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a prior art piano humidistat manufactured by the assignee of the present invention , dampp - chaser electronics corporation , is shown broadly in fig1 at reference numeral 10 in relation to a piano soundboard 11 . the prior art humidistat 10 includes a humidity sensor housing 12 , a humidity sensor 13 within the humidity sensor housing 12 , a printed circuit board 14 , electrical power outlets 15 for an associated dehumidifier and humidifier ( not shown ), and various power and utility cords 16 . the prior art humidistat 10 also defines a plurality of openings 20 through which air may enter and exit the humidistat 10 . in addition , a safety baffle 21 is situated in close proximity to the openings 20 in the humidistat 10 nearest the printed circuit board 14 in order to prevent a curious user from being shocked by inserting electrically conductive materials through the openings 20 nearest the printed circuit board 14 and contacting live electrical elements such as those that are powered on the printed circuit board 14 during humidistat 10 operation . for optimal performance of a piano humidistat , the humidity sensor therein should continually be exposed to the air closest in proximity to the piano soundboard , as it is the relative humidity of this particular air that provides the most accurate measure of the relative humidity of the soundboard itself . positive air flow from the area closest in proximity to the soundboard toward the humidity sensor of the humidistat is desired in order for the humidity sensor to be exposed to the most accurate representation of the current relative humidity of the air closest in proximity to the piano soundboard . close proximity of the humidity sensor and the soundboard is desired for the same reason . one method of bringing about positive air flow in a humidistat is through creation of a “ chimney effect ” within the humidistat . such an effect may be created by defining two zones within the humidistat and causing a first zone to maintain a higher air temperature than a second zone during humidistat operation . however , in order to avoid the relative air temperature equalization that will naturally occur over time between the first and second zones , at least partial physical separation of the zones is required . in addition , the zones must be situated such that air flow between them is sufficiently constricted and directed between and within the zones to stimulate air flow from the lower air temperature zone into the higher air temperature zone . if these preconditions are met , during humidistat operation the lower temperature air will flow substantially downward through the lower air temperature zone toward the higher air temperature zone , where it will be heated . the heated air will be drawn further into the higher air temperature zone as it rises out of the humidistat . this air flow will cause a partial vacuum in the lower air temperature zone that will in turn be filled by air flowing into the lower air temperature zone from outside the humidistat . in this way , the desired positive air flow through the humidistat may be achieved . turning again to fig1 , the heat naturally generated by electrical circuitry ( not shown ) on the printed circuit board 14 during operation of the prior art humidistat 10 may be helpful toward achieving the desired chimney effect within the humidistat . however , the prior art humidistat 10 does not define zones having materially different air temperatures , and therefore the heat radiating from the electrical circuitry on the printed circuit board 14 during humidistat operation is spread and dissipated relatively evenly throughout the prior art humidistat 10 , preventing any substantial positive air flow through the prior art humidistat 10 . in any event , whatever positive air flow does occur within the prior art humidistat 10 as a result of the heat from the electrical circuitry on the printed circuit board 14 actually occurs in a direction opposite to the desired direction , that is , toward the soundboard 11 rather than away from the soundboard 11 , as shown by arrows and dotted lines marked “ af ” that indicate the airflow path . in addition , the humidity sensor 13 in the prior art humidistat 10 is physically separated from the soundboard 11 by the humidistat 10 itself . turning now to fig2 , an improved piano humidistat 30 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention is illustrated . this improved humidistat 30 is larger than the prior art humidistat 10 ( fig1 ) and better accomplishes the above objectives . a baffle 31 is included within the humidistat 30 to help define first and second zones 32 , 33 within the humidistat . the baffle 31 could be oriented at any one of a variety of different angles and / or shaped as any one of a variety of different curves as long as air is able to flow from the first zone 32 into the second zone 33 during humidistat operation . additionally , the baffle 31 could extend the full internal height of the humidistat and include openings to allow airflow through the baffle 31 . it should be noted that a safety baffle such that shown in the prior art humidistat ( fig1 at 21 ) is unnecessary in the improved humidistat in light of the electrical components of the improved humidistat being oriented away from any openings into the humidistat . during humidistat operation , electrical circuitry ( not shown ) on a printed circuit board 34 oriented in the second zone 33 heats the air in the humidistat such that the air temperature in the second zone 33 is generally higher than the air temperature in the first zone 32 . air enters the lower air temperature zone 32 through an air inlet 40 in the humidistat 30 , and having a relatively low ambient temperature , falls substantially downward through the lower air temperature zone 32 as shown by arrows and dotted lines marked “ af ” that indicate the airflow path through the humidistat . as it enters the humidistat 30 , the air encounters and is sensed by the humidistat sensor 42 , which therefore enables measurement of the relative humidity of the air in very close proximity to the piano soundboard 11 , one of the desired results described above . as it continues to fall through the lower air temperature zone 32 , the air nears an end 35 of the baffle 31 , where it begins to be heated by heat that radiates from the electrical circuitry ( not shown ) on the printed circuit board 34 in the higher air temperature zone 33 when the printed circuit board 34 is electrically powered during humidistat 30 operation . as shown by the airflow path indicated with the arrows and dotted lines “ af ”, the heated air then begins to flow substantially upward toward the printed circuit board 34 , where the air continues to increase in temperature and continues to flow substantially upward through the higher air temperature zone 33 before ultimately exiting the humidistat 30 through an air outlet 41 in the humidistat 30 . this improved configuration provides the desired positive air flow (“ af ”) in the desired direction , namely , away from the soundboard 11 . fig3 shows a graph comparing the humidity regulation performance of the prior art humidistat 10 shown in fig1 ( noted as “ h 3 ” in the graph in conjunction with dotted lines with triangles thereon ) and the improved humidistat 30 shown in fig2 ( noted as “ h 4 ” in the graph in conjunction with solid lines ). for each of the two humidistats , ten readings ( bottom scale of graph ) of the equilibrium moisture of the soundboard ( left - hand scale of graph ) are shown for each of three relative humidities ( noted within graph ). equilibrium soundboard moisture readings between approximately 6 . 6 and 6 . 8 are desired , as this range is consistent with those encountered in soundboards maintained in the storage facilities of most piano manufacturers . this equilibrium moisture range correlates to a range of approximately 42 – 46 % relative air humidity around the soundboard . as can be seen from fig3 , the improved humidistat 30 (“ h 4 ,” solid lines ) maintains the equilibrium moisture of the soundboard in the desired 6 . 6 to 6 . 8 range far more consistently than the prior art humidistat 10 (“ h 3 ,” dotted lines with triangles ) across multiple readings and at varying relative air humidities . an improved piano humidistat is described above . various details of the invention may be changed without departing from its scope . furthermore , the foregoing description of an embodiment of the invention and the best mode for practicing the invention are provided for the purpose of illustration only and not for the purpose of limitation — the invention being defined by the claims .	5
the following discussion is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention . various modifications to the embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present 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 . fig2 shows a circuit diagram of an sram cell ( 200 ) according to an embodiment of the present invention . the 8 - t sram cell ( 200 ) includes eight operatively coupled transistors for providing low gate and sub - threshold leakage currents in the sram cell ( 200 ). the 8 - t sram cell ( 200 ) receives an input voltage signal vdd , and is connected to a bit line ( bl )/ complementary bit line (/ bl ), and a word line ( wl ) for read , write or erase operations . the 8 - t sram cell ( 200 ) is designed to minimize the sub - threshold and gate leakage currents under various conditions . the sram cell ( 200 ) is designed to reduce leakage currents irrespective of data stored in the sram cell ( 200 ). transistors are operatively coupled in the sram cell ( 200 ) to lower the effective supply voltage at different nodes , when either bit ‘ 0 ‘ or ’ 1 ’ is stored in the sram cell ( 200 ). the reduced effective supply voltage is passed to other coupled transistors for minimizing leakages . the lower effective supply voltage provides low leakage currents within the sram cell . the sram cell 200 includes a first pmos transistor ( 202 ), a second pmos transistor ( 204 ), a first inserted nmos transistor ( 208 ), a second inserted nmos transistor ( 206 ), a third nmos transistor ( 210 ), a first nmos transistor ( 214 ), a second nmos transistor ( 216 ), and a fourth nmos transistor ( 212 ). the transistors are operatively coupled to each other for providing low leakage currents as shown in fig2 . the first pmos transistor ( 202 ) has a source connected to a power supply voltage vdd , a gate connected to a first control signal at node b , and a drain connected to a virtual power supply voltage . the virtual power supply voltage is obtained by lowering a power supply voltage vdd by a threshold voltage ( vth ) of a transistor . the second pmos transistor ( 204 ) has a source connected to the power supply voltage vdd , a gate connected to the virtual power supply voltage , and a drain connected to the first control signal at node b . the first inserted nmos transistor ( 208 ) has a source connected to the first control signal at node b , a gate connected to a second control signal vc , and a drain connected to the virtual power supply voltage at node c . the second control signal vc is kept at the supply voltage vdd . the second inserted nmos transistor ( 206 ) has a source connected to the virtual power supply voltage , a gate connected to the second control signal at vc , which is kept at the supply voltage vdd , and a drain connected to the virtual power supply voltage at node a . the third nmos transistor ( 210 ) has a source and a gate connected to the power supply voltage vdd and a drain connected to the virtual power supply voltage at node a . the first nmos transistor ( 214 ) has a source and a gate connected to the virtual power supply voltage at node a and c respectively , and a drain connected to a ground voltage vgg . the second nmos transistor ( 216 ) has a source and a gate connected to the virtual power supply voltage at node c and a respectively , and a drain connected to the ground voltage vgg . the fourth nmos transistor ( 212 ) having a source connected to the virtual power supply voltage at node c , a drain and a gate connected to the power supply voltage vdd . the first inserted nmos transistor ( 208 ) is operatively coupled in the 8 - t sram cell ( 200 ) to provide suppressed gate and sub - threshold leakage currents when bit ‘ 0 ’ is stored in the sram cell ( 200 ). under this condition , the gate voltage of the first inserted nmos transistor ( 208 ) is kept at power supply voltage vdd . the first inserted nmos transistor ( 208 ) will pass the gate voltage vdd as vdd - vth ( vth is the threshold voltage of the inserted nmos transistor 208 ) to node c and node c is connected to the second nmos transistor ( 216 ). the gate voltage of the first nmos transistor ( 214 ) is also reduced to vdd - vth , which reduces the gate leakage currents through the first nmos transistor ( 214 ) as shown by dotted lines . the second inserted nmos transistor ( 206 ) is operatively coupled in the 8 - t sram cell ( 200 ) to provide suppressed gate and sub - threshold leakage currents when bit ‘ 1 ’ is stored in the sram cell ( 200 ). under this condition , the gate of the second inserted nmos transistor ( 206 ) is kept at voltage vdd . the second inserted nmos transistor ( 206 ) will pass this gate voltage vdd as vdd - vth to the first nmos transistor ( 214 ) through node a . also the gate voltage to the second nmos transistor ( 216 ) is reduced to vdd - vth , which significantly reduces the gate leakage currents in the second nmos transistor ( 216 ). the 8 - t sram cell ( 200 ) operates in the active mode , so the gate signal of the second inserted nmos transistor ( 206 ) and the first inserted nmos transistor ( 208 ) are activated . the bit - line ( bl ) and the complementary bit line (/ bl ) are charged at the power supply voltage vdd for minimizing gate and sub - threshold leakages . the sram cell ( 200 ) can be read and written to by means of bit lines and word lines . the nodes a and c are connected to a bit line bl and a complementary bit line / bl , respectively , via the third nmos transistors ( 210 ) and the fourth nmos transistor ( 212 ), respectively . the nmos transistors ( 210 ) and ( 212 ) are referred to as access transistors or pass transistors . gates of the third nmos transistors ( 210 ) and the fourth nmos transistor ( 212 ) are connected to the word line ( wl ) that enables reading and writing operations . if the node a is logic low and the word line wl is enabled to a logic high level , a current path from the bit line bl to the ground voltage vgg via the pass transistor ( 210 ) and the first nmos transistor ( 214 ) is formed , and the logic low state of the node a is read out to the bit line bl . if the node a is logic low and the word line wl is logic low , a leakage current path from the bit line bl to the ground voltage vgg via the pass transistor ( 210 ) and the transistor ( 214 ) is formed in the sram cell ( 200 ). fig3 is a circuit diagram of an sram cell ( 300 ) for controlling bit - line leakage currents according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention . the sram cell ( 300 ) receives an input voltage signal vdd , and is connected to a bit line ( bl )/ complementary bit line (/ bl ), and a word line ( wl ). the bit - line ( bl ) and the complementary bit - line (/ bl ) of the sram cell ( 300 ) can be pre - charged to a voltage of vdd - vth to reduce the bit line leakage current . fig4 shows an sram array ( 400 ) that provides reduced leakage currents . the sram array ( 400 ) consists of 2 rows and 3 columns ( 2 × 3 matrix ) as shown merely for illustration purposes , and typically the array would include many more rows and columns of sram cells ( 200 / 300 ). the sram array ( 400 ) includes a plurality of sram cells ( 200 / 300 ), each sram cell in a row connected to a word line , and sram cells in a column connected to a bit line , a complementary bit line , a power supply voltage , and a ground voltage . the sram cell ( 200 / 300 ) in each row is connected to a common word - line ( either wl 1 or wl 2 ) and to different bit - lines ( bl 1 / bl 2 / bl 3 ) and complementary bit - line (/ bl 1 , / bl 2 , / bl 3 ) for each cell . the cells ( 200 / 300 ) in a column share a common bit - line and complementary bit - line with each cell in a column connected to a different word - line ( wl - 1 / wl - 2 ). the detailed description of the sram cells ( 200 / 300 ) is explained in fig2 and 3 . embodiments of the present invention can be utilized in a variety of different types of electronic devices , such as cellular telephones , personal digital assistants , and other types of telecommunications and networking devices , as well as other types of electronic devices like computer systems . from the foregoing it will be appreciated that , although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration , various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention .	6
in the overall construction of their components , connectors 1 , 2 according to fig1 are distinguishable from commercially available connectors , for sensor connections or valve connections for example , by the use of novel screw connections in the form of a threaded sleeve 3 and a union nut 4 . in their external outline , threaded joint components 3 and 4 are compatible with the commercially available connectors of this type . the compatibility enables commercially available connectors and connectors 1 , 2 according to fig1 having the features for quick connection to be combined without disadvantage . an external thread is provided on threaded sleeve 3 according to fig1 , which exists , however , only in some areas 5 of the circumference of threaded sleeve 3 . positioning of these threaded areas 5 creates threadless areas 7 , 7 ′ which may receive an internal threaded area 6 of a union nut . in contrast , socket 2 has a union nut 4 including an internal thread 6 which has threadless areas 8 , 8 ′, 8 ″ and threaded areas 6 which are situated opposite the joining position . fig2 shows a perspective view of this threaded sleeve 3 including the knurl for twisting threaded sleeve 3 , which facilitates handling ; threaded areas 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″ and their arrangement are also shown . although an asymmetrical positioning of thread areas 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″ is shown on the circumference of threaded sleeve 3 , a symmetrical arrangement in a simplified form may also be possible . however , the asymmetrical arrangement has the advantage that joining is only possible in one position when turning one revolution , which is advantageous for fastening connector 1 when a highly flexible seal 14 according to fig4 is used so that , due to the thread pitch , a larger angle of twist of threaded sleeve 3 , close to a complete revolution , becomes necessary . in fig3 , similarly to threaded sleeve 3 , union nut 4 has internal threadless areas 8 , 8 ′, 8 ″ in the areas being located opposite one another when both components are plugged together . thus , the radially protruding threaded areas 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″ of threaded sleeve 3 , whose extension in the circumferential direction is adapted to the threadless areas of union nut 4 , may be inserted into one another until seal 14 limits the plug - in action in the joining direction x - x according to fig4 . in a symmetrical arrangement of threaded areas 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″, 6 , 6 ′, 6 ″ on the circumference of both components , threadless areas 7 , 7 ′, 7 ″, 8 , 8 ′, 8 ″ of the same size are situated on the particular mating piece in the identical circumferential position so that the largest possible overlap area of the load - supporting thread is achieved . in particular , for easily finding the joining position of the plug pattern by twisting in the circumferential direction , external markings 17 , 18 are applied to the outside of the knurl which enable threaded sleeve 3 and union nut 4 to be plugged together when the positions of both markings match , the markings advantageously being color markings or , as shown in fig2 and fig3 , a knurl - free surface creating a prominent visual point . fig4 shows the arrangement where threaded sleeve 3 and union nut 4 are screwed together . a ring - shaped seal 14 , which is typically designed as an o - ring , is squeezed together between the components and their axially aligned contact surfaces 13 and 15 of both connectors 1 and 2 in the joining direction y , so that the insulated contacts situated in the connector are protected from the to some extent adverse environmental effects . fig5 shows an advantageous embodiment of the alignment of the threadless areas . the alignment of the threadless area on the surface of threaded sleeve 3 and similarly in union nut 4 make a slight initial twist of the particular component possible during handling . the overall alignment of threadless areas 7 , 7 ′, 7 ″ on threaded sleeve 3 or similarly of threadless areas 8 , 8 ′, 8 ″ in union nut 4 is positioned at the same angle alpha for both components , so that threaded areas 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″, 6 , 6 ′, 6 ″, corresponding to those threadless areas , must be positioned at the same angle . the positions of these areas also coincide correspondingly in the circumferential direction . to ensure the screwing - on of union nut 4 , it goes without saying that , before and after a threadless area 7 , 7 ′, 7 ″, the thread is aligned with the counterthread as necessary . this makes it possible to also use commercially available connectors 1 , 2 having a full thread for both types of plug connectors . in the combination of connectors having a different plug pattern , a symmetrical arrangement of the threadless areas or an asymmetrical arrangement of these areas for example , these connectors act vis - à - vis another connector like a commercially available connector having a full thread in which the components may be fastened to one another in the conventional time - consuming manner . fig6 and 7 show a further embodiment in which a stationary housing component 24 of a socket device 20 having a receiving thread comparable to that of union nut 4 is provided instead of a socket 2 having a union nut 4 . if the design of the internal thread of socket device 20 is adapted to the requirements of internal threaded areas 6 , 6 ′, 6 ″ of union nut 4 according to the present invention , the time - consuming handling of fastening plug 1 is minimized , even when it is being connected directly to the socket device . thus , in this embodiment socket device 20 includes internal threaded areas 6 , 6 ′, 6 ″ and threadless areas 8 , 8 ′, 8 ″, and plug connector 1 includes matching external threads 5 , 5 ′, 5 ″.	7
fig1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the electromechanical switch 10 of the present invention where switch 10 has been split open to show its internal construction . fig4 is a top plan view of the electromechanical switch 10 in fig1 . fig5 is a cross - sectional view of switch 10 taken along section line 5 — 5 shown in fig4 . switch 10 is fabricated on a silicon wafer substrate 25 , and includes a movable beam 12 that is attached to substrate 25 and that moves within a cavity 14 to contact a conductive metal bridge 13 . deposited on top of substrate 25 is a superstrate 23 which supports conductive bridge 13 . fig2 ( a ) is a bottom view of a thermally - actuated embodiment of switch 10 , illustrated without the mechanical support layers , i . e ., substrate 25 and superstrate 23 , being shown for ease in understanding the operation of switch 10 . as noted in the summary of the invention , the present invention uses monolithic integration wherein miems devices , such as switch 10 , are connected to the integrated circuits necessary to control their operation . as shown in fig4 the integrated circuits 100 are fabricated on the same substrate 25 as the mems devices they control , such as switch 10 . as shown in fig2 ( a ), switch 10 includes an n - shaped polysilicon heater 20 and two traces 22 that are formed in a first metal layer ( not shown as before etching ). traces 22 provide power to heater 20 through connections 21 . above traces 22 are metal traces 11 and 9 which are deposited as part of a second level of metallization ( also not shown as before etching ). traces 11 and 9 form microwave waveguides . coplanar waveguides are preferred because the ground planes 11 are formed in the same plane as the signal plane 9 . deposited between these conducting layers are dielectric layers 17 , 18 and 19 , which function as insulating layers . layer 17 is a field oxide layer , while layer 18 is an insulating layer between the first polysilicon layer and the first metal layer . layer 19 is an insulating layer between the first metal layer and the second metal layer . layer 15 is an insulating layer that covers the second metal layer . fig5 shows a cross - sectional view of device formed using a one polysilicon layer and two metal layer cmos process . the number of interconnection layers , i . e ., metal layers , can be increased for more complex designs , such as modern cmos processes that produce tens of millions of transistors in small areas which require as many as ten metal interconnection layers . moving beam 12 of mems switch 10 is formed using a thin - film deposited during ic fabrication . moving beam 12 is a released layer , which , along with polysilicon heater 20 , is fully released , except on one side . deposited over second metal layer 11 and beam 12 is a dielectric layer 15 which functions as an insulating layer . directly above beam 12 is a conductive bridge 13 formed using a third layer metallization 33 ( see fig6 ( g )), which is deposited as a part of the fabrication sequence described in fig6 ( a ) to 6 ( i ). conductive bridge 13 is electrically connected to ground plane 11 through a plurality of cuts 16 in insulating layer 15 . bridge 13 is connected to ground plane 11 to achieve a shunt switching function , i . e ., the signal line 40 is connected and disconnected to ground plane 11 through bridge 13 . beam 12 is mechanically free to move in a vertical direction . because of internal mechanical stresses , beam 12 is typically curved away from the surface of the silicon wafer 25 towards bridge 13 . however , when beam 12 is heated by applying voltage across the polysilicon heater 20 embedded in beam 12 , the curvature of beam 12 changes . data depicting the deflection of a cantilever beam , such as beam 12 , is shown in fig3 . the data shown in fig3 were taken using a non - contact interferometer system ( not shown ) at ambient room temperature and pressure . curvature of a cantilever beam ultimately depends on the temperature profile along the beam . temperature measurements taken along beam 12 show that the temperature profile along such beam is not constant . the temperature profile changes , depending on many factors , including local heat generation , local curvature ( which is not constant ), and ambient pressure ( unforced air convection ). similarly , local heat generation along beam 12 depends on the local temperature and local grain structure in polysilicon heater 20 . despite the fact that the starting grain structure is fairly uniform across polysilicon heater 20 , this uniformity is eventually lost . nonlinear resistance behavior of polysilicon features is well - known for unsuspended polysilicon structures , but there are very few studies on suspended polysilicon structures , so more studies are needed to understand all important factors in determining the profile of a thermally - actuated beam . however , it is well - known that , once heat is generated , the tip of a cantilever , such as beam 12 , can be controlled over large distances . the fundamental effect that causes the change in the curvature of beam 12 is known as a bi - morph effect . it is the result of differences in thermal expansion coefficients between two materials . as shown in fig4 a cantilever , such as beam 12 , might contain many conducting ( typically metal ) and insulating layers ( typically oxide ). if a commonly available ic process is used , the metal layers would be aluminum , while the insulation layers would be silicon dioxide . as beam 12 is heated , the metal pieces expand much faster than the insulating layers , thereby decreasing the beam curvature . thus , the basis for the operation of microwave switch 10 is a bi - morph effect . the height of the air - bridge 13 is chosen , such that for a particular cantilever beam design ( length , width , combinations of thin - films ), in an un - powered state ( electrically on - state ), the tip of beam 12 would contact metal bridge 13 , so that the signal - line ( not shown ) is connected to ground plane 11 . for example , for a 200 μm long beam , the data for which is shown in fig3 the height of bridge 13 can be chosen to be 25 μm or less . although it is possible to have metal - to - metal contact in this configuration , simply by increasing the contact area at the tip of beam 12 , because of stiction issues , in an unpowered state , the tip of beam 12 is designed to have metal - to - dielectric contact . ( see the fig5 the parts of 15 remaining on top of 9 will touch the bridge 13 . in metal - to - metal contact there won &# 39 ; t be such dielectric pieces on top above 9 .) integrated circuit 100 then senses and controls movable beam 12 &# 39 ; s positioning relative to bridge 13 by controlling the current flowing through beam 12 . in addition , because of manufacturability issues , it is preferred to have bridge heights of less than 15 μm . the basic consideration involves the determination of tolerable power dissipation at the powered state ( electrically off - state , no connection between signal line and ground plane ). the amount of actuation is determined by the power dissipation ( equivalently generated heat ) and the length of beam 12 . using the same power , larger deflections can be obtained at the tip of longer beams , such as beam 12 . another issue , which must be considered for the design of switch 10 is the on - state and off - state capacitance ratio of switch 10 . it is desirable to have high capacitance ratios , for example 100 : 1 , to assure lower loss in the on - state and high - isolation in the off - state . on - state capacitance can be increased by increasing the contact area , increasing the dielectric constant of the material between metal layers in contact areas and decreasing the thickness of the dielectric layer . as discussed above , if desired , it is possible to design the contact area ( 15 in fig4 shows the contact area ) between beam 12 and bridge 13 to have metal - to - metal contact . on the other hand , off - state capacitance depends on the separation of contact surfaces and the area of contact surface . it is preferable to have as much separation as possible in the off - state , but the amount of separation is limited by available power , length of beam and fabrication limits . switch 10 can also be used as a tunable capacitor . switch 10 provides a capacitance with a huge capacitance ratio . however , it should be pointed out that the cantilever architecture is more suitable for the binary operation of a switch , rather than the more demanding continuous operation of a tunable capacitor . a thermally actuated fixed - fixed beam is better for tunable capacitor applications . fig2 b and 2 c show the preferred embodiment of a series tunable capacitor 40 of the present invention , but without mechanical supports being illustrated . a polysilicon heater 41 is employed at the backside of the lower plate 42 , as shown in fig2 ( c ). the connections 43 to polysilicon heater 41 are formed using a first metal layer ( again 43 is a part of the first metal layer ). the variable capacitance is obtained between the second metal layer ( top surface 44 of lower plate 42 ) and the third metal layer ( 45 shows the third metal layer ), which forms the upper plate 45 . upper plate 45 is fixed , but lower plate on beam 42 can be actuated by using a bi - morph effect and polysilicon heater 41 buried within lower plate 42 . it should be noted that fixed - fixed beams can potentially buckle in both direction , i . e ., into silicon or away from silicon . but , it has also been found that if a field - oxide layer is used , a very large percentage of fixed - fixed beams buckle away from silicon . a field - oxide layer ( shown as 17 in fig5 ) is a relatively thick thermally grown silicon dioxide layer which is under large compressive stress . if a field - oxide layer is incorporated into the beam structure of capacitor 40 , it would lie directly on the surface ( not shown ) of silicon wafer 25 . therefore , once the beam 42 is released , it would be the bottom layer , i . e ., field oxide layer 17 underneath beam 42 . if this layer is omitted , special precautions must be taken to assure the buckling direction of beam 42 . in this case , the desired direction is away from surface of silicon wafer 25 , or towards the upper plate 45 . inclusion of a field - oxide layer has some undesired effects as well . since it is so thick and significantly increases the stiffness of beam 42 , it also increases the power levels necessary to achieve desired capacitance ratio . when beam 42 buckles , it has a well - known raised cosine profile , but since it is not an ideal fixed - fixed beam , the real beam profile is fairly difficult to predict . this is especially true if beam 42 is much wider than polysilicon heater 41 . the high frequency connection 46 to lower plate 42 can be changed from a straight connection , as shown fig2 ( b ) to connections to the edges . this would increase the reflection , but the thermo - electro - mechanical problem would become more manageable by simply assuming an ideal fixed - fixed beam . the preferred capacitive embodiment of the present invention shown in fig2 ( b ) and 2 ( c ) uses a coplanar configuration . ground planes 47 are formed using a second metal layer ( not shown ). upper electrode 45 is fully supported by a mechanical support layer 48 , and has a single electrical contact 49 to signal line of the output port ( see fig2 ( b ). the capacitance of capacitor 40 is varied by changing the power dissipation in lower plate 42 , whose maximum deflection decreases in response to increased heat from heater 41 . the capacitance density also changes with the location of lower plate 42 , since upper plate 45 remains flat as lower plate 42 develops a raised - cosine shape . the capacitance per unit length ( measured in vertical direction to heater direction ) is calculated in closed form . maximum to minimum capacitance ratios higher than 10 : 1 and a quality factor of more than 50 can be achieved with this architecture . although the switch and variable capacitor embodiments of the present invention shown in fig2 ( a ) to 2 ( c ) use thermal actuation , the present invention can also be implemented using electrostatic actuation . with electrostatic actuation , the third metal layer is kept fixed , while the moveable membrane is formed using layers available in a semiconductor process alone . a preferred embodiment of an electrostatically actuated shunt switch 50 according to the invention is shown in fig2 ( d ). the construction of the electrostatically actuated shunt switch 50 is generally the same as switch 10 shown in fig1 and 2 ( a ), except as explained below . a moveable beam 50 consists of at least three metal pieces , 51 , 52 , 53 , formed on the second metal layer encapsulated in a membrane formed by inter - layer dielectric films . metal pieces 51 and 52 are used for electrostatic actuation . they are connected to a voltage source ( not shown ) which is an integrated circuit located elsewhere on wafer 25 . metal piece 53 closes a gap 62 between two signal strips 60 and 61 directly above metal piece 53 , once beam 50 is pulled - up by electrostatic actuation . ideally , there is no dielectric on the surface of metal piece 53 so as to allow metal - to - metal contact between metal piece 53 and signal strips 60 and 61 . to minimize sticktion , it is possible to add a thin layer of dielectric cover on metal piece 53 . all three metal pieces , 51 , 52 and 53 are typically encapsulated in dielectric films ( typically oxide ), but to allow free vertical motion of beam 50 , metal piece 53 is isolated from an overlaying dielectric film membrane 56 by cuts in such film shown by openings 54 . additional etch - holes 55 in dielectric membrane 56 are added to facilitate the formation of a cavity 57 . a microwave waveguide is formed on third metal layer by using metal pieces , 58 , 59 , 60 , and 61 . here again , such pieces form a coplanar waveguide configuration including ground planes 58 and 59 and signal planes 60 and 61 . with gap 62 between signal planes 60 and 61 , a signal cannot be transmitted . ground planes 58 and 59 act as upper electrodes for electrostatic actuation . so , when a transmission through signal planes 60 and 61 is desired , beam 50 is pulled up by applying a voltage higher than the threshold voltage of the switch . ground planes 58 and 59 are connected to circuit vias 63 and 64 . these vias are formed as a part of third metal layer right above contact pads 64 . hence , circuit vias 63 and 64 are electrically connected to integrated circuits elsewhere on the wafer . finally , ground planes 58 and 59 and signal planes 60 and 61 are supported by the mechanical support layer 23 . fig6 ( a ) through 6 ( i ) illustrate a preferred fabrication process for making the preferred embodiment of switch 10 of the present invention . this preferred process is based on semiconductor thin film deposition and photolithography processes , which are well known prior art . other fabrication sequences which are obvious to those skilled in the art are also within the scope of the present invention . the preferred embodiment of the electromechanical switch is fabricated using a semiconductor process in which a polysilicon layer , a first metal layer , and a second metal layer are deposited on a silicon wafer . by convention , in semiconductor processes , the layers are named according to their order of deposition . the first metal layer is the closest to the silicon substrate among metal layers , although it may be deposited on top of multiple layers of polysilicon . all the conductive layers are separated by insulating layers . fig6 ( a ) shows a cross - sectional view of a completed semiconductor chip 26 . for thermal actuation at least one polysilicon layer 20 is needed , but other , resistive layers , which are typically used to form resistors , can be used as well . in cmos processing , substrate 25 is silicon , but with proper process changes at substrate at etch step , it is possible to fabricate similar devices on gaas , sic or other exotic substrate materials as well . another important consideration is the use of vias 27 ( i . e ., cuts in insulating layers ) in a given process technology . to increase yield , the ic design rules set by a given foundry may be very restrictive . it is essential to have the capability of dielectric stacked vias , which can directly expose substrate material for the fabrication sequence to be useful . although there are several foundries allowing such via formations , typically , ic stacked vias are discouraged to improve the planarity of layers . if such vias are not allowed in an ic process , an additional masking layer is necessary to cut through the insulating layers 15 , 17 , 18 and 19 shown in fig6 ( a ). in fig6 ( b ), a thick sacrificial layer 30 is patterned in area 14 ( see fig5 ), that defines the cavity which allows free movement of beam 12 . the thickness of sacrificial layer 30 is determined by design requirements and fabrication limits . photoresist , polymers and even metals can be used as sacrificial layer 30 . it is preferable to use photosensitive materials which can be removed easily layer , therefore photoresists , especially thick varieties such as az 4600 series , az 9600 series , and shipley 220 series can be used to achieve 3 - 20 μm thick features with fairly good aspect ratio . since aspect ratio is not critical for this application , resist and regular contact lithography would also be acceptable for this step . fig6 ( c ) shows the next step of forming the mold necessary for electroplating . for this step , a seed layer 31 is deposited . since gold is the preferred third metallization layer , seed layer 31 includes an adhesion and gold layer . a thin layer ( 100 - 300a ) of chromium or titanium can be used for this purpose . if desired , a stack of cr / gold / cr can be used to minimize any step coverage issues . preferably , gold thickness is 1000a - 3000a . both of these materials 31 can be deposited using either evaporation or sputtering . proper sputter clean - up should then be performed to remove native oxide in exposed surfaces of second level metal pads prior to seed layer deposition . this greatly improves contact resistance and repeatability . as shown in fig6 ( d ), once seed layer 31 is deposited , a second layer of thick resist is used to form a mold 32 for subsequent gold plating . again , the same variety of resists can be used to form mold 32 . minimum features should be larger than 5 μm at this step . resist thickness should be more than the cavity height , to minimize lithography problems . uniform resist thickness is hard to achieve by spin casting , but it is not necessary anyway . for 5 μm thick gold deposition , it would be preferable to have resist thickness of more than 5 μm . to lower cost , this sequence does not include any chemical - mechanical - polishing ( cmp ) step after gold deposition . it is also important not to overplate structures . in fig6 ( e ), about 5 μm thick gold is electroplated on wafer 25 through the exposed areas to form metal conductive bridge 13 . this can be done using many available non - cyanide based gold plating solutions . the step shown in fig6 ( f ) consists of three minor steps . first , resist mold 32 is stripped , and then seed layer 31 is partially removed , since seed layer 31 can not be removed under bridge 13 . preferably , both of these steps are done using dry etching systems . if cavity 14 is defined using another resist layer , it is important to assure that it is well covered during the resist mold 32 strip operation . oxygen plasma is can be used to ash resist mold 32 . similarly , sputter etch can be used to strip metal seed layer 31 . finally , a superstrate 23 is deposited on top of switch 10 , as shown in fig4 and 5 . several different materials can be used for this purpose . polyimides , such as epo - tek 600 or dupont &# 39 ; s pyralin , can be screen - printed on this area . several good alternatives are emerging from high density interconnect ( hdi ) area , especially photoimageable versions of sequentially build - up microvia organic substrates are very promising . examples of such substrates include dupont &# 39 ; s dry film vialux 81 , vantico &# 39 ; s liquid probelec 81 , enthone &# 39 ; s liquid envision pdd 9015 , macdermid &# 39 ; s liquid macuvia - c , shipley royal &# 39 ; s aspire multiposit 2000 and dynavia 2000 . most of these materials have glass transition temperatures less than 200 ° c . for better coverage , liquid ones are preferable , but it has been observed that steps as high as 20 μm can be covered very easily by dry film varieties as well . typically , the thickness of these films can vary between 10 to 100 μm in a single coat . if the cavity cannot be stabilized mechanically in a single coat , as many coats as needed must be applied over the cavity area , whereby superstrate 23 is formed from a plurality of layers 23 a to 23 n . typically , for a cavity height of & lt ; 20 μm , superstrate 23 height of 50 to 100 μm is enough . finally , bcb ( benzocyclobutene )- based polymers such as dow chemical &# 39 ; s cyclotene family can be used for this purpose as well . compared to microvia dielectrics , bcb has lower loss at high frequencies (& gt ; 1 ghz ) and also lower dielectric constant (˜ 2 . 7 ), but typically the film thickness is less than 10 μm per coat . therefore , it would require more processing . in fig6 ( g ), the backside 36 of substrate 25 is patterned to form a mask 35 by using front to back alignment to expose only the part of substrate 25 , which needs to be removed from back 36 . the front side of substrate 25 is also spray coated to minimize any interactions to with the etchant , such as xef2 . fig6 ( h ) shows selective removal of silicon substrate 25 from area 24 using mask 35 . for silicon substrates , numerous etching techniques can be employed . the preferred approach is the use of pulsed xef2 etch because of it is very high selectivity to silicon . xef2 is an isotropic etchant . the etch surface gets rougher and less predictable as the etch goes on , therefore thinner substrates are preferable at this step . for substrates other than silicon , the etch technique must be changed accordingly . finally , fig6 ( i ) is a cross - sectional view of electromechanical switch 10 after removal of the sacrificial film 30 which defines air - cavity 14 . once the silicon of substrate 25 is completely removed in the designated area 24 , beam 12 is released by removing the photoresist 30 that fills cavity 14 . this can be done using a standard wet resist stripper application , followed by an oxygen plasma application to completely clean cavity 14 . as cantilever beam 12 is released , it curves or buckles in cavity 14 so as to touch the third metal layer , bridge 13 . while the invention has been described in the context of a preferred embodiment , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications may be made without departing from the true scope of the invention , leading to numerous alternative embodiments . accordingly , it is intended by the appended claims to cover all modifications of the invention , which fall within the scope of the invention .	1
fig1 is a side view of a building 20 showing the building pilot cable 23 . the building 20 includes a plurality of windows 21 . at the base of the building 20 is an access box 24 where one end of the building pilot cable 23 terminates . at the top of the building 20 is the building spool 22 . a roadway 25 leads from the access box 24 to the anchor footings 26 . applicant &# 39 ; s co - pending application ser . no . 10 / 456 , 126 further explains the apparatus and method of peeling the cable . fig2 is an enlarged view of the building spool 22 from fig1 . the spool yoke 27 is attached to the building floor 29 with yoke bolts 28 . the building pilot cable 23 is routed over the radius surface of the spool yoke 27 and into the building 20 . the building pilot cable 23 is attached to the cable adapter 33 which is attached to the suspension cable 32 . the suspension cable 32 is coiled on the building spool 22 . pulling on the building pilot cable 23 causes the suspension cable 32 to unwind and thus rotate the building spool 22 . the spool shaft 31 has a male threaded surface and is affixed to the spool yoke 27 . the building spool 22 has a female threaded surface which mates with the spool shaft 31 . as the building spool 22 rotates , the mating threaded surfaces cause the building spool 22 to lower onto the friction block 30 . the friction block 30 is supported by the belleville spring 37 . as the suspension cable 32 is unwound , the belleville spring 37 is gradually compressed . this provides suspension cable 32 tension that is proportional to the amount of cable unwound . the purpose of this mechanism is to provide a low resistive force for the initial unwinding of the suspension cable 32 . this allows the chase vehicle 38 to pull the building pilot cable 23 out . as the chase vehicle 38 approaches the anchor footings 26 , the extended suspension cable 32 causes substantial gravitational force . the friction block 30 prevents the cable from self - unwinding . fig3 is an enlarged view of the anchor footing 26 from fig1 . the anchor sleeve 35 includes an internal thread . the removable anchor cover 36 is used to keep debris out of the threaded area . the anchor footing 26 firmly affixes the anchor sleeve 35 to the earth 34 . the upper surface of the anchor footing 26 , anchor sleeve 35 and anchor cover 36 are flush with the roadway 25 . this allows the anchor location to be placed where normal vehicular traffic moves . the anchor footing 26 material would be concrete . the anchor sleeve 35 and anchor cover 36 material would be steel . alternate anchoring methods could include a hook and eye , u - bolt , earth anger or other standard fastening methods . various materials could be used as needed for strength and installation requirements . fig4 is a side view of a building 20 showing the chase vehicle 38 . the pilot cable 23 has been removed from the access box 24 and attached to the pilot vehicle 38 . in the dotted view , the pilot vehicle 38 has then moved away from the building 20 and partially peeled the pilot cable 23 . fig5 is a side view of a building 20 showing the tractor 41 , trailer 54 and gondola 40 . the chase vehicle 38 has traveled to the anchor location . the pilot cable 23 is now completely peeled from the building 30 side . the gondola 40 could be any variation of container with sufficient structure to support some method of traction apparatus and carry an emergency load . fig6 is an enlarged view of the suspension cable 32 from fig5 . the suspension cable 32 has begun to unwind from the building spool 22 . the cable adaptor 33 between the pilot cable 23 and the suspension cable 32 is now suspended . the pilot cable 23 and gondola pilot cable 39 would be stranded steel approximately ⅝ inch diameter . the suspension cable 32 would be stranded steel approximately 2 inch diameter . the pilot cable 23 must be light and flexible to allow manual emergency personnel positioning . the pilot cable 23 must also be strong enough to support the deployment of the suspension cable 32 . the pilot and suspension cables could be made of alternate materials and sizes that provide the needed flexibility and strength . fig7 is an enlarged view of the tractor 41 taken from fig5 . the tractor 41 is shown at the anchor location . the front anchor bolt 46 is shown in the travel position . the rear anchor bolt 47 is shown in the anchored position . emergency personnel would position the front anchor bolt 46 over the anchor sleeve 35 and use a pneumatic driver to rotate the front anchor bolt 46 . the gondola pilot cable 39 is attached to the winch spool 57 via winch bolt 42 . the winch spool 57 is attached to the winch shaft 45 and rotates on bearing 44 . the gear 43 is attached to the winch spool 57 . the drive box 50 rotates the worm pinion 49 which engages the gear 43 and causes rotation of the winch spool 57 . a support operator 74 would control the winch spool 57 via the support operator console 73 . fig8 is an enlarged view of the chase vehicle 38 taken from fig5 . note the gondola pilot cable 39 exiting out the rear of the gondola 40 . the excess gondola pilot cable 39 and male connector 52 would be removably attached to the gondola 40 during transport . the male connector 52 is shown detached from the gondola 40 and ready to be attached to the building pilot cable 23 . the movement of the male connector 52 to the building pilot cable 23 would be completed by a rescue person . fig9 is an enlarged view of the female connector 51 taken from fig8 . the end of the building pilot cable 23 is attached to the female connector 51 . the male connector 52 is shown being snap fit inserted into the female connector 51 . referring again to fig8 — after this snap fit insertion , the lever 53 is moved clockwise 90 degrees to release the female connector 51 from the chase vehicle 38 . the female connector 51 is smaller in diameter than the suspension cable 32 . this allows the female connector 51 to freely pass thru the traction apparatus 56 . the traction apparatus 56 would be energized to facilitate the suspension cable 32 passing through the device . fig1 is a side view of a building 20 showing the suspension cable 32 . the chase vehicle 38 has moved away from the rear of the gondola 40 . the building pilot cable 23 has been completely wound on the winch spool 57 resulting in the suspension cable 32 suspending from the building spool 22 to the winch spool 57 . the suspension cable 32 has been properly tightened and the gondola 40 is ready to move up the suspension cable 32 . all of the figures are drawn with cables as straight lines . in actual practice , gravitational force due to the cable mass would cause a centenary curve . how much the centenary curve deviates from a straight line is a function of the cable length . by increasing cable length and allowing more catenary curve , the cable tension is reduced . in theory , the extreme case of a straight line cable would require an infinitely high cable tension . during gondola 40 lift - off as shown in fig1 , the suspension cable 32 would be shortened . this shorter suspension cable 32 would provide a higher vertical cable tension component . the vertical tension component would need to be higher than the gondola 40 weight . with an excessively long suspension cable 32 length , the gondola 40 would drag horizontally off the trailer 54 rather than lift - off . fig1 is an enlarged view of the building spool 22 taken from fig1 . the upper end of the suspension cable 32 is securely affixed to the building spool 22 with the spool bolt 76 . the building spool 22 has now moved down the threads of the spool shaft 31 . the belleville springs 37 are now fully compressed . fig1 is a side view of a building 20 showing the gondola 40 travel . the gondola 40 has moved partially up the suspension cable 32 . the dotted view shows the gondola 40 aligned with an upper floor of the building 20 . the suspension cable 32 length would be shortened to facilitate the gondola 40 meeting the building 20 at as high a floor as possible . note that for drawing demonstration purposes , the building 20 is shown with less than 20 stories . fig1 is a side view of a skyscraper 62 showing the gondola 40 travel . the skyscraper 62 in fig1 is shown with 50 stories . the gondola 40 is at the mid - point of the suspension cable 32 span . at this position of the gondola 40 , the suspension cable 32 tension is at a maximum due to the gondola 40 weight . it is important to have a longer suspension cable 32 at this moment to keep the suspension cable 32 tension within a safe limit . in practice the suspension cable 32 length is : a . shortened for lift - off b . gradually lengthened on the travel from lift - off to mid - point c . gradually shortened on the travel from mid - point to docking at the upper floor of the skyscaper 62 all of the various cable connections are non - detaching . non - detaching means that the connection positions are constrained . examples of these constrained connections include : a . suspension cable 32 upper end pre - attached to the upper floor of the building 20 — see fig1 b . suspension cable 32 pre - attached to the building pilot cable 23 upper end — see fig6 c . building pilot cable 23 lower end pre - attached to the access box 24 — see fig4 d . emergency personnel manually positioning the female connector 51 from the access box 24 to the chase vehicle 38 — see fig4 e . moving the chase vehicle 38 to the anchor footing 26 location with the female connector 51 attached — see fig8 f . gondola pilot cable 34 pre - attached to the winch spool 57 — see fig7 g . gondola pilot cable 39 pre - positioned through the traction apparatus 56 and plurality of cable rollers 63 — see fig1 h . emergency personnel manually positioning the male connector 52 from the gondola 40 into the female connector 51 . after the female connector 51 is released from the chase vehicle 38 , the cable path is completed . during the entire process , there were no loose connections that had to be located . fig1 is an enlarged side view of the gondola 40 and traction apparatus 56 taken from fig5 . a further refinement of the suspension , cable 32 length adjustment would be to also monitor suspension cable 32 tension . this would be accomplished with strain gages 75 installed at the spool bearing mounts 44 . the strain gages 75 would be positioned and calibrated to correlate with suspension cable 32 tension . with constant suspension cable 32 tension monitoring , the suspension cable 32 length could be adjusted as needed . at the gondola 40 travel mid - point as shown in fig1 , depending on the gondola 40 load , the suspension cable 32 could be lengthened only as needed . the tension monitoring would allow larger loads to be safely carried on the gondola 40 . also , each building 20 may have a safe load limit for suspension cable 32 tension . tension monitoring would facilitate staying within this building 20 load limit . note the traction pilot cable 39 passing through the traction mechanism 56 and under the plurality of cable rollers 63 . applicant &# 39 ; s co - pending application ser . no . 10 / 777 , 555 further explains the apparatus and method of the traction device . fig1 is an enlarged side view of the gondola 40 taken from fig1 . the bend lever 58 is attached to the end of the roller spring 61 . the bend lever 58 rotates about the bend lever axle 68 to a storage position for transport of the trailer 54 on city roads . fig1 shows the bend lever 58 in the stored position . fig1 shows the bend lever 58 against the stop block 69 and ready for operation . it is desirable to evenly spread the gondola 40 weight over a long length of suspension cable 32 . the multiple cable rollers 63 on the roller spring 61 accomplish this . one end of the roller spring 61 is firmly affixed to the traction mechanism 56 . the roller spring 61 is a flexible member made of a material such as spring steel . the traction roller 66 operates similar to the cable roller 63 . it is also desirable to have cable support adjustment which would cause the suspension cable 32 to enter and exit the traction apparatus 56 tangentially . any abrupt angle change could weaken the suspension cable 32 . the suspension cable 32 entry and exit angles are controlled with adjusting the length of the bend lever cable 59 via the bend lever winch 60 . to keep the gondola 40 level , the angle cable 64 is adjusted via the angle cable winch 65 . the traction apparatus 56 rotates relative to the gondola 40 on the traction pivot 70 . a gondola operator 72 would control the gondola 40 via the gondola operator console 71 . to maintain the maximum suspension cable 32 strength , it is important for the traction apparatus 56 to be linear . linear means that the suspension cable 32 moves through the traction apparatus 56 in a straight line without bending . fig1 is an enlarged view of the cable roller 63 taken from fig1 . a portion of the gondola 40 weight is supported by each cable roller 63 . the cable roller 63 rotates on the roller axle 67 which is affixed to the roller spring 61 . the perimeter of the cable roller 63 has a concave surface to match the suspension cable 32 diameter . in any event , the invention is only intended to be limited by the scope of the following claims .	0
fig1 illustrates a brain analysis system 100 having an advantageous modular brain analysis sensor 400 applied to a forehead tissue site in communications with a physiological monitor 101 for measuring and generating simultaneous electroencephalogram ( eeg ) and left and right forehead regional oximetry ( ro2 ) parameter values and waveforms . the modular brain analysis sensor 400 can be advantageously assembled and placed within a limited - area forehead site . also , the ro2 components 600 and eeg component 500 can be advantageously purchased , stocked and used separately and individually , saving hospital and medical care center costs over other , more specialized brain analysis sensors not having separately useable regional oximetry and eeg sensor functions . the same cost savings is realized by modular designs for any and all types of physiological monitoring sensors . as shown in fig1 , the brain analysis sensor 400 has an eeg sensor ( fig4 - 5 ) that co - mounts dual regional oximetry ( ro2 ) sensors . each of these sensor functions are in communications with a physiological monitor 101 having a main display 120 and a ( removable ) handheld monitor 130 having a handheld display 132 . the main display 120 provides eeg waveforms and parameter values 122 in addition to forehead left 124 and forehead right 125 regional oximeter waveforms and parameters . the handheld display 132 provides a 3 - d man graphic displaying green , yellow and red organ symbols ( brain , lung and kidneys ) corresponding to eeg and / or ro2 parameter values . similar displays can be provided for other physiological parameters as well . also shown in fig1 , a modular brain analysis sensor 400 advantageously has dual ro2 sensors 600 that overlap right - and left - side portions of a specially - configured and marked ( ro2 - configured ) eeg sensor 500 so as to compactly fit these modular sensors 500 , 600 within a limited - space forehead site , as described in detail with respect to fig2 - 4 , below . an ro2 - configured eeg sensor 500 is described in detail with respect to fig5 a - e , below . an regional oximetry sensor 600 is described in detail with respect to fig6 a - e , below . further shown in fig1 , in an eeg screen portion 122 , the physiological monitor 101 display 120 shows 4 simultaneous eeg channels along with a patient state index ( psi ) readout versus time so as to enable continuous assessment of both sides of the brain , such as for improved anesthetic management . in addition , forehead left 124 and forehead right 125 regional oximetry waveforms and readouts enable monitoring of brain tissue oxygen saturation and detect regional hypoxemia . fig2 - 3 illustrate , respectively , a regional oximetry ( ro2 ) sensor and cable assembly and an eeg sensor and cable assembly . as shown in fig2 , the regional oximetry ( ro2 ) cable assembly 200 interconnects dual ro2 sensors 600 to a physiological monitor 101 ( fig1 ). the ro2 cable assembly has dual sensor connectors at a sensor end , a monitor connector ( moc9 ) at a monitor end and a ro2 pod mounted between and in communications with the sensor connectors and the monitor connector . also shown in fig2 , the ro2 pod has regional oximetry analog and digital boards . the analog board communicates with one or more of the regional oximetry sensors 600 . the digital board enables the pod to perform the sensor communications and signal processing functions of a conventional patient monitor . this allows pod - derived regional oximetry parameters to be displayed on a variety of monitors ranging from simple display devices to complex multiple parameter patient monitoring systems . as shown in fig3 , the eeg cable assembly 300 interconnects an eeg sensor 500 to a physiological monitor 101 ( fig1 ). the eeg cable assembly 300 has an eeg connector at a sensor end , a monitor connector ( moc9 ) at a monitor end and a eeg pod mounted between and in communications with the sensor connectors and the monitor connector . fig4 a - b illustrate a modular brain analysis sensor 400 having advantageous keyed mounting zones 501 ( shaded ) for precise , overlaid placement of dual ro2 sensors on an eeg sensor . in particular , the eeg sensor 500 has two mounting zones 501 , one on either side of the interconnected between the eeg electrodes and the eeg sensor connector . each mounting zone accommodates one of two ro2 sensors ( see fig1 and fig4 a ). further , each mounting zone 501 ( fig4 b ) is shaped and printed to conform to a top and side portion of an ro2 sensor head 610 ( fig6 a - d ). further , each mounting zone has printed notches 502 , 504 corresponding to actual notches in the ro2 sensor heads 610 ( fig6 a ) that accommodate curved tissue site surfaces . these printed notches 502 , 504 further aid in the alignment of ro2 sensors to the mounting zones 501 . fig5 a - e further illustrate an ro2 configured eeg sensor 500 having a generally “ t ” shape with six electrodes including two right electrodes r 1 , r 2 ; two left electrodes l 1 , l 2 ; a ground electrode cb and a reference electrode ct . as shown in fig5 a , the r 1 , r 2 , l 1 , l 2 and cb electrodes are disposed across the horizontal top of the “ t .” the reference electrode ct is disposed on the vertical middle of the “ t .” the advantageous mounting zone 501 ( fig4 b ) is disposed on either side of the vertical middle of the “ t ” proximate the horizontal top of the “ t .” as shown in fig5 e , the eeg sensor 500 has multiple layers including a release liner 510 that allows an attached ro2 sensor 600 ( fig1 ) to be removed and repositioned ; artwork 520 including ro2 sensor positioning lines 502 ( fig4 b ); a polyester substrate 530 ; silver pads 540 ( electrodes ); silver ink traces 550 ; a dielectric layer 560 that isolates and protects the traces 550 and a foam pad 570 that contacts a user &# 39 ; s skin . the eeg sensor connector includes a top shell 582 and a bottom shell 584 . an information element 585 mechanically and electrically connects to the trace layer 550 . fig6 a - e further illustrate a ro2 sensor and its optical elements having a sensor head 610 , a stem 620 and a connector 630 . the sensor head 610 houses an emitter 682 , a near - field detector 684 and a far - field detector 688 within a layered tape having a top side ( fig6 a ) and an adhesive bottom side ( fig6 c ) disposed on a release liner . the release liner is removed so as to adhere the bottom side to a skin surface . the emitter 682 and detectors 684 , 688 have lens that protrude from the bottom side ( fig6 e ) advantageously providing a robust optics - skin interface . the top side has printed emitter / detector indicators so as to aid precise sensor placement on a patient site . a connector 630 terminates the interconnect 620 at the connector contacts 632 . also shown in fig6 d , a sensor head assembly 610 has a face tape 612 , a flex circuit 622 , a stem tape 620 , a base tape 624 , a connector top 634 and a connector base 636 . the face tape 612 and base tape 622 encase the flex circuit 622 and corresponding emitter and detectors 682 - 688 . a modular physiological sensor has been disclosed in detail in connection with various embodiments . these embodiments are disclosed by way of examples only and are not to limit the scope of this disclosure and the claims herein . one of ordinary skill in art will appreciate many variations and modifications . it should be understood specifically that the present mounting zones , tabs , relative shapes and modular configuration can be applied to other physiological sensors including , for example , ear , nose , hand , harm , and / or chest sensors or any other types of physiological sensors where the sensors are configured to jointly measure the same measurement site of a patient .	0
a series of weights 12 are connected to a rack 14 . while three weights are shown , any number of weights may be utilized . an arm 18 extends from each arm , each connected to a shaft . the end of the arm moves in an arc while the weight moves in a line . to account for this difference , the arm attaches to the weight in any suitable manner . the end of the arm may attach to the weight by a cable or a rod pivotally connected to the weight , the arm , or both . also , the arm may be made of telescoping sections , allowing the length of the arm to vary . the shaft is connected to a first gear 22 . the first gear 22 intermeshes with a second gear 24 , a compound gear having a small gear turning with a larger gear . as the first gear 22 meshes with the smaller gear , an increase in rotational speed is gained . the larger of the second gear connects with the smaller gear of a third gear 26 . the third gear set , likewise , is a compound gear having a small gear meshing with the larger of the second gear to again increase rotational speed . the larger gear meshes with an electric generator 30 . any number of gears may be used in the gears train between the shaft and generator in order to produce a desired rotational speed from the shaft . fig2 shows the end view where the relationship between the weights is seen . the weights are suspended from the rack by a cable 16 . after the weight 12 has reached its bottom most extent , it is raised back up by a secondary power source ( not shown ). in the view of fig2 , one weight is shown in its uppermost position , a second weight is shown in its lowermost position , and a third weight is shown in a middle position . in order that the arms turn the shaft 20 on its downward journey but still be able to be raised , the arm 18 is connected to the shaft 20 by a ratcheted spline . the ratcheted feature allows the arm to drive the shaft 20 yet still be raised without affecting movement of the shaft 20 . the weights may be in any position at any given time , including all weights in its uppermost position . the weights may be raised during off - peak electrical usage time , allowing for the later generation of electricity during peak usage to reduce the strain on the electrical system . also , the secondary power source may be powered by a renewable power source , such as hydropower , allowing for the conversion of hydropower to electricity , or solar powered , allowing for the raising of weights during power production of the solar panels and generation of electricity when the solar panels are not producing . the weights may also be raised manually , if the weights are of a size making this feasible . fig3 depicts the platform 28 which supports the generator , gears and shaft 20 . the distance between the platform 28 and rack 14 may be made any distance that is both desirable and feasible . while the invention has been disclosed with reference to a preferred embodiment , variations and modifications would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art . such variations and modifications are encompassed by the invention .	7
referring to fig1 and 3 , thin film magnetic recording heads 2 are typically mounted or integrally fabricated onto an electrically conductive support structure such as a slider 1 . magnetic core 7 is electrically conductive and possesses high magnetic permeability . core 7 terminates in a pair of pole tips 14 separated by recording gap 9 . tips 14 are exposed at air bearing surface 13 opposite magnetic recording medium 3 . the ends of coil 5 define linkages 10 . coil 5 is separated from core 7 by insulator 6 . core 7 , coil 5 , coil terminals 4 and coil linkages 10 are separated from support structure 1 by insulator layer 8 and are typically encapsulated by an insulating overcoat layer 11 . when resistivity between coil 5 and core 7 is low , electrical charge can leak through insulator 6 to the core which then assumes coil potential which is different from the potential of recording medium 3 . since core pole tips 14 are close to the surface of medium 3 , electrostatic discharge between tips 14 and medium 3 can occur thereby creating intermittent electrical noise and resulting read errors . in disk drive data storage devices , for example , core pole tips 14 are about 2 to 4 micro inches away from the disk surface . further , material may transfer between the recording medium 3 and core pole tips 14 during such discharge leading to deterioration of reliability and destruction of the head - medium interface . in disk drive applications , disk surface media may transfer to tips 14 during such discharge resulting in potentially destructive head to disk contact . the spacing between coil 5 and magnetic core 7 is generally greater than 2 microns . insulator 6 typically provides in excess of 10 megaohms of core to coil impedance with a breakdown voltage v bd exceeding 500 volts . thousands of volts between coil and core can be generated during head fabrication , shipping or installation . such electrostatic discharge is particularly destructive of head insulation . fig4 illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention . a partially fabricated inductive read / write disk drive head prior to application of insulating overcoat layer 11 is shown . each end of coil 5 is electrically connected to a respective coil linkage 10 . similarly , magnetic core 7 extends to linkage 15 . linkages 10 , 15 are easily accessible during head fabrication for in - process monitoring of coil to core impedance without actually contacting the easily damaged magnetic core 7 and coil 5 . coil and core linkages 10 , 15 can be fabricated of any electrically conductive material . fig5 depicts a first embodiment of the present invention installed on a support structure comprising a finished slider 1 of an inductive read / write head for a disk drive data storage device . core terminal 12 is exposed above overcoat insulator 11 and connected to link 15 as are coil terminals 4 to coil linkages 10 shown in fig4 . fig6 depicts a portion of wafer 23 prior to machining into sliders 27 . dotted lines 21 outline individual sliders 27 . wafer 23 defines a plurality of inductive read / write heads constructed according to a second embodiment of the present invention . magnetic core 7 is electrically connected to core terminal pad 12 . coil 5 is connected to coil terminals 4 . in this embodiment core terminal pad 12 is shared with auxilliary circuit 20 employed during fabrication to monitor process parameters such as temperature , stress and layer to layer alignment . according to this design , core - to - coil impedance can not be easily measured following the machining operation since the electrical connection between core and terminal is severed . each wafer 23 is fabricated by depositing coils 5 and magnetic cores 7 on substrate 1 over an insulating base coat 8 . insulating overcoat layer 11 is then applied thereby encapsulating core 7 , as best seen in fig2 . it has been heretofore impractical to test core - to - coil impedance and breakdown voltage following application of such an overcoat layer . impedance measurement means such as ohmmeter 26 may be readily connected to selected pair of terminals 4 , 12 in fig5 or 6 to measure the electrical impedance of core - to - coil insulator 6 in a respective head 2 . selected pairs of terminals 4 , 12 may also be employed to measure the breakdown voltage of a respective insulator 6 . such measurement can be accomplished by the application of successively higher voltage increments across a selected pair of terminals 4 , 12 to determine the voltage at which a significant drop in impedance is obtained . although the present invention is described with reference to specific embodiments , persons skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . for example , while the illustrated embodiments deal with insulation between coil and core , the invention may be employed in other magnetic recording applications such as measurements relating to shield - to - sense conductor insulation in magnetoresistive read heads used in data storage devices .	6
my invention will be illustrated in greater detail by the specific examples which follow , it being understood that these preferred embodiments are illustrative of , but not limited to , procedures which may be used in the production of poly ( urethane silicate ) solid / cellular solid , reaction products . parts and percentages are by weight unless otherwise indicated . about 1 mol of hydrated silica , 1 mol of phenol and 1 % to 10 % by weight of sodium carbonate , percentage based on weight of silica , are mixed then heated to just below the boiling point of phenol while agitating for 20 to 40 minutes , thereby producing a tan , granular , phenol silicate compound . an aqueous solution of formaldehyde is added to the phenol silicate granules in the ratio of 1 to 1 mols , then heated to 65 degrees to 100 degrees c . while agitating for 10 to 90 minutes or until the desired viscosity is obtained , thereby producing a reddish colored poly ( formaldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product . about 2 mols of toluene diisocyanate ( 80 % 2 , 4 - isomer and 20 % 2 , 6 - isomer ) are mixed with the said poly ( formaldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product , a thick liquid , and agitated for 10 to 30 minutes at ambient temperature and pressure , thereby producing a polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 3 % to 20 %, by weight of water , percentage based on weight of reactants , is added to the polyurethane silicate prepolymer and agitated for 5 to 20 minutes or until the mixture begins to expand ; it expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 2 mols of the phenol silicate as produced in example i and 3 mols of toluene diisocyanate ( 80 % 2 , 4 - isomer and 20 % 2 , 6 isomer ) are agitated at ambient temperature and pressure for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a liquid urethane silicate prepolymer . about 3 % by weight of water , percentage based on weight of the reactants , is mixed with the said prepolymer then agitated for 5 to 20 minutes , then heated to 50 degree c . to 80 degree c . for 3 to 10 minutes until the mixture begins to expand ; it expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . cresol is mixed with a fine granular silicon acid containing s - h group ( silicoformic acid ) in the ratio of about 1 : 1 mols and about 5 % by weight of potassium carbonate is added . the mixture is then heated to just below the boiling temperature of cresol while agitating at ambient pressure for 20 to 40 minutes , thereby producing brown granules of cresol silicoformate . an aqueous solution of 37 % formaldehyde is added to the granules of cresol silicoformate in the ratio of 5 to 1 mols , then dilute sulfuric acid is added until the ph is about 5 to 7 , and the cresol silicoformate goes into solution . the mixture is then heated to 65 degree c . to 100 degree c . for 10 to 90 minutes or until the desired viscosity is reached . the resin separates from the water and is removed , thereby producing a poly ( aldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product . about equal parts by weight of poly ( formaldehyde cresol silicate ) resinous product and toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a liquid polyurethane silicate prepolymer . a curing agent , an aqueous sodium silicate solution containing 50 % by weight of solids , is added in the amount of 10 % by weight , percentage based on weight of prepolymer , to the poly ( formaldehyde cresol silicate ) prepolymer then is mixed thoroughly ; the temperature is kept between 50 degree c . to 80 degree c . and the mixture begins to expand in 5 to 20 minutes , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 1 part by weight of the cresol silicate and 2 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a liquid polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 3 % by weight of glacial acetic acid , percentage based on weight of the prepolymer , and the polyurethane silicate prepolymer are mixed then agitated for 5 to 20 minutes or until the mixture begins to expand , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 2 mols of fine granular hydrated silica , 1 mol of resorcinol and 10 % by weight of sodium carbonate , percentage based on weight of hydrated silica , are mixed then heated to just below the boiling temperature of resorcinol while agitating at ambient pressure for 20 to 40 minutes , thereby producing a mixture of resorcinol silicate and resorcinol disilicate . to this mixture about 4 mols of an aqueous solution of formaldehyde is added then heated to 65 degree c . to 100 degree c . while agitating for 10 to 90 minutes until the desired viscosity is obtained , thereby producing poly ( formaldehyde resorcinol silicate ) resinous product . about equal parts by weight of the poly ( formaldehyde resorcinol silicate ) resinous product and toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 1 % to 3 % by weight of glacial acetic acid , percentage based on weight of the prepolymer , is added to the polyurethane silicate prepolymer and thoroughly mixed . the mixture expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid , self standing poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about equal parts by weight of fine grannular hydrated silica and creosote oil are mixed ; then 10 % by weight of dry granular sodium metasilicate granules , percentage based on the weight of the reactants are added . the mixture is then heated to just below the boiling temperature of creosote oil while agitating at ambient pressure for 20 to 40 minutes , thereby producing brown granules of creosote silicate . about one part by weight of the creosote silicate and 2 parts by weight of an aqueous solution containing about 37 % formaldehyde by weight are mixed then heated to 65 degree to 100 degree c . while agitating at ambient pressure for 10 to 90 minutes until the desireable viscosity is obtained , thereby producing poly ( formaldehyde creosote silicate ) resinous product . about equal parts by weight of the liquid poly ( formaldehyde cresosote silicate ) resinous product and toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 3 % water , containing 10 % by weight of diethylenetriamine , is added to the polyurethane silicate prepolymer and thoroughly mixed ; then the temperature is kept between 50 degree to 80 degree c . for 5 to 20 minutes ; and the mixture expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 2 parts by weight of cresylic acid and 1 part by weight of fine granular hydrated silica are mixed ; then 10 % by weight of sodium carbonate , percentage based on the weight of the hydrated silica , is added . the mixture is then heated to just below the boiling temperature of cresylic acid while agitating for 20 to 40 minutes , thereby producing a brown granular mixture of phenol silicate and cresol silicate . about 2 parts by weight of the mixture of phenol silicate and cresol silicate and 3 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 5 % by weight of water containing 10 % by weight of tin octoate is added to the polyurethane silicate prepolymer and thoroughly mixed while keeping the temperature between 50 degree c . to 80 degree c . for 5 to 20 minutes or until the mixture expands , thereby producing rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 1 mol of the phenol silicate granules as produced in example i , and 1 mol of furfural are mixed , then heated to just below the boiling temperature of furfural while agitating for 10 to 90 minutes , thereby producing a brown liquid , poly ( furfural phenol silicate ) resinous product . about 2 parts by weight of the brown liquid poly ( furfural phenol silicate ) resinous product and 1 part by weight of toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 5 % by weight of water is added to the prepolymer then mixed thoroughly , and the temperature is kept between 50 degree c . to 80 degree c . for 5 to 20 minutes , the mixture begins to expand . it expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid . about 2 parts by weight of the mixture of resorcinol silicate and resorcinol disilicate as produced in example v and 2 parts by weight of acrolein are mixed then heated to just below the boiling temperature of acrolein while agitating for 10 to 90 minutes , thereby producing a liquid poly ( acrolein resorcinol silicate ) resinous product . about 2 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate and 3 parts by weight of poly ( acrolein resorcinol silicate ) resinous product are agitated at ambient temperature for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 3 % by weight of glacial acetic acid is mixed thoroughly with the prepolymer and in 5 to 20 minutes the mixture begins to expand , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid . about 2 parts by weight of the phenol silicate as produced in example i , 3 parts by weight of crotonaldehyde and 6 parts by weight of water are mixed then heated to just below the boiling point of crotonaldehyde for 10 to 90 minutes , thereby producing poly ( croton - aldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product . about 2 parts by weight of poly ( croton - aldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product , 2 parts by weight of glycerol and 3 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated at ambient temperature for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a liquid polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 2 parts by weight of phenol silicate as produced in example i and 1 part by weight of propylene glycol are mixed ; then 3 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate are added . the mixture is then agitated at ambient pressure for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a liquid polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 5 % by weight of water containing 20 % magnesium hydroxide is added to the prepolymer and thoroughly mixed , and the temperature is kept between 50 degree to 80 degree c . for 5 to 20 minutes ; the mixture expands to 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid , poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 2 parts by weight of cresol silicoformate as produced in example iii and 3 parts by weight of a liquid polyester produced by reacting 2 mols of maleic anhydride and 3 mols of ethylene glycol are mixed ; then equal parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate are added . the mixture is agitated at ambient temperature and pressure for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 3 % by weight of glycial acetic acid is thoroughly mixed with the prepolymer , and in 5 to 20 minutes the mixture expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 2 parts by weight of resorcinol silicate and resorcinol disilicate as produced in example v , 0 . 5 parts by weight of castor oil and 2 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate are mixed then agitated at ambient temperature and pressure for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a liquid polyurethane silicate prepolymer . about 5 % dilute acetic acid is thoroughly mixed with the prepolymer , and in 5 to 20 minutes the prepolymer expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 1 part by weight of liquid poly ( formaldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product as produced in example i and 2 parts by weight of a liquid isocyanate - terminated polyurethane prepolymer , containing equal parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate and castor oil , are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes . a curing agent , water containing 0 . 01 % stannous octoate , 0 . 02 % triethylenediamine , 5 % sulphanated castor oil , 2 % ammonium oleate and 0 . 5 % paraffin oil , is added in the amount of 0 . 05 parts by weight to the prepolymer then thoroughly mixed . in 5 to 20 minutes the mixture expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 2 parts by weight of liquid poly ( furfural phenol silicate ) resinous product and 3 parts by weight of a liquid isocyanateterminated polyurethane prepolymer , produced by reacting polypropylene glycol ( 450 to 500 mol . wt .) with toluene diisocyanate in an nco / oh molar ratio of about 2 to 1 , are mixed then agitated at ambient temperature and pressure , thereby producing a polyurethane silicate prepolymer . a curing agent , an aqueous suspension of fine granular silica containing 10 % solids , is added in the amount of 10 % by weight to the prepolymer and thoroughly mixed . i n 5 to 20 minutes the mixture expands 6 to 10 times its original volume to produce a rigid poly urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 1 part by weight of a liquid poly ( formaldehyde creosote silicate ) resinous product , and 2 parts by weight of a polyurethane prepolymer , produced by reacting a liquid hydroxyl - terminated polybutadiene with 2 , 4 - tolylene diisocyanate and which has a free nco content of about 6 %, are mixed thoroughly . about 5 % by weight of water is added to the mixture and mixed thoroughly ; then in 1 to 12 hours an elastomer solid reaction product is produced . the product is further cured by heating at 70 degree to 80 degree c . for 3 to 4 hours . about 1 part by weight of poly ( acrolein resorcinol silicate ) resinous product and 2 parts by weight of a liquid isocyanateterminated polyurethane prepolymer ( produced by reacting a liquid polyester containing 16 mols of adipic acid , 16 mols of diethylene glycol , 1 mol of trimethylol propane and toluene diisocyanate ( 80 % 2 , 4 - isomer and 2 , 6 - isomer ) in the ratio of 2 to 1 ) are mixed and agitated at ambient temperature and pressure for 10 to 30 minutes ; then a curing agent , water in the amount of 5 % by weight , percentage based on the weight of the reactants , is added and thoroughly mixed . the mixture begins to expand in 5 to 20 minutes . it expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a flexable poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . the product is further cured by heating at 70 degree to 80 degree c . for 3 to 4 hours . about 1 part by weight of poly ( crotonaldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product as produced in example x and 2 parts by weight of a liquid isocyanate - terminated polyurethane prepolymer , produced by reacting about equal weights of castor oil and toluene diisocyanate , are mixed then agitated at ambient temperature and pressure for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a liquid polyurethane silicate prepolymer . a curing agent ( a mixture of 1 part by weight of water ; glycerol silicate and poly ( glycerol silicate ) resinous product which is produced by mixing about 1 part by weight of glycerol , 1 part by weight of fine granular hydrated silica and 0 . 2 part by weight of sodium carbonate then heating the mixture to just below the boiling temperature of glycerol while agitating for 20 to 60 minutes ) in the amount of 1 part by weight is added to the prepolymer and agitated thoroughly . the mixture begins to expand in 5 to 20 minutes ; it expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a semi - rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 1 part by weight of poly ( formaldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product , 0 . 2 part by weight of water and 2 parts by weight of a liquid isocyanate - terminated polyurethane prepolymer , produced by reacting 3 parts by weight of polypropylene glycol ( 400 to 500 mol wt .) with 2 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate ( hylene tm ), are thoroughly mixed , and within 5 to 20 minutes the mixture expands 6 to 10 times its original volume , thereby producing a semi - rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . about 1 part by weight of poly ( formaldehyde cresol silicate ) resinous product and 0 . 5 part by weight of water containing 40 % sodium silicate by weight are mixed with a liquid isocyanateterminated polyurethane prepolymer ( produced by reacting a liquid polyester resin , containing 4 parts by weight of ethylene glycol , 1 part by weight of propylene glycol and equimolar amounts of adipic acid , and which has a molecular weight of about 1800 , and is mixed with methylene bis - phenyl diisocyanate ). the mixture is agitated for 10 to 30 minutes and cures after 4 to 12 hours to a solid , nonporous poly ( urethane silicate ) reaction product . about 1 part by weight of poly ( formaldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product and 2 parts by weight of a liquid isocyanateterminated polyurethane prepolymer are mixed then agitated for 10 to 30 minutes ; then 1 part by weight of water , 1 part by weight of propylene glycol and 1 part by weight of a liquid polysulfide polymer are added to the mixture . it is mixed thoroughly , and in a few minutes the mixture is cured , thereby producing a white , elastomer solid poly ( urethane silicate ) reaction product . about 2 parts by weight of a polyol silicate , propylene silicate ( produced by mixing equal mols of a silicon acid , hydrated silica , propylene glycol and 10 % by weight of an alkali compound , sodium carbonate , percentage based on the weight of the silicon acid ; then the mixture is heated to just below the boiling temperature of the polyol while agitating for 20 to 60 minutes ) and 2 parts by weight of poly ( formaldehyde phenol silicate ) resinous product as produced in example i are mixed . to this mixture 3 parts by weight of toluene diisocyanate are added then agitated at ambient temperature and pressure for 10 to 30 minutes , thereby producing a polyurethane silicate prepolymer . a curing agent , water containing 10 % sodium polysulfide , is added in the amount of 5 % by weight , percentage based on weight of the polyurethane silicate prepolymer , and thoroughly mixed . the mixture expands in 5 to 20 minutes , thereby producing a self - standing tough , rigid poly ( urethane silicate ) cellular solid reaction product . other polyols as listed in this specification may be used in place of propylene glycol to produce polyol silicate compounds and polymer . other examples may be found in u . s . pat . application no . 765 , 050 , filed on feb . 2 , 1977 , by david h . blount . although specific materials and conditions were set forth in the above examples , these were merely illustrative of preferred embodiments of my invention . various other compositions , such as the typical materials listed above may be used , where suitable . the reactive mixtures and products of my invention may have other agents added thereto to enhance or otherwise modify the reaction and products . other modifications of my invention will occur to those skilled in the art upon reading my disclosure . these are intended to be included within the scope of my invention , as defined in the appended claims .	2
the electromagnetic force - compensating balance in fig1 consists of a support part 1 which is fixed to the housing and to which a load receiver 2 is attached in a vertically movable manner over two guide rods 4 and 5 with articulation points 6 . the load receiver carries load pan 3 for receiving the material to be weighed at its top and transfers the force corresponding to the mass of the material to be weighed over a coupling element in the form of a thin tension band 9 to the shorter lever arm of transfer lever 10 . transfer lever 10 is mounted on support part 1 by cross spring joint 8 . a coil 11 is fastened to the longer lever arm of transfer lever 10 , which coil generates the electromagnetic compensation force in cooperation with permanent magnet system 7 . the associated regulating electronics are not shown as they are generally known . permanent magnet system 7 consists of two disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material with high coercivity field strength , e . g . made of a samarium - cobalt alloy and with one low - retentivity return path each . both disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material are magnetized vertically in opposite directions ( indicated in the drawings by the direction of the arrows ), so that their like poles face each other . the magnetic return path for upper disk 71 of active magnetic material is formed by upper plate 73 , lateral pieces 75 and central plate 77 . the magnetic return path for lower disk 72 of active magnetic material is formed in corresponding fashion by lower plate 74 , lateral pieces 76 and central plate 77 . the diameter of the hole in central plate 77 is made only a little larger than the diameter of disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material in order to keep small the useful air gap length and likewise the leakage flux , e . g . from the lower polar surface of disk 71 directly through the air space to upper plate 73 . pole plate 78 between the two disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material has a considerably smaller diameter than disks 71 and 72 . thus , this pole plate 78 collects only the magnetic field lines from the inner area of disks 71 and 72 of active material and allows them to exit radially from the surface of the pole plate . the magnetic field lines which exit further out from the polar surfaces are laterally displaced and guided toward the outside only by the repelling action of the opposite , like polar surface . however , this strong demagnetizing tendency does not disturb on account of the high coercivity field strength of the active magnetic material used . carrier coil 11 extends inside the hole in central plate 77 far into the area between the two disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material . this inner area does have a magnetic field strength which decreases toward the inside , but it can nevertheless supply a considerable portion of the electromagnetically generated force . experience has shown that there is an optimum when the inner diameter of carrier coil 11 is approximately between 50 and 70 % of the outer diameter of disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material . carrier coil 11 is fastened to the annularly shaped end of transfer lever 10 . plates 73 , 74 and 77 as well as pieces 75 and 76 are easy to punch out of metal sheeting , so that they are inexpensive to manufacture . the individual parts of the low - retentivity return path are connected by screws or rivets ( not shown in fig1 ). the active magnetic material is preferably used in the form of round disks . however , it is also possible to use quadratic , hexagonal or octagonal plates of active magnetic material , which are easier to manufacture . the carrier coil can then be cylindrical , which results in a simple manufacture but not in an optimum utilization of the magnetic material . the carrier coil is adapted in its form to the form of the plates of active magnetic material , which increases the magnetic utilization but also the manufacturing cost . an individual optimization may be required here for each instance . the low - retentivity return path 73 - 77 can also be round or rectangular or hexagonal or octagonal in its outer form without this changing its operation . here too , the cost of material , manufacturing cost and special requirements must be considered on an individual basis . fig2 shows another embodiment of permanent magnet system 7 and carrier coil 11 . round disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material , which are magnetized vertically and in opposite directions , are fastened to the inside of upper plate 73 and of a lower plate 74 of soft iron . these two plates 73 and 74 are connected by soft iron tube 79 , whereby the inside diameter of tube 79 is only slightly greater than the diameter of disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material . coil 11 is located entirely between the two disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material and its outside diameter is approximately equal to the diameter of these disks 71 and 72 . coil 11 is fastened in a suitable opening at the end of transfer lever 10 , which is mounted as in fig1 to the support part fixed to the housing and is connected over coupling band 9 to the parallel guide construction . the low - retentivity pole plate consists of two round disks 78a and 78b , whereby upper disk 78a is fastened to upper disk 71 of active magnetic material and lower disk 78b to lower disk 72 of active magnetic material . the division into two disks 78a and 78b , which is of course also possible in the embodiment according to fig1 is used in order that thickness tolerances of these disks as well as of disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material and the height tolerance of tube 79 can be absorbed during assembly by a more or less wide gap between disks 78a and 78b . the magnetic field lines which exit as the lower polar surface of disk 71 of active magnetic material and at the upper polar surface of disk 72 of active magnetic material are reconcentrated , in part by pole plates 78a and 78b and displaced outward by the repelling action of the opposite like polar surface , pass through the area of coil 11 approximately horizontally and are guided back by tube 79 and soft - iron plates 73 and 74 . low - retentivity pole plates 78a and 78b can of course be dispensed with entirely , if the coercivity force of disks 71 and 72 of active material is sufficient . in spite of the different air gap lengths for field lines from the inner area and the outer area of disks 71 and 72 , the field line density inside disks 71 and 72 is to a considerable extent not place - dependent due to the high coercivity field strengtn . aside from pole plates 78a and 78b , thin sheets 70 of a material with a large temperature coefficient of saturation magnetizing are also provided on the facing poles of disks 71 and 72 of active magnetic material in fig2 . such thin sheets are arranged in a known manner in a magnetic shunt and have the function of compensating the temperature of the permanent magnet system . fig3 shows permanent magnet system 7 and two carrier coils 11 and 81 of another embodiment of the balance of the present invention . this embodiment is designed for a quotient measuring system which contains a second carrier coil operatively connected to a constant reference mass . such quotient measuring systems are generally known and are described , for example , in de pat . no . 11 94 167 , so that a detailed description of the entire structure and of the method of operation can be dispensed with here . the de pat . no . 11 94 167 is incorporated herein by reference . the permanent magnet system of fig3 contains three disks 82 , 83 and 84 of active magnetic material . the direction of magnetization is indicated by the arrows . small pole plates 85 and 86 of soft iron and the two coils 11 and 81 are located between these disks of active magnetic material . upper plate 73 , lower plate 74 and tube 79 form the outer , low - retentivity return path . the field lines of upper disk 84 of active magnetic material run partially through pole plate 85 , then radially outward through coil 11 and then over the upper part of tube 79 and upper plate 73 as low - retentivity return path back to disk 84 of active magnetic material . the field lines of disk 82 of active magnetic material , which is magnetized in the opposite direction , run partially through pole plate 85 , then radially outward through coil 11 , through the central section of tube 79 , through coil 81 and partially through pole plate 86 back into disk 82 of active magnetic material . the magnetic field lines of disk 83 of active magnetic material run through lower plate 74 and the lower part of tube 79 , then radially inward through coil 81 and partially through pole plate 86 back into disk 83 of active magnetic material . coil 11 is again fastened to the end of transfer lever 10 and is thus connected to the load system . correspondingly , coil 81 is fastened to a part 80 and is operatively connected over this part 80 to a reference system .	6
fig1 illustrates a roll feed system 10 which functions to feed all kinds of strip or coiled stock automatically into , e . g ., a punch press 12 , or any other device that requires intermittent or continuous feed motion . a roll feed entry 14 functions to introduce strip materials into rollers which are controlled under air pressure to assure proper squeeze tension on the strip material so that any slippage is avoided during the feed cycle . a roll feed exit structure 16 takes over the strip movement of material when the tail end of a strip exits the entry rollers of roll feed entry 14 . when feeding coiled stock , either the roll feed entry 14 or the roll feed exit 16 can be relied on , depending upon whether pushing or pulling of the material is required . a centralizing guide 18 assures that materials will enter the feed at a preset location , and the strip or coil width is readily adjustable by means of a hand wheel while maintaining centralized entry . a material lift 20 is employed for the strip - feed applications and it is a matter of choice as to whether the materials are fed horizontal or on the incline as sometimes may be required . a controller 22 functions under control of a specific program to coordinate all roller drive motors and miscellaneous air control functions required around the total system . an air pressure source 24 provides multiple air line regulations under control of controller 22 . referring again to fig1 the material lift 20 is employed for the strip feeding operation . in the case of coiled stock feed , the system would use a well - known type of coil support with the input adjustably controlled for insertion at roll feed entry 14 . in the strip feed mode , a plurality of strips 26 of material which are to be fed individually into the punch press 12 are stacked on a feed plate 28 which is secured along a lift shelf 30 . a pair of oppositely disposed brackets 32 are adjustably secured on plate 28 with upright guide rails 34 secured thereto . the guide rails 34 are secured on each side of the stack of strips 26 to maintain the stack in alignment as they are retained on top of lift shelf 30 . the lift shelf 30 is slidable vertically on polish rails 36 and 38 disposed on the forward wall 40 of the material lift 20 . a pair of lift arms 42 and 44 extend outward through vertical spaces 46 and 48 for attachment to the underside of lift shelf 30 . thus , a limit - type switch 50 is adjustably fixed to sense the upper surface of strips 26 , and to provide input via line 52 to the controller 22 . controller 22 is then responsive to provide control output on line 58 to cause upward incremental movement of lift arms 42 and 44 thereby to index the strips 26 into position for moving the next succeeding or top strip 59 into the roll feed entry 14 . the system is totally adjustable for length and width of the strips 26 as well as the height of the strip 26 stack on plate 28 . fig2 and 4 depict the roll feed entry 14 . the feed entry 14 includes a horizontal base plate 60 which is secured on a bracket shelf 62 affixed in proper alignment on the associated punch press 12 . channels 64 provide vertical support from base plate 60 while a top plate 66 is suitably secured thereon parallel to base plate 60 . a roll assembly 68 consisting of upper roller 70 and lower roller 72 , adjustably retained adjacent respective tension plates 74 and 76 , is rigidly retained between base plate 60 and top plate 66 . strip input is fed between upper entry guide 78 and lower entry guide 80 whereupon a strip 26 ( top strip 59 ) is drawn through the tensioned rollers 70 and 72 and then the strip 26 is directed through an upper guide plate 82 and lower guide plate 84 . the individual stock strips 26 are picked up and placed on the lower entry guide 80 by a vacuum cup 86 which is mounted for longitudinal travel as controlled by an air cylinder 88 and piston rod 90 . the vacuum cup 86 is connected by means of a clamping adapter 92 to receive pressure flow via tube 94 from an air cylinder 96 , a clippard type sdr - 12 ( one inch stroke ). the air cylinder 96 is mounted vertically on a support arm 98 which also extends a vertical dowel 100 that guides the clamping adapter 92 in proper position . the support arm 98 is then secured to a lateral elbow carriage 102 which is rigidly secured to the end of piston rod 90 and which includes a close - fitting hole that slides along polished rod 104 secured between clamp brackets 106 and 108 . thus , and referring to fig3 when air cylinder 96 is actuated to the pickup mode , the vacuum cup 86 raises the topmost strip 59 upward about one - half inch whereupon air cylinder 88 is then actuated to retract piston rod 90 and move elbow 102 along the polish rod 104 as support arm 98 moves inward . this action brings the topmost strip 59 through the entry guides 78 and 80 and into engagement in rollers 70 and 72 , and cylinder 96 is controlled to release the vacuum applied through vacuum cup 86 after which cylinder 88 returns to its fully extended piston position , as shown . referring again to all of fig2 and 4 , a pair of oppositely disposed air cylinders 110 and 112 , clippard type sdr - 12 , control gripping and release of top roller 70 . gross adjustment of roller tension is provided by a slide bar 114 positioned by opposite side tension bolts 116 and 118 . the rollers 70 and 72 are powered by a selected gear motor 120 which is suitably mounted on a side channel 64 with direct output engagement to drive the rollers 70 and 72 . gear motor 120 is an electric compumotor type sx 135 available from tektronix inc . of edmond , okla . while a single line air feed is shown for the several air cylinders in fig1 it should be understood that each of the air cylinders 88 , 110 and 112 is fitted with an air connection at each end of the respective cylinders and the suction pick - up air cylinder 96 receives but a single air connection from the return or bottom side since it exercises only a suction function . referring now to fig5 the roll feed exit assembly 16 is supported by a suitable bracket shelf 122 which supports an exit roller assembly 124 as affixed to the rear side of the operating machine 12 ( fig1 ). a suitable bolster 123 may be connected around press 12 between opposite side bracket shelf assemblies 62 and 122 . the shelf plate 124 supports opposite side blocks 128 and 130 which provide sealed ball bearing supports for the opposite sides of lower roller 132 . the upper roller 134 is supported by opposite side bearings housed in respective slide blocks 136 and 138 which are rigidly secured to a slide bar 140 extending across the assembly . gross adjustment of the height of slide bar 140 is made by adjustment nuts 142 and 144 , and instantaneous control of slide bar 140 is exercised by air cylinders 146 and 148 ( clippard type sdr - 12 ). thus , the cylinders 146 and 148 are connected with respective piston rods 150 and 152 affixed to the upper side of slide plate 140 . although not shown , the air cylinders 146 and 148 receive air pressure lines for pressure and return to the top and bottom of respective air cylinders as they are controlled from air pressure source 24 ( fig1 ). a mounting plate 154 provides support for a roller control gear motor 156 which is connected through a suitable bearing mounted coupling ( not shown ) within the block 130 . gear motor 156 is also a type sx 135 compumotor . fig6 and 7 depict the centralizing guide 18 . the centralizing guide 18 is rigidly mounted on the side of the punch press 12 ( fig1 ) by means of mounting assembly 160 as secured by mounting bolts 162 and 164 . weldment tubes 166 and 168 are secured to the press 12 at the requisite height by securing the mounting bolts 162 and 164 through a mounting plate 170 and shims 172 . the mounting plate 160 is then affixed as by welding onto the weldment tubes 166 and 168 . an adjustable rail array is secured on mounting plate 160 which array consists of side rails 174 and 176 formed from angle metal , and each is rigidly secured to the baseplate 160 by means of respective pluralities of bolts 178 and 180 . a central stop rail 182 is also rigidly affixed to the base plate 160 as it carries an insert strip 184 bolted vertically therealong . guide rails 186 and 188 , angle metal members , are each aligned with a flat side inward and adjustable to provide a guide surface for strip stock that is aligned to pass over the insert plate 184 and into the operative position of punch press 12 ( fig1 ). oppositely threaded lead screws 190 and 192 are threaded through respective lead screw nuts 194 and 196 that are rigidly affixed in the guide rails 186 and 188 . the lead screws 190 and 192 extend outward into engagement with respective sprockets 198 and 200 to terminate in a journal mount within the opposite side rails 174 and 176 . similarly , at the lower end the oppositely threaded lead screws 202 and 204 , as rotatable through a locking bearing assembly 206 , are threadedly received through respective lead screw nuts 208 and 210 as affixed in respective guide rails 186 and 188 and the lead screws extend into connection with respective sprockets 212 and 214 and journal support in the side rails 174 and 176 , respectively . the lead screw 202 extends through side rail 174 into engagement with a hand wheel 216 which provides adjustment of the gap or guide space indicated by arrow 218 . that is , the positioning of strip or coil material is readily adjustable to any width by means of hand wheel 216 while the centralizing guide 18 maintains centralized entry of strip material into the punch press 12 . a pair of pre - adjustable idler sprockets 220 and 222 serve to maintain proper tension on respective interconnecting chains 224 and 226 which function to rotate the oppositely threaded lead screws in even , coordinated rotation . yet another set of oppositely threaded lead screws 228 and 230 are disposed to move the outer reaches of guide plates 186 and 188 relative to the respective side rails 174 and 176 . thus , lead screws 228 and 230 are journaled in the guide rails 186 and 188 within respective bearings 232 and 234 , and the lead screws 228 and 230 are threadedly received through respective sprockets 236 and 238 which are keyed to respective bushing assemblies 240 and 242 . the various coordinated movements of the apparatus including motor driven rollers and the various air pressure actuations , are controlled by the pre - programmed controller 22 . the controller 22 may be such as a compumotor 6000 controller which is commercially available from tektronix inc . of edmond , okla . the controller 22 is programmed to function through air pressure control 24 to control the timely actuation of the air cylinders 96 , 110 , 112 , 148 and 146 . suitable air control units consisting of solenoid actuated pneumatic valves are also commercially available from tektronix inc . ______________________________________program name : xd1program text : xe1xd1sto1ccs31sim3ld3xtprogram name : startprogram text : startp choicedel choicedef choiceout0000lh0 , 0pulse1 . 0 , 1 . 0dres4000 , 4000dclear0a70 , 70ad70 , 70v80 , 80dled10000000dpcur1 , 5dwrite &# 34 ; to run strips press f1 &# 34 ; dpcur2 , 5dwrite &# 34 ; to run coils press f2 &# 34 ; var1 = dreadfif ( var1 = 1 ) goto stripsnifif ( var1 = 2 ) goto coilsnifenddel stripsdef stripsdclear0dpcur1 , 1dledx1000000dwrite &# 34 ; enter length of part &# 34 ; dpcur1 , 22var2 = dreaddpcur2 , 1dwrite &# 34 ; enter distance between parts &# 34 ; dledxx1xxxxxdpcur2 , 30var3 = dreadvar4 = var2 * 6175var5 = var3 * 6175var6 = var4 + var5var8 = var6 / 2var9 = var8 + 81200var10 = 82000var11 = 62500goto pickenddel pickdef pickdclear0dpcur1 , 1dwrite &# 34 ; push f1 to run single &# 34 ; dpcur2 , 1dwrite &# 34 ; push f2 to run auto &# 34 ; dledxxx1xxxxvar7 = dreadfif ( var7 = 1 ) goto singlenifif ( var7 = 2 ) goto autonifenddel singledef singledclear0dpcur1 , 5dwrite &# 34 ; single stroke &# 34 ; dpcur2 , 5dwrite &# 34 ; hand operate &# 34 ; repeatout1x1xdledxxxx1x1xt1 . 5outx1xxdledxxxxx1xxt1 . 5out0xxxdledxxxx0xxxt . 5outx0xxdledxxxxx0xxd ( var9 ), 0gopset0 , 0until ( in = b10 ) goto smakeenddel smakedef smakeout1xxxt . 2out0xxxrepeatwait ( in = b00 ) d ( var6 ),( var6 ) gountil ( 2pm & gt ; var10 ) out1x0xdledxxxx1x0xrepeatwait ( in = b00 ) gountil ( in = b11 ) pset0 , 0repeatvar12 = 2pm + var6wait ( in = b01 ) gountil ( var12 & gt ; var11 ) d0 , 100000goout0xxxdledxxxx0xxxgoto stripsenddel autodef autodclear0dpcur1 , 1dwrite &# 34 ; auto program running &# 34 ; dpcur2 , 1dwrite &# 34 ; push pause to stop motion &# 34 ; goto loadenddel loaddef loadout1x1xdledxxxx1x1xt2gosub aloadenddel aloaddef aloadoutx1ixxdledxxxxx1xxt1 . 5out0xxxdledxxxx0xxxt . 5outx0xxdledxxxxx0xxd ( var9 ), 0goif ( in = b11 ) goto loadnifpset0 , 0goto amakeenddel amakedef amaked ( var6 ),( var6 ) out1xxxdledxxxx1xxxt . 2out0xxxdledxxxx0xxxrepeatt . 1outxxx1dledxxxxxxx1t . 25outxxx0dledxxxxxxx0wait ( in = box ) gountil ( 2pm & gt ; 82000 ) out1x0xdledxxxx1x0xrepeatt . 1outxxx1dledxxxxxxx1t . 25outxxx0dledxxxxxxx0wait ( in = box ) gountil ( in = b11 ) out0xxxdled0xxxxxxxpset0 , 0repeatt . 1out1xx1dledxxxx1xx1t . 25outxxx0dledxxxxxxx0wait ( in = box ) govar12 = 2pm + var6until ( var12 & gt ; var11 ) do , 100000gooutxx1xdledxxxxxx1xgoto aloadenddel coilsdef coilsdclear0dpcur1 , 2dwrite &# 34 ; enter length of part &# 34 ; dledx1xxxxxxdpcur1 , 23var13 = dreaddpcur2 , 2dwrite &# 34 ; enter distance between parts &# 34 ; dledxx1xxxxxdpcur2 , 31var14 = dreadvar15 = var13 * 6175var16 = var14 * 6175var17 = var16 + var17d ( var17 ),( var17 ) dclear0dpcur1 , 1dwrite &# 34 ; push f1 to run setup &# 34 ; dpcur2 , 1dwrite &# 34 ; push f2 to run auto &# 34 ; dledxxx1xxxxvar18 = dreadfif ( var18 = 1 ) goto crunnifif ( var18 = 2 ) goto arunnifenddel crundef crunout1x1xdledxxxx1x1xpset0 , 0dpcur1 , 10dwrite &# 34 ; insert material &# 34 ; dpcur2 , 10dwrite &# 34 ; press f1 when ready &# 34 ; var19 = 0var19 = dreadfwait ( var19 = 1 ) out0xxxdledxxxx0xxxl20wait ( in = b00 ) goif ( 2pm & gt ; 82000 ) outxx0xdledxxxxxx0xniflngoto coilsenddel acrundef acrunt3d ( var17 ),( var17 ) repeatt . 1outxxx1dledxxxxxxx1t . 25outxxx0dledxxxxxxx0wait ( in = box ) gountil ( in = b11 ) goto crunend______________________________________ in operation , it has been assumed that the strip stock 26 is to be fed to the machine 12 , which in this example is a punch press for stamping predetermined patterns out of strip stock . the controller 22 is properly programmed for size and spacing and air pressure source 24 can function in response to controller 22 to operate the various air cylinders . also , the gear motors 120 and 156 of roll feed entry 14 and roll feed exit 16 are energized and operated under the control of controller 22 . the strip stock 26 is loaded onto the lift shelf 30 between guide bars 34 with the forward edges aligned up to the top edge of insert panel 184 and situated immediately in front of the upper entry guide 78 and lower entry guide 80 . see fig1 . the air cylinder 96 receives a one - way connection from air pressure source 24 so that it actuates vacuum cup 86 as a suction pick - up of the top strip 59 . as shown in fig3 the air cylinder 96 draws the vacuum adaptor 92 upward approximately three - quarters of an inch and , synchronous with that time , the air cylinder 88 is energized to draw the piston rod 90 inward thereby bringing the elbow carriage 102 and support arm 98 leftward ( fig2 ) which brings the top strip 59 up across the lower entry guide 80 for entry into the rollers 70 and 72 . rollers 70 and 72 grip the strip tightly as air cylinders 110 and 112 urge upper roller 70 downward , and the gear motor 120 under control of controller 22 provides controlled rotary motion to rollers 70 and 72 thereby bringing the strip through exit guides 82 and 84 and into stamping position of press 12 . the strip 59 makes incremental advances which are programmed to be sufficient that the strip 59 advances just enough to provide full material for stamping without overlap or waste of strip material . the operating strip 59 is then rolled across into the exit rollers 132 and 134 under control of air cylinders 146 and 148 . the dual roller moving proceeds through the press 12 target or work space intermittently as the punched blank is moved leftward ( fig1 ). when the back end of operative strip 59 clears the entry rollers 70 and 72 , the exit rollers 132 and 134 continue to draw the strip 27 through at the same rate to finish stamping of the strip 59 to the very end , whereupon rollers 132 and 134 release the punched blank out leftward into a hopper , trash receptacle or other remnant collector . strip material 26 when loaded onto the shelf 30 ( fig1 ) under control of material lift 40 , is level controlled by means of microswitch 50 . thus , after the top strip 59 of strips 26 has been picked up by the vacuum cup 86 and carried leftward onto the lower entry guide 80 , punch operation proceeds until the rightward end of strip 27 clears the feeler of microswitch 50 . at this time , the material lift 40 actuates to index the arms 42 and 44 upward by an amount which is the thickness of an individual strip 59 , and the next succeeding strip is at the proper level for pick - up by the vacuum cup 86 for entry into entry guides 78 and 80 . the foregoing discloses a feed mechanism which is capable of presenting either strip stock or coiled stock material for input to the operating point of a designated machine , and the feed system is capable of supplying input material incrementally with minimal loss of material during such as punch operations . in addition , the apparatus includes a push and pull roller system for receiving the strip stock therethrough while allowing complete machine operation from end to end of the strip stock . an adjustable centralizing guide functions in coaction with a material lift assembly for incrementally lifting strip stock into insertion position and carrying out insertion to the work area of the associated machine in continually centralized relationship thereto . changes may be made in the combination and arrangement of elements as heretofore set forth in the specification and shown in the drawings ; it being understood that changes may be made in the embodiments disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims .	1
referring now to fig1 there is illustrated one possible site installation of a winch arrangement in accordance with the invention , which comprises an aircraft hanger or bomb shelter illustrated generally at 1 . the purpose of the winch arrangement is to permit winching of an aircraft 2 into the position illustrated within the shelter , from a position outside the shelter and illustrated in broken lines . the winch drive assembly is thus located at the position indicated diagrammatically at 3 , and the winch rope passes from the position 3 , initially along a path 4 , to a pulley 5 from which it passes along a path 6 to an attachment point at the rear of the aircraft . in order to enable preselection of a plurality of possible lateral positions of the aircraft , or any other load , to be towed , the pulley 5 is preferably releasable from its anchorage to enable location in any one of a plurality of desired mounting positions indicated at 5a . manual operation of the winch drive may be effected from a local winch control panel indicated at 7 , or , optionally , from a remote portable push button station indicated at 8 and connected to the control circuit by way of a flying cable 9 . referring to fig2 and 3 , the winch assembly comprises a fixed , vertical stand 10 at the upper end of which is mounted a winch drive motor 11 incorporating an eddy current , overload coupling 12 of generally known type . the output shaft from the eddy current coupling 12 is connected by way of a reduction gear 32 and an electromagnetically actuatable clutch device 13 to a drive pinion 14 which is in permanent meshing engagement with a driving gearwheel 15 . the gearwheel 15 is fixed to a winch drum 17 . the winch drum 17 is provided with an electromagnetically actuatable brake device 16 . it is also coupled to a geared limit switch device 18 for indicating the limit positions of the fully wound and fully unwound winch rope 19 . the winch rope 19 passes , via a rope layering device 20 and a safety switch 21 for sensing slackness in the rope , to a guide pulley 22 , over which the winch rope 19 is deflected from its downward vertical path to a horizontal path corresponding to the path 4 illustrated in fig1 . as shown in more detail in fig4 the pulley 22 is mounted to the stand 1 by way of a lever arm 23 pivoted in a fixed mounting 24 secured to the frame . 1 . a free end 23a of the lever arm 23 is normally located in a rest position defined by an adjusting bolt 25 threaded in a mounting 26 , also secured to the stand 1 , and locked in position by means of a lock nut 27 . the end 23a of the lever 23 thus abuts against the free end of the adjusting bolt 25 . at the end 23a of the lever 23 , there is also mounted a roller 28 which is in engagement with the lower end of a shock absorbing buffer 29 , which is of known type and secured to the stand 1 by means of a fixed mounting 30 . the rating of the buffer 29 is such that under normal operating conditions of the winch arrangement the buffer remains in its extended position , but that upon excessive tension or overload occurring in the winch rope , the buffer will allow deflection of the lever arm 23 in an upward direction , as indicated in broken lines , thus allowing limited yielding of the winch rope in a direction towards the winch drum during such overload conditions . the method of operation of the winch arrangement described above will now be explained with particular reference to fig5 which is a simplified circuit diagram of the operating circuit of the winch arrangement . it will be seen that the circuit of fig5 comprises two , electrically isolated portions , that on the left - hand side of fig5 comprising a control circuit , and that on the right - hand side of fig5 comprising an actuating circuit for the electromagnetic brake and clutch means referred to above . the positions of the switch and relay contacts illustrated in fig5 correspond to a condition of the winch assembly wherein the winch rope is in a position intermediate its extreme wound and unwound positions , the rope is slack , and the control circuit is in an idle condition . assuming that an aircraft such as that illustrated at 2 in fig1 is to be winched from the position illustrated in broken lines , the winch rope must first be unwound to a starting position in order to enable attachment to the aircraft . the reduction gear 32 referred to above with reference to fig2 and 3 incorporates a non - return device preventing reverse rotation of transmission from the eddy current coupling 12 . for unwinding of the rope 19 , therefore , the electromagnetic clutch 13 must be released . for this purpose a push button of the local or remote push button control panel 7 or 8 , illustrated diagrammatically at p . 0 . in fig5 is depressed . relay r1 thus becomes energised , and , at contact r1 / 1 , completes a self - holding circuit to maintain energisation of the relay r1 upon release of the push button p . 0 . simultaneously , relay contact r1 / 3 is changed over , so that the actuation circuit of an energising winding b1 of the electromagnetic brake 16 is broken , due to the open condition of the slack rope sensing switch 21 , indicated diagrammatically at s . r . in fig5 . the electromagnetic brake 16 is of a fail safe construction , that is to say that the brake is held in the released condition when the winding b1 is energised , and is applied when the circuit of winding b1 is broken . thus , upon initial actuation of the push button p . 0 ., the winch drum 17 becomes braked against unwinding movement . it should be noted at this point that relay r1 , at contact r1 / 2 has also completed an operating path to relay r2 , thus also breaking the circuit of winding b1 at relay contact r2 / 1 . following energisation of relay r1 , a timer , or slow to operate relay , t1 , which is connected in parallel with relay r1 , becomes energised after a delay of , for example , 1 second . at its contact t1 / 1 , the timer t1 breaks the circuit of an energising winding c1 of the electromagnetic clutch 13 . the clutch 13 is a dog - clutch which is held in engagement upon energisation of the winding c1 , and therefore the opening of contact t1 / 1 causes the clutch to be disengaged . the transmission between the coupling 12 and the winch drum 17 is thus broken to enable reverse movement of the winch drum 17 , but initially the latter is retained against this movement by the braking device 16 . after a delay of approximately 5 seconds , a second timer , or slow to operate relay , t2 becomes energised and , at its contact t2 / 1 , breaks the circuit to the relay r2 . relay contact r2 / 1 is thus restored to its idle condition preparing an energising path to the brake winding b1 . assuming manual tension on the winch rope 19 sufficient to close the slack rope switch s . r ., the brake winding b1 will now become energised and the electromagnetic brake 16 will thus be released to enable unwinding of the winch cable . when the winch rope has been unwound to its full extent as determined by the limit switch mechanism 18 , a limit switch , indicated diagrammatically at l . s . in fig5 will become opened , breaking the energising circuit of the brake winding b1 and causing the brake to be re - applied . the fully extended winch rope may now be attached to the aircraft to be towed into the hanger . in order to tow the aircraft into the hanger , a push button switch on the local or remote control panel 7 or 8 , and indicated diagrammatically at p . i . in fig5 is depressed . relay r3 thus becomes energised , and , at relay contact r3 / 2 , breaks the holding circuit to relay r1 , timer t1 and timer t2 . contact r3 / 1 of relay r3 also prepares a current path to a relay circuit for actuating the winch drive motor and indicated diagrammatically at m . r . the deenergisation of relay r1 , timers t1 and t2 , and consequently also relay r2 , causes the relevant contacts to be restored to the positions illustrated in fig5 thus causing the brake 16 to be released , the clutch 13 to be engaged , and the energising circuit to the motor control circuit m . r . to be completed by way of relay contacts r1 / 4 and r2 / 2 . as long as the push button p . i . remains depressed , therefore , the winch drive motor 11 will remain energised to drive the winch , until the limit switch mechanism 18 opens switch contacts p . s . in the circuit of relay r3 . it will be appreciated that during winching of the aircraft 2 into its hanger , the aircraft itself remains under the control of an occupant of the aircraft , who is required to coordinate braking of the aircraft to a standstill in coordination with the actions of the winch operator . owing to potential human error , however , a number of fault conditions may possibly occur during the winch operating and compensation for such conditions must therefore be provided . these possible conditions will now be discussed below . in the absence of appropriate precautions , slackness in the winch rope might possibly occur due , for example , to stoppage of the winch drive combined with failure to apply the brakes of the aircraft , so that the aircraft over - runs the winch drive . in the illustrated arrangement , however , the inertia in the system and attributable primarily to the eddy current coupling 12 , will cause the drive transmission to run on in the event that the motor 11 ceases to provide drive , so that the winch drum 17 continues to be driven to wind in the rope 19 following stoppage of the motor 11 . although the winch drive motor 11 may , in known manner , be protected against overloading by means of the eddy current coupling 12 which serves as a torque limiting device , in the event of very sudden overloads upon the winch arrangement , for example by sudden application of the aircraft brakes whilst the winch drive is running , the overloading will initially appear as a shock upon the winch drum and its associated transmission . owing to its own inertia , very sudden overloading will not be sensed at the eddy current coupling 12 until damage has already been caused to the winch drive and / or the aircraft , due to the tendency of the eddy current coupling 12 to run on under its own inertia . overloading in the latter circumstances is compensated for by means of the pulley 22 and the associated buffer arrangement . since the pulley 22 is located at a position of deflection of the path of the winch rope 19 , any sudden load on the pulley 22 will tend to apply an upward force thereto , thus pivoting the mounting lever 23 in the mounting 24 . under normal loads such pivoting movement is resisted by engagement of the roller 28 with the buffer 29 , but in the event of excessive tension in the rope the buffer 29 can yield in an upward direction thus reducing the length of the cable extending between the winch drum 17 and the pulley 5 of fig1 and serving to cushion strain in the rope . it will be appreciated that the characteristics of the buffer 29 should be carefully matched to the inertia of the system in order to provide for the optimum shock absorption . the lever arm 23 is coupled , in a manner not shown in the drawing , to an overload sensing microswitch , indicated diagrammatically at 0 . l . in fig5 whereby the microswitch is closed upon deflection of the lever 23 . thus in an overload condition the relay r2 becomes energised to effect stoppage of the drive motor 11 by way of relay contact r2 / 2 which breaks the energising circuit of the motor relay m . r . owing to the non - return device in the transmission from the eddy current coupling 12 , it will be appreciated that following the occurrence of condition 2 described above , considerable tension will exist in the winch cable . in the event that the tension cannot be released by removing the load from the winch rope itself , the winch arrangement can be restored to an idle condition by depression of the pull out button p . 0 . of the control circuit of fig5 . the corresponding operation of the control circuit is as already described above , but it will be noted that since , in this condition , relay r2 is energised and the slack rope switch s . r . is closed , the above - described action of the timers t1 and t2 is essential in order to ensure that the winch drum 17 is initially held in a braked condition following release of the clutch 13 , braking being maintained for a period of time sufficient to allow relaxation of tension in the winch rope without danger or possible faulty operation due to sudden return movement of the winch drum 17 . thus it will be seen from the above description that there has been provided a novel winch arrangement which is capable of safe and reliable operation under severe fluctuations in load whilst providing compensation both for possible slackness developing in the winch rope and also for sudden shocks due to sudden stoppage of the load being winched , or possible jamming of the winch rope . this arrangement also makes it possible to place a safety stop , for example in the form of a dumb - bell 35 ( fig1 ), on the winch rope to prevent inadvertent overwinding of the winch rope and possible damage to a towed aircraft . it will be appreciated that in view of the variety of possible positions 5a of the pulley 5 such safety stoppage cannot always be provided by the limit switch associated with the winch drum 17 . thus , if the dumb - bell 35 should jam up against the pulley 5 during actuation of the winch the above - mentioned shock absorbing function will also be provided until stoppage of the winch drive .	1
according to the present invention , in order to enlarge both lengthwise and widthwise a character to be recorded or displayed , no special code for designating the enlargement of a character is used , but two kinds of codes ( for instance ebcdic ) are used in such a way that blank codes such as : 31 and : 32 are placed in front of or behind a character to be enlarged . the character behind or in front of the code : 31 is therefore so modified or converted that only the upper half section of the character is doubled in size in both lengthwise and widthwise directions , whereas the character behind or in front of the code : 32 is so modified or converted that only the lower half section is doubled in size in both lengthwise and widthwise directions . therefore upon completion of the scanning of two lines , the character will be displayed or recorded as being twice the size in both lengthwise and widthwise . in the preferred embodiments of the present invention , the signal converter will be described as applied to a laser beam printer of the type disclosed in copending u . s . application no . 616 , 675 , now u . s . pat . no . 4 , 059 , 833 , issued nov . 22 , 1977 , and assigned to the same assignee . the construction and mode of operation of the laser beam printer will therefore be described briefly with reference to fig1 and 2 . first referring to fig1 the laser beam emitted from a laser 1 is redirected by reflectors 2 to be incident to a modulator 3 . since the reflecting mirrors 2 are inserted in order to reduce the dimensions of the laser beam printer , they may be eliminated if the dimensions of the printer present no problem at all . the modulator 3 consists of a conventional acousto - optical element or electro - optical element so that the laser beam intensity is modulated by the input signal applied to the modulator 3 . if the laser 1 consists of a semiconductor laser or a gas laser capable of electric current modulation or a laser incorporating a modulator , the modulator 3 may be eliminated and the laser beam may be directly made incident to a beam expander 4 . the laser beam from the modulator 3 is expanded in diameter by the beam expander 4 without its coherence being adversely affected , and the expanded laser beam is made incident to a rotary polyhedral mirror 5 with one or more reflecting mirrors . the mirror 5 is carried by a shaft which in turn is supported by extremely high precision bearings such as air bearings and is rotated at a constant rotational speed by a motor 6 such as a hysteresis synchronous motor or dc servometer so that the laser beam 12 is scanned in the horizontal direction to be incident on a focusing lens 7 with f - θ characteristic so that the laser beam may be focused as a light spot on a photosensitive drum 8 . a laser beam detector 18 consists of an incidence slit with its width very small and a photoelectric transducer such as a pin diode having a quick response . it detects the laser beam 12 which is swept to a predetermined position . in response to the output signal from the laser beam sensor 18 , the application of input signals to the modulator 3 is initiated . therefore the error in the equiangularity of the reflecting mirrors or surfaces of the rotary mirror 5 and the out of phase in the horizontal direction of the signal due to the variation in rotational speed of the mirror 5 may be sufficiently compensated so that the dimensional accuracies imposed on the rotary mirror 5 and motor 6 will be tolerated to a greater extent . consequently they may be fabricated at less cost . the application of input signals to the modulator 3 is made in synchronism with the vertical synchronous signals which are generated based on the rotational speed of the drum 8 or the recording sheet feeding timing , so that uniform left and right margins may be obtained . the laser beam 12 which has been deflected and modulated in the manner described above is made incident on the photosensitive drum , and the focused character patterns are visualized by the conventional electrophotographic process and transferred onto an ordinary paper sheet as will be described in detail hereinafter . next referring to fig2 a printing section generally indicated by reference numeral 20 will be described . it employs , for instance , an electrophotographic process as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 666 , 363 assigned to the same assignee . the photosensitive drum 8 consists of an electrically conductive support member , a photoconductive layer and an insulating layer , and prior to the exposure , the insulating layer is previously positively or negatively charged uniformly by a first corona charger 9 so that the charge opposite in polarity to that on the insulating layer may be trapped in the interface between the insulating layer and the photoconductive layer or within the photoconductive layer . thereafter , simultaneous with the exposure to the laser beam 12 , ac corona discharge is imparted by an ac corona discharger 10 upon the positively or negatively charged insulating layer so that an electrostatic latent image will be formed , the high and low potential pattern of the image being corresponding to the light and dark pattern focused by the laser beam 12 . thereafter the insulating layer may be uniformly exposed to light so that a high contrast electrostatic image will be formed , and then the image is developed by a developing device 13 with a developing agent mainly consisting of electrically charged colored pigment particles . the developed image is transferred onto a recording sheet by utilizing the interior or exterior electric field and is fixed by a fixing device 15 consisting of an infrared lamp or heating plates , whereby a copy is reproduced . thereafter the insulating layer of the drum 8 is cleaned by a cleaning device for the next reproduction process . in fig3 there is shown the information on one page which is to be recorded on the recording sheet 11 , and each character is contained in each character area or field 22 . a flying spot 26 is swept both horizontally and vertically or main and auxiliary scanning directions . therefore , the coded signals which are applied to the modulator 3 are stored in a memory substantially in the same form or array as shown in fig3 . this is , the coded signals for respective characters are arrayed similar to the corresponding characters arrayed in respective character areas 22 , and the modulator 3 molulates the laser beam in response to the coded signals read out from the memory in the order shown in fig3 . each coded signal representing each character is converted by a character generator so that the character may be formed by 7 × 12 array of dots as shown in fig4 . it is evident therefore that the characters in one line will be recorded or displayed by twelve scannings from the first row to the 12th row . in fig5 there is shown an enlarged character with the laser beam printer of the type described , the character size being doubled both lenghtwise ( or in the direction of columns ) and widthwise ( or in the direction of rows ). that is , each signal for generating a black elementary area shown in fig4 is doubled in time or repeated twice both lengthwise and widthwise ( or in both the column and row directions ). in other words , the horizontal and vertical pattern read - out clocks which are derived from the character generator in synchronism with the horizontal and vertical scannings are halved in frequency so that the designated character will be enlarged both lengthwise and widthwise . however , according to this enlargement method , all of the characters in each line must be enlarged . that is , it is impossible to enlarge only a required character as described hereinbefore . however , according to the present invention , only a desired character such as c or k may be enlarged to occupy four or more character areas 22 as shown in fig6 illustrating the whole information in one page to be recorded on the recording sheet 11 ( see fig2 ). for this purpose , the first enlargement code : 31 for designating the enlargement of the upper half of the character or character area is placed in the character area in front of or behind the desired character c or k , whereas the second enlargement code : 32 for designating the enlargement of the lower half of the character or character area is placed in the character area in front of or behind the character c or k which is desired to be enlarged , as shown in fig7 and 8 . in practice , these first and second codes are stored in the addresses corresponding to the desired character areas . as shown in fig9 in response to these first and second enlargement codes detected , the signal converter in accordance with the present invention operates to enlarge the upper and lower half sections of a desired character or character area as shown in fig9 b and 9c , respectively , so that the combination of the enlarged upper and lower half sections results in a character of twice the length and width as shown in fig9 d . since the first and second enlargement codes are stored in the locations corresponding to the character areas in the two adjacent lines respectively , any desired character in any line may be enlarged independently of other characters in the same line . in fig1 there is shown as a block diagram a first preferred embodiment of a signal converter in accordance with the present invention . the character codes including the first and second enlargement codes of each page are transmitted through conductors 201 and stored in a data store 101 which may be any conventional random access memory with a desired access time and which is of the semiconductor type in the first embodiment . as shown in fig7 or 8 the data store 101 has a plurality of storage areas 101 -- 1 each storing one character or information code , or first or second enlargement code . that is , the code representative of the character a is stored in the storage area designated by the column m and row n ; that is , with the address ( n , m ), the code representative of the character b , in the storage area with the address ( n , m + 1 ), the first enlargement code : 31 , in the storage area with the address ( n , m + 2 ), and so on . ( in fig7 small letters represent coded signals .) therefore it is evident that the array of information and enlargement codes stored in the data store 101 corresponds to the array of characters in the character areas 22 shown in fig6 . in fig7 the upper enlarged half of the character c occupies the two succeeding character areas with the addresses ( n , m + 2 ) and ( n , m + 3 ), whereas the lower enlarged half , the two succeeding character areas with the addresses ( n + 1 , m + 2 ) and ( n + 1 , m + 3 ). therefore in order to establish a one - to - one correspondence between the upper and lower enlarged halves and the codes stored in the data store 101 , the first enlargement code : 31 is stored in the storage area with the address ( n , m + 2 ) and the character code c , in the succeeding area with the address ( n , m + 3 ), whereas the second enlargement code : 32 , in the storage area with the address ( n + 1 , m + 2 ) and the character code c , in the succeeding storage area with the address ( n + 1 , m + 3 ). referring back to fig1 , an address control 107 which is connected through conductors 209 to the data store 101 designates the address of a code to be stored in or read out from the data memory 101 and controls the storage or read - out timing . more particularly , in response to the signal transmitted through a conductor 220 from a master control unit 111 to be described hereinafter the address control 107 controls the data storage into or data read - out from the data store 101 . in response to a read - out instruction , a read - pulse generator 110 -- 3 consisting of a pulse counter transmits one read pulse every seven basic clock pulses ( see fig1 ( 1 ) and 12 ( 2 )) to the address control 107 to read out the code from the designated storage area . the outputs from the data store 101 are transmitted in parallel through conductors or output lines 102 to a first latch 202 adapted to latch the coded signal ( consisting of l bits ) representing one character . that is , a latch control circuit , i . e . counter 110 - 4 , which is included in a control circuit 110 , generates and transmits one latching pulse for every seven basic clock pulses ( see fig1 ( 1 )) to the first latch 102 so that the latter latches the one coded signal at a time t - 1 ( see fig1 ( 4 )) for a time equal to seven basic clock pulses ( corresponding to a number of columns of one character field ). during this latching interval , the first latch 102 ( that is , a first storage means ) delivers the character code in parallel through transmission lines 203 and 102 - 1 to a second latch 103 and a selector 104 . the mode of operation of the second latch 103 is substantially similar to that of the first latch 102 . that is , in response to the latching pulse transmitted through a conductor 211 from the latch control 110 - 4 , the one character code delivered from the first latch 102 is latched in the second latch 103 while the first latch 102 is delivered with the succeeding character code from the data store 101 . the output from the second latch 103 is delivered in parallel through data transmission conductors 204 and 103 - 1 to the selector 104 and a discriminator 108 . the discriminator 108 has a function of discriminating whether the output code delivered from the second latch 103 is the character code or the enlargement code , and consists of a comparator adapted for comparing the output data delivered from the second latch 103 through the transmission line 103 - 1 with the enlargement code [: 31 ] or [: 32 ] transmitted from an enlargement code generator . the output from the discriminator 108 ( see fig1 ( 6 )) appears on conductors 212 , 213 and 221 . in response to the output signal from the discriminator 108 transmitted through the conductor 213 , the selector 104 makes the decision whether the output from the second latch 103 or the output from the first latch transmitted through the conductor 102 - 1 is delivered to a character generator 105 through conductors 205 . more particularly , if the output from the discriminator 108 represents the detection of the enlargement code , the selector 104 delivers the output from the first latch 102 to the character generator 105 , but if the output does not represent the detection of the enlargement code , the selector delivers the output from the second latch 103 to the character generator 105 . the character generator 105 which is also referred to as &# 34 ; the pattern signal generating or output means &# 34 ; responds to both the output delivered through the conductor 205 from the selector 104 and the output delivered through conductors 215 from a row indicator 109 to be described in detail hereinafter to deliver in parallel through conductors 206 to a shift register 106 seven row - dot signals ( each logical &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ;) in response to which the dots are arrayed to form the character represented by the output code delivered from the selector 104 . the row indicator 109 which is also referred to as &# 34 ; the row indication signal generating means &# 34 ; includes a modulo - 12 counter for counting the horizontal synchronous pulses delivered through conductors 218 and 214 and resetting after having counted twelve rows , the horizontal synchronous pulses or signals being generated , for instance , in response to the output from the beam detector 18 shown in fig1 . referring to fig1 , the row indicator 109 will be described in more detail hereinafter . it comprises a row address counter 112 for determining a row address in the character generator 105 when no enlargement is effected . that is , the row address counter 112 counts the horizontal synchronous pulses from 0 to 11 and resets after having counted the eleventh pulse . that is , the counter 112 is a modulo - 12 counter . the row indicator 109 includes a divider or first arithmetic operation means 113 which divides the output from the counter 112 on signal lead 223 by two so that a row address will be counted up every time when two horizontal synchronous pulses are applied . in general , the row address counter 112 is of the binary type such that the division of the output 223 from the counter 112 by two may be accomplished by shifting the output 223 to the right by one place . in the first embodiment it is assumed that a decimal fraction of the quotient be not delivered . a constant adder or second operation means 114 is adapted to add a constant ( 6 in this embodiment ); that is , one half of a number of rows to the output from the divider 113 delivered through a conductor 224 . the outputs from the row address counter 112 , the divider 113 and the constant adder 114 are delivered to a selector 115 through conductors 223 - 1 , 224 - 1 and 225 , respectively . as described above , the output representing whether the code latched in the second latch 103 is the character code or the first or second enlargement code is delivered through the conductor 221 to the selector 115 . therefore in response to the output representing the character code , the output from the row address counter 112 delivered through the conductor 223 - 1 is selected to appear on an output conductor 215 which is an output line of the row indicator 109 . in response to the output representing the first enlargement code designating the enlargement of the upper half section of a character or character area , the output from the divider 113 delivered through the conductor 224 - 1 is selected to be delivered through the output conductor 215 . in like manner , when the output represents the second enlargement code designating the enlargement of the lower half section , the output from the constant adder 114 is delivered through the output conductor 215 . referring back to fig1 , the shift register 106 which is also referred to as &# 34 ; the parallel - serial means &# 34 ; receives the parallel outputs or seven dot signals from the character generator 105 through the conductors 206 in response to a load pulse signal ( see fig1 ( 9 )) and transmits the dot signals in a serial fashion on a conductor 207 in response to shift pulses ( see fig9 ( 10 )). the load pulses are transmitted through conductors 216 - 1 and 216 whereas the shift pulse signals , through conductors 216 - 2 and 216 . in response to the basic clock pulses from a clock 111 - 1 in the master control 111 , a load pulse signal converter 110 - 2 generates the load pulses . the converter 110 - 2 has a modulo - 7 counter 110 - 5 for generating one pulse for every seven basic clock pulses as shown in fig1 ( 9 ), a delay circuit 110 - 6 for delaying the output from the discriminator 108 for a seven - clock - pulse period and an and gate 110 - 7 to which are applied the outputs from the counter 110 - 5 and the delay circuit 110 - 6 . when the output from the discriminator 108 does not represent the detection of the enlargement code , one load pulse is generated for every seven basic clock pulses , but when the enlargement code is detected no load signal is generated or transmitted not only for the seven - basic - pulse period during which the enlargement code is being detected but also for the succeeding seven - basic - clock pulse period . the shift pulses are generated by a clock converter 110 - 1 in response to the basic clock pulses of a frequency f - 1 from the clock 111 - 1 in the master control 111 . the converter 110 - 1 consists of a frequency divider 110 - 8 for dividing the basic clock pulses by two into clock pulses at a frequency f - 2 and a selector 110 - 9 to which are applied the basic clock pulses , the output from the frequency divider 110 - 8 and the output from the discriminator 108 . that is , when the discriminator 108 detects the enlargement code , the selector 110 - 9 transmits the clock pulses at f - 2 to the shift register 106 as the shift pulses . when the discriminator 108 does not detect the enlargement code , the selector 110 - 9 transmits the basic clock pulses at f - 1 to the shift register 106 . the output from the discriminator 108 is transmitted to the selector 110 - 9 through a hold circuit 110 - 10 adapted to be triggered by the trailing edge of the output pulse representing the detection of the enlargement code for holding the output for a 14 - basic - clock pulse period . the master control 111 transmits the control signals such as basic clock pulses to the control 110 through a conductor 217 and transmits the storage and read - out instructions to the address control 107 through a conductor 220 . next the mode of operation of the first embodiment with the above construction will be described in conjunction with the coding system shown in fig7 . first under the control of the master control 111 delivered through the conductors 201 from an input source ( not shown ) and stored into the data store 101 are the data consisting of the character and enlargement codes of one page ( for instance , data of 132 lines each containing 272 characters to be recorded on a page sized 210 × 297 mm 2 .). the input source may be a magnetic tape or a host computer , and the address and timing controls are effected by the address control 107 as described hereinbefore . the data are stored as shown in fig7 with character and enlargement codes stored in respective storage areas . in response to the read - out instruction transmitted through the conductor 220 from the master control 111 , the data stored in the data store 101 are read out . that is , under the control of the address control 107 , the character or enlargement code is read out during a read - out time equal to seven basic clock pulses . for instance , assume that the enlargement code : 31 at the storage area with the address ( n , m + 2 ) be read out . the read - out data is first latched in the first latch 102 and after one read - out time ( equal to seven basic clock pulses ) the character code c is read out from the storage area with the address ( n , m + 3 ) and is latched in the first latch 102 while the enlargement data is transferred to and latched in the second latch 103 . the enlargement code is transmitted from the second latch 103 to the discriminator 108 and the selector 104 so that the enlargement code identification output signal appears on the output lines 212 , 221 and 213 . in response to this output signal the selector 104 selects the character code c latched in the first latch 102 and transmits it to the character generator 105 . simultaneously , in response to the output signal from the discriminator 108 , the output from the divider 113 in the row indicator 109 ( see also fig1 ) is transmitted to the character generator 105 . assume that the laser beam 12 is now scanning the character area at the address ( n , 1 ) in fig6 . then the content in the row address counter 112 is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; so that the output from the divider 113 is also &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; ( see fig1 ). as a result , the signal &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; is transmitted through the conductor 215 to the character generator 105 so that seven column - dot pattern signals corresponding to the first row of the character field with the pattern &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; appear on the conductors 206 - 1 through 206 - 7 . the enlargement identification output is also transmitted through conductor 212 to the delay circuit 110 - 6 in the load pulse signal converter 110 - 2 . since the delay circuit 110 - 6 delays the transmission of the enlargement identification output signal for seven basic pulses , the output from the counter 110 - 5 is transmitted through and gate 110 - 7 to the shift register 106 so that the output signals on the conductors 206 - 1 through 206 - 7 are stored in the shift register 106 . the enlargement identification signal is also transmitted to the hold circuit 110 - 10 so that the clock pulses at f - 2 ( that is , the basic clock pulses stepped down by 2 ) are applied as shift pulses to the shift register 106 . under these conditions , even when seven basic clock pulses have been counted , only 3 . 5 shift pulses have been applied to the shift register 106 so that only a half of its contents have been read out . however , the next character code d is transferred from the data store 102 and stored in the first latch 101 while the content in the latter is transferred into the second latch 103 . therefore the discriminator 108 now generates the character code identification output signal , and in response to this signal , the selector 104 selects the character code c in the second latch 103 and transmits it to the character generator 105 . in response to the output signal from the discriminator 108 the row indicator 109 transmits the output from the row address counter 112 to the character generator through the conductors 215 . the character - code - identification output signal is also transmitted through the conductor 212 to the delay circuit 110 - 6 and the hold circuit 110 - 10 , but they are still holding the enlargement code identification code so that the clock pulses at f - 2 are kept being applied to the shift register 106 . as a result , the pattern signals on the conductors 206 - 1 through 206 - 7 are not loaded into the shift register 106 and the read - out of the pattern signals which have been stored in the shift register 106 is continued . that is , the load signal is not permitted to be applied to the shift register 106 so that the pattern signal on the conductor 206 is not permitted to be loaded into the shift register 106 , and the count - down clock pulses ( or the clock pulses at f - 2 ) are kept applied to the shift register 106 . therefore , during the succeeding 7 basic pulse period , the remaining pattern signals are read out . thereafter the next character code e is read out from the data store 102 and stored in the first latch 101 while the character code d in the first latch 101 is transferred into the second latch 103 . the discriminator 108 generates the character code identification output signal so that the selector 104 delivers the character code in the second latch 103 on the conductors 205 . in response to the character - code - identification output signal from the discriminator 108 transmitted through the conductor 221 the row indicator 109 transmits the output from the row address counter 112 through the conductors 215 to the character generator 105 . in response to the character code identification output signal transmitted through the conductor 212 , the clock converter 110 - 1 transmits the basic clock pulses at f - 1 to the shift register 106 while the load pulse signal converter 110 - 2 transmits the load pulse signal to the register 106 through the conductor 216 . after the first row of the n - th line has been scanned in the manner described above , the scanning of the next rows is started . assume that the enlargement code : 31 be stored in the second latch 103 while the character code c , in the first latch 102 . then the content in the row address counter 112 ( see fig1 ) is incrementally increased from 0 to 1 , but the output from the divider 113 remains &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; because it does not deliver the quotient less than 1 as described hereinbefore . as a result , the signal on the conductor 224 - 1 remains &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; as in the preceding scanning , and consequently the character code c is read out in a manner substantially similar to that described above in conjunction with the scanning of the first row . after the n - th line has been scanned 12 times in the manner described above , the characters which have not been designated to be enlarged are recorded in a predetermined size while the character which must be enlarged has its upper half doubled in size . next the scanning of the next line ( n + 1 - th ) is started . assume that in the scanning of the first row the enlargement code : 32 be read and stored in the second latch 103 while the character code c , in the first latch 102 . then enlargement - code ( for designating the enlargement of the lower half section ) identification output signal appears on the conductors 212 , 213 and 221 . in response to this output signal the row indicator 109 transmits the output from the constant adder 114 through the selector 115 and conductors 215 to the character generator 105 . that is , the content in the row address counter 112 is &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; so that the output from the divider 113 is also &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; and consequently the output from the constant adder 114 is &# 34 ; 0 + 6 = 6 &# 34 ;. thus the signal &# 34 ; 6 &# 34 ; is transmitted through the conductor 215 to the character generator 105 so that the latter delivers the pattern signals in the seventh row of the character pattern c on the conductors 206 . in like manner , the codes shown in fig7 are sequentially read out so that they are recorded as shown in fig6 . after the data of one page has been read out from the data store 101 , that is , after the recording of one page has been accomplished , in response to the control signal new data are stored in the data store 101 or the same data are recorded again . for this purpose , the master control 111 delivers the control signals to the address control 107 and a timing controller 111 . in this manner the characters may be recorded in a predetermined size and at an enlarged scale in a very simple fashion . fig1 shows a timing chart of the operation of the first embodiment described above , the hatched area indicating a time interval during which the operation of the signal converter is not certain because the delay of signal transmission in an integrated circuit . the basic pulses shown at ( 1 ) are generated by the clock 111 - 1 in synchronism with the horizontal synchronous signals , and all of the operations are performed based on the basic clock pulses . the read - out pulses shown at ( 2 ) are generated one for each seven basic clock pulses by the counter 110 - 3 and applied to the address control 107 for controlling the read - out from the data store 101 . the waveform shown at ( 3 ) indicates a read - out time or a time interval during which a code is being read out from the data store 101 . at a time t1 shown at ( 4 ), the code read out from the data store 101 is latched by the first latch 102 and delivered on the line 203 for a time interval equal to 7 basic clock pulses . at a time t2 shown at ( 5 ) the code from the first latch 102 is latched by the second latch 103 and is delivered on the conductor 204 for a time interval equal to seven basic clock pulses . the waveform shown at ( 6 ) indicates the enlargement code identification output signal . at a time t3 the output from the first latch 102 is detected as being the enlargement code . the output from the selector 104 is shown at ( 7 ), the output being initiated at a time t4 and delivered for a time interval equal to seven basic clock pulses . when the discriminator 108 detects the enlargement code , the selector 104 selects the first latch 102 to deliver its content to the character generator 105 for a time interval equal to seven basic clock pulses , but when the discriminator 108 does not detect the enlargement code , the selector 104 selects the second latch 103 to have its content delivered to the character generator 105 for a time interval equal to a seven basic clock pulse interval as described in detail hereinbefore . the character pattern signals appear on the output lines 206 - 1 through 206 - 7 for a time interval as shown at ( 8 ). the hatched area indicates a time delay or lag between the input of the character code to the character generator 105 and the output of the pattern signals . the load signal is applied to the shift register 106 as indicated at ( 9 ). the load signal p5 succeeding to the load pulse signal p4 is indicated by dotted lines because this signal is not generated by the load signal converter 110 - 2 in the manner described in detail above . the shift pulses are applied to the shift registers as shown at ( 10 ). it is seen that after the detection of the enlargement code the frequency of the shift pulses is stepped down to 1 / 2 by the clock converter 110 - 1 in the manner described above , the stepped - down pulses repeating for a time interval equal to 14 basic clock pulses . as described above , according to the present invention only a desired character may be enlarged to a desired size . in addition , the positions of the characters in a predetermined size and the enlarged characters may be freely selected as shown in fig6 in a very simple fashion . the signal converter in accordance with the present invention may be applied to all of recording and display devices of the type generating character patterns by a raster scanning system or by the combination of dots . in the first embodiment , the character pattern field has been shown as being divided by an even number ( 12 ) rows , but it will be understood that it may be divided by an odd - number rows . in the latter case , the divider 113 is so arranged that it will not deliver a decimal fraction on the conductor 113 - 1 , but deliver a quotient including a fraction on the conductor 224 . the constant adder 114 is so arranged as to add a constant ( n - 1 )/ 2 where n = an odd integer to the output from the divider 113 and to deliver on the conductor 225 the sum excluding a fraction . in this manner , the character pattern divided by an odd number of rows may be equally enlarged . instead of the enlargement codes : 31 and : 32 , any suitable codes may be used as required . instead of placing these enlargement codes in front of a character code which must be enlarged as shown in fig7 they may be placed behind a character code to be enlarged as shown in fig8 . to this end , the signal converter may be modified as shown in fig1 . the output from the first latch 102 is delivered through a conductor 203 - 1 to the discriminator 108 so that the enlargement code may be delivered without any delay as an output from the second latch 103 and consequently the selector 104 in the first embodiment may be eliminated . except for this change , the modification shown in fig1 is substantially similar in construction to the first embodiment shown in fig1 . when enlarged characters appear successively as shown in fig1 , it would be a very tedious operation to place the enlargement codes in front of or behind every character to be enlarged . to solve this problem , a coding system may be used wherein the characters succeeding the enlargement codes may be enlarged until an inhibit code or signal appears . this will be described in detail with reference to fig1 . the characters d , e and f succeeding the enlargement code : 33 are all enlarged in their upper halves while those succeeding the enlargement code : 34 are all enlarged in their lower halves . when the inhibit code : 35 appears , the enlargement of the characters succeeding it is presented . with the coding system described above , the delay circuit 110 - 6 and the hold circuit 110 - 10 in the control 110 are eliminated and instead flip - flops are provided which are set in response to the detection of the enlargement initiation code : 33 or : 34 and is reset in response to the detection of the enlargement inhibit code : 35 . instead of a particular enlargement inhibit code , an even - numbered section may be indicated by a specific code just appeared . so far the first embodiment has been described as doubling the size of a character both lengthwise and widthwise , but it is to be understood to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited thereto and that the present invention may be applied equally in enlarging to any size , such as three times , four times and so on . to this end , a character pattern field is divided into a plurality of rows which are further divided equally by a desired magnification and the enlargement codes are placed in suitable rows . theoretically speaking , a character may be enlarged both lengthwise and widthwise by a magnification equal to the number of rows of the character pattern field . furthermore , if the enlargement codes are placed in two or more lines , enlargement to infinity becomes possible . the underlying principle of the present invention may be equally applied to the reduction of a character to such an extent which is dependent upon the resolution . to this end , a reduction code is used to designate the position of a character to be reduced in one line . for instance , assume that a character is to be reduced by ( 1 / 2 ). then the reduction code is used to designate whether the reduced character should be placed in the upper or lower half section of one line . the rows must be alternately read out , and the speed at which the bit patterns in each row are read must be doubled . so far the present invention has been described as utilizing the character generator of the type forming a character pattern with an array of 12 × 7 dots , but it will be understood to those skilled in the art that a larger character generator with an array of say 24 × 14 dots may be used . according to the first embodiment and its modification described above , in response to the detection of the enlargement code by the discriminator 108 , whether the upper or lower half of a character pattern field should be enlarged is decided . that is , in response to the output from the discriminator , the pattern signals corresponding to the upper or lower half section are read out from the character generator . therefore it is not required to slow down the loading speed of the shift register when a character is to be enlarged . as a result , the clock converter 110 - 1 shown in fig1 or 13 may be eliminated , and the basic clock pulses are applied to the shift register 106 as shift pulses . according to the present invention , not only the whole character may be enlarged but also the upper and lower halves of different characters may be enlarged and combined as shown in fig1 . as described in detail hereinbefore , according to the present invention two types of enlargement codes are used , one for enlarging the upper half while the other for enlarging the lower half independently of each other . therefore , it may be so coded that the upper half of a desired character may be enlarged in one line while the lower half of another character may be enlarged in the succeeding line and the enlarged upper and lower halves may be combined as shown in fig1 . in like manner , various combinations are possible . for instance , the enlarged upper halves or lower halves may be combined so that any special signs and marks may be recorded . a modification shown in fig1 is substantially similar in construction to the first embodiment shown in fig1 except that the selector 104 and the second latch 103 are repositioned and that the output from the first latch 102 is delivered to the discriminator 108 and to the selector 104 . the mode of operation is also substantially similar to that of the first embodiment described in detail above in conjunction with fig1 . upon detection of the enlargement code in the first latch 102 by the discriminator 108 , the selector 104 operates to transfer the output from the data store 101 into the second latch 103 . on the other hand , when no enlargement code is detected , the selector 104 operates to transfer the content in the first latch 102 into the second latch 103 . other operations are similar to those of the first embodiment so that no further description shall be made in this specification . so far the data store 101 shown in fig1 , 13 and 17 has been described as being adapted to receive the data of one page , but it will be understood to those skilled in the art that it may receive and store the data of many pages or even one line or character .	6
