Split (3)

train · 25k rows

text stringlengths 1.55k 332k	label int64 0 8
the invention will be described here with respect to the embodiments in which the binding device is more particularly adapted to cross - country skiing . however , as noted above , cross - country skiing is merely exemplary of the fields of endeavor to which the invention is intended to encompass . the first embodiment of a binding device 10 shown in fig1 - 3 has a base 12 that is adapted to be fixed to a sports article ( not shown ), such as a ski or skate , as described above , but which could also be incorporated directly therein as an insert or be unitary with a component thereof . in this first embodiment , the binding device 10 has a connecting member 14 on which a boot is adapted to be connected or integrated , such as by screws , rivets , or by being part of an insert for a sole of the boot or by being made unitary with the sole . this connection can be manifested by a detachable interface system , which could take the form of a “ step - in ” type interface system in which the connection of the boot on the connecting member 14 occurs automatically , for example , by a mere contact between the two . the disconnection can possibly require manual intervention by the user . as described in the document wo 00 / 13755 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 499 , 761 , the disclosure of the latter of which is hereby incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety , particularly for a general understanding of the operation of such a binding , the connecting member 14 is provided to be fixed beneath the front portion of the boot , and to move between a low position shown in fig2 ( the connecting member , as well as the boot that is attached thereto , is then substantially horizontal ) and a high position shown in fig1 , when the user &# 39 ; s heel is raised in relation to the sports article . the connecting member 14 is connected to the base by a rocker bar 16 that is rotationally mounted about two transverse axes a 1 and a 2 , possibly in the form of respective pins , on a block 13 , or projection , of the base 12 , on the one hand , and on the connecting member 14 , on the other hand . in the example shown , the rocker bar 16 is articulated by its rear end ( with respect to the direction of the sports article ) on the base 12 , and by its front end on the front end of the connecting member 14 , such that in the low position , the rocker bar and the connecting member are nested with respect to one another . to this end , one can provide , for example , that the connecting member 14 be made of two parallel elements that are offset transversely and joined by spacers , the rocker bar 16 then being received between the two parallel elements . the rocker bar 16 can also be designed in the form of two parallel elements spaced apart . one can also provide the rocker bar to be made of two parallel elements arranged on both sides of the connecting member 14 . however , the invention can also be implemented by arranging the rocker bar at the front of the connecting member , i . e ., by articulating it by its front end on the base and by its rear end on the front end of the connecting member . during the lifting movement of the heel , when the connecting member 14 moves from its low position to its high position , the connecting member 14 is in support on the base by its front end which has a curved profile 19 on at least one portion . the form and development of the curved profile 19 provides for the height position of the axle a 2 in relation to the base 12 , depending upon the angular orientation of the connecting member . by an optimal design of the curved profile 19 , and by a judicious selection of the length and of the initial angle of the rocker bar 16 , one provides for the relative movement of the connecting member 14 in relation to the base 12 during the heel lifting phase . in the example shown , it can be noted that the angular movement of the rocker bar 16 is small , for example , on the order of 10 - 20 degrees , or approximately 10 - 20 degrees , when the connecting member 14 tilts over an angle of about 60 degrees , and that given the initial angle of the rocker bar , it translates into a small but actual forward displacement of the axis a 2 . it is noted that the lifting movement of the heel occurs due to a rolling movement with sliding of the curved profile 19 on the base 12 . the connecting member 14 , the rocker bar 16 , and the arrangement for connecting the boot on the connecting member are the main elements forming a retaining system whereby the boot is fixed to the sports article , and whereby the relative movement of the boot in relation to the sports article is determined . the binding device 10 also has a system for the elastic return of the boot to its low position , the retaining system being independent and distinct of the elastic return system . according to the teachings of the invention , the elastic return system has at least one elastic member that is connected to the sports article , and a flexible linkage that connects the elastic member to the boot , and which cooperates with at least one return member . in the first embodiment shown in fig1 - 3 , the flexible linkage is indirectly connected to the boot , in the sense that it is not directly connected on the boot , but rather it is connected to the connecting member . however , because the boot and the connecting member are in constant connection when this system is in use , this functionally leads to the same result . in the example shown in fig1 - 3 , the binding device 10 has a guiding ridge or rib 18 that is made of a profile having a generally parallelepipedic cross - section , and which extends longitudinally rearward , at the rear of the connecting member 14 . in a manner known in cross - country bindings , for example , this guiding ridge 18 is provided to cooperate with a groove having a complementary cross - section and arranged in the boot sole to ensure a lateral guiding of the boot / binding assembly . advantageously , the elastic member 20 is integrated into a housing 22 arranged inside the ridge 18 . in this first embodiment , the elastic member 20 comprises a compression spring that is arranged horizontally and longitudinally in the housing 22 . the front end of the spring 20 is in support against a front surface 24 of the housing 22 . this front end of the spring is therefore fixed . the rear end of the spring is in support against a movable carriage 26 that can slide longitudinally in relation to the base 12 and to the ridge 18 . more specifically , the carriage 26 has a front end 27 that moves in the area of a front opening 29 of the housing 22 , and a rear end 31 that moves in the housing 22 , and on which the rear end of the spring 20 takes support . such an arrangement of an elastic member and of a movable carriage is similar to that found in the device described in the document ep - 768 103 and in certain cross - country ski binding devices marketed by the assignee salomon s . a . under the trademark “ sns pilot .” however , in contrast to this prior art in which the elastic member is connected to the boot by a rocker bar , the device according to the invention has a flexible linkage 30 that connects the elastic member 20 to the connecting member 14 . as can be seen in the drawing figures , the linkage 30 is not directly connected to the elastic member , but rather on the front end 27 of the carriage 26 . it passes over a guide or return 34 , or return member , which is constituted here of a pulley mounted on a block 13 , coaxially with the rocker bar 16 about the axis a 1 . the return could also be constituted of a mere slide , such as curved surface . in this embodiment , the return 34 is fixed in relation to the base 12 and in relation to the sports article . the other end of the linkage 30 is connected to the connecting member 14 such that the portion of the flexible linkage 30 that extends between the return 34 and the connecting member 14 is substantially vertical , such that the return force exerted on the connecting member 14 is mainly directed downward , i . e ., primarily vertical ( when the upper surface of the base is considered horizontal ) including when the connecting member 14 is in the high position as shown in fig1 . that is , as seen in fig1 , for example , the linkage 30 has an orientation with a greater vertical component than horizontal component . conversely , the portion of the linkage 30 that extends from the return to the elastic member 20 extends along a substantially horizontal direction , e . g ., substantially parallel with the upper surface of the base 12 . as can be seen from fig1 and 2 , when the connecting member moves from its low position to its high position , the flexible linkage 30 moves lengthwise and pulls the movable carriage forward and causes the compression of the spring , which therefore provides a return force . according to a particular embodiment , the flexible linkage is substantially inextensible . for example , this can be a metallic cable or a cable made of fibers exhibiting very low extensibility , for example , a cable made of aramid fibers . one can also envision this link to be made in the form of a strip , such as a flat strip having a width much greater than its thickness . this traction strip can be obtained , for example , in the form of a metallic strip , or of a harness of parallel fibers embedded in a polymer material . in a particular embodiment , the linkage is sufficiently supple and flexible not to produce a notable elastic effect , and in particular , to support a return having an angle of about 90 degrees . therefore , the flexibility of the linkage 30 should be generally understood as being the flexional flexibility about the return axis . this flexibility of the link cannot be only local , because the linkage moves in relation to the return . however , particularly if the flexible linkage is a strip , this strip will not be flexible in flexion about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the strip ; but this will not prevent the strip from being considered as flexible in the context of the invention if it does not offer any substantial resistance to the flexion about the return axis . this flexibility requires that the transverse guiding of the boot be ensured by a distinct mechanism , in this case by the retaining system . in the example shown , the guiding mechanism is constituted , for example , by the rocker bar 16 and by the sliding surface 19 . however , the guiding mechanism could be designed differently , for example , in the form of a mechanism having a plurality of rocker bars as described in the document wo 96 / 37269 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 113 , 111 . fig3 shows a variation of the first embodiment of the invention , in which the return system according to the invention has a mechanism for adjusting the stiffness of the elastic member 20 , in order to provide the user with the possibility of increasing or reducing the intensity of the elastic return force to adapt it to his type of sporting activity . thus , one can see that the front end of the spring is in support on an abutment 36 that is mounted in the housing , on a threaded portion 38 of a rod 40 . the rod 40 is mounted in the housing 22 so as to be rotationally movable about its longitudinal axis a 3 ; but it is stopped longitudinally in translation . furthermore , it is seen that the rod 40 extends over the entire length of the housing 22 , such that it also ensures the guiding of the spring 20 ( whose helical turns wind about the rod ) and of the rear end of the carriage 26 on which the spring 20 takes support . contrary to the spring 20 and to the carriage 26 which slide freely on the rod 38 , the abutment 36 is formed by a nut that is screwed on the threaded portion 38 of the rod 40 , and which cannot pivot about its longitudinal axis a 3 . the front end of the rod 40 extends out of the housing 22 and is in the form of a screw head 44 so as to enable the user to control the rotation of the rod 40 about its axis a 3 . in this way , due to this screw - nut system , the user can cause the longitudinal displacement of the abutment 36 in the housing in order to cause a more or less substantial prestress of the spring 20 . in the example shown , the guiding ridge 18 has a window 42 that enables the user to see the position of the abutment 36 and therefore to evaluate the spring prestress value . graphical references can be associated with this window 42 . this elastic return system is particularly advantageous because it makes it possible to house the elastic member in a zone of the device where it does not hinder the kinematics and the foot rolling movement allowed by the binding . in this case , the elastic member is arranged toward the rear of the binding device , but it could also be provided to be arranged at the front thereof . the elastic member is therefore generally immovable with respect to the sports article , and it is only indirectly connected to the connecting member by the flexible linkage . in addition , because the latter passes over a return , a better orientation of the direction of the return force is obtained , which follows the direction of the portion of the flexible linkage that extends between the return and the boot . this orientation is substantially parallel to that of the trajectory that the boot must follow toward its low position . in the example shown , the spring is a compression spring , which requires the presence of the movable carriage . the invention could also be embodied as any of other types of elastic members , for example , with a traction spring , as will be described with respect to the second embodiment . in this first embodiment , one can ascertain that the system for retaining the boot remains independent of the elastic return system , even if , in this case , the flexible linkage ( which is part of the return system ) is connected to the connecting member , which is primarily part of the retaining system . this independence is ascertained by the fact that , even in the absence of the return system ( for example in the case of a failure / breakage of the flexible linkage or of the elastic member ), the retaining system continues to ensure fully its primary function of retaining the boot . fig4 - 7 show an assembly having a boot 46 and a binding device 10 according to a second embodiment of the invention . in this case , the boot has the conventional appearance of a cross - country ski boot 46 having a flexible sole provided , on the lower surface of its sole , with a longitudinal continuous groove adapted to cooperate with a continuous guiding ridge or rib 18 of the binding device 10 . furthermore , this boot 46 has , at its front end , a front transverse connector , in the form of a bar 48 arranged across the groove and , set back from the front bar 48 , a second transverse bar 50 also arranged across the groove and located substantially in an area vertically beneath an area of the metatarso - phalangeal articulation zone of the user &# 39 ; s foot , and at the most , at the rear limit of the first third along the length of the boot which constitutes the extreme rear limit of the metatarso - phalangeal articulation zone . any position of the rear transverse bar 50 is possible between the front bar 48 and the rear limit defined hereinabove . the front bar 48 is preferably made in the form of a cylindrical rotatable rod adapted to cooperate , in a known manner , with a retaining system having a hook - shaped movable jaw 52 controlled by a lever 54 , and a front edge 56 of the base constituting a fixed jaw for the rotatable latching of the boot on the sports article . the principle of such a binding device is described , for example , in the patent publication fr 2 634 132 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 085 , 454 , which are commonly owned , and the disclosure of the latter of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety , and which binding device can have either a manual closure , or a self - latching closure . therefore , it will not be further described . the rear bar 50 is adapted to allow the direct connection of an elastic return system according to the invention on the sole of the boot . indeed , a return system is found in this second embodiment , in which the elastic member 20 , in this case , a traction spring ( i . e ., a tension spring ), is integrated into a housing 22 arranged within a guiding ridge 18 of the device and is connected by a rear end to the base 12 of the binding device . according to the invention , the front end of the elastic member is connected to a flexible linkage 30 that extends forward . the flexible linkage is provided at its front end with a hook 58 made of metal , for example . as can be seen in fig6 and 7 , the hook 58 is adapted to be connected to the rear bar 50 of the boot to ensure the connection of the elastic member 20 to the boot 46 , and therefore to enable the system to ensure its function of elastic return . therefore , the hook 58 forms a connecting member between the flexible linkage and the boot , but this connecting member is only connected to the remainder of the binding device by the flexible linkage 30 . as in the first embodiment , the flexible linkage 30 passes beneath a return 34 ( for example , made in the form of a pulley or a curved surface ) which is arranged here in the area of the front opening 29 of the housing 22 . one of the difficulties to overcome in implementing this principle is to allow an easy and reliable connection and disconnection of the hook 58 on the rear bar 50 of the boot . indeed , in contrast to the prior art example of the document ep 768 103 and u . s . pat . no . 6 , 017 , 050 , the hook 58 is arranged here at the end of a flexible linkage 30 which therefore cannot , alone , ensure a precise and predetermined positioning of the hook 58 in the absence of the boot 46 . therefore , according to another aspect of the invention , the hook 58 has a guiding portion 60 that is adapted to cooperate with complementary surfaces of the base 12 of the binding so that , when the elastic member 20 returns the hook 58 to a resting position , by means of the lengthwise movement of the flexible linkage 30 , in the absence of the boot , the latter is guided and maintained in this predetermined position due to the cooperation of the guiding portion and of the associated shapes of the base . furthermore , it is seen that the binding device also has a drawer / slide 62 which , controlled by the opening lever 54 , also cooperates with the guiding portion of the hook in order to bring the hook from its resting position to a waiting position enabling the positioning of the boot . indeed , one can see in fig5 - 7 that the binding device has a drawer / slide 62 that is mounted to slide longitudinally on the base 12 of the binding , and whose front portion 61 is connected to the movable jaw 52 in order to follow the longitudinal movements thereof , which are controlled by the lever 54 . thus , when the lever 54 is lifted to bring the binding into an open state , it is noted that the drawer / slide 62 advances longitudinally at the same time as the movable jaw 52 . however , the drawer / slide 62 has a rear portion 64 that is u - shaped in transverse cross - section and which , in the setback position of the drawer / slide 62 , extends within the through opening 29 of the housing 22 . with the adjacent walls 70 of this opening 29 , the u - shaped rear portion 64 thus demarcates shapes complementary to the guiding portion 60 of the hook 58 , as schematically shown in fig8 - 10 . the complementary shapes can include engagement ramps 66 , 68 , abutment surfaces 66 , or , in a non - limiting manner , lateral guiding surfaces 70 . under the effect of the elastic member 20 , the flexible linkage 30 is retracted inside the housing 22 , through the opening 29 and , in the absence of the boot , it pulls the guiding portion 60 of the hook 58 along . the guiding portion is then automatically blocked against the complementary shapes of the base and of the drawer / slide , thus blocking the hook 58 in a predetermined position . from this predetermined resting position , the hook 58 can be displaced longitudinally forward by the rear portion 64 of the drawer / slide 62 when the latter is controlled forwardly when the user lifts the lever . in this waiting position , shown in fig5 , the hook 58 is no longer capable of cooperating with the rear bar 50 of the boot , which can then be positioned ( or instead removed ). this positioning is done by engaging the front bar 48 of the sole between the two jaws 52 , 54 of the hinge , then by pivoting the sole of the boot 46 downward about the axis formed by hinge . when the boot is in the low position , in support both at the front and at the rear , the rear bar 50 has reached a position in which it is capable of being engaged by the hook 58 . at that moment , the user can close the binding by lowering the lever 54 , which results in locking the jaws of the hinge about the front bar 48 . at the same time , the drawer / slide 62 moves back and , under the return effect of the spring 20 , the hook 48 moves back until it hooks on the rear bar 50 ( which is not necessarily a revolving cylinder ) that is interposed on its path between its waiting and return positions . the assembly is then in the situation shown in fig6 . if the user raises the heel of the boot , the latter makes a rotational movement about the axis of the hinge defined by the front bar 48 . at the same time , the rear bar 50 is raised along a substantially half - circle arc trajectory and , as shown in fig7 , drives the hook 58 along with it , which causes the expansion of the spring 20 , in accordance with the same principle as that described with respect to the first embodiment . the operation of removing the boot is carried out in reverse direction from the positioning direction . when the boot 46 is the low position , the user opens the binding by raising the lever 54 , which causes the opening of the jaws 52 , 56 , on the one hand , and the advance of the drawer 62 , on the other hand . the latter , by its rear portion 64 , grips the guiding portion 60 of the hook 58 and drives the hook 58 forward , which frees the rear bar 50 from the boot . the two embodiments of the invention provide for a return system whose return force is completely controlled , the retention and the guiding of the movement of the boot being obtained by an independent system . one can thus provide the beginning of the lifting to be carried out with little initial return force , then to program the development curve of this force as a function of the lifting angle of the boot . to this end , the elastic member can be constituted of a plurality of serial and / or parallel springs , and / or it can also incorporate elastomeric elements having another type of force / deformation curve . furthermore , in any case , the elastic return system can be completed by other elastic systems or abutment systems . thus , one can provide a limit abutment 72 , as shown in fig1 , which cooperates only at a predetermined lifting angle of the boot . this abutment 72 can be a rigid abutment that limits the travel of the boot , or an elastic abutment obtained in the form of an elastic buffer of the type described in the document fr 2 650 192 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 152 , 546 , the disclosure of the latter of which is incorporated by reference thereto in its entirety , which will then provide a flexible abutment effect and an additional elastic return force at the same time . the abutment 72 , whether rigid or elastic , can cooperate directly with the boot or with a portion of the retaining system , such as the connecting member 14 of the retaining device . in the illustrated form of the embodiment of fig1 , the abutment 72 is positioned at a front end portion of the binding device and , when the boot is in the low position and , until the rear of the boot reaches a predetermined lifting angle , the abutment 72 is spaced from a front end of the boot . in the embodiments shown in the drawing figures , the guiding ridge 18 is integrated into the base 12 . however , one can provide that the guiding ridge be directly integrated into the sports article , for example , to the ski . in this case , the housing 22 , and the spring 20 ( and , if necessary , the carriage 26 ) can be directly integrated into the sports article . advantageously , this elastic return system can have a width on the order of 15 - 20 millimeters and can be completely integrated into the sole of the boot , so as to be housed , for example , in the space required by the groove that is found beneath the soles of cross - country skis . furthermore , one can see that , in all of the embodiments shown , the return 34 is arranged at a short distance from the end of the flexible linkage that is connected to the boot ( possibly by means of the connecting member ), this being considered with the boot in the low position . the horizontal projection of this distance is preferably less than 3 centimeters , and even more preferably less than 2 centimeters . this proximity ensures that the effective return direction ( which is the direction of the portion of the link that extends between the boot and the return ) remains as close as possible to a parallel to the direction of the relative movement of the boot with respect the sports article ( or close to the direction of a tangent to the trajectory of the boot , which is equivalent ). furthermore , both the end of the flexible linkage connected to the boot and the return are preferably arranged in an area vertically beneath the vicinity of the metatarso - phalangeal articulation zone of the user &# 39 ; s foot when the boot is in the low position . moreover , particularly in the cases where the boot retaining and guiding system determines a relative movement of the boot with respect to the sports article , which is a rotational movement or similar movement ( as the second embodiment shown here ), one must provide to arrange the return at a certain distance from the center of this rotational movement , otherwise the movement of the boot will cause only a slight displacement or no displacement of the end of the linkage that is connected to the elastic member , rendering the return system inefficient .	0
the present invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in different forms , and the invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein . rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . in the drawings , the thickness of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity , and like numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification . referring to fig1 and 2 , in the angle adjusting device for the lcd of a telephone , a wired or wireless telephone comprises : an upper cover 14 provided with an lcd 20 mounted thereon and fixed thereto by a screw ; a lower cover 16 engaged with the upper cover 14 and fixed to an upper housing 12 of the telephone ; a hinge 22 enabling the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 16 to be rotated within a predetermined angle ; a first groove 26 , a second groove 28 , a third groove 30 and a fourth groove 32 for indicating an angle of the lcd 20 , respectively ; a lock 24 for locking the lcd 20 after the completion of the angle adjustment of the lcd 20 ; a resilient member 25 which pushes the lock 24 into inner parts of the grooves by a resilient force when the lock 24 protrudes into inlets of the first to fourth grooves 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 ; and a handle 18 for moving the upper cover 14 and the lower cover 16 upward and downward . the angle adjustment step of the lcd 20 is composed of four steps . however , the lcd angle adjusting device as described above has a problem in that fine angle adjustment is impossible since the angle adjustment is accomplished by the predetermined four steps . in addition , the lcd angle adjusting device as described above has other problems , specifically , an increased number of parts , an excessive assembly time , and an unacceptable failure rate , since the lock 24 is supported by the resilient member 25 so as to require a large number of parts for adjusting the angle of the lcd . referring to fig3 , a vertical angle adjusting device of an lcd 40 can be vertically rotated about a coupling axis by hinging both side walls of a mounting recess 18 of a main body housing 10 with both sides of one end of the lcd 40 . the vertical angle adjustment device is installed at a lower case of the lcd 40 , and is provided with a sawtooth thread 33 formed like a part of a circular gear about the coupling axis , and a resilient rib 52 integrally formed with the housing at the mounting recess 18 of the main body housing 10 so as to correspond with the sawtooth thread . a sharply protruded shape is coupled with the sawtooth thread , and when the lcd 40 is rotated about the coupling axis , the end part of the resilient rib 52 is inserted and fixed into recesses of the sawtooth thread by stages . however , the latter configuration has a problem that the above composition still cannot accomplish a very fine and smooth angle adjustment , although its angle adjustment width is somewhat decreased in comparison to the former configuration . furthermore , the latter configuration also is burdened by an inferior design due to external protrusion of the angle adjusting device . as shown in fig4 , a main body 100 ( shown as a key phone terminal ) is provided with a mounting recess 110 having a predetermined radius of curvature so that the lcd 200 is rotatably mounted in a vertical direction . the lcd 200 is provided with an upper case 210 , a lower case 230 , and an lcd plate 250 installed between the cases 210 and 230 . a curved portion 231 , having a predetermined radius of curvature corresponding to the mounting recess 110 , is formed at a lower side of a bottom surface of the lower case 230 . as shown fig5 and 11 , a first rib 111 in line contact with a bottom surface of the curved portion 231 protrudes from the inner surface of the mounting recess 110 , and a second rib 231 a in line contact with the inner surface of the mounting recess 110 protrudes in an alternate position with the first rib 111 at a bottom surface of the curved portion 231 . in this connection , the height of the first rib 111 is made greater than that of the second rib 231 a , and the bottom surface of the curved portion 231 initially contacts the upper surface of the first rib 111 . the second rib 231 a is additionally manufactured in consideration of the distribution of force or a difference between heights of each part , and the like . as described above , the lcd 200 is constructed so that the curved portion 231 can be smoothly and vertically rotated by line contact with the mounting recess 110 , and thereby rotated by an angle regulator 270 ( see fig6 ) at a predetermined angle , and then stopped . as shown in fig5 to 8 , the angle regulator 270 includes : a plurality of bosses 271 protruding from the bottom surface of the lcd 200 ; a guide hole 272 formed along a curvature of the mounting recess 110 to form a passageway through which the boss 271 is rotated ; a guide rail 273 protruding at both sides of the guide hole 272 toward the bottom surface of the mounting recess 110 ; and a slider 290 for sliding along the guide rail 273 and engaging with the boss 271 . as shown in fig1 , the slider 290 includes a pressing surface 291 contacting an upper surface of the guide rail 273 , and side surfaces 293 and 295 bent at a right angle relative to both sides of the pressing surface 291 for insertion between both side surfaces of the guide rail 273 . a gap d between both side surfaces 293 and 295 is , as shown in fig6 , smaller than a gap d between exterior surfaces of the guide rail 273 so as to achieve a tight fit therein . therefore , when the lcd 200 is angularly adjusted , lateral movement ( in a direction perpendicular to the side surface of the guide rail 273 ) is prevented . a first contact protrusion 297 ( see fig1 ) in line contact with the upper surface of the guide rail 291 is formed at an inner portion of the pressing surface 291 of the slider 290 , and a second contact protrusion 298 in surface contact with the exterior surface of the guide rail 273 is additionally formed at an inner portion of both side surfaces 293 and 295 of the slider 290 . the first and second contact protrusions 297 and 298 serve to decrease contact area between the slider 290 and the guide rail 273 . a boss groove 299 , in which an upper end of the boss 271 is inserted , is additionally formed at the inner portion of the pressing surface 291 of the slider 290 . in this connection , a through - hole 299 a is formed at a center portion of the boss groove 299 so as to connect the slider 290 and the boss 271 by passing through a fastening screw 301 ( see fig6 ). the fastening screw 301 provides a force for supporting the lcd 200 rotated to a predetermined position by adjusting its tightening force . a rounded portion r ( see fig1 ) having a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the guide rail 273 is formed at lower ends of both side surfaces 293 and 295 of the slider 290 . as a result , the slider 290 precisely engages the guide rail 273 so as to provide for smooth rotation of the lcd 200 . in addition , the slider 290 uses pom ( polyoxymethylene ) as an abrasion resisting and self - lubricant material . hereinafter , the angle adjusting operation of the lcd 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention will be described . first , when a user pushes an upper or lower center portion of the lcd 200 ( see fig4 ) to adjust the angle of the lcd 200 , the curved portion 231 protruding from the lower case 230 of the lcd 200 is slid along the mounting recess 110 of the main body 100 . at this point , the curved portion 231 is rotated in line contact with the first rib 111 formed at the bottom surface of the mounting recess 110 and the second rib 231 a ( see fig1 ) formed at the bottom surface of the curved portion 231 so as to be smoothly rotated . on the other hand , the slider 290 ( see fig6 ) connected to the boss 271 is slid along the guide rail 273 during the rotation as described above , and the slider 290 is formed of a self - lubricant material to smoothly accomplish the sliding operation . referring to fig6 and 10 , both side surfaces 293 and 295 of the slider 290 are tightly fitted to the both side surfaces of the guide rail 273 so as to prevent the lcd 200 from moving laterally in a direction perpendicular to both surfaces of the guide rail 273 ( see arrows a in fig9 ) so as to provide for stable rotation of the lcd 200 . when the user releases the force from the lcd 200 , the lcd 200 maintains the rotated angle . at this point , since the tightening force of the fastening screw 301 is greater than the rotational force by weight of the lcd 200 , the lcd 200 can be maintained in position . when the lcd 200 is rotated as described above , the upper - limit angle and the lower - limit angle are determined since the boss 271 is stopped by both ends of the guide hole 272 . as described above , the present invention has the advantage of smoother rotation of the lcd 200 due to formation of the curved portion 231 at the bottom surface of the lcd 200 , provision of the mounting recess 110 corresponding to the curved portion 231 at the main body , and formation of the first rib 111 and second rib 231 a at the mounting recess 110 and the curved portion 231 , respectively , so that the lcd 200 is rotated by line contact . in addition , the present invention has another advantage of decreased noise when adjusting the angle due to use of the guide rail 273 and the slider 290 during rotation of the lcd 200 . the present invention has a further advantage in that shaking of the lcd 200 is reduced by decreasing tolerance of parts through simplification of the composition of the angle adjusting device resulting , in part , from use of guide rail 273 and the slider 290 during rotation of the lcd 200 . while this invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment , but on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modification within the spirit and the scope of the appended claims .	8
in accordance with the principles of the present invention , an intraocular lens is provided having a haptic portion and a light - transmissive optic portion . the optic portion contains one or more fluid - mediated pistons arranged to apply a deflecting force on an anterior or posterior element of the lens to provide accommodation of the lens . as used herein , the lens is fully “ accommodated ” when it assumes its most highly convex shape , and fully “ unaccommodated ” when it assumes its most flattened , ellipsoidal state . the lens of the present invention is capable of dynamically assuming any desired degree of accommodation between the fully accommodated state and fully unaccommodated state responsive to the ciliary process . forces applied to a transducer disposed in the haptic portion by the ciliary process are communicated to one or more lens pistons that control deflection of an anterior or posterior element of the lens , resulting in a larger dynamic range of accommodation than heretofore is believed to have been available . the lens piston and surrounding fluids all are index - matched to prevent the occurrence of optical aberrations throughout the range of motion of the lens piston . in accordance with another aspect of the present invention , the transducer may include one or more haptic pistons that provide a volumetric mechanical advantage with respect to forces applied by the ciliary process to the lens piston . referring to fig1 and 2 , the structure and operation of a human eye are first described as context for the present invention . eye 10 includes cornea 11 , iris 12 , ciliary muscles 13 , ligament fibers or zonules 14 , capsule 15 , lens 16 and retina 17 . natural lens 16 is composed of viscous , gelatinous transparent fibers , arranged in an “ onion - like ” layered structure , and is disposed in transparent elastic capsule 15 . capsule 15 is joined by zonules 14 around its circumference to ciliary muscles 13 , which are in turn attached to the inner surface of eye 10 . vitreous 18 is a thick , transparent substance that fills the center of eye 10 . isolated from the eye , the relaxed capsule and lens takes on a spherical shape . however , when suspended within the eye by zonules 14 , capsule 15 moves between a moderately convex shape ( when the ciliary muscles are relaxed ) to a highly convex shape ( when the ciliary muscles are contracted ). as depicted in fig2 a , when ciliary muscles 13 relax , capsule 15 and lens 16 are pulled about the circumference , thereby flattening the lens . as depicted in fig2 b , when ciliary muscles 13 contract , capsule 15 and lens 16 relax and become thicker . this allows the lens and capsule to assume a more spherical shape , thus increasing the diopter power of the lens . accommodating lenses currently nearing commercialization , such as the crystalens device under development by eyeonics , inc ., aliso viejo , calif ., typically involve converting diametral movements of the ciliary muscle into forward and backward movement of an optic portion of the iol relative to the retina . this approach is thought to be required because , following extraction of a cataract - effected lens , the capsule is very loose , and the zonules that couple the capsule to the ciliary muscles are no longer in tension . devices such as the crystalens thus do not employ the natural accommodation mechanisms described above , but instead rely directly on radially inward compressive forces applied by the ciliary muscle to the haptics of the iol . by contrast , according to one aspect of the present invention , an intraocular lens is designed to engage capsule 15 and to transition between the accommodated and unaccommodated states responsive to forces applied to capsule 15 by ciliary muscle 13 and zonules 14 , thereby more closely mimicking operation of the natural eye . alternatively , the haptic portion may be disposed directly in contact with the ciliary muscle . referring to fig3 a and 3b , an exemplary embodiment of an intraocular lens constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is described . iol 20 comprises optic portion 21 and haptic portion 22 . optic portion 21 is constructed of light transmissive materials , while haptic portion 22 is disposed at the periphery of the optic portion and does not participate in focusing light on the retina of the eye . optic portion 21 comprises anterior lens element 23 , actuator layer 24 including lens piston 25 , substrate 26 and posterior lens element 27 , all made of light - transmissive materials , such as silicone or acrylic polymers or other biocompatible materials as are known in the art of intraocular lenses . haptic portion 22 illustratively comprises arms 28 and 29 extending from substrate 26 , although other haptic configurations may be employed . each of arms 28 and 29 terminates in transducer 30 . transducers 30 preferably each comprise a haptic piston including force - concentrating fin 31 , diaphragm 32 and reservoir 33 . reservoirs 33 are coupled in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 25 via channels 34 that extend from the reservoirs to well 35 disposed beneath lens piston 25 . in fig3 b , transducers 30 are in an undeformed state in which force - concentrating fins 31 apply a maximum deflection to diaphragms 32 , thereby fully deflecting end wall 41 and driving anterior element 23 to the fully accommodated position . this corresponds to a fully - contracted state of the ciliary muscles , as described herein below . actuator layer 24 is disposed in recess 36 of substrate 26 , and preferably comprises a sturdy elastomeric material . actuator layer 24 isolates the fluid in channels 34 , well 35 and the interior of lens piston 25 from the fluid disposed in the space 37 between anterior lens element 23 and actuator layer 24 . fluids 38 and 39 disposed , respectively , within channels 34 and space 37 , preferably comprise silicone or acrylic oils and are selected to have refractive indices that match the materials of anterior lens element 23 , actuator layer 24 and substrate 26 . in a preferred embodiment , lens piston 25 includes substantially nondeformable cylindrical side wall 40 coupled to expandable end wall 41 . end wall 41 is configured to deflect outward responsive to pressure applied within sidewall 40 by fluid movement from the haptic portion . end wall 41 contacts the interior surface of anterior lens element 23 , so that deflection of end wall 41 of the lens piston causes a corresponding deflection of anterior lens surface 23 . such deflections cause the anterior lens element to assume a spherical shape with a shorter radius of curvature , thereby changing the diopter power of the lens . as will of course be understood , optic portion could instead be arranged so that the lens piston deflects posterior lens element 27 ; the arrangement depicted in fig3 is illustrative only . the inner surface and thickness of anterior element 23 ( relative to the optical axis of the lens ) are selected so that the outer surface of anterior element 23 retains an optically corrective shape , e . g ., spherical , throughout the entire range of motion of lens piston 25 , e . g ., for accommodations 0 - 10 diopters . it should of course be understood that the inner surface and thickness of anterior element 23 may be selected to provide an aspherical outer surface , as required for a desired degree of optical correction . as shown in fig3 , one preferred embodiment of actuator layer 24 includes a single lens piston 25 located at the center of optic portion 21 . alternative embodiments of actuator layer 24 ′ may include an array of lens pistons 25 ′ spaced apart in a predetermined configuration on the anterior surface of the actuator layer , as depicted in fig4 , as may be required to impose a desired pattern of localized deflection on the anterior lens element . as will be apparent to one of skill in the art , an annular structure may be substituted for the individual lens pistons depicted in fig4 , and side walls 40 may be of any desired shape other than cylindrical . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , haptic pistons 42 , constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention are described in greater detail . haptic pistons comprise flexible and resilient transducers 30 that support force - concentrating fins 31 biased against diaphragms 32 . each diaphragm 32 comprises an elastomeric cover for a corresponding reservoir 33 filled with fluid 38 . as described herein above , fluid 38 communicates through channels 34 into well 35 and the interior of lens piston 25 . transducers 30 are constructed from a resilient , elastomeric material that changes shape responsive to forces applied by capsule 15 from the ciliary muscles 13 and zonules 14 . in fig5 a , haptic piston 42 is shown in an undeformed state ( as in fig3 b ), corresponding to the ciliary muscles being fully contracted . in this state , the apex of fin 31 bears against diaphragm 32 to develop the maximum force resulting from the bias of transducer 30 . inward displacement of diaphragm 32 in turn displaces fluid through channels 34 ( see fig3 ) to well 35 , resulting in expansion of end wall 41 of lens piston 25 . when transducer 30 is in the undeformed state , fin 31 displaces the maximum volume of fluid from the haptic portion to lens piston 25 , resulting in the maximum deflection of anterior element 23 , and thus the maximum degree of accommodation of the lens . this corresponds to the state in which the ciliary muscles are fully contracted , and zonules 14 and capsule 15 apply the least amount of compressive force to the anterior and posterior surfaces of transducer 30 . when the ciliary muscles relax , however , the tension in the zonules increases , causing capsule 15 to assume an ellipsoidal shape ( see fig2 a ) and the lens to transition to its unaccommodated state . when the capsule becomes taut , it applies compressive forces f to the anterior and posterior surfaces of transducer 30 , causing the transducer to deform to the elliptical shape depicted in fig5 b . deformation of transducers 30 moves fins 31 away from diaphragms 32 , thereby unloading the diaphragms and reducing the fluid pressure applied to lens piston 25 . this in turn permits lens piston 25 to move to an undeflected state , reducing deflection of anterior lens element 23 and returning the lens to an unaccommodated state . referring now to fig6 a to 6 c , iol 20 is shown implanted into capsule 15 of human eye 10 . when so implanted , haptic arms 28 and 29 support the iol within the capsule , while transducers 30 engage the interior of the capsule at locations adjacent to ciliary muscles 13 . in fig6 b the ciliary muscles are shown in a contracted state , in which the compressive forces applied by zonules 14 and capsule 15 to transducers 30 is lowest and transducers 30 assume the undeformed position . this also corresponds to transducers 30 applying the least tension to capsule 15 and zonules 14 . as discussed above , in the undeformed position , fins 30 are biased against diaphragms 32 , displacing fluid 38 from reservoirs 33 to the lens piston . in fig6 c , the ciliary muscles are relaxed , and zonules 14 pull capsule 15 taut into an ellipsoidal shape . as noted above , in this state the capsule applies compressive forces to the lateral surfaces of transducers 30 that ensure that lens piston 25 is drawn to its fully retracted position . in accordance with one aspect of the present invention , the volume of fluid in the accommodating lens may be selected so that the forces required to provide a useable range of accommodation are satisfactory for a preselected population of patients . alternatively , the volume of fluid used in iol 20 may be specified during manufacture for a given patient , or may be adjusted prior to implantation of the iol on a patient - by - patient basis . in this manner , the forces developed by lens piston 25 and haptic pistons 42 may be tailored for a specific patient . in addition , the number , shape and placement of lens pistons 25 ′ on actuator layer 24 ′ may be selected , e . g ., prescribed during manufacture , to optimize accommodation of the lens for a specific patient . it may been noted that in the undeformed state , transducers 30 maintain the lens in the accommodated or high power state . accordingly , any failure that allows the transducers to assume the undeformed state without any physiologic influence could result in a residual near - sighted condition . in accordance with another aspect of the present invention it would be advantageous to provide for a mechanism to relieve a small amount of quiescent pressure within the lens so that the lens piston assumes the unaccommodated , low power state . to accomplish this result , a relief valve in the form of a sacrificial plug may de disposed on a channel that leads to an evacuated cavity . the plug may be constructed of material that remodels when activated by a laser to permit a reduction of the pressure in the lens piston , and thereby allowing the anterior lens element to assume the unaccommodated state . the plug preferably comprises a colored material that readily and preferentially absorbs laser light , for example , 1 . 06 micron wavelength radiation from a nd : yag laser . when irradiated , the plug experiences a phase change or otherwise deforms to permit a predetermined quantity of fluid in the channel 34 to enter the evacuated cavity . referring now to fig7 a to 7 c , an alternative embodiment of the iol of the present invention is described . iol 50 comprises optic portion 51 and haptic portion 52 . optic portion 51 comprises anterior lens element 53 and substrate 54 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 54 includes lens piston 55 having expandable end wall 56 , and fluid channels 57 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 55 . expandable end wall 56 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 53 , so that deflection of end wall 56 causes anterior lens element 53 to assume a more convex shape . the thickness profile of anterior lens element 53 is tailored to a desired degree of optical correction when deflected , as previously described . channels 57 and space 58 , disposed between anterior lens element 53 and substrate 54 , are filled with fluid 59 having an index of refraction that is matched to the materials of anterior lens element 53 and substrate 54 . substrate 54 may include integrally formed posterior lens element 60 . haptic portion 52 is disposed at the periphery of optic portion 51 , and includes transducers 61 that include force - concentrating fins 62 coupled to diaphragms 63 . fluid channels 57 extend circumferentially along the edges of substrate 54 for an arc - length corresponding to the arc - length of haptic portions 52 to form edge recesses 64 that function as reservoirs . transducer 61 , fin 62 , diaphragm 63 and edge recess 64 together form a haptic piston that adjusts the deflection of end wall 56 of lens piston 55 responsive to contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle , zonules and capsule . as in the embodiment of fig3 - 6 , transducers 61 are constructed so that , in the undeformed state , they bias force - concentrating fins 62 to cause the maximum inward displacement of diaphragms 63 . because diaphragms 63 of the haptic pistons are coupled to fins 62 , compressive forces applied to the anterior and posterior faces of transducers 61 by the capsule during relaxation of the ciliary muscles urges the iol to its unaccommodated state by deforming transducers 61 and withdrawing fluid from lens piston 55 . as illustrated in fig7 b , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to relax , thereby reducing the compressive forces applied by the capsule to transducers 61 . this permits transducers 61 to return to an undeformed state in which fins 62 extend radially inward to displace diaphragms 63 into edge recesses 64 . this in turn displaces fluid 59 to the lens piston , causing end wall 56 to deflect anterior lens element 53 to the accommodated state . relaxation of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to become taut , thereby compressing transducers 61 to deform to the position shown in fig7 c . more specifically , the compressive forces applied by the zonules and capsule deform transducers 61 to an elongated shape . this in turn causes fins 62 and diaphragms 63 to deflect outward away from edge recesses 64 , and draw fluid from lens piston 55 , returning the lens to its unaccommodated state . referring to fig8 a - 8c , another alternative embodiment of the intraocular lens of the present invention is described . iol 70 includes optic portion 71 and haptic portion 72 . iol 70 differs from the iol 50 primarily in that haptic portion 72 is disposed around the entire optic portion , and in addition haptic portion 72 omits the use of haptic pistons , as in the preceding embodiments . optic portion 71 comprises anterior lens element 73 and substrate 74 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 74 includes lens piston 75 having expandable end wall 76 , and fluid channels 77 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 75 . expandable end wall 76 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 73 , so that deflection of end wall 76 causes anterior lens element 73 to assume a more convex shape , as in the preceding embodiments . the thickness profile of anterior lens element 73 is tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected , as previously described . channels 77 and space 78 , disposed between anterior lens element 73 and substrate 74 , are filled with fluid 79 having a matched index of refraction . substrate 74 may define a posterior lens surface 80 , or may include a separate lens element . haptic portion 72 is disposed surrounding the periphery of optic portion 71 , and includes transducer 81 . transducer 81 comprises diaphragm 82 including elastomeric ring 83 disposed along the midline of the diaphragm that biases the ring to the radially compressed state depicted in fig8 a and 8b . this state corresponds to the maximum deflection of lens piston 75 , and thus the state of maximum accommodation of lens 70 . ring 83 also ensures that diaphragm 82 engages and applies tension to the capsule . transducer 81 adjusts the deflection of end wall 76 of lens piston 75 responsive to contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle , zonules and capsule . more specifically , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to relax , thereby reducing the compressive forces applied by the capsule to transducer 81 . this permits the transducer to return to an undeformed state , in which ring 83 biases diaphragm 82 to displace fluid to lens piston 75 . this in turn causes end wall 76 to deflect anterior lens element 73 to the accommodated state . relaxation of the ciliary muscles causes the zonules and capsule to become taut , thereby applying compression to the anterior and posterior surfaces of transducer 81 to deform to the diaphragm to the position shown in fig8 c . in particular , the compressive forces applied by the zonules and capsule deform transducer 81 to an elongated shape that reduces the pressure on fluid 59 and permits end wall 76 of lens piston 75 to transition to the undeflected state shown in fig8 c . this in turn reduces deflection of anterior lens element 73 and returns the lens to its unaccommodated state . referring now to fig9 a - 9c , a second family of embodiments of intraocular lenses is described . unlike the preceding embodiments , in which action of the ciliary muscle is transmitted to the iol via the zonules and capsule , in this embodiment action of the ciliary muscle directly against the transducer is communicated to the lens piston . as depicted in fig9 a , iol 90 may be implanted anterior to the capsule , and includes optic portion 91 and haptic portion 92 . optic portion 91 comprises anterior lens element 93 and substrate 94 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 94 includes lens piston 95 having expandable end wall 96 , and fluid channels 97 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 95 . expandable end wall 96 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 93 , so that deflection of end wall 96 causes anterior lens element 93 to assume a more convex shape . as in the preceding embodiments , the thickness profile of anterior lens element 93 may be tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected . channels 97 and space 98 , disposed between anterior lens element 93 and substrate 94 , are filled with fluid 99 having a matched index of refraction . substrate 94 may define a posterior lens surface 100 , or may include a separate lens element . the optical power provided by posterior lens surface 100 may be used to provide the base power of the device , and may be tailored for specific patient population . the profile of posterior lens surface 100 also may be chosen to provide optimal performance of the optical system in concert with the optical correction provided by anterior lens element 93 throughout its range of motion . in addition or alternatively , any error of the refractive surface of anterior lens element 93 , for example 1 or 2 microns or less of wave error that the surface experiences throughout its range of motion , may be further reduced by adding a small compensating thickness to anterior lens element 93 , in exactly the reverse sense of the error , e . g ., corresponding to the average error incurred at each point on anterior lens element 93 through its range of motion . haptic portion 92 includes a plurality of transducers 101 , each transducer comprising diaphragm 102 . transducers 101 are designed to directly engage the ciliary muscle in the area of the sulcus , and comprise resilient , flexible diaphragms 102 that have an undeformed shape depicted in fig9 c . the interiors of diaphragms 102 form reservoirs 103 communicate with channels 97 , and are filled with index - matched fluid 99 . contraction of the ciliary muscles applies a radially compressive force to the transducers that transitions the diaphragms to the shape depicted in fig9 b . this causes fluid to be displaced from reservoirs 103 of transducers 101 , pressurizing the fluid in channels 99 and lens piston 95 . responsive to this pressure increase , end wall 96 of the lens piston expands anteriorly , deflecting anterior lens element 93 and transitioning the lens to the accommodated state , as shown in fig9 b . when the ciliary muscle subsequently relaxes , the radially compressive forces applied by the muscles diminish , transducer 101 returns to an undeformed state of fig9 c , and lens piston resumes its unexpandable position . this in turn reduces deflection of anterior lens element 93 and returns the lens to its unaccommodated state . while the design of the haptic portion of the embodiment of fig9 is similar to those of previously - known fluid - mediated accommodating intraocular lenses , such as those described in the aforementioned patent to christie , the presence of lens piston 95 is expected to provide significantly greater volumetric mechanical advantage and greater dynamic range than could be achieved with prior art designs . whereas previously - known designs distribute a pressure increase resulting from action of the ciliary muscle over the entire surface of the lens , the lens piston of the present invention amplifies motion of the ciliary muscle , e . g ., 100 microns , by the ratio of the transducer area to the area of the lens piston . it is expected that ratios of 2 or more may be readily achieved , however , a ratio of one may be sufficient for many patient populations . accordingly , the amount of fluid that must be displaced to optically correct axial displacement of the refractive surface of anterior lens element 23 is relatively small . with respect to fig1 a - 10c , a third family of embodiments of the intraocular lens of the present invention is described . like the embodiments of fig3 - 8 , iol 110 is implanted within the capsule , includes haptic pistons , and is actuated by action of the ciliary muscles , zonules and capsule . however , as in the embodiment of fig9 , the lens is unaccommodated in its unstressed condition , and transitions to the accommodated state upon application of radially compressive forces . in particular , whereas the embodiments of fig3 - 6 transition from the accommodated state to the unaccommodated state by virtue of lateral ( anterior and posterior ) compressive forces applied during the capsule during relaxation , the embodiment of fig1 transitions to the accommodated state upon thickening of the capsular equator during contraction of the ciliary muscles . the structure of iol 110 is similar to that of iol 90 of fig9 , with like parts identified by like - primed numbers , except that transducers 101 ′ are surrounded by force concentrating elements 111 , and haptic portions 92 ′ further comprise flanges 112 that orient iol 110 within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules . more specifically , iol 110 includes optic portion 91 ′ and haptic portion 92 ′. optic portion 91 ′ comprises anterior lens element 93 ′ and substrate 94 ′ formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 94 ′ includes lens piston 95 ′ having expandable end wall 96 ′, and fluid channels 97 ′ in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 95 ′. expandable end wall 96 ′ contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 93 ′, so that deflection of end wall 96 ′ causes anterior lens element 93 ′ to assume a more convex shape . as in the preceding embodiments , the thickness profile of anterior lens element 93 ′ may be tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected . channels 97 ′ and space 98 ′, disposed between anterior lens element 93 ′ and substrate 94 ′, are filled with fluid 99 ′ having a matched index of refraction . substrate 94 ′ defines posterior lens surface 100 ′. haptic portion 92 ′ includes transducers 101 ′, with each transducer having diaphragm 102 ′. arcuate force - concentrating elements 111 are disposed radially outward of transducers 101 ′ and illustratively have fixed end 113 connected to haptic portion 92 and free end 114 . elements 111 contact the equator of capsule 15 and flex radially inward or outward to follow thickening or thinning of the capsular equator responsive to contraction of the ciliary muscles . elements 111 , diaphragms 102 ′, and reservoirs 103 ′ together form haptic pistons . elements 111 and diaphragms 102 ′ have an undeformed shape depicted in fig1 c . as in the preceding embodiments reservoirs 103 ′ communicate with channels 97 ′, and are filled with index - matched fluid 99 ′. as noted above , laterally - extending flanges 112 apply tension to the capsule to orient the iol within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules when the capsule changes shape responsive to action of the ciliary muscles . as described herein above with respect to fig2 , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the capsule to become more spherical and thicken along its equator . this thickening applies a radially compressive force to elements 111 of transducers 101 ′ that compresses diaphragms 102 ′ to the deformed shapes depicted in fig1 a and 10b . this causes fluid to be displaced from reservoirs 103 ′ of transducers 101 ′, pressurizing the fluid in channels 97 ′ and lens piston 95 ′. responsive to this pressure increase , end wall 96 ′ of the lens piston expands anteriorly , deflecting anterior lens element 93 ′ and transitioning the lens to the accommodated state , as shown in fig1 b . frames 112 retain iol 110 centered on the capsular equator as the capsule transitions to a more spherical shape . when the ciliary muscle subsequently relaxes , the radially compressive forces applied by the muscles diminish , the capsule becomes more ellipsoidal , and the capsular equator thins . frames 112 become compressed by the lateral forces applied by the capsule and zonules , and transducers 101 ′ follow the elongation of the capsule , with free ends 114 of elements 111 deflecting outward to the undeformed state depicted in fig1 c . this in turn relieves compression of diaphragms 102 ′, so that fluid moves from channels 97 ′ back to reservoirs 103 ′, and lens piston 95 ′ resumes its unexpanded position . consequently , anterior lens element 93 ′ returns to its undeflected state and lens 110 transitions to the unaccommodated state shown in fig1 c . referring to fig1 a - 11c , a further alternative embodiment of the intraocular lens of the present invention is described . iol 120 is similar in construction to iol 110 , and like components are designated by like double prime numbers . thus , for example , while the anterior lens element of fig1 a is designated 93 ′, the anterior lens element of fig1 a is designated 93 ″. iol 120 differs from iol 110 of fig1 in that diaphragm 102 ′ is omitted , and reservoir 103 ″ is defined by an internal lumen of element 111 ″ that communicates with channel 97 ″ via opening 121 . in iol 120 , element 111 ″ therefore defines transducer 101 ″. as in iol 110 of fig1 , iol 120 is disposed within the capsule and transitions to the accommodated state upon thickening of the capsular equator during contraction of the ciliary muscles . flanges 112 ″ that orient the iol within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules . iol 120 includes optic portion 91 ″ and haptic portion 92 ″. optic portion 91 ″ comprises anterior lens element 93 ″ and substrate 94 ″ formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 94 ″ includes lens piston 95 ″ having expandable end wall 96 ″, and fluid channels 97 ″ in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 95 ″. expandable end wall 96 ″ contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 93 ″, so that deflection of end wall 96 ″ causes anterior lens element 93 ″ to assume a more convex shape . as in the preceding embodiments , the thickness profile of anterior lens element 93 ″ may be tailored to produce a desired degree of accommodation when deflected . channels 97 ″ and space 98 ″, disposed between anterior lens element 93 ″ and substrate 94 ″, are filled with index - matched fluid 99 ″. substrate 94 ″ defines posterior lens surface 100 ″. haptic portion 92 ″ includes transducers 101 ″ in the form of arcuate elements 111 ″ having fixed end 113 ″ connected to haptic portion 92 ″ and free end 114 ″. elements 111 ″ include internal lumens defining reservoirs 103 ″ that are in fluid communication with channels 97 ″ via openings 121 . elements 111 ″ contact the equator of capsule 15 and flex radially inward or outward to follow thickening or thinning of the capsular equator responsive to contraction of the ciliary muscles . elements 111 ″ have the undeformed shape depicted in fig1 c . reservoirs 103 ″ m , channels 97 ″ and lens piston 95 ″ are filled with index - matched fluid 99 ″. as noted above , laterally - extending flanges 112 ″ apply tension to the capsule to orient the iol within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules when the capsule changes shape responsive to action of the ciliary muscles . as for iol 110 , contraction of the ciliary muscles causes the capsule to become more spherical and thicken along its equator , thereby applying a radially compressive force to transducers 101 ″ that compresses elements 111 ″ to the deformed shapes depicted in fig1 a and 11b . this causes fluid to be displaced from reservoirs 103 ″ of transducers 101 ″, pressurizing the fluid in channels 97 ″ and lens piston 95 ″. responsive to this pressure increase , end wall 96 ″ of the lens piston expands anteriorly , deflecting anterior lens element 93 ″ and transitioning the lens to the accommodated state , as shown in fig1 b . frames 112 ″ retain iol 120 centered on the capsular equator as the capsule transitions to a more spherical shape . when the ciliary muscle subsequently relaxes , the radially compressive forces applied by the muscles diminish , the capsule becomes more ellipsoidal , and the capsular equator thins . frames 112 ″ become compressed by the lateral forces applied by the capsule and zonules , and transducers 101 ″ follow the elongation of the capsule , with free ends 114 ″ of elements 111 ″ deflecting outward to the undeformed state depicted in fig1 c . this in turn relieves compression of transducers 101 ″, so that fluid moves from channels 97 ″ back to reservoirs 103 ″, and lens piston 95 ″ resumes its unexpanded position . consequently , anterior lens element 93 ″ returns to its undeflected state and lens 120 transitions to the unaccommodated state shown in fig1 c . in fig1 a - 12c , still another embodiment of an intraocular lens constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention is described . iol 130 comprises optic portion 131 and haptic portion 132 . optic portion 131 comprises anterior lens element 133 and substrate 134 formed of light - transmissive materials . substrate 134 includes lens piston 135 having expandable end wall 136 , and fluid channels 137 in fluid communication with the interior of lens piston 135 . expandable end wall 136 contacts the inner surface of anterior lens element 133 , so that deflection of end wall 136 causes anterior lens element 133 to assume a more convex shape . the thickness profile of anterior lens element 133 is tailored to provide a desired degree of optical correction throughout its range of deflection . channels 137 and space 138 , disposed between anterior lens element 133 and substrate 134 , are filled with fluid 139 having an index of refraction that is matched to the materials of anterior lens element 133 and substrate 134 . substrate 134 includes posterior lens surface 140 . haptic portion 132 is disposed at the periphery of optic portion 131 , and includes transducers 141 having segments 142 slidably disposed in edge recesses 143 . edge recesses 143 are defined by extensions 144 of fluid channels 137 that extend circumferentially along the edges of substrate 134 for an arc - length corresponding to the arc - length of haptic portions 132 and function as reservoirs . segments 142 are coupled to diaphragms 145 so that force applied to the outer edges of segments 142 by the capsular equator causes the segments to be displaced radially inward . laterally - extending flanges 146 apply tension to the capsule to orient iol 130 within the capsule and maintain tension on the zonules . segment 142 , substrate extensions 144 , diaphragm 145 and edge recess 143 together form a haptic piston that transfers fluid to lens piston 135 responsive to contraction and relaxation of the ciliary muscle , zonules and capsule . specifically , inward movement of segments 142 causes diaphragms 145 to displace inwardly into edge recesses 143 , thereby transferring fluid to lens piston 135 . as in the preceding embodiment , fluid entering lens piston 135 expands end wall 136 , thereby deflecting anterior lens element 133 to its accommodated shape , as shown in fig1 a and 12b . in fig1 c , when the ciliary muscles relax , the capsule elongates and applies laterally compressive forces to flanges 146 . as the capsule elongates , the forces applied to segments 142 decrease , allowing end wall 136 to return to its unexpanded state and permitting anterior lens element 133 to return to the unaccommodated state . while preferred illustrative embodiments of the invention are described above , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention . the appended claims are intended to cover all such changes and modifications that fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	0
fig1 through 4 illustrate a bearing assembly constructed in accordance with the invention . fig1 shows a portion of an electrical submersible pump motor 10 that has an outer housing 12 that encloses a stator 14 . the stator 14 is made up of a number of laminations 16 and encloses a bore 17 . a rotor shaft 18 is rotatably disposed within the bore 17 of the stator 14 and supported by bearing assembly 20 . it is pointed out that , while only a single bearing assembly 20 is depicted here , there are , in fact , a number of similar bearing assemblies , all of which surround the rotor shaft 18 within the same motor 10 . the bearing assembly 20 is representative of each of these , and it should be recognized that a number of such assemblies , in combination , will form a bearing system for support of the rotor shaft 18 in the motor 10 . the rotor shaft 18 carries cylindrical laminated plates 19 , and thrust washers 21 surround the rotor shaft 18 and abut the bearing assembly 20 . the rotor shaft 18 also defines a central longitudinal bore 23 having lateral fluid flow passages 25 that extend radially outwardly from the central bore 23 . the bearing assembly 20 includes several concentric members that will be described from the radial outside moving inward . the bearing assembly 20 includes an annular bearing sleeve insert holder 22 that presents a central portion 24 of enlarged diameter and two axial portions 26 of reduced diameter . a pair of grooves 28 are disposed in the enlarged diameter portion 24 . annular anti - rotation extension springs 30 are disposed each of the grooves 28 . when so disposed , the springs 30 extend outwardly slightly from the grooves 28 ( see fig4 ). when the bearing sleeve insert holder 22 is inserted into the bore 17 , the springs 30 are urged against the bore 17 and are compressed to form a resilient seal . a sleeve insert 32 is located radially within the bearing sleeve insert holder 22 . the sleeve insert 32 ( shown apart from the bearing assembly in fig2 ) is an annular ring that has two grooves 34 in its external surface 36 . as will be apparent , the sleeve insert 32 contacts the fluid within a fluid chamber along its external radial surface while its internal radial surface contacts a fluid film barrier that helps to support the rotor shaft 18 and reduce damage to the rotor shaft 18 due to friction and abrasion . fluid metering holes 38 are disposed through the insert 32 . there are preferably only two such holes 38 that have a minimal diameter so that fluid is transmitted , or metered , through the holes 38 slowly and some of the mechanical energy that has been imparted to the fluid will be converted to heat energy via such metering . currently , a diameter of about { fraction ( 1 / 16 )} th of an inch is believed to be optimal for the holes 38 . anti - rotation extension springs 40 reside within the grooves 34 so that the sleeve insert 32 is prevented from rotating with respect to the sleeve insert holder 22 . at either axial end of the sleeve insert 32 , an annular oil seal 42 and oil seal compression cap 44 are located . each oil seal 42 supplements the resilient seal provided by the spring 40 in closing off the fluid chamber ( described shortly ) which is defined in part by the springs 40 . a snap ring 46 is positioned outside of either compression cap 44 . the snap rings 46 engage the inner surface of the bearing sleeve insert holder 22 and thereby help to lock the insert holder 22 and the sleeve insert 32 together . a bearing sleeve 50 is disposed radially within the sleeve insert 32 . the bearing sleeve 50 is an annular member that is keyed to the rotor shaft 18 so as to rotate with the shaft 18 and functions as a wear sleeve that protects the rotor shaft 18 from abrasion and friction damages . the bearing sleeve 50 contains four ( only three visible in fig2 ) fluid communication openings 52 that are disposed at 90 degree angles from one another about the periphery of the sleeve 50 . there are key notches 54 cut into the sleeve 50 at the upper and lower axial ends of the sleeve 50 into which complimentary shaped key members 56 on the shaft 18 will reside to spline the bearing sleeve 50 to the shaft 18 . referring now to fig4 the construction of one side of the bearing assembly 20 is shown in close up with some of the gaps and spaces between various components being exaggerated in order to facilitate explanation of portions of the invention . as illustrated there , there is a narrow chamber 60 defined between the sleeve insert 32 and the sleeve insert holder 22 within which a fluid film 62 of fluid resides . the most common and preferred type of fluid to be used for this application is oil , which is substantially incompressible . the chamber 60 is closed off at each end by the contact between anti - rotation springs 40 and the sleeve insert holder 22 . it is noted , however , that the width of the chamber 60 can vary by virtue of the fact that contact with the inner surface of the sleeve insert holder 22 is accomplished by springs that are initially compressed when inserted into the holder 22 . a gap 64 is present between the sleeve insert 32 and the bearing sleeve 50 . a second fluid film 66 resides within the gap 64 . during normal operation and absent system vibrations , the chamber 60 has a width of approximately 0 . 005 inches while the gap 64 is approximately 0 . 003 inches in width . the fluid within chamber 60 and gap 64 is disposed therein by pumping through bore 23 and lateral fluid passages 25 and then transmitted through the fluid communication openings 52 of the bearing sleeve 50 . it is pointed out that the oil is also present within the fluid metering passages 38 of the insert 32 . in operation , the rotor 18 rotates and the bearing sleeve 50 rotates with it . the sleeve insert 32 and sleeve insert holder 22 do not rotate . during operation , fluid , such as an oil lubricant , is transmitted through the central bore 23 under pressure , the lateral fluid passages 25 and fluid communication openings 52 to continually replenish the fluid film layer 66 in gap 64 . the use of the pumped in fluid and the fluid metering openings 38 provide a shock absorption function against vibration of the rotor 18 within the stator 14 and thereby curb instability in the system due to vibration . as the rotor shaft 18 moves laterally within the bore 17 , such as would result from system vibration , one side of the bearing sleeve 50 is compressed against the sleeve insert 32 causing the fluid entrapped therebetween to be metered through the metering passages 38 and into the chamber 60 . the metering passages 38 act like hydraulic metering valves . the fluid absorbs the vibration and converts the mechanical energy associated with it into heat . conversely , when the rotor shaft 18 moves in the opposite direction as a result of vibration ( i . e ., so that the bearing sleeve 50 is moved away from the sleeve insert 32 , oil is drawn from the gap 60 through the metering passages 38 into the second gap 64 . one the opposite side of the rotor shaft 18 , the opposite actions occur . in either case ( whether the shaft 18 and bearing sleeve 50 are moved toward or away from the sleeve insert 32 ), fluid is drawn through the metering passages 38 and the mechanical energy associated with the vibration is converted into heat energy . the sizes of gaps 60 and 64 may vary as required by the type of lubricating fluid used . however , the gaps 64 should be of sufficient size to permit a fluid film to reside therein that will resist friction between the bearing sleeve 50 and the sleeve insert 32 . any incidental friction or vibration induced contact is borne by the bearing sleeve 50 rather than the rotor shaft 18 itself . the resilient sealing of the fluid chamber 60 , which is provided by the annular springs 40 , is desirable in that it permits the volume of the fluid chamber 60 to expand and contract slightly to accommodate increases and decreases in the amount of fluid that is retained within the chamber 60 . it can be seen , then , that the bearing assembly 20 provides a fluid spring that dampens vibrations of the rotor shaft 18 within the stator bore 17 . in addition , the pressurized fluid within bore 23 constantly lubricates and replenishes the bearing assembly 20 . since the bearing assembly 20 does not rely upon elastomeric components to provide wear surfaces , the assembly can be operated at very high temperatures . referring now to fig5 a and 5b , there is shown an enlarged view of the lower portion of the exemplary motor 10 which incorporates bearing assemblies to support the rotor 18 within stator 14 . only the two lower bearing assemblies 60 , 62 are shown . it should be understood that there are additional bearing assemblies ( not shown ) located at regular intervals within the motor 10 . the bearing assemblies 60 , 62 are constructed and operate in the manner of the bearing assembly 20 described earlier . in this view , it is possible to see the wire bundles 61 that form the terminus of the laminations and windings 16 , 19 of the stator 14 . a tubular base 62 is secured within the housing 12 below the bundles . a processor sub 64 is shown affixed to the lower end of the motor 10 . the processor sub 64 houses a multi - measurement sensor that is capable of processing sensed parameters and transmitting that information to the surface of the wellbore . one example of a suitable processor sub 64 is “ the tracker ,” a device manufactured and marketed by the assignee of the present invention . a variety of exemplary sensor devices are shown schematically within the motor 10 for sensing abnormalities in the operation of the bearing assemblies 60 , 62 , such as excessive vibration . a first thermocouple sensor 66 is disposed between adjacent laminations 16 in the stator 14 . the first thermocouple sensor 66 is located within the stator 14 to be proximate the upper bearing assembly 60 and extends downwardly through the stator 14 to the processing sub 64 . the thermocouple sensor 66 is an elongated , wire - like sensor that is made of two dissimilar metals . each of these metals will expand and contract at different rates to changes in temperature proximate the upper bearing assembly 60 , and the amount of differential expansion can be detected by the processor sub 64 . although the thermocouple sensor 66 is depicted within the motor housing 12 as being disposed vertically through the laminations 16 , it should be understood that this depiction is schematic only , and that in actuality , the sensor 66 is layered in a coiled fashion with the laminated winds 16 of the stator 14 . a second thermocouple sensor 70 is disposed between adjacent laminations 16 in the stator 14 , but is located within the stator 14 so as to be proximate the lower bearing assembly 62 . the second thermocouple 70 senses changes in temperature proximate the lower bearing assembly 62 . as can be seen in fig5 b , there is an accelerometer 72 secured to the lower end of the base 63 . the accelerometer 72 detects vibrations in the base 63 that are transmitted to it by vibration of the rotor 18 . cable 74 interconnects the accelerometer 72 to the processor sub 64 . excessive vibration of the rotor 18 within the stator 14 during operation of the motor 10 is sensed by some or all of the sensors ( 66 , 70 , 72 ) described above . the sensed information is transmitted to the processor sub 64 where it is recorded and / or transmitted to the surface of the well . excessive vibration of the rotor 18 proximate a particular bearing assembly ( 60 or 62 ) would be expected to raise the temperature proximate that bearing assembly . this rise in temperature would be detectable by the processor sub 64 via the thermocouple sensor ( 66 or 74 ) located near that particular bearing assembly . additionally , general excessive vibration of the rotor 18 at or around its lower end would be detected by the accelerometer 72 with this detected condition being transmitted to the processor sub 64 . while the invention has been shown in only some of its forms , it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited , but is susceptible to various changes without departing from the scope of the invention .	5
the present invention is directed to a system and method that enables communication ( i . e ., audio conferencing ) between a linked packet - switched server architecture for internet protocol ( ip )- based clients and a circuit - switched server architecture for phone - based clients . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , a service provider supplies the linkage infrastructure ( i . e ., full duplex dial - up or ip link ), agreement terms , and facilities so that clients ( i . e ., participants ) who subscribe to their conferencing services can take part in a multi - party audio conference application . the service provider would also provide customer , service , support , and billing as will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) after reading the description herein . clients would connect to their respective servers using whatever equipment and protocol they currently have access to , and the invention would provide seamless linkage among the various clients . referring to fig1 , a block diagram illustrating the system architecture of an embodiment of the present invention , showing connectivity among the various components , is shown . more specifically , fig1 illustrates a linked multipoint control unit ( mcu ) architecture 100 for packet - switched ( ip - based ) personal computer system clients and circuit - switched ( phone - based ) client conferencing . architecture 100 includes a plurality of pc - based clients 102 ( shown as clients 102 a - 102 n ) which connect to an ip - based mcu 104 . architecture 100 also includes a plurality of telephone - based clients 112 ( shown as clients 112 a - 112 n ) which connect to a phone - based mcu 110 . the connection between ip mcu 104 and phone mcu 110 is provided by a full - duplex client channel 108 . full - duplex client channel 108 enables a service provider to send and receive audio packets from pc - based clients 102 using , for example , the sip protocol . full - duplex client channel 108 also enables a service provider to send and receive , for example , h . 323 protocol packets from telephone - based clients 112 . the client channel 108 looks like just another active speaker to both the ip mcu 104 and the phone mcu 110 . in an embodiment of the present invention , because the transport may be different ( e . g . h323 ethernet packets for the ip mcu 104 , and a pri digital phone line for the phone mcu 110 ), the client channel 108 may go through a protocol converter or gateway . the present invention is described in terms of the above example . this is for convenience only and is not intended to limit the application of the present invention . in fact , after reading the following description , it will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) how to implement the following invention in alternative embodiments ( e . g ., mcus 104 and 10 handling protocols other than those illustrated herein ). the terms “ client ,” “ subscriber ,” “ party ,” “ participant ,” and the plural form of these terms may be used interchangeably throughout herein to refer to those who would access , use , and / or benefit from the system and method of the present invention . referring to fig2 , a flowchart representing the general operational flow , according to an embodiment of the present invention , is shown . more specifically , fig2 depicts an example control flow 200 involved in providing a linked internet protocol ( ip )- based client and phone - based client audio conference . in this embodiment , the ip multipoint control unit ( mcu ) 104 performs the initial steps necessary to establish a link to the phone mcu 110 . control flow 200 begins at step 202 with control passing immediately to step 204 . in step 204 , ip mcu 104 establishes a continuously active connection 108 to phone mcu 110 . connection 108 is established as continuously active ( i . e ., recognized as active speaker by ip mcu 104 ), thereby ensuring that the audio data of actively speaking ( e . g ., participants who are actually speaking rather than simply listening ) phone - based clients 112 is always included in the audio stream later distributed to the connected ip - based clients 102 . ip mcu 104 also keeps an active speaker list so that it can limit the number of actively speaking ip - based clients 102 recognized and added to the stream , thus ensuring that the list does not become too large . if the number of actively speaking ip - based clients 102 becomes too large , the data being sent by the ip mcu 104 to every participant in the audio conference will be unintelligible ( i . e ., too many participants speaking on top of each other ). returning to control flow 200 , in step 206 , the ip mcu 104 receives a mixed and converted phone client audio packet from the phone mcu 110 via the continuously active connection 108 . upon receipt of this audio packet , in step 208 , the ip mcu 104 sends the mixed and converted phone client audio packet to each connected pc client 102 connected to ip mcu 104 . in step 210 the ip mcu 104 receives pc client 102 audio packet ( s ) from each actively speaking pc client 102 connected to ip mcu 104 . upon receipt of pc audio packet ( s ), in step 212 , the ip mcu 104 forwards the actively speaking pc client audio packet ( s ) to the phone mcu 110 via the continuously active connection 108 . in step 214 , the process begins again if the continuously active connection 108 is still active . thus , control flow 200 continues until either the phone mcu 110 or the ip mcu 104 ceases hosting the audio conference ( i . e ., the conference is terminated ) as indicated by step 216 . it should be noted , as will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) after reading the description here , that control flow 200 as presented in fig2 assumes that there is an order to the phone mcu mixing and the ip mcu forwarding packets . this is done for ease of explanation herein , whereas , in actuality , these events are asynchronous and simultaneous as suggested above . further , as will also be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ), there may some delay between an active speaker becoming active on one mcu , and before that active speaker is heard on the other mcu , but it is symmetric . referring to fig3 , a flowchart representing the general operational flow , according to an embodiment of the present invention , is shown . more specifically , fig3 depicts an example control flow 300 involved in providing a linked ip - based client and phone - based client audio conference . in this embodiment , the phone multipoint control unit ( mcu ) 110 performs the initial steps necessary to establish a link to the ip mcu 104 . control flow 300 begins at step 302 with control passing immediately to step 304 . in step 304 , the phone mcu 110 establishes a continuously active connection 108 to ip mcu 104 . connection 108 is established as continuously active ( i . e ., recognized as active speaker by phone mcu 110 ) thereby ensuring that the audio data of actively speaking ( e . g ., participants who are actually speaking rather than simply listening ) ip - based clients 102 is always included in the audio mix later distributed to the connected phone - based clients 112 . phone mcu 110 also keeps an active speaker list so that it can limit the number of actively speaking phone - based clients 112 recognized and added to the mix , thus ensuring that the list does not become too large . if the number of actively speaking phone - based clients 112 becomes too large , the data being sent by the phone mcu 110 to every participant in the audio conference will be unintelligible ( i . e ., too many participants speaking on top of each other ). returning to control flow 300 , in step 306 , the phone mcu 110 receives a mixed pc client audio packet from the ip mcu 104 via the continuously active connection 108 . in step 308 , the phone mcu 110 receives an audio packet from each actively speaking phone client 112 connected to phone mcu 110 . upon receipt of the actively speaking phone client audio packet , in step 310 , the phone mcu mixes the mixed pc client audio packet , received in step 306 , with the actively speaking phone client audio packet , received in step 308 , into a combined audio packet . in step 312 , the phone mcu 110 forwards the combined audio packet to phone clients 112 connected to phone mcu 110 . in step 314 the phone mcu forwards the audio packet , received in step 308 , to the ip mcu 104 via the continuously active connection 108 . in step 316 , the process begins again if the continuously active connection 108 is still active . thus , control flow 300 continues until either the phone mcu 110 or the ip mcu 104 ceases hosting the audio conference ( i . e ., the conference is terminated ) as indicated by step 318 . it should be noted , as will be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ) after reading the description here , that control flow 300 as presented in fig3 assumes that there is an order to the phone mcu mixing and the ip mcu forwarding packets . this is done for ease of explanation herein , whereas , in actuality , these events are asynchronous and simultaneous as suggested above . further , as will also be apparent to one skilled in the relevant art ( s ), there may some delay between an active speaker becoming active on one mcu , and before that active speaker is heard on the other mcu , but it is symmetric . the present invention ( i . e ., architecture 100 , control flow 200 , control flow 300 , or any part thereof ) may be implemented using hardware , software or a combination thereof and may be implemented in one or more computer systems or other processing systems . in fact , in one embodiment , the invention is directed toward one or more computer systems capable of carrying out the functionality described herein . an example of a computer system . the computer system represents any single or multi - processor computer . the computer system includes one or more processors , such as processor . the processor is connected to a communication infrastructure ( e . g ., a communications bus , cross - over bar , or network ). various software embodiments are described in terms of this exemplary computer system . after reading this description , it will become apparent to a person skilled in the relevant art how to implement the invention using other computer systems and / or computer architectures . the computer system may include a display interface that forwards graphics , text , and other data from the communication infrastructure ( or from a frame buffer not shown ) for display on the display unit . the computer system also includes a main memory , preferably random access memory ( ram ), and may also include a secondary memory . the secondary memory may include , for example , a hard disk drive and / or a removable storage drive , representing a floppy disk drive , a magnetic tape drive , an optical disk drive , etc . the removable storage drive reads from and / or writes to a removable storage unit in a well - known manner . removable storage unit , represents a floppy disk , magnetic tape , optical disk , etc . which is read by and written to by removable storage drive . as will be appreciated , the removable storage unit includes a computer usable storage medium having stored therein computer software and / or data . in alternative embodiments , secondary memory may include other similar means for allowing computer programs or other instructions to be loaded into computer system . such means may include , for example , a removable storage unit and an interface . examples of such may include a program cartridge and cartridge interface ( such as that found in video game devices ), a removable memory chip ( such as an eprom , or prom ) and associated socket , and other removable storage units and interfaces , which allow software and data to be transferred from the removable storage unit to computer system . the computer system may also include a communications interface . the communications interface allows software and data to be transferred between computer system and external devices . examples of communications interface may include a modem , a network interface ( such as an ethernet card ), a communications port , a pcmcia slot and card , etc . software and data transferred via communications interface are in the form of signals , which may be electronic , electromagnetic , optical or other signals capable of being received by communications interface . these signals are provided to communications interface via a communications path ( i . e ., channel ). this channel carries signals and may be implemented using wire or cable , fiber optics , a phone line , a cellular phone link , an rf link and other communications channels . in this document , the terms “ computer program medium ” and “ computer usable medium ” are used to generally refer to media such as removable storage drive , a hard disk installed in hard disk drive , and signals . these computer program products are means for providing software to computer system . the invention is directed to such computer program products . computer programs ( also called computer control logic ) are stored in main memory and / or secondary memory . computer programs may also be received via communications interface . such computer programs , when executed , enable the computer system to perform the features of the present invention as discussed herein . in particular , the computer programs , when executed , enable the processor to perform the features of the present invention . accordingly , such computer programs represent controllers of the computer system . in an embodiment where the invention is implemented using software , the software may be stored in a computer program product and loaded into computer system using removable storage drive , hard drive or communications interface . the control logic ( software ), when executed by the processor , causes the processor to perform the functions of the invention as described herein . in another embodiment , the invention is implemented primarily in hardware using , for example , hardware components such as application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). implementation of the hardware state machine so as to perform the functions described herein will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art ( s ). in yet another embodiment , the invention is implemented using a combination of both hardware and software . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described above , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example , and not limitation . for example , the operational flows presented in fig2 and 3 , are for example purposes only and the present invention is sufficiently flexible and configurable such that it may flow in ways other than that shown . further , it will be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus the present invention should not be limited by any of the above - described exemplary embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents .	7
preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with references to the accompanying drawings . in the following description , well - known functions or constructions are not described in detail , since such minutia would obscure the invention in unnecessary trivia . referring to fig1 , an embodiment of the ladder system 20 mounted to pull - down ladder 10 in a partially collapsed state is depicted . the ladder system 20 , or smaller strut section , includes a pair of support rails 22 , 24 substantially identical but of opposite hand , a lateral cross member strut 26 , a pair of adjustable feet 28 , 30 substantially identical but of opposite hand , and a pair of rigid adjustable spreaders 32 , 34 substantially identical but of opposite hand . referring now to fig2 , the ladder system of fig1 is shown fully extended . in this embodiment , the support rails 22 , 24 are substantially parallel , however in an alternative embodiment the rails 22 , 24 may be outwardly flared at their lower ends to create a wider stance , allowing for increased stability . in either embodiment , each of the rails 22 , 24 has a foot 28 , 30 located at the end of the rail 22 , 24 where contact is made with the ground , referred to as the ground contacting point , while the opposite end of each of the rail 22 , 24 is pivotally connected , using pivotal connectors 36 , 38 , to its respective rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 . the pivotal connectors 36 , 38 can be either permanently connected by means of a bolt , rivet , pivoting hinge , etc . or alternatively , the pivotal connection can be removably attached to the rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 by means of , for example , a clamping structure , allowing the ladder system to be used on a multitude of preexisting ladders , including , for example , drop - down and extension ladders . as will be described in greater detail below , an exemplary method for removably attaching each rail 22 , 24 to its respective rail 40 , 42 is illustrated in fig1 b and 11c . referring to fig2 a , an exploded view of an adjustable spreader of the ladder system , the depicted rigid adjustable spreader 32 , 34 is generally composed of two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b that are pivotally connected at their ends with a shank 33 a and lock pin 33 b such that the two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b can lock in the fully extended position to form a spreader between the rails 22 , 24 in the lower section , between the midpoint of the ladder rail length and the ground contact points , of their respective rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 . in other embodiments , an extension ladder or step - to - straight ladder may be stabilized in lieu of a pull - down ladder . for example , when applied to a 28 - foot extension ladder , the rigid span , or spreader , is connected to the existing ladder approximately 17 inches ( nearly 1 / 20th the total length of the ladder ) off the ground . the pivotal connection may be laterally adjustable such that the length of the spreader can be increased or decreased thereby increasing or decreasing the angle created between the ladder system rails 22 , 24 and their respective rails 40 , 42 of the pull - down ladder 10 . in certain embodiments , as seen in fig1 a , the spreader may a standard spreader 62 with a fixed length s as used in a traditional step ladders . the length s of the fixed spreader is determined based on the total length l of ladder being stabilized and the desired base or footprint size . for example , in a preferred embodiment using a standard spreader 62 , the spreader &# 39 ; s 62 total length s , when applied to a 28 - foot extension ladder , may be approximately 24 inches . the approximately 24 - inch spreader may , however , be used for a range of ladder sizes ( e . g ., 24 ′ to 40 - foot extension ladders ). for smaller ladders ( e . g ., a 16 - foot extension or step - to - straight ladder ) a spreader length s of approximately 18 to 19 inches would be preferred . naturally , various spreader lengths s may be used depending on the application and length l of the ladder ( e . g ., a longer spreader may be used for longer ladders which may require a larger footprint or base ). as seen in the figures , the rails 22 , 24 may be predrilled with more than one set of holes near the shaft 44 so that a single fixed length spreader 62 may be used with a number of ladders lengths and sizes by simply installing the spreader 62 at different locations on the rails 22 , 24 . referring to fig7 , another means for connecting two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b is shown . the two rigid spans 32 a , 32 b are connected to one another at two points , with a pen anent laterally slideable connection and a second connection that locks the span at the specified length using the safety stop 84 and a pin 33 a that penetrates the hole of the safety stop 84 and the desired hole in the rigid span 32 b therefore locking the overall length of the spreaders 32 , 34 . when the pin 33 a is not in the safety stop 84 , the spreader can be folded at the slideable connection . to prevent misplacement , the pin 33 a may be tethered to the ladder or ladder system 20 . in an alternative embodiment , there may be more than two rigid spans comprising the spreader , and the connection between the at least two rigid spans can be by another means , including , but not limited to , a threaded post and wing nut or screw caps 50 . referring to fig2 b , an exploded view of a ladder system foot 28 is shown . the feet 28 , 30 , located at the end of the rails 22 , 24 at the ground contact point , are both angularly and vertically adjustable . each of said feet 28 , 30 is composed of two primary components , a vertically extendable shaft 44 and shoe 46 pivotally connected to the shaft 44 using a pivotal connector 48 . the pivotal connector 48 allows the shoe 46 to conform to the angle of the ground on which it is placed . if required , the pivotal connector 48 can be tightened , therefore locking the shoe 46 in the preferred arrangement . the length of the rails 22 , 24 depends on the application of the ladder system . when stabilizing a shorter ladder , the rails 22 , 24 may be shorter than rails 22 , 24 being used to stabilize a longer ladder , or when a larger foot - print or base is needed for stabilizing a ladder . for example , when a ladder having a length l of 6 to 23 feet ( e . g ., a 16 - foot extension ladder or step - straight ladder ) is used , the rails 22 , 24 may be approximately 21 inches in length k from the foot - end to the bent portion 64 of the rails 22 , 24 . similarly , when a ladder having a length l of 24 to 40 feet ( e . g ., a 28 - foot extension ladder ) is used , the rails 22 , 24 may be approximately 30 inches in length k from the foot - end to the bent portion of the rails 22 , 24 . naturally , the length k of the rails 22 , 24 may vary from the provided measurements . the underside of the shoe 46 includes a gripping material 76 to minimize slippage at the ground contact point . depending on the application , said gripping material 76 could be a rubber pad for use on a relatively smooth hard surface , spiked ( as seen in fig9 ) or staggered for use on grass and packed dirt , or even a planar foot that creates a large shoe surface area , therefore preventing the foot 28 , 30 from sinking into soft ground . depending on the choice of shoe 46 , the ladder system 20 can be used on ground surfaces such as concrete , dirt , steel , tile , grating , brick , stone and most floor materials . the pivotable connector 48 between the shaft 44 and shoe 46 may be permanent or removable , therefore allowing one to interchange the shoe 46 depending on the application or environment . alternative foot embodiments are shown in fig7 wherein the shoe 46 is directly coupled to the end of the rails 22 , 24 and fig8 wherein the shaft 44 comes into direct contact with the ground or through an optional intermediate such as a rubber boot 80 . the rubber boot 80 acts as a gripping material and prevents the shaft 44 from scratching the ground . referring now to fig9 , in lieu of a rubber boot 80 , the end of the shaft 44 may be pointed to increase ground penetration , therefore preventing slippage on dense penetrable surfaces such as dirt , grass , gravel and rock . referring now to fig3 - 5 , in this embodiment , a side view of the ladder system &# 39 ; s versatility is shown when the ladder system 20 is installed on a traditional straight ladder 60 ; however , the system is not restricted to a straight ladder but can be applied to any ladder where additional stability is required . fig3 - 5 show three adjustment configurations where the rigid adjustable spreaders 32 , 34 have been laterally adjusted to create a larger overall footprint by increasing the distance between the larger ladder section 60 and the ladder system 20 , the shaft 44 is vertically adjusted to ensure that steady contact between the shoe 46 and the ground is maintained , and the shoe 46 adapts to the angle and terrain of the ground . the shaft 44 as shown in fig3 b , 4 b and 5 b is adjusted using two nested tubes 56 , 58 with a plurality of holes 52 which , when adjusted to the appropriate height , can be aligned and locked into place using a set pin 54 . in alternative embodiments , a push - button adjustment mechanism with or without a locking ring may be used to secure the two nested tubes 56 , 58 , the nested tubes 56 , 58 may be locked at a specified length with a slip nut and washer or the two nested tubes 56 , 58 may be threadedly coupled wherein the overall shaft 44 is extended or shortened by rotating the shoe 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 . in another embodiment , as depicted in fig1 a - 12d , the nested tubes 56 , 58 may be spring - loaded . this may be accomplished , for example , using a spring 68 and series of notches 70 , or grooves , to quickly and safely adjust the height of the shaft . the upper nested tube 58 includes a series of angled notches 70 configured to receive one or more pegs 72 . the lower nested tube 56 would include one or more pegs 72 which may be received by the angled notches 70 in the upper nested tube 58 . a spring 68 is housed in the hollow space within the nested tubes 56 , 58 and creates a constant force pulling the tube ends toward each one another in direction b , therefore shortening the shaft 44 . to make adjustments to the shaft &# 39 ; s 44 length , a user could twist the foot 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 in direction c so that the one or more pegs 72 is withdrawn from one or more angled notches 70 . the user may then pull the foot 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 in direction a until the desired shaft 44 length has been reached . once the desired length has been reached , the user twists the foot 46 and / or lower nested tube 56 in direction d causing the one or more pegs 72 to be inserted into the one or more angled grooves 70 . the tension created by the spring 68 pulls nested tube 56 in direction b and securely holds the one or more pegs 72 in the one or more angled grooves 70 . when weight is applied to the ladder or shaft 44 , a force is created in direction b that further secures the one or more pegs 72 in the one or more angled grooves 70 to prevent collapsing and / or shortening of the shaft 44 . turning now to fig1 b , a technique for removably attaching each rail 22 , 24 to its respective rail 40 , 42 is illustrated . in certain situations , it may be advantageous to removably attach each rail 22 , 24 to a ladder without drilling or otherwise modifying the original ladder structure . in fact , certain ladder manufactures may prohibit the drilling of holes though a ladder rail alleging that it could weaken the structural integrity of the ladder . while this may not necessarily be true , the ladder manufacturer may nevertheless void the warranty . therefore , to circumvent the risk of voiding a manufacturer warranty , a user may wish to safely attach a ladder system without requiring any modifications to the original ladder . this may be accomplished by , for instance , inserting a rod 78 through the hollow rung 86 of a ladder 60 . in order to receive a nut 82 , the rod 78 may be threaded at the ends or , in the alternative , threaded across the entire length of the rod 78 . in order to reduce friction and / or prevent the rod 78 from becoming misaligned during use , a bushing 80 may be inserted on each end of the rod 78 such that , when assembled , a bushing 80 is located between each ladder 60 rail 40 , 42 and the corresponding ladder system rail 22 , 24 . the bushing 80 may be fabricated from any material known in the art of bushing manufacture , including , for example , polyacetal , nylon , fiberglass and / or metallic materials . as illustrated in the fig1 b , the bushing 80 may be configured with two different outer diameters , wherein the narrower diameter may be configured to snugly fit within the end of the hollow rung 86 while the second larger diameter would ensure that the bushing 80 remains at the rail 40 , 42 surface . once the bushings 80 have been installed , the rails 22 , 24 may be mounted on the rod 78 ends and secured using , for example , a nut 82 . the nut 82 may be a traditional nut or a nut design to prevent loosening ( e . g ., a lock nut ). alternatively , as seen in fig1 e , to ease tightening and loosening ( e . g ., during assemble , disassembly and adjustment ), the rails 22 , 24 may be mounted on the rod 78 ends and secured using a threaded knob 88 . as seen in both fig1 b and 11e , the spreader 62 may be attached to the ladder 60 using the same through - the - rung techniques as those used to attached the rails 22 , 24 . alternatively , the spreaders 62 may be attached using more traditional methods , such as traditional nuts 82 and bolts 84 . while the ladder system illustrated in fig1 b presents an exemplary method for removeably attaching each rail 22 , 24 to a ladder without drilling or otherwise modifying the original ladder , it should be appreciated that one having ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . turning now to fig1 c and 11d , the ladder system of fig1 b is shown fully assembled . fig1 c illustrates the ladder system in a fully extended state while fig1 d illustrates the ladder system in a folded state . fig1 e illustrates the ladder system of fig1 b wherein a threaded knob 88 is used . one or more threaded knobs 88 may be use in conjunction with , or in lieu of nut 82 , where the threaded knobs 88 and nut 82 may be interchanged as desired by the user . for example , as illustrated in fig1 e , the user may wish to secure the spreader using a nut 82 , but may prefer to use a knob 88 to secure each rail 22 , 24 . similarly , in certain embodiments , a user may wish to use a knob 88 on only one end while the other of the rod 78 is secured using a nut 82 or a more permanent means such as welding a nut or bushing to the rod 78 . the knob 88 may be fabricated from any material known in the art of knob manufacture , including , for example , polyacetal , nylon and / or metallic materials . to enable coupling with a rod 78 , the knob 88 is preferably threaded to receive the threads of the rod 78 . as seen in fig1 - 5 and 11 a - e , each of the rails 22 , 24 includes a bend 64 , 66 near the point where the rails 22 , 24 are connected to ladder rails 40 , 42 . the bends 64 , 66 allow for the ladder system 20 to lay flush , or substantially parallel , to the existing ladder , when in a closed position . in a preferred embodiment , the bends 64 , 66 in rails 22 , 24 are approximately 45 degrees off the rails &# 39 ; 22 , 24 center line ( s ). the length and angle of the bent portion may however be adjusted based on the application , length and shape of the ladder system 20 or rails 22 , 24 . referring to fig1 , the ladder system may be locked in the closed position using the safety latch 82 which locks the ladder system 20 to the ladder being stabilized . the safety latch can be used with a plurality of ladders , including but not limited to pull - down ladders , straight ladders and extension ladders . fig1 shows the safety latch 82 attached to the lateral cross member strut 26 , however in another embodiment , the safety latch 82 may attach to a loop or other latch receptacle . the ladder system 20 structure as described can be constructed from any material known in the art of ladder fabrication , including but not limited to wood , metal , metal alloys , fiberglass , composites , carbon fiber , plastic or a combination thereof . similarly , the rails of the smaller strut section or ladder system 20 need not be the same material as the larger ladder section . in certain embodiments , each of the ladder system rails 22 , 24 may be constructed from a single , continuous material ( e . g ., a singular , unbroken material ). by constructing the rails 22 , 24 from a single , continuous material , fewer connection points ( e . g ., welds / joints ) are needed , thereby decreasing costs while also strengthening the rails 22 , 24 . for example , each rail may be constructed from a single length of metal or metal alloy which may be cut , molded or stamped in the shape of the support rail . the ladder system 20 may also include a kick peg 74 mounted on one or both of the ladder system rails 22 , 24 or other stable ladder system 20 surface . the kick peg 74 allows for easy employment of the ladder system because the user is able to spread the ladder system away from the existing ladder using only a foot . while the present invention has been described with respect to what are currently considered to be the preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments . to 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 . all u . s . and foreign patent documents , all articles , all brochures and all other published documents discussed above are hereby incorporated by reference into the detailed description of the preferred embodiment .	8
referring to fig2 to 4 , the preferred embodiment of a protective cover device according to the present invention is adapted to be mounted on a worktable of a sawing machine ( not shown ) on which a workpiece ( not shown ) is fed along a working path in a longitudinal direction , and is shown to comprise a supporting member 20 , a cantilever 40 , a cover shield 30 , a rear journal unit 50 , a front journal unit 60 , and a hold - down unit 70 . the supporting member 20 is in the form of a flat plate , and has a lower end portion 21 which is adapted to be secured on the worktable of the sawing machine , and an upper end portion 22 which is opposite to the lower end portion 21 in an upright direction transverse to the longitudinal direction and which has a rear pivot hole 23 and a retaining hole 24 extending therethrough in a transverse direction relative to both the upright direction and the longitudinal direction , and a retaining edge 25 disposed upwardly of the retaining hole 24 . the rear pivot hole 23 is round , and the retaining hole 24 is rectangular . the cantilever 40 has front and rear pivot ends 401 , 402 opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction . with further reference to fig5 and 6 , the rear pivot end 402 includes left and right lugs 43 , 44 which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction so as to define an accommodation space for receiving the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 therein , and which respectively have left and right through holes 431 , 441 . the rear journal unit 50 includes a first guiding member 51 , a second guiding member 52 , a rear journal pin 53 , a rear push actuator 54 , and a biasing member 55 . the first guiding member 51 includes a left stem 5112 which is configured to pass through the left through hole 431 , which has an inserting bore 5111 extending along a rear axis in the transverse direction to be exposed to the accommodation space between the lugs 43 , 44 , and which has a left outer threaded surface that surrounds the rear axis and that is threadedly engaged with a left tightening member 512 , and a left enlarged head 511 which extends leftwards from the left stem 5112 and outwardly of the left through hole 431 , and which forms , in cooperation with the left stem 5112 , a left surrounding shoulder to abut against the left lug 43 so as to be secured to the left lug 43 . the second guiding member 52 includes a right stem 5212 which is disposed in and which extends rightwards and outwardly of the right through hole 441 , and a right enlarged head 521 which extends leftwards from the right stem 5212 into the accommodation space between the lugs 43 , 44 , and which forms , in cooperation with the right stem 5212 , a right surrounding shoulder . the right stem 5212 has a right outer threaded surface which surrounds the rear axis and which is threadedly engaged with a right tightening member 522 so as to permit the right surrounding shoulder to be brought to abut against the right lug 44 so as to be secured to the right lug 44 . the right enlarged head 521 has a guiding bore 5211 which extends along the rear axis to communicate with the inserting bore 5111 . the rear journal pin 53 is received in and is guided to move into the inserting bore 5111 , and has an actuated end 531 which can extend through the rear pivot hole 23 to pivotally secure the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 to the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig6 , such that the rear pivot end 402 is turnable about the rear axis between a lifted position where the front pivot end 401 is remote from the upper end portion 22 , and a working position where the front pivot end 401 is closer to the upper end portion 22 . the biasing member 55 is disposed in the inserting bore 5111 between the left enlarged head 511 and the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 to bias the actuated end 531 to a latched position , where the actuated end 531 extends through the rear pivot hole 23 so as to pivotally secure the rear pivot end 402 to the upper end portion 22 . the rear push actuator 54 has an actuating end 542 which confronts the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 , and an operated end 541 which extends outwardly of the guiding bore 5211 and which is pushed to move the actuating end 542 in the transverse direction so as to push the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 along the rear axis against the biasing action of the biasing member 55 to a released position , where the actuated end 531 is clear of the rear pivot hole 23 , thereby permitting separation of the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 from the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig7 and 8 . preferably , each of the actuated end 531 of the rear journal pin 53 and the actuating end 542 of the rear push actuator 54 has a round edge so as to facilitate movement of the rear pivot end 402 upwards and away from the upper end portion 22 while the actuated end 531 is kept in contact with the actuating end 542 by the biasing action of the biasing member 55 in the released position . referring once again to fig4 , the cover shield 30 is configured to be adapted to cover a cutting blade ( not shown ) of the sawing machine , and includes two side plates 31 which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction to define a mounting space 33 for receiving the cantilever 40 therein , and a top wall 32 interconnecting the side plates 31 . each of the side plates 31 includes front and rear ends opposite to each other in the longitudinal direction , and a middle portion interposed therebetween . the front end extends downwards to terminate at a nose edge 34 . the middle portion has a front pivot hole 311 which extends therethrough in the transverse direction . thus , the cover shield 30 is movable by the cantilever 40 so as to be detached from the supporting member 20 when the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 is separated from the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig8 . further , referring to fig9 and 10 , the front pivot end 401 of the cantilever 40 includes two lugs 41 which are spaced apart from each other in the transverse direction , and an upper wall 42 which interconnects the lugs 41 . each of the lugs 41 has a through hole 411 extending in the transverse direction , and a releasing hole 421 which extends in the upright direction and which is communicated with the through hole 411 by a communicating slot 412 to form an integral opening . the front journal unit 60 includes a front journal pin with two journal shafts 61 and two screw nuts 62 , and two biasing members 63 . each of the journal shafts 61 has a shank 611 which extends through the respective front pivot hole 311 to pivotally secure the middle portions of the side plats 31 of the cover shield 30 to the front pivot end 401 of the cantilever 40 such that the nose edges 34 of the cover shield 30 are brought to be in sliding contact with an upper surface of the workpiece fed along the working path by virtue of gravity when the rear pivot end 402 is in the working position . the shank 611 terminates at a connecting end 6111 which is threadedly engaged with the respective screw nut 62 . the journal shaft 61 further has an operated end 612 which is opposite to the connecting end 6111 and which is disposed outwardly of the respective side plate 31 . an operated slot 6121 is formed in the operated end 612 to receive a hand tool ( not shown ) used to fasten the connecting end 6111 and the screw nut 62 . each of the biasing members 63 is sleeved on the shank 611 of the respective journal shaft 61 between the operated end 612 and the respective side plate 31 . by virtue of the threaded engagement between the screw nut 62 and the connecting end 6111 against the biasing action of the respective biasing member 63 , each screw nut 62 is brought to abut against the respective side plate 31 so as to be retained in the respective through hole 411 , thereby placing the respective journal shaft 61 in a latched position by the biasing action of the respective biasing member 63 , as shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , when the operated end 612 is pressed against the biasing action of the respective biasing member 63 , the connecting end 6111 and the screw nut 62 are withdrawn inwardly to be clear of the respective through hole 411 so as to be moved to a released position , thereby permitting lifting of the cover shield 30 away from the lugs 41 in the upright direction , as shown in fig1 . furthermore , referring to fig1 and 14 , the hold - down unit 70 includes a journal body 71 , two hold - down members 72 , a first biasing member 74 , a retaining pin 76 , a second biasing member 77 , and a middle push actuator 78 . the journal body 71 is disposed to ride on the retaining edge 25 of the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 through a slot 711 , and has two tubular journal portions 712 which are disposed at two opposite sides of the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 and which respectively have receiving holes 713 that are aligned with the retaining hole 24 in the transverse direction and that are in the form of screw holes so as to threadedly engage screw bolts 73 . in addition , the journal body 71 is formed with a passage hole 714 that extends in the transverse direction . a barrier shaft 75 extends through the passage hole 714 , and has two ends extending outwardly thereof . each of the hold - down members 72 has an upper pivot end 722 which is journalled on the respective tubular journal portion 712 through a hole 721 , and a lower holding end 723 which extends downwardly from the upper pivot end 722 and which is configured to be kept in sliding contact with the workpiece sawn by the cutting blade so as to stabilize the sawing operation of the sawing machine . the first biasing member 74 is a torsion spring , and includes an abutting portion 741 abutting against the supporting member 20 , two coiled spring portions 742 respectively surrounding the tubular journal portions 712 , and two hooks 743 respectively abutting against the hold - down members 72 so as to bias the lower holding ends 723 of the hold - down members 72 downwardly toward the worktable . moreover , the turning of the lower holding ends 723 is limited by abutment of the upper pivot ends 722 against the ends of the barrier shaft 75 . the retaining pin 76 is substantially rectangular in shape , and mates with the retaining hole 24 in the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 . the retaining pin 76 is received in the receiving hole 713 in one of the tubular journal portions 712 , extends in the transverse direction , and is movable relative to the journal body 71 in the transverse direction . the second biasing member 77 is disposed in a seat hole 732 in one of the screw bolts 73 . thus , the retaining pin 76 is movable between a latched position , as shown in fig1 , where the retaining pin 76 extends into the retaining hole 24 so as to retain the journal body 71 on the upper end portion 22 , and a released position , as shown in fig1 , where the retaining pin 76 is clear of the retaining hole 24 when pressed out of the retaining hole 24 in the transverse direction against the biasing action of the second biasing member 77 . the middle push actuator 78 extends through the receiving hole 713 in the other one of the tubular journal portions 712 , and has an actuating end 782 extending to be in contact with an actuated end 761 of the retaining pin 76 , and an operated end 781 extending out of the respective screw bolt 73 through a through hole 733 such that the operated end 781 can be operated to push the retaining pin 76 in the transverse direction against the biasing action of the second biasing member 77 so that the retaining pin 76 is clear of the retaining hole 24 , thereby permitting separation of the journal body 71 from the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig1 and 16 . preferably , each of the actuated end 761 of the retaining pin 76 and the actuating end 782 of the middle push actuator 78 has a round edge so as to facilitate movement of the retaining pin 76 upwards and away from the upper end portion 22 while the actuated end 761 is kept in contact with the actuating end 782 by the biasing action of the second biasing member 77 in the released position . as illustrated , when it is desired to replace the cutting blade of the sawing machine , the cover shield 30 and the cantilever 40 can be detached from the supporting member 20 by separating the rear pivot end 402 of the cantilever 40 from the upper end portion 22 of the supporting member 20 , as shown in fig7 and 8 . alternatively , the cover shield 30 can be detached alone from the supporting member 20 by separating the shanks 611 and the screw nuts 62 from the releasing holes 421 in the front pivot end 401 of the cantilever 40 , as shown in fig1 and 12 . thus , replacement of the cutting blade is convenient to conduct . moreover , the hold - down unit 70 can be detached from the supporting member 20 by removing the journal body 71 from the retaining hole 24 in the supporting member 20 . while the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretations and equivalent arrangements .	8
the present invention is directed to optical interconnection networks and more particularly to optical interconnection networks exploiting space - time - wavelength domains with reduced power consumption . the ensuing description provides exemplary embodiment ( s ) only , and is not intended to limit the scope , applicability or configuration of the disclosure . rather , the ensuing description of the exemplary embodiment ( s ) will provide those skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing an exemplary embodiment . it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the spirit and scope as set forth in the appended claims . optical communication systems may exploit single - mode and multi - mode based propagation and both have seen widespread deployment to address a wide range of applications from short - haul card - card interconnect through to long - haul and ultra - long - haul networks exploiting time - division multiplexing ( tdm ) to encode multiple communication sessions to a single channel . multimode optical fiber networks may exploit limited use of the inherent frequency parallelism available through wavelength division multiplexing ( wdm ) to overlay several channels onto a single physical fiber these deployments have been typically limited to bidirectional or unidirectional transmission on different wavelength bands , e . g . 850 nm and 1300 nm . however , wdm within single - mode optical fiber links has led to 8 , 16 , 32 , 40 , 48 , 64 , and 80 channel transmission over links of tens to hundreds of kilometers and establishment of wavelength dependent routing ( wdr ) and reconfigurable optical add - drop modules ( roadm ). the interconnection of multiple optical fibers with single channels or multiple wdm channels upon a single optical fiber represent what the inventors refer to as single - plane interconnections , typically referred to as space switching or wavelength switching . alternatively optical interconnection networks , as the inventors describe below , may exploit the space domain and time domain for switching optical data packets ( packets ). the inventors refer to such an optical interconnection network as a multi - plane interconnection . scalability is typically limited by the switching domain as well as by the network performance , e . g . the latency experienced by the packets waiting in the queue . the three possible switching domains are shown in fig1 a with their respective scalability limitations . typically , single - plane optical interconnection networks , i . e . those exploiting a single switching domain , exploit the space domain , such as in broadcast - and - select architectures , see for example lin et al in “ capacity scaling in a multihost wavelength - striped soa - based switch fabric ” ( j . lightwave tech ., vol . 25 , pp . 655 - 663 ) and hemenway et al in “ optical - packet - switched interconnect for supercomputer applications ” ( j . opt . net ., vol . 3 , pp . 900 - 913 ). as the packet is being broadcast , the power loss can be compensated by the optical amplifiers at the cost of amplified spontaneous emission ( ase ) noise , which ultimately limits the scalability from the minimum optical signal - to - noise ratio ( osnr ) requirement . for instance , in liboiron2 , the binary tree structure of the broadcast - and - select switch contains amplification stages after a cascade of five power splitters to maintain the optical signal power . the scalability of the single - plane space architecture ( s ) was in that analysis limited to 1024 ports due to ase noise accumulation in the soa - based space - switch . alternatively , the wavelength domain can also be exploited to realize a single - plane interconnection architecture , see for example gaudino , wherein the scalability is limited by the wavelength tunability in the transmitters limiting the number of ports to a few tens , e . g . such as for example 40 channels on 0 . 8 nm channel spacing in the 1550 nm window . accordingly , to overcome the scalability limitations imposed by one switching domain , multi - plane architectures can be devised , where multiple switching domains are exploited . in multi - plane architectures , ports in a card are addressed using one domain while cards are addressed using another domain . an example is given by the space - wavelength ( sw ) architecture ; see for example gaudino , raponi , and liboiron2 , which exploits the space and wavelength domains to switch packets among cards and ports , respectively . in liboiron2 , the analysis showed that greater throughput is achieved by the multi - plane sw architecture while exhibiting a reduction of up to 40 % of the energy per bit compared with a single - plane architecture which solely exploits the space domain . while the space - wavelength makes use of the same space - switch structure , its scalability is enhanced by the wavelength domain and the energy per bit is reduced thanks to the smaller number of active optical components used for the same throughput with respect to the single - plane architecture . an alternative design of multi - plane architectures with broadcast - and - select switches can be realized by exploiting the third switching domain , i . e ., time . however , the time compression efficiency limits the scalability of this domain . packets can be compressed in time either by increasing the data rate per channel ( resorting to speed up or complex modulation formats ) or by expanding serial packets in the wavelength domain through wavelength - striped techniques . the inventors have established an approach to time compression without requiring increasing costs and power consumption by exploiting convention time domain multiplexing ( tdm ) nor require complex modulation formats be implemented to encode and decode the data packets . this is referred to as a space - time ( st ) interconnection network . the space - time ( st ) architecture consists of m cards , each supporting n input ports and n output ports . the space - time ( st ) architecture exploits the space domain to individually switch packets among cards and the time domain to switch them among different ports , as depicted schematically in fig1 b . in addition , the wavelength domain is exploited to further increase the throughput . this is achieved by encoding packets on multiple wavelengths ( also referred to as wdm packets ) and switching them in space and time among ports of different cards . the wdm packets are switched between input and output ports for example by an m × m semiconductor optical amplifier ( soa ) based switch . optionally , other optical amplification techniques may be employed including , but not limited to photonic integrated circuit optical amplifiers exploiting ion - exchanged glass or silica waveguides , erbium doped fiber amplifiers ( edfas ), rare - earth doped fiber amplifiers , and raman optical amplifiers . in some instances , such optical amplifiers may require additional elements to provide the required dynamic range of switching on and off for the gated amplifiers . accordingly to an alternate embodiment of the invention a wavelength - striped process is performed electronically where the serial data packet is partitioned ( striped ) and mapped to multiple wavelengths such that each wavelength carries a portion of the serial packet . a set of optoelectronic components ( such as electro - optical ( e / o transmitters or sources and opto - electronic ( o / e ) receivers or detectors ) are assigned to each wavelength , leading to a linear increase of the power dissipation with the number of wavelengths . however , this approach requires that high - speed electronics convert the bit sequence of the serial packet into parallel streams at the transmitter side and compiling the serial packet from the parallel streams at the receiver side would be required . however , within the embodiments of the invention described below the wavelength - striped process is performed entirely within the optical domain using optical filters and delay lines , see for example liboiron - ladouceur et al in “ low - power , transparent optical network interface for high bandwidth off - chip interconnects ” ( opt . express , vol . 17 , pp . 6550 - 6561 , hereinafter liboiron3 ). beneficially , the optical generation of wdm packets is based on a single set of optoelectronic components for the signal conversion between the electrical and optical domains for all wavelengths . the process of creating and receiving a wdm packet is illustrated in fig2 and as described herein with reference to st architecture 200 . as depicted a serial packet whose transmission duration at the selected data rate is t is employed . accordingly , the bits of an input serial packet 210 are employed to simultaneously modulate a comb of n optical channels in broadband e / o 220 . for example , broadband e / o 220 may be realized with a single broadband modulator which modulates an array of n lasers emitting on n different wavelengths . then , the passive wavelength - striped mapping ( pwm ) circuit 230 delays the modulated channels in time by ( t / n ) from each other and the delayed channels are gated in time with time slot packet generator 240 to generate a wdm packet of duration ( t / n ). the serial packet is therefore essentially compressed in time by the number of channels n and transmitted as a wdm set . this time slot packet is then coupled to an m × m interconnection fabric 250 before being coupled to pwm reversal circuit 270 via the optional time slot packet clipping circuit 260 to generate the output serial packet 290 . accordingly pwm reversal circuit 270 delays the received wdm packet in time by ( t / n ) from each other whilst time slot packet clipping circuit 260 gates the received wdm packet to select the bits on each packet that constitute the serial packet . accordingly , an implementation of the st architecture is depicted by st architecture 300 in fig3 . as depicted a plurality of transmitter side cards , denoted as input card a 300 a to input card m 300 m converts data upon a plurality of n input data ports , port in , 1 to port in , n , to time compressed wdm packets . each of input card a 300 a to input card m 300 m comprises an n - channel optical source 305 , for example an array of n lasers or a filtered , fanned - out supercontinuum source , is coupled to an array of external broadband optical modulators ( depicted as 1 st to n th e / o 310 a through 310 n ) wherein data from the intra - card scheduler 330 is encoded onto each wavelength . the output of each 1 st to n th e / o 310 a through 310 n is coupled to its corresponding 1 st to n th pwm 315 a through 350 n to delay each wdm channel by the appropriate time delay and thence to the corresponding 1 st to n th gate 320 a through 320 n which gate the wdm channels at the appropriate times , t = t 0 , . . . , t n , before being combined with n : 1 combiner 325 . the wdm packets from each of 1 st input card a 300 a to m th input card m 300 m is then coupled to m × m space - switch interconnection 370 , controlled by inter - card scheduler 360 . at the receiving side , each output port from the m × m space - switch interconnection is coupled to output card a 390 a to output card m 390 m wherein the opposite process is performed . initially the optical signal received is coupled to 1 : n splitter 335 wherein the outputs are coupled to 1 st to n th gate 340 a through 340 n and therein to 1 st to n th pwm 345 a through 345 n before being converted back to electrical signals by 1 st to n th o / e 350 a through 350 n , each of which is a broadband optical receiver . where the combiner is a wdm then a single broadband optical receiver is employed but optionally if the combiner is an n × p star coupler then p broadband optical receivers may be employed distributed apart from one another . accordingly , it would be evident to one skilled in the art , that the time domain is exploited by sequentially transmitting the wdm packets in different time - slots of duration ( t / n ). the n time - slots are then combined to form a time - frame of duration t , as shown in fig2 . for 100 % utilization , up to n compressed wdm packets from different ports can be accommodated in a time - frame . hence , the number of wavelengths , responsible for the compression factor , corresponds to the number of ports . in this architecture , each time - slot of a time - frame is assigned to a specific port of the output card . in other words , a wdm packet at the k - th input port port in , k of the h - th card ( k = 1 , . . . , n and h = 1 , . . . , m ) destined to the n - th output port port out , n of any given output card m ( with n = 1 , . . . , n and m = 1 , . . . , m ) is transmitted in the n - th ( n = 1 , . . . , n ) time - slot ( see fig2 ). however , as the time - slot gating is fixed at the transmitting side , a cross - point is now not necessary as described within the prior art , see for example dally et al in “ principles and practices of interconnection networks ” ( published by morgan kaufmann , 2003 ). the intra - card scheduler 330 on each card , for example an electrical cross - point switch , connects the input buffer of each port port in , k to each modulator input in n with k , n = 1 , . . . , n ). hence , the interconnection configuration is performed at each time - frame t based on the intra - card scheduler 360 decisions . the gated wdm packets are then multiplexed together at the card by the n : 1 combiner 325 wherein the wdm packet crosses the m × m space - switch interconnection . at the receiving side , a 1 : n splitter 335 broadcasts the routed packet to the array of pwms , 1 st to n th pwm 345 a through 345 n , of each output port and an soa gate , for example , selects the time - slot corresponding to the output port . the presented space - wavelength interconnection network is non - blocking , see dally , in that at each time - frame it is possible to switch up to m * n packets from every input port to distinct output ports , and the switching configuration can be modified at each time - frame . the switching configurations and packet selection are dynamically decided by the schedulers . at each time - frame , the intra - card and inter - card schedulers select and schedule the packets to be switched , according to the two - step scheduler ( tss ) framework described in raponi . in particular , at each time - frame , the intra - card scheduler 330 running on each of 1 st input card a 300 a to m th input card m 300 m maps the n input buffers to the n time - slots ( i . e ., to the n output ports ). this mapping should ensure that each buffer is assigned to a different time - slot to avoid collisions . for example , the mapping may be performed by solving a weighted matching problem , based solely on buffer information related to the corresponding card . once solved , the intra - card scheduler 330 is responsible for setting the electrical cross - point switch , depicted as internal to the intra - card schedule 330 but it may be external , at each time - frame . based on the decisions of the intra - card schedulers 330 , the intra - card scheduler 360 selects the output card for each time - slot on each card . the selection should ensure that each output port on any card is receiving at most one wdm packet . the selection , like that at the input cards , may be performed by solving n weighted matching problems in parallel ( i . e ., one for each output port ) every time - frame . once solved , the inter - card scheduler 360 controls the m × m space - switch interconnection by setting the n configurations , one for each time - slot . it would be evident that the scheduling problem for the proposed architecture can be solved also by a unique single - step scheduler . however , in raponi it was demonstrated that the tss has a superior scalability in terms of computational complexity with respect to the classical single - step scheduler . moreover , when practical scheduling algorithms are used with realistic traffic , the sub - optimality of the tss is counter - balanced by the performance degradation of the single - step scheduler for very high port counts , leading to an overall advantage in using the tss compared with a single - step scheduler , see raponi . the implementation of the pwm and the m × m space - switch interconnection is discussed in this section to outline enabling optical technologies suitable as a result of their low propagation loss , optical bandwidth , power efficiency , and integrability . based on recent developments related to 100 gigabit ethernet technology , the line rate has been assumed to be 50 gb / s and the optical modulation format to be non - return - to - zero on - off keying ( nrz - ook ), see for example moller in “ high - speed electronic circuits for 100 gb / s transport networks ” ( proc . optical fiber communication 2010 , paper othc6 ). an important element in the low power enabling of the space - time architecture is the passive wavelength - striped mapping ( pwm ) circuit , such as pwm 230 in fig2 and 1 st to nth pwm 315 a to 315 n in fig3 , and as depicted in fig4 according to an embodiment of the invention . in the pwm , each wavelength channel should first be filtered and then delayed in time . however , a challenge to address and price to pay in performing the mapping in the optical domain is power loss due to longer propagation within photonic integrated circuits which would provide a small footprint monolithic implementation of the pwm . however , for experimental purposes the inventors have utilized a power - efficient implementation with fiber - based components , see liboiron3 , where the wavelength - striped process was achieved using passive optical components such as filters and fiber delay lines ( fdls ). whilst fiber - based implementation is viable , it becomes increasing impractical and bulky when considering long delays with increasing serial packet length , e . g . delaying 2048 bits at 50 gb / s requires 8 meters of singlemode optical fiber . hence , an integrated solution with propagation losses as low as possible becomes important such as silica optical waveguide technologies which allow suitable waveguide delays to be implemented on - chip , see for example legrange et al in “ demonstration of an integrated buffer for an all - optical packet router ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 21 , pp . 781 - 783 ). in such photonic integrated circuits the total loss of the waveguide delay is strongly dependent on the layout and desired layout efficiency as waveguide bend losses increase with reducing bend radius but typically die footprint reduces with reducing bend radius . propagation losses for single - mode silica rib waveguides have been reported as low as 3 db per meter for a 2 mm bend radius , see for example bauters et al in “ ultra - low loss silica - based waveguides with millimeter bend radius ” ( 36th european conf . on opt . comm . ( ecoc ), 2010 , paper we . 8 . e . 6 ). filtering may be achieved for example using lattice structure based upon mach - zehnder interferometers ( mzis ) or filters inserted into slots within the waveguides to filter each wavelength . the lattice structure has one input and consists of a binary tree of mzi stages for filtering the wdm channels such that for example p stages provide 2 p wavelengths using ( 2 p − 1 ) mzis provided that the free spectral ranges ( fsr ) of the stages are appropriately set . hence , if the first stage is set to separate the even from the odd labeled channels ( λ2 , λ4 , λ6 , λ8 from λ1 , λ3 , λ5 , λ7 ) then the second stage may be set to separate alternate channels , e . g . λ2 , λ6 from λ4 , λ8 , and then the final stage separates to individual channels . with a channel separation of 400 ghz ( approximately 3 . 2 nm at 1500 nm ) the first stage mzi , mzi 420 , is designed with an fsr of 800 ghz , the second stage mzis , 425 a and 425 b , are designed with an fsr that is four times the channel separation , e . g . ghz , and then the third stage mzis , 430 a through 430 d , are designed with an fsr of 3200 ghz to individually filter each channel . between the mzi stages , appropriate delays are inserted to perform the wavelength - striped mapping as shown in fig4 . it would be evident that generally other optical technologies , such as those exploiting microrings and array waveguide gratings ( awgs ), would not be suitable in this design configuration due to their high loss . for microring resonators , large fsrs are achieved with small radius leading to higher loss in the resonance cavity whilst the awg approach incurs overall greater loss due to the delay requirements within the phased array region of the circuit . accordingly , the inventors have exploited in experiments and simulations the mzi approach but different optical designs may exploit these other techniques , especially if design improvements for microrings or awgs for example result in reduced loss compared to the mzi approach . typically silica based mzi uses multimode interference ( mmi ) 3 db couplers for minimal loss and required arm imbalance for the target fsr . a typical estimated insertion loss per mzi is 1 db based on recent developments presented by jinguji et al in “ synthesis of one - input m - output optical fir lattice circuits ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 26 , pp . 853 - 866 ). time delays corresponding to a multiple of the time - slot are appropriately integrated within the lattice structure . accordingly , the wdm array of optical signals from the e / o 415 are demultiplexed and time delayed within the tx_pwm 410 a before being combined using a silica - based awg with an estimated insertion loss of 5 db , see for example kakehashi et al in “ analysis and development of fixed and variable waveband mux / demux utilizing awg routing functions ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 27 , pp . 30 - 40 ) and ito et al in “ small bend structures using trenches filled with low - refractive index material for miniaturizing silica planar lightwave circuits ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 27 , pp . 786 - 790 ). a semiconductor optical amplifier ( soa ) 440 is used to generate the wdm packet by gating in time the optical signal as shown in fig2 . the gating is performed on the optical signal at the output of the awg 435 by the soa 440 , which is electrically pumped with a pulse of width t / n . the timing of the gating pulse with the incoming wdm packet is controlled by the intra - card scheduler , not shown for clarity , within the input card , e . g . one of 1 st input card a 300 a to m th input card m 300 m . the gating soa 440 also plays the important role of optical amplifier to compensate for the optical power loss in the pwm . the implementation approach of the pwm has a strong effect on its scalability in terms of port number as certain wavelength channels experience greater insertion loss . for example , with a packet sub - slot of 16 ns ( t / n ) with a total serial packet length of 128 ns ( 800 bytes at 50 gb / s ) and n = 8 , the maximum insertion loss difference in the pwm is 10 . 5 db between two channels , see first insert 400 a in fig4 . each 16 ns delay induces approximately 1 . 5 db of loss . to ensure physical layer scalability of the soa - based interconnect , the laser sources may be pre - compensated to obtain equal power for each channel of the wdm packet being launched in the m × m interconnection 450 . at the destination card , the loss difference between channels is reversed , e . g ., channel λ6 will experience the lowest in the pwm at the receiving side , rx - pwm 410 b , since it experienced the most loss in the pwm at the transmitting side , tx - pwm 410 a . in the rx - pwm 410 b , the maximum loss difference remains 10 . 5 db between the channels as evident from second insert 400 b , which can be compensated or converted using an optical receiver with large dynamic range . in this proposed configuration , the pwm can be implemented without an amplification stage and is estimated to have a footprint of approximately 21 cm 2 . for a greater number of ports the total insertion loss , using the figures and designs described supra , needs to be compensated with the inclusion of one or more optical amplifiers within the pwm , which may for example be soas flip - chipped onto the planar integrated circuit , see for example maxwell et al in “ hybrid integration of monolithic semiconductor optical amplifier arrays using passive assembly ” ( proc . 55th elec . components and tech . conf ., 2005 , pp . 1349 - 1352 ), or formed using erbium ( er ) doped silica waveguides , such as lee et al in “ optical gain at 1 . 5 μm in nanocrystal si - sensitized er - doped silica waveguide using top - pumping 470 nm leds ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 23 , pp . 19 - 25 ). in the instance of er - silica waveguides the required gating may be provided by switching the pump lasers on and off and / or adding gate elements to the outputs of the er - silica waveguide . as depicted in fig3 , the considered architecture for the m × m space - switch interconnection 370 consists of a broadcast - and - select implementation with m 1 : m space - switches controlled by the inter - card scheduler 360 and m m : 1 couplers . each 1 : m space - switch 510 a through 510 m is a binary tree structure of 3 db couplers with soas , while each m : 1 coupler 520 a through 520 m is another binary tree structure of 3 db couplers with soas , as shown in fig5 . fig5 also indicates a possible implementation that is achieved by connecting the 1 : m space - switches 510 a through 510 m placed on m vertical input layers to the m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m placed on m horizontal output layers . the passive optical interconnection can still be cumbersome as a number of connections equal to m 2 is required for a space - wavelength network with an overall number of input ports mn . however , such a number of connections is n 2 times smaller than the number of connections required by a single - stage interconnection network based only on such a space - switch with the same number of ports , i . e ., mn . the soas on the terminal branches of the 1 : m space - switches 510 a through 510 m , not shown for clarity , act both as amplifiers and as switches that may enable or block the passage of the optical signal , as decided by the appropriate inter - card scheduler . the soas on the output of the m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m are required for amplification purposes only . moreover , typically additional stages of soas are required every five splitting stages ( in both the 1 : m space - switch and the m : 1 coupler ) to compensate for the power loss introduced by the 3 db splitters , i . e . the 15 db splitting or combining loss . alternatively , where m is large multiple groups of such soas every 5 stages may be replaced with a single optical amplifier , e . g . edfa , with higher gain , e . g . 30 db , which is gated by addition of a programmable attenuator or switch and / or switching on and off of the pump laser depending upon the required rise / fall times of the gate . accordingly , a single 30 db gain stage may replace 32 × 32 15 db soas = 1024 soas . in fig3 , each inter - card scheduler decides that the k - th input port i k should be connected to the n - th output port o n during a given time - slot . for an energy - efficient implementation therefore only the soas in the path from the input port i k to the output port o n should be enabled , whilst the unused soas are in an idle , dissipating minimum power , commensurate with the reconfiguration time for transmitting the next data block and enabling / disabling different sets of soas . accordingly , the state of soas in the 1 : m space - switches 510 a through 510 m is controlled by the appropriate inter - card scheduler . in contrast , the m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m are not controlled by the inter - card scheduler unless alternate signalling is provided such that power minimization is ideally accomplished as the result of a self - enabling mechanism . the working principle of the self - enabled soa is depicted in fig6 wherein a small amount of the optical power , e . g . 10 %, of the incoming optical packets is converted to an electrical signal via tap 610 and o / e 620 with a pulse width equal to the propagating packet length . the converted electrical signal is then the input of a current driver injecting carriers ( i . e . the current injection pump ) in the soa active region to provide the necessary gain to the input packet . accordingly such an se - soa may be employed as a switch such that only those m : 1 couplers 520 a through 520 m with received optical signals amplify and then for only the duration of the received data packet . such se - soas have been demonstrated to switch in the sub - nanosecond range , see for example gallep et al in “ reduction of semiconductor optical amplifier switching times by pre - impulse step - injected current technique ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 14 , pp . 902 - 904 ) and liboiron - ladouceur et al in “ optimization of a switching node for optical multistage interconnection networks ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 19 , pp . 1658 - 1660 , hereinafter liboiron4 ) and “ the data vortex optical packet switched interconnection network ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 26 , pp . 1777 - 1789 , hereinafter liboiron5 , and can be used to switch packets in broadcast - and - select space - switches , see for example liboiron3 , lin , and hemeney . despite the high switching speed capability of soas , a guard time ( guardband ) must be introduced for each time - slot wherein the duration of this guard time depends on the rising time of the enabled soa . faster switching time can be achieved with a higher bias current used in the idle state as long as it is below the soa transparency condition , see for example c . tai and w . way , “ dynamic range and switching speed limitations of an n × n optical packet switch based on low - gain semiconductor optical amplifiers ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 14 , pp . 525 - 533 ) and burmeister et al in “ integrated gate matrix switch for optical packet buffering ” ( ieee phot . tech . lett ., vol . 18 , pp . 103 - 105 ). however , such a bias current also negatively affects the extinction ratio , see for example ehrhardt et al in “ semiconductor laser amplifier as optical switching gate ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 11 , pp . 1287 - 1295 ), and hence there is a tradeoff between the switching speed , the extinction ratio , and the power dissipation of the soa when idle . optionally , instead of adding guardbands the inventors have established that an electrical pulse stretcher may be employed to extend the pulse such that the payload does not get alleviating the need for the guard time . the performance of the st architecture was evaluated and compared with the space - wavelength ( sw ) architecture presented by liboiron - ladouceur et al , see liboiron3 , and a single - plane space architecture ( s ) as discussed supra in respect of section a . the metrics of interest in the assessment were the physical layer scalability , the network performance , and the power consumption . the scalability in size of the st architecture is determined by the limitation of the switching domains , as shown in fig1 a wherein the maximum number of cards that the network can support is constrained by the optical signal - to - noise ratio ( osnr ) degradation experienced by the wdm packets when traversing the m × m space - switch interconnection . the physical layer analysis was performed using commercial optical system software ( optisystem ). the soa simulated was based upon the work of tanaka , see tanaka et al in “ monolithically integrated 8 : 1 soa gate switch with large extinction ratio and wide input power dynamic range ” ( j . quant . elect ., vol . 45 , pp . 1155 - 1162 ), with a noise figure of 8 . 6 db and a saturated output power of 15 . 6 dbm . the physical layer analysis accounts for both saturation power and ase noise accumulation from the soa devices in the data path of the wdm packet . at a modulation rate of 50 gb / s and 8 ports per card , the bit - error rate is lower than 10 − 9 for m up to 8192 cards for a total of 216 ports . the scalability to 8192 cards of the st architecture is four times higher than the scalability of the sw architecture and eight times higher than the scalability of the s architecture , see liboiron3 . the maximum number of ports per card ( n ) that the network can support is constrained by the wavelength - striped technique used for packet time - compression . since the time - compression is based on wdm , n is limited by the maximum number of wavelengths that can be used in the c band with an adequate physical layer performance . while a large port count is possible , as for example 40 plus channels are common on long - haul networks using the c - band at 100 ghz ( 0 . 8 nm ) spacing , eight ports was chosen in the proposed architecture as no amplification would be required within the pwm stage of the interconnection network . greater throughput can be achieved through the use of complex modulation formats . for example by encoding more bits per symbol as in 100 gb / s differential quadrature phase shift keying ( dpqsk ), the maximum throughput can be increased ( by a factor of 2 in the case of dpqsk ) without any changes to the network architecture as the interconnection is transparent to the data rate and modulation format . by using more complex modulation formats , the energy consumption increases due to the more complex optical modulators ( e . g ., nested modulators ) but in a predictable linear manner with the overall number of ports . the network performance of the st architecture is driven by the performance of the intra - card and inter - card scheduler algorithms and affects both the throughput of the network and the queuing delay experienced by the packets in the input buffers . the schedulers avoid packet collisions and are able to ensure the delivery of all the packets to the output ports , leading to 100 % throughput , see for example raponi . therefore the level of load also corresponds to the effective network utilization as packets are transmitted between interconnected cards . the maximum throughput of the st network is ( mn / t ) packets per second . however , such a theoretical value is difficult to achieve due to the necessity of introducing a guard time for each time - slot . assuming a guard - time duration of ( kt / n ) seconds , where k is a ratio normalized to the wdm packet duration , the time - slot and the time - frame durations increase to t / n ( 1 + k ) and t ( 1 + k ), respectively , and the maximum throughput would drop to mn /[ t1 + k )] with a relative performance loss of k /( 1 + k ). the queuing delay is evaluated here to assess whether the limited scalability of the number of ports per card ( i . e ., n ≦ 8 ) imposed by the physical layer is detrimental . two configurations of the interconnection network are considered . both configurations have the same maximum throughput , i . e ., the same number of total input ports ( mn = 4096 and mn = 8192 ). the simulations are performed using the maximal matching algorithm islip , see for example mckeown in “ the islip scheduling algorithm for input - queued switches ” ( ieee / acm trans . netw ., vol . 7 , pp . 188 - 201 ), in the second step of the tss , see liboiron3 . the packets are generated according to an on / off markov modulated model , with a mean on duration equal to 32 packets and with uniform distribution on the destinations ( i . e ., output ports and cards ). fig7 shows how the queuing delay is affected by the varying number of ports per card , n , without considering the scalability limitation imposed by the physical layer . independently of the considered loads , the queuing delay improves when increasing n from 2 ports up to reach a minimum whose value is load dependent . such behavior can be explained as follows : when n is low ( i . e ., with a small number of time - slots ), it is more probable that all the packets stored in different input buffers of a card are destined for the same output port , i . e ., must be transmitted in the same time - slot . thus , multiple time - frames are necessary to accommodate them , leading to an increased delay . increasing the number of ports mitigates this problem since the probability of finding a maximal matching ( and thus sending one packet for each time - slot ) improves . when the number of ports per card is further increased , the behavior of the queuing delay depends on the load . for medium loads ( e . g ., 0 . 5 in the figure ), the queuing delay is almost constant . as the load increases ( e . g ., 0 . 8 and 0 . 9 ), the delay performance degrades with n . at high loads the comparison of the delay performance for the configurations with mn = 4096 and mn = 8192 ports shows that the delay difference is minimal and mainly experienced for high values of n . such differences and the degradation in performance for large n depend on islip behavior at high loads . in fact , in these conditions , islip is known to have poor performance for small size matching problems , see mckeown . in fig7 , the problem size ( in number of cards m ) decreases when passing from mn = 8192 to mn = 4096 for a fixed n and when moving along the x - axis ( i . e ., increasing n with fixed mn ). in summary , the delay performance indicates that a low value of n ( ranging from 4 to 16 ) is preferable as it ensures a minimal delay for high loads ( with n = 8 being the optimal value ) and a limited delay at medium - low loads . the scalability limitation of up to n = 8 ports per card imposed by physical layer performance is in fact leading to better delay performance at high loads and good performance at medium and low loads . the energy consumption of the m × m space - switch interconnection and the overall st architecture is evaluated keeping in consideration the power consumptions of the optical devices in active and idle modes . the devices contributing to the power drainage are laser arrays ( 8 × 200 mw ; see zhu et al in “ the fabrication of eight - channel dfb laser array using sampled gratings ” ( phot . tech . lett ., vol . 22 , pp . 353 - 355 ), modulators and drivers ( 225 mw ), soas ( 5 mw when idle , 455 mw when enabled , see for example tanaka and sahri et al in “ a highly integrated 32 - soa gates optoelectronic module suitable for ip multi - terabit optical packet routers ” ( optical fiber communications , 2001 , vol . 4 , paper pd32 ), and receivers ( 250 mw ). the overall power consumption per bit / s ( energy per bit ) of the st architecture is compared with the power consumption of the sw and s architectures , as a function of the network utilization . when the network utilization increases , a large number of packets are switched and therefore a large number of optical devices are active and drain power . in particular , it is assumed that the soas in the m × m space - switch are enabled when wdm packets need to be switched , or idle otherwise . therefore , the average power consumption of the soa is linearly increasing with the average network utilization . also , it is assumed that the receivers , the modulators , and the drivers drain more power when modulating . more specifically , the power consumption of the modulator increases from 225 mw to 300 mw when utilized . the increase in power consumption of the receiver is negligible ( approximately 1 mw ). finally , the laser arrays are assumed to be always on , independent of the level of network utilization . as a result , the average power drained by soas is more utilization dependent than the other devices . the energy per bit of the soa - based m × m space - switch interconnection is shown in fig8 for varying numbers of interconnected cards m . the results for m = 32 cards ( solid lines in the figure ) show an energy per bit of a few picojoules and are similar to previous works on soa - based space - switches , see for example albores - mejia et al in “ monolithic multistage optoelectronic switch circuit routing 160 gb / s line - rate data ” ( j . light . tech ., vol . 28 , pp . 2984 - 2992 ). as the network utilization increases , the energy per bit is almost constant or decreasing . a utilization independent energy per bit means that the energy efficiency is optimal and that the number of active soas increases linearly with the network utilization . in the considered m × m space - switch interconnection with broadcast - and - select architecture , the soa used for amplification at the output stage must always be active . this is why their energy per bit improves with the network utilization . in addition , the amount of power associated with the soas in idle mode decreases with the network utilization , leading to an improvement of the energy efficiency at a high level of utilization . fig8 also shows that the energy consumption is affected by the switch size m , since the number of soa devices increases as the interconnection scales . the increase in the total number of soas with m 2 explains the increase of energy per bit for larger space - switch sizes . the number of active soas scales linearly with m ; therefore the increase in power consumption is mainly due to the idle soas . in fact , there is a significant drop of the energy per bit when the idle power of the soas ( due to the drained bias current ) is reduced to 10 % ( from 5 mw to 0 . 5 mw ). for large space - switch sizes , the drop in energy consumption is almost one order of magnitude . soa devices with their idle mode consuming close to zero power ( 0 . 5 mw , dashed lines in the figure ) would enable low energy per bit of the order of picojoules per bit for interconnection network sizes up to 1024 cards . technological progress and innovations suggest that no current could be used in the idle mode and a switching time in the range of nanoseconds would still be possible , see for example albores - mejia . the energy per bit of the sw interconnection network is quantified by adding the energy consumption of the m × m space - switch interconnection to the energy consumption of the laser arrays , the receivers , the modulators , and the drivers . the energy per bit is evaluated as a function of the network utilization in fig9 for different sizes m × n of the network architecture and it is compared with s and st architectures . as discussed supra in section 1d1 scalability , the st architecture scales up to 8192 × 8 . in contrast , the s and sw architectures scale up to 1024 × 8 and 512 × 8 , respectively , as derived in liboiron3 , primarily limited by the physical layer . for all three architectures , the energy consumption decreases at high network utilization . this reduction is only in part due to the behavior of the energy consumption of the m × m space - switch interconnection , see fig8 . the main reason for the reduction is due to the energy consumption of the laser arrays that is constant independently of the network utilization , making the network more power - efficient at high utilization levels . the use of self - enabling technology and soas with low power idle mode allows compensation for the power dissipation of the laser arrays . fig9 shows also that the single - plane architecture ( s ) consumes more energy per bit than the multi - plane architectures ( st and sw ). when comparing the three architectures with the same overall number of ports ( i . e ., 1024 ), the 1024 × 1 single - plane architecture ( s ) consumes more energy per bit than the 128 × 8 multi - plane architectures ( st and sw ). the energy effectiveness of the multi - plane architectures also holds when increasing their port count . in other words , for the same energy per bit ( corresponding to the energy per bit of the 1024 × 1 s ) the sw architecture can be designed with an 8 - times higher port count and the st architecture can be designed with a 64 - times higher port count . among the multi - plane architectures , the sw architecture is more energy efficient than st only when the number of cards is low ( i . e ., m ≦ 128 ). interestingly , the energy consumption of the st architecture increases more slowly with the network size and thus is more energy efficient than sw when m increases further . the reason for the better scalability is mainly due to the different sizes and complexities of the space - switches : the st architecture requires a m × m space - switch that can be realized with m 1 : m switches and m m : 1 couplers , whereas the sw architecture requires nm × m space - switches ( and couplers ) per card , leading to mn switches ( and couplers ). thus , the number of switches and couplers in st architecture is reduced by a factor of n with respect to the sw architecture . this makes the st architecture not only more scalable in size but also in energy consumption . within the preceding section comparisons of single and multi - plane switching architectures for large scale interconnection were made with respect to considerations of scalability and power consumption . as presented in fig3 and 4 a plurality of input and output cards exploiting wdm parallelism for transmission are interconnected via an m × m interconnect exploiting soa gating elements . it was also evident that the overall power consumption of the overall switch fabric depends heavily upon the active and idle power consumption of the amplifier ( soa ) gating elements . accordingly , within this section variants of amplifier gated switching architectures are presented exploiting modulator - based gating elements in conjunction with amplifier - based gates ( typically soas ) in the same space switch architecture , thereby taking advantage of both technologies . the modulator - based gating element may for example be an optical switch based on the electroabsorption effect or a mach - zehnder interferometer ( mzi ). the inventors refer to such novel switching architectures and fabrics as heterogenous space switches , as opposed to homogenous space switches discussed supra exploiting only amplifier gating . as will be shown alternating amplifier ( soa ) stages with stages of the more power - efficient modulator - based gates , the overall power consumption of heterogeneous space switches according to embodiments of the invention are reduced with respect to a homogeneous space switch . at the same time , the optical power loss caused by electroabsorption or interferometric devices can be compensated by the amplification capabilities of soas . novel hybrid integration technologies , see for example roelkens et al in “ iii - v / silicon photonics for on - chip and intra - chip optical interconnects ” ( laser & amp ; photonics rev ., vol . 4 , pp . 751 - 779 ), may be exploited to realize such heterogeneous switches . within this section the requirements of the number of gating elements , both amplifier and modulator - based elements , for different non - blocking space switch architectures including crossbar , benes , spanke - benes , clos , and hybrid clos , and their scalability for a large number of ports are assessed as opposed to the fully - connected architecture , or spanke architecture , exploiting 1 × m splitters and m × 1 combiners discussed supra . based on such assessments , the power consumption analysis is addressed to find the most promising architecture without impairing signal quality . within this section we evaluate the number of soas and modulators required in the most relevant non - blocking architectures for large space switches , see dally . each architecture a has n input and n output ports , interconnected by one or multiple stages of basic switching blocks . unless otherwise stated , the basic switching block is a 2 × 2 optical switch that can be realized with a single stage of gating elements ( in particular , σ soas or μ modulator - based gates . an example of such a switching block is shown in fig1 wherein packets propagate from the input ports on the left and are switched to the output ports on the right along the established paths highlighted with black dots . thus , if n a is the total number of switching blocks of architecture a , then s a switching blocks are soa - based and m a = n a − s a are modulator - based . therefore , the total number of soas in a , w a , is w a = s a σ . similarly , the total number of modulator - based gates is y a = m a μ . the values of n a and s a are derived for the different non - blocking architectures assuming that each s - th switching block must be soa - based , as shown in fig1 , i . e ., the maximum number of modulator - based switching blocks that can be traversed by a packet routed from an input port to an output port before requiring amplification by an soa is equal to ( s − 1 ). in all considered architectures , the soa - based switching blocks are arranged to minimize the overall number of soas , for a given value of the parameters . in crossbar interconnection architectures , inputs and outputs are connected by means of a matrix : to connect input i to output j , the switching block in position ( i , j ) must be set to the bar state , whereas the other elements on row i or column j are set to cross state . therefore , the number of switching blocks is n xbar = n 2 . the soa - based switching blocks can be placed along the matrix diagonals ( from top right to bottom left ), spaced by s , so that no routing path crosses more than ( s − 1 ) consecutive modulators before reaching an soa . without loss of generality , the placement of the diagonals with soa based switching blocks can be carried out starting from the top leftmost element . the total number of soa - based switching blocks is therefore given by equations ( 1a ) and ( 1b ). s xbar = ∑ i = 0 a - 1 ⁢ ( s · i + 1 ) + ∑ i = a b - 1 ⁢ ( 2 ⁢ n - s · i - 1 ) ( 1 ⁢ a ) s xbar = a + ( 2 ⁢ n - 1 ) ⁢ ( b - a ) - s 2 ⁢ ( b 2 - b - 2 ⁢ a 2 + 2 ⁢ a ) ( 1 ⁢ b ) a = [ n s ] ⁢ ⁢ and ⁢ ⁢ b = [ 2 ⁢ n - 1 s ] . the first term of equation ( 1a ) accounts for the soa - based switching blocks above the main diagonal whilst the second term of equation ( 1b ) accounts for those below and on the main diagonal . the benes ( be ) architecture derives itself from a clos switch which is expanded until 2 × 2 switching blocks are used . the benes architecture has 2 log n − 1 stages , each of them composed of n / 2 switching blocks . hence n be = n 2 · ( 2 ⁢ log ⁢ ⁢ n - 1 ) . since the number of crossed switching blocks is the same for every path and equal to the number of stages in the architecture , the soa - based switching blocks can be placed every s - th stages . without loss of generality , the first stage is set as an soa based type . thus the number of soa - based switching blocks in the benes architecture is given by equation ( 2 ). the spanke ( sp ) architecture differs from the other architectures considered which are based on 2 × 2 switching blocks in that consists of n 1 × n switches , each of them connected to n n × 1 switches . in common with the analysis supra in section 1 an optical implementation based on trees is considered wherein an input 1 × n switch can be implemented as a binary tree with log n stages of 1 : 2 splitters and a final stage of gating elements , see for example liboiron2 . similarly , the output n × 1 switch can be implemented as a binary tree with log n stages of 2 : 1 couplers . due to the loss of such passive splitters and couplers amplification is required every s ′ stages of splitters / couplers . note that the value of s ′ may be different from s since the power penalty of a splitter / coupler can be different from that of a modulator . as presented in liboiron2 gating elements are only required at the last stage of the 1 × n space switch . to reduce the overall number of soas , the modulators are thus placed at the last stage , for a total of y sp = n 2 . to avoid an excessive degradation of the optical signal quality , soas are placed every s ′ stages . further , in order to minimize soa usage they are placed symmetrically with reference to the gating stage , thus avoiding the largest levels of the binary tree . with this placement , the total number of amplification stages a l and a r required for the 1 × n and n × 1 space switches respectively are as given by equations ( 3 ) and ( 4 ). accordingly , the number of soas w l and w r in the 1 × n and n × 1 space switches is given by equations ( 5 ) and ( 6 ) where i l = log n −[ μ / 2 ] and i r = log n − μ +[ μ / 2 ] are the indices of the first amplification stage placed on the left and on the right of the modulation stage , respectively . since the n × n spanke consists of n 1 × n switches and n n × 1 switches , the total number of soas required in the spanke architecture is given by equation ( 7 ). the spanke - benes ( sp - be ) architecture , also called n - stage planar , is a hybrid between the two previous architectures . it consists of n stages and n sp - be = n ⁡ ( n - 1 ) 2 switching blocks . it is constructed by alternating a stage of ( n / 2 ) switching blocks with a stage of thus , the soa - based switching blocks have to be placed only in the stage with ( n / 2 ) switching blocks . by starting the placement from the first stage , the total number of soa - based switching blocks is given by equation ( 8 ). a clos architecture is a class of interconnection networks that uses multi - stage space switches , and is suitable to build switches with a high port count . it consists of three stages . a re - arrangeably non - blocking clos architecture with the minimum number of switching blocks can be realized with a first and third stage of 2p p × p switches and a middle stage of p 2p × 2p switches where p =√{ square root over ( n / 2 )}. the total number of switching blocks is n clos = 4p · n p × p + p · n 2p × 2p , where n p × p and n 2p × 2p are the number of switching blocks in a p × p and 2p × 2p space switch , respectively . to realize the p × p and 2p × 2p space switches , only the spanke and benes architectures are considered as they require fewer switching blocks . due to symmetry , first and third stages are implemented using the same architecture . accordingly , the four possible hybrid clos architectures are denoted as sp - be - sp , be - sp - be , sp - sp - sp and be - be - be , where each stage is a either spanke ( sp ) or benes ( be ) architecture . in the be - be - be architecture , the total number of stages can be derived as described in section 2a2 and is equal to 2 ( 2 log p − 1 )+ 2 log p − 1 = 6 log p − 1 . when placing the first soa - based switching block on the leftmost stage , the total number of soa - based switching blocks is given by equation ( 9 ). in the sp - sp - sp architecture , the optimal placement of the soa - based switching blocks is carried out from the center . hence w sp ( x ) is the number of soas required in a x × x spanke architecture given in equation ( 7 ) with x = n and is given by equation ( 10 ). w sp - sp - sp 4 pw sp ( p )+ pw sp ( 2 p ) ( 10 ) in a similar way , the sp - be - sp and be - sp - be architectures consist of 4p p × p switches for the first and second stage and p 2p × 2p for the second stage . the number of soas is given by equations ( 11 ) and ( 12 ) for the sp - be - sp and be - sp - be architectures respectively . w sp - be - sp = 4 pw sp ( p )+ ps be ( 2 p ) σ ( 11 ) w be - sp - be = 4 ps be ( p ) σ + pw sp ( 2 p ) ( 12 ) based upon the different architectures defined above in respect of section 2a a comparison of the different architectures in terms of number of switching blocks and power consumption is carried out . the analysis exploits the implementation of soa - based switching blocks proposed in albores - mejia , consisting of two soas ( σ = 2 ), of which only one is active in both cross and bar configurations . modulator - based switching blocks are implemented with two mzi ( μ = 2 ), see for example lee et al in “ demonstration of a digital cmos driver codesigned and integrated with a broadband silicon photonic switch ” ( j . of light . tech ., vol . 29 , pp . 1136 - 1142 ) and campenhout et al in “ low power , 2 × 2 silicon electro - optic switch with 110 nm bandwidth for broadband reconfigurable optical networks ” ( opt . express , vol . 17 , pp . 24020 - 24029 ). the maximum number of passive elements , i . e . modulator based gates , splitters , or couplers , that can be crossed before an amplifier is set to 4 , i . e . s − s ′= 5 . this number has been chosen such that the loss does not to exceed the maximum gain of the soa , i . e ., the power losses of the s ( or s ′) stages of passive elements are compensated by the stage of soa - based gating elements . to minimize the power consumption , only the soas in the switching blocks along the path ( s ) are considered enabled to active state , while all the other soas are left idle . as discussed supra to reduce the switching time , soas in idle state are fed with a current slightly below the threshold required for amplification . in idle state , soas will therefore drain a non - negligible amount of power . in the following , maximum network utilization is considered , in which each input port is connected to a different output port ( for a total of n paths simultaneously active ). instead the mzi can be either in active state or in off state consuming a negligible amount of power . the power consumption is derived by assuming a normalized power consumption of 1 and 0 . 01 for an active and idle soa , see for example liboiron1 and liboiron2 , respectively , and 0 . 005 for the active mzi , see for example lee . such values include the power consumption of the respective drivers . the soa power consumption is referred to the unsaturated gain . fig1 depicts the total number of soas needed for each architecture versus the number of input / output ports n . as is evident the crossbar , spanke - benes , and spanke architectures require the highest number of soas , owing to the poor asymptotical scaling with n 2 n2 . clos architectures with at least one spanke stage ( namely sp - sp - sp , sp - be - sp and be - sp - be ) perform slightly better , scaling asymptotically with n 3 / 2 , whilst the benes and be - be - be architectures have the minimum requirement of soas , each scaling with n log n . the total number of modulators required in the different architectures is shown in fig1 and follows trends which are similar to the total number of soas as depicted in fig1 . now referring to fig1 there are depicted the maximum total number of crossed gating crossed , i . e ., soa - based and modulator - based . the inset shows a logarithmic y - axis , while the bigger graph provides a zoom of the lower part of the inset due to the substantial differences between the architectures . as evident the high number of crossed gating elements impacts negatively the feasibility of the spanke - benes and crossbar architectures as the number of gated elements scale with n and are the same order of magnitude as n . hence , at 2048 ports the number of crossed elements is already several thousand . however , the spanke architecture and hybrid clos architecture ( sp - sp - sp ) based on spanke exhibit the least number of elements crossed , a beneficial characteristic to reduce physical impairments . the maximum number of soas crossed in the largest configuration ( 219 ports ) is less than 13 for all architectures , with the exceptions for crossbar and spanke - benes . accordingly , it is evident that whilst the benes and be - be - be architectures require smallest number of gating elements , leading to reduced complexity and cost , that the lowest number of gating elements crossed is lowest with the spanke and sp - sp - sp architectures , such that these lead to lowest optical degradation / physical impairment . accordingly , a tradeoff between these two desired characteristics of an interconnection network is required . now referring to fig1 the power consumption per port of the different architectures is plotted as a function of the number of input - output ports . as evident from this the power consumption per port for the crossbar , spanke - benes , and spanke architectures increases with the number of ports . in the crossbar and spanke - benes architectures this arises from the fact that the number of active and idle soas scales with n 2 . the behaviour of spanke architecture is due to the high number of soas , see fig1 , even if most of them are in the idle state . the other architectures drain less power , especially the benes and be - be - be architectures . a sensitivity analysis of these architectures has been performed to investigate how the power consumption per port is affected by the power dissipation of the soas in the idle mode of operation . these results are presented in fig1 wherein the x - axis represents the power drained by an idle soa when the power drained by the soa in its active state is normalized to 1 . a 2 13 input / output port configuration was considered . as can be seen the benes and be - be - be are the architectures with the lowest sensitivity to the idle power consumption . this behaviour arises due to the high ratio of active soas to the total number of soas needed , which makes the contribution of the idle soas negligible compared to the total power consumption . in contrast the crossbar and spanke - benes architectures are also essentially unaffected by the variation of idle power consumption , even though the total power consumption is the highest . however , the spanke architecture is the most sensitive configuration , due to the high percentage of idle soas compared to the total number of soas . accordingly , the spanke architecture has the potential to be very power efficient when realized with soas that have negligible idle power consumption . it is also evident that clos architectures based on spanke structures in at least one stage are also influenced by this dependence , even though in a less critical way , due to the reduced total number of soas required . table 1 outlines the power consumption of the different architectures with 2 13 = 8192 input / output ports in a homogeneous space switch ( s = 1 ) and in heterogeneous space switches with s = 3 and s = 5 . as evident from table 1 the reduction in power consumption per port in the heterogenous implementation with respect to the homogeneous implementation is approximately 60 % when s = 3 and reaches approximately 80 % when s = 5 . this reduction is due to the lower power consumption of modulator - based switching blocks compared to soa - based switching blocks . the lower power consumption reduction in the spanke - benes architecture is due to the placement strategy of the modulator based switching blocks , which cannot be optimized unlike the other architectures . within the preceding section 2 the optical interconnection concepts established in section 1 with respect to multi - plane space - time interconnection networks were progressed to address alternate interconnection architectures in respect of complexity and power consumption by exploiting interferometric and soa based gates to generate novel heterogeneous switch fabrics . accordingly , in this section the performance of such heterogeneous switches is compared with the prior art homogeneous switch architecture . a space switch with n input and n output ports arranged in a spanke architecture is considered , see liboiron1 , where each input port is connected to an 1 × n optical switch and each output port is connected to a n : 1 coupler . each 1 × n switch consists of a binary tree of 1 : 2 splitters , while each n : 1 coupler consists of a binary tree of 2 : 1 couplers . a stage of optical gates is needed in the last stage of each 1 : n such that given a packet at an input port , for each possible output selection only one optical gate is enabled ( closed ), allowing the packet to be routed to the desired output , while the remaining n − 1 are disabled ( open ). to recover the inherent splitting losses , amplification stages of soas are introduced along the paths . we define the maximum span , namely the number of passive elements such as couplers , splitters , mzi gates , etc ., between two consecutive soas as s and this depends upon the loss of the passive elements and the gain of the soas . the paths traversed by a packet in the prior art homogeneous soa - based and heterogeneous architecture according to an embodiment of the invention are depicted in fig1 and 17 respectively . in homogeneous soa - based implementation depicted in fig1 with 1 × n switch 1610 and n : 1 coupler 1620 the number of amplifiers is minimized by placing the amplification stages starting from the soa output gate 1630 stage within the 1 × n switch 1610 and proceeding backward every s stages of splitters . for the n : 1 coupler 1620 the number of amplifiers is minimized by placing the amplification stages starting from the output and proceeding backward every s stages of couplers . the number of soas in the last stage of the 1 × n switch is n 2 . in the heterogeneous implementation according to an embodiment of the invention as depicted in fig1 , the soa output gate 1630 is replaced by a stage of interferometric gates 1730 , e . g . mzi gates . the number of soas is minimized by placing the first amplification stage evenly spaced from the interferometric gate 1730 within the 1 × n switch 1710 and then proceeding backward towards the input , according to the maximum spacing s . similarly , for the n : 1 coupler 1720 the number of amplifiers is minimized by placing the amplification stages starting from the output and proceeding backward every s stages of couplers . accordingly , the amplification elements , e . g . soas , are placed as far as possible from the last stage of the binary tree , thereby reducing the overall number of required soas and hence power consumption of the switch fabric . a physical layer analysis has been carried out using a commercial optical system simulator ( optisystem ). the parameters were set in common with those described above , see also tanaka and lee , wherein the soas have a noise figure of 8 . 6 db , a saturated output power of + 15 . 6 dbm , and an unsaturated gain value of 14 . 3 db . the interferometric gates simulated were mach - zehnder interferometers ( mzi ) with an insertion loss & lt ; 3 db , a crosstalk & lt ;− 18 db and a reported power consumption of 2 mw including the integrated cmos driver circuit . since the wavelength domain can be exploited together with the space domain , see for example liboiron1 and liboiron2 , and accordingly 8 wavelengths modulated at 25 gb / s were employed within the simulations . for the given maximum gain of the soa , the maximum span between soas was set to s = 5 . the signal traversing the n : 1 coupler 1720 in the heterogeneous configuration depicted in fig1 is impaired by the presence of in - band crosstalk leaked from the mzi gate 1730 . referring to fig1 there is depicted the logarithm of the bit - error rate ( ber ) of the worst channel versus the optical input power ( p in ) of this channel in two switch configurations , with n = 8192 and n = 16384 ports . in both configurations , the heterogeneous implementation requires a lower input power ( p in ) to achieve the same ber performance of the soa - based implementation . in particular , in the heterogeneous implementation , the input optical power at ber = 10 − 12 reduced by more than 4 db for n = 8192 and 4 . 5 db for n = 16384 ports . this performance improvement is due to the amplified spontaneous emission ( ase ) noise difference , as a result of the different placement of the amplification stages in the two implementations . since the first soa crossed by the signal entering in the space switch can be assumed to work far from saturation , the noise figure remains constant , and hence the ase spectral density increases with the gain . due to the soa placement , the first soa of the soa - based implementation needs to compensate at higher loss and thus higher noise is experienced leading to the degradation in performance . now referring to fig1 there is depicted the logarithm of the ber versus the output optical power for an optical input power of − 2 dbm in the same switch configurations as fig1 . the penalty at ber = 10 − 12 of the heterogeneous implementation with respect to the soa - based one is very small for n = 16384 ports at & lt ; 1 db whilst both implementations undergo the same penalty for n = 8192 ports . now referring to fig2 there is depicted the total number of soas and the power drained by the heterogeneous implementation , normalized to the soa - based switch for increasing number of ports n . as evident from this the number of soas is reduced by almost 50 % for all the considered switch configurations , while the reduction of total power consumption is more than 10 %. the reduction in power consumption and number of soas is achieved thanks to the optimized placement of the amplification stages . the heterogeneous implementation requires the same number of soa stages as in the homogeneous soa - based implementation but these are placed closer to the input ( output ) of the switch ( coupler ) binary tree , and the number of active soas crossed by the signal is the same . the only exception , n = 2048 , rises as the heterogeneous implementation requires two less soa stages than the homogeneous implementation leading to the increased reduction in power consumption of approximately 20 %. it would be evident to one skilled in the art that whilst the optical splitters , e . g . 1 : n splitter or 1 : n optical switch , and optical combiners , e . g . n : 1 combiner , have been described as based upon sequential stages of 1 × 2 and 2 × 1 elements . however , it would be evident that according to other embodiments of the invention 2 × 2 elements may be employed without changing the architectures described . however , within some photonic technologies implementations of these optical splitters , optical switches , and optical combiners may exploit r × s elements wherein r = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . . . and s = 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 . . . . for example , in fused biconic fiber technologies 1 × 3 and 1 × 4 splitters may be fabricated either to reduce insertion losses overall , i . e . l 1 × 4 & lt ; 2 × l 1 × 2 , or provide splitters with channel counts not compatible with n = 2 n , e . g . n = 27 , n = 768 , and n = 3 , 072 for example . it would also be evident to one skilled in the art that according to embodiments of the invention that implementations of the optical transmitters , optical receivers , optical splitters , optical combiners , optical switches , and optical interconnection network may exploit one or more technologies including fused biconic tapers ( fbt ), fiber - based bragg gratings , free - space optics , passive photonic integrated circuits ( pics ) such as those based upon glass , polymer , silicon oxynitride , and ferroelectrics for example , active pics such as those based upon rare earth doped glass , rare earth doped silica , polymers , and semiconductors for example ; and combinations thereof such that those exploiting hybrid integration , free space coupling , etc . for example , high index silicon oxynitride waveguides may be employed to provide the different fsr couplers as well as the required time delays and interferometric gates with hybrid integration of soas or externally coupled laser arrays to pump integrated rare - earth doped waveguide amplifiers . whilst focus has been given to solutions that leverage hybrid and / or monolithic integration using pics it would be evident that non - pic based solutions exploiting fbts in combination with thin film filters ( tffs ) and erbium - doped fiber amplifiers ( edfas ) may similarly be deployed . optionally , partitioning of the architecture may be varied such that a wdm signal is transmitted from a transmitter to a remote node comprising the parallel wavelength - striped mapping , e . g . pwm circuit 230 , and time slot packet generator 240 . similarly , the parallel wavelength - striped mapping reversal circuit 270 may be remotely disposed with respect to the receiver ( broadband o / e 280 ). specific details are given in the above description to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments . however , it is understood that the embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . for example , circuits may be shown in block diagrams in order not to obscure the embodiments in unnecessary detail . in other instances , well - known circuits , processes , algorithms , structures , and techniques may be shown without unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments . the foregoing disclosure of the exemplary embodiments of the present 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 forms disclosed . many variations and modifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure . the scope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appended hereto , and by their equivalents . further , in describing representative embodiments of the present invention , the specification may have presented the method and / or process of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps . however , to the extent that the method or process does not rely on the particular order of steps set forth herein , the method or process should not be limited to the particular sequence of steps described . as one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate , other sequences of steps may be possible . therefore , the particular order of the steps set forth in the specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims . in addition , the claims directed to the method and / or process of the present invention should not be limited to the performance of their steps in the order written , and one skilled in the art can readily appreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within the spirit and scope of the present invention .	7
by the expression “ non - electrically powered device ” it is meant here a device which is able to release a volatile , with an essentially linear performance over the lifetime of the device , without requiring an electric help such as heating or venting means . other means generally used to regulate the rate of evaporation of the active volatile liquid , such as covers or caps allowing regulation the evaporative surface of an emanating body are not mandatory in the invention &# 39 ; s devices . such covering means can be present or not . moreover , by “ active volatile liquid ” we mean here a liquid which is at least partially volatile , i . e . can evaporate , and which is able to impart a benefit to the surrounding space . the reservoir chamber has the function of storing the non - aqueous active volatile liquid composition , from now on referred to also as “ active composition ”, that is not absorbed by the wick - emanator superstructure . the reservoir chamber lid has the function of preventing the evaporation of the active composition from the reservoir and also of acting as support of the wick - emanator superstructure . the reservoir chamber lid securely covers the open end of the reservoir chamber either by acting as , e . g ., a screwed stopper or by being permanently sealed to the reservoir chamber . preferably the chamber lid has either one or two apertures , for holding the wick - emanator superstructure . the reservoir chamber , as well as the reservoir chamber lid , are constructed from materials which are compatible with the active composition and totally impermeable to the vapors of the latter . preferably the reservoir chamber is made of a transparent or translucent material , so that a consumer can visually monitor the level of the active composition , present in the reservoir chamber , and therefore know when the device according to the invention has to be replaced because exhausted . suitable materials for the reservoir chamber and the reservoir chamber lid , include injection or thermoform molded materials such as those obtainable from polymers like polyethylene , polypropylene , polystyrene , polyvinyl chloride , polyvinyl acetate , polyamide , polyacrylamide , polymethylacrylate , and the like . alternatively , the reservoir , or the reservoir and the lid , could be formed from glass . it is also understood that the reservoir and the lid could be parts of a single body . an example of such body can be a bottle having an open neck , the bottle being the reservoir and the neck being the lid . by “ non - aqueous active volatile liquid composition ” it is meant here an active volatile liquid composition which is essentially devoid of or contains only marginal amounts of water , e . g . one may cite as example a composition which contains less than 5 %, of it total weight , of water . a useful active composition is also surfactant free or devoid of the latter . the active composition contains at least two ingredients . the ingredients can be divided into ingredients capable of imparting a benefit to the surrounding space or enclosed space , and forming an active volatile material , and optional ingredients which can be beneficial to the active volatile material . in other words the active composition contains an active volatile material , comprising at least one ingredient , and optionally one or more ingredients selected from the group consisting of solvents , thickeners , anti - oxidants , dyes , bittering agents and uv inhibitors . as the active volatile material , there can be used , for example , a perfume , in which case the consumer product will be of the air freshener type . other suitable active volatile materials can be deodorizing or sanitizing agents or insect repellents or any other active materials capable of imparting perceptible and desirable benefits to the quality of the air into which it is diffused . preferred active volatile material is a perfume . as perfume there can be used any ingredient or mixture of ingredients currently used in perfumery , i . e . capable of exercising a perfuming action . more often , however , it will be a more or less complex mixture of ingredients of natural or synthetic origin . the nature and type of the ingredients do not warrant a more detailed description here , which in any case would not be exhaustive , the skilled person being able to select them on the basis of its general knowledge and according to intended use or application and the desired organoleptic effect . in general terms , these perfuming ingredients belong to chemical classes as varied as alcohols , aldehydes , ketones , esters , ethers , acetates , nitrites , terpene hydrocarbons , nitrogenous or sulphurous heterocyclic compounds and essential oils of natural or synthetic origin . many of these ingredients are in any case listed in reference texts such as the book by s . arctander , perfume and flavor chemicals , 1969 , montclair , n . j ., usa , or its more recent versions , or in other works of a similar nature , as well as in the abundant patent literature in the field of perfumery . although special mention has been made hereinabove of the perfuming effect that can be exerted by the devices of the invention , the same principles apply to analogous devices for the diffusion of deodorizing or sanitizing vapors , the perfume being replaced by a deodorizing composition , an antibacterial , an insecticide , an insect repellent or an insect attractant . by the term “ sanitizing vapors ”, we refer here not only to the vapors of those substances which can enhance the degree of acceptance of the air surrounding the observer , but also to those substances which can exert an attractant or repellent effect towards certain species of insects , for instance towards houseflies or mosquitoes , or else , which can have bactericide or bacteriostatic activity . it goes without saying that mixtures of such agents can also be used . the total amount of active volatile material in the active composition may be comprised between 20 % and 100 %, preferably between 30 % and 70 %, of the weight of the of the active composition . as anticipated above , the active composition may also contain some optional ingredients acting as , for example , solvents , thickeners , anti - oxidants , dyes , bittering agents and uv inhibitors . the presence of one or more solvents may be useful to have a single - phase liquid and / or to modulate the speed of evaporation of the active material into the surrounding air . the solvents may belong to the families of isoparaffins , paraffins , hydrocarbons , glycols , glycol ethers , glycol ether esters , esters or ketones . examples of commercially available solvents useful to the invention are known under the tradename isopar ® h , j , k , l , m , p or v ( isoparaffins ; origin : exxon chemical ), norpar ® 12 or 15 ( paraffins ; origin : exxon chemical ), exxsol ® d 155 / 170 , d 40 , d 180 / 200 , d 220 / 230 , d 60 , d 70 , d 80 , d 100 , d 110 or d 120 ( dearomatised hydrocarbons ; origin : exxon chemical ), dowanol ® pm , dpm , tpm , pnb , dpnb , tpnb , pnp or dpnp ( glycol ethers ; origin : dow chemical company ), eastman ® ep , eb , eeh , dm , de , dp or db ( glycol ethers ; origin : eastman chemical company ), dowanol ® pma or pgda ( glycol ether esters ; origin : dow chemical company ) or eastman ® eb acetate , eastman ® de acetate , eastman ® db acetate , eastman ® eep ( all glycol ether esters ; all origin : eastman chemical company ). other examples of solvents useful to the invention are dipropylene glycol , propylene glycol , ethylene glycol ethyl ether acetate , ethylene glycol diacetate , isopropyl myristate , diethyl phthalate , 2 - ethylhexyl acetate , methyl n - amyl ketone or di - isobutyl ketone . the total amount of solvents present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 80 %, preferably between 30 % and 70 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . as non - limiting examples of useful thickener ingredients , one can cite ethyl cellulose ( commercial examples of which are available from hercules inc . ), fumed silica ( commercial examples of which are available from degussa ) and styrene - butadiene - styrene block copolymers ( commercial examples of which are available from shell ). the total amount of thickeners present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 10 %, preferably between 1 % and 4 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . as non - limiting examples of useful antioxidant ingredients , one can cite the sterically hindered amines , i . e . the derivatives of the 2 , 2 , 6 , 6 - tetramethyl - piperidine , such as those known under the tradename uvinul ® ( origin basf ag ) or tinuvin ® ( origin : ciba speciality chemicals ), as well as the alkylated hydroxyarene derivatives , such as butylated hydroxytoluene ( bht ). the total amount of antioxidants present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 10 %, preferably between 1 % and 4 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . dyes are other optional ingredients of the active composition . suitable dyes are oil - soluble and can be found in the colour index international , published by the society of dyers and colourist . non - limiting examples of suitable dyes are derivatives of the anthraquinone , methine , azo , triarylmethane , triphenylmethane , azine , aminoketone , spirooxazine , thioxanthene , phthalocyanine , perylene , benzopyran or perinone families . examples of such dyes which are commercially available are known under the tradename sandoplast ® violet rsb , violet fbl , green gsb , blue 2b or savinyl ® blue rs ( all anthraquinone derivatives ; origin : clariant huningue s . a . ), oilsol ® blue db ( anthraquinone ; origin : morton international ltd . ), sandoplast ® yellow 3g ( methine ; origin : clariant huningue s . a . ), savinyl ® scarlet rls ( azo metal complex ; origin : clariant huningue s . a . ), oilsol ® yellow seg ( monoazo ; origin : morton international ltd . ), fat orange ® r ( monoazo ; origin : hoechst ag ), fat red ® 5b ( diazo ; origin : hoechst ag ), neozapon ® blue 807 ( phtalocyanine ; origin : basf ag ), fluorol ® green golden ( perylene ; origin : basf ag ). the total amount of dyes present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 0 . 5 %, preferably between 0 . 005 % and 0 . 05 %, the percentages being relative to the weight of the active composition . the presence of a bittering agent may be desirable in order to render the product unpalatable , making less likely that the active composition is ingested , especially by young children . one can cite , as non - limiting example , isopropyl alcohol , methyl ethyl ketone , methyl n - butyl ketone or yet a denatonium salt such as the denatonium benzoate known also under the trademark bitrex ™ ( origin : mac farlan smith ltd .). the bittering agent may be incorporated in the active composition in a total amount comprised between 0 . 0 % and 5 %, the percentages being relative to the total weight of the active composition . in the case of bitrex ™ the amount can be comprised between 0 . 0 % and 0 . 1 %, preferably between 0 . 001 % to 0 . 05 % of the total weight of the active composition . as non - limiting examples of useful uv - inhibitor ingredients , one can cite benzophenones , diphenylacrylates or cinnamates such as those available under the trade name uvinul ® ( origin : basf ag ). the total amount of uv - inhibitors present in the active composition may vary between 0 . 0 % and 0 . 5 %, preferably between 0 . 01 % and 0 . 4 %, the percentages being relative to the total weight of the active composition . as mentioned above , at least 60 % by weight of the active composition comprises ingredients having a vapor pressure comprised between 4 pa and 270 pa , the vapor pressure being measured at 20 ° c . and a pressure of 760 mmhg . the described requirement in the formulation of the active composition ensures that a relatively constant composition is maintained over the lifetime of the device and that the active composition evaporates at a relatively steady rate during the life of the product . most preferably , at least 80 % by weight of the active composition comprises ingredients having a vapor pressure comprised between 4 pa and 270 pa . the device of the invention also comprises a wick - emanator superstructure that consist of an emitting part and a wicking part . the emitting part and the wicking parts can be separated entities contacting each to other to form the superstructure or can be a single entity . moreover , the emitting part may comprise one or more emitting bodies in contact to each other , in general from one to four emitting bodies are used . similarly , the wicking part may comprise one or more wicks , in general from one to four wicks are used . the emitting part contributes more than significantly to the regulation of the speed of evaporation of the active composition . indeed , thanks to its specific absorbency , its weight per square meter of evaporative surface and optionally its evaporative surface , the emitting part is able to influence the evaporation of the active composition so that the evaporation occurs at an essentially constant rate during the lifetime of the device . by “ rate ” it is meant here the amount of active composition , per unit of time , which is emitted into the surroundings during a given frame of time , or if preferred a weight loss per a given period of time . by “ essentially constant rate ” it is meant here a rate which can oscillate in a range comprised between approximately 80 % and approximately 120 % of the mean rate , preferably between 90 % and 110 %, during a period of at least 20 days , or even 25 days , of use of the invention &# 39 ; s device . as mentioned above , the emitting part has the capacity of absorbing from 0 . 01 g to approximately 0 . 1 g of active composition per square centimeter of evaporative surface , and has a weight comprised between 80 g / m 2 and 1000 g / m 2 , relative to the evaporative surface . moreover , the emitting part absorbs less than about 20 % of the initial total weight of active volatile liquid present in device . preferably the emitting part has the capacity to absorb from 0 . 02 g to approximately 0 . 08 g of active volatile liquid per square centimeter of evaporative surface , and has a weight comprised between 100 g / m 2 and 500 g / m 2 , relative to the evaporative surface . furthermore , the emitting part preferably absorbs less than about 15 % of the initial total weight of active volatile liquid present in device . the emitting part can also be characterized by an evaporative surface comprised between 50 cm 2 and 200 cm 2 . preferably , the evaporative surface will be comprised between 100 cm 2 and 150 cm 2 . non - limiting examples of materials of which the emitting part can be made are cellulose derivatives , e . g . papers , molded ceramics , sintered or porous plastics . preferred papers are those currently used as filter paper and having a particle retention size comprised between 3 μm and 30 μm , such as those commercially available from whatman international ltd ., uk as filter paper n ° 1 , 3 , 4 or 113 . in the case of sintered or porous plastics , preferably the material will have a porous size comprised between 5 μm and 200 μm and is based on high density polyethylene , ultra high molecular weight polyethylene or polypropylene . examples of such materials are commercially available , e . g ., under the tradename vyon ® t ( origin : porvair technology ltd , uk ). the wicking part is intended to absorb a part of the active composition and transport the latter to the emitting part , from which it can evaporate into the surrounding space of the invention &# 39 ; s device . as mentioned previously , the wicking part may comprise between one and four wicks . the wicking part may be made of organic and inorganic materials . examples for appropriate inorganic materials include porous porcelain materials , molded ceramics , glass fibers , or asbestos , in combination with a suitable binder such as , for example , gypsum or bentonite . it is also possible to prepare wicks from powdered mineral materials , such as , for example , clay , talc , kieselguhr , alumina , silica or the like , singly or in combination with , for example , wood flour , carbon powder , or activated carbon , using an appropriate glue . organic materials include felt , cotton , pulp , woven and non - woven cotton fibers , synthetic fibers , cellulose derivatives , e . g . papers , and woven and non - woven sintered or porous plastics . preferably , the wicking part and the emitting part are made of the same material . as anticipated above , a consumer article may comprise a device of the invention . such a consumer article can be , depending on the nature of the active composition used , in the form of a perfuming or sanitizing device such as an air freshener , a car freshener , a closet freshener , an insecticide or an insect repellent device or a combination thereof if it is used an active composition capable of exerting more that one effect , e . g . a perfuming and sanitizing effect . air - fresheners are a preferred embodiment of the invention &# 39 ; s devices . during the storage of the invention &# 39 ; s device , the active composition may be prevented from evaporating through a variety of methods . for instance , if the consumer product comprises a fully assembled invention device , a first method to prevent the evaporation of active volatile liquid may consist in using a sealing which covers the emitting part of the device thus preventing the evaporation of the active composition prior to activation by a consumer . alternatively , if the consumer product comprises an unassembled invention device , e . g . wherein the wick - emanator superstructure is not fixed to the rest of the device , then another method to prevent the evaporation of active volatile liquid may consist in sealing the apertures of the reservoir chamber lid . in such a case the device will be activated by the consumer simply by removing the sealing and introducing the wicking part of the wick - emanator superstructure into the lid apertures . furthermore , if the consumer product comprises an unassembled invention device , e . g . wherein the emitting part is not fixed to the rest of the device such as when the wicking part and the emitting part are separate bodies , then to prevent the evaporation of active volatile liquid it is possible to seal the wicking part extending over the lid . the consumer will activate such a device simply by removing the sealing and locating the emitting part such as that it is in direct contact with the wicking part . the sealing mentioned above can be a removable and vapor - impermeable closure cap , cover or film . the combination of the invention device and of a closure cap , cover or film may constitute a consumer article which is a further object of the present invention . it is also interesting to note that the consumer article according to the invention once exhausted may be easily reactivated by the consumer simply by refilling the reservoir chamber with an active volatile liquid , which may be provided in separated sachets . furthermore , another object of the invention is a kit for the preparation of a device as defined above , the kit comprising a reservoir chamber , a reservoir chamber lid and a wick - emanator superstructure as defined in claim 1 . in the embodiment an active composition as defined above can be supplied separately to the consumer . alternatively , the kit may further comprise the active composition , which is either contained in the reservoir , which is sealed , or the kit comprises also a containing means , or a plurality of the containing means , filled with the active composition . in the embodiment of the invention , all the various element of the invention &# 39 ; s device can be in a non - assembled or partially assembled form , for example as described above . the following examples are further illustrative of the present invention embodiments , and further demonstrate the advantages of the invention devices relative to prior art teachings . an air freshener dispenser in accordance with the present invention was constructed as illustrated in fig1 to 3 . the bodies 1 a , 1 b and 1 c , having the dimension given in fig1 , were cut from a sheet of 2 mm thick vyon t ® ( porvair technology ltd . ), and assembled to form a wick - emanator superstructure 1 , as pictured in fig2 . reservoir chamber lid 2 was provided with an aperture to accept the wick - emanator superstructure 1 . a reservoir chamber 3 , see fig2 , having approximately a volume of 30 ml was filled with 10 g of a perfuming composition and 10 g of dipropylene glycol n - butyl ether ( dowanol ® dpnb , origin : dow chemical company ). after assembling the filled reservoir , the lid and the wick - emanator superstructure it was obtained a device according to the invention as shown in fig3 . the total mass of device was recorded . the device was placed in a temperature - humidity controlled test room ( at 20 ° to 22 ° c . and 45 % to 55 % relative humidity ) and the weights recorded at regular intervals up to 45 days . the test data are listed in table i . table i evaporation of the active liquid volatile component as a function of time cumulative weight loss elapsed time ( t ) ( cwl ) rate of evaporation * ( days ) ( g ) ( g / day ) 0 . 00 0 . 00 10 . 00 5 . 12 0 . 51 13 . 95 6 . 43 0 . 33 17 . 81 7 . 71 0 . 33 23 . 76 9 . 72 0 . 34 29 . 71 11 . 62 0 . 32 30 . 98 12 . 04 0 . 33 35 . 95 13 . 56 0 . 31 41 . 93 15 . 41 0 . 31 45 . 93 16 . 36 0 . 31 * calculated by applying the following formula : ( cwl t 2 − cwl t 1 )/( t 2 − t 1 ) table i shows that an invention device emanates a high volume of vapor ( up to 75 % of the whole volatile in 45 days ) with a very uniform rate over at least 32 days of use and without requiring any external input such an electrical heater . air freshener dispensers in accordance with the present invention were constructed as illustrated in fig4 to 6 . a wick - emanator superstructure 7 , according to the one illustrated in fig5 , was formed from a single sheet 6 , see fig4 , made of whatman no . 4 qualitative filter paper ( whatman plc ). reservoir chamber lid 8 was provided with apertures to accept the wick - emanator superstructure 7 . a reservoir chamber 3 , see fig5 , having approximately a volume of 30 ml was filled with 10 g of the perfuming composition used in example 1 and 10 g of dipropylene glycol n - butyl ether ( dowanol ® dpnb , origin : dow chemical company ). after assembling the filled reservoir , the lid and the wick - emanator superstructure it was obtained a device according to the invention as shown in fig6 . four devices having the emitting part with different surface areas ( sa ) were built using the same protocol as above . the total mass of each device was recorded . the devices were placed in a temperature - humidity controlled test room ( at 20 ° to 22 ° c . and 45 % to 55 % relative humidity ) and the weights recorded at regular intervals up to 47 days . the test data are listed in table ii . table ii evaporation of the active liquid volatile component as a function of time elapsed time ( t ) cumulative weight loss ( cwl ) ( g ) ( days ) sa = 50 cm 2 sa = 100 cm 2 sa = 150 cm 2 sa = 200 cm 2 0 . 00 0 . 00 0 . 00 0 . 00 0 . 00 4 . 73 2 . 57 ( 0 . 54 ) 7 . 08 2 . 79 3 . 61 ( 0 . 39 ) ( 0 . 44 ) 8 . 79 3 . 27 4 . 30 ( 0 . 28 ) ( 0 . 41 ) 11 . 81 1 . 56 2 . 87 3 . 90 5 . 19 ( 0 . 13 ) ( 0 . 24 ) ( 0 . 21 ) ( 0 . 30 ) 13 . 73 1 . 85 3 . 25 4 . 44 6 . 00 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 20 ) ( 0 . 29 ) ( 0 . 42 ) 15 . 94 2 . 25 3 . 77 5 . 07 7 . 00 ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 23 ) ( 0 . 29 ) ( 0 . 45 ) 21 . 04 3 . 01 4 . 68 6 . 45 8 . 94 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 27 ) ( 0 . 42 ) ( 0 . 38 ) 29 . 82 4 . 37 6 . 29 9 . 17 12 . 15 ( 0 . 16 ) ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 31 ) ( 0 . 37 ) 34 . 92 5 . 04 7 . 19 10 . 27 13 . 87 ( 0 . 13 ) ( 0 . 18 ) ( 0 . 21 ) ( 0 . 34 ) 41 . 06 5 . 94 8 . 17 11 . 76 15 . 36 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 16 ) ( 0 . 24 ) ( 0 . 24 ) 47 . 71 6 . 91 9 . 25 13 . 21 16 . 92 ( 0 . 15 ) ( 0 . 16 ) ( 0 . 22 ) ( 0 . 23 ) values between brackets represents the rate of evaporation ( g / day ) calculated as in example 1 . as in example 1 , these invention devices , although having an emitting part with a different shape or surface , emanates a high volume of vapor with a very uniform rate without requiring any external input such an electrical heater or a fan .	0
the invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which example embodiments of the invention are shown . this invention may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art . like numbers refer to like elements throughout . embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to block diagrams and schematic illustrations of methods and systems according to embodiments of the invention . it will be understood that each block of the diagrams , and combinations of blocks in the diagrams can be implemented by computer program instructions . these computer program instructions may be loaded onto one or more general purpose computers , special purpose computers , or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce machines , such that the instructions which execute on the computers or other programmable data processing apparatus create means for implementing the functions specified in the block or blocks . such computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer - readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner , such that the instructions stored in the computer - readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the function specified in the block or blocks . in embodiments of this invention , any physical system , control system or property of the engine or engine subsystem may be modeled , including , but not limited to , the engine itself , the gas path and gas path dynamics ; actuators , effectors , or other controlling devices that modify or change any engine behavior ; sensors , monitors , or sensing systems ; the fuel metering system ; the fuel delivery system ; the lubrication system ; and / or the hydraulic system . the models of these components and / or systems may be physics - based models ( including their linear approximations ). additionally or alternatively , the models may be based on linear and / or nonlinear system identification , neural networks , and / or combinations of all of these . gas turbine engines are air breathing engines that produce work based on the brayton thermodynamic cycle . some non - limiting examples of gas turbine engines include : aircraft engines , power systems , propulsion engines for marine applications , turbines used as pumps , turbines used in combined cycle power plants , and turbines used for other industrial applications . in gas turbine engines , thermal energy is drawn from the combustion of fuel with air , the combustion of fuel with an oxidizer , chemical reactions and / or heat exchange with a thermal source . the thermal energy is then converted into useful work . this work can be output in the form of thrust , shaft power or electricity . the performance or operation of these engines is controlled through the use of actuators . some non - limiting examples of actuators in gas turbine engines include fuel metering valves , inlet guide vanes , variable stator vanes , variable geometry , bleed valves , starter valves , clearance control valves , inlet bleed heat , variable exhaust nozzles , and the like . some non - limiting examples of sensed engine values include temperatures , pressures , rotor speeds , actuator positions , and / or flows . one example schematic of an example gas turbine engine 100 is shown in fig1 . the example engine 100 shown is a can annular combustor system such as the ge energy heavy duty gas turbine series . multiple cans 102 , 104 , 106 , 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 , 122 , 124 , 126 , 128 , also designated as numbers 1 through 14 , can be oriented in an annular - shaped configuration . each can 102 - 128 can include at least one sensor , such as a dynamic pressure transducer , capable of measuring or otherwise detecting an operating frequency of the can or engine component . an example of a suitable sensor is disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 708 , 568 . signals from each sensor can be processed using spectral analysis or similar techniques to isolate a frequency of interest . in one embodiment , operating frequency data from each can 102 - 128 , such as dynamic pressure measurements , can be processed using a fast fourier transformation to determine the frequency content and amplitudes of the frequencies . using this information , a frequency distribution such as a histogram can be generated . based at least in part on the histogram , a representative operating frequency can be selected for the particular can or engine component . as shown in fig3 , operating frequency data or selected representative operating frequencies for each can 102 - 128 can be used as an input , such as 330 , to an example combustion dynamics tuning model and algorithm . it will be understood that “ operating frequency information ” and “ operating frequency data ” can be used interchangeably , and that both phrases can include , but are not limited to , operating data , operating pressures , dynamic operating pressures , and operating amplitude data . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein may be applicable to a variety of systems and are not limited to engines or other devices similar to that described in fig1 . fig2 illustrates a control arrangement implementing an example engine model according to an embodiment of the invention . the control system 200 shown in fig2 is adapted to monitor and control the physical engine plant or gas turbine engine 210 to provide substantially optimal performance under a variety of conditions . the plant or engine 210 can include sensors which sense or measure values y of certain parameters . these parameters can include , but are not limited to , fan speed , operating frequencies , dynamic pressures , operating pressures , operating pressure ratios , and temperatures . the plant or engine 210 can also include one or more actuators which can be controlled by one or more command inputs u . the plant or engine 210 may be similar to , for example , the engine 100 illustrated in fig1 . the values y of the sensed or measured parameters are provided to a state estimator 220 . the values input to the state estimator 220 , such as sensor inputs , operating frequencies or dynamic pressures , can be used to initialize one or more values in the state estimator 220 . the state estimator 220 can include an engine model or model 230 of the plant or engine 210 . the model 230 can be used by the state estimator 220 to generate one or more state parameters which can include estimates of performance parameters . one example of a suitable engine model is described in further detail as 300 in fig3 . the state parameters from the state estimator 220 and associated model 230 can be transmitted to a model - based predictive control module or control module 240 . the control module 240 can use the state parameters to perform an optimization to determine commands for one or more actuators of the plant or engine 210 . for example , the control module 240 can perform an optimization to determine one or more engine control actions and corresponding control commands for one or more actuators of a gas turbine engine . in this regard , the control module 240 can include an optimizer 250 and a model 260 . the model 260 associated with the control module 240 may be identical to the model 230 associated with the state estimator 220 . those skilled in the art will recognize that an engine model or model can be implemented in either or both the state estimator 220 and control module 240 . using either or both of the models 230 , 260 allows optimization of the engine 210 to converge rapidly . in use , embodiments of the invention can be utilized to initialize an engine model , such as models 230 , 260 , on startup of the plant or engine 210 . furthermore , embodiments of the invention can be utilized to re - initialize the dynamic states of the model , such as models 230 , 260 , after any time of event , such as load rejection or a sensor failure . other embodiments of the invention can be used to initialize dynamic states of other types of machines or devices in other circumstances . fig3 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example engine model during initial configuration and also during normal execution according to embodiments of the invention . this diagram illustrates data processing by various modules associated with an engine model or model 300 such as a combustion dynamics tuning algorithm model . as shown , the model 300 can include some or all of the following modules in accordance with embodiments of the invention : sensor health block 302 ; median block 304 ; transfer function ( tf ) tuning block 306 ; a memory block 308 ; median dynamics block 310 ; model based control algorithm block 312 ; standard deviation block 314 ; mean block 316 ; covariance block 318 , constant block 320 ; median dynamics block 322 ; median target block 324 ; and a memory block 326 . the module blocks 302 - 326 represent various “ run time ”- type modules for which various parameters can be input to each of the modules 302 - 326 , and respective corresponding outputs can be received from the modules 302 - 326 in accordance with embodiments of the invention . those skilled in the art will recognize that various inputs and outputs can be configured as data inputs , vectors , matrices , functions , and other mathematical - type devices . in any instance , the example model 300 shown can determine model predictions and dynamically tune combustion model predictions to measured performances in a real time environment for a gas turbine engine , such as 100 in fig1 , or a similar device . the example model 300 can be implemented with the gas turbine engine shown as 100 in fig1 , and the system shown as 200 in fig2 . sensor health block 302 receives one or more inputs 328 from an engine 330 , similar to engine 100 shown in fig1 . for example , the inputs can be operating frequency information or dynamic pressure information from one or more sensors associated with respective cans oriented in an annular - shaped configuration . in the embodiment shown in fig3 , inputs from 14 sensors , one for each can of can - annular type engine can be obtained . in addition , the sensor health block 302 can determine whether some or all of the inputs 328 are valid input signals . in one embodiment , the sensor health block 302 can determine whether some or all of the inputs are within a predefined range by comparing the inputs 328 to a previously stored set of data . in other embodiments , any number of inputs from the engine , or any number of cans associated with the engine can be input to the sensor health block 302 . in one embodiment , a determination whether to use some or all of the inputs 328 can be made depending on whether some or all of the inputs 328 are within a predefined range . other embodiments may include different types of input signal validity checks , such as a simple range check or application of an algorithm to determine or evaluate input signal validity . in the event that some or all of the inputs 328 do not meet input signal validity checks or are not within a predefined range , some or all of the inputs 328 can be rejected , and no further action with respect to some or all of the inputs 328 . alternatively , additional data may be used to replace some or all of the inputs 328 . in the event that some or all of the inputs 328 are found to be valid input signals or are within a predefined range , some or all of the inputs 328 can be further processed by other components of the engine model , such as model 300 . in the event that some or all of the inputs are found to be valid input signals or are within a predefined range , some or all of the inputs can be transmitted via 332 to the median block 304 . the median block 304 can determine a median value 334 based on some or all of the inputs 330 transmitted . the median value 334 can be transmitted to the transfer function ( tf ) tuning block 306 for storage in and subsequent retrieval from memory block 308 . in addition , the median value 334 can be input to the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 . in this manner , the transfer function ( tf ) tuning block 306 can utilize the median value 334 to tune , or modify , the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 in order to reduce the difference between the median value 334 and the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 . the memory block 308 may be used to store and process the tuning variable data used to tune or modify the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 . the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 can receive input , or can otherwise be tuned or modified using the median value 334 with a median dynamics transfer function to determine an input “ m hat ” 336 to the model based control algorithm block 312 . as shown by the multiple input arrows to the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 , additional median values for other operating frequencies can be input and simultaneously processed . in one embodiment , multiple inputs to the median dynamics transfer function ( tf ) block 310 can be implemented , and the output of block 310 may be a function of any number of different operating parameters and constants . utilizing the median value 334 associated with the input “ m hat ” 336 and the accompanying tuning variable from 306 and / or 308 , control of the engine 330 by the model based control algorithm block 312 may be prone to problems when variations between can - to - can operating frequencies of the engine 330 are relatively large . the median transfer functions can be functions of operating conditions including , but not limited to , fuel flow , combustor fuel splits , fuel temperature , fuel composition , combustor pressure , and combustor airflow . referring back to sensor health block 302 , some or all of the inputs 328 , such as operating frequency information , is input to standard deviation block 314 via 338 , where a standard deviation 340 can be determined . furthermore , some or all of the inputs 328 , such as operating frequency information , is input to mean block 316 via 342 , where a mean 344 can be determined . based at least in part on the standard deviation 340 and mean 344 input to the covariance block 318 , the covariance block 318 can determine covariance between the inputs 328 associated with the cans of the engine 330 . for example , the mean 344 can be divided by the standard deviation 340 to determine a covariance value 346 representative of the operation of the engine 330 . in one embodiment , the covariance value 346 can be modified by an engine - dependent function , such as 348 . for example , an engine - dependent function can be determined based on prior data taken over time from one or more of a series of similar engines . turning now to the constant block 320 , the covariance value 346 can be multiplied or otherwise adjusted by the engine - dependent function 348 to determine a “ maximum to median ” dynamics ratio 350 representative of the operation of the engine 330 . depending on prior operating performance of engine 330 , an upper specification limit ( usl ) 352 can be predefined based on the highest or maximum operating frequency or dynamic pressure that the engine 332 may be safely operated at , or any other desired upper operating limit . as represented by the median dynamics block 322 , the “ maximum to median ” dynamics ratio 350 can be adjusted or otherwise modified by the usl 352 . in this instance , maximum to median ” dynamics ratio 350 can be divided by the usl 352 to obtain a median target 354 . the median target 354 can be transmitted by the median target block 324 to be stored in memory block 326 for subsequent retrieval . ultimately , the median target 354 can be input to the model based control algorithm block 312 . utilizing the median target 354 , control of the engine 330 by the model based control algorithm block 312 may be improved since variations between cans of the engine 330 can be accounted for . control of the engine 330 in this manner can minimize the influence of poor sensor measurements by maintaining a maximum combustion dynamics limit on some or all of the cans associated with the engine 330 . in one embodiment , as the median target 354 is continuously calculated and input to the model based control algorithm block 312 , the control loop 302 - 310 , 314 - 328 , 332 - 354 is continuously “ closed ” and improved control of the engine 330 can result . in another embodiment , simultaneous or other real time processing of other operating frequencies can be performed and processed by the model 300 shown . in use , some or all of the above processes and instructions can be used , and repeated as needed , to automatically and dynamically tune combustion in multiple cans of an engine , such as a can annular combustion engine , during model execution at any particular time . in this manner , the engine can be configured to “ tune ” the operating state of the combustion dynamics algorithm model to match measured dynamic performance of the engine or other device of interest . fig4 - 9 illustrate various operating frequency data for a particular type of gas turbine engine implementing a combustion dynamics tuning model , similar to that described in fig1 - 3 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig4 , 6 , and 8 illustrate operating frequency data , correlations , and proposed and estimated target values for one particular operating frequency ; whereas fig5 , 7 , and 9 illustrate operating frequency data , correlations , and proposed and estimated target values for a different operating frequency . fig4 and 5 each illustrate a series of example steady state - type operating frequency data 400 , 500 for the gas turbine engine . in both fig4 and 5 , approximately 50 data points are plotted along the x - axis 402 , 502 and the peak - to - peak dynamic pressures ( psi ) of the data points are shown against the y - axis 404 , 504 . in each figure , maximum operating frequency data 406 , 506 and median operating frequency data 408 , 508 for each data point are shown . with reference to the data in these figures , the maximum operating frequency data 506 for fig5 is relatively smooth in comparison to the maximum operating frequency data 406 for fig4 . in particular , the maximum operating frequency data 406 in fig4 appears to increase significantly between data points 24 - 30 , whereas the maximum operating frequency data 506 in fig5 remains relatively constant throughout the data points shown . generally , depending on the maximum operating frequency data , a median value , similar to the median value 334 described with respect to median block 304 in fig3 can be selected for the operating data at a particular peak frequency . for example , using the maximum operating frequency data 506 in fig5 , a median value such as the value “ 2 ” can be selected since the maximum operating data 506 appears to remain constant at approximately the value of 2 psi against the y - axis 504 . in contrast , the maximum operating frequency data 406 in fig4 would not be suitable for selecting a median value , such as the value “ 2 ”, since the data 406 is not relatively smooth for the data points shown and the significant increase shown by a portion of the data points could adversely affect any selected median value . fig6 and 7 illustrate the implementation of a combustion dynamics tuning model using the operating frequency data 400 , 500 shown in fig4 and 5 for the same gas turbine engine . in fig6 and 7 , example “ maximum to median ” correlations 600 , 700 between the respective predicted maximum operating data and measured maximum operating data of fig4 and 5 are shown . in the embodiments shown in fig6 and 7 , the following equation associated with the combustion dynamics tuning model was implemented : for the data in both figures , median values ( median ), covariances ( cov ), and engine - dependent function ( function or constant ) were determined for each data point and the resulting predicted maximum operating data was determined . determination of the median values , covariances , and engine - dependent functions are similar to the determinations and calculations described with respect to the median value 334 , covariance value 346 , and engine - dependent function 348 described in fig3 . the resulting data points of fig6 and 7 were plotted against the respective x - axis 602 , 702 indicative of the measured maximum pressure , and the y - axis 604 , 704 indicative of the predicted maximum pressure . as shown in both figures , the “ maximum to median ” correlations 600 , 700 for each set of operating frequency data are relatively straight line correlations . thus , based on these correlations , a new median target , similar to 354 shown with respect to median target block 324 in fig3 can be determined or otherwise selected for use with the combustion dynamics tuning model , similar to 300 in fig3 . turning to fig8 and 9 , the proposed peak ( pk ) median target data 800 , 900 are respectively shown . in the embodiments shown , the following equation was implemented using the other existing data to determine estimated peak ( pk ) maximum . as a result of implementation of this equation , the estimated peak ( pk ) maximum data 802 , 902 were determined . as shown by the estimated peak maximum data 802 , 902 for both operating frequencies , the implemented embodiment of the combustion dynamics tuning model can hold the upper specification limit ( usl ) closer to a value of approximately 2 psi for the particular operating frequency data of the gas turbine engine shown . many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings . thus , it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the invention may be embodied in many forms and should not be limited to the embodiments described above . therefore , it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims . although specific terms are employed herein , they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation .	5
