrigerator , vuilleumier , and those capable of providing an appropriate cooling capacity at cryogenic temperatures needed for operation of semiconductor lasers . optical unit 130 is located inside chamber 110 so as to be in the optical path of light beams b 1 , b 2 and b 3 emitted by lasers ls 1 , ls 2 and ls 3 , respectively . optical unit 130 is configured as collimating optics to collimate these beams and direct them out of the cooling chamber through appropriately provided optical window 170 . resulting output beams , b ′ 1 , b ′ 2 , and b ′ 3 , emerging from the cooling chamber 110 , are substantially parallel to each other . optical system 100 is thus configured and operable operation with cooled multiple semiconductor lasers and for affecting the propagation of multiple laser beams inside the cooling chamber , so as to provide a desired laser beams propagation scheme when emerging from the cooling chamber . it should be noted , although not specifically shown , that system 100 may include an optical fiber unit optically coupled to the light output of cooling chamber 110 . such a fiber unit may include one or more multimode fibers for collecting two or more of the laser beams . with reference to fig2 , there is shown a more specific example of optical system 100 configured according to the invention for a semiconductor laser based light source . to facilitate understanding , the same reference numbers are used for the same features in different examples of the invention . chamber 110 includes a thereto insulated housing ( e . g . dewar ) 120 formed with an optical window 170 . such a window may be constituted by an aperture made in the respective facet of the housing , or a region of the facet optically transparent with respect to the operative wavelength range of the lasers , or an optical element mounted in an opening made on the facet of the housing . window 170 is also configured to provide a sealing required for the proper dewar performance . mounted inside housing 120 is a cold - finger 60 connected to a cryogenic cooler ( not shown ), and a support assembly ( mount ) 140 configured according to the invention to be attachable to the cold - finger . the support assembly is configured for carrying lasers ls 1 , ls 2 , ls 3 of the laser based light source , and in the present example , is also configured for carrying optical elements ( lenses ) l i of the optical unit — three such elements l 1 , l 2 , l 3 being shown in the figure . in system 100 , heat generated by the light source is withdrawn first to support assembly 140 , then to cold - finger 60 , and finally to the cryogenic cooler . preferably , the invention is used with , semiconductor lasers emitting radiation in mid or far infrared wavelength range , but generally any other operative wavelength range can be used . preferably , these semiconductor lasers are quantum cascade lasers , inp based with alinas / gainas active layers . lasers radiation spectra may overlap . a number of these emitters may be monolithically integrated in a laser bar . cooling chamber 110 preferably also contains a cold shield assembly 180 configured for absorbing thermal radiation emitted by the light source and the support assembly . cold shield assembly 180 is thermally coupled to cold finger 60 whereto heat generated by the dissipating thermal radiation is transferred . as shown in the figure , cold shield assembly 180 is configured to define a window permitting the passage of the laser beams therethrough , and to surround support assembly 140 . further provided in system 100 is a filter assembly 165 accommodated inside cooling chamber 110 so as to be in the optical path of laser beams b i emerging from lenses l i . filter assembly 165 is configured as a wavelength - selective filter for rejecting external infrared radiation which dissipates into heat in the internal parts of the cooling chamber . such a filter may be configured as a stack of dielectric materials with different thicknesses and / or indices of refraction . as light passes through this stack , wavelengths , that are to be rejected , experience subtractive interference . this arrangement functions as a narrow band pass filter which transmits only a narrow band of wavelengths at and around the wavelength of the laser itself , while reflecting all other wavelengths . laser beams b i , emitted by the lasers ls i of the light source , propagate through lenses l i associated with the lasers . lenses l i , constituting optical elements of the optical unit , are aligned with the lasers and in the present example are mounted on support assembly 140 . generally , optical elements may deflect , collimate , or focus the light beams , or increase or decrease the beams divergence . it should be noted that by an effect of beams collimation , either an effect of deflection of beams to make them parallel or an effect of increasing of the beams divergence is considered . considering laser radiation of mid or far infrared wavelength range ( e . g . 3 to 5 microns ), lenses l i , which are to be transparent to this radiation , may be made for example from germanium , znse , zns , cleartran ® ( water clear zinc sulfide ), caf 2 , baf 2 , silicon , sapphire , fused silica or quartz . the lenses may be realized using refractive , reflective or diffractive optics , or a combination of them . laser beams b ′ i ( collimated beams ) emerge from housing 120 through window 170 . generally , the window may be configured as a wavelength selective filter thus eliminating a need for filter 165 , but preferably and especially considering the filter implemented as a stack of dielectric materials , such a filter structure is a separate element 165 while window 170 provides the filtered beams &# 39 ; passage therethrough and serves for a low quality sealing of the cooling chamber . the fixation of optical unit 130 on the same support assembly 140 with laser light source 150 allows for providing an adequate alignment between the so optical elements of the optical unit and the emitting lasers of the laser light source . as a result , beams b ′ i emerging from the chamber are parallel and collimated . despite that lenses l i are placed inside the chamber , the resulting cooling system efficiency is high , because the cooling system requires less space . indeed , the divergence of laser light propagating from the laser source to window 170 is reduced . hence , the size of the window may be decreased . it is important to prevent the filter and the window of the cooling chamber from reflecting laser light back to the laser , because such back - reflections may negatively affect the laser operation . undesired reflections may be prevented by covering the filter and / or the window with an antireflective coating , usually able to increase the light propagation throughput beyond 99 %, or may be prevented by orienting the filter and / or the window in non - right angles to the laser light . also , covering the lenses and other transmitting optical elements with antireflective coating will allow to avoid heating their surfaces and to maximize the light throughput . the energy required for cooling the chamber increases with the size of the cooled devices inside the chamber , owing to the effect of the blackbody radiation . in the described configuration , the lenses may be small ( of the order of 1 - 10 mm ), either because a narrow waist is acceptable , or because a beam expander is placed out of the chamber . the total diameter of the chamber may be of the order of 1 - 2 cm ( i . e . small ). with reference to fig3 , there is shown a front view of cooling chamber 110 . support assembly 140 is configured to define an array of compartments three such compartments 145 a , 145 b , 145 c in the present example , and lenses l i are mounted at the output facets of these compartments to be in the optical path of light beams emitted by the lasers ( which are not shown here ). lenses l i are located in a common plane ( the lasers behind the lenses are also located in their associated common plane ) and are arranged in a two dimensional array — three lenses in each of three rows in the present example . a part of window 170 , allowing output light passage and possibly providing a sealing to the chamber , is also shown here . other embodiments may utilize lenses ( as well as lasers ) configured in a one - dimensional array or another two - dimensional array ( e . g ., circular array ), or in a three - dimensional array when the support assembly allows for a non - planar configuration . the lasers may be arranged as bars of monolithic emitters . it should be noted that the lasers , support assembly and optics may be configured to direct different laser beams along parallel or non - parallel axes . the lenses may focus laser beams in one or two dimensions , i . e . in a point or in a line . any focal point may be common for two or more laser beams . reference is made to fig4 a and 4b , exemplifying the configuration of a laser module 200 of the present invention mountable inside a cooling chamber which has an optical window for allowing passage of electromagnetic radiation of a predetermined wavelength range . fig4 a and 4b show the side and front views , respectively of laser module 200 . laser module 200 includes a support assembly 140 having three spaced - apart compartments 145 a - 145 c , each containing three semiconductor lasers and three lenses . fig4 b shows all nine lasers ls 1 - ls 9 contained in the compartments and their associated lenses l 1 - l 9 mounted at the output facets of the compartments . lenses l 1 - l 9 collimate , focus or diverge laser beams , thus providing for a desired light propagation scheme . such laser modules are useful for the design and integration of optical systems requiring cooling of the light source . they may be installed in different cooling chambers . a laser module approach is more flexible from the design and testability point of view than a conventional technique incorporating the lasers in a cooling chamber in the first step and coupling it to an external dedicated optics in the second step . a cooling system integrated using the conventional technique needs to be redesigned for any change of the system definition and can be tested only at the last stage of integration . reference is made to fig5 a exemplifying a cooling system 300 of the present invention utilizing a beam expander unit 230 accommodated outside the cooling chamber and operating for expanding the cross - sectional dimension ( diameter ) of an output laser beam beyond the dimension of a cooling chamber . in this example , beam expander unit 230 is a single magnification unit for all the laser beams emerging from the cooling chamber . magnification unit 230 includes two lenses 220 a and 220 b , and a magnification unit support assembly 210 holding the lenses aligned with each other . the magnification unit is aligned with the light source located inside the cooling chamber ; the magnification unit is held in a correct position and orientation in respect to the cooling chamber by the same magnification unit support assembly 210 or by another support assembly as the case may be . lenses 220 a and 220 b are cofocused and positive . lens 220 a is smaller and has a smaller focus than lens 220 b . thus , the widths of beams b ′ i , emerging from the cooling chamber , are increased when they pass through magnification unit 230 , resulting in wider output beams b ″ i . the design of magnification unit 230 is very simple . however , magnification unit 230 does not utilize the area of lenses 220 a and 220 b in the best manner , because it images benches 195 a and 195 b associated with the compartments of assembly 140 . fig5 b shows another example of a cooling system 400 utilizing a beam expander unit 430 . in this embodiment , the beam expander includes lenses and reflectors . beam expander 430 is configured to deflect each of beam b ′ 1 and b ′ 2 away from each other to produce output parallel beams b ″ 1 and b ″ 2 . this is implemented by sequentially reflecting beam b ′ 1 by a pair of parallel reflectors ( mirrors ) 420 a and 420 b . similarly , beam b ′ 3 is sequentially reflected by another two mirrors . beam expander 430 defines two magnification units 430 a and 430 b each including two lenses similar to those in the above - described example of fig5 a . the widths of beams b ′ 1 and b ′ 2 are magnified when they pass through these magnification units 430 a and 430 b as shown in the figure in a self - explanatory manner . the mirrors and / or lenses of the beam expander may be allowed to move , hence a compensation for various alignment and mounting inaccuracies may be provided . other beam expander modifications may be used as well , for example a one utilizing three reflectors with their planes being oriented at 90 degrees with respect to each other . this beam expander modification is useful in case when ( yet narrow ) beams exit the chamber perpendicularly to each other ( depending on the support assembly configuration , beams can exit the chamber at different angles of propagation ). three reflectors ( e . g . mirrors and / or prisms ) of such a beam expander located outside the chamber may be oriented to change the beams &# 39 ; directions to produce output ( possibly wide ) beams propagating in the same direction . also , in this modification an original direction of a laser beam ( the direction of propagation of a laser beam emerging from the cooler chamber ) may be maintained with higher mechanical tolerances to possible misalignments between the cooling chamber and the beam expander unit . to this end , placing the reflectors on a two - rotating axis can be utilized , and misalignments between the laser and the lens within the chamber can be corrected using a close loop correction mechanism tapping the laser light into a collimator . more generally , flexibility of the beam expander designs provides an option to manage the laser beam directions with which they exit the entire system ; various configurations of the output beams propagation schemes while exiting the chamber can be dealt with and various inaccuracies in these directions can be compensated for . reference is made to fig6 a and 6b , showing an example of a beam expander 500 which is generally similar to that shown in fig5 a , namely formed by two lenses 520 a and 520 b , but distinguishing therefrom in that beam expander 500 has movable parts . in this embodiment , the beams &# 39 ; divergence at the output of beam expander 500 may be dynamically adjusted by a moving lens 520 e . as shown in fig6 a , when focal points 530 a and 530 b of lenses 520 a and , 520 b coincide , passage of a collimated beam b ′ i ( as emerging from the cooler chamber ) through the beam expander results in the remained collimation of an output beam b ″ 1 . as shown in fig6 b , when lens 520 b and accordingly its focus 530 e is shifted towards lens 520 a , beam b ″ i is diverged . fig7 a - 7c show the top , side , and front views of a support assembly 740 suitable to be used in the invention ( not to scale ). support assembly 740 carries a laser ls i ( formed by active layers 750 a and 750 b ) and a lens l i ( shown in fig7 a and 7b ). the support assembly contains a cylindrical portion 740 a , a wide elongated lens - holding portion 740 b , and a laser - holding portion 740 c . laser ls i is connected to thin film electrodes 790 a and 790 b , lying on electrode carriers 795 a and 795 b used to isolate the electrodes from the support assembly , by six electrical connections , generally at 785 . in a cooling system , the support assembly is configured to carry out several functions . in particular , it serves as a mechanical support for lenses and lasers , provides the lasers with an electrical feed and serves them as a heat sink . it is also desirable that the support assembly has a small effective thermal expansion coefficient , minimizing a misalignment entailed by heating . the following are some not limiting examples for the materials from which the support assembly may be made : ceramic materials based on beo , ain , alsic , bn , sic , sin , silicon oxide . thus , the present invention provides a cooling system for use with a semiconductor laser based light source to improve the performance of the light source . in the cooling system of the present invention , a cooling chamber contains a cooler assembly , multiple semiconductor lasers , and an optical unit . as a result , the system provides for cooling the multiple semiconductor lasers and for affecting the propagation of the multiple laser beams while inside the cooling chamber . the optics inside the cooling chamber or together with optics located outside the chamber provide a desired propagation scheme of the output light . those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and changes can be applied to the embodiments of the invention as herein described without departing from its scope defined in and by the appended claims .	7
at the outset , it should be appreciated that like drawing numbers on different drawing views identify identical , or functionally similar , structural elements of the invention . while the present invention is described with respect to what is presently considered to be the preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention as claimed is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . furthermore , it is understood that this invention is not limited to the particular methodology , materials and modifications described and as such may , of course , vary . it is also understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only , and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention , which is limited only by the appended claims . unless defined otherwise , all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood to one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs . although any methods , devices or materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the invention , the preferred methods , devices , and materials are now described . fig1 a is a perspective view of cylindrical coordinate system 80 demonstrating spatial terminology used in the present application . the present invention is at least partially described within the context of a cylindrical coordinate system . system 80 has a longitudinal axis 81 , used as the reference for the directional and spatial terms that follow . the adjectives “ axial ,” “ radial ,” and “ circumferential ” are with respect to an orientation parallel to axis 81 , radius 82 ( which is orthogonal to axis 81 ), and circumference 83 , respectively . the adjectives “ axial ,” “ radial ” and “ circumferential ” also are regarding orientation parallel to respective planes . to clarify the disposition of the various planes , objects 84 , 85 , and 86 are used . surface 87 of object 84 forms an axial plane . that is , axis 81 forms a line along the surface . surface 88 of object 85 forms a radial plane . that is , radius 82 forms a line along the surface . surface 89 of object 86 forms a circumferential plane . that is , circumference 83 forms a line along the surface . as a further example , axial movement or disposition is parallel to axis 81 , radial movement or disposition is parallel to radius 82 , and circumferential movement or disposition is parallel to circumference 83 . rotation is with respect to axis 81 . the adverbs “ axially ,” “ radially ,” and “ circumferentially ” are with respect to an orientation parallel to axis 81 , radius 82 , or circumference 83 , respectively . the adverbs “ axially ,” “ radially ,” and “ circumferentially ” also are regarding orientation parallel to respective planes . fig1 b is a perspective view of object 90 in cylindrical coordinate system 80 of fig1 a demonstrating spatial terminology used in the present application . cylindrical object 90 is representative of a cylindrical object in a cylindrical coordinate system and is not intended to limit the present invention in any manner . object 90 includes axial surface 91 , radial surface 92 , and circumferential surface 93 . surface 91 is part of an axial plane , surface 92 is part of a radial plane , and surface 93 is part of a circumferential plane . fig2 is a profile of present invention stepped stator blades 100 demonstrating fluid flow through a stator ( not shown ) of a torque converter ( not shown ) at a low speed ratio . stator blade 100 has face , or surface , 102 and face , or surface , 112 , with the faces located substantially circumferentially opposite each other . face 102 includes surface segments 106 and 108 , and step , or step surface , 104 . in a preferred embodiment , step 104 is located on face 102 , as shown . surface segments 106 and 108 are disjointed and are connected by step 104 . by disjointed we mean that segments 106 and 108 do not form a surface with a smooth curvature , because of the presence of step 104 . that is , face 102 does not have a smooth curvature , particularly at step 104 . alternately stated , segments 106 and 108 are misaligned . blade 100 includes body portion 122 and body portion 124 connected by step body portion 120 . portions 122 and 124 are misaligned , or disjoint , with respect to each other . arrow 110 represents the direction of the flow of fluid through the stator at low speed ratios of the torque converter , when blades 100 are installed in the stator . two blades are shown in fig2 ; however , it should be understood that a stator using blades 100 is not limited to a particular number of blades 100 . the direction of the fluid changes as the fluid passes through the stator , specifically , between blades 100 . the turning of the fluid occurs because the fluid contacts segment 106 , the blade reacts to the force from the fluid , and the blade redirects the fluid down the stator blade towards segment 108 . the fluid pressure at step 104 is substantially lower than fluid pressure at least one of segments 106 and 108 . the step provides redirection for the fluid as the fluid travels to segment 108 . the curvature of segment 108 continues directing the flow of fluid until the fluid exits out of the stator . the redirection of the fluid by step 104 enables the fluid to smoothly transition from segment 106 to segment 108 , and therefore provide better turning of the fluid . for example , the angle at which the fluid turns in response to contacting segment 106 is advantageously reduced . as a result , the fluid slows down less as the fluid transitions from segment 106 to segment 108 . the maintained speed of the fluid and the reduced turning angle of the fluid noted supra increase fluid flow rate past blades 100 , increase the mass flow rate past blades 100 , and increase the capacity of the torque converter . fig3 is a profile of stepped stator blades 100 shown in fig2 demonstrating fluid flow through the stator at a high speed ratio . the following should be viewed in light of fig2 and 3 . face 112 includes surface segments 116 and 118 , and step 114 . the discussion of fig2 regarding face 102 , segments 106 and 108 and step 104 is applicable to face 112 , segments 116 and 118 , and step 114 . arrow 111 represents the general direction of the flow of fluid through the stator at high speed ratios of the torque converter , when blades 100 are installed in the stator . at high speed ratios the capacity of the torque converter is proportional to the mass flow of fluid through the stator . the mass flow is limited by a minimum flow area . the minimum flow area is represented in one dimension by distance 126 which is shown perpendicularly between the end of segment 108 on blade 100 a and step 114 on blade 100 b . blades 100 a and 100 b are the same as blades 100 , but are given identifying letters to differentiate them from each other in this particular figure . the second dimension which defines the minimum flow area is the width of the stator blade ( not shown ). the width of the stator blades is not germane to the invention , and any width known in the art for stator blades may work . however , the width is assumed to be consistent from blade to blade for comparison of the performances of differently profiled blades . thus , due to the stepped configuration of blades 100 , distance 126 and the minimum flow area , and consequently , the mass flow between blades 100 a and 100 b is increased . for example , the stepped configuration results in surface 108 of blade 100 a being axially and circumferentially further from blade 100 b and also results in step 114 of blade 100 b being axially and circumferentially further from blade 100 a . fig4 is a profile of present invention stator blades 150 having face , or surface , 152 and face , or surface , 162 demonstrating fluid flow through the stator at a low speed ratio . in this embodiment , face 152 is substantially similar to face 102 on stator blade 100 . face 152 includes segment 156 and segment 158 connected by step 154 . face 162 does not contain a step and is an example of a constant surface , airfoil shape , typical for conventional stator blades . arrow 160 represents the direction of fluid through the stator at low speed ratios of the torque converter , when blades 150 are installed in the stator . the discussion in the description of fig2 regarding flow 110 is applicable to flow 160 in fig4 . that is , flows 110 and 160 behave in substantially the same way . fluid contacts segment 156 , the blade reacts to the force from the fluid , and the blade redirects the fluid down the blade towards segment 158 . the fluid pressure at step 154 is substantially lower than the fluid pressure at least one of segments 156 and 158 . the step provides redirection for the fluid as the fluid travels to segment 158 . the redirection of the fluid by step 154 enables the fluid to smoothly transition from segment 156 to segment 158 , and therefore provide better turning of the fluid . despite the constant surface of second face 162 , the flow of fluid remains substantially similar to the flow of fluid in the first embodiment , as illustrated in fig2 . therefore , the absence of a second step on blade 150 does not significantly affect the turning properties of the fluid at high speed ratios . fig5 is a diagram comparing the performances of present invention stepped stator blades and prior art constant surface blades in a stator ( not shown ) in a torque converter ( not shown ). it should be understood that the torque converter referenced in fig5 can be any applicable torque converter known in the art . the following should be viewed in light of fig2 - 5 . in fig5 , the present invention blades are blades 100 , although it should be understood that in general , a present invention blade provides the benefits , with respect to a prior art blade , shown in fig5 and described infra . conventional , constant surface blades do not contain steps , for example , step 104 in fig2 . that is , a conventional blade has a profile that closely resembles the shape of an airfoil . as discussed supra , present invention stepped blades , for example , blade 100 in fig2 and 3 , provide improved fluid turning for low speed ratios and increased minimum fluid flow area for high speed ratios . some beneficial results of the fluid turning and increased mass flow are shown in fig5 . curves 208 and 210 illustrate the relationship between the speed ratio and the k - factor , or torque capacity , for a torque converter using the stepped stator blade and the torque 10 converter using a prior art constant surface stator blade , respectively . as is known in the art , lowering the k - factor results in an increase in torque capacity . at a zero speed ratio , curve 210 is lower than curve 208 . as the speed ratio increases to 0 . 8 , the difference between the respective curves ( k - factors ) increases . the lower k - factor for curve 208 indicates a substantial improvement in torque capacity for a torque converter using a present invention blade . curve 200 represents the relationship between the speed ratio and mass flow for the torque converter using the present invention stepped blade noted supra . curve 202 represents the speed ratio and mass flow for the torque converter using the constant surface blade noted supra . the mass flow is advantageously higher for the stepped blade . as previously described , the stepped blade results in the increased mass flow by providing improved fluid turning at low speed ratios and a larger minimum flow area at higher speed ratios . increasing the mass flow results in an improvement in k - factor and therefore torque capacity , as shown in curves 208 and 210 . the relationship between the speed ratio and torque ratio for the torque converter using the stepped blades and the constant surface blades are illustrated as curves 204 and 206 , respectively . curves 212 and 214 represent the relationship between the speed ratio and efficiency for the torque converter using the stepped stator blades and constant stator blades , respectively . as noted supra , using prior art blades , an increase in one of the k - factor , torque ratio , or efficiency , is only possible by decreasing one or both of the remaining parameters . however , the torque ratio and the efficiency associated with blades 100 and the prior art blades are nearly identical . therefore , the stepped stator blade advantageously enables a significant improvement in k - factor , which represents a significant and desirable gain in torque capacity , while maintaining virtually the same efficiency and torque ratio . it should be appreciated that the present invention stepped stator blade can be manufactured by casting , stamping , or any other blade manufacturing process known in the art . thus , it is seen that the objects of the present invention are efficiently obtained , although modifications and changes to the invention should be readily apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art , which modifications are intended to be within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed . it also is understood that the foregoing description is illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting . therefore , other embodiments of the present invention are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention .	5
references to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment , although they may . unless the context clearly requires otherwise , throughout the description and the claims , the words “ comprise ,” “ comprising ,” and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense ; that is to say , in the sense of “ including , but not limited to .” words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number respectively . additionally , the words “ herein ,” “ above ,” “ below ” and words of similar import , when used in this application , refer to this application as a whole and not to any particular portions of this application . when the claims use the word “ or ” in reference to a list of two or more items , that word covers all of the following interpretations of the word : any of the items in the list , all of the items in the list and any combination of the items in the list . “ logic ” refers to signals and / or information that may be applied to influence the operation of a device . software , hardware , and firmware are examples of logic . hardware logic may be embodied in circuits . in general , logic may comprise combinations of software , hardware , and / or firmware . those skilled in the art will appreciate that logic to carry out particular techniques described herein may be dispersed throughout one or more devices , and thus may not lend itself to discrete illustration in the drawings , but may nonetheless be considered as elements of the one or more devices . for example , a mobile phone may comprise logic to carry out acts described herein , as may a pin server and devices ( such as computers ) controlled by financial institutions . fig1 illustrates an embodiment of a mobile phone 200 . information is presented on the screen 201 and through the speaker ( s ) 203 . a data bus 206 communicatively couples various elements within the phone . the mobile phone embodiment 200 also comprises processor 207 and random access memory 208 and persistent memory 209 ( which could be re - writeable flash memory ). the phone 200 comprises a radio 210 to communicate via a medium range ( up to many kilometers ) microwave link 225 with cellular wireless voice and data network base stations 214 through their associated mobile phone carrier 215 and onward , either though a phone network 217 or through a gateway 216 to a public or private data network 218 such as the internet . the radio 210 can send and receive both short message service ( sms ) messages 228 through the phone network ( s ) 215 217 to other phones identified by their phone numbers and send and receive a variety of data 229 protocols ( udp , tcp , smtp , http , etc ) through the data network 218 . in data communication with the data network 218 is a server complex 231 that enables a download of executable code and data files to the phone 200 . in data communication with the server complex 231 is a financial institution 232 , communicating either directly or via the network 218 . fig2 illustrates an embodiment of an initiation process between a user device and a financial institution . a user device downloads an application from a server at block 301 . the server may be , for example , a pin server that provides one or more pin numbers to the device . at a block 303 , the downloaded application initiates an authentication process with the server and the financial institution . this authentication process serves to authenticate ( e . g . verify the identity of ) the device and / or the user of the device with the server and the financial institution . the financial institution may access an account corresponding to the device - supplied information . at a block 304 , the server matches user device information ( such as the device &# 39 ; s phone number , unique hardware code , or unique user code such as may be obtained from a subscriber identity module ) against data supplied by the financial institution . at a block 305 , the server matches user entered information against data supplied by the financial institution , e . g . a password corresponding to the user &# 39 ; s account . for example , in addition to verifying the user &# 39 ; s phone number , device id , or sim id , the server may also perform a challenge / response authentication process with the device , such as requiring a password . at a block 305 , the server supplies list of personal identification numbers ( pins ) to the user device ( block 306 ) and to the financial institution . the list may comprise a single pin or multiple pins . the pins may be generated dynamically by the server , or they may be obtained from a pin “ pool ”. the pins may be limited in use to a single transaction , a number of transactions , or may be limited to use for an interval of time . fig3 illustrates an embodiment of a point of purchase transaction performed after the authentication performed in fig2 . at a block 501 , the user initiates a purchase of a product at a retailer device . at a block 502 , the retailer device requests that the provider of a bank card provide a pin . at a block 503 , the user activates an application on the user &# 39 ; s mobile device that displays a pin to use for this transaction . the pin could be generated dynamically by the pin server and provided to the device , or it may be one or one or more pins previously generated by the pin server and stored by the device . for example , the pin could be one of the list of pins that were supplied at block 305 of fig2 ( see block 504 ). the user provides the displayed pin at the retailer device . at a block 505 , the retailer device transmits the entered pin to the financial institution at a block 505 . the financial institution determines if the correct pin has been entered at a block 506 . if the financial institution determines that the correct pin has not been entered , the transaction is denied ( block 507 ) and the denial is reported to the retailer . if the financial institution determines that the correct pin has been entered , the transaction is approved ( block 507 ) and the approval is reported to the retailer for completion of the transaction . the transaction need not even involve a bank card , in some instances . rather , a pin supplied to the mobile device , along with identification of the corresponding bank account , may provide sufficient authentication for purposes of the transaction , without requiring the user to supply a bank card . in other instances , the mobile device may communicate account information of the user to the point of sale equipment ( e . g . via short - range wireless technology such as bluetooth ). while the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described , as noted above , many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of the preferred embodiment . instead , the invention may be delimited by reference to the claims that follow .	6
an embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 illustrates the whole system according to an embodiment of the invention . as shown , the system comprises an ic card terminal and contact - type ic card 20 . it is a matter of course that the ic card terminal 10 may be connected via a network to , for example , a server that centrally manages a large number of ic card terminals 10 . the contact - type ic card 20 comprises a plastic card member 25 of a rated size and an ic module 24 . the ic module 24 includes an ic chip 22 sealed with a sealing member 23 and configured to perform a predetermined logical operation , and an ic card interface 21 exposed to the outside and connected to the ic chip 22 . when the ic cared 20 is inserted in the ic card terminal 10 , it receives power from the terminal , and the ic chip 22 performs the predetermined logical operation . on the other hand , when the ic cared 20 is not inserted in the ic card terminal 10 , the ic chip 22 does not perform the logical operation . the ic card terminal 10 comprises an insertion unit 11 for inserting therein the ic card 20 , and an ic card interface 13 to be electrically connected to the ic card 20 when the ic card 20 is inserted in the insertion unit 11 . when the ic card 20 is inserted , the ic card interface 13 opposes the ic card interface 21 of the ic card 20 . the ic card terminal 10 further comprises an input unit 12 for permitting a user to input a pin ( personal id number ) after the ic card 20 is inserted , and a controller 14 for controlling the whole ic card terminal 10 . the input unit 12 , controller 14 and power supply v for supplying power to the ic card 20 are connected to the ic card interface 13 . in the system constructed as above , to use the ic card 20 , firstly , the ic card 20 is inserted into the ic card terminal 10 , then a user pin is input through the input unit 12 and supplied to the ic chip 22 of the ic card 20 via the ic card interfaces 13 and 21 . the ic chip 22 , in turn , compares the supplied pin with the legitimate pin stored therein . if it is determined that these pins are identical to each other , a command is supplied from the ic card terminal 10 to the ic card 20 via the ic card interfaces 13 and 21 . the ic card 20 , for example , interprets the command , operates in accordance with the command , and responds to the ic card terminal 10 . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating the internal configuration of the ic chip 22 incorporated in the ic card 20 . as seen from fig2 , an input / output unit 31 is connected to the ic card interface 21 and internal bus 39 . when the ic card 20 is inserted in the ic card terminal 10 , the input / output unit 31 supplies a power supply unit 38 with the power acquired from the terminal 10 via the ic card interface 21 , transmits , to the internal bus 39 , the command or data received from the ic card interface 21 , and transmits , to the ic card interface 21 , the command or data received from the internal bus 39 . a cpu 32 controls the whole ic chip 22 , and operates in accordance with the program stored in a rom 33 . the rom 33 stores , as well as the program , the pin assigned to the ic card 20 . the pin stored in the rom 23 will hereinafter be referred to as a “ legitimate pin ”, and any other pin will be referred to as an “ illegitimate pin ”. in the case of an ic card 20 that permits the pin to be changed , the pin may be stored in an eeprom 35 described later . the rom 33 also stores a threshold value for limiting the number of occasions an illegitimate pin is input during a predetermined period of time . a ram 34 is a work memory used by the cpu 32 . the eeprom 35 is a nonvolatile semiconductor memory that can be rewritten by the cpu 32 , and has a count value storing area for storing the number of occasions an illegitimate pin is input during a predetermined period of time . the power supply unit 38 is connected to the input / output unit 31 so that it receives the power supplied from the ic card terminal 10 and supplies it to each element of the ic chip 22 . a timer 36 for locking and timer 37 for counting have the same structure , and are disposed to change in state with lapse of time without external power , thereby measuring whether or not a predetermined time period has elapsed . each state of the timer 36 and timer 37 changes from an initial state to a final state via an intermediate state . the timers 36 and 37 measure different predetermined time periods . the timer 36 can measure a longer time period than the timer 37 . the lock timer 36 sets a locking period in which the ic card 20 cannot perform any process other than the time measurement . on the other hand , the count timer 37 sets a period in which the number of occasions an illegitimate pin is input is counted . the timers 36 and 37 ( hereinafter generically referred to as a “ timer 36 / 37 ”) will be described in more detail . fig3 is a block diagram illustrating the basic concept of the timer 36 / 37 . the timer 36 / 37 comprises : a change unit 41 , the state of which changes with lapse of time without a power supply , such as battery ; an input unit 42 for inputting an input signal to the change unit 41 ; and an output unit 43 for outputting an output signal changed relative to the input signal based on the state of the change unit 41 . the change in the state of the change unit 41 is utilized to measure time . the input unit 42 and output unit 43 are used to confirm the state of the change unit 41 . fig4 illustrates a first example that realizes the basic concept of the timer 36 / 37 of fig3 . the first example of the timer 36 / 37 comprises : a first layer having a source region 51 , drain region 52 and channel region 53 therebetween ; a second layer provided on the first layer and formed of a tunnel insulation film 54 ; a third layer provided on the second layer and formed of a floating gate 55 ; a fourth layer provided on the third layer and formed of an insulation film 56 ; and a fifth layer provided on the fourth layer and formed of a control gate 57 . a source electrode 58 and drain electrode 59 are provided on the source and drain regions 51 and 52 , respectively . fig5 illustrates changes with lapse of time in the state of the timer 36 / 37 of fig4 . in the figure , hatched circles indicate electrons , and white circles indicate positive holes . in fig5 , state 1 is the initial state . in the timer 36 / 37 that assumes the state 1 , a pre - process is performed , in which the control gate 57 applies a high electric field between the substrate boundary of the channel region 53 and the floating gate 55 , thereby injecting electrons from the channel into the floating gate 55 utilizing fn tunneling . at this time , positive holes gather at the substrate boundary of the channel region 53 , whereby a channel is formed on the substrate boundary between the source and drain regions 51 and 52 . in the state 1 , the electrons in the floating gate 55 gradually shift , by direct tunneling , to the substrate boundary , thereby reducing the level of the electric field at the substrate boundary in the channel region 53 . state 2 of fig5 is assumed at a time point t 1 a certain time period after the state 1 . state 3 of fig5 is assumed at a time point t 2 a certain time period after the state 2 . similarly , state 4 is the state assumed at a time point t 3 a certain time period after the state 3 . the circles indicated by the broken lines represent the shift of electrons made due to direct tunneling by the respective time points . in the state 4 ( i . e . a final state ) at the time point t 3 , most electrons escape from the floating gate 55 , therefore the channel at the substrate boundary of the channel region 53 disappears . as a result , no signals are output . fig6 is a graph illustrating the relationship between the time and the output signal of the timer 36 / 37 . direct tunneling occurs between time points t a (= 0 ) and t b ( i . e . between the states an initial state and an intermediate state ), and lastly , the channel disappears , whereby the level of the output signal is reduced to the noise level . since the timer 36 / 37 supplies an output signal corresponding to a change in level between t a (= 0 ) and t b (= e . g . the time when the output signal level reaches the noise level ), the side for receiving the output signal can determine whether or not a predetermined time period has elapsed , or can determine a specific time point ( e . g . t 1 , t 2 or t 3 shown in fig6 ) a predetermined time period after the initial state if the relationship between the state of the timer 36 / 37 and the level of the output signal is always clear . the time points t 1 , t 2 and t 3 correspond to the states 2 , 3 and 4 in fig5 . fig7 is a second example that realizes the basic concept of the timer 36 / 37 of fig3 . the second example of the timer 36 / 37 comprises : a first layer having a source region 61 , drain region 62 and channel region 63 therebetween ; a second layer provided on the first layer and formed of a tunnel insulation film 64 ; a third layer provided on the second layer and formed of a gate 65 ; and a pn junction 66 provided on the third layer for controlling a leak current . a source electrode 68 and drain electrode 69 are provided on the source and drain regions 61 and 62 , respectively . the change in the state of the second example of the timer 36 / 37 with lapse of time is similar to that of the first example of the timer 36 / 37 , although in the former , current leakage occurs in a pn junction , and in the latter , direct tunneling occurs . therefore , no description is given of the change in the state of the second example of the timer 36 / 37 with lapse of time . fig8 is a third example that realizes the basic concept of the timer 36 / 37 of fig3 . the third example of the timer 36 / 37 comprises : a first layer having a source region 71 , drain region 72 and channel region 73 therebetween ; a second layer provided on the first layer and formed of a tunnel insulation film 74 ; a third layer provided on the second layer and formed of a gate 75 ; and a schottky junction 76 provided on the third layer for controlling a leak current . a source electrode 78 and drain electrode 79 are provided on the source and drain regions 71 and 72 , respectively . the change in the state of the third example of the timer 36 / 37 with lapse of time is similar to that of the first example of the timer 36 / 37 , although in the former , current leakage occurs in a schottky junction , and in the latter , direct tunneling occurs . therefore , no description is given of the change in the state of the third example of the timer 36 / 37 with lapse of time . when the above - described timer 36 / 37 is used , it is constructed as shown in the examples of connection of fig9 a and 9b . in the example of fig9 a , a voltage can be applied between the opposite ends of the timer 36 / 37 . a power supply terminal 81 is connected to the source electrode 58 , 68 , 78 of the timer 36 / 37 via a switch element 83 , while a gnd terminal 82 is connected to the drain electrode 59 , 69 , 79 via an ampere meter 84 . the switch element 83 is connected to an on / off ( enable ) signal line , and is turned on when an on signal is supplied thereto from the on / off signal line . the ampere meter 84 is connected to output a current value to the cpu 32 . to detect the state of the timer 36 / 37 during the operation of the ic chip 22 , the cpu 32 turns on the switch element 83 , thereby applying a predetermined voltage between the power supply terminal 81 and gnd terminal 82 . as a result , a current flows through the timer 36 / 37 , which is measured by the ampere meter 84 . the measured current value is output to the cpu 32 . thus , the cpu 32 detects the state of the timer 36 / 37 . as described above referring to fig5 , a pre - process must be performed in the timer 36 / 37 before time measurement . therefore , the timer 36 / 37 is equipped with a means for performing the pre - process ( not shown ). upon receiving an instruction to start time measurement from the outside , the timer 36 / 37 performs the pre - process and then starts time measurement . in the example of connection shown in fig9 a , a single timer 36 / 37 is employed . however , a plurality of timers 36 / 37 may be employed . the states of the change units 41 of the timers 36 / 37 may change at the same rate or different rates , according to purpose . fig9 b illustrates timers 36 / 37 in which the states of the change units 41 change at different rates . as shown in fig9 b , the timers 36 / 37 identical to that shown in fig9 a are arrange in parallel , and the current values output therefrom are input to an averaging circuit 85 . the average current value from the averaging circuit 85 is output to the cpu 32 . the on / off ( enable ) signal line led from the cpu 32 is connected to the switch elements 83 so that the cpu 32 can commonly control the switch elements 83 . in this example , even if the change units 41 exhibit some different changes in state with lapse of time , the average current value output from the averaging circuit 85 enables a stable timer to be realized . further , if change units 41 that exhibit different changes in state with lapse of time are intentionally employed ( this example is not shown ), various types of time information can be acquired . referring to fig1 a and 10b , the operation of the cpu 32 of the chip 22 will be schematically described . after the ic card 20 is inserted into the ic card terminal 10 and before it is ejected therefrom , pin identification is always performed , and a subsequent process can be performed if the pin identification result indicates that the input pin is legitimate . if the pin identification result indicates that the input pin is illegitimate , the card 20 is ejected ( fig1 a ), or pin identification is performed again instead of ejecting the card 20 ( fig1 b ). referring to the flowchart of fig1 , the pin identification process will be described in detail . firstly , a user inserts the ic card 20 into the ic card terminal 10 , then inputs a pin . the input pin is supplied to the input / output unit 31 of the ic card 20 via the ic card interfaces 13 and 21 . the pin is then supplied therefrom to the cpu 32 ( s 101 ). upon receiving the pin , the cpu 32 firstly determines whether or not the lock timer 36 is now measuring time ( s 102 ). specifically , as described referring to fig9 a and 9b , the cpu 32 reads a current value from the lock timer 36 and determines whether or not the current value reaches a noise level . if it is determined that the timer 36 is now measuring time , pin identification is determined to have failed since the ic card 20 is locked , which is reported to the terminal 10 ( s 103 ). on the other hand , if it is determined that the timer 36 is not measuring time , it is then determined whether or not the count timer 37 is now measuring time ( s 104 ). this determination is performed in the same manner as at the step s 102 . unless the count timer 37 is measuring time , an illegitimate data counter stored in an illegitimate data count value storing area in the eeprom 35 is reset ( s 105 ), thereby causing the count timer 37 to start time measurement ( s 106 ). if , for example , the count timer 37 is the above - described first example , a high voltage is instantly applied to the timer upon reception of the instruction to start measurement , whereby electrons are accumulated in the floating gate . after that , time measurement is started automatically . subsequently , the cpu 32 compares the pin received at the step s 101 , with the legitimate pin stored in the rom 33 ( s 107 ). if the received pin is determined to be a legitimate one as a result of the comparison , the measurement by the count timer 37 is stopped ( s 108 ), thereby determining that the pin identification process has succeeded , and informing the terminal 10 of this ( s 109 ). more specifically , at the step s 108 , the change in the state of the count timer 37 with lapse of time may be stopped . alternatively , the timer 37 may be managed using a valid / invalid flag that is stored in , for example , the eeprom 35 and indicates the validity / invalidity of the time measurement by the count timer 37 . if , on the other hand , the received pin is determined to be illegitimate as a result of the pin comparison , the value of the illegitimate data counter stored in the illegitimate data counter storing area of the eeprom 35 is incremented ( s 110 ). after that , it is determined whether or not the incremented counter value reaches a threshold value stored in the rom 33 ( s 111 ). if the value of the illegitimate data counter reaches the threshold value , it is determined to be very possible that an illegitimate user is trying to illegally use the ic card 20 , thereby causing the lock timer 36 to start measurement of time ( s 112 ). as a result , the ic card 20 is locked . the start of the time measurement may be performed in the same manner as that employed at the step s 106 . when the lock timer 36 starts time measurement , it is determined that pin identification has failed , which is reported to the terminal 10 ( s 113 ). fig1 a and 12b are time charts according to the flowchart of fig1 that illustrates the operation of the first example related to pin identification . in the figures , it is assumed that the threshold value for input of an illegitimate pin is 3 , and the time periods of the time measurement by the count timer 37 and lock timer 36 are t 1 and t 2 ( t 1 & lt ; t 2 ), respectively . further , “ illegitimate pin ” indicates that an illegitimate pin has been input through the input unit 12 , and “ legitimate pin ” indicates that a legitimate pin has been input through the input unit 12 . in fig1 a , the initial value of the illegitimate data counter is indefinite ( any value is ok ), and the timers 36 and 37 do not yet start time measurement . in this state , if the first illegitimate pin is input , the illegitimate data counter is reset to 0 at the step s 105 , whereby the count timer 37 starts time measurement , and the illegitimate data counter is incremented and set to “ 1 ” at the step s 110 . in this state , since the illegitimate data counter value is lower than the threshold value , the step s 112 is not yet started . assume that before the time period t 1 elapses from the input of the initial illegitimate pin , the second illegitimate pin is input . at this time , since the count timer 37 is measuring time , the steps s 105 and s 106 are not executed , and the illegitimate data counter is incremented to 2 at the step s 110 . even in this state , the value of the illegitimate data counter is lower than the threshold value , therefore the step s 112 is not yet started . after that , assume that before the period t 1 elapses from the input of the initial illegitimate pin , the third illegitimate pin is input . at this time , since the count timer 37 is measuring time , the steps s 105 and s 106 are not executed , and the illegitimate data counter is incremented to 3 at the step s 110 . at this time , the value of the illegitimate data counter reaches the threshold value , therefore the step s 112 is executed . specifically , the lock timer 36 starts time measurement , thereby locking the ic card 20 until the period t 2 elapses . within the period t 2 , even if a legitimate pin is input , the locked state is maintained , and the identification process is finished at the step s 103 . after the period t 2 elapses , the lock timer 36 stops its time measurement . at this time , the count timer 37 has already finished its time measurement ( since t 1 & lt ; t 2 ). thus , the timers 36 and 37 assume states similar to the initial states . also at this time , the illegitimate data counter may have any value as in the initial state , since it is always reset at the step s 105 when the next pin is input . fig1 b illustrates the case where a legitimate pin is input when the count timer 37 is measuring time . in fig1 b , the initial state , initial illegitimate pin and second illegitimate pin are assumed to be identical to those of fig1 a . if the third pin is a legitimate one , the steps s 101 , s 102 , s 104 and s 107 are executed in this order , and it is determined at the step s 107 that the third pin is a legitimate one , followed by the step s 108 where the count timer 37 finishes time measurement and the pin identification process is returned to the initial stage . as described above , the ic card of the embodiment incorporates a lock timer that operates for a predetermined time period without external power , therefore can assume a pin receivable state again a predetermined period after it is locked . further , since a timer that operates for a predetermined time period without external power is used as a timer for counting , if the card 20 is not locked within a predetermined period after the initial illegitimate pin is input , the illegitimate data counter can be reset . by virtue of this structure , even if a legitimate user has unintentionally input an illegitimate pin a number of times higher than the threshold value , they can reuse the ic card after a predetermined period , without , for example , accessing the system managing side . furthermore , since a pin cannot be input for a predetermined period of time , a lot of time is required until an illegitimate user reaches the legitimate pin by guessing and inputting a pin a large number of times . it is also advantageous that ic cards according to the invention enable their users to utilize conventional ic card terminals without modifying them . referring to the flowchart of fig1 , another modification of the above - described pin identification process will be described in detail . this modification differs from the flowchart of fig1 only in that in the latter , the count timer starts time measurement at the step s 106 , while in the former , the count timer does it after the step s 107 . in the modification , when an illegitimate pin is detected by pin identification , the count timer 37 restarts time measurement . fig1 a and 14b are time charts according to the last - mentioned modification . the conditions employed in these time charts are the same as those in fig1 a and 12b . as is understood from fig1 a and 14b , when the lock timer 36 does not perform time measurement ( when the value of the illegitimate data counter does not exceed the threshold value ), the count timer 37 restarts time measurement each time an illegitimate pin is input during time measurement , resulting in an extension of time measurement . further , as shown in the left portion of fig1 b , if an illegitimate pin is input , when the lock timer 36 does not perform time measurement ( when the value of the illegitimate data counter does not exceed the threshold value ), and when the count timer 37 is measuring time , the time measurement of the timer 37 is stopped . on the other hand , as shown in the right portion of fig1 b , when the lock timer 36 is measuring time ( when the value of the illegitimate data counter exceeds the threshold value ), the operation of the count timer 37 does not change ( the period of the time measurement of the timer 37 is not extended ), even if either a legitimate pin or an illegitimate pin is input . the above - described modification provides a further advantage ( compared to the flowchart of fig1 ) of being assured that if the ic card is not locked , pin input can be resumed a predetermined period after the last pin input , unless no further pin is input during the predetermined period . as described above , the ic card according to the modification of the embodiment uses , for locking , a timer operable without external power , therefore can receive a further pin a predetermined period after the ic card is locked . furthermore , the ic card according to the modification uses , for counting , a timer operable without external power , therefore can reset the illegitimate data counter if a predetermined period elapses from the last pin input . by virtue of the above structure , even if a legitimate user has unintentionally input an illegitimate pin a number of times that is larger than the threshold value , they can reuse the ic card after a predetermined period , without , for example , accessing the management side . moreover , even if a third party attempts to crack the card by repeatedly guessing the legitimate pin of the card , this attempt may well be thwarted , since pin input is prevented until a predetermined period elapses and therefore an enormous amount of time is required to detect the legitimate pin . it is also advantageous that ic cards according to the embodiment enable their users to utilize conventional ic card terminals without modifying them . additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art . therefore , the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details and representative embodiments shown and described herein . accordingly , various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the general inventive concept as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents .	6
next , a specific embodiment of an electric motor stator according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a simplified view of essential parts of a motor in which the stator is used . the motor is constituted mainly of the stator 1 and a rotor 2 which is rotatably fitted in the stator 1 . the stator 1 has a stator core 3 and windings 4 wound on the stator core 3 . the stator core 3 has a core main body 6 formed by stacking a large number of annular - shaped thin plates made of electromagnetic steel and insulators ( insulating members ) 5 , 5 provided on axial end surfaces of the core main body 6 ( see fig1 to 3 ). the stator core 3 is provided with a plurality of teeth t ( six in this case ) at a predetermined pitch along a circumferential direction thereof . the windings 4 are wound on the respective teeth t . at this time , slots 15 are formed between adjacent teeth t along the circumferential direction . there are six slots 15 in this case , i . e ., from a first slot 15 a to a sixth slot 15 f . the rotor 2 has a rotor core 7 and a plurality of magnets ( not shown ) embedded in the rotor core 7 . a shaft ( not shown ) is inserted through and fixed by an axial hole of the rotor core 7 . in this case , the rotor core 7 is formed by stacking a large number of annular - shaped thin plates made of electromagnetic steel . as shown in fig2 , each of the insulators 5 includes a peripheral wall 8 , a plurality of radially internally protruding portions 9 protruding from the peripheral wall 8 , and raised portions 10 provided at an end edge of the radially internally protruding portions 9 to face the peripheral wall 8 . the radially internally protruding portions 9 are arranged circumferentially at a predetermined pitch ( at a pitch of 60 °). one insulator 5 ( 5 a ) is fitted on one axial end surface of the core body 6 , while the other insulator 5 ( 5 b ) is fitted on the other end surface of the core body 6 . the windings 4 consist of a u - phase winding 4 a , a v - phase winding 4 b and a w - phase winding 4 c as shown in fig4 . the u - phase winding 4 a has a first magnetic pole portion u 1 and a second magnetic pole portion u 2 ; the v - phase winding 4 b has a first magnetic pole portion v 1 and a second magnetic pole portion v 2 ; and the w - phase winding 4 c has a first magnetic pole portion w 1 and a second magnetic pole portion w 2 . the u - phase winding 4 a , the v - phase winding 4 b and the w - phase winding 4 c are connected to one another via a neutral point n . at this time , as shown in fig1 , the first magnetic pole portion u 1 and the second magnetic pole portion u 2 of the u - phase winding 4 a are placed in such a manner as to be symmetrical with each other with respect to a central axis of the stator core 3 so that they are opposite to each other ; the first magnetic pole portion v 1 and the second magnetic pole portion v 2 of the v - phase winding 4 b are placed in such a manner as to be symmetrical with each other with respect to the central axis of the stator core 3 so that they are opposite to each other ; and the first magnetic pole portion w 1 and the second magnetic pole portion w 2 of the w - phase winding 4 c are placed in such a manner as to be symmetrical with each other with respect to the central axis of the stator core 3 so that they are opposite to each other . the winding method will be described in detail regarding the u - phase winding 4 a . as shown in fig5 , a part following a neutral wire 30 of the winding is wound around one of the opposed teeth t until after a tooth winding portion 11 a serving as the second magnetic pole portion u 2 is provided . a crossover wire 31 to the other tooth t is extended to serve as a power wire 29 . then , a part following the power wire 29 of the winding is wound around the other tooth t until after a tooth winding portion 11 b serving as the first magnetic pole portion u 1 is provided . a winding end at the other tooth t is drawn out toward the neutral wire 30 so as to be connected to the neutral wire . that is , the neutral wire 30 a on the winding start side of the tooth winding portion 11 a serving as the second magnetic pole portion u 2 is connected to a neutral wire 30 b on the winding end side of the tooth winding portion 11 b serving as the first magnetic pole portion u 1 via the neutral point n . the same winding method as that of the u - phase winding 4 a is applied to the other v - phase winding 4 b and w - phase winding 4 c . therefore , the second magnetic pole portion u 2 , v 2 , w 2 of each winding 4 a , 4 b , 4 c has a lead - out portion 32 drawn out to the first magnetic pole portion u 1 , v 1 , w 1 , and the first magnetic pole portion u 1 , v 1 , w 1 has a lead - out portion 33 drawn out to the neutral wire 30 ( 30 b ). the power wire 29 is fixed in such a manner that it is held between the tooth winding portion 11 and a slot bottom 21 ( which is an inner circumferential surface defining the slot 15 ). that is , as shown in fig5 , the power wire 29 is held between the tooth winding portion 11 b that constructs the second magnetic pole portion u 2 , and the slot bottom 21 corresponding to the tooth winding portion 11 b . next , as shown in fig3 , the peripheral wall 8 has a plurality of sub - walls 16 corresponding to the respective slots 15 . of the slots , a first slot 15 a corresponds to a first sub - wall 16 a , a second slot 15 b corresponds to a second sub - wall 16 b , a third slot 15 c corresponds to a third sub - wall 16 c , a fourth slot 15 d corresponds to a fourth sub - wall 16 d , a fifth slot 15 e corresponds to a fifth sub - wall 16 e , and a sixth slot 16 f corresponds to a sixth sub - wall 16 f . the sub - walls 16 are each provided with a slit 24 , and the power wires 29 are received in the respective slits 24 . specifically , the slit 24 is provided in the first sub - wall 16 a , whereby the first sub - wall 16 a is divided into a first wall portion 22 and a second wall portion 23 . and , the power wire 29 drawn out and running along an inner surface of the sixth sub - wall 16 f is then placed on an inner surface side of the first wall portion 22 of the first sub - wall 16 a and then on an outer surface side of the second wall portion 23 of the first sub - wall 16 a . the sub - walls 16 each constitute a support portion , which will be described later . in this case , a wiring separator 25 ( 25 a ) that supports the power wire 29 is provided between the sixth sub - wall 16 f and the first sub - wall 16 a ; a wiring separator 25 ( 25 b ) that also supports the power wire 29 is provided between the first sub - wall 16 a and the second sub - wall 16 b ; and a wiring separator 25 ( 25 c ) that also supports the power wire 29 is provided between the second sub - wall 16 b and the third sub - wall 16 c . more specifically , a protrusion provided in a gap 26 between the sixth sub - wall 16 f and the first sub - wall 16 a forms the wiring separator 25 a ; a protrusion provided in a gap 27 between the first sub - wall 16 a and the second sub - wall 16 b forms the wiring separator 25 b ; and a protrusion provided in a gap 28 between the second sub - wall 16 b and the third sub - wall 16 c forms the wiring separator 25 c . thus , the power wires 29 pass the wiring separators 25 a , 25 b , and 25 c , so that movement of the power wires toward the neutral wires 30 is restricted by these wiring separators 25 a , 25 b , and 25 c . therefore , a lead wire 20 ( formed by bundling the power wires 29 of the u -, v -, and w - phases ) can be drawn out in a state in which contact of the power wires 29 with the neutral wires 30 provided on the outer surface side of the peripheral wall 8 of the insulator 5 is prevented . the other insulator 5 b on the counter - lead wire side is also provided with sub - walls 17 , but no wiring separators 25 ( 25 a , 25 b , 25 c ) are provided . this is because the power wires 29 are not drawn out to this insulator 5 b . each sub - wall 16 of the insulator 5 forms a support portion for supporting a protruding portion 35 of the tooth wiring portion 11 ( see fig1 ) from its radially outer side , the protruding portion 35 being a portion that protrudes from an end surface of the stator core 3 . more specifically , the sub - walls ( support portion ) 16 have a height ( i . e ., an axial length ) ( h ) ( see fig3 ) set to be approximately equal to or slightly larger than the dimension of the protruding portion 35 of the tooth winding portion 11 . furthermore , the sub - walls ( support portion ) 16 have a circumferential length ( s ) ( see fig3 ) to accommodate the confronting circumferential edge portions of the circumferentially adjacent tooth winding portions 11 , 11 . this motor ( which is of permanent magnet type ) is used as , for example , a motor for a compressor of an air conditioner . the compressor includes a casing , which is a sealed container , a compressor elements part housed in the lower side of the sealed container , and a motor elements part housed in the upper side of the sealed container . the permanent magnet type motor is used for the motor elements part . therefore , a shaft that is inserted through and fixed by the axial hole of the rotor 2 is a crankshaft for the compressor elements part , and the crankshaft is supported by a supporting member within the sealed container . in the electric motor stator , since the power wire 29 drawn out from the tooth winding portion 11 of the winding 4 is fixed by being held between the tooth winding portion 11 and the slot bottom 21 , winding can be performed without wobbling of the power wire 29 . therefore , it is possible to prevent the power wire 29 from being brought into contact with tooth winding portions 11 of other phases , so that the electric motor can exhibit a stable function as the motor for a long time . further , the protective tube , which has conventionally been used , can be dispensed with , which makes it possible to provide an improvement in assembling performance and a reduction in costs . further , since no complicated structure or arrangement for fixing the power wire 29 is required , a further cost reduction through simplification of the structure of the stator is possible . since the insulator 5 is provided with the winding separators 25 that keep the power wires 29 spaced from the neutral wires 30 by a predetermined distance , it is possible to prevent the power wires 29 from being brought into contact with the neutral wires 30 . thereby , a motor with high quality can be provided . moreover , wiring can securely be performed such that the power wires 29 are not brought into contact with the neutral wires 30 in the wiring operation , thus making it possible to contrive simplification of the wiring operation of the windings 4 . that is , the provision of the winding separators 25 in the insulator 5 makes it possible to achieve stable wiring workability and improve the non - contact reliability between the power wire 29 and the neutral wire 30 . furthermore , since the insulator 5 has , on its radially outer side , the support portions formed of the sub - walls 16 of the peripheral wall 8 , the tooth winding portions 11 are thereby prevented from falling outward , so that the tooth winding portions 11 can maintain their stable winding state . consequently , simplification of the winding operation can be achieved and a stator with high quality can be provided . further , since the insulator 5 has , on its radially inner side , the raised portions 10 , it is also possible to prevent the protruding portions 35 of the tooth winding portions 11 from falling inward . embodiments of the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the preset invention is not limited to those embodiments , but that same may be varied in many ways within the scope of the following claims . for example , it is possible to change the number of phases and the number of poles in the motor . the distance between the power wire 29 and the neutral wire 30 can be changed by changing the height of each protrusion forming the winding separator 25 a , 25 b , 25 c . furthermore , the winding separators 25 a , 25 b , 25 c may have the same or different heights .	7
the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below in connection with practical embodiments . table 1 , given below , shows chemical compositions (% by weight ) of specimens corresponding to in706 and examples of ni — fe based super alloy of the present invention . among the specimens shown in table 1 , an alloy 1 corresponds to in706 , and an alloy 2 corresponds to an improved version of in718 . each of alloys 2 - 5 corresponds to the ni — fe based super alloy of the present invention . the alloys 1 - 4 present the cases in which n is not added and the n content is negligible because of incapability of analysis . any of the alloys was produced through the steps of melting and forging raw materials by rf vacuum fusion , and then successively performing , on the forging material , hot plastic working at 800 - 1100 ° c ., solution treatment at 1000 ° c . for 2 hours , and two - stage aging treatment that comprises heat treatment at 720 ° c . for 2 hours and subsequent heat treatment at 620 ° c . for 8 hours . fig1 is a graph showing the relationship between 0 . 2 % yield point and temperature in the specimens , i . e ., the results of tensile tests made on the specimens . as will be seen from fig1 , the alloys 3 and 4 of the present invention have the 0 . 2 % yield points slightly inferior to that of the alloy 1 in a relatively low - temperature range of not higher than 350 ° c ., but their 0 . 2 % yield points are superior to the alloy 1 in a relatively high - temperature range near 700 ° c . therefore , the alloys of the present invention are more suitable for use at high temperatures than the alloy 1 of the known material . fig2 illustrates metal structures of the ni — fe based super alloy according to the present invention , which were observed by an electron microscope before and after aging treatment at 700 ° c . before the aging treatment , the γ ″ phase and the γ ′ phase were both precipitated in the alloy 2 , and those phases similarly appeared in the structure of the alloy 1 . on the other hand , in the alloys 3 and 4 , only the spherical γ ′ phase was precipitated , while the γ ″ phase was not observed . since the γ ′ phase has a specific property of increasing the strength at high temperatures , superiority of the alloys of the present invention in yield point at high temperatures is attributable to the fact that the alloys of the present invention are strengthened by only the γ ′ phase . after the aging treatment of the specimen at 700 ° c ., in the alloy 2 as the improved version of the known material , the γ ″ phase was reduced , while the η and δ phases , each known as a detrimental phase in the super alloy , were precipitated to some extent , although the amounts of the η and δ phases were smaller than those precipitated in the alloy 1 . on the other hand , in the alloys 3 and 4 of the present invention , it was observed even after the aging treatment at 700 ° c . that only the γ ′ phase was observed in size slightly increased with growth and the detrimental phases were hardly precipitated . fig3 is a graph showing the relationship between aging treatment time and 0 . 2 % yield point when the specimens were subjected to the aging treatment at 700 ° c . with the aging treatment at 700 ° c ., the 0 . 2 % yield point was reduced in the alloy 1 of the known material . on the other hand , in the alloys 3 and 4 of the present invention , the 0 . 2 % yield point at the room temperature was hardly reduced even with the aging treatment at 700 ° c . in the alloy 2 as the improved version of the known material , the 0 . 2 % yield point was reduced with the aging treatment at 700 ° c ., but it showed a value comparable to those of the alloys 3 and 4 . fig4 is a graph showing the relationship between charpy absorbed energy and aging treatment time when the aging treatment was performed at 700 ° c . a drop of the charpy absorbed energy , i . e ., embrittlement , was abruptly caused in the alloy 1 of the known material , whereas no embrittlement was caused in the alloys 3 and 4 of the present invention . such results are attributable to the fact that , with the aging treatment at 700 ° c ., the precipitated strengthening phase was reduced and the detrimental phases were precipitated in the alloy 1 of the known material , whereas the γ ′ phase serving as the precipitated strengthening phase was not reduced and the detrimental phases were not precipitated in the alloys 3 and 4 . it is apparent from those results that the alloys of the present invention are more suitable for use at high temperatures than the known alloy . fig5 is a graph showing the relationship between the fe and nb contents in the alloys of the present invention . in the alloys of the present invention , preferably , as described above , it is preferable that no detrimental phases be precipitated at high temperatures . also , if the nb content exceeds 3 % by weight , productivity in making a large - sized ingot would deteriorate as compared with the known alloy . therefore , the nb content is preferably not more than 3 % by weight . however , if nb is added in too small amount , the yield point could not be obtained at a level required as a strength characteristic in the gas turbine rotor material . for that reason , the contents of fe and nb ( fe %, nb %) are preferably within a region defined , as shown in fig5 , by successively connecting a point a ( 15 %, 3 . 0 %), a point b ( 30 %, 3 . 0 %), a point c ( 45 %, 2 . 25 %), a point d ( 45 %, 1 . 25 %), a point e ( 15 %, 2 . 75 %), and the point a . fig6 is a graph showing the relationship between 0 . 2 % yield point and temperature in the specimens , i . e ., the results of tensile tests made on the specimens . as will be seen from fig6 , the yield point of the alloy 5 of the present invention , which was obtained by adding a proper amount of n to the alloy 3 , was increased from that of the alloy 3 , and it was also superior to that of the alloy 1 of the known material in a temperature range of from the room temperature to high temperature . fig7 is a graph showing the relationship between charpy absorbed energy and aging treatment time when the aging treatment was performed at 700 ° c . the charpy absorbed energy of the alloy 5 of the present invention was higher than that of the alloy 1 of the known material even before the heat treatment , and no embrittlement was caused in the alloy 5 even with the aging treatment unlike the alloy 1 . the structure of the alloy 5 observed by an electron microscope was the same as these of the alloys 3 and 4 in both states before and after the aging treatment . fig8 illustrates metal structures of the ni — fe based super alloy according to the present invention , which were observed by an optical microscope before and after oxidation treatment . in the alloy 5 of the present invention , the c content was smaller than in the alloy 1 , but the amount of precipitated carbides was comparable because of addition of n . accordingly , the crystal grain size was also comparable . also , nbc was observed in large amount in the alloy 1 of the known material , whereas tic was observed in large amount in the alloy 5 . as a result of performing the oxidation treatment on those alloys at 600 ° c ., in the alloy 1 containing a large amount of nbc , nbc in an outer surface of the alloy and surroundings thereof were noticeably oxidized and the carbides were dropped with the oxidation . those portions causing dropping of the carbides may possibly become crack start points . on the other hand , tic contained in the alloy 5 in large amount was oxidized on the side near the outer surface , but noticeable oxidation appeared in the surroundings of tic and defects possibly becoming the crack start points were not caused . this is the reason why the charpy absorbed energy remain high as mentioned above . from those results , it is understood that finer crystal grains can be formed and the yield point can be increased with addition of n without increasing the number of crack start points . thus , according to this embodiment , it is apparent to be able to obtain a ni — fe based super alloy capable of suppressing a reduction in both yield point and toughness at high temperatures even when exposed to the high temperatures . also , the ni — fe based super alloy has productivity in making a large - sized ingot comparable or superior to in718 and in706 . further , the super alloy can be used at temperatures higher than in718 and in706 . by using the ni — fe based super alloy of the present invention , a gas turbine operating with high efficiency can be provided . additionally , since it is possible to increase the combustion temperature and the compression ratio and to reduce the amount of cooling air required , a gas turbine operating at even higher thermal can be provided . fig9 is a partial sectional view showing a rotating section and thereabout of a gas turbine according to one embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig9 , the gas turbine comprises a turbine stub shaft 1 , three stages of turbine blades 2 , turbine stacking bolts 3 , two annular turbine spacers 4 , distant pieces 5 , three stages of turbine nozzles 6 , a turbine compartment 7 , a combustor 8 , two stages of annular shrouds 9 , three stages of turbine disks 10 , and through holes 11 . though not shown , the gas turbine of this embodiment further comprises a distant piece coupled to the turbine disk 10 , a plurality of compressor disks coupled to the distance piece , compressor blades mounted to the compressor disks and compressing air , and a compressor stub shaft integrally coupled to a first stage of total 17 stages of the compressor disks . in another case , the turbine blades 2 many be provided in four stages . in any case , the turbine blade disposed on the side of an inlet for combustion gases constitutes a first stage . then , second and third stages ( and , if present , a fourth stage ) follow successively downstream . arrows indicated by dotted lines represent paths of high - temperature cooling air compressed by a compressor and flowing into the gas turbine . the turbine disks 10 and the turbine spacers 4 in this embodiment were each produced through the steps of melting , by rf vacuum fusion , an alloy having substantially the same composition as the alloy 3 shown in table 1 , then melting it again by electroslag fusion , and successively performing forging , solution treatment and two - stage aging treatment in a similar manner to that in the first embodiment . after the heat treatment for aging , the resulting material was likewise subjected to the tensile test and the v - notch charpy impact test . as a result , it was confirmed that each specimen had similar characteristics and electron microscopic structure as those of the alloy 3 in the first embodiment . in this embodiment , the three stages of turbine disks 10 and the two turbine spacers 4 were all made of materials having the same composition . any of those parts was machined into a final shape after the heat treatment . each of the turbine disks 10 has an outer diameter of 1000 mm and a thickness of 200 mm with through holes 11 formed therein . numeral 12 denotes a portion where a hole for insertion of the stacking bolt 3 is formed , and 13 denotes a portion where the turbine blade 2 is mounted . the mount portion is provided by forming an axial recess in the shape of an inverted christmas tree along all over an outer peripheral portion of the turbine disk 10 . a dovetail of the turbine blade 2 is implanted into the mount portion . additionally , the thickness of the turbine blade 2 in the portion where the hole for insertion of the turbine stacking bolt 3 is formed is slightly larger than that in the portion of the through hole 11 , and the turbine blade 2 has the largest thickness in a central portion where the through hole 11 is formed . each of the turbine spacers 4 is an annular member and has an insertion hole in a portion where the turbine stacking bolt 3 is to be inserted . also , the turbine spacer 4 has projections and recesses in the form of comb teeth in engagement with the shroud 9 disposed on the side of the turbine nozzle 6 . further , the turbine spacer 4 has annular bosses supported by the turbine disk 10 when the gas turbine is rotated at high speed . with the construction described above , the gas turbine is capable of operating at a compression ratio of 14 . 7 , temperature of not lower than 450 ° c ., and the gas temperature of not lower than 1300 ° at an inlet of the first - stage turbine nozzle , and thermal efficiency ( lhv ) of not less than 35 % can be obtained . thus , by producing the turbine disks 10 and the turbine spacers 4 using the ni — fe based super alloy of the present invention , which has a high yield point at high temperatures and shows less embrittlement under heating as described above , it is possible to provide a gas turbine having higher reliability from the total point of view .	5
what is needed is a method to allow a memory controller to be able to view a processor bus queue , to begin processing of a memory fetch that may be issued , prior to its issuance on the processor bus . an embodiment of the present invention may provide a method for a processor to communicate information about a next memory fetch it may issue as part of a currently issued memory fetch ( i . e ., bus request ). this may allow a memory controller to begin the next memory fetch while the next memory fetch may still be in the processor bus queue , and prior to its issuance on the processor bus . when the next memory fetch is then issued , a memory access ( e . g ., dram access ) has already commenced , and the data may be returned with reduced latency . the information about the next memory fetch may be referred to as a next fetch hint . fig1 is a block diagram of a bus - based system 100 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the bus - based system 100 may include a processor 102 connected to a memory controller 104 via a processor bus 106 . the processor 102 may include a processor bus queue 108 . fig2 is a schematic representation of a bus request 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . in a standard bus - based signaling protocol , a bus request 200 may consist of a request phase 202 , during which an address 204 , request type 206 , and other attributes 208 may be driven by an agent ( e . g ., the processor 102 ) on the bus ( e . g ., the processor bus 106 ). all other slave agents on the bus may perform a snoop of their caches / directories , and report snoop results . the snoop results may be gathered by a central agent ( e . g ., the memory controller 104 ) and the results may be signaled during a response phase ( not shown ). in an embodiment , the processor bus 106 may be a quad pumped data bus . in a quad pumped data bus , bus requests 200 may be issued once every other cycle , and may queue up inside the processor bus queue 108 , waiting for their time slice on the processor bus 106 . the presence of other requesters on the processor bus 106 may cause further queuing within the processor bus queue 108 . in an embodiment , the processor 102 may examine a next queued request ( e . g ., a next memory fetch ) in the processor bus queue 108 , and provide a next fetch hint 210 as part of a currently issued memory fetch ( i . e ., bus request 200 ). the next fetch hint 210 may indicate the address of the next memory fetch . the operation of the bus - based system 100 is now described with reference to fig1 and 2 , and with reference to fig3 which illustrates a method 300 for reducing memory fetch latency using a next fetch hint in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . with reference to fig3 , in operation 302 , the method may begin . in operation 304 , a next memory fetch queued in the processor bus queue 108 may be examined in generating the next fetch hint 210 . in operation 306 , the currently issued memory fetch ( i . e ., bus request 200 ) may be issued from the processor 102 to the memory controller 104 over the processor bus 106 . the currently issued memory fetch may include the next fetch hint 210 . the next fetch hint 210 may include information about a next memory fetch . in operation 308 , the currently issued memory fetch may be processed by the memory controller 104 . the processing of the currently issued memory fetch may include beginning a memory access corresponding to the next memory fetch before the next memory fetch is received by the memory controller . the beginning of the memory access corresponding to the next memory fetch may be in response to the next fetch hint 210 . in operation 310 , a response may be issued from the memory controller 104 to the processor 102 . in an embodiment , to take advantage of streaming applications , or “ adjacent sector ” prefetch behavior of the processor 102 , the next fetch hint may be a limited subset of next possible fetches . for example , if two bits of the request phase 202 were used as the next fetch hint 210 , the possible combinations could be ( assuming a 64 kb cacheline ): 00 — no next fetch hint ; 01 — the next bus request may be to the following 64 b cacheline ; 10 — the next bus request may be to the following 128 b cacheline ; and 11 — the next bus request may be to the previous 64 b cacheline . fig4 a is a schematic representation of commands 400 within the processor bus queue 108 showing application of such a next fetch hint convention . fig4 b is a schematic representation of a request stream 402 of the processor 102 . in fig4 a , each of the commands 400 is represented with a position , the command itself , and an address . for example , at position 0 , there may be a read command to read from address 0x100 . at position 1 , there may be a read command to read from address 0x140 . in fig4 b , each request may include a position , a command , an address , and a next fetch hint . for example , for the command at position 0 , the command may be to read from address 0x100 and the next fetch hint may be 01 ( i . e ., to the following cacheline ). for the command at position 1 , the command may be to read from address 0x140 and the next fetch hint may be 01 ( i . e ., to the following cacheline ). the memory controller 104 may use the next fetch hint 214 to manipulate the address of the current bus request 200 , and issue a subsequent request of the new address to memory prior to the processor 102 actually issuing its request ( e . g ., next memory fetch ). then , when the processor 102 does issue its request , the request may be matched with the already in - flight memory ( e . g ., dram ) access , resulting in a lower latency for the second request . the foregoing description discloses only exemplary embodiments of the invention . modifications of the above - disclosed embodiments of the present invention of which fall within the scope of the invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art . for instance , although embodiments are described with reference to environments including a processor bus , in alternative embodiments , environments may include a process bus interface and / or network protocol . further , although the next fetch hint 210 is described as two - bits of the request phase 202 , a larger or smaller number of bits could be used . similarly , a larger or smaller number of possible next fetch hints could be possible . accordingly , while the present invention has been disclosed in connection with exemplary embodiments thereof , it should be understood that other embodiments may fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .	6
as can be seen firstly from fig1 and 2 , a system side of a self - locking belt retractor is shown comprising a belt shaft 10 with a shaft extension 11 projecting therefrom along a shaft axis defined by the belt shaft 10 , wherein the belt shaft 10 serves as mounting means and as drive means for the system parts connected to the belt shaft 10 . a blocking catch 12 is mounted on the belt shaft 10 and is able to be swung out radially for engagement into a toothed blocking ( not illustrated ) fixed to the housing , wherein the blocking catch 12 has a guide pin 12 a projecting in the shaft axis . the guide pin 12 a engages into a link formed on a control disc 13 , such that the control disc 13 rotates respectively together with the belt shaft 10 . in the case of a response by a vehicle - sensitive and / or belt - webbing - sensitive control system which is to be described below , the control disc 13 is blocked from further rotary movement , so that relative rotation is produced between the stationary control disc 13 and the rotating belt shaft 10 , wherein this relative rotation is converted by the guide pin 12 a , which is guided in the control disc 13 , into the radial deflection of the blocking catch 12 . this radial blocking principle is known to those of ordinary skill in the art and will therefore not be described in greater detail . an essential functional component of the belt retractor is the control disc , designated by 13 , which consists of a platform 14 and a ring 16 externally surrounding the platform 14 . on the platform 14 of the control disc 13 , an inertial mass 15 is swivellably mounted swivellably thereon , which forms the belt - webbing - sensitive control system described below . a wobble plate 17 arranged adjacent to the control disc 13 and cooperating functionally therewith , has cams 18 on its underside facing the control disc 13 . the wobble plate 17 includes a recess having an inner toothing 23 for slidably engaging an externally toothed extension 22 of the platform 14 , so that when the control disc 13 is rotating with the belt shaft 10 , the control disc 13 drives the wobble plate 17 and entrains it in a rotating manner . the system side of the belt retractor is surrounded and covered by a housing cap 19 having an internal toothing 20 fixed to the cap 19 on its inner side . the functional parts of the system side of the belt retractor described above are held together by an adapter piece 21 which carries the platform 14 of the control disc 13 by a projecting flange 35 . at its end facing the housing cap 19 , the adapter piece 21 has a detent groove 36 which can be inserted into a corresponding detent configuration on the inner side of the housing cap 19 so that the adapter piece 21 is able to be engaged thereon . as the control disc 13 and the wobble plate 17 are arranged on the adapter piece 21 , a pre - mounted assembly is produced by way of the control disc 13 and the wobble plate 17 being able to be secured with the associated functional parts ( discussed below ) on the housing cap 19 via the adapter piece 21 . the shaft extension 11 of the belt shaft 10 engages into the adapter piece 21 with a form - fitting connection , wherein the adapter piece 21 is able to be engaged with the shaft extension 11 of the belt shaft 10 via a detent window 37 during the final mounting of the belt retractor . as can be further seen from fig2 , the ring 16 has both an outer toothing 25 and an inner toothing 26 . outside the control disc 13 , a vehicle sensor 24 is secured on the inner side of the housing cap 19 , wherein a sensor lever of the vehicle sensor 24 comes into engagement with the outer toothing 25 of the ring 16 of the control disc 13 based on corresponding vehicle accelerations or vehicle decelerations as understood to those of ordinary of skill in the art , and thereby blocks the ring 16 from further rotary movement . on the platform 14 of the control disc 13 , a locking lever 27 is swivellably mounted between an activation position and a cutoff or disabling position . in the activation position , the locking lever 27 is in engagement with the inner toothing 26 of the ring 16 . as such , the externally toothed ring 16 is therefore connected to the platform 14 via the locking lever 27 , so that in light of conventional control discs , a control disc 13 is formed which is capable of functioning . when the sensor lever of the vehicle sensor 24 engages into the outer toothing 25 of the control disc 13 during this activation position , the control disc 13 is stopped from further rotary movement and the blocking movement of the blocking catch 12 is brought about . on the other hand , when the locking lever 27 is controlled such that it is not in engagement with the inner toothing 26 of the ring 16 , and is in fact in engagement with the sensor lever of the vehicle sensor 24 via the outer toothing 25 of the ring 16 , the ring 16 remains at a standstill , but the platform 14 , which is connected to the belt shaft 10 , continues to rotate , so that the necessary relative rotation is not brought about ; thus , the vehicle - sensitive control system is cut off . as can be further seen from fig4 , the belt - webbing - sensitive control system is realized through the arrangement of the inertial mass 15 mounted movably on the platform 14 . during normal rotations of the shaft 10 , the inertial mass 15 lies within the contour of the platform 14 , so that the platform 14 or the control disc 13 rotates together with the belt shaft 10 . if a rapid belt withdrawal movement occurs , then the inertial mass 15 remains behind the rotating platform 14 and is thereby deflected . with this deflection , a blocking tooth 40 formed on the inertial mass 15 engages into the toothing 20 of the housing cap 19 , so that further rotary movement of the control disc 13 is stopped and the relative rotation between the control disc 13 and belt shaft 10 occurs , thereby bringing about the blocking of the belt retractor . it can be seen from fig5 that the locking lever 27 is arranged on the platform 14 such that in its inwardly swiveled position , wherein the locking lever 27 is not in engagement with the inner toothing 26 , it abuts against the inertial mass 15 which is mounted so as to be swivellably movable , and thereby secures the latter against swivelling movement . as the inertial mass 15 is therefore secured by the locking lever 27 , the function of the inertial mass 15 described above can no longer occur in the case of rapid belt webbing withdrawal . in this respect , it can be seen that through the single switching movement of the locking lever 27 , both the vehicle - sensitive control system and the belt - webbing - sensitive control system is cut off or functionally disabled . it can also be seen from fig5 that as an additional security measure for the disabling of the control systems , a locking tooth 33 projecting in the direction of the shaft extension 11 of the belt shaft 10 is formed on the lever 27 . in the cutoff position of the locking lever 27 ( fig5 ), the locking tooth 33 comes into engagement with a peripheral recess 34 provided on the periphery of the shaft extension 11 , so that in this engagement position the belt shaft 10 and the control disc 13 are non - rotatably locked with each other . therefore , relative rotation between the control disc 13 and the belt shaft 10 , which is necessary for the blocking of the belt retractor , is prevented . the belt retractor may also have an alr / elr switchover function . for this function , a separate switching lever 28 is mounted on the platform 14 . in the alr switching position , in which the control disc 13 is secured against further rotation , the switching lever is to be swiveled outwards to engage with the toothing 20 of the housing cap 19 . in order to carry out the corresponding swivelling and switching movements of the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 , the two levers have a guide pin , 27 a and 28 a , respectively , wherein these guide pins 27 a , 28 a are guided in the cams 18 of the wobble plate 17 , so that controlling the movements of the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 takes place via the rotation of the wobble plate 17 . fig6 - 8 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the control disc 13 with the functional parts arranged thereon . insofar as the control disc 13 illustrated in fig6 in its functional position during activation of both the vehicle - sensitive and the belt - webbing - sensitive control system , i . e . in the elr switching state , corresponds to the embodiment illustrated in fig4 and already described , those features are denoted by identical reference characters and will not be described in detail below . the embodiment illustrated in fig6 shows the locking lever 27 in the deflected position and in engagement with the inner toothing 26 of the ring 16 . the switching lever 28 is situated in its swiveled - in position , wherein the switching lever 28 engages with an inner spring arm 50 into a recess 51 formed on the extension 22 of the platform 14 of the control disc 13 . in the illustrated embodiment , the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 are arranged in different planes staggered in an axial direction of the control disc 13 . the locking lever 27 has an attachment 52 extending into the plane of movement of the switching lever 28 and carrying the guide pin 27 a . as will be described in greater detail below , the attachment 52 cooperates with the switching lever 28 in a switching position of the locking lever 27 . at the same time , the inertial mass 15 axially extends along its height over both movement planes of the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 . in addition , the inertial mass 15 has a cutout 53 , arranged in the movement plane of the switching lever 28 , to receive the switching lever 28 so that the switching lever 28 respectively follows the control movements of the inertial mass 15 . with this step , a space - saving construction of the control disc 13 is achieved with the functional parts formed thereon . the arrangement of the attachment 52 lying in the movement plane of the switching lever 28 on the locking lever 27 helps bring about the disabling of the belt - webbing - sensitive control system . in particular , for the case where a cutoff of the guide pin 28 a situated on the switching lever 28 were to occur due to a very rapid belt webbing withdrawal reaching the elr / alr switchover point , the foregoing arrangement brings the switching lever 28 and hence the belt - webbing - sensitive control system in its cutoff position via the cutoff movement of the locking lever 27 by means of the associated cam , and at the same time , via the abutment of the attachment 52 on the switching lever 28 , in which case a blocking of the belt shaft is no longer possible . in fig7 , the control disc 13 of fig6 is illustrated in the alr switching state . as can be seen , the switching lever 28 is swiveled radially outwards , wherein its spring arm 50 has emerged out of the recess 51 and lies with a corresponding pre - stressed tension on the extension 22 of the platform 14 . if a controlling back of the switching lever 28 occurs on the switchover from the alr switching state into the elr switching state , the spring arm 50 engages again into the recess 51 , so that the elr switching state is defined . in fig8 , the cutoff of both the vehicle - sensitive and the belt - webbing - sensitive control system is illustrated , in which the locking lever 27 is guided inwards out of engagement with the inner toothing 26 of the ring 16 . in so doing , the locking lever 27 at the same time secures the inertial mass 15 , so that the belt - webbing - sensitive control system cannot respond . at the same time , the switching lever 28 is in a swiveled - in position , so that no blocking of the belt shaft can be brought about . as can be seen from fig9 , an eccentric bearing 29 for the wobble plate 17 is formed on the inner side of the housing cap 19 , so that the rotary drive of the wobble plate 17 , brought about via the engagement of the inner toothing 23 of the wobble plate 17 with the externally toothed extension 22 of the control disc 13 or the platform 14 , is able to be converted at the same time into an eccentric - radial displacement of the wobble plate 17 . in fig1 and 11 , the construction of the wobble plate 17 is shown , wherein the wobble plate 17 is arranged to control the switching movements of the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 . as can be seen firstly from fig1 , the wobble plate 17 has a strip 54 extending over its periphery and projecting axially into the plane of the guide pins 27 a , 28 a of the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 , respectively . the wobble plate 17 also has a bearing ring 55 , projecting parallel to the strip 54 , for the bearing of the wobble plate 17 . the strip 54 is arranged with a radial distance to both the bearing ring 55 and the outer periphery of the wobble plate 17 . moreover , an inner cam 30 and an outer cam 31 respectively formed on the inner and outer side of the strip 54 is provided for the guide pin 27 a of the locking lever 27 , and at least one opening 32 is provided as a radial transition section for the passage of the guide pin 27 a between the inner cam 30 and the outer cam 31 . on their running paths for the guide pins 27 a , 28 a of the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 , the cams 30 , 31 have an undulating contour for equalizing the movements of the wobble plate with respect to the guide pins 27 a , 28 a of the locking lever 27 and switching lever 28 , revolving with the control disc 13 . owing to the strip 54 , extending over the entire periphery , with cams 30 , 31 , the guide pin 27 a of the locking lever 27 is guided during the entire rolling and unrolling movement of the belt shaft 10 on the cams 30 , 31 . the wobble plate 17 is designed so that a full revolution of the wobble plate 17 corresponds to the revolutions of the belt shaft 10 carried out during the unwinding or winding of the belt webbing between the complete winding state and the complete unwinding state . depending on the length of the belt webbing wound on the belt shaft 10 of the belt retractor , the belt shaft 10 can carry out 14 to 16 revolutions , for example , with a complete revolution of the wobble plate 17 . to control the switching lever 28 , the wobble plate 17 additionally has a third cam 56 , which is formed by the outer periphery of the bearing ring 55 of the wobble plate 17 . in addition , at the switchover point from the elr to the alr switching state of the belt retractor with almost complete belt webbing withdrawal , a radial cross - piece 57 is arranged between the bearing ring 55 and the strip 54 for the radial guidance of the guide pin 28 a of the switching lever 28 out of its cam 56 for the elr switching state and up to abutment against the inner cam 30 of the strip 54 during the alr state , wherein with the unrolling movement of the belt webbing from the belt shaft , the guide pin 28 a reaches the cross - piece 57 at the end of the belt webbing withdrawal and is re - routed by the cross - piece 57 into its swiveled - out position . in addition , the strip 54 has a section 58 in the region of its inner cam 30 , wherein the section 58 is directed radially inwards to the bearing ring 55 . in this manner , after a rolling movement of the belt webbing , ( i . e ., corresponding to the path of the guide pin 28 a of the switching lever 28 from the cross - piece 57 along the inner cam 30 ), onto the belt shaft of the guide pin 28 a , a re - routing takes place from the inner cam 30 to the cam 56 on the bearing ring 55 , whereby the elr switching state is reproduced . in fig1 , the path of the guide pin 27 a for controlling the locking lever 27 , and the path of the guide pin 28 a for controlling the switching lever 28 , is shown for the control contour illustrated in fig1 . here , the guide pin 27 a is illustrated in the position with a fully wound belt webbing ; the illustration in dashed lines makes it clear that in particular embodiments a greater amount of belt webbing can be wound on the belt shaft 10 . as can be seen from the illustration of the path line 59 for the movement of the guide pin 27 a , at the start of the unwinding of the belt webbing , the guide pin 27 a firstly follows the inner cam 30 up to the opening 32 , by which the guide pin 27 a is deflected radially outwards . then , on further unwinding of the belt webbing , the guide pin 27 a follows the outer cam 31 , in which the locking lever 27 is guided in engagement with the toothing 26 of the ring 16 , and hence produces the function of the control disc 13 . accordingly , on winding of the belt webbing , the control pin 27 follows the path line 59 up to its initial position . correspondingly , for the movement of the guide pin 28 a of the switching lever 28 , the path line 60 is similarly illustrated in fig1 , and it can be seen here that the guide pin 28 a , firstly up to reaching the switchover point defined by the cross - piece 57 , is guided on the cam 56 of the bearing ring 55 , whereby the swiveled - in position of the switching lever 28 is defined . when the belt webbing is ( almost ) completely unwound from the belt shaft and therefore the alr switching state is to be brought about , the guide pin 28 a is deflected radially outwards via the cross - piece 57 . if after a certain extent of winding of the belt webbing onto the belt shaft 10 , a switching over is to take place again from the alr switching state to the elr switching state , then firstly the guide pin 28 a follows the inner cam 30 , during the return rotation of the belt shaft 10 , until the guide pin 28 a reaches the section 58 arranged in the region of the opening 32 , via which the guide pin 28 a is guided back in abutment against the bearing ring 55 , and hence into the path of the cam 56 , in which the switching lever 28 is not engaged with the toothing 20 of the housing cap 19 . in fig1 , another embodiment of the wobble plate 17 is illustrated . here , the strip 54 with the cams 30 , 31 formed thereon extends only over a partial region of the periphery of the wobble plate 17 , wherein the partial region is traveled through by the guide pin 27 a of the locking lever 27 after initial belt webbing withdrawal , wherein the guide pin 27 a is in a position such that it is guided outwards to engage with the inner toothing 26 of the ring 16 . in the other , remaining peripheral region , radially outwardly directed cross - pieces 60 are arranged on the wobble plate 17 such that with corresponding control movements , the guide pin 27 a of the locking lever 27 can enter between the cross - pieces 61 . insofar as the control pin 27 a , with initial belt webbing withdrawal , travels in the peripheral direction through a curved line , the cross - pieces 61 are arranged with an adapted position , aligned obliquely to the peripheral direction , and have at their inner end a flattened introduction surface 62 for the guiding of the guide pin 27 a into the spaces respectively existing between the cross - pieces 61 . as such , in the case of high initial accelerations of a belt webbing withdrawal , the guide pin 27 a does not strike against the cam 30 formed in this region ( i . e ., according to the embodiment described with respect to fig1 and 11 ), and does not break off under these circumstances . rather , the guide pin 27 a can enter radially outwards into the spaces existing between the cross - pieces 61 and in so doing , the guide pin 27 a is not subject to any stress . since in such a case of a high acceleration of belt webbing withdrawal , the belt - webbing - sensitive control system would at the same time respond with a blocking of the belt shaft 10 , further rotation of the belt shaft 10 would be prevented , so that the guide pin 27 a no longer carries out a movement in the peripheral direction of the wobble plate 17 . if the belt webbing is slackened to release this blocking state , the guiding pin 27 a slips out of the region of the cross - pieces 61 again , and can then take its path up to the opening 32 with a correspondingly slower withdrawal movement . in fig1 and 15 , respectively , the control disc 13 is again illustrated with the levers 27 , 28 arranged thereon and in cooperation with the cams 30 , 31 , 56 of the wobble plate 17 . here , fig1 in turn shows the alr switching state , in which the switching lever 28 is in its guided - out position in engagement with the toothing 20 of the housing cap 19 , in which the guide pin 28 a lies against the inner cam 30 of the strip 54 . in this position , the locking lever 27 is guided into the outer toothing 26 of the ring 16 , and in this respect , the guide pin 27 a lies against the outer cam 31 . in this respect , therefore , an immediate readiness for blocking exists in the case of a belt webbing withdrawal , as is provided for the alr operation . fig1 once again shows the state in which both the vehicle - sensitive and the belt - webbing - sensitive control system is cut off . in this respect , the guide pin 27 a of the locking lever 27 is guided on the inner cam 30 , so that the locking lever 27 is not in engagement with the outer toothing 27 of the ring 16 , and so that the ring 16 rotates on access of the vehicle sensor and no blocking is initiated . at the same time , the locking lever 27 lies against the inertial mass 15 and therefore blocks the response of the belt - webbing - sensitive control system . the switching lever 28 lies in its inner position with abutment of the guide pin 28 a against the control cam 56 , which , however , is without functional significance for the cutoff of the belt - webbing - sensitive and vehicle - sensitive control system . the features of the subject matter of the present invention , as disclosed in the above description , the claims , the abstract , and the drawings , can be essential individually and also in any desired combinations with each other for the realization of the invention in its various embodiments . as a person skilled in the art will readily appreciate , the above description is meant as an illustration of the principles of this invention . this description is not intended to limit the scope or application of this invention in that the invention is susceptible to modification , variation and change , without departing from spirit of this invention , as defined in the following claims .	1
the synthesis of the preferred type of anion desired for use in the present invention begins with the double hydroboration of an alkyl - substituted acetylene reagent of the formula rch . tbd . ch , where r is branched lower alkyl , such as t - butyl . this is accomplished by using a boron dihalide hydroboration agent , such as hbcl 2 . this can be generated in - situ using the corresponding bx 2 derivative and a silane ( e . g ., me 3 sih ) to yield the desired hydroboration product which is of the formula where x is halo , such as chloro and r is branched lower alkyl , such as t - butyl . the hydroboration product from the previously described step is then preferably reacted with lithium pentafluorophenyl which had been generated by the lithiation of bromopentafluorobenzene , under cooling conditions , to afford a reaction mixture which comprises a predominate amount of the following compound the next step in the process is the delivery of a hydride moiety to the previously described compound by the reaction of such compound with , preferably , potassium triethyl borohydride in tetrahydrofuron ( thf ), to yield a product of the following formula : ## str4 ## where r is as defined above . the foregoing anion can be readily converted to its ammonium salt , as depicted in example 4 hereinbelow , by reaction with a trialkylammonium halide ammoniating reagent , such as tributylammonium chloride , in an appropriate solvent , such as a hydrocarbon solvent , to yield the ammonium salt depicted in example 4 hereinafter . once the ammonium salt , previously described , has been formed , it can be reacted with a cyclopentadienyl - substituted metallocene , such as dicyclopentadienyl zirconium dimethyl or analogous compounds where the zirconium atom has been substituted with another group ivb metal , such as titanium or hafnium or an actinide metal , such as thorium , to yield the desired cationic species . the present invention will be further understood by reference to the examples which follow . in this example , as well as all those which follow , all procedures were performed under air - free and moisture - free conditions . any solvents that were employed were distilled from sodium / potassium amalgam . the compound cl 2 bch ( ch 2 tbu ) bcl 2 , &# 34 ; tbu &# 34 ; meaning t - butyl , was synthesized by first dissolving t - butylacetylene ( 4 . 10 g , 0 . 050 mol ) and trimethyl silane ( 3 . 75 g , 0 . 051 mol ) in pentane ( 100 ml ). the solution was cooled to - 78 ° c . and was then cannulated into a boron trichloride solution ( 52 ml , 1 . 0 m in hexanes ) in a - 78 ° c . cold bath . the solution was stirred for two hours at - 78 ° c . and warmed up to room temperature . after the solvent was pumped away , the colorless liquid product was vacuum transferred at 80 ° c . and collected ( yield 95 %). h 1 nmr ( c 6 d 6 )= δ 0 . 63 ( 9h ), 1 . 83 ( d , 2h ) 2 . 55 ( b , 1h ). this example illustrates the synthesis of a compound of the formula ( c 6 f 5 ) 2 bch ( ch 2 tbu ) b ( c 6 f 5 ) 2 using the compound synthesized in example 1 . c 6 f 5 br ( 12 . 6 g , 0 . 051 mol ) was dissolved in 500 ml of pentane , and the solution was cooled to - 78 ° c . a solution of n - butyl lithium ( 32 ml , 1 . 6 m in hexanes ) was then injected . after the mixture was stirred at - 78 ° c . for one hour , the compound from example 1 ( 2 . 77 g , 0 . 011 mol ) was added dropwise , and the mixture was then allowed to warm to room temperature over a period of twelve hours . the solution was filtered , and the solvent was removed under vacuum . the desired crude product ( 5 . 2 g ) was obtained as a sticky yellowish oil ( yield = 60 %). 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 ): δ 0 . 76 ( s , 9h ), 2 . 21 ( d , 2h ), 3 . 53 ( b , 1h ). this example illustrates preparation of the anion ## str5 ## from the compound synthesized in example 2 . the crude compound from example 2 ( 3 . 87 g , 0 . 005 mol ) was dissolved in 100 ml of toluene . a solution of ket 3 bh ( 5 ml , 1 . 0 m solution in tetrahydrofuran , thf ) was added dropwise to the solution at room temperature while the solution was stirred . after two hours , the solvent was removed , and the resulting yellow oil was washed twice with 50 ml of pentane . the solid was then dissolved in 20 ml of toluene and was then precipitated out with 100 ml of pentane . a solid white product ( 2 . 5 g ) was obtained ( yield = 60 %). 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 ): δ 1 . 32 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 39 ( t , 4h ), 1 . 42 ( d , 2h ), 2 . 19 ( b , 1h ), 2 . 37 ( b , 1h ), 3 . 48 ( t , 4h ); 19 f nmr ( c 6 d 6 ): δ - 130 . 8 ( b ), - 133 . 7 ( b ), - 157 . 5 ( t ), - 158 . 0 ( t ), - 163 . 4 ( b ), - 163 . 8 ( b ). the anion synthesized in example 3 was converted to the ammonium salt of the formula ## str6 ## in this example . equivalent quantities of the anion from example 3 and bu 3 nhcl were dissolved in toluene and were stirred for four hours . the solution was filtered , and pentane was added to precipitate a white product . the yield was almost quantitative . 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 ): δ 0 . 69 ( m , 9h ), 0 . 88 ( m , 12h ), 1 . 30 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 67 ( d , 2h ), 2 . 18 ( m , 6h ), 3 . 05 ( b , 1h ); 19 f nmr ( c 6 d 6 ): δ - 128 . 9 ( b ), - 131 . 3 ( b ), - 159 . 3 ( t ), - 159 . 8 ( t ), - 165 . 0 ( t ), - 165 . 4 ( b ). anal . calcd : c , 52 . 46 ; h , 4 . 30 ; n , 1 . 45 . found : c , 51 . 67 ; h , 4 . 14 ; n , 1 . 20 . the desired cationic complex useful in olefin polymerization was synthesized in this example . the compound synthesized in example 4 ( 0 . 1922 g , 0 . 0002 mol ) and bis ( pentamethylcyclopentadienyl ) thorium dimethyl ( 0 . 1064 g , 0 . 00021 mol ) were loaded into a flask and then 20 ml of benzene was condensed into the flask under vacuum at - 78 ° c . while it was stirred , the mixture was allowed to warm up to room temperature . a white slurry was obtained . after filtration and solvent evaporation , 0 . 12 g of white solid was collected ( yield = 40 %). 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 - thfd 8 ): δ 0 . 17 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 30 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 62 ( s , 30h ), 1 . 73 ( d , 2h ), 2 . 27 ( b , 1h ), 3 . 24 ( b , 1h ); 19 f nmr : δ - 129 . 2 ( b ), - 131 . 4 ( b ), - 159 . 0 ( t ), - 159 . 5 ( t ), - 164 . 2 ( b ), - 164 . 8 ( b ). anal . calcd : c , 47 . 39 ; h , 3 . 59 ; n , 0 . 00 ; found : c , 47 . 08 ; h , 3 . 35 ; n , 0 . 00 . in this example the same procedure as employed in example 5 was used except that toluene was used as the solvent . the product was yellow . the yield was 50 %. 1 h nmr ( c 6 d 6 - thfd 8 ): δ 0 . 00 ( s , 3h ), 1 . 28 ( s , 9h ), 1 . 43 ( s , 30h ), 1 . 71 ( d , 2h ), 2 . 24 ( b , 1h ), 3 . 23 ( b , 1h ); 19 f nmr : δ - 128 . 4 ( b ), - 131 . 4 ( d , b ), - 160 . 6 ( t ), - 161 . 0 ( t ), - 165 . 8 ( t , b ), - 166 . 1 ( b ). the polymerization of ethylene is shown in this example using the catalyst synthesized in example 5 . the catalyst from example 5 ( 9 mg ) was loaded in a flask in which 30 ml of benzene was condensed . ethylene ( 1 atm ) was charged into the flask at room temperature with vigorous stirring of the solution . the catalytic reaction was quenched by methanol after three minutes . after removing the solvent under high vacuum overnight , polyethylene ( 0 . 98 g ) was obtained . the activity of the catalyst was calculated to be 2 . 80 × 10 6 gpe / mol atm h . in this example , polyethylene was synthesized using a catalyst generated in situ using the compound from example 4 as one component thereof . catalyst was generated in situ by loading dicyclopentadienyl zirconium dimethyl ( 7 mg ) and the compound of example 4 ( 18 mg ) into a flask and stirring the mixture in 30 ml of toluene for ten minutes at room temperature . ethylene was then charged into the flask . it became impossible to stir in forty seconds due to the production of a large amount of polyethylene . the reaction was stopped by opening it to air . after removing the solvent under high vacuum overnight , polyethylene ( 0 . 82 g ) was obtained . the activity was 4 . 04 × 10 6 g pe / mol atm h . the foregoing examples , which are presented herein for illustrative purposes only , should not be construed in a limiting sense for that reason . the scope of protection sought is set forth in the claims which follow .	2