referring now to the drawings and particularly to fig1 and 2 , a dental restoration is seen in fig1 at 10 to have portions of the various layers forming the restoration peeled away in order to illustrate the relationship of the layers which form the restoration . fig2 illustrates the location and extent of the layers on the restoration 10 . the restoration 10 is seen to be formed on a gray metal coping 12 as is standard in the dental laboratory . the coping 12 could be formed of other materials including ceramics . however , a metal coping is illustrated at 12 in order to best illustrate the invention and to conform with prevailing conventional practice in the industry . the coping 12 , regardless of the material from which it is formed , acts to reflect light incident upon the coping essentially according to the usual &# 34 ; angle of incidence equals angle of reflection &# 34 ; physical law . for this reason , a coping such as the coping 12 reflects light back out of a dental restoration at a &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; value , that is , the light reflected by the coping 12 and transmitted back out through the restoration 10 is a gray hue and thus a low value light . for this reason , a coping such as the coping 12 typically tends to form an internal &# 34 ; shadow &# 34 ; within a conventional dental restoration and thereby reduces the vitality of the restoration . the method of the present invention intends to control the gray reflection from a coping such as the coping 12 of a conventional restoration by controlling the reflection of light incident on the coping , thereby increasing the vitality and life - like appearance of the restoration 10 formed according to the invention . a first step as taught by a preferred embodiment of the invention is the disposition of an interface color stabilizing layer 14 over the surface of the coping 12 . the stabilizing layer 14 is formed of a high temperature dental porcelain powder containing a blood red pigment or chroma and optionally a chrome yellow pigment or chroma . the porcelain powder from which the stabilizing layer 14 is formed is a conventional feldspar and silicon dioxide material containing oxides of sodium , potassium , aluminum and tin with the material being high in tin . such a material is referred to in the industry as &# 34 ; white body &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; white opaque modifier &# 34 ; and is available from a number of dental supply companies including ceramco of long island city , n . y . the particle size of the dental porcelain powder ranges from approximately 20 to 35 microns with 30 microns being the typical powder size . this conventional porcelain powder is then modified according to the invention to include a blood red pigment which comprises a purified selenium oxide having a particle size of approximately two microns and less . the stabilizing layer 14 can include the blood red pigment in a range of 5 to 20 % by weight . optionally , a chroma yellow pigment , such as available from semco of zurich , switzerland can be present in the layer 14 in a range of 0 . 1 % to 1 % by weight , the particle size of the chrome yellow pigment typically being 2 to 3 microns . the high temperature dental porcelain comprising the stabilizing layer 14 is mixed in powder form with the selenium oxide or blood red pigment and optionally the chrome yellow pigment , this mixture being held together by a carrier liquid as is conventional in the art and applied by conventional techniques to the coping 12 . typical carriers include ethyl alcohol , polyvinyl alcohol , water , etc . the stabilizing layer 14 is then fired at a temperature of 1800 ° f . to 1875 ° f . the dental porcelain powder forming the stabilizing layer 14 is chosen to be a high temperature firing material so that the stabilizing layer 14 will not be effected by subsequent firings of various porcelain layers which typically occur at lower temperatures . the interface color stabilizing layer 14 causes a balancing of light incident on the coping 12 and layer 14 , that is , light entering the restoration 10 , with light which exits the restoration 10 due to reflection from the coping 12 / layer 14 . the stabilizing layer 14 acts to cause a reflection of higher value , that is , whiter , light which substantially adds vitality and a warm , alive appearance to the restoration 10 . in essence , the chroma values introduced into the stabilizing layer 14 &# 34 ; replace &# 34 ; the wavelengths of higher value light in the exiting , reflected light which are lost by absorption within the restoration 10 as incident light penetrates the restoration 10 down to the level of the coping 12 and stabilizing layer 14 . an opaque masking layer 16 is disposed over the stabilizing layer 14 , the opaque masking layer being formed of conventional materials including an opaque dental porcelain powder and suitable carrier which is sprayed or otherwise applied to the restoration 10 , the assembly then being baked or fired to harden the opaque masking layer 16 . the opaque masking layer 16 can be of a thickness half or less than is the practice in conventional restoration manufacture due to the presence of the stabilizing layer 14 . typically , the opaque masking layer would be formed of a thickness of approximately 2 / 100 of a millimeter and need not be of a greater thickness due to the presence of the stabilizing layer 14 . it is to be understood that most conventional restorations utilize a layer of this &# 34 ; opaque &# 34 ; material and that this opaque material is usually applied directly to the surface of the coping 12 . a modified translucent porcelain layer 18 is then applied over the opaque masking layer 16 , the layer 18 being formed according to the invention of a translucent porcelain base powder which is referred to as a 96 % translucent porcelain base and which is available from american thermacraft of new jersey and from other manufacturers . a translucent porcelain base powder of this type includes porcelain powders having particle sizes of 65 microns , 40 microns , 20 microns , 12 microns and 6 microns , all of these particle sizes being included in varying proportions to form this conventional 96 % translucent porcelain base material . this porcelain base material is modified according to the invention to include approximately 1 % each of a red chroma and a yellow chroma , the yellow and red chromas being optionally present up to a weight per cent level of approximately 3 %. an orange chroma is present in a weight per cent range of 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 % with optional chromas being present according to the choice of the user . one optional chroma is a red - brown chroma which is typically present at a weight per cent of 0 . 5 and up to 1 . 5 % by weight . another optional chroma is a translucent blue chroma which can be present in the layer 18 within a weight per cent range of 0 . 1 to 0 . 2 . the translucent porcelain base powder thus described is admixed with the respective chromas in a suitable carrier and applied conventionally over the opaque masking layer 16 which is then baked or chemically hardened to a thickness range of 0 . 01 mm to 0 . 1 mm . the materials forming the modified translucent porcelain layer 18 are used to form one or more other layers of the restoration 10 according to certain embodiments of the invention , these materials in the finished layer 18 acting , as the materials would act in other layers not yet identified , to replace colors in the light exiting the restoration 10 which are typically reduced or lost in the various opaque and / or translucent layers of a conventional dental restoration . these colors are typically the reds , yellows , oranges , etc ., which colors must be replaced in light which exits the restoration 10 in order for the restoration 10 to have a warm , vital and life - like appearance . the chroma materials present in the layer 18 not only act to replace these colors which are absorbed and not transmitted but also act to move light within the restoration 10 in a translateral sense by radically bending light waves such that light is not merely reflected out of the restoration 10 at an angle essentially identical to the angle of incidence of light into the restoration 10 . in essence , the chroma materials in the layer 18 cause light to spiral away internally of the layer 18 and restoration 10 and to be internally reflected up to fourteen times prior to exit from the restoration 10 . thus , the movement of the light within the restoration 10 is controlled through the use of the chroma materials , the light thus being &# 34 ; moved &# 34 ; within the restoration 10 being a high value light which includes light of the necessary wavelengths to produce a restoration having a life - like appearance . in essence , the modified translucent porcelain layer 18 as well as other layers of the restoration 10 which can be formed of the same material as is the layer 18 acts in the manner of a fiber optic sheet to move light around within the restoration 10 . the layer 18 can conveniently extend over the full surface of the layer 16 on rear portions of the restoration 10 although the layer 18 exhibits much less function on the rear of the restoration relative to the front of the restoration . an opalescent dentin layer 20 unique to the invention is formed over at least portions of the modified translucent porcelain layer 18 and is desirably shaped into the form which a natural dentin and pulp cavity would take . thus , the opalescent dentin layer 20 can be 4 to 5 mm at the areas of greatest thickness and 1 / 100 of a mm at those areas of least thickness . the areas of greatest thickness of the opalescent dentin layer 20 are at the incisal and interproximal areas of the restoration 10 . the opalescent dentin layer 20 acts as a reflective light filter and uses opal chroma added high value particles to reflect white translucent light . the material forming the opalescent dentin layer 20 comprises a dental porcelain powder which can be the same dental porcelain used in forming the stabilizing layer 14 and which is known as &# 34 ; white body &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; white opaque modifier &# 34 ; and preferably is a translucent material . the chroma materials employed in the opalescent dentin layer constitute those same chroma materials used in the formation of the modified translucent porcelain layer 18 but are present in weight percentages of approximately ten times greater than is used in the layer 18 . for example , an appropriate mixture of materials used to form the opalescent dentin layer 20 includes 4 parts by weight of translucent &# 34 ; white body &# 34 ;, that is , translucent dental porcelain powder , 2 parts by weight of yellow pigment , 11 / 2 parts by weight of red pigment , 0 . 2 parts by weight of red - brown pigment , 0 . 5 parts by weight of white opaque ( nontranslucent ) porcelain powder and 0 . 5 % by weight of the mixture of materials forming the modified translucent porcelain layer 18 . while the mixture so described provides excellent results , it is to be understood that red and yellow chromas can each constitute up to 45 % of an opalescent dentin layer mixture with a range of approximately 10 % to 30 % being preferred for the red and yellow chromas , a range of 5 to 15 % being possible for an orange chroma with optional red - brown and translucent blue being present respectively in ranges of approximately 2 % to 5 % and 1 % to 2 %. translucent porcelain powder is preferred in the make - up of the opalescent dentin layer 20 . however , the mixture can include up to 10 % by weight of nontranslucent white opaque powder . the materials forming the opalescent dentin layer 20 are mixed together and suspended in a suitable carrier for application over the layer 18 . the opalescent dentin layer 20 is formed at a greater thickness in the incisal area referred to as 22 and in the interproximal regions referred to by the numeral 24 . these regions correspond to the location of a natural dentin and pulp cavity in a natural tooth . the opalescent dentin layer 20 further acts to move light translaterally within the restoration 10 and to replace colors which are typically absorbed by dental opaque around the edges of a restoration , that is , within the incisal area 22 and the interproximal regions 24 of a typical restoration . as does other layers within the restoration 10 , the opalescent dentin layer 20 replaces the red , yellow and orange wavelengths which are essential to the production of a restoration having a warm and vital appearance . the multiple functions of the opalescent dentin layer 20 include acting as a light filter and as a lightchannel surface to direct light to and from adjacent natural and / or restored teeth . the opalescent dentin layer 20 allows at least some light to filter through into the interior of the restoration and to stay in motion as the reds , yellows and oranges are reflected . in a conventional restoration , the reds , yellows and oranges are absorbed due in part to penetration of the light wave to a great depth in such conventional restorations . accordingly , reflected light in conventional restorations is of a low value , i . e ., the reflected light has a high level of perceived gray . low value pockets of light are formed in conventional restorations at typical depths within the restorations with these low value pockets being directly adjacent to highly reflective tooth preparation surfaces . these low value pockets cause tooth forms to show through the finished conventional porcelain restoration . the light filtering / reflecting capability of the opalescent dentin layer 20 eliminates these low value pockets of light . the opalescent dentin layer 20 can be baked after application or can be hardened such as by the use of a conventional water / acrylic plasticizer hardener liquid . at this point in the manufacture of the restoration 10 , it is necessary only to cause the opalescent dentin layer 20 to stay in place throughout subsequent fabrication steps . a second modified translucent porcelain layer 26 is then applied over at least forwardly facing surfaces of the opalescent dentin layer 20 , the materials forming this layer 26 being essentially identical to the materials which form the modified translucent porcelain layer 18 . after application of the layer 26 in a conventional manner , the assembly may then be baked or fired . final layers can now be applied before firing . in a preferred embodiment of the invention , a layer 21 of conventional &# 34 ; body &# 34 ; porcelain material is built up over at least portions of the layer 26 and over at least front portions of the layer 18 . the layer 21 is typically formed over the rear portions of the layers 20 and 18 and is used to build up the restoration . the layer 21 is shaded usually according to the instructions of a dentist using known shading and matching techniques . this &# 34 ; body &# 34 ; porcelain material is produced by a number of companies including ceramco . in a conventional restoration , the &# 34 ; body &# 34 ; porcelain forming the layer 21 would be applied directly over the opaque masking layer 16 . according to a preferred embodiment of the invention , a layer 27 formed of the same material as forms the layers 18 and 26 is applied over the layer 21 . as is noted in fig2 the layer 27 only needs to cover the front of the restoration 10 . the layer 27 functions essentially identically to the function of the layers 18 and 26 . the restoration 10 may then be finished with a conventional incisal layer 28 which is formed of opaque dental porcelain powder in a suitable carrier , such powders being conventional in the art and generally being referred to as translucent incisal powder or enamel powder . this incisal porcelain material is applied in a conventional fashion and then baked or fired after shaping . shaping subsequent to firing also constitutes a standard practice in the industry . the dental restoration 10 is thus completed according to a preferred embodiment of the invention . even though major body portions of the restoration 10 , such as the incisal layer 28 inter alia , act to absorb high light values , the restoration 10 maintains the high light values of a natural tooth by means of the effect of the layers 14 , 18 , 20 , 26 and 27 which modify light exiting the restoration 10 to replace hues lost by absorption of those hues from light entering the restoration . the translateral movement of light within the restoration 10 caused by internal reflections from the chroma particles disposed within the various unconventional layers 14 , 18 , 20 , 26 and 27 further acts to cause the restoration 10 to exhibit warmth and life - like vitality . the restoration 10 actually blends with adjacent teeth , whether natural or artificial , due to the fact that the restoration 10 &# 34 ; exchanges &# 34 ; light with the adjacent structures . referring now to fig3 a restoration 30 is shown to be similar in structure to the restoration 10 . however , layers equivalent to the layers 18 and 26 of fig1 sandwich a layer of &# 34 ; body &# 34 ; opaque which is essentially identical to the layer 21 of fig1 . the restoration terminates in a layer essentially identical to the incisal layer 28 of fig1 . the several layers of fig3 are numbered identically to the corresponding layers of fig1 according to the similarity of materials forming the respective layers . of particular note is the fact that the opalescence exhibited by the present restorations cannot be burned out of the restorations by repeated firings . prior attempts to produce a natural appearing opalescence in dental restorations have had as serious failings including the fact that the degree of opalescence exhibited by those restorations was extraordinarily susceptible to being burned out in the event that firing temperatures were not controlled or if multiple firings were necessary in a layer process . the ability of the present compositions of matter to maintain opalescence through repeated firings provides a further advantage to the use of the present methodology and compositions of matter and the resulting dental restorations . it is to be understood that the drawings are idealized representations of the various layers of materials forming the restorations . the layers in most instances extend over the full surfaces of immediately lower layers and are shown as being cutaway short of full surface extension such as in fig1 and 3 for the purposes of illustration only . the intent of the invention is to maintain the spectral integrity or color of the light wave exiting restoration 10 so that this exiting light wave is balanced relative to the light wave entering the restoration . this balancing of the light wave spectral density is accomplished by the addition of pigmentation to the porcelain as described in detail herein . practice of the invention thus produces the life - like opalescence referred to throughout the specification and claims . it is to be further understood that the invention can be practiced other than as is expressly described above , the invention being limited only by the scope of the appended claims .	0
with reference to fig1 , the pressure transducer 10 includes three isolated chambers or plenums , an upper pressure chamber 15 above the diaphragm 20 , a lower pressure chamber 16 below the diaphragm 20 , and a separate electronics chamber 17 above the upper pressure chamber 15 . a flexible diaphragm 20 separates the upper and lower chambers . the upper chamber 15 and the lower chamber 16 include ports 25 a and 25 b to allow fluid communication with the plenums defined by their respective walls . the upper chamber 15 includes a beam 30 affixed to the diaphragm 20 . the beam 30 is coupled to and moves in conjoined relationship with the diaphragm 20 . in the preferred embodiment , the beam 30 is coupled to the diaphragm 20 by a post 31 extending perpendicularly from the diaphragm 20 . a magnet 35 is attached to one end of the beam 30 . the beam 30 is attached to the post 31 , so that the beam 30 and magnet 35 are generally balanced about the post 31 , so as to minimize any twisting forces on the diaphragm 20 . one skilled in the art will recognize that the beam and post can take on many different shapes and configurations . in the preferred embodiment , the beam 30 is a spring upon which the diaphragm 20 applies a force proportional to the differential pressure on either side of the diaphragm 20 . movement of the spring is in proportion to the force applied and hence displacement of the magnet 35 is in direct proportion to the differential pressure . other structures to convey the movement of the diaphragm 20 to the magnet 35 are possible . in other embodiments , the post 31 and beam 30 may be eliminated , and the magnet 35 attached directly to the diaphragm 20 . alternatively , a single structural member may attach the magnet 35 to the diaphragm 20 . the magnet 35 is positioned in working relationship with a hall effect sensor 40 located in the electronics chamber 17 , thus permitting the magnetic field of the magnet 35 to generate a voltage response or signal in the hall effect sensor 40 . although in the preferred embodiment the hall effect sensor 40 is located in a separate chamber from the magnet 35 , one skilled in the art will recognize that the hall effect sensor 40 need not be located in the electronics chamber 17 , but may be located in the same chamber as the beam 30 or magnet 35 . the hall effect sensor 40 and magnet 35 , power supply described herein may be used with two - chambered transducers , not needing a separate chamber for the electronics . thereby , one skilled in the art will recognize the hall effect sensor 40 could also be placed in the lower pressure chamber 16 . because the hall effect sensor 40 is not in direct contact with the beam 30 or magnet 35 , a chamber wall 50 may be placed between the hall effect sensor 40 and the beam 30 or the magnet 35 . as shown in the preferred embodiment , the hall effect sensor 40 and the magnet 35 are separated by the wall 50 defining the division between the electronics chamber 17 and the upper pressure chamber 15 . with this arrangement , the electronics of the transducer are separated from the fluid being monitored . as one skilled in the art will recognize from the teachings of this invention , the electronics chamber 17 may be eliminated , and the electronics , including the hall effect sensor 40 can reside on the outside of the housing defining the outer boundaries of the upper pressure chamber 15 and the lower pressure chamber 16 . however , placing the electronics in a separate chamber provides protection from environmental elements , and is preferred . in the preferred embodiment , the electronics chamber 17 includes the hall effect sensor 40 positioned so that it is magnetically coupled with the magnet 35 . the hall effect sensor 40 includes wiring or other electronic pathways 47 to connect the hall effect sensor to suitable electronic circuitry for displaying pressure information , or transmitting pressure information to control electronics . one skilled in the art will readily recognize such a transmitter or display circuitry would convert the voltage response of the hall effect sensor 40 into a current signal and transmit the signal on the current loop . with careful selections of a sensor , the arrangement in fig1 senses the motion of the beam 30 linearly . thus , the arrangement is useful for pressure transmitters as well as pressure switches . fig2 shows an implementation of a power supply 90 for the hal810 hall effect sensor of the preferred embodiment . it can be easily adapted to other hall effect sensors . the 5 volt supply shown in the power supply schematic of fig2 is derived from a linear regulator ( not shown ) running from the 10 to 35 volt input of the current loop . this 5v supply also supplies all the other transmitter power requirements . the linear regulator is preferred because it is usually the lowest cost method of providing power even though it limits the available power to the entire transmitter to 4 ma at 5 volts or 5v × 4 ma = 20 mw . if more power is needed the linear regulator can be replace by a switching regulator and nearly 100 % of the 40 mw available can be achieved depending upon the efficiency of the switching regulator . the basic concept of the supply is to low pass filter the supply current drawn by the hall effect sensor such that only the average current of the sensor is drawn from the 5v supply . the supply is electrically connected to and forms part of the current loop by wires w 1 and w 2 . capacitor c 7 along with resistors r 5 and r 7 and q 2 form the low pass filter 100 when q 2 is on . an average current is drawn through the resistors r 5 and r 7 and transistor q 2 based on the average voltage difference between the 5v supply and the voltage across c 7 . the ripple in the average current is determined by how much the voltage across c 7 changes when q 3 is turned on and current is supplied to the hall effect sensor ( not shown ) through its connection to connector pj 6 . the voltage across c 7 must remain high enough to meet the minimum voltage requirements of the hall effect sensor . ideally c 7 would go to an infinite capacitance as the resistance goes to zero . as long as the minimum supply voltage for the hall effect sensor is less than the minimum voltage of the 5v supply a practical compromise for the values can always be found . in the preferred embodiment , the resistor and capacitor values are selected to provide a 1 : 9 duty cycle . such a cycle provides power to the hall effect sensor for 40 msec , and charges for 360 msec . other duty cycles may work so long as the average current draw is below 4 ma , and the surge current to power the sensor is at least 4 ma for a time duration necessary to obtain a stable reading . the purpose of transistor q 2 and resistor r 11 is to form a start up current 110 for start up conditions . because c 7 starts at complete discharge , the current draw on the 5v supply can be higher than what is available . by separating the start up charging resistor value from the running value , the start up surge can be limited . q 4 and r 10 form a discharge circuit 120 to provide a quick discharge path for c 7 when the 5v supply shuts down . this prevents c 7 from back feeding the 5v supply and causing a poor shutdown for the transmitter . other supply arrangements that smooth the current draw from the 4 to 20 ma loop are possible . when powered , the hall effect sensor 40 provides a signal to wire w 3 . the signal may be a voltage response , or , more preferred , the signal is a pulse width modulated voltage signal . the type of signal will depend on the output of the sensor 40 . in other embodiments , the signal may be a current signal , or other stream of data . in the case of a signal based on voltage , the signal is thereafter conveyed to a transmitter to convert the signal to a current signal for transmission in the current loop . fig3 shows the invention as part of a pointer display instrument . the instrument 60 includes a pointer 70 which moves in response to a force induced on the helix 71 by the c - shaped magnet 72 . the c - shaped magnet 72 is mounted to one end of a leaf spring 75 , while the other end of the leaf spring 75 is anchored by clamp 77 . the leaf spring 75 is coupled to the diaphragm ( not shown ) by post 79 , allowing the leaf spring 75 and the c - shaped magnet 72 to move as the diaphragm is displaced by the differential pressure exerted on it . as the c - shaped magnet 72 moves , it magnetically interacts with the helix 71 , causing the pointer 70 to move . a hall effect sensor is placed so it is magnetically coupled to the c - shaped magnet 72 , to thereby produce an electric signal corresponding to the movement of the c - shaped magnet . in the alternative , a separate magnet 80 can be placed on or coupled to the leaf spring 75 . a hall effect sensor 85 is placed in proximity to the magnet 80 , to produce a signal when the magnet moves . using this arrangement , the same beam deflection controls both the pointer and transmitter and is done without adding inaccuracy to either output . this allows the addition of transmitter capability to existing pointer display designs with a minimum of additional parts . thus , the invention described herein can be used with a wide variety of indicators , consistent with the general principles described herein .	6
the invention relates generally to elevators , and more specifically , to a safety brake for incline elevators . specific details of certain embodiments of the invention are set forth in the following description and in fig1 a - 9 c to provide a thorough understanding of such embodiments . the present invention may have additional embodiments , may be practiced without one or more of the details described for any particular described embodiment , or may have any detail described for one particular embodiment practiced with any other detail described for another embodiment . fig1 a , 1 b , and 1 c are a side view , a perspective view , and an exploded perspective view of an incline elevator , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in one embodiment , an incline elevator 100 includes a gondola 102 , a counterweight 104 , incline mounts 110 , an incline 112 , an uphill station 114 , and a downhill station 116 . in this embodiment , an incline elevator 100 further includes a track 200 , the track 200 having a channel 202 , flanges 204 , a pulley 206 , and an engine 208 . in this embodiment , an incline elevator 100 further includes a load carrying unit 300 and a hoist cable 210 . in some embodiments , a gondola 102 of an incline elevator 100 rests upon and is fixably mounted atop a load carrying unit 300 . in a further embodiment , a load carrying unit 300 of an incline elevator travels upon a track 200 of an incline elevator . in some embodiments , a gondola 102 of an incline elevator can be a closed compartment , having a door through which passengers can enter and exit the gondola . in other embodiments , a gondola 102 of an incline elevator can be an open compartment without a roof . in some embodiments , a gondola 102 carries passengers . in other embodiments , a gondola 102 carries cargo . in yet a further embodiment , a gondola 102 is integrated with the load carrying unit 300 of an incline elevator 100 . in a further embodiment , an incline elevator does not have a gondola 102 , instead moving its load via a load carrying unit 300 . it should be recognized by one skilled in the art that a gondola 102 of an incline elevator can serve multiple purposes and be designed to carry any type of load , and that a load carrying unit 300 can carry the load in an alternative embodiment without a gondola 102 . accordingly , a gondola 102 of an incline elevator 100 is not shown in all drawings of the instant disclosure . in some embodiments , an incline elevator 100 includes a track 200 . in some embodiments , a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 is mounted on and along an incline 112 . in some embodiments , the incline 112 is outdoors . in different embodiments , the incline 112 is indoors . in a particular embodiment , the grade of the incline 112 is approximately 30 degrees from level . in other embodiments , the grade of the incline 112 varies from 0 degrees to 90 degrees from level . accordingly , in some embodiments , an incline elevator 100 can run along a track 200 deployed on an incline 112 that is actually a flat surface that is not inclined . in different embodiments , an incline elevator 100 can run along a track 200 deployed perpendicularly to a flat surface , providing a vertical direction of travel of the load . in some embodiments , the incline 112 is a hill outdoors . in other embodiments , an incline 112 can be a part of a building that is constructed to provide an incline . in yet a different embodiment , an incline 112 can be transportable , as on the back of a flatbed truck . in some embodiments , the load carrying unit 300 rests on and moves along the top of the track 200 . in a different embodiment , the load carrying unit 300 is suspended from the bottom of the track 200 , moving along the bottom of the track 200 . in a different embodiment , the load carrying unit 300 is suspended a track 200 that is formed from a wire or cable . in some embodiments , a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 is mounted to the incline 112 using incline mounts 110 . in some embodiments an incline mount 110 may be sunk into the ground or otherwise deployed through the surface of the incline 112 . in other embodiments an incline mount may be fixably mounted to the surface of the incline 112 . in a certain embodiment , the incline mounts 110 vary as needed to provide a uniform grade of incline above a surface with a non - uniform grade of incline . in some embodiments , the incline mounts 112 are solid material . in different embodiments , an incline mount 112 can be formed with one or more legs permitting a counterweight 104 to pass alongside or in between the one or more legs . in different embodiments , an incline mount may be hydraulically supported and fixably mounted to the surface of the incline 112 , thus facilitating differing grades of incline 112 for different height needs during various deployments of an incline elevator 100 . in different embodiments , an incline elevator 100 incorporates a track 200 that has curves as the incline elevator 100 ascends the incline 112 . it should be recognized by one skilled in the art that an incline elevator 100 can be designed in any orientation , dimension , length , distance , grade , and on any surface whether fixed , or varied , and in a permanent or portable fashion , using differing tracks 200 . the instant invention does not limit the scope of its application to any particular implementation of an incline elevator 100 . accordingly , an incline 112 and incline mounts 110 of an incline elevator 100 are not shown in all drawings of the instant disclosure . in some embodiments , a track 200 of an incline elevator includes an engine 208 . in some embodiments , the engine 208 pulls or pushes a hoist cable 210 . in some embodiments , a hoist cable 210 circulates along the top and the bottom of the track 200 . in a further embodiment , opposing ends of a hoist cable 210 are coupled to opposing ends of a load carrying unit 300 . in a further embodiment , a hoist cable is wound around a pulley 206 of the track 200 , the pulley 206 being located at the opposite end of the track 200 as the engine 208 . in a particular embodiment , the pulling or pushing motion of the engine 208 of the hoist cable 210 imparts movement to a load carrying unit 300 and a gondola 102 of an incline elevator 100 . an engine , pulley , and hoist cable system of imparting movement to an elevator system is well understood in the art . accordingly , an engine , pulley , and hoist cable are not shown in all drawings of the instant disclosure . in some embodiments , an incline elevator 100 includes a counterweight 104 . in a further embodiment , a hoist cable 210 is coupled to a counterweight 104 . a counterweight as a part of an elevator system is well understood in the art . accordingly , a counterweight 104 of an incline elevator 100 is not shown in all drawings of the instant disclosure . in some embodiments , an incline elevator 100 includes an uphill station 114 and a downhill station 116 . in certain embodiments , a station of an incline elevator 100 includes a docking target , the docking target being fixably mounted to a track 200 , the docking target being designed to engage or disengage a safety brake of an incline elevator . in some embodiments , an incline elevator 100 includes a plurality of stations . it should be understood by one skilled in the art that an incline elevator can be constructed with as many stations as desired , and that a station is not required to be located at the top of the track 200 , bottom of the track 200 , or any other specific location . one or more stations can be located at any place along a track 200 in accordance with embodiments of the invention . fig2 a and 2 b are an exploded perspective view and a front cross - sectional view of a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , a track 200 resembles a monorail construction , in which the load rides upon the track 200 . in a certain embodiment , a track 200 includes a channel 202 into which at least a portion of a load carrying unit 300 extends , for holding the load carrying unit on top of the track 200 and limiting lateral travel of the load carrying unit 300 ( i . e . limiting motion of the load carrying unit 300 in a perpendicular direction to the uphill and downhill directions of the load ). in some embodiments , a track 200 includes flanges 204 to either side of the track 200 . in a certain embodiment , top and bottom roller wheels 404 and 406 included in trucks 400 of a load carrying unit 300 glide along flanges 204 of a track 200 . fig3 a is an exploded perspective view of a load carrying unit 300 for deployment on a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig3 b is a perspective view of a load carrying unit 300 deployed on a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig3 c is an exploded view of a load carrying unit of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig3 d is a front cross - sectional view of a load carrying unit deployed on a track of an incline elevator , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , a load carrying unit 300 moves along a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 . in some embodiments , a load carrying unit includes a chassis 302 , one or more chassis mounts 304 , a safety link 306 , a speed sensor 308 , a gondola leveling device 310 , and one or more trucks 400 . in some embodiments , the one or more chassis mounts 304 are used to attachably couple one or more trucks 400 to a chassis 302 . in a further embodiment , a safety link 306 is fixably attached to trucks 400 at opposing ends of a safety link 306 . in some embodiments , a gondola leveling device 310 is used where a gondola 102 is mounted atop a chassis 302 of a load carrying unit 300 to level the gondola 310 where a track 200 is not perfectly level with respect to the incline 112 . in some embodiments , a speed sensor 308 is mounted on a load carrying unit 300 such that the rotating sensors of the speed sensor 308 are disposed adjacent to one or more top rollers 404 of a truck 400 . in some embodiments , the one or more trucks 400 of a load carrying unit 300 are disposed such that the one or more trucks 400 straddle the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 . in a certain embodiment , at least a portion of the one or more trucks 400 , including one or bottom rollers 406 , are disposed below the flange 404 of the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 . in a certain embodiment , at least a portion of the one or more trucks 400 , including an eccentric safety device 500 , is disposed within the channel 202 of the track 200 of an incline elevator 100 . fig4 a is an exploded detail perspective view of a truck 400 and eccentric safety device 500 of a load carrying unit 300 for an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig4 b is a top cross - sectional view of a truck 400 and eccentric safety device 500 of a load carrying unit 300 deployed on a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , a truck 400 of a load carrying unit 300 of an incline elevator 100 includes a safety mounting tube 402 , one or more top rollers 404 , one or more bottom rollers 406 , a safety pivot 408 , a safety lever 410 , a safety reset and docking lever 412 , a coil spring 412 , a coil spring attachment mount 414 , and an eccentric safety device 500 . in some embodiments , an eccentric safety device 500 includes a center pin 502 , a washer 504 , a nut 506 , a coil spring pivot 508 , one or more guide rollers 510 , a bottom eccentric brake 512 , a top eccentric brake 514 , a brake cable block 516 , a brake cable 518 , a brake spring 520 , an eccentric brake top frame 522 , and an eccentric brake bottom frame 524 . in a certain embodiment , an eccentric safety device 500 is couplably attached to a truck 400 . in this embodiment , a center pin 502 of an eccentric safety device 500 is disposed through the safety mounting tube 402 of the truck 400 . in this embodiment , a nut 506 and washer 504 disposed above the safety mounting tube 402 about the center pin 502 couple the eccentric safety device 500 to the truck 400 . in this embodiment , the eccentric safety device 500 is disposed underneath the truck 400 and between the bottom rollers 406 of the truck 400 . importantly , in this embodiment , the eccentric safety device 500 is rotatable about an axis lengthwise through the center pin 502 , the rotation of the eccentric safety device 500 being relative to the truck 400 . in some embodiments , an eccentric safety device 500 of a load carrying unit 300 is disposed within the channel 202 of a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 . in a certain embodiment , an eccentric safety device 500 is rotatable about an axis lengthwise through the center pin 502 , the rotation of the eccentric safety device 500 being limited by the interior of the track 200 formed by the channel 202 . in a preferred embodiment , guide rollers 510 on opposing sides of the eccentric safety device 500 are held against the interior of the track 200 by use of a coil spring 414 . in this embodiment , the coil spring 414 is coupled at one end of the coil spring 414 to the coil spring pivot 508 of the eccentric safety device 500 . in this embodiment , the coil spring 414 is coupled at the opposing end of the coil spring 414 to the coil spring attachment mount 416 of the truck 400 . in this embodiment , the coil spring 414 tensionally biases the eccentric safety device 500 , such that the eccentric safety device 500 rotates about an axis lengthwise through the center pin 502 , the rotation being limited by the guide rollers 510 of the eccentric safety device 500 which are pressed up against the interior surface of the channel 202 of the track 200 . in this embodiment , the spring tension of the coil spring 414 between the eccentric safety device 500 and the one or more trucks 400 of the load carrying unit 300 tensionally biases the load carrying unit 300 such that the load carrying unit 300 remains centered on the track 200 . in this embodiment , the rotation of the eccentric safety device 500 relative to the trucks 400 enable the load carrying unit 300 to be used with tracks 200 having differing widths of channel 202 , or having varied widths of the channel 202 within the same track 200 , or keeping the load carrying unit 300 centered on the track 200 even when the track 200 is a curved track . in some embodiments , a bottom eccentric brake 512 and a top eccentric brake 514 are couplably mounted on a center pin 502 of an eccentric safety device 500 . in this embodiment , the center pin 502 is disposed through a hole in the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake 514 . in such an embodiment , a brake spring 520 tensionally biases the eccentric brakes ( the “ eccentric brakes ” comprising the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake 514 ) such that they are rotatable about an axis lengthwise through the center pin 502 . in this embodiment , the eccentric brakes can swing out and make contact with the interior surface of the channel 202 of the track 200 . fig4 b depicts that in this embodiment , in dashed lines the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake 514 have swung out to make contact with the interior of the channel 202 of the track 200 . in this embodiment , the brake spring 520 tensionally biases the eccentric brakes outwardly from the eccentric safety device , such that they make contact with the interior surface of the channel 202 of the track 200 . in this embodiment , the contact between the eccentric brakes and the channel 202 creates sufficient friction to stop any movement of the load carrying unit 300 to which the eccentric safety device 500 and its truck 400 are mounted . importantly , in this embodiment , it is movement in a downhill direction that is arrested by the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , even when the eccentric brakes are tensionally biased outward to make contact with the interior of the channel 202 , the shape of the eccentric brakes in conjunction with the tension of the brake spring 520 are such that the load carrying unit 300 can be towed in an uphill direction along the track 200 . in this embodiment , the contact between the eccentric brakes and the interior of the channel 202 only arrests travel in a downhill direction . fig5 a is a perspective view of an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in one embodiment , an eccentric safety device 500 includes a center pin 502 , one or more guide rollers 510 , an top eccentric brake 512 , a bottom eccentric brake 514 , a brake cable block 516 , a brake cable 518 , a brake spring 520 , an eccentric brake top frame 522 , and an eccentric brake bottom frame 524 . fig5 b is an exploded perspective view of an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in a certain embodiment , a bottom eccentric brake 512 and a top eccentric brake 514 are couplably mounted on a center pin 502 of an eccentric safety device 500 . in this embodiment , the center pin 502 is disposed through a hole in the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake 514 . in such an embodiment , a brake spring 520 tensionally biases the eccentric brakes ( the “ eccentric brakes ” comprising the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake 514 ) such that they are rotatable about an axis lengthwise through the center pin 502 . in this embodiment , with no tension applied to the brake cable 518 , the brake spring 520 tensionally biases the eccentric brakes to swing outward and extend further outside the periphery of the eccentric brake bottom frame 522 , as depicted by the dashed lines in fig5 f which show the eccentric brakes in an extended position . in this embodiment , a force pulling upward on the brake cable 518 will counteract the tensional bias of the brake spring 520 and cause the eccentric brakes to swing back into retracted position , as depicted by the solid lines of the eccentric brakes in fig5 f . fig5 c is an exploded perspective view of a portion of an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in a certain embodiment , stacked up the eccentric brake bottom frame 524 and its center pin 502 are a bottom eccentric brake 512 , a brake spring 520 , and a top eccentric brake 514 . in this embodiment , the ends of the wire forming the brake spring 520 are bent in opposing directions . in this embodiment , when the eccentric safety device 500 is assembled , the ends of the brake spring 520 hook the eccentric brakes and tensionally bias the eccentric brakes to rotate about the center pin 502 outwardly , in an extended position that brings the brakes further outside the periphery of the eccentric brake bottom frame 524 . in this embodiment , a force applied upwards on the brake cable 518 , that is , a force applied in a direction away from the eccentric brake bottom frame 524 , will add tensional bias to the brake spring 520 , causing the eccentric brakes to swing inward into a retracted position . releasing force applied to the brake cable 518 will permit the spring tension of the brake spring 520 to swing the eccentric brakes outward into the extended position . fig5 d is a side view of a portion of an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the brake cable 518 is threaded through a brake cable block 516 . in this embodiment , a brake cable 518 has two strands , one strand coupled to each eccentric brake . in this embodiment , when an upward force is applied to the brake cable 518 , the eccentric brakes swing towards the periphery of the eccentric brake bottom frame 524 , into a retracted position . when force is released from the brake cable 518 , tension in the brake spring 520 causes the eccentric brakes to swing out , rotating about the center pin 502 , into an extended position such that the eccentric brakes extend outside the periphery of the eccentric brake bottom frame 524 . fig5 e is a rear view of a portion of an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , the brake cable 518 is threaded through a brake cable block 516 . in this embodiment , a brake cable 518 has two strands , one strand coupled to each eccentric brake . in this embodiment , when an upward force is applied to the brake cable 518 , the eccentric brakes swing towards the periphery of the eccentric brake bottom frame 524 , into a retracted position . when force is released from the brake cable 518 , tension in the brake spring 520 causes the eccentric brakes to swing out , rotating about the center pin 502 , into an extended position such that the eccentric brakes extend outside the periphery of the eccentric brake bottom frame 524 . fig5 f is a top cross - sectional view of an eccentric safety device 500 deployed on a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , when cable tension in the brake cable 518 is released , the eccentric brakes swing out , rotating about the center pin 502 . in this embodiment , looking down at the eccentric brakes disposed within the channel 202 , when the brake cable is released , the bottom eccentric brake 512 swings to the right , rotating counterclockwise about the center pin 502 , and the top eccentric brake 514 swings to the left , rotating clockwise about the center pin 502 . in this embodiment , the movement imparted to the eccentric brakes is driven by tensional bias in the brake spring 520 . in this embodiment , when the eccentric brakes swing out , they come into contact with the inner walls of the channel 202 of the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 , the eccentric brakes in their extended position being depicted by dashed lines . in this embodiment , when an upward force is applied to the brake cable 518 , the eccentric brakes swing in , rotating about the center pin 502 . in this embodiment , looking down at the eccentric brakes disposed within the channel 202 , when the brake cable is pulled , the bottom eccentric brake 512 swings to the left , rotating clockwise about the center pin 502 , and the top eccentric brake 514 swings to the right , rotating counterclockwise about the center pin 502 . in this embodiment , the movement imparted to the eccentric brakes is driven by the pulling force on the brake cable 518 , and adds tension to the brake spring 520 . in this embodiment , when the eccentric brakes swing in , they break contact with the inner walls of the channel 202 of the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 , the eccentric brakes in their retracted position being depicted by solid lines . fig6 a is a perspective view of an eccentric bell crank 600 for an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , an eccentric bell crank 600 includes a docking lever 602 , a solenoid lever 604 , and an eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 . in a certain embodiment , an eccentric bell crank 600 is coupled with a brake cable 518 at the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 . in a certain embodiment , an eccentric bell crank 600 rotates about axis aa . in this embodiment , axis aa is the center lengthwise axis of an axle 418 of a truck 400 . an eccentric bell crank 600 is mounted to a truck 400 along an axle 418 of the truck 400 by being threaded onto the outside of one axle 418 of the truck 400 . that is , the axle 418 of the truck 400 passes through the eccentric bell crank 600 along axis aa . in this embodiment , when the eccentric bell crank 600 rotates about axis aa , motion is imparted to the brake cable 518 which is connected to the eccentric bell crank 600 at the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 . in this embodiment , when the eccentric bell crank 600 is rotated about axis aa , the motion imparted to the brake cable 518 also imparts motion to the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , when the eccentric bell crank 600 rotates counter - clockwise as viewed in this drawing , such that the brake cable 518 is pulled upwards relative to the eccentric brakes , the bottom eccentric brake 512 swings to the left and the top eccentric brake 514 swings to the right , against the spring tension imparted to the eccentric brakes by the brake spring 520 ( not visible in fig6 a ), and retracting the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , when the eccentric bell crank 600 rotates clockwise as viewed in this drawing , the brake cable 518 moves in a downward direction towards the eccentric brakes , permitting the spring tension in the brake spring 520 to extend the eccentric brakes , with the bottom eccentric brake 512 swinging to the right and the top eccentric brake 514 swinging to the left . in some embodiments , a solenoid 608 engages and imparts motion to an eccentric bell crank 600 . in a further embodiment , an eccentric bell crank 600 is rotated when contact is made with either the docking lever 602 of the eccentric bell crank 600 , or with the solenoid lever 604 . in this embodiment , contact with either the docking lever 602 or the solenoid lever 604 rotates the eccentric bell crank 600 counter - clockwise about axis aa , moving eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 away from the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , contact with either the docking lever 602 or the solenoid lever 604 imparts motion to the eccentric brakes , pulling the brake cable 518 and retracting the eccentric brakes . importantly , in this embodiment , engaging the eccentric bell crank 600 with either the docking lever 602 or the solenoid lever 604 retracts the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , if neither the docking lever 602 nor the solenoid lever 604 are engaged , the spring tension in the brake spring 520 will extend the eccentric brakes and pull on the brake cable 518 , pulling the eccentric bell crank 600 at the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 towards the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , permitting the spring tension of the brake spring 520 to impart motion to the eccentric brakes will swing out the eccentric brakes , extending the eccentric brakes until they come in contact with the interior wall of the channel 202 of the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 . in some embodiments , the eccentric brakes are disposed towards the downhill direction of the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 . in such an embodiment , the load carrying unit 300 is brought to a stop by the engagement of the eccentric brakes with the interior wall of the channel 200 of the track 200 . fig6 b is a side view of an eccentric bell crank 600 for an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , a solenoid lever 604 of an eccentric bell crank 600 is disposed adjacent to a solenoid 608 . when energized , the solenoid 608 comes into contact with the solenoid lever 604 of the eccentric bell crank 600 and imparts movement to the eccentric bell crank 600 , rotating the eccentric bell crank 600 counter - clockwise about axis aa . in this embodiment , when the solenoid 608 is energized , rotating the eccentric bell crank 600 counter - clockwise about axis aa , the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 is moved away from the eccentric brakes . the brake cable 518 ( not shown in fig6 b ) coupled to the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 actuates the extension and retraction of the eccentric brakes . when the solenoid 608 is energized , the brake cable 518 is pulled , and the eccentric brakes are refracted . in some embodiments , a docking strip 212 of a track 200 of an incline elevator 100 comes into contact with the docking lever 602 of the eccentric bell crank 600 . in some embodiments , when the load carrying unit 300 of the incline elevator 100 has traveled to one of the stations , including the uphill station 114 or the downhill station 116 , a docking strip 212 disposed along the track 200 at the station engages the docking lever 602 from underneath the docking lever 602 . this engagement imparts motion to the eccentric bell crank 600 , rotating it counter - clockwise about axis aa . in this embodiment , when the load carrying unit 300 is at one of the stations so that the docking strip 212 engages the docking lever 602 rotating the eccentric bell crank 600 counter - clockwise about axis aa , the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 is moved away from the eccentric brakes . the brake cable 518 ( not shown in fig6 b ) coupled to the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 actuates the extension and retraction of the eccentric brakes . thus , in this embodiment , when the load carrying unit 300 is at a station , the brake cable 518 is pulled , and the eccentric brakes are retracted . if the solenoid 608 is not energized and the docking lever 602 is not in contact with a docking strip 212 of the track 200 , the spring tension in the brake spring 520 will extend the eccentric brakes and pull on the brake cable 518 , pulling the eccentric bell crank 600 at the eccentric bell crank brake cable mount 606 towards the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , permitting the spring tension of the brake spring 520 to impart motion to the eccentric brakes will swing out the eccentric brakes , extending the eccentric brakes until they come in contact with the interior wall of the channel 202 of the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 . thus , in this embodiment , if the solenoid 608 is not energized and the docking lever 602 is not in contact with a docking strip 212 of the track 200 , the eccentric brakes will extend . a predicate condition for the eccentric brakes to be retracted is that the solenoid 608 must either be energized , or the load carrying unit 300 must be docked . fig7 a is a perspective view of a hoist cable bell crank 700 of an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , a hoist cable bell crank 700 includes a hoist cable bell crank mount 702 , a safety link mount 704 , and a solenoid mount 706 . in some embodiments , a hoist cable bell crank 700 rotates about axis aa . in this embodiment , axis aa is the center lengthwise axis of an axle 418 of a truck 400 . a hoist cable bell crank 700 is mounted to a truck 400 along an axle 418 of the truck 400 by being threaded onto the outside of one axle 418 of the truck 400 . that is , the axle 418 of the truck 400 passes through the hoist cable bell crank 700 along axis aa . in this embodiment , a hoist cable bell crank 700 is disposed adjacent to the eccentric bell crank 600 . importantly , in this embodiment , an eccentric bell crank 600 and a hoist cable bell crank 700 rotate independently of one another about axis aa . in some embodiments , a hoist cable bell crank 700 is spring loaded . in such embodiments , the hoist cable bell crank 700 is tensionally biased to rotate towards the eccentric brakes . that is , viewing fig7 a , a hoist cable bell crank 700 is tensionally biased by a tension spring to rotate counter - clockwise about axis aa . in this embodiment , when a hoist cable 210 is attached to the hoist cable bell crank mount 702 , and the hoist cable is pulled , the tension of the hoist cable being pulled rotates the hoist cable bell crank 700 clockwise about axis aa . in some embodiments , a solenoid 608 is mounted to the hoist cable bell crank 700 using a solenoid mount 706 . in such embodiments , the solenoid 608 is rotatable about the axle 418 of the truck 400 depicted by axis aa in fig7 a . thus , when the hoist cable 210 is under tension , the solenoid 608 is rotated into a position where it can engage the solenoid lever 604 of the eccentric bell crank 600 . when the hoist cable 210 is not under tension , as in the emergency situation of a hoist cable break , the spring tension of the hoist cable bell crank 700 will rotate the solenoid 608 out of position towards the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , if there is a break in the hoist cable 210 , irrespective of whether the solenoid 608 is energized , the eccentric bell crank can not be engaged . in this embodiment , if there is a break in the hoist cable 210 and the load carrying unit 300 is not docked , the eccentric bell crank 600 can be rotated by the tension from the brake spring 520 . consequently , in this embodiment , if the load carrying unit 300 is not docked and the hoist cable 210 breaks , the eccentric brakes will extend , stopping any motion of the load carrying unit . fig7 b is a perspective view of a safety link 306 joining two hoist cable bell cranks 700 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , an eccentric safety device 500 , including an eccentric bell crank 600 and a hoist cable bell crank 700 , is coupled to an axle 418 of one or more trucks 400 . in the depicted embodiment , an eccentric safety device 500 is deployed on each of two trucks 400 of a load carrying unit 300 . in this embodiment , there is a single hoist cable 210 carrying the load carrying unit 300 , the hoist cable 210 being coupled with the uphill truck 400 of the load carrying unit 300 at the hoist cable bell crank mount 702 . the downhill truck 400 of the load carrying unit 300 does not have a connection to the hoist cable 210 . in this embodiment , a safety link 306 couples the two eccentric safety devices 500 , one on each truck 400 . the safety link 306 is coupled at opposing ends of the safety link 306 to a safety link mount 704 on the hoist cable bell crank 700 on each of the uphill truck 400 and downhill truck 400 , the uphill and downhill trucks 400 supporting the load carrying unit 300 . in this embodiment , if there is a break in the hoist cable 210 , the hoist cable bell cranks 700 on both of the trucks are under spring tension and move the solenoids 608 out of position , causing the eccentric brakes of both eccentric safety devices 500 to extend . in this embodiment , when the hoist cable 210 is under tension , the hoist cable 210 pulls the hoist cable bell crank 700 of the uphill truck at the hoist cable bell crank mount 702 . in this embodiment , when the hoist cable 210 is under tension , the safety link 306 is also under tension , which rotates the hoist cable bell crank 700 of the downhill truck at the safety link mount 704 . in this embodiment , the movement of the hoist cable bell crank 700 of the uphill and downhill eccentric safety devices 500 is in harmony , and the movement of the eccentric brakes of the uphill and downhill eccentric safety devices 500 is the same and simultaneous . fig8 a is a perspective view of a speed sensor 308 coupled with an eccentric safety device 500 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . fig8 b is a perspective view of a speed sensor 308 coupled with an eccentric safety device 500 integrated with a truck 400 of an incline elevator 100 , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in some embodiments , a speed sensor 308 is in series with electrical power to a solenoid 608 , the electrical power being delivered by electrical wiring 802 . in a certain embodiment , a speed sensor 308 makes physical contact with a top roller 404 of a truck 400 . in this embodiment , a speed sensor 308 measures the speed of the load carrying unit 300 at its top roller 404 . in this embodiment , a speed sensor 308 provides electrical power to the solenoid 608 only when the speed sensor 308 detects speed below a pre - determined safe speed . in such an embodiment , in which the solenoid 608 must be energized for the eccentric brakes to be retracted , if the speed sensor 308 detects an overspeed condition , electrical power to the solenoid 608 is not supplied , causing the eccentric brakes to extend . in some embodiments , there is more than one speed sensor 308 for redundancy . it will be recognized by one skilled in the art that placing the one or more speed sensors 308 in series with the one or more solenoids 608 will provide multiple layers of safety , in that if the electrical power to the entire system fails , the one or more solenoids 608 will de - energize causing the eccentric brakes to extend ; and , if the one or more speed sensors 308 detect an overspeed condition , the one or more speed sensors 308 will still be receiving electrical power but will cut off the electricity to the solenoids 608 , causing the eccentric brakes to extend . in some embodiments , a speed sensor 308 is an ess electronic speed switch available at www . torq . com . fig9 a is a schematic view of a system 900 for providing an eccentric safety device for an incline elevator , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . in this embodiment , a system 900 for providing an eccentric safety device for an incline elevator includes electric wiring 802 , one or more speed sensors 308 , a hoist cable 210 , and one or more hoist cable bell cranks 700 , the one or more hoist cable bell cranks 700 having a hoist cable bell crank spring 708 , a hoist cable bell crank mount 702 , a hoist cable bell crank safety link mount 704 , and a solenoid 608 . a system 900 for providing an eccentric safety device for an incline elevator also includes one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 , the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 having a docking lever 602 , and a solenoid lever 604 . a system 900 for providing an eccentric safety device for an incline elevator also includes one or more brake cables 518 , one or more bottom eccentric brakes 512 , and one or more top eccentric brakes 514 . in some embodiments , each of the one or more solenoids 608 are mounted on a hoist cable bell crank 700 . in some embodiments , a hoist cable bell crank 700 is tensionally biased by a hoist cable bell crank spring 708 . in some embodiments , a hoist cable bell crank 700 includes a hoist cable bell crank mount 702 to which a hoist cable 210 is attached . in such an embodiment , when the hoist cable 210 is under tension , the tension from the hoist cable 210 counteracts the spring tension from the hoist cable bell crank spring 708 . in such an embodiment , a solenoid 608 is mounted on a hoist cable bell crank 700 . thus , in this embodiment , when a hoist cable 210 pulls a hoist cable bell crank 700 , the solenoid 608 is rotated into position to engage an eccentric bell crank 600 if the solenoid 608 is energized . thus , in this embodiment , for a solenoid 608 to be in position to engage an eccentric bell crank 600 when the solenoid 608 is energized , there must be hoist cable tension . in some embodiments , a hoist cable bell crank 700 is mounted on one or more trucks 400 of a load carrying unit 300 of an incline elevator . in such embodiments , a safety link 306 ( not pictured in fig9 a ) joins the hoist cable bell cranks 700 at the hoist cable bell crank safety link mounts 704 . in this embodiment , when the hoist cable 210 provides tension to rotate an uphill hoist cable bell crank 700 , a downhill hoist cable bell crank 700 is also rotated by the safety link 306 . in some embodiments , electrical power is provided from the power source of the incline elevator 100 . it will be recognized by those with skill in the art that the power source of the incline elevator 100 can be virtually any power source . in some embodiments , from the power source of the incline elevator 100 , electrical wiring 802 provides power for an eccentric safety device of an incline elevator . in some embodiments , in series with electrical wiring 802 are one or more speed sensors 308 and one or more solenoids 608 . in such embodiments , power to the one of more solenoids 608 is only available if the power source of the incline elevator 100 is operable . in a further embodiment , the one or more speed sensors 308 only provide power to the one or more solenoids 608 if the one or more speed sensors 308 are in an underspeed condition . in this embodiment , the one or more solenoids 308 are only energized if there has not been an electrical fault in the incline elevator 100 , and if there is not an overspeed condition detected by the speed sensors 308 . importantly , in some embodiments , an eccentric bell crank 600 can only be moved by a solenoid 608 when the solenoid 608 is in position due to the tension in the hoist cable 210 on the hoist cable bell crank 700 . additionally , in such embodiments , if a solenoid 608 is in position , an eccentric bell crank 600 can only be moved by a solenoid 608 when the solenoid 608 is energized , which is only possible when there is no electrical fault in the incline elevator 100 , and when the speed sensors 308 are in an underspeed condition . thus , an eccentric bell crank 600 can be moved by the solenoid 608 when there is no electrical fault in the incline elevator 100 , when there is no overspeed condition detected by the speed sensors 308 , and when there is no lack of tension in the hoist cable 210 . in some embodiments , an eccentric bell crank 600 is coupled to a bottom eccentric brake 512 and to a top eccentric brake 514 by a brake cable 518 . in some embodiments , an eccentric bell crank 600 includes a docking lever 602 and a solenoid lever 604 . in some embodiments , when a solenoid 608 is in position and energized , the solenoid makes contact with the docking lever 602 and rotates the eccentric bell crank 600 . in this embodiment , the rotation of the eccentric bell crank 600 imparts motion to the eccentric brakes via the brake cable 518 , retracting the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , when a solenoid 608 is in position and energized , the eccentric brakes are retracted . in this embodiment , if a solenoid 608 is not in position ( irrespective of whether it is energized ) or not energized ( irrespective of whether it is in position ), the eccentric brakes are extended due to spring tension from the brake spring 520 . in some embodiments , an eccentric bell crank 600 includes a docking lever 602 . in this embodiment , a docking lever 602 can be engaged by docking targets in the track 200 . in this embodiment , a docking target in contact with the docking lever 602 rotates the eccentric bell crank 600 . in this embodiment , when the contact between the docking target in the track 200 and the docking lever 602 rotates the eccentric bell crank 600 , the eccentric brakes are retracted by the brake cable 518 . in this embodiment , when the load carrying unit 300 of the incline elevator 100 is docked , the eccentric brakes are refracted . therefore , in this embodiment , when the load carrying unit 300 of the incline elevator 100 is docked , the eccentric brakes are retracted irrespective of the position or energy state of the solenoid 608 . importantly , in this embodiment , if the load carrying unit 300 is not docked , and if there is any electrical fault , overspeed , or break in the hoist cable 210 , the solenoid 608 will not be energized and the eccentric brakes will extend due to the spring tension in the brake spring 520 . fig9 b is a schematic view of a system 900 for providing an eccentric safety device for an incline elevator , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . while fig9 a depicts the eccentric brakes of the system retracted , permitting an incline elevator 100 to move the load carrying unit 300 up and down the track 200 , in fig9 b what is depicted is a break in hoist cable 210 . in some embodiments , if there is a break in hoist cable 210 , the eccentric safety device 500 is rigged to deploy . in some embodiments , when there is a break in the hoist cable 210 , tension in the hoist cable bell crank spring 708 will rotate the one or more hoist cable bell cranks 700 unchecked by any tension in the broken hoist cable 210 in this embodiment . in such embodiments , when the one or more hoist cable bell crank springs 700 rotate due to the spring tension in the hoist cable bell crank spring 708 , the one or more solenoids 608 move out of position such that it can no longer engage the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 . in this embodiment , irrespective of the power state of the incline elevator 100 or the overspeed or underspeed condition detected by the one or more speed sensors 308 , the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 will be driven by the spring tension in the brake spring 520 ( brake spring 520 not shown in fig9 b ). in this embodiment , the spring tension in the brake spring 520 will extend the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake 514 . in this embodiment , the spring tension of the brake spring 520 will also pull the brake cable 518 and swing the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 away from the one or more solenoids 608 , where the one or more solenoids 608 have been also pulled out of position by tension in the hoist cable bell crank spring 708 , the tension being unchecked by tension in the hoist cable 210 . in this embodiment , the extension of the eccentric brakes will bring the brakes in contact with the inside of the channel 202 of the track 200 of the incline elevator 100 . in this embodiment , the extension of the eccentric brakes will bring the load carrying unit 300 to a stop . in some embodiments , the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake 514 are made of alternating layers of rubber and steel to bring the load carrying unit 300 to a more smooth halt , making the emergency stop less uncomfortable for passengers . in some embodiments , the pear - shaped design of the eccentric brakes , having a fat end at the downhill side and a skinny end at the uphill side , enables the load carrying unit 300 with its one or more eccentric safety devices 500 to be towed uphill even after deployment of the eccentric brakes . it will be clear to one with skill in the art that when towing the load carrying unit 300 , the eccentric brakes will drag against the inside of the channel 202 of the track 200 , but that only spring tension in the brake spring 520 will resist the motion . uphill forces on the hoist cable 210 will permit the load carrying unit 300 to be towed uphill . when the eccentric brakes are extended , however , the fat end of the eccentric brakes will “ jam ” in the channel 202 of the track 200 , causing the load carrying unit 300 to stop . in some embodiments , to return the unit to service , the load carrying unit 300 is towed to an uphill station such as uphill station 114 . in such embodiments , when the load carrying unit 300 is towed to the uphill station 114 , docking targets in the track 200 engage the docking lever 602 of the eccentric bell crank 600 , which retracts the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , when power is re - applied to the incline elevator 100 and the hoist cable 210 has tension , the one or more solenoids 608 engage the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 , keeping the eccentric brakes retracted even when the load carrying unit 300 moves away from the uphill station 114 . fig9 c is a schematic view of a system 900 for providing an eccentric safety device for an incline elevator , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . while fig9 a depicts the eccentric brakes of the system retracted , permitting an incline elevator 100 to move the load carrying unit 300 up and down the track 200 , in fig9 c what is depicted is an electrical fault in the incline elevator 100 or an overspeed condition detected by the one or more speed sensors 308 . in some embodiments , the speed sensors 308 are electrical devices , the power for which is provided by the electrical system of the incline elevator 100 . in such embodiments , when the speed sensors 308 are energized , power can be provided to the one or more solenoids 608 . in such embodiments , when the speed sensors 308 are energized , the power to the one or more solenoids 608 is only provided to the one or more solenoids 608 when the speed sensors 308 detect an underspeed condition . in this embodiment , if the speed sensors 308 detect an overspeed condition , the speed sensors 308 will cut power to the one or more solenoids 608 . if power to the one or more solenoids 608 is cut , the one or more solenoids 608 will break contact with the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 . in this embodiment , when the one or more solenoids 608 are not engaging the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 , then there is no check on the spring tension of the brake spring 520 . in this embodiment , if the one or more solenoids 608 are not engaging the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 , the tension in the brake spring 520 will cause the bottom eccentric brake 512 and the top eccentric brake to extend , and the tension in the brake spring 520 will pull on the brake cable 518 , causing the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 to rotate away from the solenoid 608 . in some embodiments , to return the unit to service , the load carrying unit 300 is towed to an uphill station such as uphill station 114 . in such embodiments , when the load carrying unit 300 is towed to the uphill station 114 , docking targets in the track 200 engage the docking lever 602 of the eccentric bell crank 600 , which retracts the eccentric brakes . in this embodiment , when power is re - applied to the incline elevator 100 and the hoist cable 210 has tension , the one or more solenoids 608 engage the one or more eccentric bell cranks 600 , keeping the eccentric brakes retracted even when the load carrying unit 300 moves away from the uphill station 114 . while preferred and alternative embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described , as noted above , many changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the invention is not limited by the disclosure of these preferred and alternate embodiments . instead , the invention should be determined entirely by reference to the claims that follow .	1
pioneer brand hybrid 3531 has outstanding yield and has good potential as a silage hybrid , having good total plant yield and digestability . its early flowering and black layer should allow it to move north . 3531 has good early growth , above average brittle stalk resistance and excellent goss &# 39 ; wilt resistance . the hybrid shows good resistance to common rust . 3531 has average stalk lodging resistance . it has slightly below average test weight . pioneer brand hybrid 3531 is a single cross , yellow endosperm , dent corn hybrid with outstanding yield in its maturity . 3531 has stable yield across environments and flowers and black layers early . this hybrid has the following characteristics based on the descriptive data collected primarily at johnston , iowa . corn lethal necrosis ( mcmv = maize chlorotic mottle virus and mdmv = maize dwarf mosaic virus ): intermediate n . leaf blight ( e . turcicum ): intermediate common rust ( p . sorghi ): resistant the above descriptions are based on a scale of 1 - 9 , 1 being highly susceptible , 9 being highly resistant . h ( highly resistant ): would generally represent a score of 8 - 9 . highly resistant does not imply the inbred is immune . items b , c , d , e , f , and g are based on a maximum of two reps of data primarily from johnston , iowa in 1993 . comparisons of the characteristics for pioneer brand hybrid 3531 were made against pioneer brand hybrids 3615 , 3578 and 3563 . table 1a compares pioneer brand hybrid 3531 and pioneer brand hybrid 3615 . the data shows 3531 has higher yield and grain harvest moisture than 3615 . 3531 is a taller hybrid than 3615 . 3531 sheds ( gdu shed ) later than 3615 . table 1b compares pioneer brand hybrid 3531 to pioneer brand hybrid 3578 . the hybrids have similar yield , but 3531 has lower grain harvest moisture and a higher test weight . 3531 flowers ( gdu shed and gdu silk ) earlier than 3578 . 3531 has better brittle stalk resistance than 3578 . the results in table 1c show pioneer brand hybrid 3531 has higher yield and grain harvest moisture but lower test weight than pioneer brand hybrid 3563 . 3531 is shorter hybrid with higher ear placement compared to 3563 . 3531 flowers ( gdu shed and gdu silk ) earlier than 3563 . 3531 has better stalk lodging resistance than 3563 . table 1a__________________________________________________________________________variety # 1 - 3531variety # 2 - 3615 bu bu plt ear drp gdu tst sta rt brt var acr acr mst ht ht ear shd wta grn ldg stk # abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 127 . 9 103 23 . 3 102 . 8 51 . 0 99 . 9 1215 55 . 0 92 . 1 99 . 4 97 . 3 2 115 . 3 93 22 . 3 99 . 0 51 . 0 99 . 9 1195 55 . 0 94 . 0 100 . 0 97 . 0 locs 12 12 12 2 2 12 2 11 11 12 4 reps 22 22 23 4 4 23 4 21 21 23 7 diff 12 . 6 10 1 . 1 3 . 8 0 . 0 0 . 0 20 0 . 0 1 . 9 0 . 6 0 . 2 prob . 007 # . 011 + . 028 + . 126 1 . 00 1 . 00 . 500 . 994 . 229 . 197 . 860__________________________________________________________________________ * = 10 % sig + = 5 % sig # = 1 % sig table 1b__________________________________________________________________________variety # 1 - 3531variety # 2 - 3578__________________________________________________________________________ bu bu plt ear sdg est drp gdu gdu tst var acr acr mst ht ht vgr cnt ear shd slk wta # abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 149 . 4 107 26 . 2 104 . 0 47 . 9 5 . 5 62 . 7 99 . 5 1246 1229 52 . 8 2 147 . 9 106 26 . 9 104 . 7 47 . 8 5 . 3 61 . 8 99 . 7 1259 1247 52 . 4 locs 219 219 221 93 90 83 110 128 66 23 195 reps 278 278 281 112 109 103 132 168 86 25 250 diff 1 . 5 1 0 . 7 0 . 7 0 . 1 0 . 2 0 . 9 0 . 2 13 18 0 . 4 prob . 139 . 182 . 000 # . 117 . 872 . 179 . 037 + . 108 . 000 # . 003 # . 000 # __________________________________________________________________________ grn sta stk rt brt var app grn ldg ldg stk # abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________ total sum 1 6 . 0 5 . 2 95 . 5 96 . 3 95 . 9 2 5 . 8 5 . 9 97 . 2 98 . 1 93 . 2 locs 95 67 192 114 44 reps 116 83 245 152 51 diff 0 . 2 0 . 7 1 . 7 1 . 8 2 . 8 prob . 190 . 001 # . 000 # . 024 + . 062 * __________________________________________________________________________ * = 10 % sig + = 5 % sig # = 1 % sig table 1c__________________________________________________________________________variety # 1 - 3531variety # 2 - 3563__________________________________________________________________________ bu bu plt ear sdg est drp gdu gdu var acr acr mst ht ht vgr cnt ear shd slk # abs % mn abs abs abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________total sum 1 146 . 5 108 25 . 6 103 . 9 46 . 7 5 . 4 61 . 1 99 . 5 1260 1234 2 131 . 3 96 23 . 9 106 . 5 44 . 7 5 . 7 61 . 0 99 . 8 1301 1279 locs 334 334 340 168 165 157 203 178 108 32 reps 394 394 401 188 185 176 227 213 130 35 diff 15 . 1 12 1 . 8 2 . 6 2 . 0 0 . 3 0 . 1 0 . 3 41 45 prob . 000 # . 000 # . 000 # . 000 # . 000 # . 012 + . 795 . 013 + . 000 # . 000 # __________________________________________________________________________ tst grn sta stk rt brt var wta app grn ldg ldg stk # abs abs abs abs abs abs__________________________________________________________________________ total sum 1 52 . 8 6 . 1 4 . 8 95 . 1 95 . 7 96 . 8 2 54 . 2 6 . 1 4 . 9 94 . 2 96 . 7 96 . 7 locs 300 149 131 303 144 73 reps 355 167 150 356 185 81 diff 1 . 4 0 . 0 0 . 1 0 . 9 1 . 0 0 . 0 prob . 000 # . 822 . 516 . 042 + . 225 . 971__________________________________________________________________________ * = 10 % sig + = 5 % sig # = 1 % sig comparison data was collected from strip tests that were grown by farmers . each hybrid was grown in strips of 4 , 6 , 8 , 12 , etc . rows in fields depending on the size of the planter used . the data was collected from strip tests that had the hybrids in the same area and weighed . the moisture percentage was determined and bushels per acre was adjusted to 15 . 5 percent moisture . the number of comparisons represent the number of locations or replications for the two hybrids that were grown in the same field in close proximity and compared . comparison strip testing was done between pioneer brand hybrid 3531 and pioneer brand hybrids 3615 , 3578 and 3563 . the comparisons came from all the hybrid &# 39 ; s adapted growing areas in the united states . these results are presented in table 2 . 3531 has a yield advantage over all of the hybrids . 3531 has a moisture advantage over 3578 . 3531 showed a greater income advantage to the farmer based on adjusted growth income over all hybrids compared . the income per acre advantage ranged from $ 4 . 26 to $ 21 . 86 . 3531 &# 39 ; s yield and income advantage plus its advantage for other characteristics over these hybrids will make it an important addition for most of the areas where these hybrids are grown . table 2__________________________________________________________________________pioneer hybrid 3531 vs pioneer hybrids 3615 , 3578 and 3563from 1993 strip tests income / pop stand roots testbrand product yield moist acre k / acre (%) (%) wt__________________________________________________________________________pioneer 3531 117 . 8 24 . 9 243 . 45 20 . 7 87 99 50 . 7pioneer 3615 104 . 6 22 . 6 221 . 59 20 . 3 94 100 52 . 0advantage 13 . 2 - 2 . 3 21 . 86 0 . 4 - 7 - 1 - 1 . 3number of comparisons 19 19 19 7 6 5 18percent wins 78 5 78 42 33 0 11probability of difference 99 99 99 35 75 63 99pioneer 3531 126 . 5 27 . 6 255 . 76 27 . 2 83 91 49 . 1pioneer 3578 125 . 9 29 . 1 251 . 50 26 . 8 95 92 49 . 1advantage 0 . 6 1 . 5 4 . 26 0 . 4 - 12 - 1 0 . 0number of comparisons 158 158 158 108 96 82 151percent wins 55 74 62 53 22 8 38probability of difference 49 99 98 95 90 14 13pioneer 3531 134 . 7 23 . 0 283 . 63 25 . 9 88 93 52 . 1pioneer 3563 125 . 0 21 . 3 267 . 86 26 . 0 83 94 54 . 2advantage 9 . 7 - 1 . 7 15 . 77 - 0 . 1 5 - 1 - 2 . 1number of comparisons 709 709 709 379 313 230 594percent wins 74 15 69 37 55 9 4probability of difference 99 99 99 85 99 91 99pioneer 3531 132 . 9 23 . 9 277 . 80 26 . 1 87 92 51 . 5weighted avg 124 . 7 22 . 7 263 . 95 26 . 1 86 93 53 . 1advantage 8 . 2 - 1 . 2 13 . 85 0 . 0 1 - 1 - 1 . 6number of comparisons 886 886 886 494 415 317 763percent wins 71 25 68 40 47 8 11probability of difference 99 99 99 32 47 82 99__________________________________________________________________________ characteristics of pioneer brand hybrid 3531 are compared to pioneer brand hybrids 3615 , 3578 and 3563 in table 3 . the ratings given for most of the traits are on a 1 - 9 basis . in these cases 9 would be outstanding , while 1 would be poor for the given characteristics . these values are based on performance of a given hybrid relative to other pioneer commercial , precommercial and competitive hybrids that are grown in research and strip test trials . the traits characterized in table 3 were defined previously and the ratings utilized not only research data but experience trained corn researchers had in the field as well as sales experience with the hybrids in strip tests and the field . these scores reflect the hybrids relative performance to other hybrids for the characteristics listed . table 3 shows 3531 yielded well for its maturity . 3531 has good drydown and seedling vigor when compared to the other hybrids . 3531 has better brittle stalk resistance compared to the other hybrids . 3531 has overall excellent yield and agronomic characteristics which should make it an important hybrid in its area of adaptation . __________________________________________________________________________hybrid patent comparisons - characteristicspioneer hybrid 3531 vs pioneer hybrids 3615 , 3578 and 3563__________________________________________________________________________hybrid silk crm gdu silk bl crm gdu bl crm yld h / pop l / pop d / d s / l r / l stgr d / t__________________________________________________________________________3531 102 1300 103 2610 105 9 -- -- 6 5 4 5 63615 105 1340 102 2580 102 6 7 7 4 7 4 73578 103 1320 103 2610 104 8 8 8 5 7 6 6 53563 106 1350 105 2660 103 8 8 7 5 6 6 6 7__________________________________________________________________________ hybrid t / wt g / a e / g p / ht e / ht d / e b / stk__________________________________________________________________________ 3531 4 4 7 6 6 5 6 3615 4 4 7 5 6 7 5 3578 4 4 5 6 5 4 4 3563 7 7 4 7 4 7 5__________________________________________________________________________ this invention includes hybrid corn seed of 3531 and the hybrid corn plant produced therefrom . the foregoing was set forth by way of example and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention . as used herein , the term plant includes plant cells , plant protoplasts , plant cell tissue cultures from which corn plants can be regenerated , plant calli , plant clumps , and plant cells that are intact in plants or parts of plants , such as embryos , pollen , flowers , kernels , ears , cobs , leaves , husks , stalks , roots , root tips , anthers , silk and the like . duncan , williams , zehr , and widholm , planta , ( 1985 ) 165 : 322 - 332 reflects that 97 % of the plants cultured which produced callus were capable of plant regeneration . subsequent experiments with both inbreds and hybrids produced 91 % regenerable callus which produced plants . in a further study in 1988 , songstad , duncan & amp ; widholm in plant cell reports ( 1988 ), 7 : 262 - 265 reports several media additions which enhance regenerability of callus of two inbred lines . other published reports also indicated that &# 34 ; nontraditional &# 34 ; tissues are capable of producing somatic embryogenesis and plant regeneration . k . p . rao , et al ., maize genetics cooperation newsletter , 60 : 64 - 65 ( 1986 ), refers to somatic embryogenesis from glume callus cultures and b . v . conger , et al ., plant cell reports , 6 : 345 - 347 ( 1987 ) indicates somatic embryogenesis from the tissue cultures of maize leaf segments . thus , it is clear from the literature that the state of the art is such that these methods of obtaining plants are , and were , &# 34 ; conventional &# 34 ; in the sense that they are routinely used and have a very high rate of success . tissue culture of corn is described in european patent application , publication 160 , 390 , incorporated herein by reference . corn tissue culture procedures are also described in green and rhodes , &# 34 ; plant regeneration in tissue culture of maize ,&# 34 ; maize for biological research ( plant molecular biology association , charlottesville , va . 1982 , at 367 - 372 ) and in duncan , et al ., &# 34 ; the production of callus capable of plant regeneration from immature embryos of numerous zea mays genotypes ,&# 34 ; 165 planta 322 - 332 ( 1985 ). thus , another aspect of this invention is to provide cells which upon growth and differentiation produce corn plants having the genotype of 3531 . corn is used as human food , livestock feed , and as raw material in industry . the food uses of corn , in addition to human consumption of corn kernels , include both products of dry - and wet - milling industries . the principal products of corn dry milling are grits , meal and flour . the corn wet - milling industry can provide corn starch , corn syrups , and dextrose for food use . corn oil is recovered from corn germ , which is a by - product of both dry - and wet - milling industries . corn , including both grain and non - grain portions of the plant , is also used extensively as livestock feed , primarily for beef cattle , dairy cattle , hogs , and poultry . industrial uses of corn are mainly from corn starch in the wet - milling industry and corn flour in the dry - milling industry . the industrial applications of corn starch and flour are based on functional properties , such as viscosity , film formation , adhesive properties , and ability to suspend particles . the corn starch and flour have application in the paper and textile industries . other industrial uses include applications in adhesives , building materials , foundry binders , laundry starches , explosives , oil - well muds , and other mining applications . plant parts other than the grain of corn are also used in industry . stalks and husks are made into paper and wallboard and cobs are used for fuel and to make charcoal . the seed of the hybrid corn plant and various parts of the hybrid corn plant can be utilized for human food , livestock feed , and as a raw material in industry . although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail by way of illustration and example for purposes of clarity and understanding , it will be obvious that certain changes and modifications may be practiced within the scope of the invention , as limited only by the scope of the appended claims . applicant has made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of hybrid 3531 with the american type culture collection ( atcc ), rockville , md . 20852 usa , atcc deposit no . 97164 . the seeds deposited with the atcc on may 25 , 1995 were taken from the deposit maintained by pioneer hi - bred international , inc ., 700 capital square , 400 locust street , des moines , iowa 50309 - 2340 since prior to the filing date of this application . this deposit of the hybrid 3531 will be maintained in the atcc depository , which is a public depository , for a period of 30 years , or 5 years after the most recent request , or for the effective life of the patent , whichever is longer , and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable during that period . additionally , applicant has satisfied all the requirements of 37 c . f . r . §§ 1 . 801 - 1 . 809 , including providing an indication of the viability of the sample . applicant imposes no restrictions on the availability of the deposited material from the atcc ; however , applicant has no authority to waive any restrictions imposed by law on the transfer of biological material or its transportation in commerce . applicant does not waive any infringement of rights granted under this patent . applicant has made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of inbred corn line php55 with the american type culture collection ( atcc ), rockville , md . 20852 usa , atcc deposit no . 75220 . the seeds deposited with the atcc on mar . 20 , 1992 , were taken from the deposit maintained by pioneer hi - bred international , inc ., 700 capital square , 400 locust street , des moines , iowa 50309 - 2340 since prior to the filing date of this application . this deposit of the inbred corn line php55 will be maintained in the atcc depository , which is a public depository , for a period of 30 years , or 5 years after the most recent request , or for the effective life of the patent , whichever is longer , and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable during that period . additionally , applicant has satisfied all the requirements of 37 c . f . r . §§ 1 . 801 - 1 . 809 , including providing an indication of the viability of the sample . applicant imposes no restrictions on the availability of the deposited material from the atcc ; however , applicant has no authority to waive any restrictions imposed by law on the transfer of biological material or its transportation in commerce . applicant does not waive any infringement of rights granted under this patent or under the plant variety protection act ( 7 usc 2321 et seq .). php55 is a u . s . protected variety under plant variety protection certificate no . 8900318 . php55 is described sufficiently to identify it and to permit examination in plant variety protection certificate no . 8900318 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 159 , 134 , &# 34 ; inbred corn line php55 &# 34 ;, issued on oct . 27 , 1992 . applicant has made a deposit of at least 2500 seeds of inbred corn line phte4 with the american type culture collection ( atcc ), rockville , md . 20852 usa , atcc deposit no . 97065 . the seeds deposited with the atcc on feb . 22 , 1995 were taken from the deposit maintained by pioneer hi - bred international , inc ., 700 capital square , 400 locust street , des moines , iowa 50309 - 2340 since prior to the filing date of this application . this deposit of the inbred corn line phte4 will be maintained in the atcc depository , which is a public depository , for a period of 30 years , or 5 years after the most recent request , or for the effective life of the patent , whichever is longer , and will be replaced if it becomes nonviable during that period . additionally , applicant has satisfied all the requirements of 37 c . f . r . §§ 1 . 801 - 1 . 809 , including providing an indication of the viability of the sample . applicant imposes no restrictions on the availability of the deposited material from the atcc ; however , applicant has no authority to waive any restrictions imposed by law on the transfer of biological material or its transportation in commerce . applicant does not waive any infringement of rights granted under this patent or under the plant variety protection act ( 7 usc 2321 et seq .). phte4 is a u . s . protected variety under plant variety protection certificate no . 9400094 . phte4 is described sufficiently to identify it and to permit examination in plant variety protection certificate no . 9400094 and in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 453 , 564 to be issued sep . 26 , 1995 , &# 34 ; inbred corn line phte4 &# 34 ;, and in co - pending patent applications , ser . no . 08 / 414 , 477 filed mar . 31 , 1995 and ser . no . 08 / 500 , 286 filed jul . 10 , 1995 .	0
referring to fig2 , broad steps in a method for controlling an operation or process in a subterranean well in accordance with the invention are illustrated . the method , broadly stated , includes the steps of : b . providing a reader device in signal communication with the process tool . c . providing a transport mechanism for the process tool and the reader device . d . providing spaced identification devices in a well casing readable by the reader device . e . uniquely identifying each identification device and determining its depth , or location , in the well using well logs . f . programming the reader device to transmit a control signal to the process tool upon reception of a response signal from a selected identification device . g . transporting the process tool and the reader device through the well casing . i . transmitting the control signal to the process tool upon reception of the signal from the selected identification device to actuate the process tool at a selected depth . referring to fig3 a - 3d , a system 50 constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated . the system 50 is installed in a subterranean well 52 , such as an oil and gas production well . in this embodiment the system 50 is configured to perform a perforating process in the well 52 . the perforating process performed in accordance with the invention provides an improved well 52 , and improves production from the well 52 . the well 52 includes a well bore 54 , and a well casing 56 within the well bore 54 surrounded by concrete 56 . the well 52 extends from an earthen surface 60 through geological formations within the earth , which are represented as zones e , f and g . the earthen surface 60 can be the ground , or alternately a structure , such as an oil platform located above water . in the illustrative embodiment , the well 52 extends generally vertically from the surface 60 through zones e , f , and g . however , it is to be understood that the method can also be practiced on inclined wells , and on horizontal wells . the well casing 56 comprises a plurality of tubular elements 62 , such as lengths of metal pipe or tubing , connected to one another by collars 64 . the casing 56 includes an inside diameter adapted to transmit fluids into , or out of , the well 52 , and an outside diameter surrounded by the concrete 58 . the collars 64 can comprise couplings having female threads adapted for mating engagement with male threads on the tubular elements 62 . alternately , the collars 64 can comprise weldable couplings adapted for welding to the tubular elements 62 . also in the illustrative embodiment the casing 56 is illustrated as having the same outside diameter and inside diameter throughout its length . however , it is to be understood that the casing 56 can vary in size at different depths in the well 52 , as would occur by assembling tubulars with different diameters . for example , the casing 56 can comprise a telescoping structure in which the size thereof decreases with increasing depth . based on an open hole well log ( 36 - fig1 ), or other information , it is determined that zone f of the well 52 may contain oil and gas . it is thus desired to perforate the casing 56 proximate to zone f to establish fluid communication between zone f , and the inside diameter of the well casing 56 . for performing the perforating process , the system 50 includes a perforating tool 68 , and a reader device 70 in signal communication with the perforating tool 68 . the system 50 also includes a plurality of identification devices 72 ( fig3 d ) attached to the collars 64 on the casing 56 , and readable by the reader device 70 . in addition , the system 50 includes a transport mechanism 66 w for transporting the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 through the well casing 56 to zone f . if desired , the system 50 can be transported to the well 52 as a kit , and then assembled at the well 52 . as shown in fig3 c , the perforating tool 68 includes a detonator 74 ( illustrated schematically ) and a detonator cord 76 in signal communication with the detonator 74 . the detonator 74 can comprise a commercially available impact or electrical detonator configured for actuation by a signal from the reader device 70 . similarly , the detonator cord 76 can comprise a commercially available component . the detonator 74 and the detonator cord 76 are configured to generate and apply a threshold detonating energy to initiate a detonation sequence of the perforating tool 68 . in the illustrative embodiment , the detonator 74 is located on , or within , the perforating tool 68 . as shown in fig3 c , the perforating tool 68 also includes one or more charge carriers 78 each of which comprises a plurality of charge assemblies 80 . the charge carriers 78 and charge assemblies 80 can be similar to , or constructed from , commercially available perforating guns . upon detonation , each charge assembly 80 is adapted to blast an opening 82 through the casing 56 and the concrete 58 , and into the rock or other material that forms zone f . as shown in fig3 d , each collar 64 includes an identification device 72 . each identification device 72 can be attached to a resilient o - ring 86 placed in a groove 84 within each collar 64 . in the illustrative embodiment , the identification devices 72 comprise passive radio identification devices ( prids ). prids are commercially available and are widely used in applications such as to identify merchandise in retail stores , and books in libraries . the prids include a circuit which is configured to resonate upon reception of radio frequency energy from a radio transmission of appropriate frequency and strength . passive prids do not require a power source , as the energy received from the transmission signal provides the power for the prids to transmit a reply signal during reception of the transmission signal . the identification device 72 includes an integrated circuit chip , such as a transceiver chip , having memory storage capabilities . the integrated circuit chip can be configured to receive rf signals and to encode and store data based on the signals . during a data encoding operation each identification device 72 can be uniquely identified such that each collar 64 is also uniquely identified . this identification information is indicated by the c 1 - c 8 designations in fig3 a and 3b . in addition , the depth of each collar 64 can be ascertained using well logs , as previously explained and shown in fig1 . the depth information can then be correlated to the identification information encoded into the identification device 72 . a record can thus be established identifying each collar 64 and its true depth in the well 52 . alternately , as shown in fig3 f , identification device 72 a can be in the form of an active device having a separate power source such as a battery . in addition , the identification device 72 a can include an antenna 89 for transmitting signals . alternately , an identification device ( not shown ) can be configured to transmit signals through a well fluid or other transmission medium within the well 52 . such an identification device is further described in previously cited parent application ser . no . 09 / 286 , 650 , which is incorporated herein by reference . as also shown in fig3 f , the identification device 72 a can be contained in a threaded mounting device 87 . the threaded mounting device 87 can comprise a rigid , non - conductive material such as a plastic . the threaded mounting device 87 is configured to be screwed into the middle portions of the casing collar 64 ( fig3 d ), and to be retained between adjacent tubular elements of the casing 56 . the threaded mounting device 87 includes a circumferential groove 91 for the antenna 89 , and a recess 93 for the identification device 72 a . if desired , the antenna 89 and the identification device 72 a can be retained in the groove 91 and the recess 93 using an adhesive or a suitable fastener . referring to fig3 e , the reader device 70 is shown in greater detail . the reader device 70 is configured to transmit rf transmission signals at a selected frequency to the identification devices 72 , and to receive rf response signals from the identification devices 72 . as such , the reader device 70 includes a base member 77 having a transmitter 73 configured to transmit transmission signals of a first frequency to the identification devices 72 . the reader device 70 includes a receiver 71 on the base member 77 configured to receive signals of a second frequency from the identification devices 72 . preferably , the transmitter 73 is configured to provide relatively weak transmission signals such that only an identification device 72 within a close proximity ( e . g ., one foot ) of the reader device 70 receives the transmission signals . alternately , the antenna of the reader device 70 can be configured to provide highly directional transmission signals such that the transmission signals radiate essentially horizontally from the reader device 70 . accordingly , the transmission signals from the reader device 70 are only received by a single identification device 72 as the reader devices passes in close proximity to the single identification device 72 . in addition to the transmitter 73 and the receiver 71 , the reader device 70 includes a cover 79 made of an electrically non - conductive material , such as plastic or fiberglass . the reader device 70 also includes o - rings 75 on the base member 77 for sealing the cover 79 , and a cap member 81 attached to the base member 77 which secures the cover 79 on the base member 77 . in addition , the reader device 70 includes spacer elements 83 formed of an electrically non - conductive material such as ferrite , ceramic or plastic , which separate the transmitter 73 and the receiver 71 from the base member 77 . in the illustrative embodiment , the base member 77 is generally cylindrical in shape , and the spacer elements 83 comprise donuts with a half moon or contoured cross section . referring to fig4 a , an electrical schematic for the system 50 is illustrated . as illustrated schematically , each identification device 72 includes a memory device 110 , in the form of a programmable integrated circuit chip , such as a transceiver chip , configured to receive and store identification information . as previously explained , the identification information can uniquely identify each casing collar 64 with an alpha numerical , numerical or other designator . in addition , using previously prepared well logs , the depth of each uniquely identified casing collar 64 can be ascertained . as also shown in fig4 a , the reader device 70 includes the transmitter 73 for transmitting transmission signals to the identification devices 72 , and the receiver 71 for receiving the response signals from the identification devices 72 . the reader device 70 can be powered by a suitable power source , such as a battery , or a power supply at the surface . in addition , the reader device 70 includes a memory device 112 , such as one or more integrated circuit chips , configured to receive and store programming information . the reader device 70 also includes a telemetry circuit 114 configured to transmit control signals in digital or other form , through software 116 to a controller 118 , or alternately to a computer 122 . as is apparent the software 116 can be included in the controller 118 , or in the computer 122 . in addition , the computer 122 can comprise a portable device such as a lap top which can be pre - programmed and transported to the well site . also , as will be further explained , the computer 122 can include a visual display for displaying information received from the reader device 70 . the controller 118 , or the computer 122 , interface with tool control circuitry 120 , which is configured to control the perforating tool 68 as required . in the illustrative embodiment , the tool control circuitry 120 is in signal communication with the detonator 74 ( fig3 c ) of the perforating tool 68 . the tool control circuitry 120 can be located on the perforating tool 68 , on the reader device 70 , or at the surface . the reader device 70 is programmed to transmit control signals to the tool control circuitry 120 , as a function of response signals received from the identification devices 72 . for example , in the perforating process illustrated in fig3 a and 3b , coupling c 4 is located proximate to the upper level , or entry point into zone f . since it is desired to actuate the perforating tool 68 while it is in zone f , the reader device 70 can be programmed to transmit actuation control signals through the tool control circuitry 120 to the detonator 74 ( fig3 c ), when it passes coupling c 4 and receives response signals from the identification device 72 contained in coupling c 4 . because coupling is uniquely identified by the identification device 72 contained therein , and the depth of coupling c 4 has been previously identified using well logs , the perforating process can be initiated in real time , as the perforating tool 68 passes coupling c 4 and enters the section of the well casing 56 proximate to zone f . however , in order to insure that the detonation sequence is initiated at the right time additional factors must be considered . for example , the perforating tool 68 and reader device 70 can be transported through the well casing 56 with a certain velocity ( v ). in addition , the reader device 70 requires a certain time period ( t 1 ) to transmit transmission signals to the identification device 72 in coupling c 4 , and to receive response signals from the identification device 72 in coupling c 4 . in addition , a certain time period ( t 2 ) is required for transmitting signals to the tool control circuitry 120 and to the detonator 74 ( fig3 c ). further , the charge assemblies 80 require a certain time period ( t 3 ) before detonation , explosion and perforation of the casing 56 occur . all of these factors can be considered in determining which identification device 72 in which casing 64 will be used to make the reader device 70 transmit actuation control signals through the tool control circuitry 120 to the detonator 74 ( fig3 c ). in order to provide proper timing for the detonation sequence , the velocity ( v ) of the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 can be selected as required . in addition , as shown in fig5 a and 5b , a spacer element 88 can be used to space the perforating tool 68 from the reader device 70 by a predetermined distance ( d ). as shown in fig5 a , the perforating tool 68 can be above the reader device 70 ( i . e ., closer to the surface 60 ), or alternately as shown in fig5 b can be below the reader device 70 ( i . e ., farther from the surface 60 ). as an alternative to a dynamic detonation sequence , the perforating tool 68 can be stopped when the required depth is reached , and a static detonation sequence performed . for example , the reader device 70 can be programmed to send a signal for stopping the perforating tool 68 when it reaches coupling c 6 . in this case , the signal from the reader device 70 can be used to control the wire line unit 92 and stop the wire line 90 . the detonation and explosive sequence can then be initiated by signals from the tool control circuit 120 , with the perforating tool 68 in a static condition at the required depth . as shown in fig4 b , signals from the reader device 70 can be used to generate a visual display 124 , such as a computer screen on the computer 122 , which is viewable by an operator at the surface . the visual display 124 is titled “ true depth systems ” and includes a power switch for enabling power to the reader device 70 and other system components . the visual display 124 also includes a “ depth meter ” that indicates the depth of the reader device 70 ( or the perforating tool 68 ) within the well 52 . the visual display 124 also includes “ alarm indicators ” including a “ well alarm top ” indicator , a “ well alarm bottom ” indicator , and an “ explosive device ” indicator . the “ alarm indicators ” are similar to stop lights with green , yellow and red lights to indicate varying conditions . the visual display 124 also includes “ power indicators ” including a “ true depth reader ” power indicator , a “ true depth encoder ” power indicator , and a “ system monitor ” power indicator . in addition , the visual display 124 includes various “ digital indicators ”. for example , a “ line speed ” digital indicator indicates the speed at which the reader device 70 , and the perforating tool 68 , are being transported through the well casing 56 . an “ encoder depth ” digital indicator indicates the depth of each identification device 72 as the reader device 70 passes by the identification devices 72 . a “ true depth ” indicator indicates the actual depth of the reader device 70 in real time as it is transported through the well casing 56 . the visual display 124 also includes a “ tds id ” indicator that indicates an id number for each identification device 72 . in addition , the visual display 124 includes a “ tds description ” indicator that further describes each identification device 72 ( e . g ., location in a specific component or zone ). the visual display 124 also includes a “ time ” indicator that can be used as a time drive ( forward or backward ) for demonstration or review purposes . finally , the visual display 124 includes an “ api log ” which indicates log information , such as gamma ray or spe readings , from the previously described well logs , correlated to the “ digital indicators ” for depth . referring again to fig3 a and 3b , in the embodiment illustrated therein , the transport mechanism 66 w includes a wire line 90 operable by a wire line unit 92 , substantially as previously explained and shown in fig1 . the wire line 90 can comprise a slick line , an electric line , a braided line , or coil tubing . if the controller 118 , or the computer 122 , is located at the surface 60 , the wire line 90 can be used to establish signal communication between the reader device 70 and the controller 118 or the computer 122 . referring to fig6 a - 6d , alternate embodiment transport mechanisms for transporting the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 through the casing 56 are shown . in fig6 a , a transport mechanism 66 p comprises a pump for pumping a conveyance fluid through the inside diameter of the casing 56 . the pumped conveyance fluid then transports the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 through the casing 56 . in fig6 b , a transport mechanism 66 r comprises one or more robotic devices attached to the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 , and configured to transport the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 through the casing 56 . in fig6 c , a transport mechanism 66 g comprises gravity ( g ) such that the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 free fall through the casing 56 . the free fall can be through a well fluid within the casing 56 , or through air in the casing 56 . in fig6 d , a transport mechanism 66 pa includes a parachute which controls the rate of descent of the perforating tool 68 and the reader device 70 in the casing 56 . again , the parachute can operate in a well fluid , or in air contained in the casing 56 . referring to fig7 a - 7c , an alternate embodiment system 50 a constructed in accordance with the invention is illustrated . the system 50 a is installed in a subterranean well 52 a , such as an oil and gas production well . in this embodiment the system 50 a is configured to perform a packer setting process in the well 52 a . the well 52 a includes a well bore 54 a , and a well casing 56 a within the well bore 54 a surrounded by concrete 58 a . the well casing 56 a comprises a plurality of tubular elements 62 a , such as lengths of metal pipe or tubing , connected to one another by collars 64 a . the well 52 a extends from an earthen surface 60 a through geological formations within the earth , which are represented as zones h and i . for performing the packer setting process , the system 50 a includes a packer setting tool 68 a , an inflation device 98 a for the packer setting tool 68 a , and a reader device 70 a in signal communication with the packer setting tool 68 a . in this embodiment , the inflation device 98 a is located on the surface 60 a such that a wire , or other signal transmission medium must be provided between the packer setting tool 68 a and the inflation device 98 a . the packer setting tool 68 a can include an inflatable packer element designed for inflation by the inflation device 98 a and configured to sealingly engage the inside diameter of the casing 56 a . in fig7 b , the inflatable packer element of the packer setting tool 68 a has been inflated to seal the inside diameter of the casing 56 a proximate to zone i . the system 50 a also includes a plurality of identification devices 72 ( fig3 d ) attached to the collars 64 a on the casing 56 a , and readable by the reader device 70 a . in addition , the system 50 a includes a transport mechanism 66 a for transporting the packer setting tool 68 a and the reader device 70 a through the well casing 56 a to zone i . in this embodiment , the transport mechanism 66 a comprises a tubing string formed by tubular elements 102 a . as shown in fig7 c , each tubular element 102 a includes a male tool joint 94 a on one end , and a female tool joint 96 a on an opposing end . this permits the tubular elements 102 a to be attached to one another to form the transport mechanism 66 a . in addition , the packer setting tool 68 a can include a central mandrel in fluid communication with the inside diameter of the transport mechanism 66 a . the reader device 70 a is programmed to transmit a control signal to the inflation device 98 a upon actuation by a selected identification device 72 ( fig3 d ). for example , in the packer setting process illustrated in fig7 a and 7b , coupling c 4 a is located proximate to the upper level , or entry point into zone i . since it is desired to inflate the inflatable packer element of the packer setting tool 68 a while it is proximate to zone i , the reader device 70 a can be programmed to transmit the control signal to the inflation device 68 a when it reaches coupling c 4 a . in this embodiment a spacer element 88 a separates the packer setting tool 68 a and the reader device 70 a . in addition , the packer setting tool 68 a is located downhole relative to the reader device 70 a . in order to insure that the packer setting sequence is initiated at the right time additional factors must be considered as previously explained . these factors can include the velocity ( v ) of the packer setting tool 68 a and the reader device 70 a , and the time required to inflate the inflatable packer element of the packer setting tool 68 a . alternately , the packer setting tool 68 a can be stopped at a particular coupling ( e . g ., coupling c 5 a ) and then inflated as required . in this case the reader device 70 a can be programmed to transmit the control signals to the visual display 124 ( fig4 b ) on the surface 60 a when the packer tool 68 a passes a coupling 64 a at the required depth . the operator can then control the inflation device 98 a to initiate inflation of the packer setting tool 68 a . alternately the inflation sequence can be initiated automatically by the tool control circuit 120 ( fig4 a ). in each of the described processes the method of the invention provides an improved well . for example , in the perforating process of fig3 a and 3b , the well 52 can be perforated in the selected zone , or in a selected interval of the selected zone . production from the well 52 is thus optimized and the well 52 is able to produce more fluids , particularly oil and gas . referring to fig8 a - 8c , a multi stage operation performed in accordance with the method of the invention is illustrated . initially , as shown in fig8 a , a combination tool 130 is provided . the combination tool 134 includes a packer setting tool 132 and a perforating tool 134 , which function substantially as previously described for the packer setting tool 68 a ( fig7 b ), and the perforating tool 68 ( fig3 a ) previously described . in addition , the combination tool 134 includes the reader device 70 and the casing 56 includes identification devices 72 ( fig3 d ) substantially as previously described . as also shown in fig8 a , the combination tool 130 is transported through the casing 56 using the gravity transport mechanism 66 g . alternately , any of the other previously described transport mechanisms can be employed . next , as shown in fig8 b , the packer setting tool 132 is actuated such that an inflatable packer element of the tool 132 seals the casing 56 at a desired depth . in this embodiment the packer setting tool 132 is a self contained unit , with an integral inflation source . as with the previously described embodiments , the reader device 70 provides control signals for controlling the packer setting tool 132 , and the packer setting process . for example , the inflatable packer element of the packer setting tool 132 can be inflated when the reader device 70 passes a selected coupling 64 , and receives a response signal from the identification device 72 contained within the selected coupling 64 . as also shown in fig8 b , the perforating tool 134 separates from the packer setting tool 132 and continues to free fall through the casing 56 . next , as shown in fig8 c , the perforating tool 132 is controlled such that detonation and explosive sequences are initiated substantially as previously described . again the reader device 70 provides control signals , for controlling the perforating tool 132 to initiate the detonation and explosive sequences at the proper depth . as indicated by the dashed arrows in fig8 c explosion of the charge assemblies 80 ( fig3 c ) of the perforating tool 134 forms openings in the casing 58 and the concrete 58 . thus the invention provides a method and a system for performing various operations or processes in wells and for improving production from the wells . while the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments , as will be apparent to those skilled in the art , certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims .	4
while this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms , there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail a preferred embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated . fig1 of the drawings discloses a roller cleaning apparatus , generally designated by reference numeral 10 . roller cleaning apparatus 10 includes a base or support 12 which has a housing 14 extending from the upper surface thereof . housing 14 has a lower portion 14a ( fig2 ) and an upper portion 14b which are joined to each other through hinges 16 . housing 14 has end walls 18 , sidewalls 20 and a top wall 22 which has an opening located within a collar 26 so that the internal area of the enclosed housing may be vented to an area such as a smoke stack . each end wall 18 has a circular opening 28 and each circular opening has its lower half defined in lower housing 14a and its upper half defined in upper housing 14b . a roller 30 to be cleaned is inserted into the housing so that the central portion 30a to be cleaned is located within the housing while the end or journal portions 30b extending through openings 28 . the support or base 12 including housing 14 supports roller 30 for rotation about its fixed axis and for this purpose , a pair of circumferentially spaced freely rotatable rollers or journal bearings 32 are supported for rotation about fixed axes on each end wall 18 and are positioned such that their peripheral surfaces are located within the confines of opening 28 . thus , the bearing journals 32 will provide the entire support for roller 30 that is rotated about its axis by drive means that will be described later . preferably , housing 14 also has guide members 34 extending inwardly from end walls 18 and guide members 34 prevent axial movement of roller 30 during rotation thereof . the roller cleaning apparatus 10 also includes a nozzle 40 connected to a source of pressurized steam 42 through a conduit 44 for directing a small narrow stream of high pressure steam towards the peripheral surface of central portion 30a of roller 30 . nozzle 40 is connected to a nozzle support member 46 which in turn is guided for movement along a path that extends parallel to the axis of roller 30 through a pair of guide rods 48 that are supported at opposite ends on upright members 50 that extend above base 12 . nozzle 40 is supported on nozzle support member 46 so that the free end portion thereof extends through a slot 52 defined in housing 14 . nozzle support member 46 is thus guided for movement along a fixed path that extends parallel to the axis of roller 30 and is moved through drive means 60 that will now be described . in the illustrated embodiment , the drive means 60 consists of a rotatable screw 62 that extends through a threaded opening 64 in support member 46 with opposite ends of rotatable screw 62 journaled for rotation in openings 65 defined in uprights 50 . in the illustrated embodiment , the drive means for rotating screw 62 and roller 30 includes a common power source or motor 66 that has its output shaft connected to a gear reduction unit 68 which has an output sprocket 70 connected to the output shaft thereof . sprocket 70 is connected through chain means 72 and a sprocket 74 to a driven shaft 76 . driven shaft 76 is supported on base 12 by a pair of bearing journals 78 and has a gear 80 fixed to one end thereof which is a mesh with a gear 82 that is fixed to one end portion 30b of roller 30 . in the illustrated embodiment , drive shaft 76 is also connected to rotatable screw 62 through a drive chain 84 and a further pair of drive sprockets 86 , one of which is connected to shaft 76 and the other which is connected to rotatable screw 62 . from the above description , it is believed that the operation of the apparatus for cleaning the peripheral surface of a roller 30 will be readily understood but will be briefly summarized at this point . the roller 30 is rotated about its own axis by energizing drive motor 66 which is preferably a reversible variable speed motor . the various sprockets 70 , 74 , and 86 are selected such that the axial movement of nozzle support member 46 and the rotational movement of roller 30 are such that the entire surface of the roller portion 30a to be cleaned will be impinged by the stream of steam as the nozzle is moved from one end of the surface of central portion 30a to the opposite end . of course , it will be appreciated that the drive means for reciprocating nozzle support member 46 and rotating roller 40 could be separate power sources both of which were adjustable to vary the speed thereof . in order to place the invention in a proper environment a specific example of a prototype cleaning unit 10 will now briefly be summarized . a first variable speed drive motor ( not shown ) was connected directly to feed screw 62 and the motor was of the variable speed type so that the speed of rotation of screw 62 was in the range of 0 . 25 to 3 . 5 rpm and the diameter of the screw was selected such that the axial travel for this range of rotation was 1 / 32 to 7 / 16 inches per minute . a second motor ( not shown ) was connected to roller 30 and this motor again was a variable speed type to have a range of 0 . 25 to 3 . 5 rpm for the roller . a roller having a diameter of approximately 8 inches in the center portion of 30a with an axial length of the center portion of 68 inches was positioned on the support rollers 32 and the rotational speed for roller 30 was set at 1 / 4 rpm while the motor for driving screw 62 was set at such that the travel of nozzle 40 was 2 inches per hour . thus , in a total of 34 hours , nozzle 40 moved from one end of central portion 30a to the opposite end thereof to clean the entire surface of the roller . the pressure of the steam in this test was 140 psi . the roller cleaned in this fashion was acceptable for reuse without any additional manual cleaning . it should be noted that the speed of rotation of the roller and the axial speed of the nozzle support member are to a large measure dependent upon the size of the steam , i . e . the nozzle tip design , and the distance of the tip from the roller . it will be appreciated that from the above description , the present invention provides an extremely simple mechanism for cleaning the roller which can be automatically operated without the attention of an operator after initial setup . of course , various modifications come to mind without departing from the spirit of the invention . for example , with a reversible electric motor , the nozzle support member 46 could be reciprocated back and forth across the surface of roller portion 30a and the speed of rotation of the roller could be coordinated so that the entire surface could be cleaned more than one time .	1
fig1 shows a plan view of a canine training structure 100 . the device 100 may include a first surface 104 having a pair of generally parallel sides spaced by a first predetermined distance d 1 and a second surface 102 having a first region 102 a having generally parallel sides spaced by a second predetermined distance d 2 and a second region 102 b having a first dimension generally corresponding to the first predetermined distance d 1 and a second dimension generally corresponding to the second predetermined distance d 2 . in a preferred embodiment , the first surface 104 has a length l 1 of 4 feet and a first predetermined distance d 1 of 3 feet , the first region 102 a of the second surface 102 has a length l 2 a of 4 feet and a second predetermined distance d 2 of 1 foot , and the second region 102 b of the second surface 102 has a length l 2 b of 2 feet . the second region 102 b maybe referred to as a transition region , where the width of the structure transitions from a wide width to a narrow width or vice versa depending on which end of the structure the canine enters . the surfaces 102 and 104 may include a plurality of protuberances or raised slats 106 , preferably three - fourths of an inch thick and one - and - half inches wide that preferably extend from edge to edge of the surfaces . the slats 106 may be equally spaced on the surfaces , preferably spaced approximately 12 ″ apart . the slats 106 may provide a pushing surface to aid the canine in the ascent or decline of the structure 100 . the transition in the dimension of the second region 102 b from d 1 to d 2 may be linear or non linear . the surface 102 and 104 may be made from wood , preferably fir plywood or aluminum . the surfaces may have a textured coating to reduce injury to a canine . as shown in fig2 appropriate structural members 108 and 110 may support the surfaces 102 and 104 respectively . the structure 100 may rest on a support surface , for example the ground or an indoor floor . the structural members 108 and 110 may be formed from wood or metallic tubing , for example hollow aluminum or steel tube stock . the tube stock may be joined using mechanical fastener or may be joined , for example by welding . the surfaces 102 and 104 or the structural member 108 and 110 may be coupled by a hinge 116 . the hinge may be mechanically fastened to the surfaces 102 and 104 or the structural members 108 and 110 . the hinge 116 may be a piano hinge that preferably extends from edge to edge of the structure . the hinge 116 may include a removable hinge pin to allow for easier transport . the hinge may be positioned to allow the structure to lie flat on a surface . handles 122 may be added to the structure to aid in transportation , preferably , the handles are located on the under surface of the structure . the structure 100 may include a tensioning device 114 coupled to opposing end of the surfaces 102 and 104 or the structural members 108 and 110 to form the structure into a triangular shape . the tensioning device may be a length of chain or cable . the length of the tensioning device may be adjusted to change the overall height h of the structure 100 at its peak . to begin training a canine the structure may be laid flat on a surface . as the canine develops confidence , the overall height h of the structure may be increased by decreasing the length of the tensioning device 114 . in a preferred embodiment , an interior angle formed between the first surface and the second surface is preferably an obtuse angle , and more preferably is approximately 110 . in this preferred configuration , the height h of the structure 100 is approximately 2 feet 8 inches . the tensioning device may be coupled to the surfaces 102 and 104 or the structural member 108 and 110 with an eyehook 112 . the canine 120 may enter the structure 100 from either end . the canine climbs the entrance surface and then descends the exit surface . when the canine enters the structure as shown in fig2 the second region 102 b allows the canine to redirect his travel towards the narrower first region 102 a . if the structure did not transition from one width to another , a canine entering the structure as shown in fig2 accidentally could fall off the structure and be injured . fig3 shows a plan view of another canine training structure 100 ′. the device 100 ′ may include a first surface 104 ′ having a pair of generally parallel sides spaced by a first predetermined distance d 1 ′ and a second surface 102 ′ having a first region 102 a ′ having generally parallel sides spaced by a second predetermined distance d 2 ′ and a second region 102 b ′ having a first dimension generally corresponding to the first predetermined distance d 1 ′ and a second dimension generally corresponding to the second predetermined distance d 2 ′. in a preferred embodiment , the first surface 104 ′ has a length l 1 ′ of 6 feet and a first predetermined distance d 1 ′ of 1 foot , the first region 102 a ′ of the second surface 102 ′ has a length l 2 a ′ of 4 feet and a second predetermined distance d 2 ′ of 3 feet , and the second region 102 b ′ of the second surface 102 has a length l 2 b ′ of 2 feet . the second region 102 b ′ maybe referred to as a transition region , where the width of the structure transitions from a wide width to a narrow width or vice versa depending on which end of the structure the canine enters . the surfaces 102 ′ and 104 ′ may include a plurality of protuberances or raised slats 106 ′, preferably three - fourths of an inch thick and one - and - half inches wide that preferably extend from edge to edge of the surfaces . the slats 106 ′ may be equally spaced on the surfaces , preferably spaced approximately 12 ″ apart . the slats 106 ′ may provide a pushing surface to aid the canine in the ascent or decline of the structure 100 ′. the transition in the dimension of the second region 102 b ′ from d 1 to d 2 may be linear or non linear . a hingeble joint 116 ′ may couple the first surface 104 ′ and the second surface 102 ′. suitable structural members may be used to support the first and second surfaces 104 ′ and 102 ′ respectively . a tensioning device coupled to the first and second surfaces may also be used to form the structure into a triangular shape . the length of the tensioning device may be adjusted to change the overall height of the structure at its peak . the dimensions given are exemplary and should not be construed as the only dimensions possible . these dimensions can be changed without departing from the present invention . it should be understood that , while the present invention has been described in detail herein , the invention can be embodied otherwise without departing from the principles thereof , and such other embodiments are meant to come within the scope of the present invention as defined in the following claim ( s ).	0
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth such as specific reference algorithms to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the present invention . however , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without such specific details . in other instances , well - known mathematical method steps or components have been omitted or shown in block diagram form in order not to obscure the present description in unnecessary detail . for the most part , details concerning specific timing considerations and the like have been omitted inasmuch as such details are not necessary to obtain a complete understanding of the methods described herein and are within the skills of persons of ordinary skill in the relevant art . one embodiment of the invention formulates the deformation problem to remove subsurface faulting fault with an elastic model and solves the deformation problem by a numerical method , such as a volume element or boundary surface element method . the method provides for computing the deformation due to the reversal of faulting on a section or a volume in a mechanically coherent manner . in one embodiment of the present invention described below , a boundary surface element method is used . since the boundary surface element method generally requires fewer vertices than a volume element method for a given volume section , it can be generally expected to execute much faster than a volume element method . embodiments may be practiced with a volume element method in alternate embodiments using essentially the same basic method steps as presented for the boundary surface method . with a boundary element method , the fault surface divides a volume into two sections . a multiple subsection scheme is employed in cases where two sections are partially coupled if the fault does not entirely or completely cut through the volume . for each section , the boundary of the section is partitioned into surface elements , and a boundary integration equation may be established based on mathematical formulations of linear elasticity . the boundary equations may then be numerically solved for given slip or displacement vector on the fault surface , and the deformation solution to the fault reversal is obtained by a numerical integration over the boundary of each section . note that the same fundamental integration equations are established for each section in 2d cases as those in 3d cases . by solving these integration equations numerically , embodiments of the present invention may obtain the deformation at any interior point of the volume . thus the seismic events in the volume may be restored to a pre - faulting state . refer now to the drawings wherein depicted elements are not necessarily shown to scale and wherein like or similar elements are designated by the same reference numeral through the several views . in fig2 , a simple model of a fault event 200 is illustrated in 3d . the fault event 200 comprises the slippage of a volume section 203 relative to another volume section 201 . a horizon 204 has become discontinuous as a result of the slippage . in this simplified 3d model , the planes of the surfaces 205 and 206 define the fault . the restoration slip vectors , which indicate the displacement required to restore the fault on the fault surface are shown by vectors 212 for surface 205 , and by vectors 210 for surface 206 . the vectors 212 and 210 may be defined from the discontinuity of the horizon 204 , and used as inputs , i . e ., known quantities , for solving the formal numerical equation ( see equation ( 3 )). even in this simple 3d model , the inadequacy of a model employing a 2d , i . e . planar , fault surface is easily recognized ( refer to fig1 ); a 2d fault surface cannot accurately account for the slip vectors in the formation , and will produce false results in a 3d restoration . however , the 3d fault surface methods will be equally accurate if the fault surface occurs only in 2d . since , as a practical matter , most seismic fault surfaces may be assumed to occur in 3d , the methods presently disclosed are highly pertinent to realistic applications . note that for the other parts of the fault surface , no restrictions for displacement other than the non - violation of the space constraint are applied . in fig3 , a model 300 of a volume intersected by a 3d fault surface is illustrated in 3d . the fault surface 306 divides the volume into sections , 304 and 302 , on either side of surface 306 . in other words , section 304 and section 302 contact each other along the fault surface 306 . faces or partial faces of the volume and the fault surface 306 bound each section 304 , 302 . for each of the two sections 304 , 302 , a boundary element model is applied to decompose the boundary into small elements of a simple geometry . in one example implementation , a standard triangulation algorithm decomposes the known fault surface into a plurality of general triangles . such triangulation functions are well known in the art for finite element analysis , and may employ any one of numerous rules and / or methodologies for establishing a decomposition algorithm . one example of a triangulation method often used in finite element methods is the delaunay triangulation , in which no point , i . e . vertex , lies inside the circumcircle ( or in 3d , the circumsphere ) of any other triangle . other regular or irregular triangulation methods may alternatively be implemented in a similar manner in various implementations of the present invention . when the two volumes on either side of the fault surface ( for example , sections 304 , 302 along surface 306 ) are displaced , such as during restoration , the contact boundaries may not overlap or penetrate each other , according to the presently disclosed methods . in other words , the contact boundaries are subject to a space constraint . a space constraint refers to fact that the two volumes must not penetrate each other . since the two volumes contact each other along the fault surface , the constraint is imposed on the contact vertices of each volume ( for example the vertices on surface 402 and surface 502 ). repulsion is a traction or force per unit area , i . e ., a stress , and it may be applied to the contact vertices to enforce the constraint . this represents a stress vector in the direction normal to the element ( in the present example triangle ) surface of a contact vertex and of a magnitude large enough to prevent an overlapping or an opening . in the direction of the normal vector at a contact vertex , the magnitude of the stress vector is positive or negative , arbitrarily for repulsion or attraction , and may be iteratively resolved until some minimum value satisfying the space constraint is converged upon . in some instances , the repulsion or attraction stress may be zero . the space constraint is a separate criteria for the 3d restoration results and is independent of decomposition geometry or other algorithms used in implementing various method steps . in fig4 , a volume element 400 illustrates a triangulated boundary surface corresponding to section 304 ( refer to fig3 ). in volume element 400 , surface 402 is the surface bounded by the fault surface 306 ( not shown in fig4 ). similarly in fig5 , a volume element 500 illustrates a triangulated boundary surface corresponding to section 302 ( refer to fig3 ). in volume element 500 , surface 502 is the surface bounded by the fault surface 306 ( not shown in fig5 ). the examples presented describe application of an embodiment of the method of the present invention . in one example , corresponding to fig2 , a volume of 16 × 16 × 8 m 3 is used . a fault , consisting of two planar surfaces , is introduced to the volume . the first planar surface dips 45 degrees w and strikes 0 degrees ( i . e ., n - s ). the second planar surface dips 45 degrees sw and strikes n45w . in this example , a constant restoration slip vector is applied to every point on the first planar surface of the upper fault block . the restoration vectors have equal x - and z - components and zero y - component and represents sliding of the upper fault block against the fault surface . note that the y - axis is parallel to the n - s compass direction and the z - axis is positive downward . the x - axis is perpendicular to the plane containing the directions of the x and z - axes . the restoration vectors are based on restoring a particular horizontal line on the fault surface , a line that represents the intersection of a horizontal horizon and the fault surface . many points on the fault surface , but not those on the intersection , may be subject to an inequality constraint , and the repulsion method is used to enforce the constraint . the boundary of the fault blocks other than the fault surfaces are under a given traction in order to maintain equilibrium of forces involved . in this test , zero traction is used to simulate the case of no resistance to restoration . where a portion of the fault is a planar surface , the deformation of the fault block consists only of space translation , resulting in no strain . in another example , corresponding to fig3 - 5 , the volume remains the same , and the fault is now a curved surface with opposite curvatures in two orthogonal directions . the strike and dip of the fault vary from vertex to vertex . since the fault surface is curved , the restoration results in strain in the fault volume . fig3 shows a graphical representation where the red surface is the fault surface . in fig4 , the fault surface of one section , the upper fault block , is exposed to the view , while the opposing section , the lower fault block , and the fault surface are made invisible . a few slip vectors may be graphically selected along a curved line on the fault surface . this curved line can be the intersection of a horizon with the fault surface . the restoration slip vectors are so chosen that the upper fault block will be restored to a higher position , and this fault block will remain in full contact with the fault surface . note that the fault surface of the upper block is subject to the space constraint ( i . e . ; the repulsion method is applied ), and the slip vector is defined at only a few locations . to enforce the space constraint , the repulsion scheme is applied in an iterative way . at any particular iteration , the penetration ( or gap ) of the vertices of elements under space constraint is computed , and an appropriate repulsion is applied to counter the space violation . an average violation is also computed , and the iteration stops when the average violation is less than a prescribed threshold . the following table shows the average space violation in m across the fault surface vertices for 16 iterations in one example method : 1 2 3 4 0 . 0252796 0 . 0129175 0 . 0115803 0 . 0105302 5 6 7 8 0 . 0096753 0 . 0089889 0 . 0084232 0 . 0079434 9 10 11 12 0 . 0075258 0 . 0071405 0 . 0068051 0 . 0065488 13 14 15 16 0 . 0063128 0 . 0060768 0 . 0058702 0 . 0056896 as one can see from the table , the penetration reduces from 0 . 0252796 m to 0 . 00568962 m after 16 iterations . the uniform convergence is a validating mathematic property of the repulsion algorithm . in fig6 and 7 , 2d images of a seismic formation , before and after applying methods of the present invention are illustrated . the images show a set of normal faults that have been identified , possibly around the top of an anticline fold . in fig6 , a seismic section showing horizons offset by a set of normal faults is shown . faults 602 are involved in faulting reversal , and intersect horizons that are used as geological constraints . the elastic model in the formulation is characterized by a young &# 39 ; s modulus of about 3 × 10 9 pa and a poisson &# 39 ; s ratio of 0 . 25 . the formation is partitioned into a number of triangles , and a finite element method is used to solve the minimization problem for a given slip function on the fault trace . as shown in fig7 , the faulting reversal method was applied across 12 faults 602 by requiring that visible horizons be continuous across these faults . the offset of each horizon against a specific fault defines a slip vector . piecewise linear functions based on these slip vectors were used to approximate the displacement fields on each of the respective faults . note that several faults 604 were not restored . note that some faults cut through the section . for those faults with two tips inside the section , the displacement is attenuated to zero at these tips . after applying elastic deformation , the deformed formation as shown in fig7 resulted . fig8 - 12 , flowcharts illustrate the methods in one embodiment of the present invention . the presently described methods may also be practiced in various other embodiments that omit or rearrange the method steps shown in fig8 - 12 . in fig8 , method 800 shows the basic elements of the method , beginning with step 801 . seismic data regarding a formation are received in step 802 . the seismic data may be in the form of images or numerical data that may be reduced to a structure of a volume of a formation . in one example of step 802 , 3d seismic scan data of a formation containing one or more faults is provided . the next method step 804 in fig8 involves defining a physical model based on received data . in fig9 , one example of step 804 beginning with step 900 is shown in further detail . from the seismic data , the location of fault surfaces and location of horizons or other features in the formation is performed in step 902 . then in step 904 , the volume and surface boundaries of the formation are decomposed , i . e ., reduced to finite elements . in step 906 , the boundary integral equation is derived and applied . in step 908 , the equation for the displacement and traction vectors is derived from the boundary integral equation , which completes method 804 at step 910 . the method presently described assumes that the fault surface does not change for the purposes of 3d restoration . since the goal of the present inventive methods is restoration to the un - faulted state , the actual behavior of the fault surface during the fault event is not particularly relevant . the results of embodiments of the present invention indicate that a 3d restoration that is mechanically coherent may be provided under the assumption of a fixed fault surface . the next method step 806 in fig8 involves performing a numerical procedure on the physical model . in fig1 , one example of step 806 beginning with step 920 is shown in further detail . in step 921 , the boundary conditions for displacement vectors are provided . this may involve determining a slip restoration vector for a recognizable horizon split by a fault . in step 922 , initial traction values for vertices on the fault surface are assumed . in step 924 , the displacement and traction for each boundary vertex is resolved . from step 924 , the method 806 may branch off to a portion 930 , which represents an iterative solution for displacement and traction vectors on the fault surface . in step 926 , the displacement vectors are checked to see if the space constraint is violated . if the space constraint is violated , then in step 928 new repulsion stresses are estimated . in one case , an incremental or decremental change to the previous repulsion stress values is applied in step 928 . after step 928 , step 924 is repeated , and the cycle given by 930 may continue until the result of step 926 is no . if the space constraint is not violated by the given displacement and traction values , then step 926 proceeds to step 931 , where the deformation of the entire volume may now be calculated , since all required quantities are known . the method 806 terminates at step 932 . the next method step 808 in fig8 involves generating a new unfaulted , i . e ., restored , model of the formation based on a numerical procedure . in fig1 , one example of step 808 beginning with step 940 is shown in further detail . in step 942 , the computed deformation from the restoration displacement vectors is applied to the original data . the resulting 3d restored volume is stored in step 944 . in one example , the 3d volume is represented as one or more 2d slices or sections . in step 946 the resulting restored 3d volume may be displayed . in one example , the display involves generating any plane from the 3d volume and displaying this in 2d . in another example of step 946 , the entire volume is displayed in 3d . in on embodiment of step 946 ( not shown ), a determination may also be made that the restoration was not accurate or deficient in some aspect , such that the method execution returned to step 920 and performed another iteration of method 806 with values correcting for the deficiency , and leaving other values unchanged . method 808 terminates at step 950 . the next method step 810 in fig8 involves the restored results may be stored , displayed , reported or used for further assessments . in fig1 , one example of step 810 beginning with step 960 is shown in further detail . steps 962 , 064 or 966 represent alternative paths for specifying a data set from the restored data . in step 962 , a computation is executed on the restored data set , for example a scaling function . in step 964 a conditional query is performed to retrieve a portion of the restored data set . in step 966 , a filtering or data reduction algorithm is applied to the restored data set . note that steps 962 - 964 may be executed in a consecutive manner with omission or repeat of certain steps , and that other methods of specifying or altering the restored data set may be applied . in step 968 , the resulting or retrieved data set may be stored or fetched , respectively . in one example , a query on a relational database is run in step 964 and the resulting query is fetched and stored in step 968 . in step 970 the data set may be displayed in an analogous manner to step 946 . in step 972 , a report or image of the resulting data set may be generated . the report or image may be in 2d or 3d , in an analogous manner as for the display in step 946 . in step 974 an method for assessing the resulting data set may be applied . in one example of step 974 , the assessment is a manual analysis and comparison with other data sets . in another example of step 974 , an algorithm is applied to the resulting data set . other embodiments of step 974 may involve recognition of exploitable resources in the seismic formation , which were not apparent before the fault restoration . one example implementation of a 3d restoration according to method 800 is now described in detail . for given restoration slip vectors on fault surfaces , and given traction vectors on other parts of the volume boundaries , the deformation of the volume results in the minimum strain energy among all admissible deformations . an equivalent statement of this formulation is the well - known virtual work principle . this principle states that at equilibrium , the work done by any virtual displacement is zero . from the virtual work principle , the displacement vector at a point i in a volume can be computed from integrals of the displacement and traction vectors over the boundaries . by restriction to the points on the boundaries of the volume , one obtains a boundary integral equation . using green &# 39 ; s functions for virtual displacement and tractions , we may derive the a mathematical formulation from the virtual work principle . for each volume on either side of the fault service , such as sections 304 and 302 , the following boundary integral equation applies : c ⁢ u → ⁡ ( p i ) = ∑ e = 1 e ⁢ ⁢ ∑ n = 1 3 ⁢ ⁢ t → n e ⁢ ∫ s e ⁢ n n ⁡ ( ξ ) ⁢ u ⁡ ( p i , ξ ) ⁢ ⁢ ⅆ s ⁡ ( ξ ) - ∑ e = 1 e ⁢ ⁢ ∑ n = 1 3 ⁢ ⁢ u → n e ⁢ ∫ s e ⁢ n n ⁡ ( ξ ) ⁢ t ⁡ ( p i , ξ ) ⁢ ⁢ ⅆ s ⁡ ( ξ ) ( 1 ) in equation ( 1 ) c is a constant ; { right arrow over ( u )}( p i ) is the displacement vector for point p i in the volume enclosed by surface s ( i . e ., point p i may be defined by coordinates ( x i , y i , z i ) for index i ); e is the total number of triangular surface elements indexed by e ; n is the vertex index for a given triangular element ; { right arrow over ( t )} n e and { right arrow over ( u )} n e are the traction and displacement vectors , respectively defined at the vertex n of element e ; s e represents the surface of element e ; ξ represents the points on the surface of element e ; n n is a base function associated with vertex n as a function of ξ ; u ( p i , ξ ) is the kernel function for displacement ; and t ( p i , ξ ) is the kernel function for traction . after assembling the integrals , one obtains a boundary element equation on the displacement and traction at the vertices of a boundary . the integrals in equation ( 1 ) can be evaluated using a standard numerical quadrature . the resulting equation is : c ⁢ u → i = ∑ e = 1 e ⁢ ⁢ ∑ n = 1 3 ⁢ ⁢ t → n e ⁢ δ ⁢ ⁢ u ni - ∑ e = 1 e ⁢ ⁢ ∑ n = 1 3 ⁢ ⁢ u → n e ⁢ δ ⁢ ⁢ t ni ( 2 ) ∑ i , j = 0 n ⁢ ⁢ a ij ⁢ u → j = ∑ i , j = 0 n ⁢ ⁢ b ij ⁢ t → j ( 3 ) note that in the system of equation ( 3 ) there are n equations on n displacement vectors and n traction vectors on the surface of a volume section . furthermore , the displacement and traction functions on the small elements may be approximated with simple functions , such as linear functions . these simple functions are parameterized with the displacement and traction value at the vertices of the element . in equation ( 3 ), a ij is a matrix reassembled from δt ni in equation ( 2 ), while b ij is a matrix reassembled from δu ni of equation ( 2 ). in such a way , the boundary integrals on an element become a linear combination of the displacement or traction value at the vertices . if a boundary condition is given , the displacement or traction vector at each vertex of the boundary is resolved . if the number of known displacement or traction vectors equals to n , the problem is well defined , and the unknown displacement at each vertex can be obtained by solving equation ( 3 ). by applying given slip vectors on the contact surface ( such as surfaces 402 and 502 ) and some traction condition to other parts of the boundary ( such as the remaining surfaces of sections 302 and 304 ), equation ( 3 ) can be solved for displacement and traction vectors at each vertex on the boundary . once the displacement and traction at each vertex on the boundary is known , the deformation at any given interior point of the part can be then obtained by equation ( 2 ). in effect , this procedure removes the faulting and restores the volume to a pre - fault state . the next step in the fault restoration is resolving the slip vectors on the fault surface . when a horizon is offset by a fault , the discontinuity of the horizon can be used for defining the restoration slip vectors ( see fig2 , vectors 210 , 212 ). in this way restoration slip vectors can be defined on the intersection of the horizon and the fault . the intersection defines a polyline on the faulting surface . note that the displacement at the other points on the fault surface cannot be defined by the discontinuity of the horizon . the extrapolation of these same slip vectors to other vertices on the fault surface would erroneously result in penetration of the volume unless a correction is made . in a fault restoration problem , input displacement vectors may be given for the contact boundary of one volume section , for example surface 402 for section 304 , or surface 502 for section 302 . in various example case , given displacement vectors may be supplied manually , i . e ., by a user , or automatically by an analytical method , from a calibrated data set , such as a digital image , of the faulted seismic formation . in one embodiment , the input displacement vectors may result from an automated analysis method operating on a 3d data set representing a faulted formation . in one embodiment , an image analysis routine operating on a 2d image may vectorize the formations on either side of a fault line , detect a horizon discontinuity from the vectorized image , and automatically return a restoration slip vector ( or at least the 2d planar component thereof ) for each detected discontinuity ; such a process may be repeated with several images of the formation , representing different sectional views , to assemble 3d representation of the input displacement vectors . in one manual implementation , the input displacement vectors may be manually chosen such that a feature on the contact surface of one section , such as the intersection of a horizon surface with the fault surface , will meet the commensurate horizon / fault intersection of the section on the other side of the fault surface . this kind of displacement vectors are generally referred to as slip vectors , a term common in structural geology . from the point view of structure , restoration , the main quandary is the removal of the discontinuity of the horizon due to the faulting . the elasticity model can compensate for other factors to produce a deformed volume characterized by minimum seismic distortion . the specification of restoration vectors at each vertex on the fault surface is not required , the space constraint provides the means to resolve the remaining quantities . note that the input slip vectors are only given at the locations of a recognizable feature on the contact surface , i . e . an intersection of a horizon with the fault surface . these locations normally follow a polyline ( a line comprising multiple line segments ) on the contact surface , such as the case of horizon - fault intersection . in the small element model , these locations correspond to the vertex of an element at the location . the orientation of a slip vector is also so constrained that no gap or overlay would be created after the reversal , while the magnitude of the slip vector along the horizon remains constant as long as the fault extends through the entire volume section . if a fault only extends partially through a volume section , the slip vector may be tapered to zero at the tips of the fault . the displacement or traction vectors at other locations , i . e ., vertices , on the contact surface may not generally be known . however , all vertices on the contact surface must additionally satisfy the space constraint , that is , they may not overlap , i . e ., cross over , the fault surface . a restricting condition is applied that the fault blocks must not penetrate each other after the restoration . the boundary condition for those points is not an equation but an inequality . to solve the problem of this type , we use the repulsion scheme proposed by wei and de bremaecker ( see wei , k . and de bremaecker , j .- cl ., fracture growth under compression , journal of geophysical research , 99 , 13781 - 13790 , 1994 ). the basic idea of this scheme is that under an appropriate repulsion or traction stress applied normal to a surface element , the fault sections do not penetrate each other . however , the exact values of the repulsions are not known in advance , but rather , may be iteratively determined , as they will converge on the solution to the inequality . initially an estimated value of the repulsions or tractions to those points under an inequality constraint is applied . in one example , all normal tractions stresses are set to zero on the first iteration . if a penetration is found at a vertex , the repulsion stress at the corresponding element is incremented . if a gap opening is found at a vertex , the repulsion stress is decremented , in other words , attraction stress is incremented . this scheme is iterative and does converge after several iterations . thus , with a sufficient traction applied to the fault surface vertices , the space constraint can be iteratively satisfied . in one case , satisfaction of the space constraint requires that no vertex violates the space constraint by an amount greater than a minimum displacement from the fault surface . in one example , a minimum violation of the space constraint is 10 − 2 m . fig1 is a block diagram representing one set of embodiments of a computer system 1082 that may take the role of the server computer or the client computer as variously described herein . the computer system 1082 may include at least one central processing unit cpu 1160 ( i . e ., processor ) that is coupled to a host bus 1162 . the cpu 1160 may be any of various types , including , but not limited to , an x86 processor , a powerpc processor , a cpu from the sparc family of risc processors , as well as others . a memory medium , typically including semiconductor ram , and referred to herein as main memory 1166 , may be coupled to the host bus 1162 by means of memory controller 1164 . the main memory 1166 may store programs operable to implement any or all or any subset of the various methods embodiments described herein . the main memory may also store operating system software , as well as other software for operation of the computer system . the host bus 1162 may couple to an expansion or input / output bus 1170 through a bus controller 1168 or bus bridge logic . the expansion bus 1170 may include slots for various devices such as a video card 1180 , a hard drive 1182 , storage devices 1190 ( such as a cd - rom drive , a tape drive , a floppy drive , etc .) and a network interface 1122 . the video card 1180 may couple to a display device such as a monitor , a projector , or a head mounted display . the network interface 1122 ( e . g ., an ethernet device ) may be used to communicate with other computers through a network . the computer system 1082 may also include i / o devices 1192 such as a mouse , keyboard , speakers . embodiments of computer system 1082 targeted for use as a server computer may be more richly endowed with processor capacity ( e . g ., having multiple processors ), memory capacity and network access bandwidth than embodiments targeted for use as a client computer . the client computer may include the mouse , keyboard , speakers and video card ( or graphics accelerator ), whereas a server computer does not necessarily include these items . any method embodiment ( or portion thereof ) described herein may be implemented in terms of program instructions . the program instructions may be stored on any of various kinds of computer readable memory media . the program instructions are readable and executable ( by a computer or set of computers ) to implement the method embodiment ( or portion thereof ). although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail , numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated . it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications .	6
an embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which the same or similar parts or steps have been given the same or similar reference numerals . the invention is a motion search method of comparable or better performance than the existing solutions , but which can also be efficiently implemented in hardware ( fpga or asic ). its purpose is to choose a number of integer pixel candidate mvs for the current mb and its partitions . these candidates are then refined to sub - pixel mvs and presented as possible coding options to the mb encoding process . the method has the following stages , which are illustrated in fig5 : 1 . initial search 510 . a 1 pixel spaced ( i . e . exhaustive ) search around the [ 0 , 0 ] position , the 4 neighbour mb prediction positions and the motion vector predictor ( mvp ) position . 2 . main search 520 . a 4 pixel ( or more ) spaced search in a sparse rectangular grid array covering the whole search range . note this search is not dependent upon the result from the initial search . 3 . prediction search 530 . a larger 1 pixel spaced search centred on the best result of stage 1 . 4 . extended search a 540 . for the whole mb and each partition independently , a 2 pixel spaced search centred on the best result so far out of stages 1 to 3 . the complete set of these searches is done before progressing to the next stage . 5 . extended search b 550 . for the whole mb and each partition independently , a 1 pixel spaced search centred on the best result so far out of stages 1 to 4 . the results of this search will be the results of the me for the current mb and its partitions . stages 1 to 3 can be carried out concurrently for each of the mb and sub - mb partition sizes , whereas stages 4 and 5 are carried out for mb first , then partition0 16 × 8 , then partition1 16 × 8 , etc ( i . e . in decreasing partition size ). note that not all partition sizes are used in every implementation ; hence some may be skipped ( see below for more details ). the following are definitions as per the h . 264 video compression standard : source mb 420 — the current mb being encoded , i . e . the mb that is being tested at each position . source mb partitions — possible partitions of the current mb being encoded . mb a 451 — the source mb to the left of the one being encoded — i . e . the previous mb to be encoded ( see fig6 ). mb b 452 — the source mb above the one being encoded ( see fig6 ). mb c 453 — the source mb diagonally above and to the right of the one being encoded ( see fig6 ). mb d 454 — the source mb diagonally above and to the left of the one being encoded ( see fig6 ). reference pictures — previously encoded pictures kept as reference , against which the best match for the source mb we will attempt to find . the pseudo motion vector predictor ( mvp ) of stage 1 ( f ) ( see below ) is calculated from the mvs of the neighbours of the same reference as follows : 1 . if mb a , mb b and mb c are available , then for each component the mvp is equal to the median of the 3 mvs : 461 462 463 . 2 . if mb c is not available , then the mv for mb d is used instead 464 . 3 . if mb a is not available , then [ 0 , 0 ] is taken to be its mv — i . e . a zero mv . 4 . if none of the neighbours from the row above are available then the mv value for mb a is used 461 . this pseudo mvp portion of the method above is based on the h . 264 definition of the calculation of the real mvp ( see h . 264 section 8 . 4 . 1 . 3 . 1 ). in most implementations , the real mvp cannot be calculated at this time , as the decision on how to encode the neighbours has not been taken . the pseudo mvp assumes that the neighbours are encoded using motion compensation from the same reference picture . the stages identified above will now be described in greater detail as follows : this first stage is intended to review the mv results found by the estimation of previous mbs in the vicinity of the current mb with a view to finding suitable mv estimates that can be used for the source mb . that is , the pixels of a mb in the current picture are the source data for a comparison with pixels taken from the regions in the reference pictures around those previously estimated mvs . an exhaustive search is performed over a 1 pixel 701 grid 700 for an 8 × 4 array of positions ( see fig7 , from a first mb position 710 to a last mb position 720 ) around 6 initial positions located at the following places : a . the [ 0 , 0 ] position . the majority of blocks in a picture are often stationary so that a good prediction for the mv of the source mb is the mv for the mb in the same place in the reference picture , i . e . the [ 0 , 0 ] motion vector . a search around this point could be successful in the presence of small amounts of motion or due to the effect of noise . b . the position predicted by using the mv found for the mb a neighbour 461 within the reference picture currently being searched ( see fig6 ). there is a high probability that the motion of a block will be closely matched to that of a neighbouring block . c . the position predicted by using the mv found for the mb b neighbour 462 within the reference picture currently being searched ( see fig6 ). there is a high probability that the motion of a block will be closely matched to that of a neighbouring block . d . the position predicted by using the mv found for the mb c neighbour 463 within the reference picture currently being searched ( see fig6 ). there is a high probability that the motion of a block will be closely matched to that of a neighbouring block . e . the position predicted by using the mv found for the mb d neighbour 464 within the reference picture currently being searched ( see fig6 ). there is a high probability that the motion of a block will be closely matched to that of a neighbouring block . f . the position predicted by using a pseudo motion vector predictor based on the real mvp as defined above . the pseudo mvp is a derived mv based on a combination of the mvs of adjacent mbs . it can be the case that the motion of a block along one axis may be close to that of one of its neighbours , but the motion in the other axis may be close to that of another neighbour . the pseudo mvp is calculated as the median mv of the neighbouring mbs done separately for each axis . if a mb / partition is coded with a mv equal to the mvp then it will have zero mvd cost , making it an efficient coding choice . this stage covers the whole selected search range (+/− 120 by +/− 56 ), but searches a rectangular grid 800 spaced at 4 pixel intervals 801 , centred at the current source mb position , as illustrated by fig8 . the source mb 420 is compared to every possible mb position on the grid , to arrive at a best match 430 , and associated mv 440 . a minority of video sequences have fast motion where mvs between fields / frames will be large . this stage is designed to have a good probability of picking up these large mvs 440 without the high computational cost of searching all positions with single pixel precision . assuming the object ( s ) in motion are of a reasonable size ( greater than 8 × 8 pixels ) and of fairly consistent texture then at least one of the positions in this search should give a reasonable match . the extended search stages ( see stages 4 & amp ; 5 below ) should then refine this initial mv match down to the nearest pixel . this search is extensive and takes up a considerable part of the time available to calculate results . this stage is an exhaustive search 900 , i . e . to 1 pixel precision 701 , for an 8 × 8 array of positions ( see fig9 , from a first mb position 910 to a last mb position 920 ) centred on the best result of stage 1 . it is assumed that the initial search has correctly identified that the motion is most closely correlated with one of the 6 initial positions , but also that the relatively small 8 × 4 initial search did not cover the best match position . so this stage will extend the area around the best position from that initial search to give a greater chance of discovering the actual best match position . as this stage depends upon the initial search results , it does not directly follow the initial search stage to allow for pipeline delay in the implementation , without unused cycles between stages as illustrated in fig1 and described in more detail below . the best match positions and costs for the whole mb and each of its partitions separately were identified in stages 2 and 3 above and the best of them selected as the optimum candidate . this first extended stage is centred on that best result so far and is run independently for each partition . a 32 × 16 pixel area 1000 is searched over a grid array spaced at 2 pixels 1002 , from a first mb position 1010 to a last mb position 1020 , as illustrated by fig1 . this stage is designed to refine the mv towards the best possible match without the computational cost of searching all the positions within the 32 × 16 pixel area . this stage is run for each partition independently for the same reason as extended search a . a 16 × 8 pixel area 1100 , centred on the best result so far for the partition , is searched exhaustively ( i . e . at 1 pixel spacing 701 ), from a first mb position 1110 to a last mb position 1120 , as illustrated in fig1 . this stage is designed to refine the mv down to the best possible match mv with single pixel precision . the foregoing has provided a general overview of the proposed motion estimation method . the aforementioned search window sizes are all compromises between speed of comparison vs accuracy , and hence other sizes may be used . however , the aforementioned search window sizes have been found by experimentation to produce very acceptable results , whilst still being fully executable within the frame rate of a 60 hz hdtv signal . the following provides more details on an exemplary specific implementation for a 1080i video signal . fig1 to 16 illustrate all the searches , stage by stage , for clarity and fig1 superimposes them all . they are all example figures based on coding a 1080i picture sequence . the large number of searches provided by the present invention has made it necessary to spread the searches widely over the search area for the purposes of illustrative clarity . in practice , the searches are more likely to be clustered closely together . in all of fig1 to 17 , the results from the different stages , reference pictures and mb partitions are identified by the form and legend of each rectangular block . 1 . fig1 shows the 6 search regions for the initial search stage ( items 1 ( a ) to 1 ( f ) above ). 2 . fig1 shows the search regions for the main search stage ( item 2 above ) where all positions on a 4 pixel spaced grid are searched within the search area . the blocks 1310 shown outlined with dotted lines and with labels such as 2 . x . y each contain all 16 of the search positions that are conducted in one clock cycle . a sequential search through all the blocks will result in a unique best match for the whole search and this produces a mv that points to somewhere in the search region but only to a precision of the nearest 4 pixels . this search is the most intensive of all to carry out . 3 . fig1 shows the prediction search stage where the best result from the initial search stage is used as the centre of another search . 4 . fig1 shows the search regions for extended search a . the nine search regions for this stage are shown and each is labelled with its partition size and index . 5 . fig6 shows the search regions for extended search b . the nine search regions for this stage are shown and each is labelled with its partition size and index . fig1 shows all the regions of all the search stages superimposed . once one complete reference picture has been searched according to the above described method , the set of mv results is stored and the process moves on to provide mvs for other reference pictures . what results from these searches is a set of mvs per reference picture that is passed on to the sub - pixel refinement and encoding process . the above described method can be implemented in hardware in the form shown in fig1 . this design can be used for both 1080i and 720p standard picture configurations , 1080p configuration or all partitions configuration . the grey shaded find best blocks for 4 × 4 , 4 × 8 and 8 × 4 ( 1834b ) are only used in the ‘ all partitions configuration ’ ( see more details below ). to achieve the throughput required , 16 positions are searched per clock cycle . the 16 positions are labelled a 0 to d 3 . the major processing blocks of the motion search hardware 1800 in fig1 are : 1 . reference alignment 1840 . within its cache 1845 this block stores , for each of the four reference pictures , an area which is at least the size of the search range around the current mb . in response to the control signals from the search control block 1860 it produces the reference data ( 16 × 16 pixels ) for all the 16 positions being searched in each clock cycle . 2 . search control 1860 . this block is the main state machine , which runs the search method and controls the other blocks , via control signal paths 1865 and 1866 . it takes the best positions 1835 calculated by the find best portions 1834 of the difference core 1830 ( see below ), and provides the results 1870 to a refinement stage . 3 . difference core 1830 . this block calculates the difference values , using difference blocks 1831 , between the source data 1810 and reference data 1820 ( as passed from the reference cache 1845 , in the form of reference data a 0 - d 3 1850 ) for the 16 positions searched each clock cycle . the differences are calculated initially on a 4 × 4 pixel block basis , and the appropriate blocks are hierarchically summed to give the difference values for all possible partitions . for each partition in each of the 16 search positions , a rate estimate is calculated from the mvd to the pseudo mvp . this allows a simplified use of the rdo equation ( cost = λr + d ), to give a score for each partition at each position . these values are used to find the best position during the search stage , for each partition . these designs are based on searching a range of +/− 120 by +/− 56 pixels in four reference pictures for all mbs within a 1080i field or 720p frame . the higher the number of reference pictures ( fields or frames ) searched , the better the chances of finding the best match in all the possible references . limitations on the available processing time means there is a limit on the number of pictures that can be practically used , but the number of references is also limited by the level setting as described in h . 264 appendix a . it is assumed that only the partition sizes 16 × 16 , 16 × 8 , 8 × 16 and 8 × 8 are used for these cases . the search control block runs the search method for a pair of reference pictures together to allow pipelining ( see fig1 ) as follows : 1 . initial search reference 0 = 12 cycles . as an 8 × 4 area is searched and a 4 × 4 area is searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles for each of the 6 centre positions searched . 2 . main search reference 0 = 105 cycles . as a 240 × 112 area is searched and a 16 × 16 area is searched per cycle this stage takes 15 × 7 cycles . 3 . prediction search reference 0 = 4 cycles . as an 8 × 8 area is searched and a 4 × 4 area is searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles . this stage is centred on the best position from the initial search . a . 16 × 16 mb = 8 cycles . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and an 8 × 8 area is searched per cycle this stage takes 8 cycles . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 16 mb so far . b . 16 × 8 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 16 × 8 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and two 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 8 partition so far . c . 8 × 16 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 16 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and two 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 16 partition so far . d . 8 × 8 partitions =[ 4 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and four 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 8 partition so far . e . 16 × 16 mb = 8 cycles . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and a 4 × 4 area is searched per cycle this stage takes 8 cycles . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 16 mb so far . f . 16 × 8 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 16 × 8 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and two 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 8 partition so far . g . 8 × 16 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 16 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and two 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 16 partition so far . h . 8 × 8 partitions =[ 4 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and four 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 8 partition so far . the total cycles taken to run the whole method for two reference pictures is : for four reference pictures it is 756 cycles . therefore , an implementation of the method running at 189 mhz would be sufficient to search a mb within a 4 μs period , which is the requirement for encoding 1080i or 720p in real - time . it has been shown that increasing the vertical spacing of the grid for the main search stage to 8 ( as opposed to 4 discussed above ) gives very little performance degradation . as increasing the vertical spacing decreases the number of cycles taken for this main stage to execute ( i . e . down to [ 15 × 4 ]= 60 cycles ), this in turn allows a reduction in the required clock speed down to 140 mhz . a similar implementation can be used for encoding 1080p frames . the major difference is that only two reference pictures are searched for all the mbs within a 1080p frame , given that each mb must now be calculated within 2 μs ( since the progressive picture has twice as many mbs to encode per unit time ). again to achieve this , 16 positions are searched per clock cycle and it is assumed that the partition sizes 16 × 16 , 16 × 8 , 8 × 16 and 8 × 8 only are used . in this case , the total cycles taken to run the whole algorithm for two reference pictures is : therefore an implementation of the algorithm running at 189 mhz would be sufficient to search a mb within the 2 μs period , which is the requirement for encoding 1080p in real - time . again increasing the vertical spacing of the grid for the main search stage to 8 gives very little performance degradation and allows a reduction in required clock speed to 140 mhz . the method and apparatus can be run in a configuration where all the partition sizes 16 × 16 , 16 × 8 , 8 × 16 , 8 × 8 , 8 × 4 , 4 × 8 and 4 × 4 are used . partitions sizes below 8 × 8 have not been shown to give any video encoding performance gain for hd video so are not currently included in the 1080i / 720p or 1080p configurations , however they have been shown to give a performance gain for sd video . an all partition configuration includes the grey blocks in fig1 . the search control block runs the search method for a pair of reference pictures as follows : a . 16 × 16 mb = 8 cycles . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and an 8 × 8 area is searched per cycle this stage takes 8 cycles . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 16 mb so far . b . 16 × 8 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 16 × 8 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and two 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 8 partition so far . c . 8 × 16 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 16 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and two 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 16 partition so far . d . 8 × 8 partitions =[ 4 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and four 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 8 partition so far . e . 8 × 4 partitions =[ 8 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and four 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 4 partition so far . f . 4 × 8 partitions =[ 8 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and four 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 4 × 8 partition so far . g . 4 × 4 partitions =[ 16 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 32 × 16 area is searched and four 8 × 8 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 4 × 4 partition so far . h . 16 × 16 mb = 8 cycles . as an 16 × 8 area is searched and a 4 × 4 area is searched per cycle this stage takes 8 cycles . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 16 mb so far . i . 16 × 8 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 16 × 8 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and two 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 16 × 8 partition so far . j . 8 × 16 partitions =[ 2 ×] 4 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 16 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and two 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 4 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 16 partition so far . k . 8 × 8 partitions =[ 4 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and four 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 8 partition so far . l . 8 × 4 partitions =[ 8 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and four 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 8 partition so far . m . 4 × 8 partitions =[ 8 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and four 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 8 partition so far . n . 4 × 4 partitions =[ 16 ×] 2 cycles . this stage is performed separately for each 8 × 8 partition . as a 16 × 8 area is searched and four 4 × 4 areas are searched per cycle this stage takes 2 cycles per partition . this stage is centred on the best position for the 8 × 8 partition so far . the total cycles taken to run the whole method for two reference pictures is therefore : therefore an implementation of the described method running at 63 mhz would be sufficient to search a mb within a 20 μs period , which is the time allowed to encode a mb in real time at 720 × 576 standard definition video . the above described method and apparatus has similar or better performance to other state of the art motion search methods . the method can be implemented efficiently in hardware ( fpga or asic ) at a relatively low clock speed ( e . g . 140 mhz , as discussed above ), even for encoding hdtv video in real - time . the method allows all the difference blocks to be fully utilised in parallel during the whole mb period , maximising the searching performed for the resources used . assuming at least two reference pictures , the method can be implemented in a pipelined design , where the method does not need to wait before starting any of the stages for the results of the previous stage . searching positions close together within the reference pictures massively reduces the bandwidth requirement on the reference cache . so although 16 positions ( each requiring 16 × 16 pixels of input reference data ) are searched in parallel , all the data can be fetched from within one 4 pixel aligned , 32 × 32 pixel area . the reduced bandwidth requirement and data alignment allows the reference cache to be implemented in internal ram . the method searches partitions independently from whole mbs without a large increase in processing , as the first stages ( 1 - 3 ) are common . the difference values calculated for partitions are added together to give the differences values for larger partitions and ultimately the whole mb . accordingly , the resultant motion search method and apparatus is much more efficient in its use of the available processing resources , hence more candidates can be processed within the mb period for a given design size and clock speed . the method can be applied efficiently for any selection of partition sizes , from no partitions ( i . e . only 16 × 16 mbs ), to all possible partitions ( i . e . 16 × 16s mbs down to 4 × 4s sub - mbs ). the method can be applied efficiently for 2 , 4 or any 2 n number of reference pictures per mb . as mentioned previously , the method may be embodied as a specially programmed , or hardware designed , integrated circuit that operates to carry out the method on reference picture data loaded into the said integrated circuit . the integrated circuit may be formed as part of a general purpose computing device , such as a pc , and the like , or it may be formed as part of a more specialised device , such as a games console , mobile phone , portable computer device or specialist / broadcast hardware video encoder . one exemplary hardware embodiment is that of a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) programmed to carry out the described method , located on a daughterboard of a rack mounted video encoder , for use in , for example , a television studio or location video uplink van supporting an in - the - field news team . another exemplary hardware embodiment of the present invention is that of a video encoder comprising an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ). it will be apparent to the skilled person that the exact order and content of the processing order in the method described herein may be altered according to the requirements of a particular set of execution parameters , such as speed of encoding , accuracy , and the like . accordingly , the claim numbering is not to be construed as a strict limitation on the ability to move steps between claims , and as such portions of dependent claims maybe utilised freely .	7
the so - called “ minimal ” adenovirus vectors according to the present invention retain at least a portion of the viral genome that is required for encapsidation of the genome into virus particles ( the encapsidation signal ), as well as at least one copy of at least a functional part or a derivative of the itr , that is dna sequences derived from the termini of the linear adenovirus genome . the vectors according to the present invention will also contain a transgene linked to a promoter sequence to govern expression of the transgene . packaging of the so - called minimal adenovirus vector can be achieved by co - infection with a helper virus or , alternatively , with a packaging deficient replicating helper system as described below . adenovirus - derived dna fragments that can replicate in suitable cell lines and that may serve as a packaging deficient replicating helper system are generated as follows . these dna fragments retain at least a portion of the transcribed region of the “ late ” transcription unit of the adenovirus genome and carry deletions in at least a portion of the e1 region and deletions in at least a portion of the encapsidation signal . in addition , these dna fragments contain at least one copy of an itr at one terminus of the transfected dna molecule an itr is located . the other end may contain an itr , or alternatively , a dna sequence that is complementary to a portion of the same strand of the dna molecule other than the itr . if , in the latter case , the two complementary sequences anneal , the free 3 ′- hydroxyl group of the 3 ′ terminal nucleotide of the hairpin - structure can serve as a primer for dna synthesis by cellular and / or adenovirus - encoded dna polymerases , resulting in conversion into a double - stranded form of at least a portion of the dna molecule . further replication initiating at the itr will result in a linear double - stranded dna molecule , that is flanked by two itr &# 39 ; s , and is larger than the original transfected dna molecule ( see fig1 ). this molecule can replicate itself in the transfected cell by virtue of the adenovirus proteins encoded by the dna molecule and the adenoviral and cellular proteins encoded by genes in the host - cell genome . this dna molecule can not be encapsidated due to its large size ( greater than 39000 base pairs ) or due to the absence of a functional encapsidation signal . this dna molecule is intended to serve as a helper for the production of defective adenovirus vectors in suitable cell lines . the invention also comprises a method for amplifying linear dna fragments of variable size in suitable mammalian cells . these dna fragments contain at least one copy of the itr at one of the termini of the fragment . the other end may contain an itr , or alternatively , a dna sequence that is complementary to a portion of the same strand of the dna molecule other than the itr . if , in the latter case , the two complementary sequences anneal , the free 3 ′- hydroxyl group of the 3 ′ terminal nucleotide of the hairpin - structure can serve as a primer for dna synthesis by cellular and / or adenovirus - encoded dna polymerases , resulting in conversion of the displaced stand into a double stranded form of at least a portion of the dna molecule . further replication initiating at the itr will result in a linear double - stranded dna molecule , that is flanked by two itr &# 39 ; s , which is larger than the original transfected dna molecule . a dna molecule that contains itr sequences at both ends can replicate itself in transfected cells by virtue of the presence of at least the adenovirus e2 proteins ( viz . the dna - binding protein (“ dbp ”), the adenovirus dna polymerase (“ ad - pol ”), and the pre - terminal protein (“ ptp ”). the required proteins may be expressed from adenovirus genes on the dna molecule itself , from adenovirus e2 genes integrated in the host - cell genome , or from a replicating helper fragment as described above . several groups have shown that the presence of itr sequences at the end of dna molecules are sufficient to generate adenovirus minichromosomes that can replicate , if the adenovirus - proteins required for replication are provided in trans , for example , by infection with a helpervirus ( hu et al ., 1992 ; wang and pearson , 1985 ; hay et al ., 1984 ). hu et al . ( 1992 ) observed the presence and replication or symmetrical adenovirus minichromosome - dimers after transfection of plasmids containing a single itr . the authors were able to demonstrate that these dimeric minichromosomes arise after tail - to - tail ligation of the single itr dna molecules . in dna extracted from defective adenovirus type 2 particles , dimeric molecules of various sizes have also been observed using electron - microscopy ( daniell , 1976 ). it was suggested that the incomplete genomes were formed by illegitimate recombination between different molecules and that variations in the position of the sequence at which the illegitimate base pairing occurred were responsible for the heterogeneous nature of the incomplete genomes . based on this mechanism it was speculated that , in theory , defective molecules with a total length of up to two times the normal genome could be generated . such molecules could contain duplicated sequences from either end of the genome . however , no dna molecules larger than the full - length virus were found packaged in the defective particles ( daniell , 1976 ). this can be explained by the size - limitations that apply to the packaging . in addition , it was observed that in the virus particles dna - molecules with a duplicated left - end predominated over those containing the right - end terminus ( daniell , 1976 ). this is fully explained by the presence of the encapsidation signal near that left - end of the genome ( gräble and hearing , 1990 ; gäble and hearing , 1992 ; hearing et al ., 1987 ). 2 ) the expression of adenovirus genes that reside in the adenoviral vectors , resulting in a cytotoxic t - cell response against the transduced cells . 3 ) the low amount of heterologous sequences that can be accommodated in the current vectors ( up to maximally approx . 8000 base pairs (“ cbp ”) of heterologous dna ). the strong immunogenicity of the adenovirus particle results in an immunological response of the host , even after a single administration of the adenoviral vector . as a result of the development of neutralizing antibodies , a subsequent administration of the virus will be less effective or even completely ineffective . however , a prolonged or persistent expression of the transferred genes will reduce the number of administrations required and may bypass the problem . with regard to problem 2 ), experiments performed by wilson and collaborators have demonstrated that after adenovirus - mediated gene transfer into immunocompetent animals , the expression of the transgene gradually decreases and disappears approximately 2 - 4 weeks post - infection ( yang et al 1994a ; yang et al ., 1994b ). this is caused by the development of a cytotoxic t - cell (“ ctl ”) response against the transduced cells . the ctls were directed against adenovirus proteins expressed by the viral vectors . in the transduced cells synthesis of the adenovirus dna - binding protein ( the e2a - gene product ), penton and fiber proteins ( late - gene products ) could be established . these adenovirus proteins , encoded by the viral vector , were expressed despite deletion of the e1 region . this demonstrates that deletion of the e1 region is not sufficient to completely prevent expression of the viral genes ( engelhardt et al ., 1994a ). with regard to problem 3 ), studies by graham and collaborators have demonstrated that adenoviruses are capable of encapsidating dna of up to 105 % of the normal genome size ( bett et al ., 1993 ). larger genomes tend to be instable resulting in loss of dna sequences during propagation of the virus . combining deletions in the e1 and e3 regions of the virual genomes increases the maximum size of the foreign dna that can be encapsidated to approximately 8 . 3 kb . in addition , some sequences of the e4 region appear to be dispensable for virus growth ( adding another 1 . 8 kb to the maximum encapsidation capacity ). also the e2a region can be deleted from the vector , when the e2a gene product is provided in trans in the encapsidation cell line , adding another 1 . 6 kb . it is , however , unlikely that the maximum capacity of foreign dna can be significantly increased further than 12 kb . we developed a new strategy for the generation and production of helper - free - stocks of recombinant adenovirus vectors that can accommodate up to 38 kb of foreign dna . only two functional itr sequences and sequences that can function as an encapsidation signal need to be part of the vector genome . such vectors are called “ minimal adenovectors .” the helper functions for the minimal adenovectors are provided in trans by encapsidation defective - replication competent dna molecules that contain all the viral genes encoding the required gene products , with the exception of those genes that are present in the host - cell genome , or genes that reside in the vector genome . the applications of the disclosed inventions are outlined below and will be illustrated in the experimental part , which is only intended for that purpose , and should not be used to reduce the scope of the present invention as understood by the person skilled in the art . the constructs , in particular pig . e1a . e1b , will be used to transfect diploid human cells , such as her , hek , and human embryonic lung cells (“ hel ”). transfected cells will be selected for transformed phenotype ( focus formation ) and tested for their ability to support propagation of e1 - deleted recombinant adenovirus , such as ig . ad . mlpi . tk . such cell lines will be used for the generation and ( large - scale ) production of e1 - deleted recombinant adenoviruses . such cells , infected with recombinant adenovirus are also intended to be used in vivo as a local producer of recombinant adenovirus , for example , for the treatment of solid tumors . 911 cells are used for the titration , generation and production of recombinant adenovirus vectors ( fallaux et al ., 1996 ). her cells transfected with pig . e1a . e1b have resulted in 7 independent clones ( called per cells ). these clones are used for the production of e1 - deleted ( including non - overlapping adenovirus vectors ) or e1 defective recombinant adenovirus vectors , and provide the basis for introduction of , for example , e2b or e2a constructs ( e . g ., ts125e2a , see below ), e4 etc ., that will allow propagation of adenovirus vectors that have mutations in , for example , e2a or e4 . in addition , diploid cells of other species that are permissive for human adenovirus , such as the cotton rat ( sigmodon hispidus ) ( pacini et al ., 1984 ), syrian hamster ( morin et al ., 1987 ) or chimpanzee ( levrero et a ., 1991 ), will be immortalized with these constructs . such cells , infected with recombinant adenovirus are also intended to be used in vivo for the local production of recombinant adenovirus , for example , for the treatment of solid tumors . the constructs , in particular pig . e1a . neo , can be used to transfect established cells , for example , a549 ( human bronchial carcinoma ), kb ( oral carcinoma ), mrc - 5 ( human diploid lung cell line ) or glc cell lines ( small cell lung cancer ) ( de leij et al ., 1985 ; postmus et al ., 1988 ) and selected for neo resistance . individual colonies of resistant cells are isolated and tested for their capacity to support propagation of e1 - deleted recombinant adenovirus , such as ig . ad . mlpi . tk . when propagation of e1 - deleted viruses on e1a containing cells is possible , such cells can be used for the generation and production of e1 - deleted recombinant adenovirus . they can also be used for the propagation of e1a deleted / e1b retained recombinant adenovirus established cells can also be co - transfected with pig . e1a . e1b and pig . neo ( or another neo containing expression vector ). clones resistant to g418 are tested for their ability to support propagation of e1 - deleted recombinant adenovirus , such as ig . ad . mlpi . tk and used for the generation and production of e1 deleted recombinant adenovirus and will be applied in vivo for local production of recombinant virus , as described for the diploid cells ( see previous discussion ). all cell lines , including transformed diploid cell lines or neo - resistant established lines , can be used as the basis for the generation of ‘ next generation ’ packaging cells lines , that support propagation of e1 - defective recombinant adenoviruses , that also carry deletions in other genes , such as e2a and e4 . moreover , they will provide the basis for the generation of minimal adenovirus vectors as disclosed herein . packaging cells expressing e2a sequences are and will be used for the generation and large scale production of e2a - deleted recombinant adenovirus . the newly generated human adenovirus packaging cell lines or cell lines derived from species permissive for human adenovirus ( e2a or ts125e2a : e1a + e2a ; e1a + e1b + e2a ; e1a − e2a / ts125 ; e1a + e1b − e2a / ts125 ) or non - permissive cell lines such as monkey cells ( hre2a or hr + ts125e2a ; e1a + hre2a ; e1a + e1b + hre2a ; e1a + hre2a / ts125 ; e1a − e1b + hre2a / ts125 ) are and will be used for the generation and large scale production of e2a deleted recombinant adenovirus vectors . in addition , they will be applied in vivo for local production of recombinant virus , as described for the diploid cells ( see previous discussion ). the newly developed adenovirus vectors harboring an e1 deletion of nt . 459 - 3510 will be used for gene transfer purposes . these vectors are also the basis for the development of further deleted adenovirus vectors that are mutated for , for example , e2a , e2b or e4 . such vectors will be generated , for example , on the newly developed packaging cell lines described above . we disclose adenovirus packaging constructs ( to be used for the packaging of minimal adenovirus vectors ) which have the following characteristics : 2 ) the packaging construct can not be packaged because the packaging signal is deleted ; 3 ) the packaging construct contains an internal hairpin - forming sequence ( see fig1 ); 4 ) because of the internal hairpin structure , the packaging construct is duplicated , that is , the dna of the packaging construct becomes twice as long as it was before transfection into the packaging cell ( in our sample it duplicates from 35 kb to 70 kb ). this duplication also prevents packaging . note that this duplicated dna molecule has itr &# 39 ; s at both termini ( see , e . g ., fig1 ); 5 ) this duplicated packaging molecule is able to replicate like a ‘ normal adenovirus ’ dna molecule ; 6 ) the duplication of the genome is a prerequisite for the production of sufficient levels of adenovirus proteins , required to package the minimal adenovirus vector ; and 7 ) the packaging construct has no overlapping sequences with the minimal vector or cellular sequences that may lead to generation of rca by homologous recombination . this packaging system is used to produce minimal adenovirus vectors . the advantages of minimal adenovirus vectors , for example , for gene therapy of vaccination purposes , are well known ( accommodation of up to 38 kb ; gutting of potentially toxic and immunogenic adenovirus genes ). adenovirus vectors containing mutations in essential genes ( including minimal adenovirus vectors ) can also be propagated using this system . minimal adenovirus vectors are generated using the helper functions provided in trans by packaging - deficient replicating helper molecules . the adenovirus - derived itr sequences serve as origins of dna replication in the presence of at least the e2 - gene products . when the e2 gene products are expressed from genes in the vector genome ( the gene ( s ) must be driven by an e1 - independent promoter ), the vector genome can replicate in the target cells . this will allow a significantly increased number of template molecules in the target cells , and , as a result , an increased expression of the genes of interest encoded by the vector . this is of particular interest for application of gene therapy in cancer treatment . a similar approach could also be taken if amplification of linear dna fragments is desired . dna fragments of known or unknown sequence could be amplified in cells containing the e2 - gene products if at least one itr sequence is located near or at its terminus . there are no apparent constraints on the size of the fragment . even fragments much larger than the adenovirus genome ( 36 kb ) should be amplified using this approach . it is thus possible to clone large fragments in mammalian cells without either shuttling the fragment into bacteria ( such as e . coli ) or use the polymerase chain reaction (“ pcr ”). at the end stage of an productive adenovirus infection a single cell can contain over 100 , 000 copies of the viral genome . in the optimal situation , the linear dna fragments can be amplified to similar levels . thus , one should be able to extract more than 5 μg of dna fragment per 10 million cells ( for a 35 - kbp fragment ). this system can be used to express heterologous proteins equivalent to the simian virus 40 - based cos - cell system ) for research or for therapeutic purposes . in addition , the system can be used to identify genes in large fragments of dna . random dna fragments may be amplified ( after addition of itrs ) and expressed during intracellular amplification . election or selection of those cells with the desired phenotype can be used to enrich the fragment of interest and to isolate the gene . generation of cell lines able to transcomplement e1 defective recombinant adenovirus vectors . we have generated a cell line that harbors e1 sequences of adenovirus type 5 (“ ad5 ”), able to trans - complement e1 deleted recombinant adenovirus ( fallaux et al ., 1996 ). this cell line was obtained by transfection of human diploid human embryonic retinoblasts (“ her ”) with pad5xhoic , that contains nt . 80 - 5788 of ad5 ; one of the resulting transformants was designated 911 . this cell line has been shown to be very useful in the propagation of e1 defective recombinant adenovirus . it was found to be superior to 293 cells . unlike 293 cells , 911 cells lack a fully transformed phenotype , which most likely is the cause of its better performance as adenovirus packaging line : 1 ) plaque assays can be performed faster ( 4 - 5 days instead of 8 - 14 days on 293 ), 2 ) monolayers of 911 cells survive better under agar overlay as required for plaque assays , and in addition , unlike 293 cells that were transfected with sheared adenoviral dna , 911 cells were transfected using a defined construct . transfection efficiencies of 911 cells are comparable to those of 293 . adenovirus sequences are derived either from pad5 . sa1b , containing nt . 80 - 9460 of human adenovirus type 5 ( bernards et al ., 1983 ) or from wild - type ad5 dna . pad5 . sa1b was digested with sali and xhoi and the large fragment was religated and this new clone was named pad5 . x / s . the ptn construct ( constructed bv dr . r . vogels , introgene , leiden , the netherlands ) was used as a source for the human pgk promoter and the neo gene . transcription of e1a sequences in the new packaging constructs is driven by the human pgk promoter ( michelson et al ., 1983 ; singer - sam et al ., 1984 ), derived from plasmid ptn ( gift of r . vogels ), which uses puc119 ( vieira and messing , 1987 ) as a backbone . this plasmid was also used as a source for neo gene fused to the hepatitis b virus (“ hbv ”) poly - adenylation signal . as shown in fig1 in order to replace the e1 sequences of ad5 ( itr , origin of replication and packaging signal ) by heterologous sequences we have amplified e1 sequences ( nt . 459 to nt . 960 ) of ad5 by pcr , using primers ea - 1 ( seq id no : 1 ) and ea - 2 ( seq id no : 2 ) ( see table i ). the resulting pcr product was digested with c1ai and ligated into bluescript ( stratagene ), predigested with c1ai and ecorv , resulting in construct pbs . pcri . a - primers used for pcr amplification of dna fragments used for generation of constructs described in this patent application . b - pcr primers sets to be used to create the sali and asp718 sites juxtaposed to the itr sequences . c - synthetic oligonucleotide pair used to generate a synthetic hairpin , recreates an asp718 site at one of the termini if inserted in asp718 site . d - synthetic oligonucleotide pair used to generate a synthetic hairpin , contains the clai recognition site to be used for hairpin formation . vector ptn was digested with restriction enzymes ecori ( partially ) and scai . and the dna fragment containing the pgk promoter sequences was ligated into pbs . pcri digested with scai and ecori . the resulting construct pbs . pgk . pcri contains the human pgk promoter operatively linked to ad5 e1 sequences from nt . 459 to nt . 916 . as shown in fig2 pig . e1a . e1b . x was made by replacing the scai - bspei fragment of pat - x / s by the corresponding fragment from pbs . pgk . pcri ( containing the pgk promoter linked to e1a sequences ). pig . e1a . e1b . x contains the e1a and e1b coding sequences under the direction of the pgk promoter . as ad5 sequences from nt . 459 to nt . 5788 are present in this construct , also pix protein of adenovirus is encoded by this plasmid . as shown in fig3 a , in order to introduce the complete e1b promoter and to fuse this promoter in such a way that the aug codon of e1b 21 kd exactly functions as the aug codon of neo r , we amplified the e1b promoter using primers ea - 3 ( seq id no : 3 ) and ep - 2 ( seq id no : 5 ), where primer ep - 2 introduces an ncoi site in the pcr fragment . the resulting pcr fragment , named pcrii , was digested with hpai and ncoi and ligated into pat - x / s , which was predigested with hpai and with ncoi . the resulting plasmid was designated pat - x / s - pcr2 . the ncoi - stui fragment of ptn , containing the neo gene and part of the hbv poly - adenylation signal , was cloned into pat - x / s - pcr2 ( digested with ncoi and nrui ). the resulting construct : pat - pcr2 - neo . as shown in fig3 b , the poly - adenylation signal was completed by replacing the scai - sali fragment of pat - pcr2 - neo by the corresponding fragment of ptn ( resulting in pat . pcr2 . neo . p ( a )). the scai - xbai of pat . pcr2 . neo . p ( a ) was replaced by the corresponding fragment of pig . eia . e1b - x , containing the pgk promoter linked to e1a genes . the resulting construct was named pig . e1a . neo , and thus contains ad5 e1 sequences ( nt . 459 to nt 1713 ) under the control of the human pgk promoter . as shown in fig4 pig . e1a . e1b was made by amplifying the sequences encoding the n - terminal amino acids of e1b 55kd using primers eb - 1 ( seq id no : 6 ) and eb - 2 ( seq id no : 7 ) ( introduces a xhoi site ). the resulting pcr fragment was digested with bglii and cloned into bglii / nrui of pat - x / s , thereby obtaining pat - pcr3 . pig . e1a . e1b was constructed by introducing the hbv poly ( a ) sequences of pig . e1a . neo downstream of e1b sequences of pat - pcr3 by exchange of xbai - sali fragment of pig . e1a . neo and the xbai xhoi fragment of pat . pcr3 . pig . e1a . e1b contains nt . 459 to nt . 3510 of ad5 , that encode the e1a and e1b proteins . the e1b sequences are terminated at the splice acceptor at nt . 3511 . no pix sequences are present in this construct . as shown in fig5 pig . neo was generated by cloning the hpai - scai fragment of pig . e1a . neo , containing the neo gene under the control of the ad . 5 e1b promoter , into pbs digested with ecorv and scai . this construct is of use when established cells are transfected with e1a . e1b constructs and neo selection is required . because neo expression is directed by the e1b promoter , neo resistant cells are expected to co - express e1a , which also is advantageous for maintaining high levels of expression of e1a during long - term culture of the cells . the integrity of the constructs pig . e1a . neo , pig . e1a . e1b . x and pig . e1a . e1b was assessed by restriction enzyme mapping ; furthermore , parts of the constructs that were obtained by pcr analysis were confirmed by sequence analysis . no changes in the nucleotide sequence were found . the constructs were transfected into primary baby rat kidney (“ brk ”) cells and tested for their ability to immortalize ( pig . e1a . nec ) or fully transform ( pad5 . xhoic , pig . e1a . e1b . x and pig . e1a . e1b ) these cells . kidneys of 6 - day old wag - rij rats were isolated , homogenized and trypsinized . subconfluent dishes ( diameter 5 cm ) of the brk cell cultures were transfected with 1 or 5 μg of pig . neo , pig . e1a . neo , pig . e1a . e1b , pig . e1a . e1b . x , pad5xhoic , or with pig . e1a . neo together with pdc26 ( van der elsen et al ., 1983 ), carrying the ad5 . e1b gene under control of the sv4o early promoter . three weeks post - transfection , when foci were visible , the dishes were fixed , giemsa stained and the foci counted . an overview of the generated adenovirus packaging constructs , and their ability to transform brk , is presented in fig6 . the results indicate that the constructs pig . e1a . e1b and pig . e1a . e1b . x are able to transform brk cells in a dose - dependent manner . the efficiency of transformation is similar for both constructs and is comparable to what was found with the construct that was used to make 911 cells , namely pad5 . xhoic . as expected , pig . e1a . neo was hardly able to immortalize brk . however , co - transfection of an e1b expression construct ( pdc26 ) did result in a significant increase of the number of transformants ( 18 versus 1 ), indicating that e1a encoded by pig . e1a . neo is functional . we conclude , therefore , that the newly generated packaging constructs are suited for the generation of new adenovirus packaging lines . generation of cell lines with new packaging constructs cell lines and cell culture human a549 bronchial carcinoma cells ( shapiro et al ., 1978 ), human embryonic retinoblasts (“ her ”), ad5 - e1 - transformed human embryonic kidney (“ hek ”) cells ( 293 ; graham et al ., 1977 ) cells and ad5 - transformed her cells ( 911 ; fallaux et al ., 1996 )) and per cells were grown in dulbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle medium (“ dmem ”) supplemented with 10 % fetal calf serum (“ fcs ”) and antibiotics in a 5 % c02 atmosphere at 37 ° c . cell culture media , reagents and sera were purchased from gibco laboratories ( grand island , n . y .). culture plastics were purchased from greiner ( nürtingen , germany ) and corning ( corning , n . y .). the construction of adenoviral vectors ig . ad . mlp . nls . lacz , ig . ad . mlp . luc , ig . ad . mlp . tk and ig . ad . cmv . tk is described in detail in patent application ep 95202213 . the recombinant adenoviral vector ig . ad . mlp . nls . lacz contains the e . coli lacz gene , encoding β - galactosidase , under control of the ad2 major late promoter (“ mlp ”). ig . ad . mlp . luc contains the firefly luciferase gene driven by the ad2 mlp . adenoviral vectors ig . ad . mlp . tk and ig . ad . cmv . tr contain the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (“ tk ”) gene under the control of the ad2 mlp and the cytomegalovirus (“ cmv ”) enhancer / promoter , respectively . all transfections were performed by calcium - phosphate precipitation dna ( graham and van der eb , 1973 ) with the gibco calcium phosphate transfection system ( gibco brl life technologies inc ., gaithersburg , md ., usa ), according to the manufacturers protocol . subconfluent cultures of exponentially growing 293 , 911 and ad5 - e1 - transformed a549 and per cells were washed with pbs and scraped in fos - ripa buffer ( 10 mm tris ( ph 7 . 5 ), 150 mm nacl , 1 % np4o , 01 % sodium dodecyl sulphate (“ sds ”), 1 % na - doc , 0 . 5 mm phenyl methyl sulphonyl fluoride (“ pmsf ”), 0 . 5 mm trypsin inhibitor , 50 mm naf and 1 mm sodium vanadate ). after 10 minutes at room temperature , lysates were cleared by centrifugation . protein concentrations were measured with the biorad protein assay kit , and 25 μg total cellular protein was loaded on a 12 . 5 % sds - paa gel . after electrophoresis , proteins were transferred to nitrocellulose ( 1 hour at 300 ma ). prestained standards ( sigma , usa ) were run in parallel . filters were blocked with 1 % bovine serum albumin (“ bsa ”) in tbst ( 10 mm tris , ph 8 . 15 mm nacl , and 0 . 05 % tween ™- 20 ) for 1 hour . first antibodies were the mouse monoclonal anti - ad5 - e1b - 55 - kda antibody a1c6 ( zantema et al ., unpublished ), the rat monoclonal anti - ad5 - e1b - 221 - kda antibody cig11 ( zantema et al ., 1985 ). the second antibody was a horseradish peroxidase - labeled goat anti - mouse antibody ( promega ). signals were visualized by enhanced chemoluminescence ( amersham corp , uk ). high molecular weight dna was isolated and 10μg was digested to completion and fractionated on a 0 . 7 % agarose gel . southern blot transfer to hybond n + ( amersham , uk ) was performed with a 0 . 4 m naoh , 0 . 6 m nacl transfer solution ( church and gilbert , 1984 ). hybridization was performed with a 2463 - nt sspi - hindiii fragment from pad5 . sa1b ( bernards et al ., 1983 ). this fragment consists of ad5 bp . 342 - 2805 . the fragment was radiolabeled with α - 32p - dctp with the use of random hexanucleotide primers and klenow dna polymerase . the southern blots were exposed to a kodak xar - 5 film at − 80 ° c . and to a phospho - imager screen which was analyzed by b & amp ; l systems molecular dynamics software . ad5 - e1 - transformed a549 human bronchial carcinoma cell lines were generated by transfection with pig . e1a . neo and selection for g418 resistance . thirty - one g418 resistant clones were established . co - transfection of pig . e1a . e1b with pig . neo yielded seven g418 resistant cell lines . ad5 - e1 - transformed her cells were generated by transfection of primary her cells with plasmid pig . e1a . e1b . transformed cell lines were established from well - separated foci . we were able to establish seven clonal cell lines which we called per . c1 , per . c3 , per . c4 , per . c5 , per . c6 , per . c8 and per . c9 . one of the per clones , namely per . c6 , has been deposited under the budapest treaty under number ecacc 96022940 with the centre for applied microbiology and research of porton down , uk on feb . 29 , 1996 . in addition , per . c6 is commercially available from ingrogene , b . v ., leiden , nl . expression of ad5 e1a and e1b genes in transformed a549 and per cells expression of the ad5 e1a and the 55 - kda and 21 kda e1b proteins in the established a549 and per cells was studied by means of western blotting , with the use of monoclonal antibodies (“ mab ”). mab m73 recognizes the e1a products , whereas mabs aic6 and cig11 are directed against the 55 - kda and 21 kda e1b proteins , respectively . the antibodies did not recognize proteins in extracts from the parental a549 or the primary her cells ( data not shown ). none of the a549 clones that were generated by co - transfection of pig . neo and pig . e1a . e1b expressed detectable levels of e1a or e1b proteins ( not shown ). some of the a549 clones that were generated by transfection with pig . e1a . neo expressed the ad5 e1a proteins ( fig7 ), but the levels were much lower than those detected in protein lysates from 293 cells . the steady state e1a levels detected in protein extracts from per cells were much higher than those detected in extracts from a549 - derived cells . all per cell lines expressed similar levels of e1a proteins ( fig7 ). the expression of the e1b proteins , particularly in the case of e1b 55 kda , was more variable . compared to 911 and 293 , the majority of the per clones express high levels of e1b 55 kda and 21 kda . the steady state level of e1b 21 kda was the highest in per . c3 . none of the per clones lost expression of the ad5 e1 genes upon serial passage of the cells ( not shown ). we found that the level of e1 expression in per cells remained stable for at least 100 population doublings . we decided to characterize the per clones in more detail . to study the arrangement of the ad5 - e1 encoding sequences in the per clones we performed southern analyses . cellular dna was extracted from all per clones , and from 293 and 911 cells . the dna was digested with hindiii , which cuts once in the ad5 e1 region . southern hybridization on hindiii - digested dna , using a radiolabeled ad5 - e1 - specific probe revealed the presence of several integrated copies of pig . e1a . e1b in the genome of the per clones . fig8 shows the distribution pattern of e1 sequences in the high molecular weight dna of the different per cell lines . the copies are concentrated in a single band , which suggests that they are integrated as tandem repeats . in the case of per . c3 , c5 , c6 and c9 we found additional hybridizing bands of low molecular weight that indicate the presence of truncated copies of pig . e1a . e1b . the number of copies was determined with the use of a phospho - imager . we estimated that per . c1 , c3 , c4 , c5 , c6 , c8 and c9 contain 2 , 88 , 5 , 4 , 5 , 5 and 3 copies of the ad5 e1 coding region , respectively , and that 911 and 293 cells contain 1 and 4 copies of the ad5 e1 sequences , respectively . recombinant adenovectors are generated by co - transfection of adaptor plasmids and the large c1ai fragment of ad5 into 293 cells ( see european patent office (“ epo ”) application ep 95202213 ). the recombinant virus dna is formed by homologous recombination between the homologous viral sequences that are present in the plasmid and the adenovirus dna . the efficacy of this method , as well as that of alternative strategies , is highly dependent on the transfectability of the helper cells . therefore , we compared the transfection efficiencies of some of the per clones with 911 cells , using the e . coli β - galactosidase - encoding lacz gene as a reporter ( fig9 ). yields of recombinant adenovirus obtained after inoculation of 293 , 911 , per . c3 , per . c5 and per . c6 with different adenovirus vectors are presented in table ii . the results indicate that the yields obtained on per cells are at least as high as those obtained on the existing cell lines . in addition , the yields of the novel adenovirus vector ig . ad . mlpi . tk are similar or higher than the yields obtained for the other viral vectors on all cell lines tested . table ii . yields of different recombinant adenoviruses obtained after inoculation of adenovirus e1 packaging cell lines 293 , 911 , per . c3 , per . c5 and per . c6 . the yields are the mean of two different experiments . ig . ad . cmv . lacz and ig . ad . cmv . tk are described in patent application ep 95 20 2213 . the construction of ig . ad . mlpi . tk is described in this patent application . yields of virus per t80 flask were determined by plaque assay on 911 cells , as described [ fallaux , 1996 # 1493 ] the used recombinant adenovirus vectors ( see epo patent application no . ep 95202213 ) are deleted for e1 sequences from 459 to nt . 3328 . as construct pe1a . e1b contains ad5 sequences 459 to not 3510 there is a sequence overlap of 183 nt . between e1b sequences in the packaging construct pig . e1a . e1b and recombinant adenoviruses , such as , for example , ig . ad . mlp . tk the overlapping sequences were deleted from the new adenovirus vectors . in addition , non - coding sequences derived from lacz , that are present in the original constructs , were deleted as well . this was achieved ( see fig1 ) by pcr amplification of the sv4o poly ( a ) sequences from pmlp . tk using primers sv4o - 1 ( seq id no : 8 ) ( introduces a bamhi site ) and sv4o - 2 ( seq id no : 9 ) ( introduces a bglii site ). in addition , ad5 sequences present in this construct were amplified from nt 2496 ( ad5 - 1 ( seq id no : 10 ), introduces a bglii site ) to nt . 2779 ( ad5 - 2 ( seq id no : 11 )). both pcr fragments were digested with bglii and were ligated . the ligation product was pcr amplified using primers sv40 - 1 and ad5 - 2 . the pcr product obtained was cut with bamhi and aflii and was ligated into pmlp . tk predigested with the same enzymes . the resulting construct , named pmlpi . tk , contains a deletion in adenovirus e1 sequences from nt 459 to nt . 3510 . the combination of the new packaging construct pig . e1a . e1b and the recombinant adenovirus pmlpi . tk , which do not have any sequence overlap , are presented in fig1 a and 11b . in these figures , the original situation is also presented , with the sequence overlap indicated . the absence of overlapping sequences between pig . e1a . e1b and pmlpi . tk ( fig1 a ) excludes the possibility of homologous recombination between packaging construct and recombinant virus , and is therefore a significant improvement for production of recombinant adenovirus as compared to the original situation . in fig1 b the situation is depicted for pig . e1a . neo and ig . ad . mlpi . tk . pig . e1a . neo , when transfected into established cells , is expected to be sufficient to support propagation of e1 - deleted recombinant adenovirus . this combination does not have any sequence overlap , preventing generation of rca by homologous recombination . in addition , this convenient packaging system allows the propagation of recombinant adenoviruses that are deleted just for e1a sequences and not for e1b sequences . recombinant adenoviruses expressing e1b in the absence of e1a are attractive , as the e1b protein , in particular e1b 19 kd , is able to prevent infected human cells from lysis by tumor necrosis factor (“ tnf ”) ( gooding et al ., 1991 ). recombinant adenovirus was generated by co - transfection of 293 cells with sali linearized pmlpi . tk dna and c1ai linearized ad5 wt dna . the procedure is schematically represented in fig1 . outline of the strategy to generate packaging systems for minimal adenovirus vector l firefly luciferase coding sequence hac , haw potential hairpin that can be formed after digestion with restriction endonuclease asp718 in its correct and in the reverse orientation , respectively ( fig1 ( seq id no : 22 )). for example , piclhaw is a plasmid that contains the adenovirus itr followed by the cmv - driven luciferase gene and the asp718 hairpin in the reverse ( non - functional ) orientation . the following demonstrates the competence of a synthetic dna sequence that is capable of forming a hairpin - structure to serve as a primer for reverse strand synthesis for the generation of double - stranded dna molecules in cells that contain and express adenovirus genes . plasmids piclhac , piclhaw , picli and picl were generated using standard techniques . the schematic representation of these plasmids is shown in fig1 - 19 . the tet gene of plasmid pmlp10 has been inactivated by deletion of the bamhi - sali fragment , to generate pmlp10δsb . using primer set pcr / mlp1 ( seq id no : 14 ) and pcr / mlp3 ( seq id no : 16 ) a 210 bp fragment containing the ad5 - itr , flanked by a synthetic saili restriction site was amplified using pmlp10 dna as the template . the pcr product was digested with the enzymes ecori and sgrai to generate a 196 bp . fragment . plasmid pmlp10δsb was digested with ecori and sgrai to remove the itr . this fragment was replaced by the ecori - sgrai - treated pcr fragment to generate pmlp / sal . plasmid pcmv - luc was digested with pvuii to completion and recirculated to remove the sv4o - derived poly - adenylation signal and ad5 sequences with exception of the ad5 left - terminus . in the resulting plasmid , pcmv - lucδad , the ad5 itr was replaced by the sal - site - flanked itr from plasmid pmlp / sal by exchanging the xmni - sacii fragments . the resulting plasmid , pcmv - lucδad / sal , the ad5 left terminus and the cmv - driven luciferase gene were isolated as an sali - smai fragment and inserted in the sali and hpai digested plasmid pblcats , to form plasmid picl . plasmid picl is represented in fig1 ; its sequence is presented in fig2 a - 20f ( seq id no : 21 ). plasmids piclhac and piclhaw were derived from plasmid picl by digestion of the latter plasmid with the restriction enzyme asp718 . the linearized plasmid was treated with calf - intestine alkaline phosphatase to remove the 51 phoshate groups . the partially complementary synthetic single - stranded oligonucleotide hp / asp1 ( seq id no : 17 ) and hp / asp2 ( seq id no : 18 ) were annealed and phosphorylated on their 5 ′ ends using t4 - polynucleotide kinase . the phosporylated double - stranded oligomers were mixed with the dephosporylated picl fragment and ligated . clones containing a single copy of the synthetic oligonucleotide inserted into the plasmid were isolated and characterized using restriction enzyme digests . insertion of the oligonucleotide into the asp718 site will at one junction recreate an asp718 recognition site , whereas at the other junction the recognition site will be disrupted . the orientation and the integrity of the inserted oligonucleotide was verified in selected clones by sequence analyses . a clone containing the oligonucleotide in the correct orientation ( the asp718 site close to the 3205 ecori site ) was denoted piclhac . a clone with the oligonucleotide in the reverse orientation ( the asp718 site close to the sv40 derived poly signal ) was designated piclhaw . plasmids piclhac and piclhaw are represented in fig1 and 17 . plasmid picli was created from plasmid picl by insertion of the sali - sgrai fragment from picl , containing the ad5 - itr into the asp718 site of picl . the 194 bp sali - sgrai fragment was isolated from picl , and the cohesive ends were converted to blunt ends using e . coli dna polymerase i ( klenow fragment ) and dntp &# 39 ; s . the asp718 cohesive ends were converted to blunt ends by treatment with mungbean nuclease . by ligation clones were generated that contain the itr in the asp718 site of plasmid picl . a clone that contained the itr fragment in the correct orientation was designated picli ( fig1 ). generation of adenovirus ad - cmv - hctk . recombinant adenovirus was constructed according to the method described in epo patent application 95202213 . two components are required to generate a recombinant adenovirus . first an adaptor - plasmid containing the left terminus of the adenovirus genome containing the itr and the packaging signal , an expression cassette with the gene of interest , and a portion of the adenovirus genome which can be used for homologous recombination . in addition , adenovirus dna is needed for recombination with the aforementioned adaptor plasmid . in the case of ad - cmv - hctk , the plasmid pcmv . tk was used as a basis . this plasmid contains nt . 1 - 455 of the adenovirus type 5 genome , nt . 456 - 1204 derived from pcmvβ ( clontech , the psti - stui fragment that contains the cmv enhancer promoter and the 16s / 19s intron from simian virus 40 ), the hsv tk gene ( described in epo patent application 95202213 ), the sv40 - derived polyadenylation signal ( nt 2533 - 2668 of the sv40 sequence ), followed by the bglii - scai fragment of ad5 ( nt . 3328 - 6092 of the ad5 sequence ). these fragments are present in a pmlp10 - derived ( levrero et al ., 1991 ) backbone . to generate plasmid pad - cmvhc - tk , plasmid pcmv . tk was digested with c1ai ( the unique c1ai - site is located just upstream of the tk open readingframe ) and dephosphorylated with calf - intestine alkaline phosphate . to generate a hairpin - structure , the synthetic oligonucleotides hp / cla1 ( seq id no : 19 ) and hp / cla2 ( seq id no : 20 ) were annealed and phosphorylated on their 5 - oh groups with t4 - polynucleotide kinase and atp . the double - stranded oligonucleotide was ligated with the linearized vector fragment and used to transform e . coli strain “ sure ”. in section of the oligonucleotide into the c1ai site will disrupt the c1ai recognition sites . the oligonucleotide contains a new c1ai site near one of its termini . in selected clones , the orientation and the integrity of the inserted oligonucleotide was verified by sequence analyses . a clone containing the oligonucleotide in the correct orientation ( the c1ai site at the itr side ) was denoted pad - cmv - hctk . this plasmid was co - transfected with c1ai digested wild - type adenovirus - type5 dna into 911 cells . a recombinant adenovirus in which the cmv - hctk expression cassette replaces the e1 sequences was isolated and propagated using standard procedures . to study whether the hairpin can be used as a primer for reverse strand synthesis on the displaced strand after replication had started at the itr , the plasmid piclhac is introduced into 911 cells ( human embryonic retinoblasts transformed with the adenovirus e1 region ). the plasmid piclhaw serves as a control , which contains the oligonucleotide pair hp / asp1 ( seq id no : 17 ) and 2 ( seq id no : 18 ) in the reverse orientation but is further completely identical to plasmid piclhac . also included in these studies are plasmids picli and picl . in the plasmid picli the hairpin is replaced by an adenovirus itr . plasmid picl contains neither a hairpin nor an itr sequence . these plasmids serve as controls to determine the efficiency of replication by virtue of the terminal - hairpin structure . to provide the viral products other than the e1 proteins ( these are produced by the 911 cells ) required for dna replication the cultures are infected with the virus ig . ad . mlpi . tk after transfection . several parameters are being studied to demonstrate proper replication of the transfected dna molecules . first , dna extracted from the cell cultures transfected with aforementioned plasmids and infected with ig . ad . mlpi . tk virus is being analyzed by southern blotting for the presence of the expected replication intermediates , as well as for the presence of the duplicated genomes . furthermore , virus is isolated from the transfected and ig . ad . mlpi . tk infected cell populations , that is capable of transferring and expressing a luciferase marker gene into luciferase negative cells . plasmid dna of plasmids piclhac , piclhaw , picli and picl have been digested with restriction endonuclease sali and treated with mungbean nuclease to remove the 4 nucleotide single - stranded extension of the resulting dna fragment . in this manner , a natural adenovirus 5 ′ itr terminus on the dna fragment is created . subsequently , both the piclhac and piclhaw plasmids were digested with restriction endonuclease asp718 to generate the terminus capable of forming a hairpin structure . the digested plasmids are introduced into 911 cells , using the standard calcium phosphate co - precipitation technique , four dishes for each plasmid . during the transfection , for each plasmid two of the cultures are infected with the ig . ad . mlpi . tk virus using 5 infectious ig . ad . mlpi . tk particles per cell . at twenty - hours post - transfection and forty hours post - transfection one ad . tk - virus - infected and one uninfected culture are used to isolate small molecular - weight dna using the procedure devised by hirt . aliquots of isolated dna are used for southern analysis . after digestion of the samples with restriction endonuclease ecori using the luciferase gene as a probe a hybridizing fragment of approx . 2 . 6 kb is detected only in the samples from the adenovirus infected cells transfected with plasmid piclhac . the size of this fragment is consistent with the anticipated duplication of the luciferase marker gene . this supports the conclusions that the inserted hairpin is capable to serve as a primer for reverse strand synthesis . the hybridizing fragment is absent if the ig . ad . mlpi . tk virus is omitted , or if the hairpin oligonucleotide has been inserted in the reverse orientation . the restriction endonuclease dpni recognizes the tetranucleotide sequence 5 ′- gatc - 3 ′, but cleaves only methylated dna , ( that is , only plasmid dna propagated in , and derived , from e . coli , not dna that has been replicated in mammalian cells ). the restriction endonuclease mboi recognizes the same sequences , but cleaves only unmethylated dna ( viz . dna propagated in mammalian cells ). dna samples isolated from the transfected cells are incubated with mboi and dpni and analyzed with southern blots . these results demonstrate that only in the cells transfected with the piclhac and the picli plasmids large dpni - resistant fragments are present , that are absent in the mboi treated samples . these data demonstrate that only after transfection of plasmids picli and piclhac replication and duplication of the fragments occur . these data demonstrate that in adenovirus - infected cells linear dna fragments that have on one terminus an adenovirus - derived itr and at the other terminus a nucleotide sequence that can anneal to sequences on the same strand , when present in single - stranded form thereby generate a hairpin structure , and will be converted to structures that have inverted terminal repeat sequences on both ends . the resulting dna molecules will replicate by the same mechanism as the wild type adenovirus genomes . the following demonstrates that the dna molecules that contain a luciferase marker gene , a single copy of the itr , the encapsidation signal and a synthetic dna sequence , that is capable of forming a hairpin structure , are sufficient to generate dna molecules that can be encapsidated into virions . to demonstrate that the above dna molecules containing two copies of the cmv - luc marker gene can be encapsidated into virions , virus is harvested from the remaining two cultures via three cycles of freeze - thaw crushing and is used to infect murine fibroblasts . forty - eight hours after infection , the infected cells are assayed for luciferase activity . to exclude the possibility that the luciferase activity has been induced by transfer of free dna , rather than via virus particles , virus stocks are treated with dnasei to remove dna contaminants . furthermore , as an additional control , aliquots of the virus stocks are incubated for 60 minutes at 56 ° c . the heat treatment will not affect the contaminating dna , but will inactivate the viruses . significant luciferase activity is only found in the cells after infection with the virus stocks derived from ig . ad . mlpi . tk - infected cells transfected with the piclhc and picli plasmids . in neither the non - infected cells nor the infected cells transfected with the piclhw and picl can significant luciferase activity be demonstrated . heat inactivation , but not dnasei treatment , completely eliminates luciferase expression , demonstrating that adenovirus particles , and not free ( contaminating ) dna fragments are responsible for transfer of the luciferase reporter gene . these results demonstrate that these small viral genomes can be encapsidated into adenovirus particles and suggest that the itr and the encapsidation signal are sufficient for encapsidation of linear dna fragments into adenovirus particles . these adenovirus particles can be used for efficient gene transfer . when introduced into cells that contain and express at least part of the adenovirus genes ( viz . e1 , e2 , e4 , and l , and va ), recombinant dna molecules that consist of at least one itr , at least part of the encapsidation signal as well as a synthetic dna sequence , that is capable of forming a hairpin structure , have the intrinsic capacity to autonomously generate recombinant genomes which can be encapsidated into virions . such genomes and vector system can be used for gene transfer . the following demonstrates that dna molecules which contain nucleotides 3510 - 35953 ( viz . 9 . 7 - 100 map units ) of the adenovirus type 5 genome ( thus lack the e1 protein - coding regions , the right - hand itr and the encapsidation sequences ) and a terminal dna sequence that is complementary to a portion of the same strand of the dna molecule when present in single - stranded form other than the itr , and as a result is capable of forming a hairpin structure , can replicate in 911 cells . in order to develop a replicating dna molecule that can provide the adenovirus products required to allow the above mentioned iclhac vector genome and alike minimal adenovectors to be encapsidated into adenovirus particles bv helper cells , the ad - cmv - hctk adenoviral vector has been developed . between the cmv enhancer / promoter region and the thymidine kinase gene the annealed oligonucleotide pair hp / cla1 ( seq id no : 19 ) and 2 ( seq id no : 20 ) is inserted . the vector ad - cmv - hctk can be propagated and produced in 911 cell using standard procedures . this vector is grown and propagated exclusively as a source of dna used for transfection . dna of the adenovirus ad - cmv - hctk is isolated from virus particles that had been purified using csc1 density - gradient centrifugation by standard techniques . the virus dna has been digested with restriction endonuclease c1ai . the digested dna is size - fractionated on an 0 . 7 % agarose gel and the large fragment is isolated and used for further experiments . cultures of 911 cells are transfected large c1ai - fragment of the ad - cmv - hctk dna using the standard calcium phosphate co - precipitation technique . much like in the previous experiments with plasmid p1clhac , the ad - cmv - hc will replicate starting at the right - hand itr . once the 1 - strand is displaced , a hairpin can be formed at the left - hand terminus of the fragment . this facilitates the dna polymerase to elongate the chain towards the right - hand - side . the process will proceed until the displaced strand is completely converted to its double - stranded form . finally , the right - hand itr will be recreated , and in this location the normal adenovirus replication - initiation and elongation will occur . note that the polymerase will read through the hairpin , thereby duplicating the molecule . the input dna molecule of 33250 bp , that had on one side an adenovirus itr sequence and at the other side a dna sequence that had the capacity to form a hairpin structure , has now been duplicated , in a way that both ends contain an itr sequence . the resulting dna molecule will consist of a palindromic structure of approximately 66500 bp . this structure can be detected in low - molecular weight dna extracted from the transfected cells using southern analysis . the palindromic nature of the dna fragment can be demonstrated by digestion of the low - molecular weight dna with suitable restriction endonucleases and southern blotting with the hsv - tk gene as the probe . this molecule can replicate itself in the transfected cells bv virtue of the adenovirus gene products that are present in the cells . in part , the adenovirus genes are expressed from templates that are integrated in the genome of the target cells ( viz . the e1 gene products ), the other genes reside in the replicating dna fragment itself . note however , that this linear dna fragment cannot be encapsidated into virions . not only does it lack all the dna sequences required for encapsidation , but also is its size much too large to be encapsidated . the following demonstrates that dna molecules which contain nucleotides 3503 - 35953 ( viz . 9 . 7 - 100 map units ) of the adenovirus type 5 genome ( thus lack the e1 protein - coding regions , the right - hand itr and the encapsidation sequences ) and a terminal dna sequence that is complementary to a portion the same strand of the dna molecule other than the itr , and as a result is capable of forming a hairpin structure , can replicate in 911 cells and can provide the helper functions required to encapsidate the picli and piclhac derived dna fragments . the following series of experiments aims to demonstrate that the dna molecule described in experiment series 3 could be used to encapsidate the minimal adenovectors described in experiment series 1 and 2 . in the experiments the large fragment isolated after endonuclease c1ai - digestion of ad - cmv - hctk dna is introduced into 911 cells ( conform the experiments described in part 1 . 3 ) together with endonuclease sali , mungbean nuclease , endonuclease asp718 - treated plasmid piclhac , or as a control similarly treated plasmid piclhaw . after 48 hours virus is isolated by freeze - thaw crushing of the transfected cell population . the virus - preparation is treated with dnasei to remove contaminating free dna . the virus is used subsequently to infect rat2 fibroblasts . forty - eight hours post infection , the cells are assayed for luciferase activity . significant luciferase activity can be demonstrated only in the cells infected with virus isolated from the cells transfected with the piclhac plasmid , and not with the piclhaw plasmid . heat inactivation of the virus prior to infection completely abolishes the luciferase activity , indicating that the luciferase gene is transferred by a viral particle . infection of 911 cell with the virus stock did not result in any cytopathological effects , demonstrating that the piclhac is produced without any infectious helper virus that can be propagated on 911 cells . these results demonstrate that the proposed method can be used to produce stocks of minimal - adenoviral vectors , that are completely devoid of infectious helper viruses that are able to replicate autonomously on adenovirus - transformed human cells or on non - adenovirus transformed human cells . besides the system described in this application , another approach for the generation of minimal adenovirus vectors has been disclosed in pct international application wo 94 / 12649 . the method described in wo 94 / 12649 exploits the function of the protein ix for the packaging of minimal adenovirus vectors ( pseudo adenoviral vectors (“ pav ”) in the terminology of wo 94 / 12649 ). pavs are produced by cloning an expression plasmid with the gene of interest between the left - hand ( including the sequences required for encapsidation ) and the right - hand adenoviral itrs . the pav is propagated in the presence of a helper virus . encapsidation of the pav is preferred compared the helper virus because the helper virus is partially defective for packaging . ( either by virtue of mutations in the packaging signal or by virtue of its size ( virus genomes greater than 37 . 5 kb package inefficiently ). in addition , the authors propose that in the absence of the protein ix gene the pav will be preferentially packaged . however , neither of these mechanisms appear to be sufficiently restrictive to allow packaging of only pavs / minimal vectors . the mutations proposed in the packaging signal diminish packaging , but do not provide an absolute block as the same packaging - activity is required to propagate the helper virus . also neither an increase in the size of the helper virus nor the mutation of the protein ix gene will ensure that pav is packaged exclusively . thus , the method described in wo 94 / 12649 is unlikely to be useful for the production of helper - free stocks of minimal adenovirus vectors / pavs . although the application has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments and illustrative examples , the scope of the invention is to be determined by reference to the appended claims . bernards , r ., schrier , p . i ., bos , j . l ., and eb , a . j . v . d . ( 1983 ): role of adenovirus types 5 and 12 early region 1b tumor antigens in oncogenic transformation . virology 127 , 45 - 53 . bett , a . j , prevec , l ., and graham , f . l . ( 1993 ): packaging capacity and stability of human adenovirus type - 5 vectors . j virol 67 , 5911 - 5921 . blaese , m ., blankenstein , t ., brenner , m ., cohen - hageenauer , o ., gansbacher , b ., russell , s ., sorrentino , b ., and velu , t . ( 1995 ). vectors in cancer therapy : how will they deliver ? cancer gene ther . 2 , 291 - 297 . boshart , m ., weber , f ., jahn , g ., dorsch - häler , k ., fleckenstein , b ., and scaffner , w . ( 1985 ): a very strong enhancer is located upstream of an immediate early gene of human cytomegalovirus . cell 41 , 521 - 530 . bout , a ., imler , j . l ., schulz , h ., perricaudet , m ., zurcher , c ., herbrink , p ., valerio , d ., and pavirani , a . ( 1994a ): in vivo adenovirus - mediated transfer of human cftr cdna to rhesus monkey airway epithelium : efficacy , toxicity and safety . gene therapy 1 , 385 - 394 . bout , a ., perricaudet , m ., baskin , g ., imler , j . l ., scholte . b . j ., pavirani , a ., and valerio , d . ( 1994b ): lung gene therapy : in vivo adenovirus mediated gene transfer to rhesus monkey airway epithelium . human gene therapy 5 , 3 - 10 . brody , s . l ., and crystal ., r . g . ( 1994 ): adenovirus - mediated in vivo gene transfer . ann n y acad scl 716 , 90 - 101 . brough , d . e ., cleghon , v ., and klessig , d . f . ( 1992 ). construction , characterization , and utilization of cell lines which inducibly express the adenovirus dna - binding protein . virology 190 ( 2 ), 624 - 34 . brough , d . e ., rice , s . a ., sell , s ., and klessig , d . f . ( 1985 ): restricted changes in the adenovirus dna - binding protein that lead to extended host range or temperature - sensitive phenotypes . j . virol . 55 , 206 - 212 . daniell , e . ( 1976 ): genome structure of incomplete particles of adenovirus . j . virol . 19 , 685 - 708 . elsen , p . j . v . d ., houweling , a ., and eb , a . j . v . d . ( 1983 ). expression of region e1b of human adenoviruses in the absence of region e1a is not sufficient for complete transformation . virology 128 , 377 - 390 . engelhardt , j . f ., litzky , l ., and wilson . j . m . ( 1994a ): prolonged transgene expression in cotton rat lung with recombinant adenoviruses defective in e2a . hum . gene ther . 5 . 1217 - 1229 . engelhardt , j . f ., simon , r . h ., yang , y ., zepeda , m ., weber - pendleton , s ., doranz , b ., grossman , m ., and wilson , j . m . ( 1993 ): adenovirus - mediated transfer of the cftr gene to lung or nonhuman primates : biological efficacy study . human gene therapy 4 , 759 - 769 . engelhardt , j . f ., ye , x ., doranz , b ., and wilson , j . m . ( 1994b ): ablation of e2a in recombinant adenoviruses improves transgene persistence and decreases inflammatory response in mouse liver . proc natl acad scl u s a 91 , 6196 - 200 . fang , b ., wang , h ., gordon , g ., bellinger , d . a ., read , m . s ., brinkhous , k . m ., woo , s . l . c ., and eisensmith , r . c . ( 1996 ). lack of persistence of e1 - recombinant adenoviral vectors containing a temperature sensitive e2a mutation in immunocompetent mice and hemophilia dogs . gene ther . 3 , 217 - 222 . fallaux , f . j ., kranenburg , o ., cramer . s . j ., houweling , a ., ormondt , h . v ., hoeben . r . c ., and eb , a . j . v . d . ( 1996 ). characterization of 911 : a new helper cell line for the titration and propagation of early - region - 1 - deleted adenoviral vectors . hum . gene ther . 7 , 215 - 222 . gooding , l . r ., aquino , l ., duerksen - hughes , p . j ., day , d ., horton , t . m ., yei , s ., and wold , w . s . m . ( 1991 ): the e1b 19 , 000 - molecular - weight protein of group c adenoviruses prevents tumor necrosis factor cytolysis of human cells but not of mouse cells . j . virol 65 , 3083 - 3094 . gräble , m ., and hearing , p . ( 1990 ): adenovirus type 5 packaging domain is composed of a repeated element that is functionally redundant . j . virol . 64 , 2047 - 2056 . gräble , m ., and hearing , p . ( 1992 ): cis and trans requirements for the selective packaging of adenovirus type - 5 dna . j virol 66 , 723 - 731 . graham , f . l ., and van der eb , a . j . ( 1973 ). a new technique for the assay of infectivity of human adenovirus 5 dna . virology 52 , 456 - 467 . graham , f . l ., smiley , j ., russell , w . c ., and naira , r . ( 1977 ): characteristics of a human cell line transformed by dna from adenovirus type 5 . j . gen . virol . 36 , 59 - 72 . haddada , h ., ragot , t ., cordier , l ., duffour , m . t ., and perricaudet , m . ( 1993 ): adenoviral interleukin - 2 gene transfer into p815 tumor cells abrogates tumorigenicity and induces antitumoral immunity in mice . hum gene ther 4 , 703 - 11 . hay , r . t ., stow , n . d ., and mcdougall , i . m . ( 1984 ): replication of adenovirus minichromosomes . j . mol . biol . 174 , 493 - 510 . hearing , p ., samulski , r . j ., wishart , w . l ., and shenk , t . ( 1987 ): identification of a repeated sequence element required for efficient encapsidation of the adenovirus type 5 chromosome . j . virol . 61 , 2555 - 2558 . horwitz , m . s . ( 1990 ): adenoviridae and their replication , pp . 1679 - 1740 . in b . n . fields , and d . m . knipe ( eds ): virology , raven press , ltd , new york . hu , c . h ., xu , f . y ., wang , k . ; pearson , a . n ., and pearson , g . d . ( 1992 ): symmetrical adenovirus minichromosomes have hairpin replication intermediates . gene 110 , 145 - 150 . imler , j . l ., chartier , c ., dreyer , d ., dieterle , a ., sainte - marie , m ., faure , t ., pavirani , a ., and mehtali , m . ( 1996 ). novel complementation cell lines derived from human lung tarcinoma a549 cells support the growth of e1 - deleted adenovirus vectors . gene ther . 3 , 75 - 84 . jochemsen . a . g ., peltenburg , l . t . c ., pas , m . f . w . t ., wit , c . m . d ., bos , j . l ., and eb . a . j . v . d . ( 1987 ): embo j . 6 , 3399 - 3405 . klessig , d . f ., and grodzicker , t . ( 1979 ): mutations that allow human ad2 and ad5 to express late genes in monkey cells maps in the viral gene encoding the 72k dna - binding protein . cell 17 , 957 - 566 . klessig , d . f . grodzicker , t ., and cleghon , v . ( 1984 ): construction of human cell lines which contain and express the adenovirus dna binding protein gene by cotransformation with the hsv - 1 tk gene . virus res . 1 , 169 - 188 . kruijer , w ., nicolas , j . c ., schaik . f . m . v ., and sussenbach , j . s . ( 1983 ): structure and function of dna binding proteins from revertants of adenovirus type 5 mutants with a temperature - sensitive dna replication . virology 124 , 425 - 433 . lechner , r . l ., and kelly jr ., t . j . ( 1977 ): the structure of replicating adenovirus 2 dna molecules . j . mol . biol . 174 , 493 - 510 . leij , l . de , postmus , p . e ., buys , c . h . c . m ., elema , j . d ., ramaekers , f ., poppema , s ., brouwer , m ., veen , a . y . v . d ., mesander , g ., and the , t . h . ( 1985 ): characterization of three new variant type cell lines derived from small cell carcinoma of the lung . cancer res . 45 , 6024 - 6033 . levrero , m ., barban , v ., manteca , s ., ballay , a ., balsamo , c ., avantaggiati , m . l ., natoli , g ., skellekens , h ., tiollais , p ., and perricaudet , m . ( 1991 ): defective and nondefective adenovirus vectors for expressing foreign genes in vitro and in vivo . gene 101 , 195 - 202 . lochmüller , h ., jani , a ., huard , j ., prescott , s ., simoneau , m ., massie , b ., karpati , g ., and acasdi , g . ( 1994 ): emergence of early region 1 - containing replication - competent adenovirus in stocks of replication - defective adenovirus recombinants ( δe1 - δe3 ) during multiple passages in 293 cells . hum . gene ther . 5 , 1485 - 1492 . matsui , t ., murayama , m ., and mita , t . ( 1986 ): adenovirus 2 peptide ix is expressed only on replicated dna molecules . mol . cell biol . 6 , 4149 - 4154 . michelson , a . m ., markham , a . f ., and orkin , s . h . ( 1983 ): isolation and dna sequence of a full - length cdna clone for human x - chromosome encoded phosphoglycerate kinase . proc . natl . acad . scl . usa 80 , 472 - 476 . morin , j . e ., lubeck , m . d ., barton . j . e ., conley , a . j ., davis , a . r , and hung , p . p . ( 1987 ): recombinant adenovirus induces antibody response to hepatitis b virus surface antigens . proc . natl . acad . scl . usa , 84 , 4626 - 4630 . nicolas , j . c ., suarez , f ., levine , a . j ., and girard , m . ( 1981 ): temperature - independent revertants of adenovirus h5ts125 and h5ts107 mutants in the dna binding protein : isolation of a new class of host range temperature conditional revertants . virology 108 , 521 - 524 . ostrove , j . m . ( 1994 ): safety testing programs for gene therapy viral vectors . cancer gene ther . 1 , 125 - 131 . pacini , d . l ., dubovi , e . j ., and clyde , w . a . ( 1984 ): j . infect . dis . 150 , 92 - 97 . postmus , p . e ., ley , l . d ., veen , a . y . v . d ., mesander , g ., buys , c . h . c . m ., and elema , j . d . ( 1988 ): two small cell lung cancer cell lines established from rigid bronchoscope biopsies . eur . j . clin . oncol . 24 , 753 - 763 . rice , s . a ., and klessig , d . f . ( 1985 ): isolation and analysis of adenovirus type 5 mutants containing deletions in the gene encoding the dna - binding protein . j . virol . 56 , 767 - 778 . roberts , b . e ., miller , j . s ., kimelman , d ., cepko , c . l ., lemischka , i . r ., and mulligan , r . c . ( 1985 ): j . virol . 56 , 404 - 413 . shapiro , d . l ., nardone , l . l ., rooney , s . a ., motoyama , e . k ., and munoz , j . l . ( 1978 ). phospholipid biosynthesis and secretion by a cell line ( a549 ) which resembles type ii alveolar epithelial cells . biochim . biophys . acta 530 , 197 - 207 . simon , r . h ., engelhardt , j . f ., yang , y ., zepeda ., m ., weber - pendleton , s ., grossman , m ., and wilson , j . m . ( 1993 ): adenovirus - mediated transfer of the cftr gene to lung of nonhuman primates : toxicity study . human gene therapy 4 , 771 - 780 . singer - sam , j ., keith , d . h ., tani , k ., simmer , r . l ., shively , l ., lindsay , s ., yoshida , a ., and riggs , a . d . ( 1984 ): sequence of the promoter region of the gene for x - linked 3 - phosphoglycerate kinase . gene 32 , 409 - 417 . stein , r . w ., and whelan , j . ( 1989 ): insulin gene enhancer activity is inhibited by adenovirus 5 e1a gene products . mol cell biol 9 , 4531 - 4 . stratford - perricaudet , l . d ., and perricaudet , m . ( 1991 ): gene transfer into animals : the promise of adenovirus , pp . 51 - 61 . in o . cohen - adenauer , and m . boiron ( eds ): human gene transfer , john libbey eurotext . telling , g . c ., perera , s ., szatkowski , o . m ., and williams , j . ( 1994 ): absence of an essential regulatory influence of the adenovirus e1b 19 - kilodalton protein on viral growth and early gene expression in human diploid wi38 , hela , and a549 cells . j . virol 68 , 541 - 7 . tooze , j . ( 1981 ): dna tumor viruses ( revised ). cold spring harbor laboratory . cold spring harbor , n . y . vieira , j ., and messing , j . ( 1987 ): production of single stranded plasmid dna , pp . 3 - 11 : methods in enzymology , acad . press inc . vincent , a . j . p . e ., esandi , m . d . c ., someren , g . d . v ., noteboom , j . l ., c . j . j , a ., vecht , c ., smitt , p . a . e . s ., bekkum , d . w . v ., valerio , d ., hoogerbrugge , p . m ., and bout , a . ( 1996a ). treatment of lepto - meningeal metastasis in a rat model using a recombinant adenovirus containing the hsv - tk gene . j . neurosurg . in press . vincent , a . j . p . e ., vogels , r ., someren , g . v , esandi , m . d . c ., noteboom , j . l ., avezaat , c . j . j ., vecht , c ., bekkum , d . w . v ., valerio , d ., bout , a ., and hoogerbrugge , p . m . ( 1996b ). herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene therapy for rat malignant brain tumors . hum . gene ther . 7 , 197 - 205 . wang , k ., and pearson , g . d . ( 1985 ): adenovirus sequences required for replication in vivo . nucl . acids res . 13 , 5173 - 5187 . white , e ., denton , a ., and stillman , b . ( 1988 ): j . virol . 62 , 3445 - 3454 . yang , y ., li , q ., ertl , h . c . j ., and wilson , j . m . ( 1995 ): cellular and humoral immune responses viral antigens create barriers to lung - directed gene therapy with recombinant adenoviruses . j . virol . 69 , 2004 - 2015 . yang , y ., nunes , f . a ., berencsi , k ., furth , e . e ., gonczol , e ., and wilson , j . m . ( 1994a ): cellular immunity to viral antigens limits e1 - deleted adenoviruses for gene therapy . proc natl acad scl u s a 91 , 4407 - 11 . yang , y ., nunes , f . a ., berencsi , k ., gonczol , e ., engelhardt , j . f ., and wilson , j . m . ( 1994b ): inactivation of e2a in recombinant adenoviruses improves the prospect for gene therapy in cystic fibrosis . nat genet 7 , 362 - 9 . zantema , a ., fransen , j . a . m ., davis - olivier , a ., ramaekers , f . c . s ., vooijs , g . p ., deleys , b ., and eb , a . j . v . d . ( 1985 ). localization of the e1b proteins of adenovirus 5 in transformed cells , as revealed by interaction with monoclonal antibodies . virology 142 , 44 - 58 .	2
the bell - shaped vibrator type angular rate gyro of the present invention is a gyro in which the applied angular rate is detected by use of the precession effect of a standing wave on a vibrator shell . since a bell - shaped vibrator is brought into a stable state of four - wave loop vibration under the action of excitation electrodes , the present invention allows for generation of a stable standing wave along a circumferential direction of the vibrator . the coriolis force causes the standing wave to precess , and the applied angular rate is obtained by detecting vibrator displacement caused by torsional deformation of the bell - shaped vibrator . a bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 has nonuniform thickness , axially symmetric and multi curved surface combined structural features , wherein the bell - shaped vibrator includes a bell shoulder 2 - 7 having a hemispheric shell structure , a bell waist 2 - 8 having a cylindrical shell structure and a bell lip 2 - 9 having a hyperboloidal shell structure , and these structures themselves have excellent stable characteristics of a standing wave . as shown in fig5 , the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 is excited by a first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and a second excitation electrode 2 - 2 on an outer wall of the bell - shaped vibrator to produce four - wave loop vibration , that is , the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 is operated in an excited mode . further , as shown in fig6 , the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 is also in a detected mode which differs from the excited mode by 45 °. the two modes are coupled by the coriolis force . piezoelectric ceramics ( pzt5a ) which are polarized in a thickness direction are used as a material of the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 . as shown in fig7 , when the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 are operated , a stretching force is produced . since an electrode top 7 - 1 of the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 is close to a constrained end 7 - 3 of the bell - shaped vibrator while an electrode bottom 7 - 2 of the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 is away from the constrained end 7 - 3 , a deviation is formed between the stretching forces in the electrode top 7 - 1 and the electrode bottom 7 - 2 , which causes the stretching forces to be converted into a bending force for driving the vibrator , as shown in fig7 . in this way , the bell - shaped vibrator is excited to produce four - wave loop vibration through vibrations with the same amplitude , at the same frequency , and in the same phase of the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 . when the bell - shaped vibrator is operated in the four - wave loop vibration state , a standing wave is formed along a circumferential direction of the vibrator in a form as shown in fig5 , and a standing wave 5 - 2 is in the four - wave loop vibration state on a section 5 - 1 of the bell - shaped vibrator . all forms of a corresponding standing wave on sections of respective control electrodes are identical . the form of the corresponding standing wave on the section of the corresponding electrode is shown in fig8 . specifically , a section 8 - 1 of the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and a section 8 - 2 of the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 are arranged on a wave loop transverse axis 8 - 3 , a section 8 - 4 of a first feedback electrode 2 - 3 and a section 8 - 5 of a second feedback electrode 2 - 4 are arranged on a wave loop longitudinal axis 8 - 6 , a section 8 - 7 of a first detection electrode 2 - 5 and a section 8 - 8 of a second detection electrode 2 - 6 are arranged on a wave node transverse axis 8 - 9 , and a section 8 - 11 of a first damp control electrode 2 - 10 and a section 8 - 12 of a second damp control electrode 2 - 11 are arranged on a wave node longitudinal axis 8 - 10 . as shown in fig9 , when an applied angular rate causes a counterclockwise rotation around a symmetric axis of the bell - shaped vibrator , the standing wave takes precession in a reverse direction to produce a precession angle 9 - 1 . the first feedback electrode 2 - 3 , the second feedback electrode 2 - 4 , the first detection electrode 2 - 5 and the second detection electrode 2 - 6 detect vibrating effect of the standing wave using piezoelectric effect , and control vibration forms of the bell - shaped vibrator . as shown in fig1 , the precession of the standing wave causes mass points in planes of capacitor pole plates to produce a displacement , thus a capacitor pole plate 10 - 1 on an inner wall of the bell - shaped vibrator will change . the displacement can be detected using eight pairs of capacitor pole plates together based on a directly proportional relationship between the displacement and the applied angular rate . as shown in fig2 , the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 mainly comprises a curved surface structure of a body including the bell shoulder 2 - 7 , the bell waist 2 - 8 and the bell lip 2 - 9 . wherein , the bell shoulder 2 - 7 has the hemispheric shell structure , the bell waist 2 - 8 has the cylindrical shell structure , and the bell lip 2 - 9 has the hyperboloidal shell structure . specific structural design dimensions of the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 are given in fig1 , wherein , l 2 = 22 mm , l 3 = 15 . 8 mm , l 4 = 3 mm , l 5 = 20 mm , r 1 = 10 mm , r 2 = 2 mm , r 3 = 1 . 5 mm , r 4 = 1 . 5 mm , r 5 = 4 mm , r 6 = 9 mm , r 7 = 2 . 5 mm , r 8 = 2 . 2 mm , h 1 = 0 . 5 mm . concrete coordinate expressions of a corresponding curved surface structure can be derived from the set of parameters , and the difference of neighboring frequencies of the vibrator has a maximum value under these parameters . under the above structural parameters , frequencies of the bell - shaped vibrator are distributed as follows : 1 ) 4447 . 2 hz , 2 ) 4480 . 8 hz , 3 ) 7273 . 3 hz , 4 ) 7273 . 8 hz , 5 ) 14535 hz , 6 ) 19450 hz , 7 ) 19451 hz , and 8 ) 23283 hz . the operating frequency is 7273 . 5 hz . the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 is mounted to a position of 0 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 of the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 , the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 is mounted to a position of 180 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 of the bell - shaped vibrator , the first feedback electrode 2 - 3 is mounted to a position of 90 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , the second feedback electrode 2 - 4 is mounted to a position of 270 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , the first detection electrode 2 - 5 is mounted to a position of 45 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , the second detection electrode 2 - 6 is mounted to a position of 225 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , the first damp control electrode 2 - 10 is mounted to a position of 135 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , and the second damp control electrode 2 - 11 is mounted to a position of 315 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 . these electrodes are made of pzt5a which is polarized in a thickness direction and all have the following dimensions : a length of 8 mm , a width of 2 mm and a thickness of 0 . 2 mm . respective electrodes are mounted to the outer wall of the bell - shaped vibrator by means of a conductive adhesive . thus , the outer wall of the bell - shaped vibrator serves as a circuit gnd end , and positive pole faces of the respective electrodes serve as signal input ends . a first isolating hole 2 - 12 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the first detection electrode 2 - 5 ( that is , at a position of 22 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ), a second isolating hole 2 - 13 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the first detection electrode 2 - 5 and the first feedback electrode 2 - 3 ( that is , at a position of 67 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ), a third isolating hole 2 - 14 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the first feedback electrode 2 - 3 and the first damp control electrode 2 - 10 ( that is , at a position of 112 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ), a fourth isolating hole 2 - 15 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the first damp control electrode 2 - 10 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 ( that is , at a position of 157 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ), a fifth isolating hole 2 - 16 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 and the second detection electrode 2 - 6 ( that is , at a position of 202 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ), a sixth isolating hole 2 - 17 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the second detection electrode 2 - 6 and the second feedback electrode 2 - 4 ( that is , at a position of 247 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ), a seventh isolating hole 2 - 18 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the second feedback electrode 2 - 4 and the second damp control electrode 2 - 11 ( that is , at a position of 292 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ), and an eighth isolating hole 2 - 19 having a diameter of 2 mm is provided in a center line between the second damp control electrode 2 - 11 and the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 ( that is , at a position of 337 . 5 ° on the outer side of the bell waist 2 - 8 ). eight capacitor positive pole plates which correspond to the eight electrodes on the outer wall of the bell waist 2 - 8 in an axial direction are evenly arranged on a bottom portion of the inner wall of the bell waist 2 - 8 of the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 respectively . specifically , a first capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 1 is mounted to a position of 0 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , a second capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 2 is mounted to a position of 45 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , a third capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 3 is mounted to a position of 90 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , a fourth capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 4 is mounted to a position of 135 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , a fifth capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 5 is mounted to a position of 180 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , a sixth capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 6 is mounted to a position of 225 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , a seventh capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 7 is mounted to a position of 270 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 , and an eighth capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 8 is mounted to a position of 315 ° on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 . on a pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of a vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 are arranged eight capacitor negative pole plates corresponding to the eight capacitor positive pole plates on the inner side of the bell waist 2 - 8 . specifically , a first capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 1 is mounted to a position of 0 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , a second capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 2 is mounted to a position of 45 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , a third capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 3 is mounted to a position of 90 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , a fourth capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 4 is mounted to a position of 135 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , a fifth capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 5 is mounted to a position of 180 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , a sixth capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 6 is mounted to a position of 225 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , a seventh capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 7 is mounted to a position of 270 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , and an eighth capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 8 is mounted to a position of 315 ° on the pole plate mounting surface 4 - 9 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 . the capacitor positive pole plates and the capacitor negative pole plates are all made of a capacitor sheet material , and are pasted on the respective surfaces by means of an insulating glue . the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 on which the control electrodes and the capacitor pole plates are pasted is placed on a vibrator base 1 - 5 , and an axis of 0 ° of the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 coincides with an axis of 0 ° of the vibrator base 1 - 5 . the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 and the vibrator base 1 - 5 are connected together through the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 , and an axis of 0 ° of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 coincides with that of the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 and the vibrator base 1 - 5 . the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 , the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 and the vibrator base 1 - 5 are fixed together through a fastening bolt 1 - 4 . a leading wire 11 - 1 of the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 is connected to a connecting terminal in a first hole 11 - 2 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 , a leading wire 11 - 3 of the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 is connected to a connecting terminal in a second hole 11 - 4 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 , a leading wire 11 - 5 of the first detection electrode 2 - 5 is connected to a connecting terminal in a third hole 11 - 6 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 , a leading wire 11 - 7 of the second detection electrode 2 - 6 is connected to a connecting terminal in a fourth hole 11 - 8 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 , a leading wire 11 - 9 of the first feedback electrode 2 - 3 is connected to a connecting terminal in a fifth hole 11 - 10 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 , a leading wire 11 - 11 of the second feedback electrode 2 - 4 is connected to a connecting terminal in a sixth hole 11 - 12 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 , a leading wire 11 - 13 of the first damp control electrode 2 - 10 is connected to a connecting terminal in a seventh hole 11 - 14 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 , and a leading wire 11 - 15 of the second damp control electrode 2 - 11 is connected to a connecting terminal in an eighth hole 11 - 16 of the vibrator base 1 - 5 . similarly , a leading wire 11 - 17 of the first capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 1 to a leading wire 11 - 24 of the eighth capacitor positive pole plate 3 - 8 are connected to a first hole 11 - 25 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 to an eight hole 11 - 32 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 respectively ; and a leading wire 11 - 33 of the first capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 1 to a leading wire 11 - 40 of the eighth capacitor negative pole plate 4 - 8 are connected to a ninth hole 11 - 41 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 to an eighteenth hole 11 - 48 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 respectively . a system gnd wire 11 - 49 is connected to the outer wall of the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 , and connected to a nineteenth hole 11 - 50 of the vibrator fixing shaft 1 - 2 . excitation signals with the same amplitude , at the same frequency , and in the same phase are inputted by the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 , and the inputted operating frequency is the inherent vibration frequency of the bell - shaped vibrator 1 - 1 . the first feedback electrode 2 - 3 and the second feedback electrode 2 - 4 mainly acquire a resonance frequency of the bell - shaped vibrator and an amplitude fed back through vibration of the vibrator , carry out a differential computation , and form a control loop together with the first excitation electrode 2 - 1 and the second excitation electrode 2 - 2 to control the vibration frequency and the vibration amplitude of the bell - shaped vibrator . the first detection electrode 2 - 5 and the second detection electrode 2 - 6 carry out a differential computation , detect a deflection angle of the vibration forms of the bell - shaped vibrator , and form a control loop together with the first damp control electrode 2 - 10 and the second damp control electrode 2 - 11 to suppress deflection of the vibration forms of the bell - shaped vibrator . a system delay caused by using capacitor pole plates in controlling and detecting is eliminated by a control loop constituted by piezoelectric electrodes . the applied angular rate can be solved by acquiring information of respective leading wires through a corresponding circuit system and making a general signal analysis of the bell - shaped vibrator type angular rate gyro . the novel bell - shaped vibrator type angular rate gyro according to the present invention exhibits advantages such as lower cost , lower power consumption , longer service life and higher sensitivity as compared with the conventional solid vibratory gyros , has a simple structure and a strong capability to resist against impact , and thus can be desirably applied to the field of the mid or low precision angular rate measurement .	6
referring now to the following description and figures , there is shown preferred embodiments for a quadrant lighting apparatus of the present invention , including the technical features of the invention for which protection is sought . a quadrant lighting apparatus of the present invention includes a housing and a flexible circuit board . the flexible circuit board includes a light source that illuminates a gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant . fig3 shows a quadrant lighting apparatus 15 attached to a gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant 1 . the housing is comprised of a durable material such as aluminum or a plastic . an aluminum housing may be made through machining or a stamping processes . a plastic housing may be made from molds or other conventional plastic working techniques . it is preferred to manufacture the housing from a single piece of stock material to maintain durability and rigidity of the quadrant lighting apparatus . the housing may include a switch for activating the quadrant lighting apparatus . in the manufacturing process of the quadrant lighting apparatus , the flexible circuit board attaches or adheres to the housing . the flexible circuit board attaches or adheres to a bottom surface of the housing and a top surface of the housing . the flexible circuit board includes the light source . in a preferred embodiment , leds are used as the light source to provide illumination for the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant . the flexible circuit board also contains electrical connections and other necessary electrical components for the operation of the quadrant lighting apparatus . the housing also comprises a battery compartment for one or more batteries . a particularly preferred embodiment shown and described has two batteries . a cover plate removably attaches to the housing to contain the batteries . in the preferred embodiment , the cover plate is located on the bottom of the housing . the batteries may be held in position within the battery compartment by a “ dog - bone ” piece . the dog - bone piece assists in securing the batteries and the switch and provides an electrically conductive path for the batteries through a conductive clip adjacent to the dog - bone . in the preferred embodiment illustrated in the drawings , the dog - bone piece &# 39 ; s shape snugly accommodates two round batteries in the housing and provides stability to the batteries and the switch within the housing . as previously indicated , the housing may be made from a plastic material . suitable plastic materials include 33 % glass filled plastic nylon or investment casting . the flexible circuit board may be comprised of multiple layers , such as an adhesive layer , a backing layer , a layer of electrical components forming a circuit , and an optional cover . the adhesive layer may include a modified acrylic type adhesive . in certain embodiments , the adhesive layer may be omitted and adhesives may be used to adhere the flexible circuit board to the housing . the backing layer may include a polyimide material . the backing layer may be approximately 0 . 002 inches thick . the circuit and its electrical components include resistors , leds , and other electrical connections . finally , a cover to protect the components is applied . the cover may include typical paints or other coating to protect the components . other layers may be included as well . the weight of the quadrant lighting apparatus may be reduced to approximately 0 . 075 kilograms to approximately 0 . 085 kilograms by using light weight materials . a preferred embodiment of the quadrant lighting apparatus weighs approximately 0 . 077 kilograms by using the light weight materials . this is a fraction of the weight of the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant , which weighs approximately 1 . 978 pounds alone and with the m82 carrying case approximately 3 . 659 pounds . the present invention will now be discussed with reference to some preferred embodiments : a housing 10 is shown in fig4 - 10 . the housing 10 includes a right - wing 20 and a left - wing 30 . in a preferred embodiment , the right - wing 20 and the left - wing 30 are integral to a base 40 to provide strength and durability to the housing 10 . in other embodiments , the right wing and the left wing may be combined with the base to form the housing . the base 40 is generally rectangular in shape and includes a hollow cavity below its top surface . the right - wing 20 and the left - wing 30 are generally perpendicular to the base 40 of the housing 10 . the base 40 has a front mounting region 50 and a back mounting region 60 . the front mounting region 50 and the back mounting region 60 removably attach or “ clip ” to a bottom surface of the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant via a clip 65 attached to the back mounting region 60 . the quadrant lighting apparatus may removably attach to the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant by other conventional fastening means , such as bolts , brackets , and the like . in a preferred embodiment , the housing 10 is about 1 . 75 inches wide , about 4 . 25 inches long , and about 2 . 13 inches tall . the base 40 includes a groove 425 and a bevel 427 . the groove 425 allows the flexible circuit board to attach to a top surface 330 of the base and a bottom surface of the base 440 . after the flexible circuit board is adhered to the housing , the right - wing 20 and the left - wing 30 include the leds that provide illumination to the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant . the right - wing 20 and the left - wing 30 are generally shaped to position the leds proximate to the portions of the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant 1 , shown in fig1 , requiring illumination , such as the micrometer 3 , the scales 6 and 7 , and the liquid level bubble vial 4 , shown in fig1 . fig1 shows a flexible circuit board 200 attached to the housing 10 to comprise a quadrant lighting apparatus 15 . as shown in fig1 , the right - wing 20 includes a first right led 71 , a second right led 72 , a third right led 73 , and a fourth right led 74 . with continued reference to fig1 , the left wing 30 includes a first left led 81 , a second left led 82 , a third left led 83 , and a fourth left led 84 . the housing also includes a switch 90 that controls the on / off function of the quadrant lighting apparatus 15 . with reference to fig1 , a battery compartment 100 is shown in the bottom of the base 40 . the battery compartment 100 includes a front compartment 105 and a rear compartment 110 , which are defined by a dog bone piece 120 and the base 40 . over the dog bone piece 120 is a conductive clip 125 . a cover plate 130 completes the battery compartment 100 . the cover plate 130 may attach to the housing via screws or socket heads or other conventional fastening means . the flexible circuit board 200 with electrical wiring 220 , as shown in fig1 , adheres to the housing 10 by an adhesive carried by the flexible circuit board 200 to comprise the quadrant lighting apparatus 15 . after the adhering of the flexible circuit board 200 to the housing 10 , the quadrant lighting apparatus 15 may be masked and coated with a sprayed on primer and top - coat , such as 383 green carc coating per mil - std - 171 , to protect the electrical components from ambient conditions encountered during use of the weapon or elements or physical abuse or both . the spray adhesive may be selected to reduce glare as well . the battery system of the present invention will now be discussed in detail . three - volt batteries are suitable for use with this invention . a preferred battery is a panasonic ® cr2477 . these cr2477 batteries are readily available off the shelf . they may provide 4 - 5 years of service assuming that the quadrant lighting apparatus is not activated . the batteries may be readily replaced in the field by the operator by removing the cover plate . the batteries are contained in the front and rear compartments 105 and 110 . the dog bone 120 is attached to the housing 10 via a bolt 210 . as shown in fig1 , the bolt 210 extends through the dog bone 120 and through a passage 42 in the housing 10 to a surface of the housing 10 where fastening means , such as a crimped rivet and washer 215 , act as an electrical conductor between the flexible circuit board 200 on the surface of the housing 10 and the batteries . the bolt 210 also secures the conductive clip 125 to the dog bone . the conductive clip 125 provides a negative connection for the batteries in the front and rear compartments 105 and 110 , while the flexible circuit board 200 provides the positive connection for the batteries . an important aspect of the present invention is the focus angles of the leds . by directing each of the leds in particular directions , the light signature of the quadrant lighting apparatus is reduced and thus , a “ hot spot ” which could reveal the position of the artillery piece or howitzer to enemy combatants is less likely to be created . in the preferred embodiment shown in fig3 , the first right led 71 is directed to the liquid level bubble vial 4 , the second right led 72 is directed to the micrometer 3 , the third right led 73 is directed to the micrometer 3 , and the fourth right led 74 is directed to the right elevation scale 6 . in this embodiment , the first left led 81 is directed to the liquid level bubble vial 4 , the second left led 82 is directed to the micrometer 3 , the third left led 83 is directed to the micrometer 3 , and the fourth left led 84 is directed to the left elevation scale 7 . this is one preferred arrangement for the leds . other suitable arrangements may be employed that illuminate the level , the scales , and the micrometer of the quadrant lighting apparatus . in a preferred embodiment , all of the led &# 39 ; s are “ right angle ” leds . in this preferred embodiment , extra material for supporting an individual led may be used to direct the individual led to a specific point on the quadrant lighting apparatus . in other embodiments , a combination of “ right angle ” and 45 ° leds may be used . in other embodiments of the present invention , a variety of leds and led locations may be selected . embodiments with six leds provide sufficient illumination while not creating a noticeable light signature or hot spot . preferred leds for use with the quadrant lighting apparatus have a wavelength range of about 550 nanometers to about 650 nanometers . this wavelength range is generally not detectable from a distance by enemy combatants using night vision equipment with infrared technology . adjusting the electrical current by the use of resistors in the flexible circuit board achieves the desired brightness and wavelength . in other embodiments of the present invention , ten leds may be used and provide sufficient illumination while not creating a noticeable light signature . the flexible circuit board of the present invention will now be discussed in general terms . the flexible circuit board includes an adhesive backing to adhere the flexible circuit board to the housing . the flexibility of the flexible circuit board allows the flexible circuit board to bend and wrap around the angles and to the bottom surfaces of the housing as needed to assemble the quadrant lighting apparatus . the flexible circuit board follows or molds to the respective contours of the housing . the flexible circuit board preferably includes a single piece of flexible circuit board . this is intended to reduce the likelihood or the probability of breaks or shorts in the circuit and to provide a more durable finished product . the flexible circuit board includes the leds and the necessary electrical connectivity between the leds . other electrical components in the flexible circuit board include resistors and the like . the flexible circuit board may also include the on switch for the device . the flexible circuit board may be programmed to provide an automatic shut - off timer for the quadrant lighting apparatus . for example , after the operator turns “ on ” the quadrant lighting apparatus , the quadrant lighting apparatus may automatically shut off after a predetermined time , such as approximately two to approximately five minutes when appropriately constructed or programmed . as previously described , the flexible circuit board provides the positive contact for the batteries . a preferred flexible circuit board is shown in fig1 . during the manufacture of the quadrant lighting apparatus of the present invention , the flexible circuit board is layered and printed with all the necessary electrical components . next , the flexible circuit board is attached to the housing via the adhesive carried by the flexible circuit board . with reference to fig4 and 14 , a left - wing portion 300 of the flexible circuit board 200 is attached to an interior portion 400 of the left wing 30 . a right - wing portion 310 of the flexible circuit board 200 is attached to an interior portion 410 of the right - wing 20 . a middle portion 320 of the flexible circuit board 200 is attached to the top surface 330 of the base 40 and a battery portion 340 of the flexible circuit board 200 is attached to the bottom surface 440 of the base 40 . the battery portion 340 of the flexible circuit board bends at a transition point 350 to wrap underneath and attach to the bottom surface 440 of the base 40 . the transition point 350 bends through the groove 425 in the base 40 of the housing 10 . a switch portion 360 provides the electrical operation for the switch 90 . the switch 90 contacts the switch portion 360 through the opening 425 . fig1 - 17 show an electrical configuration for the flexible circuit board 200 . the circuit generally comprises four parts , led intensity circuitry , a timer circuit , a set signal , and a reset sequence . the first part of the circuit is the led intensity circuitry which provides for different amounts of current to be sent to each led 500 so that each led 500 has a different intensity . additionally , the amount of current going to all of the leds 500 may be changed by the use of different resistors 515 . all choices described should be made at the time of manufacturing the circuit . the second part of the circuit is the timer circuit . whether the leds 500 are in an “ on ” or “ off ” state is determined by the output of the timer circuit . the timer circuit is preset for a particular period of time during the manufacturing process . in other embodiments , the time period of the timer is made variable by using different components in the timer circuit . the timer is turned “ on ” by a set signal , and when the timer turns “ off ,” a pulse is generated that initiates a reset sequence . the set signal , which starts the timer , is triggered by a single ac pulse created from the pushing of the switch 90 . similarly , the output of the timer circuit creates a pulse that resets the entire circuit . with particular reference to fig1 - 17 , a “ quad two - input nand ” device 525 is shown for the set and reset sequences described above , a tantalum capacitor 530 is used as the “ on time cap ,” a npn transistor 535 is used as the “ on ” switch , and a low power linear timer chip 540 is used in the timer circuit . mechanically , this flexible circuit design provides many advantages . the use of a flexible circuit increases the dependability and reduces the cost associated with wire . the battery contacts are also an integral part of the flexible circuit . the housing forms a conductor for the circuit . although preferred embodiments of the present invention include the quadrant lighting apparatus being removably connected to the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant , one of ordinary skill in the art will realize that there are embodiments of the present invention in which the quadrant lighting apparatus may be permanently attached or affixed or incorporated onto the gunner &# 39 ; s quadrant . as evident from the foregoing description , certain aspects of the present invention are not limited by the particular details of the examples illustrated herein , and it is therefore contemplated that other modifications and applications , or equivalents thereof , will occur to those skilled in the art . it is accordingly intended that all claims shall cover all such modifications and applications that do not depart from the spirit and the scope of the present invention .	8
in use and operation , and referring to fig1 , an exemplary boc semiconductor package 10 of the prior art is depicted . the semiconductor chip or die 12 has an active surface 14 and a back surface 16 . the die 12 is shown with a plurality of bond pads 34 disposed on the active surface 14 , in one or more mutually parallel , generally linear rows 36 ( see fig4 ) along a centerline bisecting the active surface 14 . generally , the bond pads 34 have a uniform interpad spacing or pitch 8 ( see fig4 ). as shown in fig1 , the package 10 includes an interposer substrate 20 such as may be formed of a sheet of circuit board material such as a bt resin or epoxy - glass composite , or may comprise silicon ( with a passivated surface ), ceramic or other suitable dielectric material . the interposer substrate 20 has an interconnect or wire bond slot 40 corresponding to the position of the central row or rows 36 of bond pads 34 ( fig4 ) and exposing bond pads 34 therethrough . in addition , conductive traces 30 are typically formed on the surface 24 of interposer substrate 20 and extend from locations adjacent interconnect slot 40 to other , more remote locations on surface 24 . the conductive traces 30 are connected through interconnect slot 40 to the bond pads 34 by elongated conductive elements in the form of bond wires 38 . conductive traces 30 are also connected to discrete conductive elements 68 of a ball - grid - array ( bga ) comprising solder balls or conductive or conductor - filled or coated columns , pillars or studs , enabling attachment of the package 10 to a carrier substrate ( not shown ) such as a circuit board of an electronic system such as a computer . in fig1 , die 12 is shown as having its active surface 14 mounted on a die attachment area 18 on the surface 22 of interposer substrate 20 by adhesive material 32 . the adhesive material 32 may comprise one of many suitable adhesives such as thermoplastic adhesive , a thermoset adhesive or one or more tape or film segments such as a polyimide ( e . g ., kapton tape ®) having a pressure - sensitive adhesive on both sides thereof . as shown , the package 10 includes a molded filled polymer body 54 extending over the back surface 16 and lateral edges 19 of the die 12 to surface 22 of interposer substrate 20 . as shown , the molded filled polymer body 54 may extend to the peripheral edges 26 of interposer substrate 20 , but this is not required . in addition , a filled polymer wire bond mold cap 56 is formed to fill the interconnect slot 40 and cover the bond wires 38 , including the bond sites to conductive traces 30 . typically , the molded filled polymer body 54 and filled polymer wire bond mold cap 56 are formed substantially simultaneously by conventional transfer molding techniques which are well - known in the electronic industry . alternatively , other packaging methods may be used , including pot molding and injection molding , for example . fig1 also illustrates bending stresses 72 which occur when the package 10 is subjected to temperature cycling and thermal shock . the interposer substrate 20 is thus cycled back and forth between compressive and tensile stress conditions . when in a tensile state , the bending stresses 72 act on the wire bond mold cap 56 and the edges 46 of the interconnect slot 40 , tending to separate them . cracks 58 propagate at the interface 74 between the mold cap 56 and edges 46 , or within the mold cap 56 itself , to relieve the applied tensile stress . breakage of bond wires 38 lying in the path of a crack 58 may also occur . as depicted in the generalized graph of fig3 , the stress values 61 ( whether tensile or compressive ) increase as shown at 62 toward the center of interposer substrate 20 and attain peak values 64 generally along the centerline 42 of the interposer substrate 20 . conversely , stress levels decrease with distance 66 from the centerline 42 of interposer substrate 20 . of course , it is the occurrence of peak values 64 for stress , which causes the aforementioned damage in the interconnect slot 40 region of interposer substrate 20 . fig2 depicts the exemplary interposer substrate 20 of fig1 . interposer substrate 20 is shown in this embodiment as a planar member with a surface 22 and an opposed surface 24 . the interposer substrate 20 has a length 52 . a die 12 ( not shown in fig2 ) with a central row 36 of bond pads 34 will be attached to die attachment area 18 on the surface 22 such that the bond pads 34 will be exposed through the interconnect slot 40 . conductive traces 30 ( not shown in fig2 ) are formed on the surface 24 , as already discussed . as shown , the interconnect slot 40 has a length 48 which , in many instances , is about 70 – 80 % of the interposer substrate 20 length 52 so as to extend a length at least slightly greater than the row or rows 36 of centrally placed bond pads 34 of the die 12 with which interposer substrate 20 is assembled . the slot width 50 is typically made as narrow as possible because of the required space for conductive traces 30 on the outer surface 24 of interposer substrate 20 , but is required to be of sufficient width to accommodate a wire bond capillary used to place bond wires 38 and therefore , form bonds with bond pads 34 and the ends of conductive traces 30 adjacent interconnect slot 40 . also shown are vertical axis 28 oriented perpendicular to the plane of interposer substrate 20 through the interconnect slot 40 and longitudinal axis or centerline 42 extending through the interconnect slot 40 in the plane of interposer substrate 20 . the interconnect slot ends 44 are typically rounded or filleted , a natural consequence of slot formation in the interposer substrate 20 by milling . rounded slot ends as illustrated in fig2 , therefore , have a greater strength than , e . g ., squared ends , the corners of which are subject to crack initiation and propagation . in the present invention , one or more crosspieces or bridges 70 ( fig4 ) are formed between the slot ends 44 of the elongate interconnect slot 40 . these crosspieces or bridges provide a multisegmented interconnect slot 40 and reinforce the interposer substrate 20 between the opposing edges 46 of the interconnect slot 40 at intermediate locations along the interconnect slot 40 against bending attributable to stresses applied thereto . turning now to fig4 , one exemplary embodiment of the interposer substrate 20 of the invention is shown , together with a die 12 with a single central row 36 of bond pads 34 . a crosspiece or bridge 70 comprises a filleted portion of the interposer substrate 20 which is left uncut during manufacture , i . e :, two longitudinally adjacent interconnect slots or slot segments 40 a , 40 b are formed in interposer substrate 20 instead of a single interconnect slot 40 ( as depicted in fig1 and 2 ), leaving crosspiece or bridge 70 in place . the interconnect slot segments 40 a , 40 b of the present invention are shown with a combined length of 48 a plus 48 b , which is slightly less than the length 48 of a single prior art interconnect slot 40 for a similarly sized interposer substrate 20 . however , the longitudinal distal end - to - distal end length of the two interconnect slot segments 40 a , 40 b may be equivalent to , or even longer than , that of a single prior art interconnect slot 40 . the width 76 of the crosspiece or bridge 70 in the direction of centerline 42 is small , generally about 0 . 5 mm or more for a bt resin interposer substrate 20 given manufacturing tolerances , yet sufficient to extend between longitudinally adjacent bond pads 34 . it may be desirable to space bond pads 34 into two or more longitudinally adjacent groups with increased interpad spacing or pitch 8 between groups of the plurality of bond pads 34 , as depicted in fig9 , to enable the use of larger - width crosspieces or bridges 70 . if necessary , more than one crosspiece or bridge 70 may be used , generally evenly spaced along the interconnect slot 40 ( see slot segments 40 a , 40 b and 40 c in fig9 a ), to divide the interconnect slot 40 into three or even more segments to provide a required resistance to bending . generally , however , for overall length 84 of the row 36 of bond pads 34 for dice 12 of about 3 to 15 mm in length , a single , substantially centrally placed crosspiece or bridge 70 is sufficient to avoid stress cracking or delamination of the wire bond mold cap 56 . for longer dice 12 , two or more longitudinally spaced crosspieces or bridges 70 may be desirable to thereby avoid stress cracking or delamination of the wire bond mold cap 56 . referring now to fig8 , a cross - sectional end view of a boc semiconductor package 100 according to the present invention is illustrated . elements and features of semiconductor package 100 are substantially the same as those of boc semiconductor package 10 , however , a notable addition to semiconductor package 100 is the transverse extension of crosspiece or bridge 70 across interconnect slot 40 , thereby dividing interconnect slot 40 into slot segments 40 a and 40 b ( see fig4 ). fig5 illustrates another embodiment of a crosspiece or bridge 70 . in this version , the crosspiece or bridge 70 comprises a narrow segment of material which is adhered by its underside 86 to surface 24 of interposer substrate 20 with a high - strength adhesive . this crosspiece or bridge 70 may be formed of a high - strength material with a coefficient of thermal expansion ( cte ) approximating the cte of the interposer substrate 20 . for example , a reinforced polymer ( such as a glass - reinforced polymer ) may be used to form a thin crosspiece or bridge 70 having a minimum width 76 of about 0 . 5 mm . other reinforced materials such as a polyimide tape , a ceramic element or a silicon - type element may be used . it is also contemplated , as illustrated in fig5 a , that a laterally elongated “ i ”- shaped segment 70 a bearing adhesive material 32 on both sides thereof and used for mounting a die 12 to interposer substrate 20 may be formed such as by die - cutting from a larger sheet of reinforced polymer , for example , and placed on surface 22 of interposer substrate 20 with the head 70 h and foot 70 f of the “ i ”- shaped segment 70 a lying on opposing sides of an interconnect slot 40 and the body 70 b of the “ i ”- shaped segment 70 a forming the reinforcing crosspiece or bridge 70 thereacross . of course , segment 70 a may also be formed with two or more crosspieces to extend at intervals across interconnect slot 40 , or two or more “ i ”- shaped segments 70 a employed . segment 70 a may comprise , for example , a tape segment or a relatively stiff plastic segment . fig6 depicts a further embodiment of a crosspiece or bridge 70 which comprises a narrow plug or bar of material joined to each of the opposed slot edges 46 a and 46 b , preferably by a high - strength adhesive . this narrow plug or bar of material is preferably a dielectric material with sufficient strength to accommodate the compressive and tensile stresses applied along the opposed slot edges 46 a and 46 b , respectively . the various types of materials which may be used to form the plug or bar include , for example , glass , rigid plastic and ceramic . fig7 depicts yet another embodiment of the present invention , in which a “ t ”- shaped crosspiece or bridge 70 t is placed with its body 70 b snugly placed in interconnect slot 40 and the legs of cap 70 c extending over surface 22 transversely to centerline 42 , both body 70 b and cap 70 c being adhesively bonded to interposer substrate 20 . as noted above , for dice 12 which may normally have an interpad spacing or pitch 8 ( see fig4 ) less than about 0 . 5 mm , the die design to accommodate any of the foregoing embodiments of the present invention may require a slightly larger bond pad spacing at one or several locations along the row 36 of bond pads 34 . thus , for example , a die 12 may be formed with a bond pad spacing of 0 . 4 mm along 95 % of the row 36 of bond pads 34 , while the spacing between two adjacent centrally located bond pads 34 is increased to 0 . 6 mm . thus , a crosspiece or bridge 70 may be accommodated without significantly changing the overall length 84 of the row 36 of bond pads 34 . such an arrangement of bond pads 34 on a die 12 in the form of three groups of bond pads 34 , each group of bonding pads 34 comprising two parallel rows flanking the centerline of the die 12 , is illustrated in fig9 . however , in the embodiments of fig5 , 5 a , 6 and 7 , it should be noted that use of a crosspiece or bridge 70 of a higher strength against bending than the material of interposer substrate 20 may enable the use of a thinner crosspiece or bridge 70 which may accommodate existing bond pad spacing or pitch 8 . similarly , if an appropriate material is selected for interposer substrate 20 and stringent manufacturing tolerances may be held , a thin yet effective crosspiece or bridge 70 may provide adequate resistance to bending stresses while still accommodating existing bond pad spacing or pitch 8 . while not specifically illustrated , it should be noted that the invention encompasses various combinations of the embodiments discussed and illustrated above , including stacked packages thereof . in the discussion thus far , it is noted that the dice 12 are disposed on a planar surface 22 of the interposer substrate 20 . however , the present invention is applicable to semiconductor packages in which the interposer substrate 20 or a base comprising the interposer substrate 20 has a die - receiving cavity and / or a conductor - carrying cavity on a surface 22 or an opposed surface 24 thereof . it will be recognized from the above description that the segmentation for reinforcement of interconnect slots 40 in boc semiconductor packages through the use of crosspieces or bridges 70 enhances the functionality and reliability of such semiconductor packages . while the present invention has been disclosed herein in terms of certain exemplary embodiments , those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize and appreciate that it is not so limited . many additions , deletions and modifications to the disclosed embodiments may be effected without departing from the scope of the invention . moreover , elements and features from one embodiment may be combined with features from other embodiments . the scope of the present invention is defined by the claims which follow herein .	7
a preferred embodiment of the machine for heat exchange with a product forming the object of this invention is described below with reference to the figures . fig1 shows a perspective view sectioned according to a vertical plane of an assembly of three elements ( 6 ) and three separators ( 9 ). this assembled could be enlarged with as many separators ( 9 ) as elements ( 6 ) were necessary , for the purpose of being adjusted to the requirements of the machine , either size or volume / surface ratio requirements . likewise , more than one separator ( 9 ) could be located between two contiguous elements ( 6 ). as can be observed in the figure , each element ( 6 ) has a cylindrical configuration , with a first base ( 10 ), a second base ( 11 ) and a cylindrical surface ( 12 ). the separator ( 9 ) may also have a cylindrical configuration . both the shaft ( 13 ) of the element ( 6 ) and the shaft of the separator ( 9 ) will coincide with the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine . following a path parallel to said shaft ( 5 ), the separator ( 9 ) will comprise two conduits ( 14 , 15 ), a first inlet conduit ( 14 ) for a fluid and a second outlet conduit ( 15 ) for said fluid . said conduits ( 14 , 15 ) of the separator ( 9 ) will be communicated with first conduits ( 16 ) and second conduits ( 17 ) of elements ( 6 ). the fluid coming from the first conduit ( 14 ) of a separator ( 9 ) will enter the element ( 6 ) through its first conduit ( 16 ) to circulate through the element ( 6 ) and exit through its second conduit ( 17 ). the fluid in this circulation may transfer or absorb heat for heating or cooling the product contained in the vat ( 1 ) of the machine . the vat ( 1 ) of the machine can be observed in fig2 . said vat ( 1 ), like the elements ( 6 ), has a cylindrical configuration , with a first end ( 2 ), a second end ( 3 ) and an outer surface ( 4 ). the shaft of the cylinder of the vat ( 1 ) will also coincide with the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine for heat exchange with a product , with the shaft ( 13 ) of the elements and with the shaft of the separators ( 9 ). the vat has an opening which is covered with a lid ( 30 ). said lid ( 30 ) can slide in rest situations of the vat ( 1 ), such that it allows the access to the inside of the vat ( 1 ). in the position shown in fig2 , the vat ( 1 ) can be filled with food or product to be treated from a supply point located above the vat . once the food or product has been introduced inside the vat ( 1 ), the lid ( 30 ) will close the vat ( 1 ), its treatment being able to be carried out . in this sense , it must be mentioned that the shaft ( 5 ) comprises two systems of bearings , first bearings allowing the scraper blades ( 7 , 8 ) to rotate , and second bearings allowing the vat ( 1 ) to rotate . during the process for treating the product , the second bearings remain fixed , such that the motor driving the machine only moves the scraper blades ( 7 , 8 ). the motor will be fixed to the vat ( 1 ) through two electric latches , for example . by way of clarification , a partial view of the machine is shown in fig3 , in which the three elements ( 6 ) and three separators ( 9 ) are shown joined to the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine formed , in this case and by way of example , by six rods passing through the three elements ( 6 ) and separators ( 9 ), fixed through a threaded joint in the first end ( 2 ) and the second end ( 3 ) of the vat ( 1 ). depending on the number of elements and separators and of the torque to be transmitted , the number of threaded rods can be increased or reduced . likewise , the two pipes communicating with the first conduits ( 14 , 16 ) and second conduits ( 15 , 17 ) of elements ( 6 ) and separators ( 9 ) are shown . the fluid for cooling or heating the product will be led from an external device , not shown , to the machine through these two pipes . fig4 shows the structures ( 18 ) joined to the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine in which the blades for scraping the elements ( 6 ) and separators ( 9 ), and the first end ( 2 ), the second end ( 3 ) and the outer surface ( 4 ) of the vat ( 1 ) are fixed . three structures ( 18 ) that are equally distributed , each of them at 120 °, can be seen in the embodiment shown in the figure . each structure ( 18 ) is u - shaped , with a first batten ( 19 ), a second batten ( 20 ) and a stringer ( 21 ) joining said battens ( 19 , 20 ). the first batten ( 19 ) will be fixed at one of its two ends perpendicularly in a first end of the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine for heat exchange with a product . likewise , the second batten ( 20 ) will be fixed at one of its two ends perpendicularly in a second end of the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine for heat exchange with a product . the batten ( 21 ) will be joined to the first and second battens ( 19 , 20 ) at its two free ends . inner or outer scraper blades ( 7 , 8 ) are fixed to these structures ( 18 ). fig4 shows two inner blades ( 7 ) joined to two structures ( 18 ) and an outer blade ( 8 ) joined to the third structure ( 18 ). each inner scraper blade ( 7 ) is u - shaped with a first vertical crosspiece ( 22 ), a second vertical crosspiece ( 23 ) and a horizontal crosspiece ( 24 ) joining said first and second vertical crosspieces ( 22 , 23 ). each inner scraper blade ( 7 ) additionally has a first flange ( 25 ) and a second flange ( 26 ). said flanges ( 25 , 26 ) emerge towards the outside of the inner scraper blade ( 7 ) at the free ends of the first and second vertical crosspiece ( 22 , 23 ). the joining of the inner scraper blade ( 7 ) to the stringer ( 21 ) of the structure ( 18 ) is carried out through the first and second flange ( 25 , 26 ), additionally being able to be carried out through a rib joined to the stringer ( 21 ) and to the first and second vertical crosspiece ( 22 , 23 ) of the inner scraper blade ( 7 ). the inner arrangement of a machine for heat exchange with a product with three elements ( 6 ) is shown in fig6 , in which the elements ( 6 ) mentioned in fig1 and the structures ( 18 ) mentioned in fig4 are observed . as can be observed , as there is a relative movement between the elements ( 6 )— separators ( 9 ) and the structures ( 18 ), the inner blades ( 7 ) will scrape the walls of the elements ( 6 ) and separators ( 9 ). in particular , the first and second crosspiece ( 22 , 23 ) of the inner scraper blade ( 7 ) will scrape the first base ( 10 ) of an element ( 6 ) and the second base ( 11 ) of a contiguous element ( 6 ), the cylindrical surfaces ( 12 ) being scraped by the first and second flanges ( 25 , 26 ) of the inner scraper blades ( 7 ). the horizontal crosspieces ( 24 ) will scrape the outer surfaces of the separators ( 9 ). all this is shown with greater detail in fig7 . an outer scraper blade ( 8 ) can also be seen in fig6 . said outer scraper blade ( 8 ) is also u - shaped with a first vertical crosspiece ( 27 ), a second vertical crosspiece ( 28 ), both joined perpendicularly to the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine for heat exchange with a product , parallel to the first and second battens ( 19 , 20 ) of the structure ( 18 ) and outside said structure ( 18 ). said first vertical crosspiece ( 27 ) and second vertical crosspiece ( 28 ) are joined , parallel to the stringer ( 21 ) of the structure ( 18 ) and outside said structure ( 18 ), through a horizontal crosspiece ( 29 ). the first vertical crosspiece ( 27 ), the second vertical crosspiece ( 28 ) and the horizontal crosspiece ( 29 ) of the outer scraper blade ( 8 ) will carry out the same function as the first vertical crosspiece ( 22 ), the second vertical crosspiece ( 23 ) and the horizontal crosspiece ( 24 ) of the outer scraper blade ( 7 ) scraping , respectively , the first end ( 2 ), the second end ( 3 ) and the outer surface ( 4 ) of the vat ( 1 ) when the structure rotates about the shaft ( 5 ) of the machine for heat exchange with a product . the number of these outer scraper blades ( 8 ) may be at most equal to the number of structures ( 18 ). fig8 shows the end of the process for treating the product or food . once the process has ended , the motor of the vat ( 1 ) is decoupled , for example by opening the previously mentioned electric latches . in this position , by applying a force on the bar ( 31 ) the vat ( 1 ) can be rotated and the opening thereof can be oriented towards the storage tank or container in which the treated product or food will be dumped . at this time , the lid ( 30 ) may be opened , the product or food falling into the container located under the vat ( 1 ) arranged for such purpose . during the unloading process , the movement of the vat ( 1 ) may be blocked again for the purpose of preventing the movement thereof during the unloading operation . this blocking may also occur also by means using the mentioned electric latches . for the purpose of facilitating the transfer of the product or food from the vat ( 1 ) to the storage tank or container , a guiding system may be added to the machine , such that the losses or wastages in the unloading process are minimized . said guiding system may be a ramp , for example . in view of this description and set of figures , the person skilled in the art will be able to understand that the invention has been described according to a preferred embodiment thereof , but that multiple variations can be introduced in said preferred embodiment , without departing from the object of the invention as it has been claimed .	0
as used herein , a hydrocarbyl radical has from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and includes alkyl , cycloalkyl , aryl , arylene , alkaryl , aralkyl , aralkenyl , and alkenyl radicals having up to 3 ethylenic double bonds . the vinyl chloride polymers are made from monomers consisting of vinyl chloride alone or a mixture of monomers comprising , preferably , at least about 70 % by weight based on the total monomer weight of vinyl chloride . they are exemplified by copolymers of vinyl chloride with from about 1 to about 30 % of a copolymerizable ethylenically unsaturated material such as vinyl acetate , vinyl butyrate , vinyl benzoate , vinylidene chloride , diethyl fumarate , diethyl maleate , other alkyl fumarates and maleates , vinyl propionate , methyl acrylate , 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate , butyl acrylate and other alkyl acrylates , methyl methacrylate , ethyl methacrylate , butyl methacrylate and other alkyl methacrylates , methyl alpha - chloroacrylate , styrene , trichloroethylene , vinyl ethers such as vinyl ethyl ether , vinyl chloroethyl ether and vinyl phenyl ether , vinyl ketones such as vinyl methyl ketone and vinyl phenyl ketone , 1 - fluoro - 2 - chloroethylene , acrylonitrile , chloroacrylonitrile , allylidene diacetate and chloroallylidene diacetate . typical copolymers include vinyl chloride - vinyl acetate ( 96 : 4 sold commercially as vynw ), vinyl chloride - vinyl acetate ( 87 : 13 ), vinyl chloride - vinyl acetate - maleic anhydride (( 86 : 13 : 1 ), vinyl chloride - vinylidene chloride ( 95 : 5 ); vinyl chloride - diethyl fumarate ( 95 : 5 ), and vinyl chloride 2 - ethylhexyl acrylate ( 80 : 20 ). the vinyl chloride polymers , of course , constitute the major portion of the compositions of this invention . thus , they amount to from about 70 % to about 95 % by weight of the total weight of the unfoamed compositions of this invention . the blowing agent may be any one or a mixture of those commonly used for foaming pvc pipe , including azobisformamide , 5 - phenyl tetrazole , benzene sulfonyl hydrazide , the formula for the azobisformamide is : ## str2 ## azobisformamide is available under the celogen azrv trademark . the concentration of said blowing agent is suitably from about 0 . 1 and 5 . 0 % but preferably from about 0 . 2 to about 3 % by weight of the total composition prior to the formation of foam . r &# 39 ; in the organotin salt is preferably an alkyl group having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms , more preferably only 1 carbon atom , and when x is halogen , it is preferably chlorine and x is preferably from 2 to 3 . when used , the proportion of organotin halide in the unfoamed compositions of this invention is from about 5 to about 15 % of the weight of the heat stabilizer used in the vinyl chloride polymer composition of this invention . when x is a carboxylate ion , it preferably has from 1 to 20 carbon atoms and is exemplified by the ions of acetic , propionic , butyric , caprylic , caproic , decanoic , lauric , stearic , oleic , and benzoic acid . when used , the amount of organotin carboxylate is from about 10 to about 80 % of the weight of the heat stabilizer used in the vinyl chloride polymer composition of this invention . the organotin halides may be prepared by methods well known in the art such as those disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 3 , 745 , 183 , 3 , 857 , 868 , and 4 , 134 , 878 . they are exemplified by methyltin trichloride , dimethyltin dichloride , trioctyltin chloride , dibutyltin dibromide , diphenyltin dichloride , and dibenzyltin dichloride . the organotin carboxylates may be prepared by well known conventional methods such as by the reaction of an organotinhalide with a carboxylic acid in the presence of a base in water or the reaction of an organotin oxide with the carboxylic acid . they are exemplified by monobutyltin tris ( dodecylmaleate ), dimethyltin azelate , diethyltin dilaurate , monobutyltin tri - tallate , and dimethyltin dibenzoate . the amount of stabilizer in the unfoamed compositions of this invention is from about 0 . 1 to about 10 %, preferably from about 0 . 5 to about 5 %, by weight . they may be incorporated into the compositions by admixing in an appropriate mill or mixer or by any of the other well - known methods which provide for the uniform distribution of the stabilizers throughout the composition . in the stabilizer ( a ), r 1 is preferably an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms , r 2 is preferably an alkylene group having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms , r 3 is preferably an alkyl group having from 1 to 7 carbon atoms or a phenyl group , and y is preferably from 1 to 2 . reverse esters are commonly made from a mixture of monoorgano - and diorganotin chlorides ; it is preferred for this invention to use a mixture containing from about 70 to about 90 , more preferably about 80 weight percent of the dimethyltin chloride to promote the formation of a mixture of the reverse esters having about the same proportion of mono - and diorganotin bis ( mercaptoalkylcarboxylates ), reverse esters having such a high concentration of the diorganotin moiety have been found to be superior activators of the blowing agent without the need for a second activator such as the organotin halides and organotin carboxylates . the stabilizer comprises , therefore , a mixture of mercaptides for some of which the value of y in formula i is 2 and for others the value of y is 3 . it is preferred , that the amount of mercaptides for which y is 2 is from about 70 to about 90 %, more preferably about 80 %, of the total weight of the mixture . as noted above , the preparation of the mercaptoalkyl carboxylate esters and the corresponding tin mercaptides , e . g ., dibutyltin bis -( mercaptoethyl laurate ), is taught in u . s . pat . no . 2 , 870 , 182 . the sulfides may be prepared by any of several well known methods such as those taught in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 062 , 881 . thus as starting material there can be used methyltin trichloride , methyltin tribromide , methyltin triiodide , ethyltin trichloride , butyltin trichloride , butyltin tribromide , butyltin triiodide , sec . butyltin trichloride , octyltin trichloride , benzyltin trichloride , dimethyltin dichloride , dimethyltin dibromide dimethyltin diiodide , dipropyltin dichloride , butyl methyl tin dichloride , dibutyltin dichloride , dibutyltin dibromide , dioctyltin diiodide , dioctyltin dichloride , dibenzyltin dichloride , phenyltin trichloride , p - tolyltin trichloride , diphenyltin dichloride , di - p - tolyltin dichloride , cyclohexyltin trichloride , dicyclohexyltin dichloride , cyclopentyltin trichloride , oleyltin trichloride , dioleyltin dichloride , vinyltin trichloride , diallyltin dichloride , allyltin trichloride , eicosanyltin trichloride . as the mercaptoalkanol ester there can be employed , for example , esters of mercaptoethanol , 2 - thioglycerine , 3 - thioglycerine , 3 - thiopropanol , 2 - thiopropanol , 4 - thiobutanol , 18 - thiooctadecanol , 9 - thiononanol , 8 - thiooctanol , 6 - thiohexanol with acids such as formic acid , acetic acid , propionic acid , butyric acid , pivalic acid , valeric acid , caprylic acid , caproic acid , decanoic acid , lauric acid , myristic acid , palmitic acid , 2 - ethylhexanoic acid , stearic acid , eicosanic acid , oleic acid , linoleic acid , linolenic acid , crotonic acid , methacrylic acid , acrylic acid , cinnamic acid , benzoic acid , p - toluic acid , o - toluic acid , p - t - butylbenzoic acid , enanthic acid , p - n - butylbenzoic acid , cyclohexane carboxylic acid , phenylacetic acid , ricinoleic acid , hydrogenated ricinoleic acid , phenylpropionic acid . of course , mixtures of acids can be used , e . g ., tall oil acids , palmitic acid - stearic acid mixtures ranging from 60 : 40 to 40 : 60 , soybean oil acids , cottonseed oil acids , hydrogenated cottonseed oil acids , peanut oil acids , coconut oil acids , corn oil acids , castor oil acids , hydrogenated castor oil acids , lard acids , etc . illustrative of half esters of polycarboxylic acids which can be esterified with the mercaptoalkanol are monomethyl maleate , monoethyl maleate , monopropyl maleate , monobutyl maleate , monooctyl maleate , mono - 2 - ethylhexyl maleate , monostearyl maleate , monoethyl fumarate , mono methyl oxalate , monoethyl oxalate , monoethyl malonate , monobutyl malonate , monoisopropyl succinate , monomethyl succinate , monomethyl glutarate , monoethyl adipate , monomethyl glutarate , monoethyl adipate , monomethyl azelate , monomethyl phthalate , monoethyl phthalate , monoisooctyl phthalate , monoethyl terephthalate . illustrate of mercapto esters which can be used in the preparation of the tin compound include : in formula iv for the sulfide , r 7 and r 8 are preferably alkyl groups having from 1 to 8 carbon atoms , more preferably 1 , z is preferably an alkylene radical having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms , r 9 is preferably an alkyl radical having from 1 to 17 carbon atoms , n is preferably 1 , and q is preferably from 1 to 4 and more preferably from 1 to 2 . in addition to the blowing agent activator - heat stabilizer compositions described in the foregoing specification and appended claims , the vinyl chloride polymer compositions of this invention may contain additives for the purpose of increasing , resistance to oxidation , flame retardancy and impact resistance of the polymer . pigments , fillers , dyes , ultraviolet light absorbing agents and the like may also be present . conventional processing aids such as lubricants and acrylic resins can also be present . acrylic resins are employed in the compositions of this invention as processing aids to improve melt elasticity and strength and to prevent the collapse of the cellular structure during processing . the amount of the acrylic resin is from about 2 to about 15 parts per hundred parts of the vinyl chloride polymer . the molecular weight of the resin may be in the range of from 300 , 000 to 1 , 500 , 000 but those having the higher molecular weights are preferred ; resins having a molecular weight of 1 , 000 , 000 and higher are particularly preferred . examples of the acrylic processing aids include those sold by rohm & amp ; haas under the trademark acryloid and product numbers k - 175 , and k - 400 . among the antioxidants suitable for use in the present polymer compositions are phenols , particularly those wherein the positions adjacent to the carbon atom bearing the hydroxyl radical contain alkyl radicals as substituents . phenols wherein this alkyl radical is sterically bulky , e . g . a tertiary butyl radical , are preferred . a small amount , usually not more than 0 . 1 %, of a metal release agent , such as an oxidized polyethylene , also can be included . the effect of the blowing agent activator is independent of whether it is added to the vinyl chloride polymer as an aqueous solution , as part of a stabilizer package , or as part of a lubricant package . a variety of conventional molding and extruding techniques may be used to form the rigid , cellular vinyl chloride polymers of this invention into pipe or any desired profile or a sheet . the following examples illustrate this invention more specifically . unless otherwise indicated , all parts and percentages in these examples and throughout this specification are by weight . abf is an abbreviation of azobisformamide . pvc pipe formulations a and b were processed in a brabender 3 / 4 inch extruder having a 25 / 1 length to diameter ratio and a straight flight screw having a 2 / 1 compression ratio and a die orifice of 5 mm . the temperature profile (° c .) was : formulations a and b are the same except for the addition of the monomethyltin trichloride in b as shown in the following table . the extrusion results are also given in the table . table 1______________________________________formulation a b______________________________________pvc 100 . 00 parts 100 . 00 partscaco . sub . 3 5 . 00 phr 5 . 00 phrtio . sub . 2 1 . 00 phr 1 . 00 phrca stearate 0 . 75 phr 0 . 75 phrac - 629 * 0 . 08 phr 0 . 08 phrparaffin wax 1 . 30 phr 1 . 30 phrazobisformamide 0 . 35 phr 0 . 35 phrmonomethyltin 0 . 70 phr 0 . 70 phrtris ( mercapto - ethyl tallate ) sulfidemonomethyltin 0 . 00 &# 34 ; 0 . 05 &# 34 ; trichlorideextrusion resultsrpm 50 50torque m · gm . 2514 2512rate gm / hr 3400 3400melt temperature (° c .) 205 205foam density gm / cc 0 . 74 0 . 70______________________________________ * trademark for oxidized polyethylene pvc pipe formulations 2 - 4 , as well as control 1 were processed in a brabender 3 / 4 inch extruder having a 25 / 1 length to diameter ratio and a straight flight screw having a 4 / 1 compression ratio and a die orifice of 5 mm . the temperature profile (° c .) was : the formulations as well as the extrusion results are as shown in the following table . table 2______________________________________formulation cont 1 2 3 4______________________________________pvc 100 . 00 100 . 00 100 . 00 100 . 00acrylic resink - 400 6 . 00 6 . 00 6 . 00 6 . 00k - 175 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50caco . sub . 3 5 . 00 5 . 00 5 . 00 5 . 00tio . sub . 2 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00ca stearate 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00ac - 629 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 10 0 . 10paraffin wax 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50azobisforamide 0 . 15 0 . 15 0 . 15 0 . 15monomethyltin 1 . 50 1 . 50 1 . 50 1 . 50tris ( mercapto - ethyl tallate ) sulfidemonomethyltin 0 . 00 0 . 40 0 . 20 0 . 20trichlorideextrusion resultsrpm 45 45 45 45torque m · gm . 8650 7025 7950 7450rate gm / min 48 . 6 45 . 9 44 . 8 44 . 9melt temp (° c .) 215 215 212 211foam density gm / cc 0 . 96 0 . 85 0 . 91 0 . 91______________________________________ amounts of additive in parts per hundred parts of resin ( phr ) the pvc pipe formulations shown in table 3 were processed in a brabender 3 / 4 inch extruder having a 25 / 1 length to diameter ratio and a straight flight screw having a 4 / 1 compression ratio and a die orifice of 5 mm . the extrusion results are also given in the table . the temperature profile (° c .) was : table 3______________________________________formulation cont 2 ce 1 5 ce2______________________________________pvc 100 . 00 100 . 00 100 . 00 100 . 00acrylic resink - 400 6 . 00 6 . 00 6 . 00 6 . 00k - 175 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50caco . sub . 3 5 . 00 5 . 00 5 . 00 5 . 00tio . sub . 2 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00ca stearate 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00 1 . 00rheolube 165 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50 0 . 50ac - 629 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 10 0 . 10azobisformamide 0 . 15 0 . 15 0 . 15 0 . 15dimethyltin 1 . 50 -- 1 . 20 -- bis ( mercapto - ethyl tallate ) sulfidedimethyltin -- 1 . 50 -- 1 . 20bis ( 2 - ethylhexylthioglycolate ) dimethyltin -- -- 0 . 30 0 . 30ditallateextrusion resultsrpm 45 45 45 45torque m · gm . 8700 8150 7450 7900rate gm / min 44 . 6 42 , 8 44 . 4 43 . 3melt temp (° c .) 209 207 207 206foam denisity gm / cc 0 . 56 0 . 74 0 . 46 0 . 63______________________________________ amounts of additive in parts per hundred parts of resin ( phr ) the pvc pipe formulations shown in table 4 were processed in a brabender 3 / 4 inch extruder having a 25 / 1 length to diameter ratio and a straight flight screw having a 4 / 1 compression ratio and a die orifice of 5 mm . the extrusion results are also given in the table . the temperature profile (° c .) was : table 4______________________________________formulation cont 2 ce 3 6 7 8______________________________________pvc 100 100 100 100 100acrylic resink - 400 6 6 6 6 6k - 175 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5caco . sub . 3 5 5 5 5 5tio . sub . 2 1 1 1 1 1ca stearate 1 1 1 1 1ac - 629 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1paraffin wax 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5azobisformamide 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35dimethyltin 1 . 50 -- 1 . 20 0 . 90 0 . 60bis ( mercapto - ethyl tallate ) sulfidemark 1915 ( witco ) -- 1 . 50 -- -- -- dimethyltin -- -- 0 . 30 0 . 60 0 . 90ditallateextrusion resultsrpm 45 45 45 45 45torque m · gm . 8700 6800 7450 6575 7900rate gm / min 44 . 1 46 . 8 43 . 4 43 . 9 43 . 3melt temp (° c .) 209 206 206 204 203foam density 0 . 56 0 . 53 0 . 53 0 . 52 0 . 50______________________________________ amounts of additive in parts per hundred parts of resin ( phr ) the pvc pipe formulations shown in table 5 were processed in a brabender 3 / 4 inch extruder having a 25 / 1 length to diameter ratio and a straight flight screw having a 4 / 1 compression ratio and a die orifice of 5 mm . the extrusion results are also given in the table . the temperature profile (° c .) was : table 5__________________________________________________________________________formulation cont 2 9 10 11 12 13 14 15__________________________________________________________________________pvc 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100acrylic resink - 400 6 6 6 6 6 6 6 6k - 175 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5caco . sub . 3 5 5 5 5 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5tio . sub . 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1ca stearate 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1ac - 629 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1 0 . 1paraffin wax 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5 0 . 5azobisformamide 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35 0 . 35dimethyltin 1 . 50 -- -- -- 1 . 20 -- -- -- bis ( mercapto - ethyltallate ) sulfidemonomethyltin tris ( mercapto - -- 1 . 50 -- -- -- 1 . 20 -- -- ethyltallate ) sulfidemonomethyltin bis ( mercapto - -- -- 1 . 50 -- -- -- 1 . 20 -- ethyltallate ) dimethyltin -- -- -- 1 . 50 -- -- -- 1 . 20 ( mercapto - ethyltallate ) dimethyltin -- -- -- -- 0 . 30 0 . 30 0 . 30 0 . 30ditallateextrusion resultsrpm 45 45 45 45 45 45 45 45torque m . gm . 8700 8625 8825 8200 7525 7900 7525 7225rate gm / min 44 . 1 46 . 0 46 . 9 46 . 1 43 . 8 44 . 3 44 . 8 44 . 0melt temp (° c .) 209 205 206 204 204 206 205 205foam density 0 . 56 0 . 63 0 . 55 0 . 51 0 . 52 0 . 58 0 . 55 0 . 49gm / cc__________________________________________________________________________ amounts of additive in parts per hundred parts of resin ( phr )	2