while the present invention may be embodied in various forms , there will hereinafter be described some exemplary and non - limiting embodiments , with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated . in this application , the use of the disjunctive is intended to include the conjunctive . the use of definite or indefinite articles is not intended to indicate cardinality . in particular , a reference to “ the ” object or “ a ” and “ an ” object is intended to denote also one of a possible plurality of such objects . referring to fig1 - 3 , there is shown an embodiment of an apparatus or assembly 100 for securing a panel , such as a pv panel , to a substrate . as shown , apparatus 100 includes a clip assembly 102 and a c - shaped body , frame or clamp 104 , coupled to each other through a screw or bolt 106 . clip assembly 102 includes clip 102 a , having a generally u - shaped structure , and an angle - sided or generally triangular member 102 b . u - shaped clip 102 a has a central portion 108 , and a pair of raised portions or walls 110 . central portion 108 and raised walls 110 define an access region 114 . access region 114 is accessible from two ( 2 ) longitudinal sides and from above to enable unobstructed access to triangular member 102 b and to bolt 106 . raised walls 110 can be substantially perpendicular to central portion 108 . alternately , raised walls 110 can extend inwardly or outwardly over central portion 108 . central portion 108 includes a hole 116 formed therein for receipt there - through of bolt 106 , and triangular member 102 b includes a hole 118 for receipt there - through of bolt 106 , thus facilitating the coupling of clip assembly 102 to c - shaped frame 104 via bolt 106 . raised walls 110 include longitudinal flanges 120 extending substantially laterally away from access region 114 . alternately , flange 120 may be configured to extend from wall 110 in a slight downward direction , instead of forming a substantially right angle with a direction of wall 110 . c - shaped frame 104 includes a top frame portion 124 and a bottom frame portion 126 , spanned by an intermediate frame portion 128 . bottom frame portion 126 is terminated by a bottom clamp seat 130 . top frame portion 124 carries at its end , distant from the frame portion 128 , a threaded hole or an internally threaded housing 132 having a generally cylindrical shape . bottom clamp seat 130 and threaded housing 132 are separated by an opening 133 , whose size is selected to be at least slightly wider that a thickness of a substrate to which a panel is to be secured . a cross - handle 134 is slideably mounted in a transverse bore through the top end of bolt 106 , and a nut 136 is threaded on bolt 106 to be positioned between the triangular member 102 b , positioned within access region 114 of clip 102 a , and cross - handle 136 . during operation , elongated bolt 106 can adjustably penetrate through internally threaded housing 132 to press an object , such as a substrate , via a free bottom end of bolt 106 against bottom clamp seat 130 . now referring to fig4 , 5 a and 5 b , a plurality of assemblies 100 are used to secure a plurality of panels 402 to a plurality of benches or seating substrates 404 . as best seen in fig5 a and 5b , c - shaped frames 104 and bolts 106 are used to securely affix the corresponding assemblies 100 to benches 404 . by tightening nuts 136 , clip assemblies 102 are biased , via flanges 120 , against top ends or edges of panels 402 while bottom surfaces of panels 402 are pressed against benches 404 . for this securing of panels 402 to benches 404 , triangular members 102 b are configured to have one of their respective internal angles match the vertical angle formed by an oblique straight line connecting consecutive forward edges of vertically adjacent benches 404 and a horizontal line sharing a vertical plane with the oblique straight line . in another embodiment , triangular member 102 b is configured to include a manually adjustable internal angle . for this embodiment , triangular member 102 b may include an internal mechanism , controlled manually externally , that adjusts the adjustable internal angle so as to match it to an incline angle of the substrate to which assembly 100 is to be secured . in yet another embodiment , triangular member 102 b is configured to include an automatically adjustable internal angle . for this embodiment , triangular member 102 b may include an internal mechanism that automatically adjusts , during operation , the adjustable internal angle to an incline angle of the substrate to which assembly 100 is being secured . now referring to fig6 , 7 a and 7 b , assembly 100 is used to secure a couple of panels 402 to a couple of adjacent seats 704 . as best seen in fig7 a and 7b , c - shaped frame 104 and bolt 106 are used to securely affix assembly 100 to a seat arm 706 separating adjacent seats 704 . by tightening corresponding nuts 136 , clip assemblies 102 are biased , via flanges 120 , against top ends or edges of panels 402 , while bottom surfaces of panels 402 are pressed against both a forward edge 708 of seat arm 706 and a top end 710 of a seat back 712 . triangular members 102 b , selected for this securing of panels 402 to seats 704 , have one of their respective internal angles match the vertical angle formed by an oblique straight line connecting forward edges of arm 706 and top end 710 and a horizontal line sharing a vertical plane with the oblique straight line . alternately , as discussed above , triangular members 102 b , selected for this securing of panels 402 to seats 704 , may have a manually adjustable internal angle or an automatically adjustable angle so match the incline angle of the line connecting forward edges of arm 706 and top end 710 . now referring to fig8 and 9 , an embodiment of an alternate assembly 800 is shown . assembly 800 is substantially assembly 100 augmented with an additional clip assembly 802 , an alternate bolt 806 , and an additional nut 808 . when assembly 800 is used to securely affix a panel to a substrate , clip assemblies 102 and 802 are biased against top edges and bottom edges of the panel , respectively , via nuts 136 and 808 , respectively . clip assembly 802 is similar to assembly clip 102 , in that it includes a clip 802 a and a triangular member 802 b . triangular member 802 b preferably has one internal angle equal to that of triangular 102 b , when they are used together to hold or capture a panel , having sides with substantially parallel edges , therebetween flanges 120 and 820 , of clips 102 a and 802 a , respectively . now referring to fig1 , an embodiment of another alternate assembly 1000 is shown . assembly 1000 is configured to have a different clip 1002 than that of assembly 100 . unlike assembly 100 , assembly 1000 is configured to include only one raised wall 1110 . assembly 1000 is configured to be used to secure an end panel to a substrate . as such , assembly 1000 includes only one flange 1020 to be in contact with the end panel . now referring to fig1 , a side view of an embodiment of assembly 100 , 800 or 1000 is shown . typically , a pv panel includes a circumferential frame ( not shown ), having a substantially u - shaped cross - section , that surrounds it preferably from all sides . to improve the securing of the panel , flanges 120 , 820 and 1020 of clips 102 a , 802 a and 1002 a , respectively , may include teeth 1101 that point substantially downward . as such , during the securing of assembly 100 , 800 or 1000 to a substrate , flanges 120 , 820 or 1020 are engaged to the circumferential frame via teeth 1101 . in another embodiment , to ensure good grounding of a pv panel , for example , each element or member of assembly 100 is formed of conductive material or at least includes or is covered with a conductive outer surface . as such , teethed clip 102 a , bolt 106 and c - shaped frame 104 provide an electrical connection between a pv panel and a conductive supporting substrate , to ensure good grounding of the pv panel . alternately , if the supporting substrate is formed of a non - conductive material , assembly 100 may be equipped with a grounding electrical wire ( not shown ) that may extend to a grounding element . while certain embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be appreciated that changes and modifications can be made and that other embodiments may be devised without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention .	8
the following description is presented to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of particular applications and their requirements . various modifications to the exemplary embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus , the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown , but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein . as noted above , the carry save adder method is a known method . however , it has not yet been implemented in a pld using hardwired adders to add the sums and shifted carrys to produce the final result . in the present invention , the carry save adder method is implemented using a hardwired adder to add the sums and shifted carrys . moreover , some carrys from one le are shared with the following le . this is illustrated in the following figures . in the present invention , carrys are shifted relative to the sums in the sense that an n - th carry bit is added to an ( n + 1 )- th sum bit , where n is an integer . fig2 a is a block diagram of two les of the present invention . in fig2 a , le 205 includes luts 210 , 215 , 220 , and 225 . additionally , it includes adders 216 and 226 . similarly , le 255 includes luts 260 , 265 , 270 , and 275 . additionally , it includes adders 266 and 276 . in one embodiment , adders 266 and 276 are hardwired adders . luts 210 and 215 provide the sums and carrys results for the n - th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n ], y [ n ], and z [ n ] bits . luts 220 and 225 provide the sums and carrys results for the ( n + 1 )- th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n + 1 ], y [ n + 1 ], and z [ n + 1 ] bits . luts 260 and 265 provide the sums and carrys results for the ( n + 2 )- th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n + 2 ], y [ n + 2 ], and z [ n + 2 ] bits . luts 270 and 275 provide the sums and carrys results for the ( n + 3 )- th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z . in other words , they provide the sums and carrys results for the x [ n + 3 ], y [ n + 3 ], and z [ n + 3 ] bits . adder 216 receives data from lut 210 . if le 205 is the first le in a lab , then adder 216 also receives ground signals . otherwise , if le 205 is not the first le in a lab , then adder 216 receives the output signals of a carry lut ( i . e ., a lut that determines the carrys for the ( n − 1 )- th bit ). additionally , if n is not the first bit to be output as a result of adding x , y , and z , then adder 216 also receives a carry over signal from the previous le . the carry over signal is received on line 290 , which is part of the carry chain for adders 216 , 226 , 266 , and 276 . if n is the first bit to be output as a result of adding x , y , and z , then adder 216 would receive a ground signal on line 290 . adder 216 outputs the final result for the n - th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to adder 226 via line 290 . adder 226 receives data from luts 215 and 220 . in other words , it receives the carrys for the n - th bit and the sums for the ( n + 1 )- th bit . moreover , adder 226 receives the carry over signal from adder 216 via line 290 . adder 226 outputs the final result for the ( n + 1 )- th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to adder 266 via line 290 . adder 266 receives data from luts 225 and 260 . in other words , it receives the carrys for the ( n + 1 )- th bit and the sums for the ( n + 2 )- th bit . moreover , adder 266 receives the carry over signal from adder 226 via line 290 . adder 266 outputs the final result for the ( n + 2 )- th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to adder 266 via line 290 . adder 276 receives data from luts 265 and 270 . in other words , it receives the carrys for the ( n + 2 )- th bit and the sums for the ( n + 3 )- th bit . moreover , adder 266 receives the carry over signal from adder 266 via line 290 . adder 276 outputs the final result for the ( n + 3 )- th bit . it also outputs a carry over signal that is sent to the first adder in the next le via line 290 . as can be seen in fig2 a , the output of lut 275 is not used by either le 205 or le 255 . instead , the output of lut 275 , which is the carrys for the ( n + 3 )- th bit are shared with the le following le 255 . each of the sum luts , such as luts 210 , 220 , 260 , and 270 , receives one bit of data from each of the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs a one bit signal that represents the sum of the three bits received . for example , lut 210 receive the n - th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z and outputs the sum of those three bits . in other words , it receives the bits x [ n ], y [ n ], and z [ n ] and outputs x [ n ]( xor ) y [ n ]( xor ) z [ n ], where xor represents the boolean exclusive or function . fig2 b illustrates an exemplary logic circuit that performs the function of a sum lut that receives the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs x ( xor ) y ( xor ) z in response thereto . as can be seen in fig2 b , inputs signals x , y , and z are xor - ed by the xor gate 291 , which outputs the signal x ( xor ) y ( xor ) z . it is to be noted that other logical circuits may also perform the function of receiving three binary bits and outputting the sum thereof . each of the carry luts , such as luts 215 , 225 , 265 , and 275 , receives one bit of data from each of the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs a one bit signal that represents the carry resulting from adding the three bits received . for example , lut 215 receive the n - th bit of the binary numbers x , y , and z and outputs the carry resulting from adding those three bits . in other words , it receives the bits x [ n ], y [ n ], and z [ n ] and outputs ( x [ n ]( and ) y [ n ])( or )( x [ n ]( and ) z [ n ])( or )( y [ n ]( and ) z [ n ]), where and represents the boolean and function , and or represents the boolean or function . fig2 c illustrates an exemplary logic circuit that performs the function of a carry lut that receives the binary numbers x , y , and z , and outputs ( x ( and ) y )( or )( x ( and ) z )( or )( y ( and ) z ) in response thereto . as can be seen in fig2 c , and gate 292 receives x and y and outputs the result x ( and ) y . the and gate 293 receives x and z and outputs the result x ( and ) z . the and gate 294 receives y and z and outputs the result y ( and ) z . the or gate 295 receives the outputs of and gates 292 , 293 , and 294 , and outputs the signal { x ( and ) y }( or ){ x ( and ) z }( or ){ y ( and ) z } in response thereto . it is to be noted that other logical circuits may also perform the function of receiving three binary bits and outputting the carry resulting from adding those bits . it is to be noted that the carry over signals that are determined by adders 216 , 226 , 266 , and 276 and carried on line 290 are not the same as the carry signals determined in luts 215 , 225 , 265 , and 275 , which are also herein referred to as a share carry signals . the carry over signal is the carry signal resulting from adding the signals input to the adder . for example , the carry over signal output by adder 226 is the carry signal resulting from adding the signals received from luts 215 and 220 and from adder 216 via line 290 . the share carry signal is the carry signal in the carry adder save process . it is the carry result of adding the binary numbers x , y , and z . in one embodiment , each of adders 216 , 226 , 266 , and 276 may be implemented using logic circuits such as those shown in fig2 b and 2c . the three input signals to the adder would be provided to both of the logic circuits . one logic circuit , such as that shown in fig2 b , would output the sum of the three input signals . that sum would represent the one bit sum of the corresponding bits of the numbers x , y , and z and would be provided as an output of the le . the other logic circuit , such as that shown in fig2 c , would output the carry resulting from adding the three input signals . the carry signal would be provided to the following adder on line 290 as a carry over signal . it is to be noted that when logic circuits , such as those shown in fig2 b and 2c , are used in an adder , such as for example , adder 216 , the input signals to the logic circuits are not x , y , and z . instead , they are the three input signals that adder 216 receives as shown in fig2 a and described above . it is also to be noted that other logic circuits , besides those shown in fig2 b and 2c , may be used to perform the function of adding three bits of numbers and providing their sum and carry results . fig3 is a more detailed block diagram of an le 205 of the present invention . in fig3 , luts 312 and 313 in conjunction with multiplexer 314 correspond to lut 210 . those skilled in the art know that two 3 input luts ( such as luts 312 and 313 ) in combination with a 2 : 1 multiplexer ( such as multiplexer 314 ) are functionally the same as a 4 input lut ( such as lut 210 ). luts 317 and 318 in conjunction with multiplexer 319 correspond to lut 215 . luts 322 and 323 in conjunction with multiplexer 324 correspond to lut 220 . luts 327 and 328 in conjunction with multiplexer 329 correspond to lut 225 . multiplexers 314 and 319 receive the signal d 0 as a select signal . multiplexers 324 and 329 receive the signal d 1 as a select signal . le 205 in fig3 also includes multiplexers 331 , 332 , 341 , 342 , 381 , 386 , and 391 . the input terminals of multiplexer 331 are coupled to the output terminals of multiplexers 314 and 319 . multiplexer 331 receives the signal e as a select signal . using select signal e , multiplexer 331 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of multiplexers 314 and 319 . the input terminals of multiplexer 332 are coupled to the output terminals of luts 317 and 318 . multiplexer 332 receives the signal e as a select signal . using select signal e , multiplexer 332 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of luts 317 and 318 . the input terminals of multiplexer 341 are coupled to the output terminals of multiplexers 324 and 329 . multiplexer 341 receives the signal e as a select signal . using select signal e , multiplexer 341 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of multiplexers 324 and 329 . the input terminals of multiplexer 342 are coupled to the output terminals of luts 327 and 328 . multiplexer 342 receives the signal f as a select signal . using select signal f , multiplexer 342 selects as an output signal one of the two input signals that it receives , i . e ., the output signals of luts 327 and 328 . multiplexer 381 receives the output signal of multiplexer 332 on an original input terminal and a shared signal from the previous le on a new input terminal . multiplexer 391 receives the output signal of multiplexer 319 on a new input terminal and the output signal of multiplexer 342 on an original input terminal . when the le is set to operate in the addition of three binary numbers mode , each of multiplexers 381 and 391 is set to select the input signal that it receives on its new input terminal . in other words , multiplexer 381 selects as an output signal the shared signal it receives from the multiplexer of the previous le and multiplexer 391 selects as an output signal the signal that it receives from the multiplexer 319 . when the le is not set to operate in the addition of three binary numbers mode , as , for example , when it is set to operate in the addition of two binary numbers mode or a non - arithmetic mode , then each of multiplexers 381 and 391 is set to select the input signal that it receives on its original input terminal . in other words , multiplexer 381 selects as an output signal the signal that it receives from multiplexer 332 , and multiplexer 391 selects as an output signal the signal that it receives from the multiplexer 342 . the output terminals of multiplexers 381 and 391 are coupled to adders 216 and 226 , respectively . thus , adder 216 receives the output signal of multiplexer 381 as an input signal and adder 226 receives the output signal of multiplexer 391 as an input signal . adder 216 also receives the output signal of multiplexer 314 and a signal on line 290 . the signal that adder 216 receives on line 290 is either a carry over signal from a previous le or a ground signal if le 205 outputs the first bit resulting from adding the binary numbers x , y , and z . adder 226 also receives the output signal of multiplexer 324 and a signal on line 290 . the signal that adder 226 receives on line 290 is the carry over signal from adder 216 . when multiplexer 381 selects the input signal that it receives on the new input terminal , then the output signal of adder 216 is fn ( a , b , c 0 , d 0 )+ fn ( a , b , c 0 , e ). in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 0 , d 0 and ( 2 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 0 , e . when multiplexer 381 selects the input signal that it receives on the original input terminal , then the output signal of adder 216 is a , b , c 0 , d 0 and prva , prvb , prvc 1 , prvd 1 . in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) the signals received on terminals a , b , c 0 , d 0 and ( 2 ) the signals received on the a , b , c 1 , and d 1 terminals of the le preceding le 205 . when multiplexer 391 selects the input signal that it receives on the new input terminal , then the output signal of adder 226 is fn ( a , b , c 1 , d 1 )+ fn ( a , b , c 1 , f ). in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 1 , d 1 and ( 2 ) a function of the input signals received on terminals a , b , c 1 , f . when multiplexer 391 selects the input signal that it receives on the original input terminal , then the output signal of adder 226 is a , b , c 1 , d 1 and a , b , c 0 , d 0 . in other words , the output signal is the sum of ( 1 ) the signals received on terminals a , b , c 1 , d 1 and ( 2 ) the signals received on the terminals a , b , c 0 , and d 0 of le 205 . it is to be noted that in one embodiment , le 205 may be used for the addition of three binary numbers without including multiplexers 381 and 391 . for example , the terminal on which the shared input signal is received may be hardwired to an input terminal of the adder 216 . similarly , the output terminal of multiplexer 319 may be hardwired to an input terminal of the adder 226 . such an embodiment would allow saving the die area that would otherwise be occupied by multiplexers 381 and 391 . it would also save the die area that would otherwise by occupied by the 1 - bit ram for providing the select signal to multiplexers 381 and 391 . finally , it would save the die area that would otherwise by occupied by multiplexers 332 and 342 . also , in such an embodiment , the output signals of adders 216 and 226 are the same as those described above when multiplexers 381 and 391 select the signals received on the new input terminals . the input terminals of multiplexer 386 are coupled to the output terminals of multiplexers 331 and 341 . multiplexer 386 receives the f signal as a select signal . using the f signal , multiplexer 386 selects as an output signal one of the two signals that it receives as input signals ( i . e ., the output signals of multiplexers 331 and 341 ). the output signal of multiplexer 386 is fn ( a , b , c , d , e , f ). in other words , it is a function of the signals received on terminals a , b , c , d , e , and f of le 205 . the output signal of multiplexer 329 is provided to the next le , i . e ., le 255 ( shown in fig2 a ). more specifically , it is provided as an input signal to hardwired adder 266 in le 255 ( both of which are shown in fig2 a ). the output signal of multiplexer 329 is a shared carry signal . as shown in fig2 a , each le outputs two bits of data resulting from adding the binary numbers x , y , and z . as further shown in fig3 , in addition to the two adder outputs , i . e ., the outputs of adders 216 and 226 , le 205 also outputs a signal fn ( a , b , c , d , e , f ) that is a logical function of the input signals a , b , c , d , e , and f . fig4 is a schematic diagram illustrating , by way of example , the benefits of using a ternary adder tree 405 ( where each adder adds three binary numbers ) instead of a binary adder tree 410 ( where each adder adds two binary numbers ). in the example of fig4 , there are 128 binary numbers that are to be added . the addition of 128 binary numbers may , for example , occur in a large finite input response (“ fir ”) filter . in the example shown in fig4 , in the case of the binary adder tree 410 , there are seven levels of adders and 127 adders 411 ( not all of which are shown in fig4 ) required to produce a result . by contrast , in the case of the ternary adder tree 405 , there are 5 levels of adders and 64 adders 406 ( not all of which are shown in fig4 ) required to produce a result . thus , using a ternary adder tree , instead of a binary adder tree , results in an approximately 50 % reduction in the number of adders needed . this reduces the chip area required to implement the adder tree by approximately 50 %. the reduction in the number of adder levels increases the speed with which the 128 binary numbers can be added . in the example of fig4 , the ternary adder tree 405 provides an approximately 33 % improvement in speed over the binary adder tree 410 . the adder tree accounts for the bulk of digital signal processing (“ dsp ”) applications such as fir filters as well as appearing in multipliers and general arithmetic logic . this makes the area savings attractive for common classes of circuits . those skilled in the art will recognize that adders 406 or 411 are not the same as adders 216 , 226 , 266 , or 276 ( shown in fig2 and 3 ). instead , each of adders 406 includes a combination of luts , multiplexers , and hardwired adders used to implement an adder for adding three binary numbers . similarly , each of adders 411 includes lut ( s ), multiplexer ( s ), and / or hardwired adders needed to implement an adder for adding two binary numbers . fig5 illustrates , by way of example , a pld 510 in a data processing system 500 . as one example , logic circuits of this invention may be implemented in les of plds such as pld 510 . pld 510 includes a plurality of labs such as lab 512 ( only one lab is shown to avoid overcomplicating the drawing ). lab 512 includes a plurality of les such as le 205 ( only one le is shown to avoid overcomplicating the drawing ). in one embodiment , le 205 and lab 511 are on the same die / chip as pld 510 . data processing system 500 may include one or more of the following components : a processor 540 ; memory 550 ; input / output ( i / o ) circuitry 520 ; and peripheral devices 530 . these components are coupled together by a system bus 565 and are populated on a circuit board 560 which is contained in an end - user system 570 . a data processing system such as system 500 may include a single end - user system such as end - user system 570 or may include a plurality of systems working together as a data processing system . system 500 can be used in a wide variety of applications , such as computer networking , data networking , instrumentation , video processing , dsp , or any other application where the advantage of using programmable or reprogrammable logic is desirable . pld 510 can be used to perform a variety of different logic functions . for example , pld 510 can be configured as a processor or controller that works in cooperation with processor 540 ( or , in alternative embodiments , a pld might itself act as the sole system processor ). pld 510 may also be used as an arbiter for arbitrating access to a shared resources in system 500 . in yet another example , pld 510 can be configured as an interface between processor 540 and one of the other components in system 500 . it should be noted that system 500 is only exemplary . in one embodiment , system 500 is a digital system . as used herein a digital system is not intended to be limited to a purely digital system , but also encompasses hybrid systems that include both digital and analog subsystems . while the present invention has been particularly described with respect to the illustrated embodiments , it will be appreciated that various alterations , modifications and adaptations may be made based on the present disclosure , and are intended to be within the scope of the present invention . while the invention has been described in connection with what are presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims .	6
fig1 is a block diagram depicting an electronic data system 100 incorporating a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention . in general , the data storage system 104 may be interconnected to one or more host processors or computers 108 by a host bus and / or network 112 . accordingly , embodiments of the present invention have applications in association with single or multiple hosts 108 in storage area network ( san ) or direct connect environments . with reference now to fig2 , components that may be included in a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . in general , the data storage system 104 includes a number of storage devices 204 a - f . examples of storage devices 204 include hard disk drives , such as serial advanced technology attachment ( sata ), small computer system interface ( scsi ), serial attached scsi ( sas ), fiber channel ( fc ) or parallel advanced technology attachment ( pata ) hard disk drives . other examples of storage devices 204 include magnetic tape storage devices , optical storage devices or solid state disk devices . furthermore , although a number of storage devices 204 are illustrated , it should be appreciated embodiments of the present invention are not limited to any particular number of storage devices , and that a lesser or greater number of storage devices 204 may be provided as part of a data storage system 104 . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , arrays and / or array partitions , hereinafter referred to as logical unit numbers ( luns ) may be established on the data storage devices 204 . as can further be appreciated by one of skill in the art , a lun may be implemented in accordance with any one of the various raid array levels or other arrangements for storing data on one or more storage devices 204 . as can also be appreciated by one of skill in the art , data stored within logical unit numbers may be associated with a logical block address ( lba ) that identifies a block and a bitmap that identifies a sector within the array at which a sector of data is stored . a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention may be provided with a first controller slot 208 a and a second controller slot 208 b . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , a controller slot 208 may comprise a connection or set of connections to enable a controller 212 to be operably interconnected to other components of the data storage system 104 . furthermore , a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention includes a pair of controllers 212 a - b . for example , the data storage system 104 may be operated in a dual controller mode , such as a dual controller redundant active - active controller mode . the first controller 212 a is received by the first controller slot 208 a , while the second controller 212 b is received by the second controller slot 208 b . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , the provision of two controllers 212 a - b permits data to be mirrored between the controllers 212 a - b , providing redundant controller operation . furthermore , a data storage system 104 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can provide an active - active dual controller mode of operation , according to which the first controller 212 a operates as the primary controller with respect to a first set of luns while the second controller 212 b operates as the secondary controller with respect to the first set of luns , and according to which the second controller 212 b operates as the primary controller with respect to a second set of luns while the primary controller 212 a operates as the secondary controller with respect to the second set of luns . as can also be appreciated by one of skill in the art , the controller slots 208 may be configured such that a controller 212 may be removed from or added to the data storage system 104 relatively easily , to facilitate upgrade and / or maintenance operations . for example , the controller slots 208 may facilitate the provision of a controller 212 as a field replaceable unit ( fru ) that can be added to the data storage system 104 or replaced as part of a plug - in type operation . one or more storage device buses or channels 216 are generally provided to interconnect with a controller or controllers 212 a - b , through the associated controller slot or slots 208 a - b , to the storage devices 204 . furthermore , while illustrated as a single shared storage device bus or channel 216 , it can be appreciated that a number of dedicated and / or shared storage device buses or channels may be provided . the storage device bus or channel 216 may , for example , comprise an sata , scsi , sas , fc or pata bus or channel . the storage device bus or channel 216 may also serve to interconnect the controllers 212 a - b , for example to pass frames of customer data and associated metadata between the controllers as described herein . alternatively or in addition , a link channel 218 may be provided to interconnect the controllers 212 a - b . additional components that may be included in a data storage system 104 include one or more power supplies 128 and one or more cooling units 132 . in addition , a bus or network interface 136 may be provided to interconnect the data storage system 104 to the host bus or network 112 . in accordance with other embodiments of the present invention , the controllers 212 may be interconnected to the host bus or network 112 directly . with reference now to fig3 , aspects of a controller 212 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . in general , a controller 212 includes a processor subsystem 304 capable of executing instructions for performing , implementing and / or controlling various controller 212 functions . such instructions may be stored as software and / or firmware . furthermore , instructions carried out by the processor subsystem 304 may comprise the operation of hardwired logic . for example , operations of a controller 212 related to creating frames of customer data and associated metadata may be performed by executing instructions stored in software or firmware . as a further example , operations concerning the generation of parity data may be performed using hardwired logic circuits provided as part of the processor subsystem 304 . accordingly , the processor subsystem 304 may be implemented as a number of discrete components , such as one or more programmable processors in combination with one or more hardwired logic circuits . the processor subsystem 304 may also include or be implemented as one or more integrated devices , including , for example , application specific integrated circuits ( asics ). a controller 212 also generally includes memory 308 . the memory 308 is divided or partitioned into at least first and second partitions comprising a write cache 312 and a read cache 316 . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art , by providing caches 312 , 316 , a controller can improve the speed of input / output ( io ) operations between a host 108 and the data storage devices 204 comprising an array or array partition . as can further be appreciated by one of skill in the art , a controller 212 typically reports to the relevant host 108 that a write operation has been completed after data associated with that operation has been written to the write cache 312 . as can also be appreciated by one of skill in the art , the indication that a write operation has been completed will generally be given to the host even though data has not yet been successfully written to a data storage device or devices 204 . therefore , while providing this early indication of the completion of a write is advantageous in that it allows the host 108 to discard the data provided as part of the write operation , improving overall data system 100 performance , it risks the loss of that data should the controller 212 , the target device or devices 204 , the bus or channel 216 interconnecting the controller 212 to the source device or devices 204 , or some other component or operation fail . for this reason , it is often considered desirable to provide dual redundant controllers 212 in which data comprising a write operation being primarily handled by one controller 212 is mirrored to a partner controller 212 . the memory 308 of the first controller 212 a and the memory 308 of the second controller 212 b have the same memory map and the same memory size . the memory 308 is not specifically limited to memory of any particular type . for example , the memory 308 may comprise a solid state memory device . as a further example , the memory 308 may comprise a number of solid state memory devices . in a typical implementation , the memory 308 comprises volatile memory . in order to support the mirroring of data , the write cache 312 is segmented into first and second segments 320 and 324 . one segment 320 is used to cache write operations that the controller 212 is primarily responsible for ( i . e ., write operations involving luns owned by the subject controller 212 ). the second segment ( e . g ., segment 324 ) is , according to embodiments of the present invention , used as a cache for data involving write operations associated with luns that are not owned by or zoned to the subject controller 212 . that is , the second segment 324 of the write cache 312 is used in connection with luns that are separable from those directed to luns associated with the first segment 320 , and in particular is used as a write cache for data mirrored from a partner controller 212 when the subject controller 212 is associated with a data storage system 104 operating in a dual controller mode . a controller 212 may additionally include other components . for example , a bus and / or network interface 328 may be provided for operably interconnecting the controller 212 to the host processors or computers 108 , for example through a controller slot 208 and a host bus or channel 112 . furthermore , the interface 328 may be physically configured to facilitate removal or replacement of the controller 212 in a controller slot 208 as a field replaceable unit ( fru ). with reference to fig4 , components and / or tasks that may be included in or performed by a processor subsystem 304 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . such components may include a processor 404 capable of executing instructions in connection with performing , implementing and / or controlling various controller 212 functions . the instructions may be stored as software and / or firmware . for example , an application or instruction set comprising controller operating instructions 412 and an application or instruction set comprising a data mirroring application 416 as described herein may be maintained by or included in the processor subsystem 304 . functions of the processor 404 that may be performed in connection with the execution of controller operating instructions 412 include , for example , the distribution of data across multiple storage devices 204 , the detection of power outages and the transfer of data held in the write cache 312 to non - volatile memory 324 in response to the detection of power outages . functions of the processor 404 that may be performed in connection with the execution of the data mirroring application 416 include the generation of data frames and associated metadata on a controller 212 operating as a primary controller 212 , as described herein . in addition , through execution of the data mirroring application 416 on a controller 212 operating as a secondary controller 212 , the processor 404 may function to place metadata and customer data in appropriate areas of memory , to maintain a count value that is incremented for each received frame , and to assign a current count value to a received frame . furthermore , although various discrete devices can be used to implement a processor subsystem 304 in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , other embodiments of a processor subsystem 304 may include components that are at least partially integrated . for example , a processor subsystem 304 may incorporate or be implemented as a central processing unit ( cpu ), microprocessor , digital signal processor ( dsp ) or application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). with reference to fig5 , aspects of the operation of a data storage system 104 incorporating a pair of controllers 212 implementing data mirroring in accordance with embodiments of the present invention are illustrated . initially , at step 500 , a chunk of customer data is received from a host processor or computer 108 at the primary controller 212 ( e . g . first controller 212 a ) of a controller pair 212 providing redundant operation . the primary controller 212 places at least a portion of the chunk of customer data in a frame , determines the lun and lba for the customer data , and inserts a head in the frame describing the raid array ( lun ) and the logical block address ( lba ) of the data included in the frame ( step 504 ). metadata in addition to the lun and lba may also be included in the head of the frame . at step 508 , the primary controller 212 places the customer data included in the frame and the associated metadata in memory 308 . more particularly , the customer data and the associated metadata may be placed in different locations included in the segment 320 of the write cache 312 that is used to cache write operations that the controller 212 is primarily responsible for ( i . e ., write operations involving luns owned by the subject controller 212 ). the frame of customer data and associated metadata is then sent to the secondary controller 212 ( e . g . second controller 212 b )( step 512 ). the secondary controller 212 receives the frame , increments a count value held by a counter , and assigns the current count value to the received frame ( step 516 ). in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , the counter may be established and maintained by the data mirroring application or task 416 of the processor subsystem 304 of the secondary controller 212 . the secondary controller 212 then places the customer data in memory 308 and places the metadata , including the lun , lba and assigned count value for the customer data in the memory 308 at a location that is different than the location of the customer data but that is indexed to the location of the customer data ( step 520 ). accordingly , the association of the customer data in the received frame and the metadata for that customer data is maintained by storing the metadata in a location in memory 308 that corresponds to the location of the customer data in memory 308 . in accordance with embodiments of the present invention , the customer data from the received frame and the associated metadata may be placed in different locations of the write cache 312 included in the memory 308 provided as part of the secondary controller 212 . more particularly , the secondary controller 212 may place the data from the received frame and the associated metadata in different locations within the segment 324 of memory 308 that is used as a cache for data involving write operations associated with luns that are not owned by or zoned to the subject controller 212 . that is , the second segment 324 of the write cache 312 is used in connection with luns that are separable from those directed to luns associated with the first segment 320 , and in particular is used as a write cache for data mirrored from a partner controller 212 . moreover , the address of the metadata in the memory 308 of the primary controller 212 is the same as the address of the copy of that metadata in memory 308 of the secondary controller 212 . similarly , the address of the customer data in the memory 308 of the primary controller 212 is the same as the address of the copy of that customer data in the memory 308 of the secondary controller 212 . at step 524 a determination is made as to whether there is additional data from the received chunk that remains to be placed into a frame , associated with metadata , and mirrored from the primary controller 212 to the secondary controller 212 . if additional data remains to be mirrored , the next portion of the received chunk of data is obtained or identified ( step 528 ), and the process returns to step 504 . if no more data from the received chunk remains to be mirrored from the primary controller 212 to the secondary controller 212 , the process for mirroring customer data may end . as can be appreciated by one of skill in the art from the description provided herein , embodiments of the present invention provide for the mirroring of a segment of customer data from a primary controller 212 to a secondary controller 212 in a single message or frame , without requiring a separate message and without causing the generation of an interrupt on the second controller 212 in order to provide the second controller with metadata for the segment of customer data . in addition , it can be appreciated that in an active - active arrangement , one controller 212 may operate as the primary controller 212 with respect to operations involving a first set of luns , while that same controller 212 may operate as a secondary controller 212 with respect to operations involving a second set of luns . with reference to fig6 , aspects of the operation of a storage system 104 in connection with a failover condition in which the primary controller 212 has failed and the secondary controller 212 performs write operations ( i . e ., writes data from the write cache that was mirrored from the primary controller 212 ) on behalf of the primary controller 212 are illustrated . initially , a determination is made as to whether the primary controller 212 is in a failover condition that requires writing data mirrored to the secondary controller 212 to one or more storage devices 204 ( step 600 ). if the primary controller is not in a failover condition , the process may idle at step 600 . if the primary controller 212 is determined to be in a failover condition , the secondary controller reads through the mirrored metadata in its memory 308 ( step 604 ). a determination is then made as to whether the metadata for one frame of customer data includes an lba and an lun that matches the lba and lun for another frame of data in the secondary controller &# 39 ; s 212 memory 308 ( step 608 ). if frames with matching lbas and luns are identified by the secondary controller 212 , the secondary controller 212 identifies which of the frames is oldest by comparing the count values assigned to the frames ( step 612 ). after identifying the oldest frame , that frame is discarded ( step 620 ), and the remaining frame is made available for writing to the storage device or devices 204 ( step 624 ). once the oldest frames with lbas and luns that match the lbas and luns of newer frames are identified and discarded , or after determining that there are no matches between the lbas and luns of any of the cached data frames , the remaining frames are written to the storage device or devices 204 ( step 628 ). accordingly , redundancy with respect to write operations pending in the primary controller 212 when that controller 212 fails is provided by a secondary controller 212 that receives frames of mirrored data that include metadata as described herein . the foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . further , the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein . consequently , variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings , within the skill or knowledge of the relevant art , are within the scope of the present invention . the embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain the best mode presently known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such or in other embodiments and with the various modifications required by their particular application or use of the invention . it is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art .	6
the other resin added to polyethylene terephthalate ( referred to as the blend resin ) may be suitably chosen from among resins which can be extruded at 270 °- 350 ° c . e . g . polyolefin resins such as polyethylene or polypropylene , polyether resins such as polyethylene glycol , polyoxymethylene and polyoxypropylene , urethane resins such as polyester polyurethanes and polyether polyurethanes , and polycarbonates or polystyrenes . two or more of the aforesaid blend resins may also be used in conjunction . the blending ratio of the polyethylene terephthalate and the blend resin is suitably determined according to the polymerization degree and type of blend resin , but in the case of polyolefin resins , this ratio in terms of weight preferably lies in the range 100 : 0 - 80 : 20 . if the blending ratio of the blend resin is greater than 20 weight %, the toughness of the photographic printing paper support decreases , and its surface smoothness is unsatisfactory . if a resin other than a polyolefin resin is used , the aforesaid blending ratio may lie in the range 100 : 0 - 40 : 60 . if the blending ratio of the blend resin exceeds 60 weight %, the curl of the support with time cannot be adequately prevented . the titanium oxide used in this invention may be in the anatase or rutile form , and its average particle size should lie in the range 0 . 1 - 0 . 8 , μm . if this particle size is less than 0 . 1 μm , it is difficult to disperse it evenly throughout the resin layer . if on the other hand it is greater than 0 . 8 μm , flatness of the photographic printing paper support surface cannot be obtained , and the whiteness is unsatisfactory . it is further desirable that the amount of titanium oxide lies in the range 2 - 20 weight %. it is preferable that the average particle size of calcium carbonate used in this invention lies in the range 0 . 01 - 1 . 5 μm . if this particle size is less than 0 . 01 μm , dispersion is difficult as in the case of the aforesaid titanium oxide , while if it is greater than 1 . 51 μm , flatness of the photographic printing paper support surface cannot be obtained . it is further desirable that the amount of calcium carbonate lies in the range 1 - 30 weight %. the titanium oxide or calcium carbonate may be easily mixed with the aforesaid polyethylene terephthalate by any of the usual methods . in order to manufacture the photographic printing paper support of this invention , one surface of the raw paper is covered by a composition comprising polyethylene terephthalate resin or polyethylene terephthalate resin mixed with a blend resin and titanium oxide so as to form the surface to be emulsion - coated , and the other surface of the raw paper is coated with a composition comprising polyethylene terephthalate resin or polyethylene terephthalate resin mixed with a blend resin and calcium carbonate . it is preferable that the thickness of the resin layer covering each side of the raw paper lies in the range 5 - 50 μm and particularly preferable that it lies in the range 15 - 35 μm . if the thickness is greater than 50 μm , the covering layer easily breaks , while if it is less than 5 μm , the water resistance of the photographic printing paper support is insufficient and its toughness declines . further , from the viewpoint of preventing curl , it is preferable that the thickness of the covering on each surface is approximately the same . in order to apply the aforesaid composition to the raw paper , the raw paper surface may first be prepared by corona discharge treatment or by priming with an undercoat . in the support of this invention , the raw paper surface is covered by a resin containing polyethylene terephthalate as its principal constituent which is known to give better surface smoothness than polyolefin . the printing paper therefore , while retaining the same water resistance and whiteness of conventional papers , has improved surface smoothness and excellent gloss . further , one surface of the raw paper is covered by a composition containing titanium oxide mixed with a resin having polyethylene terephthalate as its principal constituent , and the other surface is covered by a composition containing calcium carbonate mixed with a resin having polyethylene terephthalate as its principal constituent . the paper therefore does not curl with time . this invention will now be described in more detail by specific examples , but it should be understood that the invention is by no means limited to these examples . a composition containing titanium oxide shown in table 1 was applied to one surface of a raw paper of thickness 180 μm , and a composition containing calcium carbonate shown in table 2 was applied to the other side of the paper . both compositions were hot extruded at 300 ° c . so as to form laminated layers of thickness 25 - 30 μm . the curl of the support obtained was evaluated , and the results are shown in table 2 . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ composition covering one surface of raw paper weight weight % of laminated ratio of type of titanium oxide film resin 1 / titanium with respect to thickness , sample resin 1 resin 2 resin 2 oxide whole composition μm__________________________________________________________________________example 1 r1 -- -- t1 10 25example 2 r1 r2 90 / 10 t1 10 25example 3 r1 -- -- t1 10 30example 4 r1 rm 90 / 10 t1 8 30comparative r2 -- -- t1 10 30example 1__________________________________________________________________________ the symbols in the table have the following significance : r1 : polyethylene terephthalate r2 : polypropylene r3 : polyethylene rm : composition having a weight ratio of r2 and r3 = 1 : 1 t1 : titanium oxide of average particle diameter 0 . 3 μm table 2__________________________________________________________________________ composition covering other surface of raw paper weight weight % of calcium laminated standard ratio of carbonate with film deviation of resin 3 / type of respect to whole thickness , height abovesample resin 3 resin 4 resin 4 powder composition μm platform , mm__________________________________________________________________________example 1 r1 r2 98 / 2 p1 7 25 0 . 2example 2 r1 -- -- p1 7 30 0 . 2example 3 r1 -- -- p1 7 30 0 . 2example 4 r1 r2 98 / 2 p1 20 30 0 . 1comparative r3 -- -- -- 0 30 0 . 7example 1__________________________________________________________________________ the symbols in the table have the following significance : r1 : polyethylene terephthalate r2 : polypropylene r3 : polyethylene p1 : calcium carbonate of average particle diameter 0 . 07 μm curl was evaluated for a plurality of samples . to evaluate curl , the aforesaid support was wound around a core of diameter 10 cm , and left at a temperature of 50 ° c . for 6 hours . a sample of dimensions 5 cm length × 5 cm width was then mounted on a flat plate , the height of the sample above the flat plate in the vertical and horizontal directions was measured at 1 cm intervals ( 36 points including the 4 corners of the sample ), and the standard deviation from this height was calculated to give the curl .	1
a preferred embodiment of the invention is incorporated into a node referred to as a adaptable node ( rxn ) in a adaptive computing engine ( ace ) manufactured by quicksilver , inc ., of san jose , calif . details of the ace engine and rxn node can be found in the priority and related patent applications reference above . aspects of the invention described herein are adaptable for use with any generalized digital processing system , such as a system adapted for digital signal processing or other types of processing . [ 0024 ] fig2 illustrates the configurable data path arrangement of the present invention . in fig2 digital processing system 100 is designed for fast dsp - type processing such as in discrete cosine transformation ( dct ), fast fourier transformation ( fft ), etc . digital processing system 100 includes four 32 - bit data path address generators ( dag ) to interface between four groups of configurable data path lines 200 and a main memory bus 110 . main memory bus 110 is an arbitrated high - speed bus as is known in the art . other types of main memory accessing can be used . each group of 32 lines includes two subgroups of 16 lines each . each subgroup connected to a register files of eight 16 - bit words . for example , dag 120 is connected to register files 180 and 182 . dag 122 is connected to register files 184 and 186 . similarly , dags 124 and 126 are connected to register files 188 , 190 and 192 , 194 , respectively . naturally , other embodiments can use any number of dags , groups , subgroups register files . although specific bit widths , numbers of lines , components , etc ., and specific connectivity are described , many variations are possible and are within the scope of the invention . although the dags play a major role in the preferred embodiment , other embodiments can use other types of interfacing to the main memory bus . although the dags provide a high degree of configurable routing options ( as discussed below ), other embodiments can vary in the degree of configurability , and in the specific configuration options and control methods . in some cases simple registers , register files , multiplexers or other components might be used in place of the dags of the present invention . the use of register files on each of the discrete subgroup lines simplifies the interconnection architecture from that of the more generalized bus and multiport register file shown in fig1 of the prior art . this approach can also provide benefits in reduced transistor count , power consumption , improved scalability , efficient data access and other advantages . although configuring the data path of the present invention may be more complex than with generalized approaches , in practice a compiler is able to automatically handle the configuration transparently to a human programmer . this allows creation of faster - executing code for a variety of dsp applications by using the same hardware architecture without any placing any undue burden on the programmer . if desired , a programmer can customize the data path configuration in order to further optimize processing execution . groups of data path lines 200 are used to transfer data from memory bus 110 to functional units within blocks 130 and 132 , and also to transfer data among the functional units , themselves . the functional unit blocks are essentially the same so only block 130 is discussed in detail . functional units include programmable array multipliers ( pams ) 140 , accumulators ( and shift registers ) 150 , data cache 160 and arithmetic / logic units ( alus ) 170 and 172 . naturally , the functional units used in any specific embodiment can vary in number and type from that shown in fig2 . functional units are connected to the data path line groups via multiplexers and demultiplexers such as 210 and 220 , respectively . inputs and outputs ( i / os ) from the functional units can , optionally , use multiplexing to more than one subgroup of data path lines ; or an i / o can be connected directly to one subgroup . a preferred embodiment uses pipeline registers between i / o ports and data path lines , as shown by boxes labeled “ p ” in fig2 . pipeline registers allow holding data at i / o ports , onto data lines , or for other purposes . the pipeline registers also allow obtaining a zero , 1 , or other desired binary values and provide other advantages . pipeline registers are described in more detail in the co - pending patent application “ input pipeline registers for a node in an adaptive computing engine ” referenced above . table i , below , shows dag operations . the configuration of the data path from cycle to cycle is set by a control word , or words obtained from the main memory bus in accordance with controller modules such as a hardware task manager , scheduler and other processes and components not shown in fig2 but discussed in related patent applications . part of the configuration information includes fields for dag operations . a dag operation can change from cycle to cycle and includes reading data of various widths from memory or from another dag . dag operations other than those shown in table i can be used . each dag has one 5 - bit ‘ dag - op ’ field and one 4 - bit ‘ address ’ field . there is a single ‘ pred ’ field that defines non - sequencing operations . table i dag - p mnemonic description cycles 0x00 read8 read 8 - bits from memory 1 0x01 read8x read 8 - bits from memory and sign extend to 32 - bits 1 0x02 read16 read 16 - bits from memory 1 0x03 read16x read 16 - bits from memory and sign extend to 32 - bits 1 0x04 read24 read 24 - bits from memory 1 0x05 read24x read 24 - bits from memory and sign extend to 32 - bits 1 0x06 read32 read 32 - bits from memory 1 0x07 write8 write 8 - bits to memory 1 0x08 write16 write 16 - bits to memory 1 0x09 write24 write 24 - bits to memory 1 0x0a write32 write 32 - bits to memory 1 0x0b writemindp write 32 - bits ( only mode supported ) to min write queue from the data path 1 buses 0x0c writeminm write 32 - bits ( only mode supported ) to min write queue from a 32 - bit memory 1 read . ( pipelined ) 0x0d readdag16 read a 16 bit value from one dag register 0 0x0e readdag32 read a 32 bit value from two dag registers 0 0x0f load32dp load two 16 - bit dag registers or 32 - bit write buffer using 32 - bit data in 1 dp2n : dp2n + 1 connecting to dagn 0x10 load16dpn load a dag register from an even data path bus 1 0x11 load16dpn + 1 load a dag register from an odd data path bus 1 0x12 modify modify address but do not do a memory access . 1 0x13 dagnoop do nothing . all dag operations execute every clock cycle until this operation 1 is chosen 0x14 dagcont continue the previous operation 1 0x15 writepa writes 32 - bits of data from memory into ‘ tfrl ’ or ‘ tbrl ’ 1 0x16 writeminbuf write 32 - bits to min write queue from buffer 1 for dag - op : 0x00 to 0x0a , 0x0c and 0x12 the dag operation format of table ii applies . the address field is divided into action and context as shown . the ‘ action ’ field describes the address modification / generation process using a set of registers ( base , limit , index and delta ) pointed to by the ‘ context ’ field . the ‘ context ’ field is used to point at a specific dag setting ( base , limit , index and delta ) on which an ‘ action ’ is performed or a dag register is accessed ( ii ) for convenience , an action function is defined according to the action table — action ( action , context ) where ‘ action ’ and ‘ context ’ refer to the dag operation fields . this function is used in the individual dag operation descriptions . ( ii ) for dag - op : 0x0d to 0x11 the following dag operation format applies : the ‘ dag - reg ’ field is used to identify a specific 16 - bit register ( base or limit or index or delta ) within a dag ‘ context ’ as specified by the dag - reg table ( below ) for operations 0x0e and 0x0f , the dag - reg field is used to address 2 dag registers — base and limit or index and delta or a write buffer location . in this case , the ‘ dag - reg ’ table is as follows : the universal ‘ pred ’ field along with the ‘ s ’ bit determines whether a dag operation is executed or not executed . when a dag operation is ‘ not executed ’ due to its predication , the last executed dag operation executes again . although the invention has been discussed with respect to specific embodiments thereof , these embodiments are merely illustrative , and not restrictive , of the invention . for example , although the node has been described as part of an adaptive computing machine , or environment , aspects of the filter node design , processing and functions can be used with other types of systems . in general , the number of lines and specific interconnections can vary in different embodiments . specific components , e . g ., the data address generator , can be implemented in different ways in different designs . components may be omitted , substituted or implemented with one or more of the same or different components . for example , a data address generator can by substituted with a general register , or it can be a different component responsive to a control word . many variations are possible . thus , the scope of the invention is to be determined solely by the dependent claims .	6
the viscosity measuring system 10 is based on and uses a stein hall cup 11 used in the paper and paperboard industry for many years . as discussed above , the stein hall cup is supplied with liquid starch and the starch level in the cup is monitored as it moves downwardly by gravity through an orifice 12 in the cup . the time it takes for the surface of the starch to pass two vertically separated points , represented for example by an upper pin 13 and a lower pin 14 extending horizontally into the cup , provides a viscosity value . the adhesive sample moving downwardly past the pins 13 , 14 passes through the orifice 12 and to a drain 15 . the system 10 of the present invention is adapted to minimize or virtually eliminate errors attributable to operator observation of the passage of the adhesive level past the upper and lower pins and the variations in adhesive viscosity resulting from temperature change . the accuracy of the change in adhesive level in the cup is determined by the use of a laser 16 which generates sequential time signals as the adhesive level drops in the cup 11 past the pins 13 and 14 . the time signals for adhesive movement are directed to a programmable logic controller ( plc ) 17 to generate a starch viscosity value . because the viscosity of the starch adhesive varies considerably with temperature , temperature of the adhesive is monitored with a temperature probe 18 which may be conveniently located at the inlet to an adhesive circulating pump 20 . the adhesive temperature signal from the probe 18 is also directed to the plc 17 where it is processed with the timed viscosity value signal to generate a temperature compensated starch viscosity . it has been found that , as the cup is being initially filled with adhesive for testing , turbulence in the supply flow tends to generate bubbles in the adhesive over the top surface . because the bubbles can interfere with proper operation of the laser , the cup 11 may be purposely overfilled until the level of the adhesive reaches the top of the cup and the bubbles are discharged . adhesive flow through the system is controlled by a solenoid - operated three - way pneumatic valve 21 that is operable to receive adhesive , via adhesive supply line 34 , from the pump 20 and directed into the stein hall cup 11 or to recirculate the adhesive back to supply , via adhesive return line 33 . the system also utilizes a water supply to direct water to the cup 11 for a number of purposes . the flow of water into the cup 11 is directed from water supply line 23 to a solenoid - operated three - way ball valve 24 from which the water is directed to a fill line 25 into the cup , a set of rinse nozzles 26 at the top of the cup , and a rinse line 27 to the drain 15 . the water supply may be used to pre - heat the cup , to calibrate the cup as discussed above , and to rinse the cup and drain upon completion of an adhesive viscosity measurement . the process controller is preferably programmed to generate a temperature compensated viscosity signal whenever an adhesive formula has been completed . in addition , the operator may manually introduce a liquid adhesive sample to the cup and operate the processor to generate a sample reading of temperature compensated viscosity . when a viscosity measurement cycle has been completed , as by generating a lower pin level signal , the plc operates to open a drain valve 32 , followed by rinsing the remaining adhesive from the cup 11 . the system may conveniently utilize and air / solenoid bank 28 to distribute signals to and from the various valves , the system also preferably includes a control enclosure 30 to permit manual override , provide test access or provide off - line cleaning . a strainer 31 may be positioned in the adhesive line downstream from the pump 20 to remove undispersed solids and the like that might interfere with adhesive flow and / or level detection in the cup . in the foregoing description , certain terms have been used for brevity , clearness , and understanding . no unnecessary limitations are to be inferred therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed . the different configurations , systems , and method steps described herein may be used alone or in combination with other configurations , systems and method steps . it is to be expected that various equivalents , alternatives and modifications are possible within the scope of the appended claims .	6
in the following detailed description , reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof , and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced . these embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention , and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized , and that structural , logical and electrical changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the term “ substrate ” is to be understood as a semiconductor - based material including silicon , silicon - on - insulator ( soi ) or silicon - on - sapphire ( sos ) technology , doped and undoped semiconductors , epitaxial layers of silicon supported by a base semiconductor foundation , and other semiconductor structures . furthermore , when reference is made to a “ substrate ” in the following description , previous process steps may have been utilized to form regions or junctions in and / or over the base semiconductor structure or foundation . in addition , the semiconductor need not be silicon - based , but could be based on silicon - germanium , germanium , or gallium arsenide . the term “ pixel ” or “ pixel cell ” refers to a picture element unit cell containing a photosensor and transistors for converting light radiation to an electrical signal . for purposes of illustration , a representative pixel is illustrated in the figures and description herein and , typically , fabrication of all pixels in an imager will proceed simultaneously in a similar fashion . moreover , while a four - transistor pixel cell is described , the invention is not limited to such an embodiment . the invention may be employed for any pixel cell , such as a two - transistor , three - transistor , five - or more transistor pixel cells and is also not limited to cmos pixels . referring now to the drawings , where like elements are designated by like reference numerals , fig3 illustrates a cross - section of a pixel cell 20 , which is schematically similar to the pixel cell 10 of fig1 . the cross - sectional view of pixel cell 20 shows a photodiode photosensor 24 , transfer transistor 27 and reset transistor 26 . photodiode photosensor 24 is formed as a pinned photodiode having a p - n - p construction comprising a p - type surface layer 23 and an n - type photodiode region 22 within a p - type active layer 21 . the photodiode photosensor 24 is adjacent to and partially underneath the transfer transistor 27 . the reset transistor 26 is on a side of the transfer transistor 27 opposite the photodiode photosensor 24 . as shown in fig3 , the reset transistor 26 includes a source / drain region 22 . the floating diffusion region 25 is between the transfer and reset transistors 27 , 26 . in pixel cell 20 , the transfer transistor 27 and reset transistor 26 gates sit on a gate oxide layer 35 . gate oxide layer 35 , which comprises nitrided gate oxide material , has a thicker region 36 located over the photodiode photosensor 24 . in its thinner portion , gate oxide layer 35 typically has a thickness in the range of approximately 30 å to approximately 40 å , and a nitride concentration of approximately 18 %. this may be the same thickness and nitride concentration as gate oxide layer 15 of a pixel cell 10 of the prior art as illustrated in fig1 . the thicker region 36 has a thickness of approximately double the thickness of the thinner region 34 of gate oxide layer 35 , more preferably , approximately 70 å and a nitride concentration that is greater by approximately 15 - 20 % than the nitride concentration of thinner region 34 , due to its greater thickness . the advantages of pixel cell 20 over the prior art are many . the thicker region 36 over the photodiode photosensor 24 significantly improves the blocking of contaminants that diffuse into the silicon of photodiode photosensor 24 and increase dark current . this is of particular importance where tungsten ( w or wsi x ) is to be used in the formation of the gate stacks of transfer transistor 27 and other transistors . the thicker region 36 may be used to block tungsten ( w ) metal residuals from diffusing into the photodiode silicon after the gates stacks have been formed . another advantage of the thicker region 36 over the photodiode photosensor 24 is that it prevents photodiode junction leakage , thereby enhancing charge storage in the photodiode photosensor 24 and , ultimately , charge transfer to the floating diffusion region 25 . the thicker region 36 inhibits photodiode junction leakage by maintaining the boron ( or other p - type ion ) distribution in the p - type surface layer 23 , which is over the n - type photodiode region 22 . the thicker region 36 provides a further advantage of reducing photon reflection at the surface of photodiode photosensor 24 . the thicker region 36 has a greater index of refraction than the thinner region 34 . increasing the nitride concentration of the gate oxide layer 35 over the photodiode photosensor 24 by increasing the thickness of the gate oxide layer 35 in thicker region 36 also increases the optical refractive index of the gate oxide layer 35 , thereby reducing photon reflection and increasing the amount of incident light on the photodiode photosensor 24 . the present invention requires only a minor change from cmos imager fabrication processing steps . referring to fig4 , at an early stage of fabrication , nitrided gate oxide layer 35 layer is blanket deposited over the substrate 28 by any known method including , but not limited to , high temperature furnace oxide formation , chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ), or sputtering . whereas , in the prior art process , the nitrided gate oxide layer 35 would have a uniform thickness , the present invention forms a thicker region 36 and a thinner region 34 , as shown in fig3 . the thicker region 36 may be formed by methods including , but not limited to , photolithography or reactive ion etching , as shown in fig5 . a mask or reticle 37 is patterned to remain over the regions 24 ′ where the photodiode will be formed in later stages of processing . the exposed portions of the nitrided gate oxide layer 35 are etched away , leaving a thicker region 36 of nitrided gate oxide layer 35 under the mask 37 , as illustrated in fig6 . the mask 37 is removed and subsequent processing steps to form pixel cell 20 are performed in accordance with known techniques . the subsequent processing steps include , but are not limited to , masking and doping regions for source / drain region 22 , photodiode photosensor 24 , and floating diffusion region 25 ( fig3 ), and forming gate stacks for transfer transistor 27 and reset transistor 26 , among others . fig7 illustrates an exemplary imaging device 200 that may utilize pixel cells 20 constructed in accordance with the invention . the imaging device 200 has an imager pixel array 100 comprising a plurality of pixel cells constructed as described above . row lines are selectively activated by a row driver 202 in response to row address decoder 203 . a column driver 204 and column address decoder 205 are also included in the imaging device 200 . the imaging device 200 is operated by the timing and control circuit 206 , which controls the address decoders 203 , 205 . the control circuit 206 also controls the row and column driver circuitry 202 , 204 . a sample and hold ( s / h ) circuit 207 associated with the column driver 204 reads a pixel reset signal vrst and a pixel image signal vsig for selected pixels . a differential signal ( vrst - vsig ) is produced by differential amplifier 208 for each pixel and is digitized by analog - to - digital converter ( adc ) 209 . the analog - to - digital converter 209 supplies the digitized pixel signals to an image processor 210 which forms and outputs a digital image . fig8 shows a system 300 , a typical processor system modified to include the imaging device 200 ( fig7 ) of the invention . the processor - based system 300 is exemplary of a system having digital circuits that could include image sensor devices . without being limiting , such a system could include a computer system , still or video camera system , scanner , machine vision , vehicle navigation , video phone , surveillance system , auto focus system , star tracker system , motion detection system , image stabilization system , and data compression system . the processor - based system 300 , for example a camera system , generally comprises a central processing unit ( cpu ) 395 , such as a microprocessor , that communicates with an input / output ( i / o ) device 391 over a bus 393 . imaging device 200 also communicates with the cpu 395 over bus 393 . the processor - based system 300 also includes random access memory ( ram ) 392 , and can include removable memory 394 , such as flash memory , which also communicate with cpu 395 over the bus 393 . imaging device 200 may be combined with a processor , such as a cpu , digital signal processor , or microprocessor , with or without memory storage on a single integrated circuit or on a different chip than the processor . while the invention has been described in detail in connection with exemplary embodiments known at the time , it should be readily understood that the invention is not limited to such disclosed embodiments . rather , the invention can be modified to incorporate any number of variations , alterations , substitutions or equivalent arrangements not heretofore described , but which are commensurate with the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , the thicker region of nitrided gate oxide layer may be formed by forming a first thin layer of gate oxide over the substrate and patterning a second thin layer over the photodiode regions such that the resulting and patterning a second thin layer over the photodiode regions such that the resulting gate oxide layer over the photodiode regions has approximately twice the thickness of the gate oxide layer formed over the rest of the substrate . accordingly , the invention is not to be seen as limited by the foregoing description , but is only limited by the scope of the appended claims .	7
the features and numerous advantages of the method and system according to the present invention will be best apparent from a detailed description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which : fig1 is a schematic drawing of an optical network topology in which the present invention may be employed ; fig2 is a diagram showing the operation principle of a method of assigning performance indicators to objects of the network according to an embodiment of the invention ; fig3 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of assigning performance indicators to objects of a network according to an embodiment of the invention ; fig4 a and 4 b illustrate how unfeasible optical paths may be generated from feasible optical paths in a step in the flow diagram of fig3 ; fig5 illustrates how performance indicators are assigned to network objects for the network topology of the example of fig1 ; and fig6 is a flow diagram that illustrates a method of evaluating the performance of a path in a network according to an embodiment of the invention . the invention will now be described with reference to an optical network in which light signals are employed to transfer data between nodes via optical communication channels , such as optical fibers . however , this is merely one example of a network in which the present invention can be employed . in general , the invention can be used in any network for signal or data transmission . in the optical network example that follows , the objects of the network to which performance indicators are assigned are network connections or network links that may comprise optical fibers and connect network elements such as wavelength division multiplexers or demultiplexers , optical switches , or splitters . however , this is merely an example . in more generality , network objects in the sense of the present invention may be understood to encompass any network equipment or network component , either passive or active , that may degrade the signal quality of optical signals traversing the network . hence , network objects may include optical network connections such as fiber links , but also any other kind of device that can be employed in an optical network , such as network elements , in particular wavelength division multiplexers or demultiplexers , optical switches , or splitters . fig1 shows an example of an optical network 10 with optical network elements 12 1 to 12 5 that are interconnected by network links 14 1 to 14 6 . the links 14 1 to 14 6 denote which of the optical network elements 12 1 to 12 5 are interconnected in the optical network 10 . fig1 shows an example of a small network , but this is merely for illustration purposes , and in general the optical network 10 can comprise any number of optical network elements 12 and corresponding links 14 . an example of an optical path or light path 16 that comprises the optical network elements 12 1 , 12 2 and 12 3 and network links 14 1 and 14 2 is shown in broken lines in fig1 . the optical network links , such as the links 14 1 and 14 2 generally degrade the signal quality , which can be measured in terms of an optical performance metric such as the optical signal to noise ratio ( osnr ). the light path 16 is considered to be feasible if an optical performance metric is maintained below a given threshold , indicating that the degradation of the optical signal is sufficiently small to allow for correct detection of the optical signal . otherwise , the light path is assumed to be unfeasible , and 3r regeneration can be provided in an intermediate node to enhance the signal quality . optical performance estimation to distinguish between feasible and unfeasible light paths involves the assessment of the quality of the data channel and depends on various aspects such as the length and the type of optical fibers , the number and type of the optical network links traversed , the bit rate or the modulation format . the complexity of the optical performance evaluation usually requires large computational and storage resources . this provides a particular challenge in situations in which a network fault occurs , such as due to a cut in an optical fiber , and re - routing has to be performed quickly to restore the network operation , or when a new service needs to be quickly established . alternatively , all feasible light paths may be computed in advance , thus avoiding time - consuming online computations in the re - routing process . however , the main disadvantage of the latter approach is that it may require maintaining a large set of data comprising all feasible light paths in the network for both offline and online applications . exploiting this large data set in online applications can also be time - consuming . the invention according to the preferred embodiment proposes a solution that assigns performance indicators to the objects , in particular the links of a network by means of an optimization computation , in particular by means of linear optimization . this results in a compression of the optical channel performance information that allows to evaluate the feasibility of an optical light path 16 in the network 10 simply by summing up the performance indicators of the optical network objects , such as along the network links 14 1 and 14 2 along the light path 16 , and comparing the sum with a threshold value that is a parameter in the linear optimization . fig2 is a high - level diagram that illustrates the idea underlying the invention . an optical performance estimation tool , such as transnet , may be employed to determine all the feasible light paths in the network 10 . feasibility may be determined based on a pre - defined criterion , such as optical signal to noise ratio ( osnr ). such optical performance estimation tools are generally known in the art , and hence a detailed description is omitted . the optical performance estimation may yield a list of x feasible optical channels ochs 1 to x in the network . the feasible optical channels och 1 to och x may be given in terms of ordered collections of network objects , in this case ordered collections of optical multiplexing sections ( oms ), which denote the sections or links between consecutive wdm multiplexers / demultiplexers . the calculation according to the present invention converts this information into a set of n performance indicators that are attributed to the network objects . each of the optical multiplexing sections oms 1 to oms n may hence be assigned one performance indicator , e . g ., one real number . in addition , there may be an exception list of those p optical channels for which the assignment of performance indicators may not be fully conclusive to decide whether the channel is feasible or not . the assigned performance indicators ( and exception list , if needed ) may then be used efficiently to evaluate the performance and feasibility of an optical path in the network during network planning and operations , such as in a capacity planning tool for routing algorithms such as the dijkstra algorithm . fig3 is a flow diagram that shows an example of how performance indicators may be assigned to objects of a network , such as the optical multiplexing sections or links 14 1 to 14 6 by means of linear optimization . in a first step s 100 , all the feasible light paths in the optical network 10 are determined by means of an optical performance estimation tool . as described above with reference to fig2 , any conventional optical performance estimation tool , such as transnet , may be employed for that purpose . depending on the size and characteristics of the network and depending on the feasibility criterion , a determination of the feasible light paths may require significant computational resources . however , this is not a major concern , since step s 100 may be executed offline as part of the network planning , or as a background process when the network is operating . in a subsequent step s 102 , those feasible light paths that are contained in other feasible light paths are removed from the set of feasible light paths in step s 100 . this will yield a first set of light paths in said network , which will henceforth be denoted set s 1 . the set s 1 may alternatively be characterized as the set containing the longest feasible light paths . for instance , referring to the example given in fig1 and assuming that the light path 16 comprising of the optical network links 14 1 and 14 2 ( as well as the network elements 12 1 , 12 2 and 12 3 ) is feasible , the same will generally be true for subsections of the light path 16 , such as the light path comprising only the link 14 1 and the optical network elements 12 1 and 12 2 . this is because additional network objects usually introduce additional signal distortions . hence , a subsection of a feasible light path 16 will usually experience a lesser degree of signal degradation and hence will likewise be feasible . in step s 102 , the feasible light path consisting of the optical link 14 1 and the optical network elements 12 1 and 12 2 would be removed from the set of feasible light paths , since it is fully contained in the optical path 16 that is likewise feasible . removing the feasible light paths that are contained in other feasible light paths excludes redundant light paths , thereby simplifying the computation . based on set s 1 of the longest feasible light paths , a set of unfeasible light paths is generated in step s 104 by adding one network object , in particular one network link , to the start node of the feasible light paths in set s 1 and by adding one network object , in particular one network link to the end node of the feasible light paths . cycles are avoided , i . e . optical objects that are already in the light path are not considered as possible extensions . generation of the set of unfeasible light paths in step s 104 is illustrated in fig4 a and 4 b for the network configuration of fig1 . the feasible light path 16 shown in fig1 has the start node 12 1 and the end node 12 3 . assuming that the light path 16 has no feasible extensions and hence is a longest feasible light path contained in set s 1 , an extension from the start node 12 1 to node 12 5 via the additional link 14 5 will result in an unfeasible light path 18 , as shown in fig4 a . similarly , extending the feasible light path 16 from the end node 12 3 to node 12 4 via the additional link 14 3 will result in another unfeasible light path 20 , as shown in fig4 b . in a subsequent step s 106 , among the set of unfeasible light paths determined in step s 104 , only those unfeasible light paths that are contained in other unfeasible light paths are kept . the resulting subset of unfeasible light paths is denoted set s 2 . the set s 2 may be characterized as the set containing the shortest unfeasible light paths , in the sense that the light paths in the set s 2 become feasible if they are shortened by just one network object , in particular by just one network link . based on the set s 1 and s 2 a linear optimization problem can be formulated as follows : in equation ( 2 ), p denotes a light path in the set s 1 , which is given as an ordered tuple { p 1 , . . . , p n } of interconnected network objects p n that are traversed by an optical signal in this order . the parameters α n denote performance indicators , which are real - valued numbers assigned to the network objects p n . the parameter t 1 denotes a threshold value . similarly , q denotes a light path in the set s 2 , which are again given as an ordered tuple q ={ q 1 , . . . , q m }. the objective function δ should be minimized , so to allow for the sharpest possible separation between the sets s 1 and s 2 . the threshold value t 1 is a scaling parameter that can be fixed in advance , such as t 1 = 1 . equation ( 2 ) is a more complete representation of equation ( 1 ), which describes the same optimization problem in a shorthand notation . this optimization problem may be solved by means of standard techniques from linear optimization theory , and yields a set of real - valued performance indicators α n , wherein a performance indicator is attributed to each object of the network , in particular each link of the network . the optimization further yields the objective function δ ( step s 110 ). as indicated in step s 112 , we can now distinguish two different cases . ideally , δ = 0 . in this case , the optimization yields performance indicators that allow to distinguish completely between the feasible light paths and the unfeasible light paths simply by adding up the performance indicators an along the respective light path . in case σ n α n ≦ t 1 , the respective light path is feasible , and otherwise the light path is unfeasible . in this case , no further steps are required , and the algorithm stops at step s 114 . the δ = 0 case corresponds to a lossless compression . an evaluation of the feasibility of an optical path can be fully reduced to a calculation of a sum of performance indicators α n . hence , only the performance indicators α n need to be stored for network planning and operations . fig5 shows how , as a result of the optimization algorithm according to the preferred embodiments , performance indicator values α 1 , α 2 , α 3 , α 4 , α 5 , α 6 are attributed to each one of the network links 14 1 to 14 6 , respectively , for the optical network 10 of fig1 . only these performance indicators α n need to be stored in order to allow the performance of an optical path to be evaluated . this is a significant advantage over prior art techniques that require to store a list of all feasible light paths , in particular for large networks . otherwise , if δ ≠ 0 , the outcome of the optimization algorithm does not allow to distinguish conclusively between feasible and unfeasible light paths . if σ n α n ≦ t 1 , the light path is feasible . if σα n & gt ; t 1 + δ =: t 2 , the light path is unfeasible . however , if σ n α n is in between the first threshold value t 1 and a second threshold value t 2 = t 1 + δ , the decision whether the respective light path is feasible or unfeasible cannot be made conclusively . these light paths can be stored in an exception list to which the user may revert during network planning and operations . in order to create the exception list , in step s 116 all light paths are determined for which the sum of the respective performance indicators falls in the interval ( t 1 , t 1 + δ ]. the feasible light paths in the set may then be determined by comparison with the set of feasible light paths determined in step s 100 . these light paths constitute the exception list ( step s 118 ). the algorithm then ends in step s 120 . in summary , the optimization according to the preferred embodiment yields a set of performance indicators α n assigned to the network objects , a maximum error δ , and ( if needed ) an exception list . the outcome of the optimization may result in two possible scenarios : ( i ) lossless compression , i . e ., δ = 0 : in case the linear compression returns no exceptions , the obtained performance indicators enable to retrieve all feasible light paths and exclude all the unfeasible light paths by comparison of the sum of performance indicators σ n α n of the respective light path with the threshold value t 1 . ( ii ) lossy compression , i . e ., δ ≠ 0 : in case a linear compression returns exceptions , the performance indicators do not allow to simultaneously recover all feasible light paths and exclude all the unfeasible ones . however , the optimization method minimizes δ , and hence the number of exceptions . the optimization is conservative in that a given light path is guaranteed to be feasible if the sum of the respective performance indicators is below the first threshold value t 1 . however , only if the sum of the performance indicators is above the second threshold t 2 = t 1 + δ , the light path is guaranteed to be unfeasible . if the sum of the performance indicators is in between the first threshold t 1 and the second threshold t 2 = t 1 + δ , the light path could be either feasible or unfeasible , and a search in the exception list is required to decide this . the method illustrated in the flow diagram of fig3 can be implemented as a computer program that receives the network topology and the list of feasible light paths calculated in an optical performance estimation tool , and manipulates that list in order to generate the sets s 1 and s 2 . for the linear optimization method , both linear programming and integer linear programming models can be used and solved using a conventional server , such as gurobi , cplex , lpsolver , or matlab . heuristic algorithms may also be employed for this step . the performance indicator values α n obtained in the optimization method may then be employed together with a standard routing algorithm , such as dijkstra or k - shortest path to create an exception list if necessary . the inventors tested the method as described above with reference to the flow diagram of fig3 for several real - world networks , and found that very often the optimization yields δ = 0 , and hence no exception list is required . even in the cases δ ≠ 0 where an exception list is required , the inventors found that it is usually rather short and comprises less than 5 % of the feasible light paths . hence , even with the exception list taken into account , the invention results in a significant simplification both in terms of online computational resources and storage resources . fig6 is a flow chart that shows in additional detail how the performance indicator values may be employed to check the feasibility or unfeasibility of a given light path according to an embodiment of the present invention . in step s 200 , an optical performance of the given light path is calculated by summing up the performance indicator values α n of the optical objects along the given light path , σ n α n . in step s 202 , the optical performance is compared with the threshold value t 1 . in case σ n α n ≦ t 1 , the light path is known to be feasible ( step s 204 ). if , on the other hand , σ n α n & gt ; t 1 , feasibility or unfeasibility of the light path depends on the obtained error quantity δ ( step s 206 ). if δ = 0 , the light path is unfeasible ( step s 208 ). if , on the other hand , δ ≠ 0 , the method proceeds in step s 210 with a comparison of the optical performance σ α n with the second threshold value t 2 = t 1 + δ . if σ n α n & gt ; t 1 + δ , the light path is unfeasible ( step s 212 ). if , on the other hand , the optical performance σ n α n ≦ t 1 + δ , reference is made to the exception list ( step s 214 ). if the respective light path is contained in the exception list , the light path is determined feasible in step s 216 . otherwise , the light path is unfeasible ( step s 218 ). for the performance evaluation method illustrated in the flow diagram of fig6 , a computer program implemented in the planning tool or in the control plane may be used . the evaluation method can be integrated into a routing algorithm such as dijkstra that employs the performance indicators as weights for the nodes and edges of the graph that represents the network . an important implementation of the method is in the control plane , as the method allows a quick evaluation of the feasibility of a light path while maintaining the best optical performance calculated with the optical performance estimation tool . the major advantages of the method are simplicity , scalability and accuracy . simplicity is achieved by avoiding over - engineering in the network planning and operation ecosystem . this may be achieved by keeping the optical performance details in the network planning tools , such as transnet , rather than propagating the complexity of models and parameters to higher layer planning and operation tools . as a result , the cost of maintaining the overall system may be significantly reduced . scalability is achieved by the reduction of the amount of data handed over between the tools . the invention facilitates the importing and maintaining of data for multiple optical channel types , as well as multi - layer planning and operation of very large networks and generalized multi - protocol label switching ( gmpls ) impairment - aware routing . accuracy is achieved by preserving the high quality of the offline determination of the feasible light paths . in case of lossless compression or inclusion of the exception list , the most accurate optical performance estimation is fully kept , and there is no need to compromise accuracy by simplifications of the performance model . this may be particularly relevant to avoid degrading of tender planning results with upcoming channel formats , such as 16qam . in the example described above with reference to fig1 to 6 , the network links 14 1 to 14 6 were considered network objects which degrade the signal quality and to which performance indicators α 1 to α 6 are assigned . however , this is merely an example . in other configurations , the optical network elements 12 1 to 12 5 may be considered network objects that degrade the signal quality , and performance indicators may be assigned to the network elements 12 1 to 12 5 , either additionally or instead of the network links 14 1 to 14 6 . the description of the preferred embodiments and the figures merely serve to illustrate the invention , but should not be understood to imply any limitation . the scope of the invention is to be determined based on the appended claims .	7
the asphalt additive of the present invention comprises the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ). the asphalt additive may comprise the compound alone or may comprise another component in addition to the compound . further , the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) may be used singly or in a combination of two or more of them . still further , two or more compounds represented respectively by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) may be used together . it must be noted that the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) includes a polymer formed by the condensation of two or more compounds via -- oh groups thereby producing a p - o - p linkage . in the compound which is used in the present invention and which is represented by the formula ( i ); r 1 is a saturated or unsaturated straight , hydrocarbon radical or an alkylphenyl group having 8 to 24 carbon atoms , preferably 8 to 20 carbon atoms and more preferably 10 to 18 carbon atoms . examples of the saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical and the alkylphenyl group include alkyl groups such as dodecyl , hexadecyl and octadecyl groups , and alkylphenyl groups such as octylphenyl , nonylphenyl and dodecylphenyl groups . in the compound represented by the formula ( i ), the order of the oxypropylene group ( po ) and the oxyethylene group ( eo ) is not limited to the indication in the formula ( i ). therefore , the order may be the ro - group , the oxyethylene group , the oxypropylene group , and the phosphorus atom . further , the order of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group may be reversed , or otherwise the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group may be added at random . as for - the number of moles added of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group , m is 1 to 6 , preferably 1 to 4 , and more preferably 1 to 2 ; and n is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 3 . in the compound represented by the formula ( i ), each of x and y is a number of 1 to 2 , provided , however , that x becomes more preferable as x approaches 1 , and the sum of x and y is 3 . in the compound which is used in the present invention and which is represented by the formula ( ii ); r 2 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical having a branched methyl group and having 8 to 24 carbon atoms , and preferably 8 to 20 carbon atoms and more preferably 10 to 18 carbon atoms . examples of the saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical corresponding to the straight portion include decyl , dodecyl , tetradecyl and heptadecyl groups . the site where the methyl group is linked is not particularly limited . the added order of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group as well as x and y which is represented by the formula ( ii ) are the same as those in the compound represented by the formula ( i ). as for the number of moles added of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group , m is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 2 ; and n is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 3 . in the compound which is used in the present invention and which is represented by the formula ( iii ); r 3 is a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical having two or more branched methyl groups or at least one branched group having 2 or more carbon atoms and having 8 to 24 carbon atoms , preferably 8 to 20 carbon atoms and more preferably 10 to 18 carbon atoms . examples of the saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon radical corresponding to the straight portion include hexyl , decyl and tetradecyl groups . the site where the methyl group or the branched group having 2 or more carbon atoms is linked is not particularly limited . the number of the methyl groups linked is preferably 2 to 5 . examples of the branched group having 2 or more carbon atoms include an alkyl group having 2 to 10 carbon atoms . among these alkyl groups , preferable groups are ethyl , propyl , hexyl and decyl groups . the added order of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group as well as x and y which is represented by the formula ( iii ) are the same as those in the compound represented by the formula ( i ). as for the number of moles added of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group , m is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 2 ; and n is 0 to 6 , preferably 0 to 4 , and more preferably 0 to 3 . the method for producing the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) is not particularly limited . an example of the method comprises the steps of adding ethylene oxide and propylene oxide to a saturated or unsaturated alcohol having 8 to 24 carbon atoms by a commonly adopted process to produce an addition polymer and then converting the addition product into a phosphoric ester . the conversion of the addition polymer into a phosphoric ester can be performed by reacting the addition polymer with phosphoric acid anhydride , phosphorus oxytrichloride or phosphorus trichloride . the asphalt additive of the present invention may further contain an aliphatic amine . the aliphatic amine , which contains a nitrogen atom in the molecule , increases the wettability of asphalt to aggregates at an initial stage . examples of the aliphatic amine include higher aliphatic polyamines such as tallow alkyl propylenediamine or derivatives thereof , and alkylol amines such as alkylhydroxyamine , monoethanol amine , diethanol amine and triethanol amine . if such an amine is used , it is preferable to use the asphalt additive at a ph value within a neutral to acidic range . the amount added of the aliphatic amine is preferably 5 to 70 % by weight in the asphalt additive and more preferably 10 to 50 % by weight . the state of the asphalt additive of the present invention is not particularly limited . the state may be , for example , a solid , a liquid or a paste . preferably , the asphalt additive is a liquid or a paste at a temperature of 40 ° c . so as to improve the workability and the miscibility with asphalt and so as to increase the adhesion between asphalt and aggregates for a long period of time and at an initial stage in particular . the mechanism by which the asphalt additive of the present invention increases the adhesion between asphalt and aggregates so that the anti - stripping of asphalt from aggregates is conducted for a long period of time is not clarified . presumably , the effect of the asphalt additive of the present invention is caused by the formation of hydrogen bond by the -- oh groups on a surface of the aggregates in a wet state , the formation of a chemical bond through thermal dehydration and the formulation of hydrophobic polymerized film , as described in jp - b 8 - 32 , 832 , in column 6 , lines 17 to 23 . particularly , in the case of the asphalt additive of the present invention , the solubility in and affinity for asphalt is increased by the introduction of a prescribed amount of the oxypropylene group and the oxyethylene group or by the introduction of a specific branched alkyl group into the compound represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ). it is believed that these properties of the asphalt additive bring about the result that the above - described bonds remarkably emerge immediately after the additive is blended in the asphalt and the result that the work time can be shortened and the excellent anti - stripping ability can be obtained immediately after paving and for a long period of time after paving . next , detailsof the asphalt composition are given below . the asphalt which is used in the asphalt composition according to the present invention is , for example , a bituminous substance resulting from straight asphalt , semi - blown asphalt , cut - back asphalt , natural asphalt , petroleum tar , pitch , or an asphalt which meets the requirements of the specification of asphalt for road paving and which is produced by blending a softener with solvent - deasphalting . such asphalt is incorporated with the asphalt additive . from such standpoints as the improving the adhesion and anti - stripping ability between the asphalt and aggregates , economics , and storage stability , the amount of the asphalt additive to be added is preferably 0 . 1 to 3 % by weight , more preferably 0 . 2 to 2 % by weight , and most preferably 0 . 3 to 1 . 5 % by weight , based on the amount of the asphalt . in order to increase the consistency of asphalt , the asphalt composition according to the present invention may contain , for example , a natural rubber , a synthetic rubber , such as styrene / butadiene rubber or chloroprene rubber , a thermoplastic elastomer , a polymer or a copolymer made up of one or more monomers selected from the group consisting of ethylene , vinyl acetate , acrylates , methacrylates , and styrene . the amount of such component is preferably 1 to 20 % by weight , and more preferably 3 to 10 % by weight , in the composition . depending on applications , the asphalt composition according to the present invention may further contain an inorganic filler , such as calcium carbonate , slaked lime , cement or activated carbon , an organic filler , a petroleum resin , a petroleum - derived softener such as polyethylene having a low molecular weight , a vegetable oil - derived softener such as olecic acid , a plasticizer , sulfur , and others . the method for preparing the asphalt composition according to the present invention is not particularly limited . for example , the asphalt composition can be prepared by adding a prescribed amount of the asphalt additive to asphalt which is molten at a temperature of 100 to 250 ° c . and which is being stirred . since the asphalt additive of the present invention has an excellent solubility in and affinity for asphalt , as described previously , ordinarily a special blending operation is not necessary . therefore , thermal convection flow by heating or the vibration at the time of transportation is sufficient for homogeneous blending . if a quick workability is required , however , the additive may be blend with the asphalt by using a blending apparatus . since the asphalt additive of the present invention has an excellent solubility in and affinity for asphalt , the asphalt additive can be homogeneously blended into the asphalt even if a special stirring operation is not employed . in addition , the asphalt composition comprising the asphalt additive has an excellent heat resistance and the asphalt composition exhibits excellent adhesion to aggregates immediately after the asphalt composition is blended with the aggregates . the adhesion lasts for a long period of time . accordingly , in the case where the asphalt composition of the present invention is used for paving a road , it is possible to carry out the paving work in a shorter time , to ensure the adhesion between the asphalt and the aggregates , and to maintain a good surface condition of road for a long period of time . the following examples further illustrate the present invention . they are not to be construed to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner whatsoever . asphalt additives of the present invention in various states were prepared by using the compounds represented by the formula ( i ), ( ii ) or ( iii ) as shown in tables 1 to 3 . next , the asphalt compositions according to the present invention were each prepared by adding the asphalt additive shown in tables 1 to 3 to asphalt which was molten at a temperature of 180 ° c . and by stirring the composition for the time period ( one minute or 30 minutes ) as shown in tables 1 to 3 . in a similar way , the asphalt compositions of comparative examples 1 ˜ 14 were obtained . by using the asphalt compositions thus obtained , the stripping ability of asphalt from aggregates was examined in accordance with the following stripping test of the asphalt film as described in the manual for asphalt pavement ( issued from the japan road association ). the results are shown in tables 1 to 3 . the details of the compounds represented by the formula ( ii ) or ( iii ), which were used in the asphalt additives in examples and comparative examples , are as follows : examples 14 ˜ 16 , 18 : r has two or more branched methyl groups or has a branched ethyl group . example 17 ( tridecanol manufactured by kyowa hakko kogyo co ., ltd . ): alcohol which has 13 carbon atoms and which has 2 to 3 branched methyl groups on an average . example 11 , comparative example 11 ( dobanol 23 manufactured by mitsubishi chemical co ., ltd . ): oxo alcohol which has 12 or 13 carbon atoms and which has a ratio of branched methyl groups of 20 %. example 19 ( lial 123 manufactured by condea augusta s . p . a . ): a mixture of alcohols , one of which has 12 carbon atoms and the other of which has 13 carbon atoms , and the mixture includes 60 wt % of a methyl - branched alcohol ( s ). example 20 ( isalchem 11 manufactured by condea augusta s . p . a . ): an alcohol mixture which has 11 carbon atoms and contains more than 95 wt % of methyl - branched alcohol ( s ). ( method for testing of anti - stripping ) aggregates from takarazuka ( quartz porphyry : acidic rock ) and aggregates from kuzu ( limestone : basic rock ), which had a particle size distribution of from 5 mm to 13 mm by means of a sieve , were used in the test . 100 g of aggregates was well washed and was then placed in a 300 ml metal vessel . the aggregates were then dried . next , the aggregates were heated for one hour in a thermostatted drier already kept at 150 ° c . on the other hand , an asphalt composition was heated for a time period ( 2 hours or 48 hours ) shown in tables 1 to 3 in a thermostatted drier kept at 180 ° c . then , 5 . 5 g of the asphalt composition was added onto the aggregates in the metal vessel . after the addition , the contents in the metal vessel were well stirred for 2 to 3 minutes by means of a spatula to ensure perfect coating of the surface of the aggregates with the asphalt composition . in this way , the surface of the aggregates was entirely coated with the asphalt composition . the coated aggregates thus obtained were spread on a glass plate and the coated aggregates were allowed to stand for 1 to 2 hours for cooling to room temperature . in this way , the asphalt composition was caused to harden . the coated aggregates were immersed in water of a thermostatted bath kept at 80 ° c . at a point of 120 minutes after the immersion , the state of the coated aggregates in the water was visually inspected . by this inspection , the stripped area percentage of the film of the asphalt composition was obtained based on the area of the film of the asphalt composition at the time when the test started . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ stripped area (%) time period quartz state of amount added ( in minutes ) porphyry limestone additive of additive for stirring 2 48 2 48examples asphalt additives ( 30 ° c .) (% by weight ) after addition hours hours hours hours__________________________________________________________________________1 mono and di ( lauryl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 0 po1 ) phosphoric ester2 mono ( lauryl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 0 po1 . 5eo1 ) phosphoric ester3 mono and di ( myristyl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 p02e04 ) phosphoric ester4 mono and di ( stearyl alcohol solid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 0 & lt ; 5 po3eo0 . 5 ) phosphoric ester5 mono ( c16 , 18 alcohol paste 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 po4eo1 . 5 ) phosphoric ester6 mono and di ( stearyl alcohol viscose 0 . 5 1 5 10 & lt ; 5 5 po6eo3 ) phosphoric ester liquid7 mono and di ( cetyl alcohol paste 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 po3 . 5 ) phosphoric ester8 mono and di ( octyl alcohol liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 po1eo1 ) phosphoric ester9 mono and di ( coconut oil liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 alcohol po2eo1 ) phosphoric ester10 mono ( nonylphenol po1 ) liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 phosphoric ester__________________________________________________________________________ table 2__________________________________________________________________________ stripped area (%) time period quartz state of amount added ( in minutes ) porphyry limestone additive of additive for stirring 2 48 2 48examples asphalt additives ( 30 ° c .) (% by weight ) after addition hours hours hours hours__________________________________________________________________________11 mono ( dobanol 23 from liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 mitsubishi chemical co ., ltd . po1eo2 ) phosphoric ester12 mono and di ( 2 - liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 5 methyldodecanol eo3 ) phosphoric ester13 mono ( 2 - methyltetradecanol liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 & lt ; 5 & lt ; 5 po1eo3 ) phosphoric ester14 mono and di ( 2 - ethylhexanol ) liquid 0 . 5 1 5 5 & lt ; 5 5 phosphoric ester15 mono ( 2 - hexyldecanol ) liquid 0 . 5 1 0 & lt ; 5 0 & lt ; 5 phosphoric ester16 mono and di ( 2 - liquid 0 . 5 1 & lt ; 5 5 0 & lt ; 5 octyldodecanol po2 ) phosphoric ester17 mono ( tridecanol from kyowa liquid 0 . 5 1 5 5 & lt ; 5 5 hakko co ., ltd .) phosphoric ester18 mono and di ( 3 , 3 , 5 - liquid 0 . 5 1 5 10 5 5 trimethylhexanol eo1 . 5 ) phosphoric ester19 mono ( lial 123 by condea ) paste 0 . 5 1 5 5 0 5 phosphoric ester20 mono ( isalchem 11 by condea ) liquid 0 . 5 1 0 5 0 & lt ; 5 phosphric ester__________________________________________________________________________ note ) example 19 and 20 are phosphates represented by formula ( ii ), wherein x i 1 , y is 2 and m and n are 0 . table 3__________________________________________________________________________ stripped area time period quartz state of amount added ( in minutes ) porphyry limestonecomparative additive of additive for stirring 2 48 2 48examples asphalt additives ( 30 ° c .) (% by weight ) after addition hours hours hours hours__________________________________________________________________________1 none -- -- -- 60 80 40 702 phosphoric acid liquid 0 . 5 30 60 80 35 703 mixture of mono and di - solid 0 . 5 1 10 25 10 15 stearyl phosphates4 mixture of mono and di - solid 0 . 5 30 & lt ; 5 10 & lt ; 5 10 stearyl phosphates5 mono and di ( stearyl liquid 0 . 5 30 10 30 10 20 alcohol po15 ) phosphoric ester6 mono and di ( lauryl alcohol paste 0 . 5 30 15 25 10 20 eo3 ) phosphoric ester7 monononylphenol solid 0 . 5 30 15 40 15 30 phosphoric ester8 mono ( butylphenol po8 ) liquid 0 . 5 30 10 20 10 15 phosphoric ester9 mono ( nonylphenol eo5 ) liquid 0 . 5 30 20 50 20 40 phosphoric ester10 mono and di ( 2 - solid 0 . 5 30 15 30 10 20 tridecylheptadecanol ) phosphoric ester11 mono ( dobanol 23 from solid 0 . 5 30 10 20 10 15 mitsubishi chemical co ., ltd .) phosphoric ester12 tallow alkyl solid 0 . 5 30 20 60 10 50 propylenediamine13 tallow alkyl liquid 0 . 5 30 30 60 10 40 propylenediamine eo314 1 - aminoethyl - 2 - liquid 0 . 5 30 20 70 10 50 heptadecenylimidazoline__________________________________________________________________________ as can be seen from tables 1 to 3 , the asphalt compositions of examples 1 to 18 exhibit little or no stripping irrespective of the kind of the aggregates . in particular , the anti - stripping effect was higher where the asphalt additives were in the state of a liquid . the fact that the stripping did not occur even in a severe condition , i . e ., immersion in water at 80 ° c . for 120 minutes , indicates that the asphalt additive of the present invention has a quick effect which imparts an excellent anti - stripping effect to asphalt immediately after the addition of the additive . generally , the anti - stripping effect lasts at least 3 to 5 years , although the durability varies depending on meteorological conditions and traffic conditions . since this excellent anti - stripping effect can be obtained only after about 1 minute &# 39 ; s stirring of asphalt when the asphalt additive is added to the asphalt , the excellent solubility and affinity of the asphalt additive of the present invention were confirmed . in addition , the continuous heating of 48 hours did not impair the anti - stripping ability . consequently , the characteristics of the asphalt composition according to the present invention , i . e ., excellent heat resistance and requirement of only short time for stirring , can significantly improve the workability at site , in view of the situation that asphalt is heated continuously for a long time in the case of , for example , paving operations at night . to the contrary , the asphalt compositions of comparative examples 1 to 14 were remarkably inferior with respect to the anti - stripping ability . in addition , since a long time is required for stirring and since the heat resistance of these asphalt compositions is inferior , the workability at site is impaired .	2
referring to fig1 to 7 , what is shown is a method for the treatment of glaucoma by trabecular bypass surgery . in particular , a seton implant is used to bypass diseased trabecular meshwork at the level of trabecular meshwork to use or restore existing outflow pathways and methods thereof . for background illustration purposes , fig1 shows a sectional view of an eye 10 , while fig2 shows a close - up view , showing the relative anatomical locations of the trabecular meshwork , the anterior chamber , and schlemm &# 39 ; s canal . thick collagenous tissue known as sclera 11 covers the entire eye 10 except that portion covered by the cornea 12 . the cornea 12 is a thin transparent tissue that focuses and transmits light into the eye and the pupil 14 which is the circular hole in the center of the iris 13 ( colored portion of the eye ). the cornea 12 merges into the sclera 11 at a juncture referred to as the limbus 15 . the ciliary body 16 begins internally in the eye and extends along the interior of the sclera 11 and becomes the choroid 17 . the choroid 17 is a vascular layer of the eye underlying retina 18 . the optic nerve 19 transmits visual information to the brain and is sequentially destroyed by glaucoma . the anterior chamber 20 of the eye 10 , which is bound anteriorly by the cornea 12 and posteriorly by the iris 13 and lens 26 , is filled with aqueous . aqueous is produced primarily by the ciliary body 16 and reaches the anterior chamber angle 25 formed between the iris 13 and the cornea 12 through the pupil 14 . in a normal eye , the aqueous is removed through the trabecular meshwork 21 . aqueous passes through trabecular meshwork 21 into schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 22 and through the aqueous veins 23 which merge with blood - carrying veins and into venous circulation . intraocular pressure of the eye 10 is maintained by the intricate balance of secretion and outflow of the aqueous in the manner described above . glaucoma is characterized by the excessive buildup of aqueous fluid in the anterior chamber 20 which produces an increase in intraocular pressure ( fluids are relatively incompressible and pressure is directed equally to all areas of the eye ). as shown in fig2 , the trabecular meshwork 21 constitutes a small portion of the sclera 11 . it is understandable that creating a hole or opening for implanting a device through the tissues of the conjunctiva 24 and sclera 11 is relatively a major surgery as compared to a surgery for implanting a device through the trabecular meshwork 21 only . a seton implant 31 of the present invention for either using or restoring existing outflow pathways positioned through the trabecular meshwork 21 is illustrated in fig5 . in a first embodiment , a method for increasing aqueous humor outflow in an eye of a patient to reduce the intraocular pressure therein . the method comprises bypassing diseased trabecular meshwork at the level of the trabecular meshwork and thereby restoring existing outflow pathways . alternately , a method for increasing aqueous humor outflow in an eye of a patient to reduce an intraocular pressure therein is disclosed . the method comprises bypassing diseased trabecular meshwork at a level of said trabecular meshwork with a seton implant and using existing outflow pathways . the seton implant 31 may be an elongated seton or other appropriate shape , size or configuration . in one embodiment of an elongated seton implant , the seton has an inlet end , an outlet end and a lumen therebetween , wherein the inlet end is positioned at an anterior chamber of the eye and the outlet end is positioned at about an exterior surface of said diseased trabecular meshwork . furthermore , the outlet end may be positioned into fluid collection channels of the existing outflow pathways . optionally , the existing outflow pathways may comprise schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 22 . the outlet end may be further positioned into fluid collection channels up to the level of the aqueous veins with the seton inserted either in a retrograde or antegrade fashion with respect to the existing outflow pathways . in a further alternate embodiment , a method is disclosed for increasing aqueous humor outflow in an eye of a patient to reduce an intraocular pressure therein . the method comprises ( a ) creating an opening in trabecular meshwork , wherein the trabecular meshwork comprises an interior side and exterior side ; ( b ) inserting a seton implant into the opening ; and ( c ) transporting the aqueous humor by said seton implant to bypass the trabecular meshwork at the level of said trabecular meshwork from the interior side to the exterior side of the trabecular meshwork . fig3 shows an embodiment of the seton implant 31 constructed according to the principles of the invention . the seton implant may comprise a biocompatible material , such as a medical grade silicone , for example , the material sold under the trademark silastic ™, which is available from dow corning corporation of midland , mich ., or polyurethane , which is sold under the trademark pellethane ™, which is also available from dow corning corporation . in an alternate embodiment , other biocompatible materials ( biomaterials ) may be used , such as polyvinyl alcohol , polyvinyl pyrolidone , collagen , heparinized collagen , tetrafluoroethylene , fluorinated polymer , fluorinated elastomer , flexible fused silica , polyolefin , polyester , polysilison , mixture of biocompatible materials , and the like . in a further alternate embodiment , a composite biocompatible material by surface coating the above - mentioned biomaterial may be used , wherein the coating material may be selected from the group consisting of polytetrafluoroethlyene ( ptfe ), polyimide , hydrogel , heparin , therapeutic drugs , and the like . the main purpose of the seton implant is to assist in facilitating the outflow of aqueous in an outward direction 40 into the schlemm &# 39 ; s canal and subsequently into the aqueous collectors and the aqueous veins so that the intraocular pressure is balanced . in one embodiment , the seton implant 31 comprises an elongated tubular element having a distal section 32 and an inlet section 44 . a rigid or flexible distal section 32 is positioned inside one of the existing outflow pathways . the distal section may have either a tapered outlet end 33 or have at least one ridge 37 or other retention device protruding radially outwardly for stabilizing the seton implant inside said existing outflow pathways after implantation . for stabilization purposes , the outer surface of the distal section 32 may comprise a stubbed surface , a ribbed surface , a surface with pillars , a textured surface , or the like . the outer surface 36 , including the outer region 35 and inner region 34 at the outlet end 33 , of the seton implant is biocompatible and tissue compatible so that the interaction / irritation between the outer surface and the surrounding tissue is minimized . the seton implant may comprise at least one opening at a location proximal the distal section 32 , away from the outlet end 33 , to allow flow of aqueous in more than one direction . the at least one opening may be located on the distal section 32 at about opposite of the outlet end 33 . in another exemplary embodiment , the seton implant 31 may have a one - way flow controlling means 39 for allowing one - way aqueous flow 40 . the one - way flow controlling means 39 may be selected from the group consisting of a check valve , a slit valve , a micropump , a semi - permeable membrane , or the like . to enhance the outflow efficiency , at least one optional opening 41 in the proximal portion of the distal section 32 , at a location away from the outlet end 33 , and in an exemplary embodiment at the opposite end of the outlet end 33 , is provided . fig4 shows a top cross - sectional view of fig3 . the shape of the opening of the outlet end 33 and the remaining body of the distal section 32 may be oval , round or some other shape adapted to conform to the shape of the existing outflow pathways . this configuration will match the contour of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal to stabilize the inlet section with respect to the iris and cornea by preventing rotation . as shown in fig3 , the seton implant of the present invention may have a length between about 0 . 5 mm to over a meter , depending on the body cavity the seton implant applies to . the outside diameter of the seton implant may range from about 30 μm to about 500 μm . the lumen diameter is preferably in the range between about 20 μm to about 150 μm . the seton implant may have a plurality of lumens to facilitate multiple flow transportation . the distal section may be curved at an angle between about 30 degrees to about 150 degrees , in an exemplary embodiment at around 70 - 110 degrees , with reference to the inlet section 44 . fig5 shows another embodiment of the seton implant 45 constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention . in an exemplary embodiment , the seton implant 45 may comprise at least two sections : an inlet section 47 and an outlet section 46 . the outlet section has an outlet opening 48 that is at the outlet end of the seton implant 45 . the shape of the outlet opening 48 is preferably an oval shape to conform to the contour of the existing outflow pathways . a portion of the inlet section 47 adjacent the joint region to the outlet section 46 will be positioned essentially through the diseased trabecular meshwork while the remainder of the inlet section 47 and the outlet section 46 are outside the trabecular meshwork . as shown in fig5 , the long axis of the oval shape opening 48 lies in a first plane formed by an x - axis and a y - axis . to better conform to the anatomical contour of the anterior chamber 20 , the trabecular meshwork 21 and the existing outflow pathways , the inlet section 47 may preferably lie at an elevated second plane , at an angle θ , from the first plane formed by an imaginary inlet section 47 a and the outlet section 46 . the angle θ may be between about 30 degrees and about 150 degrees . fig6 shows a perspective view illustrating the seton implant 31 , 45 of the present invention positioned within the tissue of an eye 10 . a hole / opening is created through the diseased trabecular meshwork 21 . the distal section 32 of the seton implant 31 is inserted into the hole , wherein the inlet end 38 is exposed to the anterior chamber 20 while the outlet end 33 is positioned at about an exterior surface 43 of said diseased trabecular meshwork 21 . in a further embodiment , the outlet end 33 may further enter into fluid collection channels of the existing outflow pathways . in one embodiment , the means for forming a hole / opening in the trabecular mesh 21 may comprise an incision with a microknife , an incision by a pointed guidewire , a sharpened applicator , a screw shaped applicator , an irrigating applicator , or a barbed applicator . alternatively , the trabecular meshwork may be dissected off with an instrument similar to a retinal pick or microcurrette . the opening may alternately be created by retrogade fiberoptic laser ablation . fig7 shows an illustrative method for placing a seton implant at the implant site . an irrigating knife or applicator 51 comprises a syringe portion 54 and a cannula portion 55 . the distal section of the cannula portion 55 has at least one irrigating hole 53 and a distal space 56 for holding a seton implant 31 . the proximal end 57 of the lumen of the distal space 56 is sealed from the remaining lumen of the cannula portion 55 . for positioning the seton 31 in the hole or opening through the trabecular meshwork , the seton may be advanced over the guidewire or a fiberoptic ( retrograde ). in another embodiment , the seton is directly placed on the delivery applicator and advanced to the implant site , wherein the delivery applicator holds the seton securely during the delivery stage and releases it during the deployment stage . in an exemplary embodiment of the trabecular meshwork surgery , the patient is placed in the supine position , prepped , draped and anesthesia obtained . in one embodiment , a small ( less than 1 mm ) self sealing incision is made . through the cornea opposite the seton placement site , an incision is made in trabecular meshwork with an irrigating knife . the seton 31 is then advanced through the cornea incision 52 across the anterior chamber 20 held in an irrigating applicator 51 under gonioscopic ( lens ) or endoscopic guidance . the applicator is withdrawn and the surgery concluded . the irrigating knife may be within a size range of 20 to 40 gauges , preferably about 30 gauge . from the foregoing description , it should now be appreciated that a novel approach for the surgical treatment of glaucoma has been disclosed for releasing excessive intraocular pressure . while the invention has been described with reference to a specific embodiment , the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention . various modifications and applications may occur to those who are skilled in the art , without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention , as described by the appended claims .	0
modes for carrying out the present invention will be described hereinbelow . a . means for specifying and isolating limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention a limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention ( hereinafter also referred to as a limulus reaction - activating substance ) is a new substance which indicates falsely positive during an endotoxin - specific limulus reaction . this substance is specified and isolated by means of the following procedure . a sample for limulus assay [ which is predominantly a biological product ( e . g ., blood products , vaccines , antibiotics which will be described later )] can be purified by means of various isolation means which utilize physical and chemical properties of the limulus reaction - activating substance . for example , the isolation means comprises processing of the sample through use of an ordinary protein precipitant , ultrafiltration , gel filtration , centrifugation , electrophoresis , gel permeation chromatography , ion exchange chromatography , affinity chromatography , reversed phase chromatography , hydrophobic chromatography , or dialysis . as a matter of course , these isolation means may be employed in combination , as required . of these isolation means , the gel permeation chromatography is preferred , with gel permeation chromatography which employs high - performance liquid chromatography being more preferred . more specifically , the sample is applied to a chromatography column and is eluted with distilled water which serves as a solvent and is free of endotoxin and β - d - glucan . the flow rate of the solvent is not limited to any particular rate , but a flow rate of 0 . 5 mi / min . or thereabouts is preferred . an aqueous solution of polymyxin b sulfate is added to eluted fractions in such a way that the final concentration of polymyxin b sulfate reaches 0 . 5 mg / ml , thereby completely inhibiting the endotoxin activity . the fractions are measured by means of an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent and positive fractions are collected , whereby the limulus reaction - activating substance can be obtained . the thus - manufactured limulus reaction - activating substance is predominantly present in biological products , such as vaccines or albumin products , and has the following characteristics . the characteristics of the substance will be described in the embodiment section hereinbelow . fig8 a and 8b show the effect of a surfactant and triethylamine on various endotoxin responses ( in a biological product ); and fig9 is a plot showing the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in a biological product by means of quantitative assay on parallel regression line . ( 3 ) activating factor c of an amebocyte lysate of a horseshoe crab ; ( 8 ) maintaining the limulus reaction activity when coexisting with polymyxin b ; ( 10 ) maintaining the limulus reaction activity when being exposed to 0 . 2m hydrochloric acid at 37 ° c . for 60 min ; ( 11 ) maintaining the limulus reaction activity when being exposed to 0 . 2m potassium hydroxide at 37 ° c . for 60 min ; ( 12 ) reducing the limulus reaction activity when being exposed to polyoxyethylene hexadecylether . the above substance is reported to increase the toxicity of endotoxin such as that reported with regard to tsst - 1 of staphylococcal exotoxin ( staphylococcal toxic shock syndrome toxin - 1 ) [ h . fujikawa et . al ., infect immun ., 52 , 134 ( 1986 )], or to have a physiological action or toxicity analogous to that of endotoxin , for example , the production of inflammatory mediator . accordingly , elucidating the action of the limulus reaction - activating substance isolated for the first time by the present invention in an organism or in various types of morbidity is of considerable importance . further , a method of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention provides considerably important information , as does the method of measuring endotoxin . the present inventors have observed that the limulus reaction - activating substance is present predominantly in biological products and is contained in comparatively large amounts in biological products imported from overseas . the origin of this substance is not clear , and the possibility of biological products being contaminated with the substance during the course of manufacture of the products cannot be denied . it is expected that the method of measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention will be applied to determining the contamination of biological products with the substance in manufacturing processes or to check final products . as a result , the production of biological products which are much safer than existing biological products is anticipated . the method of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention will be described later . b . means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance ( hereinafter also referred to as a method of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance ) in a case where the limulus reaction - activating substance is contained in a sample for limulus assay , the substance indicates falsely positive in response to the limulus reagent , thereby reducing the accuracy of detection of a desired substance ( e . g ., endotoxin ). specifically , the means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention may be a method of mixing the substance with a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the surfactant used for the present invention is not limited to any particular surfactant , so long as it does not impair the limulus reaction of endotoxin as a result of dissociation of the endotoxin micelles , does not activate a limulus reaction , or does not inhibit active serine proteases . the surfactant may be selected from a group comprising cationic surfactants , anionic surfactants , ampholytic surfactants , nonionic surfactants , and natural surfactants . it is preferred to select the nonionic surfactants which less directly act on endotoxin . further , these surfactants may be used in combination , as required . of the nonionic surfactants , a surfactant having polyoxyethylene in a hydrophilic moiety thereof ( hereinafter also referred to as polyoxyethylenes ) is preferred . examples of the polyoxyethylenes include polyoxyethylene alkyl ether ( represented by c n 2 n + 1 ( och 2 ch 2 ) x oh or usually abbreviated as c n e x ), polyoxyethylene alkylphenyl ether ( c n φe x ) having a phenyl group between an alkyl chain and a polyoxyethylene chain , and acylpolyoxyethylene sorbitan ( c n - sorbitan - e x ). these surfactants are respectively known by common names ( or tradenames ), such as brij ( cnex ), triton x ( cn ( ex ), and tween ( cn - sorbitan - ex ), and are widely used for the purpose of solubilizing membrane protein . although the polyoxyethylene chain of the polyoxyethylenes used in the present invention [ i . e ., ( och 2 ch 2 ) x oh of the foregoing formula , also abbreviated as “ ex ”] is not particularly limited , polyoxyethylenes ( where x = an integer from 2 to 25 inclusive , preferably x = an integer from 4 to 23 inclusive , and more preferably x = an integer from 7 to 13 inclusive ) are preferred . although the number of carbons of the alkyl group ( i . e ., c n h 2n + 1 of the formula , which is also abbreviated as “ c n ”) of the polyoxyethylenes employed in the present invention is not particularly limited , it is preferred for polyoxyethylenes to have an n = an integer from 8 to 18 inclusive . examples of the polyoxyethylenes include polyoxyethylene dodecyl ether , polyoxyethylene hexadecyl ether ( also referred to as polyoxyethylene cetyl ether ), polyoxyethylene isooctylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene nonylphenyl ether , polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester , and polyoxyethylene sorbitol ester . it is preferred that these surfactants be used as aqueous solution and have a certain micelle size . the solvent of the aqueous solution of the surfactant may be a buffer solution . preferably , the ph of the buffer solution is adjusted to be in the range of optimum ph of the cascade participated with factor c ( more preferably a ph of about 7 to 9 ). examples of the buffer solution include good &# 39 ; s buffers [ e . g ., hepes ( n - 2 - hydroxyethylpiperazine - n ′- 2 - ethanesulfonic acid buffer ), colaminechloride buffer , bes buffer , mops buffer , tes buffer , hepps buffer ( n - 2 - hydroxyethylpiperazine - n ′- 3 - propanesulfonic acid buffer ), tricine buffer , glycinamide buffer , or bicine buffer , taps buffer ]; tris - hydrochloric acid buffer ; or the like . the amount of a surfactant to coexist with the limulus reaction - activating substance is not particularly limited and can be changed depending on the amount of limulus reaction - activating substance or the type and amount of surfactant to coexist with the substance , as required . for example , specific concentrations of surfactant are usually set to 0 . 005 % to 0 . 8 % ( weight by volume ), preferably 0 . 01 % to 0 . 5 % ( weight by volume ), and more preferably 0 . 05 % to 0 . 3 % ( weight by volume ) as the final concentration of the surfactant when it comes into contact with the sample . however , these concentrations are merely illustrative and are not intended to be construed in a limiting sense . an aqueous solution of a desired surfactant can be prepared by subjecting the solution to means for removing endotoxin from the solution , e . g ., an activated carbon treatment , a membrane filtering treatment , or an autoclave treatment . the method and the sequence of causing the surfactant or the aqueous solution of a surfactant to coexist with the sample containing the limulus reaction - activating substance are not particularly limited , so long as the surfactant coexists in predetermined concentrations with the sample without being subjected to modification or disruption . the objective of the present invention can be achieved even if a surfactant is added to a limulus reagent in advance and the limulus reagent is mixed and concurrently reacted with a sample . however , in terms of effect , it is preferred to mix a surfactant with the sample before limulus reaction . the aqueous solution of the surfactant is desirably mixed with the sample at a ratio of 0 . 1 to 10 : 1 parts by volume . however , the ratio is not particularly limited , so long as the surfactant is added in a predetermined concentration into the sample and the effective concentration is maintained . in order to inactivate the limulus reaction - activating substance , the surfactant must be mixed with the substance at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . at a temperature below the freezing point of the surfactant , the surfactant becomes frozen , thereby making it difficult to smoothly perform desired inactivation of the substance . in contrast , if the temperature exceeds 50 ° c ., endotoxin or the other substances to be measured is also inactivated , thereby making it difficult to correctly measure the amount of endotoxin or the like . the limulus reaction - activating substance can be brought into contact with the surfactant preferably at a temperature ranging from 1 ° c . to 50 ° c ., more preferably at a temperature ranging from 4 ° c . to 50 ° c ., even more preferably at a temperature ranging from 4 ° c . to 45 ° c ., and particularly preferably at a temperature ranging from 15 ° c . to 40 ° c . in this respect , the present invention greatly differs from the existing technique ( as disclosed in japanese patent laid - open ( kokai ) no . 6 - 118086 ) which employs a surfactant and actively heats to inactivate a limulus reaction false - positive substance . the method for achieving copresence of the sample and the surfactant is not particularly limited . the sample and the surfactant are usually made to coexist with each other by adding them together and sufficiently mixing this mixture . there is no particular limitation on the time period over which the sample coexists with the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c ., so long as the endotoxin molecules and micelles associated with them are physically and chemically stable and are not adsorbed to a container . the time period is usually set to a period ranging from several seconds to five minutes , and one to two minutes are adequate for the time period . thus , the limulus reaction - activating substance can be inactivated through use of the surfactant within a very short period of time . the foregoing method of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance can be directly applied to the inactivation of the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the sample for limulus assay . the present invention comprises the use of a surfactant for the purpose of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance so as to mix the sample with the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . as will be described later , an alkylamine preferably coexists with the sample in addition to surfactant . the present invention comprises the use of a surfactant for the purpose of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance so as to mix the sample with the surfactant and an alkylamine at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . as described above , the present invention provides the methods for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance , thereby directly yielding a sample for limulus assay which contains the limulus reaction - activating substance inactivated by the surfactant . this inactivation methods can be applied to various forms . for example , the inactivation methods can be applied to a surfactant - contained agent for inactivating a limulus reaction - activating substance based on the copresence of the sample and the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the inactivation methods can be also applied to a limulus reagent which contains the inactivation agent , a kit for limulus assay which contains the limulus reagent , or a kit for limulus assay which contains both the inactivation agent and the limulus reagent . the term “ limulus assay ” used herein signifies measurement which uses a limulus reaction . the term “ kit for limulus assay ” used herein signifies a kit which is used for assay which uses a limulus reaction and contains at least a limulus reagent . in addition to the limulus reagent , the kit can contain an optional reagent , as required . for example , this reagent includes distilled water for blank test purposes or reactive - reagent - dissolution / reaction buffer solutions . however , the reagent is not limited to these examples . the present invention provides an agent which contains a surfactant and inactivates the limulus reaction - activating substance , a limulus reagent containing the inactivating agent , and a kit for limulus assay which contains the limulus reagent and the inactivating agent . preferably , the limulus reagent is an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent . the present invention further comprises a method of eliminating the effect of a sample for limulus assay on the limulus reaction , which method is characterized by copresence of a sample for limulus assay and a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . to inactivate the limulus reaction - activating substance . the present invention includes a sample for limulus assay which contains the limulus reaction - activating substance inactivated by the surfactant in the previously - described manner . the sample to be subjected to the inactivation of the limulus reaction - activating substance is not particularly limited , so long as the sample is subjected to the detection of endotoxin by means of a limulus reaction . particularly preferable samples are so - called biological products which are biologically - derived limulus samples and have a higher possibility that the limulus reaction - activating substance is contained . the term “ biological products ” used herein is a concept which excludes blood fractions containing whole blood ; i . e ., whole blood , plasma , serum , or the like , which is not biologically processed . more specifically , the biological products are biologically - processed products including vaccine preparations [ which are generally prepared for the purpose of reducing a morbidity rate by increasing a blood antibody titer with respect to a target virus by means of vaccination ; for example , vaccine preparations include inactivated vaccines which are usually manufactured by proliferating virions in a host , such as a transovarian allantoic cavity or a brain , and decomposing and inactivating highly - purified virions { e . g ., influenza vaccine ( influenza ha vaccine ), japanese encephalitis vaccine , or the like } or attenuated vaccine ], biologically - processed blood products [ e . g ., human serum albumin or human plasma protein which is usually produced from a starting material , such as plasma , and are fractionated and prepared to a high purity by changing various conditions of the starting material , such as ph , ionic strength , or ethanol concentrations and using a fractional precipitation method ( e . g ., cohn fractionation ) on the basis of the degree of dissolution of protein ], or antibiotics . the vaccine takes the form of a colorless - and - transparent or slightly - opaque , odorless liquid article to which a stabilizing agent such as gelatin has been added . there is also freeze - dried vaccine which is a slightly - yellowish - white powdery solid . this vaccine is used in liquid form prepared by adding a specified quantity of distilled water is added to the solid . c . means for measuring the amount of endotoxin which uses the means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance ( hereinafter also referred to as an endotoxin measurement method ) by virtue of the use of the foregoing means for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance , there is provided a method of measuring the amount of endotoxin contained in a sample for limulus assay , comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of mixing the sample with a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . to thereby inactivate the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the sample ; and ( 2 ) a second step of subjecting the sample whose limulus reaction - activating substance is inactivated in the first step to a limulus reagent and of measuring a change through a limulus reaction . preferably , the sample , the surfactant , and the alkylamine are brought into copresence with each other at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the technical significance of the addition of an alkylamine will be described later . desirably , the sample is a biological product , and the preferred biological products have already been described . the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample can be more easily measured by use of a limulus reagent which contains an agent containing a surfactant for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance . therefore , there is further provided a method of measuring the amount of endotoxin contained in a sample for limulus assay , comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of preparing a limulus reagent which contains an agent for inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance , and ( 2 ) a second step of subjecting the sample to a limulus reaction through use of the limulus reagent prepared in the first step . in the present invention , an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent is preferably used , although usable limulus reagents are not particularly limited , so long as the reagents enable the detection of endotoxin , in view that the limulus reaction - activating substance falsely tests positive during the course of the detection of endotoxin . if the sample clearly does not contain any β - d - glucan , use of the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent is not necessarily required . in this case , a limulus reagent which detects both endotoxin and β - d - glucan may also be used . the limulus reagent is not limited , so long as the reagent enables the detection of endotoxin . in addition to a limulus reagent utilizing synthetic substrate method ( end - point assay or kinetic assay ), a limulus reagent utilizing an ordinary gelation method or turbidimetry ( end - point assay or kinetic assay ) may be employed . in the present invention , various limulus reagents commercially available can be used ; e . g ., toxicolor system ls - 6 , toxicolor system ls - 20 , toxicolor system ls - 200 , endospecy es - 6 , endospecy - es - 200 , pyrodick , pregel , pregel - s , pregel - m , pyrotell multitest , pyrotell single test , pyrotell - t ( all of which are available from seikagaku corporation ); limulus j test wako , limulus hs - j test wako , limulus j single test wako , limulus hs - j single test wako , limulus f test wako , limulus hs - f test wako , limulus f single test wako , limulus hs - f single test wako , limulus es - ii test wako , limulus es - ii single test wako , limulus es - iii test wako , limulus es - j test wako ( all of which are available from wako pure chemical industries ); pyrogent , pyrogent multitest , pyrogent single test , qcl - 1000 , kinetic qcl system ( all of which are manufactured by bio - whitecker co ., ltd and are available from daiichi kagaku yakuhin co ., ltd . ); co - test endotoxin ( available from chromogenic ab ltd . ); endochrome , endochrome - k ( which is manufactured by charles river laboratory and is available from end safe ltd . ); pyrosate ( available from hemachem ltd . ); or pyrochrome ( available from capecod ltd .). of these commercially - available limulus reagents , two types of reagents , i . e ., endospecy and limulus es test , are specific to endotoxin . the limulus reagent to be used in the present invention is not limited to the aforementioned commercially - available limulus reagents . so long as a series of enzymes of factor c pathway ( i . e ., a coagulation pathway ) are activated as a result of reaction with endotoxin , it is also possible to use a lysate which is prepared by means of a known method from the hematocyte of a horseshoe crab belonging to ; e . g ., the genera tachypleus tridentatus , tachypleus gigas , or tachypleus rotundicauda ( of asia ) or the genus limulus polyphemus ( of north america . more specifically , a lysate can be produced from a hemolymph of the horseshoe crab by means of a method disclosed in , e . g ., j . biochem ., 80 , pp . 1011 to 1021 ( 1976 ). the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent can be prepared by specifically inhibiting , adsorbing , or eliminating factor g of the lysate ( e . g ., wo 90 / 02951 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 155 , 032 , u . s . pat . no . 5 , 179 , 006 , wo 92 / 03736 , wo 92 / 06381 , or japanese patent application no . 5 - 61464 ) or by fractionating and reconstituting factor - c - based components [ e . g ., japanese patent publication ( kokoku ) no . 2 - 18080 , or obayashi t . et . al ., clin . chem . acta ., 149 , pp . 55 to 65 ( 1985 )]. the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent can also be produced from factor c , a synthetic peptide substrate which will be described later , a buffer solution and bivalent metal salt , or factor c , factor b , the synthetic peptide substrate , a buffer solution and a bivalent metal salt . examples of the synthetic peptide substrate include synthetic peptide substrates whose carboxyl group of arginine at c - terminal of peptide capable of becoming a substrate of active factor c ( e . g ., peptide whose e - terminal is protected and which has an arrangement such as val - pro - arg , leu - gly - arg , or ile - glu - ala - arg or e . g ., methoxycarbonyl - d - hexahydrotylosil - gly - arg ) is combined through amide bonding with chromogenic residues [ e . g ., p - nitroaniline , p -( n , n - diethylamino ) aniline , p -( n - ethyl - n -( hydroxyethyl ) aniline ], fluorescent residues ( e . g ., 7 - aminomethylcoumarin ), luminous residues , or ammonia . when the measurement of the amount of endotoxin is carried out by using such a produced endotoxin - specific limulus reagent , the activity of amidase can be determined by measurement of a reaction product ( e . g ., p - nitroaniline or ammonia ) which is produced as a result of active factor c acting on the synthetic substrate . according to an example of the measurement method used for measuring the amount of endotoxin , a mixture comprising a liquid to be tested and factor c , a buffer liquid and bivalent metal salt is prepared and reacted with a synthetic substance , and , if necessary , the product is transformed into another pigment . subsequently , the pigments , fluorescent substances , luminous substances , or ammonia resulting from the reaction are measured by a spectrophotometer [ see japanese patent publication ( kokoku ) nos . 63 - 26871 and 3 - 66319 ], a fluorophotometer , a chemoluminescense measuring device , or an ammonia detection electrode ( see japanese patent laid - open ( kokai ) no . 62 - 148860 ), respectively . the inventors have discovered that the coexistance of alkylamine with a surfactant in the detection system of endotoxin , enables endotoxin to be maintained in a suitable associated or dispersed state and minimizes the difference in solubility or reactivity between endotoxin owing to the type of bacterium , thereby providing reproducible data . in short , it is preferred that an alkylamine be brought into copresence with the sample and the surfactant when the sample and the surfactant coexist with each other at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . although the method of bringing the sample , the surfactant , and an alkylamine into copresence is not particularly limited , it is preferred to employ a method in which after an alkylamine and a surfactant have been mixed to a predetermined concentration in advance , and the thus - produced mixture is directly mixed with a sample for limulus assay . if an alkylamine is maintained at a predetermined concentration with respect to the sample , any method may be employed , e . g ., a method of bringing a surfactant into copresence with the sample and an alkylamine after the alkylamine has been brought into copresence with the sample , a method of bringing an alkylamine into copresence with the sample and the surfactant after the surfactant has been brought into copresence with the sample , or a method of bringing an alkylamine into copresence with a limulus reagent in advance . for example , the effect of an alkylamine can be readily achieved by the sole addition of an alkylamine to the aqueous solution of surfactant prepared to a predetermined concentration in such a way that the final concentration of the alkylamine reaches the range of 0 . 0001 % to 0 . 05 % ( weight by volume ), and more preferably the range of 0 . 002 % to 0 . 01 % ( weight by volume ), when the alkylamine comes into contact with the sample for limulus assay , thereby resulting in a further improvement in the advantageous results of the present invention . if the amount of the alkylamine contained in the solution is under 0 . 0001 % ( weight by volume ), a desired effect will be difficult to achieve . in contrast , if the amount of alkylamine exceeds 0 . 05 % ( weight by volume ), there is no corresponding increase in a resultant effect . alkylamine may have a substituent . any substance can be used as alkylamine , so long as the substance is usually soluble in a polar solvent or water and cannot be readily decomposed . preferred examples of alkylamines include secondary amines such as methylmethaneamine or ethylethaneamine , and more preferred examples include tertiary amines such as dimethylamine or dimethylethaneamine . more specifically , there may be used n - ethylethaneamine ( diethylamine ), 2 , 2 ′- iminodiethanol , bis ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amine ( diethanolamine ), n , n - dimethylmethaneamine ( trimethylamine ), n , n - diethylethaneamine ( triethylamine ), or tris ( 2 - hydroxyethyl ) amine ( triethanolamine ). d . means for measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance ( hereinafter also referred to as a method of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance ) the present invention provides a method of specifically measuring solely endotoxin by inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in a biological product , i . e ., a method of more appropriately testing the safety of drugs . furthermore , the present invention provides a method of specifically measuring solely the limulus reaction - activating substance . more specifically , the amount of limulus reaction - activating substance is calculated by measuring a total amount of limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin ( or the amount of substance which reacts with a limulus reagent ) through use of an ordinary limulus test , and by subtracting from the thus - measured total amount the amount of endotoxin obtained by various means alone . in the present invention , it is possible to use one type of a biological product or a mixture of two or more types of biological products . the present invention also comprises a method in which the endotoxin alone is inactivated through use of a substance which specifically inactivates solely endotoxin in the sample — e . g ., acid , alkali , or polymyxins such as polymyxin b or colistin — and by measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance by means of the ordinary limulus test . of these endotoxin - inactivating substances , polymyxins such as polymyxin b or colistin may sometimes erroneously reflect a measured value of the limulus reaction - activating substance . in other terms , a substance which inhibits polymyxins from neutralizing endotoxin sometimes coexists in the sample . in contrast , in a case where endotoxin is inactivated through use of acid or alkali , the foregoing problems will not arise . therefore , acid or alkali can be used as a desirable endotoxin - inactivating substance . although the acid used herein is not limited to any particular acid , strong acid such as hydrochloric acid , sulfuric acid , or nitric acid is preferred . further , although alkali is not limited to any particular alkali , strong alkali such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide is preferred . the sample is usually treated by the addition of acid or alkali thereto in such a way that the sample coexists with acid or alkali . although the concentration of acid or alkali in the sample is not particularly limited , the final concentration of acid or alkali in the sample is preferably set to a value of 0 . 05m or more , and more particularly to a value ranging from 0 . 05 to 0 . 2 m or thereabouts . before being subjected to measurement through use of the limulus reagent , an endotoxin - inactivated sample for limulus assay must be neutralized . preferably , after the neutralization of the sample , the ph of the sample is maintained as a ph ranging from 6 to 9 . more specifically , the present invention is directed to a method of measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance in a sample for limulus assay comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of measuring the total amount of substances which react with the limulus reagent contained in the sample through the use of the limulus reagent ; ( 2 ) a second step of measuring the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample by means of the method of measuring endotoxin ; and ( 3 ) a third step of calculating the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance through determining the difference between the total amount of the substances — which react with the limulus reagent — measured in the first step and the amount of endotoxin measured in the second step . the limulus reagents used in the first and second steps must be of the same type . in a case where an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent is used in the first step , the endotoxin - specific limulus reagent must be used in the second step as well . limulus reagents which are usable for these steps are the same as those previously described as being usable for the endotoxin measurement method . endotoxin - specific limulus reagents are preferred . the present invention also comprises a method of measuring the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in a sample for limulus assay , the method comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of treating the sample with an endotoxin - inactivating substance , particularly acid or alkali ; and ( 2 ) a second step of measuring the limulus reaction - activating substance by causing the endotoxin - inactivated sample obtained in the first step to a limulus reagent , and by measuring a change through a limulus reaction . as previously described , before being subjected to measurement through use of the endotoxin - specific reagent , the endotoxin - inactivated sample obtained in the first step must be maintained . e . means for measuring the true amount of endotoxin contained in a biological product ( or a method of measuring endotoxin contained in a biological product ): the method of measuring endotoxin contained in a biological product according to the present invention enables the measurement of the true amount of endotoxin contained in a biological product by means of a limulus reaction which is found to be impossible for the existing known method to measure . the present invention also comprises a series of steps of measuring the amount of endotoxin through use of the limulus reagent after having eliminated the effect of the limulus reagent false - positive substance ( e . g ., the limulus reaction - activating substance ) contained in a biological product . the effect of the limulus reaction false - positive substance contained in a biological product is eliminated by use of a surfactant , whereby a biological product to be subjected to limulus - reagent is brought into copresence with the surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . as described hereinabove , it is preferable to mix the biological product with an alkylamine in addition to the surfactant . more specifically , it is particularly preferred to use a surfactant and an alkylamine in such a way that the biological product , the surfactant , and the alkylamine coexist with each other at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the present invention also comprises a method of pre - treating a biological product to be subjected to limulus - reagent measurement , the method being characterized by copresence of a surfactant with the biological product at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . the present invention also comprises a biological product to be subjected to limulus - reagent which is obtained by this pretreatment and which contains a surfactant . as a result of elimination of the influence of the limulus reaction false - positive substance contained in a biological product as described above , there is provided a method of measuring endotoxin contained in the biological product , the method comprising : ( 1 ) a first step of mixing the biological product with a surfactant at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . ; and ( 2 ) a second step of subjecting the sample for limulus assay obtained in the first step to a limulus reagent , and of measuring a change through a limulus reaction . more preferably , in the first step , the sample is brought into copresence with a surfactant and an alkylamine at a temperature ranging from that higher than a freezing point of the surfactant to 50 ° c . limulus reagents which are usable for these steps are the same as those previously described as being usable for the endotoxin measurement method . endotoxin - specific limulus reagents are more preferred . the present invention will be more specifically described hereinbelow with reference to examples which are illustrative but not restrictive . 50 μl of influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot a ) and 50 μl of japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot a ) were subjected to gel permeation chromatography employing high - performance liquid chromatography , i . e ., the vaccines were applied to columns tskgel g4000sw and tskgel g3000sw which were joined together ( columns manufactured by toso co ., ltd , each column measuring 7 × 30 mm and having a volume of 14 . 3 cm 8 ). the vaccine was eluted with a solvent , or distilled water from which endotoxin and β - d - glucan had been removed , at a flow rate of 0 . 5 ml / min . the thus - eluted liquid was fractionated every 1 ml . the pattern of elution of influenza ha vaccine is shown in fig2 . an aqueous solution of polymyxin b sulfate was added to each of the thus - eluted factions in such a way that the final concentration of the fraction reached 0 . 5 mg / ml , thereby completely inhibiting the activity of endotoxin . subsequently , limulus reaction was measured through use of endospecy ( which is an endotoxin - specific reagent and available from seikagaku corporation ), and positive fractions ( i . e ., active fractions ) were collected , whereby a limulus reaction - activating substance was obtained . comparison between a limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in vaccine preparations and endotoxin with regard to physical properties and various characteristics table 1 shows the results of comparison between the limulus reaction - activating substance manufactured from influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot a ) and japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot a ) in the foregoing example , and various types of purified endotoxin ( westphal type endotoxin prepared from e . coli 0111 : b4 , e . coli 055 : b5 , e . coli ukt - b , salmonella minnesota r595 , s . marcescens , s . typhimurium , s . abrtus equi .) with regard to physical properties . after having been treated under the conditions provided below table 1 , the samples for limulus assay was made to react with an endotoxin - specific limulus reagent ( endospecy available from seikagaku corporation ) on a microtiter plate — which was free from endotoxin and ( 1 → 3 )- β - d - glucan ( e . g ., toxipet plate 96f available from seikagaku corporation )— in a microplate reader ( well reader sk601 available from seikagaku corporation ) for 30 min . the concentration of endotoxin was automatically calculated from the rate of changes ( mabs / min .) in the absorbance of light [ having a wavelength of 405 to 492 nm ] per minute . as a result , the residual activity of the limulus reaction - activating substance (%) and of endotoxin was calculated , taking the residual activity of an unprocessed control group as 100 %. from table 1 , it is evident that the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the influenza ha vaccine , the japanese b encephalitis , or the like , has the effect of directly activating an endotoxin - sensitive factor ( i . e ., factor c ) present in the amebocyte of a horseshoe crab . further , it is obvious that the limulus reaction - activating substance is a non - serine - protease ( incapable of activating factor c , a proclotting enzyme , or directly hydrolyzing a synthetic substrate ) and non -( 1 → 3 )- β - d - glucan ( incapable of activating factor g ) molecule and has physical properties similar to those of endotoxin which form a macromolecular amphipathic micells . the limulus reaction - activating substance is found to have the property of not adhering to a glass test tube and the property of stably maintaining limulus action even when it is left for a long period of time . pyrogenicity : a test for pyrogenicity is performed in compliance with the rabbit pyrogen test described in the japanese pharmacopoeia . if the value obtained by subtracting the body temperature ( rectal temperature ) of the rabbit measured at the starting time from the maximum body temperature measured after a lapse of three hours is greater than 0 . 55 ° c ., the rabbit is considered to test positive . polymyxin b : an aqueous solution of polymyxin b sulfate ( sigma co ., ltd ., and a concentration of used polymyxin b : 0 . 5 mg / ml ) acid : the substance and endotoxin are treated with 0 . 2m hydrochloric acid at 37 ° c . for 60 min . alkali : the substance and endotoxin are treated with 0 . 2m potassium hydroxide at 37 ° c . for 60 min . heat stability : the substance and endotoxin are heated at 100 ° c . for 60 min . solution stability : the substance and endotoxin are left in 0 . 02m phosphate buffer solution ( ph 7 . 0 ) at 4 ° c . for 10 days . ability to hydrolyze synthetic substrate : boc - leu - gly - art - pna - hcl ( the number of reacted moles : 3 . 0 mm ) ability to activate factor c : the ability to activate factor c is measured by means of the amidase activity against the synthetic substrate of active factor c through use of purified factor c ( prepared by the method disclosed in nakamura t . et . al ., eur . j . biochem . 154 , pp . 511 to 521 81986 ). anti - factor - c monoclonal antibody : the hindrance is measured after a 250 - fold dilution of mouse monoclonal antibody against factor c ( 2c12 ) has been added to a sample for limulus assay in proportions of 1 : 1 part by volume . ability to activate factor g : the proclotting enzyme - activation ability is measured by means of the amidase activity against a synthetic substrate through use of purified factor g [ prepared by the method disclosed in obayashi t . et al ., clin . chi ., acta , 149 , pp . 55 to 65 ( 1985 )]. ability to activate proclotting enzyme : like the case of factor g , the ability to activate into the activated clotting enzyme of the proclotting enzyme purified by the method proposed by obayashi et . al ., is measured by means of the amidase activity against the synthetic substrate . alkali metal or others : an aqueous solution of nacl , kcl , mgcl 2 , or cacl 2 ( the number of reacted moles : 0 to 1 . 5m ) endotoxin adsorbent : endotoxin is brought into contact with end - x - b15 ( i . e ., an adsorbent it &# 39 ; s ligand is a neutralizing factor in the limulus amebocyte ; adsorbent manufactured by capecod co ., ltd . and available from seikagaku corporation ), and pyrocep a & amp ; c ( i . e ., an adsorbent it &# 39 ; s ligand is histidine ; adsorbent manufactured by tanabe seiyaku co ., ltd . and available from wako pure chemical industries ), and unadsorbed fractions are collected . the amount of endotoxin contained in the thus - collected fractions is measured by endospecy to thereby calculate the proportion of the endotoxin adhered to a carrier (%). effect of various types of surfactants on the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin 25 μl of the limulus reaction - activating substance manufactured from the influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot a ) or the japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot a ) in the foregoing example and 25 μl of e . coli 0111 : b4 endotoxin ( westphal type , hereinafter referred to as et - b4 , 2eu / ml ) were poured into a toxipet plate 96f . 25 μl of nonionic surfactant solution , such as a polyoxyethylene - based surfactant ( available under the trade - names tween , triton , brij or the like from sigma co ., ltd ., aldrich co ., ltd ., wako pure chemical industries , and dojin kagaku laboratories ), were added to and mixed with the substance and the endotoxin well . subsequently , 50 μl of endospecy were added and allowed to react with the mixture at 37 ° c . for 30 min . as in example 1 , the residual activity of the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin (%) was calculated , with distilled water taken as an unprocessed control group . from table 2 , it is understood that if an appropriate concentration of surfactant is added , a great difference with regard to residual activity arises between the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin , depending on the types of surfactants . for example , it is obvious that if surfactant brij 56 is added to the limulus reaction - activating substance and endotoxin , the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the influenza ha vaccine can be completely inactivated , whereas the activity of endotoxin is maintained suitably . as is also evident from table 2 , in addition to brij 56 , another surfactant , such as triton n - 101 or tergitol , acts on the limulus reaction - activating substance in an analogous manner . it is found that , as a result of copresence of an aqueous solution of such surfactant in the sample , as required , the effect of the limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in the sample on the limulus reaction ( i . e ., the false - positive characteristics of the sample ) is eliminated , and that the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured . effects of various types of surfactants on the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in each of various types of biological products 25 μl of a biological product containing a high concentration of limulus reaction - activating substance [ influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot b , a stock solution ), japanese b encephalitis ( jec - lot b , a stock solution ), and human serum albumin ( hsa - lot y1 ) prepared to a concentration of 2 . 5 % ( weight by volume )] were dispensed to separately microplates . 25 μl of tergitol , triton n - 101 , and brij 56 ( all of which are available from sigma co ., ltd .) solutions were added to and mixed with the respective microplates so as to produce a concentration of 0 . 004 to 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ). after the thus - prepared mixtures had been stirred well ( at room temperature for 1 min . ), 50 μl endospecy were added to each of the mixtures . the concentration of endotoxin contained in each of the mixtures was calculated by the method described in example 1 . the amount of residual limulus reaction - activating substance , i . e ., the proportion (%) residual limulus reaction - activating substance , was calculated by comparing the endotoxin concentration with that of an endotoxin - free control group ( i . e ., distilled water ). further , taking the endotoxin recovery (%) of distilled water as 100 %, the endotoxin recovery was calculated by adding a known concentration ( 1 . 2 eu / ml ) of endotoxin ( et - b4 ) to various types of biological products which substantially do not contain any limulus reaction - activating substance . as is evident from table 3 , if an aqueous solution of surfactant prepared to a suitable concentration is used , there can be set conditions under which nonspecific endotoxin reaction does not remain and the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured . more specifically , it is understood that a superior ratio of recovery of endotoxin and the elimination of the nonspecific endotoxin activity ( i . e ., the response of the limulus reaction - activating substance ) can be achieved by merely mixing the sample with the aqueous solution of surfactant which respectively have suitable concentrations . as a result , the amount of endotoxin alone contained in the sample can be specifically measured . from table 3 , it is obvious that the foregoing objectives can be achieved by use of an aqueous solution having a suitable concentration of brij 56 for biological product iha ; an aqueous solution having a suitable concentration of tergitol , triton n - 101 , or brij 56 for biological product jec ; and an aqueous solution having a suitable concentration of brij 56 for biological product hsa . after 25 μl of brij 56 solution — which was prepared in such a way as to have a concentration of 0 to 0 . 5 % ( weight by volume ) when mixed with a biological product — had been added to each 25 μl of the biological products used in the example 3 , 50 μl of endospecy was added to the biological products . the concentration of endotoxin contained in each of the biological products ( eu / ml ) was measured by the method described in example 1 . concurrently , there was measured the endotoxin recovery (%) for each of the concentrations of the aqueous solutions of brij 56 . fig3 shows the thus - measured endotoxin concentrations and the brij 56 concentrations . as the concentration of the aqueous solution of brij 56 increases , the limulus activity ( i . e ., the non - specific endotoxin concentrations ) and the endotoxin recovery decrease significantly . accordingly , there is selected the concentration of brij 56 which enables the maximum inhibition of the activity of the nonspecific endotoxin ( i . e ., the limulus reaction - activating substance ) while the endotoxin recovery is suitably maintained , as required . it is obvious that the limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in the sample can be inactivated and the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured within the thus - selected extent of concentration . influence of the temperature at which brij is mixed with the sample and the time period over which the mixed sample is left after the mixing of brij on the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in each of the various types of biological products the aqueous solution of brij 56 was added to and mixed with 25 μl influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot b ) in such a way that the concentration of brij 56 in the mixture became 0 . 125 %. the mixture was added at 4 to 80 ° c . for one min . after having been mixed further , the mixture was left at the same temperature for 1 to 20 minutes . the relative value of the activity of endotoxin [ i . e ., the ratio of residual limulus reaction which is obtained on the basis of distilled water being taken as a control group ( having a residual limulus reaction ratio of 100 %)] and the endotoxin recovery was calculated . fig4 shows the results of such calculation at each temperature obtained when the mixture was stirred for one min . fig4 shows that the maximum inhibition of limulus activity is achieved while a suitable endotoxin recovery is maintained by merely adding the aqueous solution of surfactant to the sample and stirring the mixture for one min . at 4 to 50 ° c . ( i . e ., the ratio of residual limulus activity and the endotoxin recovery were not particularly affected even when the mixture was left for 5 minutes at 4 to 40 ° c .). additionally , under the conditions in which the mixture was heated to 60 ° c . or more , the activity of endotoxin was not stably maintained , thereby making is impossible to correctly measure the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample . influence of polymyxin b , edta - 4na , and brij 56 on the measurement of the amount of endotoxin contained in each of various types of biological products a total of six lots of 25 μl of preparations containing biological products similar to those used in example 3 were mixed with 25 μl of polymyxin b sulfate ( available from sigma co ., ltd ., 2 mg / ml ) solution , 25 μl of edta - 4na solution , or 25 μl of 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution . 50 μl of endospecy was added to each mixture , and the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) in the thus - prepared mixture was measured in the same way as in example 1 . provided that a control group ( a total amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance ) without addition of polymyxin b , edta - 4na , or brij 56 is taken as 1 , the activity ratio of the mixture to the control group was calculated under various conditions . assuming that the endotoxin contained in the sample alone is specifically inactivated by addition to the biological products of the polymyxin b or edta - 4na solution having a predetermined concentration , and the limulus reaction - activating substance contained in the sample alone is specifically inactivated by addition of brij 56 to the biological products , the sum of the ratio of an endotoxin concentration and a limulus reaction - activating substance concentration obtained as a result of addition of the surfactant to the biological product to the control must represent a total amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance . as is evident from fig5 a and 5b ( a similar test was performed through use of other lots ), in each of the biological products , the sum of the endotoxin concentration and the limulus reaction - activating substance concentration was 1 ( 0 . 05 ( cv = 5 %, n = 3 ). the hypothesis was proved to be correct . from this fact , it is understood that the limulus reaction - activating substance alone can be inactivated and the amount of endotoxin can be specifically measured by solely bringing the brij 56 solution in copresence with the sample in a given concentration . 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution were added in an equivalent amount to biological products similar to those used in example 3 . 25 μl of the solution — which was diluted 2 to 32 fold with distilled water or 0 . 125 % brij 56 solution — and 25 μl of the solution — which was diluted 2 to 32 fold with distilled water in advance — were poured into each of the toxipet plates 96f . distilled water and 25 μl of 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution were added to the respective plates and stirred well . 50 μl of endospecy were added to the plates , and the concentration of endotoxin contained in the thus - prepared mixture on each plate was measured by the method described in example 1 . each of the thus - measured endotoxin concentrations was divided by a true amount of endotoxin , i . e ., a measured value obtained by adding 25 μl of 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution to 25 μl of the sample , to thereby obtain a relative activity (%). the thus - obtained relative activities were plotted for each of dilution ratios . as shown in fig6 a to 6 c , as for the sample that is diluted with distilled water in advance and to which the brij 56 solution was then added , stable relative activity was obtained in each of the dilution ratios . but the sample that diluted with distilled water after addition of the brij 56 solution showed tendency that the relative activity was rising with the increase of dilution rate . the brij 56 solution was added to the sample , and this sample was then diluted with 0 . 125 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 solution in place of distilled water . as a result , the stable relative activity was obtained , as in the case where the brij 56 solution was added to the sample , and a suitable dilution dose response is acknowledged . the reversible recovery of part of the activity of the limulus reaction - activating substance inactivated by brij 56 was observed by addition of distilled water so as to dilute the limulus reaction - activating substance ( i . e ., by dilution of the concentration of brij 56 in the sample ). in contrast , such a recovery phenomenon was not observed at all in the sample which was inactivated by brij 56 and diluted with brij 56 to the same concentration as that of the inactivated sample . a constant endotoxin concentration is obtained for any dilution ratio . in this respect , the limulus reaction false - positive substance of the present invention is significantly different in properties from known limulus reaction false - positive substances , and the method of inactivating the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention is greatly different from the existing method of inactivating a limulus reaction false - positive substance produced predominantly from blood used as a sample for limulus assay . it is known that once the false - positive substance has been inactivated , the limulus activity of the substance is not recovered at all even if the substance undergoes treatment . the limulus - reaction - activating - ability of the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention is inhibited only when it coexists with a specific surfactant having a given concentration . accordingly , in a case where a true amount of endotoxin contained in the sample is correctly measured by elimination of the effect of the limulus reaction - activating substance , the substance must be constantly held in copresence with the specific surfactant having a given concentration . in this respect , the endotoxin measurement method of the present invention is significantly different from the existing endotoxin measurement method associated with the method of inactivating a limulus reaction false - positive substance or the like . measurement of endotoxin contained in a biological product through use of various types of limulus reagents 0 . 3 % ( weight by volume ) brij 30 solution was added in an equivalent amount to each of the various types of biological products used in example 3 , and endospecy or various types of limulus reagents were added to the biological products . the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) contained in each of the thus - prepared samples for limulus assay was measured through use of standard endotoxin et - b4 . the results of such measurement are provided in table 4 . after the brij 30 solution had been added to the samples , the concentration of endotoxin contained in each of the samples was measured through use of various types of limulus reagents . as can be seen from table 4 , every sample shows a substantially similar tendency . it is obvious that the amount of endotoxin alone can be specifically measured by merely bringing brij 30 into copresence with the sample even when another measurement method and another measurement reagent are used . 25 μl of brij 56 solution ( 0 . 25 %) were added to each of water - dilution steps ( n = 9 ), each step having a quantity of 25 μl , for each of various b - and r - types endotoxin solutions which are different from each other primarily with regard to the chain length of o - antigen polysaccharide ( e . coli 0111 : b4 three types , e . coli ukt - b , e . coli 0113 , salmonella minnesota r595 , s . minnesota r5 ( rc ), s . typhosa , s . enteritidis ). 50 μl of endospecy were added to each of the thus - produced mixtures , and the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) in each of the mixtures was measured by the method described in the examples . the thus - measured endotoxin concentrations are represented in the form of a log - log plot . as a result , there arises a tendency to show a different titer according to the type of endotoxin . as shown in fig7 a and 7b , the irregularities in the titer are properly converged by adding triethylamine to the brij 56 solution to a concentration of 0 . 005 % ( weight by volume ) in advance ( a multiple correlation of 0 . 844 ). similarly , the dose dependency of endotoxin was checked by adding various types of endotoxin to influenza ha vaccine ( iha - lot m ) which is substantially free from endotoxin . as shown in fig8 a and 8b , in comparison with the case where endotoxin coexists solely with brij 56 , a superior convergence of titer lines ( a multiple correlation of 0 . 850 ) is obtained in the case where triethylamine is added to the brij 56 solution . accordingly , it has become evident that the dispersed state of endotoxin is properly maintained by adding triethylamine having a predetermined concentration to the brij 56 solution to thereby minimize the difference in reactivity between endotoxin owing to solubility or the type of fungus to as small as extent as possible , and that the amount of endotoxin contained in the sample can be more correctly measured . measurement of the amount of endotoxin in each of various types of biological products by means of parallel line assay 25 μl of brij mixture packed into a kit [ 0 . 25 % ( weight by volume ) brij 56 + 0 . 010 % ( weight by volume ) triethylamine ] were added to each of a series of distilled water - diluted solution ( n = 4 )— each solution having a volume of 25 μl — for each of three types of biological products ( iha - lot d , jec - f , hsa - y2 . the mixtures were then stirred . 50 μl of endospecy attached to the kit was added to the mixtures , and the mixtures were brought into reaction at 37 ° c . for 30 min . in a well reader sk601 . the rate of changes ( mabs405 - 492 nm / min .) in the absorbance per minute was analyzed through use of parallel determination software ( available under tradename rg301 from seikagaku corporation ). the concentration of endotoxin ( eu / ml ) was calculated through use of standard endotoxin of the japanese pharmacopoeia ( e . coli ukt - b ). as shown in fig9 suitable parallel lines and reproducibility were obtained for each of the preparations . the kit was able to specifically and accurately determine the amount of endotoxin contained in the biological products . measurement of the limulus reaction - activating substance in each of various types of biological products 0 . 2m naoh was added in an equivalent amount to each 50 μl of the various types of biological products described in example 8 . after the preparations had been heated at 37 ° c . for one hr ., 50 μl of 0 . 2m hcl were added so as to neutralize the mixtures . ( a ) 50 μl of endospecy were added to the thus - neutralized mixtures and brought into reaction at 37 ° c . for 30 min ., and the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance was measured . in contrast , there were measured ( c ) a total amount of the endotoxin and limulus reaction - activating substance measured through use of distilled water in place of naoh and ( b ) the amount of endotoxin measured by adding 25 μl of 0 . 25 % brij 56 to 25 μl of the preparations and subsequently adding 50 μl of endospecy to the same . all these amounts are provided in table 5 . as shown in table 5 , even in the case of each of iha , jec , hsa preparations , the amount of the limulus reaction - activating substance mixed in the preparations alone can be specifically measured by merely adding naoh to the preparation and heating at 37 ° c . the value obtained by adding the measured value ( b ) of endotoxin obtained by adding aqueous solution of the brij 56 and endospecy to the preparation to the measured value ( a ) of the limulus reaction - activating substance obtained by the foregoing method is substantially equivalent to the measured value ( c ) of the total amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance . therefore , it is evident that the measurement method of the present invention enables correct measurement of the amount of limulus reaction - activating substance . as has been described above , the present invention provides a method of readily and quickly inactivating a non - endotoxin limulus reaction - activating substance which is mixed in a biological product and does not have pyrogenic characteristics , and of accurately measuring the amount of endotoxin alone through use of a limulus reagent . by virtue of the present invention , the amount of endotoxin in the biological product is correctly measured , and therefore the evaluation of safety of biological products can be performed more suitably , representing a great contribution to medical care . further , since the limulus reaction - activating substance has physical properties similar to those of endotoxin , physiological properties and toxicity present new problems in the future . the method of measuring the amount of endotoxin and the limulus reaction - activating substance of the present invention possesses great medical significance .	8
the present invention relates to systems , methods and devices for composing , sending and receiving reliable asynchronous message transmissions . referring to fig1 , an overview of a system 10 for composing , sending and receiving such asynchronous voicemail transmissions is shown . in this embodiment , system 10 includes at least one originating mobile device 20 where one or more messages ( i . e . voicemails ) may be composed in an asynchronous manner . in one exemplary operative scenario , one or more messages 24 are composed in an asynchronous manner on originating mobile device 20 and are sent to a communication network 30 for eventual delivery to one or more destination mobile devices 46 and 50 where the messages ) may be played back . in another exemplary operative scenario , destination mobile devices 40 and 50 may download messages from communication network 30 for review in an asynchronous manner . as discussed in more detail later herein , the originating mobile device ( s ) and destination mobile device ( s ) utilize local storage facilities such as storage facilities 26 , 46 and 56 for the storage of both outbound and inbound messages . in the present invention , communication network 30 generally provides interconnection utilizing various interconnection architectures including a variety of wireless based networks , internet protocol ( ip ) based networks such as the internet , the public switched telephone network ( pstn ), atm networks , signaling networks , satellite networks , fixed wireless networks , dsl networks as well as other systems . network 30 provides versatile intelligent conduits that may carry , for example , communication signals , data signals , internet protocol ( ip ) telephony based signal and other multimedia signals . in the present invention , communications between the mobile devices and the communications network are enabled by a variety of networks , protocols and standards including , but not limited to cdma ( code division multiple access ), tdma ( time division multiple access ), amps ( advanced mobile phone system ), gsm ( global system for mobile communications ), gprs ( general packet radio service ), 2 . 5g , 3g , edge ( enhanced data for gsm evolution ), ieee 802 . 11x , 1xrtt , wcdma ( wideband cdma ), and so forth and other related networks , protocols and standards . as used herein , the network described herein may include base stations , regional stations , central stations and transmitters that are interconnected by landline trunks , base stations , satellites , antennas , routers , bridges and wireless connections to facilitate the necessary connections to establish the communications described herein . referring now to fig2 , one embodiment of a method of the instant invention is shown . in step 110 , the user creates an audio message . such an audio message is typically a voice message , but could also include generalized audio such as music or ambient sounds . for example , an exemplary message could include some speech by the user as well as some desirable environmental sounds or noise . in one embodiment , step 110 may include a number of substeps , e . g ., recording the message , any signal conversion such as from an analog signal from a microphone to a digital format suitable for network transmission , reviewing it , deleting it , re - recording it , editing it , and the like . in addition , header information , or meta - data may also be created , or associated with the message , e . g ., addressing it to one or more recipients ( typically phone numbers ), creating an index key or name for it , marking an urgency , time - stamping it , creating and associating a unique message identifier , and the like . referring still to fig2 , in step 120 , the message and any header information are stored , in accordance with the principles of the instant invention , in a local memory or storage facility . steps 110 and 120 may be repeated as necessary , either as new messages are created , or as the audio portion or meta - data of the message are modified . thus a multitude of messages may be created or composed and then stored in the local storage facility . referring again to fig2 , in step 130 , a possibly intermittent connection is monitored for connection quality , signal strength , or the like , and the one or more messages which are in the local storage facility are reliably transmitted to one or more edge devices or base stations of the communication network . such edge devices may have an intermittent connection with the mobile device , and consequently such messages , or components thereof may require one or more retransmissions in order for the message ( s ) to be reliably delivered to a server or switch adjunct or the like connected to the base stations . techniques for ensuring reliable message transmission over unreliable connections and elements thereof such as error detection , forward error correction , reliable session layers , packetization , datagram delivery , and the like may be utilized herein . in one exemplary embodiment , one such mechanism for ensuring reliable message transmission is represented by the following pseudo - code as follows : each of the above pseudo - code routines in turn invokes other subroutines in either software , firmware , or hardware , e . g ., packet error detection using cyclic redundant checksums . in another exemplary embodiment , another such mechanism for ensuring reliable message transmission is represented by the following pseudo - code as follows : optionally and advantageously , messages may either be deleted upon successful reception at the base station , or maintained in the local store until space is required , but marked as successfully and completely sent and received by the base station . many variations of step 130 are in the scope of the instant invention . for example , a single message may have to be completely sent before the next one is even initially attempted , they may be sent in sequential order or based on priority markings , and so forth . finally , with reference still to fig2 , in step 140 , the message is forwarded to its ultimate destination . for each ( one or more ) recipient identified in the header information , the message is delivered . this delivery may occur over one or more networks , using one or more technologies / protocols as discussed earlier herein such as via pots , voicemail , voice over ip , wireless transmission , tdm , etc . it is worth noting that the steps shown in fig2 and described herein may occur sequentially , i . e ., create the message , store the message , transmit the message , and then deliver the message . or , they may occur in overlapping fashion , where message delivery , even to a live user actively listening to the message may have begun even as the message is being created and stored . advantageously , this means that buffering and reliable message delivery can be used to provide robust communications even over connections of intermittent quality . also , these steps may be conducted in parallel with other activities , e . g ., messages may be uploaded even while the user is conducting a live conversation , either on control channels or in conversational interstices when both speakers have paused momentarily . referring now to fig3 , another embodiment of a method of the present invention is shown . in this embodiment , audio messages existing in the network are delivered by one or more base stations to the local store or repository of a mobile device . in step 210 , one or more messages are acquired from one or more sources , such as voicemail by a subsystem associated with the base station . in step 220 , the one or more messages are transmitted by one or more transmitters at one or more base stations , and the messages are reliably received by the mobile device . in step 230 , the one or more audio messages are entered into and maintained by the local store . in step 240 , the audio messages are reviewed . other steps , not shown , may exist , e . g ., to delete messages which have been listened to . as described above , these steps may be conducted sequentially or in overlapping fashion . fig4 illustrates an embodiment of a system for implementing the principles of the instant invention . in this embodiment , a mobile device 300 cooperates with a wireless network 400 to deliver and acquire messages to recipients and from senders across one or more network ( s ) 500 . with reference to fig4 , mobile device 300 , such as a cell phone , two - way voice enabled pda or the like , may include a control interface 310 , a control processor 320 , a microphone 330 , an analog - to - digital converter 340 , a local message store 350 , a digital - to - analog converter 360 , a speaker 370 and a device network interface 380 . mobile device 300 may also include additional components such as an antenna ( not shown ), a power supply ( not shown ) and / or battery ( not shown ), a housing ( not shown ), a headset connection ( not shown ), a headset ( not shown ) and a unique device identifier such as an international mobile equipment identifier or electronic serial number ( esn ) typically embedded in a chip ( not shown ), and the like . wireless network 400 may include one or more edge network interfaces 420 x , shown here for ease of illustration as 420 a and 420 b , but it is contemplated that the actual number may be greater or lesser than shown here . wireless network 400 may also include a network message processor 410 , a network message store 430 , and a main network interface 440 . with reference to fig4 , a mobile user will record an audio message which may include voice , music , sounds , and the like , using microphone 330 . this message is converted to digital form by analog - to - digital converter 340 , and stored in local message store 350 , typically with additional metadata such as message length , creation date / time , and the like . using control interface 310 , which may comprise one or more keys , a visual display , knobs , buttons , switches , and the like , the user may then review the message , edit it , forward it , delete it prior to sending , receive messages from the network , listen to them , delete them prior to , during , or after review , set preferences for automatic deletion upon successful transmittal , and so forth . also , control interface 310 may be used to toggle between different modes of operation , e . g ., power off , power on and mobile device active but offline ( i . e ., neither receiving nor transmitting ), and power on and mobile device active and online . the offline mode may be used , e . g ., to record or listen to messages when in an environment where transmission is prohibited , e . g ., when flying , or not desired , e . g ., the user wants to create a message without being disturbed by incoming calls . also , the user enters one or more destination addresses , e . g ., typically recipient phone numbers but possibly email addresses , screen names , or the like . the control processor 320 , which is typically a combination of software , firmware , and / or hardware , interprets the commands , and interacts with the analog - to - digital converter 340 , local message store 350 , and digital - to - analog converter / amplifier 360 to record , edit , playback , attach addressing information , and the like . local message store 350 allocates bytes or blocks of memory to the digitized audio message , metadata , and store information , such as which bytes or blocks are allocated and / or free . for reviewing created or received messages , control interface 310 cooperates with control processor 320 , digital - to - analog amplifier 360 , and speaker 370 to convert stored digital audio information in local message store 350 to audible sounds . referring still to fig4 , device network interface 380 implements logic for interacting with one or more base stations or edge devices , such as edge network interface ( s ) 420 x , e . g ., 420 a , 420 b , and so forth . communication may be via one or more channels , e . g ., a control channel and a paired transmit channel and receive channel . in one embodiment , the channels are digital , but the channels may be a mix of analog and digital , and may use any of a variety of wireless protocols as discussed earlier herein . in an exemplary mode of operation , device network interface 380 broadcasts or otherwise announces the presence of mobile device 300 , homes on an edge network interface 420 x , establishes a viable connection , transmits and / or receives packets and metadata or channel control information , and the like . still with reference to fig4 , network message processor 410 maintains a session with mobile device 300 via edge network interface ( s ) 420 . one session involving transmitting or receiving multiple messages may only utilize one edge network interface 420 , e . g ., when a user has just landed , and uploads or receives messages as they wait for their luggage . alternatively , multiple edge network interfaces 420 may be adjacent , e . g ., when a user , after flying into an airport with a half an hour worth of messages to transmit , drives across multiple cell sites as they upload the messages . or , use of multiple edge network interfaces 420 may be widely dispersed in space and time , even when uploading or receiving one message . for example , a user may begin to upload a message in a first location and then complete the uploading at a later time at a second location where the second location may be geographically removed from the first location . in a more specific example , uploading may begin by a user in a first city and then uploading may be completed at a later time in a different city , with such a scenario being encountered during conventional air travel , which takes the user from one locale to another distant locale . network message processor 410 provides message and session continuity across these multiple intermittent links , reliably acquiring packets or parts of messages and associated metadata and placing them in the network message store 430 , and / or reliably sending packets or parts of messages and associated metadata based on messages contained in network message store 430 for the destination mobile device 300 , and then eventually marking them as fully received or transmitted and notifying the mobile device 300 accordingly . still with reference to fig4 , when uploading messages for delivery , when network message store 430 has a complete message and associated metadata , main network interface 440 cooperates with one or more networks 500 to deliver the message . this may involve setting up one or more circuit switched calls to destination called parties , based on metadata such as phone number , leaving voice mails for the parties in voicemail systems , sending digitized audio files such as wave files to the parties based on metadata such as an email address , setting up a voice - over - ip call , or the like . conversely , main network interface 440 may receive messages from one or more network ( s ) 500 , which may be circuit switched or packet switched networks , together with information such as recipient telephone number , sender email address or telephone number , and the like . it should be noted that the time to transmit or receive a message may be less than , the same as , or greater than the actual duration of the message . for example , the message may be compressed using data compression techniques as are known in the art to eliminate pauses or “ white space ,” as well as to speed delivery . conversely , if multiple connections must be established with one or more base stations , and significant retransmission must occur , the actual connect time ( as well as the passage of real time ) to transmit a message may be greater than the duration of the actual message itself . while the present invention has been described with reference to preferred and exemplary embodiments , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention . in addition , many modifications may be made to adapt a particular device , situation or step to the teachings of the invention without departing from the scope thereof . therefore , it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed , but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims .	7
hereinafter , a preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings . fig1 is a block diagram showing in outline the arrangement of a camera - integrated type vtr arranged according to the invention as an embodiment thereof . referring to fig1 an image pickup part 10 is composed of an optical system lens , a ccd image sensor , an automatic focusing mechanism , a zooming mechanism , etc . the image pickup part 10 operates , in accordance with instructions from a camera system control device 12 , to adjust focus , an amount of light , etc ., for a field of view , to convert an optical image of the field of view obtained through the optical system lens into a video signal and to supply the video signal to a camera signal processing device 14 . the camera signal processing device 14 then processes the video signal in a predetermined manner in accordance with instructions from the camera system control device 12 , and supplies the processed video signal to a vtr block 16 . a camera system operating device 18 is composed of various switches and dials ( for af on / off , ae auto / lock and programmed ae actions , etc .). a system control device 20 is arranged to supply the camera system control device 12 with information on an operation performed by the operator on the camera system operating device 18 . the camera system control device 12 is composed of a microcomputer , etc ., and is arranged to control the entire camera system according to instructions coming from the system control device 20 and the camera system operating device 18 . the vtr block 16 includes , among others , a mechanism part , a mechanism driving part arranged to drive the mechanism part , a mechanism part servo control device composed mainly of a microcomputer , and a video and audio signal processing part . in accordance with the instructions from the system control device 20 , the vtr block 16 records and reproduces video signals on and from a recording medium , sends the video signals to an evf ( electronic viewfinder ) 22 and also sends out the video signals from an output terminal which is not shown . a vtr system operating device 24 is composed of switches of varied kinds related to the vtr system and the whole apparatus ( including up , down , right , left , execution , menu , reproduction ( playback ), fast - feeding / reverse - feeding , pause and start / stop switches ). information on any operation that is performed on the vtr system operating device 24 by the operator is supplied to the system control device 20 . a power supply mode switch 26 is provided for allowing the operator to select the power supply mode of the main body of the vtr ( including on / off switching of power for the camera , vtr and editing ). information on the selected state of the switch 26 is supplied to the system control device 20 . an osd ( on - screen display ) control device 28 is arranged to convert information of varied kinds of the main body into display character signals and to supply these signals to the evf ( electronic viewfinder ) 22 in accordance with the instructions of the system control device 20 . the osd control device 28 also supplies the vtr block 16 with character signals to be recorded , such as a title , a date , etc . the evf 22 is composed of either a crt or a liquid crystal display panel or the like which is arranged to show video images to the operator . the evf 22 displays not only the display of video images but also information of varied kinds in characters and symbols and guide information when a menu is set there . the system control device 20 is composed of a microcomputer for total control over the above - stated various parts and has various functions , such as a timer function as will be described later herein . the system control device 20 is thus arranged to control the power supply mode , a shift to the operating mode of the vtr block 16 , various information displays , an editing mode , various shooting modes , storing and holding an editing program , etc . the system control device 20 is further arranged to supply an infrared remote control signal generating device 30 with signals for remotely operating an external recording apparatus . the infrared remote control signal generating device 30 is thus caused to transmit control signals to an outside space with infrared rays used as a carrier wave . an infrared remote control signal receiving device 32 is arranged , on the other hand , to receive infrared remote control signals from the outside and to supply the system control device 20 with data codes corresponding to the infrared remote control signals received . fig2 and 4 are flow charts jointly showing a flow of operation of the embodiment of the invention . fig5 and 7 show examples of displays made while the operation of the embodiment is in process . fig8 is a timing chart showing various actions of the embodiment . remote operation command codes applicable to the respective recording apparatus in use vary with the manufacturers of recording apparatuses . in the case of the embodiment , remote operation command codes of applicable manufacturers are arranged to be selected by using one item on a menu . referring to fig5 and 7 which show menu pictures , when a menu cursor 40 is located at an item reading “ recorder select ”, if an execution key of the vtr system operating device 24 is pushed by the operator , a selected code action verification is executed . referring to fig2 at a step s 1 , a check is made to find if an operation is performed to start the execution of the selected code action verification . if so , the flow proceeds to a step s 2 . at the step s 2 , preparation is made for transmission of the remote operation command codes of the recording apparatus of the manufacturers currently being selected . at a step s 3 , a command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is initialized to 0 . 0 second and is then caused to start counting time . the timer cmd . timer operates within the system control device 20 to up count at every 0 . 1 second after the start . at a step s 4 , the system control device 20 causes the infrared remote control signal generating device 30 to transmit a recording pause cancel command to the recording apparatus at the same time as the step s 3 . at a step s 5 , a display reading “ recorder ; rec ” is made at a section 42 of the menu picture which is provided for indicating an acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated upon receipt of the recording pause cancel command . at a step s 6 , the flow of operation waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 5 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 5 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 7 . at the step s 7 , a timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is initialized to a value of + 5 . 0 . at a step s 8 , a cut - out timing adjusting clock is started to be displayed . the cut - out timing adjusting clock may be displayed in the same size as other character displays , and , however , is preferably displayed in a larger size than other character displays as shown at a section 44 in fig5 . at a step s 9 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated by 0 . 1 second . the flow then proceeds to a step s 10 . at the step s 10 , the count value of the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is decremented by 0 . 1 . the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock ( for example , the section 44 in fig5 ) is also updated . at a step s 11 , the steps s 9 and s 10 are repeated until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 10 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is found to have reached 10 . 0 seconds at the step s 11 , the flow proceeds to a step s 12 which is shown in fig3 . at the step s 12 , a recording pause command is transmitted to the recording apparatus . at a step s 13 , the acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated upon receipt of the recording pause command is displayed as “ recorder ; rec pause ”, as shown in a section 43 in fig6 . at a step s 14 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated by 0 . 1 second . after updating of the timer , the flow proceeds to a step s 15 . at the step s 15 , the count value of the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is decremented by 0 . 1 . the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock ( for example , the section 44 in fig5 ) is also updated accordingly . at a step s 16 , the flow repeats the steps s 14 and s 15 until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 11 . 0 seconds . when the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 11 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 17 to bring the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock to an end . a display resulting from this step is shown in fig6 . at a step s 18 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 20 . 0 seconds . when the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 20 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 19 . at the step s 19 , the recording pause cancel command is transmitted to the recording apparatus . at a step s 20 , the acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated upon receipt of the recording pause cancel command is displayed as “ recorder ; pause ”, as shown in the section 44 in fig7 . then , the flow proceeds to a step s 21 which is shown in fig4 . at the step s 21 , the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is initialized to 0 . 0 second . at a step s 22 , a cut - in timing adjusting clock is started to be displayed . as in the case of the cut - out timing adjusting clock , although the cut - in timing adjusting clock may be displayed in the same size as other display characters , it is preferably displayed in a larger size than other display characters , as shown in a section 46 in fig7 . at a step s 23 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated by 0 . 1 second . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer is updated , the flow proceeds to a step s 24 . at the step s 24 , the count value of the timing adjusting clock display timer adjust . timer is decremented by 0 . 1 . the display of the cut - in timing adjusting clock , which is , for example , as shown in the section 46 in fig7 is also updated accordingly . at a step s 25 , the steps s 23 and s 24 are repeated until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 25 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer has reached 25 . 0 seconds at the step s 25 , the flow proceeds to a step s 26 to put out the display of the cut - in timing adjusting clock . at a step s 27 , the flow waits until the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 30 . 0 seconds . when the count value of the command transmission timing timer cmd . timer reaches 30 . 0 seconds , the flow proceeds to a step s 28 to transmit the recording pause command to the recording apparatus . at a step s 29 , the display of the acting state in which the recording apparatus is to be operated is put out , and the selected code action verification comes to an end . further , the signals for the displays of various kinds are line - outputted . therefore , a recording medium for timing adjustment can be perfectly completed by connecting the display signals to the line inputs of the recording apparatus and actually performing a recording action under the work of the above - stated selected code action verification . incidentally , when a signal recorded on the recording medium for timing adjustment is reproduced , clock display data which is obtained at a change - over point from the display of the cut - out timing adjusting clock to the display of the cut - in timing adjusting clock becomes a timing adjustment value applicable to each adjustment of timing . therefore , the data thus obtained is set as timing adjustment data for each timing . fig9 is a flow chart showing an operation in the editing mode in the embodiment . fig1 and 11 show by way of example displays made during the operation . referring to fig9 at a step s 31 , a check is made to find if an editing execution mode is turned on by the execution key of the vtr system operating device 24 . if not , the flow of operation proceeds to a step s 39 . at the step s 39 , the vtr is permitted to accept remote operation commands , and a display “ s_off ” indicating inhibition of acceptance of remote operation commands , shown at a part 50 in fig1 , is put out . then , the flow proceeds to a step s 40 to shift the mode of display to a normal editing mode display as shown in fig1 , and returns to the step s 31 . in the display shown in fig1 , display parts 52 - 1 to 52 - 8 indicate the contents of a preset editing program . as shown , editing program parts no . 1 to no . 8 have already been registered . in the case of fig1 , the whole space of the picture has already been fully used for display of information . there is left no room for any more information display . if the editing execution mode is found at the step s 31 to have been turned on by the execution key of the vtr system operating device 24 , the flow proceeds to a step s 32 . at the step s 32 , the system control device 20 inhibits acceptance of remote operation commands at the vtr for the purpose of preventing the editing work from being suspended by any erroneous operation from the outside . at the same time , the system control device 20 causes the command acceptance inhibition display “ s_off ” to be turned on , as shown at the display part 50 in fig1 . at the next step s 33 , an editing execution mode display is turned on as shown in fig1 . at a step s 34 , only the display of a part of the editing program currently in process of execution is inverted as shown by way of example at a part 54 in fig1 . in the case of this display example , the editing program is indicated at a part 56 and a part of the editing program which is currently in process of execution is shown in an inverted state at the part 54 in fig1 . the inverted display part clearly shows that the first part of the editing program is now in process of execution . at a step s 35 , a check is made to find if a date code has been turned on . if so , the flow proceeds to a step s 36 to turn on a display of date code as shown at a part 58 in fig1 . if not , the flow proceeds to a step s 37 to put out the display of date code . at the next step s 38 , a check is made to find if the editing action of the whole editing program has been finished . if not , the flow returns to the step s 33 to repeat the step s 33 and steps subsequent thereto . if so , the flow returns to the step s 31 . as will be readily understood from the foregoing description , the start and end of the verifying work on the action of the command codes selected to be actually used become clear , so that the reliability of the verifying action can be enhanced by the arrangement of the embodiment described above . further , the arrangement for making a display of clock adjusted to the timing of transmission of the command codes while the selected code action verification is in process enables the editing work to be accurately carried out , because a recording medium which facilitates timing adjustment for accurate editing work can be prepared at the same time as the process of the selected code action verification by virtue of the arrangement described above . the arrangement for making a clock display in a size larger than a normal character display size permits easy clock confirmation during the process of setting a timing adjusting value . the arrangement for providing a means for inhibiting acceptance of commands while the editing work is in process ( in the editing execution mode ) effectively enables the operator to clearly know whether acceptance of commands is being inhibited or not . the arrangement for making a display provided during the process of setting the editing program ( editing program setting mode ) different from a display provided during the process of executing the editing work ( editing execution mode ) enables some item that cannot be displayed in the editing program setting mode because of the limited space but must be displayed in the editing execution mode , such as a date display , to be displayed as necessary .	6
fig1 illustrates a conventional direct digital synthesizer dds which comprises a digital triangle wave generator 1 whose output , digital triangle wave is fed to a look up table in the form of a prom 2 . the output from the prom 2 is fed to a dac 3 having a linear transfer function which generates an analogue sinewave 4 . fig2 illustrates a dds according to one example of the invention . in this example , the digital triangle wave generator 1 is provided as before but this time the output from the generator feeds directly to a dac 5 having a non - linear transfer function . in this context , &# 34 ; directly &# 34 ; means that no pre - shaping of the output from the generator 1 takes place before feeding to the dac 5 although this must be understood in the context of the modification to be described below in fig8 . the output from the dac 5 is a piece - wise linear sinewave 6 . the construction of the digital triangle wave generator 1 is conventional and is shown schematically in fig3 . the generator essentially comprises a counter having an adder 7 whose 24 bit output is fed to a latch 8 forming a delay circuit . the output from the latch 8 is fed back to the adder 7 where it is added to a constant value . consequently , the output from the latch 8 regularly increments by an amount corresponding to the constant value and by switching the sense of the output depending on the value of the most significant bit , a triangle wave is formed . the construction of the dac 5 is shown in fig4 . this will not be explained in detail but it can be seen that the dac 5 comprises five sets of components 9 - 13 corresponding to the five segments or pieces of the sinewave which are generated in a half cycle . each set of components comprises a latch 14 - 18 and a dac 19 - 23 respectively . the construction of each dac 19 - 23 is shown generally in fig5 b . fig5 a illustrates a conventional binary dac where it will be seen that provision is made to dump the so - called &# 34 ; i dump &# 34 ; output to ground . in the modified dac ( fig5 b ) an additional switch is provided to enable the i dump current itself to be switched to the output of the dac . the operation of the dac shown in fig4 will now be described in connection with the first two sets of components 9 , 10 , the operation of the remainder of the components 11 - 13 being self - explanatory . the seven msbs from the generator 1 are fed to the dac 5 and , as can be seen in fig6 since at this point 36 the curve is relatively shallow , the least significant of these bits is ignored and the next three bits d 1 - d 3 are fed to the latch 14 . the remaining three bits are fed to a nor gate 25 . the output from the nor gate 25 initially enables the latch 14 so that the data bits d 1 - d 3 pass through the latch to the dac 19 . the output from the nor gate 25 is also inverted by an inverter 26 so that the i dump output is non - enabled . initially , the databits d 1 - d 3 are all zero with the result that the output current i 0 is zero . as the bits d 1 - d 3 begin to increment a corresponding increase in current i 0 occurs until all three bits are &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. at the next clock cycle bit d 0 will change to a 1 and no different action will take place . at the next clock cycle , however , bit d 4 will change state to a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; with the result that the output from the nor gate 25 changes to a &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; thus deactivating the latch 14 and holding the values at q 0 - q 2 at &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;. in addition , the i dump current is activated to flow from the i 0 output of the dac 19 . the analogue sinewave has thus reached the point 27 ( fig6 ). upon the bit d 4 switching to a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; the component 10 becomes active . this is because the bit d 4 is fed through an inverter 28 to a nor gate 29 thus enabling the latch 15 while the bits d 5 , d 6 are fed through an or gate 30 to the i dump input of the dac 20 . these two bits will remain &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; so that the i dump current does not flow . since at this part of the sinewave cycle the slope is relatively steep , the effect of the least significant bit is taken into account so that bits d 0 - d 3 are fed to the latch 15 . at the point where d 4 switches to a &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; the bits d 0 - d 3 will all be zero so that the final increment in current is due to the dac 19 when i dump is output . at the next clock cycle , d 0 changes to a 1 and this is passed through the latch 15 to the dac 20 causing its i 0 output to increase above zero and hence be added to the output from the dac 19 and so be output from the dac 5 at the beginning of the next segment of the cycle . this then continues as before with the output current increasing until the output from dac 20 is latched at the i dump value whereupon the components 11 come into play . this continues until the input value becomes 1111111 and then the digital values will begin to decrease and the reverse operation will take place . fig6 illustrates the different portions of the sinewave curve and the dacs 19 - 23 involved . as will be appreciated from the previous discussion , the output from the generator 1 is truncated and this leads to significant quantisation of the finally output analogue signal . furthermore , the digital signal provided by the generator 1 is itself quantised and if the constant value ( fig3 ) is not an integer factor of the highest count value then the generator will itself exhibit a degree of jitter which should be minimised . fig7 is a fast fourier transform of the output signal from a conventional dds such as that shown in fig1 and it will be seen that there are significant frequencies present on either side of the primary frequency . to reduce this problem , it is proposed to insert an adder 31 between the generator 1 and dac 5 ( fig8 ). the input to the adder 31 is a 24 bit digital value from the generator 1 as shown at 32 while the eight msbs shown at 33 are fed to the dac 5 . the sixteen lsbs output by the adder 31 are fed back through a delay circuit 34 to the input of the adder 31 where they are added to the corresponding sixteen lsbs of the next digital value . fig9 illustrates a typical frequency plot of the output from such a modified synthesiser showing that the nature of the error has been spread into a densely sloping noise floor , increasing the dynamic range to 70 db for a similar example to that above .	7