in the present embodiment , distributed systems management software monitors a collection of networked devices via snmp over a network . the networked devices run software agents , which handle the snmp communication with the distributed systems management software and monitor the performance of the networked devices . one feature of the agents examines the networked devices for configuration data , such as network addresses , physical components , resource allocations , and so forth . a subset of the configuration data may describe network resources consumed and provided by each network device , such as network addresses for the resource , access codes , preferred file directories ( if the resource is a file server ), and so forth . a dependency relationship exists between a first networked resource and a second networked resource if a problem in the first resource could cause a problem in the second . this is called the “ propagation ” of a problem from the second resource to the first . the second resource is said to depend on or “ consume ” the first . thus , the relationship from the second resource to the first is a “ consumer ” dependency relationship , while the relationship from the first to the second is a “ provider ” dependency relationship . the property describing whether a dependency relationship is consumer or provider with regard to its resources is its “ direction ”. a dependency relationship exists even if the second resource has a failover response , i . e . is configured to handle the first resource &# 39 ; s problem gracefully so that no problem actually occurs for the second resource . the number of resources involved in a given dependency relationship is called the “ degree ” of the dependency relationship . a relationship that involves just two resources is called “ binary ”. more complicated dependency relationships might not be binary but may involve three or more resources . such relationships can usually be expressed by a set of binary dependency relationships . a “ networked resource ” is an entity monitored by distributed systems management software ( hereafter “ systems management software ”). since there are many things that systems management software monitors , “ networked resource ” has a range of meanings . for example , a networked resource can be a software program . thus , an application or service hosted on a physical device , for instance encoded in a computer memory and executed by a processor , is a networked resource . a networked resource can be largely physical , as with an ethernet repeater whose function is primarily electrical and involves little information processing of the ethernet traffic it handles . a networked resource can also include both logical ( such as software ) and physical components of a networked device , as with a file server whose important functions include both filing system software and physical storage . another type of networked resource is a collection of resources , where the collection may be a logical construct , such as a level - three network route . collections such as groups of resources , for instance the group of servers at a physical location , or the group of workstations for a department , are also networked resources . the agents have plug - in architectures . each agent includes a dependency plug - in containing features specialized to manage dependency relationships between the networked resources . the dependency plug - in includes a dependency filter to extract dependency data from general configuration data ( as well as performance data and traffic analysis , as will be explained ). the dependency plug - in stores dependency data in a dependency repository . the dependency plug - in also enables a mib interface through which the systems management software can manage the agent , including periodically collecting management data that the agent has gathered , and configuring dependency data on the agent . the dependency mib interface exposes the table structures of the dependency repository . the agent can also raise snmp traps to the systems management software , with the traps being based on dependency data . using the dependency plug - in , the systems management software can automatically configure and activate agents specified by dynamic discovery of dependency data . the dependency plug - in also enables the systems management software to display dependency data to web browser via bfs and dfs indented reports . referring now to fig1 a , managed device 21 includes agent 30 . managed device 21 typically has some role on network 23 that makes it of interest to users of manager 22 . for instance , managed device 21 can be a user workstation or server . managed device 21 can also be a networked device that has a role in the operation of network 23 , such as a bridge , modem , switch , router , firewall , and the like . additionally , managed device 21 can be a device shared by users of network 23 , such as a printer or network storage . referring now to fig1 b , agent 30 contains computer instructions and runs on operating system 210 . for simplicity , fig1 b shows agent 30 interacting with one operating system 210 and related hardware , when in fact component processes of agent 30 may be distributed over multiple computing platforms 63 interconnected by network interfaces 214 . operating system 210 is a software process , or set of computer instructions , resident in either main memory 212 or non - volatile storage device 216 or both . processor 211 can access main memory 212 and non - volatile storage device 216 to execute the computer instructions that comprise operating system 210 and agent 30 . access is provided by bus 213 . for the purposes of this description , operating system 210 is understood to include networking services , regardless of whether the networking software is a core part of operating system 210 or is a third - party product . non - volatile storage device 216 can be writable storage , such as a disk drive , or read - only storage such as rom ( read - only memory ). bus 213 interconnects processor 211 , storage device 216 , main memory 212 , and network interface 214 . network interface 214 includes a device and software driver to provide network functionality , such as an ethernet card configured to run tcp / ip , for example . managed device 21 can have multiple network interfaces 214 , for example as required by bridges and the like . optionally , managed device 21 includes installed software package 217 . installed software package 217 typically has files in non - volatile storage device 216 related to installation or configuration of the package . agent 30 is written primarily in the programming language c . the c code of agent 30 is compiled into lower - level code , such as machine code , for execution on managed device 21 . some components of agent 30 can be written in other languages such as c ++ and java and incorporated into the main body of software code via component interoperability standards . referring now to fig1 a , agent 30 assists manager 60 in managing managed device 21 over network 23 . agent 30 is a software process running on managed device 21 , in part because common security measures can preclude remote processes from discovering certain privileged information , such as configuration parameters for networking functions . agent 30 includes configuration data discoverer 31 , which “ instruments ” ( i . e ., takes samples of , or measures ) configuration parameters 215 and other properties of managed device 21 . configuration data discoverer 31 can also analyze network traffic on network interface 214 to discover relationships such as network addresses and protocols in current use by managed device 21 . for example , ip network traffic involving well - known port 80 , which is reserved for the http protocol , allows configuration data discoverer 31 to infer that a web server is in use . in general , configuration data discoverer 31 is a general - purpose process for gathering any data that agent 30 requires about managed device 21 . an example of commercially available agent is systemedge , a product of concord communication , inc ., of marlboro , mass ., usa . configuration data discoverer 31 represents managed device 21 properties as configuration data objects 311 . example properties represented by configuration data objects 311 include configuration parameters 215 for a variety of services , including : network services , such as default routers and routing paths ; parameters for naming services such as dns and wins ; parameters for directory services such as active directory , file systems and file sharing ( nfs , smb ); and network protocols such as ip , http , and email . in general , configuration data discoverer 31 populates configuration data objects 311 with configuration information from installed software packages 217 and from services of operating system 210 . configuration data discoverer 31 also queries performance monitoring facilities of operating system 210 . performance monitoring facilities sometimes include configuration data in response to queries about performance . for instance , a query about problematic tcp connections may identify devices that managed device 21 is communicating with . agent 30 also includes plug - in architecture 32 , which allows plug - ins to extend the functionality of agent 30 without requiring the software code of the agent 30 to be re - compiled . in microsoft windows , for instance , a plug - in is encoded in a dynamic link library ( dll ). in another example , in unix , a plug - in is encoded in a shared library . plug - in architecture 32 also allows the functionality provided by a plug - in to be upgraded or removed with minimal effects to the operation of the rest of agent 30 . agent 30 further includes snmp interface 33 whereby applications conforming to snmp 24 can interact with agent 30 over network 23 . for instance , manager 60 includes snmp interface 61 , which initiates snmp exchanges to snmp interface 33 on agent 30 . typically , manager 60 initiates exchanges with agent 30 that recur at regular intervals , to keep manager 60 &# 39 ; s state information current regarding managed device 21 . this is known as “ polling ”. agent 30 formulates a response and replies to manager 60 via snmp messages as required by the snmp protocol . snmp interface 33 also allows agent 30 to initiate snmp exchanges with manager 60 via snmp interface 61 , for instance to inform manager 60 of important changes in the status of managed device 21 . an snmp exchange initiated by agent 30 is known as a “ trap ”. traps are a form of asynchronous communication . they are asynchronous relative to the polling schedule of manager 60 . also , as required by snmp standards , agent 30 includes a supported mib list 331 . a mib ( management information base ) module defines structured types of information . agent 30 encodes the types as data structures in an interface that can be accessed via snmp . each mib supported by agent 30 through its snmp interface 33 is included in supported mib list 331 . agent 30 can support a mib directly or via a plug - in installed in plug - in architecture 32 . plug - in architecture 32 supports dependency plug - in 35 , shown in fig1 a . dependency plug - in 35 extends the functionality of agent 30 to discover , analyze , report on , and monitor dependency - related information , among other features . agent 30 includes dependency plug - in 35 via plug - in architecture 32 . referring now to fig2 b , dependency plug - in 35 includes dependency filter 36 , dependency interface support 37 , and dependency trap module 38 . dependency filter 36 distinguishes dependency data 361 from non - dependency data among the configuration data objects 311 gathered by configuration data discoverer 31 . when dependency filter 36 determines that configuration data object 311 is relevant to some dependency relationship , configuration data object 311 is added to repository 45 , which stores dependency data 361 . dependency interface support 37 extends the function of snmp interface 33 so that dependency plug - in 35 can support dependency mib module 40 , which agent 30 would not support otherwise . thus , dependency interface support 37 allows dependency plug - in 35 to add dependency mib module 40 to supported mib list 331 . dependency mib module 40 defines a software interface under snmp 24 . the interface presents a view of dependency data 361 in repository 45 . thus , dependency mib module 40 allows snmp - compatible applications to collect dependency data 361 from agent 30 . referring now to fig3 a , dependency mib module 40 includes several scopes of mib objects . snmp standards define a universal scheme for mib objects . dependency mib module 40 includes vendor scope 401 , which includes applications scope 402 . applications scope 402 includes plug - in scope 403 . plug - in scope 403 includes version 406 , mode 407 , and dependency scope 404 , which is the scope in which objects unique to dependency plug - in 35 begin to be defined . version 406 indicated the modification version of dependency plug - in 35 . mode 407 supports licensing considerations . mode 407 has values for full mode , which enables all features of dependency plug - in 35 , and restricted mode , which disables some features of dependency plug - in 35 . dependency scope 404 includes dependency mib table 405 . referring now to fig3 b , there is a correspondence between dependency mib table 405 and dependency table 459 . in brief , dependency mib table 405 is an snmp - compatible interface to dependency table 459 . dependency table 459 is a table that contains entries for dependency data 361 . in other words , dependency mib table 405 is a table data structure that exposes dependency data 361 . dependency mib table 405 includes a sequence of dependency entries 41 . dependency entries 41 correspond to rows in dependency table 459 storing dependency data 361 . dependency entry 41 includes a sequence of objects corresponding to fields in dependency data 361 . this dependency entry 41 sequence includes index 411 , type 412 , source 413 , server 414 , arguments 415 , timestamp 416 , description 417 , and status 418 . these objects correspond to fields for index 451 , type 452 , source 453 , server 454 , arguments 455 , timestamp 456 , description 457 , and status 458 , respectively , in dependency data 361 . for simplicity of explanation , fields in dependency data 361 will be explained in terms of the interface exposed in dependency entry 41 . that is , they will not be redundantly explained in terms of dependency data 361 ). index 411 is a unique number identifying dependency entry 41 within dependency mib table 405 . type 412 indicates the dependency type . type 412 includes options for : unknown ; other ; user defined type ; file system ; dns ; nis ; email ; wins ; router ; printer ; world wide web ; database ; active directory ; dhcp ; and http . source 413 indicates how the dependency information was discovered . possible values include static , dynamic , configuration , and unknown . static means that the dependency was hard - coded in a dependency configuration file . ( such a file can be stored on storage device 637 , shown in fig1 b , and consulted by configuration data discoverer 31 . for instance , a dependency configuration file allows administrators to distribute fixed dependency settings , including user - defined dependency types .) dynamic means that the dependency was discovered through traffic analysis , while configuration means the dependency was discovered via configuration data 215 . server 414 indicates the ip address or hostname of an entity providing the resource to managed device 21 . arguments 415 contains as its value a comma - separated list of keywords paired to values , indicating dependency parameters , arguments to methods , and so forth . an example list occurs in table 1 under the entry “ dependencyargs ”. the list of keywords paired to values can support arbitrary keywords , allowing great flexibility in information that can be stored about dependency relationships . for instance , parameters necessary to describe a dependency relationship for a file server may include username , password , and default directory in a list like “ username = toph , password = tgr , default = c :\”. in contrast , parameters necessary to describe a route through an ip network might include a series of hop addresses such as “ hop1 = a . b . c . d , hop2 = w . x . y . z ” and so forth , where a . b . c . d and w . x . y . z denote ip addresses . one feature of arguments 415 is to distinguish dependencies that themselves depend on a user profile , such as under the security scheme for operating system 631 of managed device 21 ( shown in fig1 b ) when managed device 21 is a workstation . thus , for instance , dependency data 361 can be stored distinctly for each user of managed device 21 with a keyword pair of “ user = jason ” or “ user = rhea ”. another feature of arguments 415 is that they can distinguish consumer relationships from provider relationships , for example with a keyword pair of “ direction = consumer ” or “ direction = provider ”. arguments 415 also support user - defined dependency types , in part by providing a flexible storage format for user - defined dependency parameters . in general , it is up to the snmp reader using dependency mib module 40 to parse and interpret information stored in arguments 415 . timestamp 416 and status 418 support “ bookkeeping ” features , so to speak , on dependency entry 41 . timestamp 416 indicates the date and time at which this dependency entry 41 was discovered or last updated . status 418 supports the semantics of the snmp v2 smi rowstatus textual - convention given in rfc 1443 . in general , status 418 describes administrative states of dependency entry 41 related to creation , deletion , and row - locking of dependency entries 41 . status 418 can be set to instruct dependency plug - in 35 to take actions including adding and removing rows from dependency table 459 . thus , since status 418 is accessible via dependency mib module 40 , status 418 assists in remote configuration of dependency information via snmp 24 , including the addition and deletion of predefined dependency types as well as user - defined types . description 417 provides an optional human - readable description for dependency entry 41 . description 417 is used primarily for dependency entries 41 created remotely by manager 60 via snmp operations or via configuration file directive . dependency scope 404 also includes unused index 408 , match description 409 , and match index 410 . unused index 40 allows snmp clients to get a value suitable for use as index 411 in a new dependency entry 41 , i . e ., an unused value . match description 409 and match index 410 allow snmp clients to submit a value for description 417 as a query to get a value for index 411 for matching dependency entries 41 . when match description 409 is set by an snmp client , dependency plug - in 35 responds by populating match index 410 with the index 411 value of the last dependency entry 41 whose description 409 matches the submitted query . referring now to fig6 a , manager 60 interacts with agent 30 via commands ( including snmp set commands ) request / response communications from manager 60 to agent 30 and via traps 50 from agent 30 to manager 60 . interactions involve snmp interface 61 on manager 60 and snmp interface 33 on agent 30 . manager 60 initiates a request , which snmp interface 61 transmits to snmp interface 33 via network 23 . snmp interface 33 notifies dependency interface support 37 of the request . dependency interface support 37 formulates a response and passes it to snmp interface 33 , which transmits the response back to snmp interface 61 . snmp interface 61 notifies manager 60 of the response . dependency trap module 38 tests dependencies stored in dependency data 361 , raising traps 50 when dependencies are unverifiable or trap criteria 382 ( shown in fig2 b ) indicate conditions for the raise . dependency trap module 38 passes trap 50 to snmp interface 33 , which transmits trap 50 to snmp interface 61 via network 23 . snmp interface 61 notifies manager 60 of trap 50 . referring now to fig6 b , dependency trap module 38 repeatedly iterates over dependency data 361 and related trap criteria 382 ( shown in fig2 b ) to raise traps 50 . dependency trap module 38 iterates to a next dependency data 361 ( procedure 381 ). dependency trap module 38 tests source field 453 to determine whether dependency data 361 was discovered dynamically ( procedure 382 ). if so , dependency trap module 38 uses configuration data discoverer 31 ( shown in fig1 a ) to verify that the source of information for dependency data 361 is still available or has been verified recently ( procedure 383 ). if the source is not available or its performance is unacceptable ( for instance , if the latency period of the source &# 39 ; s replies is too large ), dependency trap module 38 raises a trap 50 ( procedure 388 ). if the source is still available , or if the source is not discovered dynamically , dependency trap module 38 tests the device specified by server 454 ( procedure 384 ). dependency trap module 38 can use additional parameters , such as those contained in arguments field 455 . for instance , arguments 455 can specify a port to use with an ip address specified by server 454 . dependency trap module 38 can also apply trap criteria 382 to determine whether the dependency is acceptable . if the dependency is not acceptable ( procedure 386 ), dependency trap module 38 raises a trap 50 ( procedure 388 ). otherwise , dependency trap module 38 returns to iterate to a next dependency data 361 ( procedure 381 ). dependency trap module 38 returns to iterate to a next dependency data 361 ( procedure 381 ) after raising any trap 50 ( procedure 388 ). manager 60 is a systems management software application compatible with snmp 24 . manager 60 includes an snmp interface 61 with which manager 60 initiates snmp exchanges with agents 30 . snmp interface 61 also receives traps from agents 30 that the manager 60 can react to , for instance by logging the trap event and , if the trap describes a problem with a managed device 21 , by informing a user of manager 60 of the problem . referring now to fig4 b , manager 60 maintains a central management information repository 65 of information collected from agents 30 , as well as an active agent list 66 of agents 30 currently available for communication with manager 60 . central management information repository 65 includes a central dependency table 659 , which stores data collected from multiple dependency tables 459 on agents 30 in a “ central ” location , i . e ., one that is an authoritative collection point for systems management environment 20 . manager 60 collects dependency data 361 from multiple agents 30 , centralizing the entries of their dependency data 361 on manager 60 as central dependency entries 68 in central dependency table 659 . central dependency entry 68 includes fields for index 651 , type 652 , source 653 , server 654 , arguments 655 , timestamp 656 , description 657 , status 658 , agent index 650 , which correspond in datatype and function to the following fields , respectively , of dependency table 459 : index 411 , type 412 , source 413 , server 414 , arguments 415 , timestamp 416 , description 417 , and status 418 , as explained above . central dependency entry 68 also includes agent index 650 , which adopts values corresponding to the agent 30 from which dependency data 361 was collected . in other words , agent index 650 differentiates central dependency entries 68 according to their affiliations with agents 30 ( and therefore according to their affiliations with managed devices 21 as well ). manager 60 includes a dependency web interface 62 for reporting systems management information involving dependencies . dependency web interface 62 provides report presentations to a user via a web browser . reports include both the logic necessary to gather the information being reported , as well as one or more presentation specifications for how to format the output . reports include indented bfs report 63 and indented dfs report 64 . “ bfs ” stands for breadth - first search . “ dfs ” stands for depth - first search . indented bfs report 63 and indented dfs report 64 display dependency information by organizing a collection of data around a specific managed device 21 and visually laying out a representation of the consumer dependency relationships for that device 21 . specifically , reports 63 and 64 internally represent dependency information as a graph , with managed devices 21 as nodes and dependency relationships as edges connecting nodes . indented bfs report 63 and indented dfs report 64 use bfs and dfs traversals , respectively , of the graph to sequence the dependency information with respect to a root device . indented bfs report 63 and indented dfs report 64 also use indentation away from a margin to indicate path length in the graph away from the root device : the shortest indentation indicates path length one ( 1 ), the next - shortest indicates path length two ( 2 ), and so forth . path length in the graph corresponds to dependency length . dependency relationships between two networked resources can be either immediate or indirect . a dependency relationship is immediate between two networked resources if it describes a dependency of one upon the other . an indirect dependency relationship is between two networked resources a and b such that no immediate dependency relationship exists between a and b but there exists a sequence of networked resources a , c1 , c2 , c3 , etc ., ending in b , such that immediate dependency relationships exist between all adjacent pairs in the sequence , the directions of the relationships on all such pairsagree , and a given problem state at one end of the relationship can lead to a problem state at the opposite end . put another way , indirect dependency relationships are transitive and describe paths that problems follow . if a is in an immediate dependency relationship with c and c is in an immediate dependency relationship with b , and the direction from a to c is the same direction from c to b , then a is in an indirect dependency relationship with b if a problem in b can propagate to a . not all transitive chains of immediate dependency relationships lead to indirect dependency relationships . an indirect dependency relationship extends only as far as its initial causative problem can propagate . if x is a consumer of y and y is a consumer of z , but no problem of z can propagate through y to x , then x does not have an indirect dependency relationship with z via y . the “ length ” of a dependency relationship is defined to be the minimum number of immediate dependency relationships needed to construct a sequence that qualifies the dependency relationship as an indirect dependency relationship , as described above . the length of an immediate dependency relationship is therefore one . the length of an indirect dependency relationship is at least two . as an example , suppose a workstation computer has an immediate consumer relationship with an email server , and the email server has an immediate consumer relationship with a security server . further suppose the workstation computer has no immediate consumer relationship with the security server . then the workstation computer still has an indirect consumer relationship of length two with the security server , by virtue of the email server . now suppose that a laptop computer also has an immediate consumer relationship with the email server . the laptop does not have a dependency relationship with the workstation computer ( even though there is a dependency between workstation and email server , and another dependency between email and laptop ), because the direction of the former dependency is “ consumer ” while the direction of the latter is “ provider ”. referring now to fig5 a , indented bfs report 63 takes a specific managed device 21 as an input parameter and labels it the root device 631 . indented bfs report 63 also takes a search depth 632 as an input parameter . search depth 632 is an integer greater than zero that provides an upper bound on the path lengths displayed in the indented bfs report 63 . additionally , indented bfs report 63 takes a search direction 634 as an input parameter . search direction 634 specifies whether indented bfs report 63 is restricted to consumer or provider dependency relationships with regard to root device 631 . indented bfs report 63 includes bfs presentation 635 , which is a formatted presentation of data put out by indented bfs report 63 . bfs presentation 635 has a tabular layout , with rows corresponding to dependencies . bfs presentation 635 has a linear border from which the rows are offset ( i . e ., indented ). in the example of fig5 a , the linear border is the left edge . the first dependency row in bfs presentation 635 includes root device display 636 , which represents root device 631 . root device display 636 is offset from the linear border by root distance 633 . root distance 633 can be zero , i . e ., root device display 636 can abut the linear border . immediate dependencies 638 represent binary dependencies for which one of the network resources is root device 631 . because of the bfs approach , all dependencies of length one precede all dependencies of higher length in bfs presentation 635 . thus , immediate dependencies 638 are arranged following root device display 636 . bfs presentation 635 indents immediate dependencies 638 by a first distance , proportionate indentation 637 a in the example of fig5 a . this first distance is visibly greater than root distance 633 . proportionate indentation 637 is constant among representation of dependencies of same length to graphically indicate the length of the dependency relationship relative to root device 631 . a first set of extended dependencies 639 a - 639 b is represented if search depth 632 is greater than one and if bfs presentation 635 finds dependencies of length two , relative to root device 631 . fig5 a illustrates the offset distance for this set with proportionate indentation 637 b , chosen to be visibly greater than indentation 637 a . subsequent set of extended dependencies 639 are represented if search depth 632 allows and if bfs presentation 635 finds dependencies of sufficient length , relative to root device 631 . note that it follows from the definition of length that if a dependency of length n exists , then a dependency of length n − 1 exists ( for n greater than 1 ). therefore bfs presentation 635 never need “ skip ” a set of extended dependencies 639 en route to a next such set . fig5 a illustrates the offset distance for a second set of extended dependencies 639 c - 639 d with proportionate indentation 637 c , chosen to be visibly greater than indentation 637 b . in general , proportionate indentation 637 for dependencies of length n are visibly greater than proportionate indentation 637 for dependencies of length n − 1 . rows for root device display 636 , immediate dependencies 638 , and extended dependencies 639 can contain data from any fields in repository 45 . the dotted vertical lines in fig5 a are for illustrative purposes , showing the left - alignment distances of the rows in bfs presentation 635 as a reference for proportionate indentations 637 . the dotted vertical lines are optional in the actual display of bfs presentation 635 . referring now to fig5 b , indented dfs report 64 takes a specific managed device 21 as an input parameter ; this device 21 is labeled the root device 641 . indented bfs report 64 also takes a search depth 642 as an input parameter . search depth 642 is an integer greater than zero that provides an upper bound on the path lengths displayed in the indented dfs report 64 . additionally , indented dfs report 64 takes a search direction 644 as an input parameter . search direction 644 specifies whether indented dfs report 64 is restricted to consumer or provider dependency relationships with regard to root device 641 . indented dfs report 64 includes dfs presentation 645 , which is a formatted presentation of data put out by indented dfs report 64 . dfs presentation 645 has a tabular layout , with rows corresponding to dependencies . dfs presentation 645 has a linear border from which the rows are offset ( i . e ., indented ). in the example of fig5 b , the linear border is the left edge . the first dependency row in dfs presentation 645 includes root device display 646 , which represents root device 641 . root device display 646 is offset from the linear border by root distance 643 . root distance 643 can be zero , i . e ., root device display 646 can abut the linear border . immediate dependencies 648 represent dependencies of length one with regard to root device 641 . because of the dfs approach , a first dependency of length one follows root device display 646 . in the example of fig5 b , this is immediate dependency 648 a . it is followed by extended dependency 649 a ( the first dependency of length two ) and extended dependency 649 c ( the first dependency of length three ). immediate dependency 648 b is the second dependency of length one . according to the dfs approach , all descendants of immediate dependency 648 a are displayed before immediate dependency 648 b . all descendents of this second dependency of length one are displayed before the third dependency of length one is displayed , and so forth . this arrangement holds recursively for dependencies of higher length , as well . dfs presentation 645 uses the same indentation scheme to assign indentations 647 as bfs presentation 635 uses to assign indentations 637 . similarly , rows for root device display 646 , immediate dependencies 648 , and extended dependencies 649 can contain data from any fields in repository 45 . as with fig5 a , the dotted vertical lines in fig5 b are for illustrative purposes , showing the left - alignment distances of the rows in dfs presentation 645 as a reference for proportionate indentations 647 . the dotted vertical lines are optional in the actual display of dfs presentation 645 . referring now to fig7 a , manager 60 is not initially managing discovered device 26 . manager 60 can automatically activate or configure an agent 30 on discovered device 26 to bring discovered device 26 under management by manager 60 , if dependency data 361 indicates that a managed device 21 is in a dependency relationship with discovered device 26 . in other words , manager 60 can automatically process information to reclassify a discovered device 26 as a managed device 21 . this extends the management capabilities of manager 60 to the discovered device 26 , when manager 60 was not previously managing the discovered device 26 . the processing of information is as follows . configuration data discoverer 31 discovers configuration data 311 ( shown in fig1 a ) and passes it to dependency filter 36 ( procedure 261 ). dependency filter 36 verifies that configuration data 311 includes dependency data 361 ( procedure 262 ), specifying a consumer relationship with discovered device 26 ( procedure 263 ). dependency filter 36 notifies manager 60 of dependency data 361 ( procedure 264 ). manager 60 uses information in dependency data 361 specifying discovered device 26 and contacts remote start facility 218 on agent 30 on discovered device 26 ( procedure 266 ). upon successful remote start , agent 30 on discovered device 26 contacts manager 60 to be included in active agent list 66 ( procedure 267 ). referring now to fig7 b , a process for distributed dependency management propagation 67 proceeds as follows . configuration data discoverer 31 discovers configuration data 311 ( procedure 671 ). dependency filter 36 tests configuration data 311 for qualifications as dependency data 361 ( procedure 672 ). if the test fails , distributed dependency management propagation 67 concludes ( procedure 679 ). if the test succeeds , dependency filter 36 notifies manager 60 and specifies dependency data 361 ( procedure 673 ). manager 60 consults active agent list 66 to determine whether the device specified by dependency data 361 already has an active agent 30 under control of manager 60 ( procedure 674 ). if an active agent 30 exists , distributed dependency management propagation 67 concludes ( procedure 679 ). otherwise , manager 60 attempts a remote start of agent 30 on discovered device 26 using remote start facility 218 ( procedure 676 ). if the remote start fails , distributed dependency management propagation 67 concludes ( procedure 679 ). otherwise , agent 30 on discovered device 26 contacts manager 60 to be included in active agent list 66 , and manager 60 begins managing agent 30 ( procedure 678 ). discovered device 26 thus becomes a managed device 21 , and distributed dependency management propagation 67 concludes ( procedure 679 ). at times , for instance due to security or administration policies on discovered device 26 , manager 60 cannot activate an agent 30 on discovered device 26 . in this case , manager 60 configures agent 30 for activation at a later time . there is still a benefit to configuration without activation , at least in that manager 60 has automatically reclassified discovered device 26 to be a managed device 21 at some future point . thus , manager 60 still extends the number of devices 21 under management . a number of embodiments of the invention have been described . nevertheless , it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the functions of the dependency plugin 35 need not be added to agent 30 via the plugin architecture 32 : such functions could be incorporated into the software code of agent 30 directly . also , although the present embodiment uses snmp and mib &# 39 ; s , any open systems management protocol , or general purpose protocol such as xml adapted to systems management , together with interfaces supporting the security , get , and set features of mib &# 39 ; s , could be substituted in place of snmp and mib &# 39 ; s . central dependency table 659 and dependency table 459 have each been described as a table . however , central dependency table 659 and dependency table 459 could each ( or both ) be implemented as a collection of tables or a relational database view based on one or more tables . fig1 b shows a managed device 21 with a processor 211 . managed device 21 could have multiple processors 211 .	7
fig1 is a sectional view of an entire structure of a recording apparatus according to the present invention . referring to fig1 a sheet feeding section , a transfer section , a recording head section , and a sheet discharge section will be described . in the sheet feeding section , a pressure plate 21 for stacking recording sheets p and a feeding roller 22 for feeding the recording sheets p are rotatable about a rotational shaft connected to a base 20 and the pressure plate 21 is urged to the feeding roller 22 by a pressure plate spring 24 . the pressure plate 21 is provided with a separating pad ( not shown ) made from a material with a high coefficient of friction for preventing piled - up feeding of the recording sheets p and a separating claw ( not shown ) for separating the recording sheets p one by one . there is provided a release cam ( not shown ) for releasing the abutment between the pressure plate 21 and the feeding roller 22 . in the structure mentioned above , the release cam pushes down the pressure plate 21 in a standby mode . the abutment between the pressure plate 21 and the feeding roller 22 is thereby released . when a driving force of a sheet - feeding motor 25 is transmitted to the feeding roller 22 and the release cam via gears , etc ., the release cam is separated from the pressure plate 21 . thereby , the pressure plate 21 moves upwardly and the feeding roller 22 abuts the recording sheet p so as to pick up the recording sheet p along with the rotation of the feeding roller 22 and to start the sheet feeding . the feeding roller 22 rotates until the recording sheets p are fed to the transfer section . the transfer section comprises a transfer belt 31 for holding and transferring the recording sheets p and a pe sensor ( not shown ). the transfer belt 31 is driven by a driving roller 34 and looped over a transfer roller 32 and a tightening roller 35 , which are follower rollers . a belt motor 50 drives the driving roller 34 . the transfer belt 31 is made from a synthetic resin such as polyethylene and is endless belt - shaped . power dispatching means f applies a voltage of from 0 . 5 kv to 10 kv across the recording sheet p so as attract the sheet to the transfer belt ( description of the power dispatching means , high - voltage generating means , and high - voltage controlling means is omitted ). the transfer belt 32 moves at a speed of 170 mm / sec in a recording mode . at a position opposing the transfer roller 32 , a pinch roller 33 is abutted , which follows the transfer belt 32 . recording heads h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , h 4 , and h 5 are sequentially arranged in the transfer direction downstream of the transfer roller 32 . along the transfer direction , the recording head h 1 is placed at the most upstream position while the recording head h 5 is placed at the most downstream position . the distance between these recording heads is 10 cm . each recording head has a resolution of 600 dpi and employs a line - type ink - jet method having 7200 recording elements arranged in a direction perpendicular to the transfer direction . each recording element comprises a nozzle and a driving unit for applying heat to ink with a heater . the ink is film - boiled due to the heat and the ink pressure is changed by growth or contraction of bubbles due to the film boiling , so that the ink is ejected from the nozzle so as to form images on the recording sheet p . there are two classes of the electrical power consumption of each recording head , as follows . a yellow recording head yh has a power consumption of 50 wh ; a magenta recording head mh has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a cyan recording head ch has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a light cyan recording head lch has a power consumption of 50 wh ; and a black recording head kh has a power consumption of 60 wh . the value for each of the recording heads is the standard electrical power consumption when the entire 7200 nozzles eject ink in an environment with a room temperature of approximately from 10 ° c . to 30 ° c . the difference in the electrical power consumptions is due to the difference in volumes of one drop of ejected ink . the electrical power consumption is assumed to be steady with little dependence on the room temperature . the sheet discharge section comprises a discharge roller 41 and a spur 42 , and the recording sheet p having images formed thereon is conveyed by the nip between the discharge roller 41 and the spur 42 pinched therebetween so as to be discharged into a discharge tray 43 . the linear speed of the discharge roller 41 is substantially the same as that of the transfer belt , and the discharge roller 41 moves at a speed of 170 mm / sec in a recording mode . a sheet discharge sensor 40 checks for the existence of the recording sheet p in the sheet discharge section . a separation sensor 49 is disposed in the discharge side of the belt 31 for checking for the existence of the transferred sheet . a cleaning roller 38 is used for cleaning the belt 31 . numeral 39 denotes an electrostatic eliminating roller . fig9 is a schematic representation of a state that two recording sheets p 1 and p 2 are transferred when the recording heads are spaced at equal intervals . the distance between adjacent recording heads is 10 cm . the recording sheet p 1 is located under the recording heads h 3 , h 4 , and h 5 , from which ink is ejected . the recording sheet p 2 is located more upstream and not yet under the recording head h 1 , and recording is not yet performed . the distance between the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 is 20 cm . immediately under the recording heads h 1 and h 2 , the recording sheet does not exist , so that those recording heads are not driven . in addition , the sheet feeding section feeds a recording sheet about every 1 . 18 sec so that the distance between the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 is to be 20 cm . the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 are of a 4 size , and the distance between leading and trailing edges is 210 mm . the recording region initiates at 5 mm inside the leading edge and ends at 5 mm back from the trailing edge of the recording sheet . in this case , for one page of the recording sheet , recording is simultaneously performed with a maximum of three recording heads . the start - timing reference of ejection by each recording head is starting of the feeding roller 22 . in accordance with the distance from the feeding roller 22 , the start timing of ejection is set . ejecting duration t is obtained by “ the distance of the recording region in the transfer direction ÷ the speed of the transfer belt ”. fig1 a - 11d show calculated results of the total amount of the electrical power consumption for every arrangement of the recording heads in the recording apparatus formed of five recording heads arranged at equal intervals as shown in fig9 . a first head is h 1 ; a second head is h 2 ; a third head is h 3 ; a fourth head is h 4 ; and a fifth head is h 5 . numerals at the top of the tables indicate electrical power consumptions of each head . the total amount of the electrical power consumptions is obtained for four different arrangements of the recording heads as shown in fig1 a - 11d . for example , in the arrangement of fig1 a , the amount of the electrical power consumption of the first head is 50 wh ; that of each of the second through fourth heads is 60 wh ; and that of the fifth head , which is the most downstream , is 50 wh . from t 1 to t 5 , the symbol x denotes a non - driven state . when there is no recording sheet immediately under a recording head , that recording head is in a non - driven state . lapses of time indicated by t 1 → t 2 → t 3 → t 4 → t 5 show the progress of the recording medium moving from upstream to downstream . the t 1 indicates a state that the recording heads h 3 , h 4 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording heads h 1 and h 2 are not driven . similarly , t 2 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 4 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording heads h 2 and h 3 are not driven ; t 3 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 2 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording heads h 3 and h 4 are not driven ; t 4 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 2 , and h 3 are ejecting while the recording heads h 4 and h 5 are not driven ; and t 5 indicates a state that the recording heads h 2 , h 3 , and h 4 are ejecting while the recording heads h 1 and h 5 are not driven . from the comparison of the amounts of the electrical power consumptions , it is understood that the maximum electrical power consumption values are lowest in the arrangements of fig1 b and 11c . in the arrangements of fig1 b and 11c , specifically in fig1 b , the black recording head kh is located at the position h 1 ; the light cyan recording head lch at the position h 2 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 3 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 4 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 5 . also , in fig1 c , the black recording head kh is located at the position h 1 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 2 ; the light cyan recording head lch at the position h 3 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 4 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 5 . as described above , the peak value of the electrical power consumptions can be kept low by combining the recording heads which are simultaneously driven so as to be a combination of the recording heads with different electrical power consumptions . furthermore , according to the embodiment , the combination of the recording heads is to be the combination between the recording head with the maximum electrical power consumption and the recording head with the minimum electrical power consumption , so that the electrical power consumption can be efficiently reduced . fig6 shows control blocks of the apparatus according to the present invention . a control section 80 comprises a cpu 80 a which operates according to a control program , a rom 80 b for storing the program , and a ram 80 c which is a work memory . a gate array is an lsi for controlling the driving signal of the recording head , the holding means , the sheet feeding section , and the transfer section together with the cpu . the control section 80 is connected to the belt motor 50 for driving the transfer belt , the sheet - feeding motor 25 which is a driving source of the feeding roller 22 , the black recording head kh , the cyan recording head ch , the magenta recording head mh , the yellow recording head yh , and the light cyan recording head lch . according to a second embodiment , the recording heads have an arrangement shown in fig9 . as the description of fig9 is similar to that of the first embodiment , it is omitted . the electrical power consumptions of the recording heads have three classes as follows . a yellow recording head yh has a power consumption of 40 wh ; a magenta recording head mh has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a cyan recording head ch has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a light cyan recording head lch has a power consumption of 50 wh ; and a black recording head kh has a power consumption of 60 wh . fig1 a - 10d show calculated results of the total amount of the electrical power consumptions for every arrangement of the recording heads in the recording apparatus formed of five recording heads arranged at equal intervals . a first head is h 1 ; a second head is h 2 ; a third head is h 3 ; a fourth head is h 4 ; and a fifth head is h 5 . numerals at the top of the tables indicate electrical power consumptions of each head . the units of the numerals are wh . the total amount of the electrical power consumptions is obtained for four different arrangements of the recording heads as shown in fig1 a - 10d . for example , in the arrangement of fig1 a , the amount of the electrical power consumption of the first head is 50 wh ; that of each of the second through fourth heads is 60 wh ; and that of the fifth head , which is the most downstream , is 40 wh . from t 1 to t 5 , the symbol x denotes a non - driven state . when there is no recording medium immediately under a recording head , that recording head is in a non - driven state . lapses of time indicated by t 1 → t 2 → t 3 → t 4 → t 5 show the progress of the recording medium moving from upstream to downstream . the t 1 indicates a state that the recording heads h 3 , h 4 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording heads h 1 and h 2 are not driven . similarly , t 2 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 4 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording heads h 2 and h 3 are not driven ; t 3 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 2 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording heads h 3 and h 4 are not driven ; t 4 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 2 , and h 3 are ejecting while the recording heads h 4 and h 5 are not driven ; and t 5 indicates a state that the recording heads h 2 , h 3 , and h 4 are ejecting while the recording heads h 1 and h 5 are not driven . from the comparison of the amounts of the electrical power consumptions , it is understood that the electrical power consumption maximum values of the arrangements of fig1 b and 10c are the lowest . in the arrangements of fig1 b and 10c , specifically in fig1 b , the black recording head kh is located at the position h 1 ; the light cyan recording head lch at the position h 2 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 3 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 4 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 5 . also , in fig1 c , the black recording head kh is located at the position h 1 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 2 ; the light cyan recording head lch at the position h 3 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 4 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 5 . by the arrangements of fig1 a and 10c , the combination of the recording heads which are simultaneously driven is of recording heads with different electrical power consumptions , so that the peak value of the electrical power consumptions can be efficiently reduced . furthermore , by combining the recording heads so that at least one of the recording heads is stopped driving , the peak value of the electrical power consumptions can be efficiently reduced . according to a third embodiment , the recording heads have an arrangement shown in fig4 . the electrical power consumptions of the recording heads have two classes as follows . a yellow recording head yh has a power consumption of 40 wh ; a magenta recording head mh has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a cyan recording head ch has a power consumption of 60 wh ; and a black recording head kh has a power consumption of 50 wh . the drawing is a schematic representation of a state that two recording sheets p 1 and p 2 are transferred when the four recording heads h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , and h 4 are arranged at equal intervals . the distance between adjacent recording heads is 8 cm . the recording sheet p 1 is located under the recording heads h 3 and h 4 , from which ink is ejected . the recording sheet p 2 is located under the recording head h 1 from which ink is ejected . the distance between the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 is 10 cm . immediately under the recording head h 2 , a recording sheet does not exist , so that recording head is not driven . the sheet feeding section feeds a recording sheet about every 0 . 58 sec so that the distance between the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 is to be 10 cm . the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 are of a 5 size , and the distance between leading and trailing edges is 148 mm . the recording region initiates at 5 mm inside the leading edge and ends at 5 mm back from the trailing edge of the recording sheet . in this case , for one page of the recording sheet , recording is simultaneously performed with a maximum number of two recording heads . fig5 shows calculated results of the total amount of the electrical power consumptions for every arrangement of the recording heads . a first head is h 1 ; a second head is h 2 ; a third head is h 3 ; and a fourth head is h 4 . numerals at the top of the tables indicate electrical power consumption of each head . the units of the numerals are wh . the total amount of the electrical power consumptions is obtained for six arrangements of the recording heads as shown in fig5 a to 5 f . from the comparison of the amounts of the electrical power consumptions , it is understood that the electrical power consumption maximum value of the arrangement of fig5 a is the lowest . specifically , the black recording head kh is located at the position h 1 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 2 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 3 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 4 . in the arrangements of the recording heads , according to the embodiment , by arranging the recording head with the maximum electrical power consumption at a position other than those on the most upstream side and the most downstream side in the arranging direction of the recording heads , the peak value of the total electrical power consumptions can be reduced to the lowest . according to a fourth embodiment , the recording heads have an arrangement shown in fig7 . the drawing is a schematic representation of a state that three recording sheets p 1 , p 2 , and p 3 are transferred when five recording heads h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , h 4 , and h 5 are arranged at substantially equal intervals . the distance between adjacent recording heads is 10 cm . the recording sheet p 1 is located under the recording head h 5 ; the recording sheet p 2 under the recording head h 3 ; and the recording sheet p 3 under the recording head h 1 , from each of which ink is ejected . the distances between the sheets p 1 and p 2 and between the sheets p 2 and p 3 are 10 cm , respectively . under the recording heads h 2 and h 4 , a recording sheet does not exist , so those recording heads are not driven . the sheet feeding section feeds a recording sheet about every 0 . 58 sec , so that the distances between the sheets p 1 and p 2 and between the sheets p 2 and p 3 are to be 10 cm , respectively . the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 are of a 6 size , and the distance between leading and trailing edges is 105 mm . the recording region initiates at 5 mm inside the leading edge and ends at 5 mm back from the trailing edge of the recording sheet . in this case , for one page of the recording sheet , recording is performed with one recording head . the electrical power consumptions of the recording heads have three classes as follows . a yellow recording head yh has a power consumption of 40 wh ; a magenta recording head mh has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a cyan recording head ch has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a light cyan recording head lch has a power consumption of 50 wh ; and a black recording head kh has a power consumption of 60 wh . fig8 shows calculated results of the total amount of the electrical power consumptions in the cases that three recording sheets are continuously transferred , and two recording sheets are transferred in the recording apparatus formed of five recording heads . a first head is h 1 ; a second head is h 2 ; a third head is h 3 ; a fourth head is h 4 ; and a fifth head is h 5 . numerals at the top of the tables indicate electrical power consumptions of each head . the units of the numerals are wh . the total amount of the electrical power consumptions is obtained for eight arrangements of the recording heads as shown in fig8 a - 8h . for example , in the arrangement of fig8 a , the amount of the electrical power consumption of the first head is 50 wh ; that of each of the second through fourth heads is 60 wh ; and that of the fifth head , which is the most downstream , is 40 wh . in t 1 and t 2 , the symbol x denotes a non - driven state . when there is no recording sheet immediately under a recording head , that recording head is in a non - driven state . a lapse of time indicated by t 1 → t 2 shows the progress of the recording medium moving from upstream to downstream . in the state shown in fig8 a , t 1 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 3 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording heads h 2 and h 4 are not driven . similarly , t 2 indicates a state that the recording heads h 2 and h 4 are ejecting while the recording heads h 1 , h 3 , and h 5 are not driven . from the comparison of the total amounts of the electrical power consumptions , it is understood that the electrical power consumption maximum values of the arrangements of fig8 a and 8c are the lowest . specifically , in fig8 a , the light cyan recording head lch is located at the position h 1 ; the black recording head kh at the position h 2 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 3 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 4 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 5 . also , in fig8 c , the black recording head kh is located at the position h 1 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 2 ; the light cyan recording head lch at the position h 3 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 4 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 5 . as in fig8 a , by arranging the recording head with the maximum electrical power consumption at a position other than those on the most upstream side and the most downstream side , the peak value of the total electrical power consumptions can be reduced to the lowest . according to a fifth embodiment , the recording heads have an arrangement as shown in fig2 . fig2 is a schematic representation of a state that two recording sheets p 1 and p 2 are transferred when recording heads are arranged at equal intervals . the distance between adjacent recording heads is 10 cm . the recording sheet p 1 is located under the recording heads h 3 , h 4 , and h 5 , from each of which ink is ejected ; and the recording sheet p 2 is located under the recording head h 1 , from which ink is ejected . the distance between the sheets p 1 and p 2 is 10 cm . immediately under the recording head h 2 , a recording sheet does not exist , so that recording head is not driven . the sheet feeding section feeds a recording sheet about every 0 . 58 sec , so that the distance between the sheets p 1 and p 2 is 10 cm . the recording sheets p 1 and p 2 are of a 4 size , and the distance between leading and trailing edges is 210 mm . the recording region initiates at 5 mm inside the leading edge and ends at 5 mm back from the trailing edge in the transfer direction . in this case , for one page of the recording sheet , recording is performed with a maximum number of three recording heads . a yellow recording head yh has a power consumption of 50 wh ; a magenta recording head mh has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a cyan recording head ch has a power consumption of 60 wh ; a light cyan recording head lch has a power consumption of 50 wh ; and a black recording head kh has a power consumption of 60 wh . fig3 a - 3e show calculated results of the total amount of the electrical power consumptions in the arrangement shown in fig2 . a first head is h 1 ; a second head is h 2 ; a third head is h 3 ; a fourth head is h 4 ; and a fifth head is h 5 . numerals at the top of the tables indicate electrical power consumption of each head . the units of the numerals are wh . the total amount of the electrical power consumptions is obtained for the five arrangements of the recording heads shown in fig3 a to 3 e . for example , in the arrangement of fig3 a , the amount of the electrical power consumption of the first head is 50 wh ; that of each of the second through fourth heads is 60 wh ; and that of the fifth head , which is the most downstream , is 50 wh . in t 1 and t 2 , the symbol x denotes a non - driven state . when there is no recording sheet immediately under a recording head , that recording head is in a non - driven state . lapses of time indicated by t 1 → t 2 → t 3 → t 4 show the progress of the recording medium moving from upstream to downstream . in the state of fig3 a , t 1 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 3 , h 4 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording head h 2 is not driven . similarly , t 2 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 2 , h 4 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording head h 3 is not driven ; t 3 indicates a state that the recording heads h 1 , h 2 , h 3 , and h 5 are ejecting while the recording head h 4 is not driven ; and t 4 indicates a state that the recording heads h 2 , h 3 , and h 4 are ejecting while the recording heads h 1 and h 5 are not driven . the total amount of electrical power consumption is 220 wh from t 1 to t 3 , and 180 wh at t 4 . from the comparison of the total amounts of the electrical power consumptions , it is understood that the electrical power consumption maximum value of the arrangement of fig3 a is the lowest . specifically , the light cyan recording head lch is located at the position h 1 ; the black recording head kh at the position h 2 ; the cyan recording head ch at the position h 3 ; the magenta recording head mh at the position h 4 ; and the yellow recording head yh at the position h 5 . in the arrangement of the recording heads , by arranging the recording head with the maximum electrical power consumption at a position other than those on the most upstream side and the most downstream side , the peak value of the total electrical power consumptions can be reduced to the lowest . from a different point of view , in the arrangement of the recording heads , by arranging the recording heads with the minimum electrical power consumptions at positions on the most upstream side and the most downstream side , the peak value of the total electrical power consumption can be reduced to the lowest . in the embodiments described above , the recording sheet has been described as an example of a recording medium ; however , it may be an ohp sheet or cloth . the driving unit of the recording element in each of the embodiments is an electro - thermal converter for generating heat to ink with a heater , etc . ; however , a piezo - element , for example , may be substituted for the electro - thermal converter . as for the resolution of the recording head , other than 600 dpi , it may be a higher resolution such as 1200 dpi or a lower resolution such as 360 dpi . the number of recording heads which are not driven on an interspace between adjacent recording media may be 3 or more . also , the number of classes of the recording heads with different electrical power consumptions may be 4 or more . the number of recording heads used in recording also is not limited to 4 and 5 . plural recording heads with the same colors may be used . the relationship between the color of the recording head and electrical power consumption is not limited to that in the embodiments ; a head for ejecting black ink may have two classes of electrical power consumptions , for example . the electrical power consumption of the recording head has been defined in the case when the entire nozzles eject ink simultaneously ; however , it may be in another state such as an operational state that one nozzle is thinned out . the cause of the difference in the electrical power consumption is not limited to the difference in a volume of one ejected ink drop ; it may be due to a circuit structure within the recording head or a driving method . the transfer speed is not limited to 170 mm / sec ; it may be a higher speed . the distance between recording media is not limited to those mentioned above , and the time interval of sheet - feeding operation is not also limited thereto as long as “ time = distance between recording media ÷ transfer speed ”. the recording head may be not only an ink jet head , but also a recording device employing an led array . a transfer detecting sensor on a transfer line closer to the recording head than the feed roller may be used for the timing reference of ejection . as described above , according to the present invention , in a recording apparatus formed of plural recording heads with different electrical power consumptions , when recording with the recording heads to be driven which are combined so as to be a combination of the recording heads with different electrical power consumptions , the total amount of electrical power consumptions can be reduced . while the present invention has been described with reference to what are presently considered to be the preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . on the contrary , the invention is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . the scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions .	1
in order to select which chunk to download for each video interval , an has client monitors the available network throughput it sees , in particular the throughput offered by tcp , and tries to match the video bit rate ( for the next chunk ) to this available network throughput . because the requested video bit rate cannot match the available network bit rate exactly , the client needs to maintain a play - out buffer . fig1 and 2 illustrate the rate decision algorithm ( rda ) which governs the client &# 39 ; s decisions . the client downloads the next chunk in such a version that the bytes needed by the decoder are already received some time before the moment at which the decoder needs them . with reference to fig1 and 2 , this means that the stepwise content receiving curve ( lower curve ) should not intersect the transmission rate envelope ( upper curve ), where the latter indicates how fast the bytes are arriving to the client and the former indicates how quickly the decoder needs them . the illustrated content receiving curve exhibits sharp steps , which represents the fact that the decoder empties its data buffer by chunks ; the consumption of a single chunk is represented by a vertical segment of the curve , while the time between the consumption of two consecutive chunks is represented by a horizontal segment of the curve . the present invention concerns a method and an apparatus that use improved rate decision algorithms . the invention will now be further explained with reference to a rate decision algorithm that uses statistical information pertaining to network throughput ( from server to client ). the knowledge associated with the evolution of the throughput , given a certain past behavior of the throughput , is captured in the conditional probability that the throughput t [ a ,.] immediately after decision point a takes a certain value t [ a ,.] given that the throughputs t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] , . . . over the previous intervals assumed the values t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] , . . . respectively : pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] \| t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ] ( equation 1 ) fig3 illustrates this embodiment . at each decision point a , the current version of pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] \| t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ] is used to determine the quality version in which the next chunk is to be downloaded . this strategy may readily be combined with known design principles of traditional decision algorithms . preferably , pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] \| t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ] is updated after each ( successful ) decision and this information is maintained over all sessions of the client device in question . in this way , the rda according to the invention can predict the throughput evolution better than traditional algorithms can , and hence , it can make better decisions . equation 1 provides statistical information about the transmission rate under the form of an estimated conditional probability density function . for practical computational reasons , the statistical information is preferably used in a discretized form , which will be referred to herein as “ histogram information ”. one possibility to maintain pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] \| t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ] up to date is to proceed as follows . the vector space of ( k + 1 )- dimensional vectors is quantized in bins ( covering the complete vector space , where the bins can be rectangular or have any other shape ), where k is the number of past interval that are considered . each bin maintains an estimate of pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] \| t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ] ( in fact , an integral thereof over the area the bin covers ). at decision point a , the probability value of each bin ( where all probabilities sum to 1 before multiplication ) is multiplied by a and after it is determined in which of the bins the observed vector ( t [ a ,.] , t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] , . . . ) falls ( where t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] , . . . are the measured throughputs in k intervals prior to the decision point and t [ a ,.] is the throughput in the interval after the decision point ), the probability value of that particular bin is augmented by ( 1 − α ) ( ensuring that the sum of all probabilities remains 1 after the updating process ). the conditional probabilities required in the rda proposed in this invention is given by pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] \| t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ]= pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] , t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ]/ pr [ t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ] ( equation 2 ) an alternative to maintain pr [ t [ a ,.] = t [ a ,.] \| t [ b , a ] = t [ b , a ] , t [ c , b ] = t [ c , b ] , . . . ] is to just count ( over a sliding window ) the number of events falling in each bin and count and divide by the total number of events ( in the sliding window ). in a preferred variant of the invention , the knowledge associated with the evolution of the throughput given the past behavior of the throughput does not only depend on the past throughputs t k , but also on one or more other parameters , such as , the network over which the video is downloaded ( e . g ., wifi , 3g or lie ), the time of day ( e . g ., busy hour , non busy hour ), the sinr ( signal to interference and noise ) value ( in case of wireless ) and the number of competing clients ( if known ), etc . fig4 provides a flow chart of an embodiment of the method according to the present invention . the flow chart illustrates steps to be taken at the client side , the client being operatively connected to a server ( for instance in the general layout illustrated in fig5 ). in a preliminary first step 410 , the client receives a chunk of the video of interest ( as a result of a previous request , not illustrated ). upon receiving this chunk , the client determines 420 a current transmission rate r current for transmission from the server to the client . without loss of generality , fig4 only refers to a determination of the current rate of transmission . it shall be obvious to the skilled reader that the invention works in a fully analogous way when the method relies on multiple transmission rate observations , i . e . for a set of the past k chunks . in this case , the client stores the relevant previous values for future use . on the basis of at least the current level of network performance r current ( and optionally over the last k received chunks ), the client obtains 430 statistical information pertaining to an expected future level of network performance . the client may for example obtain the probability density function as described above , preferably parametrized in some appropriate form , or a discretized form of histogram information . finally , the client derives a target rate of transmission r target from the statistical information 440 , for instance a particular quantile of the probability density function or histogram information , and requests 450 a subsequent chunk of the video in accordance with the target rate of transmission . the latest observation of transmission rate at the client is preferably fed back to the statistics database to keep the latter up to date , for example according to the scheme described above ( not illustrated in fig4 ). preferably , the current level of network performance and one or more previous observed levels of network performance are combined to select the appropriate statistics . indeed , particular patterns in the evolution of network performance may be indicative of particular network types , or of particular recurring events pertaining to the usage of the network . more preferably , additional information is used to select the appropriate statistics . examples of additional information are time of day and the day of the week . indeed , given the fact that network performance may be severely influenced by the instantaneous number of active users , certain patterns in network usage , which may recur on a daily or weekly basis , can guide the choice of the most appropriate statistics . fig5 provides a schematic overview of a network comprising an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention . the illustrated network comprises a client 510 and a server 530 , operatively connected to each other via a network 550 , which may include an access network and a core network , such as the internet . the server 530 will not be described in detail . with a view to establishing a connection with the network 550 , the client 510 has a network interface 515 . the term “ interface ” designates the necessary hardware and software required to establish data communication connectivity across the various layers of the protocol stack , as is well known to a person skilled in the art . preferably , standardized protocols are used . an access interface may for instance include an interface for an xdsl , xpon , wman , or 3g link . a lan ( local area network ) interface may for instance include an interface for one or more of an ieee 802 . 3 “ ethernet ” link , an ieee 802 . 11 “ wireless lan ” link . a pan ( personal area network ) interface may for instance include a usb interface or a bluetooth interface . the network connection 550 is used to relay requests ( in particular , requests for individual chunks of the desired program ) from the client 510 to the server 530 , and to relay content ( in particular , the requested chunks ) from the server 530 to the client 510 . the client apparatus 510 also interfaces with a statistics database 520 . to this end , the client apparatus 510 comprises a database interface 512 . the database interface 512 and the statistics database 520 may be integrated in the client apparatus 510 , in particular in the form of non - volatile memory such as flash memory or a magnetic disk drive . although the database interface 512 is illustrated in fig5 as being separate from the network interface 515 , it is also possible to attach the statistics database 520 directly to the network 550 , in which case it could be accessed via the network interface 515 . the statistics database 520 may for example be stored in a network attached storage ( nas ) infrastructure or in a storage area network ( san ). in this configuration , a single networked statistics database 520 may aggregate the statistics from multiple client apparatus 510 , which may lead to more accurate statistics and hence better performance of the inventive method for all the clients involved . the client apparatus 510 further comprises a processor 513 , operatively connected to the network interface 515 and the database interface 512 , the processor 513 being configured to determine a current level of network performance ( e . g ., a rate of transmission ) for transmission from the server 530 to the client apparatus 510 , obtain statistical information pertaining to an expected future rate of transmission from the statistics database 520 , in function of the current ( and optionally the past k chunks ) rate of transmission , derive a target rate of transmission from the statistical information , and request a subsequent chunk of the video from the server 530 in accordance with the target rate of transmission . although methods and apparatus have been described hereinabove as separate embodiments , this is done for clarity purposes only , and it should be noted that features described only in connection with method embodiments may be applied in the apparatus according to the present invention to obtain the same technical effects and advantages , and vice versa . the functions of the various elements shown in the figures , including any functional blocks labeled as “ processors ”, may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software . when provided by a processor , the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor , by a single shared processor , or by a plurality of individual processors , some of which may be shared . moreover , explicit use of the term “ processor ” or “ controller ” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software , and may implicitly include , without limitation , digital signal processor ( dsp ) hardware , network processor , application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), field programmable gate array ( fpga ), read only memory ( rom ) for storing software , random access memory ( ram ), and non volatile storage . other hardware , conventional and / or custom , may also be included . similarly , any switches shown in the figs . are conceptual only . their function may be carried out through the operation of program logic , through dedicated logic , through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic , or even manually , the particular technique being selectable by the implementer as more specifically understood from the context . a person of skill in the art would readily recognize that steps of various above - described methods can be performed by programmed computers . herein , some embodiments are also intended to cover program storage devices , e . g ., digital data storage media , which are machine or computer readable and encode machine - executable or computer - executable programs of instructions , wherein said instructions perform some or all of the steps of said above - described methods . the program storage devices may be , e . g ., digital memories , magnetic storage media such as a magnetic disks and magnetic tapes , hard drives , or optically readable digital data storage media . the embodiments are also intended to cover computers programmed to perform said steps of the above - described methods .	7
the general workflow outlined here is as also used in example 1 . here , in step 6 each subpool contains three classes of fragments . a ) fragments that contain the l1 ( linker 1 ) sequence . these sequences downstream of the l1 sequence ( or l1 sequence part ) depict the 5 ′ start of the original fragments of step 3 . b ) fragments that contain neither l1 nor l2 ( linker 2 ) sequences ( or l1 -, l2 sequence parts ). these fragments and their reads are from within the original fragments of step 3 . c ) fragments that contain l2 ( linker 2 ) sequences . the sequence upstream of the l2 sequence ( or l2 sequence part ) depict the 3 ′ end of the original fragments of step 3 . the knowledge of the start and end sequences aids the assembly in step 9 as start and end sites of the fragments are defined . the contig building of step 9 can be further advanced by assembling the contigs of step 9 ( and the remaining reads ) between the different subpools . for a general outline of the workflow see also fig3 a - 3c . dna was extracted from a sample containing 3 × 10 5 human diploid cells . the dna in the sample was fragmented to an average fragment size of 10 kb by sonication . the fragments were dephosphorylated on their 5 ′ ends by alkaline phosphatase ( to inhibit selfligation of the fragments in the following first ligation step ). the fragments were briefly denatured at 95 ° c . and rapidly cooled on ice to provide single strands . then a 5 ′ phosphorylated single stranded linker ( l2rc ; reverse complement to a l2 sequence ) was ligated to the 3 ′- oh end of the fragments by t4 rna ligase . after that the l2rc linked fragments were phosphorylated on their 5 ′ end by polynucleotide kinase and a second linker ( l1 ) was ligated to the 5 ′- phosphate end of the l2rc linked fragments by t4 rna ligase . now about 1 % of all fragments were ligated to the l1 and l2rc linker representing a dna content equivalent to about 3 × 10 3 cells . the ligated fragments were size separated through electrophoresis in an 0 . 5 % agarose gel . ligated fragments in the size range of 9 - 11 kb are cut out of the gel and purified . this fraction represents a dna content equivalent to about 1 . 5 × 10 2 cells . the 9 - 11 kb fraction was amplified by long pcr using the l1 and l2 sequences as primers to generate about 100 ng of pcr products . in a segregating pcr , primers that contain the universal l1 and l2 sequences and on their 3 ′ end a number of n selective nucleotides can reduce the complexity of the sample by a factor of 4 ′, were n was the combined number of selective nucleotides of both primers . to be able to reduce the complexity of 1 . 5 × 10 2 cells below one haploid genome 4 n must be greater than 3 × 10 2 . therefore n must be at least 5 . when n was 7 , the complexity was reduced by a factor of about 54 , or in other words each subpool would represent about 1 / 54th of a haploid genome equivalent . therefore a segregating pcr was carried out to create the subpools for a set a . 70 subpools of a 16 . 384 subpool matrix ( 4 7 ) were created by 70 individual pcr reactions containing each one of 70 possible primer combinations of 7 primers with l1 - nnn ( l1 - aca ,- tac ,- ctt ,- gat ,- caa ,- ttg ,- agt ) and 10 primer with l2 - nnnn ( l2 - caca ,- gtac ,- gctt ,- cgat ,- gcaa ,- cttg ,- cagt ,- agct ,- tctg ,- tacg ). set b consisted of a single sample that was amplified in a non - segregating pcr by using l1 and l2 primers only . in each pcr reaction 27 pg of dna was amplified to about 500 ng . the samples were then prepared for next generation sequencing on an illumina genome analyzer ii . each of the pcr samples was fragmented into fragments which are on average 200 - 600 bp long . linkers ( l3 , l4rc ) were ligated to the ends of the fragments , which are used to bind the samples to the flow cell , allow for cluster generation and enable the hybridization of a sequencing primer to start the sequencing run . in addition for samples of set a each l3 linker contained a subpool specific sequence tag ( barcode ) to assign each sequencing read . linker ligated fragments in a size range of 200 - 600 bp were size selected for sequencing . the 70 barcoded samples of set a were loaded onto 2 channels of the flow cell by pooling 35 samples per channel . the single sample of set b was loaded onto 2 channels of a second flow cell . after cluster generation on a cbot instrument ( illumina inc ., usa ), a 76 bp sequencing run was carried out on a genomeanalyzer ii ( illumina inc .) for each flow cell . about 15 million reads were generated per channel . the reads of set a were segregated into the respective subpools according to the different channels and according to the different barcodes ( sequence tags ). in a first assembly contigs were built by first aligning reads within each subpool and then assembling contigs and remaining reads within all subpools together . in comparison , in a second assembly of set a contigs were built neglecting the sub - pool information . the average contig length of the first assembly was longer when contig building was done within each subpool first , compared to the second assembly , where the reads were not separated into subpools . in a third assembly contigs were built using reads of set b . in comparison the third assembly resulted in shorter contings than the second or the first assembly . therefore a larger portion of the genome could be assembled when segregation was carried out . in addition in the first alignment in the majority of the cases contigs will come from one of the two haploid genomes allowing to distinguish between maternal or paternally derived sequences . mrna was extracted from a sample containing 12 . 000 human cells that contain on average about 0 . 6 pg mrna . 3 . 6 ng of mrna could be recovered and was fragmented to an average fragment size of 100 bases . a reverse transcription was carried out using random hexamers and reverse transcriptase to copy the cleaved mrna fragments into cdna . second strand synthesis was carried out to remove the mrna strand and synthesize a replacement strand to generate double stranded cdna . cdna ends were blunted by t4 dna polymerase and klenow dna polymerase . next an “ a ” base was added to the 3 ′ end of the dsdna fragments to create a single nucleotide overhang . adapters ( l5 - l1 - t and l6 - l2 - t ) with a 3 ′ “ t ” base overhang were then ligated to the fragments . ligation products were size separated through gel electrophoresis . ligates in the size range of 200 (+/− 25 ) bases were cut out of the gel and purified . this yields ligates with an cdna insert content equivalent to an mrna content of about 50 cells . adapter ligated cdna was amplified by pcr using l5 and l6 sequences as primers to generate about 500 ng of pcr products . next two sets of samples were created . for set a the sample was segregated into n subpools and set b ( where a single nonsegregating pcr was carried out ) was analysed as a control . in principle set a was created using primers that contain the universal l1 and l2 sequences and on their 3 ′ end a number of n selective nucleotides , that can reduce the complexity of the sample by a factor of 4 n , were n was the combined number of selective nucleotides of both primers . to be able to segregate the transcripts of 50 cells with a cellular copy number below 30 into different subpools , 4 n must be greater than 50 × 30 . therefore n must be at least 6 . when n was 8 , each subpool has a 1 / 43 chance containing a transcript with a copy number below 30 . therefore a segregating pcr was carried out to create sub - pools . 22 subpools of a 65 . 536 subpool matrix ( 4 8 ) are created by 22 individual pcr reactions containing each one of 22 possible primer combinations of 22 primers with l1 - nnnn and 22 primers with l2 - nnnn . in each pcr reaction 27 pg of dna was amplified to about 500 ng . set b consists of a single control sample that was amplified in a non segregating pcr , using primers that contain only the universal l1 and l2 sequences . the samples are then prepared for next generation sequencing on an illumina genome analyzer ii . linkersequences ( l3 , l4 ) are added to the ends of the pcr products by 10 cycles of pcr using l3 - l1 and l4 - l2 primers , which are used to bind the samples to the flow cell , allow for cluster generation and enable the hybridization of a sequencing primer to start the sequencing run . the 22 samples of set a were loaded onto one channels of the flow cell by pooling the 22 samples per channel . into a second channel the single sample of set b was loaded . after cluster generation on a cbot instrument ( illumina inc ., usa ), a 36 bp sequencing run was carried out on a genomeanalyzer ii ( illumina inc .). about 15 million reads were generated per channel . when analyzing the sequencing data sets , set a contained reads that are not part of set b . these reads represent low copy number transcripts . therefore set a encompassed low copy number reads that cannot be detected without segregation . mrna was extracted from a sample containing 24 . 000 human cells that contain on average about 1 pg mrna , 12 ng of mrna could be recovered and was fragmented to an average fragment size of 400 bases . the fragments were dephosphorylated on their 5 ′ ends by alkaline phosphatase ( to inhibit selfligation of the fragments in the following first ligation step ). the fragments were denatured at 92 ° c . for 30 seconds and rapidly cooled on ice to melt any secondary structure . then a 5 ′ phosphorylated single stranded linker ( l2rc + l6rc ; 50 nts ) was ligated to the 3 ′- oh end of the fragments by t4 rna ligase . after that the l2rc + l6rc linked fragments were phosphorylated on their 5 ′ end by polynucleotide kinase and a second linker ( l5 + l1 ; 50 nts ) was ligated to the 5 ′- phosphate end of the l2rc + l6rc linked fragments by t4 rna ligase . now about 1 % of all fragments were ligated to the l5 + l1 and l2rc + l6rc linker representing about 120 pg of mrna that was equivalent to the mrna content of about 120 cells . a reverse transcription was carried out copying 120 pg of ligated mrna fragments using a primer that contains l6 ( reverse complement to l6rc ) to generate cdna . 120 pg of cdna was amplified by pcr using the l5 and l6 as primers to generate about 500 ng of pcr products . the pcr products are size separated through electrophoresis in an 6 % polyacrylamide gel . amplified fragments in the size range of about 475 - 525 bases were cut out of the gel and purified . in a segregating pcr , primers that contain the universal l1 and l2 sequences and on their 3 ′ end a number of n selective nucleotides can reduce the complexity of the sample by a factor of 4 n , were n was the combined number of selective nucleotides of both primers . to be able to reduce the complexity of 120 cells below the mrna content of one cell 4 n must be greater than 120 . therefore n must be at least 4 . when n was 7 , the complexity was reduced by a factor of about 136 , or in other words each subpool would represent about 1 / 136th of the mrna content equivalent of a single cell . a segregating pcr was carried out to create the subpools of a set a . 70 subpools of a 16 . 384 subpool matrix ( 4 7 ) are created by 70 individual pcr reactions containing each one of 70 possible primer combinations of 7 primers with l1 - nnn ( l1 - aca ,- tac ,- ctt ,- gat ,- caa ,- ttg ,- agt ) and 10 primer with l2 - nnnn ( l2 - caca ,- gtac ,- gctt ,- cgat ,- gcaa ,- cttg ,- cagt ,- agct ,- tctg ,- tacg ). set b consisted of a single sample that was amplified in a nonsegregating pcr by using l1 and l2 primers only . in each pcr reaction 27 pg of dna was amplified to about 500 ng . the samples were then prepared for next generation sequencing on an illumina genome analyzer ii . each of the pcr samples was fragmented into fragments which are on average 100 bp long . adapters ( 50 bp ) were ligated to the ends of the fragments , which are used to bind the samples to the flow cell , allow for cluster generation and enable the hybridization of a sequencing primer to start the sequencing run . in addition each adapter - pair contained a subpool specific sequence tag ( barcode ) to assign each sequencing read . adapter ligated fragments in a size range of 175 - 225 bp were size selected for sequencing . the 70 barcoded samples were loaded onto 2 channels of the flow cell by pooling 35 samples per channel . after cluster generation on a cbot instrument ( illumina inc ., usa ), a 36 bp sequencing run is carried out on a genomeanalyzer ii ( illumina inc .). about 15 million reads are generated per channel . the reads of set a were segregated into the respective subpools according to the different channels and according to the different barcodes ( sequence tags ). in a first assembly contigs were built by first aligning reads within each subpool and then assembling contigs and remaining reads within all subpools together . in comparison , in a second assembly of set a contigs were built neglecting the sub - pool information . the average contig length of the first assembly was longer when contig building was done within each subpool first , compared to the second assembly , where the reads were not separated into subpools . in a third assembly contigs were built using reads of set b . in comparison the third assembly resulted in shorter contigs than the second or the first . the inventive method divides a pool of random fragments into different subpools . this greatly enhances the alignment and assembly of short reads , such as they are returned by next generation sequencing platforms . in this example a simple model pool of fragments ( 160 - 305 bases long ) is used to show the difference between an alignment of reads ( 4 bases long ) within the whole pool of fragments and when such an alignment is done within each separate subpool . ten random sequences between 160 and 305 were generated using a random letter sequence generator and arranged in a database , e . g . because of the small size it could be done in a spreadsheet , assembling the fragments of the model pool . all randomized numbers ( e . g . fragment identifier ) were generated using a randomizer . first , the fragments were ordered into 16 ( 4 × 4 ) different subpools according to their terminal bases ( tab . 3 ). because one particular pool of fragments ( all reads align to the blue print ) is selected and any reading errors are excluded , a simple alignment algorithm ( simple search function which provides the number of sequence matches ) could be used to probe the fragment pool . it selects all reads that have a perfect k - mer match to the reference sequence ( transcriptome ). so , 24 permutations of 4 bp reads ( without any base repeats like aatg ) were taken and aligned , once against the entire model pool of fragments ( tab . 2 ) and once against the segregated fragments within each subpool ( tab . 3 ). the number of unique hits is shown in both tables in the right column . i ) none of the 24 probed reads gave one unique hit when trying to align reads to the entire pool of fragments . the number of total hits was 224 . the most unique read aligned matched 4 different fragments . ii ) after segregation into 7 subpools , here according to the molecule ends ( first and last nucleotide ), 69 ( 31 %) of the reads could already be aligned uniquely . even without having a blue print the same principle applies . in the first case none of the investigated reads will belong to a unique position in the pool , whereas 31 % of the reads will have one unique position in their host subpool .	2
the process of the present invention will be better understood by comparing prior art fig1 with fig2 , which is in accordance with the present invention . the abbreviations in parentheses refer to the units , and the numbers in parentheses refer to the streams entering or leaving said units . fig1 is a layout of a process using a catalytic cracking unit ( fcc ) and an amine unit ( amn ) for treating flue gas coming from the regeneration section of said catalytic cracking unit ( fcc ). the unit for treatment of flue gas with amines is associated with a boiler ( chd ) which provides the heat necessary for regeneration of the amine . the catalytic cracking unit is supplied with a hydrocarbon feed of the vacuum distillate or atmospheric residue type ( 1 ) and provides products which are essentially c 1 , c 2 , c 3 gases , a gasoline cut , a gas oil cut , a heavy “ slurry ” cut , and a certain quantity of coke deposited on the catalyst . the coke is burned off in the regeneration zone supplied with air ( 2 ), which produces combustion flue gas principally constituted by co 2 , h 2 and co . the combustion flue gas are sent to a section for the treatment of flue gas in order to burn the co and co 2 and to reduce the quantities of particles and oxides of nitrogen and of sulphur in the flue gas . next , a portion ( 5 ) or all of the treated flue gas ( 4 ) is sent to the amine treatment unit ( amn ). the treatment of the flue gas in the fcc unit may be adjusted in order to satisfy certain constraints regarding inputs to the amine treatment , for example the quantity of no x and so x . the amine unit requires heat to regenerate the amine which is supplied by the boiler ( chd ) supplied with streams of oxidizer and fuel ( 8 ) and which generates a stream of steam ( 10 ). the condensed steam ( 11 ) is returned to the boiler ( chd ) in a loop which is well known by the skilled person . fig2 , in accordance with the invention , can be described in the same manner as for fig1 but no longer has a boiler associated with the amine treatment unit ( amn ). the heat necessary for regeneration of the amine is supplied integrally by the steam ( 10 ) generated in the catalytic cracking unit ( fcc ) using an external exchanger . ( not shown in fig2 ). a description of this type of exchanger can , for example , be found in patent u . s . pat . no . 5 , 324 , 696 . according to the invention , the amine unit does not necessarily treat all of the flue gas emitted by the fcc . the proportion of flue gas treated with the amine unit depends on a number of factors , the principal one being the production of coke in the fcc unit . the heavier the feed ( expressed as its conradson carbon residue , denoted ccr and measured in accordance with astm d 189 ), the more loaded is the catalyst with coke at the end of the reaction , and the more heat generated by the catalyst on regeneration is recovered by the external exchanger . at the same time , the quantity of co 2 in the flue gas is also increased . however , because available crudes are changing , fcc is now tending to use heavier feeds . presently , feeds with a conradson carbon residue of 8 to 10 are routinely being treated . the present invention is in this regard perfectly synchronized with the trend in catalytic cracking and can exploit the heat generated by the external exchanger in a particularly advantageous manner . a further trend in fcc is that known as petrochemical fcc , since it consists in operating the fcc under conditions encouraging the production of propylene . these operational conditions are severe conditions , corresponding to c / o ratios in the range 4 to 15 , and riser outlet temperatures of more than 550 ° c . these operational conditions are accompanied by an increase in the quantity of coke deposited on the catalyst at the end of the reaction , and thus an increase in the heat available to the external exchanger . here again , the present invention is perfectly synchronized with this second trend in fcc units . the following examples are intended to demonstrate that it is possible to treat between 51 % and 94 % of regeneration flue gas coming from the fcc unit in view of recovering co 2 , by using only the heat available at the external exchanger . in this example , we simulated catalytic cracking of an atmospheric residue ( arabian heavy ) in a fcc unit including an external exchanger . the functional characteristics and the principal yields of the catalytic cracking unit are shown in table 1 below . in order to regenerate the amine , the amine treatment unit had available steam produced by a coal boiler for the prior art process , and produced by the external exchanger of the fcc unit for the process of the invention . the heat power necessary to regenerate the amine was the same in the prior art and in the invention since the fcc and amine treatment units were identical . the heat power necessary for regeneration of the amine was equal to the excess energy from the fcc unit . in the case of this example , 51 % of the fcc flue gas were treated in the amine unit . the boiler associated with the amine unit generated combustion flue gas , namely 9 t / h of co 2 , to which the fraction of untreated co 2 derived from the flue gas from the cracking unit ( 24 . 1 t / h ) and the co 2 discharged from the amine unit ( 2 . 5 t / h ) linked to its absorption yield ( 90 %) had to be added . in total , 35 , 6 t / h of co 2 was discharged into the atmosphere in the prior art process , i . e . 72 % of the co 2 produced by the fcc unit . in the process of the invention , only 26 . 6 t / h of co 2 was discharged into the atmosphere , i . e . 54 % of the co 2 produced by the fcc unit . the total flow rate of co 2 discharged into the atmosphere was thus reduced by 25 % in the process of the invention compared with that which it would be in a prior art process with a boiler for amine regeneration . in this example , we simulated catalytic cracking of the same atmospheric residue as in example 1 , but with a catalyst which was less selective as regards coke . the operating conditions for the fcc were very close to those of example 1 . the functional characteristics and the principal yields are indicated in table 3 below . in order to regenerate the amine , the amine treatment unit had available steam produced by a coal boiler for the prior art process , and produced by the external exchanger of the fcc unit for the process of the invention . the heat power necessary to regenerate the amine was the same in the prior art and in the invention since the fcc and amine treatment units are identical . this heat power is equal to the excess energy of the fcc unit . in this example , 94 % of the fcc flue gas were treated in the amine unit . the boiler associated with the amine unit generated combustion flue gas , namely 20 . 9 t / h of co 2 , to which the fraction of untreated co 2 derived from the flue gas from the cracking unit ( 3 . 9 t / h ) and the co 2 discharged from the amine unit ( 5 . 9 t / h ) linked to its absorption yield ( 90 %) had to be added . in total , 30 . 7 t / h of co 2 was discharged into the atmosphere in the prior art process , i . e . 48 % of the co 2 produced by the fcc unit . in the process of the invention , only 9 . 8 t / h of co 2 was discharged into the atmosphere , i . e . 15 % of the co 2 produced by the fcc unit , the total flow rate of co 2 discharged into the atmosphere is thus reduced by 68 % in the process of the invention compared with what it would be in a prior art process with a boiler for amine regeneration . the summarizing table 5 clearly shows that with the layout of the invention , the capture of co 2 emitted by the regeneration flue gas coming from the catalytic cracking unit is very substantially increased with respect to the prior art layout , also saving on the equipment ( furnace or boiler ) providing the heat required for amine regeneration .	8
the invention is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements . it should be noted that references to “ an ” or “ one ” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment , and such references mean at least one . in the following description , various aspects of the present invention will be described . however , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced with only some or all aspects of the present invention . for purposes of explanation , specific numbers , materials and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without the specific details . in other instances , well - known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the present invention . parts of the description will be presented in data processing terms , such as data , selection , retrieval , generation , and so forth , consistent with the manner commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art . as well understood by those skilled in the art , these quantities take the form of electrical , magnetic , or optical signals capable of being stored , transferred , combined , and otherwise manipulated through electrical and / or optical components of a processor and its subsystems . various operations will be described as multiple discrete steps in turn , in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the present invention , however , the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent . in particular , these operations need not be performed in the order of presentation . various embodiments will be illustrated in terms of exemplary classes and / or objects in an object - oriented programming paradigm . it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced using any number of different classes / objects , not merely those included here for illustrative purposes . furthermore , it will also be apparent that the present invention is not limited to any particular software programming language or programming paradigm . [ 0029 ] fig1 is an illustration of a virtual content management framework in one embodiment of the invention . a content repository 108 is a searchable data store . such systems can relate structured content and unstructured content ( e . g ., digitally scanned paper documents , extensible markup language , portable document format , hypertext markup language , electronic mail , images , video and audio streams , raw binary data , etc .) into a searchable corpus . content repositories can be coupled to or integrated with content management systems . content management systems provide for content life cycle management ( e . g . versioning ), content review and approval , automatic content classification , event - driven content processing , process tracking and content delivery to other systems . for example , if a user fills out a loan application on a web portal , the web portal can forward the application to a content repository which , in turn , can contact a bank system , receive notification of loan approval , update the loan application in the repository and notify the user by rendering the approval information in a format appropriate for the web portal . a virtual or federated content repository ( hereinafter referred to as “ vcr ”) 100 is a logical representation of one or more individual content repositories 108 such that they appear and behave as a single content repository from an application program &# 39 ; s 110 standpoint . this is accomplished in part by use of an api ( application program interface ) 104 and an spi ( service provider interface ) 102 . an api describes how an application program , library or process can interface with some program logic or functionality . by way of a non - limiting illustration , a process can include a thread , a server , a servlet , a portlet , a distributed object , a web browser , or a lightweight process . an spi describes how a service provider ( e . g ., a content repository ) can be integrated into a system of some kind . spi &# 39 ; s are typically specified as a collection of classes / interfaces , data structures and functions that work together to provided a programmatic means through which a service can be accessed and utilized . by way of a non - limiting example , apis and spis can be specified in an object - oriented programming language , such as java ™ ( available from sun microsystems , inc . of mountain view , calif .) and c # ( available from microsoft corp . of redmond , wash .). the api and spi can be exposed in a number of ways , including but not limited to static libraries , dynamic link libraries , distributed objects , servers , class / interface instances , etc . in one embodiment , the api presents a unified view of all repositories to application programs and enables them to navigate , perform crud ( create , read , update , and delete ) operations , and search across multiple content repositories as though they were a single repository . content repositories that implement the spi can “ plug into ” the vcr . the spi includes a set of interfaces and services that repositories can implement and extend including schema management , hierarchy operations and crud operations . the api and spi share a content model 106 that represents the combined content of all repositories 108 as a hierarchical namespace of nodes ( or hierarchy ). given a node n , nodes that are hierarchically inferior to n are referred to as children of n whereas nodes that are hierarchically superior to n are referred to as parents of n . the top - most level of the hierarchy is called the federated root . there is no limit to the depth of the hierarchy . in one embodiment , content repositories can be children of the federated root . each content repository can have child nodes . nodes can represent hierarchy information or content . hierarchy nodes serve as a container for other nodes in the hierarchy akin to a file subdirectory in a hierarchical file system . content nodes can have properties . in one embodiment , a property associates a name with a value of some kind . by way of a non - limiting illustration , a value can be a text string , a number , an image , an audio / visual presentation , binary data , etc . either type of node can have a schema associated with it . a schema describes the data type of one or more of a node &# 39 ; s properties . [ 0033 ] fig2 is an illustration of functional layers in one embodiment of the invention . api 200 is layered on top of spi 202 . the spi layer isolates direct interaction with repositories 212 from the api . in one embodiment , this can be accomplished at run - time wherein the api library dynamically links to or loads the spi library . in another embodiment , the spi can be part of a server process such that the api and the spi can communicate over a network . the spi can communicate with the repositories using any number of means including , but not limited to , shared memory , remote procedure calls and / or via one or more intermediate server processes . referring again to fig2 and by way of a non - limiting example , content mining facilities 204 , portlets 206 , tag libraries 208 , applications 210 , and other libraries 218 can all utilize the api to interact with a vcr . content mining facilities can include services for automatically extracting content from the vcr based on parameters . portlet and java serverpages ™ tag libraries enable portals to interact with the vcr and surface its content on web pages . ( java serverpages is available from sun microsystems , inc .) in addition , application programs and other libraries can be built on top of the api . in one embodiment , the api can include optimizations to improve the performance of interacting with the vcr . one or more content caches 216 can be used to buffer search results and recently accessed nodes . content caches can include node caches and binary caches . a node cache can be used to provide fast access to recently accessed nodes . a binary cache can be used to provide fast access to the data associated with each node in a node cache . the api can also provide a configuration facility 214 to enable applications , tools and libraries to configure content caches and the vcr . in one embodiment , this facility can be implemented as a java management extension ( available from sun microsystems , inc .). exemplary configuration parameters are provided in table 1 . [ 0036 ] fig3 is an illustration of objects used in connecting a repository to a vcr in one embodiment of the invention . in one embodiment , objects implementing api interface repositorymanager 302 can serve as an representation of a vcr from an application program &# 39 ; s standpoint . a repositorymanager connect ( ) method attempts to connect all available repositories with a current user &# 39 ; s credentials to the vcr . by way of a non - limiting example , credentials in one embodiment can based on the java ™ authentication and authorization service ( available from sun microsystems , inc .). those of skill in the art will recognize that many authorization schemes are possible without departing from the scope and spirit of the present embodiment . each available content repository is represented by an spi repository object 306 - 310 . the repositorymanager object invokes a connect ( ) method on a set of repository objects . in one embodiment , a repositorysession object ( not shown ) can be instantiated for each content repository to which a connection is attempted . in one embodiment , the repositorymanager connect ( ) method can return an array of the repositorysession to the application program , one for each repository for which a connection was attempted . any error in the connection procedure can be described by the repositorysession object &# 39 ; s state . in another embodiment , the repositorymanager connect ( ) method can connect to a specific repository using a current user &# 39 ; s credentials and a given repository name . in one embodiment , the name of a repository can be a uri ( uniform resource identifier ). [ 0037 ] fig4 is an exemplary content model in one embodiment of the invention . the content model is shared between the api and the spi . each box in fig2 represents a class or an interface . hollow tipped arrows connecting boxes indicate inheritance relationships wherein the class / interface from which the arrows emanate inherit from the class / interface to which the arrows point . solid tipped arrows indicate that the objects of the class / interface from which the arrows emanate can contain or have references ( e . g ., pointers or addresses ) to objects of the class / interface to which the arrows point . in one embodiment , each object in a vcr has an identifier that uniquely identifies it . an identifier can be represented by an id 400 ( or id ). an id can contain the name of a content repository and a unique id provided to it by the repository . in one embodiment , the id class / interface can be made available through a common super class / interface 414 that can provide services such as serialization , etc . in one embodiment , content and hierarchy nodes can be represented by a node 402 ( or node ). a node has a name , an id , and can also include a path that uniquely specifies an the node &# 39 ; s location in the vcr hierarchy . by way of a non - limiting example , the path can be in a unix - like directory path format such as ‘/ a / b / c ’ where ‘/’ is a federated root , ‘ a ’ is a repository , ‘ b ’ is a node in the ‘ a ’ repository , and ‘ c ’ is the node &# 39 ; s name . the node class provides methods by with a node &# 39 ; s parent and children can be obtained . this is useful for applications and tools that need to traverse the vcr hierarchy ( e . g ., browsers ). nodes can be associated with zero or more property 404 objects ( or properties ). a property can have a name and zero or more values 406 . in one embodiment , a property &# 39 ; s name is unique relative to the node to which the property is associated . a value 406 can represent any value , including but not limited to binary , boolean , date / time , floating point , integer or string values . if a property has more than one value associated with it , it is referred to as “ multi - valued ”. a node &# 39 ; s properties can be described by a schema . a schema can be referred to as “ metadata ” since it does not constitute the content ( or “ data ”) of the vcr per se . schemas can be represented by an objectclass 408 object and zero or more propertydefinition 410 objects . an objectclass has a schema name that uniquely identifies it within a content repository . a node can refer to a schema using the objectclass name . in another embodiment , a content node can define its own schema by referencing an objectclass object directly . in one embodiment , there is one propertydefinition object for each of a node &# 39 ; s associated property objects . propertydefinition objects define the shape or type of properties . schemas can be utilized by repositories and tools that operate on vcrs , such as hierarchical browsers . by way of a non - limiting example , a hierarchy node &# 39 ; s schema could be used to provide information regarding its children or could be used to enforce a schema on them . by way of a further non - limiting example , a vcr browser could use a content node &# 39 ; s schema in order to properly display the node &# 39 ; s values . in one embodiment , a propertydefinition can have a name and can describe a corresponding property &# 39 ; s data type ( e . g ., binary , boolean , string , double , calendar , long , reference to an external data source , etc . ), whether it is required , whether it is read - only , whether it provides a default value , and whether it specifies a property choice type . a property choice can indicate if a property is a single unrestricted value , a single restricted value , a multiple unrestricted value , or a multiple restricted value . properties that are single have only one value whereas properties that are multiple can have more than one value . if a property is restricted , its value ( s ) are chosen from a finite set of values . but if a property is unrestricted , any value ( s ) can be provided for it . propertychoice objects 412 can be associated with a propertydefinition object to define a set of value choices in the case where the propertydefinition is restricted . a choice can be designated as a default value , but only one choice can be a default for a given propertydefinition . a propertydefinition object may also be designated as a primary property . by way of a non - limiting example , when a schema is associated with a node , the primary property of a node can be considered its default content . the isprimary ( ) method of the propertydefinition class returns true if a propertydefinition object is the primary propertydefinition . by way of a further non - limiting example , if a node contained a binary property to hold an image , it could also contain a second binary property to represent a thumbnail view of the image . if the thumbnail view was the primary property , software applications such as browser could display it by default . [ 0042 ] fig5 is an exemplary service model in one embodiment of the invention . each box in fig5 represents a class or an interface . a dashed arrow indicates that the interface from which the arrow emanates can produce at run - time objects implementing the classes to which the arrow points . a content repository &# 39 ; s implementation of the spi is responsible for mapping operations on the content model to the particulars of a given content repository . repository interface 500 represents a content repository and facilitates connecting to it . the repository has a connect ( ) method that returns an object of type ticket 502 ( or ticket ) if a user is authenticated by the repository . in one embodiment , tickets are intended to be light - weight objects . as such , one or more may be created and possibly cached for each client / software application accessing a given repository . a ticket can utilize a user &# 39 ; s credentials to authorize a service . in one embodiment , a ticket can be the access point for the following service interfaces : nodeops 508 , objectclassops 506 , and searchops 510 . an application program can obtain objects that are compatible with these interfaces through the api repositorymanager class . the nodeops interface provides crud methods for nodes in the vcr . nodes can be operated on based on their id or through their path in the node hierarchy . table 2 summarizes nodeop class functionality exposed in the api . [ 0044 ] fig6 is an illustration of nopeops service interaction in one embodiment of the invention . application 600 utilizes a nodeops object 602 provided by the api which in turn utilizes one or more nodeops objects 606 - 610 provided by an spi ticket . each repository 612 - 616 is represented by a nodeops object . when the api nodeops 602 receives a request to perform an action , it maps the request to one or more spi nodeops objects 606 - 610 which in turn fulfill the request using their associated repositories . in this way , applications and libraries utilizing the api see a the vcr rather than individual content repositories . as with the nodeops service , there is one spi objectclassops object per repository and a single api objectclassops object . the api objectclassops object maps requests to one or more spi objectclassops which in turn fulfill the requests using their respective repositories . through this service , objectclass and propertydefinition objects can be operated on based on their id or through their path in the node hierarchy . table 3 summarizes objectclassops class functionality exposed in the api . as with the nodeops and objectclassops services , there is one spi searchops object per repository and a single api searchops object . the api searchops object maps requests to one or more spi searchops which in turn fulfill the requests using their respective repositories . among other things , the searchops services allows applications and libraries to search for properties and / or values throughout the entire vcr . in one embodiment , searches can be conducted across all property , value , binary value , objectclass , propertychoice and propertydefinitions objects in the vcr . search expressions can include but are not limited to one or more logical expressions , boolean operators , nested expressions , object names , function calls , mathematical functions , mathematical operators , string operators , image operators , and structured query language ( sql ). table 4 summarizes searchops class functionality exposed in the api . [ 0047 ] fig7 is an illustration of a vcr browser in one embodiment of the invention . a vcr browser 700 can include one or more tools built atop the api and has a graphical user interface ( gui ). in one embodiment , the browser can be rendered using microsoft windows ® ( available from microsoft , corp .). in yet another embodiment , the browser can be implemented as a web portal . browser window 700 includes a navigation pane 702 and a context - sensitive editor window 704 . the navigation pane displays a hierarchical representation of a vcr having one content repository (“ bea repository ”) which itself has four hierarchy nodes (“ hr ”, “ images ”, “ marketing ”, and “ products ”). selection of a hierarchy node can cause its children to be rendered beneath it in the navigation pane and cause an appropriate editor to be displayed in the editor window . selection may be accomplished by any means , including but not limited to mouse or keyboard input , voice commands , physical gestures , etc . in this case , the vcr 706 is selected and a repository configuration editor is displayed in the editor window . the editor allows a user to change the configuration parameters ( see table 1 ) of the vcr . in one embodiment , configuration parameters are manipulated via java management extensions ( see fig1 ). [ 0048 ] fig8 is an illustration of a content editor in one embodiment of the invention . navigation pane 802 is in “ content ” mode 812 such that it selectively filters out nodes that define only schemas . content node 806 (“ laptop ”) has been selected . node 806 is a child of hierarchy node “ products ”, which itself is a child of repository “ bea repository ”. selection of node 806 causes a corresponding content node editor to be rendered in editor window 804 . the editor displays the current values for the selected node . the content type 814 indicates that the schema for this node is named “ product ”. in this example , the node has five properties : “ style ”, “ description ”, “ color ”, “ sku ” and “ image ”. a user is allowed to change the value associated with these properties and update the vcr ( via the update button 808 ), or remove the node from the vcr ( via the remove button 810 ). [ 0049 ] fig9 is an illustration of a schema editor in one embodiment of the invention . navigation pane 902 is in “ type ” mode 910 such that it only displays nodes that have schemas but no content . schema node 906 (“ product ”) has been selected . node 906 is a child of repository “ bea repository ”. selection of node 906 causes a corresponding schema editor to be rendered in editor window 904 . the editor displays the current schema for the selected node ( e . g ., derived from objectclass , propertydefinition , propertychoice objects ). in this example , the node has five property definitions : “ style ”, “ description ”, “ color ”, “ sku ” and “ image ”. for each property , the editor displays an indication of whether it is the primary property , its data type , its default value , and whether it is required . a property can be removed from a schema by selecting the property &# 39 ; s delete button 912 . a property can be added by selecting the “ add property ” button 908 . a property &# 39 ; s attributes can be changed by selecting its name 914 in the editor window or the navigation pane 906 ( see fig1 ). [ 0050 ] fig1 is an illustration of a property editor in one embodiment of the invention . the schema named “ product ” is being edited . schema properties definitions are listed beneath their schema name in the navigation pane 1002 . schema property 1008 (“ color ”) has been selected . the editor window 1004 displays the property &# 39 ; s current attributes . the name of the attribute ( e . g ., “ color ”), whether the attribute is required or not , whether it is read - only , whether it is the primary property , its data type , default value ( s ), and whether the property is single / multiple restricted / unrestricted can be modified . changes to the a property &# 39 ; s attributes can be saved by selecting the update button 1006 . one embodiment may be implemented using a conventional general purpose or a specialized digital computer or microprocessor ( s ) programmed according to the teachings of the present disclosure , as will be apparent to those skilled in the computer art . appropriate software coding can readily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of the present disclosure , as will be apparent to those skilled in the software art . the invention may also be implemented by the preparation of integrated circuits or by interconnecting an appropriate network of conventional component circuits , as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art . one embodiment includes a computer program product which is a storage medium ( media ) having instructions stored thereon / in which can be used to program a computer to perform any of the features presented herein . the storage medium can include , but is not limited to , any type of disk including floppy disks , optical discs , dvd , cd - roms , microdrive , and magneto - optical disks , roms , rams , eproms , eeproms , drams , vrams , flash memory devices , magnetic or optical cards , nanosystems ( including molecular memory ics ), or any type of media or device suitable for storing instructions and / or data . stored on any one of the computer readable medium ( media ), the present invention includes software for controlling both the hardware of the general purpose / specialized computer or microprocessor , and for enabling the computer or microprocessor to interact with a human user or other mechanism utilizing the results of the present invention . such software may include , but is not limited to , device drivers , operating systems , execution environments / containers , and user applications . the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention has been provided for the purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed . many modifications and variations will be apparent to the practitioner skilled in the art . embodiments were chosen and described in order to best describe the principles of the invention and its practical application , thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understand the invention , the various embodiments and with various modifications that are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and their equivalents .	6