the game described herein will be referred to under the generic concept name of megastudpoker ®, which may have variants within the generic disclosure provided herein . as with all poker - type games , the game depends upon the rank of cards and combinations of cards in a hand and not on point count total . the game may be played as both a table game or automated machine game , with the latter preferred . one way of generally described technology included in this disclosure comprises a method of playing a poker wagering game on a video gaming apparatus . the method comprises : a player placing an underlying wager of x credits in the wagering game where z partial hands are provided in a display step in the wagering game ; the player wagering y credits on one of the z partial hands as a wager that the one of the z partial hands will be a best hand from among all z hands at the conclusion of the poker wagering game when the final hands will comprise n cards , wherein y & lt ; x ; and x - y credits being wagered against a paytable for ranks attained against the paytable for each distinct numbers of cards in the z hands selected from the group consisting of partial hands , intermediate hands and final hands of n cards . upon displaying z partial hands in the display step , individual probabilities for each of the z hands winning in an n card final hand game against all of the other z hands is displayed for use by the player . distinct payout rates may be displayed for each of the individual probabilities displayed . the distinct payout rates are relatively inverse ( that is , they do not have to be literal mathematic inverses , which might leave factors that cannot wholly be applied to wager returns ( e . g ., an inverse of 1 / 7 would require a literal inverse multiple of 14 . 2856 . . . as a payout factor , which is not convenient in dealing with whole unit credits ) to the displayed probability of one z hand winning , such that higher probability winning hands have lower payout rates as compared to lower probability winning hands . again , in explaining “ relatively inverse ,” on the 1 / 7 probability of winning displayed in a seven partial hand game , acceptable payout rates are likely to be in a relative range of 8 : 1 to 14 : 1 , with the residual providing house retention attributes . the method is preferred where n comprises 7 ; each partial hand consists of two cards ; the final 7 cards in the z hands are formed by first providing the initial two card partial hand and then providing a flop of three community cards to form a first intermediate hand before additional community cards are provided to form a final hand of 7 cards ; and the additional community cards to form a final hand of seven cards are provided together as two cards . to initiate the game , a player will wager x number of credits on z numbers of hands . for simplicity , it will be assumed that x / z is a whole integer , but in automated or table games , the wagers may be asymmetrically distributed . the z number of hands will each have a predetermined number of cards that are used as separate partial hands . in the play of texas hold &# 39 ; em variants , that would be 2 cards , and in omaha poker variants , that would be four cards . each round of play for each player has three distinct and separate hands that are in play at different stages . after receiving the z number of partial hands ( e . g ., 2 cards will be discussed , using a texas hold &# 39 ; em format ), a sequence of flop cards ( community cards ) are provided , preferably as a first 3 - card flop , and then a next 2 - card flop ( equivalent to a combination of the fourth street and river cards in texas hold &# 39 ; em ). it is possible to provide the second set of cards as two distinct offerings as the fourth street and the river . x , y , z and n are whole integer numbers . as x and y are wagering credits , they may vary up to the wagering limits on the game . z is preferably between 2 and 100 ( with multiple decks needed for values in excess of 23 ( where there is a standard 52 card deck ) and in excess of 24 ( where there is a standard 52 card deck and at lest one wild card or extra card ). n is at least one number greater than the number of cards in the partial hands , preferably 3 - 6 cards greater , and more preferably exactly 5 cards greater . in one format of the game , the player has placed a three - part wager on a 2 - card hand ( the pocket cards or partial hand ), a 5 - card hand ( the partial hand ( s ) and the 3 - card flop ) and a 7 - card hand ( the partial hand of 2 cards , the flop of 3 cards and the final set of two cards equivalent to fourth street and the river cards ). in another format of the game , there may be four wagers , on the 2 - card partial hands , the 3 - card flop , the 5 - card combination of partial hand and flop , and the 7 - card hand of the partial hand and the 5 community cards . as noted before , it is an option to deliver fourth street and the river separately , and if that is done , there is a possibility of five wagers on the 2 - card partial hand , the 3 - card flop , the 5 - card partial hand plus flop , the 6 - card hand of the partial hand , flop and fourth street , and then the 7 - card hand as described above with the river added . sub - combinations of these wagers may also be structured into the game . each number of cards in hands will have separate pay tables for the wagers , as the probability of ranked hands ( beginning with a pair for examination ) increases dramatically with each successive card . the preferred structure of the game is the 2 - card hand , 5 - card hand and 7 - card hand . the wagers are made against a paytable in all instances , not against a dealer &# 39 ; s hand ( there is no dealer &# 39 ; s hand ). the game is played with one standard deck of 52 cards ( or with one or more wild cards ). pocket cards are all different among the z number of hands , while the flop , and river / turn cards are the same for each of the z number of hands . when done automatically , a portion of the total wager made by each player is distributed into as close to equal parts among the ( for example ) 3 hands ( 2 - card , 5 - card and 7 - card ) that are formed for each of the z number of hands . in this manner , each of the z number of hands has nearly the same credits wagered for each particular part , i . e ., all parts a ( 2 - card poker wager ) would have the same wager , all parts b ( 5 - card poker wager ) would have the same wager , and all parts c ( 7 - card poker wager ) would have the same wager . the total number of credits wagered on the total parts ( z [ a + b + c ]) is less than x . at least a portion if not all of the remaining credits are bet on picking which hand will eventually become the top winning hand of 7 - card stud when all hands are filled in and compared . for example , if there are three partial hands available and 11 credits are wagered , then there will be one credit each wagered on the three 2 - card hands ( a , b and c ), one credit each wagered on the three 5 - card hands ( a , b and c ), one credit each wagered on the three 7 - card hands ( a , b and c ), for a total of 9 credits wagered . the remaining 2 credits are placed by the player on selecting which one ( or more , by splitting the remaining two credits ) of the three partial hands will eventually form the highest ranked hand among the three partial hands . the rules may require that there be at least one credit in every play wagered on the highest rank for the partial hands , and there may be a minimum amount required that is less than , equal to or greater than the largest wager or smallest wager placed on the 3 - part wager ( e . g ., 2 - card , 5 - card and 7 - card wagers ). after the 2 pocket cards in each hand are dealt , the screen may display the probability or chances ( e . g ., as a percentage ) of each 2 cards becoming the winning 7 - card stud hand ( c ), and / or of having a ranked hand in the 5 - card event . this percentage may be and preferably is displayed prior to the player committing the wager on the best of the z number of 7 - card hands that will be the final result . for example , a pair of aces being the highest ranked hand may be 88 %, whereas an unsuited 3 and 10 may be 5 %, and the third hand ( whatever it is ) would have a probability of approximately 7 %. in any case , the total of all of the percentages , one for each initial hand , would tend to equal 100 %, although as is well known in texas hold &# 39 ; em , ties are available between two or more hands when the 5 community cards forms a hand that can not be improved by any other cards in the partial hands or even the remainder of the deck . for example , the community cards may be a royal flush or four aces and a king . in the absence of wild cards , there are no cards that could improve the rank of the community cards , and all hands would have the same rank . this situation can be addressed in a number of ways . for example , the rank of the 5 - card hand could be continued by high card ranks or pairs in the partial hand according to house rules . if high card rank were first used , then an ace in the partial hand would cause the royal flush to be the next high hand ( e . g ., a - k - q - j - 10 of hearts and the ace of spades ). if the total rank of the partial hand were to be considered , then a pair ( such as a pair of 2 &# 39 ; s ) would be higher than an ace and another card . when the probabilities of the different hands are shown , different pay scales for wagering on particular hands would be shown . for example , if the probability for the three hands were 50 %, 25 % and 25 %, the pay tables for the return on wagering on the respective hands would reflect an inverse amount of return ( not necessarily a 1 / 1 inverse , as the house may build in a retention factor on wagers ) with respect to the likelihood of a particular hand winning . for example , with the percentages shown above , the approximate returns indicated on the paytables would be approximately x2 on the first hand and approximately x4 on the second and third hands . the house rules may also declare that when a hand ties it is a push or a loss for the player . enhanced paytables for each hand would then be shown ( after the three partial hands are revealed ), and the player would pick one of the partial hands to be the winning hand , paid at an enhanced level . as an alternative , a multiplier ( in whole or fractional numbers ) may be used : the 2 aces may pay 1 . 5 × the predetermined paytable , the unsuited 3 and 10 may pay 10 × the predetermined paytable . instead of the player picking one of the hands to be the highest winning hand , the player may pick any one of the hands ( whether it is the highest hand or not ) for an enhanced or multiplied payout . for example , if the player picks the unsuited 3 and 10 for a 10 × pay , that hand would have to achieve at least a minimum rank according to the predetermined paytable in order to win the wager , and then the win would be multiplied by 10 . of course if the hand ends up losing ( either among the partial hands or by not reaching the rank required ), then there is no 10 × pay . thus , the wager on the partial hands may be with respect to the particular partial hand winning , the particular partial hand reaching a predetermined rank , or both . as noted above , the game may be played on standard video gaming equipment with appropriate software enabling the game , internet gaming systems , multiple player platforms , and even live casino table card games ( which may be implemented by automated displays for the percentages , if that element of play is used . reference to the figures will assist in further understanding of the practice of the present invention . fig1 shows a video game housing 2 with screen monitor 4 , ten wagering option buttons 6 , six bonus hand selection buttons 8 , a max bet button 10 , a deal button 12 , a sample paytable for the 2 - card and 5 - card and 7 - card hands 14 , and the player &# 39 ; s choice of a wager of 25 credits 16 to play the game . the wager of 25 credits 16 is allocated as follows : 3 credits are wagered on each of the six hands ( 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , 20 e , 20 f ), specifically 1 credit wagered in each hand for the initial partial hand ( 2 - card hand ), 1 credit wagered in each hand for the 5 - card hand , and 1 credit wagered in each hand for the 7 - card hand . the remaining 7 credits will be wagered on a bonus hand ( see fig2 ). the deal of six initial partial hands ( 22 a , 22 b , 22 c , 22 d , 22 e , 22 f ) is shown . also shown are the payouts ( 24 a , 24 b , 24 c , 24 d , 24 e , 24 f ) for the initial partial hands as determined by the paytable 14 . fig2 refers to fig1 , and shows the subsequent display of percentages ( 30 a , 30 b , 30 c , 30 d , 30 e , 30 f ) that reflect the chances of each initial partial hand to eventually be the winning 7 - card hand . also shown are the relative multiplier rates ( 32 a , 32 b , 32 c , 32 d , 32 e , 32 f ) for the separate paytable 40 for the bonus hand . the player &# 39 ; s choice of the hand 2 button 50 is shown , representing the player &# 39 ; s decision to wager the remaining 7 credits on hand 2 . hand 2 &# 39 ; s percentage 30 b and multiplier 32 b are shown highlighted in outline form . fig3 refers to fig2 , and shows the subsequent 3 - card communal flop 60 of the 5 of diamonds , the queen of diamonds and the 6 of spades into each of the six hands . also shown are the payouts ( 62 a , 62 b , 62 c , 62 d , 62 e , 62 f ) for the 5 - card hands as determined by the paytable 14 . fig4 refers to fig3 , and shows the subsequent 2 - card communal flop of the 8 of diamonds and the ace of spades 70 into each of the six hands . also shown are the payouts ( 72 a , 72 b , 72 c , 72 d , 72 e , 72 f ) for the 7 - card hands as determined by the paytable 14 . hand 2 is the highest winning hand ( a flush 72 b ) and the flush payoff for the bonus wager is highlighted 80 . a win symbol 82 is displayed , and the bonus win is explained and displayed in a display box 84 . although specific examples and specific images have been provided in this discussion , these specifics are intended to be only support for the generic concepts of the invention and are not intended to be absolute limits in the scope of the technology discussed . the following descriptions of rounds of play are provided as specific support for the generic concepts described herein . the specific numbers and events of the examples are not intended to limit the scope of the technology claimed herein . a . player wagers an initial amount of credits ( e . g ., 25 credits ) to play z ( 6 ) hands of a final game of 7 - card stud with cards dealt in a manner similar to the play of texas hold &# 39 ; em . b . in each of the six hands : 1 credit is wagered on the 2 - card hand , 1 credit on the 5 - card hand and 1 credit on the 7 - card hand for a total bet on all parts ( 3 part ) of the six hands being 18 credits . c . the remaining 7 credits ( 25 - 18 ) are bet by the player on picking the final top winning hand . the player makes the selection by player input ( buttons , keypad or touch screen , for example ). d . the initial pocket cards ( 2 cards ) are dealt into each of the six hands . predetermined pays are given for 2 - card hand ranks of straights , flushes , straight flushes , low pairs and ranked pairs ( e . g ., 4 &# 39 ; s or better , jacks or better , etc ). e . depending on the statistical percentages given to each pocket hand ( which have been statistically analyzed in depth and which statistics are well known within the field ) and the guess / strategy of the player , the player chooses one of the hands ( along with its paytable presented for that particular hand ) to ultimately become the top winning 7 - card hand or to get a multiplied pay . it should be noted that the paytables for the probability for winning are based upon the particular collection of hands present on the table . for example , the probability of a pair of 9 &# 39 ; s winning any hand is not an absolute value . if the two other hands are both an unsuited 8 and 2 , the probability will be relatively high . if the other two hands are a pair of jacks and a pair of aces , the probability will be considerably lower for the pair of nines to win . the published or displayed probabilities are therefore evaluated on the basis of the three hands ( z hands ) at the table , and not on the basis of a single hand considered alone . f . a first set of community cards ( the 3 flop cards ) are displayed and effectively associated into each hand . the resulting 5 - card hands are evaluated for pays according to a separate paytable for 5 - card poker games . any wins are paid . g . a set of two final community cards ( the compilation of fourth street and the river card ) are provided to the table and associated with each of the six hands . the resulting six 7 - card hands are evaluated for pays according to a first general 7 - card hand paytable . any wins are paid . h . all six of the 7 - card hands are compared to each other and a best hand is determined . if the player &# 39 ; s choice of the top winning hand is indeed the top winning hand , a bonus is paid . the bonus may be a fixed return on the initial wager ( which fixed return is likely to be based at least in part on the total number ( z ) of hands that were initially available for wagering . for example , selecting a winner from among six available partial hands should pay at a higher rate than selecting a winner from among three partial hands . an alternative payment would be where a separate enhanced paytable is used for the bonus hand . another alternative payment would be a multiplier used in conjunction with the enhanced paytable . a further alternative would be where the chosen hand gets a multiplied win on the paytable event of step g . i . bonus amounts may be , by way of non - limiting examples , an increased paytable for the 7 - card hand , a multiplier of the 7 - card hand win ( 5 × pay , for instance ), a multiplier of the enhanced 7 - card paytable win , a multiplier of the total win of the top hand ( including the 2 - and 5 - card payouts ), a wild card in the flop or one player &# 39 ; s hand of the next round of play , a collective component that is being stored in a bonus event ( e . g ., letters in a scrabble ® type bonus game , movement along a path in a trip - type game , game pieces in a game , projectiles in a target game or competitive game ) etc . j . as an alternate method to the play above , instead of the player picking one of the hands to be the highest winning hand , the player may pick any one of the hands ( whether it is the highest hand or not ) for an enhanced and / or multiplied payout . for example , if the player picks the unsuited 3 and 10 for a 10 × pay , that hand would have to achieve at least a minimum rank according to the predetermined paytable in order to win the wager , and then the win would be multiplied by 10 . of course if the hand ends up losing ( either among the partial hands or by not reaching the rank required ), then there is no 10 × pay . thus , the wager on the partial hands may be with respect to the particular partial hand winning , the particular partial hand reaching a predetermined rank , or both . this example provides cards and wagers similar to the manner in which cards are provided in the final table of wsop ( world series of poker ® game ). play is similar to that described directly above , except 50 total credits are bet : 1 credit is bet on the 2 - card hand , 2 credits are bet on the 5 - card hand , and 2 credits are bet on the 7 - card hand in each of the 9 hands ( total 45 credits wagered ). 5 credits are allotted for choosing the winning 7 - card hand or for choosing an enhanced pay on one of the 9 hands . this example provides cards and wagers similar to the manner in which cards are provided in the final table of wsop ( world series of poker ® game ). play is similar to that described directly above , except no credits are bet and there are no payouts allowed on the 2 - card hand . 1 credit is bet on the 5 - card hand , and 1 credit is bet on the 7 - card hand in each of the 9 hands ( total 18 credits wagered ). 7 credits are allotted for choosing the winning 7 - card hand or for choosing an enhanced pay on one of the 9 hands .	6
a dual - beam focused ion beam ( fib ) milling apparatus and technique is provided that addresses the shortcomings of conventional sample preparation for a transmission electron microscope ( tem ) fault analysis . the use of tem for finfet fault analysis has heretofore been limited by the three dimensional nature of finfets as a conventional lamella for a tem analysis of a finfet will capture multiple fingers or fins . fig2 shows an example where a failure could only be electrically isolated down to two physical gate fingers , denoted as n 7 210 and n 8 215 , which is a common occurrence in finfet fault analysis . in the example , a tem analysis of the sample did not reveal a defect . the microscopist could guess which of the two was the defective finger , but a wrong guess could result in the analysis needing to be repeated multiple times from the beginning , which could take several days for each sample preparation and analysis . or worse yet , if it were a one - of - a - kind sample , there would be no way to recover the lost data . in an embodiment , milling of a lamella containing multiple potentially faulty components in a three dimensional transistor structure , such as a pair of finfet fingers , may be guided by voltage contrast sem imaging such that the milling narrows down the sample to isolate the faulty structure and produce a lamella containing only the faulty structure for tem analysis . fig3 shows an exemplary electron microscopy failure analysis system 300 that can be used to identify faults in three dimensional transistor structures . system 300 includes an sem 305 to image a sample 310 on a platform 315 , a dual beam focused ion beam ( fib ) column 320 to mill sample 310 to a desired thickness , a controller 325 to control the platform 315 , sem 305 and fib 320 , and a computer - readable memory 330 to store failure analysis data and instructions for controller 325 . in order to improve preparation of lamellae for tem fault analysis , a dual beam fib sample preparation process may be modified to include passive voltage contrast . in a dual beam fib milling process of a ibm lamella , a beam of ions 335 ( for example ga + ions ) performs the milling . this milling is guided by the imaging from a scanning electron beam , hence the “ dual beam ” nature of such fib milling . in a conventional dual beam fib process , the energy ( kv ) of the electron beam may be too high to permit the voltage contrast process . this is done deliberately since , as noted above , the resolution of electron microscopy increases as the kv magnitude increases for electron excitation . passive voltage contrast allows for the evaluation of suspect structures for either elevated leakage or resistivity based on the comparison of secondary electron ( se ) emission levels relative to similar reference structures . this technique may be utilized in a fib or sem , with the sem becoming the tool of choice for continually shrinking geometries . in the past , this technique has been applied in a plan view orientation for planar technologies such as cmos , with the sample taken from a wafer pulled at a specific level during processing , or on a fully processed chip that has subsequently been de - processed down to the layer of interest ( typically a metal or contact layer ). this phenomenon has also been utilized in the fib cross - sectioning of defects on bulk samples . in the fib 320 , passive voltage contrast is inherent because the imaging species ( ga + ions ) has a positive charge . the phenomenon of sem - based passive voltage contrast exists because at an appropriately low accelerating voltage , the number of ses that exit the sample outnumber the primary electrons from the sem , resulting in a net positive surface charge on the sample . in the case of an “ open ” structure , i . e ., when the voltage contrast is dark , there is no path to ground so a positive surface charge accumulates , resulting in reduced se emission and darker contrast as compared to a similar non - failing structure . in the case of a “ shorted ” structure , i . e ., the voltage control is bright , the short provides a path to ground to reduce the build - up of the positive surface charge . thus more ses are able to escape relative to a non - defective structure , so it appears differentially bright . achieving passive voltage contrast during tem lamellae creation requires a low accelerating voltage in the sem , which also results in a reduction in resolution . however , using low - kv sem for tem sample preparation has several advantages in addition to passive voltage contrast . first of all , low - kv sem is more surface sensitive , which aids in proper end - pointing on each side of a tem lamella by minimizing the ses generated from the interior of the lamella . in addition , low - kv sem minimizes the “ charging ” effect exhibited by non - conductive portions of the sample . these charging effects reduce image quality and can make proper end - pointing more challenging . finally , low - kv sem minimizes electron beam damage to sensitive low - kv dielectric materials . in an embodiment , tem sample preparation occurs in the dual beam fib 320 , which utilizes a ga + ion beam to mill a bulk sample into a suitable tem lamella . this process is monitored using the in - situ sem 305 column . this allows each side of the lamella to be observed while thinning using sem voltage contrast to detect a defective structure , which will exhibit differential contrast if it is shorted to another structure ( bright ) or open ( dark ). this phenomenon can be used strategically by starting out with a thick lamella ( too thick for quality tem imaging ), where each of the two or more fingers ( gates ) in the original sample can be examined for abnormal voltage contrast in the sem column . once it is determined which finger exhibits abnormal voltage contrast , the lamella can be milled to the location of the defective finger . fig4 is a flowchart describing an exemplary method for preparing a lamella for tem analysis from a sample including multiple potentially faulty structures in a three dimensional transistor structure . in an act 400 , a sample determined to include a fault in one of multiple fingers is prepared for analysis in the failure analysis system 300 . then in an act 405 the sample is milled down to a lamella 500 including potentially faulty fingers , 505 and 510 , on either side of the lamella 500 , as shown in fig5 . the fins 515 are aligned orthogonally to the fingers 505 and 510 . the longitudinal axis of the lamella 500 is thus aligned with the longitudinal axis of the fingers 505 and 510 . in an act 410 , a voltage contrast sem imaging is performed on a finger on one side of the two - sided lamella 500 . next , in an act 415 , it is determined whether the finger contains a fault . in this example , finger 510 was imaged and was dark ( no outline ) since it is electrically isolated indicating that it is normal . next , assuming no fault was found on the previously analyzed finger , a voltage contrast sem imaging is performed on the finger 505 on the opposite side of the lamella in an act 420 . again , in act 425 , it is determined whether the finger contains a fault . in this example , the finger 505 is bright , indicating that is faulty due to its path to ground . in this case , the method would proceed to act 430 , in which the lamella would be milled down to the faulty finger 505 . the resulting structure is relatively homogeneous and may be readily imaged through a subsequent tem analysis in act 435 so as to identify its fault . in the event of the lamella includes more than two fingers , and if both fingers on either side of the lamella are determined not to contain a fault , the lamella may be milled to the next finger inside the lamella for voltage contrast sem imaging in an act 440 , and the process continued until the faulty finger was identified . once the faulty finger is identified , the fib milling is guided to thin the lamella to include just the faulty finger and tem analysis would be performed in act 435 . as those of some skill in this art will by now appreciate and depending on the particular application at hand , many modifications , substitutions and variations can be made in and to the materials , apparatus , configurations and methods of use of the devices of the present disclosure without departing from the scope thereof . in light of this , the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to that of the particular embodiments illustrated and described herein , as they are merely by way of some examples thereof , but rather , should be fully commensurate with that of the claims appended hereafter and their functional equivalents .	7
referring to fig1 there is shown a conventional magnetic recording disc cartridge 1 , so called a floppy disc having a cover jacket 2 in which a magnetic disc 3 is rotatably accomodated . said cover jacket 2 is formed by folding an outer cover sheet 4 made of a flat sheet of vinyl chloride with a sheet of liner 5 of non woven fabric attached on the cover sheet 4 . the liner 5 is made of polypropylene or rayon synthetic fibers . respective peripheral edges 2a , 2b and 2c are closed by folded portions 6 in a known manner . in the cover jacket 2 , there are defined a drive shaft insertion hole ( central hole ) 7 , an elongated head access slot ( head window ) 8 and an index hole 9 . on the both surfaces of the cover jacket , antistatic agent 2x is coated in a known manner as shown in fig2 . fig3 shows a device for adhering the liner 5 onto the cover sheet 2 which is fed in an opened flat state . at the left end of a feed table f , there is provided a positioning member 10 to determine the start position of the cover sheet 4 . a feed actuator 11 is located under the feed table with the piston 11a being moved in a longitudinal direction of the feed table f . an engaging member 12 mounted on the free end of the piston 11a is protruded above the feed table f so that the engaging member 12 can engage with the rear end of the cover sheet 4 to feed the same in the frontward direction x when the piston 11a is pulled in . a first heat adhesion device 13 is disposed on the feed table f in a given position for preliminarily adhering the liner 5 placed on the upper surface of the cover sheet 4 at the front peripheral edge thereof by a plurality of spots by means of hot melting adhereing device which is explained hereinafter . as shown in fig4 a pair of columns 15 stand on the base 14 fixed below and across the feed table f . a movable frame 17 is bridged across the feed table f with the corresponding cylindrical guide members 18 vertically slidably fitted with the columns 15 . the movable frame 17 is connected with the piston 16a of a vertical actuator 16 so that the movable frame 17 can be moved vertically in response to the vertical movement of the piston of the vertical actuator 16 . a pair of heat adhesion devices 20a and 20b are mounted under the movable frame 17 with a suitable distance in a direction along the width of the feed table f . as shown in fig5 each of the heat adhesion devices 20a and 20b comprises a cylindrical heater holder 21 vertically movably positioned through the corresponding hole 22 defined in a support member 23 which is fixed to the movable frame 17 . the heater holder 21 is resiliently biased downwardly by a coil spring 24 engaged between the under surface of the support member 23 and the shoulder 25 of the heater holder 21 . a heat adhesion chip 26 surrounded by an electric heater 27 is accomodated within the cylindrical space 28 of the heater holder 21 , being fixed thereto by screws 29 . by this arrangement , the lower end of the heat adhesion chip 26 can abut resiliently on the surface of the liner 5 by the force of the coil spring 24 when the heat adhesion chip 26 is reached above the feed table by the movement of the frame 17 . in a preferred embodiment , the lower end of the heat adhesion chip 26 has a diameter of 0 . 6 mm and a temperature of 220 ° c . through 260 ° c . directly after the first adhering device 13 , a second adhering device 30 is provided for making preliminary adhesion spots at the rear peripheral edge of the cover sheet 4 and the liner 5 . in order to feed the cover sheet 4 and the liner 5 , a pair of feed rollers 31 and 32 are located between the first adhering device 13 and the second heat adhering device 30 . said second heat adhering device 30 has a plurality of heat adhesion chips 33 heated by corresponding electric heaters ( not shown ) and the device 30 is fixed to a pattern forming device 40 which acts to adhere the liner 5 with the cover sheet 4 by the respective patterns of drive shaft insertion holes 7 and the head access slots 8 . an actuator 50 is provided at the frontward position of the pattern forming device 40 to feed the cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 to a pattern adhesion device 60 which acts to adhere the liner 5 on the cover sheet 4 along the parallel lines c extending in the longitudinal direction of the cover sheet 4 as shown in fig8 . in operation , an unfolded cover sheet of generally rectangular shape is placed on the feed table f in such a manner that the rear edge of the cover sheet 4 abuts onto the front face of the positioning member 10 . on the surface of the cover sheet 4 , a liner 5 which is suitably smaller than the cover sheet 4 is placed in such a manner that the rear edges 5r and 4r of both of the liner 5 and the cover sheet 4 coincide together as shown in fig7 . in turn , the piston of the feed 11 is retracted so that the cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 is advanced frontwardly , namely in a direction of the arrow x by the engaging member 12 . when the front edge portion 5f of the liner 5 comes just below the first adhering device 13 where the piston 11a of the feed actuator 11 is fully retracted , a limit switch ( not shown ) is operated to project the piston of the vertical actuator 16 . then the movable frame 17 with the heat adhesion devices 20a and 20b is lowered along the columns 15 , so that the lower ends of both of the heat adhesion chips 26 contact the upper surface of the liner 5 at its front edge portion to heat the liner 5 . by this operation , the liner 5 is preliminarily adhered on the surface of the cover sheet 4 at the respective points p1 and p2 as shown in fig8 . in this embodiment , each of the heat adhesion chips 26 is adapted to contact on the liner 5 for about 0 . 5 seconds with a temperature of 220 ° c . after the lapse of the period of time of 0 . 5 seconds , the piston 16a is retracted so that the movable frame 17 with the heat adhesion devices 20a and 20b returns to the original position . this operation can be performed within about 1 to 2 seconds . as both of the heat adhesion chips 26 contact resiliently on the surface of the liner 5 due to the resiliency of the coil spring 24 , both of the heat adhesion chips 26 can contact perfectly uniformly on the liner 5 to assure complete adhesion between the liner 5 and the cover sheet 4 . after the preliminary adhesion of the liner 5 is completed , the feed rollers 31 and 32 are rotated to feed the cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 thus fixed frontwardly on the feed table f . when the front edge 4f of the cover sheet 4 is engaged with the stopper 45 which is protruded from the upper face of the feed table f , the rear edge portion of the cover sheet 4 reaches just below the second adhering device 30 and the intermediate portion of the cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 comes below the pattern forming device 40 . then the actuator 41 starts to protrude the piston 41a causing the heat adhesion chips 33 and the pattern heat adhesion members 44 to move downwardly . thus , the heat adhesion chips 33 contact on the liner 5 to adhere the liner 5 on the cover sheet 4 at the several points p3 on the rear edge portion of the cover sheet 4 . simultaneously , on the respective peripheral edges of the patterns a and b as shown in fig8 the liner 5 and the cover sheet 4 are adhered . in this embodiment , there are provided five adhering devices for adhering the rear edges of the liner 5 and the cover sheet 4 , and as shown in fig3 each of the adhering devices 30 is provided with a generally u shaped resilient plate 35 , the bent end of which is adapted to press the upper surface of the liner 5 at the position adjacent to the corresponding adhering device 30 so that the liner 5 is not separated from the cover sheet 4 , thereby assuring strong adhesion between the liner 5 and the cover sheet 4 . when the piston of the actuator 41 is protruded as mentioned above , the frame 43 is moved downwardly to contact the lower face of the pattern heat adhesion members 44 each having an annular heated member ( not shown ), so that adhesion of each of the patterns a and b ( fig8 ) can be performed . after adhesion of the patterns a and b , the stopper 45 is retracted below the feed table f and the pressure rollers 46 are moved downwardly to clamp the cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 between the pressure rollers 46 and the rollers 47 to feed them frontwardly by rotation of the pressure rollers 46 and the receiving rollers 47 . during this operation , a pushing member 51 is retracted below the feed table f , and when the rear edge of the cover sheet 4 is past the position , the pushing member 51 is protruded above the feed table f , and the piston of the actuator 52 is retracted to push the rear edge of the cover sheet 4 to feed the same frontwardly . thus , the front edge of the cover sheet 4 is fed between the pair of feeding rollers 61 of the line pattern adhesion device 60 when the piston of the actuator 52 is fully retracted . the line pattern adhesion device 60 comprises a plurality of upper rollers 61 for adhering the liner 5 onto the cover sheet 4 in the form of linear patterns c as shown in fig8 and the corresponding lower rollers 62 which are hollow rollers rotating freely and are biased in an upward direction by means of springs 63 so that each of the lower rollers 62 is pressed to the upper rollers 61 . said upper rollers 61 are respectively heated by means of electric heaters ( not shown ) up to a suitable temperature such as 220 ° c . in a known manner . in order to feed a cooling air into the hollow space of the lower rollers 62 , there is provided a forced air cooling device 64 . when the cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 is fed between the lower rollers 62 and the upper rollers 61 , the liner 5 is adhered by the heat of the upper rollers 61 along the plurality of lines c extending in a longitudinal direction of the cover sheet 4 as the cover sheet 4 is advanced between the rollers 61 and 62 . it is preferred to provide a flexible film such as polyester film coated around the surface of each of the lower rollers 62 to prevent either the diminishing of the frosted surface of the cover sheet 4 and breakage of the liner 5 . the cover sheet 4 to which the liner 5 has been adhered by the respective processes as described above is fed to the chute 70 by passing the cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 between a pair of driving rollers 65a and pinch rollers 65b rotating in synchronism with the upper rollers 61 . the discharged cover sheet 4 with the liner 5 is fed to the subsequent punching process to define the various holes 7 and slots 8 as shown in fig9 . subsequently the cover sheet with the liner 5 formed into the intermediate production of a cover jacket is folded along the center line in such a manner that each of the pair of holes 7a and 7b and the slots 8a and 8b coincide together and the respective peripheral edges 2a and 2c are folded and overlapped on the cover sheet 4 as shown in fig1 , in turn the peripheral edges 2a and 2c are adhered on the cover sheet by heat melting adhesion . a magnetic recording disc 3 is positioned inside the cover jacket 2 , then the peripheral edge 2b is folded and adhered on the cover sheet 4 so as to enclose the magnetic recording disc 3 in the cover jacket in position in the known manner . then a floppy disc 1 as shown in fig1 can be manufactured . it is noted that in order to provide an overall adherence of the liner to the cover sheet , various patterns such as a number of dots located in a suitable distance can be used in place of the linear pattern c mentioned in the embodiment . in addition , such adhesion can be performed by pressing the liner and the cover sheet in one time by a press machine or by passing the cover sheet with the liner between a pair of heat rollers on the surface of which a number of dots are embossed . in a case where the pattern formed by dots is used for adhering the liner to the cover sheet , other adhesion patterns such as an annular shape adhesion surrounding the drive shaft insertion hole or an elongated oval shape for a head access hole can be performed simultaneously by a press machine or a pair of heat rollers .	6
in the various figures , there is disclosed a tornado protective enclosure (“ enclosure ”) comprised mainly of an enclosure 19 that is fabricated of high quality polycarbonate thermoplastic which has a good balance of toughness , clarity , high heat deflection , dimensional stability and excellent electrical properties . referring to fig1 is the enclosure 19 is in a closed position . preferably , the enclosure 19 has an overall rectangular shape sized to completely enclose at least one person . the person may enter and exit the enclosure 19 through a typical door panel assembly 20 and may exit through any typical panel assembly 30 located on any side of the enclosure 19 . a typical panel assembly 30 is constructed as shown in fig1 and fig1 and referring to those figures , consist of a frame weldment 48 a polycarbonate panel 22 two clamp bars 34 a stiffener channel 40 and several hex headbolts , plain washers and lock washers 32 also air holes , peepholes 23 . referring back to fig1 the enclosure 19 having a typical door panel assembly 20 having a handle 42 and comprised of door panel assembly as shown in fig1 and 11 consisting of a frame weldment 46 a plurality of door latch assemblies 38 a continuous hinge 36 two polycarbonate panels 22 two clamp bars 34 and several hex headbolts , plain washers , lock washers 32 . referring to fig1 is the door panel assembly once installed . also shown are airholes , peepholes 23 . referring now to fig2 , 4 and 5 ; fig2 is the top view of the enclosure with the top typical panel assembly 30 removed showing the typical panel assembly 30 on all four sides of the enclosure the continuous hinge 36 at the typical door panel assembly 20 and the door latch assembly 38 to secure the door at a closed position . floor anchor angles 24 are shown in fig2 and fig4 . fig3 shows a top view of the enclosure with the top typical panel assembly 30 installed . fig4 is a top view of the expanded enclosure with the top typical panel assembly 30 removed . the expanded enclosure is a larger size of the same enclosure shown in fig1 . vertical splice plates 26 are located at the midpoint of each of the typical panel assemblies 30 which connect the panels together for the expanded enclosure . fig5 shows a top view of the expanded enclosure with the top typical panel assemblies 30 installed . fig6 is a partial sectional view showing the top typical panel assembly 30 installation to the side typical panel assembly 30 showing the vertical splice plate 26 at the corner and several hex headbolts , plain washers and lockwashers 32 . fig7 is a partial sectional view showing panel corner splice and butt splice consisting again of vertical splice plates 26 and hex headbolts , plain washers , lockwashers 32 at the corner where typical panel assemblies 30 meet and midway through the expanded enclosure side panel . fig8 shows a partial sectional view of a typical door panel assembly 20 installation showing the continuous hinge 36 the typical door panel assembly 20 the door latch assembly 38 the vertical splice plates 26 the hex headbolts , plain washers and lockwashers 32 . fig9 shows a partial sectional view of the anchoring means to a concrete subfloor showing the concrete subfloor 44 into which is engaged the floor anchor angle 24 and the anchor bolts 28 securing the hex headbolts , plain washers and lockwashers 32 to the base of a typical panel assembly 30 . fig1 a shows a side view of a door latch assembly in the unlatched position showing latch lock pivot pin 50 , latch lock pivot 52 on latch lock plate 54 having shoulder bolt 57 and swing c washer 56 to engage within large stud with flange nut 58 . fig1 b is a side view of a door latch assembly in latched position showing latch lock pivot pin 50 latch lock pivot 52 on latch lock plate 54 shoulder bolt 57 connecting swing c washer 56 engaged around large stud with flange nut 58 . fig1 is a partial sectional view showing the typical door panel assembly 20 closed and the door latch assembly 38 in a latched position and showing the components of the door latch ; the latch lock pivot pin 50 the latch pivot 52 the latch lock plate 54 the shoulder bolt 57 the large stud with flange nut 58 and the swing c washer 56 engaged around the large stud with flange nut 58 . fig1 shows the enclosure 19 having typical panel assemblies 30 installed at the base of a bed showing the mattress 62 and the headboard 60 . referring to fig1 , shown is the enclosure 19 the typical door panel assembly 20 the airholes and peepholes 23 and the polycarbonate panels 22 used as the base of a table which may be used to locate a television 64 and speakers 66 . fig1 a shows a prospective view of the enclosure 19 having padding 68 on the inner surface and a gas filled lift apparatus 72 which raises the door and a battery operated strobe light 70 . fig1 b is a side view showing gas filled lift assists 72 batter operated strobe light 70 and reflective tape 74 . while the present invention has been described in detail in relation to a preferred embodiment , it will be readily appreciated to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations in addition to those mentioned above may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention . such modifications are to be considered as included in the following claims . larsen describes a protective structure that is a partial enclosure , similar in shape to a batting cage . the structure is used around and above beds , office chairs , or anywhere else a person may be sitting , standing or reclining . nakata describes an earthquake proof bed , a bed is surrounded by a strong , house - like enclosure having a solid ceiling and sides with openings . tool boxes are formed in the base of the bed to hold necessities in the event of an emergency . you describes a bed having a lid - like headboard portion and a box - like portion under the mattress . upon the motion of an earthquake , the mattress automatically lowers down into the box - like portion and the lid - like portion automatically collapses to cover the mattress , providing an enclosure for a person or people lying on the mattress . epshetsky et al . describes a bed with a foldable earthquake protective cover . the cover is basically a high - strength canopy or shell above the bed that shields a person from falling objects . tuchman describes an earthquake protective bed that includes a canopy to protect individuals from falling objects . the bed also includes a padded rail around the bed to prevent individuals from being thrown out of the bed during an earthquake . wicker describes a type of a shelter in the form of a bed anchored to a floor . the bed has a drawer - like compartment beneath the mattress that a person would climb into during a tornado or hurricane . silen describes a tornado shelter that is a permanent fixture of a home . basically , one room of the home serves as a shelter , by being adapted with reinforces walls and including a concrete slab that serves as part of the room &# 39 ; s foundation . qualline et al . describes a large underground shelter anchored to the earth . the shelter is inserted into an excavated hole in the ground , and includes steps built into the structure to provide access into the shelter from ground level . thornton describes a large underground shelter positioned within a concrete foundation and anchored to the ground . a retractable ladder extends into the shelter to provide access into the shelter . minks describes a large , heavy shelter having thick concrete walls . the shelter is at least partially underground . the above - mentioned references basically include either underground shelters and sheltering structures built into beds . the underground shelters are all large , permanent fixtures . the structures built into beds are either integral parts of the beds or are in the form of shields which cover the beds . none of the above - mentioned references is lightweight and portable . none addresses the need for such a shelter that can be anchored within a building or outdoors and can be easily moved from one location to the other . none is a stand - alone enclosure which , in and of itself , protects the occupants from injury during a storm , and which can be easily utilized within a limited living space by the user ( s ) for other purposes .	4
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 . in order to prepare the carrier that included li and al , after 37 . 76 g of lioh . h 2 o and 5 . 087 g of na 2 co 3 that were the precursors of li and al were dissolved in 600 ml of water , 250 ml of al ( no 3 ) 3 . 9h 2 o that was the precipitation agent was added by the appropriate method , stirred at 75 ° c . for 12 to 18 hours , and dried at 110 ° c . for 10 to 15 hours , and the catalyst was calcined at 700 ° c . for 5 to 8 hours . in respects to the total catalyst weight , it was precipitated in the weight ratio of potassium of 10 wt %, dried at 110 ° c . for 10 to 15 hours , and calcined at 500 ° c . for 5 hours , and in respects to the catalyst entire weight , it was impregnated with 1 wt % of pt , thereby synthesizing it . meanwhile , it could be confirmed that the carrier that included li and al and was provided in example 1 had the layered double hydroxides structure through the x - ray diffraction analysis . the catalyst was prepared by using the same method as example 1 , except that 0 . 5 w % of pt and 0 . 5 w % of pd were used instead of 1 wt % of pt in example 1 . the catalyst was prepared by using the same method as example 1 , except that 1 w % of pd was used instead of 1 wt % of pt in example 1 . in respects to the total weight of the finally prepared catalyst , 20 wt % of k ( potassium ) was carried in al 2 o 3 that was the carrier by the wet impregnation method , and calcined at 500 ° c . for 5 hours . in addition , in respects to the total weight of the finally prepared catalyst , 1 wt % of pt was carried in the calcining material that included the carrier and k by the same method , dried at 110 ° c . for 10 to 15 hours , and calcined at 500 ° c . for 5 to 8 hours . the catalyst was prepared by using the same method as example 1 , except that 0 . 5 w % of pt and 0 . 5 w % of pd were used instead of 1 wt % of pt in comparative example 1 . the catalyst was prepared by using the same method as comparative example 1 , except that 1 w % of pd was used instead of 1 wt % of pt in comparative example 1 . as described above , in order to test the performances of the nsr catalysts that had the different carriers according to examples and comparative examples , the following test was performed . while the temperature was increased , the nox reduction test was performed under the following condition . first , the amount of catalyst was 100 mg , the entire flow rate was 30 cc / min , and the ratio of the reaction gas and the reference gas that were injected to the gas chromatography ( gc ) for analysis was 1 : 1 . the catalyst was pre - treated at 500 ° c . for 1 hour with 5 % h 2 / ar , and oxidized at 500 ° c . for 1 hour with air . under the air atmosphere , after the catalyst was cooled at room temperature , oxygen molecules that were physically adsorbed onto the catalyst and the reactor were removed with 5 % h 2 / ar for 1 to 2 hours . thereafter , while the temperature was increased from the room temperature to 800 ° c . at the rate of 10 ° c ./ min , the amount of h 2 that was consumed by the catalyst was measured . the analysis result is shown in fig1 . as shown in fig1 , in the case of the catalyst of example that included the carrier that included li and al , it was confirmed that the peak that was generated in the high temperature region of about 640 ° c . was caused by k ( potassium ) as compared to the 10 % k / li — al catalyst . the catalyst that included al 2 o 3 as the carrier generated the slightly broad peak at around 530 ° c ., which was caused by k ( potassium ) as compared to the 20 % k / al 2 o 3 catalyst result . the peak intensity of the k / al 2 o 3 catalysts decreased significantly if the catalyst was impregnated with noble metal . in the case of the peak in the low temperature region , it could be confirmed that there was a difference between the li — al - based catalysts that included the noble metal and the al 2 o 3 - based catalysts . the catalyst of example 1 ( 1 % pt / 10 % k / li — al ) showed the relatively smooth peak at around 270 ° c ., and the catalyst of comparative example 1 ( 1 % pt / 20 % k / al 2 o 3 ) showed the slightly small two peaks at around 260 ° c . and 350 ° c . it was confirmed that the catalyst of example 2 ( 0 . 5 % pt - 0 . 5 % pd / 10 % k / li — al ) generated the h 2 reduction peak at around 120 ° c ., and the catalyst of comparative example 2 ( 0 . 5 % pt - 0 . 5 % pd / 20 % k / al 2 o 3 ) generated the peak at around 165 ° c . since the difference between the temperatures at which the maximum peaks of the catalysts that had the best excellent activity generated was about 50 ° c ., it could be seen that the difference between redox properties of the catalysts was one of the factors responsible for the activity difference . under wet conditions , while so 2 was adsorbed onto the catalyst according to both example 2 and comparative example 2 in order to confirm the sulfur species formed on the catalyst surface , the following test was performed . the sox adsorption species formed on the catalyst surface was confirmed , after the adsorption with 100 ppm of so 2 , 8 % of o 2 , 10 % of h 2 o , and he balance at 200 ° c . for 30 min . the sulfur compound formed on the catalyst surface was measured with an in - situ ftir ( midac corporation ). the sulfur compound that was measured per hour and formed on the catalyst surface is shown in fig2 . as shown in fig2 , in the case of two catalysts [ a of fig2 is the result for the catalyst of example 2 ( 0 . 5pt - 0 . 5pd / 10k / li — al ), and b of fig2 is the result for comparative example 2 ( 0 . 5pt - 0 . 5pd / 20k / al2o3 )], the formation of the surface k 2 so 4 at ca . 1 , 100 cm − 1 that was the peak by the k ( potassium ) on the catalyst was observed , and the bulk k 2 so 4 was confirmed at ca . 1 , 160 cm − 1 . in addition , surface al 2 ( so 3 ) 3 at ca . 970 cm − 1 and surface al 2 ( so 4 ) 3 at ca . 1 , 330 cm − 1 were confirmed , and it was observed that the oh − peak was formed on the catalyst by water at ca . 1 , 580 cm − 1 . as shown in fig2 , as compared to the catalyst of comparative example 2 that included al 2 o 3 as the carrier , the k 2 so 4 generation speed was slow on the catalyst of example 2 that included the li and al - based carrier . at 200 ° c ., after 100 ppm of so 2 flew for 30 min to implement sulfation , the nitrogen compound that was formed after the adsorption of nox was measured with an ftir ( midac corporation ), which is shown in fig3 . in detail , the adsorption of nox was performed with 1000 ppm of no , 8 % of o 2 , 10 % of h 2 o , and he balance condition for 30 min . meanwhile , as shown in fig3 , the change of nox adsorption species that were formed on the catalyst surface before and after exposure to so 2 was confirmed . no was adsorbed at 200 ° c . with 1 , 000 ppm of no , 8 % of o 2 , and 10 % h 2 o condition for 30 min , and completely reduced with 0 . 5 % of h 2 , so 2 was adsorbed with 100 ppm of so 2 , 8 % of o 2 , 10 % of h 2 o condition for 30 min , and no was readsorbed under the same condition , so that the changes of nox adsorption species formed on the catalyst due to so 2 were compared . the measurement was performed at the interval of 1 , 3 , 5 , 7 , 10 , 20 , and 30 min , the main peak by bridged bidentate nitrite was observed at ca . 1240 cm − 1 , monodentate nitrate that was caused by k ( potassium ) was confirmed at ca . 1330 cm − 1 , and the formation of the chelating bidentate nitrate was seen at ir peak , ca . 1550 cm − 1 . that is , if no adsorption processes before and after exposure to so 2 for 30 min are compared , in the catalyst of example 2 ( 0 . 5 % pt - 0 . 5 % pd / 10 % k / li — al ), it could be confirmed that the intensity of generation peak of bridged bidentate nitrite that was the main adsorption species was lowered by 19 % after exposure to so 2 . in order to confirm the change of the nox adsorption species before and after exposure to so 2 of the catalyst of comparative example 2 ( 0 . 5 % pt - 0 . 5 % pd / 20 % k / al 2 o 3 ), the test was performed under the same condition as the li — al - based catalyst , and the same species as nox adsorption species were generated . in the al 2 o 3 - based catalyst , the peak intensity of the bridged bidentate nitrite formation due to exposure to so 2 was decreased by 37 % as compared to the case no exposure to so 2 ( i . e ., prior to so 2 exposure .) the resistance to sulfur relates to the hydrophilicity of the catalyst , and oh − from h 2 o that is included in the reaction gas mixture increases the oxidizability of so 2 , such that the formation of k 2 so 4 is accelerated . in this sense , the hydrophobicity of the catalyst is very important . meanwhile , in order to analyze the hydrophilicity of the nsr catalyst according to example 2 and comparative example 2 , the temperature programmed desorption ( tpd ) of h 2 o was performed under the following condition . water was bubbled with a predetermined gas partial pressure at 46 ° c ., and the test was performed by using ar as the balance gas . the total flow rate of the reaction gas mixture was 100 cc / min . after 0 . 1 g of sample was charged into the u - type quartz tube reactor , and pre - treated under the 5 % h 2 / ar condition at 500 ° c . for 1 hour , the temperature was decreased to 200 ° c ., and water was adsorbed with 8 % of o 2 , 10 % of h 2 o , 5 % of co 2 , and ar balance for 30 min . in order to remove water that was physically adsorbed onto the catalyst and water components that remained in the reactor , the temperature was lowered to room temperature , purging was performed with ar for 30 min , the temperature was increased at the rate of 10 ° c ./ min , and the amount of water that was desorbed from the catalyst was measured at mass number 17 and 18 by an on - line mass spectrometer . as shown in fig4 , in the case of the al 2 o 3 - based catalyst of comparative example 2 , it could be seen that the adsorbed h 2 o started to desorb at around 260 ° c ., and all adsorbed h 2 o desorbed at around 490 ° c . in the case of the li — al - based catalyst , it could be observed that the adsorbed h 2 o started to desorb at around 330 ° c ., and all adsorbed h 2 o desorbed at around 400 ° c . in addition , through the comparison of area and intensity of the desorption peak , it could be confirmed that the amount of h 2 o that was adsorbed on the li — al - based catalyst was much less than that on the al 2 o 3 - based catalyst . through the confirmation of the hydrophobicity of the li — al - based catalyst through h 2 o tpd , it could be seen that the li — al - based catalyst of example 2 was less affected by oh ″ from water at the time of adsorbing so 2 because of the hydrophobicity of the surface thereof . 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 .	5
ppo was purified from grapevine berries . initial experiments showed that this tissue contained high levels of the enzyme and that there appeared to be only one form of the enzyme as determined by electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide ( sds - page ) gels . in the juice of mature grape berries most of the ppo activity was bound to the solids and could be separated from the juice by centrifugation and then solubilised with detergents . enzyme activity during the purification was measured as oxygen uptake in the presence of the substrate 4 - methyl catechol . all steps during the purification were carried out at 4 ° c . thirty kilograms of sultana grapes were crushed with a small scale wine press and 100 ml of a solution of 100 mm ascorbate plus 10 mm dithiothreitol was added to each 900 ml of grape juice . the juice was centrifuged for 10 mins at 10 , 000 × g and the supernatant discarded . the pellet fraction was resuspended in 25 mm sodium phosphate , ph 7 . 2 plus 10 mm ascorbate and 1 mm dithiothreitol to a final volume of 1 . 75 l , then 250 ml of a 4 % ( w / v ) solution of the cationic detergent hezadecyltrimethylammonium bromide ( ctab ) was added . after incubating for 20 mins the extract was centrifuged for 15 mins at 15 , 000 × g . the supernatant was brought to 45 % saturation with solid ammonium sulphate and the ph was adjusted to 7 . 0 then it was centrifuged for 15 mins at 15 , 000 × g . this supernatant was brought to 95 % saturation with solid ammonium sulphate and the ph was adjusted to 7 . 0 then it was centrifuged for 30 mins at 15 , 000 × g . the pellet was resuspended in 20 mm bis - tris - propane , ph 7 . 5 plus 10 mm ascorbate and 2 mm dithiothreitol ( buffer a ) in a final volume of 100 ml . the extract was desalted on a 4 × 40 cm column of sephadex g25 equilibrated with buffer a at a flow rate of 10 ml / min and the active fractions were pooled . the extract was applied to a 2 . 5 × 10 cm column of q - sepharose fast flow equilibrated with buffer a at a flow rate of 6 ml / min and then the column was washed with 400 ml of buffer a . the ppo was eluted with a gradient of 0 - 500 mm nacl in buffer a and the active fractions were pooled . ammonium sulphate was added to a final concentration of 1m , and the ph was adjusted to 7 . 0 . this fraction was loaded onto a 1 × 35 cm column of phenyl sepharose fast flow equilibrated with 50 mm sodium phosphate , ph7 . 0 , plus 1m ammonium sulphate , 1m kcl , and 1 mm dithiothreitol ( buffer b ) at a flow rate of 1 . 5 ml / min . the column was washed with 120 ml buffer b then the ppo was eluted with a gradient of 100 - 0 % buffer b . the active fractions were pooled and concentrated on an amicon pm10 ultrafiltration membrane then diafiltered with the same membrane against three changes of 20 mm potassium phosphate , ph7 . 0 , plus 1 mm dithiothreitol ( buffer c ). this fraction was applied to a 1 × 30 cm column of hydroxylapatite equilibrated with buffer c at a flow rate of 1 ml / min . the column was washed with 50 ml of buffer c then ppo was eluted with a gradient of 0 - 500 mm potassium phosphate in buffer c . the pooled active fractions were made 20 % ( v / v ) in glycerol and frozen at − 80 ° c . this procedure resulted in a 180 - fold purification of ppo and yielded 3 . 5 mg of purified ppo protein . the purification is summarised below : the purity of the preparation was checked by denaturing sds - page . a single diffuse band of protein with an apparent molecular weight of 40 kda was present in the final preparation . approximately 1 mg of purified ppo protein was desalted on a 2 . 5 × 20 cm column of sephadex g25 equilibrated with 20 mm ammonium bicarbonate , ph7 . 6 , at a flow rate of 5 ml / min . the protein peak was collected and dried under nitrogen . the dried protein was carboxymethylated and the n - terminal amino acid sequence was determined with an automated amino acid sequenator by edman degradation . the following sequence was obtained : total rna was isolated from sultana grape berries according to the method of rezaian and krake ( 1 ). a poly ( a ) + - enriched rna fraction was obtained by passing the total rna through one oligo - dt spun column ( pharmacia lkb biotechnology ). first strand cdna was synthesised in a reaction mixture containing 50 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 3 , 25 mm kcl , 10 mm mgcl 2 , 4 mm dtt , 1 mm nappi , 1 mm dntps , 1 u ribonuclease inhibitor , 1 . 4 pg grape berry poly ( a ) + - enriched rna , 21 u amv reverse transcriptase ( promega corp ) and 0 . 5 μg hybrid dt17 - adapter primer at 42 ° c . for 1 h . the reaction mixture was then diluted to 800 μl with te ( 10 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 0 , 1 mm edta ) and stored at − 20 ° c . was designed to the n - terminal protein sequence ( amino acids 2 - 12 ) of purified grape ppo . inosine was utilised in positions in which more than 2 bases could be selected based on codon usage tables . this and all other oligonucleotide primers described were synthesised on an applied biosystems dna synthesiser . cdna was amplified by polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) essentially according to the method of frohman ( 2 ) in a 50 μl reaction mixture containing 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 9 . 0 at 25 ° c . ), 50 mm kcl , 1 . 5 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 2 mm dntps , 0 . 01 % gelatin ( w / v ), 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 5 μl diluted 1st . strand cdna reaction mixture , 1 . 25 u taq dna polymerase ( promega corp ), 100 nm adapter primer and 1 μm n - terminal primer ( described above ). amplification involved an initial program of 5 cycles of denaturation at 94 ° c . for 1 min , annealing at 55 ° c . for 1 min , a slow ramp to 72 ° c . over 2 min and elongation at 72 ° c . for 3 min followed by 25 cycles of 94 ° c . for 1 min , 55 ° c . for 1 min , and 72 ° c . for 3 min . amplified dna was extracted with phenol / chloroform , precipitated with ethanol and resuspended in te . dna was blunt - ended with the klenow fragment and fractionated on a 2 % nusieve gtg agarose ( fmc bioproducts ) gel . a 1700 bp fragment was isolated from the gel and ligated into the hincii site of a bluescript sk + vector ( stratagene cloning systems ). ligated dna was introduced into e . coli dh5 . positive clones ( designated gpo ) were isolated and sequenced by the dideoxy sequencing method ( 3 ). this confirmed the presence of the n - terminal primer and comparison of the derived protein sequence downstream of the primer with the n - terminal protein sequence obtained for purified grape ppo enzyme above confirmed that this clone coded for grape ppo . northern blots of grape mrna probed with the 1700 bp clone described above identified a transcript of 2200 bp which hybridised with the clone . this suggested that there was further sequence upstream of the 5 - prime end of the clone even though the clone did code for the n - terminal of the mature ppo protein . a cdna clone containing the 5 ′- end of gpo1 mrna ( encoding the putative transit peptide ) was amplified from grape berry rna essentially as described in ( 2 ), but with nested antisense primers . first strand cdna was synthesised from grape berry poly ( a ) + - enriched rna as described above , but with the hybrid dt17 - adapter primer replaced with gpo1 - specific primer 1 complementary to a region 44 bases downstream of the n - terminal primer region ( i . e . 416 - 435 nt ; fig1 ). the reaction mixture was diluted to 2 ml with 0 . 1 × te and centrifuged through a centricon 30 spin filter ( amicon corp ) at 4000 g for 20 win to remove excess primer . this step was repeated and the remaining liquid concentrated to 20 μl using speed vac centrifugation . a poly ( da )- tail sequence was attached at the 3 ′ end of the cdna strand with terminal d transferase ( promega corp ) in a 20 μl reaction mixture containing 11 . 5 μl cdna , 4 μl 5 × tailing buffer ( promega corp ), 4 μl atp ( 1 mm ) and 10 u terminal d transferase incubated at 37 ° c . for 5 win followed by 65 ° c . for 5 min and then diluted to 500 μl with te . pcr amplification of poly ( da )- tailed cdna was carried out in a reaction mixture containing 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 9 . 0 at 25 ° c . ), 50 mm kcl , 1 . 5 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 2 mm dntps , 0 . 01 % gelatin ( w / v ), 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 5 μl diluted 1st . strand cdna reaction mixture , 1 . 25 u taq dna polymerase ( promega corp ), 200 rnm hybrid dt17 - adapter primer and 900 nm gpo1 - specific primer 2 complementary to a region immediately downstream to the n - terminal primer binding region ( 374 - 393 nt ; fig1 ). amplification involved 25 cycles of 94 ° c . for 1 min , 55 ° c . for 1 min , and 72 ° c . for 3 min . the resulting 430 bp fragment was cloned into bluescript sk + vector , sequenced as described above and found to contain the predicted region of overlapping sequence with the gpo1 clone and confirming this cdna clone contained the 5 ′ end of the gpo1 mrna . total rna was isolated from leaves of broad bean according to the method of rezaian and krake ( 1 ). a poly ( a )+- enriched rna fraction was obtained by passing the total rna through one oligo - dt spun column ( pharmacia lkb biotechnology ). first strand cdna was synthesised in a reaction mixture containing 50 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 3 , 25 mm kcl , 10 mm mgcl 2 , 4 mm dtt , 1 mm nappi , 1 mm dntps , 1 u ribonuclease inhibitor , 3 . 1 μg broad bean poly ( a ) + - enriched rna , 21 u amv reverse transcriptase ( promega corp ) and 0 . 81 μg hybrid dt17 - adapter primer : at 42 ° c . for 1 hour . the reaction mixture was then diluted to 840 μl with te ( 10 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 0 , 1 mm edta ) and stored at − 20 ° c . cdna was amplified by polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) essentially according to the method of frohman ( 2 ) in a 100 μl reaction mixture containing 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 9 . 0 at 25 ° c . ), 50 mm kcl , 1 . 5 mm mgcl 2 , 0 . 2 mm dntps , 0 . 01 % gelatin ( w / v ), 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 20 μl diluted 1st . strand cdna reaction mixture , 2 . 5 u tag dna polymerase ( promega corp ), 100 nm adapter primer ( 5 ′- gactcgagtcgacatcg ) ( seq id no : 16 ) and 1 μm b15 primer ( described above ). amplification involved an initial program of 3 cycles of denaturation at 94 ° c . for 1 min , annealing at 37 ° c . for 2 min , a slow ramp to 72 ° c . over 2 min and elongation at 72 ° c . for 3 min followed by 25 cycles of 94 ° c . for 1 min , 55 ° c . for 1 min . and 72 ° c . for 3 min . amplified dna was extracted with phenol / chloroform , precipitated with ethanol and resuspended in te . dna was blunt - ended with the klenow fragment and fractionated on a 2 % nusieve gtg agarose ( fmc bioproducts ) gel . a 700 bp fragment was isolated from the gel and ligated into the ecorv site of a bluescript sr + vector ( stratagene cloning systems ). ligated dna was introduced into e . coli dh5 . recombinant clones were screened using a radioactively labelled fragment of the grape ppo clone ( gpo1 ) and a positive clone ( designated bpo1 ) was isolated and sequenced by the dideoxy sequencing method ( 3 ). total rna was isolated from immature apple fruit according to the method of rezaian and krake ( 1 ). a poly ( a ) 30 - enriched rna fraction was obtained using a polyattract mrna kit ( promega corporation ). first strand cdna was synthesised in a 25 μl reaction mixture containing 50 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 3 , 25 mm kcl , 10 mm mgcl2 , 4 mm dtt , 1 mm nappi , 1 mm dntps , 40 u ribonuclease inhibitor , 1 μg apple poly ( a ) + - enriched rna , 24 u amv reverse transcriptase ( promega corp ) and 0 . 54 μg hybrid dt17 - adapter primer : at 42 ° c . for 1 h . the reaction mixture was then diluted to 525 μl with te ( 10 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 0 , 1 mm edta ) and stored at − 20 ° c . cdna was amplified by polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) essentially according to the method of frohman ( 2 ) in a 100 μl reaction mixture containing 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 9 . 0 at 25 ° c . ), 50 mm kcl , 1 . 5 mm mgcl2 , 0 . 2 mm dntps , 0 . 01 % gelatin ( w / v ), 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 20 μl diluted 1st . strand cdna reaction mixture , 2 . 5 u taq dna polymerase ( promega corp ), 100 nm adapter primer amplification involved an initial program of 3 cycles of denaturation at 94 ° c . for 1 min , annealing at 37 ° c . for 2 min , a slow ramp to 72 ° c . over 2 min and elongation at 72 ° c . for 3 min followed by 25 cycles of 94 ° c . for 1 min , 55 ° c . for 1 min , and 72 ° c . for 3 min . amplified dna was extracted with phenol / chloroform , precipitated with ethanol and resuspended in te . dna was blunt - ended with the klenow fragment and fractionated on a 2 % nusieve gtg agarose ( fmc bioproducts ) gel . a fragment of 1050 bp was isolated from the gel and ligated into the eco rv site of a bluescript sk + vector ( stratagene cloning systems ). ligated dna was introduced into e . coli dh5 . recombinant clones were screened using a radioactively labelled fragment of the grape ppo clone ( gpo1 ) and two positive clones ( designated psr7 and psr8 ) were isolated and sequenced by the dideoxy sequencing method ( 3 ). example 7 total rna was isolated from immature potato tubers according to the method of logemann et al ( 4 ). a poly ( a ) + - enriched rna fraction was obtained using a polyattract mrna kit ( promega corporation ). first strand cdna was synthesised in a 25 μl reaction mixture containing 50 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 3 , 25 mm kcl , 10 mm mgcl2 , 4 mm dtt , 1 mm nappi , 1 mm dntps , 40 u ribonuclease inhibitor , 1 . 8 μg potato poly ( a ) + - enriched rna , 24 u amv reverse transcriptase ( promega corp ) and 0 . 54 μg hybrid dt17 - adapter primer : at 42 ° c . for 1 h . the reaction mixture was then diluted to 525 μl with te ( 10 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 0 , 1 mm edta ) and stored at − 20 ° c . two oligonucleotide primers were designed from regions within the sequences of grape and apple ppo : cdna was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction ( pcr ) essentially according to the method of frohman ( 2 ) in a 100 μl reaction mixture containing 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 9 . 0 at 25 ° c . ), 50 mm kcl , 1 . 5 mm mgcl2 , 0 . 2 mm dntps , 0 . 01 % gelatin ( w / v ), 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 20 μl diluted 1st . strand cdna reaction mixture , 2 . 5 u taq dna polymerase ( promega corp ), 100 nm adapter primer amplification involved an initial program of 3 cycles of denaturation at 94 ° c . for 1 min , annealing at 37 ° c . for 2 min , a slow ramp to 72 ° c . over 2 min and elongation at 72 ° c . for 3 min followed by 25 cycles of 94 ° c . for 1 min , 55 ° c . for 1 min , and 72 ° c . for 3 min . amplified dna was extracted with phenol / chloroform , precipitated with ethanol and resuspended in te . dna was blunt - ended with the klenow fragment and fractionated on a 2 % nusieve gtg agarose ( fmc bioproducts ) gel . fragments of 1500 bp and 1000 bp were isolated from the gel and ligated into the eco rv site of a bluescript sk + vector ( stratagene cloning systems ). ligated dna was introduced into e . coli dh5 . recombinant clones were selected and three clones ( designated psrp32 , psrp33 , and psrp72 ) were isolated and sequenced by the dideoxy sequencing method ( 3 ). cdna clones containing the 5 ′- end of potato tuber ppo mrna were amplified from potato tuber rna essentially as described in ( 2 ), but with nested antisense primers . first strand cdna was synthesised from potato tuber poly ( a ) + - enriched rna as described above , but with the hybrid dt17 - adapter primer replaced with potato tuber ppo - specific primer 1 : complementary to a region 257 - 278 bases downstream of the 5 ′- end of psrp32 and psrp33 . the reaction mixture was diluted to 2 ml with 0 . 1 × te and centrifuged through a centricon 30 spin filter ( amicon corp ) at 4000 g for 20 min to remove excess primer . this step was repeated and the remaining liquid concentrated to 12 μl using speed vac centrifugation . a poly ( da )- tail sequence was attached at the 3 ′ end of the cdna strand with terminal d transferase ( promega corp ) in a 20 μl reaction mixture containing 11 . 5 μl cdna , 4 μl 5 × tailing buffer ( promega corp ), 4 μl atp ( 1 mm ) and 10 u terminal d transferase incubated at 37 ° c . for 5 min followed by 65 ° c . for 5 min and then diluted to 500 μl with te . pcr amplification of poly ( da )- tailed cdna was carried out in a reaction mixture containing 10 mm tris - hcl ( ph 9 . 0 at 25 ° c . ), 50 mm kcl , 1 . 5 mm mgcl2 , 0 . 2 mm dntps , 0 . 01 % gelatin ( w / v ), 0 . 1 % triton x - 100 , 5 μl diluted 1st . strand cdna reaction mixture , 1 . 25 u taq dna polymerase ( promega corp ), 200 nm hybrid dt17 - adapter primer and 900 nm potato tuber ppo - specific primer 2 complementary to a region 233 - 254 bases downstream of the 5 ′- end of psrp32 and psrp33 . amplification involved 25 cycles of 94 ° c . for 1 min , 50 ° c . for 1 min , and 72 ° c . for 3 min . the resulting fragment was cloned into bluescript sk + vector , sequenced as described above and found to contain the predicted region of overlapping sequence with the psrp32 clone confirming this cdna clone contained the 5 ′- end of the potato tuber mrna . 1 . rezaian , m . a . and krake , l . r . ( 1987 ). nucleic acid extraction and vine detection in grapevine . j . vir . 2 . frohman , m . a . ( 1990 ) in pcr protocols : a guide to methods and applications ( eds . m . a . innis , gelfand , d . h ., sninsky , j . j ., white , t . j .) academic press , new york pp28 - 38 . 3 . sanger , f ., nicklen , s . and coulson , a . r . ( 1977 ). dna sequencing with chain - terminating inhibitors . proc . natl . acad . sci . usa 74 : 5463 - 5467 . 4 . logemann , j ., schell , j . and willmitzer , l . ( 1987 ). improved method for the isolation of rra from plant tissues . analytical biochemistry 163 : 16 - 20 . finally , it is to be understood that various other modifications and / or alterations may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention as outlined herein .	2
as described hereinabove , polyimides of the following structures are known : ## str9 ## where r is : ## str10 ## also , it has been known to react the respective monomers 2 , 2 - bis ( 3 - or 4 - aminophenyl ) hexafluoropropane and 4 , 4 &# 39 ;- hexafluoroisopropylidene [ bis ( phthalic anhydride )] in the presence of a solvent such as those enumerated hereinbefore , with the reactants being mixed at about room temperature . in practice , the initial product formed following the prior art is the polyamic acid precursor of the polyimide . the polyamic acid can be converted to the polyimide by solvent evaporation followed by heating at about 250 ° c . in carrying out the polyimide preparation process embodiment of this invention , the respective monomers are reacted as heretofore with the substitution of a cresol as the solvent , and with the use of heat to aid dissolution and to form the polyimide . although not entirely understood , the use of a cresol solvent allows the polycondensation reaction to proceed beyond the point reached in practice with the employment of the solvents of dupont and bilow , bringing the polyimide molecular weight up to a level where a free - standing film which can be manufactured into useful forms is obtainable . further , with the use of cresol solvent , the reaction in solution proceeds past the precursor polyamic acid stage to form an isolatable polyimide . in an effort to understand the unique effect cresol exerts on the 6fda / 6f diamine polyimide reaction , it is believed that the following factors may be involved : ( 1 ) cresol is mildly acidic , which would extenuate the basicity of 6f diamine , ( 2 ) cresol has a high boiling point which facilitates the formation of the cyclic imide structure from the precursor amic acid , and ( 3 ) cresol is non - reactive with the polyimide at the elevated temperatures necessary to drive the reaction to completion . in the cresol solvent , first the polyamic acid is formed at a lower temperature ( about ambient temperature ). upon heating to a higher temperature ( up to 210 °- 220 ° c . ), the polyamic acid cyclodehydrates to the polyimide . the polyimide is completely soluble in the cresol solvent . the 6f diamine / 6fda polyimide of this invention is characterized by molecular weight of about 10 , 000 to 130 , 000 , preferably about 25 , 000 to 50 , 000 (&# 34 ; n &# 34 ; of about 15 to 200 , preferably about 40 to 80 ) and inherent viscosity of about 0 . 1 to 0 . 6 , preferably about 0 . 4 . inherent viscosity is measured at 30 ° c . as a 0 . 5 % solution in a suitable solvent such as n , n - dimethyl acetamide or tetrahydrofuran . as used herein , the term &# 34 ; cresol &# 34 ; is inclusive of ortho - cresol , meta - cresol , para - cresol , or mixtures thereof . in the practice of the present invention , meta - cresol is preferred since it is the easiest of the cresol isomers to remove and it does not leave a residue which is potentially deleterious . for example , when para - cresol is oxidized , a colored material is produced which would be deleterious if the desired polyimide product needed to be colorless . however , commercial grade materials , which do contain impurities , are usable in the practice of this inven . tion . commercial grade &# 34 ; cresol &# 34 ; is often a mixture of the three isomers plus impurities . it is preferable to dry and vacuum distill the commercial grade cresols to remove water and colored impurities . moreover , the cresol solvent used in practicing the present invention may be mixed with a co - solvent which does not adversely affect the preparation of high molecular weight polyimides and which has a boiling point that is compatible with the temperature needed to produce the reaction to form the polyimide product . typical co - solvents include benzene , toluene , and xylene . in addition , the latter co - solvents could facilitate formation of the polymer product by allowing water to be removed from the reaction mixture by azeotropic distillation and thus preventing break - up of the polymer by water . the co - solvent may comprise up to 95 % by volume of the reaction solvent , with the cresol component achieving the desired results in accordance with the present invention by a catalytic effect . the polyimide can be isolated by admixing the cresol solution thereof with sufficient non - solvent , such as absolute methanol , or ethanol , or by driving off the cresol solvent by vacuum distillation . thereafter , following further purification if desired , a film can be formed by a standard solvent film casting process , for example by dissolving the polymer in dimethylacetamide or a mixture of dimethylacetamide with acetone , followed by casting onto a stationary or moving warmed substrate and heating to remove remaining solvent . a recoverable , transparent film is obtained which can be used in the place of the quartz or glass covers of individual solar cells . one could bond the film to a solar cell using the polyimide in the form of a lacquer with solvents such as tetrahydrofuran , acetone , dimethylacetamide , and similar solvents or mixtures . the following non - limiting example illustrates the preparation process of this invention . a 100 ml , round bottom , three - necked flask was fitted with an oil bath , magnetic stirrer , reflux condenser , nitrogen gas inlet , and nitrogen gas outlet to a mercury bubbler . the flask was charged with 6fda ( 4 . 44 grams , 0 . 010 mole ) and freshly distilled and dried meta - cresol ( 35 ml ). the 6fda formed a light yellow solution and it was necessary to warm the metacresol to effect solution . the solution was cooled to room temperature and 3 - 6f diamine ( 3 . 34 grams , 0 . 010 mole ) was added portion by portion . the solution was stirred at ambient temperature for 30 minutes and then the oil bath placed under the flask . the reaction mixture was heated under nitrogen with the oil bath temperature at 210 °- 220 ° c . there was some frothing during the early part of heating , probably due to the evolution of water from the imidization step . the reaction mixture was heated for 1 hour , cooled to ambient temperature and the polymer isolated by pouring into 300 ml of absolute methanol . the polymer was filtered and washed with fresh methanol and dried at 90 ° c . in vacuum . the polymer was then dissolved in 200 ml of tetrahydrofuran , treated with several grams of activated charcoal , filtered and reduced in volume to 75 ml . then 200 ml of absolute methanol was added and the precipitated polymer filtered . the polymer was washed with methanol and dried at 100 ° c . to yield 4 . 1 gms , molecular weight ( mw ) of 34 , 400 . after standing , additional polymer came out of solution , mw of 13 , 800 . a good quality colorless free - standing film was cast from the 34 , 400 mw polymer by dissolving in dimethylacetamide , drying at 100 ° c . in a forced air oven and then up to 300 ° c . in nitrogen . the film when heated in air at 300 ° c . showed very little color change . it was also soluble in dimethylacetamide and acetone after the 300 ° c . heat treatment , which makes this material unique among polyimides . such a film of thickness of about 0 . 1 to 2 . 0 mils ( 2 . 54 × 10 - 4 to 5 . 08 × 10 - 3 cm ) can be used to protect the active surfaces of solar cells . variations of the invention will be apparent to the skilled artisan . for example , it is contemplated that the high molecular weight polyimide of the present invention could be directly cast from a solution thereof onto a substrate such as a solar cell without first forming the free - standing film , and the polyimide film of the present invention could be used in other applications , such as in the printed circuit industry , including use as an alpha particle barrier in semiconductor device manufacture . in these applications , at times a free - standing film would be used and at other times a polymer solution would be applied , such as by dipping , electrocoating , spraying , electrostatic spraying and the like . the polyimide herein lends itself to various manufacturing techniques . also , the unique solubility properties of the polyimide will suggest other uses , such as in preserving art objects , i . e . stained glass windows .	2
it is apparent from fig1 that the md is readily predicted by the downhole tool by measuring the downhole hydrostatic pressure p hs once the fluid density is known or assumed , as predicted by equation 1 : it is normal that during the course of drilling a well the density ρ is deliberately changed . furthermore ρ can change depending on whether the fluid is being pumped or is stationary . it can also change depending on the volume and type of cuttings and how they are held in suspension . this effect leads to consideration of an equivalent circulating density calculation ( ecd , equation 2 , following ) that is utilized for the control and safety of modern wells . the present invention as applied to reasonably vertical wells is to utilize the pressure readings when the flow is static . at the well planning stage it will be known to an adequate degree of accuracy how the well profile and the addition of materials to the drilling fluid will affect the downhole pressure p hs . it does not matter whether the sampled pressure is that in the bore or in the annulus — they are almost the same under static conditions . thus a look - up table that equates pressure p hs to md can be constructed , where it is assumed that h is equivalent to md . it is then apparent that relatively coarse changes in md ( for example , increments of 500 m ) can be inferred by assessing p hs that in turn can implement changes in the transmitted signal in a way that increases snr and thus will improve detection and decoding ability of the surface equipment . such a look - up table or similar can be readily built by incorporating appropriate features of the planned well such as drilling fluid flow rate , drilling fluid density , drilling fluid viscosity , well profile , bottom hole assembly component geometry , drillpipe geometry , and indications as to whether the fluid is flowing or stationary . if the value of ρ is changed , as noted above , this effect can easily be accommodated by planned incremental changes for ρ in the look - up table that are applied to the successively deeper sections of the well . for instance if the static pressure changes in excess of a given threshold between one predetermined pressure in the table and the next , the inference is that the increase is due primarily to a planned increase in mud density and not simply an increase in tvd . fig2 adds a minor complication in that once a given depth is encountered the well is steered away from vertical at some predetermined angle , as could conveniently be assessed by the d & amp ; i package , although our invention does not require this as the angular deviation may be also inferred from simple static pressure changes . the correspondence of pressure to md is modified in an obvious manner using simple geometry . it is now apparent that the look - up table as described is a viable method of determining md in deviated wells . however it is known that in the art that fig2 is an oversimplification of practical wells because it is not usually possible to drill a well in a perfectly straight line for any significant distance . the driller &# 39 ; s job includes the need to continually correct the profile by making relatively small steering adjustments . in most instances these corrections are small enough that the method as described herein will remain substantially valid . fig3 adds an apparently major obstacle to inference of md because the profile 4 contains a section of horizontal well , thus rendering equation 1 inappropriate for this section . in practical drilling applications horizontal sections are included in a class of wells called ‘ extended reach drilling ’ ( erd ) wells , as depicted in fig4 . the profile 5 can be typical of a directional well containing not only horizontal sections but also generally positive sloped sections and generally negative sloped sections . this is because in many circumstances it is necessary to follow a target formation that undulates in tvd . in a proportion of these wells the generally horizontal section is relatively short compared to the vertical section . in these cases it would be adequate to use the look - up table to maximize the snr improvements for the whole of the horizontal section . in many erd wells , however , the generally horizontal drilled section is equal to or greater than the length of the vertical section . this is indicated in fig5 , where the x - axis 6 depicts tvd in meters and the y - axis 7 depicts the horizontal displacement ( departure ) from vertical in meters . the hatched section 8 in this figure consolidates and presents the industry well drilling practice for these parameters over the last 40 years . although it is not obvious from fig5 , roughly 67 % of erd wells have a departure from vertical greater than their tvd . because the well types typified by fig3 and 4 are a very significant fraction of the total number of wells drilled , incorporating another technique is necessary for the md estimation procedure . according to the present invention , the pressure can also be measured under flow ( dynamic ) conditions and use is then made of a prediction of ecd versus md . a greatly simplified explanation of this and its relevance to the present invention is as follows . the annular pressure ap due to dynamic flow increases with flow rate and pipe length ( i . e . md ) because of factors such as the increase in friction both inside and outside the drillpipe . ap also usually increases to a relatively small extent ( a few percent ) with cuttings in the annulus because they restrict flow ( particularly at the tool joint sections ) and also increase in net fluid density when the cuttings are in suspension . because of the generally small effect of cutting , they will be neglected hereon as they do not modify the principles embodied in this invention . as the ap value changes it also equally changes the bore ( internal pipe ) pressure because the drilling fluid flows continuously from bore to annulus . therefore we could equivalently measure the bore pressure if that happened to be more convenient , or indeed , as necessitated by the type of pressure gauge in the bha . the simplest form of the calculation of ecd is ( for instance see formulas and calculations for drilling , production and workover , 2 &# 39 ; nd edition ; publisher : butterworth - heinemann ; 2002 , isbn : 0750674520 ): ap = annulus pressure drop ( psi ) between surface and the depth at tvd sophisticated algorithms are readily available to quantify ap in the well planning stage and thus predict ecd at any position along the planned well trajectory by taking into account the many variables that modify the predicted value of ecd . the present state of the art is that predicted ecd compared to actual ecd can be accurate to within ˜ 5 % for a calibrated model , or ˜ 10 % or more for a non - calibrated model . we take advantage of this standard calculation to incorporate the pressure drop in excess of the hydrostatic drop ( equation 1 ) and incorporate the total pressure drop expected at each stage of the well &# 39 ; s progress into the look - up table , the ecd - related calculations being particularly pertinent for the stages where deviations from vertical are significant . this procedure merely complicates the table ( or similar ) entries , and requires that certain drillstring parameters are taken into the flow condition calculations . we point out that we do not actually need to calculate ecd ; we need only to compute the relationship of ap to md , this forming a part of the derived ecd calculations commonly utilized in the drilling industry . the ap value we use is directly associated with length of drillpipe along the whole length of the well bore ( i . e . md ) and the bha geometry . we are assuming in these cases that the planned flow rate is followed in practice . if it is not , an error proportional to the square of the flow velocity is introduced in the pressure p calculation , as would be given in the simplest form ( laminar flow ) by daniel bernoulli &# 39 ; s hydrodynamic equation ( see for instance h . lamb , hydrodynamics , 6th ed ., cambridge university press , 1953 , pp . 20 - 25 ): p + ½ ρ v 2 + ρ g δh = constant [ 3 ] if the bha pressure gauge has both bore and annulus pressure measuring capabilities , one can make use of equation 3 by measuring the differential pressure ( i . e . bore — annulus ) that is normally sensed across the mud motor and drill bit , thereby estimating the velocity v . either a calculation or a calibration can be used to link v to p . this value of v can be used to modify the tabular entries to a specific set of flow velocities , and thereby obtain a more accurate estimate of md , as indicated below . once v is calculated in this manner ( or assumed from preset table entries ) then the appropriate annular pressure ap ( equation 2 ) can be associated with a specific flow velocity . the next step is to recognise that the total dynamic annular or bore pressure p tool as measured by the downhole bha tool in these types of wells is given by : where we have separated the hydrostatic head component of pressure ( p hs ) and the hydrodynamic pressure drop associated only with flow in equation 4 . thus in a well with significant horizontal sections a combined measure of static and a dynamic pressures can be used to isolate ap . ap has already been calculated and is in tabular form in a look - up table ( or similar ) in the downhole tool . because ap is a function of v and if v is known , it is now obvious that a reasonable estimate of ap can be mapped directly to md . if v is not measured the assumed value of v is utilized in a simpler table , with a somewhat lesser degree of accuracy in md . either way , because we use md in a coarse incremental fashion ( e . g . increments of ˜ 500 m ) the changes to transmission parameters that modify snr will not be significantly suboptimal . the methods described herein can also beneficially apply to drilling circumstances where downlinking to the telemetry tool is possible . this is because the automatic nature of the telemetry changes associated with sampling downhole pressure makes it unnecessary for surface control or intervention to be applied to the task of ensuring adequate received snr under most drilling conditions . furthermore , the methods described herein can also beneficially apply to drilling circumstances where a telemetry repeater tool is also included in the drillstring . fig6 a depicts the conventional start of a deviated well where the bha 10 ( including drilling means and telemetry tool ) is separated from the rig 1 by a length ( md ) of drillpipe 9 . the invention as previously discussed applies to this stage . the next stage is to insert a repeater 11 as shown in fig6 b . the amount of drillpipe between repeater 11 and bha has now a planned increase 12 that is intended to enable communications over approximately twice the distance that limits a non - repeater circumstance . because it is known in the well planning stage that a repeater would be inserted at a specific md , the look - up table or similar means would now fix the appropriate telemetry parameters to values suitable for adequate communications from the bha telemetry device 10 to the repeater 11 . the invention now applies to control of the appropriate telemetry parameters associated with the repeater 11 , as shown in fig6 c . as the well progresses the drillpipe length 13 between the repeater and the rig increases , and snr communication to the rig is modified by the look - up table or similar within the repeater , enabling efficient communication as before . in summary , it is possible for the tool to make an approximate inferred estimate of its md by making use of standard downhole sensors and assessing the downhole pressure . thus , the tool could be programmed to automatically adjust certain of its acoustic transmitted parameters such that it could compensate for the surface reduction in snr caused by increasing attenuation due to increasing md . the present invention therefore provides a method by which tool telemetry decoding performance may be maintained at or above a specified threshold with increasing well length without the need to communicate to the tool from the surface . this method also includes the circumstances where one or more repeaters are incorporated , as would now be understood by one skilled in the art .	4
referring to fig1 of the drawing a portable rack 11 is illustrated with a plurality of shelves 13 . mounted on one end of rack 11 is a main air duct 16 . duct 16 may be formed of conventional sheet metal and has an opening 17 which enables coupling of the unit to an existing air exhaust source , not illustrated . opening 17 may also be formed in another location of the main or branch air ducts of shelves 13 . each of the top four shelves 13 of the rack comprises a branch air duct . this is achieved by the securing of a top shelf section 19 to a bottom shelf section 20 to provide a partially air - tight chamber therebetween . cutout 22 in each top section 19 is formed for an air - tight connection with a respective extension duct 23 that is in air - tight communication with main air duct 16 . bottom section 20 of the branch air duct has a plurality of spaced holes 25 for exhausting respective cages . each extension duct 23 has a baffle lever 27 for selectively closing off a baffle and the flow of air therethrough . animal cage 29 is of generally rectangular configuration with a bottom wall 30 that has perforations such as a grid construction 30 for the passage of air . a plurality of these cages are suspended by side flanges 31 from hangers 32 on the bottom section 20 of shelves 13 . each cage is open at its top and thus there is air communication between it and a respective hole 25 . the cages need not be in air - tight relationship with the shelves since the open grid bottom 30 of each cage will represent a substantially larger area than the small space between the cages and their shelves . this provides reasonable assurance of air flow through bottom 30 of the cage into the cage , through opening 25 , branch duct 13 , extension 23 , and into the main air duct 16 where it is exhausted . it has been found that an air exhaust of approximately 10 cubic feet per minute per cage will effectively isolate each cage without causing an uncomfortable draft on the animal . a lower air turnover rate will also work since the primary requirement is that there need merely be a negative pressure occurring in the cage in order to prevent the flow of animal odors into the laboratory room . the above - described arrangement provides a system in which the animal cages can be readily cleaned since the cage with its perforated bottom section can have an open ended waste tray 34 removably connected therewith . tray 34 may be formed from flexible sheet metal with sides 35 which grip the cage . this type of cage also enables one to use a bedding material in the cage and not encounter the normally associated problem of odor build - up . with such an arrangement the cost of cleaning will be reduced since the frequency of cleaning will not be so great . provision for a separate room for housing experimental animals becomes optional since the animal cage rack can be maintained in the laboratory room . in fact , the rack can be utilized in any room where there is an existing exhaust system and for this reason is mounted on wheels 36 . periodically , it is desirable to remove all cages and thoroughly clear the duct work of dust and hair which tend to collect and clog it . an aqueous cleaning solution may be introduced through openings 38 ( fig4 ). this fluid may be introduced under pressure and will flow the length of the duct shelf 13 . fluid will partially exit through holes 25 but most of it will flow into extensions 23 and down duct 16 . a trap opening 39 is provided in the duct 16 below the lowest shelf 13 to remove the fluid , dirt and hair .	0
the text below explains the invention in detail using an exemplary embodiment with reference to fig1 . the inventive circuit arrangement has a first digital control amplifier da having an input 1 , an output 2 and a digital control input 3 . the output 2 of the amplifier da is connected to a device for frequency conversion udc . this device has a capacitor c for isolating the useful signal path from the dc path , a frequency converter m 1 , a filter f 1 , a frequency converter m 2 , a bandpass filter f 2 and also an amplification device having a fixed gain a 1 and a further filter f 3 . the filters f 1 and f 3 are in the form of saw filters with a fixed frequency . the output of the device for frequency conversion is connected to a second amplification device aa , which is likewise in the form of a control amplifier . the amplifier aa has an analog control input 5 which is connected to a voltage source v . at the output of the amplification device aa , the received and frequency - converted signal is amplified again and is then tapped off . the digital control input 3 of the amplification device da is routed to a setting apparatus cnt and also to a device dac which comprises at least one digital - analog converter . the output of the converter dac is connected to a summing circuit sc which sums the output signal from the converter dac and the voltage signal from the amplification device a 3 operating as a voltage source and supplies the sum to the control input 5 of the amplification device aa . the control input 5 of the amplification device aa is also connected to a comparison arrangement top which has a comparison input 8 with a signal comprising 8 bits and also an output 9 , whose signal comprises 2 bits . at the output of the amplification device aa , which is connected to a further amplifier a 2 , it is possible to tap off the frequency - converted signal , which is measured by the level detection device old . the output of the detection device old controls the input of an amplifier a 3 . to this end , the device old uses an external prescribed or an internal value . it is thus possible for , by way of example , the demodulation device to monitor a voltage value when required which can be a control target . the amplifier a 3 is connected to the summing circuit sc and thus controls a portion of the control voltage at the input of the amplification device aa such that the desired peak - to - peak voltage value of the useful signal can be tapped off at the output of the amplification device a 2 . if appropriate , the control voltage can be measured at the output v . the device for frequency conversion udc also has two connecting nodes 6 and 7 which are connected to the level detectors wld and ild . both level detectors have a reference input 8 for which a reference level is prescribed . the outputs 9 of the level detectors wld and ild and also of the arrangement top , which have a signal comprising two bits , are connected to a pilot or control circuit gc . the pilot circuit cg also has the inputs clk , s 1 and s 2 . the input clk is used to supply a clock signal . the inputs s 1 and s 2 are used for external control of the entire circuit arrangement . the pilot circuit contains a logic arrangement , for example an fpga , pld or else an asic which processes the input signals . the pilot circuit gc also has an output 10 which is routed to the input of the setting apparatus cnt . the signal from the output 10 has a word length of several bits from which the device cnt ascertains the setting for the digital control . in the present example , this is 5 bits . 2 bits of this signal are used , in one example , for transmitting an instruction to increase , to reduce or to maintain the previous gain . the other bits , in this example , can be used to turn off the device cnt or to put it back into a defined state . the device cnt checks the bits of the setting signal 10 coming from the pilot device preferably upon a rising or falling edge of a clock signal clk applied to the input 11 and thus controls the setting signal for the control input 3 of the device da . in the illustrative example shown ( which is in no respect limited , however ), the signal at the output 12 of the setting apparatus cnt has a word length of 3 bits , which results in 8 possible settings at the control input 3 of the control amplifier da . the maximum gain of the amplifier da is + 7 db , which decreases in 4 db steps down to − 21 db . the setting is chosen such that the bit sequence 000 , that is to say the lowest possible state , corresponds to the largest gain stage + 7 db . the highest bit sequence corresponds to the lowest gain stage of − 21 db . naturally , it is possible to swap this order , to implement a nonlinear profile for the gain stages or to alter the distance between stages , and such variations are contemplated by the present invention . a useful signal applied to the input 1 is amplified in the device da using a factor which is prescribed by the control input 3 , the useful signal arriving at the connecting node 6 and at the input of the level detector wld . the latter compares the signal level with an upper and a lower limit value which is applied to the input 8 . the upper and lower limit values are provided by a digital signal comprising 8 bits in the present example . at the output 9 , the level detector wld outputs a control signal comprising two bits , which , depending on the result of the comparison , is intended to signal an increase in the gain in the amplification device da , a maintaining of the gain or a reduction in the gain . the word length of the output signal from the level detector wld is not limited to two bits in this case . with a larger word length at the output 9 of the level detector , this can also be done by concurrently sending the difference from a nominal value . if the signal is too low , for example , and hence the signal - to - noise ratio is too small , a signal for increasing the power is sent to the pilot circuit gc . the pilot device gc processes this signal and , for its part , sends a signal for increasing the gain to the setting apparatus cnt . upon the next edge of the clock signal clk , the setting apparatus cnt lowers the bit sequence by one bit and as a result raises the gain by 4 db in the control amplifier da . the type of digital actuating signal is dependent on the control input 3 of the amplification device . it may be a parallel signal or a serial actuating signal . it is equally possible in another embodiment of the invention for the pilot device gc to send the setting apparatus cnt not just a signal for changing but also for it to transmit a value for how many stages the change is intended to involve . this means that not just a sequential change as in the exemplary embodiment shown is possible , but also direct setting of the gain of the first amplification device da is contemplated by the invention . at the same time , the setting signal coming from the output 12 of the apparatus cnt is converted to an analog voltage signal by the device dac . by lowering the digital signal by one bit , the voltage signal at the output of the converter dac thus also becomes smaller . as a result , the control voltage at the input 5 of the analog amplifier aa falls , with the total gain of the entire arrangement remaining the same , however . this simultaneous readjustment reduces the abrupt signal change which occurs as a result of the abrupt change in the gain in the device da . following the level detector wld , the wideband rf signal passes through a mixer m 1 which is used to convert it to a first intermediate frequency . the mixing device m 1 has a tunable local oscillator ( not shown ) since the frequency band used is variable and the unwanted frequency bands are rejected by a fixed filter f 1 . following the selection , the signal is converted to a second intermediate frequency using a device for frequency conversion m 2 , intermodulation products are removed by a bandpass filter f 2 , and the filtered signal is again amplified by a fixed factor using the amplification device a 1 . to ensure an optimum gain for the rf signal before and after the frequency conversion and filtering , besides the level detector wld , another level detector ild , which is of the same design in one example , is provided which compares the level of the frequency - converted signal at point 7 with an upper and a lower limit value . at the output of the level detector ild , it is possible to tap off the same signals as are also at the output of the detector wld . this signal is likewise used to set the device cnt using the pilot device gc . the rf signal converted to the second intermediate frequency has secondary products removed from it again by a filter f 3 and is supplied to the analog amplification device aa . the two level detectors wld and ild , firstly , are intended to prevent the formation of intermodulation products that may otherwise be caused by overdriving the input of the mixers m 1 , m 2 and filters f 1 , f 2 . secondly , they detect an excessively small signal - to - noise ratio . to this end , they are advantageously designed in one example for a continuous comparison . alternatively , a discrete - time level comparison is also conceivable , however , for example with the clock signal of the signal clk . instead of the comparison by the level detectors which has been described , however , other comparison circuits are also conceivable , for example with just one limit value , and such alternatives are contemplated by the present invention . the detector top , which compares the control signal from the control input 5 with a prescribed limit value , is used to set a limit value up to which control by the detectors wld and ild is possible . one idea behind the invention is thus compensation for a change of gain in a digital control element by a corresponding change in a second amplification device , so that the abrupt signal change occurring in the digital amplification device is reduced and the total gain remains essentially the same . this can be achieved by connecting a control unit to the control inputs of the amplification device . the second amplification device may be either in the form of an analog amplification device or in the form of a digital amplification device . in the latter case , there is naturally no need to provide means for digital - analog conversion . besides a voltage signal , a current signal is also conceivable as the signal for the analog actuating input . in the embodiment presented , a 1 - bit increase in the actuating signal produces a reduction in the voltage of the converted analog signal . an inverter can thus be dispensed with . depending on other conceivable embodiments , additional circuit elements for controlling both amplification devices may therefore be employed in accordance with the central idea behind the invention . the inventive circuit arrangement is not limited to amplifying received signals in this case . the compensating circuit described is also conceivable for a transmission arrangement or for general circuits for signal amplification with a plurality of amplification devices . while the invention has been illustrated and described with respect to one or more implementations , alterations and / or modifications may be made to the illustrated examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims . in particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components or structures ( assemblies , devices , circuits , systems , etc . ), the terms ( including a reference to a “ means ”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond , unless otherwise indicated , to any component or structure which performs the specified function of the described component ( e . g ., that is functionally equivalent ), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary implementations of the invention . in addition , while a particular feature of the invention may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations , such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application . furthermore , to the extent that the terms “ including ”, “ includes ”, “ having ”, “ has ”, “ with ”, or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description and the claims , such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “ comprising ”.	7
the present invention is preferably manufactured from heat resistant steel because of the extremely high temperature of crop bar immediately after casting . most frame members are made of &# 34 ; i &# 34 ; beam steel for strength . these &# 34 ; i &# 34 ; beam frame members are preferably all of the same cross - sectional area and configuration which have equal width and depth so that &# 34 ; i &# 34 ; beam frame member junctures can be square and flush when any surface of one member is joined to any surface of another member . simply stated , a forklift - type truck ( 10 , fig1 ) engages container 20 from the rear which is the end opposite the axle and sleeve assembly 11 , and moves forward until the upright portions of its fork arms 12 contact the rear bumper 13 of the container 20 . fork arms 12 are elevated until the top surface of their horizontal portions contact cooperating portions of container 20 thereby maintaining it in a stable and level attitude during horizontal and vertical movement . rear cooperating surfaces are the bottoms of the rear bumper 13 , the yoke rear beam 14 and the receptacle rear beam ( not shown ). front cooperating surface is the bottom of the outer sleeve 41 of the axle and sleeve assembly 11 . after the safety latch 15 is released , the container 20 is ready to dump . as fig2 shows , crop bar 21 collected in container 20 is dumped by using the forklift 10 to push a front bumper / stop 16 against a stationary curb 17 . as the front bumper / stop pivots on the axle and sleeve assembly 11 , it rotates inward ( toward the forklift ) and upward and the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 rotates upward and outward ( away from the forklift ), out of the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 to a terminal dumping position which allows the crop bar to fall out of the container . the forklift 10 backs away from the stationary curb 17 and the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 returns to its original base or receiving position . fig3 is a more detailed view of the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 . the yoke is basically &# 34 ; u &# 34 ; shaped with a pair of rear stanchions 30 to hold it off the floor . the rear stanchions 30 are laterally spaced and braced by a horizontal rear stanchion brace beam 31 . atop the rear stanchions 30 , a horizontal yoke rear beam 14 is attached with its longitudinal ends flush with the outside surfaces of the rear stanchions 30 . a safety latch 15 is mounted on the yoke rear beam 14 . its latch hook snaps over the rear stop 55 between the rear receptacle upright beams 57 shown in fig5 and is adapted to prevent the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 from accidentally pivoting out of the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 . yoke side beams 32 are attached to the front surface of the yoke rear beam 14 flush with the top and the longitudinal ends of the yoke rear beam 14 and perpendicular to the rear stanchion 30 and to the yoke rear beam 14 . a triangular rear stanchion brace gusset 33 preferably connects each yoke side beam 32 to its corresponding rear stanchion 30 for strength and stability . near the front of each yoke side beam 32 is a yoke axle aperture 34 horizontally located through its center for mounting the axle and sleeve assembly 11 so as to be generally parallel to the yoke rear beam 14 an perpendicular to the yoke side beams 32 . a rear bumper 13 is preferably attached to the back of the yoke rear beam 14 parallel to and at the same elevation as the yoke rear beam 14 . this rear bumper 13 serves as a forklift bumper to keep the main body of container 20 away from direct horizontal contact with the forklift 10 to reduce the possibility of damage to container 20 . the rear bumper 13 also helps regulate the overall front to back dimension of container 20 to assure proper fork arm 12 contact without extending the fork arms 12 past the front of container 20 to interfere with handling . fig5 illustrates the rigid receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 , which is designed to fit inside the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 with but little clearance . the front stanchions 50 extend vertically a distance equal to that of the rear stanchions 30 to put the frames of the two assemblies 18 and 19 in the same general horizontal plane . a front bumper / stop 16 is attached horizontally to the lower front surface of the front stanchions 50 , and is preferably braced on each end by front bumper / stop gussets 51 . the front bumper / stop 16 serves as a bumper for contacting the stationary curb 17 during dumping and as a dumping rotation stop by contacting the bottom surface of the horizontal portions of the fork arms 12 . atop each front stanchion 50 is a receptacle side beam 52 preferably flush with the front and side of each front stanchion 50 and extending horizontally to the rear and perpendicularly to each front stanchion 50 . for dumping clearance , the longitudinal dimension of each receptacle side beam 52 is less than that of its corresponding yoke side beam 32 . near the front of each receptacle side beam 52 is a receptacle axle aperture 54 horizontally through its center for hingedly connecting the two assemblies 18 and 19 with the axle and sleeve assembly 11 . a triangular front stanchion brace gusset 53 preferably connects each receptacle side beam 52 to its corresponding front stanchion 50 for strength and stability . a receptacle rear beam ( not shown ) is attached to the inside of the receptacle side beams 52 flush with its rear , top and bottom surfaces thus forming a horizontal receptacle frame . an elongated heavy steel plate is attached atop the receptacle rear beam ( not shown ), with its end extending past the outsides of the receptacle side beams 52 approximately the width of the yoke side beams 32 . this plate is the rear stop 55 which terminates downward and inward movement when the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 returns to base or empty position inside the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 . the top surface of the rear stop 55 near its longitudinal center also serves as a catching surface for the safety latch 15 . below each rear stop 55 is a wedge shaped alignment guide 56 tapering from its outside top to its inside bottom to align the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 as it returns to base position . a pair of rear receptacle upright beams 57 extend vertically atop the rear stop plate 55 . one is perpendicular to each receptacle side beam 52 and flush with the rear , inside and outside surface of each . triangular rear stop gussets 58 brace extending rear stop 55 portions against the rear receptacle upright beams 57 to prevent bending the rear stops 55 by repeated use . each receptacle side beam 52 has a forward leaning front receptable upright beam 59 attached to its top surface preferably flush with its sides and with one outer edge tangent to its top front edge . the front receptacle upright beams 59 extend upward at a forward angle of about 30 angular degrees past vertical . this forward angle allows crop bar 21 to easily fall from container 20 because when the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 rotates less than 90 angular degrees to dumping position , the front receptacle upright beams 59 will be about 20 angular degrees below horizontal thus no longer providing horizontal support for the crop bar . the receptacle is formed by attaching a receptacle back plate 60 between the rear receptacle upright beams 57 , a receptacle base plate 61 between the receptacle side beams 52 and a receptacle front plate 62 between the forward leaning front receptacle upright beams 59 . these plates 60 , 61 and 62 help brace the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 to prevent independent movement by any section and provide a receptacle for containing crop bar 21 . container 20 is assembled by inserting the rear of the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 into the front of the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 and moving it toward the rear until all axle apertures 34 and 54 align . the axle and sleeve assembly 11 is then rotatably secured . the front of the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 is supported by its front stanchions 50 , and the front of the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 is supported by the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 through the axle and sleeve assembly 11 . the rear of the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 is supported by its rear stanchions 30 , and the rear of the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 is supported on the yoke side beams 32 by the rear stops 55 . thus , assembled in base or loading position , the two assemblies 18 and 19 reciprocally support each other . the axle and sleeve assembly 11 is illustrated in more detail in fig4 . it hingedly connects the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 to the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 and provides additional lateral stability to both . the diameter and length of the axle 40 is such that it will extend through the axle apertures 34 and 54 in both assemblies 18 and 19 . the diameter of the axle sleeve 41 is preferably equal to the height of the beams forming the horizontal frames of the two assemblies 18 and 19 such that when assembled , the bottom surfaces of each are generally in the same horizontal plane . thus , a horizontally level lifting surface for cooperating with the fork arms 12 is created , which includes the rear bumper 13 , the yoke rear beam 14 , the receptacle rear beam ( not shown ) and the axle sleeve 41 . in operation , the forklift 10 in fig1 has engaged the present invention from the rear . the fork arms 12 have traveled forward under the horizontal frames of container 20 between its rear stanchions 30 and between its front stanchions 50 . forward movement of the front tips of the fork arms 12 with respect to container 20 is limited to no more than flush with the front of container 20 by dimensional design of this invention including a rear bumper 13 which saves wear and tear on the main body of container 20 by keeping it a predetermined distance from the forklift 10 . the fork arms 12 are raised until the top of their horizontal portions contact the bottom surfaces of the rear bumper 13 , the yoke rear beam 14 , the receptacle rear beam ( not shown ) and the axle sleeve 41 . thus , in proper cooperation , the forklift 10 elevates and holds container 20 substantially horizontally level . in this manner container 20 is easily transported with lateral and longitudinal stability . to dump crop bar , the forklift 10 transports container 20 to a desired dumping location . the safety latch 15 is released and the forklift 10 elevates container 20 to a height sufficient to assure that the bottom of the horizontal frame portions of container 20 clear the top of the stationary curb 17 as the forklift 10 advances . as fig2 illustrates , the forklift 10 advances forcing the front bumper / stop 16 attached to the front stanchions 50 against the stationary curb 17 , and the front stanchions 50 pivot on the axle 40 in an inward and upward direction . this forces the rest of the rigidly attached receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 to rotate upward and outward until the receptacle base plate 61 is almost perpendicular to its base position . movement is terminated at this point by the front bumper / stop 16 which is elongated horizontally between the front stanchion 50 and halts movement by coming into contact with the fork arms 12 . at this terminal or dumping position the forward leaning front receptacle upright beams 59 are about 20 angular degrees below horizontal and the crop bars 21 easily fall out of container 20 because they no longer have horizontal support and because of the outward inertia of the crop bars 21 . since the center of gravity of the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 is always behind the pivot point , its weight , when empty , tends to force the assembly to return to its base position . having dumped the contents , the forklift 10 backs away from the stationary curb 17 , and the weight of the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 forces it to rotate inward and downward . as the receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 nears its base position , alignment guides 56 direct it into proper alignment with the yoke and rear stanchion assembly 19 . rear stops 55 and the fork arms 12 come into contact with descending receptacle and front stanchion assembly 18 surfaces to terminate downward movement in the base position . the safety latch 15 is set in place and the dumpable crop bar container 20 is ready for transport to collect more crop bar 21 .	1
embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one memory cell of a semiconductor memory device according to a first embodiment of the present invention , fig2 is a plan view of the memory cell , fig3 a is a cross - sectional view taken along line 3 a — 3 a of fig2 and fig3 b is a cross - sectional view taken along line 3 b — 3 b of fig2 . as is apparent from fig1 the equivalent circuit of the memory cell of the first embodiment is the same as that of a generally - used memory cell . in this circuit , a bit line bl is connected to , for example , the drain of a transistor t 1 , and the source of the transistor t 1 is connected to a capacitor c 1 . the gate of the transistor t 1 is connected to a word line wl . in the memory cell shown in fig3 a and 3b , a bit line 30 is formed not above a gate electrode 6 but under an insulation layer 2 of an soi substrate , unlike a conventional bit line . the bit line 30 is connected to a ( source or drain ) diffusion layer 8 a of the transistor by a buried electrode 13 formed through the insulation layer 2 . a plate electrode 40 is formed on a storage electrode 18 with a capacitor insulation film 19 therebetween , thereby constituting a storage capacitor . the storage electrode 18 is connected to another diffusion layer 8 b of the transistor . fig4 a to 14 a and 4 b to 14 b are cross - sectional views showing step by step a method for manufacturing the semiconductor memory device according to the first embodiment . the views of fig4 a to 14 a are each corresponding to the view taken along line 3 a — 3 a of fig2 while those of fig4 b to 14 b are each corresponding to the view taken along line 3 b — 3 b of fig2 . an insulation layer 28 of an oxide film ( sio 2 ) or the like is formed on a semiconductor substrate 1 such as a silicon substrate . bit line materials such as tungsten are deposited on the insulation layer 28 thereby to form a bit line 30 using conventional photolithography and anisotropic etching such as rie ( reactive ion etching ). insulation films 29 and 2 are formed by oxide films or the like so as to cover the bit line 30 , and the surface of the insulation film 2 is flattened . ( fig4 a and 4b ) the bit line 30 can also be obtained by forming an insulation film having grooves on the insulation layer 28 and burying the bit line materials in the grooves . a silicon substrate 31 is stuck on the insulation film 2 by a sticking method and its surface is polished to form an soi substrate including an element forming region 31 having a desired thickness . ( fig5 a and 5b ) part of the element forming region 31 is removed , and an insulation film such as an oxide film ( sio 2 ) is buried into the removed part , with the result that an element isolation region 4 reaching the insulation film 2 is formed and so is an island - like element region 3 surrounded with the film 2 and region 4 . ( fig6 a and 6b ) a gate insulation film 5 of , e . g ., an oxide film ( sio 2 ) is formed on the resultant structure , and an electrode material such as a polysilicon film and an insulation film 7 such as a silicon nitride film ( sin ) are formed one on another . a gate electrode 6 is obtained using conventional photolithography and anisotropic etching such as rie . furthermore , n - type diffusion layers 8 a and 8 b are formed by , e . g ., ion implantation to serve as source and drain regions of the transistor . ( fig7 a and 7b ) an insulation film such as a silicon nitride film is deposited on the resultant structure and then etched by anisotropic etching such as rie , thereby forming insulation films 9 on the side walls of the gate electrode 6 . ( fig8 a and 8b ) an interlayer insulation film 10 of , e . g ., an oxide film ( sio 2 ) is deposited and polished by cmp ( chemical mechanical polishing ) to expose the insulation ( nitride ) film 7 on the gate electrode 6 , with the result that the film 10 is buried between adjacent gate electrodes 6 . ( fig9 a and 9b ) a resist film 11 having an opening is formed on the diffusion layer 8 a . using anisotropic etching such as rie , the diffusion layer 8 a and insulation film 2 are etched to expose the bit line 30 , thus forming an opening 12 . if an etching condition is set properly to prevent the nitride films 7 and 9 from being etched , the opening 12 is self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 . ( fig1 a and 10b ) after the resist film 11 is eliminated , a polysilicon film containing , e . g ., phosphorus is deposited . the insulation film 7 and interlayer insulation film 10 are exposed by etching the polysilicon film using , e . g ., rie , and the polysilicon film is thus buried into the opening 12 . as a result , a buried electrode 13 is formed in the opening 12 to connect the diffusion layer 8 a and bit line 30 . ( fig1 a and 11b ) an interlayer insulation film 15 of an oxide film ( sio 2 ) or the like is deposited on the resultant structure . ( fig1 a and 12b ) a resist film 16 having an opening above the diffusion layer 8 b is formed on the interlayer insulation film 15 , and the films 15 and 10 are etched to expose the diffusion layer 8 b , thus forming a connecting hole 17 for a storage electrode . if an etching condition is set properly to prevent the nitride films 7 and 9 from being etched , the connecting hole 17 is self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 . ( fig1 a and 13b ) the resist film 16 is eliminated , an storage electrode material such as polysilicon containing phosphorus is deposited , and a storage electrode 18 is formed using conventional photolithography and anisotropic etching such as rie . using , e . g ., lpcvd ( low pressure chemical vapor deposition ), a silicon oxide film , a silicon nitride film , and a silicon oxide film are deposited to form a capacitor insulation film 19 of ono ( oxide - nitride - oxide ). ( fig1 a and 14b ) for example , a polysilicon film is deposited on the capacitor insulation film 19 as a plate electrode 40 , thus completing a memory cell of dram as shown in fig3 a and 3b . the dram is finished by forming an interlayer insulation film , a wiring layer and the like through a conventional manufacturing process . according to the first embodiment described above , since the bit line 30 is formed not above the gate electrode 6 but under the insulation layer 2 below the gate electrode 6 , only the gate electrode 6 is present as a wiring layer between the storage electrode 18 and the diffusion layer 8 b connected thereto when the storage electrode 18 is formed . as shown in fig1 a and 13b , therefore , the connecting hole 17 has only to be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 only , and the storage electrode 18 can easily be prevented from being short - circuited with the bit line 30 . since the bit line 30 is also formed under the insulation layer 2 below an element region 3 , the wiring layers formed above the region 3 can be decreased by one , as compared with those of the conventional device . therefore , the interlayer insulation film to be etched can be thinned by the thickness of the bit line , though conventionally the interlayer insulation film has to be etched by at least the thicknesses of both the gate electrode and bit line when the connecting hole is formed . since the interlayer insulation film to be etched is decreased in thickness , the connecting hole 17 can easily be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 . fig1 is a cross - sectional view of a prior art memory cell . in fig1 , a difference in level between a gate electrode 6 and a bit line 50 should be eliminated . however , according to the first embodiment of the present invention , since the difference can be reduced by at least the thickness of the bit line , a region , such as a peripheral circuit region , where no storage electrode is formed , can easily be flattened , thus facilitating patterning and etching of the wiring layer . in fig1 , reference numeral 60 indicates a plate electrode , and the other elements are the same as those of the first embodiment and denoted by the same numerals . in the prior art memory cell , the bit line 50 is formed above the element region 3 in order to form the bit line 50 , gate electrode 6 and storage electrode 18 within a small memory cell area . thus , the distance between the bit line 50 and gate electrode 6 or between the bit line 50 and storage electrode 18 is very shortened , and they interfere with each other to make a noise or cause the memory cell to malfunction . however , according to the first embodiment of the present invention , the bit line 30 is formed below the insulation layer 2 and separated from the gate electrode 6 or the storage electrode 18 . therefore , as compared with the prior art memory cell , these electrodes are hardly influenced by the bit line 30 , and a dram having a larger operation margin can be formed . according to the foregoing manufacturing method , the diffusion layer 8 a can be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 , and the opening 12 can be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 when the diffusion layer 8 a is connected to the bit line 30 . consequently , no margin is newly required and the memory cell can be decreased in area . a semiconductor device according to a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . in this device , a plate electrode of a capacitor serves as a bit line , too . fig1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of one memory cell of the semiconductor memory device of the second embodiment , and fig1 is a plan view of the memory cell . fig1 a is a cross - sectional view taken along line 18 a — 18 a of fig1 , while fig1 b is a cross - sectional view taken along line 18 b — 18 b of fig1 . in the memory cell of the second embodiment , the plate electrode has a function of bit line and , as shown in fig1 , the storage electrode of the capacitor is connected to one end ( source or drain electrode ) of a selective transistor t 1 . the other end of the transistor t 1 is connected to , e . g ., a fixed potential vcc . the gate electrode of the transistor t 1 is connected to a word line wl . fig1 a and 19b show examples of operation voltages in write and read modes of the memory cell of the first embodiment . in these examples , vcc is , for example a positive voltage of about 5v . when “ 0 ” is written , the bit line bl of a selected cell is kept at 0v and the word line wl thereof is kept at 8v , as shown in fig1 a . the transistor t 1 is thus turned on , and the potential of the storage electrode becomes about 5v . if the word line wl is set to 0v and the bit line bl is set to vcc , i . e ., 5v , the potential of the storage electrode rises up to about 9v , and the capacitor is precharged . when “ 0 ” is read out , the word line wl is set again to 8v and thus the potential of the bit line bl becomes { 5 − 5 ( 5 − 9 )× cs /( cs + cb )} v . cs is the capacitance of capacitor c 1 , and cb is the parasitic capacitance of bit line bl . if the potential of the bit line bl is compared with a reference potential using a sense amplifier or the like , the data can be read out . when “ 1 ” is written , the bit line bl of a selected cell is set to 5v and the word line wl thereof is set to 8v , as shown in fig1 b . the transistor t 1 is thus turned on and the potential of the storage electrode becomes about : 5v . if the word line wl is set to 0v and the bit line bl is set to vcc , i . e ., 5v , the storage electrode does not vary in potential and is precharged with about 5v , unlike when “ 0 ” is written . when “ 1 ” is read out , the word line wl is set again to 8v , but the potential of the bit line bl remains unchanged at 5v . the constitution of the memory cell of the second embodiment will now be described with reference to fig1 , 18 a and 18 b . the memory cell of the second embodiment includes an soi substrate constituted of a semiconductor substrate 1 , an insulation layer 2 and a semiconductor layer ( element region ) 3 . a mos transistor t 1 having a gate electrode 6 and diffusion layers 8 a and 8 b is formed on the soi substrate . while the diffusion layer 8 a is connected to the semiconductor substrate 1 via a buried electrode 13 , the diffusion layer 8 b is connected to a storage electrode 18 . an plate electrode 19 is formed on the storage electrode 18 with an insulation film 19 therebetween , thus forming a capacitor . the plate electrode 20 is patterned to serve as a bit line . the above memory cell is featured in that the plate electrode 20 formed above the storage electrode 18 functions as a bit line 20 and the diffusion layer 8 a is connected to the substrate 1 through the buried electrode 13 . as described above , the layer 20 serves as both the bit line and the plate electrode of the capacitor , and the bit line 20 is formed above the storage electrode 18 . therefore , as will be described later , since only the gate electrode 6 is present as a wiring layer between the storage electrode 18 and diffusion layer 8 b when the storage electrode 18 is formed , the connecting hole 17 for the storage electrode has to be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 only , and the storage electrode 18 can easily be prevented from being short - circuited with the gate electrode 6 and bit line 20 . since the diffusion layer 8 a is not connected to an upper wiring layer such as a conventional bit line , but to the substrate 1 formed under the insulation layer 2 under the element region 3 , the wiring layers formed above the region 3 can be decreased by one . as in the first embodiment , the interlayer insulation film to be etched can be thinned when the connecting hole 17 is formed , and the connecting hole 17 can easily be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 . moreover , as in the first embodiment , since a difference in level can be reduced by at least the thickness of one wiring layer , a region such as a peripheral circuit region , where no storage electrode is formed , can easily be flattened , thus making it easy to pattern and etch the wiring layer . according to the second embodiment , if a fixed potential is applied to the substrate 1 connected to the diffusion layer 8 a , it can easily be applied to the diffusion layer 8 a , where the fixed potential is required . for example , if no soi substrate is employed , a wiring layer for connecting the diffusion layer 8 a need to be additionally formed , which makes it difficult to form the storage electrode 18 and causes restrictions on horizontal patterning . however , the memory cell of the second embodiment can be decreased in area since a new area for patterning is not required . in the first embodiment , where the potential of the diffusion layer 8 a is not fixed or it is connected to the bit line , the wiring layer 30 serving as the bit line has to be patterned . however , in the second embodiment , the same fixed potential ( e . g ., vcc ) has only to be applied to the diffusion layers 8 a of all memory cells . if , therefore , the fixed potential is applied to the substrate 1 , no patterning is needed , thus easily achieving reduction in cell area and simplification in manufacturing process . in the second embodiment , since the transistor is formed on an island - like isolated element region on the soi substrate , the potential of a bulk region 3 a of the transistor is not fixed . if the transistor t 1 is directly formed on the conventional substrate to form a cell circuit like this embodiment , the potential of the bulk region is fixed and thus the following problem will arise . when the potential of the bit line 20 is changed , for example , to ½ vcc , that of the storage electrode 18 is lowered through coupling of the storage capacitor c 1 , the potential of the diffusion layer 8 b becomes a forward bias voltage with respect to the potential of the bulk region , and the stored charges are caused to flow through the bulk region . in the second embodiment , however , the potential of the diffusion layer 8 b and that of the bulk region do not make a forward bias since the potential of the isolated bulk region is lowered according to that of the diffusion layer 8 b . a method for manufacturing the above memory cell of the second embodiment will now be described . fig2 a to 28 a and 20 b to 28 b are cross - sectional views showing the manufacturing method step by step . the views of fig2 a to 28 a are each corresponding to the views taken along line 18 a — 18 a of fig1 , while those of fig2 b to 28 b are each corresponding to the views taken along line 18 b — 18 b of fig1 . an insulation layer 2 of , e . g ., sio 2 is formed on a semiconductor substrate 1 such as an n - type silicon substrate , and a monocrystalline silicon layer 3 is formed on the insulation layer 2 . these substrate and layers constitute an soi substrate . part of the layer 3 is removed , and an insulation film such as an oxide film ( sio 2 ) is buried into the removed part , with the result that an element isolation region 4 reaching the insulation layer 2 is formed and so is an island - like element region 3 surrounded with the layer 2 and region 4 . ( fig2 a and 20b ) as in the first embodiment , a gate insulation film 5 , a gate electrode 6 , an insulation film 7 , and source and drain diffusion layers 8 a and 8 b ( or 8 b and 8 a ) are formed ( fig2 a ), an insulation film 9 is formed on the side wall of the gate electrode 6 ( fig2 a ), and an interlayer insulation film 10 is buried between adjacent gate electrodes 6 ( fig2 a ). a resist film 11 having an opening is formed on the diffusion layer 8 a . using anisotropic etching such as rie , the interlayer insulation film 10 , diffusion layer 8 a and insulation layer 2 are etched to form an opening 12 , and the surface of the substrate 1 is selectively exposed . if an etching condition is set properly to prevent the nitride films 7 and 9 from being etched , the opening 12 is self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 . ( fig2 a and 24b ) after the resist film 11 is removed , a polysilicon film containing , e . g ., phosphorus is deposited and etched using , e . g ., rie , and the insulation film 7 and interlayer insulation film 10 are exposed . the polysilicon film is buried into the opening 12 to form a buried electrode 13 . a highly - doped layer 14 is formed on the surface of the substrate 1 contacting the buried layer 13 by diffusion of impurities from the polysilicon film . the diffusion layer 8 a and substrate 1 are thus connected by the buried electrode 13 ( fig2 a and 25 b ). the highly - doped layer 14 can be formed by ion - implanting phosphorus or the like after the opening 12 is formed . an interlayer insulation film 15 such as an oxide film ( sio 2 ) is deposited on the resultant structure . ( fig2 a and 26b ) moreover , as in the first embodiment , a resist film 16 having an opening above the diffusion layer 8 b is formed on the interlayer insulation film 15 , and the films 15 and 10 are etched to expose the diffusion layer 8 b , thus forming a connecting hole 17 for a storage electrode . if an etching condition is set properly to prevent the nitride films 7 and 9 from being etched , the connecting hole 17 is self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 . ( fig2 a and 27b ) after that , as in the first embodiment , the resist film 16 is removed to form a storage electrode 18 and a capacitor insulation film 19 . ( fig2 a and 28b ) an electrode material such as a polysilicon film is deposited , and a layer 20 serving as both a bit line and a plate electrode of the capacitor is formed using conventional photolithography and anisotropic etching such as rie . ( fig2 a and 29b ) thereafter , a dram is completed by forming an interlayer insulation film , a wiring layer , etc . through a conventional manufacturing process . according to the second embodiment described above , the layer 20 serves as the bit line and the plate electrode and is formed after the storage electrode 18 is done . therefore , as shown in fig2 , only the gate electrode 6 is present as a lower wiring layer when the connecting hole 17 is formed . the connecting hole 17 has to be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 only . consequently , the possibility of short - circuiting the storage electrode 18 , gate electrode 6 and bit line 20 can be reduced more greatly than in the conventional memory cell wherein the storage electrode 18 , gate electrode 16 and bit line 50 should be self - aligned with each other . according to the second embodiment , as in the first embodiment , the diffusion layer 8 a can be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 , and the opening 12 can be self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 when the layer 8 a is connected to the substrate 1 . therefore , no margin is newly required , and the cell area can be decreased . the first embodiment necessitates a margin for matching the opening 12 and the patterning of the bit line 30 , whereas the second embodiment does not need such a margin and accordingly the cell can be miniaturized further . in the foregoing first and second embodiments , the buried electrode 13 is formed of polysilicon containing phosphorus ; however , it can be formed of refractory metal such as tungsten . using such metal , in the second embodiment , it is desirable that the diffusion layer 14 be formed beforehand by ion - implanting phosphorus or the like into the opening 12 . the buried electrode 13 can also be formed by burying metal into the opening 12 after , for example , a titanium nitride film is formed on the diffusion layer 14 as barrier metal . it is also desirable that a silicide layer of a refractory metal such as t 1 is inserted between the diffusion layer 14 and the barrier metal to make an ohmic contact . in the above embodiments , the conductive film such as a polysilicon film and a metal film is formed into the opening 12 by forming a conductive film all over the opening 12 , the insulation films 7 and 10 and then removing that part of the conductive film which is formed on the insulation films 7 and 10 using rie or cmp . however , the conductive film can be obtained by selectively growing the conductive film made of , e . g ., w on the substrate 1 or the bit line 30 exposed to the opening 12 . in the above first and second embodiments , the buried electrode 13 is formed on a level with the insulation film 7 formed on the gate electrode 6 . however , it need not be formed on such a level since it is used to connect the diffusion layer 8 a with the substrate 1 . for example , as illustrated in fig2 a and 28b , the buried electrode 13 has only to be formed higher than the upper surface of the insulation film 2 . it is however desirable that it be buried at least above the surface of the monocrystalline substrate 3 , as shown in fig2 a and 29b , in order to reduce the connecting resistance . in the second embodiment , the diffusion layer 14 is formed on the substrate 1 under the opening 12 in order to achieve good connection between the buried electrode 13 and the substrate 1 . however , as shown in fig3 a and 31b , a diffusion layer 14 a can be formed on the entire surface of the substrate 1 . otherwise , as shown in fig3 a and 32b , the substrate can be replaced with a metal substrate 1 a , which is to be maintained at a certain potential . a method for manufacturing a memory cell according to a third embodiment of the present invention will now be described . in this method , a buried electrode 13 and an element region 3 are formed simultaneously by crystal growth before a transistor is formed . fig3 a to 38 a and 33 b to 38 b are cross - sectional views for explaining the steps of manufacturing the memory cell of the third embodiment . an insulation layer 2 such as an oxide film ( sio 2 ) is formed on a semiconductor substrate 1 such as a silicon substrate , and an opening 32 is formed in the insulation layer 2 to expose the substrate 1 . ( fig3 a and 33 b ). using the monocrystalline face of the exposed substrate 1 as a seed crystal , a buried electrode 33 and a monocrystalline substrate 3 are epitaxially grown at the same time . ( fig3 a and 34b ) after that , as in the second embodiment , an element isolation region 4 , a gate electrode 6 , diffusion layers 8 a and 8 b , a sidewall insulation film 9 and an interlayer insulation film 10 are formed ( fig3 a and 35 b ). the diffusion layer 8 a is formed on the buried electrode 33 . at this time , the diffusion layer 8 a and substrate 1 are already connected to each other , though in the second embodiment they have to be connected by forming the opening 12 and buried electrode 13 . after that , a resist film 16 having an opening located above the diffusion layer 8 b , is formed and the interlayer insulation film 10 is etched and the diffusion layer 8 b is exposed , thus forming a connecting hole 17 for a storage electrode . if an etching condition is set properly to prevent the nitride films 7 and 9 from being etched , the connecting hole 17 is self - aligned with the gate electrode 6 . ( fig3 a and 36b ) thereafter , as in the second embodiment , a storage electrode 18 , a capacitor insulation film 19 , and a layer 20 serving as both a plate electrode and a bit line are formed , ( fig3 a and 37 b ). as described above , in the third embodiment , the buried electrode 33 and monocrystalline substrate 3 are formed at once by epitaxial growth . the step can thus be executed more simply than that of the second embodiment in which the opening 12 is formed through the substrate 3 and layer 2 and the buried electrode 13 is formed thereinto . since the substrate 1 and monocrystalline substrate 3 are connected to each other by the buried electrode 33 before the gate electrode 6 is formed , the short circuit between the buried electrode and gate electrode can be prevented more completely than in the first and second embodiments wherein the gate electrode 6 is formed and then the opening 12 is self - aligned therewith . in the first and second embodiments , the interlayer insulation film 15 has to be formed to prevent the short circuit between the buried electrode 13 and storage electrode 18 . in the third embodiment , since they can be insulated by the interlayer insulation film 10 formed between the gate electrodes 6 , the step of forming the film 15 can be deleted . since , in the third embodiment , no interlayer insulation film is required , the insulation film to be etched when the connecting hole 17 is formed , can be decreased in thickness and accordingly the short circuit between the storage electrode 18 and gate electrode 6 can be prevented more reliably than in the second embodiment . if necessary , the interlayer insulation film 15 can be formed , as shown in fig3 a and 38b . according to the third embodiment , the connecting resistance can be lowered by properly introducing impurities into the storage electrode 33 by ion implantation , auto - doping from the substrate 1 , or the like . in the third embodiment , the silicon monocrystalline growing system is applied to the second aspect of the present invention in which the plate electrode is used as a bit line . this system can be applied to the first aspect wherein the bit line is formed under the soi insulation film and , in this case , predetermined doping is required for the silicon monocrystal serving as the bit line . in addition to the above three embodiments , for example , germanium is ion - implanted into the source / drain diffusion regions 8 a and 8 b of the transistor t 1 to form a hetero junction between the diffusion regions and bulk region 3 a , thus making it possible to decrease the punch through current of the transistor . by properly setting the thickness of the element region , the material of the gate electrode , the material and thickness of the gate insulation film , the impurity distribution of the diffusion layer or bulk region , etc ., the transistor can be improved in performance . the above semiconductor memory device of the present invention includes a transistor having a considerably large capacitor area , a sufficiently high element isolation withstand voltage , and excellent controllability , and prevents the storage electrode from being short - circuited with the gate electrode and bit line . according to the above - described method for manufacturing the semiconductor memory device of the present invention , a transistor having a considerably large capacitor area , a sufficiently high element isolation withstand voltage , and excellent controllability can easily be achieved . 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 , representative devices , and illustrated examples 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 .	7
as is illustrated in fig1 two spindles 20 , 30 have frequently to be articulated with respect to an intermediate wall 10 , this having been hitherto achieved by the formation of bearing bushes on both sides . the embodiment shown in fig2 is likewise concerned with mounting spindles 20 , 30 together with associated air flaps ( not illustrated ) with respect to an intermediate wall 10 , the intention being to reduce the structural space requirements and / or to increase the supporting surfaces . the intermediate wall 10 defines a bearing surface 12 , in which an end section of the spindle 30 can engage . for this purpose , a separate bearing bush 50 or else the air flap itself can form a hollow bearing journal , which is in engagement with the bearing surface 12 via a bearing bush surface 52 of the bearing bush 50 . opposite the bearing bush surface 52 , the bearing bush 50 forms a cavity , which defines a bearing bush surface 54 . the two bearing surfaces 12 and 54 therefore overlap by at least a thickness of the intermediate wall 10 . situated within the bearing bush surface 54 is a bearing bush 40 of the other spindle 20 , which can be of integral design with the spindle 20 , can be present as a separate part or else can be part of the air flap itself . as illustrated in fig2 the bearing bushes 40 and 50 directly engage each other and at least partially overlap in the axial direction . a bearing bush surface 42 of the bearing bush 40 therefore forms a bearing journal which can interact with the bearing bush surface 54 . in order to limit the axial movements of the spindles 20 and 30 , respective bearing surfaces 46 , 56 are provided on the bearing bushes 40 and 50 respectively , which can interact with side surfaces of the bearing surface 12 of the intermediate wall 10 . as illustrated , the respectively distal ends of the spindles or of engagement sections of the bearing bushes 40 and 50 are of beveled design in order to simplify the respective insertion . fig3 illustrates a further preferred embodiment of a spindle bearing arrangement according to the invention . in the same manner of the embodiment illustrated in fig2 this embodiment concerns mounting two spindles 20 , 30 with respect to an intermediate wall 10 . in the case of the embodiment shown in fig3 the bearing arrangement is substantially improved by the fact that a relatively thick overlap region is provided between the bearing bushes . the intermediate wall 10 in turn forms a bearing bush surface 12 , with which a part of the right spindle 30 can interact , via an engagement surface 52 a . in the embodiment illustrated , sealing devices 13 , 14 are likewise illustrated on both sides of the intermediate wall 10 , which sealing devices ensure , on the one hand , that no contaminants can enter the bearing region and , on the other hand , ensure that no leakage of air is possible . in the embodiment illustrated , the sealing devices 13 , 14 are firmly connected to the spindle ends , for example by means of injection molding , with the result that the distal end sections of the sealing devices 13 , 14 bear against the intermediate wall and can therefore restrict the axial movement of the spindles . as an alternative , it would also be possible to fasten the sealing devices 13 , 14 to the intermediate wall 10 , instead of to the respective spindles , which would enable a corresponding snap - in function to take place . in this case , the engagement of the sealing device 14 with the surface 42 b could align and support the left spindle 20 and the engagement of the sealing device 13 with the surface 52 b could align and support the right spindle 30 , specifically also without the correspondingly other bearing device being present in each case . a cavity which defines a bearing bush surface 54 within it is formed in the right spindle 30 . the end section of the other spindle 20 can be inserted into this bearing bush , the surface section 42 a acting in the manner of a bearing journal . the spindle 20 is therefore mounted within the spindle 30 , a respective bearing surface 56 and 46 being formed both for the spindle 30 and the spindle 20 , in order to be able to restrict the axial movement . in addition to the clear overlap , the embodiment shown in fig3 is distinguished in that the installation sequence is as desired , since both bearing ends enter to a substantial extent through the wall 10 , air being effectively prevented from passing through , by means of the sealing devices . although the present invention has been described above entirely with reference to currently preferred embodiments , it should be understood by the expert that a very wide variety of modifications are possible within the framework of the claims . in particular , individual features of one embodiment may be combined as desired with features of another embodiment .	5
the present invention comprises an article , preferably a tension control article , for use in conjunction with an implantable article such as a sling . in a preferred embodiment , the tension control article is utilized in conjunction with a sling for treating urinary incontinence . the tension control article may be used in conjunction with a wide variety of slings and other surgical procedures . for example , the present invention may be utilized in conjunction with the slings and procedures described in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 520 , 700 ; 5 , 611 , 515 ; 5 , 842 , 478 ; 5 , 860 , 425 ; 5 , 972 , 000 ; 6 , 039 , 686 , 6 , 042 , 534 and 6 , 110 , 101 ( the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety ) and u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 917 , 562 ( entitled : implantable article and method ) and ser . no . 09 / 917 , 443 ( entitled : sling delivery system and method of use ); and ser . no . 09 / 917 , 445 ( entitled : surgical instrument and method ); both filed jul . 27 , 2001 ( the entire contents of each of which are herein incorporated by reference . commercial examples of slings , instructions for use and kits that may be modified to incorporate the present invention include the in - fast sling system and the sparc sling system available from american medical systems of minnetonka , minn ., and the transvaginal tvt sling system available from ethicon ( a division of johnson & amp ; johnson ). preferably , the tension control article is associated with an implantable material ( e . g . a sling ). suitable implantable materials associated with the present invention include synthetic and non - synthetic materials . suitable non - synthetic implantable materials include human fascia lata , treated animal ( e . g . bovine or porcine or equine pericardium ) tissue , autologous tissue , cadaver tissue , homografts , xenografts , heterografts , allografts and combinations of such materials . suitable synthetic materials include knitted polypropylene slings alone , such slings with surrounding sheaths , or silicone coated polymer slings , such as those described in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 939 , 098 ( entitled coated sling material ), filed aug . 4 , 2001 ( the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference ). alternatively , the tension control article may be associated with sutures associated with slings . such sutures typically extend from an implanted bone anchor on the pubic bone , or from the rectus abdominus fascia . these sutures hold the sling in place in the body . the present invention may also be used in conjunction with surgical procedures other than those designed to strictly address incontinence . for example , the present invention may be used in conjunction with a sacral colpopexy procedure designed to treat vaginal prolapse . the tension control article of the present invention , when used with transvaginal or suprapubic surgical anatomical support material ( e . g . a sling ) or sutures , is designed to provide an adjustable tensioning or spacing mechanism as an objective aid for surgeons in associating the sling or suture with a therapeutically effective position . the article of the present invention assists surgeons in consistently and repeatably associating a sling with its intended physiological environment ( e . g . the bladder neck or urethra , or both ). the tension control article is preferably positioned on a portion of anatomical support material . in one embodiment , the tension control article has a plurality of tensioning members that are sized and shaped to provide a tortuous pathway for the sling material . when the tension control article is associated with the sling material and the sling material is placed at its intended anatomical location , the tension control article results in an increase in the supportive tension that is applied by the sling to anatomical structures relative to that supportive tension that would be applied to the anatomical structures in the absence of the tension control article . in one embodiment , the size and shape of the tensioning members are selected to provide a predetermined slack in the sling material once the article is removed from the sling material . for example , for a tension free surgical sling procedure for treating incontinence , the tension control article may be associated with the sling and the sling / tension control article combination may be implanted to just touch the urethra of a patient . in this example , once this penultimate orientation of the sling and urethra is achieved , the tension control article may then be removed to ensure a consistent , uniform amount of slack is provided between the sling and the urethra . providing a uniform , consistent , repeatable amount of looseness in each surgical procedure reduces the chances that patient data is corrupted by the vagaries associated with a particular surgeon &# 39 ; s preferences or lack of training or experience . as a result , it is believed that the present invention can lead to more consistent medical results . the tension control article of the present invention may be constructed of a wide variety of materials . suitable materials include those that may be permanently implanted in the body , temporarily implanted , and / or completely removed prior to the end of the surgical procedure . the material used to construct the tension control article should be biocompatible and may comprise bioresorbable materials or permanent , biocompatible materials or combinations thereof . fig1 shows an embodiment of the anatomical support adjustment and tension control article 10 for use with suspension sutures , surgical slings , or other anatomical supports . in this embodiment , the present invention includes a base member 12 and three tensioning members 14 , 16 , and 18 attached thereto . optionally , more than three tensioning members may be positioned on the base member . the base member 12 is preferably arcuate and includes beveled edges to reduce or eliminate damage to the surrounding tissue and anatomical support material disposed thereon . in an alternate embodiment , the body member 12 may form any other configuration which facilitates support of the urethra and which minimizes damage to the surrounding tissue and anatomical structures . the device 10 may be manufactured in a plurality of sizes to accommodate the physiological or anatomical constraints of the patient and the location of use . the configuration of the device 10 enables a user to adjust the length of anatomical support material positioned therein and adjustably control the supportive tension applied to tissue . the device 10 may be constructed of a plurality of materials , including , for example , titanium , stainless steel , nylon , polycarbonate , polysulfone , abs , ultem , polyetherimide , and polyacetate or combinations thereof , thereby providing a relatively rigid device . in an alternate embodiment of the present invention , the device 10 may be manufactured from moderately flexible materials , such as acetal , or soft flexible materials , such as silicon elastomer or polyurethane , should a more flexible support mechanism be desired . in yet another embodiment , the device 10 may be manufactured from biodegradable materials or polymers . the device 10 may further include or be manufactured from materials having distinct radio opacities or echogenic properties , thereby enabling location of the device 10 in post - surgical procedures . in yet another embodiment , the present invention may be manufactured from materials having distinct optical properties , wherein the application of force to device 10 alters the visual appearance of , or light transmission through , the device 10 . furthermore , it is considered within the scope of the claimed invention to construct the device 10 from multiple materials . for example , the device 10 may comprise a base member 12 constructed of polyacetate , or a similar rigid material , and the tensioning members 14 , 16 , and 18 , respectively , constructed of a flexible material . other biocompatible materials and material combinations not specifically listed herein , may also be used to fabricate the device 10 and are included within the scope of the claimed invention . the members 14 , 16 and 18 may be integrally molded with the base portion . alternatively , they could be releasably attached to the base portion to afford adjustment of the sling . for example , the members 14 , 16 and 18 may be constructed to be separable from the base portion by use of a remotely actuated device ( e . g . a device that utilizes electromagnetic energy ). in particular , a magnetic attachment of one or more of the members 14 , 16 and 18 and the base portion 12 may be provided . this magnetic attachment may be eliminated by a remotely activated device . this embodiment affords adjustment in the tension of a sling post operatively without requiring a subsequent incision . fig2 a and 2 b show alternative methods of positioning the present invention on a portion of anatomical support material . fig2 a shows one method of using the tensioning device 10 to engage a portion of anatomical support material 20 , wherein the material 20 is positioned within a tortuous pathway formed by the plurality of tensioning members 14 , 16 , and 18 respectively . fig2 b shows an another method of using the tensioning device 10 , wherein the anatomical support material 20 traverses an alternate tortuous pathway formed by the plurality of tensioning members 14 , 16 , and 18 . generally , the longer the tortuous path , the greater the slack provided in the sling 20 once the tension control article 10 is removed . also , the longer the tortuous path , the more slack is taken up in a sling 20 once the tension control article 10 is associated with the sling . for the same clip 10 , the length of the tortuous path in fig2 a is different than the length of the tortuous path in fig2 b . as a result , the same tension control article may be utilized to provide a plurality of different slacks in the anatomical support material ( e . g . sling ) 20 . a second embodiment of tension control article 10 a is illustrated in fig3 . the tension control article 10 a has tensioning members 14 a , 16 a and 18 a , and base member 12 a . the tension control article 10 a further comprises a directional indicator 22 a included on the body member 12 a . the directional indicator 22 a assists the user in properly applying the device 10 a to a portion of anatomical support material . as shown in fig3 the directional indicator 22 a may comprise an arrow printed on , embossed or integrally disposed on a surface of the base member 12 a . alternatively , the directional indicator may include figures , shapes , letters , or other markings formed , printed , or otherwise included on the device 10 a . in another embodiment , the base member 12 a may include a tension scale , enabling the user to determine the amount of load imposed on the tensioning members . alternatively , displacement of flexible members may be used to indicate the applied load . for example , deflection or alignment of the tensioning members may be used to indicate the relative preload on the sling 20 . fig4 a and 4 b show additional embodiments of the present invention . tension control article 10 b has tensioning members 14 b , 16 b and 18 b , and base member 12 b . tension control article 10 c has tensioning members 14 c , 16 c and 18 c , and base member 12 c . as shown in fig4 b , the device 10 c may include a grasping member 24 c disposed on or attachable to the base member 12 c . in fig4 a , the grasping member 24 b is integral with the base member and comprises an arcuate discontinuity in the base member 12 b . optionally , the free ( unattached ) ends of tensioning members 14 , 16 and 18 could include an enlarged portion or ledge that retains the sling material or sutures in place . the grasping member 24 c aids the user in applying , positioning , and removing the device 10 c from the anatomical support material 20 c . fig4 b shows the grasping member 24 c further comprising a directional indicator 22 c positioned thereon , thereby aiding the user in applying the device 10 c . in an alternative embodiment of the present invention , a detachable grasping member 24 c is contemplated . additional embodiments of the present invention are shown in fig5 a and 5 b . tension control article 10 d has tensioning members 14 d , 16 d and 18 d , and base member 12 d . tension control article 10 e has tensioning members 14 e , 16 e and 18 e , and base member 12 e . base member 12 d of the device 10 d includes at least one material locking member 26 d . the locking member 26 d has an open position permitting the movement of anatomical support material 20 ( see fig2 a ) between the tensioning members 14 d , 16 d , and 18 d , respectively , and a closed position restricting the movement of the anatomical support material 20 relative to the tension control article 10 d . the at least one locking member may be manufactured from a plurality of materials having sufficient structural rigidity to prevent material movement , thereby preventing accidental or unintentional adjustment of the tension applied by the anatomical support material . the locking member 26 e of fig5 b is located on the sides of the base portion 12 e , as opposed to the ends ( see fig5 a ). in another embodiment , the article of the present invention may include a spring biased locking member that is biased toward the closed position . in the closed position , the locking position retains a portion of the sling 20 in a pre - tensioned , elastically deformed condition . placing the pretensioned sling and associated article in the patient and then subsequently removing the association between the article and the pre - tensioned sling can result in an increase in the tension encountered by a target anatomical structure such a urethra . the tensioning members 14 , 16 , and 18 ( and those to which a letter suffix has been added herein ) may be manufactured from a plurality of materials . for example , the tensioning members 14 , 16 , and 18 may be manufactured from a flexible material , thereby providing a dynamic tensioning device capable of absorbing temporary variations in supportive loading . if desired , in an alternative embodiment the tensioning members 14 , 16 , and 18 may be manufactured from a rigid material , permitting the operator to forcibly remove a tensioning member if desired , thereby resulting in decreased support tension applied by the anatomical support material . in an alternate embodiment , the tensioning member may be manufactured from a pliable material , thereby permitting the user to easily position and apply the device 10 . the spacing and number of tensioning members may be adapted to adjust the tension of the anatomical support material disposed on the device 10 . for example , a greater number of tensioning members would provide a more tortuous pathway , resulting in greater anatomical support tension or spacing adjustment . the exterior of the tensioning members are preferably smooth . in another embodiment of the present invention , the exterior of at least one of the plurality of tensioning members may be textured to increase anatomical support material retention , or to increase stability within the body if the tension control article is permanently implanted , or to promote tissue ingrowth . fig6 shows another embodiment of tension control article 10 f including tensioning components 14 f , 16 f , and 18 f . in fig6 tensioning member 16 f is oval . the tensioning members 14 f , 16 f , and 18 f may be formed in a plurality of shapes and combinations thereof , including , without limitation , triangular , rectangular , oval , hexagonal , octagonal and diamond . fig7 illustrates another embodiment of tension control article 10 g . tension control article 10 g has tensioning members 14 g , 16 g and 18 g , and base member 12 g . a band 25 may also be used in conjunction with tension control article 10 g to retain the association between the sling 20 and tension control article 10 g . the band 25 is placed on the tension control article 10 g after the sling is associated with the tension control article 10 g so that the band 25 prevents or blocks separation of the tension control article 10 g from the support material 20 . fig8 a - 8 d show another embodiment of tension control article 20 ′ according to the present invention . the tension control article 20 ′ comprises a base portion 22 with integral tensioning member 24 , handle 34 , and movable tensioning members 27 and 29 . the tension control article 20 ′ is movable between an open position ( fig8 c and 8 d ) with the tensioning members 27 and 29 spaced from base portion 22 so that the tension control article 20 ′ may readily receive a sling , and a closed position ( fig8 a and 8 b ) with the tensioning members 27 , 29 closer to the base portion 22 than in the open position . a spring 32 biases the tension control article 20 ′ toward the closed position . manual pressure on handle 34 moves the tension control article from the closed toward the open position . the handle 34 is preferably designed so that major surfaces of the base portion 22 and tensioning members 27 , 29 remain substantially parallel between the open and closed positions . substantial parallel movement resists binding or wrinkling of the sling when the tension members 27 and 29 clamp onto the sling . fig9 a - 9 d show another embodiment of tension control article 40 according to the present invention . the tension control article 40 comprises a base portion 42 with integral tensioning member 44 , handle 54 , and movable tensioning members 47 and 49 . the tension control article 40 is movable between an open position ( fig9 c and 9 d ) with the tensioning members 47 and 49 spaced from base portion 42 so that the tension control article 40 may readily receive a sling , and a closed position ( fig9 a and 9 b ) with the tensioning members 47 , 49 closer to the base portion 42 than in the open position . a spring 52 biases the tension control article 40 toward the closed position . manual pressure on handle 54 moves the tension control article from the closed toward the open position . the movement between the open and closed positions is pivotal movement about a point on or substantially adjacent handle 54 . fig1 a - 10 d show another embodiment of tension control article 60 according to the present invention . the tension control article 60 comprises a base portion 62 with integral tensioning member 64 , handle 76 , and movable tensioning members 67 and 69 . the tension control article 60 is movable between an open position ( fig1 c and 10 d ) with the tensioning members 67 and 69 spaced from base portion 62 so that the tension control article 60 may readily receive a sling , and a closed position ( fig1 a and 10 b ) with the tensioning members 67 , 69 closer to the base portion 62 than in the open position . a spring 72 biases the tension control article 60 toward the closed position . manual pressure on handle 76 moves the tension control article from the closed toward the open position . the tension control article includes a hinge structure 74 that is preferably designed so that major surfaces of the base portion 62 and tensioning members 67 , 69 remain substantially parallel during movement between the open and closed positions . parallel movement between these structures is believed to avoid sling material extruding out of the open end of the tension control article 60 as the sling is being associated with the tension control article 60 . fig1 a - 11 b show another embodiment of tension control article 80 . the tension control article comprises a base portion 82 with integral tensioning member 84 , a handle , and movable tensioning members 87 and 89 . the tension control article 80 is movable between an open position ( fig1 a ) with the tensioning members 87 and 89 spaced from base portion 82 so that the tension control article 80 may readily receive a sling 85 ′, and a closed position ( fig1 b ) with the tensioning members 87 , 89 closer to the base portion 82 than in the open position . the tension control article 80 includes tension level indicators 81 , 83 and 85 on tensioning member 84 . the indicators 81 , 83 and 85 may comprise printing , molded in indicia or other forms of indicia . members 87 and 89 may also include indicia thereon . the position of the indicators 81 , 83 and 85 relative to the indicia on members 87 and 89 provide an indication of the tension provided by the tension control article 80 . preferably , the tension control article 80 includes structure that releasably indexes the tension members 87 , 89 between locations adjacent indicators 81 , 83 and 85 . a releasable detent and groove associated with a hinge provides suitable structure . locations 81 , 83 and 85 correspond to predetermined positions between the open ( fig1 a ) and fully closed ( fig1 b ) positions . generally , the closer the tension members 87 and 89 are to the base portion 82 , the more slack will be provided in sling 85 ′ when the tension control article 80 is removed . fig1 illustrates another embodiment of tension control article 100 . the tension control article 100 comprises tensioning members 102 , 104 and 106 , base member 105 , and adjustment member 110 . the tensioning members 102 and 106 are located on arms 112 and 111 that are movable relative to tensioning member 104 . by rotating a geared wheel 110 that engages gears on arms 111 and 112 , the tensioning members 102 and 106 may be moved away from or closer to tensioning member 104 . indicia 109 may be printed on or embossed on the arms 111 and 112 to provide an indication of the preselected tension provided by the tension control article 100 . adjustable tension control article 100 allows the surgeon to preselect a tension to account for the vagaries in human anatomy sizes , surgical procedure requirements or personal preference . fig1 - 15 illustrate another embodiment of tension control article 120 according to the present invention . the tension control article 120 includes major tensioning member 124 and minor retention members 122 and 126 . fig1 and 15 illustrate different tortuous paths associated with tension control article 120 . sling 127 is associated with article 120 by being threaded within tension control article 120 along one of the tortuous paths . the tortuous path of fig1 is shorter than the tortuous path of fig1 . generally , the longer the tortuous path , the more slack will be provided in the sling 127 when the tension control article 120 is removed . also , the longer the tortuous path , the more slack is taken up in an implanted sling when the article 120 is applied to the sling . fig1 a and 16 b illustrate another embodiment of tension control article 130 according to the present invention . the tension control article 130 includes spacer jaws 136 and 138 , hinge 134 , handles 132 and over opening stops 137 and 139 . the tension control article 130 is preferably a unitary structure with an inherent bias of the jaws toward a closed or clamped position . the hinge 134 may comprise an integral or living hinge that biases the jaws 136 and 138 toward a closed position . in use , manual pressure is applied to handles 132 to open the jaws . a sling is placed in the open jaws and the handle is released . upon release , the sling is clamped between the jaws 136 and 138 . the sling is then placed next to the urethra with jaw 136 located between the sling and the urethra . the jaw 136 is sized and shaped to provide a predetermined distance between the urethra and sling . the tension control article 130 is then removed . the predetermined distance or size of jaw 146 assists the surgeon in providing a consistent , uniform and repeatable amount of looseness in a sling . another embodiment of tension control article 140 is shown in fig1 a and 17 b . tension control article 140 includes jaws 142 and 144 . a sling 141 is shown placed within the jaws in fig1 b . optionally , jaw 142 may be constructed to be a different size than jaw 144 to afford two different spacing options for the surgeon . fig1 a through 18 c show another embodiment of tension control article 150 according to the present invention . the tension control article 150 includes jaws 152 and 154 , a hinge and a spring 151 for biasing jaws 152 and 154 toward a closed position . sling 151 ′ is shown placed between jaws 152 and 154 in fig1 c . the device according to the invention may be easily tailored to provide increased or decreased urethral support . optionally , the tension control article may allow the surgeon to remove , or break the tensioning members during the surgical procedure or during a post operative period . in another aspect , the present invention comprises a method of changing tension of an implantable article using an article according to the present invention . the article may be implanted in the body during a surgical procedure . alternatively it may be removed prior to the end of a surgical procedure . the article of the present invention may be modified in a subsequent surgical procedure or by substantially non - invasive means . fig1 and 20 illustrate a method where the surgical article is removed prior to the end of the surgical procedure . fig1 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of method 200 according to the present invention . step 202 provides a tension control article ( tension accessory ) and a sling . preferably , the tension control article ( e . g . 10 ) may be part of a surgical kit . the kit may be a surgical kit having tools for treating incontinence , such a sling kit . alternatively , the tension control article , sling and the rest of the surgical articles may be independently provided to the surgeon . the latter case is desirable when the elements of the kit have drastically different shelf lives or storage condition requirements ( e . g . refrigeration ). step 204 associates the tension accessory ( the tension control article ) with the sling . optionally , the manufacturer can conduct this step so that a sling / tension control article preassembly is provided to the surgeon in the kit . alternatively , this step may be conducted by the surgeon or other healthcare professional prior to implanting the sling , especially if the tension control article provides a plurality of different tension options . using tension control article 10 as an example , to associate the article 10 with a sling , the operator threads the sling along one of the tortuous paths provided by the article 10 . it is noted that , if the sling includes a surrounding , removable plastic sheath , the sling / sheath combination may be threaded along the tortuous path . fig2 illustrates a removable plastic sheath 502 . as shown in fig2 , the sheath 502 preferably comprises two elongate sections 504 . alternatively , other configurations of the sheath 502 are within the scope of the present invention . in particular , the sheath may be unitary as opposed to telescoping with perforations , holes , scores or tear lines designed to allow separation and removal of the sheath 502 . in step 206 , the sling is inserted in the body and adjusted to a predetermined position . for example , some sling procedures call for a tension free sling . for such a procedure , the sling / tension control article combination can be situated in a fully inserted position such that the sling and / or the tension control article are just adjacent or even slightly touching the urethra . fig2 schematically illustrates article 10 in a fully inserted position with solid lines . the article 10 is just adjacent urethra 304 . vaginal incision 306 , vagina 302 , and sling s are also shown . in step 208 ( fig1 ), the surgeon verifies that the sling / tension control article combination are in this fully inserted position . if not , the surgeon continues to adjust 207 the sling . if the combination is fully inserted , then the surgeon verifies the fully inserted position 209 . once the fully inserted position is verified , the surgeon may remove the tension control article in step 210 . this removal step is illustrated with an arrow and dotted lines in fig2 . step 210 may be conducted before or after any optional insertion sheath is removed from the sling , but it preferably occurs after any such optional insertion sheath is removed . changing the tension of the sling s at a location substantially adjacent the urethra 304 is more effective than attempting to modify the tension of a sling at a location remote from the urethra . this is particularly the case where a synthetic sling ( a polypropylene sling with holes ) and insertion sheath are used as , once the insertion sheath is removed , adjustment of the entire length of the sling is particularly difficult or problematic due to the interaction between tissue and the sling . fig2 illustrates another embodiment of method according to the present invention . in this embodiment , the sling is excessively loose . article 10 is placed on the sling ( see the arrow and solid lines ) to take up excessive slack in the sling . in this instance , article 10 is preferably left in the body after the surgical procedure . preferably , by positioning the sling within the tortuous pathway formed by the plurality of tensioning members , article 10 effectively increases the path length traversed by the support material , thereby resulting in a reduction or elimination of slack from the support material and an increase in supportive tension unless and until the tension control article is removed . as shown in fig2 a and 2 b , multiple degrees of retentive force may be applied to anatomical support material by a device 10 . for example , fig2 a shows one method of practice wherein the device 10 provides a tortuous pathway for a section of anatomical support material 20 disposed thereon . an alternative method of practice is shown in fig2 b , wherein an alternate tortuous pathway is created . fig1 illustrates an article with a feature that allows the surgeon to adjust the tension provided by the clip . in preferred embodiments , the present invention permits the user to vary the supportive tension applied to the anatomical support material disposed therein by altering the tortuous pathway traversed by the anatomical support material . it is also noted that removal of an article from its association with the sling can be exploited to increase the tension of the sling on the urethra . fig2 is a flow chart illustrating a method of increasing the tension of a sling by removing a tension control article from its association with the sling . fig2 illustrates a method of treating incontinence comprising the steps of : ( i ) providing a support material with at least a portion that is elastically deformable , ( ii ) elastically deforming at least a portion of the support material to tension the support material ( see step 462 ); ( iii ) providing a tensioning article , ( iv ) applying the tensioning article to the tensioned support material to retain at least a portion of the support material in an elastically deformed condition ( see step 464 ); ( v ) implanting the support material with applied tensioning article in a patient ( 466 ); and removing the tensioning article to increase the tension provided by the support material 468 . the tension control article used in this method is preferably one with a locking member ( fig5 a or 5 b ) or one that can clamp the sling between jaw members ( e . g . fig1 a - 10 b ) so that the elastic deformation can be held in the sling material . the tension control article may be provided in a kit or provided independent of other surgical articles . one or more articles may be used during a surgical procedure . the tension control article may be positioned on a portion of anatomical support material at the time of manufacture , immediately prior to , or following the surgical implantation of the anatomical support . for example , one surgical urethral stabilization procedure comprises attaching anchors to an internal structure , for example , the posterior or inferior pubic bone , and affixing a mesh sling to said anchors , thereby resulting in supportive force being applied to the urethra . the tension control article 10 may be applied to the anatomical support material according to fig2 a or 2 b should the anatomical support fail to provide adequate support to the anatomical structure . applying the tensioning device 10 to the anatomical support material increases the pathway between the attaching anchors traversed by the anatomical support and increases the support tension applied by the device . the practitioner may easily vary the amount of supportive tension by applying more or fewer anatomical support tension control articles . alternatively , the amount of supportive tension applied by the anatomical support tensioning device may be varied by applying tensioning device having more or fewer tensioning members disposed thereon . it is understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are illustrative of the principles of the invention . other modifications may be employed which are within the scope of the invention ; thus , by way of example but not of limitation , alternate base member shapes , alternative tensioning member shapes , and use with alternative anatomical support materials . accordingly , the present invention is not limited to that precisely as shown and described in the present invention .	0