the packaging container producing apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is composed of the same construction as the packaging container producing equipment described in fig1 excepting the major parts . fig2 is a sketch of a tension pressing device for tensioning the web w being transferred , which is not illustrated in fig1 . fig3 ( a ) is an enlarged perspective view of web cross seal jaws 7 , and fig3 ( b ) is a top view thereof . fig4 is a view of a drive mechanism for folding lug flaps responsive to detection of specified printing patterns or specified detection marks such as a straw port on web w . fig5 is a sketch of the major portions of the drive for folding lug flaps , and fig7 is an explanatory view of a mechanism compensating for printing error ( deviation in mark registration ). the packaging container producing equipment shown in fig1 is as described above , wherein tubular web w is transferred while being pulled by a pair of cross seal jaws 7 during a downward movement thereof , in the process of pressing said web w by a pair of cross jaws 7 along a direction orthogonal to the lengthwise direction of the tubular web w . at this time , while web wa ( fig . 12 ) is being nipped between a pair of jaws 7b of the cross seal jaws 7 , lug folding flaps 7c fold the lugs wb formed at web w . therefore , tubular web w is transferred downward and folded while the web w is nipped by a pair of cross seal jaws 7 in the tube forming device 3 . however , after the pair of cross seal jaws 7 carry out feeding of web w for an appointed distance while moving downward , they repeat an upward movement . in practice , two pair of cross seal jaws 7 are provided as shown in fig7 wherein after they feed web w downward for an appointed distance , they repeat a returning movement to the original position as shown by the arrow r in fig7 . on the other hand , the tension pressing device 2 controls the feedrate and feeding amount of web w inside the packaging container producing apparatus or continuously applies tension to the web w . formability is worsened and the web feeding amount becomes unstable unless tension is applied to the web when the filled tubular web is formed into a square - column - like web w by forming members ( not illustrated ). fig2 is a perspective view of tension pressing device 2 . the tension pressing device 2 includes a dancer roller ( rocking roller ) 9 which is disposed between a feeding roller 10 driven by drive means 8 , having a clutch , to transport the web w and a guide roller 11 and is rockable in a direction almost orthogonal to the web transfer direction . tensioning device 2 further includes a pair of rocking arms 12 which carry the above - mentioned dancer roller at their distal ends and allow the dancer roller 9 to rock in a direction almost orthogonal to the web transfer direction . a rotating shaft 13 is secured at the base of the above - mentioned pair of rocking arms 12 , for transmitting a drive force to the rocking arms 12 from a pneumatic cylinder 16 ( or a hydraulic cylinder or motor ) via member 15 . the pneumatic cylinder 16 is provided with a control valve 31 for controlling the air pressure in multistage in compliance with the timing of detection of a detection mark a ( fig . 4 ). an electro - pneumatic proportional valve , etc . which is able to continuously adjust the tension pressing force on the web may be employed . furthermore , a pressing roller 17 transmits a transfer force to the web being transported by the feeding roller 10 and the feeding roller 10 is fixed in the position opposite the feeding roller 10 . as shown in fig2 although the rotating shaft ( not illustrated ) of the feeding roller 10 and guide roller 11 is supported at the wall of germfree chamber 18 , the dancer roller 9 is not supported at said wall . the dancer roller 9 is able to rock in a direction almost orthogonal to the feeding direction of web w with respect to rocking of the rocking arm 12 . however , in order to solve a problem such as a printing error on web w , as explained above , there are two methods , that is , ( 1 ) a method of adjusting the amount of web w foled in the transfer direction , and ( 2 ) a method of adjusting the tension pressing force imposed on web w by the tension pressing device 2 . ( 1 ) method of adjusting the amount of folding of web w in the transfer direction this embodiment employs a method of changing the folding angle of lug folding flaps 7c provided on only one cross seal jaw 7 of a pair of cross seal jaws 7 . a detector 19 for detecting a mark a such as a specified printing pattern , straw port , etc ., is installed , as shown in fig4 at a specified point established in advance in packaging container producing apparatus . data signals for detection of a mark a of web w of the above - mentioned detector 19 and cam rotation angle signals of an encoder 22 for detecting the rotational angle of the main shaft 6 , to which a cross seal jaw drive cam 24 is attached , are input into a control device 23 . the rotational angle of shaft 6 which is detected at the point when the data signal of the above - mentioned detection mark a is read , is regarded as a detection angle of the detection mark a in the above - mentioned control device 23 , and a deviation between the detection angle of the above - mentioned detection mark a and the reference angle established in advance is obtained . a value corresponding to the deviation is output , via a solenoid valve 25 , to the pneumatic cylinder 26 for adjusting the amount of folding by lug folding flaps 7c ( fig . 3 ) of the cross seal jaws 7 . as shown in fig5 lug folding cam 27 is moved between positions 1 and 2 by the pneumatic cylinder 26 . since a roller 28 moves on the cam surface when the lug folding cam 27 is at the position 1 , the lug folding flap 7c carries out a corrective action of folding to the position shown in fig8 ( b ), and since the roller 28 moves on the cam surface when the lug folding cam 27 is at the position 2 , the lug folding flaps 7c carries out a normal feeding action of folding to the position shown in fig8 ( a ). with reference to fig6 operation of a control device which adjusts the amount of folding the above - mentioned cross seal jaw 7 into the web w transfer direction by the lug folding flaps 7c will now be described . data of web w detection mark a , which is detected by the detector 19 , is input into main shaft rotation angle judging circuit 33 of the control device 23 . furthermore , the rotational angle of the main shaft 6 detected by the encoder 22 is input into the main shaft rotational angle judging circuit 33 . the main shaft rotational angle judging circuit 33 regards the rotational angle of the main shaft , which is detected at the point in time when the data of detection mark a read by the detector 19 is input , as a mark detection angle . furthermore , the data of the detector 19 is also input into a production control circuit 35 , which is used as data for production control . the detection angle of the main shaft 6 is input into a subtracter 36 along with the reference angle ( the rotational angle established as a reference in advance ) and the subtracter 36 determines any deviation between the detection angle and reference angle and outputs a deviation value to a corrective value calculation circuit 38 . in the corrective value calculation circuit 38 , a corrective value corresponding to the above - mentioned deviation value is obtained , and an electric signal corresponding to the corrective value thus obtained is output from the control device 23 to a solenoid valve 25 which drives the pneumatic cylinder 26 ( fig4 ) so that the lug folding flap 7c carries out either a normal feeding action or a corrective feeding action in order to obtain an adequate feeding amount of web w . the lug folding angle of web w of the lug folding flaps 7c is established from a deviation between the detection angle of the detection mark a by the detector 19 and the reference angle in such a manner that a normal feeding action which produces a web feeding amount obtained by adding only 0 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount is employed until a detection value equivalent to the value obtained by adding only 1 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount is obtained as the web feeding amount , and as the detection value equivalent to a value obtained by adding only 1 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount is obtained for the web feeding amount , a corrective feeding action which produces a web feeding amount obtained by subtracting only 1 . 0 mm from the reference feeding amount is employed . fig8 ( a ) is a view explaining the normal feeding action of web w and fig8 ( b ) is another view explaining a corrective feeding amount of web w . in the normal feeding action of web w in fig8 ( a ), web w is fed at the initial set value equivalent to the web feeding amount obtained by adding only 0 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount ( the feeding amount which becomes a reference set in design ) at a folding angle a ° of the lug folding flaps 7c . fig8 ( b ) shows the folding angle of the lug folding flaps 7c changed to angle b ° for corrective feeding action of web w to secure an amount of feeding obtained by subtracting only 1 . 0 mm from the above - mentioned reference feeding amount . the above - mentioned web w feeding amounts [- 1 . 0 mm ] or [+ 0 . 5 mm ] are used for only making the explanation more understandable . that is , the normal feeding action and corrective feeding action of the invention are not limited to these amounts . conventionally , the feeding of web w was controlled by only the abovementioned normal feeding action and corrective feeding action of the lug folding flaps 7c . for example , where it is assumed that there is no printing error ( no slip of the detection mark a ) of web w , and there is nothing abnormal in the feeding amount of the feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., as shown in fig9 ( a ), the folding angle of the lug folding flaps 7c is changed to angle b °, as shown in fig8 ( b ), and the action is changed to a corrective feeding action at the point of time ( after the normal feeding action is performed two times ) when web w is excessively fed 0 . 5 mm each by the abovementioned normal feeding amount made by the lug folding flaps 7c and web w is excessively fed 1 . 5 mm which is the allowance of slip from the reference feeding amount . web w , the slip of which became 0 . 5 mm from the reference feeding amount by the corrective feeding action , is returned to the normal feeding action again . in a case where there is no slip of the detection mark a such as a printing error of web w and there is nothing abnormal in the feeding amount of feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., the above - mentioned corrective feeding amount is carried out once every three feeding actions ( see fig9 ( a )). however , since web w is excessively fed 0 . 5 mm per normal feeding action if a slip of the detection mark a of web w is , for example , + 0 . 5 mm , the slip from the reference feeding amount in total becomes 1 . 5 mm per normal feeding action , wherein the feeding is changed to a corrective feeding action after the usual feeding action is performed once . therefore , the corrective feeding action is executed once every two feeding actions as shown in fig9 ( b ). if the control device 23 judges that , in the normal feeding action , a slip from the reference feeding amount became 1 . 5 mm , the action is changed to the corrective feeding action . furthermore , since web w is excessively fed 0 . 5 mm in the normal feeding action if a slip of the detection mark a of web w is , for example , - 0 . 25 mm each , the feeding action is separated 0 . 25 mm each from the reference position in one normal feeding action in total , and at the point of time when the slip from the reference feeding amount becomes 1 . 5 mm , the action is changed to a corrective feeding action . therefore , as shown in fig9 ( c ), the corrective feeding action is executed once every five feeding actions . ( 2 ) method of adjusting the degree of tension applied to web w being transferred . in order to accurately cause web w to move an appointed distance without fail by the method ( 1 ) of adjusting the web feeding amount by adjustment of the folding angle by the lug folding flaps 7c , it is necessary to give adequate fixed tension to web w by the tension pressing device 2 ( fig1 ). if the abovementioned mark registration is carried out by only a combination of the method ( 2 ) with the method ( 1 ), there are a number of prior art problems which can not be solved . to compensate for a change ( error ) of the feeding amount of web w , it is necessary that , for example , the average error of each time for every 100 pitches of the web feeding action equivalent to one packaging container c be less than an appointed value ( for example + 0 . 5 mm ), and a change ( error ) of the feeding amount of web w per pitch of the web feeding action equivalent to one packaging container c does not exceed an appointed value ( for example + 1 . 5 mm ). however , the further the consumption of roll - like web w progresses , the more frequently the feeding amount exceeds the allowable range for error in the mark registration of detection mark a , which is correctable by the method ( 1 ) of adjusting the amount of folding of web w in the transfer direction by the cross seal jaws 7 . for example , in the three patterns shown in fig9 ( a ) through fig9 ( c ), if a slip of the detection mark a from the reference feeding amount , for example due to an error in printing of web w , is + 1 . 0 mm per pitch of the above - mentioned actions , the slip exceeds the allowable range for printing error , thereby causing faulty containers c to be produced . in some cases , packaging container producing equipment is unavoidably caused to come to a stop . furthermore , if a slip of the detection mark a , due to an error in printing of the above - mentioned web w is continuously , for example , - 0 . 5 mm or more per pitch , the slip goes beyond the reference feeding amount line ( see fig9 ) equivalent to the reference feeding amount , and correction of the amount of feeding of web w becomes impossible . thus , since the prior art range for adjustment of the feeding amount of web w is narrow , there is the problem that it is difficult to adjust the feed amount of web w while continuously running the equipment . therefore , in this preferred embodiment , the following construction is employed in order to increase the correctable range of error in registration of detection mark a on web w . the method of this preferred embodiment escalationally controls the tension pressing force of the dancer roller 9 in multiple stages utilizing tension pressing device 2 , or continuously controls the tension pressing force without any stages . in fig2 and fig7 a pneumatic cylinder 16 for driving a rocking arm rocking shaft 13 is positioned by a control valve 31 controlling air pressure thereto in multiple stages , for example three stages ( strong , medium and weak ), wherein the air pressure of the pneumatic cylinder 16 for driving the rocking arm rocking shaft is changed in compliance with an action pattern selected by the folding amount controlling means to change the tension applied onto web w , thereby adjusting the amount of feed of web w . the flow chart of fig1 shows a method for controlling the feeding amount of web w by changing the web pressing force of the web tension pressing device 2 shown in fig1 fig2 etc ., and fig6 shows a control device 23 for controlling of the feeding amount of web w by changing the pressing force of the web tension pressing device 2 . after the air pressure of the cylinder 16 of the web tension pressing device 2 is set to medium , the control valve 31 changes the web w pressing force of the tension pressing device 2 to &# 34 ; strong &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; medium &# 34 ;, &# 34 ; weak &# 34 ; in compliance with a signal by which a mark slip frequency detecting circuit 41 outputs a frequency of corrective feeding actions on the basis of a signal coming from a corrective value calculation circuit 38 which outputs an instruction signal for corrective feeding action or normal feeding action by the lug folding flaps 7c . thus , tension on web w is changed by using a pneumatic cylinder 16 for driving the rocking arm rocking shaft of the tension pressing device 2 , wherein by changing the initial value of the feeding amount of the web w feeding roller 10 , an error in printing web w is compensated , and the correctable range of the feeding amount of web w can be widened relative that of prior art , although the mechanical feeding amount of web w by a cross seal jaw 7 per time is fixed . for example , as the fundamental setting of a detection mark error compensating ( mark registration ) mechanism is described in fig9 ( a ), it is assumed that there is nothing abnormal in the web feeding amount in the feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., and a corrective feeding action ( that is , the action of feeding web w by folding to angle b ° aa shown in fig8 ( b ) reduces the feeding amount by 1 . 0 mm from the reference feeding amount ) is carried out once after the normal feeding action of web w ( the action of feeding web w ) by folding to angle a ° as in fig8 ( a ) to add 0 . 5 mm to the reference feeding amount ) is continuously carried out two times exceeding 0 . 5 mm each , i . e ., a corrective feeding action has been carried out 1 / 3 . then , the tension applied to the dancer roller 9 is set to , for example ion , and this state is regarded as a fundamental setting . as the number of times of corrective feeding actions becomes 1 / 5 times halfway of executing continuous operation in this fundamental setting state , the control device 23 outputs a control signal , which sets the tension in web w to weak , to the control valve 31 . that is , as the number of times of corrective feeding actions becomes 1 / 5 , the web is expected to be excessively fed 0 . 5 mm per time ( per pitch ) by the normal feeding action . therefore , it means that the web w has not been fed equivalent to only that amount . in other words , it means that the pitch of detection mark a ( see fig4 ) of web w is longer than the prescribed pitch , and when being observed from the detection mark a side of web w , it means that the web w has not been fed only the prescribed amount . at this time , it is judged that the tension applied to web w is strong , the control device 23 attempts to decrease the tension by action of the pneumatic cylinder 16 in repositioning the dancer roller 9 . ( for example , the fundamental setting 1on is decreased to 8n . as a result , even though the feeding amount of web w becomes great and a slip of the detection mark a of web w is , for example , - 0 . 25 mm each for one pitch , a corrective feeding action of the pattern shown in fig9 ( a ) is carried out . furthermore , similarly , if the number of times of corrective feeding actions becomes 1 / 2 times shown in fig9 ( b ) halfway of executing continuous operation in the fundamental setting state , the control device 23 outputs a control signal for setting the tension onto web w to &# 34 ; strong &# 34 ; to the control valve 31 . that is , in this case , it is judged that the tension applied to web w ( packaging material ) is weak , the pneumatic cylinder 16 of the dancer roller 9 operates so as to increase the tension . thereby , even though the printing error ( slip of detection mark a ) of web w is , for example , + 0 . 5 mm each , a correction feeding action of the pattern shown in fig9 ( a ) is carried out . thus , the allowable range with respect to a printing error ( slip of detection mark ) of web w and abnormality of the web feeding amount by the feeding roller 10 , guide roller 11 , etc ., can be further widened as compared to the prior art . next , a description is given of another embodiment which is constructed so that the tension fluctuation is decreased by securing the amount of accumulation of tension of web w by further actuating the feeding roller 10 in two stages , high speed and low speed , in a case where the tension pressing force on the web is adjusted by a combination of normal feeding actions and corrective feeding actions of the web as described above . since the web transfer path is long , the web travels a complicated path with its transfer direction changed many times , and because the distance is long , feeding force of the feeding roller 10 is used in addition to the web transfer force of cross seal jaw 7 . however , it is remarkably difficult to have the feedrate of the web feeding roller 10 completely coincide with the web feedrate by the cross seal jaw 7 . therefore , in order that the tension or feedrate of the web at the tension pressing device 2 including the feeding roller 10 does not influence the web feedrate at the cross seal jaw 7 , it is necessary to secure the amount of accumulation by the tension pressing device 2 consisting of web feeding roller 10 , etc ., so as to correspond to changes in the feedrate of web w due to the action of the cross seal jaw 7 . accordingly , the present embodiment includes a rocking type dancer roller 9 which allows the feeding roller 10 to change between high - speed operation and low - speed operation . thereby , the tension applied onto web w can be controlled and kept constant . when the feeding roller 10 is operated at a low speed , the dancer roller 9 is slowly elevated , and when the dancer roller 9 reaches the upper dead point , the feeding roller 10 is changed to a high - speed operation to cause the feeding rate of the web to be increased . the dancer roller 9 is then slowly lowered . when the dancer roller reaches the lower dead point , it is changed to a low - speed operation again to cause the feedrate of web w to decrease . then , the dancer roller 9 is elevated to cause the tension operating on the web w to be controlled and kept constant . with reference to fig2 although the feeding roller 10 is driven by a drive means 8 having a clutch , the transfer force for transport of web w is generated while the web w is being nipped between the feeding roller 10 and pressing roller 17 . the pressing roller 17 is able to give a pressing force to the feeding roller 10 by using a fluid cylinder ( not illustrated ). furthermore , rotation shaft 13 of the rocking arm 12 of the dancer roller 9 penetrates the wall of the germfree chamber 18 , and an operating arm 20 is fixed outside the wall of the chamber . the operating arm 20 is elongated in a direction parallel to the rocking arm 12 . the upper - limit position detector 21a and lower - limit position detector 21b are respectively provided at the outer wall side of the germfree chamber in the vicinity of the operating area at the distal end of the operating arm 20 . although the driving means 8 of the feeding roller 10 is operated in two stages , high speed and low speed , web w is intermittently advanced in the process of forming it from tubular web w into hexahedral packaging containers c ( fig . 1 ). if it is assumed that it is continuously advanced , the feeding amount per unit time is made a reference feeding amount . in this case , the operating speed of the driving means 8 is established so that the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller 10 exceeds the reference feedrate when the driving means 8 is operated at the high speed , and the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller 10 becomes less than the reference feedrate when the driving means 8 is operated at a low speed . since the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller exceeds the reference feedrate if it is assumed that the driving means 8 is operated at the high speed , the web w is slackened , and the slackening thereof is gradually increased , and the dancer roller 9 is caused to go down by the pressing force of the pneumatic cylinder 16 . therefore , the rocking arm 12 rotates downward around its rotating shaft 13 , and the operating arm 20 rotates in the same direction as that of the rocking arm 12 via its rotation shaft 13 . in the meantime , as the distal end of the operating arm 20 reaches the position opposite the lower limit position detector 21b , the same detector 21b detects this . at this time , the same detector 21b outputs a lower limit position signal , and the control device 23 changes the high speed operation of the driving means 8 to the lower speed operation on the basis of the output signal . since the feedrate of web w by the feeding roller 10 becomes less than the reference feedrate at this time ,, the slackening of web w is gradually decreased , and the dancer roller 9 is elevated by being pulled by the web w . at this time , the operating arm 20 rotates in the reverse of the abovementioned direction , and as the distal end of operating arm 20 comes to the position opposite the upper limit position detector 21a , the same detector 21a outputs an upper limit position signal , whereby the driving means 8 is changed from the low speed operation to the high speed operation again . thus , although the dancer roller 9 repeats vertical movements between the upper limit position and the lower limit position as detectors 21a , 21b detect the operating arm 20 , web w is given tension resulting from the pressing force by the pneumatic cylinder 16 of the dancer roller 9 and the web w is continuously fed . therefore , it is possible to keep the tension , applied onto the web w , fixed at all the times . furthermore , since the upper limit and lower limit detectors 21a , 21b are disposed outside the germfree chamber 18 , they are not affected by any trouble resulting from high temperature inside the germfree chamber 18 . as described above , according to the invention , in addition to operation of controlling the tension pressing force of web and operation of changing between high speed / low speed operations of the driving means of web feeding roller , the allowable range for correction of web feed amount by the cross seal jaws 7 can be widened relative to the prior art , and even if a change ( error ) of the feeding amount of web w is greater than in the conventional examples , no faulty products are produced .	1
fig1 illustrates the region of the vessel bottom , lined with refractory material 1 , of a direct - current arc furnace having a bottom electrode 2 . the bottom electrode 1 originally passing through the entire vessel bottom has been partly consumed . the space above is filled with a mixture of molten electrode material and furnace melt . the bath agitation , which arises under the influence of the furnace current , is indicated by arrows . it can be seen that the bath agitation weakens with increasing depth . a state of equilibrium is established , dependent upon the current density in the bottom electrode and cooling from outside ( below ). fig2 illustrates the way in which the invention is realised in a direct - current arc furnace . it shows the lower furnace of a direct - current arc furnace having a furnace vessel 3 , which is provided with the customary shell 4 made of metallic material . in the exemplary embodiment , the furnace has only one electrode 5 , connected as the cathode , but this number may also be 2 , three or more . the bottom electrode 2 is fitted in the base of the furnace . in this particular example it is composed of steel having a similar composition to the melt . the bottom taphole is designated by 6 . adjoining this towards the outside is the conventional furnace lining 1 . it consists as a rule of bricks which rest in one or more layers on a bottom plate 7 shaped like a spherical cap . the bottom electrode 2 is provided at its lower end with a supply terminal 8 , which can be utilised at the same time for cooling the bottom electrode 2 . to this extent the direct - current arc furnace corresponds to the prior art and is described in detail , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 228 , 314 and also in german patent specification 30 22 566 . according to the invention , an electromagnet 9 , which surrounds the bottom electrode 2 , is provided on the underside of the furnace bottom 7 . in this arrangement , a field strength ranging from 0 . 05 to 0 . 2 tesla has proved sufficient to damp sufficiently the bath agitations above the bottom electrode . in a typical 80 - tonne direct - current arc furnace with a furnace diameter of about 5 . 5 m , the diameter of the electromagnet is about 2 m . with a current density of , for example , 5a / mm 2 , the ( sic ) weight of the electromagnet is approximately 4000 kg and the electrical losses are approximately 200 kw , an acceptable value considering that the power requirement of a direct - current arc furnace of this type is around 65 mva ; consequently , the power requirement of the entire plant increases only by approximately 0 . 3 %. instead of a single bottom electrode 2 , a multiplicity of individual electrodes can be employed , as shown schematically in fig3 . these individual electrodes are located in the central region of the bottom plate 7 . in this particular example , six individual electrodes 10 are grouped around a central electrode 11 , all the electrodes being located inside the electromagnet 9 . the design of the bottom region of the furnace vessel can be simplified in the case of a multielectrode arrangement by designing the individual electrodes in accordance with fig4 . the 7 individual electrodes 10 , 11 are , in contrast to the embodiment according to fig3 not embedded directly into the refractory material 1 of the furnace bottom , but are surrounded by hexagonal shaped bodies 12 , with the cross - section of a regular hexagon , made of a refractory material , for example magnesite , magnesite - graphite or another suitable material . for reasons of manufacturing simplicity , the shaped bodies 12 are constructed in two parts , the parting planes extending symmetrically ( either diagonally ( from top to bottom as depicted ) or along the dashed line in fig4 ). this geometry enables this structure to be densely packed . instead of the hexagonal form , it is of course also possible to use another geometry , for example with square cross - section ( cf . fig4 a ). the bottom electrode may also be formed from more than seven individual electrodes , for example 13 . of course , it is also possible to install an individual bottom electrode with the geometry in accordance with fig4 in a direct - current arc furnace in accordance with fig2 . in the current - supply equipment of direct - current arc furnace chokes are always employed for smoothing the rectified three - phase current . the invention now offers an extremely economical possibility here of using these chokes , which are necessary in any case , for damping the bath agitation . the circuit arrangement according to fig5 shows this for a 12 - pulse rectifier arrangement . connected to a three - phase network 13 is a transformer 14 having two primary windings 15 , 16 , which are delta - connected , and two secondary windings 17 , 18 , one of which is delta - connected and the other star - connected . both secondary windings lead to a three - phase rectifier bridge circuit 19 and 20 respectively . the negative busbars are connected to one another and lead to the melting electrode 5 . located between each positive busbar of the bridge circuits 19 and 20 and of the bottom electrode 2 is a choke 9a and 9b respectively . according to the invention , these two chokes now form the electromagnet consisting here of two coils , the connections and winding direction of the coils naturally being so disposed that these part - magnets are connected magnetically in parallel . in a six - pulse rectifier circuit the windings 15 , 17 or 16 , 18 of the transformer 14 and accordingly one of the bridges 19 and 20 respectively and also one of the chokes 9a and 9b respectively were dispensed with .	2
fig1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a mos solid - state imaging device consistent with the present invention . as shown in fig1 , a solid - state imaging device 1 according to a first embodiment includes a pixel array ( so - called pixel region ) 3 , in which a plurality of pixels 2 including a photoelectric conversion unit are regularly arranged in the form of a two - dimensional array on a semiconductor substrate 11 such as a silicon substrate , and a peripheral circuit section . the pixel 2 includes a photodiode serving as the photoelectric conversion unit and a plurality of pixel transistors ( so - called mos transistors ). the plurality of pixel transistors includes three transistors , for example , a transfer transistor , a reset transistor , and an amplification transistor . alternatively , the plurality of pixel transistors may include four transistors , including a selection transistor . since the equivalent circuit of a unit pixel is the same as a general circuit , a detailed description thereof is omitted . the pixel 2 may be configured as one unit pixel . alternatively , the pixel 2 may have a shared pixel structure . the shared pixel structure includes one floating diffusion and each different pixel transistor shared by a plurality of photodiodes and a plurality of transfer transistors . that is , in the shared pixel , the photodiodes and the transfer transistors forming the plurality of unit pixels each share other pixel transistors , respectively . the peripheral circuit section includes a vertical driving circuit 4 , column signal processing circuits 5 , a horizontal driving circuit 6 , an output circuit 7 , and a control circuit 8 . the control circuit 8 receives data instructing an input clock , an operation mode , or the like and outputs data such as internal information regarding the solid - state imaging device . that is , based on a vertical synchronization signal , a horizontal synchronization signal , and a master clock , the control circuit 8 generates a clock signal and a control signal which are the references of the operations of the vertical driving circuit 4 , the column signal processing circuits 5 , the horizontal driving circuit 6 , and the like . the control circuit 8 inputs these signals to the vertical driving circuit 4 , the column signal processing circuits 5 , the horizontal driving circuit 6 , and the like . the vertical driving circuit 4 formed by a shift register selects pixel driving wirings and supplies pulses for driving the pixel to the selected pixel driving wirings to drive the pixels in a column unit . that is , the vertical driving circuit 4 selectively scans the pixels 2 of the pixel array 3 sequentially in a vertical direction in a column unit and supplies the column signal processing circuits 5 with pixel signals corresponding to signal charges , which are generated in accordance with the amount of light received by the photodiodes serving as the photoelectric conversion units of the respective pixels 2 , via the vertical signal lines 9 . the column signal processing circuit 5 is disposed in each column of the pixels and performs signal processing , such as noise removal , on the signals output from the pixels 2 of one column for each pixel column . that is , the column signal processing circuit 5 performs cds to remove a specific fixed pattern noise of the pixels 2 or performs signal processing such as signal amplification or ad conversion . in the output stage of the column signal processing circuit 5 , a horizontal selection switch ( not shown ) is connected to the horizontal signal line 10 . the horizontal driving circuit 6 formed by a shift register sequentially outputs horizontal scanning pulses , sequentially selects the respective column signal processing circuits 5 , and outputs the pixel signals output from the column signal processing circuit 5 to the horizontal signal line 10 . the output circuit 7 processes the signals sequentially supplied from the column signal processing circuits 5 via the horizontal signal line 10 and outputs the processed signals . the signals are only buffered in some cases , or the signals are subjected to black level adjustment , line - variation correction , or various kinds of digital signal processing in some cases . the input / output terminals 12 exchange signals with the outside . fig2 a to 2c are diagrams illustrating the basic overall configuration of a mos solid - state imaging device according to embodiments of the invention . in a mos solid - state imaging device 151 according to a related art , as shown in fig2 a , a pixel array 153 , a control circuit 154 , and a logic circuit 155 performing signal processing are mounted on one semiconductor chip 152 . in general , the pixel array 153 and the control circuit 154 form an image sensor 156 . in a mos solid - state imaging device 21 according to an embodiment of the invention , however , as shown in fig2 b , a pixel array 23 and a control circuit 24 are mounted on a first semiconductor chip section 22 , and a logic circuit 25 including a signal processing circuit which performs signal processing is mounted in a second semiconductor chip section 26 . the mos solid - state imaging device 21 is formed by electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 to each other to form one semiconductor chip . in a mos solid - state imaging device 28 according to another embodiment of the invention , as shown in fig2 c , the pixel array 23 is mounted on the first semiconductor chip section 22 , and the control circuit 24 and the logic circuit 25 including a signal processing circuit are mounted on the second semiconductor chip section 26 . the mos solid - state imaging device 28 is formed by electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 to each other to form one semiconductor chip . although not illustrated , two or more semiconductor chip sections may be bonded to each other to form a mos solid - state imaging device . a mos solid - state imaging device may be configured in such a manner that three or more semiconductor chip sections including the first and second semiconductor chip sections and a semiconductor chip section with a memory element array or a semiconductor chip section with another circuit element are bonded to each other to form one chip . fig3 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a semiconductor device , that is , the mos solid - state imaging device that is consistent with the present invention . in this first embodiment , the solid - state imaging device 28 includes a stacked semiconductor chip 27 in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 including the logic circuit 25 are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . the first and second semiconductor chip sections can be bonded by an adhesive layer 57 with protective layers 42 and 56 interposed therebetween in this embodiment . alternatively , the first and second semiconductor chip sections may be bonded by plasma joining . in this embodiment , a semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is entirely removed , is formed and connection wirings 67 each connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the semiconductor removal region 52 covers all regions where each connection wiring 67 connected to a laying wiring 40 d corresponding to each vertical signal line of the pixel array 23 is formed . as shown in fig1 a , the semiconductor removal region 52 is formed outside the pixel array 23 . the semiconductor removal region 52 corresponds to a so - called electrode pad region . in fig1 a , the semiconductor removal region 52 is formed outside the pixel array 23 in a vertical direction . in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the pixel array 23 including a photodiode ( pd ), which serves as a photoelectric conversion unit , and a plurality of pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 and the control circuit 24 including the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 are formed in a thinned first semiconductor substrate 31 . the pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 and the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 are representative transistors . on the side of a front surface 31 a of the semiconductor substrate 31 , the multi wiring layer 41 in which a plurality of wirings 40 [ 40 a , 40 b , and 40 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 1 to m 3 in this embodiment are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 39 . the pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 and the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 of the control circuit 24 will be described in detail below in a manufacturing method . in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the logic circuit 25 including mos transistors tr 6 to tr 8 is formed in a second semiconductor substrate 45 . on the side of the front surface 45 a of the semiconductor substrate 45 , a multi wiring layer 55 in which wirings 53 [ 53 a , 53 b , and 53 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 11 to m 13 in this embodiment are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 49 . the mos transistors tr 6 to tr 8 will be described in detail below in the manufacturing method . in the semiconductor removal region 52 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the entire first semiconductor substrate 31 is removed by etching . a stacked insulation film 61 including a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and a silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed to extend from the bottom surface and the side surface of the semiconductor removal region 31 to the front surface of the semiconductor substrate . the stacked insulation film 61 serves as a protective insulation film that protects the semiconductor substrate 31 exposed to the side surface of a recessed portion of the semiconductor removal region 52 and also serves as an anti - reflection film of the pixels . in the semiconductor removal region 52 , a connection hole 64 , which reaches from the silicon nitride film 59 to a first connection pad 65 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 41 a laying wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , is formed . in addition , a through connection hole 62 , which is penetrated through the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 and reaches a second connection pad 63 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 55 a laying wiring 53 d formed by the third - layer metal m 13 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes a connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , a through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and a link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end of the conductors 68 and 69 . a light - shielding film 72 covering the region where light has to be blocked is formed on the side of a rear surface 31 b that is a light incident surface of a photodiode 34 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 . a planarization film 73 is formed to cover the light - shielding film 72 , on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 to correspond to the each pixel , and on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . in this way , the back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 28 is formed . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 exposed to the outside serves as an electrode pad connected to an external wiring by a bonding wire . fig4 to 14 are diagrams illustrating one embodiment of a method of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 28 according to the first embodiment . as shown in fig4 , partly - finished image sensors , that is , the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 are formed in the regions of a first semiconductor wafer ( hereinafter , referred to as a semiconductor substrate ) 31 , where the respective chip sections are formed . that is , a photodiode ( pd ) serving as a photoelectric conversion unit of each pixel is formed in each region of the semiconductor substrate ( such as a silicon substrate ) 31 where the chip section is formed , and a source / drain region 33 of each pixel transistor is formed in a semiconductor well region 32 . the semiconductor well region 32 is formed by implanting first conductive - type impurities such as p - type impurities . the source / drain region 33 is formed by implanting second conductive - type impurities such as n - type impurities . the photodiode ( pd ) and the source / drain region 33 of each pixel transistor are formed by implanting ions from the front surface of the semiconductor substrate . the photodiode ( pd ) includes an n - type semiconductor region 34 and a p - type semiconductor region 35 on the side of the front surface of the semiconductor substrate . a gate electrode 36 is formed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate , in which the pixel is formed , via a gate insulation film . the gate electrode 36 and a pair of source / drain regions 33 form the pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 . in fig4 , the two pixel transistors tr 1 and tr 2 are representatives of a plurality of pixel transistors . the pixel transistor tr 1 adjacent to the photodiode ( pd ) corresponds to a transfer transistor and the source / drain region of the pixel transistor tr 1 corresponds to a floating diffusion ( fd ). the unit pixels 30 are isolated from each other by a device isolation region 38 . the device isolation region 38 is formed to have an sti ( shallow trench isolation ) structure in which an insulation film such as a sio 2 film is buried in a groove formed in the substrate . on the other hand , the mos transistors forming the control circuit are formed in the semiconductor substrate 31 on the side of the control circuit 24 . in fig4 , the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 are representatives of the transistors and indicate the mos transistors forming the control circuit 23 . the mos transistors tr 3 and tr 4 each include an n - type source / drain region 33 and a gate electrode 36 formed via a gate insulation film . next , the interlayer insulation film 39 of a first layer is formed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 , the connection holes are formed in the inter - layer insulation film 39 , and then the connection conductors 44 connected to the necessary transistors are formed . when the connection conductors 44 with different heights are formed , a first insulation thin film 43 a , such as a silicon oxide film , and a second insulation thin film 43 b , such as a silicon nitride film serving as an etching stopper , are stacked on the entire surface including the upper surface of the transistors . the first - layer inter - layer insulation film 39 is formed on the second insulation thin film 43 b . then , connection holes with different depths are selectively formed in the first - layer inter - layer insulation film 39 up to the second insulation thin film 43 b serving as the etching stopper . next , the first insulation thin film 43 a and the second insulation thin film 43 b with the same thickness are selectively etched in the respective units to form connection holes so as to continue with the respective connection holes . then , the connection conductor 44 is buried in each connection hole . next , the multi wiring layer 41 in which the plurality of wirings 40 [ 40 a , 40 b , and 40 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 1 to m 3 are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 39 so as to be connected to the respective connection conductors 44 . the wirings 40 are formed of copper ( cu ). in general , each copper wiring is covered with a barrier metal film to prevent diffusion of cu . thus , a cap film , a so - called protective film 42 , for the copper wirings 40 is formed on the multi wiring layer 41 . by the above - described processes , the first semiconductor substrate 31 including the partly - finished pixel array 23 and the partly - finished control circuit 24 is formed . on the other hand , as shown in fig5 , the logic circuit 25 including a partly - finished signal processing circuit to process signals is formed in the region where each chip section of the second semiconductor substrate ( semiconductor wafer ) 45 is formed . that is , a plurality of mos transistors each including a logic circuit is formed in p - type semiconductor well regions 46 on the front surface side of the semiconductor substrate ( such as a silicon substrate ) 45 so as to be isolated from each other by device isolation regions 50 . here , the mos transistors tr 6 , tr 7 , and tr 8 are representatives of the plurality of mos transistors . the mos transistors tr 6 , tr 7 , and tr 8 each include a pair of n - type source / drain regions 47 and a gate electrode 48 formed via a gate insulation film . the logic circuit 25 can include a cmos transistor . the device isolation region 50 is formed to have an sti ( shallow trench isolation ) structure in which an insulation film such as a sio 2 film is buried in a groove formed in the substrate . next , a first - layer inter - layer insulation film 49 is formed on the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 45 and then connection holes are formed in the inter - layer insulation film 49 to form connection conductors 54 connected to the necessary transistors . when the connection conductors 54 with different heights are formed , like the above description , a first insulation thin film 43 a , such as a silicon oxide film , and a second insulation thin film 43 b , such as a silicon nitride film , serving as an etching stopper are stacked on the entire surface including the upper surface of the transistors . the first - layer inter - layer insulation film 49 is formed on the second insulation thin film 43 b . then , the connection holes with different depths are selectively formed in the first inter - layer insulation film 39 up to the second insulation thin film 43 b serving as the etching stopper . next , the first insulation thin film 43 a and the second insulation thin film 43 b with the same thickness are selectively etched in the respective units to form connection holes so as to continue with the respective connection holes . then , the connection conductor 44 is buried in each connection hole . next , a multi wiring layer 55 in which the plurality of wirings 53 [ 53 a , 53 b , and 53 c ] formed by triple layered metals m 11 to m 13 are disposed is formed using an inter - layer insulation film 49 so as to be connected to the respective connection conductors 54 . the wirings 53 are formed of copper ( cu ). like the above description , a cap film , a so - called protective film 56 , for the copper wirings 53 is formed on the inter - layer insulation film 49 . by the above - described processes , the second semiconductor substrate 45 including the partly - finished logic circuit 25 is formed . next , as shown in fig6 , the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 are bonded to each other so that the multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . the first and second semiconductor substrates can be bonded by plasma joining or an adhesive . the first and second semiconductor substrates are bonded by an adhesive . when an adhesive is used , as shown in fig7 , an adhesive layer 58 is formed on one of the joining surfaces of the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 . both the semiconductor substrates are superimposed to each other with the adhesive layer 58 interposed therebetween . that is , the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 are bonded to each other . when the first semiconductor substrate and the second semiconductor substrate are bonded by plasma joining , although not illustrated , a plasma teos film , a plasma sin film , a sion film ( block film ), a sic film , or the like is formed on the joining surfaces of the first semiconductor wafer 31 and the second semiconductor wafer 45 . the joining surfaces on which this film is formed are subjected to plasma processing to be superimposed , and then the both joining surfaces are adhered by annealing . preferably , the first and second semiconductor wafers are bonded at a low temperature of 400 ° c . or less at which the wirings or the like are not influenced . next , as shown in fig8 , grinding and polishing are performed from the rear surface 31 b of the first semiconductor substrate 31 to thin the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the thinning is performed so that the photodiode ( pd ) is faced . after the thinning , a p - type semiconductor layer is formed on the rear surface of the photodiode ( pd ) to prevent dark current . the semiconductor substrate 31 has about a thickness of 600 μm , but is thinned from about 3 μm to about 5 μm . in a related art , a separate support substrate is bonded for the thinning . in this embodiment , however , the second semiconductor substrate 45 including the logic circuit 25 also serves as a support substrate so that the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned . the rear surface 31 b of the first semiconductor substrate 31 is a light incident surface of the back - illuminated solid - state imaging device . next , in the first semiconductor substrate 31 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 bonded to each other , as shown in fig9 , the part of a semiconductor portion of the region of the finished first semiconductor chip section , that is , the part of the semiconductor substrate 31 , is completely removed to form the semiconductor removal region 52 . the semiconductor removal region 52 covers all regions including a part where each connection wiring connected to the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to each vertical signal line of the pixel array is formed , and is formed outside the pixel array 23 , as shown in fig1 b . in fig1 b , the semiconductor removal region 52 is formed outside the pixel array 23 in a vertical direction . next , as shown in fig1 , a stacked insulation film 61 including a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and a silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed and adhered across the rear surface ( light incident surface ) of the control circuit 24 and the pixel array 23 from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 . the stacked insulation film 61 serves as a protective film of the semiconductor side surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 and also serves as an anti - reflection film for the pixel array 23 . next , as shown in fig1 , the through connection hole 62 formed from the stacked insulation film 61 to the second connection pad 63 , which is connected to the necessary wiring 53 for the multi wiring layer 55 of the second semiconductor substrate 45 , through the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor substrate 31 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the through connection hole 62 reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to the wiring 53 d formed by the uppermost layer of the multi wiring layer , that is , the third - layer metal m 13 . the plurality of through connection holes 62 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 53 d formed by the third - layer metal m 13 connected to the second connection pad 63 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the second connection pad 63 is formed by the third - layer metal m 13 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig1 , the connection hole 64 formed from the stacked insulation film 61 to the first connection pad 65 , which is connected to the necessary wiring 40 for the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor substrate 31 , is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this example , the connection hole 64 reaching the first connection pad 65 electrically connected to the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 of the multi wiring layer 41 is formed . the plurality of connection holes 64 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 connected to the first connection pad 65 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . in the illustrated example , the first connection pad 65 is formed by the third - layer metal m 3 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig1 , the connection wiring 67 is formed to electrically connect the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 . that is , a conductive film is formed on the entirety of the rear surface of the first semiconductor substrate 31 so as to be buried in both the connection holes 62 and 64 , and then is subjected to etch - back and patterning to form the connection wiring 67 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection hole 64 and connected to the first connection pad 65 and the through connection conductor 69 buried in the through connection hole 62 and connected to the second connection pad . the connection wiring 67 further includes the link conductor 71 electrically linking the connection conductor 68 to the through connection conductor 69 on the exposed bottom surface of the semiconductor removal region . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally formed of the same metal . the connection wiring 67 can be formed of metal , such as tungsten ( w ), aluminum ( al ), or gold ( au ), which can be patterned , via barrier metal ( tin or the like ). next , as shown in fig1 , the light - shielding film 72 is formed in the region where light has to be shielded . the light - shielding film 72 is formed on the control circuit 24 , as schematically illustrated in the drawing . alternatively , the light - shielding film 72 may be also formed on the pixel transistors . the light - shielding film 72 can be formed of metal such as tungsten ( w ). the planarization film 73 is formed across the pixel array 23 so as to cover the light - shielding film 72 . such as , but not limited to , red ( r ), green ( g ), and blue ( b ) on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 so as to correspond to the respective pixels , and then the on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 25 are finished for the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 serves as an electrode pad exposed to the outside . the logic circuit 25 is finished for the second semiconductor substrate 45 . next , the divided individual chips are obtained , and thus the desired back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 28 shown in fig3 is obtained . in the solid - state imaging device 28 , the electrode pad formed by the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 is connected to an external wiring by wire bonding . in the solid - state imaging device and the method of manufacturing the same according to the first embodiment , the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 are formed in the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the logic circuit 25 processing signals is formed in the second semiconductor chip section 26 . since the solid - state imaging device has a configuration in which the pixel array function and the logic function are realized in the different chip sections , the optimum processing techniques of the pixel array 23 and the logic circuit 25 can be used . accordingly , the performances of the pixel array 23 and the logic circuit 25 can be sufficiently achieved , thereby providing the high - performance solid - state imaging device . in this embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor and the through connection conductor are formed is completely removed . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 where the semiconductor portion is removed , parasitic capacitance between the semiconductor substrate 31 and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 can be reduced , thereby realizing high performance in the solid - state imaging device . when the configuration shown in fig2 c is used , the pixel array 23 receiving light may be formed on the first semiconductor chip section 22 , and the control circuit 24 and the logic circuit 25 may be separated from each other to be formed in the second semiconductor chip section 26 . accordingly , the optimum processing techniques can be independently selected when the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are manufactured , and the area of the product module can be reduced . in the first embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor substrate 45 including the logic circuit 25 , which are all partly - finished products , are bonded to each other , and then the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned . that is , the second semiconductor substrate 45 is used as the support substrate when the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned . accordingly , the number of members can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 where the semiconductor portion is further removed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance solid - state imaging device can be manufactured with high precision . fig1 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device that is consistent with the present invention . in the second embodiment , a solid - state imaging device 78 includes the stacked semiconductor chip 27 in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 including the logic circuit 25 are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface 31 b of the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed . an insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film on the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed in the semiconductor removal region . the etching rate of the insulation film 77 is different from that of the silicon nitride film 59 on the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . the insulation film 77 is formed of , such as , but not limited to , a silicon oxide film . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , through the insulation film 77 are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 through both the connection holes 64 and 62 is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is formed on the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the first embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . fig1 to 24 are diagrams illustrating one embodiment of a method of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 78 according to the second embodiment . fig1 is a diagram illustrating the same configuration as that in fig1 in the steps of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 28 according to the above - described first embodiment . since the steps of fig1 are the same as the steps of fig4 to 10 described above , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the steps of fig1 , the stacked insulation film 61 including the silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and the silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed and adhered across the rear surface ( light incident surface ) of the control circuit 24 and the pixel array 23 from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 . next , as shown in fig1 , the insulation film 77 such as a silicon oxide film is stacked on the entirety of the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 to bury the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 . next , as shown in fig1 , the insulation film 77 is polished by a chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) method until the insulation film 77 has a necessary thickness . next , as shown in fig2 , the insulation film 77 is etched up to the silicon nitride film 59 by a wet etching method using hydrofluoric acid , and is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the silicon nitride film 59 . at this time , the silicon nitride film 59 serves as an etching stopper . next , as shown in fig2 , the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the insulation film 77 the multi wiring layer 41 and reaching the second connection pad 63 , which is connected to the necessary wiring 53 d for the multi wiring layer 55 of the second semiconductor substrate 45 , is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the through connection hole 62 reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to the wiring 53 d formed by the uppermost layer of the multi wiring layer 55 , that is , the third - layer metal m 13 like the above description . the plurality of through connection holes 62 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 53 d formed by the third - layer metal m 13 connected to the second connection pad 63 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the second connection pad 63 is formed by the third - layer metal m 13 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig2 , the connection hole 64 formed from the insulation film 77 to the first connection pad 65 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the connection hole 64 reaches the second connection pad 65 electrically connected to the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 of the multi wiring layer 41 . the plurality of connection holes 64 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 connected to the first connection pad 65 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as anillustrated example , the first connection pad 65 is formed by the third - layer metal m 3 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig2 , the connection wiring 67 is formed to electrically connect the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 . that is , a conductive film is formed on the entirety of the rear surfaces of the insulation film 77 and the first semiconductor substrate 31 so as to be buried in both the connection holes 62 and 64 , and then is subjected to etch - back and patterning to form the connection wiring 67 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection hole 64 and connected to the first connection pad 65 and the through connection conductor 69 buried in the through connection hole 62 and connected to the second connection pad . the connection wiring 67 further includes the link conductor 71 electrically linking the connection conductor 68 to the through connection conductor 69 on the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally formed as the conductive film using the same metal film . the connection wiring 67 can be formed of metal , such as tungsten ( w ), aluminum ( al ), or gold ( au ), which can be patterned , via barrier metal ( tin or the like ). next , as shown in fig2 , the light - shielding film 72 is formed in the region where light has to be shielded . the light - shielding film 72 is formed on the control circuit 24 , as schematically illustrated in the drawing . alternatively , the light - shielding film 72 may be also formed on the pixel transistors . the light - shielding film 72 can be formed of metal such as tungsten ( w ). the planarization film 73 is formed across the pixel array 23 so as to cover the light - shielding film 72 . such as , but not limited to , red ( r ), green ( g ), and blue ( b ) on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 so as to correspond to the respective pixels , and then the on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 25 are finished for the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 serves as an electrode pad exposed to the outside . the logic circuit 25 is finished for the second semiconductor substrate 45 . next , the individual divided chips are obtained , and thus the desired back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 78 shown in fig1 is obtained . in the solid - state imaging device 78 and the method of manufacturing the same according to the second embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 , the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 by the insulation film 77 , thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 31 . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the solid - state imaging device can be realized . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance solid - state imaging device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the first embodiment can be obtained . fig2 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a third embodiment of the invention . in the third embodiment , a solid - state imaging device 82 includes the stacked semiconductor chip 27 in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 24 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 including the logic circuit 25 are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers 41 and 55 face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed . an insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 on the semiconductor substrate 31 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . a concave portion 81 with a necessary depth is formed from the front surface in the portion corresponding to the connection wiring 67 of the insulation film 77 . the etching rate of the insulation film 77 is different from that of the silicon nitride film 59 on the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . the insulation film 77 is formed of such as , but not limited to , a silicon oxide film . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 and reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 through both the connection holes 62 and 64 is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper stage . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 . the front surface of the link conductor 71 is flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the first embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . fig2 to 30 are diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 82 according to the third embodiment . fig2 is a diagram illustrating the same configuration as that in fig2 in the steps of manufacturing the solid - state imaging device 78 according to the above - described second embodiment . since the steps of fig2 are the same as the steps of fig4 to 10 and the steps of fig1 to 20 described above , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the step of fig2 , the insulation film 77 is stacked so as to be buried in the semiconductor removal region 52 , and then the front surface of the insulation film 77 is subjected to planarization by chemical mechanical polishing ( cmp ) and wet etching so as to be flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . next , as shown in fig2 , the concave portion 81 with the necessary depth from the front surface is formed on the front surface of the insulation film 77 to correspond to the region of the connection wiring 67 . next , as shown in fig2 , the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 and the multi wiring layer 41 and reaching the second connection pad 63 is formed . the through connection hole 62 reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to the wiring 53 d formed by the uppermost layer of the multi wiring layer 55 of the second semiconductor chip section 26 , that is , the third - layer metal m 13 like the above description . the plurality of through connection holes 62 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the wiring 53 d connected to the second connection pad 63 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the second connection pad 63 is formed by the third - layer metal m 13 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . then , the connection hole 64 formed from the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 to the first connection pad 65 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the connection hole 64 reaches the second connection pad 65 electrically connected to the wiring 40 d formed by the third - layer metal m 3 of the multi wiring layer 41 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 . the plurality of connection holes 64 are formed to correspond in number to the vertical signal lines of the pixel array 23 . the metal wiring 40 c formed by the third - layer metal m 3 connected to the first connection pad 65 serves as the laying wiring corresponding to the vertical signal line . as an illustrated example , the first connection pad 65 is formed by the third - layer metal m 3 and is formed so as to continue with the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line . next , as shown in fig2 , the connection wiring 67 is formed to electrically connect the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 . that is , a conductive film is formed on the entirety of the rear surfaces of the insulation film 77 and the first semiconductor substrate 31 so as to be buried in the concave portion 81 and both the connection holes 62 and 64 , and then is subjected to etch - back to form the connection wiring 67 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection hole 64 and connected to the first connection pad 65 and the through connection conductor 69 buried in the through connection hole 62 and connected to the second connection pad . the connection wiring 67 further includes the link conductor 71 electrically linking the connection conductor 68 to the through connection conductor 69 . the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization to be buried in the concave portion 81 and be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally formed as the conductive film using the same metal . the connection wiring 67 can be formed of copper ( cu ), since the connection wiring 67 is formed by etch - back . the link conductor 71 can be formed of metal , such as tungsten ( w ), aluminum ( al ), or gold ( au ), which can be patterned , via barrier metal ( tin or the like ). next , as shown in fig3 , the light - shielding film 72 is formed in the region where light has to be shielded . the light - shielding film 72 is formed on the control circuit 24 , as schematically illustrated in the drawing . alternatively , the light - shielding film 72 may be also formed on the pixel transistors . the light - shielding film 72 can be formed of metal such as tungsten ( w ). the planarization film 73 is formed across the pixel array 23 so as to cover the light - shielding film 72 . such as , but not limited to , red ( r ), green ( g ), and blue ( b ) on - chip color filters 74 are formed on the planarization film 73 so as to correspond to the respective pixels , and then the on - chip micro lenses 75 are formed on the on - chip color filters 74 . the pixel array 23 and the control circuit 25 are finished for the first semiconductor substrate 31 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 serves as an electrode pad exposed to the outside . the logic circuit 25 is finished for the second semiconductor substrate 45 . next , the divided individual chips are obtained , and thus the desired back - illuminated solid - state imaging device 82 shown in fig2 is obtained . in the solid - state imaging device and the method of manufacturing the same according to the third embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 22 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 . accordingly , both the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 by the insulation film 77 , thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 31 . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 31 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the solid - state imaging device can be realized . since the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 and the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 , the solid - state imaging device with a small uneven surface can be obtained . in the third embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 31 is thinned , the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance solid - state imaging device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the first embodiment can be obtained . in the second and third embodiments , the configuration in fig2 c can be used . in the above - described embodiments , the two semiconductor chips 22 and 26 are bonded to each other . the solid - state imaging device according to the embodiment of the invention may be configured by bonding two or more semiconductor chip sections to each other . even in the configuration in which two or more semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other , the above - described configuration in which the semiconductor portion is completely removed is applied to the connection portion in which the first semiconductor chip section 22 having the pixel array 23 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 having the logic circuit 25 processing signals . in the configuration in which the above - described semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other , parasitic capacitance such as pair ground capacitance or pair adjacent coupling capacitance occurs . in particular , since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 have a large surface area , it is preferable to reduce the adjacent coupling capacitance between the connection conductors of the adjacent lines or the laying wirings of the adjacent lines . here , the portion between the connection conductors indicates a portion between the connection conductors of the adjacent pairs when the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are paired . on the other hand , since the area and pitch of the first connection pad 65 and the area and pitch of the second connection pad 63 are larger than the pixel area and the pixel pitch , a practically obtainable layout is preferable . next , embodiments in which the practically obtainable layout is realized to reduce the pair adjacent coupling capacitance will be described . fig3 to 35 are diagrams illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a fourth embodiment of the invention . in the drawings , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads electrically connecting the first and second semiconductor chip sections to each other is shown . fig3 is a plan view illustrating a connection pad array . fig3 is a sectional view taken along the line xxxii - xxxii of fig3 . fig3 is a sectional view taken along the line xxxiii - xxxiii of fig3 . fig3 and 35 are exploded plan views of fig3 . in a solid - state imaging device 84 according to the fourth embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the fourth embodiment , the wirings 40 [ 40 a , 40 b , 40 c , and 40 d ] of the multi wiring layer 41 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 are formed by a plurality of layers by four - layer metals . the first connection pad 65 is formed by the first - layer metal , and the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line is formed by the metal subsequent to the second - layer metal . the laying wiring 40 d corresponding to the vertical signal line is formed by the fourth - layer metal . the wirings 53 [ 53 a , 53 b , 53 c , and 53 d ] of the multi wiring layer 55 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 are formed by a plurality of layers by four - layer metals . the second connection pad 63 is formed by the metal subsequent to the second - layer metal the third - layer metal or the fourth - layer metal . the second connection pad 63 is formed by the fourth - layer metal . the laying wiring 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal line is formed by the first - layer metal . in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the first connection pad 65 formed by the first - layer metal is electrically connected to the laying wiring 40 d formed by the fourth - layer metal via a connection portion 85 and a via conductor 86 respectively formed by the second - layer metal and the third - layer metal . in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the second connection pad 63 formed by the fourth - layer metal is electrically connected to the laying wiring 53 d formed by the first - layer metal via a connection portion 87 and a via conductor 88 respectively formed by the third - layer metal and the second - layer metal . the second connection pad 63 is formed to have an area larger than that of the first connection pad 65 in consideration of the difference between the positions at which the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are bonded to each other . a pair of first connection pad 65 and second connection pad 63 is collectively called a connection pad pair 89 . the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 have an octagonal shape in a plan view , and preferably have a regular octagonal shape . the first and second connection pads of the connection pad pair 89 are arranged in a horizontal direction . the plurality of connection pad pairs 89 is arranged in the horizontal direction in which the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d of the respective lines are arranged . on the other hand , a plurality of stages , in this embodiment , four stages of the connection pad pairs 89 , is arranged in the vertical direction . that is , in the wiring connection portion of both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 , the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 with the regular octagonal shape are alternately arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions . here , the plurality of connection pad pairs 89 is arranged in the horizontal direction and four stages of the connection pad pairs 89 are arranged in the vertical direction to configure a connection pad array 91 . here , the octagonal shape is defined . the octagonal first connection pad 65 may integrally have a connection protrusion portion 65 a protruding in part , since the octagonal first connection pad 65 is connected to the laying wiring 40 d ( see fig3 ). in this case , the shape slightly protrudes in terms of the entire octagonal shape , and thus falls within the range of the octagon . in the connection pad array 91 , the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are densely arranged in a plan view . the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 may be arranged to partially overlap with each other . the connection conductors 68 and the through connection conductors 69 are connected to the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 , respectively , and the first semiconductor chip section 22 and the second semiconductor chip section 26 are electrically connected to each other via the connection wirings 67 each including the link conductor 71 linking both the connection conductors 68 and 69 to each other . the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 may be formed to have the same octagonal shape as the planar shape of the connection pads 65 and 63 corresponding to the cross - section shapes of the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 . the connection wiring 67 is formed in the same way as that of the third embodiment . that is , the insulation film 77 is buried in the semiconductor removal region 52 , the connection conductor 65 and the through connection conductor 63 are penetrated through the insulation film 77 , the front surface of the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 . in this embodiment , the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d each corresponding to four vertical signal lines are connected to the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 of the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 , respectively . in the first semiconductor chip section 22 , the first connection pads 65 are each formed by the first - layer metal and the laying wirings 40 d are each formed by the fourth - layer metal . since the laying wirings 40 d can cross below the first connection pads 65 , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d can be increased . likewise , in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the second connection pads 63 are each formed by the fourth - layer metal and the laying wirings 53 d are each formed by the first - layer metal . since the laying wirings 53 d can be disposed so as to cross below the second connection pads 63 , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 53 d can be increased . in the solid - state imaging device 84 according to the fourth embodiment , the planar shapes of the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are octagonal and the connection pad array 91 is formed in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are alternately arranged densely in the horizontal and vertical directions . that is , the dense connection pad array 91 is formed in the wiring connection portion of both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 . since the laying wirings 40 d and 52 d corresponding to the vertical signal lines of four lines are connected to each of the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad array 91 , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 53 d are increased , thereby reducing the adjacent coupling capacitance . moreover , since there is the insulation film 77 between the adjacent connection conductor pairs , the adjacent coupling capacitance between the connection conductor pairs can be reduced . a wiring resistance difference caused by the difference in the wiring length of the laying wirings of four lines is reduced in the configuration in which the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the horizontal direction , compared to a configuration described below in which the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction . the area and pitch of the connection pads 65 and 63 are larger than the area and pitch of the pixels . however , in the above - described layout of the connection pads 65 and 63 , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn , thereby providing the high - performance solid - state imaging device . in the fourth embodiment , even when the configuration of the connection wirings 67 of the first and second embodiments is used , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be similarly reduced . in the fourth embodiment , the same advantages as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained . fig3 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a fifth embodiment of the invention . in the drawing , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 65 and 63 electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 is shown . in a solid - state imaging device 93 according to the fifth embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the fifth embodiment , connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are disposed on both outsides to face each other in the vertical direction with the pixel array 23 interposed therebetween , and the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal lines are alternately connected to the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b . in this embodiment , as in fig3 , the connection pad pairs 89 in which the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the horizontal direction are disposed in a plurality of stages in two stages . the connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are densely arranged . the pairs of laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are alternately connected at the interval of two layers to the two - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b . both the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are formed in semiconductor removal regions 52 a and 52 b shown in fig1 b . in fig3 , the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 are octagonal , and preferably regular octagonal . however , since the distance between the wirings can be increased , the planar shapes of the connection pads may be tetragonal or hexagonal ( preferably , regular hexagonal ). this embodiment is applicable to the configuration described below in which the connection pad pairs 89 can be replaced by the connection pad pairs in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction . in the solid - state imaging device 93 according to the fifth embodiment , the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b are disposed with the pixel array 23 interposed therebetween , and the laying wirings of the plurality of lines two lines corresponding to the vertical signal lines are alternately connected to the two - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad arrays 91 a and 91 b . with such a configuration , it is not necessary to narrow the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d . in other words , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d can be sufficiently increased . therefore , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be reduced . moreover , since the difference in the wiring length between the laying wirings is reduced , the wiring resistance difference can be further reduced . the area and pitch of the connection pads 65 and 63 are larger than the area and pitch of the pixels . however , in the above - described layout of the connection pads 65 and 63 , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn , thereby providing a high - performance solid - state imaging device . in the fifth embodiment , even when the configuration of the connection wirings of the first , second , or third embodiment is used , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be similarly reduced . in the fifth embodiment , the same advantages as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained . fig3 and 38 are diagrams illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a sixth embodiment of the invention . in the drawings , particularly , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 65 and 63 electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 is shown . in a solid - state imaging device 95 according to the sixth embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the sixth embodiment , the connection pad array 91 in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 with the same regular octagonal shape shown in fig3 are alternately arranged in the horizontal and vertical directions , and the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d of every four lines are connected to each of the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 of the connection pad array 91 . each first connection pad 65 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 is formed by the first - layer metal and each laying wiring 40 d connected to the connection pad 65 is formed by the fourth - layer metal . each second connection pad 63 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 is formed by the fourth - layer metal and each laying wiring 53 d connected to the connection pad 63 is formed by the first - layer metal . the laying wiring 40 d in the first semiconductor chip section 22 is disposed so as to cross below another necessary first connection pad 65 to which this laying wiring 40 d is not connected . since the area of the connection pad 65 is relatively large , coupling capacitance may occur between the connection pad 65 and another laying 40 d crossing the connection pad 65 and having a different potential . in this embodiment , accordingly , a shield wiring 96 formed by the metal of the layer between the first connection pad 65 and the laying wiring 40 d is formed between the first connection pad 65 and the necessary laying wiring 40 d . that is , the shield wiring 96 formed by the second - layer metal or the third - layer metal the second - layer metal is formed between the first connection pad 65 and the necessary laying wiring 40 d . as shown in fig3 , three laying wirings 40 d cross below the first connection pad 65 in some cases . therefore , the shield wirings 96 are continuously formed in the four - stage connection pad pairs 89 so as to have a width corresponding to the width of the connection pad 65 . in the solid - state imaging device according to the sixth embodiment , the shield wiring 96 disposed between the first connection pad 65 and the laying wiring 40 d crossing below the first connection pad 65 is formed , thereby preventing the coupling capacitance from occurring between the connection pad 65 and the laying wiring 40 d of which potentials are different . accordingly , it is possible to provide a high - performance solid - state imaging device . in the sixth embodiment , as in the first to third embodiments , the same advantages such as the reduction in the adjacent coupling capacitance can be obtained . in the sixth embodiment , the advantage can be obtained by the shield wiring 96 irrespective of the planar shape of the connection pad 65 or the layout of the connection pad 65 . fig3 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device , that is , a mos solid - state imaging device according to a seventh embodiment of the invention . in the drawing , particularly , only the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 65 and 63 electrically connecting the first semiconductor chip section 22 to the second semiconductor chip section 26 is shown . in a solid - state imaging device 97 according to the seventh embodiment , like the above description , two semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are bonded to each other , the part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is removed , and both the semiconductor chip sections 22 and 26 are connected to each other through the connection wiring 67 in the semiconductor removal region 52 . in this embodiment , since the several configurations of the above - described embodiments are applicable to the other configuration excluding the layout of the wiring connection portion , a detailed description thereof is omitted . in the seventh embodiment , the pairs of first connection pads 65 and second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction ( so - called longitudinal direction ) in which the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d corresponding to the vertical signal lines extend . a plurality of connection pad pairs 99 is arranged in the horizontal direction in which the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are arranged and a plurality of stages three stages of the connection pad pairs 99 are arranged in the vertical direction to configure a connection pad array 98 . the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 have an octagonal shape , and preferably , a regular octagonal shape in a plan view , like the description of the fourth embodiment . the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are electrically connected to each other by the connection wirings 67 each including the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 , like the above description . when the wirings 40 of the multi wiring layer 41 in the first semiconductor chip section 22 are configured byfour - layer metals , it is preferable that the first connection pads 65 are formed by the first - layer metal the laying wirings 40 d connected to the first connection pads 65 are formed by the fourth - layer metal . however , the invention is not limited thereto . the first connection pads 65 and the laying wirings 40 d may be formed by any layer metal . when the wirings 53 of the multi wiring layer 55 in the second semiconductor chip section 26 are configured by four - layer metals , it is preferable that the second connection pads 63 are formed by the fourth - layer metal and the laying wirings 53 d connected to the second connection pads 63 are formed by the first - layer metal . however , the invention is not limited thereto . the second connection pads 63 and the laying wirings 53 d may be formed by any layer metal . the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are connected at the interval of three lines to the three - stage pad pairs 99 of the connection pad array 98 . in the solid - state imaging device 97 according to the seventh embodiment , the connection pad array 98 is configured by arranging the plurality of stages of the connection pad pairs 99 in which the first connection pads 65 and the second connection pads 63 are arranged in the vertical direction . therefore , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn . in particular , even in the connection pads 65 and 63 having the area larger than that of the pixels , the wirings 40 d and 53 d can be drawn , thereby providing a high - performance solid - state imaging device . when the laying wirings 40 d and 53 d are disposed so as to cross the connection pads 65 and 63 , respectively , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings can be sufficiently increased , thereby reducing the adjacent coupling capacitance occurring between the laying wirings . in the seventh embodiment , even when the configuration of the connection wirings of the first , second , or third embodiment is used , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be similarly reduced . in the seventh embodiment , the same advantages as those of the first to third embodiments can be obtained . the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 are octagonal , but may be a polygonal shape such a tetragonal shape or a hexagonal shape ( preferably , regular hexagonal shape ), a circular shape , or the like . the cross - sectional surface shapes of the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 can be configured to be the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 . the planar shapes of the connection pads 65 and 63 may be different from the cross - sectional surface shapes of the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 . in the solid - state imaging devices according to the above - described embodiments , electrons serve as the signal charges , the first conductive type is the p - type , and the second conductive type is the n - type . however , the embodiments are also applicable to a solid - state imaging device in which holes serve as the signal charges . in this case , the conductive types of each semiconductor substrate and the semiconductor well region or the semiconductor region are configured conversely . the n - type is configured as the first conductive type and the p - type is configured as the second conductive type . an n - channel transistor and a p - channel transistor are applicable to the mos transistors of the logic circuit . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device according to an eighth embodiment of the invention . a semiconductor device 131 according to the eighth embodiment includes a stacked semiconductor chip 100 in which a first semiconductor chip section 101 having a first semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer and a second semiconductor chip section 116 having a second semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip section 116 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers face each other . the first and second semiconductor chip sections can be bonded by an adhesive layer 129 with protective layers 114 and 127 interposed therebetween . alternatively , the first and second semiconductor chip sections may be bonded by plasma joining . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 101 is entirely removed , is formed and the connection wirings 67 each connecting the first semiconductor chip section 101 to the second semiconductor chip section 116 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the semiconductor removal region 52 is all regions including the portion where the respective connection wirings 67 of the semiconductor integrated circuits are formed , and is formed in the peripheral section of the semiconductor chip section 101 . in the first semiconductor chip section 101 , the first semiconductor integrated circuit the logic circuit 102 is formed in a thinned first semiconductor substrate 103 . that is , a plurality of mos transistors tr 11 , tr 12 and tr 13 are formed in a semiconductor well region 104 formed in the semiconductor substrate ( such as , but not limited to , a silicon substrate ) 103 . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 each include a pair of source / drain regions 105 and gate electrodes 106 formed via an insulation film . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 are isolated from each other by device isolation regions 107 . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 are representative transistors . the logic circuit 102 may include cmos transistors . therefore , the plurality of mos transistors may be configured as n - channel mos transistors or p - channel mos transistors . therefore , when the n - channel mos transistors are formed , source / drain regions are formed in the p - type semiconductor well region . when the p - channel mos transistors are formed , p - type source / drain regions are formed in the n - type semiconductor well region . a multi wiring layer 111 in which wirings 109 formed by a plurality of metals triple layered metals are stacked via an inter - layer insulation film 108 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 103 . the wirings 109 can be formed by a material such as , but not limited to , cu wirings . the mos transistors tr 11 to tr 13 are connected with the necessary first - layer wiring 109 and a connection conductor 112 interposed therebetween . the three - layer wirings 109 are connected to each other through a connection conductor . in the second semiconductor chip section 116 , the second semiconductor integrated circuit the logic circuit 117 is formed in a second semiconductor substrate 118 . that is , a plurality of mos transistors tr 21 , tr 22 , tr 23 are formed in a semiconductor well region 119 formed in the semiconductor substrate ( such as , but not limited to , a silicon substrate ) 118 . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 each include a pair of source / drain regions 121 and gate electrodes 122 formed via an insulation film . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 are isolated from each other by device isolation regions 123 . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 are representative transistors . the logic circuit 117 may include cmos transistors . therefore , the plurality of mos transistors may be configured as n - channel mos transistors or p - channel mos transistors . therefore , when the n - channel mos transistors are formed , source / drain regions are formed in the p - type semiconductor well region . when the p - channel mos transistors are formed , p - type source / drain regions are formed in the n - type semiconductor well region . a multi wiring layer 126 in which wirings 125 formed by a plurality of metals triple layered metals are stacked via an inter - layer insulation film 124 is formed on the semiconductor substrate 118 . the wirings 125 can be formed by a material including , but not limited to , cu wirings . the mos transistors tr 21 to tr 23 are connected with the necessary first - layer wiring 125 and a connection conductor 120 interposed therebetween . the three - layer wirings 125 are connected to each other through a connection conductor 120 . the semiconductor substrate 118 of the second chip section 116 also serves as a support substrate of the thinned first semiconductor chip section 101 . as the first semiconductor integrated circuit a semiconductor memory circuit may be used instead of the logic circuit 102 . in this case , the logic circuit 117 serving as the second semiconductor integrated circuit is provided to process signals of the semiconductor memory circuit . in the semiconductor removal region 52 , the entire first semiconductor substrate 118 is removed by etching . the stacked insulation film 61 including a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film 58 and a silicon nitride ( sin ) film 59 is formed to extend from the bottom surface and the side surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 118 . the stacked insulation film 61 protects the semiconductor substrate 118 exposed to the front surface of the semiconductor substrate 118 and the side surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 . in the semiconductor removal region 52 , the connection hole 64 , which reaches from the silicon nitride film 59 to the first connection pad 65 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 111 the wiring 109 d of the third - layer metal in the first semiconductor chip section 101 , is formed . in addition , the through connection hole 62 , which is penetrated through the first semiconductor chip section 101 and reaches the second connection pad 63 electrically connected to a necessary wiring in the multi wiring layer 126 a wiring 125 d formed by the third - layer metal in the second semiconductor chip section 116 , is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end of the conductors 68 and 69 . the link conductor 71 of the connection wiring 67 exposed to the outside serves as an electrode pad connected to an external wiring by a bonding wire . the semiconductor device according to the eighth embodiment can be manufactured by the manufacturing method described in the first embodiment . in this case , the pixel array and the control circuit of the first semiconductor chip section in the first embodiment is replaced by the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the logic circuit in the second embodiment chip section is replaced by the second semiconductor integrated circuit . in the semiconductor device according to the eighth embodiment , the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip 116 are bonded to each other . therefore , the optimum processing techniques can be used when the first and second semiconductor integrated circuits are formed . accordingly , the performances of the first and second semiconductor integrated circuits can be sufficiently achieved , thereby providing a high - performance semiconductor device . in this embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 101 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 , parasitic capacitance between the semiconductor substrate 104 and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 can be reduced , thereby realizing high performance in the semiconductor device . in the eighth embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 104 and the second semiconductor substrate 118 in a partly finished state are bonded to each other before formation of a chip , and then the first semiconductor substrate 104 is thinned in the manufacturing process . that is , the second semiconductor substrate 118 is used as the support substrate when the first semiconductor substrate 104 is thinned . accordingly , the number of members can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 104 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 where the semiconductor portion is removed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance semiconductor device can be manufactured with high precision . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device according to a ninth embodiment of the invention . a semiconductor device 132 according to the ninth embodiment includes a stacked semiconductor chip 100 in which the first semiconductor chip section 101 including the first semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer and the second semiconductor chip section 116 including the second semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip section 116 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 101 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 is formed . the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 on the semiconductor substrate 103 is formed in the semiconductor removal region 52 . like the above description , the insulation film 77 is formed by an insulation film , such as a silicon oxide film , with an etching rate different from that of the silicon nitride film 59 on the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , through the insulation film 77 are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 is formed through both the connection holes 64 and 62 . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is formed on the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the eighth embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig4 and the repetition of the description thereof is omitted . the semiconductor device 132 according to the ninth embodiment can be manufactured by the manufacturing method described in the second embodiment . in this case , the pixel array and the control circuit of the first semiconductor chip section in the second embodiment is replaced by the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the logic circuit in the second embodiment chip section is replaced by the second semiconductor integrated circuit . in the semiconductor device 132 according to the ninth embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 101 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . since the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 , the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 by the insulation film 77 . therefore , the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 103 can be reduced . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the semiconductor device can be realized . in this embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 103 is thinned and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , the high - performance semiconductor device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the eighth embodiment can be obtained . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a semiconductor device according to a tenth embodiment of the invention . a semiconductor device 133 according to the tenth embodiment includes the stacked semiconductor chip 100 in which the first semiconductor chip section 101 including a first semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer and the second semiconductor chip section 116 including a second semiconductor integrated circuit and a multi wiring layer are bonded to each other . the first semiconductor chip section 101 and the second semiconductor chip section 116 are bonded to each other so that multi wiring layers face each other . in this embodiment , the semiconductor removal region 52 , where a part of a semiconductor portion of the first semiconductor chip section 101 is entirely removed , is formed and the stacked insulation film 61 extending from the internal surface of the semiconductor removal region 52 to the rear surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 is formed . the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization and thus flush with the front surface of the stacked insulation film 61 on the semiconductor substrate 103 is buried in the semiconductor removal region 52 . the concave portion 81 with a necessary depth from the front surface is formed in the portion corresponding to the connection wiring 67 of the insulation film 77 . then , the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 reaching the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively , through the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 are formed . the connection wiring 67 connecting the first connection pad 65 to the second connection pad 63 through both the connection holes 64 and 62 is formed . the connection wiring 67 includes the connection conductor 68 buried in the connection holes 64 and 62 and electrically connected to the first connection pad 65 , the through connection conductor 69 electrically connected to the second connection pad 63 , and the link conductor 71 electrically connecting both of the conductors 68 and 69 to each other in the upper end . the connection conductor 68 , the through connection conductor 69 , and the link conductor 71 are integrally and necessarily formed of metal . the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 . the front surface of the link conductor 71 is flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 subjected to planarization . the other configuration is the same as the above - described configuration of the eighth embodiment . therefore , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig4 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . the semiconductor device 133 according to the tenth embodiment can be manufactured by the manufacturing method described in the third embodiment . in this case , the pixel array and the control circuit of the first semiconductor chip section in the third embodiment is replaced by the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the logic circuit in the second embodiment chip section is replaced by the second semiconductor integrated circuit . in the semiconductor device 133 according to the tenth embodiment , the part of the first semiconductor chip section 101 , that is , the semiconductor portion of the region where the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are formed is completely removed , the insulation film 77 is buried in the removed semiconductor removal region 52 . the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are penetrated through the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 formed in the insulation film 77 below the concave portion 81 , respectively , to form the connection wiring 67 . accordingly , both the connection conductors 68 and 69 are distant from the side surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 by the insulation film 77 , thereby reducing the parasitic capacitance between the connection conductors 68 and 69 and the semiconductor substrate 103 . since the inside of the semiconductor removal region 52 is buried by the insulation film 77 , the surface of the semiconductor substrate 103 facing the side wall of the semiconductor removal region 52 can be reliably protected mechanically in cooperation with the stacked insulation film 61 . accordingly , high performance in the solid - state imaging device can be realized . since the link conductor 71 is buried in the concave portion 81 of the insulation film 77 and the link conductor 71 is subjected to planarization so as to be flush with the front surface of the insulation film 77 , the semiconductor device with a small uneven surface can be obtained . in the tenth embodiment , the first semiconductor substrate 103 is thinned , the concave portion 81 is formed in the insulation film 77 , and the through connection hole 62 and the connection hole 64 are formed . therefore , the aspect ratio of the holes is reduced , thereby forming the connection holes 62 and 64 with high precision . accordingly , a high - performance semiconductor device can be manufactured with high precision . further description is omitted , but the same advantages as those of the eighth embodiment can be obtained . in the above - described eighth to tenth embodiments , two semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other . in the semiconductor device according to the embodiments of the invention , three or more semiconductor chip sections may be bonded to each other . even in a configuration in which three or more semiconductor chip sections are bonded to each other , the above - described configurations in which the semiconductor portion is completely removed are applicable to the connection portion between the first semiconductor chip section including the first semiconductor integrated circuit and the second semiconductor chip section including the second semiconductor integrated circuit . a memory circuit and other electric circuits excluding a logic circuit are applicable to the semiconductor integrated circuit . in the above embodiments , the layouts of the connection pad arrays 91 , 91 a , 91 b , and 98 described in the fourth to seventh embodiments are applied to the solid - state imaging device in which the semiconductor portion in the region of the connection wirings 67 according to the first to third embodiments is completely removed . the layouts of the connection pad arrays 91 , 91 a , 91 b , and 98 are applicable to the semiconductor device according to the eighth to tenth embodiments . the layouts of the connection pad arrays 91 , 91 a , 91 b , and 98 are not limited thereto . when another wafer or chip is bonded to form connection wirings , the layouts of the connection pad arrays are applicable to a case where a semiconductor in the vicinity of the connection wirings is not removed . the layouts of the connection pad arrays are applicable to a semiconductor device , such as a solid - stage imaging device or a semiconductor device having the above semiconductor integrated circuit , in which the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are penetrated through the semiconductor substrate and are buried via an insulation film without removing the semiconductor portion . fig4 and 44 are diagrams illustrating an example of the solid - state imaging device in which the connection wirings are formed without removing the semiconductor portion and to which the connection pad layout is applied . in this example , a solid - state imaging device 135 has a configuration in which the semiconductor in the region of the connection wirings 67 shown in fig1 in the above - described second embodiment is not removed . in this example , the connection hole 64 penetrated through the first semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the first connection pad 65 and the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the second connection pad 63 are formed in the connection wiring region . the semiconductor substrate 31 and an insulation film 136 for insulation are formed on the inner surface of each of the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 . the connection wiring is formed in which the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 65 and the through connection hole 62 and are connected to each other by the link conductor 71 so as to be connected to the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively . since the other configuration is the same as that described in the second embodiment , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig1 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . on the other hand , as shown in fig4 , the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 63 and 65 in the solid - state imaging device 135 of this example has the same structure as that in fig3 . that is , the connection pad array 91 is formed in which the connection pad pairs 89 of the octagonal connection pads 63 and 65 are densely arranged in four stages . since the other detailed configuration is the same as that in fig3 , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . in the solid - state imaging device 135 of this example , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d are increased , like the above description in fig3 . accordingly , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be reduced . fig4 and 46 are diagrams illustrating an example of the semiconductor device in which the connection wirings are formed without removing the semiconductor portion and which includes the semiconductor integrated circuit to which the connection pad layout is applied . in this example , a semiconductor device 137 has a configuration in which the semiconductor in the region , where the connection wirings 67 is formed , shown in fig4 in the above - described ninth embodiment is not removed . in this example , the connection hole 64 penetrated through the first semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the first connection pad 65 and the through connection hole 62 penetrated through the first semiconductor chip section 22 including the semiconductor substrate 31 and reaching the second connection pad 63 are formed in the connection wiring region . the semiconductor substrate 31 and the insulation film 136 for insulation are formed on the inner surface of each of the connection hole 64 and the through connection hole 62 . the connection wiring is formed in which the connection conductor 68 and the through connection conductor 69 are buried in the connection hole 65 and the through connection hole 62 and are connected to each other by the link conductor 71 so as to be connected to the first connection pad 65 and the second connection pad 63 , respectively . since the other configuration is the same as that described in the sixth embodiment , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig4 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . on the other hand , as shown in fig4 , the layout of the wiring connection portion including the connection pads 63 and 65 in this example has the same structure as that in fig3 . that is , the connection pad array 91 is formed in which the connection pad pairs 89 of the octagonal connection pads 63 and 65 are densely arranged in four stages . since the other detailed configuration is the same as that in fig3 , the same reference numerals are given to the corresponding members in fig3 and repetition of the description thereof is omitted . in the solid - state imaging device 137 of this example , the distance between the adjacent laying wirings 40 d and the distance between the laying wirings 53 d are increased , like the above description in fig3 . accordingly , the adjacent coupling capacitance can be reduced . in the solid - state imaging device in which the connection wirings are formed without removing the semiconductor portion and the semiconductor device having an integrated circuit , the layout according to the fifth embodiment ( fig3 ), the sixth embodiment ( fig3 and 38 ), the seventh embodiment ( fig3 ), or the like is applicable as the layout of the connection pad . in the above - described solid - state imaging devices according to the embodiments , it is necessary to stabilize the potential of the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region where the pixel array 23 of the first semiconductor chip section 22 is formed . that is , it is necessary to stabilize variation in the potentials of the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 when operating without variation in the potential ( so - called substrate potential ) of the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region in the vicinities of the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 . in order to stabilize the substrate potential , in this example , a contact portion is formed in the semiconductor well region 32 by an impurity diffusion layer and the contact portion is connected to an electrode pad portion formed in the vicinity of a portion on the first semiconductor chip section 22 via the connection conductor 44 and the wiring 40 . by supplying a fixed voltage such as a power voltage vdd or a ground voltage ( 0 v ) to the electrode pad portion , the power voltage or the ground voltage ( 0 v ) is applied to the semiconductor well region 32 via the contact portion , thereby stabilizing the substrate potential of the semiconductor well region . for example , when the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region is of the n - type , the power voltage is supplied . when the semiconductor substrate or the semiconductor well region is of the p - type , the ground voltage is applied . in the above - described solid - state imaging devices according to the embodiments , when the connection wirings 67 including the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 are processed to be formed , protective diodes are installed in order to protect the transistors of the logic circuit against plasma damage . when the connection wirings 67 are formed , the connection holes 62 and 65 reaching the pads 63 and 65 are formed by plasma etching . however , particularly , the connection pads 63 in the logic circuit are charged with excessive plasma ions at the time of the plasma processing . when the transistors in the logic circuit are charged with the excessive plasma ions via the wirings 53 , the transistors receive so - called plasma damage . the protective diodes serve as preventing the plasma damage . in this embodiment , the protective diodes are formed in each logic circuit of each column circuit section of the column signal processing circuit 5 . as described above , the laying wirings corresponding to the respective vertical signal lines are connected to the through connection conductor 69 and the connection conductor 68 of each connection wiring 67 via the connection pads 63 and 65 , respectively . in the second semiconductor chip section 26 , the protective diodes are formed in each column circuit section in the semiconductor substrate 45 in which the mos transistors of the column circuit section are formed . the protective diodes are connected to the same laying wirings to which the gate electrodes of the mos transistors of the column circuit section are connected . the protective diodes connected to the laying wirings are disposed closer to the connection pads 63 than the mos transistors of the column circuit section . at the time of plasma processing , the charges caused by the excessive plasma ions charged in the connection pads 63 of the logic circuit flow to the protective diodes and thus do not damage the column circuit section . accordingly , the plasma damage to the column circuit section can be prevented when the connection wirings 67 are processed . moreover , the same protective diodes can be installed in order to prevent the plasma damage to the mos transistors of another peripheral circuit as well as preventing the plasma damage to the column circuit section . the solid - state image devices according to the above - described embodiments are applicable to a camera system such as a digital camera or a video camera or electronic apparatuses such as a portable phone with an image capturing function and other apparatuses with an imaging capturing function . fig4 is a diagram illustrating a camera as an example of an electronic apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of the invention . the camera according to this embodiment is a video camera capable of capturing a still image or a moving image . a camera 141 according to this embodiment includes a solid - state imaging device 142 , an optical system 143 guiding incident light to a light - sensing portion of the solid - state imaging device 142 , and a shutter device 144 . the camera 141 further includes a driving circuit 145 driving the solid - state imaging device 142 and a signal processing circuit 146 processing signals output from the solid - state imaging device 142 . the solid - state imaging device 142 is one of the solid - state imaging devices according to the above - described embodiments . the optical system ( optical lens ) 143 forms an image on the image capturing surface of the solid - state imaging device 142 with image light ( incident light ) from a subject . then , signal charges are accumulated in the solid - state imaging device 142 for a given time . the optical system 143 may be an optical lens system configured by a plurality of optical lenses . the shutter device 144 controls a light illumination time and a light block time for the solid - state imaging device 142 . the driving circuit 145 supplies a driving signal to control the transmission operation of the solid - state imaging device 142 and the shutter operation of the shutter device 144 . based on the driving signal ( timing signal ) supplied from the driving circuit 145 , the signal of the solid - state imaging device 142 is transmitted . the signal processing circuit 146 processes various kinds of signals . an image signal subjected to the signal processing is stored in a storage medium such a memory or output to a monitor . in the electronic apparatus such as a camera according to the eleventh embodiment , the high - performance solid - state imaging device 142 can be realized . accordingly , the electronic apparatus with a high reliability can be provided . while various embodiments of the present invention have been described , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that many more embodiments and implementations are possible that are within the scope of this invention . accordingly , the present invention is not to be restricted except in light of the attached claims and their equivalents .	7
fig1 is a perspective view of a turf conditioning machine 12 according to the invention located on a golf green 16 . machine 12 is attached by an air hose 21 and a fluid hose 20 to a support system 14 . the support system 14 includes a trailer 28 that supports a 200 gallon tank 26 , a hose reel 24 , and compressor 22 . fluid stored in tank 26 is pumped at high pressure over fluid hose 20 to machine 12 . compressor 22 transfers compressed air over air hose 21 to machine 12 . reel 24 dispenses the air hose 21 and the fluid hose 20 and allows trailer 28 to be located off of golf green 16 as machine 12 is being operated . thus , machine 12 is hand - driven by an operator 18 over golf green 16 without the additional weight of tank 26 and compressor 22 . fig2 is a left side elevation of the machine 12 shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 and 2 , a frame 29 includes two vertically aligned side walls 44 joined together at a back end by a vertically aligned back wall 43 . the top end of both side walls 44 and the back wall 43 support a top mounting plate 41 . the mounting plate 41 extends from a back end of frame 29 partially along the top of sides 44 . the side walls , back wall , and mounting plate are all formed of metal . a handle 36 is attached to the back end of frame 29 and includes a hand grip 37 at a top end . a lever 32 actuates a safety switch 34 coupled by a cable 35 to a solenoid controller 57 located underneath mounting plate 41 . a lever 30 is attached to the top end of handle 36 and is mechanically coupled to a clutch 74 . mounting plate 41 supports an engine 38 having a gas tank 40 , a battery 42 , and a control box 48 . a row of air guns 52 are pneumatically controlled by solenoid controller 57 via individual air hoses 58 . a manifold 54 provides fluid from fluid hose 20 ( fig1 ) to air guns 52 . each air - gun contains a nozzle 64 that disperses the fluid vertically downward into the ground . a rod 63 is coupled between the side walls 44 of frame 29 and extends through a mounting bracket 62 on the back of each air gun 52 for mounting the air guns to frame 29 a given distance above the ground . a front roller 60 is located in the front of frame 29 and a rear roller 46 is located at the back end of frame 29 for rolling the machine over the green . fig3 is a right side elevation of machine 12 showing in more detail the clutch mechanism for initiating forward movement of machine 12 . lever 30 actuates the clutch 74 via linkage 68 engaging a belt 70 . engine 38 drives a chain 66 in turn rotating a sprocket 76 and a pulley 77 . when clutch 74 is engaged with belt 70 , engine 38 drives pulley 77 . pulley 77 rotates belt 70 in turn rotating a pulley located on the end of roller 46 . thus , machine 12 is self - propelled in a forward direction . fig4 is a front elevation of machine 12 . the solenoid controller 57 is enabled when lever 32 is pressed downward against hand grip 37 . in the depressed state , lever 32 depresses a button 33 on safety switch 34 completing a connection in cable 35 . the signal on cable 35 enables solenoid controller 57 . control box 48 is water resistent and contains a programmable control circuit 78 shown in detail in fig8 . the control circuit 78 receives power from battery 42 over cable 45 and sends control signals to solenoid controller 57 ( see fig8 ). each air gun 52 includes an air nozzle 59 pneumatically coupled by an air hose 58 to a first side of solenoid controller 57 . air hose 21 is coupled to the second side of solenoid controller 57 . manifold 54 is joined at opposite ends to side walls 44 and is coupled to fluid hose 20 ( fig1 ). manifold 54 contains individual couplers 56 that connect into a lower nozzle 80 on each air gun 52 ( fig4 ). front roller 60 extends across the front of air guns 52 and is joined on opposite ends to side walls 44 . fig5 is a bottom view of machine 12 shown in fig1 . the rear roller 46 is joined at opposite ends to side walls 44 and is driven by belt 70 as described above in fig3 . rod 63 passes through each air gun mounting bracket 62 and is joined at opposite ends to side walls 44 . front roller 60 and back roller 46 operate in conjunction to transport frame 29 over golf green 16 ( fig1 ). the wide rollers evenly distribute the weight of machine 29 to eliminated ruts in the top surface of the golf green . fig6 is an enlarged detailed side view of an air gun 52 from machine 12 dispersing a fluid 50 into the ground . air gun 52 is a standard air gun and is , therefore , not described in detail . a top shut - off valve 61 can be manually switched to disable air - gun 52 . air pressure from hose 58 ( fig4 ) lifts a valve 66 allowing fluid from manifold 54 ( fig4 ) to enter into nozzle 80 and out nozzle 64 . nozzle 64 disperses the fluid 50 into the golf green 16 drilling a hole 51 . because manifold 54 is located so close to the nozzle section or &# 34 ; head &# 34 ; of gun 52 , high fluid pressure is maintained right up to the nozzle 64 . other spray guns connect fluid at an upper location on the spray gun that can reduce fluid pressure and retard fluid speed . the distance between nozzle 80 and nozzle 64 is approximately 11 / 2 inches . referring to fig6 and 7 , nozzle 64 contains a rigid baffle 65 that creates a vertically directed spray swath from an orifice 67 as shown in fig6 . baffle 65 has a &# 34 ; figure 8 &# 34 ; cross - sectional shape that prevents the fluid 50 entering nozzle 80 from swirling inside cavity 69 . the stagnant fluid created by baffle 65 allows fluid 50 to disperse uniformly downwardly in a substantially cylindrical spray pattern . the cylindrical spray pattern drills hole 51 to a desired depth 72 into the ground . hole 51 has a consistent circular cross - sectional shape with vertically descending parallel walls 53 . the narrow cross - sectional diameter of hole 51 can be drilled deep into the ground without overlapping with the holes drilled from adjacent air guns . thus , the existing subterranean structure of the golf green remains strong enough to prevent cave - in &# 39 ; s . because only a small amount of soil is displaced by fluid 50 , the substructure of the golf green is strong enough for immediate utilization by golfers . other aeration systems create laterally overlapping holes underneath the turf that prevent golf green utilization for extended periods of time . in one preferred embodiment , the hole depth is drilled between 2 - 4 inches and has a diameter of approximately 0 . 25 inches . the pressure coming out of nozzle 64 is between 2000 - 5000 psi . the nozzle height is preferably located about 3 / 8 inch above the ground . in one preferred embodiment , the air guns receive fluid at 3500 pounds per square inch from manifold 54 at the end of each tip 64 and disperses fluid at approximately 6650 pounds per square inch which hits the ground at approximately 722 feet per second . various fluids can be dispersed through air guns 52 . for example , water can be used to drill hole 51 . another material used for drilling hole 52 is a hydrated polymer that serves to absorb surface water on the golf green 16 . hydrated polymers or &# 34 ; water polymers &# 34 ; are the same as or similar to substances used in diapers to absorb water , leaving the diaper seemingly dry . hydrated polymers injected into turf serve to hold water from the soil surface , reducing the accumulation of water on the surface and making the water available for absorption by grass roots . the long , narrow shape of hole 51 allow the polymer material to absorb water more effectively . in wider holes , the hydrated polymer material has a tendency to dissipate into the soil . the narrower hole diameter allows more of the polymer to coagulate or &# 34 ; puddle &# 34 ; in the bottom of the hole , such as puddle 55 , providing more effective moisture retention . thus , more water can be absorbed and a high moisture content can be maintained on golf green 16 for longer periods of time , without flooding the surface . further , because each hole 51 maintains vertical side walls 53 , there is less chance of hole overlap from adjacent air guns . thus , each hole can be drilled deeper to retain more polymer without jeopardizing the subterranean strength of the golf green . fig8 is a circuit diagram of the programmable control circuit 78 contained in control box 48 ( fig4 ). an on - off switch 81 activates a microprocessor 92 . a set of dual in - line package ( dip ) switches 82 , 84 and 86 are coupled between a 5 volt dc power supply and microprocessor 92 . the 5 volt power supply is generated from battery 42 ( fig4 ). a magneto detector circuit 88 is coupled between engine 38 ( fig2 ) and a magneto divider circuit 90 . the output of magneto divider 90 is coupled to microprocessor 92 . an array of transistors 94 , 96 , and 98 couple outputs from microprocessor 92 to various solenoid relays in solenoid controller 57 . solenoid controller 57 includes an array of standard electric air valves such as model no . m1251lw made by humphrey and is , therefore , not described in detail . dip switch 84 controls the amount of time each air gun 52 remains activated during any one discharge cycle . for example , a first switch in dip switch 84 when closed keeps each air gun activated , for example , for 0 . 05 seconds . closing a second switch in dip switch 84 increases the on time for each activated air gun to , for example , 0 . 1 seconds . controlling the on time of each air gun is important to prevent slitting when the air guns are moved forward over the golf green . for example , if the guns remain on too long , the high pressure fluid can cut elongated slits in the forward frame direction . thus , air gun activation time is automatically adjusted according to frame speed . in addition , each nozzle may be activated for a longer period according to the type of soil . for example , a hard clay material may require a longer air gun activation time to drill a hole 51 a desired depth 72 ( fig6 ). thus , dip switch 84 allows the hole depth to be changed without having to manually change the distant each nozzle 64 is held above the ground or the speed of machine 29 . the on - time is typically controllable to increments of 0 . 05 seconds . thus , holes can be drilled with more precision . dip switch 86 controls the frequency between each air gun discharge cycle . for example , closing a first switch in dip switch 86 directs each activated air gun to drill a hole every three inches . by closing a second switch in dip switch 86 a hole is drilled every two inches , etc . dip switch 86 operates either independently or in coordination with magneto detector circuit 88 . to monitor the speed of machine 12 as it travels over the golf green , magneto detector circuit 88 monitors magneto firings from engine 38 . for example , as the rotations per minute ( rpm ) of engine 38 increase , the fire rate of the engines magneto increases . thus , the speed that the machine 12 moves across the golf green is proportional to magneto fire rate . magneto divider circuit 90 divides the number of detected firings from magneto detection circuit 88 into a sequence of pulses that are sent to microprocessor 92 . according to the pulse rate from magneto divider 90 and the switch setting in dip switch 86 , microprocessor 92 determines the speed in which the frame 29 is traveling over the golf green . according the microprocessor 92 calculates how often each enabled air gun must be activated to drill holes at a predetermined distance . the magneto detector circuit 88 , magneto divider 90 and the software to calculate the repeat interval for each air gun are easily implemented by one with average skill in the art and are , therefore , not described in detail . air guns 52 typically operate up to 180 cycles per minute . dip switch 82 contains multiple switches that enable and disable the various air guns 52 . addition switches in dip switch 82 control the sequence of enabled guns that are activated each discharge cycle . for example , closing a first switch allows an associated air gun to activate each discharge cycle . a second switch in dip switch 82 enables or disables a second air gun , etc . additional switches in dip switch 82 control the sequence of enabled air guns that activate each discharge cycle . for example , another switch in dip switch 82 when closed directs microprocessor 92 to alternate every other enabled air gun every other discharge cycle as is shown in detail below in fig1 and 11 . by controlling the number of activated air guns , a machine operator can control the fluid pressure output from each activated nozzle . disabling more air guns with dip switch 82 proportionally increases the pressure exerted by each enabled nozzle . by increasing fluid pressure each hole can be drilled at a greater depth . according to the signals generated by dip switches 82 , 84 , and 86 and the pulse signal from magneto divider 90 , microprocessor 92 generates output signals to transistors 94 , 96 , and 98 . each transistor is coupled to a corresponding solenoid valve that connects and disconnects air pressure to an associated air gun 52 . when the signal coupled to the base of transistor 94 is active high , transistor 94 turns on pulling the signal to solenoid 1 to five volts . solenoid 1 then activates coupling air from air hose 21 ( fig1 ) to a corresponding air nozzle 59 ( fig4 ) on air gun 52 . air entering nozzle 59 raises pin 66 ( fig6 ) allowing fluid from manifold 54 to enter the air gun . fig9 is a block diagram showing the different functions performed by the control circuit 78 shown in fig8 . referring to fig8 and 9 , the control circuit 78 is first started by closing on - off switch 81 as stated in block 100 . the combination of selected dip switches 82 and 84 control the number of air guns activated and the amount of time each enable air gun remains on for each discharge cycle . thus , circuit 78 controls the depth each hole is drilled into the ground as stated in block 102 . the combination of switches closed in dip switch 82 control the pattern of guns that are activated each discharge cycle as shown in block 104 . block 106 then receives the repeat interval information from dip switch 86 and the pulse sequence from magneto divider 90 generating the necessary air gun discharge frequency that creates the desired hole spacing . decision block 108 checks machine speed . if the machine speed changes , decision block 108 jumps back to block 106 readjusting the discharge frequency for the air guns . thus , the air guns generate consistent hole spacing for changes in machine speed . the process then continues to monitor the dip switches for new input commands . fig1 is an isolated front view of machine 12 during a first discharge cycle and fig9 is a isolated front view of machine 12 during a second discharge cycle . according to the number and arrangement of switches selected in dip switch 82 ( fig8 ), every other air gun 52 is activated during the first discharge cycle shown in fig1 . accordingly , during the second discharge cycle , shown in fig1 , the air guns previously activated during the first discharge cycle are deactivated and the remaining air guns are activated . the sequence shown in fig1 and 11 is then repeated so that for a third discharge cycle , the nozzles shown discharging in fig1 are again reactivated . any combination of nozzles can be controlled each discharge cycle . fig1 is a top view of golf green 16 showing the hole pattern created from the air gun discharge configuration shown in fig1 and 11 . row 112 shows the holes formed during the first discharge cycle and row 114 show the holes formed during the second discharge cycle . varying the combination of activated air guns allow a greater variety of hole patterns . holes can then be spaced farther apart both in the forward direction of the machine as it travels along the golf green and laterally between adjacent air guns . thus , machine 12 is more adaptable to different turf conditions and can vary the aesthetics of the golf green 16 by varying hole patterns . in addition , an offset hole pattern as shown in fig1 can provide a more desirable putting surface for golfers . fig1 is a side view of a dual head turf conditioning machine according to another embodiment of the invention . a first set of air guns 120 are positioned in substantially the same location as air guns 52 shown in fig2 . a second row of air guns 122 are located in the middle of frame 29 . each row of air guns is separately controllable to provide more flexibility in drilling holes . for example , each row of air - guns can activate concurrently during the same discharge cycle or in a staggered arrangement . alternatively , each row of nozzles can be directed to drill holes of different depths into the golf green as shown in fig1 . multiple rows of air guns activated at the same time allow machine 12 to drill more holes into the golf green in a shorter amount of time . having described and illustrated the principles of the invention in a preferred embodiment thereof , it should be apparent that the invention can be modified in arrangement and detail without departing from such principles . i claim all modifications and variation coming within the spirit and scope of the following claims .	0
the object of the present invention is to discover and develop a novel small molecule compound acting on vp1 of a picornavirus , which can block the adhesion and uncoating of the virus , has an inhibition activity on a picornavirus , and thereby accomplishes the goals of the prevention and / or treatment of a disease caused by a picornavirus . after extensive studies , the present inventors have found that a compound of the following formula i can act on vp1 of picornavirus to block the adhesion and uncoating of the virus , and thus may be used for the prevention and / or treatment of a disease caused by a picornavirus . the present invention is thus accomplished on the basis of the above findings . the first aspect of the present invention provides a compound of formula i : r1 , r2 and r3 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and halogen ( such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine , preferably fluorine or chlorine ); n is an integer of 2 to 5 ( such as an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , an integer of 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 , preferably an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , or 2 , 3 or 4 ); and r4 , r5 and r6 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , halogen ( such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine ), a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is a compound of formula ia : r1 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , fluorine , chlorine , bromine and iodine ( preferably fluorine and chlorine ); n is an integer of 2 to 5 ( such as an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , an integer of 2 , 3 , 4 or 5 , preferably an integer of 3 to 5 , an integer of 3 to 4 , or 2 , 3 or 4 ); and r4 is selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , halogen ( such as fluorine , chlorine , bromine , or iodine ), a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c8 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl , a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is a compound of formula ia : r1 is selected from the group consisting of fluorine and chlorine ; n is an integer of 3 to 5 ( preferably an integer of 3 to 4 , or 3 or 4 ); and r4 is selected from the group consisting of halogen ( such as fluorine , or chlorine ), a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen , a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl ( such as methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl or tert - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is a compound of formula ia : r4 is selected from the group consisting of a straight or branched c1 - c6 alkyl ( such as a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl and n - butyl ), — coor7 and — or8 ; wherein r7 and r8 are each independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen and a straight or branched c1 - c4 alkyl ( such as methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl and n - butyl ). the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention is selected from the group consisting of : 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - ethoxylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - methylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - ethylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloro - pyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - isopropylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid methyl ester , and 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid ethyl ester , or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate . the second aspect of the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically and / or preventively effective amount of the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof , and optionally one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or excipient . the third aspect of the present invention provides use of the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof , or the pharmaceutical composition according to the second aspect of the present invention in the manufacture of a medicament for treating and / or preventing a disease or disorder associated with viral infections . in one embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the third aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infections is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the fourth aspect of the present invention provides use of the compound of the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof or the pharmaceutical composition of the second aspect of the present invention as a medicament for combating a disease or disorder associated with viral infections . in one embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infections is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the fifth aspect of the present invention provides a method for treating and / or preventing a disease or disorder associated with viral infections in a subject in need thereof , comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically and / or preventively effective amount of the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof , or the pharmaceutical composition of the second aspect of the present invention . in one embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the fifth aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infection is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the sixth aspect of the present invention provides the compound according to the first aspect of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof for treating and / or preventing a disease or disorder associated with viral infections . in one embodiment of the sixth aspect of the present invention , the virus is a picornavirus . in one embodiment of the sixth aspect of the present invention , the picornavirus is selected from the group consisting of : rhinoviruses , enteroviruses , aphthoviruses , cardioviruses , hepatoviruses , dual echoviruses . in one embodiment of the sixth aspect of the present invention , the disease or disorder associated with viral infection is selected from the group consisting of : respiration diseases ( including but not being limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup ), hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , and hepatitis . the various aspects and features of the present invention are further described as follows . all cited references are incorporated herein by their full texts , and if the meaning of an expression in these references is inconsistent with that in the present invention , the meaning of the expression in the present invention should be used . in addition , the terms and phrases used in the present invention have common meanings known by those skilled in the art , unless they are defined otherwise . if the meaning of a term or phrase defined in the present invention is inconsistent with that well known in the art , the meaning defined in the present invention should be used . as used herein , by the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable ”, for example , when used in “ a pharmaceutically acceptable salt ”, it mans that the salt is not only physiologically acceptable in a subject , but also a substance having pharmaceutical value . as used herein , the term “ alkyl ” comprises a straight and branched saturated hydrocarbonyl with the designated number of carbon atoms . as used herein , the term “ c 1 - 6 alkyl ” refers to an alkyl having the designated number of carbon atoms , which is a straight or branched alkyl , and may comprise its subgroups , such as c 1 - 4 alkyl , c 1 - 3 alkyl , c 1 - 2 alkyl , c 2 - 6 alkyl , c 2 - 4 alkyl , for example , methyl , ethyl , n - propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , iso - butyl , tert - butyl , pentyl , or hexyl . as used herein , the term “ halogen ”, “ halogen atom ”, “ halogenated ” represents fluorine , chlorine , bromine or iodine , especially fluorine , chlorine or bromine . as used herein , the term “ effective amount ” refers to a dose that can achieve the treating and / or preventing of the disease or disorder as defined in the present invention in a subject . as used herein , the term “ pharmaceutical composition ” refers to a “ composition ”, which can achieve the treating and / or preventing of the disease or disorder as defined in the present invention in a subject , especially a mammal . as used herein , the term “ subject ” may refer to a patient or an animal , especially human , dog , monkey , bovine , or equine , which is administered with the compound of formula i of the present invention or a pharmaceutical composition thereof to treat and / or prevent the disease or disorder as defined in the present invention . as used herein , “%” refers to a weight / weight percentage , especially in a situation of describing solid substance , unless it is specifically indicated otherwise . of course , when it is described for a liquid substance , the “%” may refer to a weight / volume percentage ( in the case of a solid being dissolved in a liquid ), or a volume / volume percentage ( in the case of a liquid being dissolved in a liquid ). one embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for the prevention and / or treatment of a disease associated with an infection caused by a picornavirus , comprising administrating a therapeutically and / or preventively effective amount of at least one of the compound of formula i or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof to a patient in need of such treating and / or preventing of the disease associated with an infection caused by a picornavirus . according to the present invention , the compound of formula ( i ) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate thereof is preferably selected from the group consisting of the following compounds : 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - methylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - ethylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloro - pyridazine , 3 -{ 4 -[ 3 -( 4 - isopropylphenoxy ) propyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl }- 6 - chloropyridazine , 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid methyl ester , and 4 -{ 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propoxy } benzoic acid ethyl ester . according to the present invention , the compound of the present invention may be prepared as an example by a process of the following reaction scheme : for example , n - piperazine carboxylic acid ethyl ester is reacted with a compound of formula ii in the presence of potassium carbonate in acetonitrile as the solvent at room temperature to generate a compound of formula iii , the compound of formula iii is heated for refluxing in the presence of 10 % sodium hydroxide aqueous solution in ethanol as the solvent to generate a compound of formula iv , a compound of formula v is reacted with the compound of formula iv in the presence of sodium carbonate in chloroform , acetone , dichloromethane , n , n - dimethylformamide , n , n - dimethylacetamide ( preferably n , n - dimethylacetamide ) as the solvents at room temperature to generate a compound of formula vi , and the compound of formula vi is reacted with a compound of formula vii in the presence of triphenylphosphine and diethyl azodicarboxylate in tetrahydrofuran as the solvent at room temperature to generate a compound of formula i . according to the present invention , the term “ pharmaceutically acceptable salt ” of the compound of the present invention comprises acid salts formed with the compound of the present invention and pharmaceutically acceptable inorganic or organic acids , or alkali salts formed with the compound of the present invention and pharmaceutically acceptable alkalis , in which the acid salt include but are not limited to : hydrochloride , hydrobromide , hydroiodide , nitrate , sulfate , bisulfate , phosphate , biphosphate , acetate , propionate , butyrate , oxalate , trimethylacetate , adipates , alginate , lactate , citrate , tartrate , succinate , maleate , fumarate , picrate , aspartate , gluconate , benzoate , mesylate , esylate , besylate , tosilate , and pamoate ; and alkali salts include but are not limited to ammonium salt , alkali metal salts such as sodium and potassium salts , alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium and magnesium salts , organic alkali salts such as dicyclohexylamine and n - methyl - d - glucosamine , and amino acid salts such as arginine and lysine salts . according to the present invention , the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention comprises an effective amount of the compound of formula ( i ) of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or hydrate and one or more suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers . these pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include but are not limited to : ion exchangers , alumina , aluminum phosphate , lecithin , serum proteins such as human serum protein , buffering substances such as phosphates , glycerol , sorbic acid , potassium sorbate , partial glycerides of saturated vegetable fatty acids , water , salt or electrolyte , such as protamine sulfate , disodium hydrogen phosphate , potassium hydrogen phosphate , zinc salts , colloidal silica , magnesium trisilicate , polyvinylpyrrolidone , cellulose substances , polyethylene glycol , carboxymethylcellulose sodium , polyacrylic esters , beewax , polyethylene - polyoxypropylene block polymer , and lanolin . the compounds of the present invention are a group of potent inhibitors for a picornavirus , and such compounds are highlighted in the both prevention and treatment of a disease caused by a picornavirus . the disease caused by a picornavirus includes but is not limited to respiratory diseases , hand - foot - mouth diseases , meningitis / encephalitis , acute poliomyelitis , cardiovascular diseases , hemorrhagic conjunctivitis , or hepatitis . the respiratory diseases include but are not limited to : common cold ( such as summer cold ), pharyngitis , tonsillitis and croup . these diseases are usually caused by rhinoviruses of the picornavirus family . according to the present invention , the pharmaceutical composition of the compound of the present invention may be administered via any one of the following manners : oral administration , spray inhalation , rectal administration , nasal administration , bucca administration , vagina administration , topic administration , parenteral administration , such as subcutaneous , intravenous , intramuscular , intraperitoneal , intrathecal , intraventricular , intrasternal , and intracranial injection or infusion , or administration with the help of an explanted reservoir , in which oral , intraperitoneal or intravenous administration is preferred . in addition , in order to allow the compound of the present invention to effectively treat central nervous system disorders , intraventricular administration is preferred to overcome the possible low blood - brain barrier permeability . for oral administration , the compound of the present invention may be processed in any acceptable forms for oral administration , including but not being limited to tablets , capsules , water solutions or water suspensions . the tablets use a carrier generally comprising lactose and maize starch , additionally comprising a lubrimayt such as magnesium stearate . the capsules use a diluent generally comprising lactose and dry maize starch . the water suspensions usually use a mixture of an active component and suitable emulsifying agent and suspending agent . if necessary , the above oral dosage forms may further comprise some sweetening agents , flavoring agents or coloring agents . for rectal administration , the compound of the present invention is usually processed to form a suppository , which is prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable unstimulated excipient . this excipient is of solid state , and melts at rectal temperature to release drug . this excipient comprises cocoa butter , bee wax and polypropylene glycol . for local administration , especially in treatment of neurogenic disease of a readily accessible affected surface or organ such as eye , skin or inferior part of intestinal tract by local external application , the compound of the present invention may be processed into different dosage forms for local administration according to different affected surfaces or organs , which are illustrated as follows : for local administration to eyes , the compound of the present invention may be processed in a dosage form of micronized suspension or solution , in which the used carrier is isotonic sterile saline with a certain ph , wherein a preservative such as chlorobenzylalkanol salt may be added or not be added . for the eye use , the compound may be processed into ointment form , such as vaseline ointment . for local administration to skin , the compound of the present invention may be processed in suitable dosage forms such as ointments , lotions or creams , wherein the active component is suspended or dissolved in one or more carriers . the carriers usable in ointments include but are not limited to : mineral oil , liquid paraffin , white vaseline , propylene glycol , polyethylene oxide , polypropylene oxide , emulsified wax and water ; the carriers usable in lotions or creams comprise but are not limited to : mineral oil , sorbitan monostearate , tween 60 , hexademaye ester wax , hexadecylene aromatic alcohol , 2 - octyldodemayol , benzyl alcohol and water . for local administration to lower intestinal tract , the compound of the present invention may be processed to form the above rectal suppository or suitable enema , and may be processed to form topic transdermal patches . the compound of the present invention may further be administered in dosage form of sterile injections , including water or oil suspensions for sterile injection , or sterile injection solutions . the usable carriers and solvents include water , ringer &# 39 ; s solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution . in addition , sterile nonvolatile oil may also be used as the solvent or suspending medium , such as monoglyceride or diglyceride . it is further pointed out that the dose and usage method of the compound of the present invention depend on many factors , including age , body weight , gender , natural health status , nutritional status , activity of compound , administration time , metabolic rate , severity of disease and subjective judgment of diagnostic doctor . the preferred dose used in the present invention is between 0 . 01 and 100 mg / kg bodyweight / day . the present invention is further illustrated with the following examples , but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following examples . those skilled in the art would understand that the present invention may be changed and modified in many ways without departing from the spirit and scope . the present invention describes in general and / or in details the materials and experimental methods used in experiments . although many materials and operation methods used for fulfilling the objective of the present invention are well known in the art , they are still described in the present invention in details as much as possible . as for all of the following examples , standard operations and purification methods known in the art may be used . unless other stated , all temperatures are represented with ° c . ( celsius degree ). the structures of the compounds are determined by nuclear magnetic resonance ( nmr ) or mass spectrum ( ms ). melting point of compound is measured by ry - 1 type melting point instrument , thermometer is not calibrated , and m . p . is expressed in ° c . 1 h nmr is measured by jnm - eca - 400 type nuclear magnetic resonance . mass spectrum is measured by agilent 5875 ( el ). all solvents used in reactions are subjected to a standard pretreatment , unless specifically indicated otherwise . n - piperazine carboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 25 . 50 g , 161 . 39 mmol ), 3 - bromo - 1 - propanol ( 22 . 43 g , 161 . 39 mmol ), potassium carbonate ( 55 . 68 g , 403 . 48 ) and anhydrous acetonitrile ( 200 ml ) were placed in a 500 ml round bottom flask , heated for refluxing and stirred overnight . the reaction was cooled down to room temperature , filtered , concentrated and subjected to a column chromatography ( eluting agent : dichloromethane / methanol / triethylamine system , v / v / v 100 : 1 : 0 . 5 ) to obtain a light yellow oily substance , 26 . 60 g , yield 76 . 3 %, which was directly used in the next step of reaction . 4 -( 3 - hydroxypropyl ) piperazinylcarboxylic acid ethyl ester ( 14 . 06 g , 65 . 09 mmol ), 10 % sodium hydroxide aqueous solution ( 150 ml ) and ethanol ( 150 ml ) were placed in a 500 ml round bottom flask , heated for refluxing and stirred overnight . the reaction was cooled down to room temperature , distilled under a reduced pressure to remove the solvent to obtain a light yellow oily substance , which was added with 200 ml saturated saline , and the resulting mixture was extracted with dichloromethane ( 5 × 200 ml ), dried ( na 2 so 4 ), filtered , concentrated to obtain a light yellow oily substance , 7 . 56 g , yield 80 . 7 %, which was directly used in the next step of reaction . 3 , 6 - dichloropyridazine ( 14 . 90 g , 100 mmol ), sodium carbonate ( 10 . 60 g , 100 mmol ) and dma ( 80 ml ) were placed in a 250 ml three - necked bottle , and the solution of 1 -( 3 - hydroxypropyl ) piperazine ( 14 . 4 g , 100 mmol ) in dma ( 20 ml ) was added slowly in dropwise within 30 min under an ice - bath condition . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight , distilled under a reduced pressure to remove the solvent to obtain a brown solid , which was subjected to a column chromatography ( gradient elution : petroleum / acetone system , v / v 2 : 1 to acetone ) to obtain a white solid , 13 g , yield 50 . 8 %. 3 -[ 4 -( 6 - chloropyridazin - 3 - yl ) piperazin - 1 - yl ] propan - 1 - ol ( 0 . 77 g , 3 mmol ), p - ethoxylphenol ( 0 . 41 g , 3 mmol ), triphenylphosphine ( 0 . 79 g , 3 mmol ) and anhydrous thf ( 20 ml ) were placed in a 100 ml three - necked bottle , and dead ( 0 . 52 g , 3 mmol ) was added slowly in dropwise within 10 min under an ice - bath condition . the mixture was stirred at room temperature overnight , subjected to a column chromatography ( eluting agent : petroleum / ethyl acetate , v / v 3 : 2 ) to obtain a white solid , 0 . 27 g , yield 23 . 9 %. mp : 125 - 127 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 39 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 00 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 61 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 67 ( br , 4h ), 3 . 98 ( m , 4h ), 6 . 83 ( s , 4h ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 376 . 2 [ m + h ]. the following compounds may be prepared by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , replacing p - ethoxyphenol in step 1 . 4 by different reactants ( various substituted phenol ). by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - methylphenol was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as a white solid , yield 35 . 7 %. mp : 129 - 131 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ2 . 00 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 29 ( s , 3h ), 2 . 59 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 65 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 02 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 6 . 81 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 7 . 08 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 2h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 346 . 1 [ m + h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - ethylphenol was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 33 . 3 %. mp : 123 - 125 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 21 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 01 ( m , 2h ), 2 . 59 ( m , 8h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 02 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 6 . 83 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 7 . 08 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 2h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 360 . 2 [ m + h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - isopropylphenol was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 17 . 1 %. mp : 125 - 127 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 22 ( d , 6h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 01 ( br , 2h ), 2 . 60 ( br , 6h ), 2 . 86 ( m , 1h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 03 ( t , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 6 . 84 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 4 hz ), 6 . 90 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 2 hz ), 7 . 14 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ), 7 . 21 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 374 . 2 [ m − h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - hydroxybenzoic acid methyl ester was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 23 . 9 %. mp : 128 - 130 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ2 . 04 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 4 hz ), 2 . 60 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 3 . 89 ( s , 3h ), 4 . 11 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 6 . 91 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 21 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ), 7 . 99 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 390 . 2 [ m − h ] + . by referring to the procedures in step 1 . 4 of example 1 , p - hydroxybenzoic acid ethyl ester was used to replace p - ethoxylphenol to obtain the titled compound as white solid , yield 28 . 5 %. mp : 125 - 127 ° c . ; 1 h - nmr ( 400 mhz , cdcl 3 , δppm ) δ1 . 38 ( t , 3h , j = 7 . 2 hz ), 2 . 05 ( br , 2h ), 2 . 61 ( br , 6h ), 3 . 66 ( br , 4h ), 4 . 11 ( t , 2h , j = 6 . 0 hz ), 4 . 35 ( m , 2h ), 6 . 91 ( m , 3h ), 7 . 20 ( d , 1h , j = 9 . 6 hz ), 7 . 99 ( d , 2h , j = 8 . 8 hz ); ei - ms ( m / z ): 404 . 2 [ m − h ] + . positive compounds : see , bioorg med . chem . 2009 , 17 : 621 - 624 , the preferred compounds therein , 4 -{ 2 -[ n -( 3 - chloropyridazin - 4 - yl ) piperidin - 4 - yl ] ethoxyl } benzoic acid ethyl ester ( 5f ) and 3 , 6 - dichloro - 4 -{ 4 -[ 2 -( 4 - ethoxylphenoxy ) ethyl ] piperazin - 1 - yl } pyridazine ( 5c ) were separately used as positive control 1 ( hereinafter referred to as control 1 ) and positive control 2 ( hereinafter referred to as control 2 ). the drug was dissolved in dmso , diluted with cell maintenance medium by 20 times , then diluted stepwise by 2 times to form working solutions with different concentrations . hela cells were inoculated on 96 - well plate in an amount of 10 , 000 ( 0 . 1 ml ) per well , added with 0 . 1 ml maintenance medium , incubated at 37 ° c . in adherence manner , sucked to remove maintenance medium , replaced it with 0 . 2 ml of compound working solution , and maintenance medium was used as control . the growth of cell was observed each 24 h , for 3 days . the lowest dilution times which did not cause pathological change was used to determine the nontoxic limit of drug ( maximum nontoxic dilution ). principle : drug was mixed with virus and incubated in advance to block the procedure of viral uncoating and invasion into cell . method : the drug in a concentration of 100 ng / ml was added to a 12 - well plate , then added with a viral dose with tcid 50 value of about 100 , after 0 . 5 h , 500 , 000 cells were added to each well , incubated at 33 ° c ., 3 days later , when virus control group showed 100 % cytopathic effect ( cpe ), the effects of drug on preventing cells from phagocytosis were observed , and expressed in cell protection rate (%). the results of prophylactic administration show that various compounds have protection effects in different extents in preventing phagocytosis ; in which control 1 , control 2 and the compounds obtained in various examples all have good protection effects . the compounds exhibiting better effects in prophylactic administration were further screened for therapeutic administration . 500 , 000 cells were added to each well , incubated at 33 ° c . overnight for adherence , then added with a viral dose with 100 μl tcid 50 value of about 100 , sucked to remove culture medium after 30 min , drug in a concentration of 100 ng / ml was added to the 12 - well plate , the total reaction volume was 2 ml , 48 h later , when the virus control group showed 100 % phagocytosis ( cpe ), the effects of drug on preventing cells from phagocytosis were observed , and expressed in cell protection rate (%). 4 ) half effective concentration of compound , inhibition index of compound and maximum viral inhibition concentration on the basis of primary screening , half effective concentration of compound , inhibition index of compound and maximum viral inhibition concentration were determined . measurement of half effective concentration ( therapy ): 100 , 000 cells were added to each well of a 24 - well plate , incubated at 33 ° c ., then added with virus with 50 μl tcid 50 value of about 100 , compound was diluted by 5 times in gradient manner and added stepwise to the 24 - well plate , 48 h later , when virus control group showed 100 % phagocytosis ( cpe ), the concentration of compound that could prevent 50 % cells from phagocytosis was determined ( expressed in ng / ml ). in the meantime , the lowest effective dose of compound was determined . measurement of inhibition index of compound : 2 times stepwise dilution was performed from the drug concentration with 100 % inhibition effects as determined in the primary screening , and the highest dilution times of drug without showing viral pathology was recorded . the inhibition index of drug was calculated : inhibition index = highest dilution times of viral inhibition / nontoxic limit dilution times . maximum viral inhibition concentration : the concentration of compound was set as 100 % inhibition of virus titer ( tcid 50 value of about 100 ), then virus was added stepwise in doubling manner , and the maximum of viral concentration that could be inhibited at the designated compound concentration was determined . according to the above experimental method , positive controls control 1 , control 2 and the compounds as prepared in the examples were tested , and their therapeutic activity data were shown in table 1 . the results show that under therapeutic administration condition , control 1 , control 2 and the compounds as prepared in examples all have good protection effects , and under the same inhibition index condition , some of the compounds of the present invention exhibit activity superior to that of the control compounds .	2
referring to fig1 a drug administration rate calculator 110 according to the invention includes a keyboard 112 and a display 114 mounted in a case 116 . the keyboard 112 and the display 114 are connected to a computation system 118 , shown in fig4 and 5 . the display 114 is preferably a liquid crystal display well known in the art , and the keyboard 112 may be any suitable data entry device well known in the art for inputting data to electronic calculators and computers . the computation system 118 preferably comprises well - known cmos technology so that it can operate for extended periods of time on the power available from conventional batteries ( not shown ). still referring to fig1 the keyboard 112 has keys for each of the variables that are considered in intravenous administration of a drug to a patient . the drug administration rate calculator 110 permits selection of the unknown variable and its units , where there is a choice of units , so that the numerical value of the unknown may be calculated . the labeling of these variable keys and the units for the variables are summarized in table i below . table 1______________________________________keyboard variable and unit keyskey label key variable units______________________________________pump pump setting cc / hr , drops / minddr drug dose rate μg , kg , mg per hr or per min , per m . sup . 2 or per kg , if specifieddrug drug amount μg , mg or unitsiv sol iv solution volume ccbsa body surface area m . sup . 2wt body weight kg , lbht body height cm , inchesdrops drops of drug drops / cc______________________________________ the pump setting variable should be understood to include any means for controlling the flow of drug to a patient . for example , in some systems it is necessary to control the setting of a valve ( not shown ) to regulate the flow of fluid from a container above the patient . the height differential supplies the pressure necessary for the fluid to enter the patient &# 39 ; s body so that pumping is unnecessary . the pump , ddr , drug and iv sol keys are the primary variables that are considered in intravenous drug administration . the remaining variables sometimes must be used to provide data necessary for determining some of the primary variables . for example , the patient &# 39 ; s body surface area may be calculated from the empirical formula where bsa is the body surface area , w is the patient &# 39 ; s body weight in pounds and h is the patient &# 39 ; s height in inches . the empirical formula for calculating the body surface area is preferably included in the software as explained subsequently . the keyboard 112 and display 114 are preferably arranged so that lcd annunciators correspond to the keys . the annunciators indicate the units of the variables . after the drug administration rate calculator 110 is turned on , the annunciators for the four primary keys turned on . the keyboard 112 includes a number pad that has a decimal point and digit keys 0 - 9 , a clear key c and a compute key , labeled comp . in order to input data for a known variable , the user first presses the key corresponding to the variable and then depresses keys to input the numerical value of the variable . the user must next depress a key to select the units for the variable if there is a choice of units available . after the input sequence is complete , the numerical value and the units of the variable last input are displayed on the lcd display 114 . the variables may be input to the drug administration rate calculator 110 in any desired order . any time a variable key is depressed , previous numerical values of that variable clear from the display 114 . the display 114 then displays a flashing legend that identifies the variable ; all permissible units for the variable are displayed ; and all data that was completely entered with numerical values and units is maintained in a memory stack within the computational system until a new complete set of data for that variable is entered via the keyboard 112 . the primary purpose of the drug administration rate calculator 110 is to determine the pump setting value from a given drug dose rate . occasionally it will be necessary to calculate the drug dose rate from the pump setting , and sometimes it is necessary to calculate the amount of drug or intravenous solution to be used . calculation of the body surface area from the weight and height is a convenience feature of the drug administration rate calculator 110 , but is not an essential function of the device . body surface areas may be obtained from tables of such data for any given height and weight , rather than being computed . the drug administration rate calculator 110 will not store values entered for all four primary variables . for example , if the operator enters data for all four variables from the keyboard , either the drug dose rate or the pump setting will clear from the display . the drug administration rate calculator 110 accepts entered values of three of the primary variables and then calculates the fourth primary variable . the hardware included in the drug administration rate calculator 110 includes a microcomputer 130 connected to the keyboard 112 to receive inputs therefrom . the microcomputer 130 preferably includes either an hitachi model hd63p01m1 , an hitachi hd6301 or other similar device . the microcomputer 130 provides outputs to a pair of display drivers 132 and 134 which drive the segments of the display 114 . the drivers 132 and 134 are preferably hitachi hd63602 integrated circuits or the equivalent . the microcomputer 130 and the display drivers 132 and 134 receive power from a power supply 135 , shown in fig3 . a power control circuit 136 , shown in fig2 supplies a low voltage warning signal if the voltage drops below a predetermined value and turns the power supply 135 off after it has been on for a predetermined time . as shown schematically in fig4 the keyboard 112 is a 5 × 8 matrix . the elements of the matrix include the variables of table i , the units of the variables , the numeric keypad and the compute key . in the exemplary embodiment of fig4 the eight columns of the keyboard 112 are input to port 1 of the microcomputer 130 . port 1 includes the pins 13 - 20 of the microcomputer 130 . each of the pins represents a bit of the signal sent between the microcomputer 130 and the keyboard 112 . for example , pin 13 corresponds to port 1 , bit 0 ; pin 14 corresponds to port 1 , bit 1 , etc . the five rows of the keyboard 112 are connected to port 2 of the microcomputer 130 . port 2 includes pins 8 - 12 . pin 8 corresponds to port 2 , bit 0 ; pin 9 corresponds to port 2 , bit 1 , etc . the keyboard 112 addresses the microcomputer 130 by providing low signals on the lines which intersect in the matrix . for example , depression of the key corresponding to the patient &# 39 ; s body weight , provides low signals to port 1 , bit 2 and port 2 , bit 4 of the microcomputer 130 . the wt light of the keyboard 112 then lights up . if the user then depresses the key to indicate that the units of the patient &# 39 ; s height are inches , the microcomputer 130 receives low signals at port 1 , bit 4 and port 2 , bit 2 to light up the in light on the keyboard 112 . resistors 140 - 144 are connected to pins 8 - 12 , respectively , to bring unaddressed lines between port 2 and the keyboard 112 to logic high states . the microcomputer 130 includes a first group of pins numbered 1 - 20 and second group of pins numbered 30 - 40 . the pins 8 - 12 and 13 - 20 form the first and second output ports previously described . pin 1 is connected to ground . pins 2 and 3 are connected across a crystal oscillator 150 , which supplies 4 mhz clock signals to the microcomputer 130 . pin 4 is a non - maskable interrupt input not used in the present invention and therefore tied high by a 100 kω resistor 162 . pin 5 is an interrupt request input that receives a signal warning of low power supply voltage . pin 6 is a reset input for reapplying power to the microcomputer 130 after an interruption . pin 7 is a standby input that receives a signal for placing the microcomputer 130 in a standby mode to conserve power . the second group of pins includes an eight bit output port 3 that has bits numbered p 30 through p 37 , where p 30 means port 3 , bit 0 . port 3 , bit 0 is connected to port 2 , bit 0 to activate the keyboard 112 after the drug administration rate calculator 110 has been turned on or reset . port 3 , bit 1 is outputs a signal for initiating the standby mode . port 3 , bit 4 and port 3 , bit 5 are chip select outputs for selecting which of the two display drivers 132 and 134 will receive data from the microcomputer 130 . port 3 , bit 6 outputs a signal indicating that the microcomputer 130 is ready to accept inputs from the keyboard 112 . the second group of pins further includes an eight bit output port 4 that has bits numbered p 40 through p 47 that supply data to the display drivers 132 and 134 . referring to fig3 the power supply 135 that preferably includes a low drop out voltage regulator 164 such as a national semiconductor model lm 2931 . the voltage regulator 164 receives voltage from any convenient source , such as a combination of batteries that outputs about 7 . 5 volts . the voltage regulator 164 preferably regulates the voltage down to 5 . 2 volt and provides an output of about 5 . 0 volts between an output terminal and ground . the output voltage may be taken across a capacitor 165 , which preferably has a capacitance of about 22 μf . the drug administration rate calculator 110 preferably includes the power control circuit 136 of fig2 a for controlling application of power to the microcomputer 130 . the power control circuit 136 includes a transistor 168 having its base connected to receive the output of the power supply 135 through a resistor 169 , which preferably has a resistance of about 100 kω . the emitter of the transistor 168 is connected to a 6 volt v cc source . the collector is grounded through a resistor 171 of about 560 kω . the collector is also connected to a 100 kω resistor , which is connected to input pins 12 and 13 of a nand gate 170 . pin 13 of the nand gate 170 is connected to input pin 5 of the microcomputer 130 . when the voltage from collector to base of the transistor 168 drops to about 0 . 7 volt , the transistor 168 turns off and provides a low signal to input pin 5 of the microcomputer 130 , which then turns off . an output pin 11 of the nand gate 170 is connected to pin 36 of the microcomputer 130 to control entry of the microcomputer 130 into a standby mode . referring to fig2 b , a second nand gate 172 has input terminals 8 and 9 connected to ground through a resistor 171 , which is preferably about 560 kω . the input terminals 8 and 9 are also connected to the anodes of a plurality of diodes 175a - 175h , which have their anodes connected to eight columns of the display 112 as shown in fig4 . the nand gate 172 provides an output through a resistance 173 of about 330 kω to an input terminal 1 of a flip flop 174 formed of a pair of nand gates 176 and 177 connected as an rs latch . an input 6 of the nand gate 177 is connected to inputs 8 and 9 of the nand gate 172 , which also receive inputs from pin 37 of the microcomputer 130 . an output 3 of the nand gate 176 is connected to an input 5 of the nand gate 177 , and an output 4 of the nand gate 177 is connected to an input 2 of the nand gate 176 . the inputs of the flip flop are normally high and must be pulsed to zero to change the state of the flip flop outputs . the output of the flip flop 174 is taken at pin 3 of the nand gate 176 and is connected to input pin 7 of the microcomputer 130 . the output of the flip flop 174 is also connected to input pin 6 of the microcomputer 130 through a resistor 178 of about 100 kω . the junction of the resistor 178 and pin 6 of the microcomputer 130 is grounded through a capacitor 179 of about 1 . 0 μf . if the power supply 135 is providing adequate power so that the transistor 168 is conducting , the microcomputer 130 is on and outputs a signal to input pin 8 of the nand gate to indicate that the drug administration rate calculator 110 is ready for operation . after the drug administration rate calculator 110 has been on for a predetermined time , such as twenty seconds , the output of the nand gate , which is connected to the standby input of the microcomputer , goes low . the microcomputer 130 then goes into a standby mode until it is reset . each of the drivers 132 and 134 is capable of driving 208 segments of the display 114 . a segment is any portion of the lcd display array that lights up at one time in response to a single signal from one of the drivers 132 and 134 . each numeral of the display 114 is seven segments . the letters indicating the drug dose rate are one segment . two drivers are required because the display 114 has more than 104 segments . the drivers 132 and 134 are each separate computers that store and output data . the drivers 132 and 134 get data from the microcomputer 130 and output the last information received . the drivers 132 and 134 update the display 114 at a rate of 130 times per second , which provides convenient reading of the display 114 . the voltages output from the drivers 132 and 134 to the display 114 may be adjusted by adjusting the resistance of trimmer resistors 182 and 184 connected between the power supply 135 and the power input pins of the drivers 132 and 134 respectively . the display 114 is preferably a multiplex lcd display , which is well - known in the art . four different common lines connected to pins 23 - 26 of the drivers 132 and 134 drive the display 114 in a time domain . port 4 of the microcomputer 130 outputs data to the driver selected by means of one of the chip select lines in port 3 described above . except for the chip select lines , the connections between the drivers 132 and 134 and the microcomputer are identical . port 3 provides reset , standby , ready and clock signals to the driver whose chip select line has been brought low by the microcomputer 130 . operation of the drug administration rate calculator 110 is initiated by turning on the start switch 180 to start the sequence of steps shown in fig6 a . all of the display 114 , the lights for the pump setting , the drug dose rate , drug and iv solution are turned on at the beginning of the sequence . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then waits for a keystroke to select one of the variables ps , ddr , d , iv sol , drops , the body weight or the body height . the variables may be entered in any order . variable selection should be done at the next keystroke . referring to fig7 the drug administration rate calculator 110 may be connected to a valve 200 , which is preferably an electrically controlled solenoid valve . the valve 200 is in fluid communication with a source 202 of pressurized fluid to regulate the flow of the pressurized fluid to the patient . the fluid may be pressurized by a pump 204 or it may be pressurized by a height differential between the fluid source and the point of insertion of the iv tube into the patient . if the operator depresses the pump setting key , the drug administration rate calculator 110 enters the routine shown in fig6 b . the ps light flashes and the cc / hr and drops / min segments of the display 114 are lighted . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ddr and iv sol numbers to zero . if all these numbers are nonzero , the ddr numbers are cleared from the memory and from the display 114 . the units of the ddr are maintained . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then waits for a keystroke , which causes the microcomputer 130 to jump to the compute , cc / hr , drop / min , clear , number , pump setting , wrong units or any other function sequences shown in the lower half of fig6 b . if the next keystroke is the compute command , the pump setting number from the memory is displayed and the microcomputer 130 goes to a compute routine described subsequently with reference to fig6 k . if the cc / hr key is depressed , the cc / hr segments of the display 114 light up and the ps light stops flashing . the pump set segments of the display 114 are lighted , and then the microcomputer goes to the main sequence of fig6 a and awaits a keystroke , which ordinarily will be a number . if the key for drops / min is depressed , then the corresponding portion of the display 114 is lighted . the pump setting light stops flashing and the pump setting from the memory is displayed . the microcomputer goes to the main sequence of fig . a and awaits a keystroke , which ordinarily will be a number . if the operator wishes to abort the sequence , the clear key is depressed , which causes all numbers and units to clear from the display 114 . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits a keystroke indicating further instructions . if a number key is depressed , the segments of the display 114 corresponding to the number are lighted and the cc / hr and drops / min units are flashed to indicate that the available choices for the units of pump setting . after selection of units for pump setting , the process goes to another branch of the sequence described subsequently . if keys for the wrong units or for the pump setting are depressed , the program goes to point a of the pump setting routine and awaits a keystroke . if the key for any other function not described above was depressed the program goes to the corresponding routine . if the operator selects the drug dose rate from the main sequence of fig6 a , the microprocessor 130 goes to the drug dose rate routine shown in fig6 c . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ps and iv sol numbers to zero . if any of the numbers are not zero , then the microcomputer 130 clears the ps numbers and flashes the ps light . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits a keystroke , which will cause the microcomputer 130 to jump to either the clear , compute , numbers , micrograms , milligrams , units or any other function sequences shown in the lower half of fig6 c . depression of the clear key causes the microcomputer 130 to return to the main sequence of fig6 a to await another keystroke . depression of the compute key causes the number for the drug dose rate from memory to be displayed and the ddr light to stop flashing and causes the microcomputer 130 to go to the compute routine . depression of any other function key causes the microcomputer 130 to go to the routine for the selected function . depression of a number key causes the segments of the display 114 corresponding to the number to light up . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits another keystroke . if another number key is depressed , the number is displayed and the drug administration rate calculator 110 again awaits another keystroke . after the numbers are entered , the milligram , microgram and units lights are flashed to indicate the possible units for the drug dose rate . the selected unit is displayed , and then the microcomputer 130 goes to part c of the drug dose rate routine shown in the lower right corner of fig6 c the lights for kilograms , hours , square meters and minutes are flashed so that the user can enter data related to the weight or body surface area of the patient and the selected time units . if the wrong units or the ddr keys are depressed , the microcomputer 130 goes to point b of the ddr routine and awaits a keystroke . referring to fig6 d , if the kg key are depressed as one of the units of the drug dose rate , then kg is displayed and the program continues to the sequence e of fig6 d . the display segments of hr and min flash , and the drug administration rate calculator 110 awaits a keystroke to select the time unit before jumping to the compute , clear , wrong units , ddr , other function , hr or min sequences shown in the lower portion of fig6 d . if the m 2 key is depressed , m 2 is displayed and sequence e is repeated . if the hr key is depressed , kg and m 2 are turned off and hr is displayed . the drug dose rate from the memory is displayed and the microcomputer returns to the main sequence . if the min key is depressed , kg and m 2 are turned off and min is displayed . the drug dose rate from the memory is displayed and the microcomputer returns to the main sequence . depression of the drug key in the main sequence causes the microcomputer 130 to enter the drug routine shown in fig6 e . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ps and iv sol numbers to zero . if any of the numbers are not zero , then the microcomputer 130 clears the ps numbers and flashes the ps light . the drug administration rate calculator 110 then awaits a keystroke to select one of the computer , number , milligrams , micrograms , units or any other function sequences shown in the lower portion of fig6 e . the compute and any other function sequences for the drug routine are the same as for the routines described previously . depression of the number keys for the drug amount causes the gram , microgram , milligram and units keys to flash , and causes the microcomputer 130 to jump to one of the sequences for displaying the selected unit for the drug amount . if any of the keys for selecting units for the drug amount are depressed , the selected unit is displayed before the microcomputer 130 returns to the main sequence of fig6 a . selection of the iv routine from the main sequence causes the microcomputer 130 to execute the sequence shown in fig6 f . after a key is depressed , the microcomputer compares the d , ddr and iv sol numbers to zero . if all these numbers are nonzero , the ddr numbers are cleared from the memory and from the display 114 . the light iv sol is flashed and the &# 34 ; cc &# 34 ; units are displayed . if some of the numbers are not zero , the microcomputer 130 clears the pump setting number before the light iv sol is flashed and the &# 34 ; cc &# 34 ; units are displayed . the 110 then awaits a keystroke to select one of the clear , compute , any other function , number , wrong units , cc or iv sol sequences shown in the lower portion of fig6 f for execution . the clear , compute and any other function sequences have been previously described . depression of the number keys to enter a number for the amount of iv solution causes the number to be displayed and the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; to flash . the microcomputer 130 then is prepared to jump to the cc sequence . depression of the cc key causes the cc segment of the display to light and causes the iv sol light to stop flashing . the amount of iv solution is displayed and stored before the microcomputer returns to the main sequence . depression of the iv sol key or a key for an incorrect unit causes the microcomputer to go to point h of the iv routine and await a keystroke . if it is necessary to calculate the patient &# 39 ; s body surface area ( bsa ), then the bsa key is depressed to start the body surface area routine of fig6 g . the bsa light is flashed , and the display 114 is cleared of numbers . the segment m 2 for the units of body surface is displayed , and the 110 awaits a keystroke to select one of the branches for compute , clear , bsa , wrong units , number , m 2 or any other function . if a number key is depressed , the number is displayed , and the units m 2 are flashed before the program jumps to the m 2 branch . the microcomputer checks to see if the display 114 reads zero . if the display 114 does not read zero , it is cleared before the sequence continues . after ascertaining that the display 114 reads zero , the 110 causes the display to light the segments for m 2 and stops flashing the bsa light . the microcomputer then clears the patient &# 39 ; s height and weight data and returns to the main sequence . if it is necessary to enter the patient &# 39 ; s weight , the user depresses the wt key , which causes the microcomputer the execute the sequence shown in fig6 h . the wt light is flashed , and the numbers are cleared from the display 114 . the units lb and kg are displayed , and the 110 awaits a keystroke indicating which of the compute , clear , weight , number , lb , kg wrong units or any other function branches of fig6 h are to be executed . depression of the compute , clear or any other function keys causes the execution of steps similar to those described above . depression of a number key causes the number to be displayed . after the numbers are entered into the 110 , the lights for pounds and kilograms are flashed ; and the microcomputer 130 jumps to either the pounds or kilograms sequence of fig6 h . the pounds sequence displays lbs and stops flashing the wt light . the microcomputer 130 compares the body weight area in the memory to zero . if the bsa data is zero and the light is not zero , then the microcomputer 130 computes the bsa as a function of weight and height by a predetermined algorithm . the calculated bsa is displayed , and the microcomputer 130 returns to the main sequence . if the bsa is not zero , the microcomputer 130 clears the previous value and then proceeds to calculate the bsa as described above . if the height is zero , then the microcomputer 130 goes to the main sequence so that the height routine may be executed if the operator desires . depression of the weight key or wrong units causes the microcomputer to go to point j of the weight routine to await a keystroke . if is necessary to enter the patient &# 39 ; s height into the 110 , the ht key is depressed , which causes the ht light to flash . the units centimeter and inches are displayed , and the 110 awaits a keystroke to indicate which branch of the compute , clear , number , in , cm , wrong units , height or any other function sequences to execute . the clear , compute and any other function sequences are similar to those described above . depressing the height key or the wrong units will cause the microcomputer to go to point k of the height routine to await another keystroke . depressing the number key causes the number to be displayed . after all of the numbers for the height are entered into the 110 , the units in and cm flash ; and the microcomputer jumps to one of the sequences selected by depressing the in or cm keys . if the in key is depressed , the display 114 114 stops flashing and the number and units are displayed . the microcomputer checks to see if the bsa is zero . if the bsa is zero , the microcomputer continues to execute steps to calculate the bsa . if the bsa is not zero , then the previous value is cleared so that a new value can be computed . the microcomputer 130 then checks the weight data . if the weight is zero , then the microcomputer goes to the main sequence so that the weight may be entered into the 110 if the operator so desires . if the weight is not zero , then the microcomputer computes the bsa and displays the calculated value in square meters before returning to the main sequence . selection of the drops routine from the main sequence causes the microcomputer to execute the sequence shown in fig6 j . the numbers are cleared from the display 114 , and the d / cc light is flashed . the system then awaits a keystroke for instructions regarding which of the compute , clear , number , d / cc , drops , wrong units or any other function branches to execute . the compute , any other function and clear branches function similarly to those previously described . depression of the keys for drops or incorrect units causes the microcomputer to go to point l of the drops routine . depression of a number key causes the number to be displayed . after all of the numbers for the drops have been entered , the microcomputer jumps to the d / cc sequence to calculate the amount of drug per cubic centimeter of iv solution . the first step of the d / cc sequence is to check for numbers . the d / cc segment of the display 114 is lighted , and the drops light stop flashing . the amount of drug per cubic centimeter is stored and displayed before the microcomputer 130 returns to the main sequence . depression of the compute key causes the 110 to execute the sequence of steps shown in fig6 k . the flow chart includes several flags to related to the units or status of the variables and functions . these flags are summarized in table ii to facilitate understanding of the compute routine . table ii______________________________________flow chart flagsdpm = status of pump setting = 0 , undefined = 1 , drops / min = 2 , cc / hrdcc = drops / cc status of drops / cc function = 0 , undefined ( implied cc / hr )= 1 , drops / cc specifiedddu = drug dose rate units = 0 , undefined = 1 , units = 2 , μg = 3 , mgdu = drug unit status = 0 , undefined = 1 , units = 2 , μg = 3 , mg = 4 , gramsh = height function status = 0 , not specified = 1 , inches = 2 , cmb = bsa status = 0 , not specified = 1 , input = 2 ., computedw = weight status = 0 , not specified = 1 , pounds = 2 , grams = 3 , kgddk = m . sup . 2 or kg or blank for ddr = 0 , undefined = 1 , kg = 2 , m . sup . 2 = 3 , blankddt = drug dose rate time = 0 , undefined = 1 , hr = 2 , min______________________________________ the microcomputer 130 first checks the status of the pump setting and the drops setting . if the pump setting is not in drops per minute and the drops / cc are not specified , then the display 114 flashes &# 34 ; id &# 34 ;, displays &# 34 ; ps &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; d &# 34 ; and waits for a keystroke . if the keystroke clears the pump setting or the drug setting , then the flashing ceases . if the keystroke does not clear the pump setting or the drug then the 110 awaits another keystroke that will clear either the pump setting or the drug amount . after the &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; flashing ceases , the microcomputer executes a branch of the program described subsequently . if the pump setting is in drops per minute and the drops / cc are specified , then the sequence continues , and the microcomputer determines whether the kilograms of body weight are to be considered in subsequent calculations of the drug dose rate . if the kilograms of body weight are to be considered , then the microcomputer 130 tests to determine whether data for the patient &# 39 ; s weight has been entered into the 110 . if the weight has not been entered , then &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; is flashed and the 110 awaits a keystroke to clear the w and ddr settings . if the weight has been specified , the 110 checks the status of the bsa . if the bsa has not been specified , then &# 34 ; id &# 34 ; flashes , and ddr and bsa are displayed . the system then awaits a keystroke to clear the ddr , bsa , ht and wt . if the bsa has been input or computed , the microcomputer 130 determines the status of the d / cc . if d / cc = 0 then the microcomputer checks the status of the drug units and the weight and height of the patient . the microcomputer 130 then determines which of the four primary variables is zero while the other three are not zero and calculates the previously unknown variable . the subroutines for calculating the pump setting , the drug dose rate , the drug amount and the amount of iv solution are shown in fig6 l . these are standard types of computational subroutines using formulas and constants stored in the memory for calculating the unknown variable . although the invention has been described with reference to a specific preferred embodiment , it should be understood that modifications may be made to the preferred embodiment without departing from the spirit of the invention . accordingly , the invention encompasses the subject matter of the appended claims , which distinctly point out the invention , and equivalents thereof .	6
the following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use the invention and sets forth the best modes contemplated by the inventor of carrying out her invention . various modifications , however , will remain readily apparent to those skilled in the art , since the general principles of the present invention have been defined herein specifically to provide a water - like drink containing significant amounts of soluble fiber . the current trend in foods is to add fiber and soluble fiber to a variety of food products . there are , however , potential drawbacks to this trend . to be fully effective soluble fiber must be combined with an adequate intake of water — certainly not available in dry goods and baked goods . this is true for both soluble and insoluble fiber . although the “ shake - like ” and other soluble fiber beverages or mixes to which water must be added do contribute water , they , like most dry goods , also contribute a significant source of calories to the diet — a major problem with today &# 39 ; s diets and something clearly not needed by our generally overfed population . while it is possible to limit the caloric content of the fiber - containing beverages through the use of non - nutritive sweeteners , this amounts to adding chemicals that may create or exacerbate health problems . therefore , the present inventor has developed a superior solution based on the unique synergistic interaction between water and soluble fiber . in experimenting with various types of soluble fiber , the inventor noticed that a number of the more refined materials , such as lower molecular weight grades of inulin ( for example see u . s . pat . no . 5 , 968 , 365 ), specialized dextrins , maltodextrins and partially hydrolyzed guar gums can actually produce a clear , or virtually clear , and virtually colorless solution in water . further , these soluble fibers are essentially tasteless at the preferred concentrations for consumption and essentially non - metabolized by the human digestive tract . . . sup . 1 thus is produced an entire new class of beverage — namely , “ fiber - water .” dissolving appropriate water - soluble fiber to a concentration of generally 0 . 1 - 10 % ( by weight ) produces fiber - water . the resulting product , fiber - water , is essentially water - like . any of the soluble fiber materials listed above can be used individually or combined so long as the resulting . sup . 1 many of these materials contain a small component of metabolizable carbohydrate . for example , inulins often contain about 1 . 6 food calories per gram . this is a tiny fraction of the calories provided by a fully metabolizable carbohydrate . in many cases the exact amount of carbohydrate absorbed varies from person to person depending on age , weight , health condition , etc . the exact number of calories absorbed can be discovered only by careful metabolic analysis . however , the maximum number of absorbed calories will not exceed the maximum given for a specific fiber type ( e . g ., 1 . 6 food calories per gram for a specific inulin ). product has the desired “ water - like ” characteristics — namely little or no taste , water - like viscosity , and few or no calories . some of the carbohydrate polymers may contain small amounts of material that is absorbed and does contribute calories to human metabolism . however , the number of calories is small compared to the significant dietary fiber contributed and can be minimized by careful selection and blending of different soluble fiber materials . fiber - water is the perfect addition to the modern human diet as well as that of appropriate animals . it adds few , if any , calories and is readily substituted for bottled water as a safe source of hydration with necessary soluble fiber . in the intestines water is withdrawn from the intestinal contents , and as the effective concentration of soluble fiber increases the viscosity increasing and sequestering properties of the soluble fiber result in slowed absorption of sugars and altered absorption of fats . this is of major significance in diabetes , heart disease and certain other health conditions . ultimately in the colon the hydrophilic properties of the soluble fiber have a softening and bulking effect on the stool . thus , fiber - water is a unique , consistent , safe , easy to use single product that simultaneously ameliorates the problems of dehydration and constipation . further , there are indications that the viscosity enhancing and carbohydrate absorption — slowing properties of the soluble fiber result in appetite suppression both by creating a feeling of fullness and by moderating swings in blood sugar . the literature is filled with positive effects of fiber on weight control both in humans and domestic animals . thus , the material is not only non - caloric or very low caloric but has additional positive effects on weight control . although the inventor contemplates fiber - water as a direct way to add water and fiber to the diet , it is also a feature of the invention that it can also be used to add fiber to other foods . for example , any packaged food or beverage can be reconstituted with fiber - water to yield a fiber - enhanced food or beverage . because fiber - water is based on safe water , it results in a safe food and / or beverage product even if the product is not heated to destroy microbes . soluble fiber polysaccharides are generally known to be stable during the cooking process . this means that if fiber - water is used to cook foods , such as grains ( rice ), oatmeal , and legumes , that imbibe water during the cooling process , these foods will also become fiber enhanced . fiber can readily be added to all types of packaged foods including gelatin products and canned concentrated foods such as soups . further , since fiber - water is heat stable it can be used to prepare fiber enriched hot beverages . in addition , it can be frozen to provide “ fiber ice cubes / products .” an important aspect of fiber - water is that it preferably has a “ water - like ” appearance . by this the inventor means that the solution is essentially clear . people tend to relate clear solutions to purity . some soluble fiber materials yield a cloudy or murky solution . it is preferred that fiber - water utilize materials that yield essentially clear solutions . as already mentioned , several available non - digestible carbohydrates produce “ water clear ” solutions . generally partial hydrolysis or fractionation of the soluble fiber materials , already discussed ( e . g . partially hydrolyzed guar gum ), will lead to clearer solutions . to date many manufacturers of soluble fibers have been concerned with using their products in solid foods where texture of the ingredient is most important . therefore , there has been little effort in producing materials that make clear solutions . besides , universal use as a hydrating and fiber providing material fiber - water is especially useful in situations of stress . it is believed that stress , both physiologically and psychologically , wrecks havoc on the body and alters or effects bowel regularity . when under stress humans and animals are known to reduce their consumption of water . when the body is stressed by disease it actually requires additional water yet this is exactly when many individuals reduce their water / fluid intake . further , stress may influence people to prefer sugar laden beverages , comfort type foods , or caffeinated beverages for alertness . these types of beverages actually increase ones water requirement and may actually lead to dehydration . thus it is beneficial to provide fiber - water , as opposed to plain water , as part of emergency supplies which are kept on hand and are used in “ natural disaster ” situations — fire , flood , storm , earthquake , or hurricane . during such an disasters people are stressed , and often forced to move from their homes . emergency situations often dictate shortages of food ( including beverages / water ) and / or the predictability as to when they may be available . this , combined with the general shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables , a key source of dietary fiber , during such an emergency naturally leads to loss of regularity . emergency food drops rarely contain fresh fruits and vegetables . having to deal with the emergency is bad enough . adding severe constipation and / or dehydration simply makes a bad situation worse . assuring ample supplies of fiber - water is intended to alleviate many of these problems . natural catastrophes and emergencies are certainly a source of stress as are medical problems . numerous and varied medical conditions , both short tern and long term , may require feeding an individual through a tube . the two types of tubes used most commonly are the naso - gastric tube and the gastrostomy tube . in either case nutriments are supplied directly into the stomach . great efforts have been made by major corporations to provide good nutritional products for tube feeding . depending on the design of the particular tube , viscosity of the feeding liquid may be a problem . the present inventor is a named inventor on u . s . pat . nos . 4 , 315 , 513 and 4 , 393 , 873 for a percutaneous tube containing a one way valve - and is an expert on the potential problems of tube feeding . depending on the specific medical condition and / or severity of the problem , dehydration and constipation may remain constant problems . sufficient hydration and more specifically the ingestion of sufficient water are most often a problem . nasal tubes often irritate the throat . even though there have been continuing efforts to create tube feeding formulae , commercial products are often low in fiber . also , liquid foods capable of passing through a tube are frequently high in calories and low in fiber . some patients may have a high requirement for calories but others do not . therefore , one may administer excess calories in an attempt to provide adequate fiber . the solution is to supplement the feeding regime with fiber - water rather than plain water . fiber - water as described herein is very low in viscosity so that it is simple to administer . for hospital use the inventor contemplates providing fiber - water in a number of different grades — that is with different strengths / quantities of fiber . in this way a grade can be selected that will provide the optimum amount of both fiber and water adjusted to meet the patient &# 39 ; s needs . it is further contemplated that the grades could each be uniquely colored with a safe soluble food - grade color so that hospital personnel , or other caregiver , could readily recognize which grade of fiber - water was being administered . this would further ensure that the correct grade was used for a particular patient . additionally , color might be pleasing to the patient , especially a child patient , and thus may serve to distract the child from an unpleasant situation . further , these tubes are not always permanent , and if the fiber - water experience is pleasant and convenient perhaps new drinking habits will be instilled and carried forward . although the above discussion presupposes that the primary user of fiber - water would be an adult , children and infants , as well , have significant fiber requirements . children , as well as adults , are victims of the american diet , which is notoriously deficient in fiber rich fruits and vegetables . consciously or not , many parents have taught their children to reject foods that are brown , speckled or have significant textures . it is important that parents , as care givers , become aware of the amount of fiber consumed by their children . children can benefit from optimal hydration based on fiber - water . by helping control appetite it may help control childhood obesity . it may even be of aid with eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia since victims of these disorders are known to drink water because it lacks calories . fiber - water would at least help preserve proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract while other treatment is undertaken . at every stage of life fiber is vital to proper health and growth and development . infants and toddlers require a regular and controlled source of fiber . after babies cease to breast - feed or use liquid formulas and move on to more varied “ adult ” solid foods , they often suffer a number of painful digestive episodes which makes them fussy and difficult . fiber - water provides an ideal source of hydration for such infants because it ensures adequate hydration , and it also provides a consistent fiber source guaranteeing regularity . it should be kept in mind that typical commercial baby foods may vary widely in the amount of fiber provided . fiber - water provides an opportunity to lay the foundation of good habits of hydration and fiber intake . domestic animals , particularly cats and dogs , also suffer from problems with hydration and constipation . dogs are omnivorous and will naturally consume some fruits and vegetables . however , refined dog foods tend to be remarkably deficient in vegetable fiber . administering a source of fiber - water daily since dogs generally drink offered water can readily alleviate this problem . an alternative is to add the fiber water to dry kibble ( of the “ gravy ” forming type ) or even stir it into canned dog food . because fiber - water is essentially flavorless , it is well tolerated by dogs . cats also have serious dehydration and constipation problems . cats are obligate carnivores and generally will not knowingly consume fruits or vegetables . kidney failure is a common malady of geriatric cats resulting , in part , from inadequate hydration . constant vomiting is a common feline problem brought on by their grooming during which they ingest significant quantities of fur . in the wild cats ingest sufficient indigestible matter ( bones , cartilage and tendons ) to provide non - vegetable “ fiber .” with pet cats the owners are expected to mix fiber ( generally psyllium ) with the cat &# 39 ; s food or administer petroleum - based laxatives . neither alternative is particularly ideal . fiber - water can be given as water or mixed with the cat &# 39 ; s food to provide sufficient fiber to prevent both hairballs and constipation thus solving significant feline problems . it appears that reduction in vomiting positively contributes to the hydration of cats . it has been estimated that adult fiber requirements are between about 10 grams and about 40 grams per day . some experts have adopted a figure of around 25 grams . obviously , the requirement for fiber is related to body size , weight and health status . some attempts have been made to relate the requirement to weight . it has been estimated that between 50 and 300 mg . of fiber per kilogram of body weight per day . fiber requirements can also be estimated from daily caloric intake . current estimates call for about 25 grams per day for a 2 , 000 calorie diet ( adequate for a 125 pound person ) and about 37 grams for a 3 , 000 calorie diet ( adequate for a 175 pound person ). both approaches yield roughly similar results since a heavier person usually has a greater caloric intake . these estimates should provide adequate fiber for even a person with a very fiber deficient diet . taking a 25 g of fiber per day requirement and using the rubric of 8 glasses of water ( each glass equals approximately 250 ml of water ) one should spread the 25 g over 2 , 000 ml ( 8 . times . 250 ml ). therefore , the fiber - water used should contain 12 . 5 mg / ml of soluble fiber or approximately 1 . 25 % by weight fiber - water . for a daily caloric intake of 3 , 000 calories this translates to a fiber - water of about 2 % by weight soluble fiber . this analysis indicates that at least two different “ strengths ” of fiber - water should be produced to allow a range of average persons receive both the optimum amount of water and fiber . in actuality , it is convenient to produce a number of grades ranging from about 0 . 50 % to 2 . 5 %. this would allow a wide range of individuals to readily select a fiber - water that simultaneously supplies both the required amount of water and the required amount of fiber . depending on an individuals needs combined with the desire to drink , or not to drink , the amount of fiber can be increased by using an appropriate “ strength / grade ” of fiber - water to supply some or all of the required eight glasses of water . of course , it is also possible that an individual does not intend to spread out the fiber requirement over eight 8 oz . glasses . it may be desirable to consume the fiber at home , in the morning and evening only and not away from home . for this and similar reasons , it is desirable to make several more concentrated grades of fiber - water ranging from 5 % to even 10 % by weight fiber . this will reduce the number of daily doses needed . thus , if one does not have fiber - water available all day , hydration can be assured by drinking plain water supplemented with a higher “ strength / grade ” of fiber - water to fulfill daily fiber requirements . if necessary , the amount of fiber consumed can be a lower “ strength / grade ” of fiber - water to meat the daily required eight glasses of water . colors can be used to indicate different “ strength / grades ” of fiber in the water . it may also be advantageous to add a different food color to each grade so that the “ strength ” of the fiber - water can be identified at a glance . fiber - water for testing , according to the above scheme , was produced by dissolving the required weights of a mixture of indigestible dextrins and partially hydrolyzed guar gum in purified water . the preferred dextrins or maltodextrins are prepared by controlled hydrolysis of vegetable starches ( e . g . potato or corn ) as is described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 620 , 873 . the hydrolyzed guar gum is of the type discussed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 260 , 279 ( available in the united states as benefiber ® from novartis nutrition of minneapolis , minn . ; available in other countries as sun - fiber ® from taiyo of japan ). the resulting solution , ( fiber - water ) in the strengths explained above , is essentially colorless and clear having the basic appearance of plain water . the liquid is either flavorless or may have a very slight “ sweetness ” depending on the strength of the particular solution and the proportion of the soluble fibers used . the partially hydrolyzed guar gum is essentially flavorless while the maltodextrin has a slight sweet taste . in addition , some individuals can detect a slightly different “ mouth feel ” because of the slight viscosity increase resulting from the soluble fibers . however , for all practical purposes the resulting solution looks and behaves like bottled water and can readily be used in place of bottled water . if it is desired to ensure the microbial status of the fiber - water , it can be autoclaved or sterile filtered like plain water . starting with a good quality drinking water preferably one with little or no sodium can ensure palatability . addition of trace of “ essence ” or flavor such as lime or lemon can enhance palatability without adding any calories or otherwise detracting from the beneficial properties of the product . the product should look , behave and be used like high quality drinking water . to this end any “ naturally occurring ” water can be used as a starting . thus , it is possible to start with a mineral water and produce “ fiber mineral water .” such mineral waters may have up to 500 mg / l of dissolved salts . infants also have distinct fiber requirements . until recently , no specific guidelines for dietary fiber in children were available . recommendations have recently been developed , based on age , weight , and height of the child . it is now recommended that children older than two years consume a minimum amount of fiber equal to the age plus five grams a day . the recommended “ safe dose ” is between this and age plus ten grams a day . above that symptoms of excess fiber ( e . g ., loose stool ) may become apparent . it is the intent of the various grades of fiber - water provided in the present invention to enable a person or a caregiver to “ titrate ” the amount of fiber by looking for symptoms of excess fiber consumption . since infants and small children are generally unable to directly tell us of their digestive distress , constipation and other results of inadequate fiber are often exhibited as fussiness or similar undesirable behavior . this is especially true when infants are just being weaned from fiber - free milk to a fiber containing diet . there can be significant advantage to providing a fiber source in the water consumed by the infant . because infants have a constant requirement for water the addition of fiber - water to the typical diet can provide a more constant , even source of fiber while ensuring adequate hydration . further , the use of fiber - water can ensure adequate fiber without adding significant calories — an inevitable consequence of other fiber sources . consistent dietary fiber can provide for more even operation of the infant &# 39 ; s digestive process . in contrast , a more traditional infant diet is one that alternates between low fiber formula and high fiber “ adult ” foods may have an uneven or cramping effect . a useful amount of soluble fiber is ¼ - 1 gram per 8 oz ( a considerably lower concentration than for the adult fiber - water ). the “ baby fiber - water ” is produced by dissolving the required amount of soluble fiber consisting of a mixture of partially hydrolyzed guar gum and inulin ( frutafit ® from imperial - sensus of sugar land , tex . is a preferred inulin for this purpose ) in safe ( e . g ., purified ) water . the slight sweetness of the inulin makes the water especially palatable . the intent here is not to treat specific diseases but to ameliorate constipation — and only disease states known to cause constipation . for example , hirshprung &# 39 ; s syndrome is caused by a loss of motor cells in the lower rectum ; therefore there is a loss of thrust . children born with congenital problems , or children still suffering from incompletely healed accidents , benefit from fiber - water as it provides bulk and hydration to help overcome serious constipation that may result from such causes . actually babies are extremely sensitive to a variety of stresses and changes and get constipated as a result . alternating bouts of regularity and or constipation is not uncommon . a baby &# 39 ; s system may be under stress , and that alone can be the cause . infants can sense stress in their surroundings be it the home , etc . : 1 ) dysfunctional : homes where there is divorce , alcoholism , family abuse etc ., may be noted in the babies refusal to eat , defecate , crying spells etc . 2 ) changes in custodial care : baby sitters , new sibling , and or step parent etc . 3 ) changes due to normal childhood illnesses : colds , flu , teething , fever , measles , mumps , chicken pox , etc . while these illnesses may not be the direct cause of constipation they may be the indirect cause . with illness come changes in eating , sleeping , behaviors , and habits . 4 ) travel : when a babies environment is changed , from going to grandparents to international travel , sensitivities to the new can throw off a system that is used to regularity . international travel bears with it the dehydration of long hours on an airplane etc . the future holds even more stressing travel such as space travel . 5 ) accidents : also upset regular habits and can result in constipation . water probably can be given to the baby as early as one month , although it &# 39 ; s not usually started between 2 - 4 months after birth . in some instances fiber - water may be of especially significant value . fiber - water can serve as a great pacifier without the dangers of dental harm posed by traditional formula or beverages . diarrhea , which is often caused by contaminated water supplies , can be life threatening to infants . therefore , there are great advantages to using safe bottled water for any infant formula , etc . using safe packaged fiber - water is even better where it is desired to avoid excessive caloric intake . in the case of the “ fat baby ”, the fiber - water may well do more than provide a low or non caloric , hydrating agent . the soluble fiber in fiber - water has been shown to slow the absorption of fats and sugars . therefore , the fiber - water may also help to counteract an overly rich diet . as the infant becomes a toddler and moves towards more a more adult diet , the requirement for fiber increases . fiber - water again serves as the ideal source of both hydration and fiber . unlike soft drinks or fruit juices fiber - water does not add calories to the diet nor does it cause dental caries . it is most convenient to package toddler / young child fiber - water in flexible pouches or laminate boxes because these containers are shatter proof and can be easily used by small children . as with adult fiber - water , it is advantageous to provide the infant and child fiber - water in a number of “ grades ” so that the amount of fiber administered can be readily adjusted . again , it is advantageous to add identifying color so that it is apparent to the parent precisely which grade of fiber - water is being used . in the case of children the color is inherently appealing and may mitigate in favor of using transparent packaging so that the child can appreciate the color of the fiber - water being consumed . it is permissible and often advantageous to blend an assortment of different soluble fibers to create any particular fiber - water . it is believed that the various soluble fibers have essentially identical properties when it comes to providing bulk and hydration to the stools . however , it is not yet clear which soluble fibers will prove superior in altering lipid or sugar absorption . of the soluble fibers presently available the indigestible dextrins , inulins and partially hydrolyzed guar gum appear to provide the most “ water clear ” solutions . however , many dextrins and inulins contain a small amount of a metabolizable component and have a slight sweet taste . therefore , there can be an advantage of providing a portion of the soluble fiber in the form hydrolyzed guar gum or some other flavorless and totally non - metabolizable compound . even though some of these materials may produce a less clear solution , a combination with a “ clear ” soluble fiber can yield a solution that is both high in fiber and clarity and low in sweetness or other taste . other soluble fibers can be combined to realize the advantages of the different fibers . inulins have a slightly sweet taste and while not appreciably metabolized by humans , bacteria in the colon metabolize inulins . in some cases such colonic metabolism may provide a distinct advantage and would mitigate towards including inulins in the mixture . until the advent of fiber - water the advantage of a clear or nearly clear soluble fiber was not appreciated . as mentioned above , it is anticipated that partial hydrolysis and fractional refining of the various soluble fibers mentioned above will rapidly lead to a greater variety of “ water clear ” soluble fibers . the present invention discloses the hitherto unappreciated advantages of using fiber - water as an essentially non - caloric source of fiber and water . in other words , a new dietary component that simultaneously provides hydration and dietary fiber . while the examples have dealt with prepackaged fiber - water , there is nothing that precludes fiber - water from being prepared by the end user from a concentrated source of soluble fiber and potable water . the soluble fiber can be in the form of a powder or a slurry / suspension or a concentrated solution or syrup to which a predetermined quantity of water is added . in the past such fiber sources have been added to solid food items and to various beverages . however , such concentrated sources of fiber have never been used to prepare potable fiber - water for direct consumption as a water comprising of safe water and soluble dietary fiber . in addition to the equivalents of the claimed elements , obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements . the claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above , what is conceptually equivalent , what can be obviously substituted and also what essentially incorporates the essential idea of the invention . those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the just - described preferred embodiment can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . the illustrated embodiment has been set forth only for the purposes of example and that should not be taken as limiting the invention . therefore , it is to be understood that , within the scope of the appended claims , the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein .	0
before proceeding with the detailed description , it should be noted that the present teaching is by way of example , not by limitation . the concepts herein are not limited to use or application with one specific type of space situational awareness system . thus , although the instrumentalities described herein are for the convenience of explanation , shown and described with respect to exemplary embodiments , the principles herein may be equally applied in other types of space situational awareness systems . fig1 shows an operational environment for the bistatic and multistatic system 101 of the present disclosure . a gateway antenna 100 , positioned on earth 102 , transmits an uplink radio frequency ( rf ) signal 104 to a satellite 106 orbiting earth 102 . the satellite 106 may be orbiting in any one of several orbits to include leo , meo and geo . further , satellite 106 may be a microsatellite , as that term is commonly used in the space satellite industry . while fig1 depicts one operational environment , it can be appreciated that other environments may be contemplated without exceeding the scope of this application . for example , an alternative source of rf signal 104 may be a second space - borne platform . likewise , satellite 106 may be any of a number of space - borne platforms , to include manned platforms . gateway antenna 100 may be any of a type of antenna well known in the art . typically , the frequency of signal 104 is in the c , x , ku or ka band , however , other frequency bands may be used as well . as shown in fig1 , signal 104 forms a conical beam 108 as it propagates toward satellite 106 . the base radius of beam 108 , and the direction of the beam 108 , can be changed automatically by controlling the parabolic antenna that is part of gateway antenna 100 . satellite 106 is positioned within the cone of beam 108 , which is to say satellite 106 is surrounded on all or most sides by rf energy transmitted from gateway antenna 100 . in this way , conical beam 108 is an electromagnetic fence surrounding satellite 106 . as satellite 106 continues to orbit earth 102 , an unknown object or target 110 may enter the path of satellite 106 , or the target 110 may intentionally approach satellite 106 from any angle or orientation . at some point , as target 110 approaches satellite 106 , target 110 may contact conical beam or electromagnetic fence 108 , thereby scattering some of the rf energy of the fence 108 . the degree to which rf energy is scattered is dependent , in part , on the characteristics of target 110 , to include angular rotation , size , and speed . further , the bandwidth of the spectral signal generated when target 110 contacts or breaches fence 108 is dependent on target characteristics as well . scattered rf energy 112 is detected by a receiver subsystem ( not shown ) in satellite 106 , setting off a chain of events in response to the approach of target 110 . the detection and characterization of target 110 may be referred to as relative situational awareness with respect to satellite 106 . system 101 , required to detect and identify the target 110 , may include in at least one embodiment a source ( e . g . antenna 100 ) of an uplink rf signal 104 , an electromagnetic fence 108 resulting from a radio frequency uplink signal 104 , and subsystems ( not shown ) on board the satellite 106 to detect , process and utilize scattered rf energy resulting from the breach of fence 108 by target 110 . referring for a moment to fig2 , a diagram of response events , for at least one embodiment , is presented . as shown , an initial warning signal is generated and sent to a satellite 106 system operator or system monitor , notifying the monitor that a signal has been detected , block 200 . contemporaneously , a processor in satellite 106 uses directed rf energy from antenna 100 and scattered rf energy data to calculate a distance to and a position of target 110 , block 202 . also , an inverse synthetic aperture radar ( isar ) image of target 110 is generated ( block 204 ) using angular rotation data derived from the received rf energy 112 . processed data , which may include both positional data as well as image data , is communicated to the system monitor ( block 206 ) for review . of note , the system monitor may be a person , or alternatively , the monitor may be an automated system for receiving and analyzing data , and for initiating certain response functions . once data is transmitted to the system monitor , a series of decision cycles may follow . an initial assessment may be made regarding the status of target 110 , i . e . friend or foe , block 208 . in this context , “ friend ” typically refers to a known system that may or may not be in an expected location . the term “ foe ” may be used to identify any unknown target , to include natural objects , or it may identify known but “ unfriendly ” targets . if target 110 is identified as “ friend ”, a decision is made regarding whether satellite 106 must be moved out of its current orbit into an alternate orbit , block 210 . if necessary , satellite 106 will be repositioned ( block 212 ) in order to avoid physical contact with target 110 . if no movement is required , a notice may be sent to appropriate system monitors and supervisory personnel ( block 214 ), informing each of the approach of target 110 and the actions taken in response . if target 110 is identified as a “ foe ”, in one embodiment satellite 106 is moved to avoid any possibility of physical contact between the satellite 106 and the target 110 , block 216 . an additional response may be required ( block 218 ) from satellite 106 , and if so that response may be concurrent with movement or completed after satellite 106 has been repositioned , block 220 . once a decision is made regarding an additional response , a notification process begins ( block 222 ) to notify concerned parties and system monitors of the ongoing or recently completed actions . in at least one embodiment , a sensor subsystem 300 of system 101 , such as that depicted in fig3 , may be used to transmit and receive rf energy . in fig3 , a transmitter subsystem 302 and a receiver subsystem 304 constitute the sensor subsystem 300 . the transmitter subsystem 302 , which may include a plurality of components such as an amplifier 306 , pulse generator 308 and frequency synthesizer 310 is used to generate an rf signal . a processor 312 controls the pulse generation and other functions . the signal is passed to a modulator 314 prior to transmitting the signal toward a target 316 and a known reference 318 , which may be satellite 106 . similarly , in receiver subsystem 304 , two rf signals ( generally pulsed signals ) reflected from the reference 318 and the target 316 respectively are received by one or more detectors or modulators , e . g . modulators 320 and 322 . one or more processors 324 and 326 control the processing of the received signals by directing the functions of a coherence detector 328 , an oscillator 330 and a timing alignment mechanism 332 . a synchronized , aligned signal is transmitted from a processor 326 as coherent rf data . the processed data is then used to verify detection and to identify a target , e . g . target 316 . considering now a determination of the distance to , and the position of , the target ( block 202 fig2 ), the position of target 110 relative to satellite 106 as depicted in fig1 may be calculated based on the receipt angle of the incoming scattered rf signal 112 , taking into account the angular rotation of both target 110 and satellite 106 . satellite 106 may , in at least one embodiment , employ a single receiver subsystem to formulate bistatic measurements . alternatively , multiple receiver subsystems ( multistatic detection ) may be used to detect and receive scattered rf energy 112 . more important , perhaps , than the orientation or position of target 110 , is the distance to target 110 , the determination of which will now be discussed . referring to fig4 , a spatial relationship between gateway antenna 100 , satellite 106 and target 110 is presented . as shown , antenna 100 has a known gain ( g t ) and a known power ( p t ). gateway antenna 100 is considered the transmitting antenna , hence the identifier (“ t ”). similarly , a receiving antenna on satellite 106 has a known gain ( g r ) as well . target 110 , which is at a distance r 1 from antenna 100 and r 2 from satellite 106 , has a radar cross section or rcs (“ σ ”) which may be calculated based on reflected energy returns as it contacts fence 108 . the distance r 1 may be determined within an acceptable and relatively small margin of error based on the established orbit of satellite 106 ( i . e . a leo , meo or geo orbit ) because target 110 must be in the same orbit in order to encounter satellite 106 . the ultimate variable of interest is “ r 2 ”, which is the distance or range from satellite 106 to target 110 at any given moment in time . the unknown “ r 2 ” may be calculated using the equation the variable “ r 2 ” is analogous to the bistatic link budget , and the bistatic radar equations may therefore be used to calculate a signal - to - noise ratio ( s / n ). in general , s / n is a function of the distances , r 1 and r 2 ( fig3 ). in a bistatic radar system , s / n is minimized when r 1 = r 2 . it can be appreciated , therefore , that s / n increases as target 110 comes closer to either satellite 110 or antenna 100 . by knowing the s / n , the range r 2 may be calculated as given in ( 1 ) above , wherein r 1 = distance from transmitter to target p t = power of the transmitting antenna g t = gain of the transmitting antenna g r = gain of the receiving antenna λ = wavelength of the transmitted signal σ = rcs of the target k = boltzman &# 39 ; s constant t = system temperature b = receiver bandwidth and , s / n = signal - to - noise ratio the processor in satellite 106 may be used to calculate r 2 , or alternatively data may be sent to a ground station processor for use in calculating the desired target - to - satellite range . subsequent range calculations can be used to determine if target 110 is moving closer to or further from satellite 106 . further , in at least one embodiment , relative changes in r 2 can be used to calculate a closing velocity for target 110 . the combination of range and velocity data may also be used to calculate an estimated path of flight for target 110 once target 110 fully breaches fence 108 , and is no longer in contact with fence 108 . for a target in motion , i . e . one that is rotating or moving with respect to pitch , yaw and / or roll , different components or facets of the target may have different velocities relative to a stationary antenna that is illuminating the target . for example , three different velocity vectors v 1 , v 2 and v 3 are shown in fig5 which represent the relative velocities , with respect to antenna 100 , of different facets on target 110 , as the target is illuminated by antenna 100 . of note , illumination in this context includes a contact or breach of fence 108 as antenna 100 projects a rf signal toward satellite 106 . as a function of the rotation depicted in fig5 , slight variations in doppler frequency are produced , and these frequency variations may be detected by a receiver sensor either on the ground or mounted on satellite 106 . stated differently , when a rotating target , e . g . target 110 , is illuminated , there will be a shift in the doppler frequencies of reflected energy between any two adjacent point scatterers . these differential doppler frequencies may be received and processed by a receiver subsystem on satellite 106 , or by another sensor suite , and may be used to characterize the reflectivity of target 110 in the doppler domain . inverse synthetic aperture radar ( isar ) techniques may use the differential doppler information to generate a cross - range or azimuth resolution of target 110 . in particular , a fourier transform or other transformation algorithm may be used to process the doppler data . down - range or line - of - sight radar measurements are simply a measure of the distance between an illuminating antenna , e . g . antenna 100 , and a target 110 , and these measurements may be referred to as conventional radar measurements . inverse synthetic aperture radar ( isar ) techniques combine the azimuth data derived from differential doppler frequencies , and the line - of - sight range data derived from a more traditional radar measurement , to generate a two - dimensional isar image of target 110 . in an embodiment of the system disclosed herein , one or more receiver subsystems positioned on satellite 106 or elsewhere collect reflectivity data as a rotating target 110 contacts and breaches fence 108 . the reflectivity data , indicative of both the doppler domain and the line - of - sight range distance to target 110 , is transmitted to a processor wherein an isar image of target 110 is produced . in this way , satellite 106 may detect ( at a known range ) and identify target 110 as the target contacts the electro - magnetic fence 108 surrounding satellite 106 . changes may be made in the above methods , devices and structures without departing from the scope hereof . it should thus be noted that the matter contained in the above description and / 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 method , device and structure , which , as a matter of language , might be said to fall therebetween .	6