fig1 shows a thermoanalysis device 10 , comprising a thermogravimetric cell 12 with a sample chamber 14 formed therein , in which a sample 16 is disposed on a sample holder 18 . electrical heating ( e . g . microwave oven ) 20 also disposed in sample chamber 14 forms , together with a control unit st controlling the heating operation and a sensor ( not represented ) for measuring temperature t of sample 16 , a controllable temperature regulating device for the controlled change of sample temperature t in the course of a thermoanalysis . in the example of embodiment represented , control unit st is a processor - controlled device , on which a corresponding control algorithm runs software - based , said control algorithm bringing about , amongst other things , the controlled change in sample temperature t , here for example controlled heating - up of sample 16 at a , for example , constant time - related heating - up rate . for this purpose , control unit st emits a control signal s 1 for controlling the heat output of electrical heating 20 and thus regulates the desired heating - up of sample 16 taking account of continuously measured actual sample temperature t . during the change in sample temperature t in the course of the thermoanalysis , signals can be detected and recorded that are characteristic of different properties of sample 16 . in the example represented , the mass of sample 16 , for example , is continuously measured , for which purpose sample holder 18 is connected to a balance ( not represented ) or contains such a balance . a mass signal tg indicating the current sample mass is delivered by the balance to control unit st . the components of device 10 described hitherto form , as such , a thermogravimetric device of the conventional kind . it is thus possible to measure and record temperature - related changes in sample mass tg in a time - and temperature - resolved manner . fig2 represents , by way of example , the process of a thermogravimetric investigation of a specific rubber mixture by means of device 10 represented in fig1 . the dotted line in fig2 shows the course of sample temperature t , and the solid line shows the course of sample mass tg , in each case plotted against time t . it can be seen from this that , in the course of the heating - up of sample 16 , its mass tg diminishes , which in the represented example can be traced back to thermally induced decomposition processes . in the manner described below , device 10 permits a very informative thermoanalysis , inasmuch as a direct correlation between individual decomposition temperatures or “ mass loss stages ” and the composition of the volatile components ( gases ) thereby liberated is thus enabled . for this purpose , device 10 further comprises a gas analysis device 26 , which in the represented example is formed by a gas chromatograph gc with a downstream quadrupole mass spectrometer ms and is coupled with a thermogravimetric cell 12 via a heatable transfer line 32 , a controllable valve arrangement 28 and a controllable injector system 30 . transfer line 32 is connected via an adapter 34 to thermogravimetric cell 12 , wherein a bypass line 36 emerges in the region of adapter 34 , by means of which bypass line transfer line 32 and downstream components 28 , 30 and 26 can be “ swept ” with helium . valve arrangement 28 forms , together with injector system 30 , a valve / injection system for gas analysis device 26 , said valve / injection system being able to be triggered by control unit st , wherein helium ( or another inert gas ) flowing via bypass line 36 serves as a carrier gas for the gases which can thus be fed to gas analysis device 26 . controllable valve arrangement 28 comprises six valve connections , which are symbolised by six dots in fig1 and which can be connected to one another in different ways via individual valves ( not represented ), depending on the “ switching state ”. as can be seen from the figure , one of the valve connections is directly connected to the end of transfer line 32 . a further valve connection is permanently connected to a vacuum pump ( not represented ) ( an arrow 38 symbolises the removal by suction at this point ). a further valve connection is connected via valve 40 to a carrier gas supply connection ( an arrow 43 symbolises the carrier gas supply of this point ). the carrier gas here is , for example , helium , which is present at valve 40 at a pressure of , for example , several bar . a further valve connection is connected to an inlet of injector system 30 . valve arrangement 28 is driven into one of two possible switching states via a supplied control signal s 2 by the control algorithm running in control unit st . in a first switching state , the valve connections are connected to one another in the manner symbolised in the figure by the solid lines between the valve connections , and the carrier gas supply valve 40 is opened . in this first switching state , an investigation of gases originating from sample chamber 14 does not take place . on the contrary , “ sweeping with the inert gas ( helium )” takes place in this switching state . helium supplied via bypass line 36 flows through transfer line 32 and further through valve arrangement 28 to the suction connection ( see arrow 38 ). moreover , helium is supplied via opened valve 40 and is conveyed onward via valve arrangement 28 to injector system 30 . if a “ gas liberation process ” is detected in the course of the thermoanalysis of sample 16 , a “ control process ” is triggered by control unit st , said control process effecting a switch - over of valve arrangement 28 into a second switching state via control signal s 2 . in this second switching state of valve arrangement 28 , its valve connections are connected to one another in the manner symbolised in the figure by the dashed lines between the valve connections . the second switching state serves to supply injector system 30 with a “ gas sample ” stored in the region of valve arrangement 28 , said gas sample having previously been fed from sample chamber 14 via transfer line 32 into valve arrangement 28 . the supply of this gas sample is driven , while still in the first switching state , by the helium flowing through transfer line 32 . however , when valve arrangement 28 is then brought into the second switching state , a certain quantity of the gases originating from sample 16 is “ captured ” in a gas sample reservoir 42 of valve arrangement 28 and made available for supplying injector system 30 . carrier gas supply valve 40 is closed in this second switching state . in a manner known per se , the gas sample is then fed by means of injector system 30 to a capillary (“ separation column ”) 44 of gas chromatograph gc . the individual gases or gas components then arrive at mass spectrometer ms with respective time lags ( retention times ). injector system 30 is driven here by control unit st by means of a control signal s 3 in order to introduce the gas sample into capillary 44 . the results of the gas examination ( s ) carried out during the thermoanalysis by means of gas analysis device 26 , i . e . in this case one or more retention time - resolved mass spectra , are brought together in an evaluation device a with the information available or recorded in the region of control unit st concerning the course of sample temperature t and the other detected signal or signals and are evaluated at least partially automatically by means of evaluation device a . a distinctive design feature of thermoanalysis device 10 thus already consists in the fact that a gas analysis device ( 28 , 30 , 26 ) constituted so as to be controllable is used in a direct coupling ( via transfer line 32 ) with a device for thermoanalysis ( thermogravimetric cell 12 ). with regard to the embodiment of control unit st and the thermoanalytical method implemented therewith , a further distinctive feature of device 10 consists in the fact that , during the controlled change in sample temperature t in the case of the triggering of the “ control process ”, a special triggering / operational change of the temperature regulation of the sample temperature , described in greater detail below , is also carried out . a control algorithm running in control unit st comprises preliminary processing of mass signal tg delivered by the thermal balance , said preliminary processing consisting in the fact that a time - related rate of change dtg of the sample mass is continuous ascertained from signal tg ( in “ real time ”, e . g . periodically in small time intervals ). this mass change signal dtg is also entered in fig2 . the value of change signal dtg is monitored during the thermoanalysis . if the value of signal dtg meets a predetermined criterion , here for example if the absolute value of signal dtg is greater than a previously set threshold value of 5 %/ min , the “ control process ” is triggered , the effect of which in the represented example is that the increase in sample temperature t normally provided at a constant heating rate of 20 k / min is automatically interrupted and the previously described gas investigation by means of gas analysis device 26 is initiated ( triggering of valve arrangement 28 and injector system 30 ). in other words , the temperature regulation of sample 16 as well as the investigation of gases liberated therefrom is controlled in device 10 according to a control algorithm taking account of mass signal tg detected by means of thermogravimetry ( after further processing into a mass change signal dtg ). in the course of a thermoanalysis represented by way of example in fig2 , such a control process is triggered for the first time after a time t of 17 . 3 min and a sample temperature t of 368 ° c . the threshold value for mass change signal dtg relevant for this , in the example − 5 %/ min , has previously been set by the operator as a “ control parameter ”. as can be seen from fig2 , the heating - up of sample 16 is maintained from this point in time t = 17 . 3 min for a specific length of time ( in the example , approx . 15 min ) and the decomposition gas being liberated at sample 16 is allowed to flow for a short time into valve arrangement 28 or is fed via valve / injection system 28 , 30 to gas chromatograph cg with downstream mass spectrometer ms . a measurement of retention time - resolved mass spectra is automatically started . the control algorithm used here accordingly provides a predefined temperature program with a specific time - dependent change in temperature t of sample 16 , which however is always temporarily interrupted when a “ control process ” is triggered . during such an interruption of the change in sample temperature t , gas analysis device 26 is operated in order to investigate a “ gas sample ” taken at the time when the control process is triggered . the temperature change is automatically continued after termination of the operation of gas analysis device 26 . in the example of fig2 , this takes place at a time t of approx . 32 . 5 min . from this time , a “ normal operation ” of electrical heating 20 again takes place to achieve a heating rate of 20 k / min . in the represented example , a “ control process ” is then again triggered at a time t of 36 . 2 min and a temperature of 441 ° c . this control process in turn produces the same control processes as already described above for the control process lying at t = 17 . 3 . a gas investigation by means of gas analysis device 26 is therefore also automatically started at time t = 36 . 2 min and the heating - up of sample 16 is interrupted . after completion of this measurement , the temperature program is continued in thermogravimetric cell 12 . in the represented example , this “ normal operation ” starts again at a time t of 51 . 0 min . as can be seen from fig2 , no further control process is then triggered in the example until sample temperature t has finally reached its previously set end value ( here : approx . 925 ° c .) at a time t of 74 . 5 min and the thermogravimetric process is therefore ended . as a result of the special functional coupling of the thermogravimetry on the one hand and the gas analysis on the other hand , or as a result of the special triggering of the gas chromatography or gas chromatography with downstream mass spectrometry , it is advantageously possible to assign the results of the gas analysis directly to a “ temperature stage ” without an operator intervention being required for this . in the represented example , the results of the gas investigations ( at temperatures t of 368 ° c . and 441 ° c .) are automatically assigned to the respective temperature stages by means of evaluation unit a and can thus be delivered to the operator in a very informative form . to illustrate the result of the gas investigation delivered in this example for the “ liberation temperature ” of 368 ° c ., fig3 shows a total signal of mass spectrometer ms , which has been delivered over the total period of the gas investigation phase starting at t = 17 . 3 min . in fig3 , the counting rate (“ abundance ”) detected by mass spectrometer ms , corresponding to the total ion flow of the mass spectrometer , is plotted as a function of time t ret which has elapsed since the start ( t = 17 . 3 min ) of the measurement phase . time t ret corresponds to the preceding gas chromatography retention time of the gas component currently detected by mass spectrometer ms . the signal peaks in the total mass spectrometer signal shown in fig3 make clear that the gases liberated from sample 16 at respective temperature t of 368 ° c . comprise a plurality of components . for the precise identification of these gas components , time - resolved mass spectrograms are detected ( and fed to evaluation unit a ) over the entire duration of the retention ( here : approx . 5 min ). fig4 shows in the upper part , by way of example , one such mass spectrum measured with mass spectrometer ms for the peak in the total mass spectrometer signal of fig3 lying at a retention time t ret of 1 . 26 min . an identification of the gas components concerned can take place in the context of a comparison of such mass spectra with known mass spectra ( spectra from the literature ), said comparison being carried out partially or fully automatically by evaluation unit a . in the represented example , these components have been identified as methyl butadiene ( see spectrum from the literature at bottom of fig4 ).	7
the present invention relates to solid dosage forms with a film coating that contains natural honey . the film coating provides the consumer with a strong perception of honey flavor , while the film dosage forms are not so sticky as to deter efficient packaging and eventual handling by the consumer . the following text sets forth a broad description of numerous different embodiments of the present invention . the description is to be construed as exemplary only and does not describe every possible embodiment since describing every possible embodiment would be impractical , if not impossible , and it will be understood that any feature , characteristic , component , composition , ingredient , product , step or methodology described herein can be deleted , combined with or substituted for , in whole or part , any other feature , characteristic , component , composition , ingredient , product , step or methodology described herein . numerous alternative embodiments could be implemented , using either current technology or technology developed after the filing date of this patent , which would still fall within the scope of the claims . all publications and patents cited herein are incorporated herein by reference . unless otherwise noted , the percentage of the materials used in the solid dosage forms of this invention are by total weight of the respective elements of the film coating or the inner core of the solid dosage form . as previously mentioned , solid dosage forms may include a variety of product forms . non - limiting examples of the most common solid dose forms include , but are not limited to compressed tablets , caplets , softgel capsules , solid - filled capsules , liquid - filled capsules , enteric - coated forms , sustained - release forms , solid lozenges , liquid - filled lozenges , mouth and throat drops , effervescent tablets , orally disintegrating tablets and combinations thereof . in one example the solid dosage form is a compressed tablet . in another example , the solid dosage form is not a softgel capsule or a liquid - filled capsule . solid dosage forms are typically swallowed immediately , or slowly dissolved in the mouth . regardless of their form , the solid dosage form is essentially coated in a similar manner to that described below for coating compressed tablets . tablets to be coated are typically manufactured for sale using high speed equipment or machines to efficiently compress large numbers of tablets into solid dosage forms referred to as tablet cores . tableting machines generally referred to as a tablet presses are well known in the art . granulation is fed into the press &# 39 ; hopper by either by scooping or gravity feed through tubes from a granulation transport located in a mezzanine above the press . as the granulation enters the press &# 39 ; hopper an auger distributes it evenly in a consistent flow of granulation onto the press &# 39 ; table . a typical rotary press comprises a round metallic table having a series of consecutive holes about the periphery of the table . tableting dies that dictate the shape of the resulting compressed tablets are locked into the table &# 39 ; s holes by set screws . the dies , open at both ends , accommodate a set of complementary shaped lower punches to prevent the granulation fed into the die from falling or spilling out the bottom of the die . the table rotates as granulation is fed filling the dies . as the table continues to rotate , a second set of complimentary upper punches individually enters each die and are forced downward by a cam roller , compressing the granulation into a designed size and shape . while still rotating , the upper punches pull out of the die as the lower punches rise to push the compressed tablet core out of the die wherein it is directed to a discharge chute and collected in an appropriate receptacle . the compression forces acting on the punches is established by the press operator to provide a desired hardness . tablet press operators constantly check the tablet cores &# 39 ; thickness , weight , hardness and visual condition , making adjustments as necessary to produce tablets within designed specifications at low incidents of defects . this process is repeated until the supply of granulation is exhausted . coating the inner core of a solid dosage form involves pouring bulk product such as a tablet cores into spherical coating pans having an access port on one side of the pan . upon placing bulk product into the pans , the pans rotate wherein the equipment operator applies series of measured aliquots of film coating either by hand or automatically through nozzles suspended on booms within the pans . the film coating is applied to the tumbling product on a specific schedule for even coating , allowing the product to dry between applications . as a result the coating is a series of very thin coatings that form an aesthetically pleasing a smooth , even film coated product surface free of defects such as mottling or orange peeling . film coatings of the solid dosage forms of the present invention can comprise a honey flavor . honey flavor can be selected from the group comprising natural honey , artificial honey , synthetic honey , freeze dried honey , powdered honey solids , and combinations thereof . in one example , the honey flavor is natural honey . natural honey can hide any disagreeable flavors associated with the product medicaments and consumers believe it has inherent health benefits especially compared to other sweeteners such as refined sugar or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame ®. natural honey is increasingly being used in medicinal preparations , as well as food and beverage compositions . as used herein , the term “ natural honey ” includes products made by bees ( apis mellifera l .) or other insects from the nectar of plants or from secretions of living parts of plants that the bees collect , transforming it by combining substances of their own that they deposit , dehydrate , store and leave in the honey comb to ripen and mature including naturally occurring cellulosic enzyme . a supplier of natural honey , symrise inc ., lists that one of their honey products comprises from 45 % to 55 % natural honey as well as 45 % to 55 % propylene glycol , 1 % to 3 % water , 0 . 5 % to 1 % natural flavor , and less than 0 . 5 % disodium edta as a preservative . in one example , the honey flavor is not an artificial honey , synthetic honey , freeze dried honey , or powdered honey solids . in another example , the flavor consists of natural honey flavor . in one example , the natural honey is a liquid before it is combined with other ingredients and processing steps to form the film coated tablets . in one example , the film coating contains natural honey and artificial honey , synthetic honey , or another honey flavor that is not natural honey . as previously mentioned , the taste of natural honey is an important signal to the consumer to reinforce its advertised use in a solid dosage form . therefore , the more natural honey in the film coating the stronger the signal and the more positively the product is received by the consumer . when the level is too high , however , it is believed that the coated solid dose will eventually reach a point where the solid dosage form becomes sticky . as discussed above , when natural honey in film coatings result in being sticky and tacky , manufacturers and consumers alike will be discouraged from making and using respectively such film coated solid dosage forms . given the consumer &# 39 ; s interest to use natural honey containing film coated dosage forms , however , the applicants have striven to develop a film coating that while providing the consumer with a strong perception of honey , the film coated solid dosage forms are not so sticky as to deter efficient packaging and eventual handling by the consumer . the film coated dosage forms have levels of honey so as not to be objectionably sticky as determined by measuring the tablets &# 39 ; static coefficient of friction value or hereinafter referred to as the “ static cof ” of the solid dosage form . the static cof is a dimensionless scalar value that describes the ratio of the force of friction between two bodies and the force pressing them together . the static cof is measured by the following method : test method for determining film coated tablet static coefficient of friction the test is conducted at room temperature of about 20 ° c . to about 25 ° c . and atmospheric relative humidity from about 40 % to about 50 %. the instrument for measuring the frictional forces of the film coated tablets is the 32 - 07 series friction tester , manufactured by testing machines inc . the instrument comprises a weighted sled that is in directly attached to the machine &# 39 ; s pulling arm by a pin . the arm pulls the sled across an aluminum platen attached to the chassis of the tester . the weighted sled &# 39 ; s mass is 1360 grams or 3 pounds . the method of determining the static cof value of film coated solid dosage form such as a coated compressed tablet is determined using the following method : 1 . clean the platen &# 39 ; s aluminum surface by wiping the surface with alcohol swab and allow the platen to dry ; 2 . place a film coated tablet on about the center of the platen ; 3 . place the sled over the tablet on the platen , taking precautions to allow the sled to only rest on the top surface of the tablet ; 4 . insert the sled &# 39 ; s connecting pin into the pulling arm &# 39 ; s bushing and lock the anti - skid arm in the down position therein maintaining the pulling arm &# 39 ; s lateral motion as it crosses the platen in a straight line ; 5 . start the sled &# 39 ; s movement wherein the tester records the static cof value which is the value at the point immediately before the film coated tablet starts to be dragged laterally across the platen ; and 6 . repeat the test on two more film coated tablets from the same coating pan , add all the values and divide by three to obtain the static cof value of the film coated tablets . the relationship of the level of natural honey used in the film coating and the static cof is plotted on the graph corresponding to the figure . the graph in the figure plots the static cof of the film coated tablets of the present invention on the y - axis and the percent of natural honey in the film coating by weight of the film coating on the x - axis . this graph illustrates the nearly linear relationship of these two factors wherein upon reaching a certain percentage of natural honey in the film coating , its corresponding static cof determines whether the performance of the film coated tablets is acceptable in terms of being successfully packaged and handled by consumer without being sticky . the calculation for determining the percentage of honey , as shown on the x axis of the figure , is as follows : the symrise natural honey flavor 229946 is a mixture of real honey and propylene glycol at about a 50 : 50 percentage . therefore , the calculation of percentage honey takes into account the amounts of color coating , sweetener and propylene glycol in the coating ingredients , to determine the percentage of real honey in the coating on the tablet . according to the graph in the figure , the maximum level of natural honey in the tablet &# 39 ; s film coating is about 25 % corresponding to the maximum static cof of the product for successful packaging and handling or a static cof value of about 0 . 40 . it is assumed that the minimum level of natural honey consumers will recognize and taste in a film coating is about 10 % by total weight of the film coating prior to its application . the discrete data points on the graph correspond to examples 1 through 5 described hereafter . the range of natural honey in the film coating of the tablets of the present invention is greater than 0 % to about 25 %, alternatively from about 10 % to about 25 %, alternatively about 13 % to about 23 %, alternatively about 13 % to about 20 %, and alternatively from about 13 % to about 18 % by total weight of the film coating at a static cof value less than 0 . 40 , alternatively less than 0 . 35 , alternatively less than 0 . 30 , alternatively less than 0 . 25 , alternatively less than 0 . 20 . in another embodiment the static cof can be at a level of about 0 . 15 to about 0 . 40 . in another embodiment the static cof can be at a level of about 0 . 15 to about 0 . 35 . in an additional embodiment , the static cof can be at a level of about 0 . 15 to about 0 . 30 . film coating has a number of ingredients that are important in making successfully coated solid dosage forms that have a pleasing appearance as well as functionally provide the designed bioavailability of medicaments that are intended to deliver to the consumer . in one example , the film coating does not contain gelatin . the film coating of the present invention can comprise polymeric materials and a compatible delivery vehicle for the dissolution and distribution of the polymeric materials . additionally most film coatings also comprise adjunct sweeteners , colorants and flavorants in addition to the natural honey , the selection of the polymeric material ( s ) does not favor those that hinder the perception of flavor by the consumer due to “ trapping ” the flavors including that of the natural honey in the coating . the polymeric materials are usually dissolved in a vehicle to be delivered wherein upon delivery to a surface , the polymers experience cross linking of the polymeric chains to make up the polymer . these linkages are frequently covalent bonds , hydrogen bonds that crosslink and lay flat making a smooth film coating . this coating aids in the swallowing and taste masking of the tablet . the polymeric materials for use in the present include polymers selected from the group consisting of hypromellose , hydroxyethyl cellulose , hydroxymethyl cellulose , carboxymethylcellulose sodium , hydroxypropyl cellulose , polyethylene glycol , ethylcellulose and mixtures thereof . also useful in the film coating of the present invention are enteric polymers selected from the group consisting of hypromellose phthalate , polyvinyl acetate phthalate , cellulose acetate phthalate , polymethacrylates , shellac and mixtures thereof . the film coating comprises polymeric materials from about 5 % to about 30 %, alternatively from about 10 % to about 22 %, alternatively from about 15 % to about 20 % by total weight of the film coating prior to its application . lastly polymeric materials usually incorporate plasticizers to enhance the flexibility and or pliability of the cross - linked polymer . this is important when coating solid dosage forms so the coating completely envelops the variety shapes and sizes solid dosage forms presently found in commerce . plasticizers are selected from the group consisting of polyols such as glycerol , propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol ( peg ); organic esters including phthalate esters ; dibutyl sebacete and citrate esters ; castor oil ; acetylated or / and monoglycerides ; fractioned coconut oils and mixtures thereof . a liquid vehicle delivers the polymeric material and all of the other ingredients comprising the solid dosage forms film coating . environmental impact and economic considerations enter the decision of the selected vehicle ; however , the foremost decision resides in which vehicle is most compatible and useful with the polymeric materials . the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of water , alcohols , ketones , esters and mixtures thereof , but generally water is used . the film coating comprises a vehicle that is from about 50 % to about 95 %, alternatively from about 70 % to about 90 %, alternatively from about 80 % to about 85 % by total weight of the film coating prior to its application . notwithstanding the presence of natural honey in sufficiently high levels in the present invention sweeteners may optionally be added to the film coating of the present invention . in another example , sweeteners can be added to the inner core of the solid dosage forms . in one example , the coating , the inner core , and / or the solid dosage form is substantially free of artificial sweeteners . in one example , honey is not present in the inner core . suitable sweeteners for use herein can include aspartame , saccharin and its salts , sucralose ™ ( sold by the mcneil specialty products co ., new brunswick , n . j . ); prosweet ™ ( sold by the virginia dare extract co ., new york , n . y . ); magnasweet ™ ( sold by mafco worldwide corp ., licorice division , camden , n . j . ); ammonium glycyrrhizinate and its salts , talin ™ ( thaumatin ) and its diluted products , such as talin ga90 , ( sold by the talin food company , birkenhead , england ); and acesulfame k , or mixtures thereof . in one example , the sweetener is sucralose . in one example , the film coating can comprise sweeteners from about 0 . 05 % to about 5 %, alternatively from about 0 . 10 % to about 2 %, alternatively from about 0 . 25 % to about 1 . 0 % by total weight of the film coating prior to its application . other flavoring agents that may be used in the film coating and / or the core of the present invention . other flavoring agents can include anise , oil of peppermint , oil of clove , eucalyptus , lemon , lime , honey lemon , red fruit , mint , grapefruit , orange , cherry cola or mixtures thereof . the film coating and / or the core may comprise flavoring agents from about 0 . 05 % to about 25 %, alternatively from about 0 . 1 % to about 20 . 0 %, alternatively from about 2 . 5 % to about 15 . 0 %, and alternatively from about 2 . 5 % to about 8 % by total weight of the film coating prior to its application or by total weight of the core . colorants can also be added to the film coating and / or the core . colorants are selected by one skilled in the art for a number of reasons including marketing of the product . it has herein been found that certain colors assist in providing a signal to consumers regarding the content of the solid dosage form . the colorants may be natural or synthetic dyes and pigments selected from the group consisting of organic dyes and their lakes , iron oxide pigments , titanium dioxide , talc , anthocyanins , carmine , riboflavin , and mixtures thereof . in one example , the solid dosage form does not comprise synthetic dyes or synthetic pigments . in one example , the film coating can comprise a yellow or a honey coloring . the film coating may comprise colorants from about 0 . 05 % to about 3 . 0 %, alternatively from about 0 . 5 % to about 2 . 0 %, alternatively from about 0 . 5 % to about 1 . 5 % to about 0 . 5 % by total weight of the film coating prior to its application . the solid dosage form can comprise actives . the actives can be contained in the film coating and / or the inner core . in one example , the film coating is substantially free of actives . non - limiting examples of actives can include actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition , actives suitable for use with gastrointestinal conditions , vitamins , minerals , elements , plant - derived materials , energy - boosting materials , probiotics , supplements , fiber , prebiotics , and combinations thereof . such actives are grouped generally below for ease of presentation , but as would be understood by those of skill in the art , there is overlap in usage of many of the actives described herein — for example such actives as anti - inflammatory and / or pain actives which can be used with respiratory conditions , gastrointestinal conditions , muscle and joint conditions , menstrual conditions and the like . when used in the inner core , prescription or non - prescription actives can be administered according to a prescribed regimen and can be combined in a system or kit with additional , non - prescription actives as disclosed in co - pending patent application u . s . ser . no . 12 / 971 , 677 , filed dec . 17 , 2010 . the solid dosage forms can comprise from greater than 0 % to about 90 %, alternatively from about 0 . 0001 % to about 75 %, alternatively from about 0 . 001 % to about 50 %, alternatively from about 0 . 01 % to about 25 %, alternatively from about 0 . 01 % to about 15 %, and alternatively from about 0 . 01 % to 10 % active , by weight of the solid dosage form . in another example , the inner core can comprise from about 0 . 5 % to about 70 %, alternatively from about 1 % to about 65 %, alternatively from about 10 % to about 60 %, and alternatively from about 25 % to about 55 % pharmaceutical active , by weight of the inner core . the solid dosage forms can comprise from about 0 . 001 mg to about 1000 mg , alternatively from about 2 . 5 mg to about 750 mg , alternatively from about 5 mg to about 650 mg , alternatively from about 10 mg to about 550 mg , alternatively from about 25 mg to about 500 mg , alternatively from about 50 mg to about 400 mg , alternatively from about 100 mg to about 375 mg , and alternatively from about 200 mg to about 350 mg of the active , per solid dosage form . the solid dosage forms can be administered in a single daily dose or multiple daily doses . in one example , the solid dosage forms are administered every twelve hours , in another example one time every eight hours , in another example one time every six hours , in another example one time every four hours , and in another example the user can administer the solid dosage forms whenever they are needed . the solid dosage form can comprise one or more actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition . respiratory conditions encompass a broad range of conditions , including viral infections such as cold and flu , bacterial infections , as well as allergies , sinusitis , rhinitis , asthma , and the like . respiratory conditions may present with any of a variety of symptoms , such as runny nose , nasal and / or chest congestion , cough , sneezing , pressure , headache , aches , fever , fatigue and / or sore throat . actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition can treat or mitigate these symptoms and generally fall into the following classifications : decongestants , anti - cholinergics , expectorants , antihistamines , antitussives , pain relievers , anti - virals , mucolytics , demulcents , anesthetics , and antibiotics . such actives can include non - prescription pharmaceutical actives and prescription pharmaceutical actives . such solid dosage forms can be prepared by any known or otherwise effective technique as would be understood by those of skill in the art such as those described in this application as well as u . s . 2009 / 0082316 . non - limiting examples of decongestants can include pseudoephedrine , pseudoephedrine hydrochloride , phenylephrine , phenylephrine hydrochloride , phenylpropanolamine , oxymetazoline , xylometazoline , naphazoline , l - desoxyephedrine , ephedrine , propylhexedrine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples anticholinergics can include ipratropium , chlorpheniramine , brompheniramine , diphenhydramine , doxylamine , clemastine , triprolidine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of expectorants can include guaifenesin , ambroxol , bromhexine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of antihistamines can include chlorpheniramine , desloratadine , levocetirizine , diphenhydramine , doxylamine succinate , triprolidine , clemastine , pheniramine , brompheniramine , dexbrompheniramine , loratadine , cetirizine , fexofenadine , amlexanox , alkylamine derivatives , cromolyn , acrivastine , ibudilast , bamipine , ketotifen , nedocromil , omalizumab , dimethindene , oxatomide , pemirolast , pyrrobutamine , pentigetide , thenaldine , picumast , tolpropamine , ramatroban , repirinast , suplatast tosylate aminoalkylethers , tazanolast , bromodiphenhydramine , tranilast , carbinoxamine , traxanox , chlorphenoxamine , diphenylpyraline , embramine , p - methyldiphenhydramine , moxastine , orphenadrine , phenyltoloxamine , setastine , ethylenediamine derivatives , chloropyramine , chlorothen , methapyrilene , pyrilamine , talastine , thenyldiamine , thonzylamine hydrochloride , tripelennamine , piperazines , chlorocyclizine , clocinizine , homochlorcyclizine , hydroxyzine , tricyclics , phenothiazines , mequitazine , promethazine , thiazinamium methylsulfate , azatadine , cyproheptadine , deptropine , isothipendyl , olopatadine , rupatadine , antazoline , astemizole , azelastine , bepotastine , clemizole , ebastine , emedastine , epinastine , levocabastine , mebhydroline , mizolastine , phenindamine , terfenadine , tritoqualine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of antitussives ( i . e . cough suppressants ) can include dextromethorphan , menthol , codeine , chlophedianol , levodropropizine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of pain relievers , can include acetaminophen , ibuprofen , ketoprofen , diclofenac , naproxen , aspirin , and combinations thereof , as well as prescription analgesics , non - limiting examples of which include propyxhene hcl , codeine , meperidine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of anti - virals can include amantidine , rimantadine , pleconaril , zanamivir , oseltamivir , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of mucolytics can include ambroxol , n - acetylcysteine , bromhexine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of demulcents can include glycerin , honey , pectin , gelatin , slippery elm bark , liquid sugar , glycyrrhizin ( licorice ), and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of anesthetics can include phenol , menthol , dyclonine hcl , benzocaine , lidocaine , hexylresorcinol , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of antibiotics can include nitroimidazole antibiotics , tetracyclines , penicillin - based antibiotics such as amoxicillin , cephalosporins , carbopenems , aminoglycosides , macrolide antibiotics , lincosamide antibiotics , 4 - quinolones , fluoroquinolones , rifamycins , macrolides , nitrofurantoin , and combinations thereof ; and any pharmaceutically acceptable salts , metabolites , and combinations thereof of the above - listed actives . in one example , the solid dosage form comprises one or more of the following : decongestants , expectorants , antihistamines , antitussives , and pain relievers . in one example the solid dosage form comprises a decongestant , an expectorant , an antitussive , and a pain reliever . in another example the solid dosage form comprises a decongestant , a pain reliever , and an antitussive . in one example , the decongestant is selected from the group consisting of pseudoephedrine hydrochloride , phenylephrine hydrochloride , and combinations thereof . in one example , the expectorant can be guaifenesin . in one example , the antihistamine can be chlorpheniramine . in one example the antitussive can be selected from the group consisting of dextromethorphan , codeine , and combinations thereof . in one example the pain relievers can include acetaminophen , ibuprofen , or combinations thereof . in one example , the dosage unit can be formulated as a daytime formula and can further comprise caffeine which is a stimulant . in another example , the dosage unit can be formulated as a nighttime formula and comprise a sedative and / or be formulated without a stimulant in one example , the dosage units comprise one or more actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition , in another example the dosage units comprise two or more actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition , in another example the dosage units comprise three or more actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition , and in another example the dosage units comprise four or more actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition . in one example , the dosage unit comprises exactly one active suitable for use with a respiratory condition , in another example exactly two actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition , in another example exactly three actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition , and in another example exactly four actives suitable for use with a respiratory condition . in one example the dosage units comprise acetaminophen , dextromethorphan , and phenylephrine . in another example the dosage units comprise acetaminophen , dextromethorphan , phenylephrine , and guaifenesin . the solid dosage form can comprise one or more actives suitable for use with a gastrointestinal condition . actives suitable for use with a gastrointestinal condition can treat or mitigate gastrointestinal symptoms and generally fall into the following classifications : anti - diarrheal actives , laxatives , antacids , anti - flatulent / anti - gas agents , h2 receptor antagonists , proton pump inhibitors , and anti - inflammatories . non - limiting examples of actives suitable for use with gastrointestinal conditions can include : non - limiting examples of anti - diarrheal actives can include loperamide , bismuth - containing compositions , bismuth subsalicylate , colloidal bismuth subcitrate , bismuth subcitrate , kaolin , pectin , clays such as attapulgite , activated charcoal , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of laxatives can include fiber , resistant starch , resistant maltodextrin , pectin , cellulose , modified cellulose , polycarbophil , senna , sennosides , bisacodyl , sodium phosphate , docusate , magnesium citrate , mineral oil , glycerin , aloe , castor oil , magnesium hydroxide , and combinations thereof ; anti - nausea and anti - emetic agent , non - limiting examples of which include bismuth containing compositions , phosphated carbohydrates , diphenhydramine , cyclizine , meclizine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of antacids can include sodium bicarbonate , sodium carbonate , calcium carbonate , magnesium carbonate , magnesium hydroxide , aluminum hydroxide , magnesium silicates , alginic acids , sodium alginate , magaldrate , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of anti - flattulent / anti - gas agents can include simethicone , activated charcoal , lactase , alpha - galactosidase enzymes , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of h2 receptor antagonists can include famotidine , ranitidine , cimetidine , nitazidine , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of proton pump inhibitors can include omeprazole , lansoprazole , esomeprazole , pantoprazole , rabeprazole , and combinations thereof ; non - limiting examples of anti - inflammatories can include mesalamine ; and any pharmaceutically acceptable salts , metabolites , and combinations thereof ; rafting agents non - limiting examples of which include alginates ; pectins and polysaccharides , and combinations thereof of the above - listed actives . the solid dosage forms can comprise one or more vitamins , including but not limited to provitamin and all forms of vitamins c , d , a , b , e , and combinations thereof . in one example , the vitamin is vitamin c in the form of ascorbic acid or the equivalent of a salt of ascorbic acid or the equivalent of a derivative of ascorbic acid . in one example , the vitamin c can be an immediate release form and in another example the vitamin c can be in a sustained release form . nonlimiting examples of vitamin d can include vitamin d3 ( cholecalciferol ), vitamin d2 ( ergocalciferol ) and combinations thereof . additional , nonlimiting examples also include metabolites of vitamin d , including calcidiol , calcitriol , and combinations thereof . the vitamin d , including cholecalciferol , ergocalciferol , calcidiol and calcitriol , may be derived from synthetic or natural sources . vitamin d , including cholecalciferol and calcitriol , may be sourced from an extract of solanum glaucophyllum ( malacoxylon ), trisetum flavescens ( goldhafer ) or cestrum diurnum . both the pure vitamin d and / or glycosides of the vitamin d , may be used . non - limiting examples of the vitamin a useful in the present invention can include vitamin a , retinol , retinyl palmitate , retinyl acetate , retinyl proprionate , beta - carotene , alpha - carotene , beta - cryptoxanthin , and mixtures thereof . non - limiting examples of vitamin b can include vitamin b1 ( thiamin ), vitamin b2 ( riboflavin ), vitamin b3 ( niacin ), vitamin b5 ( pantothenic acid ), vitamin b6 ( pyridoxine , pyridoxal , or pyridoxamine ), vitamin b7 ( biotin ), vitamin b9 ( folic acid ), vitamin b12 ( cyanocobalamin ), and combinations thereof . in one example , the inner core of the solid dosage forms can comprise vitamin e . vitamin e is a lipid soluble antioxidant and provides defenses against cellular oxidative damage . the term “ vitamin e ” typically includes eight different chemical forms : four tocopherols and four tocotrienols . the most active form of vitamin e is alpha - tocopherol . when certain vitamins , ( also certain minerals , metals , elements and the like ), are included as components in the solid dosage forms , the actual amounts of many of these components , in grams per unit dose , are often extremely small , and make the individual components difficult to handle , measure and process . therefore such components are commonly prepared or purchased as a premix in or on a carrier such as sucrose or lactose . with respect to the weight percent of a given vitamin as a percent of a premix or vitamin - carrier mix , such percentages can vary greatly depending on the vitamin and the amount of vitamin desired , as would be understood by one of skill in the art . generally , however , for vitamins in or on a carrier , the vitamin can comprise , as a weight percent of vitamin to carrier , from about 0 . 0001 % to about 50 %, alternatively from about 0 . 001 % to about 45 %, alternatively from about 0 . 001 % to about 40 %, by weight of the vitamin - carrier composition . the solid dosage forms can comprise minerals , metals and / or elements . non - limiting examples of minerals , metals , and elements useful in the systems of the present invention include : zinc , iron , calcium , iodine , copper and selenium . when present , the minerals , metals and / or elements can be on or in a suitable carrier , and comprise from about 1 % to about 50 % by weight and alternatively from about 2 % to about 30 %, by weight of the composition comprising the mineral , metal or element and the carrier . the minerals , metals , and elements can be administered in a single daily dose or multiple daily doses . the solid dosage forms can comprise plant - derived materials . as used herein , non - limiting examples of plant - derived materials include those used in traditional native american , chinese , aryuvedic and japanese medicine , including flowers , leaves , stems and roots of plants as well as extracts and isolated active components from the flower , leaves , stems , and roots of plants . some particularly useful plant - derived materials include , but are not limited to , andrographis ( andrographis paniculata ), garlic ( allium sativum l . ), eleutherococcus senticosus ( siberian ginseng ), ginseng ( american ginseng , asian ginseng , chinese ginseng , korean red ginseng , panax ginseng : panax ssp . including p . ginseng c . c . meyer , and p . quinquefolius l . ), propolis , slippery elm ( ulmus rubra muhl , ulmus fulva michx ), quercetin ( a flavanol ), and combinations and / or mixtures thereof . particularly useful plant - derived materials are those that have beneficial respiratory , gastrointestinal , overall health and energy effects . the plant - derived materials can be administered in a single dose or multiple daily doses . other plant - derived materials can exert beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal tract , non - limiting examples of which include soothing or demulcent effects , gas reducing or carminative effects , anti - diarrheal or astringent effects , laxative or aperient , cathartic , purgative or hydrogogue effects , analgesic , antispasmodic or relaxation effects , stimulant or bitter effects , or digestive aiding effects . non - limiting examples of such other plant - derived materials useful in the methods and systems include the ginger family ( zigiberaceae ), licorice root ( glycyrrhizin glabra ), marshmallow root ( althea officinalis , althea radix ), chamomile ( matricariae flos , chamaemelum nobile ), fennel oil , fennel seed ( foeniculum vulgare ), caraway oil , caraway seed ( carum carvi , carvi fructus , carvi aetheroleum ), lemon balm ( melissae folium , melissa ), horehound herb ( murrubii herba ), flaxseed alpha - linoleic acid ( lini semen ), and combinations thereof . the solid dosage forms can comprise materials having energy boosting / enhancing benefits . such energy benefits are useful for overall health and well - being , as well as being useful in treating conditions such as respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions , to provide individuals afflicted with such conditions with more energy or a perception of more energy to enable such individuals to maintain their daily routines while treating a condition such as a respiratory or gastrointestinal condition . non - limiting examples of such materials include the following , many of which have multiple benefits including benefits for respiratory and gastrointestinal conditions : caffeine ( a stimulant and diuretic ), vitamin b complex , green and black tea ( which can be used for stimulant and diuretic properties of the caffeine contained therein ), taurine , rhodiola rosea , siberian ginseng ( eleutherococcus senticosus ), vitamin c , iron , coq10 , l - carnitine , l - theanine , vitamin d , guarana ( paullinia cupana ), magnesium , schizandra chinensis , yerba mata ( ilex paraguariensis ), goji ( wolfberry ), quercetin ( a flavanol ), amalaki ( indian gooseberry ), acai ( from genus euterpe ), maca ( lepidium meyenii ), ginkgo biloba , glucuronolactone , panax ginseng ( from species within panax , a genus of 11 species of slow - growing perennial plants with fleshy roots , in the family araliaceae ), echinacea ( genus of nine species of herbaceous plants in the family asteraceae ), rooibos ( aspalathus linearis ), dhea , aromas and aromatherapy , noni ( morinda citrifolia ), mangosteen ( garcinia mangostana ), and selenium . the energy boosting material can be administered in a single daily dose or multiple daily doses . the inner core of the solid dosage forms can comprise from about 1 μg to about 10 g , alternatively from about 1 mg to about 5 g , and alternatively from about 100 mg to about 5 g of energy - boosting / enhancing material , per inner core of the solid dosage form . the solid dosage forms can comprise a probiotic . in one example , the inner core comprises probiotics . proboitcs can be useful in treating and / or preventing respiratory conditions , treating and / or preventing gastrointestinal conditions , as well as providing overall health benefits . as used herein , “ probiotic ” includes natural and / or genetically modified microorganisms , viable or dead ; processed compositions of micro - organisms ; their constituents and components such as proteins and carbohydrates or purified fractions of bacterial ferments ; that beneficially affect a host . the general use of probiotics herein is in the form of viable cells . however , use can be extended to non - viable cells such as killed cultures or compositions containing beneficial factors expressed by the probiotic . killed cultures may include thermally killed microorganisms , or microorganisms killed by exposure to altered ph or subjected to pressure . for the purpose of the present invention , “ probiotic ” is further intended to include metabolites generated by the microorganisms during fermentation , if they are not separately indicated . these metabolites may be released to the medium of fermentation , or they may be stored within the microorganism . as used herein “ probiotic ” also includes bacteria , bacterial homogenates , bacterial proteins , bacterial extracts , bacterial ferment supernatants , and mixtures thereof , which perform beneficial functions to a host animal when given at a therapeutically effective amount . non - limiting examples of probiotic bacteria suitable for use herein can include strains of streptococcus lactis , streptococcus cremoris , streptococcus diacetylactis , streptococcus thermophilus , lactobacillus bulgaricus , lactobacillus acidophilus , lactobacillus helveticus , lactobacillus bifidus , lactobacillus casei , lactobacillus lactis , lactobacillus plantarum , lactobacillus rhamnosus , lactobacillus delbruekii , lactobacillus thermophilus , lactobacillus fermentii , lactobacillus salivarius , lactobacillus reuteri , lactobacillus brevis , lactobacillus paracasei , lactobacillus gasseri , pediococcus cerevisiae , bifidobacterium longum , bifidobacterium infantis , bifidobacterium adolescentis , bifidobacterium bifidum , bifidobacterium animalis , bifidobacterium pseudolongum , bifidobacterium thermophilum , bifidobacterium lactis , bifidobacterium bulgaricus , bifidobacterium breve , bifidobacterium subtilis , escherichia coli and strains of the genera including bacillus , bacteroides , enterococcus ( e . g ., enterococcus faecium ) and leuconostoc , and mixtures and / or combinations thereof . as a portion of the compositions of the inner core of the solid dosage forms , the probiotic , as a freeze - dried powder ( as would be understood by one of skill in the art ) can comprise from about 1 % to about 50 %, alternatively from about 1 % to about 40 %, alternatively from about 1 % to about 30 %, and alternatively from about 2 % to about 20 %, by weight of the composition of the inner core of the solid dosage forms . the probiotic can be administered in a single daily dose or multiple daily doses . the solid dosage forms can also comprise fiber . fiber can be useful in treating and / or preventing gastrointestinal conditions , as well as providing overall gastrointestinal health benefits . as used herein , the term “ fiber ” means carbohydrate polymers including those naturally occurring in food as consumed ; those having been obtained from food raw material by physical , enzymatic or chemical means ; and synthetic carbohydrate polymers , which are resistant to digestion and absorption in the small intestine and have partial fermentation in the large intestine . non - limiting examples of fibers and analogous carbohydrate polymers can include pectins , psyllium , guar gum , xanthan gum , alginates , gum arabic , fructo - oligosaccharides , inulin , agar , beta - glucans , chitins , dextrins , lignin , celluloses , non - starch polysaccharides , carrageenan , reduced starch , and mixtures and / or combinations thereof . in one embodiment , the fiber is glucose polymers , preferably those which have branched chains . among such suitable fibers is one marketed under the tradename “ fibersol2 ”, commercially available from matsutani chemical industry co ., itami city , hyogo , japan . other non - limiting examples of suitable fibers include oligosaccharides , such as inulin and its hydrolysis products commonly known as fructo - oligosaccharides , galacto - oligosaccharides , xylo - oligosaccharides , and oligo derivatives of starch . the fiber can be administered in a single daily dose or multiple daily doses . the inner core of the solid dosage forms can comprise from about 10 mg to about 100 g , alternatively from about 50 mg to about 50 g , alternatively from about 100 mg to about 50 g , alternatively from about 500 mg to about 50 g , and alternatively from about 1 g to about 40 g of fiber , per inner core of the solid dosage form . the solid dosage forms can comprise a prebiotic . prebiotics can be useful in treating and / or preventing gastrointestinal conditions , as well as providing overall gastrointestinal health benefits . as used herein , the term “ prebiotic ” includes substances or compounds that beneficially affect the host mammal by selectively promoting the growth and / or activity of one or more probiotic bacteria in the gastro - intestinal tract of the host animal , thus maintaining normal health or improving health of the host . typically , prebiotics are carbohydrates , ( such as oligosaccharides ), but the term “ prebiotic ” as used herein does not preclude non - carbohydrates . many forms of “ fiber ” exhibit some level of prebiotic effect . thus , there is considerable overlap between substances that can be classified as “ prebiotics ” and those that can be classified as “ fibers ”. non - limiting examples of prebiotics suitable for use in the compositions and methods can include psyllium , fructo - oligosaccharides , inulin , oligofructose , galacto - oligosaccharides , isomalto - oligosaccharides , xylo - oligosaccharides , soy - oligosaccharides , gluco - oligosaccharides , mannan - oligosaccharides , arabinogalactan , arabinxylan , lactosucrose , glucomannan , lactulose , polydextrose , oligodextran , gentioligosaccharide , pectic oligosaccharide , xanthan gum , gum arabic , hemicellulose , resistant starch and its derivatives , reduced starch , and mixtures and / or combinations thereof . the prebiotic can be administered in a single daily dose or multiple daily doses . the inner core of the solid dosage forms can comprise from about 100 mg to about 100 g , alternatively from about 500 mg to about 50 g , and alternatively from about 1 g to about 40 g of prebiotic , per solid dosage form . the solid dosage forms can comprise additional ingredients which can be selected from , but are not limited to : polyphenols , non - limiting examples of which can include tea extract , rosemary extract , rosemarinic acid , coffee extract , caffeine , caffeic acid , turmeric extract , blueberry extract , grape extract , grape seed extract , soy extract and combinations thereof ; amino - acids ; fatty acids ; carotenoids ; anti - oxidants ; and combinations thereof . the additional ingredients may be administered in a single daily dose or multiple daily doses . the solid dosage forms can also comprise an excipient as would be understood by those of skill in the art with respect to production of various types of dosage units . in one example , the inner core comprises the excipient . non - limiting examples of excipients include microcrystalline cellulose , dicalcium phosphate , stearic acid , magnesium stearate , corn starch , lactose , sodium crosscarmellose , sodium starch glycolate , polyvinylpyrollidone , gelatin , and combinations thereof . the inner core of the solid dosage forms can comprise from about 1 % to about 99 %, alternatively from about 2 % to about 70 %, alternatively from about 3 % to about 50 %, alternatively from about 5 % to about 30 %, and alternatively from about 6 % to about 25 %, of the excipient , by weight of the inner core of the solid dosage form . in another example the solid dosage form comprises from about 15 % to about 55 % excipient , in another example from about 20 % to about 45 %, in another example from about 25 % to about 40 %, and in another example from about 30 % to about 38 %, by weight of the solid dosage form . the inner core of the solid dosage forms can also comprise one or more of a wide range of optional ingredients and process aids as would be understood by those of skill in the art with respect to production of various dosage forms . non - limiting examples of optional ingredients include plasticizers , colorants , flavorants , sweeteners , buffering agents , slip aids , carriers , ph adjusting agents , natural ingredients , stabilizers , biological additives such as enzymes ( including proteases and lipases ), chemical additives , coolants , chelants , denaturants , drug astringents , emulsifiers , external analgesics , fragrance compounds , humectants , opacifying agents ( such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide ), anti - foaming agents ( such as silicone ), preservatives ( such as butylated hydroxytoluene ( bht ) and butylated hydroxyanisole ( bha ), propyl gallate , benzalkonium chloride , edta , benzyl alcohol , potassium sorbate , parabens and mixtures thereof ), reducing agents , solvents , hydrotropes , solubilizing agents , suspending agents ( non - surfactant ), solvents , viscosity increasing agents ( aqueous and non - aqueous ), sequestrants , keratolytics , and the like , and mixtures and / or combinations thereof . generally , unless otherwise specified herein , the inner core of the solid dosage forms can comprise from about 0 . 001 % to about 99 %, alternatively from about 0 . 01 % to about 80 %, alternatively from about 0 . 01 % to about 50 %, and alternatively from about 0 . 01 % to about 10 %, of optional ingredient ( s ) by weight of the composition of the inner core of the solid dosage form . sweeteners and flavors may optionally be added to the inner core of the solid dosage compositions and / or the film coating honey compositions of the present invention . suitable flavors for use herein include aspartame , saccharin and its salts , sucralose ™ ( sold by the mcneil specialty products co ., new brunswick , n . j . ); prosweet ™ ( sold by the virginia dare extract co ., new york , n . y . ); magnasweet ™ ( sold by mafco worldwide corp ., licorice division , camden , n . j . ); ammonium glycyrrhizinate and its salts , talin ™ ( thaumatin ) and its diluted products , such as talin ga90 , ( sold by the talin food company , birkenhead , england ); and acesulfame k , or mixtures thereof . the inner core and the film coating of the present invention may further comprise sensory agents . suitable non - limiting examples of sensory agents can include sensory agents selected from the group consisting of coolants , salivating agents , warming agents or mixtures thereof . when present , these agents are preferably present in the compositions at a level of from about 0 . 001 % to about 10 %, preferably from about 0 . 1 % to about 1 %, by weight of the composition . non - limiting examples of suitable cooling agents include but are not limited to , carboxamides , menthols , thymol , camphor , phenol , eucalyptus oil , benzyl alcohol , salicyl alcohol , ethanol , clove bud oil , and hexylresorcinol , ketals , diols , and mixtures thereof . preferred warming agents include thymol , camphor , capsicum , phenol , benzyl alcohol , salicyl alcohol , ethanol , clove bud oil , and hexylresorcinol , nicotinate esters such as benzyl nicotinate , ketals , diols , capsicum , and mixtures thereof . coolants can include the paramenthan carboxyamide agents such as n - ethyl - p - menthan - 3 - carboxamide ( known as “ ws - 3 ” supplied by sterling organics ), taught by u . s . pat . no . 4 , 136 , 163 , issued jan . 23 , 1979 , to watson et al . and carboxyamide agent is n , 2 , 3 - trimethyl - 2 - isopropylbutanamide , known as “ ws - 23 ”, or mixtures of ws - 3 and ws - 23 . in one example , the solid dosage form comprises ws - 3 . additional coolants can be selected from the group consisting of menthol , 3 - l - menthoxypropane - 1 , 2 - diol , known as tk - 10 or cool agent 10 , supplied by takasago perfumery co ., ltd ., tokyo , japan , menthone glycerol acetal known as mga , manufactured by haarmann and reimer , menthyl lactate known as frescolat ® manufactured by haarmann and reimer , or mixtures thereof . additional non - limiting examples of coolants include n -( 4 - cyanomethylphenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide or n -( 4 - cyanomethylphenyl )- 5 - methyl - 2 -( 1 - methylethyl ) cyclohexanecarboxamide ( for example , commercially available from givaudan ), n -( 2 -( pyridin - 2 - yl ) ethyl - 3 - p - menthanecarboxamide ( for example , commercially available from givaudan ), n -( 4 - sulfamoylphenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide , n -( 4 - cyanophenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide , n -( 4 - acetylphenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide , n -( 4 - hydroxymethylphenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide , n -( 3 - hydroxy - 4 - methoxyphenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide , ethyl 3 -( ρp - menthane - 3 - carboxamido ) acetate ( for example , known as ws - 5 ), ρ - menthane - 3 , 8 - diol ( for example , commercially available as pmd38 from takasago international ), isopulegol ( for example , commercially available under the name “ coolact p ®” from takasago international ), ( 1r , 2s , 5r )- 2 - isopropyl - 5 - methyl - n -( 2 -( pyridyn - 2 - yl ) ethylcyclohexane carboxamide , ( 1 - glyceryl - p - menthane - 3 - carboxylate ), ( ethyleneglycol - p - methane - 3 - carboxylate ), ( n - t - butyl - p - menthane - 3 - carboxamide ), ( n -( 4 - ethoxyphenyl )- p - menthane - 3 - carboxamide ), 3 -( 1 - menthoxy ) propane - 1 , 2 - diol , 3 -( 1 - menthoxy )- 2 - methylpropane - 1 , 2 - diol , menthyl pyrrolidone carboxylate ) ( for example , commercially available as questice ®), ( 1r , 3r , 4s )- 3 - menthyl - 3 , 6 - dioxaheptanoate ( for example , commercially available from firmenich ), ( 1r , 2s , 5r )- 3 - menthyl methoxyacetate ( for example , commercially available from firmenich ), ( 1r , 2s , 5r )- 3 - menthyl 3 , 6 , 9 - trioxadecanoate ( for example , commercially available from firmenich ), ( 1r , 2s , 5r )- menthyl 11 - hydroxy - 3 , 6 , 9 - trioxaundecanoate ( for example , commercially available from firmenich ), ( 1r , 2s , 5r )- 3 - menthyl ( 2 - hydroxyethoxy ) acetate ( for example , commercially available from firmenich ), cubebol ( for example , commercially available from firmenich ), 1 -[ 2 - hydroxyphenyl ]- 4 -[ 2 - nitrophenyl -]- 1 , 2 , 3 , 6 - tetrahydropyrimidine - 2 - one ), 4 - methyl - 3 -( 1 - pyrrolidinyl )- 2 [ 5h ]- furanone ( for example , known as icilin or ag - 3 - 5 ), menthyl lactate , menthone glycerin acetal , l - monomenthyl succinate , l - monomenthyl glutarate , 3 - l - menthoxypropane - 1 , 2 - diol ( for example , known as coolact 10 ), 2 - l - menthoxyethanol ( for example , known as cooltact 5 ), and mixtures thereof . additional coolants are described in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 414 , 152 , us20100086498 a1 and wo2010 / 128026 a2 . in one embodiment , the coolant is n -( 4 - cyanomethylphenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide including all 8 stereoisomers arising from the 3 chiral centers . in particular , the [ 1r , 2s , 5r ]- n -( 4 - cyanomethylphenyl )- ρ - menthanecarboxamide can be readily synthesized from natural 1 - menthol . the film coated tablets described herein can be made by any suitable tableting and coating process . examples 1 - 4 , described hereafter , describe a pan coating process . the film coating can be applied as a liquid film coating . in one example the liquid film coating comprises from about 8 % to about 25 % solids , in another example from about 12 % to about 24 % solids , in another example from about 13 % to about 21 % solids , and in another example from about 14 % to about 19 % solids , by weight of the liquid film coating . in one example , when the pan coating process is complete , the tablet cores have a total weight gain of about 0 . 5 % to about 10 %, in another example from about 1 % to about 8 %, in another example from about 2 % to about 6 %, and in another example from about 2 . 5 % to about 5 %. in one example , the tablet cores have a total weight gain of about 3 %. tablet cores are prepared by normal tableting practices on a high speed tablet press at medium compression pressure . 3 available as a powder from tate and lyle inc . singapore pte ltd . the tablets are then coated in a vector tablet coater lcd 5 with a 1 . 3 l spray pan . prepare coating solution by weighing out the water and with mixing using for example a four blade propeller , slowly add colorant with an agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes or until completely dispersed . slowly add flavor and sweetener with mixing for about 15 minutes until homogeneous . at this point the 14 . 3 % solids coating solution is ready for use for coating tablet cores . weigh out about 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start spray about 3 grams per minute until the coating is evenly found on the tablet cores and then increase the level of coating solids sprayed to between 7 and 8 grams per minute . the total spraying time of the coating is typically less than about 30 minutes to achieve the final tablets weight gain of 3 %. time and volume of film coat applied varies depending on what is the desired weight gain . tablet cores are prepared by normal tableting practices on a high speed tablet press at medium compression pressure . these tablets are then coated in a vector tablet coater lcd 5 with a 1 . 3 l spray pan . prepare coating solution by weighing out the water and with mixing using for example a four blade propeller , slowly add colorant with an agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes or until completely dispersed . slowly add flavor and sweetener with mixing for about 15 minutes until homogeneous . at this point the coating is ready for use for coating tablet cores . weigh out about 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start spray about 3 grams per minute until the coating is evenly found on the tablet cores and then increase the level of coating solids sprayed to between 7 and 8 grams per minute . the total spraying time of the coating is less than 30 minutes wherein the final weight gain of the tablet by coating is 3 . 0 %. coating ingredients % purified water 83 . 6 opadry ii yellow 57u120009 1 9 . 53 natural honey flavor 229946 2 6 . 35 sucralose nf 3 0 . 53 1 available from colorcon inc . 2 available as a liquid from symrise inc . 3 available as a powder from tate and lyle inc . singapore pte ltd . the coating solution is prepared by weighing out the water and mixed with a four blade propeller the colorant is added slowly with agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes to disperse . then the flavor and sweetener are added slowly and mixed for another 15 minutes . the 16 . 4 % solids dispersion is then ready to be sprayed on the tablet cores . weigh out about 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start the amount of coating solids sprayed per minute is about 3 grams and is increased to between 7 and 8 grams per minute after a base coat is applies to the tablets . the total spraying time of the coating is typically less than about 30 minutes to achieve the final tablets weight gain of 3 %. time and volume of film coat applied varies depending on what is the desired weight gain . tablet are prepared by normal tableting practices on a high speed tablet press at medium compression pressure . these tablets are then coated in a vector tablet coater lcd 5 with a 1 . 3 l spray pan . prepare coating solution by weighing out the water and with mixing using for example a four blade propeller , slowly add colorant with an agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes or until completely dispersed . slowly add flavor and sweetener with mixing for about 15 minutes until homogeneous . at this point the 18 . 5 % solids coating solution is ready for use for coating tablet cores . weigh out about 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start spray about 3 grams per minute until the coating is evenly found on the tablet cores and then increase the level of coating solids sprayed to between 7 and 8 grams per minute . the total spraying time of the coating is typically less than about 30 minutes to achieve the final tablets weight gain of 3 %. time and volume of film coat applied varies depending on what is the desired weight gain . 3 available as a powder from tate and lyle inc . singapore pte ltd . the coating solution is prepared by weighing out the water and mixed with a four blade propeller the colorant is added slowly with agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes to disperse . then the flavor and sweetener are added slowly and mixed for another 15 minutes . the dispersion is then ready to be sprayed on the tablet cores . weigh out about 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start the amount of coating solids sprayed per minute is about 3 grams and is increased to between 7 and 8 grams per minute after a base coat is applies to the tablets . the total spraying time of the coating is less than 30 minutes . the total spraying time of the coating is typically less than about 30 minutes to achieve the final tablets weight gain of 3 %. time and volume of film coat applied varies depending on what is the desired weight gain . tablet cores are prepared by normal tableting practices on a high speed tablet press at medium compression pressure . these tablets are the coated in a vector tablet coater lcd 5 with a 1 . 3 l spray pan . prepare coating solution by weighing out the water and with mixing using for example a four blade propeller , slowly add colorant with an agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes or until completely dispersed . slowly add flavor and sweetener with mixing for about 15 minutes until homogeneous . at this point the coating solution containing 20 . 6 % solids is ready for use for coating tablet cores . weigh out about 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start spray about 3 grams per minute until the coating is evenly found on the tablet cores and then increase the level of coating solids sprayed to between 7 and 8 grams per minute . the total spraying time of the coating is typically less than about 30 minutes to achieve the final tablets weight gain of 3 %. time and volume of film coat applied is varies depending on what is the desired weight gain . 3 available as a powder from tate and lyle inc . singapore pte ltd . the coating solution is prepared by weighing out the water and mixed with a four blade propeller the colorant is added slowly with agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes to disperse . then the flavor and sweetener are added slowly and mixed for another 15 minutes . the dispersion is then ready to be sprayed on the tablet cores . weigh out about 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start the amount of coating solids sprayed per minute is about 3 grams and is increased to between 7 and 8 grams per minute after a base coat is applies to the tablets . the total spraying time of the coating is typically less than about 30 minutes to achieve the final tablets weight gain of 3 %. time and volume of film coat applied varies depending on what is the desired weight gain . tablet cores are prepared by normal tableting practices on a high speed tablet press at medium compression pressure . these tablets are then coated in a vector tablet coater lcd 5 with a 1 . 3 l spray pan . prepare coating solution by weighing out the water and with mixing using for example a four blade propeller , slowly add colorant with an agitation speed of 200 - 700 rpm for 45 minutes or until completely dispersed . at this point the coating is ready for use for coating tablet cores . weigh out tablets 1 kg of tablets and place in the tablet coater . set bed temperature to 45 ° c . and inlet temperature to 75 ° c . allow the tablets to come to a bed temperature of 40 - 50 ° c . at a pan speed of 12 rpm and equilibrate for 15 minutes . the spray nozzle is centered in the pan with a working distance of 7 . 5 cm from the tablet bed at a 45 degree angle or at just the peak of the tablet fall in the coater . at the start spray about 3 grams per minute until the coating is evenly found on the tablet cores and then increase the level of coating solids sprayed to between 7 and 8 grams per minute . the spraying takes place to a final weight gain on the tablet of about 3 %. 1 available from protec ingredia ltd , uk as xanthan gum novaxan 80t 1 the liquid composition of example 6 can be made by first mixing the water and high fructose corn syrup to make the water phase . separately , propylene glycol , polyethylene glycol , flavors / sensates , natural honey flavor , acetaminophen , dextromethorphan hydrobromide and doxylamine succinate are combined and mixed to form a glycol premix . xanthan gum and pectin are added to the glycol pre - mix and mixed until dispersed . the glycol premix is added to the water phase and mixed to combine . the sodium citrate dihydrate , citric acid anhydrous , sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate are added to the batch and mixed until dissolved . the solid dose honey coated tablet of example 1 is compared to a liquid composition containing 2 . 5 % w / w liquid honey of example 6 . participants suffering from cold - related symptoms within the last 36 hours , with at least 2 symptoms selected from body aches , chest congestion , cough , fatigue , fever , headache , post nasal drip , runny nose , sneezing , sinus congestion / nasal congestion / stuffy nose , sinus pressure , sinus pain , or sore throat , and intend to treat their symptoms with an over - the - counter cough cold product are recruited . participants include both males and females , over the age of 18 . participants are divided into two groups . the first group of participants ( n = 77 ) are directed to ingest 2 solid dose caplets per dose , with water as they would normally treat their cold / flu symptoms , over 3 days . alternatively , the second group of participants ( n = 200 ) are directed to ingest 30 ml of the liquid composition per dose , as they would normally treat their cold / flu symptoms , over 3 days . following completion of the study , participants are asked to rate the honey flavor of the example 1 , the solid dose tablet , or example 6 , the liquid composition , using a scale of excellent (= 100 ), very good (= 75 ), good (= 50 ), fair (= 25 ) or poor (═ o ). then the scores , are averaged to determine the final score for each example . the liquid composition of example 6 had a score of 66 and the solid dose of example 1 had a score of 82 the difference is statistically significant ( p & lt ; 0 . 05 ). the dimensions and values disclosed herein are not to be understood as being strictly limited to the exact numerical values recited . instead , unless otherwise specified , each such dimension is intended to mean both the recited value and a functionally equivalent range surrounding that value . for example , a dimension disclosed as “ 40 mm ” is intended to mean “ about 40 mm .” while particular embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described , it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . it is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such changes and modifications that are within the scope of this invention . it is noted that terms like “ preferably ,” “ generally ,” “ commonly ,” “ typically ” and “ alternatively ” are not utilized herein to limit the scope of the claimed embodiments or to imply that certain features are critical , essential , or even important to the structures or functions . rather , these terms are merely intended to highlight alternative or additional features that may or may not be utilized in a particular embodiment . for the purposes of describing and defining the various embodiments it is additionally noted that the term “ substantially ” is utilized herein to represent the inherent degree of uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison , value , measurement , or other representation . the term “ substantially ” is also utilized herein to represent the degree by which a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue . every document cited herein , including any cross referenced or related patent or application , is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety unless expressly excluded or otherwise limited . the citation of any document is not an admission that it is prior art with respect to any invention disclosed or claimed herein or that it alone , or in any combination with any other reference or references , teaches , suggests or discloses any such invention . further , to the extent that any meaning or definition of a term in this document conflicts with any meaning or definition of the same term in a document incorporated by reference , the meaning or definition assigned to that term in this document shall govern .	0
table 1 provides a list of the main chitosan materials acquired for hemorrhage control testing . with the exception of the gelfoam ™+ thrombin , and surgicel ™ controls for swine spleen experiments and the johnson and johnson 4 ″× 4 ″ gauze control for use in swine aortic perforations , the dressing materials were all chitosan - based . aqueous solutions ( 2 . 00 % w / w ) were prepared in clean , sterile , 1 liter pyrex flasks from ametek uf water and dry chitosan . in the case of the carbomer , primex and genis chitosan materials , 1 . 0 % or 2 . 0 % w / w of glacial acetic acid ( aldrich 99 . 99 %) was added to the aqueous mixtures . dissolution was achieved by shaking of the flask at 40 ° c . for 12 to 48 hours . the solutions were degassed by application of vacuum at 500 mtorr at room temperature immediately prior to freezing . wound dressings were prepared from the 2 % aqueous solutions of chitosan that were poured into teflon ™- coated aluminum or polystyrene molds to at least 1 . 5 cm deep and frozen in a − 80 ° c . revco freezer at − 45 ° c . for 3 hours . alternatively , freezing was carried out on the shelves inside a virtis genesis 35el freeze drier . there was at most 10 % shrinkage in the wound dressings and the final freeze - dried wound dressing density was near 0 . 033 g / cm 3 . transverse cross sections of two types of molded wound dressings are shown in fig1 & amp ; 2 ( different freezing rates ). the structures observed ( see also fig3 ) were affected by the rates of cooling in the bulk solution and at the different surfaces . subsequently , structures in the wound dressings were controlled by formulation , mold ( size & amp ; shape ) and freezing conditions . optimal wound dressing structures were those that were open - porous consisting of uniform interconnected pores of close to 50 microns in diameter or lamella and hexagonal structures normal to the plane of cooling , these structures could be controlled , yielding flexible yet strong wound dressings of large specific surface areas for highly efficient and rapid blood coagulation . typically the available specific surface area for such structures were greater than 500 cm 2 / g . the scanning electron photomicrograph in fig5 shows the typical open cell structure in the base surface of a wound dressing . the wound dressings were heated in a convection oven at 80 ± 1 ° c . for one half hour to optimize the structure and distribution of acetic acid concentration . it was found that this step was essential to optimize the adhesive properties of the wound dressing in a bleeding field ( typically adhesion to dermis & gt ; 40 kpa ). the wound dressings were immediately compressed from 17 mm thickness to 5 . 5 ± 0 . 5 mm at 80 ± 5 ° c . under a loading of close to 50 kpa . ( from ca . density 0 . 03 ± 0 . 005 g / cm 3 to 0 . 12 ± 0 . 02 g / cm 3 ). fig4 shows the appearance of the base of a typical preferred chitosan wound dressing for hemorrhage control after heating and compression . a preferred method preparation of hemostatic wound dressings is as follows : a ) dry chitosan powder or flake with degree of deactylation above 85 %, less than 26 ppm metallic component and greater than 90 % dry solids content was made into a 2 % aqueous solution ( w / w ) with 2 or 1 % acetic acid ( w / w ) at 40 ° c . b ) the solution of chitosan from a ) above was degassed under reduced pressure at up to 500 mtorr under agitation for at least 5 minutes and poured into a mold to a depth of 1 . 7 cm . certain low - density , foam structures exhibited problems due to their ready dissolution in a bleeding field . these problems were generally avoided by thorough degassing of the solution . c ) the mould containing the degassed chitosan solution was frozen by cooling from room temperature to − 45 ° c . a linear cooling ramp was used over a 90 minute period , and the temperature was maintained at − 45 ° c . for at least another hour . d ) the frozen chitosan was then freeze dried using a condenser which was at a temperature below − 70 ° c . and a vacuum at about 100 mtorr . the shelf temperature was ramped from − 45 ° c . to − 15 ° c . and held at that level for 10 hours . a further 36 - 48 hours of freeze drying at 10 ° c . was then performed . freeze drying was performed until achieving close to about 2 . 8 % of the original frozen plaque mass . e ) at 2 . 8 % of original mass , the process was stopped and the freeze dried wound dressing removed from the mold . f ) the product formed was an acid buffered , water soluble , high specific surface area wound dressing that had shrunk 10 % from its original frozen volume . the wound dressing structure was generally a uniform open porous structure with 50 to 80 micron diameter interconnecting pores . using a slightly different cooling regime in which super - cooling was not affected , a lamella / hexagonal structure ( with uniformly thin chitosan sheets close to 5 microns thick with close to 50 microns separation between sheets ) was achieved . g ) the wound dressing was then compressed ( from 1 . 7 cm to ca . 0 . 5 cm thick ) between smooth and flat platens heated to 80 ± 2 ° c . under application of 60 ± 20 kpa pressure . h ) next , the dressing was conditioned in a convection oven by heating at 80 ± 5 ° c . for 30 minutes . i ) each wound dressing was then stored in labeled kapak 530 heat sealed pouches . j ) the resultant pressed wound dressing was tough , flexible , hemostatic , adherent to wet tissue and resistant to dissolution by streaming blood . k ) improved dissolution properties , improved adhesion strength and sterilization were achieved by exposure of the wound dressing to 15 kgy gamma irradiation under nitrogen atmosphere . in vivo evaluation of hemostasis of candidate hemorrhage control dressings of varying composition and structure was screened in increasingly challenging animal models of hemorrhage as hereinafter described . a spleen laceration model was utilized in order to be able to screen large numbers of candidate dressings in a simple reproducible model and to compare them to conventional materials . although this is the least challenging bleeding model ( mild oozing bleeding ca . 2 - 5 ml / min ), most initial wound dressing formulations failed this test . also all chitosan gels , powders failed in this test while films performed poorly . prior to testing in a severe hemorrhage model , swine were anticoagulated with systemic intravenous heparin and better materials were tested in a capsulated spleen stripping model ( strong oozing bleeding ca . 10 - 20 ml / min ). those few materials that passed this test were then evaluated in the carotid laceration model ( ca . 50 ml / min ) in anticoagulated swine . wound dressing formulations of candidate materials passing this test were then tested on the swine aortotomy model with in which 4 mm diameter perforations in were made in the thoracic or abdominal aortas . materials passing these challenging models of severe vascular hemorrhage ( bleeding rates in excess of 100 ml / min ) were also tested in a severe ( grade v ) model of hepatic trauma . the testing described here was carried out on healthy animals that had previously undergone procedures and were scheduled to be sacrificed for evaluation . all experiments were performed in accordance with the 1996 nation research council , “ guide for the care and use of laboratory animal ” and applicable federal regulations . after identification of the animal , anesthesia was induced with telazol 4 - 9 mg / kg i / m . isoflurane was given by mask and the animal was intubated . the chitosan patches for the laceration and capsular stripping experiments were either equal size quarter pieces cut from a 37 mm diameter wound dressing or 1 . 5 cm × 1 . 5 cm wound dressing pieces cut from a larger wound dressing . control materials of gelfoam ™+ thrombin or surgicel ™ were prepared from 1 . 5 cm × 1 . 5 cm pieces . gelfoam ™ size 100 , absorbable gelatin wound dressing , was supplied by pharmacia . oxidized cellulose , surgicel ™, was supplied by ethicon . topical thrombin ( bovine origin ) 10 , 000 u . s . units was supplied by jones pharma . the gelfoam ™+ thrombin was prepared before use by soaking of 1 . 5 cm × 1 . 5 cm × 0 . 8 cm wound dressings in the thrombin for 30 minutes . a midline ventral laporatomy was performed . the top half of the spleen was exteriorized ( apposing the surgical wound with towel clamps ). the surface was kept moist by the application of sterile saline solution from a wet lap pad . for anticoagulation , the right femoral artery was surgically isolated and cannulated with a 6f sheath , allowing for collecting blood samples . the activated clotting time ( act ) was measured before administration of 5000 units of heparin intravenously , 10 minutes after administration of heparin and every 20 minutes thereafter . if the act level was less than 200 seconds , 2000 units of heparin were given and the act was remeasured after 10 minutes . this was repeated until the act & gt ; 200 seconds to ensure that the animal was anticoagulated . the area of splenic testing was demarcated and kept moist by using the towel clamps and wet pads and only exposing the most immediate untested surface . a single injury was made prior to the application of a test patch , as follows : ( i ) in the laceration model , the injury ( 8 mm long × 4 mm deep ) was made using a # 11 surgical blade positioned in a right - angled forceps so that 4 mm of blade was protruding . ( ii ) in the capsular stripping model , the injury ( 5 mm × 5 mm × 4 mm deep ) was made using the clamped # 11 blade and a pair of surgical scissors . after making the injury , bleeding was allowed for 30 seconds . the surface blood was removed with gauze , following which a test patch was applied digitally to the injury using a constant uniform pressure for 30 seconds . the digital pressure was then removed and the patch was observed for two minutes . at this stage , the trial number was recorded . if observable rebleeding occured , the time to rebleed was recorded and the next trial ( 30 second bleed , clean away blood with gauze , 30 seconds digital pressure followed by up to 2 minutes observation ) commenced . the trial for a test patch was complete when no rebleeding occurred in the 2 minute observation period or if 6 trial rebleeds were observed . if the wound continued to rebleed for 6 trial periods , then the failed patch was removed and a gelfoam + thrombin patch applied . a new injury was made and another patch tested . in the case of the carotid laceration model , chitosan patches ( 37 mm × 25 mm ) were cut from the 37 mm diameter compressed wound dressing or larger wound dressings . for facility in application , some of the wound dressings had a top layer of 3m 9781 foam medical tape attached to the chitosan with 3m 9942 skin adhesive . gelfoam ™+ thrombin was used as a control . a vertical incision was made exposing a 10 cm length of carotid artery . the fascia was retracted and the surrounding soft tissue was dissected until the artery was supported on a flat base of tissue . tie - off sutures were placed proximal and distal to the exposed artery . these were clamped and a 1 . 5 cm incision was made longitudinally in the artery . for anticoagulation , the right femoral artery was surgically isolated and cannulated with a 6f sheath , allowing for collecting blood samples . the activated clotting time ( act ) was measured before administration of 5000 units of heparin intravenously , 10 minutes after administration of heparin and every 20 minutes thereafter . if the act level was less than 200 seconds , 2000 units of heparin were given and the act was remeasured after 10 minutes . this was repeated until the act & gt ; 200 seconds to ensure that the animal was anticoagulated . after making the incision , the artery was allowed to bleed for 2 seconds and then was compressed for 1 minute . the compression was removed and the ties were re - clamped . the area was flushed with saline . the ties were unclamped 2 seconds before application of a patch . pressure was applied uniformly over the patch for 3 minutes . if bleeding was observed within 30 minutes after application of pressure , then another 3 minutes of pressure was re - applied . if the patch was not adhering then it was replaced with a new patch . each re - application of pressure , or replacement of a patch of the same type were treated as trial periods for that patch type . a trial for a particular wound dressing was considered complete if no bleeding was observed from around , or through the patch in a 30 minute period . a material was rated on the number of trials it took to achieve 30 minutes of hemostasis ( no observable bleeding from the wound ). in the case of swine aorta perforation , sample patches of compressed chitosan wound dressing cut to 2 . 5 cm diameter pieces or controls of 4 ″× 4 ″ surgical gauze were used . either or both the abdominal and the thoracic aortas were exposed by midline ventral laporatomies in the former and sternotomies in the latter . the fascia and sternum were clamped and ties were placed proximal and distal to the sites of incision . while the tie - off clamps were applied , a # 11 scalpel blade was used to make a 3 mm incision through the wall of the aorta and a 4 mm diameter medtronic ™ vascular punch was inserted through the incision to make a 4 mm diameter hole in the aorta . the punch was removed and the tie - off clamps released with digital pressure applied to the hole . the patch was held between thumb and forefinger with the middle finger applying pressure to the hole in the aorta . the pressure from this middle finger was released for 1 second before application of the wound dressing to the bleeding field . the wound dressing was held in place by firm pressure applied through the forefinger to the patch over the aortic hole . the pooled blood that escaped the wound during application of the patch was suctioned away . after 3 minutes of digital pressure , the finger was removed and the patch observed for any sign of continued bleeding and poor adherence . if continued bleeding or re - bleeding was observed in the first 30 minutes after application of the patch , then a further 3 minutes of pressure was applied . if hemostasis was still not complete , then another patch of the same wound dressing was prepared , the old patch removed and a new trial commenced . a trial was considered complete if no bleeding was observed from around or through the patch in a 30 - minute period . a material was rated on the number of trials it took to achieve 30 minutes of hemostasis ( no observable bleeding from the wound ). control samples of gauze were applied in the same manner as the chitosan wound dressing during a trial . all animals were euthanized while under anesthesia with an injection of barbiturates ( euthasol , 1 ml / 10 lb ) via an auricular vein . animals were euthanized at the end of the experimental procedure or prior to the end if the animal experienced any untoward effects . tests were ranked from 0 . 0 to 6 . 0 according to the number of trials necessary before hemorrhage control was achieved and the time to rebleed ( only in the case of the spleen trials ). a test in which only one trial was necessary and there was no rebleed was ranked as 0 . 0 . a test which required a second trial and the time to rebleed of the first was 90 seconds was ranked : ( in the case of a spleen ) or 1 . 0 in the other models . a test which needed four trials to achieve hemostasis and where the time to splenic rebleed in the third trial was 30 seconds was ranked : ( in the case of a spleen ) or 3 . 0 in the other models . a sample which failed completely by rapid dissolution , lack of adherence or uncontrolled bleeding was ranked 6 . 0 +. in summary , the worse the hemostasis , the higher the ranking as defined by the following : the results of the spleen studies are summarized in tables 2 , 3 and 4 . table 2 shows the behavior of chitosan test samples that were non - optimized with respect to composition and structure . these non - optimized materials ranged from , worse to the surgicel ™ negative control ( table 4 ), to comparable and to only partially better . the presence of phosphate buffer solution produced a poorly adherent , slowly hemostatic patch which was only slightly more effective than surgicel ™. the chitosan film was moderately adherent , providing a reasonable seal to bleeding , however it was only very slowly hemostatic as evidenced by the slow welling of blood beneath its transparent surface . the earlier trials generally showed signs of a low density foam in the top surface of the molded wound dressing . it was found that this low density foam was susceptible to dissolution and collapse if the top surface of the wound dressing was applied to a bleeding field . it was subsequently discovered that this foam effect could be avoided by degassing of solutions before freezing . low molecular weight chitosan wound dressings ( relative 1 % solution viscosity & lt ; 50 cps ) were found to be very susceptible to dissolution in a bleeding field making them unsuitable for the patch application . the glutamate counter anion produced softer wound dressings but at the cost of producing wound dressings that were readily dissolved in a severely bleeding field . low density wound dressings ( those less than 0 . 05 g / cm 3 ) with acetate counterions were also found to be readily compromised by dissolution and collapse . table 3 shows the result rankings of the optimized chitosan wound dressings of preferred composition and structure . these wound dressings were composed of chitosan with higher molecular weights ( relative 1 % solution viscosity greater than 100 cps ) and had wound dressing densities close to 0 . 12 g / cm 3 . in the moderately bleeding spleen tests , the results for the optimized wound dressings were found , using a wilcoxon rank sum w test , to be indistinguishable from the positive control of gelfoam ™+ thrombin ( z =− 0 . 527 , p = 0 . 598 ). using the same statistical method , the wound dressings were shown to be significantly different from the poorly performed surgicel ™ control ( z =− 3 . 96 , p = 0 . 0001 ). fig6 demonstrates ( via a h & amp ; e stained histological section ) the close adherence of the optimized chitosan wound dressings patches to the spleen surface as well as the agglutination of erythrocytes at the immediate vicinity of the injury . the rankings for the carotid injury model are summarized in table 5 . in this model , the optimized chitosan patch performed very well in trials 3 , 5 and 6 . the improvement in performance over the first trials 1 and 2 was due to the application of the support backing ( 3m 9781 foam bandage ) to the immediate top surface of the wound dressing . this backing enabled more uniform pressure to be applied over the wound dressing and allowed for the person applying the dressing to remove their fingers easily from the patch surface without them sticking and inducing patch detachment from the wound . the carotid model was used to investigate more severe arterial bleeding conditions than were possible in the spleen injury model . gelfoam ™+ thrombin was investigated as a possible positive control but was found to dissolve in a highly bleeding field . table 6 summarizes the results of the aortic injury model . gauze bandage ( 4 ″× 4 ″) was used as a control bandage . it was found that the control was unable to stop severe bleeding in all trial periods whereas the optimized chitosan aortic patches were able quickly to stop and subsequently clot the very high level of bleeding observed in this wound after only 1 or 2 applications of the patch . the exact significance ( two - tailed p = 0 . 002 ) was determined for the probability that there was no difference between rankings of sample and control . on average the blood loss after patch application was minimal (& lt ; 50 ml ) if the wound was stanched on the first attempt . if a second attempt was required blood loss after patch application was greater than 100 ml but less than 300 ml . on average less than 150 ml of blood was lost after patch application in the case of the chitosan wound dressing while , in the case of the 3 gauze control studies , more than 1 liter of blood was lost for each animal . in the case of the chitosan wound dressing study , survival was 100 %, while in the case of the gauze study , none ( 0 %) of the animals survived . the chitosan patches demonstrated continued hemostatic efficacy over the trial period of 30 minutes and until the animals were sacrificed which was generally 1 to 2 hours later . fig7 demonstrates a typical chitosan patch sealing a severe thoracic wound . the lumen side ( showing the injury ) of the resected aorta sealed by the patch in fig7 is shown in fig8 . fig9 shows a photomicrograph of a stained histological section taken through the injury of fig7 & amp ; 8 . evidence of strong clotting at the injury site was found on removal and inspection of aortas on animal sacrifice ( fig9 ) and , in the case of trial number 16 , where after dislodging a patch in a live animal ( after more than 30 minutes of application ) there was no subsequent re - bleeding . preferably , the hemorrhage control dressing described above includes a surface , which grips the wound area to substantially avoid slipping of the dressing during use . typically , this non - slip surface of the dressing comprises a traction surface . the subject hemorrhage control dressing may benefit from having an effective non - slip surface , such as a traction surface . the subject hemorrhage control dressing can have a smooth and rough side . the rougher side would preferably be the tissue or bleeding surface side if that side also demonstrated better adhesive properties . a traction surface may improve a dressing ability to control rapid arterial bleeding by providing increased stability of surface contact ( better traction ) on a well lubricated surface ( such as those surfaces which present in the case of severe bleeding ). such a traction surface would help to channel blood , without adversely affecting adhesion kinetics while allowing for a more controlled and stable tissue contact during the critical period of dressing application . for example , the tissue side of the bandage could have a traction surface in the form of a tread design . this could prevent the dressing from undergoing traction loss in a direction away from the wound when undergoing application to the wound . the non - slip surface of the hemorrhage control dressing could be produced with ridges that are non - connecting or blinded to one another . thus , in turn , the channels formed between the ridges would be fully or partially blinded to one another and thus provide a controlled connection that would provide for a controlled blood flow back into or out of the wound area . the controlled blood flow in area of dressing application could be maintained by the ridges or specific types of responsive gates in the hemorrhage control dressing . ridges on bottom of a mold for producing the hemorrhage control dressing may include depressions of the type which will permit a non - slip surface , for example , in the form of traction controls such as ridges or the like , in the subject dressings . a hemorrhage control dressing could therefore be produced having at least one non - slip surface , such as a traction surface . also , a method of producing such a dressing could be provided . finally , a mold to a produce a hemorrhage control dressing , as described above , can be fabricated . so as to treat severe hemorrhage in cases where adhesive base and top surfaces are advantageous , it is possible to design the support backing so that if necessary it could be readily peeled away when adhesion and clotting are required on both surfaces . there are numerous hemorrhage control configurations of the dressing described above to address a wide range of possible types of hemorrhagic wound . it is envisioned there be will a need to be able to carry ( in a battlefield situation ) several bandages of differing configurations so that the injured persons can be treated by the first responder or even potentially by injured persons themselves . the dressing of the invention claim is robust and can tolerate a great deal of physical abuse and still remain an active hemorrhage control platform . the dressing is ideal for treating focal vascular bleeding and small topical wounds . it is also well suited to packing into complex entry wounds where the bleeding site cannot be easily compressed . once hemorrhage control is achieved with the current invention , stabilizing an extremity wound , approximating wound edges and creating a durable dressing that will prevent contamination and allow evacuation of the injured for definitive repair are the main requirements for a civilian and a battlefield hemorrhage control dressing . one envisioned configuration of the hemorrhage control dressing is a 10 ″× 18 ″ dressing with a flexible , elastic backing that can be tightly attached around an extremity and secured with a locking tab such as a permanent adhesive glue via a peel back surface to itself . such a device configuration would approximate wound surfaces and add a hemorrhage control surface without compromising blood flow to the distal extremity . such a dressing could be applied by a first responder or in some instances by the injured soldier and would be stable under ambulation or extremity movement during transport . it is envisioned that the bandage would be removed by cutting it apart with no adverse adhesion to the wound or skin . the us army science and technology objective ( sto ) a , hemorrhage control , was established in 2000 to advance the need for hemorrhage control on the battlefield . the general strategic objective of the sto can be summarized as the development of products and methods that will reduce the number of deaths due to hemorrhage in battlefield casualties . the requirements for hemorrhage control products and methods were stated thus : they must be practicable for use by one or more of the following : self ( wounded combatant ), buddy ( fellow non - medical soldier who aids the wounded soldier ), combat lifesaver , combat medic , physician assistant , and battalion surgeon . they must be practicable for use in far forward field conditions including rugged terrain , limited visibility , and environmental extremes . products and methods must not require external electrical sources . all devices must be man - portable and durable . it is expected that products and methods that are useable far forward will also be used at higher echelons of care . a specific strategic objective of the sto is the development of new or improved hemostatic agents for use on compressible hemorrhage under far forward field conditions . a single product for use on compressible and non - compressible sites is desired . as part of sto , a study of hepatic hemorrhage control in a swine liver model was conducted at the us - army institute of surgical research ( isr ) at fort sam houston , san antonio , tex . using the hemorrhage control bandage of this invention . the study was conducted to determine the effect of the chitosan hemorrhage control bandage on blood loss and survival in a standardized model of severe venous hemorrhage and hepatic injury in swine . this model has been used to study numerous other hemostatic bandages at us - army isr . cross - bred commercial swine were used in this study . animals were maintained in a facility accredited by the association for the assessment and accreditation of laboratory animal care , international . this study was approved by the institutional animal care and use committee of the us army institute of surgical research , fort sam houston , tex . animals received humane care in accordance with the guide for the care and use of laboratory animals ( national institutes of health publication 86 - 23 , revised 1996 ). animals were assigned randomly to receive either the chitosan bandages or gauze sponges ( see table 7 ). surgical preparation consisted of the following : animals were fasted 36 - 48 hours prior to the surgical procedure , with water allowed ad libidum . after premedication with glycopyrrolate and a combination of tiletamine hcl and zolazepam hcl ( telazol ®, fort dodge laboratories , fort dodge , iowa ), anesthesia was induced by mask using 5 % isoflurane . the swine were intubated , placed on a ventilator , and maintained with isoflurane . carotid arterial and jugular venous catheters were placed surgically . laparotomy was performed and splenectomy and urinary bladder catheter placement were completed . a rectal temperature between 37 . 0 ° and 39 . 0 ° c ., and 15 minutes of stable mean arterial pressures ( map ) were required prior to further experimental procedures . blood pressure and heart rate were recorded at 10 - second intervals throughout the study period using a continuous data collection system ( micro - med ®, louisville , ky .). baseline arterial blood samples were collected from each animal to confirm that each animal exhibited normal platelet count , prothrombin time , activated partial thromboplastin time , and plasma fibrinogen concentration . liver injuries were induced as previously reported . the method included the following . the liver was retracted by manually elevating the left and right medial lobes to allow adequate exposure . next , a specially designed clamp with two 4 . 5 cm sharpened tines configured in the form of an ‘ x ’ was positioned with the center approximately 2 - 3 cm dorsal to the intersection of the left and right medial lobes , on the diaphragmatic surface of the liver . the base plate of the instrument was positioned beneath the quadrate lobe , on the visceral surface . the injury was induced by clamping the tines of the instrument through the parenchyma and underlying vessels of the two medial lobes so that the tines were seated in corresponding grooves in the base plate of the instrument . after the first penetration of the liver , the instrument was opened and the tines were withdrawn and repositioned to the animals left such that the second application would overlap the first by 50 percent . following this repositioning , the liver was penetrated a second time . documentation of the liver injury was achieved by excision and inspection of the liver at the conclusion of the experimental period . the injuries appeared as large stellate wounds with a small island of tissue in the center , and measured approximately 10 × 8 × 4 cm . the injuries were through and through , with one or more of the left medial lobar vein , right medial lobar vein , and portal hepatic vein lacerated . thirty seconds after injury , resuscitation was initiated with warm ( 38 ° c .) lactated ringer &# 39 ; s solution in all animals . the goal of resuscitation was return to baseline map . fluid was administered at 260 ml / min . this resuscitation regimen was continued until the goal was reached and reinitiated if map decreased , throughout the 60 minute study period . simultaneously with initiation of resuscitation ( 30 seconds post - injury ), treatments were applied as follows . one dressing was applied to the surface of the quadrate lobe to cover the penetrating injury and two other dressings were stuffed into the injury from the diaphragmatic aspect . compression was applied for 60 seconds in the dorso - ventral direction . after 60 seconds , the injury was inspected to determine whether hemostasis was achieved . next , the applicator &# 39 ; s hands were repositioned and pressure was applied for 60 seconds in the latero - medial direction , and the observation for hemostasis was performed . this sequence was repeated for a total of four 60 second compressions . if hemostasis was complete after any compression , no further compressions were performed . hemostasis was defined as the absence of visually detectable bleeding from the injury site . following completion of treatment application , the abdomen was closed and the animal was monitored for 60 minutes after injury or until death , whichever came first . death prior to 60 minutes was defined as a heart rate of 0 . at 60 minutes , surviving animals were euthanized by an overdose of pentobarbital . immediately after induction of the injury , blood was continuously suctioned from the peritoneal cavity until the start of treatment application . the volume was determined and designated as pre - treatment blood loss . at the end of the study period , each abdomen was opened and the liquid and clotted intra - peritoneal blood were suctioned and measured . this was designated as post - treatment blood loss . additionally , total resuscitation fluid use was recorded . preinjury animal blood volume was estimated using the equation : estimated blood volume ( ml )= 161 . 4751 ( body weight − 0 . 2197 )( body weight ), as we have previously reported ( pusateri , 2001 ). body weight , estimated blood volume , number of vessels lacerated , baseline map , survival time , preinjury map , pretreatment blood loss , and bandage adherence scores were analyzed by analysis of variance using the glm procedure of sas . data are reported as least squares mean ± standard error of least squares mean . data were examined for heterogeneity of variance and non - normality . these conditions were detected for post - treatment blood loss and fluid use data . therefore , blood loss and fluid use data were log transformed prior to analysis . the transformed data were analyzed by analysis of variance . these data are expressed as back transformed means and 95 % confidence interval ( 95 % ci ). distribution of females and males , hemostasis , and survival data were analyzed by fishers exact test using the freq procedure of sas . data are reported as proportions or percentages . two sided tests were used for all comparisons . there were no differences among treatment groups in animal body weight , estimated blood volume , distribution of animal sexes , baseline map , preinjury map , number of major vessels lacerated within the liver injury , or pretreatment blood loss ( see tables 8 and 9 ). post - treatment blood loss was reduced in the chitosan group , compared to the gauze wound dressing control ( p = 0 . 01 ). no significant difference in fluid use was observed . survival percentage was increased in the chitosan group ( p = 0 . 04 ). hemostasis occurred more frequently in the chitosan group at 3 and 4 minutes post - injury ( p = 0 . 03 ). survival times could not be statistically compared because of the high level of survival in the chitosan group ( see table 10 ). this us - army isr study ( pusateri et al 2002 ) demonstrates , in an independent study , the significantly improved performance of the chitosan wound dressing over standard 4 ″× 4 ″ gauze . the us - army isr has only been able to demonstrate significantly improved performance over 4 ″× 4 ″ gauze in the stanching of severe blood flow in the case of the dressing of this invention claim and in the case of a dry fibrin thrombin wound dressing being developed by the red cross . the red cross bandage is costly , as well as being delicate and prone to breakage . high molecular weight 4 ″× 4 ″ chitosan hemorrhage control dressings with 3m 9781 porous foam backing have been prepared from an icelandic shrimp source ( genis lot # so1115 - 1 ). these were prepared with 2 % acetic acid and 2 % chitosan solution using a commercial freeze drying company to prepare a large sterile lot of chitosan bandages ( lot # omlc — 2sm114 ). the bandages were irradiated at 15 kgy under nitrogen . they were subsequently tested for uniaxial tensile strength , burst strength , blood adsorption , water adsorption as well as for sterility . swine aorta perforations were carried out on non - gamma irradiated samples in abdominal and thoracic injuries . seven patches were used . on average blood loss after patch application was & lt ; 50 ml . all patches were adherent , wound sealing and hemostatic on their first application ( 7 × 0 rankings ). all animals survived . both gamma - irradiated and un - irradiated bandages ( lot # omlc — 2sm114 ) were tested with an in vitro burst pressure test developed at oregon medical laser center in portland oreg . to perform a burst test , a 25 mm diameter circular test piece of the bandage is immersed in citrated whole blood for 10 seconds . the test piece is then placed centrally over , and firmly held with digital pressure , on a 4 mm diameter perforation in the side of a 50 mm diameter pvc pipe for 3 minutes . after this initial attachment , fluid pressure inside the pipe is ramped at 4 . 5 ± 0 . 5 kpa . s − 1 , with pressure and time recorded at 0 . 1 second intervals . burst pressure is recorded as the maximum pressure recorded prior to failure . an adhesive failure ranking is assigned to assess the relative adhesiveness of the bandage to the test site . the ranking system is separated into 3 distinct modes of failure . a ranking of 1 is given to a test piece which is readily separated from the pvc surface with no chitosan remaining adhered . a ranking of 2 is assigned when the test piece is less readily detached and some of the chitosan remains attached to the test site . a ranking 3 is assigned when the test piece can only be removed by cohesive separation of the bulk wound dressing from the base structure which remains firmly fixed to the pvc surface . the average burst pressure of gamma irradiated and un - irradiated chitosan bandages ( mean ± sd , n = 6 ) on a pvc substrate using blood as wetting medium was 122 ± 1 . 9 kpa and 86 ± 20 kpa , respectively . the results were analyzed statistically using a t - test ( p = 0 . 007 ). the average adhesive failure rankigs of gamma irradiated and un - irradiated chitosan alpha bandages ( mean ± sd , n = 6 ) on a pvc substrate using blood as wetting medium were both 3 ± 0 . fig1 shows an image of a high ranking failure where cohesive failure has occurred within the chitosan structure . the blood and water adsorption properties of the dressings ( lot # omlc — 2sm114 ) were determined by immersing small test pieces ( ca . 0 . 02 g ) in blood or water for 3 . 0 seconds . difference in mass before and after immersion was recorded . the average mass of medium adsorbed in 3 seconds per one gram of wound dressing was determined for gamma irradiated and un - irradiated chitosan samples ( n = 4 ) using blood or water as the wetting medium ( see fig1 ). the results were analyzed statistically using a one - way anova with a tukey - hsd test , p = 0 . 001 . gamma irradiation significantly reduced the excessive adsorption of water in the case of the non - irradiated material . such excessive water adsorption would cause wound dressing collapse ( into a gel ) with subsequent adhesive and structural failure . tensile test pieces of the chitosan dressings ( lot # omlc — 2sm114 ) were evaluated using a uniaxial chatillon materials testing vitrodyne v1000 equipped with a 5 kg load cell . samples were cut into dog - bone pieces ( 15 ± 1 mm × 6 . 5 ± 0 . 5 mm × 5 ± 0 . 5 mm gauge × thickness × width ) and held between two clamps . the crosshead speed was 10 mm . s − 1 . load and displacement were recorded at 0 . 1 second intervals . tensile results are shown in table 11 . there were no significant differences between gamma irradiated and un - irradiated samples with respect to both stress and strain . there was a small increase in youngs modulus with irradiation at 15 kgy . fifty two 4 ″× 4 ″ chitosan wound dressings ( lot # omlc — 2sm114 ) were prepared cleanly . of these 4 ″× 4 ″ wound dressings , 46 were packaged in a double pack envelope and were sent to the isomedix facility in ontario , calif . for irradiation with gamma radiation at a certified dose between 14 - 15 kgy . boxed with these samples were a set of 8 staphylococus aureus ( atcc 29213 ) doped chitosan wound dressing bars ( 1 ″× 0 . 21 ″× 0 . 21 ″) cut from wound dressing 2sm114 # 1 . each bar was inoculated with 100 microliters of 0 . 5 macfarlane inoculum . the staphylococcus aureus was swabbed from a demonstrably active control culture . a control set of 4 bars with no staphylococus was also included . control samples with no gamma radiation treatment were kept in small sterile containers in heat sealed envelopes at room temperature and in the dark ( see table 12 for a summary of the controls ). the 46 irradiated wound dressing packages were opened under sterile conditions with sterile handling , an ethylene oxide sterile adhesive coated foam backing ( 3m 9781 tape ) was attached , a small off - cut piece ( ca . 1 . 2 ″× 0 . 2 × 0 . 12 ″) of each wound dressing and backing was removed for individual wound dressing sterilization testing and the wound dressings were repackaged inside the original inner pack by heat sealing . 40 of these wound dressings were labeled with lot number and wound dressing number and sent out for evaluation . the off - cut and control pieces were given to the microbiology facility at st vincent &# 39 ; s phs for sterility testing . the off - cut pieces and control pieces were placed aseptically in labeled sample vessels ( 0 . 6 ″ diam .× 5 ″) containing enriched thioglycolate growth media and incubated aerobically at 35 ° c . the culture media were examined at 7 , 14 and 21 days for indications of growth . the samples were subcultured in tsa w / 5 % sheep &# 39 ; s blood , incubated at 35 ° c . and examined for growth after 48 hours . the individual cultures were analyzed by turbidity testing and subculture swabbing . absence of any growth in all the cultures and all the subcultures at 7 , 14 and 21 days was demonstrated , even those cultures which were un - irradiated and dosed with staphylococcus aureus . gram positive staining of particular cultures collaborated these findings .	0