the lactic acid - based polymer of the present invention is polylactic acid or a copolymer of lactic acid and hydroxycarboxylic acid . exemplary hydroxycarboxylic acids include glycolic acid , hydroxybutyric acid , hydroxyvaleric acid , hydroxypentanoic acid , hydroxycaproic acid and hydroxyheptanoic acid . preferred hydroxycarboxylic acid is glycolic acid and hydroxycaproic acid . a preferred molecular structure of polylactic acid is composed of from 85 to 100 % by mole of a l - lactic acid unit or d - lactic acid unit and from 0 to 15 % by mole of the antipode unit of each lactic acid . the copolymer of lactic acid and hydroxycarboxylic acid is composed of from 85 to less than 100 % by mole - of a l - lactic acid unit or d - lactic acid unit and less than 15 % by mole of a hydroxycarboxylic acid unit . the lactic acid - based polymer can be prepared by selecting the raw material monomer required for obtaining a desired polymer structure from l - lactic acid , d - lactic acid and hydroxycarboxylic acid and carrying out dehydrating polycondensation . the polymer can be preferably prepared by using lactide which is a cyclic dimer of lactic acid , glycolide which is a cyclic dimer of glycolic acid , and caprolactone and carrying out ring - opening polymerization . the lactide includes l - lactide which is a cyclic dimer of l lactic acid , d - lactide which is a cyclic dimer of d - lactic acid , meso - lactide obtained by cyclizing dimerization d - lactic acid and l - lactic acid , and dl - lactide which is a racemic mixture of d - lactide and l - lactide . any of these compounds can be used for the invention . however , preferred main materials are d - lactide , l - lactide , glycolide and caprolactone . the lactic acid - based polymer which is preferably used for the invention is polylactic acid which is composed of from 85 to 100 % by weight of a l - lactic acid unit or d - lactic acid unit and from 0 to 15 % by mole of the antipode unit of each lactic acid , or a copolymer of lactic acid and hydroxycarboxylic acid which is composed of from 85 to less than 100 % by mole of a l - lactic acid unit or d - lactic acid unit and less than 15 % by mole of a hydroxycarboxylic acid unit . the lactic acid - base polymer includes , for example , those prepared by the following processes 1 to 6 . 1 about 85 % by mole or more of l - lactide is copolymerized with about 15 % by mole or less of d - lactide , glycolide or a combination of d - lactide and glycolide . 2 about 85 % by mole or more of d - lactide is copolymerized with about 15 % by mole or less of l - lactide , glycolide or a combination of d - lactide and glycolide . 3 about 70 % by mole or more of l - lactide is copolymerized with about 15 % by mole or less of dl lactide and about 15 % by mole or less of glycolide . 4 about 70 % by mole or more of l - lactide is copolymerized with about 15 % by mole or less of meso - lactide and about 15 % by mole or less of glycolide . 5 about 70 % by mole or more of d - lactide is copolymerized with about 15 % by mole or less of dl - lactide and about 15 % by mole or less of glycolide . 6 about 70 % by mole or more of d - lactide is copolymerized with about 15 % by mole or less of meso - lactide and about 15 % by mole or less of glycolide . thus , the lactic acid - based polymer having various types of molecular structure which can be used for the invention can be prepared by combining prescribed ranges of raw material monomers . the lactic acid - base polymer has preferably a high molecular weight . the inherent viscosity of the polymer at 25 ° c . in a chloroform solution having a concentration of 0 . 5 g / dl is preferably 1 ˜ 10 , more preferably 3 ˜ 7 . when the inherent viscosity is less than 1 , melt viscosity is too low , the polymer causes drooling from the die slit of the extruder and thus processing becomes difficult . additionally , the product thus obtained is very brittle and difficult to handle . on the other hand , an inherent viscosity exceeding 10 causes too high melt viscosity and unfavorably gives adverse effects on the melt extrudability of the polymer . catalysts are preferably used in order to obtain a high molecular weight polymer within a short time by the polymerization of lactide or copolymerization of lactide and glycolide . the polymerization catalysts which can be used are various compounds capable of exhibiting a catalytic effect on the polymerization reaction . exemplary catalysts include stannous octoate , tin tetrachloride , zinc chloride , titanium tetrachloride , iron chloride , boron trifluoride ether complex , aluminum chloride , antimony trifluoride , lead oxide and other polyvalent metal compounds . tin compounds and zinc compounds are preferably used . stannous octoate is particularly preferred in these tin compounds . the amount is preferably in the range of from 0 . 001 to 0 . 1 % by weight for the weight of lactide or the total weight of lactide and glycolide . known chain extenders can be used for the polymerization . preferred chain extenders are higher alcohols such as lauryl alcohol and hydroxy acids such as lactic acid and glycolic acid . the polymerization rate increases in the presence of a chain extender and the polymer can be obtained within a short time . the molecular weight of the polymer can also be controlled by varying the amount of the chain extender . however , too much amount of the chain extender tends to decrease the molecular weight of the polymer formed . hence , the amount of the chain extender is preferably 0 . 1 % by weight or less for lactide or for the total weight of lactide and glycolide . polymerization or copolymerization can be carried out in the presence or absence of a solvent . bulk polymerization in a molten state of lactide or glycolide is preferably carried out in order to obtain a high molecular weight polymer . in the case of molten polymerization , the polymerization temperature may be generally above the melting point ( around 90 ° c .) of the monomer , lactide or glycolide . in the case of solution polymerization which uses solvents such as chloroform , polymerization can be carried out at a temperature below the melting point of lactide or glycolide . in any case , a polymerization temperature above 250 ° c . is unfavorable because decomposition of the formed polymer develops . the polylactic acid - based resin composition of the invention comprises from 80 to 100 % by weight of the above lactic acid - based polymer and from 0 to 20 % by weight of a plasticizer . an amount of the plasticizer exceeding 20 % by weight gives adverse effect on the melt - extrudability of the resin composition and impairs processing ability in the foaming and opening steps . the mechanical strengths of the polymer network thus obtained is also unfavorably decreased . the plasticizers which can be used include , for example , di - n - octyl phthalate , di - 2 - ethylhexyl phthalate , dibenzyl phthalate , di - iso - octyl phthalate and other phthalic acid derivatives , di - n - butyl adipate , dioctyl adipate and other adipic acid derivatives ; di - n - butyl maleate and other maleic acid derivatives ; tri - n - butyl citrate and other citric acid derivatives ; monobutyl itaconate and other itaconic acid derivatives ; butyl oleate and other oleic acid derivatives ; glycerol monoricinoleate and other ricinoleic acid derivatives ; tricresyl phosphate , trixylenyl phosphate and other phosphoric acid esters ; lactic acid , straight chain lactic acid oligomer , cyclic lactic acid oligomer and lactide . these plasticizers can be used singly or as a mixture . in these plasticizers , lactic acid , straight chain lactic acid oligomer , cyclic lactic acid oligomer and lactide are preferably used in view of plasticizing effect . lactic acid oligomers used for the plasticizer can be prepared with ease by hot - dehydrating condensation of lactic acid at 50 ° to 280 ° c . the oligomer thus obtained usually has a polymerization degree in the range of from 1 to 30 . the oligomer can also be preparated by heating glycolide or lactide at 50 ° to 280 ° c . in the presence of water and glycolic acid or lactic acid . the oligomer also includes lactide , i . e ., cyclic dimer of lactic acid which is used as a monomer in the preparation of lactic acid - based polymer . the lactic acid - based polymer is effectively plasticized by the addition of the plasticizer and resulting resin composition becomes flexible . when the amount of the plasticizer is 5 % by weight or more , flexibility can be clearly observed . however , an amount exceeding 20 % by weight gives adverse effect on the melt - extension , foaming and opening of the resin composition and unfavorably decreases mechanical strength of the network obtained . the plasticizer is blended with the lactic acid - based polymer by dissolving the polymer in a solvent such as chloroform , methylene chloride , toluene or xylene , or heat - melting the polymer at 100 ° to 280 ° c ., and thereafter adding and mixing a prescribed amount of the plasticizer . lactic acid or lactic acid oligomer including lactide which is a preferred plasticizer is mixed , for example , by the following methods : ( a ) polymerization of lactide or copolymerization of lactide and glycolide is stopped before completion to leave unreacted lactide . ( b ) after completing polymerization of lactide or copolymerization of lactide and glycolide , a prescribed amount of lactic acid or a lactic acid oligomer including lactide is added and mixed . methods ( a ) and ( b ) can be incorporated . in the method ( a ), unreacted lactide is uniformly mixed with the lactic acid - based polymer on microscopic observations and exhibits good plasticizing performance . reaction of monomer ( lactide ) is started by heating in the presence of a catalyst , in the coexistence of a chain extender , if desired , and stopped by finishing the heating at the time when the residual monomer concentration is reached to a prescribed level . the amount of residual monomer in the resulting lactic acid - based polymer can be determined by gas chromatographic analysis or thermogravimetric analysis . in the method ( b ), after finishing polymerization , the resulting lactic acid - based polymer is dissolved in a solvent such as chloroform , methylene chloride , toluene and xylene , or heat - melted at temperature of from 100 ° to 280 ° c . and successively a prescribed amount of lactic acid or the lactic acid oligomer is added and mixed . the method has an advantage of readily controlling the amount of lactic acid or the lactic acid oligomer in the resin composition . the polylactic acid - based resin composition obtained above is compression - molded or melt - extruded at temperature of 180 ° to 280 ° c . into films , sheets or bars . these molded articles are cooled to about - 20 ° c . with dry ice - methanol and crushed with a hammer mill . alternatively , the resin composition can also be melt - extruded into a strand and cut into pellets . the high polymer network of the invention is prepared by mixing the foaming agent with the above - obtained polylactic acid - based resin composition , melt - kneading the resulting mixture with a single - or twin - screw extruder , delivering through a ring or flat die in the form of molten foam and opening the extrudate . first of all , a foaming agent is mixed with the above - obtained polylactic acid - based resin composition . exemplary foaming agents which can be used include organic foaming agents such as azoisobutyrodinitrile , diazoaminobenzene , 1 , 3 - bis ( p - xenyl ) triazine and azodicarbonamide ; and inorganic foaming agents such as a mixture of ammonium oxalate and oxalic acid , a mixture of sodium hydrogen carbonate and oxalic acid , ammonium hydrogen oxalate and a mixture of ammonium carbonate and sodium nitrite . these organic and inorganic foaming agents have a decomposition point lower than the extrusion temperature of the resin composition . other foaming agents which can be used include , for example , volatile solvents such as acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , ethyl acetate , methyl chloride , ethyl chloride , chloroform , methylene chloride and methylene bromide ; and compounds which are gaseous at room temperature such as nitrogen , carbon dioxide , ammonia , methane , ethane , propane , ethylene , propylene and gaseous halogenated hydrocarbons . amount of the foaming agent differs depending upon the desired network and the kind of the foaming agent and is generally from 0 . 2 to 10 parts by weight for 100 parts by weight of the polylactic acid - based resin composition . an amount less than 0 . 2 parts by weight leads to a low ratio of foam expansion and makes opening difficult . on the other hand , an amount exceeding 10 parts by weight gives adverse effect on the extrudability of the resin composition and additionally is unfavorable in economy . blending of the polylactic acid - based resin composition and the foaming agent can be carried out by common mixing methods with a ribbon blender or conical blender . mixing is conducted under conditions so as to obtain a uniform mixture of the polylactic acid - based resin composition and the foaming agent . mixing is preferably carried out at room temperature for 5 to 30 minutes . the mixture of the polylactic acid - based resin composition and the foaming agent is successively melt - extruded with a common single - or twin - screw extruder . extrusion temperature is preferably in the range of from 100 ° to 270 ° c ., more preferably in the range of from 130 ° to 250 ° c . extrusion temperature lower than 100 ° c . makes extrusion unstable and tends to cause overload . on the other hand , an extrusion temperature higher than 270 ° c . is unfavorable because decomposition of the lactic acid - based polymer becomes violent . the extruder die used has a ring or flat slit . the temperature range of the die is about the same as the extruding temperature . the mixture of the polylactic acid - based resin composition and foaming agent is delivered from the extruder die in the form of molten foam . the molten foam is stretched immediately after delivery while cooling with a blowing gas such as the air having temperature of 10 ° to 50 ° c . and thereby foam cells are opened to form a network as a result of splitting foam cells existing in the molten foam . the resulting network is solidified on the take - off rolls having a surface temperature of 10 ° to 50 ° c . and is successively wound up . the take - off speed by the take - off rolls is adjusted so as to obtain a draft ratio of from 10 to 500 . it is unfavorable outside the above range because good opening cannot be achieved . the most suitable gas for use in cooling the molten foam delivered from the extruder is the air in view of economy and ease of handling . other gases such as nitrogen and carbon dioxide are also preferred . the amount of the cooling gas is preferably in the range of 1 to 15 m 3 per square meter of the network . an amount less than 1 m 3 leads to insufficient cooling effect and good opening cannot be obtained . on an other hand , the amount exceeding 15 m 3 increases the cooling rate of the extrudate and it is unfavorable because the molten foam sometimes solidifies before splitting the generated foam cells . stretching while cooling the molten foam to the above temperature range with the air or other gases can provide a network having good opening . unless stretching with slmultaneous cooling to the above temperature range is conducted , the molten foam of the polylactic acid - based resin composition is difficult to conduct opening because of a drooling tendency . even though the die temperature is retained relatively low to increase melt viscosity of the resin composition , irregular opening is obtained . in order to increase the expansion ratio of the molten foam , it is favorable to increase the amount of foaming agents or to delay the timing for cooling the molten foam delivered from the die . in the case of decreasing the expansion ratio , it is favorable to carry out the contrary . the degree of opening can be controlled by the degree of stretching for the molten foam delivered from the die . the degree of stretching is usually from 1 . 5 to 5 times the length of the molten foam immediately after delivery from the die . the polylactic acid - based resin composition of the invention can contain colorants , fillers and reinforcements in addition to the foaming agents as long as these additives do not impair the object of the invention . the high polymer network thus obtained can be further stretched and heat - treated . the present invention will hereinafter be illustrated further in detail by way of examples . after finishing the polymerization reaction , the reaction mixture was dissolved in hexafluoroisopropanol ( hereinafter referred to as hfip ) or methylene chloride to obtain a solution having known concentration . residual monomer was determined by gas chromatography . a lactic acid - based polymer is dissolved in chloroform ( concentration ; 0 . 5 g / dl ), viscosity of the resulting solution was measured at 25 ± 0 . 5 ° c . with a ubbellohde viscometer , and inherent viscosity η was calculated from the following equation . poor : three or more unopened portions having a size of 5 mm or more were found in an area of 100 cm 3 , or fiveor more unopened portions having a size of 30 mm or more were found in an area of 1 m 2 . weight of a specimen having dimensions 5 × 5 cm was measured and converted to weight per / m 2 . the value thus obtained was defined as basis weight ( g / m 2 ). a specimen having a width of 20 mm was set on a tensile tester so as to give a measuring length ( grip distance ) of 50 mm and stretched to the direction of winding - up at a pulling rate of 50 mm / min to obtain a stress - strain curve . a tangent line at the initial rising portion of the stress - strain curve was extrapolated to obtain a load at an elongation of 100 %. stiffness was calculated from the following equation . an oligomer was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran or chloroform , distribution of the polymerization degree was measured by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ) to calculate the polymerization degree of the oligomer . to a reaction vessel , 1 8 kg of l - lactide and 1 . 0 kg of an aqueous lactic acid solution having a concentration of 87 % by weight were charged and heated for 2 hours at 100 ° c . the reaction mixture was cooled to the room temperature . a viscous transparent liquid was obtained . as a result of gpc analysis , the liquid contained lactic acid and a lactic acid oligomer . an average polymerization degree was 2 . 8 . the product was hereinafter referred to as la - oligomer . marketed l - lactide ( hereinafter referred to as l - ltd ), d - lactide ( hereinafter referred to as d - ltd ), dl - lactide ( hereinafter referred to as dl - ltd ) and glycolide ( hereinafter referred to as gld ) were individually recrystallized 4 times from ethyl acetate . ε - caprolactone ( hereinafter referred to as cl ) was dried over calcium hydride and distilled . to a glass reaction vessel having a silane - treated internal surface , the above - purified l - ltd , d - ltd , dl - ltd , gld , cl and a catalyst stannous octoate were respectively charged in an amount illustrated in table 1 . then the resulting mixture was dried for 24 hours by evacuating the reaction vessel . the reaction vessel was heated to the prescribed temperature illustrated in table and polymerization was carried out for the prescribed time . after finishing the reaction , the reaction mixture was discharged from the vessel . the lactic acid - based polymers thus - obtained were referred to as p . 1 - p6 . the inherent viscosity and residual monomer content were measured and results are illustrated in table 1 . table 1______________________________________ p1 p2 p3 p4 p5 p6______________________________________l - ltd 100 70 95 75 50 80 ( wt . parts ) d - ltd -- 30 -- 20 50 --( wt . parts ) dl - ltd -- -- 5 -- -- --( wt . parts ) gld -- -- -- 5 -- --( wt . parts ) cld -- -- -- -- -- 20 ( wt . parts ) catalyst 0 . 015 0 . 015 0 . 015 0 . 015 0 . 015 0 . 015 ( wt . %) poly - 110 120 110 120 125 120merizationtime ( hr ) poly - 160 120 40 120 100 140merizationtemper - ature (° c . ) inherent 4 . 2 6 . 1 3 . 8 5 . 1 5 . 4 4 . 3viscosityresidual 1 . 3 0 . 9 13 . 1 1 . 1 1 . 5 1 . 9monomer ( wt . %) ______________________________________ next , l - ltd or la - oligomer obtained in preparation example was added to these lactic acid - based polymers in a proportion illustrated in table 2 , mixed with a plastomill at temperature illustrated in table 2 to obtain polylactic acid - based resin compositions c1 to c8 . these resin compositions were pressed under the pressure of 100 kg / cm 2 at the temperature illustrated in table 2 to obtain a sheet having a thickness of 1 mm . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ c1 c2 c3 c4 c5 c6 c7__________________________________________________________________________lactic acid - p1 p2 p2 p2 p4 p5 p6base polymer 80 90 80 90 80 90 90 ( wt . %) additive la - oligomer la - oligomer ltd - monomer la - oligomer la - oligomer ltd - monome la - oligomer ( wt . %) 20 10 20 10 20 10 10melt - blending 210 150 150 150 150 130 130temperature (° c . ) press 210 150 150 150 150 130 130temperature (° c . ) __________________________________________________________________________ the polylactic acid - based resin composition illustrated in table 3 was cooled with liquid nitrogen crushed with a hammer mill , and followed by adding a foaming agent azodicarboxylic acid amide in a proportion illustrated in table 3 and mixing with a ribbon blender at room temperature . the mixture thus obtained was melt - kneaded with a single screw extruder having a diameter of 19 mm at the extrusion temperature illustrated in table 3 and delivered through a t - die slit having a width of 150 mm at the temperature illustrated in table 3 at the output rate of 30 g / min in the form of molten foam or solid extrudate . the molten foam was stretched immediately after delivery from the t - die with simultaneous cooling by blowing the air at the room temperature : n a air - flow rate illustrated in table 3 . at the same time , the foam was opened and wound up at a stretching rate of 10 m / min to obtain a high polymer network . state of opening , basis weight and stiffness as a measure of flexibility were evaluated . table 3______________________________________ extrusion resin form - tempera - air - flow composi - ing ture rate tion agent ( wt . %) (° c .) ( m . sup . 3 / min ) ______________________________________example 1 p1 a 0 . 2 230 0 . 1example 2 p2 b 1 . 0 150 0 . 1example 3 p3 b 5 . 0 180 0 . 1example 4 p5 c 1 . 0 130 0 . 1example 5 p6 c 1 . 0 130 0 . 1example 6 c1 a 1 . 0 210 0 . 1example 7 c2 b 1 . 0 150 0 . 1example 8 c2 b 1 . 0 150 0 . 1example 9 c2 b 1 . 0 150 0 . 1example 10 c3 b 0 . 2 150 0 . 1example 11 c4 b 1 . 0 150 0 . 1example 12 c5 b 5 . 0 150 0 . 1example 13 c5 c 1 . 0 130 0 . 1example 14 c7 c 1 . 0 130 0 . 1comparative p1 a 0 230 0 . 1example 1comparative p1 a 1 . 0 230 0example 2comparative c2 b 0 . 1 150 0 . 1example 3comparative c2 b 15 150 0 . 1example 4______________________________________ basis weight state of stiffness ( g / m . sup . 3 ) opening ( kgf · m / g ) remark______________________________________example 1 21 . 2 good 268example 2 20 . 1 good 211example 3 18 . 7 good 193example 4 21 . 4 good 130example 5 22 . 1 good 127example 6 23 . 2 good 234example 7 21 . 3 good 129example 8 23 . 2 good 154example 9 18 . 1 good 131example 10 21 . 1 good 143example 11 20 . 2 good 158example 12 20 . 1 good 131example 13 22 . 7 good 84example 14 23 . 1 good 64comparative 30 . 1 -- 631 filmexample 1comparative 30 . 1 poor -- irregularexample 2 openingcomparative -- poor -- irregularexample 3 openingcomparative -- -- -- poor outputexample 4______________________________________ as a result of evaluation in practical use , the high polymer network obtained could be favorably used for wiping off edible oils . cotton and feathers can also be wrapped or collected without impairing breathing property . the network could be favorably used as a trash bag having good hydro - extraction for wet refuse of household kitchen . in cases for using as packaging under layers for meat and raw fish , fluids such as blood could be absorbed . the network was also suited for wrapping the root of garden trees and shading the sunlight , and also favorably applied to a filter of a ventilation system . the high polymer networks obtained in examples 1 , 2 and 5 and a high polymer network of polyolefin resin ( neu netz u ; trade mark of mitsui toatsu chemicals inc .) were respectively immersed in distilled water at 37 ° c . after 30 days , weight loss was 9 %, 17 %, 27 %, and 0 %, respectively .	2
referring to fig1 , a tft in one embodiment of the invention is illustrated as comprising a substrate 1 of sio 2 or the like , a metal layer 2 formed on the substrate 1 and serving as a gate electrode , an insulating layer 3 formed on the metal layer 2 , a semiconductor layer 4 formed on the insulating layer 3 , and source and drain electrodes 5 and 6 formed on the semiconductor layer 4 . the metal layer 2 used herein may be a commonly used ito ( indium tin oxide ) film , or a film of a single metal such as au , cu or al or a laminate metal film of au / ti , cu / ti or al / ti , deposited by the physical vapor deposition ( pvd ) or metal organic chemical vapor deposition ( mocvd ) method . since the objects of the invention favor that the metal layer 2 be formed by printing , it is recommended to use electroconductive metal pastes if no practical problems are encountered . in the inventive tft , the material of which the insulating layer is made is a polymer or high - molecular weight compound which is dissolvable in an organic solvent and has a weight average molecular weight ( mw ) of more than 2 , 000 to 1 , 000 , 000 , and preferably an insulating polymer having cyano groups . examples include cyanoethyl pullulan , cyanoethyl cellulose , cyanoethyl polyvinyl alcohol , and polyacrylonitrile . these insulating polymers having cyano groups are readily obtainable . for example , cyanoethyl pullulan is obtained by reacting a pullulan resin with acrylonitrile in the presence of an alkali catalyst ( see jp - b 59 - 31521 ). the degree of substitution of cyano groups ( e . g ., degree of substitution of cyanoethyl groups in the case of cyanoethyl pullulan ) is desirably at least 80 mol %, more desirably at least 85 mol %. this is because the concentration of polar groups or cyano groups must be above a certain level in order to produce a tft having a fully improved mobility , and a more content of residual hydroxyl groups leads to an increase in dielectric loss as a loss factor and is sometimes undesirable for the objects of the invention . in the inventive tft , the material of which the semiconductor layer is made is a polymer or high - molecular weight compound which is dissolvable in an organic solvent and has a weight average molecular weight ( mw ) of more than 2 , 000 to 1 , 000 , 000 . although no other limits are imposed on the polymer for the semiconductor layer , the polymer should be dissolvable in an organic solvent in which the insulating layer is not dissolvable . this is because it is generally believed that in forming the semiconductor layer and the insulating layer in a lay - up manner , the interfacial state does not become uniform . past studies on organic tft employed a method of forming an organic semiconductor layer on an organic insulating film by evaporation as described in jp - a 5 - 508745 , and a method of forming only an organic semiconductor layer on an inorganic insulating layer . one exemplary method involves dissolving both an organic semiconductor material and an organic insulating material in an identical organic solvent to form solutions , coating and drying the organic insulating material solution to form an organic insulating layer , then applying the organic semiconductor material solution to the organic insulating layer . at this point , the organic insulating material is slightly dissolved at the coating interface . eventually the interface between layers of the obtained laminated film after drying is disordered . by contrast , the present invention solves the problem by using different organic solvents for dissolution of a semiconductor material and an insulating material , that is , by combining two organic solvents with two materials such that one of the materials is not dissolvable in one of the organic solvents . specifically , suitable polymers for forming the semiconductor layer include polythiophenes , polypyrroles , polyanilines , polyacetylenes , polythienylene vinylenes , and polyphenylene vinylenes . of these , polythiophenes such as poly ( 3 - hexylthiophene ) are preferred because of solubility in organic solvents , good processability , stability and a high carrier mobility . suitable organic solvents for dissolving the polymers of which the insulating layer is made include n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , dimethylformamide , acetone , acetonitrile , γ - butyrolactone , etc . suitable organic solvents for dissolving the polymers of which the semiconductor layer is made include chloroform , toluene , hexane , alcohols , etc . in either case , the solvent may be used alone or in admixture of two or more . according to the invention , a thin - film field effect transistor is fabricated by applying a solution of a polymer having a mw of more than 2 , 000 to 1 , 000 , 000 in a first organic solvent to a gate electrode in the form of a metal layer , drying the applied polymer solution to form an insulating layer on the metal layer , and forming on the insulating layer a semiconductor layer which is dissolvable in a second organic solvent in which the insulating layer is not dissolvable . this method may be implemented using well - known techniques . for example , a metal layer serving as a gate electrode is formed by a sputtering technique on the substrate which is selected from glass and ordinary polymer sheets . alternatively , a metal layer is formed by applying a metal paste or electroconductive polymer to the substrate by a spin coating , screen printing or ink jet printing technique , followed by drying . commercially available ito glass may also be used . an insulating layer is then formed on the thus formed gate electrode , by applying a solution of the insulating layer - forming material in a first organic solvent by a spin coating , screen printing or ink jet printing technique , followed by drying . in this case , the insulating layer may preferably have a thickness of 0 . 2 to 10 μm , more preferably 0 . 5 to 3 μm . too thin insulating layer may cause a large leakage current . too thick insulating layer may require a large driving voltage . next , a semiconductor layer is formed on the insulating layer by applying a solution of the semiconductor layer - forming material in a second organic solvent in which the insulating polymer is not dissolvable , by a spin coating , screen printing or ink jet printing technique , followed by drying . the surface of the insulating layer may be previously subjected to physical treatment , typically known rubbing treatment in order that semiconductor molecules be aligned at the interface between insulating and semiconductor layers . finally , source and drain electrodes are formed on the semiconductor layer by a sputtering technique . alternatively , a metal paste or electroconductive polymer is applied by a screen printing or ink jet printing technique , followed by drying . the inventive tft has a structure including an insulating layer formed on a gate electrode in the form of a metal layer and a semiconductor layer formed on the insulating layer . when an electric potential is applied to the gate to produce an electric field , electric charges are created within the semiconductor in proximity to the insulating layer due to a field effect , thereby forming a conductive region , called the channel , within the semiconductor layer between source and drain electrodes formed on the semiconductor layer . this means that the interfacial state between insulating and semiconductor layers is crucial . the flatter interface , the better performs the device . examples of the invention are given below by way of illustration and not by way of limitation . there were furnished cyanoethyl pullulan having a substitution of cyanoethyl of 85 . 2 mol % ( cyepl , shin - etsu chemical co ., ltd ., cr - s , mw = 49 , 000 ) as an insulating layer material and poly ( 3 - hexylthiophene ) ( p3ht , aldrich , mw = 87 , 000 ) as an organic semiconductor layer material . the organic solvent in which p3ht was dissolved was chloroform , in which cyepl was insoluble . a tft was fabricated using these materials and evaluated as follows . on a glass ( sio 2 ) substrate , a gate electrode was formed by depositing ti to a thickness of 5 nm and then au to a thickness of 20 nm , using an rf sputtering technique at room temperature and a back pressure of 10 − 4 pa . an insulating layer was then formed on the gate electrode by dissolving 15 wt % cyepl as the insulating layer material in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , passing the solution through a 0 . 2 - micron membrane filter , spin coating the solution , and drying at 100 ° c . for one hour . a semiconductor layer of 50 nm thick was then formed on the insulating layer by dissolving 0 . 8 wt % p3ht in chloroform , passing the solution through a 0 . 2 - micron membrane filter , spin coating the solution , and drying at 100 ° c . for one hour . the substrate was cooled at − 20 ° c . au was deposited to a thickness of 300 nm on the organic semiconductor layer through a metal mask , using an rf sputtering technique at a back pressure below 10 − 5 pa . there were formed two gold electrodes of 4 mm wide spaced a distance of 50 μm ( see fig1 , l = 50 μm and w = 4 mm ) serving as source and drain electrodes . there were furnished cyanoethyl pullulan having a substitution of cyanoethyl of 85 . 2 mol % ( cyepl , shin - etsu chemical co ., ltd ., cr - s ) as an insulating layer material and copper phthalocyanine ( cupc ) as an organic semiconductor layer material . a tft was fabricated using these materials and evaluated as follows . on a glass ( sio 2 ) substrate , a gate electrode was formed by depositing ti to a thickness of 5 nm and then au to a thickness of 20 nm , using an rf sputtering technique at room temperature and a back pressure of 10 − 4 pa . an insulating layer was then formed on the gate electrode by dissolving 15 wt % cyepl as the insulating layer material in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone , passing the solution through a 0 . 2 - micron membrane filter , spin coating the solution , and drying at 100 ° c . for one hour . a semiconductor layer of 50 nm thick was then formed on the insulating layer by depositing cupc , using an rf sputtering technique at room temperature and a back pressure of 10 − 5 pa . the substrate was cooled at − 20 ° c . au was deposited to a thickness of 300 nm on the organic semiconductor layer through a metal mask , using an rf sputtering technique at a back pressure below 10 − 5 pa . there were formed two gold electrodes of 4 mm wide spaced a distance of 50 μm serving as source and drain electrodes . there were furnished sio 2 as an insulating layer material and copper phthalocyanine ( cupc ) as an organic semiconductor layer material . a tft was fabricated using these materials and evaluated as follows . a p - type doped silicon substrate was annealed in a furnace to form an oxide film ( sio 2 ) of 300 nm thick as an insulating film . then only the back surface of the substrate which had not been mirror finished was treated with hydrofluoric acid to remove the oxide film . on only the back surface thus treated , a gate electrode was formed by depositing ti to a thickness of 5 nm and then au to a thickness of 20 nm , using an rf sputtering technique at room temperature and a back pressure of 10 − 4 pa . a semiconductor layer of 50 nm thick was then formed on the surface of the oxide film serving as the insulating layer , by depositing cupc , using an rf sputtering technique at room temperature and a back pressure below 10 − 5 pa . the substrate was cooled at − 20 ° c . au was deposited to a thickness of 300 nm on the organic semiconductor layer through a metal mask , using an rf sputtering technique at a back pressure below 10 − 5 pa . there were formed two gold electrodes of 4 mm wide spaced a distance of 50 μm serving as source and drain electrodes . each of the devices thus fabricated was placed in a vacuum prober where the substrate was heated at 50 ° c . and allowed to stand in a vacuum ( below 10 − 4 torr ) for one hour . in the prober under vacuum , light - shielded conditions , the tft characteristics were determined by a semiconductor parameter analyzer scs4200 by keithley . drain current versus voltage ( i sd − v sd ) curves representing the field effect of tft of example 1 are shown in the graph of fig2 . the results of comparative examples 1 and 2 suggest that use of cyepl as the organic insulating layer material provides a greater mobility than conventional sio 2 . although the tft of example 1 was fabricated by the method which is generally believed to achieve no improvement in mobility due to disordered interface , that is , in which both the organic insulating layer and the organic semiconductor layer are formed by coating and drying , the tft of example 1 exhibits a significantly high mobility . the inventive tft has an improved mobility because the channel formation would be enhanced by polar groups aligned at the interface between insulating and semiconductor layers , when a potential is applied to the gate . although some preferred embodiments have been described , many modifications and variations may be made thereto in light of the above teachings . it is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described without departing from the scope of the appended claims .	7
while certain embodiments have been shown and described in detail below , it will be clear to the person skilled in the art upon reading and understanding this disclosure that changes , modifications , and variations may be made and remain within the scope of the systems , kits , components , and methods described herein . furthermore , while various features are grouped together in the embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure , it is appreciated that features from different embodiments may be combined to form additional embodiments which are all contemplated within the scope of the present disclosure . the following description and accompanying drawings are offered by way of illustration only . in particular , while the present disclosure sets forth an embodiment in the context of handles for surgical instruments , one of skill in the art will appreciate that the components , systems , kits , and methods may be applicable to handles in other fields . not every feature of each embodiment is labeled in every figure in which that embodiment appears , in order to keep the figures clear . similar reference numbers ( for example , those that are identical except for the first numeral ) are used to indicate similar features in different embodiments . standard medical planes of reference and descriptive terminology are employed in this specification . a sagittal plane divides a body into right and left portions . a mid - sagittal plane divides the body into equal right and left halves . a coronal plane divides a body into anterior and posterior portions . a transverse plane divides a body into superior and inferior portions . anterior means toward the front of the body . posterior means toward the back of the body . superior means toward the head . inferior means toward the feet . medial means toward the midline of the body . lateral means away from the midline of the body . axial means toward a central axis of the body . abaxial means away from a central axis of the body . these descriptive terms may be applied to an animate or inanimate body . ipsilateral means on the same side of the body . contralateral means on the opposite side of the body . referring to fig1 a - 5 , an instrument handle 100 may include a frame 110 , a first control 130 , and a second control 150 . handle 100 may be bilaterally symmetric about a mid - sagittal plane 101 . referring to fig1 b - 1d , handle 100 may be operatively assembled to an operative component 10 to form a complete surgical instrument . handle 100 may be permanently or releasably coupled to operative component 10 . handle 100 may couple to any one of a plurality of different operative components 10 . frame 110 may include a fitting 102 , a body portion 114 , a finger portion 104 , and a palm portion 106 . body portion 114 , finger portion 104 , and palm portion 106 may be arranged around three sides of frame 110 . frame 110 may be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane 101 of handle 100 . furthermore , fitting 102 , body portion 114 , finger portion 104 , and palm portion 106 may each be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane 101 of handle 100 . fitting 102 may be described as a docking feature or connection feature to connect handle 100 to operative component 10 . for example , fitting 102 may be a socket , as shown in fig1 a - 5 , a through hole , or a protrusion . body portion 114 may be described as a portion of the frame 110 which supports fitting 102 , first control 130 , and second control 150 . fitting 102 may be carried on a front segment of body portion 114 , as illustrated . body portion 114 may extend generally in line with fitting 102 . however , body portion 114 may extend in another orientation relative to fitting 102 , such as oblique or transverse , in order to position a shaft 14 of an operative component 10 in a desired orientation relative to a user &# 39 ; s hand . in other words , the orientation between body portion 114 and fitting 102 may set an orientation between the mid - sagittal plane 101 and a center longitudinal axis of the shaft 14 . the center longitudinal axis may lie in the mid - sagittal plane 101 in line with the body portion 114 or at an angle to body portion 114 . the center longitudinal axis may lie parallel to , and offset from , the mid - sagittal plane 101 . the center longitudinal axis may lie at an angle to the mid - sagittal plane 101 so that the center longitudinal axis intersects the mid - sagittal plane 101 . finger portion 104 may be described as a portion of the frame 110 for contacting one or more of the fingers of a human hand . finger portion 104 may extend transversely from body portion 114 , and may be located close to fitting 102 . finger portion 104 may include one or more indentations 108 . fig1 a - 5 illustrate three indentations 108 which are sized , shaped , and positioned to fit the ulnar three fingers of a human hand . finger portion 104 may also include one or more finger rests 116 . fig1 a - 5 illustrate a finger rest 116 which is sized , shaped , and positioned to fit the outer side of the little finger . the indentations 108 and / or finger rests 116 may increase the accuracy or security with which a user can grasp handle 100 . palm portion 106 may be described as a portion of the frame 110 for contacting the palm of a human hand . for example , palm portion 106 may contact the palm or thenar eminence of a human hand . palm portion 106 may extend transversely from a rear segment of body portion 114 opposite the front segment , as illustrated , and thus may be located at a distance from fitting 102 . palm portion 106 may blend smoothly with body portion 114 . palm portion 106 may also connect to finger portion 104 at a distance from body portion 114 , and may blend smoothly with finger portion 104 . frame 110 may include one or more apertures 112 between body portion 114 , finger portion 104 , and palm portion 106 . the embodiment of fig1 a - 5 is shown with a large aperture 112 which hollows out a central portion of frame 110 so that body portion 114 , finger portion 104 , and palm portion 106 form a continuous perimeter around aperture 112 . the apertures 112 may reduce the mass of frame 110 , making the handle 100 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate frame 110 . first control 130 may be described as an actuator for a first action or first mechanism of a surgical instrument . first control 130 may actuate a mechanical linkage within handle 100 and / or operative component 10 . for example , first control 130 may actuate a mechanism that pushes , pulls , or rotates at least a portion of the surgical instrument , such as a portion of an inner or outer shaft of the operative component 10 , or an end effector 12 . first control 130 may alternatively energize an electrical circuit within handle 100 and / or operative component 10 . the electrical circuit may provide a direct effect such as radio frequency ablation , cautery , imaging , ultrasonics , global positioning system ( gps ), or electrical stimulation , among others . the electrical circuit may alternatively be coupled to a mechanical or electro - mechanical mechanism which provides a direct effect . first control 130 may alternatively energize a hydraulic circuit , such as suction or irrigation , among others . some examples of a first control 130 are a lever , a button , a trigger , a toggle , a slider , a knob , a dial , a wheel , a plunger , or a switch . first control 130 may be biased to remain in a default , or normal , position unless actively actuated by a user . first control 130 may alternatively remain in the last selected position or setting until actuated by the user to another position or setting . first control 130 may include a plurality of settings . for example , first control 130 may be a three - position sliding switch , or a knob that can be turned to any desired rotational setting . first control 130 may be subdivided into separate portions , each portion controlling a corresponding one of the plurality of settings . for example , first control 130 may comprise a first button stacked over a second button , so that pressing the first button lightly actuates a first mechanism , and pressing the first button more heavily depresses the second button , actuating a second mechanism . in another example , first control 130 may be divided into left and right halves , each half independently operable . first control 130 may be at least partially integrally formed with frame 110 , or may be formed as a separate part and assembled to frame 110 . fig1 a - 5 illustrate a first control 130 which is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes obliquely from the body portion 114 opposite the finger and palm portions 104 , 106 at a distance from the fitting 102 . the illustrated first control 130 is hinged to the body portion 114 near the blend with palm portion 106 and is spring biased away from the body portion 114 . the illustrated first control 130 is actuated by pressing the first control 130 toward the body portion 114 , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . second control 150 may be described as an actuator for a second action or a second mechanism of a surgical instrument . second control 150 may share one , some , or all of the characteristics set forth for first control 130 . second control 150 may embody a different subset of characteristics than first control 130 . fig1 a - 5 illustrate a second control 150 which is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 114 opposite the finger and palm portions 104 , 106 near the fitting 102 . the illustrated second control 150 is hinged to the body portion 114 near the finger portion 104 and is spring biased toward the fitting 102 . the illustrated second control 150 is actuated by pulling the second control 150 away from the fitting 102 with the index finger , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . referring to fig1 b - 1d , operative component 10 includes a working segment , or an end effector 12 which performs one or more actions , such as a surgical function . for example , end effector 12 may bite , grasp , shear , cut , lift , poke , and / or punch . in these examples , end effector 12 may be described as a biter , a grasper , a scissors , a side cutter , an awl , and / or a punch . operative component 10 may also be generally referred to as an end effector . for each of the examples , end effector 12 may have a functional plane 21 which relates to the direction of action of the end effector 12 . for example , an end effector 12 with jaws may have a functional plane 21 where the jaws touch when closed . in another example , a cutting end effector 12 may have a functional plane 21 that intersects a cutting edge of the end effector 12 . in yet another example , an end effector 12 with a rotating side - cutting burr inside a windowed outer housing may have a functional plane 21 through the axis of rotation of the burr and bisecting the window . alternately , a functional plane 21 may lie across the window . end effector 12 may be mounted on a shaft 14 to position the end effector 12 a desired distance away from handle 100 when operative component 10 is operatively assembled with handle 100 . for example , shaft 14 may be long enough to pass through a surgical cannula and across a full width of a joint space . shaft 14 may also include one or more bends , curves , or twists 16 in order to position end effector 12 in a desired orientation relative to the surgical anatomy when handle 100 is held in a physiologically neutral position . shaft 14 may include a center longitudinal axis 23 relating to an end of the shaft 14 opposite the end effector 12 ; if bent , shaft 14 may include additional center longitudinal axes 25 relating to each additional portion of the shaft 14 . the end of the shaft 14 opposite the end effector 12 may be described as a connection segment because it can serve to connect end effector 12 to handle 100 . fig1 b - 1c illustrate an operative component 10 with an end effector 12 configured as a grasper . in the illustrated example , the functional plane 21 is a plane at which the grasper jaws meet when closed . in the illustrated example , the shaft 14 is straight except for bend 16 , thus shaft 14 has an axis 23 and an additional axis 25 . it can be appreciated from fig1 b - d that the plane 21 lies at a compound angle to plane 101 in the illustrated example . this may be best seen in fig1 c - d , where plane 21 is at a first angle to plane 101 when viewed from the top ( fig1 c ), and at a second angle to plane 101 when viewed from the right ( fig1 d ). in other examples , however , the functional plane 21 may be at some other orientation , such as a single angle , parallel , or coplanar . by orienting the functional plane 21 as required to reach the relevant anatomy , while orienting the mid - sagittal plane 101 of the handle 100 as required to maintain a neutral wrist , elbow , and arm position , the handles and systems of the present disclosure reduce the need for a user to endure uncomfortable and potentially harmful postures . in use , handle 100 may be grasped by a human hand so that the palm portion 106 rests against the palm or thenar eminence ; the finger portion 104 rests against the middle , ring , and little fingers with the little finger in an indentation 108 adjacent to the finger rest 116 , the middle finger in an indentation 108 adjacent to the fitting 102 , and the ring finger in an indentation 108 between the middle and little fingers ; the thumb rests on the first control 130 ; the index finger rests on the second control 150 ; and the fitting 102 is positioned between the index and middle fingers so that a shaft 14 of an operative component may extend between the index and middle fingers . in use , handle 100 is supported between the palm or thenar eminence and the middle , ring , and little fingers so that the thumb and index finger are free to operate the first and second controls 130 , 150 respectively . furthermore , it can be appreciated that , in use , handle 100 is completely contained within the user &# 39 ; s hand so that there is no projecting hardware other than the operative component 10 . handle 100 may rest in a user &# 39 ; s hand in a square orientation so that the shaft 14 extends from the handle 100 generally parallel to the forearm of the user . the illustrated handle 100 may be suited to situations in which the end effector 12 approaches the anatomy straight on . in other examples of handle 100 , shaft 14 may extend obliquely or transversely relative to the forearm , as established by the orientation of body portion 114 to fitting 102 . operative component 10 may be advantageously stabilized and controlled when the shaft 14 is between the index and middle fingers . when the shaft 14 is between the index and middle fingers , the wrist becomes the primary joint for biomechanical control of the end effector 12 , and motion at the elbow and shoulder may be unnecessary . referring to fig6 - 10 , an instrument handle 200 may include a frame 210 , a first control 230 , and a second control 250 . handle 200 may be bilaterally symmetric about a mid - sagittal plane like handle 100 . handle 200 may be operatively assembled to an operative component 10 to form a complete surgical instrument like handle 100 . handle 200 may be permanently or releasably coupled to operative component 10 . handle 200 may couple to any one of a plurality of different operative components 10 . frame 210 may include a fitting 202 , a body portion 214 , a finger portion 204 , and a palm portion 206 . body portion 214 , finger portion 204 , and palm portion 206 may be arranged around three sides of frame 210 . frame 210 may be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 200 . furthermore , fitting 202 , body portion 214 , finger portion 204 , and palm portion 206 may each be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 200 . fitting 202 may be described as a docking feature or connection feature to connect handle 200 to operative component 10 . for example , fitting 202 may be a socket , as shown in fig6 - 10 , a through hole , or a protrusion . body portion 214 may be described as a portion of the frame 210 which supports fitting 202 , first control 230 , and second control 250 . fitting 202 may be carried on a front segment of body portion 214 , as illustrated . body portion 214 may extend generally in line with fitting 202 . however , body portion 214 may extend in another orientation relative to fitting 202 , such as oblique or transverse , in order to position a shaft 14 of an operative component 10 in a desired orientation relative to a user &# 39 ; s hand , as described for handle 100 . finger portion 204 may be described as a portion of the frame 210 for contacting one or more of the fingers of a human hand . finger portion 204 may extend obliquely from body portion 214 opposite fitting 202 . finger portion 204 may include one or more indentations like handle 100 . however , fig6 - 10 illustrate a finger portion 204 which is smooth , broad , and gently rounded . finger portion 204 may also include one or more finger rests 216 . fig6 - 10 illustrate a finger rest 216 which is sized , shaped , and positioned to fit the outer side of the little finger . the illustrated example of finger rest 216 is formed as an enlarged partial loop . the indentations and / or finger rests 216 may increase the accuracy or security with which a user can grasp handle 200 . palm portion 206 may be described as a portion of the frame 210 for contacting the palm of a human hand . for example , palm portion 206 may contact the palm or thenar eminence of a human hand . palm portion 206 may extend obliquely from body portion 214 opposite fitting 202 and generally parallel to finger portion 204 . palm portion 206 may blend smoothly with body portion 214 . palm portion 206 may also blend smoothly into finger rest 216 . frame 210 may include one or more apertures 212 between body portion 214 , finger portion 204 , and palm portion 206 . the embodiment of fig6 - 10 is shown with four large apertures 212 which hollow out a central portion of frame 210 so that body portion 214 , finger portion 204 , and palm portion 206 form a continuous perimeter around the apertures 212 . the apertures 212 may reduce the mass of frame 210 , making the handle 200 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate frame 210 . first control 230 and second control 250 may be described as actuators for first and second mechanisms , respectively , of a surgical instrument . first and second controls 230 , 250 may share one , some , or all of the characteristics set forth for first control 130 . first and second controls 230 , 250 may embody different subsets of characteristics than first control 130 . fig6 - 10 illustrate examples of first and second controls 230 , 250 . the illustrated first control 230 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes obliquely from the body portion 214 opposite the finger portion 204 and at a distance from the fitting 202 . the illustrated first control 230 is hinged to the body portion 214 near the blend with palm portion 206 and is spring biased away from the body portion 214 . the illustrated first control 230 is actuated by pressing the first control 230 toward the body portion 214 , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . the illustrated second control 250 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 214 opposite first control 230 and at a distance from the fitting 202 . the illustrated second control 250 and the finger portion 204 are on the same side of the fitting 202 . the illustrated second control 250 is hinged to the body portion 214 and is spring biased toward the fitting 102 . the illustrated second control 250 is actuated by pulling the second control 250 away from the fitting 202 with the index finger , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . in use , handle 200 may be grasped by a human hand so that the palm portion 206 rests against the palm or thenar eminence ; the finger portion 204 rests against the middle , ring , and little fingers with the little finger adjacent to the finger rest 216 ; the thumb rests on the first control 230 ; the index finger rests on the second control 250 ; and the fitting 202 is positioned beside the index finger so that a shaft 14 of an operative component may extend beside the index finger . in use , handle 200 is supported between the palm or thenar eminence and the middle , ring , and little fingers so that the thumb and index finger are free to operate the first and second controls 230 , 250 . furthermore , it can be appreciated that , in use , handle 200 is completely contained within the user &# 39 ; s hand so that there is no projecting hardware other than the operative component 10 . handle 200 may rest in a user &# 39 ; s hand in a forwardly - inclined orientation so that the shaft 14 extends from the handle 200 generally parallel to the forearm of the user . the illustrated handle 200 may also be suited to situations where the end effector 12 approaches the anatomy from below . in other examples of handle 200 , shaft 14 may extend obliquely or transversely relative to the forearm , as established by the orientation of body portion 214 to fitting 202 . it can also be appreciated that handle 200 may be favorably adapted for a user having a smaller grip span . referring to fig1 - 12 , an instrument handle 300 may include a frame 310 . handle 300 may be bilaterally symmetric about a mid - sagittal plane like handle 100 . handle 300 may be operatively assembled to an operative component 10 to form a complete surgical instrument like handle 100 . handle 300 may be permanently or releasably coupled to operative component 10 . handle 300 may couple to any one of a plurality of different operative components 10 . frame 310 may include a fitting 302 , a body portion 314 , a finger portion 304 , and a palm portion 306 . body portion 314 , finger portion 304 , and palm portion 306 may be arranged around three sides of frame 310 . frame 310 may be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 300 . furthermore , fitting 302 , body portion 314 , finger portion 304 , and palm portion 306 may each be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 300 . fitting 302 may be described as a docking feature or connection feature to connect handle 300 to operative component 10 . for example , fitting 302 may be a socket , a through hole , or a protrusion . body portion 314 may be described as a portion of the frame 310 which supports fitting 302 . body portion 314 may extend generally in line with fitting 302 . however , body portion 314 may extend in another orientation relative to fitting 302 , such as oblique or transverse , in order to position a shaft 14 of an operative component 10 in a desired orientation relative to a user &# 39 ; s hand , as described for handle 100 . finger portion 304 may be described as a portion of the frame 310 for contacting one or more of the fingers of a human hand . finger portion 304 may extend obliquely from body portion 314 opposite fitting 302 . finger portion 304 may include one or more indentations like handle 100 . however , fig1 - 12 illustrate a finger portion 304 which is smooth , broad , and gently rounded . finger portion 304 may also include one or more finger rests 316 . fig1 - 12 illustrate a finger rest 316 which is sized , shaped , and positioned to fit the outer side of the little finger . the indentations and / or finger rests 316 may increase the accuracy or security with which a user can grasp handle 300 . palm portion 306 may be described as a portion of the frame 310 for contacting the palm of a human hand . for example , palm portion 306 may contact the palm or thenar eminence of a human hand . palm portion 306 may extend obliquely from body portion 314 opposite fitting 302 and generally parallel to finger portion 304 . palm portion 306 may blend smoothly with body portion 314 . palm portion 306 may connect to finger portion 304 opposite body portion 314 . frame 310 may include one or more apertures 312 between body portion 314 , finger portion 304 , and palm portion 306 . the embodiment of fig1 - 12 is shown with a large aperture 312 which hollows out a central portion of frame 310 so that body portion 314 , finger portion 304 , and palm portion 306 form a continuous perimeter around the aperture 312 . the aperture 312 may reduce the mass of frame 310 , making the handle 300 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate frame 310 . in use , handle 300 may be grasped by a human hand so that the palm portion 306 rests against the palm or thenar eminence ; the finger portion 304 rests against the middle , ring , and little fingers with the little finger adjacent to the finger rest 316 ; and the fitting 302 is positioned beside the index finger so that a shaft 14 of an operative component may extend beside the index finger . in use , handle 300 is supported between the palm or thenar eminence and the middle , ring , and little fingers . furthermore , it can be appreciated that , in use , handle 300 is completely contained within the user &# 39 ; s hand so that there is no projecting hardware other than the operative component 10 . handle 300 may rest in a user &# 39 ; s hand in an orientation that allows shaft 14 to extend from the handle 300 generally parallel to the forearm of the user . the illustrated handle 300 may be suited to situations in which the end effector 12 approaches the anatomy straight on . in other examples of handle 300 , shaft 14 may extend obliquely or transversely relative to the forearm , as established by the orientation of body portion 314 to fitting 302 . referring to fig1 - 15 , an instrument handle 400 may include a frame 410 , a first control 430 , and a second control 450 . handle 400 may be bilaterally symmetric about a mid - sagittal plane like handle 100 . handle 400 may be operatively assembled to an operative component 10 to form a complete surgical instrument like handle 100 . handle 400 may be permanently or releasably coupled to operative component 10 . handle 400 may couple to any one of a plurality of different operative components 10 . frame 410 may include a fitting 402 , a body portion 414 , a finger portion 404 , and a palm portion 406 . body portion 414 , finger portion 404 , and palm portion 406 may be arranged around three sides of frame 410 . frame 410 may be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 400 . furthermore , fitting 402 , body portion 414 , finger portion 404 , and palm portion 406 may each be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 400 . fitting 402 may be described as a docking feature or connection feature to connect handle 400 to operative component 10 . for example , fitting 402 may be a socket , a through hole , or a protrusion . body portion 414 may be described as a portion of the frame 410 which supports fitting 402 , first control 430 , and second control 450 . body portion 414 may extend generally in line with fitting 402 . however , body portion 414 may extend in another orientation relative to fitting 402 , such as oblique or transverse , in order to position a shaft 14 of an operative component 10 in a desired orientation relative to a user &# 39 ; s hand , as described for handle 100 . finger portion 404 may be described as a portion of the frame 410 for contacting one or more of the fingers of a human hand . finger portion 404 may be transverse to body portion 414 near fitting 402 . finger portion 404 may include one or more indentations like handle 100 . however , fig1 - 15 illustrate a finger portion 404 which is smooth , broad , and gently rounded . finger portion 404 may also include one or more rests 416 . fig1 - 15 illustrate a rest 416 which is sized , shaped , and positioned to fit the web between the thumb and index finger . the illustrated example of rest 416 is formed as an extended tail where the body portion 414 and the palm portion 406 meet . the indentations and / or rests 416 may increase the accuracy or security with which a user can grasp handle 400 . palm portion 406 may be described as a portion of the frame 410 for contacting the palm of a human hand . for example , palm portion 406 may contact the palm or thenar eminence of a human hand . palm portion 406 may extend transversely from body portion 414 opposite fitting 402 and generally parallel to finger portion 404 . palm portion 406 may connect to finger portion 404 opposite body portion 414 . frame 410 may include one or more apertures 412 between body portion 414 , finger portion 404 , and palm portion 406 . the embodiment of fig1 - 15 is shown with a large aperture 412 which hollows out a central portion of frame 410 so that body portion 414 , finger portion 404 , and palm portion 406 form a perimeter around the aperture 412 . the apertures 412 may reduce the mass of frame 410 , making the handle 400 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate frame 410 . frame 410 may also be hollowed out in the vicinity of body portion 414 , palm portion 406 , and second control 450 . first control 430 and second control 450 may be described as actuators for first and second mechanisms , respectively , of a surgical instrument . first and second controls 430 , 450 may share one , some , or all of the characteristics set forth for first control 130 . first and second controls 430 , 450 may embody different subsets of characteristics than first control 130 . fig1 - 15 illustrate examples of first and second controls 430 , 450 . the illustrated first control 430 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes obliquely from the body portion 414 opposite the finger and palm portions 404 , 406 and at a distance from the fitting 402 . the illustrated first control 430 is hinged to the body portion 414 near the intersection with palm portion 406 and is spring biased away from the body portion 414 . the illustrated first control 430 is actuated by pressing the first control 430 forward toward the body portion 414 , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . the illustrated second control 450 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 414 opposite first control 430 generally in line with finger portion 404 and at a distance from the fitting 402 . the illustrated second control 450 and the finger portion 404 are on the same side of the fitting 402 . the illustrated second control 450 is hinged to the body portion 414 and is spring biased toward the fitting 102 . the illustrated second control 450 is actuated by pulling the second control 450 away from the fitting 402 with the index finger , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . in use , handle 400 may be grasped by a human hand so that the palm portion 406 rests against the palm or thenar eminence ; the finger portion 404 rests against the middle , ring , and little fingers with the web between the thumb and index finger adjacent to rest 416 ; the thumb rests on the first control 430 ; the index finger rests on the second control 450 ; and the fitting 402 is positioned beside the index finger so that a shaft 14 of an operative component may extend beside the index finger . in use , handle 400 is supported between the palm or thenar eminence and the middle , ring , and little fingers so that the index finger and thumb are free to operate the first and second controls 430 , 450 . furthermore , it can be appreciated that , in use , handle 400 is substantially contained within the user &# 39 ; s hand so that there is no projecting hardware other than the rest 416 and the operative component 10 . handle 400 may rest in a user &# 39 ; s hand in a square orientation so that the shaft 14 extends from the handle 400 generally parallel to the forearm of the user . the illustrated handle 400 may be suited to situations where the end effector 12 approaches the anatomy straight on . in other examples of handle 400 , shaft 14 may extend obliquely or transversely relative to the forearm , as established by the orientation of body portion 414 to fitting 402 . referring to fig1 - 20 , an instrument handle 500 may include a frame 510 , a first control 530 , and a second control 550 . handle 500 may be bilaterally symmetric about a mid - sagittal plane like handle 100 . handle 500 may be operatively assembled to an operative component 10 to form a complete surgical instrument like handle 100 . handle 500 may be permanently or releasably coupled to operative component 10 . handle 500 may couple to any one of a plurality of different operative components 10 . frame 510 may include a fitting 502 , a body portion 514 , a finger portion 504 , and a palm portion 506 . body portion 514 , finger portion 504 , and palm portion 506 may be arranged around three sides of frame 510 . frame 510 may be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 500 . furthermore , fitting 502 , body portion 514 , finger portion 504 , and palm portion 506 may each be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 500 . fitting 502 may be described as a docking feature or connection feature to connect handle 500 to operative component 10 . for example , fitting 502 may be a socket , a through hole as shown in fig1 - 20 , or a protrusion . body portion 514 may be described as a portion of the frame 510 which supports first control 530 and second control 550 . body portion 514 may also support fitting 502 . body portion 514 may extend generally parallel to fitting 502 . however , body portion 514 may extend in another orientation relative to fitting 502 , such as oblique or transverse , in order to position a shaft 14 of an operative component 10 in a desired orientation relative to a user &# 39 ; s hand , as described for handle 100 . finger portion 504 may be described as a portion of the frame 510 for contacting one or more of the fingers of a human hand . finger portion 504 may be transverse to body portion 514 . finger portion 504 may support fitting 502 . finger portion 504 may include one or more indentations 508 like handle 100 . fig1 - 20 illustrate a finger portion 504 which has three indentations 508 . finger portion 504 may also include one or more rests , which may be finger rests , web rests , or thumb rests . however , fig1 - 20 illustrate a handle 500 without prominent rests . the indentations 508 and / or rests may increase the accuracy or security with which a user can grasp handle 500 . palm portion 506 may be described as a portion of the frame 510 for contacting the palm of a human hand . for example , palm portion 506 may contact the palm or thenar eminence of a human hand . palm portion 506 may extend transversely from body portion 514 opposite fitting 502 and generally parallel to finger portion 504 . palm portion 506 may connect to finger portion 504 opposite body portion 514 . frame 510 may include one or more apertures 512 between body portion 514 , finger portion 504 , and palm portion 506 . the embodiment of fig1 - 20 is shown with two apertures 512 which hollow out a central portion of frame 510 so that body portion 514 , finger portion 504 , and palm portion 506 form a perimeter around the apertures 512 . the apertures 512 may reduce the mass of frame 510 , making the handle 500 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate frame 510 . first control 530 and second control 550 may be described as actuators for first and second mechanisms , respectively , of a surgical instrument . first and second controls 530 , 550 may share one , some , or all of the characteristics set forth for first control 130 . first and second controls 530 , 550 may embody different subsets of characteristics than first control 130 . fig1 - 20 illustrate examples of first and second controls 530 , 550 . the illustrated first control 530 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes obliquely from the body portion 514 opposite the finger and palm portions 504 , 506 . the illustrated first control 530 is hinged to the front of body portion 514 near the intersection with finger portion 504 and is spring biased away from the body portion 514 . the illustrated first control 530 is actuated by pressing the first control 530 down toward the body portion 514 , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . the illustrated second control 550 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 514 opposite first control 530 generally in line with finger portion 504 . the illustrated second control 550 and the finger portion 504 are on opposite sides of the fitting 502 . the illustrated second control 550 is hinged to the front of body portion 514 and is spring biased toward the fitting 102 , i . e ., the front of body portion 514 . fig1 - 20 illustrate an arrangement in which the first and second controls 530 , 550 share a single hinge . the illustrated second control 550 is actuated by pulling the second control 550 back from the fitting 502 with the index finger , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . in use , handle 500 may be grasped by a human hand so that the palm portion 506 rests against the palm or thenar eminence ; the middle , ring , and little fingers rest against the finger portion 504 in the indentations 508 ; the thumb rests on the first control 530 ; the index finger rests on the second control 550 ; and the fitting 502 is positioned between the index and middle fingers so that a shaft 14 of an operative component may extend between the index and middle fingers . in use , handle 500 is supported between the palm or thenar eminence and the middle , ring , and little fingers so that the index finger and thumb are free to operate the first and second controls 530 , 550 . furthermore , it can be appreciated that , in use , handle 500 is completely contained within the user &# 39 ; s hand so that there is no projecting hardware other than the operative component 10 . handle 500 may rest in a user &# 39 ; s hand in an upright orientation . handle 500 may also be suited to situations where the end effector 12 approaches the anatomy straight on . in other examples of handle 500 , shaft 14 may extend obliquely or transversely relative to the forearm , as established by the orientation of body portion 514 to fitting 502 . it can also be appreciated that handle 500 may be favorably adapted for a user having a smaller grip span . referring to fig2 - 26 , an instrument handle 600 may include a frame 610 , a first control 630 , and a second control 650 . handle 600 may be bilaterally symmetric about a mid - sagittal plane like handle 100 . handle 600 may be operatively assembled to an operative component 10 to form a complete surgical instrument like handle 100 . handle 600 may be permanently or releasably coupled to operative component 10 . handle 600 may couple to any one of a plurality of different operative components 10 . frame 610 may include a fitting 602 , a body portion 614 , a finger portion 604 , and a palm portion 606 . body portion 614 , finger portion 604 , and palm portion 606 may be arranged around three sides of frame 610 . frame 610 may be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 600 . furthermore , fitting 602 , body portion 614 , finger portion 604 , and palm portion 606 may each be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 600 . fitting 602 may be described as a docking feature or connection feature to connect handle 600 to operative component 10 . for example , fitting 602 may be a socket , a through hole as shown in fig2 - 26 , or a protrusion . body portion 614 may be described as a portion of the frame 610 which supports first control 630 and second control 650 . body portion 614 may also support fitting 602 . body portion 614 may extend generally parallel to fitting 602 . however , body portion 614 may extend in another orientation relative to fitting 602 , such as oblique or transverse , in order to position a shaft 14 of an operative component 10 in a desired orientation relative to a user &# 39 ; s hand , as described for handle 100 . finger portion 604 may be described as a portion of the frame 610 for contacting one or more of the fingers of a human hand . finger portion 604 may be transverse to body portion 614 . finger portion 604 may support fitting 602 . finger portion 604 may include one or more indentations 608 like handle 100 . fig2 - 26 illustrate a finger portion 604 which has three indentations 608 . finger portion 604 may also include one or more rests , which may be finger rests , web rests , or thumb rests . however , fig2 - 26 illustrate a handle 600 without prominent rests . the indentations 608 and / or rests may increase the accuracy or security with which a user can grasp handle 600 . palm portion 606 may be described as a portion of the frame 610 for contacting the palm of a human hand . for example , palm portion 606 may contact the palm or thenar eminence of a human hand . palm portion 606 may extend transversely from body portion 614 opposite fitting 602 and generally parallel to finger portion 604 . palm portion 606 may connect to finger portion 604 opposite body portion 614 . frame 610 may include one or more apertures 612 between body portion 614 , finger portion 604 , and palm portion 606 . the embodiment of fig2 - 26 is shown with two apertures 612 which hollow out a central portion of frame 610 so that body portion 614 , finger portion 604 , and palm portion 606 form a perimeter around the apertures 612 . the apertures 612 may reduce the mass of frame 610 , making the handle 600 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate frame 610 . first control 630 and second control 650 may be described as actuators for first and second mechanisms , respectively , of a surgical instrument . first and second controls 630 , 650 may share one , some , or all of the characteristics set forth for first control 130 . first and second controls 630 , 650 may embody different subsets of characteristics than first control 130 . fig2 - 26 illustrate examples of first and second controls 630 , 650 . the illustrated first control 630 is a spring biased plunger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 614 opposite the finger and palm portions 604 , 606 . the illustrated first control 630 is mounted to the body portion 614 between finger portion 604 and palm portion 606 , and is spring biased to protrude from the body portion 614 . the illustrated first control 630 is actuated by pressing the first control 630 down toward the body portion 614 . first control 630 may automatically return to the protruding position when released . alternately , first control 630 may remain in the depressed position until depressed again , at which point first control may return to the protruding position . fig2 - 24 show first control 630 in the protruding and depressed positions . the illustrated second control 650 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 614 opposite first control 630 generally in line with finger portion 604 . the illustrated second control 650 and the finger portion 604 are on opposite sides of the fitting 602 . the illustrated second control 650 is hinged to the front of body portion 614 and is spring biased toward the fitting 102 , i . e ., the front of body portion 614 . the illustrated second control 650 is actuated by pulling the second control 650 back from the fitting 602 with the index finger , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . in use , handle 600 may be grasped by a human hand so that the palm portion 606 rests against the palm or thenar eminence ; the middle , ring , and little fingers rest against the finger portion 604 in the indentations 608 ; the thumb rests on the first control 630 ; the index finger rests on the second control 650 ; and the fitting 602 is positioned between the index and middle fingers so that a shaft 14 of an operative component may extend between the index and middle fingers . in use , handle 600 is supported between the palm or thenar eminence and the middle , ring , and little fingers so that the index finger and thumb are free to operate the first and second controls 630 , 650 . furthermore , it can be appreciated that , in use , handle 600 is completely contained within the user &# 39 ; s hand so that there is no projecting hardware other than the operative component 10 . it can be appreciated that handle 600 may rest in a user &# 39 ; s hand in an upright orientation . handle 600 may also be suited to situations where the end effector 12 approaches the anatomy straight on . in other examples of handle 600 , shaft 14 may extend obliquely or transversely relative to the forearm , as established by the orientation of body portion 614 to fitting 602 . it can also be appreciated that handle 600 may be favorably adapted for a user having a smaller grip span . referring to fig2 , an instrument handle 700 may include a frame 710 , an arm 770 , a first control 730 , and a second control 750 . one or more portions of handle 700 may be bilaterally symmetric about a mid - sagittal plane . handle 700 may be operatively assembled to an operative component 10 to form a complete surgical instrument like handle 100 . handle 700 may be permanently or releasably coupled to operative component 10 . handle 700 may couple to any one of a plurality of different operative components 10 . frame 710 may include a fitting 702 , a body portion 714 , and a palm portion 706 . one or more portions of frame 710 may be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 700 . furthermore , fitting 702 , body portion 714 , and palm portion 706 may each be bilaterally symmetric about the mid - sagittal plane of handle 700 . fitting 702 may be described as a docking feature or connection feature to connect handle 700 to operative component 10 . for example , fitting 702 may be a socket , a through hole , or a protrusion . body portion 714 may be described as a portion of the frame 710 which supports fitting 702 , arm 770 , first control 730 , and second control 750 . body portion 714 may extend generally parallel to fitting 702 . however , body portion 714 may extend in another orientation relative to fitting 702 , such as oblique or transverse , in order to position a shaft 14 of an operative component 10 in a desired orientation relative to a user &# 39 ; s hand , as described for handle 100 . palm portion 706 may be described as a portion of the frame 710 for contacting the palm of a human hand . for example , palm portion 706 may contact the palm or thenar eminence of a human hand . palm portion 706 may extend obliquely from body portion 714 opposite fitting 702 . in the illustrated embodiment , palm portion 706 is a portion of an inner surface of a loop 718 which is sized , shaped , and positioned to encircle the base of a thumb of a human hand . alternately , palm portion 706 may resemble other palm portions disclosed herein . frame 710 may include one or more apertures 712 . the embodiment of fig2 is shown with an aperture 712 which hollows out a central portion of loop 718 . the aperture 712 may reduce the mass of frame 710 , making the handle 700 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate frame 710 . arm 770 may be described as a projection from frame 710 . arm 770 may extend obliquely from body portion 714 near fitting 702 , and may extend obliquely relative to palm portion 706 as well . arm 770 may be fixed or movable relative to frame 710 . for example , arm 770 may be integrally formed with , welded to , or fastened to frame 710 . in another example , arm 770 may be hinged to frame 710 so that arm 770 may be positioned relatively closer to , or farther from , palm portion 706 . if movable , arm 770 may also be biased to remain in a nominal position unless actuated by a user . if movable , arm 770 may further be described as an actuator for a mechanism of a surgical instrument , as will be discussed below . arm may include a finger portion 704 . finger portion 704 may be described as a portion of arm 770 for contacting one or more of the fingers of a human hand . finger portion 704 may extend obliquely relative to body portion 714 . finger portion 704 may include one or more indentations 708 like handle 100 . however , fig2 illustrates a finger portion 704 which is smooth , broad , and gently rounded . finger portion 704 may also include one or more rests , which may be finger rests , web rests , or thumb rests . however , fig2 illustrates a handle 700 without prominent rests . the indentations and / or rests may increase the accuracy or security with which a user can grasp handle 700 . in the illustrated embodiment , finger portion 704 is a portion of an inner surface of a loop 720 which is sized , shaped , and positioned to encircle the ulnar three fingers of a human hand . arm 770 may include one or more apertures 712 . the embodiment of fig2 is shown with an aperture 712 which hollows out a central portion of loop 720 . the aperture 712 may reduce the mass of arm 770 , making the handle 700 lighter and easier to use for long periods of time . reducing mass may decrease manufacturing costs by reducing the amount of material required to fabricate arm 770 . first control 730 and second control 750 may be described as actuators for first and second mechanisms , respectively , of a surgical instrument . first and second controls 730 , 750 may share one , some , or all of the characteristics set forth for first control 130 . first and second controls 730 , 750 may embody different subsets of characteristics than first control 130 . fig2 illustrates examples of first and second controls 730 , 750 . the illustrated first control 730 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 714 opposite the finger and palm portions 704 , 706 . the illustrated first control 730 is mounted to the body portion 714 between fitting 702 and palm portion 706 , and may be spring biased toward the rear of body portion 714 . alternately , first control 730 may be biased toward the front of body portion 714 , i . e ., toward fitting 702 . in another alternative , first control 730 may be biased to a middle position and movable forward and backward relative to the body portion 714 . the illustrated first control 730 may be actuated by pressing the first control 730 forward toward the fitting 702 or by pulling the first control 730 backward away from the fitting 702 . first control 730 may automatically return to the nominal biased position when released . alternately , first control 730 may remain in the forward or backward position until pressed again , at which point first control may return to the nominal position . the illustrated second control 750 is a spring biased lever or trigger that protrudes transversely from the body portion 714 opposite first control 730 near fitting 702 and finger portion 704 . the illustrated second control 750 and the finger portion 704 are on the same side of the fitting 702 . the illustrated second control 750 is hinged to the front of body portion 714 and is spring biased toward the fitting 102 , i . e ., the front of body portion 714 . the illustrated second control 750 is actuated by pulling the second control 750 back from the fitting 702 with the index finger , and automatically returns to the illustrated position when released . in use , handle 700 may be grasped by a human hand so that the palm portion 706 rests against the palm or thenar eminence with the thumb protruding through the loop 718 ; the middle , ring , and little fingers rest against the finger portion 704 with the middle , ring , and little fingers protruding through the loop 720 ; the thumb rests on the first control 730 ; the index finger rests on the second control 750 ; and the fitting 702 is positioned beside the index finger so that a shaft 14 of an operative component may extend beside the index finger . in use , handle 700 may be supported by the palm or thenar eminence alone so that the fingers and thumb are free to operate a movable embodiment of the arm 770 , the first control 730 , and the second control 750 . handle 700 may also be at least partially supported by the middle , ring , and little fingers on a fixed or movable embodiment of the arm 770 so that the index finger and thumb are free to operate the first and second controls 730 , 750 . while the illustrated handle 700 may rest in a user &# 39 ; s hand so that the shaft 14 extends from the handle 700 generally parallel to the forearm of the user , in other examples of handle 700 , shaft 14 may extend obliquely or transversely relative to the forearm , as established by the orientation of body portion 714 to fitting 702 . in other examples of handles according to the present disclosure , only one control may be provided . in still other examples , more than two controls may be provided . in other examples , one or more of the controls may be replaced with static features that serve as additional rests . for example , first control 130 of handle 100 may be replaced with a static rest so that the index finger may be used to further stabilize the handle 100 in use . any handle within the scope of the present disclosure may be further modified by including a web rest like rest 416 , or a thumb rest . handles according to the present disclosure may be fabricated from metal , polymer , ceramic , elastomer , wood , glass , composite material , and combinations thereof . a single handle , or a single component part of a handle , may be fabricated from a combination of materials in order to provide an appropriate material for each feature of the handle or part . handles of the present disclosure may be configured for unlimited repeated use , limited repeated use , or single use . handles for unlimited repeated use may be designed more robustly and may be made from materials that are less susceptible to wear , corrosion , bending , cracking , or breaking . handles for unlimited repeated use in a surgical setting may also be designed for easy cleaning and for repeated steam sterilization . handles for single use may be designed to minimize cost of goods by selecting economical materials , fabrication methods , manufacturing processes , inspection methods , and tooling . for example , a single - use handle may incorporate an over - molded handle and an inner machined core , where the core is fabricated in a single set - up on a high - speed machine tool center . single - use handles may have no provision for cleaning or sterilization . single - use handles may also incorporate materials that degrade during steam sterilization , for example as a deterrent to off - label reuse . the handles set forth in the present disclosure may be provided in a kit which includes several different handle styles . the kit may include several versions of a single handle style , each with a different orientation of body portion to fitting . the kit may include different handle styles and different orientations of body portion to fitting . the handles of the present disclosure may also be provided in a kit which includes several different operative components . for example , the operative components may differ in the types of end effectors provided , the shaft configuration ( straight , bent , twisted ), shaft length . any of the kits may be presented in a case or tray which organizes and positions the contents for easy selection and use . for example , a case may hold a selection of handles so that a user may select and grasp the handle in the proper functional orientation in one motion . in another example , a case may hold a selection of operative components so that a user may couple or decouple a handle and a selected operative component without releasing the user &# 39 ; s functional grasp of the handle . while the present disclosure has been made in the context of handles for surgical instruments , the systems and methods described herein may have a broad range of applications beyond the fields of surgery or medical devices . it should be understood that the present components , systems , kits , apparatuses , and methods are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed . rather , they are intended to include all modifications , equivalents , and alternatives falling within the scope of the claims . they are further intended to include embodiments which may be formed by combining features from the disclosed embodiments . the claims are not to be interpreted as including means - plus - or step - plus - function limitations , unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase ( s ) “ means for ” or “ step for ,” respectively . the term “ coupled ” is defined as connected , although not necessarily directly , and not necessarily mechanically . the use of the word “ a ” or “ an ” when used in conjunction with the term “ comprising ” in the claims and / or the specification may mean “ one ,” but it is also consistent with the meaning of “ one or more ” or “ at least one .” the term “ about ” means , in general , the stated value plus or minus 5 %. the use of the term “ or ” in the claims is used to mean “ and / or ” unless explicitly indicated to refer to alternatives only or the alternative are mutually exclusive , although the disclosure supports a definition that refers to only alternatives and “ and / or .” the terms “ comprise ” ( and any form of comprise , such as “ comprises ” and “ comprising ”), “ have ” ( and any form of have , such as “ has ” and “ having ”), “ include ” ( and any form of include , such as “ includes ” and “ including ”) and “ contain ” ( and any form of contain , such as “ contains ” and “ containing ”) are open - ended linking verbs . as a result , a method or device that “ comprises ,” “ has ,” “ includes ” or “ contains ” one or more steps or elements , possesses those one or more steps or elements , but is not limited to possessing only those one or more elements . likewise , a step of a method or an element of a device that “ comprises ,” “ has ,” “ includes ” or “ contains ” one or more features , possesses those one or more features , but is not limited to possessing only those one or more features . furthermore , a device or structure that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way , but may also be configured in ways that are not listed .	0
the present invention is based on arranging a large number of bent sheets one behind the other instead of a high - mass cast casing or inner casing . since the sheets are comparatively thin and are effectively insulated from one another thermally by means of the gap lying between them , the thermal stresses are low . the casing is therefore suitable for starting in a very short time . further advantages are : the delivery time is markedly shorter than where cast casings are concerned , since the sheets are commercially available . with standard dimensions , the sheets are already available in commercial depots . alternatively , a specific depot may be set up . a smaller quantity of costly nickel - based material is required , specifically for three reasons : on account of the insulation of the sheets from one another , the temperature decreases sharply from the inner shell to the outer shell . a more cost - effective material can therefore be used in the colder outer shells . owing to the sharper temperature drop from the inner shell to the outer shell , as compared with the conventional cast casing , the temperatures in the outer shells are lower . accordingly , the material strength , which increases with a decrease in temperature , is higher there , so that a smaller wall thickness of the shell is sufficient . the high - mass parting line flange of a conventional cast casing forms a considerable proportion of the entire casing weight . in the casings according to the present invention , because of the low pressure difference from shell to shell , only very small flanges , which are very light as compared with the casing shell , are required . the parting line screws of the flanged screw connections in the case of the shells divided in a horizontal midplane can have a very small design , as compared with conventional parting line screws . as a result , on the one hand , they can be delivered more quickly , since commercially available thin raw material can be used for manufacture . on the other hand , they can be produced more cost - effectively , since the commercially available raw material is more cost - effective and since they can be manufactured on smaller machines . instead of a high - mass cast inner casing which absorbs both the internal pressure and the shearing force , sheets in standard dimensions are used in a plurality of shells . these absorb essentially only the internal pressure . the guide vanes are mounted in the basic carrier . the latter absorbs essentially only the shearing force and the load moment and transmits the shearing force to the axial guide and the load moment to the supports . the casing is mounted and guided via the basic carrier . the basic carrier is subjected to almost no internal pressure stress and can therefore be constructed with a small wall thickness . fig1 shows the basic principle in a cross - sectional illustration by means of an exemplary embodiment : the inner casing 11 of a steam turbine 10 , said inner casing surrounding a rotor 18 concentrically , is illustrated . between the rotor 18 and the inner casing 11 , a steam duct 20 in the form of an annular gap is left free , in which is arranged a blading 19 comprising guide vanes and moving blades . metal sheets bent into a barrel shape and having a thickness of a few millimeters , preferably of between 2 and 11 millimeters , which consist of the here six upper shells ( upper halves ) 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 and 17 and of the six lower shells ( lower halves ) 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 and 27 , are laid in the manner of onion skins around the steam duct 20 and the rotor 18 . the upper and lower shells are fixed to one another in each case via a welded - on small horizontal flange 28 , 29 ( see also fig2 ) and a flanged screw connection 30 . the guide vanes in the steam duct 20 are mounted on a basic carrier 21 which likewise consists of an upper part 21 a and of a lower part 21 b which are both fixed to one another by means of a small flange ( horizontal flange halves 52 , 53 in fig5 and 6 ) and a flanged screw connection 30 . between the upper and lower shells 12 , . . . , 17 and 22 , . . . , 27 , interspaces 48 are left free which are filled with steam via orifices in the basic carrier 21 during operation . the steam pressure decreases from the inside outward from interspace to interspace of the upper and lower shells 12 , . . . , 17 and 22 , . . . , 27 . fig2 shows , in the form of an enlarged detail , an exemplary horizontal flanged connection of the upper and lower shells from fig1 ( flanged screw connection 30 in fig1 ). in fig2 , an upper shell 17 is welded to a flange upper part 28 . the lower shell 27 is welded to the flange lower part 29 . the associated weld seams are given the reference symbol 36 . a screw bolt 32 is inserted through in bores 35 in the flange upper part 28 and lower part 29 , said screw being braced by means of nuts 33 and 34 and sealing off the parting line 31 between the flange upper part 28 and the flange lower part 29 . fig3 shows a longitudinal section through a double - flow inner casing 11 of a steam turbine 40 . the inner casing 11 again comprises a basic carrier 21 with an upper part 21 a and lower part 21 b and also upper shells 12 , . . . , 17 and lower shells 22 , . . . , 27 . the rotor 18 rotates about the axis 47 . a flow 44 and 45 together with the corresponding blading 19 is arranged on each of the two sides of central inlet pipes 37 , 38 . the steam flows through the inlet pipes 37 ( top ) and 38 ( bottom ) to the rotor 18 and is then apportioned to a left flow 44 with the blading 19 and to a right flow 45 with the blading 19 . the inlet pipes 37 and 38 are led via piston ring seals 39 ( top ) and 41 ( bottom ) through the upper shells 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and the lower shells 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 and the innermost ring ( carrier segment 46 ′) of the basic carrier 21 . the basic carrier 21 , on the one hand , is divided horizontally into an upper part 21 a and a lower part 21 b and , on the other hand , is subdivided axially into carrier segments 46 ( more precisely , segment halves 46 a , b ) which carry the guide vanes of the blading 19 on the insides and to which the upper and lower shells 12 , . . . , 17 and 22 , . . . , 27 are fastened . in the example of fig3 , six carrier segments 46 ( 12 segment halves 46 a , b ) are provided on each of the two sides of the innermost carrier segment 46 ′ through which the inlet pipes 37 , 38 are led . the individual carrier segments 46 are connected to one another in such a way that steam can flow out of the steam duct into the interspaces 48 of the upper and lower shells . for mounting the upper shells 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , it is necessary to screw these to the upper segment halves 46 a of the basic carrier 21 by means of a semiannular flanged connection 42 . the lower shells 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 can be connected to the lower segment halves 46 b by means of weld seams 43 . in fig3 , the connection of the upper and lower shells 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 to the basic carrier 21 takes place axially , in each case approximately at the segment center . if , however , this screw or welded connection is formed at that end of the carrier segment 46 which is directed downstream with respect to the steam flow , the carrier segment 46 of the basic carrier 21 is acted upon by an external pressure . the horizontal flange screws which hold together the upper and lower part 21 a , b of the basic carrier 21 may then have a very small design or they may even be dispensed with completely . fig4 shows a longitudinal section through a single - flow inner casing 11 of a steam turbine 50 . the steam flows through the inlet pipes 37 ( top ) and 38 ( bottom ) to the rotor 18 and then to the left through the blading 19 . a residual steam flows through the casing seal 49 ( here , labyrinth seal ) arranged on the right side . the inlet pipes 37 and 38 are led via piston ring seals 39 ( top ) and 41 ( bottom ) through the upper shells 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and the lower shells 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 and the inner carrier segment 46 ′ of the basic carrier 21 . the inner carrier segment 46 ′ carries the first guide vanes of the blading 19 on the left side and the casing seals 49 on the right side . the carrier segments 46 on the right of this inner carrier segment 46 ′ carry the further casing seals , and the carrier segments 46 on the left of this inner carrier segment 46 ′ carry the further guide vanes . between the carrier segments 46 , 46 ′ are orifices which allow the steam to flow into the interspaces 48 of the upper and lower shells . between the carrier segments 46 , 46 ′ which carry the casing seals , these orifices may be dispensed with . this rules out the situation where hot steam flows out of the seals into the interspaces 48 of the upper and lower shells . the seals should , however , be designed in such a way that the pressure difference between the interspaces 48 and the seals 49 is low . preferably , the pressure in the interspaces should be slightly higher , so that , in the event of a leak , colder steam flows out of the interspace into the seal , not vice versa . for mounting the upper shells 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , it is necessary to screw these to the upper segment halves 46 a of the basic carrier 21 by means of a semiannular flanged connection 42 . should the turbine not have to be dismantled again , the upper shells 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 may also be connected to the upper segment halves 46 a of the basic carrier 21 by means of a welded connection . the lower shells 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 may again be connected to the lower segment halves 46 b by means of weld seams 43 . fig5 shows two upper segment halves 46 a of a basic carrier 21 . in the example illustrated , the segment halves 46 a are connected to short round bars 51 , for example by welding . the segment halves 46 a themselves may consist , for example , of bent sheet metal or of forged half rings . the round bars 51 for the adjacent segment halves not yet welded on are also illustrated . the voids between the round bars 51 allow the steam to flow into the interspaces 48 of the upper and lower shells ( see fig3 and 4 ). round flanges 54 with bores 55 distributed over the circumference are attached to the segment halves 46 a , the upper shells ( 12 , . . . , 17 in fig1 to 4 ) being screwed to said round flanges . furthermore , horizontal flange halves 52 and 53 are attached , by means of which the upper segment halves 46 a illustrated can be screwed to the associated lower segment halves ( not illustrated ). fig6 shows the upper half or the upper part 21 a of a basic carrier 21 . in contrast to fig5 , the segment halves 46 a are connected in that the entire upper part 21 a of the basic carrier 21 is cast or forged in one piece . the permeability of the steam into the interspaces 48 of the upper and lower shells ( see fig3 and 4 ) is ensured by means of bores 56 . the round flanges 54 having the bores 55 are attached to the segment halves 46 a , the upper shells being screwed to said round flanges . furthermore , horizontal flange halves 52 and 53 are again provided , by means of which the illustrated upper part 21 a of the basic carrier 21 can be screwed to the lower part 21 b ( not illustrated ). the claws and webs for the supports and guides of the casings 11 are not shown in the figures . claws and webs are attached , for example , to the outermost carrier segments 46 of the basic carrier 21 . in the figures , the casing 11 is designed as an inner casing . however , an outer casing , too , may be produced in the multishell design according to the present invention with a stepped pressure reduction . instead of the basic carrier segments with blading ( left side in fig4 ), basic carrier segments with casing seals 49 ( right side in fig4 ) are used on both sides . the inner and outer casings configured according to the present invention may also be combined . for example , in fig4 , one or more shells are added on the outside , in which only seals are attached to the associated additional carrier segments of the basic carrier . then , in a similar way to the inlet pipes 37 and 38 , an outlet pipe with piston seals is led through these added shells , the steam being capable of flowing outward through said outlet pipe . the bent shells ( upper and lower shells ) can be produced in a simple and cost - effective way by means of the method of end - controlled bending , as disclosed in german patent specification de - c2 - 43 10 773 . for an exemplary 400 - mw steam turbine with an hp and mp part , it is necessary in the hp part to have 5 shells consisting of alloy 617 which have stepped wall thicknesses of 9 to 10 . 5 mm . the mp part has 3 shells consisting of alloy 617 with stepped wall thicknesses of 3 . 8 to 5 . 8 mm . in each case 3 stages of the turbine ( 3 guide vane rings and 3 moving blade rings ) are assigned to a carrier segment of the basic carrier . starting of a 700 ° c ./ 720 ° c . turbine possible within a few minutes ( instead of 5 hours at the present time ). reduced delivery time for the casing . cost saving with regard to the casing and to the casing screws . casings : standard metal sheets , if appropriate standardized , are used instead of cast iron ( conventional design ). the standardization results in a cost benefit . there is additionally also a cost benefit because less nickel - based material is required , since a change to the material of the next lower quality is possible directly in the next “ onion skin ”. parting line screws : small screws are mass products or in any event can be manufactured everywhere and are therefore inexpensive . as a result of standardization , the sheets and the individual segments of the basic carrier can be kept in stock . standard sheets may also alternatively be procured from the sheet manufacturer &# 39 ; s depot . the delivery time is thereby drastically reduced , since there is no dependence on the long delivery time of a casting foundry .	5
the present invention provides a novel bricklayer &# 39 ; s trowel capable of better regulation of the gap or cross joint between adjacent vertical faces of adjacent bricks in the same course of bricks . the result being that the resulting course of bricks will be of the desired length compared with use of conventional trowels . turning now to the figures hereof , the trowel 10 of fig1 and 2 comprises a flat quadrilateral blade 11 having four corners ( or “ shoulders ”) and a shaft , ferrule or tube 12 for receiving a handle 12 a . the blade 11 preferably has two corners or shoulders 13 , 14 adjacent to the end where handle 12 a is located . adjacent to one corner 13 , there is provided , or formed , a protrusion 15 which projects from the flat ( main or top ) surface of blade 11 . protrusion 15 is preferably in the vicinity of corner 13 ( e . g ., 5 to 12 mm from the corner , preferably 10 mm or thereabouts for a blade having an overall length of about 20 to 30 cm and a width of about 70 mm to about 110 mm ) and preferably on or near to the edge of blade 11 between handle 12 a and corner 13 . the protrusion 15 may be on a notional line ( not shown ) joining corners 13 and 14 . in some preferred embodiments , protrusion 15 is at a location on blade 11 that is slightly displaced from this notional line so as to be closer to handle 12 a . this displacement leaves the adjacent corner 13 substantially unaffected by the presence of protrusion 15 so that it can be employed for cutting bricks in the well - known manner . protrusion 15 may be an integral or unitary part of the blade or it may be a separate part which is secured to blade 11 by any suitable means . thus , protrusion 15 may be a dimple which is integral with blade 11 and formed by pressing or stamping . alternatively , protrusion 15 may be a separate member secured to the blade , e . g ., by spot welding . a suitable separate member ( not shown ) might be , e . g ., a piece of metal resembling the domed head of a dome - headed bolt . protrusion 15 is preferably of a substantially smoothly - curved dome - like form and may will preferably have a substantially circular base , as depicted in the figures hereof , since this will be easier to clean than a protrusion having sharp angles . a smoothly - curved domed protrusion can be made by stamping or pressing blade 11 . alternatively , the blade may be formed from suitable sheet metal having a ridged section at or adjacent to the edge of blade 11 which is subjected to a grinding process to form a desired protrusion 15 . another form ( not shown ) of the protrusion is cylindrical with a flat outer face . this latter form can be made by welding or spot - welding a cylindrical disc ( e . g ., a stud or boss ) to the face of the blade . although the present invention is not limited to exact dimensions of instant trowel there are preferred dimensions . for example , it is preferred that the total distance between the free end of the protrusion and the lower or bottom face ( as shown ) of blade 11 be equal to ( or approximately equal to ) the desired gap for mortar between adjacent vertical faces of adjacent bricks in the same course . in uk , this distance is typically 10 mm . in usa , this distance is ¼ inch ( 6 . 35 cm ). thus for uk use , blade 11 will preferably have a thickness of about 2 mm , protrusion 15 should preferably extend about 8 mm from the surface of the blade 11 from which it protrudes . however , blade 11 may have a thickness in the range of about 1 to 3 mm , and protrusion 15 would then extend a distance in the range of about 9 to 7 mm so that the total thickness of the blade and protrusion will preferably be about 10 mm if the desired gap between adjacent bricks in the same course is about 10 mm . in use , trowel 10 is employed to apply and spread mortar on bricks . when bricks are being laid , bricks are laid in a bed of mortar to form a horizontal course . as each additional brick is added to the course , mortar is applied by the trowel to the vertical face of the last - laid brick of the course . the corner region 13 of trowel 10 of the present invention is located in the vertical gap between adjacent bricks where it serves as a gauge or spacer , wherein one brick abuts a face of the trowel &# 39 ; s blade and the adjacent brick abuts the “ top ” or free , distal , end of protrusion remote from the main face of blade 11 . thus , the gap or space between adjacent bricks in a course is relatively accurately defined . when adjacent bricks in a course are thus disposed with a gap of the desired size between them , corner region 13 of the trowel is withdrawn from the gap and the gap is filled with mortar to complete the joint . the gaps between bricks in each course can therefore be of substantially uniform dimensions , substantially equal to the thickness of the blade plus the “ height ” of the protrusion . as a result , each course laid by the method described has substantially the desired length . it has not previously been possible to ensure readily that the gaps or cross - joints between bricks in a course were uniform by use of conventional trowels . the trowel of the present invention enables this difficulty to be surmounted . the trowel of fig1 hereof is shown with protrusion 15 near one corner or shoulder 13 of blade 11 . fig3 hereof shows a trowel of the present invention in which protrusion 15 is near the opposite corner or shoulder 14 . all the matters mentioned regarding protrusions 15 of fig1 hereof apply equally to the protrusions 15 of fig3 hereof . the side elevation of the trowel of fig3 is the same as shown in fig2 hereof . the trowel of fig3 hereof could be suited to a left - handed bricklayer , and the trowel of fig1 hereof could be suited to a right - handed bricklayer . fig4 hereof shows a trowel having two protrusions 15 , one near one corner 13 and the other near opposite corner 14 . the trowel of fig4 hereof could be suited to bricklayers who are either right handed or left handed . the side elevation of the trowel of fig4 hereof is the same as fig2 hereof . all the matters mentioned regarding the protrusions 15 of fig1 and 3 apply equally to the protrusions 15 of fig4 hereof . the trowels of fig3 , 4 and 5 are used to set the gap between adjacent bricks in a horizontal course in the same way as the trowel of fig1 hereof . at least one protrusion 15 , preferably all , are preferably located on blade 11 slightly offset from its respective corner ( s ) 13 or 14 in a direction towards handle 12 a , so that the corner ( s ) 13 , 14 can be used for cutting bricks in the well - known manner . the offset distance from the respective comer ( s ) will preferably be in the range of about 2 to about 20 mm , e . g . about 3 to about 15 mm , for example about 4 to about 12 mm , suitably about 5 to about 10 mm , so that the corner ( s ) 13 , 14 are available for cutting bricks despite the provision of the protrusion ( s ) 15 . features of one embodiment described herein may be employed in any feasible combination with features of another embodiment .	4
aspects of the present invention are preferably implemented with computer devices and computer networks that allow users to exchange trading information . an exemplary trading network environment for implementing trading systems and methods is shown in fig2 . an exchange computer system 100 receives orders and transmits market data related to orders and trades to users . exchange computer system 100 may be implemented with one or more mainframe , desktop or other computers . a user database 102 includes information identifying traders and other users of exchange computer system 100 . data may include user names and passwords . an account data module 104 may process account information that may be used during trades . a match engine module 106 is included to match bid and offer prices . match engine module 106 may be implemented with software that executes one or more algorithms for matching bids and offers . a trade database 108 may be included to store information identifying trades and descriptions of trades . in particular , a trade database may store information identifying the time that a trade took place and the contract price . an order book module 110 may be included to compute or otherwise determine current bid and offer prices . a market data module 112 may be included to collect market data and prepare the data for transmission to users . a risk management module 134 may be included to compute and determine a user &# 39 ; s risk utilization in relation to the user &# 39 ; s defined risk thresholds . an order processing module 136 may be included to decompose delta based and bulk order types for processing by order book module 110 and match engine module 106 .) the trading network environment shown in fig2 includes computer devices 114 , 116 , 118 , 120 and 122 . each computer device includes a central processor that controls the overall operation of the computer and a system bus that connects the central processor to one or more conventional components , such as a network card or modem . each computer device may also include a variety of interface units and drives for reading and writing data or files . depending on the type of computer device , a user can interact with the computer with a keyboard , pointing device , microphone , pen device or other input device . computer device 114 is shown directly connected to exchange computer system 100 . exchange computer system 100 and computer device 114 may be connected via a t1 line , a common local area network ( lan ) or other mechanism for connecting computer devices . computer device 114 is shown connected to a radio 132 . the user of radio 132 may be a trader or exchange employee . the radio user may transmit orders or other information to a user of computer device 114 . the user of computer device 114 may then transmit the trade or other information to exchange computer system 100 . computer devices 116 and 118 are coupled to a lan 124 . lan 124 may have one or more of the well - known lan topologies and may use a variety of different protocols , such as ethernet . computers 116 and 118 may communicate with each other and other computers and devices connected to lan 124 . computers and other devices may be connected to lan 124 via twisted pair wires , coaxial cable , fiber optics or other media . alternatively , a wireless personal digital assistant device ( pda ) 122 may communicate with lan 124 or the internet 126 via radio waves . pda 122 may also communicate with exchange computer system 100 via a conventional wireless hub 128 . as used herein , a pda includes mobile telephones and other wireless devices that communicate with a network via radio waves . fig2 also shows lan 124 connected to the internet 126 . lan 124 may include a router to connect lan 124 to the internet 126 . computer device 120 is shown connected directly to the internet 126 . the connection may be via a modem , dsl line , satellite dish or any other device for connecting a computer device to the internet . one or more market makers 130 may maintain a market by providing constant bid and offer prices for a derivative or security to exchange computer system 100 . exchange computer system 100 may also exchange information with other trade engines , such as trade engine 138 . one skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous additional computers and systems may be coupled to exchange computer system 100 . such computers and systems may include clearing , regulatory and fee systems . the operations of computer devices and systems shown in fig2 may be controlled by computer - executable instructions stored on computer - readable medium . for example , computer device 116 may include computer - executable instructions for receiving order information from a user and transmitting that order information to exchange computer system 100 . in another example , computer device 118 may include computer - executable instructions for receiving market data from exchange computer system 100 and displaying that information to a user . of course , numerous additional servers , computers , handheld devices , personal digital assistants , telephones and other devices may also be connected to exchange computer system 100 . moreover , one skilled in the art will appreciate that the topology shown in fig2 is merely an example and that the components shown in fig2 may be connected by numerous alternative topologies . fig3 shows a trader station user interface 300 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . a new client window is divided into two portions . an order entry region 302 may be included as the top portion of user interface 300 and an informational region 304 may be included as the bottom portion of user interface 300 . order entry region 302 includes a price and quantity grid 306 . fig4 shows an exemplary price and quantity grid 400 . as shown in the embodiment of fig4 , price and quantity grid 400 may contain five columns and ten rows . a buy column 402 displays a user &# 39 ; s working buy order quantities . as used herein , a user may be a trader . a hit column 404 displays the market bid quantities . prices for individual rows are displayed in a price column 406 . a take column 408 displays market ask quantities . and , a sell column 410 displays a user &# 39 ; s working sell order quantities . individual entries may be color coded to assist users in quickly interpreting the displayed information . for example , entries in buy column 402 and hit column 404 may be in blue and entries in take column 408 and sell column 410 may be in red . price and quantity grid 400 includes more rows than are displayed in price and quantity grid 306 ( shown in fig3 ). section 412 includes the rows from price and quantity grid 400 that are included in price and quantity grid 306 . the information included in rows outside of section 412 , such as the information included in row 414 , may be stored in memory and retrieved when needed . a scroll bar 416 allows a user to select which group of rows to display in price and quantity grid 306 . order entry region 302 may also include a custom order entry region 308 . fig5 illustrates a custom order entry region in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . a contract field 502 identifies a particular contract the user wishes to buy or sell . a quantity field 504 identifies the number of contracts the user wishes to buy or sell . a user can adjust the quantity by selecting the increase or decrease scroll icons . alternatively , the user can edit the displayed text . scroll icons are particularly convenient for small handheld devices that may not include a keyboard or that include a keyboard with small keys . the user &# 39 ; s net position for the contract display in contract field 502 is displayed in net position field 506 . a lock icon 508 may be included to lock the state of price and quantity grid 306 . the operation of lock icon 508 is described in detail below . the price of the transaction is displayed in a price field 510 . in one embodiment of the invention , selecting contract field 502 causes price field 510 to display the most recent market price for that contract . the user can adjust the price by selecting the increase or decrease scroll icons . alternatively , the user can edit the displayed text . finally , the user may select either a buy icon 512 or a sell icon 514 to enter a buy or sell order . returning again to fig3 , a view icon 310 may be used to select the type of information to display in informational region 304 . in one embodiment of the invention , informational region 304 may contain several overlaid informational panels . selecting view icon 310 may cause a menu of informational panels to be displayed . alternatively , selecting view icon 310 may cause informational region 304 to toggle through the informational panels . informational panels may include a variety of different trading related information . informational panel 312 displays market activities of several contracts simultaneously . informational panel 314 may display some or all of a user &# 39 ; s working orders . in one embodiment of the invention , a user may cancel a working order by selecting the order in informational panel 314 . an informational panel may also serve as a message log . informational panel 316 , for example , includes trade related messages received from a trading match engine . clearing information may also be displayed in an informational panel . informational panel 318 displays a user &# 39 ; s current clearing information settings and allows the user to make modifications . one skilled in the art will appreciated that two or more of the disclosed informational panels may be combined and additional informational panels may be used without departing from the scope of the invention . aspects of the present invention support a variety of different orders , such as buy / sell limit day order and buy / sell fill and kill limit day order . orders may be for financial instruments such as options contracts , futures contracts , options on futures contracts , securities , etc . the information included in price and quantity grid 306 may change while the market moves . an element within the grid may represent one transaction at a first time and a second transaction a split second later . with prior user interfaces , the user risked sending an unwanted order or cancel request to a trade engine . with the present invention , lock icon 508 may be used to freeze the state of the user interface to prevent elements of price and quantity grid from changing while the user enters a trade . once clicked , price and quantity grid 306 will only be updated in the memory of the device , and there is no display update . as a result and as described in detail below , selecting an element within price and quantity grid 306 will send out an order or cancel request that the user intended . in one embodiment , soon after the request is sent , the lock will be released automatically . the lock can also be released by clicking lock icon 508 again without sending out any order request . in one alternative embodiment , lock icon 508 may be replaced with a button or other physical device that forms part of a computer device . of course there are numerous alternatives for releasing the lock , such as releasing after the order is entered , after a time defined by the user , etc . in another embodiment , only a portion of price and quantity grid 306 is locked , such as the portion that the user is using to enter an order or the price column . the user may be presented with options for selecting the criteria for locking and unlocking . for example , a lock icon may be placed next to each column and / or row to allow the user to select columns and rows to lock . fig6 illustrates an embodiment that includes an order entry section for buy and sell limit day orders . user interface 602 illustrates a state before the entry of an order . user interface 602 may be presented on the display of a computer device , such as a pda . in the example shown in fig6 , the user wishes to buy 100 esh3 contracts at 83550 . in order to ensure that user interface 602 does not change while the user is in the process of entering an order , the user may first select lock icon 604 . after lock icon 604 is selected , updated market information is stored locally , but not presented on the display . next , the user sets a quantity field 606 to 100 ( the number of contracts the user wishes to buy ). element 608 is then selected to enter the order . element 608 may be selected with a stylus , key pad , mouse or any other conventional mechanism for selecting elements of a graphical user interface . selecting any element in the left most column will send in a limit gtd buy order with the price specified in the center column and the quantity specified in quantity field 606 . similarly , selecting any element in the right most column will send in a limit gtd sell order with the price specified in the center column and the quantity specified in quantity filed 606 . after element 608 is selected , a buy order for 100 esh3 contracts at 83550 may be transmitted to a match engine . after the order is entered , the lock may be released automatically so that updated market information is displayed . user interface 610 illustrates a state that exists while an order is pending . the background color of element 612 may be changed to indicate that the order is pending . of course other visual aspects of element 612 and / or visual aspects of the surrounding elements may be changed to indicate that the order is pending . a message banner 614 may also include a message indicating that an order is pending . the background color of message banner 614 may be changed to indicate that an order is pending . in one embodiment of the invention , the background color of element 612 and message banner 614 is changed to green to indicate that an order is pending . next , it is determined whether or not the order was accepted . user interface 616 illustrates a state that exists when an order has been rejected . a dialog box 618 may be presented to indicate that the order was rejected and may also provide a reason for the rejection . a message banner 620 may also indicate that the order was rejected . in one embodiment , the background color of message banner 620 is changed to a color that is different from the background color of message banner 614 , such as yellow . region 622 may be selected to close message banner 620 . user interface 624 illustrates a state that exists when an order has been accepted . element 626 has been updated to show that the user has entered an order for 100 additional contracts . similarly , element 628 has been updated to reflect the order . the background color of element 626 may also be switched to the default color . a message banner 630 may indicate that the order was accepted . in one embodiment , the background color of message banner 630 is changed to a color that is different from the background colors of message banners 614 , and 620 , such as blue . region 632 may be selected to close message banner 630 . informational panels 634 , 636 and 638 are exemplary informational panels that may be displayed after an order is accepted . fig7 illustrates an embodiment of the invention that may be used for order entry for hit and take orders . user interface 702 illustrates a state before the entry of an order . column 704 is a hit column that includes market bid quantities and column 706 is a take column that includes market ask quantities . selecting any element in hit column 704 will send in a limit fill and kill buy ( hit ) order with the price specified in price column 708 and the quantity equal to all available market quantity . similarly , selecting any element in take column 706 will send in a limit fill and kill sell ( take ) order with the price specified in price column the center column and the quantity equal to all available market quantity . in the example shown , a user may send a fill and kill limit order for 270 esh3 contracts at 83525 by selecting element 710 . after element 710 is selected , the order may be sent to a match engine . user interface 712 illustrates a state while the order is pending . the background color of element 714 may be changed to indicate that the order is pending . of course other visual aspects of element 714 and / or visual aspects of the surrounding elements may be changed to indicate that the order is pending . a message banner 716 may also include a message indicating that an order is pending . the background color of message banner 716 may be changed to indicate that an order is pending . in one embodiment of the invention , the background color of element 714 and message banner 716 is changed to green to indicate that an order is pending . next , it is determined whether or not a match engine has eliminated the order . user interface 718 illustrates a state that exists when an order has been eliminated . the background color of element 720 returns to the same color as the background of element 710 . a message banner 722 may indicate that the order has been eliminated . the background color of message banner 722 may be changed to indicate that the order has been eliminated . in one embodiment the color is changed to yellow . a dialog box may also be displayed to indicate that the order has been eliminated and may also provide a reason for the elimination . user interface 724 illustrates a state when the order has been accepted . the values in elements 726 , 728 and 730 are reset to reflect the change in net positions and to indicate that the order has been accepted . a message banner 732 may be included to indicate that the order has been accepted . the color of message banner 732 may also be changed to a different color , such as blue . informational panel 734 is an exemplary informational panel that may be displayed after an order has been accepted . fig8 illustrates user interfaces that may be used to cancel working orders , in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . selecting a price element in price column 802 of user interface 804 will send a cancel request to a match engine to cancel all working orders at that price . user interface 806 illustrates a state that exists when the user selects element 808 . the background color or other visual characteristic of element 808 may be changed to indicate that a cancel order is pending . a message banner 810 may also include a message indicating that an order is pending . the background color of message banner 810 may be changed to indicate that an order is pending . in one embodiment of the invention , the background color of element 808 and message banner 810 is changed to green to indicate that an order is pending . it is next determined whether the order is accepted . user interface 812 illustrates a state that exists when an order has not been accepted . user interface 814 illustrates a state that exists when an order has been accepted . user interfaces 812 and 814 are similar to user interfaces 616 and 624 ( shown in fig6 ) respectively , and a description is not repeated here . informational panels 816 and 818 are exemplary informational panels that may be displayed after an order is accepted . in one embodiment of the invention , a single command may be used to cancel all of a user &# 39 ; s orders for a specific contract or all orders for all contracts . for example , selecting the column heading for column 802 may cancel all orders for the contracts identified in element 820 . a confirmation box option may be used to protect against unwanted trades . activating and deactivating the confirmation box may be accomplished by making an appropriate menu selection . once the confirmation box is turned on , every trade will be echoed in the confirmation box to ask for further approval . if the user approves the order , the order request may be sent to a match engine . if cancelled , nothing will be sent to the match engine . a user can limit his or her one - time trading quantity to a fixed maximum number . this will protect user from hitting or taking an unwanted large market quantity or an erroneous quantity specification . if the quantity in any order request exceeds this number , a message box will be popped up to warn user , and the request will not be sent to the host . the determination of whether a trading quantity exceeds a fixed maximum number may be made locally and / or at a match engine . fig9 illustrate alternative user interfaces 902 and 904 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention . user interfaces 902 and 904 preferably include only 3 columns . of course , the information included in the three columns may also be arranged in 3 rows . among other advantages , the use of only three rows or columns eliminates unused space and improves readability on a small display or section of a display . user interface 902 includes a first column 906 that may include ask prices and market bid quantities . a second column 908 may include the user &# 39 ; s working bid and ask quantities . a third column 910 may include bid prices and market ask quantities . in operation , selecting element 912 or 914 will transmit a sell order having the price indicated and the quantity listed in element 916 . selecting element 918 or 920 will transmit a sell order for the indicated quantity that will be matched at entry with existing buy limit orders and the best available buy price . selecting element 922 , 924 or 926 will transmit a buy order having the price indicated and the quantity listed in element 916 . selecting element 928 or 930 will transmit a buy order for the indicated quantity that will be matched at entry with existing sell limit orders and the best available price . user interface 902 may incorporate the color schemes and functionality of user interfaces described above . one skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous modifications to user interface 902 may be made while still utilizing 3 columns . user interface 904 , for example , replaces sell column 906 and buy column 910 of user interface 902 with a hit column 930 and a take column 932 . in one exemplary embodiment , a user may take the market for the indicated quantity by selecting element 934 or 936 . the user may hit the market for the indicated quantity by selecting element 938 or 940 . additional modifications may include allowing a user to transmit an order by selecting any element within a row . for example , with reference to user interface 904 , a user may transmit a take order for 100 contracts by selecting any element within row 942 . fig1 illustrates a mobile computer device 1000 that includes a graphical user interface that does not include a lock icon in accordance with another embodiment of the invention . mobile computer device 1000 may be configured to monitor changes in market depth and cancel orders in which the market price has changed within a short period of time before the user enters the order . in one embodiment of the invention , this price protection feature may be applied to only a portion of a price and quantity grid . for example , the price protection feature may be applied to only rows 1002 and 1004 . fig1 illustrates an algorithm that may be performed by mobile computer device 1000 to protect a user against unexpected changes in prices . first , in step 1102 mobile computer device 1000 receives dynamically updated market depth information for a financial instrument . next , mobile computer device 1000 receives an order for the financial instrument from a user in step 1104 . step 1104 may result from , for example , the user providing a selection command to the graphical user interface . in step 1106 it is determined whether the market price for the financial instrument has changed within a predetermined period of time before receiving the order from the user . for example , it may be determined whether the price has changed within a two second period of time that begins two seconds before receiving the order and ends at the point that the order was received . in an alternative embodiment , a default tick tolerance or user specified tick tolerance is used and step 1106 includes determining whether the market price has changed a predetermined amount . if the price has not changed within the predetermined time period , the order may be transmitted to a match engine in step 1108 . in alternative embodiments of the invention step 1108 may be replaced with one or more other steps that result in an order being conveyed from the mobile terminal to a destination that will ultimately result in the order being placed with an exchange . when the price has changed within the predetermined time period , in step 1110 it is determined whether the price change benefits the user . when the price change benefits the user , the order is transmitted to a match engine in step 1108 . when the price change does not benefit the user , the order is canceled in step 1112 . as used herein , an order is canceled when it is deleted or otherwise does leave mobile computer device 1000 so that the order may be executed at an exchange . in various embodiments of the invention , users are allowed to select the predetermined time period and / or tick tolerance . fig1 shows a mobile computer device having an exemplary graphical user interface that allows a user to specify the predetermined time period as well as the tick tolerance . in alternative embodiments of the invention a plurality of predetermined time periods and / or tick tolerance may be used . for example , a first time period may be assigned for orders exceeding a monetary or quantity threshold and a second time period may be assigned for orders that do not exceed the threshold . the predetermined time periods and / or tick tolerances may also be specific to individual or groups of financial instruments . various aspects if the invention may include additional mechanisms to prevent unwanted trades . for example , a confirmation box may be activated to present a dialog box to users and request final approval before transmitting a trade . a user can also limit his or her one - time trading quantity to a fixed maximum number . this will protect the user from hitting or taking an unwanted large market quantity or an erroneous quantity specification . if the quantity in any order request exceeds this number , a message box will be popped up to warn the user and the request will not be sent to the host . the determination of whether a trading quantity exceeds a fixed maximum number may be made locally and / or at a match engine . the present invention has been described herein with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that a person understanding this invention may conceive of changes or other embodiments or variations , which utilize the principles of this invention without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims . all are considered within the sphere , spirit , and scope of the invention .	6
turning first to fig1 - 5 , the illustrated spillproof squeeze bottle liquid dispenser assembly 10 comprises a generally cylindrical molded plastic squeeze bottle 12 having a resiliently flexible container wall 16 and is integrally formed at its upper end with an externally threaded outlet neck 14 . the assembled bottle 10 also includes a molded plastic spout member 18 having a generally cylindrical lower end portion 20 that is internally threaded for mounting on the external threads of the bottle neck 14 . the tip of a tapered portion 22 of the spout is normally closed by a complementary cap 24 which is , of course , removed when it is desired to dispense a liquid contained in the bottle . as is well known , inward manual deflection of the wall 16 creates or stores elastic strain energy in the wall which returns the wall outwardly to its illustrated unstressed normal shape after pressure is removed from the wall . air is drawn into the container through its outlet neck 14 during this outward return of the wall 16 to equalize the internal container pressure and external ambient pressure and thereby permit full return of the wall to its normal shape . without any further structure , the squeeze bottle dispenser thus far described is entirely conventional and subject to the deficiencies previously noted . according to the present invention , spilling hazards are eliminated by providing the dispenser with a unique and simple valved and vented septum which prevents outflow of liquid from the dispenser except when it is deliberately squeezed but without the septum &# 39 ; s appreciably inhibiting the dispensing rates or relaxation rates of the bottle . preferably , the septum takes the form of the particular septum 26 shown in fig2 but in all cases is made as a thin self - supporting membrane of a resiliently flexible material with a perimeter matching that of the outlet on which it is to be seated . thus , as is shown in fig1 the septum 26 is seated on the upper end of the outlet neck 14 and fluid - sealingly clamped in place spanning the outlet by means of the screw connection of the spout 18 with the bottle neck . in the illustrated case , the septum 26 is of circular plan - form and the membrane thickness of the resiliently flexible septum is nevertheless sufficient to be sufficiently self - supporting to span the opening and provide a solid barrier to the passage of the liquid except in response to the valve action . the preferred septum 26 has a pair of slits 28 intersecting at 29 at the geometric center of the septum disc and , thus , the longitudinal axis of the dispenser spout . the pair of slits 28 are angularly oriented relative to one another such that they include equal opposite angles in the range of about 35 ° to about 65 °, but preferably on the order of 55 ° defining an opposite pair of symmetrical valve flaps 30 . the intersecting slits 28 also define another opposite pair of equal angles of 125 °, each of these areas comprising secondary flaps 32 . at both ends of each slit 28 , the septum 26 is formed with circular hole perforations 34 intersected by the slit . these holes are preferably centered with respect to the slits 28 , although not necessarily so . in any case , the hole - slit intersection eliminates binding of the valve flaps 30 at their root edges during valve action . the valve flaps 30 and the secondary flaps 32 have isosceles triangular shapes . however , the valve flaps 30 are relatively long and have short hinges , as compared to the secondary valve elements 32 and are therefore more flexible -- that is , the apices of the valve flaps 30 are more readily deflectable than the apices of the secondary flaps 32 . it will be understood that the hinge areas of all these flap elements correspond to the base of the respective triangular areas . in the case of the septum 26 , by virtue of the presence of the holes 34 , the length of the hinge line , most notably of the short hinge lines of the valve flaps 30 , is reduced accordingly . the valve flaps 30 are thus made more flexible for turning about their hinge line areas by virtue of presence of the holes 34 . the septum 26 is shown essentially full scale and to scale in fig2 ( except for exaggeration of the size of holes 34 for clarity ), and represents a specimen of the invention which is particularly suitable for use with liquids such as household detergents . in particular , the septum 26 illustrated in fig2 has been employed in a one - inch diameter made out of polyethylene - milp - 22033 mic - spgc , of a thickness of 0 . 020 inches , with a flap 30 apex angle of 55 ° and a flap edge length on the order of 1 / 4 inch . it will be understood that the 90 ° butt cut slit edges of the flap fit closely within the complementary v - shaped opening of the septum from which the flap is severed . the holes 34 each have a diameter of 1 / 32 of an inch to be porous with respect to air but non - porous with respect to the contained liquid . the septum 26 afforded practically no resistance to the desired expulsion of detergent out of the dispenser bottle and very closely approximated the relaxation time which would be true of the same bottle without the septum . at the same time , in all attitudes of the bottle , i . e ., inverted or turned 90 °, as in fig3 and 4 , no leakage or spillage of detergent of the 3 / 4 full bottle occurred , even through the holes 34 . when the dispenser 10 is not in use , its container 12 occupies the normal shape illustrated in fig1 and the internal container pressure and the external ambient pressure are equal . under these conditions , all of the flaps of the septum 26 occupy their normal closed position within the plane of the body of the septum to block liquid outflow from the dispenser through its outlet 14 if the dispenser is tipped over or dropped or held in an inverted position . assume now that the dispenser is tilted or inverted and its container wall 16 squeezed in the usual way . resultant inward deflection of the container wall first exhausts internal air through the openings 34 until sufficient air has been displaced to bring the liquid into contact with the inner surface of the septum . thereafter , upon continued pressure being applied , the valve flaps 30 are deflected outwardly creating an opening through the septum 26 . the other secondary flaps 32 may also yield outwardly slightly but the primary valving action occurs as a result of the outward flexing of the primary valve flaps 30 . dispensing occurs with far less pressure since only the resistance of the short hinge , relatively long valve flaps 30 needs to be overcome rather than the total resistance of the four flaps 30 , 32 . when pressure on the container wall is released , outward elastic strain energy return of the wall 16 to its normal shape induces intake of ambient air through the holes 34 and into the container . concurrently , the valve flaps 30 return to closed position and , in some cases , may be flexed inwardly as a result of the intake of ambient air therethrough . however , the primary intake of air probably occurs due to the presence of the holes 34 and the container wall 16 very quickly returns to its unstressed relaxed tubular cylindrical configuration of fig1 upon equalization of the internal and external pressures . in any event , the holes 34 in the specific slit - hole combinations of the septum 26 result in a seven - fold improvement in the bottle relaxation time . an alternative form of septum 40 is shown in fig6 which is in all respects like the septum 26 except for the valve defining slit formation and the relationship of the holes to the slits . more specifically , an intersecting pair of slits 42 define an included angle on the order of 55 ° thus defining an isosceles triangularly shaped valve flap portion 44 and an opposite equal angle stub flap 46 . the valve flap 44 is defined in the central region of the septum 40 such that the central portion of the flap is in alignment with the longitudinal central axis of the bottle in which it is to be mounted . adjacent the hinge line area of the valve flap 44 but offset from adjacent ends of the pair of slits 42 are a pair of holes 48 which , as before , may be 1 / 32 of an inch in diameter . in the case of the septum 40 it will be observed that there is essentially but a single valve element , i . e ., the relatively most flexible triangular flap area 44 . while in this case the holes 48 are offset slightly relative to a straight hinge line extending between base ends of the slits 42 , i . e ., essentially the base of the isosceles triangle , the removal of the material of the holes 48 nevertheless increases the flexibility of the valve flap 44 so that once again the septum 40 defines an effective barrier against undesired leakage without unduly impeding either exhaustion or dispensing of liquid through the valve flap or quick relaxation of the squeeze bottle by virtue of the presence of the holes 48 . the stub flap 46 flexes slightly with the valve flap 44 to avoid catching of the valve tip in the apex of the valve opening . another embodiment of the invention is shown in fig7 . in this case , the septum 50 is provided with a pair of slits 52 intersecting at 53 at the geometric center of the circular planform septum , thus defining two primary valve flaps 54 that are opposite equal included angle areas of 55 °. in this case , there are also secondary triangular long hinge flap areas 56 of 125 ° which , again , are relatively stiff as compared to the primary valve flaps 54 . in this instance , each of these four triangular flap areas , at essentially the midpoint of its hinge line area , has a perforation 58 , in this instance , constituting holes 1 / 32 of an inch in diameter . the modified flap valve insert 60 of fig8 and 9 is also of one - piece construction . in this case there is a circular planform septum 62 defining the floor of a cup shaped cavity 64 formed at its upper end with an annular flange 66 which is clamped between the spout 18 and neck 14 of the bottle . as is shown in fig9 an intersecting pair of slits 68 include an angle of preferably 55 °, the isosceles triangle flap area constituting a primary valve flap 70 , oppositely to a stub flap area 72 . as in the case of the embodiment shown in fig6 the two opposite equal angle 125 ° areas are essentially stiff as compared to the flexibility of the primary valve flap 70 . in this case a pair of 3 / 64 inch holes 74 are provided in the stub flap area 72 at the ends of the slits . concentration of the liquid at the slit formation of the septum 62 provides maximum return of the liquid inwardly upon relaxation of the bottle .	8
please refer to fig1 , which illustrates a schematic diagram of connections between a ue and cells c 1 - cn in a wireless communication system . in fig1 , the cells c 1 - cn and the ue are communicated through links l 1 - lm each corresponding to a component carrier configured in the ue , and each supports a lte - advanced radio access technology ( rat ) or an e - utran ( evolved universal terrestrial radio access network ) rat supporting the function of multiple component carriers on one ue . for example , the ue is communicated with the cell c 1 through the link l 1 , communicated with the cell c 2 through the links l 2 - l 4 , and so on . the component carriers of the links can be the same component carrier frequency band if the component carriers are associated to different cells . for example , the component carrier of any of the links l 2 - l 4 can use the same frequency band as the component carrier of the link l 1 . please refer to fig2 , which illustrates a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication device 20 . the communication device 20 can be the ue shown in fig1 and includes a processor 200 such as a microprocessor or asic , a computer readable recording medium 210 , and a communication interfacing unit 220 . the computer readable recording medium 210 is any data storage device that stores storage data 212 , including program code 214 , thereafter read and processed by the processor 200 . examples of the computer readable recording medium 210 include a subscriber identity module ( sim ), read - only memory ( rom ), random - access memory ( ram ), cd - roms , magnetic tapes , hard disks , optical data storage devices , and carrier waves ( such as data transmission through the internet ). the communication interfacing unit 220 is preferably a radio transceiver and accordingly exchanges wireless signals with a network ( i . e . the cells c 1 - cn ) according to processing results of the processor 200 . the program code 214 includes program code of a medium access control ( mac ) layer which can manage timing alignment ( ta ) functionality for multiple component carriers . please refer to fig3 , which illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process 30 . the process 30 is utilized in the ue for managing ta functionality with multiple component carriers in a wireless communication system . the process 30 can be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps : step 302 : separately manage ta functionality of a plurality of component carriers . according to the process 30 , the ue manages ta functionality of each of the plurality of component carriers with independent ta configuration sets can be configured by timing advance command sent by the network . that is , when a timing advance command is received from a link belonging to a component carrier , the ue applies the ta functionality for the component carrier only . in one example , no limitation on carrier - to - cell allocation is introduced . the component carriers belonging to the same or different cells are depended on network resource allocation . take an example associated with fig1 . if a ue has a first link ( i . e . link l 1 ) belonging to a first component carrier and a second link ( i . e . link l 2 ) belonging to a second component carrier for uplink transmission , the ue applies the ta functionality for the first component carrier when a first timing advance command is received in the first component carrier , applies the ta functionality for the second component carrier when a second timing advance command is received in the second component carrier , and so on . for ta functionality operation , when the ta functionality is applied in a component carrier for updating a timing advance value corresponding to a cell , the ue starts or restarts a time alignment timer for the component carrier . for example , as abovementioned , when the ta functionality is applied in the first component carrier for updating a first timing advance value corresponding to a cell ( i . e . cell c 1 ), the ue starts or restarts a first time alignment timer for the first component carrier according to the first timing advance command . please note that , the abovementioned time alignment timer of the ue is utilized for indicating whether the ue is synchronized with the cell on uplink timing . when the time alignment timer is running , uplink timing is considered synchronized . if the time alignment timer expires , then this indicates that the ue no longer has uplink synchronization with the cell . therefore , when the first time alignment timer expires , the ue releases resources of channel quality indication ( cqi ) report , sounding reference signal ( srs ), scheduling request ( sr ), and physical uplink control channel ( pucch ) for the first component carrier . similarly , when the ta functionality is applied in the second component carrier , the ue starts or restarts a second time alignment timer for the second component carrier according to the second timing advance command , and releases resources of cqi report , srs , sr , and pucch for the second component carrier when the second time alignment timer expires . in the lte - advanced system , the released cqi - report , srs , sr , and pucch resources can be cqi - reportconfig , soundingrs - ul - config , schedulingrequestconfig and pucch - config configurations , respectively . in addition , for network configuration flexibility and reduction of a signaling quantity , a radio resource control ( rrc ) message can be used to indicate the usage of the following timing advance command ( s ). when a rrc message indicating one component carrier is received , the ue applies ta functionality for the indicated component carrier when a timing advance command is received in the indicated component carrier . alternatively , when the rrc message indicating more than one component carrier is received , the ue applies the ta functionality for each of the indicated component carriers when the timing advance command is received in any one of the indicated component carriers . take an example associated with fig1 . if the rrc message indicates component carriers corresponding to the links l 2 - l 4 , the ue applies the ta functionality for each of the ta configuration sets corresponding to the links l 2 - l 4 when the timing advance command is received in any one of the links l 2 - l 4 . please note that the abovementioned ta functionality applying is not against with the separate management concept of the process 30 . the ue still sets the ta functionality of the component carriers one by one although the configuration source , namely timing advance command , is come from one link . please refer to fig4 which is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication device 40 . the communication device 40 is used for realizing the process 30 and includes ta executing units ta 1 - ta n and a management unit 401 . the ta executing units ta 1 - ta n are used for executing ta functionality ( e . g resource releasing or time advance applying ) of component carriers of the communication device 40 and each of the ta executing units ta 1 - ta n is responsible for one component carrier . the management unit 401 is used for separately managing the ta functionality of the component carriers . the management unit 401 includes a reception unit 402 for receiving a timing advance command , and a configuration applying unit 403 . in an example , when the reception unit 402 receives a timing advance command from one of the component carriers . the configuration applying unit 403 then applies the ta functionality for the component carriers received the timing advance command , and starts or restarts a time alignment timer for this component carrier according to the received timing advance command . in addition , the reception unit 402 is further used for receiving a rrc message for indicating at least one of the component carriers . the configuration applying unit 403 applies the ta functionality for the indicated component carriers when the timing advance command is received in one of the indicated component carriers , and starts or restarts a time alignment timer for all of the indicated component carriers . the related description can be realized by referring to the above , so a detailed description is omitted herein . on the other hand , for reducing a configuration signaling quantity or complexity of ta functionality operation , please refer to fig5 which is a flowchart of an exemplary process 50 . the process 50 is utilized in the ue for managing the ta functionality with multiple component carriers in a wireless communication system . the process 50 can be compiled into the program code 214 and includes the following steps : step 502 : jointly manage ta functionality of a plurality of component carriers belonging to a cell . according to the process 50 , the ue manages the ta functionality in the plurality of component carriers belonging to the same cell with a common timing advance command . that is , when a timing advance command is received in one of the component carriers belonging to a cell , the ue jointly applies the ta functionality for the component carriers belonging to the cell . take an example according to fig1 . when a timing advance command is received in any one of the links l 2 - l 4 belonging to the cell c 2 , the ue applies the ta functionality for the links l 2 - l 4 according to the timing advance command . in this situation , the network does not need to generate and send timing advance command duplications for the links l 2 - l 4 , and on the other hand , the ue does not need to handle the ta functionality for each component carrier belonging to the same cell . as a result , the signaling quantity is reduced and furthermore complexity problem of separately configuring each component carrier is avoided . for ta functionality operation , when the ta functionality is applied in the plurality of component carriers belonging to the same cell for updating a timing advance value corresponding to the cell , the ue starts or restarts a time alignment timer for those component carriers according to the timing advance command . therefore , when the time alignment timer expires , the ue releases resources of cqi report , sounding rs , scheduling request , and pucch for all component carriers belonging to the cell . as a result , according to the abovementioned example , the ue starts or restarts a time alignment timer for the links l 2 - l 4 , and releases resources of the links l 2 - l 4 when the time alignment timer expires . based on the process 50 , the ue applies the ta functionality and maintains one time alignment timer for certain component carriers belonging to the same cell through a single timing advance command , so as to reduce the number of times for the timing advance command reception and related signalling quantity . please refer to fig6 which is a schematic diagram of an exemplary communication device 60 . the communication device 60 can be used for realizing the process 40 , which includes a plurality of ta executing unit ta 1 - ta n for executing ta functionality of component carriers belonging to a cell , and a management unit 601 for jointly managing the ta functionality of the component carriers . the management unit 601 includes a reception unit 602 for receiving a timing advance command , and a configuration applying unit 603 . when the reception unit 602 receives a timing advance command in one of the component carriers belonging to a cell , the configuration applying unit 603 applies the ta functionality for at least a component carriers belonging to the cell . in addition , the configuration applying unit 603 starts or restarts a time alignment timer for the component carriers belonging to the cell according to the timing advance command . detailed description can be referred from above , so the detailed description is omitted herein . please note that the abovementioned steps of the processes 30 and 50 including suggested steps can be realized by means that could be hardware , firmware known as a combination of a hardware device and computer instructions and data that reside as read - only software on the hardware device , or an electronic system . examples of hardware can include analog , digital and mixed circuits known as microcircuit , microchip , or silicon chip . examples of the electronic system can include system on chip ( soc ), system in package ( sip ), computer on module ( com ), and the communication device 20 . in conclusion , the above - mentioned examples provide a separately managing way to manage the ta functionality for multiple component carriers to avoid an erroneous situation where one component carrier belonging to a cell is successful in uplink synchronization while other component carriers belonging to other cells are failed . furthermore , the other examples provide a jointly managing way for component carriers belonging to the same cell in order to reduce a signaling quantity or complexity of ta functionality operation . those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention . accordingly , the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims .	7