the present invention provides in some embodiments , a device for strengthening and stretching muscles having a series of loops . the device can be formed from strips of elastic material periodically joined in order to form loops . more particularly , a top portion of elastic material can be laid on top of a bottom portion of elastic material . the top and bottom portions of materials can be joined in a variety of ways . a user of the device can engage different body parts with the loops and use the device to facilitate a dynamic stretch of a muscle or to leverage a user &# 39 ; s own bodyweight for stretching or performing a wide variety of exercises . for example , stretching may be a part of a well - rounded physical activity program , along with cardiovascular exercise and strength training . both muscle fibers and the tissues surrounding those fibers (“ fascia ”) have viscoelastic properties . stretching soft tissues increases the length of the muscle fibers and to some extent the fascia . a single stretching session can improve a person &# 39 ; s short - term range of motion , but these results are short - lived . it has been found that repeated stretching sessions over time provide the best sustained elongation of soft tissue . indeed , the american college for sports medicine (“ acsm ”) suggests 2 to 4 sets of 15 to 30 seconds of stretching is necessary to improve flexibility in a muscle , at least 2 to 3 days per week . generally , there are 2 types of stretching exercises : static stretching and dynamic stretching . static stretching involves the passive lengthening of the muscle , whereas dynamic stretching involves active contraction prior to the muscle being stretched . dynamic stretching includes proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (“ pnf ”) or “ contract - relax ” stretching . pnf stretching can decrease the muscle &# 39 ; s excitability by reducing reflexive activation , thus reducing its resistance to stretch and enhancing its length . additionally , a hybrid pnf - type stretch can be performed by varying the levels of contraction in which the muscle is first contracted and then passively stretched . these techniques are known as post isometric relaxation (“ pir ”) or post facilitation stretch (“ pfs ”). more specifically , pir can be used to reduce trigger point pain , while pfs can be used to alleviate chronic muscle tightness . pir utilizes a very low , 20 % to 25 % maximal contraction at end - range before relaxation , while the pfs utilizes 100 % maximal contraction performed at mid - range followed by a stretch at end - range . suspension exercising is an avenue for fitness training , targeted muscle building and muscle therapy , stretching , and rehabilitation . suspension exercising uses devices and systems that leverage gravity and a user &# 39 ; s own bodyweight for stretching or performing a wide variety of exercises . the leverage and support required to perform suspension exercises at varying degrees of difficulty , for example , is often determined by the angular relationships established between the suspension exercise device , the user , and the exercise device mount . the elasticity of the components used in a suspension exercise device must be controlled so a user can sufficiently establish the leverage and support required when using the device . too much elasticity in an exercise device , for example , will not allow a user to establish the required angular relationships necessary to leverage in any controlled manner their own suspended weight . inelastic exercise devices may create a harsh exercise experience for the user and / or limit the range of use of the device by limiting the assistance that may be provided to a user through elastic forces . the invention will now be described with reference to the drawing figures , in which like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout . fig1 illustrates a side view of a stretch strap device 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the stretch strap device 10 includes a base portion 12 and a top portion 14 . the base portion 12 can be formed from a length of material having a first end 16 and a second end 18 , and the top portion 14 can also be formed from a second length of material having a first end 20 and a second end 22 . alternately , the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 can be formed by folding over a continuous length of a material used to form the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 . the stretch strap device 10 can be formed from a material such as polyester , propylene , nylon , or cotton that also incorporates an elastic component such as a natural or synthetic elastomer . in some embodiments , a nylon surrounding a latex cord for elasticity can be used . however , any suitable elastic material can be used to create the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 of the stretch strap device 10 . preferably , the stretch strap device can have an elongation percentage limited to between approximately 40 % and approximately 80 %. again , however , any elongation percentage that can be used to yield a dynamic stretch of a muscle can be used . fig1 also illustrates that the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 can be connected at points along their length , such that a loop 24 is formed between the base portion 12 and the top portion 14 . the loops can be connected in any suitable fashion such as sewing or heat bonding . as illustrated in the example device 10 in fig1 , there are six large loops 24 and two small loops 26 formed periodically along the length of the device 10 . preferably , there are between approximately 5 to approximately 10 loops along the length of a stretch strap device , but any suitable number of loops can be used . additionally , the loops can take any size suitable for facilitating a dynamic stretch . for example , the two small loops 26 illustrated in fig1 , can be used to engage a user &# 39 ; s toe in order to facilitate a dynamic stretch of the foot and leg . alternately , the stretch strap device 10 , need not contain any small loops . the toe loops 26 can be positioned near the middle of the stretch strap device 10 , as shown in fig1 or can be positioned anywhere along the length of the stretch strap device 10 , such that a foot and / or leg dynamic stretch can be facilitated . fig2 illustrates a top down view of the stretch strap device in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as illustrated in fig2 , the stretch strap device 10 can include markers 28 . the stretch strap device can include markers 28 in the form of numbers labeling the loops 24 and 26 from one end 30 of the stretch strap device 10 to a second end of the stretch strap device 32 . as illustrated in fig2 , the markers 28 are positioned between the loops 24 , 26 of the stretch strap device 10 . while fig2 illustrates the markers 28 taking the form of numbers , this is only one example of a way to mark the different regions of the stretch strap device 10 . the markers can also take the form of colors , letters , symbols , patterns , or any other appropriate marking . additionally , while the markers 28 are shown between the loops 24 and 26 , in fig2 , the markers can be positioned in any place on the stretch strap device that facilitates the users dynamic stretch . fig3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a box stitch connection in accordance with an embodiment of this invention . as illustrated in fig3 , the base portion ( not shown ) and the top portion 14 , of the stretch strap device 10 , can be joined by sewing the two pieces of material together . in the example illustrated in fig3 , the base portion and the top portion 14 are connected using a simple box stitch connection . the connecting stitch is formed by stitching a box - shape 34 and stitching an x - shape 36 within the boundaries of the box - shape 34 . this stitch provides durability such that the stretch strap device 10 , can be used to facilitate a dynamic stretch . fig4 illustrates a method of performing a dynamic stretch using a stretch strap in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the method can include step 100 which provides an elastic stretching device having elastic loops extending along a length of the device . the elastic stretching device can take the form of the example device described with respect to fig1 - 3 or can take the form of any stretch strap device that can be used for a dynamic stretch . step 110 can include engaging a portion of the body with one of the elastic loops of the elastic stretching device and step 120 can include contracting muscles in the engaged portion of the body . during the stretch the user can execute step 130 of holding a portion of the elastic stretching device . the method can also include step 140 of moving the engaged portion of the body in a direction to provide a stretch to a muscle . additionally , the method can include step 150 of using the elastic stretching device to resist the stretch of the muscle in the engaged portion of the body . fig5 illustrates a side view of a suspension exercise device 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention . the exercise device 200 may include a first elastic strap portion 202 coupled to a second elastic strap portion 204 to form a strap assembly 205 wherein the first elastic strap portion 202 and the second elastic strap portion 204 extend substantially symmetrically from an anchoring device 206 . the anchoring device 206 may be any suitable means for anchoring the exercise device 200 to a suitable support . for example , as shown in fig5 , the anchoring device 206 may include a support strap 208 , which may be formed from a nylon webbing material or other suitable material and coupled to a door anchor 210 toward a distal end . the support strap 208 may be a continuous loop having a section directly attached to the strap assembly 205 near a central portion 203 . in accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure , the support strap 208 may be configured to allow the coupled strap portions 202 and 204 to be freely supported through the loop in a manner to allow the coupled strap portions 202 and 204 to slide through a proximal portion of the support strap 208 . in accordance with yet other aspects of the present disclosure , the anchoring device 206 may include a carabineer and the support strap 208 coupled to the carabiner at a distal end , for example , for hooking onto a stable support hook in a wall or ceiling . alternatively , the carabineer may be directly connected to one or both of the strap portions 202 and 204 to be configured as the anchoring device 206 . each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 may be similarly formed . as such , like reference numerals will be used to describe like components of the each of the strap portions . each elastic strap portion 202 and 204 may include a base portion 220 and a top portion 230 . the base portion 220 can be formed from two lengths , joined in any suitable manner , for example , at the ends or at another point to form loops at one or more distal ends of the elastic strap portion . alternately , the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 can be formed by folding over a continuous length of a material used to form the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 . in accordance with yet other aspects of the present disclosure , the two elastic strap portions 202 and 204 , rather than being separately formed components that are coupled , may be portions of an integrally formed strap having one base portion 220 and one top portion 230 joined at both ends or in any suitable manner to form a strap assembly 205 having the two elastic strap portions 202 and 204 described herein . in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure , the integrally formed strap assembly 205 may include a base portion 220 and top portion 230 configured from one continuous length of material folded over , for example , to form loops 240 at both distal ends of the first elastic strap portion 202 and the second elastic strap portion 204 . the top portion 230 and the base portion 220 of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 may be formed from a material such as polyester , propylene fabric , nylon , or cotton that also incorporates an elastic component such as a natural or synthetic elastomer . in some embodiments , a nylon surrounding a latex cord for elasticity can be used to form elastic nylon webbing . preferably , the material allows the exercise device to have an elongation percentage of between approximately 40 % and approximately 80 % along a longitudinal axis , although any suitable longitudinal elongation percentage may be provided . fig5 also illustrates that the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 can be connected at points along their length , such that a loop 240 is formed between the base portion 220 and the top portion 230 . the loops can be connected in any suitable fashion such as sewing or heat bonding . as illustrated in the example device 200 in fig5 , there may be a number of larger loops 240 and a number of smaller loops 242 formed periodically along the length of each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 . preferably , there may be between approximately 5 to approximately 10 loops along the length of each strap portion 202 and 204 , but any suitable number of loops may be used . additionally , the loops can take any size suitable for facilitating a dynamic stretch if used as a stretching device and / or for forming grasping / supporting loops / handles when used as a suspension device . for example , the smaller loops 242 illustrated in fig5 , may be used to engage a user &# 39 ; s toe in order to facilitate a dynamic stretching or exercising of the foot and leg , for example . the smaller loops 242 may be positioned near the middle of one or both of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 , as shown in fig5 , or can be positioned anywhere along the length of each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 to facilitate a particular positioning of a foot and / or leg , for example , to accommodate a dynamic stretch or a particular exercise when the device 200 is positioned on a door . alternately , the exercise device 200 need not contain any small loops 242 . the exercise device 200 provides an apparatus and method to facilitate performing a stretch where the muscle is actively contracted at different levels of activation and then passively stretched . for example , the exercise device 200 may be used independently of any anchor supports for stretching exercises using “ contract - relax ” methods described above that are made possible by the elastic nature of the device 200 . fig5 illustrates that the loops 240 or 242 may be formed to stand up or lie flat . for example , a portion of the top portion 230 forming a particular loop may be dimensioned to have a greater longitudinal length than the portion of the base portion 220 forming that particular loop . accordingly , the top portion of a particular loop 240 or 242 may stand out from a section of the base portion forming the remainder of the loop 240 or 242 . similarly , the loops 240 or 242 may be formed so that each section of the top portion and base portion forming a particular loop are approximately equal in length such that the loop 240 or 242 will lie flat when the exercise device 200 is in a general state of rest or , in particular , when the exercise device 200 is in a state of use , under tension , and the particular loop 240 or 242 is not being used as a loop or handle . fig6 illustrates a side view of the exercise device 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . as illustrated in fig6 , each elastic strap portion 202 or 204 may include markers 260 in the form of numbers labeling the loops 240 and 242 at predetermined positions between one end 250 of one or both elastic strap portions to a second end 252 of one or both of the elastic strap portions . as illustrated in fig6 , the markers 260 may be positioned between the loops 240 , 242 on each of the strap portions . while fig6 illustrates the markers 260 taking the form of numbers , this is only one example of a way to mark the different regions of the elastic strap portions . the markers may also take the form of colors , letters , symbols , patterns , or any other appropriate marking . additionally , while the markers 260 are shown between the loops 240 and 242 , in fig6 , the markers may be positioned in any place on the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 that facilitates use of the exercise device 200 . fig6 and 7 illustrate that the anchoring device 206 may be coupled to the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 toward the second end 252 . thus , as shown in fig7 , with a door 300 slightly ajar , the door anchor 210 may be slid between the door 300 and a door jamb 310 , for example , along the upper lateral surface of the door , and the door 300 closed , so that the door anchor 210 may be secured in a holding position on one side of the door 300 with each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 hanging freely on the other side of the door . the support strap 208 may be conducted through the space between the door and the door jamb so that , in combination with the door anchor 210 , when the door is closed , the exercise device 200 is securely anchored in a position to enable a user to safely use the exercise device 200 . the multiple loops 240 and 242 on each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 of the exercise device 200 may be used as handles for grasping the strap portions 202 and 204 at different locations . to illustrate the concept of using the exercise device 200 , a user doing an exercise is shown in fig8 . the user may grasp one loop 240 of each of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 in each hand . the user may assume a position in which they are generally relying on the exercise device 200 to support their weight . the amount of weight suspended may depend on the angle the user assumes for a particular exercise . in this regard , the various loops 240 and 242 may serve as different progression points for a user to easily and effectively chart progress and / or easily and quickly provide varying degrees of difficulty for the same exercise . by staying at exactly the same spot to start an exercise , such as a predetermined distance from the door , the user may , for example , grasp different loops 240 or 242 to change the end angle at which the exercise will be completed . in so doing , the angle may be lessened or increased , for example , by respectively using loops that are closer or further from door when the exercise is being performed . the relative amount of overall stretch in the system changes depending on the loops 240 or 242 selected for use . accordingly , different points of leverage may be established during a given exercise by simply using different loops 240 or 242 without the need to adjust straps and / or anchoring points , for example , as is typically required in conventional suspension systems . referring back to fig8 , the user may lean away from the door and / or let his / her arms straighten to begin the loading motion and force the device 200 to support a portion of the user &# 39 ; s weight . the elastic nature of the strap portions 202 and 204 allow the exercise device to progressively stretch as the user suspends his / her weight until the device 200 reaches a hard stop , which may be dictated by the less elastic materials used to construct the nylon webbing . at this point , the user has determined an angle , for example by positioning their body a certain distance from the door and / or by selecting which loops 240 to grasp , that dictates how much of their weight will be effectively suspended by the exercise device 200 while performing a given exercise . from the fully - extended position in which the exercise device 200 is under maximum load , the user may then pull himself / herself towards the door with either arm or both arms together until reaching a point when most or all of the loading is released from the exercise device 200 . as the load is released , the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 retract from the stretched position back toward the original untensioned positions . the user may then lean back again and / or allow his / her arms to straighten , for example , to reload the exercise device 200 under their suspended weight and perform another repetition of the exercise . the number and variety of exercises that may be performed in this manner are greatly enhanced by the closed system of loops 240 and 242 that provide multiple built - in handles for grasping the elastic strap portions 202 and / or 204 at different locations . the loops may also be used to support a user &# 39 ; s feet , arms , and portions of their legs . for many users , bodyweight exercises can be extremely difficult to accomplish a full range of motion for some exercises . the elasticity of the exercise device 200 provides dual benefits during the full range of motion of a given exercise , namely during both the loading phase and the unloading phase . as a user allows their weight to load the elastic strap portions 202 and / or 204 , the elasticity of the device provides a deceleration effect as the user approaches the fully extended position and the material is stretched to its limit . the gradual deceleration that occurs provides for a soft landing as the user reaches the end limit or stop point of the loading motion . on the contrary , the hard - stop often experienced with conventional rigid strap suspension systems occurs without any gradual deceleration , wherein the full force of the suspended weight is felt all at once by the user at the end point of the loading motion , which may produce a jarring impact to muscles and joints . furthermore , during the unloading motion , an acceleration effect is experienced by the user as the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 attempt to resume their natural , un - stretched positions . the elasticity of the exercise device 200 may thus provide an assisting force to the user &# 39 ; s advantage during the unloading motion of an exercise . in addition , conventional suspension exercise systems are limited to bodyweight exercises and require anchoring to an object , such as a door or ceiling , for example , to function properly . the exercise device 200 provides the added benefit that it may easily and efficiently be converted from use as a suspension device , i . e ., a closed - chain bodyweight exercise , to function as a stretching or open - chain resistance exercise device . fig9 illustrates other aspects of an exercise device in accordance with the present disclosure . the anchoring device 206 may include a pulley assembly 270 . the pulley assembly 270 may be separately attached to the anchoring device 206 and or may be an integral component of the anchoring device 206 . as shown in fig9 , the strap assembly 205 may be configured to include an extended center area 272 , wherein the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 are not configured with loops 240 or 242 in that region . the extended center area 272 may be a single layer of material , such as a single layer of the base portion 220 , or a double layer , for example , wherein the top portion 230 and the base portion 220 are joined together to lie flat for the entire longitudinal length of the extended center area 272 . the extended center area 272 may thus be mounted onto the pulley wheel 274 to allow a user to perform rotational movements during use of the exercise device 200 . each of the separate elastic strap portions 202 and 204 are then able to simultaneously move in opposing directions via rotation of the pulley wheel 274 . a locking mechanism on the pulley 270 and / or the anchoring device 206 may be provided to disengage or lock the pulley 270 from rotating . in accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure , the anchor device may include a separate mounting location , wherein the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 may be moved between mounting positions to engage or disengage a rotational capability . as shown in fig1 , a fabric sock 280 may be sewn or otherwise coupled to the back side of the coupled elastic strap portions 202 and 204 , the back side being the side of the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 opposite from the loops 240 . an elastic resistance tube 282 may be run through the sock 280 with handles 284 or any other suitable grasping means attached at the ends . thus , if the user chooses to use suspension as the exercise method , the users simply grabs the appropriate loops 240 and uses the exercise device 200 as discussed above . if , on the other hand , straight elastic resistance is desired , the user may instead grasp the handles 284 and use the exercise device 200 as one would a conventional resistance trainer , wherein the resistance tube 282 will stretch and relax within the sock 280 . in accordance with other aspects of the present disclosure , as also shown in fig1 , one or more d - rings 290 , or any other suitable attachment device , may be sewn into or provided on one or more of the loops 240 or 242 serving as handles on the elastic strap portions 202 and 204 . another d - ring , or any other suitable attachment device , may be added to the anchoring device 206 . an elastic resistance band 292 , or elastic tubing , for example , may then be removably attached between the loop 240 and the anchoring device 206 to provide additional assist during an exercise . similarly , resistance bands and or tubing may be attached between various loops 240 , which , for example , may serve to assist a user in keeping or bringing their hands back together during a particular exercise . the added connection between loops 240 serving as handles may be particularly beneficial for a user engaged in exercises using the pulley 270 discussed above . as shown in fig1 , in addition to elasticity being incorporated into the main strap assembly , i . e ., the strap portions 202 and 204 , removable handle assemblies 320 may be coupled to one or both of the strap portions 202 and 204 . the handle assemblies 320 may be formed with elastic tubing or straps , for example , to provide a certain degree of elasticity and may be attached or coupled to the strap portions 202 and 204 at the ends of the strap portions 202 and 204 or at any other point along the longitudinal length of the strap portions 202 and 204 . for example , the handle assemblies 320 may attach to one or more loops 240 or 242 via d - rings 290 , as illustrated in fig1 , or by any other suitable coupling or attachment means . in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure , progressive levels of assistance may be provided to a user performing suspension exercises by switching between handle assemblies 320 having different levels of elastic resistance . the many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification , and thus , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . further , because numerous modifications and variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention .	0
referring to the drawings , fig1 shows a first embodiment of guard element 1 comprising an elongate body portion 2 of aluminium or plastics material having a pair of elongate slots 4 , 6 formed in its front surface 7 . lengths of synthetic brush strip 8 , 10 are fixed into the slots 4 , 6 , by means of a slide fit connection . surface formations comprising elongate ribs 12 , 14 are integrally formed with the body portion 2 and project from its back surface 16 . each elongate rib 12 , 14 is provided with a continuous elongate recess 18 , 20 which is substantially t - shaped in cross - section . each recess 18 , 20 is shaped to receive a corresponding surface formation comprising a substantially t - shaped rib 22 formed on an elongate mounting portion 24 . the mounting portion 24 is made from aluminium or plastics material . in accordance with various standard authorities recommendations , the guard element 1 must be installed such that the outer end of the brush strip 10 lies just above the step nose line ( nl in fig6 ) of an escalator . the guard element 1 is held in this position by fixing the back surface 16 of the body portion 2 against or substantially parallel to a side wall panel or skirting panel of the escalator . in the simplest case , the body portion 2 is fixed directly to the escalator side wall or skirting by means of screws ( not shown ) driven through the body portion 2 into the side wall or skirting panel . an elongate guide channel 25 is provided on the front surface 7 of the body portion . the channel 25 serves to align the screws or to centre a drill bit used to form screw holes . alternatively , as in the arrangement illustrated in fig1 it may be necessary to space the upper edge of the body portion 2 away from the side wall a greater distance than the lower edge of the body portion 2 . for example , this may be required where a skirting panel is fixed to an escalator side wall panel and it is necessary to fix the deflector element at the level of the transition between the skirting panel and the side wall panel . in such applications , an elongate mounting portion 24 is fixed to the upper edge of the body portion 2 , by pushing the t - shaped rib 22 on the elongate mounting portion 24 into the upper t - shaped recess 18 on the body portion 2 . to facilitate attachment of the elongate mounting portion 24 to the body portion 2 , the sides of the t - shaped rib 22 on the mounting portion 24 may be tapered . a corresponding taper may be provided on the side walls of the t - shaped recesses 18 to ensure that the t - shaped rib 22 is a tight fit in the t - shaped recess 18 . once the mounting portion has been fixed to the body portion 2 , the combined assembly can be screwed to the side wall panel and / or skirting panel of the escalator , such that the back surface of the mounting portion 24 rests on the side wall panel and the back surface of the lower rib 14 rests against the skirting panel . in appropriate situations , it may be desirable to fit respective mounting portions 24 in both the upper and lower ribs 12 , 14 . fig2 shows a second embodiment of guard element 23 in which a single elongate rib 14 , having a continuous t - shaped recess is provided along the lower edge of a body portion 19 . in addition , a second elongate t - shaped recess 26 is formed directly in the inner surface 16 at the upper edge of the body portion 19 . the t - shaped recess 26 is identical in size , shape and orientation to the t - shaped recess 20 formed in the rib 14 and can receive mounting portions 24 in the same way . referring to fig3 by selecting mounting portions 28 , 30 of different thicknesses , it is possible to space the body portion 2 a desired distance away from the side wall . it is also possible to &# 34 ; step over &# 34 ; side wall features such as skirting panels . in other words , a thinner mounting portion 30 is fixed to the upper rib 12 of the body portion 2 and a thicker mounting portion 28 is fixed to the lower rib 14 of the body portion 2 . the body portion 2 is then screwed to the escalator side wall such that the thinner mounting portion 30 contacts the skirting panel and the thicker mounting portion 28 contacts the side wall panel . in applications in which a very large discontinuity must be overcome , it is also possible to use one or more spacers 32 which have on one side a male surface formation which plugs into a surface formation of the body portion 19 or into an additional spacer 32 . on its other side , each spacer 32 has a female surface formation into which a mounting portion 28 or an additional spacer 32 may be plugged . there are also circumstances in which the side wall or skirting of the escalator does not present a flat mounting surface . in such circumstances a mounting portion 34 having a male surface formation 36 on one side and a shaped surface 38 on the other side may be employed . mounting portions 34 having a variety of profiles are preferably made available to the fitter , so that the most common discontinuities or surface profiles can be accommodated . for example , the upper edge of skirting is often curved and it would therefore be useful to have a mounting portion 35 having a profile on its inner surface 38 which conforms to the curve on the upper surface of the skirting . fig5 shows a guard element 23 installed on an escalator in the region of the bottom transition radius 40 . in this application of the second embodiment of the invention , the thickness of the mounting portion 42 is selected so that it equals the depth of the side wall feature . alternatively , a combination of mounting portions and spacers may be used to make up the gap . as will be appreciated , there is no need to use a mounting portion above the point a in fig5 because , from that point on , the upper edge of the body portion 19 can be fixed directly to the sidewall decking 46 . the mounting portion 42 or spacer is therefore cut off at the point a with a saw or sharp knife . fig6 shows the second embodiment of guard element 23 mounted on an inclined portion of escalator . in this application , the elongate rib 14 of the body portion 19 directly engages the skirting panel 44 of the escalator . conventional escalators may have side wall decking 46 which overlaps the skirting panel 44 . if the thickness of the side wall decking 46 is less than the thickness of the elongate rib 14 on the body portion 19 , the resulting gap can be made up using a thin mounting portion 30 . the thin mounting portion 30 is held in place by engagement of a t - shaped rib 45 on the mounting portion 30 in the t - shaped recess 26 formed directly in the body portion 19 . on an escalator having a landing , the arrangement illustrated in fig6 becomes the arrangement illustrated in fig7 in the region of the landing . in other words , on a landing , the side wall decking 46 moves away from the step nose line nl , so the guard element must be mounted entirely on the skirting panel 44 . in accordance with the present invention , at the transition to a landing from an incline , the thin mounting portion 30 is replaced by a thicker mounting portion 28 . other discontinuities and peculiar shapings of the escalator can be overcome in a straightforward manner by use of mounting portions and spacers in accordance with the present invention . it is to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are intended to be illustrative of the invention and that other embodiments are also contemplated . for example , any type or number of deflectors may be used instead of the brush strips 8 , 10 . furthermore any number , shape or disposition of surface formations on a body portion and a mounting portion are contemplated and any means of fixing the mounting portions and / or body portion to the side wall of an escalator are also contemplated . the invention may also be applied to the mounting of guard elements on or in the vicinity of other parts of an escalator .	1
fig1 and 2 illustrate , on general lines , drilling equipment attached to the three - point - linkage of a tractor , deriving its power from the tractor engine through its power - take - off . the working parts are carried on a carriage comprising a rectangular frame 1 supported at its rear end by a single road wheel 2 , the wheel being provided with external transverse spikes 3 for better gripping of the ground without slipping . a vertical post 4 extending upwardly from the front end of the frame serves for attachment of the upper arm 5 of the linkage of a tractor 10 , while the two lower linkage arms are pivotally connected to the front cross member 7 of the frame 1 . the working components comprise two coaxial and opposedly positioned augers , each comprising a shaft 10 , 10 &# 39 ; with double - helical blades 11 , 11 &# 39 ;, ending in cutting lips 12 , 12 &# 39 ;. the helices and the cutting lips of the two augers are respectively right - and left - oriented , for the following reason : the auger shafts are attached to the two - ended output shaft of a bevel gear 13 located in a gear box 14 , the latter being revolvable in bearings 15 mounted on the frame 1 perpendicular to the direction of travel as indicated by the arrow f . the bevel gear is rigidly fastened on this shaft 16 which transmits the torque to the two augers , in the same sense of rotation ; for this reason the augers have respective left and right helical orientation , since they attack the soil in alternate senses . the bevel gear is rotated by means of a gear 17 positioned in a gear box which in its turn is firmly attached to the frame and is stationary . the rotary power is obtained from the power - take - off 19 through a power train 20 comprising two universal joints and a drive shaft . the auger assembly , i . e . the gear box 14 , together with the augers , is revolved in the direction of the arrow r about a horizontal axis which is perpendicular to the direction of travel , by the forward travelling motion of the road wheel 2 . transmission means between wheel 2 and the auger assembly is in the form of a chain gear , comprising a driving sprocket wheel 21 mounted on the rotating axle of the road wheel , a driven sprocket wheel 22 mounted on the gear box 14 , and a connecting chain 23 . the sprocket 21 is exchangeable with a view to altering the ratio between the rotational speed of the road wheel and that of the auger assembly and a releasable coupling serves to connect and disconnect the chain drive and the wheel . in order to facilitate the entry of the augers into -- sometimes very hard -- soil and to ensure the revolving motion of the auger assembly , two blades 30 and 30 &# 39 ;, preferably in the shape of cultivator blades , are rigidly fastened to the gear box , between the two augers which , revolving together with the assembly , penetrate the soil prior to the entry of the augers and before their starting to drill a hole . the outer edges of the helical auger blades are studded with teeth 25 of a hard , wear - resisting material such as special tool steel , special alloyed steel or the like , thereby improving the drilling operation and preventing early wear of the auger blades . the tractor serves to pull the hole driller across a field , while the height of the augers above ground level can be adjusted by lengthening or shortening the tractor link 5 . by means of this linkage the implement can be lifted off the ground for transport from site to site . fig5 shows the process of a hole being drilled during the movement of an auger from its first moment of entry to its exit out of the hole . this figure also shows that the hole approaches cylindrical shape , with a flared opening , a shape particularly suitable for the planting of trees . fig3 and 4 illustrate a second embodiment of the invention , which comprises an i . c .- engine for the purpose of supplying the power for the drilling operation of the augers , and which is adapted to be drawn by any traction vehicle including a tractor . the operating components , i . e . the augers and blades as well as their driving mechanism are identical with those shown in fig1 and 2 , and are , therefore , denoted by identical numerals . the main difference lies in the provision of the i . c .- engine 31 , the transmission of power from the engine to the augers assembly , and the construction of the carriage . a hydraulic pump 32 is coupled to the engine 31 , which supplies pressurized liquid to a hydraulic motor 33 directly coupled to the gear transmission 13 . the auger revolutions are readily adjustable by either adjusting the engine speed or by throttling the liquid supply . the revolutions of the auger assembly are obtained from one of the roadwheels by way of a double chain - drive 35 and 36 . the chain drive 35 is provided to permit free motion of the road wheel , which is supported by helical springs 37 , without undue tension of the chain drive . in addition , a releasable clutch 38 serves to engage and to disengage the chain drives , during drilling operations and road transport , respectively . the carriage of this embodiment is much wider than that of the embodiment of fig1 and 2 as it serves to support the power unit as well . it comprises a frame 41 consisting of three longitudinal members and two cross members , and is supported in its rear portion by two road wheels 2 and 2 &# 39 ;. a draw - bar 42 is pivotally attached to the front end by means of vertical pivot means permitting its being secured in two alternate positions : a position a in line with the auger axis , in which the carriage is pulled during hole drilling , and a position b central in relation to the wheels 2 and 2 &# 39 ;, in which the carriage is pulled during road transport . additional equipment shown in the drawings are : a fuel tank 43 , and an oil reservoir 44 . the drilling operation is similar to that of the equipment of fig1 and 2 , except for the fact that power for drilling is derived from the engine 31 by way of the hydraulic pump and motor . it will be understood that instead of the hydraulic transmission , mechanical torque transmission may be provided between engine and gear . as an alternative , each auger may be rotated separately by a hydraulic motor attached to its shaft , which would dispense with the gear 13 and the gearbox 14 . as another alternative the engine 31 may be utilized for rotating the auger assembly about its axis , preferably by the addition of a hydraulic motor fixedly mounted on the chassis frame , transmission being direct or through a gear transmission ; control of the motor revolutions could be obtained by electronic circuit means monitored by the speed of the road wheels , viz . the speed of travel of the equipment . this arrangement would make the chain transmissions and the clutch redundant . instead of two augers , only one auger or more than two could be mounted on a rotating body , in the above case the gearbox , but it appears that two augers give the best results regarding speed of drilling and control . as a third alternative , it is proposed to utilize the pressurized liquid generated by the hydraulic system of the tractor itself , and to install hydraulic motors both for revolving the auger assembly , and for rotating the augers about their axes for drilling . in this case it may be necessary to choose a tractor of slightly bigger size , but is is evident that this arrangement would mean fewer mechanical components , more efficient control of the different rotational speeds , and ready adaptation to the conditions of the soil and the land formation .	4
embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail , by way of example only , with reference to the accompanying drawings in which identical or corresponding parts / features are provided with the same reference numerals in the figures . fig1 shows the processing flow of electronic documents received by a system 10 for processing electronic documents . system 10 includes an existing business system ( or systems ), for example erp system 20 , that is connected to a separate control system , for example grc ( governance , risk management , and compliance ) system 30 . certain content 35 of an incoming electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is extracted to determine which business process 45 is associated with the extracted content 35 . when implementing the processing steps associated with the determined business process 45 , some of the processing steps like checking the signature and authorization of an incoming legal document can be executed hi the grc system 30 , and other steps like posting a goods receipt or posting an invoice can be executed in connected erp system 20 . xml document 40 can be , for example , a nota fiscal eletrônica ( nf - e ) which is a legal document and an electronic invoice which contains tax and logistical information in the form of an xml document with a layout defined by the brazilian government , the ne - e can involve both business to government ( b2g ) communication ( requesting authorization of nf - e from tax administration before billing may take place ) as well as business to business / b2b ) or business to customer ( b2c ) communication ( sending the authorized nf - e to the customer ). because incoming electronic documents can contain information which requires processing steps like checking the signature and authorization of an incoming legal document that can be executed in the grc system 30 and information which belongs to different categories of documents in the erp system like purchase order , delivery , goods movement or invoice , they can be viewed as a combination of different grc and erp processes representing a larger business process which can be automatically executed . fig2 shows example system 10 in further detail . as mentioned above , system 10 includes an existing business system ( or systems ), for example erp system 20 , that is connected to a separate control system , for example grc system 30 . certain content 35 of an incoming electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is extracted to determine which business process 45 is associated with the extracted content 35 . grc system 30 extracts content 35 from the at least one xml document 40 according to an extraction table 50 in the grc system 30 . the extraction table 50 defines the contents 35 to be extracted for each type of electronic document that is processed . grc system 30 includes an extracted content table 60 which defines an associated business process 45 for each of the at least one extracted content 35 of the at least one xml document 40 . therefore a comparison of at least one of the extracted content 35 to the extracted content table 60 is performed in grc system 30 to determine which business process 45 should be implemented . for example , in the case of the nota fiscal eletrônica the business process determination depends mainly on the cfop code which is defined by the brazilian authorities and describes the type of business transaction . however , the meaning of a cfop code can be changed by the authorities so that the system behavior has to be adjusted . this type of situation can be handled by the extracted content table 60 of grc system 30 , which can be customized so as to adjust the business process determination to changes of the meaning of the cfop codes or any other extracted content 35 . the grc system 30 includes a business processes table 70 which defines the processing steps 75 that need to be implemented for each of the business processes 45 that can be implemented by system 10 . for example , the definition of the required processing steps 75 for possible business processes 45 like ‘ normal purchasing ’ or ‘ stock transfer ’ which would be implemented in the erp system 20 or “ signature authentication ” that would be implemented in the grc system . the business processes 45 can be categorized to be valid for certain document types . the definition and implementation of each of the processing steps 75 is contained in a process steps table 80 in the grc system . the process steps table 80 defines certain attributes of each processing step 75 , for example , if the step can be carried out automatically or also manually and if the step is optional or mandatory within the business process 45 . the grc system 30 includes a process flow sequence table 90 which defines the sequence of processing steps 75 for a certain business process 45 and if each of the processing steps 75 are to be executed automatically or have been deactivated . the grc system 30 also includes a control process flow table 100 which defines the prerequisites necessary before implementing each processing step 75 in each business process 45 . therefore with an extendable status concept this allows the control process flow table 100 to define which status of the preceding or subsequent steps are necessary to carry out a certain processing step 75 in a certain business process 45 . this allows the implementation of a linear process flow where a follow on step always depends on the preceding step as well as a more complex non linear process flow . a control parameters table 110 in grc system 30 allows users to influence the processing steps 75 . depending on the definition of the processing step 75 in process steps table 80 and the at least one extracted content 35 , for example the business partners involved in the business process 45 , the execution of a processing step 75 can be defined as automatically or manually implemented or can be deactivated , for example for a certain combination of business partners . therefore , control parameters table 110 allows users to overwrite the criteria defined in the process flow sequence table 90 . fig3 shows an example embodiment of the method for processing electronic documents . in step 300 at least one electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is received in grc system 30 . in step 310 grc system 30 extracts contents 35 from the at least one xml document 40 according to an extraction table 50 in the grc system 30 . in step 320 the business process 45 associated with the at least one xml document 40 is determined by comparing the at least one extracted contents 35 to the extracted content table 60 in grc system 30 to determine which business process 45 should be implemented . in step 330 the sequence of processing steps 75 associated with business process 45 is determined by comparing the determined business process 45 to business processes table 70 in grc system 30 to determine which processing steps 75 need to be implemented for business process 45 and comparing the determined business process 45 to process flow sequence table 90 in grc system 30 to determine the sequence of processing steps 75 for the determined business process 45 . in step 340 the sequence of processing steps 75 associated with business process 45 is implemented in a function module 120 in grc system 30 , based on the definition of each processing step 75 in process steps table 80 in grc system 30 . the implementing of the sequence of processing steps 75 proceeds by comparing the status of each processing step 75 in the sequence of processing steps for business process 45 to pre - requisites for implementing a next processing step 75 in the sequence of processing steps for business process 45 as defined in control process flow table 100 in grc system 30 . in step 350 the method concludes . as mentioned above the implementation of business process 45 is governed by a function module 120 which acts as the central engine responsible for execution and control of the business process flow . fig4 shows an example embodiment of the business process flow as executed by function module 120 . in step 400 the business process flow which is associated with the business process 45 assigned to the incoming electronic document , for example xml document 40 , is determined . in step 410 the first processing step 75 to be implemented is determined by examining the process flow sequence table 90 for the business process 45 assigned to xml document 40 . after the first processing step 75 to be implemented is determined , in step 420 a loop will be performed on the processing steps 75 beginning with the reading of the first step . in step 430 the prerequisites for the current processing step 75 are checked against the control process flow table 100 to evaluate the status of the prerequisites related to current processing step 75 . in step 440 the attributes of the current processing step 75 are checked to determine if the step is implemented automatically and if the step is deactivated for xml document 40 which is currently being processed . this information is stored on document level as result of the combination of the settings in table process flow sequence table 90 and the control parameters table 110 . if all prerequisites are fulfilled , the current processing step 75 implementation defined in process steps table 80 is called in step 450 . in step 460 the current processing step 75 is implemented in grc system 30 by a grc system application 130 in function module 120 or it is implemented in erp system 20 by an erp system application 140 . after the processing of the current processing step 75 the result will be stored on document level in step 470 and the status of the current processing step 75 will be updated . in step 480 the loop continues and an attempt is made to implement the next step if there is one . if no further processing is possible e . g . due to an error or the necessity of a user interaction the process stops in step 490 to be automatically continued at a later time . fig5 shows an example user interface for the system 10 for processing electronic documents . the user interface includes a list of incoming electronic xml documents 40 ( nf - e ) in the top half of the interface with the first such document selected and highlighted . the bottom half of the interface includes the processing steps 75 to be executed for the selected xml document 40 as well as the status of each of the processing steps 75 . fig6 shows examples of a user interface for the system 10 for processing electronic documents . the user interface includes an extracted content table 60 which defines an associated business process 15 for each of the at least one extracted content 35 of the xml document 40 in the top half of the interface with the first associated business process 15 selected and highlighted . the bottom half of the interface includes a control parameters table 110 that allows users to influence the processing steps 75 . depending on the at least one extracted content 35 , for example the business partners or tax number associated with business process 45 , the execution of a processing step 75 can be defined as automatically or manually implemented or can be deactivated , for example for a certain combination of business partners . shown below are schematic displays of example extracts of some of the tables used in an example business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’. process flow sequence table 90 used to define the sequence and certain attributes of the processing steps 75 associated with business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’: as shown above , some of the processing steps 75 are defined to be executed automatically and others need a user interaction and therefore are not automatic . in the above example all the steps are defined to be active . however , some of the processing steps 75 can be deactivated if they are not mandatory for business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’ as per the definition of each processing step 75 in process steps table 80 . to deactivate processing steps 75 that are not mandatory the control parameters table 110 can be used . for example , if the steps shown below are not mandatory for business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’, as per the definition of each processing step 75 in process steps table 80 , then control parameters table 110 could be used to influence the sequence ( of process flow sequence table 90 above ) as shown below : furthermore , the control parameters table 110 can change the settings of the process flow sequence for some steps depending on the business partners . as shown above , tax numbers are used which identify a business partner that may be involved in business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’. a control process flow table 100 defines the pre requisites necessary before implementing each processing step 75 in business process 45 : ‘ normal purchasing ’, for example by defining which status of the preceding or subsequent steps are necessary to carry out a certain processing step 75 as shown below : as shown below , process steps table 80 can be used to define the implementation of the processing steps 75 and the step attributes , for example the processing steps 75 shown below are defined as being implemented in the function module 120 of grc system 30 : embodiments of the present invention are described in the context of a fully functional computer system , however those skilled in the art will appreciate that modules of the present invention are capable of being distributed in a variety of forms across a plurality of systems . embodiments consistent with the invention may also include one or more programs or program modules on different computing systems running separately and independently of each other , while in their entirety being capable of performing business transactions in a large enterprise environment or in a “ software on demand ” environment . these programs or program modules may be contained on signal bearing media that may include : recordable type media such as floppy disks and cd roms , and transmission type media such as digital and analog communication links , including wireless communication links . the foregoing description is not exhaustive and does not limit embodiments of the invention to the precise forms disclosed . modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings or may be acquired from the practicing embodiments consistent with the invention . for example , some of the described embodiments may include software and hardware , but some systems and methods consistent with the present invention may be implemented in software or hardware alone . additionally , although aspects of the present invention are described as being stored in memory , one skilled in the art will appreciate that these aspects can also be stored on other types of computer - readable media , such as secondary storage devices , for example , hard disks , floppy disks , or cd - rom ; the internet or other propagation medium ; or other forms of ram or rom .	6
unless specifically defined otherwise , all technical or 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 any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention , the preferred methods and materials are now described . as used herein the term aphenolic @ is an adjective meaning a member of the class of phenols . aphenols @ means the class of aromatic compounds in which one or more hydroxyl groups are attached directly to a benzene ring . examples of phenols include phenol , cresol and resorcinol . abiomass - derived phenols @ include the compounds known as guaiacol , syringol , isoeugenol and vanillin . the process uses a metal oxide , such as titanium dioxide , for the selective adsorption and removal of phenolic compounds from an aqueous solution , such as a biomass - hydrolyzate medium . dissolved sugars in the solution are thereby concentrated . adsorption is highly selective , and provides an efficient method for the fractionation of a biomass - hydrolyzate , 90 % of the hydrolyzate = s dissolved lignin being removed without a measurable decrease in the solution = s dissolved sugar concentration . selectivity is attributable to the metal oxide = s preferential binding with those oxygen molecules which are located on adjacent ( ortho ) carbons of the aromatic ring structures . with reference now to fig1 the starting material is a biomass hydrolysis liquor 1 . the hydrolysis liquor 1 is mixed in contacting step 4 , as a suspension , with a metal oxide 2 , such as a norton chemical process products corporation , akron , ohio high - surface - area tio 2 ⅛ ″ extrudate type xt25384 . high separation efficiency is generally achieved by using an amount or weight ( wt ) of tio 2 , which is twice the estimated phenol content of the liquor . this ratio varies , however , with the form , source , active surface area , and liquid - contact surface area of the tio 2 , to be used . separation efficiency also varies with the age of the aqueous mixture and source of the biomass . producing hydrolyzate under conditions of high severity also reduces the separation efficiency . selective adsorpting step 6 is accomplished using all grades of tio 2 . the rate and efficiency of the adsorption of aromatic compounds with tio 2 is dependent upon the tio 2 active surface area . anatase titanium dioxide , preferable to the rutile form , may be of any high - surface - area formulation , including powders , thin - films , sol - gel crystals , and extruded pellets . vanadium oxide and zirconium oxide , and at ph in a range of greater than 7 . 0 manganese dioxide , silica , and alumina , may also be used . depending upon the quantity of the aromatic compounds to be removed , a batch reaction vessel or plug flow reactor may be used as an adsorption vessel . in a batch reactor , the retention time is preferably 30 minutes . in a plug flow column , the retention time is preferably 15 minutes . these retention times typically result in a separation of up to 90 - weight % of the aromatics from the hydrolyzate 1 . longer retention times are desirable where the separation is carried out at a low ph . for example , the adsorption is slower in the ph range of 2 - 6 and occurs more rapidly when the ph is in the range of 7 - 10 . the process retains its efficiency and selectivity throughout a temperature in the range of 20 □ c .- 90 ° c . performing the selective adsorption under conditions of elevated temperature and ph does not affect adsorption selectivity relative to the carbohydrate fraction . however , above ph 6 , some carbohydrate degradation products , such as 5 -( hydroxymethyl ) furfural and furfural , are also adsorbed on the metal oxide surface . at combinations of higher ph and temperature some entrainment of soluble salts occurs on the metal oxide surface when the hydrolyzate 1 and metal oxide 2 mixture contains salts having a lower solubility at higher temperatures , such as calcium sulfate . raising both the temperature and the ph does not affect the adsorption selectivity of this process for lignin . after contacting the hydrolyzate and metal oxide , adsorption preferably includes agitating the mixture for a time sufficient to allow the colloidal particles to deposit on the tio 2 particulate surfaces , as indicated by a clearing of the suspension , and allowing the suspension to settle at room temperature for 1 hour . the adsorbed complex is then separated in separation step 8 . separation may by accomplished using a glass - fiber filter . the carbohydrate fraction of the hydrolysis liquor is contained in the sugars filtrate 10 . a unique aspect of the invention is its high separation selectivity for lignin in an aqueous hydrolysis liquor having an excess of monomer sugars . more than 90 % of the solubilized lignin can be removed from the hydrolyzate without any loss of glucose or xylose . when using tio 2 extruded pellets as an adsorbent , a slight concentration effect is observed during the adsorption process . this effect may be due to hydration of the metal oxide and the exclusion of sugars from the metal oxide = s surface . solid state nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of lignin model compounds , adsorbed on the tio 2 surface , has suggested that the lignin selectivity is due , at least in part , to an affinity of titanium for adjacent oxygen molecules which are located on the aromatic ring structure of the adsorbed substrates . it has been found that , through chemical shifts in 13 c nmr between lignin model compounds both before and after complexation with titanium alkoxides , these molecules bind preferentially through the phenolic oxygen and the oxygen of the adjacent methoxyl group . the biomass - derived aromatic substituents have two main substitution patterns , commonly known as guaiacyl and syringyl , which contain the functional groups necessary for the selective fractionation . although titanium , and many other transition metals , are known to be highly oxyphilic , the affinity of this functionality for these metal oxides is so strong that in the presence of these aromatic compounds , even highly oxygenated carbohydrate - derived compounds are excluded from the metal oxide surface . the process may also include a regeneration step 14 . in this step , the tio 2 adsorbents are easily regenerated using combustion of the complex at 400 ° c . for 15 minutes . an estimated 100 - 500 regeneration cycles may be utilized without a significant reduction in adsorption capacity or selectivity . it is preferred to regenerate the tio 2 at a temperature of less than 600 ° c . in order to avoid an anatase to rutile form conversion , which decreases the metal oxide = s capacity for adsorption . a simple regeneration wash step using dilute sulfuric acid may also be used to increase the lifetime of tio 2 adsorbents when the contacting step 4 is carried out at a high ph . when using a ph greater that 7 , an additional step of acid washing the adsorbent is desirable . regeneration of a manganese dioxide adsorbent has also been demonstrated at 575 ° c . for 15 minutes . this example illustrates the process of removing phenolic compounds from an aqueous biomass hydrolysis liquor using tio 2 as the metal oxide . the hydrolysis liquor was an acid hydrolyzate of hybrid yellow poplar . in this example the following three samples were prepared . sample no . 1 was prepared by mixing a 50 ml aliquot , of a well mixed hydrolysis liquor containing a larger amount of suspended solids , in contact with 10 grams of norton high - surface - area tio 2 , in a 100 ml beaker . the sample was agitated by hand for approximately 5 minutes . until the mixture became clear ( colloidal particulates deposited on the surface of the tio 2 ). the mixture was allowed to settle at room temperature for 1 hour . the tio 2 mixture was filtered through a glass watman gfc filter and the filtrate was stored in a glass container . samples nos . 2 and 3 were prepared by mixing a 50 ml aliquot , of a well - mixed hydrolysis liquor again containing a large amount of suspended solids , in contact with 10 grams of high surface area tio 2 in a 100 ml beaker . unlike sample no . 1 , the tio 2 in sample no . 2 was left in solution without stirring at room temperature for 8 hours ( sample no . 2 ) prior to the removal of the tio 2 phenolic - adsorption - complex , by gravity filtration . half of the liquid ( 20 ml ) was decanted and filtered for analysis , and the other half of the solution was retained in contact with the tio 2 overnight ( sample no . 3 ). the beaker was covered with aluminum foil to minimize evaporation . after 20 hours , the remaining liquid of sample no . 3 , was decanted from the tio 2 complex and filtered through a watman gfc glass filter . the filtrates for each sample were diluted in dilute h 2 so 4 and analyzed for their phenol concentrations by measuring uv absorbency at 204 nm . in addition , the glucose concentration of the filtrate was measured for each sample using a yellow springs instruments glucose analyzer . the results of this example are summarized in table 1 . in the table , most of the adsorption occurs within the first hour and very little change is observed in either adsorption or selectivity with prolonged exposure . the absorbance at 204 nm ( measured using a ultra - violet / visible spectrometer ) reflects the concentration of the phenolic compounds remaining in the treated liquor . the absorbance at 282 nm reflects the concentration of furfural and 5 -( hydroxymethyl ) furfural . the dilution factor ( d ) was the dilution used to bring the solution to a concentration where the absorbency is proportional to the concentration . while the present invention has been illustrated and described with reference to particular structures and methods , it will be apparent that other changes and modifications can be made therein with the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	1
a description will now be given of a magnetic disk apparatus in the first embodiment of the present invention , with reference to fig3 through 5 . hereinafter , the dimensions of a magnetic disk apparatus and its component parts in the vertical direction , in the horizontal transversal direction , and in the horizontal longitudinal direction will be referred to as the height , the width , and the length , respectively , for the sake of convenience . fig3 is an exploded view of a magnetic disk apparatus 50 in the first embodiment of the present invention . this apparatus 50 is built by combining a 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 and a 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 into a one - piece unit . a front panel 55 is arranged to cover the front of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 and the front of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 . fig4 shows an assembled condition of the magnetic disk apparatus 50 . in fig4 the front panel 55 has at its lower portion an insertion opening 53 through which a 5 - inch disk cartridge 40 is inserted , and has at its upper portion an insertion opening 54 through which a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 41 is inserted . the height of the front panel 55 is the same as the height of the front panel of the conventional magnetic disk apparatus . in fig3 the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 is assembled by fitting a disk motor 57 , a head carriage unit 58 , and a disk clamp unit 59 onto a die - cast chassis 56 . the chassis 56 has side walls 60 at sides thereof , and each of the side walls 60 has two supporting columns 61 attached to the side wall . each of the four supporting columns 61 has a top surface 61a , and a threaded hole 62 is formed in the middle of the top surface . as a chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 is wide enough to cover the top of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 , the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 has no top plate covering an entire top area of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 . fig5 is an exploded view of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 of the first embodiment shown in fig3 . in fig5 a slider 71 , a holder 72 , and a top cover 73 are fitted together on the chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 . each of the slider 71 and the holder 72 has a size equivalent to the size of the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 52 . the chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 has a width w1 that is equivalent to the width of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 , as shown in fig5 . the chassis 70 has holder supporting portions 75 and 76 and extended surface portions 77 and 78 . the supporting portions 75 and 76 vertically extend and the holder 72 is supported on the holder supporting portions 75 and 76 when the holder 72 is fitted onto the chassis 70 . the chassis 70 is wider than the holder 72 in the horizontal transversal direction . the extended surface portions 77 and 78 horizontally extend from around the holder supporting portions 75 and 76 in the horizontal transversal direction respectively . a disk motor 80 and a head carriage unit 79 for the 3 . 5 - inch disk are arranged in the middle of the chassis 70 . the chassis 70 is formed integrally with four leg portions 81 which transversely extend from both the sides of the chassis 70 . the height of the chassis 70 in the magnetic disk apparatus 50 is approximately equal to the height of the chassis in the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 14 . in order to increase the stiffness of the chassis 70 having the width w1 , the chassis 70 is formed at its front edge with a reinforcement rib 84 , as shown in fig5 . when the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 is arranged on the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 , the leg portions 81 are brought into contact with the top surfaces of the supporting columns 61 of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 . four machine screws 82 are fitted into the threaded holes 62 of the supporting columns 61 and fastened so that the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 is firmly attached to the top of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 . the top surface of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 is covered with the chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 after the assembly mentioned above is performed . the height of the chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 , arranged on the top of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 , is essentially the same as the height of the chassis of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit in the above conventional magnetic disk apparatus . performance of adjusting operations for the parts of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 is necessary only once after the disk drive unit 52 is attached to the disk drive unit 51 . in fig5 a positioning screw 85 is provided in a hole in the chassis 70 , and this screw is used to adjust the fitted position of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 over the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 . the positioning screw 85 is located in the extended surface portion 78 of the chassis 70 , and the hole thereof is exposed at a location outwardly deviating from the side of the holder 72 . an index mark on the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 can be easily viewed from above through the hole of the positioning screw 85 after the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 is fitted on the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 . thus , the fitted position of the disk drive unit 52 to the disk drive unit 51 can be easily and accurately adjusted by loosening and re - tightening the positioning screw 85 . the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 includes a motor base 74 to which the disk motor 80 is attached . the motor base 74 is provided on the bottom of the chassis 70 , and an upper portion of the disk motor 80 is exposed from an opening 80a of the chassis 70 over the surface of the chassis 70 . as the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 does not require a top plate , the chassis 70 can have a height sufficient to enable the disk motor 80 to be included in the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 while satisfying the need for a magnetic disk apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost . further , the motor base 74 on the bottom of the disk motor 80 comes into contact with the top of the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 . the disk motor 80 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 comprises a rotating shaft rotatably supported by a set of bearings , a ring - like permanent magnet fixed to the inside peripheral wall of a yoke , and a stator coil with its iron core arranged on the motor base 74 . as the disk drive unit 51 has no top plate , the height of the disk motor 80 can be increased to a height greater than that of the above conventional device . in order to satisfy the need for a magnetic disk device which is compact and to maintain the required magnetic characteristics of the disk motor , it is necessary that the permanent magnet of the conventional device be reduced in thickness by increasing a concentration of a certain component element in the permanent magnet . however , increasing the concentration of the above component element in the permanent magnet makes the manufacturing cost of the conventional device high . in the first embodiment of the present invention , the disk motor 80 can have a sufficient thickness without the need to increase the concentration of the above component element in the permanent magnet . further , it is possible to satisfy the need for a magnetic disk apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost and to realize an efficient assembly of the apparatus with a smaller number of manufactured parts . a sheet plate of the chassis 70 in the first embodiment may be thicker than a sheet plate of the chassis in the conventional device in fig1 a . thus , the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 having the chassis 70 in the first embodiment can have a higher vibration resistance than the above conventional device . the bottom of the motor base 74 in the first embodiment is located at a position equivalent to the position of the bottom of the top plate 13 of the conventional device in fig1 a . the motor base 74 can be located at a position that is lower than the position of the motor base of the above conventional device by a height equivalent to the height of the top plate 13 . as the position of the motor base 74 in the first embodiment can be lower than the position of the motor base in the above conventional device , the height of the disk motor 80 in the first embodiment can be greater than the height of the disk motor in the above conventional device . thus , it is not necessary to make the thickness of the permanent magnet of the disk motor 80 smaller by using a permanent magnet with an increased concentration of the above component element in the permanent magnet . further , the permanent magnet of the disk motor 80 is inexpensive as compared with the permanent magnet of the disk motor in the above conventional device , and the thickness of the permanent magnet in the first embodiment is greater than the thickness of the permanent magnet in the above conventional device . in addition , because of the increased height of the disk motor 80 , the number of turns of wires of the stator coil of the disk motor 80 in the first embodiment can be made greater than the number of turns of wires of the stator coil of the disk motor in the above conventional device . accordingly , the disk motor 80 in the first embodiment is inexpensive as compared with the disk motor in the above conventional device . further , since the 5 - inch disk drive unit 51 in the first embodiment has no top plate and it is necessary to perform the adjusting operations for the parts of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 only once , the manufacturing cost of the first embodiment is remarkably less than the manufacturing cost of the conventional device . in addition , the number of the required parts of the magnetic disk apparatus 50 in the first embodiment is less than that of the conventional device . next , a description will be given of a slider latching mechanism of a conventional disk drive device , with reference to fig2 a , for the sake of comparative analysis with the present invention . fig2 a shows a slider latching mechanism of a conventional disk drive device . generally , a slider and a holder are arranged on a chassis of the disk drive device , and the slider is latched at a given latch position by using a latch lever . when a disk cartridge is inserted into the disk drive device and the disk cartridge is held by the holder , the latch lever is pushed by the disk cartridge to make the slider slide in an insertion direction . after the disk cartridge is inserted and held by the holder , the slider is latched by the latch lever . when an eject button is depressed , the slider is released from the latch lever and the disk cartridge in the holder is ejected from the disk drive device . in fig2 a , a chassis 141 of the disk drive unit 14 has a surface plate 141a , and a drive motor 142 which is projecting from a motor base ( not shown ) is arranged on the surface plate 141a from an opening of the surface plate 141a . a mounting pin 140 is arranged on the surface plate 141a at a given position , and a latch lever 143 is fitted onto the mounting pin 140 on the surface plate 141a . the latch lever 143 comprises a pair of supporting holes 143a and 143b and a contact portion 143c . the mounting pin 140 is inserted into the supporting holes 143a and 143b of the latch lever 143 so that the latch lever 143 is rotatably supported by the mounting pin 140 on the chassis 141 . when a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge when it is inserted in the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 14 , the leading edge of the disk cartridge is brought into contact with the contact portion 143c of the latch lever 143 . that is , the contact portion 143c is pushed by the disk cartridge when it is inserted . in the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit in fig2 a , a torsion spring 144 , a ring mounting member 145 and an e - ring 146 are attached to the latch lever 143 . the torsion spring 144 is provided to give a biasing force to rotate the latch lever 143 around the pin 140 . the e - ring 146 is attached to the latch lever 143 by using the ring mounting member 145 . in order to prevent the removal of the latch lever 143 from the chassis 141 , it is necessary that the e - ring 146 be attached to the latch lever 143 . there is the need for a magnetic disk apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost , which apparatus is built by combining two disk drive units of different types into a single unit . however , it is necessary to fit together various parts to assemble the above conventional device including the slider latching mechanism , which assembly of the above conventional device is time consuming and somewhat difficult to perform . next , a description will be given of the magnetic disk apparatus in the second embodiment of the present invention , with reference to figs . 6 through 8 . the magnetic disk apparatus in the second embodiment includes a slider latching mechanism which enables efficient assembly of the apparatus with a smaller number of manufactured parts while satisfying the need for the apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost . fig6 shows a 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit of the magnetic disk apparatus in the second embodiment . in fig6 a slider 71 , a holder 72 and a cover 73 are arranged on a die - cast chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit . each of the slider 71 , the holder 72 and the cover 73 has a size equivalent to that of the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 41 . in fig6 a disk motor 80 and a head carriage unit 79 are arranged on the chassis 70 so that the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 accesses a 3 . 5 - inch disk contained in the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge . the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 includes a motor base on which the disk motor 80 is mounted . the motor base is provided on the bottom of the chassis 70 , and an upper portion of the disk motor 80 is arranged from an opening 80a of the chassis 70 on the surface of the chassis 70 . the motor base is electrically connected to an input / output interface board via a connecting cord . fig7 a and 7b show a latch lever 240 which is rotatably supported on the chassis 70 in fig6 . the latch lever 240 serves to latch the slider 71 at a given latch position on the chassis 70 . in fig7 a and 7b , the latch lever 240 comprises a rotating body 251 , a central hole 252 , a contact portion 253 , and an engagement portion 255 . the rotating body 251 is rotatable around the central hole 252 . the contact portion 253 is pushed by the leading edge of the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge when it is inserted . the engagement portion 255 is slidably engaged with the chassis 70 . as shown in fig6 the latch lever 240 is arranged on the chassis 70 with a coil spring 241 . the latch lever 240 further comprises a hook portion 254 . the coil spring 241 is connected at one end with the hook portion 254 , and is connected at the other end with a side wall 70a of the chassis 70 . the chassis 70 is formed with a projection 238 and a semi - circular guide opening 239 in the surface plate 70c at given positions . the central hole 252 of the latch lever is fitted into the projection 238 , and the engagement portion 255 of the latch lever is slidably engaged with the guide opening 239 of the chassis . as shown in fig7 a and 7b , the engagement portion 255 of the latch lever 40 is l - shaped in its cross - section . the engagement portion 255 extends outward and downward from the bottom of the rotating body 251 , and the hook portion 254 extends upward from the rotating body 251 . the latch lever 240 further comprises a pawl portion 256 which is engaged with the slider 71 to latch the slider 71 on the chassis 70 . in fig6 the slider 71 is arranged on the chassis 70 . the slider 71 includes side walls 61a and 61b . each of the side walls 61a and 61b is formed with two guide opening portions 62 which are slanted with respect to the horizontal direction . the slider 71 includes an eject portion 63 and an extended portion 65 at front and rear edges of the side wall 61a . the slider 71 is integrally formed with a connecting portion 64 in the side wall 61a . the eject portion 63 is connected with an eject button of the magnetic disk unit . the connecting portion 64 is connected with the pawl portion 256 of the latch lever . fig8 shows an assembled condition of the latch lever 240 on the chassis 70 in fig6 . in the assembled condition , the extended portion 65 of the slider 71 is located over the central hole 252 of the latch lever in order to prevent the removal of the latch lever 240 from the chassis 70 . the connecting portion 64 of the slider is formed with a step on the slider , and a downwardly bent pawl 64a is formed at a given position of the connecting portion 64 . when the latch lever 240 is rotated by a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge being inserted , the pawl portion 256 of the latch lever 240 is connected with the pawl 64a of the connecting portion 64 so that the slider 71 is latched by the latch lever 240 . if the latch lever 240 is rotated by the coil spring 241 or the inserted disk cartridge , the removal of the latch lever 240 from the chassis 70 can be prevented by means of the engagement portion 255 and the extended portion 65 in the second embodiment . fitting the e - ring 146 on the latch lever 143 on the disk drive unit 14 using the ring mounting member 145 , as shown in fig2 a , is not needed . thus , the second embodiment enables efficient assembly of the magnetic disk apparatus with a smaller number of manufactured parts while the need for the apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost is satisfied . unlike the disk drive unit 14 in fig2 a , the disk drive unit 52 in the second embodiment includes the chassis 70 which is formed with the projection 238 having a low height , and it does not require the pin 140 having a relatively great height on the chassis . thus , the second embodiment enables efficient assembly of the magnetic disk apparatus while the need for the apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost . in fig6 the chassis 70 has holder supporting portions 75 and 76 . the supporting portions 75 and 76 vertically extend from the surface of the chassis 70 , and the holder 72 is supported on the holder supporting portions 75 and 76 after the holder 72 is arranged on the chassis 70 . the holder 72 includes two transversely extending ribs 72c on each of the side walls 72a and 72b . the ribs 72c of the holder are connected with the guide portions 62 of the slider 71 so that the slider 71 guides the holder 72 to enable a vertical movement of the holder within the disk drive unit 52 . an arch - like shutter lever 74 is arranged with a spring 74c on the holder 72 . the shutter lever 74 is rotatable around a shaft 74a . the spring 74c is connected at one end to the holder 72 and connected at the other end to the shutter lever 74 . the spring 74c gives a biasing force to maintain the original position of the shutter lever 74 . the leading edge of the shutter lever 74 is guided along the periphery of a slot 74b in the holder 72 . when a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge is inserted into the disk drive unit 52 , a shutter of the inserted disk cartridge is opened by the shutter lever 74 . next , a description will be given of a slider braking mechanism of a conventional disk drive device , with reference to fig2 b , for the sake of comparative analysis with the present invention . fig2 b shows a slider braking mechanism of a conventional 3 . 5 - inch disk drive device . in fig2 b , a slider 310 and a latch lever 312 are arranged on a chassis ( not shown ) of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit . the latch lever 312 is rotatably supported on the chassis . a spring - 314 connected to the chassis provides a biasing force to rotate the latch lever 312 . the slider 310 is slidable on the chassis in directions indicated by arrows x1 and x2 in fig2 b . a return spring 311 connected to the chassis gives a biasing force to draw back the slider 310 in the direction indicated by the arrow x1 . the slider 310 includes an upwardly extending hook 310a , and the latch lever 312 includes an arm portion 312a . in fig2 b , the slider 3 , 10 is latched by the latch lever 312 at a latch position where the arm portion 312a is connected with the hook 310a . the slider braking mechanism in fig2 b includes an oil damper 313 . the oil damper 313 has a case and a fin whose shaft is rotatable within oil enclosed in the case . the fin of the oil damper 313 is engaged with a rack portion 310b of the slider 310 . when a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 320 is inserted into the disk drive unit and held in a holder ( not shown ), an upwardly extending portion 312b of the latch lever 312 is pushed by the leading edge of the inserted disk cartridge . the latch lever 312 is thus rotated against the biasing force of the spring 314 . the arm portion 312a of the latch lever 312 at this time is released from the hook 310a of the slider 310 , and the slider is moved relative to the chassis in the direction x1 because of the biasing force of the return spring 311 . as the slider 310 is moved relative to the chassis in the direction x1 , the holder in which the disk cartridge 320 is held is lowered relative to the chassis , so that a 3 . 5 - inch disk contained in the disk cartridge 320 is set to a read / write position within the disk drive unit . generally , an oil damper is expensive , and the manufacturing cost of the disk drive unit becomes high if the oil damper is used by the disk drive unit . the oil damper 313 serves to brake the slider 310 when the slider 310 is moved relative to the chassis in the direction x1 . the braking action of the oil damper 313 helps the slider 310 be slowly moved in the direction x1 . thus , the disk in the disk cartridge 320 can be set to the read / write position at an appropriate speed . however , the viscosity of the oil used in the oil damper 313 varies depending on the ambient temperature . therefore , the braking performance of the oil damper 313 also varies depending on the ambient temperature of the environment where the magnetic disk apparatus is placed . for example , when the ambient temperature is low , the braking force provided by the oil damper 313 is increased . the moving speed of the slider 310 at this time is extremely low , and it is accordingly difficult to set the disk in the disk cartridge 320 to the read / write position . the center hole of the disk at this time may not completely fitted into a rotating shaft of a disk motor within the disk drive unit , which will cause a trouble of the reading / writing of the disk in the disk drive unit . next , a description will be given of the magnetic disk apparatus in the third embodiment of the present invention , with reference to fig9 through 11 . the magnetic disk apparatus in the third embodiment includes a slider braking mechanism to enable a safe and reliable setting of an inserted disk cartridge within the apparatus by braking a sliding movement of the slider , and is designed to satisfy the need for the apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost . fig1 shows a 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit of the magnetic disk apparatus in the third embodiment . in fig1 , a slider 71 , a holder 72 and a cover 73 are arranged on a chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit . each of the slider 71 , the holder 72 and the cover 73 is arranged according to the size equivalent to the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 41 . the disk drive unit in fig1 is essentially the same as those shown in fig5 and 6 , except that a slider braking mechanism including a torsion coil spring 101 is arranged in the extended surface portion 78 of the chassis 70 . the torsion coil spring 101 has a portion which is connected with or released from the slider when it is moved relative to the chassis . similarly to the second embodiment described above , the magnetic disk apparatus in the third embodiment is built by combining two disk drive units of different types into a single unit . the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit in the third embodiment includes a latch lever 240 which is rotatably supported on the chassis 70 . the latch lever 240 serves to latch the slider 71 at a given latch position on the chassis 70 . the latch lever 240 comprises a rotating body 251 , a central hole 252 , a contact portion 253 , and an engagement portion 255 . the rotating body 251 is rotatable around the central hole 252 . the contact portion 253 is pushed by the leading edge of the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge when it is inserted . the engagement portion 255 is slidably engaged with the chassis 70 . the latch lever 240 is arranged on the chassis 70 with a coil spring 241 . the latch lever 240 comprises a hook portion 254 . the coil spring 241 is connected at one end with the hook portion 254 , and is connected at the other end with a side wall 70a of the chassis 70 . the chassis 70 is formed with a projection 238 and a semi - circular guide opening 239 in the surface plate 70c at given positions . the central hole 252 of the latch lever is fitted into the projection 238 , and the engagement portion 255 of the latch lever is slidably engaged with the guide opening 239 of the chassis . the engagement portion 255 of the latch lever 40 is l - shaped in a vertical cross - section . the engagement portion 255 is extending outward and projects downward from the rotating body 251 , and the hook portion 254 is extending upward from the rotating body 251 . the latch lever 240 further comprises a pawl portion 256 which is engaged with the slider 71 to latch the slider 71 on the chassis 70 . the slider 71 is arranged on the chassis 70 . the slider 71 includes side walls 61a and 61b . each of the side walls 61a and 61b is formed with two guide opening portions 62 which are slanting with respect to the horizontal direction . the slider 71 includes an eject portion 63 and an extended portion 65 at front and rear edges of the side wall 61a . the slider 71 is integrally formed with a connecting portion 64 in the side wall 61a . the eject portion 63 is connected with an eject button of the magnetic disk unit . the connecting portion 64 is connected with the pawl portion 256 of the latch lever . in an assembled condition of the latch lever 240 , the extended portion 65 of the slider 71 is located over the central hole 252 of the latch lever in order to prevent the removal of the latch lever 240 from the chassis 70 . the connecting portion 64 of the slider is formed with a step on the slider , and a downwardly bent pawl 64a is formed at a given position of the connecting portion 64 . when the latch lever 240 is rotated by a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge being inserted , the pawl portion 256 of the latch lever 240 is connected with the pawl 64a of the connecting portion 64 so that the slider 71 is latched by the latch lever 240 . when a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge is inserted into the disk drive unit and held by the holder 72 , the contact portion 253 of the latch lever 240 is pushed by the leading edge of the inserted disk cartridge . the latch lever 312 is rotated against the biasing force of the spring 241 . the connecting portion 256 of the latch lever 240 at this time is released from the hook 64a of the slider 71 , the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction indicated by the arrow x1 in fig1 because of a biasing force of a return spring . as the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 , the holder 72 in which the disk cartridge is held is lowered relative to the chassis 70 in the direction indicated by the arrow z1 in fig1 , so that a 3 . 5 - inch disk contained in the disk cartridge is set to a read / write position within the disk drive unit . when the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 , a slider braking mechanism 100 of the third embodiment serves to brake the slider 71 . the braking action of the slider braking mechanism 100 helps the slider 71 be slowly moved in the direction x1 , and the disk in the disk cartridge can be set to the read / write position at an appropriate speed . fig9 shows the slider braking mechanism 100 of the magnetic disk apparatus in the third embodiment . fig1 is a side view of the slider braking mechanism taken along a line a -- a in fig9 . in fig1 , the side wall 70b shown in fig9 is omitted . fig1 a and 13a show a condition of the slider braking mechanism 100 when the slider 71 is not moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 . fig1 d and 13d show a condition of the slider braking mechanism 100 after the sliding movement of the slider 71 is completed . fig1 b and 13b show an intermediate condition of the slider braking mechanism 100 in the course of the sliding movement of the slider 71 . fig1 c and 13c show an intermediate condition of the slider braking mechanism 100 when the braking force of the torsion coil spring to brake the slider 71 is canceled . in fig9 the position of the torsion coil spring 101 when the slider 71 is not moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 is indicated by solid lines , and the position of the torsion coil spring 101 after the sliding movement of the slider 71 is completed is indicated by two - dot chain lines . in fig9 and 11 , the slider braking mechanism 100 comprises the torsion coil spring 101 , an upwardly extending pin 102 of the chassis 70 , and a machine screw 102 . the torsion coil spring 101 includes a coil portion 101a , a first arm portion 101b extending from the coil portion 101a , and a second arm portion 101c extending from the coil portion 101a in the direction opposite to the first arm portion 101b . the coil portion 101a is fitted into the pin 102 of the chassis 70 , and the screw 103 is fastened to the pin 102 so as to prevent the removal of the torsion coil spring 101 from the pin 102 . the first arm portion 101b is connected with the side wall 70b of the chassis 70 . as shown in fig9 and 11 , the second arm portion 101c of the torsion coil spring 101 is shaped into a predetermined three - dimensional figure by bending . the second arm portion 101c comprises a u - shaped part 101c - 1 around the coil portion 101a , and an l - shaped part 101c - 2 at a leading edge of the torsion coil spring 101 . the l - shaped part 101c - 2 includes a vertical segment 101c - 3 and a horizontal segment 101c - 4 . in fig9 an l - shaped slit 104 is formed at a left corner portion of the slider 71 . the l - shaped slit 104 comprises a longitudinally extending first slit portion 104a , and a second slit portion 104b which is transversely extending from an edge of the first slit portion 104a . the first slit portion 104a is longer than a stroke of the sliding movement of the slider 71 in the directions x1 and x2 in fig9 . the second slit portion 104b has an edge 104b - 1 . the chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit 52 includes a guide opening 105 at a location corresponding to the location of the l - shaped slit 104 of the slider 71 . the guide opening 105 has a guide edge 105a . the guide edge 105a of the guide opening 105 is formed into a generally straight line , and the line of the guide edge 105a is preset to be slanting , so that it is at an angle &# 34 ; α &# 34 ; ( approximately 50 °) with the direction x1 in which the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 . in other words , the chassis 70 is formed with the guide opening 105 such that the guide edge 105a generally extends along an arc drawn around the u - shaped part 101c - 1 as the center of the arc . fig9 a and 13a show the condition of the slider braking mechanism 100 when the slider 71 is not moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 . the second slit portion 104b of the slider at this time matches with the guide opening 105 . the l - shaped part 101c - 2 of the second arm portion passes through the second slit portion 104b of the slider and the guide opening 105 of the chassis 70 . the horizontal segment 101c - 4 at the leading edge of the second arm portion is placed under the bottom of the chassis 70 , so as to prevent the removal of the torsion coil spring 101 from the slider 71 and the chassis 70 . the vertical segment 101c - 3 of the torsion coil spring is placed at the right corner of the edge 104b - 1 of the l - shaped slit 104 of the slider , so as to prevent the slider 71 from being moved in both the direction x2 and the direction y2 . in fig9 the second arm portion 101c is resiliently deformed in the direction x1 , and the slider 71 is moved in the direction x2 due to the biasing force given by the torsion coil spring 101 . when the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 41 is inserted into the disk drive unit 52 , the latch lever is released from the slider 71 , and the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 due to a biasing force of a coil spring . a position of the rear edge of the slider 71 before the sliding movement mentioned above is indicated by &# 34 ; s1 &# 34 ; in fig9 a - 12d and 13a - 13d . the slider 71 has two stages of the sliding movements in the direction x1 . in the first stage ( fig1 a - 12c and fig1 a - 13c ), the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 while the biasing force from the torsion coil spring 101 so as to move the slider 71 in the opposite direction x2 is applied to the slider 71 . in the second stage ( fig1 c - 12d and fig1 c - 13d ), the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 while no biasing force from the torsion coil spring 101 is applied to the slider 71 . as shown in fig1 b and 13b , the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 against the biasing force given by the torsion coil spring 101 . during this sliding movement , the vertical segment 101c - 3 of the torsion coil spring is pushed by the edge 104b - 1 of the second slit portion 104b of the slider 71 , and the vertical segment 101c - 3 is guided by the guide edge 105a of the chassis . in other words , when the slider 71 is sliding in the direction x1 , a braking force from the slider braking mechanism 100 is applied to the slider 71 so as to move the slider 71 at an decreasing sliding speed . as shown in fig1 c and 13c , the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 to reach a position at which the vertical segment 101c - 3 of the torsion coil spring 101 is separated from the edge 104b - 1 of the second slit portion 104b of the slider 71 . a position of the rear edge of the slider 71 in this condition is indicated by &# 34 ; s2 &# 34 ; in fig1 c - 12d and 13c - 13d . as shown in fig1 d and 13d , after the vertical segment 101c - 3 is separated from the edge 104b - 1 , the biasing force given by the slider braking mechanism 100 is not applied to the slider 71 , and the slider 71 is further moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 at an increasing speed to a rear end position of the slider 71 on the chassis 70 . the rear end position of the slider 71 in this condition is indicated by &# 34 ; s3 &# 34 ; in fig1 d and 13d . the vertical segment 101c - 3 of the torsion coil spring 101 at this position is within the first slit portion 104a of the slider 71 . as the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 at a prescribed speed to the rear end position , the holder 72 is moved down relative to the chassis 70 in the direction z1 at the prescribed speed . therefore , the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge held by the holder 72 can be set to the read / write position within the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit with no interference between the parts of the disk drive unit being caused . as the biasing force from the slider braking mechanism 100 is not applied to the slider 71 , the slider can be moved to the rear end position at the prescribed sliding speed . as the slider braking mechanism 100 described above has the torsion coil spring 101 , the characteristics of the slider braking mechanism 100 are not influenced by any change in the ambient temperature of the magnetic disk apparatus , even when the temperature of the environment in which the magnetic disk apparatus is placed is very low . unlike the oil damper in the above conventional device , the slider braking mechanism 100 described above is inexpensive and serves to stably and safely set the inserted 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge to the read / write position within the disk drive unit while it is not influenced by any change in the ambient temperature of the magnetic disk apparatus . when an eject button of the magnetic disk apparatus is depressed , the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x2 . after the disk cartridge is ejected from the magnetic disk apparatus , the slider 71 is returned back to the position s1 in fig9 . the sequence of sliding movements of the slider 71 at that time is opposite to that of the sliding movements of the slider shown in fig1 a - 12d and 13a - 13d , but the slider braking mechanism 100 at that time has no braking effect on the slider 71 . the slider braking mechanism 100 including the torsion coil spring 101 shown in fig1 has a structure which satisfies the need for the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit which is compact , and the torsion coil spring 101 is inexpensive as compared with the oil damper . in the third embodiment described above , it is possible that a magnetic disk apparatus designed to satisfy the need for the apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost has a slider braking mechanism which enables a safe and reliable setting of an inserted disk cartridge in the apparatus . next , a description will be given of a cartridge impact preventing mechanism of a conventional disk drive unit , with reference to fig2 c , for the sake of comparative analysis with a fourth embodiment of the present invention . fig2 c is a cross sectional view of the cartridge impact preventing mechanism taken along a transversal line in the above conventional device . the cartridge impact preventing mechanism in fig2 c includes a transversely movable guide member , a rotatably supported l - shaped lever , and a projecting portion of a chassis of a 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit . the guide member includes at its leading edge a guide portion which a disk cartridge is brought into contact with . the l - shaped lever is provided between the guide portion and a slider of the disk drive unit . in fig2 c , the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit includes the chassis 414 , the holder 418 , and a head carriage unit 416 . the guide portion 411a of the guide member is placed on the top of the projecting portion 415 on the chassis 414 , and the top of the guide member 411 is arranged at a position within the disk drive unit slightly higher than the top of a lower magnetic head 417 on the head carriage unit 416 . when a 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 441 is inserted into the holder 418 , the inserted disk cartridge is placed on the top of the guide member 411 . the guide member 411 serves to prevent the disk cartridge from hitting the lower magnetic head 417 . however , the cartridge impact preventing mechanism mentioned above is comprised of too many parts : the guide member , the l - shaped lever and the projecting portion . the above mentioned mechanism of the conventional device requires a relatively large space to incorporate the mechanism in the disk drive unit . as the guide member is arranged on the top of the projecting portion arranged on the chassis , the above conventional mechanism requires a relatively large height to be provided within the disk drive unit . thus , it is difficult to satisfy the need for the magnetic disk apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost . next , a description will be given of a cartridge impact preventing mechanism of a magnetic disk apparatus in a fourth embodiment of the present invention , with reference to fig1 through 19b . fig1 , 18a and 19a show a condition of the cartridge impact preventing mechanism in the fourth embodiment before a disk cartridge is inserted . fig1 , 18b and 19b show a condition of the cartridge impact preventing mechanism after the disk cartridge is inserted and set to the read / write position . fig1 shows a 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit of the magnetic disk apparatus in which the cartridge impact preventing mechanism in fig1 is incorporated . in fig1 , the head carriage unit 79 is supported on the chassis 70 of the 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit . the head carriage unit 79 includes a lower arm portion 185 and an upper arm portion 186 , and , on the lower arm portion 185 , there is provided a magnetic head 187 via a gimbal plate 188 . the chassis 70 in the fourth embodiment includes an opening 191 in the vicinity of the front end of the head carriage unit 79 , and this opening 191 includes a slanting surface 192 . the opening 191 of the chassis is formed so that a cartridge guide portion 144 , which will be described below , is engaged with the opening 191 . the slanting surface 192 of the opening 191 is arranged so that the cartridge guide portion 144 is smoothly disengaged from the opening 191 of the chassis . fig1 a through 17d show a disk cartridge guide member 140 of the cartridge impact preventing mechanism in the fourth embodiment in fig1 . in fig1 a through 17d , the disk cartridge guide member 140 includes a bearing 141 , a first u - shaped arm 142 , a second u - shaped arm 143 , the cartridge guide portion 144 , and a connecting portion 145 . the disk cartridge guide member 140 is a molded part which is made of synthetic resin . the first u - shaped arm 142 includes a base portion 142a extending from the bearing 141 , and a thin , resiliently - deformable arm portion 142b extending from the base portion 142a . the arm portion 142b has a given thickness &# 34 ; t &# 34 ;. the bottom surface of the first u - shaped arm 142 includes a flat projection 142c at the end of the base portion 142a near the arm portion 142b . the flat projection 142c forms the base of the disk cartridge guide member 140 which is brought into contact with the chassis 70 . the disk cartridge guide member 140 is horizontally supported on the chassis 70 by use of the flat projection 142c even if a burr is projecting from the bottom surface of the base portion 142a or if the bottom surface of the base portion 142a has a warping . the thin , resiliently - deformable arm portion 142b includes a slit 142b - 1 , and two separated arm segments 142b - 2 and 142b - 3 which are separated from each other by the slit 142b - 1 . the separated arm segments 142b - 2 and 142b - 3 are resiliently deformable , independently of each other , without interference , and the arm portion 142b can be smoothly twisted in directions indicated by arrows &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; in fig1 d . the cartridge guide portion 144 includes an upwardly - projecting head 144a , extending from the arm portion 142b , and a downwardly - projecting , semi - spherical base 144b . the head 144a includes a top surface 144c with a slanting surface 144d which is formed slantingly at the front side of the top surface 144c . the second u - shaped arm 143 extends from the bearing 141 in the direction opposite to the direction of the first u - shaped arm 142 . the second u - shaped arm 143 is u - shaped in order to increase the area of the disk cartridge guide member 140 which contacts with the chassis 70 and to allow a reliable and safe rotating movement of the member 140 on the chassis 70 . in addition , a rotating force acts on the first u - shaped arm 142 in the direction , indicated by the arrow &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; in fig1 c , when the cartridge guide portion 144 is engaged with the opening of the chassis by the inserted disk cartridge . the second u - shaped arm is u - shaped in order to cancel the rotating force mentioned above so as to prevent the first u - shaped arm 142 from being raised from the chassis 70 . the connecting portion 145 extends from the second u - shaped arm 143 , and it includes an upwardly projecting portion which is engaged with the slider 71 . the disk cartridge guide member 140 described above is rotatably arranged on the chassis 70 by supporting the bearing 141 on a shaft 146 on the chassis 70 and by fitting the connecting portion 145 into a slot 147 in the slider 71 . as described above , the disk cartridge guide member 140 is in the condition shown in fig1 , 18a and 19a before the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 41 is inserted . in fig1 a , the cartridge guide portion 144 is placed on the chassis 70 , and the position of the cartridge guide portion 144 is located slightly in front of a magnetic head 187 of the head carriage unit 79 in the direction x1 . the top surface 144c of the cartridge guide portion is located slightly above the magnetic head 187 . when the 3 . 5 - inch disk cartridge 41 is inserted into the holder 72 , the disk cartridge 41 does not contact the magnetic head 187 . the disk cartridge 41 is guided by the slanting surface 144d of the cartridge guide portion and slides along the top surface 144c thereof , so that the inserted disk cartridge 41 is placed above the magnetic head 187 . thus , by means of the disk cartridge guide member 140 , the disk cartridge 41 can be inserted into the holder 72 at its rear end position without interfering with the magnetic head 187 . as the disk cartridge 41 is inserted into the holder 72 at its rear end position , the slider 71 is released from the latch lever ( not shown ) and is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 by the biasing force of the spring ( not shown ). when the slider 71 is moved in the direction x1 , the disk cartridge guide member 140 is in the condition shown in fig1 , 18b and 19b . the disk cartridge guide member 140 is rotated around the shaft 146 by the sliding movement of the slider 71 . the cartridge guide portion 144 at this time is placed above the opening 191 of the chassis 70 . as the holder 72 is lowered relative to the chassis 70 in the direction z1 by the sliding movement of the slider 71 , the disk cartridge 41 held by the holder 72 is also lowered in the direction z1 . the cartridge guide portion 144 is pushed downward by the disk cartridge 41 , and the arm segments 142b - 2 and 142b - 3 of the arm portion 142bare resiliently deformed . as shown in fig1 b , the cartridge guide portion 144 at this time is engaged with the opening 191 of the chassis 70 . thus , the inserted disk cartridge 41 is safely set to the read / write position within the disk drive unit . the arm segments 142b - 2 and 142b - 3 are resiliently deformable , independently of each other , and the cartridge guide portion 144 can be smoothly connected with the opening 191 of the chassis as shown in fig1 b . as the arm portion 142b can be smoothly twisted in the directions indicated by the arrows &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; b &# 34 ; in fig1 d , the cartridge guide portion 144 can be smoothly engaged with the opening 191 of the chassis . the rotating force acts on the first u - shaped arm 142 in the direction indicated by the arrow &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; in fig1 c , when the cartridge guide portion 144 is engaged with the opening 191 of the chassis . however , the second u - shaped arm 143 at this time is supported on the chassis 70 , thereby preventing the first u - shaped arm 142 from moving upward from the chassis 70 . on the other hand , when the disk cartridge 41 is ejected from the disk drive unit , the operations of the disk cartridge guide member 100 at that time is reversal to the above described operations of the disk cartridge guide member 100 . more specifically , the slider 71 is moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x2 when the eject button is depressed , and the holder 72 is raised from the chassis 70 in the direction z2 . the disk cartridge guide member 140 is rotated around the shaft 146 . the cartridge guide portion 144 is smoothly released from the opening 191 of the chassis since the downwardly - projecting , semi - spherical base 144b is guided by the slanting surface 192 of the opening 191 . as an alternative of the above mentioned opening 191 of the chassis 70 , a recessed portion equivalent to the opening 191 may be formed in the chassis 70 at the corresponding location . the recessed portion as the alternative has a slating surface equivalent to the slanting surface 192 . the magnetic disk apparatus in the fourth embodiment has a cartridge impact preventing mechanism which can be built by a single disk cartridge guide member . the disk cartridge impact guide member in the fourth embodiment is inexpensive since it is a molded part made of synthetic resin , and has a simple , flat structure which can be incorporated into a 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit . thus , the magnetic disk apparatus in the fourth embodiment can satisfy the need for the apparatus which is compact and low in the manufacturing cost , and the cartridge impact preventing mechanism enables a safe and reliable holding of an inserted disk cartridge and prevents the disk cartridge from impacting a magnetic head when the disk cartridge is set to a read / write position . next , a description will be given of an impact prevention mechanism of a conventional magnetic disk device , with reference to fig2 d , for the sake of comparative analysis with the present invention . fig2 d shows an impact prevention mechanism of a conventional disk drive device . in fig2 d , an upright wall 510 upwardly extending from a chassis 511 of the above conventional device is provided . the chassis 511 is made of a sheet metal , and the upright wall 510 is formed by partially cutting the sheet metal of the chassis 511 and bending the cut part of the sheet metal . a lead screw 512 is arranged at a rear portion of the chassis 511 , and this lead screw 512 is rotated by a stepping motor 513 to move a head carriage unit 515 in a radial direction of a magnetic disk . a magnetic head 514 to access the magnetic disk is provided on the head carriage unit 515 . the lead screw 512 is supported at one end by the upright wall 510 . when a disk cartridge 520 is forcibly inserted in the direction x2 by an operator , the leading edge of the inserted disk cartridge 520 impacts the upright wall 510 of the above disk drive device . if the disk cartridge 520 is inserted by use of a strong force , the upright wall 510 may be permanently deformed so that it slantingly extends from the chassis 511 . the deformation of the upright wall 510 makes the alignments of the lead screw 512 and the magnetic head 514 deviate from the desired alignment lines . therefore , the above conventional device has a problem in that the disk contained in the disk cartridge 520 may be accessed by using such a magnetic head , and the disk is fatally damaged . in order to eliminate this problem , it is necessary to provide a magnetic disk apparatus including an impact preventing mechanism which prevents the leading edge of an inserted disk cartridge from impacting a wall of a chassis on which a lead screw is supported . next , a description will be given of an impact prevention mechanism of a magnetic disk apparatus in a fifth embodiment of the present invention , with reference to fig2 through 24 . fig2 and 21 show the impact prevention mechanism of the magnetic disk apparatus in the fifth embodiment . in fig2 and 21 , there are provided the head carriage unit 79 , a guide rod 91 , a lead screw 93 , a lower arm 94 , and an upper arm 95 . the guide rod 91 guides the head carriage unit 79 when it is moved relative to the chassis 70 in directions indicated by arrows &# 34 ; x1 &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; x2 &# 34 ; in fig2 . the lead screw 93 is rotated by a stepping motor ( not shown ) to move the head carriage unit 79 in the directions x1 and x2 . in the head carriage unit 79 , a lower magnetic head 96 is provided on the top of the lower arm 94 , and an upper magnetic head 97 is provided on the bottom of the upper arm 95 . a transversely extending arm 98 is provided on the side of the head carriage unit 79 , and the arm 98 is connected with the lead screw 93 . the arm 98 includes at its leading end an upper connecting portion 99 and a lower connecting portion 100 . the lower connecting portion 100 is slightly longer than the upper connecting portion 99 , and transversely extends beyond the lead screw 93 . the lead screw 93 is interposed between the two connecting portions 99 and 100 . at the front end of the lead screw 93 , a supporting wall 101 upwardly extending from the chassis 70 is provided . the lead screw 93 is supported by the supporting wall 101 . the chassis 70 is made of a sheet metal , and the supporting wall 101 is formed by partially cutting the sheet metal of the chassis 70 and bending the cut part of the sheet metal . fig2 and 24 show a stopper member 110 of the impact prevention mechanism in the fifth embodiment in fig2 . the stopper member 110 is a molded product made of synthetic resin . the stopper member 110 comprises a rectangular main body 111 , a pair of ribs 112 and 113 transversely extending from the side of the main body , a fixing portion 114 , a pair of latching legs 115 and 116 , and a locating pin 117 . the fixing portion 114 , the latching legs 115 and 116 , and the locating pin 117 are downwardly extending from the bottom of the main body 110 as shown . the ribs 112 and 113 are arranged on the side of the main body 111 , and they are apart from each other along the side of the main body 111 by a prescribed distance &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; that is slightly longer than the stroke of the movement of the head carriage unit 79 in the directions x1 and x2 . the stopper member 110 has a front - end surface 119 which serves as a first stopper 120 to prevent the leading edge of an inserted disk cartridge from impacting the supporting wall 101 . the transversely extending ribs 112 and 113 serve as a second stopper 118 to prevent the head carriage unit 79 from impacting the disk motor 80 or a rear end wall 86 of the chassis 70 . the stopper member 110 has a top surface 121 which serves as a third stopper 122 to prevent the cover 73 from impacting the head carriage unit 79 when the disk drive unit is gripped by a hand of an assembly robot by use of a strong force . as shown in fig2 and 21 , the stopper member 110 is fitted to the chassis 70 so that it lies adjacent to the lead screw 93 . fig2 shows a 3 . 5 - inch disk drive unit of the magnetic disk apparatus in which the impact prevention mechanism in fig2 is incorporated . as shown in fig2 , the stopper member 110 is arranged on the chassis 70 by fitting the fixing portion 114 to a recessed portion 131 of an opening 130 , fitting the locating pin 117 to a hole 132 , and connecting the latching legs 115 and 116 to holes 133 and 134 respectively . in fig2 , a stepping motor 92 is provided behind the rear end wall 86 of the chassis 70 , and the stepping motor 92 is connected to the lead screw 93 to rotate the lead screw 93 . as shown in fig2 , the front end surface 119 of the stopper member is located at a position that deviates from the position of the supporting wall 101 in the forward direction x1 on the chassis 70 by a prescribed distance &# 34 ; b &# 34 ;. thus , the front end surface 119 of the stopper member serves as the first stopper 120 mentioned above . the top surface 121 of the stopper member is located beneath the cover 73 of the disk drive unit . the top surface 121 serves as the third stopper 122 mentioned above . if the disk cartridge 41 is inserted into the disk drive unit 52 by use of a strong inserting force , the leading edge of the inserted disk cartridge 41 comes to a position indicated by a two - dot chain line in fig2 . the leading edge of the inserted disk cartridge 41 at that time does not impact the supporting wall 101 and hits the front end surface 119 of the stopper member 110 . any inserting force to insert the disk cartridge 41 is canceled by the first stopper 120 mentioned above when the leading edge of the disk cartridge 41 touches the front end surface 119 of the stopper member 110 . thus , it is possible to prevent the leading edge of an inserted disk cartridge from impacting the supporting wall 101 even if a strong force is used to insert the disk cartridge 41 . as the supporting wall 101 is not at all hit by the inserted disk cartridge , the supporting wall 101 is never permanently deformed . the lead screw 93 is supported by the supporting wall 101 , and the head carriage unit 79 is connected with the lead screw 93 . as the supporting wall 101 is never deformed , it is possible to prevent the alignment of the magnetic head 96 on the head carriage unit 79 from deviating from the desired alignment line . if the stepping motor 92 should malfunction , the head carriage unit 79 may exceed a desired range of the movement in the directions x1 and x2 . however , in the magnetic disk apparatus including the impact prevention mechanism described above , when the head carriage unit 79 is excessively moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x1 , the lower connecting portion 100 of the arm 98 is brought into contact with the rib 113 of the stopper member 110 . on the other hand , when the head carriage unit 79 is excessively moved relative to the chassis 70 in the direction x2 , the lower connecting portion 100 of the arm 98 is brought into contact with the rib 112 of the stopper member 110 . therefore , the forward and backward movements of the head carriage unit 79 are restricted by the stopper member 110 . it is possible to prevent the head carriage unit 79 from impacting the disk motor 80 or the rear end wall 86 of the chassis . when the magnetic disk apparatus is assembled by use of an assembly robot , the disk drive unit is occasionally gripped by a hand of the assembly robot . the chassis 70 and the cover 73 of the disk drive unit 52 are depressed by use of a strong force . if the cover 73 is exceedingly deformed , the head carriage unit 79 may be damaged by the bottom of the cover 73 due to the depressing force . however , in the magnetic disk apparatus including the impact prevention mechanism described above , when the cover 73 is exceedingly deformed , the bottom of the cover 73 is supported by the top surface 121 of the stopper member . thus , it is possible to prevent the cover 73 from impacting the head carriage unit 79 by means of the third stopper 122 of the stopper member mentioned above . further , the present invention is not limited to the above described embodiments , and variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention .	6
referring now to fig1 , a clip applier 10 according to the invention generally includes a flexible wound outer coil 12 having a proximal end 14 and a distal end 16 . an end effector assembly 18 is coupled to the distal end 16 of the coil 12 and an actuator assembly 20 is coupled to the proximal end 14 of the coil 12 . a plurality of pull / push wires 58 , 60 ( shown and described below with reference to fig2 - 4 ) extend through the coil 12 and couple the end effector assembly 18 to the actuator assembly 20 . the clip applier 10 is similar to the clip applier described in detail in previously incorporated co - owned application ser . no . 10 / 010 , 908 , entitled “ flexible surgical clip applier ”, filed simultaneously herewith . however , in this application , the end effector assembly 18 is designed specifically for fundoplication using a clip significantly larger than that used in the clip applier of the aforesaid co - owned application . fig2 - 4 illustrate the details of the end effector assembly 18 according to a first embodiment of the invention . the end effector assembly 18 includes a pair of jaws 22 , 24 which are rotatably coupled to a clevis 26 . in particular , the clevis 26 has a central channel 28 ( seen best in fig4 ) which is defined by clevis arms 30 , 32 . although the term “ clevis ” is used because of its general acceptance in the art of endoscopic instruments , the “ clevis ” 26 is preferably covered on top and bottom so that the only exit from the channel 28 is at the distal end . the jaw 22 is rotatably coupled to the clevis arm 30 by an axle 34 and the jaw 24 is rotatably coupled to the clevis arm 32 by an axle 36 . the axles 34 and 36 are dimensioned such that they do not significantly obscure the channel 28 . the jaws 22 , 24 are substantially identical . each jaw 22 , 24 includes a proximal tang 38 , 40 , a mounting bore 42 , 44 , a distal hook shaped anvil 46 , 48 and a plurality of medial teeth 50 , 52 . as seen best in fig4 , the medial teeth 50 , 52 are arranged on one side of the jaw and a short wall 51 , 53 is arranged on the opposite side of the jaw to define a groove ( or guiding channel ) 54 , 56 . the grooves 54 , 56 meet the anvils 46 , 48 each of which has a helical surface . the interior ( proximal ) helical surfaces of the anvils act to bend the clip retainers as described below with reference to fig1 - 24 . the proximal tang 38 , 40 of each jaw is coupled to a respective pull / push wire 58 , 60 via two links 62 , 64 and 66 , 68 . the links 62 , 66 are substantially l - shaped and are rotatably coupled near their elbow to the clevis arms 30 , 32 by axles 70 , 72 which do not significantly obscure the channel 28 between the clevis arms . one end of the link 62 , 66 is coupled to the pull / push wire 58 , 60 and the other end of the link 62 , 66 is rotatably coupled to one end of the link 64 , 68 . the other end of the link 64 , 68 is rotatably coupled to the tang 38 , 40 . the combined coupling of each jaw 22 , 24 to each pull / push wire 58 , 60 forms a linkage which amplifies the force from the pull / push wires to the jaws . in particular , as the jaws close , the mechanical advantage increases . the proximal ends of the pull / push wires 58 , 60 are coupled to the actuator assembly ( 20 in fig1 ) as described in previously incorporated co - owned application ser . no . 10 / 010 , 908 , entitled “ flexible surgical clip applier ”, filed simultaneously herewith . a clip pusher ( not shown ) disposed in the interior of the coil is coupled to a push wire ( not shown ) which is coupled to the actuator assembly as described in previously incorporated co - owned application ser . no . 10 / 010 , 908 , entitled “ flexible surgical clip applier ”, filed simultaneously herewith . unlike the previously incorporated co - owned application , the jaws of the instant clip applier are significantly longer and designed for use with clips approximately 17 - 20 mm long ( after the clip is applied ) as compared to the 5 - 7 mm clips shown in the previously incorporated co - owned application . turning now to fig5 - 8 , a second embodiment of the jaws 22 ′, 24 ′ is illustrated . the jaws 22 ′, 24 ′ are substantially identical to each other and are designed for use with any of the clips illustrated in fig1 - 24 . each jaw 22 ′, 24 ′ includes a proximal tang 38 ′, 40 ′, a mounting bore 42 ′, 44 ′, a distal hook shaped anvil 46 ′, 48 ′ and a plurality of medial teeth 50 ′, 52 ′. the medial teeth 50 ′, 52 ′ are arranged on one side of the jaw and a short wall 51 ′, 53 ′ is arranged on the opposite side of the jaw to define a groove ( or guiding channel ) 54 ′, 56 ′. the grooves 54 ′, 56 ′ meet the interior surfaces of the anvils 46 ′, 48 ′ which curve about a single axis . the interior surfaces of the anvils act to bend the clip retainers as described below with reference to fig1 - 24 and as shown by the clip 310 in fig5 . according to this embodiment , as seen best in fig6 - 8 , the guiding channels 54 ′, 56 ′ and the anvils 46 ′, 48 ′ are angled relative to the vertical axis of the jaw 22 ′, 24 ′. this angle causes the clip to twist as it is pushed through the jaws so that the ends of the clip are offset as shown in fig5 , for example . according to the presently preferred embodiment , the guiding channels 54 ′, 56 ′ and the anvils 46 ′, 48 ′ are angled approximately 22 ° relative to the vertical axis of the jaw 22 ′, 24 ′. according to a method of the invention , clips for use with this embodiment of the jaws are pre - bent in the bridge area to facilitate movement through the angled channels . fig2 illustrates an enlarged portion of the clip applier of fig5 showing that the clip 310 rests inside an applier groove 54 ′, 56 ′ and is bent by the anvil 48 ′ as it pierces a folded over portion of body tissue 500 . referring now to fig9 , a third embodiment of the jaws 22 ″, 24 ″ is illustrated . the jaws 22 ″, 24 ″ are not identical to each other and are designed for use with clips of the type illustrated in fig1 - 18 . each jaw 22 ″, 24 ″ includes a proximal tang 38 ″, 40 ″ and a mounting bore 42 ″, 44 ″. one jaw 22 ″ terminates with two spaced apart distal hooks 46 ″, 47 ″ and has two rows of medial teeth 50 ″. the other jaw 24 ″ terminates with a single distal hook shaped anvil 48 ″ and has two rows of medial teeth 52 ″. the medial teeth 50 ″, 52 ″ are arranged on both sides of the jaw and a groove ( or guiding channel ) 54 ″, 56 ″ lies between the rows of teeth . the groove 54 ″ terminates with an undercut well ( not shown ) as described in co - owned ser . no . 10 / 010 , 908 , whereas the groove 56 ″ continues on to the interior of the anvil 48 ″ which has a surface which curves about a single axis . those skilled in the art will appreciate that when the jaws are closed , the anvil 48 ″ will reside between the hooks 46 ″ and 47 ″ and the teeth 50 ″ will be interleaved with the teeth 52 ″. the interior surface of the anvil 48 ″ bends the clip retainer as described below with reference to fig1 - 18 and as shown and described in previously incorporated co - owned applications ser . no . 09 / 891 , 775 , and ser . no . 10 / 010 , 908 . turning now to fig1 - 14 , a method of using the clip applier of the invention is illustrated in context with an existing endoscope 100 having a single lumen through which a small grasper 102 is supplied and an external working channel 104 which is attached to the scope 100 and through which the clip applier is delivered . the external working channel 104 is preferably one of the type described in previously incorporated application ser . no . 09 / 931 , 528 , filed aug . 16 , 2001 , entitled “ methods and apparatus for delivering a medical instrument over an endoscope while the endoscope is in a body lumen ”. according to a method of the invention , after the endoscope assembly is delivered transorally to the procedural site , as shown in fig1 , the fundus is grasped by the graspers and pulled in between the open jaws of the clip applier . the jaws of the clip applier are then closed onto the invaginated fundus as shown in fig1 . as the jaws are closed the medial teeth of the jaws puncture the invaginated fundus as shown in fig1 and 12 . when the jaws are completely closed ( or closed as much as possible ), they are preferably locked , the grasper is optionally released , and the clip pusher is activated to push forward , advance , and / or slide , with or without tissue contact , a clip 106 as shown in fig1 and as described in the previously incorporated , co - owned , simultaneously filed application and discussed in detail hereinafter . after the clip 106 is applied , the jaws of the clip applier are opened as shown in fig1 and the clip 106 remains in place and plicates the fundus . depending on the location of the clip and the nature of the patient &# 39 ; s condition , a single clip may be sufficient . if other clips are deemed desirable by the practitioner , the clip applier is removed and re - loaded with another clip . after re - delivering the clip applier , the procedure may be repeated at another location as shown in fig1 . given the size of the clips of the invention , anywhere from 1 - 4 clips will typically be used . according to one aspect of the invention , the medial teeth on the jaws of the clip applier are long enough and sharp enough to damage the fundus sufficiently such that when the fundus heals adhesion occurs , binding the plicated fundus to the extent that the clip may no longer be needed . thus , preferably , the teeth are long enough to pierce all layers of the fundus . from the foregoing , those skilled in the art will appreciate that the methods of the invention may be performed with different types of graspers . in particular , alternative grasping devices such as a “ cork screw ” grasper can be used in conjunction with the clip applier of the invention to perform the methods of the invention . it will also be appreciated that the clip applier of the invention may be attached to an endoscope in other ways as described in previously incorporated application ser . no . 09 / 931 , 528 , filed aug . 16 , 2001 , entitled “ methods and apparatus for delivering a medical instrument over an endoscope while the endoscope is in a body lumen ”. as mentioned above , the clip applier of the invention has an outside diameter of approximately 6 mm . as shown in fig1 - 14 , the clip applier is used in conjunction with an endoscope having an outside diameter of approximately 12 mm . to accommodate the clip applier , an exterior working channel having an exterior diameter of approximately 7 mm is optionally coupled to the endoscope as described in the previously incorporated co - owned applications ser . no . 09 / 931 , 528 and 60 / 292 , 419 . fig1 is a scale representation of the cross - sectional area of the 12 mm endoscope 100 with the attached external 7 mm working channel 104 , shown in horizontal shading . the cross sectional area of a prior art device 108 having an exterior diameter of approximately 24 mm is shown in diagonal shading . from fig1 , it will be appreciated that the methods and apparatus of the invention allow for a substantially smaller device which is more easily delivered transorally and which is more easily manipulated . the overall cross - sectional area of the apparatus of the invention is approximately 152 mm 2 as compared to the 314 mm 2 of the prior art devices . as mentioned , the clip applier of the invention may also be used with a dual lumen endoscope . fig1 is a scale representation of a dual lumen endoscope 110 having an optical lumen 112 and two 6 mm working lumina 114 , 116 . as compared to the device 108 in fig1 , the endoscope 110 has a substantially smaller cross - sectional area than the prior art device . the clips used by the clip applier of the invention are substantially longer than the clips described in the previously incorporated co - owned applications , ser . no . 09 / 891 , 775 and the simultaneously filed application , which are approximately 7 mm in length and adequate for general surgical applications . the retainer portion of the clips of the present invention is substantially longer in order to assure that all of the layers of the fundus are punctured . turning now to fig1 and 18 , a first embodiment of a surgical clip 210 according to the invention includes first and second arms 212 , 214 , respectively , and a bridge portion 216 therebetween such that the arms and bridge portion are in a generally u - shaped configuration . the first arm 12 is provided with an end catch 220 , and the second arm 214 extends ( or transitions ) into a deformable retainer 222 having a tissue piercing tip 224 and a plurality of catch engagements , e . g . 226 , 228 . the arms define an open space 230 between them . the clip 210 is preferably made from a unitary piece of titanium , titanium alloy , stainless steel , tantalum , platinum , other high z ( substantially radiopaque ) materials , nickel - titanium alloy , martensitic alloy , or plastic , although other suitable biocompatible materials may be used . the first and second arms 212 , 214 , as well as the bridge portion 216 are relatively stiff and not plastically deformable within the limits of force applied to the arms during use , while the retainer 222 is relatively easily plastically deformable by the clip applier . referring now to fig2 - 4 and 17 - 18 , when the clip 210 is pushed forward in the clip applier with the jaws 22 , 24 of the clip applier closed , the retainer 222 is bent across the opening 230 between the first and second arms 212 , 214 and into engagement with the end catch 220 of the first arm 212 as shown in fig1 . the anvil formed by the grooves on the interior of the hooks 46 , 48 of the clip applier jaws guide the bending of the retainer 222 causing it to puncture the fundus and couple to the end catch 220 . the clip 210 shown in fig1 and 18 is provided with an optional bendable barb 232 which provides a secondary stabilizing fixation point which helps keep the clip from rotating . as the clip is pushed forward over the fundus , tissue catches the barb 232 and bends it as shown in fig1 . the clip 210 is also provided with an ear 233 on the bridge 216 . the ear is used by the pushing mechanism ( not shown ) to grasp the end of the clip when it is loaded into the clip applier . a second embodiment of a clip 310 according to the invention is shown in fig1 and 20 . the clip 310 has two arms 312 , 314 connected by a bridge 316 . both arms terminate in retainers 320 , 322 , each having a sharp end 321 , 323 . in one embodiment , each of the retainers 320 , 322 extend from their respective arms 312 , 314 in a direction that is substantially parallel to , or at least non - perpendicular to , the respective arm from which it extends . the clip 310 is also provided with a pair of ears 333 , 335 on the bridge 316 . the ears are used by the pushing mechanism ( not shown ) to grasp the end of the clip when it is loaded into the clip applier . this embodiment is intended for use with a clip applier having hooks with interior grooves which diverge , or which are in parallel planes . with reference to fig2 - 4 and 15 - 16 , when the clip 310 is pushed forward , the retainer 320 is bent by the groove inside the hook 46 and the retainer 322 is bent by the groove inside the hook 48 to the configuration shown in fig2 . from fig2 , it will be appreciated that each retainer punctures the fundus twice substantially forming a circular fastener . thus , it will also be appreciated that the retainers 320 , 322 are significantly longer than the retainer 222 shown in fig1 and 18 and preferably are of a length at least p times the distance between the arms 312 , 314 . insofar as the retainers 320 , 322 each form a complete fastener , the function of the arms 312 , 314 and the bridge 316 may be considered redundant . fig2 - 23 illustrate a third embodiment of a clip 410 according to the invention . the clip 410 is similar to the clip 310 ( with similar reference numerals increased by 100 referring to similar parts ) except that the retainers 420 , 422 are removable from the arms 412 , 414 . the arms 412 , 414 terminate in female couplings 413 , 415 which receive ends of the retainers 420 , 422 in a slight interference fit . the clip 410 is also provided with a pair of ears 433 , 435 on the bridge 416 . the ears are used by the pushing mechanism ( not shown ) to grasp the end of the clip when it is loaded into the clip applier . the clip 410 is applied to the fundus in substantially the same way as described above with reference to the clip 310 . however , after the retainers 420 , 422 are bent by the anvils and the jaws are opened , the clip 410 is not released from the clip applier and the retainers are separated from the arms 412 , 414 . the resulting fastener formed by the retainers 420 , 422 is shown in fig2 . this is actually two substantially parallel “ b ” shaped fasteners . thus , it may only be necessary to apply a single retainer as shown in fig2 , for example . there have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of methods and apparatus for the endoluminal treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease . while particular embodiments of the invention have been described , it is not intended that the invention be limited thereto , as it is intended that the invention be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise . it will therefore be appreciated by those skilled in the art that yet other modifications could be made to the provided invention without deviating from its spirit and scope as so claimed .	0
fig1 shows a first preferred embodiment of the present invention including a container end 10 with a mouth or pour opening defined by a mouth panel 30 , and a vent opening defined by vent panel 62 . the container end 10 may include a peripheral seam or rim 12 that is secured to the cylindrical body ( not shown ) of the container . located radially inside the peripheral seam 12 is a peripheral channel or depression 14 . located radially inward of the peripheral channel may be one or more ridges or forms 16 , created in a concentric arrangement as shown . located within the ridge 16 is the main panel 18 . another ridge 20 is shown radially within the main panel 18 . the most interior portion of the lid is defined by a depressed or lowered interior panel 22 located within the ridge 20 . a mouth score 26 defines the peripheral boundary of the mouth panel 30 . another formed area or ridge 24 is shown as surrounding the mouth score 26 and located interiorly of the panel 22 . optionally , one or more additional formed areas or ridges 28 may be located on the mouth panel 30 . the various formed areas / ridges provide additional strength for the container end , and it shall be understood that the number and configurations of these elements can be changed without departing from the present invention . therefore , it will be understood that the particular arrangement shown in fig1 is but one example of various formed areas / ridges that can be used . located at the center of the container end 10 is a rivet 38 that holds the rotatable tab to the container . the tab includes a handle end 32 , a pressure applying end 34 , and a body 36 interconnecting the ends . the tab further includes the characteristic semi - circular shaped opening 40 that enables a user to lift the handle end 32 of the tab , thereby placing the pressure applying end 34 in contact with the mouth panel 30 . as shown , the semi - circular shaped opening 40 is oriented to partially surround the rivet 38 . with adequate pressure applied , the mouth score 26 fails , enabling the mouth panel 30 to rotate inward towards the contents of the container , thereby forming the mouth opening . the vent of the container end is defined by a raised vent panel 62 and a peripheral vent score 60 defining the peripheral edge of the vent panel 62 . force is applied against the raised vent panel 62 in order to break the vent score 60 , thereby forming a vent opening . the vent panel 62 remains attached to the container end along vent bending line 64 . the bending line 64 is not scored , but defines the area along which the vent panel 62 bends . in order to facilitate easier bending of the vent panel along this line 64 , the vent panel may be dimpled along the line 64 , such as by forming a crease that reduces the thickness of the panel . optionally , the area located circumferentially exterior of the vent score 60 , shown as edge 66 , may be formed or creased in order to provide additional strength around the vent score 60 enabling it to more easily separate when force is applied against the vent panel 62 . fig2 is an enlarged view of the vent , better illustrating the arrangement of the vent elements . the bending line 64 extends substantially perpendicular to a radial line extending from the center of the container lid at the rivet 38 . the vent is circular or elliptical shaped in the fig2 , but the shape of the vent can be modified . when the tab is in its normal orientation , that is , aligned so that the end 34 is in position to contact the panel 30 , the vent panel 62 is not covered by the tab . the vent panel 62 is located between one side edge of the tab and the bend or ridge 20 . the vent panel is also shown as being located laterally offset from the tab as compared to the axis y - y , and between the rivet 38 and the handle end 32 of the tab . fig1 illustrates the offset from the central axis y - y at an angle a . this angle a is shown in the preferred embodiment as being approximately 45 degrees . however the angle a can be in the range of between about 33 to 50 degrees . referring to fig3 a , the convex shape of the raised vent panel 62 is illustrated . as shown , the vent score 60 is formed in the material and the circumferential edge 70 of the panel 62 may be flat or co - planar with the surrounding interior panel 22 . a raised convex portion 72 lies within the circumferential edge 70 . the convex portion 72 is shown as being symmetrical about center axis - x - x . the highest point on the raised convex portion 72 is shown as point 74 that intersects the center axis x - x . referring to fig3 b , an alternate embodiment is shown for the raised vent panel 62 . the vent panel 62 is not symmetrical about the center axis x - x -, but rather is skewed or shifted to one side of the center axis . more specifically , the vent panel 62 has the flat circumferential edge 70 , but the symmetrical convex shape is replaced with an asymmetrical protrusion having a steeper sloping side 76 , and a more gradual sloping slide 78 . in the example of fig3 b , the steeper sloping side 76 would be located closest to the portion of the vent score 60 opposite the vent bending line 64 when viewing fig2 . pressure applied by the tab against the raised vent tab would first break the score at this location , which may be advantageous in creating the vent opening . however , it shall be understood that asymmetrical shaped vent panel 62 shown in fig3 b could be configured so that the steeper sloping side 76 is located closer to any selected location around the vent score 60 in order to thereby manipulate the breaking of the vent score in a controlled manner . referring to fig4 , a cross - sectional view is shown of the concave formed area 50 of the tab . the concave area 50 is characterized by a gradual circumferential sloping edge 52 that transitions into a symmetrical curved portion 56 terminating at a lowest point 54 . the concave area 50 is symmetrical about the axis x 1 - x 1 , and the lowest point 54 intersects this axis x 1 - x 1 . preferably , the concave area 50 extends continuously between lateral side edges of the handle end 32 of the tab and extends continuously between the rear edge of the handle end 32 and the more forward portion of the handle end 32 adjacent the semicircular shaped opening 40 . when the user wishes to open the vent , the user may rotate the tab as shown in fig5 so that the concave area 50 is centered over the raised vent panel 62 . referring to specifically to fig6 , the concave area 50 is centered over the vent panel 62 . pressure applied downwardly against the tab results in contact of the concave area 50 against the vent panel 62 . with adequate force , the vent score 60 is broken , thereby creating a vent opening for the container . as shown in fig6 , one preferred embodiment includes alignment of the vent panel 62 with the concave area 50 so that both are symmetrical about the axis x - x . referring to fig7 , the asymmetrical raised vent panel 62 of fig3 b is illustrated . the lowest point 54 of the concave area 50 makes contact with the skewed or shifted location of the highest point 74 of the vent panel 62 . according to this figure , a greater amount of the initial force transferred from the tab to the vent panel 62 would be concentrated along the portion of the score 60 closest to the steeper side 76 of the vent panel . thus , one advantage of providing an asymmetrical - shaped vent panel 62 is that force may be directed to be concentrated along any portion of the vent score 60 in order to controllably commence breakage of the score to create the vent opening . referring to fig8 , another embodiment is shown in which the concave area 50 of the tab is shifted to the right and therefore , does not contact the raised vent panel 62 at the highest point 74 , but rather , contacts the vent panel 62 along the gradual sloping side 78 . shifting of the tab in this manner can be achieved either by shortening the length of the tab handle end 32 or moving the location of the vent panel 62 radially outward from the center of the container end . with the arrangement shown in fig8 , yet a different type of breakage will occur along the score 60 that may be more advantageous for a particular type of tab used , as well as other factors in the overall design of the container lid . referring to fig9 , yet another embodiment is shown in which the shape of the concave area 50 is changed to accommodate a controlled direction and location of applied force . in this figure , the vent panel 62 is a symmetrical shaped convex raised area while the concave area is asymmetrical having a steeper sloping side 80 and a more gradual sloping side 82 . thus , with this arrangement , the application of force can be controlled with the preselected shape of the concave area 50 . it is further contemplated that both the vent panel 62 and the concave area 50 can be asymmetrically shaped in order to control the direction and location of applied force . the advantageous configuration of the raised vent panel and the protruding vent panel provide a great number of options for fine control of force applied to break the vent score . with the combination of the raised vent panel along with the concave - formed area on the tab , an effective structure is provided for creating a vent opening in the container lid . the vent opening may also be created by use of some other implement to push in the vent panel . one readily apparent advantage of the present invention is that the user does not have to use the hand to create the vent opening , which may otherwise create a safety concern by contact of the user &# 39 ; s hand with the exposed edge of the container end surrounding the vent panel . the force multiplying attribute of the concave formed area of the tab provides an effective tool for creating the vent opening . according to the method of the present invention , a user may first create the mouth opening and then the vent opening , or vice versa . when the vent is to be opened , the user may take advantage of the force multiplying feature in the concave area of the tab . rotation of the tab and alignment of the handle end of the tab to cover the vent panel provides an optimum position for applying force to contact the vent panel . the method also involves selected force transfer by the tab to the raised vent panel by shaping the vent panel so that the highest point on the vent panel is located closest to the desired location where vent score breakage is to occur . the method also contemplates controlled and directed application of force by configuring the location where the concave portion of the tab contacts the raised vent tab . either the vent panel or the concave portion of the tab , or both , may be shaped to control and direct the application of force . although the invention has been described with respect to preferred embodiments , it shall be understood that various changes and modifications may be made considering the teachings of the invention as a whole , and taking into consideration the scope of the claims appended hereto .	1
referring now to the drawings , preferred embodiments of the apparatus for applying a viscous liquid material according to the present invention will be described . fig7 is an explanatory view generally showing a systemic construction of an embodiment of the apparatus for applying a viscous liquid material according to the present invention . the apparatus 20 of this embodiment is illustrated as a frit coater , and it includes a main tank 22 and two sub - tanks 24 each of which is connected to the main tank 22 through a flexible tube 26 , respectively , in order that a viscous liquid material , specifically , a frit in this embodiment , can be distributedly applied to two objects , or two funnels 2 , at a time . of course , the apparatus may include only one sub - tank . the main tank 22 has a large capacity for storing a sufficient amount of the frit , for example , about 50 liters . on the other hand , the sub - tank 24 has a rather small capacity such that only an amount of frit which is necessary for application treatment to one object to three objects to be applied can be contained . each of the sub - tank 24 is supported by a movable hand 28 which is operated by a robot 30 ( these of the right side sub - tank unit are omitted from the drawing ) above each of production lines ( not shown ) which runs along a direction perpendicular to the plane of the drawing in this embodiment and transports funnels 2 to be applied to a location under the sub - tank 28 . the sub - tank 24 moves with the hand 28 relative to an applied surface of the funnel 2 in order to draw a band of frit on the surface to be applied , with being controlled by the robot 30 . of course , if necessary , the production lines can be modified so that the funnel also can move for application treatment . an air line pipe 32 is provided on the main tank 22 for pressuring the frit inside thereof to feed the frit to the sub - tanks 24 through the tubes 26 . moreover , inside the main tank 22 provided is an agitating blade 34 which is rotated by drive of a motor 36 . at a bottom of the main tank 22 , each of two control valves 38 are arranged between each of the tubes 26 and the main tank 22 , respectively . inside of each of the sub - tanks 24 provided is an agitating blade 40 which is rotated by an actuator 42 such as a motor . moreover , each of the sub - tank 24 is connected by a line tube 44 to a solenoid valve 46 through a vaporizing tank 48 for supplying an atmosphere of vaporized solvent and a regulator 50 , so that a vaporized solvent is fed into the sub - tank 24 to pressure the frit at a preset pressure level , being controlled by the regulator 50 . moreover , at a bottom of each of the sub - tanks 24 , an injection port 52 for discharging the frit from the sub - tank 24 , details of which will be described hereinafter , is formed respectively , and a shutter device 54 is arranged on the sub - tank 24 so as to open and close the injection port outside the sub - tank 24 . according to this construction , if the shutter device 54 opens the injection port 52 , the frit is injected , being pressed out by the preset level of vapor pressure . moreover , a level sensor 56 is provided on each of the sub - tank 24 on the side thereof , and the level sensor 56 sends information concerning the frit level in the sub - tank 24 to the corresponding control valve 38 so that , if the frit level in either of the sub - tanks 24 falls down to a predetermined level , the corresponding control valve 38 opens to supply the frit from the main tank 22 to the sub - tank 24 . outside of each of the sub - tank 24 near the injection port 52 , a sensor 58 ( this for the right side unit is omitted from the drawing ) is arranged for detecting an initial point of the frit band drawn on the funnel 2 during the application treatment , details of which will be described hereinafter . fig8 shows details of the main tank 22 . the main tank 22 is supported by a frame 60 . the motor 20 is fixedly mounted on the upper portion of the frame 60 and connected to the agitating blade 34 through a bearing unit 62 which is fixed with the frame 60 , a transmission part 64 and a universal joint 66 . the main tank 22 has a window 68 on the top thereof , through which the frit is supplied into the tank 22 . it can also serve as a observation hole . moreover , a leak valve and a pressure indicator ( not shown ) are arranged on the main tank 22 . the main tank 22 also includes a distributor 70 which is connected to the control valves 38 and the tubes 26 . in order to maintain the temperature of the frit in the main tank 22 at a predetermined level , the main tank 22 is covered with a thermostatic chamber 72 in which isothermic water is fed from an inlet tube 74 to an outlet tube 76 . the numeral 78 depicts a control panel . according to the above construction , a frit which is supplied from the window 68 into the main tank 22 is agitated by the blade 34 , while its temperature is maintained to the predetermined level by the water supplied from the inlet tube 74 to the thermostatic chamber 72 . supply of the frit from the main tank 22 into either of the sub - tanks 24 is controlled by operating the corresponding control valve 38 appropriately in accordance with information given from each side of the sub - tanks for requesting frit supply . for the supply to the sub - tanks , there may arises a slight deterioration of the feeding pressure due to employment of the flexible tubes 26 for connection . nevertheless , it does not cause any problem about frit application at the injection ports , because the frit is further pressured in each of the sub - tanks 24 . moreover , in the present invention , since the pressure applied to the frit in the main tank 22 can be decreased to a level such as being required only for feeding the frit from the main tank 22 to the sub - tanks 24 , it can avoid excess load and a large decrease of the pressure at the valve 38 which may badly affect the frit . fig9 shows the robot 30 with the movable hand 28 in detail . the robot 30 comprises an x - axis displacement unit 80 , y - axis displacement unit 82 and a z - axis displacement unit 84 for operating the hand 28 in three dimensional movement . the hand 28 which holds the sub - tank 24 is connected through the y - axis displacement unit 82 to a support arm 86 , and the arm 86 is supported on a body 88 in such a manner that the arm can be shifted by the z - axis displacement unit 84 along a vertical direction which is illustrated by an arrow z in fig9 . the body 88 is mounted on the x - axis displacement unit 80 so as to be movable along a horizontal direction which is shown by an arrow x in fig9 . the y - axis displacement unit 82 includes first , second and third parts 90 , 92 and 94 . the first part 90 is fixed to the arm 86 , and the second part 92 which extends horizontally is connected to the first part 90 at a base portion thereof in such a manner that the second part 92 can rotate relative to the first part 90 with respect to a rotational axis b which is parallel to the direction z . the third part 94 extending vertically is connected at one end thereof to a tip portion of the second part 92 rotatably with respect to a rotational axis c which is also parallel to the direction z , and the hand 28 is fixed to the other end of the third part 94 and extends horizontally . accordingly , an amount of y - directional displacement of the sub - tank 24 can be preferably regulated by appropriately controlling a rotation angle θ 1 of the second part 92 and a rotation angle θ 2 of the third part 94 and the hand 28 . according to the above construction , the robot 30 can voluntarily shift the position of the sub - tank 24 above a funnel . moreover , the robot can be operated under computer - automated control in order to automatically and cyclically repeat a predetermined stroke of application such as a round stroke of frit coating along a brim of a funnel and the like . fig1 illustrates a set of the sub - tank 24 and the shutter device 54 in detail . in regard to the sub - tank 24 , a nozzle member 96 with a nozzle hole 97 which is narrowed to the injection port 52 is fitted on the bottom of the sub - tank 24 with a screw , so that frit charged to the sub - tank 24 is vertically injected through the nozzle hole 97 out of the injection port 52 . on the other hand , the shutter device 54 , which is set beside the sub - tank 24 so as to accompany the sub - tank 24 for application operation , comprises an air cylinder device 98 with a piston rod 100 which can move in a horizontal direction . a guide plate 102 is fixedly connected to the air cylinder 98 through a support member 104 so that the plate 102 is horizontally located below the sub - tank 24 . a shutter plate 106 interposes between the nozzle member 96 and the guide plate 102 so as to slide on the guide plate 102 . moreover , a rod 108 is arranged on the support member 104 in such a manner that it can rotate with respect to a center 110 between the air cylinder 98 and the shutter plate 106 . one end of the rod 108 is connected to the piston rod 100 and the other end is inserted in a hole 112 which is formed on an end portion of the shutter plate 106 so that , in response to reciprocal motions of the piston rod 100 , the rod 108 swings to reciprocally slide the shutter plate 106 in a horizontal direction which is shown by an arrow d in fig1 . the shutter plate 106 has a bore 114 whose dimension at the upper side of the plate 106 is preferably larger than that of the injection port 52 so as to smoothly pass the frit therethrough . however , it is of course possible to use a bore having the same size as that of the injection port at the upper side of the plate . moreover , the dimension of the bore is increased at the lower side of the plate . the guide plate is provided with an aperture 116 at a location under the injection port 52 , and the size of the aperture 116 is preferably larger than those of the injection port 52 and the bore 114 in order to easily pass the injected frit therethrough . according to the above construction , if the piston rod 100 reciprocally moves , the shutter plate 106 reciprocally slides in the directions opposite to the motions of the piston rod . accordingly , in fig1 , the bore 114 shifts between a position under the injection port 52 and a position on the right side of the injection port 52 in the drawing , thereby releasing and covering the injection port 52 . therefore , if the sub - tank is then moving in the direction shown by an arrow e in fig1 along the sliding direction d of the shutter plate 106 , the injection port is opened in accordance with a backward movement of the bore 114 and is closed with a forward movement . fig1 shows a modified arrangement of the bore 114 . in this embodiment , the bore 114 is located so that it reciprocates between a position under the injection port 52 and a position on the left side of the injection port 52 in the drawing . therefore , if the sub - tank is then moving in the direction shown by an arrow e in fig1 , the injection port opens in accordance with a forward movement of the bore 114 and closes with a rearward movement . of course , it is also possible to bring such an operation state by using the shutter device 54 of fig1 , if the sub - tank 24 of fig1 is moved in a direction opposite to the direction e . in the above embodiments , injection of the frit is stopped at the nozzle port 52 by a flat and thin shutter plate moving along a plane crossing the direction in which the frit is injected from the port , and the shutter plate breaks in and cuts off the corded frit injection like a knife . therefore , it can prevent frit near the injection port from being undesirably forced out of the nozzle in such a manner that a valve body forces in the prior art apparatus which is shown in fig1 and 2 and described above . the direction in which the frit is injected can be altered as necessity arises , and an angle formed between the injection direction and the plane on which the shutter plate moves also may be changed . however , in view of equality of application efficiency in omnidirectional movement of the injection port , it is preferred that the injection is directed perpendicularly to the surface to be applied and the plane along which the shutter plate moves crosses the injecting direction perpendicularly . therefore , in the above embodiments , the injected frit is directed to the vertical direction , and the shutter plate is arranged to move horizontally , namely perpendicularly to the injecting direction . moreover , if necessary , it is also possible to use a curved shutter plate to slide on a plane curved correspondingly and cover the injection port . moreover , since the bore 114 is tapered toward the injection port 52 to form an acute edge like a knife around the bore 52 on the upper side of the shutter plate 106 , the edge can sharply cut in the frit injected from the port 52 when the upper surface of the plate covers the injection port . therefore , an amount of the injected frit can be accurately regulated . moreover , it is of course possible to use a shutter plate with no bore and arrange the shutter plate so as to cover the injection port at a peripheral end portion of the shutter plate . in this case , the peripheral portion is preferably edged with an acute angle in a manner similar to that described above . the edged periphery may be shaped to draw a curve such as an arc line and the like . in each of the above embodiments , the air cylinder 98 is connected via a flexible hose to a solenoid valve device ( not shown ) for driving the air cylinder , thus the shutter plate 106 and the rod 108 are not directly driven by the solenoid valve device , but are indirectly driven via the air cylinder 98 . the reason for this is because air cylinders are generally lighter in weight than solenoid valve devices , and also the moving velocity of the shutter plate 106 can be controlled easier by an air cylinder than by a solenoid valve device . fig1 shows a modification of the nozzle hole 97 . in this embodiment , the nozzle hole 97 is formed so as to include a cylindrical pass vertically extending to the injection port 52 and having substantially the same diameter size d as that of the injection port 52 . the length h of the cylindrical pass is larger than the diameter d . according to this construction , flow of the frit before injection is rectified to be uniformly introduced to the injection port 52 . therefore , due to the improvement of directionality of the frit flow , the direction in which the frit is injected from the injection port can be prevented from fluctuation . fig1 is a diagrammatic view showing a relationship between the operation speed ( a ) of the robot hand 28 , operation ( b ) of the shutter plate 106 and detection ( c ) of the initial point by the sensor 58 for explanation of operation timing . in this drawing , the robot hand 28 begins to trace on an application track at a time t 1 from an origin which lies on the track , and a tracing speed increases and reaches to a constant value v n . next , the shutter plate 106 begins to open the injection port 52 at a time t 2 at which the viscous liquid in the sub - tank 24 begins to be injected from the injection port 52 , and completes the opening at a time t 3 . the moving velocity of the shutter plate 106 and the bore 114 relative to the injection port 52 being a definite value v s1 , a period δt (= t 2 - t 1 ) which is necessary for completely opening the injection port 52 practically lies within a range of about 0 . 05 to 0 . 1 sec . during this period δt , the sub - tank 24 and the injection port 52 cover a distance of v n · δt , that is , a multiplication of the tracing speed v n of the sub - tank by the period δt for the open operation . fig1 ( a ), 14 ( b ), 14 ( c ), 15 and 16 illustrate initiation of the frit application achieved by the embodiment of the apparatus shown in fig1 . in fig1 ( a ) through ( c ), the shutter plate 106 with the bore 114 oppositely moves at the velocity v s1 relative to the injection port 52 which travels at the velocity v n . the shape of an opening s 1 made by the edges of the injection port 52 and the bore 114 changes through ones shown in fig1 ( a ) and ( b ) to one in fig1 ( c ). accordingly , a tip portion 118 of the injected frit , in theory , must be shaped corresponding to change of the opening , and it actually resembles to the shape shown in fig1 especially when a viscosity of the liquid material is rather high . however , since liquid materials easily change shape any time in accordance with forces which works thereon , an actual shape of the injected frit may be varied from one which is shown in fig1 according to many factors such as a viscosity , a density and a surface tension of the liquid , an injecting volume and the like . the tip portion 118 of the frit after injected reaches on the applied surface of the funnel 2 and makes a band of the frit on the surface , tracing on a track to be applied , as shown in fig1 . fig1 ( a ), 17 ( b ), 17 ( c ) 18 , and 19 show initiation of application achieved by the embodiment of the apparatus shown in fig1 . in fig1 ( a ) through ( c ), the injection port 52 which moves rightwards in the drawing at the velocity v n , and the shutter plate 106 and the bore 114 move at the velocity v s1 relative to the injection port 52 in the same direction as that in the injection port 52 . the shape of an opening s 2 at the injection port 52 changes through ones shown in fig1 ( a ) and ( b ) to one in fig1 ( c ). accordingly , a tip portion 120 of the injected frit also must be shaped correspondingly as shown in fig1 . however , since a viscous liquid material easily changes the shape any time in accordance with forces which works thereon , an actual shape of the frit may be varied from one which is shown in fig1 according to many factors such as a viscosity , a density and a surface tension of the liquid and the like . in the above description , it may also be expected that the motion of the shutter plate 106 at the velocity of v s1 affects the injection of the frit to incline the injected frit toward the direction in which the shutter plate moves , namely leftwards in fig1 and rightwards in fig1 , respectively . however , this seems quite uncertain , because other factors also affect the results in a complicated manner . moreover , the frit shape at the tip may change with time before the tip reaches on the funnel . in particular , during application process through which the injection port makes a loop and returns to the initial point of the frit band , the initial frit is somewhat deformed due to the weight of the frit itself to laterally spread and be flattened . therefore , there would be found no longer a clear difference in shape of the initial portion between both cases described above , and any tip portion of the applied liquid has similarly an inclined and curved outline as shown by a broken line in fig1 and 19 . while the follow of the application track is continued , the band of the frit is drawn and extended uniformly , with being slightly spread laterally due to the weight of the frit . making a loop , the injection port 52 then approaches the initial point again from the opposite side of the initial point to the frit band lying . the sensor 58 detects presence of the initial portion of the frit band and signals to the shutter device at a time t 4 in fig1 . the shutter plate 106 begins to close the injection port 52 at a time t 5 that is later than the time t 4 by a period δt which is previously set by using a timer . since a suitable period δt changes in accordance with location of the sensor 58 , responsibility of the shutter plate 106 , a distance between the injection port 52 and the surface to be applied and the like , it is preferred to be settled by making trial of application , correcting the period δt little by little and appropriately repeating them so that a tail portion of the injected frit suitably falls on the initial portion of the frit band to be joined together . the shutter plate 106 moves at a velocity of v s2 relative to the injection port and completely close the injection port 52 at a time t 6 . after that , motion of the robot hand 28 is decelerated at a time t 7 and completely stopped at a time t 8 to finish a cycle of application . then , the treated funnel moves away and the next funnel comes up under the sub - tank along the production line , before another cycle of frit application starts at a time t 9 . fig2 ( a ), 20 ( b ), 20 ( c ), 21 and 22 illustrate termination of tracing in the case of using the apparatus shown in fig1 . at the time t 5 , the shutter plate 106 begins to close the injection port 52 in the forward direction , or in the same direction as that of the motion of the injection port 52 , at a velocity v s2 relative to the injection port 52 , and the opening s 1 at the injection port 52 changes its shape from one shown in fig2 ( a ) through ones in fig2 ( b ) and 20 ( c ). accordingly , a terminal portion 122 of the injected frit , in theory , is shaped correspondingly as shown in fig2 . the terminal portion 122 of the frit then falls on the initial portion 118 of the frit band , while being deformed by the weight of the frit , as shown in fig2 and 22 to be fused and . joined together with time . of course , since liquid materials easily deform any time in accordance with forces which works thereon , an actual shape of the frit may be slightly varied from ones which are shown in fig2 and 22 according to differences in various factors such as a viscosity , a density and a surface tension of the liquid , an injecting volume and the like . in the above case , the motion velocity v s2 of the shutter plate 106 also can affect the results . namely , due to viscosity of the liquid material and the like , the terminal end portion of the frit can be slightly attracted forwards by the shatter plate 106 moving forwards to be further tapered , so that a sectional view of the frit is smoothly thinned according to termination . this is considered to be advantageous in ease of joining of the both end portions and result in fine finishing of products . fig2 ( i a ), 23 ( b ), 23 ( c ) 24 and 25 illustrate termination of tracing in the case of the apparatus shown in fig1 . at the time t 5 , the shutter plate 106 begins to close the injection port 52 in the rearward direction , or the opposite direction to that of the motion of the injection port 52 , at a velocity v s2 relative to the injection port 52 , and the opening s 2 at the injection port 52 changes its shape from one shown in fig2 ( a ) through ones in fig2 ( b ) and 23 ( c ). accordingly , a terminal portion 122 of the injected frit is also shaped correspondingly as shown in fig2 . the terminal portion 122 of the frit then falls on the initial portion 120 of the frit band , while being deformed by the weight of the frit , as shown in fig2 and 25 to be fused and joined together with time . here , for the same reason as described above , an actual shape of the frit may be slightly different from ones which are shown in fig2 and 25 , similarly . moreover , in this case , the motion velocity v s2 of the shutter plate 106 is considered to affect the results so that the terminal portion of the frit is slightly attracted rearwards with the shatter plate 106 moving relatively rearwards , being bent slightly upwards . therefore , a section of the frit is smoothly thinned according to termination , and additionally , a lower surface of terminal portion 124 of the frit curves so as to suite the upper curved surface of the initial portion 120 of the frit . as a result , the terminal portion 124 can easily merge into the initial portion 120 . fig2 ( a ) and 26 ( b ) show a join of the initial and terminal portions of the frit band . as appeared in the drawings , the frit band formed by the apparatus according to the present invention is uniform , and the join of the frit band disappears a little later to be hardly seen with the naked eye . even when it is watched carefully , at most , only a slightly raised portion can be found on the applied frit at a overlapping area l at which the initial portion and the terminal portion join together , as shown in fig2 ( b ). a volume of the raised portion changes according to a length of the overlapping area l , and the length of the area l can be controlled by appropriately regulating the period δt at setting of a timer . however , a volume change of the raised portion according to alteration of the period δt is rather small . therefore , a small adjustment error of the length of the overlapping area l , or , of the period δt and the velocity v s2 of the shutter plate described above , does not much affect the result , accordingly . in other words , severe adjustment is not required for the apparatus according to the present invention to set it for a preferred condition . fig2 illustrates a method of adjusting the period δt to a suitable value by way of example . at the step 201 , a digital timer is appropriately set for an initial value p 0 for the period δt , and an application trial for the value p 0 is made at the step 202 . then , after observation of the result , it is judged at the step 203 if the result is satisfactory or not . if the judgement is yes , the period δt is determined to the present value δt (= p 0 ) and stored in a memory device at the step 204 . if the judgement is no , a variation δp is added to the present value of the period δt (= p 0 ) and the timer is set for the new period δt (= p 0 + δp ). then , the application trial and resetting of the timer are repeated by n times until a satisfactory result can be obtained for a renewed δt ( n ) (= p 0 + nδp , n ≧ 0 ). the variation δp can be preferably selected within a range of 1 to 10 msec . and a range of - 10 to - 1 msec . the above operation can be managed by using a computer - automated system so that an initial value for the period δt is automatically selected by various application conditions such as properties of the liquid material , a dimension and a shape of the injection port and the like . moreover , the motion velocity v s of the shutter plate 106 can be freely changed by controlling an air pressure which works in the air cylinder 98 as necessity arises . if the velocity v s is raised , the length of the tapered portion of the injected frit at the initiation or termination is shortened . on the other hand , since the sectional shape of the injected frit can be changed in accordance with the shape of the injection port , the shape of the tapered end portion of the frit also can be regulated by modifying the injection port . in the above embodiments , the apparatus is used for applying a frit to a funnel . however , it is , of course , possible to utilize the apparatus for other application works such as application of a sealant to a sheet glass and the like . in the above embodiments , if the edge of the injection port and the shutter plate are coated with anti - blocking agent , it is possible to decrease influence of the moving shutter on the injected viscous liquid material , so that shapes of the initial and terminal portions of the injected material can be accurately controlled by suitably selecting a value for the motion speed v s of the shutter and shapes for the injection port and the bore of the shutter plate . as described above , an injecting amount and a sectional shape of the corded liquid material can be correctly controlled by the shutter plate which is arranged on the injection port to move across the injecting direction according to the present invention , therefore , the apparatus for applying a viscous liquid material of the present invention can be utilize as not only a frit coater and an adhesive applier but also an applying machine for other viscous liquid materials , such as fluid semisolid materials which is creamy , syrupy , solated or the like . it must be understood that the invention is in no way limited to the above embodiments and that many changes may be brought about therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	1
referring now to the drawings , like reference numerals are used to identify identical components in the various views . as illustrated below the present invention is particularly suited for use in connection with a microfluidic device . one skilled in the art , however , would recognize that the teachings of the present invention may be well suited for use in a variety of industries such as genomics , surface coating , apportionment , proteomics and inkjet applications . the present invention can be used particularly in the industrialization of drug discovery processes including synthesis analysis and screening . the present invention increases speed and productivity while providing researchers with expanded capabilities and assuring quality . the invention provides substantial time and efficiency advantages over prior techniques . the invention provides miniaturized liquid handling systems which perform the biological , chemical and the analytical processes fundamental to life sciences , research and development . the invention can be utilized to perform thousands of reactions simultaneously in an integrated format , which substantially reduces the time , effort and expense required while improving the quality of the test results . the processor in accordance with the present invention generally incorporates a modular configuration with distinct layers or plates . the processor or microfluidic device 10 , as shown in fig1 is capable of conducting parallel synthesis of thousands of small molecule compounds through the precise delivery of reagents to discrete reaction sites . this helps create a significantly larger number and variety of small molecules more effectively and with fewer resources . with the present invention , arrays of dna can be synthesized and transported on demand . the processor can also be used for high volume of sample processing and testing , as well as the search for new molecular targets and determining expression levels and response to known drugs . the processor can incorporate multiple assay formats , such as receptor binding , antibody - antigen interactions , dna / rna amplification and detection , as well as magnetic deed base separations . the versatility of the processor and its architecture make it available for use with synthesis work stations , genomic support stations , and analytical preparation systems . a basic multiple fluid sample processor or microfluidic device 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown in fig1 and 2 . the microfluidic device is illustrated as a three - layered structure in the embodiment illustrated . the microfluidic device 10 is also called a fluid assay layered device ( fald ), or a fluidic array . the microfluidic device 10 includes a top layer 12 , which is also called a reagent reservoir . the microfluidic device 10 also includes a middle layer or fluidic delivery layer 14 , as well as a bottom layer or well plate 16 . the top layer 12 is also called a feed - through plate and serves as a cover for the microfluidic device 10 . layer 12 contains a number of apertures 18 which are selectively positioned immediately above apertures 20 in layer 14 . apertures 20 are connected by an elongated micro - channels 22 which in turn have a plurality of branches extending therefrom . as illustrated , layer 14 comprises one layer , however , one skilled in the art would recognize that layer 14 may comprise several layers . well plate 16 has a plurality of wells 24 which are used to hold the reagents and other materials in order for them to react and synthesize . the three layers 12 , 14 and 16 are stacked together to form a modular configuration . they are also coupled together tightly to form a liquid - tight seal . if desired , the top layer 12 can be bounded or fused to the center distribution plate 14 or layer . the bottom or well plate layer 16 , however , is detachably coupled to layer 16 . the plates 12 , 14 and 16 may be made from any desirable material , such as glass , fused silica , quartz , or silicon wafer material . the reservoirs , micro - channels and reaction cells are controllably etched or otherwise formed onto the plates using traditional semi - conductor fabrication techniques with a suitable chemical etchant or laser drilling . top plate 12 contains apertures 18 positioned above the openings 20 located in central plate 14 . apertures 18 provide the necessary openings for loading module to fill the reservoirs with a plurality of agents or other materials . as will be further described below , a pressure pumping mechanism , is preferably used to assist in loading and distributing the reagents and other materials within the layers . a typical need is for one of the sample plates to have each sample conveyed , transported and / or processed while eventually being delivered into the well plate . during this time , the samples are typically exposed to the atmosphere and can oxidize , evaporate or cross - contaminate to an undesirable extent . with the present invention , however , the multi - layered sample microfluidic device 10 with detachable well plates inhibits cross - contamination of the fluids used in the combinatorial process . the detachable layers in accordance with the present invention are preferably of a common dimensionality for ease of being handled by robotic or other automation means . a common set of dimensions has been adopted by many manufacturers which match that of the 96 - well plate known as a “ micro titer ” plate . preferably , the plates 12 , 14 and 16 are connected to each other by an indexing means of detents , flanges or locating pins so they are closely aligned in the horizontal and vertical directions . while engaged in such manner , samples from one of the plates can be caused to be moved and transported to another plate . means for transporting or moving the samples from one of the plates to the other can be by pumping , draining , or capillary action . while the samples are engaged , and as a result of the transport of the samples from one layer to the other , the samples may be processed , reacted , separated , or otherwise modified by chemical or physical means , and then finalized by optical , electrochemical , chemical , or other means . samples or fluids can be delivered to the microfluidic device 10 by being contained in one of the members of physically engaging sample multi - well plates , such as a top layer 12 , or other means of sample introduction can be utilized , such as through the edges of such layer . referring now to fig3 a block diagram of a fluid transportation system 30 formed according to the present invention is illustrated . fluid transportation system 30 controls the amount of fluid distributed from or within microfluidic device 10 . fluid transportation system 30 is illustrated adjacent to a mass spectrometer 32 that is used for analyzing the composition of a fluid delivery 34 from microfluidic device 10 . mass spectrometer 32 analyzes the composition of fluid delivery 34 in a well - known manner . microfluidic device 10 has a fluid input 36 which is coupled to a first fluid reservoir 38 . as will be further described below , a second fluid reservoir 40 may also be coupled in series with first fluid reservoir 38 . a pump 42 is used to move fluid from first reservoir 38 and second fluid reservoir 40 into fluid input 36 . a power supply 44 is electrically coupled to buffer reservoir or pump 42 to an electrode 46 in microfluidic device 10 and mass spectrometer 32 . a controller 48 is coupled to power supply 44 and may be coupled to pump 42 . controller 48 controls the coupling of power to electrode 46 , pump 42 , and mass spectrometer 32 . controller 48 is preferably microprocessor based . controller 48 , however , in its simplest form may comprise a number of switches . in the microprocessor form , controller 48 may include an internal timer . a flow meter 50 may be positioned between fluid reservoir 38 and fluid input 36 . flow meter 50 may provide feedback to controller 48 with regard to the amount of fluid transported to microfluidic device 10 . other feedback means to controller 48 may , for example , be timing for pump 42 . if pump flows at a certain rate when operated , the amount of fluid delivered to microfluidic device 10 may be determined by a timer . the timer may be incorporated within pump 42 or within controller 48 as described above . in operation , controller 48 controls pump 42 to supply a predetermined amount of fluid from reservoirs 38 and 40 . as will be further described below , as a droplet of fluid forms at an opening of microfluidic device 10 , power supply 44 under the control of controller 48 applies power to contacts 46 and between a target 52 . a voltage potential difference exists between contact 46 and target 52 so that fluid delivery 34 is formed therebetween . a first reservoir 38 and second reservoir 40 may be used to electrically isolate pump 42 from microfluidic device 10 . in this manner , second reservoir 40 provides isolation . second reservoir 40 may be eliminated if another manner for electrical isolation is employed . in the illustration of fig3 a single pump and a pair of series reservoirs 38 , 40 are employed . however , it is likely that various numbers of pumps and reservoirs may be used to provide various reagents to microfluidic device 10 . referring now to fig4 and 5 , a portion of a microfluidic device 10 is shown . the portion shown , may , for example , be a well plate 54 having a well 56 . a well plate 54 is described in fig1 and 2 as bottom layer 16 . well 56 receives fluids from the other layers of microfluidic device 10 . each fluid within each of the wells 56 of the device 10 must be analyzed . for many applications , it is desirable , however , to analyze only a small portion of the fluidic solution in well 56 . a sample outlet 58 is provided from well 56 through well plate 54 . an opening 60 is formed at sample outlet 60 . sample outlet also has an entrance 62 adjacent to well 56 . to sample fluid from well 56 , fluid moves through entrance 62 through sample outlet 58 and through opening 60 . sample outlet 58 acts as a capillary channel from well 56 . a capillary barrier or “ break ” 64 is formed at opening 60 of sample outlet 58 . capillary break 64 is formed by the surface tension of the fluid in sample outlet 58 when opening to a larger volume . without a sufficiently high pressure or some other action , fluid within well 56 does not flow from sample outlet 58 . an electrode 66 is positioned within sample outlet 58 . electrode 66 is illustrated as a ring electrode positioned at opening 60 . the shape of electrode 66 , however , may vary depending on the application . electrode 66 in any form should be capable of inducing a charge on fluid at outlet 58 . referring now to fig6 electrode 66 ′ may be positioned at entrance 62 to sample outlet 58 . it has been experimentally found that the position of electrodes 66 , 66 ′ in sample outlet 58 has little affect on the operation of fluid transportation system 30 . a nozzle 68 may also be used to extend sample outlet 58 at opening 60 . as shown , nozzle 68 forms a slight mesa that extends from the . bottom of well plate 54 . for most fluids , the formation of nozzle 68 has little affect on the operation of fluid transportation system 30 . referring now to fig7 a three layer microfluidic device 10 is illustrated . fluid transportation system may be incorporated within a microfluidic device 10 for providing fluid to various locations within microfluidic device . if accurate pumps or feedback systems are used , the amounts of fluid may be metered precisely . microfluidic device may , for example , have a top layer 70 , a middle layer 72 , and a bottom layer 74 . of course , the device illustrated in fig7 is only a portion of a microfluidic device 10 . microfluidic device 10 may , for example , have a number of layers incorporated therein . in the present example , a capillary channel 76 is formed between top layer 70 and middle layer 72 . capillary channel 76 is ultimately coupled to a fluid reservoir such as that described above with respect to fig3 . capillary channel 76 may feed an intermediate well 78 within microfluidic device 10 . electrodes 80 may be incorporated into microfluidic device to control the operation of fluid delivery as will be further described below . referring now to fig8 and 9 , a droplet 82 is formed at opening 60 of sample outlet 58 . the volume of droplet 82 may be precisely controlled by pump 42 and controller 48 of fig3 . once a droplet 82 having a desired volume is formed , power supply provides a potential difference between contact 66 and target 52 . depending on the viscosity of the fluid and other characteristics , when a sufficient potential difference is applied between contact 66 and target 52 , droplet 82 is formed into fluid delivery 34 . the type or fluid delivery 34 may include a cone 84 as illustrated in fig9 . a cone is formed by charged particles 86 of droplet 82 . referring now to fig1 , charged particles 86 may also form a stream between opening 60 and target 52 . a stream is formed when a relatively medium voltage potential is applied between electrode 66 and target 52 . the type of fluid delivery 34 obtained is dependent upon the voltage . for example , voltage in the range between 500 volts and 3 kilovolts may be used . referring now to fig1 , an alternative microfluidic device 10 ′ is illustrated having a first well 56 ′ and a second well 56 ″. each well has a sample outlet 58 ′ and 58 ″. wells 56 ′, 56 ″ may be coupled to the same fluids . in the preferred embodiment , however , wells 56 ′, 56 ″ are coupled to two different fluids . that is , wells 56 ′, 56 ″ may be coupled to two separate fluid reservoir / pump combinations . as described above , electrodes 66 ′ and 66 ″ are located within sample outlets 58 ′, 58 ″. when a droplet is formed in openings 60 ′ and 60 ″, and a voltage potential is applied between contact 60 ′, 60 ″ and target 52 , the droplets form fluid deliveries 34 ′, 34 ″. in this manner , a mixing region 90 is formed by the combination of the fluid deliveries 34 ′, 34 ″. target 52 may be incorporated within a receiver plate or within a mass spectrometer . it is believed that mixing region 90 provides superior distribution of fluid deliveries 34 ′, 34 ″ for use with a mass spectrometer . referring now to fig1 , yet another alternative microfluidic device 10 ″ is illustrated . microfluidic device 10 ″ has a well 56 ′″ having a capillary channel 92 extending therefrom . capillary channel 92 has a sample outlet 58 ′″. capillary channel 92 is also illustrative of the fact that well 56 ′″ may be located a distance from an opening 60 ′″ in sample outlet 58 ′″. a nozzle 68 ′″ may also be incorporated near opening 60 ′″. when dispensing liquid from microfluidic device 10 ″, a receiver plate 94 may be positioned adjacent to microfluidic device 10 ″. receiver plate 94 has a receiving well 96 that may be used to transport samples of the solution formed in well 56 ′″. receiving well 96 may have an electrode 98 coupled thereto . electrode 98 in combination with electrode 66 ′″ has an electrical potential difference . the potential difference allows fluid to be dispensed from sample outlet 58 ′″. referring now to fig1 , a microfluidic device 10 ′″ is illustrated similar to that of microfluidic device 10 ″ except having a multiple number of wells 56 a through 56 e . wells 56 a through 56 e may each have different solutions therein . microfluidic device 10 ′″ may be used for mixing or dispensing solutions from wells 56 a through 56 e . in operation , when fluid is to be transferred within or from a microfluidic device , a droplet is formed at an opening . when a desired volume droplet is formed , a spray voltage is applied to an electrode within the fluid outlet . the application of voltage causes the droplet to be drawn towards an oppositely charged or grounded target . the particles of fluid or charge particles are attracted to the oppositely charged target . charge particles may form a fluid delivery shaped as a cone or as a stream or as a number of droplets . depending on the voltage , the characteristics of the fluid delivery may be changed . one skilled in the art would recognize that a relatively low voltage may be maintained and when a fluid delivery is desired , the voltage may be increased to the desired level to obtain the desired fluid delivery characteristic . while particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described , numerous variations and alternate embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art . accordingly , it is intended that the invention be limited only in terms of the appended claims .	1
fig1 depicts a conceptual diagram with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . the arrangement of fig1 includes a computer system 100 that comprises at least an application server 107 and database server 108 . not shown in fig1 are optional local client pcs or terminals which may connect with the application server to execute one or more applications . it is noted that the arrangement in fig1 also does not show a variety of other computers and terminals that may be connected to the database server 108 . the arrangement of fig1 is exemplary only , and is not intended to limit the nearly infinite variety of computer networks that may be configured to implement the same functionality . each of the database server and application server may be distributed among plural computers . moreover , the application and database server may be implemented on the same or different computers . in operation , an exemplary application represented by block 110 executes on the application server 107 . when the application requires a particular parameter , the application first checks cache memory 103 if the parameter is found in cache memory 103 , and if the cache is deemed current enough to be useful , the application 110 simply utilizes the parameter from cache . whether or not a parameter in cache is deemed current enough may vary by parameter . specifically , the system designed and typically knows in advance approximately how often the cache memory should be updated with a new value . the value that is to replace the cache value comes from another source , for example , database 102 . thus , if the desired parameter is either not found in cache memory 103 , or the application determines that , although the parameter is found in cache memory 103 , it has timed out , the next step described below is executed . if either the parameter has timed out in cache , or if it is not present at all in cache , then an additional source such as database 102 ( or other file ) is checked for a current version of the necessary parameter . database 102 is preferably , but not necessarily , a database and is also preferably implemented on a separate database server as shown in fig1 . by implementing database 102 on a separate server 108 , new data can be populated into the database without taking down the system , and this data will find its way into the cache as a result of the methodology described herein . moreover , if the database is not operable , the system can simply move to the next step shown in fig1 , just the same as if it did not find the data in database 102 . if the required parameter is located in database 102 , it is written to cache memory 103 and also utilized by application 1 10 . however , if the parameter is not found in database 102 , the flat file 104 is then checked , and the data presumably located . in all events , however , the value of the parameter is retrieved at block 105 and placed into cache memory 103 for subsequent use . fig2 depicts and additional embodiment of the present invention in which the application server includes plural terminals 205 - 207 , and two database servers 209 and 108 . in such a case , a parameter in cache memory may also specify , in the cache , which of the database servers the 209 or 108 to use for the updated parameter . in this manner , if the needed parameter is not in the cache at all , the next step would be to check the database servers 108 and / or 109 . these two servers may represent one live and one backup , or , they may represent multiple servers for storing a large amount of data , such that the database is implemented between the two of them . alternatively , if the parameter is in cache 103 but has time out , the cache version could include a pointer to the specific database server to check , thereby eliminating the need to check plural servers . preferably , the system designer will ascertain in advance which of numerous software parameters change often enough to use the database or other file 102 , and which do not change so frequently . thus , for parameters like passwords , for example , which users tend to maintain long term , the flat file or hard coding can be used . for parameters such as a customer balance in an account , the database server 108 and database 102 can be used as the source of these . thus , all parameters will gradually be moved into cache as the software application ( s ) that need them are run on the application server 107 , and the cache will by kept up to date using the timeout features described above . in one embodiment , all parameters that may be used by the software application and which vary are divided into groups in advance of use . parameters expected to be updated more frequently than the predetermined threshold are placed into the database 102 , whereas , parameters expected to be updated less frequently than the predetermined threshold are placed into the flat file . in this manner , once the application ( s ) are up and running , the parameters gradually migrate into cache , and the ones that need to be updated more frequently than the the threshold can be changed while the software applications using them are “ live ”. notably , parameters in the flat file 104 can also be put into the database file 102 . such a situation will arise when a parameter was previously selected for the flat file , but the developer wishes to override the value . rather than have to take the application out of service to update the flat file , the parameter can just be put into the database 102 . due to the order in which the sources for the parameter are checked , as described above , the system will continue to operate , but the database file will trump the flat file because it is checked first . the above technique can also be used to allow a parameter in the flat file , and which can thus be accessed very quickly by the software application , to be altered without having to take down a software application using those parameters . specifically , consider the case where the desired parameter is one that does not vary all that often , so it is placed in flat file 104 . if a time comes that such a parameter must be changed , the system can then change it by placing the parameter in database 102 , even though it is not normally kept there . due to the order in which the software application checks for sources of the parameter ( described above ), the software application will continue operating , however , it will do so using the new value of the parameter in database 102 . then , if it is desired to permit even faster access by placing the parameter in flat file 104 , at least two methodologies can be utilized . first , the flat filed can be updated with the new value at a time when the application is not used , or at least less critical ( e . g . ; overnight ). alternatively , the software itself can be programmed , and the parameter in database 102 tagged , so that the software itself is instructed to place the new parameter into the flat file after it is first read into cache from the database 102 . the system may also keep track of the number of times a parameter is replaced with information from the database . in this manner , if a parameter was designated by the developer for the flat file , but the system detects that it is changing too often , it can alert the developer to reallocate such parameter to the database file 102 . while the above describes the preferred embodiment of the present invention , various other modifications can be implemented without departing the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
fig1 illustrates a block diagram of a memory system designated generally at 10 and according to the preferred embodiments . in one preferred embodiment , system 10 is constructed using a single integrated circuit and , indeed , additional circuitry is likely included within such an integrated circuit . however , to simplify the present illustration and discussion , such additional circuitry is neither shown nor described . moreover , system 10 may be implemented in connection with numerous digital data systems , as ascertainable by one skilled in the art . looking to the blocks in system 10 , system 10 includes various items which in general are also known in the prior art , but additional control and operation as detailed later distinguishes the overall system . looking by way of introduction to some of the blocks that are comparable to the prior art , they include an sram array 12 . sram array 12 is intended to demonstrate a collection of sram memory cells that are typically aligned in an array fashion , that is , to include either or both a physical and logical orientation wherein the memory cells are addressed according to a number r of rows and a number c of columns . the values of r and c may vary widely based on implementations . each of the r × c memory cells may be constructed according to various techniques known to or ascertainable by one skilled in the art . an address signal is coupled to a row access circuit 14 and a column access circuit 16 . collectively , row access circuit 14 and column access circuit 16 facilitate the reading and writing of cells in sram array 12 , where the particular cells accessed in a given cycle are determined by the address . the manner in which a row or rows , and some or all of the columns in a row or rows , are accessed in a given cycle also may vary . in any event , addressed cells are either written or read as indicated at the data input / output 10 i / o of fig1 , where typically such i / o is provided in connection with the column access of the array . turning now to an inventive aspect of fig1 and which also combines with system 10 so as to provide an overall novel and improved system , system 10 includes an array voltage supply block 18 . in the preferred embodiment , array voltage supply block 18 provides one or more array voltages to the data storage cells of sram array 12 , where by way of a preferred example , three such system voltages are shown in fig1 . these three voltages include the array high supply voltage v dda , the array low supply voltage v ssa , and an array back bias voltage v bba . as known in the art , the array high and low supply voltages , v dda and v ssa , respectively , may be connected to various devices , such as selected source , drain , and / or gate nodes of various transistors within sram array 12 , as may the low supply voltage , v ssa . further , the array back bias voltage v bba , may connect to the backgates or other appropriate threshold voltage connections of at least some of the transistors in sram array 12 . further in this regard , while a single back bias voltage , v bba , is shown in fig1 , in one preferred embodiment two separate back bias voltages are provided , one for p - channel transistors and one for n - channel transistors , where as known in the art a different back bias voltage is generally applied to p - channel transistors compared to the back bias voltage applied to n - channel transistors , and a different amount of voltage adjustment is required to cause an equal change in the threshold voltage of these different conductivity type devices . in an alternative embodiment , v bba may be adjusted with respect to p - channel transistors while an increase in v ssa relative to substrate voltage may be used to increase a back bias on n - channel transistors so as to increase the threshold voltage of those transistors . lastly , and for reasons evident below , array voltage supply block 18 also includes an input 18 s for receiving a sleep signal . the particular operation of array voltage supply block 18 is now explored and provides an inventive aspect as will be appreciate by one skilled in the art . specifically , during data access operation of system 10 , array voltage supply block 18 may provide the array voltages , v dda , v ssa , and v bba , according to techniques and methodologies as known in the art . however , the preferred embodiments contemplate that the sleep signal is asserted when it is desired for system 10 to enter into a sleep mode of operation , that is , a period of time where it is known that the data cells in sram array 12 will not be accessed ( i . e ., either read or written ), but where it is required that each cell maintain its valid data state . the assertion of the sleep signal in this manner may be performed according to the art . in response to asserted sleep signal , array voltage supply 18 adjusts one or more of the array voltages , v dda , v ssa , and v bba , so as to reduce current consumption of the cells in sram array 12 during the corresponding period of standby operation . for example , v dda may be decreased and / or v ssa may be increased to the cells . as another example , v bba may be adjusted so as to increase the threshold voltage of the transistor ( s ) in each sram cell , where , for example , increasing v bba of a p - channel transistor will increase its threshold voltage . importantly , however , also in the preferred embodiment , any one or more of v dda , v ssa , and v bba are further adjusted according to the temperature experienced by system 10 . in other words , and as further appreciated below from one preferred embodiment approach , array voltage supply 18 operates in a fashion that is deliberately temperature - dependent such that any of v dda , v ssa , or v bba may be altered in response to temperature . for sleep mode , the applied voltages must be set at values that will allow retention of the data while preferably reducing iddq . since transistor characteristics change with temperature , the voltages required for data retention may change with temperature , and iddq may change with temperature . a larger voltage across the cell ( v dda - v ssa ) may be required for data retention at lower temperature than at higher temperature . also , for a given set of voltages , iddq may be higher at higher temperature than at lower temperature . thus , these voltage alterations may be constructed so that when temperature decreases , the net voltage , v dda - v ssa , applied to sram array 12 is increased , where in contrast when temperature increases , that net voltage , v dda - v ssa , applied to sram array 12 is decreased . additionally , as temperature increases , the threshold voltage of data cell transistors may decrease for a given back bias . thus the applied back bias voltage may be adjusted to increase the threshold voltage at higher temperature and to decrease the threshold voltage at lower temperature . note that these net voltage adjustments are such that when temperature decreases , the voltage across the cell is increased so as to maintain the valid data state in cells of sram array 12 ; however , as a benefit , when temperature increases , the net voltage is decreased and / or the threshold voltage is increased with a corresponding reduction in leakage current as compared to that which would occur if the voltage remained the same as it was at lower temperatures . therefore , during the sleep mode of operation , array voltage supply block 18 provides a first set of voltage levels to sram array 12 for a first temperature , and array voltage supply block 18 provides a second set of voltage levels to sram array 12 for a second temperature , where the first set of voltages has at least one voltage that differs from the comparable voltage in the second set of voltages , and where the first temperature differs from the second temperature . fig2 illustrates a schematic of one preferred embodiment for implementing a portion of voltage supply block 18 for sake of generating the array high supply voltage v dda and which is designated as system 18 ′. by way of introduction , system 18 ′ is such that the voltage v dda it outputs decreases with an increase in temperature and such that this voltage increases with a decrease in temperature , consistent with the above teachings and for use when the sleep signal is asserted to supply 18 in fig1 . looking to the connectivity of the schematic , it includes a node 30 coupled to receive a supply voltage v cc that preferably does not vary significantly with temperature , as may be produced by various voltage supply circuits known in the art . looking to the left of the schematic , in general a subsystem sb 1 is generally segregated for sake of illustration and later functional description , and is as follows . node 30 is connected to the source and backgate of a p - channel transistor 32 , which has its gate connected to a node 34 and its drain connected to a node 36 . node 34 in the illustrated embodiment is connected to ground . node 36 is further connected to the base and collector of a bi - polar junction transistor (“ bjt ”) 38 , which has its emitter connected to a base and collector of a bjt 40 . the emitter of bjt 40 is connected to node 34 . returning to node 30 , it is also connected to the source and backgate of a p - channel transistor 42 , which has its gate connected to its drain and also to the gate of a p - channel transistor 44 . the drain of p - channel transistor 42 is also connected to the collector of a bjt 46 , which has its base connected to node 36 and its emitter connected to a first terminal ( or node ) 48 of a resistor 50 , and where a second terminal 52 of resistor 50 is connected to node 34 . continuing with fig2 , system 18 ′ includes another subsystem sb 2 , also segregated for sake of illustration and later functional description . in subsystem sb 2 , node 30 is connected to the backgate of p - channel transistor 44 and also to the backgate of a p - channel transistor 54 . the drain of p - channel transistor 44 is connected to a node 56 , which as detailed later provides the temperature - dependent voltage , v dda . the drain of p - channel transistor 54 is connected to a node 58 and the gate of that p - channel transistor 54 is connected to a node 60 , which is connected to the drain of a p - channel transistor 62 and the drain of an n - channel transistor 64 . p - channel transistor 62 has its source and backgate connected to node 30 , and its gate connected to a node 66 . the gate of n - channel transistor 64 is connected to node 30 and its source and backgate are connected to node 34 . node 66 is also connected to the drain and gate of a p - channel transistor 68 , having its source and backgate connected to node 30 . node 66 is also connected to the gate and drain of a p - channel transistor 70 , having its source and backgate connected to node 30 . node 66 is also connected to the gate of a p - channel transistor 72 , having its source and backgate connected to node 30 and its drain connected to node 56 . node 66 is also connected to the collector of a bjt 74 , having its base connected to node 58 and its emitter connected to a terminal 76 of a resistor 78 . another terminal 80 of resistor 78 is connected to node 34 . returning to p - channel transistor 70 , its drain is connected to the base and collector of a bjt 82 , which has its emitter connected to node 34 . finally , node 56 is also connected to a terminal 84 of a resistor 86 , which has another terminal 88 connected to node 34 . the operation of system 18 ′ is now discussed , and may be appreciated by first turning to sub - system sb 2 . in general , sub - system sb 2 operates as a bandgap subcircuit to provide a current that has a known dependency with temperature . specifically , in the preferred embodiment , bjt 74 is on the order of four times the physical size of bjt 82 . however , due to the current mirror produced by p - channel transistors 68 and 70 , each of bjts 74 and 82 has a same amount of current passing through the collector - emitter paths of those devices . the result of this equivalent current flow is that the base - to - emitter voltage (“ vbe ”) is reduced through bjt 74 relative to bjt 82 , since the current through bjt 74 per unit area is one - fourth that through bjt 82 . thus , there is a δv be between ground at node 34 and terminal 76 of resistor 78 ; this δv be may be in a slight sense temperature dependent , but may be assumed to be temperature independent at least to a first order of approximation . given the preceding , the amount of resistance provided by resistor 78 defines the amount of current through subsystem sb 2 , that is , the mirrored current through p - channel transistors 68 and 70 . the current through resistor 78 is also mirrored through resistor 86 ; also , note that resistors 78 and 86 are preferably matched in terms of fabrication , but in terms of resistance one may be a multiple of the other . likewise , therefore , the current mirrored through resistor 78 and resistor 86 may be the same or one may be a multiple of the other . in any event , therefore , subsystem sb 2 primarily contributes a temperature - dependent current through resistor 86 , which is inversely proportional to its resistance , thereby providing v dda in this respect as a temperature - independent voltage . thus , subsystem sb 2 may be provided so as to provide a substantially temperature - independent v dda over a certain range of temperatures , such as for higher operating temperatures of memory system 10 . continuing with the operation of system 18 ′, attention is now directed to sub - system sb 1 . in general and as further detailed below , sub - system sb 1 operates to contribute to system 18 ′ a characteristic of a voltage that is temperature - dependent so that this element may be used to include temperature dependence into v dda below a certain desirable temperature threshold . with this inclusion , therefore , v dda may be increased either linearly or otherwise below the desired temperature threshold during the standby mode of system 10 , thereby providing sufficient voltage to maintain data in sram array 12 during that mode , whereas when the temperature increases above the desirable temperature threshold during the standby mode , the effect of sub - system sb 1 is minimized or avoided , thereby leaving the reduced and relatively fixed or temperature - independent characteristic of v dda as provided by sub - system sb 2 so as to also maintain state in sram array 12 while also decreasing leakage current as compared to that which would occur if the voltage were left at a higher range as is provided with the inclusion of the characteristic of sub - system sb 1 at lower temperatures . the details of such operation of subsystem sb 1 are further appreciated below . looking now in greater detail to the operation of subsystem sb 1 , a current is generated through p - channel transistor 32 , and this current is mirrored through bjts 38 and 46 , thereby providing a same voltage at the emitter of each of bjts 38 and 46 . thus , the voltage across resistor 50 is the same as a v be across bjt 40 . note , however , that the temperature coefficient of the v be across bjt 40 will vary considerably with temperature . for example , the v be may be 0 . 9 volts at − 40 degrees celsius and 0 . 4 volts at 150 degrees celsius . further , the resistance of resistor 50 increases with temperature . thus , at lower temperatures , these factors combine to produce more current in the current mirror output that includes p - channel transistors 42 and 44 . this current may be scaled and is added to the current from p - channel transistor 72 ( in subsystem sb 2 ), and this combined current passes through resistor 86 , thereby contributing to the voltage , v dda , across that resistor 86 . thus , the temperature dependence of subsystem sb 1 combines with the relative temperature independence of subsystem sb 2 . accordingly , a characteristic of v dda may have the shape as shown as a simplified example in fig3 a . particularly , fig3 a plots v dda with respect to temperature , as produced by system 18 ′. as seen , below a temperature threshold thr 1 , v dda is fairly linear along a first line l 1 , and that line indicates that v dda increases with a decrease in temperature , as achieved through the added functionality provided by subsystem sb 1 . above voltage threshold thr 1 , v dda is also linear , but along a second and different line l 2 . also , while not shown , the transition between lines l 1 and l 2 may include a curved transition . in any event , v dda along line l 2 is fairly temperature - independent , as provided by subsystem sb 2 , in a range of temperature above thr 1 where the effect of subsystem sb 1 is substantially reduced or eliminated . in other words , fig3 a illustrates that for system 18 ′, v dda is generated by the adding of a constant current and a temperature - dependent current through resistor 86 . in the low temperature region below threshold thr 1 , the temperature - dependent current is larger and predominantly determines the voltage , thereby increasing v dda as temperature decreases below threshold thr 1 . in the high temperature region , the constant current is larger and predominantly determines the voltage , thereby maintaining v dda as a relative constant above threshold thr 1 . at the transition region between lines l 1 and l 2 , the two currents are of comparable magnitude . in all events , it may be seen that lines l 1 and l 2 provide a range for v dda , whereby generally at lower temperatures the provided voltage is greater than that at higher temperatures , thereby providing the operation and benefits described above . in addition to the preceding , note further that in the preferred embodiments v dda may be supplied relative to v ssa . thus the voltage across the cell may be increased at lower temperature by increasing v dda as shown in fig3 a , or by lowering v ssa while holding v dda constant . any combination of raising or lowering v dda and raising or lowering v ssa may be used to obtain the desired voltage across the cell as a function of temperature . this may be done in conjunction with adjustment of back bias voltages or with constant back bias voltages to adjust the threshold voltages of the n - channel and p - channel transistors . for example , for a given v bba applied as back bias to the p - channel transistors and a given substrate voltage applied to the n - channel transistors , raising v dda and v ssa together will lower the magnitude of the p - channel transistor threshold voltage and increase the magnitude of the n - channel transistor threshold voltage . still further , note that the preceding techniques , with respect to v dda , v ssa , and / or v bba , may be applied based on other plots of voltage change with temperature . for example , fig3 b and 3 c illustrate alternative plots demonstrating temperature - dependent voltage that may be provided to the sram array of fig1 during the sleep mode . briefly , therefore , fig3 b illustrates a first range of temperature below a threshold thr 2 wherein v dda is constant , and it further illustrates a second range of temperature above threshold thr 2 wherein v dda decreases linearly with temperature . as another alternative , fig3 c illustrates different voltage characteristics across three temperature ranges . in a first range of temperature below a threshold thr 3 , v dda is constant , and in a second range of temperature above a threshold thr 4 , v dda is also constant . however , between temperatures thr 3 and thr 4 is a third range of temperature wherein v dda decreases linearly with temperature . from the above , it may be appreciated that the above embodiments provide an sram with a temperature - dependent voltage control in its sleep mode . the sram provides particular benefits over the prior art . for example , current consumption during the sleep mode is reduced as compared to the prior art . this reduction leads to corresponding benefits , such as reduced power consumption and reduced cost of operation . these benefits may be particularly advantageous in battery - operated applications , which are quite common in contemporary applications . as another benefit , the present inventive teachings may be applied to numerous forms of srams and in the numerous devices into which such srams are included . as yet another benefit , while fig2 illustrates one approach to providing a temperature - dependent form of v dda , one skilled in the art may ascertain other approaches as well as circuits for providing a temperature - dependent form of v ssa and / or v bba . still further , rather than using current sources to provide a temperature - dependent form for any one or more of v dda , v ssa , and v bba , such a voltage or voltages may be provided by a number of voltage sources , where different ones of the voltage sources have different temperature dependencies . thus , these benefits further demonstrates the flexibility of the preferred embodiments , and further demonstrate that while the present embodiments have been described in detail , various substitutions , modifications or alterations could be made to the descriptions set forth above without departing from the inventive scope which is defined by the following claims .	6
surprisingly , it has been found that the problem underlying the invention can be solved by the addition of tertiary amine to the reaction mixture . characterized in that the reaction is conducted in the presence of a tertiary amine . in a particularly preferred process , the hydrogenation is carried out in a temperature range from 0 ° c . to 100 ° c ., preferably from 10 ° c . to 80 ° c ., particularly from 20 ° c . to 60 ° c . also preferred is a process wherein the hydrogenation is carried out under a pressure of more than 0 . 5 bar to 25 bar , preferably under a pressure of 1 bar to 8 bar , particularly at about 2 - 6 bar . the solvents preferably used within the process according to the invention may be both protic solvents — such as e . g . alcohols , carboxylic acids and / or water — or aprotic polar solvents such as e . g . ethers , esters , amides or lactams and / or mixtures thereof . water may optionally be added to all the solvents . preferred protic solvents used are branched or unbranched c 1 - c 8 alkanols , c 1 - c 3 carboxylic acids or mixtures thereof . particularly preferably , lower alcohols such as methanol , ethanol , n - propanol and isopropanol , carboxylic acids such as formic acid , acetic acid and propionic acid or mixtures thereof are used . preferred aprotic solvents are polar ethers such as for example tetrahydrofuran or dimethoxyethylether , amides such as for example dimethylformamide , lactams such as for example n - methylpyrrolidone or esters like for instance ethyl acetate . most preferred solvent according to the invention is ethyl acetate . suitable hydrogenation catalysts are generally transition metals such as for example nickel , platinum or palladium or the salts or oxides thereof . raney nickel , platinum oxide and palladium on an inert carrier material , particularly palladium on activated charcoal ( pd / c ), are preferred . the tertiary amine is preferably selected from among trimethylamine , triethylamine , diisopropylethylamine and dbu ( diazabicycloundecene ). most preferred amine is triethylamine . the amount of tertiary amine used within the scope of the invention is based on the amount of starting material 2 in the range of 0 , 05 to 10 %, preferably 0 , 5 - 7 %, most preferred 2 - 6 %. the foregoing amount is indicated in weight percentage relative to starting material 2 . in the following examples the same compound 2 batch was used as the starting material . prior to the experiments it was determined that the batch contained about 380 ppm of sulfur impurities . under inert atmosphere ( n 2 ) an autoclave is charged with 150 g of compound 2 , 6 g of a 10 % palladium on charcoal catalyst , 7 ml of triethylamine and 630 ml of ethyl acetate . the autoclave is heated to 30 ° c . and hydrogen added until a pressure of 4 bars is observed . then the temperature is adjusted to 50 ° c . the usual time for complete conversion of the starting material is 1 to 2 h . the autoclave is then allowed to cool and the suspension filtered to remove the catalyst . the organic filtrate is concentrated on a rotary evaporator and diluted with 350 ml of either isopropanol or toluene . again the solution is concentrated using mild vacuum and 400 ml of either isopropanol or toluene are added . the solution is cooled to 10 ° c . to allow crystallisation of the product . the crude product is isolated by filtration and dried under vacuum to yield 123 g ( 90 % of theoretical yield ) of compound 1 . under inert atmosphere ( n 2 ) an autoclave is charged with 150 g of compound 2 , 6 g of a 10 % palladium on charcoal catalyst and 630 ml of ethyl acetate . the autoclave is heated to 30 ° c . and hydrogen added until a pressure of 4 bars is observed . then the temperature is adjusted to 50 ° c . if hydrogen uptake ceases or is slow , the autoclave is flushed with nitrogen and additional catalyst is added ( appr . 50 % of the original amount ), then new hydrogen is added and hydrogenation continued . the usual time for complete conversion of the starting material is approximately 4 hours . the autoclave is then allowed to cool and the suspension filtered to remove the catalyst . the organic filtrate is concentrated on a rotary evaporator and diluted with 350 ml of either isopropanol or toluene . again the solution is concentrated using mild vacuum and 400 ml of either isopropanol or toluene are added . the solution is cooled to 10 ° c . to allow crystallisation of the product . the crude product is isolated by filtration and dried under vacuum to yield 116 g ( 85 % of theoretical yield ) of 1 .	2
in the following description , for purposes of explanation , specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the various inventive concepts disclosed herein . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the various inventive concepts disclosed herein . fig1 depicts the garment rack in its erected configuration . the garment rack comprises a tray 1 , a cover 2 , a pair of arms 3 a - b , a hanger pole 4 , and a set of casters 5 a - d . in the preferred embodiment , the tray 1 is rectangular having two short parallel sides and two long parallel sides . the arms 3 a and 3 b are attached to the tray 1 along the short parallel sides with a set of hinges 6 a - d positioned such that the arms collapse towards the center of the tray 1 . also attached to the inside face of the short parallel sides of tray 1 is a set of hanger saddles 7 a - b which are used to store the hanger pole 4 when the garment rack is in its collapsed configuration . in the collapsed configuration , shown in fig2 , the hanger pole 4 is stored on one side of the tray 1 adjacent to one of the long parallel sides of the tray . in some embodiments , the empty spaces of tray 1 that are not used for storing the hanger pole or collapsed arms 3 a - b can be partitioned into boxes or storage containers for storing additional merchandise or detachable parts of the garment rack . a handle 8 is attached to the exterior surface of tray 1 so that the user can pull the garment rack while it is collapsed as shown in fig3 . arms 3 a - b of the present invention are designed so they can be easily collapsed and stored within the tray 1 and erected to securely support hanger pole 4 . in one embodiment , each arm comprises a base board 9 a - b . the bottom portion of the base board 9 a is hingedly attached to the top surface of a side of tray 1 and the bottom portion of base board 9 b is hingedly attached to the opposite top surface of tray 1 . in the present embodiment , the attachment is accomplished by using a set of hinges 6 a - d , however , other fasteners that allow the arm to fold into the tray could be used such as a pivot joint . the top portion of base board 9 a is hingedly attached to the bottom portion of the top board 10 a . in the present embodiment , the attachment is accomplished using a set of hinges 11 a - b , however , other fasteners that allow the arm to fold into itself could be used such as a pivot joint . similarly , the top portion of base board 9 b is hingedly attached to the bottom portion of top board 10 b ; also using a set of hinges 11 c - d . at the bottom of each top board 10 a - b are a set of channel locks 12 a - d which are used to rigidly secure the top board to the base board when the garment rack is in its erected configuration . although channel locks are disclosed , it should be understood that other locks known in the art can be used to secure the top board and base board such as cam locks , slide locks , clamp locks , etc . the top board 10 a - b also comprises an extension track 13 a - b for receiving an extension board 14 a - b . the extension track 13 a - b and extension board 14 a - b allow the height of the garment rack to be adjusted using knob and nut assembly 15 a - d . when the garment rack is in its collapsed configuration , the knob and nut assembly 15 a - d can be stored in a side compartment 18 located in the tray 1 . at the top of the extension track 13 a - b is a hanger saddle 7 c - d which is used to secure and support the hanger pole 4 . in an alternative embodiment , the bottom board 9 a - b and top board 10 a - b are not hingedly attached , but instead are slidably attached such that the top board 10 a - b slides into a track found in the bottom board 9 a - b ( not depicted ), similar to the way the extension board 14 a - b is attached to the top board 10 a - b in the depicted embodiment . this arrangement would also allow for the garment rack to be easily erected and collapsed . a shoe rack 16 is attached between the arms 3 a - b at the lower portion of the base board 9 a - b with a set of swing levers 17 a - d . the shoe rack 16 is used for displaying shoes in an elevated platform when the garment rack is in its erected configuration . casters are attached to the bottom of the tray 1 . in the preferred embodiment , swivel casters 5 a - b are attached to the base of the tray 1 at the same end that the handle 8 is attached while stationary casters 5 c - d are attached to the opposite end . this allows the garment rack to be pushed around and easily maneuvered in its erected configuration and collapsed configuration . fig3 shows the garment rack being pulled by a user by the handle in an elevated angle such that only the stationary casters 5 c - d are being engaged . the swivel casters 5 a - b also have locking latches that can be engaged to lock the casters in place . the garment rack is designed to enable two configurations ( 1 ) a collapsed configuration and ( 2 ) an erected configuration . in the collapsed configuration , the entire garment rack is enclosed within the tray 1 and cover 2 . to transition the garment rack to the erected configuration from the collapsed configuration , the user must remove the cover 2 by unlocking the latches 19 a - d found along the side of tray 1 . the base board 9 a - b of arms 3 a - b are then folded outwards to stand vertically from the collapsed horizontal configuration . when the two base boards 9 a - b are folded outwards , the shoe rack 16 automatically lifts into position by virtue of swing levers 17 a - d attached to the base boards 9 a - b and the shoe rack 16 . the top board 10 a - b of arms 3 a - b are then folded such that they form a long vertical upright board with the base board 9 a - b . channel locks 12 a - d can then be slid downwards to lock the bottom board 9 a - b and top board 10 a - b into a long vertical upright board . the hanger pole is removed from the hanger saddles 7 a - b located in the tray 1 and placed on the hanger saddles 7 c - d located on the extension boards 14 a - b . the nut and knob assemblies 15 a - d are removed from their compartment 18 in tray 1 and attached to extension boards 14 a - b . the height of the extension boards 14 a - b can be adjusted and secured using the nut and knob assemblies 15 a - d . once the garment rack is secured in the erected configuration , garments can be hung along the hanger pole 4 and shoes can be placed on the shoe rack 16 for display . when the garment rack is used in retail settings , it can also be decorated along the arms 3 and sides of the tray 1 to attract customers . decorations may include banners and sales advertisements , bold color schemes , jewels , molding , and other adornments to signal a retail setting . the garment rack can also be used with a garment transport system which comprises a garment transport bag 20 for storing garments that is adapted to be securely attached to the top of the cover 2 . the garment transport bag 20 is used to store garments and other merchandise for transport with the garment rack . the garment transport bag 20 may be a duffle bag , luggage , suit case , or any other type of garment bag that is known in the art . the garment transport bag 20 may be adapted to be attached to the top of the garment rack cover 2 using either hook and loop fasteners , clamps , locks , snaps , etc . using the garment transport system , a single retailer can set up a mobile storefront at any location . the garment transport system transports the garment rack , garments , and other merchandise as a single unit that can be quickly set up at a temporary retail location . ideally this would be used for settings such as a flea market where transportation of garments , merchandise , and display equipment needs to be done in a quick and efficient manner . additionally , the flat panels of the garment rack arms 3 a - b and tray 1 can decorated with designs , advertisements , gems , or mirrors to attract potential customers as well as provide functionality for the mobile retail location . in an alternative embodiment , the boards 9 a - b and 10 a - b can be fitted with attachments for securing additional shelving for display of merchandise or storage of retail equipment .	1
hereinafter , embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings . fig1 ( a ) discloses a protective cushion 30 for protection of vehicle occupant &# 39 ; s head according to an embodiment of the present invention . the cushion includes a protective cushion element 31 , and outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 superposed on the both side surfaces of the protective cushion element 31 , as shown in fig1 ( b ). also in this exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the protective cushion element 31 comprises a cabin - side base fabric or sheet 32 and a window - side base fabric or sheet 33 which are sewn to each other by sewing yarns in order to form a chamber 34 between the base fabrics 32 and 33 . the base fabrics 32 , 33 are joined to each other by joints or seams formed with sewing yarns including a line - shaped joint 40 extending around the peripheries of the base fabrics ( with some parts thereof extending inward of the base fabrics 32 , 33 ), line - shaped joints 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 for subdividing the chamber 34 and for restraining the thickness of the cushion by a predetermined amount , and circular joints 45 for reinforcing areas around ends of the line - shaped joints 41 - 44 . according to this embodiment of the present invention , the cabin - side base fabric 32 and the window - side base fabric 33 are bonded to each other by adhesive 39 . following the bonding with adhesive , the fabrics are sewn together by sewing yarns . the protective cushion element 31 is provided at the rear end thereof with a gas inlet 35 for introduction of gas from an inflator ( not shown ). the protective cushion element 31 is provided along the upper edge thereof with a plurality of projections 36 for installation of the protective cushion 30 to a vehicle body such as a roof side rail . the projections 36 are formed with holes for insertion of bolts , respectively . the protective cushion element 31 is provided at the front end thereof with holes 37 for installation to an a - pillar . the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 may have a rectangular shape different from the shape of the cabin - side base fabric 32 and the window - side base fabric 33 as main parts . the shape of the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 may include any shape in which the outer shell fabric is capable of substantially entirely covering depressed portions c ( which are described further below ). the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 may include any shape in which the outer shell fabric is capable of substantially corresponding to the shape of the window - side base fabric 33 or the cabin - side base fabric 32 . the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 may be made of the same fabric of the protective cushion element 31 and are preferably made of relatively thin fabric of , for example , 70 - 210 deniers in order to reduce the volume of the folded cushion as small as possible . the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 may be bonded to the protective cushion element 31 by adhesives 55 . in the exemplary embodiment of the present invention shown in fig1 ( a )- 1 ( c ), the adhesives 55 are applied to the outer surfaces of the protective cushion element 31 into a narrow band shape along the line - shaped joint 40 at the front end and the rear end of the cushion . the adhesives 55 are spaced from the position of the line - shaped joint 40 . in this embodiment , the adhesives 55 are located on the outside of the line - shaped joint 40 of the protective cushion element 31 . the protective cushion 30 for protection of vehicle occupant &# 39 ; s head is fixed to the vehicle body in the folded state by the holes of the projections 36 and the hole 37 at the front end . the protective cushion 30 for protection of vehicle occupant &# 39 ; s head is covered by a cover ( not shown ). the cover is adapted to be torn or opened when the protective cushion 30 is inflated . the cover may be a roof garnish or decoration for the vehicle . when the vehicle suffers a side impact collision or roll - over , the inflator is actuated , gas flows into the chamber 34 through the gas inlet 35 so that the cushion 30 is inflated and deployed downwardly along the side surface of the vehicle cabin , thereby protecting the head of the occupant . during the deployment of the cushion or side airbag , since the line - shaped joints 40 - 44 and circular joints 45 join the cabin - side base fabric 32 and the window - side base fabric 33 , the thickness of portions around the joints 40 - 44 and 45 of the protective cushion element 31 is smaller than that of the other portions . accordingly , depressed portions c ( c 1 , c 2 , c 3 ) recessed from the outer surfaces of the protective cushion 31 are created at and around the joints 40 - 44 and 45 . the outer shall fabrics 51 , 52 cover the depressed portions c . since the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 are bonded at their ends to the protective cushion element 31 by the adhesives 55 , the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 are tightly stretched over the outer surfaces of the inflated protective cushion element 31 so that the depressed portions c are covered by the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 just like lids . therefore , when the occupant &# 39 ; s head plunges into the cushion toward the depressed portion c , the occupant &# 39 ; s head can be received by the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 . as a result , the impact of the occupant &# 39 ; s head can be absorbed by a region including the depressed portion c and the outer shell fabric covering the depressed portion c , thereby increasing the absorbing amount . in this embodiment , the inflated protective cushion element 31 is prevented from being damaged by fragments of window glasses because the inflatable portion of the cushion element 31 is entirely shielded by the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 . though the adhesives 55 are only applied to the portions at the both ends in the longitudinal direction of the protective cushion element 31 in the aforementioned embodiment , the adhesives 55 may also be applied to portions along the upper and lower edges of the protective cushion element , as shown in the alternative embodiment of the present invention disclosed in fig4 , in order to join the protective cushion element 31 and the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 at these portions . further , the adhesives 55 may be applied to the entire periphery of the protective cushion element . the application of the adhesives 55 increases the volume of the protective cushion when folded . therefore , it is preferable to apply the adhesives 55 only at the both ends or along the upper and lower edges of the cushion . in order to reduce the volume of the cushion when folded , the adhesives 55 and the adhesive 39 are preferably arranged to not be superposed on each other like the illustrated embodiment . though the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 are separate pieces in the aforementioned embodiment , the outer shell fabrics may be outer shell fabrics 51 a , 52 a composed of one continuous piece as shown in fig5 ( a ), 5 ( b ). the piece for the outer shell fabrics 51 a , 52 a is folded double along the center line l and is superposed on and bonded to the protective cushion element 31 by the adhesive as shown in fig5 ( a ). though the adhesives 55 are applied to be positioned on the outside of the line - shaped joint 40 in the aforementioned embodiments , the adhesives 55 may also or alternatively be positioned on the inside of the line - shaped joint 40 of the protective cushion element 31 . though the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 are arranged on both the cabin - side and window - side of the protective cushion element 31 in the aforementioned embodiments , the outer shell fabric 51 may be arranged on the cabin - side only . according to this arrangement , the protective cushion 30 may warp toward the inside of the cabin when the protective cushion 30 is inflated . therefore , it is preferable that the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 are arranged on both sides . as the outer shell fabrics 51 , 52 are arranged on both sides , the protective cushion 30 never warps and is inflated into a symmetrical configuration relative to the cabin - side and the window - side . the protective cushion element and the outer shell fabrics may be fixed by sewing instead of adhesive . in this case , the outer shell fabrics may be sewn to the protective cushion element at the same time as sewing the outer periphery of the protective cushion element , thereby reducing the number of manufacturing steps . the outer shell fabric may be fixed to the window - side fabric and cabin - side fabric so that the connecting joints that connect the outer shell fabric to the cabin - side fabric are not symmetrical to the connecting joints connecting the outer shell fabric to the window - side fabric about a line dividing the section of the outer shell fabric covering the cabin - side fabric from the section of the outer shell fabric covering the window - side fabric . it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiments and may take another configuration than the illustrated ones . as described above , the present invention can provide a protective cushion for head protection which can sufficiently absorb the impact even with portions at / around the depressed portions of the protective cushion element . given the disclosure of the present invention , one versed in the art would appreciate that there may be other embodiments and modifications within the scope and spirit of the invention . for example , in one embodiment of the present invention the outer shell fabric may only be placed on the side of the cushion facing the passenger . accordingly , all modifications attainable by one versed in the art from the present disclosure within the scope and spirit of the present invention are to be included as further embodiments of the present invention . the scope of the present invention is to be defined as set forth in the following claims .	1