referring to fig1 a mirror 4 for use in the photometry is fixed at the back of a movable mirror 3 provided for observation use and which is rotatably attached by a support pin 2 to a mirror box ( not shown ) within a camera body 1 . a condenser lens 5 and a photoelectric transducer element 6 such as a silicon photodiode are disposed outside the taking optical path under the movable mirror 3 . a light receiving plane of the transducer element 6 is opposed to a reflecting plane of the mirror 4 when the movable mirror 3 is lowered in a state inclined at 45 ° as shown in fig1 and a front surface of a first shutter blind 12 of a focal plane shutter . accordingly , light from an object being photographed which passes through a taking lens 7 and a diaphragm member 14 and is transmitted through a half mirror portion 3a of the movable mirror 3 is reflected by the mirror 4 and is projected on the light receiving plane of the transducer element 6 by the condenser lens 5 . as a result , the light from the object being photographed , when the diaphragm member 14 is fully opened , is measured by the transducer element 6 before a shutter is released . additionally , the light from the object being photographed which is reflected by the movable mirror 3 impinges on a photographer &# 39 ; s eye 11 as observation light through a focusing screen 8 , a pentagonal prism 9 and an eyepiece 10 . then , when the shutter is released , a stop - down operation of the diaphragm member 14 is initiated by an aperture control circuit . the amount of the stop - down of the diaphragm member 14 , as will be described later , is automatically set based on the amount of light received by the transducer element 6 , namely a brightness of the object being photographed and a film sensitivity . when the stop - down operation of the diaphragm member 14 is completed to the value to be set as the aperture control goes on , the movable mirror 3 is raised to a position 3a shown in fig1 with a double dot - dash - line so that the observation optical path is closed by the movable mirror 3 and the taking optical path is opened . whereupon , the first shutter blind 12 starts its running and hence light from the object being photographed is focused on the front surface of the first shutter blind 12 while in its running and therafter on the sensitive surface of a film 13 which is exposed as the first shutter blind 12 runs . thus focused light is reflected by both of the surfaces of the first shutter blind 12 and the film 13 to impinge on the light receiving surface of the transducer element 6 through the condenser lens 5 so that the light from the object being photographed is measured by the transducer element 6 even after the shutter has been released . referring now to fig2 an operational amplifier 21 has its non - inverting input terminal connected to a terminal 22 to which a reference voltage v ref is applied and its output terminal connected to the emitter of an npn transistor 23 which serves as a switching element and the base of the transistor 23 through a resistor 24 . the base of the transistor 23 is also connected to a terminal 25 to which a trigger signal s o is applied which turns from an &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level to an &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level in synchronism with the initiation of running of the first shutter blind after the aperture control has been completed by the shutter release operation . the collector of the transistor 23 is connected to the cathode of a diode 26 for a logarithmic compression and an inverting input terminal of the amplifier 21 through a resistor 27 . the anode of the diode 26 is connected to a non - inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier 28 for integration . the photoelectric transducer element 6 has its anode connected to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 28 and its cathode connected to the inverting input terminal thereof . a capacitor 29 for integration is connected between the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 28 and the ground . the output terminal of the amplifier 28 is connected to the inverting input terminals of amplifiers 21 and 28 to form a feedback loop circuit therebetween and further to a non - inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier 30 for comparison which forms a comparator for an exposure control . the amplifier 30 has its inverting terminal connected through a resistor 31 to the terminal 22 for the reference voltage and its output terminal connected through an electromagnet 32 for locking a second shutter blind to a terminal 33 to which a supply voltage v dd is applied . pnp transistors 34 , 35 , 36 have their emitters connected to the terminal 33 and their bases connected to each other and to the emitter of a pnp transistor 37 . the transistor 37 has its collector connected to the ground and its base connected to the collector of the transistor 34 . these transistors 34 to 37 have the same properties and form a well known current mirror circuit . accordingly , when a current flows through the collector of the transistor 34 , the same amount of current will flow also through the collectors of the transistors 35 , 36 . resistors 38 , 39 are connected in series between the terminal 22 and the ground and the junction between the resistors 38 , 39 is connected to a non - inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier 40 . an inverting input terminal of the amplifier 40 is connected to the emitters of npn transistors 41 , 42 which have the same properties and through a variable resistor 43 for setting information of a film sensitivity to the ground . the output terminal of the amplifier 40 is connected to the base of each of the transistors 41 , 42 . the collector of the transistor 41 is connected to the collector of the transistor 34 and the collector of the transistor 42 is connected to an inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier 44 in the next stage thereof . a diode 45 for a logarithmic compression which has the same properties as that of the diode 26 and is disposed between an inverting input terminal and the output terminal of the amplifier 44 has an anode connected to an output terminal of the latter . a non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 44 is connected to the junction between the collector of transistor 23 and the diode 26 . the amplifier 44 serves to combine and operate photographing information for a brightness bv of an object being photographed and a film sensitivity sv in order to control an aperture . the output terminal of the amplifier 44 is connected through a semiconductor analog switch 46 to a non - inverting input terminal of an operational amplifier 49 for an impedance conversion . the control terminal of the analog switch 46 is connected to a terminal 48 to which a memory signal s m is applied . the memory signal s m is at the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level before a shutter is released and turns to the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level in synchronism with the shutter release . a capacitor 47 connected between a non - inverting input terminal of operational amplifier 49 and the ground is charged by an output voltage of the amplifier 44 and stores the charged voltage at the same time when the analog switch 46 turns off . an inverting input terminal of the amplifier 49 is connected to the output terminal thereof which is connected a non - inverting input terminal of a three - input type operational amplifier 50 in the next stage of the amplifier 49 . a resistor 51 is connected between a first inverting input terminal of the amplifier 50 and the output terminal of the amplifier 44 and a resistor 52 is connected between the first input terminal and the output terminal of the amplifier 50 . a resistor 53 is connected between a second inverting input terminal of the amplifier 50 and the output terminal of the amplifier 44 and a resistor 54 is connected between the second input terminal and the output terminal of the amplifier 50 . resistors 51 , 52 and 53 , 54 determine the amplification of the amplifier 50 and these resistors and the amplifier 50 determine an inclination of the program characteristic for the aperture control . the output terminal of the amplifier 50 is connected to a non - inverting input terminal of a three - input type operational amplifier 55 for a comparison which forms a comparator for the aperture control . a first inverting input terminal of the amplifier 55 is connected through a semifixed resistor 56 for setting a decision voltage to initiate a stop - down operation of a taking lens to the terminal 22 for the reference voltage and a second inverting input terminal thereof is connected through a semifixed resistor 57 for setting a decision voltage in the same manner as the resistor 56 to the terminal 22 . the output terminal of the amplifier 55 is connected through an electromagnet 58 for the aperture control to the terminal 33 for the power supply which is also connected to the emitters of pnp transistors 59 , 60 , 61 . the bases of these transistors 59 , 60 , 61 are connected to each other and to the emitter of a pnp transistor 62 . the collector of the transistor 62 is connected to the ground and the base thereof is connected to the collector of the transistor 61 and through a constant voltage supply 63 to the ground . these transistors 59 to 62 have the same properties to form a well known current mirror circuit . thereby , when a constant current flows through the collector of the transistor 61 by means of the constant voltage supply 63 , the same current flows also through the transistors 59 , 60 . the collector of the transistor 60 is connected to a first inverting input terminal of the amplifier 55 and the collector of the transistor 59 is connected to a second inverting input terminal of the amplifier 55 . the terminals for changing a bias of the amplifiers 50 , 55 are connected to the output terminal of an operational amplifier 67 for a comparison which forms a comparator for changing a program constant by producing a selection signal in accordance with a region for information of a film sensitivity . accordingly , the biases for the amplifiers 50 , 55 are changed by a level of the selection signal which is produced from the amplifier 67 to select either the first or the second inverting input terminals of the amplifiers 50 , 55 . a non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 67 is connected to the junction between resistors 64 and 65 for setting a decision voltage , which resistors are connected in series between the terminal 22 and the ground . an inverting input terminal of the amplifier 67 is connected to the collector of the transistor 36 and through a resistor 66 to the ground . in operation , when a power supply switch for a camera of the film surface reflection photometry type including the program type automatic exposure controller is closed , the supply voltage v dd is applied to the terminal 33 and the reference voltage v ref is applied to the terminal 22 . prior to a photographing , the variable resistor 43 is set in accordance with information for a sensitivity of a film loaded in the camera by turning a dial for setting a film sensitivity . a voltage v p1 between the variable resistor 43 and the junction between the transistors 41 , 42 , that is , a voltage at the inverting input terminal of the amplifier 40 , which is equal to a voltage at the non - inverting input terminal threof , is expressed as follows : ## equ1 ## where r 1 and r 2 represent the resistances of the resistors 38 , 39 , respectively . accordingly , a current i sv flowing through each collector of the transistors 41 , 42 is expressed as follows : ## equ2 ## where r sv represents the resistance of the variable resistor 43 . since the current i sv flowing through the collector of the transistor 41 flows through the collector of the transistor 34 , it flows also through the collectors of the transistors 35 , 36 . since the current i sv flowing through the collector of the transistor 35 flows through the resistor 31 to the terminal 22 , the following voltage v p2 is applied to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier 30 as a decision voltage for a shutter speed : where r 3 represents the resistance of the resistor 31 . in addition , since the current i sv flowing through the collector of the transistor 36 flows through the resistor 66 , the following voltage v p3 is applied to the inverting input terminal of the amplifier 67 : where r 6 represents the resistance of the resistor 66 . also , the following voltage v p4 is applied to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 67 as a decision voltage thereof : ## equ3 ## where r 4 and r 5 represent the resistances of the resistors 64 , 65 , respectively . accordingly , the amplifier 67 compares the voltages v p3 and v p4 and its output assumes the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level when v p3 & gt ; v p4 and the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level when v p3 ≦ v p4 . for example , when adjusted so as to be v p3 = v p4 at asa 200 of a film sensitivity , the output of the amplifier 67 is at the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level as v p3 & gt ; v p4 when a film sensitivity is less than asa 200 and at the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level as v p3 ≦ v p4 when asa 200 or over . the biases for the amplifiers 50 , 55 are changed in such a manner that when the output of the amplifier 67 is at the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level , the first inverting input terminals thereof are selected and when at the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level , the second inverting input terminals thereof are selected . further , the supply voltage v dd is applied to the terminal 33 and hence a constant current i r flows through the collector of the transistor 61 by means of the constant current supply 63 . accordingly , the current i r flows also through the collectors of the transistors 60 , 59 and through the resistors 56 , 57 to the terminal 22 . as a result , the following voltages v p6 and v p7 are applied to the first and second inverting input terminals of the amplifier 55 as a decision voltage for the aperture control of the latter : where r 16 , r 17 represent the resistances of the resistors 56 , 57 , respectively . subsequently , when a shutter and a film are wound , the trigger signal terminal 25 turns to the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level and the memory signal terminal 48 also turns to the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level . when the camera is directed to an object being photographed , light passing through the taking lens 7 and the diaphragm member 14 which is fully opened is reflected by the mirror 4 and received by the transducer element 6 , as shown in fig1 . as a result , the transducer element 6 produces a light current i p corresponding to the amount of the light received thereby . the transistor 23 , to which the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level signal at the terminal 25 is now applied at its base , is in the activated condition so that a feedback loop is formed by the amplifiers 21 , 28 . as a result , the reference voltage v ref is applied to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 28 and hence the capacitor 29 is charged to the reference voltage v ref . when the photocurrent i p is produced in the transducer element 6 , the i p flows also from the anode of the diode 26 to the cathode thereof . accordingly , a voltage v p5 at the cathode of the diode 26 is given as follows : ## equ4 ## where k is the boltzmann constant , t is an absolute temperature , q is the charge of an electron and i s1 is the saturation current in the opposite direction of the diode 26 . the voltage v p5 is applied to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 44 . a current equal to the current i sv which flows through the collector of the transistor 41 flows through the collector of the transistor 42 and the current i sv also flows through the diode 45 . accordingly , an output voltage v p8 of the amplifier 44 is defined as follows : ## equ5 ## where i s2 is the saturation current in the opposite direction of the diode 45 . since the diode 45 has the same properties as that of the diode 26 , then i s1 = i s2 and substituting the equation ( 8 ) for the equation ( 9 ) the following is obtained . ## equ6 ## as will be clear from the equation ( 10 ), the output voltage v p8 of the amplifier 44 is an information voltage for a brightness bv of the object being photographed plus a film sensitivity sv . at this time , since the analog switch 46 , to which the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level signal from the terminal 48 is applied at its control terminal , is in the activated condition , the voltage v p8 is applied through the analog switch 46 to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 49 to charge the capacitor 47 . then , when the shutter is released , the memory signal s m turns to the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level and the analog switch 46 turns off . at this time , the output voltage v p8 of the amplifier 44 is stored in the capacitor 47 as a full - open photometry value and the stored voltage is produced at the output terminal of the amplifier 49 . the voltage v p9 at the output terminal of the amplifier 49 is derived from the equation ( 10 ) as follows : ## equ7 ## where i p0 is a photocurrent at the time of the full - open photometry . the voltage v p9 which is held at the time of the full - open photometry is applied to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 50 and the voltage v p8 is applied through the resistors 51 , 53 to the first and the second inverting input terminals of the amplifier 50 , respectively . accordingly , an output voltage v p10 of the amplifier 50 can be obtained from the equations ( 10 ) and ( 11 ) as follows : when the first inverting input terminal is selected , ## equ8 ## when the second inverting input terminal is selected , ## equ9 ## where r 11 to r 14 are the resistances of the resistors 51 to 54 , respectively . when the output voltage v p10 of the amplifier 50 is introduced to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 55 , the voltage v p10 is compared with the decision voltage vp 6 when the first inverting input terminal is selected and the decision voltage v p7 when the second one is selected . when the voltage v p10 is higher than the voltage vp 6 , v p7 , an output of the amplifier 55 turns to the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level and the open aperture is obtained since the electromagnet 58 for the aperture control is not energized . when the voltage v p10 is lower than the voltage v p6 , v p7 , the output of the amplifier 55 turns to the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level and a stop - down operation is initiated after the shutter is released since the electromagnet 58 is energized . upon the initiation of the stop - down operation , a voltage difference δv corresponding to a variation in a photocurrent equivalent to a stop - down value δav is produced between the output voltage v p8 of the amplifier 44 and the output voltage v p9 of the amplifier 49 . the voltage difference av can be expressed as follows : ## equ10 ## where i p0 is a photocurrent at the time of the full - open photometry , i p is a photocurrent while in the stop - down operation , and i p0 & gt ; i p . it follows from the equation ( 14 ) that an inclination of the program characteristic line is determined by the value δv , namely the amplification factors ## equ11 ## ( both 1 and less ) of the amplifier 50 , as shown in the equations ( 12 ), ( 13 ). in addition , the initiation of the stop - down operation is determined by the decision voltages v p6 , v p7 at the inverting input terminal of the amplifier 55 and the second terms of the equations ( 12 ), ( 13 ), namely ## equ12 ## at this time , when the variable resistor 43 for setting information for a film sensitivity is set to asa 100 of a film sensitivity , an output of the amplifier 67 is at the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level and the amplifiers 50 , 55 select the first inverting input terminals . thus , the program characteristic for the aperture control by the amplifiers 50 , 55 are as shown in fig3 . when a film sensitivity is set to asa 400 , the output of the amplifier 67 is at the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level and the amplifiers 50 , 55 select the second inverting input terminal . thus , the program characteristic for the aperture control by the amplifiers 50 , 55 are as shown in fig4 . specifically , for asa 100 , the decision voltage v p6 = i r · r 16 ( on the basis of the reference voltage v ref ) as a bias for initiating the stop - down operation and ## equ13 ## as an inclination of the program characteristic line are automatically selected . also , for asa 400 , the decision voltage v p7 = i r · r 17 as a bias for initiating the stop - down operation and ## equ14 ## as an inclination of the program characteristic line are automatically selected . by way of example , in fig3 when asa = 100 and the setting is made in such a manner that the stop - down operation is initiated at an exposure value ev = 6 by adjusting the decision voltage v p6 = i r · r 16 , the stop - down operation in asa = 400 will be initiated at an ev = 4 . at this time , as shown in fig4 when the decision voltage v p7 = i r · r 17 is set to the smaller side by 1 ev than the decision voltage vp 6 , the setting can be made in such a manner that the stop - down operation is initiated at a point ev = 7 in asa 100 or at a point ev = 5 in asa 400 . in addition , the program shown in fig3 is a combination program in which 0 . 5 ev in the time value tv and 0 . 5 ev in the aperture value av vary with a variation of 1 in an inclination of the program characteristic line or a variation of 1 ev in the exposure value . this is achieved by setting the amplification factor ## equ15 ## of the amplifier 50 to 1 / 2 . assuming that the program characteristic line of asa 400 has the inclination as set forth above , the inclination is shown with a dotted line in fig4 . however , in consideration of making a good use of the film properties of asa 400 and the best combination of a shutter speed tv and an aperture av , the program characteristic line of inclination as shown in fig4 with a solid line is obtained by setting an amplification factor of the amplifier 50 to 2 / 3 . since the voltage v p10 increases as the diaphragm member 14 is gradually stopped down by the electromagnet 58 for the aperture control , with a film of asa 100 used an output of the amplifier 55 turns to the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level when the output voltage v p10 of the amplifier 50 reaches the decision voltage vp 6 and with a film of asa 400 used an output voltage of the amplifier 55 turns to the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level when the output voltage v p10 reaches the decision voltage v p7 . thus , the aperture control is completed . at this time , in case of a film of asa 100 , the following equation is derived from the equations ( 6 ) and ( 12 ): ## equ16 ## in case of a film of asa 400 , the following equation is derived from the equations ( 7 ) and ( 13 ): ## equ17 ## in the equations ( 15 ), ( 16 ), i p &# 39 ; represents a photocurrent at the time the stop - down operation is completed . both equations ( 15 ), ( 16 ) indicate the criteria for judging the completion of the stop - down operation . when the stop - down control of the diaphragm member 14 is completed , the movable mirror 3 is raised to initiate the running of the first shutter blind 12 . whereby , the trigger signal s 0 at the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level is applied to the terminal 25 to turn the transistor 23 off . at this time , since the feedback loop of the amplifier 21 is broken , no photocurrent flows through the diode 26 and a photocurrent i p which is caused by the photometry of light reflected by the film surface flows through the capacitor 29 . accordingly , the integration is initiated from the time the transistor 23 turns off and the capacitor 29 is charged by the photocurrent i p to further raise the voltage thereacross over the reference voltage v ref the voltage vc across the capacitor 29 is applied from the output terminal of the amplifier 28 to the non - inverting input terminal of the amplifier 30 and is compared with the decision voltage v p2 for a shutter speed which is applied to the inverting input terminal of the latter . the voltage vc can be expressed as follows : ## equ18 ## where c 1 represents the capacity of the capacitor 29 . while the voltage vc is lower than the decision voltage v p2 , namely , the relation ## equ19 ## from the equations ( 3 ) and ( 17 ) holds , an output of the amplifier 30 is at the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ; level so that the electromagnet 32 is in the energized condition to lock a second shutter blind . then , the voltage vc is raised with an inclination indicated by the equation ( 17 ) until it reaches the decision voltage . when the relation ## equ20 ## holds , the output of the amplifier 30 turns to the &# 34 ; h &# 34 ; level . thereupon , the magnet 32 is deenergized and the locking of the second shutter blind is released , resulting in that the latter runs and the exposure is completed .	6
this invention relates to a method and apparatus for prestressing fastener holes . in the prior art , pulling guns for retracting a mandrel through a hole being prestressed are of large diameter relative to the size of the fastener holes and are made for operating in contact with a workpiece having the hole being prestressed . in many situations , multiple holes , that are going to be prestressed , are drilled through drill bushings in a drill fixture temporarily secured in front of the workpiece . because reaming is performed after prestressing , it is very desirable to leave the fixture in place for the reaming , but this is not possible when the large diameter prior art prestressing tools are used . in addition there are proturbances adjacent to some fastener holes so as to prevent access of the relatively large pull gun to the workpiece at such holes . the basic patent relating to prestressing or cold - expansion of fastener holes , by use of a lubricated spacing sleeve , is u . s . pat . no . 3 , 566 , 662 , granted mar . 2 , 1971 to louis a . champoux , and entitled coldworking method and apparatus . a method and apparatus for making sleeves is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 665 , 744 , granted may 30 , 1972 to clair m . harter . it should be noted that there also are prestressing sleeves in use that are not split . u . s . pat . no . 3 , 892 , 121 , granted july 1 , 1975 , to louis a . champoux , horace e . hill and joseph l . phillips , and entitled apparatus for cold - working holes , discloses a form of mandrel and mandrel pulling tool and gun . u . s . pat . no . 4 , 187 , 708 , granted feb . 12 , 1980 , to louis a . champoux entitled pulling apparatus and method , discloses a preferred form of pull gun . the aforementioned patents , the references cited against them , and a paper by joseph l . phillips , entitled &# 34 ; fatigue improvement by sleeve coldworking &# 34 ;, should be carefully considered for the purpose of putting the present invention into proper perspective relative to the prior art . the present invention provides an apparatus and method of prestressing fastener holes in a workpiece wherein the holes have been drilled through a drill bushing in a drill fixture temporarily secured in front of the workpiece . multiple drill bushings in the fixture are used to guide the drill so as to position all of the holes in the current locations . the present invention permits the prestressing through the individual drill bushings and permits the reaming after the prestressing through the same drill bushings without removing the fixture until all of the operations on the holes have been completed . the completion of the operations with the fixture in place is particularly desirable where close tolerances are required . without the present invention , it would be necessary to drill and ream the holes with the drill fixture in position . the fixture would then be removed for the prestressing operation , and then it would be replaced for the final reaming operation . the present invention eliminates the requirement for removing the fixture for prestressing by the provision of a relatively small diameter nose piece or sleeve retainer at the prestressing end of the pull gun . in one embodiment , the retainer is adapted to be extended through each drill bushing to be positioned against the workpiece around a fastener hole being prestressed . a mandrel extends through the retainer during the prestressing operation . the mandrel is retracted through the retainer , the retainer being adapted to retain a spacing , internally lubricated sleeve within the fastener hole . the lubricated sleeve has a flared end which fits into a recess in a flat outer end of the pull gun sleeve retainer and in addition the retainer is made so that it fits tightly but slidably on the mandrel so that the lubricated sleeve cannot slide on the mandrel and into the small diameter nose piece retainer according to the invention . a pull gun , as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 187 , 708 , is adapted to receive a retainer or extension according to the invention so that the aforesaid gun can be operated in the same manner as described in the patent . one sleeve retaining nose piece , as used in the apparatus and method according to the invention , has the general appearance of a collet chuck , but not the function , and has an elongated generally cylindrical portion having an outer substantially flat end with a recess therein surrounding the end of a passageway extending through the retainer . at the inner end of the retainer there is a continuous circumferential portion terminating in an annular flange so as to provide a strong supporting member and to facilitate retention of the extension in the pull gun . the retainer is made from unhardened ultra high strength alloy steel . a multiple number of axially directed slots are cut into the cylindrical wall of the retainer radially outwardly of the passageway and extending inwardly from the outer end . the slots are terminated adjacent the inner end outwardly of the retention flange . an axially directed finger is thus formed between each pair of adjacent slots . to prepare the retainer for heat treating , an annular clamping device , such as a ring , is fitted over the outer cylindrical end of the retainer so as to move the axially directed surfaces of each slot into contact adjacent the outer end , and thereby form slits at the outer portion of the respective slots . the retainer is then heat treated in the conventional manner and quenched . after the clamping means is removed , the heat treated extension retains its clamped position with narrow slits at the outer ends , having their axial surfaces normally in contact , and the fingers functioning as axially outwardly tapering , relatively stiff springs , biased radially inwardly . with the above retainer , having an outer flat nose , the load is transferred through the workpiece directly onto the nose end . the flat end configuration has a very high load transfer through the relatively small diameter that almost always leaves some form of a mark on the workpiece . such marks are considered to be undesirable on the skin of an aircraft , for example , particularly where they may be seen on an exterior surface . in order to avoid the foregoing marking problem with the present invention , another embodiment of the invention is provided in which an extension nose piece or retainer has a conical outer end , sized so as to fit inside the flare on the end of a lubricated sleeve . thus , when the mandrel is drawn through the sleeve , the load is transferred directly through the periphery of the fastener hole . the advantage of this embodiment is that it does not leave any marks on the workpiece . the structure and the means for manufacture of the conical - ended sleeve retainer are substantially the same as that of the first mentioned retainer having the flat outer end , the difference being generally only in the end configuration . by having small diameter sleeve retainers extending outwardly from the pulling gun , the present invention presents the additional advantage of being adapted for prestressing of holes on workpieces that have protuberances that would prevent the application of a relatively large diameter prior art pulling gun and nose piece from being used because it could not be positioned against the workpiece because of the protuberances . thus , the relatively small diameter nose piece or sleeve retainer , which is insertable through drill bushings in the drill fixture , is also available for engaging the workpiece where only a small space thereon is available for making contact with the retainer around the holes to be prestressed . both embodiments may be comprised of an elongated retainer nose piece which is made of a single piece of metal and is threadedly engaged at its inner end to the outer end of the gun . the outer end of the elongated nose piece has a small diameter as discussed above . the single piece retainer nose piece provides for the use of a mandrel extension which is secured to the end of the gun at its inner end and extends into the retainer , having a mandrel secured to its outer end . the mandrel extends through the retainer outer passage and in the sleeve in the same manner as described above . further advantages of the invention may be brought out in the following part of the specification wherein small details have been described for the competance of disclosure , without intending to limit the scope of the invention which is set forth in the appended claims . fig1 is a pictorial view of the invention with a sleeve retainer or extension being held against the workpiece and an unshown mandrel extending through a fastener hole , the mandrel being in position for retraction into the extension and the pulling gun ; fig2 is an isometric , exploded view illustrating the position of a split , internally lubricated sleeve adapted to be slipped onto a mandrel , where it is to be positioned on the small cylindrical diameter thereof outwardly of the outer end of the extension of the pull gun ; fig3 is an exploded view of a mandrel , an extension of the pull gun according to the invention , an outer cap of the pull gun which secures the extension in the gun , and of an internally lubricated , axially split sleeve having a flared end , the flared end being adapted to fit into the recess at the outer end of the extension when the mandrel and sleeve are being retracted from the workpiece ; fig4 is the first of three similar longitudinal sectional views illustrating the sequence of the prestressing operation according to the invention , the first view showing the capped nose portion of a pull gun , a portion of a workpiece immediately surrounding the fastener hole to be prestressed , a prestressing sleeve in section , the mandrel in side elevation , and the sleeve retainer secured in the cap of the gun and in abutment with the workpiece and surrounding the cylindrical portion of the mandrel , the first view showing the position of the prestressing tools immediately following the insertion of the mandrel and sleeve into the fastener hole with the flared end of the sleeve in the recess in the end of the retainer ; fig5 is a view similar to fig4 illustrating the retraction of the mandrel by the pull gun , the increasing diameter portion and maximum diameter portion of the mandrel in prestressing action of the metal surrounding the fastener hole ; fig6 is a view similar to fig5 illustrating the retraction of the mandrel by the pull gun , the increasing diameter portion and maximum diameter portion of the mandrel having completed the prestressing of the fastener hole ; fig7 is an end view of the sleeve retainer , with sleeve and mandrel shown in section , taken along the line 7 -- 7 in fig6 ; fig8 is a cross - sectional view of a generally cylindrical sleeve retainer made out of a single piece of metal , elongated to provide for the use of a mandrel extension , the latter being secured to the gun ; and fig9 is a cross - sectional fragmentary view of another embodiment of the invention wherein the sleeve retainer has a conical end to fit into a flared end of a prestressing sleeve so as to avoid direct contact with the workpiece and to avoid marking the same during the prestressing operation . referring again to the drawings , in fig1 - 3 , devices for prestressing a fastener hole are shown in detail . a pull gun , generally designated as 10 , is shown in general outline in fig1 and fragmentarily in fig2 and 3 . the pull gun 10 may be of the type disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 187 , 708 , granted feb . 12 , 1980 . the pull gun 10 is operated hydraulically to remove a mandrel 12 from an extended , fig2 and 4 , to a retracted position , fig6 . the hydraulic operating means is disclosed in detail in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 187 , 708 . a generally cylindrical nose cap 14 , fig1 - 4 , is provided adjacent the working end of the pull gun and is adapted to secure a small diameter nose piece , in the form of a generally cylindrical elongated sleeve retainer or extension 16 within the outer end of the gun . the cap 14 has an outer radial end wall 18 formed to include a cylindrical center opening 20 . inwardly of the wall 18 is a cylindrical wall 22 having internal threads 24 , terminating forwardly in a small diameter portion 26 forming an inwardly extension of the opening 20 . rearwardly of and radially outwardly of the opening 20 is a flange formed by the wall 18 which is adapted to retain a radially extending circumferentially continuous , cylindrical flange base 32 of the sleeve retainer 16 . as best seen in fig2 and 3 , the flange 32 forms the inner end of the retainer along with an outer continuous circumferential generally cylindrical portion 30 . a tapering tubular portion 34 of the nose piece terminates in an outer flat radially directed end 36 . the tapering portion 34 is formed of six axially directed spring fingers 38 , spaced at their inner ends by adjacent slits or slots 40 ; the slots narrow outwardly to slits 42 in which axial surfaces of the slots normally make contact with each other to form the slits . at the outer end , radially inwardly of the wall 36 is an annular recess 44 formed along the outer surfaces of the six fingers 38 . extending inwardly of the recess is small diameter central generally cylindrical passage 46 and inwardly thereof is an enlarged diameter passage 48 , fig4 and 5 . the retainer 16 is made from ultra high strength alloy steel , and in the unhardened state the slots 40 are cut therein so as to have generally axially directed parallel sides , not shown . in preparation for heat treating , an annular clamping device , such as a ring , is positioned around the outer circumference of the extension adjacent the outer end so as to cause the slots adjacent the outer end to be narrowed into slits . the retainer is then heat treated and quenched and when the clamping means is removed , the retainer remains in the form as clamped , and as shown . the fingers 38 are in the form of hardened springs , biased radially inwardly , and adapted to fit tightly on all portions of the mandrel that pass through the small diameter passage portion 46 , fig4 and 5 . the retainer 16 is secured within the gun 10 by a retainer nut 50 having a central passage 52 for the mandrel 12 . inwardly of the nut 50 is an annular wall 54 on which the cap 14 is threadly engaged . inner end 56 of the mandrel is threadedly engaged with an adapter 60 , secured to a pneumatic piston , not shown . the end 56 is hand tightened into the adapter and is locked in place by an o - ring 62 . extending outwardly of its inner end , the mandrel has a small diameter cylindrical portion 64 on which the fingers 38 of the sleeve retainer are normally tightly but slidably engaged , fig4 and 5 . outwardly of the portion 64 is an increasing diameter conical portion 66 , terminating in a maximum diameter cylindrical portion 68 . tapering outwardly from the maximum diameter cylindrical portion is a decreasing diameter frusto - conidcal end portion 70 . when the mandrel 12 is extended , fig2 a thin axially split , cold - expansion or prestressing steel sleeve 74 is slipped over the outer end of the mandrel onto the small diameter portion 64 . the sleeve has an inner flared end 76 . the cold - expansion sleeve has a comparable or higher modulus and yield than the material of the workpiece . interior surface 78 of the sleeve has a solid film lubricant of a commercial type which includes lead oxide , graphite and molybdenum disulfide . the lubricant film is capable of withstanding more than 400 , 000 psi . see the aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 566 , 662 and u . s . pat . no . 3 , 665 , 744 for detailed descriptions of the sleeves and a manner of constructing them . the preferred lubricant comprises a molybdenum disulfide , graphite , a binder , a solvent ( e . g . toluol ) and possibly some lead oxide . as is known to those skilled in the art , the coefficient of friction of this lubricant can be varied by changing the various components . in fig4 - 7 , the prestressing operation of the invention is illustrated . two abutting workpieces 82 and 84 , adapted to be secured together by a fastener , have holes 86 and 88 , respectively , drilled therethrough . in fig4 the mandrel 12 is in the fully extended position relative to the gun 10 and has been moved through the holes 82 and 84 . the sleeve 74 is positioned on the small diameter portion 64 of the mandrel 12 . the outer end surface 18 of the nose cap 14 is spaced from the workpiece surface 90 by the retainer 16 . the outer end surface 36 of the retainer 16 is held against the workpiece surface 90 and the flare 76 on the sleeve 74 is engaged in the recess 44 in the end of the retainer . the small diameter surfaces 46 of the fingers 38 are in spring held abutment with the cylindrical surface of the mandrel portion 64 so as to tightly hold the mandrel but be slidably engaged therewith . because the prestressing process is a one - sided operation , the split sleeve 74 is installed on the mandrel 12 prior to inserting the mandrel and sleeve into the hole to be expanded and prestressed . a clearance between the sleeve and the wall of the hole is necessary and is equal to approximately 0 . 003 inch . as may be visualized from fig4 and 5 , to overcome this clearance , it is necessary for the beginning of the tapered section 66 of the mandrel to travel axially , after contact , approximately 0 . 065 inch before starting to expand the hole 86 . as shown in fig5 the mandrel has been retracted substantially with respect to the workpiece 82 , and the increasing diameter portion 66 and the maximum diameter portion 68 have prestressed the area around the hole 86 as indicated by the cold - expansion of the sleeve portion in the hole 86 . that is , the metal around the hole 86 is in compression and as the increasing diameter portion 66 moves into the hole 88 , expansion of the sleeve and hole 88 has commenced . as shown in fig6 the prestressing of the hole 88 has been completed when the large diameter portion has been withdrawn from the hole 88 . a considerable pulling force is required to pull the increasing and large diameter portions of the mandrel through the sleeve and cold - expand or prestress the holes . as the increasing diameter portion of the mandrel 66 starts to expand the sleeve in the hole 86 , a holding force is exerted on the flared end 76 in the recess 44 in the end of the retainer 16 . at this time , the ends 36 of the fingers 38 are in a very substantial pressure engagement with the surface 90 of the workpiece and the fingers 38 are adapted to remain in contact with the smaller diameter portion 64 of the mandrel , fig4 so that the sleeve does not slip between the mandrel and the fingers . this is made possible by the recess arrangement and the spring force of the fingers on the cylindrical portion of the mandrel . as the mandrel is further retracted through the holes 86 and 88 , the force on the sleeve in the recess is increased to retain it therein even though the larger diameter portions of the mandrel radially expand the small diameter portion 44 of the fingers . during the expansion , the fingers remain in tight contact with the mandrel , to aid in retaining the sleeve in the recess , fig6 and 7 . as indicated , a considerable pulling force is required to pull the mandrel through the sleeve and cold - expand or prestress the holes . the maximum diameter cylindrical portion 68 of the mandrel substantially increases the friction and pulling forces around the hole during the prestressing operation . for 3 / 16 inch to 1 / 2 inch diameter holes in various aluminums these forces are in the range of between 2 , 000 and 9 , 000 lbs . this same pulling force on the mandrel reacts on the flared end 76 of the sleeve in the recess 44 and as stated , prevents the sleeve from slipping on the mandrel . in fig8 another embodiment of the invention is illustrated . here , a nose piece or sleeve retainer 100 is made of a single piece of metal of the same type as the nose piece 16 and by the same heat treating process . the nose piece 100 is elongated substantially to prestress the holes , as 102 and 104 , in workpieces 106 and 108 respectively , where a protuberance as 110 is fixed on a surface 112 of the workpiece 108 . an inner large diameter end 116 of the retainer is threadedly engaged with an outer end 120 of a pull gun . in order to use a retainer , as 100 , in the space provided adjacent the protuberance 110 , or through a drill bushing to be described , the long retainer , shown interrupted , has a relatively small diameter portion 124 extending from adjacent the inner end to an outer end portion 126 . the small diameter parts of the retainer are cylindrical and tubular . the outer end portion is formed of spring fingers 130 of the same type as the fingers 38 in fig4 - 7 . the fingers 130 are spaced by axially outwardly narrowing slots 132 , terminating as slits 134 so that the fingers tend to be in contact along their axial surfaces at the outer end . the outer end of the extension retainer 100 has a flat annular surface 138 . radially inwardly thereof is an annular groove 140 to receive a flared end 142 of a prestressing sleeve 144 within the workpiece holes 102 and 104 and surrounding a small diameter portion 146 of a mandrel 150 . inwardly of the groove 140 the fingers have axial surfaces 152 which are biased into contact with the small diameter portion of the mandrel , forming a small diameter passageway for the tubular retainer 100 . the mandrel 150 functions in the same manner as the mandrel 12 and has a increasing diameter portion 156 and a maximum diameter portion 160 . the mandrel is shown in its extended position and because of the length of the retainer 100 , it is convenient to secure the inner end 162 of the mandrel in a solid cylindrical mandrel extension 164 , the mandrel being threadedly engaged in a tapped bore in the outer end of the extension . the inner end 168 of the extension is threadedly engaged with a pull gun adapter secured to a pneumatic piston , not shown . the prestressing operation using the extension nose piece 100 is the same as that described with respect to fig4 - 6 . in fig9 a mandrel 170 , workpieces 172 , 174 , respective holes 176 and 178 , and prestressing sleeve 180 are the same as those shown in fig4 - 6 . a nose piece retainer 182 is generally cylindrical and has on its inner end a cylindrical flange base , as that shown in fig4 and is secured in a pull gun cap 184 , as shown in fig4 . the mandrel is similarly secured to an adapter , as 60 , which is also secured to a pneumatic piston , not shown . the sleeve retainer 182 has a tubular passage therethrough in which the mandrel travels during a prestressing operation . a tapering outer end portion 186 of the retainer terminates in a conical outer end 188 . the portion 186 is formed of four axially directed spring fingers 190 , spaced at their inner ends by narrow axial slots 192 and in the conical portion 188 , the slots are narrowed to slits 196 so that the axially directed surfaces of the fingers forming the slits are generally in contact , the spring fingers fitting tightly on the mandrel . as shown , the outer portion of the conical end is adapted to be fitted within flared end 200 on the sleeve . the retainer 182 is formed with narrow transverse slots 202 at the inner end of the slots 192 . retainer 182 is made of the same material as the retainer 16 and is formed by the same type of clamping and heat treating operation . the sleeve retainer 182 is made with a relatively small outside diameter relative to the prior art retainers , having their ends adjacent or within the large diameter pull guns . the small outside diameter of the retainer 182 is particularly adapted for use in prestressing through a drill bushing 206 in a drill fixture 208 . such drill fixtures are typically positioned and temporarily fixed in front of a workpiece in which holes are to be drilled and then prestressed by cold expansion . in the drilling operation , the fixtures are used to guide drills through the drill bushings so as to position all of the holes in the correct location . because reaming is performed after the cold expansion of the holes , use of a sleeve retainer in the form of retainers 16 , 100 and 182 allows the manufacturer to leave the drill fixture in position after the drilling , for the cold expansion portion of the operation , and thus enabling final reaming operation to be made through the drill bushing holes which remain in register with the original holes as drilled . this is an important advantage of the three types of sleeve retainers described and disclosed herein and is in addition to the advantage illustrated in fig8 in regard to protuberances extending from the workpiece . the conical end 188 on the nose piece retainer 182 , inside the flare of the prestressing sleeve transfers the load during the prestressing operation directly through the periphery of the hole 178 . in the prestressing operation , the conical end in the flare of the sleeve also provides coining on the edge of the hole . this embodiment provides the additional advantage of not leaving any circular marks on the workpiece , as may be left by the outer flat ends 36 and 138 of the retainers 16 and 100 , respectively . the flat ends have a high load transfer through a small cylindrical area so as to tend to leave some form of a mark on the workpiece . the aircraft industry prefers not to have such marks on the outer skin of an aircraft , as they tend to suggest that the aircraft may have been scarred or the surface somewhat damaged . from the foregoing , it is clear that the relatively small outer diameters of the three sleeve retainer embodiments , according to the present invention , provide considerable additional advantages in prestressing of fastener holes over the prior art devices . the invention and its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form , construction and arrangements of the parts of the invention without departing from the spirit or scope thereof or sacrificing its material advantages , the arrangements hereinbefore described being merely by way of example . we do not wish to be restricted to the specific forms shown or uses mentioned except as defined in the accompanying claims .	8
fig1 , 1 a , 2 , 2 a , 3 , and 3 a illustrate prior art methods of allocating area codes and dialing , as was discussed earlier in the background of the invention . fig4 , 4 a illustrate a dialing system which supports the implementation of overlays for area code relief by eliminating the public &# 39 ; s main objections to them . the plan preserves established dialing patterns to existing ( pre - relief ) telephone numbers , and unifies all levels of an overlay area with a consistent abbreviated dialing method . long term relief is provided for exhausted area codes without impacting dialing , switching or software in any other areas of the north american numbering plan ( nanp ). defining the following terms will be helpful for the discussions that follow : parent level of overlay : the original area code ( in these examples the 818 area code ). child level of overlay : a new overlaid area code ( in these examples the 626 area code is the first child level ). overlay area : a single geographic area which contains the parent level and all of the child overlay levels . intra - overlay area calls : refers to calls where the origin and the destination area codes both reside within the geographic overlay area . abbreviated dialing : dialing which requires fewer than 11 digits to complete ( abbreviated dialing within an area code is typically 7 digits ). timing : as used in this unified dialing plan , a predetermined interval ( probably 3 - 4 seconds ) invoked after the 7th digit of a phone number is dialed . if this interval elapses and no further digits have been entered , the phone system switch will run an analysis on the 7 digit number that has been dialed . this technique will allow customers to dial valid phone numbers of varying lengths ( 7 or 8 digits ). in accordance with the invention , an overlay is implemented such that local dialing within the overlay area is facilitated by : ‘ 7 digit ’+ timing dialing for intra - overlay area calls directed to the parent level of the overlay from any level of the overlay . this ensures that dialing patterns to existing numbers ( parent level numbers ) are not disrupted with the introduction of an overlay , and can continue to be dialed with 7 digits plus a brief wait . ‘ 8 digit ’ ( 7 + suffix ) dialing for intra - overlay area calls directed to any level of the overlay ( parent or child ). this is a ‘ 7 + x ’ system , where the 8th digit is a suffix and acts as an overlay selector . each area code within the overlay area is assigned a unique identifier , which is to be used as the ‘ 8th digit suffix ’ or ‘ overlay selector ’ in dialing . this feature unifies all levels of the overlay area with consistent abbreviated dialing , regardless of the originating or destination overlay area codes . the parent is assigned a “ 0 ” for the eighth - digit suffix , the first child is assigned a “ 1 ”, and subsequent children are assigned “ 2 ” through “ 9 ”. when only seven digits are dialed followed by the timing delay , it is assumed by default that the eighth digit is a “ 0 ”, and the call is routed accordingly . 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing , as used in the standard overlay method , is permissive , but not mandatory , throughout the entire overlay area . every 7 or 8 digit number has a unique correspondence with ( mapping to ) a 10 or 1 + 10 digit number . fig4 and 4a , and fig5 and 6 , illustrate how these three dialing methods are integrated in accordance with the invention . while this plan is applicable to any area where an overlay might need to be implemented , for ease of illustration it will be described by example using 818 as the original area code , and 626 as the first new ‘ overlaid ’ ( child ) level . within the overlay area only ( i . e ., the example 818 / 626 overlay area ), the suffixes for intra - overlay area dialing are determined as follows : all 818 numbers receive a suffix of ‘ 0 ’ ( representing the parent level ). all 626 numbers receive a suffix of ‘ 1 ’ ( representing the first child level ). any future overlay levels receive a suffix of ‘ 2 ’-‘ 9 ’ in that order . this framework allows for easy future expansion when more telephone numbers are needed . thus , for calls originating anywhere within the 818 / 626 overlay area , dialing 123 - 4567 - 0 ( to the parent level ) is fully equivalent to dialing 1 - 818 - 123 - 4567 , and indeed either style of dialing is valid and will successfully place the call . similarly , dialing 123 - 4567 - 1 ( to the first child level ) is fully equivalent to dialing 1 - 626 - 123 - 4567 , and again , either style of dialing is valid and will successfully place the call . for dialing to a second child level within an 818 / 626 /??? overlay area , with a second child area code designated by ?? ?, dialing 123 - 4567 - 2 ( to the second child ) is fully equivalent to dialing 1 -?? ?- 123 - 4567 , and again , either style of dialing is valid and will successfully place the call . further , all 818 ( parent ) numbers can also be reached from any level of the overlay area simply by dialing the original 7 digit number and then waiting for a short timing delay . this feature of the invention makes the introduction of an overlay completely non - disruptive to the existing dialing patterns of the original area code . for example , for calls originating anywhere within the 818 / 626 /??? overlay area , dialing 123 - 4567 and then waiting for the timing delay is fully equivalent to dialing 1 - 818 - 123 - 4567 . that is , 7 - digit dialing , followed by the timing delay , defaults to the 7 digit number in the original area code , which accommodates established 7 digit dialing patterns to pre - relief phone numbers . for a switch - based implementation , the telephone industry and / or appropriate government agencies would determine the appropriate length for this timing delay , which could range from perhaps 1 to 10 seconds , and ideally might be about 3 to 4 seconds . the industry could also customize the length of the timing delay on a customer - by - customer ( number - by - number ) basis . thus , one customer might request that all calls dialed from his or her phone use a 3 second delay . another customer might similarly request an 8 second delay for calls from his or her phone . finally , customer premises equipment used to achieve this dialing functionality in a standard overlay area can readily be programmed with the precise timing delay desired by the user , using methods well - known in the art . other variations on the timing delay may be necessary in order to avoid misdials . these variations might include : 1 ) when the child overlay is first implemented , there will not be many numbers in the new area code ( same as a standard overlay ), so the chances of too short of a delay causing a misdial early on is very low . this might justify a relatively short timing delay at first implementation — say 3 to 4 seconds . as the months go by — if warranted by frequent misdials — the delay could be gradually increased as the new area code grows more populated . 2 ) a few seconds after 7 digits have been entered , a recorded message could play that would give instructions on how to input the 8th digit —“ for 818 area code — enter 0 , for 626 area code — enter 1 ,” etc . after a few more seconds it might say “ at the tone , your call will default to the 818 area code . . . beep .” 3 ) if certain numbers were consistently misdialed , those numbers might be selectively blocked from 7 digit default dialing — or people could request that they never receive any 7 digit default calls . this would not harm the functionality of the plan . these customers would still be able to dial with 7 digit default ( protecting auto dialers , burglar alarms , fire alarms , etc . ), but their own number would no longer be reachable that way . 4 ) or , the 7 digit default method might serve only as a transition device during the first 6 months to 1 year of implementation . if misdials do become problematic , it could be phased out altogether . this would still leave the overlay area with a very functional and efficient 8 digit abbreviated dialing plan . for calls originating within the overlay area , the telephone number conversion device , whether in a telephone company switch , a modified custom calling service , or in customer premises equipment , would operate as follows : once 7 digits are received , the call will be considered legal . however the number conversion device will wait an additional predetermined timing period for a possible 8th digit , which is the ‘ overlay area code selector ’. if the timing delay elapses before the 8th digit is received , a suffix of ‘ 0 ’ is assumed , and the 7 digit call will automatically be directed to the 818 ( parent ) level of the overlay . if 8 digits are received before the timing delay elapses , the conversion device will analyze the number , examining the 8th digit first . if the 8th digit is a ‘ 0 ’, the call will be directed to the 818 ( parent ) level of the overlay . if the 8th digit is a ‘ 1 ’, the call will be directed to the 626 ( first child ) level of the overlay . if the predetermined ‘ timing delay ’ elapses and less than 7 digits have been received , the call is considered abandoned , and the standard ‘ try again ’ message is given . once the proper overlay level is determined and the call is routed to the proper area code within the overlay area , the suffix is discarded , leaving a standard 7 digit number to be routed by traditional 7 digit switching logic . all of the above is readily implemented , using methods well - known in the art , in the switching or custom calling service device at telephone company central offices , and / or in customer premises equipment , by taking a 7 or 8 digit number and converting it into the appropriate 7 digit or 10 or 1 + 10 digit number , then signaling it to a normal telephone company switch in a standard overlay , or even non - overlaid , situation . to summarize , all ‘ 7 digit + timing ’ or ‘ 7 digit + suffix ’ calls are converted to 10 or 1 + 10 or 7 digit numbers as appropriate , by the phone system or by the customer premises equipment , and are then transparently routed to the proper overlay level . it is to be noted that 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing for intra - overlay area calls would also be supported , if that is how an individual preferred to dial , but it would not be mandatory . as such , the dialing plan according to the invention integrates seamlessly with the standard overlay method . for local or toll calls originating within the overlay area , but directed outside of that area , mandatory 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing would be used . this requires no change whatsoever to the existing method of placing calls outside an overlay area . if someone in the overlay area were to accidentally use the ‘ 10 + x ’ or ‘ 1 + 10 + x ’ format ( because they had become accustomed to dialing 8 digit phone numbers ) it wouldn &# 39 ; t matter because in 10 or 1 + 10 dialing , all extra digits beyond 10 or 1 + 10 are ignored , just as they have always been . for calls originating outside the overlay area which are directed into the overlay area , standard 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing would be used . if someone from outside the overlay area were to accidentally use the ‘ 10 + x ’ or ‘ 1 + 10 + x ’ format ( because they were unclear as to the correct dialing rules in the overlay area ) it wouldn &# 39 ; t matter because in 10 or 1 + 10 dialing , all additional digits are ignored . again , this does not in any way change how someone outside the overlay area dials into the area . the overlay method heretofore described integrates well with existing directory listing practices , because numbers within an overlay area can all be listed with 8 digits . thus , for example , in the 818 / 626 telephone directories the numbers will be listed as follows : 818 number 999 - 3360 - 0626 number 956 - 2200 - 1213 number 213 - 462 - 2110 ( out of ‘ overlay area ’ number ) 626 number 347 - 9426 - 1818 number 883 - 6234 - 0310 number 310 - 244 - 0177 ( out of ‘ overlay area ’ number ) in the above , 7 digits +‘ 0 ’= 818 area code ; 7 digits +‘ 1 ’= 626 area code . because no area codes would need to be listed for intra - overlay area phone numbers , the ‘ new ’ 626 numbers ( which a new business might have ) will not stand out as red flags to customers looking for experienced services . only out of ‘ overlay area ’ phone numbers would stand out , the same as they already do in current directories . this would not be a flag for the business being “ new ,” it would simply be a flag for the business being out - of - area , as it is at present . to further remind people how the system works , a sticker could be supplied to customers in the 818 / 626 area that said , e . g ., “ 8 digit dialing supported : 7 digit phone number + 0 = 818 area code ; 7 digit phone number + 1 = 626 area code .” the public can be informed about the use of the new plan , for example , with easy - to - understand language such as : “ for calls made from any telephone within the 818 / 626 overlay area to any phone number with an 818 area code ( 818 is the original ( or “ parent ”) level of this overlay area ): you may dial all 818 area code telephone numbers exactly as you always have in the past using just 7 digits . after a short delay your call will go through . you may avoid this delay by dialing the 7 digit number + 0 . for calls made from any telephone within the 818 / 626 overlay area to any phone number with a 626 area code ( 626 is the first new ( or “ child ”) level of this overlay area ): you must dial all new 626 area code telephone numbers as the 7 digit number + 1 . for calls made from any telephone within the 818 / 626 overlay area to phone numbers in area codes outside of the 818 / 626 overlay area : dial 1 + area code + 7 digits — the same as you would before the overlay went into effect . for calls made from area codes outside of the 818 / 626 overlay area to any area code within the 818 / 626 overlay area : dial 1 + area code + 7 digits — the same as you would before the overlay went into effect . “ this plan addresses customers &# 39 ; objections to using overlays which they fear would result in confusion and / or the inconvenience of having to dial 11 digits just to call across the street . to ease the public &# 39 ; s transition to overlays , simple 7 digit dialing to all existing ( pre - relief ) parent level numbers is maintained ( this is also a benefit for children , the elderly / handicapped , and automatic dialing systems ). the plan allows for abbreviated ‘ 7 digit + suffix ’ dialing from and to any phone within the entire overlay area , without affecting how 10 or 1 + 10 digit calls ‘ out - of ’, ‘ into ’, or ‘ within ’ the overlay area are handled . it is expandable to 10 levels ( 0 - 9 ) of overlay within a single geographic dialing area , allowing for painless addition of many new numbers in the future . additionally , the new style of directory listings which this dialing plan permits won &# 39 ; t be a disadvantage for new businesses . for the public , this plan will have the psychological appeal of being a new ‘ high tech ’ solution to the challenges presented by splits and standard overlays . it responds to all of the public &# 39 ; s concerns about overlays , and will leave citizens and businesses with a feeling that something is finally being done to protect them from the expense and disruption that traditionally comes with area code exhaust and relief . when the advantages of this plan are weighed against the disadvantages of area code splits and standard implementations of overlays ( expense , disruption , confusion , inconvenience , permanent impact on the size of geographic dialing areas , etc . ), this unified dialing plan for overlays clearly makes sense as a solution for both the short and the long term . this system can be applied to any area that is faced with the need to introduce an overlay . if this system becomes a standard , over time large areas of north america would be able to locally take advantage of this plan without affecting how any ‘ out of area ’ or ‘ into area ’ dialing and switching is handled . in short , this numbering plan greatly reduces the confusion and inconvenience that is associated with having multiple area codes within individual neighborhoods and households . because the plan is non - disruptive to existing 7 digit and 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing patterns , no one is put in jeopardy by a change to their local dialing plan ( especially children and elderly / handicapped ), and it ensures that existing auto dialers can complete calls without reprogramming . this plan reduces the likelihood that the new overlay area code will be a stigma for new businesses . finally , it ensures that costs to businesses and disruption overall will be kept to a minimum . it is important to note that this plan according to the invention can be used even when there is not a unique original area code . in these cases , only the 8 digit “ unifying ” feature of the plan would be implemented . this situation would occur if an overlay were implemented on top of two existing distinct area codes . in this case , the 7 digit default would only be used as a transition vehicle for each of the original area codes , and then would be phased out , leaving the 8 digit system in place . the 8 - digit - only version of the plan could also be used where a standard overlay has already been implemented . in these cases , the 7 digit feature of the plan would not be used at all , but the 8 digit feature could be implemented and save callers 3 digits on each call . the 8 digit feature could also be used to tie together geographically distinct area codes that will not be overlaid , simply as a way to avoid having to dial 10 or 1 + 10 for out of area code calls . where two existing npas are overlaid , the transition would take place in two phases . in the discussion following , area code a signifies either of the existing area codes , area code b signifies the other existing area code , and area code c signifies the new overlay area code . note , to avoid confusion with situations where there is only one original area code , the ‘ 0 ’ suffix should not be used in cases where there are two or more original area codes . in phase one , before implementing the overlay , each of the two existing npas would separately migrate from 7 digit to 8 digit dialing using the 7 digit default as the transition vehicle ( 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing within each area code would also be enabled at this time ). area code a would migrate to 7 digit +‘ 1 ’ suffix , and area code b would migrate to 7 digit +‘ 2 ’ suffix . in either case , 7 digit calls ( with a delay ) would default to the area code of origin during the permissive period . it is important to recall that in this situation , the two area codes are in separate geographic areas , so 7 digits can default to the area code of origin without confusion . during this period it might be possible to dial between the two area codes using either the 8 digit option or standard 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing . in phase two , at the end of the permissive dialing period , each of the existing area codes would have separately migrated to 8 digit or 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing for all calls , and the 7 digit default method will no longer be available for either area code . at this point 8 digit dialing and 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing would be available for all calls within and between area codes “ a ” and “ b ”. the third area code would now be overlaid and could immediately use 8 digit or 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing for all calls within the “ a b c ” area code grouping . the 8 digit numbers in this new overlaid area code (“ area code “ c ”) would be 7 digit +‘ 3 ’ suffix . this results , finally , in all three area codes being unified with the 8 digit dialing option . naturally 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing would also be an available dialing method , for anyone who wishes to use it . even if this plan is not adopted as a north american standard , it integrates seamlessly with the existing standard overlay method , as well as with established methods for dialing within and between non - overlaid area codes . thus it is possible for computerized customer premises equipment ( cpe ), using methods well - known in the art , to operate according to the lower flowchart of fig5 , and thus convert 7 and 8 digit numbers into the appropriate 10 or 1 + 10 - digit numbers , and then transmit these 11 - digit numbers out to phone company switching equipment that uses only the standard techniques for dialing within and between overlaid and non - overlaid area codes . this cpe could optionally be supplemented with a set “ hot buttons ” on the phone which would be programmed to specific 3 or 1 + 3 digit area codes . by pressing one of these buttons at the start of a call , one could dial a 10 or 1 + 10 digit phone number with only 8 key presses ( hot button + 7 digit number ). or , the 7 digit number plus 1 digit suffix method earlier described can be used , as desired by the user . users of such a cpe device , using programming “ setup ” methods that are well known in the art , could choose their own suffixes to associate with each area code within the overlay area , and could determine for themselves which area code gets the “ 0 ” suffix and hence can be dialed merely by 7 digits plus a timing delay . additionally , such a cpe device can work in situations other than overlays if a user wishes to enjoy abbreviated dialing between separate non - overlaid area codes . thus , for example , not limitation , a user can associate a digit ( e . g ., 0 through 9 ) with the ten area codes he / she dials most often . then , by dialing a seven digit number plus one of the area code - associated digits , the user can achieve 8 - digit dialing into ten different area codes . this cpe can be attached to a phone line or to a preexisting phone as an add - on module , or it can be integrated directly with the telephone as a unitary device . use of the word “ telephone ” above , and throughout this disclosure , is intended and understood to include facsimile machines , autodialers , computers , and any other devices that can be connected to a phone line or a wireless service connection , and which can generate the tones and / or pulses necessary to place a telephone call . it should be noted that while numbers in all of the area codes within the geographic overlay area can be reached by dialing either ‘ 7 + suffix ’ or ‘ 10 or 1 + 10 ’, the ‘ 7 digit default ’ dialing option ( which requires a timing delay ) applies only to numbers in the original area code and only under default conditions . on the surface this would seem to offer preferential dialing to certain numbers ( which would be counter to the fcc &# 39 ; s mandate for dialing parity in overlays ). however , on closer examination it becomes clear that very few people would intentionally take advantage of this option . because of the timing delay when only 7 digits are dialed , customers will quickly opt for dialing the 8th digit ( in this case ‘ 0 ’) in order to complete calls in the most expedient way . this 7 digit option is really only provided in order to ease the transition into an overlay scenario , and to act as a safety net for old “ 7 digit style ” calls which would otherwise be lost . it provides an extremely long permissive dialing period , ensures that any phone number that had been dialed with 7 digits in the past could still be dialed the same way , and minimizes the need to immediately update auto dialers and databases . more than likely , ( after implementation of this invention ), 7 digit calls will only be initiated by auto dialers which had been programmed pre - relief ( i . e . alarm system auto dialers ), and which are typically difficult or costly for their owners to update . in short , from a dialing parity standpoint , 7 digit dialing plus a timing delay is on a par with 8 digit dialing and no timing delay , i . e ., the dialing of an eighth digit and the waiting for a timing delay are equivalent with one another insofar as they might deter a user from choosing a service provider for whom one option would be used over the other . as has been mentioned several times , this invention can also be implemented by telephone company switching equipment as a modified custom calling service . it could be integrated into the network either as a general feature available to all customers as part of their basic monthly service , or as a subscription based feature available only to customers who pay a monthly fee or a pay per use premium . as an example , if this custom calling service were activated when the customer entered ?? ( where ?? are any two digits selected by a telephone company for this purpose ), the switch would be signaled that a 7 or 8 digit ( rather than 10 or 1 + 10 digit ) call is about to be dialed . but entering the ?? would of course reintroduce extra dialing digits which this invention is designed to eliminate , so other approaches might also be considered . for example , not limitation , instead of initiating the custom service by dialing a ? ?, this service could be automatically triggered if the customer began his call with a “ 2 ” through “ 9 ”. the custom service would then “ watch ” as digits were entered , and “ decide ” what to do with any given number . naturally 411 , 911 and other special services would immediately be released to the network after only 3 digits are entered . seven ( 7 ) digit calls would not be released until after the timing delay , and both 7 and 8 digit calls would be translated into the proper 3 digit area code + 7 digit phone number before entering the network . calls beginning with a 0 or a 1 would not trigger this service , since it could be assumed that these numbers were going to be dialed as full 10 or 1 + 10 or 0 + 10 digit numbers ( and thus would not be using 7 or 8 digit dialing ). and , since a caller can always choose to dial with either the reduced - digit option , or the full 10 or 1 + 10 digit number , using 7 or 8 digit dialing might automatically be billed as a premium service , while the use of full 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing would be billed as a standard ( non - custom ) service . if this dialing method is implemented by the phone companies as a custom calling feature , or through cpe , the customer might be able to specify that any given area code is the “ parent style ” area code . this would allow for 7 digit default dialing to any area code of the customer &# 39 ; s choosing , and could be used for both overlaid and non - overlaid situations . if each customer could select which area code defaulted to 7 - digit dialing , then every customer would get to choose exactly one area code for 7 digit dialing , and there would be no possible advantage or disadvantage to anyone , either placing calls or receiving calls . this further overcomes any concerns that may arise regarding dialing parity . the same user - selectable approach can be used for the “ child style ” area codes . here , using a customized calling service , or cpe , each user could specify that a certain group of area codes is to be dialed with either one digit at the beginning of the dialing or one digit at the end , and the user could specify which area codes are associated with which digits . further , the user could select one area code for pure 7 digit dialing ( no timing delay ). thus , if a user wanted to still be able to make all of his or her 818 calls by only dialing 7 digits , the user would tell the switch that any call placed by that user which doesn &# 39 ; t start with a 0 or a 1 will always be a call intended for the 818 area code . another customer might prefer to make 626 his or her special 7 digit area code . if this feature could be changed at will , the user could make his or her phone behave as if it were located in any area code , at any time . a phone in california , for example , would be able to dial 7 digit numbers in a new york area code ! a display on the user phone or similar device could show what area code is assigned as the special 7 digit area code ( similar to the caller id display ). a device or telephone similar to the “ hot button ” device disclosed earlier can also be included . thus , when the user presses the hot button , it remains selected ( or on ) until it is turned off , or until a different area code “ hot button ” is selected . in this way , after choosing an area code , all calls dialed afterwards may be dialed with only 7 digits ( not 8 ). this could make the user &# 39 ; s telephone behave exactly as it did before the overlay . or , if the user wanted to place many calls to the 202 area code , he or she could press or program the 202 button , and from then on dial all calls to that area code using only 7 digits . similarly , an off switch can be provided , so that one can bypass any of these special dialing features . this would help new users feel “ safe ” with this device . all of the above , it is again noted , can readily be implemented through phone company switches , and / or through computerized cpe . fig9 illustrate a preferred embodiment of the underlying computerized device of the invention . fig9 a , using an 818 / 626 /??? overlay area as an example , illustrates computerized telephone number conversion device 1 which accepts the dialing tones of a 7 or 8 digit telephone number as input , determines by means of an association table which area code to associate with each overlay selector ( including timing delay expiration with no selector , which defaults to the parent ( e . g . “ 0 ”) selector , and outputs a 10 or 1 + 10 digit number corresponding to the full 1 + area code + local number of the number being dialed . the direct , one - to - one mapping between 8 - digit numbers and 10 or 1 + 10 digit numbers according to the invention makes the device 1 extremely simple to implement using methods well - known in the art . naturally , any time it is detected that a “ 0 ” or a “ 1 ” is the first digit dialed ( e . g ., the caller dials 1 - 818 - n23 - 4567 ), the conversion is deactivated , and the number as dialed is simply passed through conversion device 1 unaltered . similarly , the association table would contain special numbers such as “ 911 ”,“ 411 ”, etc . that , if detected , are simply passed through unchanged . the modular device 1 , in turn , easily integrates into a number of settings . as shown in fig9 b , it can easily be incorporated into a telephone company switch 2 ( or a pbx - type system at a customer site ), and can thus be used to detect incoming 7 or 8 digit numbers , convert them into 10 or 1 + 10 digit numbers , and signal the full 10 or 1 + 10 digit number associated with the incoming 7 or 8 digit number . as noted earlier , this may or may not be provided to the customer as a custom calling service . in the cpe variation , module 1 is connected to an ordinary , preexisting telephone 3 . it converts 7 or 8 digit numbers dialed at the telephone keypad 5 into the correct associated 10 or 1 + 10 digit numbers , and then sends these converted numbers to the telephone switch over telephone line 6 . alternatively , telephone 3 and module 1 can be incorporated together into a unitary “ enhanced ” telephone 4 , which similarly converts the input 7 or 8 digit number into a 10 or 1 + 10 digit number and sends that number out over the telephone line 6 . in either event , this cpe device gives the telephone user the option to simplify his or her dialing whether or not the telephone company itself chooses to implement this invention systemwide . and , in the event the simplified dialing of this invention is implemented as a custom ( premium ) calling service , this cpe device enables the user to avoid paying the premium for this custom calling service , and at the same time enjoy the benefits of this simplified dialing . for all of these variations , programming means 7 are used to program and customize module 1 , using methods well - known in the art . this can include establishing the relationships between overlay selectors and area codes , setting the timing delay , programming “ hot button ” for the cpe device , etc . finally , the methods described above lend themselves as well to a non - disruptive method for what to do when all 800 = 8 × 10 × 10 of the original 3 digit ( nxx ) area codes are used up . ( n = 2 through 9 , x = 0 through 9 .) this method involves introducing new 5 digit area codes , where the 4th digit will always be a 0 or a 1 , and the fifth digit may be 0 through 9 . this will create a system for adding 800 × 2 × 10 = 16 , 000 more area codes without disrupting how existing numbers are dialed . in this method , all 800 original area codes will be able to be known as either the nxx00 or as the original nxx . all new area codes will be nxx01 - nxx09 or nxx10 - nxx19 , when the dialing doesn &# 39 ; t start with a 0 or a 1 , the telephone number conversion device detects this and determines that the number is being dialed without an area code prefix , so it will treat the call as a conventional 7 digit call , or a 7 or 8 digit call according to the invention as heretofore described . if the dialing does start with a 0 or 1 , the telephone number conversion device detects this and determines that the number following will be either a 3 digit or 5 digit area code . in this case , if the 4th digit that follows the ‘ original 0 or 1 ’ is not a 0 or a 1 ( i . e ., if it is a 2 through 9 ), then the telephone number conversion device interprets this to mean that an original 3 digit area code is being used , and the call will be able to be completed without dialing the full 5 digits for the area code . this takes advantage of the fact that standard 7 digit numbers are always in the form n23 - 4567 , where the first digit n runs from 2 to 9 . as such , this method is non - disruptive for dialing to these original 800 established 3 - digit area codes , since a call to a number in these area codes will always be able to be completed the same as it is today — with a 1 + nxx + 7 digit number — or — optionally , with a 1 + nxx00 + 7 digit number . if the 4th digit that follows the ‘ original 0 or 1 ’ is a 0 or a 1 , the telephone number conversion device will recognize that a 5 - digit area code is being dialed , will await the fifth number of the 5 digit area , and will then signal the seven digits provided thereafter into the given 5 - digit area code . that is , all new 5 digit area codes will be recognized because of the 0 or 1 in the 4th position , and these will only be reachable by dialing the full 5 digit area codes . while the use of a single - digit suffix will suffice for an overlay area encompassing up to ten area codes ( which should cover any overlay situations likely to develop for the foreseeable future ), if an overlay area in the future were to include more than ten area codes , then a two - digit suffix would be required . in essence , the single - digit overlay codes would be supplemented with a second overlay selector code digit , enabling up to 100 area codes to coexist within one overlay area . intra - overlay calling would then use either 7 digit plus timing delay , 8 digit plus timing delay or 9 digit dialing , rather than just 7 digit plus timing delay or 8 digit dialing as described above . while it is unlikely that an overlay area will grow to cover more than ten area codes anytime soon , such a two - digit suffix is nevertheless encompassed by this disclosure and its associated claims . irrespective of whether this system is uniformly adopted , cpe can readily be programmed using methods well known in the art to enable a telephone user to enter area codes in accordance with the above . an alternate embodiment of this invention illustrated by fig7 and 8 involves implementing overlays in a manner which would create “ child ” area codes spawned from the original area code , but these new codes would appear to actually share the original area code &# 39 ; s name . to the network , these area codes would be known as , for example , 818 - a , 818 - b , 818 - c , etc . this method would allow customers everywhere ( even outside of the overlay area ) to be able to dial “ 1 ”+ the 3 digit “ 818 ” area code + an 8 digit ( 7 digit + x ) number , and have the suffix digit determine the intended overlay ( area code ) level . as with the earlier embodiments , the original area code could have the suffix “ 0 ”, and be dialable with either 1 + 3 + 7 digits + timing delay or 1 + 3 + 7 + x . within the affected area , all calls could be made by dialing only 8 digits or 7 digits + timing delay . this alternate variation will in practice be transparent to the user , while in execution ( at the switching level ) it will be functionally the same as a standard overlay . the 8th digit ( 0 - 9 ) will be treated as a suffix , and will determine which of the overlaid area codes is to be accessed . the actual switching at the local level would still be based on traditional 7 digit dialing . customers in area codes which have not been overlaid in this manner , do not need to use 8 digit numbers when dialing local calls , or to use 1 + 3 + 8 digit numbers when dialing out of area calls , unless those calls are being sent to a multiple area code 8 digit dialing region . in this alternate variation , local calls for the multiple 818 area code region would be handled as follows : on the switching level , the original area code , for example “ 818 ”, will be known as 818 - a and the first level of overlay will be known as 818 - b , etc . after the central office receives the traditional 7 digits , there will be a courtesy pause of 3 to 7 seconds , which will allow the user to enter a ‘ 0 ’ or ‘ 1 ’ or nothing . if no 8th digit is entered , the system assumes ‘ 0 ’ and directs the call to 818 - a . this feature allows all existing phone numbers to still be accessible by dialing only the original 7 digit number . if a ‘ 0 ’ is entered , the system also directs the call to 818 - a . if a ‘ 1 ’ is entered , the system directs the call to 818 - b . once the number arrives at 818 - a or 818 - b , it is switched at the central office as a normal 7 digit number ( the new 8th digit is ignored at this level — it was only necessary in determining which of the overlaid area codes to access ). on the dialing level , for example , 818 - a can be accessed the same as always , by dialing only the 7 digit phone number . the 8th digit ‘ 0 ’ could be added by the user , but it is not mandatory . thus no directories , stationary , auto dialing systems , etc ., need to be changed . 818 - b will be accessed when the user supplies a ‘ 1 ’ for the 8th digit . these new numbers will always be known to the users as 8 digit phone numbers , and so no existing databases will need to be updated . in this alternate variation , calls coming into the region from outside of the region will be handled as follows : on the switching level , when an out of region call is initiated with a 0 or a 1 ( to access long distance or operator services ), the phone system normally listens for the completion of a 10 digit number . i . e . 818 - 956 - 3360 . with this variation of the invention , the phone system will listen for the traditional 10 digits , and will then supply a courtesy pause of 3 to 7 seconds which will give the opportunity for the user to enter an 11th digit ( if necessary ). the 10 or 11 digit phone number will then be routed to the appropriate destination area code . if the call was intended for 818 , when it arrives at 818 the number is tested for a ‘ 0 ’ or ‘ 1 ’ suffix in the same manner as described for local calls above . if there is no 8th digit , the system assumes ‘ 0 ’ and directs the call to 818 - a . if the 8th digit is ‘ 0 ’, the system also directs the call to 818 - a . if the 8th digit is ‘ 1 ’, the system completes the call to 818 - b . once the number arrives at 818 - a or 818 - b , it is switched at the central office as a normal 7 digit number . on the dialing level , 818 - a can be accessed the same as always , by dialing only 1 - 818 + the original 7 digit phone number . the 8th digit ‘ 0 ’ can be added by the user , but it is not mandatory . thus no out of town directories , auto dialing systems , etc ., need to be updated . 818 - b will be accessed when the user dials 10 or 1 + 818 + the 8 digit phone number , using a ‘ 1 ’ for the 8th digit . these new numbers will always be known to the users as 8 digit phone numbers , and so there is no existing data that needs to be updated . in the future numbering demands could be met by implementing overlay levels 2 through 9 as needed . the unified method and apparatus to simplify telephone area code dialing is a non - disruptive solution for area code relief which is both competitively neutral and consumer friendly . it provides a technically workable alternative for area code relief which minimizes hardship to local business and the public . new numbers can be added to a geographic area without changing the way that existing numbers are dialed . established 7 and 10 or 1 + 10 digit dialing patterns are maintained and a new 8 digit option is enabled which allows for abbreviated dialing within and between all area codes in the geographic overlay area . further , the plan demonstrates how dialing parity ( mandated by the fcc ) can be maintained in an overlay without requiring the full 10 digit ( or actually 1 + 10 digit ) phone number to be dialed . the invention disclosed herein might , at first glance , seem to call upon techniques which previously have been rejected by the telecommunications industry and public utility commissions . but a closer examination demonstrates that these techniques , as proposed here , solve rather than create problems . the cost of implementing the plan for an affected region may well be less than the overall cost ( cost to business , cost to public and cost to telecommunications industry ) of an area code split . fig1 through 12 illustrate in varying levels of detail how the unified dialing plan for overlays is achieved in connection with traditional testing and routing methods , and in connection with interactive and non - interactive announcements ( messages ). in particular , to conserve numbering resources , many telephone companies define a limited number of 3 - digit area codes that can be dialed in a given local region without a leading “ 1 ”, while the remaining combinations of three leading digits are defined ( or deduced from the defined area codes ) to be the three - digit prefixes of seven - digit local telephone numbers . ( see , for example , the box labeled “ co code ambiguity testing ” in fig1 and 12 .) this information locally defining which three digits sequences are to be regarded as area codes and which are to be regarded as central office codes is typically contained in a database maintained by a telephone company , and it varies both by region , and over time as numbering resources are assigned or reassigned . if the user employs customer premise equipment in accordance with the practice of this invention , then the user may locally define his or her own such database . thus , these figures illustrate in the flowchart boxes labeled “ traditional testing and routing ” how if an initial dialed digit is detected to be a digit “ 1 ”, then the next three digits are regarded to be a three - digit area code , while if the initial dialed digit is detected to be a digit other than “ 1 ”, then further test are made on the first three digits including the initial dialed digit . if it is determined that the initial dialed digit combined with said first and second digits following , comprises a three - digit area code , then a call is signaled to the receiving telephone device at a three - digit area code represented by the initial dialed digit combined with the first and second digits following , and at a 7 - digit telephone number represented by third through ninth detected digits following the initial dialed digit . alternatively , if the initial dialed digit combined with the first and second digits following are determined to not comprise an area code , then the initial dialed digit combined with the first and second digits following is regarded to comprise a central office code , and the central office code combined with third through sixth detected digits following the initial dialed digit is regarded to be the 7 - digit telephone number of said receiving telephone device . the overlay selector code is then set to the seventh detected digit following the initial dialed digit . also shown in these figures , for example not limitation , are various interactive and non - interactive messages / announcements that can be used to help the telephone user easily place calls . in the discussion and claims , the word “ digit ” is often used to refer to the traditional numbered keys “ 0 ” through “ 9 ” and the “” and “#” keys traditionally found on a telephone . however , insofar as particular “ digits ” are used as shorthand “ codes ” to represent and enable simplified dialing of overlays and / or area codes , it is understood that the word “ digits ” is more broadly defined and understood to comprise , for example , telephone device function “ keys ” that by a single depression also represent and enable simplified dialing of overlays and / or area codes . this is illustrated , for example , in the block diagram of fig1 illustrating a customer premises equipment embodiment of the invention which includes area code function keys . in the particular illustrated embodiment , the user can have up to 20 “ speed - dial ” area code “ digits ,” ten of which are associated with the traditional “ 0 ” through “ 9 ” keys , and the other ten of which are associated with the ten illustrated area code keys . it is also noted that the telephone number memories found on many telephones can , if desired , be programmed to hold three - digit area codes that can then be recalled from memory and used in a similar manner to the ten illustrated area code keys . it is also noted that the customer premises equipment can set any additional detected digit in any user - predetermined position in the dialing sequence to be the area code selector code , i . e ., that the user ought not be restricted to having this additional detected digit be the final digit dialed after the local telephone number . it is also noted , since telephone companies in some areas permit 1 + 10 or 10 digit dialing , while in other areas only 1 + 10 digit dialing is permitted , that customer premises equipment preferably will comprise a switch or similar means for setting the customer premises equipment to send out touch tone signals in a manner consistent with the local dialing rules . finally , it is noted that the aforementioned information locally defining which three digits sequences are to be regarded as area codes and which are to be regarded as central office codes is typically contained in a database maintained by a telephone company , and varies both by region , and over time as numbering resources are assigned or reassigned . as noted , if the user employs customer premise equipment in accordance with the practice of this invention , then the user may locally define his or her own such database , or may even download this database from the pertinent telephone company . however , in the preferred embodiment , the customer premise equipment simply transmits any suitable dialing sequence without a preceding “ 1 ” directly to the telephone company as is , so that the telephone company &# 39 ; s own database , which will always be accurate and timely , completes all of the testing ( and user advisory messaging as necessary ) to determine which leading three - digit sequences are area codes , which are central office codes , and which are invalid codes . while only certain preferred features of the invention have been illustrated and described , many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art . it is , therefore , to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention .	7
certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the invention . for example , words such as “ upper ,” “ lower ,” “ left ,” “ right ,” “ horizontal ,” “ vertical ,” “ upward ,” and “ downward ” merely describe the configuration shown in the figs . indeed , the components may be oriented in any direction and the terminology , therefore , should be understood as encompassing such variations unless specified otherwise . the latch bolt assembly according to the present invention is for use in a mortise lock and may be used with any conventional mortise lock such as , for example , the mortise locks described by u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 118 , 056 ; 5 , 678 , 870 ; 6 , 349 , 982 and 6 , 393 , 878 , the contents of all which are hereby incorporated by reference . accordingly , detailed explanations of the functioning of all of the mortise lock components are deemed unnecessary for an understanding of the present invention by one of ordinary skill in the art . referring now to fig1 an embodiment of a mortise lock according to the present invention is shown and is generally designated by reference numeral 20 . the lock 20 comprises a generally rectangular box , or case 22 , for housing the lock components and is adapted to be received in a mortise in the free , or unhinged , edge of a door ( not shown ). one of the side walls of the case 22 comprises a cap 24 which is secured to and forms a closure for the case 22 . [ 0017 ] fig2 shows the mortise lock 20 with the cap side wall 24 removed . the case 22 includes a side wall 26 and integral top 28 , bottom 30 , front 32 and rear 34 walls . as seen in fig1 the front wall 32 has a latch bolt opening 36 , a deadbolt opening 38 , an auxiliary bolt opening 40 and an opening 42 for a flush - mounted toggle . a face plate 44 is secured with screws 46 to the front wall 32 of the case 22 and has an opening 48 for the latch bolt corresponding to the latch bolt opening 36 in the case 22 . it is understood that other openings can be provided in the face plate 44 which correspond to the openings in the front wall 42 when the associated lock components are present . an embodiment of the latch assembly according to the present invention is shown in fig3 and designated generally at 50 . the latch assembly 50 comprises a latch bolt including a bolt head 54 and a latch tail 56 , an anti - friction lever 58 , a coil spring 60 , spring washers 62 , a guide block 64 and a spring clip 66 . the bolt head 54 includes a beveled face 68 and a slot 70 . a pin 72 extends through a hole 74 in the bolt head 54 , into the slot 70 and a hole in the anti - friction lever 58 for pivotally mounting the anti - friction lever to the bolt head 54 . an arm 76 extends from one side of the anti - friction lever and transversely from the beveled face 68 of the bolt head 54 . when the latch assembly 50 is in the case ( fig2 and 4 ), the arm 76 engages behind the face plate 44 . the inner end 78 of the bolt head 54 is generally cylindrical and has an axial bore 79 ( not seen in fig3 ) for receiving the outer end of the latch tail 56 . the latch tail 56 has a cylindrical body and a circumferential groove 80 adjacent the outer end of the latch tail 56 . the body of the latch tail 56 tapers inwardly beginning at a point spaced longitudinally outwardly from the groove 80 . the tapered portion 82 of the latch tail 56 terminates at the outer end of the latch tail 56 forming a disc - like outer end 83 to the latch tail 56 . a tail plate 84 is fixed to the inner end of the latch tail 56 transversely to the axis of the latch tail 56 . the guide block 64 is generally cube - shaped and has a pass - through opening 86 for slidably receiving the latch tail 56 . the sides of the base 88 of the guide block 64 are flat and slide against the side walls 24 , 26 of the case 22 for supporting linear movement of the latch tail 56 . the front surface of the base 88 of the guide block 64 serves as a retraction surface 89 . the spring clip 66 is an l - shaped piece , the longer leg 94 of the spring clip defining a circular opening 96 . the inner end 78 of the bolt head 54 has a transverse slot 92 for receiving the spring clip 66 and which intersects the axial latch tail bore 79 . two coil springs 98 are disposed in depressions 100 in a transverse channel 102 in the inner end of the bolt head 78 . in fig2 and 4 , the latch bolt is shown in an extended position in the mortise lock 20 with the bolt head 54 partially projecting from the opening 36 in the front wall 32 and face plate 44 . the latch tail 56 extends rearwardly from the bolt head 54 through a guide slot formed in a boss 104 fixedly mounted between the side walls 24 , 26 for guiding and supporting the linear reciprocal movement of the latch bolt . the spring clip 66 is disposed in the slot 92 in the bolt head 54 such that the opening 96 in the spring clip 66 aligns with the axial bore 79 in the bolt head 54 . the springs 98 under the shorter leg 95 of the spring clip 66 bias the spring clip 66 away from the bolt head 54 . as shown in fig4 the edge of the spring clip opening 96 fits into the groove 80 in the latch tail 56 . the bolt head 54 and latch tail 56 are thus secured to move together during normal operation of the mortise lock 20 . the coil spring 60 is held in compression between the bolt head 54 and the boss 104 for biasing the latch bolt outwardly to the extended position . as is conventional , the latch bolt is moveable in the openings in the front wall 32 of the case 22 and face plate 44 to the retracted position inside the case 22 by operation of a latch operator comprising either an inside or outside knob or lever handle or a cylinder lock ( not shown ). in the embodiment shown , retracting means comprises at least one rollback hub 120 rotatably mounted in the case 22 below the latch assembly 50 ( fig2 ). the hub 120 includes a square aperture 122 for non - rotatable connection to a spindle drive ( not shown ) connected to the knobs or lever handles for rotating the hub 120 . the hub 120 has an upwardly extending leg 124 . the upper portion of the leg 124 has a rearwardly facing bearing surface 130 for engaging the front retraction surface 89 of the guide block 64 . the latch bolt is retracted by rotating the hub 120 in a clockwise direction , as seen in fig2 . rotation of the hub 120 causes the bearing surface 130 to engage the retraction surface 89 of the guide block 64 to move the latch bolt linearly inward to the retracted position . a spring arm 126 is mounted transversely in the rear wall 34 of the case 22 . a coil spring 128 fits around the arm 126 and acts between the rear wall 34 and the hub 120 to urge the hub 120 toward engagement with the boss 104 for restoring the hub 120 to the neutral or home position , shown in fig2 when the latch operator is released . it is understood that the mortise lock assembly may have independent hubs to which inside and outside spindle drives are connected , respectively . in addition , the latch bolt automatically retracts when the anti - friction lever 58 and the beveled face 68 of the bolt head 54 engage the door frame or strike upon closing of the door . initially , the anti - friction lever 58 engages the door frame pivoting the anti - friction lever on the pin 72 in the bolt head 54 . as the anti - friction lever 58 pivots , the arm 76 works against the inner surface of the face plate 44 driving the latch bolt 52 rearward into the case 22 . when the latch operator is released , or the door is in the door frame , the coil spring 60 returns the latch bolt to the extended position . according to the present invention , the latch bolt is reversible for use with a door of the opposite hand . in order to reverse the latch bolt , it is necessary to disconnect the bolt head 54 from the latch tail 56 , rotate the bolt head 54 relative to the latch tail 56 and the lock case 22 , and reconnect the bolt head 54 to the latch tail 56 . this operation is shown in fig1 and 5 - 7 . the first step is to remove the face plate 44 , as seen in fig1 . next , the spring clip 66 is manually depressed by inserting a tool , such as a screw driver 108 , through an opening 106 in the cap side wall 24 . as seen in fig5 pressing on the spring clip 66 with a screw driver 108 pushes the spring clip 66 downwardly against the force of the springs 98 thereby aligning the opening 96 in the spring clip 66 and the axial bore 79 in the bolt head 54 freeing the latch tail 56 from the spring clip 66 for movement relative to the bolt head 54 . the bolt head 54 is then biased by the spring 60 outwardly of the case 22 through the opening 36 in the front wall 32 ( fig1 and 6 ). as bolt head 54 moves outward of the case 22 , the flange 95 on the spring clip 66 moves out from under the tip of the screwdriver 108 . this allows the spring clip 66 to snap outward of the bolt head 54 under the force of the springs 98 . as the bolt head 54 continues to move outward , the spring clip 66 advances along the tapered portion 82 of the latch tail 56 until the spring clip engages behind the disc - like outer end 83 of the latch tail 56 . in this position , only the inner cylindrical portion 78 of the bolt head 54 remains in the case 22 so that the bolt head 54 is free to rotate on the latch tail 56 . the bolt head 54 is rotated 180 ° ( fig1 and 6 ) and pushed back into the case 22 . fig7 shows the bolt head 54 during reinsertion into the case 22 along the latch tail 56 . since the outer end of the latch tail 56 is already in the axial bore 79 in the bolt head 54 , reinsertion of the bolt head 54 is guided by the latch tail 56 . as the bolt head 54 moves into the case 22 along the latch tail 56 , the edge of the opening 96 in the spring clip 66 engages and advances along the tapered portion 82 of the latch tail 56 forcing the spring clip 66 into the 92 ( as seen in fig7 ) against the force of the springs 98 . the bolt head 54 is advanced into the case 22 until the relative position of the bolt head 54 and latch tail 56 is such that the spring clip 66 is again received in the circumferential groove 80 in the latch tail 56 securing the bolt head 54 and latch tail 56 . the face plate 44 is replaced such that the arm 76 on the anti - friction latch 58 is behind the face plate 44 . it is understood that the spring clip 66 is now accessible through an opening 106 in the cap side wall 26 in the event that the user desires to reverse the described process and return the bolt head 54 to the prior position . it is understood that the embodiments of the inner portion 78 of the bolt head 54 and the spring clip 66 are exemplary and other structures are possible , as long as such other structures releasably hold the bolt head 54 and latch tail 56 for movement together and , when released , allows the bolt head 54 to move axially relative to the latch tail 56 and rotatably relative to the case 22 without disconnection from the latch tail 56 . other means for biasing the spring clip 66 to the position where the spring clip 66 partially blocks the axial bore 79 in the bolt head 54 are possible . for example , an alternative embodiment of the spring clip 66 for use in the latch assembly 50 of the present invention would replace the short leg of the l - shaped spring clip 66 with an angled tab extending from one edge of the clip . the spring clip tab would work against the surface of the inner end 78 of the bolt head 54 . this embodiment of the spring clip 66 could function without the coil springs 98 if the material of the spring clip 66 was flexible enough to allow the clip to be pushed down to clear the bolt head bore 79 . thus , we do not intend to limit ourselves to the specific embodiments of the bolt head and spring clip , or the spring clip biasing means , shown herein . the previously described embodiments of the present invention have many advantages , including the provision of a reversible mortise lock which cannot be tampered with after installation . the releasing mechanism of the latch assembly is only accessible through the side walls of the mortise lock case . therefore , latch bolt reversal must be performed before the lock is installed in the door . moreover , the latch bolt reversal does not require removal of the entire latch bolt from the case . the mortise lock incorporating the new latch assembly is easily modified for use with either a right - hand door or a left - hand door from outside of the lock casing with a screw driver . the latch assembly is simple to reverse in the field prior to installation in the door . although the present invention has been shown and described in considerable detail with respect to only a few exemplary embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that we do not intend to limit the invention to the embodiments since various modifications , omissions and additions may be made to the disclosed embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of the invention , particularly in light of the foregoing teachings . for example , several means are possible for releasably securing the latch tail to the bolt head . accordingly , we intend to cover all such modifications , omission , additions and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims . in the claims , means - plus - function clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents but also equivalent structures . thus , although a nail and a screw may not be structural equivalents in that a nail employs a cylindrical surface to secure wooden parts together , whereas a screw employs a helical surface , in the environment of fastening wooden parts , a nail and a screw may be equivalent structures .	4