referring now to fig1 there is a graphic depiction of the output signals developed by the temperature sensing means of the invention . the invention is illustrated with reference to a specific embodiment having specific values of control set temperature points and conditioned command voltage signals . this is intended to illustrate the most preferred embodiment only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention . as apparent to those skilled in the art , the system described herein can be widely adopted to various control zones set point temperatures and control signal voltages . as illustrated in fig1 the control system has two set air temperature points . these are 68 ° and 78 ° f . which are illustrated by the points a and k , respectively . the set temperature point a can be used for the control of the heating and ventilation facilities of an air conditioning system , while set temperature point k can be employed for the control of air cooling facilities of such an air conditioning system . fig1 illustrates the thermostat circuit output voltages as a function of control zone temperatures and is typical of any or all of the controlled zone temperature sensing means employed in individual controlled zones of the system . the air conditioning system which can be operated in response to the voltage signals generated by the thermostat and circuit means of this invention can comprise a typical air conditioning system which includes air heating , air cooling and air circulation facilities to direct conditioned air to one or more zones of controlled air temperature and to return air therefrom for recirculation . the air conditioning system typically includes ventilation damper and exhaust damper facilities whereby the relative proportions of fresh and returned air circulated through the control zones can be adjusted in a controlled manner . referring to fig1 line 10 is seen to pass through the set temperature point a and illustrates the output signals developed by the thermostat and circuit means of the invention in response to variation in sensed zone temperatures . as the air temperature in the control zone decreases from the set temperature point , the output signal from the signal conditioning circuit progressively decreases in a linear fashion along line 10 . in a typical embodiment , the slope of line 10 corresponds to approximately a five volt change in error signal with each degree of change in the sensed zone temperature . the voltage signals obtained from the signal conditioning circuit can be employed for a plurality of control operation of the air conditioning system . thus , as the voltage signal decreases , the damper motor will gradually close the damper of the cooling air duct and open the damper in the heating supply duct to the control zone , until , at 11 volts and 67 . 8 ° f ., the damper to the cooling duct is fully closed and that to the heating zone is fully open . as the sensed temperature drops to point c at 66 . 8 ° f ., a voltage signal of about 6 volts is obtained which is sufficient to activate the first stage of heating means of the air conditioning system . should the sensed temperature continue to drop , a second stage of heating can be activated at point d , 66 . 5 ° f . at about 4 . 5 volts . the air conditioning system can employ a large number or plurality of heating stages and , when many stages are employed , they are preferably activated in a staged manner with each increment of approximately 2 . 5 volts decrease in conditioned command signal , corresponding to approximately 0 . 5 degree f . incremental decrease in the sensed temperature . as the temperature in the controlled zone responds to the input of heating , the temperature rises and approaches the set temperature point . as the temperature reaches point e , which can be at 67 . 3 ° f ., the voltage signal of about 8 . 5 volts can be applied to deactivate the second stage of heating . similarly , the first stage of heating can be deactivated when the conditioned error signal rises to about 10 volts , corresponding to 67 . 6 ° f . sensed temperature . when the sensed air temperature in the controlled zone passes point b on line 10 , a command signal of about 11 volts , corresponding to 67 . 8 ° f ., is effective to progressively open the damper of the cooling supply duct and close the damper of the heating supply duct to the control zone . the ventilation and exhaust dampers which control the introduction of outside air into the system and discharge the return air from the system remain at their minimal open position , e . g ., that permitting introduction of about 5 to 20 volume percent of fresh air based on total air circulated . in the event that the sensed temperature of the control zone should rise above point g , 68 . 2 ° f ., and an outut signal of 13 volts be thereby generated , this command signal is effective to generate a control signal that is applied to the ventilation motor controller to open the ventilation dampers in the fresh air inlet and exhaust damper in the return air duct and close the return air damper in the return air duct in a proportional manner , responding to the magnitude of the command signal . the ventilation motor controller of the air conditioning system also receives a control signal that is proportional to outside air temperature so that the ventilation and exhaust dampers will not open unless the outside air temperature is low enough to provide effective cooling , for example ; below the set temperature point of 68 ° f . if the temperature in the control zone continues to rise and , if the outside air temperature is below the set temperature point a , the ventilation damper will progressively open until , at point h , 69 ° f . and 17 volts , the ventilation air damper is fully opened and the return air damper is fully closed so that the air conditioning system is supplied with outside air only . the air temperature in the control zone is permitted to drift through a region from the temperature represented at point h , 69 ° f ., to point i , 79 . 5 ° f . on cooling curve 12 . the cooling curve 12 represents the command voltage signal generated by the second thermostat of the invention . the slope of line 12 is approximately 5 volts per degree of temperature change . if the sensed temperature in the control zone rises to 79 . 5 ° f ., the circuit means generates a command signal of 19 . 5 volts which is sufficient when applied to the controlled circuit of the air conditioning system to activate the first stage of air cooling facilities . this signal is also sufficient to actuate the ventilation damper motor controller , close the ventilation and exhaust dampers and open the return air damper so that the return air rather than the warm outside air is cooled . if the temperature continues to rise in the control zone , successive stages of mechanical cooling can be progressively activated with each 1 volt incremental increase in output signal , corresponding to an increase of about 0 . 2 f . of sensed temperature . this is illustrated at point j where an error signal of 20 . 5 volts is generated at 79 . 7 ° f . sensed temperature . as the temperature decreases in the controlled zone , the air cooling facilities can be progressively deactivated by generation of error signals of 15 . 5 volts at point l corresponding to 78 . 7 ° f . which deactivates the second stage of cooling and by generation of an error signal of 14 . 5 volts at 78 . 5 ° f ., point m , that deactivates the first stage of cooling facilities . each control zone in the building serviced by the air conditioning system is provided with a temperature sensing means 10 which has a plurality of circuit means , each at different set point temperatures , for generating a plurality of dc analog voltage signals therefrom . as shown in fig2 the temperature sensing means 10 includes a housing 12 within which are mounted the plurality of circuit means . housing 12 is provided with three terminal posts 14 , 16 , and 18 . a single , three - lead conductor 20 has one of its leads connected to each of the terminal posts which are identified as th , hc and tc on the housing . the circuit means within the housing comprises a first circuit having a lead 22 extending from the common terminal 18 thermistor 24 which is in series with the windings 26 of a potentiometer . thermistor 24 is a conventional thermistor having a negative temperature coefficient . the thermistor 24 is in parallel with a high value resistor 28 . the high resistance value of resistor 28 in parallel with the thermistor reduces the nonlinearity of the thermistor to provide a substantially linear response to temperature changes . the other circuit of the temperature sensing means 10 is substantially identical and has thermistor 30 in series with the windings 32 of a second potentiometer . the wiper contacts of the potentiometers are connected to their respective terminal posts in the housing 12 , i . e ., to terminal posts th and to terminal post tc . the wiper arms 34 and 36 of the potentiometers are mechanically linked to lever arms 38 and 40 , respectively . these lever arms are pivoted at the wiper arm pivot point of the potentiometers and are restrained in their pivotal movement by stops 42 and 44 which project from an interior wall of housing 12 . each of arms 38 and 40 have a short inboard projection 45 and 46 and the ends of these projections are separated by a gap through which the thermostat adjustment lever 48 extends . lever 48 is pivotally mounted in housing 12 by frictional pivot pin 50 and projects beside scale 52 which bears indicia which are calibrated in a temperature scale . the individual lever arms 38 and 40 are biased against their respective stops 42 and 44 by suitable spring means such as tension spring 54 . the pivot end of each of these arms is mechanically linked to its respective wiper arm 38 and 40 of the potentiometer by adjustment means such as screw 56 whereby the angular relationship between the lever arm and its associated potentiometer wiper arm can be fixedly adjusted . the temperature sensing means 10 is thereby provided with two independent circuit means with internal adjustment means for variation of the circuit resistance which is useful to calibrate the circuit to a preselected resistance for a particular set point temperature and for a limited degree of external adjustment by lever 48 to levels below or above the preselected set point temperatures with a band of 3 ° to about 15 °, preferably about 10 ° f ., between those set point temperatures . in the embodiment described herein , the circuit means connected between terminals hc and th generates a heating and ventilation control signal about a set temperature point of 68 ° f . with means permitting adjustability to a lower set temperature point , e . g ., to as low as 55 ° f . typically , a range could be from 55 ° to 70 ° f . similarly , the sensing means 10 contains a second circuit between terminals hc and tc which is calibrated about a second , higher set temperature point such as 78 ° f . with means permitting adjustability to a higher set temperature point , e . g ., to 85 ° f . typically , a range could be from 73 ° to 85 ° f . the fixed adjustability of these circuits by the internal variation between the angular orientation of arms 38 and 40 and their respective potentiometer wiper arms 34 and 36 provides a facile means for factory adjustment of the low and high set point temperatures . the terminals of zone temperature sensing means 10 are connected by multiple conductor 20 to the corresponding terminal posts identified as th , tc and hc on a connector panel 58 . connector panel 58 can have a plurality of other input terminals to receive leads 60 and 62 which extend to another thermistor 64 and its associated parallel resistor 66 . thermistor 64 can be located in the duct to the controlled zone , downstream of the dampers which communicate with hot and cold decks . preferably , this thermistor is in the roof top unit in the common duct connected to the feeder ducts and is responsive to the temperature of the conditioned air supplied to its controlled zone . the connector panel 58 is also supplied with a source of 24 volts d . c . regulated voltage supply through leads 68 and 70 which are connected , respectively , through the terminal posts identified as 24 v and cm on terminal connector panel 58 . a switch 72 is provided between terminal posts 24 v and ns on the connector panel . this switch means 72 can be a manually actuated or , preferably , a timer controlled switch to open the controlled zones &# 39 ; dampers to the hot deck . associated with this is relay means ( not shown ) to switch out the control system , close the fresh air and exhaust dampers , and to connect the heater controls of the air conditioning system to an independent control set at a low night time temperature . circuit means are provided for conditioning the signals generated by the zone temperature sensing means to produce d . c . analog signals therefrom having a magnitude proportional to the sensed temperature . the signal conditioning circuit means is shown as circuit 74 which , preferably , is a modular unit on a circuit board adapted for plug - in connection to the terminals on terminal connector panel 58 . signal conditioning circuit means 74 includes a regulated or constant current supply circuit 76 and a pair of operational amplifiers 78 and 80 for comparing the d . c . voltage signals from temperature sensing means 10 to a reference signal and generating output signals therefrom at terminals zih and zic which have a magnitude proportional to the sensed temperatures in unit 10 . the zone temperature sensing means 10 and the circuits contained therein are portions of a comparator circuit which provides input signals to amplifiers in the signal conditioning circuit contained in circuit 74 . the conditioning circuit means includes a current regulated supply circuit 76 having a plurality of transistors 82 and 84 and 86 which have their emitter and collector terminals connected in series with the sensor network of unit 10 and the reference resistor 88 and their bases biased with a constant voltage source which is the breakdown voltage of zener diode 90 , thereby insuring a relatively constant current supply through each of the legs . these legs are reference leg 92 , first input signal leg 94 and second input signal leg 96 . the first input signal leg 94 extends to the th terminal of the circuit board through the three lead conductor 20 ( fig2 ) to the th terminal of the zone temperature sensing means 10 . the leg extends through the heating and ventilation signal generating circuit of the sensing means 10 , including winding 26 of the variable potentiometer and thermistor 24 , returning to the hc and ds terminals of the circuit board panel 58 . the leg then extends through the duct temperature circuit means including thermistor 64 and returns to the other ds terminal of the connector panel . the leg also extends through the ds terminal to the common or ground terminal of the circuit means 74 . the reference signal leg 92 of the comparator circuit includes a resistance 88 of a fixed value to provide a voltage drop that will provide the desired reference voltage at point 98 . this reference voltage developed at point 98 is applied to the minus terminal of operational amplifier 78 and the plus terminal of operational amplifier 80 as the reference signal thereto . connector 100 is extended from the input positive terminal of amplifier 78 to connection with leg 94 at point 102 to provide an input signal to operational amplifier 78 . similarly , connector 104 extends to a connection with the leg 96 for application of an input signal to the negative terminal of amplifier 80 . the output signal from amplifiers 78 and 80 are applied through load resistors 106 and 108 to the base connections of transistors 110 and 112 . resistor 114 is located between the base of transistor 110 and the common terminal of the voltage supply . the current supply to the collector of transistor 110 is from the 24 v d c buss 116 through resistor 118 . the base of transistor 120 is connected to the collector terminal of transistor 110 so that the collector voltage of transistor 110 is applied to the base of transistor 120 . a transistor 122 of opposite polarity , pnp type , is located between the zh and common terminals with its base connected to the collector terminal of transistor 110 through resistor 124 thereby providing for an output signal between terminals zh and the common terminal over a wide range of voltages in response to the output of amplifier 78 . transistor 126 is provided with its collector connected to the base of transistor 120 and its emitter connected to the zh terminal . this transistor is biased to a saturated condition by the application of a small potential , e . g ., about two volts across the resistor 128 , in series with transistor 120 . the resistor 128 has a value such that a safe current through it , and transistor 120 , will produce 2 volts and saturate transistor 120 and thereby serve as a protective switch to avoid destruction of the transistor 120 in the event that the zh terminal is inadvertently grounded during installation of the circuit . operation amplifier 78 is provided with a feedback to the signal input connector 100 by resistor 130 which is in parallel with capacitor 132 . the value of resistor 130 is selected so as to achieve the desired gain in amplifier 78 while capacitor 132 serves to eliminate any voltage spikes from the feedback signal in accordance with customary techniques . the input signal from the tc terminal and the leg 96 of the comparator circuit which includes thermistor 30 and potentiometer 32 of temperature sensing unit 10 , which is the circuit means that is adjusted to the higher set point temperature , is applied to the negative input terminal of operational amplifier 80 . the output from this amplifier is passed through load resistor 108 to the base of transistor 112 . the emitter of transistor 112 is connected to the output terminal zc through current limiting circuit resistor 134 . feedback to amplifier 80 is through resistor 136 in parallel with capacitor 138 . when the temperature in the control zone departs from the set temperature point , the resistance value of thermistors 28 and 30 are changed from their initial values , decreasing with increasing temperatures . with an increase in sensed temperature , the value of thermistor 28 decreases and the current is maintained constant by regulator circuit means 76 , lowering the voltage at point 102 . this changes the input to amplifier 78 which supplies an amplified lower output to the base of transistor 110 that raises the voltage to the base of transistor 120 and supplies an amplified output signal to terminal zh above the 12 volt , nominal output condition . similarly a decrease in the sensed temperature results in an increase in resistance of thermistor 28 and a higher voltage at point 102 generating a higher output from amplifier 78 which , through transistor 110 and transistor 120 , results in a lower amplified output at terminal zh . the relative values of the components of the temperature sensing and signal conditioning circuits are chosen to provide a high sensitivity in the circuit . the thermistors 28 and 30 are preset to greater sensitivity to temperature changes than duct sensing thermistor 64 by proper selection of the parallel resistance values connected across these thermistors . typically , the thermistors 28 and 30 with proper parallel resistors connected across their terminals provide a negative temperature coefficient of about 50 - 150 ohms per degree fahrenheit while that of thermistor 64 is from about 1 to about 10 ohms per degree fahrenheit . the temperature sensing circuits produce output voltages which range from about 2 to about 22 volts d . c . when using a 24 volt d . c . supply . fig3 illustrates an alternative temperature sensing means , that can be employed in the invention . in this embodiment , separate control levers 140 and 142 are provided whereby the upper and lower set point temperatures , respectively , can be adjusted . as shown , the levers 140 and 142 are pivotal about pins 144 and 146 , respectively . the levers have a limited degree of pivotal adjustment between fixed abutments or stops 148 and 150 that are disposed to either side of the levers . the levers are interconnected to their respective potentiometer wiper arms 152 and 154 by suitable adjustment screw means whereby the angular relationship between the wiper arms and levers can be fixedly adjusted in a factory calibration . typically , the fixed adjustment of these mechanical parts would be set such that the lever 142 , which controls the cooling facilities of the air conditioning system , could not be moved below an upper set temperature point , e . g ., about 78 ° f ., while the lever 140 , which controls the heating and ventilation facilities of the air conditioning system , could not be moved above the lower set temperature point of about 68 ° f . the invention has been described with reference to temperature sensing means having separate circuits with independent temperature responsive elements , i . e ., thermistors 24 and 30 of fig2 and thermistors 92 and 98 of fig3 . a single temperature responsive element can be employed , if desired , for an economy in components . fig4 illustrates a temperature sensing device having a single thermistor . this device is similar in construction to those of fig2 and 3 , having a housing 160 that contains the plurality of temperature sensing circuit means . the housing has three terminal posts hc , th and tc which can be connected to a single three - lead conductor , as described in regard to fig2 . the first circuit in housing 160 comprises a lead 162 extending from the common terminal hc to thermistor 164 , which is in parallel to a high value resistor 166 , and a lead from thermistor 164 to the terminal of potentiometer 168 . terminal th is connected to the wiper arm terminal of potentiometer 168 . the second circuit means in housing 160 also includes lead 162 , thermistor 164 and resistor 166 . the terminal of thermistor 164 , however , is connected to the winding terminal of potentiometer 170 by lead 172 . the tc terminal of housing 160 is connected to the wiper terminal of potentiometer 170 . the thermistor 164 serves as the temperature sensor for both circuits . since the thermistor 164 thus receives current flow from both thermostat legs of the comparator circuit , its sensitivity is adjusted to approximately half the sensitivity of the thermistors used in the devices of fig2 and 3 , reflecting the increased current flow through this thermister . the wiper arms 174 and 176 are mechanically linked to levers 178 and 180 , respectively , by adjustment screw means whereby the angular relationship between the wiper arms and the levers can be fixedly adjusted in a factory calibration . these levers are pivoted at the wiper arm pivot of the potentiometers and are restrained in their pivotal movement by stops 182 and 184 which project from an interior wall of the housing . the levers can be adjusted in the manner previously described with regard to fig3 . the invention has been described with reference to a presently preferred embodiment thereof . obviously , the invention could be equally practiced in other embodiments , e . g ., pneumatic control systems of similar operation could be substituted for the preferred and illustrated electronic system . similarly , electronic components could be substituted , e . g ., different temperature responsive elements such as ptc sensors , for example , ptc thermistors ; thermocouples ; or potentiometers with bimetallic driven wiper arms could be substituted for the preferred and illustrated thermistors . it is , therefore , not intended that the invention be unduly limited by the description of the illustrated and presently preferred embodiments . instead , it is intended that the invention be defined by the means and their obvious equivalents set forth in the following claims .	6
the disclosed embodiments are applicable to systems such as cdma2000 , w - cdma , and edge , wherein data is transferred using an arq ( automatic request for retransmission ) mechanism , and wherein data packets are sometimes received in an order different from the order in which they were transmitted . in relation to the transmission and receipt of rlp frames , rlp3 currently communicates with a multiplex sublayer below it and a byte stream layer above it . the byte stream layer is commonly referred to as the point to point protocol ( ppp ) layer , because ppp is commonly the protocol used in the byte stream layer . however , as the byte stream layer need not be ppp ( the byte stream layer could be isdn , or one of a plurality of protocols ), it is herein referred to as the byte stream layer . the aforementioned communication flow is illustrated in fig2 , a block diagram showing the data path for cdma2000 . the disclosed embodiments utilize a new method for processing all incoming traffic . the purpose of this method is to reorder the received packets into the order that they were transmitted , and to deliver the packets to the byte stream layer in said order without generating unnecessary naks and data frame retransmissions for delayed rlp frames . the disclosed embodiments reorder received rlp frames by determining the order that physical layer rlp frames were transmitted by a peer , and by buffering each received rlp frame until all rlp frames transmitted prior to it have either been received , or been determined to be missing ( lost or corrupted over the air ). the method accomplishes rlp frame reordering and nak management by means of a memory buffering mechanism and counters and / or timers . fig1 a and fig1 b are timeline diagrams illustrating the time - relationship of data frames transmitted and received on a wireless data network similar to cdma2000 . fig1 a illustrates a 160 ms time interval of rlp data frames generated for an rlp3 data transmission system 5 consisting of a fundamental channel 10 and two supplemental channels 20 , 30 . a first supplemental channel 20 is configured to an 80 ms cdma frame duration , while a second supplemental channel 30 is configured to a 40 ms cdma frame duration . the illustration assumes that at the beginning of the 160 ms time interval , the rlp3 engine has v ( s ) set to 5 . as illustrated , fundamental channel 10 transmits 20 ms cdma frames containing rlp3 frames of sequence numbers 5 , 8 , 9 , 11 , 12 , 15 , 16 and 18 . a first supplemental channel 20 transmits 80 ms cdma frames containing rlp3 frames of sequence numbers 6 and 13 . a second supplemental channel 30 transmits 40 ms rlp frames containing rlp3 frames of sequence numbers 7 , 10 , 14 and 17 . as illustrated in fig1 a , the frames having sequence numbers 5 , 6 , and 7 begin transmission at time 0 . frame 5 , the cdma frame containing an rlp3 frame of sequence number 5 , finishes transmission on fundamental channel 10 at time 20 . frame 6 finishes transmission on first supplemental 20 at time 80 , and frame 7 finishes transmission second supplemental 30 at time 40 . the times at which frames 8 – 18 begin and end transmission are illustrated in a similar manner . fig1 b illustrates a 160 ms time interval of rlp data frames received for an rlp3 data reception system 45 consisting of fundamental channel 10 , first supplemental channel 20 , and second supplemental channel 30 . fig1 b illustrates the times at which the data frames transmitted in fig1 a are received by a peer cdma2000 communications device . the supplemental and fundamental channels are labeled 10 , 20 , and 30 in fig1 b to indicate that these are references to the same channels used by transmission system 5 in fig1 a . as illustrated , rlp3 data reception system 45 receives rlp3 frame immediately following their completed transmission by rlp3 data transmission system 5 . introduction of an arbitary propagation delay common to fundamental channel 10 , the first supplemental channel 20 , and the second supplemental channel 30 , does not alter the explanation and has been omitted for the sake of simplicity . frame 5 is received by rlp3 data reception system 45 on fundamental 10 at time 20 . frame 6 is received by rlp3 data reception system 45 on first supplemental 20 at time 80 . frame 7 is received by rlp3 data reception system on second supplemental 30 at time 40 . the times at which frames 8 – 16 are received are illustrated in a similar manner . by examination of both fig1 a and fig1 b it is evident that the frames are received by rlp3 data reception system 45 in a different order than they were transmitted in by rlp3 data transmission system 5 . fig2 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a cdma2000 data transmission system 250 embodied in communication devices base station 210 and mobile station 230 . for illustrative purposes , the cdma2000 data transmission system is described in terms of transmission of packet data on the forward link . however , the teachings are easily extended to apply to reverse link transmissions . in base station 210 , there exists a byte stream layer 212 that provides a stream of bytes to rlp3 layer 214 . rlp3 layer 214 buffers these bytes for later transmission . multiplex sublayer 216 requests rlp frames from rlp3 layer 214 . in response , rlp3 layer generates rlp frames in accordance with the rlp3 specification and provides them to multiplex sublayer 216 . the rlp3 specification does not specify that the rlp3 layer shall assign frame sequence numbers in accordance with the frame lengths requested by the multiplex sublayer . in the exemplary embodiment , multiplex sublayer 216 encapsulates these rlp frames in accordance with the cdma2000 specification . multiplex sublayer 216 then provides these encapsulated rlp frames to physical layer 218 for transmission over cdma2000 air link 220 in accordance with the cdma2000 specification . when providing frames to physical layer 218 , multiplex sublayer 216 indicates which frames are to be transmitted on which channels . physical layer 238 , of mobile station 230 , receives frames from cdma2000 air link 220 . at 20 ms intervals , physical layer 238 provides each received frame to multiplex sublayer 236 , and indicates to multiplex sublayer 236 the channel that each frame was received on . multiplex sublayer 236 unencapsulates the rlp frames in accordance with the cdma2000 specification and provides the rlp frames to rlp3 layer 234 . rlp3 layer 234 performs rlp frame processing on these frames in accordance with the rlp3 specification . in the event that any received frame has a sequence number equal to v ( n ) the payload of all received rlp frames having consecutive sequence numbers beginning with v ( n ) are provided to byte stream layer 232 by rlp3 layer 234 . in the event that a new hole is created , a ak is generated to signal that one or more data frames need to be retransmitted , while the unsequentially received frame is buffered . the above description describes an exemplary embodiment of cdma2000 data flow in the forward link direction . as is known by one skilled in the art , data flow occurs in the reverse link direction along a path in the opposite direction . fig3 through 7 illustrate embodiments presenting a novel method of detecting rlp3 frames that are merely delayed , and not lost or corrupted . the presented embodiments disclose a novel method of preventing unnecessary naks , and resulting rlp frame retransmissions , when delayed frames are detected . the disclosed embodiments buffer unsequentially received rlp frames and withhold the transmission of nak messages until delayed rlp frames have been missing longer than a tolerated time period , using timers and or counters . fig3 is a flow chart diagram illustrating one embodiment of delayed frame detection in rlp3 . in block 302 , at 20 ms intervals , rlp frames are received . in this embodiment , the expected sequence number , l_v ( r ), is not updated until delayed frames have been received . when a new rlp frame is received , its full internal sequence number , received seq number , is calculated using its 8 bit over the air seq bits and 4 seq_hi bits of the current l_v ( r ). every 20 ms frame time , age counters of any rlp frames previously buffered in a delayed frame queue are decremented in block 304 . in block 306 , the received seq number is compared to the current l_v ( r ). in order to delay updating l_v ( r ), all unsequentially received rlp frames are buffered in the delayed frame queue . without delayed frame detection for rlp3 , received rlp frames with a received seq number greater than the sequence number of the next expected frame , v ( r ), would generate an unnecessary nak for delayed frames . new rlp frames with a sequence number less than l_v ( r ) are discarded . if the received rlp frame has a received seq number greater than l_v ( r ), indicating an unsequentially received rlp frame , or a hole , the rlp frame is inserted into the delayed frame queue buffer in order of received seq number in block 308 . the delayed frame queue buffer is maintained every 20 ms frame time by an age counter , hereinafter referred to as maximum age . for example , a system may tolerate a frame delay of 1 frame . each rlp frame in the delayed frame queue buffer has a maximum age counter that is decremented every frame time until it reaches 0 . when the maximum age counter of an rlp frame reaches 0 , the rlp frame is processed as a new rlp frame . unsequentially received rlp frames are stored in the delayed frame queue buffer in the order of received seq numbers . when a received rlp frame is placed in the delayed frame queue due to the receipt of a received seq number that is greater than the sequence number expected , a hole has been created in place of the expected rlp frame . in block 310 , the age counter of the rlp frame placed in the delayed frame queue in block 308 is initialized to the frame delay tolerance of the system , i . e max age = frame delay tolerance of the system . control passes to block 318 . the size of the delayed frame queue depends on the frame delay tolerance of the system , or the number of frames of delay for which the receiver is compensating . when an rlp frame is added to the delayed frame queue , the frame is given a maximum age . the maximum age is decremented every 20 ms . a buffered rlp frame becomes zero aged when the maximum age counter for the frame has been decremented to zero . when the age of the unsequential rlp frame becomes zero aged , the rlp frame is then processed as a new rlp frame . at this point , a necessary nak ( or naks ) may be created for missing rlp frames , i . e . rlp frames that have been delayed longer than the delay tolerance of the system . if the received seq number of the zero aged rlp frame is greater than v ( r ), a nak is issued for missing rlp frame number v ( n ). in a system where the frame delay tolerance is more than one frame time , a nak may be issued for missing frames v ( n ) through v ( r ). in block , 318 , the delayed frame queue buffer is checked for rlp frames with maximum age counters that have reached zero during the current frame time . if in block 320 , there are no rlp frames in the delayed frame queue with age values of zero or with sequence numbers equal to the next expected rlp frame , the system is ready to receive the next new rlp frame in block 302 . if in block 320 , any rlp frame &# 39 ; s maximum age has reached zero , the received seq number of the zero aged rlp frame is compared to l_v ( r ) in block 322 . if in block 322 , the received seq number of the zero aged rlp frame is greater than v ( r ), indicating a hole , or a delayed rlp frame missing longer than the frame delay tolerance of the system , a nak is issued for the missing rlp frame or frames in block 324 and control passes to block 312 where the zero aged rlp frame is processed as a new rlp frame . if in block 322 , the received seq number of the zero aged rlp frame is not greater than v ( r ), or if in block 306 , the currently received rlp frame has a received seq number equal to l_v ( r ) indicating a sequentially received rlp frame , control passes to block 312 , where the rlp frame is processed as a new rlp frame regardless of whether the rlp frame was newly sequentially received or became zero aged while stored in the delayed frame queue buffer . in block 314 , l_v ( r ) is incremented in order to receive the next sequential rlp frame . if there are no holes , l_v ( n ) is also incremented . when there are no holes , l_v ( n ) is equal to l_v ( r ). when there are no holes , l_v ( n ) tracks l_v ( r ), as the next needed rlp frame will also be the next expected rlp frame . however , if a hole exists , l_v ( n ) is not incremented . when a hole is filled , l_v ( n ) either takes the value of the next hole , or the value of l_v ( r ) if there are no more holes . the rlp frame is passed to the next protocol layer in block 316 . when a currently received rlp frame has either been passed to the next protocol layer or buffered in the delayed frame queue , and there are no rlp frames in the delayed frame queue with age values of zero , the system is ready to receive the next new rlp frame in block 302 . to make delayed frame detection in rlp3 highly efficient , another embodiment avoids aging each unsequential rlp frame separately . instead , n sub - arrays are maintained in the delayed frame queue , which compensate for n − 1 number of frames of delay . if , for example , the receiver is compensating for a typical case of only one frame delay , all the frames received in a 20 ms interval , that would have caused l_v ( r ) to be incremented are placed in sub - array 0 in a sorted order . in the next 20 ms interval all of the frames received that would have caused l_v ( r ) to be incremented are placed in sub - array 1 in a sorted order . at the end of the 20 ms interval , all the preexisting rlp frames in sub - array 0 are processed as new rlp frames . at this time l_v ( r ) may be incremented and a nak ( s ) may be generated for missing rlp frame ( s ). fig4 a – 4e illustrate possible rlp frame reception and memory structure management scenarios of the rlp3 delayed frame detection embodiment diagramed in fig3 . the scenarios illustrate received rlp frames , the received seq number , rlp state variable values of v ( r ), v ( n ), and the contents of the delayed frame queue over a period of four frame times . in fig4 a , a first rlp frame 402 a is received with a received seq number 404 a of 1 . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 406 a equals 1 . because the sequence number of the received rlp frame , seq 404 a equals the expected sequence number v ( r ) 406 a , the rlp frame is processed as a sequentially received new rlp frame and passed to the next protocol layer . v ( r ) 406 a is incremented to 2 . v ( n ) 408 a is also incremented to 2 , and the delayed frame queue 410 a is empty , as no unsequential rlp frames have yet been received ( there are no holes ). in fig4 b , a second rlp frame 402 b is received with a received seq number 404 b of 2 . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 406 b equals 2 . because the sequence number of the received rlp frame , seq , 404 b equals the expected sequence number v ( r ) 406 b , the rlp frame is processed as a sequentially received new rlp frame and passed to the next protocol layer . v ( r ) 406 b is incremented to 3 . again , v ( n ) 408 b is also incremented to 3 , and the delayed frame queue 410 b is empty , as no unsequential rlp frames have yet been received ( there are no holes ). in fig4 c , a third rlp frame 402 c is received with a received seq number , seq 404 c of 4 . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 406 a equals 3 . a hole has been created where rlp frame 3 was delayed . because the received seq number of the received rlp frame 404 c is greater than the expected sequence number v ( r ) 406 c , the rlp frame is placed in the delayed frame queue 410 c . for exemplary purposes , the system will have a frame delay tolerance of one frame time . thus , the maximum age of rlp frame 4 is initialized to 1 , the example frame delay tolerance of the system . v ( r ) 406 c and v ( n ) are not incremented , retaining their values of 3 . in fig4 d , a fourth rlp frame 402 d is received with a received seq number , seq 404 d of 3 . in other words , the delayed rlp frame 3 has arrived out of sequence , one frame time after rlp frame 4 was received , filling the hole for rlp frame 3 . the maximum age of rlp frame 4 in the delayed frame queue is decremented from 1 to zero . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 406 d equals 3 . because the received seq number of the received rlp frame , seq 404 d , equals the expected sequence number v ( r ) 406 d , the rlp frame is processed as a sequentially received new rlp frame and passed to the next protocol layer . at this time , rlp frames 1 through 3 have been passed to the next protocol layer . v ( r ) 406 d is incremented to 4 . v ( n ) 408 d is also incremented to 4 , as there are no more holes . the delayed frame queue 410 d is checked and rlp frame 4 is found to have a zero age causing rlp frame 4 to be passed to be sequentially passed to the next protocol layer . v ( r ) and v ( n ) are incremented to 5 , the next sequential rlp frame , and the system is ready to receive the next new rlp frame . in fig4 e , a forth rlp frame 402 e is received with a received seq number , seq , 404 e of 5 , instead of received seq number 3 404 d , as in fig4 d . the hole for rlp frame 3 , filled in fig4 d , is not filled in fig4 e . instead , frame 5 is received , causing a nak to be transmitted for frame 3 . the maximum age of rlp frame 4 in the delayed frame queue is decremented from 1 to zero . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 406 e equals 3 . because the sequence number of the received rlp frame , seq 404 e , is greater than the expected sequence number v ( r ) 406 e , the rlp frame 5 is placed in sequential order in the delayed frame queue 410 e and assigned a max age of 1 . the delayed frame queue 410 e is checked for zero aged rlp frames , where rlp frame 4 has reached zero age . the received seq number of the zero aged buffered rlp frame , 4 is greater than v ( n ), which is equal to 3 . a nak is sent for rlp frame 3 . rlp frame 4 is processed as a new rlp frame and passed to the upper protocol layers . rlp frame 5 remains in the delayed frame queue . v ( r ) 406 e is incremented to 4 , but since the hole for rlp frame 3 has not been filled , v ( n ) is not incremented , retaining its value of 3 . fig5 is a flow chart diagram illustrating another embodiment of delayed frame detection in rlp3 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 , updates of l_v ( r ) and l_v ( n ) are done normally , with no special processing for delayed frames . the illustrated embodiment increments the state variables and creates naks for holes as in versions of rlp without delayed frame processing . however , naks are not issued upon creation , but buffered and timed to prevent issuance of unnecessary naks . delayed rlp frames are processed as rlp frames that would generate a nak . when the received seq number of a received rlp frame is greater than expected , v ( r ) is incremented and a nak is generated , as without delayed frame processing . however , the naks are not immediately issued . instead , to prevent unnecessary naks for delayed rlp frames , the naks are stored in a nak queue . three timers are started such that if the missing rlp frame arrives ( the hole is filled ), any timers for the arrived frame are turned off and the naks for the arrived frame are purged from the queue . if timer 1 expires and the delayed rlp frame has still not arrived , one nak is issued . if timer 2 expires before the delayed rlp frame arrives , two naks , are issued , and if timer 3 expires before the delayed rlp frame arrives , three naks are issued . one skilled in the art would understand that the nak scheme described above for exemplary purposes can be specified and changed by use of variable rlp_blob as described in is - 707 . in block 502 , at 20 ms intervals , rlp frames are received . when a new rlp frame is received , the received seq number is calculated using its 8 bit over the air seq bits and 4 seq_hi bits of the current l_v ( r ). in block 504 , the received seq number is compared to l_v ( r ). if , in block 504 , the received seq number is equal to l_v ( r ), the expected rlp frame has been received in sequence . control passes to block 506 , where the sequentially received rlp frame is passed to the next protocol layer . v ( r ) and v ( n ) are incremented to receive the next sequential rlp frame . control returns to block 502 . if , in block 504 , the received seq number is greater than l_v ( r ), an rlp frame has been delayed , creating a hole . control passes the block 510 where the unsequential rlp frame is placed in a resequencing queue in order of received seq number . v ( r ) is incremented in block 512 . v ( n ) is not incremented because a hole has been created . in block 514 , naks are generated for the hole and placed in a nak queue . in block 516 , nak send timers are started for the nak messages . control returns to block 502 to receive the next rlp frame . if , in block 504 , the received seq number is less than l_v ( r ), a delayed rlp frame has been received . the delayed rlp frame , better late than never , is passed to the next protocol layer in block 518 . in block 518 , l_v ( r ) is incremented on reception of the delayed rlp frame . because the hole has been filled , the value of v ( n ) is made equal to v ( r ), or the next hole in block 520 . in block 522 , the resequencing queue is checked for rlp frames sequential to the filled hole . if sequential rlp frames are stored in the resequencing queue , they are passed to the next protocol layer in block 524 . the unnecessary naks associated with the filled hole are removed from the nak queue in block 526 . timers corresponding to the unnecessary naks are turned off in block 528 . control returns to block 502 to receive the next rlp frame . fig6 a – 6d illustrate possible rlp frame reception and memory structure management scenarios of the rlp3 delayed frame detection embodiment diagramed in fig5 . the scenarios illustrate received rlp frames , the received seq number , rlp state variable values of v ( r ), v ( n ), and the contents of the resequencing queue and nak queue over a period of four frame times . in fig6 a , a first rlp frame 602 a is received with a received seq number , seq 604 a of 1 . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 606 a equals 1 . because the received seq number of the received rlp frame , seq 604 a equals the expected sequence number v ( r ) 606 a , the rlp frame is processed as a sequentially received new rlp frame and passed to the next protocol layer . v ( r ) 606 a is incremented to 2 . v ( n ) 608 a is also incremented to 2 . the resequencing queue 610 a and the nak queue 612 a are empty , as no unsequential rlp frames have yet been received ( there are no holes ). in fig6 b , a second rlp frame 602 b is received with a received seq number , seq 604 b of 2 . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 606 b equals 2 . because the sequence number of the received rlp frame seq 604 b equals the expected sequence number v ( r ) 606 b , the rlp frame is processed as a sequentially received new rlp frame and passed to the next protocol layer . v ( r ) 606 b is incremented to 3 . again , v ( n ) 608 b is also incremented to 3 . the resequencing queue 610 b and the nak queue 612 b remain empty , as no unsequential rlp frames have yet been received ( there are no holes ). in fig6 c , a third rlp frame 602 c is received with a received seq number , seq , 604 c of 4 . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 606 a equals 3 . a hole has been created where rlp frame 3 was delayed . because the sequence number of the received rlp frame 604 c is greater than the expected sequence number v ( r ) 606 c , the rlp frame is placed in the resequencing queue 610 c . v ( r ) 606 c is incremented to 4 as usual when an rlp frame is received . v ( n ) is not incremented because a hole has been created , retaining its value of 3 . one nak is generated and stored in the nak queue 612 c for a first peer notification if the hole is not filled by the time the first timer expires . two naks are generated and stored in the nak queue 612 c for a second peer notification if the hole is not filled by the time the second timer expires . two naks are generated for the second notification to increase the probability that the peer will receive the naks if it has failed to receive the first nak . three more naks are generated and stored in the nak queue 612 c for a third peer notification if the hole is not filled by the time the third timer expires . three naks are generated for the third notification to increase the probability that the peer will receive the naks if it has failed to receive the first nak as well as the second two naks . timers are started to issue the naks in the event that the delayed rlp frame is not received . the naks will only be issued if the delayed rlp frame is not received within the frame delay tolerance of the system . in fig6 d , a fourth rlp frame 602 d is received with a received seq number , seq , 604 d of 3 . in other words , the delayed rlp frame 3 has arrived out of sequence , one frame time after rlp frame 4 was received , filling the hole for rlp frame 3 . before the rlp frame is received , the expected sequence number , v ( r ) 606 d equals 4 . because the received seq number of the received rlp frame , seq 604 d , is less than the expected sequence number v ( r ) 606 d , the rlp frame is passed to the next protocol layer , and l_v ( r ) is incremented to 5 , due to the reception of a new rlp frame . at this time , rlp frames 1 through 3 have been passed to the upper protocol layer , and rlp frame 4 is in the resequencing queue . v ( n ) is set to value of 5 , equal to v ( r ) 606 d , as the hole created by delayed rlp frame 3 has been filled . the resequencing queue 610 d is checked and rlp frame 4 is sequentially passed to the next protocol layer , leaving the resequencing queue empty . the timers for the nak messages are turned off and the nak messages are purged from the nak q because the hole has been filled . the system is ready to receive the next new rlp frame . fig7 illustrates wireless communications apparatus for performing delayed frame detection in rlp3 . wireless communications apparatus for performing delayed frame detection in rlp3 comprises wireless devices that send or receive rlp3 frames , such as mobile telephones , base station transceiver subsystems , and wireless data terminals . wireless communications signals are received by wireless device 700 at antenna 712 . antenna 712 is a transducer that converts radio - frequency ( rf ) fields into alternating current ( ac ) or vice - versa . antenna 712 intercepts rf energy and delivers ac to electronic equipment . the received analog signal reaches antenna element 712 , is downconverted to a baseband analog signal , and is further converted to digital rlp frames by data demodulator element 702 . after demodulation , the data frames pass to control processor 704 . control processor 704 performs delayed frame detection . control processor 704 passes sequential rlp frames to higher protocol layers , and buffers unsequential rlp frames and nak messages for missing rlp frames . control processor 704 performs its operations using a set of instructions , contained in storage medium 705 . one skilled in the art would understand that storage medium 705 could be integral to control processor 704 . it is also understood by those of skill in the art that processors may encompass a digital signal processor ( dsp ), an application - specific integrated circuit ( asic ), discrete gate logic , firmware , or any conventional programmable software module and a microprocessor . the software module could reside in ram memory , flash memory , registers , or any other form of storage medium known in the art . alternatively , any conventional processor , controller , or state machine could be substituted for the microprocessor . the control processor 704 instructs the message generator 706 to generate nak messages for missing rlp frames . the messages are modulated by modulator 708 and transmitted to peer wireless communications devices from antenna 712 . the presently disclosed embodiments provide a method of delayed rlp frame detection , handing and sequencing for upper protocol layers . thus , a novel and improved method and apparatus for delayed frame detection in rlp3 has been described . those of skill in the art would understand that the data , instructions , commands , information , signals , bits , symbols , and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description are represented by voltages , currents , electromagnetic waves , magnetic fields or particles , optical fields or particles , or any combination thereof . those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks , modules , circuits , and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware , computer software , or combinations of both . the various illustrative components , blocks , modules , circuits , and steps have been described generally in terms of their functionality . whether the functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system . skilled artisans recognize the interchangeability of hardware and software under these circumstances , and how best to implement the described functionality for each particular application . as examples , the various illustrative logical blocks , modules , circuits , and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a digital signal processor ( dsp ), an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ), a field programmable gate array ( fpga ) or other programmable logic device , discrete gate or transistor logic , discrete hardware components such as , e . g ., registers and fifo , a processor executing a set of firmware instructions , any conventional programmable software module and a processor , or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein . the processor may be a microprocessor , but in the alternative , the processor may be any conventional processor , controller , microcontroller , or state machine . the software module could reside in ram memory , flash memory , rom memory , eprom memory , eeprom memory , registers , hard disk , a removable disk , a cd - rom , or any other form of storage medium known in the art . as illustrated in fig7 , an exemplary processor 704 is coupled to a storage medium 705 so as to read information from , and write information to , the storage medium 705 . in the alternative , the storage medium 705 may be integral to the processor 704 . the processor 704 and the storage medium 705 may reside in an asic ( not shown ). the asic may reside in a telephone ( not shown ). in the alternative , the processor 704 and the storage medium 705 may reside in a telephone . the processor 704 may be implemented as a combination of a dsp and a microprocessor , or as two microprocessors in conjunction with a dsp core , etc . the previous description of the preferred embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosed embodiments . the various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of the inventive faculty . thus , the disclosed embodiments are not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein .	7
now referring to fig3 and 4 , an embodiment of a multi - tone display lcm is illustrated according to the present invention . in this embodiment , it should be noted that an analog display data or signal ( stepwise analog signal ) 2 having different voltage levels corresponding to the number n of tones to be displayed is input to the display device . for simplicity of explanation , it is assumed that n = 4 , the analog input signal is represented by the voltage levels corresponding to 4 ( four ) tones . the analog signal is sent from an image display output of e . g ., a personal computer . in fig3 is an a - d converter section ; 7 is a digital display data . the a - d converter section 6 converts the analog display data 2 as an input into the digital display data which is represented by 2 bits ; more specifically , four value voltage levels of the analog display data are converted into ( 0 , 0 ), ( 0 , 1 ), ( 1 , 0 ), and ( 1 , 1 ) from the lower levels . 8 is a multi - voltage - level output generating circuit for generating constant voltages at plural levels in accordance with tones to be displayed , e . g . voltages at four different levels since this embodiment is directed to 4 tone display . the signal at the voltage level corresponding to tone 0 is output to a signal line 9 . the signals at voltage levels corresponding to tone 1 , tone 2 and tone 3 are output to signal lines 10 , 11 , and 12 respectively . 15 is an x driving section which takes in 2 bit digital data 7 sequentially one line at a time in synchronism with the latch clock 3 , selects one of the four tone voltages output to the signal lines 9 , 10 , 11 and 12 in accordance with the decoded value of data for each dot and outputs it as panel data x 1 - x 640 . the remaining reference numbers denote like parts in fig1 . fig4 shows an example of the x driving section shown in fig3 . in fig4 is a latch selector and s 1 - s 640 are select signals . the latch selector 23 is cleared by latch clock 3 and sequentially boosts the select signals s 1 , s 2 , . . . s 640 “ high ” in synchronism with the succeeding clocks 3 . 24 is a latch circuit which serves to latch the digital display data 7 in blocks ( latch 1 - latch 640 ) in which the select signal is “ high ”. 25 to 28 are outputs from the respective blocks of the latch circuit 24 , i . e . 2 bit latch data 1 to 640 . 29 is a horizontal latch circuit which latches the latched data 1 to 640 in horizontal latches 1 to 640 in synchronism with the horizontal clock 4 . 30 to 33 are outputs from the respective blocks of the horizontal latch circuit 29 , i . e . 2 bit horizontal data 1 to 640 . 34 is a decoder which serves to decode the horizontal data 1 to 640 by the corresponding decoder blocks ( decoders 1 to 640 ). numerals 35 to 38 are outputs from the decoder blocks , i . e ., decoded values 1 to 640 . numeral 39 indicates a voltage selector which serves to select one of the tone voltages in accordance with the decoded values 1 - 640 . now referring to fig3 and 4 , the operation of the multi - tone display lcm 1 shown in fig3 will be explained . in fig3 , the analog display data 2 is converted into the 2 bit digital data 7 by the a - d converter section 6 ; the 2 bit digital display data 7 is input to the x driving section 15 . the x driving section 15 takes the display digital data 7 , in synchronism with the latch clock 3 ( fig2 ) in one latch block of the latch circuit 24 to which a “ high ” select signal is being input . the latch selector 23 shifts the “ high ” state of the select signal each time the latch clock 3 is input . the latch circuit 24 takes in the sequentially sent digital display data 7 in the latch blocks 1 , 2 . . . 640 . when the latch circuit 24 has taken in the digital display data 7 corresponding to one line , i . e ., up to latch block 640 , the horizontal clock ( fig2 ) is applied to the x driving section 15 to clear the latch selector 23 ; then the x driving section stands by for next take - in of the digital display data 7 . the data latched by the latch circuit 24 is sent to the horizontal latch circuit 29 which latches the data from the latch circuit 24 in synchronism with the horizontal clock 4 ( fig2 ). the horizontal data 30 to 33 which are outputs from the horizontal latch circuit 29 are sent to the decoder 34 and decoded by the decoder blocks 1 to 640 thereof ; the decoded values 35 to 38 are output from the decoder 34 . in the voltage selector 39 , the selector blocks 1 to 640 , in accordance with the decoded values , selects tone 0 voltage 9 if the decoded value is “ 0 ”, tone 1 voltage 10 if it is “ 1 ”, tone 2 voltage 11 if it is “ 2 ”, and tone 3 voltage 12 if it is “ 3 ”. the tone voltages output from the voltage selector blocks are sent to the liquid crystal panel 17 as panel data x 1 to x 640 . thus , the four value voltages output from the x driving section 15 are applied to the liquid crystal elements corresponding to the line selected by the y driving section 16 in response to the select voltage 13 sent from the voltage generating circuit 8 . in this way , the lcm 1 shown in fig3 can realize four tone display . although the four tone display has been adopted in this embodiment , 2 n tone display can be realized . more specifically , if the input analog display data is represented by 2 n ( n is an integer of 1 or more ) levels , it is converted into n bit digital data by the a - d converter section 6 , the data width in the internal circuits in the x driving circuit 15 is set at n bits , and 2 n kinds of tone voltage are supplied to the x driving section 15 to display 2 n tones . now referring to fig5 , one embodiment of the lcm for multi - color display will be explained . the multi - color display can be realized by arranging color filters of r ( red ), g ( green ) and b ( blue ) in the direction of dots on the liquid crystal panel 17 , providing a - d converter sections 43 , 44 and 45 for r 40 , g 41 and b 42 as input analog display data , and applying the outputs from the r , g and b a - d converter sections 43 , 44 and 45 to a color x driving section 46 . in this case , the color x driving section 46 has three columns of the arrangement shown in fig4 and thus the corresponding panel data are rx 1 - rx 640 , gx 1 - gx 640 and bx 1 - bx 640 . with reference to fig6 to 8 , another embodiment of the multi - tone lcm will be explained . in this embodiment , it should be noted that a parallel input of m ( m is a positive integer ) dots are applied to the x driving section , and it is assumed that m = 2 . in fig6 , like reference numerals denote like elements in fig3 . 47 is a serial - parallel converter section . 48 is a first dot digital data , and 49 is a second dot digital data . the serial - parallel converter section 47 converts 2 bit serial digital data 7 from the a - d converter section 6 into a parallel data consisting of the first dot digital data 48 and the second dot digital data 49 , each data consisting of 2 bits . 50 is a timing correction section . 51 is a parallel clock . 52 is a correction horizontal clock . 53 is a correction head line signal . in response to the latch clock 3 , the timing correction section 50 generates a parallel clock 51 in synchronism with the parallel data consisting of the first dot digital data 48 and the second dot digital data 49 . further , in order to correct the phase deviation of data due to the serial - parallel conversion of the display data , the timing correction section 50 corrects the horizontal clock 4 and the head line signal 5 using the latch clock 3 to provide a corrected horizontal clock 52 and a corrected head line signal 53 . 54 is a parallel x driving section which serves to sequentially take in the 2 bit parallel display data in synchronism with the parallel clock 51 . fig7 is a timing chart showing the operation of the serial - parallel conversion section 47 . fig8 is a block diagram of the parallel x driving section 54 . in fig8 is parallel latch select which is cleared by the corrected horizontal clock 52 and thereafter sequentially boosts select signals 81 , 82 , . . . 8320 to “ high ”. 56 is a parallel latch circuit ; the latch block thereof for which the select signal is “ high ” latches simultaneously the first dot digital data 48 and second dot digital data 49 at the timing of the parallel clock 51 . the other reference numerals in fig8 denote like elements in fig4 . the operation of the multi - tone lcm shown in fig6 will be explained . the analog display data 2 having four value voltage levels is the 2 bit digital display data 7 by the analog - digital converter section 6 . this digital display data 7 is converted into 2 bit parallel data , as shown in fig7 , to provide the first dot digital data 48 and second dot digital data 49 which are in synchronism with the parallel clock 51 . then , as shown in fig7 , owing to the serial - parallel conversion , the phase of the output data lags the input data by 2 ( two ) latch clocks 3 . in order to correct this lag , the timing correction section 50 also causes the horizontal clock 4 and the head line signal 5 to lag by 2 latch clocks 3 . the resulting corrected horizontal clock 52 and corrected head timing signal 53 are applied to the x driving section 54 and the y driving section 16 . as seen from fig8 , the x driving section 54 takes the first dot digital data 48 and the second dot digital data 49 , in synchronism with the parallel clock 51 , into its one block to which the “ high ” select signal is applied from the parallel latch select 55 . the parallel latch select 55 is cleared by the corrected horizontal clock 52 and thereafter sequentially boosts the select signals s 1 to s 320 to “ high ”. thus , the parallel latch circuit 52 also latches the data in the order of latch blocks 1 , 2 . . . 320 to finally latch the data corresponding to one line . the outputs from the blocks of the parallel latch circuit 56 are latched in the horizontal latch circuit 52 at the timings of the corrected horizontal clock 52 . the following operation is the same as that in fig4 . thus , parallel data x 1 to x 640 are provided as panel data . as understood from the above explanation , two dots can be used as an input to the x driving section 46 by providing the serial - parallel conversion section 47 , causing the internal port of the x driving section 46 to simultaneously latch two dots and providing the timing correction section for correcting the phase lag due to the serial - parallel conversion . this can enhance the operation speed of the circuits successive to the a - d converter section 6 . in another embodiment of the invention , the timing correction section 50 is not required when the input timing is determined in consideration of the phase delay in the serial - parallel conversion section 47 ( two latch clocks 3 ) so that the horizontal clock 4 and the head line signals can be directly used without correction . incidentally , although in this embodiment , the input to the x driving was 2 bits for each of 2 dots , the input of n bites ) ( n is an integer of 1 or more ) for each of m dots ( m is an integer of 2 or more ) can be realized in the same way . a second embodiment of the lcm for color display as shown in fig9 can be realized by providing r , g and b serial - parallel converter sections 57 , 58 and 59 , and providing a color parallel x driving section 60 with three columns of the arrangement of fig8 . further , although the explanation hitherto made was directed to a liquid crystal display device , the same idea can be also applied to the other display devices such as a plasma display , el display , etc . in accordance with the present invention , an lcm for multi - tone display or multi - color can be realized thereby to decrease the number of input lines to lcm . moreover , by using an analog input to decrease the number of data bits , noise to be generated can be reduced . further , by carrying the parallel operation of the x driving section , the operation speed can be enhanced . furthermore , since the voltages in accordance with n bit decoded values can be selected as outputs from the x driving section , tone voltage with less fluctuation can be provided .	6
referring to fig1 of the drawings , tenderizer / sterilizer 10 is geared toward processing meat 100 for the commercial meat packing industry . typically , meat 100 may be continuous batches , or commercial slabs that may weigh about 300 to 600 pounds . a smaller version of tenderizer / sterilizer 10 can be constructed based on the teachings detailed herein for home consumers to tenderize and / or sterilize smaller portions of meat 100 . therefore , numerous sizes and capacities of tenderizer / sterilizer 10 may be made in scaled versions depending upon the particular applications . factors that make meat tender are well known and fully qualified . the following factors are well known and accepted ways to make meat tenderer : ( a ) prevent shortening of the sarcomeres caused by cold temperatures . meat must be refrigerated to prevent spoiling . locker and hagyard &# 39 ; s article cited above , including fig2 showed that the sarcomeres shorten when refrigerated . they also showed new temperature affects the sarcomeres . ( 1 ) provide a thickness of subcutaneous fat equal to a thickness of about : 0 . 10 inches in lamb ; 0 . 25 inches in beef . this thickness slows down temperature drop in muscle since fat is an insulator . the thicker the fat the better since the fat slows down temperature changes that occur from live to dead and from dead to refrigerated . fatter makes the sarcomeres weaker and therefore , less prone to cold shortening ( 2 ) chill meat at high temperature before rigor mortis sets in ( to about 16 ° c . for 16 hours immediately after slaughter , see fig2 ). ( 3 ) apply electrical stimulation to meat at 550 volts , 2 to 6 amps , 15 times in one minute to cause a very rapid drop in muscle ph and much quicker onset of rigor mortis . ( 1 ) apply texas a & amp ; m tenderstretch ™ technique that has suspension by the obturator foramen . hindleg acts as a cantilever . ( 2 ) apply stouffer &# 39 ; s stretching devices to a & amp ; m &# 39 ; s tenderstretch ™ technique to include clamps and stretching rods . ( 3 ) apply the trademarked technique known as tendercut ™ wherein bones and connective tissues are cut around muscles to allow stretching of the tissue . ( a ) increase activity of endogenous enzymes that include : ( a ) calpains , which are stored in the cytosol near z - lines and require calcium to be activated , and / or ( b ) cathepsins , which are stored in lysosomes . calpains work on z - lines while cathepsins work on actin - myosin bonds . calpastatin regulates calpains ; the higher the calpastatin levels and activity , the less breakdown of myofibrils . ( 1 ) apply aging by storing in cooler for 1 to 6 weeks at 0 - 30 ° c . ( 2 ) apply high temperature , post - rigor chilling by storing at 200 ° c . for 24 hours , ( same effect as 20 ° c . for 14 days ). ( 3 ) apply high temperature , pre - rigor chilling by storing at 160 ° c . for 16 hours . ( 4 ) apply electrical stimulation of meat by rapid ph decline to rupture lysosome and release cathepsins . ( 5 ) infuse / inject calcium chloride into meat by pre - rigor infusion or post - rigor injection of a solution of calcium chloride into muscle to cause increased activity of calpains . ( 2 ) machines have multiple blades and / or needles to penetrate meat as it passes through on a conveyor . first machine was called a jaccard and the process “ jaccarding .” ( 3 ) scoring , dicing , cubing , grinding or chopping meat created mechanical severance . ( 4 ) placing meat in a sealed water - filled chamber and setting off an explosion in the process known under the trademarked process know as hydrodyne ™. ( c ) topically add exogenous enzymes which are biochemical catalysts . protease enzymes can break down collagen proteins that are found in skin , bone , and muscle ( 1 ) marinate with salt and vinegar in a 2 % solution of nacl plus acetic acid in water . ( 1 ) cook by moist - heat cookery for a long time with steam generation , e . g . by braising , stewing , or simmering . the following table shows the relationship between tenderness and meat cuts : shear force = pounds of force to shear one - half - inch cores , removed parallel to the muscle fibers , of cooked muscle from steaks and roasts . the following table shows the traits of tender and tough meat : 1 . breed type : bos indicus ( brahman , sahiwal , etc .) breeds tend to be tougher than bos taurus breeds ( angus , hereford , etc .). bos indicus has greater amounts of calpastatin , a protein that interferes with postmortem degradation of muscle . 2 . locomotive vs . support muscles : less connective tissue is observed in support muscles . 3 . quality grade effects : prime has more marbling than choice and choice has more than select . 4 . degree of doneness : as some meat is cooked to more advanced degrees of doneness , it will get tougher . marbling helps to ensure acceptable tenderness at higher levels of doneness . the problem of inconsistency in meat tenderness has been identified as a major concern of the meat industry . results of various studies have indicated that differences in the rate and extent of postmortem tenderization are the principal sources of variation in meat tenderness and , thus , are likely to be the source of inconsistency in meat tenderness at the consumer level . as a result , in accordance with this inventive concept it has been discovered that reliable and consistent tenderizing is needed . furthermore , the use of the meat sterilizing process of this invention could reduce the incidence of bacterial contamination . the following facts are clear for e . coli 0157 : h7 that is a virulent strain of the family of generic bacterial contamination : according to nov . 15 , 1998 statistics from the u . s . center for disease control : in 1993 , there were 16 outbreaks of e . coli 0157 : h7 , of which seven ( 44 percent ) were attributable to ground beef . in 1994 , there were 34 outbreaks of e . coli 0157 : h7 , of which 13 ( 38 percent ) were attributable to ground beef . in 1995 , there were 34 outbreaks of e . coli 0157 : h7 , of which 12 ( 35 percent ) were attributable to ground beef . in 1996 , there were 32 outbreaks of e . coli 0157 : h7 , of which four ( 12 . 5 percent ) were attributable to ground beef . in 1997 , there were 22 outbreaks of e . coli 0157 : h7 , of which two ( 9 percent ) were attributable to ground beef . in 1998 , preliminary data showed there were 33 outbreaks of e . coli 0157 : h7 of which seven ( 21 percent ) were attributable to ground beef . research at washington state university in 1993 showed that e . coli 0157 : h7 was present in 0 . 5 percent of fed beef cattle . additionally , special u . s . department of agriculture ( usda ) tests show that 0 . 2 percent of beef carcasses tested positive e . coli 0157 : h7 . the food safety and inspection service ( fsis ) division of the usda began random testing for e . coli 0157 : h7 in ground beef in october 1994 . as of dec . 18 , 1998 , more than 25 , 000 ground beef samples had been analyzed . e . coli 0157 : h7 was found in 0 . 10 percent of the samples . those most susceptible to severe illness as a result of e . coli 0157 : h7 are the elderly , young and those with compromised immune systems . typically , e . coli 0157 : h7 related illnesses occur because the 0157 : h7 serotype emits a toxin which can cause hemorrhagic colitis , a disease with symptoms of bloody diarrhea and severe abdominal pain . approximately ten percent of these cases in children lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome ( hus ), which is the leading cause of acute renal failure in children . hus may progress to thrombocytopenic purpura ( ttp ), a central nervous system disease , characterized by seizures and coma . patients with ttp often develop blood clots in the brain , usually resulting in death . the beef industry has invested more than $ 8 . 4 million since 1993 for applied research concerning food safety and e . coli 0157 : h7 . to achieve reductions in microbial contamination , the meat packing and processing industry have implemented several intervention strategies . among these are steam pasteurization , steam vacuuming and organic acid carcass rinsing , that are each designed to kill , reduce or remove bacteria . however , these methods are not effective , and other technologies , such as irradiation and ozonation , are in various stages of development . techniques currently in use to one degree or another to achieve reductions in microbial contamination include : rinsing the carcass with high temperature water . high temperature water is sprayed on the carcass at the final point in the slaughter process , which can reduce the remaining bacteria on the carcass . however , about 10 percent of beef plants do not use this process ; misting the carcass with organic acid . an acidic solution , such as vinegar and water , in the form of a fine mist , is sprayed on the carcass after the hide is removed . this prevents certain bacteria from attaching to the outside of the carcass . however , about 85 percent of beef plants do not use this process ; spraying the carcass with tri - sodium phosphate . tsp is an alkaline solution that can be sprayed on a carcass to prevent certain bacteria from attaching to the outside of the carcass . used in combination with organic acid mists , the two treatments could prevent a range of bacteria from adhering to carcasses ; pasteurizing the carcass with radiation . an intense pulse of energy is emitted either from a gamma radiation source like cobalt 60 or from an electrical source like an electron beam accelerator . the energy irradiates and penetrates the meat and destroys bacteria . the u . s . food and drug administration approved irradiation of red meats in december 1997 . usda must now issue a rule establishing proper application ( to kill bacteria ) and labeling requirements delineating all residual risks . the beef industry is awaiting usda action ; decomposing ozone in water contacting the carcass , or ozonation . ozonation uses water infused with ozone molecules to reduce / eliminate bacterial contamination . as the ozone molecule ( three oxygen atoms ) decomposes to basic oxygen ( two oxygen atoms ), the released atom either could destroy bacteria with which it comes into contact or may react with existing chemical compounds to create a more benign byproduct . application of ozonation for beef carcasses has not been fully developed , and its performance is unclear , but processes could include spraying or misting carcasses with ozonated water . the use of ozone treated chilled water for poultry decontamination is not practical in some facilities ; pasteurizing the carcass by steam , or steam pasteurization . carcasses pass through a steam cabinet which emits a short blast ( less than one second ) of superheated steam ( approximately 350 degrees fahrenheit ). the steam effectively pasteurizes the exterior of the carcass just before it enters the cooler . at the end of 1998 , nearly 50 percent of america &# 39 ; s beef was produced by packing plants that did not use steam pasteurization technology ; and vacuuming the carcass by steam to produce lower bacteria counts than what is possible with just a trimming knife . other steam and hot water vacuums can only remove visible dirt or debris from the carcass aseptically without killing any bacteria . although it is easy to implement this method , about 20 percent of beef plants do not use this technology . referring to fig1 tenderizer / sterilizer 10 has large container 20 filled with liquid 25 . conveyor system 30 is disposed in container 20 and immersed in liquid 25 . container 20 may have lid 21 to prevent any of liquid 25 from being projected , or splashed from a boundary layer on the surface of liquid 25 during processing . conveyor system 30 has rollers 31 supporting conveyer belt 32 that is displaced by drives 33 . drives 33 longitudinally and continuously move belt 32 and meat 100 through liquid 25 and past upper and lower arrays 40 and 50 of high power electro - mechanical transducers 45 and 55 that face and are located on opposite sides of belt 31 and immersed in liquid 25 . rollers 31 and belt 32 are made and function in much the same manner that is well known in the food processing industry , and drives 33 are controlled motor - driven assemblies that have been used this way for years . belt 32 may be an endless design that reaches across container 20 to pick up and deliver other slabs of meat 100 generally where drives 33 are located . at these locations more slabs of meat 100 can be placed for tenderizing and / or sterilizing or processed slabs can be removed for packaging , for example . conveyor belt 32 ( and rollers 31 ) within container 20 may be made from rubber or equivalent natural or manmade compounds that have essentially the same density as the water or oil that is chosen as liquid 25 , the fluidic medium for transfer of shock waves from arrays 40 and 50 . this feature is of particular significance since it allows shock waves to be discussed below to pass through without substantial interaction or impedance with conveyor belt 32 ( as well as rollers 31 ). this is done to increase the efficiency of tenderizer / sterilizer 10 by allowing the timing of generated shock waves to be a straightforward process without the need to employ cumbersome higher mathematics , wave shapers and other complicated structures for wave compensation . upper array 40 and lower array 50 of high power electro - mechanical transducers 45 and 55 are spaced the same distance above and below conveyer belt 32 . high power electro - mechanical transducers 45 and 55 may each have a piston - shape and are respectively arranged in one or more adjacent rows 40 a and 40 b , see also fig3 ( rows 50 a and 50 b of array 50 are not shown ). transducers 45 and 55 of arrays 40 and 50 are arranged to orient their flat , or planar projection surfaces 46 and 56 in substantially coplanar relationships . coplanar projection surfaces 46 are virtually parallel with coplanar projection surfaces 56 . one typical design for each electro - mechanical transducer 45 and 55 could be the high power piezoelectric underwater transducer disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 219 , 889 , although many other different transducer designs might be selected to create converging shock waves in accordance with this invention . planar surfaces 46 and 56 of transducers 45 and 55 face conveyer belt 32 and meat 100 and are controlled to respectively each project energy away as first shock waves 47 and 57 that are projected separately in a planar form from each transducer and coaxial with the axis of each transducer . the energy of separate and planar first shock waves 47 from transducers 45 of array 40 is projected toward transducers 55 of array 50 , and the energy of the separate and planar first shock waves 57 from transducers 55 of array 50 is projected toward transducers 45 of the array 40 . thus , arrays 40 and 50 project energy in the form of first shock waves 47 and 57 in an axially opposing relationship . separate and planar first shock waves 47 and 57 each coalesce collectively a short distance from surfaces 46 and 56 to respectively form first composite shock waves 41 and 51 that are substantially coplanar . the directions of travel of first composite shock waves 41 and 51 are axially opposed and converge on meat 100 on conveyer belt 32 . proper convergence of axially opposed first shock waves 47 and 57 and their collectively coalesced first composite shock waves 41 and 51 tenderizes and / or sterilizes meat 100 . this processing is assured by appropriate actuation by proper timing signals from logic control and timing circuit 60 that are connected to power supply 70 and / or arrays 40 and 50 . these timing signals are fed to power supply 70 which couples properly timed driving potentials to actuate , or drive transducers 45 and 55 of arrays 40 and 50 , respectively . the constituents of logic control and timing circuit 60 and power supply 70 for the control of high power electromechanical transducers are well known in the industry . for example , over the years , well - known arrangements of control logic , timing circuits , and power supplies with associated diodes and capacitor banks have been used to control the phase of projected energy in many different active arrays in sonar systems . components 60 and 70 , therefore , can be readily fabricated by one skilled in the art to actuate transducers to create the desired planar shock waves . water , oil , or similar fluidic medium 25 fills container 20 a sufficient depth to cover and immerse central conveyer 30 , arrays 40 and 50 , and one or more batches of meat 100 . successive batches of meat 100 to be tenderized / sterilized are sent down feeder conveyor 35 where they enter liquid 25 of tank 20 and travel to center conveyor 30 . meat 100 is placed on conveyer belt 32 of central conveyer 30 by feeder conveyer 35 , and meat 100 is carried at a preset rate to and through liquid 25 in region 15 between arrays 40 and 50 of axially opposing high power electromechanical transducers 45 and 55 . conveyer belt 32 continues to move meat 100 through region 15 while arrays 40 and 50 of axially opposing rows of high power electro - mechanical transducers 45 and 55 tenderize / sterilize meat 100 with projected converging shock waves of energy . after meat 100 has been suitably tenderized and / or sterilized , conveyer belt 32 moves meat 100 to a pick up conveyer 36 which takes it from liquid 25 to another processing area . this progression is continuous and , therefore , cost effective as compared to the higher cost stop - and - go procedures that are characteristic of current state of the art batch processing . in accordance with preestablished timing sequences of logic control and timing circuit 60 energy from the power supply 70 has already charged an internal bank of capacitors ( not shown ) that are linked to the rows of transducers 45 and 55 of arrays 40 and 50 . logic control and timing circuit 60 then initiates rows of transducers 45 and 55 of arrays 40 and 50 so as to virtually simultaneously actuate the high power electromechanical transducers 45 and 55 in each array to project shock waves of energy . in addition , actuation of transducers 45 and 55 in the adjacent rows of array 40 and array 50 may also need to be slightly phased with respect to one another to more completely converge energy of the rows of transducers onto meat 100 . this actuation is initiated in sequences to produce simultaneous or phased sequences of first composite planar shock waves 47 and 57 to tenderized / sterilized meat 100 thoroughly as belt 32 carries it through region 15 . successive ones of first planar shock waves 47 and 57 are transmitted to be separated by an interval of between 25 and 50 milliseconds for tenderizing and sterilizing meat 100 in water as liquid 25 . since each transducer 45 and 55 creates separate and planar first shock waves 47 or 57 within liquid 25 , these separate planar shock waves 47 or 57 simultaneously travel away from the rows of transducers 45 or 55 of array 40 or 50 that generated them . a very short distance from surfaces 46 and 56 of transducers 45 and 55 , these first shock waves 47 and 57 coalesce collectively to respectively form first composite shock waves 41 and 51 that may be substantially parallel to the upper and lower surfaces 100 a and 100 b of meat 100 , and as mentioned above , successive ones of composite shock waves 41 and 51 also are separated by an interval of between 25 and 50 milliseconds . each of planar shock waves 47 and 57 and composite shock waves 41 and 51 has a positive phase component that is attributable to the positive pressure spike generated during the initial part of each shock wave and a negative phase component that is attributable to the negative transition to vacuum immediately after the positive pressure spike . however , in addition to separate and planar first shock waves 47 and 57 , each transducer 45 and 55 of arrays 40 and 50 also produces an expanding bubble front . this bubble front expands behind each precursor shock wave ( first planar shock wave 47 and 57 ), very close to the transducer that produced it , until the internal pressure forces of the bubbles and hydrostatic forces of fluid 25 reach equilibrium . when equilibrium is reached , each bubble front rapidly collapses and creates a separate and planar second shock wave 48 or 58 from each transducer 45 or 55 . second shock waves 48 and 58 follow very closely behind first shock waves 47 and 57 , in the range of about 5 to 10 milliseconds behind the first shock waves . however , this timing is exemplary , and other timing schemes are possible . the timing of events is dependent on the energy density level deposited on the medium ( water or oil ); that is , a big shockwave takes longer to dissipate all its reverberation inside the chamber , affecting the ultimate trade - off among speed , distance , and power levels . the multitude of second shock waves 48 and 58 coalesce collectively to respectively form large and substantially coplanar second composite shock waves 42 and 52 . second composite shock waves 42 and 52 are respectively virtually parallel to the first composite shock waves 41 and 51 and follow very closely behind them , in the order of from about 5 to 10 milliseconds behind the first composite shock waves . the set of first and second composite shock waves 41 and 42 and the set of first and second composite shock waves 51 and 52 from the axially opposing array 40 and 50 collide in meat 100 . this collision of the sets of composite shock waves produces mach stem effects that create two large spikes of pressure ( or pressure spikes ) closely separated in time . the first of the two large pressure spikes is caused by the colliding first composite shock waves 41 and 51 which each have a positive phase component and a negative phase component , and the second of the two large pressure spikes is caused by the colliding second composite shock waves 42 and 52 . each of the two pressure spikes exerts its pressure uniformly and each extends in a separate plane that is perpendicular to the opposite directions of travel of shock wave sets 41 , 42 , and 51 , 52 and substantially parallel to the planes of outer surfaces 100 a and 100 b of meat 100 . when proper timing of transducers 45 and 55 of arrays 40 and 50 brings these two pressure spikes , or two - phase shearing planes , within meat 100 , this effect cuts the sinuous fiber within meat 100 and thus tenderizes it along these planes . furthermore , having the two pressure spikes , or two - phase shearing planes separated by an interval of time in the range of 5 to 10 milliseconds provides for efficient sterilization by creating successive destructive absolute pressure spikes and absolute pressure differentials within and around each of bacteria and / or other undesirable organisms in meat 10 . the destructive pressure spikes and differentials are created by the traveling positive phase components and the subsequent negative phase components of the first composite waves 41 and 51 and the positive phase component of the second composite waves 42 and 52 . the timing or phasing of the actuation of rows of transducers 45 and 55 of each array 40 and 50 is varied over several successive cycles such that sets of composite shock waves 41 and 42 and sets of composite shock waves 51 and 52 collide sequentially along different planes at different depths within meat 100 . these sequential collisions of shock waves effectively tenderize it throughout the entire thickness of meat 100 . between cycles of actuation a finite amount of time is allowed to lapse before the next actuation cycle to allow any secondary shock and pressure waves to reverberate and dissipate . an exemplary repetition rate having an interval of between 25 and 50 milliseconds between successive shock waves is given for a water medium 25 . oil or other liquids for medium 25 would call for different repetition rates and different energy levels to achieve efficient sterilization and the two - phase shearing planes . thus , it is seen that appropriate timing and phasing ( firing of transducers ) can be made to avoid any undesirable destructive or constructive shockwave interferences ( attributable to time delay and / or mistiming between pulses and the speed of transition of meat 100 through tenderizer / sterilizer 10 ) that would degrade performance , repeatability , and uniformity of the delivered energy or power density levels of tenderizer / sterilized 10 . tenderizer / sterilizer 10 continuously tenderizes and simultaneously sterilizes meat 100 uniformly and reliably throughout its entire volume without the need of a protective plastic container . the colliding composite shock waves in meat 100 may be appropriately controlled in power , duration , and rate of repetition by circuit 60 and supply 70 to effect tenderization and sterilization simultaneously or separately in projections of shock waves from arrays 40 and 50 . these controlled colliding composite shock waves work like two hammers hammering simultaneously from axially opposed sides . tenderizer / sterilizer 10 makes efficient use of electrically induced mechanical shock waves for tenderizing and simultaneously sterilizing meat . high power electromechanical transducers 45 and 55 project axially opposing shock waves and can be used , or pulsed repeatedly at high rates over long periods of time without having to be replaced and without the producing contaminants . this feature further assures that tenderizer / sterilizer 10 is ideal for assembly line processing of batches of meat 100 . tenderizer / sterilizer 10 does not use dangerous chemicals , explosives , or vaporizing electrodes and reduces the need to wrap meat that other processes need to avoid product contamination with byproducts of processing . tenderizer / sterilizer 10 can be tuned ( rate of fire , or pulsed actuation ) and timed ( firing time phasing ) to project different levels of energy to tenderize / sterilize meat 100 so as to be effective on a variety of meat types , precut or whole carcasses . tenderizer / sterilizer 10 allows control and variation of the degree of tenderization and sterilization , and its size can be scaled for use in both the heavy meat packing industry and for the home consumer . the processing of tenderizer / sterilizer 10 substantially reduces the time otherwise necessary for meat to be stored in refrigerated warehouses during aging . since tenderizer / sterilizer 10 eliminates the need for aging , shelf life on grocers &# 39 ; shelves can be increased , and taste of meat can be improved . since large warehouses to store meat during chemical or environmental aging are no longer needed , the cost to deliver quality meat products is reduced , while using healthier low fat meat cuts . tenderizer / sterilizer 10 uses axially opposing high power electro - mechanical transducer arrays 40 and 50 to generate tenderizing and sterilizing shock waves . shock waves produced by axially opposing high power electro - mechanical transducer arrays 40 and 50 create shock waves having longer pulse durations ( positive pressure phases ) than those attainable with explosive devices or electrode vaporization devices of the prior art . shock waves produced by axially opposing high power electro - mechanical transducer arrays 40 and 50 create shock waves having sufficient peak pressure and impulse which are the time - pressure integrals that may be affected by length and frequency of pulses that actuate the transducers . this feature produces tenderizing and sterilizing of meat 100 more efficiently with respect to energy expended as compared to explosive devices or electrode vaporization devices . explosive devices or electrode vaporization devices of the prior art produce sharp pressure pulse spikes , requiring over pressurization to effect work which could be done at lower pressures but with longer pulse durations by the invention . the prior art has recognized the fact that work can be done by sharp pressure spikes more efficiently while under water or similar dense fluid , and this was the technical basis for development and fielding a family of underwater explosives of which pbxn - 103 is probably the best known member . thermodynamically speaking , no work and no energy can be exchanged in no time , and accordingly , substantial energy must be expended by large detonations to create pressure spikes significant enough to produce useful results . this substantial energy expenditure makes these detonations inefficient with respect to energy used by tenderizer / sterilizer 10 of this invention . more powerful or less powerful axially opposing high power electro - mechanical transducers arrays 40 and 50 may be employed depending on the application . a limitation regarding size might be the level , or density of power fed to the axially opposing high power electromechanical transducer arrays 40 and 50 . the current moving capacity of modern conventional materials used in the high power electromechanical transducer industry might be exceeded so that alternative fluids might be used to perform this function . tenderizer / sterilized 10 might be modified to clean things that are difficult to clean by other conventional methods , or it may be modified for use in lithotripsy . furthermore , having this disclosure in mind , one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will select and assemble suitable components for fabrication of different tenderizers / sterilizers 10 from among a wide variety of materials and components available in the art to satisfactorily tenderize and / or sterilize meat 100 as disclosed herein . therefore , the disclosed arrangement is not to be construed as limiting , but rather , is intended to be demonstrative of this inventive concept . it should be readily understood that many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible within the purview of the claimed invention . it is to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described .	0
the present invention now will be described more fully hereinafter in the following detailed description of the invention , in which some , but not all embodiments of the invention are described . indeed , this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein ; rather , these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements . fig1 is a cross - sectional view schematically showing a membrane - electrode assembly ( mea ) produced using a polymer electrolyte membrane of the present invention . referring to fig1 , a membrane - electrode assembly 10 of the present invention comprises a polymer electrolyte membrane 100 , catalyst layers 110 and 110 ′ coated on both surfaces of the polymer electrolyte membrane 100 by deposition , and gas diffusion layers 120 and 120 ′ disposed on the outer surfaces of the respective catalyst layers . the catalyst layers 110 and 110 ′ can contain at least one catalyst selected from the group consisting of platinum , ruthenium , osmium , platinum - ruthenium alloys , platinum - osmium alloys , platinum - palladium alloys , and alloys of platinum with at least one transition metal selected from the group consisting of ga , ti , v , cr , mn , fe , co , ni , cu and zn . a mixture of the catalyst and carbon black can be used to form the catalyst layers . the gas diffusion layers ( gdls ) 120 and 120 ′ are disposed on the outer surfaces of the respective catalyst layers 110 and 110 ′. the gas diffusion layers 120 and 120 ′ serve to supply sufficient hydrogen and oxygen gases from the outside to the catalyst layers to assist in the formation of three - phase interfaces of the catalyst layers , the electrolyte membrane and the gas . the gas diffusion layers can be formed of carbon paper or carbon cloth . the membrane - electrode assembly 10 of the present invention may further comprise microporous layers ( mpls ) 121 and 121 ′ disposed between the catalyst layer 110 and the gas diffusion layer 120 and between the catalyst layer 110 ′ and the gas diffusion layer 120 ′, respectively . the microporous layers 121 and 121 ′ are formed to assist in the diffusion of hydrogen and oxygen gases . fig2 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a fuel cell comprising the membrane - electrode assembly . referring to fig2 , the fuel cell 1 of the present invention comprises the membrane - electrode assembly 10 and bipolar plates 20 arranged on both sides of the membrane - electrode assembly . hereinafter , the constitutions and effects of the present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the following specific examples and comparative examples . however , these examples serve to provide further appreciation of the invention but are not meant in any way to restrict the scope of the invention . 1 . examples illustrating effects of polymer electrolyte membranes according to the first embodiment of the present invention one mole of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole ( formula 12 ) as a diamine is dissolved in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ( nmp , junsei chemical ) in a four - neck flask equipped with an agitator , a thermostat , a nitrogen injection system and a condenser while passing nitrogen through the flask . to the solution is added 1 mole of pyromellitic dianhydride ( pmda , cat . no . b0040 , tokyo chemical industry ). the mixture is vigorously stirred . the solids content of the mixture is 15 wt %. the mixture is allowed to react for 24 hours while maintaining the temperature below 25 ° c . to prepare a polyamic acid solution ( paa - 1 ). a polyamic acid solution ( paa - 2 ) is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 0 . 5 moles of 4 , 4 ′- diaminodiphenylether as a diamine ( cat . no . 00088 , tokyo chemical industry ) and 0 . 5 moles of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole are used . a polyamic acid solution ( paa - 3 ) is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 0 . 3 moles of 4 , 4 - diaminodiphenylether , 0 . 7 moles of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole and 1 mole of pyromellitic dianhydride ( pmda ) are used . a polyamic acid solution ( paa - 4 ) is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 0 . 3 moles of 4 , 4 ′- diaminodiphenylether , 0 . 7 moles of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole and 1 mole of 1 , 4 , 5 , 8 - naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride ( cat . no . no369 , tokyo chemical industry ) are used . a polyamic acid solution ( paa - 5 ) is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 1 mole of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole and 1 mole of 1 , 4 , 5 , 8 - naphthalene tetracarboxylic dianhydride are used . a polyamic acid solution ( paa - 6 ) is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 0 . 3 moles of 4 , 4 ′- diaminodiphenylether , 0 . 7 moles of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole and 1 mole of 3 , 3 ′, 4 , 4 ′- benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride ( cat . no . no369 , tokyo chemical industry ) are used . a polyamic acid solution ( paa - 7 ) is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 1 mole of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole and 1 mole of 3 , 3 ′, 4 , 4 ′- benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride are used . polyimide polymer films are produced using the respective polyamic acid solutions prepared in examples 1 to 7 . the characteristics of the polyimide polymer films and the impregnation properties of the polyimide polymer films with phosphoric acid are evaluated . the results are shown in table 1 . as can be seen from the data shown in table 1 , the polyimide polymer films have a high rate of impregnation with phosphoric acid . a fuel cell is fabricated using a polymer electrolyte membrane formed in example 3 . the i - v characteristics of the fuel cell are evaluated at 150 ° c . without humidification . the results are shown in fig3 . the results of fig3 demonstrate that the fuel cell , which is fabricated using a polymer electrolyte membrane formed in example 3 , shows voltage values as high as 600 mv in the current range of 0 to 0 . 3 a / cm 2 . 2 . examples illustrating effects of polymer electrolyte membranes according to the second embodiment of the present invention polyimide is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , and then a solution of 15 wt % of socyanuric acid triglycidyl ester ( cat . no . 10428 , tokyo chemical industry ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ( nmp , junsei chemical ) is added thereto . at this time , the socyanuric acid triglycidyl ester is used in an amount of 20 wt %, based on the solids content of the polymer . the mixture is vigorously stirred using a mechanical agitator for 6 hours to prepare a homogeneous polymer solution . polyimide is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , and then a solution of 15 wt % of socyanuric acid triglycidyl ester ( cat . no . 10428 , tokyo chemical industry ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ( nmp , junsei chemical ) is added thereto . at this time , the socyanuric acid triglycidyl ester is used in an amount of 5 wt %, based on the solids content of the polymer . the mixture is vigorously stirred using a mechanical agitator for 6 hours to prepare a homogeneous polymer solution . polyimide is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , and then a solution of 15 wt % of a melamine monomer ( cat . no . t0337 , tokyo chemical industry ) in n - methyl - 2 - pyrrolidone ( nmp , junsei chemical ) is added thereto . at this time , the socyanuric acid triglycidyl ester is used in an amount of 10 wt %, based on the solids content of the polymer . the mixture is vigorously stirred using a mechanical agitator for 6 hours to prepare a homogeneous polymer solution . polyimide is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , and a polyamic acid solution is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 0 . 95 moles of 6 , 4 ′- diamino - 2 - phenylbenzimidazole and 0 . 1 moles of 4 - ethylnylaniline ( cat . no . e0505 , tokyo chemical industry ) are used . polyimide is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , and a polyamic acid solution is prepared in the same manner as in example 1 , except that 0 . 95 moles of pyromellitic dianhydride ( pmda , cat . no . b0040 , tokyo chemical industry ) and 0 . 1 moles of maleic anhydride ( cat . no . m0005 , tokyo chemical industry ) are used . crosslinked polyimide films are produced using the respective polyamic acid solutions prepared in examples 8 . the crosslinked polyimide films are tested for chemical resistance . the results are shown in table 2 . the chemical resistance test is conducted by fenton &# 39 ; s test . specifically , 20 ppm feso 4 is dissolved in a hydrogen peroxide solution to prepare a solution for fenton &# 39 ; s test . each of the polyimide films is added to the solution in a container . the solution in which the polyimide film is dipped is shaken using a shaker in a water bath at 80 ° c . for 6 hours . thereafter , the film is taken out of the solution , washed with water , dried in a vacuum oven at 60 ° c . for 3 hours , and weighed . as is evident from the results of table 2 , the film of example 1 containing no crosslinking agent is very brittle and shows a great loss in weight after the fenton &# 39 ; s test . that is , it is impossible to measure the weight retention rate of the film . in contrast , the films of examples 8 to 12 containing a crosslinking agent show a relatively high weight retention rate even after the fenton &# 39 ; s test . particularly , the weight retention rate of the film produced in example 8 is very high ( 94 %). a fuel cell is fabricated using the polymer electrolyte membrane formed in example 9 . the i - v characteristics of the fuel cell are evaluated at 150 ° c . without humidification . the results are shown in fig4 . the results of fig4 demonstrate that the fuel cell , which is fabricated using the polymer electrolyte membrane formed in example 9 , shows a voltage value as high as 670 mv at a current density of 0 . 3 a / cm 2 . a test fuel cell is fabricated using the polymer electrolyte membrane formed in example 9 . the test fuel cell is evaluated for long - term operation stability . the results are shown in fig5 . although not shown in fig5 , a fuel cell fabricated using the film produced in example 1 containing no crosslinking agent shows poor durability (& lt ; 300 hours ), whereas a fuel cell fabricated using the film produced in example 1 containing a crosslinking agent shows markedly improved durability (≧ 3 , 500 hours ) under long - term operation conditions at a current density of 0 . 2 a / cm 2 . many modifications and other embodiments of the invention will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions . therefore , it is to be understood that the invention is 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 , the scope of the invention being defined in the claims .	7
as shown in fig1 a exhaust valve 8 and a sealing gas supply valve 9 are connected to a receptacle 6 for airtight packaging . a substrate 2 of a semiconductor package having semiconductor devices 4 mounted thereon is placed on a stand contained in the receptacle 6 . on the other hand , a cap 1 of the semiconductor package is retained by a retainer 14 . thermal conductive connectors 3 , mounted inside the cap 1 , come in contact with backs of the semiconductor devices 4 and transfers heat generated by semiconductor devices to the cap 1 to dissipate the heat . however , the thermal conductive connectors are not essential to the semiconductor package . the retainer 14 extends to the outside of the receptacle 6 and is moved upward and downward by servomechanism 15 . in addition , a heater 16 for heating is disposed near seal portions of the substrate 2 and the cap 1 . in a fig1 a heater 16 &# 39 ; is disposed near the seal portion of the retainer 14 . the seal portions of the cap 1 and the substrate 2 are provided with presolders 12 and 13 for sealing . a programmable controller 18 controls the valves 8 and 9 , the servomechanism 15 and the heaters 16 and 16 &# 39 ;. fig2 is a time chart for illustrating the operation of the apparatus of fig1 and represents the temperature t of a seal region ( inclusive of the seal portions of the cap 1 and the substrate ) within the receptacle , gas pressure p within the receptacle , and gap g between the seal portions of the cap 1 and the substrate respectively as functions of time . with reference to fig1 the inside of the receptacle 6 is once evacuated to eliminate the air , and the temperature of the seal region is raised from the room temperature to approximately 150 ° c . to effect vacuum baking . by the vacuum baking , the gas absorbed by the seal portions is eliminated . after completion of the vacuum baking , the temperature t is raised to and kept at approximately 230 ° c . and the sealing gas such as he gas is supplied into the receptacle 1 through the valve 9 to bring the inside of the receptacle 1 to approximately three atmospheres and maintain that pressure . thereby , the presolders 12 and 13 provided at the seal portions of the cap 1 and the substrate 2 are melted . at time instant t 1 , the retainer 14 for retaining the cap 1 is lowered by the servomechanism 15 to joint the solders 12 and 13 . in order to eliminate bubbles contained in the melted solder , the cap 1 is lowered at such a speed that the solder will not be scattered . as shown in fig2 the gap g between the seal portions is preferably reduced to a value ( 0 . 2 mm , for example ) smaller than a predetermined gap ( 0 . 5 mm , for example ) and thereafter adjusted to have the predetermined gap . if the semiconductor package is increased in size , solder of the cap 1 is not in contact with that of the substrate over some part of the whole periphery due to warp of the substrate , resulting in a packaging failure . this can be prevented by once pulling down the cap 1 lower than the predetermined height as described above . further , the solder 17 takes the shape of hand - drum as shown in fig3 representing the completed package by once pulling down the cap 1 lower than the predetermined height . when the semiconductor device is mounted on the substrate by solder balls , it is said that solder shaped like a hand - drum provides a higher connection reliability . in the packaging according to the present invention as well , a similar effect can be anticipated by making solder shaped like a hand - drum . from time instant t 2 at which the gap between the cap 1 and the substrate has reached the predetermined value , the heater temperature is lowered to start the cooling process . since the temperature within the package generally drops faster than that within the receptacle 6 , the gas pressure p 1 within the package becomes lower than the gas pressure p 2 within the receptacle . therefore , it is necessary to maintain the relation p 1 = p 2 until the temperature which solder is solidified is reached , by controlling the valves to control the gas pressure of the receptacle 6 concurrently with the drop in temperature . if the gas pressure p 1 within the package becomes lower than the gas pressure outside the package , the melted solder flows into the space within the package , resulting in solder projection . in order to attain the relation p 1 = p 2 in the present apparatus , the gas pressure p 1 within the package is experimentally derived with respect to various cooling instants . the resultant characteristic curve representing the gas pressure p 1 within the package as a function of cooling time t is stored in the controller 18 . a curve p of fig2 after time instant t 2 is that characteristic curve . after cooling has been started , the controller 18 derives the gas pressure within the receptacle on the basis of the characteristic curve and controls the valve 8 . such control for attaining the relationship p 1 = p 2 is conducted until solder is solidified . in pb - sn eutectic solder , for example , control for attaining the relationship p 1 = p 2 is effected until the solid phase temperature of 183 ° c . is reached . fig4 shows experimental results concerning the number of repeated thermal strains causing a leak failure of he contained in a semiconductor package sealed by means of solder in accordance with the method of fig1 . the number is plotted as a function of the height of sealing solder . as the solder height is increased , the number of thermal strains until the he leak is caused is also increased , resulting in a longer life . by increasing the solder height , therefore , it is possible to absorb the difference in thermal expansion between the cap and the substrate . accordingly , is becomes possible to select a material such as copper or aluminum having a property such as high thermal conductivity desired as the property of the cap without being subject to restriction by the thermal expansion difference from the substrate made of alumina ceramic or mullite ceramic , for example . it is thus possible to realize high seal reliability and cooling capability . therefore , the controller 18 adjusts the solder height so as to produce flexibility enough to absorb the thermal expansion difference between the substrate and the cap . as described above , the present invention provides an accurate solder connection shape irrespective of the weight of the cap or wiring substrate . as a result , a highly reliable structure for airtightly packaging a semiconductor package can be obtained .	7
a dry etching apparatus according to preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described hereinbelow with reference to fig1 and 2 . fig1 a shows a reaction chamber 1 of one preferred embodiment of a dry etching apparatus of the present invention . the reaction chamber 1 can be maintained under a vacuum . a lower electrode 2 made of aluminum for holding a base material 4 , such as a semiconducting substrate made of gallium arsenide , silicone , or glass , is connected to a high frequency power source 7 . a high frequency power is supplied from the power source 7 to the lower electrode 2 . a thin insulating layer 3 is formed at the upper surface of the lower electrode 2 . an insulating spacer 5 upper electrode 6 confronting the lower electrode 2 is grounded and has a reaction gas entrance 6a . alternatively , a reaction gas entrance is shown by a chain line in fig1 . the lower electrode 2 has in the upper surface thereof recesses 10 including a circular recess 10a at its center and an annular recess 10b extending around the circular recess 10a as shown in fig1 a and 1b . at the recesses 10 , the base material 4 is not close to the upper surface of the lower electrode 2 . the 20 - 80 μm thick insulating layer 3 which is formed of hard anodized aluminum covers the entire upper surface of the lower electrode 2 . preferably , the thickness of the hard aluminum is not less than 100μ and the thickness of the aluminum of the electrode is not less than 0 . 3 mm . preferably , material having a thermal conductivity that increases when in a vacuum is used for the insulating layer 3 . the operation of the dry etching apparatus having the above - described structure will be discussed below . since recesses 10 are formed in the surface of the lower electrode 2 , the contact area between the insulating layer 3 and the base material is small . the relationship of the opening ratio of the recesses 10 , the temperature of the base material 4 and the residual electrostatic attraction force is shown in a graph of fig2 . as is clear from fig2 the residual attraction force is eliminated when the opening ratio is 20 %. although the temperature of the base material 4 is 10 ° c . higher when the opening ratio is 20 % as compared to when there are not recesses , the increased temperature is not practically a problem . if the temperature of the cooling water for cooling the lower electrode 2 is lowered by approximately 10 ° c ., the base material 4 can be at the same temperature as when the opening ratio is 0 %. in the embodiment described hereinabove , the lower electrode 2 has recesses 10 in the upper surface to thereby reduce the area of contact with the base material 4 . therefore , the residual attraction force is decreased , and the problems when the base material 4 is transferred can be solved . moreover , because the residual electrostatic attraction force may vary in dependence with kind of the base material 4 , the opening ratio of the recesses and the cooling temperature of the electrode may be selected suitably . preferably , the opening ratio of the recesses 10 is not less than 20 % with respect to a semiconducting substrate made of silicon . it is also preferred that the opening ratio of the recesses 10 not be less than 25 % with respect to a semiconducting substrate made of glass . in the foregoing embodiment , the lower electrode 2 has the recesses 10 in the upper surface thereof , and the insulating layer 3 is formed over the entire upper surface of the lower electrode 2 . however , it is possible to form the insulating layer 3 on only part of the upper surface of the lower electrode 2 without forming recesses in the electrode 2 itself as illustrated in fig3 . that is , the insulating layer 3 may be formed while the upper surface of the lower electrode 2 is masked or the insulating layer 3 may be partially etched and removed after it is formed over the entire surface of the lower electrode 2 . in this case , recesses 11 having a similar configuration to the recesses 10 are formed between the base material 4 and the lower electrode 2 where the insulating layer 3 is not present . the effect achieved in this case is the same as that in the first embodiment . in the embodiments , the configuration of the recesses 10 and 11 may be changed as desired , e . g . the recesses may extend radially or be in the form of concentric circles . according to one aspect of the present invention , the electrode for holding a base material has a recess and the surface of the electrode is covered with the insulating layer so that part of the structure does not contact the base material . alternatively , only part of the surface of the electrode is covered with the insulating layer so that the insulating layer alone contacts the base material . therefore , the area of contact with the base material is small , thus resulting in a weaker electrostatic attraction force . since the residual electrostatic attraction force is reduced while the temperature rise of the base material on the electrode is restricted , the base material can be readily transferred . although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art . such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims unless they otherwise depart therefrom .	7
in the following description , terms such as &# 34 ; top &# 34 ;,&# 34 ; bottom &# 34 ;,&# 34 ; left &# 34 ;, and &# 34 ; right &# 34 ; are used for convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms . to better illustrate the high optical efficiency achieved by optical couplers of the present invention , a less efficient coupler 10 is first described with respect to prior art fig1 . such figure shows a top view of a coupler 10 having an input arm 12 for receiving light from a light source ( not shown ), an output arm 14 for outputting light to a distribution harness ( not shown ), and a bend portion 16 for achieving a 90 - degree bend . side views of inlet region 12a of inlet arm 12 , and of outlet region 14a , are respectively shown in fig1 a and 1b . such surfaces are square and of equal size to each other as shown in fig1 a and 1b . if coupler 10 is hollow , phantom lines 13 and 15 in fig1 a and 1b , respectively , represent interiorly reflecting surfaces ; if , alternatively , coupler 10 is a transparent solid , surfaces 13 and 15 are not present . as shown in fig1 a and 1b , the square shape of inlet and outlet surfaces 12a and 14a ( and of the remainder of inlet and outlet arms 12 and 14 ) facilitates the mixing of light that is passed through coupler 10 , in the manner described , for instance , in the above - mentioned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 341 , 445 . increased light mixing results in increased uniformity of intensity and color of output light , and also less critical alignment of the light coupled into the coupler . in some applications , the length of coupler 10 needs to be some multiple of the cross - sectional dimension of the coupler ; for example , a 7 : 1 ratio is desirable where the coupler is used in a photographic slide projector or video projector ( not shown ). to minimize the size of the resulting slide or video projector , it is desirable to include a bend portion 16 so that coupler 10 can be compact . an exemplary bend of 90 degrees , for instance , is illustrated , although other bend angles can be used . in forming bend portion 16 , a 45 - degree , mirrored surface 16a is used to provide for reflection of light ray 20 , which is directed along the central longitudinal axis ( not shown ) of inlet arm 12 , and is reflected upwardly as shown at point 21 , along the central longitudinal axis ( not shown ) of outlet arm 14 . it is desired that further light ray 22 , which is angled with respect to the longitudinal axis of inlet arm 12 , pass into outlet arm 14 . ray 22 , however , after reflecting from mirrored surface 16a at point 23 ( angles 24a and 24b being equal ), reflects rearwardly in inlet arm 12 , i . e ., back towards inlet region 12a . the inability to pass ray 22 into outlet arm 14 lowers the optical efficiency of coupler 10 , reducing the intensity of light output from outlet arm 14 . in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention , fig2 shows a coupler 10 , which , like coupler 10 of fig1 has an input arm 12 for receiving light , an output arm 14 , and a bend portion 16 for achieving , e . g ., a 90 - degree bend . side views of inlet region 12a of inlet arm 12 , and of outlet region 14a , are respectively shown in fig2 a and 2b ; such side views are similar to the above - described side views of surfaces 12a and 14a of fig1 a and 1b . however , a dimension of inlet region 12a is reduced compared to the dimensions of outlet region 14a . that is , while corresponding input and output dimensions d2 and d4 are shown as equal , input dimension d1 is reduced from corresponding output dimension d3 . such change in dimension occurs on the sides of inlet arm 12 that are parallel to a plane ( not shown ) defined by the intersection of the respective central longitudinal axes ( not shown ) of inlet and outlet arms 12 and 14 . details of such reduction in dimension will be set forth below . in the embodiment shown in fig2 and 2b , outlet arm 14 has a square and uniform cross section along its longitudinal axis , whereby dimensions d3 and d4 in fig2 b are the same . such dimensions , however , may alternatively be different from each other , whereby the cross section of outlet arm 14 would be rectangular . further , inlet arm 12 is shown in fig2 and 2a as being rectangular and uniform in cross section along its length ; alternatively , it could be square . moreover , one or both of inlet and outlet arms 12 and 14 , rather than being uniform along their lengths , could be tapered in a manner known per se in the art to achieve an angle - to - area conversion of light . in such conversion , considering a single input or output arm , the angle is with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm , and the area refers to the respective cross sectional areas of light at the inlet and outlet portions of the arm . where an especially large angle - to - area conversion is desired , the tapers may each define a compound parabolic reflector made in accordance with non - imaging optics , a technology known per se in the art . referring again to fig2 a phantom line 28 shows the portion of inlet arm 12 that is absent in relation to inlet arm 12 of fig1 . the extent of the absent portion , i . e ., the reduction to dimension d1 for inlet arm as shown in fig2 a , is determined by the goal of transmitting all light rays through coupler 10 , from inlet region 12a to outlet region 12a . thus , light ray 30 , which reaches 45 - degree , mirrored surface 16a at point 31 , reflects at point 32 within outlet arm 14 , to pass upwardly and be transmitted though outlet region 14a . with light ray 30 representing light deviating from the longitudinal axis ( not shown ) of inlet arm 12 at a maximum angle 34 , determining the reduced dimension d1 ( fig2 a ), compared to dimension d3 of outlet arm 14 ( fig2 b ), is a matter of geometry . for the example shown , with a 90 - degree bend in the coupler , d1 = d3 ( 1 + tangent of angle 34 ). fig3 is a detail view of bend portion 16 of a coupler 10 , and of adjacent portions of inlet and outlet arms 12 and 14 of the coupler . a so - called backup , or separate , mirror 40 is shown mounted on angled surface 16a of the bend , and is preferably used rather than a mirrored surface 16a as described with the above embodiments where coupler 16 is a solid , rather than hollow , in construction . this is because a thin air layer that will exist between surface 16a and the mirror will cause much of the light reaching angled surface 16a to totally internally reflect within bend portion 16 . as opposed to such lossless change of direction , about one - third of the light reaching surface 16a will be angled such that it passes outside of surface 16a to be reflected by the backup mirror , resulting in only one - third of the light having a mirror - absorbed light loss on the order of ten percent . fig4 shows a coupler 10 whose inlet region 12a is square , as shown in fig4 a , and whose outlet region 14a is rectangular , as shown in fig4 b . for use in projecting video images from a photographic slide or liquid - crystal display ( not shown ), the aspect ratio of output dimension d3 to d4 ( fig4 b ) is typically 1 . 3 : 1 . determining the dimension d1 of inlet arm 12 ( fig4 a ), compared to dimension d3 of outlet arm 14 ( fig4 b ), can be accomplished in the same manner as determining the corresponding dimensions with respect to the embodiment of fig2 a and 2b , as described above . fig5 a and 5b respectively show top and side plan views of an optical coupling system using the coupler of fig4 a and 4b . within an enclosure 42 , coupler 10 is arranged to receive light in inlet arm 12 from a source of light 44 , via a mirror 46 shown in fig5 b . after passing through coupler 10 to achieve a high degree of light mixing , light passes though an image - containing plate 46 before being directed , via a projection lens 48 , to display optics ( e . g ., a viewing screen ). in a limiting case , the image - containing plate is perfectly transparent , and the system is used for projecting a uniform area of light . fig6 shows an optical coupler 10 including a bend portion 16 with a 120 - degree bend , or angle 50 . as a general rule , bend surface 16a is oriented at an angle 52 of half angle 50 , or 60 degrees for the case shown . determining the relation between dimension d1 of inlet arm 12 , and d3 , of outlet arm 14 , is done in the same manner as mentioned above with respect to fig2 a and 2b . for the 120 - degree angle 50 shown , dimension d3 is approximately four times dimension d1 ; for larger angles 50 , dimension d3 will be scaled even more upwardly with respect to dimension d1 . fig7 shows a limiting case where dimension d3 of outlet arm 14 is the same as dimension d1 on inlet arm 12 , and light rays directed into inlet arm 12 are all passed into outlet arm 14 . in this limiting case , the angle 50 of bend is 60degrees . for angles in excess of 60 degrees , dimension d3 will exceed dimension d1 as in the previous examples of the invention . a further approach to forming a bend in an optical coupler is now described in connection with fig8 and succeeding figures . fig8 shows a prior art coupler 60 having input and output arms 62 and 64 , and a bend region 66 with a mirrored surface 66a . as shown in fig8 a and 8b , inlet arms 62 and 64 may have respective , square , equal - size ends 62a and 64a ( not shown in fig8 ). if coupler 60 is hollow , phantom lines 63 and 65 in fig8 a and 8b , respectively , represent interiorly reflecting surfaces ; if , alternatively , coupler 60 is solid , surfaces 63 and 65 are not present . as shown in fig8 a light ray 70 reflects from point 71 on mirrored surface 66a back into inlet arm 62 , representing lost light . similarly , light ray 72 passes straight through bend region 62 and exits output arm 64 at point 73 ; this is because the angle 74 it makes with respect to a central , longitudinal axis of outlet arm 64 is too high to allow the ray to totally internally reflect at point 73 back within outlet arm 64 . fig9 shows an inventive coupler 60 which avoids the lost light of the coupler of prior art fig8 described above . in fig9 bend portion 66 comprises a prism with all surfaces polished , whose surface 66a may be mirrored if desired , as discussed below . bend portion ( or prism ) 66 has an upwardly facing surface 66b , for receiving light from inlet arm 62 , and a rightward facing surface 66c , through which light is passed into outlet arm 64 . as shown in fig9 a and 9b , inlet arms 62 and 64 may have respective , rectangular equal - size ends 62a and 64a ( not shown in fig9 ), although the ends may be square . if coupler 60 is hollow , phantom lines 63 and 65 in fig9 a and 9b , respectively , represent interiorly reflecting surfaces ; if , alternatively , coupler 60 is solid , surfaces 63 and 65 are not present . referring again to fig9 a material 76 adjoins upwardly facing prism surface 66b and has an index of refraction differing from that of the prism . likewise , a material 78 adjoins rightward facing surface 66c and has an index of refraction differing from that of the prism . materials 76 and 78 may comprise air , water , or preferably a material with an index of refraction lower than that of air , such as magnesium fluoride bonded to the inlet and outlet arms with an optical glue having an index of refraction matched to magnesium fluoride . owing to the differing indexes of refraction of the prism and of materials 76 and 78 , light ray 70 received within prism 66 can be reflected at point 71a either by a mirrored surface 66a or , preferably , by total internal reflection within the prism . after totally internally reflecting again in the prism at point 71b , ray 70 will pass into outlet arm 64 assuming the angle it make with prism surface 66c is above the maximum allowable angle for total internal reflection . in a similar manner , light ray 72 received into prism 66 totally internally reflects at point 73a in the prism , to be reflected at point 73b by a mirrored surface 66a , or preferably totally internally reflected , into outlet arm 64 . prism 66 is preferably a triangular prism as shown in fig9 for example . to minimize loss of light in the reflections within the prism , all of its surfaces should be polished , and beveling of its corners is preferably avoided . input and output arms 62 and 64 to the prism may be square , as shown in fig8 a and 8b , respectively , or rectangular , as shown in fig9 a and 9b , respectively . optimally , the input and output arms are of the same size and configuration , but differing sizes and configurations can be used if the attendant light loss is not prohibitive . moreover , several input arms or several output arms can be used for a single prism , such as a bundle ( not shown ) of four output arms . further , a single input arm may supply light to multiple ( e . g . two ) prisms ( not shown ), preferably stacked one atop the other ; that is , referring to fig9 a further prism ( not shown ) may be stacked beneath ( or above ) prism 66 , with its output surface facing leftward and leading to a further output arm ( not shown ). fig1 schematically shows how light from a light source 80 is passed to display optics 84 , via coupler 60 and a light distribution harness 82 . details of suitable light distribution harnesses will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from , e . g ., the above - cited u . s . pat . no . 5 , 341 , 445 . for instance , a light distribution harness may comprise a bundle ( not shown ) of optical light conductors . alternatively , for instance , it may comprise a photographic slide and a projection lens ( not shown ) for modulating and routing light to display optics such as a viewing screen ( not shown ). fig1 illustrates preferred features of a prism 66 . a mirrored , reflecting surface may be provided on the angled surface 66a of the prism . it preferably is a separate , so - called backup mirror 40 ( shown in phantom ) attached to the prism in a manner allowing an air interface between the mirror and the prism . this is for the reduced light loss explained above in connection with fig3 . surfaces 66b and 66c of the prism are preferably coated with a low index of refraction material 76 and 78 , such as magnesium fluoride , as mentioned above . a matching , low index of refraction optical glue can then be used to bond the ends of inlet arms 62 and 64 ( fig9 ), where solid , to material 76 and 78 . this reduces optical losses that occur when a light ray refracts from one material to another . thus , if materials 76 and 78 comprise air and the inlet and outlet arms are solid glass , an approximately 4 percent optical loss occurs in light refracting from the inlet arm to air 76 , a similar loss occurs in light refracting from air 76 to the glass prism , and two further corresponding losses in connection with the refractions into and out of material 78 . this yields a total light losses of about 16 percent . by using magnesium fluoride , as mentioned , the loss for each refraction is about 1 . 5 percent , reducing the total loss to about 6 percent . fig1 shows a variation of the invention , where a coupler 60 includes a tapered inlet arm portion 62 &# 39 ; and a non - tapered inlet arm portion 62 ; and preferably also includes a tapered outlet arm portion 64 &# 39 ; and a non - tapered inlet arm portion 64 . the tapers of inlet and outlet portions 62 &# 39 ; and 64 &# 39 ; achieve , in a manner known per se in the art , an angle - to - area conversion of light . in such conversion , considering a single input or output arm , the angle is with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arm , and the area refers to the respective cross sectional areas of light at the inlet and outlet portions of the tapered arm portion . where an especially large angle - to - area conversion is desired , the tapers may each define a compound parabolic reflector made in accordance with non - imaging optics , a technology known per se in the art . beneficially , in such embodiment , more light rays ( not shown ) become oriented so as to totally internally reflect within the prism on surface 66a , with essentially no light loss . if the light rays reflect off a mirrored surface 66a , on the other hand , a 5 to 10 percent light loss occurs . optimal alignment of a prism with respect to input and output arms is now considered with respect to fig1 through 15 . these figures respectively relate to the cases where the angle 89 of bend is orthogonal , acute and obtuse . referring to fig1 , a person looking into inlet arm 62 from the perspective or arrow 90 should see only the interior of inlet arm 62 and mirror 66a , assuming that interface 91 between arm and prism is transparent . similarly , a person looking into outlet arm 64 from the perspective or arrow 92 should see only the interior of outlet arm 62 and mirror 66a , assuming that interface 93 between arm and prism is transparent . the same procedure can be applied to the acute - angle 89 and obtuse - angle 89 cases of fig1 and 15 , respectively . while the invention has been described with respect to specific embodiments by way of example , many modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art . it is , therefore , to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true scope and spirit of the invention .	6
applicants have recognized and appreciated that the factor - of - two improvement in axial resolution and the immunity to group velocity dispersion that q - oct affords are consequences of the how phase - sensitive noise is affected by propagation through linear media . because high - flux classical - state light beams can carry phase - sensitive noise , it is therefore possible to reap these q - oct advantages without recourse to a quantum - state ( e . g ., “ twin ” beam ) light source . accordingly , one embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to imparting phase - sensitive noise to a classical light source , and utilizing the phase - sensitive noise carried by a classical light source to facilitate improved axial resolution in an oct imaging technique . it should be appreciated , however , that in other embodiments as discussed further below , quantum light sources may be utilized to implement inventive methods and apparatus according to the present disclosure . fig3 generally illustrates an exemplary configuration for a phase - conjugate optical coherence tomography ( pc - oct ) apparatus 100 according to one inventive embodiment of the present disclosure . as in fig1 and 2 , the scanning process used to obtain transverse resolution of an imaged sample has been omitted in fig3 for simplicity , as the salient concepts of interest in the present disclosure primarily are germane to axial resolution . in the embodiment of fig3 , unlike the implementations respectively shown in fig1 and 2 , the light source 90 is a classical - state source that emits signal and reference beams 92 and 94 with a significant and broadband phase - sensitive signal - reference correlation ( cross - correlation ). hence , the signal and reference beams 92 and 94 are said to be in a “ joint classical state with a phase - sensitive correlation .” in one exemplary implementation , strong signal and reference beams that have a phase - sensitive cross - correlation can be produced by splitting a single laser beam in two , and then imposing appropriate amplitude and phase noises on these beams through electro - optic modulators . conventional optical telecommunication modulators , however , in some cases may not have sufficient bandwidth for high - resolution pc - oct . accordingly , in another exemplary implementation , the light source 90 exploits nonlinear optics . for example , a light source 90 based on spontaneous parametric downconversion ( spdc ) may have thz phase - matching bandwidths , and is accordingly suitable as a broadband light source for a pc - oct implementation . other possible light sources 90 include parametric amplification via four - wave mixing in optical fibers . in one aspect of an spdc light source 90 for the implementation of fig3 , unlike q - oct ( which relies on spdc for the “ twin beam ” source , i . e ., entangled biphotons ), an spdc light source for pc - oct can ( and should ) be driven at maximum pump strength . in particular , it may be appreciated that there is no need to limit the photon - pair generation rate of the light source 90 so that the twin beam biphoton states are time - resolved by the approximately mhz bandwidth single - photon detectors that are used in q - oct &# 39 ; s detection scheme ( coincidence counter in a hong - ou - mandel interferometer ). to achieve maximum pump strength drive , pulsed pumping techniques may be employed . similar techniques may be used with fiber - optic parametric amplifiers . in fig3 , the signal beam 92 is directed to a sample 56 to be imaged ( e . g ., a tissue sample ), and the reference beam 94 is directed to a variable delay . in fig3 , for simplicity , the sample is shown as being irradiated by the signal beam and transmitting a beam 93 after interaction with the sample ( the sample is being shown imaged in transmission ), but it should be appreciated that sample imaging in pc - oct may be performed either in transmission or reflection . after the signal beam has interacted with the sample to generate the beam 93 , this beam is then passed through a phase - conjugator 95 . the resulting phase - conjugated beam 97 is then directed to irradiate and interact again with the sample 56 to provide a beam 99 that has twice interacted with the sample . the reference beam 94 is passed through a variable delay 58 to generate a beam 91 , and the beam 91 is combined via a 50 / 50 beam splitter 60 with the beam 99 that has twice interacted with the sample for detection in a michelson interferometer arrangement 62 , which is followed by differential amplification by amplifier 66 with gain g , and post - detection image processing by processor 68 . in sum , in one exemplary implementation according to this embodiment , the signal beam is focused on and reflected from a sample , undergoes conjugate amplification , is refocused onto the same sample , and then interfered with the time - delayed reference beam . in one aspect of the embodiment of fig3 , a broadband , high - gain phase - conjugator 95 based on spdc may be implemented as an optical parametric amplifier ( opa ) used in phase - conjugation mode . for example , using a frequency - degenerate type - ii phase matched down - converter as the phase - conjugator , the signal beam , after a first interaction with the sample , is applied as the beam 93 to the phase - conjugator in one input polarization ( referred to as the “ signal ” polarization ) and a vacuum state field ( not shown in fig3 ) is applied to the phase - conjugator in the other polarization ( referred to as the “ idler ” polarization ). the idler output of the phase - conjugator then serves as the beam 97 , which has the characteristics needed for pc - oct , i . e ., it comprises a phase - conjugated version of the signal input plus the minimum quantum noise needed to preserve free - field commutator brackets , as discussed further below . in other exemplary implementations , similar phase - conjugate operation can also be obtained from frequency - degenerate four - wave mixing . in either of these schemes , pulsed operation may be employed to achieve a suitable gain - bandwidth product for high - performance pc - oct . in the embodiment of fig3 , because the phase conjugator 95 converts phase - sensitive correlation of the signal and reference beams to phase - insensitive correlation , the desired interference signature of the sample 56 becomes observable with the michelson interferometer arrangement 62 . however , because the signal - reference beam correlation is phase - sensitive , the configuration illustrated in the embodiment of fig3 achieves the axial resolution and dispersion immunity of q - oct . as discussed above in connection with fig2 , q - oct derives its signal and reference beams from spontaneous parametric down - conversion ( spdc ), whose outputs are in a zero - mean gaussian state , with a non - classical phase - sensitive cross - correlation function . in the low - flux limit , this non - classical gaussian state becomes a stream of individually detectable biphotons . classical - state light beams can also have phase - sensitive cross - correlations , but quantum or classical phase - sensitive cross - correlations do not yield second - order interference . this is why fourth - order interference is used in q - oct . however , in the pc - oct apparatus 100 of fig3 , the phase conjugator 95 converts a phase - sensitive cross - correlation into a phase - insensitive cross - correlation that can be seen in second - order interference . accordingly , it may be appreciated that it is the phase - sensitive cross - correlation of the signal and reference beams , rather than any non - classical behavior per se , that provides the axial resolution improvement and even - order dispersion cancellation . thus , in pc - oct , this cross - correlation need not be beyond the limits of classical physics , as is required for q - oct . however , as discussed further below , in other implementations a quantum light source may be utilized to generate signal and reference beams in a jointly quantum state with a phase - sensitive correlation , and a phase conjugator similarly may be employed to convert the phase - sensitive correlation to a phase - insensitive correlation . following below is a detailed analysis of the pc - oct apparatus 100 shown in fig3 . a more rigorous theoretical analysis is provided in u . s . provisional application ser . no . 60 / 807 , 616 , filed jul . 18 , 2006 , entitled “ phase - sensitive optical coherence tomography methods and apparatus ,” and u . s . provisional application ser . no . 60 / 863 , 529 , filed oct . 30 , 2006 , entitled “ phase - conjugate optical coherence tomography methods and apparatus ,” as well as the following publications : b . i . erkmen and j . h . shapiro , “ phase - conjugate optical coherence tomography ,” phys . rev . a 74 , 041601 ( 2006 ); b . i . erkmen and j . h . shapiro , “ optical coherence tomography with phase - sensitive light ,” proc . spie 6305 , 630510 ( 2006 ); and j . h . shapiro and b . i . erkmen , “ imaging with phase - sensitive light ,” in international conference on quantum information technical digest on cd - rom ( osa , washington , dc , 2007 ), ithd1 . each of the above - identified applications and publications hereby is incorporated herein by reference . in the apparatus 100 of fig3 , the signal and reference beams 92 and 94 are classical fields with a common center frequency ω 0 , and baseband complex envelopes , e s ( t ) and e r ( t ), with powers  ω 0 \| e k ( t )\| 2 , for k = s , r . these complex fields are zero - mean , stationary , jointly gaussian random processes that are completely characterized by their phase - insensitive auto - correlations e * k ( t + τ ) e k ( t ) = f − 1 [ s ( ω )], for k = s , r , and their phase - sensitive cross - correlation e s ( t + τ ) e r ( t ) = f − 1 [ s ( ω )], where is the inverse fourier transform of s ( ω ), and s ( ω )= s (− ω )≧ 0 is the common spectrum of the signal and reference beams at detunings ± ω from ω 0 . these fields have the maximum phase - sensitive cross - correlation that is consistent with classical physics . the signal beam is focused on a transverse spot on the sample yielding a reflection with complex envelope e h ( t )= e s ( t ) å h ( t ), where å denotes convolution and h ( t )= f − 1 [ h ( ω )] with being the sample &# 39 ; s baseband impulse response . in eq . ( 2 ), r ( z , ω ) is the complex reflection coefficient at depth z and detuning ω , and φ ( z , ω ) is the phase acquired through propagation to depth z in the sample . after conjugate amplification , the complex envelope e c ( t )=[ e * h ( t )+ w ( t )] å v ( t ) is obtained , where w ( t ), a zero - mean , complex - valued , isotropic white gaussian noise with correlation function w ( t + τ ) w ( t ) = δ ( τ ), is the quantum noise injected by the conjugation process , and v ( t )= f − 1 [ v ( ω )] gives the conjugator &# 39 ; s baseband impulse response in terms of its frequency response . the output of the conjugator is refocused onto the sample resulting in the positive - frequency field e 1 ( t )=[ e c ( t ) å h ( t )] e − iω 0 t , which is interfered with e 2 ( t )= e r ( t − t ) e − iω 0 ( t − t ) in a michelson interferometer , as shown in fig3 . the photodetectors 64 a and 64 b in fig3 are assumed to have quantum efficiency η , no dark current , and thermal noise with a white current spectral density s i th . the average amplified difference current , which constitutes the pc - oct signature , is then where q is the electron charge and g a is the amplifier gain . in c - oct the signal and reference inputs have complex envelopes that are zero - mean , stationary , jointly gaussian random processes which are completely characterized by their phase - insensitive auto - and cross - correlations , e j ( t + τ ) e k ( t ) = f − 1 [ s ( ω )], for j , k = s , r . as shown in fig1 , in c - oct the sample is illuminated with the signal beam and the reflected signal — still given by convolution of e s ( t ) with h ( t )— is interfered with the delayed reference beam in a michelson interferometer . thus , the average amplified difference current in c - oct is for q - oct , quantum fields must be used because non - classical light is involved . now the baseband signal and reference beams are photon - units field operators , ê s ( t ) and ê r ( t ), with the following non - zero commutators , [ ê j ( t ), ê k t ( u )]= δ jk δ ( t − u ), for j , k = s , r . in q - oct , the sample is illuminated with ê s ( t ) and then the field operator is applied for the reflected beam plus that for the reference beam to an hom interferometer , as shown in fig2 . the familiar biphoton hom dip can be obtained theoretically — in a manner that is the natural quantum generalization of the classical gaussian - state analysis employed herein — by taking the signal and reference beams to be in a zero - mean joint gaussian state that is completely characterized by the phase - insensitive ( normally - ordered ) auto - correlations ê k ( t + τ ) ê k ( t ) = f − 1 [ s ( ω )], for k = s , r , and the phase - sensitive cross - correlation ê s ( t + τ ) ê r ( t ) = f − 1 [√{ square root over ( s ( ω )( s ( ω )+ 1 ))}{ square root over ( s ( ω )( s ( ω )+ 1 ))}]. this joint signal - reference state has the maximum possible phase - sensitive cross - correlation permitted by quantum mechanics . in the usual biphoton limit wherein hom interferometry is performed , s ( ω )□ 1 prevails , and the average photon - coincidence counting signature can be shown to be v (− ω ) s ( ω )≈ v s ( ω )=( v * p s √{ square root over ( 2π / ω s 2 ))} e − ω 2 / 2ω s 2 with \| r □\| 1 . physically , this corresponds to having a conjugate amplifier whose bandwidth is much broader than that of the signal - reference source , and a sample that is a weakly - reflecting mirror at delay t 0 . eq . ( 3 ) then gives a pc - oct average amplified difference current that , as a function of the reference - arm delay t , is a sinusoidal fringe pattern of frequency ω 0 with a gaussian envelope proportional to e − 2ω s 1 ( t 0 − t / 2 ) 2 , as illustrated in fig4 a . the average amplified difference current in c - oct behaves similarly : from eq . ( 4 ), it may be observed that it too is a sinusoidal , frequency ω 0 fringe pattern in t , but its envelope is proportional to e − ω s 2 ( t 0 − t ) 2 / 2 , as shown in fig4 b . the signature of q - oct , found from eq . ( 5 ), is a dip in the average coincidence - count versus reference - arm delay that is proportional to e − 2ω s 2 ( t 0 − t ) 2 , as shown in fig4 c . defining the axial resolutions of these oct systems to be the full - width between the e − 2 attenuation points in their gaussian envelopes viewed as functions of t 0 shows that pc - oct and q - oct both achieve factor - of - two improvements over c - oct for the same source bandwidth . to probe the effect of dispersion on pc - oct , c - oct , and q - oct , the sample &# 39 ; s frequency response is modified to h ( ω )= re i [( ω 0 + ω ) t 0 + bω 2 / 2 ] , where b is a non - zero real constant representing second - order ( group - velocity ) dispersion . because the sample &# 39 ; s frequency response enters the pc - oct and q - oct signatures as h (− ω ) h ( ω ), neither one is affected by this dispersion term in h ( ω ), i . e ., it cancels out . for c - oct , however , it may be observed that the gaussian envelope of the average amplified difference current is now proportional to e − ω s 2 ( t 0 − t ) 2 / 2 ( 1 + ω s 4 b 2 ) , i . e ., its axial resolution becomes badly degraded when q s 4 b 2 □ 1 . more generally , for h ( ω )= re i [( ω 0 + ω ) t 0 + β ( ω )] , pc - oct and q - oct are immune to dispersion created by the even - order terms in the taylor series expansion of β ( ω ). having shown that pc - oct retains the key advantages of q - oct , the snr behavior of pc - oct is examined . because q - oct relies on spdc to generate the entangled biphoton state , and geiger - mode avalanche photodiodes 84 a and 84 b ( see fig2 ) to perform photon - coincidence counting , its image acquisition is much slower than that of c - oct , which can use bright sources and linear - mode detectors . to assess the snr of pc - oct , a gaussian spectrum is used for s ( ω ) and the non - dispersing mirror for h ( ω ), but , in order to limit its quantum noise , the conjugator &# 39 ; s frequency response is taken to be v ( ω )= ve − ω 2 / 4ω v 2 . it is assumed that i d ( t ) is time averaged for t i seconds ( denoted i d ( t ) ) at the reference - arm delay that maximizes the interference signature , and the following parameter is defined : snr pc - oct = i d ( t ) / var [ i d ( t ) ]. when the w ( t ) contribution to the conjugator &# 39 ; s output dominates the e h ( t ) contribution , it is found that where ω th ═ s i th / q 2 η . from left to right the terms in the noise denominator are the thermal noise , the reference - arm shot noise , the conjugate - amplifier quantum noise , and the intrinsic noise of the signal × reference interference pattern itself . best performance is achieved when the conjugator gain \| v \| 2 is large enough to neglect the first two noise terms , and the input power p s is large enough that the intrinsic noise greatly exceeds the conjugator &# 39 ; s quantum noise . in this case , it is observed that snr c - oct = i d ( t ) / var [ i d ( t ) ] is defined for the fig1 configuration at the peak of the c - oct interference signature . when the reflected signal field is much weaker than the reference field , it is observed that snr c - oct = 4η t i \| r \| 2 p s , ( 8 ) which can be smaller than the ultimate snr pc - oct result . however , if pc - oct &# 39 ; s conjugator gain is too low to reach this ultimate performance , but its reference - arm shot noise dominates the other noise terms , it is observed that which is substantially lower than snr c - oct , because \| rv \| 2 □ 1 is implicit in the assumption that the reference shot noise is dominant as high detector quantum efficiency can be expected . thus , pc - oct has snr similar to that of c - oct , but only if high - gain phase conjugation is available . at this juncture it is worth emphasizing the fundamental physical point revealed by the preceding analysis . the use of entangled biphotons and fourth - order interference measurement in an hom interferometer enable q - oct &# 39 ; s two performance advantages over c - oct : a factor - of - two improvement in axial resolution and cancellation of even - order dispersion . classical phase - sensitive light also produces an hom dip with even - order dispersion cancellation , but this dip is essentially unobservable because it rides on a much stronger background term . thus , the non - classical character of the entangled biphoton is the source of q - oct &# 39 ; s benefits , from which it might be concluded that non - classical light is required for any oct configuration with these performance advantages over c - oct . such is not the case , however , because the pc - oct configuration described herein illustrates that it is really phase - sensitive cross - correlations that are at the root of axial resolution enhancement and even - order dispersion cancellation . phase - sensitive cross - correlations cannot be seen in the second - order interference measurements used in c - oct . pc - oct therefore phase conjugates one of the phase - sensitive cross - correlated beams , converting their phase - sensitive cross - correlation into a phase - insensitive cross - correlation that can be seen in second - order interference . the analysis herein of pc - oct assumed classical - state light , and because s ( 0 )□ 1 is required for high - snr pc - oct operation , little further can be expected in the way of performance improvement by using non - classical light in pc - oct . this can be seen by comparing the cross - spectra s ( ω ) and √{ square root over ( s ( ω )( s ( ω )+ 1 ))}{ square root over ( s ( ω )( s ( ω )+ 1 ))} when s ( ω )=( p s √{ square root over ( 2π / ω s 2 ))} e − ω 2 / 2ω s 2 , with p s √{ square root over ( 2π / ω s 2 )}□ 1 . the intimate physical relation between pc - oct and q - oct can be further elucidated by considering the way in which the sample &# 39 ; s frequency response enters their measurement averages . again it is assumed that v (− ω ) s ( ω )≈ v * s ( ω ), so that both imagers yield signatures ∝ ∫ dωh (− ω ) h ( ω ) s ( ω ). klyshko &# 39 ; s advanced - wave interpretation has been used to account for the h (− ω ) h ( ω ) factor in the q - oct signature as the product of an actual sample illumination and a virtual sample illumination . in the pc - oct apparatus disclosed herein , this same h *(− ω ) h ( ω ) factor comes from the two sample illuminations , one before phase conjugation and one after . in both cases , it is the phase - sensitive cross - correlation that is responsible for this factor . q - oct uses non - classical light and fourth - order interference while pc - oct can use classical light and second - order interference to obtain the same . sample information . that pc - oct &# 39 ; s two sample illuminations provide an axial resolution advantage over c - oct leads naturally to considering whether c - oct would also benefit from two sample illuminations . to this end , consider the general arrangement of the pc - oct apparatus 100 shown in fig3 , with e s ( t ) and e r ( t ) instead arising from a c - oct light source 50 as shown in fig1 , and the phase - conjugate amplifier ( phase conjugator ) 95 replaced with a conventional phase - insensitive amplifier of field gain g ( ω )= ge − ω 2 / 4ω g 2 with \| g \|□ 1 . such a two - pass c - oct arrangement then yields an interference signature ∝ e − 2ω s 2 ( t 0 − t / 2 ) 2 for the weakly - reflecting mirror when the amplifier is sufficiently broadband , and an snr given by eq . ( 6 ) with v replaced by g and ω v replaced by ω g . thus , two - pass c - oct has the same axial resolution advantage and snr behavior as pc - oct . however , instead of providing even - order dispersion cancellation , two - pass c - oct doubles all the even - order dispersion coefficients . in summary , the foregoing analysis demonstrates that the pc - oct apparatus 100 shown in the embodiment of fig3 combines many of the best features of conventional oct and quantum oct . like c - oct , pc - oct relies on second - order interference in a michelson interferometer . thus it can use linear - mode avalanche photodiodes ( apds ), rather than the lower bandwidth and less efficient geiger - mode apds employed in q - oct . like q - oct , pc - oct enjoys a factor - of - two axial resolution advantage over c - oct , and automatic cancellation of even - order dispersion terms . the source of these advantages , for both q - oct and pc - oct , is the phase - sensitive cross - correlation between the signal and reference beams . in pc - oct , however , this cross - correlation need not be beyond the limits of classical physics , as is required for q - oct . finally , pc - oct may achieve an snr comparable to that of c - oct , thus realizing much faster image acquisition than is currently possible in q - oct . it should be appreciated that while an exemplary sample including a biological tissue is illustrated in fig3 , pc - oct techniques according to the present disclosure may be employed essentially in any imaging application requiring micron - scale imaging over relatively short working distances . other exemplary applications in addition to tissue imaging include , but are not limited to , nondestructive inspection for micro cracks in manufactured parts ( e . g ., on an assembly line ), nondestructive evaluation of highly scattering polymer - matrix composites to estimate residual porosity , fiber architecture and structural integrity , and nondestructive evaluation of paints and coatings . pc - oct also may be applied to long range (& gt ; 1 kilometer ) imaging scenarios in which its dual benefits of improved axial resolution and immunity to group velocity are advantageous . according to yet another embodiment , instead of employing classical - state signal and reference beams with a phase - sensitive correlation as discussed above in connection with fig3 , quantum - state signal and reference beams with a phase - sensitive correlation alternatively may be employed as a light source ( e . g ., as discussed above in connection with the q - oct technique illustrated in fig2 ). however , unlike the q - oct implementation , the signal beam of the jointly quantum - state beams in this alternative embodiment still is phase - conjugated ( i . e ., passed through a phase - conjugator ), thereby permitting the use of the simpler michelson interferometer for the detection scheme ( rather than the photon - coincidence counting hong - ou - mandel interferometer required in fig2 ). in this manner , source fluxes for the quantum - state source that are beyond the counting limit of available single - photon counters may be used ( e . g ., source fluxes in the milliwatt range ), as linear - mode avalanche photodiode detectors may be employed in the michelson interferometer detection arrangement . fig5 illustrates an exemplary configuration for a frequency domain pc - oct apparatus 500 , according to one inventive embodiment of the present disclosure . the block diagram shown in fig5 is substantially similar to that shown in fig3 for the time domain , except for the absence of the variable delay 58 ( t ) and the replacement of the detectors 64 a and 64 b in the michelson interferometer arrangement with two identical spectrometers 550 . in one aspect of this embodiment , the apparatus 500 estimates the second - order interference spectrum , which may be inverse discrete fourier transformed to obtain an interference fringe very similar to that obtained in the time - domain . in another aspect , the resolution of the spectrometers and the bandwidth of the source determine the measurement resolution of the apparatus . in yet another aspect , the apparatus 500 has no moving components , which in some instances may increase stability when imaging at khz rates . fig6 illustrates an analytical model of the spectrometers 550 of the frequency domain pc - oct apparatus shown in fig5 . as shown in fig6 , each spectrometer 550 is modeled as comprising m parallel detectors 566 , each detector preceded by a narrowband optical filter 554 tuned to different center frequencies , such that the m detectors collectively cover non - overlapping , adjacent frequency bands over the optical bandwidth of the spectrometer . in one aspect , the baseband equivalent center frequencies of the m detectors are designated as ω m ( i . e ., the carrier frequency of the incoming light , ω 0 , is subtracted out ) and the optical bandwidth of the m th detector is δw opt □ 1 . the outputs of a given spectrometer are the m current values obtained from the detectors . the currents from the two spectrometers are subtracted to obtain { right arrow over ( i )}( t )= i d ( m ) ( t )\| m = 0 , . . . , m − 1 }, a m × 1 vector of difference currents . similar to time - domain pc - oct , each difference current is integrated over a period t i to obtain an estimate of the spectrum as follows : where m = 0 , . . . , m − 1 . the inverse discrete fourier transform ( dft ) of the estimate waveform is taken to obtain a signature that resembles the signature of time - domain oct system . note that this frequency - domain technique has some relevant distinctions from time - domain pc - oct techniques . first , in frequency - domain pc - oct , the acquisition of data occurs in parallel , rather than serial data acquisition in time - domain pc - oct . however , because the optical bandwidth of the light illuminating each detector is appreciably smaller in frequency - domain oct , the integration time must also be longer . because integration times are on the order of the inverse of the optical bandwidth of the illuminating field , the data acquisition times of time - domain and frequency - domain techniques are almost the same . however , frequency - domain techniques have the advantage of eliminating the time - varying delay in the reference branch , which improves stability of the interference by eliminating jitter from mechanical motion ( time - varying delay is often implemented with a moving mirror ). while several inventive embodiments have been described and illustrated herein , those of ordinary skill in the art will readily envision a variety of other means and / or structures for performing the function and / or obtaining the results and / or one or more of the advantages described herein , and each of such variations and / or modifications is deemed to be within the scope of the inventive embodiments described herein . more generally , those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that all parameters , dimensions , materials , and configurations described herein are meant to be exemplary and that the actual parameters , dimensions , materials , and / or configurations will depend upon the specific application or applications for which the inventive teachings is / are used . those skilled in the art will recognize , or be able to ascertain using no more than routine experimentation , many equivalents to the specific inventive embodiments described herein . it is , therefore , to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are presented by way of example only and that , within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereto , inventive embodiments may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described and claimed . inventive embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to each individual feature , system , article , material , kit , and / or method described herein . in addition , any combination of two or more such features , systems , articles , materials , kits , and / or methods , if such features , systems , articles , materials , kits , and / or methods are not mutually inconsistent , is included within the inventive scope of the present disclosure . all definitions , as defined and used herein , should be understood to control over dictionary definitions , definitions in documents incorporated by reference , and / or ordinary meanings of the defined terms . the indefinite articles “ a ” and “ an ,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims , unless clearly indicated to the contrary , should be understood to mean “ at least one .” the phrase “ and / or ,” as used herein in the specification and in the claims , should be understood to mean “ either or both ” of the elements so conjoined , i . e ., elements that are conjunctively present in some cases and disjunctively present in other cases . multiple elements listed with “ and / or ” should be construed in the same fashion , i . e ., “ one or more ” of the elements so conjoined . other elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified by the “ and / or ” clause , whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified . thus , as a non - limiting example , a reference to “ a and / or b ”, when used in conjunction with open - ended language such as “ comprising ” can refer , in one embodiment , to a only ( optionally including elements other than b ); in another embodiment , to b only ( optionally including elements other than a ); in yet another embodiment , to both a and b ( optionally including other elements ); etc . as used herein in the specification and in the claims , “ or ” should be understood to have the same meaning as “ and / or ” as defined above . for example , when separating items in a list , “ or ” or “ and / or ” shall be interpreted as being inclusive , i . e ., the inclusion of at least one , but also including more than one , of a number or list of elements , and , optionally , additional unlisted items . only terms clearly indicated to the contrary , such as “ only one of ” or “ exactly one of ,” or , when used in the claims , “ consisting of ,” will refer to the inclusion of exactly one element of a number or list of elements . in general , the term “ or ” as used herein shall only be interpreted as indicating exclusive alternatives ( i . e . “ one or the other but not both ”) when preceded by terms of exclusivity , such as “ either ,” “ one of ,” “ only one of ,” or “ exactly one of .” “ consisting essentially of ,” when used in the claims , shall have its ordinary meaning as used in the field of patent law . as used herein in the specification and in the claims , the phrase “ at least one ,” in reference to a list of one or more elements , should be understood to mean at least one element selected from any one or more of the elements in the list of elements , but not necessarily including at least one of each and every element specifically listed within the list of elements and not excluding any combinations of elements in the list of elements . this definition also allows that elements may optionally be present other than the elements specifically identified within the list of elements to which the phrase “ at least one ” refers , whether related or unrelated to those elements specifically identified . thus , as a non - limiting example , “ at least one of a and b ” ( or , equivalently , “ at least one of a or b ,” or , equivalently “ at least one of a and / or b ”) can refer , in one embodiment , to at least one , optionally including more than one , a , with no b present ( and optionally including elements other than b ); in another embodiment , to at least one , optionally including more than one , b , with no a present ( and optionally including elements other than a ); in yet another embodiment , to at least one , optionally including more than one , a , and at least one , optionally including more than one , b ( and optionally including other elements ); etc . it should also be understood that , unless clearly indicated to the contrary , in any methods claimed herein that include more than one step or act , the order of the steps or acts of the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps or acts of the method are recited . in the claims , as well as in the specification above , all transitional phrases such as “ comprising ,” “ including ,” “ carrying ,” “ having ,” “ containing ,” “ involving ,” “ holding ,” “ composed of ,” and the like are to be understood to be open - ended , i . e ., to mean including but not limited to . only the transitional phrases “ consisting of ” and “ consisting essentially of ” shall be closed or semi - closed transitional phrases , respectively , as set forth in the united states patent office manual of patent examining procedures , section 2111 . 03 .	6