the invention of the present invention comprises a trailer 10 having a frame not shown on which is mounted a trailer box defined by a floor 11 side walls 12 and a roof 13 . these provide an open rear 14 which can be closed by suitable doors as is well known . the trailer includes a hitch arrangement at the forward end and ground wheels 15 for transporting the trailer . particularly the trailer is a semi - trailer so that the hitch forward end provides a king pin arrangement for attachment to a highway tractor . in general the transport arrangement of the trailer includes a first row 16 for receiving the vehicles to be transported on the floor 11 and a second row 17 for receiving a further number of the vehicles to be transported carried on a support surface 18 defined by a plurality of panels 19 . in addition the system comprises a loading ramp assembly 20 defined by a front ramp section 21 , a rear ramp section 22 and a centre stabilizer stanchion 23 . in fig1 it will be noted that the ramp assembly is arranged for loading the vehicles onto the upper row 17 . in fig2 the ramp assembly 20 is arranged for loading the vehicles onto the lower row 16 that is onto the floor 11 . this adjustment is obtained by moving a forward end 24 of the front ramp section from a rear cross member 25 at the floor to a rear beam 26 at the support 18 . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the upper support 18 is defined by panels 19 each of which has an outer edge 27 connected to the side wall 12 of the truck body by a hinge 28 . the hinge 28 allows the panel to move from the horizontal position shown in fig5 to a vertical raised position shown in fig4 . in the raised position the panel stands along the side wall of the truck body to a position closely adjacent the roof 13 . the panel includes a spring latch 29 with a pin 30 which engages into a hole in a flange 31 attached to the side wall 12 adjacent the roof 13 . the spring latch 29 is on the underside of the panel . the panels are conventional plywood sheeting of dimensions 4 feet by 8 feet so that an inner edge 32 of the panel 19 lies closely adjacent or meets an inner edge 32 of an opposed panel 19 a at the opposite side wall 12 a . the panels remain in place in the horizontal position simply by gravity and the latches 29 are not used in the lowered operating position shown in fig5 . the panels are carried on a series of transverse beams 33 at spaced positions along the truck body . each of these beams spans across the width of the truck body and is supported at its ends on a plurality of logistics posts 34 also at spaced positions along the truck body . such logistic posts are well known in the trucking industry and trucks are suitably supplied when required containing the logistics posts . these posts are structural members which provide a supporting structure for attachment of transverse beams or bars which can be located at various heights along the posts . these are conventionally used to engage or locate cargo within the truck box . thus the posts each have a series of slots or holes into which the ends of the beams can be engaged to support the beam at a required height . in this embodiment the beams 33 are located approximately at mid height of the truck box and a full set of beams is provided which extends across each of the pairs of posts along the length of the truck body . with the beams in place , the panels 19 can be pivoted simply downwardly to lie over the beams and they are supported thereby to form a subsidiary floor or support surface at a raised position relative to the floor 11 . a plan view of the subsidiary floor is shown in fig1 where the transverse beams 33 can be seen attached to the logistics posts 34 in the side walls 12 and 12 a . the ramp assembly best visible in fig7 , 8 and 9 comprises an upper ramp section 21 defined by a pair of ramp members 40 and 41 . the lower ramp section 22 is also defined by a pair of ramp members 43 and 44 . each of the ramp members is of a conventional construction defined by side beams 45 and 46 together with a plurality of transverse slats 47 . the width of the ramp members is sufficient to receive the wheel of the vehicle to be loaded . the spacing 48 between the ramp members of the upper and lower sections can be adjusted by moving the ramp members inwardly and outwardly across the central stabilizer stanchion 23 and across the rear of the truck body . the central stanchion 23 comprises a base 49 for resting on a suitable floor surface together with a pair of upstanding legs 50 at spaced positions across the base 49 . each of the legs 50 is braced by front and rear braces 51 , 52 so as to be supported in vertical position when the base 49 sits in horizontal position on the ground . the height of the stanchion can be adjusted by sliding an inner tube 53 upwardly and downwardly with respect to the leg 50 and by locking the tube 53 at a required height 55 within the tube defined by the leg . thus an upper transverse beam 56 of the stanchion is supported at a required height relative to the ground . as best shown in fig7 , the upper end of the lower ramp member 43 carries a flange 57 for engagement with a receptacle 58 on the rear side of the beam 56 . symmetrically a receptacle 59 is provided on the upper side of the beam 56 for receiving a flange 60 of the upper ramp member 40 . the flanges 57 and 60 carry a tubular receiving portion 61 , 62 into which a respective pin 63 , 64 can be received acting to lock the respective flange to the respective receptacle 58 and 59 . thus when the pins 63 , 64 are inserted , the ramp members are fixed to the stanchion and are prevented against falling from the stanchion . as shown in fig1 and 2 , the stanchion is adjusted in height so that the first ramp section at the lower end extends from the ground to a height approximately equal to the floor 11 . the upper ramp section then extends from the stanchion to the truck and in the loading position where it is loading the floor , the upper ramp section is generally horizontal . this allows the upper ramp section to be inclined upwardly to the upper loading row from the top of the stanchion 23 at an angle which is approximately equal to the angle of the lower ramp section . as shown in fig1 and 12 a symmetrical latching arrangement is provided at the rear of the truck relative to the latching arrangement at the top of the stanchion 23 . thus the upper end of the upper ramp member 40 has also a flange 66 symmetrical to the flange 60 together with a receiving portion 67 symmetrical to the receiving portion 62 . this allows a pin 68 to engage through the receiving portion from the receptacle 69 on the rear most one of the beams 33 as indicated at 33 a . thus again the receiving portion 67 sits in the receptacle 69 and is latched in place by the transverse pin 68 . in this way the spacing between the ramp members can be adjusted by sliding the ramp members horizontally across the stanchion and across the rear beam of the truck . the width of the pin and the width of the receptacle is such that the movement across the width of the truck is sufficient to accommodate the difference in wheel spacing of the various vehicles to be loaded . although not shown , a symmetrical mounting arrangement is provided on the rear cross member 25 at the floor of the truck . turning now to fig6 , each of the four ramp members 40 , 41 , 43 and 44 if carried in a rack 70 defined by front and rear rack members 71 and 72 . the ramp members are carried in vertical orientation so that the slats 47 stand vertically with the side beams 45 and 46 at top and bottom respectively of the slats . the rack defines a receiving area equal to the dimensions of the four rack members arranged side by side . a front cover portion 75 is inserted over the rack members when they are mounted in place on a bottom horizontal receiving rail 76 and confined by a top receiving rail 77 . thus the racks ramp members are held fixed in place within the rack and clamped in position by the front cover 75 so that they extend along one side of the truck body underneath the frame of the truck body and underneath the floor 11 with the ramp members extending partly along the side of the truck body . the stanchion 23 after the ramp members have been removed can simply be stored inside the truck box alongside the vehicles stored therein . while the truck body is thus suitably configured to transport two rows of the vehicles , it can simply and quickly be modified to transport conventional cargo by lifting the panels 19 to the upward stored position alongside the side walls and removing those of the transverse beams 33 that are required to allow the insertion and placement of the cargo to be transported . in the event that all of the beams are to be removed , the total number of beams can be stored simply within the interior of the truck body with the stanchion . when thus stored , preferably at the forward end of the truck , the remaining open area of the truck body is available substantially wholly between the side walls and between the floor and the ceiling for receiving the conventional cargo to be transported . since various modifications can be made in my invention as herein above described , and many apparently widely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope of the claims without department from such spirit and scope , it is intended that all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense .	1
fig1 is a general view showing a catheter assembly , generally designated ( 11 ), that includes the invention catheter ( 12 ) in combination with a guidewire ( 13 ). the details of the catheter construction that distinguish it from prior structures are not shown in fig1 . the assembly includes a standard fitting ( 14 ) through which the guidewire is received and to which the proximal end ( 15 ) of the catheter is removably attached . as depicted , the catheter is a continuous tubular body that extends from proximal end ( 15 ) to distal end ( 16 ) and through which the guidewire extends . the distal end of the guidewire extends outwardly of the distal end ( 16 ) of the catheter . the distal region of the catheter typically carries one or more radiopaque bands ( 17 ) so that the location of the distal region of the catheter within the vessel may be visualized radiographically . details of the structure of catheter ( 12 ) are shown in fig2 . it is composed of an outer tube ( 18 ) and two or more inner coaxial tubular sections ( 19 ) and ( 20 ). as shown , the two inner coaxial tubular sections are disposed in tandem within the outer tube and are contiguous to each other ( i . e . their respective ends abut each other ). the outer tube ( 18 ) extends continuously over the entire length of the catheter , which typically will be over 50 to 210 cm , more usually 60 to 150 cm . the outer diameter of tube ( 18 ) ( as measured at proximal end ( 15 )) will normally be 0 . 75 to 2 . 00 mm , preferably 0 . 85 to 1 . 30 mm . as seen in fig2 the outer tube may neck down at its distal end ( 16 ) and its outer diameter at the distal end may be slightly smaller than at its proximal end . the outer tube will normally have a wall thickness of about 0 . 08 to 0 . 16 mm , preferably about 0 . 10 to 0 . 13 mm . it is made from a polymer having a flexural modulus ( as measured by astm d - 790 ) of about 5 , 000 to 30 , 000 psi ( 35 , 000 to 210 , 000 kpa ), such as low density polyethylene . the proximal inner tubular segment extends from the proximal end ( 15 ) of the catheter to junction ( 22 ). this distance will normally be 60 to 150 cm , more usually 40 to 120 cm , and preferably about 100 cm . its wall thickness is about 0 . 08 to 0 . 18 mm , preferably about 0 . 10 to 0 . 13 mm , an it is made of a polymer having a flexural modulus of about 220 , 000 to 260 , 000 psi ( 1 , 500 , 000 to 1 , 800 , 000 kpa ) such as polypropylene . the portion of the catheter from proximal end ( 15 ) to junction ( 22 ) is thus the stiffest portion of the catheter . the inner diameter of section ( 19 ) will normally be 0 . 45 to 0 . 75 mm . distal inner tubular section ( 20 ) extends from the distal end of section ( 19 ) ( junction ( 22 )) to junction ( 23 ). that distance will normally be 1 to 30 cm , more normally 1 to 20 cm , preferably about 10 cm . this section is less stiff than section ( 19 ). accordingly , its wall thickness is less than section ( 19 ) and / or it is made of a polymer with a lower flexural modulus than the polymer forming section ( 19 ). in a preferred embodiment , it is made of a continuous length of tubing having an appropriately tapered outer diameter . typically , the flexural modulus of the polymer forming section ( 20 ) will be 20 , 000 to 50 , 000 psi ( 140 , 000 to 350 , 000 kpa ) more usually 30 , 000 to 40 , 000 psi ( 210 , 000 to 280 , 000 kpa ). the wall thickness of section ( 20 ) will normally be 0 . 05 to 0 . 10 mm , preferably 0 . 06 to 0 . 09 mm . the inner diameter of section ( 20 ) is preferably substantially the same as that of section ( 19 ). the distal section ( 21 ) of the outer coaxial tube ( 18 ) extends from the distal end of section ( 20 ) ( junction ( 23 )) to the balloon portion of the catheter . the distance from junction ( 23 ) to the balloon will usually be 1 to 20 cm , more usually 1 to 10 cm , preferably about 5 cm . the distance from proximal end ( 15 ) to junction ( 22 ) will be greater than about 50 % of the entire length of catheter ( 12 ), more usually greater than about 75 % of the entire catheter length . although joint ( 22 ) is depicted as a butt joint in the drawing , the joint may be an overlap joint . the invention catheter thus has three sections of different flexibility / stiffness and becomes increasingly flexible from segment - to - segment distally . the axial flexibility / stiffness gradient of the invention is thus more gradual than in the two - segment embodiment of u . s . pat . no . 4 , 739 , 768 and the change in flexibility stiffness between segments is not as great as in a two segment embodiment . in particular , the inclusion of section ( 20 ) allows the distal end of the catheter to be tracked around sharp bends with less likelihood of kinking occurring at the transition between the outer tube and the distal end of the inner coaxial tubing . further , the structure reduces the likelihood of fatigue stress failure , delamination , or other structural failure at the transition . the balloon ( 24 ) of the catheter is defined by a portion of the thin - walled distal segment of the catheter tube . in its deflated configuration , it has a diameter that approximates the diameter of the tube proximal to it . it will normally be inflatable to a maximum diameter with a range of sizes 1 . 5 , 2 . 0 , 2 . 5 , 3 . 0 , 3 . 5 and 4 . 0 mm . the valve portion ( 30 ) of the catheter assembly is preferably inserted into the portion of the balloon having relatively constant inner diameter . it is held in place by heat welding or gluing or other suitable process . the valve may be made up of a simple tube having a metal band so as to form a valve surface proximally of the metal band on the interior of the lumen and a valve surface proximally or distally of the band . the guidewire contains the valve plug , the shape of which is relatively unimportant so long as it meshes adequately with the valve surfaces formed in the valve region . fig3 shows the guidewire ( 35 ) with a plug ( 40 ) that seats on the proximal side of the valve portion ( 30 ). in such a configuration , the guidewire ( 35 ) can be removed once the procedure is completed . fig4 shows the guidewire ( 35 ) with a plug ( 50 ) that seats on the distal side of the valve portion ( 30 ). accordingly , the guidewire ( 35 ) can only be withdrawn when the catheter is withdrawn . the catheter assembly of the invention is operated in similar fashion to other valve balloon catheters . in such operation , the guidewire is advanced into the vasculature to a desired site , and the catheter body is tracked over the guidewire . the location of the guidewire and the balloon within the vessel may be determined by conventional radiology techniques . once the balloon is at the desired site within the vessel , the catheter lumen is flushed by injecting fluid through the catheter lumen , the valve plug is seated against the distal valve surface or the proximal valve surface , depending upon the end from which the guidewire was introduced , by axially manipulating the guidewire . the valve plug blocks the distal opening of the catheter tube . the balloon is then inflated by injecting fluid through the catheter lumen . if desired , controlled distal leakage of the fluid from the catheter tip may be achieved by a slight adjustment in the tightness of the seating between the valve plug and the respective seating areas . the balloon may be deflated by withdrawing fluid from the catheter lumen . modifications of the above - described embodiments of the catheter and catheter assembly that are obvious to those of skill in the fields of catheter design and manufacture , materials science and related fields are intended to be within the scope of the following claims .	0
before explaining the disclosed embodiments of the present invention in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its applications to the details of the particular arrangements shown since the invention is capable of other embodiments . also , the terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation . 10 . large panel . 20 . mid - sized panel . 30 . small panel . 40 . routed scores in panel . 50 . large cabinet . 60 . mid - sized cabinet . 70 . small cabinet . 80 . “ strike on scores ” label . 90 . striking tool . 100 . shattered panel pieces . 110 . fire extinguisher . 120 . pliers . 130 . resized panel . 140 . broken off pieces of panel after resizing . the novel panels can be formed from a translucent acrylic plastic panel such as plaskolite ® by the plaskolite , inc . corporation of columbus , ohio . the panels can have a plurality of vertical and horizontal scored routed lines , each having score lines . a preferred embodiment of the panel can have a thickness of approximately 0 . 080 inches , and each of the scored lines can have a depth of approximately 0 . 045 inches . each routed score can have a convex round shape with a radius of 0 . 10 inches . the scored lines are on the inside of the panels . fig1 shows a perspective front view of a large breakaway panel 10 of the invention . fig2 is an inside planar rear view of the large panel 10 of fig1 . fig2 a is an enlarged cross - sectional view . fig3 is an outside planar front view of the large panel of fig1 . referring to fig1 , 2 and 2 a , the novel large breakaway panel 10 , can have an overall height of approximately 27 . 69 inches and an overall width of approximately 10 . 63 inches . the panel 10 can have a plurality of vertical parallel scored lines ( routed scores ) 40 , and a plurality of horizontal scored lines ( routed scores ) 40 . the vertical columns can include a middle column having a width of 3 . 55 inches . the novel panel 10 can have four large row sections , each having a height of approximately 6 . 92 inches . the top and bottom large row sections can each have seven additional scored lines that are each approximately 0 . 50 inches from each other , with each of the outer scored lines being approximately 2 inches from the upper and lower edges of the panel 10 . the two middle large row sections having no additional scored lines therein . the novel panel 10 can have three large width vertical columns each having a width of approximately 3 . 55 inches . the left most vertical column and the right most vertical column each have additional five scored lines . the outer first scored line is approximately 0 . 50 inches from the left and right side edges . the next two scored lines ( 2nd and 3rd ) are spaced apart from one another approximately 0 . 38 inches . the fourth scored line is approximately 2 . 01 inches from the left and right side edges , and the fifth scored line being approximately 2 . 51 inches from the left and right side edges . the middle large vertical column has no additional scored lines . the outer four corners of the panel 10 can be convex rounded . fig4 is an inside perspective rear view of a mid - size break away panel 20 . fig5 is an inside planar view of the mid - size panel 20 of fig4 . fig6 is an outside planar front view of the mid - size panel 40 of fig4 . referring to fig4 - 6 , the mid size panel 20 can have an overall height of approximately 22 . 63 inches and an overall width of approximately 8 . 63 inches . the panel 20 can have a plurality of vertical parallel scored lines ( routed scores ) 40 , and a plurality of horizontal scored lines ( routed scores ) 40 . the vertical columns can include a middle column having a width of 2 . 88 inches . the novel panel 20 can have four large row sections , each having a height of approximately 5 . 66 inches . the top and bottom large row sections can each have six additional scored lines that are each approximately 0 . 25 inches from each other , with each of the outer scored lines being approximately 0 . 50 inches from the upper and lower edges of the panel 20 . the two middle large row sections have no additional scored lines therein . the novel panel 20 can have three large width vertical columns each having a width of approximately 2 . 88 inches . the left most vertical column and the right most vertical column each have additional four scored lines . the outer first scored line is approximately 0 . 50 inches from the left and right side edges . the next two scored lines ( 2nd and 3rd ) are spaced apart from one another approximately 0 . 25 inches . the fourth scored line is approximately 1 . 50 inches from the left and right side edges . the middle large vertical column has no additional scored lines . the outer four corners of the panel 20 can be convex rounded . fig7 is an inside perspective rear view of a small break away panel 30 . fig8 is an inside planar rear view of the small panel 30 of fig7 . fig9 is an outside planar front view of the small panel 30 of fig7 . referring to fig7 - 9 , the small panel 30 can have an overall height of approximately 18 . 69 inches and an overall width of approximately 7 . 63 inches . the panel 30 can have a plurality of vertical parallel scored lines ( routed scores ) 40 , and a plurality of horizontal scored lines ( routed scores ) 40 . the vertical columns can include a middle column having a width of 2 . 53 inches . the novel panel 30 can have four large row sections , each having a height of approximately 4 . 82 inches . the top and bottom large row sections can each have two additional scored lines that are each approximately 0 . 50 inches from each other , with each of the outer scored lines being approximately 0 . 25 inches from the upper and lower edges of the panel 30 . the two middle large row sections have no additional scored lines therein . the novel panel 30 can have three large width vertical columns each having a width of approximately 2 . 53 inches . the left most vertical column and the right most vertical column each have an additional two scored lines . the outer first scored line is approximately 0 . 25 inches from the left and right side edges . the next scored line is spaced inwardly another 0 . 50 inches . the middle large vertical column has no additional scored lines . the outer four corners of the panel 30 can be convex rounded . fig1 is a front perspective view of large prior art cabinet 50 with the novel large panel 10 with routed vertical and horizontal scored lines 40 of fig1 - 3 installed . the scored lines 40 are on the inside of the panels . fig1 is a front perspective view of a mid - size prior art cabinet 60 with the novel mid - size panel 20 with routed vertical and horizontal scored lines 40 of fig4 - 6 installed . the scored lines 40 are on the inside of the panels . fig1 is a front perspective view of small prior art cabinet 70 with the small panel 30 with routed vertical and horizontal scored lines 40 of fig7 - 9 installed . the scored lines 40 are on the inside of the panels . fig1 is a front view of the small prior art cabinet 70 with the novel small panel 30 with routed vertical and horizontal scored lines 40 installed of fig1 and “ break panel ” label 80 applied to panel . fig1 a is an enlarged view of the “ break panel ” label of fig1 . referring to fig1 and 13a , the label 80 must be located on an entire rectangular section and cannot overlay a scored line . the label 80 indicates that the user is directed break the panel 30 by striking an area directly on one of the scored lines 40 . it is easier to break the panel 30 in areas where the fire extinguisher is not located . fig1 is a perspective view of the small cabinet 70 with installed novel small panel 30 of fig1 , with a striking tool 90 striking the panel 30 into break away parts . although a hammer 90 is shown , the striking device can be a small rod , or can be fist of the user . the user can strike the panel 30 along one of the scored lines to gain access to the fire extinguisher . the breakaway sections 100 are easy to remove since the scored lines 40 are on the inside of the panel 30 so that the shattered panel pieces 100 . fig1 is another perspective view of the small cabinet of fig1 with the panel 30 substantially broken out exposing a fire extinguisher 110 . here , the user can then retrieve the fire extinguisher 110 without being harmed by broken glass that is often used in the prior art . fig1 is a perspective front view of the large breakaway panel 10 of fig1 with pliers 120 being used to resize the panel 10 as needed . although , pliers 120 are shown , a user can use other tools such as a needle - nose pliers , which makes breaking off the pieces extremely easy . in addition , the scored pieces can be broken off just using one &# 39 ; s fingers . the installer such as a fire extinguisher technician can change out most glass panels in all fire extinguisher cabinets by only transporting three types of panels ( large panel 10 , mid - size panel 20 and small panel 30 ). the installer can then size the replacement panel by using any one of the three panels 10 , 20 , 30 or alternatively breaking off scored pieces to correctly size the respective panel to the respective cabinet . again , unlike glass , the novel panels cannot cause harm to the installer or the ultimate user that breaks the breakaway panels to access the fire extinguisher . fig1 is another perspective view of the large breakaway panel 10 of fig1 with top , bottom , left and right break away edges 40 removed , so that a resized panel 130 is formed that can be used in a cabinet having an opening sized for the resized panel 130 . while the invention is described by scoring ( routing ) lines into the panels , both the scoring and the panel itself can be done by injection molding . so that the entire part can be formed from injection molding . fig1 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the breakaway panel that can be formed injection molding . this panel can have a width of approximately 10 . 63 inches and a length of approximately 27 . 69 inches . the panel can have four large rows that each have a height of approximately 6 . 92 inches . the panel can be formed with small square shaped scoring lines , with each square having a length and width of approximately 0 . 50 inches . the panel can have a central rectangular section down the middle of the panel having large rectangular scored lines , wherein the large rectangular scored lines spaced substantially apart from the square shaped patterns of scored lines . the panel can have a perimeter small rectangular patterns of scored lines about each of the four sides of the panel , the small rectangular patterns being smaller than the square shaped patterns of scored lines . with the injection molded panel , the depth of scoring from injection molding can be 0 . 050 inches which is deeper than scoring done by routing . the injection molded panels can have a thickness of 0 . 095 inches . additionally , the injection molded panel can be sized for small , mid sized and large breakaway panels . the dimensions described in the patent application that are a preferred embodiment , and the label of “ approximately ” allows for a 10 % ( ten percent ) deviation . although the invention references the panels for being used with fire extinguisher cabinets , the novel invention panels can be used for other types of cabinets , and the like . while the invention has been described , disclosed , illustrated and shown in various terms of certain embodiments or modifications which it has presumed in practice , the scope of the invention is not intended to be , nor should it be deemed to be , limited thereby and such other modifications or embodiments as may be suggested by the teachings herein are particularly reserved especially as they fall within the breadth and scope of the claims here appended .	0
the new modification has a distinct crystal phase but its precise definition is difficult . the particle size of the dried modified material makes it difficult to obtain a sharp debye - scherrer x - ray diffraction pattern . thus , the precise location of some of the stronger peaks and the existence of some of the weaker peaks are difficult to ascertain . however , on x - ray analyses of different samples , a clearly recognizable pattern is obtained . the new modification is also characterized by its coloration both upon drying and upon subsequent slurrying and redrying . this modification will give an essentially white powder if it is dried at temperatures between 60 ° and 70 ° c . at drying temperatures of about 110 ° c . it gives a yellow colored powder . however , if material initially dried at between 60 ° and 70 ° c . is reslurried and then dried at 110 ° c . it remains white . on the other hand , if material initially dried at 110 ° c . is reslurried and then dried at 60 ° to 70 ° c . it yields a white powder . the new modification does not cause discoloration of dry detergent compositions prepared by slurrying the components in water and drying . in particular , if optical brightener dried to either a yellow or a white powder is slurried at a ratio of 1 part by weight to 200 parts by weight of detergent in water and dried at 85 ° to 90 ° c . the color is indistinguishable from a dried slurry of detergent alone . the optical brightener modification of the present invention may be obtained by heating an aqueous slurry of the sodium salt form of this bis - triazinyl amino stilbene compound to a temperature in excess of 65 ° c ., preferably in excess of 90 ° c . the slurry should be held at temperature for a period sufficient to convert all the undissolved brightener to the new crystal form . a period of four hours at temperature is usually more than adequate . the ph of the aqueous slurry should be controlled to be no less than neutral . otherwise some of the sulphonate groups of the brightener may revert to their free acid form . it is preferred to keep the ph alkaline and a ph in excess of about 10 . 5 is especially preferred . this process does not require the presence of any organic solvents or the use of elevated pressures . thus , the modified brightener may be recovered directly from the treatment bath by spray drying without posing an explosion risk . the treatment itself may be conducted in conventional equipment at atmospheric pressure . the brightener may be conveniently heated in an aqueous solution of an electrolyte . sufficient electrolyte should be included to prevent the complete dissolution of the brightener at the treatment temperature . any electrolyte which will not adversely effect the brightener may be used . in order to avoid the possibility of changing the nature of the counter ion to the brightener &# 39 ; s sulfonic acid groups sodium based electrolytes are preferred . the sodium salts of the mineral acids are particularly preferred . trisodium phosphate is an especially preferred electrolyte . if an aqueous slurry containing about 33 % of optical brightener is to be treated , the addition of at least about 10 wt . % of electrolyte based on the weight of the slurry has been found to give good results . the treatment bath may also contain a dedusting agent . between about 2 and 6 wt . %, based on the weight of optical brightener , may be conveniently used . in a preferred embodiment the new modification optical brightener is recovered by spray drying . the treatment slurry including the electrolyte is fed to a spray dryer after being held at the treatment temperature for a sufficient time to obtain the new modification . the spray dryer may have any convenient inlet temperature and temperatures between about 220 ° and 370 ° c . were found suitable . however , if an initially white product is desired , the outlet temperature should be kept at below about 80 ° c ., preferably below about 75 ° c . depending on the particular equipment used this outlet temperature requirement will limit the maximum inlet temperature ; the faster the feed rate which can be sustained , the greater the spread between inlet and outlet temperature may be . this procedure provides a high yield of the rather strongly water soluble sodium salt and at the same time it provides an already standardized product . the recovery of this sodium salt by filtration has been found to result in yield losses of as much as 10 %. the electrolyte to optical brightener ratio established in the treatment bath will be retained after spray drying so the concentration of active ingredient in the spray dried product can be readily controlled . further , the amount of electrolyte added to the bath may be adjusted in accordance with the spectral strength of the optical brightener being converted ; the crystal modification obviously does not effect its properties in solution . the following examples illustrate the invention without limiting it in any way . a sufficient amount of the presscake of 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- bis -[ 2 - methylamino - 4 - phenylamino - 1 , 3 , 5 - triazinyl -( 6 )- amino ]- stilbene - 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- disulphonic acid and water were charged to a vessel to give a slurry with a solids concentration of 33 %. this slurry was heated to 70 ° to 75 ° c . sufficient 50 % naoh solution was added to adjust the ph to between 11 and 11 . 5 at a rate slow enough to avoid the formation of lumps . the presscake solids went into solution . the solution of the disodium salt was heated to between 90 ° and 95 ° c . over a period of two hours holding the ph constant . then 0 . 382 parts of trisodium phosphate per part of presscake solids were added over a period of two hours . as this electrolyte was added a brown , sticky scum formed which then dissolved . the bath was held at 90 ° to 95 ° c . for a period of four hours during which the optical brightener crystallized and formed a white slurry . the new modification was recovered in four different manners . in two cases it was fed to a spray dryer and in two cases it was trapped on a filter and vacuum dried . a combination of 3 . 1 parts of white mineral oil and 1 . 5 parts of sulphonated mineral oil per 100 parts of presscake solids were added to the spray drier feed line as a dedusting package . the resulting powders had the following appearances : ______________________________________spray driedoutlet temp . outlet temp . vacuum driedof 75 ° c . of 110 ° c . 60 ° c . 110 ° c . ______________________________________white or ivory canary yellow white yellowish______________________________________ all four of these materials had essentially the same debye - scherrer x - ray diffraction pattern using a copper k alpha radiation . furthermore , all four of these materials caused no discoloration when slurried with detergent at a weight ratio of 1 part to 200 parts detergent and then dried at 85 ° to 90 ° c . a reaction slurry obtained from the commercial synthesis of the free acid form of the optical brightener of the present invention and having a solids content of about 11 % was treated in the same manner as the presscake slurry of example i except that it was only recovered by spray dyring with an outlet temperature of 75 ° c . a white powder was obtained . a 33 % slurry of the free acid form of the optical brightener was prepared and neutralized as in example i . the trisodium phosphate , 0 . 382 parts per part of presscake solids , was added at 70 ° c . the bath was held at this temperature for six hours . the compound was all converted to the new crystalline form . the slurry was then spray dried using an outlet temperature of 75 ° c . a trace yellow powder was obtained . although the invention has been described in detail in the foregoing for the purpose of illustration , it is to be understood that such detail is solely for that purpose and that variations can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention except as it may be limited by the claims .	2
the rigid polyurethane foams which are the subject matter of this invention are prepared by reacting a mixture of ( b ) an ethylene oxide , and / or propylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a molecular weight range from about 200 to about 500 , the ratio of polyether polyol to the adduct of ethylenediamine is from about 2 . 5 : 1 to about 1 : 1 . 5 , preferably 1 : 1 . the polyoxyalkylene polyether polyol or polyether blend which are employed in the subject invention are well known in the art and are generally referred to as polyoxyalkylene polyether polyols . these polyols are prepared by the reaction of an alkylene oxide with a polyhydric compound . alkylene oxides which may be employed in the preparation of the polyols of the present invention include ethylene oxide , propylene oxide , the isomeric normal butylene oxides , hexylene oxide , octylene oxide , dodecene oxide , methoxy and other alkoxy propylene oxides , and cyclohexene oxide . styrene oxide may also be employed . halogenated alkylene oxides may also be used , such as epichlorohydrin , epiiodohydrin , epibromohydrin , 3 , 3 - dichloropropylene oxide , 3 - chloro - 1 , 2 - epoxypropane , 3 - chloro - 1 , 2 - epoxybutane , 1 - chloro - 2 , 3 - epoxybutane , 3 , 4 - dichloro - 1 , 2 - epoxybutane , 1 , 4 - dichloro - 2 , 3 - epoxybutane , 1 - chloro - 2 , 3 - epoxybutane , and 3 , 3 , 3 - trichloropropylene oxide . mixtures of any of the above alkylene oxides may also be employed . the polyoxyalkylene polyether polyols may have either primary or secondary hydroxyl groups and preferably are prepared from alkylene oxides having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms and may have molecular weights from about 400 to about 10 , 000 . the polyoxyalkylene polyether glycol may be prepared by any known process such as , for example , the process disclosed by wurtz in 1859 and encyclopedia of chemical technology , vol . 7 , pages 257 - 262 , published by interscience publishers , inc . ( 1951 ) or in u . s . pat . no . 1 , 922 , 459 . polyhydric compounds which may be reacted with the alkylene oxides to prepare the polyalkylene ether polyols employed in the subject ivention include ethylene glycol , propylene glycol , diethylene glycol , dipropylene glycol , the isomeric butylene glycols , 1 , 5 - pentane diol , 1 , 6 - hexanediol , glycerol , trimethylolpropane , 1 , 2 , 6 - hexanetriol , pentaerythritol , sorbitol , sucrose and alpha - methyl glycoside . the alkylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine is prepared by reacting ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide with ethylenediamine , possibly in the presence of an alkaline catalyst . this catalyst may be potassium hydroxide , sodium hydroxide , sodium and potassium methylate and other catalyst well known to those skilled in the art . the quantity of ethylene and propylene oxide employed is such that the molecular weight of the adduct may vary from about 200 to about 500 . the ethylene oxide content may range from about 0 percent to about 90 percent based on the total weight of the adduct . the mixture of polyoxyalkylene polyether polyol and ethylenediamine adduct is reacted with an organic polyisocyanate such that the ratio of isocyanate groups of the polyisocyanate to the hydroxyl groups of the polyether polyol is 1 . 0 : 1 to 1 . 3 : 1 . polyisocyanates which may be used include aromatic , aliphatic , and cycloaliphatic polyisocyanates and combinations thereof . representative examples are diisocyanates such a m - phenylene diisocyanate , 2 , 4 - toluenediisocyanate , 2 , 6 - toluenediisocyanate , mixtures of 2 , 4 - toluenediisocyanate and 2 , 6 - toluenediisocyanate , hexamethylene diisocyanate , tetramethylene diisocyanate , 1 , 4 - cyclohexane diisocyanate , hexahydrotoluene diisocyanate , 1 , 5 - naphthalene diisocyanate , 1 - methyoxy - 2 , 4 - phenylene diisocyanate , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethane diisocyanate , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- biphenylene diisocyanate , 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- dimethoxy - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- biphenyl diisocyanate , 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- dimethyl - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- biphenyl diisocyanate , and 3 , 3 &# 39 ;- dimethyl - 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethane diisocyanate ; the triisocyanates such as 4 , 4 &# 39 ; 4 &# 34 ;- triphenylmethane triisocyanate polymethylene polyphenylene polyisocyanate and 2 , 4 , 6 - toluene triisocyanate ; and the tetraisocyanates such as 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- dimethyl - 2 , 2 &# 39 ;, 5 , 5 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethane tetraisocyanate . especially useful due to their availability and properties are toluene diisocyanate , 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- diphenylmethane diisocyanate and polymethylene polyphenylene polyisocyanate . polymethylene polyphenylene polyisocyanate , which is most preferred , is a product which results from the phosgenation of an aniline - formaldehyde condensation product ; it is sometimes called &# 34 ; crude mdi .&# 34 ; as was previously mentioned , catalysts may be used to increase the reaction rate . if catalysts are used , they are added to the mixture of the polyether polyol and ethylenediamine adduct blend before the reaction of the mixture with the polyisocyanate . urethane catalysts which may be employed in the present invention are well known in the art and include the metal or organometallic salts of carboxylic acid and tertiary amines . representative of such compounds are : dibutyltin dilaurate , dibutyltin diacetate , stannous octoate , lead octoate , cobalt naphthenate , and other metal or organometallic salts of carboxylic acids in which the metal is bismuth , titanium , iron , antimony , uranium , cadmium , aluminum , mercury , zinc , or nickel as well as other organometallic compounds such as are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 846 , 408 . tertiary amines such as triethylenediamine , triethylamine , diethylcyclohexylamine , n - ethylmorpholine and diethylethanolamine may also be employed as well as mixtures of any of the above . generally , the amount of urethane - promoting catalyst employed will be from 0 . 01 percent to 10 percent by weight based on the weight of the polyether polyol . the polyurethane foams employed in the present invention are generally prepared by the reaction of the polyol mixture with an organic polyisocyanate in the presence of a blowing agent and optionally in the presence of additional polyhydroxyl - containing components , chain - extending agents ; catalysts , surface - active agents , stabilizers , dyes , fillers and pigments . suitable processes for the preparation of cellular polyurethane plastics are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . re . 24 , 514 together with suitable machinery to be used in conjunction therewith . when water is added as the blowing agent , corresponding quantities of excess isocyanate to react with the water and produce carbon dioxide may be used . it is possible to proceed with the preparation of the polyurethane plastics by a prepolymer technique wherein an excess of organic polyisocyanate is reacted in a first step with the polyol of the present invention to prepare a prepolymer having free isocyanate groups which is then reacted in a second step with water and / or additional polyol to prepare a foam . alternatively , the components may be reacted in a single working step commonly known as the &# 34 ; one - shot &# 34 ; technique of preparing polyurethanes . furthermore , instead of water , low boiling hydrocarbons such as pentane , hexane , heptane , pentene , and heptene ; azo compounds such as azohexahydrobenzodinitrile ; halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichlorodifluoromethane , trichloromethane , dichlorodifluoroethane , vinylidene chloride , and methylene chloride may be used as blowing agents . a surface - active agent is generally necessary for production of high grade polyurethane foam according to the present invention , since in the absence of same , the foams collapse or contain very large uneven cells . numerous surface - active agents have been found satisfactory . nonionic surface - active and wetting agents are preferred . of these , the nonionic surface - active agents prepared by the sequential addition of propylene oxide and then ethylene oxide to propylene glycol and the solid or liquid organosilicones have been found particularly desirable . other surface - active agents which are operative , although not preferred , include polyethylene glycol ethers of long chain alcohols , tertiary amine or alkanolamine salts of long chain alkylacid sulfate esters , alkyl sulfonic esters , and alkyl arysulfonic acids . the following examples illustrate the nature of the invention . all parts are by weight unless otherwise stated . the k - factors were determined employing astm method c - 518 . polyol a is a propylene oxide adduct of a mixture of sucrose and propylene glycol , having a hydroxyl number of about 563 . polyol b is propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 450 and containing 8 . 8 percent ethylene oxide . polyol c is a propylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 489 . polyol d is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 488 and containing 28 . 2 percent ethylene oxide . polyol e is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 489 and containing 31 . 4 percent ethylene oxide . polyol f is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 504 and containing 19 . 8 percent ethylene oxide . polyol g is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of toluenediamine , 90 percent vicinal isomers having a hydroxyl number of 443 and containing 65 . 7 percent ethylene oxide . polyol h is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 492 and containing 9 . 4 percent ethylene oxide . polyol i is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 494 and containing 18 . 8 percent ethylene oxide . polyol j is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 486 and containing 37 . 6 percent ethylene oxide . polyol k is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 498 and containing 40 . 1 percent ethylene oxide . polyol l is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 495 and containing 34 . 9 percent ethylene oxide . polyol m is a propylene oxide ethylene oxide adduct of ethylenediamine having a hydroxyl number of about 489 and containing 60 . 9 percent ethylene oxide . polyol n is a propylene oxide adduct of a mixture of sucrose and propylene glycol having a hydroxyl number of 507 . polycat 8 is an amine catalyst sold by abbott laboratories , inc . the polyols in the amounts as tabulated in table i were prepared by charging a container with a suitable quantity of the reactants with the exception of the isocyanate as tabulated . the mixture was stirred for about 30 seconds and allowed to set until the air bubbles had dissipated . the calculated amount of polyisocyanate was added to the container , and the resulting mixture was stirred for about 35 seconds , and the foam was allowed to rise therein . after the foam rise was completed , the resulting foam was cured for about 48 hours at room temperature . the k - factors were then determined . table i__________________________________________________________________________ example 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14__________________________________________________________________________formulation , pbwpolyola 40 40 40 40 40 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- b 60 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- c -- 60 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- d -- -- 60 -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- -- -- -- e -- -- -- 60 -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- -- -- f -- -- -- -- 60 -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- g -- -- -- -- -- 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10h -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- i -- -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- j -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- -- -- k -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- -- l -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 30 -- m -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 30n -- -- -- -- -- 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60 60dc - 193 1 . 5 1 . 5polycat 8 1 . 0 1 . 0f - 11 - a 38 . 6 39 . 7 39 . 7 39 . 7 40 . 1 38 . 8 38 . 8 38 . 7 38 . 7 38 . 7 38 . 9 38 . 9 38 . 8 38 . 7isocyanate a 125 . 1 131 . 6 131 . 5 131 . 6 133 . 9 126 . 1 126 . 3 125 . 8 125 . 9 125 . 7 128 . 0 126 . 6 126 . 4 125 . 9k - factor . 145 . 141 . 145 . 146 . 144 . 144 . 143 . 143 . 143 . 143 . 142 . 146 . 146 . 146__________________________________________________________________________	2
as best seen in fig3 - 5 , the non - penetrating deep sclerectomy / canalostomy surgical procedure involved with implant 10 of the present invention involves creating a scleral cavity or pocket into which implant 10 is placed . initially , superficial scleral flap 100 is formed in eye 200 . flap 100 is generally less than one - third of the scleral thick and can extend up to two millimeters into the clear cornea . flap 100 may be generally 5 millimeters by 6 millimeters but can be made larger or smaller depending upon factors such as the size of the eye or the desired size of implant 10 . the sclera is further dissected to remove deep portion of sclera 110 to expose descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 leaving a thin layer of deep sclera over the choroid posteriorly . anteriorly , the dissection is done reaching schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 ( which is unroofed ) and continuing further into corneal stromal tissue to the level of descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 . the removal of the inner endothelium of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 and juxta - canalicular trabecula can also be performed at this stage using a fine forceps ( not shown ). the aqueous percolation into the achieved scleral cavity will thus be established . deep scleral portion 110 can be of any size suitable to allow for implantation of implant 10 , but generally will be approximately 4 millimeters by 5 millimeters , but can be made larger or smaller depending upon factors such as the size of the eye or the size of flap 100 . as best seen in fig1 - 2 , implant 10 of the present invention is designed to be implanted within a void formed in the sclera during non - penetrating deep sclerectomy / canalostomy surgery by the removal of deep sclera portion 110 and includes body 12 and tubular elements 14 . implant 10 preferably is made in multiple components from any suitable biocompatible material , such as polymethylmethacrylate ( pmma ), polycarbonate , polyurethane , polyamide , polypropylene , silicone , soft acrylic , hydrogel , stainless steel or titanium . implant 10 may be coated with any suitable coating to enhance biocompatibility or to help prevent implant 10 from fouling or become clogging with fibrotic growth , such as heparin , mytomycin , 5 - fu or other suitable coatings well - known in the art . body 12 is generally flat or slightly curved to approximate the curvature of the sclera and contains sidewalls 16 that form hollow interior 18 . body 12 may be of any suitable size and shape , such as rectangular , semi - circular or elliptical and between 4 millimeter and 5 millimeters across , but can be made larger or smaller depending upon factors such as the size of the eye or the size of deep scleral portion 110 . body 12 may contain port 17 that communicates with hollow interior 18 . sidewalls 16 preferably are between 100 microns and 200 microns tall . tubes 14 may have tapered ends 15 and preferably are sized and shaped to fit snugly within the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal and contains bores 20 that communicate with hollow interior 18 . tubes 14 may be made adjustable to address the need of variable and unpredictable anatomical location of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 from patient to patient . implant 10 may also contain bottom plate 50 having a similar construction as body 12 and containing a circumferential groove 52 sized and shaped so as to allow plate 50 to securely fit onto and be held by sidewalls 16 on body 12 . plate 50 has outwardly tapering fitting 54 having a port 56 that communicates with hollow interior 18 of body 12 when plate 50 is attached to body 12 . in use during non - penetrating deep sclerectomy / canalostomy surgery , void 140 is created in the sclera that exposes descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 and schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 in the manner described above . body 12 is place in void 140 so that sidewalls 16 lay perpendicularly to descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 and hollow interior 18 is exposed to descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 . if desired , body 12 may be filled with a viscoelastic substance , such substances being well - known in the art , to help minimize fibrotic adhesions . in addition , the viscoelastic agent may contain a antimetabolite , such as mytomycin or 5 - fu . tapered ends 15 of tubular elements 14 are inserted into the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 . if desired , the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 may be enlarged slightly by the introduction of a viscoelastic substance , such substances being well - known in the art in order to facilitate the introduction of tapered ends 15 into the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 . flap 100 is placed over implant 100 and sutured in place . port 17 in body 12 normally will be sealed by plug 19 so that any fluid entering hollow interior 18 will be contained within body 12 . in this manner , aqueous fluid may percolate through descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 and enter the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 through hollow interior 18 , ports 20 in tubular arms 15 . in the event that schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 can not be found and / or tubes 14 can not be placed in the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 , flap 100 will be not tightly closed and plug 19 may be removed from body 12 thus allowing passage through port 17 , causing subconjunctival outflow with bleb formation similar to the deep sclerectomy surgery . if inadequate bleb formation occurs , then flap 100 may be opened and plug 19 may be removed from port 17 and replaced with piercing plug 21 and flap 100 replaced . alternatively , even with successful placement of tubes 14 into the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 , in the event that outflow from interior 18 through ports 20 and into the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 becomes blocked or is insufficient to reduce intraocular pressure a sufficient amount , flap 100 may be opened and plug 19 may be removed from port 17 and replaced with piercing plug 21 and flap 100 replaced . plug 21 allows excess aqueous fluid to exit interior 18 through flap 100 and into the subconjunctival space between the scleral and conjunctiva , thereby forming a subconjunctival bleb . in the event that percolation through descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 is insufficient to relieve the excess intraocular pressure , plate 50 may be used by attaching plate 50 to body 12 and placing the combination of body 12 and plate 50 in void 140 so that fitting 54 punctures descemet &# 39 ; s membrane 130 and projects downwardly into the anterior chamber of eye 200 . port 56 allows for more positive drainage of aqueous fluid from the anterior chamber into hollow interior 18 and out through ports 20 into the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 . in the event that outflow from interior 18 through ports 20 and into the openings in the unexcised portions of schlemm &# 39 ; s canal 120 becomes blocked or is insufficient to reduce intraocular pressure a sufficient amount , plug 19 may be removed from port 17 and replaced with plug 21 . plug 21 allows excess aqueous fluid to exit interior 18 through flap 100 and into the subconjunctival space between the scleral and conjunctiva , thereby forming a subconjunctival bleb . this description is given for purposes of illustration and explanation . it will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art that changes and modifications may be made to the invention described above without departing from its scope or spirit .	0
reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention ( s ), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below . while the invention ( s ) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments , it will be understood that present description is not intended to limit the invention ( s ) to those exemplary embodiments . on the contrary , the invention ( s ) is / are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments , but also various alternatives , modifications , equivalents and other embodiments , which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims . fig1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an impulse charger for motor vehicle engines according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . fig2 ( a ) and 2 ( b ) are a cross - sectional views taken along the lines a - a and b - b of fig1 , respectively . as illustrated in fig1 , the impulse charger for motor vehicle engines according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an impulse block 10 through which intake holes 11 pass so as to communicate with intake runners ( not shown ) of the motor vehicle engine , an impulse valve 20 that opens or closes the intake holes 11 , a driving apparatus 30 ( see fig3 ) that drives the impulse valve 20 , and at least one link unit 40 that is connected by at least one link member and transmits a driving force from the driving apparatus 30 to the impulse valve 20 . the driving apparatus 30 ( see fig3 ) generates a continuous driving force in order to drive the impulse valve 20 . this continuous driving force is transferred through the link unit 40 , and then is transmitted to the impulse valve 20 such that the impulse valve 20 is opened or closed at predetermined periods . specifically , the driving apparatus 30 continuously generates a predetermined rotating force using , for instance , a motor . this continuous rotating force is transferred through the link unit 40 connected by at least one link member , and then is transmitted to the impulse valve 20 . thereby , the impulse valve 20 is operated at predetermined periods . thus , the impulse charger for motor vehicle engines according to various embodiments of the present invention is not driven in a manner such that the impulse valve 20 is opened or closed at opening or closing points of time by repeatedly transmitting a driving force using motors or electromagnets , but in a manner such that the impulse valve 20 is opened or closed by constantly continuously generating a driving force and by transmitting this continuous driving force to the impulse valve 20 through the link unit 40 at predetermined periods . at this time , according to magnitude of the driving force , for example , according to magnitude of a rotating speed of the motor , the period at which the impulse valve 20 is opened or closed through the link unit 40 may be changed . thus , the impulse charger for motor vehicle engines according to various embodiments of the present invention is operated with low noise , and is easily manufactured and mounted due to reduction of necessary components and simplification of control logic . meanwhile , as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , the impulse valve 20 includes valve rotating shafts 21 that are rotatably coupled to the impulse block 10 across the intake holes 11 , and baffles 22 that are mounted on outer circumferences of the valve rotating shafts 21 in a direction perpendicular to the axis of each valve rotating shaft 21 . at this time , the baffles 22 are shaped corresponding to a cross - sectional shape of each intake hole 11 . as the valve rotating shafts 21 rotate , the baffles 22 serve to open or close the intake holes 11 . according to the structure of the impulse valve 20 , the driving force generated by the driving apparatus 30 can be transmitted to the valve rotating shafts 21 through the link unit 40 , thereby generating the rotating force from the valve rotating shafts 21 . further , in this structure of the impulse valve 20 , the link unit 40 can be configured so that the driving apparatus 30 generates a rotating force in a one - way direction , and so that this one - way rotating force generated by the driving apparatus 30 is transmitted as a reciprocating - rotating force to the valve rotating shafts 21 . thus , when the reciprocating - rotating force is generated by the driving apparatus 30 , the valve rotating shafts 21 are alternately rotated at predetermined periods by the link unit 40 , and thus the impulse valve 20 is operated so as to open or close the intake holes 11 . meanwhile , as illustrated in fig1 , the impulse block 10 has the plurality of intake holes 11 so as to correspond to the intake runners according a type of the motor vehicle engine . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as shown in fig1 , the impulse block 10 is applied to a four - cylinder engine , and thus has four intake holes 11 . all of the intake holes 11 are not simultaneously opened or closed . specifically , the intake holes 11 are opened or closed at the same periods as that at which the pistons of the engine are reciprocated . from the viewpoint of characteristics of the motor vehicle engine , the intake holes 11 are generally designed in a manner so that two of them are simultaneously opened or closed in a pair . in this manner , when a plurality of the intake holes 11 are formed , a plurality of the valve rotating shafts 21 are also mounted , and are preferably configured so that the paired intake holes 11 can be opened or closed through the respective valve rotating shafts 21 . in other words , the valve rotating shafts 21 are mounted corresponding to the number obtained by dividing the total number of intake holes 11 by the number of paired intake holes that are opened or closed at the same time . the valve rotating shafts 21 are preferably provided with the respective baffles 22 capable of opening or closing the intake holes 11 that are simultaneously opened or closed . in detail , the intake holes 11 illustrated in fig1 includes first , second , third and fourth intake holes 11 a , 11 b , 11 c and 11 d , which are sequentially disposed from the left - hand side . the first and fourth intake holes 11 a and 11 d are simultaneously opened or closed , and the second and third intake holes 11 b and 11 c are simultaneously opened or closed . thus , the valve rotating shafts 21 includes two ones that correspond to the number obtained by dividing the total number of intake holes 11 by the number of paired intake holes that are simultaneously opened or closed , namely first and second valve rotating shafts 21 a and 12 b that are sequentially mounted from the top . at this time , as illustrated in fig1 and 2 , these valve rotating shafts 21 are preferably mounted in parallel to a horizontal plane in order to minimize a mounting space . furthermore , the valve rotating shafts 21 are preferably spaced apart from each other in a predetermined distance such that they do not cause interference with the respective baffles 22 when the baffles 22 are rotated . further , the baffles 22 b and 22 c for the first valve rotating shaft 21 a can be installed at a predetermined angle including a right angle with respect to each other such that the corresponding intake holes 11 are opened or closed at different points of time , as illustrated in fig1 and 2 . this is equally applied to the baffles 22 a and 22 d for the second valve rotating shaft 21 b . in this case , the link units 40 are provided corresponding to the mounted valve rotating shafts 21 as illustrated in fig1 . preferably , the driving force of the driving apparatus 30 is transmitted to the valve rotating shafts 21 through the respective link units 40 . as described above , the baffles 22 for the valve rotating shafts 21 are shaped corresponding to the cross - sectional shapes of the intake holes 11 . here , for the case in which the intake holes 11 are closed by the baffles 22 , each intake hole 11 is preferably provided with a recess 12 in the inner circumference thereof which is dented along a rotational path of the corresponding baffle 22 such that inhaled air is prevented from leaking out through the intake hole 11 , as illustrated in fig2 ( a ) and 2 ( b ). fig3 is an exploded perspective view illustrating the structure of a link unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . fig4 ( a ) to 4 ( l ) are an operational diagram explaining the operational principle of a link unit according to various embodiments of the present invention . as illustrated in fig3 and 4 , the link unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is made up of a six - bar linkage , which includes a driving link 42 , a driven link 44 , an output link 46 , and first and second link plates 47 a and 47 b . one will appreciate that other suitable configurations may be utilized . the driving link 42 and the output link 46 are mounted to a driving shaft 41 and an output shaft 45 so as to be able to be rotated around the driving shaft 41 and the output shaft 45 , respectively . at this time , the driving shaft 41 and the output shaft 45 are rotatably fixed . the driven link 44 is mounted to a driven shaft 43 , which is rotatably fixed , so as to be able to rotate around the driven shaft 43 . further , the driving link 42 and the driven link 44 are rotatably connected to the first link plate 47 a at first ends thereof through link pins 48 , and the driven link 44 and the output link 46 are rotatably connected to the second link plate 47 b at first ends thereof through link pins 48 . in this state , when the driving shaft 41 rotates , the driving link 42 rotates . then , the driven link 44 connected to the driving link 42 through the first link plate 47 a rotates . in this manner , when the driven link 44 rotates , the output link 46 connected to the driven link 44 through the second link plate 47 b rotates . at this time , rotational speed and angle of each link are determined by a length of each link , a position of each rotating shaft , etc . so as to generate various trajectories . according to this exemplary embodiment and various embodiments of the present invention , preferably , when the driving link 42 rotates at a constant speed in one direction , the driven link 44 performs rotation and reciprocation with acceleration within a predetermined section , and the output link 46 rotates and reciprocates with greater acceleration within a predetermined section compared to the driven link 44 . this operation will be described in greater detail with reference to fig4 ( a ) to 4 ( l ), which sequentially illustrate motions of a link unit according to various embodiments of the present invention . while the driving link 42 gradually rotates within a rotational section from the state ( a ) to the state ( g ), the rotational angle of the output link 46 is little changed as indicated by arrow . while the driving link 42 rotates within a rotational section from the state ( g ) to the state ( h ), the output link 46 rapidly rotates in the same direction . in other words , the output link 46 rotates with very great acceleration within the rotational section from the state ( g ) to the state ( h ). similarly , while the driving link 42 rotates within a rotational section from the state ( k ) to the state ( l ), the output link 46 rapidly rotates in an opposite direction . thus , the impulse charger according to this exemplary embodiment and various embodiments of the present invention is preferably designed to couple each valve rotating shafts 21 to the corresponding output shaft 45 , which rotates together with the output link 46 , so as to rotate together with the output shaft 45 . thereby , a function of the impulse valve 20 required for an instantaneous rapid lift time that is a characteristic of the impulse charger can be smoothly performed . as illustrated in fig3 , the link unit 40 can be configured on the basis of this principle . in the case in which the number of valve rotating shafts 21 is at least two , the link units 40 , the number of which is equal to the number of valve rotating shafts 21 , are preferably mounted such that they can be connected to the respective valve rotating shafts 21 . further , as illustrated in fig3 , these link units 40 are preferably configured to be able to be simultaneously driven by a single driving wheel 31 , which is driven by one driving apparatus 30 . at this time , each link unit 40 can be driven with a phase difference according to the period at which the intake holes 11 are opened or closed . preferably , the driving shaft 41 of each link unit 40 is simultaneously driven by the driving wheel 31 such that each link unit 40 is driven . fig5 and 6 are top and bottom perspective views illustrating an impulse charger according to various embodiments of the present invention . fig7 and 8 are a top plan view and a front view of the impulse charger of fig5 and 6 , respectively . fig9 and 10 are perspective views of a link unit and a lever unit of the impulse charger of fig5 and 6 . fig1 and 12 are operational diagrams illustrating the impulse charger of fig5 and 6 . as illustrated in fig5 through 10 , the impulse charger for motor vehicle engines according to this exemplary embodiment of the present invention is configured so that a mounting frame 300 is fixedly installed on one side of a cylinder head ( not shown ) corresponding to one side of an impulse block 100 . the mounting frame 300 includes an outer frame f 1 and an inner frame f 2 . the mounting frame 300 is equipped with a link unit 500 according to other various embodiments of the present invention . the link unit 500 includes a driving shaft s 1 installed on the outer frame f 1 , and a driven shaft s 2 and first and second output shafts s 3 and s 4 installed on the inner frame f 2 . further , the link unit 500 includes a plurality of links , which is interconnected through the driving and driven shafts s 1 and s 2 and through the first and second output shafts s 3 and s 4 , and outputs a rotating force of the driving shaft s 1 driven by a driving apparatus ( not shown ) as lateral force ( applied in forward and backward directions ) through a slide bar 110 . in detail , the link unit 500 is configured so that the driving shaft s 1 is mounted on one side of the outer frame f 1 of the mounting frame 300 , that the driven shaft s 2 is mounted on one side , i . e . an inner sidewall , of the inner frame f 2 of the mounting frame 300 , and that the first output shaft s 3 and the second output shaft s 4 are mounted on an outer sidewall of the inner frame f 2 so as to be opposite each other . a driving wheel 130 is mounted on the driving shaft s 1 so as to face an outer sidewall of the outer frame f 1 . this driving wheel 130 is configured to receive the rotating force of a camshaft ( not shown ) as a driving apparatus through a timing belt ( not shown ). a first link l 1 is fixedly mounted to the driving shaft s 1 at one end thereof so as to face the inner sidewall of the outer frame f 1 , and a second link l 2 is rotatably mounted to the other end of the first link l 1 through a link pin p at one end thereof . a third link l 3 is rotatably mounted to the outer frame f 1 through the driven shaft s 2 at one end thereof so as to face the inner sidewall of the outer frame f 1 , and the other end of the third link l 3 is connected with the other end of the second link l 2 through the link pin p . a fourth link l 4 is rotatably connected to the link pin p , through which the other ends of the second and third links l 2 and l 3 are connected to each other , at one end thereof . the link unit 500 includes a fifth link l 5 having a “ c ” or “ u ” shape . one end of the fifth link l 5 is rotatably connected to the other end of the fourth link l 4 through another link pin p , and the other end of the fifth link l 5 is rotatably connected to the inner frame f 2 through the first output shaft s 3 so as to face the outer sidewall of the inner frame f 2 . further , a sixth link l 6 is rotatably connected to the inner frame f 2 through the second output shaft s 4 at one end thereof so as to face the outer sidewall of the inner frame f 2 . one end of the fifth link l 5 and the other end of the sixth link l 6 are connected to respective opposite ends of a connecting link l 7 through link pins p . the connecting link l 7 is integrally coupled with the slide bar 110 substantially in the middle of the top face thereof . thereby , the above - mentioned link unit 500 is configured . meanwhile , the impulse block 100 is provided with intake holes r , in each of which an impulse valve 900 is rotatably mounted , wherein the impulse valve 900 includes a valve rotating shaft s and a baffle b capable of opening or closing the corresponding intake hole r by means of rotation of the valve rotating shaft s . the impulse block 100 is equipped with a lever unit 700 on an upper portion thereof the lever unit 700 is coupled to the valve rotating shafts s of the impulse valves 900 , and opens or closes the impulse valves 900 by using the lateral force of the slide bar 100 . in detail , the lever unit 700 installed on the upper portion of the impulse block 100 is configured so that the valve rotating shafts s of the impulse valves 900 are coupled to the middles of respective link levers 210 , and that the link levers 210 are coupled to the connecting levers 230 disposed in parallel to each other through hinge pins h at opposite ends thereof . an operating lever 250 is disposed between the right - hand one of the link levers 210 and the slide bar 110 . the operating lever 250 is connected to right - hand ends of the opposite connecting levers 230 via the right - hand link lever 210 at one end thereof in the state in which the valve rotating shaft s of the impulse valve 900 is mounted on the middle of the right - hand link lever 210 . further , the other end of the operating lever 250 is provided with a slot 270 , into which the slide bar 110 is fitted . thus , as for the operation of the impulse charger for motor vehicle engines having the aforementioned configuration , as illustrated in fig1 and 12 , the rotating force of the camshaft ( not shown ) which is transmitted through the driving wheel 130 is transmitted as the lateral force to the lever unit 700 through the link unit 500 . the lateral force transmitted to the lever unit 700 is again transmitted as the rotating force to the valve rotating shafts s of the impulse valves 900 . thereby , the impulse valves 900 control the opening or closing of the respective intake holes r according to the rotational timing of the camshaft ( not shown ), thereby improving volume efficiency of the intake holes r . in other words , the link unit 500 is operated in a manner such that , when the rotating force of the camshaft is transmitted to the driving shaft s 1 through the driving wheel 130 , the driving shaft s 1 rotates the first link l 1 . then , the second link l 2 rotates around the driving shaft s 1 between the first link l 1 and the third link l 3 , and thereby rotates the fourth link l 4 coupled through the link pin p connecting the second link l 2 and the third link l 3 . thus , the fifth link l 5 rotates around the first output shaft s 3 at a predetermined angle in the state in which it is connected with the fourth link l 4 , and thus transmits the lateral force to the connecting link l 7 coupled to the sixth link l 6 . at this time , the lateral force of the connecting link l 7 is transmitted as the rotating force to the operating lever 250 of the lever unit 700 through the slide bar 110 within a predetermined section . as the operating lever 250 is repeatedly pivoted , the link levers 210 coupled by the connecting levers 230 repeatedly pivot within a predetermined angle . then , the impulse valves 900 , which are coupled to the respective link levers 210 through the corresponding valve rotating shafts s , repeatedly rotate in the respective intake holes r , thereby controlling the opening or closing of the respective intake holes r . thus , the impulse charger of the present invention is expected that it will exert a remarkable effect on low - speed and middle - speed performances in a natural intake system . the impulse charger reinforces fluidity in a combustion chamber due to a sharp increase in the flow rate of inhaled air when the impulse valves 900 are opened , so that it is advantageous to improve combustion characteristics that cause trouble at low speed and high speed ( e . g . knocking in fast burn ). if an existing device such as a continuous variable valve timing ( cvvt ) mechanism is mounted on the driving apparatus , thereby optimizes the lift time of the valve , the volume efficiency can be improved up to maximum 15 %. further , the impulse charger is designed so as to avoid direct friction between the impulse valves 900 and the inner walls of the intake holes r , so that it is advantageous in the light of noise or durability . for convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims , the terms “ upper ”, “ front ”, and etc . are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures . the foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed , and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings . the exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application , to thereby enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present invention , as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof . it is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents .	8
turning now descriptively to the drawings , in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views , the attached figures illustrate an adjustable height bed side guard device intended for placement between a mattress and fitted bed sheet comprising a bolster created from multiple interlocking or self - adhering components or “ layers ” ( each component can be considered as a “ layer ” of the bolster ), which act as a physical barrier at or near the edge of a mattress . when interlocked together they form a safety barrier that when installed properly can help prevent a child from falling out of bed . by removing layers the barrier height may be reduced ; by adding layers height may be increased . the bed side guard will ideally be made from material such as polyurethane foam to allow it to be placed between a fitted bed sheet and a mattress where it will remain in operable position and therefore not require a strap or other means of securing it to the bed . each layer of the bed side guard is comprised ideally of firm but not rigid , washable , non - allergenic and flame retardant material , such as treated polyurethane foam , but could be of many different child - safe materials that are able to hold the proper form . each layer is ideally of the same length and width , but height may vary . length of each layer would ideally be four feet or more to match or exceed the height of a child . additionally , each layer would ideally be about one and a half to two inches in height and six inches deep ( front to back ) to form a bolster with sufficient height and thickness to be effective as a bed side guard as well as have enough depth and surface area contact with the mattress and fitted bed sheet to remain operable position and avoid slipping . as shown in fig1 , the top layer 10 interconnects with middle layer 11 , which interconnects with the bottom layer 12 to form a variable height bolster , which acts as a bed side guard when placed between a mattress or mattress pad and a fitted bed sheet . the long , inner side of the bed side guard is intended to face the child sleeping in the bed and form a flat , vertical edge to act as a safety barrier . to create a more attractive look and be less noticeable under a fitted bed sheet , the top side of the top layer 10 should resemble the top side of an airplane wing : the top side of the top layer 10 would ideally have one long edge ( the inner edge that faces toward the child ) with slight rounding for a smoother and less obvious appearance under the fitted bed sheet , like the leading edge of a wing . the outer edge of the top side of the top layer 10 ( which faces away from the child and toward the mattress edge ) should be more streamlined , like the trailing edge of a wing , with a downward angled convex slope . the bottom side of the top layer 10 could have a female interlocking feature 15 to interconnect to a male interlocking feature 16 of another layer ( e . g . male to female connection to middle layer 11 or bottom layer 12 ). the top and bottom sides of middle layer 11 would have male / female interlocking features to interconnect with the top 10 and bottom 12 layers . the top of bottom layer 12 would have a male interlocking feature to interconnect with top 10 or middle 11 layers . the bottom side of bottom layer 12 would be flat , with no interlocking feature . for illustrative purposes three layers have been described as forming a functioning device . however , the device could comprise only two layers , or more than three layers , necessitating more or fewer middle layers . further , the child &# 39 ; s bed is assumed to be either tightly against a wall ( forming a barrier ) with the device placed on the non - wall side , or if not against a wall , two devices could be used to form barriers , one along either long side of the mattress , finally , an additional number of devices could be employed to effectively surround the child . normal use would start with all layers interconnected , as shown in fig1 , forming a full height of perhaps but not limited to 4 . 5 to 6 inches ( as shown in fig6 this device would ideally be placed under the fitted bed sheet 20 and above the mattress or mattress pad ). the child would begin use with the device at full height and use it for a period of time , perhaps 1 month or more , as they gain confidence in the bed . this not only reduces the risk of falling out of bed but also helps them become acclimated and familiar , both consciously and subconsciously , with where the edge of the bed is located . after a period of time , perhaps 1 month or more , the middle layer 11 could be disconnected and removed from the top layer 10 and bottom layer 12 and the top 10 and bottom 12 layers could be manually interconnected to form a bolster with a lower height and placed back between the mattress or mattress pad and fitted bed sheet . the device is now reduced in height and therefore offers a lower safety barrier , but still aids in preventing the child falling out of bed . this continues to help them become acclimated and familiar with where the edge of the bed is located . after an additional period of time , perhaps 1 month or more , the bottom layer 12 could be disconnected from the top layer 10 to form a bolster with lowest height , and only the top layer 10 would remain . it would be placed back between the mattress or mattress pad and fitted bed sheet . the device is now reduced to its “ minimal height ” and therefore the barrier is lower , but still aids in preventing the child falling out of bed . this continues to help them become acclimated and familiar with where the edge of the bed is located . after a final period of time , perhaps 1 month or more the top layer 10 could be removed , and therefore no layers would remain and the bed side guard device would be completely removed from the bed at this point . ideally by this time the child has become effectively weaned off the bed side guard , is acclimated and familiar with where the edge of the bed is located and has gained confidence to sleep in the bed without a bed side guard . the bed side guard device or its components could be constructed of myriad materials that are able to take the proper shape of the bolster and have appropriate firmness to perform the task . the device could also be covered in myriad materials known in the arts to facilitate or improve connection to other layers or provide natural adhesion / non - slipping with fitted bed sheet , mattress pad or mattress . materials used could also provide greater aesthetics , fire retardation or other safety features , alternate variations of connecting or interlocking technique could be used rather than those described , herein . for example , a single and separate interlocking piece 31 such as shown in fig7 , could be used to connect a top layer 32 and bottom layer 33 . alternate methods to keep the layers together could be used by various means of adhesion ( e . g ., velcro , non - permanent sticking various glues , etc . ), which would avoid use of interlocking male / female structural features . in addition , the ends of the device could comprise features to interconnect or adhere to the ends of additional devices to create a geometrically shaped enclosure and effectively surround a child . alternative variations of the device could comprise a single bolster , perhaps 4 . 5 to 6 inches thick , with perforated lateral layers that could be peeled away to reduce the height of the safety barrier . instead of creating the bolster layers from material that naturally adheres to mattress and bed sheet materials , such as polyurethane foam , the entire device could be secured to the mattress , above or below the fitted bed sheet , using conventional means known in the arts , such as straps . instead of using multiple interlocking layers to achieve various adjustable heights alternate variations of the device could be constructed differently , such as using an inflatable bed side guard with multiple air chambers ( all chambers inflated for max height , fewer for lower height ) or perhaps one air chamber that self adjusts in height when inflated with more or less air . the described device is an adjustable bed side guard comprised of 3 interlocking pieces , which allow the user to set the height of the bed side guard . ideally , to use the invention , it would be used on a standard bed , with mattress , mattress pad , and fitted bed sheet . it would be placed between the mattress pad ( which is above the mattress but below the sheet ) and fitted bed sheet . as it is ideally constructed of material that naturally adheres to common fabrics used in bed sheet or mattress construction and so is slip resistant , it will stay in operable position without the use of straps or other means . to set the bed side guard at its highest level , all 3 pieces would be interlocked or fitted together . to reduce the height , one or more layers could be removed . to re - raise the height , one or more layers could be added . as to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention , the same should be apparent from the above description . accordingly , no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided . with respect to the above description then , it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention , to include variations in size , materials , shape , form , function and manner of operation , assembly and use , are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art , and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention . therefore , the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described , and accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention .	8
writes to anything larger than a sector may not be atomic . for example , a stripe may consist of a page from each of disks a , b & amp ; c , with c storing the contents of a xor b . for reliability , a stripe should consist of no more than one page from each disk . a stripe may vary in size depending on the amount of data the parity is computed over . as illustrated in fig2 , we organize disk storage into a large log . the log consists of a sequence of segments . the segments on a disk are organized contiguously , but the order of segments in the log does not have to be contiguous . segments consist of a sequence of variable length stripes . the stripes consist of a sequence of pages . pages consist of a sequence of contiguous sectors . for reliability , each page in the same segment is located on a different disk . all updates append sequentially to the log . these results in very high write throughput even for small random writes , which is a weak point for conventional raid 5 implementations . free storage is reclaimed by garbage collecting segments that contain overwritten , no longer needed data . in addition to achieving very high performance , the raid system described herein provides several other useful functions . for example , all physical disk storage is organized into a common disk pool . users may create and destroy virtual disks on demand without worrying about which physical resources to allocate to these virtual disks . an administrator need only periodically monitor the total amount of free space remaining in the system . the performance of the system should be similar to that of hardware raid 5 controllers , and should not consume much cpu cycles . in particular , the throughput of the system should achieve many tens of mb / s in throughput , particularly for write operations . we assume that disk sectors are always written atomically or generate an error when read back , but anything larger than a sector may we assume that disks may reorder write operations . this is particularly true of ata disks with write back caching enabled . ( this is unimportant assumption that can help us achieve significantly higher performance .) in the ideal case , appending to a log should require only a single synchronous disk write operation . also , we must be able to reliably identify the end of a log during crash recovery . one approach uses a separate sector to store a pointer to the end of the log . with this approach , data is first written to the end of the log and then the pointer is updated to point to the new end of the log . the problem with this approach is that it requires two synchronous disk operations . a second approach is to include a sequence number in every sector that is written to the log . the sequence number is incremented each time that the log wraps around . during recovery , the log is scanned forwards until the sequence number decreases , indicating the end of the log . this approach requires only a single sequential write operation to append to the log ; however , it requires initializing all sectors in the log to a known value before using the log and a few bytes must be reserved from each sector to store the sequence number . the sequence number must be stored in each sector rather than , for example , each page because only sector rights are guaranteed to the atomic . when a page write is interrupted , some sectors of the page may make it to disk while others sectors may not . there is also no guarantee as to what order in which the sectors will be written to disk . we will be using the second approach to ensure that any write to a virtual disk incurs at most a single synchronous disk latency . when a full stripe , a stripe that spans the maximum allowed number of disks , is written , it incurs the minimum capacity overhead due to the parity overhead . often , however , we will want to write stripes incrementally without waiting for a full stripe &# 39 ; s worth of data to accumulate , such as when a small amount of data is written followed by a long pause . in general , we want to write the data to stable storage as soon as possible without waiting for the rest of the stripe to fill up ; however , this incurs a higher parity capacity overhead . fortunately , the excess storage can be easily removed when the segment is garbage collected . fig3 shows the process of appending to a log of stripes with varying sizes . stripe 311 is made up of data page 301 and 302 and parity page 303 . stripe 321 is made up of data page 304 , 305 and 306 , and parity page 307 . stripe 331 is the shortest possible stripe , with one data page 308 and one parity page 309 . this method of writing out a non - full stripe is a key part of this invention . traditional raid5 implementation requires a full stripe before data is written out to disk . as such , a simple arithmetic formula is used in traditional raid5 implementation to calculate the mapping between a logical and physical address . in this invention , a flexible table - look - up method is used to flexible convert between logical and physical address . eventually , the log will fill up and free storage must be reclaimed . garbage collection is used to reclaim storage from pages that have been overwritten and are no longer needed . a garbage collector process periodically scans segments , throws away the overwritten pages , collects together the pages still in use , and appends the live pages to the current end of the log , creating free segments in the process . in fig4 , garbage collection eliminates the data blocks d 3 and d 5 ( marked 401 and 402 on the figure ) that have been overwritten and are no longer needed . also , the stripes after garbage collection are longer , requiring only a single parity block ( marked 403 ). in actuality , there are two garbage collectors : a short - term collector and a long - term collector . the short - term garbage collector is responsible for ensuring that there are always a certain number of free segments . the short - term collector always collects segments that have the most amount of overwritten , and therefore free , space . this generates the most amount of free space for the least amount of work invested . if we only had a short - term collector , free space would slowly accumulate in segments with otherwise “ cold ” data , reducing the amount of space available to the short - term collector to “ age ” recently written date . this would force the short - term collector to run increasingly more frequently on segments with less and less free space . the job of the long - term collector is to collect free space in these code segments , so that the short - term collector has more space to play with , and therefore wait longer , allowing more data to be overwritten , before garbage collecting a particular segment . in effect , the long - term collector can be viewed as a type of defragmenter . from this discussion , it becomes evident that it is desirable to separate cold data from hot data since a segment containing mostly hot data will contain a large amount of free space and , therefore , require little work to garbage collect . to ensure this , the garbage collectors write surviving data into a separate “ cold ” log rather than appending it to the end of the same log that receives user requests . this prevents the hot and cold data from intermixing with each other . this method can be easily generalized to a hierarchy of logs containing ever colder data . our raid 5 implementation requires various types of metadata that are used for a range of tasks from mapping virtual disk addresses to physical disk addresses to keeping track of the amount of overwritten data in each segment . this metadata information must be recovered after a system crash . to bound the recovery time , it is necessary to periodically checkpoint the metadata to disk . we do this by periodically writing checkpoints to the end of a specially designated metadata log . using a separate log for checkpoints prevents the metadata , from mixing with user data . since the checkpoints are of a fixed size , the metadata log requires only a small fixed amount of disk space . when the system is restarted after a crash , we first scan the metadata log to find the most recent checkpoint . the other logs containing the user data are then scanned forward from the points indicated in the checkpoint onto all logs have been processed . the system can then resume operation . note that in some cases , there may be dependencies in the order in which log entries in the various logs must be processed . these cross - log dependencies are explicitly noted as log entries in the logs themselves and are observed during recovery . in fig5 , entries after the point marked 502 in log 2 , cannot be processed until after log 1 has been processed to the point marked 501 . processing of logs essentially performs a topological sorting of the entries in the logs . this mechanism for supporting multiple logs will also be used for future distributed versions of the system which allow multiple computing nodes connected over a network to share and access the same pool of disk storage when a disk fails , the stripes that span the failed disk are read and the data contained within those stripes are appended to the end of an appropriate log . for example , if a system originally has 6 disks , the maximum stripe width is 6 . if a disk fails , the system will immediately switch to work with a maximum stripe width of 5 : all new writes will be written with maximum stripe width of 5 , and , all existing data can be read and re - written with a stripe width of 5 . after this rebuilding process is completed , the system will continue to tolerate single disk failure , without the need for a replacement disk to be put in place . when the failed disk has been replaced , the system can switch dynamically back to work with a larger maximum stripe width . in the previous example , the system will switch back to use a maximum stripe width of 6 from a maximum stripe width of 5 . when a disk is added , it simply increases the number of disks available for striping data . as a part of its normal process for garbage collection , the long - term collector will read the existing data and rewrite the data to span the new disk . if a disk is about to be removed , then the disk is treated as if it had failed and the standard disk failure recovery mechanism is applied . one difference from the failed case is that a disk that is about to be removed may continue to service read requests . once all data on the disk has been recovered , the disk is mapped out of the system and may be physically removed . the log structured raid approach in this invention also leads to several benefits and features not present in existing raid solutions : the system does not require the use of dedicated “ spare ” disks . any data stored on a failed disk will automatically be recovered to spare capacity on the remaining disks . therefore , all disks contribute to the performance of the system . because a stripe may vary in the number of disks that it spans , when a disk fails , the width of the parity stripe can be narrowed rather than waiting for a new disk to be added to the system to restore full redundancy . because data is written to a log , we can configure the system such that data that has been written within the last n time units will not be overwritten is never overwritten . this allows us to travel backward to any point in time within the last n time units . this offers continuous time snapshots of the underlying storage system : in the context of using the storage system for file system , a continuous - time snapshot of the file system becomes available . in fig6 , 601 represents the state of the file system up to stripe 3 ( hypothetically 43 min and 25 sec ago ), and 602 represents the current state of the file system , which is up to stripe n . the non - overriding behavior of a log - structured data layout also simplifies the implementation of more traditional snapshot mechanisms where snapshots are created explicitly by a user . the system is easy to expand to networked storage systems where disks may be accessed remotely over a network . in such systems , it is important to tolerate the temporary failure of a node that makes a disk inaccessible for a short period of time . in our system , if a disk becomes inaccessible we simply skip writing to the disk and initiate the recovery of data stored on that disk to protect against the event that the node does not recover . when the disk recovers , we can simply include the recovered disk in any new writes . any data on that disk and before it became unavailable and has not yet been recovered it is still completely usable . the ability to handle transient failure , i . e ., the graceful , incremental handling of disk failures is in sharp contrast to other types of networked or distributed storage systems in which a disk failure triggers the wholesale migration of data from the failed disk , with potentially a time - consuming recovery process if the disk recovers and becomes available again . because the log automatically captures causal dependencies between requests , high - performance remote mirroring is greatly simplified . data in the log can simply be copied in any order as they are written to the log without worrying about sequencing the actual user requests . in fig7 , stripe 1 701 is replicated to remote site as strip 1 711 , 702 replicated to 712 , 703 to 713 and so on . this is particularly important for distributed storage systems , where there is usually no single central point that knows all of the causal dependencies between user requests . this invention also supports generalized raid that can tolerate k disk failures . raid5 tolerates only one disk failure . when one disk fails , an expensive rebuild process has to be started immediately to guard against additional disk failure . with generalized raid that tolerates k ( k & gt ; 1 ) disk failures , the rebuild process can be deferred to some later time , such as during midnight when the system load is much smaller . implementing a raid system that tolerates k disk failure using traditional approach will incur significant disk latency in the read - modify - write process . for example , if it is desired to tolerate 2 - disk failure , then there will be at least 3 reads and 3 writes in the read - modify - write process . using the log - structure method in this invention , only one synchronous disk writes are needed regardless of the value of k . the methods described above can be stored in the memory of a computer system ( e . g ., set top box , video recorders , etc .) as a set of instructions to be executed . in addition , the instructions to perform the method described above could alternatively be stored on other forms of machine - readable media , including magnetic and optical disks . for example , the method of the present invention could be stored on machine - readable media , such as magnetic disks or optical disks , which are accessible via a disk drive ( or computer - readable medium drive ). further , the instructions can be downloaded into a computing device over a data network in a form of compiled and linked version . alternatively , the logic to perform the methods as discussed above , could be implemented in additional computer and / or machine readable media , such as discrete hardware components as large - scale integrated circuits ( lsi &# 39 ; s ), application - specific integrated circuits ( asic &# 39 ; s ), firmware such as electrically erasable programmable read - only memory ( eeprom &# 39 ; s ); and electrical , optical , acoustical and other forms of propagated signals ( e . g ., carrier waves , infrared signals , digital signals , etc . ); etc . although the present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments , it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made to these embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense .	8
the wide proliferation of online communication , by its nature , creates many channels for advertising , communications about goods and services , and transactions for goods and services . such proliferation also magnifies the opportunities for unauthorized digital communications , including unauthorized digital communications about goods and services that may be referred to as online fraud , whether in the form of communications regarding grey market or black market goods , or simply unauthorized digital communications relating to the sale of otherwise authentic goods and services . a chasm has emerged between the capacity of business and legal systems to identify and correct these problems , thus reducing the effective return of online markets to participant manufacturers and service providers . the present disclosure proposes to engage as subscribers the manufacturers of goods sold online , and to automate the detection and handling of unauthorized digital communications for these subscribers to help reduce the impact of fraud . while the present disclosure refers to “ manufacturers ” and “ products ” for ease of discussion , one of skill in the art will recognize that “ manufacturers ” include any individual or entity that authorizes communications relating to a source of goods to the market , and “ products ” may include any goods and / or services that may be offered for sale online , such as those provided by manufacturers of goods , authorized distributors of goods , providers of services , authors or distributors of copyrighted materials , individuals , and / or the like . in some embodiments of the present disclosure , sources of information are actively audited for potential online fraud and its contact points with consumers , such as via web pages , e - mail , online advertisements and e - coupons , and so forth . in such embodiments the discovery and investigation of unauthorized communications may be automated using techniques such as comparative pricing systems , information on known sources of goods from the manufacturers , access to spam and virus reporting systems , crowd - sourced information such as product and service reviews , and / or the like . some embodiments of the present disclosure may also identify — by specification or policy — thresholds for action by authorities such as manufacturers , e - commerce sites , or civil and police authorities ; provide concise , accurate information supporting a decision framework for selecting an appropriate response by those authorities ; provide consumers with information to avoid fraudulent sources and counterfeit goods by aggregating data and recommendations , or by certifying sources as approved by manufacturers and operating within limits of approval of transactions and satisfaction of customers established , by contract or policy , between the manufacturer of a product and its distributors ; and / or the like . the following description describes exemplary sources of information for evaluating online communications and identifying unauthorized communications relating to fraud ; exemplary decision metrics and frameworks usable to establish policy for action when fraud is reported or detected ; exemplary triggers for taking action on such fraud ; and exemplary workflow methods for automating the delivery of information to those parties or authorities best suited to eliminate or deter such fraud . fig1 is a schematic diagram that illustrates an overview of an exemplary embodiment of an approach to combating unauthorized online communications according to various aspects of the present disclosure . as the internet matures , manufacturers and distributors alike have deployed multiple ways to make products and information available to consumers . such a set of online information resources is illustrated as being made available on the internet 90 . manually searching all of the sources on the internet 90 may not be practical , and may not provide assurance respecting the source of goods offered for sale . for example , searching on a web site of a merchant that sources goods from reputable distributors ( e . g ., the web site of a brick - and - mortar retailer such as best buy ®, macy &# 39 ; s , and / or the like ) provides some assurance as to the source of goods and reliability of the distributor , based on the reputation , service quality , and goodwill established by such merchants . however , searches of information resources that provide less controlled access to sellers ( such as amazon . com , shopping search engines , and / or the like ) will likely yield wider sources for a product but will not provide reliable information about those who supply the goods . accordingly , certain types of information resources may provide a greater risk of encountering counterfeits , unlicensed distributors , and / or other types of unauthorized communications , and may make it difficult to identify or shut down such communications . as illustrated , information resources may , without limitation , include business - to - business ( b2b ) information resources 102 , marketplace web sites 104 , custom retail web sites 106 , user group information resources 108 , comparison shopping web sites 110 , coupon web sites 112 , email information resources 114 , and affiliate network information resources 116 . while many communications through such information resources are legitimate , each type of information resource is vulnerable for exploitation by parties attempting to distribute products or otherwise communicate without the authorization of the manufacturer . each type of information resource may present products and / or product information in a different way , and may pose different challenges for monitoring for problematic product sales and / or communications . a b2b information resource 102 may enable domestic companies to participate in international trade with a minimal investment . examples of a b2b information resource 102 include , but are not limited to , alibaba . com ®, dhgate . com , made - in - china . com , and the like . a b2b information resource 102 typically arranges sales of new goods from a foreign producer to a domestic reseller . b2b information resources 102 may provide a convenient way for international counterfeiters to export large volumes of product . a marketplace web site 104 may allow companies and individuals to market and sell products without developing their own separate web presence . examples of marketplace web sites 104 include , but are not limited to , amazon . com , ebay , and the like . a marketplace web site 104 typically enables an indirect purchase where the marketplace web site 104 acts as a middle man that handles payments for new and / or used items . the marketplace web site 104 or the product source itself may ship the product to the customer . a custom retail web site 106 that only offers communications regarding a few products ( or even a single product ) may be created by a product source . temporarily creating and subsequently moving or removing a custom retail web site 106 is relatively easy for an unscrupulous product source to do , and because of this transient nature , custom retail web sites 106 are often difficult to track . customers of such a web site may be unaware of where the custom retail web site 106 or associated product source is located . landing pages and links in advertising may be changed rapidly , leaving customers without the purchased products or without other follow - up services . some examples of legitimate custom retail web sites 106 include , but are not limited to , www . shavematetv . com , www . spacebag . com , and the like . typical sales transactions with a custom retail web site 106 include a direct credit card purchase of new or refurbished items from the custom retail web site 106 by the customer . user group information resources 108 often allow individuals with a common interest to share personal experiences in forums , blogs , and / or the like . while user group information resources 108 may not traditionally be thought of as online marketplaces , unscrupulous product sources may nevertheless target or use user group information resources 108 to drive unauthorized sales of products . some examples of user group information resources 108 include , but are not limited to , bicycle clubs such as the seattle bicycle club ( www . seattlebicycleclub . org ), wine clubs such as the seattle uncorked wine club ( seattleuncorked . com ), and the like . typically , a product source may direct unadvertised offers to users of the user group information resources 108 , such as through forum posts , blog comments , and / or the like . the product source may offer new or refurbished items . comparison shopping web sites 110 and coupon web sites 112 encourage price comparisons and provide discounts . these sites often do not themselves offer products for sale , but instead aggregate search results from other product sources to provide communications regarding product price information from multiple sources to users , who may then purchase the products from the product sources . some examples of comparison shopping web sites 110 include , but are not limited to , pricegrabber . com , google shopping , shopzilla , and / or the like . some examples of coupon web sites 112 include , but are not limited to , groupon , bloomspot , livingsocial , and / or the like . sometimes , unscrupulous product sources may be found and suggested to users by the comparison shopping web sites 110 due to their lower prices . email information resources 114 are often used to direct traffic to unscrupulous product sources . such product sources often send mass amounts of unsolicited commercial email to potential customers to drive traffic to sources from which products may be obtained . email information resources 114 may include the emails themselves , may include collections of customer inquiries related to or samples of unsolicited commercial emails , and / or may include data obtained by spam email analysis services . affiliate network information resources 116 utilize private websites to advertise products for other companies . affiliate network information resources 116 often specialize in particular product categories . for example , an affiliate network may offer a product source an avenue to distribute advertising to websites , while the affiliate network may offer websites compensation for displaying the advertising of the product source when a purchaser completes a specific action ( such as completing a purchase and / or the like ). examples of affiliate network information resources 116 include , but are not limited to , click2sell , clickbooth , and / or the like . a simple model for affiliate advertising networks involves product sources posting product or service information , and affiliates advertising those postings through other sites , banner ad placements , keyword - based search engine advertising , email campaigns , and / or the like . the affiliate network , acting as an intermediary , allows the product source and the affiliate to track click rates and / or purchases , and to share revenue from sales . the extra layer of abstraction between the customer and the product source make it difficult for the customer to identify counterfeits . unscrupulous product sources may often exploit affiliate network information resources 116 using spam emails , banner advertising , and / or the like to direct traffic to their affiliate pages , and may leave customers without the purchased products or without follow - up services . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that more types of information resources may be available on the internet 90 or elsewhere , and also that techniques similar to those described herein with respect to the illustrated types of information resources may also be used with respect to information resource types that are not explicitly illustrated or described herein . in some embodiments of the present disclosure , a communication protection system 118 is provided . the communication protection system 118 is configured to search and analyze the information resources on the internet 90 in an automated matter in order to monitor all online sources for product sale offerings . the communication protection system 118 may be configured to automatically categorize product sources on the internet 90 into approved product sources 120 and unapproved product sources 122 . depending on a type of an unapproved product source 122 , the communication protection system 118 may flag the product source for additional monitoring , may transmit a notification to the manufacturer , may perform automated actions to shut down the product source , and / or the like . such actions may be taken by the communication protection system 118 in response to detecting a pattern of online communication for a product that triggers an alert or matches thresholds established by the manufacturer , such as the detection of an unlicensed distributor , the detection of irregular transactions , the detection of counterfeit advertising , and / or the like . in some embodiments , the communication protection system 118 may use data mining techniques and secure access to information respecting online communications to provide coverage of potential counterfeit channels in advance of illegal or unwanted communication activity . in some embodiments , the communication protection system 118 may provide information to the manufacturer and / or the product source for the efficient negotiation of commercially acceptable terms , for informed civil or criminal prosecution , or for the regular enforcement of manufacturer policies for communication regarding its products online . fig2 is a block diagram that illustrates components of an exemplary embodiment of a communication protection system 200 according to various aspects of the present disclosure . as illustrated , the communication protection system 202 includes an information resource definition data store 202 , a product data store 204 , a gathered resource data store 206 , and a source profile data store 216 . as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art , a “ data store ” as described herein may include any suitable device configured to store data for access by a computing device . one example of a data store is a highly reliable , high - speed relational database management system ( dbms ) executing on one or more computing devices and accessible over a high - speed packet switched network . however , any other suitable storage technique and / or device capable of quickly and reliably providing the stored data in response to queries may be used , and the computing device may be accessible locally instead of over a network , or may be accessible over some other type of suitable network or provided as a cloud - based service . a data store may also include data stored in an organized manner on a storage medium 608 , as described further below . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that separate data stores described herein may be combined into a single data store , and / or a single data store described herein may be separated into multiple data stores , without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . in some embodiments , the information resource definition data store 202 includes a plurality of definition records associated with a plurality of information resources . in some embodiments , the definition records may include a definition of an information resource , including an indication of the type of the information resource , a name of the information resource , contact information associated with the information resource , information regarding how to extract product information from the information resource , and / or the like . in some embodiments , the product data store 204 may include a plurality of records associated with products to be monitored by the communication protection system 200 . the product records may include information provided by the product manufacturers to help monitor information resources for sales of the products , including product names , search terms likely to find instances of communications regarding the products , pricing information associated with the products , sales volume information associated with the products , and / or the like . in some embodiments , the gathered resource data store 206 may include a plurality of gathered resource records that indicate sales or other online communication activities associated with the products as detected by the communication protection system 200 . in some embodiments , the source profile data store 216 may include a plurality of source profiles that store information about each of the detected product sources and analysis thereof performed by the communication protection system . the analysis may include , without limitation , authenticating licensed distributors , identifying unknown distributors , examining trademark usage and branding , evaluating pricing , and / or the like . the source profiles and the analysis thereof are discussed further below . as illustrated , the communication protection system 200 also includes a research engine 208 , a price evaluation engine 210 , a profile generation engine 212 , a magnitude evaluation engine 214 , a profile categorization engine 218 , a presentation evaluation engine 220 , an automated remediation engine 222 , and a user interface engine 224 . in general , the word “ engine ” as used herein , refers to logic embodied in hardware or software instructions . the instructions may be written in an object oriented programming language , such as c ++, java ™, c #, and / or the like ; procedural programming languages , such as c , pascal , ada , modula , and / or the like ; functional programming languages , such as ml , lisp , scheme , and the like ; scripting languages such as perl , ruby , python , javascript , vbscript , and the like , declarative programming languages such as sql , prolog , and / or the like ; or in any other type of programming language . an engine may be compiled into executable programs or executed as an interpreted programming language . engines may be callable from other engines or from themselves . generally , the engines or applications described herein refer to logical modules that can be merged with other engines or applications , or can be divided into sub - engines . the engines can be stored in any type of computer - readable medium or computer storage device and be stored on and executed by one or more general purpose computers , thus creating a special purpose computer configured to provide the engine . a single computing device may be configured to perform the functionality described in one or more engines , and / or the functionality of one or more engines may be split between multiple computing devices using any one of a variety of structuring techniques known in the art , including without limitation multiprocessing , client - server processing , peer - to - peer processing , grid - based processing , cloud - based processing , and / or the like . in some embodiments , the research engine 208 is configured to build queries for product sources based on product records from the product data store 204 , and to store raw gathered resources in the gathered resource data store 206 . in some embodiments , the profile generation engine 218 is configured to process the gathered resources from the gathered resource data store 206 to create profiles of detected product sources , and to store the profiles in the source profile data store 216 . in some embodiments , the price evaluation engine 210 , the magnitude evaluation engine 214 , and the presentation evaluation engine 220 are configured to review the source profiles in the source profile data store 216 , and to analyze pricing information , sales volume information , and product presentation information , respectively . in some embodiments , the profile categorization engine 218 is configured to review the analysis of the source profiles , and to assign categories to each source profile that determine further actions to be taken with respect to each source profile . in some embodiments , the automated remediation engine 222 is configured to take automatic actions with respect to particular categories of source profiles to help remediate unauthorized product sources in those particular categories . in some embodiments , the user interface engine 224 is configured to provide one or more user interfaces for interacting with the communication protection system 200 , including at least one interface configured to allow product manufacturers to specify products to be monitored , to review product presentation information , to take manual remediation actions with respect to particular categories of source profiles , and to view aggregated information collected by the communication protection system 200 about the overall market for products . in some embodiments , the user interface engine 224 may also be configured to provide one or more application programming interfaces ( apis ) for providing programmatic access to functionality of the communication protection system 200 . further details of the configurations of each of these engines are described below . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the components of the communication protection system 200 illustrated and described herein are exemplary only , and that in some embodiments , more or fewer components may be included , and / or the functionality described as associated with a given component may be provided by a different component or in conjunction with a different component . one of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that the functionality of the communication protection system 200 may be provided by a single computing device or multiple computing devices communicatively coupled to each other via a local area network , a wide area network , or using any other suitable technology . fig3 a - 3e include a flowchart that illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a method 300 of monitoring online communication related to a product for potential fraud , according to various aspects of the present disclosure . the method 300 is illustrated and described herein as relating to monitoring of communication related to a single product provided by a single manufacturer for ease of discussion . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that , in some embodiments , the method 300 may be performed for a plurality of related or unrelated products , from a plurality of related or unrelated manufacturers , without departing from the scope of the present disclosure . from a start block , the method 300 proceeds to a set of method steps 302 defined between a start terminal (“ terminal a ”) and an exit terminal (“ terminal b ”) wherein a communication protection system 200 builds a set of source profiles . from terminal a ( fig3 b ), the method 300 proceeds to block 308 , where a research engine 208 of the communication protection system 200 retrieves a product definition associated with a product to be monitored from the product data store 204 . in some embodiments , the product definition is created by the manufacturer via an interface generated by the user interface engine 224 , and includes information usable by the communication protection system 200 to determine how to monitor the product . in some embodiments , the product definition may also include one or more preferences regarding product sources to monitor , whitelist / greylist / blacklist information for categorizing previously identified product sources , preferences relating to automated remediation steps to be taken by the communication protection system 200 , expected pricing and volume information , and / or the like . next , at block 310 , the research engine 208 generates a set of queries for finding information regarding offers for sale of the product , the set of queries based on the product definition . in some embodiments , the queries may be stored in the product definition , and retrieved by the research engine 208 . in some embodiments , the research engine 208 may automatically generate queries for one or more search engines based on the information stored in the product definition ( such as product or manufacturer names , associated trademarks or brand names , model numbers , product images , relevant date ranges , and / or the like ). at block 312 , the research engine 208 executes the set of queries using one or more search engines to obtain a set of gathered results . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the one or more search engines may include general search engines such as bing ( provided by microsoft corporation ), google ( provided by google , inc . ), and / or the like ; search engines integrated into information resources ( such as search functionality provided within amazon . com , alibaba . com , and / or the like ); or any other type of search engine . in some embodiments , the research engine 208 may obtain gathered results from sources not traditionally thought of as search engines as discussed above but that are nevertheless usable to retrieve gathered results , including , but not limited to , web service apis ( e . g ., to access information about merchant and user activity on amazon services and / or the like ), automated direct inspection of web sites ( such as web crawler or spider programs that navigate a site automatically to copy or extract information and / or the like ), archives of specific user activity ( such as databases of ad banners or unsolicited bulk commercial email (“ spam ”)), and / or the like . the set of queries may be executed by the research engine 208 in series , in parallel , or in any other suitable manner . next , at block 314 , the research engine stores the set of gathered resources in a gathered resource data store 206 . in some embodiments , each gathered resource may be a search result from a query , without having undergone further processing by the research engine 208 . in some embodiments , each gathered resource may be a retrieved copy of the resource referenced by a search result from a query , without having undergone further processing by the research engine 208 . the method 300 then proceeds to block 316 , where a profile generation engine 212 processes the set of gathered resources from the gathered resource data store 206 to determine a set of product sources . in some embodiments , each product source may correspond to an information resource offering the product for sale . in some embodiments , multiple product sources may be associated with a single information resource . for example , separate product sources may be determined for each distributor offering the product for sale on alibaba . com or amazon . com . at block 318 , the profile generation engine 212 creates a set of source profiles corresponding to the set of product sources , and stores the set of source profiles in a source profile data store 216 . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that , in some embodiments , the actions described with respect to block 314 may be optional , and the source profiles may be determined by the profile generation engine 212 directly from the resources gathered by the research engine 208 without the intermediate step of storing the gathered resources in the gathered resource data store 206 . the method 300 then proceeds to terminal b . from terminal b ( fig3 a ), the method 300 proceeds to a set of method steps 304 defined between a start terminal (“ terminal c ”) and an exit terminal (“ terminal d ”), wherein the communication protection system 200 enhances the set of source profiles . from terminal c ( fig3 c ), the method 300 proceeds to a for loop start block 320 . the method 300 loops between the for loop start block 320 and a for loop end block 338 ( fig3 d ) to repeat the steps included therebetween for each source profile stored in the source profile data store 216 . the “ for loop ” construct is used herein for ease of discussion only . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that , in some embodiments , the method 300 may process less than all of the source profiles stored in the source profile data store 216 . for example , the method 300 may only process a set of source profiles stored in the source profile data store 216 that have been changed since a previous execution of some portion of the method 300 . as another example , the method 300 may process any other subset of source profiles stored in the source profile data store 216 , chosen for any reason . one of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that , in some embodiments , a logic construct other than a “ for loop ” may be used to process the source profiles . from the for loop start block 320 , the method 300 proceeds to block 322 , where the profile generation engine 212 determines whether the source associated with the source profile corresponds to an information resource definition in an information resource definition data store 202 . at decision block 323 , a test is performed based on the determination whether the source associated with the source profile corresponds to an information resource definition , and is therefore defined . if the answer to the test at decision block 323 is yes , the method 300 proceeds to block 324 , where the profile generation engine 212 updates the source profile by retrieving data from the associated gathered resources using the definition of the information resource . in some embodiments , the definition of the information resource includes instructions for obtaining particular pieces of information from the associated gathered resources , such as pricing information , volume information , distributor names , product images , product descriptions , titles , contact information , advertised payment methods , and / or the like . in some embodiments , the definition of the information resource may include parsing rules that describe the expected format of the associated gathered resources and / or otherwise enable the profile generation engine 212 to obtain the particular pieces of information from the associated gathered resources . in some embodiments , the profile generation engine 212 may be configured to retrieve particular pieces of information without the benefit of parsing rules , such as by using default assumptions for particular types of content ( e . g ., larger than normal text may be considered a title , numeric strings with currency characters (“$”, “ ”, “£”, “¥”, etc .) may be considered pricing information , and / or the like ). however , if parsing rules are included in the definition of the information resource , it may provide greater confidence in the accuracy of the data retrieved from the associated gathered resources . from block 324 , the method 300 proceeds to a continuation terminal (“ terminal c 1 ”). otherwise , if the result of the test at decision block 323 is no , then the method 300 proceeds to block 326 , where the profile generation engine 212 creates a new information resource definition in the information resource definition data store . at block 328 , the profile generation engine 212 analyzes the gathered resources using default parsing rules to look for information in the gathered resources such as pricing information , volume information , distributor names , product images , and / or the like . the profile generation engine 212 then updates the source profile with the information obtained by the default parsing rules . in some embodiments , the new information resource definition may be flagged for review by an administrator , so that for future executions of the method 300 , parsing rules may be created for more reliable collection of data from the information resource . the method 300 then proceeds to a continuation terminal (“ terminal c 1 ”). from terminal c 1 ( fig3 d ), the method 300 proceeds to block 330 , where a profile categorization engine 218 determines a category for the source profile and updates the source profile with its assigned category . categories may be based on categorization information included in the product definition , such as the whitelist / greylist / blacklist information described above . these lists may specify product sources based on a distributor associated with the product source , a combination of a distributor associated with the product source and an information resource ( or information resource type ) associated with the product source , and / or by any other suitable means . for example , assignment to the whitelist may be based on known distributors ( the distributor information is available in the source profile ), sale of original goods , pricing within an allowable range , a manufacturer approved market , and / or the like . as another example , assignment to the greylist may be based on a lack of distributor information in the source profile ), a lack of manufacturing source information in the source profile , pricing outside of the allowable range , a lack of information regarding the identity of the source of payment processing or order fulfillment , a detection of counterfeit goods in mainstream commerce , a distributor or seller that is known to not be authorized to distribute or sell a product , a detection of stolen or overrun goods in the market , and / or the like . categorization of a source profile on the whitelist may indicate that the source profile is associated with a legitimate source of the product . categorization of a source profile on the greylist , the blacklist , or an unknown list may indicate that the source profile should be analyzed further by the system to determine whether it is associated with a legitimate source or an illegitimate source for the product . in some embodiments , assignment to a whitelist category may allow a product source to be identified with a certification mark or other indicator associated with the communication protection system 200 . the indicator may be added to information resources advertising or listing products , such as advertisements , affiliate listings , e - commerce catalog pages , shopping carts , electronic coupons , and / or the like , indicating that a product is from a product source known and approved by the manufacturer ( e . g ., a licensed distributor ). in some embodiments , indicators may also be provided to indicate that a product source is associated with the greylist category , the blacklist category , or an unknown category . the indicator may be provided to a customer by the communication protection system 200 without involvement of the associated information resource , in order to provide security , authority , and reliability to the indicator . at block 332 , a price evaluation engine 210 analyzes pricing information of the source profile , and assigns a pricing assessment score to the source profile . in some embodiments , the pricing assessment score may be based on a simple comparison of price information in the product definition to price information associated with the source profile . for example , the source profile may indicate that the product is being offered for sale at $ 10 / unit . the product definition may indicate that the minimum advertised price for the product is $ 20 / unit . the pricing assessment score may be based on this difference between the offer price and the minimum advertised price . in some embodiments , the price evaluation engine 210 may perform further analysis of the total market for the product to determine the pricing assessment score , instead of simply comparing the price information to expected price information . for example , the price evaluation engine 210 may determine the pricing assessment score based on a magnitude of a deviation of an offer price associated with the source profile from a price basis determined for the overall market . the price evaluation engine 210 may determine the price basis based on one or more of a statistical measure ( such as a mean , median , or mode of prices from all source profiles ), a comparison to a minimum advertised price specified in the product definition , a comparison to a recommended retail price specified in the product definition , a comparison to a custom target price , and / or any other value suitable for use as a price basis . the price evaluation engine 210 may determine the size of the deviation based on one or more of a statistical measure ( such as a standard deviation , an average absolute deviation , and / or the like ), a price difference ( such as a percentage difference from the price basis , an absolute difference from the price basis , and / or the like ), and / or any other comparison suitable for determining the size of the deviation . the pricing assessment score will then be assigned based on this comparison . the use of pricing assessment scores instead of explicit price comparisons or thresholds may be beneficial , at least because the price evaluation engine 210 may use different characteristics , different thresholds , and / or different comparisons for each source profile , but will nevertheless be able to compare the pricing assessment scores of source profiles even if they were not evaluated in the same way . at block 334 , a magnitude evaluation engine 214 analyzes sales volume information of the source profile , and assigns a magnitude assessment score to the source profile . the magnitude assessment score assigned by the magnitude evaluation engine 214 represents possible volume impact associated with the source profile on the overall market for the product . the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may consider availability for purchase ( e . g ., whether the product is indicated as being in stock , how many units are indicated as being in stock , and / or the like ), minimum purchase required , and / or other factors in determining the magnitude assessment score . in some embodiments , the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may consider historical information stored within the source profile to consider volume and / or pricing information for the product source over time when determining the magnitude assessment score . in some embodiments , the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may be configured to consider more than one source profile at a time when determining the magnitude assessment score . for example , the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may consider multiple source profiles associated with a single seller — such as a source profile for an amazon marketplace page , a separate source profile for an alibaba product page , and another separate source profile for a custom web site — to determine the possible volume impact of the seller regardless of the particular source profile being evaluated . accordingly , the magnitude assessment score for a given source profile may show a greater severity of impact than would otherwise be determined by its contents alone if other source profiles show that a seller associated with the given source profile has an impact on the overall market from multiple information resources . in some embodiments , the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may infer sales volumes for a product source based on other available information when sales volume information is not directly available . for example , the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may infer a sales volume based on a number of product reviews posted on a product detail page . at block 336 , a presentation evaluation engine 220 analyzes presentation of the product in the gathered resources , and assigns a product presentation score to the source profile . in some embodiments , the presentation evaluation engine 220 may perform automated analysis of how the product is presented by the product source . in some embodiments , the presentation evaluation engine 220 may cause the user interface engine 224 to present an interface to a user to manually review the presentation of the product by the product source . in some embodiments , the analysis performed by the presentation evaluation may include comparison of images of the product to a set of approved images ; presence or absence of taglines or other promotional copy ; presence or absence of trademarks associated with the product or manufacturer ; quality of presentation ( e . g ., misspellings , font choices , and / or the like ); colors ; placement of promotional text , taglines , trademarks , and / or the like ; presence of look - alike products ; and / or any other suitable aspect of the presentation of the product . the determined product presentation score may then indicate whether the product is being presented properly ( and is therefore more likely to be associated with a legitimate product source ), or whether the product is being presented improperly ( and is therefore more likely to be associated with an illegitimate product source ). the method 300 then proceeds to the for loop end block 338 . if there are further source profiles to be processed , the method 300 returns to the for loop start block 320 . otherwise , the method 300 proceeds to a continuation terminal (“ terminal d ”). from terminal d ( fig3 a ), the method 300 proceeds to a set of method steps 306 defined between a start terminal (“ terminal e ”) and an exit terminal (“ terminal f ”), wherein the communication protection system 200 performs fraud remediation . from terminal e ( fig3 e ), the method 300 proceeds to a for loop start block 340 . the method 300 loops between the for loop start block 340 and a for loop end block 352 to repeat the steps included therebetween for each source profile stored in the source profile data store 216 . as with the previously illustrated “ for loop ,” the “ for loop ” construct is used herein for ease of discussion only . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that , in some embodiments , the method 300 may process less than all of the source profiles stored in the source profile data store 216 . for example , the method 300 may only process a set of source profiles stored in the source profile data store 216 that have been changed since a previous execution of some portion of the method 300 , or a set of source profiles stored in the source profile data store 216 in a particular category as assigned by the profile categorization engine 218 , or meeting particular thresholds for one or more of the pricing assessment score , the magnitude assessment score , or the presentation assessment score . as another example , the method 300 may process any other subset of source profiles stored in the source profile data store 216 , chosen for any reason . one of ordinary skill in the art will also recognize that , in some embodiments , a logic construct other than a “ for loop ” may be used to process the source profiles . from the for loop start block 340 , the method 300 proceeds to block 342 , where an automated remediation engine 222 determines whether the source profile meets one or more conditions for further action . in some embodiments , the conditions for further action may include individual trigger controls and / or combined threat assessments . individual trigger controls may be configurable to cause further action based on particular conditions . one example of an individual trigger control may cause further action based on a category assigned to the source profile . for example , such an individual trigger control may cause further action for source profiles categorized in a blacklist , while ignoring source profiles categorized in a greylist or a whitelist . another example of an individual trigger control may cause further action based on a threshold for one or more values in the source profile . for example , such an individual trigger control may cause further action if a pricing assessment score is greater than or less than a predetermined value , if the magnitude assessment score is greater than or less than a predetermined value , if the presentation assessment score is greater than or less than a predetermined value , or any other suitable threshold for any other suitable value or combinations of values . such thresholds may be configurable based on different types of product sources , and / or may be configurable based on particular information resources . for example , a pricing assessment threshold that causes further action may be higher for a generally more reputable information resource ( e . g ., amazon . com ) than for a generally less reputable information resource ( e . g ., ebay or craigslist ), even though both may be the same type of information resource . likewise , such thresholds may be configurable for different categories of source profiles and / or for any other suitable reason . as stated above , the conditions for further action may include combined threat assessments . in some embodiments , a combined threat assessment may be a combined score that helps to measure the overall scope of illegitimate products in the supply chain . this scope may be determined using information from a combination of information used within the individual trigger controls described above . for example , a given product source may have a pricing assessment score that is slightly high , a magnitude assessment score that is slightly high , and a presentation assessment score that is slightly high . none of these scores may individually be high enough to trigger any of the individual trigger controls , but the scores may be combined to show an overall threat assessment that warrants further action . the method 300 then proceeds to a decision block 344 , where a test is performed to determine whether one or more of the conditions for further action have been met . if the result of the test at decision block 344 is no , then the method 300 proceeds to the for loop end block 352 . otherwise , if the result of the test at decision block 344 is yes , then the method 300 proceeds to block 346 , where the automated remediation engine 346 creates a remediation workflow associated with the source profile . data representing the created remediation workflow may be stored within the source profile itself , elsewhere in the source profile data store 216 , or in any other suitable location . at block 348 , the automated remediation engine 222 adds a set of remediation actions to the remediation workflow based on the conditions for further action . remediation actions may include , but are not limited to , sending of notifications , establishing watch conditions , presenting data for legal action , and presenting assessment reports . notifications may include email notifications to the product source or information resource that include notice of the illicit communication and / or request further information . notifications may also include legal letters . many types of legal action and related communications may be possible . the particular type of legal action added to the remediation workflow may be determined based on the severity of the impact of the product source on the market for the product . watch conditions may include performing test purchases to help reveal payment sources , reveal party information , enable inspection of goods , establish venue , and / or the like . watch conditions may also include determining a new whitelist / greylist / blacklist category for the product source . when collecting and / or presenting data for legal action , the automated remediation engine 222 may collect or provide sample communications , exhibits of the actual product , exhibits of standard advertising vs . advertising by the product source , exhibits of the party communication , exhibits of standard pricing vs . pricing by the product source , and / or the like . assessment reports may include charts of where the analyzed source profile falls with respect to pricing , magnitude , and / or the like with respect to other legitimate or illegitimate source profiles . fig4 illustrates an exemplary letter template that may be utilized by the automated remediation engine 222 as part of a remediation action according to various aspects of the present disclosure . the exemplary letter template 400 may be used upon the detection of communication related to goods being distributed under a brand confusingly similar to a monitored trademark . the letter template 400 includes a set of variable values ( indicated in the drawing as delimited by angle brackets and in all caps , such as & lt ;& lt ; target_name & gt ;& gt ;, & lt ;& lt ; target_address & gt ;& gt ;, & lt ;& lt ; target_urls & gt ;& gt ;, etc .) to be merged or otherwise automatically completed with appropriate values by the automated remediation engine 222 based on the results of investigation and automated data mining . a letter automatically created based on the letter template 400 may be reviewed and approved for delivery by counsel or the manufacturer via an interface provided by the user interface engine 224 . similar letter templates may be prepared and letters automatically generated to provide notification of copyright infringement , trademark / branding infringement or misuse , patent infringement , violation of distribution agreements , and / or any other suitable notification . in some embodiments , reports providing factual bases for legal pleadings ( or the legal pleadings themselves ) may be generated by the automated remediation engine 222 in a similar manner . various software tools or engines for creating the merged documents based on such templates are available in the art , including , but not limited to , word processor merge features , web form merges , pdf form merges , variable data printing , email merge , database report generators , and / or the like . in some embodiments , the automated remediation engine 222 may similarly create and transmit notices to e - commerce providers , online payment providers , affiliate networks , and / or the like , respecting detected fraudulent activity on the part of a user of or participant in such information resources . in some embodiments , the conditions for further action may be used to determine the severity of the remediation actions added to the remediation workflow . for example , if a threshold based on the pricing assessment score was crossed but a threshold based on the magnitude assessment score was not crossed , the automated remediation engine 222 may add a remediation action that includes sending a notification to the manufacturer to indicate that the manufacturer may wish to investigate the product source further , or a remediation action that includes further automatic investigation such as performing test purchases and / or the like . as another example , if the threshold based on the pricing assessment score was crossed and the threshold based on the magnitude assessment score was also crossed , the automated remediation engine 222 may add a remediation action that includes automatically sending a takedown notice , automatically generating documents to be transmitted to the relevant authorities , and / or the like . at block 350 , the automated remediation engine 222 starts the remediation workflow and tracks the execution of each remediation action of the set of remediation actions . in some embodiments , the remediation actions may be performed by the automated remediation engine 222 itself ( such as automatically transmitting takedown requests , automatically generating legal documents , and / or the like ). in some embodiments , the remediation actions may be enabled by the automated remediation engine 222 , but may be performed or completed manually . for example , the automated remediation engine 222 may flag a source profile for review , and may then present the source profile to the manufacturer via an interface generated by the user interface engine 224 for further manual review . as another example , the automated remediation engine 222 may create assessment reports relating to the source profile , and may then present the assessment reports to the manufacturer via an interface generated by the user interface engine 224 for further manual review . the remediation workflow may continue until the product source is effectively remediated , until all workflow actions have been completed regardless of whether the product source has been effectively remediated , or until any other suitable end point . the method 300 then proceeds to the for loop end block 352 . if there are further source profiles to be processed , the method 300 returns to the for loop start block 340 . otherwise , the method 300 proceeds to a continuation terminal (“ terminal f ”). from terminal f ( fig3 a ), the method 300 proceeds to an end block and terminates . as will be appreciated by one skilled in the art , the specific routines described above in the flowcharts may represent one or more of any number of processing strategies such as event - driven , interrupt - driven , multi - tasking , multi - threading , and the like . as such , various acts or functions illustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated , in parallel , or in some cases omitted . likewise , the order of processing is not necessarily required to achieve the features and advantages , but is provided for ease of illustration and description . although not explicitly illustrated , one or more of the illustrated acts or functions may be repeatedly performed depending on the particular strategy being used . further , these figures may graphically represent code to be programmed into a computer readable storage medium associated with a computing device . fig5 a - 5c illustrate portions of an exemplary product definition usable by various components of the communication protection system 200 , according to various aspects of the present disclosure . the product definitions relate to an exemplary product , “ hairbegone ,” a beauty supply device that is used for hair removal , and that is marketed and sold to the public via various channels . the “ hairbegone ” is produced by a single manufacturer , so all authorized distributors and resellers should be known to the manufacturer , and should be selling the hairbegone product as agreed with the manufacturer . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the contents of the product definition have been illustrated as xml - formatted text for ease of discussion . in some embodiments , the contents of the product definition may be stored in a less human - accessible format , such as a serialized data structure , one or more database entries , and / or any other suitable format . fig5 a illustrates a portion of an exemplary product definition 502 for analyzing b2b information resources 102 found to be offering the hairbegone for sale . b2b information resources may be ripe for illicit sales or other unauthorized communication relating to the hairbegone product . often , known distributors from other parts of the world , who can obtain goods cheaper than sources in the united states , may seek to distribute their goods within the u . s . via resellers without informing the manufacturer . b2b information resources 102 may also be a common outlet for sales of counterfeit or knock - off products . normally , this counterfeiting activity is very difficult for manufacturers to learn about . as illustrated , the product definition 502 includes information for analyzing a product source on a b2b information resource 102 that includes categories , volume thresholds , price thresholds , and presentation thresholds . upon the creation of a source profile , the various analysis components of the communication protection system 200 may use corresponding portions of the product definition 502 to analyze the source profile . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the use of xml ( or any other configurable data representation ) to define the thresholds may allow a variety of different types of comparisons to be used in order to trigger the thresholds . the specification of severities within the xml representation allows different elements to be given differing amounts of weight . for example , violating a volume threshold may cause a harsher response than violating a price or presentation threshold due to a greater severity value , and / or the like . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that , in some embodiments , severities may be calculated based on more than one test and / or may be dynamically determined instead of being specified directly in the product definition . in the illustrated embodiment , the category element includes a whitelist element that indicates that the sellerworld distributor is expected to use the b2b information resources alibaba . com and made - in - china . com , and the supersource distributor is expected to use the b2b information resource alibaba . com . if an analyzed product source matches either of these elements , the profile categorization engine 218 will categorize the product source as belonging to the whitelist . otherwise , the profile categorization engine 218 may assign the product source to a more suspicious “ unknown ” category . the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may use the threshold elements contained within the volume element as settings for determining the magnitude assessment score . as illustrated , the magnitude evaluation engine 214 may assign a magnitude assessment score of “ 5 ” if it is determined that a minimum purchase quantity is greater than a value of “ 25 ,” otherwise , the magnitude assessment score may remain at “ 0 .” this configuration may allow low volume sources to be ignored by the communication protection system 200 in order to focus enforcement efforts on higher volume sources . the use of a severity element to provide the value for the magnitude assessment score may allow the weight given to failure of any particular threshold to be configurable on a case - by - case basis . the price evaluation engine 210 may use the threshold elements contained within the price element as settings for determining the pricing assessment score . as illustrated , the price listed in the product source is compared to a suggested retail price of $ 250 . if the price listed in the product source is less than the suggested retail price , the threshold is triggered and a pricing assessment score may be set to the value indicated in the severity element . the low price may indicate an attempt to undercut legitimate product sources , and therefore warrants further attention . the presentation evaluation engine 220 may use the check for elements contained within the presentation element as settings for determining features to check for within the presentation of the product by the product source . as illustrated , the check for elements instruct the presentation evaluation engine 220 to check the product source for the presence of a product image that is smaller than 32px by 32px , and the presence of a tagline . if either element is missing , the presentation evaluation engine 220 may increment the product presentation score by the amount indicated in the corresponding severity element . as illegitimate sources are more likely to be in conflict with branding guidelines established by the manufacturer , failing to include these expected elements may indicate that a product source warrants further attention . the automated remediation engine 222 may use the workflow element as settings for determining when to add particular actions to a workflow . as illustrated , the workflow element includes several score elements . the score elements specify score ranges within which a combined threat assessment score ( a combination of the category threat value , the magnitude assessment score , the pricing assessment score , and the presentation assessment score ) should fall for action elements included within the score elements to be processed . as illustrated , the elements cause an action to be added to the workflow to send a friendly notice to the distributor upon determining a low combined threat assessment score . the friendly notice may simply warn the distributor that further violations of the manufacturer &# 39 ; s intellectual property rights and / or distribution rights will not be tolerated . in many cases , such a warning may be sufficient to curtail the unwanted activity . upon determining a higher combined threat assessment score , the elements cause three actions to be added to the workflow : the sending of a stern notice to the distributor , the sending of a takedown notice to the b2b information resource 202 , and the generation of a pleading for review by the manufacturer , the manufacturer &# 39 ; s legal counsel , or another user acting on the manufacturer &# 39 ; s behalf . these harsher actions may be chosen to take advantage of all possible options to stop the harmful activity . in other embodiments , the score elements may specify score ranges in different ways , or may specify individual assessment scores as a triggering element . fig5 b illustrates a portion of an exemplary product definition 504 for analyzing a marketplace web site 104 found to be offering the hairbegone for sale . marketplace web sites 104 are also ripe for grey market or black market product distribution or other unauthorized communication , because the marketplace web sites 104 allow distribution directly to retail customers instead of through middlemen . while the ultimate source of products distributed through marketplace web sites 104 is generally unknown , the distributor is often identifiable , and so the communication protection system 200 may be able to contact the distributor directly upon the discovery of questionable offers for sale . the product definition portion 504 is similar to the product definition 502 illustrated in fig5 a , but is adapted to monitor activity on marketplace web sites 104 . while certain differences between the product definition portion 504 and the product definition portion 502 are described below , other differences in information and functionality may exist between the two product definitions that have not been described in detail for the sake of brevity . such differences would be easily understood from the drawings by one of ordinary skill in the art . instead of only a whitelist category , the product definition 502 includes a greylist category and a blacklist category . the whitelist category indicates two sources that are known to be legitimate : the distributor sellerworld offering the product through amazon . com , and the distributor sellerworld offering the product through ebay . the greylist category indicates that any product source with an identified distributor ( other than sellerworld ) found to be distributing the product on amazon . com is added to the greylist . the blacklist category indicates that any product source with an unidentified distributor on any site is added to the blacklist , as the attempt to hide the distributor is likely to indicate the presence of fraud . an unknown category is also specified for product sources that are on marketplace web sites 104 but that don &# 39 ; t fall into any of the other categories . the volume threshold and price threshold are similar to those illustrated and described above in fig5 a , though they show additional features . for example , the volume threshold in the product definition 504 instructs the magnitude evaluation engine 214 to consider the number of product reviews available on the marketplace web site 104 , as opposed to the minimum order size . as another example , instead of setting a hard price limit , the price threshold instructs the price evaluation engine 210 to compare the price to an average of prices for the product , and to trigger the threshold if the price is greater than one standard deviation from the average . the presentation threshold in the product definition 504 also shows an additional feature . the test order element indicates that the presentation evaluation engine 220 should cause an order for the product to be placed through the product source . this may include manual interaction with an interface provided by the user interface engine 224 once the ordered product is received in order to complete the analysis of the presentation evaluation engine 220 . if the received product is determined to be a counterfeit or knock - off , the test order element may cause the associated severity to be incorporated into the presentation assessment score . the workflow element in the product definition 504 is similar to that illustrated and described with respect to fig5 a . one example of a difference is that if a category score indicates that the product source has been assigned to the blacklist category , harsher actions may be added to the workflow regardless of the value of any other assessment score . fig5 c illustrates a portion of an exemplary product definition 506 for analyzing a custom retail web site 106 found to be offering the hairbegone for sale . custom retail web sites 106 may be a particularly difficult form of product source to fight , due to their transient nature . however , the communication protection system 200 is likely to be able to automatically find such product sources shortly after they are made accessible to the public via search engines , and can take automated steps to shut them down . the product definition portion 506 is again similar to the product definition portions 502 , 504 illustrated and described above , but is adapted to monitor activity on custom retail web sites 106 . while certain differences between the product definition portion 506 and the product definition portions 502 , 504 are described below , other differences in information and functionality may exist between the product definitions that have not been described in detail for the sake of brevity . such differences would be easily understood from the drawings by one of ordinary skill in the art . the category element of the product definition portion 506 indicates only a single legitimate web site source for presence in the whitelist category . any other custom retail web site 106 is assigned to the greylist category . when comparing the severity assigned to the greylist category to the thresholds for the workflow scores , one will notice that being assigned to the greylist alone is insufficient to trigger the workflow . instead , another scoring threshold would have to be crossed in order to trigger the workflow . this may help avoid taking action against custom retail web sites 106 that are not actually offering the product for sale , or are offering the product for sale in an authorized manner but have been inadvertently omitted from the whitelist . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the product definition portions illustrated in fig5 a - 5c are exemplary only , and that product definitions with other values or for other types of information resources may be used . in some embodiments , each of the exemplary product definition portions illustrated and described above may be combined into a single product definition , such that the communication protection system 200 may analyze multiple types of information resources for the same product . in some embodiments , gathered resources that are associated with a product but that do not match any of the types of product definitions ( such as a comparison shopping web site 110 found to be offering the hairbegone , if the product definitions illustrated in fig5 a - 5c are the only product definition portions for the hairbegone ) may be treated as unexpected product sources , and may be flagged for additional review . fig6 illustrates aspects of an exemplary computing device 600 appropriate for use with embodiments of the present disclosure . while fig6 is described with reference to a computing device that is implemented as a device on a network , the description below is applicable to servers , personal computers , mobile phones , smart phones , tablet computers , embedded computing devices , and other devices that may be used to implement portions of embodiments of the present disclosure . moreover , those of ordinary skill in the art and others will recognize that the computing device 600 may be any one of any number of currently available or yet to be developed devices . in its most basic configuration , the computing device 600 includes at least one processor 602 and a system memory 604 connected by a communication bus 606 . depending on the exact configuration and type of device , the system memory 604 may include volatile or nonvolatile memory , such as read only memory (“ rom ”), random access memory (“ ram ”), eeprom , flash memory , or similar memory technology . those of ordinary skill in the art and others will recognize that system memory 604 typically stores data and / or program modules that are immediately accessible to and / or currently being operated on by the processor 602 . in this regard , the processor 602 may serve as a computational center of the computing device 600 by supporting the execution of instructions . as further illustrated in fig6 , the computing device 600 may include a network interface 610 comprising one or more components for communicating with other devices over a network . embodiments of the present disclosure may access basic services that utilize the network interface 610 to perform communications using common network protocols such as tcp / ip , udp , ethernet , token ring , and / or the like . the network interface 610 may also include a wireless network interface configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication protocols , such as wifi , 2g , 3g , lte , wimax , bluetooth , and / or the like . in the exemplary embodiment depicted in fig6 , the computing device 600 also includes a storage medium 608 . however , services may be accessed using a computing device that does not include means for persisting data to a local storage medium . therefore , the storage medium 608 depicted in fig6 is represented with a dashed line to indicate that the storage medium 608 is optional . in any event , the storage medium 608 may be volatile or nonvolatile , removable or nonremovable , implemented using any technology capable of storing information such as , but not limited to , a hard drive , solid state drive , cd rom , dvd , or other disk storage , magnetic cassettes , magnetic tape , magnetic disk storage , and / or the like . as used herein , the term “ computer - readable medium ” includes volatile and non - volatile and removable and non - removable media implemented in any method or technology capable of storing information , such as computer readable instructions , data structures , program modules , or other data . in this regard , the system memory 604 and storage medium 608 depicted in fig6 are merely examples of computer - readable media . suitable implementations of computing devices that include a processor 602 , system memory 604 , communication bus 606 , storage medium 608 , and network interface 610 are known and commercially available . for ease of illustration and because it is not important for an understanding of the claimed subject matter , fig6 does not show some of the typical components of many computing devices . in this regard , the computing device 600 may include input devices , such as a keyboard , keypad , mouse , microphone , touch input device , touch screen , tablet , and / or the like . such input devices may be coupled to the computing device 600 by wired or wireless connections including rf , infrared , serial , parallel , bluetooth , usb , or other suitable connections protocols using wireless or physical connections . similarly , the computing device 600 may also include output devices such as a display , speakers , printer , etc . since these devices are well known in the art , they are not illustrated or described further herein . while illustrative embodiments have been illustrated and described , it will be appreciated that various changes can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims .	6
fig1 shows a diagrammatic oblique microsection through a diffusion solder position 2 of a first embodiment of the invention . reference numeral 3 denotes a first part , which is electrically and mechanically connected to a second part 4 via the diffusion solder position 2 . reference numeral 5 denotes a first solder component . the melting point of the first solder component is lower than the melting point of the second solder component 6 . the second solder component 6 has a melting point which is higher than the melting point of the intermetallic phases , which form from the two solder components 5 and 6 . the melting point of the second solder component 6 is also higher than the soldering temperature at which the two parts 3 and 4 are joined together with the aid of the diffusion solder position 2 . of the material of the second solder component 6 with a high melting point , a proportion , which corresponds to the saturation limit for the second solder component 6 in the melt of the first solder component 5 , diffuses into the diffusion region 7 of the diffusion solder position 2 . therefore , a diffusion solder position 2 includes an undissolved residual region of the second solder component 6 in the oblique microsection . nanoparticles 8 are initially distributed homogeneously in the molten region of the first solder component 5 , and as the formation of intermetallic phases increases in the diffusion solder position 2 , may become distributed inhomogeneously , as shown in fig1 , i . e ., a higher concentration of nanoparticles 8 may occur in the region of the intermetallic phases . this inhomogeneity may be partially caused by convection phenomena in the molten first solder component 5 . accumulation of the nanoparticles 8 in the vicinity of the phase transition from the first solder component 5 to the undissolved part of the second solder component 6 is a feature of this particular type of diffusion solder position 2 . in this first embodiment of the invention , the first part 3 is a semiconductor chip 9 with a lower coefficient of thermal expansion than the second part 4 , which forms part of a metallic leadframe 10 . this leadframe 10 is connected to the back surface 22 of the semiconductor chip over a large area via the diffusion solder position 2 . the nanoparticles 8 prevent the formation and propagation of microcracks within the diffusion solder position 2 at the brittle intermetallic phases formed during the diffusion soldering . since the second part 4 includes a leadframe 10 , which includes a copper alloy and therefore has a significantly higher coefficient of thermal expansion than the first part 3 . the leadframe includes a semiconductor chip . the expansion coefficient of the nanoparticles is set within a range between the values for the expansion coefficients of the first part 3 and the second part 4 . the coefficient of thermal expansion of the nanoparticles can be matched to the coefficients of thermal expansion of the first part 3 and the second part 4 by use of suitable amorphous silicates . amorphous silicates of this type may be borosilicates or phosphosilicates . part of the high - melting second solder component 6 outside the diffusion region 7 remains free of nanoparticles , since the second solder component 6 is not completely consumed during the melting and diffusing into the melt of the first solder component 5 . a diffusion solder position 2 of this type provides thermal stress compensation between the first of the two parts and the second of the two parts 3 and 4 . in this first embodiment of the invention , as mentioned above , the diffusion solder position 2 may , as the first part 3 , include a semiconductor chip and , as the second part 4 , may include a metallic leadframe having a semiconductor chip island 11 which serves as source contact 12 for a power component . therefore , the entire source current of a power component of this type can be fed to the semiconductor material 9 via the chip island 11 . fig2 shows a diagrammatic oblique microsection through parts 3 , 4 , which are to be connected to one another via a diffusion solder position 2 . components which have the same functions as in fig1 are denoted by identical reference numerals and are not explained once again . for this purpose , the first part 3 , namely , a semiconductor chip 9 , is coated on its back surface 22 with a low - melting first solder component 5 , to which nanoparticles 8 have been applied . this application can be effected by rolling or stamping in the nanoparticles 8 on the top surface of the first solder component 5 , which melts at a low temperature . another option is for the first solder component 5 to be electrodeposited on the back surface of the semiconductor chip in an electrolyte bath , which at the same time contains nanoparticles 8 . in this case , the nanoparticles 8 are incorporated in a uniform and homogeneous distribution in the solder component 5 . the lower part of fig2 shows an outline of an oblique microsection through a second part 4 , which bears a second solder component 6 on its top surface . this solder component 6 is a high - melting solder component 6 , and therefore , has a higher melting point than the low - melting solder component 5 on the first part 3 . this high - melting solder component may also include a multilayer arrangement that includes gold , silver , nickel , and / or alloys thereof . the top layer is involved in the diffusion soldering and forming intermetallic phases with the low - melting solder component 5 . when the two parts 3 , 4 are moved together in the direction indicated by arrow a at a temperature at which at least the low - melting solder component 5 is molten and the nanoparticles 8 are distributed uniformly in the melt , the high - melting component 6 will partially diffuse into the low - melting component 5 and will form intermetallic phases in the diffusion region . during cooling of the diffusion solder position 2 , an inhomogeneous distribution of the nanoparticles 8 may be established within the diffusion region . in the diffusion region of a diffusion solder position , these nanoparticles 8 prevent propagation of microcracks caused by intermetallic phases . for this purpose , the low - melting solder component 5 may include tin or a tin alloy , while the second , high - melting solder component 6 includes silver , gold , copper , or alloys thereof . fig3 shows a diagrammatic cross section through an electronic component 30 for a power module which includes a plurality of diffusion solder positions 2 . components which have the same functions as in the previous figures are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not explained once again . reference numeral 10 denotes a leadframe , reference numeral 11 denotes a semiconductor chip island of the leadframe , and reference numeral 12 denotes a source contact of the electronic power component 30 . reference numeral 13 denotes a large - area flat conductor which contact - connects the parallel - connected drain contacts on the top surface of the power component 30 . reference numeral 14 denotes a flat conductor which produces a gate contact 16 for the top surface of the semiconductor chip . the electronic power component 30 includes several hundred thousand mos transistors 21 connected in parallel , which are arranged in the region of the active top surface 20 of the semiconductor chip . the active region of the top surface 20 is marked by a dashed line 23 . whereas the common source region can be contact - connected over a large area by the back surface 22 of the semiconductor chip 9 by the chip islands 11 being electrically and mechanically connected to the back surface 22 of the semiconductor chip 9 with the aid of a diffusion solder position 2 , the several hundred thousand gate electrodes are combined to form a gate contact 16 which can be connected to a higher - level circuit via the flat conductor 14 . the flat conductor 14 for the gate contact 16 is connected to the parallel - connected gate electrodes of the electronic power component 30 via a diffusion solder position 2 . a third diffusion solder position 2 includes the electrical and mechanical connection of the flat conductor 13 to the drain connection comprising several hundred thousand electrodes connected in parallel . to connect the flat conductors 13 and 14 , which includes a metal , and the chip islands 11 of the leadframe 10 , which include a metal plate , to the individual components of the semiconductor chip 9 with the aid of diffusion solder positions 2 , the first , low - melting solder component 5 is applied to the electrodes of the semiconductor web 9 , so that the semiconductor 9 forms the first part 3 of the diffusion solder position . the metallic parts , which are to be connected to the semiconductor include flat conductors 13 and 15 and chip island 11 , are first surface - treated in order to prevent premature diffusion of the flat conductor metal or of the metal of the semiconductor chip island 11 to the diffusion solder position . whereas the metal of the flat conductors 13 and 14 and of the chip island 11 is substantially a copper alloy , the diffusion position coating may be a nickel alloy . the second high - melting solder component 6 may be formed by a gold or silver alloy . the overall structure can be made ready for a diffusion furnace , and the diffusion soldering can be carried out in the diffusion furnace . for this purpose , in this embodiment of the invention , the low - melting solder component 5 , which has been applied to the surfaces of the semiconductor chip , is mixed with nanoparticles of silicates . if the second solder component 6 is completely consumed in the diffusion region during the diffusion soldering , at least one diffusion - inhibiting layer 24 remains between the diffusion region 7 and the metallic components , such as flat conductors 13 , 14 and chip island 11 . fig4 to 8 show diagrammatic cross sections through a semiconductor wafer 19 for fabricating a plurality of electronic power components 30 , which have diffusion solder positions . components which have the same functions in the following fig4 to 8 as in the previous figures are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not explained once again . fig4 shows a diagrammatic cross section through a semiconductor wafer 19 . on its active top surface 18 , in a region , which is delimited by a dashed line 23 , this semiconductor wafer has mos transistors , which are connected in parallel by their several hundred thousand gate connections and are connected in parallel by their several hundred thousand drain electrodes on the top surface 18 of the semiconductor wafer 19 . the back surface 22 is used as a source region for a plurality of electronic power components . fig5 shows a diagrammatic cross section through a semiconductor wafer 19 following application of a first solder component 5 to its back surface 22 . this solder component 5 on the back surface 22 is a metallic covering of the back surface with a first solder component 5 , which has a lower melting point than a second solder component 6 , which can form intermetallic phases with the first solder component 5 during diffusion soldering . this first solder component 5 may be tin or a tin alloy . by dipping the semiconductor wafer 19 into a suitable tin bath , it can be applied to both the back surface 22 of the semiconductor wafer 19 and the active top surface 18 of the semiconductor wafer 19 , or in two separate steps , it can be applied first to the back surface 22 , as shown in fig5 , and then to the active top surface 18 , as shown in fig6 . fig6 shows a diagrammatic cross section through a semiconductor wafer 19 following application of a first solder component 5 to its active top surface 18 . this top surface 18 is also covered with a level metal surface including the low - melting solder component 5 and is patterned in a subsequent step . fig7 shows a diagrammatic cross section through a semiconductor wafer 19 after patterning of the first solder component 5 on the active top surface 18 of the semiconductor wafer 19 . the patterning of the solder component 5 on the active top surface 18 of the semiconductor wafer 19 is necessary in order to prepare a common , parallel - connecting gate connection 16 for each semiconductor chip of the semiconductor wafer 19 and in order to create a large - area contact for the parallel - connected drain electrodes using a drain contact 15 . after this step , the entire semiconductor wafer 19 can be dusted with nanoparticles 8 including a silicate , which are then stamped into the coating formed by the first solder component 5 under pressure . alternatively , the solder component 5 may be printed onto the active top surface of the semiconductor wafer 19 in patterned form by a solder paste which contains the nanoparticles 8 . a level metal surface formed from the first solder component 5 may also be electrodeposited on the active top surface of the semiconductor chip 19 . nanoparticles 8 are distributed in the electrolyte bath so that the nanoparticles 8 are incorporated in homogeneously distributed form in the solder component 5 on the active top surface of the semiconductor wafer . since the nanoparticles 8 are non - conductive silicates , for example , borosilicate or phosphosilicate , the entire active surface 18 can be provided with a layer of nanoparticles without short - circuiting the electronic structures on the active top surface 18 of the semiconductor wafer 19 . fig9 shows a diagrammatic cross section through a semiconductor chip 9 for a semiconductor component with diffusion solder positions 2 . components with the same functions as in the previous figures are denoted by identical reference numerals and are not explained once again . the semiconductor wafer was sawed open along the parting lines indicated in fig4 to 8 , resulting in the cross section through the semiconductor chip illustrated in fig9 . these cross sections are only diagrammatic and are not to scale . in reality , the thickness d of a semiconductor chip 9 of this type is between 50 μm and 750 μm , whereas the width b of a semiconductor chip 9 of this type may be several centimeters . to fabricate an electronic power component from this semiconductor chip 9 , fig1 to 12 show diagrammatic cross sections through parts 3 , 4 which have been connected to one another to form a component with diffusion solder positions 2 . components with the same functions as in the previous figures are denoted by the same reference numerals and are not explained once again for fig1 to 12 . fig1 shows a diagrammatic cross section through a flat conductor frame 26 which bears flat conductors 13 for a common drain contact 15 and flat conductors 14 for a common gate contact 16 . the respective end regions 27 and 28 of the flat conductors 13 , 14 , respectively , which are to be connected to the drain electrodes and to the gate electrodes running parallel , are coated with a second soldering component 6 . this soldering component 6 may include a plurality of metal layers , which on the one hand prevent diffusion of the flat conductor material into the diffusion solder position 2 and on the other hand provide a diffusion solder material which can diffuse into the molten solder of the first solder component 5 . since these flat conductors 13 , 14 are to be placed onto the active top surface of the semiconductor chip 9 , no nanoparticles 8 are incorporated into the second solder component 6 , especially since the first solder component on the semiconductor chip 9 , as shown in fig1 , already includes nanoparticles . fig1 shows a diagrammatic cross section through a semiconductor chip 9 with coatings of a first solder component on the top surface 18 and on the back surface 22 , the cross section shown in fig1 corresponding to the cross section shown in fig9 . consequently , there is no need to interpret or explain fig1 . fig1 shows a further part of the flat conductor frame 26 , which bears a chip island 11 , which for its part is coated with a second solder component 6 and to which a layer of nanoparticles 8 has been applied . this layer of nanoparticles may be incorporated into the solder component 6 as early as during electrodeposition of the solder component 6 . fig1 shows a diagrammatic cross section through an electronic component with diffusion solder positions 2 before the flat conductors 13 , 14 are bent over to form external connections . both the chip island 11 and the flat conductors 13 , 14 are connected to one another on a common flat conductor frame , the flat conductor frame having two levels , namely a level for the back surface 22 of the semiconductor chip 9 with a semiconductor chip island 11 and a further level for the active top surface 18 of the semiconductor chip 9 with the corresponding flat conductors 13 , 14 . after these components have been brought together , as shown in fig1 , and diffusion soldering has been carried out , the result is the outline cross section shown in fig1 , i . e ., the nanoparticles 8 are substantially distributed within the solder component 5 , whereas a remainder of the solder component 6 has been retained in unchanged form , or at least there remains a layer of a diffusion - inhibiting metal alloy to prevent the material of the leadframe from being able to diffuse into the diffusion solder position 2 during the diffusion soldering . after the basic component shown in fig1 has been completed with a diffusion - soldered common gate contact 16 , a common drain contact 15 , and common source contact 12 , to complete the electronic power component the flat conductors 13 , 14 can be bent over to the level of the chip island . the entire component can be packaged in a plastic housing ( not shown ). the end result is in this case an electronic power component 30 as shown in fig3 . the above description of the exemplary embodiments in line with the present invention serves merely for illustrative purposes and not to limit the invention . the invention allows various changes and modifications without departing from the scope of the invention and its equivalents .	7
referring again to the drawings , and particularly referring to fig1 thereof , there is generally illustrated a cleaning machine , designated generally at 2 , such as an automatic scrubber . as known in the art , such scrubber apparatus includes a plurality of spindles for detachably mounting a corresponding number of brushes . in the present invention , there is provided a new and novel construction for a mounting device , designated generally at 4 , which is detachably connected via a conventional type mounting plate 6 to the drive spindle 8 of the apparatus 2 . the plate 6 is provided with conventional type key - way slot arrangement 10 for detachably connecting the device 4 to the spindle 8 . as forementioned , this illustrates generally one form of the invention which is particularly adapted for use with a multi - brush scrubber apparatus and / or with a single brush - type apparatus . preferable , the mounting device of the invention has particular application in respect to multi - type brush scrubber machines in relation to the ease of interchangeability , flexibility in use and efficiency in use , as aforesaid . as best illustrated in fig2 , 4 and 5 , the mounting device 4 of the present invention comprises a body member 12 of generally circular configuration ( fig3 ) defined by planar surfaces 14 and 16 . it is to be understood , however , that the base member 12 may be of any other non - circular configuration , as desired . for example , the configuration may include polygonal configurations , such as hexagonal , octagonal , and other shapes having an included angle . also , it should be clearly understood that the base member may comprise other symmetrical configurations , such as square , rectangular , as well as other non - circular configurations which are not readily definable by mathematical calculation . as best illustrated in fig2 and 4 , the mounting device 4 is preferably of a generally circular configuration defined by an endless , outer peripheral edge 18 ( fig3 ) defining the configuration thereof . in the embodiment shown , the body member 12 includes a plurality of symmetrically disposed rings of filament bundles designated generally at 20 . in the invention , the filament bundles 20 are arranged in concentric arrangement so as to define a plurality of circles , as at 22 , in relation to a bore 24 , provided in the center thereof for detachable connection ( fig1 ) with the machine spindle 8 . accordingly , any number of circles of filaments may be provided , dependent upon shape of the mounting device for a particular application . for example , in the embodiment shown , four concentric circles of filaments are illustrated for use with a base member 12 having a diameter of approximately 10 inches . in such cases , the individual bundles of filaments may be spaced approximately 1 / 2 inch apart in a radial direction and between about 5 / 8 inch to 7 / 8 inch apart in arcuate ( i . e ., circular ) direction . in such case , the measurements are taken in respect to the geometric centers of the respective bundles . further , the outermost concentric circle of bundles is preferably spaced approximately between 1 / 4 inch and 3 / 8 inch from the outer peripheral edge 18 of the base 12 . in the invention , the individual bundles 20 may be disposed in any pattern so as to provide an effective mechanical gripping coacting engagement with a resilient pad element p such as a cleaning , stripping , scrubbing , polishing or similar type pad . accordingly , the filament bundles 20 may be symmetrically arranged and / or randomly arranged in any pattern , as desired . for example , the filament bundles may have the aforesaid type of special relationship with the number of filament bundles decreasing in number in a direction from the outer edge 14 toward the center of the bore 24 . for example , with a 10 inch diameter base member 12 , the inside circle may have 28 bundles with a 3 / 16 inch diameter , the second circle may have 36 bundles with a 3 / 16 inch diameter , the third circle may have 40 bundles with a 3 / 16 inch diameter , the second circle may have 36 bundles with a 3 / 16 inch diameter , the third circle may have 40 bundles with a 3 / 16 inch diameter and the outer circle 52 bundles with a 3 / 16 inch diameter . in another arrangement , the filament bundles may be set so that each pair of outer bundles is disposed opposite a corresponding inner bundle so as to provide a generally triangular pattern with the rows , in effect , being disposed in a staggered or off - set relationship . in this form of the invention , the individual filament bundles 20 may be mounted in the base member 12 by any conventional means , such as by staple - set , epoxy - set , crimped wire , wire - drawn , or the like , as known in the art . the staple - set is preferred . this utilizes a bore of approximately 3 / 16 inch filled with a 3 / 16 inch diameter bundle having a step , clipper trim . this trim shape has 3 to 6 filaments per hole producing 6 to 12 ends with approximately one - half the ends cut at 1 / 2 inch and with the other one - half cut at random lengths from 174 inch to 7 / 16 inch . in this embodiment , the filaments preferably project approximately 1 / 2 inch outwardly from the confronting surface 16 of the base 12 . the filaments are preferably made from a resilient , high strength material having good abrasive and wear characteristics , such as plastic or impregnated plastic material . a preferred material is a polypropylene material made commercially available under the trade mark name prostan from the e . b . & amp ; a . c . whiting company . also , the filaments may be made of other materials , such as metal , natural fibers . in the embodiment illustrated , an inner retention means , designated generally at 26 , is provided to prevent lateral shifting movement of the pad p . as shown , retention means 26 includes an annular ring - like collar member 28 defined by a bore 30 ( fig5 ) corresponding generally in diameter to the bore 24 in the base 12 . this collar 28 may be provided with one or more rings of filament bundles 32 which may be similarly attached , such as by staple - set or the like , within bores 34 provided in the collar 28 . in this form , the bores may be approximately 3 / 16 inch diameter on 1 inch centers . in this case , the collar 28 preferably has a height of approximately 3 / 4 inch with each filament bundle 32 being spaced approximately 1 / 4 inch from the top or outer surface 31 of the collar . by this arrangement , the geometric center - line c of the respective filament bundle 32 is preferably disposed in the same general plane , as defined by the terminal ends of the filament bundles 20 in the base member 12 , as best seen in fig5 . this arrangement provides an effective optimum gripping engagement with the interior confronting surface of the pad p , as at 36 ( fig3 ) to prevent lateral shifting and rotational movement of the pad p relative to the base member 12 . it will be appreciated , however , that any number of filament bundles and / or number of circles of filament bundles may be provided throughout the axial extent ( length ) of the collar 28 to insure the desired positive gripping action . in such case , for example , it is believed that a three - point engagement utilizing 3 filament bundles equally space would provide satisfactory results while only 2 filament bundles would be unsatisfactory . similarly , there would be provided one or more continuous rows of filaments rather than a plurality of spaced bundles and / or incremental circles of bundles achieved , such as by a metal strip ( not shown ) disposed in a corresponding recess ( not shown ) provided in the collar . in this form , for a ten inch diameter base , the filament bundles 20 preferably have a height between approximately 3 / 4 inch and 1 / 2 inch with the other filament bundles 32 having a length of approximately 1 / 4 inch . with this right angular , perpendicular relationship between the filament bundles 22 and 32 , the filament bundles 32 preferably have a flat , trim shape , whereas , the filament bundles 22 have a clipped , step trim shape with the step portion thereof oriented inwardly . it is to be understood , however , that the step trim could be oriented outwardly , as desired . in the invention , a protective cover 36 is secured , such as by an adhesive or the like , to the upper exposed surface 34 of the collar 28 to reduce and / or prevent accidental damage to the surface to be cleaned . this cover 36 may be made from any suitable material and is preferably an interwoven polymeric material commercially available under the trade name scotch - brite from the 3m company . in fig6 and 7 , there is illustrated another embodiment which is of generally identical construction , except for the annular orientation of the filament bundles and a modification in respect to the structure of the inner retention means . in this form , the filament bundles 40 in the base 12 are preferably angularly disposed so as to flare outwardly in a direction away from the bore 24 ( fig6 ) toward the outer peripheral edge 16 , of the base . in such case , the angular orientation may be from 0 ° ( i . e . 90 °) to approximately 50 ° so as to define an acute angle with respect to the base 12 . in a preferred range , the angular orientation is from 0 ° ( i . e . 90 °) to 35 ° and with the most preferred orientation being from 0 ° to 20 °. this angular orientation in respect to the filament bundles is for base members having a diameter in the range from 7 inches to 23 inches . it has been found that with small diameter size base members , such as 7 inches to 13 inches , that the optimum angular orientation of the filament bundles is approximately 10 ° to 13 °. in the invention , the bundles may be disposed at the same degree of inclination , or certain circles of filament bundles may be disposed at progressively increased angles , as desired . for example , with four concentric circles of filament bundles , the innermost circle may be disposed at 5 °, the second circle at 10 °, the third circle at 15 °, and the fourth or outer circle at 20 °. in each case , it is preferred that each circle have an increased angular orientation of from 2 ° to 5 ° in relation to the proceeding circle so as to progressively increases in a direction toward the outer edge of the base . by this arrangement , it has been found that the angular disposition of the filament bundles effectively acts to provide a positive gripping engagement with the pad p and prevents shrinkage thereof , as aforesaid . in this embodiment , there is illustrated a modification ( fig6 ) of the inner retention means , designated generally at 42 . in this case , the retention means comprises an inner circle of filament bundles 44 which are disposed at an acute angle relative to the base 12 . in this case , the filament bundles may be disposed at an angle ( a ) from 15 ° to approximately 60 ° with the preferred inclination being 45 °. in such case , the filament bundles 44 extend between approximately 1 / 8 inch and 1 / 4 inch above the general plane of the terminal ends of the filament bundles 40 to provide an interlocking gripping engagement with the confronting interior surface 36 ( fig3 ) of the pad p . in this form , the filament bundles have a generally flat trim configuration . here again , the filament bundles may be on one inch spaced centers for a 10 inch diameter base member 12 . again , it is to be understood that any number of filament bundles may be employed , such as from three or more . further , a continuous circle of filaments , such as provided by a metal strip insert or the like , may be utilized . in fig8 there is illustrated a further modification of the invention which is generally the same as that of fig7 except that additional filament bundles 52 with the step trim are disposed inwardly of the outer filament bundles 40 . in this case , the inner circles of filament bundles 52 are oriented at an acute angle different from that of the outer bundles 40 . preferably , the bundles 52 are disposed at an acute angle from 0 ° ( i . e . 90 °) to 30 ° with most preferred being from 0 ° ( i . e . 90 °) to 30 °. here , the first or central circle 50 is disposed at the 0 ° or 90 ° angle between the filament bundles 52 and 40 . in the invention , it has been found that the most preferred form of the mounting device 4 comprises the filament bundles 40 which are disposed at an acute angle in respect to the base when utilized in conjunction with the retention means 26 ( fig3 ) which embodies the collar 28 mounting filament bundles 20 . most preferably , the filament bundles 40 are disposed at an acute angle which progressively increases in a direction away from the geometric center of the base 12 toward the outer periphery thereof . from the foregoing description , the accompanying drawings , and the following claims , it will be seen that the present invention provides a new and novel construction for a brush - like mounting device which may be quickly and easily applied for use in detachably mounting a cleaning , stripping , scrubbing , polishing or the like type pad element for use with single and / or multiple cleaning machines or the manual or automatic types . specifically , the invention provides a new and novel structural arrangement which utilizes a first resilient , high strength filament retention means disposed in predetermined angular relationship with a second resilient , high strength filament retention which frictionally and mechanically coact for gripping engagement with the fibers and / or strands of a pad element to prevent lateral , rotational , and / or shrinking movement of the pad during normal usage thereof .	0
in the following description , like reference numerals indicate like components to enhance the understanding of the invention through the description of the drawings . also , although specific features , configurations , arrangements and steps are discussed below , it should be understood that such specificity is for illustrative purposes only . a person skilled in the relevant art will recognize that other features , configurations , arrangements and steps are useful without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . as illustrated in fig1 , a pointing device 10 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a base 12 , a puck 14 , a first magnet system 16 , and a second magnet system 18 . base 12 can be part of the case or other sub - assembly of a host device , such as a laptop computer , personal digital assistant ( pda ), cellular telephone , or hybrid thereof , or it can be a separate element . in the exemplary embodiment , base 12 has a lower portion 20 and an upper portion 22 , but in other embodiments it can comprise fewer elements or more elements and have any other suitable structure . first magnet system 16 comprises an annular magnet mounted in puck 14 , and second magnet system 18 comprises an annular magnet mounted in base 12 . although in the exemplary embodiment of the invention , first and second magnet systems 16 and 18 each comprises a single annular permanent magnet , in other embodiments each can comprise one or more magnets of any suitable shape and type arranged in any suitable manner . one or more of the magnets can be permanent magnets as in the exemplary embodiment , or one or more can be electromagnets , as indicated in generalized form in fig6 . still other magnet system combinations and variations will occur to persons skilled in the art to which the invention relates in view of the teachings herein . similarly , although puck 14 and first and second magnet systems 16 and 18 are shown recessed within an area of base 12 in the exemplary embodiment , with the magnets enclosed or covered by portions of puck 14 and base 12 ( as indicated by dashed line in fig1 ), in other embodiments the puck and the magnet systems can be disposed in or on the base , enclosed or exposed in whole or part , in any other suitable manner . in this context , the terms “ in ” and “ on ” as used herein are intended to be synonymous . a user can move puck 14 ( typically using his or her finger , as indicated in dashed line in fig2 ) by applying a lateral force , i . e ., a force in any direction substantially perpendicular to an axis 24 that is normal to a planar region in which puck 14 is movable . in the illustrated embodiment of the invention , the planar region is defined by a planar surface of base 12 on which puck 14 slides . ( indeed , although not shown for purposes of clarity , to minimize the sliding friction in such embodiments , one or both of the surfaces of puck 14 and base 12 in contact with each other can include teflon or other low - friction material .) nevertheless , in other embodiments , any other means for facilitating movement of the puck within a planar region can be used . the force that the user applies in the lateral direction slides puck 14 in that direction , as indicated by the arrows in fig3 - 4 . in this manner , a user can move puck 14 anywhere within the circular area of base 12 enclosed by the annular magnet of second magnet system 18 . it should be noted that fig1 - 4 are not to scale , and the user may need only a relatively small area in which to move puck 14 ; the distance a user moves puck 14 can be , for example , on the same order as that in which a user moves a conventional joystick , ibm trackpoint ™, or similar compact pointing device . also , although puck 14 is disc - shaped or puck - shaped in the exemplary embodiment and laterally suspended within the circular area solely by magnetic force , in other embodiments the puck can have any suitable shape and structure , can be a part of some other assembly or mechanism , and can move in other dimensions and be used in other manners in addition to what is described herein . the term “ puck ” is therefore intended to include within its scope of meaning all such structures . pointing device 10 further includes a transducer system having electrode pads 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 , which are electrically insulated from one another and from puck 14 . although illustrated for purposes of clarity as squares embedded or patterned in an upper surface of portion 22 of base 12 , in other embodiments they can have any other suitable structure , shape and arrangement . for example , they can be patterned on the reverse surface of portion 22 . four capacitances are defined by the amount that puck 14 overlaps each of electrode pads 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 . these capacitances change as puck 14 moves over electrode pads 26 , 28 , 30 and 32 . as illustrated in fig8 , an electronic controller 34 can determine the position or direction of movement of puck 14 from the changes in relative capacitance . puck 14 can also include a suitable sensor ( not shown for purposes of clarity ) that detects the presence of the user &# 39 ; s finger , i . e ., detects a downward force along axis 24 . the position or direction of movement of puck 14 is transmitted to the host device ( e . g ., laptop computer , pda , etc .) in response to detection of such a force . the host device typically uses this information to control the position and movement of a cursor displayed on a screen ( not shown ). with puck 14 offset from the center of the circular area in which it is movable ( e . g ., as shown in fig3 ), when the user lifts his or her finger , the magnetic force re - centers puck 14 in that area . also , when the user lifts his or her finger from puck 14 , the position or direction of movement of puck 14 is not transmitted to the host device ( or , alternatively , the host device is caused to ignore any position or direction information that may be transmitted ). thus , as with conventional pointing devices that re - center themselves , re - centering pointing device 10 does not affect the cursor position . the magnetic interaction that causes the above - described re - centering can readily be understood with further reference to fig5 . in the illustrated embodiment of the invention , surfaces of first magnet system 16 and second magnet system 18 that face or oppose each other have the same polarizations , thereby causing them to repel each other . thus , in this concentric magnet embodiment , the exterior annular surface of first magnet system 16 and the interior annular surface of second magnet system 18 can each have a “ south ” (“ s ”) polarization as shown or , alternatively , they can each have a “ north ” polarization . in other embodiments of the invention , the polarizations will depend upon the shape and arrangement of the magnets . note that when puck 14 is centered , as shown in fig1 , the repulsive magnetic forces act equally in all of the various lateral directions about puck 14 , with forces in opposing directions canceling each other . the resultant of these forces exerted upon puck 14 in all of the various directions is zero , and puck 14 remains centered with respect to base 12 . when the user moves puck 14 off center , the resultant force is no longer zero , and a force is exerted upon puck 14 in a direction toward the center . if the user then lifts his or her finger , the force moves puck 14 in that direction until it is re - centered . as illustrated in fig6 , in another embodiment of the invention , one or both of the magnet systems 36 and 38 can comprise an electromagnet ( as indicated by the windings depicted in generalized form around an annular core ). as noted above , one or both of the magnet systems can have any suitable number , combination and arrangement of permanent magnets , electromagnets and similar magnetic elements . as illustrated in fig7 , in still another embodiment of the invention , the second magnet system 39 comprises not only an annular magnet 40 but also another ( in this case , disc - shaped ) magnet 42 that at least to some extent levitates or supports the puck to counteract friction between the puck and the base . in other words , the resultant force exerted upon the puck by the magnetic repulsion between the second and first magnet systems 38 and 44 , respectively , has components in both lateral and axial directions , with the axial force opposing the weight of the puck . a similar effect could be obtained with a magnet that generates a field having an uncommon shape such that it exerts a force upon the puck having components in both the lateral and axial directions . counteracting frictional forces in this manner enables the puck to slide more smoothly over the base . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to this invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention . thus , it is intended that the present invention cover the modifications and variations of this invention provided that they come within the scope of any claims and their equivalents . with regard to the claims , no claim is intended to invoke the sixth paragraph of 35 u . s . c . section 112 unless it includes the term “ means for ” followed by a participle .	6
the load management control system 10 will now be described with reference to fig1 - 3 , which are schematic diagrams of the components of the system 10 , according to the present invention . the system 10 includes a conventional indoor temperature sensor 12 , which is a solid state transducer that provides an output voltage proportionate to temperature . in the illustrated embodiment , a national semiconductor lm335 precision temperature sensor is used having a calibration potentiometer ( r2 ). however , other sensors that produce a linear output voltage with respect to temperature may be used , such as thermistors . the sensor 12 should preferably be calibrated to an accuracy of 0 . 15 degrees fahrenheit or better when operated with a mid - scale voltage output of approximately 5 volts . in the illustrated embodiment ( fig2 ), the indoor temperature sensor 12 is connected to the air conditioner load control circuit 52 by a twisted wire pair 16 . no external power wiring is required . the sensor 12 can be mounted in an enclosure and sized smaller than a typical household thermostat . an outdoor temperature sensor 18 is provided outside the enclosure to be air - conditioned . the outdoor temperature sensor 18 is electrically identical to the indoor temperature sensor 12 . in the illustrated embodiment , a second lm335 precision temperature sensor is used having a calibration potentiometer ( r1 ). the outdoor sensor 18 is preferably encapsulated in a waterproof module ( not shown ) and mounted in a small vented outdoor box . the outdoor temperature sensor 18 is also electrically connected to the air conditioning load control circuit 52 by a twisted wire pair 16 . a differential amplifier circuit 20 is provided which produces a voltage level corresponding to the difference in output of the indoor sensor 12 and outdoor sensor 18 . in the illustrated embodiment , differential amplifier circuit 20 is a conventional operational amplifier such as national semiconductor lm324 or a generic 741 operational amplifier . the output of amplifier 20 is sent to set point level control 22 via line 21 . as shown in fig3 the differential amplifier circuit components include an operational amplifier 23 , resistors r3 , r4 , r5 , r6 , r7 , r8 , r9 and capacitor c1 . the set point control 22 is built around a second operational amplifier 33 integrated circuit . when the input received from differential amplifier circuit 20 exceeds a certain fixed voltage , such as 0 to 1 volts with reference to a midpoint voltage reference ( used as a center reference which is exactly half of the power supply voltage ), supplied from adjustable reference voltage source 24 ( shown as r12 in fig3 ), the set point control 22 generates a positive voltage level at the input of the control logic 26 ( fig1 ). this will initiate load control until the inside temperature raises to a point where the input voltage drops below the set point value if a closed circuit is present across external contact control input 32 . the set point can be field adjusted to a predetermined temperature differential before the system 10 begins shedding load . the system may have more than one set point , any of which can be selected by external contacts . fig3 shows a single adjustable set point using potentiometer r12 to calibrate the single value . in the alternative , fig7 shows selection of fixed points approximately 4 degrees apart using switch s1 . a series of fixed resisters replaces potentiometer r12 . with this arrangement , various temperature differential arrangements can be selected by closing the appropriate contact as required for prevailing conditions . for example , load management may be required during moderately warm outdoor temperatures . selection of a lower temperature differential will make the device more effective under these operating conditions . switch s1 may be replaced with external contacts to permit remote selection . in the illustrated embodiment , the adjustable reference voltage source 24 is developed by using precision resistors across a regulated voltage power supply . as shown in fig3 the adjustable reference voltage source 24 includes resistors r11 , r12 , r13 and r14 , and the set point control 22 includes an operational amplifier 33 , r10 , and r15 . as shown in fig1 an external control input circuit 30 is used to determine when to enable or disable the function of the control via a remote control device 32 . in the preferred embodiment , a preferably optically isolated input circuit is used to detect a dry contact closure for initiating load control . the load management control system 10 is intended for interfacing with existing conventional load management systems . existing load management systems use the opening ( or closing ) of a contact to perform control functions . this contact is typically electrically isolated to permit it to be placed in the circuits of the user equipment which supply operating voltages . the dry contact design is preferable since it enables easy connection to these devices . however , any type of input , for example , logic levels from a microprocessor or decoder may be used provided the proper interface circuitry is present . as shown in fig3 the control contact of the remote control device 32 is connected in series with the output control relay 34 . if no external load controller 14 is available , additional circuitry can be added to permit the circuit to function with components of basic communication subsystems , such as paging radios or telephone communications that are capable of providing logic output based on received signals . the load management system can be modified to operate from any such communication subsystem by obtaining a subsystem that produces unique logic levels for enabling and disabling the control , based on received signals and developing interface circuitry to translate output from the communication subsystem into logic levels for enabling and disabling the load management control . fig8 shows an example of a relay driver circuit for such purpose . the control logic circuit 26 receives the input from the set point control 22 and the external control input circuit 30 to determine when to open output relay contacts 34 . preferably , the control logic circuit 26 also contains circuitry necessary to drive the output relay 34 . if the allowable temperature differential is exceeded while the control contact of the remote control device 32 is closed , the control logic circuit 26 will open the contact 34 and interrupt the air conditioner compressor control circuit 36 . the output relay 34 provides a contact that is connected in series with the air conditioner compressor control leads to turn off the unit during periods when load management is required . as shown , the outside temperature is tracked by the inside temperature . the system 10 interrupts the control circuit of the compressor 36 when the outside temperature exceeds the inside temperature by a set differential . the system provides for automatic load shedding and restoration . as the outside temperature increases , the constant differential causes the indoor temperature to track the outdoor temperature resulting in a proportionate shedding of load . load restoration automatically occurs when the outside temperature falls to a point where it is less than the established differential plus the indoor temperature . consequently , no special algorithms are required in the system to deliver smooth load shedding restoration . an optional high indoor temperature limit control may be provided in the system 10 to keep the indoor temperature from exceeding a preset value . this feature can be used to limit customer discomfort should the outdoor temperature rise to a level where the inside temperature becomes excessive . as shown in fig1 , the set point may be set at a value ( i . e ., 83 ° f .) which permits some cooling while providing load reduction . this feature makes the placement of the outdoor temperature sensor less critical . as shown in fig4 an optional differential amplifier circuit , indicated at 40 , is provided when high limit indoor temperature control is desired . this circuit compares the inside temperature to a fixed reference 42 . the output is used to determine whether the inside temperature has exceeded a preset limit by the set point control 44 . an operational amplifier , similar to operational amplifier 23 is used for this comparison function . this circuit is not required if high limit indoor temperature control is not required . the output of the fixed reference 42 is used by the differential amplifier circuit 40 for comparison with the voltage of the input temperature sensor to determine when the high level limit has been exceeded . this circuit can be adjustable , allowing calibration of the high indoor temperature limit . the set point control 44 uses an operational amplifier to generate a voltage , should the high temperature limit be exceeded by the indoor temperature . the set point control 44 is determined by comparing the output of differential amplifier circuit 40 to adjustable reference 46 . the output of the set point control 44 is sent to the control logic circuit 26 and when the set point is exceeded , the control logic circuit will block control of the air conditioner compressor . digital system control may also provide the same function as the above analog control by using microprocessor based functions . with reference to fig5 and 6 , a digital load management control system 110 is shown . an indoor temperature sensor 112 and an outdoor temperature sensor 118 are provided each which produce an output voltage proportionate to temperature being sensed at any given point in time . these temperature sensors are substantially similar to those discussed above at 12 and 18 . the output of the temperature sensors 112 , 118 is sent to conventional analog to digital converters 120 to convert the analog voltages into digital representations , which can be used by the microprocessor 126 . latch circuits 122 are provided to interface the digital outputs of the analog to digital converters 120 to the microprocessor 126 as well as the remote control input and relay control output of the control system . the external remote control input is interfaced to the latch circuit 122 by interface circuit 124 to provide proper signal conversion and protection against abnormal conditions such as surges . the latch circuits 122 permit the microprocessor 126 to read and store data until it is ready for processing or a change of state . as shown in fig5 an external remote control input 130 is provided to permit an external remote control system to enable or disable the function of load management control , which is similar to the analog control input 30 . a relay driver 132 is used to develop adequate power from the output latch circuitry to drive the output relay 134 . the output relay 134 serves the same function as the output relay of the analog system discussed above . a conventional microprocessor 126 controls all operations of the digital load management control system 110 including data acquisition from input devices and control of the output relay 134 , based on instructions in a control program . the microprocessor 126 preferably includes the ability to perform analog to digital conversion as well as digital processing functions . as an alternative to the circuit of fig5 fig9 shows a microcontrol unit 140 ( motorola mc68hc11eo or equivalent ) which includes the microprocessor 126 . a read only memory ( rom ) device 136 is also provided . physical storage of the control program is implemented in the read only memory or other non - volatile storage media in order to avoid corruption by abnormal operating conditions . as shown in fig6 the control program contains routines for performing calculations and logic functions implemented by hardware in the analog control . these functions include : ( d ) monitoring of the remote control input to determine if the load management function should be active or inactive ; and ( e ) generating a control output based upon the values from the set point control function and remote control input . multiple fixed settings can be provided for the digital system by using several inputs for remote control and programming the system to produce various temperature differential settings , depending on which input receives a control signal . microprocessor based digital air conditioning load management control offers significant flexibility over analog design for the support of optional features . the high temperature set point can be implemented in the program by comparing the value of the inside temperature to a set value in program memory and limiting load reduction to the predefined maximum value . a microprocessor based control will also permit ramping of inside temperature changes so they cannot take place faster than a predetermined rate . this feature is beneficial in limiting the rate of change for inside temperatures in the event of sudden weather changes . a sudden drop in outside temperature could result in a corresponding drop in the differential between inside and outside temperatures causing the air conditioning system to operate continuously until either the thermostat is satisfied or the temperature differential is reestablished . the use of a ramping function to gradually decrease the inside temperature under these conditions will maintain the effectiveness of the load control until normal operating conditions are established after a sudden weather change . this function can be implemented in software by dropping the inside temperature in small increments that are timed to slow the drop of the inside temperature . this feature is shown in fig1 below . thus , either an analog or digital approach to provide load management produces the same result . the system 10 is remotely controlled to provide load control when required . this is accomplished by controlling a contact closure from an existing load management controller 14 . the illustrated embodiment is for a dry contact external control . however , as stated above , the load management control system can operate from other types of input if proper interface circuits are included . as discussed above , additional circuitry may permit the system 10 to be integrated into other systems such as radio paging . since the system 10 has the ability to control through an entire load shed cycle with only one command , the system 10 may share communication facilities with other applications without significant performance degradation . referring to fig2 the installation of the load control management system is shown . the air conditioner load control circuit 52 , which includes the integrated circuit , is installed adjacent to or inside of the load management controller 14 . the air conditioner load control circuit is connected to the controller 14 . the outdoor temperature sensor 18 is preferably installed on the north side of the building and is connected to the air conditioner load control circuit 52 directly . the indoor temperature sensor 12 is installed on the inside wall of the building using the same general guidelines for installing a thermostat . a location close to the outdoor temperature sensor is preferred to limit the amount of wiring required . the indoor temperature sensor is also connected to the air conditioner load control circuit . the output relay 34 is then connected in series with 24 volt compressor control circuit . once installed , the system 10 can provide approximately 30 percent reduction in air conditioning load based upon an indoor temperature rise from 75 degrees to 83 degrees fahrenheit for an outside temperature rise of 100 degrees fahrenheit . it can be seen that the system 10 of the present invention provides an effective means of reducing air conditioner load requirements during peak periods without the use of complicated algorithms or the need to address the specific building characteristics when the system is installed . while the invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment , it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but , on the contrary , is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims .	8
an embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail in conjunction with the drawings . fig4 and 5 are perspective views of tapered shapes to which the present invention appertains . both of the figures show the distances ( referred to as machining distances ) from the cutting starting points to the cutting end points on the upper guide path , lower guide path and on the cut surface , these distances being different from one another . fig4 is a perspective view showing linear machining , and fig5 is a perspective view showing circular machining . in the figures , wk represents a workpiece , ugp the path of the upper guide ug , dgp the path of the lower guide dg , and plp the programmed profile of the lower surface of the workpiece wk . in fig4 the illustrated tapered shape has a taper angle a 1 at the cutting starting position , and a taper angle a 2 at the cutting end position , a 1 and a 2 differing from each other . a tapered surface tp whose taper angle varies gradually from a 1 to a 2 in continuous fashion is cut by continuously controlling the movement of the upper guide ug in accordance with the progress of the cutting work . the distance lu of movement of the upper guide path ugp , the distance ld of movement of the lower guide path dgp , and the machining distance lw of the programmed path differ from each other . fig5 illustrates a tapered shape in which the programmed path is an arc , and the angle b 1 of arc of the upper guide path ugp and the angle b 2 of arc of the lower guide path dgp differ from each other . also different from one another are the distance lu of movement of the path ugp of the upper guide ug , the distance ld of movement of the path dgp of the lower guide dg , and the machining distance lw of the programmed path . described next will be the taper cutting method of the invention for a case where the tapered shape shown in fig5 is to be cut . fig6 is a plan view of each of the paths and is useful in describing the present invention for a case where the tapered angle shown in fig5 is to be cut . portions which are the same as those shown in fig5 are designated by like reference characters and are not described in detail . in the fig6 the arc awbw is the workpiece surface ( programmed path plp ). the feed speed fw along the arc awbw enters as a command from a separately provided paper tape or the like . the arc aubu is the path ugp of the upper guide ug , and the arc adbd is the path dgp of the lower guide dg . aw and bw are points predetermined during the design of the workpiece to be machined and are stored in the numerical control unit . the inclination angle a ( see fig2 ) is also predetermined . the heights au and ad are also predetermined by the positions of the upper and lower guides . using a transformation by the angle a , it is possible to determine the coordinates of bu and bd . from the coordinates of the points and the angle a traversed , it is possible to calculate the length of the arcs lu , lw and ld . letting lw , lu , ld be the distances on the programmed path plp , the path ugp of the upper guide ug , and the path dgp of the lower guide dg , and letting t be the time required for movement from the cutting starting point aw to the cutting end point bw , the time t may be written : in order to start and terminate the movement of the upper guide ug and the movement of the workpiece wk relative to the wire wr at the same time ( to simplify the explanation , it will be assumed hereinafter that the workpiece is fixed and that only the upper and lower guides are moved ), the upper guide ug need only be moved from point au to point bu in time t and , likewise , the lower guide dg need only be moved from point ad to point bd in time t . thus , if the upper guide ug is moved at speed fu , given by the following equation : ## equ2 ## and the lower guide dg is moved at speed fd : ## equ3 ## then the movement of the upper guide ug and the movement of the workpiece we relative to the wire wr ( movement of the lower guide dg ) will end simultaneously . accordingly , the movement of the upper guide ug and lower guide dg may be started simultaneously and ended simultaneously by providing independent circular interpolators for moving the upper and lower guides , computing the distances lw , lu , ld from the programmed shape data , then computing the feed speeds of the upper and lower guides ug , dg from equations ( 4 ) and ( 5 ), and finally executing an interpolation from point au to point bu by the circular interpolator for the upper guide , and simultaneously from point ad to point bd by the circular interpolator for the lower guide , in such a manner that the feed speeds are attained , the upper and lower guides ug , dg being moved by the interpolation pulses . as a result , a special electric discharge machining process as shown in fig9 can be carried out according to the present invention . fig9 shows machined paths on a machined workpiece as viewed in the direction of the z - axis . the machined path on the upper surface of the workpiece is represented by a - b - c - d , whereas the machined path on the lower surface of the workpiece is indicated by p - q - r - s . the machined paths ab , pq , cd , and qs are not parallel to each other as viewed in the direction of the z - axis , providing twisted taper surfaces tp1 and tp2 . the arcuate machined paths bc , qr have different lengths of arcs , and hence their angles of arc are different from each other . for machining the workpiece to contour as shown in fig9 the wire electrode starts moving from the points a and p simultaneously and reaches the points b and q simultaneously . then , the wire electrode starts moving along arcs toward the points c and r and reaches these points c and r simultaneously . the wire electrode thereafter moves toward the points d and s and arrives at these points d and s simultaneously , whereupon the electric discharging machining is completed . according to the present invention , workpieces can be machined to such complex configurations , which could not be achieved by the apparatus and method disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 355 , 223 . fig7 is a circuit block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention . in the figure , ptp denotes a paper tape in which are punched programmed path data ( end point coordinates and circle radius ), feed speed fw , taper angle a , the distance h between the upper guide ug and lower guide dg , the vertical distance h between the lower surface of the workpiece wk and the lower guide dg , and the like . opct represents an arithmetic and control circuit for performing the following arithmetic and control operations ( 1 ) through ( 5 ): ( 1 ) using the commanded values from the paper tape , offset quantities are computed by performing the operations specified by eqs . ( 1 ) and ( 2 ). positional information ( end point coordinates , circle radius etc .) concerning the paths of the upper and lower guides ug , dg is found from the offset quantities and from the programmed path data ( end point , circle radius etc .). ( 2 ) lu / lw and ld / lw are computed from each item of path data and from the path positional information , and output signals indicative of the results are produced . ( 3 ) the items of positional information relating to the upper and lower guide paths computed in ( 1 ) are set in the interpolators for the upper and lower guides , to be described below . ( 5 ) numerical control processing is carried out in addition to the foregoing operations . the arithmetic and control circuit opct may be an arithmetic circuit and pulse generating circuit . ufo , dfo represent feed speed arithmetic circuits for the upper and lower guides , respectively . both circuits are arranged as linear interpolators of dda - type ( digital differential analyzer ), and include respective registers rgu , rgd in which lu / lw and ld / lw , computed by the arithmetic and control circuit opct , are set or loaded , respectively , as well as accumulators acu , acd , and adders adu , add . the adder adu adds the contents of register rgu and the contents of accumulator acu each time a pulse pw of speed fw is generated , and stores the result of the addition operation in the accumulator acu . likewise , the adder add adds the contents of register rgd and the content of accumulator acd each time the pulse pw of speed fw is generated , and sets the result of the addition operation in the accumulator acd . if we assume that the accumulators have n - number of bits ( a capacity of 2 n ), then the accumulators acu , acd generate the respective pulse trains pu , pd whose frequencies are given by : ## equ4 ## respectively . accordingly , if 2 n . lu / lw , 2 n . ld / lw are set in the respective registers rgu , rgd instead of lu / lw , ld / lw , then the generated pulse trains pu , pd will have the frequencies fu , fd expressed by eqs . ( 4 ), ( 5 ), respectively . uint , dint represent circular interpolators for the upper and lower guides , respectively . these may , for example , be arranged as well - known dda - type circular interpolators . they are adapted to generate circular interpolation pulses up , vp , xp , and yp . dvu , dvv , dvx , dvy represent servo control circuits for the upper guide ( u - axis , v - axis ) and for the lower guide ( x - axis , y - axis ), respectively . mu , mv , mx , my are servo motors for each of these axes . when numerical control information relating to the tapered shape of fig4 is read from the paper tape ptp , the arithmetic and control circuit opct executes the abovementioned operations ( 1 ) through ( 4 ), sets 2 n . lu / lw , 2 n . ld / lw in the respective registers rgu , rgd , and generates the pulse train pw of frequency fw on line ln . as a result , the feed speed arithmetic circuits ufo , dfo for the upper and lower guides supply the interpolators uint , dint with pulse trains pu , pd of frequencies fu , fd , respectively . since the positional information relating to the paths of the upper and lower guides , found from ( 1 ) above , has already been set in the interpolators uint , dint by the arithmetic and control circuit opct , the interpolator uint for the upper guide executes interpolation along the arc aubu ( fig6 ), for example and the interpolator dint for the lower guide simultaneously executes interpolation along the arc adbd ( fig6 ), for example each time the respective pulses pu , pd are generated . the interpolation pulses up , vp , xp , yp generated by the interpolation operation are applied to the respective servo control circuit svu , svv , svx , svy . the servo control circuits , upon receiving these pulses , execute a well - known servo control operation to rotate the respective servo motors mu , mv , mx , my , thereby moving the upper and lower guides as illustrated by the wire - cut electric discharge machine of fig8 . as a result , the upper and lower guides are moved along the arcs aubu , adbd for example , and reach the arc end points bu , bd simultaneously where they are brought to a stop , also simultaneously . to facilitate the description , it has been described above that the workpiece is fixed , while the upper and lower guides are moved by four - axis control . the present invention is not limited to a case where the workpiece is fixed , however , and can be applied to a situation where the movement of the upper guide and workpiece are controlled along four axes simultaneously . also , in a computerized numerical control device which incorporates a well - known microcomputer , the operations of the feed speed arithmetic circuits ufo , dfo , interpolators uint , dint and arithmetic and control circuit opct , shown in fig7 can be executed under the control of a program . according to the present invention , the cutting speed at a cut surface can be brought into agreement with a commanded speed , and the movement of the upper and lower guides can be started simultaneously and halted simultaneously , through a simple method . it is therefore possible to enhance the performance of the electric discharge machine and to perform cutting at a high level of accuracy .	1