the following description should be read with reference to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicate like elements throughout the several views . the drawings , which are not necessarily to scale , are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention . the detailed description and drawings illustrate example embodiments of the claimed invention . all numbers are herein assumed to be modified by the term “ about .” the recitation of numerical ranges by endpoints includes all numbers subsumed within that range ( e . g ., 1 to 5 includes 1 , 1 . 5 , 2 , 2 . 75 , 3 , 3 . 80 , 4 , and 5 ). as used in this specification and the appended claims , the singular forms “ a ”, “ an ”, and “ the ” include the plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise . as used in this specification and the appended claims , the term “ or ” is generally employed in its sense including “ and / or ” unless the content clearly dictates otherwise . it is noted that references in the specification to “ an embodiment ”, “ some embodiments ”, “ other embodiments ”, etc ., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature , structure , or characteristic , but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature , structure , or characteristic . moreover , such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment . further , when a particular feature , structure , or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment , it would be within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature , structure , or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described unless cleared stated to the contrary . fig1 , illustrates a thermal suture cutting device comprising a first compression bead component 12 , a second compression bead component 14 , an electrically activated heating element 24 ; and a push rod 30 . compression bead components 12 , 14 form the distal end of suture cutting device and may be used to position and compress a plug of hemostatic material ( not shown ) adjacent to a vessel puncture . the first compression bead component 12 defines an opening 16 sized and adapted to sliding receive a suture 50 as well as passages for wires 20 and their insulation 22 . the first compression bead component 12 may be fixedly attached to a push rod 30 which also includes at least one lumen ( not shown ) for the suture 50 , and optionally additional lumens for wires 20 , and insulation 22 . in some embodiments , the push rod 30 and the first compression bead component 12 may be fabricated from a single piece . in other embodiments , the push rod 30 may be attached to the first compression bead component 12 by a coupling ( not shown ) which allows a minor amount of deflection therebetween . in yet other embodiments , insulation 22 may be omitted if the push rod 30 is formed from an insulating material . in some such embodiments , the wires 20 may be embedded directly in the material of the push rod 30 . second compression bead component 14 also defines an opening 18 sized and adapted to sliding receive the suture 50 . in some embodiments , opening 18 can also be sized and adapted to sealingly receive suture 50 . the sealing capability , if present , associated with opening 18 may be provided by sizing the opening 18 to lightly compress the suture 50 or may be provided by an elastomeric seal ( not shown ). in some embodiments the sealing capability may be provided by contact with a cinch button ( not shown ) associated with the suture 50 . in other embodiments the sealing capability may be provided by a pressure differential between the interior of the device and a fluid of a fluid environment surrounding the first and second compression bead components 12 , 14 . in yet other embodiments the sealing capability may result from a selection of material for one or both of the second compression bead components 12 , 14 and the suture such that surface tension of the fluid of the fluid environment substantially prevents the fluid of the fluid environment from entering the opening 18 . other sealing means may also be used . as illustrated in fig2 a and 2b , first compression bead component 12 and the second compression bead component 14 , in cooperation with suture 50 and any associated sealing elements ( not shown ), serve to define a chamber 60 within the space between the first and second compression bead components 12 , 14 , which remains substantially free of the fluid of the external fluid environment at least until the suture 50 has been cut by the electrically activated heating element 24 . electrically activated heating element 24 can be positioned within chamber 60 and proximate suture 50 . electrically activated heating element 24 , capable of generating a temperature within the chamber 60 greater than the melting temperature of the suture 50 to be cut , is connected to electrical leads , or wires 20 , which are connected to a source of electrical current sufficient to allow the electrically activated heating element to generate the temperature within the chamber 60 of greater than the melting temperature of the suture to be cut . the source of electrical current may include a switch 222 ( fig4 ) which is capable of connecting and / or disconnecting the source to the wires 20 and thence to the electrically activated heating element 24 such that when the switch is closed , a current flows through the electrically activated heating element 24 , heating at least a portion of the interior of the chamber 60 to a temperature greater than the melting temperature of the suture 50 to be cut , whereupon the suture 50 melts . in some embodiments melting of the suture 50 not only cuts the suture 50 , but may also result in the formation of a generally ball - shaped tip on the proximal end of the distal portion of the cut suture 50 which may serve as a mechanical stop to prevent the cinch button 120 ( fig4 ), to be discussed further herein , from being displaced when an associated hemostatic plug 100 ( fig4 ) expands . in those embodiments in which a ball - shaped tip is to be formed on the proximal end of the distal portion of the cut suture 50 , it may be desirable to employ a somewhat larger opening 18 to allow the ball - shaped tip to pass through . it will be understood that the terms “ cut ” and “ cutting ” as used in this disclosure broadly include related terms such as “ melting ”, “ breaking ”, “ brittle fracture ”, and the like which indicate that the suture 50 is severed thereby . similarly , the term “ suture ” should be broadly interpreted to include thread , string , monofilament materials , twisted multifilament materials , braided materials , and the like . the first and second compression bead components 12 , 14 may assume a number of geometries in addition to the non - limiting examples provided . for example , the second compression bead component 14 may take the form of an open cup , as illustrated in fig2 a , which mates with and partially surrounds first compression bead component 12 and the electrically activated heating element 24 . the first and second compression bead components 12 , 14 may form a frictional interference fit , may be bonded together by conventional means , or may be joined by additional joining and / or sealing members ( not shown ). in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 b , the arrangement of fig2 a is generally inverted such that the first compression bead component 12 is a distally facing cup which receives a second compression bead component 14 . as in fig2 a , first and second compression bead components 12 , 14 may form a frictional interference fit , may be bonded together by conventional means , or may be joined by additional joining and / or sealing members ( not shown ). in some such embodiments the second compression bead may be formed of a biodegradable material and may provide the function of and / or replace cinch button 120 . the first and second compression bead components 12 , 14 may desirably be formed from a material or materials which are not adversely affected by exposure to temperatures produced within chamber 60 by the electrically activated heating element 24 . for example , first and second compression bead components 12 , 14 may be formed from biocompatible metals and / or ceramics . the materials may be cast or machined to their final shapes . in those embodiments in which the second compression bead component 14 also serves as a cinch button 120 which remains after the suture is cut , it may be desirable for the fabrication material to be bioerodible or biodegradable as mentioned above . push rod 30 may be formed integrally with the first compression bead component 12 or may be formed separately and joined to the first compression bead component 12 in a later step . the attachment of the push rod 30 to the first compression bead component 12 may be permanent or temporary . temporary attachment may be desirable in embodiments in which the push rod 30 and an associated handle 200 ( fig4 ), to be discussed herein , are to be reused . push rod 30 may be rigid or it may be flexible to allow the thermal suture cutting device to better align with other devices with which it may be used . push rod 30 may be made from the same material as the first compression bead component 12 or it may be made from a different material . for example , the first compression bead component 12 may be made from a metal or ceramic to better resist damage from the heat produced within chamber 60 , while the push rod 30 may be made from a polymer for lighter weight and / or to impart somewhat greater flexibility . push rod 30 may have one or more partial or complete lumens 32 . the lumens 32 may accommodate the suture 50 , electrical leads , wires 22 , and optionally other devices . any of the lumens 32 may extend the entire length of the push rod 30 or may terminate along the shaft of the push rod 30 . for example , lumen 32 may terminate near the proximal end of push rod 30 to allow tension to be applied to the suture 50 prior to cutting and to allow the proximal portion of suture 50 to be removed following cutting to confirm that the cut has been successful with a well formed end . alternatively , lumen 32 may terminate near first compression bead component 12 to allow the suture 50 to lie alongside the exterior of push rod 30 which may allow for the use of a smaller and / or more flexible push rod 30 . similarly , electrical leads or wires 20 may be routed either within optional lumens 32 , with suture 50 in a single lumen 32 , or externally along push rod 30 . electrical leads or wires 20 may optionally be covered by insulation 22 and / or may be embedded in and / or insulated by the material of push rod 30 . one or more electrically activated heating element ( s ) 24 can be located within chamber 60 and proximate suture 50 . within the chamber 60 , one or more electrically activated heating element ( s ) 24 can be isolated from the thermal mass of components of the fluid environment outside of the thermal suture cutting device which isolation tends to minimize the energy which would otherwise be required to cut the suture 50 . in addition , isolation of the electrically activated heating element 24 from the fluid of the fluid environment outside of chamber 60 reduces the need for protective coatings or insulation on the electrically activated heating element 24 itself which further reduces the energy which would otherwise be required to cut the suture 50 . electrically activated heating element 24 may be fabricated from any of the high resistance materials commonly employed in electrically activated heating elements such as platinum , nichrome , nitinol , tungsten , thick film resistor or thermistor pastes , and the like . the electrically activated heating element ( s ) 24 may partially or completely surround the suture 50 to be cut although contact is not necessary and may not be desirable . an electrically activated heating element 24 may take any of a number of shapes such as those of the non - limiting examples of fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c . it will be appreciated that additional mechanical features within chamber 60 may position or stress the suture to facilitate cutting by one or more electrically activated heating elements 24 . in some embodiments , such as that of fig3 b , the electrically activated heating element 24 may include mechanical positioning features such as arm 26 . other electrically activated heating elements 24 may take the form of coils , such as illustrated in fig3 c , sleeves , parallel bars , and the like . fig3 c also illustrates an alternate form of mounting the electrically activated heating element 24 in which bent portions of the heating element 24 engage recesses in the first compression bead component 12 . in some embodiments , thermomechanical components of the electrically activated heating element 24 may further serve to cut , melt , or otherwise disrupt the suture 50 . the devices of the present disclosure can have associated therewith a source ( not shown ) of electrical current capable of supplying sufficient current to the electrically activated heating element 24 to generate a temperature within chamber 60 greater than the melting temperature of the suture 50 to be cut . in alternate embodiments in which the thermally mediated cutting of suture 50 is supplemented by other means , a lesser temperature may suffice . for example , it may suffice to soften the suture 50 when the softened suture 50 is in contact with a displacing sharp edge . the source 220 of electrical current may include a battery , as illustrated in fig4 , or an external power supply . in some case , the source 220 may include circuitry to enhance the current which the device is capable of delivering in a short period of time . in addition , the source 220 of electrical current may include a switch 222 or other means of directly or indirectly controlling the flow of current . in some embodiments , a momentary contact switch 222 will allow manual activation of the electrically activated heating element 24 . in other embodiments , the momentary contact switch 222 may activate circuitry which allows current to flow for a specified length of time . in yet other embodiments , switch 222 may be activated by axial pressure applied to one or both of push rod 30 and first compression bead component 12 to ensure that the thermal suture cutting device is properly engaged with a proximal surface of a device to be secured by suture 50 . in some embodiments , the source 220 of current and / or switch 222 or other means of directly or indirectly controlling the flow of current may be housed in a handle 200 for convenient manipulation of the thermal suture cutting device . the handle 200 may be connected directly or indirectly to push rod 30 . fig4 illustrates an exemplary system for sealing a vascular puncture which includes handle 200 as well as additional elements of a conventional hemostatic plug 100 and anchor 110 system which may be secured in place by a suture 50 . in fig4 , elements 100 , 110 , and 120 are depicted as spread somewhat apart as they might be disposed prior to being urged toward each under the influence of thermal suture cutting device prior to cutting suture 50 proximal of cinch button 120 . anchor 110 may be positioned in a vessel having a puncture to be sealed such that the suture 50 extends through a plug of hemostatic material 100 and a cinch button 120 or other means of securing the combination of anchor 110 and hemostatic material 100 in their respective positions relative to the vessel wall . in prior art systems , the anchor 110 and hemostatic material 100 have been secured by tying a knot in the suture 50 proximal of the hemostatic material 100 with or without an element analogous to cinch button 120 . in systems including a cinch button 120 , the knot may be positioned proximal of cinch button 120 ) which serves to distribute forces generated as the hemostatic material 100 swells in response to contact with blood or other body fluids escaping from the vessel . the location of a knot or other securing means within a narrow tissue tract which may be filled with fluid tends to make tying and positioning the knot , as well as cutting the suture 50 adjacent to the knot or cinch button 120 difficult . further , slippage of the knot or tearing of the hemostatic material 100 may lead to undesirable failure of the vascular sealing system . in use , the system may be advanced within a sheath or simply advanced within a tissue tract adjacent to the punctured vessel . anchor 110 may be positioned within the vessel and tension applied to the suture 50 to seat the anchor 110 against the vessel wall . in some embodiments , anchor 110 may instead be present in another form such as a hook or hooks or even a simple stitch formed by the suture 50 . hemostatic material , often in the form of a gelatin sponge or pledget , may then be advanced along the suture 50 to a position adjacent to the puncture in the vessel wall . various means ( not shown ) may be used to ensure that the hemostatic material 100 is properly positioned relative to anchor 110 and / or the vessel wall . a cinch button 120 may be advanced along the suture 50 and positioned adjacent to hemostatic material 100 where it serves to distribute compressive forces applied by the thermal suture cutting device and / or by the hemostatic material 100 as it expands upon contact with blood or other body fluid . in some embodiments , second compression bead component 14 may provide the function of a cinch button . in such embodiments , the second compression bead component 14 may be formed of a biodegradable or bioerodible material . in either event , the thermal suture cutting device is advanced along the suture 50 to position and / or slightly compress hemostatic material 100 . this may be accomplished by advancing push rod 30 and / or handle 200 . it may be desirable to maintain tension on the suture 50 throughout the positioning and cutting processes . this may be accomplished manually by grasping the suture 50 after it exits thermal suture cutting device or additional apparatus ( not shown ) may apply tension to the suture 50 . when it has been determined that the hemostatic material 100 and the thermal suture cutting device are properly positioned , current may be passed through the electrically activated heating element 24 thereby heating a portion of suture 50 within chamber 60 as described above and cutting suture 50 . in some embodiments , cutting the suture may form a ball - shaped tip on the proximal end of the distal portion of the cut suture 50 which may serve as a mechanical stop to prevent the cinch button 120 , or second compression bead component 14 , from being displaced . the formation of a ball - shaped tip on the suture 50 may greatly increase the force required to displace the cinch button 120 from the suture . following cutting of suture 50 , the thermal suture cutting device and the proximal portion of suture 50 may be removed . although the illustrative examples described above relate to cutting a suture which is a component of a vascular sealing system is also contemplated that devices of this disclosure will be useful in cutting sutures , ribbons , or other similar materials submerged in other fluid environments . various modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and principles of this invention , and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth hereinabove . all publications and patents are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference .	0
example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings . ( 1 ) the fuel cell gasket is characterized in that in the one - piece plate seal formed by integrating the gaskets on both faces in plates such as separators and end plates comprising the fuel cell , the through - hole in the plate and the injection - molding gate for the gasket are oval - shaped . ( 2 ) a circular shape is usually considered when a through - hole is provided on a plate . then , for the reasons , for example , that the molded gasket is set firmly on the top and bottom faces of the plate , and the sealing properties must be very reliable , the plate through - hole must be covered completely by the gasket . consequently , the gasket width is very much controlled by this through - hole part . in other words , in order to make the seal width small , it is necessary to find out how to make the gasket width in the through - hole section small . when this through - hole is circular in shape , φ ≧ 0 . 5 , preferably φ ≧ 0 . 8 . the through - holes are arranged , with spaces between them , so that the rubber material fills the cavities on both faces at the time of molding . then the injection gate is placed directly on top of the through - hole so that the plate is not deformed by the effects of the injection pressure , and additionally , so that the cavity faces on the side opposite the gate section are filled quickly . consequently , it is necessary to have the gate diameter smaller than the through - hole diameter so that plate deformation from injection does not occur . there are techniques available to make the gasket width smaller by making this through - hole and the injection gate smaller . however , when the molding properties of rubber are considered , although it also depends on the materials , it is necessary in the case of the circular shape to have the diameter of the injection gate φ ≧ 0 . 3 , preferably φ ≧ 0 . 4 . here , to solve these problems , the oval shape that is used does not decrease the opening area of the through - hole in this plate . by having the oval shape along the seal line of the gasket , the gasket part of the through - hole can be designed to be small . furthermore , the injection gate also has an oval shape similar to that of the through - hole , and has a shape about the same size as the through - hole , or somewhat smaller . the gasket can be made compact by the above means . ( 3 ) by forming the through - hole in the plate as an oval opening along the seal line , the width of the gasket can be designed to be small ; as the result , space - saving in the stack and increase in the power generation area can be anticipated . furthermore , by forming the injection gate similarly as an oval , plate deformation can be suppressed . next , practical examples of the present invention are explained according to the figures . fig1 shows the fuel cell constituent part relating to the first practical example of the present invention . further , fig2 shows the manufacturing method thereof . the fuel cell constituent part relating to said practical example comprises both the top and bottom faces of plate attachment part 1 , comprising separators , mea , or resin plates and the like , on which a pair of gaskets 2 , 2 , comprising rubber - type elastic bodies , are molded in one piece . the gaskets 2 , 2 comprise layout on the flat face of plate 1 , surrounding the power generation area of the fuel cell or the fluid manifold . in the cross - sectional view in fig1 a , the lengthwise direction of the gasket extends in the direction orthogonal to the paper face ; in the top view in fig1 b , the lengthwise direction extends in the up - and - down direction . furthermore , the pair of gaskets 2 , 2 mutually face each other from the top and the bottom , and are integrated with the seal lip 3 , having a cross - sectional mound shape and extending in the lengthwise direction of the gasket , and the flat side section 4 , located on both sides or on one side of seal lip 3 ( on both sides in the figure ), and at the same time , being lower in height to seal lip 3 . on the other hand , plate 1 , at the location where the member side sections 4 , 4 of the pair of gaskets 2 , 2 connect through , has a through - hole 5 that penetrates in the thickness direction ; one pair of gaskets 2 , 2 are mutually molded in one piece through this through - hole 5 . a plurality of through - holes 5 are provided with spacing along the lengthwise direction of gasket 2 . further , in said practical example , in particular , in order to make the width of the side section 4 as small as possible , the opening shape of through - hole 5 is set in a long shape in the lengthwise direction of the gasket ; in concrete terms , the lengthwise direction of the gasket is set by the elliptical shape ( oval shape ) that has the long axis positioned in the lengthwise direction of the gasket . in conjunction with this , the width w4 of the side section 4 is set to have the same width ( short axis ) w5 as this through - hole 5 , or otherwise , is set to be slightly larger than the width ( short axis ) w5 of through - hole 5 ( w4 ≧ w5 ). consequently , in the conventional comparison to the case where the opening shape was circular , because the width ( short axis ) w5 of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be smaller than the width ( diameter ) of the circular through - hole , the width w4 of the side section 4 can be set to be smaller than what it was heretofore . ( for example , when the width ( diameter ) of the circular through - hole is 0 . 8 mm , it is necessary to set the width w4 of the side section 4 to be 0 . 8 mm or greater . in contrast to this , when the width ( short axis ) w5 of the elliptical through - hole 5 is halved to 0 . 4 mm , the width w4 of the side section 4 can be set to be 0 . 4 mm or greater , but less than 0 . 8 mm , the width w4 of the side section 4 can be set to be smaller than what it was heretofore .) moreover , the width ( short axis ) of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be not greater than the width w4 of the side section 4 , but the length ( long axis ) l of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be larger than the width w4 of the side section 4 . as shown in fig2 a , the aforementioned gasket 2 is molded in the metal mold 11 by injection molding ; the metal mold 11 has as one piece , the space 15 for setting the plate on the parting section 14 for the plurality of partition molds 12 , 13 , and space 16 for molding one of the gaskets 2 , and space 17 for molding the other gasket 2 . on the other hand , input gate 18 for the molding material has its opening on the inside face of the space 16 for molding one of the gaskets 2 . as shown in fig2 b , the opening section 19 of this input gate 18 is located in the position directly on top of the through - hole 5 on plate 1 that is in a set state in space 15 and the flat face . moreover , the opening shape of the input gate is set in a long shape in the lengthwise direction of the gasket as in the case of through - hole 5 ; in concrete terms , it is set in an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) where the long axis is positioned in the lengthwise direction of the gasket , and is set to have an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) somewhat smaller than the opening shape of through - hole 5 . consequently , because the opening shape of the input gate is not crowded out at all on the flat face from the opening shape of through - hole 5 , by maintaining the opening area of the input gate 18 , it becomes possible to suppress the deformation of the periphery section of through - hole 5 on plate 1 from the effects of injection pressure at the time of molding . fig3 shows the fuel cell constituent part relating to the second practical example of the present invention . further , fig4 shows the manufacturing method thereof . the fuel cell constituent part relating to said practical example is provided with gasket attachment groove 6 , corresponding to both the top and bottom faces of plate attachment part 1 , comprising separators , etc . in this attachment groove 6 , a pair of gaskets 2 , 2 , comprising rubber - type elastic bodies , are molded in one piece . the attachment groove 6 and the gaskets 2 , 2 comprise layout on the flat face of plate 1 , surrounding the power generation area of the fuel cell or the fluid manifold . in the cross - sectional view in fig3 a , the lengthwise direction of the gasket extends in the direction orthogonal to the paper face ; in the top view in fig3 b , the lengthwise direction extends in the up - and - down direction . furthermore , the pair of gaskets 2 , 2 mutually face each other from the top and the bottom , and are integrated with the seal lip 3 , having a cross - sectional mound shape and extending in the lengthwise direction of the gasket , and the flat side section 4 , located on both sides or on one side of seal lip 3 ( on both sides in the figure ), and at the same time , being lower in height to seal lip 3 . moreover , groove depression 7 that extends in the lengthwise direction of the gasket is provided on the flat face of the side section 4 . on the other hand , plate 1 , in the bottom section of the attachment groove 6 , at the location where the member side sections 4 , 4 of the pair of gaskets 2 , 2 connect through , has a through - hole 5 that penetrates in the thickness direction ; one pair of gaskets 2 , 2 are mutually molded in one piece through this through - hole 5 . a plurality of through - holes 5 are provided with spacing along the lengthwise direction of gasket 2 . further , in said practical example , in particular , in order to make the width of one of the side sections 4 as small as possible , the opening shape of the through - hole 5 is set in a long shape in the lengthwise direction of the gasket ; in concrete terms , is set in an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) that has the long axis set in the lengthwise direction of the gasket . in conjunction with this , the width w4 of the side section 4 is set to be the same as the width ( short axis ) w5 of this through - hole 5 , or otherwise , is set to be somewhat larger than the width ( short axis ) w5 of through - hole 5 ( w4 ≧ w5 ). consequently , in the conventional comparison to the case where the opening shape is circular , because the width ( short axis ) w5 of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be smaller than the width ( diameter ) of the circular through - hole , the width w4 of the side section 4 can be set to be smaller than what it was heretofore . moreover , the width ( short axis ) of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be not greater than the width w4 of the side section 4 , but the length ( long axis ) l of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be greater than the width w4 of the side section 4 . moreover , the elliptical through - hole 5 is located in the position directly on top of the groove depression 7 , provided on top of the flat face on the side section 4 , and the flat face ; furthermore , the width ( short axis ) w5 of the through - hole 5 is set to be not greater than the width w7 of the groove depression 7 . as shown in fig4 a , the aforementioned gasket 2 is molded in the metal mold 11 by injection molding ; the metal mold 11 includes as one entity , the space 15 for setting the plate on the parting section 14 for the plurality of partition molds 12 , 13 , and space 16 for molding one of the gaskets 2 , and space 17 for molding the other gasket 2 . furthermore , the input gate 18 for the molding material has its opening on the inside face of the space 16 for molding one of the gaskets 2 . as shown in fig4 b , the opening section 19 of this input gate 18 is located in the space 15 in the position directly on top of the through - hole 5 on plate 1 that is in a set state , and the flat face . moreover , the opening shape of the input gate 18 is set in a long shape in the lengthwise direction of the gasket as in the case of through - hole 5 ; in concrete terms , it is set in an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) where the long axis is positioned in the lengthwise direction of the gasket , and is set to have an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) somewhat smaller than the opening shape of the through - hole 5 . consequently , because the opening shape of the input gate 18 is not crowded out at all on the flat face from the opening shape of the through - hole 5 , by maintaining the opening area of the input gate 18 , it becomes possible to suppress the deformation of the periphery section of through - hole 5 on plate 1 from the effects of injection pressure at the time of molding . fig5 shows the fuel cell constituent part relating to the third practical example of the present invention . the fuel cell constituent part relating to said practical example comprises the plate attachment part 1 , comprising separators , mea , and resin plates , etc ., wherein a pair of gaskets 2 , 2 , comprising rubber - type elastic bodies , are molded in one piece on both the top and bottom faces . the gaskets 2 , 2 comprise layout on the flat face of plate 1 , surrounding the power generation area of the fuel cell or the fluid manifold . in the cross - sectional view in fig5 b , the lengthwise direction of the gasket extends in the direction orthogonal to the paper face ; in the top view in fig5 c , the lengthwise direction extends in the up - and - down direction . furthermore , the pair of gaskets 2 , 2 mutually face each other from the top and the bottom , and are integrated with the seal lip 3 , having a cross - sectional mound shape and extending in the lengthwise direction of the gasket , and the flat side section 4 , located on both sides or on one side of seal lip 3 ( on both sides in the figure ), and at the same time , being lower in height to seal lip 3 . moreover , in one section in the lengthwise direction of the gasket , on one of the side sections 4 , the width expansion section ( also termed tongue section ) 8 is provided , that protrudes in a tongue - shape to expand the width of the side section 4 . on the other hand , plate 1 , at the location where the member side sections 4 , 4 of the pair of gaskets 2 , 2 connect through , has the through - hole 5 that penetrates in the thickness direction ; one pair of gaskets 2 , 2 are mutually molded in one piece through this through - hole 5 . a plurality of through - holes 5 are provided with spacing along the lengthwise direction of gasket 2 . further , in said practical example , in particular , in order to locate through - hole 5 at the position on top of width expansion section 8 and the flat face , and at the same time , to make the width of one of the side sections 4 , provided with this width expansion section 8 , as small as possible , the opening shape of through - hole 5 is set in a long shape in the lengthwise direction of the gasket ; in concrete terms , it is set in an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) that has the long axis positioned in the lengthwise direction of the gasket . in conjunction with this , the width w4 of one of the side sections 4 , containing the width expansion section 8 , is set to have the same width ( short axis ) w5 as this through - hole 5 , or otherwise , is set to have width larger than the width ( short axis ) w5 of through - hole 5 ( w4 ≧ w5 ). consequently , in the conventional comparison to the case where the opening shape is circular , because the width ( short axis ) w5 of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be smaller than the width ( diameter ) of the circular through - hole , the width w4 of the side section 4 can be set to be smaller than what it was heretofore . moreover , the width ( short axis ) w5 of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be not greater than the width w4 of the side section 4 containing the width expansion section 8 , but the length ( long axis ) l of the elliptical through - hole 5 is set to be greater than the width w4 of one of the side sections 4 , containing the width expansion section 8 . furthermore , although not pictured , the opening section 19 ( only this opening section 19 is shown in fig5 ), in the metal mold for molding the aforementioned gasket 2 , is located in the position directly on top of the through - hole 5 on plate 1 in a set state , and the flat face . moreover , the opening shape of the input gate is set in a long shape in the lengthwise direction of the gasket as in the case of through - hole 5 ; in concrete terms , it is set in an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) where the long axis is positioned in the lengthwise direction of the gasket , and is set to have an elliptical shape ( oval shape ) somewhat smaller than the opening shape of through - hole 5 . consequently , because the opening shape of the input gate is not crowded out at all on the flat face from the opening shape of through - hole 5 , by maintaining the opening area of the input gate , it becomes possible to suppress the deformation of the periphery section of through - hole 5 on plate 1 from the effects of injection pressure at the time of molding . moreover , the structure of said third practical example is particularly effective when the width w44 of the side section 4 that does not contain the width expansion section 8 is to be set extremely small . 1 plate attachment part 3 gasket 3 seal lip 4 side section 5 through - hole 6 gasket attachment groove 7 groove depression 8 width expansion section 11 metal mold 12 , 13 partition mold 14 parting section 15 , 16 , 17 space 18 input gate 19 opening section the foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description . it is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure . individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment , but , where applicable , are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment , even if not specifically shown or described . the same may also be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure , and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure .	8
the following description of the preferred embodiment is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention , its application , or uses . that is , it should be understood that although the present invention is discussed in connection with robotic devices , the present invention might find utility in a wide variety of applications . briefly , by way of background , there are a number of desirable design criteria that ideally would be met in a commercially viable serpentine robot . serpentine robots are typically relatively long compared to their diameter , so that their lead segments can reach up and over a high step while still being able to fit through small openings . because of this geometric constraint , as well as other unique characteristics of serpentine robots , the following requirements can be derived ( in decreasing order of importance ). it is primarily desirable that a serpentine robot be able to compliantly conform to terrain , such that the maximum number of driving segments are in contact with the ground at any times to provide reliable propulsion . serpentine robots that do not conform compliantly often require complex sensor systems that measure contact forces and command a momentary angle for each non - compliant joint so as to force contact with the ground . such actively controlled compliance has not yet been successfully demonstrated , and may well be unfeasible for many years . additionally , it is often desirable that the stiffness of a joint may be selectively increased for specific applications , such as crossing a gap or reaching over an obstacle . while other times , it is necessary to adjust carefully the stiffness to an intermediate level , such as when the lead segment leans against a vertical wall while being pushed up that wall by the following segments . serpentine robots must thus be capable of adjusting the stiffness of every degree of freedom individually and proportionally . still further , it is desirable in serpentine robot applications that the joint angles be controllable proportionally to allow “ steering ” of the front segment with “ follow - the - leader ” control of all following segments . additionally , certain motion sequences , such as climbing over a step , require gradual or proportional control of all joint angles . it is also desirable that any actuators disposed between adjacent segments of the serpentine robot ( hereinafter “ joint actuators ”) be capable of developing sufficient force to lift at least two lead segments to the edge of a step in order to climb over it . this requirement is particularly difficult to meet in small - diameter serpentine robots because of the short moment arm available to an actuator applying a force in longitudinal direction . a further desired feature is that joint actuators take up as little space as possible , because space in a small - diameter serpentine robot is extremely limited . finally , it is desirable that energy consumption and weight of the joint actuators be minimized , because energy is a limited resource in an untethered mobile robot . weight minimization is a related requirement because it translates directly into a reduction in energy consumption . prior implementations of serpentine robots did not meet all of these requirements , mainly because no joint actuator existed that would meet these requirements . for that reason , many serpentine robots exist only in the form of research subjects but not as commercially viable products . there are many different ways of actuating joints in a mechanical structure . however , only a few of them can provide the range of motion and force required to actuate the joints of a serpentine robot . those actuators include electrical motors , hydraulic motors or actuators , and pneumatic actuators . of these , only pneumatic actuators are naturally compliant . the present invention recognizes this fact and employs pneumatic actuators . this realization , however , is far from trivial in that no other known serpentine robot employs pneumatic actuators . referring now to fig1 and 2 , an integrated joint actuator assembly 100 is illustrated in connection with a first embodiment ( fig1 ), generally indicated at 10 , having an elongated , flexible body and a coordinated millipede - type propulsion and a second embodiment ( fig2 ), generally indicated at 10 ′, having an elongated , flexible body , and a drive track propulsion system . the present invention is primarily related to the construction and operation of integrated joint actuator assembly 100 with apparatus 10 and apparatus 10 ′ or the like . it should be appreciated that apparatus 10 and apparatus 10 ′ are similar in construction to those described in detail in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 512 , 345 and u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 318 , 452 , which were incorporated herein . in the interest of brevity , only those areas in the present invention that differ will be discussed in detail herein . referring now to fig1 - 3 , apparatus 10 and apparatus 10 ′ are provided for traversing obstacles . each of these apparatuses includes a plurality of identical segments 12 , 12 ′. each of the plurality of segments 12 , 12 ′ includes a plurality of articulating leg mechanisms 14 ( fig1 ) or a plurality of drive track assemblies 14 ′ disposed about the periphery of each segment 12 , 12 ′. the plurality of articulating leg mechanisms 14 and the plurality of drive track assemblies 14 ′ are adapted to propel apparatus 10 and apparatus 10 ′, respectively . adjacent segments 12 , 12 ′ are joined together via integrated joint actuator assembly 100 and a drive shaft 16 . preferably , drive shaft 16 is a two - degree of freedom universal joint . however , it should be appreciated that drive shaft joints having higher or lower degrees - of - freedom may be used . as best seen in fig3 - 6 , integrated joint actuator assembly 100 generally includes preferably four inflatable , pressure - resistant , flexible , hollow bodies , similar in function to pneumatic bellows and hereafter referred to as bellows 102 . each closed end of bellows 102 is coupled between adjacent segments 12 , 12 ′ along walls 104 via a fastener 106 . fluid communication is established with each bellows 102 to permit selective inflation and deflation of bellows 102 for proper control of integrated joint actuator assembly 100 , which will be discussed below . it is preferred that bellows 102 are arranged in a general square - shaped orientation when viewed in cross - section ( fig5 ). however , it should be appreciated that any number of bellows may be used that provide adequate articulation control . it is believed that a description of the operation of integrated joint actuator assembly 100 will facilitate an understanding of its construction and method of use . with particular reference to fig4 and 6 , apparatus 10 ′ is illustrated employing integrated joint actuator assembly 100 . this arrangement is often useful for scaling or otherwise traversing a vertical obstacle 22 . to this end , the lifting of the first two segments 12 ′ ( hereinafter referred to as 12 ′ a and 12 ′ b ) relative to the remaining segments 12 ′ ( hereinafter referred collectively as 12 ′ c ) is often necessary . segment 12 ′ a and segment 12 ′ b are interconnected via integrated joint actuator assembly 100 a , which includes bellows 102 a , b and bellows 102 c , d . likewise , segment 12 ′ b and segment 12 ′ c are interconnected via integrated joint actuator assembly 100 b , which includes bellows 102 e , f and bellows 102 g , h . segment 12 ′ a has a weight generally indicated as wa and segment 12 ′ b has a weight generally indicated as wb . in order to accomplish this task , integrated joint actuator assembly 100 b inflated bellows 102 g , h and exhausts bellows 102 e , f . this creates a lifting moment m that must be sufficient to overcome the total reactive moment from the weight of each two segment 12 ′ a and 12 ′ b ( m react = l 1 w b + l 2 w a ). it should be understood that the apparatus of the present invention does not have a defined “ up ” or “ down ”; therefore it is intended to operate similarly from any orientation . additionally , it may be rotated on one of its edges ( as can be illustrated by rotating fig5 ° or 135 °). in such a case , only one single bellows would be necessary to contribute to the lifting moment m . in this case , the lever arm for producing this lifting moment would have length l , as shown in fig5 . the lifting moment produced by one bellows can be computed as : where a is the cross sectional area of the bellows , p is the air pressure inside the bellows , and d is the diameter of the bellows . it should be appreciated that for most serpentine robots , which are typically slender , the two geometric factors d and l are very limited . therefore , as eq . ( 1 ) suggests , the bellows &# 39 ; diameter d and the bellows &# 39 ; distance from the center l should be as large as possible to produce the largest lifting moment m needed to lift the two front segments 12 ′ a and 12 ′ b . furthermore , since the lifting moment m is proportional to d 2 , it is imperative that the diameter of the bellows be as large as possible . in order to select a desired bellows , a number of pneumatic actuators have been considered , specifically cylinders , bellows , and so - called mckibben pneumatic muscles . it is known that cylinders and bellows develop force in quadratic proportion to their diameter d . however , pneumatic muscles develop force in relation to their diameter and length . therefore , pneumatic muscles can produce an actuation force that is much larger than the force generated by a cylinder with the same diameter . however , a larger force requires greater length of the pneumatic muscle and the output force drops quickly as the pneumatic muscle contracts . the actuation force of bellows also drops with expansion , but not nearly as dramatically as that of mckibben pneumatic muscles . as a result their inherent geometric characteristics , cylinders and mckibben pneumatic muscles would have to be placed within segments 12 , 12 ′ to actuate the joint therebetween . accordingly , it is believed that the use of cylinders or mckibben pneumatic muscles would require excessive space within each segment 12 , 12 ′, thereby dramatically limiting the space available for the mechanical drive components , pneumatic valves , electronic components , and the like . in contrast to cylinders and mckibben pneumatic muscles , the present invention provides an ideal solution to these space constraints as it employs a plurality of large - diameter pneumatic actuators , bellows 102 , generally contained within the space between segments 102 , thereby maximizing the space available of other components . with particular reference to fig7 , it can be seen that in a flexed orientation ( see fig7 ( b )) there is very little room within the space between adjacent segments 12 , 12 ′ ( hereinafter referred to as joint space 108 ). additionally , as can be seen in fig7 ( a ) and 7 ( b ), this joint space 108 varies between a maximum space 108 a and a minimum space 108 b in response to joint angle . because of these variations , the largest rigid component that can be mounted in joint space 108 has to be limited in size to fit into minimum space 108 b . in practice , this means that a rigid actuator most likely cannot be used within joint space 108 due to the space requirements . in contrast to rigid components , bellows have the highly suitable property of taking up minimum space when deflated and maximum space when inflated . therefore , the bellows may be placed in joint space 108 without taking up any space within segments 12 , 12 ′. the location of bellows 102 in joint space 108 permits larger actuator diameters than what would be possible if the actuators had to be placed within a segment . as will be recalled , because the maximal actuation force is proportional to the square of the actuator diameter ( d 2 ) in bellows and cylinders , bellows - type actuators can produce a larger actuation force than cylinders . this comparison cannot be made with pneumatic muscles since the actuation force of pneumatic muscles is also dependent upon its length . however , as will be discussed , the stroke of pneumatic muscles is very limited . in most cylinder - type actuators , actuation strain is limited to less than 1 . 0 , because the piston and rod cannot move through a greater distance than one cylinder length . in pneumatic muscles , the actuation strain is about 0 . 3 , and in pneumatic bellows , the actuation strain can reach 4 . 0 . as is apparent from fig8 , bellows - type actuators have a slight advantage over cylinders and pneumatic muscles in terms of their actuation stress vs . actuation strain . this , together with the earlier discussed advantage of the placement of the bellows in joint space 108 allows for larger diameters and thus larger force , demonstrates that the present invention provides the best solution for force generation . although it is clear that pneumatic actuation , and especially bellows - type actuation is desirable over other methods , pneumatic systems require a source of compressed air , multiple valves , and control methods for those valves . the supply of compressed air is of particular concern for mobile robots — unless , of course , they are tethered . truly autonomous , untethered robots have to produce their own compressed air from very limited on - board resources , thus increasing weight , requiring space , and consuming power . traditionally pneumatic systems are designed for so - called pick - and - place operations . in these applications , the actuator moves from one end of its stroke to the other . compressed air consumption is limited to the amount of air used for performing the stroke . once the actuator reaches its desired end - point , no additional air is being consumed . such pick - and - place operation is too limited for the actuation of joints in serpentine robots . more advanced methods , which allow the proportional control of pneumatic actuators , were introduced in recent years . common to these proportional control methods is their continuing consumption of compressed air , both during motion and while remaining stationary . this is not a particular concern in conventional ( i . e ., industrial ) pneumatic systems where there is usually a local source of compressed air that can provide an unlimited supply of compressed air at little cost . however , for mobile robots requiring pneumatic actuation , these proportional control methods are not suitable . another conventional method of implementing proportional control pneumatic is based on the use of servo valves . while pneumatic servo valves can be very precise , they also tend to be heavy and bulky . they are thus more suitable for stationary manipulators than for mobile robots . for smaller mobile robots , much lighter and compact on - off valves are a more applicable solution . earlier solutions using on - off valves for implementing proportional control worked in a way that is similar to pulse width modulation ( pwm ) in electrical motors . that is , the valve rapidly moves between supplying and exhausting fluid . while rather good control is achieved this way , compressed air is continuously wasted even if the actuator is only holding but not moving . a reduction in air consumption may be achieved using a four - valve configuration , as shown in fig9 ( a ) and 9 ( b ), which closes the chambers of cylinder - type actuators in steady state and thereby preserves compressed air . however , in this configuration the stiffness of the joints was not controlled . in serpentine robots and certain other applications , stiffness must be controlled at all times . for example , when multiple segments of a serpentine robot span a gap , very high stiffness must be maintained , whereas when traveling across rugged terrain , minimal stiffness ( i . e . maximum compliance ) must be maintained . in order to provide proportional position control and proportional stiffness control , as well as zero - airflow at steady state , a novel proportional control system is provided as illustrated in fig1 , generally referred to as proportional position and stiffness controller 110 . proportional position and stiffness controller 110 can be represented by the following relationships : i — inertia , q — joint &# 39 ; s position , τ p = la ( p 1 − p 2 )— pneumatic torque , l — force arm as shown in fig5 , p 1 , p 2 — pressures in opposite bellows , τ s — spring - like torque , τ — load torque , a — bellows cross section area , s — reference stiffness of the joint , g = r ⁢ ⁢ k ⁢ ⁢ t ⁢ ⁢ m . = p . ⁢ ⁢ v + k ⁢ ⁢ p ⁢ ⁢ v . + k p ⁢ v ⁢ ⁢ e p + k d ⁢ v ⁢ ⁢ e . p ⁢ ⁢ d = g ⁢ ⁢ d p a s ⁢ p s - p ⁢ ⁢ if ⁢ ⁢ g & gt ; 0 ⁢ ⁢ d = g ⁢ ⁢ - d p a e ⁢ p ⁢ ⁢ if ⁢ ⁢ g & lt ; 0 ( 3 ) where dp represents the period of the pulse width modulation controller and d represents the length of a pulse in the pulse width modulated controller . four different signals d 1 . . . d 4 control appropriate valves according to fig9 . d is always a fraction of dp . additionally , ep represents the pressure error and k represents the proportional coefficient . the coefficients as = 68 and ae =− 72 were estimated using experimental data and a least square fit . with particular reference to fig1 ( a ) and 11 ( b ), experimental results are illustrated in which a pair of pneumatic bellows is controlled using a conventional proportional pneumatic control system ( fig1 ( a )) and proportional position and stiffness controller 110 ( fig1 ( b )) to move a joint in a sinusoidal fashion , for two full periods . as can be seen in fig1 ( a ), the absence of stiffness control in the conventional proportional pneumatic control system causes the stiffness of the bellows to vary arbitrarily as a function of position . fig1 ( b ) illustrates how proportional position and stiffness controller 110 maintains a near - constant stiffness of 20 % ( as was commanded in this example ). according to the present invention , stiffness may also be varied if desired throughout a full range of 0 %- 100 % under computer control . as can be seen from the lower air flowrate curve of fig1 ( a ) and 11 ( b ), the air consumption of the present invention is lower than that of the conventional proportional pneumatic control system as is shown by the concentration of flowrate data at a lower position on the flowrate graphs . in this particular example , proportional position and stiffness controller 110 of the present invention reduced airflow by a factor of two over the conventional proportional controller . the description of the invention is merely exemplary in nature and , thus , variations that do not depart from the gist of the invention are intended to be within the scope of the invention . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
referring first to fig1 there is shown a component kit 10 comprising a sterile package 12 containing an incontinence prevention device 14 , a deployment base member 16 , a deployment tube 18 and a pusher plunger 20 . the kit may also conveniently contain a supply of a gel lubricant ( not shown ). following the sealing of the kit components in the package 12 , the package is subjected to a sterilization operation such as by subjecting the package to gamma radiation in a manner well known in the art or by introducing a sterilant such as ethylene oxide into the package . the incontinence prevention device 14 may be made in accordance with the teachings of my patent 6 , 311 , 689b1 , which is hereby incorporated by reference . it need not , however , have a stylet lumen therein . the device comprises an elongated , soft , elastomeric shaft 24 having an enlarged closed loop 26 , also formed from a soft elastomeric material preferably silicone rubber , affixed to the distal end of the shaft 24 . a proximal retention member 28 in the form of a wing - like projections , also of a soft material that is configured to conform to the vestibule proximate the urethral opening is disposed on a proximal end of the shaft 24 . those desiring more detailed information on the size and shape configuration of the incontinence prevention device 14 may derive same from a reading of the aforereferenced &# 39 ; 689 patent . as will be explained in greater - detail hereinbelow , the device 14 may be self - inserted into the urethra by a female subject by first loading the device 14 into the deployment tube 18 in a manner yet to be described and then positioning the distal end of the delivery tube proximate the urethral meatus and expelling the device 14 from the deployment tube 18 using the deployment plunger 20 as a pusher device . because the retention loop 26 of the device 14 can , with time , take on a permanent set if packaged with the device 14 already contained within the lumen of the deployment tube 18 , it is a feature that the placement of the incontinence prevention device 14 within the deployment tube can be achieved only a relatively short time prior to use of the deployment device to insure that the retention loop 26 will fully expand to its open - loop shape once the loop enters the urinary bladder where it is unconstrained either by the delivery tube 18 or the urethra . it is also important to insure that the device 14 remains sterile and that it does not come in contact with the subject &# 39 ; s fingers during the insertion process . the delivery kit 10 of the present invention assures these results . referring next to fig2 there is shown a side elevation view of the deployment base member 16 of fig1 . in the preferred embodiment , it comprises a finger grip element 30 which may be somewhat semi - circular in shape and having a recessed central portion 32 defined by a peripheral wall 34 . having this shape allows the device 16 to be readily gripped between the thumb and forefinger of a user &# 39 ; s hand . projecting longitudinally from a base 36 of the finger grip element 30 is a longitudinally extending rod 38 having an integrally molded , l - shaped hook as a device engagement element 40 formed at the distal end thereof . in accordance with the embodiment of fig2 the deployment base member 16 further includes a second rigid , longitudinally - extending , rail 42 that has an integrally molded stop member 44 at its distal end . the rail 42 preferably has a somewhat i - shaped cross - section , as best seen in the cross - sectional view of fig3 . the length of the rail 42 is greater than that of the first rigid rod 38 by a predetermined amount . without limitation , the length of the first rod 38 may be approximately 92 . 75 mm and the length of the rod 42 may be 107 . 25 mm . referring now to fig4 it shows a perspective view of the deployment tube 18 of the kit 10 . tube 18 has a distal end 44 and a proximal end 46 with a lumen 48 extending therebetween . integrally formed with and projecting perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the tube 18 at its distal end 44 is an insertion limit 50 . the lower end of the insertion limit member 50 includes a t - shaped notch 52 . it is dimensioned to engage the guide rail 42 comprising the second rod of the deployment base member 16 when the first rod 38 of the deployment base member 16 is disposed within the lumen 48 of the deployment tube 18 . the lumen 48 has a shape to accept the rigid rod 38 therein with sufficient clearance to permit the tube to slide relative to the road 38 . opposed sidewall surfaces of the tube 18 may be slightly indented as at 54 and these surfaces are preferably knurled to facilitate gripping thereof by the user . to facilitate entry of the retention loop 26 of the incontinence device 14 into the deployment tube 18 , it has been found expedient to provide a flared or oval opening on the proximal end of the deployment tube where the opening has a chamfered edge 49 . this shape on the distal end of the deployment tube causes the retention loop 26 to compress into two contiguous parallel , rectilinear segments as it is being drawn by the hook - shaped device engagement element 40 into the lumen 48 of the deployment tube . further , the lumen of the deployment tube may also be of an oval cross - section throughout its length or may transition to a circular cross - section at a predetermined point along the length thereof as reflected in fig4 . the cross - sectional view of fig5 shows the deployment tube 18 in surrounding relationship to the first rod 38 of the deployment base member 16 . here it can be seen how the t - shaped notch 52 on the retention limit member 50 engages the guide rail 42 . also visible in the view of fig5 is the fact that the length of the deployment tube 18 is slightly less than the length of the first rod 38 such that the hook - shaped engagement element 40 extends outward from the distal end 46 of the deployment tube . in loading the incontinence device 14 into the deployment tube 18 , the device comes packaged with the loop 25 , fitted over the hook - shaped element 40 in the space between the element 40 and the proximal end 46 of the deployment tube . that is to say , the kit comes with the loop 26 encircling the l - shaped hook element 40 , thus obviating the need for the users to touch the sterilized device 14 . now , when the finger grip 30 is grasped between the thumb and foregoing of the user &# 39 ; s one hand and the thumb and forefinger of the other hand are placed on the surfaces 54 of the deployment tube , the deployment tube may be slid in the distal direction causing the retention loop to be drawn into the lumen 48 of the deployment tube as the retention limit 50 slides along the i - shaped guide rail 42 of the base member 16 . the deployment tube is slid in the distal direction until the retention limit member 50 comes into abutment with the stop member 44 on the rail 42 , at which point only a predetermined portion of the retention loop 26 will extend out beyond the distal end of the deployment tube 18 , given the difference in length of the cylindrical rod 38 and the guide rail 42 . the extending portion is still maintained rectilinear in that the remainder of the loop is still constrained by the wall of the deployment tube . the described incontinence device loading system also assures proper orientation of the loop as it expands upon entry into the bladder . with the aid of the l - shaped hook , the loop exits the lumen of the deployment tube in the same orientation as it had upon entry into the proximal end of the tube . because the guide rail 42 has its upper flange notched , as at 56 , when the retention limit member 50 reaches the stop 44 , the guide tube with the incontinence prevention device contained therein can be lifted free of rail 42 of the deployment base member 16 . next , the portion of the retention loop projecting outward from the distal end of the deployment tube can be dipped into a sterile lubricating gel which may come with the kit and the user will next insert the distal end 58 of the plunger 20 ( fig6 ) into the lumen 48 at the proximal end 46 thereof and will then insert the protruding portion of the retention loop into the urethral meatus until the insertion limit member 50 is brought into contact with the subject &# 39 ; s vestibule . the insertion limit member 50 is sufficiently large to prevent the deployment tube from passing through the meatus . now , by depressing the finger rest 60 of the plunger 20 , the incontinence prevention device is forced out from the deployment tube 18 and through the urethra until the finger rest 60 of the plunger abuts the end 46 of the deployment tube as shown in fig7 . the length of the plunger is judiciously chosen such that when fully inserted , the retention loop will be disposed within the subject urinary bladder where it can expand to its open loop shape for nesting in the bladder neck . the deployment base member , deployment tube and pusher may be molded from a suitable medical grade plastic , such as abs , but limitation to this material is not to be inferred . [ 0035 ] fig8 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the deployment device of the present invention . here , the deployment base member includes only a single longitudinally extending rod 70 that is affixed to and projects from the finger grip member 72 . fitted over the rod 70 is a deployment tube 74 that has a stop member 76 at a distal end thereof . the rod 70 terminates in a hook 78 that extends outwardly beyond the distal end 80 of the deployment tube 74 when the stop 76 is in abutment with the base of the finger grip member 72 . an incontinence prevention device of the type already described is shown with its retention loop 26 looped over the hook 78 . the configuration shown in fig8 would be packaged in a sterile container with the hook 78 engaging the loop 26 . when removed by the user from the sterile package , she would grasp the finger grip 72 between the thumb and forefinger of one hand and the deployment tube 74 between the thumb and forefinger of the other hand and then slide the deployment tube 74 to the right as shown in fig8 drawing the retention loop 26 and the stem 14 into the deployment tube 74 . instructions with the device would advise the user to uncouple the hook from the loop once a portion of the loop , approximately 15 mm in length , is projecting from the distal end of the deployment tube . as before , the projecting portion of the loop remains collapsed and rectilinear . it would be dipped in a lubricant and the deployment tube positioned such that the lubricated tip of the retention loop is inserted into the urethral meatus and the stop 76 abuts the user &# 39 ; s vestibule . a pusher , like that shown in fig6 is again used to move the incontinence prevention device out of the deployment tube and through the urethra until the retention loop 26 enters the urinary bladder and expands to its open loop configuration . this invention has been described herein in considerable detail in order to comply with the patent statutes and to provide those skilled in the art with the information needed to apply the novel principles and to construct and use such specialized components as are required . however , it is to be understood that the invention can be carried out by specifically different equipment and devices , and that various modifications , both as to the equipment and operating procedures , can be accomplished without departing from the scope of the invention itself . for example , a piece of string could be substituted for the deployment base member hook where the string loops through the retention loop of the incontinence prevention device and through the lumen of the deployment tube . immediately prior to deployment , by pulling on the string , the incontinence prevention device will be drawn into and through the deployment tube with a portion of the retention loop extending beyond the end of the deployment tube as earlier described .	8
referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like or corresponding parts throughout the various figures thereof , there is shown in fig1 and 2 the nut and snap ring position locking device 100 of the present invention installed on a short length of round threaded shaft 12 having external threads 14 , an axial keyway 16 of rectangular cross section , and ends 18 . the position locking device 100 consists of two separate parts , a nut 20 and a snap ring 50 . the nut 20 illustrated herein is of conventional proportions for regular hex nuts , having six equally spaced nut flats 22 and six nut points 24 symmetrically located about the axis of the nut internal thread 40 , and a proximate nut face 26 and a distal nut face 27 each perpendicular to said axis ( although obviously the invention can be practiced with nuts of unconventional proportions ). a circumferential groove 28 of rectangualr cross section , having a cylindrical groove bottom surface 30 and a proximate groove wall surface 32 and a distal groove wall surface 34 , extends around the nut 20 in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the internal thread 40 ; the cylindrical groove bottom surface 30 is concentric with the axis of the internal thread 40 . the groove bottom surface 30 should be sufficiently deep so that the groove walls 32 and 34 can engage with and thus provide axial support for snap ring 50 , as illustrated in fig1 , 3 , and 4 . parallel - walled flat - bottomed radial slots 36 having a cross - section including parallel side walls 38 and a flat bottom 39 perpendicular thereto ( of a simple rectangular cross section as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , or alternatively of a &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; cross section having two additional parallel slot stem walls 42 as illustrated in fig7 and 8 ) extend radially outward from the axis of the internal thread 40 across the proximate nut face 26 , in a manner similar to the slots of a conventional castellated nut . four radial slots 36 , equally spaced about the axis of the internal thread 40 , are illustrated for the preferred embodiment ( although obviously other numbers or spacing arrangements could be used ). the radial slots are of a sufficient depth such that they intersect and extend into the circumferential slot 28 ( thus breaking up the continuity of the cylindrical groove bottom surface 30 and the proximate groove wall 32 ). the preferred slot depth tolerances for radial slots 36 having the simple rectangular cross section should be such that the radial slots 36 extend to or through ( but do not stop short of ) the distal circumferential groove wall 34 , as illustrated in fig1 and 2 . the preferred slot depth tolerances for radial slots 36 having the &# 34 ; t &# 34 ; cross section should be such that the entire portion of slot 36 bounded by walls 38 ( i . e ., the wider portion ) should lie between ( but not extend beyond ) the proximate 32 and the distal 34 circumferential groove walls , as illustrated in fig8 . the nut 20 can be made from metals ( e . g ., steel or brass ) or plastics ( e . g ., nylon ) or other materials suitable for an intended use ; for most applications mild steel will be the preferred nut material . the snap ring 50 illustrated herein has a general configuration similar to that of commercially available snap rings designed for radial insertion into shaft grooves ( for example , the snap ring sold by waldes kohinoor , inc ., under the trademark truarc series 5103 crescent retaining ring ), except that the snap ring 50 has an additional feature of an elongated central tang 68 . the snap ring 50 is of flat planar construction of generally semi - circular shape , symmetric about a central base region 52 , having two symmetrically - opposed inwardly - curving arms 58 extending outward from the base region 52 and one straight tang 68 centered between the arms 58 and extending from the central base region 52 in the direction toward the arm tips 60 . each arm 58 has an arm base region 56 and a rounded - off arm tip 60 . the tang has a tang base region 62 and either a tang tip 70 that is flat as shown in fig1 or a tang tip 70 having a sharp pointed edge 72 ( disposed to dig into the sides of adjacent external screw threads ) as shown in fig1 . a generous fillet radius 54 exists at the junction of each arm base region 56 with the tang base region 62 , necessitated by the high bending stresses which occur when the arm tips 60 are forced over the groove bottom surface 30 in nut 20 . the shape of snap ring 50 is influenced by the requirement that the arm tips 60 grip the groove bottom surface 30 in nut 20 when the tang tip 70 is fully seated ( fully seated in a shaft axial groove 16 or fully seated between adjacent shaft external threads 14 , depending upon the application ). for the preferred snap ring shape ( as illustrated in fig1 ) each arm tip contacts the nut groove bottom surface 30 at an angular position ( with respect to the axis of the nut internal thread 40 ) of approximately 105 degrees from the middle of the radial slot 36 in which the tang 68 is inserted , this particular arrangement being influenced by the number and location of the radial slots 36 and by the amount of elastic deformation the arms 58 can accommodate in being forced over the groove bottom surface 30 . for most applications the preferred material for the snap ring 50 will be a high strength spring steel ; for non - magnetic applications a beryllium - copper alloy would be practical . other materials that are suitable for efficient use as spring materials could also be used , depending upon the requirements of the application ( for example , aluminum alloy 7075 - t6 or even a plastic such as nylon ). the thickness of the snap ring 50 can vary depending upon the application . care must be taken to avoid making the snap rings too thin ( for example , if the thickness were chosen as a result of simple tang shear stress calculations ), as the tang 68 can also fail by bending in the axial direction ( i . e ., bending of the tang in the direction along keyway 16 toward the proximate nut face 26 ) and by twisting ( about the ring 50 axis of symmetry ). for those snap rings 50 having short tangs 68 ( as shown in fig9 , and 11 ) disposed to bear against shaft exterior threads 14 the preferred ring thickness should be approximately one - half of the distance between the points of adjacent threads , which will allow the tip 70 of the tang 68 to engage facing surfaces of external thread 14 ( as shown in cross - section in fig1 ). for example , the thickness for a snap ring to be used with a nominally one inch diameter shaft having a 1 - 8unc thread would be 0 . 062 inches ; the same thickness could also be used for the long tang ring so that different nuts would not be needed for applications with and without keyways on the same size threaded shaft . the tang width should be such that it has enough clearance to freely slip into a shaft having a standard width rectangular axial keyway , which usually has a width of about one - fourth of the shaft diameter . the preferred width of the nut radial slots should be a close but still free fit with the snap ring tang . the version of the snap ring 50 shown in fig5 and 6 has a wide stepped tang base region 64 having step surfaces 66 located where the tang 68 abruptly steps down in width ; this provides more ring area for engaging with the nut groove 28 near the ring central base region 52 when used with a version of nut 20 having simple rectangular radial slots 36 . the t - slot version of nut radial slots 36 ( shown in fig7 and 8 ) provides support for the tang 68 over a longer length than the simple rectangular slot version , and is the preferred radial slot design for heavy duty applications . although the above description contains many specificities these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention , to which variations and improvements may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of protection of the present patent and true spirit of the invention , but rather as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof . for example , a variation could be making the cross - section of the groove bottom surface 30 ( of the circumferential groove 28 in the nut 20 ) in the shape of a regular polygon rather than in the shape of a circle , with a complementary modification of the snap ring 50 shape to suit . accordingly , the scope of the invention should be determined not by the embodiments illustrated , but by the appended claims and their legal equivalents .	8
the seating module — or seat — according to the invention essentially includes a structural framework 10 , a fork - shaped frame 12 , a hinge 14 connecting , in a jointed manner , structural framework 10 and fork 12 , and an elastic membrane 16 , visible only in fig3 and 4 . the seat has a symmetrical structure with reference to a vertical plane passing through lines ii - ii of fig1 and 3 . more specifically , structural framework 10 , in plane , has a t - shape the vertical bar 18 of which , placed in axis ii - ii , extends forwards and is bent upwards to end in a pommel element 20 . the ends 22 a of arms 22 of the t , perpendicular to the axis , are raised and pierced with a hole that is not visible in the drawing . structural framework 10 has a central portion 24 provided with holes 24 a allowing the seat to be fixed onto a support , as will be explained hereinafter . in plane , fork 12 has a u - shape of axis ii - ii . its cross bar 26 , which is slightly raised and bent , acts as cantle element and its two teeth 28 extend forwards substantially as far as pommel element 20 , a few centimeters underneath it . it will be noted that , in the seat rest position , shown in the drawing , the tip of cantle element 26 is located at substantially the same height as pommel element 20 , and that fork 12 is inclined forwards by an angle of approximately 10 ° in relation to the ground . teeth 28 of the fork are provided , substantially in their middle , with a lug 30 a extending downward , each adjacent to one end 22 a of the structural framework and provided with a coaxial hole . bearings engaged in these holes and rods , engaged in the bearings , form hinge 14 , which thus enables fork 12 to be pivoted in relation to structural framework 10 about an axis a - a . advantageously , structural framework 10 and fork 12 are respectively made of aluminum and steel . firstly , between pommel element 20 and cantle element 26 ; secondly , between the two teeth 28 of fork 12 ; and thirdly , between the ends of teeth 28 and pommel element 20 . membrane 16 can be made of any elastic material , for example pvc , in the form of a fabric , as shown in fig3 and 4 , or film , in one piece or in strips . in the latter case , a first set of strips 16 a connects pommel element 20 to cantle element 26 , a second set 16 b connects the two teeth 28 to each other , this second set covering the first , and a third set 16 c connects the ends of teeth 28 to pommel element 20 . because of the shape of fork 12 and the position of pommel element 20 , membrane 16 has a horse - saddle shape , with a concavity between cantle element 26 and pommel element 20 and a convexity between the two teeth 28 . owing to these features , the function of membrane 16 is to : define the rest position of fork 12 in relation to structural framework 10 , the position taken when no - one is sitting on the seat , and return fork 12 to this rest position when the person who has tilted the seat forwards or backwards leaves it . as can be seen in fig4 , the seat according to the invention can advantageously be completed by a padding member 32 , forming a cushion , totally covering membrane 16 and permanently or removably fixed to the latter . this padding member can be formed by a fabric envelope containing an elastic filling or formed of a gel . advantageously , it is provided with a longitudinal groove 34 extending over the entire length of the cushion . consequently , the coccyx of the person occupying the seat is not compressed , which improves comfort and prevents certain damage , particularly as regards the vertebral column . fig5 shows that the seating module previously described is for fitting to a chair formed of a support 36 , which includes , in a known manner , a telescopic central column 38 and feet 40 disposed radially , each provided with a roller 42 . column 38 has , at its top end , a seating module 44 according to the invention , which is fixed by its structural framework 10 . such a chair , thus forming a stool , can advantageously be used by people essentially working in an “ active ” position , for example a dentist or a watchmaker . it can be completed , as shown in this figure , by a backrest 46 fixed to cantle element 26 and allowing a “ passive ” position to be taken . when the user frequently works in the “ active ” position , it is advantageous to provide the chair with a transverse support bar 48 for the knees , advantageously padded and covered with a fabric or leather , so that contact is comfortable . this bar is fixed to support 36 , permanently or removably , by means of an arm 50 . the latter has a roller 42 and is advantageously connected to support 36 so as to pivot or slide , so that it can be removed when the user often has to leave his chair . it should be stressed that the pressure of the knees against bar 46 is slight . the latter thus barely participates in the seating of the user . however , it prevents him crossing his legs , and thus , certain annoyances associated with this habit . as can be seen in fig5 , arm 50 is fixed to support 36 in proximity to feet 40 , i . e . very close to the ground . consequently , it does not interfere , or barely interferes , with movement when the user occupies his chair or leaves it . finally , in a very advantageous manner , seating module 44 can be jointed on column 38 owing to a conventional adjustable chair tilting mechanism 52 provided with an armrest 54 . owing to the construction described , when the user sits down to get into the “ active ” position , he finds seat 44 automatically placed in the rest position corresponding to maximum comfort , i . e . with the femoral articulation at right angles to joint 14 . if the user leans forwards , fork 12 accompanies his movement , allowing him to adjust his posture in a self - supporting process , which contributes to reinforcing the supporting musculature and thus tends to reduce the risk of health problems , as mentioned hereinbefore . when , in order to think or make a telephone call , the user gets into a “ passive ” position against backrest 46 , fork 12 tilt backwards , such that he finds himself in a posture in which his entire musculature is resting . this automatic adjustment provides optimum comfort due to the fact that the user &# 39 ; s weight is distributed very uniformly over the buttocks and the back of the thighs . in other words , in the “ active ” position , the chair according to the invention allows adjustments in posture facilitating the work of the self - supporting muscles , whereas in the “ passive ” position , these muscles can relax . both the seating module and the chairs described hereinbefore can be subject to numerous variants . it is , for example , possible to provide adjusting members , and more particularly , stops ( not shown ) limiting , on both sides , the tilting movement of fork 12 on structural framework 10 . pommel element 20 can also be provided with means for altering its position with reference to structural framework 10 . an asymmetrical structure can also be envisaged , for a handicapped user , either at padding member 32 , or in the form of cantle element 26 . the hinged connection , via hinge 14 , between structural framework 10 and fork 12 , can be achieved by means of a ball joint . in this case , the self - supporting mechanism would operate both from front to back and from the side . the position of hinge 14 can also advantageously be adjustable in the forward - backward direction , such that it is perfectly aligned on the ischium when the user is seated . other adjusting means are possible for varying the distance between pommel element 20 and cantle element 26 , in order to adjust the tension of elastic membrane 16 . seat 44 is advantageously fixed to support 36 by its structural framework 10 . it is also possible to envisage fixing via cantle element 26 itself . the spring function performed by elastic membrane 16 can also be reinforced by springs especially arranged for this purpose , for example , torsion , traction or compression springs . it will be noted , finally , that it may be advantageous to provide backrest 46 with an independent permanent contact lumbar support zone that can be disconnected .	0
referring to fig1 - 3 , a portable machine tool 100 having a geared motor 111 mounted on a magnetic base 112 is illustrated . a fluid reservoir 102 is attached to the portable machine tool 100 above the magnetic base 112 . a hose extends from the reservoir 102 to the arbor 115 to provide fluid flow to the cutting tool . the reservoir 102 is selectively moveable and repositionable to allow gravity - fed coolant flow to the cutting tool when the portable machine tool 100 is any position . more specifically , the preferred embodiment discloses a gravity - feed liquid delivery system 200 for a machine tool 100 . in the preferred embodiment , where the machine tool 100 is a portable drilling machine 100 , it may be advantageous to drill horizontally or any position in which the arbor 115 is level to or at a higher elevation than the reservoir 102 . in such instances , the removable reservoir 102 is moved from a first position on the portable power tool 100 to a second position remote from the portable power tool 100 . when the removable reservoir 102 is at its second position and elevated higher than the portable power tool 100 , the gravity - feed liquid delivery system 200 continues to deliver coolant or lubricant to the drilling surface . referring to fig3 a and 3 b where the drill 100 is in the horizontal drilling position , the reservoir 102 includes an attachment mechanism 201 to hold the reservoir 102 in its second position remote from the machine tool 100 . in the preferred embodiment and better illustrated in fig4 a - 4 d , the attachment mechanism 201 is a magnet 201 ; however , in alternative embodiments , the attachment mechanism 201 may include , but not limited to , a hook ( as shown in fig7 ), an adhesive material ( as shown in fig8 ), or manually held by an operator at the second position . in an alternative embodiment , a moveable member ( not shown ) combines the machine tool 100 with the reservoir 102 . the moveable member pivots outward from the machine tool 100 thereby moving the reservoir to a second position remote from the machine tool 100 . more specifically , the moveable member may be a plate that is pivotally attached to the machine tool 100 with the reservoir 102 attached thereon . the moveable member pivots outward and upward to position the reservoir 102 in a second position remote from the machine tool 100 when the machine tool 100 is in a horizontal drilling position . in the second position , the reservoir is elevated higher than the machine tool 100 and the force of gravity supplies liquid to the cutting surface . referring back to fig4 a - 4 d , the reservoir 102 is more specifically described . substantially near the bottom of the reservoir 102 is an outlet port 204 . a fitting 203 combines the outlet port 204 to a hose 104 or , alternatively , a valve 113 is disposed in the outlet port 204 of the reservoir 102 . the outlet port 204 is positioned to allow free flow of liquid out of the reservoir 102 and in to the hose 104 . if the valve 113 is used , the valve 113 provides controlled fluid flow from the reservoir 102 . obviously , however , the valve 113 can be disposed at any point in the hose 104 and still provide controlled flow from the reservoir 102 . the reservoir 102 and hose 104 are made of a translucent material to allow the operator to visualize the supply of liquid . a removable lid 202 at the top of the reservoir 102 is conveniently placed for easy filling of the reservoir 102 . in the preferred embodiment , the machine tool 100 is adapted to annular cutters , which have a hollow center portion . a ring assembly 106 is combined with the arbor 115 of the machine tool 100 . a hose 104 connecting the ring assembly 106 to the reservoir 102 provides a path for fluid flow . fluid flows through hose 104 to the inside of the annular cutter from the reservoir 102 when the machine tool 100 is cutting . in an alternate embodiment illustrated in fig5 a and 5 b , a gravity - feed liquid delivery system 200 is provided as a separate system adaptable to any type of machine tool 100 including , but not limited to , a knee mill 100 . in this embodiment , a ring assembly 106 is adaptable to combine with the arbor of the mill 100 . a hose 104 extends from the reservoir 102 to the ring assembly 106 . the reservoir 102 is attachable at any position on or around the mill 100 . in yet another alternative embodiment and illustrated in fig6 , the gravity - feed liquid delivery system 200 is provided as a stand - alone system 200 having a valve 113 at the outlet 204 of the reservoir 102 and a hose 104 . the hose 104 may be formed of a resilient yet flexible material that holds the hose in a temporarily fixed position . alternatively , the hose 104 may have an attachment mechanism ( not illustrated ) in the form of a hook , an adhesive , or a magnet . this allows the gravity - feed liquid delivery system 200 to be adapted for use on a wide range of machine tools 100 including , but not limited to , circular saws , hand drills , and lathes . various aspects of any of the embodiments can be combined in different combinations than the ones shown to create new embodiments that fall within the scope of the appended claims . while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes , substitutions and alterations can be made herein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by appended claims and their equivalents . the invention can be better understood by reference to the following claims . for purpose of claim interpretation , the transitional phrases “ including ” and “ having ” are intended to be synonymous with the transitional phrase “ comprising .”	1
fig1 and 2 show a chuck 1 for clamping a preferably cylindrically designed workpiece in the manner of a collet . the chuck 1 has a substantially rotationally symmetrical basic body 4 forming an essential part of chuck body 2 . on the basic body 4 is provided a cone portion - shaped reception opening 5 for a force - transferring reception of a clamping head 3 . the clamping head 3 is constructed from three clamping jaws 6 spaced from one another by separation slots 7 , which are in some areas bridged by elastic connecting elements 8 , which interconnect the clamping jaws 6 in self substance , relatively movable manner . on a tapered end portion of the clamping head 3 the clamping jaws 6 are provided with a circumferential groove in which can engage a tension tube 9 , which forms part of a not shown machine spindle and which can exert a tensile force on the chuck 3 . on an outer surface 10 is provided a deformation sensor 12 a . a pocket - like depression 13 contains a further deformation sensor 12 b on an outer face of the basic body 4 . according to fig2 , a deformation sensor 12 c for tensile force determination is fitted to tension tube 9 . all the deformation sensors 12 a , 12 b , 12 c are in the form of strain gauges and in each case equipped with an integrated signal processing unit 16 a , 16 b , 16 c for a processing , by means of calculation algorithms , of the electrical resistance values produced by the strain gauges 12 a , 12 b , 12 c . with the signal processing unit 16 a , 16 b ; 16 c is associated an information transmission device 17 a , 17 b , 16 c , also integrated into the deformation sensors 12 a , 12 b , 12 c , for the wireless transmission of the calculated measured values . with the deformation sensor 12 b received in depression 13 is associated as an energy storage means a button cell battery 19 for a continuous signal transmission to a not shown receiver means . the depression 13 is closed by an elastomeric plug 18 . the remaining deformation sensors 12 a , 12 c , which can be provided in supplementary or alternative manner , are in the form of rfid labels and are stuck to the outer surface 10 and tension tube 9 and are supplied by a not shown , external energy source , which can be placed on the machine tool or at some other point in space . the deformation sensor 12 a is provided with an integrated motion sensor in the form of an acceleration sensor 20 and which is used for detecting a movement of the chuck and which can be fitted in the same way also to the other deformation sensors 12 b or 12 c . the deformation sensors 12 a , 12 b on outer surface 10 and in depression 13 are provided for determining a deformation of the circumference of basic body 2 . such a deformation can occur if a workpiece is inserted in the receiving hole 14 bounded by clamping jaws 6 and subsequently tension tube 9 introduces a tensile force into the jaws 6 . as a result the clamping head 3 is moved in the direction of the tension tube 9 and due to the conical design of the receiving opening 5 and clamping head 3 there is a radially inwardly directed deflection movement of the mutually relatively movable clamping jaws 6 , so that the workpiece can be clamped between said jaws 6 . the relative movement of the clamping jaws 6 brought about by the tensile force of tension tube 9 , on clamping the workpiece , leads to a radially outwardly directed supporting force of the outer faces of the clamping jaws 6 on the receiving opening 5 . thus , the basic body 4 is radially outwardly extended and is subject to a rise in the external diameter 15 , which is substantially proportional to the exerted clamping force . the increase in the external diameter 15 is associated with a length change to the circumference of basic body 4 . said length change can be determined by the deformation sensors 12 a , 12 b fitted to outer surface 10 and outer face 11 . the application of a tensile force to chuck 1 by means of tension tube 9 , which can be assumed as known or which is determined by deformation sensor 12 c on tension tube 9 , in the case of a freshly maintained chuck 1 gives a maximum tensile force and a resulting maximum increase in the external diameter 15 and the circumference of basic body 4 . the maximum value for the circumference of basic body 4 is stored as a reference value in signal processing unit 16 a , 16 b , 16 c and / or in the receiver unit and can therefore be used as a reference for further clamping cycles of chuck 1 . in the case of the path of the deformation i on the outer circumference of the chuck body and determined by deformation sensor 12 a in fig3 and the correlated clamping force fs , determined by the reflection or mirroring of the deformation curve , over the chuck speed n on machining a workpiece it is clear that the deformation and clamping force fs initially only change slightly . however , with increasing speed there is an ever increasing drop in the clamping force fs and can lead to a complete clamping force loss . in the path of the clamping force fs over time t shown in fig4 it is clear that with an increasing number of machining cycles performed , i . e . typically over a period of weeks , there is an exemplified - represented decrease in the clamping force fs , despite a constant tensile force fz . this reduction in the clamping force fs can mainly be attributed to the above - described ageing effects and the contamination of the lubricants provided between clamping head and basic body and if a chuck maintenance is missed , gives rise to a drop below a minimum clamping force fs ( min ) at which it is just possible to ensure a reliable workpiece machining . in order to eliminate the risk of an inadequate clamping force fs , a chuck is typically maintained at a time t 1 at which there is still a reserve present until the minimum clamping force fs ( min ) is reached . by using the inventive clamping force determination method the maintenance of the chuck can be carried out precisely at the time of reaching the minimum clamping force fs ( min ), so that a larger number of machining cycles can be implemented between two maintenance cycles , but still a dynamic chuck maintenance can be performed as a function of the possibly varying ambient conditions .	1
referring to the only figure , a high pressure hydraulic source 10 outputs a pressurized fluid to an input line 12 of hydraulic pressure intensifier 14 , shown in outline . input line 12 has a pressure of about 3000 psi therein . intensifier 14 outputs on an output line 16 a pressurized fluid having a pressure greater than the fluid in input line 12 . the pressurized fluid in output line 16 is passed through a one - way check valve 18 and is stored in an accumulator 20 for future use as described hereinabove . input line 12 is connected to a one - way check valve 22 and to a first restrictor 24 . check valve 22 is connected to check valve 18 and to a second restrictor 26 . the source pressure is able to pass directly into accumulator 20 thru one - way check valves 22 and 18 . intensifier 14 increases the output pressure above the source pressure in accumulator 20 . first restrictor 24 outputs into a first branch line 28 and a second branch line 30 . second resistor 26 outputs into a first branch line 32 and a second branch line 34 having therein a third restrictor 36 . unless otherwise stated , fluid may flow in either direction of a line . intensifier 14 further includes a piston driver 38 , a pilot valve 40 and a dump valve 42 connected together as described hereinbelow . piston driver 38 has a piston 44 moving inside of a cylindrical piston cavity 46 . piston 44 has a first area 48 and a second area 50 , second area 50 being smaller than first area 48 . second area 50 of piston 44 provides the increased pressure boost when moved to the right in a boost cavity 112 . a shaft 52 attached to piston 44 acts upon pilot valve 40 by a shaft end 65 intermittently . a first seal 54 made of polytetrafluoroethylene ( teflon ), for example , about piston 44 and in contact with a cavity wall 56 prevents the leakage of fluids between the different sides of piston 44 . a second seal 58 prevents fluid leakage by shaft 52 . a fluid return cavity 60 allows fluid to enter a vent line 62 . pilot valve 40 has therein a check ball 64 that makes sealing contact with a seat 66 . a spring 68 pushes against a flange 72 that is a part of and integral to a rod 70 . rod 70 has therein a first section 74 and a second section 76 integrally formed together . flange 72 has a hole 73 therethrough so that fluid can flow from one side to another . an end 78 of second section 76 of rod 70 is in intermittent contact with check ball 64 . first section 74 is in sliding contact with a housing hole 80 and in intermittent contact with shaft end 65 . a pilot return line 102 allows fluid to move from a pilot valve cavity 84 to fluid return cavity 60 and therefrom by vent line 62 . check ball 64 moves within a pilot cavity 88 and when fluid enters from second branch line 34 , check ball 64 will seat against seat 66 if not blocked by rod end 78 . dump valve 42 has therein a spring biased pressure actuated dump piston 90 moving within a spring cavity 92 . integrally attached to dump piston 90 is a valve piston 94 moving within a dump cavity 96 in a sealed manner to prevent the passage of pressurized fluid across piston 94 past a piston face 98 . dump cavity 96 has input second branch line 30 and outputs to a dump return line 104 when in a dump position as shown in the figure . a spring 106 in cavity 92 holds dump piston 90 against a stop 108 until a pressure greater than the pressure required to move piston driver 38 in an unload direction to the left is placed on piston face 98 of valve piston 94 . a sufficient pressure causes valve piston 94 to move to the right against stop 93 and close off second branch line 30 to dump cavity 96 by a sealing land 95 on valve piston 94 . a channel 91 through dump piston 90 allows fluid to flow between cavity 96 and cavity 92 when dump piston 90 moves . in operation , valve piston 94 is held in the open position as shown in the figure when in the no load postion . the fluid from first and second branch lines 28 and 30 , respectively , passes through dump cavity 96 to dump return line 104 and to vent line 62 . since spring 106 is biased at a higher pressure than is required to move dump piston 90 , dump piston 90 will not move . since first branch line 28 is dumping when piston 44 is moving in a no load direction to the left , a lower pressure will exist on first area 48 of piston 44 of piston driver 38 . since second branch line 34 has a third restrictor 36 therein the pressure from first branch line 32 onto second area 50 will be greater than the pressure on first area 48 thereby causing piston 44 to move to the left . as this occurs , check ball 64 of pilot valve 40 will seat on seat 66 because of fluid flow from line 34 and because rod 70 moves to the left as biased by spring 68 as shaft 52 moves to the left . as this occurs piston 44 will continue to move to the left until stopped by a wall 110 . fluid from piston cavity 46 flows to vent line 62 in the process . when piston 44 &# 34 ; bottoms out &# 34 ; on wall 110 , pressure in a boost cavity 112 increases to 3000 psi and this increased pressure acts on piston face 98 of valve piston 94 of dump valve 42 causing dump piston 90 to move to the right closing off line 30 to dump cavity 96 . check ball 64 is further still held against seat 66 . the force acting on first face 48 of piston 44 is greater than the force acting against second face 50 due to face 48 having a greater area than face 50 with the same fluid pressure on both sides of piston 44 . piston 44 will thus move to the right . since the moving force is acting on a smaller area for displacing fluid from boost cavity 112 , the pressure is increased above the input pressure of 3000 psi a given amount . this boost pressure is transmitted from boost cavity 112 , through first branch line 32 , through second restrictor 26 , through one - way check valve 18 , from output line 16 to accumulator 20 . the boost pressure is held by check valve 18 in accumulator 20 . boost pressure cannot reach source 10 because of second check valve 22 . when piston 44 bottoms out on a wall 114 of boost cavity 112 , boost pressure stops . as this occurs dump valve 42 opens and pilot valve 40 opens , when check ball 64 is pushed off seat 66 by rod 70 when shaft end 65 hits first section 74 of rod 70 . when the pilot valve 40 opens , boost pressure is removed from dump valve 42 . when dump valve 42 opens , pressure is lowered in piston cavity 46 of pistion driver 38 and first restrictor 24 . this is a no load position from which the above cycle repeats until a predesignated psi of about 4000 psi is held in accumulator 20 . when the predesignated pressure is reached in accumulator 20 , piston 44 stalls out . accumulator 20 has an initial pressure of about 3000 psi before intensifier 14 starts pressure boost due to the flow from pressure source 10 through check valves 22 and 18 . clearly , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings and it is therefore understood , that within the inventive scope of the inventive concept , the invention may be practiced otherwise than specifically claimed .	5
referring now to fig1 of the drawing , a bracket shown generally at 10 , is illustrated , having a base 11 , a web portion 12 and a semi circular clip portion 13 attached to and spaced from the base 11 by the web 12 . in keeping with one of the objects of the invention , provision is made for the bracket of the present invention to be utilized in the installation in a large number of different vehicle and guard configurations . in general , most aftermarket rear light guards are mounted to its respective vehicle utilizing two areas of attachment . the first is a bracket or tab 15 permanently affixed to the rear of the guard 16 as shown in fig2 and attached to the vehicle in the rear door frame utilizing sheet metal or self tapping screws . while this part of the installation provides a secure mounting with attachment points that are concealed when the rear door or hatch is closed , the problem in aftermarket installation arises with the forward mounting of the guard . in general , dealers and installers of aftermarket accessories are very reluctant to drill holes in finished portions of the vehicle body . one reason is that many vehicles are specially treated to resist rust and corrosion and drilling through a painted surface could result in compromising such treatment . in order to avoid a forward attachment using screws , rivets or other attaching means requiring drilling into a finished body panel , several methods have been employed to date , each with its own problems or limitations . some manufacturers have provided forward attachment tabs or brackets that are secured to the vehicle body with double sided adhesive tape or velcro material adhesively attached to both the vehicle surface and such forward mounting bracket or tab . neither of these two methods have been without problems since the surface of a painted body section of a vehicle reaches such extremes in both hot and cold temperature , adhesively applied fastening simply does not hold up for any prolonged period . another method utilized in some designs is to let the entire mounting of the rear light guard be at the rear with secure mechanical fasteners hidden in the rear door or hatch frame . in this type of mounting , the guard is essentially cantilevered from the rear and designed to be biased toward and the vehicle body at the front with a resilient bumper provided therebetween to prevent finish damage or vibration . while this design provides satisfactory mounting in most situations , the protection at the forward portion of the guard is still not as secure as with reliable attachment means . in the present invention the bracket 15 is designed to overcome the previously mentioned problems and limitations . as seen in fig1 the base 11 of the bracket 10 is formed from very flexible thermoplastic material so that it will conform to the plastic lens of the rear light . it has been found that the plastic lens goes through a far less temperature range than metal or laminated plastic body panels so that a properly chosen adhesive will provide far more reliable service . it has been found that double sided foam base adhesive tape manufactured by the 3 - m corporation will provide long term and reliable service . as shown in fig1 and 3 , the two sided foam base tape 18 secures the bottom of the flexible bracket base 11 to a plastic rear light lens 20 . in order to securely attach the top portion of the bracket 10 to the guard 16 , it is formed in a semi circular configuration 13 and sized to securely snap onto one of the tubular members of the guard 16 as depicted in fig2 and 3 . in order to provide a semi circular portion that will securely snap onto a guard member , it has been found that generally rigid thermoplastic material should be utilized . in order to provide such a generally rigid portion 13 and let still have a base portion 11 that is flexible to conform to the shape of a rear light lens , it has been found that the bracket 10 of the instant invention provides the required performance when it is molded or formed with a flexible base 11 and a generally rigid guard engaging portion 13 . it is well known in both the thermoplastic molding and extruding art to form molded or extruded parts having portions with different durometer readings for rigidity and it is contemplated that such a procedure could be utilized in producing the within brackets embodying the instant invention . there is thus described a bracket for installing a rear light guard on a vehicle . obviously , variations thereof may occur to any artisan and the scope of the invention should only be considered to be limited by the scope of the appended claims .	1
[ 0025 ] fig1 shows the java run - time environment . in this environment , java program class files 10 and java api class files 12 are loaded by a class loader 14 which supplies the byte codes of the class files to the java interpreter 16 , which is supported by a host operating system 18 . as described above , this environment offers a variety of advantages but lacks scalability and availability properties . [ 0026 ] fig2 shows a system setting for the present invention . it is very common for java applications to be run on one or more server systems 20 , 22 to service the requests of clients 24 , 26 , 28 that are made over a network 30 , which can be a local area network , a wide - area network or a network of networks such as the internet . such networks typically employ standardized transport service protocols for communicating between the clients and the server . one such transport service conforms to the tcp / ip protocol . in addition to the protocol , the operating system on the server typically employs a standard set of transport service primitives to access the transport service . a standard set of primitives for a server includes primitives such as a socket call , in which a server first establishes a communication endpoint , a bind call in which a server assigns an address to the socket , a listen call , by which the server sets up storage for incoming client connection requests , an accept call to await an incoming connection , send and receive primitives to transmit and receive data over the connection and a close primitive to end the connection . a client also makes use of these primitives , with the exception of the accept , bind and listen calls . [ 0028 ] fig3 shows a server system 32 a , 32 b for use in the present invention . such a server system 32 a , 32 b has multiple , similar processing elements 34 a , 34 b that are interconnected via an interprocessor bus 36 a , 36 b . each processing element 34 a is preferably independent of the others 34 b , 38 a , 38 b in that it shares little or nothing with the other processors such that a failure of one processing element 38 a does not cause a failure of the other processing elements . in one type of server system , this means that each processing element has its own memory , operating system and support systems ( not shown ). each server system also has a pair of disk controllers 40 a , 40 b , 42 a , 42 b , that respectively connect the processing elements 34 a , 34 b , 38 a , 38 b to respective data volumes 44 a , 44 b , 46 a , 46 b as shown . [ 0029 ] fig4 shows the major software components of the present invention . these components include an application class - specific distributor 50 that connects to one or more clients 52 a , 52 b , 52 c 52 d , and one or more java - implemented application servers 54 a - d . a monitor program 56 is available for restarting the distributor 50 if the distributor 50 fails for some reason . in a multiple processing element server system , the distributor is configured to run on any of the processing elements 34 a - b , 38 a - b in fig3 and the application servers are configured to run on one or more available processing elements 34 a - b , 38 a - b in fig3 . the distributor module 50 , in accordance with the present invention , acts as a router that receives client connection requests 60 a - d for the java - implemented network application . the distributor 50 listens on the ports 62 that the network application would listen on if there were no distributor 50 , thus acting as a proxy for the network application . the distributor performs load balancing by routing , when possible , client connection requests to the network application server that is least busy . the java - implemented network application server modules 54 a - d , in accordance with the present invention , and , with them , java virtual machines , are configured to receive client connection requests 60 a - d and to complete the connections to one of the clients 52 a - d . once the connection 64 a - d is established , one of the network application servers 54 a - d performs services requested by the client until the client disconnects from the network application server to which it was connected . a modified java virtual machine is configured to assist in the establishing of the connection . a set of configuration tools , in accordance with the present invention , is provided to allow the system manager to configure , reconfigure and manage the java - implemented network application server . as mentioned above , the distributor module 50 acts as a router for the network application server modules . more particularly , the distributor module is an instance of a server class process . the distributor executes a bind call to assign ports to a socket of the distributor . the ports that are assigned are the ports that the network application server modules would otherwise listen on . the distributor module then executes a listen call to set up a data buffer for client connection requests and then an accept to accept the incoming requests . once a connection request is received , the distributor uses a modified round - robin mechanism to find the least busy network application server module . if a suitable network application server module is found , the distributor forwards the client connection request to the found server , after which the client and the found server continue their conversation without the distributor involved , until the connection is closed . fig5 shows a flow chart for the set up of the distributor module of the present invention . the distributor has an initialization phase 80 , a main operating phase 82 and a restart phase 84 ( if and when a failure 86 occurs ), each of which is described in more detail below . to get started , the distributor 50 obtains or collects information about the network application servers 54 a - d in fig4 associated with the distributor 50 , the maximum number of clients for each network application server and the ports to listen on . fig6 shows a flow chart for the initialization of the distributor module . step 90 sets forth the information obtained by the distributor at initialization . the obtained information includes the server class name of the distributor , the server class name of the application servers associated with the distributor , the maximum number of clients of each application server , the number of static application servers running in the application server class , the number of dynamic application servers running in the application server class , and the assigned ports on which to listen . in step 92 , the distributor opens $ receive , ( a system wide file which acts as a message queue for many interprocess communication messages ) and awaits the client connections . the modified java virtual machine ( jvm ) assists in the $ receive operation and the second phase of the accept method ( i . e ., accept_nw2 ( ), a method that creates a new socket for data transfer , and accepts a connection on the new socket ), discussed below . if $ receive is successful , in step 94 , the distributor then creates , in step 96 , the serverstatus structure ( table ). the serverstatus structure is an internal structure that contains an entry for each of the static application servers in the server class associated with the distributor . the distributor stores the serverstatus information about each application server in a linked list of these structures : { serverid , dialogid , numclients , sendoutstanding , tag , reqbuf }, where serverid holds a unique identifier for an application server , dialog_id holds an identifier for the dialog established with an application server , numclients is the number of clients the server is currently handling , sendoutstanding is a boolean indicating whether a serverclass_dialog_send is outstanding for the application server , tag indicates the port associated with an outstanding dialog , if any , and reqbuf is a pointer to a request buffer allocated for the application server . next , in step 98 , the serverclass_dialog_begin , a procedure call to initiate a dialog with a server , is invoked for each server . after this function is invoked for all servers as determined by step 100 , the portinfo structure ( table ) is created for a port , in step 102 . the port info structure is an internal structure that contains information associated with the ports on which the distributor is listening . the distributor creates a linked list of such structures : { portnumber , filenum , listenfromsocketaddr , acceptfromsocketaddr }, where portnumber is the port number , filenum is the file number of the socket that is bound to the port , and listenfromsocketaddr is a pointer to storage that contains the remote address and port number for the connection when the first phase of the accept ( accept_nw ( )) completes , and acceptfromsocketaddr contains the remote address and port number of a new connection . next , in step 104 , the listen ( ) function is invoked for the port , and then , in step 106 , the accept_nw ( ) ( the first part of a two - phase accept process ) for each port , which places the module in a state in which it is ready to receive client connections . this continues until all ports , in step 108 , are ready to receive client connections . [ 0042 ] fig7 shows a flow chart for the main processing loop of the distributor module . in step 120 , the awaitiox function is invoked to look for a message . the message can be one of three different message types , a client connection request , a message from a application server or a system message . if a client_connection_request is received , the distributor , in step 122 , attempts , in step 124 , to find the server process that is currently handling the fewest number of clients . in step 126 , if a qualifying server is found , the distributor performs a serverclass_dialog_send function 128 , which initiates a data transfer to an application server with an established dialog , to send a message containing the address of the client requesting a connection to the found application server . if a qualifying server is not found , as determined in step 126 , the client connection request is placed on a waiting list , in step 130 , for the next available application server that meets the qualification and in step 132 , the distributor reissues an accept_nw ( ), a method that listens for connects on an existing socket , to accept the next message . if a server process message is received , in step 122 , the distributor , in step 134 , finds the application server and updates the number of current clients for that application server , because the message is a disconnect message from the application server . if there are any clients waiting to connect to the application server that just disconnected from a client , as determined in step 136 , then a serverclass_dialog_send function , in step 128 , is performed to send to the application server the address of the client waiting for a connection to that application server . if a system message is received , in step 122 , the distributor , in step 138 , checks to determine whether the message is either an open , close or signaltimeout message . the signaltimeout procedure sets a timer to a given number of units of elapsed time , as measured by the processor clock . when the timer expires , the calling process receives an indication in the form of a system message on $ receive . if the received message is a close message as determined in step 140 , the operation phase of the distributor is ended . otherwise , the distributor takes the appropriate steps based on the message and returns to the awaitiox call , in step 120 , which completes a previously initiated i / o operation , to look for another message . [ 0047 ] fig8 shows a flow chart that sets out the main processing loop of the distributor module in more detail in accordance with one embodiment . the main processing loop relies on the above - mentioned serverstatus structure and the portinfo structure , both of which are created during the distributor initialization phase . referring to fig8 the distributor executes a awaitiox call in step 150 and waits for a new message to arrive in step 152 . by testing the filenum parameter that is returned , the distributor can determine the message type . if the filenum parameter matches receive_filenum , then a message from the application server is received in step 154 . responding to the message may require that the serverstatus structure be updated because a disconnect has occurred . if the filenum parameter matches the scsend_op_num in step 152 , then the serverstatus structure is updated , in step 156 , by calling the updateserverstatus function . if filenum does not match either receive_filenum or scsend_op_num , in step 152 , then the message is determined to be a client connection request ( this is the default case ). upon making this determination , a connectionrequest ( ) function 160 is called to verify that the port at which the accept_nw ( ) function was just completed 158 is valid . the distributor then calls findbestserver ( ) 162 to find a server to accept the new connection . this routine uses the serverstatus linked lists to find the best available server . the best server available is the one that will be handling the fewest number of clients after the client connection is assigned . the best server available also will not have an outstanding dialog because this would mean that the server had received a previous client connection request but had not yet responded to the distributor that it had accepted the request . if no such server is available , the distributor performs a server_class_dialog_begin in step 162 , a procedure call to initiate a dialog with a server , to force the pathmon module to start an new application server ( assuming that not all dynamic servers are running ). if the server_class_dialog_begin fails , in step 164 , then findbestserver ( ) returns a dialog_id value of (− 1 ). because there are no available servers , the client request is next put on a waiting list , in step 166 , accept_nw ( ) is invoked , in step 168 , and the distributor returns to wait for another message in step 150 . if findbestserver ( ) succeeds , in step 164 , then findbestserver ( ) returns with a dialog_id value for the server and a buffer pointer to the request buffer allocated from memory , in step 170 , for the application server . next , the distributor performs a serverclass_dialog_send , in step 172 , to commence communication between the client and the application server . [ 0052 ] fig9 shows a flow chart for the restarting of the distributor module . if the distributor terminates because of a processor element failure , the pathmon module restarts the distributor , which then performs the steps in the process of reading the configuration parameters . this process includes beginning a dialog with each static application server and sending an initialmsg message to each application server . if the server has already received the message , the server assumes that the distributor is restarting and reply with a restartreply message . the distributor updates the serverstatus structure for the application server and continues processing in the operation phase . an application server includes any java - implemented program that uses the java . net . serversocket class accept method . this class is normally used to wait for connections from clients . an application server using the serversocket class , creates a serversocket object and calls the class &# 39 ; s accept ( ) method to wait for a client connection . when the connection arrives , the accept ( ) method then creates a socket object which the application server uses to actually communicate with the client . in one embodiment of the present invention , a customized serversocket class is provided for the application server to simplify and include a two - phase accept protocol without altering the api of the object . in the customized serversocket class , an interprocess communications routine $ receive is opened , and the code that performs a listen , bind and accept is disabled . instead , when the accept method is invoked , the application server employing the customized serversocket class waits on $ receive for a message from the distributor containing the address of the client to accept . next , the application server replies with a message containing the current number of clients being serviced by the application server and a new threads routine ( accept_nw 2 ( )) is called which returns a socket that the application server can use to communicate with the client . when the client disconnects from the application server , the custom serversocket class performs a serverclass_send to the distributor with a message than contains the current number of clients . the distributor responds with an acknowledge which the application server receives and discards . additionally , an application server of the present invention , preferably communicates with a client until the client &# 39 ; s request is fully processed . after the communication with the client has terminated , the application server closes the socket it used to communicate with the client . the application server should not retain a client &# 39 ; s state after the client disconnects from the application server , because the distributor cannot guarantee that a particular client will reconnect to the same application server . in accordance with the present invention , a java - implemented server becomes an application server by means of a configuration tool . a program can have several types of application servers , with each type performing a different service . each different application server runs in a different server class . as mentioned above , for each server class there is one distributor in that class . [ 0058 ] fig1 shows an example of the operation of the present invention in which a single application server 54 a - d runs on each processing element 34 a - b , 38 a - b in a single server class 180 . pathmon 65 is shown running on processing element 34 a and the distributor 50 is shown running on processing element 34 b , though neither module is dedicated to running on any specific processing element . the distributor 50 creates a socket and binds port 4049 to the socket so that it can accept client connections . a client 52 a constructs a socket for itself that specifies port 4049 as the connection endpoint . the distributor accepts the client request and forwards the request to one 54 a of the application servers ( depending on the least busy condition ), and thereafter the selected application server 54 e continues the communication with the client until the connection is closed . [ 0059 ] fig1 shows the configuration of fig1 , wherein a new client 52 e makes a connection request and a new server 54 e is created . in the figure , client 52 e creates a new socket for itself specifying the host and port number . the distributor 50 receives the new connection request and attempts to forward the request to an application server , but no qualifying server is available . pathmon 56 is called upon to create a new copy of an application server 54 e and the request is forwarded to the new application server 54 e , after which that server communicates with client 52 e . [ 0060 ] fig1 shows the case of a processor element failure . in this figure , processing element 34 c fails . this prompts pathmon 56 to start a new application server 54 f on an operating processing element , say processing element 34 b . a client 52 c , which was connected to the application server on the failed processing element , reconnects to the distributor 50 . the distributor 50 forwards the connection request to the new application server 54 f on processing element 34 b . the new application server 54 f continues the communication with the client 52 c . [ 0061 ] fig1 shows the case in which there are two server classes for the application servers . one server class 180 is employee_svc and the other 182 is manager_svc . each type of application server listens on a different port . in the figure , client 52 a connects to an application server 54 a running in the employee_svc server class and client 52 b connects to an application server 53 c running in the manager_svc class 182 . there are two distributors 50 , 51 , one for each class 180 , 182 . the distributor 50 for the employee_svc class listens on port 4049 and the distributor 51 for the manager_svc class listens on port 6157 , in one embodiment . the configuration utility aids in the capture , from the user , of critical information for configuring and starting the distributor and the application servers . this information includes a the name of the tcp / ip process to be associated with a particular application server ; number of connection requests that each application server is able to handle concurrently , the number of application servers that should always be running in a particular server class , optionally , the number of application servers that can be started if the load on the server system increases , the path to any . class files , . jar or . zip files that are needed by the application servers , any interpreter options required by the application server such as property name / value pairs , how much memory is allocated on the heap on startup and the maximum heap size required by the application server ; after receiving this information the configuration tool creates a configuration file and a start file which is used to start the application servers . the configuration file provides the distributor the information it needs to begin listening and accepting client connection requests . the configuration also provides an application server the information it needs to run as a application server in a specific server class . although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred versions thereof , other versions are possible . therefore , the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred versions contained herein .	7