a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention effectively and diplomatically overcomes significant and well - recognized disadvantages to the islamic consumer &# 39 ; s deposit of funds to islamic as well as conventional banking and financial institutions . when combined with tried - and - true capital market philosophies and a shari &# 39 ; ah compliant infrastructure designed to better manage consumer depository risk , a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention enables the issuance and mass marketing of a shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) compliant passive consumer investment vehicle . this shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) compliant passive vehicle can be acquired openly by islamic consumers as the basis to inspire islamic consumer deposits and investments via banking and financial institutions . a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention enables the creation of a consumer - related investment vehicle which , as supported by a series of coordinated financial mechanisms , complies with shari &# 39 ; ah financial guidelines . a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention enables the creation of an investment vehicle that functions as a means of facilitating or otherwise effectuating a passive or semi - passive investment by a consumer who observes islamic law in the establishment of its personal funds management strategies and the implementation of its investment practices . while a primary application of the present invention is to an individual who invests in compliance with shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) financial guidelines , the use of the term consumer herein is not meant to limit the application of the present invention . the structuring of the shari &# 39 ; ah compliant financial instruments in accordance with the principles of the present invention is designed and fiscally supported in such a way as to qualify as investment - grade , ratable ( by standard & amp ; poor &# 39 ; s , 55 water street , new york , n . y . 10041 , moody &# 39 ; s investors service , inc ., 99 church street , new york , n . y . 10007 or some other comparable credit rating agency ) securities comparable with conventional , non - islamic retail banking and financial market products . thus , a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention establishes a standardized foundation upon which islamic consumers may rely to enable passive , direct and / or indirect investments in depository structures that are conducive to preserving original consumer depository or invested amounts while potentially producing a yield thereon without any concern for violating shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) financial guidelines . moreover , a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention provides a basis for consumer investment and fund management flexibility which , to date , has not existed in shari &# 39 ; ah compliant retail banking or investment opportunities . specifically , by employing a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention , the consumer can preserve their original deposited amount , have the potential for the generation of some shari &# 39 ; ah compliant yield derived from the management of their deposits , remain passive as to the nature of the investment operations or activities , and have the opportunity to “ cash - out ” of the investment position via the re - sale or remarketing of the financial instrument through a secondary market function . a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention encompasses a variety of features that when brought together address and improve upon many of the issues raised in the previous section . among other things , a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention combines the definable and consistent nature of a traditional , rated investment - grade depository / cash - based or backed security such as those that conventional institutions have utilized as a consumer / retail banking product or service for decades within an investment structure which hinges upon certain religious edicts of islam that in themselves are difficult for non - islamic parties to understand and appreciate . in fact , one of these edicts appears to fly in the face of some of the conventional banking markets most common financial practices : the prohibition of collection or payment of interest ( or riba ) in exchange for deposited funds or the making of a loan or investment . a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention , however , evidence a number of benefits which make the financial products themselves unique in the retail banking and financial markets and serve to highlight the technical complexities of accomplishing the implementation of these features in what is considered a shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) compliant manner by accredited islamic scholars . in addition to the foregoing , the following identifies the features and key benefits of the financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention : the financial instruments of the present invention can be applied in the operation of consumer banking practices to promote and facilitate increased and better administered consumer and retail deposits from islamic consumers and customers in support of the creation of or investment in various shari &# 39 ; ah compliant projects , ventures , financial services areas or operations and / or investment finds ; the financial instruments of the present invention are uniformly formatted amongst themselves such that a standardized security or financial instrument is created which need not materially vary based upon the underlying use of proceeds derived from the sale or placement of the financial instrument to the islamic investor ; the financial instruments of the present invention are ratable by a credit rating agency , thus raising placement efficiencies and creating a foundation in the marketplace which is conducive to the valuation and remarketing of the financial instruments ( the conditions being right for the evolution of a standardized secondary market for the resale of the financial instruments ), thereby assuring some element of interim liquidity of the investment to the islamic consumer ; by way of certain repurchase covenants , the financial instruments of the present invention have a minimum anticipated value at the conclusion of the depository term which contributes to the ratable nature of the financial instruments and supports the likelihood of a consumer remarketing strategy by creating a “ financial floor ” to potential losses related to the deposit and any subsequent bank or financial institution implemented investment to which the proceeds of the financial instruments are applied ; by way of the creation of a networked or coordinated application of issuance and remarketing , the financial instruments of the present invention provides for centralization within a single networked shari &# 39 ; ah supervisory board as to matters of initial compliance and , subsequently , functional and operational compliance of the investments or management operations , thereby permitting greater ease and efficiency in managing issues pertaining to shari &# 39 ; ah compliance ; the financial instrument of the present invention allows for the investment of islamic consumer deposits within a professional shari &# 39 ; ah compliant investment management infrastructure to be implemented by a depository institution or its nominee under an umbrella of greater institutional accountability for investment outcome ; and the common thread of a common networked application of the financial technology involving a variety of issuers and guarantors enables the creation of a composite risk management or risk syndication mechanism related to each respective financial instrument issuance , thereby diversifying the investment risk among a variety of banks and financial institutions rather than lumbering that risk exclusively on the islamic consumer and its respective deposit values . the foregoing features demonstrate an advantage of a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention over the retail banking practices previously utilized within the islamic marketplace . the present invention both better enables and preserves islamic consumer deposits within an institutionally administered investment environment which has the potential for generating yield on behalf of the consumer / depositor . this mechanism provides the islamic consumer with many of the same benefits that are consistent with generally accepted consumer depository products presently available in the conventional banking market , but which are not permissible under shari &# 39 ; ah investment practices . the implementation of the present invention in both islamic retail banking and financial institutions and within the conventional markets that geographically service islamic consumers will produce a retail banking climate for the islamic consumer with more predictable risk management and base - line performance of amounts deposited , greater liquidity to shari &# 39 ; ah compliant deposits , more accountability for investment performance on behalf of the banking or depository institution , and more continuity and efficiency in shari &# 39 ; ah compliance considerations between the respective issuers of the financial instruments . in all of the above examples , the common denominator is one of standardization and consistency in a shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) compliant consumer - based retail banking structure which fosters a regularization of the depository risk management features afforded to an islamic consumer such that investment opportunities and banking practices can reflect some of the better attributes of the conventional consumer banking market within a framework of shari &# 39 ; ah compliance . for the purposes of explanation and not to narrow the scope of the present invention , the following describes an example of a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention . referring first to fig1 a methodological schematic depicting a general overview of a consumer deposit / subscription through yield payments process in accordance with the principles of the present invention is seen . a banking or funds depository institution is created or otherwise nominated (“ issuer ”) who issues the financial instruments . in addition to issuing the financial instruments , the issuer makes the offering for the purpose of attracting islamic consumer investments in the form of deposits , and subsequently manages and implements the proceeds of the sale of the financial instruments in a manner consistent with the investment criteria established related to that certain offering profile ( the “ investments ”). the issuer creates a document that provides the potential consumer / customer with a required description of and disclosure related to the nature of the financial instrument being offered for sale (“ offering memorandum ”). the issuer provides ( 101 ) the offering memorandum and supporting documentation to a third party compliance and supervisory entity ( s ) which would consist of a shari &# 39 ; ah supervisory component , a financial technology administrative networking component , and a professional services ( legal counsel , auditor ) component ( or any combination thereof ) for review and compliance evaluation of the offering structure and assistance in coordination of networked guarantors , as the need may arise . the shari &# 39 ; ah supervisory board component ( the “ ssb ”) of the compliance / supervisory entity may consist minimally of two islamic scholars and an islamic banking expert , in order to meet the auditing requirements of the auditing and accounting office of islamic financial institutions ( the “ aaoifi ”). the ssb reviews the issuer &# 39 ; s proposed financial instrument issuance strategy and is responsible for monitoring the issuer &# 39 ; s operations and issuance of requisite certifications as to shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) investment compliance throughout the life of the financial instruments . the financial technology administrative component functions as an administrative outreach of the administrator of the financial technology of the present invention and assists in the coordinated networking of the operation mechanisms required to aid in organizing inter - institutional repurchase guarantees amongst users of the financial technology . the legal and auditing components of the compliance and supervisory entity may be managed independent of the other components through the issuer &# 39 ; s own professional services relations . alternatively , the legal and auditing components may be aided via a centralized entity which is organized to aid the financial technology users in the consistent deployment of the financial technology . legal advisors opine as to matters concerning the operation of the portfolios and administration of the operations of the issuer in compliance with applicable jurisdictional requirements and requisite legal and tax opinions required to underlie the offering memorandum . an auditing component (“ auditor ”) affords the issuer with a comprehensive and shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) compliant accounting body upon which the ssb and the consumer depositors / subscribers may place reliance . the auditor preferably should specialize in matters of islamic finance . as applicable , each of the aforementioned entities issues ( 102 ) its respective certifications and / or opinions in regard to the means by which financial instruments are made available for subscription to consumers via the issuer &# 39 ; s banking or depository institution (“ offering ”). a complete description of the financial instruments proposed for issuance , and such certification and opinions are thereafter incorporated into the final offering memorandum . the consumer investment units (“ consumer investment units ”) are the shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) compliant financial instruments to be issued and sold in accordance with the principles of the present invention . additionally , the administrative component within the compliance / supervisory entity will notify candidate guarantors of the issuer &# 39 ; s scheduled offering such that a par value repurchase may be agreed by a third party guarantor on behalf of the issuer at a future date . more specifically , an underwriter / guarantor (“ underwriter / guarantor ”) is engaged for the issuance of a third party guarantee for the purposes of fiscally supporting the proposed repurchase of the consumer financial instruments at the close of the term of the financial instruments — that period between the date of subscription and the scheduled date of redemption of the consumer investment units (“ depository term ”). a banking institution (“ fiscal agent / trustee ”) acts as the administrator for the issuance of the consumer investment units . the fiscal agent / trustee can be a substantial banking or financial institution having a credit agency rating of sufficient quality to meet minimal rating criteria set forth by the nominated credit rating agency which rates the consumer investment units . the guarantee is preferably organized as a standby letter of credit which becomes available for draw by the fiscal agent / trustee in the event that the fiscal agent / trustee requires further financial support for its repurchase of the financial instruments at the depository term as agreed (“ repurchase guarantee ” or “ guarantee ”). the guarantee is issued as the basis of credit enhancement of the consumer investment units for the purposes of creating a “ value preserved ” security as interpreted by the credit rating agency . as a factor of shari &# 39 ; ah compliance , the guarantee is not technically a guarantee of fiscal performance of the consumer investment unit itself , but rather a guarantee of specific performance under a repurchase requirement ( the “ repurchase agreement ”) constituted by the fiscal agency agreement . the proposed guarantors of the issuer &# 39 ; s consumer investment unit offering notify the compliance / supervisory entity of their commitment to guarantee repurchase of the consumer investment units ( 103 ). the compliance / supervisory entity notifies issuer of commitments received to repurchase the consumer investment units , and issuer commences offering per a pre - approved schedule ( 104 ). the offering memorandum and all supporting documentation for the consumer investment units are made available ( 105 ) by the issuer to the proposed consumers / subscribers as customers of the issuer as a banking / depository institution . the issuer , in this case , acts as its own placement agent , although a third party placement agent could be designated by issuer . the issuer may make its offering available to its customers in a variety of ways , including but not limited to mailings , document review / inspection on premises , upon request or any other compliant manner . while the target market for the consumer investment units consists of islamic consumers that are seeking a secure depository environment for their funds (“ consumer / subscriber ”), the principles of the present invention are not so limited . the issuer may issue physical certificates for the consumer investment units . alternatively , the consumer investment units may be administered via a book - entry only system as an alternative delivery method to the issuance of physical certificates for each of the definitive consumer investment units purchased in accordance with the standard practices applied by the depository trust company , euroclear or other like entities or agencies . the consumer / subscriber agrees ( 106 ) to purchase the consumer investment units by deposit of its funds to the designated subscription depository account of the issuer pursuant to the issuer &# 39 ; s subscription agreement (“ subscription agreement ”). the issuer &# 39 ; s subscription agreement defines the terms and conditions of the subscription of and investment in the financial instrument . the issuer &# 39 ; s subscription agreement further details the terms and conditions of repurchase of the financial instruments by an acceptable third party banking institution , as the case may be , from the consumer / subscriber at an agreed value and at a future date not later than the term of the consumer investment units ( the “ underwriter / guarantor ”). the subscription depository account (“ holding / depository account ”) functions as a holding account for proceeds from a subscription (“ subscription proceeds ”) pending the scheduled receipt by the issuer &# 39 ; s nominated fiscal agent / trustee of a corresponding value of acceptably formatted letters of credit ( as the “ repurchase guarantee ”) in support of the fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s par value repurchase of the consumer investment units thus sold . the holding / depository account is managed as a non - interest bearing account and the proceeds deposited thereto are not eligible for deployment by the issuer into any investment until such time as an applicable repurchase guarantee ( s ) is issued . notice of the subscription is delivered to the compliance / supervisory entity ( 107 ) and the compliance / supervisory entity notifies underwriter / guarantor of the required issuance of the scheduled repurchase guarantee ( 108 ). the guarantee will be instructed for delivery to a safekeeping account established at the fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s institution for the purposes of accepting and holding the guarantee ( s ) on behalf of the consumer / subscribers (“ custodial account ”). the delivery of the guarantee to the custodial account directly supports the fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s repurchase of the financial instruments at the conclusion of the depository term . the underwriter / guarantor will deliver ( 109 ) its repurchase guarantee ( s ) for face value equal to the par value of the outstanding or scheduled value of consumer investment units being covered by such guarantee to the fiscal agent / trustee that acts as the administrator for the repurchase of the financial instruments on behalf of the issuer &# 39 ; s customer / consumer / subscriber . the fiscal agent / trustee will notify issuer and compliance / supervisory entity of its custody of the guarantees ( 110 ) via issuance of its custodial receipt or such other comparable mechanism which identifies deposits of the requisite guarantees to the fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s designated custodial account (“ custodial safekeeping receipt ”). the compliance / supervisory entity will reconfirm the fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s custody of guarantee ( s ) in support of the consumer investment unit repurchase , thereby enabling the issuer to deploy a value of consumer investment unit proceeds equal to the face value of guarantees then held by fiscal agent / trustee ( 111 ). against the issuer &# 39 ; s receipt of reconfirmation from compliance / supervisory entity as to guarantee custody , funds are freely available for investment by the issuer . the issuer will begin deploying funds ( 112 ) into suitable investments in accordance with the described use of proceeds as set forth in the offering memorandum . as a means of administering investment deployment , the issuer may elect to transfer funds now freely available for deployment to a separate account (“ investment account ”), thereby segregating available funds to permit the timely and documented withdrawals of proceeds in support of the issuer &# 39 ; s commencement of its scheduled investments . by way of example and not limitation , such investments may include any ssb approved , shari &# 39 ; ah compliant investment operation or project , including but not limited to energy markets , equipment leasing , real estate , manufacturing , mortgages , and warehousing . over the course of the depository term , any earnings on the investments , respectively , will be paid in or otherwise collected ( 113 a ) by the issuer pursuant to the specific terms of investment applicable to a given investment in support of a calculation and declaration of yield on the consumer investment units . subject investments will report ( 113 b ) required financial and compliance data to the compliance / supervisory entity as agreed , inclusive of data evidencing shari &# 39 ; ah compliance . also , over the course of the depository term , reporting data may be provided to certain regulatory bodies or agencies ( 114 a ), inclusive of the compliance / supervisory entity &# 39 ; s ssb , in order to assure good standing of investments in relation to issuer &# 39 ; s compliant status ; any regulatory / ssb entity that is entitled to or required to receive such information as the basis to confirm regulatory compliance of investments to compliance / supervisory entity ( 114 b ); and compliance / supervisory entity provides ( 114 c ) investment reports and compliance certifications as to standing of investments to issuer . based upon the performance of the investment portfolio arising from the deployment of proceeds made available via the sale of the consumer investment units , the issuer periodically makes a declaration of composite yield ( 115 ), if any , for the investments and remit any such yield payment in favour of the consumer / subscriber on a pro rata basis , representative of the value of consumer investment units purchased . any such yield payment is remitted in favor of a non - interest bearing , depository account at the issuer &# 39 ; s institution designated for the receipt and acceptance of yield payments from specific investments (“ yield account ”). in order to cause the issuance of the guarantee , a balance between risk and guarantor benefit is struck . dependent upon the sophistication of the networked application of the present invention , a variety of approaches to induce guarantor participation may be undertaken . three possible example approaches to engaging suitable repurchase underwriter / guarantors are examined . first , in its simplest form , an underwriter / guarantor will evaluate the design of the investment eligibility criteria for the issuer &# 39 ; s investment portfolio to assess whether it is broad enough to foster certain investment flexibility on the part of the issuer , on the one hand ; while remaining specific enough , on the other hand , to permit the underwriter / guarantor to be comfortable that the aggregate value of the issuer &# 39 ; s cash reserves and the issuer &# 39 ; s subject investments &# 39 ; asset valuation will support a certain minimum investment portfolio valuation at the earliest possible date for draw on the guarantee . this is the future date certain set for repurchase of the consumer investment units by the fiscal agent / trustee at the conclusion of the depository term . ideally , the formulation of an acceptable credit structure is accomplished with a candidate underwriter / guarantor by way of the negotiation and definition of several mechanisms . initially , a specific investment eligibility criteria serves as the “ blanket ” investment policy of the issuer and credit policy of the underwriter / guarantor related to the compilation of the investment portfolio . solely for the purposes of example , specific formulas may be included in that eligibility criteria which identify minimum required asset ratios when compared to total investment in a subject project , specific minimum historical performance ratios for a given candidate investment or project , required percentage - based cash reserve requirements which may be deposited with and held by the underwriter / guarantor during the life of a subject investment , the creation of a sinking fund to directly offset and compensate the underwriter / guarantor for the maximum perceived potential loss of asset value during the life of a given investment , and / or the establishment of a minimum blended asset ratio to total funds invested . additionally , mechanisms include the establishment of an investment draw schedule during the depository term which may require certain minimum cash values be maintained on issuer &# 39 ; s accounts up to the date of scheduled consumer investment unit repurchase ; the allocation of a certain percentage of investment earnings , profits or yields arising from the investments during the depository term into a dedicated guarantee reserve account to be held by the underwriter / guarantor and drawable expressly by the fiscal agent / trustee in support of certain payments to be made by the fiscal agent / trustee under its repurchase agreement as supplemented and supported by the underwriter / guarantor &# 39 ; s guarantee ; and / or the granting of a certain security interest in unrelated or additional collateral deemed acceptable to the underwriter / guarantor . the basis of negotiating and securing the guarantee may include any one or more of the aforementioned mechanisms or such other mechanism as a specific underwriter / guarantor may warrant and a specific issuer may grant . in any event , in securing the guarantee , the conservative formulation of an investment criteria is established which sufficiently supports the valuation of the issuer &# 39 ; s total available assets at the depository term , inclusive of the investment portfolio itself , such that the underwriter / guarantor may issue its guarantee in support of the fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s performance on its repurchase undertaking to the consumer / subscribers . the underwriter / guarantor is not being engaged for the purposes of guaranteeing specific performance of the consumer investment units , lest the guarantee be potentially deemed non - compliant with shari &# 39 ; ah principles . additionally , to be shari &# 39 ; ah compliant the guarantee arises from an examination of the means by which the underwriter / guarantor may be compensated for the issuance of its guarantee . an underwriter / guarantor is designated that may consist of a single banking or financial institution , one or more banking or financial institutions participating in a syndication , or a networked extension of an organized administration of the present invention by the compliance / supervisory entity within an established framework of shari &# 39 ; ah compliant performance guarantee mechanisms or policies . in any of the foregoing cases , when the underwriter / guarantor is an institution having an acceptable investment grade rating , the rating of the underwriter / guarantor will generally become the basis by which the creditworthiness of the consumer investment units is thus measured . in this example , the guarantee takes the form of a letter of credit , preferably a standby letter of credit , which becomes payable upon default under the provisions of consumer investment unit repurchase or the repurchase agreement with the fiscal agent / trustee . customarily , a banking institution will charge certain fees (“ issuance fees ”) related to the issuance of a letter of credit or similar undertaking . in order for the guarantee to be and remain shari &# 39 ; ah compliant , the underwriter / guarantor agrees to waive the collection of issuance fees related to the guarantee , effectively issuing the letter of credit without consideration . alternatively , the underwriter / guarantor instead could potentially benefit by discounting the face value of the guarantee upon issuance or by way of the exploitation of other potential revenue centers available to it related to the operations of the issuer . the foregoing generally identifies the specific performance obligation which is being supported by the guarantee and the considerations which must be weighed in order to satisfactorily cause the issuance of the guarantee . these principles may be readily applied to a varied selection of underwriters / guarantors in compliance with shari &# 39 ; ah principles . in one preferred embodiment , the underwriters / guarantors operate within the banking industry . at the issuer &# 39 ; s option , however , an underwriter / guarantor may be engaged which consists of a single international banking institution , one or more international banking institutions participating in a syndication or consortium , or any administrative combination of the above . however , in general , the use of a networked underwriting and guarantee mechanism as administered by a third party compliance / supervisory entity such that a group of banking institutions operate under a cooperation agreement is potentially the most efficient means of affecting the consistent and mutually , but indirectly beneficial , issuance of scheduled guarantees . under such an arrangement , organized groupings of financial institutions may from time to time act as both consumer investment unit issuers and underwriter / guarantors , respectively , such that each may benefit from the fiscal balance achieved amongst themselves . also , in this example , the risks associated with a given consumer investment unit issuance may be easily defrayed among a variety of underwriter / guarantors . all banking institutions participating in this networked organization have a certain minimum financial standing or rating such that a blended rating for the financial instruments which are ultimately supported by the guarantees to be issued by the network may be reasonably determined . alternatively , and somewhat less efficiently , the syndication process described above may be undertaken directly by the issuer . the issuer may create a banking consortium for the issuance of multiple letters of credit , constituting the guarantees , which aggregate sum of their respective face values will total the par value of all outstanding consumer investment units . preferably , in the event that the issuer organizes multiple guarantees which support performance under the repurchase agreement , all guarantees would preferably be issued concurrently such that the repurchase obligation of the consumer investment units is viewed collectively and consistently as to operations and default provisions in the event of a default . although potentially open to interpretation , the operation of all individual guarantees concurrently assures certain parity between or equality among the outstanding consumer investment units which is desirable . as a further alternative , the issuer could undertake to cause the engagement of one underwriter / guarantor in support of a specific consumer investment unit issuance . this alternative can potentially be successfully implemented by applying comparable underwriting , security or collateralization mechanisms to those profiled above and by negotiating an alternative means of inducing the participation of the underwriter / guarantor in a shari &# 39 ; ah compliant manner for the issuance of the required guarantee . referring now to fig2 a methodological schematic showing details of a depository / subscription process in accordance with the principles of the present invention is seen . based upon market demand from consumer / subscriber of the issuance , the issuer provides ( 201 ) the offering memorandum and supporting documentation , inclusive of designation of fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series , to the compliance / supervisory entity for recording of the scheduled consumer investment unit series in support of the desired method of networked underwriter / guarantor repurchase guarantee facilitation , and notice of issuance to the designated shari &# 39 ; ah supervisory board , either as an independent entity or part of the compliance / supervisory entity . the compliance / supervisory entity provides notice ( 202 ) of issuance to candidate underwriters / guarantors for scheduling of the respective underlying guarantees in support of consumer investment unit repurchase at par upon consumer investment unit default or scheduled term of each applicable consumer investment unit . one or more underwriters / guarantors submit ( 203 ) notification to compliance / supervisory entity of their commitment to issue their respective guarantee in support of the scheduled consumer investment unit series to be issued by issuer . the compliance / supervisory entity notifies ( 204 ) issuer and designated fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series of schedule of underlying guarantee issuance as agreed and committed by underwriters / guarantors . this enables issuance and delivery of consumer investment units per pre - approved schedule by issuer . upon request , offering memorandum , subscription agreement and all supporting documentation is tendered ( 205 ) by issuer to consumer / subscriber as the subscriber for all or any portion of the consumer investment unit allocation . following the completion of normal bank due diligence on consumer / subscriber , consumer / subscriber agrees ( 206 ) to purchase desired consumer investment units from issuer / depository institution . consumer / subscriber executes issuer &# 39 ; s subscription agreement , inclusive of corresponding funds origin warranties , and effects the deposit of purchase proceeds to the designated holding / depository account at the issuer / depository institution . the amount accepted for subscription will not exceed the maximum value of guarantees scheduled and agreed for issuance by underwriter / guarantor per prior agreement with issuer . subscription proceeds are maintained ( 207 ) in a non - depleting reserve account , pending issuance and delivery of the corresponding guarantee to the custodial account of the fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series then being subscribed . notice of subscription and subscription amount held in reserve is provided ( 208 ) by issuer to compliance / supervisory entity . the compliance / supervisory entity advises ( 209 ) underwriter / guarantor of pending subscription which confirms issuer &# 39 ; s call for issuance of the scheduled guarantee ( s ). the underwriter / guarantor causes the issuance of its scheduled and agreed guarantee ( s ) ( 210 ) covering the par value of the outstanding consumer investment units being subscribed ( which is also equal to the value of the proceeds deposited to the holding / depository account of the issuer ) and delivers guarantee ( s ) to the custody of the fiscal agent / trustee . fiscal agent / trustee confirms ( 211 ) its custody of scheduled guarantee ( s ) in its designated custodial account to compliance / supervisory entity in support of the repurchase of the consumer investment units in the series . compliance / supervisory entity advises ( 212 ) issuer of fiscal agent &# 39 ; s / trustee &# 39 ; s custody of the guarantee ( s ) in support of the par value repurchase of the consumer investment units being subscribed , thereby enabling the issuer &# 39 ; s release , investment or deployment of a value of subscription proceeds from its holding / depository account equal to a maximum aggregate value of the guarantee ( s ) then in the custody of the fiscal agent / trustee . issuer transfers funds ( 213 ) to its designated investment account pending subsequent investment in qualified and permitted investments in accordance with the investment eligibility requirements set forth in the offering memorandum and supporting documentation , which investments constitute the investment portfolio . referring now to fig3 a methodological schematic showing payments , cash accounts , and a networked consumer investment unit repurchase in accordance with the principles of the present invention is seen . issuer provides ( 301 ) offering memorandum and supporting documentation , inclusive of designation of fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series , to third party compliance / supervisory entity for recording of consumer investment unit series pertaining to underwriter / guarantor facilitation and notice to designated shari &# 39 ; ah supervisory board . compliance / supervisory provides notice of issuance ( 302 ) to candidate underwriters / guarantors for scheduling of the respective underlying guarantees in support of consumer investment unit repurchase by underwriter / guarantor at par upon consumer investment unit default or the scheduled term of the consumer investment units . in response to notice received , one or more underwriters / guarantors submit ( 303 ) notification to compliance / supervisory entity of commitment to issue their respective guarantee ( s ) in support of the scheduled consumer investment unit series to be issued by issuer . compliance / supervisory entity notifies ( 304 ) issuer and designated fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series of schedule of underlying guarantees to be issued as agreed and committed by underwriters / guarantors , thereby permitting issuance of consumer investment units per approved schedule . upon request , offering memorandum , subscription agreement and all supporting documentation are made available ( 305 ) by issuer to consumer / subscriber as the subscriber in support of all or any portion of the consumer investment unit allocation then approved for issuance and repurchase . following normal bank due diligence on the proposed subscriber , consumer / subscriber agrees ( 306 ) to purchase all or a portion of the scheduled consumer investment units from issuer / depository institution per issuer &# 39 ; s subscription agreement which includes certain corresponding funds origin warranties by the subscriber . consumer / subscriber deposits purchase proceeds to the designated account at the issuer / depository institution up to the maximum aggregate value of guarantees scheduled for issuance by respective underwriter / guarantor ( s ). notice of subscription and subscription amount then deposited to the designated holding / depository account of the issuer is provided ( 307 ) to compliance / supervisory entity . compliance / supervisory entity advises ( 308 ) underwriter / guarantor of subscription which confirms issuer &# 39 ; s call for issuance of the scheduled guarantee ( s ). the underwriter / guarantor causes the issuance ( 309 ) of its scheduled and agreed guarantee ( s ) covering the par value of the outstanding consumer investment units and delivers guarantee ( s ) to the designated custodial account of the fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series . fiscal agent / trustee confirms ( 310 ) its custody of scheduled guarantee ( s ) in support of consumer investment unit series to compliance / supervisory entity via issuance of custodial receipt or such other like or acceptable method . compliance / supervisory entity advises ( 311 ) issuer of fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s custody of guarantee , thereby enabling the issuer &# 39 ; s release , investment or deployment of a value of subscription proceeds equal to a maximum aggregate value of the guarantee ( s ) then in the custody of the fiscal agent / trustee . issuer selects and affects ( 312 ) the scheduled investments in accordance with the investment eligibility requirements set forth in the offering memorandum and supporting documentation which investments then constitute the investment portfolio . over the course of the investment term , any earnings on the investments , respectively , will be paid in or otherwise collected by ( 313 a ) the issuer pursuant to the specific terms of investment applicable to a given investment in support of a calculation and declaration of yield on the consumer investment units . all companies , institutions or entities that have received investment proceeds and which constitute the investments in the investment portfolio will report required financial and compliance data ( 313 b ) to compliance / supervisory entity as agreed , inclusive of data evidencing shari &# 39 ; ah compliance . the issuer periodically makes a declaration of composite yield ( 314 ), if any , for the investments and remits any such yield payment in favour of the consumer / subscriber on a pro rata basis , representative of the value of consumer investment units purchased . per the agreed liquidation or investment termination provisions of the issuer &# 39 ; s investment agreements with the subject investments , issuer collects ( 315 ) certain amounts from investments intended to cover repurchase costs and expenses associated with the consumer investment units . issuer deposits ( 316 ) required repurchase amounts to fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s designated payment account . this depository function , although not referenced in the present example , may also be implemented under a segregated payment account with the issuer under specific arrangement with the fiscal agent / trustee . fiscal agent / trustee distributes ( 317 ) payments from its designated payment account in amounts equal to the par value of the consumer investment units then held by the consumer / subscriber , respectively , thereby effecting a scheduled repurchase of the consumer investment unit series then being closed out at the conclusion of the depository term . in response to receipt of payment , consumer / subscriber surrenders ( 318 ) repurchased consumer investment units to fiscal agent / trustee , and fiscal agent / trustee disposes of repurchased units pursuant to its agreement with the issuer . notice is provided ( 319 ) to compliance / supervisory entity of the consumer investment unit series &# 39 ; compliant and scheduled repurchase and retirement . referring now to fig4 a methodological schematic showing repurchase via utilization of the guarantee in accordance with the principles of the present invention is seen . as necessary prior to the conclusion of the depository term of the consumer investment units , issuer tenders ( 401 ) its instructions for liquidation of a minimum of the original investment amount or such other amount as was agreed with each of its respective investments as such constitute the investment portfolio just prior to the conclusion of the depository term . in response , investments , respectively , remit ( 402 ) payments to issuer per their agreements with issuer on or about the conclusion of the depository term . for the purposes of this example , available proceeds collected are not sufficient to cover or otherwise fully offset the scheduled par value repurchase of the consumer investment units then outstanding in the series . issuer provides ( 403 a ) notice of the amount collected to fiscal agent / trustee and makes payment of available proceeds in support of consumer investment unit repurchase by the fiscal agent / trustee on or about the scheduled close of the depository term ; and fiscal agent / trustee credits ( 403 b ) the amount remitted by issuer to a designated payment account . fiscal agent / trustee advises ( 404 ) consumer / subscribers of fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s intent to draw upon one or more of the guarantee ( s ) as the basis to support and satisfy its repurchase obligation for the consumer investment units then outstanding or otherwise not able to be repurchased with available proceeds in the payment account . fiscal agent / trustee , on behalf of the consumers / subscribers , presents ( 405 ) its demand for payment of an amount equal to the repurchase shortfall plus any permitted fees or expenses to the underwriter / guarantor pursuant to the terms and conditions of the guarantee ( s ) then being drawn . provided the demand for payment was presented compliantly , the underwriter / guarantor will remit ( 406 ) its payment to the designated payment account of the fiscal agent / trustee . upon the receipt of proceeds drawn under the guarantee ( s ), fiscal agent / trustee calls for presentation ( 407 ) of outstanding consumer investment units at the counters of the fiscal agent / trustee or its nominee for repurchase . although not described in the present example , the fiscal agent / trustee may elect to nominate the issuer for acceptance of all surrendered consumer investment units being repurchased . consumer / subscribers surrender ( 408 ) their consumer investment units pursuant to fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s instruction . fiscal agent / trustee repurchases ( 409 ) the outstanding consumer investment units by payment from the designated payment account to the consumer / subscribers . fiscal agent / trustee will ( 410 ), if required , deliver the duly repurchased consumer investment units to the underwriter / guarantor or pursuant to instructions received . the underwriter / guarantor will take ( 411 ) whatever actions it deems necessary with reference to the issuer and the consumer investment units to recoup or otherwise offset payments made under its guarantee . fiscal agent / trustee will notify ( 412 ) the compliance / supervisory entity of any draws , payments or collections made under any guarantee ( s ) in relation to the consumer investment unit series . the compliance / supervisory entity will subsequently utilize this data with reference to future proposed or scheduled issuances of consumer investment units by the issuer . referring now to fig5 a methodological schematic showing shari &# 39 ; ah compliant mechanisms in accordance with the principles of the present invention is seen . issuer provides ( 501 ) offering memorandum and supporting documentation , inclusive of designation of fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series , to third party compliance / supervisory entity for recording of consumer investment unit series pertaining to underwriter / guarantor facilitation and review by designated ssb . the ssb supervises , monitors and advises as to all matters of islamic compliance involving the issuer &# 39 ; s issuance and sale of the consumer investment units , on - going operations , and financial interests concerning the calculation and payment of yield , financial risk management , and the underwriting and repurchase of the consumer investment units at the conclusion of the depository term . prior to issuance of the consumer investment units by issuer , the ssb , either directly or via the compliance / supervisory entity will review all documentation and data provided by the issuer related to the offering and , providing all is compliant , will issue its certification of compliance with shari &# 39 ; ah investment and financial principles ( a fatwa ) which is incorporated into the offering memorandum and related documentation by the issuer . the ssb functions may be part of the compliance / supervisory functionality or may be handled via a third party dedicated ssb organizational entity . for the purposes of the present example , the organizational structure of the ssb related to the compliance / supervisory entity is recorded as an independent entity . compliance / supervisory provides ( 502 ) notice of issuance to candidate underwriters / guarantors for scheduling of the respective underlying guarantees in support of consumer investment unit repurchase by underwriter / guarantor at par upon consumer investment unit default or scheduled term . in response to notice , one or more underwriters / guarantors submit ( 503 ) notification to compliance / supervisory entity of commitment to issue their respective guarantee ( s ) in support of the repurchase of the scheduled consumer investment unit series to be issued by issuer . compliance / supervisory entity notifies ( 504 ) issuer and designated fiscal agent / trustee for the consumer investment unit series of the schedule of underlying guarantees as agreed and committed by underwriters / guarantors , thereby permitting issuance of consumer investment units per pre - approved schedule . upon request , offering memorandum , subscription agreement and all supporting documentation is made available ( 505 ) by issuer to consumer / subscriber for all or any portion of the consumer investment unit allocation and who are likely of islamic belief and practice . following normal bank due diligence by the issuer , consumer / subscriber agrees ( 506 ) to purchase all or a portion of the consumer investment units from issuer / depository institution per issuer &# 39 ; s subscription agreement and corresponding funds origin warranties . the consumer / subscriber deposits its purchase proceeds to the designated shari &# 39 ; ah compliant , non - interest bearing holding / depository account at the issuer / depository institution . notice of subscription and subscription amount as deposited to the issuer &# 39 ; s designated holding / depository account is provided ( 507 ) to compliance / supervisory entity . compliance / supervisory entity advises ( 508 ) underwriter / guarantor of subscription which confirms issuer &# 39 ; s call for issuance of the scheduled guarantees . the underwriter / guarantor will cause ( 509 ) the issuance of its scheduled and agreed guarantee ( s ) covering the par value repurchase of the outstanding consumer investment units and delivers guarantee ( s ) to the fiscal agent / trustee . the underwriter / guarantor does not charge an issuance fee for the guarantee . in order for the guarantee to be and remain shari &# 39 ; ah compliant , the underwriter / guarantor must agree to waive the collection of issuance fees related to the guarantee ; the underwriter / guarantor instead can potentially benefit by the provision of related service functions or by way of other potential revenue centers available to it related to the operations of the issuer . fiscal agent / trustee confirms ( 510 ) its custody of scheduled guarantee ( s ) in support of consumer investment unit series to compliance / supervisory entity . compliance / supervisory entity advises ( 511 ) issuer of fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s custody of guarantee ( s ), thereby enabling the issuer &# 39 ; s release , investment or deployment of a value of subscription proceeds equal to a maximum value of the guarantee then in the custody of the fiscal agent / trustee . issuer selects and affects ( 512 ) the scheduled investments in accordance with the investment eligibility requirements set forth in the offering memorandum and supporting documentation which investments then constitute the investment portfolio . over the course of the investment term , any earnings on the investments will be paid in or otherwise collected by ( 513 a ) the issuer pursuant to the specific terms of investment applicable to a given investment in support of a calculation and declaration of yield on the consumer investment units . the businesses , operating companies or projects that constitute the investments will report ( 513 b ) required financial and compliance data to compliance / supervisory entity as agreed , inclusive of data evidencing shari &# 39 ; ah compliance . reporting data is provided ( 514 a ) to certain regulatory bodies or agencies , inclusive of compliance / supervisory entity &# 39 ; s ssb , in order to assure good standing of investments in relation to issuer &# 39 ; s shari &# 39 ; ah compliant status . the ssb entity confirms ( 514 b ) compliant status of investments to compliance / supervisory entity ; and compliance / supervisory entity provides ( 514 c ) investment reports and compliance certifications as to shari &# 39 ; ah compliant standing of investments to issuer . the issuer periodically makes a declaration of composite yield ( 515 ), if any , for the investments and remit any such yield payment in favour of the consumer / subscriber on a pro rata basis , representative of the value of consumer investment units purchased . there is no guarantee of a specific yield , earnings or interest payable to the subscriber / investor in relation to the consumer investment units or the investments . the issuer is also required to certify the on - going shari &# 39 ; ah compliant standing of its consumer investment units to consumer / subscribers in conjunction with shari &# 39 ; ah compliant distributions of yield . as such , during the depository term , the ssb will periodically audit and randomly inspect the operations of the investments to assure that no portion of the operations of the investments fail to comply with shari &# 39 ; ah investment guidelines and business principles . against a satisfactory audit and inspection of the documents delivered by the issuer , the ssb delivers a copy of their updated shari &# 39 ; ah certification related to the issuer activities such that copies may be made available to and for the records of the consumer / subscribers throughout the balance of the depository term . thus , a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention encompasses certain features which make it new and innovative in the islamic consumer banking market . a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention makes tangible the philosophical beliefs of islam within a framework which is conducive to traditional financial thought which is designed to aid a consumer in preserving their savings while potentially generating a minimal yield or earnings thereon . this marriage of ideologies is evident via the overlay of financial practices generally identified in fig5 which demonstrates shari &# 39 ; ah compliant mechanisms within the consumer banking market , such that an economic bridge is established for the benefit of the islamic consumer which for the first time aids them in conservatively managing their funds while still maintaining an opportunity to further enhance their collective value . while the invention has been described with specific embodiments , other alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , it will be intended to include all such alternatives , modifications and variations set forth within the spirit and scope of the appended claims . the following glossary of terms is set forth for convenience and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention : auditing and accounting office of islamic financial institutions (“ aaoifi ”): responsible for , among other things , the monitoring and oversight of islamic banking and investment institutions . auditor : the firm to be appointed should specialize in matters of islamic finance . it should afford the issuer with a comprehensive and shari &# 39 ; ah compliant accounting body upon which the shari &# 39 ; ah supervisory board and the investors may place reliance . consumer investment unit : the shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) compliant investment - grade security to be issued and sold resultant from the application of a financial instrument in accordance with the principles of the present invention . consumer / subscribers : those entities , parties or individuals who purchase the consumer investment units , consisting of islamic individuals and retail banking customers . custodial account : a safekeeping account established at the fiscal agent / trustee &# 39 ; s institution for the purposes of accepting and holding the repurchase guarantee ( s ) for the ultimate benefit of the subscribers / investors . custodial safekeeping receipt : the receipt issued by the fiscal agent / trustee which identifies deposits to the custodial account of the guarantee ( s ). depository term : the term of the consumer investment units , or that period between the date of subscription and the scheduled date of redemption of the consumer investment units . fiscal agent / trustee : a substantial international banking institution having a credit agency rating of sufficient quality to meet minimal rating criteria set forth by the nominated credit rating agency which rates the consumer investment units ; acts as the administrator for the issuance of the consumer investment units . guarantee : the letter of credit , preferably a standby letter of credit , which is issued by the underwriter / guarantor in support of the repurchase of the consumer investment units . holding / depository account : a non - interest bearing , depository account at the issuer &# 39 ; s institution designated for the receipt of proposed subscription proceeds prior to the scheduled purchase of the consumer investment units . investment : the project or company which is , was or became the intended application or use of the proceeds derived from the sale of the consumer investment units . investment account : a non - interest bearing , depository account designated for the deposit and disbursement of subscription proceeds in favor of a certain investment as identified , selected and scheduled by the issuer . issuance fee : the fee customarily charged by a banking institution or other such entity for the issuance of a letter of credit or other similar undertaking . issuer : the banking or financial institution which issues the consumer investment units , makes the offering for the purpose of attracting consumer deposits and subsequently manages and implements the proceeds of the sale of the consumer investment units in a manner consistent with the investment criteria established related to that certain offering for which the consumer investment units were issued . offering : the means by which the consumer investment units are made available for purchase to the consumer / retail marketplace by the issuer . offering memorandum : the document which provides the potential investor with a required description of and disclosure related to the nature of the consumer investment units being offered for sale . rating agency : moody &# 39 ; s investor services , standard & amp ; poors , or such other internationally recognized credit rating agency . repurchase agreement : the terms and conditions under which the repurchase of the consumer investment units from the subscriber / investors by the fiscal agent / trustee or , as the case may be , an alternative third party , is scheduled at an agreed value and on a future date certain . shari &# 39 ; ah supervisory board (“ ssb ”): an advisory board consisting of at least two islamic scholars and an expert in the field of endeavor of the issuer / investment ; alternatively , an ssb may consist of three islamic scholars and still meet the auditing requirements of the aaoifi . the ssb reviews the issuer &# 39 ; s proposed consumer investment unit issuance and underlying investment / business strategy and is responsible for the monitoring of the issuer &# 39 ; s operations and the issuance of requisite certifications as to shari &# 39 ; ah ( islamic ) investment compliance throughout the life of consumer investment unit series . subscription agreement : the agreement which defines the terms and conditions of the subscription of and investment in the consumer investment units . subscription proceeds : the funds which were derived from the sale of the consumer investment units . underwriter / guarantor : this entity may consist of several international banking institutions , or functionally comparable entities ; the underwriter / guarantor is engaged for the purposes of issuance of its guarantee in support of the repurchase of the consumer investment units at the close of the depository term . yield account : a non - interest bearing , depository account designated for the receipt and acceptance of yield payments .	6
as the filtering solution of the invention any concentrated solution containing a soluble erbium salt and methyl violet 2b may be employed . however , the solution preferably contains 20 to 40 percent by weight of the erbium salt and 0 . 0004 to 0 . 0008 percent by weight of the voilet 2b . it has been found that the most useful solutions occur in the range wherein the concentration of the erbium salt is from 25 to 30 by weight and the concentration of the methyl violet 2b is from 0 . 0005 to 0 . 0007 by weight . as a solvent , a combination of water and alcohol may be employed . examples of alcohols that may be employed are ethylene glycol , 1 , 2 - propylene glycol , 1 , 3 - propylene glycol , glycerol , ethanol , propanol , isopropanol , and methanol . preferably up to 80 % by weight of the solvent consists of the alcohol . in such a case the solution may also serve as an excellent coolant for the tube during operation while at the same time the solution is resistant to freezing during storage . most preferable the solvent consists of 50 % by weight of ethylene glycol and 50 % by weight of water . if the solution not only is to serve to suppress the undesired radiation but also as a coolant for the tube , it is preferred that the solution be carried on the external surface of the faceplate of the tube and be held in place by a glass plate or other transparent member sealed to the external surface of the faceplate . however , if no cooling effect is desired the solution need not be carried directly on the surface of the faceplate of the crt tube but may be contained in a separate container outside of the external surface of the faceplate as long as the container is in the path of the radiation emitting from the tube and is transparent to the radiation from the tube . any water soluble erbium salt may be employed , examples of which are erbium chloride , erbium iodide , erbium bromide and erbium nitrate . of these , the erbium nitrate salt is preferred . the silver - doped zinc sulfide phosphor ( p22 blue ) which is the blue radiating phosphor used most frequently in commercially available crt devices is described in &# 34 ; optical characteristics of cathode ray tube screens &# 34 ;, ( december , 1980 ) electronic industries association , washington , d . c . the phosphor material may be present in a cathode ray tube as a luminescent screen coated on the inner surface of the faceplate but may also be in form of a single self - supporting crystal only the surface of which is activated . for a more complete understanding of the invention , the invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to fig1 of the drawing which is a cross - sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the crt device of the invention . a solution of 12 g of er ( no 3 ) 3 . 5h 2 o + 0 . 2 mg methyl violet 2b in 21 ml of 50 % h 2 o : 50 % ethylene glycol was made up . an 0 . 5 cm thick layer of the resultant light filtering solution 1 was prepared and applied to the external surface 3 of the glass plate 5 of a cathode ray tube 7 supplied with envelope 9 and containing an electron gun 11 positioned to emit a beam of electrons impinging the surface of a blue fluorescent luminescent screen 13 formed of a silver - activated zinc sulfide phosphor ( p - 22 blue ) deposited on the internal surface 15 of the faceplate 5 . the solution layer 1 is held in place on the external surface 3 of the faceplate 5 by transparent cover plate 17 and seals 19 . the light output of this crt device upon excitation of the luminescent screen by an impinging electron beam was scanned with a monocrometer in the wavelength range of 400 to 600 nm to record the result as is shown in the unbroken line curve in the graph of fig2 of the drawing in which the wavelength in nm is plotted on the abscissa and the measured intensity in arbitrary units is plotted on the ordinate . in similar fashion the light output produced by the identical crt device except for the omission of the erbium salt and the methyl violet 2b from the cooling solution was scanned in the same wavelength range . the recorded result is shown in the broken line curve in the graph of fig2 of the drawing . as inspection of results shown in fig2 of the drawing shows that the use of the filtering solution containing the erbium salt and the methyl violet 2b results in a significant decrease in undesired radiation from the device particularly undesired radiation from 440 to 450 nm and 470 to 540 nm while leaving the level of the desired 460 nm radiation peak virtually unchanged . while the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments thereof , it will be understood that numerous modifications can be made by those familiar with the state of the art without actually departing from the scope of the invention .	7
referring now to the drawings and more particularly fig1 - 7 , a hatch latch with integral lock is shown generally at 10 suitably mounted in an opening 12 of a hatch cover 14 . the latch 10 includes a housing 16 which is snugly and sealingly received in the opening 12 and bedded therein by the usual bedding compound , so that water may not leak therepast . the opening 12 is counter - sunk at 18 so that a top flange 20 of the housing 16 can be received therein . a generally &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; shaped lift ring 22 , when in its &# 34 ; down &# 34 ; position , fits in a conformingly shaped groove 23 formed in the top of the housing 16 , so that , as seen in fig2 when the ring 22 is in the groove 23 , it is flush with the top of the housing 16 . a knob shown generally at 24 is formed on the top of a knob shaft 25 , which knob 24 has a pair of diametrically opposed openings therein , one of which is shown at 26 , which openings pivotally receive the opposed ends of the &# 34 ; c &# 34 ; shaped ring 22 , whereby the ring 22 can be pivotally upwardly into a graspable position and downwardly into a flush position relative to the housing 16 . when in its upward position , the ring can be pulled on to raise the hatch 14 relative to the deck 15 and also to rotate the knob 24 to &# 34 ; latch &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; unlatch &# 34 ; the hatch latch . the knob shaft 25 is rotatably mounted in an opening 27 formed in the housing 16 , and an &# 34 ; o - ring &# 34 ; 28 carried by the shaft 25 immediately below the knob 24 seals against the housing 16 so that no water can flow therepast . a cam shaft 30 is formed integrally with and extends downwardly from the knob shaft 25 so that its lower end 31 projects below the inside of the deck 15 . the cam shaft 30 is threaded for its full length and has a pair of diametrically opposed flat surfaces 32 and 33 formed thereon . referring now to fig2 and 3 for clarity , a washer 34 is mounted on the cam shaft 30 and abuts a shoulder 35 formed on the housing 16 around the opening 27 therein , and a lock nut 36 is threaded on the shaft 30 securely against the washer 34 to lock the knob shaft 25 securely in housing 16 against vertical movement while allowing the shaft 25 to freely rotate relative to the housing . on the lower end of the cam shaft 30 is mounted a lock bar 37 which has a opening adjacent one end thereof ( not shown ) receiving the shaft 30 while a pair of lock nuts 38 and 39 , disposed on opposed sides of the bar 37 secure the same against movement relative to the shaft 30 . preferably , the opening in the bar 37 has a pair of flats ( not shown ) thereon in the opening therein ( not shown ) which register with the flat surfaces 32 and 33 on the shaft 30 to prevent relative rotation . the locking bar 37 projects perpendicularly from the shaft 30 , so that in the secured position of the lift ring 22 , the distal end of the bar 37 is disposed below the deck 15 to prevent upward movement of the hatch cover 14 relative to the deck . upon raising the ring 22 , the ring can rotate the knob 24 one hundred and eighty degrees thereby completely moving the bar 37 from engagement with the deck 15 . in this position , the ring 22 can be used to raise the hatch cover 14 . since the knob 24 has been rotated one hundred and eighty degrees , the ring 22 can again be lowered and received in the groove 23 . a securing plate 40 has an opening 42 therein which receives the lower part of the housing 16 so that the plate 40 abuts a shoulder 41 on the housing and also abuts the underside of the hatch cover 14 to securely mount the housing 16 and the hatch cover 14 . a pair of screws 40a and 40b secure the plate 40 to the bottom of the housing 16 . locking means , shown generally at 43 , are provided to lock the knob 24 and the cam shaft 30 alternately in their &# 34 ; locked &# 34 ; position , with the lock bar 37 under the deck 15 as seen in fig2 or to lock the lock bar in a position one hundred and eighty degrees from such position in its &# 34 ; unlocked position &# 34 ;. the locking means 43 includes a key actuated tumbler 44 which is sealingly pressed into an opening 45 and retained therein by a snap ring 46 engaged in a groove in the tumbler 44 and a registering groove in the housing 16 . the tumbler 44 has a key slot 47 therein which , when the key is removed therefrom , has a spring loaded cover which seals the opening against water leaking therepast . such a tumbler can be obtained from the hurd lock corp . of 603 bohannon avenue , greenville , tenn . 37744 - 1450 under part number 2400030000 . the lower end of the tumbler has an eccentric pin 48 thereon which engages in a transverse slot 49 in a slide plate 50 . rotation of the tumbler 44 causes the eccentric pin 48 to move the slide plate 50 for and aft . an opening shown generally at 51 in the rear end of the slide plate 50 has an enlarged round end 52 which at the inner end thereof blends into a flat sided slot 53 . when the bar 37 is disposed below the deck 15 , or one hundred and eighty degrees therefrom , the flat surfaces 32 and 33 are aligned with the flat sides of the opening 53 and the slide plate 50 can be moved by the pin 48 so that the flat sides of opening 53 engage the flat surfaces 32 and 33 of cam shaft 30 to prevent rotation of the cam shaft 30 , whereby the bar 37 is locked into its &# 34 ; locked &# 34 ; or unlocked position . activation of the tumbler 44 to move the pin 48 and thereby the slide plate 50 so that the round end 52 of the opening 51 receives the cam shaft 30 , allows the knob 24 to rotate the cam shaft such that the bar 37 may be moved to any position around its circumventual plane of movement , but preferably to either its &# 34 ; locked &# 34 ; or &# 34 ; unlocked &# 34 ; position . once the bar 37 is in its locked or unlocked position , the ring 22 can be lowered into the groove 23 and the key ( not shown ) removed from the tumbler 44 . a cover plate 50a overlies the slide plate 50 and is secured to the housing 16 by mounting screws 50b , so that the cover plate holds the slide plate in place while allowing operative movement thereof . in the event that the ring 22 is lowered at such time that the knob 24 is positioned so that the bar 37 is not fully locked or unlocked , the ring 22 will not register with the groove 23 and will be held up by the surface of the housing 16 adjacent the groove 23 . to prevent inadvertent damage to the ring 22 at such time , reference is made to the embodiment of fig8 wherein resilient means 54 has been provided to inhibit shock loading or bending of the ring 22 . more particularly , a coiled compression spring 55 is received around the knob shaft 25a and it top end abuts against a shoulder 35a on the housing 16a , while a lock nut 36a engages a washer 34a which , in turn , engages the bottom end of the spring 55 . thus the knob 24a is resiliently held in place in the housing 16a by the resilient means 54 , and in the event of the ring 22 is inadvertently stepped on while the ring is not in the groove 23 , the resilient means 54 will allow the knob 24a to move axially and prevent the ring 22 from bending or breaking . when the ring 22 is not in the groove 23 , the top surface of the housing 16 adjacent the groove 23 will engage the ring 22 and act as a fulcrum in the event the ring is stepped on . thus if someone steps on the ring 22 when not in the groove 23 and thus in its intermediate position , the outer end of the ring would be moved downwardly and the inner end , connected to the knob 24a , would be lifted , which moves the knob shaft 24a upwardly and compresses the resilient means 54 and thereby prevents damage to the ring . means are provided to indicate the locked status of the hatch latch . referring to fig1 a bump 56 is positioned on the housing 16 adjacent the knob 24 , and a bump 57 is positioned on the knob 24 . when the bumps 56 and 57 are adjoining each other as shown , the bar 37 is in its unlocked position and when the bumps are displaced , the bar is unlocked .	8
the assembly shown in fig1 includes a stator core 2 which has a conventional structure composed of a plurality of steel laminations 4 arranged in a stack which extends along the core axis . each lamination is typically composed of a plurality of circular segments and the core is assembled so that the segments of one lamination are angularly offset from those of the adjacent lamination so that each segment of one lamination overlaps two segments of each adjacent lamination . the outer periphery of core 2 is provided with a plurality of dovetail grooves 6 , one of which is designated in fig2 each groove extending parallel to the core axis and containing a key bar 8 having a trapezoidal shape which mates with the associated dovetail groove 6 . normally , each lamination segment will be provided with at least two grooves 6 and two grooves of one segment will each be aligned with a respective groove in each of two adjacent segments of the adjacent lamination 4 . the portion of each key bar 8 which engages a groove 6 may be given cross - sectional dimensions slightly smaller than the corresponding dimensions of groove 6 to facilitate insertion of key bars 8 in grooves 6 . at each axial end of core 2 there are disposed an interior pressure plate , or finger plate , 10 and an exterior pressure plate , or end plate , 12 . all plates 10 and 12 and all laminations 4 can be provided with bolt passages for receiving a plurality of bolts 14 that extend throughout the axial length of core 2 and project from plates 12 . each end of each bolt 14 is provided with a nut which is tightened to apply the desired compression force to core 2 . compression bolts 16 may be inserted into threaded passages in each end of each key bar 8 , and a compression force may be produced by tightening a nut associated with each bolt 16 . in this case , the resulting compression force applied to core 2 is absorbed in the form of a tension force imposed on each key bar 8 . due to the presence of bolts 16 , through bolts 14 may be eliminated if end plates 12 are appropriately constructed in a manner known in the art . key bars 8 thus act to hold he components of core 2 in alignment , to secure core 2 to the surrounding frame , as will be described in greater detail below , and to act as axial tension members via which compressive loading is applied to core 2 . after core 2 has been assembled with key bars 8 , plates 10 and 12 and at least bolts 16 , a plurality of key blocks 20 are secured to each key bar 8 . each key block 20 is provided with a bottom groove 22 which receives the associated key bar 8 , and with a top groove 24 , which preferably has chamfered sides . each key block 20 is secured to an associated key bar 8 by means of bolts 26 whose heads are countersunk in recesses formed in the base of groove 24 so that the top of each bolt 26 extends no higher than the groove base . tightening of bolts 26 clamps key bars 8 against the sloping sides of grooves 6 and clamps key blocks 20 against the outer periphery of core 2 . because of the mating trapezoidal , or dovetail , shapes of grooves 6 and key bars 8 , the mechanical fastening of key blocks 20 to key bars 8 and the clamping of key blocks 20 against core 2 , key bars 8 can effectively absorb torque loads exerted on core 2 during machine operation and are positively held against rotation in grooves 6 under the influence of such torque loads . the assembled core is then installed in a frame composed of a cylindrical casing ( not shown ) provided with radially inwardly extending , annular plate members 30 . each plate member 30 is provided at its inner periphery with one or two annular , axially projecting flanges 32 and each flange is provided with an array of bolt holes extending around the flange periphery . a plurality of axially extending , circumferentially spaced spring bars 34 are secured to flanges 32 by means of threaded bolts 36 which pass through the bolt holes in flanges 32 and engage in threaded passages in spring bars 34 . each flange 32 is provided , at its inner surface , with machined flats 33 each contacting a respective spring bar 34 to assure accurate positioning of each spring bar 34 relative to flanges 32 . subsequent to bolting , each spring bar is preferably also welded to flanges 32 . the circumferential spacing between spring bars 34 corresponds to the circumferential spacing between key bars 8 . the assembled core is installed in the frame by sliding grooves 24 in key blocks 20 along spring bars 34 until bolt holes in spring bars 34 come into alignment with bolt holes in key blocks 20 , the latter bolts holes also being aligned with threaded passages in key bars 8 . then , bolts 40 are installed to secure spring bars 34 to key blocks 20 and key bars 8 , and assembly is completed . each key block 20 is positioned to be located midway between two successive plate members 30 so that , typically , there is one key block 20 located between each successive pair of plate members 30 and core 2 can experience a certain degree of tangential movement relative to the frame . spring bars 34 are constructed , according to principles known in the art , to have sufficiently low spring constants in both the radial and tangential directions , to effectively isolate the frame from core vibrations . spring bars 34 are additionally constructed to be capable of withstanding short - circuit torques , which are typically 8 to 10 times the normal rated torque of the generator at frequencies of twice the line frequency and higher harmonies . because of the presence of key blocks 20 , a radial gap exists between key bars 8 and spring bars 34 . this gap provides sufficient space for movement of plates 10 and 12 through the cylindrical region enclosed by spring bars 34 during core installation . moreover , because of the connecting function performed by key blocks 20 , spring bars 34 require less machining than in the previously proposed arrangement . referring to fig4 it will be seen that each key bar 8 is preferably provided at its outer surface with a recess for each associated key block 20 . this recess serves to accurately position the associated key block 20 . in addition , these recesses provide a radial engagement between each key block 20 and key bar 8 which enables key blocks 20 to better support core 2 after connecting core 2 to the frame , which normally takes place while the axis of core 2 has a vertical orientation . finally , the presence of each recess in the outer surface of each key bar 8 allows the portion of each key block 20 which extends between grooves 22 and 24 to be given a sufficient structural thickness without requiring an increase in the frame flange diameter . as further shown in fig4 the radial inner surface of each spring bar 34 is provided with a plateau , or land , 42 at the location of each key block 20 so that each spring bar 34 projects radially inwardly at each location where it is to be fastened to a key block 20 to a greater extent than at each location where spring bars 34 are secured to flanges 32 . therefore , during insertion of core member 2 into the machine frame , a larger radial gap will exist between the outer surfaces of key blocks 20 and spring bars 34 at the locations of plate members 30 . this facilitates insertion of core member 2 since each spring bar 34 is capable of being deflected radially outwardly at the location of each land 42 as each key block 20 moves therepast during core insertion . to allow for tolerance variations in the location of the bolt holes provided in spring bar 34 relative to the passages provided in key blocks 20 and key bars 8 , each spring bar 34 is provided , at the location where it is to be secured to each key block 20 and key bar 8 , with longitudinally elongated slots 44 , which may also be seen in fig5 . for supporting the heads of bolts 40 ( not shown in fig4 ), each spring bar 34 is provided , at the location of each associated key bar 20 , with a back - up plate 48 to support the compressive forces produced by bolts 40 . on each back - up plate 48 there is placed a locking plate 50 which is sufficiently thin to allow corners of plate 50 to be bent upwardly , after bolts 40 have been installed and tightened , in a manner to prevent loosening of bolts 40 . fig4 further shows key bar 8 provided with threaded passages 52 for threadedly engaging bolts 26 and 40 , while key block 20 is provided with countersunk passages 54 to receive the heads of bolts 26 . turning to fig5 which is a plan view of a portion of spring bar 34 , it will be seen that , in further accordance with the invention , spring bar 34 is provided with a narrowed region 58 between each location where spring bar 34 is secured to a respective key block 20 and each location where spring bar 34 is fastened to a respective flange 32 . this width of each region 58 determines the spring constant of spring bars 34 . this narrowed region further facilitates insertion of core 2 into the machine frame . preferably , for the same reason , the region of each spring bar 34 which is fastened to a flange 32 is somewhat narrower than each region thereof which is fastened to a key block 20 , in the circumferential direction of the machine . this provides an additional increase in the gap which will exist between each key block 20 and its associated spring bar 34 as the key block is being moved past the region of each flange 32 . during insertion of the completed core 2 into the machine frame , a certain clearance exists between the outer surfaces of key blocks 20 and the inner surfaces of spring bars 34 . after core 2 has reached the desired final position , the installation and tightening of bolts 40 will cause spring bars 34 to be deflected radially inwardly by a small amount to produce the desired secure engagement of core 2 to the machine frame . preferably , the clearance which exists during insertion of core 2 into the machine frame is selected so that the amount of radial deflection experienced by spring bars 34 during tightening of bolts 40 will correspond at least approximately to the radial expansion of core 2 as a result of heating during generator operation . thus , when the resulting generator is in operation , spring bars 34 can return to essentially a neutral , or undeformed , position . core 2 can be provided with stator windings either before or after insertion into the machine frame . a core assembly according to the present invention can be constructed in a separate stacking fixture provided with stacking keys that correspond in position to key bars 8 . preferably the stacking fixture is oriented so that the core is assembled with its longitudinal axis vertical . assembly is performed by the following sequence of operations . first , an exterior plate 12 and an interior plate 10 are placed on supports at the bottom of the fixture and stacking keys are disposed at locations corresponding to the intended locations of core grooves 6 . then the core laminations 4 are installed on the stacking keys . after all laminations have been installed , key bars 8 provided with bolts 16 can be installed by removing the stacking key from each groove 6 in turn and sliding a key bar 8 into that groove . then an interior plate 10 and an exterior plate 12 are place atop the assembled laminations and nuts are affixed to bolts 16 and tightened . finally , key blocks 20 are fastened to key bars 8 by means of bolts 26 . the resulting assembly can then be removed from the stacking fixture , ready to be installed in an associated frame . the details of a suitable stacking fixture according to the invention , which will be in the form of an upright cylinder provided with components which will engage in core grooves 6 , are illustrated in fig6 and 7 . fig6 is a cross - sectional view taken in a vertical plane and showing one component of such a stacking fixture . this component is in the form of an annular member 60 and the stacking fixture is made up of a plurality of members 60 stacked upon one another . each member 60 is composed of a lower ring 62 and an upper ring 64 , rings 62 and 64 being secured together by a plurality of vertical webs , or plates , 66 . the number of plates in each ring can be selected to provide the requisite load supporting capability . for positioning members 60 relative to one another , each upper ring 64 is provided with a suitable pin 68 which engages in a mating opening 70 in ring 62 of the overlying member 60 . a pin 68 and opening 70 are provided for circumferential alignment of members 60 . each ring 64 carries a plurality of brackets 72 , the number of brackets 72 on each ring 64 being equal to the number of grooves 6 in the outer circumference of core 2 . each bracket 72 is accurately positioned relative to its associated ring 64 by means of a positioning pin 74 and a bolt 76 . for engaging each groove 6 in the outer circumference of core 2 each vertically aligned group of brackets 72 supports a stacking key 78 by means of suitable bolts 80 . each stacking key 78 has a longitudinal extent corresponding to the axial dimension of core 2 . as shown in fig7 the side of each key 78 which will engage in a groove 6 tapers to an inner end which is narrower than the opening defined by the associated groove 6 at the periphery of core 2 . between bracket 72 and the tapered portion , key 78 has a constant width which corresponds to the width of the open end of groove 6 . this constant width portion of key 78 is dimensioned to extend at least a short distance into the associated groove 6 to facilitate positioning of the segments of each core lamination 4 . because of the configuration of each key 78 , installation of the core laminations is facilitated . specifically , each lamination need not be slid along the entire length of each key 78 but rather can be placed in approximately the desired position and then moved radially outwardly to bring each key 78 into engagement in a respective groove 6 . when the lamination segments are correctly positioned relative to stacking keys 78 , the base of each groove 6 will engage the inner end 82 of each key 78 . after core 2 has been completely assembled , each key 78 can easily be withdrawn from its respective slot 6 , by removing bolts 80 or 76 , after which a key bar 8 can be slid in turn into its associated groove 6 . after all key bars 8 have been inserted , plates 10 and 12 are placed atop the lamination stack , the nuts are tightened on bolts 16 and the completed core is ready to be lifted out of the stacking fixture and installed in the machine frame . while the description above refers to particular embodiments of the present invention , it will be understood that many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof . the accompanying claims are intended to cover such modifications as would fall within the true scope and spirit of the present invention . the presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive , the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims , rather than the foregoing description , and all changes which come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein .	7
referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 - 3 thereof , there is seen a radiation detector having a housing 1 , which is provided at the front side with a window 2 , in which optics 3 in the form of a fresnel lens are disposed . the optics 3 have an angle of coverage α 1 , which in this case is somewhat smaller than 180 °. the infrared radiation received in the region of the angle of coverage α 1 is focussed onto a sensor 4 by the optics 3 . in the present example , a frame 5 is stuck on top of the housing 1 , and could equally well be constructed to fit flush . as may be seen in particular from fig3 the frame 5 forms with the optics 3 a guide channel 7 , in which a masking element 6 can be inserted . in this process , the masking element 6 , which is preferably designed as strip - shaped film , is pushed into a sub - region 8 before the optics 3 , which are masked in an angular region α 3 . to the extent that the masking element 6 is opaque to infrared radiation , no radiation is fed to the sensor 4 in the region of the angle α 3 . if , however , the masking element 6 has only an attenuating effect , the infrared radiation received by the sensor 4 is reduced . the actual angle of coverage , with which the infrared detector receives the infrared radiation undiminished is thereby reduced to an angle of α 2 . according to the invention , the detector is provided on both sides with openings 9 , which lie in the end region of the optics 3 , and facilitate the insertion of the masking element 6 . in this way , it is possible to limit the horizontally extending angle of coverageαalternatively with a masking element 6 on one side , or with a masking element on each side . a second variant for the design of a guide channel 7 with the aid of a frame 5 is represented in fig5 to 8 . it may be seen in fig5 and 6 that the frame 5 is constructed flush at the housing 1 . in order to obtain the guide channel 7 which can be seen especially clearly in fig7 the frame 5 surrounding it is extended over the front side of the housing 1 into the region of its two side walls . with this solution , the part of the guide channel 7 extending into the region of the side walls can receive the masking element 6 in its entire length . it follows that in this embodiment the detector can be provided in principle with a masking element 6 , which is pushed into the region of the optics , however , only if required . for the purpose of easier manipulation when adjusting , the masking element 6 is provided at its end lying away from the window with a manipulator 11 , which can be gripped by the hand , or also a tool . as may be seen from fig7 and 8 , a stem , which protrudes from the plane of the masking element approximately at a right angle , serves as manipulator . in this connection , the manipulator 11 is narrower than the masking element 6 , so that a correspondingly narrow slot 10 suffices during displacement of the masking element to ensure the mobility of the stem 11 , or , on the other hand , to prevent the masking element 6 from falling out . note further that the manipulator 11 can also be arranged in the region of the window or at any other chosen point , provided only that its free mobility is ensured . a further alternative to the types of frame represented in the drawings is provided with a frame that can be fitted on top . no dedicated drawing has been produced for this purpose , because there is no change in the basic construction of the frame , or of the guide channel formed thereby , and the elements serving as channel formed thereby , and the elements serving to anchor the frame to the housing are generally known . such a separate frame can also be designed from flexible material , so that the frame can be pushed on to the housing by being stretched briefly . there is also no need to explain further that the frame must leave the parts of the housing freely , which because of their construction allow no masking . as fig4 shows , by appropriate design of the masking element 6 , the radiation detector can be even more universally adapted to its particular application . it can , for example , be desired that the masking element 6 could be entirely opaque for infrared radiation in the sub - region of the angle of coverage , or that it should , if necessary , only attenuate it . in order to obtain a definite attenuation , it can be necessary to work with films which absorb the infrared radiation very differently . in addition , it is by no means always necessary to have the same degree of absorption in the entire sub - region 8 . in order , therefore , to do justice to the possibly very different requirements , it would be necessary to have a broad range of differing masking elements 6 on hand , which would entail keeping a corresponding stock . however , according to the invention , this object can be relatively simply achieved in that only one film of relatively low absorption is held ready , and then the masking element 6 is obtained by laying one above the other several films having the desired infrared transparency . depending on the application , individual films 12 can be laid flush one above the other , or , as represented in fig4 be offset in steps relative to one another . in the last case , too , the strip - shaped films 12 can have the same length , and thereby be arbitrarily stepped . in order that the films 12 do not become mutually dislocated , it is possible to stick them on to a transparent carrier 13 . the carrier can be an infrared - transparent self - adhesive film , or also be provided as a special construction having a manipulator at its end . with a fresnel zone plate , wherein the individual steps of differing infrared transparency can be adapted to the width of the individual zones of the lens . the differing sensitivities in the border region of the optics can also be compensated hereby . the foregoing is a description corresponding in substance to german application p 37 44 182 . 5 , dated dec . 24 , 1987 , the international priority of which is being claimed for the instant application , and which is hereby made part of this application . any material discrepancies between the foregoing specification and the aforementioned corresponding german application are to be resolved in favor of the latter .	8
a description of structural embodiments and methods of the technology is provided . it is to be understood that there is no intention of limiting the invention to the specifically disclosed embodiments but that the invention may be practiced using other features , elements , methods and embodiments . like elements in various embodiments are commonly referred to with like reference numerals . fig1 shows an exploded perspective view of a mobile phone embodiment . the mobile phone 106 has a smart card socket 108 . the combined smart card / printed circuit board 104 is shaped to be placed physically into the smart card socket 108 . the combined smart card / printed circuit board 104 has electrical contact pads arranged to electrically couple with the electrical contact pads in the smart card socket 108 , when the combined smart card / printed circuit board 104 is placed physically into the smart card socket 108 . the battery 102 has a contactless communication antenna . the contactless communication antenna has electrical contact pads arranged to electrically couple with contactless communication electrical contact pads of the combined smart card / printed circuit board 104 , when the combined smart card / printed circuit board 104 is placed physically into the smart card socket 108 , and the battery 102 is placed in the mobile phone 106 . the housing of the mobile phone 106 includes a removable battery cover 100 . in an other embodiment , the contactless communication antenna is on the removable battery cover 100 . in such an embodiment , the contactless communication antenna has electrical contact pads arranged to electrically couple with contactless communication electrical contact pads of the combined smart card / printed circuit board 104 , when the combined smart card / printed circuit board 104 is placed physically into the smart card socket 108 , and the battery cover 100 is placed on the mobile phone 106 . fig2 and 3 show top and bottom views of a mobile phone smart card in some embodiments . the mobile phone smart card 210 has a set of electrical contact pads 212 to communicate data of the mobile phone smart card 210 . fig4 and 5 show top and bottom views of a printed circuit board embodiment . one side of a printed circuit board 420 has one set of electrical contact pads 422 arranged to connect with the smart card socket 108 of a mobile phone 106 . the opposite side of the printed circuit board 420 has two sets of electrical contact pads — the set of electrical contact pads 524 and 526 , and the set of electrical contact pads 528 . the set of electrical contact pads 528 is arranged to connect with a contactless communication antenna external to the printed circuit board 420 . the set of electrical contact pads 524 and 526 is arranged to connect with a mobile phone smart card 210 . the set of electrical contact pads 524 are “ pass through ” contact pads that carry the same signal as the respective one of the electrical contact pads 422 from one side to the other of the printed circuit board 420 . out of the set of electrical contact pads 524 and 526 , electrical contact pads 526 are electrically connected with the set of electrical contact pads 528 arranged to connect with a contactless communication antenna . out of the set of electrical contact pads 524 and 526 , electrical contact pads 524 are not electrically connected with the set of electrical contact pads 528 arranged to connect with a contactless communication antenna . in this embodiment , the mobile phone smart card includes contactless communication circuitry and therefore controls the contactless communication antenna . fig6 and 7 show top and bottom views , again , of a mobile phone smart card in some embodiments . the mobile phone smart card 210 has a set of electrical contact pads 212 to communicate data of the mobile phone smart card 210 . fig8 and 9 show top and bottom views of another printed circuit board embodiment . the printed circuit board 820 includes an integrated circuit 830 processing data of the smart card for wireless and contactless communication . one side of a printed circuit board 820 has one set of electrical contact pads 422 arranged to connect with the smart card socket 108 of a mobile phone 106 . the opposite side of the printed circuit board 820 has two sets of electrical contact pads — the set of electrical contact pads 942 and 944 , and the set of electrical contact pads 952 . the set of electrical contact pads 952 is arranged to connect with a contactless communication antenna external to the printed circuit board 820 . the set of electrical contact pads 942 and 944 is arranged to connect with a mobile phone smart card 210 . only some of the set of electrical contact pads 942 and 944 are “ pass through ” contact pads that carry the same signal as the respective one of the set of electrical contact pads 422 from one side to the other of the printed circuit board 820 , as can be seen by the limited number of traces 822 that connect to the set of electrical contact pads 422 and carry signals from one side to the other side of the printed circuit board 820 . the set of electrical contact pads 942 and 944 , are electrically connected to the integrated circuit 830 , as is evident from the traces 832 and the corresponding traces on the other side . out of the set of electrical contact pads 942 and 944 , electrical contact pads 944 are not directly electrically connected with the set of electrical contact pads 422 . the integrated circuit 830 controls : the electrical contact pads 944 arranged to connected to the mobile phone smart card 210 , and the set of electrical contact pads 952 arranged to connect with a contactless communication antenna . in other embodiments , the integrated circuit and the set of electrical contacts arranged to connect with an external contactless communication antenna switch sides . fig1 and 11 shows top and bottom views of a contactless communication antenna . the contactless communication antenna 1002 has electrical contact pads 1004 arranged to connect with a set of electrical contact pads on the printed circuit board arranged to connect with the contactless communication antenna ( e . g ., 528 in fig5 and 952 in fig9 ). the contactless communication antenna 1002 also has electrical traces 1005 and 1106 arranged according to the shape of the contactless communication antenna 1002 and the position of the electrical contact pads 1004 . fig1 and 13 shows top and bottom views of a contactless communication antenna . the contactless communication antenna 1202 has electrical contact pads 1204 arranged to connect with a set of electrical contact pads on the printed circuit board arranged to connect with the contactless communication antenna ( e . g ., 528 in fig5 and 952 in fig9 ). the contactless communication antenna 1202 also has electrical traces 1205 and 1306 arranged according to the shape of the contactless communication antenna 1202 and the position of the electrical contact pads 1204 . fig1 and 15 shows top and bottom views of a contactless communication antenna . the contactless communication antenna 1402 has electrical contact pads 1404 arranged to connect with a set of electrical contact pads on the printed circuit board arranged to connect with the contactless communication antenna ( e . g ., 528 in fig5 and 952 in fig9 ). the contactless communication antenna 1402 also has electrical traces 1405 and 1506 arranged according to the shape of the contactless communication antenna 1402 and the position of the electrical contact pads 1404 . fig1 and 17 shows top and bottom views of a battery with a contactless communication antenna . the batter 102 has a contactless communication antenna 1202 , with electrical contact pads of the contactless communication antenna 1202 folded to place the bulk of the contactless communication antenna and its contact pads on opposing sides of the battery 102 . fig1 shows example dimensions of the set of electrical contact pads on embodiments of the mobile phone smart card complying with iso 7816 . the distance between side walls of the chip card 20 or 100 from a left edge 112 and an upper edge 114 are also shown . a typical sim card slot is capable of holding a typical sim card , which has second size dimensions with a plug - in size of about 25 mm long and 15 mm wide , and less than 1 mm thick . a plug - in sim card size is for example less than 1 mm thick . example “ mini - sized ” sim cards have size dimensions of 15 mm long , 12 mm wide , and less than 1 mm thick . the sim card includes at least a subset of contact pads compliant with iso 7816 - 2 , which includes contact pads 1 - 8 ( c 1 - c 8 ), defined according to iso 7816 as follows . the contact pads c 1 , c 2 , c 3 , c 5 , c 6 , c 7 have been assigned as interface pins for use with the functions as described in table 1 . two of the contact pads , c 4 and c 8 , are listed as reserved for future use . in one embodiment , the contact pads c 4 and c 8 are used to drive a contactless communication antenna or communicate data for use with a contactless communication antenna . in another embodiment , extra contact pads are added to drive a contactless communication antenna or communicate data for use with a contactless communication antenna .	7
the method for fabricating the semiconductor device according to one embodiment of the present invention will be explained with reference to fig1 a to 12 . fig1 a to 5c are sectional views of a semiconductor device in the steps of the method for fabricating the same according to the present embodiment , which show the method . fig6 a and 6b are pictures of sectional configurations formed by etching the resist film with nh 3 gas . fig7 is a graph of the oxygen flow rate ratio dependency of the bowing amount in the etching with n 2 / o 2 gas . fig8 a and 8b are pictures of sectional configurations formed by etching the resist film with an oxygen gas or a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen . fig9 a and 9b are sectional configurations of the resist film etched under low chamber internal pressure and under high chamber internal pressure . fig1 a - 10c are sectional configurations formed by etching the resist film with n 2 / o 2 gas . fig1 is a graph of the oxygen flow rate ratio dependency of the bowing amount in the etching with n 2 / o 2 / c 4 f 6 gas . fig1 is a sectional configuration formed by etching the resist film with n 2 / o 2 / c 4 f 6 gas . before the present invention is specifically described , the method for fabricating the semiconductor device the present invention is applied to will be explained with reference to fig1 a to 5c . first , an sic film 14 a of , e . g ., a 50 nm - thick , an sioc film 14 b of , e . g ., a 250 nm - thick , an sic film 14 c of , e . g ., a 30 nm - thick , an sioc film 14 d of , e . g ., a 200 nm - thick , an sio film 14 e of , e . g ., a 100 nm - thick and an sin film 14 f of , e . g ., a 50 nm - thick are sequentially deposited by , e . g ., cvd method on an inter - layer insulating film 10 with an interconnection 12 of mainly copper buried in ( fig1 a ). an inter - layer insulating film 14 of these films is thus formed . the sic film 14 a , the sic film 14 c and the sin film 14 f are used respectively as a barrier layer , an intermediate stopper layer and a hard mask . the inter - layer insulating film 10 is formed on a semiconductor substrate with devices , such as transistors , etc ., formed on . next , on the inter - layer insulating film 14 , a resist film 16 a of an organic resist material of , e . g ., a 500 nm - thick , an sog film 16 b of , e . g ., a 100 nm - thick , a barc film 16 of , e . g ., a 82 nm - thick and a resist film 16 d of , e . g ., a 300 nm - thick are formed by , e . g ., spin coating method . a multilayer resist film 16 of these films is thus formed on the inter - layer insulating film 14 . the resist film 16 a is the resist film for etching the inter - layer insulating film 14 , the sog film 16 b is the hard mask for patterning the resist film 16 a , and the barc film 16 c is an organic anti - reflection film , and the resist film 16 d is , e . g ., a photosensitive arf photoresist . then , the resist film 16 d is patterned by photolithography to remove the resist film 16 d in the region for a via - hole to be formed in ( fig1 b ). then , with the resist film 16 d as the mask , the barc film 16 c and the sog film 16 b are anisotropically etched to transfer the pattern of the resist film 16 d onto the sog film 16 b ( fig1 c ). the barc film 16 c and the resist film 16 b are anisotropically etched , e . g ., by a reactive plasma etching system under a 50 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 300 w power , with cf 4 as the etching gas , at a 100 sccm cf 4 flow rate , and for a 60 second etching period of time . then , with the sog film 16 b as the mask , the resist film 16 a is dry etched to remove the resist film 16 a in the region for a via - hole to be formed in ( fig2 a ). the barc film 16 c and the resist film 16 d on the sog film 16 b are removed in this etching . the resist film 16 a is anisotropically etched , e . g ., by , a reactive plasma etching system under a 20 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 200 w power , with n 2 / h 2 as the etching gas , at a 200 / 200 sccm n 2 / h 2 flow rate , and for a 200 second etching period of time . then , with the resist film 16 a as the mask , the sin film 14 f , the sio film 14 e , the sioc film 14 d , the sic film 14 c and the sioc film 14 b are anisotropically etched to open the via - hole 18 down to the sic film 14 a ( fig2 b ). the sog film 16 b on the resist film 16 a is removed in this etching . the sin film 14 f , the sio film 14 e , the sioc film 14 d , the sic film 14 c and the sioc film 14 b are anisotropically etched , e . g ., by reactive plasma etching system , under a 35 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 1000 w power , with c 5 f 8 / ar / o 2 as the etching gas , a 10 / 500 / 12 sccm c 5 f 8 / ar / o 2 flow rate , and a 40 second etching period of time . then , the resist film 16 a is removed by ashing ( fig2 c ). the resist film 16 a is ashed by a plasma ashing system , e . g ., under a 10 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 300 w power , with o 2 as the ashing gas , at a 300 sccm o 2 flow rate , and a 48 second ashing period of time . next , a resist film 20 a of an organic resist material of , e . g ., a 500 nm - thick is formed by , e . g ., spin coating method . the resist film 20 a is formed , filling the via - hole 18 ( fig3 a ). preferably , the surface of the resist film 20 a is flat , because films to be formed on the resist film 20 a can be flat , which permits photolithography to be performed without considering the problem of the depth of focus . then , an sog film 20 b of , e . g ., a 100 nm - thick , a barc film 20 c of , e . g ., a 82 nm - thick and a resist film 20 d of , e . g ., a 300 nm - thick are formed on the resist film 20 a by , e . g ., spin coating method . on the sin film 14 f , a multilayer resist film 20 of thus formed the resist film 20 a , the sog film 20 b , the barc film 20 c and the resist film 20 d is formed . the resist film 20 a is the resist film to be used in etching the inter - layer insulating film 14 , the soc film 20 b is to be used as the hard mask for patterning the resist film 20 a , the barc film 20 is an anti - reflection film , and the resist film 20 d is , e . g ., a photosensitive arf photoresist . then , the resist film 20 d is patterned by photolithography to move the resist film 20 d in the region for an interconnection trench to be formed in ( fig3 b ). next , with the resist film 20 d as the mask , the barc film 20 and the sog film 20 b are anisotropically etched to transfer the pattern of the resist film 20 d onto the sog film 20 b ( fig4 a ). the barc film 20 c and the sog film 20 b are anisotropically etched , e . g ., by a reactive plasma etching system , under a 50 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 300 w power , with cf 4 as the etching gas , at a 100 sccm cf 4 flow rate , and a 60 second etching period of time . then , with the sog film 20 b as the mask , the resist film 20 a is dry etched to remove the resist film 20 a in the region for the interconnection trench to be formed in . at this time , the resist film 20 a is left in the via - hole 18 ( fig4 b ). the barc film 20 c and the resist film 20 d on the sog film 20 b are removed in this etching . the resist film 20 a is anisotropically etched by , e . g ., a reactive plasma etching system , e . g ., under a 35 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 100 w power , with n 2 / o 2 as the etching gas and at a 290 / 10 sccm n 2 / o 2 flow rate , or , e . g ., under a 40 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 150 w power , with n 2 / o 2 / c 4 f 6 as the etching gas and a 250 / 50 / 5 sccm n 2 / o 2 / c 4 f 6 flow rate . as will be described later , this etching step mainly characterizes the present invention . then , with the resist film 20 a as the mask , the sin film 14 f and the sio film 14 e are anisotropically etched to remove the sin film 14 and the sio film 14 e in the region for an interconnection trench to be formed in . the sin film 14 f is anisotropically etched , e . g ., by a reactive plasma etching system , under a 40 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 200 w power , with chf 3 / ar / o 2 as the etching gas , at a 20 / 200 / 10 sccm chf 3 / ar / o 2 flow rate . the sio film 14 e is anisotropically etched , e . g ., by a reactive plasma etching system under a 60 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 200 w power , with c 4 f 6 / ar / o 2 as the etching gas and at a 30 / 400 / 20 sccm c 4 f 6 / ar / o 2 flow rate . next , with the resist film 20 a as the mask and the sic film 14 c as the stopper , the sioc film 14 d is anisotropically etched to form the interconnection trench 22 in the sioc film 14 c . the sog film 20 b on the resist film 20 a is removed by this etching . the sioc film 14 d is anisotropically etched , e . g ., by a reactive plasma etching system under a 35 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 100 w power , with n 2 / o 2 as the etching gas , at a 290 / 10 sccm n 2 / o 2 flow rate and a 200 second etching period of time . then , the resist film 20 a is removed by ashing . the resist film 20 a is ashed by a plasma ashing system , e . g ., under a 10 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 300 w power , with o 2 as the ashing gas , at a 300 sccm o 2 flow rate and a 48 second ashing period of time . next , the sic film 14 a on the bottom of the via - hole 18 is anisotropically etched to open the via - hole 18 down to the interconnection 12 ( fig5 a ). the sic film 14 a is anisotropically etched , e . g ., by a reactive plasma etching system , under a 50 mtorr chamber internal pressure , at a 400 w power , with ch 2 f 2 / ar / o 2 as the etching gas and at a 20 / 200 / 25 sccm ch 2 f 2 / ar / o 2 flow rate . then , a barrier metal and a cu seed are deposited by sputtering , and then cu plating is performed . thus , the via - hole 18 and the interconnection trench 22 are filled with a barrier metal 24 and a cu film 26 ( fig5 b ). next , the cu film 26 and the barrier metal 24 are polished by cmp method to leave the cu film 26 and the barrier metal 24 selectively in the via - hole 18 and the interconnection trench 22 . thus , an interconnection 28 formed of the barrier metal 24 and the cu film 26 and connected to the interconnection 12 is formed in the via - hole 18 and the interconnection trench 22 ( fig5 c ). hereafter , as required , interconnection layers are repeatedly formed on the interconnection 28 to fabricate a semiconductor device having the multi - level interconnections . the present invention is characterized mainly in that in the above - described method for fabricating the semiconductor device , n 2 / o 2 gas or n 2 / o 2 / cf gas is used as the etching gas for etching the resist film 20 a in the step illustrated in fig4 b . conventionally , nh 3 and n 2 / h 2 have been predominantly used in etching organic resist films used as the mask for etching inter - layer insulating films . however , the earnest studies of the inventors of the present application have found that in the above - described method for fabricating the semiconductor device , etching the resist film 20 a with nh 3 or n 2 / h 2 in the step of fig4 b generates cracks down to the inter - layer insulating film 10 . fig6 a - 6c are pictures of sectional configurations formed by etching the resist film 20 a with nh 3 as the etching gas , which were taken by a scanning electron microscope . fig6 a is the sectional configuration immediately after the resist film 20 a has been etched . fig6 b is the sectional configuration immediately after the sin film 14 f and the sio film 14 e have been etched . fig6 c is the sectional configuration immediately after the interconnection trench 22 has been formed and before the ashing . as seen in fig6 a , immediately after the resist film 20 a has been etched , a crack ( circled in the drawing ) is observed between the resist film 20 a and the side wall of the via - hole 18 . the crack is increased after the sin film 14 f and the sio film 14 e have been etched ( see fig6 b ). then , after the interconnection trench 22 has been formed , the crack is further increased down to even the inter - layer insulating film 10 with the interconnection layer 12 buried in ( fig6 c ). there is the risk that such crack will much affect the reliability of the semiconductor device , and the generation of the crack must be prevented . the mechanism that the crack is generated between the resist film 20 a and the side wall of the via - hole 18 is not clear , but the etching gas of nh 3 and n 2 / h 2 will make some action to the interface between the resist film 20 a and the side wall of the via - hole 18 to thereby lower the adhesion therebetween . in such background , the inventors of the present application have made earnest studies of the etching conditions for the resist film 20 a to be the first to find that n 2 / o 2 or n 2 / o 2 / cf is used as the etching gas , and the chamber internal pressure and the etching gas flow rate are suitably controlled , whereby the generation of cracks between the resist film 20 a and the side wall of the via - hole 18 can be prevented , and the resist film 20 a can be etched in a good vertical processed configuration . the etching conditions the inventors of the present application have found will be detailed below . in the multilayer resist process , generally a lower resist film is processed by using oxygen gas only . in etching a lower resist film by using oxygen gas , the horizontal etching also tends to go on , and the resist film is processed in a bowing configuration . such bowing configuration does not matter when a pattern size of a semiconductor device is relatively large . however , in processing a fine pattern , such bowing configuration is a problem , such bowing configuration is an obstacle to accurate processing of the fine pattern . then , the inventors of the present application studied whether the etching with oxygen gas can be applied to the etching of the resist film 20 a in the above - described method for fabricating the semiconductor device and additionally means for preventing the bowing configuration . resultantly , n 2 / o 2 or n 2 / o 2 / cf gas was used as the etching gas , and the chamber internal pressure and the etching gas flow rate were suitably controlled , whereby the resist film 20 a could be etched into a good vertical processed configuration , and the generation of cracks between the resist film 20 a and the side wall of the via - hole 18 could be prevented . fig7 is a graph of the oxygen flow rate ratio dependency of the bowing amount of the etching with n 2 / o 2 gas . the bowing amounts are taken on the vertical axis , and the bowing amounts were determined by b - a in which a indicates an opening width of the mask , and b indicates a maximum width of an opening formed in the resist film 20 a by using the mask . flow rate ratios (%) of oxygen gas to a total gas flow rate are taken on the horizontal axis . the flow rate ratios of the oxygen gas were adjusted by diluting the oxygen gas with nitrogen gas . the other etching conditions were a 35 mtorr chamber internal pressure , a 100 w power and a 300 sccm total flow rate of n 2 and o 2 , which were fixed . as shown , the bowing amount is decreased by lowering the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas . when the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas is below 10 %, the bowing amount is drastically decreased to about 5 nm at 5 % and to about 2 nm at 1 - 3 %. a gas to be mixed with the oxygen gas is preferably nitrogen . mixing , e . g ., argon in place of nitrogen cannot suppress the bowing . although the mechanism for this is not clear , the nitrogen will be acting to protect the side wall of the processed part . fig8 a is a picture of the sectional configuration formed by etching the resist film 20 a with oxygen gas only , which was taken by a scanning electron microscope . the etching conditions were a 80 mtorr chamber internal pressure , a 100 w power and a 250 sccm o 2 flow rate . as shown , the resist film 20 a is bowed unsuitably for the downsizing . fig8 b is a picture of the sectional configuration formed by etching the resist film 20 a with a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen , which was taken by a scanning electron microscope . the etching conditions were a 35 mtorr chamber internal pressure , a 100 w power and a 290 / 10 sccm n 2 / o 2 flow rate ( oxygen flow rate ratio : 3 . 3 %). as shown , the resist film 20 a was processed vertically without bowing configuration . no crack is generated between the resist film 20 a and the via - hole 18 . the processed configuration of the resist film 20 a is changed depending on the chamber internal pressure . fig9 a is a picture of the sectional configuration formed by etching the resist film 20 a with a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen under low pressure , which was taken by a scanning electron microscope . the etching conditions other than a 15 mtorr chamber internal pressure were the same as the case of fig8 b . as shown , even with the etching gas with nitrogen added to , under a low chamber internal pressure of 15 mtorr , the so - called sub - trench configuration , which has a groove formed on the bottom peripheral part of a trench and a hole deeper than the bottom center thereof , is formed , which affects the later etching . fig9 b is a picture of the sectional configuration formed by etching the resist film 20 a under high pressure and with a mixed gas of oxygen and nitrogen , which was taken by a scanning electron microscope . the etching conditions other than a 150 mtorr chamber internal pressure were the same as the case of fig8 b . as shown , with the chamber internal pressure as high as 150 mtorr , the resist film 20 a is bowed unsuitably for the downsizing . when n 2 / o 2 is used as the etchant for the resist film 20 a , the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas is less than 10 %, preferably not more than 5 %, more preferably 1 - 3 %. the upper limit value of the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas can be suitably set in accordance with an allowable bowing amount . the etching rate is lowered by lowing the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas , and the lower limit value of the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas can be suitably set in accordance with a prescribed etching rate . it is preferable to set the chamber internal pressure at 25 - 50 mtorr , more preferably , at 30 - 40 mtorr . this is because under a pressure less than 25 mtorr , the etching rate of the resist film 20 a is extremely low , and often the sub - trench configuration shown in fig9 a is formed . on the other hand , under a pressure of above 50 mtorr , the effect of adding oxygen is enhanced , and the bowing configuration shown in fig9 b tends to be formed . fig1 a - 10c are pictures of sectional configurations formed by etching the resist film 20 a with n 2 / o 2 gas , which were taken by a scanning electron microscope . fig1 a is the sectional configuration immediately after the resist film 20 a has been etched . fig1 b is the sectional configuration immediately after the sin film 14 f and the sio film 14 e have been etched . fig1 c is the sectional configuration after the interconnection trench 22 has been formed , and ashing has been performed . as seen in fig1 a , immediately after the resist film 20 a has been etched , no crack is generated between the resist film 20 a and the side wall of the via - hole 18 . the processed configuration of the resist film 20 a is vertical . no crack is generated after the sin film 14 f and the sio film 14 e have been etched ( fig1 b ) and after the interconnection trench has been formed ( fig1 c ). as the etching gas for the resist film 20 a , n 2 / o 2 / cf gas other than n 2 / o 2 gas can be used . cf gas ( fluorocarbon gas ), which forms a protection film on the side wall of an etched part , is expected to prevent the bowing . the use of cf gas can enlarge the process window for etching the resist film 20 a . as the cf gas can be used c x f y or ch a f b used in the usual semiconductor process , more specifically , c 3 f 6 , c 4 f 8 , c 4 f 6 , c 5 f 8 , ch 2 f 2 , chf 3 , ch 3 f or others . fig1 is a graph of the oxygen flow rate ratio dependency of the bowing amount of the etching with n 2 / o 2 / c 4 f 6 gas . the bowing amounts are taken on the vertical axis , and the bowing amounts were determined by b - a in which a indicates an opening width of the mask , and b indicates a maximum width of an opening formed in the resist film 20 a by using the mask . flow rate ratios of oxygen gas (%) to a total gas flow rate are taken on the horizontal axis . the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas is adjusted by the flow rate of the nitrogen gas . the specific etching conditions are a 35 mtorr chamber internal pressure , a 100 w power , a 60 sccm flow rate of c 4 f 6 as the cf gas , a 300 sccm total flow rate of the n 2 , o 2 and c 4 f 6 , which were fixed . as shown , the bowing amount is decreased by lowering the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas . when the flow rate ratio of the oxygen is below 12 %, the bowing amount is drastically decreased to about 6 nm at 7 % and to about 1 nm at 3 - 5 %. fig1 is a picture of the sectional configuration of the resist film 20 a etched with n 2 / o 2 / c 4 f 6 , which was taken by a scanning electron microscope . the etching conditions were a 35 mtorr chamber internal pressure , a 100 w power and a 250 / 5 / 50 sccm of n 2 / o 2 / c 4 f 6 flow rate ( oxygen flow rate ratio : about 1 . 6 %). as shown , the processed configuration of the resist film 20 a is vertical , and no bowing configuration is generated . no crack is generated even between the resist film 20 a and the via - hole 18 . when n 2 / o 2 / cf is used as the etching gas for the resist film 20 a , the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas is less than 12 %, preferably not more than 7 %, more preferably not more than 5 %. the upper limit value of the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas is suitably set in accordance with an allowed bowing amount . the etching rate is lowered by lowering the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas , and the lower limit value of the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas can be suitably set in accordance with a required etching rate . it is preferable to set the flow rate ratio of the cf gas at 15 - 25 %. this is because when the flow rate ratio of the cf gas is less than 15 %, the effect of forming the protection film is insufficient , and when the flow rate ratio of the cf gas is more than 25 %, an organic resist film used as the mask ( sog film 20 b ) is etched . thus , when the resist film 20 a is etched with n 2 / o 2 as the etching gas , the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas is set at less than 10 %, preferably not more than 5 %, more preferably 1 - 3 %. the chamber internal pressure is set at 25 - 50 mtorr , more preferably 30 - 40 mtorr . when n 2 / o 2 / cf is used as the etching gas , the flow rate ratio of the oxygen gas is set at less than 12 %, preferably not more than 7 %, more preferably not more than 5 %. the flow rate ratio of the cf gas is set at 15 - 25 %. thus , the generation of cracks between the resist film 20 a and the side wall of the via - hole 18 can be prevented , and the resist film 20 a can be etched in good vertical processed configuration . as described above , according to the present embodiment , in the dual damascene process of the preceding via mode using a multilayer resist , n 2 / o 2 gas or n 2 / o 2 / cf gas is used in etching a lower resist film for forming an interconnection trench , whereby the generation of cracks between the lower resist film buried in a via - hole and the inter - layer insulating film can be prevented . the processed configuration of the lower resist film can be made vertical . the present invention is not limited to the above - described embodiment and can cover other various modifications . for example , in the above - described embodiment , the present invention is applied to the steps of forming the interconnection trench in the dual damascene process of the preceding via mode using a multilayer resist , but may be applied to other steps . for example , the present invention may be applied to the step of forming the via - hole 18 shown in fig2 a . the etching method of the present invention is used to thereby vertically process the resist film 16 a suitably for forming fine patterns . in the above - described embodiment , the interconnection is buried in the inter - layer insulating film of sin / sio / sioc / sic / sioc / sic structure by the dual damascene , but the materials forming the inter - layer insulating film and the layer structure thereof are not limited to the above .	7
the following definitions are provided in order to aid those skilled in the art in understanding the detailed description of the present invention . the term “ alloantigens ” refers to antigens of an individual that are responsible for eliciting an alloimmune response . the phrase “ alloimmune response ” refers to an immune response , which occurs when antibodies from one individual react against antigens of a different individual of the same species . the phrase “ anti - idiotypic antibodies ” refers to antibodies which can bind endogenous or foreign idiotypic antibodies and which can be used to treat or prevent pathological conditions associated with an immune response to a foreign alloantigen . the phrase “ gov a / gov b biallelic system ” refers to a system of human platelet alloantigens in which an individual can be homozygous for either gov a or gov b allelic forms of cd 109 , or an individual can be gov a / gov b heterozygous for cd109 . “ nucleic acid ” includes dna and rna , whether single or double stranded . the term is also intended to include a strand that is a mixture of nucleic acids and nucleic acid analogs and / or nucleotide analogs , or that is made entirely of nucleic acid analogs and / or nucleotide analogs . “ nucleic acid analogue ” refers to modified nucleic acids or species unrelated to nucleic acids that are capable of providing selective binding to nucleic acids or other nucleic acid analogues . as used herein , the term “ nucleotide analogues ” includes nucleic acids where the internucleotide phosphodiester bond of dna or rna is modified to enhance biostability of the oligomer and “ tune ” the selectivity / specificity for target molecules ( ulhmann , et al ., 1990 , angew . chem . int . ed . eng ., 90 : 543 ; goodchild , 1990 , j . bioconjugate chem ., i : 165 ; englisch et al ., 1991 , angew , chem . int . ed . eng ., 30 : 613 ). such modifications may include and are not limited to phosphorothioates , phosphorodithioates , phosphotriesters , phosphoramidates or methylphosphonates . the 2 ′- o - methyl , allyl and 2 ′- deoxy - 2 ′- fluoro rna analogs , when incorporated into an oligomer show increased biostability and stabilization of the rna / dna duplex ( lesnik et al ., 1993 , biochemistry , 32 : 7832 ). as used herein , the term “ nucleic acid analogues ” also include alpha anomers ( α - dna ), l - dna ( mirror image dna ), 2 ′- 5 ′ linked rna , branched dna / rna or chimeras of natural dna or rna and the above - modified nucleic acids . for the purposes of the present invention , any nucleic acid containing a “ nucleotide analogue ” shall be considered as a nucleic acid analogue . backbone replaced nucleic acid analogues can also be adapted to for use as immobilised selective moieties of the present invention . for purposes of the present invention , the peptide nucleic acids ( pnas ) ( nielsen et al , 1993 , anti - cancer drug design , 8 : 53 ; engels et al ., 1992 , angew , chem . int . ed . eng ., 31 : 1008 ) and carbamate - bridged morpholino - type oligonucleotide analogs ( burger , d . r ., 1993 , j . clinical immunoassay , 16 : 224 ; uhlmann , et al ., 1993 , methods in molecular biology , 20 ,. “ protocols for oligonucleotides and analogs ,” ed . sudhir agarwal , humana press , nj , u . s . a ., pp . 335 - 389 ) are also embraced by the term “ nucleic acid analogues ”. both exhibit sequence - specific binding to dna with the resulting duplexes being more thermally stable than the natural dna / dna duplex . other backbone - replaced nucleic acids are well known to those skilled in the art and may also be used in the present invention ( see e . g ., uhlmann et al 1993 , methods in molecular biology , 20 , “ protocols for oligonucleotides and analogs ,” ed . sudhir agrawal , humana press , nj , u . s . a ., pp . 335 ). the standard , one - letter codes “ a ,” “ c ,” “ g ,” and “ t ” are used herein for the nucleotides adenylate , cytidylate , guanylate , and thymidylate , respectively . the skilled will understand that , in dnas , the nucleotides are 2 ′- deoxyribonucleotide - 5 ′- phosphates ( or , at the 5 ′- end , possibly triphosphates ) while , in rnas , the nucleotides are ribonucleotide - 5 ′- phosphates ( or , at the 5 ′- end , possibly triphosphates ) and uridylate ( u ) occurs in place of t . “ n ” means any one of the four nucleotides . on occasion herein , da , dc , dg and dt might be used for the respective 2 ′- deoxyribonucleotides . unless otherwise specified or required by the context , “ nucleic acid ” means dna or rna and “ nucleotide ” means ribonucleotide or 2 ′- deoxyribonucleotide . reference herein to a “ full - length ” cd109 molecule or protein means the 1445 - amino acid - long polypeptide , for which the amino acid sequence , deduced from a cdna sequence , is provided in seq id no : 1 and in seq id no : 3 and which is denoted as the full - length translated product ( i . e ., including the amino - terminal leader peptide , and excluding carboxyl - terminal processing associated with gpi anchor addition ). the gov a alloantigen bearing form of cd109 may be referred to herein as 703 tyr cd109 . the gov b alloantigen bearing form of cd109 may be referred to herein as 703 ser cd109 . it has been determined that a single nucleotide of the cd109 gene is responsible for the gov polymorphism in cd109 . extensive serological studies initially demonstrated that the polymorphism underlying the gov system resides solely on the cd109 molecule [ sutherland , d . r . ( 1991 ); smith et al . ( 1995 )]. further , extensive deglycosylation of cd109 does not affect the binding the anti - gov a and anti - gov b antibodies to molecules of the appropriate phenotype , or to cells bearing the appropriate cd109 variant , indicating that carbohydrate residues are not involved in the formation of gov antigenic epitopes . further work has indicated that the gov allele - specific antibody binding can however , be abrogated by denaturation of cd109 with the detergent sds [ smith et al . ( 1995 )]. taken together , these observations indicate that the gov alleles of cd109 are protein epitopes that are likely defined by the primary amino acid sequence of cd109 . following the isolation of a cd109 cdna the nature of the two gov alleles was characterised further using platelet rna - derived cdna in the polymerase chain reaction (“ pcr ”). platelet mrna transcripts were obtained from serologically defined gov a / a , gov a / b and gov b / b individuals . the rna was then converted to cdna , and the entire cd109 cdna coding region was then amplified as a series of overlapping pcr products . the gov a [ seq id no : 1 ] and gov b [ seq id no : 3 ] alleles differ by an a to c substitution at position 2108 of the coding region of the cd109 cdna . this single nucleotide polymorphism also results in a bstni restriction site in the gov b allele that is not present in its gov a counterpart . on the basis of this bstni site , gov a can by distinguished from gov b by restriction fragment length polymorphism ( rflp ) analysis . this single nucleotide polymorphism can also be detected by sscp analysis , and by allele - specific hybridization studies , including “ real - time ” pcr analyses . as a result of this a 2108 c single nucleotide polymorphism , the gov a allele [ seq id no : 2 ] of cd109 contains a tyr at position 703 of the full - length protein , while the gov b allele [ seq id no : 4 ] contains a ser in this position . the polymorphism does not alter the ability of gov a and gov b homozygous platelets to adhere to collagen types i , iii and v . additionally , the binding of anti - gov a and ant - gov b antibodies to platelets of the appropriate phenotype did not interfere with platelet adhesion to any of the above collagen types . thus , while the tyr 703 ser results in the formation of the gov alloantigen epitopes , it does not appear to impair platelet function . identification and characterisation of the gov alloantigen system permits pre - and post - natal diagnosis of the gov phenotype of an individual , providing a warning for the possibility of natp , ptp and ptpr . allelic gov typing of cd109 equates with the gov status of the cd109 protein of an individual . the gov system led to diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to avoid or control diseases that result from gov incompatibility . the present invention can be applied to these tasks and goals in a variety of ways , illustrative examples of which are discussed below . for example , an oligonucleotide probe can be synthesized , in accordance with the present invention , that will hybridize to a cdna segment , derived from cd109 mrna , that contains the nucleotide g at polymorphic nucleotide 2108 ( nucleotide = guanylate ). alternatively , an oligonucleotide probe can be synthesized that will hybridize with a cd109 cdna segment containing the base adenine at nucleotide 2108 . ( nucleotide = adenylate ). these allele - specific probes can be appropriately labelled and added to the generated cdna segments under annealing conditions , such that only one of the allele - specific probes hybridizes and can be detected , thereby identifying the specific gov a or gov b allele . in accordance with conventional procedures , the design of an oligonucleotide probe according to the present invention preferably involves adjusting probe length to accommodate hybridization conditions ( temperature , ionic strength , exposure time ) while assuring allele - specificity . a length of ten to thirty nucleotides is typical . diagnostic kits can also be used , in accordance with the present invention , for the determination and diagnosis of alloantigen phenotypes via the procedures described herein . such a kit can include , among others , antibodies or antibody fragments to an antigenic determinant expressed by either of the above - described gov a - and gov b - encoding sequences . these antibodies would react with the blood sample of an individual so as to indicate whether that individual has a gov a or gov b phenotype . alternatively , all the reagents required for the detection of nucleotide ( s ) that distinguish the gov alloantigens , by means described herein , can be provided in a single kit that uses isolated genomic dna , platelet ( or other cellular ) mrna or total rna , or corresponding cdna from an individual . a kit containing a labelled probe that distinguishes , for example , nucleotide 2108 of cd109 can be utilised for gov alloantigen genotyping and phenotyping . a further beneficial use of the nucleotide sequences that distinguish the gov a allele from the gov b allele is to obtain or synthesize the respective expression product , in the form of a peptide or polypeptide , encoded by these nucleotide sequences . these polypeptides can be used to generate antibodies for diagnostic and therapeutic uses , for example , with regard to pathological conditions such as ptp , ptpr or natp . these polypeptides can also be used diagnostically to detect the presence of gov a or gov b specific antibodies in patient plasma or serum , or used therapeutically ( see below ; assays may be adopted , for example , from u . s . pat . no . 5 , 851 , 788 ). a polypeptide within the present invention which can be used for the purpose of generating such antibodies preferably comprises an amino - acid sequence that corresponds to ( i . e ., is coincident with or functionally equivalent to ) a fragment of the cd109 molecule that includes amino acid 703 . when amino acid 703 is tyrosine , the polypeptide can be used , as described above , to produce antibodies that specifically bind the gov a form of cd109 ; in contrast , when it is serine , antibodies can be obtained that specifically recognise the gov b form . the class of polypeptides thus defined , in accordance with the present invention , is not intended to include the native cd109 molecule , but does encompass fragments of the molecule , as well as synthetic polypeptides meeting the aforementioned definition . although the length of a polypeptide within this class is not critical , the requirement for immunogenicity may require that the polypeptide be attached to an immunogenicity - imparting carrier . such carriers include a particulate carrier such as a liposome or a soluble macromolecule ( protein or polysaccharide ) with a molecular weight in the range of about 10 , 000 to 1 , 000 , 000 daltons additionally , it may be desirable to administer the polypeptide with an adjuvant , such as complete freund &# 39 ; s adjuvant for artificial polypeptides , as distinguished from cd109 fragments , maximum length is determined largely by the limits of techniques available for peptide synthesis , which are currently about fifty amino acids . thus , a synthetic polypeptide of the present invention is preferably between four to about fifty amino acids in length . in the context of the present invention , the term “ antibody ” encompasses monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies produced by any available means . such antibodies can belong to any antibody class ( igg , igm , iga , etc .) and may be chimeric . examples of the preparation and uses of polyclonal antibodies are disclosed in u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 512 , 282 , 4 , 828 , 985 , 5 , 225 , 331 and 5 , 124 , 147 which are incorporated by reference in their entirety the term “ antibody ” also encompasses antibody fragments , such as fab and f ( ab ′) 2 fragments , of anti - gov a or anti - gov b antibodies , conjugates of such fragments , and so - called “ antigen binding proteins ” ( single - chain antibodies ) which are based on anti - gov a or anti - gov b antibodies , in accordance , for example , with u . s . pat . no . 4 , 704 , 692 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . alternatively , monoclonal antibodies or fragments thereof within the present invention can be produced using conventional procedures via the expression of isolated dna that encodes variable regions of such a monoclonal antibody in host cells such as e . coli ( see , e . g ., ward et al ., nature , 341 : 544 - 546 ( 1989 )) or transfected murine myeloma cells ( see gillies et al ., biotechnol . 7 : 799 - 804 ( 1989 ); nakatani et al ., biotechnol . 7 : 805 - 810 ( 1989 )). for additional examples of methods of the preparation and uses of monoclonal antibodies , see u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 688 , 681 , 5 , 688 , 657 , 5 , 683 , 693 , 5 , 667 , 781 , 5 , 665 , 356 , 5 , 591 , 628 , 5 , 510 , 241 , 5 , 503 , 987 , 5 , 501 , 988 , 5 , 500 , 345 and 5 , 496 , 705 that are incorporated by reference in their entirety . while human alloantisera currently used for serological typing are specifically excluded from this definition , the use of cd109 or gov allele - specific peptides to detect anti - gov antibodies in human plasma or serum , or to determine the specificity of such alloantibodies , are specifically included . similarly , the use of such cd109 peptides or gov allele - specific peptides to purify cd109 antibodies , or allele - specific cd109 antibodies from human serum is specifically included . similarly , the use in vitro of such cd109 peptides or gov allele - specific peptides to deplete allele - specific antibody activity from human serum samples , or to block cd109 antibody binding , or allele - specific antibody binding , is specifically included . diagnostic applications of these antibodies are exemplified , according to the present invention , by the use of a kit containing an anti - gov a or an anti - gov b antibody , which undergoes a reaction with a sample of an individual &# 39 ; s blood to determine a gov a or gov b platelet phenotype . such a reaction involves the binding of anti - gov a antibody to gov a antigen or the binding of anti - gov b antibody to gov b antigen . the observation of antibody - antigen complex in a blood sample would indicate a positive result . a kit of this type could be used to diagnose , or to help prevent the occurrence of pathological conditions like ptp , ptpr , or natp . a polypeptide of the present invention that is recognised specifically by anti - gov a or ant - gov b antibodies can also be used therapeutically . thus , antibodies raised against such a polypeptide can be employed in the generation , via conventional methods , of anti - idiotypic antibodies , that is , antibodies that bind an anti - gov a or anti - gov b antibody . see , e . g ., u . s . pat . no . 4 , 699 , 880 , the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . such anti - idiotypic antibodies would bind endogenous or foreign anti - gov antibodies in the blood of an individual , which would treat or prevent pathological conditions associated with an immune response to a “ foreign ” gov alloantigen . alternatively , a polypeptide within the present invention can be administered to an individual , with a physiologically - compatible carrier , to achieve the same qualitative effect , namely , the selective reduction or elimination of circulating anti - gov antibodies from a patient suffering or at risk from an immune response , or the abrogation by competitive binding to administered peptide , of the binding of gov - specific antibodies to the platelets of such an individual the present invention is further described below by reference to the following , illustrative examples . platelet total rna was isolated from edta anticoagulated blood of gov aa and gov bb individuals in the manner described in lymann et al ., blood 75 : 2343 - 48 ( 1990 ). first , platelet mrna in 10 μl aliquots was heated to 70 ° c . for 10 minutes and quickly cooled on ice before reverse transcription . the first strand cdna was then synthesized using 10 μm oligo dt , 40 units rnasin ( promega ), 2 mm of each dntp ( dn triphosphate ) ( pharmacia ), 500 units of cloned mmlv reverse transcriptase and 5 × enzyme buffer ( gibco ) in a total volume of 50 μl . the cdna synthesis was carried out at 42 ° c . for 45 minutes and was stopped by chilling to 0 ° c . overlapping sets of oligonucleotide primers ( table 2 ) based on the sequence of cd109 were then used to amplify by pcr the entire coding region of platelet cd109 in 8 overlapping segments that spanned the entire cd109 open reading frame . table 2 lists the position of the 5 ′ end of each oligonucleotide with respect to the cd109 cdna sequence , which includes both 3 ′ and 5 ′ untranslated regions , is noted in parentheses . the cd109 orf encompasses nucleotides 1 - 4335 of the published cd109 cdna , and corresponds exactly to the cd109 cdna sequence presented in seq id no : 1 . the size of each pcr product , and the annealing temperature used for the corresponding primer pair , is listed . pcr reactions ( 50 : i ) containing 1 × pcr buffer ( gibco life technologies ), 1 . 5 mm mgcl 2 , 200 : m of each dntp , 1 : m of each primer , 1 . 25 units taq polymerase ( gibco life technologies ), and 3 : i cdna underwent 40 cycles of 94 ° c . ( 45 seconds ), primer - specific annealing temperature ( table 2 ; 45 seconds ), and 72 ° c . ( 45 - 60 seconds ), using a perkin elmer 2400 thermocycler . pcr products ( 30 : i ) were subsequently size - separated electrophoretically on a 1 . 2 % agarose / tae gel containing 1 : g / ml ethidium bromide . bands were subsequently excised and purified ( 50 : i ) using the qiaquick ( qiagen ) kit for direct sequencing and subcloning . sequencing reactions ( 3 - 5 : i purified product per reaction ) were carried out using the thermosequenase cy5 . 5 dye terminator sequencing kit ( amersham pharmacia biotech ) and the same primers that had been used for initial pcr amplification ( table 2 ), or selected internal cd109 - specific primers as appropriate , and were subsequently analysed using the open gene automated dna sequencing system ( visible genetics ). in parallel , pcr products were cloned into pmei - digested pmabi , a pbs sk (−) ( stratagene ) derivative containing a pmei restriction site within the polylinker . resultant plasmid clones were analysed by alkaline lysis / restriction digestion , and as appropriate ( and following an additional overnight 13 % peg / 1 . 6 m nacl precipitation ), by dna sequence analysis as above . by combining direct pcr sequencing and the analysis of subcloned fragments , it was ensured that the dna sequence of each pcr - derived cdna fragment was obtained independently at least twice , with each fragment being sequenced in both directions in its entirety . this analysis revealed that the cd109 cdna sequences of gov aa and gov bb individuals differed by a single nucleotide at position 2108 of the sequence shown in seq id no : 1 . gov a / a individuals have an a at position 2108 , whereas gov b / b individuals have a c at the same position . this change results in a tyr - ser amino acid polymorphism at residue 703 of the full - length cd109 polypeptide chain . this single nucleotide polymorphism also results in a bstni restriction site in the govb allele that is not present in the gov a allele . analysis of the other regions of the cd109 cdna in their entirety revealed no other nucleotide differences that segregated with gov phenotype ( i . e ., that could be used to distinguish the gov a allele from the gov b allele ). to facilitate subsequent genomic dna analyses of the gov a / b alleles , the intron / exon junctions of the exon bearing the putative gov - specific nucleotide substitution identified above , as well as the dna sequence of the flanking introns , were determined . cd109 cdna - specific oligonucleotides binding in the vicinity of this substitution were used for the direct sequencing of p4l10 , a pcypac — 1 - derived pac clone bearing the human cd109 locus using the open gene system ( visible genetics ) as above . the nucleotide sequence of the gov polymorphism - containing exon , as well as of the flanking introns , is presented in seq id no : 5 . the gov polymorphism lies at nucleotide position 954 in seq id no : 5 . subsequent work has mapped the intron - exon structure of the entire human cd109 locus , and has determined that the gov single nucleotide polymorphism of cd109 lies in exon 19 of the cd109 gene . the a - c gov cd109 polymorphism corresponds to the internal nucleotide of the first complete codon of exon 19 of the cd109 gene . as this exon comprises only 118 nucleotides , and the gov polymorphism lies almost at the extreme 5 ′ end of this exon , we determined the nucleotide sequence of both introns flanking this exon to facilitate subsequent genomic dna analyses of the gov a / b alleles . the dna sequence of cd109 exon 19 and its flanking introns ( cd109 introns 18 and 19 ) is presented as seq id no : 5 . to confirm that the a to c polymorphism at position 2108 of the cd109 open reading frame ( nucleotide 2108 , seq id no : 1 ; nucleotide 954 , seq id no : 5 ) segregates with the gov phenotype , rflp analysis was carried out on pcr amplified genomic cd109 dna using the bstni restriction endonuclease , which recognises the dna sequence 5 ′ c cagg 3 ′ found in the gov b cdna ( nucleotides position 2108 - 2112 in seq id no : 3 ; the corresponding gov a sequence , 5 ′ a cagg 3 ′, is nucleotides 2108 - 2112 in seq id no : 1 ). this enzyme does not cleave at 5 ′ acagg 3 ′ ( found in gov a ; nucleotides 2108 - 2112 in seq id no : 1 ). a 448 bp genomic fragment was pcr - amplified from gov aa , gov ab , and gov bb individuals using the pair of oligonucleotides seq id no : 9 and seq id no : 10 . these oligonucleotides flank exon 19 . the former binds within intron 18 ( nucleotides 875 - 892 seq id no : 5 ), while the latter binds within intron 19 to the sequence complementary to nucleotides 1305 - 1322 of seq id no : 5 ). the resultant 448 bp pcr product , when digested with bstni , yielded the restriction fragments predicted on the basis that the a to c polymorphism at position 2108 ( seq id no : 1 ) segregates with the gov phenotype . to further confirm that the a to c polymorphism at position 2108 of the cd109 open reading frame ( nucleotide 2108 , seq id no : 1 ; nucleotide 954 , seq id no : 5 ) segregates with the gov phenotype , we also performed an alternative analysis involving the selective hybridization of gov allele - specific dna probes to pcr amplified genomic cd109 dna . two primers flanking the polymorphic a - c site at position 2108 ( seq id no : 1 ; position 954 , seq id no : 5 ) were designed to amplify by pcr a 105 bp genomic dna fragment containing the polymorphic site from genomic dna isolated from gov aa , gov ab , and gov bb individuals . the first primer ( seq id no : 11 ) binds within intron 18 to nucleotides 902 - 928 of seq id no : 5 . the second primer ( seq id no : 12 ) binds within exon 19 to the sequence complementary to nucleotides 977 - 1106 of seq id no : 5 . two additional nucleotide probes were designed — one specific for the target sequence of the gov a allele of the cd109 gene , and the other for the gov b allele of the cd109 gene . the first probe ( seq id no : 13 ) overlaps the cd109 intron 18 / exon 19 junction , binds to the gov a allele at nucleotides 935 - 974 of seq id no : 5 , and was tagged with the fluorescent dye 6 - fam . the second probe ( seq id no : 14 ), also overlapping the cd109 intron 18 / exon 19 junction , binds to the gov b allele at the position corresponding to nucleotides 935 - 971 of seq id no : 5 , and was tagged with the fluorescent dye vic . genomic dna was isolated from gov phenotyped human peripheral blood leukocytes , and pcr / hybridization analysis was carried out using taqman real - time pcr technology ( perkin elmer ). genomic dna was amplified using primers seq id no : 11 and seq id no : 12 , with each reaction additionally containing 100 nm fam - labelled gov a probe and 200 nm vic - labelled gov b probe . allelic discrimination , based on allele - specific fluorescence , was then determined using a post - pcr plate reader ( perkin elmer ). in all cases , pcr / fluorescence - based gov genotyping correlated with the gov phenotype , indicating that the a to c polymorphism at position 2108 ( seq id no : 1 ) does indeed segregate with the gov phenotype . to further confirm that the a to c polymorphism at position 2108 of the cd109 open reading frame ( nucleotide 2108 , seq id no : 1 ; nucleotide 954 , seq id no : 5 ) segregates with the gov phenotype , we also performed an alternative analysis involving sscp analysis of pcr amplified genomic cd109 dna . two gov allele - specific antisense oligonucleotides — seq id no : 6 and seq id no : 7 — differing by a single 3 ′ nucleotide ( and binding to sequence complementary to nucleotides 954 - 976 of seq id no : 5 , and of the gov b counterpart of seq id no : 5 , respectively ), were combined with a common sense primer — seq id no : 8 binds within intron 18 and which corresponds to nucleotides 752 - 773 of seq id no : 5 , to amplify a 225 bp genomic dna fragment containing the gov polymorphic site from genomic dna isolated from gov aa , gov ab , and gov bb individuals . in all cases , complete concordance between pcr - ssp analysis and gov phenotyping was observed . seq id no : 1 consists of the entire 4335 nucleotide cd109 cdna open reading frame encoding the gov a allele . the gov a allele comprises an a at nucleotide position 2108 . seq id no : 2 consists of the entire 1445 aa protein sequence produced from cd109 gov a cdna . the gov a allele comprises a tyr at amino acid 703 . seq id no : 3 consists of the entire 4335 nucleotide cd109 cdna open reading frame encoding the gov b allele . the gov b allele comprises a c at nucleotide position 2108 . seq id no : 4 consists of the entire 1445 aa protein sequence produced from the cd109 gov b cdna . the gov b allele comprises a ser at amino acid 703 . seq id no : 5 consists of the cd109 genomic dna comprising cd109 exon 19 and the flanking introns , introns 18 and 19 . the 118 nucleotide exon 19 , comprising nucleotides 952 - 1069 of seq id no : 5 , corresponds to nucleotides 2106 - 2223 of seq id no : 1 . the a to c gov polymorphism of cd109 ( corresponding to nucleotide 2108 of seq id no : 1 ) therefore corresponds to nucleotide 954 of seq id no : 5 . in the gov a allele , nucleotide 954 is a , while in the gov b allele nucleotide 954 is c . thus , seq id no : 5 corresponds to the gov a allele of cd109 . within seq id no : 5 , nucleotides 1 - 951 correspond to cd109 intron 18 , while nucleotides 1070 - 2608 correspond to intron 19 . we note that nucleotides 2108 - 2112 of seq id no : 1 , and the corresponding nucleotides 954 - 958 of seq id no : 5 , which consist of the sequence 5 ′ acagg 3 ′ ( and which contains the gov a allele - specific polymorphic nucleotide at its 5 ′ end ), is not cleavable by the restriction endonuclease bstni . however , in the corresponding gov b allele , the corresponding sequence — 5 ′ ccagg 3 ′— is cleavable by bstni , and that the two gov alleles can be discriminated on this basis . we note also that a group of restriction endonucleases — bst2ui , bstni , bstoi , ecorii , maeiii , mspr91 , mvai , or scrfi ( or one of their isoschizomers )— is capable of differentiating between the gov a and gov b alleles on this basis . seq id no : 6 - seq id no : 14 comprise oligonucleotides for the pcr amplification of gov polymorphism containing cd109 sequence from rna , cdna derived from rna , or from genomic dna , and for the gov typing analyses of such amplified dna fragments . seq id no : 3 , an antisense oligonucleotide specific for the gov a allele , binds to exon 19 sequence complementary to nucleotides 954 - 976 of seq id no : 5 . seq id no : 6 and seq id no : 7 ( see below ) differ by a single allele - specific 3 ′ nucleotide seq id no : 7 , an antisense oligonucleotide specific for the gov b allele , binds to exon 19 sequence complementary to nucleotides 954 - 976 of the gov b counterpart of seq id no : 5 . seq id no : 6 ( see above ) and seq id no : 7 differ by a single allele - specific 3 ′ nucleotide . seq id no : 8 binds within intron 18 , and corresponds to nucleotides 752 - 773 of seq id no : 5 . seq id no : 10 binds within intron 19 to the sequence complementary to nucleotides 1305 - 1322 of seq id no : 5 . seq id no : 1 binds within intron 18 to nucleotides 902 - 928 of seq id no : 5 . seq id no : 12 , binds within exon 19 to the sequence complementary to nucleotides 977 - 1006 of seq id no : 5 . seq id no : 13 , specific for the gov a allele , overlaps the cd109 intron 18 / exon 19 junction , and binds to the gov a allele at nucleotides 935 - 974 of seq id no : 5 . seq id no : 14 , specific for the gov b allele , overlaps the cd109 intron 18 / exon 19 junction , and binds to the gov b allele at the position corresponding to nucleotides 935 - 971 of seq id no : 5 .	2
we begin with a review of the elements of an asymmetric flow fff channel . the a4f channel , illustrated in fig1 , is comprised of the following elements together with means to hold them together : 1 ) a bottom assembly structure 1 holding a liquid - permeable frit 2 surrounded by a sealing o - ring 3 , 2 ) a permeable membrane 4 that lies on the frit 2 , 3 ) a spacer 5 of thickness from about 75 μm to 800 μm into which has been cut a cavity 6 , and 4 ) a top assembly structure 7 generally holding a transparent plate 8 of material such as lexan ® or glass . the plate need not be transparent for some implementations . the resulting sandwich is held together with bolts 13 or other means . the generally coffin - shaped or tapered cavity 6 in the spacer 5 will serve as the channel in which separation will occur . the top assembly structure 7 usually contains three holes , called ports , that pass through the top plate 8 and are centered above the channel permitting the attachment of fittings thereto . these ports are : 1 ) a mobile phase inlet port 9 located near the beginning of the channel and through which is pumped the carrier liquid , the so - called mobile phase , 2 ) a sample port 10 , downstream of the inlet port , into which an aliquot of the sample to be separated is introduced to the channel and focused thereunder , and 3 ) an exit port 11 through which the fractionated aliquot leaves the channel near the end of the cavity . a single pump , as used in the a4f preferred embodiment , provides the mobile phase at the inlet port 9 . the mobile phase is the source of two distinct flows : i ) flow through the flit - supported membrane producing a cross flow transverse to the injected sample , and ii ) longitudinal flow parallel to the membrane and leaving the channel with the fractionated sample through the exit port 11 . because of the small diameter of the outlet tubing as well as back pressure caused by detectors downstream of the channel , the impedance to the sample - containing channel flow is generally much greater than the impedance produced by the frit - supported membrane and the cross flow therethrough . this cross flow is controlled by a needle valve or similar computer interfaced means housed in a remote control unit . the total flow that passes through the membrane 4 and , therefrom , through the supporting frit 2 , is controlled and regulated by means of a remote valve that controls the outflow through port fitting 12 . similar a4f devices to those manufactured by wyatt technology corporation , and as discussed explicitly in this specification , are manufactured by consenxus gmbh and postnova analytics inc . both of these achieve the same type of separation . thus if the mobile phase inlet flow at 9 is , say , 2 ml per minute and the flow through the outflow controlling needle valve programmed to provide 0 . 5 ml / min through 12 , the total outlet flow through 11 would be 1 . 5 ml / min . thus the single needle valve controller regulates the split of the mobile phase into two components : the total so - called cross flow through the membrane 4 and exiting through 12 and , the remaining outflow through 11 . recall that the outflow through 11 is subject to a large impedance / back pressure arising from its narrow outlet and the detectors downstream . the supporting frit is very porous and produces negligible impedance to flow through it . prior to separation , a sample aliquot is injected at the sample injection port 10 and a reversed flow , created by a partial split off from the normal mobile phase stream , is introduced through the exit port 11 . the two counter flows keep the injected sample aliquot in position under its injection port 10 , focusing it thereby within a small region transverse to the usual longitudinal channel flow . this “ stop - flow ” mode allows the aliquot to equilibrate . once equilibrated , the sample aliquot is released by restoring the channel flow . the thus - focused aliquot will fractionate as it is driven forward by the channel flow while a transverse component acts to drive it downward toward the frit - supported membrane , or the often used term “ accumulation wall .” instead of applying the stop flow technique with focusing to allow the sample aliquots to equilibrate , the conventional procedure for a4f , the earlier developed symmetric cross flow fff , sf1fff , provided for the sample to be injected directly into the mobile phase and retained at the inlet frit for a sufficient time to permit relaxation before release to the symmetric flow separation channel . once the particles have been separated by the a4f unit , they are generally examined by means of different classes of detection instruments responsive thereto . these may include light - scattering photometers , uv absorption meters , differential refractive index detectors , differential viscometers , and combinations thereof . such devices are used to characterize the separated particles / molecules in terms of their molar mass , intrinsic viscometry , size , etc . fig2 shows the 90 ° light scattering signal as a function of time from a bovine serum albumin , bsa , sample fractionated by an a4f device . note that the sample is comprised of 5 peaks , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 in addition to other unresolved elements 19 . the resolved peaks include certain so - called oligomers that are small 2 -, 3 -, 4 -, and 5 - mer aggregates of the monomer , respectively . the major peak at 14 corresponds to the monomer fraction . pharmaceutical products , somewhat similar to this protein example , must be produced in such a manner that the amount of aggregated monomer is negligible . although such oligomers do not contribute generally to the biological &# 39 ; s therapeutic activity , their presence should be minimized . of even greater importance are much larger aggregates that may cause immunogenic responses in the patient . in this manner , the biological becomes dangerous to the patient and must be cleared of such possible contributions . an objective of this invention is to show how this might be achieved . note the width of the eluting peaks of fig2 . for example , note that the monomer peak 14 elutes over the range from about 16 min to 18 . 7 min , i . e . a total width of about 2 . 7 min . if the peak could now be narrowed to , say , a range corresponding to about 1 . 0 min without affecting the separation of this peak relative to adjacent oligomers peaks 15 , 16 , 17 and 18 in the process , the concentration within the reduced 0 . 5 ml band would have been increased approximately by the ratio 2 . 7 / 1 . 0 = 2 . 7 . it is an important objective of the present invention to achieve such increased concentrations when desirable . we shall refer to this process of increasing the peak concentrations by such narrowing as “ reconcentrating .” perhaps of even greater importance would be the separation of the larger aggregate elements beyond the last oligomeric state observed . indeed , the contributions that elute beyond 28 min should be examined in greater detail for their possible inclusion of larger aggregates that may be immunogenic . another objective of this invention is to separate and concentrate such contributions for later collection and analyses . in addition , if such immunogenic contributions are known to be present , the product cannot be sold and is generally destroyed . on the other hand , if these contaminants could be removed , the product might then be considered safe and could be marketed as such . an additional objective of this invention is to be able to restore such contaminated pharmaceutical products to pristine , safe , and marketable states . the channel flow of a conventional a4f unit decreases along the length of the channel . this is quite distinct from the sf1fff system wherein separate pumps provide constant cross and channel flows . thus for the a4f systems , the fractionating power may increase slightly down the length of the channel . however , in order to keep the ratio of channel flow to cross flow per unit area constant , the channel is usually tapered . fig3 illustrates such a channel 6 cut into a spacer 5 of length l , initial width 2w 0 , and final width 2w l . at any position x , the width of the channel is given by w ( x )= 2w 0 ( 1 − bx ), where thus , the channel flow rate at any position along such a tapered channel is f = f 0 − f ∫ 0 x w ( x ) dx , c cr is the total cross flow through the channel - defined membrane , f 0 is the input flow rate , and a is the area of the channel from 0 to l . by tapering the channel , the channel flow f in excess of the component that is locally diverted to cross flow is increased approximately in its rate per unit area in the ratio of w 0 / w ( x ), where the channel width at a distance x is 2w ( x ) since the channel flow to cross flow ratio for the a4f device varies throughout the length of the channel , any attempt to change this ratio at one region of the channel necessarily affects this ratio throughout the channel . indeed , characteristic of a4f operation has been the programming of these flows during the separation and elution of the sample . until the current invention , the possibility of more localized control had been neither possible nor considered . consider now the preferred implementation of the invention shown in fig4 wherein the frit is divided into n separate regions 20 , r 1 , i = 1 , . . . , n . for example , the first three compartments ( and their corresponding frit regions ) shown in fig4 might be replaced by a single larger compartment ( and a correspondingly larger frit region ). the successive compartments and frit regions may be combined as well . below each region 20 is a corresponding partitioned compartment 21 through whose base is an exit port fitting 12 . flow through each such exit port fitting 12 is controlled by a corresponding programmable needle valve means v i i = 1 , . . . , n , that regulates the flow through its supporting frit region . a plurality of programmable regulators , one for each compartment / region , are located in an external control unit . needle valves combined with flow meter regulation are often selected for this purpose . as the cross flow through each region may be individually programmed in time , the inventive system provides a broad range of capabilities . larger particles , once separated from their smaller companions , may be retained at a particular region while the smaller particles progress through the channel . another feature would relate to the invention &# 39 ; s ability to reconcentrate separated species that had become broadened and diluted . it is important recognize that the regions and their associated compartments may be of different sizes and , under some circumstances , might not be transverse to the direction of flow . fig5 shows an example of different compartment and frit configurations . referring again to fig4 wherein the preferred embodiment is illustrated by a channel comprised of 5 equally sized regions , each with its corresponding compartment below , means by which the embodiment may be restored to its conventional form is readily visualized . fig6 and 7 suggest how the base of each compartment could be modified to incorporate a drain hole 22 at its base ; each such drain emptying into a common compartment 24 below . by opening all such drains and closing each needle valve that controls out flow through the individual port fittings 12 , the common single compartment is provided with a single port fitting 12 whose out flow is controlled by a single regulator in the controller unit . the channel would thus be restored for conventional operation . providing mechanical means by which such drains could be opened simultaneously is illustrated schematically by the paddle structure 23 that may be slid out partially , opening thereby all drain holes 22 directing fluid to flow into the common compartment 24 and out through the associated out flow port fitting 12 . this concept may be further expanded to permit compartmental ganging to be applied to selected sets of compartments whose cross flows per unit area may be required to be the same . for those compartments , their regulators would be closed and their drainage valves opened by individual paddle features similar to the multi drain hole paddle structure 23 allowing drainage into the common compartment 24 controlled by its single port fitting 12 shown at the left of the structure in a plane at right angles to the individual compartment out flow fittings . the structure of fig6 is shown in further detail by means of the cross sectional cut through the compartmentalized structure indicated in fig7 a and 7 b . the out flow port fittings 12 of each compartment are shown in fig6 a . note that fig6 a is very similar to the base of the unit of fig4 but with the addition of a single out flow port fitting 12 serving the common compartment 24 . although restoration to conventional operation may be achieved by displacing the paddle element 23 and stopping all individual flows through their port fittings 12 , it would be far easier for most experimental requirements just to replace the compartmentalized structure with a conventional cross flow unit . the main and most important reason that one might want to be able to restore the channel by repositioning the drain hole blocking paddle 23 , illustrated in fig6 b and 6 c would be to examine in greater detail the performance of a specific channel . that channel &# 39 ; s physical structure , such as its dimensions and associated membrane variation , if any , may vary with usage . since flows through specific compartments at varying rates may have affected certain local regions of the membrane , restoration of the device to its conventional operating mode would permit rapid examination of membrane changes that might have occurred while it was so operated . although fig4 illustrates the invention by means of a five compartment configuration , it should be recognized , as discussed earlier , that similar systems may be developed using more or even fewer compartments of similar or different sizes . means to gang different groups of compartments are easily implemented . thus , in a 5 - compartment device , there could be two sets of ganged compartments each with its regulating needle valve . for example , the first three and the fifth compartments might be controlled by a single regulating valve following the closure of their outflow port fittings 12 and the opening of their corresponding drainage holes into a single volume , while the fourth compartment could be controlled by a single valve controlling its outflow . in order to illustrate further the universal application of the compartmentalization concept , reference is made to the hollow fiber fff , h4f , device . fig8 illustrates the structure and key elements of the porous hollow fiber fractionator . a rigid vessel 25 surrounds a porous cylindrical fiber 26 mounted therein between an inlet fitting 27 and exit port fitting 29 . the mobile phase is introduced through fitting 27 and samples are injected into the mobile phase through injection port fitting 28 . as the fiber is porous , its exudate flows into the vessel 25 and then out by means of regulation of such flow through exit port fitting 29 which is connected to the controller unit . the flow through the porous fiber channel 26 is comprised of two parts : transverse flow through the porous fiber and the longitudinal flow . thus the fiber plays the role of the membrane / frit structure of the a4f and sf1fff fractionators . fig9 illustrates how a porous hollow fiber fractionator , h4f , might be modified to permit compartmentalization similar to the a4f implementation . the internal structure of the modified rigid vessel 25 is divided into compartments 21 surrounding a porous fiber 26 threaded therethrough . the fiber may be cooled to shrink slightly before insertion producing a tight fit against the side walls of each compartment upon heating . additionally , the internal pressure caused by the longitudinally flowing fluid therein may be sufficient to seal each compartment . for other types of porous hollow fibers that cannot seal by deformation means , circular o - rings may be inserted into each . other implementations would include a compartmentalized vessel that is hinged into two axial components that are easily opened and provided with suitable seals and o - rings required for adequate sealing of each compartment . fig1 illustrates how the inventive technique might be used to examine the larger aggregates 19 of the sample shown in fig2 . assume that an objective of this separation is to isolate and concentrate these larger aggregates 19 present from the most prominent oligomeric states . assume also , that only 5 compartments are present . at t = t 1 , most of the oligomeric peaks of the fig2 sample have eluted and left the fractionator . the figure at this time shows the concentration of the remaining species as a function of channel position . note that the five compartment positions are indicated by the numbers at the bottom of the graph . when most of the sample has fractionated and left the channel , the cross flow in the last compartment is increased significantly , retaining thereby much of the fraction 19 at the last two compartments . other cross flows are maintained as they were throughout the separation , but the inlet mobile phase flow has been increased to accommodate the additional flows through the last two compartments . by t = t 2 , the remaining sample is beginning to slow down and collect between these latter two compartments and by t = t 3 , the cross flow through the fourth compartment has been stopped with the remaining sample being held at the last region shortly before it is released . in this manner , the unresolved aggregate fraction 19 has been further separated from the well defined and characterized oligomeric constituents . once released , the aggregate fraction may be subjected to further analyses and study . although the membrane used for separations within a compartmentalized fractionator has been assumed of uniform composition , as have the individual frit elements , these constituents may be constructed with materials of different composition . for example , the membrane 4 of the a4f fractionators and , its compartmentalized variants , may be constructed of segmented sections fused or otherwise connected between regions . one segment , for example could be non porous preventing thereby any cross flow affecting the sample passing therethrough . other membrane sections may be composed of sections with differing porosities . the supporting flits , as well , may be of differing compositions expanding or restricting thereby the flow therethrough . consider a frit section composed of a highly porous material permeable to a broad range of molecular / particle sizes that might pass therethrough unimpeded . with a corresponding membrane section that is highly porous , any sample passing thereover at a particular time may be driven almost entirely therethrough by applying a strong cross flow as it reaches that porous section . other cross flows at different compartments may be modified accordingly to establish means by which specific fractions of the separating sample may be collected and removed from therefrom . another interesting application of a simple compartmentalized fractionator would be one designed to collect specifically defined fractions of a sample undergoing separation . consider that only the final compartment be operated independently in this manner with its corresponding membrane section almost completely permeable to any sample fraction that might pass therethrough . for most of the separation , cross flow would be prevented from passing through this section . only when a specific fraction had reached it , would the cross flow be activated briefly and the fraction swept into its companion chamber . since such a fractionator chamber may be of extremely small volume , other easily developed means may be required to extract such collected samples without their appreciable dilution . the foregoing description , for purposes of explanation , used specific implementations to provide a thorough understanding of the invention . however , it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that specific details are not required in order to practice the invention . thus , the foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the invention are presented for purposes of illustration and description . they are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed ; obviously , many modifications and variations are possible based on the above teachings . the particular embodiments described were chosen in order to best explain the principles of the invention and some of its many practical applications in order to enable , thereby , others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . it is intended that the following claims and their equivalents define the scope of the invention .	6