fig1 illustrates a process 100 incorporating a set of procedures that enables a user to predict the source of deviation of parts by checking the part recipes and spc charts . the method unifies the way in which users can monitor and track production parameters in a way that allows for automated monitoring . at block 110 , a user selects one or more charts from a plurality of charts to be examined . at block 120 , a user defines a number of chart parameters and associated known tolerance values . conventionally , these tolerance values are determined from previous experience of prior production processes of the same or substantially similar parts . at block 130 , a user defines the selected chart &# 39 ; s recipes . at block 140 , a user defines the project steps in which the selected charts , selected recipes and selected parameters are combined for use in a production run . the relation between chart , recipe and parameter may also be amended to meet desired user or customer criteria . at block 150 , the production process is monitored with regard to the selected charts and parameters . at block 160 , a user may review selected chart parameters with regard to the production process . at block 170 , a user may review the number and type of part deviations and associated process steps that contribute to the part deviation in order to identify the source of the part deviation . at block 180 , a user is able to review the process recipes . and , at block 190 , a user is able to confirm the results of the manufacturing process . it will be recognized by those skilled in the art that the processing shown in blocks 110 - 150 may be performed before each step in the manufacture of a specific product or product lot . in another aspect of the invention , the operations of block 110 - 140 may be predetermined and repeated between different product runs or product lot runs . hence , a database of chart , parameter and recipe definitions may be developed and relied upon for future production runs . the operations of blocks 150 - 190 are representative of tasks performed by a monitoring system based upon the inputs provided by blocks 110 - 140 . thus , future production runs may , for example , begin from block 150 or may only require some of the steps described in steps 110 - 140 . a more detailed explanation of each of the process steps is set forth as follows . at block 110 , a user or engineer defines one or more charts that need to be monitored . a list of charts is provided or made available from which engineers may select one or more desired charts associated with the current production run for the desired part . the charts may be pre - determined and stored in a manufacturing execution system ( mes ). mes programs are well known in the art . for example , promis is a commercial software mes program that combines planning , costing , document control , spc , production and performance management in one comprehensive package . promis is a registered trademark of brooks automation , inc ., chelmsford , mass ., 01824 from the provided list of charts , a user may select one or more charts suitable for the current operation or production run . the selected charts are referred to hereinafter as the monitored charts . the monitored charts may then be stored in a database for subsequent operation . the database may be a commercial database , such as oracle , or a self - developed or home - grown database . in a preferred embodiment , a commercial database is selected . at block 120 , the user is provided with a list of production parameters to select part parameters that relate to the “ monitored charts .” parameters may be selected from , but not limited to , the group consisting of thickness , uniformity of thickness , sputter rate , uniformity of sputter rate , deposition / sputter ( d / s ), uniformity of d / s , refractive index ( ri ), and stress . the user may pick or select one or more of these part parameters for each selected chart . following the selection of the part parameters , the part parameters are stored in relation to the monitored chart for which they were selected . at block 130 , the user may select recipes associated with each monitored chart for fabricating the part or parts . the user may be provided with a list of known fabrication recipes for review . the user may select one or more of the recipes for each monitored chart . it will be appreciated that more complex parts may require a greater combination of recipes . once the recipes have been selected they are stored in the database . recipes are preferably stored in one or more databases , conventionally referred to as recipe databases . in some aspects , recipe databases may be commercial software databases that include information that is proprietary to the manufacturer or foundry . it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any recipe database may be easily adapted for use with the presently described invention . recipes associated with methods for fabrication of integrated circuits are known in the art . in some cases , the recipes may be held as trade secrets that provide a commercial advantage to the owner of the recipe . details of individual recipes are not discussed further herein as individual recipes are not relevant to the invention disclosed . at block 140 , a user may define the recipe &# 39 ; s steps and parts parameters as they relate to each of the monitored charts . thus the user may tailor the production process for the part or parts to be made . as each recipe may contribute some element of the process step , one skilled in the art would appreciate that a processing step may require one or more recipes to complete the desired process step . at block 150 , the user defines the monitoring criteria for each of the monitored charts . in this case , the user is provided with a list of predetermined rules from which monitoring parts parameters may be checked and validated . the rules may be determined in part on the tolerance values desired , other parameters of the part and the history of generating the desired part . fig2 illustrates an exemplary relation , similar to that used in block 150 of fig1 , between parameters and processes to determine the process or processes that may contribute to part deviation . in this exemplary parameter / process relation , parameters may be selected from a group of part parameters such as thickness 205 , uniformity of thickness 210 , sputter rate 215 , dispersion / sputter ( d / s ) 225 , uniformity of d / s 230 , ri 235 and stress 240 , while processes that may contribute to deviations in the parts parameters may , for example , be selected from , but not limited to , the group consisting of oxygen ( o 2 ) seal 240 , rf 245 , ar - top 250 , o 2 nozzle 260 , o 2 top 265 , o 2 side 270 , sih 4 - nozzle 275 , sih 4 top 280 , sih 4 side 285 and pressure 290 . thus , for the exemplary relation shown , deviation of a part thickness may be caused by errors in either rf process 245 , ar - side process 255 , sih 4 side process 285 , or pressure 290 and combinations thereof . similarly , deviation in part parameter d / s 225 may be caused by errors in one or more of ar - side process 255 , sih 4 - side 285 and / or pressure 290 . fig3 illustrates a flow chart for an exemplary process 300 for reviewing chart parameters identified in block 160 of fig1 . in the illustrative process 300 , the selected monitored charts are retrieved at block 305 . at block 310 , criteria associated with the selected monitored charts are obtained . at block 315 , one of the monitored charts is selected . at block 320 , a recent value associated with the parameters of the selected chart is obtained . at block 325 , the criteria , i . e ., trend tolerance values , associated with the parameters in the selected chart are obtained . in this illustrated case , three trend tolerance values are selected . at block 330 , a determination is made whether the recent value of the parameter is within the first of the associated trend tolerance values . if the answer is in the affirmative , then processing continues at block 345 . however , if the answer is negative , then a determination is made whether the recent value is within the second of the associated trend tolerance values . if the answer is in the affirmative , then processing continues at block 345 . however , if the answer is negative , then a determination is made whether the recent parameter value is within the third of the associated trend tolerance values . if the answer is in the affirmative , then processing continues at block 345 . however , if the answer is in the negative , then the selected chart is marked to preclude its subsequent use . at block 345 the selected chart is included in a list of charts wherein the monitored parameters are within at least one tolerance value . in a preferred embodiment , the trend tolerance values are selected to be 3 , 5 and 10 units of a measure of the part parameter tested . in this preferred embodiment , the trend of the deviation is compared to the tolerances established . fig4 illustrates a flow chart for an exemplary process 400 for selecting charts marked at block 345 of fig3 . in this exemplary process 400 , a list of checked charts is displayed at block 410 . at block 420 , one of the displayed charts is selected . at block 430 , the parameters associated with the selected chart are obtained . as previously discussed , the parameters associated with a chart are stored in a database . fig5 illustrates a flow chart of a process 500 for associating parameters with processes contributing to part deviation in accordance with the principles of the invention . in this exemplary process , at block 505 a determination is made whether the tolerances associated with the thickness parameters have been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with thickness parameters are marked at block 510 . at block 515 a determination is made whether the tolerance associated with the uniformity of thickness parameters has been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with uniformity of thickness parameters are marked at block 520 . at block 525 a determination is made whether the tolerance associated with the sputter rate parameters has been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with sputter rate parameters are marked at block 530 . at block 535 a determination is made whether the tolerance associated with the uniformity of sputter rate parameters has been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with uniformity of sputter rate parameters are marked at block 540 . at block 545 a determination is made whether the tolerance associated with the d / s parameters have been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with d / s parameters are marked at block 550 . at block 555 a determination is made whether the tolerance associated with the uniformity of d / s parameters has been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with uniformity of d / s parameters are marked at block 560 . at block 565 a determination is made whether the tolerance associated with the ri parameters has been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with ri parameters are marked at block 570 . at block 575 a determination is made whether the tolerance associated with the stress parameters has been exceeded . if the answer is in the affirmative , then the processes associated with stress parameters are marked at block 580 . at block 585 , a display of each of the marked processes is made available to the user . in one aspect of the invention the display may include a histogram of processes to determine the process common to the deviation part . although fig5 illustrates a process wherein each of the exemplary part parameters is tested for deviations , it would be well within the skill of those in the art to develop a similar process using fewer or more part parameter tests or to devise means not to perform certain tests when a particular parameter is not selected . such aspects of the invention , although not shown , are contemplated to be within the scope of the invention . fig6 illustrates a flow chart of a process 600 for reviewing the processes associated with reviewing and predicting deviation parts , as shown at block 170 of fig1 . in this exemplary process , recipes associated with the selected chart are obtained at block 610 . at block 620 , versions of the selected recipes are obtained . at block 630 the steps and processes associated with each of the retrieved recipes are obtained . at block 640 , the steps and processes of the retrieved recipes are compared for differences . at block 650 , the results of the comparison are made available to the user . although the invention has been described in terms of exemplary embodiments , it is not limited thereto . for example , although the present invention has been described with regard to a fixed number of parameters , it would be recognized by those skilled the art that the invention may be applied to less than or more than the parameters discussed herein . similarly , the present invention may be used with one or more of the trend rules discussed herein . accordingly , the appended claims should be construed broadly , to include other variants and embodiments of the invention , which may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and range of equivalents of the invention .	7
preferred embodiments in accordance with the present invention will be explained hereinbelow with reference to drawings . referring now to fig2 there is schematically illustrated in the form of a block diagram of a mobile telephone in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention . as illustrated in fig2 the mobile telephone 10 in accordance with the first embodiment is comprised of an antenna 11 , a radio transmission / reception circuit 12 connected to the antenna 11 , a control circuit 13 , a voice signal processing circuit 14 , a microphone 15 , a receiver 16 , key switches 17 , rom 18 , ram 19 , a real - time clock circuit 20 , a voice recognition circuit 21 , and lcd 22 . the radio transmission / reception circuit 12 , the voice signal processing circuit 14 , the key switches 17 , rom 18 , ram 19 , the real - time clock circuit 20 , the voice recognition circuit 21 , and lcd 22 are all electrically connected to the control circuit 13 . the microphone 15 , the receiver 16 , and the voice recognition circuit 21 are all electrically connected to the voice signal processing circuit 14 . the antenna 11 receives a radio signal from a base station ( not illustrated ), and feeds the thus received radio signal to the radio transmission / reception circuit 12 . the antenna 11 receives also a signal transmitted from the radio transmission / reception circuit 12 , and transmits it to the base station . the radio transmission / reception circuit 12 is comprised mainly of a reception circuit and a transmission circuit . when a call arrives at the mobile telephone 10 , the radio transmission / reception circuit 12 receives a call signal from the antenna 11 , and transmits it to the control circuit 13 . the control circuit 13 stores the thus received call signal into ram 19 as a reception history data . on the other hand , when a user makes a call by operating the key switches 17 , the control circuit 13 provides a transmission signal to the radio transmission / reception circuit 12 , which transmits the thus received transmission signal to the base station via the antenna 11 . the control circuit 13 stores the transmission signal into ram 19 as a transmission history data . the control circuit 13 is connected to the real - time clock circuit 20 , which informs the control circuit 13 of time - wise information including a year , a month , a day , a time , and the like . when storing the reception or transmission history into ram 19 , the control circuit 13 adds the time - wise information supplied from the real - time clock circuit 20 , to the reception or transmission history . that is , a caller &# 39 ; s phone number or destination phone number is stored into ram 19 , along with the time - wise information including a year , a month , a day and a time at which the information is stored , as reception / transmission history data . when the key switches 17 are operated by a user to thereby put the mobile telephone 10 in a condition in which voice entry can be carried out , the control circuit 13 supplies voice data to be used for voice recognition , stored in rom 18 , to the voice recognition circuit 21 . then , when a user speaks to the microphone 15 to make entry of voice data , the voice signal processing circuit 14 converts the entered voice data to a digital signal , and supplies the thus converted digital signal to the voice recognition circuit 21 . the voice recognition circuit 21 compares the voice data supplied from rom 18 and the data supplied from the voice signal processing circuit 14 with each other to thereby judge what is meant by the voice data entered through the microphone 15 . when the voice recognition circuit 21 completes the judgment , the voice recognition circuit 21 gives an instruction to the control circuit 13 to both receive response voice data stored in rom 18 for noticing a result of the judgment and display the judgment result on lcd 22 . the control circuit 13 reads out the response voice data transmitted from rom 18 , and supplies the thus read out response voice data to the voice signal processing circuit 14 , while displaying the judgment result on lcd 22 . the voice signal processing circuit 14 converts the supplied response voice data into a voice signal , and transmits the thus converted signal through the receiver 16 . hereinbelow is explained an operation of the mobile telephone 10 in accordance with the first embodiment . fig3 is a flow chart of an operation of the mobile telephone 10 in accordance with the first embodiment of the present invention . first , an initial value n is set to be equal to zero ( n = 0 ) in step s 21 . this initial value constitutes a memory location number of reception or transmission history data of which the date and time are nearest to a current date and time . a memory such as ram 19 can store a maximum number n of reception and transmission history data . namely , the reception or transmission history data is numbered as n = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 2 , n − 1 and n in a direction from the oldest to newest ones . the key switches are operated to thereby start up the voice recognition procedure for accepting a voice input , in step s 22 . when no voice input is entered for a certain period of time starting from step s 22 , the control circuit 13 terminates the voice recognition procedure , and waits again for restarting the voice recognition procedure . if a voice is entered and recognized in step s 24 , and judged in step s 25 to be a voice requiring to evoke reception history , the n - th data is displayed , in step s 26 . herein , the date and time of the n - th data are nearest to the current date and time . at this time , if a voice - response mode is set , the result of the voice recognition is output through the receiver 16 as well . then , the initial value n is changed to n = n + 1 in step s 27 , and the control circuit 13 waits for a next operation to be carried out by a user of the mobile telephone . if the voice recognition is ended in step s 28 , the reception history display and the voice recognition procedure are terminated in step s 29 ( yes in step s 28 ). if the reception history display and the voice recognition procedure are continued in step s 28 ( no in step s 28 ), the reception history flag is turned on in order to recognize that the reception history is currently evoked , in step s 30 . at this time , if a voice for prompting to display a next data , such as “ next display ”, for example , is entered , the voice recognition is carried out again , and the n - th data ( of which the date and time are nearest to the current ones ) is displayed . herein , the date and time of the n - th data is older than the previous data , but is newest among the rest . at this time , if the voice - response mode is set , the result of the voice recognition is output through the receiver 16 . the continuation of the voice recognition procedure enables to display the reception history data beginning with the oldest one stored in ram 19 in the mobile telephone . on the other hand , if the voice input is judged to be a voice requiring to evoke transmission history in step s 25 , the n - th data is displayed in step s 31 . herein , the date and time of the n - th data are nearest to the current date and time . at this time , if the voice - response mode is set , the result of the voice recognition procedure is output through the receiver 16 as well . then , the initial value n is changed to n = n + 1 in step s 32 , and the control circuit 13 waits for a next operation . when the voice recognition is forced to end in step s 33 , the transmission history display and the voice recognition procedure are ended in step s 34 . if the transmission history display and the voice recognition procedure are continued to be carried out , the transmission history flag is turned on in step s 35 in order to recognize that the transmission history is currently evoked . at this time , if a voice for prompting to display a next data , such as “ next display ”, for example , is entered , the voice recognition procedure is carried out again , and the n - th data is displayed . herein , the date and time of the n - th data is older than the previous data , but is newest among the rest . if a voice - response mode is set , the voice recognition result is output through the receiver 16 . this continuation of the voice recognition procedure enables to display the transmission history data beginning with the oldest one stored in ram 19 in the mobile telephone . the mobile telephone in accordance with the second embodiment is described hereinbelow . in the above - mentioned first embodiment , transmission or reception history is first evoked , and then a voice is entered , resulting in that the transmission or reception history data can be evoked one after another . each of the transmission and reception history data is stored in ram 19 , including time - wise information added thereto by means of the real - time clock circuit 20 . hence , by making entry of a voice together with time - wise information , reception or transmission history data associated with the time - wise information can be evoked . the second embodiment is explained hereinbelow with reference to fig4 which is a flow chart of an operation to be carried out in the second embodiment . first , an initial value n is set to be equal to zero ( n = 0 ) in step s 40 . this initial value constitutes a memory location number of reception or transmission history data of which the date and time are nearest to a current date and time . a memory such as ram 19 can store a maximum number n of reception and transmission history data . namely , the reception or transmission history data is numbered as n = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 2 , n − 1 and n in a direction from the oldest to newest ones . the key switches are operated to thereby start up the voice recognition procedure for accepting a voice input , in step s 41 . when no voice input is entered for a certain period of time starting from step s 41 , the control circuit 13 terminates the voice recognition procedure , and waits again for restarting the voice recognition procedure . if a voice is entered and recognized in step s 42 , and judged in step s 43 to be a voice requiring to evoke reception history , the control circuit 13 proceeds to an operation for displaying the reception history data . if it is judged in step s 45 that a voice input includes calendar information such as date and time like “ reception history dated january 3 ”, for example , and is actually judged to include such calendar information in the result of voice recognition , reception history data stored at a corresponding x - th memory is retrieved and evoked for display on lcd 22 , in step s 46 . at this time , if the voice - response mode is set , the recognition result is output through the receiver 16 as well . then , the initial value n is changed to n = n + x in step s 47 , and the control circuit 13 waits for a next operation to be carried out by a user of the mobile telephone . it should be noted that if the result of the retrieval shows that there exists no data at the indicated date , namely , the january 3 , an x - th reception history data having the date nearest to the retrieval date is displayed in step s 46 . if it is judged in step s 45 that no calendar information such as date and time is added to the voice input , an n - th data is displayed in step s 48 . herein , the date and time of the n - th data is nearest to the current date and time . at this time , if the voice - response mode is set , the result of the voice recognition is output through the receiver 16 as well . then , the initial value n is changed into n = n + 1 in step s 49 , and the control circuit 13 waits for a next operation . if the voice recognition is forced to end in step s 50 , the reception history display and the voice recognition procedure are terminated in step s 51 . if the recognition is continued in step s 50 , the reception history flag is turned on in step s 52 in order to recognize that the reception history is currently evoked . at this time , if a prompting voice to display a next data , such as “ next display ”, for example , is entered , the voice recognition is carried out , and the n - th data is displayed . herein , the n - th data is just older than the previous data by only one . if the voice - response mode is set , the recognition result is output through the receiver 16 . the continuation of the recognition enables to display the reception history data beginning with the oldest one stored in ram 19 in the mobile telephone . if time - wise information like “ december 25 ”, for example , is made entry again during entry of a voice , reception history data associated with the indicated date can be retrieved to display a corresponding x - th data . if the entered voice is judged in step s 44 to be a voice requiring to evoke transmission history , the control circuit 13 proceeds to an operation for displaying the transmission history . if it is judged in step s 53 that a voice input includes calendar information such as date and time like “ transmission history dated january 3 ”, for example , and is actually judged to include such calendar information in the result of voice recognition , transmission history data stored at a corresponding x - th memory is retrieved and evoked for display on lcd 22 , in step s 54 . at this time , if the voice - response mode is set , the recognition result is output through the receiver 16 as well . then , the initial value n is changed to n = n + x in step s 55 , and the control circuit 13 waits for a next operation to be carried out by a user of the mobile telephone . it should be noted that if the result of the retrieval shows that there exists no data at the indicated date , namely , the january 3 , an x - th transmission history data having the date nearest to the retrieval date is displayed in step s 54 . if it is judged in step s 53 that no calendar information such as date and time is added to the voice input , an n - th data is displayed in step s 56 . herein , the date and time of the n - th data is nearest to the current date and time . at this time , if the voice - response mode is set , the result of the voice recognition is output through the receiver 16 as well . then , the initial value n is changed into n = n + 1 in step s 57 , and the control circuit 13 waits for a next operation . if the voice recognition is forced to end in step s 58 , the transmission history display and the voice recognition procedure are terminated in step s 59 . if the recognition is continued in step s 58 , the transmission history flag is turned on in step s 60 in order to recognize that the transmission history is currently evoked . at this time , if a prompting voice to display a next data , such as “ next display ”, for example , is entered , the voice recognition is carried out , and the n - th data is displayed . herein , the n - th data is just older than the previous data by only one . if the voice - response mode is set , the recognition result is output through the receiver 16 . the continuation of the recognition enables to display the transmission history data beginning with the oldest one stored in ram 19 in the mobile telephone . if time - wise information like “ december 25 ”, for example , is made entry again during entry of a voice , transmission history data associated with the indicated date can be retrieved to display a corresponding x - th data . hereinbelow is explained the mobile telephone in accordance with the third embodiment of the present invention . in the first and second embodiments having been described with reference to fig3 and 4 , the voice recognition procedure is always in operation while reception or transmission history data is being evoked . however , the prevent invention can be applied to a mobile telephone having an independent voice recognition function , that is , a mobile telephone in which the voice recognition procedure is automatically terminated upon delivery of a recognition result . the third embodiment of the present invention is explained hereinbelow with reference to fig5 which is a flow chart of an operation to be carried out in the third embodiment . first , an initial value n is set to be equal to zero ( n = 0 ) in step s 70 . this initial value constitutes a memory location number of reception or transmission history data of which the date and time are nearest to a current date and time . a memory such as ram 19 can store a maximum number n of reception and transmission history data . namely , the reception or transmission history data is numbered as n = 0 , 1 , 2 , . . . , n − 2 , n − 1 and n in a direction from the oldest to newest ones . the key switches are operated to thereby start up the voice recognition procedure for accepting a voice input , in step s 71 . in step s 72 , it is checked as to whether any history is currently displayed on lcd screen 22 . if no history is displayed ( no in step s 72 ), there is conducted the same procedure as the procedure starting from the marking aa to the marking bb in fig3 . the procedure will not be discussed any longer . it is now assumed that the voice recognition is ended , and a result of the recognition is transmitted to the control circuit 13 to thereby terminate the voice recognition procedure . if it is ascertained in step s 72 that any history data is displayed on lcd 22 , it is checked in step s 73 as to which history is being displayed on lcd 22 , reception or transmission history . depending upon the history being displayed on lcd 22 , the corresponding history flag is turned on . the control circuit 13 waits for a voice to be entered . if no voice is made entry ( no in step s 74 ), the voice recognition procedure is terminated , and the control circuit 13 is put in a waiting condition again until the voice recognition is restarted . if a voice is entered ( yes in step s 74 ), the control circuit 13 proceeds to a voice recognition procedure in step s 75 . at this time , if it is judged that a prompting voice to display a next reception history data , such as “ reception history ” or “ next display ”, for example , has been entered while reception history , for example , is being displayed , the judgement result is transmitted to the control circuit 13 , which terminates the voice recognition procedure . receiving the judgement result , the control circuit 13 displays an n - th data on lcd 22 , in step s 77 . at this time , if the voice - response mode is set , the recognition result is output through the receiver 16 as well . then , the initial value n is changed into n = n + 1 in step s 78 , and the control circuit 13 terminates the voice recognition procedure in step s 79 . then , the control circuit 13 waits for a next operation , that is , an operation for restarting the voice recognition procedure . while the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives , modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims . the entire disclosure of japanese patent application no . 10 - 75412 filed on mar . 24 , 1998 including specification , claims , drawings and summary is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety .	7
the block diagram of the auto - sequenced state machine ( 20 ) according to the present invention is shown in fig2 . the state machine comprises the basic elements of the moore state machine which are the combinational circuit ( 1 ) receiving the inputs x and generating the next state d ( t ) ( 6 ) according to the current state signal q ( t ) ( 5 ). the latches ( 2 ) receives the data signals d ( t ) and generates the current state signals q ( t ) to the output decode ( 9 ) which decodes those signals to output the signals ( z ) to the down - ward circuit . the sequencer ( 16 ) according to the present invention receives the current state signals q ( t ) from the moore state machine in order to generate an asynchronous clock signal referred to the system clock . the sequencer ( 16 ) comprises : a current state decoder ( 15 ) which decodes the current state signals q ( t ) that it receives from the moore state machine in order to select one of the biphase state timers ( 13 ). a plurality of state timing programming circuits ( 12 ), and in the preferred embodiment , there are 6 state timing values ( s0 , s1 , s2r , s2m , s2w , and s3 ) which correspond to the number of biphase state timers ; the user programs those state timing programming circuits to a number of clock cycles which is required by the enviromnent in which the auto - sequenced state machine is to be used , for example by the memory to which the auto - sequenced state machine is connected ; those state timing programming circuits decode and select the different terminal counts that are to be generated by the biphase state timers . a plurality of biphase state timers ( 13 ), and in the preferred embodiment , there are 6 biphase state timers ( 13 - 1 , . . . , 13 - 6 ), wherein each one receives 2 system clocks ( clkl and bar - clkl which is the opposite phase of clkl ) in order to generate the different terminal count clocks defined later on , and an or circuit ( 11 ) which receives the terminal counts from the current selected biphase state timer , and finally generates the current terminal count used by the moore state machine . fig3 shows the environment in which the auto - sequenced state machine of the present invention is implemented . the auto sequenced state machine ( 20 ) is included in a dram memory controller ( 30 ) which centralizes all the access to a dram memory ( 31 ) requested by the different users ( 32 ) to which it is connected . this dram memory ( 31 ) is shared by those users which may have their own clock frequencies . the auto - sequenced state machine is the interface between the control memory and the memory and it enables to access to the shared memory thanks to a unidirectional address bus ( 36 ), a bidirectional data bus ( 37 ) for the data transmission and reception , and control lines ( 35 ). the data bus ( 37 ) has its own clock signal whose frequency may be different from the users clock frequency . the control lines ( 35 ) contain different signal transmissions ( refer to fig4 ) to be received by the shared memory in order to perform the read or write operations . but , before reading or writing in the memory which may be represented as a two - dimensions array ( rows and columns ), the state machine has to locate the exact place in the storage by indicating firstly the row and afterwards the column . the control lines ( 35 ) should carry therefore the following signals : (- ras ): row address strobe which indicates the row of the memory is selected ( active at low position ), (- cas ): column address strobe which indicates the column of the memory is selected ( active at low position ), (- w / r ): indicates the write and read input ( write input being at a low position ), and (- oe ): indicates the data outputs enabled ( active at a low position ) in order to transmit the data read from the memory . according to the state of the ras and cas , the row address and the column address are sent on mux add ( row / column inputs ). and according to the state of the control lines ( 35 ) and the address of the memory location ( mux add ), the signal din / out ( bidirectional data in / data out ) will enables to transmit or to receive the data in the memory for the write or read operation . fig4 represents an example of use of the programmable states according to the states of the control signals issued by the auto - sequenced state machine . in the preferred embodiment , there are six different states , but the present implementation may be used for as many states as necessary . the state s0 is the idle state of the memory where the (- ras ) signal ( 42 ), (- cas ) signal ( 43 ), the (- write /+ read ) signal ( 44 ) and the oe signal are at their idle state which is the high level . the state s1 starts when the row address is presented by activating the (- ras ) signal ( 42 ) to the low level while the (- cas ), (- w / r ) and (- oe ) are still idle ( high level ). in this example , at time t0 , the state s1 starts at the rising or falling edge of the functional clock signal ( 41 ) and when the row address is sent on the address bus . the state s2 corresponds to three different operations of reading ( s2r ), modifying ( s2m ) or writing ( s2w ) the data in the memory . each one of the three state may start whenever the clock signals ( 41 ) is at the rising or falling edge , but in case a modifying operation is required , the state s2m is always preceded by the state of reading ( s2r ) and followed by the state of writing ( s2w ), refer to the table 1 shown below . the state ( s2r ) starts when the column address is presented by activating the (- cas ) signals ( 43 ) and the (- oe ) to their low level while the (- ras ) signal is kept at the low level and also while the (- w / r ) is kept at its high level . the state ( s2m ) starts when the (- oe ) becomes idle ( high level ) while the (- ras ) and (- cas ) are kept at their low level , and while the (- w / r ) is kept idle . the state ( s2w ) starts when the (- w / r ) signal is activated to its low level for the write operation while the (- ras ) and (- cas ) are at their low level and the (- oe ) at his high level . in the example shown in fig4 at time t1 , the state s2 ( s2r or s2m or s2w ) starts whenever it is at the rising or falling edge of the clock signal and when the column address is presented by activating the (- cas ) signal ( 43 ) to the low level while the (- ras ) signal is kept at the low level . the state s3 starts when all the signals (- ras ), (- cas ), (- w / r ) and (- oe ) becomes idle whenever the clock signal ( 41 ) is at the rising or falling edge . then , at time t2 , the state s3 starts when the signals (- ras ), (- cas ), (- write /+ read ) and (- oe ) returns to their idle state which is the high level . this state represents the pre - charge necessary to access once again the memory at a new row address . the following table represents the transition table of the state machine in the preferred embodiment , i . e the logical conditions which have to be satisfied to change from one state to another . the state transitions depend on the external events which are the variables : + miw pending : memory instruction word pending which is set to 1 when an instruction is awaited , + sr /- nr : same row / new row which is set to 1 when the reading or writing operation is performed on the same row of the memory , as was previously said , the state machine perform three kinds of operations ( read , write and modify ) which corresponds to the states s2r , s2w and s2m . the memory is 32 - bits wide and is divided into 4 bytes ( b1 , b2 , b3 and b4 ), each byte storing 8 bits . * for a simple read operation , the state machine reads the 4 bytes b1b2b3b4 at the same time , * for a simple write operation , the state machine writes the 4 bytes b1b2b3b4 at the same time , * for a modify operation , the state machine has to read first , to modify and then to write . for instance , when the state machine has to modify b2b3 which are the byte enabled , the state machine has to perform the 3 following steps : + all byte enabled ( for the present state ) which is set to 1 when it is a full write operation ( the state will go the state s2w ), and it is set to 0 for a partial write operation ( in case of a modify operation ), + all byte enabled ( previous state ) which is set to 1 when for the previous access has been performed on full word , it is set to 0 to indicate that only half a word has been enabled . ______________________________________states of ` inbus ` + all byti en - n f + all abledd r + miw byt . ( pre - e o t pend - + sr / - w / en - viousx m o ing - nr + r abled state ) ______________________________________0 s0 s0 0 x x x x1 s0 s1 1 x x x x2 s1 s2r 1 x 1 x x 1 x 0 0 x3 s1 s2w 1 x 0 1 x4 * s1 s0 0 x x x x5 s2r s2r 1 1 1 x x 1 1 0 0 16 s2r s2w 1 1 0 1 x7 s2r s2m 1 x 0 0 08 s2r s3 1 0 x x 1 0 x x x x9 * s2r s0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 x 010 s2w s2r 1 1 1 x x 1 1 0 0 x11 s2w s2w 1 1 0 1 x12 s2w s3 1 0 x x x 0 x x x x13 s2m s2w x x x x x14 s3 s1 1 x x x x15 s3 s0 0 x x x x______________________________________ all the state timers mentioned above ( s1 , . . . , s3 ) may have different numbers of clock cycles ( 1 clock cycle , 1 . 5 , 2 or 2 . 5 clock cycles ). fig5 shows the implementation of the biphase state timer of the auto - sequenced state machine according to the present invention . the biphase state timer ( 13 ) is composed of three counters ( 50 - 1 , 50 - 2 , 50 - 3 ) and a selector ( 51 ) which selects the counter one after another . as each state may be repeated , it is necessary to use three counters because a counter is not immediately reusable once it has emitted its terminal count ( tc ), its reset is not instantaneous . the selector will select therefore the next counter in order to let the previous counter reset itself . the selector comprises three cascading pointers ( 51 - 1 , 51 - 2 , 51 - 3 ) which enables to select the corresponding counter ( 50 - 1 , 50 - 2 or 50 - 3 ). each counter ( 50 - 1 ) comprises two pairs of cascading flip / flop latches ( 55 - a , 55 - b and 56 - a , 56 - b ). the first flip - flop latch ( 55 - a ) is clocked by the clock signal clkl whereas the second flip - flop latch ( 55 - b ) is clocked by the clock signal barclkl which is in opposite phase . both pairs of latches ( 55 - a , 55 - b and 56 - a , 56 - b ) are connected in the same way , except that the second pairs of latches ( 56 - a and 56 - b ) are respectively clocked by the clock signal barclkl and the clock signal clkl . this enables counting of half a cycle of the reference clock ( clkl ), doubling the clock rate . only the first pair will be described in detail and one may generalize the connection to the pair of latches ( 56 - a and 56 - b ) and the four pairs of cascading latches in the counters ( 50 - 2 and 50 - 3 ). the first pointer ( 51 - 1 ) is connected to the first and second pairs ( 55 - a , 55 - b and 56 - a , 56 - b ) of cascading latches through a and gate ( 54 ) which also receives the signal of the state selected ( 52 ) fed from the current state decoder ( 15 ) and the signal ( bar - b1 - 1 ) of the second flip - flop latch ( 55 - b ). this and gate ( 54 ) is then connected to the first flip - flop latch ( 55 - a ) which generates an output signal ( a1 - 1 ) which is also received by the second latch ( 55 - b ). therefore , this first counter ( 50 - 1 ) issues four output signals ( a1 - 1 , b1 - 1 , a2 - 1 and b2 - 1 ) from the first and the second pairs of cascading flip - flop latches . the second and third pointers ( 51 - 2 and 51 - 3 ) are respectively dedicated to the second and the third counters ( 50 - 2 and 50 - 3 ) which also contain two pairs of cascading latches . the selector circulates a valid pointer at each final terminal count , then a counter ( 50 - 1 ) is enabled when the corresponding state is selected , the corresponding pointer is valid and the counter is reset ( and gate ( 54 ) set to 1 ). fig6 shows the complete implementation of the biphase state timer comprising the three counters ( 50 - 1 , 50 - 2 and 50 - 3 ), each one issuing four output signals . the first counter ( 50 - 1 ) issues the outputs signals ( b1 - 1 , a1 - 1 , b2 - 1 , a2 - 1 ) to a decode circuit ( 60 - 1 ) which enables to isolate the different terminal counts ( tc1 , tc1 . 5 , tc2 , etc . . . ) transmitted from the counter . each terminal count is then respectively transmitted to an or gate . the terminal count tc1 is received by an or gate ( 61 ), the terminal count tc1 . 5 is then received by another or gate ( 62 ) and so on for the terminal counts tc2 and tc2 . 5 . the second and third counters ( 50 - 2 , 50 - 3 ) respectively issue four outputs to the decode circuits ( 60 - 2 , 60 - 3 ) which also isolate the different terminal counts . in the preferred implementation , there are four terminal counts ( tc1 , tc1 . 5 , tc2 , and tc2 . 5 ). when tc1 is set , it generates a pulse of half - cycle one cycle after the previous tc clock . in the same way , when tc2 . 5 is set , it generates a pulse of half - cycle two and a half cycles after the previous tc clock . for instance , in the case of a reading sequence of a plurality of words in the memory : the biphase state timer ( s2r ) is used . on the first read , the selector ( 51 ) is ready to operate with its first valid pointer . on the second read , the selector circulates the valid pointer to the second latch , and on the third read , to the third latch . for the fourth read , the valid pointer is again the first latch , and so forth . . . the final terminal count of ( tc1 , tc1 . 5 , tc2 , tc2 . 5 ) will be simply an or gate ( 61 ) of the terminal counts corresponding to each counter . each or gate ( 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 ) respectively receives the terminal counts tc1 , tc1 . 5 , tc2 , and tc2 . 5 from the three decode circuits ( 60 - 1 , 60 - 2 and 60 - 3 ). when the biphase state timer arrives to the terminal count chosen by the program , the pulse is sent immediately as an asynchronous clock signal to increment the state machine . in a special application , let &# 39 ; s assume that the memory demands 45 nanoseconds for a read operation and that the clock cycle of the system is 40 nanoseconds , the user will program the state timer s2r for a cycle and a half ( 60 nanoseconds ) by selecting the terminal count tc1 . 5 of the state timer s2r . this implementation improves the performance by enabling to change the timing of each state according to the memory used and also to fit the timing to half a clock cycle . to refer to the previous example , the read operation will be performed for 60 nanoseconds whereas a usual state machine would used 80 nanoseconds . besides , this setting may be dynamic , i . e the timing be changed while the state machine is operating : the new setting is taken into account by the biphase state timer as soon as it goes to its idle state . the above example for the s2r may be also used for the other state timer s1 , s2w , s2m and s3 . fig7 gives an example of a timing schedule for a read operation requested by a user and performed by the auto - sequenced state machine according to the present invention . in this example , the state so is programmed for a terminal count whose value is 1 clock cycle , the state s1 is programmed for a terminal count whose value is 1 . 5 clock cycle , the state s2r is programmed for a terminal count whose value is 2 clock cycles , and the state s3 is programmed for a terminal count whose value is 2 . 5 clock cycles . to each pulse of the terminal count corresponds a state ( s0 , s1 , s2r , . . . , s3 ) of the auto - sequenced state machine . the pulse of the state machine may occur whenever during the functional clock , it is not necessary that it occurs on the rising or falling edge of the functional clock signal ( 71 ), as is represented in this example . at time t0 , the counter which is dedicated to the program of the state s0 , in the present case the first counter which is pointed by the selector , emits a pulse . and at time t0 &# 39 ;, the second counter pointed in its turn by the selector will emit a pulse , one clock cycle after the first pulse mentioned above . the terminal count signal tcs0 ( 72 ) represents therefore two pulses on the timing schedule separated by a clock cycle . the second pulse emitted corresponds then to the beginning of the state s1 . at time t1 , the counter which is dedicated to the state s1 , in the present case the second counter which is idle , emits a pulse one clock cycle and a half after t0 &# 39 ; on the terminal count signal tcs1 ( 73 ). this pulse corresponds in this example to the beginning of the state s2r . at time t2 , the counter dedicated to the state s2 , in the present case the second counter which is idle , emits a pulse two clock cycles after t1 on the terminal count signal tcs2r ( 74 ) to indicate that the read operation has to be iterated . therefore , the read operation will be performed again by the state machine . and at time t2 &# 39 ; two clock cycles after t2 , the third counter dedicated to the state s2 emits a pulse to indicate that the state s3 may start . therefore , the timing schedule of the terminal count signal tcs2r will represent two pulse separated by two clock cycles . at time t3 , the first counter dedicated to the state s3 emits a pulse on the terminal count signal tcs3 ( 75 ), two and a half clock cycles after time t2 &# 39 ;. this pulse indicates then the beginning of the state s0 . at the new time t0 , the third counter dedicated to the state s0 emits again a pulse to indicate that the biphase state timer is kept to its idle state which corresponds to the state s0 . in the same way , at time t0 &# 39 ;, a clock cycle after the previous t0 , the first counter dedicated to the state s0 emits a pulse to keep the biphase state timer to its idle state . fig8 gives an example of a static column mode read and write cycle requested by a user . in this example , the number of cycles required for the state s1 is 1 clock cycle , for the states s2r and s2w is 1 . 5 clock cycles and for the state s3 is 2 clock cycles . even though in the shown example , the control signals occur at the rising or falling edges , in fact the system may function whenever the control signals occur and the delays of the 1 , 1 . 5 or 2 cycles are respected , as was described in the previous fig7 . in the example , the control signals ( ras , cas , w / r and oe ) determine the different states of s0 , s1 , s2r , s2w and s3 . before time t0 , the state machine is at its idle state s0 . at time t0 , the - ras signal ( 81 ) is activated , therefore the row address ( row0 ) is presented on the address bus ( 85 ), and the state s1 may start . as is said , the number of cycles of the present state s1 is 1 clock cycle . then at the next rising edge of the functional clock ( 80 ), at time t1 , the - cas signal ( 82 ) is activated and the column address ( col0 ) is presented on the address bus ( 85 ) while the - oe signal is activated to enable the reading operation to be performed , which enables the data ( d0 ) to be loaded ( 86 ) for the transmission to the user that has requested this operation . the state s2r of the reading operation is then achieved . at time t2 , one and a half clock cycle of the functional clock ( 80 ) after t1 , the address of a new column ( col1 ) is presented on the address bus ( 85 ) while the row address remains the same . the oe signal is by the way also inactivated at that time . and at time t2 &# 39 ;, the - w / r signal is activated when the write operation is ready , then the data ( d1 ) which are received are written in the memory as is shown on the signal din / out ( 86 ). at time t2 &# 34 ;, one and a half clock cycle after t2 , when the write operation has ended , the - w / r signal becomes inactive ( the signal is reset to its default state which is the reading state ), then the column ( col2 ) is presented on the address bus ( 85 ) while the - oe signal becomes active to enable the data ( d2 ) to be read and to be loaded for the transmission to the user that has requested this operation . the writing operation ( s2w ) is then achieved . at time t2 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, one and a half clock cycle after t2 &# 34 ;, the - ras , - cas and - oe signals become inactive . the state of pre - charge of the memory after an access ( s3 ) begins . fig9 gives an example of a static column mode read modify write cycle requested by a user . also in this example , the number of cycles required for the state s1 is 1 clock cycle , for the states s2r , s2m and s2w is 1 . 5 clock cycles , and for the state s3 is 2 clock cycles . before time t0 , the state machine is at its idle state s0 . at time t0 , the - ras signal ( 91 ) is activated , therefore the row address ( row0 ) is presented on the address bus ( 95 ), and the state s1 may start . as is said , the number of cycles of the present state s1 is clock cycle . then , at the next rising edge of the functional clock ( 90 ), at time t1 , the - cas signal ( 92 ) is activated and the column address ( col0 ) is presented on the address bus ( 95 ) while the - oe signal is activated to enable the reading operation to be performed , which enables the data ( d0 ) to be loaded ( 96 ) for the transmission to the user that has requested this operation . the state s2r of the reading operation is then achieved . at time t2 , one and a half clock cycle of the functional clock ( 90 ) after t1 , the - oe signal ( 94 ) becomes inactive to indicate that the data will be modified , the state ( s2m ) may then start by a writing operation that will follow . at time t2 &# 39 ;, one and a half clock cycle after time t2 , the state machine keeps the same column ( col0 ) in order to modify the data read previously , and at time t2 &# 34 ;, the - w / r signal is activated when the write operation is ready , then the data ( d1 ) to be substituted to the old data and which are received are written in the memory as is shown on the signal din / out ( 96 ). the state ( s2w ) is then achieved . at time t2 &# 34 ;&# 39 ;, one and a half clock cycle after t2 &# 39 ;, the - ras , - cas and - oe signals become inactive . the state of pre - charge of the memory after an access ( s3 ) begins before the state machine goes to its idle state ( s0 ).	6
the subject matter of select embodiments of the invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements . but the description itself is not intended to necessarily limit the scope of claims . rather , the claimed subject matter might be embodied in other ways to include different components , steps , or combinations thereof similar to the ones described in this document , in conjunction with other present or future technologies . terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly described . embodiments of the invention are described herein with respect to the drawings in which reference numerals are employed to identify particular components or features . similar elements in the various embodiments depicted are provided with reference numerals having matching second and third digits but with differing first digits , e . g . element 10 is similar to elements 110 , 210 , etc . such is provided to avoid redundant description of similar features of the elements but is not intended to indicate the features or elements are necessarily the same . four - digit reference numerals are reserved for description of method steps and do not correlate with the three - digit reference numerals used herein . embodiments of the invention are described herein with respect to delivery of ballast material , or simply “ ballast ,” at a desired location along a railway or rail system . however , such is not intended to limit the type of material or applications in which embodiments of the invention might be employed . terms of relativity , such as forward , rearward , aft , above , below , top , and bottom are used relative to the orientation of the objects included in the drawings and with respect to a forward direction of conveying being from right to left in fig1 of the drawings . material is generally described as being conveyed from a rear end or receiving end of a car or conveyor to a forward end or discharge end of a car or conveyor . it is also to be understood that the material distribution consist of embodiments of the invention described herein may travel in either direction . with reference now to fig1 and 2 , a material distribution consist 100 is described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the material distribution consist 100 includes an offloading car 102 , a plurality of hopper cars 104 , one or more generator / transfer cars 206 , and may include one or more generator cars 106 . the consist 100 may include one or more power or drive cars or locomotives ( not shown ) that couple to the consist 100 to propel the consist 100 along a rail system or one or more of the cars 102 , 104 , 106 may be provided with or include a propulsion system for driving the consist 100 along the rail system . the offloading car 102 includes an operator &# 39 ; s station 108 , a primary conveyor 110 , an offloading conveyor 112 , a generator 114 , and a hydraulic pump 116 . the operator &# 39 ; s station 108 includes one or more control surfaces , computers , displays , and the like to enable an operator to control operation of components disposed on the offloading car 102 as well as the hopper cars 104 and the generator car 106 . the primary conveyor 110 is positioned near a rearward end of the offloading car 102 and extends at an upward angle toward the forward end of the car 102 . the rear end of the primary conveyor 110 is configured to be at least partially longitudinally overlapped by a hopper conveyor 118 disposed on the hopper car 104 located immediately aft of the offloading car 102 and may extend beyond the rear end of the car 102 . a scale 120 or other weighing device may be disposed on or integrated with the primary conveyor 110 to measure the weight of ballast materials being transported thereby . the forward end of the primary conveyor 110 is supported above an intake end of the offloading conveyor 112 . a chute 122 or other housing may be provided at the forward end of the primary conveyor 110 to direct the ballast materials thereon onto the underlying offloading conveyor 112 . the offloading conveyor 112 is rotatably and pivotably mounted on the offloading car 102 . the intake end of the offloading conveyor 112 is coupled to a rotatable support structure 124 located generally centrally along the length of the offloading car 102 . the support structure 124 is rotatable or pivotable preferably about 180 ° side - to - side to enable offloading of ballast materials on either side of the offloading car 102 , as shown in fig5 ; greater or lesser amounts of rotation may be provided . the terms “ about ” or “ approximately ” as used herein denote deviations from the exact value by +/− 10 %, preferably by +/− 5 % and / or deviations in the form of changes that are insignificant to the function . the offloading conveyor 112 may also be positioned to offload materials in front of the consist 100 or at any desired angle to either side of the consist 100 . the offloading conveyor 112 extends from the support structure 124 in a cantilevered fashion and may be at least partially vertically pivotable about the coupling with the support structure 124 to enable raising / lowering of the discharge end of the conveyor 112 . the generator 114 comprises an available generator technology and may be included on the offloading car 102 to provide electrical power for operation of the controls in the operator &# 39 ; s station 108 , operation of the primary and offloading conveyors 110 , 112 , and / or operation of the hydraulic pump 116 . in another embodiment , the generator 114 is omitted and electrical energy is provided to the offloading car 102 from the generator / transfer car 206 or the generator car 106 , as described more fully below . the hydraulic pump 116 comprises an available hydraulic pump or hydraulic pressure generation system . the hydraulic pump 116 is configured to provide sufficient hydraulic pressure for operation of actuators included on the offloading car 102 as well as those disposed on the hopper cars 104 and / or the generator car 106 . for example , actuators on the offloading car 102 may function to rotate and pivot the offloading conveyor 112 and actuators on the hopper cars 104 may function to open / close gates , as described below . although the pump 116 and associated actuators and systems described herein are termed hydraulic , other systems , such as electronic , mechanical , and pneumatic , among others can be employed . in another embodiment , the hydraulic pump 116 is disposed on the generator / transfer car 206 , the generator car 106 or on another car in the consist 100 . appropriate connections are provided between the offloading car 102 , the hopper cars 104 , the generator / transfer car 206 , and the generator car 106 to conduct electricity , hydraulic fluids / pressure , and communications between the cars . as depicted in fig1 and 2 , each hopper car 104 comprises a car frame 126 supported on trucks 127 and a car body 128 disposed thereon . the car body 128 includes an outer wall 130 substantially enclosing a hopper 132 and the hopper conveyor 118 therein . the outer wall 130 may form a portion of the walls of the hopper 128 and may aid to contain dust and debris produced by the offloading process and / or to protect the components from the environment . in another embodiment , the hopper car 104 is constructed without the outer wall 130 . in one embodiment , the hopper car 104 is constructed by retrofitting existing bulk freight rail cars , such as open - wagons , box cars , or the like . the hopper conveyor 118 is disposed on the car frame 126 between the car frame 126 and the hopper 132 . the hopper conveyor 118 extends the length of the hopper car 104 and preferably extends a distance beyond each end of the car 104 so as to overlap with conveyors disposed on adjacent hopper cars 104 , the offloading car 102 , or the generator / transfer car 206 described more fully below . in some embodiments , a dedicated end car 104 ′ is provided as depicted in fig2 . the end car 104 ′ is identical to the hopper cars 104 , but the conveyor 118 disposed therein does not extend beyond a rearward end of the end car 104 ′. as such , the conveyor 118 in the end car 104 ′ will not interfere with or contact other cars coupled to the end car 104 ′; the conveyor 118 in the hopper cars 104 may obstruct coupling with other cars . as shown in fig5 , the hopper conveyor 118 extends substantially horizontally from the rear end of the hopper car 104 toward the forward end and includes an upwardly angled portion 134 near the forward end of the hopper car 104 . the upward angle and the length of the portion 134 are sufficient to position the forward end of the hopper conveyor 118 above and overlapping with the rearward end of the conveyor on the next adjacent car 102 , 104 , 206 as shown in fig1 and 2 . the hopper conveyor 118 is preferably a trough - style conveyor in which rollers are provided between upper and lower runs of a conveyor belt 135 to support the upper run of the belt 135 in a generally u - shaped configuration , as shown in fig1 and 15 . each set of rollers generally includes a horizontally extending central roller 139 and two side rollers 141 angled upward and outward from opposite ends of the central roller 139 . it is to be understood that other forms of conveyors are useable in alternative embodiments of the invention . for example , a flat belt conveyor might be employed with sidewalls / guides provided to retain the ballast materials on the belt . referring to fig4 , the hopper conveyor 118 includes an electric drive motor 136 drivingly coupled to a drive roller or head roller 137 . rotation of drive roller 137 rotates the conveyor belt 135 . in some embodiments , the drive motor 136 is configured to enable variable speed operation of the conveyor belt 135 . one or more sensors may be included or associated with the motor 136 and the hopper conveyor 118 generally to monitor one or more characteristics of the conveyor &# 39 ; s operation . for example , sensors in the motor 136 may monitor the amperage drawn by the motor 136 or other electrical characteristics of the motor &# 39 ; s operation . another sensor 138 may monitor the speed of the conveyor belt 135 while other sensors might be included to monitor characteristics like the weight of material on the conveyor belt 135 , or a profile of the material on top of the conveyor belt 135 , among a variety of other characteristics . the rear end of the hopper conveyor 118 includes an idler roller 139 around which the conveyor belt 135 rotates and may include an intake guide 140 . as best seen in fig1 and 18 , the intake guide 140 is configured to guide ballast received from another conveyor onto the hopper conveyor 118 for transport by the conveyor belt 135 toward the forward end of the hopper car 104 . the intake guide 140 can take a wide variety of configurations , but generally extends a distance laterally beyond the edges of the conveyor belt 135 and may extend a distance longitudinally beyond the end of the conveyor belt 135 . the walls of the intake guide 140 generally slope downwardly toward the upper run of conveyor belt 135 to direct ballast materials toward the center of the belt 135 . the configuration of the forward and rear ends of the hopper conveyor 118 enable transfer of ballast between adjacent hopper cars 104 , and / or to or from other cars 102 , 206 while the consist 100 is located on a curved section of a rail system , as depicted in fig1 and 18 . the hopper conveyor 118 enables transfer of ballast between cars 102 , 104 , 206 when positioned on curves in which the heading of immediately adjacent cars 102 , 104 , 206 varies by greater than 10 ° or as much as approximately 20 ° or more , as depicted by the angle ( i ) shown in fig1 , e . g . greater than a 10 ° curve in the railway . in one embodiment , the hopper conveyor 118 is configured to accommodate curves of up to approximately 13 °. the hopper 132 comprises an open space in the upper portion of the hopper car 104 which may be enclosed or open to the environment above the hopper car 104 . the perimeter of an upper part of the hopper 132 is defined by the outer walls 130 of the car 104 . a lower part of the hopper 132 includes inwardly angled sidewalls 142 and a plurality of transverse dividers 144 . the transverse dividers 144 extend between the angled sidewalls 142 and include a pair of sloped faces facing longitudinally forward and rearward and at angles similar to those of angled sidewalls 142 . preferably the sidewalls 142 and the sloped faces of the dividers 144 are sloped at a downward angle of at least approximately 40 ° from the horizontal or more preferably between about 50 ° and about 60 °, or about 57 °. the downward angle of the sidewalls 142 and the dividers 144 is sufficient to cause the ballast material to flow downward without hanging or collecting on the sidewalls 142 or dividers 144 . together the angled sidewalls 142 and the transverse dividers 144 divide the lower part of the hopper 132 into a plurality of chutes 146 . each chute 146 may also be referred to as a hopper such that each hopper car includes a plurality of hoppers . the chutes 146 are generally centrally aligned to overlie the center of the hopper conveyor 118 . each of the chutes 146 terminates at a lower end to form an aperture or opening 147 through which ballast materials flow . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the hopper car 104 includes six chutes 146 although any number of chutes 146 may be included . in the embodiment shown five of the chutes 146 overlie the horizontal portion of the hopper conveyor 118 and are generally aligned within a horizontal plane above the hopper conveyor 118 to place the openings 147 generally within a single horizontal plane . a sixth chute 146 overlies the angled portion 134 of the hopper conveyor 118 and is configured to provide an opening 147 that is inclined to lie in a plane that is substantially parallel to the angled portion 134 of the hopper conveyor 118 . a hopper gate 148 is disposed in or across each of the openings 147 to control the flow of ballast through the respective chute 146 . with additional reference to fig5 - 10 , a hopper gate 148 is described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig1 depicts a hopper gate 248 configured similarly to the hopper gate 148 but for installation in the angled sixth chute 146 located at the forward end of the hopper car 104 . the features of the hopper gate 248 are thus not described again in detail herein . the hopper gate 148 is formed on a lower end of a chute extension 150 and includes a base frame 152 and a slide plate 154 . the chute extension 150 includes panels 150 s ( side ), 150 f ( front ), 150 r ( rear ) configured to couple to and extend from the respective angled sidewalls 142 and transverse dividers 144 of the chute 146 within which the hopper gate 148 is disposed . the panels 150 s , 150 f and 150 r of the chute extension 150 are preferably disposed at similar angles to that of the sidewalls 142 and dividers 144 but may be provided at one or more steeper or shallower angles . in one embodiment , the base frame 152 of the hopper gate 148 couples directly to the sidewalls 142 and dividers 144 of the chute 146 without the use of the chute extension 150 . as shown in fig1 , the hopper gate 248 disposed in the forward angled chute 146 of the hopper car 104 includes a chute extension 250 adapted to install the hopper gate 248 in a non - horizontal position . in one embodiment , one or more of the panels 150 s and / or 150 f include a flexible or resilient flange ( not shown ) coupled to a bottom edge thereof . the resilient flange may aid to better seal between the slide plate 154 and the panels 150 s and / or 150 f to resist material and dust traveling therebetween . the resilient flange may also aid to divert ballast materials flowing therethrough toward the center of the gate opening 160 and thus toward the center of the underlying hopper conveyor 118 . the rear chute extension panel 150 r includes a resilient panel or flange 156 coupled beneath a bottom edge thereof . the resilient panel 156 may be coupled to the rear chute extension panel 150 r or to another member provided by the chute extension 150 or the base frame 152 . the resilient panel 156 is rigidly coupled along a top edge thereof to provide a free hanging bottom edge that can be at least partially flexed in the longitudinal direction of the hopper car 104 . the resilient panel 156 may comprise a rubber , plastic , vinyl , composite , or similar resilient material that is at least partially flexible about a rigid coupling . in another embodiment , the resilient panel 156 is pivotably coupled to the hopper gate 148 and may comprise a rigid plate or sheet of material , e . g . the resilient panel 156 may pivot about its coupling with the gate 148 instead of or in addition to flexing . the base frame 152 is coupled about the lower end of the chute extension 150 and supports the slide plate 154 and one or more actuators 158 for moving the slide plate 154 between closed ( fig7 a - b ) and open ( fig8 a - b ) positions relative to a gate opening 160 formed by the chute extension 150 . the slide plate 154 comprises a generally planar section of rigid material dimensioned to fully close off the gate opening 160 . the slide plate 154 is preferably formed from a material of sufficient strength and durability to support and resist damage from bulky ballast materials during dumping into the hopper car 104 and storage therein . for example , the slide plate 154 may comprise a plate of 0 . 5 inch thick steel , among a variety of other material options . the base frame 152 is configured to support the slide plate 154 in both the open and closed positions and during movement therebetween . such configurations accommodate slide plates 154 produced from very heavy , stout , and durable materials , such as heavy gage steel plate , and against very heavy loads produced by large , bulky ballast materials carried by the hopper car 104 . the base frame 152 includes frame members 162 s ( side ), 162 f ( front ) that extend about the lateral sides and longitudinal front side of the lower perimeter of the chute extension 150 . the front frame member 162 f extends between the side frame members 162 s along the front side of the chute extension 150 and overlies the slide plate 154 . the side frame members 162 s have a height sufficient to extend below the slide plate 154 and include a pair of spanning members 164 that extend transversely between the side frame members 162 s and beneath the slide plate 154 . the spanning members 164 are located forward and rearward of the gate opening 160 so as not to obstruct ballast flowing therethrough . the spanning members 164 support guide rods 166 that extend between the spanning members 164 . guide rod extensions 168 are coupled to the forwardly located spanning member 164 and in alignment with the guide rods 166 to operatively extend the guide rods 166 a distance beyond the base frame 152 . opposite ends of the guide rod extensions 168 are coupled to the structure of the hopper car 104 or to the rearwardly located spanning member 164 of a longitudinally adjacent hopper gate 148 . in one embodiment , the guide rods 166 are continuous and extend beyond the forwardly located spanning member 164 and the guide rod extensions 168 are omitted . as shown in fig5 - 10 , three guide rods 166 and guide rod extensions 168 are provided . it is understood that any number of guide rods 166 and extensions 168 may be employed in embodiments of the invention . also as shown in fig5 - 10 , the central guide rod 166 extends across the gate opening 160 . accordingly , the central guide rod 166 can provide additional support to the slide plate 154 to resist flexing or damage caused by heavy loads placed thereon by overlying ballast materials in the hopper car 104 . referring to fig9 , the slide plate 154 includes followers or glides 170 coupled to a bottom surface thereof in alignment with the respective guide rods 166 and guide rod extensions 168 . the glides 170 include a follower surface 172 that is contoured to match the contour of the guide rod 166 and guide rod extension 168 and to be slideable therealong . the glides 170 preferably comprise a low - friction material or wear plate , such as a nylon , plastic , brass , or bronze , among others . the glides 170 thus aid the slide plate 154 to slide along the guide bars 166 and extensions 168 between the open and closed positions . in another embodiment , the glides 170 comprise wheels , bearings , or similar components configured to follow the guide bars 166 and extensions 168 and aid movement of the slide plate 154 therealong . the slide plate 154 also includes a drive bar 175 coupled to a trailing edge to extend transversely across the slide plate 154 and beyond the lateral edges thereof . the trailing edge is defined relative to movement of the slide plate 154 toward the closed position with the opposite edge being identified as the leading edge . the actuators 158 each couple between a respective end of the drive bar 175 and a respective side frame member 162 s . the actuators 158 can thus be actuated to move the slide plate 154 along the guide bars 166 and extensions 168 between the open and closed positions . when moved to the closed position , the leading edge of the slide plate 154 contacts the lower edge of the resilient panel 156 or moves beneath the lower edge in close proximity thereto . when contacted , the resilient panel 156 may be at least partially flexed in the direction of movement of the slide plate 154 to allow the slide plate 154 to reach the fully closed position . in either configuration , the flexure of the resilient panel 156 enables the slide plate 154 to reach the fully closed position even when ballast materials are present on a top surface of the slide plate 154 and / or attempting to exit through the gate opening 160 . unlike known systems in which the ballast materials may become pinched , trapped , or crushed between doors of a gate and / or the sidewalls of the chute thus preventing the doors from achieving full closure , the resilient panel 156 allows flexure between the slide plate 154 and the chute extension 150 . ballast materials captured between the leading edge of the slide plate 154 and the resilient panel 156 cause the resilient panel 156 to flex or bend outward but do not prevent the slide plate 154 from moving to the closed position . the trapped materials may be retained in position by the force applied by the resilient plate &# 39 ; s bias against flexure , may fall out of the hopper 132 onto the hopper conveyor 118 , or may be forced back into the hopper 132 by the resilient plate &# 39 ; s bias . the resilient panel 156 resists substantial further exit of ballast materials from the hopper 132 . the resilient panel 156 thus resists the ballast materials from exiting the hopper 132 when the slide plate 154 is in the closed position while also allowing the slide plate 154 to move to the closed position without binding on the ballast materials . as shown in fig5 , the hopper car 104 includes a control device 173 , such as a computer , programmable logic controller , or similar programmable control unit . the control device 173 may be in electrical communication with control systems housed in the operator &# 39 ; s station 108 on the offloading car 102 and may receive commands therefrom . the control device 173 is configured to monitor the operation of the hopper conveyor 118 and the hopper gates 148 , 248 on the respective hopper car 104 . a control device 173 is preferably provided on each hopper car 104 for control of the individual operations thereof . in another embodiment , control systems may be provided elsewhere on the consist 100 and configured to monitor the operation of each individual hopper car 104 . dedicated control devices 173 on each hopper car 104 may provide additional fail - safes and more reliable control of the operations of the hopper car 104 due to potential communication issues that may arise between cars 102 , 104 , 106 , 206 . operation of the hopper car 104 and control device 173 is described more fully below . the generator car 106 includes one or more generators 174 and may include a storage bin 176 . the generator ( s ) 174 are configured to produce sufficient electrical energy for powering the hopper conveyors 118 on the hopper cars 104 among other components disposed on the material distribution consist 100 . the storage bin 176 comprises a structure configured to house tools , equipment , crew quarters , or other desired gear that may be needed or used by the operator of the consist 100 . as shown in fig2 , the generator car 106 may be positioned at the trailing end of the consist 100 so as not to interrupt the transport of ballast materials along the length of the consist 100 . in another embodiment shown in fig1 and 2 , a generator / transport car 206 may be provided . the generator / transport car 206 is configured similarly to the generator car 106 but includes a conveyor 178 similar to the hopper conveyors 118 . the conveyor 178 is configured to pass beneath the generator 174 or might be configured to pass alongside or over the generator 174 to transport ballast materials received from the hopper car 104 located rearward of the generator / transport car 206 to the hopper car 104 located forward of the generator / transport car 206 . the generator 174 and the storage bin 176 ( if included ) may be raised or suspended above the conveyor 178 . the generator / transport car 206 may also include additional hydraulic pumps or the like as necessary to operate the associated systems of the consist 100 . in an embodiment , the generators 174 are configured to provide sufficient electrical power for up to a predetermined number of hopper cars 104 . for example , the generator 174 might be configured to power up to thirty hopper cars 104 . as such , additional generator cars 106 or generator / transport cars 206 are added to the consist 100 for each additional set of up to thirty hopper cars 104 ; each additional set of hopper cars 104 being coupled to the rear end of the consist 100 . preferably , the hopper cars 104 are arranged in sets of thirty hopper cars 104 with a generator / transport car 206 disposed halfway through the set , e . g . fifteen hopper cars 104 followed by a generator / transport car 206 followed by another fifteen hopper cars 104 . additional sets of hopper cars 104 and generator / transport cars 206 can then be coupled to the end thereof . it is understood , that other numbers of hopper cars 104 and generator / transport cars 206 may be combined without departing from the scope of embodiments of the invention described herein . accordingly , the number of hopper cars 104 , and thus the capacity , of the consist 100 can be customized to a given application as desired . fig1 , 15 , 16 depict a guide - roller assembly 184 configured to enable operation of the hopper conveyor 118 for offloading of ballast materials while one or more of the hopper cars 104 are parked or positioned on a banked curve in the railway . due to the banking of the curve , the rails and thus the hopper car 104 may lean or tilt to one side at an angle θ relative to the horizontal . the tilting of the hopper car 104 also tilts the hopper conveyor 118 to the side and may create a bias due to gravity on the conveyor belt 135 to move toward the downslope side of the hopper car 104 when moving about the hopper conveyor 118 . the guide - roller assembly 184 includes a plurality of feed run guide - rollers 185 and a plurality of return run guide - rollers 186 that retain the conveyor belt 135 in a desired operational position on the hopper conveyor 118 . the feed run and return run guide - rollers 185 , 186 may be disposed in sufficient numbers and at selected positions along the length of the hopper conveyor 118 as necessary to sufficiently retain the conveyor belt 135 in the operational position . the guide - rollers 185 , 186 may be evenly spaced along the length of the conveyor belt 135 , clustered in problem areas , or otherwise arranged . the position of the feed run guide - rollers 185 may correspond with that of the return run guide - rollers 186 or may differ . fig1 depicts one exemplary configuration of the guide - rollers 185 , 186 on the hopper conveyor 118 . as shown , the feed run guide rollers 185 are generally evenly spaced in pairs along the length of the central portion of the hopper conveyor 118 . a cluster of four feed run guide - rollers 185 is disposed along the angled section 135 of the conveyor 118 and a cluster of three guide - rollers 185 is disposed adjacent an opposite intake end of the conveyor 118 . the return run guide - rollers 186 are more sporadically spaced along the return run of the conveyor belt 135 ; a cluster of three guide - rollers 186 are disposed adjacent the intake end of the conveyor 118 , with two single guide - rollers 186 spaced apart and away from the intake end , and two pairs of guide - rollers 186 spaced further along the length of the hopper conveyor 118 . as depicted in fig1 and 15 , the feed and return run guide - rollers 185 , 186 include a roller body 187 with an axle 188 extending from one end thereof coaxially with the axis of rotation of the roller body 187 . a bearing assembly ( not shown ) is disposed within the roller body 187 to enable rotational motion of the roller body 187 relative to the axle 188 . in another embodiment , the axle 188 is rotationally fixed relative to the roller body 187 and may be coupled to a bearing assembly ( not shown ) disposed on the hopper conveyor 118 to enable rotational motion of the axle 188 relative to the hopper conveyor 118 . the roller body 187 includes an hourglass shape in which a sidewall 189 thereof is inwardly recessed to form a circumferentially extending groove . it is understood that other roller configurations may be employed without departing from the scope of embodiments of the invention . the guide - roller assembly 184 includes upper and lower mounting assemblies 190 , 191 that couple the feed run and return run guide - rollers 185 , 186 respectively to the hopper conveyor 118 . the mounting assemblies 190 , 191 preferably couple to support members 192 that support one or more rollers , e . g . the side rollers 141 and central rollers 139 , of the hopper conveyor 118 . or the mounting assemblies 190 , 191 may couple to the frame of the hopper conveyor 118 or of the hopper car 104 . the mounting assemblies 190 , 191 enable adjustment of the position of the feed run and return run guide - rollers 185 , 186 in at least one direction . for example , the mounting assemblies 190 , 191 may enable adjustment of the position of the guide - rollers 185 , 186 in an axial direction , or longitudinally or laterally relative to the hopper conveyor 118 . the guide - rollers 185 , 186 are preferably positioned to contact an edge of the conveyor belt 135 at a location generally centrally within the groove in the sidewall 189 . the guide - rollers 185 , 186 may be in constant contact with the conveyor belt 135 or may only contact the conveyor belt 135 when the belt 135 drifts away from a normal position . accordingly , when the hopper car 104 is tilted at the angle θ , the conveyor belt 135 may tend to drift toward the downslope side of the hopper car 104 . the edge of the conveyor belt 135 may thus come into contact with the feed run and / or return run guide - rollers 185 , 186 and be prevented from drifting out of an operational position by the guide - rollers 185 , 186 . the feed run guide - rollers 185 and the return run guide - rollers 186 can be similarly positioned to define an operational position window in which the conveyor belt 135 is retained . or one or more of the feed run or return run guide - rollers 185 , 186 may be positioned to train the conveyor belt 135 or bias the conveyor belt 135 toward a desired operational position . in one embodiment , the feed run guide - rollers 185 are positioned to define a maximum operational position window in which the conveyor belt 135 shall be operated while the return run guide - rollers 186 are positioned closer to the edges of the conveyor belt 135 to guide the belt 135 into a more specific operational position . training or realigning the conveyor belt 135 is preferably completed on the return run using the return run guide - rollers 186 because the belt 135 is not loaded with material and is in a generally flat state , e . g . not a trough , and is thus more easily urged toward the desired operational position . for example , the configuration of the guide - rollers 185 , 186 depicted in fig1 provides sufficient control of the feed run of the conveyor belt 135 to maintain the belt 135 in an operational position when unloading materials while the hopper car 104 is on a banked curve and enables realignment of the conveyor belt 135 on the return run by the return run guide - rollers 186 . with reference now to fig1 , operation and control of the material distribution consist 100 is described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . a consist control system 180 is provided , such as in the operator &# 39 ; s station 108 to provide overall control of operations of the consist 100 . the consist control system 180 may include one or more computing devices , programmable logic controllers , or other devices suitable to execute routines , provide commands , monitor conditions , operate machines , and otherwise oversee and control operations of the consist 100 and the components thereon . as described previously , each hopper car 104 includes a control device 173 disposed thereon . the control device 173 is in communication with or is operable to control the conveyor drive motor 136 and each of the hopper gates 148 individually . one or more sensors 182 associated with the hopper conveyor 118 and / or the hopper gates 148 provide signals to the control device 173 indicating state and / or operating conditions of the respective conveyor 118 or hopper gate 148 . additionally , the belt sensor 138 associated with the hopper conveyor 118 provides a signal to the control device 173 indicating the speed or movement of the conveyor belt 135 . the control device 173 may also be in communication with one or more of the other control devices 173 of each of the other hopper cars 104 . communications between control devices 173 may be direct or may be routed through the consist control system 180 . the control device 173 may control operation of the hopper conveyor 118 in a master - slave fashion as instructed by the consist control unit 180 . however , the control device 173 may be authorized to act independently and / or to supersede commands from the consist control system 180 when a fault condition occurs . in such a condition , the control device 173 of a first hopper car 104 , e . g . hopper car # 1 , may operate as an interlock or fail - safe to restrict or control operations of one or more hopper cars 104 positioned further up the path of material flow , e . g . hopper car #&# 39 ; s 2 through n . accordingly , when the control device 173 of hopper car # 1 senses a fault condition , the control device 173 of hopper car # 1 can stop operations thereon and can signal to hopper cars # 2 - n to stop operations as well . in one exemplary instance , ballast material is being transported from hopper car # 2 to hopper car # 1 and on to the offloading car 102 along the respective hopper conveyors 118 . the control device 173 on hopper car # 1 determines that the conveyor motor 136 on hopper car # 1 is operating at the desired speed as indicated by the sensor 182 but that the speed of the conveyor belt 135 is indicated to be zero feet / second by the belt sensor 138 . such a condition may be present when the belt 135 has broken and is thus no longer moving but the motor continues to turn or when the belt 135 has been overloaded and the drive wheel of the conveyor motor 136 is slipping . the control device 173 of hopper car # 1 identifies this condition as a fault condition and immediately stops operation of the hopper conveyor 118 on hopper car # 1 and may close any hopper gates 148 to restrict further ballast material from flowing therefrom . the control device 173 of hopper car # 1 also signals the control device 173 of hopper car # 2 to indicate the fault condition and cause operations of the conveyor 118 on hopper car # 2 to be halted and the gates 148 to close . the operation of the conveyors 118 of each successive hopper car 104 are then halted and the gates 148 closed in a cascading fashion . as such , the overall operation of multiple , successive hopper cars 104 can be halted by the control device 173 of hopper car # 1 and a pileup of materials between successive hopper cars 140 can be avoided . referring now to fig1 , a method 1300 for operating the consist 100 is shown and described in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . the consist 100 is typically first loaded and transported to a location at which a desired amount of ballast materials are to be offloaded . the ballast materials may be offloaded while the consist 100 is stopped or while the consist 100 is in transit along the tracks . the ballast materials are offloaded alongside the rails for later distribution or installation by a rail maintenance crew . for example , the crew may replace ballast materials under the tracks , dump new or additional ballast on an embankment , or line a drainage system with new materials . the ballast materials might also be offloaded in front of the consist 100 or behind the consist 100 depending on the direction of travel thereof . a plow may be provided to aid movement of the offloaded ballast materials to a desired location or depth and / or to ensure the rails are clear for travel of the consist 100 when offloading in front of the consist 100 . once on location , one or more of the hopper conveyors 118 , the primary conveyor 110 , and the offloading conveyor 112 are started . depending on the sequence by which the hopper cars 104 are to be unloaded , the conveyors 118 on all or only a portion of the hopper cars 104 may be started . for example , if the hopper cars 104 are to be unloaded from the front of the consist 100 to the rear , then only the conveyor 118 of the first hopper car 104 need be started . the operator in the operator &# 39 ; s station 108 controls the offloading process via the consist control system 180 . the operator may provide one or more inputs to the system 180 indicating how much ballast material is to be offloaded , an offloading run - time , a number of hopper cars 104 to be offloaded , among a variety of other inputs . in one embodiment , the consist control system 180 is provided with a total weight or mass of ballast material to be offloaded . the consist control system 180 may calculate appropriate offloading characteristics to ensure the proper amount of ballast material is offloaded . for example , the system 180 may be provided with an amount of ballast material in each hopper car 104 or an amount of time required to offload a particular amount of ballast among other data upon which to calculate the offloading parameters . in one embodiment , the system 180 employs the scale 120 in the primary conveyor to aid in determining the amount of ballast material that has been offloaded . the consist control system 180 may also track or identify the amount of ballast material residing on the conveyors 110 , 112 , 118 at a given time in order to determine when to close the hopper gates 148 so as to offload the desired amount of ballast while also finishing the process with the conveyors 110 , 112 , 118 being empty . a first hopper gate 148 is at least partially opened at step 1304 . the consist control system 180 can cause the gate 148 to be opened directly or the system 180 may instruct the control unit 173 on the respective hopper car 104 to open the gate 148 . the hopper gate 148 is preferably only partially opened . in one instance , the actuators 158 are operated for a predetermined time that corresponds to movement of the slide plate 154 a given predetermined distance . a predetermined time delay is then observed to allow ballast materials to flow from the hopper 132 onto the hopper conveyor 118 , as indicated at step 1306 . at step 1308 , one or more characteristics of the operation of the hopper conveyor 118 are identified . for example , the conveyor operation sensors 182 may sense an amperage drawn by the conveyor motor 136 . the amperage drawn by the motor 136 may be indicative of a load placed on the motor 136 and thus an amount of ballast material that has been deposited on the conveyor belt 135 . if the identified characteristic of the conveyor motor 136 indicates that the conveyor 118 is fully loaded or is loaded within a desired level ( step 1310 ), e . g . the amperage drawn is greater than a specified amount , then the method returns to step 1306 and an additional time delay is observed . the additional time delay may be of the same or different duration to the initial time delay . if the characteristic shows that the conveyor 118 is not loaded to a desired level ( step 1310 ), e . g . the amperage drawn is less than a specified amount , and the hopper gate 148 is not in a fully opened state ( step 1312 ) then the hopper gate 148 is opened by an additional increment , as indicated at step 1314 . the additional increment may be based on an additional energizing of the actuators 158 for a given time or a movement of the slide plate 154 a predetermined distance . the method then returns to step 1306 . alternatively , if the characteristic shows that the conveyor 118 is overloaded , e . g . the amperage drawn is greater than a predetermined level , then the hopper gate 148 may be closed by a predetermined increment , as indicated at step 1316 . the increment can be the same or different than the increments by which the gate 148 is opened . the method then again returns to step 1306 . if the hopper gate 148 is in a fully opened state ( step 1312 ) then the process begins again with the next hopper gate 148 to be unloaded , as indicated at step 1318 . the hopper gates 148 may be opened one - at - a - time or multiples - at - a - time on the same or on multiple hopper cars 104 . the gates 148 can be opened in sequence from front to back of the consist 100 , in the reverse , or at various intermittent locations along the consist 100 as desired . additionally , the hopper gates 148 may be closed following step 1316 or may remain open . in one embodiment , the gates 148 remain open until the hopper car 104 is determined to be empty or until the consist 100 is determined to be empty . at any point in the method 1300 , the consist control system 180 may determine that the desired quantity of ballast materials have been released from the hoppers 132 , e . g . the quantity of ballast materials offloaded by the offloading car 102 and present on the conveyors 118 is equal to or greater than the desired quantity . the system 180 may thus instruct any open hopper gates 148 to be closed to stop the flow of ballast materials onto the conveyors 118 . the control devices 173 of the respective hopper cars 104 may thus cause the hopper gates 148 to be closed by actuating the actuators 158 to move the slide plates 154 to the closed position . in doing so , the resilient panels 156 enable the slide plates 154 to move to the closed position to stop the flow of ballast materials without binding or crushing the ballast materials between the leading edge of the slide plate 154 and the chute extension 150 as described previously above . many different arrangements of the various components depicted , as well as components not shown , are possible without departing from the scope of the claims below . embodiments of the technology have been described with the intent to be illustrative rather than restrictive . alternative embodiments will become apparent to readers of this disclosure after and because of reading it . alternative means of implementing the aforementioned can be completed without departing from the scope of the claims below . identification of structures as being configured to perform a particular function in this disclosure and in the claims below is intended to be inclusive of structures and arrangements or designs thereof that are within the scope of this disclosure and readily identifiable by one of skill in the art and that can perform the particular function in a similar way . certain features and sub - combinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and sub - combinations and are contemplated within the scope of the claims .	4
for purposes of disclosure , the three following co - pending u . s . utility applications , which are owned by the same assignee as in this case , are hereby incorporated by references , as if fully set forth herein : ( a ) pending u . s . utility application ser . no . 12 / 589 , 277 , entitled “ interactive and 3 - d multi - sensor touch selection interface for an automated retail store , vending machine , digital sign , or retail display ,” filed oct . 21 , 2009 , by coinventors mara segal , darrell mockus , and russell greenberg , that was based upon a prior pending u . s . provisional application ser . no . 61 / 107 , 829 , filed oct . 23 , 2008 , and entitled “ interactive and 3 - d multi - sensor touch selection interface for an automated retail store , vending machine , digital sign , or retail display ”; ( b ) pending u . s . utility application ser . no . 12 / 589 , 164 , entitled “ vending machines with lighting interactivity and item - based lighting systems for retail display and automated retail stores ,” filed oct . 19 , 2009 by coinventors mara segal , darrell mockus , and russell greenberg , that was based upon a prior pending u . s . provisional application ser . no . 61 / 106 , 952 , filed oct . 20 , 2008 , and entitled “ lighting interactivity and item - based lighting systems in retail display , automated retail stores and vending machines ,” by the same coinventors ; and , ( c ) pending u . s . utility application ser . no . 12 / 798 , 803 , entitled “ customer retention system and process in a vending unit , retail display or automated retail store ” filed apr . 12 , 2010 , by coinventors mara segal , darrell mockus , and russell greenberg , that was based upon a prior pending u . s . provisional application ser . no . 61 / 168 , 838 filed apr . 13 , 2009 , and entitled “ customer retention system and automated retail store ( kiosk , vending unit , automated retail display and point - of - sale )”, by coinventors darrell scott mockus , mara segal and russell greenberg . with initial reference directed to fig1 a - 1e of the appended drawings , a robotized gantry 100 is adapted to be integrated into a multiple - module vending machine or automated retail store . gantry 100 comprises a rigid , upright frame consisting of an upper square portion 101 , supported by vertical upright c - channel support beams 102 attached to a gantry base 110 . an internal elevator comprises a transverse conveyor 105 resting upon an elevator conveyor tray 107 within the gantry 100 . conveyor 105 comprises a flexible sheet looped and entrained about a pair of spaced apart rollers 105 b that are journalled in the frame at 120 ( fig1 d ). the elevator is supported by two brackets 109 disposed on opposite ends of conveyor tray 107 . the elevator , and thus conveyor 105 and tray 107 can be raised or lowered using pulleys 103 ( fig1 a ) that are attached atop the vertical support beams 102 and which entrain 9 mm wide and 3605 mm long belts 104 . preferably conveyor tray 107 has a pair of retractable , product collection wings 106 that open in response to wing hinge assembly 108 when the elevator is in place to collect items that are dispensed from inventory area ( s ) in modules placed on either side of the dispensing gantry 100 . wings 106 span the distance between the conveyor and the inventory shelves caused by the necessary existence of the frame structure to support the conveyor elevator . fig1 c and 1d clarify how gantry components are driven . the conveyor belt 105 is driven by a conveyor stepper motor 111 that uses a 9 mm . wide belt 121 ( fig1 e ) to power a drive pulley connected to a roller bar 112 and feeds the conveyor belt around the conveyor rollers 105 b that are journalled at 120 . the flexible conveyor fabric is wrapped around the conveyor drive roller 112 and the rollers 105 b . the generally rectangular product collection wings 106 are disposed on either side of the conveyor 105 to direct selected products upon the conveyor to deliver a vend . the retractable wings 106 are actuated by the wing motor 113 ( 514 fig5 ) connected to the wing hinge assembly 108 ( fig1 a ) which comprises a wing drive shaft 114 that distributes power from the motor to a series of levers 115 that are connected to hinges 116 secured to the product collection wings 106 . as the motor turns from the closed position , the support levers 115 are pulled downwardly , causing the upper portion of the levers 115 to slide within stabilizer follower slots ( fig1 b ) in hinges 116 . this opens the collection wings 106 to a predetermined width that allows the conveyor 105 to collect products from inventory areas attached to either side of the central gantry dispensing assembly 100 . the motor can be reversed to close the product collection wings . the elevator motor 117 ( 507 fig5 ) is connected to a pulley wheel and uses a 9 mm . wide belt to drive the elevator drive shaft 118 turning two pulleys 119 mounted on either side of the subassembly that drives the elevator belt 104 which loops around the top pulleys 103 thereby raising or lowering the elevator . after a product is collected from the inventory shelf , the elevator is aligned with the collection area compartment behind the collection area opening 204 ( fig2 a ) in the totem door 211 ( fig2 a ). fig1 e provides additional reference for fig1 a through 1d . in this view , the belt 121 that drives the roller bar 112 that moves the conveyor 105 can be seen . with additional reference directed to fig2 a and 2b , a vending machine constructed in accordance with the best mode of the invention has been generally designated by the reference numeral 200 ( fig2 a ). much of the hardware details are explained in the aforementioned pending applications that have been incorporated by reference herein . display module 210 can be attached with a hinge to an inventory area covered by control panel 211 , comprised of a rigid upright cabinet , or the module 210 can be mounted to a solid structure as a stand - alone retail display . the display module 210 forms a door hinged to an adjacent cabinet such as an inventory cabinet 212 a adjacent gantry 100 which is covered by control column 211 . a variety of door configurations known in the art can be employed . for example , the display doors can be smaller or larger , and they can be located on one or both sides of the control column 211 . the display doors can have multiple square , oval , circular , diamond - shaped , rectangular or any other geometrically shaped windows . alternatively , the display area can have one large display window with shelves inside . a customizable , lighted logo area 201 ( fig2 a ) is disposed at the top of column 211 . touch screen display 202 is located below area 201 . panel 203 locates the machine payment system , coin acceptor machine or the like . additionally panel 203 can secure a receipt printer , keypad , headphone jack , fingerprint scanner or other access device . the product retrieval area 204 is disposed beneath the console 211 in a conventional collection area compartment ( not shown ). a key lock 205 , which can be mechanical or electrical such as a punch - key lock , is disposed beneath the face of the module 210 . one or more motion sensors 214 are disposed within smaller display tubes within the console interior . a plurality of generally circular product viewing areas 207 and a plurality of generally diamond shaped viewing areas 206 are defined upon the outer the face of the casing 208 that are aligned with internal display tubes behind the product viewing surface areas , though the shape of the viewing areas may alter with various merchandising concepts . however , the convention of framing merchandising offerings is consistent to enable intuitive interfacing whether a physical or virtual representation of the merchandise display . the reference numeral 209 designates an exterior antenna that connects to a wireless modem inside the machine providing connectivity . 213 shows inventory shelves which may be mounted in the inventory cabinet 212 . these inventory shelves may contain any mechanism such as conveyors or spiral vending systems as long as they can push a product off the edge of the inventory tray . speakers 215 are mounted in the column 211 . a camera 216 capable of capturing video and still images is also mounted in the column 211 . the machine components are set on casters 217 with feet that can be retracted for moving or lowered to position a machine in a deployed location . fig2 b shows a standard configuration of the assembly . the robotized modular gantry 100 is shown connected to an inventory cabinet 212 a by bolting the upright c - channel structures 102 of the modular gantry 100 to upright c - channel beams 219 which are then affixed to the upright c - channel structures 220 of the inventory cabinet using additional bolts . power and controls are routed to the modular gantry via a wiring harness ( not depicted ) located on the bottom of the modular gantry . the cpu and power supplies ( detailed in fig4 and 5 ) are located in the bottom of the main inventory cabinet that is attached to a modular gantry . a second inventory cabinet 212 b can also be attached to the other side of the robotized modular gantry 100 using the same method of bolting the upright supports of the inventory cabinets 220 and the upright supports of the gantry 102 to a common upright c - channel support 219 . display doors 210 can be attached to the inventory cabinets via a piano hinge 218 running the full height of the door . the necessary electrical and control wiring connects via a wiring harness 221 located on the interior of the inventory cabinet near the hinge connection . these piano style hinges are located on the exterior corners of the inventory cabinets . they are covered with simple metal paneling if they are not in use . the totem doors 211 are attached in a similar manner using a piano hinge 218 . the necessary electrical and control wiring connect to a wiring harness located in the interior of the totem door ( wiring harness not depicted ). with primary reference directed to fig3 , a system consisting of a plurality of automated retail machines connected via a data connection to a centralized , backend operations center system has been designated by the reference numeral 300 . at least one automated retail machine 301 is deployed in a physical environment accessible by a consumer who can interact with the machine 301 directly . there can be any number of machines 301 , all connected to a single , remote logical operations center 330 via the internet 320 ( or a private network ). the operations center 330 can physically reside in a number of locations to meet redundancy and scaling requirements . the machine software is composed of a number of segments that all work in concert to provide an integrated system . logical area 302 provides the interface to deal with all of the machine &# 39 ; s peripherals such as sensors , keypads , printers and touch screen . area 303 handles the monitoring of the machine and the notifications the machine provides to administrative users when their attention is required . area 304 controls the reporting and logging on the machine . all events on the machine are logged and recorded so they can be analyzed later for marketing , sales and troubleshooting analysis . logical area 305 is responsible for handling the machine &# 39 ; s lighting controls . logical area 306 is the inventory management application . it allows administrative users on location to manage the inventory . this includes restocking the machine with replacement merchandise and changing the merchandise that is sold inside the machine . administrative users can set the location of stored merchandise and the quantity . logical area 307 is the retail store application . it is the primary area that consumers use to interface with the system . logical area 308 handles the controls required to physically dispense items that are purchased on the machine or physically dispense samples that are requested by a consumer . this area reads the data files that tell the machine how many and what types of inventory systems are connected to the machine . logical area 309 controls the inventory management system allowing authorized administrative users to configure and manage the physical inventory in the machine . area 310 controls the payment processing on the machine . it manages the communication from the machine to external systems that authorize and process payments made on the machine . area 311 is an administrative system that allows an authorized user to manage the content on the machine . this logical area handles the virtual administrative user interface described previously . the content can consist of text , images , video and any configuration files that determine the user &# 39 ; s interaction with the machine . the latter applications interface with the system through an application layer designated in fig3 by the reference numeral 312 . this application layer 312 handles the communication between all of these routines and the computer &# 39 ; s operating system 313 . layer 312 provides security and lower level messaging capabilities . it also provides stability in monitoring the processes , ensuring they are active and properly functioning . logical area 331 is the user database repository that resides in the operations center 330 . this repository is responsible for storing all of the registered user data that is described in the following figures . it is logically a single repository but physically can represent numerous hardware machines that run an integrated database . the campaign and promotions database and repository 332 stores all of the sales , promotions , specials , campaigns and deals that are executed on the system . both of these databases directly interface with the real - time management system 333 that handles real - time requests described in later figures . logical area 334 aggregates data across all of the databases and data repositories to perform inventory and sales reporting . the marketing management system 335 is used by administrative marketing personnel to manage the marketing messaging that occurs on the system ; messages are deployed either to machines or to any e - commerce or digital portals . logical area 336 monitors the deployed machines described in fig2 , and provides the tools to observe current status , troubleshoot errors and make remote fixes . logical area 337 represents the general user interface portion of the system . this area has web tools that allow users to manage their profiles and purchase products , items and services . the content repository database 338 contains all of the content displayed on the machines and in the web portal . logical area 339 is an aggregate of current and historical sales and usage databases comprised of the logs and reports produced by all of the machines in the field and the web portals . fig4 and 5 illustrate system wiring to interconnect with a computer 450 such as advantech &# 39 ; s computer engine with a 3 ghz cpu , 1 gb of ram memory , 320 gb 7200 rpm hard disk drive , twelve usb ports , at least one serial port , and an audio output and microphone input . the computer 450 ( fig4 , 5 ) communicates to the lighting system network controller via line 479 . through these connections , the lighting system is integrated to the rest of system . power is supplied through a plug 452 that powers an outlet 453 , which in turn powers a ups 454 such as triplite &# 39 ; s ups ( 900w , 15va ) ( part number smart1500lcd ) that conditions source power , which is applied to input 455 via line 456 . power is available to accessories through outlet 453 and ups 454 . computer 450 ( fig4 ) is interconnected with a conventional payment reader 458 via cabling 459 . a pin pad 485 such as sagem denmark int1315 - 4240 is connected to the cpu 450 via a usb cable . an optional web - accessing camera 461 such as a logitech webcam ( part number 961398 - 0403 ) connects to computer 450 via cabling 462 . audio is provided by transducers 464 such as happ controls four - inch speakers ( part number 49 - 0228 - 00r ) driven by audio amplifier 465 such a happ controls kiosk 2 - channel amplifier with enclosure ( part number 49 - 5140 - 100 ) with approximately 8 watts rms per channel at 10 % thd with an audio input though a 3 . 5 mm . stereo jack connected to computer 450 . a receipt printer 466 such as epson &# 39 ; s eu - t300 thermal printer connects to the computer 450 via cabling 467 . the printer is powered by a low voltage power supply such as epson &# 39 ; s 24vdc power supply ( part number ps - 180 ). a remote connection with the computer 450 is enabled by a cellular link 470 such as multitech &# 39 ; s verizon cdma cellular modem ( part number mtcba - c - ip - n3 - nam ) powered by low voltage power supply 472 . the cellular link 470 is connected to an exterior antenna 209 . a touch enabled liquid crystal display 474 such as a ceronix 22 ″ widescreen ( 16 : 10 ) touch monitor for computer operation also connects to computer 450 . a bluetooth adapter 487 such as d - link &# 39 ; s dbt - 120 wireless bluetooth 2 . 0 usb adapter is attached to the cpu allowing it to send and receive bluetooth communication . a wireless router 488 such as cisco - linksys &# 39 ; wrt610n simultaneous dual - n band wireless router is connected to the cpu to allow users to connect to the machine via a private network created by the router . digital connections are seen on the right of fig4 . gantry - y ( conveyor elevator ), stepper motor controller such as the arcus advanced motion driver + controller usb / rs485 ( part number arcus ace - sde ) connection is designated by the reference numerals 476 . 477 connects to the conveyor motor controller which can also be something similar to an arcus advanced motion driver + controller usb / rs485 ( part number arcus ace - sde ). dispenser control output is designated by the reference numeral 478 which operates the product collection wings motor 113 ( fig1 b ). the led lighting control signals communicate through usb cabling to a dmx controller 479 that transmits digital lighting control signals in the rs - 485 protocol to the display tube lighting circuit board arrays . an enttec - brand , model dmx usb pro 512 i / f controller is suitable . cabling 480 leads to vending control . one or more inventory systems can be connected to the vending control depending on the configuration . dispenser door control is effectuated via cabling 481 . façade touch sensor inputs arrive through interconnection 482 . motion sensor inputs from a motion sensor such as digi &# 39 ; s watchport / d ( part number watchport / d 301 - 1146 - 01 ) are received through connection 483 . a usb connection connects the product weight sensor 484 such as sartorius ( part number ff03 vf3959 ) that is located in the collection area to determine the presence of a dispensed item . fig5 illustrates a detailed power distribution arrangement 500 . because of the various components needed , power has to be converted to different voltages and currents throughout the entire system . the system is wired so that it can run from standard 110 v . a . c . power used in north america . it can be converted to run from 220 v . a . c . for deployments where necessary . power from line - in 455 supplied through plug 452 ( fig4 ) powers a main junction box 453 with multiple outlets ( fig4 , 5 ) that powers ups 454 which conditions source power , and outputs to computer 450 line 456 . power is available to accessories through main junction box 453 and ground - fault current interrupt ac line - in 455 . an additional ac outlet strip 501 such as triplite &# 39 ; s six position power strip ( part number tlm606nc ) powers led lighting circuits 502 and a touch system 503 . power is first converted to 5 volts to run the lighting board logic using a converter 540 . another converter , 541 , converts the ac into 24 volt power to run the lights and touch system . an open frame power supply 505 ( fig5 ) provides 24vdc , 6 . 3a , at 150 watts . power supply 505 powers y - controller 506 such as the arcus advanced motion driver + controller usb / rs485 ( part number arcus ace - sde ), that connects to y axis stepper motor 507 ( 117 fig1 c & amp ; 1d ). a suitable stepper 507 can be a moons - brand stepper motor ( part number moons p / n 24hs5403 - 01n ). power supply 505 also connects to a conveyor controller 508 , which can be an arcus - brand advanced motion driver + controller usb / rs485 ( part number arcus ace - sde ), that connects to a conveyor stepper 509 ( 111 in fig1 c & amp ; fig1 d ). a moons - brand stepper motor ( part number moons p / n 24hs5403 - 01n ) is suitable for stepper 509 . power supply 505 ( fig5 ) also powers dispenser controller 510 , dispenser door control 511 , and vending controller 512 . controller 510 powers collection wing motor 514 ( 113 fig1 c & amp ; 1d ) and door motor 515 . motors 514 and 515 can be canon - brand dc gear motors ( part number 05s026 - dg16 ). controller 512 operates conveyor motors 516 such as micro - drives dc gear motor ( part number m32p0264ysgt4 ). the logo space 201 ( fig2 ) is illuminated by lighting 518 ( fig5 ) powered by supply 505 . supply 505 also powers lcd touch screen block 520 ( fig5 ) such as a kristel 22 ″ widescreen ( 16 : 10 ) lcd touch monitor with usb connection for the touch panel . ups 454 ( fig5 ) also powers an ac outlet strip 522 that in turn powers a receipt printer power supply 523 such as epson &# 39 ; s 24vdc power supply ( part number ps - 180 ) that energizes receipt printer 524 such as epson &# 39 ; s eu - t300 thermal printer , an audio power supply that powers audio amplifier 527 such a happ controls kiosk 2 - channel amplifier with enclosure ( part number 49 - 5140 - 100 ), and a low voltage cell modem power supply 530 that runs cellular modem 531 such as multitech &# 39 ; s verizon cdma cellular modem ( part number mtcba - c - ip - n3 - nam ). a proximity sensor 214 ( fig2 ) such as a digi watchport / d part number 301 - 1146 - 01 is connected to the cpu 450 . 532 is a door sensor and actuator such as hamlin &# 39 ; s position and movement sensor ( part 59125 ) and actuator ( part 57125 ) which are connected to the cpu 450 . subroutine 600 ( fig6 ) illustrates the preferred method of initializing the machine and inventory and dispensing system at system runtime . the process begins at step 601 when the system application is launched . step 602 reads in and parses the lighting xml file 603 . the lighting file contains a sequence of lighting sequences to be performed for various user actions on the system such as selecting a product or category , adding to the virtual shopping bag and removing it from the shopping bag . these lighting sequences dictate both the onscreen coloring of products in the virtual display and the lighting of products in the physical display . these values are cached in local memory as an application variable . step 604 checks if there are any fatal errors . fatal errors are ones that prevent the system from allowing a user to complete a transaction . all errors are logged using the reporting and logging system 303 ( fig3 ). non - fatal errors are noted in the log file so they can be examined later to correct the issue . if the error is fatal , the process goes to step 605 where the user is notified of an error and given customer support information and an alert notification is sent out to the notification system 303 ( fig3 ). the system is placed in an idle state where the touch screen will display a message noting that the machine is currently not in service . the system will attempt to recover in step 606 by attempting to start the application process again and reinitialize the system . if there are no fatal errors , the process continues to step 607 that reads in and parses the planogram file 608 . the planogram file contains the product identification number , or item identification number , a product name and a boolean value if it is active or not for each display slot number . these values are cached in local memory as an application variable . step 609 checks if there are any fatal errors . if there are fatal errors , it routes to step 605 , otherwise the process continues at step 610 . step 610 reads in all of the inventory xml files . these files instruct the system on what inventory cabinets are attached to the machine and what inventory is in what inventory slots . each inventory slot is designated by the cabinet it is located in , the shelf it is on , the size of the inventory slot and the motors that drive the dispensing mechanism . using this information , the application can determine the shelf location ( height ). the xml file information is cached and then accessed during product dispensing to guide the robotic gantry elevator to the correct shelf height to collect a product . the dispensing motor information is used by the dispenser control to turn on the motor that dispenses the product until a mechanical switch is activated determining the product has been dispensed to the gantry elevator . because of the centralized layout of the robotic gantry , it does not matter which inventory system is connected or even what side from which the product is being dispensed . it only matters what shelf the product is on so the elevator can move to the correct height to collect the product . step 610 reads in all of the screen templates 611 that determine the layout of the visual selection interface . step 612 checks if there are any fatal errors . if there are fatal errors , it routes to step 605 , otherwise the process continues at step 613 . step 613 reads in all of the screen templates 611 that determine the layout of the user interface and all of the screen asset files 614 associated with the screen templates 611 . these asset files can be images or extended markup files that represent buttons , header banners graphics that fit into header areas , directions or instructions that are displayed in designated areas , image map files that determine which area on an image corresponds represents which area on the physical facade or images representing the physical façade . these assets are cached into local memory in the application . step 615 checks if there are any fatal errors . if there are fatal errors , it routes to step 605 , otherwise the process continues at step 616 . step 616 reads and parses the product catalog files 617 . the product catalog stores all of information , graphics , specifications , prices and rich media elements ( e . g . video , audio , etc .) for each item or product in the system . each element is organized according to its identification number . these elements can be stored in a database or organized in a file folder system . these items are cached in application memory . step 618 checks if there are any fatal errors . if there are fatal errors , it routes to step 605 , otherwise the process continues at step 619 . step 619 reads in all of the system audio files 620 and the file that the stores the actions with which each audio file is associated . audio files can be of any format , compressed or uncompressed such as wav , aiff , mpeg , etc . an xml file stores the name of the application event and the sound file name and location . step 621 checks if there are any fatal errors . if there are fatal errors , it routes to step 905 , otherwise the process continues at step 622 . step 622 does a system wide hardware check by communicating with the system peripherals and controllers 302 and 308 ( fig3 ). step 623 checks if there are any fatal errors . if there are fatal errors , it routes to step 605 , otherwise the process continues at step 624 . step 624 launches the application display on the touch screen interface . the system then waits for user input 625 . subroutine 700 ( fig7 ) illustrates the preferred runtime method the machine uses to dispense items to an end user during a user session . the process begins at step 701 after a user completed a transaction that purchases the merchandise about to be vended . this process assumes that a separate process has already checked that the inventory is available for vending and it has been paid for . the routine is passed a list of items to be dispensed . for items that have multiple quantities , each item is listed as a separate item . step 702 reads this list into the process memory . step 703 determines if the dispensing system is busy processing another request . if the dispensing system is busy for any reason , step 704 pings the resource until it is free and then directs the process to step 708 where the first ( or next ) item in the list is read . step 705 is a timer that monitors step 704 to determine if the wait for the resource times out to a preset time . if it does , the process is considered to have an error and it directs control to step 706 that sends out an alert using the notification system designated by 303 ( fig3 ). step 707 attempts the recovery of the system by running any preprogrammed diagnostics and self repairing routines that check and restart power and communication links to the system . if the system cannot automatically recover , the machines goes into an idle state and a message is displayed on the main screen indicating the machine is currently out of service preventing users from using the system . if the system resources are free , step 708 reads the next item to be vended from the list and retrieves its associative information into memory . this information was originally loaded into the system as the inventory xml file 611 ( fig6 ) read into memory in step 610 . the item , or product id is used to retrieve this information . information associated with the identification number includes the items location in the inventory system ( shelf height and corresponding elevator position represented as the position the elevator needs to be in to properly collect the dispensed product ), the dispensing motors associated with vending the item from the inventory shelf and item details such as its name to prompt the user and its weight and dimensions which is used in conjunction with the product weight sensor 484 ( fig6 ) to determine a successful vend . step 709 uses this information to move the elevator tray assembly 107 ( fig1 a ) to the correct shelf height for the current item being vended . the elevator height is determined by preset position values that tell the stepper motor where to position itself on the vertical aspect of the gantry . the stepper motor has an encoder that communicates with the controller to verify the position . this combination of hardware allows the software to set a height value and have the stepper motor and the stepper controller ensure the correct position is attained . if there is a detectable error with the elevator mechanics , an error message is generated and sent out by step 706 . step 707 will again try to recover if possible . if the elevator assembly reaches the correct height and position as designated by the product information record , the product collection wings 106 ( fig1 a and 1b ) are expanded to create an extended landing area that will catch products coming off the inventory trays 213 ( fig2 ). if an error in this process is detected , an error message is generated and step 706 will send out an alert . otherwise , if the elevator is in position and the production collection wings are extended , step 711 will use the information retrieved in the product record to activate the motor ( s ) associated with that item of inventory . a mechanical switch is used to indicate that the motor has revolved enough times to properly dispense the product or item off the shelf at which point it falls on to the product collection wings and into the conveyor 105 ( fig1 a and 1b ). errors are again detected if present and routed to the notification system in step 706 . step 712 retracts the product collection wings so the elevator can freely move up and down in the dispensing assembly . this step also assists positioning the product on the conveyor where it can be delivered to the user later in the process . any detected errors in this step are routed to step 706 . if there are no errors , step 713 moved the elevator gantry to the user collection area . the movement of the elevator mechanically opens up the product collection area by activating levers that open the top and back of the area . if no errors are detected , step 714 notes which control activated the dispensing process . this is only relevant when the machine is configured for dual sided vending ( see fig9 and 11 ). step 715 then spins the conveyor in the direction of the user that initiated the dispensing process . if no errors were detected , step 716 repositions the elevator that reverses the mechanical operation that opened the back of the collection area and closed it sealing off the internal components of the machine from the user . if no errors were detected , step 717 turns on the lights in the collection area 204 ( fig2 ) and opens the exterior collection area door . step 718 prompts the user on the screen 202 ( fig2 ) to collect their product . step 719 monitors signals from the product weight sensor 484 ( fig4 ) records the weight and matches it against the product weight information stored in the inventory xml file 611 ( fig6 ). this sensor could also be a motion or light curtain sensor . if the item was not removed for a preset amount of time , the user is prompted again to collect their item in step 718 . if user does not collect their product after a set number of attempts , an error is generated . if the sensor determines the user has removed their item , the process continues to step 720 where the exterior door is closed and the product collection area lights are turned off . the system again monitors for any mechanical errors in this process ( line to step 706 not shown ). step 721 determines if there are any additional items in the list of items to be vended . if there are additional items to be vended , the process routes back to step 703 where it begins again for the next item . if there are no more items to be vended , the process ends at step 722 . with reference directed to fig8 , an alternative vending machine 800 constructed in accordance with the best mode of the invention incorporates a variant on the display module designated as 210 in fig2 a . in this version the display module has a plurality of generally square product viewing areas 801 that present an alternative display , different from the diamond and circle display windows designated at 206 and 207 respectively in fig2 a . with reference directed to fig9 , an alternative 900 ( fig9 ) shows an alternative configuration of the machine where it has been outfitted to dispense merchandise out of both the front and back of the machine . this machine has display modules 210 affixed to both sides of the inventory cabinet 212 . it also has a vertical control column 211 affixed to both sides of the central robotic gantry 100 . this configuration allows the unit to serve two people at the same time . with reference directed to fig1 , alternative machine 1000 represents a similar configuration but with only one inventory cabinet 212 and display module 210 . these are once again attached to the common centralized robotic dispensing gantry 100 . in this configuration a simple metal plate 1001 ( not shown ) cut the size of the dispensing system tower is affixed to the side where the inventory cabinet was attached in fig8 using the same bolts to secure the system . with reference directed to fig1 , another configuration of a vending machine 1100 utilizes the centralized robotic dispensing gantry 100 with one inventory cabinet and two display modules 210 and two vertical control columns 211 . as in fig9 , this configuration allows for two users to simultaneously interact with the machine while using only one robotic dispensing mechanim and sharing a common inventory cabinet .	6
in fig1 there is shown the lower part of a conventional snow discharge spout pipe 20 , forming part of a motor engine snow blower truck ( not shown ). this spout pipe lower part 20 is generally vertical , and is directly secured to and in communication with the interior of a snow receiving , ground skimming , open casing ( not shown ), usually mounted ahead of the snow truck . this snow casing includes the standard , transverse , high speed rotating worm screw , which collects and crushes ground packed snow and ejects same under centrifugal force through a snow outlet in the casing in open register with the bottom inner end of spout pipe 20 . the spout pipe 20 is elongated and curved away from its generally vertical base portion , so as to be able to discharge at a distance from the snow blower truck ( e . g . over the bed of a proximate snow transport truck ) the ground snow collected by the front loaded casing of the snow blower truck . the spout pipe 20 carries at its upper outer end a number of hingedly mounted telescopic spout pipe extensions ( not shown ), which will extend theoverall radius of curvature of the spout pipe to provide improved control as to the total lateral distance from the snow blower truck the snow can be ejected . these telescopic spout pipe extensions are e . g . of the type illustrated in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 075 , 813 issued in 1963 to the father of the present inventor . according to the invention , the telescopic spout pipe extensions are pivotable about a pitch axis relative to the spout pipe proper 20 , by control rod linkages 22 , only the lower portion of which is illustrated in fig1 - 2 . this lower portion of the control rod linkages 22 includes a lowermost , elongated , lead lever 24 , an upper , shorter lever 26 , and a link bar 28 pivotally interconnected at first pivot means 30 to both levers 24 and 26 . the lower end of lead lever 24 is pivotally interconnected at second pivot means 32 to a triangular plate 34 . plate 34 is provided with a vertical rail 36 slidingly mounted into the grooves of guide blocks 38 , the latter being anchored to the flat wall 40 of the lower portion of cross - sectionally quadrangular spout pipe 20 , in vertically spaced fashion . plate 34 is vertically movable relative to spout pipe 20 , in the same way as disclosed in aforementioned u . s . pat . no . 3 , 075 , 813 . short lever 26 is pivotally mounted to spout pipe flat wall 40 , about third pivot means 42 . pivot means 42 is located above pivot means 32 , and , relative to the radius of curvature of spout pipe 20 , is further located inwardly of a vertical plane orthogonally intersecting the spout pipe flat wall 40 at the location of pivot means 32 . the pivotal axes of pivot means 30 , 32 , 42 , remain parallel to one another , as well as orthogonal to the same one flat wall 40 from the four side walls of the cross - sectionally quadrangular snow chute 20 , at the pivotal engagement loci of pivot means 30 , 32 , 42 . as illustrated in fig3 - 4 , each elongated lever 24 , 26 , and link 28 includes a pair of socket joints 44 , 44 &# 39 ;, at opposite ends thereof . each joint 44 or 44 &# 39 ; pivotally carries a corresponding pivot means 30 , 32 , 42 . a socket joint 44 , illustrated in fig5 is mounted in a collar 48 having opposite flat faces 49 surrounding a large circular bore 46 . collars 48 are integrally formed , one at each end of levers 24 , 26 , 28 . socket joint 44 includes a pair of complementary , similar seating rings 50 , 50 &# 39 ;, which are fitted inside each bore 46 in opposite relation . each ring 50 ( 50 &# 39 ;) defines a diametrally smaller cylindrical body part 50a , snugly engaging a fraction of the bore 46 of collar 48 , and a diametrally larger shoulder part 50b , snugly overlapping most of the faces 49 of collar 48 . the two rings have at their inner axial end a precisely machined inner radial face 51 , both faces 51 being in mutual contact . when the two rings are thus in mutual contact , their radial shoulder face 53 makes a small clearance with the registering face 49 of collar 48 . the two rings shoulder parts 50b , 50 &# 39 ; b , are welded at their radially outermost edge , w , to the collar 48 . each ring 50 ( 50 &# 39 ;) further defines a radially inner , segmental , spherical , seating surface 50c ( 50 &# 39 ; c ), whereby both surfaces 50c , ( 50 &# 39 ; c ) form a spherical seat for a spherical ball . a rigid ( preferably metallic ) spherical ball 52 is seated in the seating rings 50 on the segmental spherical surfaces thereof 50c . the required precise clearance between the seating faces 50c , 50 &# 39 ; c of rings 50 , 50 &# 39 ; and ball 52 is automatically obtained when faces 51 are in contact . a ball and socket joint 44 , 44 &# 39 ;, is thus obtained , i . e . the ball 52 is freely rotatable and tiltable into the socket defined by the two seating rings 50 , 50 &# 39 ;, yet without play . the metal ball 52 has a cylindrical axial bore 54 , extending centrally through ball 52 and opening at opposite parallel flat faces 54a , 54b of ball 52 . the radially outward face of ball 52 is grooved at an intermediate section thereof to form a peripheral annular groove 56 . annular groove 56 communicates with bore 54 through a few small radial passages 58 , made in spheroid ball 52 . annular groove 56 is in turn in direct communication with the internal seating surfaces 50c , 50 &# 39 ; c , of rings 50 , 50 &# 39 ;. lubricating fluid is to be fed into the ball through bore 54 , and then through radial channels 58 into the annular groove 56 at the periphery of ball 52 . as spherical ball 52 is rotated , the lubricating fluid in groove 56 will spread over the interior surfaces 50c , 50 &# 39 ; c of the seating rings 50 , 50 &# 39 ;, with which it will eventually come in contact . this will allow continuous lubrication of the ball and socket joint 44 , 44 &# 39 ; as the levers 24 - 28 are pivoted during actuation of the control rod linkage 22 , since the ball 52 will be able to both rotate and tilt in all planes relative to the collar 48 . an elongated pivot shank or shoulder bolt 60 ( fig8 ) is engaged through axial bore 54 of metal ball 52 . shank 60 includes an intermediate , enlarged , cylindrical bearing part 62 , snugly engaged into the hollow ball axial bore 54 , while threaded part 64 and head part 66 of shank 60 project outwardly from spherical ball 52 on opposite sides thereof . an axial channel 68 opens at the end of threaded part 64 and into at least one ( and preferably a few ) radial channel ( s ) 70 , made within bearing part 52 . radial channel 70 in turn opens into an annular groove 72 made on the radially outer surface of bearing cylindrical part 62 . groove 72 of shank 60 is to come in continuous register with the fluid intake port ( the radially inner mouth of radial channel 58 ) of metal ball 52 . axial channel 68 outwardly opens within an enlarged mouth 64a . a lubricating fluid valve 74 is threadingly fitted into the enlarged mouth . valve 74 may be of the type known under the trade name zerk . valve 74 is periodically fed manually with lubricating fluid , to incrementally fill up the lubricating fluid inside axial channel 68 and radial channel 70 . channels 58 , 68 , 70 , and annular grooves , 56 , 72 ,-- which are in communication with one another -- in turn constitute a reservoir of lubricating fluid , wherein continuous feeding of the latter to the interface between ball 52 and socket 50 , 50 &# 39 ;, can be achieved during joint rotation . the external surface diameter of the shank intermediate bearing part 62 should be substantially equal to the diameter of the spherical ball axial bore 54 , so that shank part 62 engages with a friction fit . head part 66 is tightened against one flat face 54a or 54b of ball 52 by a self - locking nut 55 , screwed on bolt threaded part 64 , and abutting against the other flat face 54b or 54a . diametrally largest head part 66 of shank 60 is to abut flatly against the exterior lateral side surface of wall 40 of snow chute 20 , and to be welded in position by weld means w . according to an important feature of the invention , the flat outer free surface 66a of head part 66 axially carries a sharp , conical marker tip 76 , projecting outwardly from the plane of surface 66a orthogonally thereof . marker tip 76 , which is made of hardened steel as is shoulder bolt 60 , is to be driven into the outer surface 40a of the snowblower casing wall 40 , thus defining a v - shape cavity 40b , through a fraction of the thickness of metal casing 40 , as suggested in fig6 to therefore precisely position shank 60 during welding to casing 40 by weld means w . hammer blows are applied axially against the free end of the shank opposite end part 64 , with the zerk valve 74 being previously removed . marker tip 76 is advantageous during installation of the control rod linkages 22 to the snow blower chute 20 , since it enables precise spatial positioning of the pivot means 42 relative to the casing wall 40 , as well as corresponding precise spatial positioning of the pivot means 32 on the triangular plate 34 . marker tip 76 is especially useful when restoration work is effected on a used snow blower chute wherein the old pivot pins welded to the casing walls 40 are cut off and the shoulder bolts 60 welded to walls 40 at the old pivot pin positions . it is understood from fig2 that pivot means 30 consists of a single shank 60 &# 39 ; which is free of casing 40 , and which extends through three sets of ball and socket joints 50 , 52 , at the corresponding transversely registering ends of link bars 24 , 26 , 28 . the shank 60 of pivot means 42 is anchored directly to casing wall 40 , clearing the top edge of triangular plate 34 but in spaced substantially overlying register . the shank 60 of pivot means 32 is also secured to casing 40 ( albeit indirectly , through elements 34 , 36 , 38 ,) and is outwardly offset from said casing wall 40 relative to the vertical plane intersecting said pivot means 42 . hence , the effective operation of the control rod linkages 22 will be very long lasting , because the pivot joints 30 , 32 , 42 , will adapt to accidental twisting of one of the link arms 24 , 26 or 28 due to bending of the discharge spout 20 or discharge pipe extension parts under time - induced wear . indeed , link arms 24 - 28 are originally exactly parallel to one another , but after a certain time in use , the snow chute 20 may become damaged under repeated impacts from hard materials collected with the snow during snow removal , and this damage to the snow chute may in turn tilt the link arms from the control rod linkages . with the present link arm joint , such tilting will not affect the relative pivotal motion capability of the link arms 24 , 26 , 28 . in the alternate embodiment of shank member illustrated as 60 &# 34 ; in fig8 - 9 , the sharpened tip 76 at the central portion of the free face 66a of cylindrical part 66 , is made bigger as shown at 76a and is associated with a sharpened ring 176 protruding from the peripheral section of the free circular face 66a &# 39 ; of head part 66 &# 39 ;. hence , beside making a central hole 40b into wall 40 , as in the first embodiment of shank 60 at fig6 an annular groove ( not shown ) is also made into surface 40a of wall 40 by knife ring 176 . such a double marking means 76a , 176 , on shank 60 &# 34 ;, is at least as efficient as the single tip of the first embodiment of shank 60 . if desired only knife ring 176 can be used .	8
in its broadest sense , the invention comprises the use of a polymer or chromophore with luminescent properties that are either enabled ( in the case of the chromophore ) or disabled ( in the case of the polymer ) in the presence of a compound to be detected , and methods of using said polymer and / or chromophore to detect such compounds . in addition , the invention includes a method of producing the polymer and chromophore . in a preferred embodiment , a polymer is produced that ceases to fluoresce when contacted with an organophosphate , neurotoxin , pesticide , metal ion , biological agent ( or combinations thereof ) or other types of compounds containing at least one halogenated group . specific examples of halogenated neurotoxins include sarin , soman , gf , and dfp . while the present invention specifically refers to the use of detection agents for use in detecting neurotoxins , it is to be understood that the present invention is useful for detection of numerous compounds that contain one or more of the functional groups of interest . in contrast to the polymer , the chromophore of the present invention fluoresces when contacted with an organophosphate , neurotoxin , pesticide , metal ion , biological and / or other types of compounds containing either a halogenated or methoxy - functional group . the respective modes of detection of the polymer and the chromophore allow an effective dual means of detecting and identifying various compounds containing a halogenated and / or methoxy group . for instance , the chromophore can be used to generally detect the presence of a neurotoxin . once a neurotoxin is detected , the polymer can be used to more specifically identify whether the neurotoxin is one containing a halogenated group . alternatively , the polymer and chromophore can also be used individually to detect the presence of various halogenated and / or methoxylated neurotoxins . the backbone of the polymer is generally made up of some combination of at least one of aminopyrazines , pyrazine , aminopyridine , or any amine containing an aromatic moiety ; one or more of thiophene , pyridine , bipyridine , quinoline , isoquinoline , paraphenylene , hydroxyl paraphenylene , a phenyl group , or any hetero aromatic system . the backbone has a total number of between 1 and 100 units , with about 5 - 20 being preferred . the backbone preferably consists of pyrazine , aminopyridine , or aminopyrazine , with aminopyrazine being most preferred . wherein r 1 is h , alkyl , cycloalkyl , benzyl , or any aromatic , heteroaromatic , or heterocyclic group ; and n is an integer between 1 and 100 ; and r 2 is a c 6 - c 15 alkyl chain . again , n is preferably 5 - 20 . most preferred polymers of this invention have the following general formula : wherein r 1 is h , alkyl , cycloalkyl , benzyl , or any aromatic , heteroaromatic , or heterocyclic group ; and n is an integer between 1 and 100 , with 5 - 20 being preferred . the chromophore of the present invention has the following general formula : wherein r is h , nh 2 , an aliphatic chain , or an aromatic group . the aliphatic chain is preferably c 1 - c 8 . preferred chromophores of the invention have one of the following formulas shown below : the chromophore and polymer are generally prepared by suzuki coupling reactions . such reactions are well known and understood in the art . in general , an organoborane is reacted with an organic halide in an organic solvent , such as tetrahydrofuran ( thf ) and ethers . this reaction preferably occurs in a nitrogen atmosphere with vigorous stirring at a temperature between 90 - 110 ° c . however , other temperatures , atmospheres , and reaction conditions are also appropriate , as would be understood to persons skilled in the art . the use of a palladium catalyst is also preferred . once the reaction is complete , the organic phase is separated and the polymer precipitated therefrom . the precipitated polymer is then separated and dried using conventional means or can be retained in solution . in the absence of neurotoxins , the polymer fluoresces in the presence of ultraviolet light . however , upon contact with the halogenated phosphate esters of neurotoxins , the polymer quenches the fluorescence of the neurotoxin , thereby facilitating its detection . this fluorescence quenching is the result of the nh 2 group of the conducting polymer hydrolyzing the halogenated phosphate ester and releasing acid which in turn oxidizes the polymer . the detection of the organophosphate molecule by the change in fluorescence characteristics of the polymer occurs quite rapidly , typically in less than three seconds . given this fast response time , the polymer is particularly suited for use in optoelectronic sensors . in addition to the above - described polymer , a non - polymeric chromophore may also be used to detect the presence of the organophosphates and other biological agents already described above . the chromophore has the reverse fluorescence characteristics as the polymer , meaning that in the absence of organophosphate molecules , the chromophore does not fluoresce in the presence of ultraviolet light . the chromophore gains its fluorescence under ultraviolet light when a neurotoxin containing either a methoxy or halogenated group is present . the fluorescence is the result of the reaction of the oh of the chromophore with these functional groups . the chromophore and polymer have different mechanisms of action to detect the presence of organophosphates or other compounds . generally , the polymer hydrolyzes the halogenated phosphate ester of the organophosphate molecule and releases acid , which in turn oxidizes the polymer . this leads to formation of imine form of the polymer , which is not fluorescent after binding with the organophosphate . this imine form is depicted below : cyclic voltammetry shows that the polymer is oxidized in two steps , and the eis measurement shows an increase in resistivity with oxidation . it is the increase in resistivity that explains the quenching of the fluorescence in response to the presence of organophosphate or other molecules capable of detection . fig3 illustrates the intensity of fluorescence of unbound polymer compared to polymer bound to dmcp . fig4 illustrates that polymer bound to dimethylmethylchlorophosphonate ( a non - halogenated neurotoxin ) has the same intensity of fluorescence as unbound polymer . as noted , the chromophore detects the presence of organophosphates or other detectable molecules by interaction between the hydroxyl group and the methoxy or halogenated group of the neurotoxin molecule . this leads to a cyclization reaction which in turn produces the fluorescent molecule depicted below . the overall reaction is also shown : where a − is po 2 ( och 3 ) 2 − . fig1 is a graph showing the emission spectra of the most preferred chromophore of the present invention ( as shown above ) with dimethylchlorophosphonate ( dmcp ). based on the above - described mechanisms of action , the chromophore and polymer described are able to detect a wide variety of compounds . the chromophore can detect any neurotoxin having a methoxy or halogenated group , and the polymer will detect halogenated neurotoxins specifically . detectable compounds include organophosphates having the requisite halogen or methoxy group , such as sarin , cyclosarin , soman , tabun , diisopropylfluorophosphate , diethylchlorophosphate , ve , vg , vm , vx , metrifionate , pyridostigmine , and physostigmine ; explosives such as plastic explosive or trinitrotoluene ; and metal ions , such as iron , cobalt , nickel , copper , a transition metal ion , or a main group metal ion . for years military force have used detection devices to identify these same materials but even today &# 39 ; s best detection measures may require minutes for the user to receive an accurate alert to a potential hazard . some detectors are quicker but they also provide more false alerts . the polymer and chromophore of the present invention can accurately identify trace amounts of poisons or explosives having halogen and / or methoxy functional groups in seconds . these detection molecules can detect leaks in shipping containers of certain industrial chemicals , detect certain explosive compounds and detect an entire family of neurotoxins . in addition to giving advanced notice to the presence of hazards , the detection molecules can be used to authenticate the elimination of chemical agents or toxic substances during an investigation or clean - up operation . the polymers of the present invention notify users via multiple feedback methods . they can be set to fluoresce in ultraviolet light yet remain clear in visible light . when in this mode , the fluorescence will quench as a toxic substance or explosive compound comes into contact it . alternatively , the chromophore can provide no initial ultraviolet fluorescence , but fluoresces upon exposure to a toxic substance or explosive compounds . the detection molecules of this invention also have the unique property of providing enough electrical activity upon coming into contact with a hazardous substance so that it can be integrated into many of today &# 39 ; s existing electrical sensors . rapid alert notification to the presence of a fast acting neurotoxin is extremely important . many chemical agents cause injury or death in less than a minute . speed is also essential when multiple yet rapid and economical detections must be made ( for example , hand screening of luggage ). the detection molecules of the present invention provide accurate detection within 2 to 3 seconds of contact with a target substance as compared to minutes with similar technologies . these unique molecules are designed to detect trace amounts of : the entire family of halogenated chemical compounds with very high selectivity ; the chemical warfare agents vx , gf , gb ( sarin ), gd , ( soman ) and ga ( tabun ); explosives ( various plastic explosives and tnt ); and pesticides ( organo - phosphonates like dfp and dmmp ). the detection molecules need only be applied in strengths ranging from parts - per - millions to part - per - billions . further , under certain circumstances , the molecules can be reconditioned for repetitive use . the detection molecules of the instant invention can be applied separately or together , and as an individual coating or mixed with other coatings . they can be sprayed or painted on to a surface , and can be applied to such simple materials a tape or cloth swabs , or applied to much more complex devices such as electronic sensors or electronic noses . sensors incorporating either or both of the chromophore and / or polymer can be easily used in any location in which fast detection of neurotoxins is desired . examples might include potential targets for terrorist attacks , such as subways , airports , aircraft , or government buildings . the basic performance and functionality of these molecules in detecting neurotoxins have been verified with fluorescence measurements , impedance testing and cyclic voltammetry . in addition to being used to detect neurotoxins in the context of terrorism or chemical warfare , the polymer and chromophore described can also be used to detect the presence of organophosphates in the context of medical diagnosis or treatment monitoring . in fact , the polymer and chromophore may be used to detect neurotoxins in virtually any desired application . the following examples are offered to illustrate but not limit the invention . thus , they are presented with the understanding that various formulation modifications as well as method of delivery modifications may be made and still be within the spirit of the invention . a preferred polymer of the present invention was prepared by the following method : 2 , 5 - dibromohydroquinone 3 ( 40 . 2 g , 0 . 15 mol ) was dissolved in a solution of sodium hydroxide ( 9 . 2 g , 0 . 23 mol ) in 1 . 5 l of absolute ethanol at room temperature under nitrogen atmosphere . the reaction mixture was warmed to 50 - 60 ° c . with constant stirring . the dodecylbromide ( 36 ml , 0 . 15 mol ) was added drop wise to the above reaction mixture at 60 ° c . after 10 h of stirring under nitrogen atmosphere , the reaction mixture was cooled and the precipitate formed was filtered and washed with methanol . this precipitate was identified as dialleylated - 2 , 5 - dibromohydroquinone as a side product . the filtrate was evaporated to remove the solvent . 2 l of distilled water was added to the residue and the mixture was acidified with 36 % hcl , boiled gently for 1 h and cooled . the resulting precipitate was collected by filtration , washed with water and dried in vacuo . the crude product was purified by column chromatography using a mixture of solvents ( ch 2 cl 2 : hexanes , 4 : 6 ) to get the pure product in 60 % yield . 1 h nmr , ( cdcl 3 , δ ppm ): 7 . 25 ( s , 1h ,), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h ), 5 . 16 ( s , 1h ), 3 . 92 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 62 ( q , 2h ), 1 . 4 ( m , 18h ); 0 . 88 ( t , 3h ). 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 , δ ppm ): 7 . 25 ( s , 1h ), 6 . 97 ( s , 1h ), 3 . 92 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 80 ( q , 2h ), 1 . 4 ( m , 18h ); 0 . 87 ( t , 3h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 , δ ppm ): 149 . 95 , 146 . 64 , 120 . 16 , 116 . 49 , 112 . 34 , 108 . 26 , 70 . 25 , 31 . 81 , 29 . 55 , 29 . 47 , 29 . 26 , 29 . 20 , 28 . 97 , 25 . 82 , 22 . 60 , 14 . 04 . benzyl bromide ( 3 . 8 ml , 0 . 031 mol ) was added drop wise to a stirred solution of 2 , 5 - dibromo - 4 - dodecyloxy phenol ( a ) ( 6 . 95 g , 0 . 015 mol ) and anhydrous k 2 co 3 ( 3 . 28 g , 0 . 023 mol ) in 700 ml of absolute ethanol at 40 - 50 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred for 10 h at 50 ° c ., progress of the reaction was monitored using tlc , cooled to rt and evaporated to remove the solvent . an equal volume of distilled water was added to the residue and the mixture was stirred for one hour at 0 ° c . the resulting precipitate was collected by filtration , washed with water , and dried in vacuum . recrystallization was done in methanol to get 80 % yield . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 , δ ppm ): 7 . 46 ( m , 5h ), 7 . 21 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 15 ( s , 1h ), 5 . 11 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 99 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 85 ( q , 2h ), 1 . 32 ( m , 18h ), 0 . 95 ( t , 3h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 , δ ppm ): 150 . 51 , 149 . 49 , 136 . 16 , 128 . 50 , 128 . 10 , 127 . 17 , 119 . 32 , 118 . 31 , 111 . 53 , 111 . 01 , 71 . 99 , 70 . 19 , 31 . 83 , 29 . 56 , 25 . 84 , 22 . 60 , 14 . 02 1 . 6 m solution of butyl lithium in hexanes ( 55 ml , 0 . 088 mol ) was added slowly to a solution of dibromide b ( 11 . 57 g , 0 . 022 mol ) in a mixture of solvents diethyl ether ( 150 ml ) and thf ( 150 ml ) under nitrogen atmosphere at − 78 ° c . the solution was warmed to rt and cooled again to − 78 ° c . triisopropyl borate ( 51 ml ) was added drop wise within 2 h . after complete addition , the mixture was warmed to rt and stirred overnight . water was added and the mixture stirred for 24 h . the crystalline mass was recovered by filtration . the product was re crystallized from acetone in 80 % yield . 1 h nmr ( dmso - d 6 , δ ppm ): 7 . 80 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 75 ( s , 2h ), 7 . 46 ( m , 5h ), 7 . 29 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 17 ( s , 1h ), 5 . 11 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 99 ( t , 2h ), 1 . 73 ( q , 2h ), 1 . 24 ( m , 18h ), 0 . 85 ( t , j = 6 hz , 3h ). 13 c nmr ( dmso - d 6 , δ ppm ): 157 . 00 , 156 . 22 , 137 . 16 , 128 . 38 , 127 . 77 , 127 . 52 , 118 . 28 , 117 . 70 , 70 . 05 , 68 . 30 , 31 . 2 , 28 . 89 , 25 . 38 , 22 . 00 , 13 . 87 . diboronic acid c ( 8 . 2 g , 0 . 018 mol ) and trimethylene glycol ( 5 . 2 in ], 0 . 072 mol ) were added to toluene ( 150 ml ) at rt . then the reaction mixture was refluxed for 3 h . the solvent was removed by rotovap . the residue was dissolved in chcl 3 , dried over sodium sulfate and filtered . the solution was evaporated and the residue was re crystallized from hexanes . the recrystallized product was used without further purification for polymerization . 1 h nmr ( cdcl 3 , δ ppm ): 7 . 35 ( m , 5h ), 5 . 05 ( s , 2h ), 4 . 16 ( d , 8h ), 3 . 85 ( t , 3h ), 2 . 02 ( m , 4h ), 1 . 57 ( m , 2h ), 1 . 27 ( m , 18h ), 0 . 88 ( t , 3h ). 13 c nmr ( cdcl 3 , δ ppm ): 157 . 73 , 156 . 92 , 138 . 28 , 128 . 06 , 127 . 00 , 120 . 42 , 119 . 79 , 71 . 70 , 69 . 70 , 61 . 91 , 31 . 81 , 29 . 55 , 27 . 22 , 25 . 98 , 22 . 57 , 14 . 01 . under absence of light and at 0 ° c ., n - bromosuccinimide ( 15 . 68 g , 88 . 1 mmol ) was added to a solution of 2 - aminopyrazine ( 4 . 19 g , 44 . 06 mmol ) in dry dichloromethane ( 250 ml ). the mixture was stirred for 20 h at 4 ° c . and then washed with four 40 ml portions of a saturated sodium carbonate solution in water . the organic layer was dried ( mgso4 ) and evaporated under reduced pressure , affording the title compound as 12 . 8 g of a light brown solid . column chromatography , using silica and a dichloromethane / ethyl acetate ( 3 / 1 ) mixture as the eluent , yielded pure 2 - amino - 3 , 5 - dibromopyrazine as 5 . 00 g ( 65 %) of a light yellow solid . 1h - nmr ( cdcl 3 , 400 mhz ): 8 . 09 ( s , 1h ), 4 . 95 ( 211 , nh ) ppm . 13c - nmr ( cdcl 3 ): 153 . 5 ( c - 2 ), 144 . 3 , 31 . 9 , 126 . 8 ppm diboronic ester d ( 0 . 97 g , 0 . 186 mmol ) and dibromo aminopyrazine e ( 0 . 458 , 0 . 186 mmol ) were added to dry thf ( 10 ml ) under nitrogen atmosphere . 2m na 2 co 3 ( 15 ml ) was added to this followed by palladium catalyst tetrakis ( triphenylphosphino ) palladium ( 1 . 5 mol % with respect to monomer d ). the mixture was then heated to 100 ° c . for 72 h in a flask with vigorous stirring . after the reaction , the organic phase was separated and the polymer precipitated from hexane . the precipitated polymer was separated and dried to yield 0 . 5 g of polymer ( yield = 60 %). gpc analysis showed a number average molecular weight of 5300 . a ) benzyl bromide ( 7 ml , 0 . 05 mol ) was added drop wise to a stirred solution 2 bromo phenethyl alcohol ( 10 g , 0 . 0496 mol ) and anhydrous nah ( 2 . 28 g , 0 . 05 mol ) in 100 ml of dry thf at 40 - 50 ° c . the reaction mixture was stirred for 10 h at 50 ° c ., progress of the reaction was monitored using tlc , cooled to rt and evaporated to remove the solvent . an equal volume of distilled water was added to the residue and the mixture was stirred for one hour at ambient . the organic layer was separated , dried and evaporated . to the resulting liquid 100 ml of 5 % ethanolic solution of naoh was added and refluxed for 3 hr . the resulting solution was evaporated and extracted with ether to give the benzyl protected phenethyl alcohol as a clear liquid at 80 % yield . 1h - nmr ( cdcl3 , 400 mhz ): 7 . 5 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 3 ( m , 7h ), 7 . 08 ( d , 1h ), 4 . 53 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 7 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 07 ( t , 2h ) ppm . 13c - nmr ( cdcl3 , 100 mhz ): 138 . 43 , 132 . 96 , 131 . 37 , 129 . 01 , 128 . 58 , 128 . 20 , 127 . 78 , 127 . 76 , 127 . 57 , 124 . 87 , 73 . 12 , 69 . 56 , 36 . 71 ppm . b ) 1 . 6 m solution of butyl lithium in hexanes ( 66 ml , 0 . 1 mol ) was added slowly to a solution of 2 - bromo o - benzyl phenethyl alcohol ( 9 . 7 g , 0 . 033 mol ) in a mixture of solvents diethyl ether ( 150 nil ) and thf ( 150 ml ) under nitrogen atmosphere at − 78 ° c . the solution was warmed to rt and recooled to − 78 ° c . triisopropylborate ( 23 . 1 ml ) was added drop wise within 2 h . after complete addition , the mixture was warmed to rt and stirred overnight . water was added and the mixture stirred for 24 h . the organic phase was separated and column chromatography of the resulting viscous liquid using dichloromethane as the eluent gave the boronic acid as white crystalline solid in 65 % yield . 1h - nmr ( cdcl3 , 400 mhz ): 7 . 8 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 4 ( t , 2h ), 7 . 3 ( m , 4h ), 7 . 2 ( d , 1h ), 7 . 1 ( d , 1h ) 4 . 53 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 75 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 07 ( t , 2h ) ppm . 13c - nmr ( cdcl3 , 100 mhz ): 143 . 78 , 136 . 79 , 134 . 15 , 130 . 44 , 129 . 32 , 128 . 69 , 128 . 20 , 127 . 95 , 126 . 13 , 73 . 74 , 72 . 47 , 36 . 89 ppm . c ) under absence of light and at 0 ° c ., n - bromosuccinimide ( 7 . 84 g , 44 . 05 mmol ) was added to a solution of 2 - aminopyrazine ( 4 . 19 g , 44 . 06 mmol ) in dry dichloromethane ( 250 ml ). the mixture was stirred for 20 h at 4 ° c . and then washed with four 40 ml portions of a saturated sodium carbonate solution in water . the organic layer was dried ( mgso4 ) and evaporated under reduced pressure , affording the title compound as 5 . 90 g of a light brown solid . column chromatography , using silica and a dichloromethane / ethyl acetate ( 3 / 1 ) mixture as the eluent , yielded pure 2 - bromo - 5 - aminopyrazine as 5 . 00 g ( 65 %) of a light yellow solid . 1h - nmr ( cdcl3 , 400 mhz ): 8 . 09 ( s , 1h , h - 6 ), 7 . 77 ( s , 1h , h - 3 ), 4 . 65 ( bs , 2h , nh ) ppm . 13c - nmr ( cdcl3 , 100 mhz ): 153 . 5 ( c - 2 ), 144 . 3 ( c - 6 ), 131 . 9 ( c - 3 ), 126 . 8 ( c - 5 ) ppm . d ) the boronic acid ( 0 . 8 g , 3 . 26 mmol ) and bromo pyrazine ( 0 . 56 g , 3 . 26 mmol ) were added to dry toluene ( 20 ml ) under nitrogen atmosphere . 2m na 2 co 3 ( 15 ml ) was added to this followed by palladium catalyst tetrakis ( triphenylphosphino ) palladium ( 1 . 5 mol % with respect to boronic acid ). the mixture was then heated to 80 ° c . for 48 h with vigorous stirring . the reaction mixture was evaporated , washed with water and the organic phase was separated . column chromatography of the compound using 1 : 1 ethyl acetate / hexane mixture gave 60 % of the required product . 1h - nmr ( cdcl3 , 400 mhz ): 8 . 15 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 01 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 25 ( m , 9h ), 4 . 58 ( s , 2h , — nh ), 4 . 6 ( s , 2h ), 3 . 6 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 01 ( t , 2h ) ppm . 13c - nmr ( cdcl3 , 100 mhz ): 152 . 95 , 145 . 20 , 141 . 98 , 138 . 65 , 137 . 71 , 137 . 33 , 131 . 28 , 130 . 85 , 130 . 10 , 128 . 56 , 127 . 80 , 127 . 71 , 126 . 73 , 72 . 97 , 71 . 20 , 33 . 64 . e ) the o - benzyl protected compound was dissolved in a mixture of dry thf ( 50 ml ) and absolute ethanol ( 50 ml ) at rt . 10 % pd / c ( 3 g ) was added to the above solution . the mixture was flushed with nitrogen gas three times . two to three drops of conc . hcl was added to enhance the debenzylation . the reaction was carried out at rt under positive pressure of hydrogen for 24 h with constant stirring . the reaction mixture was filtered through celite powder and the precipitate was washed with absolute ethanol . the filtrate was evaporated and dried in vacuum to yield the desired chromophore at 50 % yield . ih - nmr ( cdcl3 , 400 mhz ): 8 . 19 ( s , 1h ), 8 . 06 ( s , 1h ), 7 . 30 ( m , 4h ), 4 . 78 ( s , 2h , — nh ), 3 . 6 ( t , 2h ), 3 . 05 ( t , 2h ) ppm . 13c - nmr ( cdcl3 , 100 mhz ): 153 . 08 , 145 . 20 , 141 . 98 , 138 . 65 , 137 . 71 , 131 . 28 , 130 . 85 , 128 . 56 , 126 . 73 , 64 . 26 , 33 . 64 . having described the invention with reference to particular compositions , theories of effectiveness , and the like , it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that it is not intended that the invention be limited by such illustrative embodiments or mechanisms , and that modifications can be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention , as defined by the appended claims . it is intended that all such obvious modifications and variations be included within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims . the claims are meant to cover the claimed components and steps in any sequence which is effective to meet the objectives there intended , unless the context specifically indicates to the contrary .	6
[ 0047 ] fig1 is a schematic of the major components of the drive system . from the stirrup ( a ), the drive line ( b ) is pulled downward , first through the initial drive pulley ( c ), which is located so as to provide an unobstructed path for the operator &# 39 ; s leg , then through routing pulley ( s ) ( d ) to moveable pulley ( s ) ( e ), and finally to drive spool ( f ), which drives the hub of the rear wheel . [ 0048 ] fig2 illustrates the spiral cone configuration of the drive spool , which , in conjunction with the moveable pulley ( s ) ( fig1 e ), allows for drive - ratio variation . [ 0049 ] fig3 is a schematic illustrating the action of the operator &# 39 ; s leg when driving the system . in fig3 a , b , and c , the leg is shown at three positions : a : fully retracted at top of stroke ; b : at mid - point of stroke ; and c : fully extended at bottom of stroke . subordinate numbering in all three views ( a , b , and c ) refers as follows : 1 : center of hip joint ; 2 : center of knee joint ; 3 : center of ankle joint ; and 4 : center of “ ball ” of foot . fig3 d shows the location of the initial drive pulley , which is critical both to establishing the desired path of travel for the leg and to providing clearance between itself and the shin portion of the leg . fig3 e incorporates fig3 a , b , and c to demonstrate the action of the operator &# 39 ; s leg when operating the system . the path of travel ( the line established in fig3 a , b , and c by points 1 and 4 ) is actually determined by point 1 and by the point on the initial drive pulley d at which the drive line emerges therefrom toward the stirrup at point 4 . this path will automatically be sought by the operator &# 39 ; s leg as it is extended against the resistance provided by the work of driving the system ; thus , deliberate control by the operator of the leg &# 39 ; s path of travel is required only on the return , or retraction , stroke . [ 0051 ] fig4 and 5 comprise a top - view schematic of the entire system as employed in the preferred embodiment , which is an upright bicycle . in addition to the elements already discussed , this figure also demonstrates the design and function of the system for rewinding of the drive spools . for the purpose of clarity , only one drive line is shown in these figures , this being the line n driving spool e from initial pulley a , which , along with initial pulley f and routing pulleys b and g , is mounted to frame crossmember m . an identical and separate drive line , not shown in the figures , drives spool k from initial pulley f in a manner identical to that of drive line n . [ 0052 ] fig6 is an end view of the positioning of the moveable drive - line routing pulleys ( c and d for drive line n ; h and j for drive line not shown ) on the shifter ( fig5 v ). the mounting of rewind - system pulleys ( fig5 r and t ) is not shown because , due to the much lower tension of the rewind system , the location of these pulleys is critical only in ensuring non - interference with the drive lines . drive line n follows a diagonal path through the frame as it passes around pulleys c and d ( routing pulley [ fig4 b ] aligns drive line n for proper entry into the shifter ); emerging from the shifter at pulley d , it travels directly to drive spool ( fig4 e ), to whose small - diameter end it is anchored . the other drive line ( not shown ), which travels from initial pulley f , through routing pulley g , then through shifter pulleys h and j to drive spool k , is prevented from interfering with drive line n by positioning one diagonally - opposed pair of shift pulleys ( e . g ., h and j ) slightly forward of the other pair ( e . g ., c and d ). this diagonal routing of the drive lines through the shifter and frame neutralizes lateral forces exerted on the shifter body and on the frame segment on which it slides . this important neutralizing balance is further ensured by ( 1 ) maintaining straightness in the entire frame segment shown as fig4 and 5l such that the shifter travels along a line which , if extended rearward , will intersect the center of the hub ; ( 2 ) locating the drive - line routing pulleys on the shifter so as to align properly with the drive spools at the hub ; and ( 3 ) aligning routing pulleys ( fig4 b and g ) properly with the shifter . each drive line is anchored to its respective drive spool at the spool &# 39 ; s small - diameter ( app . 1¼ ″) end ; at the drive - ratio setting illustrated in fig4 it engages the whole of the spool &# 39 ; s spiral groove , emerging at the large - diameter ( app . 2½ ″) end . when the line is pulled downward by the stirrup , it will drive its spool at a relatively high drive - to - driven ratio , or what is normally referred to as a “ low gear ”. each such downward stroke will rotate the spool approximately 1½ turns , so that only the large - diameter segment of the spool is actually being employed to drive the hub . when the shifter ( fig5 v ) is moved along the frame ( fig5 l ) in the direction away from the hub , some of the drive line will be unwound from each spool such that a downward stroke with the shifter in this forward position will drive the spool in “ high gear ”. since there is no inherent limit to the number of locating positions possible for the shifter within its range of travel , this system provides infinite variability of drive ratio within its limits . furthermore , since the diameter of the spool &# 39 ; s spiral groove is not constant at any point , the drive ratio will decrease incrementally ( toward a “ higher gear ”) during every downward stroke . due to the fact that the strength of the operator &# 39 ; s leg increases as it is extended , this phenomenon represents an added advantage to this system . rewinding of the drive lines onto the drive spools during the return stroke is accomplished by a separate rewinding line ( fig4 ). this single line , with its ends anchored to both drive spools at their large - diameter ends , uses the forward rotation of the spool being driven at any given moment to rewind the other spool . the line , routed from one spool to the other around the front of the frame , must also be routed through the shifter in the direction opposite to that of the drive lines in order to accommodate the simultaneous same - direction rotation of the spools during shifting . furthermore , since both of the drive lines are rewound by one rewind line , the rewind line must be routed twice through the shifter in order to establish an equality of alteration of the effective length of the respective lines . routing pulleys ( fig5 p , s , and u ), which are located at the front of the frame , and moveable pulleys ( fig5 r and t ), which are mounted to the shifter , accomplish the necessary routing . the rewind line utilizes the same spiral groove in the drive spools as do the drive lines . since the rewind line anchors to the end of each spool opposite to that at which the drive line is anchored , and since the action of the relative lines is opposed as well , no infringement occurs ; the rewind line is never closer than a half - turn of the spool to either drive line . a tensioner operating on the rewind line maintains tautness throughout not only the rewind system but both drive systems as well , due to the ability of the drive spools to rotate freely at all times in the rewinding direction . in the preferred embodiment , rewind pulleys ( fig4 p and u ) are mounted to a spring - loaded swingarm which has an operational range sufficient not only for rewinding during normal system operation but also for simultaneous rewinding of both drive spools so that both drive lines will retract fully to the initial drive pulleys when the stirrups are disengaged from the drive lines . this swingarm is not depicted in the drawings because the specific location and design of the tensioner are not critical to the system &# 39 ; s function and thus are not claimed by the inventor . also not claimed is the specific design of the stirrup ( s ), which will likely be incorporated into a specially constructed shoe with a hook at the top to facilitate engagement of the shoe - stirrup unit with its drive line . with the exception of the drive spools , all pulleys used are standard ball - bearing pulleys . the drive spools are preferably manufactured of aluminum and can be either machined or cast . they measure approximately 1½ ″ in width ; their diameter ranges from approximately 1¼ ″ to 2½ ″; and their spiral groove , whose width is ⅛ ″, runs approximately ten circuits around them . they contain press - fitted one - way roller clutches which drive the rear - wheel hub . the drive line utilizes a woven dacron material which is manufactured and marketed for use as parachute brake and steering line . this line is flexible and non - stretch , is ⅛ ″ in thickness , and possesses a breaking strength of 700 lbs . the rewind line , which is subjected only to the tension placed upon it by the tensioner , utilizes woven fishing line . in the preferred embodiment as an upright bicycle , only the lower frame segment and the drive / rewind system itself present any variation from standard bicycle layout and construction .	1
hereinafter reference is firstly made to fig1 to describe the basic concept of the disclosure via a diagrammatic view of a measurement arrangement according to the disclosure in a first embodiment . in fig1 references 110 and 120 denote portions of euv mirrors of a projection objective of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus , wherein for the sake of simplicity hereinafter those portions are equated directly with the euv mirrors . in addition references 131 - 136 denote measurement sections or light channels , within which the light passes between the first euv mirror 110 ( the upper one in fig1 ) and the second euv mirror 120 ( the lower one in fig1 ). in that respect the beginning of each measurement section 131 - 136 or each light channel lies on one of the euv mirrors 110 , 120 and the respective end is on the other of the euv mirrors 120 , 110 . measurement sections or light channels 131 - 136 are designed so that they allow the relative position of the second euv mirror 120 with respect to the first euv mirror 110 to be determined in ( all ) six degrees of freedom . in that respect ultimately these six degrees of freedom include in the usual way three space co - ordinates and three angle co - ordinates for defining the unique relative position , but in accordance with the disclosure are ascertained by way of six length measurements along the measurement sections 131 - 136 . what is important in that respect is that those measurement sections 131 - 136 are sufficiently independent of each other or different from each other so that by virtue of the length measurements it is also actually possible to conclude all of the above - mentioned six degrees of freedom , in mathematically clearly resolvable fashion . the arrangement of the measurement sections or light channels 131 - 136 in fig1 corresponds to the geometry of a so - called stewart - gough platform ( also referred to as the ‘ stewart platform ’ or hexapod , see d stewart : ‘ a platform with six degrees of freedom ’, uk institution of mechanical engineers proceedings 1965 - 66 , vol 180 , pt 1 , no 15 ), in which respect however the ‘ legs ’ of the hexapod , that are usually implemented in corporeal fashion , are in the form of non - corporeal measurement sections . for explanatory purposes fig1 firstly shows a per se known hexapod with two plates 10 , 20 which are connected together by way of six ‘ legs ’ 31 - 36 and are movable relative to each other . in that respect in the illustrated situation ( with one concrete arrangement both of the legs 31 - 36 and also the plates 10 , 20 relative to each other ), taking the length of the connections or legs 31 - 36 between the two plates 10 , 20 , it is possible to calculate the position of the one (‘ moved ’) plate relative to the other (‘ base ’) plate , with respect to all six degrees of freedom . the equations to describe the geometrical relationship between the two plates / euv mirrors are polynomials . in that respect each degree of freedom x , y , z , rx , ry , rz can be described with a polynomial . the mathematical properties of the resulting equation systems , the question of resolvability and optionally the construction of equations are discussed for example in andrew j sommerse , charles w wamper : ‘ the numerical solution of systems of polynomials ’, word scientific publishing , singapore , 2005 , and are well - known to those skilled in the art . it is to be noted that positions of the legs or plates are possible , which are singular , which for the familiar mechanical stewart - gough platform as shown in fig1 signifies that the plates 10 , 20 can no longer be moved out of that position via changes in length of the legs 31 - 36 , that is to say the platform is blocked in itself . for the concept of the present disclosure , with respect to which the ‘ legs ’ of the hexapod are in the form of non - corporeal measurement sections , the consequence of such an arrangement is that the equation system either becomes insoluble or has many solutions . in addition , it is possible to specify arrangements of the legs 31 - 36 in which the plates 10 , 20 can no longer be moved in all degrees of freedom ( if for example all six legs 31 - 36 are arranged parallel to each other and perpendicular to the plates 10 , 20 , in which case the plate 10 can no longer be displaced in the x - y plane or rotated about the z - axis ). in general it can be established that such arrangements of the legs 31 - 36 in fig1 , which do not lead to equation systems that can be solved , upon being transferred to the measurement sections according to the disclosure , have the consequence that the position of the two objects or mirrors relative to each other cannot be determined from the measurements . the present application sets forth examples of the available , possible or meaningful — as they can always be uniquely solved — arrangements of the legs or measurement sections . a substantial advantage of the arrangement according to the disclosure of six different measurement sections between the first euv mirror 110 and the second euv mirror 120 is that to a certain extent flexible adaptation of the levels of sensitivity occurring in the respective degrees of freedom ( that is to say in the respective spatial directions or angles ) to the specific factors or desired properties , in particular of the optical design , is possible to a certain extent . thus for example a suitable arrangement of the measurement sections 131 - 136 makes it possible to achieve more sensitive measurement for those degrees of freedom or directions in which relative positional determination in the specific optical system is of greater importance than in other directions or degrees of freedom . fig2 shows an alternative configuration , wherein elements which are similar to each other or which involve substantially the same function are referred to by references increased by ‘ 100 ’. in the fig2 embodiment two respective measurement sections cross or intersect in paired relationship . as is readily apparent from fig2 improved utilisation of the available structural space can be achieved by that overlapping or crossing relationship . on the other hand — as a consequence of the more pronounced inclined positioning of the measurement sections , that the overlapping relationship involves — the measurement arrangement enjoys greater sensitivity in certain spatial directions or in relation to given relative changes in position of the euv mirrors , wherein those spatial directions can in turn be precisely so selected that in the specific optical system involved they correspond to particularly important spatial directions . the orientation and precise arrangement of the measurement sections are therefore preferably so effected as to also give the maximum sensitivity for the degrees of freedom which are to be determined as accurately as possible . thus for example to achieve a comparatively high level of sensitivity in the z - direction , the measurement sections 131 - 136 and 231 - 236 respectively can substantially also preferably be arranged in the z - direction whereas the measurement sections 131 - 136 and 231 - 236 can be arranged in an inclined position to achieve a comparatively high level of sensitivity in the y - direction . fig9 shows an arrangement of measurement sections 931 - 936 in which three measurement sections , namely the measurement sections 932 , 934 and 936 , are parallel to each other . particularly small measurement uncertainties are achieved by that arrangement in the z - direction ( as the arrangement is particularly ‘ stiff ’ in the z - direction ). without the disclosure being limited thereto the measurement sections can be for example in the form of interferometric measurement sections both in the structure in fig1 and also in the structures in fig2 or fig9 . light coupling - in and light coupling - out is then preferably effected in the above - described embodiments using optical waveguides which are not shown in fig1 , 2 and 9 and which preferably respectively end at the beginning and the end of each measurement section ( for example the measurement sections 131 - 136 in fig1 ) and respectively pass light of a light source ( typically in particular a laser ) to the measurement section and couple the light into and couple it out of the respective light channel 131 - 136 , as is described in greater detail hereinafter . such coupling - in and coupling - out can be effected in spaced relationship , that is to say without mechanical contact with respect to the optical waveguides with the measurement sections and in particular the optical system . in that way , no forces or moments are applied to the optical system by the connection of the optical waveguides . in particular the arrangement can involve interferometric measurement sections with termination by triple prisms as shown in fig3 . in that case a beam splitter cube 341 with triple prism 342 which together form an interferometer 340 can be arranged at one of the euv mirrors 110 and a further triple prism 360 forming a retroreflector can be arranged at the other of the euv mirrors 120 , wherein the light channel extending therebetween , that is to say the actual measurement section , is denoted by reference 331 in fig3 . in regard to the arrangement of those interferometers it is for example possible for all of the total of six interferometers 340 to be arranged on the same euv mirror and for the retroreflectors 342 to be arranged on the other euv mirror . in alternative embodiments any smaller number of interferometers 340 can also be arranged at one of the euv mirrors 110 and the other interferometers can be arranged at the respective other one of the euv mirrors 120 , in which case again associated with each of the interferometers on an euv mirror is a retroreflector on the respective other euv mirror . although the disclosure can be implemented using interferometers with triple prisms as shown in fig3 a further possible embodiment is described hereinafter with reference to fig4 , using plane mirror interferometers . with such a plane mirror interferometer which in a basically known structure has in particular a beam splitter cube 441 and lambda / 4 plates 445 , 446 by which the light is deflected to a first plane mirror 460 and a second plane mirror 470 , the relative position of the second plane mirror 470 relative to the first plane mirror 460 can be measured in per se known manner . in that case the plane mirrors 460 , 470 can be arranged on the respective euv mirrors of the projection objective ( that is to say for example on the euv mirrors 110 , 120 in fig1 ), whereas the actual interferometer 440 ( indicated by the dotted region ) is disposed on the load - bearing structure ( frame ) of the projection objective . in addition it is also possible for the interferometer 440 together with the first plane mirror 460 to be arranged on one of the euv mirrors ( that is to say for example the euv mirror 110 of fig1 ) with the second plane mirror 470 arranged on the other euv mirror ( that is to say for example the other euv mirror 120 in fig1 ). referring to fig5 , deflection of the light incident in the interferometer 540 , that is involved with respect to the arrangement defined according to the disclosure of the measurement sections , can be effected by deflection mirrors 580 , as is indicated in fig5 . when designing the measurement sections 131 - 136 and 231 - 236 in the form of interferometric measurement sections , care is to be taken to ensure that the beams passing into the respective interferometer are already coupled in , in the respectively required direction . as that can be effected only with difficulty or at a level of complication and expenditure that is no longer acceptable , via a beam distributor optical system for dividing the laser beam in the different directions of the individual measurement sections , light coupling - in and light coupling - out are preferably effected using optical waveguides which respectively end directly at the beginning and the end respectively of each measurement section and which respectively feed light from a light source ( in particular a laser light source ) to the measurement section and couple it into and out of the respective light channel 131 - 136 . then the interferometers used are preferably those with optical - fiber beam input and output , as are commercially available for example from renishaw . in accordance with further embodiments , suitable reference elements in the form of ( partially ) reflecting optical elements can also be disposed at the optical components or euv mirrors which are measured in accordance with the disclosure with respect to their relative position , as is described hereinafter with reference to fig6 - 8 . as shown in fig6 a partially reflecting first reference element 611 can be disposed for example at a first euv mirror 610 and a further ( either partially or completely ) reflecting second reference element 621 can be disposed at a second euv mirror 620 . for travel length measurement , a short - coherent interferometer 640 is used , wherein coupling - in and coupling - out of the light used for the measurement operation are effected by way of optical - fiber elements or optical waveguides 635 . as diagrammatically shown in fig6 a part of the incident light is reflected back in the direction of incidence at the partially reflecting first reference element 611 and a further part is reflected in the direction towards the ( partially or completely ) reflecting second reference element 621 at the second euv mirror 620 , wherein the last - mentioned part is reflected and passes back to the short - coherent interferometer 640 by at least partial reflection at the first reference element 611 . the partially reflecting property of the first reference element 611 can be implemented for example by adjacent mirror elements of different orientation , wherein mirror elements having a first orientation reflect or send the incident beam back in itself and mirror elements involving a second orientation provide for passing the light further in a direction towards the second reference element 621 . the accuracy of the relative orientation between the euv mirrors 610 and 620 is determined by the adjustment or identification both of the angle between the two above - described orientations ( that is to say the first and second orientations ) and also the angle between the second reference element 621 and the second euv mirror 620 . detection of the angle between the first and second orientations can be effected for example on an angle measurement station with a turntable , wherein typical measurement uncertainties can occur in the range of 1 / 10 through 1 / 100 seconds of arc ( 1 second of arc = 50 nrad ), or even below that with an improvement in the angle measurement technology involved . detection of the angle between the second reference element 621 and the second euv mirror 620 can be effected in the course of direct incorporation of the reference element 621 into the mirror main body and integration of a recording technology which can be qualified with respect to position and angle into the arrangement or arrangements for mirror matching checking in a further embodiment the reference elements on the optical components or euv mirrors to be measured with respect to their relative position can also be in the form of so - called littrow gratings . referring to fig7 a first reference element in the form of a littrow grating 711 , for incident light from the interferometer 740 , provides on the one hand for partial retroreflection and on the other hand ( in the zero diffraction order ) reflection in the direction towards the second reference element 721 on the second euv mirror 720 by which the light is reflected back and passes back into the interferometer 740 by way of the first reference element or littrow grating 711 . in that case preferably an amplitude grating is used as the grating as phase gratings have a comparatively great groove depth which is greater than the positional measurement uncertainty . identification of the angle between the optically effective planar surface of the second reference element 721 and the second euv mirror 720 can again be effected in the course of direct incorporation of the reference element 721 into the mirror main body and integration of a recording technology which can be qualified with respect to position and angle in the arrangement or arrangements for mirror matching checking in accordance with a further embodiment shown in fig8 in addition planar surfaces serving for reflection can be provided directly at the optical components or euv mirrors which are to be measured with respect to their relative position or integrated in the respective substrate or main body respectively . for that purpose provided in fig8 is a first planar surface 811 on a first euv mirror 810 and provided at a second euv mirror 820 is a second planar surface 821 . the second euv mirror 820 also has a third planar surface 822 serving for referencing with respect to the mirror surface . the disclosure is not limited to interferometric measurement sections but also embraces implementations other contactless measurement principles such as for example capacitive measurement sections , inductive measurement sections or also the use of measuring scales which can be read off by suitable reading devices . as is only diagrammatically illustrated in fig1 for example a mechanical standard spacer gauge 50 of defined length which can be made for example from zerodur ®, invar ® or ule ° can be arranged between two reference surfaces 51 , 52 or mirror surfaces to be measured and used for length measurement . so that the standard spacer gauge 50 can be removed without any problem the mirrors having the reference surfaces 51 , 52 can be moved back definedly after the mirror mounting operation by way of their associated actuators . in addition gaps 53 , 54 remaining between the standard spacer gauge 50 and the reference surfaces 51 , 52 can also be capacitively measured if the reference surfaces 51 , 52 and the end faces of the gauge 50 , that face towards the reference surfaces , are at least region - wise of an electrically conducting nature . if those electrically conducting surfaces are provided for example in four quadrants , orientation of the gauge 50 with respect to the respective reference surface 51 , 52 can also be determined . as shown in fig1 a catoptric projection objective is provided for microlithography 1000 . six mirrors 1001 - 1006 of the projection objective are fixed via holders 1011 - 1016 to an outer carrier structure 1100 , 1101 of invar ®. all those mirrors or at least a part thereof are movable in six degrees of freedom and for that purpose are provided with manipulators ( not shown here ). the solid line 1020 denotes the projection beam path used for imaging the reticle ( not shown here ) on to the wafer ( not shown here ). the mirrors 1001 - 1006 are measured in paired relationship by five measurement section pairs 1021 - 1025 relative to each other with respect to their position . for the sake of clarity of the drawing only two respective measurement sections per pair of mirrors are illustrated . both non - penetrating measurement sections 1023 and also penetrating measurement sections 1022 are used as the measurement sections . even if the disclosure has been described by reference to specific embodiments numerous variations and alternative embodiments will be apparent to the man skilled in the art , for example by combination and / or exchange of features of individual embodiments . accordingly it will be appreciated by the man skilled in the art that such variations and alternative embodiments are also embraced by the present disclosure and the scope of the disclosure is limited only in the sense of the accompanying claims and equivalents thereof .	6
the following detailed description is made with reference to the figures . preferred embodiments are described to illustrate the present invention , not to limit its scope , which is defined by the claims . those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize a variety of equivalent variations on the description that follows . further , the preferred embodiments are described with reference to a laser scanning pattern generator . it will be obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art that any exposure means may be equally applicable , such as light from ir to euv , x - ray or particle beams such as electron , ion or atom beams . the invention is further described with reference to the production of a mask or reticle for the production of a cyclic pattern on for instance a display . it will be obvious to one with ordinary skill in the art that the inventive method and apparatus is equally applicable in the direct writing of such cyclic patterns in displays or other semiconductor components . fig4 shows an embodiment of a laser pattern generator according to prior art . in this embodiment , a support structure 13 is carrying the workpiece 10 . a writing head comprising an optical system 2 for generating object pixels on said workpiece 10 and a final lens 3 is placed on a carriage 14 that slides along a guiding rail 16 essentially along a direction x 15 . the parts moving with the carriage 14 are shown hatched in fig1 . the guiding rail 16 moves essentially along a direction y 9 . in one embodiment said guiding rail is moved in a stepwise fashion and said carriage 14 is moving in a continuous fashion , where a stepwise movement corresponds to a slow direction and a continuous motion corresponds to a fast movement . in another embodiment said guiding rail 16 is moved in a continuous fashion and said carriage 14 is moving in a stepwise fashion . in still another embodiment said guiding rail 16 is moved in a continuous fashion and said carriage 14 is also moving in a continuous fashion . in the embodiments described the workpiece 10 is kept in a fixed position while patterning the same . the support structure 13 may be arranged on a vibration damping structure 18 . said vibration damping structure is preferably made of a high density material and may in turn be supported by an air cushion for further damping vibrations . in fig4 a far end leg of the guiding rail is omitted for visibility . the optical system 2 generates a scan line , i . e . typically several hundred pixels are written in the y direction for each x position along the guiding rail . numerous scan lines will form a strip . a complete pattern comprises numerous strips partly overlapping each other or non - overlapping each other , depending on the writing strategy chosen . said optical system comprises in one embodiment , a modulator 138 , a collimator lens assembly 144 and a deflector 139 , see fig1 . the modulator 138 is used to either change the period of illumination time and / or intensity of the electromagnetic radiation from the source 17 . said modulator 138 may for instance be a conventional acousto optical modulator or any other modulator with essentially the same functionality . the deflector is used to deflect the beam of radiation for creating said scan lines . the deflector may be an acousto optical deflector . a clock generator is connectable to the modulator may use a 50 mhz frequency . a length of the scan line , i . e ., a width of a strip may be 200 μm . said scan line may comprise about 800 pixels . in another embodiment said optical head 2 only comprises said deflector 139 . in said embodiment the modulator 138 is arranged at a fixed position from the laser source 17 . the radiation may be generated by a laser source 17 either fixedly mounted on the guiding rail or separated from said guiding rail . the radiation is expanded , collimated , homogenized and launched by a optical system 19 in a direction parallel to the guiding rail 16 , so that it hits pick up optics 21 on the carriage 14 , with virtually unchanging lateral position , angle and cross section during movement along the rail . the laser source may be a continuous or pulsed laser source . the wavelength of the laser may for instance be 413 nm . alignment of the guiding rail 16 with the workpiece could be performed by using interferometers in a conventional manner , see for instance u . s . pat . no . 5 , 635 , 976 assigned to the same applicant as the present invention . in short , a control unit , not shown in the present figures , is initiating the operation of reading pattern data from a storage device and is sending instructions or command signals to servo units for controlling the movement of the guiding rail 16 . the clock generator is generating a clock signal , which synchronizes operation of data delivery device , the modulator 138 and the deflector 139 . the control unit provides for accurate positioning of the guiding rail with respect to the workpiece 10 . the modulator 138 and the deflector may be driven by the same clock signal , which provides for high degree of accuracy . position monitoring devices , such as interferometer , detector and a mirror attached to the moving device ( here the guiding rail 16 , is monitoring the position of the guiding rail 16 relative to the workpiece 10 and the final lens 3 . together with electric motors , which are moving the guiding rail 16 , said position monitoring devices form a servo - mechanism , which produces a precisely controlled movement of the guiding rail 16 . the clock generator with a certain frequency together with the interferometers with a certain wavelength , are defining the initial system grid . by changing the frequency of one of the interferometers , or if one interferometer is used with a beam splitter to create two branches of said laser beams for positioning control in two directions , only changing the wavelength in one branch or rescaling an initial scale with a certain factor , which interferometer is controlling the position in x - direction or y - direction , the scale in x - direction or y - direction may be changed up or down . this may be used for changing the initial system pitch . the workpiece 10 may be translated in an appropriate manner , for example with piezo - electrical actuators arranged on at least one end of said support structure 13 . in the illustrated embodiment in fig4 said workpiece 10 is essentially arranged in parallel with an x - y plane . this x - y plane could be a horizontal plane or a vertical plane . with said x - y plane in parallel with a vertical plane said workpiece is said to be a standing substrate . an apparatus with a standing substrate requires an essentially smaller clean room area , footprint , than a machine having a horizontal substrate , however , both embodiments require smaller clean room area than conventionally used machines . with a standing substrate 10 , said substrate is less sensitive to contamination , since the exposed area for particles falling down is drastically reduced compared to a substrate in parallel with a horizontal plane . in another embodiment said substrate is inclined at any angle between 0 - 90 ° from the horizontal plane . another feature with a standing substrate is that so - called sag , which is more or less inevitable when having the substrate in parallel with a horizontal plane , could be more or less eliminated with a substrate essentially parallel with the vertical plane . sag is defined as a deformation of the workpiece due to its weight . a pattern of sag depends on the type of support structures for the substrate , the number of support structures and the size and geometry of said substrate itself . a stepping motor or the linear motor may move the guiding rail . the guiding rail may slide on air bearings . there may be one air bearing under each leg of the guiding rail 16 . in another embodiment said legs of said guiding rail is coupled to each other , thereby forming a frame structure comprising an upper part on which said carriage is moving in the x direction and a lower part comprising the air bearings along the y direction . said lower part is below said vibration damping structure 18 , i . e ., a hollow part of said frame structure will move over the workpiece having the upper part above said workpiece and the lower part below said workpiece . fine positioning may exist on said guiding rail or said support structure 13 . said fine positioning may be in the form of mechanical and electronic servos . in one embodiment there is two linear motors operating on said guiding rail for performing said movement in the y direction . said linear motors may perform said fine positioning by operating them in such a manner so as to rotate the guiding rail . the rotation may be limited by the air bearing ( s ) attached to said guiding rail for said movement in said y direction . at an end support of the support structure 13 there may be attached piezoelectric actuators displacing the support structure 13 in the y direction . said actuators may be driven by analog voltages from a control system including said interferometers , detectors and mirrors and a feed back circuit sensing the position of the support structure 13 relative to that of the guiding rail 16 . together the actuators may correct for the limited resolution in the stepping motor and for non - straight travel of the guiding rail 16 . each actuator may have a movement range of 100 μm . instead of compensating said non straight travel of the guiding rail by actuators attached to said support structure 13 , said guiding rail itself may be adjusted so that the limited resolution of said stepping or linear motor can be compensated for . in a similar manner actuators may be attached to said guiding rail and by interferometry the position of the support structure relative to the guiding rail may be constantly monitored . the carriage 14 slides in the embodiments as illustrated in fig4 on air bearings 22 along the guiding rail 16 . it may be driven by a linear electric motor 23 and except for electric cables and air supply tubes there is no physical contact between the rail 16 and the carriage 14 . the only forces acting on it are from the contact - less motor 23 and from inertia . in order to compensate for errors concerning the straightness of the guiding rail 16 a calibration is possible . after the machine is assembled one has to write test plate and measure the writing errors . the errors are stored in a calibration file and fed to the control system as compensation during subsequent writing . said acoustooptical deflector in said optical system 2 mounted immediately above said final lens 3 may form the scan lines . pixels may be 300 × 300 nm and each scan line may be 200 μm wide . the lens may be an na = 0 . 5 flat field corrected lens with 4 mm focal length . fine positioning in x - direction may be based on the timing of the start - of - scan pulse when the final lens 3 is at its correct position . in y direction the mechanical servos described above may be supplemented by a data - delay feature , which moves the data along the acoustooptical scan as described in de 40 22 732 a1 . this is equivalent to an inertia free feed forward control system raising the bandwidth of the position control to above 100 hz . allowable angle deviations from stroke to stroke of said carriage are less than 10 micro radians , and there must not be any focus shift along said stroke . this may be solved in a number of ways . first , the carriage 14 runs on air bearings preloaded to high stiffness , so that a position of the carriage 14 relative to the guiding rail 16 is well defined and independent of external air pressure and temperature . a non - perfect guiding rail may give a writing error along the scan line . however , this error can be measured during calibration , stored as a correction curve and fed to the position feed back system for compensation during writing . focus may be kept constant by manipulating the laser beam by collimating and beam shaping optics 19 . referring now to fig1 , a multi beam optical system for patterning a workpiece 100 is one example of a system that can benefit from the present invention . the multi beam optical system comprises a laser source 17 a laser beam 101 , a diffractive optical element ( doe ) 128 , modulator lens assembly 130 , a modulator 138 , collimator lens assembly 144 , a prism 124 , an acoustooptical deflector 139 , a final lens 3 and a workpiece 150 . the laser source 17 may have an output wavelength at 413 nm , however other wavelengths may be used . the laser source outputs the laser radiation continuously or in a pulsed fashion . the diffraction optical element doe 128 , is separating the single laser beam into a plurality of laser beams , for instance 3 , 5 or 9 beams , however any number of laser beams is possible to create by inserting one or a plurality of does 128 . the modulator lens assembly 130 is focusing each individual laser beam into the modulator 138 . the modulator 138 is modulating the incoming focused plurality of laser beams . the modulator 138 may be an acoustooptical modulator . the prism 124 is inserted in this setup only for compressing the extension of the optical path of the laser beam . the collimator lens assembly 144 is collimating each individual divergent laser beam coming from the modulator . the collimator lens assembly is one feature in this setup , which is providing for the correct separation of the laser beams on the workpiece 150 , 10 . the acoustooptical deflector deflects the laser beams onto the workpiece 10 to form said scan lines . the final lens is focusing the plurality of laser beams onto the workpiece 150 , 10 . the final lens 3 and the modulator 138 are arranged at a fixed distance between each other . the collimator lens assembly 144 , comprising at least two lenses , may be arranged on motorized rails or may have its internal position changed or its absolute position changed by other suitable means , such as piezo electrical movement . changing the distance of the collimator lens assembly from the workpiece 150 and changing a focal length of said collimator lens assembly will change the separation of the laser beams on the workpiece 10 . another way of changing the separation of the individual laser beams on the workpiece 10 is to adjust the modulator lens assembly , so that the separation between the individual laser beams will be changed in the modulator . still another way of changing the separation of the individual laser beams on the workpiece is to mechanically stretch the doe 128 , thereby changing a pitch of the diffractive lattice , which will result in the desired change in beam separation on the workpiece . fig2 depicts an enlarged picture of the optical system 2 comprising the aod 139 and the final lens 3 together with the initial separation between the individual laser beams 101 a , 101 b , and 101 c . here three laser beams are used and the separation between two adjacent laser beams , denoted in fig2 with a or b , is 9 . 75 μm and the separation between two non adjacent laser beams , i . e ., a left most laser beam 101 a and a right most beam 101 c , denoted in fig2 with b , is 19 . 5 μm . the separation of the beams is perpendicular to a direction of sweeping the beams by means of said aod 139 , i . e ., if said separation is extending in an x - direction , the sweep of said laser beams is extending in a y - direction , which means the scan lines are extending in y - direction and strips in x - direction . in a multi beam writing strategy the initial separation between individual laser beams or exposure beams is exact or close to exact to an integer multiple of a system pitch in x - direction . if the separation in x - direction between individual laser beams is not an integer multiple of said system pitch size in x - direction , edge roughness and pattern dependent cd ( critical dimension ) variations will appear in the pattern . scaling is one method for compensation of defects in the pattern on the workpiece 10 , 150 . in this method the system pitch in for instance the x - direction is changed in size when writing the pattern . since the nominal separation between individual laser beams is tuned to an integer multiple of the initial system pitch in x - direction , the result will be edge roughness and pattern dependent cd variations in said pattern . in fig3 a it is depicted a repeatable pattern of features 310 a , 310 b in a grid of system pitches in x and y . here the system pitches in x and y are equal , thereby forming a grid of squares . from fig3 a one can see that said repeatable pattern do not start at equal grid positions . feature 310 a has a left most feature edge 312 a starting at a start point of said system pitch in x - direction , whilst a leftmost feature feature edge 312 b of feature 310 b do not start at a start point of said system pitch in x - direction . the features 310 a and 310 b has a pitch in x - direction , which is not an integer multiple of a system pitch in x - direction . most probably this mismatch in pitches will cause intensity variations in the pattern , i . e ., stripes . in fig3 b a scale of an initial dimension of the pattern in x - direction has been performed in order to match the pattern pitch in x - direction to system pitch in x - direction . as can be seen in fig3 b , the leftmost feature edge 312 a of feature 310 a coincides with the start of a system pitch , which is also true for the left most feature edge 312 b of feature 310 b . the scale of the pattern is performed in pattern data by for instance applying a constant to features in one direction . in fig3 b there will most probably not be any intensity variations detected . if the pattern would have been written as it is illustrated in fig3 b , the features would appear too small compared to an original and intended design . therefore , in fig3 c the system pitch in x - direction is increased so that features 310 a and 310 b will be written with correct dimensions . a square 320 in fig3 a and 3 b represents the equal size of system pitch in x - direction and y - direction . a rectangle 330 in fig3 c is a factor f larger in x - direction than said squares in fig3 a and fig3 b . the factor f is the same factor that the pattern was adjusted or rescaled with in x - direction in order to fit with the system pitch in x - direction in fig3 b . the system pitch may be changed in a direction perpendicular to the scan direction by means of , as mentioned above , changing the wavelength of the interferometer or rescaling the initial interferometer scale by a suitable factor , which interferometer is controlling the position in said direction . the pattern in fig3 c is most probably free of any intensity variations in both x - direction and y direction , but suffers from cd - errors due to the fact that the system pitch no longer is an integer multiple of the separation between individual laser beams . in the inventive method said separation between individual laser beams is adjusted to eliminate or at least reduce said cd - error . for instance , as disclosed above , the focal length and position of the collimator lens system may be used to adjust the separation of the laser beams on the workpiece so that said cd - error is reduced or eliminated . assuming know that the system pitch is 0 . 75 μm , that the multi beam pitch ( for three beams ) is 2 . 251 μm , that the separation between two individual laser beams is 9750 nm , as indicated in fig2 , and that the pattern pitch is 100 μm . this size of the pattern pitch is not an even multiple of the multi beam pitch : 100 / 2 . 25 = 44 . 44 . if a scaling is done in x - direction , so that 44 multi beam pitches are used and thereafter a rescale back to correct size by adjusting the system pitch , there will be no intensity variations in the pattern . the intermediate pattern pitch is in this case 99 μm , which is an even number of the system pitch . a rescale back from 99 μm to 100 μm in pattern pitch , requires that the system pitch is increased with 100 / 99 = 1 . 010101010 . this corresponds to an error in the separation between two laser beams of 1 . 010101010 * 9750 − 9750 = 98 nm . most probably , such an error in the separation between two laser beams will result in cd - errors in the pattern . while the present invention is disclosed by reference to the preferred embodiments and examples detailed above , it is understood that these examples are intended in an illustrative rather than in a limiting sense . it is contemplated that modifications and combinations will readily occur to those skilled in the art , which modifications and combinations will be within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims . for instance may the support structure be moving in one direction and the optical system in a perpendicular direction with the guiding rail at a fixed position as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 635 , 976 .	8
fig2 illustrates an exemplary system 200 to reduce moiré patterns . the system 200 includes illustrated content 202 , an image processing module 204 and processed illustrated content 212 . the illustrated content 202 can be any appropriate type of digitized content that includes illustrations or graphics . for example , the illustrated content 202 can be a comic book or magazine that has been scanned and can include halftone artwork / images ( e . g ., pictures that include a halftone image similar to halftone gradient pattern 102 ). in addition , the illustrated content 202 can include digital publications ( e . g ., a comic book , a magazine , a newspaper , or other publication that originates in an electronic format ) that include halftone artwork / images . the illustrated content 202 can also include text . in some implementations , the illustrated content 202 includes black and white manga - style comic books ( e . g ., black and white comic books using sequential art ). fig3 a illustrates a portion 300 of an example black and white manga - style comic book . the portion 300 includes black and white artwork and text . the portion 300 also includes a region of the image 350 that is susceptible to the moiré pattern . the illustrated content 202 is preferably scanned and stored in a high - resolution uncompressed format ( e . g ., tiff format , a bmp format , etc .). the illustrated content 202 can be stored in a database or other appropriate type of memory . the illustrated content 202 can also include information that describes the illustrated content 202 . for example , the illustrated content can include metadata that describes the height and width of the illustrated content 202 ( e . g ., a source height and a source width ) and a height and width of the processed illustrated content 212 ( e . g ., a target height and a target width ). the image processing module 204 can be associated with a publisher ( e . g ., the publisher of the illustrated content 202 ) or a content producer and can be used to reduce or remove moiré patterns . the image processing module 204 includes a text processing module 206 , a scaling module 208 and a blurring module 210 . the text processing module 206 can receive the illustrated content 202 and create a copy of the illustrated content 202 . the copy of the illustrated content can be in a bitmap format or other image / video format . the copy of the illustrated content can include the metadata associated with the illustrated content 202 . the text processing module 206 can remove text from the copy of the illustrated content . for example , a user of the image processing module 204 or a user associated with the illustrated content 202 can interact with the text processing module 206 to identify text included in the illustrated content 202 or identify regions of text included in the illustrated content 202 . the user can mark the text or regions of text such that the image processing 204 removes the text from the copy of the illustrated content 202 . in some implementations , the text processing module 206 can use a filter or mask to remove the text from the copy of the illustrated content . for example , the text processing module 206 can apply a filter that identifies text or regions of text in the copy of the illustrated content and can remove the text or region of text . if the illustrated content 202 includes a text layer ( e . g ., image data associated with an image is stored in a layer and picture data associated with an image is stored in a different layer ), the text processing module 206 can remove the text by removing the text layer . the removed text can be stored in an image text file that includes the removed text but does not include graphics or images associated with the illustrated content 202 . in addition to removing the text from the illustrated content 202 , the text processing module 206 can insert the text into the processed illustrated content 212 ( e . g ., the illustrated content after the moiré pattern is reduced or eliminated ). for example , after the illustrated content 202 is processed to reduce the moiré patterns , which is described below , the text processing module 206 can insert the text that was removed from the illustrated content 202 into the blurred and downscaled illustrated content . in some implementations , text processing module composites the image text file ( after it has been downscaled by the scaling module 208 ) with the blurred and downscaled illustrated content to insert the text . in some implementations where the illustrated content 202 includes black text on a white background , the text can be inserted into the blurred and downscaled illustrated content by multiplying the two images ( e . g ., illustrated content 202 * blurred and downscaled illustrated content ). the scaling module 208 can receive the copy of the illustrated content and determine a scaling factor . for example , the scaling module can use the source height and the target height to calculate a vertical scaling factor ( vsf ). in some implementations , the vertical scaling factor can be equal to the target height / source height ( e . g ., vsf = target height / source height ). the scaling module 208 can analyze the vertical scaling factor to determine whether the vertical scaling factor is appropriate given the target width and the aspect ratio of the illustrated content ( e . g ., source width / source height ). for example , the scaling module 208 can analyze the vertical scaling factor to determine whether the scaled width ( i . e ., source width * vsf ) is less than or equal to the target width . if the scaled width is less than the target width , then the scaling module 208 can set the scaling factor to be equal to the vertical scaling factor ( i . e ., sf = vsf ). otherwise , the scaling module 208 can set the overall scaling factor to be equal to the horizontal scaling factor , which is equal to target width / source width ( i . e ., sf = target width / source width ). the overall scaling factor can be used to scale the illustrated content 202 and / or the copy of the illustrated content . the blurring module 210 can receive the copy of the illustrated content and blur the illustrated content . for example , the blurring module 210 can calculate a blurring radius and apply a gaussian blur to the copy of the illustrated content . other blurring algorithms can be used ( e . g ., a box blur , etc .). the blurring radius can be calculated from the source height and the target height . for example , the blurring radius can be equal to source height / target height / user defined parameter . the user defined parameter can be a blur - scaling factor used to adjust the blurring radius or the amount of blurring . the user defined parameter can be any number larger than zero . for example , the user defined parameter can be set to have a value of 4 . 0 and / or can be varied between approximately 3 . 0 to 4 . 4 . the user defined parameter can be chosen based on the appearance of the processed illustrated content 212 . for example , a user of the image processing module 204 can inspect the processed illustrated content 212 and determine whether the moiré pattern is sufficiently reduced or eliminated . if the user is not satisfied with the processed illustrated content 212 , the user can adjust ( e . g ., increasing or decreasing ) the parameter and process the illustrated content 202 again . in some implementations , the value of the user defined parameter can be varied using a slider or other user interface tool . the blurring module 210 can also crop the blurred illustrated content . for example , the blurring module 210 can calculate a crop region and use the crop region to crop the blurred illustrated content . in some implementations , the crop region is determined based on the value of the blur radius . in some implementations , the blurring algorithm can cause the blurred illustrated content to be larger than the copied illustrated content because of the inclusion of faded edges that are artifacts created by the blurring algorithm . the blurring module 210 can crop the blurred illustrated content to remove the faded edges . the image processing module 204 can output the processed illustrated content 212 ( e . g ., the illustrated content after reducing / removing the moiré pattern ). fig3 b illustrates the portion of the example black and white manga - style comic book after the portion 300 of fig3 a has been processed . as seen in fig3 b , the processed illustrated content 212 is similar to the original illustrated content 202 and does not include a moiré pattern in the region 350 . the processed illustrated content 212 can be stored in various uncompressed image formats ( e . g ., tiff format , bmp format , etc .) or compressed image formats ( e . g ., png or jpeg ). the processed illustrated content 212 can be stored in a database , memory or other storage medium and / or provided to a user / viewer . the processed illustrated content 212 can be viewed by a user using a digital processing apparatus ( e . g ., a computer , a tablet computer , a laptop , a smart phone , etc .). fig4 is a flowchart of an exemplary process 400 to reduce or eliminate moiré patterns . process 400 begins by receiving illustrated content ( at 402 ). for example , the image processing module 204 can receive illustrated content 202 from a database or from a network connection . the illustrated content 202 can be an electronic copy of a comic book or printed publication that includes halftone artwork / images . the illustrated content can be similar to the portion 300 of the manga comic book shown in fig3 a . the illustrated content 202 can be stored in various formats . for example , the illustrated content 202 can be stored in a high - resolution uncompressed format ( e . g ., tiff format , bmp format , etc ). the illustrated content 202 can include for example and without limitation metadata that describes the dimensions of the illustrated content 202 ( e . g ., a source width and a source height ) and metadata that describes the dimensions of the processed illustrated content 212 ( e . g ., a target width and a target height ). the illustrated content can be copied and the text can be removed from the copied illustrated content ( at 404 ). for example , the text processing module 206 can create a copy of the illustrated content 202 and apply a filter or masking algorithm to remove the text from the copied illustrated content . in some implementations , a user of the text processing module 206 can identify text or regions of text such that the text processing module 206 removes the text from the copied illustrated content . the removed text can be stored in a separate image text file . a scaling factor is then determined ( at 406 ). for example , the scaling module 208 can analyze the metadata included in the illustrated content 202 to determine the overall scaling factor . for example , the scaling module 208 can use the source height and the target height to calculate a vertical scaling factor ( e . g ., vsf = target height / source height ). the scaling module 208 can analyze the vertical scaling factor to determine whether the scaled width ( i . e ., source width * vsf ) is less than or equal to the target width . if the scaled width is less than the target width , then the scaling module 208 can set the overall scaling factor ( sf ) to be equal to the vertical scaling factor ( i . e ., sf = vsf ). otherwise , the scaling module 208 can set the overall scaling factor to be equal to the horizontal scaling factor , which is equal to target width / source width ( i . e ., sf = target width / source width ). after the scaling factor is determined , the dimensions of the processed illustrated content can be determined ( at 408 ). for example , the scaling module 208 can recalculate the target width and target height using the overall scaling factor ( e . g ., target width = sf * source width ; target height = sf * source height ). the process 400 can continue by blurring the copied content ( at 410 ). for example , the blurring module 210 can calculate a blurring radius using the dimensions of the copied illustrated content and the target dimensions and apply a blurring algorithm ( e . g ., a gaussian blur algorithm , a box blur , etc .) to blur the copied content . in some implementations , the blurring radius is equal to source height / target height / user defined parameter . the user defined parameter can be set to have a value of 4 . 0 but can be changed be varied between approximately 3 . 0 to 4 . 4 . the user defined parameter can be chosen based on the appearance of the processed illustrated content 212 . after blurring the copied illustrated content , the blurred content can be post - processed ( at 412 ). for example , because the blurring algorithm can cause the fading of the pixels near the edges of the blurred content , the blurring module can crop the blurred content . in some implementations , the dimensions of the blurred content and the blur radius can be used to determine the crop region ( e . g ., the portion of the blurred content that should remain after the cropping ). for example , fig5 illustrates a process 500 to calculate the cropped region of the blurred image . process 500 begins by determining the bounding box of the blurred illustrated content ( at 502 ). for example , the bounding box can be a rectangle having an upper left corner at coordinates ( 0 , 0 ) and a height ( bb_height ) and width ( bb_width ) equal to the dimensions of the blurred content . in some implementations , the height and width of the blurred content can be determined by counting the number of vertical and horizontal pixels in the blurred content . a crop factor ( e . g ., a multiplier representing how much of the blurred content should be cropped ) can be determined based on the dimensions of the blurred content ( at 504 ). for example , the crop factor ( cf ) can be equal to : using the crop factor , the dimensions of the crop region can be determined ( at 506 ). for example , the height and width of the crop region can be equal to : the coordinates of the crop region can be calculated based on the dimensions of the crop region and the blurred content ( at 508 ). for example , the upper left coordinates of the crop region can be equal to : the blurred content is then cropped ( at 510 ). for example , the blurred content can be cropped using the crop region such that the image data outside of the crop region is deleted . the remaining illustrated content is approximately the same size as the received illustrated content 212 . returning to fig4 , in addition to cropping the illustrated content , the illustrated content can be downscaled to the target height and target width ( at 412 ). for example , the scaling module 208 can scale the cropped illustrated content to have dimensions equal to the target height and the target width . in some implementations , the received illustrated content 202 is downscaled by a factor of two or more ( e . g ., the illustrated content 202 is at least twice as large as the scaled illustrated content ). in some implementations , the amount of downscaling can be based on the dimensions of the illustrated content 202 and the desired dimensions of the processed illustrated content 212 . in addition , the amount of downscaling can be based on the aspect ratio of the illustrated content 202 or the processed illustrated content 212 . after the post processing is completed ( at 412 ), the text from the received illustrated content can be added to the blurred illustrated content . for example , the text module 206 can scale the image text file storing the text removed from the illustrated content 202 to have the same dimensions as the target height and the target width and then composite the scaled illustrated content 202 with the blurred illustrated content to add the text to the blurred illustrated content to generate the processed illustrated content 212 . in some implementations , the processed illustrated content 212 is stored as a jpg or png image . the processed illustrated content 212 can be provided to a user or stored in a database or other storage medium . an illustrative example is provided in fig6 a - 6c . fig6 a illustrates an example illustrated content 600 a that is received by the image processing module 204 . as shown in fig6 a , the illustrated content 600 a is a portion of a black and white comic book that includes a region of halftone artwork / images 602 that is susceptible to moiré patterns . for illustrative purposes , fig6 b illustrates the illustrated content 600 b with the moiré pattern in the region 602 . the illustrated content 600 a can be received by the text processing module 206 and produce a copied illustrated content . the text processing module 206 can remove the text from the copied illustrated content . the blurring module 210 can receive the copied illustrated content and process the copied illustrated content to produce the blurred content 600 c , shown in fig6 c . for example , the blurring module 210 can apply a gaussian blur to the copied illustrated content 600 b to produce the blurred content 600 c . the blurring module 210 can crop the blurred illustrated content 600 c to remove faded edges and / or artifacts created by the blurring algorithm to produce a blurred content . in addition , the blurred content 600 c can be downscaled by the scaling module 208 . the text processing module 206 can insert the text removed from the illustrated content 600 a into the cropped and blurred content to produce the processed illustrated content 600 d , shown in fig6 d . as seen in fig6 d , the processed illustrated content 600 d does not include a moiré pattern . fig7 is an exemplary system 700 to reduce moiré patterns . the example system 700 can include illustrated content 702 , a publisher 704 , a network 706 , and a user device 707 . the user device 707 can include an image processing module 708 and an output device 710 . the illustrated content 702 can be similar to the illustrated content 202 described above in connection with fig2 and 3a and 3 b . in addition , the illustrated content 702 can include video content ( e . g ., television programming , streaming video content , etc . ), website content or other content that is susceptible to moiré patterns . the illustrated content 702 can be provided by an appropriate content provider 704 . for example , the illustrated content 702 can be provided by a comic book publisher , a television network , a cable provider and / or a streaming video / internet video provider . the content provider 704 can provide the illustrated content 702 to the user device 707 via the network 706 . the network 706 can be any type of network such as a local area network ( lan ), wide area network ( wan ), the internet , or a combination thereof . the network 707 facilitates connectivity between the user device 707 and the publisher 704 . the user device 707 can be any appropriate type of data processing apparatus . for example , the user device 707 can be a computer , a laptop , a cable set top box , a tablet computer and / or a network accessible smart phone . the user device 707 can include an image processing module 708 and an output device 710 . the image processing module 710 can be similar to the image processing module 204 described above in connection with fig2 and 4 . the image processing module 710 can be configured to reduce or eliminate the moiré pattern in real - time . for example , the illustrated content 702 can be received at the user device 707 and the image processing module 708 can process the illustrated content 702 immediately before displaying or as the illustrated content 702 is rendered for display on the output device 710 . the output device 710 can be any type of visual display capable of displaying the illustrated content 702 ( e . g ., a monitor , a television , an lcd screen ). fig8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process 800 to reduce moiré patterns . process 800 is similar to process 400 , described above in connection with fig4 . process begins by receiving illustrated content ( at 802 ). for example , the image processing module 708 can receive illustrated content 702 from a network connection 706 or from a stored file . the illustrated content 702 can be an electronic copy a printed publication that includes halftone artwork / images or video content that includes high - contrast alternating color lines . the illustrated content 702 can include metadata that describes the dimensions of the illustrated content 702 ( e . g ., a source width and a source height ) and metadata that describes the dimensions of the processed illustrated content ( e . g ., a target width and a target height ). in some implementations , the illustrated content 702 includes metadata to indicate that it includes halftone artwork / images and / or to indicate the location of the halftone artwork / images in the illustrated content ( e . g ., metadata that indicates the pixel coordinates of the illustrated content ). in some implementations , the illustrated content 702 includes a flag , similar to an html tag that indicates halftone artwork or content . process 800 continues by determining whether the illustrated content 702 includes halftone content ( e . g ., artwork ) ( at 803 ). in some implementations , the image processing module 708 analyzes the illustrated content to determine whether the metadata or flags indicate that the illustrated content 702 includes halftone content . in some implementations , the image processing module 708 can automatically detect the presence of halftone content by analyzing the pixels . for example , a noise estimation algorithm can be used to detect the presence of halftone content . in some implementations , a two dimensional gabor filter could be used to detect the presence of the halftone content . if the illustrated content does not include halftone content or other content that is susceptible to moiré effects , the illustrated content is displayed ( at 816 ). if the illustrated content 702 includes halftone artwork or other content that is susceptible to a moiré effect , the process continues by processing the illustrated content to reduce or eliminate the moiré pattern ( at 804 - 814 ) as described above in connection with fig4 . fig9 is block diagram of an exemplary computer system 900 that can be used to implement the image processing modules 204 and / or user device 707 . the system 900 includes a processor 910 , a memory 920 , a storage device 930 , and an input / output device 940 . each of the components 910 , 920 , 930 , and 940 can be interconnected , for example , using a system bus 950 . the processor 910 is capable of processing instructions for execution within the system 900 . in one implementation , the processor 910 is a single - threaded processor . in another implementation , the processor 910 is a multi - threaded processor . the processor 910 is capable of processing instructions stored in the memory 920 or on the storage device 930 . the memory 920 stores information within the system 900 . in one implementation , the memory 920 is a computer - readable medium . in one implementation , the memory 920 is a volatile memory unit . in another implementation , the memory 920 is a non - volatile memory unit . the storage device 930 is capable of providing mass storage for the system 900 . in one implementation , the storage device 930 is a computer - readable medium . in various different implementations , the storage device 930 can include , for example , a hard disk device , an optical disk device , or some other large capacity storage device . the input / output device 940 provides input / output operations for the system 900 . in one implementation , the input / output device 940 can include one or more of a network interface device , e . g ., an ethernet card , a serial communication device , e . g ., and rs - 232 port , and / or a wireless interface device , e . g ., an ieee 802 . 11 card . in another implementation , the input / output device can include driver devices configured to receive input data and send output data to other input / output devices , e . g ., keyboard , printer and display devices 960 . other implementations , however , can also be used , such as mobile computing devices , mobile communication devices , set - top box television client devices , etc . the various functions of the image processing module 204 and / or user device 607 can be realized by instructions that upon execution cause one or more processing devices to carry out the processes and functions described above . such instructions can comprise , for example , interpreted instructions , such as script instructions , e . g ., javascript ™ or ecmascript instructions , or executable code , or other instructions stored in a computer readable medium . the image processing module 204 and / or user device 707 can be distributively implemented over a network , such as a server farm , or can be implemented in a single computer device . although an example processing system has been described in fig9 , implementations of the subject matter and the functional operations described in this specification can be implemented in other types of digital electronic circuitry , or in computer software , firmware , or hardware , including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents , or in combinations of one or more of them . implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer program products , i . e ., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a tangible program carrier for execution by , or to control the operation of , a processing system . the computer readable medium can be a machine readable storage device , a machine readable storage substrate , a memory device , a composition of matter effecting a machine readable propagated signal , or a combination of one or more of them . implementations of the subject matter and the operations described in this specification can be implemented in digital electronic circuitry , or in computer software , firmware , or hardware , including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents , or in combinations of one or more of them . implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented as one or more computer programs , i . e ., one or more modules of computer program instructions , encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by , or to control the operation of , data processing apparatus . alternatively or in addition , the program instructions can be encoded on an artificially generated propagated signal , e . g ., a machine - generated electrical , optical , or electromagnetic signal that is generated to encode information for transmission to suitable receiver apparatus for execution by a data processing apparatus . a computer storage medium can be , or be included in , a computer - readable storage device , a computer - readable storage substrate , a random or serial access memory array or device , or a combination of one or more of them . moreover , while a computer storage medium is not a propagated signal , a computer storage medium can be a source or destination of computer program instructions encoded in an artificially - generated propagated signal . the computer storage medium can also be , or be included in , one or more separate physical components or media ( e . g ., multiple cds , disks , or other storage devices ). the operations described in this specification can be implemented as operations performed by a data processing apparatus on data stored on one or more computer - readable storage devices or received from other sources . the term “ data processing apparatus ” encompasses all kinds of apparatus , devices , and machines for processing data , including by way of example a programmable processor , a computer , a system on a chip , or multiple ones , or combinations , of the foregoing . the apparatus can include special purpose logic circuitry , e . g ., an fpga ( field programmable gate array ) or an asic ( application specific integrated circuit ). the apparatus can also include , in addition to hardware , code that creates an execution environment for the computer program in question , e . g ., code that constitutes processor firmware , a protocol stack , a database management system , an operating system , a cross - platform runtime environment , a virtual machine , or a combination of one or more of them . the apparatus and execution environment can realize various different computing model infrastructures , such as web services , distributed computing and grid computing infrastructures . a computer program ( also known as a program , software , software application , script , or code ) can be written in any form of programming language , including compiled or interpreted languages , declarative or procedural languages , and it can be deployed in any form , including as a stand alone program or as a module , component , subroutine , object , or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment . a computer program may , but need not , correspond to a file in a file system . a program can be stored in a portion of a file that holds other programs or data ( e . g ., one or more scripts stored in a markup language document ), in a single file dedicated to the program in question , or in multiple coordinated files ( e . g ., files that store one or more modules , sub programs , or portions of code ). a computer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or on multiple computers that are located at one site or distributed across multiple sites and interconnected by a communication network . the processes and logic flows described in this specification can be performed by one or more programmable processors executing one or more computer programs to perform actions by operating on input data and generating output . the processes and logic flows can also be performed by , and apparatus can also be implemented as , special purpose logic circuitry , e . g ., an fpga ( field programmable gate array ) or an asic ( application specific integrated circuit ). processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include , by way of example , both general and special purpose microprocessors , and any one or more processors of any kind of digital computer . generally , a processor will receive instructions and data from a read only memory or a random access memory or both . the essential elements of a computer are a processor for performing actions in accordance with instructions and one or more memory devices for storing instructions and data . generally , a computer will also include , or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to , or both , one or more mass storage devices for storing data , e . g ., magnetic , magneto optical disks , or optical disks . however , a computer need not have such devices . moreover , a computer can be embedded in another device , e . g ., a mobile telephone , a personal digital assistant ( pda ), a mobile audio or video player , a game console , a global positioning system ( gps ) receiver , or a portable storage device ( e . g ., a universal serial bus ( usb ) flash drive ), to name just a few . devices suitable for storing computer program instructions and data include all forms of non volatile memory , media and memory devices , including by way of example semiconductor memory devices , e . g ., eprom , eeprom , and flash memory devices ; magnetic disks , e . g ., internal hard disks or removable disks ; magneto optical disks ; and cd rom and dvd - rom disks . the processor and the memory can be supplemented by , or incorporated in , special purpose logic circuitry . to provide for interaction with a user , implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented on a computer having a display device , e . g ., a crt ( cathode ray tube ) or lcd ( liquid crystal display ) monitor , for displaying information to the user and a keyboard and a pointing device , e . g ., a mouse or a trackball , by which the user can provide input to the computer . other kinds of devices can be used to provide for interaction with a user as well ; for example , feedback provided to the user can be any form of sensory feedback , e . g ., visual feedback , auditory feedback , or tactile feedback ; and input from the user can be received in any form , including acoustic , speech , or tactile input . in addition , a computer can interact with a user by sending documents to and receiving documents from a device that is used by the user ; for example , by sending web pages to a web browser on a user &# 39 ; s client device in response to requests received from the web browser . implementations of the subject matter described in this specification can be implemented in a computing system that includes a back end component , e . g ., as a data server , or that includes a middleware component , e . g ., an application server , or that includes a front end component , e . g ., a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described in this specification , or any combination of one or more such back end , middleware , or front end components . the components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication , e . g ., a communication network . examples of communication networks include a local area network (“ lan ”) and a wide area network (“ wan ”), an inter - network ( e . g ., the internet ), and peer - to - peer networks ( e . g ., ad hoc peer - to - peer networks ). the computing system can include clients and servers . a client and server are generally remote from each other and typically interact through a communication network . the relationship of client and server arises by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client - server relationship to each other . in some implementations , a server transmits data ( e . g ., an html page ) to a client device ( e . g ., for purposes of displaying data to and receiving user input from a user interacting with the client device ). data generated at the client device ( e . g ., a result of the user interaction ) can be received from the client device at the server . while this specification contains many specific implementation details , these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the invention or of what may be claimed , but rather as descriptions of features specific to particular implementations of the invention . certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate implementations can also be implemented in combination in a single implementation . conversely , various features that are described in the context of a single implementation can also be implemented in multiple implementations separately or in any suitable subcombination . moreover , although features may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such , one or more features from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination , and the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination . similarly , while operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order , this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order , or that all illustrated operations be performed , to achieve desirable results . in certain circumstances , multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous . moreover , the separation of various system components in the implementations described above should not be understood as requiring such separation in all implementations , and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products . although a few implementations have been described in detail above , other modifications are possible . for example , in some situations , different amounts of blurring can be applied to the illustrated content . for example , a first blurring radius or a first amount of blur can be applied to a first portion of the illustrated content and a second blurring radius or a second amount of blur can be applied to a second portion of the illustrated content . in addition , the logic flows depicted in the figures do not require the particular order shown , or sequential order , to achieve desirable results . other steps may be provided , or steps may be eliminated , from the described flows , and other components may be added to , or removed from , the described systems . accordingly , other implementations are within the scope of the following claims .	7