an example of the &# 34 ; active &# 34 ; portion of a known mos - gated semiconductor device 10 is shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a semiconductor ( typically silicon ) substrate 12 having various doped regions therewithin and some of the various layers , sequentially cut - away , overlying the upper surface 14 of the substrate 12 . also shown is a metal layer 16 covering the bottom surface 18 of the substrate . fig2 is a cross - section of a portion of the device taken , as indicated in fig1 where only a bottom - most pair of all the layers on the substrate upper surface are present ( the overlying layers having been cut - away for greater clarity ). the device 10 is an igbt , and fig2 shows , essentially , a gate control structure which is repeated many times on the surface of the device 10 . the gate control structure is typical of gate control structures used in the aforementioned cmos , mosfet , and mct devices . the device 10 is a single device having but one set of terminals , but comprises a plurality of individual cells connected together in parallel . one such cell c is indicated in cross - section in fig2 with the cell extending the full front to back length of the substrate portion shown in fig1 . each cell comprises a discrete &# 34 ; gate electrode structure 20 &# 34 ; ( although all the gate structures are connected in parallel by means of an interconnecting metal layer , not shown ) comprising a metal layer 22 ( typically of doped polycrystalline silicon ) precisely aligned with an underlying layer 24 ( typically of silicon dioxide ) integrally bonded to the surface 14 of the substrate 12 . the gate electrode structure 20 is part of a &# 34 ; gate control structure &# 34 ; including a source region 26 ( of n + conductivity in this example ) spaced from an n - drain region 28 by a p type composite region including a p - region 30 and a p + region 32 . the portion of the p - region adjoining the substrate surface 14 comprises a channel region 34 of the mos control structure , and the p + region 32 underlying the source region 26 is referred to as a body region . as mentioned , various layers overlie the substrate 12 . one such layer 34 ( fig1 ) of metal , e . g ., aluminum , has downward extensions 36 which contact the n + regions 26 at the surface 14 of the substrate 12 and additionally contact the p + regions 32 by means of portions 38 extending vertically through the n + regions 26 . as shown in fig1 the n - region 28 underlies all the cells of the device and overlies a higher conductivity n region 40 overlying , and forming , a p - n junction with a p + region 42 of the device . as mentioned , the device 10 is of known structure . as also known , other types of mos - gated devices can be substantially identical to the device shown in fig1 and 2 including substantially identical gate control structures , but with different arrangements of doped regions beneath the gate control structures . for example , by replacing the n region 40 and the p + region 42 , shown in fig1 with a single n + layer disposed between the n - region 28 and the metal layer 16 , a mosfet device is provided . the present invention is directed to the gate control structures which can be used in all such mos gated devices . as mentioned , the channel 34 ( fig2 ) of the mos structure is provided by an upper portion of the p - region 30 disposed between the n + source region 26 and the n - drain region 28 . disposed beneath the n + region 26 and extending almost , but not quite , to the channel region 34 is the p + region 32 . the purpose of the p + region , as known , is to reduce the gain of a vertical parasitic npn bipolar transistor formed by the n conductivity type source region 26 , the p type composite region 30 , 32 and the n type drain region 28 . to this end , the p + region 32 ( of high conductivity ) is preferably disposed along the full length of the p - n junction formed between the n + source region 26 and the p - region 30 ( an emitter at an n + p + junction being far less efficient than an emitter at an n + p - junction ). conversely , however , for providing a desired low threshold voltage for controlling the conductivity of the channel region 34 , the channel region 34 should be of low ( p -) doping concentration . an accepted compromise is to have the p + region 32 extend to a preselected close distance to the channel region 34 while not extending into it . as a practical matter , no devices can be made with absolute precision , particularly on a mass produced basis , and the actual design or nominal location of the p + region 32 relative to the channel region 34 must take into account dimensional tolerances dependent upon the fabrication process used . the more critical requirement concerning the location of the p + region 32 relative to the channel region 34 is that the p + region 32 not enter into the channel region 34 . accordingly , the nominal distance d between the p + region 32 and the channel region 34 is deliberately selected to be slightly greater than the optimum distance . accordingly , a desired goal is a means for reducing the previously necessary excessive distance d . a further reason for reducing the distance d is that it is a factor in the total width of each cell c . assuming that the cell width is already as small as possible as limited , for example , by the minimum widths obtainable for the p + region 32 and the channel region 34 as determined by the fabrication process used ( described hereinafter ), the greater the distance d , the greater is the cell width . as previously explained , cells c of the smallest possible width are desired . fig3 through 7 show a sequence of processing steps according to a preferred prior art process for fabricating the gate control structure shown in fig2 . as previously explained , the fig2 structure , or known variations thereof , is used in many different types of gated semiconductor devices . fig3 shows a workpiece which has been fabricated using known processes . at this point in the fabrication process , the device underlying layers 28 , 40 and 42 shown in fig1 have been formed along with the gate electrode structure 20 and the p - region 30 . the p - region 30 has been formed by an ion implantation process using the gate electrode structure 20 as a mask whereby the edge surface 52 of the p - region 30 is precisely aligned with a vertical side wall 54 of the gate electrode structure 20 . the p + region 32 ( shown in fig2 ) is next to be formed using known photolithographic processing techniques . this comprises coating the entire upper surface of the substrate workpiece with a photoresist layer and , by means of a photomask , exposing the photoresist layer through the photomask for defining areas in the photoresist which are then etched away to provide windows , such as the window 56 shown in fig4 through the photoresist layer 58 for exposing an area of the substrate surface . ions are then implanted through the window 56 for providing the desired p + region 32 . the width of the window 56 is as small as reliably obtainable using known photolithographic properties . as previously described in connection with fig1 and 2 , the edge surface 52 of the p - region 30 defines the drain end of the channel region 34 ( fig2 ), hence the edge surface 60 of the p + region 32 must be spaced well away from the edge surface 52 of the p - region 30 . this spacing is determined by the distance e between the edge 62 of the window 56 formed through the photoresist layer 58 and the vertical wall 54 of the gate structure 20 . herein lies the problem addressed by the present invention . while known photolithographic processes are extremely precise , some tolerances must still be provided , and , as previously explained , the distance e between the window edge 62 and the electrode structure edge 54 is necessarily somewhat greater than the preferred optimum distance . with the p + region 32 now in place , the workpiece is heated to cause diffusion of both regions 30 and 32 for moving the edge surface 52 of the p - region 30 , but not the edge surface 60 of the p + region 32 , beneath the gate structure 20 . the result is shown in fig5 . then ( fig6 ) using the gate structure 20 for defining an ion implantation window 68 , n type conductivity ions are implanted into the substrate 12 to form the n + region 26 . because the gate electrode structure 20 is used as a mask for locating the edge surfaces of both the n + region 26 and the p - region 30 , the channel region 34 is defined with great precision . conversely , because the edge 62 of the window 56 ( fig4 ) through a patterned photoresist layer 58 was used to define the surface 60 of the p + region 32 , somewhat less precision is obtainable . in a next processing step , the workpiece is heated to cause diffusion of the doped regions to the positions shown in fig7 . the edge surface 69 of the n + region 26 is moved beneath the gate structure 20 and intercepts the substrate surface 14 along a line 69a precisely spaced from the substrate surface intercept 52a of the p - region 30 . thereafter , the device 10 is completed using known processes not requiring description for an understanding of the present invention -- which is now described . a semiconductor substrate workpiece is first processed according to known processes until the condition shown in fig3 . then , rather than immediately providing a p + region 32 as shown in fig4 and 5 , followed by providing the n + region 26 ( fig6 ) in accordance with the prior art , the sequence of steps is reversed and , additionally , use is made of a processing technique not used in the aforedescribed prior art process . first , and starting with a workpiece as shown in fig3 the workpiece is heated to cause ( fig8 ) a precise diffusion of the p - region 30 for increasing its depth a desired amount and for moving the edge surface 52 of the p - region 30 , precisely aligned with the gate structure 20 in fig3 to a precisely known position underlying the gate structure 20 . next ( fig9 ), using the gate structure as a mask , n conductivity type impurities are then implanted to form the n + regions 26 . because the side wall 54 of the electrode structure 20 has been used as a mask , the edge surface 69 of the n + region 26 is precisely positioned relative to the edge surface 52 of the p - region 30 . the portion of the p - region 30 adjacent to the substrate surface 14 between these region surfaces 69 and 52 is the channel region 34 . then , in a further deviation from the prior art process previously described , a layer 76 ( fig1 ) of a masking material is deposited on the workpiece . in the present embodiment , using a silicon substrate 12 , a polysilicon gate electrode 22 and a silicon dioxide layer 24 , the masking layer 76 is preferably of silicon dioxide deposited by a known low temperature deposition process , the resulting layer 76 being referred to as a &# 34 ; low temperature oxide &# 34 ; ( lto ). a known suitable lto deposition process comprises reacting silane gas with oxygen in a reactor for forming and depositing fine particles of silicon dioxide on the workpiece . as deposited , the lto layer 76 is in the form of particles and the workpiece is then heated for vitrifying the layer 76 . only a relatively low heating temperature ( e . g ., around 900 degrees c .) is required which is important for causing little diffusion of the carefully previously positioned regions 26 and 30 . this is important because , to the extent that the n + region surface intercept 69a is disposed excessively inwardly of the vertical wall 54 of the gate structure 20 , the length of the channel region 34 is excessively reduced thus changing the device operating characteristics . it is an important characteristic of the lto layer 76 that it can be made quite thin , e . g ., 500 a - 3 , 000 a , and typically 1 , 500 a , ( in comparison with a thickness of the gate structure 20 of around 9 , 000 a ), with a precise thickness , e . g ., with a tolerance of ± 5 % ( i . e ., 75 a , or even less , for an lto layer 76 thickness of 1 , 500 a ), and that it adheres well , with a uniform thickness , to the vertical wall 54 of the electrode structure . significantly , the lto layer 76 is not thereafter patterned . rather , with the lto layer 76 in place , p type impurity dopant ions ( e . g ., boron ) are projected towards the substrate surface 14 using a known ion implantation process . the ion implantation energy used is sufficient for the ions to penetrate through the horizontal portions of the lto layer 76 where they directly overlie the surface 14 of the substrate 12 . conversely , primarily because the ions are projected towards the substrate along directions normal to the substrate surface 14 and parallel to the gate structure vertical wall 54 , the ions do not penetrate the vertical length of the lto layer 76 . the quite thin lto layer 76 is thus effective for increasing the lateral extent of the gate structure 20 with the result that the p + region 32 thus implanted is spaced away from a projection of the wall 54 into the substrate 12 by a distance equal to the thickness of the lto layer 76 . the beam energy of the implantation process is sufficient to drive the p type dopant ions through the n + region 26 and into the underlying p - region 30 . within the p - type region 30 , the implanted ions provide the p + region 32 shown . of significance , the spacing between the edge surface 60 of the p + region 32 and the edge surface 69 of the n + region 26 is determined primarily by the thickness of the lto layer 76 on the electrode structure 20 and , to a quite minor degree , on any small diffusion of the n + region 26 during the lto low temperature layer heating step which occurs prior to the p + implantation step . comparing the structure resulting from the inventive process as shown in fig1 with the structure resulting from the prior art process shown in fig7 the structures appear substantially identical . a difference , however , is that the accuracy of the positioning of the p + region 32 relative to the n + region 26 is a function , in the inventive process , of the lto deposition process described ( not using a photolithographic process ) whereas , in the prior art process , it is a function of the described photolithographic patterning process . the positioning tolerances of the lto process , e . g ., ± 75 a , or less , are smaller than the photolithographic tolerances , ( e . g ., ± 5 , 000 a , or higher ) whereby the p + region surface edge 60 , using the inventive process , can be positioned more closely to the n + region surface edge 69 by the difference in the tolerances , e . g ., close to 5 , 000 a . accordingly , and as previously discussed in connection with the description of fig2 the closer positioning of the p + region 32 to the side edge surfaces 69 of the n + region 26 allows for narrower cells c by , typically , 10 %, and corresponding better device performance . additionally , and as previously discussed , allowing disposition of the p + region 32 edge surface 60 closer to the n + region 26 edge surface 69 , thus minimizing the length of the junction between the n + region 26 and the p - region 30 , reduces the gain of the parasitic npn bipolar transistor present adjoining the channel region 34 . other materials known for use in semiconductor devices can be used for the spacer layer 76 . for example , the layer 76 can be of silicon nitride preferably also applied by a known relatively low temperature deposition process . various glass layers typically used for passivation purposes , e . g ., boron - phosphosilicate ( bpsg ) or phosphosilicate ( psg ) glasses can be used . also , known organic , e . g ., photoresist materials can be used , but unlike the other materials mentioned , would have to be eventually removed from the workpiece . also , the described lto layer 76 can be applied by other known processes , e . g ., the known &# 34 ; liquid spin - on &# 34 ; process .	7
the present invention provides a highly efficient method for treating pcp addiction and for changing pcp addiction - related behavior of primates , for example mammals . as used herein , addiction - related behavior means behavior resulting from compulsive pcp use and is characterized by apparent dependency on the substance . symptomatic of the behavior is ( i ) overwhelming involvement with pcp , ( ii ) the securing of its supply , and ( iii ) a high probability of relapse after withdrawal . pcp addiction is defined herein to include pcp addiction together with addiction to other drugs of abuse . drugs of abuse include but are not limited to psychostimulants , narcotic analgesics , alcohols and addictive alkaloids such as nicotine or combinations thereof . drugs of abuse also include cns depressants such as barbiturates , chlordiazepoxide , and alcohols such as ethanol , methanol and isopropyl alcohol . compulsive drug use includes three independent components : tolerance , psychological dependence , and physical dependence . tolerance produces a need to increase the dose of the drug after it is used several times in order to achieve the same magnitude of effect . physical dependence is an adaptive state produced by repeated drug administration and which manifests itself by intense physical disturbance when drug administration is halted . psychological dependence is a condition characterized by an intense drive , craving or use for a drug whose effects the user feels are necessary for a sense of well being . see feldman , r . s . and quenzer , l . f . “ fundamentals of neuropsychopharmocology ” 418 - 422 ( sinaur associates , inc .) ( 1984 ) incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full . based on the foregoing definitions , as used herein “ dependency characteristics ” include all characteristics associated with compulsive drug use , characteristics that can be affected by biochemical composition of the host , physical and psychological properties of the host . as used herein the rewarding / incentive effects of pcp refers to any stimulus ( in this case , a drug ) that produces anhedonia or increases the probability of a learned response . this is synonymous with reinforcement . with respect to experimental animals , a stimulus is deemed to be rewarding by using paradigms that are believed to measure reward . this can be accomplished by measuring whether stimuli produce an approach response , also known as an appetitive response or a withdrawal response , as when the animal avoids the stimuli , also known as an aversive response . conditioned place preference ( cpp ) is a paradigm which measures approach ( appetitive ) or withdrawal ( aversive ) responses . one can infer that rewarding stimuli produce approach behavior . in fact , one definition of reward is any stimulus that elicits approach behavior . furthermore , the consequences of reward would be to enhance the incentive properties of stimuli associated with the reward . reward can also be measured by determining whether the delivery of a reward is contingent upon a particular response , thereby increasing the probability that the response will reappear in a similar situation , i . e . reinforcement paradigm . for example , a rat pressing a bar a certain number of times for an injection of a drug is an example of reinforcement . yet another way to measure reward is by determining if a stimulus ( e . g . a drug ), through multiple pairings with neutral environmental stimuli , can cause the previously neutral environmental stimuli to elicit behavioral effects initially only associated with the drug . this is conditioned reinforcement . cpp is considered to be a form of conditioned reinforcement . the incentive motivational value of a drug can be assessed using conditioned place preference ( cpp ). animals are tested in a drug - free state to determine whether they prefer an environment in which they previously received the drug as compared to an environment in which they previously received saline . in the cpp paradigm , animals are given the drug in one distinct environment and are given the appropriate vehicle in an alternative environment . the cpp paradigm is widely used to evaluate the incentive motivational effects of drugs in laboratory animals ( van der kooy , 1995 ). after conditioning or pairing with the drug , if the animal , in a drug - free state , consistently chooses the environment previously associated with the drug ; the inference is drawn that the appetitive value of the drug was encoded in the brain and is accessible in the drug - free state . cpp is reflected in an increased duration spent in the presence of the drug - associated stimuli relative to vehicle - injected control animals . it has been postulated that since craving at the human level is often elicited by sensory stimuli previously associated with drug - taking , conditioning paradigms like cpp may be used to model craving in laboratory animals . as used herein , craving an abused drug or a combination of abused drugs is a desire to self - administer the drug ( s ) previously used by the mammal . the mammal does not necessarily need the abused drug to prevent withdrawal symptoms . the addictive liability of pcp has been linked to its pharmacological actions on mesotelencephalic dopamine ( da ) reinforcement / reward pathways in the central nervous system ( cns ). dopaminergic transmission within these pathways is modulated by gamma - amino butyric acid ( gaba ). pcp inhibits the presynaptic reuptake of monoamines . dopaminergic neurons of the mesocorticolimbic da system , whose cell bodies lie within the ventral tegmental area ( vta ) and project primarily to the nucleus accumbens ( nacc ), appear to be involved in pcp reinforcement . electrical stimulation of reward centers within the vta increases extracellular da levels in the nacc , while 6 - hydroxy dopamine lesions of the nacc abolish pcp self - administration . in vivo microdialysis studies confirm pcp &# 39 ; s ability to increase extracellular da in the nacc . γ - amino butyric acid ( gaba ) ergic neurons in the nacc and ventral pallidum project onto da neurons in the vta . pharmacologic and electrophysiologic studies indicate these projections are inhibitory . inhibition of vta - da neurons is likely the result of gaba b receptor stimulation . in addition , microinjection of baclofen into the vta , acting via these receptor subtypes , can decrease da concentrations in the nacc . taken together , it is evident that pharmacologic manipulation of gaba may effect da levels in the nacc through modulation of vta - da neurons . gamma vinyl gaba gamma vinyl gaba ( gvg ) is a selective and irreversible inhibitor of gaba - transaminase ( gaba - t ) known to potentiate gabaergic inhibition . gvg is c 6 h 11 no 2 or 4 - amino - 5 - hexanoic acid available as vigabatrin ® from hoechst marion roussel and can be obtained from marion merell dow of cincinnati , ohio . gvg does not bind to any receptor or reuptake complex , but increases endogenous intracellular gaba levels by selectively and irreversibly inhibiting gaba - transaminase ( gaba - t ), the enzyme that normally catabolizes gaba . as used herein gvg includes the racemic compound or mixture which contains equal amounts of s (+)- gamma - vinyl gaba , and r (−)- gamma vinyl gaba . this racemic compound of gvg is available as sabril ® from aventis pharma ag . gvg contains asymmetric carbon atoms and thus is capable of existing as enantiomers . the present invention embraces any enantiomeric form of gvg including the racemates or racemic mixture of gvg . in some cases there may be advantages , i . e . greater efficacy , to using a particular enantiomer when compared to the other enantiomer or the racemate or racemic mixture in the methods of the instant invention and such advantages can be readily determined by those skilled in the art . for example , the enantiomer s (+)- gamma - vinyl gaba is more effective at increasing endogenous intracellular gaba levels than the enantiomer r (−)- gamma - vinyl gaba . different enantiomers may be synthesized from chiral starting materials , or the racemates may be resolved by conventional procedures which are well known in the art of chemistry ; such as chiral chromatography , fractional crystallization of diastereomeric salts , and the like . in living mammals ( in vivo ), gvg or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof , can be administered systemically by the parenteral and enteral routes which also includes controlled release delivery systems . for example , gvg can easily be administered intravenously , or intraperitoneal ( i . p .) which is a preferred route of delivery . intravenous or intraperitoneal administration can be accomplished by mixing gvg in a suitable pharmaceutical carrier ( vehicle ) or excipient as understood by practitioners in the art . oral or enteral use is also contemplated , and formulations such as tablets , capsules , pills , troches , elixirs , suspensions , syrups , wafers , chewing gum and the like can be employed to provide gvg or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof . as used herein , pharmaceutically acceptable salts include those salt - forming acids and bases which do not substantially increase the toxicity of the compound . some examples of suitable salts include salts of mineral acids such as hydrochloric , hydriodic , hydrobromic , phosphoric , metaphosphoric , nitric and sulfuric acids , as well as salts of organic acids such as tartaric , acetic , citric , malic , benzoic , glycollic , gluconic , gulonic , succinic , arylsulfonic , e . g . p - toluenesulfonic acids , and the like . an effective amount as used herein is that amount effective to achieve the specified result of changing addiction - related behavior of the mammal . it is an amount which will diminish or relieve one or more symptoms or conditions resulting from cessation or withdrawal of the drug . it should be emphasized , however , that the invention is not limited to any particular dose . mammals include , for example , humans , baboons and other primates , as well as pet animals such as dogs and cats , laboratory animals such as rats and mice , and farm animals such as horses , sheep , and cows . preferably , gvg is administered in an amount which has little or no adverse effects . for example , to treat pcp addiction , gvg is administered in an amount of from about 15 mg / kg to about 2 g / kg , preferably from about 100 mg / kg to about 300 mg / kg or from about 15 mg / kg to about 600 mg / kg and most preferably from about 150 mg / kg to about 300 mg / kg or from about 75 mg / kg to about 150 mg / kg . based on the knowledge that pcp increases extracellular nacc da and the fact that gaba inhibits da in the same nuclei , we have shown that gvg can attenuate pcp - induced changes in extracellular da . for example , gvg significantly attenuated pcp - induced increases in neostriatal synaptic da in the primate ( baboon ) brain as assessed by positron emission tomography ( pet ). these findings suggest the possible therapeutic utility in pcp addiction of a pharmacologic strategy targeted at the gabaergic neurotransmitter system , a system distinct from but functionally linked to the da mesotelencephalic reward / reinforcement system . however , rather than targeting the gaba receptor complex with a direct gaba agonist , this novel approach with gvg takes advantage of the prolonged effects of an irreversible enzyme inhibitor that raises endogenous gaba levels without the addictive liability associated with gaba agonists acting directly at the receptor itself . although gvg is used in the present examples , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that other compositions or medicaments can be used which are known to potentiate the gabaergic system or increase extracellular endogenous gaba levels in the cns . such compositions or medicaments include drugs that enhance the production or release of gaba in the cns . these drugs include , but are not limited to , gabapentin , valproic acid , progabide , gamma - hydroxybutyric acid , fengabine , cetylgaba , topiramate , tiagabine , acamprosate ( homo - calcium - acetyltaurine ) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof , or an enantiomer or a racemic mixture thereof . the present invention embraces any enantiomeric form of gabapentin , valproic acid , progabide , gamma - hydroxybutyric acid , fengabine , cetylgaba , topiramate , tiagabine , or acamprosate , including the racemates or racemic mixtures thereof . as previously stated , in some cases there may be advantages , i . e . greater efficacy , to using a particular enantiomer when compared to the other enantiomer or the racemate or racemic mixture in the methods of the instant invention and such advantages can be readily determined by those skilled in the art . the present invention embraces compositions or medicaments which include prodrugs of gaba or drugs which contain gaba as a moiety in its chemical structure . these prodrugs become pharmacologically active when metabolically , enzymatically or non - enzymatically biotransformed or cleaved into gaba in the cns . an example of a prodrug of gaba is progabide which , upon crossing the blood brain barrier , increases endogenous cns gaba levels . as previously stated , gamma vinyl gaba ( gvg ) is a selective and irreversible inhibitor of gaba - transaminase ( gaba - t ) known to potentiate gabaergic inhibition . other compositions or medicaments which inhibit gaba re - uptake in the cns are also encompassed by the present invention . an example of a gaba re - uptake inhibitor is tiagabine . the method of the present invention is useful in potentiating the gabaergic system or increasing extracellular endogenous gaba levels in the cns . as used herein , enhancing or increasing endogenous cns gaba levels is defined as increasing or up - regulating gaba levels substantially over normal levels in vivo , within a mammal . preferably , endogenous cns gaba levels are enhanced at least by from about 10 % to about 600 % over normal levels . as previously stated , an effective amount as used herein is that amount effective to achieve the specified result of changing addiction - related behavior of the mammal . it is an amount which will diminish or relieve one or more symptoms or conditions resulting from cessation or withdrawal of pcp . it should be emphasized , however , that the invention is not limited to any particular dose . for example , an effective amount of gabapentin administered to the mammal is an amount from about 500 mg to about 2 g / day . gabapentin is available as neurotonin ® from parke - davis in the united states . an effective amount of valproic acid administered to the mammal , for example , is preferably an amount from about 5 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg / day . valproic acid is available as depakene ® from abbott in the united states . preferably , an effective amount of topiramate administered to the mammal is , for example , an amount from about 50 mg to about 1 g / day . topiramate is available as topamax ® from mcneil in the united states . an effective amount of progabide administered to the mammal is , preferably , an amount from about 250 mg to about 2 g / day . progabide is available as gabrene ® from synthelabo , france . the chemical formula of progabide is c 17 h 16 n 2 o 2 . an effective amount of fengabine administered to the mammal is , preferably , an amount from about 250 mg to about 4 g / day . fengabine is available as sl 79229 from synthelabo , france . the chemical formula of fengabine is c 17 h 17 c 12 no . preferably , an effective amount of gamma - hydroxybutyric acid administered to the mammal is an amount from about 5 mg / kg to about 100 mg / kg / day . gamma - hydroxybutyric acid is available from sigma chemical . the chemical formula of gamma - hydroxybutyric acid is c 4 h 7 o 3 na . details of the invention have been set forth herein in the form of examples which are described below . the full scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims . we explored the effects of increased endogenous gaba activity on pcp - induced extracellular da concentrations in the prefrontal cortex ( pfc ) and nucleus accumbens ( nacc ) of freely moving rats . all animals were used under an iacuc - approved protocol and with strict adherence to the nih guidelines . adult male sprague - dawley rats ( 200 - 300 g , taconic farms ), housed in the animals care facility under 12 : 12 light / dark conditions , were placed into 6 groups ( n = 3 - 6 ), anesthetized and siliconized guide cannulae were stereotactically implanted into the right nacc ( 2 . 0 mm anterior and 1 . 0 mm lateral to bregms , and 7 . 0 mm ventral to the cortical surface ) and prefrontal cortex ( pfc ) at least 4 days prior to study . microdialysis probes ( 2 . 0 mm , bioanalytical systems , bas , west lafayette , ind .) were positioned within the guide cannulae and artificial cerebrospinal fluid ( acsf , 155 . 0 mm na − , 1 . 1 mm ca 2 − , 2 . 9 mm k − , 132 . 76 mm c1 31 , and 0 . 83 mm mg 2 − ) was administered through the probe using a cma / 100 microinfusion pump ( bas ) at a flow rate of 2 . 0 μ / min . animals were placed in bowls , and probes were inserted and flushed with acsf overnight . on the day of the study , a minimum of three samples were injected to determine baseline stability . samples were collected for 20 min . and injected on - line ( cma / 160 , bas ). the average dopamine concentration of these three stable samples was defined as control ( 100 %), and all subsequent treatment values were transformed to a percentage of that control . upon establishing a stable baseline , the pcp was administered by intraperitoneal ( i . p .) injection . the high performance liquid chromatography ( hplc ) system consists of a bas reverse - phase column ( 3 . 0μ c - 18 ), a bas lc - 4c electrochemical transducer with a dual / glassy carbon electrode set at 650 mv , a computer that analyzes data on - line using a commercial software package ( chromograph bioanalytical systems ), and a dual pen chart recorder . the mobile phase ( flow rate 1 . 0 ml / min ) consisted of 7 . 0 % methanol , 50 mm sodium phosphate monobasic , 1 . 0 mm sodium octyl sulfate , and 0 . 1 mm edna , ph 4 . 0 . da eluted at 7 . 5 min . gamma - vinyl gaba ( gvg ), an irreversible inhibitor of gaba - transaminase , was administered by intraperitoneal injection 2 . 5 hours prior to pcp ( 7 mg / kg ). in all studies , animals were placed in the microdialysis bowls the night before the experiment and artificial cerebrospinal fluid ( acsf ) was perfused through the microdialysis probes at a flow rate of 2 . 0 μl / min . at the end of each study , animals were sacrificed and their brains were removed and sectioned for probe placement verification . levels of extracellular da were sampled from the nacc continuously using a stereoaxically implanted probe . the results are shown in fig1 ( pcp controls , n = 6 ; 150 mg / kg gvg , n = 3 ; 300 mg / kg gvg , n = 4 and 500 mg / kg gvg , n = 4 ) and pfc ( pcp controls , n = 5 ; 300 mg / kg gvg , n = 5 ). pcp alone increases da concentrations 407 % above baseline in the pfc and 117 % in the nacc ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 , t = 3 . 79 ). gvg dose dependently diminished the da response to pcp in the nacc , with no significant inhibition after 150 mg / kg , 62 % attenuation following 300 mg / kg ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 , t = 4 . 97 ) and 67 % attenuation following 500 mg / kg ( p & lt ; 0 . 001 , t = 6 . 02 ). pfc da activity was attenuated 67 % after gvg pretreatment ( p & lt ; 0 . 01 , t = 3 . 54 ), indicating the involvement of cortical gabaergic activity in nmda - antagonist induced da release . this data indicates the gabaergic system as a target for pharmacotherapies aimed at nmda antagonist models of pathophysiology . studies using 11c - raclopride , gvg , and pcp were performed in primates in an effort designed to extend these findings from changes in extracellular da concentration ( in vivo microdialysis ) to changes in synaptic concentrations measured by positron emission tomography ( pet ). pet studies were performed on four papio anubis baboons . in all cases , prior intravenous administration of 300 mg / kg gvg prevented the diminution of 11 c - ralcopride binding as a consequence of increases in synaptic dopamine following pcp administration ( 1 mg / kg ). the results of this example show that gvg effectively attenuates the elevations in nacc da produced by a pcp challenge . thus , drugs that selectively target the gabaergic system can be beneficial for the treatment of pcp addiction . more specifically , gvg - induced gaba - t inhibition , which produces an increase in extracellular brain gaba levels , represents an effective drug and novel strategy for the treatment of pcp addiction . while there have been described what are presently believed to be the preferred embodiments of the present invention , those skilled in the art will realize that other and further embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention , and it is intended to include all such further modifications and changes as come within the true scope of the claims set forth herein . bardo , m . t . 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( 1987 ) nicotine reward : studies of abuse liability and physical dependence potential . in : brain reward systems and abuse , ed . by j . engel and l . oreland , new york , raven press , pp . 147 - 164 . henningfield , j . e ., miyasato , k ., d . r . jasinski ( 1983 ) cigarette smokers self - administer intravenous nicotine . pharmacol . biochem . behav ., 19 : 887 - 890 . horan , p ., smith , m ., gardner , e . lepore , m ., ashby , jr . c . r . ( 1997 ) (−)- nicotine produces conditioned place preference in lewis , but not fischer 344 animals . synapse , 26 : 93 - 94 . hurd , y . l ., mcgregor , a ., ponten , m . ( 1997 ) in vivo amygdala dopamine levels modulate cocaine self - administration behavior in the rat : d1 dopamine receptor involvement . eur . j . neuroscience , 12 : 2541 - 2548 . hurt , r . d ., sachs , d . p ., glover , e . d ., offord , k . p ., johnston , j . a ., dale , l . c ., khayrallah , m . a ., schroeder , d . r ., glover , p . n ., sullivan , c . r ., croghan , i . t ., sullivan , p . m . ( 1997 ) a comparison of sustained - release bupropion and placebo for smoking cessation . n . eng . j . med ., 237 : 1195 - 1202 . imperato , a ., mulas , a ., di chiara , g . ( 1986 ) nicotine preferentially stimulates dopamine release in the limbic system of the freely moving rat . eur . j . pharmacol ., 132 : 337 - 338 . jarvik , m .., henningfield , j . e . ( 1988 ) pharmacological treatment of tobacco dependence . pharmacol . biochem . behav ., 30 : 279 - 294 . jung , m . j ., lippert , b ., metcalf , b . w ., bohlen , p ., schechter , p . j . ( 1977 ) gamma - vinyl gaba ( 4 - amino - hex - 5 - enoic acid ), a new selective irreversible inhibitor of gaba - t : effects on brain gaba metabolism in mice . j . neurochem ., 29 : 787 - 802 . kerr , d . i . b ., ong , j ., prager , r . h . ( 1990 ) gabab receptor agonists and antagonists . in : gabab receptors in mammalian function , bowery , n . g ., bittiger , h . and olpe , h .- r . 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( 1990 ) graphical analysis of reversible radioligand binding from time activity measurements applied to [ n - 11 c - methyl ]-(−)- cocaine pet studies in human subjects . j . cereb . blood flow and metab ., 10 : 740 - 747 . marshall , d . l ., redfern , p . h ., wonnacott , s . ( 1997 ) presynaptic nicotinic modulation of dopamine release in the three ascending pathways studied by in vivo microdialysis : comparison of naive and chronic nicotine - treated rats . j . neurochem ., 68 : 1511 - 1519 . morgan , a . e ., dewey , s . l . effects of pharmacologic increases in brain gaba levels on cocaine - induced changes in extracellular dopamine . synapse 28 , 60 - 65 ( 1998 ). nisell , m ., nomikos , g . g ., svensson , t . h . ( 1994a ) systemic nicotine - induced dopamine release in the rat nucleus accumbens is regulated by nicotinic receptors in the ventral segmental area . synapse , 16 : 36 - 44 . nisell , m ., nomikos , g . g ., svensson , t . h . ( 1994b ) infusion of nicotine in the ventral segmental area or the nucleus accumbens differentially affects accumbal dopamine release . pharmacol . toxicol ., 75 : 348 - 352 . nisell , m ., nomikos , g . g ., svensson , t . h . ( 1995 ) nicotine dependence , midbrain dopamine systems and psychiatric disorders . pharmacol . toxicol ., 76 : 157 - 162 . n . r ., van der kooy , g . f . & amp ; wenger , j . r . cholecystokinin produces conditioned place - aversion , not place - preferences , in food - deprived rats : evidence against involvement in satiety . life sci . 32 , 2087 - 2093 , ( 1989 ). o &# 39 ; brien , c . p ., childress , a . r ., mclellan , a . t ., ehrman , r . ( 1992 ) a learning model of addiction ,. in : addictive states , o &# 39 ; brien , c . p . and jaffe , j . h ., ( eds ), raven press , new york , pp . 157 - 177 . pontieri , f . e ., tanda , g ., orzi , f ., di chiara , g . ( 1997 ) effects of nicotine on the nucleus accumbens and similarity to those of addictive drugs . nature , 382 : 255 - 257 . porter , r . j ., meldrum , b . s . ( 1998 ) antiepileptic drugs . in : basic and clinical pharmacology , ed . by katzung , b . g ., appelton and lange , stamford , conn ., pp . 386 - 408 . roberts , d . c ., andrews , m . m . ( 1997 ) baclofen suppression of cocaine self - administration : demonstration using a discrete trials procedure . psychopharmacology , 131 : 271 - 277 . roberts , d . c ., andrews , m . m ., vickers , g . j . ( 1996 ) baclofen attenuates the reinforcing effects of cocaine in animals . neuropsychopharmacology , 15 : 417 - 423 . rocha , b . a ., scearce - levie , k ., lucas , j . j ., hiroi , n ., castanon , n ., crabbe , j . c ., nestler , e . j ., hen , r . ( 1998 ) increased vulnerability to cocaine in mice lacking the serotonin - 1b receptor . nature neuroscience , 393 : 175 - 178 . seeman , p ., guan , h . c ., niznik , h . b . ( 1989 ) endogenous dopamine lowers the dopamine d2 receptor density as measured by [ 3h ] raclopride : implications for positron emission tomography of the human brain . synapse , 3 : 96 - 97 . sora , i ., wichems , s . i ., takahashi , c ., li , x . f ., zeng , z ., revay , r ., lesch , k . p ., murphy , d . l ., uhl , d . r . ( 1998 ) cocaine reward models : conditioned place preference can be established in dopamine - and serotonin - transporter knockout mice . proc . natl . acad . sci ., u . s . a ., 95 : 7699 - 7704 . takada , k ., yanagita , t . ( 1997 ) drug dependence study on vigabatrin in rhesus monkeys and animals . arzneim - forsch drug res . 47 : 1087 - 1095 . tsuji m , nakagawa y , ishibashi y , yoshii t , takashima t , shimada m , suzuki t . ( 1995 ) activation of ventral segmental gaba - b receptors inhibits morphine - induced place preference in animals . eur . j . pharmacol ., 313 : 169 - 173 . valentine , j . d ., hokanson , j . s ., matta , s . g ., sharp , b . m . ( 1997 ) self - administration in animals allowed unlimited access to nicotine . psychopharmacology , 133 : 300 - 304 . van der kooy , k . ( 1987 ). in methods of assessing the properties of abused drugs , m . a . bozarth , ed ., springer - verlag , new york , pp . 229 - 241 . volkow , n . d ., wang , g . j ., fowler , j . s ., logan , j ., schlyer , d ., hitzemann , r ., liberman , j ., angrist , b ., pappas , n ., macgregor , r ., burr , g ., cooper , t ., wolf , a . p . imaging endogenous doparnine competition with [ 11c ] raclopride in the human brain . synapse , 16 , 255 - 262 ( 1994 ). wikler , a . ( 1965 ) conditioning factors in opiate addiction and relapse . in : narcotics , kassenbaum , g . g . and wilner , d . i . ( eds ), mcgraw - hill , new york , pp . 85 - 100 .	0
as used herein , the term “ automobile ” refers to a device for the ground transportation of passengers or cargo , where the device may or may not be independently powered . for example , the term “ automobile ” may refer to various types of cars , buses , pick - up trucks , flatbed trucks , trailers , 18 - wheelers , cargo vans , minivans , suv &# 39 ; s and the like . as used herein , “ mating ” of tiles may be accomplished when two or more tiles are sized and shaped to join or fit together in an interconnected and interlocking manner . interlocking of mated tiles provides a substantially snug fit , such that motion of each tile is constrained relative to the tile ( s ) with which it is mated , and little or no space exists between the edges of mated tiles . for example , two or more tiles may be mated using interlocking or interdigitated tabs . reference will now be made to the attached drawings , where like numbers represent similar elements in multiple figures . numbering without parentheses is used to denote a genus ( e . g ., modular weight system 100 ), whereas numbering with parentheses denotes a species within a genus ( e . g ., modular weight system 100 ( 2 )). multiple elements within a figure may not be labeled for the sake of clarity . fig1 is a top perspective view of an exemplary modular weight system 100 ( 1 ) configured for placement in a bed of a pick - up truck ( not shown ). in operation , modular weight system 100 ( 1 ) is sized and shaped to fit snuggly within the bed of a particular model and brand of truck , thereby minimizing movement of system 100 ( 1 ) during driving . modular weight system 100 ( 1 ) includes a plurality of individual tiles 102 ( 1 ) and 102 ( 2 ), which are releasably mated to one another at edges 104 of tiles 102 ( e . g ., by aligning edges 104 and setting them in place with a rubber mallet ). within system 100 ( 1 ), tiles 102 ( 1 ) are configured as corner pieces , and tiles 102 ( 2 ) are configured as center pieces having cutout portions 106 to accommodate wheel wells of a pick - up truck . in an alternate embodiment , when it is unnecessary to accommodate wheel wells of an automobile , tiles 102 ( 3 ) may be aligned with cutout portions 106 . in one example , tiles 102 ( 3 ) may contain interlocking tabs for mating of tiles 102 ( 3 ) with tiles 102 ( 2 ). use of tiles 102 ( 3 ) converts system 100 ( 1 ) into a rectangular weight system similar to system 100 ( 2 ) of fig2 . although fig1 shows six ( or eight ) tiles 102 , it will be appreciated that various layouts involving two , three , four , five , six , seven , eight , nine , ten or more tiles 102 may be used to create modular weight system 100 . modular weight system 100 may form various regular or irregular shapes without departing from the spirit and scope of what is described herein . further , tabs 202 ( fig2 ), which are used to releasably mate edges 104 of tiles 102 , may be formed in various sizes and shapes . fig2 is a top plan view of one exemplary modular weight system 100 ( 2 ) configured for placement in a square or rectangular cargo space of an automobile , such as a trunk or trailer . length , l , and width , w , of system 100 ( 2 ) may be adjusted to accommodate cargo spaces of various sizes by the addition or subtraction of tiles 102 ( 4 ). as discussed above , tiles 102 ( 3 ) may be used to convert system 100 ( 1 ) into a rectangular system such as system 100 ( 2 ). in another embodiment , tiles 102 ( 1 ) of fig1 may be joined directly to form a square or rectangular system such as system 100 ( 2 ). in general , tiles 102 have substantially flat top and bottom surfaces , which provide for the stable transport of most items , and the tiles are generally fabricated from chemically inert and durable material ( s ). tiles 102 may , for example , be fabricated from metal , rubber , plastic ( e . g ., polyurethane ) or a combination thereof ( e . g ., silicon rubber coated metal ). rubber or plastic tiles 102 may be fabricated using well known extrusion and injection molding procedures , whereas metal tiles 102 may be created using known metal working or melt casting techniques . in an embodiment , use of materials which are resistant to ultraviolet radiation ( uv ) may decrease a rate of decomposition of a modular weight system that experiences extended sun exposure ( e . g ., in an open pick - up truck ). uv resistant material may be used to form a monolithic tile 102 , or it may be used as a coating disposed around tile 102 . in an embodiment , a tile 102 may be fabricated , at least in part , from a magnetic material , such as stainless steel , ceramic or iron oxide , fe 3 o 4 . magnetic attraction between the tile and body of the automobile may help to immobilize the tile ( s ) during automobile movement . for example , a surface of tile 102 intended to contact the automobile may be fabricated of stainless steel , and other surfaces , e . g ., top and / or side surfaces , may be coated with a plastic , rubber or uv coating . in another embodiment , the magnetic field associated with a magnetic material may be sufficient to penetrate a coating that covers the entirety of tile 102 . the weight of each tile 102 is , for example , between 20 - 200 pounds , preferably between 40 - 100 pounds , and most preferably between 50 - 80 pounds . for personal vehicles , it is desirable that tiles 102 each weigh an amount that an average , healthy adult can lift without strain or injury . for commercial vehicles , heavier tiles may be used and , if necessary , the tiles may be placed in a cargo space using machinery ( e . g ., a fork lift ). modular weight systems 100 typically weigh between 40 - 2000 pounds , preferably between 100 - 1000 pounds , and most preferably between 200 - 800 pounds . generally , each tile 102 has a width of about 24 - 75 inches , a length of about 24 - 75 inches , and a height or thickness of about 1 - 4 inches . tiles 102 typically have a ratio of surface area ( in inches ) to weight ( in pounds ) that is less than 30 : 1 , preferably between 2 . 5 : 1 to 25 : 1 , more preferably between 3 . 5 : 1 to 15 : 1 , and most preferably between 4 . 5 : 1 to 10 : 1 . the weight of each tile 102 may be controlled by appropriate selection of the fabrication material ( s ). in an embodiment , tile 102 may be formed as a monolithic mass where the physical weight of the fabrication material may be sufficient to improve automobile traction . in another embodiment , tile 102 may be filled or doped with a heavy filler material , such as sand , stone or shot . when the filler material is stone or shot , for example , the material may have a diameter between 0 . 1 and 1 inch , preferably between 0 . 1 and 0 . 5 inches . additionally , a coating may be disposed around a monolithic tile , a filled tile , or a doped tile to maintain integrity and / or increase durability of the tile . for example , tile 102 may comprise a monolithic steel plate coated with rubber . fig3 is a top perspective view of a tile 102 ( 5 ) having an internal cavity 302 for receiving filler material 304 . following insertion of filler material 304 into cavity 302 , a lid 306 ( 1 ) may be factory bonded or glued to a base 308 . alternatively , cavity 302 may be filled by an end user and lid 306 ( 1 ) may securely , and optionally releasably , mate with base 308 . in an embodiment , a latching and / or locking mechanism may be used to secure lid 306 ( 1 ) to base 308 . in another embodiment , epoxy may be used to permanently mate lid 306 ( 1 ) and base 308 . as described above with respect to fig2 , tabs 202 may releasably mate edges of one tile 102 ( 5 ) with an adjacent tile 102 ( 5 ). fig4 is a top perspective view of a tile 102 ( 6 ) having an internal cavity 302 and hinged lid 306 ( 2 ). in addition to one or more hinges 402 , tile 102 may contain a latching and / or locking mechanism to secure filler material 304 within tile 102 ( 6 ). in another example , filler material 304 may be distributed throughout the fabrication material . fig5 is a partial cutaway view of one tile 102 ( 7 ) having a doped inner material 502 and an outer coating 504 . for example , inner material 502 may be rubber doped with a filler material 304 ( e . g ., steel shot ), which is then encased within a coating 504 of silicone rubber . in another embodiment , inner material 502 and coating 504 may be formed of the same fabrication material ( e . g ., rubber ) except that inner material 502 may be doped and coating 504 may not contain filler material . in yet another embodiment , inner material 502 may be doped with a fine grain filler material 304 , such as sand , and coating 504 may not be present . fig6 is a top perspective view of a tile 102 ( 8 ) having a top portion 602 and a bottom portion 604 that are permanently or semi - permanently bonded together . for example , top and bottom portions 602 , 604 may be bonded together using epoxy , rubber cement , glue , caulk , welding material or another bonding material known in the art . although fig6 shows tile 102 ( 8 ) containing only two portions 602 and 604 , it will be appreciated that tile 102 ( 8 ) may alternatively include three , four , five , ten , twenty or more portions . in an embodiment , top portion 602 and bottom portion 604 may be similarly shaped so that there are no overhanging parts when portions 602 and 604 are aligned and bonded . in another embodiment ( shown in fig6 ), top portion 602 and bottom portion 604 have different shapes , and one or more overhanging parts 606 exist . it will be appreciated that a second tile 102 ( 8 )′ ( not shown ) that is configured to be joined with tile 102 ( 8 ) will have an arrangement of overhanging parts 606 that is complementary to that of tile 102 ( 8 ). tiles 102 ( 8 ) and 102 ( 8 )′ may therefore be interdigitated or interlocked along a vertical axis defined by the thickness of a tile 102 . interdigitation along the vertical axis , as well as along the lateral and longitudinal axes ( fig2 , l and w ) using tabs 202 , provides improved stability during vehicle movement . in one example , one or more overhanging parts 606 of tile 102 ( 8 ) may be bonded to one or more complementary overhanging parts 606 ′ of tile 102 ( 8 )′. bonding of the overhanging parts 606 , 606 ′ may be permanent , semi - permanent or temporary . for example , temporary bonding may be accomplished using velcro ®, magnets , reusable adhesives and / or other means known in the art . changes may be made in the above systems and methods without departing from the scope hereof . it should thus be noted that the matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings should be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . the following claims are intended to cover all generic and specific features described herein , as well as all statements of the scope of the present systems and methods , which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall there between .	1
in the description of the preferred embodiments , and with reference to the drawings , the following designations are used : drawing designation definition ra right atrium rv right ventricle rh ra and rv lh la and lv la left atrium lv left ventricle las left atrial sense ras right atrial sense lap left atrial pace pulse lvp left ventricular pace pulse rmavd time interval between ras and mechanical contraction of rv ( as measured , e . g ., by valve closure ) lmavd time interval between las or lap and mechanical contraction of lv ravd time interval between ras and qrs in rv lavd time interval between las or lap , and qrs in lv referring now to fig1 there is shown a schematic representation of a four - chamber pacing system , illustrating four pacing leads providing bipolar electrodes positioned for pacing and sensing in each of the respective heart chambers , and also for impedance measurements . pacing lead 38 is positioned conventionally such that its distal end is in the right ventricular apex position . it carries bipolar electrodes 38 a and 38 b adapted for pacing and sensing ; additionally , these electrodes can also be used for impedance sensing as discussed below . likewise , atrial lead 36 is positioned so that its distal end is positioned within the right atrium , with bipolar electrodes 36 a , 36 b . lead 34 is passed through the right atrium , so that its distal end is positioned in the coronary sinus for pacing , sensing and impedance detection through electrodes 34 a , b , as shown . likewise , lead 32 is positioned via the coronary sinus a cardiac vein , e . g ., the middle or great cardiac vein , so that distal electrodes 32 a and 32 b are positioned approximately as shown for pacing , sensing and impedance detection with respect to the left ventricle . the pacing leads are connected to pacemaker 30 in a conventional manner . it is to be understood that each of the four leads can have one or more additional electrodes ; however , by using time multiplexing techniques as discussed below and in the referenced u . s . pat . no . 5 , 501 , 702 , pacing , sensing and impedance detection can be accomplished with only two electrodes per lead . referring now to fig2 a and 2b , there is shown a simplified block diagram of a four channel pacemaker in accordance with this invention , having the additional capability of impedance detection to sense valve movement of the left and right ventricles . although discussion of fig2 a is presented with respect to valve movement , it is to be understood that the impedance detection scheme may be altered to detect other mechanical events , such as ventricular wall contraction , in a known manner . the system of fig2 a contains , in the pacemaker , a central processing block 40 , indicated as including timing circuitry and a microprocessor , for carrying out logical steps in analyzing received signals , determining when pace pulses should be initiated , etc ., in a well known fashion . referring to the upper left - hand corner of the block diagram , there is shown signal amplifier circuitry 41 , for receiving a signal from the right atrium . electrode 36 a is illustrated as providing an input , it being understood that the second input is received either from bipolar electrode 36 b , or via an indifferent electrode ( the pacemaker can ) in the event of unipolar sensing . likewise , a pulse generator 42 , acting under control of block 40 , generates right atrial pace pulses for delivery to electrode 36 a and either electrode 36 b or system ground . in a similar manner , right ventricular pace pulses ( rvp ) are generated at output stage 43 and connected to electrode 38 a , and sensed right ventricular signals are inputted to sense circuitry 44 , the output of which is delivered to control block 40 . also illustrated is impedance detector 45 , which receives inputs from electrodes 36 a , 38 a , for delivering information corresponding to right heart valve closure , which timing information is inputted into control block 40 . thus , the system enables pacing and sensing in each chamber , as well as impedance detection to provide an indication of the timing of right heart valve closure , which represents the time of mechanical contraction of the right valve . still referring to fig2 a , there are shown complementary circuit components for the left atrium and the left ventricle . output generator stage 47 , under control of block 40 , delivers left atrial pace pulses ( lap ) to stimulate the left atrium through electrode 34 a and either electrode 34 b or system ground . inputs from the left atrial lead are connected through input circuitry 46 , the output of which is connected through to control block 40 . in a similar fashion , output stage 48 , under control of block 40 , provides left ventricular stimulus pace pulses ( lvp ) which are delivered across electrode 32 a and either electrode 32 b or system ground ; and left ventricular signals are sensed from lead 32 and inputted to input circuit 49 , which provides an output to block 40 indicative of left ventricular signals . also , dual inputs from the left atrial electrode 34 a and left ventricular electrode 32 a are inputted into left heart impedance detector 50 , which provides timing pulses to block 40 indicative of the timing of left heart ( mitral ) valve closure . with this arrangement , the pacemaker has the basic timing and cardiac signal information required to program delivery of pace pulses to respective heart chambers in accordance with this invention . block 40 contains current generators for use in impedance detection ; microprocessor or other logic and timing circuitry ; and suitable memory for storing data and control routines . referring to fig2 b , there is shown a diagrammatic sketch of an arrangement for detecting left ventricular impedance change , which is processed in block 40 to obtain an indication of cardiac output . as shown , a current source 52 provides a constant current source across electrode 53 in the right atrium , which suitably can be electrode 36 a ; and right ventricular electrode 54 , which suitably can be electrode 38 a . the current source can be pulsed , or it can be multiplexed in a manner as discussed below . impedance sensors 57 and 58 provide signals representative of impedance changes therebetween , the impedance being a function of blood volume and valve closure , as discussed above . the outputs from electrodes 57 , 58 is connected across impedance detector 56 , which represents the microprocessor and / or other processing circuitry in block 40 for analyzing the impedance changes and making a determination of cardiac output . as is known , a measure of cardiac output can be obtained by extracting the first time derivative of cyclical impedance changes , dz / dt ; a linear relationship exists between peak dz / dt and peak ejection rate . referring now to fig3 there is shown a block diagram of a pacemaker 30 in accordance with a preferred embodiment of this invention , for multiplexing connections to electrodes so as to provide for pacing and sensing in any one of the four cardiac chambers , as well as for impedance determinations between respective different lead electrodes . reference is made u . s . pat . no . 5 , 501 , 702 , incorporated herein by reference , for a full discussion of this circuit , and in particular the multiplexing arrangement carried out by switch matrices 68 , 70 . the pacemaker 30 operates under control of circuitry 62 , which may include a microprocessor or custom integrated circuitry , as well as associated memory , in a manner well known in the pacemaker art . circuitry 62 provides for processing of data , and generation of timing signals as required . control circuitry 62 is coupled to pace / sense circuitry 64 , for processing of signals indicating the detection of electrical cardiac events , e . g ., p - waves , r - waves , etc . sensed from conductors which connect electrically to electrodes 32 a - 38 b , as shown . the aforementioned leads are also coupled to a first switch matrix 68 and a second switch matrix 70 . matrix 68 establishes a selectable interconnection between specific ones of the electrodes of leads 32 , 34 , 36 and 38 , and the current source 72 , is controlled by circuit 62 . in a similar manner , switch matrix 70 establishes a selectable interconnection between lead conductors corresponding to selected electrodes , and impedance detection circuit 74 , for the purpose of selecting impedance measurements . still referring to fig3 current source 72 receives control signals on line 73 from circuitry 62 , and is responsive thereto for delivering constant current rheography pulses onto lead conductors selected by switching matrix 68 , which in turn is switched by signals on bus 83 . impedance detection circuit 74 is adapted to monitor the voltage between a selected pair of electrodes which pair is selectably coupled by operation of switch matrix 70 which in turn is switched by signals on bus 80 . in this manner , circuit 74 determines the voltage , and hence the impedance , existing between two selected electrodes . the output of circuitry 74 is connected through a / d converter 76 to control circuitry 62 , for processing of the impedance signals and determination of the occurrence of mechanical events , such as left or right heart valve closure . the control of switch matrix 68 through signals on bus 78 , and the control of switch matrix 70 through signals on bus 80 , provides for multiplexing of different impedance signals . it is to be understood that in the system arrangement of fig3 pace / sense circuitry 64 may include separate stimulus pulse output stages for each channel , i . e ., each of the four - chambers , each of which output stages is particularly adapted for generating signals of the programmed signal strength . likewise , the sense circuitry of block 64 may contain a separate sense amplifier and processor circuitry for sensed signals from each chamber , such that sensing of respective wave portions , such as the p - wave , r - wave , t - wave , etc . from the rh and the lh , can be optimized . the pulse generator circuits and sense circuits as used herein are well known in the pacemaker art . in addition , other functions may be carried out by the control circuitry including standard pacemaker functions such as compiling of diagnostic data , mode switching , etc . referring now to fig4 there is shown a logic control flow diagram for controlling the system of this invention to pace a patient with lbbb . the assumption is that the rh is normal , and that sinus signals from the sa node are being normally conducted to the la ; but that the lbbb is manifested by slow conduction to the lv , such that the lv does not contract when it should . as a consequence , there is mitral regurgitation , or backflow of blood through the valve because the lv does not contract when it is filled from the la ; and the contraction of the lv , when it occurs , is later than that of the rv , further contributing to decrease of lh output . as seen at 101 , the pacemaker monitors the rh , and gets a measure of rmav . this is done by sensing right valve closure through rh impedance measurement , and timing the delay from the atrial depolarization ( ras ) to valve closure . then , at 102 , the pacemaker is controlled to pace lv with an lavd such that lmavd is about equal to rmavd . during this step , impedance measurements are made in the lv , and a measure of lmavd is obtained . based on this determination , the value of lavd is adjusted to substantially match lmavd with rmavd . note that normal conduction through the lv takes on the order of 50 - 60 ms , so it is expected that the lv should be paced in advance of the occurrence of rv valve closure , so that lv valve closure occurs at about the same time as , or even a bit before rv valve closure . causing the lv to contract just before the rv might provide an increase of lh output which outweighs the small resulting rv dysfunction due to the septum being pulled toward the lv first . thus , the timing of delivery of each lvp is adjusted to set lmavd approximately equal to rmavd . then , at 104 , the value of lavd is further adjusted , while r and l valve closure is monitored , and lmavd is adjusted relative to rmavd . this adjustment , or variation of lmavd , may be made by incrementally changing lavd each cycle , or each n cycles , to scan relative to the value of rmavd . cardiac output is obtained through a left heart impedance measurement , and appropriate signal processing , for each setting of the differential between the right and left valve closures , and respective values of co and lmavd are stored at 105 . the highest , or maximum value of cardiac output is determined , and lavd is set so that the resultant mlavd is at the differential compared to rmavd to yield the highest cardiac output . in this manner , the timing of left ventricular pace pulses is set to produce substantial bi - ventricular mechanical synchronization for the greatest cardiac output . the determined value of lavd and the corresponding lv - rv difference is stored . still referring to fig4 at 106 the pacemaker proceeds to pace the lv with this established value of lavd , providing mechanical synchronization . of course , if the natural sinus rate varies , the pacemaker wants to follow ; if the spontaneous ravd varies , but the lavd doesn &# 39 ; t follow the change , the mechanical synchronization will be lost . accordingly , at 107 the pacer monitors the natural sinus rate , or atrial pacing rate , and determines if there has been a significant change in atrial rate . if yes , at 109 , the pacer adjusts lavd accordingly to maintain mechanical sync for optimum output . although not shown , the pacemaker can periodically go back to block 101 to re - determine the desired value of lavd . referring now to fig5 there is shown a flow diagram for pacing of a patient with iab ; such patient may have lbbb as well . here , it is necessary to take control of the la by pacing before atrial depolarization is conducted ( late ) to the la . at 110 , the pacemaker monitors the pattern of la depolarization relative to ra depolarization , i . e ., it determines the inter - atrial delay . at 111 , it is determined whether the la should be paced , based on the atrial depolarization pattern . if yes , the pacemaker sets an ra - la delay at 112 , which corresponds to a healthy heart , and which enables capture of the la . at 114 , the value of rmavd is obtained , as was described in connection with fig4 . then , at 116 , lavd is determined for a first setting of mechanical sync ; this can be done by setting lavd to produce lv contraction at the same time as rv contraction ( valve closure ), or earlier by a small time increment . then , lavd is varied , as shown at 117 , and lmavd and co are determined corresponding to each value of lavd . the value of lavd is set to that value which corresponds to maximum cardiac output , and this value and the lv - rv mechanical relation , or mechanical sync value is stored for the chosen lavd . at 118 , the pacemaker paces la and lv , in accord with the values that have been determined . in the event of significant change in atrial rate , lavd is adjusted to compensate for the rate change , and to substantially maintain the lv - rv mechanical relationship previously found to correspond to maximum cardiac output , as shown at 120 , 121 . although not shown , in the event of large changes in the sinus rate , or passage of a predetermined amount of time , determination of inter - atrial delay and lavd can be repeated automatically . referring now to fig6 there is shown a simplified flow diagram for a procedure in accordance with this invention for carrying out bi - ventricular pacing so as to maximize cardiac output ( co ). this routine is adapted for patients who need right ventricular pacing , and who can benefit from synchronous left ventricular pacing as well . in this example , it is assumed that atrial pacing is not required , but if the patient requires atrial pacing , the routine can be adapted appropriately . at block 130 , a common value of av delay ( avd ) is first set . at block 132 , both the left ventricle and the right ventricle are paced , initially with the previously set value of avd , but then with a varying avd . as avd is varied , or scanned relative to the initial setting , the pacemaker makes determinations of cardiac output by processing impedance signals from the left heart , or left ventricle , in the manner discussed above . values of co are stored together with the different values of avd , and the optimum value of a common avd is determined corresponding to maximum co . then , at block 134 , the value of lavd is varied relative to ravd , such that the left pacing pulse is delivered at differing times from the right pacing pulse . it is to be remembered , as discussed above , that for maximum cardiac output , it may be desirable to pace the left ventricle shortly before the right ventricle , and this step is a searching step to determine the time relationship between the two ventricular pace pulses which results in the best cardiac output . co is determined as the ventricular sync relationship is varied , and the corresponding optimum lavd is determined . when this has been obtained , the routine goes to block 136 and paces the patient at the determined values of lavd and ravd . periodically , as indicated at 138 , the pacemaker can determine whether a test is desired . if yes , the routine branches back to 130 , to loop through the test and redetermine the optimum values of lavd and ravd . it is to be noted that the steps of blocks 132 and 134 can be done in a reverse sequence , i . e ., step 134 first and then step 132 . referring now to fig7 there is shown an alternate block diagram of component portions of a pacemaker in accordance with this invention , for providing maximum flexibility in terms of pacing , cardiac signal sensing and impedance sensing . at least two electrodes are positioned in or proximate to each heart chamber , in the manner as discussed above in connection with fig1 and connected in turn to block 150 . as indicated in fig7 block 150 is an output / input switch matrix , and interconnects with block 152 in the manner as described in fig3 . thus , block 152 provides pacing pulses which can be connected through matrix 150 to each of the four chambers , and has sense amplifier circuitry for sensing signals from each of the four chambers . block 150 further provides a multiplex switch array for switching a current source across selected pairs of the eight electrodes for impedance measuring purposes , again in accordance with the discussion of fig3 . the sensed impedance signals are suitably transferred from array 150 to digital signal processing circuitry 161 , which is part of block 152 . block 152 is in two - way connection with the timing modules shown in block 154 , for timing generation of pace pulses , current source pulses , and the generation of sensing windows . blocks 150 , 152 and 154 are further inter - connected by control bus 163 . data is transferred between signal processing block 170 and block 154 across data bus 157 . block 154 in turn is inter - connected with microprocessor 156 , through household bus 151 , data bus 153 and control bus 154 . by this arrangement , impedance sensing can be carried out across any combination of the four heart chambers , e . g ., right atrium vs . left atrium ; right ventricle vs . left ventricle ; right atrium vs . left ventricle ; and left atrium vs . right ventricle . impedance measurements between these combinations of chambers can be carried out in accordance with this invention , for purposes of analyzing and confirming arrhythmias , including fibrillation . further , changes in conduction patterns , as seen in the morphology of such impedance measurements , can be monitored and processed for making determinations of progression of heart failure . thus , cross - measurements of ra - lv and la - rv can be useful in obtaining histories to determine changes indicating progression of heart failure . referring now to fig8 a , at block 160 , the pacemaker first obtains impedance measurements either between la and ra , or between lv and rv . these impedance values are processed at 162 , and at 164 a determination is made as to whether the atrial or ventricular rhythms are regular or non - physiological . this determination can be made , for example , simply by sensing differences over time and comparing such differences to predetermined criteria . if a rhythm is determined not to be regular , then a determination of arrhythmia is made at 166 . a suitable response is made at 168 . referring to fig8 b , at block 170 the pacemaker obtains cross - measurements of impedances , e . g ., between ra and lv or between la and rv . these measurements are stored and processed as indicated at 172 , and evaluated at 174 to determined whether they indicate hf or progression toward hf . if yes , an appropriate response can be made , illustrated at 176 , e . g ., providing a warning which can be retrieved by an external programmer . the scope of the invention extends to other conditions of chf , in addition to the ones illustrated here . in each case , the condition of the patient must be responded to on an individual basis . however , in accordance with this invention , the system response includes a determination of mechanical events , e . g ., valve closure , preferably in each side of the heart , and programming of pacing escape intervals based on consideration of the mechanical events and a determination of variations of cardiac output with variations of lavd and / or mechanical ventricular synchronization . the system of this invention can be used in an implanted pacemaker system ; or , the system procedures can be carried out with an external system , for determination of optimum programming of a pacemaker which is to be implanted or re - programmed .	0
the following discussion describes in detail embodiments of the invention and variations of that embodiment . this discussion should not be construed , however , as limiting the invention to those particular embodiments , practitioners skilled in the art will recognize numerous other embodiments as well . fig1 is an illustrative view of the ges 100 design in use by an individual , the prime embodiment of the present invention . in ges 100 design , frameless glasses are fixedly attached to piercing studs within the eyebrow of the intended user wherein the gnb design 200 is such that the frameless glasses are fixedly attached to the bridge of a nose stud of the intended user . at a distance , such as seen in fig1 , it would not be easily determinable which design the user employs . in each design , the frameless glasses are easily attached or detached from the stud or nose bridge . fig2 is a close up illustrative view of ges 100 in use . ges 100 is designed to attach to pierced eyebrow studs . each lens 11 is attached to bridge 10 via a screw 20 , washers 19 , and nut 21 ( or other means ). nose rests 12 are attached to leg extensions of bridge 10 and supply comfort in user wear . metal arm 15 is attached at each end of each outer lens 11 via a screw 20 , two washers 19 , and a nut 21 ( see fig4 for detail ). it should be noted that the attachment of metal arm 15 to lens 11 could be accomplished by means other than a screw 20 / nut 21 combination . for example , a rivet or other means could accomplish the same functional result . flexible rubber clip insert 14 has an elastomeric c - shaped tip fixedly attached to one distal end for attachment to eyebrow stud 13 . further detail will be illustrated in fig3 and 4 . fig3 is a top perspective view of ges 100 design for attachment to user eyebrow pierced studs . ges 100 attaches to the eyebrow stud ( not shown ) via flexible rubber ( elastomeric ) c - clips 14 which are fixedly attached to each distal end of each metal arm 15 . each metal arm 15 is attached to each frameless lens 11 by means of metal arm attach assemble 16 which consist of a treaded bolt , two washers 19 , and a nut 21 . bridge 10 attaches to each lens 11 via a bridge attach assembly 17 , which is similar to metal arm attach assembly 16 ( threaded bolt , two washers , and a nut ). bridge 10 employs bridge extension arms 18 on each side to accommodate nose rest 12 attachments . it should be noted that lens 11 could be made of various materials and can be prescription or non - prescription type lens . lens 11 could be of various shades for sun protection , eye safety protection , night driving , etc . fig4 is a sectional end view of ges 100 design showing the eyebrow stud attachment end of the ges 100 . shown is frameless lens 11 attachment to metal arm 15 by means of screw 20 , and washer 19 on each side of lens 11 , and fastening nut 21 . flexible rubber clip insert 14 attaches to one distal end metal arm 15 . metal arm 15 employs metal arm internal dimple 22 to hold flexible rubber clip insert 14 in place . flexible rubber clip insert 14 attaches to an eyebrow stud ( not shown ) via its elastomeric c - shaped tip fixedly attached to one distal end . it should be noted that the assembly of metal arm 15 to lens 11 could be accomplished by alternate means ( not shown ) such as a rivet or compression type pin , etc . fig5 is a top view of the ges 100 design . shown are the frameless glass lenses 11 , that attach to a users pierced eyebrow studs by means of flexible elastomeric c - clip 14 , which is fixedly positioned to distal end of each metal arm 15 . metal arm 15 is attached to the frameless glass lens 11 by means of metal arm attach assembly 16 which consists of a threaded bolt , two washers 19 , and a nut 21 . also shown in fig5 top view is bridge 10 with bridge extension arms 18 to attach nose rest 12 . bridge 10 assemblies to each lens 11 by means of bridge attach assembly 17 . fig6 is a front view of the gnb 200 design attached to an individual for use with a pierced nose bridge stud 24 , an alternate embodiment of the present invention . shown is each frameless glass lens 11 , flexible rubber clip 14 , flexible rubber clip assembly 22 , which consists of a screw 20 , washers 19 , and a nut 21 , and nose rests 12 . gnb 200 attaches to pierced nose bridge stud 24 by means of a flexible elastomeric c - clip fixedly positioned to one distal end of flexible rubber clip 14 . fig7 is a top perspective view of the gnb 200 design , an alternate embodiment of the present invention , for attachment to pierced nose bridge stud 24 . short bridge 25 contains two distal ends and a center point for attachment to lens 11 . flexible rubber c - clip 14 is fixedly attached to one distal end of short bridge 25 . one distal end of each flexible rubber c - clip 14 is “ c ” shaped for attachment to pierced nose bridge stud 24 . short bridge 25 attaches to lens 11 via c - clip attach assembly 22 , which consists of a threaded bolt , two washers 19 , and a nut 21 , and the other distal end of each short bridge 25 , bridge extension arms 18 , and accepts each nose rest 12 . also shown is nose stud 23 , which holds pierced nose bridge stud 24 in place on user . fig8 is a top view of the gnb 200 design , an alternate embodiment of the present invention , for attachment to pierced nose bridge stud 24 . short bridge arm 25 contains two distal ends and a center point to attachment to lens 11 . flexible rubber c - clip 14 is fixedly attached to one distal end of short bridge 25 . one distal end of each flexible rubber c - clip 14 is “ c ” shaped for attachment to pierced nose bridge stud 24 , which consists of threaded bolt , two washers 19 , and a nut 21 , and the other distal end of each short bridge 25 , bridge extension arms 18 , accepts each nose rest 12 . also shown is nose stud screw 23 , which holds pierced nose bridge stud 24 in place on user . it should be noted that c - clip attach assembly 22 could easily be replaced with another attachment mechanism , such as a rivet , compression clip , etc . in attaching each lens 11 . fig9 is a detailed close top view of the gnb 200 design , an alternate embodiment of the present invention , for attachment to pierced nose bridge stud 24 . each lens 11 attaches to each short bridge 25 by means of c - clip assembly 22 . flexible rubber c - clip 14 is fixedly attached to one distal end of short bridge 25 and nose rest 12 is attached to bridge extension arms 18 of short bridge 25 . flexible rubber c - clip 14 is “ c ” shaped for attachment to pierced nose bridge stud 24 . nose stud screw 23 hold holds pierced nose bridge stud 24 in place on a user . it should be noted that c - clip attach assembly 22 could easily be replaced with another design mechanism , such as a rivet , compression clip , etc . in attaching each lens 11 . fig1 is an illustrative view of the gces 300 design , an alternate embodiment of the ges 100 design , shown in use and attached to eyebrow studs 13 , which are closer to the center face . in this glass to close eyebrow stud ( gces 300 ) design , all parts are common to ges 100 design shown previously . gces 300 is designed for application where eyebrow studs 13 have been moved to the nose bridge area of a user . one important aspect of this alternate embodiment is that all parts are a subset of ges 100 design . each lens 11 and metal arm 15 is attached to bridge 10 via a screw 20 , washers 19 , and nut 21 ( or other means ). nose rests 12 are attached to leg extension of bridge 10 and supply comfort in user wear . it should be noted that the attachment by means other than a screw 20 / nut 21 combination . for example , a rivet or other means could accomplish the same functional result . flexible rubber clip insert 14 has an elastomeric c - shaped tip fixedly attached to one distal end for attachment to eyebrow stud 13 . further detail will be illustrated in fig1 . it should be noted that although fig1 shows attachment to an eyebrow stud 13 , this design could easily attach to a nose stud . fig1 is a top view of the gces 300 design , alternate embodiment of the ges 100 design for attachment to dual eyebrow studs which are closer to the center face . in this glass to close eyebrow stud ( gces 300 ) design , many parts are common to ges 100 design shown previously . gced 300 is designed for application where eyebrow studs 13 have been moved to the nose bridge area of a user . one important aspect of this alternate embodiment is that all parts are a subset of ges 100 design . each lens 11 and metal arm 15 is attached to bridge 10 via a screw 20 , washers 19 , and nut 21 ( or other means ). nose rests 12 are attached to bridge extension arms 18 of bridge 10 and supply comfort to user wear . it should be notes that the attachment of metal arm 15 and bridge 10 to lens 11 could be accomplished by means other than a screw 20 / nut 21 combination . for example , a rivet or other means could accomplish the same functional result . flexible rubber clip insert 14 has an elastomeric c - shaped tip fixedly attached to one distal end for attachment to eyebrow stud 13 .	0
a preferred embodiment of the present invention is a compound of the formula ( i ): ## str3 ## wherein the dotted lines indicate a single or a double bond ; r 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), halogen , haloalkyl , heterocyclic group of 2 to 5 carbon atoms and 1 to 2 hetero atoms , nitroxyalkanoyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , sulfhydryl , lower thioalkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , alkylsilyloxy group of 3 to about 8 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , wherein all said radicals may optionally be substituted with hydroxy , halogen , lower alkyl , lower alkenyl , lower alkynyl , lower alkoxy , amino , nitro , nitril , carboxyl and haloalkyl radicals , oco -- r 7 wherein r 7 is alkanoic acid group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkenyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkynyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , or lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms group ; r 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , oxygen , nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), nitroxyalkanoyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , alkylsilyloxy group of 3 to about 8 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , wherein all said radicals may optionally be substituted with hydroxy , lower alkyl , lower alkenyl , lower alkynyl , lower alkoxy , amino , nitro , nitril , carboxyl and haloalkyl radicals , oco -- r 8 wherein r 8 is alkanoic acid group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkenyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkynyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms or lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms group ; r 3 and r 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), nitroxyalkanoyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkenyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkynyl group of 2 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms , wherein all said radicals may optionally be substituted with hydroxy , lower alkyl , lower alkenyl , lower alkynyl , lower alkoxy , amino , nitro , nitril , carboxyl and haloalkyl radicals ; and a group of formula oco -- r 9 wherein r 9 is 2 - furanyl , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms or lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms ; p and q are independently selected from a group consisting of hydrogen , chloro , fluoro and alkyl group of 1 to about 6 carbon atoms ; x is lower alkyl group , or sulfur if r 1 is a haloalkyl ; and with the proviso that at least one of the following r 1 , r 2 , r 3 or r 4 is a nitrite ester ( ono ) and that at least one of the following r 1 , r 2 , r 3 or r 4 is nitrate ester ( ono2 ). another preferred embodiment of the present invention is a compound of the formula ( i ): ## str4 ## wherein ; r 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), halogen , haloalkyl , sulfhydryl , heterocyclic group of 3 to 4 carbon atoms and 1 to 2 hetero atoms , nitroxyalkanoyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , alkylsilyloxy group of 3 to about 6 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , wherein all said radicals may optionally be substituted with hydroxy , chloro , fluoro , lower alkyl , lower alkenyl , lower alkynyl , lower alkoxy , amino , nitro , nitril , carboxyl , haloalkyl radicals and oco -- r 7 wherein r 7 is alkanoic acid group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkenyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkynyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , or lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms group ; r 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , oxygen ( ketone ), nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), nitroxyalkanoyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , and lower alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , wherein all said radicals may optionally be substituted with hydroxy , lower alkyl , lower alkenyl , lower alkynyl , lower alkoxy , amino , nitro , nitril , carboxyl , haloalkyl radicals ; and oco -- r 8 wherein r 8 is alkanoic acid group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkenyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkynyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms or lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms ; r 3 and r 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), nitroxyalkanoyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkenyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , lower alkynyl group of 2 to about 4 carbon atoms , and lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms , wherein all said radicals may optionally be substituted with hydroxy , lower alkyl , lower alkenyl , lower alkynyl , lower alkoxy , amino , nitro , haloalkyl radicalsand oco -- r 9 wherein r 9 is 2 - furanyl , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms or lower alkoxy group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms ; p and q are independently selected from a group consisting of hydrogen , chloro , fluoro and alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms ; x is a methylene group , or sulfur if r 1 is a fluoromethyl group ; with the proviso that at least one of the following r 1 , r 2 , r 3 or r 4 is a nitrite ester ( ono ) and that at least one of the following r 1 , r 2 , r 3 or r 4 is nitrate ester ( ono 2 ). another preferred embodiment of the present invention is a compound of the formula ( i ): ## str5 ## r 1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), chloro , sulfhydryl , n - methylpiperazin - 1 - yl , trimethylsilylmethyloxy , t - butyldimethylsilyloxy , lower alkyl group of 1 to about 4 carbon atoms and oco -- r 7 wherein r 7 is propanoic acid , methyl or ethyl group ; r 2 is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy , oxygen , nitrite ester ( ono ), or nitrate ester ( ono 2 ); r 3 and r 4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , hydroxy , nitrite ester ( ono ), nitrate ester ( ono 2 ), methyl , and oco -- r 9 wherein r 9 is ethoxy , methyl , or ethyl ; p and q are independently selected from a group consisting of hydrogen , chloro , fluoro and methyl group ; with the proviso that at least one of the following r 1 , r 2 , r 3 or r 4 is a nitrite ester ( ono ) and that at least one of the following r 1 , r 2 , r 3 or r 4 is nitrate ester ( ono2 ). while it may be possible for the preparations or compounds as defined above to be administered as the raw chemical , it is preferable to present them as a pharmaceutical formulation . according to a further aspect , the present invention provides a pharmaceutical formulation comprising a preparation or a compound as defined above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof , together with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers thereof and optionally one or more other therapeutic ingredients . the carrier ( s ) must be &# 34 ; acceptable &# 34 ; in the sense of being compatible with the other ingredients of the formulation and not deleterious to the recipient thereof . the formulations include those suitable for oral , parenteral ( including subcutaneous , intradermal , intramuscular , intravenous and intraarticular ), rectal and topical ( including dermal , buccal , sublingual and intraocular ) administration although the most suitable route may depend upon for example the condition and disorder of the recipient . the formulations may conveniently be presented in unit dosage form and may be prepared by any of the methods well known in the art of pharmacy . all methods include the step of bringing into association a preparation or a compound as defined above or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solyarc thereof (&# 34 ; active ingredient &# 34 ;) with the carrier which constitutes one or more accessory ingredients . in general , the formulations are prepared by uniformly and intimately bringing into association the active ingredient with liquid carriers or finely divided solid carriers or both and then , if necessary , shaping the product into the desired formulation . formulations of the present invention suitable for oral administration may be presented as discrete units such as capsules , cachets or tablets each containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient ; as a powder or granules ; as a solution or a suspension in an aqueous liquid or a non - aqueous liquid ; or as an oil - in - water liquid emulsion or a water - in - oil liquid emulsion . the active ingredient may also be presented as a bolus , electuary or paste . a tablet may be made by compression or molding , optionally with one or more accessory ingredients . compressed tablets may be prepared by compressing in a suitable machine the active ingredient in a free - flowing form such as a powder or granules , optionally mixed with a binder , lubricant , inert diluent , lubricating , surface active or dispersing agent . molded tablets may be made by molding in a suitable machine a mixture of the powdered compound moistened with an inert liquid diluent . the tablets may optionally be coated or scored and may be formulated so as to provide slow or controlled release of the active ingredient therein . formulations for parenteral administration include aqueous and non - aqueous sterile injection solutions which may contain antioxidants , buffers , bacteriostats and solutes which render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient ; and aqueous and non - aqueous sterile suspensions which may include suspending agents and thickening agents . the formulations may be presented in unit - dose or multi - dose containers , for example sealed ampoules and vials , and may be stored in a freeze - dried ( lyophilized ) condition requiring only the addition of the sterile liquid carrier , for example , saline , water - for - injection , immediately prior to use . extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions may be prepared from sterile powders , granules and tablets of the kind previously described . formulations for rectal administration may be presented as a suppository with the usual carriers such as cocoa butter or polyethylene glycol . formulations for topical administration in the mouth , for example buccally or sublingually , include lozenges comprising the active ingredient in a flavored basis such as sucrose and acacia or tragacanth , and pastilles comprising the active ingredient in a basis such as gelatin and glycerin or sucrose and acacia . formulations for administration by inhalation can be prepared for use as an aerosolized medicaments such as in the manner recited in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 458 , 135 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 447 , 150 . preferred unit dosage formulations are those containing an effective dose , as hereinbelow recited , or an appropriate fraction thereof , of the active ingredient . it should be understood that in addition to the ingredients particularly mentioned above , the formulations of this invention may include other agents conventional in the art having regard to the type of formulation in question , for example those suitable for oral administration may include flavoring agents . the compounds of the invention may be administered orally or via injection at a dose of from 0 . 01 to 500 mg / kg per day . the dose range for adult humans is generally from 0 . 1 mg to 1 g / day . tablets or other forms of presentation provided in discrete units may conveniently contain an amount of compound of the invention which is effective at such dosage or as a multiple of the same , for instance , units containing 0 . 05 mg to 250 mg , usually around 0 . 1 mg to 100 mg . the compounds of formula ( i ) are preferably administered orally or by injection ( intravenous or subcutaneous ). the precise amount of compound administered to a patient will be the responsibility of the attendant physician . however , the dose employed will depend on a number of factors , including the age and sex of the patient , the precise disorder being treated , and its severity . also , the route of administration may vary depending on the condition and its severity . as utilized herein , the term &# 34 ; lower alkyl &# 34 ;, alone or in combination , means an acyclic alkyl radical containing from 1 to about 10 , preferably from 1 to about 8 carbon atoms and more preferably 1 to about 6 carbon atoms . examples of such radicals include methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , isobutyl , sec - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , iso - amyl , hexyl , octyl and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower alkenyl &# 34 ; refers to an unsaturated acyclic hydrocarbon radical in so much as it contains at least one double bond . such radicals containing from about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms , preferably from about 2 to about 8 carbon atoms and more preferably 2 to about 6 carbon atoms . examples of suitable alkenyl radicals include propylenyl , buten - 1 - yl , isobutenyl , penten - 1 - yl , 2 - 2 - methylbuten - 1 - yl , 3 - methylbuten - 1 - yl , hexen - 1 - yl , hepten - 1 - yl , and octen - 1 - yl , and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower alkynyl &# 34 ; refers to an unsaturated acyclic hydrocarbon radicals in so much as it contains one or more triple bonds , such radicals containing about 2 to about 10 carbon atoms , preferably having from about 2 to about 8 carbon atoms and more preferably having 2 to about 6 carbon atoms . examples of suitable alkynyl radicals include ethynyl , propynyl , butyn - 1 - yl , butyn - 2 - yl , pentyn - 1 - yl , pentyn - 2 - yl , 3 - methylbutyn - 1 - yl , hexyn - 1 - yl , hexyn - 2 - yl , hexyn - 3 - yl , 3 , 3 - dimethylbutyn - 1 - yl radicals and the like . the term &# 34 ; alicyclic hydrocarbon &# 34 ; means a aliphatic radical in a ring with 3 to about 10 carbon atoms , and preferably from 3 to about 6 carbon atoms . examples of suitable alicyclic radicals include cyclopropyl , cyclopropylenyl , cyclobutyl , cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl , 2 - cyclohexen - 1 - ylenyl , cyclohexenyl and the like . the term &# 34 ; heterocyclic &# 34 ; means a saturated or unsaturated cyclic hydrocarbon radical with 2 to about 10 carbon atoms , preferably about 4 to about 6 ; wherein 1 to about 3 carbon atoms are replaced by nitrogen , oxygen or sulfur . the &# 34 ; heterocyclic radical &# 34 ; may be fused to an aromatic hydrocarbon radical . suitable examples include pyrrolyl , pyridinyl , pyrazolyl , triazolyl , pyrimidinyl , pyridazinyl , oxazolyl , thiazolyl , imidazolyl , indolyl , thiophenyl , furanyl , tetrazolyl , 2 - pyrrolinyl , 3 - pyrrolinyl , pyrrolindinyl , 1 , 3 - dioxolanyl , 2 - imidazonlinyl , imidazolidinyl , 2 - pyrazolinyl , pyrazolidinyl , isoxazolyl , isothiazolyl , 1 , 2 , 3 - oxadiazolyl , 1 , 2 , 3 - triazolyl , 1 , 3 , 4 - thiadiazolyl , 2h - pyranyl , 4h - pyranyl , piperidinyl , 1 , 4 - dioxanyl , morpholinyl , 1 , 4 - dithianyl , thiomorpholinyl , pyrazinyl , piperazinyl , 1 , 3 , 5 - triazinyl , 1 , 3 , 5 - trithianyl , benzo ( b ) thiophenyl , benzimidazolyl , quinolinyl , and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower alkoxy &# 34 ;, alone or in combination , means an alkyl ether radical wherein the term alkyl is as defined above and most preferably containing 1 to about 4 carbon atoms . examples of suitable alkyl ether radicals include methoxy , ethoxy , n - propoxy , isopropoxy , n - butoxy , iso - butoxy , sec - butoxy , tert - butoxy and the like . the term &# 34 ; lower thioalkyl &# 34 ; means the same as &# 34 ; alkoxy &# 34 ; except sulfur replaces oxygen . the term &# 34 ; alkylsilyloxy &# 34 ; means alkylsilyl ether radical wherein the term alkyl is as defined above and most preferably containing 3 to 8 carbon atoms . examples of suitable alkylsilyl ether radicals include trimethylsilyl , t - butyldimethylsilyl , and the like . the term &# 34 ; haloalkyl &# 34 ; means a lower alkyl as defined above having 1 - 5 preferably 1 - 3 halogens attached to said lower alkyl chain . the term &# 34 ; prodrug &# 34 ; refers to a compound that is made more active in vivo . as used herein , reference to &# 34 ; treatment &# 34 ; of a patient is intended to include prophylaxis . all references , patents or applications , u . s . or foreign , cited in the application are hereby incorporated by reference as if written herein . starting materials used to make the present invention are commercially available such as from sigma , fluka and aldrich chemical company . a general synthetic scheme is outlined below for the compounds of the present invention . ## str6 ## it will be obvious to one skilled in the art to make modifications in the choice of starting materials and process conditions to make all of the invention compounds disclosed herein . example 1 ## str7 ## prednisolone - 21 - acetate ( 0 . 4 g ; 1 mmole ), amylnitrite ester ( 0 . 36 g : 3 mmoles ) and acetic acid ( 2 drops ) were stirred in dioxane ( 10 ml ) and dimethylsulfoxide ( 1 ml ) at room temperature over weekend . the mixture was poured into water ( 50 ml ) and extracted with dichloromethane ( 3 × 10 ml ). the combined organic phase was dried over sodium sulfate and filtered . the filtrate was taken down to dryness under reduced pressure and the residue purified on a waters deltapak column ( 15 cm × 2 . 5 cm ) using a linear gradient of 5 - 70 % acetonitrile / water / trifluoroacetic acid . fab - ms : ( m + li ) + = 438 ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) d 0 . 76 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 18 )), 1 . 37 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 19 )), 2 . 05 ( s , 3h , ch 3 co ), 4 . 7 - 4 . 9 ( q , 2h , co -- ch 2 -- o ), 5 . 6 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 11 )), 5 . 98 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 4 )), 6 . 2 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 2 )), 7 . 0 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 1 )). a solution of prednisolone ( 0 . 36 g ; 1 mmole ) in acetic acid ( 20 ml ) was warmed up to 55 ° c and treated with solid sodium nitrite ester ( 0 . 28 g ; 4 mmoles ) for 30 seconds . the product was precipitated by addition of ice water ( 25 ml ) and filtered . the solid was washed with water and dried over p 2 o 5 in vacuo to give a white solid material . fab - ms : ( m + li ) + = 396 . 4 . 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) d 0 . 51 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 18 )), 1 . 08 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 19 )), 4 . 0 - 4 . 4 ( 2d , 2h , co -- ch 2 -- o ), 5 . 95 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 4 )), 6 . 17 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 2 ), 6 . 22 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 11 )), 6 . 98 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 1 )). a . preparation of prednisolone - 21 - nitrate ester : fuming nitric acid ( 0 . 5 ml ; d = 1 . 49 ) and acetic anhydride ( 2 ml ) were combined at - 10 ° c . to this solution , a pre - cooled suspension of prednisolone ( 1 g ; 2 . 8 mmoles ) in chloroform ( 10 ml ) was added dropwise with stirring . the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc and hplc . the mixture was stirred for another hour in an ice bath and poured into ice water ( 50 ml ). the organic phase was separated and washed with water , saturated sodium bicarbonate solution and water . after drying over sodium sulfate overnight , the solid was filtered and the filtrate was taken down to dryness . the residue was purified on a waters μbondapak column ( 1 . 9 cm × 15 cm ) using a linear gradient of 25 - 75 % acetonitrile / water / trifluoroacetic acid . the desired fractions were collected and lyophilized to give 0 . 7 g of white material . fab - ms : ( m + li ) + = 412 ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) d 0 . 80 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 18 )), 1 . 39 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 19 )), 4 . 24 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 11 )), 5 . 2 - 5 . 6 ( q , 2h , co -- ch 2 -- o ), 5 . 95 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 4 )), 6 . 18 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 2 )), 7 . 34 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 1 )). b . the title compound is prepared from prednisolone - 21 - nitrate ester and sodium nitrite ester in acetic acid by the method of example 2 . a . preparation of prednisolone - 17 - nitrate ester - 21 - acetate : the compound is prepared from prednisolone - 21 - acetate ( 1 g ; 2 . 5 mmoles ) in the same manner as described for example 3 to give 0 . 7 g of white material . fab - ms : ( m + h ) + = 448 ; 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d1 . 07 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 18 )), 1 . 45 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 19 )), 2 . 20 ( s , 3h , ch 3 -- co ), 4 . 50 - 4 . 55 ( m , 1h , ch ( c - 11 )), 6 . 05 ( s , 1h , ch , ( c - 4 )), 6 . 25 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 2 ), 7 . 25 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 1 )). b . prednisolone - 17 - nitrate ester - 21 - acetate is treated with sodium nitrite ester in acetic acid by the method of example 2 to produce the title compound . a . preparation of 9a - fluoro - 16a - methylprednisolone - 21 - nitrate ester : the compound is prepared from 9a - fluoro - 16a - methylprednisolone ( 1 g ; 2 . 5 mmoles ) in the same manner as described for example 3 to give 0 . 75 g of white material . fab - ms : ( m + li ) + = 444 ; 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) d 0 . 91 ( d , 3h , ch -- ch 3 ), 1 . 05 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 18 )), 1 . 55 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 19 )), 4 . 38 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 11 )), 5 . 2 ( q , 2h , co -- ch 2 -- o ), 6 . 07 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 4 )), 6 . 38 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 2 )), 7 . 21 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 1 )). b . a solution of 9a - fluoro - 16a - methylprednisolone - 21 - nitrate ester is treated with sodium nitrite ester in acetic acid by the method of example 2 to produce the title compound . a solution of 9a - fluoro - 16a - methylprednisolone is treated with sodium nitrite ester in acetic acid by the method of example 2 to produce the title product . a . a solution of 9a - fluoro - 16a - methylprednisolone - 11 - nitrite ester ( 0 . 23 g ; 0 . 5 mmoles ) in chloroform / pyridine ( 10 ml ; 1 : 1 ) is treated with acetic anhydride ( 5 ml ) with stirring at room temperature . the reaction is monitored by hplc and carried out until completion . the crude product is purified by reversed - phase hplc to generate the title compound . b . alternatively , the title compound is prepared from 9a - fluoro - 16a - methylprednisolone - 21 - acetate by the method of example 2 . a . preparation of 9a - fluoro - 16a - hydroxyprednisolone - 21 - nitrate ester : the compound was prepared from 9a - fluoro - 16a - hydroxyprednisolone ( 1 g ; 2 . 5 mmoles ) in the same manner as described for example 3 . fab - ms : ( m + h ) + = 440 ; 1 h - nmr ( dmso - d 6 ) d 0 . 82 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 18 )), 1 . 29 ( s , 3h , ch 3 ( c - 19 )), 5 . 61 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 11 )), 5 . 5 - 5 . 8 ( q , 2h , co -- ch 2 -- o ), 5 . 98 ( s , 1h , ch ( c - 4 )), 6 . 18 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 2 )), 7 . 03 ( d , 1h , ch ( c - 1 )). b . the title compound is prepared from 9a - fluoro - 16a - hydroxyprednisolone - 21 - nitrate ester and sodium nitrite ester in acetic acid by the method of example 2 . 9a - fluoro - 16a - hydroxy - prednisolone is treated with sodium nitrite ester in acetic acid by the method of example 2 to produce the title compound . the product of example 9 is treated with acetic anhydride in pyridine / chloroform by the method of example 3 to give the title product . a solution of beclomethasone - 17 , 21 - dipropionate ( 0 . 01 g ; 0 . 019 mmoles ) in acetic acid ( 1 ml ) was warmed up to 55 ° c and treated with solid sodium nitrite ester ( 0 . 007 g ; 0 . 1 mmole ) for 30 seconds . the product was precipitated by addition of ice water ( 5 ml ) and filtered . the solid was washed with water and dried over p 2 o 5 in vacuo to give a white solid material . fab - ms : ( m + li ) + = 556 . 4 . the subject compounds of the formula ( 1 ) have been found to be nitric oxide donors while maintaining their steroid activities and possess useful pharmacological properties as demonstrated in one or more of the following tests : selected compounds were tested in three in vitro and two in vivo assays . the in vitro assays consisted of the following : measuring the effect of the compounds to inhibit the increase of prostaglandins following treatment of human fetal fibroblasts cells with interleukin - 1 followed by arachidonic acid , measuring the effect of the compounds on cyclic gmp in the human fetal fibroblasts , and measuring the smooth muscle relaxant activity in rat aortic rings . the in vivo assay consists of measuring the antiinflammatory properties of the compounds in the carageenan treated rat air pouch model and the relaxant activity on acetylcholine - induced bronchoconstriction in guinea - pigs . a . in vitro inhibiton of prostaglandin e 2 ( pge 2 ) synthesis assay : human fetal fibroblasts cells were treated with il - 1 for 16 hours and then with 10 mm arachidonic acid ( aa ). the prostaglandin e 2 levels were measured by an elisa . compounds were given at the time of addition of il - 1 . this assay provides an in vitro assessment of the compound to block the induction of the proinflammatory agent prostaglandin e 2 ( pge 2 ): ______________________________________treatment pge . sub . 2 ( ng ) ______________________________________basal 3 . 5il - 1 , aa 40 . 0il - 1 , aa and prednisolone ( 10 um ) 9 . 9il - 1 , aa and example 1 ( 10 um ) 9 . 2______________________________________ these data indicate that the steroids with the modifications for the generation of nitric oxide are effective at inhibiting the increase in pge 2 and maintain the glucocorticoid action in the prevention of prostaglandin formation . b . in vitro stimulation of cgmp production assay : human fetal fibroblasts in the presence of isobutylmethylxanthine , an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase , were treated with compounds for 120 min and the intra - cellular cyclic gmp levels are measured by a radioimmunoassay . the cell line is utilized as a reporter cell assay to monitor the production of no . these data show that the compounds possess the ability to increase cyclic gmp levels in the nitric oxide reporter cell assay , indicating that the compound releases nitric oxide during the treatment of the cells . c . in vitro smooth relaxant activity assay : selected compounds were examined for the ability to relax smooth muscle . the rat aortic ring assay was utilized as a bioassay to measure the relaxant activity . the rings were precontracted with phenylephrine ( 0 . 3 μm ) and subsequently compounds were added to the tissue bath in the presence of cysteine ( cys ) and n g - l - nitro - arginine methyl ester ( l - name ): ______________________________________in vitro smooth relaxant activityassay in the presence of cys and l - name : compound relaxation , ec . sub . 50 μm ! ______________________________________beclomethasone dipropionate & gt ; 100beclomethasone dipropionate - 11 - nitrate ester 2 . 0prednisolone & gt ; 100prednisolone - 11 - nitrate ester - 21 - acetate 25 . 0example 1 0 . 02example 2 0 . 03example 11 0 . 04______________________________________ these data indicate that these compounds have smooth muscle relaxant activity , while the control compounds prednisolone and beclomethasone dipropionate did not show any effect as is shown in fig1 and 2 . d . in vivo anti inflammatory assay : example 1 was tested for antiinflammatory activity in vivo in the rat carageenan air pouch assay . rats are injected subcutaneously with a volume of air over several days to form a pouch . inflammation is subsequently induced in the pouch by the addition of the proinflammatory agent carageenan . the inflammation is measured by assaying the pouch fluid for prostaglandin e 2 by elisa . examples 1 at 3 mg / kg dose blocked the increase in prostaglandin e 2 by 60 %. these data indicate that the compound possess the ability to reduce inflammation in vivo . e . relaxant activity on acetylcholine - induced bronchoconstriction in guinea - pigs in vivo : effect of example 1 on acetylcholine - induced increase in airway resistance ( rl ) was studied in guinea - pigs in vivo . animals were divided into three experimental groups . in group one ( naive group ), animals ( n = 5 ) were treated with aerosol acetylcholine ( 0 . 3m ) at zero time and at 50 min . in group two ( vehicle group ), animal ( n = 1 ) was given aerosol acetylcholine at zero time , aerosol vehicle ( 10 % ethanol / pbs ) given at 70 % of increased rl induced by the first acetylcholine challenge , and aerosol acetylcholine ( 0 . 3m ) at 50 minutes . in group three , animals ( n = 3 ) were given aerosol acetylcholine at zero time , aerosol example 1 ( 0 . 2 mm ) in 10 % ethanol / pbs given at 70 % of increased rl induced by the first acetylcholine challenge , and aerosol acetylcholine ( 0 . 3m ) at 50 min . data shown below are percentage increase in rl above the baseline . s . e mean were shown in verticle bars . ## str18 ## in a separate experiment , the animals were given varying concentration of example 1 ( 0 . 03 mm , 0 . 1 mm and 0 . 3 mm ) and the results are presented below . ## str19 ## these data indicate that the glucocorticoid containing nitric oxide donating group is effective in inhibiting acetylcholine - induced increase in airway resistance ( rl ) in guinea - pigs in vivo in a dose - dependent manner .	2