it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved shaping process through peening shot beams , and affecting planar parts to obtain a curved contour with curvatures obtaining in two different axes and , possibly the blank parts exhibit variation in thicknesses , even in a steplike fashion . in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention it is suggested to proceed for purposes of obtaining such curving as follows . the elastic part is tensioned into a concave position . the thusly positioned and tensioned part is subjected to a beam of peening shots whereby as a part of this treatment , the peening shot beam is guided along a track , which as far as the part to be deformed is concerned , will follow lines of similar , or at least almost similar , strain . the shot beam energy is reduced from a maximum when affecting a central part , towards outer contours or peripheral contours of the part being deformed . subsequently the part is additionally subjected to a similar peening shot treatment from the other ( usually the convex ) side while edge portions are still separately treated as desired in accordance with particular requirements . the energy distribution is selected to change the ratio of longitudinal curvature to transverse curvature with a coverage degree between 10 % and most of the entire surface of the part being treated . the energy gradient itself should preferably also decline from inner parts to edged portions . the inventive method , therefore , begins in fact with the deformation of a planar part in a two axes type configuration as far as curvature is used , and uses by and in itself the known peening shot deformation method . the beam and its intensity in energy is preferably computer controlled under matching of direction and strength of peening shot impacting being controlled in dependence upon the dimensions of the part , particularly the lateral dimensions and the thickness possibly under consideration of variations of wall thickness and changes over the extension of the part , and with emphasis on parts which obtain similar extension as a result of the method . a particular advantage of the invention is to be seen in that the thickness changes such as steps can be provided for in the part to be deformed prior to the application of the curving and deforming method the requisite thickness dimensions are obtained through suitable milling . another advantage is to be seen in that parts as far as the blanks are concerned , are already hardened which means that subsequently no thermal treatement is necessary . avoiding any heat application is an advantage since texture distortions in the material and , therefor , contour distortions are thus avoided . also it was found that on practicing the invention the number of steps is reduced while reproducibility owing to accurate control of the peening shot intensity ensures that there is uniformity in the parts being made , which is of course a highly desirable feature . owing to the method as suggested the working of the method is self adapting to changes on one hand in the thickness of the material and in the changes in material properties . while the specification concludes with claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which is regarded as the invention , it is believed that the invention , the objects and features of the invention and further objects , features and advantages thereof will be better understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings whereby particularly an example is followed through step by step having to do with segmentized sheet metal parts . fig1 is a somewhat schematic top view of a spherical calotte shaped bottom part to be made out of the plural segments i . e . that botom is composed of a plurality of individual segments each of which has been deformed by the method of the invention a preferred embodiment in at best mode configuration ; fig2 is a side view of the this composite part shown in fig1 ; fig3 is a side and perspective view of an element or segment ( fig1 ) that has been made in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention ; fig4 is a top elevation of the particular part shown in fig3 ; and fig5 illustrates a clamping frame and support for fixing and elastically biasing the part as it is being made . proceeding now to the detailed description of the drawings , fig1 and 2 show a particular component 1 which ultimately is a spherically calotte shaped bottom part of a container or the like . that part 1 is composed of plural individual segments 3 which when projected into a plane and which as far as the original blank 4 from which they have been made is concerned is a truncated pie or sector element . since part 3 is to be a part of the spherical surface , a curving or the obtaining of curvatures in two axes is therefore required . fig3 generally permits the conclusion that in fact there are involved two axes of curving . originally of course such a segment 3 is planar and along its outer contour it has a thicker rim or ridge whereby outer ridge 5 is e . g . 4 . 5 mm thick , bounding an inner ridge or rim portion 6 of about 3 . 5 mm thickness , while the remainder of the panel is about 2 . 6 mm thick . the thicker edge parts are of course provided for accommodating the assembly of plural panels or segments into the overall component 1 . the thickness differences have resulted from mechanical milling of an originally uniformly thick panel part , and this milling is carried out on the plane part prior to the curving . the originally plane segment 3 is deformed thereafter through peening shot to impart a two axes curvature configuration upon it . this is generally obtained by placing the part 3 in a manner that will be described more fully below and impacting it by means of peening shot beams covering the entire surface of the panel 3 from both sides and through utilization and possibly variation of the peening shot beam parameter . in accordance with preplanned treatment strategy one obtains a gradual change in contour . hereby one will usually run beam tracks in a polygonlike pattern corresponding to the overall geometry of the part 3 which is , as state , a truncated pie shaped segment . part 3 has in longitudinal direction an upper and a lower contour surface 8 and 8 &# 39 ; respectively sides 9 whereby the center and middle part of the concave panel 10 itself and to be covered is designated by the letter m . peening shot beam producing device is positioned above the side 10 facing that surface 10 from what will become the concave side of the part being made . the right hand portion of fig4 shows these tracks 11 which the peening shot beam follows . these are of course hypothetical tracks and result from computer control of the beam producing device . these lines , owing to the particular contour , follow broadly speaking the rule that they are at least approximately equitensional or equistrain lines . these lines of course depend on the overall geometry of the part that is being deformed . in addition of course one has to consider where the largest strain is supposed to occur which in this instance is the middle part around the center m . this as well as the outer contour of the part which will undergo minimal strain determines the pattern of the tracks 11 . in order to work in an appropriate and desired fashion the original planar part is tensioned onto a frame shown in fig5 . the frame includes a base 16 which includes a frame 17 and carries along its periphery support posts 18 . the part 3 is originally a planar part , in this case a segment as described , and through suspensions on the rods or posts 18 and further under utilization of clamping devices 20 , the part 3 is elastically curved around two axes and tensioned in that position to assume within that tool holder the contour desired to be maintained . practicing the peening shot method means the providing of a plastic deformation to eliminate elastic tension and stress so that the curved contour is retained following removal from the tool . generally speaking , the device of fig5 will hold the part to be made initially in the concave configuration , also as illustrated in fig5 and thereafter the shot peening is carried from the top that means the shot impinges upon the concave side , using accelerated peening shot made of steel balls . thereafter the part 3 is turned around and treated from the convex side . however it was found that one can proceed differently in treating first that side which will become permanently convex , turned around and finished by deforming now from the concave side . the concave and convex contours are so to speak gradually fixed in that the plastic deformation obtained by the peening shot follows the contour lines 11 as shown in fig4 . the kinetic energy of the peening shot as applied will vary whereby the peening intensity declines from the inner to the outer portions i . e . from the region around the center m towards the periphery 8 and 9 . owing to the particular energy distribution of the peening shot one can also change the ratio of longitudinal curving to transverse curving . the degree of coverage varies between 10 % and most of the entire surface 10 of this part . the thickness steps as resulting from the various thickness zones 5 , 6 , 7 will be treated in accordance with the matched parameter and parameter selection as far as the shot energy is concerned . the invention is not limited to the embodiments described above but all changes and modifications thereof , not constituting departures from the spirit and scope of the invention , are intended to be included .	1
the drawings show a toilet of the same general form as that shown in the &# 39 ; 988 stewart patent ( supra ). referring first to fig1 the toilet includes a first plastic moulding 20 that is shaped to define a waste receiving bowl 22 of the toilet , and a second plastic moulding 24 that forms a shell or outer housing in which the bowl is supported . in fig1 the first moulding 20 and associated components are shown in an exploded position above moulding 24 . the two mouldings are designed to fit together in the assembled toilet so that the moulding 20 is supported on moulding 24 as best shown in fig2 and 3 . moulding 24 includes various support posts 24a ( fig1 ) which assist in supporting the weight of a person seated on moulding 20 . typically , moulding 20 will be fitted with at least a lid and possibly also a lift - up seat ( not shown in the drawings ). fig3 best shows the bowl 22 as seen in section . the bowl has a rim 26 from which water is dispensed when the toilet is flushed ( to be described ), and a waste outlet 28 at its lower end , which is controlled by a valve comprising a bowl seal member 30 . the housing formed by moulding 24 defines an internal space 32 in which the bowl outlet 28 is located , and has a main outlet 34 from the toilet below the bowl outlet so that waste from the bowl passes by gravity to the main waste outlet . surrounding outlet 34 is a recess 36 for receiving the usual gasket for sealing with a waste discharge conduit in a recreational vehicle . provision is made for securing the toilet over an inlet flange to the conduit in conventional fashion ; for convenience , the securing means have not been shown . in accordance with the invention , the toilet is provided with both a bowl rinsing nozzle 38 adjacent the rim 26 of the toilet bowl 22 , for rinsing waste from the surface of the bowl towards outlet 28 , and an internal rinse nozzle 40 within the internal space 32 of moulding 24 , for rinsing waste that may tend to accumulate in that space when the toilet is in use . as best seen in fig4 the toilet has a main inlet pipe 42 , which communicates with the two nozzles 38 and 40 respectively by way of a water valve 44 and a diffuser chamber 46 downstream of the valve . chamber 46 has a single inlet 48 which communicates with valve 44 by way of a pipe 50 , and two outlet openings 52 and 54 which communicate respectively with the bowl rinse nozzle 38 and the internal rinse nozzle 40 . fig4 and 5 show that the first chamber outlet opening 52 ( communicating with the bowl rinse nozzle 38 ) is of larger diameter than the second outlet 54 opening ( communicating with the internal rinse nozzle 40 ). pipes 56 and 58 of corresponding respective diameters connect the two outlet openings with the respective nozzles . in this embodiment , a corrugated pipe 56 is used to connect to the bowl rinse nozzle 38 while a straight generally upright pipe 58 is used to connect to the internal rinse nozzle . it will also be noted that a so - called &# 34 ; goose neck &# 34 ; or s - trap 60 is used between pipe 58 and chamber 46 . in the embodiment , the trap is formed as part of chamber 46 ( e . g . as a one - piece plastic moulding ). however , this is not essential ; the trap may be located at any convenient point between the diffuser and nozzle 40 . fig5 a and 5b show the diffuser chamber 46 in vertical section . as seen in fig5 a , flush valve 44 ( fig4 ) has been opened , allowing water to flow under pressure into chamber 46 , completely filling the diffuser chamber 46 and flowing into both of the pipes 56 and 58 . inlet 48 is located opposite to and generally in line with outlet 54 so that the pressure of the incoming water is communicated directly to internal rinse nozzle 40 . at the same time , the volume of water entering chamber 46 is such as to overwhelm the chamber and almost instantly fill pipe 56 . fig5 a illustrates the size differential between the two outlets 52 and 54 . pipe 56 ( and hence the bowl rinse nozzle 38 ) will receive a relatively high volume of water compared with the volume of water that enters pipe 58 and flows to nozzle 40 . accordingly , a relatively large volume of water will be discharged from nozzle 38 ( fig3 ) for flushing the toilet bowl . at the same time , a relatively strong jet or jets of water ( but of lower total volume ) will be discharged by the internal rinse nozzle 40 for flushing accumulated waste and other debris within the internal space 32 of the toilet housing . in fig2 and 3 , the arrows denoted 63 illustrate the fact that nozzle 40 is designed to direct a relatively broad fan - shaped spray towards and beyond the bowl seal 30 of the toilet so as to promote good rinsing of both the seal and of the internal surfaces of the toilet housing . fig2 a shows the internal rinse nozzle 40 is some detail . it will be seen that the nozzle includes a cylindrical sleeve 40a which is push - fitted within the lower end of pipe 58 in the assembled toilet , and secured with hose - clamp ( not shown ). disposed at the lower end of and extending transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of sleeve 40a is an end plate 40b which is generally disc - shaped but positioned offset with respect to sleeve 40a to the left as seen in fig2 a , i . e . so that more of plate 40a extends outwardly beyond sleeve 40a at one side than the other . the nozzle is positioned with this side facing in the forward direction of the toilet , i . e . to the left in fig2 and 3 . a transverse spacer element 40c extends between the sleeve 40a and the plate 40b and maintains the lower end of the sleeve at a spacing above the plate so that , in effect , a slot of almost 360 ° extent is provided between the sleeve and the plate . accordingly , water that enters sleeve 40a from pipe 58 impinges against the top surface of plate 40b and is deflected laterally outwardly in a spray pattern of almost 360 ° around nozzle 40 . spacer element 40c is in fact offset to the right as seen in fig2 a so that a smaller water outlet gap exists at the rear of the nozzle ( to the right in fig2 a ) than to the front ( the left ). accordingly , a greater volume of water will be directed forwardly in the direction of the arrow 63 although some water will be directed rearwardly against the rear surface of shell 24 . the bowl rinsing nozzle 38 may be arranged to discharge multiple streams , for example in a &# 34 ; fan pattern &# 34 ; for good rinsing of the bowl . in an alternative embodiment , multiple bowl rinsing nozzles or a ring having multiple discharge apertures may be provided , as is known in the art . fig . 5b shows the diffuser chamber 56 after water valve 44 has been closed . it will be seen that a residual body 62 &# 39 ; of rinse water will remain in trap 60 . this prevents backflow of odours from the interior of the toilet . reverting to fig2 and 3 , the precise form of bowl seal member 30 is not significant . a number of different types of seals or valves are known in the art . in this particular embodiment , the seal member is in the form of a plate 64 which is pivotally suspended from the toilet bowl 22 by respective pairs of links at opposite sides of the bowl , one pair of which is visible in fig1 and 3 , the individual links being denoted 66 and 68 . the links in each pair are of unequal lengths and are coupled to respective pivot points 70 and 72 on the bowl and 74 and 76 on plate 64 . the respective lengths of the links and their pivot points are arranged so that plate 64 can swing between a position which is clear of bowl outlet 28 ( as shown in fig2 ) and a position in which the plate moves upwardly into contact with and fits snugly against the mouth of bowl outlet 28 ( as seen in fig3 ). this upward motion ensures good sealing without causing abrasion such as would occur if the bowl seal member were to be moved purely laterally while in contact with the bowl outlet . a tension spring 78 extends between link 68 and a fixed point within the toilet housing to spring bias the plate 64 to the bowl closing position ( fig3 ). the valve can be opened by a yoke 80 ( see fig1 ) which engages link 68 at a pivot point 82 . yoke 80 extends towards the left ( front ) of the toilet as seen in fig2 and 3 and is coupled to a cable 84 at a fitment 86 which is fixed within the toilet housing . cable 84 then extends to a suitable actuating member such as a foot pedal or a handle , operation of which will cause cable 84 to be pulled , for opening valve 30 against the action of spring 78 . release of the actuating member will allow the valve to close under the influence of spring 78 . as indicated above , the precise structure of bowl seal 30 and its manner of actuation do not form part of the invention and can be accomplished in any of a number of ways known per se in the art . typically , the water valve 44 will also be cable - operated from the same actuating member , also as well - known in the art . referring to foot pedal actuation by way of example , the arrangement is preferably such that water valve 44 is opened initially upon operation of the foot pedal , initiating discharge of water from the bowl rinse nozzle 38 and from the internal rinse nozzle 40 . continued depression of the foot pedal opens valve 30 so that the contents of the bowl are discharged . conversely , as the pedal is released , valve 30 closes first , followed by the water valve 44 . in this way , water continues to discharge from nozzle 38 after valve 30 has closed , so that a body of water remains in the lower portion of the bowl ready for the next the toilet is used . a suitable foot pedal actuator is disclosed in the &# 39 ; 988 stewart patent . it will of course be appreciated that the preceding description relates to a particular preferred embodiment of the invention only and that many modifications are possible within the broad scope of the claims . some of those modifications have been mentioned previously and others will be apparent to a person skilled in the art . other possible modifications include , for example , the use of multiple internal rinse nozzles in place of the single nozzle 40 referred to previously , or a different location of the nozzle within space 32 ( as shown , nozzle 40 is located at the rear of the toilet and is directed forwardly ). a single nozzle could be centrally located within space 32 ( e . g . just to the left of the bowl outlet in fig2 and 3 ) and provided with water openings for providing a 360 ° spray pattern . referring to fig4 an appropriately sized y connector could be used as a diffuser means in place of chamber 46 .	4
the catalysts used in the process of the present invention can be iron family elements , copper family elements , oxides thereof and copper chromite . the catalysts are suitable for the hydrogenation cleavage of the -- o -- n bond under remaining the unsaturated bonds . suitable catalysts include raney catalysts obtained by the raney development of aluminum alloy containing ni , co , fe or cu ; urushibara nickel catalysts having similar characteristics of raney nickel , the reduced ni , co , fe or cu catalysts obtained by reducing a metal oxide prepared by a precipitation method from a water soluble metal salt with hydrogen , etc . the oxide of ni , co , fe or cu can be also used as the catalysts for the hydrogenation cleavage of o -- n bond . the copper chromite catalysts ( cu - cr catalyst ; copper oxide - chromium oxide catalyst or adkins catalyst ) can be also used . the catalysts suitable for the hydrogenation cleavage of o -- n bond are used in various forms such as the suspension , the fixed bed , and others . the amount of the catalyst is dependent upon the reaction activity of the catalyst and the starting material , the reaction temperature , hydrogen pressure , the form of the catalyst and the concentration of the starting material in the reaction system . in order to attain the hydrogenation cleavage of o -- n bond in the presence of the catalyst , it is preferable to use a solvent which dissolves the starting material of the n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine and the product of the chain terpene alcohol , such as alcohols , ethers , hydrocarbons , etc . however , the reaction can be attained without a solvent . the pressure of hydrogen and the reaction temperature in the hydrogenation are dependent upon the kinds of the catalysts . when a nickel type catalyst is used , it is possible to hydrogenate at relatively low temperature such as 25 ° to 130 ° c , under relatively low pressure such as the atmospheric pressure to 70 kg / cm 2 g . when the pressure and the temperature are too high , the double bond is hydrogenated to increase citronellol and dimethyl octanol , etc . when a copper type catalyst or a copper - chromite type catalyst is used , the velocity of hydrogenation is relatively slow and it is preferable to hydrogenate at relatively high temperature such as 50 ° to 150 ° c , under relatively high pressure such as 30 to 150 kg / cm 2 g . even though the temperature and the hydrogen pressure are relatively high , the hydrogenation of the double bond is slight to form only small amount of citronellol and dimethyl octanol . the cobalt type catalysts have catalytic activity in the middle of those of the nickel type catalyst and the copper type catalyst . the iron type catalysts have lower catalytic activity . the temperature and the pressure are considered depending upon the catalytic activity . after the hydrogenation cleavage , the catalyst is separated by a filteration etc . and the solvent and the by - product of dialkylamine are separated by a distillation and the unreacted n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine and the object chain terpene alcohol are distilled out and are purified by a chromatography or other means in the batch system . the resulting chain terpene alcohol can be further separated by means of fine distillation if necessary . the by - product of dialkylamine can be used for the preparation of the n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine or a solvent . the n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine can be used for the hydrogenation . the catalyst can be also reused . thus , the chain terpene alcohols obtained by the present invention are geraniol , nerol , citronellol , hydroxygeraniol , hydroxynerol , hydroxycitronellol as the main components . the n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamines having the formula ( iii ) or ( iv ) can be obtained by a thermal rearrangement of the compound ## str8 ## for example , o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 , 6 - octadienyl )- n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine or o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octenyl )- n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine can be prepared by various processes . the process for producing them by using isoprene and an alkylamine is especially advantageous . that is , o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 , 6 - octadienyl )- n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine can be obtained by reacting isoprene with a dialkylamine in the presence of a lithium catalyst such as metallic lithium or an organo - lithium compound to produce n , n - dialkyl - 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 , 6 - octadienylamine ( mainly dialkyl neryl amine ) and oxidizing it to produce n , n - dialkyl - 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 , 6 - octadienyl - amine oxide with a peroxide and heating it at 90 ° to 200 ° c to produce o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 , 6 - octadienyl )- n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine . the n , n - dialkyl - 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 , 6 - octadienylamine can be also obtained by reacting myrcene with a dialkylamine in the presence of a catalyst of sodium , potassium or lithium . o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octenyl )- n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine can be obtained by hydrolyzing n , n - dialkyl - 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 , 6 - octadienylamine ( mainly dialkyl nerylamine ) in the presence of hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid to produce n , n - dialkyl ( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octene ) amine and oxidizing it to produce n , n - dialkyl ( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octene ) amineoxide and heating it at 90 ° to 200 ° c to produce o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octenyl )- n , n - dialkyl hydroxylamine . in a glass reactor ( 100 cc ) purged with nitrogen , 0 . 25 mole of isoprene , 0 . 05 mole of diethylamine , 0 . 005 mole of n - bu - li and 15 g of benzene were charged and the mixture was stirrier at 65 ° c for 8 hours to react them . after the reaction , a small amount of ethanol was added to cease the reaction . the reaction products were measured by a gas chromatography . as the result , the yield of n , n - diethyl nerylamine was 32 . 3 % ( based on isoprene ) or 80 . 7 % ( based on diethylamine ). the conversion of isoprene was 38 . 5 % and the selectivity of isoprene to n , n - diethyl nerylamine was 83 . 8 %. in accordance with the process of preparation 1 except using 0 . 25 mole of isoprene , 0 . 05 mole of diethylamine , 0 . 01 mole of metallic lithium and 15 g of benzene , the reaction was carried out at 65 ° c for 8 hours . after the reaction , the reaction mixture was distilled to obtain the yield of 75 . 6 % based on diethylamine . ( conversion of isoprene : 42 . 5 %; selectivity of isoprene : 71 . 1 %). n , n - diethyl nerylamine oxide was obtained by adding 19 . 2 ml of 30 % hydrogen peroxide and 24 ml of methanol to 7 . 44 g of n , n - diethyl nerylamine of preparation 1 . ( reaction at 65 ° c for 4 hours ) a 2 . 4 g of n , n - diethyl nerylamine oxide was mixed with 10 ml of benzene and the mixture was heated at 115 ° to 125 ° c for 3 hours and the reaction mixture was distilled to obtain hydroxylamine mixture ( ha ) of 68 mole % of o - geranyl - n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine ( gha ) and 32 mole % of o - neryl - n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine ( nha ) in the yield of 81 % based on n , n - diethyl nerylamine . in accordance with the process of preparation 1 , except using 9 . 9 g of myrcene , 3 . 6 g of diethylamine and 0 . 1 g of metallic sodium , the reaction was carried out at 40 ° c for 3 hours . after the reaction , the reaction mixture was distilled to obtain 7 . 7 g of n , n - diethyl geranylamine ( boiling point : 85 ° to 87 ° c / 2 mmhg ). in accordance with the preparations 2 and 3 , n , n - diethyl geranylamine was oxidized and rearranged to obtain o - neryl - n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine and o - geranyl - n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine . in 100 cc autoclave made of stainless steel ( under pressure ) or 100 cc glass flask ( atmospheric pressure ) as the reactor , a mixture of o - geranyl - n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine and o - neryl - n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine which was obtained in preparation 3 was hydrogenated with hydrogen in a solvent of ethyl alcohol in the conditions of table 1 with stirring . after the reaction , each reaction mixture was filtered and distilled to separate the catalyst and the solvent . the unreacted hydroxylamine , geraniol , nerol and citronellol and the others in the reaction product were measured by a gas chromatography in the standardization ( 20 % peg 20 m , 1 m glass column , 100 → 180 ° c : 4 ° c / min . ; 50 ml he / min .). each alloy of aluminum and other metal was developed with a base by the conventional method ( w - 4 ) and the product was washed and stored in ethanol . table 1______________________________________ h . sub . 2 pres - amount sure of amount ( kg / temp . time solventno . catalyst ○ 1 cm . sup . 2 g ) (° c ) ( hr .) ○ 2______________________________________1 raney ni 0 . 20 np 25 8 . 5 0 . 072 &# 34 ; 0 . 062 np 60 3 0 . 073 reduced ni 0 . 15 10 115 1 0 . 054 raney co 0 . 2 30 80 8 0 . 055 &# 34 ; 0 . 44 50 50 - 80 4 . 5 0 . 026 reduced co 0 . 44 50 80 6 0 . 027 raney fe 1 . 1 50 80 5 0 . 028 raney cu 0 . 44 50 80 5 0 . 029 reduced fe 2 . 0 50 120 7 0 . 0210 reduced cu 0 . 2 50 100 1 0 . 0411 oxidized cu 0 . 5 50 105 3 0 . 02512 cu chromite 0 . 44 50 80 3 0 . 0213 &# 34 ; 0 . 1 70 120 1 . 5 0 . 03314 &# 34 ; 0 . 1 80 120 1 . 0 0 . 0315 raney cu 0 . 44 50 80 4 . 5 0 . 0216 raney cu 0 . 44 50 80 4 . 5 0 . 0217 cu chromite 0 . 25 50 110 2 . 0 0 . 318 raney ni 0 . 1 30 80 4 -- 19 cu chromite 0 . 1 70 120 6 . 5 -- 20 &# 34 ; 0 . 25 50 115 1 . 5 0 . 3ref . 1 pt2 %/ al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 3 50 80 7 . 5 0 . 02ref . 2 &# 34 ; 1 . 1 50 80 5 . 5 0 . 02ref . 3 pd5 %/ c 0 . 044 50 80 1 0 . 02ref . 4 pd5 %/ al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 0 . 58 50 80 3 0 . 02ref . 5 pd5 %/ c 0 . 89 50 80 5 0 . 02ref . 6 rh5 %/ c 0 . 67 50 80 4 0 . 02______________________________________ np = normal pressure table 1 &# 39 ; __________________________________________________________________________conver - terpene alcohol selec - by - productsion yield ( mole %) tivity other ○ 3 n . oh g . oh c . oh ○ 7 i ii amineno . ( mole %) ○ 4 ○ 5 ○ 6 total (%) ○ 8 ○ 9 ○ 10 remarks__________________________________________________________________________ 1 80 23 50 6 79 98 -- -- -- 2 43 11 30 1 42 98 -- -- -- 3 95 28 55 12 95 100 -- -- -- 4 50 9 19 20 48 96 -- -- -- 5 76 5 11 42 58 76 -- * 1 : 1 6 50 10 23 11 44 90 -- -- -- 7 100 27 56 12 95 95 -- -- -- 8 70 20 43 2 65 92 -- -- -- 9 10 3 7 -- 10 100 -- -- -- 10 92 30 61 1 92 100 -- -- -- 11 100 31 61 6 98 98 -- -- -- 12 96 36 57 5 96 100 -- -- -- 13 96 34 60 2 96 100 -- -- -- 14 94 34 57 0 . 25 92 98 -- -- -- * 515 10 3 7 -- 10 100 -- -- -- * 616 21 7 12 2 21 100 -- -- -- * 717 97 30 60 3 . 2 93 96 -- -- -- * 818 65 19 32 14 65 100 -- -- -- * 919 44 15 28 1 44 100 -- -- -- * 920 97 29 57 6 . 7 90 . 7 95 -- -- -- * 10ref . 110 - 20 ˜ 3 ˜ 7 ˜ 5 ˜ 15 -- -- -- * 1ref . 280 - 90 -- -- -- -- -- * 1 * 1 * 2ref . 3100 -- -- -- -- -- * 4 * 2 * 1ref . 420 - 30 -- -- -- -- -- -- * 1 * 1ref . 5100 -- -- -- -- -- * 2 * 1 * 4ref . 6100 -- -- -- -- -- * 2 * 3 * 1__________________________________________________________________________ * 1 the by - product was found ? * 2 the by - product was main component * 3 the by - product was found in high ratio * 4 the by - product was found in low ratio * 5 r . sub . 3 : methyl group * 6 solvent : dioxane * 7 solvent : cyclohexane * 8 solvent : isostearyl alcohol * 9 any solvent was not used * 10 solvent : benzene note : 1 ) scale nha + gha 0 . 89 g ( nha / gha = 1 / 2 . 08 ) 2 ) catalysts of ref . 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 manufactured by nippon engelhard k . k . 3 ) ○ 1 ## str9 ## ○ 2 ## str10 ## ○ 3 ## str11 ## ○ 4 nerol ○ 5 geraniol ○ 6 citronellol ○ 7 ## str12 ## ## str13 ## ## str14 ## ○ 10 components extracted with 2nhcl nha : o - neryl - n , n - diethyl hdyroxylamine gha : o - geranyl - n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine ha : total hydroxylamines in a glass reactor ( 100 cc ) purged with nitrogen , 0 . 5 mole of isoprene , 0 . 1 mole of diethylamine , 0 . 01 mole of n - bu - li and 30 g of benzene were charged and the reaction was carried out at 65 ° c for 8 hours with stirring . after the reaction , a small amount of ethanol was added to cause the reaction . the reaction products were measured by a gas chromatography . as a result , the yield of n , n - diethyl nerylamine was 80 . 7 % based on diethylamine . a 15 g of n , n - diethyl nerylamine was mixed with 80 cc of 3n - hcl , and the reaction was carried out at 45 ° c for 5 hours with stirring to obtain n , n - diethyl ( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octenyl ) amine ( boiling point 115 ° to 117 ° c / 3 mmhg ) in the yield of 95 %. n , n - diethyl ( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octenyl ) amine oxide was obtained by adding 20 cc of 35 % hydrogen peroxide and 30 cc of methanol to 13 g of n , n - diethyl ( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octenyl ) amine of preparation 6 . ( reaction at 65 ° c for 4 hours ) a 13 g of n , n - diethyl ( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octenyl ) amine oxide was mixed with 70 cc of toluene and the mixture was stirred at 115 ° c for 4 hours and the reaction mixture was distilled to obtain o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octene ) n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine ( boiling point : 120 ° to 125 ° c / 1 . 5 mmhg ) in the yield of 80 %. in 100 cc autoclave made of stainless steel , 1 . 0 g of o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octene ) n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine of preparation 7 , 0 . 3 g of raney nickel and 40 g of ethanol were charged and a hydrogenation was carried out at an initial pressure of hydrogen of 5 kg / cm 2 for 3 hours . the catalyst was separated and the reaction mixture was distilled to obtain 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 2 - octene - 1 , 7 - diol ( boiling point : 105 ° to 109 ° c / 0 . 45 mmhg ) in the yield of 89 mole % and 3 , 7 - dimethyl octane - 1 , 7 - diol ( boiling point : 102 ° to 105 ° c / 0 . 45 mmhg ) in the yield of 8 mole %. according to a gas chromatography analysis of the former product , it was found that the product was a mixture of hydroxy geraniol and hydroxy nerol at a ratio of 2 : 1 . in accordance with the process of preparation 8 , except using various catalysts instead of raney nickel , each hydrogenation of o -( 3 , 7 - dimethyl - 7 - hydroxy - 2 - octene ) n , n - diethyl hydroxylamine of preparation 7 was carried out in the conditions shown in table 2 . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ yield ( mole %) amount of hydroxy yield catalyst h . sub . 2 tempera - conver - geraniol ( mole %) (%) pressure ture time sion hydroxy hydroxypreparation catalyst ** ( kg / cm . sup . 2 g ) (° c ) ( hr .) ( mole %) nerol citronellol__________________________________________________________________________9 - 1 raney - co 50 30 100 10 80 46 349 - 2 raney - fe 100 50 80 5 90 75 119 - 3 reduced ni 30 10 115 1 97 80 79 - 4 oxidized cu 20 50 115 1 . 5 97 90 39 - 5 cu chromite 20 50 115 1 98 71 109 - 6 ( non - solvent ) 20 50 115 6 40 38 19 - 7 pd / af . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 2 10 115 2 100 8 14__________________________________________________________________________ note : 1 ) 9 - 6 : none solvent others : 40 g of ethanol per 1 g of starting material . 2 ) catalyst : pd / al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 : 5 % pd on γ - al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 manufactured by nippon engelhard k . k . others are the same with those of preparation 5 . ** ## str15 ##	2
referring now more specifically to the drawings , fig1 shows the sample merchandise display and distribution device 1 of the present invention before it is attached to the product 3 or the sample 2 to be displayed and distributed . fig2 shows how the sample merchandise display and distribution device 1 appears during its intended use . fig3 is a cross - sectional side view and fig4 is a perspective view of the sample merchandise and distribution device 1 constructed in accordance with the invention . as shown in fig3 and 4 , the sample merchandise display and distribution device 1 of the present invention comprises four side walls 6 &# 39 ;, 7 &# 39 ;, 8 &# 39 ; and 9 &# 39 ; and an internal support wall 37 defining a first longitudinal aperture 38 and a second longitudinal aperture 39 . the first longitudinal aperture 38 is sized and adapted to receive and retain a container 3 housing a retail consumer product . the second longitudinal aperture 39 is sized and adapted to receive , retain , and display a merchandise sample 2 . the product 3 and the sample 2 may be secured in longitudinal openings 38 and 39 in a wide variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art as suitable for this purpose , e . g ., glue , tape , interlocking tabs , etc ., however in a preferred embodiment a frictional engagement is preferred because of the reduced manufacturing costs and the economy of materials and labor utilized in erecting the display . a frictional engagement also allows the consumer to more conveniently remove both the sample 2 and the product 3 and conserves natural resources . the sample display and distribution device 1 may be manufactured from a variety of materials well known to those skilled in the art as suitable for this purpose , e . g ., plastic , styrofoam , and paper . corrugate of various mediums may also be utilized . in a preferred embodiment , solid unbleached sulphate ( sus ) paper , solid bleached sulphate ( sbs ) paper , or clay coated new board ( ccnb ) paper is utilized . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the internal support wall 37 is comprised of a plurality of interlocking support panel members adapted for selective engagement and disengagement with each other . the interlocking panels impart support and rigidity in the erected condition and are adapted for selective disengagement with each other to allow the sample merchandise display and distribution device 1 to be folded flat , as shown in fig6 and 7 , thus , significantly reducing its volume and shipping costs . in a preferred embodiment , the display and distribution device 1 is constructed from a single die - cut blank 19 having a first major surface as shown in fig8 a and a second major surface as shown in fig8 b . the blank 19 shown in fig8 a includes a first wall panel 4 , a second wall panel 5 , a third wall panel 6 , a fourth wall panel 7 , a first central panel 8 , a second central panel 9 , a third central panel 10 , a fourth central panel 11 , a first support panel member 12 , a second support panel member 13 , a third support panel member 14 , a fourth support panel member 15 , a first securing tab 16 , a second securing tab 17 , a first interlock notch 20 , a second interlock notch 21 , and a flap 18 . the central panels 8 , 9 , 10 , and 11 , the wall panels 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7 , the support panel members 12 , 13 , 14 , and 15 , and securing tabs 16 and 17 are all in the same plane . for purposes of description , and with reference to the die - cut blank 19 shown in fig8 a ., the first wall panel 4 projects vertically above the first central panel 8 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 27 . the second wall panel 5 projects vertically above the second central panel 9 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 28 . the third wall panel 6 projects vertically above the third central panel 10 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 29 . the fourth wall panel 7 projects vertically above the fourth central panel 11 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 30 . first support panel member 12 extends vertically and below first central panel 8 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 31 . second support panel member 13 extends vertically and below second central panel 9 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 32 . third support panel member 14 extends vertically and below third central panel 10 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 33 . fourth support panel 15 extends vertically and below fourth central panel 11 with the integral adjacent edges defined by a full width fold line 34 . first securing tab 16 is attached to first support panel member 12 with the integral edges defined by a full width fold line 35 . second securing tab 17 is attached to third support panel member 14 with the integral edges defined by a full width fold line 36 . the second wall panel 5 projects laterally to the right of first wall panel 4 and is hingedly integral therewith along a full fold or crease line 22 . the third wall panel 6 projects laterally to the right of second wall panel 5 and is hingedly integral therewith along a full fold or crease line 23 . the fourth wall panel 7 projects laterally to the right of third wall panel 6 and is hingedly integral therewith along a full fold or crease line 24 . the second central panel 9 projects laterally to the right of first central panel 8 and is hingedly integral therewith along a fold or crease line 25 . the third central panel 10 projects laterally to the right of second central panel 9 and is hingedly integral therewith along a fold or crease line 26 . the fourth central panel 11 projects laterally to the right of third central panel 10 and is hingedly integral therewith along a fold or crease line 27 . fig8 b shows the second major surface , i . e ., the opposite side , of the die - cut blank shown in fig8 a . the blank 19 shown in fig8 b includes a first wall panel 4 &# 39 ;, a second wall panel 5 &# 39 ;, a third wall panel 6 &# 39 ;, a fourth wall panel 7 &# 39 ;, a first central panel 8 &# 39 ;, a second central panel 9 &# 39 ;, a third central panel 10 &# 39 ;, a fourth central panel 11 &# 39 ;, a first support panel member 12 &# 39 ;, a second support panel member 13 &# 39 ;, a third support panel member 14 &# 39 ;, a fourth support panel member 15 &# 39 ;, a first securing tab 16 &# 39 ;, a second securing tab 17 &# 39 ;, and a flap 18 &# 39 ;. to prepare the sample merchandise display and distribution device 1 , the die - cut blank 19 is folded as shown in fig9 so that first central panel 8 and first support panel member 12 are in contact with first wall panel 4 , second central panel 9 and second support panel member 13 are in contact with second wall panel 5 , third central panel 10 and third support panel member 14 are in contact with third wall panel 6 , and fourth central panel 11 and fourth support panel member 15 are in contact with fourth wall panel 7 . as shown in fig9 folding the blank in this manner exposes to the viewer support panel member surfaces 12 &# 39 ;, 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ;, and 15 &# 39 ; and central panel surfaces 8 &# 39 ;, 9 &# 39 ;, 10 &# 39 ;, and 11 &# 39 ;. as shown in fig1 and 11 and 12 , support panel members 12 &# 39 ;, 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ;, and 15 &# 39 ; are then folded in a direction away from wall panels 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7 to an angle substantially perpendicular to wall panels 4 , 5 , 6 , and 7 . fig1 is a side view of fig1 and fig1 is an end view of fig1 . the blank 19 depicted in fig1 , 11 , and 12 is then folded so that surfaces 11 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 39 ; are substantially perpendicular to surfaces 10 &# 39 ; and 6 &# 39 ; and surfaces 8 &# 39 ; and 4 &# 39 ; are substantially perpendicular to surfaces 9 &# 39 ; and 5 &# 39 ; as shown in fig1 . surfaces 11 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 39 ; are folded to a position substantially perpendicular with surfaces 8 &# 39 ; and 4 &# 39 ; and surfaces 10 &# 39 ; and 6 &# 39 ; are folded to a position substantially perpendicular to surfaces 9 &# 39 ; and 5 &# 39 ; resulting in the sample display and distribution device as shown in fig5 . flap surface 18 is folded and secured to surface 7 &# 39 ; to maintain the configuration of the sleeve . the flap surface 18 may be secured in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art as suitable for this purpose , e . g ., stapling , taping , crimping , etc ., however in a preferred embodiment , an adhesive is utilized . the support panel members 12 &# 39 ;, 13 &# 39 ;, 14 &# 39 ;, and 15 &# 39 ; are then engaged and interlocked to form the internal support wall 37 . in an especially preferred embodiment , first securing tab surface 16 is secured to second support panel surface 13 &# 39 ; and second securing tab surface 17 is secured to fourth support panel member surface 15 &# 39 ;. the securing tabs 16 and 17 may be secured in a variety of ways well known to those skilled in the art as suitable for this purpose , e . g ., stapling , taping , crimping , etc ., however in a preferred embodiment , an adhesive is utilized . fig1 b is a side view of fig1 a and shows wall panel 5 &# 39 ;, central panel 9 &# 39 ;, support panel member 13 &# 39 ;, wall panel 7 &# 39 ;, central panel 11 &# 39 ; and support panel member 15 &# 39 ;. the central panels 9 &# 39 ; and 11 &# 39 ; cooperate with wall panels 5 &# 39 ; and 7 &# 39 ; to form a double wall . this double wall provides additional protection and crush resistance to a sample 2 inserted into the opening 39 because the double wall resists compressive forces applied along the longitudinal and transverse axes of the sample merchandise display and distribution device 1 . in an alternative embodiment , shown in fig1 and 16 , the walls defining the second longitudinal opening 39 are provided with one or more viewing apertures 40 to allow the sample 2 to be viewed from the side when the sample 2 is inserted into second longitudinal opening 39 . the exterior of the sample merchandise and distribution device 1 may also be marked with indicia corresponding to and sized and positioned to be in registry with the external markings on the package 3 when it is inserted into first longitudinal opening 38 so as to provide a neat and attractive appearance as shown in fig1 and 16 . in a preferred embodiment , the assembled apparatus is provided with an external wrapping to provide additional rigidity , stability , and protection to the product and the sample . fig1 shows the apparatus of fig1 with a transparent external wrapping 40 applied . the wrapping 40 may be chosen from a variety of wrappings well known to those skilled in the art as suitable for this purpose , however , in an especially preferred embodiment a heat shrinkable wrapping film is utilized . the external wrapping 40 may be opaque , translucent or transparent and may be provided with decorative indicia or markings . while particular embodiments of this invention have been shown in the drawings and described above , it will be apparent that many changes may be made in the form , arrangement , and positioning of the various elements of the combination . in consideration thereof , it should be understood that preferred embodiments of this invention disclosed herein are intended to be illustrative only and not intended to limit the scope of the invention .	0
one embodiment of an exemplary device in accordance with the present invention for mobile computing , communication and entertainment is illustrated in fig1 - 4 and generally indicated by the numeral 10 . device 10 includes a detachable portable unit 20 and a docking display unit 30 . detachable portable unit 20 may also include an electrical connector 23 that carries signals from the central processor 11 through video interface 15 , keyboard interface 16 , communication interface 17 , pen - input interface 51 , audio interface 29 , and power supply 14 . as seen in fig3 , the docking display unit 30 does not include a central processor , and one or more of the circuits of the docking display are operated by the central processor 11 of the detachable portable unit . mating electrical connector 36 in docking display unit 30 may therefore connect these signals to auxiliary display 31 , auxiliary keyboard 32 , wired communication circuit 33 , auxiliary pen - input panel 44 , speakers 42 and microphone 43 , and power jack 35 . communication circuit 33 is connected to communication jack 34 for further connection to communication lines such as the public switched telephone network or cell or other wireless network . docking display unit 30 includes a recessed platform 38 , with an electrical connector 36 , a fixed tab 39 and a movable tab 41 , retractable by latch 37 . to dock detachable portable unit 20 into docking display unit 30 , fixed tab 39 is slid into slot 24 with the front side of detachable portable unit 20 facing platform 38 . the other end of detachable portable unit 20 is brought down to have connector 23 on detachable portable unit 20 mate with connector 36 of docking display unit 30 . tab 41 is slid into slot 25 to secure detachable portable unit 20 in place . docking display unit 30 is shown as a portable clamshell style unit , including an auxiliary display 31 , in the lid portion and an auxiliary keyboard 32 in the base portion , facing each other in the closed position . the lid of docking display unit 30 also contains a communication jack 34 , such as a standard rj - style telephone jack , and a power jack 35 , such as an ac adapter / charger jack . the block diagram in fig3 shows detachable portable unit 20 including a central processor 11 , and the circuits supported and / or controlled by it , namely program memory 112 , at memory 13 , power supply 14 , video interface 15 , keyboard interface 16 , communication interface 17 , pen - input interface 51 , and audio interface 29 . in turn , video interface 15 drives display 18 , the keyboard interface 16 drives the keypad 19 , communication interface 17 drives wireless communication circuit 21 , pen - input interface 51 drives the pen - input panel 52 , and audio interface 29 drives microphone 26 and speaker 27 , and connects to the headphone jack 28 . wireless communication circuit 21 is connected to the antenna 22 . gps receiver 58 , such as that supplied by sirf technology of san jose , calif ., is also connected to central processor 11 . detachable portable unit 20 also includes an electrical connector 23 that carries signals from the central processor 11 through video interface 15 , keyboard interface 16 , communication interface 17 , pen - input interface 51 , audio interface 29 , and power supply 14 . mating electrical connector 36 in docking display unit 30 connects these signals to auxiliary display 31 , auxiliary keyboard 32 , wired communication circuit 33 , auxiliary pen - input panel 44 , speakers 42 and microphone 43 , and power jack 35 . wired communication circuit 33 is connected to communication jack 34 for further connection to external wired communication lines such as the public switched telephone network . detachable portable unit 20 may also contain an optical transmitter 54 for transmission of remote control signals to tv , vcr , etc . alternately , it may be equipped with an optical transceiver 53 for optical communication with other compatible devices , such as laptop computers , printers and network interfaces . in another variation of the above embodiment , the interface signals connecting the circuitry carried in detachable portable unit 20 and docking display unit 30 may be multiplexed using conventional multiplexing circuits in order to reduce the number of interconnect signals and hence reducing the size of connectors 23 and 36 . in another variation of the above embodiments , detachable portable unit 20 may contain no display at all , like conventional cordless handsets . in this case central processor 11 will still drive the auxiliary display 31 through the video interface 15 , and video interface 15 may be housed in docking display unit 30 , further reducing the size of detachable portable unit 20 . fig5 shows docking display unit 30 mounted on the floor of a vehicle 70 . the bottom end of a pedestal 60 is attached to the vehicle floor 70 . clamps 61 are attached to the top end of pedestal 60 . docking display unit 30 can be removably mounted on pedestal 60 by using bolts or other conventional methods . detachable portable unit 20 can then be docked in docking display unit 30 in the same manner as in the other applications described hereinbefore . the ordinarily skilled artisan should now appreciate that in this way a portable device for computing , communication and / or entertainment device , can be created that has a detachable portable unit . when mated with a docking display unit , the detachable portable unit becomes the controller for the entire portable computing , communication and entertainment device . the detachable portable unit is in a smaller housing that is dimensioned for handheld grasping and is sized to be carried in a pocket like an average cell phone . the docking display unit carries an auxiliary , larger display and other components . the central processor , carried in the detachable portable unit , and being used to operate the docking display unit , must have enough processing power to adequately perform functions of an entire portable computing , communication and entertainment device , and not just the functions of a wireless phone . examples of commercially available processors adequate for this task include the intel strongarm processor , the models sh - 3 and sh - 4 processors from hitachie american , ltd . of brisbane , calif ., and the model 4100 risc processor from nec american , inc . of irving , calif . as technology advances in the future , the pentium processor from intel , used in most laptop computers , may be used in other embodiments of the current invention . the other components used in device 10 can be similar to those employed by traditional computing devices , communication devices and entertainment devices . typical of these other components are : liquid crystal display of small and large sizes from optrex america inc . of detroit , mich ., and seiko instruments usa , incorporated of torrance , calif . ; memory chips from micron technologies , inc . of boise , id ., vlsi technologies wireless communication chips available from philips north american in atlanta , ga ., power supply chips from analog devices inc . of norwood , mass ., and pen - input panels from microtouch systems , inc . of methuen , mass . device 10 as described hereinbefore will require operating system software such as microsoft windows or windowsce . off - the - shelf application software such as microsoft outlook , pocketword , etc . can be used for various tasks . alternately , the java software platform from sun microsystems , inc . of palo alto , calif ., can be implemented in device 10 . in this instance , java applets can be downloaded into device 10 from the internet via wireless communication circuit 21 or via wired communication circuit 33 . inasmuch as the present invention is subject to variations , modifications and changes in detail , some of which have been expressly stated herein , it is intended that all matter described throughout this entire specification or shown in the accompanying drawings be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense . it should thus be evident that a device constructed according to the concept of the present invention , and reasonably equivalent thereto , will accomplish the objects of the present invention and otherwise substantially improve the art of devices for mobile computing , communication and entertainment . in the foregoing description , certain terms have been used for brevity , clearness , and understanding . no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirement of the prior art because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed . moreover , the description and illustration of the invention are an example and the invention is not limited to the exact details shown or described .	7
in fig1 , a block diagram shows that a technical process tp is controlled by the run time system rts of an industrial controller . the connection between the run time system rts and the controller , and the technical process tp , is bi - directional over the input / output ea . programming of the controller and , thus , the specification of the behavior of the run time system rts takes place in the engineering system es . the engineering system es contains tools for configuring , designing and programming machines , and for the control of technical processes . the programs generated in the engineering system are sent to the run time system rts of the controller over information path i 1 . with regard to its hardware equipment , an engineering system es usually comprises of a computer system with a graphical display screen ( e . g ., a video display unit ), input means ( e . g ., a keyboard and mouse ), a processor , working memory and secondary memory , a device for accommodating computer readable media ( e . g ., diskettes , cds ) and connection units for data exchange with other systems ( e . g ., other computer systems , controllers for technical processes ) or media ( e . g ., the internet ). a controller usually comprises input and output units as well as a processor and program memory . in fig2 , elements of the engineering system and the controller and their interaction are illustrated in the form of a survey diagram , where the individual elements are represented in the form of rectangles , and the data storage contained in the engineering system is represented in the form of a cylinder . arrows ( unidirectional or bidirectional ) indicate the logical relationships among the elements in terms of data and sequence . the top half of fig2 shows the elements of the engineering system , namely , the motion control chart ( mcc ) editor , the structured text ( st ) compiler with programming environment , the configuration server ks and the machine design as well as a data storage . the fact that these elements belong to the engineering system is indicated by the border around them . the controller contains the code converter and program processing . the elements of the controller , which are in the lower section in fig2 , are outlined . both the engineering system and the controller may also contain other elements , but , for simplicity , these are not shown . the graphical program sequences are generated in the mcc editor . the language elements of the editor , i . e ., the icons , can be generated and represented by means of a command bar on the display screen , which is operated with the help of a mouse or other possible input means . with the help of the mcc editor , a user can link function blocks ( icons ) and control structures to form a flowchart , that is , the mcc editor can be used as a graphical programming tool for generating programs for motion controls and / or process controls . a text program and a textual language ( usually structured text according to iec 6 - 1131 ) are generated from the flowchart . this structured text code ( st code ) is converted by the structured text converter ( st compiler ), which is part of the programming environment in a processor - independent pseudo - code . this pseudo - code is loaded onto the controller where it is converted to executable processor code by the code converter . this process code is executed by the program processor within the controller . the unidirectional arrows in the left section of fig2 represent the steps in code conversion or program conversion . in parallel with the three unidirectional arrows running from top to bottom representing this conversion , three bi - directional arrows , representing debugging interfaces and the possibility of program observation , run between the following elements : the mcc editor , the st compiler , the code converter and the program processing . between the program processing and code converter is a debugging interface on the processor code level , i . e ., on the object code level , and another debugging interface is placed between the code converter and the st compiler . this debugging interface is on the pseudo - code level . between the st compiler and the mcc editor there is another debugging interface or program observation interface at the structured text level ( st code ). as additional elements of the engineering system , fig2 shows the machine design and a configuration server ks . in the machine design , the design of the hardware or the underlying machine is completed with the help of suitable tools , in other words , e . g . the types of axes present and the quantity specified in the machine design . this information is fed into the mcc editor through the configuration server ks . the transfer of this information is represented by the unidirectional arrows 12 and 13 . in addition , the configuration server ks also contains other relevant configuration information for the system , which can also be used , for example , for licensing the respective software components . the data storage da , represented by a cylinder , contains three things : first , the object model generated by the mcc editor for a flowchart ; second , the respective structured text ; and third , the content of the data storage da , which is the pseudo - code generated from the structured text . the data storage da is in bidirectional connection with the mcc editor and the st compiler , represented by the bidirectional information arrows 14 and 15 . fig3 shows the existing abstraction levels from the standpoint of the program code as a survey diagram . the different program code levels are illustrated as rectangles . the top level is the mcc level , where the flowchart programs are generated . the next lower code level is the structured text level st . one reaches the st level from the mcc level by a corresponding code generation as represented by an arrow from the mcc block to the st block . beneath the structured text level st is the pseudo - code level . a processor - independent pseudo - code is converted by a converter from the structured text program , as represented by the arrow from the st block to the block bearing the name “ pseudo - code ”. beneath the pseudo - code level is the lowest code level , namely , the object code level which contains the processor code that can be executed . the object code is generated from the pseudo - code by a converter , also represented by an arrow from the pseudo - code block to the object code block . arrows bent at a right angle lead away from the object code level back to the structured text code level st and to the flowchart level mcc . this indicates that test activities and program tracking activities can take place on these levels on the basis of the object code . the bold double arrow between the mcc level and the st level indicates that calls , task control commands and variable exchange functions can be sent between these two levels . the dotted line in fig3 shows the borderline between the engineering system es and the run time system rts of the controller ( s ; fig2 ). this borderline runs through the pseudo - code level , and everything above the dotted line belongs to the engineering system es , while everything below the dotted line belongs to the run time system rts . in addition , fig3 shows how a programmer or a user ( represented by a stylized stick figure at the left edge of the figure ) can introduce entries into the engineering system es . the user can generate flowcharts on the mcc level with the help of graphical programming , or generate programs on the structured text level st by text programming . both input options are represented by arrows leading from the stick figure to the mcc block or to the st block . the diagram according to fig4 shows a simple program sequence for programming axial motions . each flowchart begins with a start node and ends with an end node . these program limiting symbols bear the designations “ start ” and “ end ,” respectively . start symbols and end symbols are each represented by a rectangle with the end faces designed as semicircles . the program commands are represented by rectangles which contain a written command and a graphical symbol representing the stored command . the flowchart symbols are usually generated by using an input bar with the help of a mouse in the flowchart editor , but other input means such as a touch pad are also conceivable . alternatively , the system might be operated by means of a keyboard , with or without a mouse . as the default , the flowchart symbols are directed at one another by the flowchart editor and are linked together by a line . a synchronous axis is enabled after the start , and then the system waits for a synchronization signal , and as the next and final command of the flowchart , a cam plate , is turned on for the synchronous axis . the command sequence of fig4 is terminated by the end symbol . the diagram of fig5 shows a complex flowchart with control structures for a while loop and for the if statement . the while and the if statements are each represented by hexagonal honeycomb - shaped symbols . otherwise , the same types of symbols as those already known from fig4 are used in the program run as illustrated in fig5 . the flowchart begins with the start symbol and ends with the end symbol . immediately after the start node , there is a command which starts the task “ motion_ 3 .” this command is of the “ start task ” type . therefore , the rectangle for this command also contains the respective corresponding symbol representing the starting of a task . the hexagonal honeycomb - shaped while statement follows next in the program sequence . as long as the condition indicated in the while statement is true , the commands following the while statement are executed cyclically in succession . the end of the command sequence of a while loop is represented by an angled arrow leading down from the last symbol of the while statement ( this is the command of the type “ gear synchronization off ” based on a synchronous axis ) and leading back to the while statement on the left side of the figure . if the condition in the while statement is no longer met , then the command sequence belonging to the statement is no longer executed . this is illustrated by a rectangular connecting line leaving the while symbol on the right side and bypassing the sequence of symbol commands belonging to the while symbol on the right side and opening into the symbol directly following this command sequence , which is the end symbol . however , if the while condition is met , the following command sequence is processed : immediately after the while statement follows a command which represents waiting for a condition . this command also contains a corresponding mnemonic graphical signal representing the waiting process graphically . this is followed by a command which starts the “ motion_ 2 ” task . this command is also of the “ start task ” type and contains the corresponding graphical symbol . this command is followed by the if statement , which is illustrated similarly to the while statement by a hexagonal honeycomb - shaped symbol . if the if condition is met ( represented by “ error & lt ; & gt ; zero ”), then the command sequence is further processed in the true branch . otherwise , if the condition is not met , the command sequence in the false branch is processed further . the next command in the true branch of the if condition is a command that stops the “ motion_ 2 ” task . this command is of the “ stop task ” type . it is followed by a command that stops the “ motion_ 3 ” task . this command is also of the “ stop task ” type . these commands are also represented by respective corresponding symbols . next in the command sequence are two “ stop axis ” commands . in the first such command , a rotational speed axis is stopped , and in the following command a positioning axis is stopped . these “ stop axis ” commands are also represented by corresponding graphical symbols . the next and last command relates to an axis with the name “ synchronous axis ”, namely , the disconnection of the gear synchronization (“ gear synchronization off ”). the symbols of the flowchart are connected by lines , thus , representing the program sequence . an arrow bent at a right angle leads away from this command , representing the last command in the while statement , and goes back to this while statement . this represents the cyclic processing of the command sequence . in the while statement , a check is performed to determine whether the condition is met . if it has been met or continues to be met , the command sequence is run once again . if it has not been met , the program leaves the while statement and continues with the end symbol , i . e ., the program run represented by the flowchart is ended . fig6 shows a complex diagram in flowchart representation with the parallel branching language construction ( sync ). the start symbol is followed by a command that relates to a rotational speed axis , namely , “ switch axis release .” for this command , a graphical symbol representing this command is also shown in the command rectangle . this is again followed by a command of the type “ switch axis release ”, but this time it relates to a positioning axis ; here again , the respective corresponding symbol is given . the following command is a synchronization command “ wait for signal ”, designated as “ auto ” and provided with the corresponding symbol . the symbol for the parallel branch ( sync ) follows as the next symbol . this symbol , like the while and the if statements , is also represented by a hexagonal honeycomb - shaped graphical element . all the commands arranged in the sector directly beneath the symbol for the parallel branch start in the same interpolator cycle . this includes the “ position axis ” command , based on a positioning axis ( this type of command also includes the respective corresponding graphical symbol ) and a command of the “ set output ” type . the “ set output ” type of command is also illustrated by a rectangle , this rectangle containing the address of the output (% qb40 ) and the corresponding symbol for this set command ( s stands for set ). the commands belonging to a parallel branch symbol , that is , the commands that start within the same interpolator cycle , are connected with a line upward to the parallel branch symbol and at the bottom they are connected by a double line . this horizontal double line indicates that parallel processing has been stopped again and a program will wait to process the following command until all the actions in the parallel branch are concluded . thus , this is also the end symbol of the parallel branch construction . this is followed next by a command of the “ rotational speed set - point ” type , which relates to a rotational speed axis . this is followed by two commands of the “ position axis ” type , each based on positioning axes . this is again followed by a command of the “ stop axis ” type , which relates to a rotational speed axis . the rectangle representing these commands , also contains the corresponding respective graphical symbols . after a command of the “ stop axis - type which relates to the aforementioned rotational speed axis , follows the end symbol . the type of flowchart programming shown here supports different types of programming . first , a more or less true parallelism is achieved through the parallel branch symbol with the start of the respective commands in an interpolator cycle , that is , programming of parallel threads is supported and the respective processing is enabled . secondly , cyclic programming and cyclic program processing is supported . this means that it is possible to show that only successive commands are initiated , and that it is not necessary to wait for processing of the preceding command . it would also be possible to program and illustrate such sequential processes , namely , on initiation of a command to wait for processing of this command until the next command is initiated and processed . the flowchart programming presented here is , thus , flexible in the way it can be applied by a user and used for different applications . fig7 shows a mask for setting parameters for the “ position axis ” flowchart command . the designation of the corresponding command , namely , “ position axis ” in this case , is located in the upper left of the upper bar of the mask . the upper bar also contains two switches on its right side . the switch with a question mark provides online help , and the second switch ( which is labeled with an x ) is used for closing the mask . the mask with which parameters are set ( the parameterization mask ) includes different input sectors . in the top input sector , the corresponding axis can be selected . with the help of an input menu ( represented by an input button with a small , upside - down triangle ), the corresponding axes can be selected in the input window . at the upper left of this top sector is the graphical symbol belonging to this command , an upside - down triangle with a dark horizontal line at the center , and other small lines angled downward at each end of this line . the next and largest sector of the parameterization mask represents the possibility of parameter input . the parameters differ according to the command . they are sorted logically by means of task bar options which are arranged on a task bar , as is customary in the conventional program interfaces . the first page ( in fig7 this page can be shown by selecting the task bar option “ parameter ”) usually contains the parameters which absolutely must be indicated for setting of parameters of the command . an unconditional parameter for the “ position axis ” command would be , for example , the target position of an axial motion . the number and significance of the task bar options also varies according to the command . it can be seen in fig7 that a “ dynamic ” task bar option is also present for the “ position axis ” command in addition to the “ parameter ” task bar option . with this task bar option , entries regarding the rate of change and acceleration as well as the velocity profile can be made for the description of the dynamic behavior . these inputs can be made through input fields and the respective menus . in this case , the trapezoidal shape was selected as the velocity profile . this shape has also been represented graphically in a stylized manner at the center of this input sector . in the lower input sector of the parameterization mask which follows this , additional inputs , e . g ., for the transitional behavior , can be made . in this case , “ detaching ” was entered for the transitional behavior . in addition , waiting conditions can be entered by putting a check in the “ wait ” box . additional entries for this synchronization can be made in a respective input window . in the example in fig7 , “ position window reached ” has been entered for this item . the entries are also supported by axial profiles which are represented in a stylized manner . the lower end of the parameterization axis consists of four input buttons , namely , an “ okay ” button , a “ terminate ” button , an “ accept ” button and a “ help ” button . by using these input buttons , users may either accept the entries , confirm them , discard them or call up input help . with the help of the waiting conditions , so - called step enabling conditions can be specified by a user to synchronize the functions ( e . g ., reference point approach or axial positioning ) or their interaction . there are particular parameterization masks for commands that can be entered and processed with the help of the flowchart editor . thus , the user is supported in programming motion and control sequences with the help of these parameterization masks in a context sensitive manner . fig8 shows in a survey diagram how the flowchart editor library of icons fev of the flowchart editor fe is expanded . at the outset , the graphical elements e 1 to em of flowchart editor fe are available to the user a 1 ( represented by a stick figure ). the flowchart editor fe is represented as a rectangle containing the graphical elements indicated at the upper left of the figure . the flowchart editor fe is part of an engineering system es 1 , represented by a dotted line . the engineering system es 1 also contains other elements , but , for simplicity , these are not shown here . the library of icons fev of the flowchart editor fe , which contains the graphical elements e 1 to em at the outset , is shown as a rectangle at the upper right of the figure . the lower half of fig8 shows a user a 2 ( also represented by a stick figure ) who is working with an engineering system es 2 on the structured text level ( st ; fig3 ). at the structured text level , the structured textual language elements ste 1 through sten representing the structured text library of icons stedv of the structured text editor are available to the user a 2 within the structured text editor sted . the structured text library of icons stedv of the structured text editor sted is also represented as a rectangle . with the help of the structured text language elements ste 1 through sten , the user a 2 can create structured text subprograms stup in the structured text editor sted . these subprograms stup are converted to graphical language elements of the flowchart editor fe by a converter ( e . g ., a compiler c .) the lower left section of fig8 shows in diagram form how these graphical elements are generated . the conversion takes place within the engineering system es 2 as an example . the structured text subprogram stup ( indicated schematically by a sequence of structured text elements from the library of icons stedv of the structured text editor ) is converted by the compiler c ( represented by a rectangle with a diagonal line ) to the graphical element en , which also contains the function interface of the original structured text subprogram . the conversion process ( structured text editor \| compiler \| graphical element ) is indicated schematically by two horizontal arrows . the allocation arrow zp indicates that the newly generated graphical element en expands the library of icons fev of the flowchart editor fe and is available to the user a 1 for flowchart programming . the engineering system es 2 also contains additional elements , but , for simplicity , these are not shown . in the mechanism described here , functions of the engineering systems es 1 and es 2 may be contained in a single engineering system . the two users a 1 and a 2 may also be represented by a single person . the diagram according to fig9 shows a selection of language elements ( icons ) of the flowchart editor . these language elements represent commands that can be used for graphical programming using the flowchart editor . the motion control flowchart editor supports the following classes of commands and makes available appropriate symbols for the individual commands of the following classes : start commands , stop commands , positioning commands , synchronous and cam plate commands , probe commands , and software cam commands , wait commands , task control commands , commands for manipulation of variables and other general commands . in addition , the motion control flowchart editor makes available additional graphical control structures for the graphical program execution .	8
in the following description , numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the present invention . however , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible . all phrases , derivations , collocations and multiword expressions used herein , in particular in the claims that follow , are expressly not limited to nouns and verbs . it is apparent that meanings are not just expressed by nouns and verbs or single words . languages use a variety of ways to express content . the existence of inventive concepts and the ways in which these are expressed varies in language - cultures . for example , many lexicalized compounds in germanic languages are often expressed as adjective - noun combinations , noun - preposition - noun combinations or derivations in romanic languages . the possibility to include phrases , derivations and collocations in the claims is essential for high - quality patents , making it possible to reduce expressions to their conceptual content , and all possible conceptual combinations of words that are compatible with such content ( either within a language or across languages ) are intended to be included in the used phrases . the present invention describes apparatus , systems , and methods to determine position of seabed seismic cables , as well as sound velocity profile of a fluid . the conventional way of determining the position of seabed seismic receiver cables is by use of usbl systems that are commercially available ; however , usbl systems are not known to be used for estimating or calculating sound velocity profile of a fluid . the main drawbacks with usbl systems in position determination are that they require transmitters to be mounted on the cable for every point to be tracked . this is a safety hazard for personnel working on the back deck on the deployment vessel , and it also reduces the maximum feasible speed of cable deployment and recovery . it is thus an economically impaired technique . compared to the proposed technique it is also less efficient in that the number of transmitters it is possible to fit on the cable is a number far less than the number of seismic receivers . the positions provided by the usbl system will only be at selected intervals and they do not coincide with the seismic receiver positions so that one must interpolate based on the transmitter positions . sbl systems generally utilize a transmitter mounted on the remote target , and the accuracy of the angular measurement provided comes from the use of sophisticated techniques for correlation of the observed signal at receivers located with a short baseline separation . the correlation aims at determining the difference in time of reception between pairs of receivers . the idea is that the signals observed at the two locations have the same source and are distorted in a similar way so that a good correlation can be found . the fact that the signal gets transmitted into the noisy area around the vessel hull is a disadvantage of this method as it poses further challenges on the sensing and processing of the signal . this is fundamentally different from the inventive apparatus , systems , and methods , where the transmitters are located in the noisy area and sends signals into a quiet area where the receivers are located . fig1 illustrates an apparatus , system , and method of the invention to determine an accurate position of receivers 2 in a seabed cable 4 being deployed onto or retrieved from a seabed 6 . two or more acoustic transmitters 1 are fitted onto the hull of the cable deployment vessel 3 riding on sea surface 5 . as stated earlier , transmitters 1 may be mounted on retractable poles or similar devices , not shown , in order to get the transmitters positioned at the optimum depth for the transducer operation . the positions of transmitters 1 need to be known in the vessel body referenced coordinate system , and they may be arranged to form a line , a plane when three transmitters 1 are used , or a volume when three or more transmitters are used . if they are arranged in a straight line , as when two transmitters 1 are used , it is not possible to do positioning without auxiliary sensor measurements , such as pressure sensors to measure pressure , and thus depth . if three or more transmitters 1 are arranged in a plane , receivers 2 to be positioned have to be outside this plane or its extension . this can be ensured by planning the transmitter locations so that the plane tilts away from cable 4 axis as much as possible . seabed seismic receiver cable 4 is fitted with a number of seismic receivers 2 that are adapted to be used for sensing of seismic signals . the same receivers may also be capable of receiving the signals sent by transmitters 1 to be used for the positioning purpose . alternatively , dedicated positioning receivers may be used as well as dedicated seismic receivers , but this may result in more expensive equipment , and is therefore not desired as much as the dual function receivers . when the system is operated , transmitters 1 send synchronized broad spectrum and coded signals , as further described herein . the signals from transmitters 1 are received by all receivers 2 and processed to determine the signal travel time and the travel time differences . when knowing or estimating the sound velocity the travel time can be converted to a distance and the travel time difference to a distance difference . the difference needs to be established with a higher accuracy than the distance for a short baseline system to work well . conventional systems ensure that by transmitting one signal that is received by two or more receivers where the difference in reception time can be established through autocorrelation of the recordings between pairs of receivers . in the inventive apparatus , system , and method depicted in fig1 , where there is a multitude of transmitters 1 sending different signals that are received by one or more receivers 2 at unknown distance , the same approach is not possible . when using broad spectrum , encoded signals , the correlation results from the travel time detection can be further used to establish an accurate time difference . as an alternative , a conventional usbl receiver group positioned on the vessel hull could be used to establish the sound velocity profile from known distances between seismic receivers on or in the cable . in this alternative embodiment of the invention , the seismic receivers on or in the cable must be transponders or transducers capable of receiving and transmitting acoustic signals . the position and attitude of vessel 3 at the synchronized time event when transmitters 1 send the signal can be determined for instance by using gps or other positioning system . this information combined with the vessel body frame coordinates of transmitters 1 is sufficient to calculate the positions of transmitters 1 at the time of measurement . by further using the information about the measured distances and differences it is possible to calculate the position of each receiver 2 that has received the signals . all receivers 2 in or on cable 4 can this way be tracked for the purpose of deployment precision , increased operational safety , and increased efficiency . the positioning system may also be augmented with additional sensors for increased robustness of the system . such devices are for instance , but not limited to , inclinometers , pressure gauges , compasses and inertial sensors integrated in or placed on cable 4 , and further acoustic measurements provided by transmitters located on buoys or other vessels . in three dimensional cable and streamer positioning under water , the third component , depth , is often difficult or expensive to estimate with acoustic measuring devices alone . this may be due to the cost of obtaining a geometry that will give a well - separated vertical component for the target being positioned . for example , in seabed cable deployment , the deploying vessel travels horizontally away from cable being laid on the sea bottom . as the cable moves through the water column , its depth is dependent on factors not easily measurable , including cable buoyancy due to varying water density layers and currents with a vertical component , especially upward . in order to establish the depth through acoustics , the acoustic distances and distance differences measured need to have position fixing geometry strong enough to separate it from the horizontal components . with measurement information all or mostly in the same plane , the number of positions that will fit the measurements is large , each with a different distance out of the plane . to obtain this requires one or more separate transmitter units deployed on platforms different from the deploying vessel , the number of such units being dependent on the depth of the water column , and thus the horizontal extent of the cable in the water column during a deployment or along the cable length on the bottom after deployment . especially in the context of time laps survey requirements , ( but also for the purpose of establishing and confirming the vertical component of position in conventional seismic surveying ), deploying the cable to a predetermined point on the seafloor can best be done if the position of the cable is known during it &# 39 ; s descent . this information will allow the deploying vessel to maneuver in a way that will influence the final resting place of the cable on the seafloor . two towed marine applications are over / under surveys and surveys employing a positioning streamer . in these towed marine application , acoustic ranging may occur between streamers at different depths , and determining depth other than by acoustics is useful . in certain embodiments of the present invention , it would be useful to employ a depth - measuring unit integrated into or attached to the cable at regular intervals that does not employ acoustic ranging from a known point , but instead determines depth by measuring pressure . knowing this component of the three dimensional coordinates will constrain the points that are available for the measurements to fit into a horizontal plane and thus allow a better estimate of cable position with less effort than required with acoustics only . apparatus , systems , and methods of the invention using a seabed cable being deployed , retrieved , or resting on the seafloor , so - called short - baseline systems and methods , may particularly benefit from using pressure measurements to determine depth . some of the advantages of the apparatus , systems , and methods illustrated in fig1 and other embodiments are that they may easily be fully automated using a computer to control and do the necessary computations ; there is no need to attach or detach any equipment to and from the cables during deployment and retrieval ; there is consequently no need for manual work on the back deck of the deployment vessel giving a big safety advantage ; full automation , if provided , allows faster cable operation and high operational efficiency ; the systems and methods do not require additional vessels , buoys or other devices on the water to facilitate the positioning with further added safety and efficiency benefits , although they may be employed if desired ; and the systems and methods may directly provide positions “ as deployed ” for the seismic receivers . useful transmitters 1 are those able to transmit spread spectrum signals that are unique acoustic signals lying within a frequency band that receivers 2 ( hydrophones ) are capable of detecting . the signals may be intercepted by conventional seismic receivers 2 , which are already located in cables 4 , or in the streamers or in the gun array cables . by using the existing receivers in the seabed cables and streamers a far better spatial resolution along the cable will be obtained than that achieved by means of the prior art . in use , transmitters 1 may transmit a signal on command . receivers 2 will intercept the signal and transmit it on board the vessel for processing and storing . there is no rule governing when the codes from the spread spectrum transmitters should be transmitted or recorded . transmission may be simultaneous and recording may be done during the normal recording time for a shot or also between each shotpoint . seismic signals are normally recorded and stored during a period of 4 to 12 seconds after a shot has been fired . the signals from transmitters 1 can be recorded when wished , since there is no correlation between the seismic signal and the spread spectrum codes , i . e . it is not possible to confuse a seismic signal from a seismic source ( not shown ) with a spread spectrum signal transmitted from a transmitter 1 . had a transmitter been used which transmitted signals on a specific frequency , this would cause them to be confused with seismic signals on the same frequency . due to the signal - to - noise ratio , the normal procedure may be to time the transmission to maximize the offset in time between the seismic and positioning acoustic events and record the signals once per shot . the signals that are transmitted from transmitters 1 in accordance with this aspect of the present invention are so - called orthogonal spread spectrum signals . spread spectrum techniques are described in the literature and well known by those skilled in the art . an ordinary modulation technique is based on the fact that the transmitted signal uses a certain part of the frequency band in a communication channel , e . g . by means of frequency modulation ( fm ) or amplitude modulation ( am ). as distinct from this , in spread spectrum modulation the entire bandwidth in a communication channel will be used and split up a transmitted signal frequency , the individual parts being transferred on several different frequencies . only the receivers will know which frequency and phase combination the incoming information will have . the receivers know a transmitter &# 39 ; s individual code . by cross - correlating the incoming signals ( y ( n )) with a transmitter &# 39 ; s individual code ( x ( n )), a receiver will be able to extract the unambiguous spread spectrum signal from the range of other signals . an n = ∞ cross - correlation function will be in the form : when a sequence is cross - correlated with itself the process is called autocorrelation . the autocorrelation function of a series x ( n ) will always have a certain top value for τ = 0 . it is desirable for spread spectrum sequences which are used for positioning of seismic equipment to have an autocorrelation function which represents a “ white noise ” pattern apart from τ = 0 . in order to avoid false detection of , e . g ., signals that are recorded by the same receiver use the same communication line , the cross - correlation function between the codes must have a top value that is as low as possible , which is the definition of orthogonal . the transmission pulse comprises a set of orthogonal pulses with an unambiguous top in their respective autocorrelation functions . several conventional methods of generating such functions can be mentioned . perhaps the most common method uses random sequence codes called gold codes . this method provides a selection of codes that give low values in the cross - correlation function . these are generated by the use of shift registers of variable length with a special feedback pattern . when used in the present invention a register of this kind will normally look like that illustrated in fig2 . the figure is a representation of a gold code [ 5 , 4 , 3 , 2 ]. the figure illustrates an eight bit serial shift register which will give a 2 8 = 256 bit long sequence . there are several methods for generating pseudorandom sequences , e . g . frequency hopping , frequency shift coding or phase coding . regardless of which pseudorandom sequence is chosen , it is important for its autocorrelation function to have a distinct top value and for the cross - correlation to be as low as possible . even with signal amplitudes down towards the signal amplitude for sea noise it will be possible to extract a correlation &# 39 ; s top . even calculation of positions for the seismic equipment or the sensors can be performed in countless different and conventional ways depending on which parameters are known for the system and how the system is configured . the common feature of all methods of this aspect of the invention , however , is that the received signals have to be cross - correlated with the transmitting signal signature of the specific transmitters to which the absolute or relative distance is required to be determined . further processing of data is performed according to the prior art . note that in certain towed marine spreads there may not be enough unique codes for each transmitter . to work around this limit transmitters with the same code may be separated in space so they do not interfere with one another . the simplest case comprises a transmitter and a receiver where the system is designed in such a manner that accurate information is available as to when the transmitter transmits in relation to the receivers sampling points . after the above - mentioned cross - correlation a maximum value will be found in the cross - correlation function that indicates the absolute time difference between transmitter and receiver . it will be possible to develop this technique used on a seabed cable or streamer with several sensors in order to obtain an unambiguous geometrical network of distances and relative positions . the invention also describes apparatus , systems , and methods to determine the accurate velocity of sound through the water column . it is particularly well adapted to , but not limited to , seabed seismic data acquisition , where a cable containing seismic receivers is deployed on to the seabed from a surface vessel . in some embodiments , one or more towed streamer cable may be used in the sound velocity profile determination and positioning aspects of the invention . in any case , the seismic operation needs accurate position determination of the receivers in the cable , and the typically used method for positioning is based on underwater acoustic ranging . a system for hydro - acoustic ranging , for example , intrinsic ranging by modulated acoustics , comprises transmitters that generate an acoustic signal and hydrophones that can receive the signal . the transmitters and the receivers are synchronized so that the transmission delay between a transmitter and a receiver can be measured . if the velocity of sound through the water media is known it is possible to convert the measured delay into distances that are the data of prime interest for position determination . less than perfect knowledge of the sound velocity may result in positioning errors and this is in many cases the single limiting factor in obtaining high accuracy . the present invention reduces or overcomes problems with previous apparatus , systems , and methods by measuring the sound velocity through the water column . the cable being deployed or retrieved has receivers at known positions meaning that the exact intervals between them are known . for convenience we will discuss deployment of receiver cables on a seabed , but the invention is not so limited . the deployment vessel may carry a transmitter that sends acoustic signals toward the cable , and the receivers in the cable are picking up this signal . different time delays may be measured along the cable , which may be from very near the vessel , to a portion of the distance to the seabed , or all the way down to the seabed . the combination of the known cable length and the measured time delays can give information about the sound propagation speed by utilizing the fact that the acoustic signal propagation may be substantially parallel to the cable . combining the information from pressure depth sensors with knowledge of the separation between receivers along the cable can further strengthen the vertical acoustic propagation speed estimate , ( i . e ., sound velocity profile ), by better establishing the vertical component of the distance measurements , and thus cable dip . differencing the two depth measurements to eliminate any common error due to inaccurate water density or atmospheric pressure assumptions can reduce inaccuracies in pressure measurement . the depth measurement difference gives the vertical separation between the two receivers , and thus the vertical difference of the range difference measurement . a single measurement may not give very accurate information , but repeated measurements as the cable is deployed or retrieved may improve the determination . referring now to fig3 - 8 , fig3 illustrates schematically and not to scale an apparatus , system , and method of the invention for determining sound velocity profile , including a transmitter 1 mounted on a deployment vessel 3 in combination with a seabed cable 4 and its receivers 2 , however , the invention is not so limited , as will become apparent . seabed cable 4 containing seismic receivers 2 is illustrated being deployed on to the seabed 5 from a surface cable deployment vessel 3 , although the vessel could be retrieving the cable . receivers 2 pick up under water acoustic signals , and may be of a combined type that can record both the low frequency seismic signals and the higher frequency signals normally used for positioning purposes , or they can be dedicated to the positioning signals only . receivers 2 may be built into cable 4 at known positions or they may be attached to the cable at known intervals so that the exact distance between the receivers are known . receivers 2 may be part of a system for hydro - acoustic ranging , for example intrinsic ranging by modulated acoustics , as described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 668 , 775 , assigned to westemgeco llc , houston , tex ., which also comprises transmitters that generate the acoustic signal . the transmitters and the receivers may be synchronized so that the transmission delay between a transmitter and a receiver can be measured . the approximate positions of receivers 2 may be determined by use of an under water positioning system , for instance an ultra short baseline ( usbl ) acoustic system or a short baseline ( sbl ) acoustic system , and the position of transmitter 1 is known from a predetermined offset from the vessel &# 39 ; s reference point or the origin of the vessel &# 39 ; s body coordinate frame . the approximate position of the cable is given by receiver 2 positions . transmitter 1 is positioned so its emitted acoustic signals travel substantially parallel to cable 4 or its extension . a geometric compensation of the measurements may become necessary if transmitter 1 is weakly lined up with cable 4 . the compensation requires knowledge of the relative positions of transmitter 1 , receivers 2 and cable 4 , and their required accuracy will increase with the deviation from the line . given the embodiment described in fig3 it is possible to measure the transmission delay of under water acoustic signals from transmitter 1 to each of receivers 2 , and use the differences in time delay to each receiver to cancel most of the errors in approximating the position . in previously known methods , an estimate of the under water sound velocity was computed as the ratio between the calculated distance between transmitter 1 and one of the receivers 2 and the corresponding transmission delay measured . however , the limitation in that approach is that this will only have an accuracy comparable to the accuracy of the positioning system used to determine positions of receivers 2 . fig4 - 8 illustrate five other embodiments for determining sound velocity profile in accordance with the invention . fig4 illustrates an embodiment of the invention wherein the transmitter is not mounted on the vessel 3 , but rather on a mobile underwater device 7 having a transmitter 1 , which follows deployment or retrieval of seabed cable 4 . device 7 may either be a manned vehicle or unmanned vehicle , and may be operated remotely through wireless transmission , or through an umbilical to vessel 3 or another vessel . transmitter 1 transmits acoustic signals substantially parallel to cable 4 , which are received at receivers 2 at slightly different times indicative of their distance from transmitter 1 . fig5 represents another embodiment , wherein some receivers 2 on a streamer cable 11 are employed . streamer cable 11 may include any number of steerable birds 12 , and may include a steerable tail buoy 13 . in operation , some receivers 2 on the downward slope of steamer cable 11 are used which are capable of receiving acoustic signals at least at the frequency transmitted by transmitter 1 . as with previous embodiments , this allows sound velocity to be estimated at least in the vicinity of each receiver 2 on the downward slope , and thus a sound velocity profile for that portion of the fluid . note that steerable bird 12 may be used to temporarily move one or more receivers , normally horizontally spaced , in line with the non - horizontal receivers , for example if more data is needed to compute the sound velocity profile . another option ( not shown ) would be to tow a streamer or spread of streamers at different depths and obtain sound velocity at each depth . the sound velocity at each depth could be useful as a less precise , or first estimate of the sound velocity profile . in some instances , streamers are known to “ fail ”, that is , for some reason become not useable from a seismic data acquisition standpoint ; a failed streamer for seismic purposes ( but with sufficient acoustic receivers ) could be positioned with weights or ballast , or steered using birds or other devices , to extend from the tow vessel to some distance below the sea surface , and perhaps very close to the seabed . fig6 illustrates another embodiment of the invention , wherein two identical seismic seabed cables 4 and 4 a are being deployed , each having a plurality of receivers 2 and 2 a , respectively . this embodiment may have advantages such as providing more sound velocity data points for the sound velocity profile , since the cables may be deployed such that receivers 2 a are at distances mid - way or near mid - way between receivers 2 . more than two cables could be deployed in this fashion . an alternative might be to deploy cables that are not identical . for example , cable 4 might have twice the receivers that cable 4 a has , or vice versa . in this case the sound velocity profile calculated using receivers 2 might be checked using receivers 2 a . fig7 illustrates another embodiment of the invention , wherein vessel 3 makes use of a companion vessel 3 a anchored by an anchor 8 or some other feature on seabed 6 . vessel 3 a employs a simple rope or cable 44 on which has been placed or attached receivers 2 in known or well - approximated distances from vessel 3 a . vessel 3 may then be maneuvered so that transmitter 1 is substantially in - line with receivers 2 . fig8 illustrates an embodiment wherein neither a surface vessel nor a seabed cable is used . rather , a vehicle 33 traverses seabed 6 , vehicle 33 having a transmitter 11 , and optionally one receiver 2 . the remaining receivers are attached to a cable or rope 46 a at known distances form vehicle 33 . a float 23 maintains cable 46 a substantially taught . in all embodiments of the invention , receivers 2 need not be exactly in line ; they may be centered about an average line . seabed seismic sensors and their support cables ( herein referred to collectively as seabed cables ) useful in the invention include those described in the article “ shear waves shine brightly ”, oilfield review , pages 2 - 15 ( 1999 ), and typically comprise an instrumented cable packed with receivers , similar to the streamers that are towed in conventional marine surveys , but designed to operate on the seafloor . one seabed cable , known under the trade designation “ nessie 4c ”, contains multiple sensing units each containing one hydrophone and three orthogonally oriented geophones inside the cable , distributing their weight for optimal coupling to the seafloor . each cable may house hundreds of four - component sensors . full particle - motion vector recording of all p and s wavefronts may be achieved , along with the pressure wavefront familiar from towed streamers . this design was an improvement over conventional ocean bottom cables , which may be employed in the present invention as well , comprising only a hydrophone and a vertically oriented geophone strapped to the outside ; however , this arrangement is incapable of recording the full particle - motion vector and may not couple adequately to the seafloor . published patent cooperation treaty application no . wo 02 / 14905 a1 , published feb . 21 , 2002 , assigned to westemgeco llc , houston , tex . describes a seabed sensor unit and support cable that may have improve coupling to the seabed . the sensor unit comprises a one or more sensing elements disposed within a protective housing having a flat base . a flat base ensures that there is an adequate contact area between the sensor housing and the earth &# 39 ; s surface , so that there is good acoustic coupling to the sensing element ( s ) mounted within the sensor housing . the housing is attached to a support cable . furthermore , the dimensions of the base of the housing may be chosen so that the extent of the base in a direction parallel to the cable is similar to the extent of the base in a direction perpendicular to the cable , which may minimize the dependence of the acoustic coupling to the sensor housing , and thus to sensing elements within the housing , on the angle between the incident seismic energy and the cable . another seabed cable useful in the invention is described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 021 , 091 , also assigned to westemgeco , llc , which describes an elongated ocean - bottom seismic cable section of a desired length manufactured by assembling a stress member in combination with a plurality of signal communication channels . a plurality of receiver clusters is fastened to the assembly at desired intervals . each cluster includes at least two multi - axial , gimbal - supported seismic receivers that are symmetrically mounted about the axis of the cable assembly . output signals from the common axes of the respective multi - axis receivers of each cluster are coupled with each other through a suitable filter and linked to corresponding signal communication channels . the cable section is terminated by connectors for providing mechanical and communication linkage to other sections and eventually to signal - processing instrumentation . streamers useful in the invention have well - known constructions , and may comprise a large number of similar 100 meter streamer , or different length sections connected end - to - end , each section comprising a substantially cylindrical outer skin containing a pair of longitudinally extending strength members to bear the towing forces . acoustic transmitters and receivers may be substantially uniformly distributed along the length of the streamer section another streamer construction comprises an elongate substantially solid core , at least one longitudinally extending strength member and a plurality of acoustic transmitters and receivers embedded in the core , a polymeric outer skin surrounding the core and defining there around an annular space , and polymeric foam material adapted to be substantially saturated with liquid and substantially filling the annular space . seismic streamers may normally be towed at depths ranging from about 3 to 20 meters below the surface of the water by means of a “ lead - in ”, a reinforced electro - optical cable via which power and control signals are supplied to the streamer and seismic data signals are transmitted from the streamer back to the vessel , the vertical and / or horizontal position of the streamers being controlled by orientation members , or steerable “ birds ” distributed along the length of the streamer . typically , the front end of the streamer is mechanically coupled to the lead - in by at least one vibration - isolating section ( or “ stretch section ”), while the rear end is coupled to a tail buoy incorporating a gps position measuring system , typically via another “ stretch section ”. in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , a streamer or spread of streamers may alternately be towed at a variety of depths to obtain some knowledge at those depths . alternatively , a failed streamer , ( failed in the sense that it is disabled and cannot be used for some reason for seismic data acquisition ) may be used , as discussed herein . the following non - limiting example referring to fig3 will further illustrate determination of sound velocity profile in accordance with the invention in operation . cable 4 with receivers 2 is first deployed from vessel 3 and arranged as described above . an acoustic signal is transmitted from transmitter 1 . the same acoustic signal is detected by each of the receivers 2 and the apparent transmission delay at each of them is recorded . a geometric correction may be applied to all the measured transmission delays so that they correspond to a measurement taken exactly in the longitudinal direction of cable 4 . for the best precision this correction should take into account the shape of the sonic rays , for instance using a system such as described in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 388 , 948 , which utilizes a device such as a computer or microprocessor for determining the effective sound velocity between underwater points . the following information is fed into the device : ( i ) an estimate of the sound velocity profile from a source of sound energy located at an initial depth to a predetermined final target depth , ( ii ) a predetermined set of grazing angles , ( iii ) a predetermined number of target depths between the initial depth and the final target depth , and ( iv ) a predetermined uniform set of elevation angles . a corresponding elevation angle and an effective sound velocity value is calculated for each grazing angle and target depth . the calculated elevation angles are scanned to locate a pair of calculated elevation angles which correspond to a pair of successive grazing angles and a particular target depth wherein the particular elevation angle of the uniform set is between the pair of calculated elevation angles . the calculated effective sound velocity values corresponding to each elevation angle of the pair of calculated elevation angles are interpolated to produce an interpolated effective sound velocity . the measured delay is differenced against the adjacent receiver &# 39 ; s measurement . the differences can in principle be formed in any combination , but for the maximum resolution of the determination of the sound velocity profile it will be preferable to difference adjacent measurements . the distances between adjacent receivers 2 can be calculated from the known position of them in the cable 4 . the principles of the invention may be used in deep waters where the sound velocity profile is the most difficult to determine by conventional means and the accuracy of the sound velocity is the most critical for precise positioning near the seabed . if the vessel speed and cable deployment rate are synchronized or nearly so , the cable tension may be close to zero , and then the cable will in an ideal case form a straight line . in certain embodiments the surface end of the cable may be under relatively high tension because of the weight of cable 4 , and it may be stretched accordingly . in order to compensate for this effect it is desirable to know the stretch coefficient of cable 4 , together with the cable tension , otherwise results may be biased estimates . the stretch coefficient can be measured in advance and the tension can either be measured at vessel 3 or estimated using a hydrodynamic model taking into account vessel 3 speed and cable 4 deployment rate . knowing the depth difference and the dip angle ( using one or more inclinometers , for example ) gives an angle and side of a triangle . it this information was precise enough , it could be used to calculate stretch , or calibrate a stretch model . for each receiver interval there can then be made an estimate of the sound velocity as the ratio between the calculated receiver interval and the correspondingly differenced delay measurement . cable 4 reaches all the way from the vessel 3 at the surface down to seabed 5 , thus providing sound velocity estimates at each receiver interval through the water column . the sound velocity determined for each interval this way refers to a signal traveling at the dip angle of cable 4 . to make this useful also at other dip angles a mapping function is needed . this can be performed for instance by the method of sonic ray tracing . the accuracy of each estimate of the sound velocity is limited by the precision of the acoustic signal detection . in order to get a sound velocity profile with a useful accuracy it may be necessary to do more measurements and accumulate them in a statistically meaningful fashion . seismic cable 4 is typically several kilometers long and receiver intervals as small as 25 meters or less . this gives room for many measurements to be taken and cancellation of random errors . the sound velocity profile may then be determined in the form of a table using the statistics from results within certain depth intervals , or it may be determined by using a parameterized model where all the results are used to estimate the unknown parameters . a second approach would be able to take advantage of the fact that cable 4 is moving ( continuously down during deployment , continuously up through retrieval ) through the water column while the measurements are taken thus providing almost continuous information . some of this detail may get lost when estimating the sound velocity layer by layer using previous methods . the conventional ways of determining the sound velocity profile are time consuming and cannot in practice be repeated very often . the apparatus , systems , and methods of the invention do not require any stop of operation or alteration of the production procedures as the measurements can be taken automatically when seismic cable 4 is deployed on the seabed 5 , or retrieved there from . the algorithm for determination of the sound velocity can be programmed into a computer that can calculate it automatically . the process can essentially be run at all times when deploying or retrieving a cable . a typical use of the techniques of obtaining sound velocity of this invention will be to determine sound velocity while deploying a seismic seabed cable . the so - called long baseline method may be used to compute distances between receivers , and ultimately positions of the receivers . the receiver positions may be established by measuring transmission delays of acoustic signals from known locations near the sea surface to the cable at the bottom . although only a few exemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention . accordingly , all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention as defined in the following claims . in the claims , no clauses are intended to be in the means - plus - function format allowed by 35 u . s . c . § 112 , paragraph 6 unless “ means for ” is explicitly recited together with an associated function . “ means for ” clauses are intended to cover the structures described herein as performing the recited function and not only structural equivalents , but also equivalent structures .	6
generally , when the ground is illuminated by a planar electromagnetic wave arriving under the incidence angle ψ , the incident wave is characterized by its electric field e and its magnetic field h , perpendicular to one another , in phase , and in the ratio : ( e / h )= 120π ( ω ). it is assumed that the ground has a uniform conductivity σ , a relative dielectric constant ε r , a magnetic permeability μ o , and an infinite extension in the direction oy and oz ( at the surface ), and ox ( in depth ) it is always possible to decompose the incident wave according to the two elementary polarizations : it is known that impedance difference between ground and air imposes respect of boundary conditions on waves propagating in both media . boundary conditions for the tangential components of e and h therefore entails the existence in air of a planar reflected wave the propagation vector k of which makes with axis oy the same angle ψ as the incident wave . in any point on the surface of the ground the reflected field e r is also bound to the incident field e i and to the radian frequency ω through the relation : r then has the two following forms r h , r v , respectively corresponding to the horizontal polarization and the vertical polarization : ## equ1 ## it is to be noted that the quantity ## equ2 ## often designated as the &# 34 ; complex dielectric constant &# 34 ; of the ground , is often met with in the literature in the form ## equ3 ## the sign - must be associated with fields of the form e e + j ωt , and the sign + with the fields of the form e e - j ωt . the resulting fields at the ground are the vectorial sum of the incident field and the reflected field . in any point lying above the ground at an altitude a the incident and reflected fields interfere in the same way as before with however a delay resulting from the difference in travel between the direct ray and the reflected ray reaching that point , as shown in fig5 where it can be seen that at point m the difference of course between the direct and reflected rays is equal to om - km , i . e . : ## equ4 ## hence ## equ5 ## the delay between both waves is therefore ## equ6 ## with c being the propagation speed of the light in vacuum . therefore , it will be sufficient to take again the formulae of composition of the fields established above , by assigning the quantity ## equ7 ## at radian frequency ω , to coefficients r v or r h . for a continuous wave of radian frequency ω , into a supplementary phase shift between incident wave and reflected wave , for a pulse wave e ( t ) or h ( t ), into a delay between arrivals of incident wave and reflected wave . reflection at the surface of the ground is accompanied by the transmission of a wave into the ground . such wave propagates into two directions o x and o y , with differing characteristics , i . e . : ## equ8 ## where the complex number e j ( ωt - k . sbsp . x x - k . sbsp . y y ) can be defined as a transmission ratio t , the wave vectors k x and k y being defined as : ## equ9 ## therefore , there is attenuation of the wave in the direction o x . if only the propagation according to o x is interesting , one can write the following : ## equ10 ## the fields e ( x = o ) and h ( x = o ) have been obtained above as the algebraic sums of the incident and reflected fields at the separation surface . it must be noted that fields e and h ( both at the surface and in depth ) are no longer in phase , nor are they in the ratio z o = 120π ; on the contrary , if the tangential components e t / h t both in horizontal and vertical polarizations are interesting , one will obtain : the fields e t and h t are therefore in the following ratio : ## equ13 ## representing the impedance of the medium constituted by the ground , and there will be in horizontal polarization : the form of the expressions r v and r h shows that two asymptotic cases can be envisaged for : ## equ14 ## and r v and r h depend only upon ψ and ε r ; the ground behaves like a dielectric ; typical curves such as r v = f ( ω ) and r h = f ( ω ) can be plotted with different values of the incident angle , such that r v = f ( ψ ) and r h = f ( ψ ), for different values of the frequency of the radian frequency , and this for given values of the dielectric constant ε r and conductivity σ . it is also possible to plot typical curves such as that of the ratio of the incident field to the total field at the measurement point in case of reflection measurements or that of the ratio of transmitted field to incident field as a function of the depth in case of measurement by transmission , for different values of ε r , σ , ψ , ω , etc . finally , it is possible to calculate for a - priori given ε r , ψ and ω values , typical curves showing the form versus time of the electric or magnetic fields above the ground or therein , for a given form of incident field . such typical curves being calculated , it is possible to use them with a view to identifying a detected wave and calculating the dielectric constant and the conductivity . it is to be noted that the reflective phenomena are fundamentally different according to whether the wave is of horizontal or vertical polarization . practically , the problem can be exposed by considering that it is desired for simulating a planar wave to realize electromagnetic illumination of any ground by means of a &# 34 ; guided wave &# 34 ; simulator so as to determine : the characteristics of the local wave in the neighbourhood of the ground ( in air or in the ground ), the characteristics of the ground ( ε r , σ ) deducted from local phenomena . it is possible to use a simulator in accordance with the invention on which such phenomena are easily interpretable . such a simulator with guided waves can be represented by thinking of two metallized equipotential surfaces accompanying a planar or spherical wave radiated into the free space . the limiting conditions being respected , the physical phenomena remain what they were . to limit the longitudinal dimension of such a simulator , both metallized layers are closed by a matching impedance at a finite distance from the source so that no reflection comes to interfere with the incident wave , thereby leading to the various cases shown in fig6 to 9 . thus , in the ideal case of a planar wave propagating in free space ( fig6 ), the direction of propagation being shown by the arrow a , in cross - section , the fronts of wave b are straight lines perpendicular to the direction a and the equipotential lines c are straight lines cutting them normally . in the ideal case of the spherical wave propagating in free space ( fig7 ), from a source s , in cross - section , the fronts of wave b are circumferences centered on source s and the equipotential lines are straight half - lines c cutting them normally . in the derived case with a simulator having a spherical guided wave of infinite length in which the propagation zone is limited by metallized layers d represented in cross - section by straight half - lines ( fig8 ), the fronts of wave b are represented by circumferential arcs centered at the source s . in an another derived case , with a simulator having guided spherical wave of finite length in which the propagation zone is limited by metallized layers d of finite length connected at the opposite from the source by a load impedance z , for example , the characteristic impedance z o ( fig9 ), the fronts of wave b are also shown by circumferential arcs centered at source s . let us assume that a planar or spherical wave hits the ground ( under normal incidence to simplify the problem ). the wave which was propagating in air with the vacuum impedance ( z o = 120π ω ) meets a medium having a smaller impedance z such that : ## equ17 ## referring to the preceding paragraph , it appears that one can simulate the incident wave by means of a simulator having a guided wave of infinite length . the complex medium constituted by the ground will fill the interelectrode space from an abscissa plane x = h , without limits . in fact , things are quite different , and the length of the layers penetrating the ground is obligatorily finite . there results a difference between simulation and reality which must be assessed . to this end , let us consider two asymptotic cases , reasoning on the base of the sectional representation of fig1 . in this figure , the source is disposed at a point o remote from the ground by a distance h , and the metallized layers d penetrate the ground to a depth l ; the reference axes are ox ( bissectrix of the angle delimited by the metallized layers ) and y &# 39 ; y ( ground line ), and the currents generated in the ground are denoted j y . in high frequencies , the currents j y induced into the ground by the electric or magnetic fields in the surface weaken exponentially in the direction ox . as long as depth l of the layers within the ground is much higher than the depth of penetration of those currents , the currents j y ( for x = h + l ), at the end of the conductive layers are very small ; interruption of said layers at the abscissa x = l + h , has therefore no noticeable influence . it must be noted that the depth of penetration depends on the frequency ## equ18 ## and that if excitation is impulsional the phenomena will be correctly rendered for the portion of the spectrum such that δ & lt ;& lt ; l . the penetration depth increases when the frequency decreases . the impedance included between the two layers diminishes accordingly . if the layers are stopped to a depth l the phenomena will be distorted when δ ≃ l . in other words , when the frequency tends towards 0 the ground impedance as seen between the layers should normally tend towards 0 ; with truncated layers , it will tend towards the quantity : ## equ19 ## with therefore one can foresee that with a guided wave simulator having layers of finite length , the long term effects will not be correctly rendered , and that , in particular , the tangential field in the neighbourhood of the ground will be higher than presupposed by theory . this fact is illustrated in fig1 showing development of the field as function of time , wherein in reply to a level of incident field e i and after rapid growth , the total field obtained e r decreases well but without reaching the little value of the theoretical field e t . only the elongation of the buried portion of the metallic layers could improve such a point as shown in an exemplifying way in fig1 . it is to be noted that due to the fact that a pulse is used , rather than a wave train of a single frequency , there is obtained a large spectrum width extending as low as desired toward the low frequencies and which may reach several tens of megahertz depending on the characteristics of the chosen pulse . consequently , there is a great abundance of results , possibilities of investigation in a great number of directions and the faculty of making very interesting crosschecking of the results , contrary to the known cases where the tests of a connected type give very limited results and therefore require a great number of measurements at different frequencies by means of distinct equipments to be adapted to the respective frequency of the sinusoidal wave used for the investigations . the aerial simulator 1 , in accordance with the invention , which is shown schematically in fig1 is disposed vertically on the surface of the ground 2 . it comprises a propagation zone 3 limited by two metallic or metallized layers 4 , for example two layers of conductive wires delimiting a dihedron of angle 2θ ; these two layers 4 form a horn and are connected to the apex of the dihedron by an input connector 5 joined to a suitable generator of electromagnetic wave ( not shown ), with impedances being matched . the coupling to the ground is ensured at the opposite of the apex of the dihedron by a buried structure , for example , two horizontal conductive metallic wire netted layers 6 ( or lattice works ) buried in the ground , here at a little depth , through layers or stakes 7 of length l buried vertically into the ground , with predetermined spacings or penetration depths or else with a combination of both configurations as in fig1 ; thus , the layers ( here two in number ) define on the ground a polygon ( here , a square ) outside of which the wire netting layers buried in the ground can extend . excitation of the horn simulator 1 described above can be effected through a generator of suitable pulses having an impedance of 50ω connected to the simulator by a cable having an impedance of about 50ω . to prevent unwanted reflections a resistive bidirectional adaptation 50ω / 120ω is realized at the input connector to the simulator . fig1 shows a schematic diagram wherein the field reflected from the ground is absorbed by a horn impedance adaptor and does not distort the observed signal . the simulator 1 having an impedance z c here equal to 120ω , is provided at its summit ( at its input connector 5 ) with an adapter 50ω / 120ω denoted 8 , connected through a line to the generator 9 joined through a line to a control device not shown ; the adapter 8 is also connected to measurement devices in particular to an oscilloscope 10 for checking the signal , for example by displaying a level applied thereto , on the one hand , and on the other hand , to a measurement oscilloscope 11 to synchronize the signal . on the ground 2 in the illumination area there is disposed a support 12 for a field sensor 13 for measurement of a value representing the magnetic or electric field reflected from the ground . the sensor 13 has preferably an opto - electronic interface which is connected through an optic fiber cable 14 to a receiver 15 used as an opto - electronic transducer having an output applied through an electric cable to the input to the oscilloscope 11 synchronized by the input signal . the reflected field from the ground is absorbed by the impedance adapter so that no parasite reflection may distort the observed signal . the sensor 13 is mounted here at the bottom of the simulator , level with the ground , and the local field tangential to the ground level is simply observed ; the sensor can also be at the top of the simulator and the transmission aerial is then used also for reception ; one can then observe the pulse of incident field reflected from the ground and returned to the sensor after a delay of several nanoseconds . the sensor used is of the asymmetric type such as a capacitive electric field probe or a magnetic field loop . its reference electrode is secured to the wall of the simulator in electric continuity therewith . the generated field pulse is of rectangular shape having a rising time in the order of a few nanoseconds . its width is set to a few microseconds , which in view of the speed of observation on the oscilloscope ( 10 × 50 or 10 × 100 ns ), can relate it to a step of infinite duration . therefore , we are dealing with a &# 34 ; pulse &# 34 ; in the electronic sense , and not with a sinusoidal wave train , for example , in u . h . f . the envelope of which would have the characteristics just mentioned above . after field measurements the characteristics ε r and σ of the ground can be calculated according to the following procedure : the shape of the fields in the neighbourhood of the ground is observed in respect to the incident field and / or the voltage versus current in the simulator . the theoretical study exposed above shows that if the ground is homogeneous , there will be : a peak value of the total field having a ratio : ## equ20 ## with the incident field . a limit to such decrease having a constant value depending on the ground contacting efficiency of the simulator electrodes in the ground . if z c is the simulator impedance , the residual level of the long - term tangential electric field ought to be in the order of : ## equ21 ## the simulator horn essentially consisting of conductors united , after grouping thereof , to an input connector 5 connected to an adapter 8 and to a generator 9 , on the one hand , and on the other hand , to buried electrodes 6 , 7 , can be of the vertical or slanted type with an angle ψ . moreover , the angle of the dihedron 2θconditions adaptation of the horn as will be demonstrated hereinafter . if the angle 2θof the dihedron of the line is small and if the stakes 7 are e . g . sufficiently long , the propagation conditions of an e . m . i . wave in the line , in the direction of the ground , are rigourously identical to those met with by a free space wave hitting the ground under normal incidence : the effect of the incident wave is only limited to the cross - section in the established line . if ψ is the incidence angle , ε r and σ the ground dielectric and conductive characteristics , it can be demonstrated without difficulty that the reflective coefficient of an infinite homogeneous medium separated from air by a plane is : in low frequencies : ## equ26 ## and the ground totally reflects the incident field . if the incident field consists of a level of electric and magnetic planar wave , the properties of the reflective coefficient are translated in the way shown in fig1 a to 14f . thus , the electric incident field e i of the level + 1 , in fig1 a , and the reflected electric field e r ending to the level - 1 , after passing an angular point e a of the level ## equ27 ## in fig1 b , add themselves to give the total electric field on the ground e t having a maximum e m at the level ## equ28 ## of fig1 c . similarly , the incident magnetic field h i of the level 30 1 in fig1 d and the reflected magnetic field h r ending to the level + 1 after passing an angular point h a of the level ## equ29 ## in fig1 e , add themselves to give the total magnetic field on the ground h t ending to the level + 2 of fig1 f . finally , a portion of the incident field penetrates the ground where it is progressively attenuated due to dissipation of energy in the resisitive portion of the ground impedance . the attenuation is therefore selective as a function of the frequency , and the signal in depth is progressively integrated , with the high frequencies being attenuated more quickly than the low frequencies . according to a form of embodiment of the invention shown in fig1 a and 15b , the horn simulator comprises : two layers 4 of conductive wires connected to the adapter 8 and to the electrodes in form of stakes 7 in the figure , a ground area cleared under the simulator , of height h ≃ 10 m , two rows of metallic vertical stakes 7 of length l ≃ 4 m , buried in the ground according to a wire netting which will be called &# 34 ; test zone &# 34 ;. these stakes can advantageously be united to a horizontal conductive strapwork 17 to which the conductor layers constituting the tested aerial are connected . such simulator has a vertical axis and the connecting element in which the layers end is therefore substantially plumb with the center of the basic square . in the center of the test and illumination zone , a well or cavity 18 permits depth measurements in the ground by means of the sensor 13 . the measuring circuitries can have alternative forms of embodiment and although the general schematic diagram is that of fig1 , the practical realizations shown in fig1 and 17 can be used . measurements are effected by means of assemblies e or h comprising , apart from the optic sensor 13 , an opto - electronic transducer connected to the sensor through an optical fiber cable 14 and the results are recorded on an oscilloscope 11 ( not shown in fig1 and 17 ). the generator used is a suitable one 9 that can be provided with a relay having a mercury switch with elastic blades , and mounted at the output of a coaxial line of 50ω to permit supply of pulses having a voltage equal to or lower than 500 v on 50ω , with a rising time of the assembly comprising wirings , generator , sensors e or h , optical connection , oscilloscope , of 4 ns . reflectometry measurements are effected on the lines in two different ways depending on whether they are made by means of the circuitry of fig1 or that of fig1 : with respect to 50ω , by measuring the output voltage from generator 9 with a probe 19 of impedance 1mω , applied to the oscilloscope 10 through a connection cable ; with respect to the characteristic impedance of the realized simulator , itself determined in a first step with respect to 50ω . there is then inserted at the level of the input connector to the simulator a bidirectional impedance adapter 8 so that the generator sees 50ω and that the simulator ( of characteristic impedance z c ) sees z c . such adapter 8 comprises an adaptive divider 1 / 10 permitting observation on the oscilloscope 10 of the corresponding fraction of the voltage at the input to the simulator , by means of a connection cable . according to another form of embodiment of the invention shown in fig1 a and 18b , where the same reference numerals denote the same elements as in the preceding drawings , the horn simulator excites under an average incidence angle ψ of 45 ° ( axial inclination with respect to the center of the square ) the test zone in which a ditch 20 was hollowed out to plant a metallic model simulating a buried building was planted . under those conditions , the plotting of the field at the ground may show the presence of the horizontal component of the electric field e y and of the component of magnetic field h z according to fig1 a ; only the component h z is shown in fig2 a to 20d . as one gets nearer to the more inclined layer a progressive decrease in the amplitude of the tangential electric field in a ratio close to 2 can be observed . fig2 a shows the component h z at the level of ground and fig2 b to 20d the measurement results obtained from a parallelepipedic model 21 of metal . such model is only used for simulating a hypothetical conductive buried structure but does not represent an actual case . disposed on the ground out of the ditch , with the longitudinal axis being aligned with the direction oy ( direction perpendicular to the layers of the simulator ), according to fig1 b , in the ditch , the bottom lying on the ground according to fig1 d . there has been measured by means of a sensor 13 and the optical fiber cable 14 : the magnetic field h z on the ground , at the edge of the ditch ( fig2 a ), the magnetic field h z on the front wall of the model ( fig2 b to 20d ), for an applied voltage of 150 v ( calibration : 300 mv d . c .). it is observed that the model is excited by the magnetic field according to mode 1 ( surface current rotating about the direction oz ). the field h z on the forward face substantially copies back the excitation field . in conclusion , from the tests made on both forms of embodiment described above and from the enunciated theoretical considerations , it becomes possible to approach with acceptable precision the physic phenomena on the surface and at a little depth by means of simulator structures propagating a wave proximate to the planar wave with a steep rising front . the reflective conditions of such wave from the ground are respected and thus electromagnetic fields are locally generated , said fields no longer being bound by the relations of the planar wave but respecting the reality of physics , in all the spectrum of useful frequencies ( moreover , there can be obtained by a single pulse investigations at all the frequencies in the spectrum thereof ). these fields propagate in depth into the ground and become attenuated , the currents tending toward uniform distribution in the long run . to the mind , the simulator as conceived is very satisfactory . indicatively , fig2 shows the amplitude of the electric field ( therefore , the current density ) transmitted into the ground , versus that of the incident field for different values of conductivity σ and of the dielectric constant ε r , more particularly for σ = 10 - 3 ; 3 . 10 - 3 ; 10 - 2 ; 3 . 10 - 2 ; when ε r = 5 and when ε r = 10 . it can be noted that for low conductivity values the decrease is slow ( e / e i = 0 . 18 for ×= 15 m if σ = 10 - 3 mho / m , corresponding to point m on the graph ). the curves of fig2 have been plotted for an incidence angle ψ equal to 90 °. it will be understood that the invention is not limited to the modes and forms of embodiment as described and represented above , and that other modes and forms of embodiment can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention .	6
referring to fig3 according to the present invention , when a caller calls into the hardware gateway 16 , the call is connected via connection 18 ′ to the communication carrier 4 . as in the prior art method described previously , the caller may request services which can be provided by the application server 14 . for example , the caller may request banking services from a particular bank . next , the communication carrier transmits the required state information , together with an augmenting grammar set , to the application server 14 over control connection 20 . the augmenting grammar set includes certain grammars which the communication carrier 4 is directing the application server 14 to recognize on its behalf . the augmenting grammar set is combined with the application server &# 39 ; s recognition grammar set to form an augmented grammar set . both the communication carrier 4 and the application server 14 contain speech recognizers , 8 and 15 respectively . the speech recognizers 8 , 15 are programmed to recognize sets of commands called grammars . the grammar specifies every possible combination of words which may be spoken by the user . the process of augmenting grammars is known in the art and will be explained herein with reference to two grammar specification languages : jsgf ( java speech grammar format ) and gsl ( grammar specification language ). if the speech recognizer 15 uses jsgf and the communication carrier 4 has requested that the application server 14 recognize a jsgf grammar β . as an example , β might be “ browser \| telago \| send my credit card number .” next , assuming that the application server 14 recognizes a sequence of jsgf grammars { α 1 , α 2 , . . . , α n }. for example , α i might be “ checking \| savings \| four oh one kay .” to recognize the communication carrier &# 39 ; s grammar , the application server 14 would use the \| operator to “ or ” the communication carrier &# 39 ; s grammar into each application server &# 39 ; s grammar , giving the sequence { α 1 \| β , α 2 \| β , . . . , α n \| β }. using the example grammars , α 1 \| β would be “ browser \| telago \| send my credit card number )\|( checking \| savings \| four oh one kay .” if the speech recognizer 15 uses gsl grammar [ β ]. as an example , β might be “( browser )( telago )( send my credit card number ),” giving the gsl grammar [( browser )( telago ) ( send my credit card number )]. assuming that the application server 14 recognizes a sequence of gsl grammars {[ α 1 ], [ α 2 ], . . . , [ α n ]}. for example , α i might be “( checking )( savings )( four oh one kay ).” to recognize the communication carrier &# 39 ; s grammar the application server would use the juxtaposition operator to “ or ” the communication carrier &# 39 ; s grammar into each application server &# 39 ; s grammar , giving the sequence {[ α 1 β ], [ α 2 β ], . . . , [ α n β ]}. using the example grammars , [ α i β ] would be [( browser )( telago )( send my credit card number )( checking )( savings )( four oh one kay )]. many speech recognizers provide some method of filling in parts of a grammar at run - time . the application can leave a slot for a run - time grammar , sometimes called a run - time non - terminal . an alternate implementation , using run - time non - terminals would be as follows : let “$ b ” be a run - time non - terminal . now , rather than having the application server 14 recognize the sequence of grammars { α 1 \| β , α 2 \| β , . . . , α n \| β }, we would recognize { α 1 \|$ b , α 2 \|$ b , . . . , α n \|$ b }. when the application begins , $ b is set to equal β , thereby inserting the communication carrier &# 39 ; s grammar without having to recompile all of the application grammars ( α 1 ). instead , the application server &# 39 ; s grammar set is compiled once and for all , and then the communication carrier &# 39 ; s grammar is compiled at the start of each application session and inserted into the run - time non - terminal reserved for it in the application server &# 39 ; s grammar . the operation of the voice browsing method is similar to the prior art except that once the connection 22 from the gateway 16 to the application server 14 is made , the connection 18 ′ between the gateway 16 and the communication carrier 4 is broken . thus , while the caller is interacting with the application , no bandwidth is required between the gateway and the carrier , and no recognition resources are required at the carrier &# 39 ; s site . meanwhile , the connection 20 between the application server 14 and the communication carrier 4 is maintained . in addition , since connection 18 ′ is broken during the time when control of the call resides with the application server 14 , the resources of the speech recognizer 8 of the communication carrier 4 are freed until the remote application server 14 notifies the communication carrier 4 that it has recognized an utterance belonging to the augmenting grammar set which has been transmitted from the communication carrier 4 to the remote application server 14 . [ 0033 ] fig4 is a flow chart showing a process according to the present invention . referring to fig3 in operation 102 a caller places a call to the communication carrier 4 . at some point during the call , the caller requests access to an application which resides at a remote application server in operation 104 . for example , during the user wishes to make reservations to rent a car at hertz ™. thus , for example , the user utters the phrase “ go to hertz ”. then , in operation 106 , the communication carrier transmits an augmenting grammar set to the remote application server 14 . in operation 108 , the caller is connected to the remote application server , i . e ., hertz , and the caller conducts desired transactions with the remote application server system in operation 110 . for example , the caller may make reservations to rent a car , etc . at this time , temporary control of the call is transferred to the remote application server system . in addition to recognizing the grammars necessary to conduct its business , the remote application server 14 is now capable of recognizing the augmenting grammars transmitted thereto by the communication carrier 4 . if at any time the caller utters a word or phrase belonging to the augmenting grammar set , this utterance is recognized by the remote application server 14 as belonging to the augmenting grammar set ( operation 112 ). for example , if the user utters the phrase “ browser ”, the application server 14 recognizes this phrase as belonging to the augmenting grammar set and notifies the communication carrier 4 that this phrase has been uttered in operation 112 . in operation 114 , this utterance is transmitted to the communication carrier 4 to be recognized by the speech recognizer 8 of the communication carrier 4 . thus , according to the above example , the phrase “ browser ” is transmitted to the communication carrier 4 and recognized therein . the communication carrier 4 recognizes this as a command which requires the communication carrier 4 to take back control of the call from the remote application server system . in other words , to again establish connection 18 as shown in fig2 . thus , in operation 116 , the communication carrier 4 takes control of the call . depending on the command which is uttered by the caller , it is possible that the caller will again be connected to the remote application server 14 in operation 118 and control will be returned to the remote application server 14 . according to the invention , since the call is transferred to the remote application server 14 , the communication carrier &# 39 ; s speech recognition resources are made available to handle other callers . further , since the grammar set of the remote application server 14 is augmented by the communication carrier 4 , the grammar set of each system can be kept relatively small . beyond simply specifying grammars for the application to recognize on behalf of the communication carrier 4 , according to the invention it is possible to have actions to be performed by the communication carrier 4 associated with each grammar element . specifically , one of a fixed , small set of actions can be associated with each grammar element . for example , this set may be { disconnect , hold / transfer , continue }. the communication carrier 4 could then specify , for each grammar element , whether the application should disconnect ( terminate the session with the caller ), hold / transfer ( suspend state and allow the browser to interact with the caller ), or continue ( ignore the grammar and continue interacting with the caller ). as an example , communication carrier 4 might specify the following annotated grammar : ( terminate { disconnect }\| telago { hold }). this would instruct the application to disconnect the caller and return control to the communication carrier 4 if the caller said “ terminate ”. if the user said “ telago ”, the application would temporarily return control to the communication carrier 4 so the caller could interact with the communication carrier 4 for some period of time , and then resume interaction with the remote application server 14 . it is also within the scope of the invention to allow somewhat more generality in the actions , for example , allowing the actions to take parameters . for example , a “ transfer ” action could be included . thereby , the caller could specify a url of an entirely different application , such as american airlines ™, in which to transfer the caller . therefore , if the caller utters the phrase “ american airlines ”, the caller would be transferred to the application server of american airlines ™, for example . finally , it is also within the scope of the invention to allow arbitrary actions to be executed on the communication carrier &# 39 ; s behalf by the application server 14 when the caller says various things . for example , an arbitrary javascript would be allowed to be executed by the application server 14 for each grammar element . this gives potentially unlimited power to the communication carrier 4 in controlling the application server &# 39 ; s behavior when the application was invoked through that communication carrier 4 . although the embodiments of the present invention have been described herein with reference to voice based grammars , it should also be understood that it is within the scope of the present invention to augment dtmf grammars wherein both the communications carrier and the application server may be capable of recognizing dtmf or voice based inputs from the caller . the many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification and , thus , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention . further , since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation illustrated and described , and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to , falling within the scope of the invention .	7
fig1 is an assembly view of a linear guide way of the present invention , as shown in fig1 it comprises a rail 1 and a sliding body assembly which is composed of a sliding block 2 , two end caps 3 , two guide plates 4 , two oil scrapers 5 , two ball holders 7 , and two spring strips 8 embracing the sliding block 2 from its front and rear ends to conjoin related component parts together . several attachment holes 12 and several screw holes 22 are respectively formed on the rail 1 and the sliding block 2 . the attachment holes 12 are for fixing the rail 1 on the structural framework of the linear guide way , while the screw holes 22 are for attaching the sliding block 2 thereon . a ball circulation groove 11 is formed longitudinally along each side of the rail 1 , on the other hand , another ball groove 21 coupling with its corresponding groove 11 is formed at each inner side of the sliding body 2 . the cavity formed between the grooves 111 and 21 contains a plurality of steel balls 9 which are used to minimize frictional resistance between the moving sliding block 2 and the stationary rail 1 . the guide plate 4 is installed at each end of the sliding block 2 for guiding the steel balls to circulate smoothly and orderly along the circulation pathway . the end cap 3 enclosing the guide plate 4 , is attached to each end of the sliding block 2 , and a ball circulation groove 32 is formed on each end cap 3 . the ball circulation groove 32 and the guide plate 4 are combined to form a smooth circulation pathway for the steel balls . an oil nozzle fixing screw hole 33 for fixing an oil nozzle on the sliding block 2 and an oil way 34 for distributing lubricating oil appropriately to the sliding block 2 are formed on the end cap 3 . in order to facilitate installation of the oil nozzle , a circular hole 51 is provided on the oil scraper 5 so that the oil nozzle is able to tunnel through the circular hole 51 and engaged to the screw hole 33 . for carrying out screw less engagement , positioning flanges 37 are provided for the end cap 3 to determine an accurate position for assembling the oil scraper 5 with the end cap 3 . the end cap 3 and the oil scraper 5 are coupled together by mating two tenons 35 and 36 formed on the end cap 3 to the corresponding mortise eyes 52 and 53 provided on the oil scraper 5 . engagement force between the tenons 35 , 36 and the mortise eyes 52 , 53 are sufficient to fix the oil scraper 5 at its position because it has only to withstand a force of scrabbing away wasted oil scale and dust remained on the rail 1 . furthermore , each side of the end cap 3 has an extension arm 38 equipped with a male protuberance 381 , on the other hand , a corresponding female recess 382 is formed on the other end cap 3 . when assembling the structure , the male protuberance 381 on one end cap 3 is mated with the female recess 382 of the other end cap 3 . in order to show clearly the construction of the present invention , the right portion of the slide block 2 in the front view shown in fig2 is expressed in a cross sectional view . as shown in the cross sectional view , the guide plate 4 is enclosed by the sliding block 2 and the end cap 3 ; and the ball circulation groove 32 on the end cap 3 and the guide plate 4 are combined to form a u shaped circulation pathway for the steel balls ; the attachment of the oil scraper 5 to the end cap 3 is performed by the positioning flange 37 ; the end cap 3 and the oil scraper 5 are conjoined together by the tenon 35 mated with the mortise eye 52 . besides , additional positioning flanges 24 and 25 are formed on the sliding body 2 for aligning the mutual positions accurately when assembling the sliding block 2 , the end caps 3 and the guide plates 4 together . fig3 is a cross sectional view cut along line a — a of fig2 wherein the construction of the ball grooves 11 and 21 is illustrated in the above description . there is further an asylum groove 13 formed at the bottom portion of the ball groove 11 , the ball holder 7 is installed amidst of the asylum groove 13 . when the sliding body assembly is separated from the rail 1 , the steel balls 9 are also released from the ball groove 11 . however , the balls 9 do not drop out from the sliding body assembly since they are confined by the asylum groove 13 and the holder 7 . a ball circulation groove 26 is formed on the outer side of the sliding block 2 . the ball circulation groove 26 and the extension arm 38 of the end cap 3 combine to provide a pathway for ball circulation . the spring strips 8 installed closely at the outer sides of the extension arms 38 have a greater mechanical strength than that of plastic so that they are able to forcibly attach the extension arms 38 on the sliding block 2 thereby preventing the extension arms 38 to flex in the horizontal direction with respect to fig3 . although the extension arm 38 has a greater sectional area in the vertical direction with respect to fig3 so that the extension arm 38 is not susceptible to flexing in this direction . however , in order to intensify the mechanical strength of the extension arm 38 in this direction , an additional flange 23 can be formed on the sliding block 2 . meanwhile , in a small sized structure , this flange 23 is preferably omitted for saving space and facilitating production process since the relatively short extension arm 38 is not susceptible to flexing . fig4 is a cross sectional view cut along line b — b of fig3 . as shown in fig4 the ball circulation grooves 32 on the end cap 3 and the guide plate 4 are combined to form an arcuate pathway for the steel balls 9 to change the marching direction . if the size of the linear guide way is very small , the filleted corner of the pathway may function as the guide plate 4 so that the guide plate 4 may be omitted to save available space and facilitate production process . a gripping fissure 39 is formed in each end cap 3 for inserting the two flexed ends of the spring strip 8 so that the sliding block 2 , end caps 3 , and the guide plates 4 are forcibly and reliably combined together by the resilient force of the spring strips 8 . the two ends of the ball holder 7 are fixed at each holding slot 30 . fig5 is a front view of the spring strip 8 . the two ends of the string strip 8 are flexed to form a gripping angle α and a guide angle β . the angle α can provide a resilient force to engage the end cap 3 and the sliding body 2 together , and prevent occurrence of clearance therebetween . on the other hand , the angle β is for guiding the ends of the spring strip 8 to be forcibly pressed into the gripping fissures 39 formed in the two end caps 3 fixing them . the angle α also has a guiding effect to release the end of the spring strip 8 in the case of detaching the structure . the spring strip 8 can be easily dug up from the gripping fissures 38 by inserting a common screw driver between the spring strip 8 and the sliding block 2 when detaching the structure . those who are skilled in the art will readily perceive how to modify the invention . therefore , the appended claims are to be construed to cover all equivalent structures which fall within the true scope and spring of the invention .	5
several illustrative embodiments of the invention will now be described more in detail with reference to fig1 to 12 . the liquid friction coupling in accordance with the invention is incorporated , e . g ., in a differential gear train provided between two driven axles of a vehicle . one part of the coupling comprises a housing 1 , which is rotatably mounted on a tubular shaft 2 , which is included in a second part of the coupling . a set of outer disks 3 extend in the housing 1 and are non - rotatably connected thereto and interdigitate with inner disks 4 , which constitute a second set of disks and are non - rotatably connected to the tubular shaft 2 . the disks 3 and 4 are only schematically shown in fig1 and their design in accordance with the invention and parts associated with them will be described more in detail hereinafter . four outer disks 3 and four inner disks 4 are shown in fig1 but it will be understood that the coupling may comprise any desired number of pairs of disks , which have the same design and consist each of an outer disk and an inner disk . the housing 1 defines an interior space 5 , in which the disks 3 and 4 extend and which is filled with a viscous liquid , which has been introduced through ports , which are sealed by removable plugs 17 . fig2 and all analogous radial sectional views show the housing 1 to be provided with suitable internal splines 7 , which cooperate with mating external splines 15 of the outer disks 3 so that the latter are non - rotatably connected to the housing 1 . similarly , the tubular shaft 2 is provided with external splines 6 in mesh with mating internal splines 16 of each inner disk 4 so that the latter is non - rotatably connected to the shaft 2 . the design of the internal splines 6 may freely be selected , provided that they permit a transmission of torque by and slight axial displacements of the disks . the disks 3 and 4 constitute a pair of disks . the number of such identical pairs of disks in the coupling will be determined by the designer of the coupling . the inner disk of a pair of disks which are adjacent to the disk 4 is designated 3 &# 39 ;. in a preferred embodiment shown in fig2 to 5 the inner disk 4 tends to exhibit a thermal deformation in an axial direction . to that end , it may consist of an alloy which has a shape memory ( such an inner disk is not shown ) or may consist of firmly joined bimetal plates 9 , 10 . for instance , the plate 9 may consist of iron and the plate 10 may consist of aluminum . the two outer disks 3 , 3 &# 39 ; consist of conventional material . fig2 and 3 show that embodiment in a state assumed at ambient temperature so that the inner disk 4 is curved in an axial direction , as shown . if the inner disks consist of bimetal , that shape will be assumed by the disk if the materials and thicknesses of the plates 9 and 10 of the bimetal disk are properly selected and the plates 9 and 10 have been joined when they are at a suitable temperature . a disk made of an alloy having a shape memory will assume that shape if the disk has suitably been shaped at a suitable temperature . as is shown in fig3 each inner disk 4 may be divided into sectors by radial slots 14 having open outer ends so that an axial deformation will not be restricted by peripheral stresses . fig2 and 3 illustrate the state which is assumed at a low temperature and involves liquid friction and the gap widths z1 and z2 are apparent on the left and right of the inner disk . said gap widths change along the radius . owing to the approximately hyperbolic relation which is known to exist between the torque being transmitted and the ratio of the gap widths z1 to z2 when a constant spacing z is maintained between two adjacent outer disks 3 and 3 &# 39 ;, only a small low torque will be transmitted in that state . it must be borne in mind that the outer zone in which the gap z2 has the largest width makes a larger contribution to the torque being transmitted than the inner zone . it is also apparent from fig3 that in an inner disk 4 in which each sector is curved also in a peripheral sectional view the disk 4 will have a concavely curved surface 12 facing the outer disk 3 of the same pair of disks . the presence of that concave curvature will result in a hydrodynamic action , which tends to increase the width of the gap z2 . it will be understood that concavely curved surface will not be provided unless the inner disk 4 is divided into sectors by radial slots 14 . if the temperature rises due to slippage losses , the inner disk will flatten so that the gap width z2 will slowly decrease to an extent which increases in an outward direction and the average gap width and the torque being transmitted will thus gradually be increased . by that action the fact that the torque being transmitted decreases owing to the decrease of viscosity during a temperature rise will be offset . in dependence of the design of the thermally responsive inner disk 4 it is thus possible to achieve a torque characteristic which is entirely independent of temperature or to achieve even a slight torque rise in response to a temperature rise . as soon as the temperature at which solid - to - solid friction is to be initiated has been reached , the inner disk will be almost straight in the radial sectional view shown in fig4 and will move into contact with the outer disk of the same pair of disks easily and without a delay . that fast movement into contact with the outer disk of the same pair of disks will be promoted by the distribution of pressure adjacent to the inner disk . that distribution of pressure is due to the fact that the higher internal pressure is applied only to the outer portion of that surface with which the inner disk faces the other disk of the same pair of disks but will be applied to the entire surface with which the inner disk faces away from the outer disk of the same pair of disks . owing to the thermal deformation the curvature of each sector of the inner disk in a peripheral sectional view will be changed from a convex curvature to a concave one in response to the temperature rise so that scraping edges 13 will be formed , which will effect a sudden and complete change to a state which involves solid - to - solid friction . fig2 and 4 show also that a spacer ring 8 , which is provided between the inner disk and the outer disk 3 &# 39 ;, which does not cooperate with the inner disk 4 but belongs to an adjacent pair of disks , defines the distance between the inner disk 4 and the outer disk 3 &# 39 ;. in the prior art , spacers are used to define the distance between similar disks of adjacent pairs of disks . because the spacer rings 8 tend to maintain uniform distances between each inner disk 4 and the outer disk 3 &# 39 ; of the next adjacent pair of disks , the wear of the disks during an operation involving liquid friction will be reduced and the simultaneous initiation of a state involving solid - to - solid friction in all pairs of disks will be promoted . the hydrodynamic action of the spacer ring is due to a hydrodynamic lubrication and to the fact that the spacer ring is provided at the inner periphery of the outer disk 3 &# 39 ;. that lubrication is desirably achieved even when the slip is still very small , i . e ., when there is only a small difference between the velocities of the contacting surfaces of the spacer ring 8 and the outer disk 3 &# 39 ;. to that end the spacer ring may be formed with lubricating pockets ( such as are indicated at 33 in fig9 ) or may consist of a corrugated ring ( see fig1 ). another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig6 and 7 and differs from the embodiment shown in fig2 to 5 in that the inner disks 4 are made of a conventional material and the outer disks 3 are made of a thermally responsive material . the action is the same as described hereinbefore but in this case the external splines 15 of the outer disk will be displaced in the internal splines 7 of the housing 1 during a flattening of the outer disks in response to a temperature rise . the embodiments shown in fig8 and 9 differ from the one shown in fig2 to 5 in that a loose spacer ring 8 is not provided but the inner portion of each inner disk 4 ( or the inner portion of each outer disk 3 ) is designed to constitute a spacer . in the embodiment shown in fig8 the inner portion 34 is given a concave shape in the same operation in which the inner disk 4 is shaped or preshaped . in the embodiment shown in fig9 the bimetal disk 4 has a portion 30 , which constitutes a spacer 32 , which may optionally be formed with lubricating pockets 33 , which just as the spacer 34 shown in fig8 may be formed in the operation by which the inner disk is shaped or preshaped . in a modification of the invention , illustrated in fig1 and 11 , each inner disk 4 and a portion of each outer disk 3 are made of a conventional material . each outer disk 3 consists of an annular portion 40 , which is not thermally responsive and which is adjoined by an inner annular portion 42 , which comprises a matrix of plastic , preferably ptfe ( polytetrafluoroethylene ), and a metal ring 41 , which is preferably radially slit ( not shown ) and is embedded in said plastic matrix and spaced from the radial and peripheral plane of symmetry of the annular portion 42 . the different coefficients of thermal expansion of the plastic and metal will result in a thermal deformation like that exhibited by a bimetal . the annular portion 42 is shaped to have at its inside periphery a spacing bead 43 bearing on the inner disk 4 &# 39 ; of the adjacent pair of disks . the position illustrated in fig1 will be assumed when the coupling is at room temperature in a state involving liquid friction . the two gaps z1 and z2 then have the same width so that a very low torque is being transmitted . in response to a temperature rise the metal ring 41 will cause the annular portion 42 to wrap so that the engagement of the spacing bead 43 on the left - hand inner disk 4 &# 39 ; will cause the plate 40 of the outer disk 3 to move to the right . as a result , the gap width z2 will decrease and a higher torque will be transmitted until a state involving solid - to - solid friction between the disks 3 and 4 of the same pair of disks is assumed . in the embodiments shown in fig1 and 11 the change to a state involving solid - to - solid friction may also be accelerated by the provision of scraping edges . in any case the sudden movement of the two disks of the same pair of disks to contact each other throughout their confronting surfaces will result in a particularly steep rise of the torque . when that torque rise has produced the desired result , e . g ., has caused the obstacle off the road to be overcome , the state involving solid - to - solid friction will be abandoned because the temperature in the coupling will drop and the thermally responsive annular portion 42 will warp in response to such temperature drop so that the plate 40 will move to the left until the gap widths z1 and z2 are equal . that embodiment provides for a particularly wide control range from the transmission of a very low torque to the transmission of a fairly high torque , whereafter the torque will rise quickly to the high hump torque . in conclusion it is stated that various embodiments have been described hereinbefore only by way of example and that various features of such embodiments may be embodied in other combinations within the scope of the invention . for instance , the annular portion 42 might consist of a bimetal or of an alloy having a shape memory or the annular portion 42 may be joined to the plate 40 in any desired manner .	5
an embodiment of a packet switching system according to the invention is described with reference to associated drawings . fig3 schematically describes the overall configuration of the packet switching system according to the embodiment of the invention . here , a routing of a packet from a client terminal 1 to a destination client terminal 2 via a route ( 1 ) through ( 7 ) on a packet switching network 100 will be described as a typical example . as shown in fig3 , the packet switching network 100 is configured by interconnecting routing domains 10 , 20 , 30 and 40 . each routing domain is configured by routers . in fig3 , the routing domain 10 is configured by routers 11 through 13 , the routing domain 20 is configured by routers 21 and 22 , the routing domain 30 is configured by routers 31 through 34 , and the routing domain 40 is configured by routers 41 through 43 , respectively . the routing domains are interconnected via border routers 21 , 31 and 41 . a network management apparatus 3 manages network elements , e . g ., routers , on the packet switching network 100 . in this embodiment , a packet transferred on the packet switching network 100 has an identifier ( routing table identifier , hereinafter referred to as rti ) for selecting an appropriate routing table from the plural routing tables (# 0 , # 1 , # 2 . . . ) that are stored in the routers ( 11 - 13 , 21 , 22 , 31 - 34 , 41 - 43 ). the rti is inserted in the packet and a value of the rti can be changed within the packet switching network 100 according to the routing policy utilized in the routing domain to which the packet is to be transferred . further , as the status of traffic on the packet switching network 100 varies , the value of rti can be changed . in this embodiment , the rti is inserted in the packet header field , e . g ., a flow - label field in a header of ipv6 and the other field in the header . the rti may be inserted at the border router on the packet switching network 100 . the value of rti is changed for a unit according to the prescribed number of packets , e . g ., flow of packets , input interface , all the incoming traffic and specific information contained in the packet . the “ specific information ” means , for example , a port number , tos field , a source address and so on . the client terminal 1 is connected to the routing domain 10 via an edge router 11 . the destination client terminal 2 is connected to the routing domain 30 via an edge router 33 . as shown in fig4 , routers 11 through 13 , 21 , 22 , 31 through 34 , and 41 through 43 have the plural routing tables (# 0 , # 1 , # 2 . . . ), respectively , and the router selects one routing table from these tables according to the value of the rti . the router then decides on a router to which the packet is to be transferred by referring to a destination address indicated on the selected routing table so as to transfer packets continuously . the routing tables (# 0 , # 1 , # 2 . . . ) are generated based on respective routing policies and one of the routing tables is specified by the value of rti , which is called a routing table id ( rti : xi ). the routing tables are utilized to search an address of a next hop router ( ipy 0 - ipy 2 ) that corresponds with a destination address ( ipx ). in this embodiment , the routing tables (# 0 , # 1 , # 2 . . . ) contain a network prefix of a destination ip address as well as an ip address of the next hop router , and are generated by rip or ospf routing protocol and so on . it is also accepted that the routing table utilized in this embodiment specifies the ip address of the next hop router for all the destination ip addresses , and the routing table is generated by a newly created routing algorithm . further , the routing table can be configured and the ip address of next hop router can be set taking various information into account , e . g ., value of tos field , port number and flow - label of ipv6 header , which are contained in the packet including a packet header , additional information in the router , e . g ., the number of packets per input interface , the status of network resources and all the incoming packets at the router . in this embodiment , the border router 21 , 31 , 41 as well as the edge router 11 , 33 have a function of adding and changing the id of the rti that is inserted in the packet . fig5 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of the border router that has a function of adding and changing the id of the rti . as shown in fig5 , the border router is configured with an input interface 111 , a packet forwarder 112 , an output interface 113 , a routing protocol processor 203 a / 203 b / 203 c , a network monitor 204 , and a routing policy receiver 205 . the input interface 111 has a packet receiver 114 for receiving the packet , a routing table searcher 115 for searching for a routing table , a rti receiver 201 for receiving the rti , and a routing table cache 202 a / 202 b / 202 c for storing the routing table . the packet forwarder 112 decides on an address of the next hop router , which the packet to be transferred , based on a routing table searched by the routing table searcher 115 , and then sends an instruction to the output interface 113 to transfer the packet to the address . the routing protocol processor 203 a / 203 b / 203 c updates the routing table (# 0 , # 1 , # 2 . . . ) according to a routing protocol (# 0 ′, # 1 ′, # 2 ′ . . . ) which is selected based on the value of the rti informed by the rti receiver 201 . the updated routing tables (# 0 , # 1 , # 2 . . . ) are stored in the routing table cache 202 a / 202 b / 202 c , respectively . the output interface 113 has a packet transmitter 117 and a rti changing processor 206 . the packet transmitter 117 transmits the packet according to an instruction sent by the packet forwarder 112 . the rti changing processor 206 changes the id ( value ) of the rti in the packet to be transferred according to an instruction from the network monitor 204 and the routing policy receiver 205 . the id of the rti is properly decided taking into account the static status of the edge routers as well as the border routers ( e . g ., the situation of traffic , priority of the routing policies , ip address of the packet to be transferred , port number , type of an application contained in the packet and so on ) and an instruction is dynamically sent by the network management apparatus 3 . further , if the conventional router , which has no function of adding / changing / deleting of the rti or has no capability of storing the plural routing tables , exists on the network , the routers in this embodiment ignore the id of the rti ( or it is handled as “ 0 ”, which is the default value ), and perform routing by a routing table generated by rip , ospf , etc . this maintains connectivity to the conventional packet switching network . the network monitor 204 measures the existing priority of the routing policies in the routing domain , the status of traffic on the network , the usage of network resources , throughput and supported routing protocols , in order to analyze the load on the network , and determines the priority of routing policies accordingly . the routing policy receiver 205 is connected to the other apparatuses , e . g ., the network management apparatus 3 and sends a changing instruction to the rti changing processor 206 based on a request from the other apparatuses . the request from the other apparatuses means a signal informed by a network management layer including the network management apparatus 3 ( e . g ., an instruction by a specific address , input interface , port number , flow - label of ipv6 or value of tos field ), negotiation with the other routers and so on . the rti changing processor 206 has a routing policy table t 1 and performs a process of changing the id of the rti when it receives the changing instruction from the network monitor 204 or the routing policy receiver 205 . fig6 illustrates the content of the routing policy table t 1 in this embodiment . the routing policy table t 1 indicates a relationship between the rti , the routing policy and the routing table in order to discriminate which routing table is generated by which routing policy , i . e ., the routing protocol . specifically , as shown in fig6 , the routing policy table t 1 is configured with a routing table id , a routing policy id and the rti . the routing policy table t 1 may include additional information other than these ids . the routing table id is an identifier specifying routing tables that is stored in the border router , the edge router and the client terminal , etc . the routing policy id is an identifier specifying the routing protocol as well as the various controlling protocols so as to generate the routing tables , or for specifying the static status based on a certain routing policy . the rti is inserted in the packet , and is an identifier for specifying a routing table to be referred . in this embodiment , the same number is utilized between the routing table id and the rti for specifying the routing table . incidentally , the routing policy table t 1 may commonly be utilized among all the routers on the packet switching network . it is not necessary to utilize the same routing policy table t 1 commonly on the packet switching network if a certain routing domain cannot support the specific routing protocol , and a different routing policy table may also be utilized within the respective routing domains . on the packet switching network 100 which has the above described functions , the edge router 11 first recognizes the rti and the destination address ( da ) of the received packet when the packet is transmitted from the client terminal 1 to the destination client terminal 2 ( refer to ( 1 ) in fig3 ). the edge router 11 then specifies a routing policy to be utilized in the routing domain 10 based on the recognized rti and the da . at this point in time , the edge router 11 inserts the rti in the packet according to the default routing policy utilized in the routing domain 10 if the rti is not inserted in the packet or value of the rti is “ 0 ” (“ 1 ” is inserted as the value of rti in fig3 ). further , the edge router 11 forwards the packet to the next hop router ( the router 13 in fig3 ) by referring to the routing table , by which the specified routing policy has been generated . the router 13 in the routing domain 10 similarly selects the routing table by referring the rti of received packet ( refer to ( 2 ) in fig3 ) and transfers the packet to the next hop router ( the border router 21 in the fig3 ). the border router 21 decides on a routing policy to be utilized in the routing domain 20 based on the rti of the received packet , and if the routing policy in the routing domain 20 differs from the routing domain 10 , the border router 21 changes the value of the rti ( refer to ( 3 ) in fig3 ). the border router 21 then transfers the packet to the next hop router ( the router 22 in fig3 ). on the packet switching network 100 , the above described process is performed repeatedly and the packet is transferred via routes ( 4 ) through ( 7 ) shown in fig3 . in this embodiment , the edge router 33 may delete the rti when the packet is transferred to the destination client terminal 2 . as will be seen from the foregoing description , flexible and highly functional routing is achieved by the simultaneous use of the plural routing policies on the packet switching network . in other words , according to the invention , routing a specific packet to a specific router on the network when the routers receive a certain signal without the knowledge of such routing process of the client terminal , the dynamic use of the plural routing policies , the simultaneous use of more than one route for the same ip address , etc . are achieved and thus a routing control can be highly fictionalized . moreover , various applications are feasible by using the invention and the invention is able to cover all the routing control systems to which the invention is applied . the invention has been described in detail by referring to the embodiments . it is obvious to those skilled in art that the invention is not restricted to the embodiments mentioned above . the invention may be carried out as a corrected or modified embodiment not departing from the gist and scope specified by the scope of the claims of a patent . therefore , the description of this specification aims at the representation of examples but does not have any limitation on the present invention .	7
fig1 is a top plan view of an illustrative embodiment of an inductor 10 in which the benefits of the invention are demonstrated . it is recognized , however , that inductor 10 is but one type of electrical component in which the benefits of the invention may be appreciated . thus , the description set forth below is for illustrative purposes only , and it is contemplated that benefits of the invention accrue to other sizes and types of inductors as well as other passive electronic components . therefore , there is no intention to limit practice of the inventive concepts herein solely to the illustrative embodiment described , that is inductor 10 . inductor 10 includes a core 12 , sometimes referred to as a drum , and a shield 14 . a coil of conductive wire ( not shown ) is wound onto core 12 , and the coil and core 12 are disposed within a protective shield 14 . the coil includes a number of turns of conductive wire in order to achieve a desired inductance value for a selected end application of inductor 10 . as those in the art will recognize , an inductance value of inductor 10 , in part , depends upon wire type , a number of turns of wire in the coil , and wire diameter . as such , inductance ratings of inductor 10 may be varied considerably for different applications shield 14 , in one embodiment , is fabricated from a magnetic material to provide both a magnetic path and mechanical protection for the coil of inductor 10 both mechanically and electrically . shield 14 includes a bore for receiving core 12 therein , and serves to provide a path for concentrating the magnetic field between ends of coil 10 , thus containing the magnetic field to strengthen the field around the coil and reduce the effect of the field on the ambient environment . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 shield 14 includes an eight sided polygonal outer perimeter , but in alternative embodiments it is recognized that greater or fewer perimeter sides , including one or more curved sides , could likewise be used in alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the present invention . core 12 in an illustrative embodiment is fabricated from a low loss powdered iron or other iron based ceramic material , although in other embodiments other known suitable materials may be employed . in a further embodiment , core 12 is spool shaped and includes a generally cylindrically , elongated inner circumference section ( not shown ) of a first diameter disposed between two generally flat disk - like outer circumference sections 16 ( only one of which is shown in fig1 ) of a larger diameter than the inner circumference section first diameter . outer circumference sections extend from opposing ends of the inner circumference section , and as shown in the fig1 outer circumference sections 16 each include a plurality of indentations or guides 18 which are configured for guiding and retaining leads ( not shown ) of a conductive wire coil wound about the inner circumference section of core 12 as the leads extend from the inner circumference section of core 12 . centering of core 12 and the associated coil within shield 14 maintains a desired open circuit inductance and a selected inductor bias ( open circuit inductance with dc current ). coil leads extend through guides 18 for attachment to a circuit ( typically a circuit board ), or , in an alternative embodiment , the leads are connected to insulated posts 20 located on and extending from opposing sides of the outer perimeter of shield 14 for surface mounting of inductor 10 on a printed circuit board ( not shown ) according to known techniques when core 12 is properly centered within shield 14 , a uniform gap or clearance 22 is maintained about the circumference of the coil and core 12 . in one embodiment , clearance 22 is approximately 0 . 004 inches to about 0 . 005 inches wide , although in alternative embodiments greater or lesser clearances may be employed . fig2 and 3 are a top plan view and cross sectional view , respectively , of one embodiment of an epoxy tape 40 for use in constructing inductor 10 in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention . epoxy tape 40 includes a first layer for affixing to the core , and a second layer for forming a bond with shield 14 . more specifically , tape 40 includes a structural adhesive film 42 and a laminating adhesive 44 . in one exemplary embodiment , structural adhesive film 42 includes an epoxy base resin , such as an “ af42 ” bonding film available from minnesota mining and manufacturing company ( 3m ™) of st . paul , minn ., and laminating adhesive 44 is a solvent - free acrylic adhesive , such as “ 467mp ” roll laminating adhesive , also available from minnesota mining and manufacturing company ( 3m ™) of st . paul , minn . as such , structural adhesive film 42 has adequate heat resistance and structural bond properties for the operating environment of inductor 10 , and laminating adhesive 44 exhibits sufficient humidity resistance , u . v . resistance , water resistance , chemical resistance and shear strength to withstand manufacturing , assembly , and operating environments of inductor 10 . in alternative embodiments , other known materials having similar properties and characteristics may be employed to fabricate tape 40 fur use in inductor 10 as described below . in one exemplary embodiment for fabrication of an inductor , such as inductor 10 , tape 40 has a length l of approximately 12 millimeters and a width w of about 1 . 6 millimeters . further , structural adhesive film 42 has a thickness t 1 of about 3 mils and laminating adhesive 44 has a thickness t 2 of about 2 mils . it is recognized that this is but one exemplary embodiment with exemplary dimensions , and that other dimensions both smaller and larger may be used in alternative embodiments within the scope of the present invention . a bottom surface 46 of structural adhesive film 42 is gummy or tacky and is affixed to the perimeter of core 12 after the conductive wire coil is wound therein , such that epoxy tape 40 substantially occupies clearance 22 ( shown in fig1 ) when core 12 ( shown in fig1 ) is inserted into shield 14 . once located in clearance 22 after structural adhesive film 42 is bonded to the outer circumference of core 14 , epoxy tape 40 , and more specifically , laminating adhesive 44 , is bonded to an inner circumference of shield 14 using a heating and curing process . the heating and curing process is sometimes referred to as a reflow process via heating of laminating adhesive 44 to a transition temperature that causes the adhesive to melt and “ flow ” within clearance 22 , and then curing laminating adhesive back to a solid state . as such , laminating adhesive 44 uniformly forms a mechanical bond between core 12 and shield 14 , and more specifically between shield 14 and structural adhesive film 42 . it is believed that those in the art could accomplish this type of heating and curing process without further description or explanation . in one embodiment , both structural adhesive film 42 and laminating adhesive 44 are translucent so that a proper positioning of core 12 within shield 14 may be optically confirmed . in an alternative embodiment , epoxy tape 40 is fabricated from opaque materials . it is contemplated , however , that visual or optic assurance of proper positioning of shield 14 with respect to core 12 could be accomplished with opaque materials as well , including but not limited to selection of appropriate color combinations of tape 40 , shield 14 and core 12 to facilitate visual confirmation of spacing between core 12 and shield 14 . fig4 is a side view of inductor core 12 at a first stage of manufacture wherein the conductive coil ( not shown ) is wrapped around the inner circumference of core 12 and epoxy tape 40 is wrapped around an outer circumference of core 12 . tape bottom surface 46 ( shown in fig3 ) is affixed to outer circumference sections 16 ( also shown in fig1 ) of the outer perimeter of core 12 , or in other words , tape bottom surface 46 is adhered to core 12 such that laminating adhesive 44 is “ face up ” on the external surface of core 12 when tape 40 is attached to core . as shown in fig4 laminating adhesive 44 of epoxy tape 40 is exposed when tape 40 has been affixed to outer circumference sections 16 of core 12 . fig5 illustrates core 12 with tape 40 affixed thereto and circumscribing core 12 in a substantially uniform fashion . in an illustrative embodiment , tape 40 retains leads ( not shown ) of the conductive coil wound into core 12 and extending from the coil through guides 18 . in various embodiment , tape 40 is wrapped around the outer perimeter of the core one or more times to form a wrapping thickness t 3 sufficient to fill clearance 22 ( shown in fig1 ) when tape 40 is reflowed to bond core 12 to shield 14 . fig6 illustrates inductor 10 at a second stage of manufacture after tape 40 is reflowed and cured to solid form to form a strong bond between core 12 and shield 14 . unlike conventional manufacturing methods including application of external epoxy glue to bond core 12 to shield 14 , reflowed tape 40 provides optimal uniform spacing and bonding between core 12 and shield 14 about substantially an entire outer surface of wrapped core 12 . coil leads ( not shown ) are extend through guides 18 for attachment to insulated posts 20 extending from shield 14 for electrical connection to a circuit or a circuit board according to known methods and techniques . use of reflowing epoxy tape 40 removes conventional liquid adhesive dispensing process and associated costs , as well as eliminates potential quality issues from associated incomplete or inadequate bonds . further , elimination of the dispensing process allows improvements in the consistency of the bond between core 12 and shield 14 , thereby allowing for reductions in physical size of inductor 10 while maintaining comparable power ratings in comparison to conventionally manufactured inductors . while the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments , those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the claims .	8
the flavour precursors of the present invention are derived from a furenidone and a carbonyl compound , both of which possess valuable flavouring properties . the nature of the carbonyl compound determines whether the precursor reverts under mild or under more severe conditions to the flavouring furenidone . under acid or neutral reaction conditions the following addition reaction of the furenidone takes place : ## equ1 ## in this general formula r 1 and r 2 represent a lower c 1 - c 4 alkyl group , preferably methyl or ethyl , while r 3 represents hydrogen or a methyl group and r 4 represents hydrogen or an organic radical consisting of 1 - 14 carbon atoms , hydrogen and 0 - 2 oxygen atoms , preferably a hydrocarbyl , more in particular an alkyl group or alkenyl group containing 2 - 10 carbon atoms . furthermore , in case r 3 represents a methyl group , r 4 should not contain more than 4 carbon atoms . these novel carbonyl addition compounds occur in two stereoisomeric forms in case r 3 and r 4 represent different groups and both forms are suitable flavour precursors for the purpose of this invention . particularly preferred carbonyl compounds which can be added to the furenidone are aliphatic saturated and unsaturated aldehydes and methyl - ketones such as acetaldehyde propanal , octanal , acetone , methylethylketone , cis - 3 - hexenal and cis - 4 - heptenal . aromatic and heterocyclic aldehydes such as phenylacetaldehyde , benzaldehyde , furfuraldehyde , methylfurfuraldehyde and hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde , can also be used . carbonyl compounds containing 6 - 8 carbon atoms are preferred . the addition reaction takes place smoothly in a suitable polar solvent such as water in the presence of an acid - base catalyst under neutral or acid conditions at room temperature although higher - up to 100 ° c - and lower temperatures , above 5 ° c , can also be used . atmospheric pressures are suitably employed . however , too high temperatures favour reversion . the novel addition compounds of the alkyl substituted furenidones can be isolated without undue difficulties and may be used according to the present invention for incorporation into foodstuffs , in particular in foodstuffs which are heated to temperatures over 100 ° c when being prepared for consumption . such foodstuffs are e . g . shortenings , fats , margarines , especially bakery frying margarines , dried sterilised or deepfrozen soups , meat products , meatballs , ready - made meals , meat imitating products such as those known as texturised vegetable protein , mesophase , and various products used in bakeries , e . g . reinforced flour , baking aids etc . the amount of addition compound incorporated into the foodstuff ranges from 0 . 1 - 500 parts per million , dependent on the particular precursor and foodstuff , preferably 1 - 100 ppm . incorporation into the product may take place by adding the addition compound to the ingredients , spraying over the formed products etc . the addition compounds are usually used in conjunction with further flavouring agents or precursors thereof , such as e . g . amino acids , nucleotides , carboxylic acids , sweetening substances , etc . of course the actual combination is determined by the type of product . by way of illustration the following examples are given to elucidate the invention : in a round - bottomed flask equipped with a stirrer and a condensor , 12 . 8 g ( 0 . 1 mole ) of 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone and 44 g ( 1 . 0 mole ) of acetaldehyde were introduced into a solution of 3 . 0 g of oxalic acid in 100 ml of water . the mixture was stirred and refluxed for 1 hour . after cooling , the mixture was extracted 5 times with 25 ml portions of chloroform and the organic solvent was evaporated off . the residue was purified by chromatography on 50 g of polyamide . after elution by means of a 50 / 50 mixture of ether and petroleum ether , 9 . 4 g of the title compound was obtained ( which corresponds to a yield of 54 %). recrystallization from ether gave the pure product with m . p . 112 - 114 ° c ). infrared absorptions ( in kbr disc .) were at 3400 , 3200 , 1697 , 1610 , 1450 , 1370 , 1250 , 1072 , 1066 , 1005 and 924 cm . sup . - 1 . the nmr spectrum [ in cdcl 3 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at δ = 1 . 17 ( doublet ), δ = 1 . 41 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 27 ( singlet ), δ = 3 . 81 ( quartet ), 4 . 3 - 5 . 7 ( broad peak ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 172 , 157 , 155 , 154 , 128 , 101 , 85 , 83 , 72 , 45 , 43 . 50 mg of the compound thus obtained was heated in 0 . 5 ml of water to a temperature of 100 ° c . the breakdown of the compound into 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone and acetaldehyde was followed by investigating the n . m . r . signals at intervals . in particular the diminishing signal of the starting compound at 0 . 99 ppm ( with respect to dimethylsulfoxide ) and the increasing signals of 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone at 1 . 25 and 2 . 08 ppm were followed . the other signals present in the spectrum recorded in cdcl 3 solution are obscured by the water signal . from the change in signals it was deduced that after about 48 hours 50 % of the starting material had been converted into the 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone . in an aprotic solvent 50 % was converted within a fraction of an hour to 24 hours , as a similar experiment showed , whereas at 160 ° c 50 % was converted in 1 / 4 hour . a mixture of 5 g of 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone and 10 . 6 g of benzaldehyde was added to a mixture of 20 ml of water , 20 ml of dioxan and 0 . 5 g of oxalic acid . the mixture was then refluxed for 4 hours , cooled and extracted with chloroform . the chloroform extract was evaporated and the residue purified by column chromatography over polyamide using ether - light petroleum 50 / 50 as the eluent ; 2 . 7 g ( 30 % yield ) of the title compound was obtained which was recrystallized from chloroform , m . p . = 122 °- 124 ° c . infrared absorptions ( kbr disc .) were at 3400 , 1715 , 1635 , 1455 , 1370 , 1240 , 1096 , 1080 , 1042 , 1010 , 910 and 705 cm . sup . - 1 . the nmr spectrum [ solvent cdcl 3 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at δ = 1 . 22 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 17 ( singlet ), δ = 4 . 73 ( singlet ), δ = 4 . 9 - 5 . 6 ( broad peak ), δ = 7 . 15 ( singlet ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 234 , 128 , 107 , 106 , 105 , 85 , 77 , 57 , 55 , 52 , 51 , 50 , 45 , 43 . to a mixture of 6 g ( 0 . 05 mole ) phenylacetaldehyde and 1 . 28 g ( 0 . 01 mole ) of 2 . 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was added 60 mg of boric acid and the mixture was stirred at 80 ° c for 3 hours . after working up the reaction mixture as described earlier , 0 . 57 g ( 23 %) of the title compound was obtained , with melting point 157 . 5 °- 159 ° c . infrared absorptions ( kbr disc .) were at 3500 , 3240 , 1697 , 1616 , 1447 , 1298 , 1240 , 1097 , 1058 , 746 and 703 cm . sup . - 1 . the nmr spectrum [ solvent dmso - d6 + cdcl 3 ( 3 : 2 ), internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at δ = 1 . 32 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 15 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 35 - 2 . 62 ( multiplet ), δ = 3 . 60 ( multiplet ), δ = 5 . 00 ( doublet ), δ = 7 . 00 ( singlet ), δ = 7 . 98 ( singlet ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 248 , 230 , 205 , 157 , 128 , 121 , 120 , 111 , 103 , 101 , 91 , 77 , 43 . the addition compound in an aprotic solvent was converted for 50 % to 2 . 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone after heating for 1 / 3 hour at 160 ° c . 0 . 3 g of 2 -( 1 - hydroxyethyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was added to 1000 g of unflavoured margarine and the mixture then heated in a pan for 5 minutes at 160 °- 170 ° c . this flavoured fried margarine was preferred to a fried margarine without addition by 8 out of 11 tasters , who mentioned particularly its sweet , caramel - like aroma . to 100 g of hardened fat 5 mg of 2 -( 1 - hydroxyethyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was added and the mixture was then heated for 5 minutes at 150 ° c . this fat was preferred to a fat without addition by 9 out of 10 tasters who mentioned particularly its mild fruity aroma . a basis for canned beef soup was prepared by adding the following ingredients to 4 liters of water : gramsnoodles 160herb and spices 1 . 6tallow 80vegetables 400monosodium glutamate 16protein hydrolysate 16meat extract 16salt 64raw meat 400 the total amount was divided into two portions of each 2 liters ; 0 . 08 g of 2 -( 1 - hydroxyethyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was added to one of the portions . the second portion , which was used without further addition , served as a comparative example . the mixtures thus obtained were canned in half liter tins and sterilised in an autoclave for 1 hour at 120 ° c . a soup ready for consumption was prepared by adding an equal volume of water to the contents of each tin . after heating the soups were tested and a majority of the flavour evaluation panel preferred the soup with the added flavour precursor because of its more pronounced meaty flavour . grams flour 450 sugar 225 fat 250 water 65 salt 5 baking powder 3 the fat and the sugar were mixed in a hobart mixer ( type : ce 100 ) for 3 minutes at speed 2 . after adding the water , mixing proceeded for another 2 minutes . subsequently the flour , the salt and the baking powder were added , after which the composition was mixed for 10 minutes . the dough was spouted on baking trays in the shape of piped shortcakes and baked for 20 minutes at 180 ° c . in an analogous way piped shortcakes were prepared in which , however , 20 mg of 2 -( 1 - hydroxy - 2 - phenylethyl - 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone were added to the dough . the shortcakes thus prepared were evaluated by a panel in a pair test . the shortcakes to which 2 -( 1 - hydroxy - 2 - phenylethyl - 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone had been added were generally preferred by the members of the panel . a mixture of 10 g of 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone , 20 ml of a 37 % formaldehyde aqueous solution , 50 ml of water and 0 . 7 g of oxalic acid was stirred for 18 hours at room temperature . after working up the reaction mixture , the crude reaction product was purified by column chromatography over polyamide . elution with pentane - dichloromethane 80 / 20 yielded the pure 2 - hydroxymethyl - 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone , which was recrystallized from ethyllactate ; m . p . 124 °- 125 ° c . infrared absorptions ( kbr disc .) were at 3360 , 3170 , 1693 , 1675 , 1607 , 1596 , 1465 , 1300 , 1280 , 1236 , 1220 , 1160 , 1085 , 1050 , 1000 , 950 , 905 , 850 , 770 , 605 , 552 , 506 and 397 cm . sup . - 1 . nmr spectrum [ dmso - d6 ( dimethylsulfoxide , containing 6 deuterium atoms instead of hydrogen ), internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at δ = 1 . 25 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 13 ( singlet ), δ = 3 . 42 ( broad signal ), δ = 5 . 0 ( broad signal ), δ = 8 . 1 ( broad signal ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 158 , 141 , 140 , 128 , 127 , 115 , 101 , 97 , 85 , 69 , 43 . to a mixture of 1 . 0 g of 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone , 5 g of propanal and 20 ml of water were added 0 . 2 g of oxalic acid and the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 25 hours and then extracted three times with chloroform . the chloroform extract was evaporated and the residue purified by column chromatography on polyamide using ether - pentane 10 / 90 as the eluent . pure 2 -( 1 - hydroxypropyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was obtained , which was recrystallized from ether - pentane 50 / 50 ; solid mass at room temperature . infrared absorptions ( kbr disc .) were at 3380 , 3200 , 1695 , 1617 , 1460 , 1440 , 1380 , 1370 , 1365 , 1295 , 1254 , 1215 , 1084 , 1078 , 1009 , 973 , 948 , 731 and 570 cm - 1 . nmr spectrum [ dmso - d6 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at δ = 1 . 25 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 10 ( singlet ), δ = 3 . 26 ( multiplet ), δ = 4 . 92 ( doublet ), δ = 8 . 03 ( singlet ), δ = 1 . 25 ( multiplet ), δ = 0 . 90 ( multiplet ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 186 , 157 , 128 , 101 , 97 , 85 , 69 , 57 , 43 . example ix was repeated except that in this instance the propanal was replaced by 5 g of butanal . from the reaction mixture 2 -( 1 - hydroxybutyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was isolated with m . p . 103 °- 104 . 5 ° c . infrared absorptions ( kbr disc .) were at : 3490 , 3150 , 1690 , 1618 ( sh ), 1609 , 1462 , 1435 , 1365 , 1340 , 1272 , 1245 , 1222 , 1090 ( sh ), 1075 , 1050 , 1005 , 982 , 948 , 855 , 760 , 745 , 720 , 689 , 607 , 595 and 586 cm . sup . - 1 . nmr spectrum [ dmso - d6 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at : δ = 1 . 20 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 05 ( singlet ), δ = 3 . 30 ( multiplet ), δ = 4 . 82 ( doublet ), δ = 7 . 85 ( singlet ), δ = 1 . 0 - 1 . 5 ( multiplet ), δ = 0 . 80 ( triplet ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 200 , 157 , 139 , 128 , 111 , 101 , 85 , 72 , 71 , 57 , 43 . example ix was repeated , except that in this instance the propanal was replaced by 6 g of octanal . from the reaction mixture 2 -( 1 - hydroxyoctyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was isolated with melting point 97 °- 98 ° c . infrared absorptions were at ( kbr disc . ): 3495 , 3180 , 2960 , 2920 , 2860 , 1690 , 1618 , 1610 , 1460 , 1436 , 1365 , 1335 , 1260 , 1245 , 1205 , 1070 , 1005 , 972 , 945 , 760 , 722 and 578 cm . sup . - 1 . nmr spectrum [ solvent dmso - d6 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at : δ = 1 . 25 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 10 ( singlet ), δ = 3 . 30 ( multiplet ), δ = 4 . 93 ( doublet ), δ = 8 . 00 ( singlet ), δ = 1 . 20 ( multiplet ), δ = 0 . 85 ( triplet ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 256 , 195 , 167 , 130 , 129 , 128 , 85 , 84 , 82 , 81 , 57 , 43 . example ix was repeated , except that in this case the propanal was replaced by 4 g of cis - 4 - heptenal . after column chromatography of the reaction mixture the pure 2 -( 1 - hydroxy - 4 - cis - heptenyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was isolated . infrared absorptions ( kbr disc .) at : 3480 , 3200 , 3005 , 1695 , 1615 , 1458 , 1435 , 1370 , 1336 , 1249 , 1240 , 1083 , 1070 , 1004 , 935 , 760 , 720 , 685 and 575 cm . sup . - 1 . nmr spectrum [ solvent dmso - d6 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at : δ = 1 . 21 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 05 ( singlet ), δ = 3 . 40 ( multiplet ), δ = 4 . 90 ( broad signal ), δ = 7 . 90 ( broad signal ), δ = 1 . 2 - 1 . 5 ( multiplet ), δ = 1 . 7 - 2 . 2 ( multiplet ), δ = 5 . 15 ( multiplet ), δ = 0 . 89 ( triplet ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 240 , 222 , 179 , 151 , 129 , 128 , 95 , 85 , 84 , 83 , 69 , 68 , 57 , 55 , 43 . example ix was repeated , except that in this instance the propanal was replaced by 5 g of furfural . from the reaction mixture 2 -( 1 - hydroxymethylfuran )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone was isolated by column chromatography as a mixture of two dia stereoisomers in the form of a semi - solid mass at room temperature . infrared absorptions ( kbr disc .) were at : 3440 , 3200 , 1700 , 1617 , 1500 , 1450 , 1370 , 1239 , 1145 , 1074 , 1050 , 1005 and 740 cm . sup . - 1 . nmr spectrum [ solvent dmso - d6 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at : δ = 1 . 05 and 1 . 35 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 02 and 2 . 14 ( singlet ), δ = 4 . 52 and 4 . 57 ( singlet ), δ = 5 . 50 and 5 . 80 ( broad signal ), δ = 8 . 00 ( broad signal ), δ = 6 . 1 - 6 . 4 ( multiplet ), δ = 7 . 35 and 7 . 50 ( quartet ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 224 , 128 , 127 , 97 , 96 , 95 , 85 , 57 , 43 . a mixture of 2 . 0 g of 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone , 10 ml of acetone and 25 ml of 6n hydrochloric acid was stirred at room temperature for 48 hours . after working up the reaction mixture , the crude reaction product was purified by column chromatography . elution with pentane - ether 90 / 10 yielded pure 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 2 - propyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone . infrared absorptions were at ( kbr disc . ): 3480 , 3380 , 1700 , 1686 , 1620 ( sh ), 1610 , 1470 , 1460 , 1445 , 1383 , 1370 , 1256 , 1210 , 1182 , 1118 , 1080 , 1075 , 1003 , 969 , 902 , 860 , 794 , 750 , 565 , 325 and 318 cm . sup . - 1 . nmr spectrum [ solvent dmso - d6 , internal standard si ( ch 3 ) 4 ] had signals at : δ = 0 . 99 ( singlet ), δ = 1 . 12 ( singlet ), δ = 1 . 18 ( singlet ), δ = 2 . 05 ( singlet ), δ = 4 . 32 ( singlet ), δ = 7 . 80 ( broad signal ). the mass spectrum showed peaks at m / e 186 , 171 , 129 , 127 , 101 , 97 , 85 , 71 , 59 , 58 , 57 , 43 . in an aprotic solvent the compound was fully converted to the furenidone upon heating at 160 ° c for 8 minutes . to 200 g or a commercial available frying fat were added 15 mg of 2 -( 1 - hydroxy - 4 - cis - heptenyl )- 2 , 5 - dimethyl - 4 - hydroxy - 3 -( 2h )- furanone and the mixture was heated for 5 minutes at 150 ° c . this fat was unanimously preferred to the fat without addition by the flavour evaluation panel , because of its more sweet , butterlike character .	0
referring to fig1 the gas reformer 10 includes an impervious shell 12 formed of a shell bottom plate 14 , a cylindrical shell housing 16 and a shell head 18 . these are welded or bolted together at flanged connections and the shell functions to contain the combustion products from burner 20 . this burner has a fuel inlet 22 and an air inlet 24 and is centrally supported from the bottom plate 14 . combustion products pass to the top of the shell through liner 26 and outwardly as shown by arrows 28 from the top of the burner tube . a plurality of bayonet type reactors 30 are located within the shell , the annular arrangement of these being best seen in fig2 . each reactor has a central tube 32 for the downflow 34 of reformer gas . an outer casing 36 forms an annular space 38 for the upflow of reformer gas . plate 37 supports the catalyst . an outlet tube extension 40 carries the reformer gas to a reformer gas outlet header 42 located below and passing beneath all of reactors 30 . this outlet tube extension is directly connected to the outlet header and supports the reactors from the outlet header . a sleeve 44 surrounds the lower portion of each reactor for the purpose of confining the flow of combustion products to the annular space 46 . this space includes spiral rods to facilitate the mixing of the combustion products and to increase the heat transfer coefficient . this sleeve cooperating with baffle or seal plate 48 forces the combustion products to pass from gas plenum 58 to the outlet plenum 60 through the annular space 46 . as shown in more detail in fig3 support leg 62 on each reactor supports the horizontal portion 64 of the seal plate . this seal plate in turn supports the sleeves 44 as well as loose fill insulation 66 . shell bottom plate 14 is protected from the 770 f . gas in outlet plenum 60 by blanket insulation 68 . the cylindrical shell housing 16 and head 18 are protected from the interior gases by insulation 70 and 72 . ceramic board insulation 72 protects head 18 . three outlet header support members 74 , 76 and 78 support the outlet header 42 and pass directly down to bottom plate 14 where they are welded to the plate through thermal sleeves 80 . these thermal sleeves accommodate the local differential expansion between the support member and the bottom plate and provide a gradual thermal gradient . they also provide some flexibility for relative horizontal movement of the support members with respect to the bottom plate . they are , however , stiff in the vertical direction so that they transmit load in this direction between the support members 74 , 76 and 78 and the bottom plate 14 . outlet header support continuation members 82 , 84 and 86 extend directly downwardly from the outlet header support members to a ground support location 88 . one of the support members 78 and 86 comprises a reformer gas outlet from the outlet header which permits the reformer gas outlet line to not only accomplish the shell penetration , but also act as a mutual support between the internal pressure parts and the shell as well as a support from the ground . a second support member 76 and 84 comprises the combustion gas product outlet from outlet plenum 60 . a third leg 74 and 82 is free of all gas products . preferably the outlet header 42 is arranged to slide on the support connections 76 and 74 with its relative location dictated by the direct connection of the support leg 78 . it can be seen that the joint between the support structure and the bottom plate permits the internal pressure parts including the reactors 30 to move up and down relative to the shell 12 . horizontal movement caused by expansion is a function not of the temperatures within the shell nor of the outlet header , but only the differential between the bottom plate 14 and the ground . this nominal differential expansion can readily be accepted by the thermal sleeves 80 . the combination of the required gas flow penetrations with the structural support simplifies the construction . while more than three supports could be used , the use of only three supports is preferred because of the potential temperature differentials , particularly during transients . the use of three supports permits predictable load distribution .	2
many aspects of the invention can be better understood with the references made to the drawings below . the components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale . instead , emphasis is placed upon clearly illustrating the components of the present invention . moreover , like reference numerals designate corresponding parts through the several views in the drawings . one embodiment of the current invention is a skateboard truck assembly that has some combination of wheels and casters resulting in at least three round items capable of moving ( in combination with at least one other skateboard truck ) a skateboard across the ground . there are two skateboard wheels suspended on hangers or axles , with one caster , which sits in a caster bracket . a goal behind the invention is to provide a skateboarder with an improved “ sliding ” or “ drifting ” ability , along with increased stability , improved maneuverability , and a lighter weight . in a particular embodiment , the skateboard truck includes a set of independent hangers with integrated gears that mate with a caster displacement system , or more specifically a modified planetary gearing system . modified planetary gearing system links each hanger with the displacement of the caster . such a gearing system allows both wheels and a caster to remain on the ground when in a neutral state as well as to raise one of the two wheels while leaving the other wheel and castor in contact with the ground when in a modified state . a modified state occurs when a rider places an unequal force about the centerline of the skateboard , such as when the rider leans on one side of the skateboard . with two such skateboard trucks on each end of a skateboard , the rider can have a total of six wheels on the ground simultaneously while skateboarding . when the rider leans a sufficient amount to displace the center wheel , or caster , from the centerline of the skateboard , the rider will have a total of four wheels on the ground and the configuration of the skateboard truck forces the “ downhill ” wheels away from the ground and far enough in the air to avoid catching on street irregularities . the function of the skateboard truck proceeds as follows . when the skateboard is in a neutral state , the caster wheels support a majority , if not all , of the weight of the rider . each hanger is approximately the same distance from the deck of the skateboard . the caster wheel rotates in the same direction as the wheels secured to the hangers . as the rider of the skateboard leans on one side of the skateboard , the wheel on that side is displaced towards the deck of the skateboard . this movement is transferred to the hanger , which rotates about the kingpin . a toothed portion , or bevel gear , on the hanger then rotates a ring gear , which in turn rotates a planet gear , which then rotate the sun gear . the rotation of the sun gear is linked to the caster thereby causing the caster wheel to be displaced about the same axis as the sun gear . the caster wheel is free to function as any normal caster wheel , wherein it may rotate to match the appropriate direction of travel . the opposite hanger ( the one not displaced towards the deck of the skateboard ) does not move relative to the skateboard deck , but does move away from the ground . ring stops , discussed in more detail below , prevent each hanger from rotating below its neutral state ( away from the deck of the skateboard ) or more than a defined angle above its neutral state ( towards the deck of the skateboard ). since each hanger is independent of the other and not molded from the same piece of metal as are traditional hangers , both wheels and the caster can remain on the ground simultaneously when the user is travelling along a path that is substantially parallel to the centerline of the skateboard . furthermore , as the rider applies pressure on one side of the board and angles the deck , the wheels on the opposite edge of the board lift off of the ground . should the rider continue to put pressure on one side of the board , the base of the caster will displace from the centerline of the skateboard , where the caster is free to rotate in the direction of the rider &# 39 ; s choosing . however , the castor does not offset given any torque applied directly to the sun gear , such as when a lateral force is applied directly to the caster wheel in a direct attempt to offset the caster from the centerline of the skateboard . this is achieved through the geometry of the gearing system , particularly through the planet gears . it should be noted that there are two important axes of rotation . one axis is the axis that is shared by the bracket for the caster wheel and the sun gear . it is assembled with thrust bearings , washers , and a rivet . the caster wheel is free to rotate about this axis . the second important axis is the axis shared by the sun gear , both ring gears or annulus , and the baseplate . it is assembled with a rivet . as the baseplate remains stationary , the rotation of a ring gear and the sun gear ( or cover ) is governed by one of the hangers . the rotation of the other ring gear and again , the cover , is governed by the other hanger . this short summary of the invention will be further explained below . it is important to note that the hanger gear is shown in these illustrations with teeth that engage teeth in the ring gear , but it is contemplated that gearing other than through the use of teeth is possible . fig1 is a top perspective view of a skateboard according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . the skateboard includes a skateboard deck 20 with two skateboard trucks attached thereto , better viewed in fig2 . each skateboard truck includes two wheels 12 and a castor wheel 14 . fig2 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . each skateboard truck 10 is secured to one end of the skateboard deck 20 , usually by means of screws . as stated above , each skateboard truck 10 includes two wheels 12 and a castor wheel 14 . fig3 is an exploded perspective view of a skateboard truck according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . the skateboard truck 10 includes a baseplate 22 that is used to secure the skateboard truck to the skateboard deck . a bottom hanger 16 and a top hanger 18 are secured to the baseplate 22 by means of a kingpin 30 . the bottom hanger 16 and the top hanger 18 each have a wheel 12 secured thereto . the bottom hanger 16 and top hanger 18 are allowed to move relative to each other . however , there is a spring 17 ( or a compressible and resilient bushing ) located therebetween that applies a force to each of the hangers that , if left unrestrained , would push the wheels 12 away from the deck of a skateboard . ring stops , discussed in more detail below , prevent the hangers from rotating down from their neutral state . each hanger also has a tooth portion ( shown in more detail in fig7 ) that engages a ring gear ( annulus ), wherein the top hanger 18 mates with the top ring gear 26 and the bottom hanger 16 mates with the bottom ring gear 24 . the ring gears are secured between the base plate 22 and a sun gear 28 . a plurality of planet gears 32 are also situated between the base plate 22 and the sun gear 28 as well as within the ring gears . a caster wheel 14 is secured to a caster bracket 15 , which in turn is secured to the sun gear 28 . the rivet 34 is used to secure the caster bracket 15 to the sun gear 28 , with thrust bearings and washers in between . this configuration allows for the caster wheel 14 to rotate freely about an axis along the length of the rivet 34 while at the same time rotating about the axis of the sun gear 28 . fig4 is a front view of a skateboard according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . in this view , the skateboard is in a neutral configuration , as if the rider were travelling along a straight line that extends down a lengthwise axis ( centerline ) of the skateboard . all three wheels , including wheels 12 and castor wheel 14 are in contact with the ground 40 and pointed in the same direction . top hanger 18 and bottom hanger 16 are in a neutral position , where each is approximately the same distance from the skateboard deck 20 . fig5 is bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . when a rider applies a force to one side of the skateboard and not the other , the skateboard deck 20 moves closer to the wheel on the side on which the force is applied . in this figure , the arrows show a direction of movement of the wheel when such a force is applied . fig6 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . this figure includes an arrow showing the rotational movement of the top hanger 18 and top ring gear 26 when the wheel of the top hanger 18 rotates as shown in fig5 . top hanger 18 has a toothed portion , or bevel gear , that engages top ring gear 26 , which in turn engages planet gear 32 . furthermore , planet gear 32 engages sun gear 28 . therefore , the caster , which is secured to the sun gear by rivet 34 , is indirectly connected by means of multiple gears to the top hanger 18 . fig7 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing directions of rotation of a top ring gear and a top hanger according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . as top hanger 18 rotates in a counter - clockwise direction , top ring gear 26 rotates in a clockwise direction . fig8 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing directions of rotation of a top ring gear and a planet gear according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . as top ring gear 34 rotates in a clockwise direction , planet gear 32 rotates in a clockwise direction . fig9 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing a rotated planet gear and corresponding sun gear according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . as planet gear 32 rotates in a clockwise direction , sun gear 28 rotates in a counter - clockwise direction . fig1 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing a rotated sun gear and corresponding rotational movement of a rivet according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . as planet gear 32 rotates in a clockwise direction , sun gear 28 rotates in a counter - clockwise direction . since the caster wheel , via the caster bracket and rivet 34 , is connected to the sun gear 28 , it moves in a similar direction . thus , when top ring gear 26 rotates in a clockwise direction , so does the caster . it must be appreciated that the same events occur with the bottom hanger as they do with the top hanger , but in reverse . thus , when the bottom ring gear rotates counter - clockwise , so does the caster . however , while each hanger may cause the caster to move in a particular direction , the gearing is such that the movement of one hanger does not necessitate the movement of the other hanger , as doing so would attempt to force the caster in opposing directions . fig1 is a front perspective view of a skateboard in a turn with the downhill wheel raised according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . a force is applied to the skateboard deck 20 to cause the top hanger 18 and the wheel 12 secured thereto to move towards the skateboard deck . doing so causes the caster wheel 14 to move away from the side of the skateboard with the top hanger 18 . this movement , combined with the angling of the skateboard deck 20 causes the other hanger , the bottom hanger 16 and the wheel 12 secured thereto , to move away from the ground such that the wheel lifts off of the ground . fig1 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck showing displacement and rotation of the castor from the centerline according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . the caster wheel 14 has moved a distance ad away from top hanger 18 and towards bottom hanger 16 because of the rotation of caster bracket 15 with sun gear 28 . fig1 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing the displacement of the rivet relative to the centerline according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . the rivet 34 , to which the caster wheel is connected via the caster bracket ( both not shown in this figure ), rotates with the sun gear 28 . the sun gear 28 is rotated due to the movement of top hanger 18 . the rivet 34 is displaced a distance δd relative to its neutral state . fig1 is a front perspective view of a skateboard with the downhill wheel raised and the castor wheel rotated perpendicular to the centerline of the skateboard according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . similar to fig1 , this figure shows the bottom hanger 16 and the wheel 12 secured thereto displaced away from the ground such that the wheel lifts off of the ground , while the top hanger 18 and the wheel secured thereto remain in contact with the ground . this configuration is used when the skateboard moves laterally . fig1 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck showing displacement and approximately ninety - degree rotation of the castor from the centerline according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . the caster wheel 14 is shown displaced a distance ad from the centerline of the skateboard truck . sun gear 28 has been rotated according to directional arrows located thereon by the angular displacement of top hanger 18 . the caster wheel is also rotated perpendicular to the centerline of the skateboard . this enables a rider to more easily ride a skateboard in a perpendicular direction to the centerline of the skateboard . fig1 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing the displacement of the rivet relative to the centerline according to selected embodiments of the current disclosure . rivet 34 , to which the caster wheel is connected via the caster bracket ( both not shown in this figure ), is displaced a distance ad from the centerline of the skateboard truck ( and thus skateboard ). top hanger 18 rotates top ring gear 26 , which in turn causes planet gears 32 and sun gear 28 to rotate according to directional arrows located thereon . rivet 34 , being secured to sun gear 28 , is therefore displaced a distance δd . fig1 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck with the sun gear partially removed and an angular displacement of the top hanger and top ring gear . top hanger 18 is displaced an angle δθ about kingpin 30 . at the same time , bottom hanger 16 remains in its neutral state . rotation of top hanger 18 causes top ring gear 26 to rotate an angle δa . in a particular embodiment , the maximum angle of rotation δa of top ring gear 26 is sixteen degrees . further rotation of the top ring gear 26 is resisted by top ring stops 21 , 23 , and 25 ( ring stop 25 is more clearly shown in fig1 ). ring stop 21 is a protrusion that is incorporated into baseplate 22 . ring stops 23 and 25 are an internal gear and protrusion , respectively , that are incorporated into bottom ring gear 24 . corresponding protrusions in top ring gear 26 mate with the ring stops 21 , 23 , and 25 when it has reached its maximum rotational angle , whereby further rotation is resisted . fig1 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing the angular displacement present in fig1 . ring stops 21 , 23 , and 25 are used to prevent top ring gear 26 from rotating beyond a desired angle , in this embodiment sixteen degrees . as top ring gear 26 rotates , a portion of top ring gear 26 will eventually come in contact with ring stops 21 , 23 , and 25 , which then prevents further rotation . at the same time , downward rotation of the opposing bottom hanger 16 is resisted by the rotational limits of bottom ring gear 24 , whose further rotation is prevented by ring stops 21 , 31 , and 41 . this causes the bottom hanger 16 to remain in its neutral state relative to the skateboard deck and rise off of the ground when the user leans to the top hanger 18 side . fig1 is a bottom perspective view of a skateboard truck with the sun gear partially removed and an angular displacement of the bottom hanger and bottom ring gear . bottom hanger 16 is displaced an angle δθ about kingpin 30 . at the same time , top hanger 18 remains in its neutral state . rotation of bottom hanger 16 causes bottom ring gear 24 to rotate an angle δa . in a particular embodiment , the maximum angle of rotation δa of bottom ring gear 24 is sixteen degrees . further rotation of the bottom ring gear 24 is resisted by bottom ring stops 31 , 33 , and 35 . ring stop 31 is a protrusion that is incorporated into baseplate 22 . ring stops 33 and 35 are an internal gear and protrusion , respectively , that are incorporated into the top ring gear 26 . corresponding protrusions in bottom ring gear 24 mate with the ring stops 31 , 33 , and 35 when it has reached its maximum rotational angle , whereby further rotation is resisted . fig2 is a cut - away view of the gearing assembly of a skateboard truck showing the angular displacement present in fig1 . ring stops 31 , 33 , and 35 are used to prevent bottom ring gear 24 from rotating beyond a desired angle , in this embodiment sixteen degrees . as bottom ring gear 24 rotates , a portion of bottom ring gear 24 will eventually come in contact with ring stops 31 , 33 , and 35 , which then prevents further rotation . at the same time , downward rotation of the opposing top hanger 18 is resisted by the rotational limitations of the top ring gear 26 , whose further rotation is prevented by ring stops 21 , 31 , and 41 . this causes the top hanger 18 to rise off of the ground when the user leans to the bottom hanger 16 side . various different materials can be used for the gears , hangers , wheels , and other various components of the skateboard truck . for example , the gears may be manufactured from stainless steel , titanium , or aluminum . in a particular embodiment , the wheels are made from polyurethane . other gear configurations may be implemented as well to achieve the same desired outcomes of the current invention . more or fewer gears may be used so long as each hanger displaces the caster wheel from the centerline of the skateboard . in fact , mechanisms other than gearing may be used to achieve the same outcome . for example , a pulley system may be used wherein angular displacement of the hanger moves the caster wheel through a series of pulleys . alternatively , angular displacement of the hangers may be read in by an electronic sensor , which in turn causes an electric motor to displace the caster wheel from the centerline of the skateboard . it should be understood that while the preferred embodiments of the invention are described in some detail herein , the present disclosure is made by way of example only and that variations and changes thereto are possible without departing from the subject matter coming within the scope of the following claims , and a reasonable equivalency thereof , which claims i regard as my invention . all of the material in this patent document is subject to copyright protection under the copyright laws of the united states and other countries . the copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure , as it appears in official governmental records but , otherwise , all other copyright rights whatsoever are reserved .	0