in the following detailed description , numerous specific details are set forth to provide a full understanding of the subject technology . it will be apparent , however , to one ordinarily skilled in the art that the subject technology may be practiced without some of these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the subject technology . a phrase such as “ an aspect ” does not imply that such aspect is essential to the subject technology or that such aspect applies to all configurations of the subject technology . a disclosure relating to an aspect may apply to all configurations , or one or more configurations . an aspect may provide one or more examples of the disclosure . a phrase such as “ an aspect ” may refer to one or more aspects and vice versa . a phrase such as “ an embodiment ” does not imply that such embodiment is essential to the subject technology or that such embodiment applies to all configurations of the subject technology . a disclosure relating to an embodiment may apply to all embodiments , or one or more embodiments . an embodiment may provide one or more examples of the disclosure . a phrase such “ an embodiment ” may refer to one or more embodiments and vice versa . a phrase such as “ a configuration ” does not imply that such configuration is essential to the subject technology or that such configuration applies to all configurations of the subject technology . a disclosure relating to a configuration may apply to all configurations , or one or more configurations . a configuration may provide one or more examples of the disclosure . a phrase such as “ a configuration ” may refer to one or more configurations and vice versa . fig1 a is a diagram illustrating interaction between modules of a decision support framework 100 , according to some embodiments . as illustrated in fig1 , the framework can comprise a decision strategy module 102 , a balance sheet module 104 , a dashboard module 106 , an ordinal ranking module 108 , a direct weighting module 110 , and an aph module 112 . in some embodiments , the integrated multi - criteria decision support framework can use an explicit , step - wise method for decision making although the method can be step - wise , the framework can permit selective , arbitrary movement among modules in some embodiment . for example , the framework can respond to received responses to move or return to a selected step ( or module ). fig1 b illustrates an exemplifying step - wise approach 200 . a step 202 can include explicitly defining the goal , the alternatives , and / or the factors that will be used as criteria to evaluate how well the alternatives meet the goal . a step 204 can include gathering and summarizing information about how well the alternatives fulfill each decision criterion . a step 206 can include converting the information about the alternatives into formal ratings that compare the alternatives on each decision criterion and , if there is no single dominant alternative , determining the priorities of the decision criteria relative to the goal . in a step 208 , the alternative ratings and criteria priorities can be combined to create a measure of how well the alternatives can be expected to fulfill the goal . a step 210 can include a sensitivity analysis . step 210 can include varying the parameters used for the initial analysis to explore the impact on the results of changes in the original judgments and assumptions . step 212 can include either making a decision or continuing the decision making by gathering additional information and / or changing the structure of the original decision model . if the latter option is chosen , one or more of the steps are repeated until a final decision is made . any combination of some or all of the foregoing steps is contemplated . fig2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an integrated multi - criteria decision system 120 , according to some embodiments . the integrated multi - criteria decision system can include the decision strategy module 102 , the balance sheet module 104 , the decision dashboard module 106 , the ranking module 108 , the direct weighting module 110 , the aph module 112 , memory 114 , one or more processors 116 , and a display 118 . the decision strategy module 102 is optional and can be configured to help the decision makers define the decision goal , the alternatives to be considered , and / or the criteria that will be used to compare the alternatives relative to the goal . once the decision parameters are defined ( either through use of the decision strategy module or some other means ), in the next step decision parameters can be summarized along with the information available . this can be accomplished in the balance sheet module 104 . the result can be a balance sheet table with one column for every decision criterion and one row for every alternative , as illustrated in fig3 for example . a database 122 can provide summaries of current data regarding outcomes expected for different alternatives categorized based on common decision criteria . in the context of evaluating medical treatment options , decision criteria can include , for example , effectiveness , risk of side effects , and cost . these links can be maintained throughout the entire framework . in some aspects the database can be an online database accessible via a network , such the internet , a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ), a metropolitan area network ( man ), or the like , or a combination thereof . as illustrated in fig1 a , after reviewing the balance sheet table , a decision maker can decide to make a decision , redefine the decision parameters , or continue to explore the decision by moving on to any other module in the multi - criteria decision system . the decision dashboard module 106 can present the decision - related information contained in the balance sheet table graphically , using the display module , and can allow the decision makers to interactively explore the data . after reviewing the dashboard , the decision makers can decide to make a decision , refine the decision parameters by adding or deleting alternatives and / or criteria , retrace previous steps , or continue to explore the decision by moving on to the next step in the framework , the ranking module ( e . g ., ordinal ranking module ), or any other module in the framework . the ordinal ranking module 108 can engage the user in analyzing the decision by rank ordering the priorities of the criteria relative to the goal of the decision and the alternatives relative to the criteria . the latter step can be taken if the ranks of the alternatives relative to a criterion cannot be determined objectively . these ordinal rankings can then be combined to create a numeric score indicating how well the alternatives can be expected to meet the goal based on the input provided by the user . if desired , sensitivity analyses can be performed to determine the effects of changing the initial set of rankings . at this point , the decision makers can decide to make a decision , refine the decision parameters by adding or deleting alternatives and / or criteria , retrace previous steps , or continue to explore the decision by moving on to the either the next step in the framework , direct weighting module , or any other module in the system . in the direct weighting module 110 , users can directly assess the priorities assigned to decision criteria and the evaluations of the alternatives relative to the criteria . because the decision maker ( s ) can assign all weights used in the analysis , this step may involve judgments regarding both the criteria and the alternatives . once the weights are determined they can be combined to generate the overall score indicating the alternatives &# 39 ; priorities relative to the goal based on the input provided by the user . if desired , sensitivity analyses can then be performed to examine the effects of changing the initial set of weights . at this point , the decision makers can decide to make a decision , refine the decision parameters by adding or deleting alternatives and / or criteria , retrace previous steps , or continue to explore the decision by moving on to the ahp module . the ahp module 112 can engage the user in a full multi - criteria analysis of the decision using the ahp , a well - known and widely used multi - criteria method . the ahp can extend the sophistication of the analysis beyond simple direct weighting by : a ) deriving weights through a series of pairwise comparisons among the elements being compared , b ) providing information about the consistency of the pairwise judgments in the analysis , and c ) providing a thorough theoretical background for the weighting and score - generating process . once the weights are determined , they can be combined to generate the overall score indicating the alternatives &# 39 ; priorities relative to the goal based on the input provided by the user . if desired , sensitivity analyses can then be performed . further details of this process are provided below . at this point , the decision makers can decide to make a decision , retrace previous steps , or continue to explore the decision in some other way . one or more of the decision strategy module 102 , the balance sheet module 104 , the dashboard module 106 , the ordinal ranking module 108 , the direct weighting module 110 , the aph module 112 , or another module ( not shown ) can be configured to determine whether at least one response is inconsistent with another received response , such as a response received by another module . for example , the direct weighting module 110 can be configured to evaluate whether responses to directed weighting queries are inconsistent with responses received by the ordinal ranking module 108 to a set of ordinal ranking queries to determine whether the response are congruent . as another example , the aph module 112 can be configured to compare the responses receive by the ordinal ranking module 108 , the direct weighting module 110 , or both are congruent with each other and / or with responses to pairwise comparisons . in response to determining existence of an inconsistency among analyzed responses , the module ( s ) can perform at least one of : ( a ) displaying a notice regarding the inconsistency , ( b ) displaying a resolution query directed to resolution of the inconsistency , ( c ) identifying at least one objectively incorrect understanding of a user indicated by the inconsistency and displaying information directed to correction of the understanding , or ( d ) notifying a health care provider of the inconsistency . a notification of the inconsistency can be provided to a decision maker , person supporting the decision maker , or other interested individual . for example , the notification can be provided a patient , a family member of a patient , a physician , or other health care worker . the notification can prompt the notified individual to take remedial action . upon detection of an incongruence , one or more queries can be presented such that responses to those quires resolves the incongruence . inconsistency - resolution queries can be presented before , after , or together with a notification of the incongruence . for example , a individual , e . g ., system user , can be notified that response a conflicts with response b and requested to revise one of the response a and response b . as another example , an individual can be presented with a query that has not been presented to the individual in the same session and that resolves a conflict between prior responses . in some embodiments , one or more of the decision strategy module 102 , the balance sheet module 104 , the dashboard module 106 , the ordinal ranking module 108 , the direct weighting module 110 , the aph module 112 , or another module ( not shown ) can be configured to store , in a non - transitory computer - readable medium , data indicative of at least one of ( i ) responses received by that module , other modules , or both , and ( ii ) a set of criteria weights determined based on the received responses . the data can be transmitted over a network to be stored in non - transitory computer - readable medium at a remote location . a calculation module can be configured to calculate a composite score for an additional alternative , e . g ., treatment option , not presented to a user during a session when the responses were received , based on ( 1 ) data indicative of attributes of the additional alternative , and ( 2 ) at least a portion of the stored data . an output module can be configured to output an indicator of the composite score . the calculation module , the output module , or both can operate remotely , in time , space or both , from the decision strategy module 102 , the balance sheet module 104 , the dashboard module 106 , the ordinal ranking module 108 , the direct weighting module 110 , and / the aph module 112 . in some embodiments , the indicator of the composite score can be used to determine whether to present the decision maker with information regarding the additional alternative . in some embodiments , the indicator of the composite score can comprise an indication of a potential preference for the additional alternative ( e . g ., treatment option ) over at least one other alternative ( e . g ., treatment option ). in some embodiments , the indicator of the composite score can comprise an indication of potential preference for the additional alternative over all of the alternative that were presented or available to the decision maker during the session when the responses were received and stored . in some embodiments , the indicator of the composite score can comprise an indication that the composite score of the additional alternative is better than the composite score of at least one other alternative . in some embodiments , the indicator of the composite score can comprise an indication that the composite score of the additional alternative is better than composite scores of all of the alternative that were presented or available to the decision maker during the session when the responses were received and stored . in some embodiments , the output module can be configured to display the composite score . the calculation module can be configured in some embodiments to calculate a composite score for the alternatives presented or available to the user at the time responses were received based on ( 1 ) data indicative of attributes of the plurality of alternatives relative to the at least two criteria , and ( 2 ) at least a portion of one of ( i ) the received indicator responses or ( ii ) the set of criteria weights . the data indicative of the alternatives &# 39 ; attributes can be the same what was used as the basis of the user &# 39 ; s responses to the decision strategy module 102 , the balance sheet module 104 , the dashboard module 106 , the ordinal ranking module 108 , the direct weighting module 110 , and / the aph module 112 . in some embodiments , the data can be different that what was used at that time . for example , at the time of calculating composite scores after a session when responses were received , the merits of a particular alternative may have changed . for example , the cost of a particular alternative may increase or decrease over time . the integrated multi - criteria decision system can be implemented on a client device or a server . by way of illustration and not limitation , a client device can represent a computer , a mobile phone , a laptop computer , a thin client device , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a portable computing device , or a suitable device with a processor . in one example , a client device can be a smartphone ( e . g ., iphone , android phone , blackberry , etc .). in one example , a client device can be mobile . in another example , a client device can be stationary . according to one aspect of the disclosure , a client device can be a device having at least a processor and memory , where the total amount of memory of the client device could be less than the total amount of memory in a server . in one example , a client device does not have a hard disk . in one aspect , a client device has a display smaller than a display supported by a server . in one aspect , a client device can include one or more client devices . in some embodiments , a server can represent a computer , a laptop computer , a computing device , a virtual machine ( e . g ., vmware ® virtual machine ), a desktop session ( e . g ., microsoft terminal server ), a published application ( e . g ., microsoft terminal server ) or a suitable device with a processor . in some embodiments , a server can be stationary . in some embodiments , a server can be mobile . in certain configurations , a server can be any device that can represent a client device . in some embodiments , a server can include one or more servers . fig3 is a simplified example of a table 300 generated by a balance sheet module 104 , such as shown in fig2 , according to some embodiments . the balance sheet table can be automatically generated by the balance sheet module . the balance sheet table includes a number of columns each representing a criteria ( e . g ., criteria a , b , c and d ) defined by a user ( e . g ., a decision maker ). also defined by the user are a number of alternatives ( e . g ., alternatives 1 , 2 , and 3 ). the cells in the table can contain information that describes the performance of each alternative relative to a criterion . for example , the cell denoted al can contain information about how well alternative 1 performs on criterion a . fig4 is an example of an interactive decision dashboard 400 , according to some embodiments . the decision dashboard module 106 can support decision making by presenting the information that is used in making the choice in a structured format ( steps 202 and 204 of the multi - criteria decision making framework of fig1 b ). decision dashboards can differ from balance sheets in the way the information is presented . as illustrated in fig4 , the dashboard 400 can present information graphically using formats designed to enhance understanding of the differences that exist among the decision options . interactive dashboards provide users with the ability to actively explore the information being presented by obtaining additional information about the alternatives and modifying the information displayed . although fig4 illustrates an implementation of a dashboard 400 via a browser , the dashboard can be implemented in other ways in some embodiments . for example , the dashboard , and / or other aspects of the subject technology ( e . g ., of the framework 100 or system 120 for example ) can be implemented using a dedicated application running on specific or general use hardware . in some embodiments , the subject technology can be implemented via a mobile device such as a phone or tablet computer , for example . in some embodiments , the dashboard 400 can illustrate differences between treatment options for treating a disease such as a pain related to osteoarthritis of the knee . information about the relative abilities of the alternatives relative to each decision criterion can be shown in separate panels . in the example dashboard shown in fig4 , five panels 402 , 404 , 406 , 408 , 410 are shown that summarize the relative performance of the treatment alternatives with regard to each of the included drug ( medication ) information categories . in four of the panels 402 , 404 , 406 , 408 , relative performances are shown graphically . as illustrated in fig4 , graphical representations can comprise bar graphs with a bar indicating how well a particular alternative performs relative to the criterion of a particular panel . other graphical representations can be used in some embodiments . buttons 412 for obtaining additional category - specific information can be included within some or all of the panels , as illustrated in fig4 for each of four panels 402 , 404 , 406 , 408 , but not for the panel 410 that corresponds to the administration category . in response to inputs received in response to selection of a button 412 , the dashboard module 106 can display more information about the alternatives relative to the criterion of the panel corresponding to the selected button 412 . buttons 414 , shown in fig4 at the bottom left of the display , can be used to prioritize the importance of each drug information category in making a treatment choice . a set of buttons 414 with each button representing a different priority can be provided for each criterion . as illustrated in fig4 for example , a selected priority level for a criterion can be displayed in a corresponding panel 402 , 404 , 406 , 408 . buttons 416 , shown in fig4 at the bottom right of the display , can be used to determine which alternatives ( e . g ., drugs in fig4 ) are included in the display . some panels , such as panel 410 , can indicates text descriptions , for example regarding various administration options . buttons 416 can be displayed as check boxes . in response to inputs received in response to selection of a button 416 , the dashboard module 106 can hide or display information about the corresponding alternative . one or more buttons 416 can be provided for each criterion . for example , one button 416 can toggle display of an alternative or separate buttons 416 can be provide to select display or omission of a criterion . fig5 is an example of a user interface 500 generated by the ranking module 108 , such as shown in fig2 , according to some embodiments . the user interface can receive user inputs via a number of selection options 502 . for example , the queries can request that a user input via radio buttons the criterion that the user considers most important , second most important , etc . the ranking module 108 presents queries requesting users to rank order the criteria in terms of their importance in meeting the decision goal and the alternatives relative to their abilities to fulfill each of the decision criteria . these rank order judgments can then be converted into numeric scores 504 that , when combined , can create a measure of how well the alternatives can be expected to meet the goal based on the input provided by the user . although the embodiment illustrated in fig6 indicates that the “ first step in exploring your options is to rank order the difference among the treatment options based on how important they are to you in making your decision ,” such a step is not the first in some embodiments that include it , and such a step can be omitted in some embodiments . fig6 is an example of a user interface 600 generated by the direct weighting module 110 , such as shown in fig2 , according to some embodiments . the direct weighting module of fig2 can ask user ( s ) ( e . g ., decision maker ( s )) to directly assess the priorities assigned to decision criteria and the evaluations of the alternatives relative to the criteria . because the decision maker ( s ) can assign all weights used in the analysis , this step may involve rank order judgments regarding both the criteria and the alternatives . the user interface can show graphs representing an overall score 602 , a summary of option evaluations 604 , and sliders 606 to receive user inputs . the graphs 602 , 604 summarize the results of the analysis . user input can be received via a series of sliders 606 used to adjust the weights . the sliders can adjust the weights of the major decision criteria and sub - criteria included in a decision making scenario . for example , in a disease treatment scenario , the user input can include , importance related to treatment , importance of minimizing risk of side effects , importance of out - of - pocket treatment and so on . the user input can also include inputs regarding effectiveness is controlling symptoms of the disease or risks of serious side effects . fig7 shows a table 700 of information related to several drugs , such as generated by a balance sheet module 104 in some embodiments . the drugs shown in fig7 can correspond to the options shown in the decision dashboard of fig4 , in some embodiments . table 700 can summarize the treatment - related information included in the dashboard of fig4 . to avoid respondent bias due to past treatment experiences or name recognition , the options on the dashboard can be identified using arbitrary letters rather than , for example , the actual drug names , where the decision making is related to selection of a drug for treating a disease . note that the data indicate that two options , e . g ., non - steroidal anti - inflammatory ( nsaid ) drugs plus misoprostol and non - steroidal anti - inflammatory drugs and proton pump inhibitors ( ppis ), can be considered inferior choices because other treatment options are available that are better with respect to every medication characteristic being considered . a study was conducted to quantitatively evaluate a dashboard according to an embodiment . fig8 shows a table 800 summarizing characteristics of participants in the study . the majority of participants were white women with at least an associate &# 39 ; s degree and good to excellent literacy and numeracy skills . they were recruited in almost equal proportions from office and departmental staff , patient volunteers , and clinical trial website respondents . fig9 a - b is a table illustrating results of a quantitative dashboard evolution . the responses incorporated in fig9 a and 9b show consistently positive answers for questions concerning mechanical and cognitive ease of use , decision aiding effectiveness , and effectiveness in reducing decisional conflict by providing needed information , clarifying values , and easing uncertainty . there seems to be no evidence of adverse emotional consequences . fig1 is a diagram illustrating ratings shown in the tables of fig9 a - b , according to some embodiments . the diagram summarizes the ratings and evaluation results shown in fig9 a - b . the vertical axis indicates the average rating and the horizontal axis shows abbreviations representing categories presented in fig9 a and 9b . the abbreviations include : mech = mechanical ease of use scale ( 4 items ); cog = cognitive ease of use scale ( 7 items ); emo = emotional ease of use scale ( 3 items ); dae = decision aiding effectiveness scale ( 7 items ); dcsi = decisional conflict scale , informed sub - scale ; dcsv = decisional conflict scale , values sub - scale ; dcsu = decisional conflict scale , uncertainty sub - scale . some embodiments can be implemented in a system including a server and a client device . when a client device and a server are remote with respect to each other , a client device may connect to a server over a network , for example , via a modem connection , a lan connection including the ethernet or a broadband wan connection including dsl , cable , t1 , t3 , fiber optics , wi - fi , or a mobile network connection including gsm , gprs , 3g , wimax or other network connection . a network can be a lan network , a wan network , a wireless network , the internet , an intranet or other network . a network may include one or more routers for routing data between client devices and / or servers . a remote device ( e . g ., client device , server ) on a network may be addressed by a corresponding network address , such as , but not limited to , an internet protocol ( ip ) address , an internet name , a windows internet name service ( wins ) name , a domain name or other system name . these illustrate some examples as to how one device may be remote to another device . but the subject technology is not limited to these examples . fig1 is a conceptual block diagram illustrating an example of a system , in accordance with various embodiments of the subject technology . a system 1101 may be , for example , a client device ( e . g ., client device 102 ) or a server ( e . g ., server 106 ). the system 1101 may include a processing system 1102 . the processing system 1102 is capable of communication with a receiver 1106 and a transmitter 1109 through a bus 1104 or other structures or devices . it should be understood that communication means other than busses can be utilized with the disclosed configurations . the processing system 1102 can generate audio , video , multimedia , and / or other types of data to be provided to the transmitter 1109 for communication . in addition , audio , video , multimedia , and / or other types of data can be received at the receiver 1106 , and processed by the processing system 1102 . the processing system 1102 may include a processor for executing instructions and may further include a machine - readable medium 1119 , such as a volatile or non - volatile memory , for storing data and / or instructions for software programs . the instructions , which may be stored in a machine - readable medium 1110 and / or 1119 , may be executed by the processing system 1102 to control and manage access to the various networks , as well as provide other communication and processing functions . the instructions may also include instructions executed by the processing system 1102 for various user interface devices , such as a display 1112 and a keypad 1114 . the processing system 1102 may include an input port 1122 and an output port 1124 . each of the input port 1122 and the output port 1124 may include one or more ports . the input port 1122 and the output port 1124 may be the same port ( e . g ., a bi - directional port ) or may be different ports . the processing system 1102 may be implemented using software , hardware , or a combination of both . by way of example , the processing system 1102 may be implemented with one or more processors . a processor may be a general - purpose microprocessor , a microcontroller , a digital signal processor ( dsp ), an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), a field programmable gate array ( fpga ), a programmable logic device ( pld ), a controller , a state machine , gated logic , discrete hardware components , or any other suitable device that can perform calculations or other manipulations of information . a machine - readable medium can be one or more machine - readable media . software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions , data , or any combination thereof , whether referred to as software , firmware , middleware , microcode , hardware description language , or otherwise . instructions may include code ( e . g ., in source code format , binary code format , executable code format , or any other suitable format of code ). machine - readable media ( e . g ., 1119 ) may include storage integrated into a processing system , such as might be the case with an asic . machine - readable media ( e . g ., 1110 ) may also include storage external to a processing system , such as a random access memory ( ram ), a flash memory , a read only memory ( rom ), a programmable read - only memory ( prom ), an erasable prom ( eprom ), registers , a hard disk , a removable disk , a cd - rom , a dvd , or any other suitable storage device . those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality for the processing system 1102 . according to one aspect of the disclosure , a machine - readable medium is a computer - readable medium encoded or stored with instructions and is a computing element , which defines structural and functional interrelationships between the instructions and the rest of the system , which permit the instructions &# 39 ; functionality to be realized . in one aspect , a machine - readable medium is a non - transitory machine - readable medium , a machine - readable storage medium , or a non - transitory machine - readable storage medium . in one aspect , a computer - readable medium is a non - transitory computer - readable medium , a computer - readable storage medium , or a non - transitory computer - readable storage medium . instructions may be executable , for example , by a client device or server or by a processing system of a client device or server . instructions can be , for example , a computer program including code . an interface 1116 may be any type of interface and may reside between any of the components shown in fig1 . an interface 1116 may also be , for example , an interface to the outside world ( e . g ., an internet network interface ). a transceiver block 1107 may represent one or more transceivers , and each transceiver may include a receiver 1106 and a transmitter 1109 . a functionality implemented in a processing system 1102 may be implemented in a portion of a receiver 1106 , a portion of a transmitter 1109 , a portion of a machine - readable medium 1110 , a portion of a display 1112 , a portion of a keypad 1114 , or a portion of an interface 1116 , and vice versa . fig1 illustrates a simplified diagram of a system 1200 , in accordance with various embodiments of the subject technology . the system 1200 may include one ore more remote client devices 1202 ( e . g ., client devices 1202 a , 1202 b , 1202 c , and 1202 d ) in communication with a server computing device 1206 ( server ) via a network 1204 . in some embodiments , the server 1206 is configured to run applications that may be accessed and controlled at the client devices 1202 . for example , a user at a client device 1202 may use a web browser to access and control an application running on the server 1206 over the network 1204 . in some embodiments , the server 1206 is configured to allow remote sessions ( e . g ., remote desktop sessions ) wherein users can access applications and files on the server 1206 by logging onto the server 1206 from a client device 1202 . such a connection may be established using any of several well - known techniques such as the remote desktop protocol ( rdp ) on a windows - based server . by way of illustration and not limitation , in one aspect of the disclosure , stated from a perspective of a server side ( treating a server as a local device and treating a client device as a remote device ), a server application is executed ( or runs ) at a server 1206 . while a remote client device 1202 may receive and display a view of the server application on a display local to the remote client device 1202 , the remote client device 1202 does not execute ( or run ) the server application at the remote client device 1202 . stated in another way from a perspective of the client side ( treating a server as remote device and treating a client device as a local device ), a remote application is executed ( or runs ) at a remote server 1206 . by way of illustration and not limitation , a client device 1202 can represent a computer , a mobile phone , a laptop computer , a thin client device , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a portable computing device , or a suitable device with a processor . in one example , a client device 1202 is a smartphone ( e . g ., iphone , android phone , blackberry , etc .). in certain configurations , a client device 1202 can represent an audio player , a game console , a camera , a camcorder , an audio device , a video device , a multimedia device , or a device capable of supporting a connection to a remote server . in one example , a client device 1202 can be mobile . in another example , a client device 1202 can be stationary . according to one aspect of the disclosure , a client device 1202 may be a device having at least a processor and memory , where the total amount of memory of the client device 1202 could be less than the total amount of memory in a server 1206 . in one example , a client device 1202 does not have a hard disk . in one aspect , a client device 1202 has a display smaller than a display supported by a server 1206 . in one aspect , a client device may include one or more client devices . in some embodiments , a server 1206 may represent a computer , a laptop computer , a computing device , a virtual machine ( e . g ., vmware ® virtual machine ), a desktop session ( e . g ., microsoft terminal server ), a published application ( e . g ., microsoft terminal server ) or a suitable device with a processor . in some embodiments , a server 1206 can be stationary . in some embodiments , a server 1206 can be mobile . in certain configurations , a server 1206 may be any device that can represent a client device . in some embodiments , a server 1206 may include one or more servers . in one example , a first device is remote to a second device when the first device is not directly connected to the second device . in one example , a first remote device may be connected to a second device over a communication network such as a local area network ( lan ), a wide area network ( wan ), and / or other network . when a client device 1202 and a server 1206 are remote with respect to each other , a client device 1202 may connect to a server 1206 over a network 1204 , for example , via a modem connection , a lan connection including the ethernet or a broadband wan connection including dsl , cable , t1 , t3 , fiber optics , wi - fi , or a mobile network connection including gsm , gprs , 3g , wimax or other network connection . a network 1204 can be a lan network , a wan network , a wireless network , the internet , an intranet or other network . a network 1204 may include one or more routers for routing data between client devices and / or servers . a remote device ( e . g ., client device , server ) on a network may be addressed by a corresponding network address , such as , but not limited to , an internet protocol ( ip ) address , an internet name , a windows internet name service ( wins ) name , a domain name or other system name . these illustrate some examples as to how one device may be remote to another device . but the subject technology is not limited to these examples . according to certain embodiments of the subject technology , the terms “ server ” and “ remote server ” are generally used synonymously in relation to a client device , and the word “ remote ” may indicate that a server is in communication with other device ( s ), for example , over a network connection ( s ). according to certain embodiments of the subject technology , the terms “ client device ” and “ remote client device ” are generally used synonymously in relation to a server , and the word “ remote ” may indicate that a client device is in communication with a server ( s ), for example , over a network connection ( s ). in some embodiments , a “ client device ” may be sometimes referred to as a client or vice versa . similarly , a “ server ” may be sometimes referred to as a server device or vice versa . in some embodiments , the terms “ local ” and “ remote ” are relative terms , and a client device may be referred to as a local client device or a remote client device , depending on whether a client device is described from a client side or from a server side , respectively . similarly , a server may be referred to as a local server or a remote server , depending on whether a server is described from a server side or from a client side , respectively . furthermore , an application running on a server may be referred to as a local application , if described from a server side , and may be referred to as a remote application , if described from a client side . in some embodiments , devices placed on a client side ( e . g ., devices connected directly to a client device ( s ) or to one another using wires or wirelessly ) may be referred to as local devices with respect to a client device and remote devices with respect to a server . similarly , devices placed on a server side ( e . g ., devices connected directly to a server ( s ) or to one another using wires or wirelessly ) may be referred to as local devices with respect to a server and remote devices with respect to a client device . as used herein , the word “ module ” refers to logic embodied in hardware or firmware , or to a collection of software instructions , possibly having entry and exit points , written in a programming language , such as , for example c ++. a software module may be compiled and linked into an executable program , installed in a dynamic link library , or may be written in an interpretive language such as basic . it will be appreciated that software modules may be callable from other modules or from themselves , and / or may be invoked in response to detected events or interrupts . software instructions may be embedded in firmware , such as an eprom or eeprom . it will be further appreciated that hardware modules may be comprised of connected logic units , such as gates and flip - flops , and / or may be comprised of programmable units , such as programmable gate arrays or processors . the modules described herein are preferably implemented as software modules , but may be represented in hardware or firmware . it is contemplated that the modules may be integrated into a fewer number of modules . one module may also be separated into multiple modules . the described modules may be implemented as hardware , software , firmware or any combination thereof . additionally , the described modules may reside at different locations connected through a wired or wireless network , or the internet . in general , it will be appreciated that the processors can include , by way of example , computers , program logic , or other substrate configurations representing data and instructions , which operate as described herein . in other embodiments , the processors can include controller circuitry , processor circuitry , processors , general purpose single - chip or multi - chip microprocessors , digital signal processors , embedded microprocessors , microcontrollers and the like . furthermore , it will be appreciated that in one embodiment , the program logic may advantageously be implemented as one or more components . the components may advantageously be configured to execute on one or more processors . the components include , but are not limited to , software or hardware components , modules such as software modules , object - oriented software components , class components and task components , processes methods , functions , attributes , procedures , subroutines , segments of program code , drivers , firmware , microcode , circuitry , data , databases , data structures , tables , arrays , and variables . the foregoing description is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to practice the various configurations described herein . while the subject technology has been particularly described with reference to the various figures and configurations , it should be understood that these are for illustration purposes only and should not be taken as limiting the scope of the subject technology . there may be many other ways to implement the subject technology . various functions and elements described herein may be partitioned differently from those shown without departing from the scope of the subject technology . various modifications to these configurations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and generic principles defined herein may be applied to other configurations . thus , many changes and modifications may be made to the subject technology , by one having ordinary skill in the art , without departing from the scope of the subject technology . it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches . based upon design preferences , it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged . some of the steps may be performed simultaneously . the accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order , and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented . terms such as “ top ,” “ bottom ,” “ front ,” “ rear ” and the like as used in this disclosure should be understood as referring to an arbitrary frame of reference , rather than to the ordinary gravitational frame of reference . thus , a top surface , a bottom surface , a front surface , and a rear surface may extend upwardly , downwardly , diagonally , or horizontally in a gravitational frame of reference . furthermore , to the extent that the term “ include ,” “ have ,” or the like is used in the description or the claims , such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “ comprise ” as “ comprise ” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim . the word “ exemplary ” is used herein to mean “ serving as an example , instance , or illustration .” any embodiment described herein as “ exemplary ” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments . a reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean “ one and only one ” unless specifically stated , but rather “ one or more .” pronouns in the masculine ( e . g ., his ) include the feminine and neuter gender ( e . g ., her and its ) and vice versa . the term “ some ” refers to one or more . underlined and / or italicized headings and subheadings are used for convenience only , do not limit the subject technology , and are not referred to in connection with the interpretation of the description of the subject technology . all structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various configurations described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and intended to be encompassed by the subject technology . moreover , nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the above description . while certain aspects and embodiments of the invention have been described , these have been presented by way of example only , and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . indeed , the novel methods and systems described herein may be embodied in a variety of other forms without departing from the spirit thereof . the accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the invention .	6
other features and advantages of the invention can be derived from the description below of an example of embodiment with reference to the attached figures , which show : fig1 : a schematic perspective view of a vehicle body according to the invention with the top up , fig2 : the same car body with the roof partially folded , fig4 : a vertical partial section through the car body transversely to the direction of travel with the top stowed , and fig5 : the car body in the position of fig1 but with the roof part omitted . fig1 is a perspective view of a motor vehicle body of hardtop design with a folding top according to the invention . the bottom part of the body with the hood 1 , front and rear fenders 2 , 3 , door 4 and load space hatch 5 is conventional and need not be explained in detail . the upper part of the body includes the windshield part 6 with a windshield held between a columns 7 and a cross member 8 , a windshield part 9 , a stiff roof part 10 and a rear window part 11 extending above the passenger compartment 12 . the roof part formed from a metal sheet 10 is detachably connected with its front edge to the cross member 8 and with its rear edge to the upper edge of the rear window part 11 . besides by connection to the adjacent body part the roof part 10 is supported on each side of the body by a pair of supporting beams 13 which are hinge - jointed to the roof part 10 and are capable of being tilted by a drive mechanism concealed in the rear fender 3 . the rear window part 11 is capable of swiveling about an axis which lies on its base slightly below the level of the storage space hatch 5 . in order to fold the top , first the rear window part 11 is tipped slightly upward in the direction of the arrow p 1 in order to release the connection between the upper edge of the rear window part 11 and the rear edge of the roof part 10 . the roof part 10 can now be folded away backward by swiveling the supporting beams 13 . the length of the supporting beams 13 and the position of their hinge axes , on the one hand on the fender 3 , on the other on the roof part 10 , is selected in such a way that the roof part 10 moves as a result of the backward tilting of the supporting beams 13 first into a steep position slightly to the rear , as shown in fig2 , so that the rear edge of the roof part 10 can be concealed under the rear window part 11 . when the swiveling support 13 has reached the end of its freedom of movement , the roof part 10 is in an approximately horizontal orientation slightly below the upper edge 18 of the door 4 and rear fender 3 . since the windows on the opposite side of the body are closer together in the upward direction , the width of the roof part 10 is slightly smaller than the distance between the upper edges of the rear fenders . therefore there is no difficulty in lowering the roof part 10 in this orientation slightly below the level of the upper edge 18 . thus it covers , if present , a rear seat ( not shown ) in the passenger compartment 12 . between a seat cushion of the rear seat and the roof part 10 in this case a storage space will remain which can be used for small luggage . in order to install more luggage in the storage compartment the rear seat can be designed to be removable so that it can be removed before the roof is closed . such a removal of the seat , however , is not necessary for the folding process . when the roof part 10 has reached its stowed position the rear window part 11 is also folded down in the direction of the arrow p 2 until ultimately — disregarding convexities present for aerodynamic reasons — it comes to lie flush with the storage space hatch 5 and the upper edge 18 of the rear fender 3 in the position shown in fig3 . in order for the roof part 10 to be covered completely by the rear window part 11 when the roof is stowed , the roof must be the longer of the two parts . its length is selected such that in the stowed state in fig3 it closes the rear part of the passenger compartment 12 essentially completely but without impairing the adjustability of the front seat 14 in the forward / backward direction . part of the roof part 10 in this position is visible through the flat - lying rear window 15 . since the roof part 10 in the folded down state does not protrude backward past the swivel axis of the rear window part , the storage space under the luggage hatch 5 is completely unimpaired by the stowing of the roof . since the moving parts 10 , 11 in the folded state are not concealed under their own lid but rather the rear window part 11 remains freely visible , a simple economically realizable structure of the folding top results . fig4 shows a vertical partial section through the car body with the top . one recognizes the rear window part 11 with the rear window 15 lying approximately flush with the upper edge 18 of the fender 3 and below it the roof part 10 . since the roof part 10 is somewhat narrower than the rear window part 11 , it fits with minimal space requirements between the side flanks 16 of the rear window part 11 which , in the open state of the roof , as shown in fig1 , assume the function of c columns . toward its upper edge where the rear window part 11 tapers to the width of the roof part 10 the pulled down flanks 16 become increasingly narrower so that there also no space problems arise , and the roof part 10 can be positioned practically parallel to the rear window 15 . to illustrate the supporting structures fig5 shows once more the car body in the configuration of fig1 but without the roof part 10 . here one recognizes that the supporting beams 13 are connected as one part in pairs to the opposite sides of the car body in each case by straight cross members 17 , which extend transversely below the roof part 10 and are hinge jointed to it . this one - part joining of the supporting beams 13 to each other provides considerable stiffening or reinforcement of the roof construction which acts as a roll bar in the event of an accident .	1
the innovation is now described with reference to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout . in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding thereof . it may be evident , however , that the innovation can be practiced without these specific details . referring initially to the drawings , fig1 depicts a perspective view of one embodiment of the improved mounting device 100 of the present invention securely attached to a portion of a mlok rail 10 . by way of background , mlok rail 10 is an elongated bracket that may be attached to a firearm to provide a standard mounting platform for accessories and attachments such as a scope , light , bayonet and the like . rail 10 is typically comprised of a top 12 , an opposing bottom 14 , sides 16 and a continuous opening 18 that extends from top 12 to bottom 14 . the improved mounting device 100 of the present invention is preferably comprised of an upper portion 110 , a lower portion 140 removably attached to said upper portion 110 through the use of fasteners 190 and a locking mechanism 170 for detachably securing device 100 to rail 10 without the need for external tools . except as otherwise stated herein , device 100 is preferably comprised of durable materials , such as metal , plastic , etc . as best illustrated in fig1 and 6 , upper portion 110 is a generally elongated member that is comprised of a top 111 , an opposing bottom 112 , a pair of opposing side slots 114 , a rear end 115 and a front end 116 . top 111 is also comprised of a plurality of raised spaced apart lugs or ridges 1110 , with channels 1112 located between said ridges 1110 and formed by said ridges 1110 . opposing side slots 114 preferably extend between rear end 115 and front end 116 and are useful for attaching accessories ( such as a scope , light , bayonet , etc .) to device 100 . bottom 112 may comprise a plurality of spaced apart threaded openings therein ( not shown ) for receipt of fasteners 190 , which are used to fixedly attach upper portion 110 to lower portion 140 as described more fully below . as best shown in fig2 - 5 , 7a , 7b and 8 , lower portion 140 is preferably an elongated member comprised of a bottom portion 141 , a pair of rails 142 extending upwardly from said bottom portion 141 , a channel 143 and a block 144 . more specifically , each of said rails 142 is spaced apart and generally parallel to the other of said rails 142 which , along with bottom portion 141 , form channel 143 , as best illustrated in fig8 and 9 . block 144 is preferably positioned within channel 143 at approximately the midpoint of channel 143 , and attached to each of said rails 142 as described more fully below . each of said rails 142 further comprises a top 1420 , one or more continuous fastener openings 1422 extending from said top 1420 through bottom portion 141 for receipt of a fastener 190 , and a pin seat 1424 , as best illustrated in fig8 and 9 . pin seat 1424 further comprises a continuous pin seat opening 1426 that extends from the top surface of pin seat 1424 through bottom portion 141 , as described more fully below . in a further preferred embodiment of the present invention , and as best illustrated in fig4 , 7a , 7b , 9 and 9a , device 100 preferably comprises a side wedge 150 and side wedge spring 160 . side wedge 150 is further comprised of a generally d - shaped head portion 152 and a smaller , generally d - shaped body portion 156 . d - shaped head portion 152 is further comprised of a generally flat face 153 and a spring seat 154 , as best shown in fig9 a . similarly , generally d - shaped body portion 156 is further comprised of an inclined face portion 157 , which is preferably at an angle of between 5 and 15 degrees from the vertical plane ( which is parallel to opening 18 ). in this preferred embodiment of the present invention , lower portion 140 is further comprised of a generally d - shaped side wedge opening 145 that extends from top 142 through bottom portion 141 for receipt of side wedge 150 , and a side wedge seat 1452 , as best shown in fig9 and 9a . the purpose and function of side wedge 150 and side wedge spring 160 is further described below . as best shown in fig2 - 9a , device 100 is preferably also comprised of two locking mechanisms 170 . each of locking mechanisms 170 is preferably comprised of a releasing pin 170 , a channel spring 174 , a pin spring 176 and a wedge 178 . releasing pin 172 is further comprised of a body portion 1720 for insertion into pin seat opening 1426 and a head 1722 . head 1722 is shaped and sized to be capable of travelling in and out of pin seat 1424 , as described more fully below . as best illustrated in fig7 a and 7b , channel spring 174 is an elongated spring that is positioned within channel 143 between block 144 and wedge 178 for applying biased tension against wedge 178 , as described more fully below . pin spring 176 is an elongated spring that is positioned between bottom 112 of upper portion 110 and head 1722 of releasing pin 172 for applying biased tension against releasing pin 172 , as described more fully below . as best shown in fig5 and 9 , wedge 178 is preferably comprised of a top surface 1780 , a bottom surface 1782 , an inboard side 1784 with an indentation 1785 therein and a latch portion 1786 . more specifically , latch portion 1786 extends downwardly and outwardly from bottom surface 1782 of wedge 178 . wedge 178 is positioned within channel 143 immediately adjacent channel spring 174 opposite of block 144 . more specifically , channel spring 174 sits partially within a spring seat 1783 in wedge 178 . as shown in fig7 a , 7b , 8 and 9 , in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , a second locking mechanism 170 is located in the opposite end of channel 143 on the other side of block 144 and functions in the same manner . having now described the general structure of a preferred embodiment of device 100 , its function will now be described in general terms . fig4 is a bottom perspective view of the device 100 of the present invention in an unlocked position . when device 100 is in an unlocked position , the biased tension of pin spring 176 on head 1722 causes a section of body portion 1720 of releasing pin 172 to extend outwardly from pin seat opening 1426 and bottom portion 141 of lower portion 140 , as shown in fig4 . a user ( not shown ) desiring to securely attach improved mounting device 100 onto mlok rail 10 would simply place device 100 onto the top of rail 10 . as device 100 is placed onto rail 10 , latch portion 1786 of wedge 178 passes through opening 18 of rail 10 , and releasing pin 172 compresses pin spring 176 against bottom 112 of upper portion 110 . in an unlocked position , head 1722 of releasing pin 172 rests within pin seat 1424 adjacent to indentation 1785 on inboard side 1784 of wedge 178 , and wedge 178 is compressing channel spring 174 against block 144 . however , as pin spring 176 is compressed , head 1722 of releasing pin 172 leaves pin seat 1424 and clears the top 1420 of rail 142 thereby permitting the energy stored in channel spring 174 to be released against wedge 178 which , in turn causes wedge 178 to travel along channel 143 in a direction opposite of block 144 and for latch portion 1786 of wedge 178 to engage rail 10 , as best illustrated in fig2 . when latch portion 1786 of wedge 178 engages rail 10 , device 100 is securely and removably attached to rail 10 . fig5 depicts a bottom perspective view of device 100 in the locked position . in a further preferred embodiment of the present invention with a side wedge 150 and side wedge spring 160 installed thereon , as the user installs device 100 on rail 10 , the portion of body portion 156 that extends outwardly from side wedge opening 145 beyond bottom portion 141 comes into contact with rails 10 and inclined face 157 comes into contact with the side of rail opening 18 thereby causing side wedge spring 160 to partially compress and the incline of inclined face 157 applies pressure to rail 10 thereby reducing the likelihood and amount of lateral movement of device 100 in relation to rail 10 . when a user ( not shown ) desires to remove improved mounting device 100 from mlok rail 10 , the user simply applies pressure to the end of wedge 178 extending beyond channel 143 in the direction of channel spring 174 , thereby causing wedge 178 to travel along channel 143 and channel spring 174 to compress between wedge 178 and block 144 . as wedge 178 travels along channel 143 , latch portion 1786 of wedge 178 will disengage from rail 10 and indentation 1785 in inboard side 1784 of wedge 178 will again align with pin seat 1424 to permit receipt of head 1722 . once aligned and capable of receiving head 1722 of releasing pin 172 , the biased tension in pin spring 176 will cause head 1722 of releasing pin 172 to again be positioned within pin seat 1424 adjacent to indentation 1785 in inboard side 1784 of wedge 178 . at this time , the unlocked device 100 can be removed from mlok rail 10 , as best shown in fig6 . further , as device 100 is removed , the energy stored in compressed side wedge spring 160 is released thereby causing body portion 156 of side wedge 150 to again extend outwardly from bottom portion 141 of lower portion 140 . other variations are also within the spirit of the present invention . thus , while the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions , a certain illustrated embodiment thereof is shown in the drawings and has been described above in detail . it should be understood , however , that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form or forms disclosed , but on the contrary , the intention is to cover all modifications , alternative constructions , and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention , as defined in the appended claims . the use of the terms “ a ” and “ an ” and “ the ” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . the terms “ comprising ,” “ having ,” “ including ,” and “ containing ” are to be construed as open - ended terms ( i . e ., meaning “ including , but not limited to ,”) unless otherwise noted . the term “ connected ” is to be construed as partly or wholly contained within , attached to , or joined together , even if there is something intervening . recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range , unless otherwise indicated herein , and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein , is intended merely to better illuminate embodiments of the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention . preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein . variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventor expects skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventor intends for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context .	5
fig1 shows a front , elevational view of a water heater 5 comprising an outer shell 6 and an inner tank 6 a as shown in fig4 . the outer shell 6 of the water heater 5 has a substantially uniform curvilinear shape , which is in this embodiment substantially cylindrical . the top portion 8 of the outer shell 6 has a large radius fillet and acts as a gradual transition between the substantially cylindrical central portion 10 of the outer shell 6 and the substantially flat top 9 of the outer shell 6 . the bottom portion 12 of the outer shell 6 is also substantially cylindrical and contains at least one recess 13 . recess 13 has disposed therein a spigot 14 which may be a drain for the inner tank of the water heater 5 . the top 9 of the outer shell 6 is arranged to have pass therethrough an inlet 15 , an outlet 16 , and a pressure relief valve 17 , all arranged to be in fluidic connection with the inner tank 6 a of the water heater 5 and arranged in known manner to convey and control the flow of water through the water heater 5 . an electrical connection box 18 is mounted at the top portion 8 of the outer shell 6 and is arranged to receive electrical conductors ( not shown ) which power the heating elements ( not shown ) of the water heater 5 . the water heater 5 illustrated in fig1 also has attached thereto two junction boxes 19 . for the purposes of the present invention all junction boxes 19 are identical , irrespective of the size or shape of the water heater 5 . use of a standard junction box 19 , capable of being mounted upon any of a series of water heaters 5 having varying sizes , reduces the number of variously sized junction boxes that would otherwise be required to be kept on hand . the use of a standard junction box 19 therefore reduces overhead expenses and manufacturing costs associated with the production of the water heaters 5 . it must also be kept in mind that the box 19 may be arranged for uses other than as an electrical junction box . for instance , box 19 may be arranged to conceal or protect a valve , gauge , or spigot . for the purposes of this application the term “ electrical junction box ” should be construed to include boxes which may be mounted integral to and used in conjunction with a vessel for containing fluids as disclosed herein . fig2 illustrates in detail the construction of the junction box 19 . the junction boxes 19 are comprised of a housing member 20 and a cover 24 . the cover 24 is in turn comprised of an intermediate plate 26 and a cover panel 28 that is arranged to be releasably attachable to the intermediate plate 26 . as can be seen , the housing member 20 is comprised of a substantially rectangular housing 21 having an open outer surface defined by a plurality of curvilinear segments which form a flange 22 . the flange 22 of the housing member 20 is arranged to be complimentary with the inner surface of an area 32 of the wall of the outer shell 6 that is geometrically discontinuous , i . e . has a different curvilinear shape from the remainder of the outer shell 6 . the purpose of the area of geometric discontinuity 32 is to provide a common mounting surface on the outer shell 6 of a water heater 5 to which a junction box 19 may be attached . identical areas of geometric discontinuity 32 that are complementary to the flange 22 of the housing member 20 are formed into the outer shell 6 of each of a series of variously sized water heaters 5 , such that a standard junction box 19 that is identical for each distinctly sized water heater 5 may be attached thereto . this purpose is furthered by providing junction box 20 with an inner curved surface 25 having a radius permitting it to abut against inner shell 6 a in conforming relation thereto . insulation 11 fills the annular space between inner and outer shells 6 a and 6 . in order to facilitate the addition of necessary electrical components , the housing 20 of junction box 19 is provided with electrical conduit ports 35 at its top and bottom . conduit ports 35 permit electrical conductors ( not shown ) to be strung from the electrical connection box 12 , to the housing ( s ) 20 . where a water heater 5 has more than one junction box 19 , electrical conductors may be strung between the housings 20 of the junction boxes 19 . the electrical conductors are required to power electrical components such as heating elements ( not shown ) that may be mounted through component port 36 at the back of the housing 20 of the junction box 19 . referring next to fig4 a junction box 19 is seen as mounted to the outer shell 6 at an area of geometric discontinuity 32 . housing member 20 is mounted against the inner surface of the outer shell 6 at the area of geometric discontinuity 32 in registration with an opening 7 that is formed through the wall of the outer shell 6 . the opening 7 formed through the outer shell 6 is roughly the same size and shape as open face 23 of the housing member 20 bounded by the flange 22 . the opening 7 through the outer shell wall 6 permits communication between the exterior of the outer shell 6 and the interior of the rectangular housing 21 of the housing member 20 . the cover 24 is affixed to the outer surface of the outer shell 6 of the water heater 5 at the area of geometric discontinuity 32 in registration with the opening 7 through the outer shell wall 6 and the housing member 20 of the junction box 19 . typically , intermediate plate 26 is attached to the outer surface of the outer shell 6 by means of a mechanical fastener or an appropriate adhesive so as to secure the wall of the outer shell 6 between the flange 22 of the housing member 20 and the intermediate plate 26 as shown in fig4 . intermediate plate 26 has formed therein attachment means arranged to permit releasable attachment of the cover panel 28 to the intermediate plate 26 . the attachment means may comprise a plurality of apertures 27 arranged to mate with a plurality of tabs 29 extending from the cover panel 28 . hooks 30 formed on the distal ends of the tabs 29 extend through the apertures 27 of the intermediate plate 26 and engage the inner surface of the intermediate plate 26 to secure the cover panel 28 thereto . gentle prying pressure applied to an aperture 31 is sufficient to remove cover panel 28 from intermediate plate 26 . it is to be understood that the structure of the apertures 27 , tabs 29 , and aperture 31 may be altered significantly without exceeding the scope of the present invention . fig3 a - 3 d are a series of top plan views of the outer shell 6 illustrated in fig1 . fig3 a - 3 d illustrate the radially offset relationship between the area of standard radius and various water heater tank diameters . as indicated above , the outer shell 6 of a water heater 5 is a curvilinear substantially cylindrical shape having a substantially circular cross section as indicated in fig3 a - 3 d . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , the area of geometric discontinuity 32 comprises a curvilinear shape having a fixed radius r 1 with a center point c 1 that is offset from the center c 2 of the outer shell 6 of the water heater 5 . depending upon the requisite volume of the outer shell 6 of the water heater 5 , it is possible that the radius r 2 and center point c 2 of the outer shell 6 may be the same as the radius r 1 and center point c 1 of the area of geometric discontinuity 32 . the outer shell illustrated in fig3 a - 3 d has been variously labeled with the reference numerals 6 , 6 ′, 6 ″, and 6 ′″, respectively , to distinguish the variously sized shells of differing embodiments . note that in fig3 a and 3 b that the radii r 1 of the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 are larger than the radii r 2 of outer shell embodiments 6 and 6 ′ of the water heater 5 and that in fig3 c and 3 d that the radii r 1 geometric discontinuity 32 are smaller than the radii r 2 of outer shell embodiments 6 ″ and 6 ′″ of the water heater 5 . though the shape of the water heater 5 and area of geometric discontinuity of the present invention are , in conjunction with the preferred embodiment , described as being essentially circular in cross section , it is to be understood that various curvilinear shapes that are not essentially circular in cross section may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the present invention . for example , the present invention may be readily adapted to the outer shell of a water heater that has an elliptical cross - sectional shape or an irregular curvilinear shape . likewise , the cross - sectional shape of the area of geometric discontinuity need not be circular , but instead could be elliptical , parabolic , or even an irregular curvilinear shape . the substantially circular cross section of the outer shell 6 is modified near the area of geometric discontinuity 32 so as to create a smooth transition t therebetween . one advantage to utilizing a substantially circular area of geometric discontinuity 32 with the substantially cylindrical outer shell 6 of the water heater 5 is that the area of transition t between the area of geometric discontinuity 32 and the remainder of the outer shell 6 may be made in a manner that is unobtrusive and generally pleasing to the eye . in fig1 the outer shell 6 of the water heater 5 is illustrated as having a single vertically oriented area of geometric discontinuity 32 which extends from below the lower junction box 19 to above the upper junction box 19 . while the embodiment of fig1 is the preferred embodiment of the present invention , it is to be understood that an area of geometric discontinuity 32 need only be large enough to permit a single junction box 19 to be mounted thereto . therefore , the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 may be varied in size , number , and location , depending upon the desired number and arrangement of junction boxes required for a given water heater 5 without exceeding the scope of the present invention . for example , the water heater outer shell 6 may comprise a single vertically oriented area of geometric discontinuity 32 that extends over substantially the entire height of the outer shell 6 , as illustrated in fig1 or , the water heater outer shell 6 may comprise a plurality of areas of geometric discontinuity 32 that are slightly larger than the junction boxes 19 and which are disposed in a predetermined pattern upon the surface of the water heater 5 . another example of a water heater 5 according to the present invention has areas of geometric discontinuity 32 formed on a front side and a back side of the water heater 5 or in the four quadrants of the water heater 5 and extending either the entire height of the outer shell 6 of the water heater or some portion thereof . forming an area of geometric discontinuity 32 into an outer shell 6 of a water heater 5 is an integral part of a method of manufacturing a water heater 5 . a vessel incorporating the present invention such as the outer shell 6 of a water heater 5 may be formed of plastic as by blow molding , fabricated from metals such as steel or aluminum , or formed of a composite material such as fiber glass or the like using fabrication techniques appropriate to the chosen material . in the preferred embodiment of the present invention , a vessel having a substantially regular curvilinear shape and having any one of a number of predetermined sizes is formed in a blow molding procedure utilizing a mold appropriate to the desired final shape and size of the vessel . areas of geometric discontinuity 32 are formed into the vessel in a desired arrangement by replacing portions of the mold used to form the vessel with mold portions which have formed thereon a negative image of the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 and transition areas t . it is important to reiterate that the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 are of uniform size and shape irrespective of the size or arrangement of the vessel into which they are being formed . in this manner , the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 of a vessel of a particular size will be identical to the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 formed into vessels of different sizes . where the vessels are formed of steel or other materials not suitable for a molding process , identical areas of geometric discontinuity may be formed using any number of well known stamping , rolling , replacement by welding or other suitable fabrication techniques . housing members 20 of junction boxes 19 , having mating surfaces defined by flange 22 , are next attached to the inner surface of the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 of each outer shell 6 such that the flange 22 is in mating contact with the inner surface of an area of geometric discontinuity 32 . it is preferred that the flange 22 be sealingly mated to the area of geometric discontinuity 32 . openings 7 , which allow access to the interior of the housing member 20 , may be preformed in the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 of the vessel or may be formed once the housing members 20 have been secured to the outer shells 6 . it is to be understood that a single , standard junction box 19 design is mounted to the identical areas of geometric discontinuity 32 of each of the outer shells 6 of varying size . in addition , the manner whereby a junction box 19 is attached to an outer shell 6 of a water heater 5 , i . e . by use of mechanical fastener or adhesive , is identical for the outer shells 6 of varying size . once the housing members 20 have been attached to the inner surface of the outer shells 6 at the areas of geometric discontinuity 32 , the cover 24 is secured to the exterior surface of the outer shells 6 over the housing members 20 . the intermediate plate 26 of the cover 24 is secured directly to the exterior surface of the outer shell 6 by means of mechanical fasteners or adhesives and cover panel 28 is releasably secured to the intermediate plate 26 by apertures 27 and tabs 29 . in the embodiment shown in fig2 aligned apertures 33 and 34 are provided in housing member 20 and plate 26 , respectively , to receive threaded fasteners . by forming identical areas of geometric discontinuity 32 into vessels of varying size , it is possible to utilize a standard configuration of a junction box 19 for each of the vessels of varying size , thereby obviating the need to maintain stocks of variously sized junction boxes 19 each usable for specific sizes of vessels only . while the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described , it is to be understood that various changes , adaptations , and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims .	1
fig1 a - 23 depict a sample embodiment of a ladder support device 10 . ladder support device 10 ( fig1 a ) is used with a ladder 12 having spaced side rails 14 connected by spaced rungs 16 ; ladder 12 is leaned on wall 11 . ladder support device 10 comprises a support platform 18 and three support elements 20 . each of support elements 20 is longitudinal and comprises a cap 21 at the top and teeth 48 along the longitudinal dimension . for demonstrative purposes , each of support elements 20 is depicted as a square bar , although other shapes are acceptable . support platform 18 comprises handle 22 ( fig3 ) fixed to its upward side , a release lever 24 , a work area 26 ( best seen in fig2 ), and three guides 28 ( fig4 ). although , for demonstrative purposes , support platform 18 is chosen to be triangular , it can be circular , square , or have any other shape ; and the number of support elements 20 and guides 28 can be more than three , if desired . work area 26 is a ladder - supporting area incorporating vertical stopping elements 30 ( fig2 ) limiting the horizontal movement of a ladder lower end on the ladder - supporting area . each of the guides 28 comprises a latch 38 ( fig7 ) and two openings 32 in the upward and bottomward sides of support platform 18 for directing movement of one of support elements 20 ( fig6 ) perpendicularly to the upward side . latch 38 comprises a tension spring 52 and one tooth 46 ( fig7 ) or two teeth ( fig8 ), although more teeth can be used if desired . tension spring 52 is connected with one end to support platform 18 and with the other end to latch 38 ( see also fig1 b - 1e and 6 ). latch 38 is pivotally connected to support platform 18 with an axis 44 . release lever 24 is pivotally connected to handle 22 with an axis 34 ( best seen in fig1 - 20 ). one end of release lever 24 is kept above handle 22 ( fig1 ) by a torsion spring 50 ( fig2 ). another end of release lever 24 is connected to all latches 38 ( fig6 - 8 ) with cables 40 routed through an opening 31 ( fig4 and 10 ) of support platform 18 using pulleys 42 . cables 40 are attached to an axis 56 ( fig1 - 20 ) of release lever 24 with one end and to latches 38 with the other end . each of the pulleys 42 is installed between ribs of support platform 18 ( the ribs are not shown for clarity ). tension springs 52 , when not pulled , keep teeth 46 of latches 38 engaged with teeth 48 of support elements 20 preventing movement of support platform 18 about support elements 20 standing on solid surface 60 due to a force of gravity ( depicted as force f in fig1 b and 1d ) applied to support platform 18 . in use , a user positions support platform 18 above solid surface 60 at a desired location using handle 22 and levels it horizontally using reading of an inclinometer 54 ( fig2 ); then the user squeezes upper end of release lever 24 toward handle 22 ( fig9 , 10 , and 19 ); as a result , lever 24 is pivoted about axis 34 tensioning torsion spring 50 and pulling all cables 40 simultaneously which , in turn , pull all tension springs 52 causing pivotal movement of latches 38 about axes 44 and disengagement of all teeth 46 from teeth 48 ( fig1 c , 1 e , 9 , and 10 ); since support elements 20 are no longer fixated to support platform 18 with teeth 46 , support elements 20 move simultaneously toward solid surface 60 under force of gravity ; when all of support elements 20 meet solid surface 60 , the user stops squeezing release lever 24 ; as a result , release lever 24 is pivoted by decompression force of torsion spring 50 releasing all cables 40 and allowing the release force of springs 52 to pivot latches 38 about axes 44 until all teeth 46 engage with teeth 48 fixating the position of leveled by the user support platform 18 about solid surface 60 , regardless of the profile of solid surface 60 ( fig1 and 17 ). if any tooth 46 is not engaged right away with teeth 48 , tension spring 52 is not fully released keeping torsion spring 50 from being released by cable 40 and resulting in partial return of release lever 24 hiding markings 58 ( fig1 ) from being seen by the user ; hidden markings 58 indicate to the user that the ladder support device is not ready ; unrealized force of tension spring 52 will engage tooth 46 ( fig1 d , or teeth 46 in fig8 ) with teeth 48 as soon as the support element 20 is moved slightly about support platform 18 , for instance , when the user pushes support platform 18 toward solid surface 60 until markings 58 become visible ( fig1 ) indicating to the user that the ladder support device is ready ( deployed ). support elements 20 , due to their relative arrangement , provide a means for supporting orientation of the deployed ladder support device 10 when unattended . markings 58 are located on both sides of handle 22 ( only one marking 58 is visible in fig1 and 20 ). if pushing support platform 18 toward solid surface 60 does not make the ladder support device ready , the user is able to examine the guides 28 through transparent plates 36 for the reason ( an embodiment of support platform 18 with transparent plates 36 is shown only in fig9 ). support platform 18 must be positioned by a user close enough to solid surface 60 for all of support elements 20 to reach solid surface 60 when release lever 24 is squeezed . after support platform 18 stands on solid surface 60 , the user is able to readjust height and orientation of support platform 18 when squeezing release lever 24 . when a user wants to reposition support platform 18 , the user removes ladder 12 and carries support platform 18 to a new location using handle 22 . as an option , the user is able to squeeze release lever 24 and move support platform 18 toward solid surface 60 resetting position of support elements 20 about support platform 18 simultaneously before carrying support platform 18 to a new location . since each of support elements 20 is moving independently toward solid surface 60 when release lever 24 is squeezed , the support platform 18 can be leveled above even or uneven solid surface 60 ( fig1 and 17 ). support platform 18 accommodates ladders with the distance between side rails 14 falling within a predetermined range limited by vertical stopping elements 30 ( fig2 ). in order to improve stability of ladder support device 10 and preserve integrity of solid surface 60 , each of support elements 20 comprises a non - detachable shoe 62 ( fig1 a and 11b ) or a detachable shoe 63 ( fig1 a - 12c ). shoe 62 is flexibly installed by a ball joint 66 secured between ribs 67 at the bottom end of support element 20 to provide support at any orientation of shoe 62 about solid surface 60 . detachable shoe 63 comprises a female assembly 84 at the top . female assembly 84 is adapted to engage with a male assembly 86 installed at the bottom of support element 20 . male assembly 86 comprises hollow section 88 and two balls 92 kept apart by compression spring 94 within hollow section 88 ( fig1 c ). female assembly 84 comprises two opposing circular opening 98 ( only one is seen in fig1 b ) and a hollow section 96 . when detachable shoe 63 is snapped onto support element 20 , hollow section 96 slides over male assembly 86 causing balls 92 to go inside of hollow section 88 by compressing spring 94 until openings 98 are aligned with balls 92 . decompression force of spring 94 forces balls 92 out of hollow section 88 and inside of openings 98 when openings 98 are aligned with balls 92 . decompression force of spring 94 is enough to keep male assembly 86 attached to female assembly 84 despite force of gravity . a user detaches shoe 63 from support element 20 , for instance , by squeezing balls 92 and pulling female assembly 84 from male assembly 86 or by just pulling female assembly 84 from male assembly 86 with a force larger than force of gravity . either shoe 62 or detachable shoe 63 may comprise a detachable sole 64 . for demonstrative purposes fig1 a , 13 b , and 13 e depict detachable shoe 63 with a detachable sole 64 . detachable shoe 63 comprises a slot 68 and a latch 70 comprising a lever 72 pivotal about an axis 73 and a torsion spring 74 ( fig1 a - 13e ). one end of torsion spring 74 is positioned in a hole 75 of axis 73 and the other end is positioned against inner wall of lever 72 . detachable sole 64 comprises contact surface 78 adapted for a specific solid surface 60 and a profiled member 76 adapted to slide inside of slot 68 ( fig1 e ). in use , a user pivots lever 72 compressing torsion spring 74 to fully expose slot 68 ; then the user slides profiled member 76 of detachable sole 64 inside of slot 68 and releases lever 72 ; decompression force of torsion spring 74 pivots back lever 72 preventing sole 64 from falling off detachable shoe 63 . lever 72 is pivoted by a user again when sole 64 shall be removed or replaced ( fig1 e ). it might be necessary to increase height and / or footprint of support platform 18 using expanders 80 attachable between support elements 20 and shoes 63 ( fig1 a - 14c ). shape of expanders 80 depicted in fig1 a - 16 is chosen for demonstrative purposes only ; other shapes may be used , if desired . top end of expander 80 comprises a female assembly 84 . bottom end of support element 20 comprises male assembly 86 . bottom end of expander 80 also comprises male assembly 86 . attaching and detaching elements using assemblies 84 and 86 is described in paragraph [ 0127 ]. fig2 - 23 depict embodiment demonstrated in fig1 a - 20 but with handle 100 flexibly connected to support platform 18 with a ball joint 102 , release lever 104 pivotally connected to support platform 18 by an axis 106 . ladder support device 10 is balanced about handle 100 in such way that gravity force keeps work area 26 horizontal regardless of orientation of handle 100 held by a user when support elements 20 are not touching a solid surface . this way user error when orienting support platform 18 horizontally and time required for the orientation are eliminated . in addition , an inclinometer is no longer necessary . fig2 - 33 depict another embodiment of ladder support device 15 . support platform 19 comprises handle 23 fixed to its upward side , a release lever 25 , a work area 27 , and three guides 29 . although , for demonstrative purposes , support platform 19 is chosen to be triangular , it can be circular , square , or have any other shape ; and the number of guides 29 can be more than three , if desired . work area 27 is a ladder - supporting area incorporating vertical stopping elements 35 limiting the horizontal movement of a ladder lower end on the ladder - supporting area . each guide 29 ( fig3 ) comprises a hydraulic cylinder 37 , a piston 39 movable within hydraulic cylinder 37 along guides 77 , piston 39 is sealed by o - ring 41 ( although other sealing means , known in the art , for hydraulic applications can be used ). piston 39 is rigidly connected to a support element 33 . support element 33 ends with a shoe 69 identical to shoe 62 depicted in fig1 a and 11b and described in paragraph [ 0126 ]. lower end of support element 33 is connected to hydraulic cylinder 37 by a dust cover 65 . ladder support device 15 further comprises a hydraulic valve 43 ( see fig3 a and 31b ) comprising outer casing 49 and inner member 51 located inside of outer casing 49 . outer casing 49 is connected to each of hydraulic cylinders 37 by a hydraulic pressure tubes 45 , at least one of hydraulic pressure tubes 45 comprises a fill and bleed access member 71 sealed by a cap 47 . inner member 51 comprises a lever 55 protruding through a channel 57 of outer casing 49 . inner member 51 further comprises three interconnected channels 53 leading to the outside surface of inner member 51 . lever 55 is connected to release lever 25 by a cable 59 and is biased downward by a tension spring 61 keeping hydraulic valve 43 turned off . in the biased position inner member 51 blocks all hydraulic pressure tubes 45 ( fig3 b ) for preventing hydraulic fluid communication between hydraulic cylinders 37 . squeezing release lever 25 toward handle 23 turns hydraulic valve 43 on ( fig2 and 29 ) by raising lever 55 which pulls tension spring 61 and pivots inner member 51 resulting in alignment of channels 53 with hydraulic pressure tubes 45 and hydraulic fluid communication between hydraulic cylinders 37 . releasing lever 25 will allow unrealized force of spring 61 to pivot inner member 51 back to the biased position where channels 53 are not aligned with hydraulic pressure tubes 45 preventing hydraulic fluid communication between hydraulic cylinders 37 . therefore , a user is able to position the bottom ends of all of support elements 33 on the ground quickly , automatically , and regardless of the ground profile ( fig2 ) by squeezing release lever 25 toward handle 23 ( fig2 ) for redirecting the hydraulic liquid from hydraulic cylinders 37 of support elements 33 pressed against solid surface 60 to hydraulic cylinders 37 of support elements 33 which are not touching solid surface 60 until all of support elements 33 reach solid surface 60 equalizing pressure between hydraulic cylinders 37 where releasing lever 25 by the user fixates the position of support platform 19 about solid surface 60 since hydraulic liquid redirection between hydraulic cylinders 37 is no longer permitted . fig3 - 59 depict another sample embodiment of a ladder support device 110 . ladder support device 110 ( fig3 ) is used with a ladder 12 having spaced side rails 14 connected by spaced rungs 16 . ladder support device 110 comprises a flexible bar 112 ( best seen in fig3 ), two short support elements 114 ( fig3 ), two long support elements 116 , and a generally rectangular frame 120 formed by a support platform 118 at the bottom , by a rib 122 on the top , and by two guide pairs 124 on the sides . for demonstrative purposes , each of support elements 114 and 116 is depicted as a square bar , although others shapes can be chosen . each of short support elements 114 is longitudinal and comprises a cap 115 at the top and teeth 128 along the longitudinal dimension . each of long support elements 116 is longitudinal and comprises a cap 115 at the top and teeth 128 along the longitudinal dimension . support platform 118 comprises a release pedal 130 and a work area 132 . work area 132 is a ladder - supporting area incorporating vertical stopping elements 134 limiting the horizontal movement of a ladder lower end on the ladder - supporting area . each guide pair 124 comprises an inner guide 136 and an outer guide 138 connected to each other by two arms 140 at the bottom ends and pivotally connected to each other at the upper end with an axis 142 . arms 140 are pivotal about axes 144 . user folds each guide pair 124 for storage ( fig3 ) by rotating outer guides 138 toward inner guides 136 about axis 142 and rotating simultaneously arms 140 about axes 144 . user unfolds each guide pair 124 ( fig3 ), when preparing ladder support device 110 , by rotating outer guides 138 from inner guides 136 about axis 142 and rotating simultaneously arms 140 about axes 144 . each of inner guides 136 comprises a u - shaped bar 146 ( fig3 ), a latch 148 ( fig3 ), a cover 150 ( fig5 ) enclosing latch 148 and short support element 114 , and a dust cover 204 connecting the lower end of short support element 114 to the bottom of cover 150 ( only fig5 - 59 fully depict cover 150 and dust cover 204 where fig3 - 44 , and 49 - 51 depict cover 150 with some of the walls removed for clarity ). cover 150 is removable and attached to u - bar 146 , for instance , with fasteners ( not shown ). each of outer guides 138 ( fig3 ) comprises a u - shaped bar 156 , latch 148 , a cover 160 ( fig5 ) enclosing latch 148 and long support element 116 , and a dust cover 204 connecting the lower end of long support element 116 to the bottom of the cover 160 ( only fig5 - 59 fully depict cover 160 and dust cover 204 where fig3 - 42 , 44 , and 49 depict cover 160 with some of the walls removed for clarity ). u - shaped bar 156 comprises a limiting member 162 ( fig3 ). cap 115 limits movement of long support element 116 along the longitudinal dimension of u - bar 156 when cap 115 meets limiting member 162 . each cover 160 comprises a handle 126 ( fig5 and 58 ). cover 160 is removable and attached to u - bar 156 , for instance , with fasteners ( not shown ). latch 148 is identical to latch 38 of ladder support device 10 depicted in fig1 a - 23 . latch 148 comprises a tooth 164 ( best seen in fig4 and 48 ). latch 148 is pivotally connected to its guide with an axis 166 and by a tension spring 152 . release pedal 130 comprises bottom axis 170 and top axis 172 ( best seen in fig5 ). release pedal 130 is pivotally connected to inner guides 136 with bottom axis 170 . both ends of top axis 172 are positioned inside of arc - shaped channels 168 ( best seen in fig4 b ) of inner guides 136 limiting rotational movement of release pedal 130 about bottom axis 170 . release pedal 130 is biased upward by two tension springs 174 connected to opposite ends of top axis 172 with one end ( only one end of top axis 172 is shown in fig5 and 51 for clarity ) and to inner guides 136 with the other end . each end of top axis 172 is also connected to both latches 148 of its own guide pair 124 by cable 176 routed by pulleys 178 ( fig4 , 48 , 50 , and 51 ) installed between ribs 180 ( shown partially in fig5 and 51 for clarity ). tension springs 152 , when not pulled , ( fig4 and 47 ) keep teeth 164 of latches 148 engaged with teeth 128 of support elements 114 and 116 preventing movement of support elements 114 and 116 about support platform 118 ( see also fig1 b and 1d ). flexible bar 112 is attached to the bottom side of rib 122 by a ball joint 182 and to frame 120 by a spring latch 184 ( best seen in fig5 and 53 ). frame 120 further comprises two holders 190 ( fig3 ) and an inclinometer 192 . each inner guide 136 further comprises a laser guide 194 ( fig3 ). in use , a user unfolds guide pairs 124 , pulls bottom portion of flexible bar 112 from spring latch 184 , positions the ladder support device 110 on solid surface 60 at a desired location using , for instance , handles 126 , and levels it using reading of inclinometer 192 and laser beams of laser guides 194 indicating a location the top end of ladder 12 is about to be leaned on when ladder 12 is positioned on work area 132 ; next , the user presses upper portion of release pedal 130 ( fig4 b ); as a result , release pedal 130 is pivoted about bottom axis 170 extending tension springs 174 and pulling all cables 176 which , in turn , cause simultaneous pivotal movement of latches 148 and disengagement of all teeth 164 ( fig4 ) from teeth 128 while pulling all tension springs 152 ; since support elements 114 and 116 are no longer fixated respectively to guides 136 and 138 with teeth 164 , support elements 114 and 116 move simultaneously toward solid surface 60 under force of gravity ; when all of support elements 114 and 116 meet solid surface 60 , user stops pressing release pedal 130 ; as a result , release pedal 130 is pivoted by decompression force of springs 174 releasing all cables 176 which , in turn , allows the release force of springs 152 to pivot teeth 164 until they engage with teeth 128 fixating the positions of support elements 114 and 116 about solid surface 60 regardless of the profile of solid surface 60 . if any tooth 164 is not engaged right away with teeth 128 , tension spring 152 is not fully released keeping tension spring 174 from being released by cable 176 and resulting in partial return of release pedal 130 exposing markings 158 ( fig4 c ); exposed markings 158 indicate to the user that the ladder support device is not ready ; unrealized force of spring 152 will engage tooth 164 with teeth 128 as soon as the support element 114 ( 116 ) is moved slightly about support platform 118 , for instance , when the user pushes support platform 118 toward solid surface 60 to make sure that markings 158 are hidden ( fig4 a ). the hidden markings 158 indicate to the user that all teeth 164 are engaged with teeth 128 completely and that ladder support device 110 is ready ( deployed ) for ladder placement . markings 158 are located on inner sides of inner guides 136 ( only one marking 158 is shown in fig4 b and 43c for clarity ). if pushing ladder support device 110 toward solid surface 60 does not make it ready , the user is able to examine the guides 136 and 138 through transparent plates 200 for the reason ( an embodiment of ladder support device 110 with transparent plates 200 is shown , for instance , in fig3 , 41 , and 43 a - 43 c ). after orientating ladder support device 110 , user pivots flexible bar 112 about ball joint 182 and positions lower end of flexible bar 112 behind frame 120 onto solid surface 60 to support the orientation of ladder support device 110 when user leaves for a ladder 12 ( therefore , support elements 114 , 116 and flexible bar 112 , due to their relative arrangement , provide a means for supporting orientation of the deployed ladder support device 110 without ladder 12 when unattended ); lastly , user lowers ladder on support platform 118 in such way that predetermined rung 16 is lowered onto holders 190 until bottom ends of ladder 12 stand on work area 132 ( fig3 ). placing ladder 12 on work area 132 and using ladder 12 may cause temporary deformation of flexible bar 112 but , at this point , orientation of ladder support device 110 is supported by ladder 12 leaned on a vertical surface with upper ends of rails 14 . flexible bar 112 will flex back as soon as ladder 12 is lifted off work area 132 regaining its function to support orientation of ladder support device 110 without the user when ladder is not positioned on work area 132 . fig3 depicts a variation of the embodiment of ladder support device 110 where frame 120 comprises locking holders 208 for securing ladder 12 to ladder support device 110 when ladder 12 is positioned on work area 132 . as seen in fig5 - 56c , locking holder 208 comprises a latch 210 biased out of a cutout 212 of u - shaped bar 146 by a torsion spring 214 and a pivoting member 220 which pivots about an axis 222 . the pivoting member 220 , when pivoted down toward the latch 210 ( fig5 b ), forces latch 210 to go inside of cutout 212 compressing torsion spring 214 . when pivoting member 220 goes below threshold 216 of latch 210 ( fig5 c ), latch 210 goes out of cutout 212 under decompression force of torsion spring 214 locking ladder rung 16 by pivoting member 220 kept in position by threshold 216 ( fig5 and 56c ). at this point , the user is able to carry and to position ladder 12 and ladder support device 110 simultaneously . this embodiment has advantages and disadvantages when compared to previous embodiments depicted in fig1 a - 23 . for instance , previous embodiments provide only vertical support to ladders , where this embodiment provides not only vertical support with short support elements 114 and long support elements 116 but also sidewise support with long support elements 116 . as far as a disadvantage , if an angle between unfolded outer guides 138 is too big , then reducing height of work area 132 above solid surface 60 when long support elements 116 stand on solid surface 60 may not be possible by simply pushing frame 120 toward solid surface 60 when pressing release pedal 130 . if such angle is chosen intentionally by a designer for increased stability sidewise , one of the solutions is to press pedal 130 when frame 120 is turned upside down to allow support elements 114 and 116 to fall down simultaneously under force of gravity inside of their respective guides 136 and 138 before moving to other location . a user carries ladder support device 110 to a new location using handles 126 without ladder 12 or with ladder 12 when ladder 12 is locked to leveling device 110 with locking holders 208 . since each of support elements 114 and 116 is moving independently toward solid surface 60 when pedal 130 is pressed , the support platform 118 can be leveled above even or uneven solid surface 60 ( fig4 and 59 ). in order to improve stability of ladder support device 110 and preserve integrity of solid surface 60 , each of support elements 114 and 116 comprises a non - detachable shoe 62 described in paragraph [ 0126 ]. fig6 - 69 depict a ladder support device 300 which is a modified embodiment of a ladder support device depicted in fig2 - 33 ( although the embodiments depicted in fig1 a - 23 can be used as prototypes as well ). the difference between the embodiments is that ladder support device 300 further comprises foldable members 304 and 306 . foldable members 304 and 306 are pivotal about top side of support platform 19 by hinges 308 and 310 correspondingly . foldable member 304 comprises a rigidity rib 312 , a cutout 302 , and two holes 314 . foldable member 306 comprises a rigidity rib 313 , cutout 302 , and hole 314 . fig6 depicts a leveler 316 comprising inner telescopic part 317 and outer telescopic part 318 . inner telescopic part 317 goes inside of outer telescopic part 318 . each of telescopic parts 317 and 318 comprises an inclinometer 320 on the top side and a protruding member 321 on the bottom side . inclinometers 320 and protruding members 321 are positioned at the far ends of leveler 316 . relative movement of telescopic parts 317 and 318 is prevented by tightening a wing screw 322 . inner telescopic part 317 also comprises measurement marks 324 indicating distance between protruding members 321 when aligned with an edge of outer telescopic part 318 . when foldable members 304 and 306 of ladder support devices 300 are unfolded up about hinges 308 and 310 ( fig6 ), they get secured in the up positions by latches 350 . latches 350 , located on the top of ladder support devices 300 , secure foldable members 304 and 306 in unfolded ( up ) positions ( fig6 ); and latches 350 , located on the sides of ladder support devices 300 , secure foldable members 304 and 306 in folded ( down ) positions ( fig6 ). latch 350 ( best seen in fig6 ) comprises a body 352 and a locking member 356 biased out of body 352 by a compression spring 358 . locking member 356 comprises an inclined side 360 . foldable member 304 or foldable member 306 , when pressing against inclined side 360 of locking member 356 ( fig6 ), drives locking member 356 inside of body 352 compressing spring 358 . when foldable member 304 or foldable member 306 passes completely over inclined side 360 , the decompression force of spring 358 causes locking member 356 out of body 352 securing position of foldable member 304 or foldable member 306 ( fig6 ). in order to release foldable member 304 or foldable member 306 , user moves locking member 356 out of the way by pressing on inclined side 360 ( fig6 ). in use , when foldable members 304 and 306 of any two ladder support devices 300 are unfolded ( fig6 , and 63 ), user inserts protruding members 321 of leveler 316 into holes 314 of both ladder support devices 300 ; then , the user positions , for instance , foldable members 306 of both ladder support devices 300 at the same height using reading of inclinometers 320 and levels work areas 27 ( as previously described herin ). if a certain distance between any two holes 314 of two ladder support devices 300 is desired , user adjusts leveler 316 to the distance first by relaxing wing screw 322 , adjusting relative position of telescopic parts 317 and 318 using measurement marks 324 , and tightening back wing screw 322 . the above described process can be repeated to bring a plurality of ladder support devices 300 to the same height regardless of ground profile where each pair of ladder support devices 300 is located at a predetermined distance from each other . such ability allows a user to position , for example , a step ladder , a table top , a scaffold 330 ( fig6 ) on two ladder support devices 300 or a temporary floor on more than two ladder support devices 300 . in addition , a seat 340 ( fig6 ) can be positioned on top of a single ladder support devices 300 converting it to a chair . objects positioned on top of ladder support devices 300 may be secured using holes 314 . scaffold 330 ( fig6 ) and seat 340 ( fig6 ), for instance , comprise bolts 332 . bolts 332 go inside of holes 314 and can be secured by wing nuts or other similar means known in the art . in addition , the described embodiments which use ordinary cables and pulleys for controlling the latches , may use instead bowden cables or any other such means known in the art . those who are skilled in the art will readily perceive how to modify the invention . therefore , the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalent structures which fall within the scope and spirit of the invention .	4
the 5 ′ utr and beginning of orf from cd3299 gene of c . difficile 630 , accession number am180355 is as follows : seq id no : 1 : ttacagctttctgattttgataaatttaaaacttaccatctaatactaataacaggt taattttatctaattattatagattctcatactgtgccttattctatctataaatac aatttaagtgtccatattgaaatatttgtattgtaatacagctggatattacttaaa tccaattgtttccattataattttatgttaaaataatattacaaaatacatct gttt ttcttcataaac gggtg aaattccctatcggcggtaaaagcccgcgagccttatg gcataatttggtcatattccaaagccaacagtaaaatctggatggtagaagaaa ata gtatatgagtacctttatgtaattttacatgagtaatctatacaaatccttcaa ctaccgtatttattcatgaaattagacacattcaag tt tttttgttgtttattttacaattatatcgtacttataaaatctattaagattggagt gttatc aatggatagtattgattatcatctgtattggtgtatttatg tctactcttgatggaagtatactaaatatcgcaaa in the above depiction of the sequence , the riboswitch is highlighted in bold , and is the 0rf start site in the above sequence is downstram from the riboswitch and is depicted in italics and is : the hairpin can form a loop having a structure as depicted in formula 1 : a possible antiterminator has a structure as depicted in formula 2 : in one embodiment , compounds binding to and activating the cd3299 riboswitch are compounds of formula iv from pct application pct / us 09 / 04576 : ( i ) alk is c 1 - 8 alkyl ( e . g ., ethyl or n - butyl ); ( ii ) r a and r b are independently h , — c 1 - 4 alkyl ( e . g ., methyl ), —( ch 2 ) 3 c ( nh 2 )( cooh ) chf 2 , —( ch 2 ) 3 n ( h ) c (═ nh ) nh 2 , —( ch 2 ) 5 nh 2 , —( ch 2 ) 2 c ( h )( oh ) cooh , — c ( o )( ch 2 ) 2 cooh , — c 1 - 4 alkyl - c ( o ) or s ( e . g ., — ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 c ( o ) or 9 , — ch 2 ch 2 ch 2 c ( o ) or 9 , — ch 2 ch 2 c ( o ) or 9 or — ch 2 c ( o ) or 9 , — c ( ch 3 )( ch 3 ) c ( o ) or 9 ), — c ( o ) ch 3 , aryl ( e . g ., phenyl ), — c ( o )- aryl , aryl - c 1 - 4 alkyl ( e . g ., benzyl , naphtha - 1 - ylmethyl , naphth - 2 - ylmethyl , phenylethyl , phenylpropyl , naphtha - 1 - ylethyl ), heteroaryl , heteroaryl - c 1 - 4 alkyl ( e . g ., pyrid - 2 - ylmethyl , pyrid - 3 - ylmethyl or quinoxalinyl ), wherein said aryl and heteroaryl groups are optionally substituted with one or more groups selected from — c ( o ) or 9 , — nh 2 , — s ( o ) 2 nh 2 , — ch 2 nh 2 , halo ( e . g ., chloro ), c 1 - 4 alkoxy ( e . g ., methoxy ), c 1 - 4 alkyl ( e . g ., methyl ); ( iii ) r 1 is h , c 1 - 8 alkyl ( e . g ., methyl ); ( iv ) r 2 is h , halo ( e . g ., chloro ), — o — c 3 - 7 cycloalkyl ( e . g ., — o - cyclopentyl ), — n ( r 4 )( r 5 ), c 3 - 7 cycloalkyl ( e . g ., cyclopropyl ), c 1 - 8 alkyl ( e . g ., methyl or ethyl ) or — o — c 1 - 8 alkyl wherein the alkyl group is optionally substituted with one or more halo or hydroxyl groups ( e . g ., trifluoromethyl , — o — ch 2 ch 2 oh ); ( v ) r 4 and r 5 are independently h , c 3 - 7 cycloalkyl ( e . g ., cyclopropyl or cyclopentyl ), c 1 - 8 alkyl ( e . g ., methyl ) wherein said alkyl is optionally substituted with one or more hydroxy groups ( e . g ., 2 , 3 - dihydroxypropyl , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 - pentahydroxyhexyl ); ( vi ) r 9 is h or c 1 - 4 alkyl ( e . g ., t - butyl , isopropyl , methyl ); ( vii ) r 12 is c 1 - 8 alkyl ( e . g ., methyl , ethyl , t - butyl ) or — oc 1 - 8 alkyl ( e . g ., methoxy , ethoxy , t - butoxy ), the words “ treatment ” and “ treating ” are to be understood accordingly as embracing prophylaxis and treatment or amelioration of symptoms of disease as well as treatment of the cause of the disease . the compounds useful in the methods described herein may be administered orally , parentally ( e . g , intravenously ), topically , rectally or by other means depending on the nature and location of the infection . preferably the compounds are administered orally . dosages employed in practicing the present invention will vary depending , e . g . on the particular disease or condition to be treated , the age and size of the patient , the particular active compound used , the mode of administration , and the therapy desired . for example , in one embodiment , daily oral dosages for a 70 kg human suffering from diarrhea and colitis caused by c . difficile may be from 10 - 2000 mg . administration of a therapeutically active amount of the therapeutic compositions is defined as an amount effective , at dosages and for periods of time necessary to achieve the desired result . dosage regimens may be adjusted to provide the optimum therapeutic response . for example , several divided doses may be administered daily or the dose may be proportionally reduced as indicated by the exigencies of the therapeutic situation . the compound may administered as monotherapy or in combination with one or more antibiotics , for example in combination with metronidazole ( flagyl ®), vancomycin ( vancocin ®), linazolid , ramoplanin , and / or fidaxomicin , and / or in combination with one or more antibiotics selected from fluoroquinolones , cephalosporins , clindamycin and penicillins . the patient may receive anti - toxin therapy , for example monoclonal antibodies to c . difficile toxins , or anti - toxoid vaccine . the patient may receive probiotics , such as bacteria and yeast , which help restore a healthy balance to the intestinal tract , e . g ., saccharomyces boulardii ( florastor ®), and / or be undergoing fecal bacteriotherapy . pharmaceutical compositions comprising compounds as described herein may be prepared using conventional diluents or excipients and techniques known in the galenic art . thus oral dosage forms may include tablets , capsules , solutions , suspensions and the like . the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable carrier ” as used herein is intended to include diluents such as saline and aqueous buffer solutions , as well as solid carriers such as microcrystalline cellulose , hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose , or lactose . an in - line probing assay , as described in regulski and breaker , “ in - line probing analysis of riboswitches ”, ( 2008 ), methods in molecular biology , vol 419 , pp 53 - 67 , the contents of which are incorporated by reference , is used to estimate the dissociation binding constants for the interaction of each of the ligands described herein with a cd3299 riboswitch amplified from clostridium difficile . precursor mrna leader molecules are prepared by in vitro transcription from templates generated by pcr and [ 5 ′- 32 p ]- labeling using methods described previously ( regulski and breaker , in - line probing analysis of riboswitches ( 2008 ), methods in molecular biology vol 419 , pp 53 - 67 ). approximately 5 nm of labeled rna precursor is incubated for 41 hours at 25 ° c . in 20 mm mgcl 2 , 50 mm tris / hcl ( ph 8 . 3 at 25 ° c .) in the presence or absence of a fixed concentration of each ligand . binding to the cd3299 riboswitches are measured 100 m . in - line cleavage products are separated on 10 % polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis ( page ), and the resulting gel is visualized using a molecular dynamics phosphorimager . the location of products bands corresponding to cleavage are identified by comparison to a partial digest of the rna with rnase t1 ( g - specific cleavage ) or alkali ( nonspecific cleavage ). in - line probing exploits the natural ability of rna to self - cleave at elevated ph and metal ion concentrations ( ph ≈ 8 . 3 , 25 mm mgcl 2 ) in a conformation - dependent manner . for self - cleavage to occur , the 2 ′- hydroxyl of the ribose must be “ in - line ” with the phosphate - oxygen bond of the internucleotide linkage , facilitating a s n 2p nucleophilic transesterification and strand cleavage . typically , single - stranded regions of the riboswitch are dynamic in the absence of an active ligand , and the internucleotide linkages in these regions can frequently access the required in - line conformation . binding of an active ligand to the riboswitch generally reduces the dynamics of these regions , thereby reducing the accessibility to the in - line conformation , resulting in fewer in - line cleavage events within those regions . these ligand - dependent changes in rna cleavage can be readily detected by denaturing gel electrophoresis . the relative binding affinity of each ligand is expressed as i max , wherein i max represents the percent inhibition of in - line cleavage at selected internucleotide ligands in the presence of a fixed ligand concentration ( 100 m for the cd3299 riboswitch ) normalized to the percent inhibition in the absence of ligand and the percent inhibition in the presence of a saturation concentration of a control ligand . 100 m of compound a ( which is a compound identified as having high affinity to the cd3299 riboswitch ) is used as a control ligand for estimating binding to the cd3299 . the experiments show that compounds 1 and 2 have a binding affinity to the cd3299 switch with an i max value of 45 - 90 compared to the control at 100 m . the mic assays are carried out in a final volume of 100 μl in 96 - well clear round - bottom plates according to methods established by the clinical laboratory standards institute ( clsi ). briefly , test compound suspended in 100 % dmso ( or another suitable solubilizing buffer ) is added to an aliquot of media appropriate for a given pathogen to a total volume of 50 μl . this solution is serially diluted by 2 - fold into successive tubes of the same media to give a range of test compound concentrations appropriate to the assay . to each dilution of test compound in media is added 50 l of a bacterial suspension from an overnight culture growth in media appropriate to a given pathogen . final bacterial inoculum is approximately 10 5 - 10 6 cfu / well . after growth for 18 - 24 hours at 37 ° c ., the mic is defined as the lowest concentration of antimicrobial agent that completely inhibits growth of the organism as detected by the unaided eye , relative to control for bacterial growth in the absence of added antibiotic . ciprofloxacin is used as an antibiotic - positive control in each screening assay . each of the bacterial cultures that are available from the american type culture collection ( atcc , www . atcc . org ) is identified by its atcc number . the experiments show that compounds 1 and 2 have a minimum inhibitory concentration ( mic ) of 64 μg / ml or less against c . difficile strains atcc 700057 ( mmx 4381 ) and mmx3581 ( clinical ). all references indicated herein are incorporated by reference for any patent application in the united states .	0