in all of the following figures , the same reference numbers have been used for the same elements throughout , so that in the explanations of the individual figures , the corresponding parts will not be listed again . the meanings are as follows : fig1 a and 1b show a first embodiment of the invention in which the collar is &# 34 ; formed &# 34 ; from the same metallic material , for example a steel alloy as container lid 1 , and in which locking element 21 on collar 2 is an external thread provided therein , into which an internal thread 31 provided on plug 3 is screwed . in addition , collar 2 has a crimp - like elevation 2 &# 39 ; which serves to reinforce the plug area as well as for improved draining of the container . the designs shown in fig1 a and 1b ) differ in the arrangement of sealing surfaces 62 and 63 provided on collar 2 and of sealing elements 6 made in the form of o - rings . in the design shown in fig1 a , o - ring 3 is located &# 34 ; inside &# 34 ; so that the screw connection remains &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; while in the design shown in fig1 b o - ring 6 rests on crimp - type elevation 1 &# 39 ;. regardless of the different arrangement of sealing surfaces 62 and 63 as well as sealing element 6 , the sealing function in the two designs is ensured regardless of the tightness of the threaded connection . fig2 a and 2b show a second embodiment of the invention in which collar 2 , as a locking element , has an internal thread 21 and an external thread 31 , corresponding to plug 3 as a matching element . collar 2 is not formed from container lid 1 , but is produced by pinching the material of container lid 1 . the designs shown in fig2 a and 2b differ in the arrangement of sealing element 6 , once again in the form of an 0 - ring , as well as sealing surfaces 62 and 63 on collar 2 and on plug 3 . the reader is expressly referred to the drawing with respect to the exact design of the sealing surfaces . the design shown in fig2 a has the advantage that , when the shape and line thickness of o - rings 6 are suitable , the complementary convexity of collar 1 produces a comparatively large contact surface , while the design shown in fig2 b has the advantage that o - ring 6 is guided in a groove in plug 3 . fig3 a to 3h show a third embodiment of the invention in which collar 2 , as in the embodiment according to fig1 a and 1b , is formed by crimping , deep - drawing , pressing , etc . from the material making up container lid 1 . in contrast to the embodiment shown in fig1 a and 1b , collar 2 however has an internal thread 21 as a locking element which engages a matching external thread 31 on plug 3 . the designs shown in fig3 a to 3h differ in the arrangement of the sealing element once again in the form of an o - ring 6 as well as the matching sealing surfaces 62 ( on collar 2 ) and sealing surfaces 63 ( on plug 3 ). the reader is expressly referred to the drawing with regard to the various possible designs . once again the various designs differ from one another in the design of the collar , which has partially crimp - shaped reinforcements , while in other designs on the other hand it is made as simple as possible to simplify manufacture . the designs shown in fig3 b and 3c have the advantage that standard plugs 3 with standard threads ( 2 inches and / or 3 / 4 inch ) can be used . in the designs shown in fig3 a to 3c , which permit the use of standard plugs 3 , the sealing element is located at the outermost end of the threaded connection . the designs shown in fig3 d to 3f likewise have an external sealing element 6 . however , sealing element 6 and sealing surfaces 61 and 62 are arranged so that the sealing function is ensured independently of the threaded connection . the individual designs differ from one another only in the shape of collar 2 and plug 3 . in the designs shown in fig3 g and 3h , the collar has a base , a neck , and a lip . an o - ring 6 is located &# 34 ; in front of &# 34 ; the threaded connection so that the latter remains &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ;. fig4 a and 4b show a fourth embodiment of the invention in which collar 2 is provided not extending outward but inward in the form of a &# 34 ; u &# 34 ;. once again , the collar has as a locking element an internal thread 21 for which a matching external thread 31 is provided on plug 3 . in addition , holes 22 are provided in collar 2 , said holes ensuring complete drainability of the container . the design shown in fig4 b differs from the design in fig4 a in that a flat contact surface 62 is provided on collar 2 . in the embodiments described above , threads are used exclusively as locking elements 21 on the collar at 2 and as locking matching elements 31 on plug 3 . of course , it is also possible instead of threads to use different locking connections , for example a bayonet connection mechanism . fig5 ( a to c ), 6 ( a to c ) and 7 ( a to c ) show three versions of a bayonet locking mechanism . in partial fig5 a to 7a , we have a top view of the hole area and in partial fig5 b to 7b and 5c to 7c cross sections at b - b and a - a in partial fig5 a to 7a . fig5 ( a to c ) shows a design for a bayonet locking mechanism with an externally gripping connection for plug 3 with collar 2 . both collar 2 and plug 3 have suitable locking elements 21 and 31 respectively , shown in the drawing . the arrangement of the sealing element , again in the form of an o - ring 6 , is selected so that it cannot be displaced by internal or external pressure . tabs 32 are provided on plug 3 to prevent it from being turned too far . the embodiment shown in fig6 ( a to c ) differs from the embodiment shown in fig5 ( a to c ) in that the connection of plug 3 to collar 2 is internal . the position of sealing element 6 once again is made such that it cannot be displaced by the contents . in the same manner as in the fifth embodiment , tabs 32 are provided to protect against overtightening . the embodiment shown in fig7 ( a to c ) differs from the embodiment shown in fig6 ( a to c ) and largely corresponds to the embodiment shown in fig5 ( a to c ) but it has a different design , especially in the vicinity of the seal . in any case , the pitch of the bayonet connection can be selected so that the desired pretensioning of the seal is achieved . it is particularly important in connection with the container according to the invention that no additional material is required to manufacture the bayonet flange of the plug connection , since the flange can be formed completely from container lid 1 . all of the embodiments described above have in common the fact that the so - called hole flange , in other words the collar 2 including locking elements 21 on the collar , are molded completely from the material of which container lid 1 is composed . the following embodiments are described in which although collar 2 is made from container lid 1 , additional stiffening and / or additional elements are mounted on the collar and / or the container lid which support the locking elements . fig8 ( a to c ) shows versions of an eighth embodiment in which a support ring 7 is mounted on container lid 1 , said ring supporting collar 2 externally and thus increasing protection against bursting . in the designs shown in fig8 ( a and b ), support ring 7 is &# 34 ; permanently crimped &# 34 ; on collar 2 , while in the example shown in fig8 c on the other hand , permanent attachment by welding is provided by spot welds 71 . otherwise , the versions shown differ in the design of the collar and the position and design of sealing element 6 and the sealing surfaces . reference is made here expressly to the drawings , wherein the support ring 7 has a lower edge attached to the base of the collar and an upper edge attached to the lip of the collar , as shown in fig8 ( b ) and 8 ( c ). fig9 ( a to c ) shows , in a representation similar to fig5 a to 7c , an embodiment with a bayonet connection and additionally a support ring 7 welded on by spot welds or a welded seam 71 , to increase protection against bursting . to avoid repetition , with respect to the other features in this embodiment , the reader is referred to the description for fig5 to 7 . fig1 a and 10b show designs for another embodiment of the invention in which a collar 2 is once again formed from the material of which container lid 1 is made , into which collar a ring 4 is inserted with an internal thread 21 , said ring being held in position by spot welds 41 at the circumference . the position of the seal is chosen so that it is independent of inserted ring 4 . in the design shown in fig1 b , the thread ( e . g . 3 / 4 inch or 2 inch ) and the position of seal 6 are chosen so that commercial plugs 3 may be used and the sealing function is independent of internally threaded ring 4 . fig1 a to 11c show designs for an embodiment with a &# 34 ; shortened &# 34 ; collar height . in the version shown in fig1 a , collar 2 is produced by simply crimping the material of container 1 outward , forming the sealing surface . an inwardly extending threaded ring 4 is fastened to the crimp by spot welds 41 on the circumference . the versions shown in fig1 b and 11c differ from the version shown in fig1 a in the shape of the crimp and hence the arrangement of the sealing surface and / or sealing element 6 . in addition , holes 22 are provided in welded ring 4 which permit complete emptying of the container . in addition , the internal thread on ring 4 is designed so that commercial plugs may be used . fig1 a to 12f show sealing possibilities in which collar 2 is produced simply by crimping outward . an internally threaded ring 4 is mounted on container lid 1 and fastened by spot welds 41 . sealing is accomplished independently of the threaded connection between plug 3 and ring 4 by a seal 6 between plug 3 and collar 2 created by crimping . in the version shown in fig1 a , internally threaded ring 4 is hollowed out at one end to produce the largest possible inside diameter . the version shown in fig1 b is similarly designed , but additionally has a bead on ring 4 which allows the use of resistance welding for fastening . the version shown in fig1 c has no hollowed - out area on ring 4 so that it is simpler to manufacture . the versions shown in fig1 d to 12f are similarly designed to the version shown in fig1 c and differ essentially only in the design of the bead and hence of seal 6 . the following discussion will refer to the embodiments in fig1 to 19 , which in particular have improved protection against bursting . fig1 shows an embodiment in which collar 2 is produced by deep drawing of an annular protuberance from the non - perforated container material 1 with a subsequent perforation and additional deep drawing . a 2 inch or 3 / 4 inch thread for example is pressed into the double wall thus produced . the design of the thread and the position of the sealing surface are selected so that ordinary plugs 3 may be used . reference number 22 again refers to corresponding holes in &# 34 ; double &# 34 ; collar 2 which permit complete emptying of the container . fig1 shows an embodiment similar to the embodiment shown in fig1 , in which improved protection against bursting is achieved by an additional annular projection 2 &# 39 ; in the form of a crimp or the like . fig1 shows an embodiment in which projection 2 which forms the collar is made so that it shields plug 3 if the container falls down . otherwise this embodiment is largely similar to the embodiments shown in fig1 and 15 . fig1 and 17 also show embodiments that resemble the embodiment in fig1 , in which , by an additional forming process , the annular projection is forced outward until the three walls are located side by side with no gaps between them . then the thread can be stamped in . the differences between fig1 and 17 lie in the sequence of the individual wall parts . fig1 and 19 show embodiments in which bayonet connections are additionally protected , in one case by a corresponding bead 2 &# 39 ; projecting beyond plug 3 and in the other case by an additional welded support ring 7 . following is a description of the invention with reference to fig2 ( a to d ), which shows a flange in a side view , a top view , another side view , and in perspective , the manufacture of a container with a plug . threaded segments 21 are used to fasten plug 3 . these threaded segments are produced by thread - shaped punches 10 which press collar wall 2 against a corresponding threaded mandrel 11 . while punch 10 forces parts of the collar wall into the threaded mandrel , the remaining areas of the flange are positively held by appropriately designed radial holddowns 12 . with the aid of an axial holddown 13 , lid 1 and collar 2 are positioned and held during the production of the threads ; then the threaded mandrel is withdrawn . thus , by providing recesses between the threaded segments , a provision is made such that the now - segmented threaded mandrel can be withdrawn axially by rotating it by a corresponding number of degrees . another improvement in manufacturing is achieved by providing axially movable slides in the recesses between the threaded segments . this has the advantage that when the thread is compressed by the thread punches into the segmented threaded mandrel , the walls of collar 2 which are not machined can be supported by the slides , and then the threaded mandrel as described above can be pulled out of the flange . sealing surface 61 is supported during manufacture by suitable supports so that it keeps its shape within admissible tolerances . to increase the protection of the flange against bursting and bending , integrated and / or additional shaping steps can be provided during manufacture by which for example additional stiffening beads can be produced . although the invention has been shown and described with respect to illustrative embodiments thereof , it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes , omissions and additions in the form and detail thereof may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
the embodiments of the present invention provide a gas - path leakage seal structure for use in a turbine engine . fig1 illustrates first and second turbine engine components comprising first and second adjacent stationary vanes 10 and 12 . the first vane 10 comprises a first airfoil 10 a and a first platform 10 b . the second vane 12 comprises a second airfoil 12 a and a second platform 12 b . the vane airfoils 10 a and 12 a function to guide hot combustion gases to rotatable blades ( not shown ) coupled to a rotor to effect rotation of the rotor . as is apparent from fig1 and 2 , the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b are positioned adjacent to one another . in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention , a seal structure 20 is provided between the adjacent first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b to seal a gap g between the first and second platforms 10 b and 12 b , see fig1 - 4 . the first platform 10 a is provided with first and second circumferentially spaced apart slots 10 c and 10 d and the second platform 12 b is provided with third and fourth circumferentially spaced apart slots 12 c and 12 d . the second and third slots 10 d and 12 c are adjacent to one another and are open to the gap g , see fig1 and 2 . the seal structure 20 fits into the second and third slots 10 d and 12 c and spans across the gap g so as to seal the gap g to prevent the hot working gases moving past the vane airfoils 10 b and 12 b from passing through the gap g . the seal structure 20 also prevents cooling gases or air exposed to lower surfaces 100 a and 120 a of the platforms 10 b and 12 b from passing through gap g . it is also contemplated that the seal structure 20 may be used to seal gaps between other turbine engine components such as blades and ring segments ( not shown ). the first and second vanes 10 and 12 may be formed from a metal alloy via a casting operation . the first , second , third and fourth slots 10 c , 10 d , 12 c and 12 d in the vane platforms 10 b and 12 b may be formed via a conventional electro - discharge machining ( also referred to as electric discharge machining ) operation . the second slot 10 d is defined by first and second inner surfaces 100 c and 100 d in the first vane platform 10 a and the third slot 12 c is defined by third and fourth inner surfaces 120 c and 120 d in the second vane platform 12 b , see fig2 . the first , second , third and fourth inner surfaces 100 c , 100 d , 120 c and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b , because they are formed via an electro - discharge machining operation , have irregular surfaces s i or non - smooth topologies , see fig3 , which is an enlarged schematic view of portions of the third and fourth surfaces 120 c and 120 d in the second vane platform 12 a . the inner surfaces 100 c , 100 d , 120 c and 120 d my have a surface roughness ra falling within a range of from about 0 . 8 micrometer to about 12 . 5 micrometers . in a first embodiment illustrated in fig2 - 4 , the seal structure 20 comprises a wear resistant layer 22 , a core layer 24 and a deformable layer 26 , wherein the core layer 24 is positioned between the wear resistant layer 22 and the deformable layer 26 . in the illustrated embodiment , the wear resistant layer 22 is positioned adjacent to the first and third surfaces 100 c and 120 c of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . hence , the wear resistant layer 22 is exposed to cooling gases , which cooling gases also contact the lower surfaces 100 a and 120 a of the platforms 10 b and 12 b , as noted above . since the wear resistant layer 22 is preferably harder than the first and third surfaces 100 c and 120 c of the first and second vane platforms 1013 and 12 b , the wear resistant layer 22 will experience minimal wear during turbine engine operation . the wear resistant layer 22 may be formed via a conventional laser cladding operation from one of a metal powder , e . g ., nickel alloys , and a ceramic powder . such a laser cladding operation may involve injecting a metal or ceramic powder towards a laser beam , such that the laser beam melts the powder , which melted powder is then deposited onto a substrate , i . e ., the core layer 24 . preferably , the wear resistant layer 22 is slightly harder than the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . hardness of the wear resistant layer 22 can be defined by selecting a metal powder or ceramic powder having a desired hardness , which , preferably , exceeds that of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . the core layer 24 may be formed from a metal such as a nickel or cobalt based alloy and functions to provide load carrying strength and / or provide a spring function to the seal structure 20 . in the illustrated embodiment , the deformable layer 26 is positioned adjacent to the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . hence , the deformable layer 26 is exposed to the hot working gases , which hot gases also contact the airfoils 10 a and 12 a , as noted above . the deformable layer 26 may also be formed via a conventional laser cladding operation from one of a metal powder , e . g ., nickel alloys , and a ceramic powder . preferably , the deformable layer 26 is softer , i . e ., less hard , than the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . softness / hardness of the deformable layer 26 can be selected based on the softness / hardness of the metal powder or ceramic powder used in forming the deformable layer 26 . softness / hardness can also be varied based on the density of the deformable layer 26 , which density can be varied with metal or ceramic powder feed rate as well as by selecting an appropriate laser power . for example , as laser power is decreased , the resulting layer may comprise less densely packed powder particles with more voids between the powder particles , thereby resulting in a less hard and / or more deformable layer 26 . softness / hardness can further be varied based on porosity of the deformable layer 26 , which porosity can be varied based on metal or ceramic powder particle size and / or laser power . for example , as laser power is decreased , the resulting layer may comprise less densely packed powder particles with more voids between the powder particles . preferably , the deformable layer 26 includes an outer surface 260 a , near the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b , and an inner surface 260 b , adjacent the core layer 24 , see fig3 . the deformable layer 26 preferably comprises a density which increases gradually from the outer surface 260 a to the inner surface 260 b . alternatively , the deformable layer 26 may comprise a porosity which decreases gradually from the outer surface 260 a to the inner surface 260 b . fig3 schematically illustrates the seal structure 20 just after it is first inserted into the second and third slots 10 d and 12 c in the vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . during operation of the engine turbine , the cooling gases have a greater pressure than that of the hot working gases . hence , the cooling gases apply a force on the wear resistant layer 22 so as to force the deformable layer 26 against the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . hence , the deformable layer 26 may permanently deform , i . e ., powder or metal particles of the deformable layer 26 may break off from adjacent particles , such that the layer 26 corresponds in shape to the surface imperfections on the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . because the deformable layer 26 conforms to the irregular surfaces s i of the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d , an enhanced seal is made between the seal structure 20 and the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b so as to limit or minimize leakage of hot working gases and / or cooling gases through the gap g . in a second embodiment illustrated in fig5 , the seal structure 20 ′ comprises a wear resistant layer 22 ′ and a deformable layer 26 ′. no metal core layer is provided in this embodiment . the wear resistant and deformable layers 22 ′ and 26 ′ may be formed in the same manner as the wear resistant and deformable layers 22 and 26 illustrated in fig3 and 4 . during operation of the engine turbine , the cooling gases apply a force on the wear resistant layer 22 ′ so as to force the deformable layer 26 ′ against the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . hence , the deformable layer 26 ′ may permanently deform , i . e ., powder or metal particles of the deformable layer 26 ′ may break off from adjacent particles , such that the layer 26 ′ corresponds in shape to the surface imperfections on the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b . because the deformable layer 26 ′ conforms to the irregular surfaces s i of the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d , an enhanced seal is made between the seal structure 20 ′ and the second and fourth surfaces 100 d and 120 d of the first and second vane platforms 10 b and 12 b so as to limit or minimize leakage of hot working gases and / or cooling gases through the gap g . 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 .	5
although specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings , it should be understood that such embodiments are by way of example only and merely illustrative of but a small number of the many possible specific embodiments which can represent applications of the principles of the present invention . various changes and modifications obvious to one skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains are deemed to be within the spirit , scope and contemplation of the present invention as further defined in the appended claims . referring to fig2 - 5 , there is illustrated front elevational and rear elevational views of the wet floor caution sign in the closed condition and perspective views of the wet floor caution sign in the open condition , both looking from the exterior and from the interior . referring to fig2 and 3 , the wet floor caution sign 10 consists of a first panel 20 which has a pair of feet 21 and 22 which rest against the floor 50 a . the panel itself can have any design in addition to the design as illustrated . the panel can also have silkscreened thereon wording such as “ caution ” with a person in a triangle and the words “ wet floor ” beneath it . referring to fig3 , the wet floor caution sign has a second panel 30 larger than first panel 20 which has a pair of feet 31 and 32 which rest on floor 50 a . the second panel 30 also has a hand grip opening 40 by which the sign can be grasped by a hand and carried from one location to another . the two panels 20 and 30 are retained together at the upper location by a spring actuated mechanism 58 which will be discussed in detail below . referring to fig4 , the present invention wet floor caution sign 10 is shown in the open condition from the rear view . the two panels 20 and 30 are at approximately 90 degrees to each other and the feet rest against the floor 50 a so that the two panels are at a 90 degree angle separated by the interlocking mechanism which will be discussed below . referring to fig4 . there is shown the exterior view of the wet floor caution sign wherein the two panels are at 90 degrees to each other . advertising 20 aa and 30 aa can be placed on each of the exterior panels 20 a and 30 a in addition to the customary warning information . referring to fig5 , there is shown the interior view of the wet floor caution sign wherein again the two panels are at 90 degrees to each other . advertising 20 bb and 30 bb can be placed on each of the interior panels numbered 20 b and 30 b . also cautionary wording can be placed . the benefit of this invention is that rather than having two panels that are viewable from the outside , the sign has four panels , both the inside and the outside of each section 20 and 30 , wherein advertising and / or cautionary information can be placed . panel 20 has a distal side edge 23 and proximal side edge 24 . proximal side edge 24 contains a post 26 adjacent its lower end 28 . panel 30 has a distal side edge 33 and a proximal side edge 34 . proximal side edge 34 has collar 36 adjacent its lower end 38 . proximal side edges 26 and 36 are adjacent to each other . collar 36 rotatably fits over post 26 and provides the rotatable opening and closing means at the bottom for the sign 10 . it will be appreciated that other combinations of rotatable opening and closing means are within the spirit and scope of the present invention and the purpose of the rotatable opening and closing means adjacent the bottom of the sign 10 is to provide a balance at the bottom of the sign as the primary opening and closing means is the locking mechanism adjacent the top of the sign . the unique locking mechanism provides the rotatable opening closing means for the sign 10 . the primary opening and closing meas for the sign by which it is opened and closed is by an actuated pushbutton mechanism which is shown in fig6 a and 6b . the preferred embodiment operates in a unique manner , never before seen in the art . referring to fig7 , the present invention has two panels , a first panel 20 and a second panel 30 , however , unlike the prior art , the two panels are not hinged together at their tops , but instead , are rotatable affixed along one of their vertical sides . also unlike the prior art , these two panels are not free to flop open and closed , but instead have a locking mechanism 58 that controls the positions of the two panels relative to each other . the locking mechanism 58 has cylindrical housing 60 . at the top end of the cylindrical housing 60 is located a button 80 , and at the opposite end is a bottom collar 90 . the bottom collar 90 contains two notches 91 and 92 . the present invention also has an engagement bar 62 . the engagement bar 62 is preferably comprised of a single rod having four sections divided by generally right angles 62 a , 62 b , 62 c and 62 d such that there are two portions of the rod 62 a and 62 c that are horizontal and two portions of the rod 62 b and 62 d that are vertical . the first vertical portion 62 d resides within the cylindrical housing 60 and engages the button 80 . there are many methods by which the engagement bar may engage the button , and is shown preferably engaged by a spring mechanism 66 , the spring being attached to the underside of the button 80 on one end and to the first vertical portion 62 d of the engagement rod at its other end . the first vertical portion of the engagement rod 62 d is followed by a first horizontal portion of the engagement rod 62 a . the first horizontal portion of the engagement rod exits the cylindrical housing 60 at the bottom collar 90 and engages with the two notches 91 and 92 in the bottom collar 90 , one notch at a time . the first notch 91 is positioned such that when the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a is retained in the first notch 91 , the two panels of the present invention 20 and 30 are in a closed position . the second notch 92 is positioned approximately 90 - degrees clockwise from the first notch 91 , so that when the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a is retained in the second notch 92 , the two panels 20 and 30 of the present invention are in the open position . the locking mechanism 58 is affixed to the second panel 30 , thus , the first vertical portion of the engagement rod 62 d is joined to the second panel 30 by being within the cylindrical housing 60 of the locking mechanism 58 , the first horizontal portion 62 a goes between the second panel 30 and the first panel 20 , and the remaining portions of the engagement bar serve to connect to the first panel to the second panel by being retained in the retention means 27 on the first panel 20 . as the engagement rod moves from the first notch 91 to the second notch 92 , the first panel 20 moves correspondingly and respectively from a closed position to an open position . the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a moves from notch to notch and is retained therein as follows . starting with the preferred embodiment of the present invention in the closed position , the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a is retained in the first notch 91 and first panel 20 and second panel 30 are touching each other , in the closed position . the first vertical portion of the engagement bar 62 d is engaged by a tight spring 66 to the underside of the button 80 of the locking mechanism 58 . to open the present invention , the button 80 is depressed . depressing the button 80 , puts pressure on the spring 66 within the cylindrical housing 60 . although the spring 66 wants to deform , and does deform slightly , the spring 66 is tight enough to transfer the downward force from depressing the button 80 to the top of the vertical portion of the engagement bar 62 d . the engagement bar 62 , when experiencing the downward force from the spring 66 , may flex slightly , may flex the retention means 26 and 36 on the first panel 20 slightly , or both . there does not need to be a lot of movement , only enough downward movement on the first vertical portion of the engagement bar 62 d to result in the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a being pushed below the rim of the bottom collar 91 of the cylindrical housing 60 . once the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a is below the rim of the bottom collar 91 , the first panel 20 is free to be moved by hand or swung over to the second notch 92 . once the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a has been moved away from the first notch 91 , the user may release the button 80 at any time , thus when the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a reaches the second notch 92 , the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a is pulled up into the second notch 92 and is retained there . this is because the top of the first vertical portion of the engagement bar 62 d is no longer experiencing a downward force , and being attached to the spring 66 , which in turn is attached to the underside of the button 80 , is no longer displaced and therefore is forced by the spring 66 to return to its original vertical position , and the present invention is “ locked ” into an open position . the process to close the present invention is nearly identical , the difference being the moving of or the swinging of the first horizontal portion of the engagement bar 62 a from the second notch 92 back to the first notch 91 , whereupon the engagement bar is again pulled up into the first notch 91 and is releasably “ locked ” in that position . referring to fig8 - 11 , there is illustrated front elevational and rear elevational views of an alternative embodiment of the wet floor caution sign in the closed condition and perspective views of the wet floor caution sign in the open condition , both looking from the exterior and from the interior . referring to fig8 and 9 , the wet floor caution sign 110 consists of a first panel 120 which has a pair of feet 121 and 122 which rest against the floor 50 b . the panel itself can have any design in addition to the design as illustrated . the panel can also have silkscreened thereon wording such as “ caution ” with a person in a triangle and the words “ wet floor ” beneath it . referring to fig9 , the wet floor caution sign has a second panel 130 larger than first panel 120 which has a pair of feet 131 and 132 . the second panel 130 also has a hand grip opening 140 by which the sign can be grasped by a hand and carried from one location to another . panel 120 has a distal side edge 123 and a proximal side edge 124 . proximal side edge 124 contains a post 126 adjacent to its lower end 128 . panel 130 has a distal side edge 133 and a proximal side edge 134 . proximal side edge 134 has a collar 136 adjacent its lower end 138 . proximal side edges 126 and 136 are adjacent to each other . collar 136 rotatably fits over post 126 and provides a rotatable opening and closing means at the bottom for the sign 110 . it will be appreciated that other combinations of rotatable opening and closing means are within the spirit and scope of the present invention and the purpose of the rotatable opening and closing means adjacent the bottom of the sign is to provide a balance at the bottom of the sign . the primary opening and closing means is a locking mechanism adjacent the top of the sign . the two panels 120 and 130 are retained together at the upper location by a spring actuated mechanism 158 which will be discussed in detail below . referring to fig1 , the present invention wet floor caution sign 110 is shown in the open condition from the rear view . the two panels 120 and 130 are at approximately 90 degrees to each other and the feet rest against the floor so that the two panels are at a 90 degree angle separated by the interlocking mechanism which will be discussed below . referring to fig1 , there is shown the exterior view of the wet floor caution sign wherein the two panels are at 90 degrees to each other . advertising can be placed on each of the exterior panels 120 a and 130 a in addition to the customary warning information . referring to fig1 , there is shown the interior view of the wet floor caution sign wherein again the two panels are at 90 degrees to each other . advertising can be placed on each of the interior panels numbered 120 b and 130 b . also cautionary wording can be placed . the benefit of this invention is that rather than having two panels that are viewable from the outside , the sign has four panels , both the inside and the outside of each section 120 and 130 , wherein advertising and / or cautionary information can be placed the sign is opened and closed by an actuated pushbutton mechanism which is shown in fig1 a and 12b . the second embodiment works in a very similar manner . the second embodiment has two panels , a first panel 120 and a second panel 130 that are rotatably attached along one of their vertical sides . the lower rotatable mechanism with the post and collar is the same as the first mechanism . the second embodiment has a locking mechanism 158 that controls the positions of the two panels relative to each other . the locking mechanism 158 has two housings , an upper housing 160 affixed to the second panel 130 and a lower housing 170 affixed to the first panel 120 . at the top end of the upper housing 160 is located a button 180 , and at the opposite end is a bottom collar 190 . the bottom collar 190 contains two notches 191 and 192 . the second housing 170 abuts the side of the first panel 120 and has a small nipple 194 residing on its upper surface , near the perimeter thereof , and is located and sized to fit within the notches 191 and 192 on the bottom collar 190 of the first housing . residing within both the first housing and the second housing is an engagement rod , 160 r having a first end 160 a and a second end 160 b . the first end 160 a of the engagement rod 160 r resides within the first housing 160 and is attached by spring 166 to the underside of the button 180 . the second end 160 b of the engagement rod 160 r resides within the second housing 170 and is preferably non - rotationally fixed therein . in other words , the engagement rod 160 r is affixed to the second housing 160 b in such a manner that it can freely rotate within the first housing 160 and does not freely rotate within the second housing 170 , and as the engagement rod moves , so does the first panel 120 , without affecting movement on the second panel 130 . with regard to the two notches 191 and 192 of the second embodiment , the first notch 191 is positioned such that when the nipple 194 on the second housing 170 is retained in the first notch 192 , the two panels 120 and 130 of the present invention are in a closed position . the second notch 191 is positioned approximately 90 - degrees clockwise from the first notch 192 , so that when the nipple 194 on the second housing 170 is retained in the second notch 191 , the two panels 120 and 130 of the present invention are in the open position . the second embodiment 110 opens and closes in the following manner . starting with the second embodiment 110 of the present invention in the closed position , the nipple 194 on the second housing is retained in the first notch 192 , and first panel 120 and second panel 130 are touching each other , in the closed position . the first end of the engagement bar 160 a is engaged by a tight spring 166 to the underside of the button 180 of the locking mechanism 158 . to open the present invention , the button 180 is depressed . depressing the button 180 puts pressure on the spring 166 within the first housing 160 . although the spring 166 wants to deform , and does deform slightly , the spring 166 is tight enough to transfer the downward force from depressing the button 180 to the top of the first end 160 a of the engagement bar 160 r . the engagement rod 160 b , when experiencing the downward force from the spring 166 , moves correspondingly downwards , and the first panel 120 may flex slightly , the hinges on the side may flex slightly , or both . there does not need to be a lot of movement , only enough downward movement on the first end 160 a of the engagement rod 160 r to result in the first panel 120 being pushed downwardly so that the nipple 194 disengages the first notch 192 and is pushed below the rim of the bottom collar 190 of the first housing 160 . once nipple 194 is below the rim of the bottom collar 190 , the first panel 120 is free to be moved by hand or swung over to the second notch 192 . once the nipple 194 has been moved away from the first notch 192 , the user may release the button 180 at any time , thus when the nipple 194 reaches the second notch 191 , the nipple 194 is pulled up into the second notch 192 and is retained there . this is because the top of the first vertical portion of the engagement rod 160 a is no longer experiencing a downward force , and being attached to the spring 166 , which in turn is attached to the underside of the button 180 , is no longer displaced and therefore is forced by the spring 166 to return to its original vertical position , and the present invention is “ locked ” into an open position . the process to close the present invention is nearly identical , the difference being the moving of or the swinging of the nipple 194 from the second notch 191 back to the first notch 192 , whereupon the engagement rod 160 r is again pulled up into the first notch 192 and the nipple 194 is releasably “ locked ” in that position . the present invention wet floor caution sign is a significant improvement over the prior art in that it provides for a much more stable structure where the two panels are intersecting 90 degrees to each other and the sign has four sides on which advertising or cautionary information can be displayed . in addition , the sign is much easier to carry in that there is a handle member molded into one of the two sections so that when the wet floor caution sign is folded flat as illustrated in fig2 and 3 , the sign can be carried by hand and when it is desired to have the sign in the open and activated condition , the pushbutton 80 is pushed down to overcome the force of the spring force 72 so that the interlocking mechanism 90 can be activated and retain the two panels 20 and 30 at 90 degrees to each other with their respective feet 21 , 22 , 31 and 32 resting against the floor where there is a wet location . of course the present invention is not intended to be restricted to any particular form or arrangement , or any specific embodiment , or any specific use , disclosed herein , since the same may be modified in various particulars or relations without departing from the spirit or scope of the claimed invention hereinabove shown and described of which the apparatus or method shown is intended only for illustration and disclosure of an operative embodiment and not to show all of the various forms or modifications in which this invention might be embodied or operated .	6
some embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . [ 0061 ] fig4 exemplifies the construction of a bit line potential overdrive circuit of a dram according to a first embodiment of the present invention . the bit line potential overdrive circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention , which is shown in fig4 is featured in that the circuit comprises a vblh power supply line 1 . to be more specific , in the conventional bit line potential overdrive circuit , the power supply of the bit line overdrive potential vint and the power supply of the bit line final potential vblh are connected to the pcs node . in the first embodiment of the present invention , however , a vblh potential generation circuit 2 for allowing the power supply of vint to generate a potential of vblh , a transistor q 10 for supplying the overdrive potential vint to the bit line bln , and the charge adjusting capacitance c are connected to the vblh power supply line 1 , and the vblh power supply line 1 is connected to the pcs node 3 . in the prior art , the bit line overdrive potential serves to overdrive directly the bit line . in the first embodiment of the present invention , however , the bit line overdrive potential vint serves to charge ( pre - charge ) the total capacitance of the vblh line 1 including the charge adjusting capacitance c to a potential in the vicinity of the final potential vblh ( vblh & lt ; vint ). the potential of the bit line bln is finally imparted by the vblh potential generation circuit 2 and is held . to be more specific , as shown in fig4 the charge adjusting capacitance 10 , the p - channel transistor q 10 serving to connect the power supply of the bit line overdrive potential vint to the vblh power supply line 1 upon receipt of the control signal / pset 1 , and a vblh potential generation circuit 2 generating the bit line final potential vblh by using the power supply of the potential vint are connected to the vblh power supply line 1 . also , the p - channel transistor q 8 serving to transfer the potential of the vblh power supply line 1 to the pcs node 3 upon receipt of the control signal / pset 2 is connected to the vblh power supply line 1 . the construction of the other portion is equal to that shown in fig2 and , thus , the same constituents are denoted by the same reference numerals so as to avoid an overlapping description . the operation of the bit line potential overdrive circuit of the dram according to the first embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the timing wave form diagram shown in fig5 . as described previously , the bit line potential overdrive circuit according to the first embodiment of the present invention widely differs from the conventional bit line potential overdrive circuit in the circuit operation in respect of the method of using the vblh power supply . the operation of the bit line overdrive circuit will now be described with reference to fig5 . ( 1 ) while the word line wln is set at “ l ” and the cell capacitor cc is separated from the bit line bln , / pset 1 is set at “ l ” and the transistor q 10 is turned on so as to connect the power supply of the potential vint to the vblh power supply line 1 . also , / pset 2 is set at “ h ” and the transistor q 8 is turned off so as to separate the pcs node 3 from the vblh power supply line 1 . in this fashion , the potential of the vblh power supply line is charged ( pre - charged ) to the potential vint ( vint & gt ; vblh ). it should be noted that , since the / pset 2 is set at “ h ”, the transistor q 8 is turned off , the nset is set at “ l ”, and the transistor q 7 is turned off in this case , the sense amplifier is in the stand - by state and , thus , the potential of each of pcs and ncs is set at vblh / 2 . ( 2 ) the word line wln is set at “ h ” so as to connect the cell capacitor cc to the bit line bln through the cell transistor qc . the charge of the cell capacitor cc is read out to the bit line bln . then , the / pset 1 is set at “ h ” and the transistor q 10 is turned off so as to separate the power supply of the bit line overdrive potential vint from the vblh power supply line 1 . incidentally , since the states that the / pset 2 is set at “ h ” and that the nset is set at “ l ” are left unchanged , the stand - by state of the sense amplifier is maintained . ( 3 ) if the nset is set at “ h ” under the states that the / pset 1 is set at “ h ” and that the / pset 2 is set at “ h ”, the transistor q 7 is turned on so as to activate the n - channel side of the sense amplifier and , thus , to lower the potential of the complementary bit line / bln to vss . then , if the / pset 2 is set at “ l ” so as to turn on the transistor q 8 , the vblh power supply line 1 charged to the bit line overdrive potential vint and the bit line bln are connected to each other so as to activate the p - channel side of the sense amplifier and , thus , the potential of the bit line bln is rapidly elevated as shown in the upper stage of fig5 . also , since the charge stored in the vblh power supply line 1 is released , the potential of the vblh power supply line 1 is lowered from vint to vblh as shown in the lower stage of fig5 . as described above , the charge of the cell capacitor cc is read out to the bit line bln . also , the charge of the vblh power supply line charged to the bit line overdrive potential vint is transmitted through the route of the activated sense amplifier , the bit line bln ( or complementary bit line / bln ), the transfer transistor qc , and the cell capacitor cc via the transistor q 8 , with the result that the cell capacitor cc is restored in the bit line final potential vblh . the value of the bit line final potential vblh , which is determined by the operation that the charge of the vblh power supply line 1 charged to the bit line overdrive potential vint is discharged through the route noted above , is determined by the charge share based on the total of the capacitance of the vblh power supply line 1 , the parasitic capacitance of the vblh potential generation circuit 2 and the charge adjusting capacitance c connected to the vblh power supply line 1 , the capacitance of the bit line bln and the capacitance of the memory cell . it follows that , if the balance of these capacitance values is optimized , it is possible to charge the bit line and the memory cell to vblh without operating the vblh potential generation circuit 2 . however , because of the nonuniformity of the manufacturing process , it is practically difficult to make the bit line final potential exactly equal to vblh . therefore , in the first embodiment of the present invention , prepared is the vblh potential generation circuit 2 so as to make the bit line final potential exactly equal to vblh . according to the overdrive circuit of the semiconductor memory device according to the first embodiment of the present invention , it is possible to use one system of substantially vblh alone as the power supply for imparting the overdrive potential to the bit line , making it possible to decrease the chip size , compared with the conventional semiconductor memory device . also , it is unnecessary to switch the supply path of the bit line charge potential during activation of the sense amplifier , which is required in the prior art , and it suffices to redistribute the charge pre - charged to the vblh power supply line to the bit line capacitor and the cell capacitor . as a result , the generation of the power supply noise can be markedly suppressed . a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig6 . the second embodiment is directed to the circuit for adjusting the value of the charge adjusting capacitance c added to the vblh power supply line described previously in conjunction with the first embodiment . if the final potential of the bit line is made as close to vblh as possible in the bit line potential overdrive circuit described previously in conjunction with the first embodiment , it is possible to suppress the power consumption of the vblh potential generation circuit . also , it is possible to eliminate the vblh potential generation circuit , if the final potential of the bit line is allowed to coincide with vblh with a high accuracy . such being the situation , it is desirable to adjust the value of the charge adjusting capacitance c added to the vblh power supply line as precisely as possible . the construction of the adjusting circuit of the charge adjusting capacitance c according to the second embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig6 . as shown in the drawing , the adjusting circuit of the charge adjusting capacitance c comprises a vblh power supply line 1 , a transfer gate 9 consisting of a pair of a p - channel transistor and an n - channel transistor , inverters inv 0 to invn , and miniature capacitors c 0 to cn for adjusting the charge . the other terminals of the miniature capacitors c 0 to cn are connected to the ground or vss . the charge adjusting capacitance c is the sum of the capacitance values of c 0 to cn . if any of the trim signals tr 0 to trn supplied to the inverters inv 0 to invn is set at “ h ”, the corresponding miniature capacitor is connected to the vblh power supply line 1 via the transfer gate 9 . on the other hand , if any of the trim signals tr 0 to trn supplied to the inverters inv 0 to invn is set at “ l ”, the corresponding miniature capacitor is separated from the vblh power supply line 1 . the trim signals tr 0 to trn are prepared as a part of the signals included in the test program of the function test conducted after the manufacture of the semiconductor memory device . in the function test , the combination of “ h ” and “ l ” of the trim signals tr 0 to trn optimizing the operation of the semiconductor memory device is determined and coded . the trim signals tr 0 to trn thus coded are written in , for example , a fuse rom ( read only memory ) integrated in the semiconductor memory device . when the semiconductor memory device is operated , the coded trim signals are read out so as to optimize the value of the charge adjusting capacitance c . a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig7 . in the third embodiment , it will be described that it is possible for the timing of the operation to separate the vblh power supply line 1 from the power supply of the bit line overdrive potential vint with the control signal / pset 1 set at “ h ” and the transistor q 10 turned off to be different from that in the first embodiment . in the bit line potential overdrive circuit described previously in conjunction with the first embodiment , the operation to set the control signal / pset 1 at “ h ” was performed in the time region ( 2 ), as shown in fig5 . to be more specific , after the charge of the cell capacitor cc is read out to the bit line bln with the word line wln se at “ h ”, the power supply of the bit line overdrive potential vint was separated from the vblh power supply line 1 with the / pset 1 set at “ h ” and the transistor q 10 turned off . in the third embodiment of the present invention , however , the operation to set the control signal / pset 1 at “ h ” is performed within the time region ( 3 ), as shown in fig7 . in the third embodiment of the present invention , after the p - channel side of the sense amplifier is activated within the time region ( 3 ) with the / pset 2 set at “ l ” and the transistor q 8 turned on , the vblh power supply line 1 is separated from the power supply of the bit line overdrive potential vint with the / pset 1 set at “ h ” and the transistor q 10 turned off . in other words , even after the vblh power supply line 1 is connected to the pcs node with the / pset 2 set at “ l ” and the transistor q 8 turned on , the current continues to be supplied from the power supply of the bit line overdrive potential vint via the transistor q 10 , and the vblh power supply line 1 is separated from the bit line overdrive potential vint with the / pset 1 set at “ h ” and the transistor q 10 turned off before the bit line bln reaches the bit line final potential vblh so as to supply the charge stored in the vblh power supply line 1 including the charge adjusting capacitance c to the pcs node . the particular construction of the third embodiment permits flexibly coping with various cases in the design of the bit line overdrive circuit including the case where the time for charging the vblh power supply line 1 to the bit line overdrive potential vint is insufficient in view of the requirement for the improved operation speed , the case where it is impossible to increase sufficiently the value of the charge adjusting capacitance c because of the limitation in the layout , and the case where it is desirable to conduct the operation to set the control signal / pset 1 at “ h ” after activation of the sense amplifier depending on the characteristics of the power supply of vint . a fourth embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig8 . the fourth embodiment covers the case where the bit line overdrive circuit of the present invention is applied to the dram of a multi - bank structure . a four bank structure is employed in , for example , a dram product of 256 megabits . in this case , a high speed interleave writing / reading is performed by using a bank select signal . [ 0091 ] fig8 shows as an example the arrangement of the bit line overdrive circuit of the present invention in the multi - bank dram of the four bank structure . in this multi - bank dram , a memory cell array 10 of the multi - bank structure consisting of banks 1 to 4 having vblh power supply lines of vblh 1 to vblh 4 is formed on a semiconductor chip 20 . in the dram of the multi - bank structure , the word line is selected for each bank and , thus , the vblh power supply lines described previously in conjunction with the first to third embodiments of the present invention are arranged separately from each other for each bank . on the other hand , in the conventional bit line potential overdrive circuit , it is necessary to arrange power supplies of two systems for vint and vblh for each sense amplifier region arranged by further dividing each bank . it is also necessary to arrange large size transistors of two system for controlling the power supplies of the two systems . in other words , the conventional bit line potential overdrive circuit requires a complex wiring , with the result that the chip size is increased . in the bit line overdrive circuit of the present invention , however , it suffices to arrange the vblh power supply line forming the main constituent of the circuit for each bank . also , concerning the power supply system , it suffices to arrange only the power supply for the bit line overdrive potential vblh . it follows that it is possible to markedly decrease the number of large size transistors and the wiring amount . incidentally , the arrows shown in fig8 denote the draw in of the wirings from the vblh power supply line 1 arranged for each bank to the sense amplifier region divided in the bank . to be more specific , in the bit line overdrive circuit of the present invention , it suffices to form collectively the vblh potential generation circuit , the large size transistor q 8 , q 10 and the charge adjusting capacitance , which generate a problem in terms of the layout , in the arranging region of the vblh power supply line 1 and to simply draw the wiring in the sense amplifier region divided in each bank . the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above . for example , in each of the embodiments described above , the transistors q 8 and q 10 for transmitting the bit line overdrive potential were formed of p - channel transistors . however , it is also possible for these transistors q 8 and q 10 to be formed of n - channel transistors . further , various other modifications are available within the technical scope of the present invention . as described above , the present invention provides a semiconductor memory device equipped with a bit line overdrive circuit , particularly , the present invention provides a multi - bank semiconductor memory device . according to the semiconductor memory device of the present invention , it suffices to arrange a bit line potential overdrive circuit consisting of a power supply of a single system and a large size transistor of a single system for each bank , making it possible to decrease the chip size of the semiconductor memory device . it should also be noted that it suffices to use a power supply system of a single system for the overdriving of the bit line potential . since it is unnecessary to switch the power supply system as in the prior art for preventing an excessive overdriving of the bit line potential , the power supply noise can be eliminated . what should also be noted is that , since the bit line potential overdrive circuit of the present invention is arranged for each bank , the memory core portion of the semiconductor memory device is not affected in terms of the layout . 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
[ 0020 ] fig1 shows part of a relay box 1 having a carrier plate 2 . the relay box 1 serves to connect electrical conductors to a relay 4 . the relay box 1 houses a carrier for the relay signal conductors and control conductors which are to be switched . a relay box housing has the carrier plate 2 positioned on an upper side and connected to a side wall 3 . further side walls and housing parts of the relay box are not explicitly illustrated . the carrier plate 2 has plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 for receiving plug contacts of a relay 4 . in each of the plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 there is arranged an electrical receptacle contact 59 which is in turn connected to electrical conductors . on the left side of the carrier plate are illustrated three relays 4 , plugged into three corresponding plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 . the plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 are preferably arranged perpendicular to the edge of the carrier plate 2 which is joined to the side wall 3 . in the embodiment described , each relay 4 has four contact pins 58 ( fig1 ). three of these contact pins 58 are plugged into the plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 and hence into the associated receptacle contacts . three plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 are arranged on the carrier plate 2 to receive three respective contact pins 58 of the relay 4 . while the fourth plug opening 9 is located in a plug - in module 5 for receiving a fourth contact pin 58 of the relay 4 . the plug - in module 5 is detachably mounted to the relay box 1 . the three plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 are arranged near the side wall 3 . the side wall 3 has a mount 12 in the form of a first and a second retaining member 14 , 15 . the first and second retaining members 14 , 15 are each constructed in the form of an elongate angled holding strip . the first and the second retaining members 14 , 15 are angled with respect to each other and project from the side wall 3 at a predetermined spacing , so that two opposing holding edges 48 are formed . the retaining member 15 has a latching cutout 49 for receiving a latching lug on the plug - in module 5 . between the first and the second retaining members 14 , 15 the side wall 3 has a cutout 11 which is arranged parallel to and between the first and second retaining members 14 , 15 . both the cutout 11 and the first and second retaining members 14 , 15 are freely accessible from the upper side , so that a plug - in module 5 can be pushed into either the cutout 11 or the mount 12 . provided next to one another on the carrier plate 2 are mounts 12 which are arranged next to one another for receiving a plurality of relays 4 . because of the advantageous arrangement of the plug contacts in the region of the edge where the carrier plate 2 meets the side wall 3 , a compact arrangement of the relays 4 with the plug - in modules 5 is possible . a relay 4 has all four contact pins 58 ( fig1 ) on an underside and , when a relay 4 is plugged in , these are arranged in the direction of the carrier plate 2 . however , at least one contact pin 58 is arranged next to the carrier plate 2 and is plugged into a fourth plug opening 9 in a plug - in module 5 . the plug - in module 5 has a rear side which is secured in the mount 12 . provided on an upper side of the plug - in module 5 is a fuse mount 50 which serves to hold a fuse 16 . the fuse mount 50 is freely accessible from above the fourth plug opening 9 located between the fuse mount 50 and the rear side of the plug - in module 5 . the fourth plug opening 9 is preferably arranged with the longitudinal side parallel to the rear side of the plug - in module 5 . similarly , the fuse mount 50 is preferably arranged on the upper side , parallel to the side edge of the rear side of the plug - in module 5 . because of the preferred arrangement of the fuse mount 50 and the fourth plug opening 9 , a compact structure of the plug - in module 5 is possible with a small surface area on the upper side . furthermore , the arrangement of the fuse mount 50 on the upper side of the plug - in module 5 offers the advantage that it is easily discernible which fuse 16 belongs with which relay 4 . opposite the upper side , on an underside of the plug - in module 5 , a conductor 10 is connected to the plug - in module 5 . preferably , the longitudinal side of the fourth plug opening 9 is not arranged parallel to the longitudinal sides of the first , second and third plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 , to prevent incorrect insertion of the relay 4 . it goes without saying that the contact pins associated with the plug openings 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 are also arranged in the corresponding orientation . in the embodiment described , the second and third plug openings 7 , 8 are used to connect control conductors to the relay 4 . the first plug opening 6 and the fourth plug opening 9 are used as terminals for a signal conductor to be switched . the relay 4 serves as a switch which closes or opens the conductor to be switched ( completes or opens the circuit ) by way of the first and fourth plug openings 6 , 9 , in dependence on the control signals . [ 0026 ] fig2 shows a view from above of the carrier plate 2 . a first and a second retaining member 21 , 22 of the fuse mount 50 are arranged opposite one another at a predetermined spacing . the retaining members 21 , 22 have on the mutually facing sides latching hooks which hold a fuse 16 firmly after it has been pushed into the fuse mount 50 from above . between the retaining members 21 , 22 are a fifth and a sixth plug opening 19 , 20 which are arranged with their longitudinal sides corresponding to the longitudinal side of the fuse mount 50 . the fifth and sixth plug openings 19 , 20 serve to receive a first and a second fuse contact 17 , 18 of a fuse 16 . a fuse 16 is pushed from above , with the first and second fuse contacts 17 , 18 forward , into the fuse mount 50 and the correspondingly associated fifth and sixth plug openings 19 , 20 . in so doing , the fuse 16 is pushed in far enough for the fuse 16 to be held firmly in a seated position by the first and second retaining members 21 , 22 . furthermore , the shape , angled in cross - section , of the first and second retaining members 14 , 15 and the central adjustment of the cutout 11 between the first and second retaining members 14 , 15 are clearly visible . the relays 4 have two diametrically arranged spacers 51 on two opposing side faces . the arrangement of the spacers 51 is selected to ensure correct insertion of the relay 4 into the plug openings of the carrier plate 2 and into the plug opening of the plug - in module 5 . in fig2 a plug opening arrangement 52 used for plugging in a single relay 4 is encircled by a dashed line . for each relay 4 , a corresponding plug opening arrangement 52 is provided , with the plug opening arrangements 52 being arranged next to one another near an edge of the carrier plate 2 . [ 0030 ] fig3 shows a perspective view of the rear side of the plug - in module 5 . here , the shape of the first and second retaining members 21 , 22 can clearly be seen . each retaining member 21 , 22 has at the upper end a latching hook 56 for receiving a fuse 16 . the two retaining members 21 , 22 are surrounded by a protective frame 23 . the protective frame 23 has raised protective elements 54 in the region of the first and second retaining members 21 , 22 which are extended beyond the retaining members 21 , 22 . between the retaining members 21 , 22 , the protective frame 23 has connection web 53 . the preferred embodiment of the protective frame 23 makes it possible to mount and remove the fuse 16 simply and yet ensures that the retaining members 21 , 22 are screened , so that inadvertently detaching the fuse 16 or damaging the retaining members 21 , 22 is prevented . two mutually parallel rails 25 are constructed on the rear side of the plug - in module 5 near the fourth plug opening 9 . the rails 25 run substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the plug - in module 5 . the rails 25 serve to guide and orient the plug - in module 5 in the cutout 11 . the position of the rails 25 when a plug - in module 5 is pushed in can clearly be seen in fig2 . furthermore , the plug - in module 5 has first and a second rails 26 , 27 located on the side edges of the rear side facing opposite one another . when the plug - in module 5 is pushed into the mount 12 , the first and second rails 26 , 27 are pushed into the region delimited by the first and second angled retaining members 14 , 15 . the lateral spacing between the first and second holding rails 26 , 27 are matched to the spacing between the first and second retaining members 14 , 15 . in the upper region , the first and second holding rails 26 , 27 have a stop wall 30 which lies on the upper side of the first and second retaining members 14 . the position of the stop wall 30 establishes the vertical position of a plug - in module 5 when plugged into the carrier plate 2 . furthermore , a latching lug 24 which latches into the latching cutout 49 ( fig1 ) is constructed in the top right - hand region of the rear side of the plug - in module 5 . the plug - in module 5 is detached by urging a flexible tab 55 on which the latching lug 24 is formed away from the latching cutout 49 . the flexible tab 55 is connected to the housing of the plug - in module 5 by connection webs 57 . [ 0033 ] fig4 shows a view of the underside of the plug - in module 5 , with a first and a second holding cutout 28 , 29 formed by the first and second holding rails 26 , 27 being clearly visible . when the plug - in module 5 is fixed to the carrier plate 2 , the angled longitudinal edges of the first and second retaining members 14 , 15 are pushed into the first and second holding cutouts 28 , 29 respectively . furthermore , a cable opening 38 for receiving a plug connector 37 is provided on the underside of the plug - in module 5 . an electrical conductor 10 is connected to the plug connector 37 . furthermore , a first and a second clamp opening 31 , 32 are provided on the underside for receiving a bridge clamp 33 . the bridge clamp 33 has a first and a second clamping arm 34 , 36 , being electrically connected to one another by a rear connection plate 35 . the first and second clamp limbs 34 , 36 and the connection plate 35 are made from an electrically conductive material . the housing of the plug - in module 5 and the relay box 1 are made from an electrically insulating material . the first and second clamp limbs 34 , 36 each have two opposing double clamps . a latching lug 39 projects from a short transverse side of the connection plate 35 . when the bridge clamp 33 is pushed into the first and second clamp openings 31 , 32 , the latching lug 39 engages in a latching cutout 40 on the inside of the housing . in this way , the bridge clamp 33 is securing latched . corresponding fixing means are also constructed on the plug connector 37 and the inner wall of the cable opening 38 in order to connect the plug connector 37 firmly to the plug - in module 5 . [ 0034 ] fig5 shows the plug - in module 5 with the bridge clamp 33 plugged in and the plugged - in plug connector 37 with the electrical conductor 10 . [ 0035 ] fig6 shows the upper side of the plug - in module 5 in an enlarged illustration . the first clamping arm 34 of the bridge clamp 33 is illustrated diagrammatically in the fourth plug opening 9 . a contact pin of the relay 4 , which is plugged into the fourth plug opening 9 , is received by the first clamping arm 34 to form an electrical connection . furthermore , the second clamping arm 36 can be seen diagrammatically in the sixth plug opening 20 . if a fuse with a second fuse contact 18 is pushed into the fuse mount 50 , then the second fuse contact 18 is grasped by the second clamping arm 36 to form an electrical contact between the bridge clamp 33 and the second fuse contact 18 . furthermore , the plug connector 37 can be seen in the fifth plug opening 19 . when a fuse 16 is plugged in , the plug connector 37 receives the first fuse contact 17 and makes an electrical connection between the conductor 10 and the first fuse contact 17 . in fig7 the electrical contact is clearly shown between the electrical conductor 10 , with a conductor 46 , and a first contact 44 . the first contact 44 is arranged in the plug connector 37 . above the first contact 44 in the housing of the plug - in module 5 , the fifth plug opening 19 is illustrated the first contact 44 comprises two contact arms which are pre - tensioned toward each other and form a funnel - like receiving region corresponding with the fifth plug opening 19 . in fig8 the arrangement of the first and second contact arms 34 , 36 of the bridge clamp 33 can clearly be seen . the first contact arm 34 is associated with the fourth plug opening 9 and the second contact arm 36 is associated with the fifth plug opening 20 . in fig1 , once again a cross - section through the fifth and sixth plug openings 19 , 20 is illustrated . here , it can be seen that the first contact 44 is composed of two opposing spring arms . when a plug - in module 5 is plugged onto the carrier plate 2 and a relay is plugged into both the carrier plate 2 and the plug - in module 5 , the conductor 10 to be switched is connected through the fifth plug opening 19 , the fuse 16 , the sixth plug opening 20 , the bridge clamp 33 and the fourth plug opening 9 to a contact pin of the relay 4 . the relay 4 preferably has as the input to the conductor to be switched by a plug contact which is associated with the second plug opening 7 . the first and third plug openings 6 , 8 are used to feed control signals and preferably a control voltage to the relay . [ 0040 ] fig1 shows a relay 4 from the underside , with four contact pins 58 which project downwards out of the relay 4 . an advantage of the invention consists in setting at least one electrical terminal of a relay outside a carrier plate . the missing electrical terminal is constructed on a plug - in module 5 which is detachably connected to the carrier plate 2 .	7
an exemplary embodiment of the invention is a system for retrieving and reordering control data encoded in the horizontal overscan area of a video signal . because the control data is concatenated with the video signal on a line - by - line basis , the control data is temporarily synchronized with the underlying video signal . this allows the controlled devices , such as wireless mechanical characters , to behave as characters in a scene defined by the programming information of the video signal . the protocol for the encoded control data is addressable , forwardly compatible , error tolerant , and feasible to deploy in connection with a system that is primarily intended to be a children &# 39 ; s entertainment product . an analog video signal is typically divided into two fields , each of which contains a plurality of lines . these lines are analogous to a single row of luminescence displayed on a television . thus , the typical television display may be thought of as a series of lines , broken up into two fields . the two fields are interlaced , such that every other line belongs to the same field . a portion of each field falls within a horizontal overscan region . this region is the portion of a display device &# 39 ; s screen which cannot be visibly perceived . for example , on a television the first several lines of each field are hidden from the user ; they cannot be seen in any manner . control data for controlled devices are concatenated with the lines making up the horizontal overscan region . encoded control data must be retrieved by a controlled device in the same order in which the data is transmitted , or the data is worthless . for example , if two lines of the underlying video signal are swapped in transmission , the control data may become meaningless , insofar as the first portion of a data string may be received after the second portion of the same string . the present invention may be deployed in a wireless communication environment that includes a controller ( also referred to as a master device ) that communicates with and controls one or more controlled devices ( also referred to as slave devices ) on a single radio - frequency ( rf ) communication channel . a specific embodiment of the invention is known as the “ realmation ” system . “ realmation ,” derived from combining the words “ realistic ” and “ animation ,” is descriptive of a technology developed by microsoft corporation of redmond washington . a controller in a typical “ realmation ” system includes a computer system with a display device and a wireless modem that communicates with and controls one or more controlled devices , such as animated mechanical characters . the controller drives a display device to depict programming information , such as scenes of an audio / video presentation , while simultaneously transmitting control data , including voice coefficients and motion vectors , to one or more mechanical characters . the mechanical characters , in response to receiving the control data , move and talk as characters in the scenes depicted on the display device . the “ realmation ” product line includes two main components : a controller ( i . e ., master device ) known as the “ realmation controller ,” and one or more controlled devices ( i . e ., slave devices ) known as “ realmation performers .” a controlled device may be specially designed for a specific industrial , educational , research , entertainment , or other purpose . for example , a controlled device such as the “ barney ” dinosaur character is specially designed for a learning and entertainment system for small children . each controlled device includes an rf receiver system for receiving , demodulating , and decoding signals transmitted by the controller . the signals transmitted by the controller contain control data , such as speech coefficients and motion vectors . this control data is transmitted in a specific order to the controlled device , to elicit specific actions on the part of the controlled device . the control data causes the controlled device to behave as a character in a scene depicted on a display device driven by the controller , presuming the control data is correctly ordered upon receipt by the controlled device . in a duplex environment , each controlled device may also include an rf transmitter system for encoding , modulating , and transmitting response signals back to the controller . these response signals may include test or receptor data defining status information concerning the controlled device . for example , a controlled device may include pressure or light sensitive receptors for receiving user input , such as squeezing or covering a part of the character . this is particularly useful in an interactive learning environment in which a child interacts with the controlled device . for example , the controller may direct a “ barney ” controlled device to say , “ please squeeze my left hand .” the controlled device may then transmit the child &# 39 ; s response back to the controller , which responds accordingly . for example , if the child squeezes the controlled device &# 39 ; s right hand , the controller may direct the controlled device to say , “ no , that &# 39 ; s my right hand , please squeeze my left hand .” the controller includes a data source that receives or generates video data and related control data so that one or more controlled devices may behave as characters in a scene depicted on a display device . to do so , the control system includes a wireless modem ( or wireless modulator for a simplex environment ), known as the “ realmation link master ,” and a display device , such as a television or a computer monitor . the data source may be an active device , such as computer system or an interactive television system , that generates the video data and related control data in real - time . alternatively , the data source may be a passive device , such as a cable system , vcr , or television broadcast signal , that feeds a previously - created data stream including video data and encoded control data to the wireless modem . in this case , the wireless modem extracts the control data from the data stream , feeds the video data to the display device , and broadcasts the control data to one or more controlled devices . the wireless modem or modulator further contains a control data retrieval system for detecting and properly ordering encoded control data . this eliminates both field swapping and vertical shifting , described with respect to fig3 . in addition , the controller may be an intelligent system that is operative to generate , select , and combine video and control data from a number of sources in response to user input or other control signals . regardless of the configuration , some type of data source provides a data stream including video and related control data , and the wireless modem extracts the control data from the video data , detects the presence of an intelligent signal detect word ( isdw ), orders the control data according to the transmission order as exemplified by the isdw , routes the video data to the display device , and broadcasts the control data to one or more controlled devices . to broadcast control data , the wireless modem encodes the control data into a special differential - pulse data modulation ( ddm ) format and transmits the ddm - encoded control data to the controlled devices . in addition , the wireless modem may receive ddm - encoded response signals from the controlled devices and decode the response signals . the “ realmation ” product line may operate in a simplex environment or in a duplex environment , although the exemplary embodiment is described in the context of a simplex environment . the operation of exemplary embodiments of the controller , the wireless modulator ( or modem ), and the controlled devices in these environments will be described in the context of programs running on microprocessor - based computer systems . those skilled in the art will recognize that implementations of the present invention may include various types of program modules , use various programming languages , and be operable with various types of computing equipment . additionally , although the descriptions of exemplary embodiments describe the controller as communicating with a controlled device over an re communication channel , those skilled in the art will appreciate that substitutions to the rf communication channel can include other communication mediums such as fiber optic links , copper wires , infrared signals , etc . referring now to the drawings , in which like numerals represent like elements throughout the several figures , aspects of the present invention and exemplary operating environments will be described . reference is made to fig1 - 3 below to provide a description of suitable environments in which the invention may be implemented . reference is then made to fig4 - 9 to describe the preferred wireless communication protocol for controllers and controlled devices in these environments . fig1 illustrates an exemplary simplex environment for embodiments of the present invention . this simplex environment may be operated as a learning and entertainment system for a child . the simplex environment includes a controller 11 that controls a controlled device 60 . the controller 11 includes an audio / video signal source 56 , a wireless modulator 90 , an antenna 98 , and a display device 35 including a speaker 59 . the controller 11 transmits control data to the controlled device 60 via an antenna 98 and an rf communication channel 15 . to accomplish this task , the wireless modulator 90 interfaces with the audio / video signal source 56 and the display device 35 through a standard video interface . over this standard video interface , the wireless modulator 90 receives a video signal encoded with control data ( encoded video ) from the audio / video signal source 56 . the wireless modulator 90 extracts the control data from the encoded video signal , and then transfers the control data to a controlled device 60 through the rf communication channel 15 . in addition , the wireless modulator 90 passes the video signal to the display device 35 . the audio / video signal source 56 also interfaces with the speaker 59 in the display device 35 over this interface , the audio / video signal source 56 provides audio for an audio / visual presentation . thus , a child can observe the audio / visual presentation on the display device 35 and the speaker 59 while the wireless modulator 90 transmits control data to one or more controlled devices 60 . the reception of the control data causes the controlled device 60 to move and talk as though it is a character in the audio / visual presentation . as mentioned above , the movement and speech of the controlled 30 device 60 is dependent on the controlled device receiving control data in the order in which the control data was transmitted . the control data module 101 monitors each line of the horizontal overscan portion of the video signal for the presence of an isdw . each line containing encoded data also contains an isdw . in the exemplary embodiment , the isdw pattern ( discussed further with respect to fig7 and 8 ) repeats every six lines . further , in the exemplary embodiment the first line of the video signal containing encoded control data is line 23 of field 1 . by knowing the isdw pattern corresponding to line 23 of field 1 , the control data module 101 may scan each line within the horizontal overscan region in turn in order to detect the first line containing encoded data . in the event that the first line containing encoded data is not located at line 23 of field 1 , the control data module may further reorder the fields or lines based on the proper isdw pattern . this process is more fully discussed with respect to fig9 . there is no need to modify the encoded video signal before passing it to the display device 35 . typically , the controller 11 receives the encoded video signal , which is a standard video signal that has been modified to include digital information in the horizontal overscan intervals of the scan lines , which are invisible to the display device 35 . thus , the display device 35 can receive and display the encoded video signal without modification . the controller 11 only needs to extract the control data from the encoded video signal and generate the rf - modulated control signals for transmission to the controlled device 60 . fig2 is a block diagram illustrating a system for creating , transmitting , receiving and properly ordering an encoded video data stream including video data and encoded control data , embodied as an “ encoder ” 22 . the encoder 22 may be comprised of discrete hardware or software elements , or may represent a single physical unit . a variety of sources , including but not limited to , a video cassette recorder or player , a cable reception box , a tv tuner , a laser disc player , or a computer with a video output , may provide the encoded video . in fig2 the computer system 20 interfaces with a video data encoder 76 and an audio / video signal source 56 . the audio / video signal source 56 provides two output signals : video and audio . these output signals may include live camera feeds , prerecorded playbacks , broadcast reception , etc . the computer system 20 controls the operation of the audio / video source 56 via a control signal . the control signal gates the output of the video and audio signals from the audio / video signal source 56 . the computer system 20 also provides the control data , which is encoded onto the video signal . the computer system 20 transfers the control data and gates the video signal to the video data encoder 76 . the video data encoder combines the video signal and the control data by encoding the control data onto the video signal ( i . e ., generating an encoded video data stream ). this encoding technique includes modulating the luminance of the horizontal overscan area of the video signal on a line - by - line basis . for example , the overscan area of each scan line may be modulated to represent a single control data bit . furthermore , the field boundaries of the video signal provide a framing structure for the control data , in which each field contains a fixed number of data words . more specifically , each field of the video signal contains a intelligent signal detect word ( isdw ) consisting of four bits . the value of the intelligent signal detect word in each contiguous field cyclically , sequences through a defined set of values . the presence of the isdw distinguishes an encoded video signal from a normal video signal . in a normal video signal , random noise appears in place of the intelligent signal detect word . a decoder attempting to recover control data from an encoded video signal therefore determines whether the signal is an encoded video signal by detecting the presence of the isdw . thus , the intelligent signal detect word provides an additional layer of integrity to the recovered control data beyond that of simple checksum error detection . still with respect to fig2 the wireless modulator 90 receives the encoded video signal from the audio / video signal source 56 and recovers the control data from the encoded video signal . the wireless modulator 90 then transmits the control data to one or more controlled device , represented by the controlled device 60 shown in fig4 . alternatively , video broadcast equipment 79 may receive the encoded video signal along with the audio signal and then broadcast the signals to one or more remotely located wireless modulators and / or wireless modems . in another alternative , video storage equipment 78 may receive the encoded video signal along with the audio signal and then store the signals in a storage medium for future retrieval . fig3 displays an exemplary environment for transmitting an encoded video signal . the encoder 22 converts an audio / video signal ( hereinafter , the “ video signal ”) into a digital format , and concatenates the video signal with encoded control data . this process was discussed with respect to fig2 . the encoder then passes the encoded signal to a transmitter 31 in a completely digital format . the transmitter 31 relays the signal from the broadcast location to receiver 33 , located at a receiving location . oftentimes , a satellite 32 serves as a relay , receiving data from the transmitter 31 and broadcasting the encoded digital video signal to the receiver 33 . the receiver in turn passes the encoded digital video signal to a decoder 34 , typically located at the receiving location . alternate embodiments may place the decoder at any point between the receiver 33 and display device 35 , such as at the end user &# 39 ; s premises . once the video signal is decoded , the decoder 35 transmits the analog video signal , with encoded control data , to the user &# 39 ; s display device 35 . at any point along the transmission route outlined in fig3 two errors may occur , either of which renders the encoded control data useless . first , lines within a single field may be shifted either up or down from their intended location . this causes the picture displayed by the display device 35 to begin on an incorrect scan line . this phenomenon is referred to as “ vertical shifting .” the second possible problem is known as “ field swapping .” when field swapping occurs , field one and field two of the video signal are reversed , such that all even lines are displayed as odd lines , and vice versa . while neither of these has marked effects on the quality of a transmitted video signal , either or both may destroy the integrity of the concatenated control data . fig4 is a functional block diagram of a control data retrieval system 100 , embodied in a wireless modulator 90 , operative to receive and reorder control data encoded in a video signal . each of the components of the wireless modulator 90 may be implemented as a hardware or software module , or as a combination of both . the modulator 90 receives an encoded video signal 104 provided by a video data encoder 76 . the video data encoder generates the encoded video signal by concatenating control data with a video signal 102 generated by an audio / video signal source 56 . the audio / video signal source 56 may be any of a variety of conventional video sources , such as a video camera , a broadcast or cable television signal , a video tape player , the internet transmitting a video signal , a computer generating a video signal , and so forth . the video signal 102 may be any type of video signal that includes a plurality of fields that each include a plurality of scan lines . for example , the video signal 102 may be a standard 525 - line , two - field interlaced ntsc television signal that includes 30 frames per second , each frame including two fields of 262 . 5 interlaced lines , as is well known to those skilled in the art . in an exemplary embodiment , the control data module 101 is responsible for not only receiving the encoded video signal 104 , but also for determining whether the encoded control data has been received in the same order in which the video data encoder 76 encoded the control data on the video signal . further , the control data module 101 reorders the lines and fields comprising the encoded video signal 104 as necessary to reconstruct the transmission order intended by the video data encoder . the control data module 101 comprises two components , a video data detector 91 and a data error processor 99 . the video data detector 91 receives the encoded video signal 104 , which may be a remote device that receives the encoded video signal 104 by way of a broadcast - level transmission . alternatively , video data detector 91 may be a local device , for example in an intercom application . the encoded data does not interfere with the transmission of the underlying video signal 102 . thus , the encoded video signal 104 may be transmitted using any type of video transmission media , such as a broadcast - level cable television signal , a video tape player , the internet transmitting a video signal , a computer generating a video signal , and so forth . in addition , because the encoded data is located in the pre - visible or post - visible portions of the video signal 102 , the encoded data does not visibly interfere with the operation of typical televisions or monitors . therefore , the encoded video signal 104 may be passed directly from the video data detector 91 to the display device 35 , which displays the underlying video signal 102 undisturbed by the encoded data . the video data detector 91 detects the presence of the encoded data in the encoded video signal 104 by detecting the presence of an intelligent signal detection word ( isdw ), as described with reference to fig7 and 8 . preferably , a single isdw is transmitted in the same location of each field of the encoded video signal 104 , such as lines 23 - 29 in field - 1 and 286 - 292 in field - 2 , of a standard interlaced 525 - line ntsc television signal . a consecutive series of the isdws defines a dynamic validation sequence in which each isdw varies in at least two bits from the immediately preceding signal detection word . for example , the dynamic validation sequence may be the binary representation of 8 , 1 , 10 , 3 , 12 , 5 , 14 , 7 . the video data detector 91 reads the data , if any , in the specified lines , corrects the data for correctable errors that may have occurred in the isdw bits , and detects the presence of the isdw . if the video data detector detects the presence of the isdw , then the detector determines whether the isdw is the first in the dynamic validation sequence . if not , then the video data detector 91 enters a fast acquisition mode , wherein the detector scans all lines of field one as quickly as possible to find the first isdw in the dynamic validation sequence . if the first isdw is found , then the video data detector shifts whichever line upon which the first isdw is present to the first line of the horizontal overscan portion of the video signal . in an exemplary embodiment , the video detector sets the line equal to line 23 of field one . this eliminates any vertical shifting that may have occurred during transmission . if the video data detector 91 does not detect the first isdw of the dynamic validation sequence on any line in field one , then the detector performs the same search on all lines within field two . if the first isdw of the dynamic validation sequence is detected on any line in field two , then the fields are swapped and the line containing the first isdw moved to the position equating to that of the first line of the horizontal overscan region . thus , the video data detector 91 may counteract signal errors caused by field swapping as well as vertical shifting . in each field , the isdw is typically followed by a number of content words . if the video data detector 91 detects the presence of the isdw in the encoded video signal 104 , it extracts the content words from the encoded video signal and assembles the content words into a serial data communication signal 106 . the video data detector 91 then transmits the serial data communication signal 106 to a data error processor 99 . the data error processor 99 strips out the error correction bits , corrects any correctable errors in the content bits , and assembles the corrected content words into a 9 - bit error corrected data stream . this 9 - bit error corrected data stream is transmitted to a protocol handler 93 , which includes a number of data handlers that detect and route device - specific control data to associated controlled devices 60 as described above . the addressing protocol for the content data is described with reference to u . s . application ser . no . 08 / 795 , 710 entitled “ protocol for a wireless control system ” filed on feb . 4 , 1997 , which is assigned to a common assignee and incorporated herein by reference . although the various components and modules have been described separately , one skilled in the art should recognize that the components and modules could be combined in various ways and that new program components and modules could be created to accomplish similar results . fig5 and 6 show the location of the encoded data in the context of a single scan line of the encoded video signal 104 . fig5 is a wave form diagram illustrating a data bit value “ one ” 128 encoded in the horizontal overscan portion of a scan line of the encoded video signal 104 . the scan line represents one line of one field displayed on the display device 35 . the vertical axis represents the magnitude of the signal wave form 120 in units of ire and the horizontal axis represents time in micro - seconds , as is familiar to those skilled in the art . although fig5 and 6 are not drawn precisely to scale , important reference points are marked in the units of their corresponding axis . the wave form 120 for the scan line begins with a horizontal synchronization pulse 122 down to − 40 ire , which is a timing signal that indicates the beginning of the scan line ( i . e ., time = 0 ) when the leading edge of the pulse passes through − 20 ire to establish the horizontal reference point “ h - ref .” the horizontal synchronization pulse 122 is followed by a sinusoidal color burst 124 ( the approximate envelope is shown ), which is used as a calibration signal for the display device 35 . the color burst 124 is followed by a wave form representing the visible raster 126 ( the approximate envelope is shown ), which creates and typically overlaps slightly the visible image on the display device 35 . the wave form 120 includes a pre - visible horizontal overscan area 127 , approximately from 9 . 2 micro - seconds to 10 . 2 micro - seconds after h - ref , that occurs after the color burst 124 and before the visible raster 126 . the video data encoder 76 locates a pre - visible ( i . e ., before the visible raster 126 ) data bit “ one ” 128 by driving the wave form 120 to a predetermined high value , such as 80 ire , in the interval from 9 . 2 micro - seconds to 10 . 2 micro - seconds after h - ref . because the pulse denoting the data bit “ one ” 128 occurs after the calibration interval of the color burst 124 and before the visible raster 126 , it does not interfere with the operation of the display device 35 or appear on the image displayed . fig6 is a wave form diagram illustrating a data bit value “ zero ” 128 ′ encoded in the horizontal overscan portion of a scan line of the encoded video signal 104 . the video data encoder 76 locates the pre - visible data bit “ zero ” 128 ′ by driving the wave form 120 to a predetermined low value , such as 7 . 5 ire , in the interval from 9 . 2 micro - seconds to 10 . 2 micro - seconds after h - ref . as noted above , each 16 - bit content word includes nine data bits , and each field includes 13 content words . thus , encoding one bit per scan line produces a bandwidth for the data encoded in a typical 59 . 94 hertz ntsc video signal of 7 , 013 baud . this bandwidth is sufficient to provide the controlled device 60 with sufficient data to control several wireless controlled devices 60 in the manner described above . see also , the related patent application , u . s . application ser . no . 08 / 795 , 710 entitled “ protocol for a wireless control system ” filed on feb . 4 , 1997 , which is assigned to a common assignee and incorporated herein by reference . the 7 , 013 baud one - bit - per - scan - line bandwidth of the encoded data is also sufficient to control several other wireless controlled devices 60 to provide additional services , such as advertising , subscription , and emergency warning information for transmission to the display device 35 or other possible display elements . for example , these services might include e - mail , foreign language subtitling , intercom capability , telephone pages , weather warnings , configuration data for a set - top box , and so forth . at present , the 7 , 013 baud one - bit - per - scan - line bandwidth is preferred because it provides sufficient bandwidth for the “ realmation ” system and minimizes the cost of the system components , in particular the video data encoder 76 and the video data detector 91 . the bandwidth may be increased , however , by locating a second pulse in the post - visual horizontal overscan area 130 , which occurs after the visible raster 126 and before the horizontal blanking interval 132 ( during which the electron gun in the crt of the display device 35 sweeps back from the end of the just completed scan line to the beginning of the next scan line ). and the bandwidth may be further increased by enabling each pulse 128 , 130 to represent more that just two ( 1 , 0 ) states . for example , for 3 states ( c . f ., the 1 . 0 , 1 . 5 , 2 . 0 ddm pulse widths ), an analog of the “ realmation ” ddm protocol could be used . for 4 states , the pulse could represent 2 bits ( e . g ., 100 - 80 ire = 1 , 1 ; 70 - 50 ire = 1 , 0 ; 40 - 20 ire = 0 , 0 ; 10 to − 40 ire = 0 , 1 ). for 8 states , the pulse could represent 3 bits ; for 16 states , the pulse could represent 4 bits , and so forth . for example , if the system 100 were to employ data pulses in both the pre - visual horizontal overscan area 127 and the post - visual horizontal overscan area 130 , each data pulse having 16 states , each scan line would be able to transmit eight bits . this would increase the bandwidth from 7 , 013 baud to 56 , 104 baud , which might be worth the increased cost for the video data encoder 76 and the video data detector 91 for future applications . fig7 and 8 show the location of encoded data in the context of a standard ntsc video frame . fig7 is a diagram illustrating the location of data bits in a portion of a standard 525 - line two - field interlaced ntsc video signal . each field of the video data includes a vertical blanking interval 140 ( during which the electron gun in the crt of the display device 35 sweeps back and up from the end of the just completed field to the beginning of the next field ) followed by an active video interval 142 , which includes a number of left - to - right scan lines that sequentially paint the display device 35 from the top to the bottom of the screen . at the end of the vertical blanking interval 140 , the last two pulses are typically reserved for closed caption data 146 and vertical blanking data 148 , which may be already dedicated to other purposes . in addition , the bottom of each field is typically corrupted by head switching noise present in the output of helical - scan video tape players of consumer formats such as vhs and 8 mm . therefore , the horizontal overscan portion of individual scan lines provides the preferred location for encoded data bits 128 , 128 ′ of the encoded video signal 104 . fig8 is a diagram illustrating the location of data bits in the two interlaced fields of the standard ntsc video frame . that is , fig7 shows the location of the encoded data in the context of a complete ntsc 525 - line two - field interlaced video frame . the frame of video data includes lines 1 - 262 in field - 1 152 interlaced with lines 263 - 525 in field - 2 154 . field - 1 152 includes a vertical blanking interval 140 a and an active video interval 142 a . the vertical blanking interval 140 a includes lines 1 - 22 and concludes with line 21 , which may include closed caption data 146 a , and line 22 , which may include vertical blanking data 148 a . an isdw 156 a is encoded in lines 23 - 29 and content data 158 a is encoded in lines 30 - 237 . field - 2 154 includes a vertical blanking interval 140 b and a active video interval 142 b . the vertical blanking interval 140 b includes lines 263 - 284 and concludes with line 283 , which may include closed caption data 146 b , and line 284 , which may include vertical blanking data 148 b . an isdw 156 b is encoded in lines 286 - 292 and content data 158 b is encoded in lines 293 - 500 . each isdw preferably includes a plurality of data bits and a plurality of error correction bits defining a correction sequence that allows a single - bit error in the data bits to be detected and corrected . for example , the isdw may include a seven - bit hamming code ( i . e ., four data bits and three error correction bits ) in the format shown below in table 1 . each content word preferably includes a plurality of data bits 164 and a plurality of error correction bits 166 defining a correction sequence that allows a single - bit error in the data bits to be detected and corrected . for example , the content word may include a seven - bit hamming code ( i . e ., four data bits and three error correction bits ) and a nine - bit . hamming code ( i . e ., five data bits and four error correction bits ) in the format shown below in table 3 . fig9 displays a flowchart displaying the steps executed when retrieving scrambled encoded data from a horizontal overscan portion of a video signal . the flowchart begins in start state 900 . from start state 900 , step 905 is accessed . in step 905 , the control data retrieval system 10 begins the decoding procedure on the line n of field one . when step 905 is initially entered , n is the first line of a field which may contain an isdw . in the exemplary embodiment , this is line 23 , although alternate embodiments may set n equal to another line . from step 905 , step 910 is accessed . in step 910 , the control data retrieval system 10 enters a fast acquisition mode . the system operates in one of two distinct acquisition modes , fast and slow . fast mode is initiated when the control data retrieval system 10 has not detected the isdw for a fixed period of time , and seeks to reacquire the isdw quickly . once the isdw is again located , the system enters slow mode , wherein the isdw polling frequency is dramatically decreased . following step 910 , the control data retrieval system 10 enters step 915 . in step 915 , the system checks whether the isdw decode sequence has been executed . the isdw decode sequence is executed if the control data retrieval system 10 detects the intelligent signal detect word . in the event that the system has not detected the isdw , then step 917 is entered . in step 917 , the control data retrieval system 10 sets the decode line to n + 1 , incrementing the line being searched by 1 . thus , if the isdw decode sequence is not detected in step 915 , the system prepares in step 917 to search the next line in sequence . following step 917 , the control data retrieval system 10 returns to step 910 . if the control data retrieval system 10 detects in step 915 that the isdw decode sequence was executed , then step 920 is entered . the control data retrieval system 10 checks whether the isdw is valid in step 920 . that is , the system determines whether the configuration of the detected isdw matches the data string comprising the first isdw in the series . if so , then step 925 is accessed . otherwise , the control data retrieval system 10 enters step 930 . in step 925 , the control data retrieval system 10 sets the search time to slow , thus entering slow acquisition mode as discussed with respect to step 910 . from step 925 , step 927 is accessed . in step 927 , the current line ( that is , the line in which the isdw beginning the isdw sequence is found ) is set as line n of field one . all subsequent lines are shifted accordingly . thus , if the 29 th line of field one contains the proper isdw , that line is shifted up in the exemplary embodiment to line 23 , as are all subsequent lines . similarly , if line 31 of field two contains the initial isdw , then not only is that line shifted to line 23 , but the fields are swapped as well . this ensures that no matter where the initial isdw is found , that line is always set as the first line of field one containing encoded data . in this manner , both vertical shifting and field swapping may be alleviated and the encoded data signal properly reconstructed . in step 930 , the control data retrieval system 10 determines whether the search timer has expired . the search timer measures the length of time elapsed since the control data retrieval system 10 last detected the isdw . the length of time necessary for the search timer to expire is variable . alternate embodiments may permit the time necessary for the search timer to expire to be set according to a user &# 39 ; s desires . the expiration time is preferably longer than several minutes , in order to ensure that momentary service interruptions or commercial breaks in a program do not trigger search timer expiration . if the search time has expired , then the control data retrieval system 10 returns to step 910 , with results as detailed above . in the event that the search timer has not expired , the control data retrieval system 10 enters step 935 . in step 935 , the system determines whether all field lines have been searched . if the control data retrieval system 10 has already searched all lines in the current field , then the system accesses step 945 . otherwise , step 940 is entered and the control data retrieval system 10 sets the decode start line to line n + 1 . this increments the decode line by one , thus ensuring that the next pass through the search algorithm looks for the presence of the isdw on the following line . after step 940 , the control data retrieval system 10 returns to step 910 and the isdw detection process begins again . in step 945 , the control data retrieval system 10 determines whether both field one and field two have been completely searched for the presence of the first isdw in the decode sequence . if so , then step 947 is entered . if not , then step 950 is accessed . in step 947 , the control data retrieval system 10 must begin searching for the initial isdw from line n of field one , insofar as the proper isdw was not detected in any line of either field . thus , the control data retrieval system 10 sets the decode start line to line 1 of field one in step 947 . following this step , the system enters step 910 . in step 950 , the control data retrieval system 10 sets the decode start line to line n of field two . once the system executes step 950 , step 910 is entered . note that the algorithm shown in fig9 contains no end state . rather , the algorithm is a closed repeating loop , constantly scanning for the presence of the first isdw of an isdw series . those skilled in the art will understand that the specific protocol illustrated in tables 1 - 4 are just one example of many specific protocols that could be used to implement an addressing scheme using short addresses and long address in accordance with the present invention . in addition , the location of the data within the encoded video signal 104 may be varied somewhat without unduly affecting the performance of the system 100 . in particular , microsoft corporation has been granted permission by the federal communications commission to encode digital data in lines 23 - 257 in field - 1 and lines 285 - 519 in field - 2 of a standard 525 line ntsc television broadcast signal . as shown in fig7 and tables 1 - 4 above , the preferred protocol only utilizes lines 23 - 237 in field - 1 and lines 286 - 500 in field - 2 . this enhances compatibility of the encoded video signal 104 with mpeg - based video compression algorithms , which typically exclude line 285 and include a compressed representation of only 480 visible scan lines . the invention thus provides a method and system for encoding control data for wireless controlled devices in connection with a video signal so that the actions of the controlled devices operate in synchronism with the programming information defined by the video signal . additional data may be transmitted encoded into the video signal for providing additional services , such as e - mail , foreign language subtitling , intercom capability , telephone pages , weather warnings , configuration data for a set - top box , and so forth . the protocol for the encoded data is addressable , forwardly compatible , error tolerant , and feasible to deploy in connection with a system that is primarily intended to be a children &# 39 ; s entertainment product . it should be understood that the foregoing relates only to specific embodiments of the invention , and that numerous changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .	7
certain exemplary embodiments will now be described to provide an overall understanding of the principles of the structure , function , and use of the systems and devices disclosed herein . one or more examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , which are not necessarily to scale . those skilled in the art will appreciate that the systems and devices specifically described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings are non - limiting exemplary embodiments and that the scope of the present invention is defined solely by the claims . the features illustrated or described in connection with one exemplary embodiment may be combined with the features of other embodiments . such modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention . methods , systems , and apparatus for hair treatment are provided herein which include applying treatment radiation to a skin treatment area and / or to one or more hairs so as to modify the structure ( e . g ., the mechanical structure and / or the chemical structure and / or the geometrical structure of at least a portion of the hair ( s )). the applied radiation can modify at least a portion of the hair ( e . g ., the hair tip ) to make the hair less capable of re - entering the skin . in various aspects , the methods , systems , and apparatus disclosed herein can treat and / or prevent ( pfb ) in the treatment area . in some aspects , one or more blades can be combined with a radiation source and / or an optical system to modify the mechanical properties of a portion of the hair such as the tip ( e . g ., to reduce the stiffness of the hair tip and / or make the hair tip blunter ). by way of example , a razor ( e . g ., an electric razor ) can be combined with and / or integrated with a system for light - based hair treatment to modify the hair structure to lessen and / or eliminate the incidence of extra - follicular penetration and / or trans - follicular penetration associated with pfb . with reference now to fig1 a - 1c , an exemplary device 100 in accordance with various aspects of the present teachings is depicted in which a blade 120 of a razor ( e . g ., an electric razor ) is integrated with a source of optical treatment radiation 110 . the treatment radiation is optical radiation ( e . g ., emr ) having wavelength ( s ) in the range of about 200 to about 12 , 000 nm , about 300 to about 1500 nm , and , about 350 to about 450 nm . the source of the optical radiation can be , for example , a laser , an led , or a lamp . the blade 120 can be substantially parallel with the source of optical treatment radiation 110 . referring to fig1 a , the device 100 can contact the surface of skin 40 in a region of hair growth . the device 100 is moved , while in contact with the surface of the skin 40 , in the direction 60 such that the blade 120 of the razor cuts the hair 50 . in some embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is level with the surface of the skin 40 . in some embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is lower than the level with the surface of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is higher than the level of the surface of the skin 40 . after it is cut , the hair 50 has a newly cut tip 55 . referring now to fig1 b and 1c , after the hair 50 is cut and while the device 100 continues to move in the direction 60 in some embodiments , the source of optical treatment radiation 110 contacts tip 55 of the hair 50 that sticks out of the follicle after being cut by the blade 120 . suitable sources of optical treatment radiation 110 may be , for example , a diode laser , a led , and / or a lamp with or without a waveguide . the source of optical treatment radiation 110 provides optical radiation with sufficient energy density and power density to induce desired physical , chemical , and / or geometrical changes in the areas of the hair where the said radiation is absorbed through a photo thermal mechanism . the source of optical treatment radiation 110 is employed to modify the mechanical properties of the newly cut hair tip 55 ( e . g ., to soften and / or lessen the stiffness of the hair tip 55 ). the source of optical treatment radiation 110 may include an optical element that is being coupled from the source of energy to the hair tip 55 . for example , the source of optical energy may be a diode laser coupled to a waveguide . for example , the optical treatment radiation is coupled to the hair tip 55 through direct contact between the source of optical treatment radiation 110 and the newly cut hair tip 55 . the source of optical treatment radiation 110 may be provided to the hair tip 55 , through , for example , a mechanism of disturbed total internal reflection ( dtir ) resulting in the absorption of the optical radiation in hair in the area of direct contact with a waveguide ( e . g ., a sapphire waveguide ). optionally , reflective coupling may be provided through the blade 120 of the razor . fig2 shows an exemplary device 200 for dtir delivery having a frame that includes a blade 220 of a razor such as a hand - held razor ( e . g ., a manual razor or electric razor ) that is integrated with a source of optical treatment radiation 210 and an optical element such as a waveguide 213 . in one embodiment of the device 200 the blade 220 is substantially parallel with the source of optical treatment radiation 210 and / or the waveguide 213 . the device 200 contacts the surface of skin 40 in a region of hair growth . the device 200 is moved , while in contact with the surface of the skin 40 , in the direction 60 such that the blade 220 of the razor cuts the hair 50 . in some embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is level with the surface of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is lower than the level of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is higher than the level of the surface of the skin 40 . after the blade 220 cuts the hair 50 to form the newly cut tip 55 , the optical radiation source 210 together with the waveguide 213 provide optical treatment radiation to modify ( e . g ., soften ) the newly cut tip 55 ( here , the tip is cut at a height that is higher than the level of the skin 40 ). the source of optical treatment radiation 210 provides optical radiation with sufficient energy density and power density to induce desired physical , chemical , and / or geometrical changes in the areas of the hair where the said radiation is absorbed through a photo thermal mechanism . in some embodiments , the source of optical treatment radiation 210 together with the waveguide 213 provide treatment radiation to the cut tip 55 of the hair 50 when the device 200 is turned “ on .” alternatively , safety features may be built into the device 200 to ensure that the device 200 is in contact with the skin 40 surface . for example , in some embodiments , suitable contact sensors including , for example , a mechanical contact sensor , a light - gate sensor , an electrical ( capacitive or impedance ) sensor , or an optical sensor such as an image ( camera ) sensor are coupled to the device 200 to determine if the device 200 is in contact with the skin 40 . other suitable contact sensors are disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 204 , 832 , which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety . a controller may be coupled to the device 200 and in response to the contact sensor the controller is configured to permit application of the treatment radiation from the source of optical treatment radiation 210 through the waveguide 213 when the contact sensor detects contact between the device 200 and skin 40 . optionally , referring still to fig2 , the device 200 , light source 210 , and waveguide 213 work in concert to permit application of the treatment radiation from the source 210 only when the waveguide 213 is in physical contact with a hair 50 . for example , the waveguide 213 may have a contact sensor that detects resistance when the waveguide 213 is pushed against the hair 50 ( e . g ., the recently cut hair tip 55 ); when resistance is detected , the optical radiation from the source 210 is signaled by the contact sensor to fire a treatment radiation suitable to treat the hair 50 ( e . g ., suitable to mechanically alter and / or soften the recently cut hair tip 55 ). the location where the waveguide 213 contacts and provides treatment radiation to the hair 50 creates a dtir zone 59 in the hair 50 itself in this way , treatment radiation is absorbed by the hair 50 via contact with the waveguide 213 fig3 shows another exemplary device 300 for direct beam delivery in accordance with various aspects of the present teachings . the device 300 includes a frame that includes a blade 320 of a razor ( e . g ., an electric razor ) that is integrated with a source of optical treatment radiation 310 . the source of optical treatment radiation 310 includes a light source that employs beam shaping optics 312 ( e . g ., a focusing lens ). the device 300 includes a detector 314 for detecting the light output 313 that travels through the beam shaping optics 312 after having originated from the source of optical treatment radiation 310 . in the device 300 the blade 320 is substantially parallel with the source of optical treatment radiation 310 . the device 300 contacts the surface of skin 40 in a region of hair growth . the device 300 is moved , while in contact with the surface of the skin 40 , in the direction 60 such that the blade 320 of the razor cuts the hair 50 . in some embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is level with the surface of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is lower than the level of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is higher than the level of the surface of the skin 40 . after the blade 320 cuts the hair 50 to form the newly cut tip 55 the light source 310 provides optical treatment radiation to modify ( e . g ., soften ) the newly cut tip 55 . the source of optical treatment radiation 310 provides optical radiation with sufficient energy density and power density to induce desired physical , chemical , and / or geometrical changes in the areas of the hair where the said radiation is absorbed through a photo thermal mechanism . in some embodiments , the source of optical treatment radiation 310 provides treatment radiation 313 when the device 300 is turned “ on .” alternatively , safety features may be built into the device 300 to ensure that the device is in contact with the skin . for example , in some embodiments , suitable contact sensors including , for example , a mechanical contact sensor , a light - gate sensor , an electrical ( capacitive or impedance ) sensor , or an optical sensor such as an image ( camera ) sensor are coupled to the device 300 to determine if the device 300 is in contact with the skin 40 . a controller is coupled to the device 300 and in response to the contact sensor when the contact sensor detects contact between the device 300 and skin 40 the controller is configured to permit application of the treatment radiation 313 that is focused through the beam shaping optics 312 after having exited the source of optical treatment radiation 310 . optionally , referring still to fig3 , the device 300 includes a detector 314 that works in concert with the light source 310 to permit application of the treatment radiation from the source 310 only when the detector 314 determines that a hair 50 is present in the path of the light output 313 . for example , the light source 310 can provide a detection light emission ( e . g ., when it is determined that the device 300 is in contact with the skin 40 ) such that the detector 314 can determine , based on its analysis of the emission 313 received from the light source 310 , that a hair 50 is in the path of the light output 313 from the beam shaping optics 312 . typically the determination of the presence of a hair 50 in the light output 313 is based on the melanin content of the hair . once the detector 314 determines that hair is present in the path of the light output 313 the treatment radiation is permitted to be illuminated from the source of optical treatment radiation 310 . for example , a controller coupled to the device is configured to permit application of the treatment radiation from the source of optical treatment radiation 310 once the detector 314 determines that hair is present in the path of the light output 313 . in this way , the newly cut tip 55 can be modified by the device 300 . still referring to fig3 , optionally , the light source 310 provides a level of radiation ( e . g ., a diagnostic level of radiation ) and when the detector 314 detects a drop in the level of radiation ( e . g ., in the level of the diagnostic radiation ) then the device 300 determines that hair 50 is present in the path of the light output 313 due to absorption of light by the hair 50 in the light absorption zone 57 . accordingly , the light source 310 increases the level of radiation to achieve the desired treatment of the newly cut hair tip 55 and / or of the hair 50 . optionally , one could use short wavelengths with high absorption to determine the presence of melanin . fig4 shows an exemplary device 400 for scanned beam delivery in accordance with various aspect of the applicants &# 39 ; present teachings . the device 400 includes a blade 420 of a razor ( e . g ., an electric razor ) that is integrated with a source of optical treatment radiation 410 . the source of optical treatment radiation 410 includes a light source that employs a 1d scanning system ( e . g ., a mirror ). all or a portion of the device 400 contacts the surface of skin 40 in a region of hair growth . the device 400 is moved , while in contact with the surface of the skin 40 , in the direction 60 such that the blade 420 of the razor cuts the hair 50 . in some embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is level with the surface of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is lower than the level of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is higher than the level of the surface of the skin 40 . after the blade 420 cuts the hair 50 to form the newly cut tip 55 , the optical radiation source 410 provides optical treatment radiation 413 that is scanned via a 1d scanning system 415 that scans optical treatment radiation 413 over the surface of the skin 40 ( in the path of the scan line 417 ) to modify ( e . g ., soften ) the newly cut tip 55 . in some embodiments , the optical radiation source 410 is focused to provide a spot size that is about the size of a hair e . g ., about 100 microns , from about 10 microns to about 200 microns , or from about 50 microns to about 150 microns . in some embodiments , the 1d scanning systems 415 provides focusing ( e . g ., is a focusing mirror ). the source of optical treatment radiation 410 provides optical radiation with sufficient energy density and power density to induce desired physical , chemical , and / or geometrical changes in the areas of the hair where the said radiation is absorbed through a photo thermal mechanism . in some embodiments , the source of optical treatment radiation 410 provides treatment radiation that is scanned via a 1d scanning system 415 when the device 400 is turned “ on .” in some embodiments , a controller is coupled to the device 400 and in response to a contact sensor the controller is configured to permit scanned application of the treatment radiation 413 from the source of optical treatment radiation 410 when the contact sensor detects contact between the device 400 and skin . optionally , the scanned beam 413 that travels through the 1d scanning system 415 is a free beam . in some embodiments , the 1d scanning system 415 features feedback control to provide feedback control detection such that a detection radiation is the scanned beam 413 that is scanned by the 1d scanning system 415 and when the feedback control detects the presence of hair it prompts the optical radiation source 410 to provide optical treatment radiation 410 that is fired at the hair tip 55 . suitable feedback control mechanisms can include an array such as a ccd camera that detects the presence of hair on the surface of the skin . the scanned treatment radiation 413 may be controlled such that the optical treatment radiation hits the target hair 55 ; this intersection may be referred to as the light absorption zone 57 . fig5 shows another exemplary device 500 for disturbed tir delivery that includes a rotary shaver in accordance with various aspects of the present teachings . the device 500 includes one or more blades 520 ( e . g ., blades 520 a , 520 b , 520 c , and 520 d ) of a razor ( e . g ., an electric razor ) that are integrated with a source of optical treatment radiation 510 , an optical delivery system 514 and one or more optical waveguides 513 ( e . g ., waveguides 513 a and 513 b ). the device 500 contacts the surface of skin 40 in a region of hair growth . the device 500 includes a protective grid 530 comprised of one or more protective grid members ( 530 a , 530 b , 530 c , 530 d , 530 e etc .) and the protective grid 530 makes the skin in contact therewith immobile to ensure that the skin 40 avoids contact with the blades 530 ( e . g ., during use of the device 500 on someone &# 39 ; s skin ). at least a portion of the device 500 moves in the direction of rotation 560 such that the blades 520 of the razor ( e . g ., blades 520 a , 520 b , 520 c , and 520 d ) move in rotation direction 560 to cut the hair ( s ) 50 in their path . in some embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is level with the surface of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is lower than the level of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is higher than the level of the surface of the skin 40 . after the blades 520 cut the hair ( s ) 50 to form the newly cut tip , the optical radiation source 510 together with the optical delivery system 514 and waveguide ( s ) 513 ( e . g ., 513 a and 513 b ) provide optical treatment radiation to modify ( e . g ., soften ) the newly cut hair tip ( s ). the optical delivery system 514 can be , for example , an open beam , a fiber , and / or a waveguide . the source of optical treatment radiation 510 provides optical radiation with sufficient energy density and power density to induce desired physical , chemical , and / or geometrical changes in the areas of the hair where the said radiation is absorbed through photo thermal mechanism . in some embodiments , the source of optical treatment radiation 510 together with the waveguide ( s ) 513 provide treatment radiation to the cut tip ( s ) of the hair ( s ) 50 when the device 500 is turned “ on .” alternatively , safety features may be built into the device 500 to ensure that the device is in contact with the skin . for example , in some embodiments , suitable contact sensors including , for example , a mechanical contact sensor , a light - gate sensor , an electrical ( capacitive or impedance ) sensor , or an optical sensor such as an image ( camera ) sensor are coupled to the device 500 to determine if the device 500 is in contact with the skin 40 . a controller is coupled to the device 500 and in response to the contact sensor the controller is configured to permit application of the treatment radiation from the source of optical treatment radiation 510 through the optical delivery system 514 and then through the waveguide ( s ) 513 ( e . g ., waveguides 513 a and 513 b ) when the contact sensor detects contact between the device 500 and the skin 40 . optionally , referring still to fig5 , the device 500 , light source 510 , optical delivery system 514 and waveguide ( s ) 513 work in concert to permit application of the treatment radiation from the source 510 only when at least one of the waveguide ( s ) 513 ( e . g ., 513 a or 513 b ) is in contact with the hair 50 ( e . g ., when waveguide 513 b is in contact with the newly cut tip of a hair 50 cut by blade 520 c after the device 500 turns in the direction of rotation 560 to cut the hair 50 ). for example , each of the waveguide ( s ) 513 ( e . g ., waveguides 513 a and 513 b ) may have a contact sensor that detects resistance when the individual waveguide 513 is pushed against a hair 50 or a portion of a hair 50 ( e . g ., a recently cut hair tip ); when resistance is detected the optical radiation from the source 510 is signaled by the contact sensor to fire a treatment radiation suitable to treat the hair 50 ( e . g ., suitable to mechanically alter and / or soften the recently cut hair tip ). the location where the waveguide 513 contacts the hair 50 creates a disturbed tir ( total internal reflection ) zone in the recently cut hair itself . in this way , treatment radiation is absorbed by the hair 50 via contact with the waveguide ( s ) 513 . more specifically , a hair 50 is cut by blade 520 c and thereafter waveguide 513 b contacts the recently cut hair 50 ( e . g ., the recently cut hair tip ) and the treatment radiation is absorbed by the cut hair via contact with the waveguide 513 b . fig6 shows an exemplary device 600 for scanned beam delivery that includes a rotary shaver . the device 600 includes one or more blades 620 ( e . g ., blades 620 a , 620 b , 620 c , and 620 d ) of a razor ( e . g ., an electric razor ) that are integrated with one or more sources of optical treatment radiation 610 . the device 600 contacts the surface of skin 40 in a region of hair growth . the device 600 includes a protective grid 630 comprised of one or more protective grid members ( 630 a , 630 b , 630 c , 630 d , 630 e etc .) and the protective grid 630 makes the skin in contact therewith immobile to ensure that the skin 40 avoids contact with the blades 630 . the device 600 moves in the direction of rotation 660 such that the blades 620 of the razor ( e . g ., blades 620 a , 620 b , 620 c , and 620 d ) move in rotation direction 660 to cut the hair ( s ) 50 in their path . in some embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is level with the surface of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is lower than the level of the skin 40 . in other embodiments , the hair 50 is cut at a height that is higher than the level of the surface of the skin 40 . after the blades 620 cut the hair ( s ) 50 to form the newly cut tip , the optical radiation source 610 provides optical radiation that is delivered via scanning components ( e . g ., 1d scanning components 615 a and 615 b ). fig6 depicts optical radiation from the source 610 being delivered via an optical delivery system 614 ( e . g ., a waveguide or fiber ) that exits the optical delivery system 614 as a split beam 613 to be scanned by the 1d scanning components 615 a and 615 b . the optical treatment radiation 613 is scanned via the 1d scanning system 615 a and 615 b to scan optical treatment radiation 613 over the surface of the skin 40 ( in the path of the scan lines 617 a and 617 b ) to modify ( e . g ., soften ) the newly cut tip ( s ). in some embodiments , the optical radiation source 610 is focused to provide a spot size that is about the size of a hair e . g ., about 100 microns , or from about 10 microns to about 200 microns , or from about 50 microns to about 150 microns . in some embodiments , the 1d scanning systems 615 a and 615 b provides focusing ( e . g ., is a focusing mirror ). the source of optical treatment radiation 610 provides optical radiation with sufficient energy density and power density to induce desired physical , chemical , and / or geometrical changes in the areas of the hair where the said radiation is absorbed through photo thermal mechanism . in some embodiments , the source of optical treatment radiation 610 provides treatment radiation 613 that is scanned via a 1d scanning system ( s ) 615 a and 615 b when the device 600 is turned “ on .” in some embodiments , a controller is coupled to the device 600 and in response to a contact sensor the controller is configured to permit scanned application of the treatment radiation 613 from the source of optical treatment radiation 610 when the contact sensor detects contact between the device 600 and skin 40 . optionally , the scanned beam 613 that travels through the 1d scanning system 615 a and 615 b is a free beam ( not shown ). in some embodiments , the 1d scanning system 615 features feedback control to provide feedback control detection such that a detection radiation is the scanned beam 613 that is scanned by the 1d scanning system 615 a and 615 b and when the feedback control detects the presence of hair it prompts the optical radiation source 610 to provide optical treatment radiation 613 that is fired at the hair 50 ( e . g ., at the hair tip ). suitable feedback control mechanisms can include an array such as a ccd camera that detects the presence of hair 50 on the surface of the skin . the scanned treatment radiation 613 may be controlled such that the optical treatment radiation hits the target hair 50 . in any of the disclosed embodiments , the hair 50 to be cut may be pre - heated ( e . g ., pre - heated via light energy such as emr ) and the blade used to cut the hair 50 may be warm or may be cold before the final cut of the hair . it may be desirable to pre - heat the hair 50 at about the height of the hair that will actually be cut accounting for the blade pulling the hair up slightly . by employing heat to heat the hair , the hair to be cut is softened hair and after it is cut it will be short and soft . warm hair will be relatively easier to cut than cold hair . in any of the disclosed embodiments , a linear lamp may be employed together with a focusing device .	0
a preferred embodiment of the invention is now described in detail . referring to the drawings , like numbers indicate like parts throughout the views . as used in the description herein and throughout the claims , the following terms take the meanings explicitly associated herein , unless the context clearly dictates otherwise : the meaning of “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” includes plural reference , the meaning of “ in ” includes “ in ” and “ on .” referring now to fig3 , illustrated therein is one preferred embodiment of a machine 300 for removed debris from a battery cell or battery cells . while the exemplary embodiment of fig3 is designed to accommodate a single cell , it will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that the machine 300 could be altered to accommodate multiple cells by duplication of parts . the machine 300 includes a base member 300 for supporting the various elements of the machine . the base member 301 may be mounted on rubber feet 302 to prevent motion while in action . disposed atop the base member 301 is a means for holding a battery cell 303 . the means for holding a battery cell 303 includes a fixed block 304 for accommodating at least one battery cell . the fixed block 304 includes a recess 309 for holding a battery cell . the recess 309 of this exemplary embodiment is suited for holding cylindrical cells , and is thusly cut as a “ v ” shaped groove . it will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that other shapes could be substituted for the v - shaped recess to accommodate cells of other shapes , including rectangles , semi - circles , and squares . a moveable member , illustrated here as a moveable belt 305 , passes through the fixed block 304 . the moveable belt 305 forms a complimentary v - shape that opposes that of the recess 309 . in so doing , the moveable belt 305 and the recess 309 of the fixed block 304 form a closed loop 306 when viewed from the top . a battery cell may be inserted into this closed loop 306 . as stated , the moveable belt 305 passes through an aperture 301 in the fixed block 304 , and is coupled to a moveable support 307 . the moveable support 307 , and therefore the attached moveable belt 305 , are spring loaded against the fixed block 304 by at least one coil spring 309 . the coil spring 309 pulls the moveable belt 305 toward the recess 309 when the spring is at rest . a lever 308 coupled to the moveable support 307 allows an operator to open the closed loop 306 by pulling on the lever 308 . when the lever 308 is released , the coil spring 309 causes the moveable belt 305 to again pull back into the aperture 310 . a cutting means 312 , having at least one blade 313 coupled thereto , is provided for removing debris from the battery cells . the operation of the cutting means 312 will be described in more detail below with respect to fig7 and 8 . the cutting means 312 is electrically isolated from the means for holding a battery cell 303 to prevent inadvertent short circuits of the battery cell through the machine . the isolation can be achieved in many different ways , including the addition of rubber gaskets between components . one preferred way of electrically isolating the cutting means 312 from the means for holding a battery cell 303 is by anodizing the various components . the anodization electrically insulates each component from another . a magnet 314 is disposed below the cutting means 312 . the magnet 314 serves to “ catch ” metallic debris that is removed from the surface of the battery cell when the moveable cutting means 312 passes across the cell &# 39 ; s surface . while the magnet 314 is optional , it proves extremely effective in keeping the overall workspace clean . the magnet 314 additionally ensures that metallic fragments do not attach themselves to the cell , by static electricity , residual glue , ink or otherwise . such “ sticky fragments ” could end up within a battery pack , thereby compromising the reliability of the pack . the cutting means 312 is mechanically coupled to a sliding member 311 . the sliding member travels on rails 312 , and moves parallel to the base member 301 . a removable blade carrier 315 secures the blade to the sliding member 311 by bolts or other fastening members . the sliding member 311 is actuated by a main lever 316 . the main lever 316 is rotatably coupled to the sliding member 311 by a gear assembly 317 . essentially , when the main lever 316 is rotated , the gear assembly 317 actuates , thereby causing the sliding member 311 , and thus the cutting member 312 , to travel parallel to the base member 301 along the rails 318 . it is this parallel travel that allows the blade of the cutting member 312 to pass across at least one surface of the battery cell , thereby removing debris . in other words , actuation of the lever 316 actuates the cutting means 312 , thereby causing the cutting means 312 to pass along one end of the battery cell . the starting point and amount of travel of the sliding member 311 and cutting means is determined by a travel assembly . the travel assembly includes a threaded member 320 coupled to the sliding member 311 , a threaded stop 321 disposed about the threaded member 320 , a fixed adjustment stop 319 coupled to the base member 301 , and a second threaded stop 322 . the threaded member 320 passes through the fixed stop 319 , and the threaded stop 321 is coupled to the threaded member 320 such that the fixed adjustment stop 319 is disposed between the sliding member 311 and the threaded stop 321 . for removing debris with the push stroke of the lever 316 , the preferred method so debris falls to the magnet 314 rather than remaining on the cutting member 312 , the starting location of both the sliding member 311 and the cutting member 312 is set by the position of the second threaded stop 322 on the threaded member 320 . by twisting the second threaded stop 322 about the threaded member 320 , a user may adjust this starting location . note that the sliding member 311 may optionally be spring loaded to keep the sliding member 311 pushed or pulled towards or away from the means for holding a battery cell 303 in the rest position . the space between the second threaded stop 322 and the first threaded stop 321 , relative to the fixed adjustment stop 319 determines the amount of travel of the sliding member 311 . one may adjust the travel of the sliding member 311 by twisting either the threaded stop 321 or second threaded stop 322 about the threaded member 320 . this twisting causes the first and second threaded stops 321 , 322 to contact the fixed adjustment stop 319 at different points during the motion of the sliding member 311 . referring now to fig4 , illustrated therein is a top , plan view of a machine in accordance with the invention . a second spring 400 can be seen in this view . two springs 309 , 400 are useful in that it keeps the travel of the moveable support 307 uniform relative to the fixed member 304 . one inserts a battery cell into the machine 300 by pulling the lever 308 in the x direction 401 , thereby opening the closed loop 306 . when the battery is inserted into now expanded closed loop 306 of the means for holding a battery 303 , the amount if insertion is limited by the leveling means 403 coupled to the cutting means 312 . once the battery cell contacts the leveling means 403 , the user releases the lever 308 , wherein the springs 309 , 400 cause the moveable support to move in the - x direction 402 . the leveling means 403 is essentially a flat surface coupled to the cutting means 312 that limits the amount of insertion , thereby ensuring that the blade of the cutting means 312 aligns properly with a surface of the battery cell . after the battery cell is inserted , this alignment allows the blade of the cutting means 312 to pass cleanly across the surface of the battery cell when the cutting means 312 is actuated . as such , the cutting means “ shaves ” debris from the surface of the battery cell . fig5 and 6 illustrate side , elevated views of the machine . these views provide clearer looks of parts that are seen only fractionally in the perspective view of fig3 . referring now to fig7 , illustrated therein is the cutting action performed by a machine in accordance with the invention . as stated above , after the means for holding a battery cell is opened , a battery cell 700 having metallic debris 701 , 702 is inserted into the means for holding a battery cell 303 until one end or edge 703 of the cell touches or otherwise contacts the leveling means 403 . once the means for holding a battery cell 303 has been closed , the cutting means 312 may be actuated . actuation of the cutting means 312 causes the blade 313 to pass along the end 703 of the battery cell 700 , thereby removing debris 701 , 702 from the battery cell 700 . once removed , the debris 701 , 702 may then fall upon the magnet 314 , where it remains magnetically attached until an operator performs a cleaning operation . the method described in this paragraph is illustrated in fig8 . while simple in operation , the machine produced superior and surprising results in practice . the principal improvement was an increase in pull strength resistance of tab - cell assemblies . in other words , cells that were shaved with the machine and then welded to tabs survived larger pull forces without the welds breaking than did new cells that were welded to tabs without having passed through the machine . this result is indicated in table 1 below . as can be seen from the table above , when tests were run on sample sets of five cells , the average increase in pull strength was over 85 %, or 1 . 6 lbs . this increase in pull strength not only increases the reliability of the overall battery pack , but also reduces costs due to customer field returns . a second improvement realized with the machine was reduced cost in manufacture . the reduced cost came primarily from two sources : first , overall raw material cost was reduced because cells did not have to be scrapped . when a poor weld joint appeared , the machine facilitated refurbishment of the cell surface . a second reduction of cost came from reduced labor time . in contrast to the time consuming rotary tool reworking , the machine facilitated a fast , clean refurbishment cycle . a third improvement was decreased electrical impedance . when cells were refurbished with the machine , experimental results showed lower electrical impedance from tab to cell . this reduced impedance means that more of the battery cell &# 39 ; s energy will be delivered to the host , as opposed to being dissipated as heat in the battery pack . while the preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , it is clear that the invention is not so limited . numerous modifications , changes , variations , substitutions , and equivalents will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .	8
referring now to fig1 there is shown a schematic diagram of a flash memory cell array structure 10 , according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention . the memory array 10 is an n × n array having n rows by n columns of memory cells t ( φ , φ ) through t ( φ , n -- 1 ), t ( 1 , φ ) through t ( 1 , n -- 1 ), . . ., and t ( n --, φ ) through t ( n -- 1 , n -- 1 ). each memory cell t is a flash transistor device having drain , source and control gate nodes , and a floating gate . each memory cell t is preferably a conventional single - transistor flash cell like that shown in fig3 . transistor t is an n - channel mos having an n + source region 12 and an n + drain region 14 formed in the surface of a p - silicon substrate 20 , and a floating gate 16 and a control gate 18 formed in stacked fashion on the silicon substrate 20 . floating gate 16 stores a negative charge when programmed and can be erased via fowler - nordheim tunneling . the control gates of each memory cell t in the same row are connected together with a common word line wl ( φ )˜ wl ( n -- 1 ). the drains of each memory cell t in the same column are connected together with a common bit line bl ( φ )˜ bl ( n -- 1 ). the sources of all memory cells t are connected together with a source line 30 . in the memory array 10 , each row of memory cells t is connected with a self - limiting - erase floating gate transistor tl ( φ )˜ tl ( n -- 1 ) of the present invention . the control gates of the self - limiting - erase transistors tl are connected to the corresponding word lines wl , and the sources of the transistors tl are connected to the source line 30 . the initial threshold voltage v ti2 of the transistors tl is smaller than the initial threshold voltage v ti1 of the memory cell transistors t for example , v ti1 = 1 . 0 volts and v ti2 = 0 . different v ti values can be set during the manufacturing process of the memory array 10 , for example by using the conventional process of ion implantation into the channel regions of the memory cell transistors t and the self - limiting - erase transistors tl . another method to set the different vti values is to program each memory cell after the flash memory ic is finished and before it is used to store data , so that its initial threshold voltage is larger than that of the self - limiting - erase transistors tl . the operation voltages of the memory array 10 and the self - limiting - erase transistors tl in three modes of operation , i . e . programming , erasing , and read modes , are given in the following table where &# 34 ; f &# 34 ; means &# 34 ; floating .&# 34 ; __________________________________________________________________________mode of drain sourceoperation bl ( φ ) bl ( 1 ) bl ( n - 1 ) vs wl ( φ ) wl ( 1 ) wl ( n - 1 ) of tl ( φ ) of tl ( φ ) __________________________________________________________________________program t ( φ , φ ) 7 v 0 v 0 v 0 v 12 v 0 v 0 v 7 v 0 verase t ( φ , φ ) ˜ f f f 12 v connected 12 v 12 v connected 12 vt ( φ , n - 1 ) to drain of to wl ( φ ) tl ( φ ) read t ( φ , φ ) 1 v 0 v 0 v 0 v 5 v 0 v 0 v f 0 v__________________________________________________________________________ as indicated in the table , if the user wants to selectively program the memory cell transistor t ( φ , φ ), the bit line bl ( φ ) is held at 7 volts , and the other bit lines bl ( 1 ) through bl ( n -- 1 ) are held at 0 volts . the voltage v s of the source line 30 is set to 0 volts . the word line wl ( φ ) is held at 12 volts , and the other word lines wl ( 1 ) through wl ( n -- 1 ) are held at 0 volts . the drain of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ) is held at 7 volts , and the source is held at 0 volts . in this manner , channel hot electrons are generated at the channel region of the memory cell transistor t ( φ , φ ), and injected into its floating gate . similarly , channel hot electrons are also generated in the channel region of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ), and injected into its floating gate . thus , both threshold voltages of the memory cell transistor t ( φ , φ ) and the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ) are increased . for instance , after programming , the threshold voltage vtp 1 of the memory cell transistor t ( φ , φ ) is 6 volts , and the threshold voltage v tp2 of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ) is 5 volts . the preset voltage difference is maintained . in an erase operation , this preferred embodiment can 5 selectively erase only one row of memory cell devices . for example , if the first row of memory cell transistors t ( φ , φ ) through t ( φ , n -- 1 ) is to be erased , the voltage v s of the source line 30 is set to 12 volts , and all bit lines are floating . the drain of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ) is connected to the word line wl ( φ ) via a feedback path 32 with an initial reset value for the word line wl ( φ ) equal to zero volt . in this embodiment , the feedback path 32 includes an impedance element 36 . the other word lines wl ( 1 ) through wl ( n -- 1 ) are held at 12 volts . in this manner , the charge stored in the floating gates of the first row of memory cell transistors t ( φ , φ ) through t ( φ , n -- 1 ) will be pulled out to the sources via capacitance coupling across the oxide between the floating gates and the sources . similarly , the charge stored in the floating gate of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ) will be pulled out to the source via capacitance coupling across the oxide between the floating gate and the source . thus , the threshold voltages of the memory cells and the self - limiting - erase transistor will be reduced from their programmed values v tp1 , v tp2 to their initial values v ti1 , v ti2 . when the threshold voltage of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ) reaches v ti2 = 0 volt due to erasing , the transistor tl ( φ ) will turn on , and thus the erasing voltage of 12 volts at its source will transfer to the word line wl ( φ ) via the feedback path 32 . this will stop the erase operation since now the voltage across the gate oxide between the floating gates and the sources is very small . at this point , the memory cells t ( φ , φ ) through t ( φ , n -- 1 ) all have a threshold voltage v ti1 = 1 volts . thus , the erase operation is self limited to completely avoid the over - erasing problem . when the erased memory cell , for example the cell t ( φ , φ ), is read , the bit line bl ( φ ) is held at 1 volts , and the other bit lines bl ( 1 )˜ bl ( n -- 1 ) are held at 0 volts . the voltage v s is set to 0 volts . the word line wl ( φ ) is held at 5 volts , and the other word lines wl ( 1 )˜ wl ( n -- 1 ) are held at 0 volts . the drain of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl ( φ ) is floating , and its source is held at 0 volts . as the threshold voltage of the cell t ( φ , φ ) is constant and well known , a constant predetermined read current is delivered between its source and drain . of course , when a programmed cell is read , there is no read current because the read voltage of 5 volts at the word line wl ( φ ) is less than v tp1 = 6 volts of the cell . thus , memory array 10 of the present invention is very suitable for high speed applications which require constant high cell current . for a memory cell array with self - limiting erase , the threshold voltage v . sub . ti1 of the memory cells can be preset to a low value , e . g . 0 . 5 volts or even 0 . 1 volts . a lower v ti1 results in a higher read current . if the self - limiting erase scheme is not used , v ti1 is higher , e . g . 1 . 5 volts , to provide more margin for preventing the cell devices from going into the depletion mode ( v ti1 & lt ; 0 ) after erase . referring now to fig2 there is shown a schematic diagram of a flash memory cell array structure 10 with a self - limiting erase according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention . the above - described embodiment of fig1 is suitable for memory array applications which need to selectively erase only one row of memory cells . if the erase operation of the memory array is to erase all rows of memory cells every time , only one self - limiting - erase floating gate transistor of the present invention is needed . as shown in fig2 a self - limiting - erase transistor tl &# 39 ; is coupled to the memory cell array 10 with its source connected to the source line 30 and its control gate connected to the output terminal of a switching circuit , for example , an or gate 40 . all word lines wl ( φ ) through wl ( n -- 1 ) of the memory array 10 are connected to the input terminals of the or gate 40 . in an erase operation for all memory cells , the voltage v s of the source line 30 is set to 12 volts , and all bit lines are floating . the drain of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl &# 39 ; is connected to all word lines wl ( φ ) through wl ( n -- 1 ) via a feedback path 32 &# 39 ; with an initial reset value for the word lines wl ( φ ) through wl ( n -- 1 ) equal to zero volts . in this embodiment , the feedback path 32 &# 39 ; includes an impedance element 36 &# 39 ;. in this manner , the charge stored in the floating gates of all memory cells will be pulled out to the sources . similarly , the charge stored in the floating gate of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl &# 39 ; will be pulled out to the source . thus , the threshold voltages of the memory cells and the self - limiting - erase transistor will be reduced from their programmed values v tp1 , v tp2 to their initial values v ti1 , v ti2 . when the threshold voltage of the self - limiting - erase transistor tl &# 39 ; reaches v ti2 = 0 volts due to erasing , the transistor tl &# 39 ; will turn on , and thus the erasing voltage of 12 volts at its source will transfer to all word lines wl ( φ ) through wl ( n -- 1 ) via the feedback path 32 &# 39 ;. this will stop the erase operation . at this point , all memory cells have a threshold voltage v ti1 = 1 volt . thus , the erase operation is also self limited to completely avoid the over - erasing problem . furthermore , this embodiment also can obtain a constant read current in the read operation of an erased cell . while the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that the invention need not be limited to the disclosed embodiments . on the contrary , it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims , the scope of which should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures .	6
in the present application , the terms “ logger ”, “ indicator ”, or the phrase “ logging indicator ” refers to any devices used to provided an indication of the moved position of the brake activation pushrod . moreover , it will be clear to the skilled artisan that while the present application is primarily directed to the use of pneumatically operated braking systems , the systems of the present invention can also be applied to hydraulic brake systems . further , the skilled artisan will be aware that brake stroke logging indicators of the type described herein can be used in a wide variety of applications . accordingly , while the present application is described with particular reference to the trucking industry , industry , the skilled artisan would be aware that the present application is equally applicable in other non - trucking industries , such as the rail industry , or the like , or in other vehicles operating pneumatic braking systems , such as in bus or recreational vehicle applications . embodiments of this invention will now be described by way of example only in association with the accompanying drawings in which : fig1 shows an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of the visual brake stroke logging indicator of the present invention , and the logger housing ; fig2 shows section view of the reciprocating locking tab on the logger indicator and locking tab holes on the logger housing , where the reciprocating locking tab is hinged up and down to hold the logger indicator in position when the clevis pin is not pushing on it ; fig3 shows side view of the assembly with brakes released where the clevis pin is in alignment with the release indicator , with the logger indicator at the same ; fig4 shows side view of the same assembly positioned about half way into the stroke , and clevis pin indicator pushing the logger indicator forward ; fig5 shows side view of the same assembly in the brakes released position where the clevis pin is again in alignment with the release indicator , but the logger indicator remains in a position showing the longest applied stroke travel ; fig6 shows side view of the assembly with brakes released where the clevis pin is in alignment with the release marker indicator , but the arrow indicator on the logger indicator is past the stroke limit indicator showing an out of adjustment brake stroke ; fig7 shows an isometric view of the assembly installed in an upwards facing position , which orientation might be used to accommodate different chassis designs , obstacles and / or better line of sight ; fig8 shows isometric view of the assembly installed downward position with brakes released and the logger indicator showing an out of adjustment brake stroke ; fig9 shows isometric view of the assembly installed where the logger housing includes attached indicators ; fig1 shows a closer view of the assembly installed on the bracket where the logger housing has attached indicators ; fig1 shows another embodiment mounted to the air brake chamber where the logger indicator slides linearly on the bracket slot and uses cut slots on the side of the mounting bracket where the release markers and the stroke limit indicator are inserted ; fig1 shows an exploded view of another embodiment of the device of the present invention where the mounting bracket comprises two pivoting parts and the clevis housing is inserted through the clevis pin to move it linearly , on a pivoting guide , wherein the brake stroke indicator is fastened to the pivoting guide and the logger pointer housing is moved along the pivoting guide ; fig1 shows the fig1 embodiment mounted onto the air brake chamber ; and fig1 shows the assembled parts of the device shown in figure fig1 . the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the present invention , as to its structure , organization , use and method of operation , together with further objectives and advantages thereof , will be better understood from the following drawings in which a presently preferred embodiment of the invention will now be illustrated by way of example only . in the drawings , like reference numerals depict like elements . it is expressly understood , however , that the drawings are for the purpose of illustration and description only and are not intended as a definition of the limits of the invention . also , unless otherwise specifically noted , all of the features described herein may be combined with any of the above aspects , in any combination . further , it will be noted that operation of brake stroke indicators are well known within the industry . as such , the present invention will first be described with respect to the system described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 913 , 385 , although it will be clear to the skilled artisan that the logging system of the present invention can be easily adapted for use with other visual brake stroke indicator devices of the prior art . in reference to fig1 and 2 the logger housing 6 has a circular cutaway where the logger indicator 9 slides concentrically within the center line ( cl ), the clevis pin 8 ( fig3 ) is positioned behind the logger pin arm 11 , thus pushing the logger pin arm 11 forward ( fig4 ), the indicating arrow 7 then displays the farthest position traveled by the clevis pin 8 . the stop pin 14 is positioned to keep the logger indicator 9 from travelling off the logger housing 6 . the cross sectional view in fig2 , shows how the logger indicator 9 is held in position to the logger housing 6 , where the reciprocating stepping tab 16 , is a hinged part of the logger indicator 9 . the reciprocating stepping tab 16 moves up and down to allow forward and backward linear movement of the logger indicator 9 and therefore locking into the locking tab holes 15 when force or movement is not applied . referring to fig3 , the brakes are in their initial , release position , but it can be seen that the air chamber 1 will actuate push rod 2 fastened to a clevis yoke 12 that pivotally mates to the slack adjuster 3 by the clevis pin 8 . the logger pin arm 11 is in front and tangent to the clevis pin 8 that is centered to the brakes released marker 13 . in fig4 the brakes have now been applied and the clevis pin 8 has moved forward pushing the logger pin arm 11 forward . the logger arrow 7 is in line with the clevis pin 8 . in fig5 the brakes have been released , and are now again in their initial , released position where the clevis pin 8 is again in line with the brake released marker 13 . at this point , however , indicating arrow 7 remains in its brake - actuated position , and therefore marks the distance of the last stroke traveled . when the brakes have been applied numerous times , logger arrow 7 shows the furthest movement of the logger indicator 9 within housing 6 . when inspected , the operator preferably observes the system in this position , namely wherein the indicator at its initial position is within the lower tolerance position , and the indicating arrow of the pushrod stroke logging device is also within the pushrod &# 39 ; s upper tolerance position , shown by maximum stroke limit indicator 4 . the lower and upper tolerance positions are marked by indicators 4 and 13 which preferably are two upright digits that are connected one to the other by a joining plate , and are mounted on a mounting bracket 5 . as such , upright digits 4 and 13 have the ability to move in unison with one another . housing 6 is also mounted on bracket 5 , using bolt 10 , which bolt 10 can also be used to hold indicators 4 and 13 in place . fig6 shows brakes in release position with the clevis pin 8 aligned with the brake released marker 13 . this particular position is a continuation of similar to that of fig5 , but in this case , the pushrod has exceeded the upper tolerance since the pushrod stroke traveled past the stroke limit indicator 4 . this shows an out of adjustment value 17 for the maximum brake stroke position . fig7 is an isometric view showing the whole brake assembly , with brakes released , arranged in an inverted orientation to accommodate different chassis designs , obstacles and provide a different visual indication . fig8 is an isometric view again showing the whole brake assembly , with the brakes in a released position , in still further orientation to that shown in fig7 . in this embodiment , the brake released marker 13 is in alignment with the clevis pin 8 . similar to fig6 , indicating arrow 7 is past the stroke limit indicator 4 . fig9 and 10 show yet another embodiment of the present invention wherein the initial brake released marker 13 and the stroke limit indicator 4 ( fig3 to fig8 ) are shown on the logger housing 6 which thereby reduces the number of parts . the brake initial brake released marker 13 and the stroke limit indicator 4 are extruded as part of the logger housing 6 . also logger arrow 7 maybe be duplicated with a second extruded arrow logger 7 a which provides increased visual indication . additionally , fig1 shows a closer view on the extruded brake released marker 13 and the stroke limit indicator 4 with the logger arrows 7 and 7 a showing a brake application . fig1 and 12 show another embodiment using a logger housing bracket 18 fastened to a brake chamber 1 . the logger indicator 9 slides concentrically with the center line within the logger housing bracket 18 . fig1 provides a closer view of the apparatus showing the logger housing bracket 18 with a brake released marker slot 19 and multiple stroke limit indicator slots 20 . the brake released marker 13 is inserted into the brake released marker slot 19 and the stroke limit indicator 4 may be inserted into selected stroke limit indicator slots 20 . this allows the user to insert the limit indicators into appropriate slots to show the maximum travel for the particular braking system being used . typically the distances from the brake released marker slot 19 and the selected indicator slots 20 , will be between 1 and 2 inches , although other values might be provided , where needed . fig1 to 15 show the features of another embodiment of the apparatus showing an exploded view of the assembly in fig1 , where the mounting bracket 27 is fastened to a brake chamber using a bracket mounting hole 31 . the pivoting guide 21 is attached to the mounting bracket 27 by a pivoting pin 29 for vertical movement . the brake stroke indicator 23 slides onto the pivoting guide 21 and is fastened in place with a set screw or like fastener . the clevis housing 26 with the integrated logger pointer 32 slides onto the pivoting guide 21 . the clevis pin 8 ( see fig1 ) is inserted into the clevis mounting hole 28 to linearly move the clevis housing 26 along the pivoting guide 21 . the logger pointer housing 25 with the integrated logger pointer 30 slides linearly along the pivoting guide 21 . fig1 shows the device assembled and mounted onto a brake chamber 1 . the clevis indicator 32 may be aligned with one of the multiple brake released markers 22 and when the brakes are applied , the clevis housing 26 pushes on the logger pointer housing 25 where the logger pointer 30 shows the distance traveled relative to the stroke limit indicator 24 . fig1 shows a closer view of the embodiment of fig1 and fig1 with its parts as an assembly . it will be understood that the components of the various parts of the visual brake stroke logging indicator of the present invention can be manufactured of any suitable materials . particularly preferred are plastic components that can be readily fabricated at low cost . moreover , it is preferred that the indicator arrows , and limit indicators , and the like , be made of , or covered with brightly coloured materials to assist in observing their various positions . this is particularly preferred since the amount of dirt in the area of the brakes , can be significant , and can interfere with observing the various components . also , the visual brake stroke logging indicator device of the present invention should be manufactured with components that will not inadvertently interfere with the normal operation of the braking system . plastic components are particularly preferred in this respect . thus , it is apparent that there has been provided , in accordance with the present invention , a visual brake stroke indicator which fully satisfies the goals , objects , and advantages set forth hereinbefore . therefore , having described specific embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that alternatives , modifications and variations thereof may be suggested to those skilled in the art , and that it is intended that the present specification embrace all such alternatives , modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims . additionally , for clarity and unless otherwise stated , the word “ comprise ” and variations of the word such as “ comprising ” and “ comprises ”, when used in the description and claims of the present specification , is not intended to exclude other additives , components , integers or steps . further , the invention illustratively disclosed herein suitably may be practiced in the absence of any element which is not specifically disclosed herein . moreover , words such as “ substantially ” or “ essentially ”, when used with an adjective or adverb is intended to enhance the scope of the particular characteristic ; e . g ., substantially planar is intended to mean planar , nearly planar and / or exhibiting characteristics associated with a planar element . further , use of the terms “ he ”, “ him ”, or “ his ”, is not intended to be specifically directed to persons of the masculine gender , and could easily be read as “ she ”, “ her ”, or “ hers ”, respectively . also , while this discussion has addressed prior art known to the inventor , it is not an admission that all art discussed is citable against the present application .	1
in the following descriptions , the term “ inner side ” is used to indicate a side close to the center of the device in the horizontal direction , while “ outer side ” is used to indicate a side away from the center of the device in the horizontal direction . fig1 is a top view of the superjunction device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention . it should be mentioned that fig1 is a top view taken from the top of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 , namely those elements above the epitaxial layer 2 are not shown in fig1 , although included in the superjunction device . as shown in fig1 , the superjunction device of the present invention is divided into three regions , region i , region ii and region iii . also refer to fig3 , region i , namely a central region of the superjunction device , is defined as an active region of the device . the active region includes alternately arranged p - type regions 25 and n - type regions formed in an n - type epitaxial layer 2 . the p - type regions 25 are p - type pillars formed in the active region , and the n - type regions are n - type pillars formed in the active region . in the active region , currents flow through n - type regions , from source electrode via channels to drain electrode . when the device is in a reverse off - state , the p - type regions 25 and the n - type regions form depletion regions to withstand voltage . regions ii and iii constitute a terminal protection region of the superjunction device . when the superjunction device is in an on - state , the terminal protection region does not provide current path ; when the superjunction device is in a reverse off - state , regions ii and iii withstand both a voltage in the lateral direction between the outermost unit of region i ( namely the p - type region 25 a at the border of region i ) and the outside border of the superjunction device , and a voltage in the vertical direction between the surface of the outermost unit of region i and the substrate . region ii contains at least one p - type ring 3 b , which is generally electrically connected with p - wells 3 a in region i . only one p - type ring 3 b is illustrated in fig1 . region ii further contains a polysilicon field plate 8 b and a metal field plate 13 a for preventing rapid changes in surface electric field . region ii also contains p - type annular columns 24 . in some embodiments , region ii may not contain metal field plate 13 a . region iii is a voltage withstanding region formed by alternately arranged p - type annular columns 23 and n - type annular columns formed by the n - type epitaxial layer , wherein the p - type annular columns 23 are p - type regions formed in the terminal protection region , and the n - type annular columns are n - type regions formed in the terminal protection region . region iii may either contain metal field plates 13 a , 13 b or not . a channel stopper 21 is arranged at the outside border of region iii . the channel stopper 21 may be formed by an n + implantation region , or an n + implantation region with a dielectric or with a dielectric and a metal formed on it . additional p - type pillars 22 may be optionally formed at the corners of the p - type annular columns 23 to achieve better charge balance . as shown in fig1 , all the structures in the active region , namely the p - type regions 25 and n - type regions , are pillar - shaped . the terminal protection region surrounds the active region , and the p - type ring 3 b , p - type annular columns 24 , p - type annular columns 23 , and channel stopper 21 all have a cross section of straight - flanked ring shape or straight - flanked ring shape with curved corners . in fig1 , the p - type regions 25 in the active region all have a cross section of stripe shape . the active region may also be formed by two - dimensionally arranged p - type regions of square , hexagonal , octagonal or other shapes . the additional p - type pillars 22 at the corner areas in fig1 can be designed according to the requirement of optimizing local electric charge balance . if the width of a p - type annular column 23 is a , and the distance between two adjacent p - type annular columns 23 is also a , then the additional p - type pillars 22 can be designed as p - type square holes with a length of 0 . 3 a ˜ 0 . 5 a . fig2 is a schematic view of a resistivity curve from the n - type epitaxial layer to the n + substrate of a superjunction device . after the superjunction device of this embodiment is formed , a transition region exists in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 adjacent to the surface of the n + substrate 1 . the doping concentration of the transition region is lower than that of the n + substrate 1 and is higher than that of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . the resistivity of the transition region is higher than that of the n + substrate 1 and is lower than that of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . the n + substrate 1 is evenly doped with a doping concentration higher than 1e19 cm − 3 , and the doping concentration of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is lower than 5e16 cm − 3 . during the high - temperature process of epitaxial deposition and other high - temperature processes after epitaxy , such as drive - in , trench refilling and gate oxidation processes , the impurity in the n + substrate 1 will diffuse into the n - type epitaxial layer 2 , thereby forming a transition region having a continuous concentration gradient in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . as shown in fig2 , the x - axis indicates the position coordinates from the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 toward the bottom of the n + substrate 1 . the y - axis indicates the changes in resistivity . the thickness of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is t , and the thickness of the transition region is t 0 . the resistivity in the transition region continuously declines . fig3 is a cross sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 1 along the line a - a in fig1 . in this embodiment , an n - type epitaxial layer 2 is formed on an n + substrate 1 . a transition region ( not shown ) exists in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 adjacent to the surface of the n + substrate 1 . region i , which is in a central area of the superjunction device , is an active region and includes alternately arranged p - type regions 25 and n - type regions formed in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . the p - type regions 25 are constituted of p - type pillars 51 formed in the first trenches 41 in region i in fig3 . the first trenches 41 may have a cross sectional shape of rectangular , square , hexagonal , octagonal , etc . a p - well 3 a is formed beneath the surface of each p - type region 25 and may extend laterally into the n - type regions on both sides of the p - type region 25 . source regions 11 formed by n + implantation regions are respectively formed in each of the p - wells 3 a . gate structures are formed above the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . each gate structure corresponds to a p - well 3 a and includes a gate oxide 7 a and a polysilicon gate formed on the gate oxide 7 a . the gate oxide 7 a is formed on the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in the active region . a metal layer 13 is formed above the n - type epitaxial layer 2 and is connected to the polysilicon gates 8 a or the source regions 11 through contact holes 10 to pick up gate electrodes or source electrodes . p + ion implantation regions 12 are formed to build ohmic contacts between the p - wells 3 a and the metal layer 13 . a backside metal layer 14 is formed at the backside of the n + substrate 1 to pick up a drain electrode . regions ii and iii constitute the terminal protection region of the superjunction device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention . the terminal protection region surrounds the active region and includes at least one p - type ring 3 b , a plurality of p - type annular columns 24 in region ii , a plurality of p - type annular columns 23 in region iii , a channel stopper 21 , a terminal dielectric film 6 , at least one polysilicon field plate 8 b , and metal field plates 13 a and 13 b . in other embodiments , the terminal protection region may not include metal field plates 13 a or 13 b . in embodiment 1 , five metal field plates ( one 13 a and four 13 b ) are included in total . the p - type annular columns 24 are constituted of p - type annular columns 52 formed in the second trenches 42 in region ii . the p - type annular columns 23 include p - type annular columns 53 a formed in the second trenches 43 a at the inner side of region iii , and p - type annular columns 53 b formed in the second trenches 43 b at the outer side of region iii . all the second trenches 42 , 43 a , 43 b may have a cross sectional shape of straight - flanked ring or straight - flanked ring with curved corners . the p - type pillars 51 and the p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a , 53 b are formed by filling a p - type silicon into the respective trenches 42 , 43 a , 43 b . p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a and 53 b are arranged in order between the outermost p - type region 25 in the active region , namely the p - type pillar 51 a , and the channel stopper 21 . the p - type pillars 51 , p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a , 53 b and the adjacent n - type epitaxial layer 2 form a plurality of alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions . as shown in fig3 , assuming that the thickness of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is t , the thickness of the transition region in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is t 0 ( referring to fig2 ), the distance from the bottom of any one of the p - type pillars 51 to the upper surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is t 1 , the distance from the bottom of any one of the p - type annular columns 52 to the upper surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is t 2 , and the distance from the bottom of any one of the p - type annular columns 53 a , 53 b to the upper surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is t 3 , then the distances from the bottoms of p - type pillars 51 or the p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a , 53 b to the surface of the n + substrate 1 are all greater than the thickness of the transition region , namely t − t 1 & gt ; t 0 , t − t 2 & gt ; t 0 , and t − t 3 & gt ; t 0 . the superjunction device according to embodiment 1 of the present invention is a device having a breakdown voltage ( bvds ) of 600v . the n + substrate 1 has a resistivity of from 0 . 001 ω · cm to 0 . 003 ω · cm and a doping concentration of higher than 1e19 cm − 3 ; the n - type epitaxial layer 2 has a thickness t of 45 μm and a resistivity of 4 ω · cm . after the whole process , the thickness t 0 of the transition region in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 formed due to the impurity diffusion from the n + substrate 1 to the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is about 5 μm . t 1 , t 2 and t 3 are 35 μm , equal to one another . the distances between the n + substrate 1 and the bottoms of the p - type pillars 51 or p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a , 53 b , namely the distances between the n + substrate 1 and the bottoms of all the p - type regions , are all 10 μm , which is greater than the thickness of the transition region ( 5 μm ). the p - type ring 3 b is formed beneath the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in region ii in the terminal protection region and is adjacent to the outermost p - type pillar 51 a in region i . the p - type ring 3 b covers a plurality of p - type annular columns 52 . the doping concentration of the p - type ring 3 b is greater than that of the p - type annular columns 52 . the p - type ring 3 b covers at least one p - type annular column 52 closest to the active region ( i . e . closest to the p - type pillar 51 a ) and its adjacent n - type annular column the p - type ring 3 b and p - wells 3 a are formed under the same process conditions , in other words , the p - type ring 3 b and the p - wells 3 a are simultaneously implanted . the p - type ring 3 b may also be implanted separately by a single implantation . the channel stopper 21 is formed beneath the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 at the outer side of the outermost p - type annular column 53 b . the terminal dielectric film 6 is formed on the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in the terminal protection region . the terminal dielectric film 6 has a step structure 6 a at the side close to the active region . the terminal dielectric film 6 covers all the p - type annular columns from the p - type annular column under the step structure 6 a to the p - type annular column 23 at the outermost . the polysilicon field plate 8 b is formed on the terminal dielectric film 6 and covers a part of the terminal dielectric film 6 , wherein the part of the terminal dielectric film 6 includes the entire step structure 6 a . the polysilicon field plate 8 b extends toward the inner side of the device to cover the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a . the extension part of the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers one or more of the p - type annular columns 24 . the extension part of the polysilicon field plate 8 b is isolated from the n - type epitaxial layer 2 below it by the gate oxide 7 a and a second dielectric layer 7 b . the second dielectric layer 7 b has a thickness greater than that of the gate oxide 7 a and covers all the p - type annular columns 52 in region ii . the polysilicon field plate 8 b is electrically connected with the polysilicon gates 8 a . an inter layer film 9 is formed on the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in the terminal protection region , on the terminal dielectric film 6 , on the polysilicon field plate 8 b , and also on the top face and side faces of each gate structure . in regions ii and iii , a plurality of metal field plates 13 a and 13 b ( five in total in this embodiment ) are formed on the inter layer film 9 . metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are formed by lithographing and etching a metal layer 13 . the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are respectively formed on the inter layer film 9 above the p - type ring 3 b or above the p - type annular columns 53 a , 53 b or above the channel stopper 21 . the metal field plate 13 a covers the entire step structure 6 a . the metal field plate 13 a is separated from the source electrode and is not connected to the source electrode . a part of the metal field plate 13 a covers the entire p - type ring 3 b . the metal field plate 13 a is formed above the polysilicon field plate 8 b and may either be connected to the polysilicon field plate 8 b through contact holes 10 or not connected to the polysilicon field plate 8 b . all the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b have a floating structure . the thickness of the gate oxide 7 a is from 800 å to 1200 å ; the thicknesses of the polysilicon field plate 8 b and polysilicon gates 8 a are from 3000 å to 10000 å ; the thickness of the terminal dielectric film 6 is from 5000 å to 15000 å and the thickness of the inter layer film 9 is from 5000 å to 15000 å . the stepping of the alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions below the p - type ring 3 b in region ii , namely the intervals between adjacent trenches in region ii is smaller than or equal to the stepping of the alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions in region i . the width ratio of p - type and n - type regions in region ii ( the ratio of p - type region &# 39 ; s width to n - type region &# 39 ; s width ) is greater than or equal to that in region i . in this embodiment , the widths of p - type regions in regions i , ii and iii are all 5 μ and the widths of n - type regions in regions i , ii and iii are all 10 μm . the alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions formed by p - type annular columns 53 a , 53 b and the n - type epitaxial layer in region iii are used as a voltage withstanding region . metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are formed above the p - type and n - type annular columns in region iii . a polysilicon field plate may either be formed above the p - type and n - type annular columns in region iii or not . a p - type ring may either be formed in region iii or not . the channel stopper 21 at the outermost of region iii is formed by an n + implantation region , or an n + implantation region with a metal formed on it . the n + implantation region of the channel stopper 21 is formed by the same process as the source regions 11 . in embodiment 1 , a metal field plate 13 b is formed above the channel stopper 21 and is connected to the channel stopper 21 through a contact hole 10 . in other embodiments , the channel stopper 21 may not be connected to the metal field plate 13 b so that the metal field plate 13 b will be floating . the metal field plate 13 b may also be substituted by a polysilicon field plate . in embodiment 1 , no polysilicon field plate is arranged . fig4 is a cross sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 2 along the line a - a in fig1 . the difference between embodiment 2 and embodiment 1 is that : in embodiment 2 , the bottoms of the trenches 42 in region ii and the bottoms of the trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii are in contact with the n + substrate 1 , so that after the filling of p - type silicon into the trenches , the p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a , 53 b all pass through the n - type epitaxial layer 2 and are in contact with the n + substrate 1 , while the bottoms of the p - type pillars 51 do not pass through the n - type epitaxial layer 2 and are not in contact with the n + substrate 1 , and the distance between the bottom of any one of the p - type pillars 51 and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . wherein , the distance from the bottoms of the p - type pillars 51 to the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 , namely t 1 , is 35 μm , and the thickness of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 , namely t , is 45 μm . fig5 is a cross sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 3 along the line a - a in fig1 . the difference between embodiment 3 and embodiment 2 is that : in embodiment 3 , the bottoms of the two trenches 43 b at the outermost , namely closest to the outside border of the terminal protection region , are not in contact with the n + substrate 1 . the depth t 4 of the trenches 43 b , namely the distance from the bottoms of the trenches 43 b to the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 , is smaller than the thickness t of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 , and is also smaller than t 2 and t 3 . after the filling of p - type silicon into the trenches , the p - type annular columns 53 b formed in the trenches 43 b have a depth smaller than that of the adjacent p - type annular column 53 a . this makes sure that the pn junction at the outermost of region iii is a graded junction , and thereby increasing the breakdown voltage at the terminal end . fig6 is a cross - sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 4 along the line a - a in fig1 . the difference between embodiment 4 and embodiment 1 is that : in embodiment 4 , each p - type annular column in the terminal protection region forms a contact with the n + substrate 1 through a p - type implantation ring formed in the n - type epitaxial layer between the n + substrate and the bottom of the corresponding p - type annular column . more specifically , in this embodiment , the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is formed by a first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a and a second n - type epitaxial layer 2 b , wherein the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a is situated at the bottom of the second n - type epitaxial layer 2 b , and the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a has a thickness greater than or equal to the thickness of the transition region in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . each p - type region in the terminal protection region is formed from bottom up by a p - type implantation ring and a p - type annular column ; p - type regions in the active region are formed of p - type pillars . the p - type implantation rings are formed by p - type implantation into the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a . the p - type implantation rings include p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a , 63 b formed in different regions , wherein the p - type implantation rings 62 are formed in region ii ; the p - type implantation rings 63 a are formed at the inner side of region iii , namely the side close to region ii ; and the p - type implantation rings 63 b are formed at the outer side of region iii . all the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b are formed through the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a and are in contact with the n + substrate 1 . the p - type impurity implanted into the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b may be b , bf 2 or other p - type impurities . the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b may be formed by ion implantation with an implantation energy of 5 kev to 500 kev and an implantation dose of 1e14 cm − 2 to 1e16 cm − 2 . the implantation can be performed by one - time or be performed by multiple times under different conditions . p - type pillars 51 are formed by filling a p - type impurity into the trenches 41 in region i ; p - type annular columns 52 are formed by filling a p - type impurity into the trenches 42 in region ii ; p - type annular columns 53 a are formed by filling a p - type impurity into the trenches 43 a at the inner side of region iii ; and p - type annular columns 53 b are formed by filling a p - type impurity into the trenches 43 b at the outer side of region iii ; wherein the bottoms of the p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a and 53 b all pass through the second n - type epitaxial layer 2 b and connect with the respective p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b to form contact with the n + substrate 1 through the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b . and therefore , the p - type regions in region i are constituted by the p - type pillars 51 ; the p - type regions in region ii are constituted by the p - type annular columns 52 and the corresponding p - type implantation rings 62 ; the p - type regions in region iii are constituted by the p - type annular columns 63 a , 63 b and the corresponding p - type implantation rings 63 a , 63 b . as the bottoms of the p - type pillars 51 are separated from the surface of the n + substrate 1 by the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a , the distance between the bottom of any one of the p - type pillars 51 and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a . fig7 is a cross - sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 5 along the line a - a in fig1 . the difference between embodiment 5 and embodiment 4 is that : in embodiment 5 , the two p - type regions at the outermost of region iii are just formed by p - type annular columns 53 b , namely the two p - type regions at the outermost of region iii do not contain the p - type implantation rings 63 b in fig6 . fig8 is a cross - sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 6 along the line a - a in fig1 . the difference between embodiment 6 and embodiment 1 is that : no trenches are formed in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 ; each p - type pillar is formed by a plurality of vertically stacked p - type stripes formed in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in the active region ; and each p - type annular column is formed by a plurality of vertically stacked p - type implantation regions formed in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in the terminal protection region . more specifically , in this embodiment , the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is formed of a plurality of stacked n - type epitaxial layers 201 , 202 , . . . , 20 n ; the p - type pillars 51 ′ in the active region , namely in region i , are formed by a plurality of vertically stacked p - type stripes 511 , 512 , . . . ; the p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a , 53 ′ b in the terminal protection region , namely in regions ii and iii , are formed by a plurality of vertically stacked p - type implantation regions 521 , 522 , . . . ; 531 a , 532 a , . . . ; 531 b , 532 b , . . . ; the distance between the bottom of any one of the p - type pillars 51 ′ or the p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a , 53 ′ b and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness of the transition region . the p - type pillars 51 ′ and the p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a , 53 ′ b may be formed by ion implantation into the respective n - type epitaxial layers 201 , 202 , . . . , 20 n with an implantation energy of 5 kev to 500 kev and an implantation dose of 1e14 cm − 2 to 1e16 cm − 2 . the p - type impurity implanted into the p - type pillars 51 ′ and the p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a , 53 ′ b may be b , bf 2 or other p - type impurities . the implantation can be carried out for one - time or for multiple times with different conditions . fig9 is a cross - sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 7 along the line a - a in fig1 . the difference between embodiment 7 and embodiment 6 is that : in embodiment 7 , each of the p - type annular columns forms a contact with the n + substrate 1 through a p - type implantation ring formed in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the n + substrate 1 and the bottom of the corresponding p - type annular column . more specifically , in this embodiment , the p - type pillars 51 ′, namely p - type regions in region i , are formed by a plurality of stacked p - type stripes ; each of the p - type regions in regions ii and iii is formed by a p - type implantation ring 62 ′, 63 ′ a or 63 b and a corresponding p - type annular column 52 ′, 53 ′ a or 53 ′ b formed by a plurality of stacked p - type implantation regions . the p - type implantation rings 62 ′, 63 ′ a and 63 ′ b are formed in the lowest n - type epitaxial layer ( namely the n - type epitaxial layer at the bottom ) and are connected to the n + substrate 1 , so that all the p - type regions in regions ii and iii are in contact with the n + substrate 1 . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of the superjunction device according to embodiment 8 along the line a - a in fig1 . the difference between embodiment 8 and embodiment 7 is that in embodiment 8 , the p - type regions at the outermost of region iii do not include the p - type implantation rings 63 b in the lowest n - type epitaxial layer or the p - type implantation regions in the second lowest n - type epitaxial layer ( see fig9 ), so that the bottoms of the two p - type annular columns 53 b at the outermost of region iii are separated from the n + substrate 1 by a certain distance . referring to fig3 to fig5 , the method for manufacturing the superjunction devices according to embodiments 1 to 3 of the present invention includes : step 1 : form an n - type epitaxial layer 2 on an n + substrate 1 ; form p - wells 3 a in the active region , namely in region i , and a p - type ring 3 b in the terminal protection region beneath the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 ; the n - type epitaxial layer 2 has a thickness t of about 45 μm ; the n + substrate 1 has a resistivity of from 0 . 001 ω · cm to 0 . 003 ω · cm ; the n + substrate 1 has a doping concentration higher than 1e19 cm − 3 . step 2 : form first trenches and second trenches in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 respectively in the active region and in the terminal protection region ; none of the first trenches in the active region is in contact with the n + substrate 1 ; the distance between the surface of the n + substrate 1 and the bottom of any one of the first trenches 41 in the active region is greater than the thickness of the transition region ; wherein the first trenches are constituted by trenches 41 in region i , which are formed in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in the active region ; the second trenches are constituted by trenches 42 in region ii and trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii , which are formed in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 in the terminal protection region ; none of the trenches 41 in region i is in contact with the n + substrate 1 , and the distance between the bottom of any one of the trenches 41 in region i and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness t 0 of the transition region in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 , wherein t 0 is about 5 μm . as shown in fig3 , the depth t 1 of the trenches 41 in region i , the depth t 2 of the trenches 42 in region ii and the depths t 3 of the trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii are all about 35 μm . the distances from the bottoms of trenches 41 in region i , trenches 42 in region ii and trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii to the surface of the n + substrate 1 are all about 10 μm . the mask for producing trench patterns in the active region and in the terminal protection region during the lithography process is designed such that the widths of the trenches both in the active region and in the terminal protection region are set to a same value of 5 μm , and the intervals between adjacent trenches , namely the steppings of alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions , are set to be 10 μm . as shown in fig4 , the trenches 41 in region i have a depth t 1 of about 35 μm . the bottoms of the trenches 42 in region ii and trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii are all in contact with the n + substrate 1 . trenches of two different depths can be achieved through a microloading effect in etching , namely by setting different lateral widths and steppings for trenches 41 in the active region ( i . e . region i ) and trenches in the terminal protection region ( i . e . regions ii and iii ) in the lithography process . for example , the lateral width and stepping of the trenches 41 in region i are respectively set to be 5 μm and 10 μm ; the lateral width and stepping of the trenches 42 in region ii and trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii are respectively set to be 7 μm and 14 μm ; the interval between the trench at the innermost of region ii and the trench at the outermost of region i is 12 μm ; due to the microloading effect in etching , when the trenches 41 of 5 μm wide is etched to a depth of 35 μm , the depths of the trenches 42 , 43 a , 43 b of 7 μm wide have already exceeded 46 μm and have formed contact with the n + substrate 1 . as shown in fig5 , the superjunction device includes trenches of three different depths , wherein the trenches 41 in region i have a depth t 1 of about 35 μm ; the bottoms of the trenches 42 in region ii and trenches 43 a in region iii are all in contact with the n + substrate 1 , while the bottoms of the two trenches 43 b at the outermost of region iii are not in contact with the n + substrate 1 . the two trenches 43 b in region iii have a depth t 4 smaller than the depth t 2 of any one of the trenches 42 in region ii and the depth t 3 of any one of the trenches 43 a in region iii , wherein t 2 and t 3 are equal to t . trenches of three different depths can be achieved through the microloading effect in etching , namely by setting different lateral widths and steppings for trenches in the active region and trenches in the terminal protection region in the lithography process . for example , the lateral width and stepping of the trenches 41 in region i are set to be 5 μm and 10 μm , respectively ; the lateral width and stepping of the trenches 42 in region ii and trenches 43 a in region iii are set to be 7 μm and 14 μm , respectively ; the interval between the trench at the innermost of region ii and the trench at the outermost of region i is 12 μm ; the lateral width and stepping of the two outermost trenches 43 b in region iii are set to be 3 μm and 3 μm , respectively ; the interval between the outermost trench 43 a and its adjacent trench 43 b is 8 . 5 μm ; due to the microloading effect in etching , when the trenches 41 of 5 μm wide is etched to a depth of 35 μm , the depths of the trenches 42 , 43 a of 7 μm wide have already exceeded 46 μm and have formed contact with the n + substrate 1 , meanwhile , the depth of the trenches 43 b at the outermost is merely 20 μm , so that the pn junction at the outermost will be a graded junction , thereby increasing the breakdown voltage of the device at the terminal end . step 3 : fill the trenches 41 in region i with a p - type silicon to form p - type pillars 51 ; fill the trenches 42 in region ii and trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii with a p - type silicon to form p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a and 53 b ; and then remove the silicon above the surface of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 to form alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions both in the active region and in the terminal protection region , wherein the p - type regions include the p - type pillars 51 and the p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a and 53 b . step 4 : deposit a dielectric film and remove part of the dielectric film in region i by lithography and etch to form a terminal dielectric film 6 in the terminal protection region , wherein the terminal dielectric film 6 has a step structure 6 a at the side near the active region ; deposit another dielectric film to form a second dielectric layer 7 b in the terminal protection region by lithography and etch , wherein the second dielectric layer 7 b is formed on the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a ; the second dielectric layer 7 b has a thickness greater than the gate oxide 7 a to be formed in subsequent process ; the second dielectric layer 7 b at least covers the central region of the p - type regions covered by the polysilicon field plate 8 b to be formed in subsequent process ; in fig3 to fig5 , the second dielectric layer 7 b covers all the p - type annular columns 52 in region ii . step 5 : form a gate oxide 7 a and a polysilicon layer in sequence on the structure after steps 1 to 4 , namely on the second dielectric layer 7 b , the terminal dielectric film 6 and the p - type and n - type regions not covered by the second dielectric layer 7 b or the terminal dielectric film 6 ; form polysilicon gates 8 a in the active region and at least one polysilicon field plate 8 b in the terminal protection region by etching the polysilicon layer . the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers the entire step structure 6 a and a part of the terminal dielectric film 6 and extends above the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a . the extension part of the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers one or more p - type regions , namely the p - type annular columns 52 in region ii . the bottom of the polysilicon field plate 8 b is isolated from the n - type epitaxial layer 2 by the gate oxide 7 a and the second dielectric layer 7 b . step 6 : form source regions 11 and a channel stopper 21 by lithography and ion implantation . step 7 : deposit an inter layer film 9 . step 8 : form contact holes 10 by lithography and etch . step 9 : form ohmic contacts 12 between the p - wells 3 a and the metal layer 13 to be formed in subsequent process by p + ion implantation . step 10 : deposit a metal layer 13 on the above structure and form a source electrode , a drain electrode and a plurality of metal field plates 13 a , 13 b by lithography and etch . the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are formed on the inter layer film 9 respectively above the p - type ring 3 b and above the p - type annular columns 23 , namely the p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a and 53 b , wherein the metal field plate 13 a covers the entire step structure 6 a . when no metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are arranged in regions ii and iii , the step of forming metal field plates 13 a and 13 b can be omitted . step 11 : perform backside grinding to reduce the thickness of the n + substrate 1 . step 12 : deposit a metal layer 14 on the backside of the n + substrate 1 and form a drain electrode . referring to fig6 and fig7 , the method for manufacturing the superjunction devices according to embodiments 4 and 5 of the present invention includes : step 1 : form a first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a on an n + substrate 1 , wherein the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a has a thickness greater than or equal to the thickness t 0 of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a , wherein t 0 is 5 μm ; the n + substrate 1 has a resistivity of from 0 . 001 ω · cm to 0 . 003 ω · cm and a doping concentration higher than 1e19 cm − 3 ; implant a p - type impurity into the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a in the terminal protection region to form a plurality of p - type implantation rings in contact with the n + substrate 1 , wherein the p - type impurity may be b , bf 2 or other p - type impurities ; the p - type implantation rings may be formed by ion implantation with an implantation energy of 5 kev to 500 kev and an implantation dose of 1e14 cm − 2 to 1e16 cm − 2 ; the implantation may be performed by one - time or by multiple times with different conditions . as shown in fig6 , p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b are formed in regions ii and iii ; no p - type implantation ring is formed in region i . wherein , the p - type implantation rings 62 are formed in region ii ; the p - type implantation rings 63 a are formed at the inner side of region iii , namely the side close to region ii ; and the p - type implantation rings 63 b are formed at the outer side of region iii . all the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b are formed through the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a and are in contact with the n + substrate 1 . as shown in fig7 , no p - type implantation ring is formed in region i and the outer side of region iii , namely the side far from region ii ; p - type implantation rings are formed in both region ii and at the inner side of region iii , namely the side close to region ii , so that only p - type implantation rings 62 and 63 a in region ii and at the inner side of region iii exist . step 2 : form a second n - type epitaxial layer 2 b on the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a , wherein the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a and the second n - type epitaxial layer 2 b constitute the n - type epitaxial layer 2 ; the thickness of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 maintains to be about 45 μm ; form p - wells 3 a in the active region and a p - type ring 3 b in the terminal protection region beneath the surface of the second n - type epitaxial layer 2 b ; form first trenches 41 and second trenches 42 , 43 a , 43 b in the second n - type epitaxial layer 2 b respectively in the active region and in the terminal protection region , wherein none of the first trenches 41 in the active region is in contact with the n + substrate 1 , and the distance between the bottom of any one of the first trenches 41 in the active region and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a . the number of the second trenches 42 , 43 a , 43 b in the terminal protection region is greater than or equal to the number of the p - type implantation rings ( in fig6 , the number of the second trenches 42 , 43 a and 43 b is equal to the number of the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a and 63 b ; in fig7 , the number of the second trenches 42 , 43 a and 43 b is greater than the number of the p - type implantation rings 62 and 63 a ). each p - type implantation ring has a second trench formed above it with the bottom of the second trench contacting with it , namely in fig6 , each of the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a , 63 b has a corresponding trench 42 , 43 a , 43 b formed above it and connecting to it ; in fig7 , each of the p - type implantation rings 62 , 63 a has a corresponding trench 42 , 43 a formed above it and connecting to it . in the case that the number of second trenches is greater than that of the p - type implantation rings , namely in the case as shown in fig7 , all those trenches 43 b not in contact with p - type implantation rings are situated at the outermost of the terminal protection region ; the bottom of these trenches 43 b are not in contact with the n + substrate 1 , and the distance between the bottoms of the trenches 43 b and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer 2 a . wherein , the first trenches in the active region include the trenches 41 formed in region i ; the second trenches 42 in the terminal protection region include the trenches 42 in region ii and the trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii . as shown in fig6 , the bottom of each of the trenches 42 in region ii or trenches 43 a , 43 b in region iii is in contact with a p - type implantation ring , namely in contact with the corresponding p - type implantation ring 62 , 63 a or 63 b . since no p - type implantation rings are formed at the bottoms of the trenches 41 in region i , the bottoms of the trenches 41 in region i are not in contact with the n + substrate 1 . as shown in fig7 , the bottom of each of the trenches 42 in region ii or trenches 43 a in region iii is in contact with a p - type implantation ring , namely in contact with the corresponding p - type implantation ring 62 or 63 a . since no p - type implantation rings are formed at the bottoms of the trenches 41 in region i , the bottoms of the trenches 41 in region i are not in contact with the n + substrate 1 . since no p - type implantation rings 63 b are formed , the bottoms of the trenches 43 b in region iii are not in contact with the n + substrate 1 . step 3 : fill the trenches 41 in the active region with a p - type silicon to form p - type pillars 51 , and fill the trenches 42 , 43 a , 43 b in the terminal protection region with a p - type silicon to form p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a , 53 b . p - type regions are formed by p - type annular columns and the corresponding p - type implantation rings connected to the bottom of the p - type annular columns at wherever p - type implantation rings are formed ; p - type regions are formed by p - type annular columns only at wherever no p - type implantation rings are formed . thereby , alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions are formed in the active region and in the terminal protection region . step 4 : deposit a dielectric film and remove part of the dielectric film in region i by lithography and etch to form a terminal dielectric film 6 in the terminal protection region , wherein the terminal dielectric film 6 has a step structure 6 a at the side near the active region ; deposit another dielectric film to form a second dielectric layer 7 b in the terminal protection region by lithography and etch , wherein the second dielectric layer 7 b is formed on the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a ; the second dielectric layer 7 b has a thickness greater than the gate oxide 7 a to be formed in subsequent process ; the second dielectric layer 7 b at least covers the central region of the p - type regions covered by the polysilicon field plate 8 b to be formed in subsequent process ; in fig6 and fig7 , the second dielectric layer 7 b covers all the p - type annular columns 52 in region ii . step 5 : form a gate oxide 7 a and a polysilicon layer in sequence on the structure after steps 1 to 4 , namely on the second dielectric layer 7 b , the terminal dielectric film 6 and the p - type and n - type regions not covered by the second dielectric layer 7 b or the terminal dielectric film 6 ; form polysilicon gates 8 a in the active region and at least one polysilicon field plate 8 b in the terminal protection region by etching the polysilicon layer . the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers the entire step structure 6 a and a part of the terminal dielectric film 6 and extends above the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a . the extension part of the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers one or more p - type regions , namely the p - type annular columns 52 in region ii . the bottom of the polysilicon field plate 8 b is isolated from the n - type epitaxial layer 2 by the gate oxide 7 a and the second dielectric layer 7 b . step 6 : form source regions 11 and a channel stopper 21 by lithography and ion implantation . step 7 : deposit an inter layer film 9 . step 8 : form contact holes 10 by lithography and etch . step 9 : form ohmic contacts 12 between the p - wells 3 a and the metal layer 13 to be formed in subsequent process by p + ion implantation . step 10 : deposit a metal layer 13 on the above structure and form a source electrode , a drain electrode and a plurality of metal field plates 13 a , 13 b by lithography and etch . the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are formed on the inter layer film 9 respectively above the p - type ring 3 b and above the p - type annular columns 23 , namely the p - type annular columns 52 , 53 a and 53 b , wherein the metal field plate 13 a covers the entire step structure 6 a . since the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b may be omitted in regions ii and iii , when no metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are arranged , the step of forming metal field plates 13 a and 13 b can be omitted . step 11 : perform backside grinding to reduce the thickness of the n + substrate 1 . step 12 : deposit a metal layer 14 on the backside of the n + substrate 1 and form a drain electrode . referring to fig8 , the method for manufacturing the superjunction device according to embodiment 6 of the present invention includes : step 1 : form a first n - type epitaxial layer 201 on an n + substrate 1 , wherein the first n - type epitaxial layer 201 has a thickness of 18 μm , which is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer ( 5 μm ); the n + substrate 1 has a resistivity of from 0 . 001 ω · cm to 0 . 003 ω · cm and a doping concentration higher than 1e19 cm - 3 ; implant a p - type impurity into the first n - type epitaxial layer 201 to form a plurality of first p - type stripes 511 in the active region and a plurality of first p - type implantation regions 521 , 531 a and 531 b surrounding the active region in the terminal protection region , wherein none of the p - type stripes 511 or the first p - type implantation regions 521 , 531 a and 531 b are in contact with the n + substrate ; the distance between the bottom of any one of the p - type stripes 511 or the first p - type implantation regions 521 , 531 a , 531 b and the surface of the n + substrate is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer 201 . step 2 : form a second n - type epitaxial layer 202 having a thickness of 7 μm on the first n - type epitaxial layer 201 ; implant a p - type impurity into the second n - type epitaxial layer 202 to form a plurality of second p - type stripes 512 in the active region and a plurality of second p - type implantation regions 522 , 532 a and 532 b surrounding the active region in the terminal protection region . the number of the second p - type stripes 512 is equal to the number of the first p - type stripes 511 ; each second p - type stripe 512 is vertically aligned with a first p - type stripe 511 and is in contact with the corresponding first p - type stripe 511 . the number of the second p - type implantation regions 522 , 532 a and 532 b is equal to the number of the first p - type implantation regions 521 , 531 a and 531 b ; each second p - type implantation region 522 , 532 a , 532 b is vertically aligned with a first p - type implantation regions 521 , 531 a , 531 b and is in contact with the corresponding first p - type implantation region . step 3 : form a third to an n - th n - type epitaxial layer 203 ˜ 20 n ( n is a natural number ) on the second n - type epitaxial layer 202 in sequence and form p - type stripes and p - type implantation regions in the respective n - type epitaxial layers 203 ˜ 20 n until the total thickness of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 formed by the respective n - type epitaxial layers 201 ˜ 20 n meets the requirement of the process . in embodiment 6 , the total thickness t of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is 45 μm , so that step 2 can be repeated for three times to form n - type epitaxial layers 203 , 204 and 205 ( reference numbers not shown in fig8 ); the thicknesses of the n - type epitaxial layers 203 , 204 and 205 may be 7 μm , 7 μm and 6 μm , respectively . the p - type stripes in the respective n - type epitaxial layers 201 ˜ 20 n ( n = 5 ) are connected from bottom up to form p - type pillars 51 ′, and the p - type implantation regions in the respective n - type epitaxial layers 201 ˜ 20 n ( n = 5 ) are connected from bottom up to form p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a and 53 b , thereby forming alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions both in the active region and in the terminal protection region . as shown in fig8 , the p - type pillars 51 ′ in region i are stacked by the respective p - type stripes 511 , 512 , . . . in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 ; the p - type annular columns 52 ′ in region ii and the p - type annular columns 53 ′ a , 53 ′ b in region iii are stacked by the respective p - type implantation regions 521 , 522 , . . . ; 531 a , 532 a , . . . ; and 531 b , 532 b , . . . in the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . the depth of the p - type pillars 51 ′ in region i is t 1 ; the depth of the p - type annular columns 52 ′ in region ii is t 2 ; the depths of the p - type annular columns 53 ′ a and 53 ′ b in region iii are respectively t 3 and t 4 ; all of t 1 ˜ t 4 are more than 5 μm smaller than the total thickness t of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 . step 4 : form p - wells 3 a in the active region and a p - type ring 3 b in the terminal protection region beneath the surface of the n - th ( in embodiment 6 , n = 5 ) n - type epitaxial layer . step 5 : deposit a dielectric film and remove part of the dielectric film in region i by lithography and etch to form a terminal dielectric film 6 in the terminal protection region , wherein the terminal dielectric film 6 has a step structure 6 a at the side near the active region ; deposit another dielectric film to form a second dielectric layer 7 b in the terminal protection region by lithography and etch , wherein the second dielectric layer 7 b is formed on the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a ; the second dielectric layer 7 b has a thickness greater than the gate oxide 7 a to be formed in subsequent process ; the second dielectric layer 7 b at least covers the central region of the p - type regions covered by the polysilicon field plate 8 b to be formed in subsequent process ; in fig8 , the second dielectric layer 7 b covers all the p - type annular columns 52 ′ in region ii . step 6 : form a gate oxide 7 a and a polysilicon layer in sequence on the structure after steps 1 to 5 , namely on the second dielectric layer 7 b , the terminal dielectric film 6 and the p - type and n - type regions not covered by the second dielectric layer 7 b or the terminal dielectric film 6 ; form polysilicon gates 8 a in the active region and at least one polysilicon field plate 8 b in the terminal protection region by etching the polysilicon layer . the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers the entire step structure 6 a and a part of the terminal dielectric film 6 and extends above the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a . the extension part of the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers one or more p - type regions , namely the p - type annular columns 52 ′ in region ii . the bottom of the polysilicon field plate 8 b is isolated from the n - type epitaxial layer 2 by the gate oxide 7 a and the second dielectric layer 7 b . step 7 : form source regions 11 and a channel stopper 21 by lithography and ion implantation . step 8 : deposit an inter layer film 9 . step 9 : form contact holes 10 by lithography and etch . step 10 : form ohmic contacts 12 between the p - wells 3 a and the metal layer 13 to be formed in subsequent process by p + ion implantation . step 11 : deposit a metal layer 13 on the above structure and form a source electrode , a drain electrode and a plurality of metal field plates 13 a , 13 b by lithography and etch . the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are formed on the inter layer film 9 respectively above the p - type ring 3 b and above the p - type annular columns 23 , namely the p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a and 53 ′ b , wherein the metal field plate 13 a covers the entire step structure 6 a . since the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b may be omitted in regions ii and iii , when no metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are arranged , the step of forming metal field plates 13 a and 13 b can be omitted . step 12 : perform backside grinding to reduce the thickness of the n + substrate 1 . step 13 : deposit a metal layer 14 on the backside of the n + substrate 1 and form a drain electrode . referring to fig9 and fig1 , the method for manufacturing the superjunction devices according to embodiments 7 and 8 of the present invention includes : step 1 : form a first n - type epitaxial layer on an n + substrate 1 , wherein the first n - type epitaxial layer has a thickness of 10 μm , which is greater than or equal to the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer ( 5 μm ); the n + substrate 1 has a resistivity of from 0 . 001 ω · cm to 0 . 003 ω · cm and a doping concentration higher than 1e19 cm − 3 ; implant a p - type impurity into the first n - type epitaxial layer to form a plurality of p - type implantation rings surrounding the active region and contacting with the n + substrate 1 , wherein the p - type impurity may be b , bf 2 or other p - type impurities ; the p - type implantation rings may be formed by ion implantation with an implantation energy of 5 kev to 500 kev and an implantation dose of 1e14 cm − 2 to 1e16 cm − 2 ; the implantation may be performed by one - time or by multiple times with different conditions . as shown in fig9 , p - type implantation rings are defined and formed in regions ii and iii , while no p - type implantation rings are defined in region i , wherein p - type implantation rings 62 ′ are formed in region ii ; p - type implantation rings 63 ′ a are formed at the inner side of region iii , namely the side close to region ii ; p - type implantation rings 63 b are formed at the outer side of region iii . the p - type implantation rings 62 ′, 63 ′ a and 63 b are all formed through the first n - type epitaxial layer and are in contact with the n + substrate 1 . as shown in fig1 , no p - type implantation rings are defined in region i and at the outer side of region iii , namely the side far from region ii , while p - type implantation rings 62 ′ and 63 ′ a are formed in region ii and at the inner side of region iii . step 2 : form a second n - type epitaxial layer having a thickness of 8 μm on the first n - type epitaxial layer ; implant a p - type impurity into the second n - type epitaxial layer to form a plurality of first p - type stripes in the active region and a plurality of first p - type implantation regions surrounding the active region in the terminal protection region , wherein none of the first p - type stripes in the active region is in contact with the n + substrate 1 ; the distance between the bottom of any one of the first p - type stripes and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer . the number of the first p - type implantation regions in the terminal protection region is equal to the number of the p - type implantation rings ; each first p - type implantation region is connected to the n + substrate 1 through the corresponding p - type implantation ring . the p - type impurity may be b , bf 2 or other p - type impurities ; the first p - type stripes and the first p - type implantation regions may be formed by ion implantation with an implantation energy of 5 kev to 500 kev and an implantation dose of 1e14 cm − 2 to 1e16 cm − 2 ; the implantation can be performed by one - time or by multiple times with different conditions . as shown in fig9 , the first p - type stripes are formed in the second n - type epitaxial layer in region i , and the first p - type implantation regions are formed in the second n - type epitaxial layer in both regions ii and iii . the bottoms of the first p - type stripes in region i are separated from the n + substrate 1 by a distance greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer , wherein the thickness of the transition region is 5 μm . the first p - type implantation regions in regions ii and iii are in contact with the n + substrate 1 through the p - type implantation rings 62 ′, 63 ′ a and 63 ′ b formed in the layer under the first p - type implantation regions . as shown in fig1 , the first p - type stripes are formed in the second n - type epitaxial layer in region i . the first p - type implantation regions are formed in the second n - type epitaxial layer in region ii and at the inner side of region iii ; no first p - type implantation regions are formed at the outer side of region iii . the bottoms of the p - type stripes in region i are separated from the n + substrate 1 by a distance greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer , wherein the thickness of the transition region is 5 μm . the first p - type implantation regions in region ii and at the inner side of region iii are in contact with the n + substrate 1 through the p - type implantation rings 62 ′ and 63 ′ a formed in the layer under the first p - type implantation regions . step 3 : form a third n - type epitaxial layer having a thickness of 7 μm on the second n - type epitaxial layer ; implant a p - type impurity into the third n - type epitaxial layer to form a plurality of second p - type stripes in the active region and a plurality of second p - type implantation regions surrounding the active region in the terminal protection region , wherein the number of the second p - type stripes is equal to the number of the first p - type stripes ; each second p - type stripe is vertically aligned with a first p - type stripe and is in contact with the corresponding first p - type stripe ; the number of the second p - type implantation regions is greater than or equal to the number of the first p - type implantation regions ; each first p - type implantation region has a second p - type implantation region formed above it with the bottom of the second p - type implantation region contacting with it . in the case that the number of the second p - type implantation regions is greater than the number of the first p - type implantation regions , those second p - type implantation regions not in contact with first p - type implantation regions are all situated at the outermost of the terminal protection region and are separated from the n + substrate 1 by a distance greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer . the p - type impurity may be b , bf 2 or other p - type impurities ; the first p - type stripes and the first p - type implantation regions may be formed by ion implantation with an implantation energy of 5 kev to 500 kev and an implantation dose of 1e14 cm − 2 to 1e16 cm − 2 ; the implantation can be performed by one - time or by multiple times with different conditions . as shown in fig9 , the second p - type stripes are formed in the third n - type epitaxial layer in region i , and the second p - type implantation regions are formed in the third n - type epitaxial layer in both regions ii and iii . each of the second p - type stripes is vertically aligned with a first p - type stripe and is in contact with the corresponding first p - type stripe ; each of the second p - type implantation regions is vertically aligned with a first p - type implantation region and is in contact with the corresponding first p - type implantation region . as shown in fig1 , the second p - type stripes are formed in the third n - type epitaxial layer in region i , and the second p - type implantation regions are formed in the third n - type epitaxial layer in both regions ii and iii . each of the second p - type stripes is vertically aligned with a first p - type stripe and is in contact with the corresponding first p - type stripe . each of the second p - type implantation regions in region ii and at the inner side of region iii is vertically aligned with a first p - type implantation region and is in contact with the corresponding first p - type implantation region , while the bottoms of the second p - type implantation regions at the outer side of region iii are not in contact with any one of the first p - type implantation regions ; the distance between the bottoms of the second p - type implantation regions at the outer side of region iii and the surface of the n + substrate 1 is greater than the thickness of the transition region in the first n - type epitaxial layer . step 4 : form a fourth to an n - th n - type epitaxial layer on the third n - type epitaxial layer in sequence , and form p - type stripes and p - type implantation regions in the respective n - type epitaxial layers until the total thickness of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 formed by the respective n - type epitaxial layers meets the requirement of the process . in embodiments 7 and 8 , the total thickness t of the n - type epitaxial layer 2 is 45 μm , so that step 3 can be repeated for three times to form the fourth to the sixth n - type epitaxial layers ; the thicknesses of the fourth to the sixth n - type epitaxial layers may be 7 μm , 7 μm and 6 μm , respectively . the p - type stripes in the respective n - type epitaxial layers are connected from bottom up to form the p - type pillars 51 ′, and the p - type implantation regions in the respective n - type epitaxial layers are connected from bottom up to form p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a and 53 b , wherein the p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a and 53 ′ b may form contact with the n + substrate 1 through the corresponding p - type implantation rings 62 ′, 63 ′ a and 63 ′ b formed under them , thereby forming alternately arranged p - type and n - type regions both in the active region and in the terminal protection region . as shown in fig9 , each of the p - type regions in region i is constituted by a p - type pillar 51 ′ stacked by the p - type stripes in the respective layers ; each of the p - type regions in region ii is constituted by a p - type annular column 52 ′ stacked by the p - type implantation regions in the respective layers and the corresponding p - type implantation ring 62 ′ formed below the p - type annular column 52 ′; each of the p - type regions at the inner side of region iii is constituted by a p - type annular column 53 ′ a stacked by the p - type implantation regions in the respective layers and the corresponding p - type implantation ring 63 ′ a formed below the p - type annular column 53 ′ a ; each of the p - type regions at the outer side of region iii is constituted by a p - type annular column 53 ′ b stacked by the p - type implantation regions in the respective layers and the corresponding p - type implantation ring 63 ′ b formed below the p - type annular column 53 b . as shown in fig1 , each of the p - type regions in region i is constituted by a p - type pillar 51 ′ stacked by the p - type stripes in the respective layers ; each of the p - type regions in region ii is constituted by a p - type annular column 52 ′ stacked by the p - type implantation regions in the respective layers and the corresponding p - type implantation ring 62 ′ formed below the p - type annular column 52 ′; each of the p - type regions at the inner side of region iii is constituted by a p - type annular column 53 ′ a stacked by the p - type implantation regions in the respective layers and the corresponding p - type implantation ring 63 ′ a formed below the p - type annular column 53 ′ a ; each of the p - type regions at the outer side of region iii is constituted by a p - type annular column 53 ′ b stacked by the p - type implantation regions in the respective layers . step 5 : form p - wells 3 a in the active region and a p - type ring 3 b in the terminal protection region beneath the surface of the n - th ( in embodiments 7 and 8 , n = 6 ) n - type epitaxial layer . step 6 : deposit a dielectric film and remove part of the dielectric film in region i by lithography and etch to form a terminal dielectric film 6 in the terminal protection region , wherein the terminal dielectric film 6 has a step structure 6 a at the side near the active region ; deposit another dielectric film to form a second dielectric layer 7 b in the terminal protection region by lithography and etch , wherein the second dielectric layer 7 b is formed on the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a ; the second dielectric layer 7 b has a thickness greater than the gate oxide 7 a to be formed in subsequent process ; the second dielectric layer 7 b at least covers the central region of the p - type regions covered by the polysilicon field plate 8 b to be formed in subsequent process ; in fig9 and fig1 , the second dielectric layer 7 b covers all the p - type annular columns 52 ′ in region ii . step 7 : form a gate oxide 7 a and a polysilicon layer in sequence on the structure after steps 1 to 6 , namely on the second dielectric layer 7 b , the terminal dielectric film 6 and the p - type and n - type regions not covered by the second dielectric layer 7 b or the terminal dielectric film 6 ; form polysilicon gates 8 a in the active region and at least one polysilicon field plate 8 b in the terminal protection region by etching the polysilicon layer . the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers the entire step structure 6 a and a part of the terminal dielectric film 6 and extends above the n - type epitaxial layer 2 between the outside border of the active region and the step structure 6 a . the extension part of the polysilicon field plate 8 b covers one or more p - type regions , namely the p - type annular columns 52 ′ in region ii . the bottom of the polysilicon field plate 8 b is isolated from the n - type epitaxial layer 2 by the gate oxide 7 a and the second dielectric layer 7 b . step 8 : form source regions 11 and a channel stopper 21 by lithography and ion implantation . step 10 : form contact holes 10 by lithography and etch . step 11 : form ohmic contacts 12 between the p - wells 3 a and the metal layer 13 to be formed in subsequent process by p + ion implantation . step 12 : deposit a metal layer 13 on the above structure and form a source electrode , a drain electrode and a plurality of metal field plates 13 a , 13 b by lithography and etch . the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are formed on the inter layer film 9 respectively above the p - type ring 3 b and above the p - type annular columns 23 , namely the p - type annular columns 52 ′, 53 ′ a and 53 b , wherein the metal field plate 13 a covers the entire step structure 6 a . since the metal field plates 13 a and 13 b may be omitted in regions ii and iii , when no metal field plates 13 a and 13 b are arranged , the step of forming metal field plates 13 a and 13 b can be omitted . step 13 : perform backside grinding to reduce the thickness of the n + substrate 1 . step 14 : deposit a metal layer 14 on the backside of the n + substrate 1 and form a drain electrode . although the present invention has been described in considerable detail with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , the disclosure is not for limiting the scope of the present invention . persons having ordinary skill in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention . therefore , the scope of the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the preferred embodiments described above .	7

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