[ 0030 ] fig1 shows an automatic dental flosser 100 , in accordance with the present invention . the automatic dental flosser 100 consists of a disposable floss holder 200 attached onto a driving handle 400 . the disposable floss holder 200 holds a loop of dental floss 210 between two tines 220 and 230 . as described below , a driving mechanism housed inside the driving handle 400 drives a driving shaft 411 to oscillate from side to side . the driving shaft 411 then drives a rotatable element 250 to swing back and forth with respect to the disposable floss holder 200 . as a result , the loop of dental floss 210 is drag to slide back and forth between the two tines 220 and 230 for dental flossing , while the disposable floss holder 200 stays stationary with respect to the driving handle 400 . [ 0031 ] fig2 shows a first embodiment of a disposable floss holder 200 , in accordance with the present invention . the disposable floss holder 200 is shown in front , side , and back view . the disposable floss holder 200 consists of a holder body 201 , a rotatable element 250 , and a loop of dental floss 210 . the rotatable element 250 is rotatable with respect to the holder body 201 via a pin - and - hole structure 251 . one point 255 of the rotatable element 250 is tied to the loop of dental floss 210 . the rotatable element 250 is affixed with an engagement element 254 that has a notch 253 , which can be engaged with the tip of a driving shaft 411 from the driver handle 400 , as shown in fig1 . there is an opening 256 on the holder body 201 to receive the engagement element 254 and to allow the engagement element 254 to rotate within a range around the pin - and - hole structure 251 . as the driving shaft 411 of the driving handle 400 oscillates from side to side , it drives the rotatable element 250 to swing back and forth with respect to the holder body 201 . the pin - and - hole structure 251 has two possible configurations . the first configuration is to have a hole on the holder body 201 and a pin on the rotatable element 250 to insert into the hole . the other configuration is to have a pin on the holder body 201 and a hole on the rotatable element 250 to receive the pin . this way the rotatable element 250 is rotatable around the pin - and - hole structure 251 . the loop of dental floss 210 is held between the two tines 220 and 230 through holding slots 202 , 203 , 207 , and 206 . the loop of dental floss 210 is free to slide back and forth around these holding slots 202 , 203 , 207 and 206 . when the rotatable element 250 swings back and forth around the pin - and - hole structure 251 , it drags the loop of dental floss 210 to move back and forth between the two tines 220 and 230 . the implement of the rotatable element 250 with the engagement element 254 is for two advantages . first , it can enlarge the travel of the dental floss 210 between the two tines 220 and 230 , in comparison with the displacement of the driving shaft 411 . second , it provides a simple engagement to transfer the oscillation of the driving shaft 411 to the back - and - forth movement of the dental floss 210 with the floss holder remaining stationary . preferably , the first end 412 of the driving shaft 411 has a peak - to - peak oscillation of approximately 2 to 3 mm and the dental floss 410 has a back - and - forth travel of about 4 to 8 mm . there is a mounting hole 240 on the second end of the holder body 201 . this hole 240 is used to attach and to secure the floss holder 200 onto the driving handle 400 . there is also a hole 241 connecting between the mounting hole 240 and the opening 256 . as shown in fig1 this hole 241 enables the driving shaft 411 of driving handle 400 to engage with the notch 253 of the engagement element 254 and thus to drive the rotatable element 250 to swing back and forth around the pin - and - hole structure 251 . [ 0037 ] fig3 shows a second embodiment of a disposable floss holder 300 , in accordance with the present invention . the disposable floss holder 300 is shown in front , side , and back view . this disposable floss holder 300 has similar structure as the disposable floss holder 200 except that the pin - and - hole structure 251 is replaced with a narrow bridge structure 351 and the rotatable element 350 is modified from the rotatable element 250 accordingly . the rotatable element 350 is connected and rotatable with respect to the holder body 301 via this narrow bridge structure 351 . the material chosen for the disposable floss holder 300 shall be durable for bending back and forth over such a narrow bridge structure 351 . materials suitable for this purpose are known to those skilled in the art . as shown in fig3 the rotatable element 350 is coupled with an engagement element 354 that has a notch 353 to engage with the driving shaft 411 . an opening 356 on the holder body 301 receives the engagement element 354 and allows the engagement element 354 to swing within a range with respect to the narrow bridge structure 351 . the holder body 301 with the rotatable element 350 can then be made with a single piece of plastic through mold injection process . such a design simplifies the production process and reduces the production cost . as a result , the floss holder 300 can be better justified as a disposable item . [ 0041 ] fig4 shows a first embodiment of a driving handle 400 of the automatic dental flosser 100 , in accordance with the present invention . the driving handle 400 consists of a handle body 440 and a driving shaft 411 . the handle body 440 houses a motor 420 , a driving mechanism , and a battery or charger that is not shown in the figure . the handle body 440 has an elongate shape and is such shaped to allow the user to grasp comfortably for dental flossing . the first end 441 of the handle body 440 is sized to fit into the hole 240 of the disposable floss holder 200 . the first end 412 of the driving shaft 411 is shaped to fit with the notch 253 of the engagement element 254 of the disposable floss holder 200 . in operation , the driving shaft 411 oscillates from side to side to drive the rotatable element 250 to swing back and forth with respect to the holder body 201 and to drag the loop of dental floss 210 to slide back and forth between the two tines 220 and 230 . as shown in fig4 the driving mechanism includes a gear 421 , a wheel 430 , and a bar 419 . the motor 420 drives the gear 421 , which is coupled to the wheel 430 rotating around a shaft 431 . the power coupling is through a layer of deformable material 436 , e . g . rubber or soft plastic . such a design is for its simplicity and low noise in comparison with typical gear coupling . the wheel 430 is concentric and affixed with a smaller wheel 432 . a pin 437 is mounted on the smaller wheel 432 with an offset from the wheel &# 39 ; s center , i . e ., the shaft 431 . the bar 419 has a slot 418 at its first end and extends to the driving shaft 411 at its second end . the slot 418 is engaged into the pin 437 of the wheel 432 . as the wheel 432 rotates , the pin 437 drives the bar 419 to swing back and forth around a pin 413 , which is affixed on the handle body 440 . consequently , the bar 419 transfers the continuous rotation of the wheel 430 to a side - to - side oscillation of the driving shaft 411 . preferably , the rotation speed of motor 420 , the size of the gear 421 , and the size of the wheel 430 are such chosen that the oscillation rate of the driving shaft 411 is about 30 to 50 hz . the length of the driving shaft 411 , the length of the bar 419 , and the offset of pin 437 are such designed that the tip 412 of the driving shaft 411 has a side - to - side travel of about 2 to 3 mm . [ 0045 ] fig5 shows a second embodiment of a driving handle 500 of the automatic dental flosser 100 , in accordance with the present invention . the construction of the driving handle 500 is similar to that of the driving handle 400 except the driving mechanism that couples the continuous rotation of the motor 520 to the side - to - side oscillation of the driving shaft 511 . as shown in fig5 the driving mechanism includes a first disk 521 , a second disk 531 , and a bar 519 . the first disk 521 is affixed on the motor &# 39 ; s shaft and is mounted with an off - center pin 522 . the second disk 531 is affixed on a first end of the bar 519 and is embedded a slot 532 . the motor 520 rotates the first disk 521 continuously . the off - center pin 522 slides inside the slot 532 and pushes the bar 519 to swing back and forth around a pin 513 . consequently , the driving mechanism transfers the continuous rotation of the motor 520 to a side - to - side oscillation of the driving shaft 511 . preferably , the rotation speed of motor 520 is such chosen that the oscillation rate of the driving shaft 511 is about 50 to 100 hz . the length of the driving shaft 511 , the length of the bar 519 , and the offset of pin 522 are such designed that the tip 512 of the driving shaft 511 has a side - to - side travel of about 2 to 3 mm . [ 0049 ] fig6 shows an automatic dental flosser 600 with the driving shaft 411 at different angle positions . the automatic dental flosser 600 is shown in a back view of the floss holder 200 . the driving shaft 411 is engaged with the notch 253 on the engagement element 254 . as the driving shaft 411 oscillates from side to side , it drives the engagement element 254 and thus the rotatable element 250 to swing back and forth with respect to the floss holder 200 . the rotatable element 250 drives in turn the loop of dental floss 210 to slide back and forth between the two tines 220 and 230 . the size of the rotatable element 250 and the distance from the notch 253 to the rotation center 251 shall be such chosen that the dental floss 210 has a side - to - side travel of about 4 to 8 mm . [ 0051 ] fig7 shows a first embodiment of a toothbrush head 700 , in accordance with the present invention . the toothbrush head 700 is shown in front , side , and back view . the toothbrush head 700 consists of a toothbrush head body 701 and a rotatable bristle holder 750 . toothbrush bristles 730 are implanted on the rotatable bristle holder 750 , which is in turn mounted on the first end of the toothbrush head body 701 and is operationally rotatable around a pin - and - hole structure 751 . as shown in the back view of the toothbrush head 700 , the rotatable bristle holder 750 is affixed with an engagement element 754 , which has a notch 753 to engage with the driving shaft 411 . there is an opening 756 on the toothbrush head body 701 to receive the engagement element 754 and to allow the engagement element 754 to rotate within a range around the pin - and - hole structure 751 . there is a mounting hole 740 in the second end of the toothbrush head body 701 . this hole 740 is used to attach the toothbrush head 700 onto the driving handle 400 . there is also a hole 741 connecting between the mounting hole 740 and the opening 754 . this hole 741 enables the driving shaft 411 of driving handle 400 to engage with the notch 753 of the engagement element 754 so as to drive the rotatable bristle holder 750 . when the rotatable bristle holder 750 is driven to rotate back and forth around the pin - and - hole structure 751 , the bristles 730 wipes back and forth for tooth brushing . [ 0054 ] fig8 shows an automatic toothbrush 800 with a toothbrush head 700 at different angle positions of the driving shaft 411 . the automatic toothbrush 800 is shown in a front view of the toothbrush head 700 . the driving shaft 411 is engaged with the notch 753 on the engagement element 754 . as the driving shaft 411 oscillates from side to side , it drives the rotatable bristle holder 750 to rotate and thus the bristles 730 to wipe back and forth for tooth brushing . the size of the rotatable disk 750 and the distance from the notch 753 to the rotation center 751 shall be such chosen that the toothbrush bristles 730 have a back and forth travel distance up to 4 to 8 mm . [ 0056 ] fig9 shows a third embodiment of a disposable floss holder 900 , in accordance with the present invention . the floss holder 900 has on its first end two tines 920 and 930 securing a piece of dental floss 910 and on its second end a mounting hole 940 . the two tines 920 and 930 are such shaped and bent to hold the piece of dental floss 910 perpendicular to and about 5 to 20 mm away from an axis 942 of the mounting hole 940 . the two tines 920 and 930 are further bent and spaced to have the piece of dental floss 910 a length of about 10 to 20 mm . the mounting hole 1040 is sized to fit the driving shaft 411 of the driving handle 400 . [ 0057 ] fig1 shows an automatic dental flosser 1100 with a disposable floss holder 900 , in accordance with the present invention . the automatic dental flosser 1100 consists of a disposable floss holder 900 fastened onto the driving shaft 411 of a driving handle 400 . as the driving shaft 411 swings from side to side around the pin 413 , the floss holder 900 moves back and forth for dental flossing . the length of the disposable floss holder 900 is chosen such that the travel distance of the floss 910 is up to preferably 4 to 6 mm . for a preferred embodiment , the peak - to - peak oscillation amplitude of the tip 412 of the driving shaft 411 is about 2 to 3 mm and the length of the driving shaft 411 is about 40 mm , the length of the disposable floss holder 900 is approximately 50 mm . [ 0059 ] fig1 shows a second embodiment of an attachable toothbrush head 1000 , in accordance with the present invention . the toothbrush head 1000 has bristles 1030 implanted on its first end and a mounting hole 1040 on its second end . the mounting hole 1040 is sized to fit the driving shaft 411 of the driving handle 400 . [ 0060 ] fig1 shows an automatic toothbrush with a toothbrush head 1000 , in accordance with the present invention . the automatic toothbrush 1200 consists of a detachable toothbrush head 1000 fastened onto the driving shaft 411 of a driving handle 400 . as the driving shaft 411 swings from side to side around the pin 413 , the toothbrush head 1000 wipes back and forth for tooth brushing . the length of the detachable toothbrush head 1000 is such chosen that the travel distance of the toothbrush bristles 1030 is preferably 4 to 6 mm . for a preferred embodiment , the peak - to - peak oscillation amplitude of the tip 412 of the driving shaft 411 is about 2 to 3 mm and the length of the driving shaft 411 is about 40 mm , the length of the detachable toothbrush head 1000 is approximately 50 mm . the floss holder 900 , as well as the floss holders 200 and 300 , adapts the shape of the tines from a popular manual floss holder that is relatively easy to manipulate . the floss holder 900 is simple and easy to make , and it is thus better justified to be a disposable item . the automatic toothbrush 800 adapts a circular oscillation of the toothbrush bristles 730 . such a circular oscillation has been well accepted in the market . the driving handles 400 and 500 implement a side - to - side oscillation of the driving shaft to enable the automatic dental flossers 100 and 1100 and automatic toothbrushes 800 and 1200 . any combination of these automatic dental flossers and toothbrushes can be a useful product . it is understood that floss holder 200 and toothbrush head 700 adapt a similar circular oscillation of a rotatable member . therefore , other driving mechanism or coupling mechanism that can provide a circular oscillation to a toothbrush head can also be used to drive a floss holder with a rotatable element . it is also understood that dental flosser 1100 and toothbrush 800 adapt a hybrid motion , of which the floss holder is driven to swing side to side while the toothbrush bristles are driven to oscillate rotationally . other than the driving shafts and driving mechanisms described in fig4 and 5 , there are driving mechanisms that can provide similar hybrid motion or provide movements including such a hybrid motion . for example , fig1 shows a third embodiment of a driving handle 1300 that is suitable to provide a hybrid motion for dental flossing and tooth brushing , in accordance with the present invention . the construction of the driving handle 1300 is similar to that of the driving handle 400 except the driving mechanism that couples the continuous rotation of the motor 1320 to a side - to - side swing oscillation of the driving shaft 1311 . as shown in fig1 , the driving mechanism includes a disk element 1321 , an arm element 1331 , and a bar 1319 . the disk 1321 is affixed on the motor &# 39 ; s shaft and is mounted with an off - center pin 1322 . the arm element 1331 is affixed on a first end of the bar 1319 and is embedded a slot 1332 . the motor 1320 rotates the disk element 1321 continuously . the off - center pin 1322 slides inside the slot 1332 and pushes the bar 1319 to rotate back and forth around a bearing 1313 . consequently , the driving mechanism transfers the continuous rotation of the motor 1320 to a rotational oscillation of the driving shaft 1311 around an axis 1315 . when a floss holder 900 is fastened on the driving shaft 1311 , the driving handle 1300 can drive the floss holder 900 to swing from side to side around an axis 1315 of the driving handle 1300 . when a toothbrush head 700 is attached onto the driving handle 1300 , the driving shaft 1311 can drive the toothbrush bristles 730 to oscillate rotationally with respect to the toothbrush head 700 . consequently , the driving handle 1300 provides a hybrid motion for dental flossing and tooth brushing . therefore , it is further understood that , the present disclosure includes only a few embodiments , other modifications and variations may be made without departing from the following claims . u . s . pat . no . 6 , 178 , 579 jan . 30 , 2002 blaustein et al . electric toohbrush u . s . pat . no . 6 , 047 , 711 apr . 11 , 2000 wagner method and apparatus for converting a power - driven toothbrush into a power - driven flossing device u . s . pat . no . 6 , 000 , 083 dec . 14 , 1999 blaustein et al . electric toothbrush u . s . pat . no . 5 , 975 , 296 nov . 2 , 1999 dolan et al . dental floss holder u . s . pat . no . 5 , 944 , 033 aug . 31 , 1999 robinson dental flossing device and method therefor u . s . pat . no . 5 , 860 , 435 jan . 19 , 1999 hippensteel dental floss holder with an automatic floss tensioning means u . s . pat . no . 5 , 827 , 064 nov . 27 , 1998 bock orbitally or reciprocally vibrating method for interproximal plaque removal u . s . pat . no . 5 , 606 , 984 mar . 4 , 1997 gao automatic dental flossing device u . s . pat . no . 5 , 579 , 786 dec . 3 , 1996 wolk et al . automatic dental flossing device u . s . pat . no . 5 , 573 , 020 nov . 12 , 1996 robinson dental flossing device and method therefor u . s . pat . no . 5 , 400 , 811 mar . 28 , 1995 meibauer power driven tooth flosser u . s . pat . no . 5 , 353 , 460 oct . 11 , 1994 bauman power driven toothbrush u . s . pat . no . 5 , 343 , 883 sep . 6 , 1994 murayama sonic dental device and method u . s . pat . no . 5 , 341 , 534 aug . 30 , 1994 serbinski et al . electric toothbrush u . s . pat . no . 5 , 323 , 796 jun . 28 , 1994 urso automated dental flosser u . s . pat . no . 5 , 279 , 314 jan . 18 , 1994 poulos et al . electronic dental flosser u . s . pat . no . 5 , 267 , 579 dec . 7 , 1993 bushberger oscillating flossing implement u . s . pat . no . 5 , 253 , 382 oct . 19 , 1993 beny power operated toothbrush u . s . pat . no . 5 , 217 , 031 jan . 8 , 1993 santoro motor - driven apparatus for cleaning spaces between teeth by dental floss u . s . pat . no . 5 , 188 , 133 dec . 23 , 1993 romanus dental flossing tool u . s . pat . no . 5 , 186 , 191 feb . 16 , 1993 loubier motor driven dental floss applicator u . s . pat . no . 5 , 170 , 809 dec . 15 , 1992 imai et al . powered dental floss u . s . pat . no . 5 , 085 , 236 feb . 4 , 1992 odneal et al . dental floss machine u . s . pat . no . 5 , 060 , 681 oct . 29 , 1991 westbrook et al . dental flossing device u . s . pat . no . 5 , 033 , 150 jul . 23 , 1991 gross et al . motor - driven toothbrush u . s . pat . no . 5 , 016 , 660 may 21 , 1991 boggs automatic flossing tool u . s . pat . no . 4 , 880 , 382 nov . 14 , 1989 moret et al . integrated oral hygiene system u . s . pat . no . 4 , 830 , 032 may 16 , 1989 jousson power driven flossing device u . s . pat . no . 4 , 605 , 025 aug . 12 , 1986 mcspadden power dental flossing device u . s . pat . no . 4 , 586 , 521 may 6 , 1986 urso multi - motion dental flosser u . s . pat . no . 4 , 245 , 658 jan . 20 , 1981 lecouturier automatic flossing apparatus u . s . pat . no . 4 , 235 , 253 nov . 25 , 1980 moore electric dental flosser u . s . pat . no . 4 , 014 , 354 mar . 29 , 1977 garrett dental flossing tool u . s . pat . no . 3 , 156 , 936 nov . 17 , 1964 hartman et al . electric toothbrushes u . s . pat . no . 3 , 029 , 651 apr . 17 , 1962 flatt electrically operated apparatus for producing oscillatory motion of a toothbrush u . s . pat . no . 2 , 372 , 731 apr . 3 , 1945 nalbach et al . power operating means for tooth brushes	0
reference is first made to fig2 a to 2f to describe the processing steps for manufacturing an ic package in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 a shows a cross - sectional side view of a copper ( cu ) panel substrate which forms the raw material of the leadframe strip indicated generally by the numeral 100 . as discussed in greater detail in applicants &# 39 ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 229 , 200 , the leadframe strip is divided into a plurality of sections , each of which incorporates a plurality of leadframe units in an array ( e . g . 3 × 3 array , 5 × 5 array , etc .). only one such unit is depicted in the cross - sectional view of fig2 a . as shown in fig2 a , the copper strip is coated with a silver ( ag ) plating on a bottom surface thereof and a solder plating on a top surface thereof . in one embodiment , the plating is a eutectic solder composition . this coating is added to enhance lamination and provide and surface for soldering . solder flux is added to a portion of the leadframe 100 ( fig2 b ) and a second leadframe 102 with solder plating on both a top and a bottom surface thereof is laminated onto the first leadframe 100 using a proximity placement and thermal solder reflow technique to form a single pocket - type leadframe ( fig2 c ). in an alternative embodiment the second leadframe is laminated onto the first leadframe using a hot roller thermo - compressive cladding process . next , the semiconductor die is mounted to the leadframe using known techniques . in the present embodiment , solder paste is dispensed on another portion of the first leadframe 100 in fig2 d and the semiconductor die is attached to the first leadframe 100 by solder reflow technique ( fig2 e ). the semiconductor die is coated with a suitable surface for soldering , such as titanium ( ti ), tungsten ( w ), or gold ( au ) for mounting via solder reflow . in an alternative embodiment , the die is attached using a silver - filled epoxy , as will be understood by those of skill in the art . next , solder ball contacts 106 are mounted on a vapor deposited layer referred to as “ under bump metallurgy ” or ubm on the semiconductor die 104 , as will be understood by those of skill in the art ( fig2 f ). fig3 a to 3f show the processing steps for manufacturing the ic package of fig2 f in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . the order of the process steps in the present embodiment is different from the order of the steps of the embodiment of fig2 a to 2f . fig3 a shows a cross - sectional side view of the copper ( cu ) panel substrate which forms the raw material of the leadframe strip indicated generally by the numeral 100 . similar to the embodiment of fig2 a , the copper strip is coated with a silver ( ag ) plating on a bottom surface thereof and a solder plating on a top surface thereof . solder paste is dispensed on a portion of the leadframe 100 in fig3 b and the semiconductor die 104 is attached to the leadframe 100 by solder reflow technique ( fig3 c ). the semiconductor die 104 is coated with a suitable surface for soldering , such as titanium ( ti ), tungsten ( w ), or gold ( au ) for mounting via solder reflow . this is a solderable vapor deposit structure made in layers of three . next , solder flux is added to another portion of the first leadframe ( fig3 d ) and a second leadframe 102 with solder plating on both a top and a bottom surface thereof is laminated onto the first leadframe 100 using a solder reflow technique to form a single pocket - type leadframe ( fig3 e ). the solder ball contacts 106 are then mounted on the semiconductor die 104 as shown in fig3 f . fig4 a to 4f show the processing steps for manufacturing an alternative ic package in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . the steps of fig4 a to 4f are similar to the steps of fig2 a to 2f except that the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig4 a to 4f is a different shape than the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig2 a to 2f . as shown in fig4 b to 4f , the second leadframe 102 provides a pocket in the center of each unit in which the semiconductor die 104 is mounted , when laminated on the first leadframe 100 . fig5 a to 5f show the processing steps for manufacturing the ic package of fig4 f in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . the steps of fig5 a to 5f are similar to the steps of fig3 a to 3f except that the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig3 a to 3f is a different shape that the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig3 a to 3f . again , the second leadframe 102 provides a pocket in the center of each unit in which the semiconductor die 104 is mounted when laminated on the first leadframe 100 . fig6 a to 6g show the processing steps for manufacturing an ic package in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . fig6 a shows a cross - sectional side view of a copper ( cu ) panel substrate which forms the raw material of the leadframe strip indicated generally by the numeral 100 . the copper strip is coated with a silver ( ag ) plating on a bottom surface thereof and a solder plating on a top surface thereof , as shown . next a solder flux is added to a portion of the first leadframe 100 ( fig6 b ) and a second leadframe 102 with solder plating on both a top and a bottom surface thereof is laminated onto the first leadframe 100 using a solder reflow technique to form a single pocket - type leadframe ( fig6 c ). solder paste is then dispensed on a portion of the first leadframe 100 ( fig6 d ) and the semiconductor die is attached to the first leadframe 100 by solder reflow technique ( fig6 e ). the semiconductor die is coated with a suitable surface for soldering , such as titanium ( ti ), tungsten ( w ), or gold ( au ) for mounting via solder reflow . next , portions of the semiconductor die are coated with solder flux ( fig6 f ) and a third leadframe 108 with solder plating on both top and a bottom surfaces thereof is laminated to coated contact pads or i / o pads on the surface of the semiconductor die ( fig6 g ) via solder reflow technique . in an alternative embodiment the third leadframe 108 is laminated to the coated contact pads of the semiconductor die by epoxy . the contact pads are coated with , for example , ti , w , or au , for compatibility with the solder or with epoxy . fig7 a to 7g show the processing steps for manufacturing the ic package of fig6 g in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . the order of the process steps in the present embodiment is different from the order of the steps of the embodiment of fig6 a to 6g . fig7 a shows a cross - sectional side view of the copper ( cu ) panel substrate , which forms the raw material of the leadframe strip , indicated generally by the numeral 100 . similar to the embodiment of fig6 a , the copper strip is coated with a silver ( ag ) plating on a bottom surface thereof and a solder plating on a top surface thereof . solder paste is dispensed on a portion of the leadframe 100 ( fig7 b ) and the semiconductor die 104 is attached to the leadframe 100 by solder reflow technique ( fig7 c ). the semiconductor die 104 is coated with a suitable surface for soldering , such as titanium ( ti ), tungsten ( w ), or gold ( au ) for mounting via solder reflow . next , solder flux is dispensed on another portion of the leadframe 100 ( fig7 d ) and a second leadframe 102 having solder plating on both a top and a bottom surface thereof is laminated onto the first leadframe 100 using a solder reflow technique to form a single pocket - type leadframe ( fig7 e ). solder flux is then dispensed onto portions of the semiconductor die 104 ( fig7 f ) and a third leadframe 108 with solder plating on both top and bottom surfaces is laminated on the surface of the semiconductor die . fig8 a to 8g show the processing steps for manufacturing an alternative ic package in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention . the steps of fig8 a to 8g are similar to the steps of fig6 a to 6g except that the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig8 a to 8g is a different shape than the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig6 a to 6g . as shown in fig8 b to 8g , the second leadframe 102 provides a pocket in the center of each unit in which the semiconductor die 104 is mounted , when laminated on the first leadframe 100 . fig9 a to 9g show the processing steps for manufacturing the ic package of fig8 g in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention . the steps of fig9 a to 9g are similar to the steps of fig7 a to 7g except that the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig9 a to 9g is a different shape that the second leadframe 102 of the embodiment of fig7 a to 7g . again , the second leadframe 102 provides a pocket in the center of each unit in which the semiconductor die 104 is mounted when laminated on the first leadframe 100 . alternative embodiments and variations are possible . for example , in an alternative embodiment , the semiconductor die is attached to the leadframe by reflow of the solder plated on the copper of the first leadframe 100 rather than by the addition of solder paste to the leadframe and subsequent reflow . in yet another alternative embodiment , the semiconductor die is mounted on the leadframe via silver epoxy . other embodiments and variations will occur to those of skill in the art . all such embodiments and variations are believed to be within the scope and sphere of the present invention as defined by the claims appended hereto .	7
represented in fig1 is a block diagram for a circuit arrangement according to the invention for starting and operating discharge lamps . at connection terminals j , a line voltage from a line voltage source can be fed to the circuit arrangement . the line voltage is initially fed into a block fr . on the one hand , this block includes known means for filtering disturbances . on the other hand , this block includes a rectifier , which rectifiers the line voltage , which is an ac voltage . usually , a bridge - connected full - wave rectifier is used for this purpose . important for the function of a charge pump realized in the circuit arrangement is the property of the rectifier that it does not permit any current that allows an energy flow from the circuit arrangement to the line voltage source . the rectified line voltage is fed to an electronic pumping switch uni , a pumping node n 1 being produced at the connecting point between the rectifier fr and the electronic pumping switch uni . in the simplest case , the electronic pumping switch uni comprises a pumping diode , which only allows a current flow that flows from the pumping node n 1 to the pumping diode . it is also possible , however , to use any desired electronic switch , such as for example a mosfet , for the electronic pumping switch uni that performs the function of the pumping diode . the current which the electronic pumping switch uni allows through feeds a main energy store sto . the main energy store sto is usually configured as an electrolytic capacitor . however , other types of capacitors are also possible . in principle , the dual form of energy storage with respect to the capacitor is also possible . in the dual case , the main energy store sto is configured as a coil . because of the lower costs and the better efficiency , a capacitor is preferred as the main energy store sto . there are also configurations of charge pumps with a number of so - called pumping branches . in this case , a number of electronic pumping switches uni are connected in parallel . this produces a number of pumping nodes n 1 . for the mutual decoupling of the pumping nodes , a diode is connected in each case between the rectifier and the pumping node . an exemplary embodiment with two pumping branches is represented in fig2 . the main energy store sto provides its energy to an inverter inv . the inverter inv generates an alternating variable , usually an ac voltage , which is fed to a block , which is designated by mn and pn . mn designates the function of the block as a matching network . with respect to this function , the block mn / pn can be connected to a discharge lamp l . pn designates the function of the block as a pumping network . with respect to this function , the block mn / pn is connected to the pumping node n 1 . the connecting line between the pumping node n 1 and the block mn / pn is provided in fig1 with an arrow at both ends . this is intended to indicate that energy flows in an alternating manner from the pumping node n 1 to the block mn / pn and back . the functions of the matching network and of the pumping network are combined in the block mn / pn because embodiments of the invention in which individual components can be assigned both to one and the other function are possible . a controller cont , which uses a manipulated variable to act on the inverter inv , is provided for controlling a desired first operating variable . consequently , a parameter of the alternating variable delivered by the inverter , for example the operating frequency or the pulse width , is changed in such a way that changing of the first operating variable is counteracted . the first operating variable is fed to a first input of the controller via the terminal b 1 . the first operating variable is a variable which determines the operation of the lamp . therefore , in fig1 the terminal b 1 originates from the block for the discharge lamp l . the first operating variable is , for example , the lamp current or the lamp power . these variables to not have to be recorded directly on the discharge lamp l , but can also be taken from the block mn / pn . according to the invention , the controller cont has a second input . a second operating variable is fed to the second input via a threshold switch th . according to the invention , the second operating variable is a measure of the reactive energy that resonates in a resonant circuit contained in the block mn / pn . the tapping of the second operating variable by means of the terminal b 2 therefore takes place at the block mn / pn . it is also possible , however , to obtain a measure of said reactive energy from lamp operating variables , such as for example the lamp voltage . for igniting the discharge lamp l , reactive energy is built up in the resonant circuit . the reactive energy provides information on the energy imbalance of the charge pump and the loading of components . if the second operating variable exceeds the threshold of the threshold switch , according to the invention the rectifier is influenced by the controller cont in such a way that the reactive energy does not increase any further . this can take place by the operating frequency of the inverter inv being raised . the controller cont may include an adder , which adds the signals present at the controller inputs . it must be ensured that the signal at the first controller input does not clamp the signal at the second controller input . if the signal at the second controller input exceeds the signal at the first controller input , the signal at the second controller input must be the decisive controller signal . represented in fig2 is an exemplary embodiment of a circuit arrangement according to the invention for starting and operating discharge lamps . a line voltage can be connected to the terminals j 1 and j 2 . the line voltage is fed via a filter , comprising two capacitors c 1 , c 2 and two coils l 1 , l 2 , to a full - bridge rectifier comprising the diodes d 1 , d 2 , d 3 , d 4 . the full - bridge rectifier provides the rectified line voltage at its positive output , a node n 21 , with respect to a reference node n 0 . the rectified line voltage is fed via the diodes d 5 and d 6 to two pumping nodes n 22 and n 23 . the exemplary embodiment in fig2 accordingly has two pumping branches . the diodes d 5 and d 6 are necessary for decoupling the pumping branches from each other . when there is only one pumping branch , a pumping node can be connected directly to the rectifier output , the node n 21 . in this case , however , it must be ensured that the diodes used in the rectifier can switch quickly enough to follow the inverter frequency . if this is not the case , a high - speed diode must be connected between the rectifier output and the pumping nodes even when there is only one pumping branch . in the exemplary embodiment in fig2 the pumping nodes are coupled to the positive output of the rectifier . charge pump topologies in which pumping nodes are coupled to the negative output of the rectifier are also known from the literature . leading from the pumping nodes n 22 and n 23 to the node n 24 there is respectively an electronic pumping switch , configured as diodes d 7 and d 8 . connected between n 24 and no is the main energy store , which is configured as electrolytic capacitor c 3 . c 3 feeds the inverter , which is configured as a half bridge . other converter topologies , such as for example a flyback converter or full bridge , can also be used , however . a half bridge is advantageously used for lamp powers of between 5 w and 300 w , since it represents the lowest - cost topology . the half bridge essentially comprises a series connection of two half - bridge transistors t 1 and t 2 and a series connection of two coupling capacitors c 4 and c 5 . both series connections are connected in parallel with c 3 . a connecting node n 25 of the half - bridge transistors and a connecting node n 26 of the coupling capacitors form the inverter output at which a square - wave inverter voltage with an inverter frequency is present . connected between n 25 and a lamp voltage node n 27 is a lamp inductor l 3 . connected at n 27 is the terminal j 3 , at which the series connection of two discharge lamps lp 1 and lp 2 is connected in the exemplary embodiment . however , the present invention can also be configured with one or more lamps . the current through the discharge lamps lp 1 and lp 2 flows via a terminal j 8 , through a winding w 1 of a measuring transformer to the node n 26 . consequently , the inverter voltage is essentially applied to a series connection of two discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 and the lamp inductor l 3 . the current fed into j 3 flows not only through the gas discharge of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 but also through an outer filament of the first discharge lamp lp 1 to a terminal j 4 . from there , it continues through a winding w 4 of a heating transformer , on through a variable resistor r 1 and on through a winding w 3 of the measuring transformer to the terminal j 7 . connected to the terminal j 7 is an outer filament of the second discharge lamp lp 2 , the other end of which leads to the terminal j 8 . two inner filaments of the discharge lamps lp 1 and lp 2 are respectively connected via the terminals j 5 and j 6 to the winding w 5 of the heating transformer . by the arrangement described in this paragraph , the inverter voltage brings about not only a current through the gas discharge of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 but also a heating current through the outer filaments and , via the heating transformer , also a heating current through the inner filaments of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 . if only one discharge lamp is to be operated , it is possible to dispense with the heating transformer . the heating current is essentially required before the ignition of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 , during a preheating phase as a preheating current for the preheating of the filaments . the value of the heating current is determined largely by the variable resistor r 1 . during the preheating phase , the value of r 1 is so low that a heating current prescribed by lamp data is achieved . after the preheating phase , the value of r 1 increases , so that negligible heating current flows in comparison with the current through the gas discharge of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 . in the exemplary embodiment , r 1 is realized by a so - called ptc or positive temperature coefficient thermistor . this is a resistor which in the cold state has a low resistance . the ptc thermistor is heated up by the heating current , making its resistance value increase . r 1 may also be realized by an electronic switch which is closed in the preheating phase and then open . a resistor with a constant resistance value may be connected in series with the switch . consequently , a rapid transition from the preheating phase to the igniting phase is possible . the described arrangement for preheating the filaments has the effect that , during the preheating phase , the resonant frequency of a resonant circuit described in the next paragraph is lower than its natural frequency , due to damping . an inverter frequency which lies below the natural frequency is advantageously chosen during the preheating phase , in order to obtain a high heating current , and consequently a short preheating phase . the lamp voltage node n 27 is connected to the pumping node n 23 via a first resonant capacitor c 6 . connected between n 23 and no is a second resonant capacitor c 7 . c 6 and c 7 form with the lamp inductor l 3 a resonant circuit . for fixing the natural frequency of the resonant circuit , c 6 and c 7 are viewed as connected in series . the effective capacitance value of c 6 and c 7 with respect to the natural frequency is consequently the quotient of the product and the sum of the capacitance values of c 6 and c 7 . if the resonant circuit is stimulated close to its natural frequency , an ignition voltage that leads to the ignition of the discharge lamps is produced across the lamps . after the ignition , l 3 acts together with c 6 and c 7 as a matching network , which transforms an output impedance of the inverter into an impedance necessary for the operation of the discharge lamps . the connection of c 6 and c 7 to the pumping node n 23 has the effect , however , that the combination of l 3 , c 6 and c 7 acts not only as a resonant circuit and matching network but at the same time as a pumping network . if the potential at n 23 is lower than the momentary line voltage , the pumping network l 3 , c 6 , c 7 draws energy from the line voltage . if the potential at n 23 exceeds the voltage at the main energy store c 3 , the energy accepted from the line voltage is delivered at c 3 . the choice of the ratio of the capacitance values of c 6 and c 7 allows the effect of the network l 3 , c 6 , c 7 as a pumping network to be adjusted . the greater the capacitance value of c 7 is chosen to be , the less the network l 3 , c 6 , c 7 acts as a pumping network . a further pumping effect is produced by a capacitor c 8 , which is connected between n 23 and the connecting node n 25 of the half - bridge transistors t 1 , t 2 . c 8 also not only acts as a pumping network but at the same time performs the task of a snubber capacitor . snubber capacitors are generally known as a measure for switch relief in inverters . the pumping network for the second pumping branch comprises the series connection of a pumping inductor l 4 and a pumping capacitor c 9 . this pumping network is connected between the connecting node n 25 of the half - bridge transistors t 1 , t 2 and the pumping node n 22 . in the case of the present exemplary embodiment , two pumping branches are used , in order that the pumped energy is divided between a number of components . lower - cost dimensioning of the components is consequently possible . it also provides a degree of freedom in the design of the dependence of the pumped energy on operating parameters of the discharge lamps . however , the invention can also be realized with only one pumping branch . the half - bridge transistors t 1 , t 2 are designed as mosfets . other electronic switches may also be used for this . for activating the gates of t 1 and t 2 , an integrated circuit ic 1 is provided in the exemplary embodiment . ic 1 is in the present example a circuit of the type ir2153 from the company international rectifier . alternative circuits of this type are also available on the market ; for example l6571 from the company stm . the circuit ir2153 includes a so - called high - side driver , with which the half - bridge transistor t 1 can also be activated , although it has no connection at the reference potential n 0 . a diode d 10 and a capacitor c 10 are necessary for this purpose . the operating voltage supply of the ic 1 takes place via the terminal 1 of the ic 1 . in fig2 a voltage source vcc is provided for this purpose between terminal 1 of the ic 1 and no . several possible ways in which this voltage source vcc can be realized are generally known . in the simplest case , the ic can be supplied via a resistor from the rectified line voltage . apart from the driver circuits for the half - bridge transistors , ic 1 includes an oscillator , the oscillating frequency of which can be set via the terminals 2 and 3 . the oscillating frequency of the oscillator corresponds to the inverter frequency . connected between the terminals 2 and 3 is a frequency - determining resistor r 3 . connected between terminal 3 and n 0 is the series connection of a frequency - determining capacitor c 11 and the emitter - collector path of a bipolar transistor t 3 . connected in parallel with the emitter - collector path of t 3 is a diode d 9 , in order that c 11 can be charged and discharged . the inverter frequency can be set by a voltage between the base terminal of t 3 and n 0 and consequently forms a manipulated variable for the control circuit . the base terminal of t 3 is connected to a manipulated - variable node n 28 . t 3 , ic 1 and their wiring can consequently be regarded as a controller . the functions of the ic 1 and its wiring can also be realized by any desired voltage - controlled or current - control oscillator which brings about the activation of the half - bridge transistors via driver circuits . the control circuit in the exemplary embodiment records as a controlled variable the current through the gas discharge of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 . for this purpose , the measuring transformer has a winding w 2 . the winding direction in the measuring transformer is designed such that the heating current in the winding w 3 is subtracted from an overall current in winding w 1 , so that in winding w 2 there flows a current which is proportional to the current through the gas discharge of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 . a full - bridge rectifier , formed by diodes d 11 , d 12 , d 13 and d 14 , rectifies the current through winding w 2 and leads it via a low - resistance measuring resistor r 4 to n 0 . the voltage drop across r 4 is consequently a measure of the current through the gas discharge of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 . passing via a low - pass filter for averaging , which is formed by a resistor r 5 and a capacitor c 13 , the voltage drop across r 4 reaches the input of a noninverting measuring amplifier . the measuring amplifier is realized in a known way by an operational amplifier amp and the resistors r 6 , r 7 and r 8 . in the exemplary embodiment , a gain of the measuring amplifier of about 10 is set . in the event that the voltage drop across r 4 has values which can be used directly as a manipulated variable , it is possible to dispense with the measuring amplifier or replace it with an impedance converter , such as for example an emitter follower . the output of the measuring amplifier is connected via a diode d 15 to the manipulated - variable node n 28 . consequently , the control circuit for controlling the current through the gas discharge of the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 is closed . the diode d 15 is necessary in order that the potential of n 28 can be raised to a value that lies above the value prescribed by the measuring amplifier . the anode of d 15 represents a first controller input . the threshold switch according to the invention is realized in fig2 by a varistor mov . it lies in a series connection with a capacitor c 12 , a resistor r 2 and a diode d 17 , which connects the voltage node n 27 to the manipulated - variable node n 28 . the anode of d 17 represents a second controller input . n 28 is connected via the parallel connection of a resistor r 9 and a capacitor c 14 to n 0 . at n 27 there is with respect to n 0 a voltage which is a measure of the reactive energy resonating in the resonant circuit , formed by l 3 , c 6 and c 7 . if this voltage exceeds the threshold voltage of the varistor mov , a current flows through r 9 , and c 14 is charged . the voltage at the manipulated - variable node n 28 is consequently raised . this brings about an increase in the inverter frequency , and the reactive energy resonating in the resonant circuit is reduced , since the inverter frequency shifts further away from the natural frequency of the resonant circuit . connected between no and the connecting point of r 2 and d 17 is the diode d 16 . consequently , acting together with c 12 , the sum of the positive amplitude and negative amplitude of the voltage which the varistor mov allows to pass is applied to n 28 . instead of the varistor mov , any other desired threshold switch may be used , such as can be constructed for example by zener diodes or suppressor diodes . the threshold value of the varistor mov is chosen in the application example as 250 vrms . a higher value has the effect that more reactive energy is allowed in the resonant circuit , which leads to a higher ignition voltage at the discharge lamps lp 1 , lp 2 , but also leads to a greater loading of components . consequently , a desired optimum can be set by means of the threshold value of the varistor mov . the value of the resistor r 2 influences the intensity of the effect of the intervention according to the invention on the control circuit at the manipulated - variable node n 28 . a nonlinear relationship between the voltage at the manipulated - variable node n 28 and the inverter frequency is also advantageous . this nonlinear relationship is realized in the application example by the nonlinear characteristic of t 3 . moreover , it is influenced by the dependence of the frequency of the oscillator in the ic 1 on the voltage at the terminal 3 of the ic 1 . due to the nonlinearity , a strong increase in the voltage at n 27 leads to a disproportionate increase in the inverter frequency , whereby overloading of components , such as for example the voltage loading of c 3 or the current loading of t 1 and t 2 , is prevented . instead of the voltage , the current in the resonant circuit could also be used as a measure of the reactive energy resonating in the resonant circuit . an additional winding on l 3 could serve this purpose , for example .	8
fig1 depicts an apparatus for automatically powering up and powering down an electrical device in accordance with the invention . an automatic power - up , power - down circuit 100 is shown optionally connected to bus 180 over optional bus interface 175 . the automatic power - up , power - down circuit connects a source of power 105 to an output terminal 106 powering the electrical device as described more hereinafter . a self - powered motion detector 110 , detects motion in the vicinity of the electrical device . when motion is detected a bistable device 115 is set to close switch 120 to power - up proximity detector 125 and ir detector 130 . with these detectors powered up , if the motion detected by motion detector 110 is within a certain proximity of the electrical device and if the amount of infra - red radiation emitted by the object detected is adequate , that is , above a certain threshold , both inputs to and gate 135 are activated , setting bistable 140 which then closes switch 145 permitting power from source 105 to go to electrical device over terminal 106 . with the application of power , power - down timer 150 begins timing , counting down from a certain value . any motion in the vicinity of the electrical device will trigger a motion detector periodically resulting in reset of the power - down timer . however , when a period of time goes by with no motion detected , one may assume that a user has left the area and eventually power - down timer 150 will time out , resetting bistables 140 and 115 , thus turning off power to the electrical device at terminal 106 and turning off power to the proximity detector 125 and the infra - red detector 130 . as the user walks back toward the electrical device , the motion detector will first sense the presence and power - up proximity detector and infra - red detectors 125 and 130 respectively and the cycle begins again . motion detector 110 can not distinguish between motion caused by a large object at a far distance or a small object at a close distance . proximity detector 125 can distinguish how close an object is and also whether or not the object is closer than a particular threshold . the infra - red detector detects whether or not the moving object within a certain proximity is a living object or not , and , based on the amount of infra - red radiation , can determine the approximate size of the object . by using all three of these detectors , one may ensure that a human operator is close enough to the electrical device to want to use it . under those conditions , the electrical device is powered - up . the optional bus interface 175 and the optional computer bus 180 are used as discussed hereinafter for activating computer display screens . the infra - red detector can also be utilized to distinguish the situation in which the computer is being carried by a person from one in which a motion results from a person approaching . if a person is approaching , the ir intensity will be increasing , whereas if the device is being carried , the ir levels will remain constant . fig2 a is an illustration of a computer which is selectively battery powered and suitable for use with the invention . the illustration of the computer corresponds to any one of a variety of standard battery powered portable computers 200 . such computers typically have a keyboard 210 which is exposed when open , a disc drive 215 , a mouse 220 , which may be incorporated into the keyboard , and a display 225 for displaying output from the processor . in one embodiment , the display is a touchscreen display . in accordance with the invention , an eyetracker sensor is shown at 230 , positioned so as to be able to view the user &# 39 ; s eyes . the use of the eyetracker sensor will be described more hereinafter . fig2 b is a block diagram of the internal hardware of the computer of fig2 a . a bus 250 serves as the main information highway interconnecting the other components of the computer . cpu 255 is the central processing unit of the system , performing calculations and logic operations required to execute a program . read only memory ( 260 ) and random access memory ( 265 ) constitute the main memory of the computer . disk controller 270 interfaces one or more disk drives to the system bus 250 . these disk drives may be floppy disk drives , such as 273 , internal or external hard drives , such as 272 , or cd rom or dvd ( digital video disks ) drives such as 271 . a display interface 275 interfaces display 220 and permits information from the bus to be displayed on the display . communications with external devices can occur over communications port 285 . an automatic power - up / power - down circuit 100 is connected to the bus 250 over bus interface 175 . power from power source 105 is utilized to power - up the computer and the bus structure over terminal 106 . the outputs from the motion detector , proximity detector and ir detector of the automatic power - up / power - down circuit 100 are connected to the bus and are utilized as more fully described hereinafter . an eyetracker 290 is interfaced to the bus over interface 289 and provides information for control of the power and described more hereinafter . the display 220 is interfaced to the computer bus over display interface 275 . a separate control line 276 is shown between the display interface 275 and the display 220 . this line is utilized to control the intensity of illumination of images on the surface of the display . it effectively serves as a power control for the display device . fig2 c illustrates an exemplary memory medium which can be used with drives such as 273 in fig2 b or 210 a in fig2 a . typically , memory media such as a floppy disk , or a cd rom , or a digital video disk will contain , inter alia , program information for controlling the computer to enable the computer to perform its testing and development functions in accordance with the invention . fig3 is a state transition diagram showing the control processes used in accordance with the invention . the process begins with a power save state 310 which is described more in detail in fig4 . from the power save state , the state can transition either to a power - up state 320 or return to itself . from power - up state 320 , the invention can transition to a power - down state shown more in detail in fig5 ( 330 ) or return to itself . turning to fig4 if motion detector 110 shown in fig1 detects motion ( 410 ), the proximity detector and the ir detector are activated ( 420 ). if they are both activated , then a check is made to determine if proximity of the object whose motion is detected is less than the threshold ( 430 ) and then a check made to see if the ir level is greater than a threshold ( 440 ). if it is , switch 145 shown in fig1 is closed and power is applied to terminal 106 to power - up the external device thus entering the power - up state 320 shown in fig3 . states 430 and 440 can transition to “ set timer ” state 450 if their conditions are not met . after timer 450 times out , it will transition to state 460 where the proximity detector and the ir detectors will be deactivated . state 460 will transition back to state 410 and the process begin again . state 460 may also be entered externally from the power - down state 330 shown in fig3 . fig5 shows more in detail the power - down state transition diagram 330 of fig3 . when entered from the power - up state 320 of fig3 a set timer state 520 is entered which corresponds to power - down timer 150 shown in fig1 . if motion is detected ( state 530 ) timer 520 is reset . if no motion is detected , state 540 results from a timeout which triggers a power - down device state 550 . this corresponds to resetting of flip - flops 140 and 115 if fig1 . state 550 transitions back to power save state 300 shown in fig3 and more specifically to state 460 within that state . fig6 is a flow chart of a one power control process used as part of the invention . eyetracker 290 , shown in fig2 b is utilized to control the illumination of images on the display 220 . how this is done is shown in fig6 . the eyetracker outputs are processed to distinguish four conditions shown in fig6 namely : 1 . whether the eyes are fixed at a point on the screen , 3 . whether the eyes are approaching the screen from a position off the screen , and these four cases are distinguished by separate processing branches shown in fig6 . when the eyetracker determines that the eyes are fixed on the screen , case 1 ( 610 ) obtains and the display intensity is set at normal illumination ( 615 ). in case number 2 ( 620 ), when the eyes move from the screen to a point off the screen , a time interval of , preferably , { fraction ( 1 / 10 )} of a second ( 625 ) is set . if that time expires without the eyes returning to the screen , the screen will slowly fade the display intensity to black ( 626 ). in the embodiment shown in fig6 once the eyes have been off the screen for a period of time greater than the time set in item 625 , cases 3 and 4 are treated identically . that is , whether the eyes are approaching the screen or moving across the screen without fixing on the screen , the display intensity will resume normal illumination as quickly as possible . normal illumination will thus continue until such time as the eyes leave the screen again . in one embodiment , step 626 includes steps shown in fig8 . in step 830 , power to the eyetracker is removed when it is determined in step 827 that the user has not looked at the display for a predetermined period of time . in step 840 , power to the sep eyetracker is restored after the user has not looked at the display for a predetermined period of time by a user input . if the display is a touchscreen display , the user input is provided by touching the touchscreen display . the embodiment shown in fig7 is identical for cases 1 and 2 as that shown in fig6 . however , cases 3 and 4 are treated separately . in case 3 , where the eyes are approaching the on - screen condition , in this embodiment , nothing happens . that is , the screen remains blank . however , case 4 results in measurement of the time that the eyes are on the screen . if the time the eyes are on the screen exceeds some threshold , the display intensity is resumed at normal illumination as quickly as possible . thus , in accordance with the invention , electrical devices powered by energy sources of finite capacity can utilize the energy available to the maximum extent possible and reduce energy waste to a minimum . in this disclosure , there is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention , but , as aforementioned , it is to be understood that the invention is capable of use in various other combinations and environments and is capable of changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein .	8
fig1 represents a first embodiment of a suspended soffit , canopy or like static structure 10 that is exposed to up - lift wind loading . the structure or system 10 includes a rectangular grid 11 , of generally known , conventional construction . the grid 11 includes main runners 12 in the form of inverted tees and cross runners 13 shown as flanged u - shaped channels . the main runners 12 are preferably formed of sheet metal , as is conventional , and have a hollow reinforcing bulb 14 at an upper edge , a double web 16 extending from the bulb and flange portions 17 extending from opposite sides of the web . the flange portions 17 can be covered at a lower face of the main runner 12 by a sheet metal strip that forms a cap 18 with its longitudinal edges 19 folded over the longitudinal digital edges of the flange portions 17 . together the flange portions 17 and cap 18 form a flange proper 20 . typically , the overall height of the bulb 14 is 1½ ″, its width is ¼ ′ and the flange 20 is 15 / 16 ″ or 1½ ″ wide . preferably , the cross runners 13 are formed of sheet metal and have ends that overlie the main runner flange portions 17 and cap edges 19 . the cross runners 13 include tabs 21 that extend through slots in the web 16 of the main runner 12 . suitable rigid water - resistant or waterproof panel material is secured to the lower faces of the main and cross runners 12 and 13 . this panel material 23 can be sheet rock ® brand exterior ceiling board , fiber rock ® brand sheeting , aqua - tough ™ and durock ® brand cement board , such being trademarks of usg corporation . the panels 23 are attached in a conventional manner with self - drilling and tapping screws , for example . the main runners 12 are suspended from overlying structure , i . e . superstructure , by hanger wires 26 . the hanger wires 26 , made of 12 gauge steel suitably coated , are typically used in suspension ceilings , as well as soffits , and offer an inexpensive , quick and reliable way of hanging a suspended ceiling - like structure . the wires 26 , while affording adequate tensile force to support the weight of a ceiling or soffit , afford essentially no compression strength . the soffit installation 10 includes compression post assemblies 31 spaced along the lengths of the main runners 12 to hold the soffit down against wind up - lift forces that can exceed the weight of the soffit itself . the compression post assemblies 31 transfer the up - lift wind load on the soffit to the superstructure from which the soffit is hung . a compression post assembly 31 includes a main strut shaft or post 32 and a saddle fitting 33 . the main shaft 32 is preferably made of round tube stock and , in particular , can be made from thin wall electrical conduit or electrical metal tubing ( e . m . t .). in fig1 and 2 , the main shaft 32 is made of nominal ½ ″ e . m . t . the main post 32 , ordinarily , can be cut to length at the location where the soffit 10 is constructed . the length of the main post is slightly less than the distance between the top of the bulb 14 of the particular main runner 12 being supported from the superstructure directly above the main tee . ordinarily , the compression post assembly is installed after the grid 11 is in place so that appropriate measurements can be made to determine the suitable length of the main post 32 . fig5 - 7 , discussed below , show how a compression post assembly 31 may be located on a superstructure . the saddle fitting 33 can be made from tubing stock such as ¾ ″ e . m . t . cut to a length somewhat greater than the height of a main runner ; for instance , with a length 1½ to two times the height of a main runner . the tube stock of the saddle fitting 33 is formed with diametrally opposite slots 34 extending from a lower end 36 lengthwise or axially for a distance at least equal to the height of an upper surface 37 of the main runner bulb 14 to the flange 20 of the main runner represented by the folded - over edges 19 of the cap 18 . the length of the slots 34 preferably enables the lower end 36 of the fitting 33 to rest against and bear upon the main runner flange 20 , formed by the cap edges 19 , without interfering or being obstructed by the reinforcing bulb 14 . in assembly , the saddle fitting 33 is telescoped with the main post 32 by slipping it over the main post . depending in part on the manner by which the main shaft is located on the superstructure , the saddle fitting 33 can be slipped up over the main post 32 , aligned over a bulb 14 of a main runner 12 and dropped down against the main runner flange 20 . alternatively , the saddle fitting 33 can be placed on the main runner flange 20 and the main shaft or post 32 can thereafter be telescoped into the fitting 33 . with the fitting 33 resting on and abutted against the upper flange surface 37 , the fitting can be fixed to the main runner 12 with a self - drilling , self - tapping screw fastener 38 . the main post 32 received in telescoping relation with the saddle fitting 33 abuts or can be raised to abut the overlying superstructure and in this position is fixed to the saddle fitting by a self - drilling , self - tapping screw fastener 39 which can be identical to the screw 38 holding the fitting to the main runner 12 . with the fitting 33 screwed or otherwise fixed to the tee 12 and the post or shaft 32 screwed or otherwise fixed to the fitting , these elements form a rigid structure . the compression post assembly 31 is easily used with any common superstructure . fig5 illustrates use of the compression post assembly 31 with a wood truss or joist 41 forming the superstructure . a suitable screw , e . g . a wood screw or heavy drywall screw 42 is partially driven into the joist 41 directly above a main runner 12 where the saddle fitting 33 is located or will eventually be located . fig6 illustrates an example of an installation of the compression post assembly 31 where the superstructure includes a steel bar joist 46 . the upper end of the main shaft 32 is secured to the bar joist 46 by cross - drilling the main post and affixing it to the bar joist with a wire 47 . it will be seen that the upper post end 43 is abutted against the lower face of the bar joist 46 . fig7 illustrates installation of the compression post assembly 31 with a superstructure formed of a concrete beam or slab 51 . a powder driven anchor 52 , known in the art , is driven into the concrete 51 and the upper end 43 of the main post 32 is abutted against the lower face of the concrete 51 . fig3 illustrates the lower area of a compression post assembly 56 that has a larger load bearing capacity and / or a longer strut or post length limitation than that of the compression post assembly 31 illustrated in fig1 and 2 . the compression post assembly includes a strut or post 57 which can be made from ¾ ″ e . m . t . a saddle fitting 58 can be made of a short length of 1 ″ e . m . t . that is slotted in the same manner as the earlier described fitting 33 . fig4 illustrates still another form of a compression post assembly 61 . the assembly 61 comprises a main post or shaft 62 , made for example of ¾ ″ e . m . t ., a splice segment 63 made from ½ ″ e . m . t . and a saddle segment or fitting 64 made of ¾ ″ e . m . t . as before , the saddle fitting or element 64 is slotted to straddle the bulb 14 and web 16 to enable the lower end of the saddle to abut the upper flange surface 37 . the splice segment 63 is telescoped within the shaft or post 62 and saddle 64 . as in the earlier embodiments , the saddle is fixed by a screw 38 to the main runner 12 and the splice segment 63 is fixed to the saddle 64 and post 62 by separate screws 39 . fig8 and 9 illustrate a saddle fitting 70 in compression post assemblies 71 and 72 . the saddle fitting 70 is a tubular member having different diameters at respective ends 73 , 74 . each end 73 , 74 is provided with slots 76 adapted to receive the bulb and web 14 , 16 of a main runner 12 . fig1 illustrates a modified form of a compression post assembly 76 . the assembly comprises a rectangular channel that forms the main shaft 77 or strut and a saddle fitting 78 . the compression post assembly 76 is analogous to the previous circular tube arrangements shown in the previously described figures . the saddle fitting 78 has a u or c - shaped configuration in a horizontal cross - section and includes a slot 79 sized to enable it to be assembled over the bulb 14 and web 16 of a main runner 12 . the fitting 78 is proportional to slide in telescoped relation to the main shaft 77 . the fitting 78 is fixed with its lower end abutting the upper side of the tee flanges by a screw 38 to the main tee 12 and the main shaft 77 by a screw 39 . as described in connection with the previous embodiments , the main shaft 77 has its upper end abutted against a downwardly facing surface of an overlying superstructure or is otherwise suitably fixed or anchored to the same in a vertical position . the compression post assembly of the invention is characterized by a sliding , preferably telescoping fit between a main post and a saddle element . the saddle element is arranged to surround the bulb and web of an inverted t - shaped main runner and to stabilize the main runner by contacting the lower flange of the main runner on both sides of the web . with the saddle fitting fixed both to the main runner and to the main shaft , the main runner is prevented from prematurely buckling by twisting about its longitudinal axis . the telescoping relation between the saddle fitting and main shaft or strut is very dimensionally tolerant of variations between the ideal length of a main post in relation to the actual distance between a main runner and its overlying superstructure . while the invention has been shown and described with respect to particular embodiments thereof , this is for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation , and other variations and modifications of the specific embodiments herein shown and described will be apparent to those skilled in the art all within the intended spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the patent is not to be limited in scope and effect to the specific embodiments herein shown and described nor in any other way that is inconsistent with the extent to which the progress in the art has been advanced by the invention .	4
embodiments described herein relate to methods for providing an authenticatable storage area for installing or executing software in a storage - capable device . the principles and operation for providing an authenticatable storage area , s according to embodiments described herein , may be better understood with reference to the accompanying description and the drawings . according to an example embodiment , the secure software silo is an ieee 1667 silo that implements the proposed ast specification . while it is assumed that the sss contains a single application and a certificate , extension to multiple applications ( and associated certificates ) is possible ( e . g . using indexing based on either stids or silo indices ). an application consists of one or more executable packages ( e . g . archive files ) providing , for example : support for another silo , a device capability not fully supported by the host os , a user application , other executable content , or silo specific data such as license certificates or configuration information . if the executable package is an archive , the format of the archive can be selected based on the host os as provided by the probe command ( e . g . cab for windows or rpm for red hat linux ). the sss may contain a “ flat ” file system , a hierarchical file system , or a storage area without a file system . the certificate associated with the sss attests to the validity of the contents of the sss ( e . g . using a signature ), and serves to create a “ chain of trust ” as will be explained with regard to fig1 . referring now to the drawings , fig1 is a simplified block diagram of the operational scheme for the implementation of a secure software silo , according to preferred embodiments described herein . the operational scheme of fig1 relates to a write / update process . a similar scheme would apply to a read process as well . a storage device 10 ( e . g . tsd ) is first operationally connected to a host system 12 ( block a ). host system 12 is operationally connected to a server 14 . host system 12 then executes a probe command ( e . g . 1667 probe command ) ( block b ). the probe command returns a list of dfus ( e . g . stid list ) ( block c ). the sss then requests the necessary device certificate from host system 12 ( block d ). once the sss receives the device certificate ( block e ), host system 12 creates a secure session with server 14 using the device certificate ( block f ). server 14 can , at its discretion , reject the session connection , or select specific software according to the provided device certificate , which would prevent unlicensed propagation of the software to other devices . server 14 then provides a server certificate to host system 12 , establishing the chain of trust ( block g ). server 14 encrypts the content image ( i . e . image of the enabling software ) with a key agreed upon via the key exchange ( i . e . public - key exchange ) using the server certificate and the device certificate . the device certificate enables the association of the software in the sss with storage device 10 , preventing unlicensed propagation of the software to other devices . coupling between the software loaded from the sss and the specific unique instance of storage device 10 may be provided , if desired , by ( 1 ) signing the application using a device - specific public key such as that retrievable via the 1667 authentication silo manufacturer certificate ( ascm ), ( 2 ) including the device serial number in a tamper - resistant manner , or ( 3 ) using an additional component such as a digital - rights management ( drm ) dfu . the sss then begins to update its content image using the server certificate ( block h ). server 14 can , at its discretion , reject an update for specific software that is not considered trusted . for example , the device might reject linux drivers signed with a microsoft certificate , even though microsoft windows drivers are trusted from the same certificate . acknowledgement of the update is sent from storage device 10 to host system 12 ( block i ), and from host system 12 to server 14 ( block j ). server 14 then updates the content image of the sss on storage device 10 ( block k ). content transfer to the sss is atomic , meaning that if the update fails , then the sss “ rolls back ” to the previous image . alternatively , instead of encrypting the software , once the device certificate is received , the software can be signed and then sent to storage device 10 without encryption , but with a signature that can be confirmed by storage device 10 . once the update is complete , the content image is validated by storage device 10 ( block l ). the sss then retrieves the associated application via an application loader ( block m ), and updates the application ( block n ). the application loader uses the sss commands to read the application and certificate from the sss . the application contents are verified using a signature contained in the certificate , and the certificate itself is verified by the signature , creating a chain of trust to a certificate in an os certificate store . the sss can have a fixed or variable storage capacity for applications . verified and trusted applications ( e . g . drm applications ) are installed for use by the os of host system 12 . these applications can be installed independent of the user privileges . the applications are removed when storage device 10 is removed , or when the os shuts down . more than one sss can be provided to allow “ locked ” software ( i . e . software locked to the device ) and “ unlocked ” software to provide different levels of functionality . a bootstrap may also be stored in a partition ( e . g . a compact disc ( cd ) partition ) of storage device 10 . such a bootstrap could contain code required to support the ps and sss interfaces in ieee 1667 for host systems that do not natively support the ieee 1667 protocol . the use of the sss avoids the problem of updating a cd partition . furthermore , the use of the sss eliminates the need to have a cd partition to protect the software associated with storage device 10 . applications do not need to be protected from deletion or modification by the user as the sss is not visible to the user . furthermore , the application does not need to be protected from modification by software , since any change will be rejected when the application is validated using the signature in the certificate . the certificate is itself validated and cannot be replaced due to the chain of trust required for application certificates . an optional updater can be used to retrieve application updates from server 14 ( as in block h ). the updater may be loaded from the sss or the bootstrap . server 14 is a source of updates for the applications stored in the sss . to securely update the sss , a secure session must be established with server 14 using the chain of trust . server 14 for the sss can be tied to the vs ( e . g . as in ieee 1667 standard ) or via a native interface in the sss ( depending on whether the vs is linked to the sss ). optionally , the updater requires certificates signed by the same signer of the device certificate in the sss , in order to prevent installation of software from any other source . optionally , the updater requires certificates signed by the same signer as a provisioning certificate in a vs associated with the same dfu . optionally , the sss may contain multiple locations . for example , one location can require a certificate signed by the signer of a manufacturer certificate ( ascm ), another location can require a certificate signed by the signer of an vs provisioning certificate ( xcp ), and another location can require a certificate signed by the signer of an vs host certificate used to authenticate host system 12 ( hch ). as will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , other sets of multiple locations may be implemented in the sss . fig2 is a simplified flowchart of the process steps for enabling software functionality via a secure software silo , according to preferred embodiments described herein . fig2 differs from fig1 in part in that fig2 shows how the software functionality is enabled through the sss without showing the certification procedure through the server . as mentioned above with regard to fig1 , fig2 relates to a write / update process . a similar scheme would apply to a read process as well . the process starts with a tsd being operationally connected to a host system ( step 20 ). the host system executes a probe command ( step 22 ). the probe command then returns the list of silos present ( step 24 ). the silos are functional units implemented in the storage device including the sss . the host system loads the software from the sss ( step 26 ). the software is then validated ( step 28 ) and installed ( step 30 ). the validated software may then provide an interface to silos in the storage device ( step 32 ). the interface enables the device - functionality software to be loaded . the host system then loads the device - functionality software from the sss ( step 34 ), and the device - functionality software is validated ( step 36 ). validation is generally performed using secret codes carried by the device . once validated , the device - functionality software is executed ( step 38 ), and the silo functionality is enabled with software support ( step 40 ). the host system then checks whether there are more silos to process ( step 42 ). if there are more silos to process , then the host system loads additional software from the sss ( step 32 ), and continues the process . if there are no more silos to process , then the process ends ( step 44 ). the presence of the sss minimizes the support required from the os to just the probe command and the sss commands . even authentication can be performed by an application loaded from the sss . the probe command , which identifies the host os and version , may be used to provide support for more than one os . this step can be performed in the ps , the host system , or the sss . the ps can be configured to return a list of only silos for which applications usable with the host os reside in the sss . this can be performed by providing a single silo that shows different content depending on the host os . if the probe command returns more than one sss , the host system can choose the silo containing the application most compatible with the host os . this can be performed by allocating different stids for the sss for each host os ( e . g . windows sss or mac os sss ), or by implementing a command on the sss that returns host - os compatibility to the probe command . the sss can also have a command that returns a list of compatible host - os identifiers . alternatively , such an identifier - list command can be included in the device certificate . in the case that the host os is identified to the sss , the sss can return a list of applications specific to the host os . if such applications do not exist , a failure notification can be returned . the sss can also be implemented with multiple host - os - specific storage areas . in the case that the host os is identified to the sss , the sss selects the storage area specific to the host os . if such a storage area does not exist , a failure notification can be returned . fig3 is a simplified flowchart of the process steps for various scenarios or outcomes in the implementation of a secure software silo , according to preferred embodiments described herein . the process starts with a tsd being operationally connected to a host system ( step 50 ). the host system executes a probe command ( step 52 ). the host system then searches for enabling software ( step 54 ). the host system checks whether enabling software was found ( step 56 ). if enabling software was found , the host system checks whether the user authorizes the use of the enabling software ( step 58 ). if the user authorizes the use of the enabling software , then the approved enabling software is installed or executed ( step 60 ). the enabling software provides interfaces to the sss in the tsd ( step 70 ). if no enabling software is found in step 56 , or the user does not authorize the use of the enabling software in step 58 , the process continues with step 63 . if the user is running an operating system such as windows that supports autorun functionality , the os may then detect the autorun functionality as specified in a user - accessible file such as autorun . inf ( step 64 ), and checks whether autorun is enabled ( step 66 ). if autorun is enabled , then the autorun functionality is executed ( step 68 ). the host system then checks whether the device - functionality software is installed ( step 70 ). if the device - functionality software is installed , then silo functionality is enabled with software support ( step 72 ). if the device - functionality software is not installed , then software support is enabled , but the silo is unusable ( step 74 ). if autorun is not available or enabled in step 66 , then the host system checks whether the device - functionality software is installed ( step 76 ). if the device - functionality software is installed , then silo functionality is enabled without software support ( step 78 ). if the device - functionality software is not installed , then no functionality is enabled ( step 80 ). the initiation of the application stored in the sss is performed by the ieee 1667 support of the host os independently of the autorun mechanism . host systems with the autorun mechanism and full 1667 support can still provide full functionality even when the autorun mechanism is disabled . prior - art methods for installation of device - specific applications or drivers are limited by the trust placed in the user as indicated by the user &# 39 ; s privileges . this prevents the use of new devices or new device functionality until a limited - privileges user can have a higher - privilege user install the required applications or drivers . the sss allows the removal of such privilege restrictions by providing a basis of trust that depends on the provider of the applications or drivers , independent of the user privileges . as an example , the windows update process utilizes a similar approach to provide temporary device - specific updates to the os . if the sss is only visible when the tsd has been authenticated by a specific host system , un - authenticated host systems will see a different sss that has support only for reduced functionality . the full functionality of the tsd cannot be ascertained by a host system that has not been authenticated , since even the interface required to access the functionality is stored in an inaccessible sss , and such interfaces can differ from device to device . while the invention has been described with respect to a limited number of embodiments , it will be appreciated that many variations , modifications , and other applications of the invention may be made . the invention is not limited except by the scope of the appended claims .	6
[ 0025 ] fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a wellbore 100 prepared to accept an expandable liner assembly ( not shown ) that includes an upper and lower sealing apparatus ( not shown ) of the present invention . as depicted , wellbore 100 does not contain casing . an uncased wellbore is known in the industry as an open - hole wellbore . it should be noted that this invention is not limited for use with uncased wellbore , but rather can be also be used with a cased wellbore . in a cased wellbore , the casing is typically perforated at a predetermined location near a formation to provide a flow path for hydrocarbons from the surrounding formation . thereafter , the perforations may be closed by employing the present invention in a similar manner as described below for an open - hole wellbore . as shown in fig1 the wellbore 100 is a vertical well . however , it should be noted that the present invention may also be employed in horizontal or deviated wellbores . as illustrated in fig1 a prepared section 105 has an enlarged diameter relative to the wellbore 100 . typically , the prepared section 105 is enlarged through the use of an under - reamer ( not shown ). however , other methods of enlarging the wellbore 100 may be employed , such as a bi - center bit , so long as the method is capable of enlarging the diameter of the wellbore 100 for a predetermined length . in a typical under - reaming operation , the wellbore 100 is enlarged past its original drilled diameter . the under - reamer generally includes blades that are biased closed during run - in for ease of insertion into the wellbore 100 . the blades may subsequently be activated by fluid pressure to extend outward and into contact with the wellbore walls . prior to the under - reaming operation , the under - reamer is located at a predetermined point in the wellbore 100 . thereafter , the under - reamer is activated , thereby extending the blades radially outward . a rotational force supplied by a motor causes the under - reamer to rotate . during rotation , the under - reamer is urged away from the entrance of the wellbore 100 toward a downhole position for a predetermined length . as the under - reamer travels down the wellbore , the blades on the front portion of the under - reamer contact the diameter of the wellbore 100 , thereby enlarging the diameter of the wellbore 100 to form the prepared section 105 . [ 0028 ] fig2 a and 2b are cross - sectional views illustrating the expandable liner assembly 150 and a running assembly 170 being lowered into the wellbore 100 on a work string 120 . additionally , the work string 120 acts as a conduit for hydraulic fluid that is pumped from the surface of the wellbore 100 to the various components on the running assembly 170 . as shown , the work string 120 extends through the entire length of the running assembly 170 and connects to a drillable plug 190 at the lower end of the running assembly 170 . during the run - in operation , the drillable plug 190 prevents wellbore fluid from entering an annulus 165 created between the expandable liner assembly 150 and the running assembly 170 . as depicted , the plug 190 includes an aperture 195 to allow hydraulic fluid to exit the work string 120 during the expansion operation . the running assembly 170 further includes an upper torque anchor 160 to provide a means to secure the running assembly 170 and expandable liner assembly 150 in the wellbore 100 . as shown on fig2 a , the upper torque anchor 160 is in a retracted position to allow the running assembly 170 to place the expandable liner assembly 150 in the desired location for expansion of the liner assembly 150 in the prepared section 105 . the upper torque anchor 160 illustrates one possible means of securing the running assembly 170 and expandable liner assembly 150 in the wellbore 100 . it should be noted , however , that other securing means well known in the art may be employed so long as they are capable of securing the running assembly 170 and expandable liner assembly 150 in the wellbore 100 . additionally , a lower torque anchor 125 , which is disposed below the upper torque anchor 160 , is used to attach the expandable liner assembly 150 to the running assembly 170 . at the lower end of the torque anchor 125 , a motor 145 is disposed to provide the rotational force to turn the expansion tool 115 . [ 0030 ] fig2 a depicts the expansion tool 115 with rollers 175 retracted , so that the expansion tool 115 may be easily moved within the expandable liner assembly 150 and placed in the desired location for expansion of the liner assembly 150 . when the expansion tool 115 has been located at the desired depth , hydraulic pressure is used to actuate the pistons ( not shown ) and to extend the rollers 175 so that they may contact the inner surface of the liner assembly 150 , thereby expanding the liner assembly 150 . generally , hydraulic fluid ( not shown ) is pumped from the surface to the expansion tool 115 through the work string 120 . additionally , the expansion tool includes blades 155 to cut the liner assembly at a predetermined location . as illustrated in fig2 a , the expandable liner assembly 150 includes an upper tubular 180 . the upper tubular 180 includes a plurality of slots 140 formed on the surface of the upper tubular 180 . generally , the slots 140 are a plurality of longitudinal slots in the upper tubular 180 to provide a point where an upper and lower portion of the liner assembly 150 may separate after the expansion process is complete . the expandable liner assembly 150 further includes the upper sealing apparatus 200 and the lower sealing apparatus 300 . generally , the upper and lower sealing apparatus 200 , 300 are used in conjunction with a lower tubular 185 to seal off a portion of the prepared section 105 in order to isolate a zone of the wellbore 100 . as shown in fig2 a and 2b , the components for the sealing apparatus 200 , 300 are identical . therefore , the following paragraphs describing the components in the upper sealing apparatus 200 will also be applicable to the lower sealing apparatus 300 . as depicted on fig2 a , the expandable liner assembly 150 also includes the lower tubular 185 disposed between the upper and lower sealing apparatus 200 , 300 . generally , the lower tubular 185 is expanded into the prepared section 105 by the expansion tool 115 . in the embodiment shown , the lower tubular 185 is an expandable liner that works in conjunction with the upper and lower sealing apparatus 200 , 300 to isolate a portion of the prepared section 105 from other portions of the wellbore 100 . however , other forms of expandable tubulars may be employed , such as expandable screens or metal skin , so long as they are capable of isolating a zone of the wellbore 100 . [ 0033 ] fig3 a and 3b are cross - sectional views illustrating the upper sealing apparatus 200 partially expanded into contact with the wellbore 100 by the expansion tool 115 . as shown on fig3 b , the upper sealing apparatus 200 includes an expandable tubular 205 . the expandable tubular 205 has an inner surface 245 and an outer surface 255 . the expandable tubular 205 further includes a plurality of apertures 260 that are equally spaced around the circumference of the expandable tubular 205 and act as passageways between the inner surface 245 and the outer surface 255 . in the embodiment shown , the apertures 260 are tapped and plugged by a plurality of plug members 210 to initially prevent communication between the inner surface 245 and the outer surface 255 . additionally , a plurality of fine mesh screens 275 are disposed on outer surface 255 around the plurality of apertures 260 . in another embodiment , the apertures 260 remain unplugged , thereby allowing communication between the inner surface 245 and the outer surface 255 . the upper sealing apparatus 200 further includes an upper end member 215 and a lower end member 240 disposed around the outer surface 255 of the expandable tubular 205 . the upper and lower end members 215 , 240 are machined out of a composite material which allows the end members 215 , 240 to expand radially outward while maintaining a clamping force and structural integrity . however , other types of material may be used to machine the end members 215 , 240 , so long as they are capable of expanding radially outward while maintaining a clamping force and structural integrity . the upper end member 215 is disposed at the upper end of the sealing apparatus 200 . the primary function of the upper end member 215 is to secure one end of a plurality of upper ribs 220 and an upper end of a sealing element 225 to the expandable tubular 205 . preferably , the upper ribs 220 are equally spaced around the outer surface 255 of the expandable tubular 205 . the upper ribs 220 are embedded in the sealing element 225 to provide support during the expansion of the upper sealing apparatus 200 . the upper ribs 220 are fabricated out of deformable material such as aluminum . however , other types of deformable material may be employed , so long as the material is capable of providing support while deforming due to pressure . additionally , the lower end member 240 secures one end of a plurality of lower ribs 235 and the lower end of sealing element 225 to the tubular 205 in the same manner as the upper end member 215 . the upper sealing apparatus 200 further includes the sealing element 225 . the sealing element 225 is disposed around the tubular 205 to increase the ability of the sealing apparatus 200 to seal against an inner surface of the wellbore 100 upon expansion . in the preferred embodiment , the sealing element 225 is fabricated from an elastomeric material . however , other materials may be used , so long as they are suitable for enhancing the fluid seal between the expanded portion of the sealing apparatus 200 and the wellbore 100 . the sealing element 225 is secured at the upper end of the sealing apparatus 200 by the upper end member 215 and the lower end by the lower end member 240 . another function of the sealing element 225 is to contain a swelling elastomer 230 that is disposed between the outer surface 255 of the expandable tubular 205 and the sealing element 225 . the swelling elastomer 230 is a cross - linked polymer that will swell multiple times its initial size upon activation by an activating agent . generally , the activating agent stimulates the polymer chains to expand the swelling elastomer 230 both radial and axially . in the preferred embodiment , an activating agent such as a proprietary fluid or some form of water - based liquid activates the swelling elastomer 230 . however , other embodiments may employ different types of swelling elastomers that are activated by other forms of activating agents . in the preferred embodiment , the swelling elastomer 230 is wrapped around the outer surface 255 of the expandable tubular 205 in an inactivated state . the plug members 210 disposed in the apertures 260 act as a fluid barrier to prevent any fluid or activating agent from contacting the swelling elastomer 230 during the run - in procedure . further , the swelling elastomer 230 is contained laterally by the upper and lower end members 215 , 240 and contained radially by the deformable sealing element 225 and the deformable upper and lower ribs 220 , 235 . in this manner , the swelling elastomer 230 is substantially enclosed and maintained within a predefined location in an inactivated state and thereafter , within a controlled location in an activated state . as depicted on fig3 a , the upper torque anchor 160 is energized to ensure the running assembly 170 and the expandable liner assembly 150 will not rotate during the expansion operation . thereafter , at a predetermined pressure , the pistons ( not shown ) in the expansion tool 115 are actuated and the rollers 175 are extended until they contact the inner surface 245 of the expandable tubular 205 . the rollers 175 of the expansion tool 115 are further extended until the rollers 175 plastically deform the expandable tubular 205 into a state of permanent expansion . the motor 145 rotates the expansion tool 115 during the expansion process , and the tubular 205 is expanded until the outer surface of the sealing element 225 contacts the inner surface of the wellbore 100 . as the expansion tool 115 translates axially downward during the expansion operation , the rollers 175 knock off an upper portion of the plug members 210 , thereby removing the fluid barrier to allow fluid in the annulus 165 to travel through the apertures 260 and the fine mesh screen 275 into contact with the swelling elastomer 230 . as the fluid or activating agent contacts the swelling elastomer 230 , the polymer chains change positions , thereby expanding the swelling elastomer 230 laterally and radially to create a pressure energized seal with one or more adjacent surfaces in the wellbore 100 as shown in fig3 b . [ 0039 ] fig3 b is an enlarged cross - sectional view illustrating the expansion of the swelling elastomer 230 in the upper sealing apparatus 200 . as shown in the upper portion of the sealing apparatus 200 , the tubular 205 has been plastically deformed and the plug members 210 removed by the expansion tool 115 . additionally , fluid in the annulus 165 has entered the apertures 260 and activated an upper portion of the swelling elastomer 230 . as the swelling elastomer 230 continues to expand , the upper and lower end members 215 , 240 limit any lateral expansion while the fine mesh screen 275 limits any expansion through the apertures 260 , thereby causing the majority of the expansion forces to act radially outward to deform the upper and lower ribs 220 , 235 and the sealing element 225 . as both the tubular 205 and the swelling elastomer 230 are expanded , the sealing element 225 engages the surrounding wellbore 100 and creates a pressure energized seal . after the entire upper sealing apparatus 200 is expanded radially outward , the expansion tool 115 continues laterally downward expanding the lower tubular 185 . [ 0040 ] fig4 is a cross - sectional view illustrating the lower sealing apparatus 300 expanded into contact with the wellbore 100 by the expansion tool 115 . as shown , the expansion tool 115 has expanded the lower tubular 185 and the lower sealing apparatus 300 in the same manner as described in the previous paragraph regarding the upper sealing apparatus 200 . thereafter , the expansion tool 115 is moved to a predetermined point near the slots 140 as illustrated on fig5 . [ 0041 ] fig5 is a cross - sectional view illustrating the blades 155 on the expansion tool 115 cutting an upper portion of the expandable liner assembly 150 . as shown , the expansion tool 115 has moved laterally upward to a predetermined point below the slots 140 on the upper tubular 180 . as further shown , the rollers 175 have been retracted and the blades 155 have been extended outward until they contact the inner surface of the upper tubular 180 . as the motor 145 rotates the expansion tool 115 during the cutting operation , the lower ends of the slots 140 are cut to create finger - like members . [ 0042 ] fig6 is a cross - sectional view illustrating the removal of the upper tubular 180 from the wellbore 100 . for clarity , the running assembly 170 has been removed in fig6 . as shown , the lower end slots 140 have been cut by the expansion tool 115 . upon upward movement , as shown by arrow 198 , the finger - like members collapse radially inward to allow the upper portion of the tubular 180 to be removed from the wellbore 100 . [ 0043 ] fig7 is a cross - sectional view of the liner assembly 150 fully expanded into contact with the surrounding wellbore 100 . as depicted , a portion of the upper tubular 180 , lower tubular 185 and the upper and lower sealing apparatus 200 , 300 of this present invention are expanded into the prepared section 105 of the wellbore 100 . as shown , the inner diameter of liner assembly 150 is comparable to the inner diameter of the wellbore 100 above and below the liner assembly 150 . in this manner , the liner assembly 150 may isolate a zone within the wellbore 100 without restricting the inner diameter of the wellbore 100 , thereby allowing further exploration or unrestricted drilling of the wellbore 100 . in operation , the running assembly and liner assembly are lowered by the workstring to a predetermined point in the wellbore . thereafter , the upper torque anchor on the running assembly is energized to secure the running assembly and expandable liner assembly in the wellbore . subsequently , at a predetermined pressure , the pistons in the expansion tool are actuated and the rollers are extended until they contact the inner surface of the liner assembly . the rollers of the expansion tool are further extended until the rollers plastically deform the liner assembly into a state of permanent expansion . the motor rotates the expansion tool during the expansion process , and the liner assembly is expanded until the outer surface of the sealing element on the sealing apparatus contacts the inner surface of the wellbore . as the expansion tool translates axially downward during the expansion operation , the rollers knock off the upper portion of the plug members , thereby removing the fluid barrier to allow fluid in the annulus to travel through the apertures into contact with the swelling elastomer . as the fluid or activating agent contacts the swelling elastomer , the polymer chains change positions , thereby expanding the swelling elastomer laterally and radially to create a pressure energized seal with one or more adjacent surfaces in the wellbore . the expansion tool continues to move axially downward expanding the entire length of the liner assembly . thereafter , the expansion tool moves laterally upward to a predetermined point below the slots on the upper tubular . subsequently , the blades on the expansion tool extend radially outward until they contact the inner surface of the upper tubular . as the motor rotates the expansion tool during the cutting operation , the lower ends of the slots are cut to create finger - like members on a portion of the upper tubular . thereafter , the running assembly and the portion of the upper tubular are removed from the wellbore . while the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention , other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof , and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow .	8
as indicated previously , it is one object of this invention to provide an expansible device ( 1 ) of medical use for thorax specific compression which is applied on and around a patient &# 39 ; s thoracic cage under conditions that make it possible to regulate their positioning and the pressure that is to be made thereby on osteocartilaginous deformations due to growth defects , especially those known as pectus carinatum , using their components themselves . this expansible device ( 1 ) of medical use for thorax specific compression comprises a framework that supports the means whereby the compressing action is to be made and , basically , comprises a belt ( 2 ) comprising two sections , a front one ( 3 ) and a back one ( 4 ), faced by their concave internal side , said sections ( 3 , 4 ) being preformed similarly to the basic virtual configuration of the cross section of a patient &# 39 ; s thoracic cage around which they are to be suspended jointly from the patient &# 39 ; s shoulders by wide belts ( 5 , 5 ′) that can be regulated according to and for the purposes that are explained later . both sections of the belt ( 3 , 4 ) shall be designated herein below , for the purposes of a better understanding , as the front arc ( 3 ) and back arc ( 4 ), which are connected to each other by their adjacent ends ( 6 , 7 and 7 ′) to be laterally located relative to the patient &# 39 ; s thoracic cage , i . e . at either side thereof . at the first end ( 6 ), this connection is created in an articulated way by a hinge ( 8 ), the turning shaft of which , preferably a pin passing through the respective articulated plate hole ( 14 and 17 ), is oriented perpendicular to the plane on which both arcs ( 3 , 4 ) extend and are articulated . everything is to be able to open the belt ( 2 ) in order to make their application around the patient &# 39 ; s thoracic cage easier . while at the second end ( 7 , 7 ′), this connection is achieved by means of an adjustable closure ( 9 ) which , in general , can be made according to any of the arrangements foreseen by the art regarding fastening that can be regulated between both ends of a belt . since a relevant matter , as is the fact that the pressure that is applied on the deformity , although it is the result from the side adjustment referred to above between the second ends ( 7 , 7 ′) of one ( 3 ) or another arc ( 4 ), is not made directly through the aforementioned connections , but this happens indirectly on the section of the thoracic cage wall being treated by the compressing plate ( 10 ) acting directly on the deformity , which is fixed to the front arc ( 3 ) lightly protruding from their inner side . thus , it is about achieving a compressing action strictly localized on the region embraced by the compressing plate ( 10 ) with direct incidence on the protrusion or deformity of the patient &# 39 ; s thoracic cage wall . in this way any undue pressure that could be cause respiratory dysfunctions is avoided . on the other hand , the adjustable connection between both arcs ( 3 , 4 ) centralized on one single side section of the aforementioned belt ( 2 ) of the device ( 1 ) allows to create an even continuity along its entire contour so that the adjusting action made between their connecting single outer ends ( 6 , 7 , 7 ′) is translated practically into a perfect localization of the pressure applied on the treatment region through said compressing plate ( 10 ) without running any risk of destabilizing the belt ( 2 ) relative to the supporting points on the patient &# 39 ; s thoracic cage . the size and position of the compressing plate ( 10 ) can be adapted specifically to the basic characteristics of the deformation of the thoracic cage to which the expansible device ( 1 ) is applied . the expansible device ( 1 ) according to this invention does not comprise a back plate on the spine like the prior art device . thus , the device ( 1 ) described herein makes a distributed pressure on the patient &# 39 ; s entire rib arc , whereby it comprises necessarily an effective cushion ( 11 ), especially on their back portion whereto an additionally protecting cushion layer is added . removal of the back plate tolerates a better adaptation of the patient to the belt ( 2 ) and the pains that are found with the prior art device are avoided . in the preferred embodiment of this invention , the belt ( 2 ) of the device ( 1 ) of this invention comprises the connection of at least six bent plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ), wherein the front ( 3 ) and back ( 4 ) arcs forming the belt ( 2 ) comprise each at least three bent plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 y 15 , 16 , 17 ) the ends of which overlap , the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) are connected to each other by adjustable fixing means ( 18 ). the aforementioned ends of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) that constitute the front ( 3 ) and back ( 4 arcs have sets of complementary holes ( 19 ) which obviously allow to vary the width of the arc of the belt ( 2 ) closing or opening it depending on the needs of each case and depending on the evolution of the treatment . the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) form the arcs ( 3 , 4 ) being rigidly connected by sets of screws ( 18 ), for example of allen type , so that they keep the structural continuity of the belt ( 2 ). at least two pairs of sets of screws ( 18 ) re preferably used by each connection , wherein each pair is disposed to fix each of the ends of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) which overlap each other . the structure of the belt ( 2 ) of the device ( 1 ) of this invention permits regulations in every plate ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) that comprise them . these regulations allow to adapt the shape and size of the belt ( 2 ) to a given patient and then , during the treatment , to adapt it accompanying his physical development and the evolution of the protrusion by compression , in such a way that with the same and single expansible device ( 1 ), the patient completes his treatment integrally . this is required since , when the treatment starts to be effective , the thorax deformation is corrected causing thoracic widening . for that reason , the shape of the belt ( 2 ) must be changed in order to compensate for the changes in the thorax that has occurred , since the front back diameter is reduced and the side diameter is widened . on the contrary , taking into account that the treatment is applied to children at growth age , should the patient grow , the belt ( 2 ) must be widened in order to avoid an excessive compression . these regulations allow to use the same device ( 1 ) during the entire treatment that extends until growth is completed . if eventually growth is excessive , the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) of the belt ( 2 ) can be changed by longer ones and compensate for the patient &# 39 ; s development . in the preferred embodiment of the expansible device ( 1 ) of this invention , the front arc ( 3 ) comprises three front bent plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 ) and the back arc ( 4 ) comprises three back bent plates ( 15 , 16 , 17 ). the three front bent plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 ) are the right front plate or pdd ( 12 ), the middle front plate or pdc ( 13 ) and the left front plate or pdi ( 14 ). the three back bent plates ( 15 , 16 , 17 ) are : the right back plate or ptd ( 15 ), the middle back plate or ptc ( 16 ) and the left back plate or pti ( 17 ). preferably , the pdd ( 12 ) has length between 7 and 10 cm , the pdc ( 14 ) has a length between 16 and 32 cm and the pdi ( 14 ) has a length between 7 and 12 cm . also preferably , the ptd ( 15 ) has a length between 7 and 10 cm , the ptc has a length between 16 and 32 cm and the pti ( 17 ) has a length between 7 and 12 cm . the sizes of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) corresponding to a given size of a patient &# 39 ; s thorax are obtained through a mathematical formula that as a function of pressure correction , the circumference of the thorax before the correction and the height of the protrusion , determines the size of the belt ( 2 ). said formula is : mc is the size of the belt ( 2 ) expressed in cm ; mta is the thorax size taken at the height of the protrusion expressed in cm ; wherein , the sizes of each of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) result from a possible combination that allows to achieve the size of the belt ( 2 ) mc calculated . this possible combination of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) can be obtained from tables or by means of a computer program ( software ) that allows to obtain the best combinations for each mc . preferably , the width of the front ( 12 , 13 , 15 ) and back plates ( 15 , 16 , 17 ) is between 30 and 40 mm . in a preferred embodiment , adjustable fixing means ( 18 ) connect in a rigid and removable to the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) at their ends by means of screws ( 18 ) applied to cooperating hole rows ( 19 ) that can allow to vary the coupling distance between said plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) and concomitantly , the diameter of the belt ( 2 ). preferably , while the device ( 1 ) is being used by the patient , the compressing plate ( 10 ) comprises a compact measuring apparatus ( 20 ) mounted thereon that comprises an electronic pressure measuring equipment . an electronic temperature measuring equipment associated with at least one sensor is suitable for detecting the patient &# 39 ; s body temperature , and an associated time measuring circuit , in order to determine for how much time the patient , is effectively under the pressure selected by the physician , storing the recorded values in a memory to be transferred to a computer comprising a program suitable for that evaluation . in this preferred embodiment , the electronic pressure measuring equipment averages the values obtained by at least four sensors consisting of interconnected loading cells (“ strain gage ”) that convert the reading made by them to pressure values by means of an electronic converting circuit . in the preferred embodiment , the measuring equipment ( 20 ) comprises a digital screen for displaying the values recorded . preferably , the recorded values are sent to an interface , wherein the interface is connected to a computer that receives said value and processes it via an appropriate software . additionally , the recorded values can be sent to an interface in a wireless way . additionally , through a pressure measuring apparatus ( 21 ) with suitable sensors , the physician determines the effective compression pressure for compressing the deformity to be treated . at the same time , this pressure measuring apparatus ( 21 ) can be inserted in suitable anchorages in the compressing plate ( 10 ) of the expansible device ( 1 ) of medical use for the thorax specific compression in order to control in situ the pressure made by said expansible device ( 1 ) while being used by the patient as a result of the closure between the second ends ( 7 and 7 ′) of both arcs ( 3 , 4 ). the pressure measuring apparatus ( 21 ) is independent from the expansible device ( 1 ) and different from the compact measuring equipment ( 20 ) that can be mounted on the compressing plate ( 10 ). this apparatus ( 21 ) is normally found in the physician &# 39 ; s hands . when measuring pressure is required , it is inserted in the compressing plate ( 10 ) by using the anchorages comprised therein for that purpose . in this way , they can achieve reliable measurements and , in turn , the measuring device can be calibrated against possible failures . consequently , the thickness of the compressing plate ( 10 ) is considerably reduced , which means that it is not noticed under the patient &# 39 ; s clothes . the prior art device comprised a pressure measuring apparatus with one single sensor connected to the single pressure cell . this means that the value measured varied depending on where and how pressure was made on the compressing plate . whether it is used independently or that it is fixed at the corresponding anchorages of the compressing plate ( 10 ), the pressure measuring apparatus ( 21 ) comprises at least four sensors ( 22 ) consisting of interconnected loading cells (“ strain gage ”) that provide and / or record the pressure resulting from directly compressing the protrusion during diagnosis or the pressure caused by adjustment between both second outer ends ( 7 and 7 ′) of the belt ( 2 ). said sensors ( 22 ) provide pressure amount data by measuring it in suitable units ( for example , pa , hpa , kg / cm2 , psi ) so as to make only the required pressure , no more no less , required as a function of the degree of correction that is sought to be obtained at each treatment session . the pressure reading is obtained by means of an electronic circuit which converts the readings of the sensors ( 22 ) as an average of the readings of all the sensors ( 22 ) distributed throughout the surface of the compressing plate ( 10 ), thereby providing a value that is much more adjusted to reality estimating that the values that are obtained are at least 95 % reliable . the pressure measuring apparatus ( 21 ) preferably allow to display the pressure value on a digital screen ( 23 ), for example a liquid crystal display , wherein the determined pressure value can be seen in the suitable ( for example , pa , hpa , kg / cm 2 , psi ) and / or more preferably send such value to an interface in a wireless way , wherein the interface is connected to a computer that receives and processes such value via at least one appropriate computer program ( software ). this program allows to store all data from patients being treated and additionally different statistics can be obtained regarding the effectiveness of the treatment . since the equipment is wireless , it works with power provided by a battery . as its capacity decreases due to its use , measurements might be affected , therefore the measuring equipment comprises a low battery warning for replacement whereof . preferably , each sensor ( 22 ) can determine pressures ranging from 0 to 10 . 4 × 10 − 4 pa ( equivalent to 0 to 1 . 06 kg / cm 2 , or between 0 and 15 psi , being 1 psi = 1 pound / square inch ), pressures being made once the device has been placed , preferably ranging below about 172 . 4 kpa ( equivalent to 0 . 176 kg / cm 2 , or 2 . 5 psi ). should it be required , these preferred ranges can be changed and adapted depending on the patient without changing the scope of this invention . as already indicated , the expansible device ( 1 ) so constituted according to its basic general features , is completed by a suspension means arrangement ( 5 , 5 ′) developed for the purposes of supporting the device from the belt ( 2 ) in such a way that its plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) can be arranged at the required height from the time when they are applied to the patient and during all the time that correcting action is made , with the possibility of easily regulating said height while adjustment is carried out until the proper positioning of the compressing plate ( 10 ) on the deformity is achieved . these means ( 5 , 5 ′) preferably comprise classic traces or wide belts of an adjustable length , preferably with protecting shoulder reinforcements on the patient &# 39 ; s shoulders , and both wide belts start , for example , from respective engagements on the back arc ( 4 ) or from the ring applied on the middle plate ( 16 ) of the back arc and relative to which they open going up the patient &# 39 ; s back up to his shoulders from which they go down substantially parallel up to their connection to the front arc ( 3 ), on either side of the patient &# 39 ; s thorax in such a way that when they are extended they leave a broad free space for proper operation of the compressing plate ( 10 ) and the apparatus for measuring the pressure made and the patient &# 39 ; s body temperature as a function of time . regarding the aforementioned lateral adjustment means between the outer second ends ( 7 and 7 ′) of both arcs ( 3 , 4 ), it has been foreseen , by way of example , to adopt an arrangement of the means equivalent to the classic closure ( 9 ) of a belt by a flexible tab with a buckle catch which obviously can be substituted by any other kind of closure ( 9 ) which permits an effective control of the tension made between both ends ( 7 , 7 ′) and , at the same time , a firm removable interlocking at the degree of adjustment determined in each case , so as to make its graduation depending on the evolution of the correction sure and possible . a closure ( 9 ) by engagement between two adjustable buckles at respective flexible tabs at both ends ( 7 , 7 ′), or a closure ( 9 ) with an engagement and tension , could also be used . as described above , the expansible device ( 1 ) of this invention preferably comprises a closure ( 9 ) created between the second ends ( 7 and 7 ′) of both arcs ( 3 , 4 ) by respective flexible tabs connected by an adjustable closure ( 9 ), comprising , additionally , a latch for preventing its involuntary opening . additionally and if required , planetary gearings or additional compressing plates fixed in the belt of the device ( 1 ) of the invention by respective sheets that keep them on eventual thoracic deformations that are shown in compressing the primary thoracic malformation that is corrected . the thoracic contour is thereby integrally shaped . the different front ( 12 , 13 , 14 ) and back plates ( 15 , 16 , 17 ) of the belt ( 2 ) of the device ( 1 ) according to this invention can be made from any material that allows to apply pressure on a thoracic malformation to be corrected and to keep it constant and effective enough during the entire treatment , allowing the patient to breathe comfortably . the proper materials for making the aforementioned plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) are aluminum , plastics laminated with pressure - resistant fibers , etc ., which allow to apply high pressures without deforming . it is suitable to indicate that the inner side of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) comprising both arcs ( 3 , 4 ) like that of the compressing plate ( 10 ) are conveniently coated by protections , which are made up of suitable protecting coatings ( 11 ) in the sections of the thoracic cage wall and the deformity on which they are contact while using the device ( 1 ). said internal protections ( 11 ) are selected from cushions , inflatable pads , silicone pads and their combinations . preferably , the materials used in their construction are hypoallergenic . more preferably , the materials of the protections do not comprise latex . a portable system useful in the treatment of pectus carinatum , comprising : an expansible device ( 1 ) of medical use for thorax specific compression comprising the aforementioned inventive characteristics , comprising a series of plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) of different lengths and curvatures that can be exchanged until they form the belt ( 2 ) of a compressing device meant for a given patient , wherein the compressing plate ( 10 ) comprises mounted thereon a compact measuring apparatus ( 20 ) comprising an electronic pressure measuring equipment , an electronic temperature measuring equipment associated with at least one sensor suitable for detecting the patient &# 39 ; s body temperature and an associated time measuring circuit for continuously measuring the patient &# 39 ; s body temperature during the time that compression force is applied effectively , storing in a memory the values and times recorded ; a pressure measuring apparatus ( 21 ) with suitable sensors ( 22 ) for determining the suitable compression pressure for the malformation to be treated and that at the same time can be inserted in the compressing plate ( 10 ) of the expansible device ( 1 ) of medical use for thorax specific compression for compressing the pressure made in situ by the expansible device ( 1 ) once applied to the patient ; an apparatus for measuring ( 24 ) the patient &# 39 ; s thorax size ; an apparatus for molding / bending ( 25 ) the straps that form the expansible device in order to adapt them to the patient &# 39 ; s thorax profiles ; and additionally , a portable computer comprising at least one computer program ( software ) suitable for evaluation and follow - up of the patient &# 39 ; s evolution . eventually , the computer can be installed in the physician &# 39 ; s consulting room and that must comprise at least one suitable computer program . the apparatus for measuring ( 24 ) a patient &# 39 ; s thorax size comprising the graduated ruler ( 26 ) and a sliding cursor ( 27 ) thereon wherein the length of the distance between the ends of both the ruler ( 26 ) and the cursor ( 27 ) is indicated by the latter on the former . in another embodiment , the thorax size can be obtained by a cursor comprising a spherical or circular sliding element associated to an electronic circuit which , in describing the perimeter to be determined , allows to obtain the values required for suitably sizing the belt ( 2 ) of the expansible device ( 1 ) of medical use for the thorax specific compression . additionally , the data can be sent to a computer and are loaded to the program via the same interface . preferably , the data are sent in a wireless way . the expansible compressing device ( 1 ) of medical use , the compact measuring apparatus ( 20 ) mounted on the compressing plate ( 10 ) comprising a pressure measuring apparatus , at least one suitable sensor for detecting the patient &# 39 ; s body temperature and an associated time measuring circuit , and the pressure measuring equipment ( 21 ) of the portable system of medical use in the treatment of thoracic deformations , preferably of pectus carinatum type , are complemented by an apparatus ( 25 ) for changing the curvature of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) that form the belt ( 2 ) when required by the circumstances . since the apparatus ( 25 ) for changing the curvature of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) is portable , it allows to make corrections of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) directly in the physician &# 39 ; s consulting room during patient &# 39 ; s attention rapidly and saving time as required . this apparatus form molding / bending ( 25 ) the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) consists of a motoreducer ( 28 ) associated to an electronic circuit allowing to make large forces with the equipment of reduced size . in effect , the apparatus for molding / bending ( 25 ) the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) is an electromechanical device comprising a motoreducer ( 28 ) that pulls a shaft ending in a wedge ( 29 ) acting on an apparatus ( 30 ) that is between two facing fixed stops ( 31 , 31 ′). the wedge ( 29 ) presses the plate ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) arranged resting on said stops ( 31 , 31 ′) for molding / bending changing its curvature and adapting it to the patient &# 39 ; s needs . all the components of the system , especially the apparatus for measuring the thorax size ( 24 ), the pressure measuring apparatus ( 21 ) with sensors ( 22 ) ad hoc and the bending apparatus ( 25 ) of the plates ( 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ) are portable . from the operation point of view , the physician determines firstly what pressure must be applied to the deformity to be treated for its correction by the device of the invention . once it is verified that the deformation is sensitive to the pressure applied , it is also verified whether the correction does not lead to side deformations in making such pressure . the pressure is determined by the corresponding measuring apparatus . then , the patient &# 39 ; s thorax size is measured by a suitable tool or cursor by loading it on the memory of the measuring equipment and with the pressure values obtained the required adaptations to the device for a particular case to be treated are made . once the arc is adjusted to the patient &# 39 ; s thoracic contour , the regulation of the height is made by adjusting the wide belts with buckles and tracks for that purpose , positioning the belt compression plate at the height of the deformation to be corrected . then , the belt end closure of the device is adjusted in the proper position and the pressure made by the corresponding measuring equipment is verified . the required corrections are made until the suitable pressure on the deformity to be corrected is achieved . then , periodical controls are made in order to see the evolution of the correction and to implement the adjustments that may be required as sought results are achieved . during these evaluations it is also verified for how much time the patient used the device and at what compressing pressure , which is relevant when evaluating the effectiveness of the treatment . this is done by a compact measuring apparatus mounted on the compressing plate comprising an electronic pressure measuring equipment , an electronic temperature measuring equipment associated to at least one sensor suitable for detecting the patient &# 39 ; s body temperature and an associated time measuring circuit for continuously measuring the patient &# 39 ; s body temperature during the time that the compressing force is effectively applied , storing on a memory the values and times recorded . these temperature values can be derived to a computer having a suitable software . the measuring apparatus used in obtaining these values is compact and comprises a chip of a memory that allows to store the data obtained of the compressing pressure made , the body temperature and the time during which the pressure made was effective , until they are transferred to a computer . eventually , the measuring apparatus comprises a screen that allows to see the values accumulated in the memory . additionally and should this be required , the curvature of the plates of the belt can be corrected by using a plate molding equipment that is portable and allows an effective response during the patient &# 39 ; s visits to the attending physician in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment . all that has been described herein corresponds to the best mode of carrying out the invention , bearing in mind that variations that are apparent for a person skilled in the art must be considered within the scope of this invention .	0

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