the lower alkyl group as defined for the substituent in the above - mentioned formula ( i ) means a straight or branched - chain alkyl group containing 1 - 4 carbon atoms . methyl , ethyl or propyl is preferred . the lower alkoxy group means a straight or branched alkoxyl group containing 1 - 4 carbon atoms . methoxy , ethoxy or propoxy is preferred . the amide derivatives represented by the above - mentioned formula ( i ) are produced by reacting a reactive derivative of a carboxylic acid represented by the formula ( ii ) ## str2 ## wherein r 3 and n have the same meanings as defined above and r 4 and r 5 which may be the same or different and represent hydroxy - protective groups or lower alkyl groups with an amine derivative represented by the formula ( iii ) ## str3 ## wherein x has the same meaning as defined above , and if required , removing the hydroxy - protective groups . as the above - mentioned reactive derivative of the carboxylic acid ( ii ) is preferably employed a halide , for example , chloride or bromide , or an anhydride of said carboxylic acid . as the hydroxy - protective group is preferably employed an aliphatic or aromatic acyl group such as acetyl , propionyl , benzoyl or toluoyl ; or benzyl group . the above - mentioned reaction is carried out by a method known per se . for example , the reactive derivative of the carboxylic acid ( ii ) is dissolved in an appropriate organic solvent such as , for example , chloroform , the amine derivative ( iii ) is added to the solution , and the mixture is reacted at room temperature for several hours . after completion of the reaction , the desired product ( i ) is isolated from the reaction mixture by a conventional method and purified by such a means as column chromatography . when r 4 and / or r 5 in the above formula ( ii ) is a hydroxy - protective group , the protective group is removed by a conventional method . for example , when the protective group is an acyl group , deacylation is effected by the treatment with a mineral acid such as hydrochloric acid . when the protective group is benzyl group , the removal is effected by a catalytic reduction . the amide derivatives of the invention are useful as a lypoxygenase inhibitor and are administered for the therapy and prevention of diseases such as allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis . the dose is variable depending upon patient &# 39 ; s conditions , but is generally 10 - 2000 mg , and preferably 20 - 600 mg per day for an adult . it may be administered in one to three divided doses in a day as needed depending upon patient &# 39 ; s conditions . route of administration may be in any suitable form , and oral administration is particularly desirable . intravenous administration is also feasible . the compound of the invention may be administered either alone or in admixture , as one of the active ingredients , with pharmaceutical carriers or excipients , by employing conventional procedures , in a variety of forms such as tablets , sugar - coated tablets , powders , capsules , granules , suspension , emulsion and injectable solution . examples of the carriers or excipients are calcium carbonate , calcium phosphate , starch , glucose , lactose , dextrin , alginic acid , mannitol , talc , and magnesium stearate . examples and a test example are given to illustrate the invention in more details , but the invention is not limited thereto in any way . to a suspension of 200 mg ( 0 . 703 mmol ) of 3 -( 3 - methoxy - 4 - benzyloxyphenyl )- 2 - propenic acid in dry chloroform ( 6 ml ) was added 178 . 5 mg ( 1 . 406 mmol ) of oxalyl chloride in the atmosphere of argon at room temperature . the mixture was stirred for one hour , and the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure . to the residue thus obtained was added dry chloroform ( 4 ml ) followed by addition of a solution of 264 mg ( 0 . 703 mmol ) of brmohexine in dry chloroform ( 2 ml ), and the solution was stirred for 3 hours . to the reaction mixture was added saturated aqueous solution of sodium hydrogen carbonate followed by extraction with chloroform . the organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure , and the residue thus obtained was subjected to column chromatography on silica gel . from the benzene - ethyl acetate ( 10 : 1 ) eluate was obtained 275 . 8 mg ( 0 . 429 mmol ) of n - cyclohexyl - n - methyl -( 2 -( 3 -( 3 - methoxy - 4 - benzyloxy - phenyl )- 2 - propenoylamino )- 3 , 5 - dibromobenzyl ) amine . to a solution of 275 mg ( 0 . 428 mmol ) of the amine compound in acetic acid ( 3 ml ) was added concentrated hydrochloric acid ( 1 . 5 ml ), and the mixture was stirred at 100 ° c . for 2 hours and then at room temperature for 14 hours . to the reaction mixture were added ice water and 1n sodium hydroxide to adjust the ph to 8 , followed by extraction with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure , and the residue was subjected to column chromatography on silica gel . from the benzene - ethyl acetate ( 5 : 1 ) eluate was obtained 134 . 5 mg ( 0 . 243 mmol ) of n - cyclohexyl - n - methyl -( 2 -( 3 -( 3 - methoxy - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- 2 - propenoylamino )- 3 , 5 - dibromobenzyl ) amine . spectrophotometric data of the product support structure of the formula ( iv ) shown below . ## str4 ## 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ). tbd . ( ppm ): 0 . 93 - 2 . 40 ( 11h , m ), 2 . 11 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 54 ( 2h , bs ), 3 . 88 ( 3h , s ), 6 . 36 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 5 hz ), 6 . 73 - 7 . 45 ( 5h , m ), 7 , 62 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 5 hz ), 7 . 68 ( 1h , d , j = 2 . 0 hz ). ir ( kbr ) ν max cm - 1 : 3250 , 2930 , 2850 , 1680 , 1620 , 1595 . to a solution of 103 . 5 mg ( 0 . 47 mmol ) of 5 -( 3 - methoxy - 4 - hydroxyphenyl )- 2 , 4 - pentadienoic acid in dry tetrahydrofuran ( 3 ml ) was added 119 . 3 mg ( 0 . 94 mmol ) of oxalyl chloride in the atmosphere of argon at room temperature . the mixture was stirred for 1 . 5 hours , and the reaction mixture was concentrated under reduced pressure . to the residue thus obtained was added dry tetrahydrofuran ( 2 ml ) followed by addition of 135 mg ( 0 . 36 mmol ) of brmohexine in dry tetrahydrofuran ( 2 ml ) at room temperature . the mixture was stirred with heating under reflux for 2 hours and at room temperature for 14 hours . to the reaction mixture was added saturated aqueous solution of sodium carbonate followed by extraction with ethyl acetate . the organic layer was concentrated under reduced pressure , and the residue thus obtained was subjected to column chromatography on silica gel . from the benzene - ethyl acetate ( 10 : 1 ) eluate was obtained 140 . 8 mg ( 0 . 24 mmol ) of n - cyclohexyl - n - methyl -( 2 -( 5 -( 3 - methoxy - 4 - hydroxyphenyl ) 2 , 4 - pentadienoylamino )- 3 , 5 - dibromobenzyl ) amine . spectrophotomethic data of the product support structure of the formula ( v ) shown below . ## str5 ## 1 h - nmr ( cdcl 3 ) δ ( ppm ): 1 . 06 - 2 . 35 ( 11h , m ), 2 . 10 ( 3h , s ), 3 . 51 ( 2h , bs ), 3 , 88 ( 3h , s ), 6 . 00 ( 1h , d , j = 15 . 0 hz ), 6 . 50 - 7 . 75 ( 8h , m ), 7 . 66 ( 1h , d , j = 2 . 0 hz ). ir ( kbr ) ν max cm - 1 : 3210 , 2920 , 2840 , 1650 , 1605 , 1580 . mouse mastocytoma cells , strain p815 were diluted in a medium containing 90 % of the eagle basal medium ( manufactured by gibco laboratories ) to a cencentration of 5 × 10 4 cells / ml . the diluted liquor was subjected to shake culture in air at 37 ° c . for 48 hours . the culture liquor was cooled with ice and centrifuged to collect the cells . the cells were re - suspended in a phosphate buffer solution at ph 7 . 4 to a concentration of 2 × 10 7 cells / ml . the suspension was treated in an ultrasonic cell fragmenting machine and then centrifuged at 10 , 000 ppm for 10 min . the supernatant was used as the 5 - lypoxygenase enzyme solution . to a test tube in which 20 μl of radiolabelled arachidonic acid ( 10 μ curies / ml ), indomethacine ( 2 × 10 8 mol ) and an amide derivative of the invention to be tested were placed 0 . 45 ml of phosphate buffer solution , 0 . 45 ml of the above - prepared enzyme solution and 0 . 1 ml of 8 mm cacl 2 ( calcium chloride ) solution . the mixture was reacted at 37 ° c . for 5 min . after cooled with ice , 60 μl of 1n -- hcl ( hydrochloric acid ) was added , and the resulting mixture was extracted with 8 ml of ethyl acetate . the extract was concentrated , and the concentrate was spotted and developed on a silica gel thin layer plate ( merck 60f 254 ). determination of the inhibitory activity was made by collecting the portion corresponding to 5 - hbte ( 5 -( s )- hydroxy - 6 , 8 , 11 , 14 - eicosatetraenic acid ) and ltb 4 ( leucotriene b 4 ), which were 5 - lypoxygenase products as detected with a radio - thin layer scanner ( dunnschicht - scanner ii lb 2723 manufactured by berthold ), and measuring the radioactivity by means of a scintillation counter . reduction in the 5 - lypoxygenase inhibitory activity is demonstrated by decrease in amount of the 5 - lypoxygenase products . as shown in table 1 below , results of the test indicate high 5 - lypoxygenase inhibitory activities . amide derivatives of the invention not shown in table i also demonstrated 5 - lypoxygenase inhibitory activities . table i__________________________________________________________________________5 - lypoxygenase inhibitory activity 50 % inhibitory concentrationstructural formula example ic . sub . 50 ( mol ) __________________________________________________________________________ ## str6 ## 1 4 × 10 . sup .- 6 ## str7 ## 2 3 × 10 . sup .- 7__________________________________________________________________________ the 50 % inhibitory concentration as shown in table i means concentration of the amide derivative which is required for inhibiting the formation of the abovementioned 5 - lypoxygenase products , 5 - hete and ltb 4 by 50 % of that in the absence of the amide derivative . an acute toxicity test by oral administration was conducted using icr male mice ( 5 weeks old ). the ld 50 value was 300 mg / kg or higher with any of the compounds of the invention thereby confirming higher safety than the effective dose .	0
an embodiment of the image reception system according to this invention will hereinafter be described in detail with reference to fig1 to 8 . fig1 is a circuit block diagram showing an embodiment of the image reception system according to the present invention . in fig1 reference numeral 1 designates a transmitting side or front end which transmits on - screen display information together with a video program , numeral 2 is a tuner which is supplied with the output from the front end 1 , numeral 3 is a video detector including a video intermediate frequency amplifier which amplifies the output from the tuner 2 , numeral 4 is an in band data read - in circuit for reading therein in band data such as , reception block control data , scramble data , or the like , out of the output delivered from the amplifier 3 , and numeral 5 is a microcomputer for use in reception block control to which the output from the in band data read - in circuit 4 is supplied . reference numeral 6 designates a character generator and display controller for generating character signals and controlling the display on the basis of the command data from the microcomputer 5 , and 7 is a blanking or masking circuit for superimposing a masking signal on the video signal from the video detector 3 on the basis of the command data derived from the microcomputer 5 , to thereby blank the video signal . reference numeral 8 designates a mixing circuit for mixing the character information from the character generator and display controller 6 and the output from the masking circuit 7 , and 9 and fsk ( frequency shift keying ) receiver for receiving an out band data such as an emergency broadcast data and so on from the front end 1 . the output from the fsk receiver 9 is also supplied to the microcomputer 5 . reference numeral 10 designates a remote control pad for remote - controlling the microcomputer 5 . as , for example , shown in fig2 this remote control pad 10 is provided with a plurality of operation keys corresponding to various kinds of functions that the image reception system of the invention has . in fig2 reference numeral 10a designates a power on - off key , 10b to 10k comprise ten keys for the user to enter the channel number and to enter a desired block code ( four figures ), and 10l comprises a channel - enter key . after the ten keys 10b to 10k are depressed by the user in accordance with the channel number that the user wants to select , the channel enter key 10l is depressed . then the predetermined portion , for example , an upper right - hand portion on the screen of a display apparatus ( such as a television set , not shown ). reference numeral 10m designates a channel key by which the television channel now being viewed is displayed on the screen . reference numeral 10n designates a code enter key . after the keys corresponding to a reserved block code are depressed and selected from the keys 10b to 10k , the code enter key 10n depressed . in this embodiment , four designated figures are entered as the identification code . reference numeral 10o designates channel keys for making the channel selection go up and down , 10p designates sound volume keys for increasing and / or decreasing the sound volume ; 10q comprises a muting key for changing over the muting state of the sound , 10r comprises a cable switching key for changing over the catv cables , and 10s comprises a block set key . as will be described later , if this block set key 10s is depressed , after the code registration or code verification , the channel now being selected is blocked , or the reception thereof is blocked . reference numeral 10t designates a block clear key , and , if this block clear key 10t is depressed , after the code verification the corresponding channel is released from being blocked . reference numeral 10u designates a key for selecting normal television , and if this key 10u is depressed , the normal television picture can be viewed . reference numeral 10v designates a cada ( cable digital audio ) key and if this cada key 10v is depressed , an audio signal from the cada system can be received . reference numeral 10w designates a key for a television game , and if this key 10w is depressed , it becomes possible to play a television game . when various kinds of these keys are depressed , the various information from the remote control pad 10 are interpreted by the microcomputer 5 and in accordance with the information , the microcomputer 5 controls the respective circuits . in other words , the microcomputer 5 interprets not only the information from the transmitting side 1 but also the information from the remote control pad 10 to thereby carry out the control operation thereof . an output terminal 11 exits from the mixing circuit 8 . when the blanking or masking circuit 7 is controlled by the microcomputer 5 to superimpose the masking signal on the video signal derived from the video detector 3 , or blank the video signal , only the character information from the character generator and display controller 6 is delivered to the output terminal 11 . when a video signal on which a block control data is superposed is transmitted from the transmitting side 1 , this video signal is received by the tuner 2 and then converted to a video signal by the video detector 3 . the block control data in this video signal is read in and detected by the in band data read - in circuit 4 and then fed to the microcomputer 5 . on the basis of the data concerning the block control information supplied thereto , the microcomputer 5 controls the character generator and display controller 6 so as to produce the character information and also controls the masking circuit 7 to blank the video signal applied thereto . as a result , there is supplied to the mixing circuit 8 only the character information from the character generator and display controller 6 . this transmitted character information is displayed in the form as , for example , shown in fig3 on an image display apparatus ( not shown ) such as a crt cathode ray tube . at this time , the sound is automatically muted . during this display period , the user cannot see the television picture . however , as will be described later , if the user &# 39 ; s block code is entered by selecting appropriately from the ten keys and pressing the code enter key 10n , then if the input code and the previously registered code are coincident with each other , it becomes possible for the user to see the television picture . further , when the video signal on which the emergency broadcast data is superposed is transmitted from the transmitting side , such video signal is supplied through the tuner 2 and the video detector 3 to the masking circuit 7 as mentioned above , while the emergency broadcast data is received by the fsk receiver 9 and then fed to the microcomputer 5 as the out band data . similarly as described above , on the basis of the data supplied thereto , the microcomputer 5 controls the character generator and display controller 6 to produce the character information or data and further controls the masking circuit 7 to blank the video signal applied thereto . as a result , only the character data derived from the character generator and display controller 6 is supplied to the mixing circuit 8 so that this character data is displayed as &# 34 ; emergency &# 34 ; on the blanked screen at its predetermined position ., for example , at its central portion in a predetermined cycle , for example , in the cycle of 250 ms in a flushing manner by the image display apparatus ( not shown ). at this time , the sound is muted . in this case , it is possible that the video signal is not blanked but is delivered together with the character information . when a tier level information which allows the reception of the video signal in accordance with the user &# 39 ; s contract condition is superposed upon the video signal , on the basis of the tier level information passed through the tuner 2 and the video detector 3 , there is detected a tier level at each television program by the in band data read - in circuit 4 . on the other hand , a tier level at every home is detected by the fsk receiver 9 and the both detected outputs are supplied to the microcomputer 5 , in which they are compared with each other . at this time , if the program now being received belongs to the tier level , the video signal is delivered to the output terminal 11 . if the television program now being received does not belong to the tier level , the microcomputer 5 controls the masking circuit 7 to blank the video signal applied thereto and also controls the character generator and display controller 6 to produce the character data indicative of the non - tier level . as a result , only the character data from the character generator and display controller 6 is transmitted to the mixing circuit 8 so that this character data is displayed on the masked screen at its predetermined position , for example , the upper right - hand position as the display of channel and &# 34 ; not authorized &# 34 ; is displayed at the central portion of the screen by the image display apparatus ( not shown ). at this time , the sound is muted . when the above three kinds of information are transmitted from the transmitting side 1 , they are displayed dominantly from any other information . operation of the block display and the setting method by the remote control pad 10 will be described with reference to fig4 to 8 . a normal television picture is displayed as shown in fig4 and then a desired block code ( four figures ) that the user wants to register is entered by using the ten keys . for example , if the code is 1234 , the ten keys 10b , 10c , 10d , and 10e are depressed in sequence . in this case , in order to remove the disadvantage upon displaying the channel , the display is made on the upper right hand position of a screen 12a in the two figures . accordingly , the display is changed in the order of 01 → 12 → 23 → 34 . next , when the code enter key 10n is depressed within a predetermined time , for example , within about three seconds later , the display on the screen is changed as shown in a screen 12b . at this time , while the sound is not muted , the picture except the characters is masked . then , after a predetermined time , for example , about four seconds , the picture screen is returned to the ordinary picture screen . accordingly , in this case , the code is not registered . on the other hand , when the code enter key 10n is depressed within a predetermined time , for example , within about four seconds , the code is registered and the display is made as shown by a screen 12c . at this time , while the sound is not muted , the picture other than the characters , is masked . then , after a predetermined time , for example , about four second later , the picture screen is returned to the normal picture screen . in this case , if the code registration is carried out previously , the following code verification operation becomes necessary . at first , the normal picture is displayed as shown in fig5 and the user &# 39 ; s block code is entered by using the ten keys . then , the code is displayed on the upper right hand position of a screen 12d . next , when the code enter key 10n is depressed , it is judged whether the input code coincides with the registered code or not . if they are coincident , the character information &# 34 ; code ok &# 34 ; is displayed as shown by a screen 12e . under this state , also the picture other than the characters is displayed . if not , the program is returned to the step of normal picture . then , after a predetermined time , for example , after about four seconds , the characters are erased . in this case , the verification of the normal channel is used when the block channel registration and the code correction are carried out as will be described later . further , if a channel which is previously blocked is selected by using the ten keys 10b to 10k and the channel enter key 10l or the channel key 10o , such a screen 12f as shown in fig6 is displayed . under this state , the pictures except the characters are masked and the sound is muted too . next , if the user &# 39 ; s code is entered by selecting from the ten keys , the code number is entered and the display is changed as shown by a screen 12g . next , if the code enter key 10n is depressed , it is judged whether the input code is coincident with the registered code or not . if they are coincident with each other , the character data &# 34 ; code ok &# 34 ; is displayed as shown by a screen 12h . then , the masking of the picture screen and the muting of the sound are both released and after a predetermined time , for example , about four seconds later , the characters are erased . if not , the program is returned to the step at which the screen 12f is to be displayed . at first , the channel that the user wants to block is selected and then the code verification is carried out in accordance with the procedure of the above - described ( b ). next , when the block set key 10s is depressed , such a screen 12i as shown in fig7 is displayed . at this time , although the sound is not muted , the pictures , except the characters are masked . in this case , the channel , which is displayed on the upper right hand side of the screen , is blocked . then , after a predetermined time , for example , after about four seconds , the displayed picture screen is returned to the normal picture screen . accordingly , even when the channel is changed over next time or the power source is switched on , the registered channel has been still blocked . at first , the blocked channel is selected and the code verification is carried out in accordance with the procedure described in the above ( b ). next , when the block clear key 10t is depressed , such a picture screen 12j as shown in fig8 is displayed . at this time , although the sound is not muted , the picture except the characters is masked . then , after a predetermined time , for example , after about four seconds , the picture screen is returned to the normal picture screen and the registered block channel is canceled . at first , the code verification is carried out in accordance with the procedure ( b ) and then a new code is registered in accordance with the procedure ( a ). as described above , the block display and the setting thereof can be carried out by the remote control pad 10 . when the reception block data as shown in fig3 is transmitted from the transmitting side , if the user wishes to release this reception block control , it is sufficient for the user to carry out the operation in accordance with the procedure ( b ). thus the picture screen blocked by the transmitting side can be seen . as set forth above , according to this invention , since the on - screen display information from the transmitting side is received and then interpreted , the content of such information is displayed as characters on the screen of the crt and the on - screen display can be also controlled by the operation of the remote control pad at the receiving side , the reason the reception of the channel is blocked will be known instantaneously by just viewing the screen so that the user can enter a next operation step easily . further , control of the reception block set by the user and control of the reception block control set by the transmitting side can be easily accomplished by the remote control pad while observing the on - screen display information . further , the character pattern prepared by the receiving side can be displayed on the screen by an instruction from the transmitting side , and all the channels that can be received can be subjected to the reception block state . furthermore , in other cases than the reception block control , such as an emergency broadcast , it is also possible to use the on - screen display command by the transmitting side . in addition , since the processing is carried out fully in the electronic fashion , no matter what command the transmitting side transmits , the user can cope with such command by one remote control pad . the above description sets forth a single preferred embodiment of the invention but it will be apparent that many modifications and variations could be effected by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of scope of the novel concepts of the invention . accordingly , the scope of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the appended claims .	7
the method according to the invention for the determination of platelet function comprises several methodological steps . for the simulation of the physiological flow conditions prevailing in small arteries the blood that is initially located in a reservoir is passed though a capillary that preferably has a diameter of about 200 μm . the capillary leads into a measurement chamber that is separated into two compartments by a partition member . the partition member has an opening through which the blood is passed from the first into the second compartment . the method of the invention is characterized in that the partition member used comprises an activator of purinergic receptors and an activator of intracellular adenylate cyclases whereby the blood flowing through the opening of the partition member is brought into contact with these substances contained in or on the partition member . as a result of the platelet aggregation that is induced by the contact with the substances a thrombus forms at the opening of the partition member . the time that is necessary for the formation of the thrombus at the opening of the partition member up to closure of the opening is measured . preferably the closure time is measured in that an apparatus is used that comprises a pressure sensor which determines the blood flow through the aperture during the test . thus , after initial rapid aspiration of the dead volume of the test cartridge the initial flow rate is first determined . if the flow rate falls below 10 % of this initial flow rate for more than 3 seconds the measurement is ended and the time passed until then is recorded as the so - called closure time . this so - called closure time , which is i . a . dependent on the aggregation reaction of the stimulated platelets , is a measure of platelet function . preferably the closure time that was measured for a whole blood sample of a patient is compared with a closure time reference range for whole blood samples of healthy subjects . preferably the blood flow through the capillary and through the opening of the partition member is produced by creating a partial vacuum in the measurement chamber , that is by suction . in a particularly preferred embodiment the partial vacuum is produced by the combined action of a suitable test cartridge and an apparatus . an example of such a system is described , for example , in patent specification wo 97 / 034698 . the partition member used in the method according to the invention comprises an activator of purinergic receptors , preferably from the group adenosine - 5 ′- diphosphate ( adp ), 2 - methylthioadenosine - 5 ′- diphosphate ( 2 - mesadp ) and their derivatives . in a preferred embodiment a partition member is used that comprises an adp salt or a 2 - mesadp salt . in a preferred embodiment a partition member is used that comprises 1 to 100 μg , especially preferred 5 to 50 μg , particularly preferred 20 to 25 μg adp . the partition member used comprises further an activator of intracellular adenylate cyclases , preferably from the group prostaglandin e1 ( pge 1 ), forskolin and its water - soluble derivatives , prostaglandin 12 and its stable derivatives , iloprost and cicaprost . in a preferred embodiment a partition member is used that comprises 1 to 1000 ng , especially preferably 3 to 20 ng prostaglandin e1 . in another preferred embodiment a partition member is used that comprises 0 . 1 to 10 μg , especially preferred 0 . 5 to 5 μg forskolin . in an especially preferred embodiment of the method a partition member is used that comprises adp and prostaglandin e1 . in a further preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention a partition member is used that also comprises calcium ions , preferably in the form of calcium chloride dihydrate . in a preferred embodiment a partition member is used that comprises 50 to 200 μg , especially preferred 100 to 150 μg , most especially preferred 125 μg calcium ions in the form of calcium chloride dihydrate . it was found that in the presence of calcium ions the platelet aggregation inhibitory effect of acetylsalicylic acid ( asa ) is reduced so considerably that an accurate determination of the platelet aggregation inhibitory ( antithrombotic ) effect of other platelet aggregation inhibitors such as , for example , p2y ( 12 ) antagonists such as clopidogrel is also possible in such samples that comprise asa . a partition member that comprises calcium ions is thus especially then to be used in the method according to the invention when the whole blood sample to be investigated is anticoagulated with a calcium - binding anticoagulant . if the whole blood sample to be investigated is anticoagulated with a non - calcium - binding anticoagulant such as , for example , with a direct thrombin or factor xa inhibitor , the calcium ion concentration contained endogenously in the sample is sufficient to reduce an asa - induced platelet dysfunction . nevertheless , a partition member that comprises calcium ions can also be used in these cases . the method according to the invention is used most preferably for the determination of the antithrombotic ( platelet aggregation inhibitory ) effect of a p2y ( 12 ) antagonist , especially for the determination of a p2y ( 12 ) antagonist from the group clopidogrel , ticlopidine , prasugrel ( synonym : cs - 747 ) and other thienopyridines , ar - c67085mx ( 2 - propylthio - d - β , γ - dichloromethylene - adenosine - 5 ′- triphosphate ), cangrelor ( synonym : ar - c69931 mx , n6 -[ 2 - methylthio ) ethyl ]- 2 -( 3 , 3 , 3 - trifluoropropyl ) thio - 5 ′- adenylic acid ), c1330 - 7 ( n1 -( 6 - ethoxy - 1 , 3 - benzothiazol - 2 - yl - 2 -( 7 - ethoxy - 4 - hydroxy - 2 , 2 - dioxo - 2h - 2 - 6benzo [ 4 , 5 ][ 1 , 3 ] thiazole [ 2 , 3 - c ][ 1 , 2 . 4 ] thiadiazin - 3 - yl )- 2 - oxo - 1 - ethanesulfonamide ), azd 6140 ( nucleoside analogs ), mrs 2395 ( 2 , 2 - dimethyl - propionic acid 3 -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylaminopurin - 9 - yl )- 2 -( 2 , 2 - dimethyl - propionyloxymethyl )- propyl ester ) and 2 - mesamp ( 2 - methylthioadenosine - 5 ′- monophospate ). surprisingly , it was also found that the method according to the invention can also be used for the determination of the antithrombotic ( platelet aggregation inhibitory ) effect of a p2y ( 1 ) antagonist . in particular , the method can be used for the determination of the antithrombotic effect of p2y ( 1 ) antagonists from the group mrs 2179 [ 2 ′- deoxy - n - 6 - methyladenosine - 3 ′, 5 ′- bisphosphate , diammonium salt ], mrs 2279 [( n )- methanocarba - n - 6 - methyl - 2 - chloro - 2 ′ deoxyadenosine - 3 ′, 5 ′- diphosphate ], mrs 2500 [ 2 - iodo - n - 6 - methyl -( n )- methanocarba - 2 ′- deoxyadenosine - 3 ‘ 5 ’- diphosphate ], a2p5p [ adenosine - 2 ′, 5 ′- diphosphate ], a3p5p [ adenosine - 3 ′, 5 ′- diphosphate ], a3p5ps [ adenosine - 3 ′- phosphate - 5 ′- phosphosulfate ]. a further object of the present invention concerns a device , as for example a test cartridge , which is suitable for the determination of platelet function in a whole blood sample wherein the device comprises different elements : a ) a reservoir for storing the sample ; b ) a capillary through which the blood is passed from the reservoir into a measurement chamber ; c ) a measurement chamber that is separated into two compartments by a partition member , wherein the first compartment receives the blood from the capillary ; d ) a partition member which divides the measurement chamber into two compartments and which has an opening through which the blood can flow from the first compartment into the second compartment . the device is characterized in that the partition member comprises an activator of purinergic receptors and an activator of intracellular adenylate cyclases . in one preferred embodiment the partition member also comprises calcium ions , preferably in the form of calcium chloride dihydrate . the partition member is a porous or nonporous support matrix for an activator of purinergic receptors and an activator of intracellular adenylate cyclases and optionally for calcium ions . preferably the partition member is constructed in the form of a membrane . the preferred material is liquid absorbing so that the aforementioned substances can be applied in solution . especially preferred materials are cellulose esters , ceramic , nylon , polypropylene , polyether sulfone , and polyvinylidene fluoride ( pvdf ). preferably the partition member wetted or soaked with the desired substances is dried . by contact of the blood with the partition member the substances are dissolved from the partition member and mix with the blood sample . the partition member preferably has a circular opening that is produced in the support matrix by punching . the diameter of the opening in the partition member is so dimensioned that a thrombus can form under the conditions of the respective method which closes the opening and can thus stop the blood flow . preferably the opening in the partition member has a diameter between approximately 100 μm and approximately 200 μm . particularly preferably the diameter of the opening in the partition member is about 100 μm . the device according to the invention is preferably so constructed that a partial vacuum that brings about a blood flow from the reservoir through the capillary into the measurement chamber and through the opening of the partition member is produced in the device with the help of an apparatus that is integrated with components of the device . the present invention further relates to the use of a device according to the invention in a method for the determination of platelet function . a preferred use of a device according to the invention relates to the use for the determination of the antithrombotic effect of a p2y ( 12 ) antagonist . another preferred use of a device according to the invention relates to the use for the determination of the antithrombotic effect of a p2y ( 1 ) antagonist . the following embodiment examples serve to illustrate the method according to the invention and are not to be understood as limiting . fig1 shows by way of example how a device for the determination of platelet function according to the invention can be constructed . shown is a test cartridge in accordance with wo 97 / 34698 in longitudinal section that is placed in a suitable apparatus for implementing the method according to the invention and into which extends a vacuum apparatus ( 15 ) that is responsible for the generation of the partial vacuum the vacuum apparatus ( 15 ) has a ring gasket ( 27 ) which is located as a seal on the circumferential edge ( 12 ) of the sample container ( 10 ). the test cartridge has a housing that forms a reservoir ( 61 ) and a test chamber ( 63 ). the test chamber ( 63 ) is constructed to accept a sample container ( 10 ) the cavity of which can also be referred to as measurement chamber . the sample container ( 10 ) supports a partition member ( 6 ) treated with reagents and with a central opening ( aperture ) and a capillary attachment ( 30 , 31 ) that connects the capillary ( 40 ) with the sample container ( 10 ). reservoir ( 61 ) and test chamber ( 63 ) are separated by a penetrable element ( 70 ). the figure shows a phase of the test cycle after the vacuum apparatus ( 15 ) is in contact with sample container ( 10 ) and has moved downwards so that the base of the sample container ( 10 ) is in contact with the support ( 71 ) and the capillary ( 40 ) has penetrated the penetrable element ( 70 ) and penetrated into the sample ( 11 ). the apparatus produces a partial vacuum in the sample container ( 10 ) by means of which the sample ( 11 ) is pulled through the capillary ( 40 ) into the first compartment ( 18 ) of the measurement chamber and then through the opening in the partition member ( 6 ). diagram for the illustration of closure times ( in seconds [ s ]) for normal untreated whole blood samples ( control ) and for whole blood samples that had been treated with the p2y ( 12 ) antagonist mrs 2395 and / or the cox - 1 inhibitor acetylsalicylic acid ( asa ) in vitro ( see example 2 ). whole blood samples from 11 healthy donors anticoagulated with sodium citrate were used . on the left of the diagram are shown the mean values and the standard deviations of the closure times determined with the adp / pge1 / calcium test cartridge according to the invention ( cut - off : 81 seconds ). on the right of the diagram are shown the mean values and the standard deviations of the closure times that were determined for comparison with conventional col / epi test cartridges ( cut - off : 158 seconds ). a comparison of the two types of test cartridge shows that with use of an adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention , closure times that lie significantly above the upper reference value ( cut - off ) were measured with samples that were treated with the p2y ( 12 ) antagonist mrs 2395 , whereas the same samples with the use of a col / epi test cartridge lie to a greater extent below the upper reference value ( cut - off ). that means that the method for determination of platelet function according to the invention allows a more sensitive determination of platelet dysfunction induced by a p2y ( 12 ) antagonist than the comparison method from the prior art . diagram for illustration of the closure times ( in seconds [ s ]) for normal untreated whole blood samples ( control ) and for whole blood samples treated in vitro with the p2y ( 12 ) antagonist mrs 2395 , the p2y ( 1 ) antagonist mrs 2179 or the cox - 1 inhibitor acetylsalicylic acid ( asa ) ( see example 4 ). whole blood samples from 10 healthy donors anticoagulated with ppack were used . in the diagram are shown the mean values and the standard deviations of the closure times that were determined with the adp / pge1 test cartridges according to the invention ( cut - off : 90 seconds ). the performance evaluation shows that with use of an adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention , closure times that lie significantly above the reference value ( cut - off ) were measured with samples that were treated with the p2y ( 12 ) antagonist mrs 2395 or the p2y ( 1 ) antagonist mrs 2179 , whereas the samples treated with cox - 1 inhibitor acetylsalicylic acid show no prolongation of closure times and thus lie below the cut - off . for the preparation of a partition member for a test cartridge according to the invention a polyether sulfone filter membrane ( supor ®) membrane , pall gmbh , dreieich , germany ) was cut into strips . 1 μl of a solution comprising 7 μg / μl adp ( adenosine - 5 ′- diphosphate potassium salt . 2h 2 o , sigma - aldrich chemie gmbh , steinheim , germany ) and 5 ng / μl pge1 ( prostaglandin e1 , sigma - aldrich chemie gmbh , steinheim , germany ) and 367 . 5 μg / μl cacl 2 . 2h 2 o ( equivalent to 100 μg / μl ca 2 + ions ) were pipetted punctiform onto the membrane and the membrane was dried . next a circular opening ( aperture ) with a diameter of 100 μm was punched out of the middle of the region of the membrane treated with the reagents . the membrane thus prepared was used as partition member in the measurement chamber of a pfa - 100 ® test cartridge ( dade behring marburg gmbh , marburg , germany ). use of an adp / pge1 / calcium test cartridge according to the invention for the determination of the antithrombotic effect of a p2y ( 12 ) antagonist in vitro venous blood was taken from 11 healthy donors and anticoagulated with sodium citrate ( 3 . 2 % buffered na citrate ). aliquots of the citrated whole blood sample were treated in vitro with the p2y ( 12 ) antagonist mrs 2395 ( sigma - aldrich chemie gmbh , steinheim , germany ). for this purpose an ethanolic mrs 2395 stock solution ( 15 mg / ml ) was mixed with the whole blood samples so that an end concentration of 100 μmol / l was obtained . further aliquots of the citrated whole blood samples were treated in vitro with the cox - 1 inhibitor acetylsalicylic acid ( abbr . : asa ; sigma - aldrich chemie gmbh , steinheim , germany ). for this purpose an aqueous asa stock solution ( 1 mg / ml ) was mixed with whole blood samples so that an end concentration of 30 μmol / l was obtained . further aliquots of the citrated whole blood samples were treated in vitro with mrs 2395 and with asa so that the previously stated end concentrations were achieved . after addition of the reagents the blood samples were incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes . 2b ) determination of the antithrombotic effect of mrs 2395 by adp induced light transmission aggregometry ( according to born ) in order to check whether the samples treated with mrs 2395 actually show a reduced platelet aggregation , platelet rich ( prp ) and platelet poor ( ppp ) plasma was prepared from aliquots of the untreated and mrs 2395 - treated whole blood samples described under example 2a ), and the samples were then treated with 2 μm adp . the ppp samples were used as blank controls . the photometric measurement of the aggregation reaction was carried out in the automated coagulation apparatus bct ® ( dade behring marburg gmbh , marburg , germany ) under continuous stirring ( 600 rpm ). the platelet aggregation of the samples treated with mrs 2395 was reduced by a mean of 27 % compared with the platelet aggregation of the untreated samples . 2c ) determination of the antithrombotic effect of mrs 2395 by the method according to the invention under flow conditions to determine the closure time as a measure of platelet function the whole blood samples described under example 2a ) were investigated with the aid of the adp / pge1 / calcium test cartridge according to the invention described in example 1 in a pfa - 100 ® apparatus ( platelet function analyzer - 100 , dade behring marburg gmbh , marburg , germany ). for this purpose 700 μl of a blood sample were placed in the reservoir of the temperature equilibrated test cartridge (+ 37 ° c .) and incubated at + 37 ° c . for 3 minutes . next a partial vacuum of − 40 mbar was generated by the apparatus by which means the blood was sucked through a capillary from the reservoir ( diameter 200 μm ) and finally through an opening ( aperture ) of the partition member in the measurement chamber . the time required up to the closure of the aperture by formation of a blood clot was determined as closure time . every sample investigated was determined in duplicate and the mean value of a duplicate determination was used as the measurement value . for comparison purposes the whole blood samples described under example 2a ) were investigated in parallel with a known col / epi pfa - 100 ® test cartridge ( 2 μg collagen and 10 μg epinephrine on the membrane ; 150 μm aperture diameter ; dade behring marburg gmbh , marburg , germany ) in the pfa - 100 ® apparatus . the results of the investigations are summarized in fig2 and the relevant figure description . in table 1 details are reported for how many of the respective 11 mrs 2395 - and / or acetylsalicylic acid - treated samples a closure time above the cut - off was measured with the aid of the adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention and with the conventional col / epi test cartridge . in 9 of the 11 samples treated with mrs 2395 an abnormally reduced platelet aggregation was measured with the aid of the method according to the invention , whereas only 4 of 11 samples were classified as abnormal with the aid of the conventional method . that means that the method according to the invention has an increased sensitivity for a platelet dysfunction induced by a p2y ( 12 ) antagonist . moreover , it is of advantage that in the presence of free calcium ions the method according to the invention has a very low sensitivity for acetylsalicylic acid . in only one of 11 acetylsalicylic acid - treated samples , an abnormally reduced platelet aggregation is measured with the aid of the method according to the invention , whereas , in contrast , with the conventional col / epi test cartridge 8 of the 11 samples treated with acetylsalicylic acid were determined as abnormal . samples that are treated with mrs 2395 and acetylsalicylic acid are classified 100 % as abnormal with the aid of the conventional method , whereas only 9 of the 11 samples ( as with sole addition of mrs 2395 ) are classified as abnormal with the method according to the invention . thus on the basis of its high sensitivity for platelet dysfunction induced by p2y ( 12 ) antagonists and its low sensitivity to platelet dysfunction induced by acetylsalicylic acid , the method according to the invention is suitable for differentiation of the two classes of antithrombotics . venous blood was taken from healthy donors and anticoagulated with sodium citrate ( 3 . 2 % buffered na citrate ). the closure time determination was carried out for each whole blood sample in the pfa - 100 ® apparatus . samples from 186 donors were determined in duplicate with a col / epi pfa - 100 ® test cartridge [ see example 2c )]. samples from 159 donors were determined in duplicate with an adp / pge1 / calcium test cartridge according to the invention [ see examples 1 and 2c )]. the reference ranges ( normal range ) for the col / epi closure time and the adp / pge1 closure time were established in that the measurement value ranges in which 90 % of the measurement values found for the healthy subjects lay were determined ( 90 % central interval of the normal distribution of all measurements ). this gave the following reference ranges for the closure times : the upper reference limit of the reference range was defined as cut - off , i . e . as threshold value , for a platelet dysfunction . if the closure time of a patient sample deviates from the reference range it can indicate a platelet dysfunction . this means col / epi closure times that are greater than 158 seconds and adp / pge1 closure times that are greater than 81 seconds indicate the presence of a platelet dysfunction within the sense of a reduced aggregation efficiency . use of an adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention for the determination of the antithrombotic effect of the p2y ( 12 ) antagonist clopidogrel ex vivo venous blood was taken from 13 patients suffering from peripheral arterial obstructive disease and who had been treated with a daily dose of 75 mg clopidogrel ( plavix ®, sanofi - aventis ) as sole antithrombotic for a period of at least 4 weeks and the blood was anticoagulated with sodium citrate ( 3 . 8 % buffered na citrate ). the samples were investigated with the aid of different methods to determine platelet function . 1 . according to the invention under flow conditions and use of an adp / pge1 / calcium pfa - 100 ® test cartridge ( see examples 1 and 2c ), cut - off : & gt ; 81 seconds ; 2 . under flow conditions and use of a pfa - 100 ® test cartridge that differed from the test cartridge according to the invention in accordance with example 1 in that it comprised no pge1 , cut - off : & gt ; 78 seconds ; 3 . with adp - induced light transmission aggregometry ( according to born ) with addition of 2 μm adp ( see example 2b ), cut - off : & lt ; 40 % light transmission at end of test ; 4 . with adp - induced light transmission aggregometry ( according to born ) with the addition of 5 μm adp ( see example 2b ), cut - off : & lt ; 40 % light transmission at end of test . this method is recommended by sanofi - aventis , the manufacturer of the clopidogrel preparation plavix ®, for the determination of the antithrombotic effect of the medicament . the cut - offs for the individual test procedures were determined by preliminary investigations with whole blood and plasma samples of normal donors . table 2 presents in detail with which of the four methods in which of the 13 patient samples an antithrombotic effect of clopidogrel could be detected . “+” means an antithrombotic effect could be detected . “−” means no antithrombotic effect could be detected . “ 0 ” means that the duplicate determination gave contradictory results , i . e . one value above and one value below the cut - off . with the aid of the method of the invention the antithrombotic effect of clopidogrel intake could be detected in 10 of the 13 patients ( 77 %). the duplicate determination gave contradictory results with one patient ( patient no . 2 ), whilst with 2 patients ( patient no . 1 and 6 ) no reduced platelet aggregation could be detected . however , in these two patients an effect of dosage of clopidogrel could not be detected in any of the methods used . the method according to the invention is more sensitive towards the platelet dysfunction induced by clopidogrel than the standard method of adp - induced light transmission aggregometry according to born and more sensitive than the method with which a test cartridge is used that comprises adp but no pge1 . use of an adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention for the determination of the antithrombotic effect of a p2y ( 12 ) and a p2y ( 1 ) antagonist in vitro venous blood was taken from 10 healthy donors and anticoagulated with 75 μm ppack . aliquots of the whole blood samples were treated in vitro with the p2y ( 12 ) antagonist mrs 2395 ( sigma - aldrich chemie gmbh , steinheim , germany ). for this purpose an ethanolic mrs 2395 stock solution ( 15 mg / ml ) was mixed with the whole blood samples so that an end concentration of 150 μmol / l was obtained . further aliquots of the whole blood samples were treated in vitro with the cox - 1 inhibitor acetylsalicylic acid ( abbr . asa ; sigma - aldrich chemie gmbh , steinheim , germany ). for this purpose an aqueous asa stock solution ( 1 mg / ml ) was mixed with the whole blood samples so that an end concentration of 30 μmol / l was obtained . further aliquots of the whole blood samples were treated in vitro with the p2y ( 1 ) antagonist mrs 2179 ( sigma - aldrich chemie gmbh , steinheim , germany ). for this purpose an aqueous mrs 2179 stock solution ( 1 mg / ml ) was mixed with the whole blood samples so that an end concentration of 75 mol / l was obtained . after addition of the reagents the blood samples were incubated at room temperature for 5 minutes . 4b ) determination of the antithrombotic effect of mrs 2395 and mrs 2179 with the aid of the method according to the invention under flow conditions for the determination of the closure time as a measure of the platelet function the whole blood samples described under example 4a ) were investigated with the aid of a adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention in a pfa - 100 ® apparatus ( platelet function analyzer - 100 , dade behring marburg gmbh , marburg , germany ). the adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention used was prepared essentially as described in example 1 but without the partition member having been treated with cacl 2 . 2h 2 o . the test cartridge thus comprised 7 μg adp and 5 ng pge1 but no calcium ions . 700 μl of a blood sample was added to the reservoir of the temperature equilibrated test cartridge (+ 37 ° c .) and incubated at + 37 ° c . in the apparatus for 3 minutes . next a partial vacuum of − 40 mbar was applied by the apparatus when the blood was sucked through a capillary ( diameter 200 μm ) from the reservoir and finally through an opening ( aperture ) of the partition member in the measurement chamber . the time that was required up to the closure of the aperture by formation of a blood clot was determined as closure time . every sample investigated was determined in duplicate and the mean value of a duplicate determination was used as the measurement value . the results of the investigations are summarized in fig3 and the relevant figure description . in table 3 details are given for how many of the respective 10 mrs 2395 -, mrs 2179 - or acetylsalicylic acid - treated samples a closure time above the cut - off was measured with the aid of the adp / pge1 test cartridge according to the invention . in 9 of the 10 samples treated with mrs 2395 and in 10 of the 10 samples treated with mrs 2179 an abnormally reduced platelet aggregation was measured with the aid of the method of the invention , whereas none of the samples treated with acetylsalicylic acid was classified as abnormal . this means that the method according to the invention has a high sensitivity for a platelet dysfunction induced both by a p2y ( 12 ) antagonist and by a p2y ( 1 ) antagonist . moreover , it is of advantage that the method according to the invention has a very low sensitivity for acetylsalicylic acid in the presence of free calcium ions . thus on the basis of its high sensitivity for platelet dysfunction induced by adp receptor antagonists and its low sensitivity towards platelet dysfunction induced by acetylsalicylic acid the method according to the invention is suitable for differentiation of the two classes of antithrombotics . owing to the use of ppack as anticoagulant the cut - off determined with citrated whole blood in the above - described examples cannot be used . therefore , the reference range for the adp / pge1 closure time from the 10 samples of the healthy donors treated with ppack was calculated by the determination of the 90 % central interval of the normal distribution of the mean values of the duplicate determinations . this gave the following reference ranges for the closure times : the upper limit of the 90 % central interval was defined as cut - off , i . e . as threshold value for a platelet dysfunction .	6
modern ics comprise a multiplicity of components or modules of different complexity and different construction . in this case , in order to obtain higher system integration , analog and digital modules are also realized on one and the same ic . by way of example , an ic may comprise one or more a / d converters , d / a converters , logic units , memory areas and also a microprocessor or a microcontroller as different modules . in the field of mobile radio applications , analog radiofrequency components ( e . g . mixing stages ) are realized together with digital baseband assemblies ( e . g . digital filters ) on an ic . a further example of ic - integrated modules is task - specific hardware data paths which execute specific predetermined computation tasks in sequential logic . a module in the sense of the invention is thus an essentially autonomous functional unit or assembly in an ic which cooperates with other components or further switchable modules of the ic , the module generally participating in specific shared resources such as , for example , the power supply or clock generation of the ic . fig1 shows , in a simplified illustration , the construction of such an ic 1 in the form of a block diagram . the ic 1 comprises a central processing unit ( cpu ) 2 and a plurality of further modules 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 and 2 . 3 . the modules 2 . 1 to 2 . 3 perform different , task - specific functions of the ic 1 and may be realized for example in the form of the abovementioned functional units . the ic 1 furthermore comprises a clock generating circuit 3 , which is constructed from a clock generator 3 . 1 and a clock divider 3 . 2 in the example illustrated here . the clock generator 3 . 1 is operated by an external oscillating crystal 7 . it generates a fixed clock frequency which is fed to the clock divider 3 . 2 via a line 8 . a control circuit 4 is connected both to the clock divider 3 . 2 and to the central processing unit 2 via bi - directional data connections 5 and 6 . the clock divider 3 . 2 generates the clock signals for the central processing unit 2 and the diverse modules 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 and 2 . 3 . the clock lines via which the clock signals are passed to the units and modules mentioned are designated by the reference symbol 9 ( for the cpu 2 ), 9 . 1 ( for the module 2 . 1 ), 9 . 2 ( for the module 2 . 2 ) and 9 . 3 ( for the module 2 . 3 ) in fig1 . by way of example , the module 2 . 2 is intended to be switched to an operating state with a low power consumption on account of low capacity utilization . the possibility of effecting lower clocking of the module 2 . 2 is recognized in the central processing unit 2 and corresponding information is sent to the control circuit 4 via the data connection 6 . the operating states and clock frequencies of the central processing unit 2 and of all the modules 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 and 2 . 3 may be known to the control circuit 4 , which may simultaneously be a state monitoring device , or are communicated to said control circuit via the data connections 6 and 5 , respectively . with such system information optionally being taken into account , the control circuit 4 instructs the programmable frequency divider 3 . 2 to reduce the clock frequency for the module 2 . 2 to a desired target value . this target value may either be determined in variable fashion by the central processing unit 2 or be fixedly predetermined . a special case exists when the module 2 . 2 is intended to be disconnected . in this case , the target value is 0 hz . however , the frequency divider 3 . 2 does not perform an abrupt change of the clock frequency for the module 2 . 2 to the target value , but rather carries out a slow transition in the frequency from its original value to the target value . this may be effected either in a plurality of discrete steps or in continuous fashion . on account of the fact that a specific , predetermined time duration for the transition is not undershot , the occurrence of transients can be avoided or limited as desired . the transition time duration may either be a system - wide fixed time duration for all the modules 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 and 2 . 3 or the time duration may be determined individually for each module 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 , 2 . 3 . furthermore , the time duration can be set by the control circuit 4 taking account of the type of state change ( e . g . switching - on or disconnection ) and / or the load change associated with the changeover and , if appropriate , taking account of further system parameters which are dependent on the state of other modules 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 , 2 . 3 . fig2 diagrammatically shows a second exemplary embodiment of the invention . the same or functionally comparable parts are identified by the same reference symbols as in fig1 . the essential difference between the first exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig1 and the second exemplary embodiment illustrated in fig2 is that , in the second exemplary embodiment the transition of a module 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 or 2 . 3 from a first operating state to a second operating state is effected by a change in the supply voltage of the corresponding module . in this respect , the reference symbol 3 . 1 ′ designates a circuit for generating a supply voltage and the reference symbol 3 . 2 ′ designates a circuit for controlling and altering the supply voltage obtained from the circuit 3 . 1 ′ via the line 8 . the reference symbol 10 designates an external power source , for example a battery , and the reference symbol 3 . 2 ″ designates a circuit for generating the supply voltages for the central processing unit 2 and the modules 2 . 1 , 2 . 2 and 2 . 3 . the supply voltage lines via which the supply voltages are passed to the modules mentioned are designated by the reference symbols 9 ′ ( for the cpu 2 ), 9 . 1 ′ ( for the module 2 . 1 ), 9 . 2 ′ ( for the module 2 . 2 ) and 9 . 3 ′ ( for the module 2 . 3 ) in fig2 . the functioning of the components of the ic 1 ′ is analogous to the functioning of the components of the ic 1 . the analogy consists in the fact that operating voltages or operating voltage changes and associated switching processes are now considered instead of clock frequencies or clock frequency changes . in order to avoid repetition , reference is made to the description concerning the first exemplary embodiment in the sense of this analogy . a further exemplary embodiment of the invention is likewise explained with reference to fig2 . the module 2 . 2 to be switched is supplemented by a dummy load , which is intended to be represented here by the reference symbol 2 . 3 . unlike in the first or second exemplary embodiment of the invention , the switching process with regard to the module 2 . 2 can now be carried out abruptly . at the same time , the dummy load 2 . 3 is likewise supplementarily connected abruptly . the dummy load 2 . 3 is dimensioned such that it precisely compensates for the load change effected by the switching of the module 2 . 2 . since , as a consequence , no or only a very small overall load change is associated with the switching process , the occurrence of transients is effectively suppressed . the dummy load 2 . 3 may be of adjustable magnitude , as a result of which two different things are achieved : firstly , it can be used during switching processes for different load changes or modules . secondly , it can be slowly choked after supplementary connection , as a result of which the overall load — and thus the current consumption — is reduced again in a desired manner . in a further exemplary embodiment , not specifically illustrated , the module to be switched is constructively subdivided into a plurality of submodules which are individually switchable . the switching of the module is carried out in the form of sequential switching of the individual submodules , so that the module , e . g . during disconnection , is ramped down section by section ( i . e . submodule by submodule ). it is pointed out that all the exemplary embodiments can be combined . in other words , it is conceivable for the ic to comprise both functional elements which are put into different states by means of a protracted switching process for the operating voltage and to comprise modules in which operating state changes are brought about by a protracted frequency change . furthermore , it is possible to provide abrupt switching processes with supplementary connection or disconnection of the dummy load of suitable magnitude or sequential disconnection of a module subdivided into submodules . with regard to an individual module , too , it is possible , in principle , for a plurality of the possibilities mentioned to be realized . in this case , an integrated circuit according to the invention comprises e . g . both frequency and voltage control devices which may be embodied in accordance with the circuits 3 and 3 ′ and are provided with corresponding peripherals 7 , 10 . furthermore , the dummy load 2 . 3 is required if the intention is to realize changeovers with the participation of a dummy load 2 . 3 .	7
additional advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description , wherein preferred embodiments of the invention are shown and described in the disclosure , simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention . as will be realized , the invention is capable of other and different embodiments , and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects , all without departing from the invention . accordingly , the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature , and not as restrictive . an invention of processing steps is disclosed which significantly reduce the resistivity and increase thermal stability of annealed refractory metal silicide films . the processing steps reduce agglomeration at the interface of the refractory metal silicide film and an underlying layer of polysilicon or silicon . the processing steps are useful as part of a general method for fabrication of mosfet structures , a preferred embodiment of which is disclosed below . in the following description , numerous details are set forth , such as specific materials , process parameters , etc ., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be obvious to one skilled in the art , however , that these specific details need not be employed precisely as described to practice the present invention . in other instances , well - known processing steps are not described in detail so as not to detract from the various details of the embodiments of the invention . in an embodiment of the present invention , referring to fig1 a thermally grown field oxide film 11 is formed on a p - type or n - type silicon substrate 10 with exposed active areas corresponding to the geometries of the mosfet structures that are to be fabricated . after cleaning , an insulating film 12 , typically sio 2 , is grown on the entire exposed surface of the substrate . a polysilicon layer 13 is then deposited over the insulating film , preferably using lpcvd . other methods for depositing polysilicon layer include pecvd ( pressure enhanced chemical vapor deposition ), apcvd ( atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition ), and sputtering . polysilicon layer 13 is formed according to one of the foregoing processes at a temperature in a range from about 50 ° c . to about 900 ° c . referring to fig2 a first diffusion barrier matrix 17 is then implanted within polysilicon layer 13 with nitrogen . first diffusion barrier matrix 17 is implanted at a predetermined depth range corresponding to where the interface will be situated between polysilicon layer 13 and a layer of titanium silicide to be formed after a subsequent annealing step . in the preferred embodiment , first diffusion barrier matrix 17 is a 2 × 10 13 cm - 2 14 n + implant dose at an energy of about 22 kev , although other dopants such as phosphorus , or metals such as molybdenum , tungsten , or cobalt could also be used . other dopant concentrations could also be used but a low dose close to the value stated herein is preferable . first diffusion barrier matrix 17 is used to limit the diffusion of silicon along columnar grain boundaries which form in the polysilicon layer during annealing . ion implantation is conducted by providing an ion source from which the implanted ions are generated . the ion source may be , for example , phosphorus , nitrogen , or other suitable materials contemplated by the invention . the wafer is then patterned and insulating film 12 and polysilicon layer 13 are etched to form a polysilicon gate structure consisting of a gate oxide layer 12 and a polysilicon gate layer 13 . insulating side wall spacers 15 are then formed by conventional processing . a second matrix 18 is then implanted in the surface . second matrix 18 may comprise , for example , nitrogen ions . alternatively , other materials , such as phosphorus ions , molybdenum ions , tungsten ions , or cobalt ions may be used in second matrix 18 . the primary function of this step is to control salicidation and for silicide surface smoothing on the surface . the first and second implanted matrixes assist a smooth silicide / polysilicon interface and a smooth silicide surface , respectively . a metallization layer 19 of ti material is next deposited on polysilicon layer 13 using a standard pvd process . the pvd process is conducted in a temperature range of between 100 ° c . and 300 ° c . alternatively , metallization layer 19 may also be a refractory metal material that is next deposited on polysilicon gate layer 13 preferably using a standard pvd process . refractory metal materials according to the present invention include at least titanium , tungsten , cobalt , and molybdenum and combinations thereof . the structure is then subjected to a salicidation anneal . a first salicidation anneal is performed in nitrogen at 750 ° c . for 20 seconds . a conventional blanket etch is then performed to remove all unreacted titanium metal from the top layer that did not form polycide or salicide structures . a second salicidation anneal is then performed in nitrogen at 825 ° c . for 10 seconds to fully convert all of the remaining silicide structures to the c54 phase . alternatively , the anneals may be conducted according to other process parameters . for example , an anneal may include rapid thermal processing at about 1 , 000 ° c . for about 20 seconds . the overall finished mosfet gate structure appears as shown in fig3 . metallization layer 19 of fig2 has combined with polysilicon gate layer 13 to form a polycide gate layer 21 , on top of unreacted silicon . the gate structure includes active regions that form source and drain regions . results of the foregoing steps reveal a smooth film surface and a smooth interface as demonstrated by resistivity tests . in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , field oxide film 11 has a thickness in a range from about 1 , 000 å to about 3 , 000 å , insulating film 12 has a thickness in a range from about 50 å to about 150 å , polysilicon layer 13 has a thickness in a range from about 1 , 000 å to about 2 , 000 å , and refractory metal silicide layer 21 has a thickness in a range from about 500 å to about 2 , 000 å . in a preferred embodiment , first diffusion barrier matrix 17 is implanted in polysilicon layer 13 at a predetermined depth in a range from about 200 å to about 1 , 000 å . the following examples are provided for illustration purposes and are not intended to be restrictive of the scope and spirit of the present invention . table a illustrates a series of tests in which one or more ion dopant implantations were made previous to forming into a structure of a layer of tisi 2 above and on a layer of polysilicon , the layer of polysilicon being above and on a gate oxide that is in turn above and on a p - type silicon substrate . in the test nos . 1 - 3 , second and first implant matrices were implanted , respectively , into the polysilicon layer at the surface and the eventual tisi 2 - polysilicon interface . table a illustrates that tests nos . 1 - 3 demonstrate a controlled low - level resistivity . a series of comparative examples ( tests nos . c1 - c7 ) illustrate that single implant at the surface of the polysilicon , while controlling salicidations of tisi 2 , do not achieve the desired low resistivity . table a______________________________________ rs after rtp anneal , test tis . sub . ix depth , 1st 2nd ohms / squareno . angstroms implant implant 0 1 2 3______________________________________1 700 n . sup . 4 , 9 n . sup . 6 , 9 2 . 41 2 . 93 3 . 90 5 . 492 650 n . sup . 4 , 9 n . sup . 6 , 9 1 . 90 2 . 22 3 . 18 4 . 963 700 n . sup . 4 , 9 p . sup . 1 , 9 2 . 36 2 . 83 3 . 68 5 . 15c1 700 w . sup . 2 , 7 2 . 34 4 . 89 7 . 29 10 . 39c2 700 co . sup . 6 , 7 2 . 55 4 . 06 5 . 72 8 . 06c3 700 co . sup . 6 , 8 2 . 32 4 . 17 6 . 16 8 . 91c4 430 w . sup . 2 , 7 3 . 90 10 . 48 18 . 54 37 . 67c5 430 w . sup . 2 , 10 3 . 88 8 . 80 14 . 24 23 . 17c6 430 mo . sup . 3 , 7 3 . 75 9 . 69 16 . 73 34 . 28c7 420 co . sup . 5 , 7 4 . 13 10 . 03 15 . 73 27 . 17______________________________________ . sup . 1 60 kev , . sup . 2 50 kev , . sup . 3 45kev , . sup . 4 22kev , . sup . 5 15kev , . sup . 6 12kev , . sup . 7 1e14 / cm . sup . 2 , . sup . 8 5e12 / cm . sup . 2 , . sup . 90 2e13 / cm . sup . 2 , . sup . 10 2e12 / cm . sup . 2 the present invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from its spirit or essential characteristics . the described embodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrated and not restrictive . the scope of the invention is , therefore , indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description . all changes that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope .	7
referring now specifically to the drawings , in which identical or similar parts are designated by the same reference numerals throughout , and first referring to fig1 and 2 , the rack assembly 10 of the present invention includes a plurality of rack elements 12 - 14 . while only three rack elements are shown , this is only for illustrative purposes and any number can be used as will become evident from the description that follows . each of the rack elements is in the nature of a module which may be attached or connected to an adjacent module . the rack assembly 10 can thereby be sold in the disassembled condition thereof in kits of , for example , 10 or 20 rack elements . the facility with which the rack elements may be assembled permits such rack assemblies to be conveniently assembled in relatively short periods of time . each of the rack elements 12 - 14 is generally in the nature of a rectangular housing having a rear wall 16 , a bottom wall 18 ( best shown in fig6 ), and a pair of side or lateral walls 20 . the front - most rack element 14 has slightly modified side or lateral walls 20 &# 39 ; as will be more fully described hereafter . when two or more rack elements are stacked together as shown in fig1 and 2 , the rear wall of a frontwardly disposed rack element also serves as a front wall of the adjacent rearwardly disposed rack element to form a pocket 22 , best shown in fig6 . clearly , the dimensions of the pockets or bins 22 may be varied by a selection of dimensions for the rear walls 16 , the bottom walls 18 and the side or lateral walls 20 . the rack assembly 10 shown and described herein as the presently preferred embodiment has bins or pockets 22 having the depth of the bins substantially smaller than the heights or the transverse widths thereof . such a rack assembly is particularly suitable for storing and displaying sheet music . however , as above suggested , changing the dimensions of the rear walls , bottom walls or lateral walls can modify the dimensions of the bins to accommodate any other product commonly displayed in this form . thus , the rack assembly 10 , possibly with minor changes in dimensions , can be utilized to store and display greeting cards , newsstand - type magazines , blank forms , or the like . the rack assembly 10 is characterized in that the individual rack elements may be molded , such as from a plastic material . for example , the rack elements may be molded from styrene or other comparable plastics . it is desirable in selecting a material for the rack element that it be sufficiently stiff or rigid so that no additional reinforcing means need be provided even when the rack assembly includes upwardly of 20 rack elements . however , it is desirable that the material used for the rack elements have at least some resiliency , for reasons to be described below . the rack assembly of the present invention is particularly characterized in that each of the rack elements is formed with two separate locking mechanisms , one of which cooperates with the rear walls 16 and the bottom walls 18 while the second locking mechanism corporates with the side walls 20 . by integrally molding the locking mechanisms into the rack elements , a particularly simple and economical construction is obtained which permits easy and rapid assembly of the rack elements to each other while securely connecting these adjacent rack elements to each other . the first locking mechanism to be described is generally designated by the reference numeral 24 in fig2 and 6 - 8 . the first locking means or mechanisms 24 includes a first locking portion of the rear walls 16 . the locking portion 26 is in the nature of an offset wall portion or a female connecting member 28 spaced from the plane of the rear wall 16 to form a slot 30 in the nature of a socket . as best shown in fig6 the upper edge of the offset wall portion 28 is provided with a bevel 32 , whose function will become apparent hereafter . there may be additionally provided a supporting rib 34 which extends across the widths of each rear wall 16 , is parallel to the bottom wall 18 , and is generally coextensive with the upper edge of the offset wall portions 28 . the function of the supporting rib 34 will similarly be more fully discussed below . the second locking portion , which is in the nature of a male connecting member , is generally designated by the reference numeral 36 . as best shown in fig6 and 8 , the locking portion 36 depends or projects downwardly from the frontal region of the bottom wall 18 . the second locking portion 36 generally includes a skirt 38 which extends across the entire width of the rear wall 16 , as well as at least one tab or tongue 40 which is dimensioned to be received within the socket 30 of the female connecting member 26 . the slot 30 is generally a rectangular slot and the tongue 40 has a generally rectangular cross - sectional configuration dimensioned to be received within the slot 30 with little clearance therebetween , as best shown in fig6 . advantageously , the tongue 40 is provided at the lower end thereof with a wedge - shaped projection 42 which has a surface inclined rearwardly and upwardly from the lower edge of the tongue as shown , and an upper surface 44 generally disposed in a horizontal plane normal to the plane of the tongue or tab 40 . as suggested above , the offset wall portion 28 is made of a resilient material and the projection 42 engages the offset wall portion 28 when the tongue is initially advanced through the slot 30 to resiliently deflect the wall portion 28 to enlarge the slot 30 and facilitate insertion of the tongue 40 therein . in this manner , the projection 42 snaps into a position disposed below the offset wall portion 28 subsequent to full insertion of the tongue 40 through the slot 30 to lock the same within the slot as a result of the abutment of the locking surface 44 with the lower edge of the offset wall portion 28 . when the tongue 40 is fully received within the slot 30 in the engaged condition of the male and female connecting members 26 and 36 , the lower edge 45 of the skirt 38 abuts against or rests against the supporting rib 34 . by supporting the next adjacent or rearwardly disposed rack element across the entire width thereof , the weights of the racks , as well as of the materials contained therein , are more evenly distributed across the entire widths of the rack elements instead of being concentrated only at the locations of the first locking mechanism 24 . such a construction therefore protects the offset wall portions 28 from experiencing deformations or stresses which may damage the same . as best shown in fig2 and 6 , the sockets 30 are disposed on the rear walls 16 at a height above the bottom walls 18 to correspond to the desired vertical displacement between adjacent racks . clearly , the closer the offset wall portions 28 are to the bottom wall 18 , the less the vertical displacement between adjacent racks while greater separation results in greater displacement . in the case of sheet music , wherein the title of the work appears proximate the upper edge thereof , it is only necessary to displace adjacent racks between approximately 2 and 3 inches . where more exposure of the items is desired , clearly , greater vertical displacement between adjacent racks may be desirable . additionally , as mentioned above , the rear wall 16 of a frontwardly disposed rack element in effect forms the front wall for a rearwardly disposed rack element . the extent to which an item within the pockets or bins 22 are exposed is , therefore , also a function of the heights of the rear walls 16 . while the rear walls in the presently preferred embodiment have the same heights as the side walls , this is not essential and the rear walls 16 can clearly be made shorter to expose more of the items being displayed or higher than the side walls 20 to expose less of items . while only one set of female and male members 26 , 36 has been described in connection with fig6 - 8 , it is clear that one or more sets of such connecting members may be provided to secure two adjacent rack elements . in the presently preferred embodiment , as suggested in fig1 each rack element is provided with two female connecting members on the rear wall thereof , each of which is aligned and project downwardly from a common supporting rib 44 . similarly , each rack element is provided with two spaced tongues 40 , each of which depends from a common lower edge 45 of a skirt 38 . the offset wall portions 28 as well as the tongues 40 are positioned on the rack elements so that they are aligned with an associated mating member when the rack elements are aligned to bring the side walls of the two adjacent rack elements into common planes . at such time when alignment is achieved , the adjacent rack elements are moved vertically relative to each other to force the tongues 40 through the slots 30 and thereby move from an unengaged to an engaged condition . as should be evident , any number of male and female connecting members 36 , 26 respectively may be used , so long as locking engagement is effected in all of them substantially at the same time since further relative movements of the adjacent or connected rack elements is prevented subsequent to engagement of any of the mating pairs . the rack elements are further joined to each other by means of a second locking mechanism generally designated by the reference numeral 45 which is substantially formed in the planes of the side walls 20 . the locking mechanisms 45 serve to connect the rack elements to each other as well as drawing adjacent rack elements together to dispose the same in close abutting relationship . this will be more fully discussed below . the first and second locking mechanisms 24 , 45 are arranged to lock successively rearwardly disposed rack elements respectively successively upwardly to provide an upwardly and rearwardly stepped or terraced modular rack assembly 10 . the second locking mechanism 45 each includes at least one planar female opening 46 in the side walls 20 of each of the rack elements , and at least one planar male member 48 which projects forwardly from the side walls of the rack elements in the direction of the adjacent frontwardly disposed rack elements . the male planar members 48 are configurated and dimensioned to be receivable with associated female openings 46 in the planes of the side walls 20 , as to be more fully described hereafter . each female opening 46 has a generally inverted l - shape which has a horizontal leg portion 46a thereof extending to the rear edge of a side wall 20 to provide access into the opening 46 from the direction of a rear wall 16 . the opening 46 also has a vertical leg portion 46b which generally extends downwardly from the horizontal leg portion 46a and inwardly spaced from the rear wall 16 to form an upwardly projecting side wall extension 46c . in effect , each opening 46 is in the nature of an upper planar opening which is wider and opens to the rear of the rack element , and a lower planar opening , which has a height corresponding to that of the side wall extension 46c . each planar male connecting member 48 similarly has an inverted l - shape to correspond to the shape of the l - shaped opening 46 and projects forwardly from a side wall 20 to be receivable within an associated opening 48 of a forwardly disposed adjacent rack element . by projecting forwardly of the side walls 20 and subsequently projecting downwardly , the male members 48 each have a horizontal leg portion 48a and a vertical leg portion 48b . the vertical leg portion 48b is spaced from the side wall 20 , and forms therewith a downwardly directed slot 48c . as best shown in fig2 engagement of the planar female opening 46 and the planar male member 48 results when the planar male member 48 is lowered within the planar female opening 46 to bring the side wall extension 46c within the associated downwardly directed slot 48c to thereby effect locking . in effect , the side wall extensions 46c abut against the horizontal leg portions 48a of the planar male member 48 in the locked condition of the planar connector 45 . the heights of the horizontal leg portions or upper opening portions 46a of the female openings 46 are greater than the heights of the male members 48 . in this manner , the male members 48 may be initially received through the upper opening portions 46a at a first relative position of two associated adjacent rack elements in an unengaged condition thereof . after the planar male members 48 have been received into the upper opening portion 46a and positioned furwardly of the side wall extensions 46c , the rearwardly disposed rack element may be lowered relative to the frontwardly disposed rack element to bring the side wall extensions 46c within the spaces defined by the downwardly directed slots 48c . simultaneously therewith , of course , the vertical leg portions 48b of the planar male members 48 are moved from the upper opening region 46a into the lower opening region 46b of the planar female openings 46 . as best shown in fig2 the vertical leg portions or lower opening portions of the planar openings 46 are wider than the corresponding vertical leg portions 48b of the planar male members 48 . advantageously , there is provided a downwardly and forwardly inclined edge or surface within each lower opening portion 46b to draw two adjacent rack elements together as the relative positions thereof change from the unengaged to the engaged conditions to lock the same in close abutting relation in the fully engaged conditions thereof . in the presently preferred embodiment , the forwardly disposed edges of the side wall extensions 46c as well as the rearward edge of the vertical leg portion 48b of the planar male member 48 are each inclined at a relatively small angle such as approximately 5 °. such a small incline affects the desired locking engagement as the adjacent rack elements are increasingly moved to the full engaged positions as shown in fig2 . as with the first locking mechanism 24 described above , one or more locking mechanisms 45 may be utilized . for example , it is possible to provide only one planar female opening 46 and a planar male member 48 in two co - planar side walls 20 of two adjacent rack elements . in the presently preferred embodiment , two locking mechanisms 45 are provided on each set of side walls 20 . as shown , the locking mechanisms 45 are displaced in a vertical direction , the relative positions of the planar female openings 46 and the planar male members 48 being again selected to provide the desired vertical displacement between adjacent rack elements . as best shown in fig3 and 4 , there is further provided a guide tab or key 56 projecting from the front edge of each side wall 20 into the downwardly directed slot 48c which is dimensioned to be received within a guideway or keyway 58 formed in the side wall extension 46c . the key 56 and the keyway 58 ensure the proper alignment of the planar male member 48 within the planar female opening 46 to dispose these mating parts within the planes of the side walls 20 . such a construction initially guides the rack elements relative to each other to assure reliable interconnection of the rack elements to each other by means of the locking mechanisms 45 . referring to fig1 and 6 , it will be noted that the front - most rack element 14 differs slightly from the rearwardly disposed rack elements 12 and 13 in that the rack element 14 is not provided with forwardly projecting planar male members 48 . in the presently preferred embodiment , a cover plate 50 is provided which is connected to the front - most rack element 14 to form a bin or pocket with the side walls 20 &# 39 ; and the rear wall 16 of the rack element 14 . the height of the cover plate 50 is not critical although it is shown to have a height of approximately one - half that of the rear walls 16 to expose to a greater extent the items within the front - most bin . clearly , the front cover plate 50 may have a greater height if desired to only expose a comparable portion of the items therein as are exposed in the rearwardly disposed bins or pockets . the cover plate 50 is provided at the lower edge thereof and projecting from the rearward surface thereof with a female connecting member 26 similar to those used on the rear walls 16 of the rack elements . accordingly , the lower edge of the cover plate 50 may be connected or engaged with the tongues 40 downwardly projecting from the front - most rack element 14 as shown in fig2 and 6 . the cover plate 50 has a pair of rearwardly projecting alignment walls 52 which are parallel to each other and spaced inwardly of the side walls 20 &# 39 ; of the front - most rack element 14 . the alignment walls 52 are provided at the upper ends thereof with wedge - shaped projections 54 extending outwardly to be snappingly engaged within a planar female opening 46 of the front - most rack element 14 . accordingly , it will be noted in fig2 that the planar female opening 46 in the front - most rack element 14 receives both a planar male members 48 of the next successive rack element 14 , as well as the wedge - shaped projections 54 of the cover plate 50 . while the provisions of a cover plate 50 results in a finished and aesthetically pleasing appearance , the present invention also contemplates the use of only rack elements having frontwardly projecting planar male members 48 , such as rack elements 12 and 13 . in that case , the first bin 22 is formed behind the rear wall of the front - most rack element . however , the presently preferred embodiment contemplates the use of the modified front - most rack element 14 without the frontwardly projecting planar male members 48 and the use of a front cover plate 50 in association with such a front - most rack element . the rear walls 16 are advantageously provided with an array of openings 60 during the molding process . this serves both to save material as well as result in a more light - weight construction . what has been described above is a simple and economical rack assembly whose rack elements may be molded from any suitable plastic material and which have two separate and independent locking mechanisms , one of which is associated with the rear walls and bottom walls of the rack elements while the other locking mechanism is co - planar with the side walls thereof . the locking mechanisms are advantageously integrally formed with the rack elements so that additional hardware is not required for the assembly of the rack elements which are in the form of modules which may be interconnected to form a terraced rack display of any desired size . it is to be understood that the foregoing description of the embodiment illustrated herein is exemplary rather than limiting in nature and various modifications to the embodiment as shown herein may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	0
a more complete understanding of the present invention may be gleaned with reference to the illustrations , wherein each of the drawings depict a matrix 10 provided for routing paper or other continuous web material under tension between two processing devices . an array of processing devices are arranged in fig1 - 6 with the matrix 10 centrally located between them . a paperweb 12 is fed into the matrix 10 in the direction of the arrows from a printer or other processing device . the paperweb 12 is oriented such that a first side 14 faces up as it enters the matrix 10 , and an obverse side 16 faces down . for clarity , the first side 14 is depicted as having printed matter on it , and the obverse side 16 remains blank in each of the fig1 - 6 . the matrix comprises four upright supports 18 spanned by an upper diagonal turnbar 20 , a lower diagonal turnbar 22 lying in a plane horizontally lower than that of the upper diagonal turnbar 20 , and other turnbars to be later described . all turnbars of the preferred embodiment lie substantially in a horizontal plane , though such geometry is merely for convenience and simplicity . each turnbar may be fixed or may rotate about its longitudinal axis , the preferred embodiment incorporating fixed turnbars of relatively small diameter as are commonly used in the paper processing art , generally less than 1 . 5 ″ in diameter . the threading of the web 12 through the matrix 10 as shown in fig1 is taken first . in order to route the paperweb 12 from the printer shown to the rewind machine labeled post , the paperweb 12 is merely passed about the upper diagonal turnbar 20 as is common practice . this of course inverts or flips the web so that its obverse side 16 faces up as the web departs the matrix 10 , and the web is re - directed 90 ° from its original direction . when the opposite orientation for the web is desired , that is , when it is preferred that the web enter the rewind machine with its first side 14 facing up just as it left the printer , the web need merely be re - routed through the matrix 10 as shown in fig2 . the web 12 is passed about the lower diagonal turnbar 22 , then about a left side turnbar 24 that redirects the web 12 toward the rewind machine . the web 12 undergoes a flip at each of the turnbars 22 and 24 , resulting in the first side 14 facing up as the web 12 exits the matrix 10 . the left side turnbar 24 spans two adjacent upright supports 18 of the matrix 10 , and is mounted in a horizontal plane between that of the two diagonal turnbars 20 and 22 . for routing the paperweb to turn 90 ° to the left ( respecting its entry into the matrix ) rather than to the right as in the previous discussion , the web is routed in a mirror fashion depicted in fig3 and 4 . to orient the web 12 so that its obverse side 16 faces up upon the web &# 39 ; s exit from the matrix 10 , the web 12 is routed about the lower diagonal turnbar 22 as in fig3 where the web travels from the printer to a cutter . the web may alternatively be oriented so that the first side faces up upon entry into the cutter , shown in fig4 . there , the web is routed around the upper diagonal turnbar and subsequently about a right side turnbar 26 that is similar to the left side turnbar 24 but on an opposing side of the matrix 10 . finally , the web may be oriented with either the first side 14 or the obverse side 16 facing up when the web passes through the matrix 10 without a net 90 ° turn , such as when routed from the printer to the folder of fig5 and 6 . when orienting the web so that the obverse side faces up , the web can be threaded as in fig5 . the web first passes about the upper diagonal turnbar 20 , then the right side turnbar 26 , and finally about the lower diagonal turnbar 22 . though the web 12 is flipped three times and redirected 90 ° twice and 180 ° once while within the matrix 10 , its net change is to pass ‘ straight ’ through the matrix and be flipped once , or inverted . the same result may be obtained with a mirror threading as that shown in fig5 . in this mirror arrangement that is equivalent , the web 12 passes first about the lower diagonal turnbar 22 , then about the left side turnbar 24 , and finally about the upper diagonal turnbar 20 . of course , the web may pass through the matrix 10 without encountering any turnbars and pass out unflipped along its original direction , as in fig6 . it is elementary that the direction of web travel may be reversed from that depicted in fig2 and 4 with the same result . in each such reversal , the web would move from the post or cutter devices depicted in fig2 and 4 , which may be any processing device , to first encounter the left side turnbar 24 or right side turnbar 26 . the web subsequently passes about one of the diagonal turnbars 20 or 22 to exit the matrix toward the device labeled printer in fig2 and 4 . that is , rather than pass about the side turnbar after the diagonal turnbar , the web may equivalently be passed about the side turnbar prior to the diagonal turnbar . such an embodiment and re - ordering of method steps is within certain explicit claims below , and is hereby stipulated as an equivalent to those claims directed particularly toward the preferred embodiment as illustrated . it will be appreciated that the web 12 may be threaded in numerous ways to achieve any of the net results depicted in fig1 - 6 . the depictions herein are the simplest routing for a given desired net change in web direction and orientation . merely complicating the threading without changing the fundamental operation of the matrix on a web is hereby considered an equivalent . more turnbars may be added along the sides adjacent to the left 24 and right 26 side turnbars so that the matrix is symmetric as viewed from above . the advantage there is that any of the purposes shown in fig1 - 6 may be achieved regardless of which particular matrix side faces the upstream device . throughout this disclosure and the ensuing claims , the term ‘ substantially ’ as referring to an angle or a horizontal , vertical or parallel alignment is hereby limited to be within 7 . 5 ° of the stipulated angle or direction . for example , substantially 90 ° includes all angles between 82 . 5 ° and 97 . 5 °, inclusive . similarly , an angle substantially bisecting 90 ° includes all angles between 37 . 5 ° and 52 . 5 °, and an angle substantially bisecting a substantially 90 ° angle includes all angles between 33 . 75 ° and 56 . 25 °. when the web is described or claimed as passing about a turnbar , the term ‘ about ’ excludes passing over or under but not being redirected by the turnbar . to pass ‘ about ’ a turnbar is herein restricted to exclude those instances wherein the web circumscribes less than 90 degrees around the surface of the turnbar . for example , the web in fig2 passes about the lower diagonal turnbar and the left side turnbar because it circumscribes approximately 180 degrees along the surface of each turnbar . these two turnbars act to purposefully change the direction of the web . that same web in fig2 does not pass ‘ about ’ the upper diagonal turnbar . even if the web touches the upper diagonal turnbar , it circumscribes less than 90 degrees and this latter turnbar has no purposeful effect on the direction of web travel . while the preferred embodiment has been shown and described , additional modifications will be apparent to skilled mechanics without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . the embodiments described above are hereby stipulated as illustrative rather than exhaustive .	1
with continuing attention to the drawings wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarly hereinafter identified , the reference numeral 1 indicates generally a building structure of dome or hemispherical shape . the building structure is comprised of upright pentagonally shaped perimeter components indicated generally at 2 and hexagonally shaped building components indicated generally at 3 . with particular attention to the pentagonal components 2 , the same includes side members 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 and 8 . internal members at 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 and 13 divide each pentagon into five isosceles triangles . said side members are uniformly curved and formed on a radius from a center indicated at x located below a circular foundation with a footing at f . the curved pentagon members are joined at their inner ends by connector means 14 as best shown in fig4 and which is formed with channels 15 within which the component members are inset with their ends abutting the channel end walls at 15a . additional connector means joins each internal member with a pair of side members and with later described hexagonal component members . the connector means 14 additionally defines a central bore 14a which is threaded for the reception of a headed fastener 17 also used in conjunction with later described building forms . a skirt portion 19 of the connector means serves to space later described forms from the pentagonal component . the hexagonal , concavo - convex building component at 3 , best shown in fig6 includes radiating elongate curved members at 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 and 25 which are secured at their proximate ends to connector means indicated at 26 . connector means 26 is similar to connector means 14 with the exception that it defines six channels at 27 for the reception and securement of six elongate members . channel end walls are at 27a . the term hexagonal with reference to component 3 is not used in the true geometric sense as the side members for the hexagonal members are in actuality the side members of adjacent pentagons . the connector means 26 is of circular configuration has an annular skirt 28 extending about its periphery which skirt serves as a spacer to position later described form members . the connector means is apertured at 26a to receive a headed fastener 17 . as viewed in fig1 and 3 the lowermost pair of connector means of each pentagonal component 2 are secured to steel reinforcing projecting upwardly from concrete footing f . one suitable reinforcing steel arrangement utilizes angularly bent rebar segments 29 having an upright portion extending above the footing surface . curved lengths of rebar 30 interconnect with upright portions of angle shaped rebar . the aforementioned lowermost pairs of connector means 14 of each pentagonal component are secured as by welding to the curved lengths of rebar 30 . a centrally disposed column c within the structure has a buried lower end segment and serves to directly support , during erection and later , if desired , a uppermost pentagonal component indicated generally at 31 . said uppermost central pentagonal component differs from the earlier described pentagonal components in that its internal members at 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 and 36 terminate inwardly in securement with a first or central disk 37 which is positionable and fixable near the upper end of column c and held in place thereon as by a column inserted rod 37a . top pentagonal component 31 has side members at 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 and 43 with the internal and side members being joined by connector means 14 as described earlier . a second disk at 38 is fixed on column c and may be used to support the inner ends of floor joists of a building structure second floor while the outer ends of the radiating floor joists at j are carried by hangers suitably attached to dome structure . tie rod components at 44 tie the lateral extremities of adjacent pentagonal components and serve to space and brace said components during building erection . additional tie rod components are at 44a . in fig3 and 6 , a form is indicated generally at 45 which is of compound curvature so as to be concentric with both the triangular portions of the pentagonal and the hexagonal building components . the form is of rigid , reinforced fiberglass construction having curved side rails as at 46 internally braced as at 47 . the form is an equilateral triangle and defines a first set of openings 48 , 49 and 50 one each at each apex for the inserted reception of the fasteners 17 associated with each of the earlier described connector means . accordingly , form 45 may be temporarily fastened interiorly to any hexagonal building component in the manner shown in fig6 . the skirt portion 28 of the connector means 26 assures inward spacing of the forms outermost surface from the hexagonal component to provide an area for the reception of cementious material such as concrete in a triangular area of the building component . the form has a second set of openings comprised of previously mentioned openings 48 and 49 and a new opening 51 therein which permit temporary installation of the form on the pentagonal building components which are subdivided into isosceles triangles . said second set of openings includes the two earlier mentioned apical located openings 48 and 49 and the additional or new opening at 51 . the fasteners 17 , when inserted through the second set of openings , serve to secure the form to triangular areas of the pentagonal areas of the building component as shown in fig3 . form 45 is reinforced at each corner opening by bent flat iron members having a flat iron bridge member welded therein . the openings in the form are oversized to permit compensation for connector spacing variances . for the sake of avoiding overstressing of the building components , the installation of form members 45 and the application of cementious material is done incrementally at spaced apart locations about the dome structure . the layer of cementious material is reinforced internally by welded wire fabric 52 held in place and offset by wire spacers as at 54 . the method of construction includes the steps of installing , in a removable manner , column c at the foundation center with the column provided with disk 37 located at the column upper end with the uppermost pentagonal component 31 carried by said disk . the pentagonal components 2 are installed in place , about outer margin of the footing and supported by the rebar at 29 and 30 with the components spaced apart and braced by tie rods 44a and 44 . the hexagonal components 3 are then attached , as by welding , to the connector means 14 on the pentagonal components 2 and 31 . a second disk 38 may be located at column c as a support for the inner ends of floor joists for a second floor or , if the building is to be used for commercial purposes , the column c may support the inner end of a hoist carrying beam . the steel and wire fabric reinforced shell is of requisite strength to provide a suitable attachment joint for beam or joist hangers . in some uses , column c will be removed from the finished structure . entry to the structure may be via a barrel vaulted entry ( not shown ) preferably constructed from a lattice work of rebar and welded wire fabric reinforced concrete when the structure is for other than residential purposes . for residential uses , the entry may be of considerably less size . vaulted entries will join the structure intermediate pentagonal building components 2 . while i have shown but one embodiment of the invention , it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	8
fig1 shows an example of a constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus which can be equipped with the predictive maintenance system according to the present invention . the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus ( commonly referred to as a “ chiller ” unit ) is essentially an apparatus for circulating and continuously supplying a constant temperature cooling liquid medium ( typically brine ) with respect to a constant temperature member ( load ) in various kinds of mechanical or electrical devices , and primarily comprises a cooling liquid circulating circuit 40 in which the cooling liquid that is returned back from the load is cooled in a heat exchanger 25 , the circulating circuit then passing through a tank 41 having a heater 50 in which the chilled cooling liquid is adjusted to a fixed temperature by application of heat and discharged therefrom . various types of equipment operated in conjunction with the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus may also be included . for example , an activation switch , a temperature setting device for setting the temperature of the cooling liquid , an input / output display device including an operational display for displaying a present operating state , a sequencer for providing sequential operation or various controls , and various other electrical devices may also be provided . fig1 shows an embodiment of the present invention in which the cooling liquid temperature control apparatus comprises a refrigeration circuit 20 and a cooling liquid circulating circuit 40 respectively . the above - noted refrigeration circuit 20 is equipped with a compressor 21 , a condenser 22 , and a temperature - type expansion valve 24 disposed in series along a refrigerant medium circuit 23 including a heat exchanger 25 . a hot gas bypass conduit 27 is provided into which a hot gas that is compressed by the compressor 21 can flow , bypassing the condenser 22 and expansion valve 24 when the compressor 21 is operating under certain load conditions or upon startup , as is well understood in the art . the degree of opening of the aforementioned temperature - type expansion valve 24 is controlled by a temperature sensing bulb 29 . driving of the compressor 21 is controlled by a high / low pressure switch 30 , and the flow amount of hot gas flowing through the flow path 27 is controlled by a capacity adjusting valve 28 , respectively . an oil separator 33 comprising a suction tank is also provided in a known manner . the aforementioned cooling liquid circulating circuit 40 is equipped with a main flow path 44 in which a tank 41 , a pump 42 and a load ( not shown ) are connected successively in series , and an auxiliary coolant flow path 45 which branches off from a return line from the load for recirculating the cooling liquid through the heat exchanger 25 and back to the tank 41 . a three - way proportional valve 46 and a heat exchange member 47 which undergoes heat exchange with the refrigerant of the refrigeration circuit 20 in the heat exchanger 25 are disposed in series in the auxiliary coolant flow path 45 . a level regulating valve 43 is also provided which controls the supply of cooling liquid to the load while keeping the level of cooling liquid in the tank 41 substantially constant . the condenser 22 is illustrated in fig1 as a fan cooled condenser unit , although it will be appreciated that the condenser 22 could also be cooled using cooling water supplied from an external cooling tower ( not shown ). the three - way proportional valve 46 operates such that the amount of chilled cooling liquid which is introduced into the tank 41 , after being chilled by circulating through the heat exchanger 25 in the auxiliary coolant flow path 45 , can be varied proportionally to a temperature amount detected by the temperature sensor 52 . the side of the three - way proportional valve 46 through which chilled cooling liquid is introduced can be operated over a range from being completely closed ( 0 %), wherein freshly chilled cooling liquid is not introduced into the tank 41 , to being completely open ( 100 %), wherein substantially all of the cooling liquid returned from the load is circulated through the heat exchanger 25 and chilled therein before returning to the tank 41 . typically , under normal operating conditions , the average degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 is about 60 %. the tank 41 has a heater 50 for applying heat to the cooling liquid , wherein a degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 , and supply and cutoff of electricity to the heater 50 , are controlled by a temperature controller 53 operated by a signal from a temperature sensor 52 that detects the temperature of the cooling liquid supplied to the tank 41 . in the case that the temperature of the cooling liquid supplied to the tank 41 becomes higher than a preset temperature , as set in the temperature controller 53 , the three - way proportional valve 46 is opened for supplying chilled cooling liquid to a greater degree along with suspending the supply of electricity to the heater 50 , whereby the cooling liquid is cooled . in the case that the supplied cooling liquid becomes lower than the preset temperature , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 is lessened so that the amount of chilled cooling liquid introduced into the tank is decreased , along with supplying electricity to the heater 50 , whereby the cooling liquid is heated . when the cooling liquid is determined to reside at the preset temperature , the degree of opening of three - way proportional valve 46 is not changed and the heater 50 is deactivated , so that rise or fall of the cooling liquid temperature is halted . in the refrigeration circuit 20 , operation of the compressor 21 is regulated by a high / low pressure switch 30 . hot gas flows through the hot gas bypass conduit 27 for preventing freezing of the cooling liquid at a low temperature side of the heat exchanger 25 and is adjusted by a capacity adjusting valve 28 . further , control of an evaporation temperature of the heat exchanger 25 is performed by controlling a degree of opening of the temperature - type expansion valve 24 in accordance with a temperature sensing bulb 29 . on the other hand , cooling liquid which flows through a main flow passage 44 of the cooling liquid circulating circuit 40 receives heat or releases heat at the load ( not shown ) and recirculates to the tank 41 , whereby the variable temperature of the cooling liquid supplied to the tank 41 is detected by the temperature sensor 52 . in the aforementioned temperature controller 53 , as the temperature of cooling liquid supplied to the tank 41 and detected by the temperature sensor 52 progressively rises inside of a preset temperature range set by the temperature controller 53 , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 for supplying chilled cooling liquid to the tank 41 is increased proportionally to the temperature rise . thus , after the cooling liquid flowing through the auxiliary coolant flow path 45 is cooled in the heat exchange portion 47 of the heat exchanger 25 , the chilled cooling liquid is circulated back to the tank 41 , whereby the temperature of the cooling liquid inside the tank 41 falls in temperature to remain inside the preset temperature range . conversely , as the temperature of the supplied cooling liquid decreases within the preset temperature range , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 is decreased , while in addition , electricity is supplied to the heater 50 , whereby the temperature of the cooling liquid inside the tank 41 rises to remain within the preset temperature range . when it is already at the preset temperature , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 is not changed and supply of electricity to the heater 50 is halted , so that the rise or fall of temperature of the cooling liquid is stabilized . in the aforementioned constant temperature liquid circulating circuit , for predicting a need for maintenance ahead of an event , at respective parts throughout the apparatus , sensors are disposed for continuously monitoring various condition amounts . as such sensors , there can be disposed at necessary points in the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus the following types of sensors : temperature sensors for detecting the temperature of respective parts of the refrigeration circuit and the circulating circuit ; current sensors for detecting the current values of driving motors for the compressor 21 and pump 42 and of other electrically actuated parts ; pressure sensors for detecting pressures of the refrigerant and the cooling liquid in respective locations of refrigerant and cooling liquid flow passages of the refrigeration circuit and the circulating circuit ; flow amount sensors for detecting flow amounts of the cooling liquid in the coolant flow path of the circulating circuit , as wells as various sensors for detecting changes in effective condition amounts for predicting other irregular conditions of the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus . further , as the above sensors , other sensing means may also be used such as the following : calculators for calculating operation cycles of mechanical operating parts including the electromagnetic valves used in the refrigeration circuit and the circulating circuit ; an accumulating device for determining additive values of electric supply times to the heater 50 ; and an accumulating device of the usage time intervals for detecting that the useful life of various expendable parts has been reached . the condition amounts of the apparatus internal parts that are obtained as outputs of the sensors which are arranged in the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus are transmitted to a warning means 55 which is disposed at any optional location . in fig1 for example , the warning means 55 is shown as being associated with the temperature controller and receives signals therefrom , which may include , in particular , a signal indicating a degree of valve opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 , as shall be discussed in more detail later . the warning means 55 also receives signals from other sensors throughout the apparatus . specifically , the warning means 55 is formed by an arithmetic control unit which infers the parts for which maintenance is required , and maintenance time intervals therefor , based on condition amounts obtained from the various sensors or from variations of the condition amounts , and issues a needed warning before a breakdown or irregular condition is reached . as a result , it is necessary to store beforehand in the warning means 55 proper value ranges concerning the respective data detected by the temperature sensors , current sensors , pressure sensor and flow sensors , or upper and lower value limits at which irregular operation becomes likely , or otherwise to store standards for judging irregular conditions . the operational limiting cycles of mechanical operating parts , limiting values for electrical supply times of the heater , or usage time intervals of expendable parts , or the like , are also handled similarly . in the predictive maintenance system having the above - described structure , as a result of sensors which detect various condition amounts including temperatures at each of the internal parts of the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus , electric current values of electromagnetic actuators , pressures of the refrigerant and cooling liquids and flow rates of the cooling liquid , or the like , or from sensors that detect the number of times of operation of mechanical operating parts including valves , and cumulative amounts of electric supply times to the heater or the like , various condition amounts are monitored . based on the sensor outputs therefrom , locations at which maintenance is needed and maintenance time intervals are inferred in the warning means 55 . so called after - event responses which take place only after a breakdown or serious irregular condition of the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus are not taken , but rather warnings are issued before such breakdowns or irregular conditions actually occur , wherein the need for maintenance from an operator or service personnel is urged . at that time , of course , the detected data from the devices can be directly recorded on a recording medium such as a floppy disk . such a warning is not only provided on the operating display unit of the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus , but a display by means of a lamp , warning sound , characters or the like can be provided on the operational display of a master device or in a control room , and further , by means of telephone lines , or via a distributed wire or wireless network , intranet or internet , may be transmitted to a maintenance facility for establishing the warning at a remote site . of particular importance to the present invention is to detect the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 which is disposed in the cooling liquid circulating path and which serves to control the flow amount of chilled cooling liquid output from the heat exchanger 25 to the tank 41 . as shall be described below , an overall rising trend in degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 can serve to indicate a decrease in cooling capacity of the cooling liquid circulating circuit . the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 , and in particular a rising trend in an average degree of opening thereof , serves as a valuable indicator of cooling capacity in accordance with the teachings of the invention , which shall be described below in connection with fig2 and 3 . fig2 shows operational results and effects of the temperature control apparatus of the above - described embodiment . when the cooling liquid inside of tank 41 rises ( i . e . progressively increases ), the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 on the side for supplying chilled cooling liquid increases in proportion to the detected cooling liquid temperature , thereby cooling the cooling liquid . conversely , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 decreases as the detected cooling liquid temperature is lowered below the preset temperature , for reducing the supply of chilled cooling liquid and allowing the temperature of the cooling liquid in the tank 41 to increase . more specifically , the wavy line in the upper half of fig2 is intended to illustrate controlled cooling liquid temperature in a generalized case in which the temperature of the cooling liquid is relatively stable and fluctuating in a sinusoidal pattern at or around the preset temperature . under normal operation , the average degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 for supplying chilled cooling liquid into the tank 41 is about 60 %. as the cooling liquid temperature increases , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 also increases ( indicated by rising portions of the wavy line ), while conversely , as the cooling liquid temperature decreases , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 decreases ( indicated by falling portions of the wavy line ). it should be understood , however , that different and less regular fluctuations in temperature of the cooling liquid are not only possible but likely , in which case the pattern of opening and closing of the three - way proportional valve would not be sinusoidal . further , as shown in fig2 if the temperature of the cooling liquid decreases to be about 0 . 4 ° c . below the preset temperature , electricity is supplied to the heater 50 to supply supplemental heating to the cooling liquid to elevate its temperature to the range in which the three - way proportional valve is operating on its own . when the cooling liquid temperature reaches about 0 . 35 ° c . below the preset temperature , the supply of electricity is halted , although the temperature of the cooling liquid will continue to rise for a time after the heater is cut off . it should further be noted that when the heater is operating the three - way proportional valve can be completely closed to enable the cooling liquid temperature to recover to the preset temperature more quickly . as a result , the temperature of cooling liquid inside the tank 41 can be controlled with high precision within a narrow range of about ± 0 . 1 ° c . around the preset temperature . by contrast , when the cooling capacity of the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus begins to show signs of decreasing , the three - way proportional valve 46 reacts in such a manner that the average degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 needed to maintain the same temperature of the cooling liquid supplied to the tank 41 tends to increase , as shown in fig3 . this happens because , as the cooling capacity of the refrigeration circuit decreases ( which may be due to a refrigerant leak or other causes requiring investigation to determine ), the temperature controller 53 senses an increase in temperature at the temperature sensor 52 and in response thereto sends a signal for opening the three - way proportional valve 46 to a greater degree . although the opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 continues to fluctuate as described above , the average opening degree of the three - way proportional valve 46 exhibits an increasing trend above the normal 60 % operation as shown in fig3 wherein such a trend can be an indicator that the cooling capacity is decreasing . more specifically , as shown in fig3 according to the present invention a signal which indicates an opening degree of the three - way proportional valve 46 is registered , in the warning means 55 , and from such a signal the actual degree of opening of the valve 46 is determined , and the cooling capacity of the apparatus is judged from the opening degree of the three - way proportional valve 46 . specifically , if the opening degree increases further than the expected opening degree needed for maintaining the same cooling of the liquid supplied to the tank 41 , then a judgement is made that the cooling capacity of a apparatus has decreased . the temperature controller 53 is typically operated such that when a 1v to 10v dc signal , over a range of 4 ma to 20 ma , is supplied to the three - way proportional valve 46 , the valve is operated to open from between 0 % and 100 %, as shown on the lefthand side of fig3 . when such a signal indicative of the valve opening is registered , with respect to the same cooling capacity , so long as the opening degree of the valve is about 60 % ( i . e ., within the range of the two - dot - dashed lines on the right side of fig3 ), then the cooling capacity of the apparatus is judged to be acceptable . however , if in order to achieve the same cooling , the degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve rises above a preset limit ( for example 75 % or above , shown by region a ), then it can be predicted that the cooling capacity of the apparatus is declining , which indicates a need for investigation and repair . moreover , as understood by comparing fig2 and 3 , it is not possible to determine a diminishing in cooling capacity of the chiller unit simply by observing the temperature fluctuation of the cooling liquid alone , as shown by the wavy line in fig2 . this is because as the cooling capacity decreases , the degree of opening of the proportional valve is increased to compensate and maintain the temperature of the cooling liquid at or around the preset temperature . stated otherwise , even as the cooling capacity of the chiller unit decreases , the temperature fluctuation will remain substantially as shown in fig2 . in such a case , although the wavy line in fig2 does not change , the trend line in degree of opening of the three - way proportional valve changes significantly , as shown in fig3 . in order to more accurately assess the cause of a particular irregular operation of the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus , various warnings are issued and a procedure is undertaken by the warning means 55 as shown in fig4 . more particularly , fig4 is a flowchart of a case in which a warning condition is judged , in accordance with a warning procedure in response to changes in the average opening degree of the three - way proportional valve 46 . referring to fig4 in step s 1 it is first determined whether the three - way proportional valve 46 shows a trend of having an average degree of opening of above , for example , 75 % and rising . if the answer is no , the warning means 55 determines that , insofar as the three - way proportional valve 46 is concerned , the system is operating normally , although the system may proceed to implement other data checks in step s 7 pertaining to other sensors installed throughout the apparatus . on the other hand , if the answer is yes in step s 1 , the routine proceeds to investigate the cause of the irregularity and to issue appropriate predictive warnings . for example , in step s 2 , the system checks whether or not the cooling water or cooling air from a fan supplied to the condenser unit 22 is unusually high . if the answer to this query is yes , a warning is issued in step s 8 to an operator or to a remote maintenance facility to investigate the status of the cooling water ( e . g ., the condition of the cooling tower ) or the ambient air temperature ( e . g ., whether the cooling fan is operating properly ). on the other hand , if the answer is no , the system proceeds to the next step . in step s 3 , the system investigates whether the amount of cooling water supplied to the condenser 22 has decreased . if the answer is yes , a warning is issued in step s 8 and appropriate measures may be taken to increase the supply of cooling water from the cooling tower . similarly , in the case that the condenser 22 is cooled using a fan unit , as a remedial measure , the power to the fan could be increased . if the answer in step s 3 is still no , the system checks whether on not the load on the system ( i . e ., the load to which the cooling liquid is circulated ) has increased , and if so a warning is issued in step s 9 to investigate whether some reason exists to explain such an increase in load . if the load has been changed due to explainable changes in the environment in which the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus is used , normal adjustments to the apparatus may simply be needed in order to maintain the desired constant temperature . on the other hand , if the answers through step s 2 to step s 4 are all no , the system determines that a relatively simple explanation for the rising trend in opening of the three - way proportional valve 46 does not exist , and it is judged that a more serious problem exists . in this case , a request is made in step s 5 to shut down the machinery for repairs , and in step s 6 a request is issued to service personnel or to a service facility , for effecting repairs to the apparatus , or replacement , as soon as possible . it should be noted , however , that in accordance with operation of the warning means 55 , assuming that any of the answers in steps s 2 through s 4 is yes , predictive warnings , that is , warnings which pre - estimate the cause of an improper operation before a serious malfunction or breakdown occurs , are issued , so that measures can be taken to prolong the service life and proper functioning of the apparatus without requiring a complete shutdown . some examples of other irregular conditions of the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus which can be predicted from the outputs or variations in output of the aforementioned various sensors are as follows : 1 ) temperature data changes of refrigerant or condenser cooling water for predicting variations in cooling capacity , 2 ) changes in electrical current values of component motors for predicting motor life , 3 ) arrival at a limit value for the number of on / off times of electromagnetic valves for predicting life expectancy of electromagnetic valves , 4 ) when the supply of electricity to heaters reaches a limiting value for predicting heater life , and 5 ) lowering of refrigerant pressure for predicting the generation of a gas leak . in this manner , with the above - described predictive maintenance system , locations requiring maintenance , and maintenance time intervals therefor , are inferred before occurrence of a fault condition , and a report is issued to operators or service personnel beforehand , so that the fault or irregular operation does not occur . therefore , the inventive system is different from so called after - event systems , in which an investigation of cause , exchange of parts and the like are made only after an irregular condition of the constant temperature liquid circulation apparatus occurs , so that the constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus and / or control devices attached thereto need not be completely stopped . rather , the irregular condition can be predicted and parts can be repaired , and further , since the parts themselves which have the possibility for fault can be known as a result of reporting based on the output of operated sensors , the time needed for maintenance is also shortened and losses due to stoppage of the apparatus can be dramatically decreased . effect of the invention . as described above , according to the predictive maintenance system of the present invention , in the above - described constant temperature liquid circulating apparatus , locations requiring maintenance and maintenance time intervals are inferred before the occurrence of a fault condition , so that the downtime of the apparatus can be reduced to a minimum . furthermore , because a three - way proportional valve is used in place of an electromagnetic valve , a rise in the opening degree of the three - way proportional valve is used as an indicator of a reduction in cooling capacity , and thus indicates a need for maintenance . at the same time , there is no possibility of a “ water hammer ” effect , even when used with large capacity chiller apparatuses , and thus the present invention is applicable throughout a wide range of industrial environments .	5
in one particular exemplary embodiment of the invention , a in the following description , directional terms such as “ above ”, “ below ”, “ upper ”, “ lower ”, “ uphole ”, “ downhole ”, etc . are used for convenience in referring to the accompanying drawings . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that such directional language refers to locations in downhole tubing either closer or farther from the wellhead and that various embodiments of the present invention may be utilized in various orientations , such as inclined , deviated , horizontal , vertical , and the like . referring to fig1 - 6 , the present invention relates to a tubular airlock assembly and method for facilitating deployment of a tubing string 10 into a wellbore 12 . the tubular airlock assembly of the present invention preferably includes a rupture assembly 100 disposed in the tubing 10 , that along with a sealing assembly 22 , maintains an airlock or buoyancy chamber 20 in the tubing 10 to assist in positioning the tubing 10 in the wellbore 12 , particularly in a horizontal section 14 of the wellbore 12 . once the tubing 10 is fully deployed to its desired vertical depth and / or horizontal position in the wellbore 12 , the sealing assembly 22 is designed to easily rupture into very small fragments through application of hydraulic pressure allowing the buoyance chamber 20 to be filled with fluid from above . once fluid fills the buoyancy chamber 20 , the rupture assembly 100 is designed to easily rupture into very small fragments through the application of hydraulic pressure so that the fragments of the sealing assembly 22 and rupture assembly 100 may be circulated out of the well . the sealing assembly 22 and rupture assembly 100 in a preferred embodiment , once ruptured , do not reduce the inner diameter id 1 ( fig2 ) of the tubing 10 . as seen in fig1 , the rupture assembly 100 of the present invention is preferably disposed at the toe or bottom of the tubing 10 to form a temporary isolation barrier to seal off the fluid from the wellbore 12 as the tubing 10 is being run therein , thereby maintaining and protecting the integrity of a buoyant chamber 20 in the tubing 10 . the buoyant chamber 20 may be filled with air , or any fluid that provide buoyancy , to provide float to the tubing 10 . the buoyant chamber 20 is formed between the rupture assembly 100 , which is the lower boundary of the chamber , and a sealing assembly 22 located at or near the heel or upper part of the tubing 10 , which is the upper boundary of the chamber . air in the buoyant chamber 20 is trapped between the rupture assembly 100 of the present invention and the sealing assembly 22 . the buoyant chamber 20 in the tubing 10 may be created as a result of sealing of the lower or toe end 24 of the tubing 10 with the rupture assembly 100 of the present invention and sealing of the upper or heel end 26 of tubing 10 with the sealing assembly 22 . the distance between the rupture assembly 100 and sealing assembly 22 is selected to control the force tending to run the tubing into the hole and to maximize the vertical weight of the tubing . the buoyant chamber 20 is air - filled to provide increased buoyancy , which assists in running the tubing 10 to the desired depth . that eliminates the need to fill the tubing 10 with fluid prior to running the tubing 10 in the wellbore 12 , and there is no need to substitute the air in the tubing once installed in the well . the buoyant chamber 20 alternatively may be filled with other gases , such as nitrogen , carbon dioxide and the like . light liquids may also be used . generally , the buoyant chamber 20 is preferably filled with a fluid that has a lower specific gravity than the well fluid in the wellbore in which the tubing 10 is run . the choice of which gas or liquid to use may depend on factors , such as the well conditions and the amount of buoyancy desired . rupture assembly 100 generally includes first and second rupture members 102 and 104 , a disengagable securing mechanism 106 , an impact member 108 , and a plurality of sealing o - rings 112 , as best seen in fig3 and 5 . each of the rupture members 102 and 104 is preferably a hemispherical dome that is formed of a material having a burst or rupture pressure ( i . e . the pressure at which hydraulic pressure alone can break the rupture member ) greater than the hydraulic pressure in the tubing when the tubing is being run in the wellbore , so as to avoid premature breakage of the rupture members 102 and 104 , thereby maintaining the seal for buoyant chamber 20 . in a preferred embodiment , the dome shape of the second rupture member 104 can withstand 3500 psi or more without bursting . once the tubing 10 is properly deployed , the rupture members 102 and 104 are fractured in very small fragments to remove the assembly and clear the fluid passageway of the tubing 10 . the rupture assembly 100 is sealed between an upper tubular member 116 that is coupled to a lower tubular member 118 through which a fluid passageway is defined . upper tubular member 116 may be coupled with lower tubular member 118 in such a way that the outer wall of lower tubular member 118 overlaps at least a portion of the outer wall of upper tubular member 116 . in the illustrated embodiment , the upper tubular member 116 and lower tubular member 118 are threadably coupled together at that overlap . various other interconnecting means that would be known to a person skilled in the art are possible . a fluid seal between upper tubular member 116 and the lower tubular member 118 may be provided by one or more seals , such as o - ring seal 120 . the tubular members 116 and 118 provide a radially expanded area in the tubing 10 designed to accommodate the rupture assembly 100 , so as to maintain the same inner diameter of the tubing . in particular , an internal recessed area 122 is defined in the inner surface of the lower tubular member 118 that is sized to receive the components of the rupture assembly , as seen in fig2 . the internal recessed area 122 is preferably sized such that the inner diameter id 1 ( fig1 ) of the tubing 10 is substantially the same as the inner diameter id 2 ( fig4 ) of the rupture assembly 100 . the inner diameter may be 4 . 5 inches , for example . the recessed area 122 is flanked by an annular frusto - concial surface 124 of the upper tubular member 116 leading into the recessed area 122 and an annular frusto - conical surface 126 of the lower tubular member 118 behind the recessed area 122 . the rupture members 102 and 104 are preferably concentrically disposed in the tubular members 116 and 118 generally traverse to the longitudinal axis of the upper and lower tubular members 116 and 118 with the first rupture member 102 facing uphole and the second rupture member 104 facing downhole . the first rupture member 102 includes a portion 132 that is a hollow , hemispherical dome , with a concave surface 134 that faces downhole and a convex surface 136 that is oriented in the uphole direction . hemispherical portion 132 is continuous with a cylindrical portion 138 which terminates in a circumferential edge 140 that abuts the disengagable securing member 106 . likewise , the second rupture member 104 includes a portion 142 that is a hollow , hemispherical dome , with a concave surface 144 that faces uphole and a convex surface 146 that is oriented in the downhole direction . hemispherical portion 142 is continuous with a cylindrical portion 148 which terminates in a circumferential edge 150 that abuts the impact member 108 . in a preferred embodiment , the disengageable securing member 106 is a shear ring . the shear ring 106 may be sandwiched between the inner wall of lower tubular member 118 and the cylindrical portion 138 of first rupture member 102 . an exemplary shear ring is described in u . s . patent application publication no . 2014 / 0216756 , incorporated herein by reference . the shear ring 106 provides for seating the first rupture member 102 in lower tubular member 118 , and acts as a disengageable constraint while also facilitating the rupture of the rupture member 102 , and generally being shearable in response to hydraulic pressure ( e . g . being shearable or otherwise releasing the rupture member 102 in response to the application of a threshold hydraulic pressure that is less that the rupture burst pressure of the rupture member 102 ). the first rupture member 102 of the rupture assembly 100 is preferably designed so that up to 1800 psi of pressure may be applied before the securing member 106 releases or shears . the shear ring 106 has tabs 152 or other projections that can be sheared in response to hydraulic pressure , as seen in fig3 - 5 . the tabs 152 are adapted to be eliminable from the tubing 10 . the plurality of tabs 152 are preferably spaced around the circumference of a rim of the shear ring 106 . although shear ring 106 serves as the disengageable constraint or securing mechanism for the first rupture member 102 in the illustrated embodiment , other securing mechanisms to hold the rupture member 102 in sealing engagement within the tubing 10 may be possible , provided that rupture member 102 is free to move suddenly downward or across in the direction of the second rupture member 104 , when freed or released from the constraints of the securing shear ring 106 . the first rupture member 102 may be sealed to shear ring 106 by means of one or more sealing o - rings 112 . each o - ring 112 may be disposed in a groove or void , circumferentially extending around the cylindrical portion 138 of the shear ring 106 . various back - up ring members may be present . the o - rings ensure a fluid tight seal as between the shear ring 106 , the rupture member 102 , and the upper and lower tubulars 116 and 118 . the sealing engagement of the first rupture member 102 within shear ring 106 and the sealing engagement of shear ring 106 against the lower tubular member 118 together with the o - ring seals create a fluid - tight seal between the upper tubing and the tubing downhole of rupture assembly 100 . tabs 152 of the shear ring 106 may be bendable or shearable upon application of force ( e . g . hydraulic force ). for example , tabs 152 may shear at 1000 to 2000 psi . this threshold pressure at which the securing mechanism 106 shears , releasing the first rupture member 102 , is less than the rupture burst pressure of the rupture member 102 ( i . e . the pressure at which the rupture member 102 would break in response to hydraulic pressure alone ). shear ring 106 may be made of any material that allows the tabs 152 to be suitably sheared off , such as metal ( like brass , aluminum , and various metal alloys ) or ceramics . the tabs 152 are also small enough that when sheared , they do not affect wellbore equipment or function . once all of the tabs 152 are sheared , the first rupture member 102 may be freed or released from the constraints of shear ring 106 . the rupture member 102 then moves suddenly towards the impact member 108 in response to hydraulic fluid pressure already being applied to convex surface 136 of the first rupture member 102 such that it is pushed through the circumferential aperture of shear ring 106 . once disengaged or otherwise released from shear ring 106 , the rupture member 102 will hit the impact member 108 and break into very small fragments as a result . the impact device 108 is configured to provide at least one impact surface against which the first rupture member 102 breaks once the shear ring 106 releases the rupture member 102 . any surface of the impact device 108 may be the impact surface of the present invention , provided that the impingement of the first rupture member 102 with that surface causes the rupture member 102 to fracture . in a preferred embodiment , the impact device 108 is a carrier ring that includes one or more inwardly extending impact projections 160 . the projections 160 may be annularly arranged and spaced from one another . each projection 160 includes a first side surface 162 that faces toward the first rupture member 102 , an opposite second side surface 164 faces toward the second rupture member 104 , and an end face 166 extending between the side surfaces 162 and 164 . the second side surfaces 164 may act as an abutment against the circumferential edge 150 of the second rupture member 104 . the inner diameter id 2 formed by the end faces 166 of the projections 160 is preferably substantially the same as the inner diameter id 1 of tubing 10 . that is , the structure of impact carrier ring 108 and the projections 160 facilitate the restoration of the tubing inner diameter because no or few portions of the impact carrier ring 108 and projections 160 extend into the inner diameter of the tubing 10 . the second rupture member 104 may be sealed to impact device 108 by means of a seal , such as the o - rings 112 disposed in one or more grooves circumferentially extending around a cylindrical portion 148 of the impact carrier ring 108 . various back - up ring members may be present . the o - rings ensure a fluid tight seal as between the impact carrier ring 106 , the rupture member 104 , and the upper and lower tubulars 116 and 118 . the sealing engagement of the second rupture member 104 within impact carrier ring 108 and the sealing engagement of impact carrier ring 108 against the lower tubular member 118 together with the o - ring seals create a fluid - tight seal between the upper tubing and the tubing downhole of rupture assembly 100 . any one of the first side surfaces 162 of the impact projections 160 may act as the impact surface of the present invention against which the first rupture member 102 is forced and breaks . when hydraulic pressure is applied to the rupture assembly 100 within the tubing 10 , there is a combination of hydraulic pressure acting on the first rupture member 102 , as well as compressive forces forcing the rupture member 102 into the impact device 108 ( onto the one or more impact surfaces 162 ). the combination of the hydraulic force and the impact force against the impact surfaces 162 allow for shattering of the rupture disc 102 . the sudden release of energy from the impact of the first rupture disc 102 with the impact projections 160 in combination with the debris of the first disc 102 travelling past the projections 160 , impacts the convex surface 146 of the second disc 104 and breaks the second disc 104 into very small fragments as well . the second rupture disc 104 may also impact any inner surface of the lower tubular member 118 , such as frusto - conical surface 126 , to further assist in fracture of the second rupture member 104 . the shattering of the rupture discs 102 and 104 results in opening of the passageway of the lower tubular member 118 , such that the tubing &# 39 ; s inner diameter in that region of the lower tubular member 118 may be restored to substantially the same inner diameter as the rest of the tubing 10 ( i . e . the tubing above and below the tubular or region in which the rupture assembly 100 was installed ). the first and second rupture members 102 and 104 are preferably made of a frangible material that shatters into very small fragments . each very small fragment may not exceed more than 1 inch in any dimension , and preferably no more than ⅜ inch in any dimension . an exemplary material for the rupture members 102 and 104 is high heat strengthened glass . the high heat strengthened glass preferably has a nominal thickness of 0 . 100 inch to 0 . 500 inch , a refractive index of 1 . 489 , a density of 2 . 33 g / cc , a linear thermal expansion of 43 e - 7 / c , a strain temperature of 482 ° c ., a transition temperature of 512 ° c ., an annealing temperature of 526 ° c ., and a deformation temperature of 660 ° c . high heat strengthened glass is also preferably used for the sealing assembly 22 . other possible materials include carbides , ceramic , metals , plastics , porcelain , alloys , composite materials , and the like . these materials are frangible and rupture in response to the pressure differential when high pressure is applied . hemispherical domes for the rupture members 102 and 104 are preferred because of their ability to withstand pressure from their convex sides 136 and 146 . the convex side 146 of the second rupture member 104 in particular must have sufficient rupture strength to prevent premature fracture when the tubing 10 is run into the wellbore 12 . in a preferred embodiment , the convex side 146 of the second rupture member 104 can withstand up to 3500 psi . due to the nature of the dome shape of the second rupture member 104 , the concave side 144 of the rupture disc 104 is much weaker than its convex side 146 . as a result , the second rupture member 104 easily fractures due to impact with the ruptured pieces of the first rupture member 102 . thus , the structure and material of the rupture assembly 100 provides a way for a sealed tubing 10 to become unsealed while requiring less hydraulic pressure than prior art rupture disc approaches and without increasing the inner diameter of the tubing 10 . there is no need to send weights , sharp objects or other devices ( e . g . drop bars or sinker bars ) down the tubing 10 to break the rupture assembly 100 of the present invention like in some prior art techniques . in the present arrangement , the rupture assembly 100 is arranged so that the rupture discs 102 and 104 fracture into sufficiently small fragments those fragments can be easily removed by fluid circulation , without damaging the tubing 10 . in addition , full tubing inner diameter id 1 is restored after the rupture members 102 and 104 are broken , so that there is no need to drill out any part of the assembly 100 . once the rupture discs 102 and 104 have ruptured , normal operations may be performed . the rupture assembly 100 is straight - forward to install , avoids the cost and complexity of many known tubing flotation methods and devices , and decreases completion time . in a preferred embodiment , the sealing assembly 22 is a rupture disc assembly , as seen in fig6 and described in commonly owned u . s . patent application publication no . 2014 / 0216756 , the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference . the sealing assembly 22 may be any conventional sealing mechanism for tubing and casing strings . the rupture disc assembly may consist of an upper tubular member 16 coupled to a lower tubular member 18 , and a rupture disc 30 sealingly engaged between upper tubular member 16 and lower tubular member 18 . the rupture disc 30 is preferably made of high heat strengthened glass , similar to rupture discs 102 and 104 . upper tubular member 16 may be coupled with lower tubular member in a manner similar to tubular members 116 and 118 . lower tubular member 18 may include a radially expanded region 25 with a tapered internal surface 58 , which may be a frusto - conical surface ( e . g . lead - in chamfer ). the radially expanded region 25 is continuous with a constricted opening ( represented by dash line 27 ). various surfaces on lower tubular member 18 , most notably surface 58 , can form impact surfaces for shattering the rupture disc 30 . upper tubular member 16 also has a radially expanded portion 29 to help accommodate disc 30 . rupture disc 30 may be concentrically disposed traverse to the longitudinal axis of the upper and lower tubular members 16 and 18 . in the illustrated embodiment , a portion 32 of rupture disc 30 is a hollow , hemispherical dome , with a concave surface 38 that faces downhole and a convex surface 36 that is oriented in the uphole direction . hemispherical portion 32 is continuous with cylindrical portion 34 which terminates in a circumferential edge 39 having a diameter that is similar to the inner diameter of the radially expanded region 25 of lower tubular member 18 at shoulder 26 . rupture disc 30 is constrained from upward movement by tapered surface 60 on upper tubular member 16 . shear ring 44 is an example of a securing mechanism for disc 30 , the securing mechanism generally serving the purpose of holding the rupture disc 30 in the lower tubular member 18 helping to seal the rupture disc 30 in the tubing string 10 , facilitating the rupture of the disc 30 , and generally being shearable in response to hydraulic pressure ( i . e . being shearable or otherwise releasing the rupture disc 30 in response to the application of a threshold hydraulic pressure that is less that the rupture burst pressure of the disc 30 ). as seen in fig6 , the shear ring 44 may be sandwiched between the inner wall of lower tubular member 18 and the walls of cylindrical portion 34 of rupture disc 30 . similar to shear ring 106 , shear ring 44 provides for seating rupture disc 30 in lower tubular member 18 , and acts as a disengageable constraint . a circular rim 40 of the shear ring 44 acts as seating for the circumferential edge 39 of rupture disc 30 . shear ring 44 preferably has tabs 46 or other projections extending inwardly from rim 40 that can be sheared in response to hydraulic pressure like tabs 152 . the tabs 46 may be spaced around the circumference of the rim 40 . shear ring 44 may be held between shoulder 26 of lower tubular member 18 and end 28 of upper tubular member 16 and may be sealed to lower tubular member 18 by an o - ring 50 . rupture disc 30 may be sealed to shear ring 44 by an o - ring 52 . o - ring 52 may be disposed in a groove or void , circumferentially extending around the cylindrical portion 34 of disc 30 . the o - rings ensure a fluid tight seal as between the shear ring 44 , the rupture disc 30 , and the upper and lower tubulars 16 and 18 . the threshold pressure at which the securing mechanism 44 shears , releasing the rupture disc 30 , is less than the rupture burst pressure of the disc 30 ( i . e . the pressure at which the disc would break in response to hydraulic pressure alone ). tabs 46 support and / or seat rupture disc 30 . once all of the tabs 46 are sheared , rupture disc 30 may be freed or released from the constraints of shear ring 44 . rupture disc 30 then moves suddenly downward in response to hydraulic fluid pressure already being applied to convex surface 36 of rupture disc 30 , being pushed through the circumferential aperture 39 of shear ring 44 . once disengaged or otherwise released from shear ring 44 , rupture disc 30 will impinge upon some portion of lower tubular member 18 ( e . g . tapered surface 58 , herein referred to as an example of an impact surface ) and break into very small fragments as a result , preferably fragments that are less than ⅜ of an inch in any dimension . thus , surface 58 serves as an impact surface . surface 58 , because it is angled , provides a wall against which the rupture disc is forced , and thus causes the disc to rupture . any portion of the lower tubular 18 may constitute an impact surface , provided that the impingement of disc 30 with the surface causes the disc to rupture . the sealing assembly 22 and rupture assembly 100 are preferably used in a method of installing the tubing 10 in the wellbore 12 . running a tubing 10 in deviated wells and in long horizontal wells , in particular , can result in significantly increased drag forces . the tubing may become stuck before reaching the desired location . this is especially true when the weight of the tubing in the wellbore produces more drag forces than the weight tending to slide the tubing down the hole . if too much force is applied to push the tubing into the well , damage to the tubing can result . the rupture assembly 100 of the present invention helps to address some of these problems . to install the tubing 10 in the wellbore 12 , the tubing 10 is initially assembled at the surface including the incorporation of the sealing assembly 22 and the rupture assembly 100 , trapping air therebetween in the buoyant chamber 20 . the buoyant chamber 20 provides float to counteract any friction drag between the tubing walls with the walls of the wellbore 12 . as the tubing 10 is run into the wellbore 12 , the convex surface 146 of the second rupture member 104 resists fracture and remains intact against the hydrostatic pressure from the wellbore fluid . that is the hydrostatic pressure during run - in must be less than the rupture burst pressure of the second rupture disc 104 , to prevent premature rupture of the rupture disc 104 . generally , the rupture disc 104 may have a pressure rating of at least 3500 psi , for example . once the tubing has run and landed , the sealing assembly 22 and the rupture assembly 100 can be easily removed from the system and circulating equipment may be installed . the removal involves first bursting the sealing assembly 22 near the top of the tubing 10 by puncturing the same or applying sufficient fluid pressure . after the sealing assembly 22 is burst , and fluid fills the buoyancy chamber 20 , sufficient fluid pressure is applied again to subsequently burst the rupture assembly 100 . alternatively , the sealing assembly 22 and the rupture assembly 100 can be burst at the same time using the same fluid pressure application . the fluid pressure ( e . g ., from the surface ) is applied through the tubing 10 and exerts enough force on the first rupture member 102 and the shear ring 106 , particularly tabs 160 , to release the first rupture member 102 . the first rupture member 102 of the rupture assembly 100 is preferably designed so that up to 1800 psi of pressure may be applied before the securing ring 106 releases or shears . that initiates the sequence of rupturing the first and second rupture members 102 and 104 and clearing the tubing fluid passageway , as described above . once the rupture assembly 100 has been ruptured , the inside diameter of the tubing 10 in the region of the rupture assembly 100 is substantially the same as that in the remainder of the tubing ( i . e . the inner diameter id 1 is restored following rupture of the rupture assembly 100 ). that is accomplished in the present invention by installing the rupture assembly 100 in the radially expanded area of the tubular members 116 and 118 along with sizing the tabs 152 ( e . g . to form a 4 . 48 inch inner diameter ) of the shear ring 106 and the projections 160 ( e . g . to form a 4 . 15 inner diameter ) of the impact carrier ring 108 to have an inner diameter that is substantially the same or greater than the inner diameter of the tubing . the ability to restore full tubing inner diameter is useful in achieving maximum flow rate quickly . it also allows downhole tools and the like to be deployed without restriction into the tubing 10 . also , further work can be done without the need to remove any parts from the tubing 10 . the foregoing presents particular embodiments of a system embodying the principles of the invention . those skilled in the art will be able to devise alternatives and variations which , even if not explicitly disclosed herein , embody those principles and are thus within the scope of the invention . although particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described , they are not intended to limit what this patent covers . one skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention as literally and equivalently covered by the following claims .	4
fig1 shows a schematic illustration of the physiological and physical model of a spectacle lens in a predetermined wearing position along with an exemplary ray course , on which an individual spectacle lens calculation or optimization according to a preferred embodiment of the invention is based . here , preferably only one single ray ( the main ray 10 ) is calculated per visual point of the spectacle lens , but further also the derivatives of the vertex depths of the wavefront according to the transversal coordinates ( perpendicular to the main ray ). these derivatives are taken into consideration up to the desired orders , wherein the second derivatives describe the local curvature properties of the wavefront and the higher derivatives are related to the higher - order aberrations . in the tracing of light through the spectacle lens , the local derivatives of the wavefronts are ultimately determined at a suitable position in the ray course in order to compare them with the required values of the refraction of the spectacles wearer there . in a preferred embodiment , this position is for example the vertex sphere or the entrance pupil of the eye 12 . to this end , it is assumed that a spherical wavefront originates at an object point and propagates to the first spectacle lens surface 14 . there , it is refracted and subsequently it propagates ( st 2 ) up to the second spectacle lens surface 16 , where it is refracted again . if further surfaces to be considered exist , the alternation of propagation and refraction is continued until the last boundary surface has been passed , and the last propagation ( st 4 ) then takes place from this last boundary surface to the vertex sphere ( or the entrance pupil of the eye ). in the following , the propagation of the wavefront according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail . these statements can e . g . be applied to the propagation of the wavefront between the two spectacle lens surfaces and / or to the propagation of the wavefront from the rear spectacle lens surface to the vertex sphere . as illustrated in fig2 , preferably a cartesian coordinate system ( with an x axis , a y axis , and a z axis ) is defined , the origin of which being at the intersection point of the main ray 10 with the original wavefront 18 for a predetermined main ray 10 . the z axis preferably points in the direction of the main ray 10 . the directions of the x axis and the y axis are preferably selected to be perpendicular to the z axis and perpendicular to each other such that the coordinate system is right - handed . if the original wavefront is assumed to be a wavefront at a refractive surface , i . e . a surface of the spectacle lens , the x axis and / or the y axis is preferably selected to be parallel to the surface or surface tangent in the penetration point of the main ray . in another preferred embodiment , the x axis and the y axis are selected to be parallel to the main curvatures of the original wavefront 18 . w ⁡ ( x , y ) = ∑ k = 0 ∞ ⁢ ⁢ ∑ m = 0 k ⁢ ⁢ a m , k - m m ! ⁢ ( k - m ) ! ⁢ x m ⁢ y k - m ( 2 ) thus , the connection between the coefficients a k x , k y and the local aberrations e k x , k y can be described by : e k x , k y = na k x , k y e 2 , 0 = s xx na in , 2 , 0 e 1 , 1 = s xy = na 1 , 1 e 0 , 2 = s yy = na 0 , 2 e 3 , 0 = na 3 , 0 for aberrations up to the second order , the propagation of a spherical wavefront with the vergence s o = n / s o of the original wavefront in a surrounding around a main ray can preferably be expressed in a known manner by the propagation equation s p = 1 1 - d n ⁢ s o ⁢ s o ( 4 ) where s p = n / s p designates the vergence of the propagated wavefront . as illustrated in fig3 , s o and s p designate the vertex distance of the original wavefront 18 and the propagated wavefront 20 , respectively , ( distance along the main ray 10 from the wavefront to the image point 22 ). n designates the refractive index and d the propagation distance . by an extension to three dimensions , the spherocylindrical form of the wavefront can be represented as follows . first of all , the curvatures 1 / s o and 1 / s p are identified with the second derivatives of the vertex depths of the original wavefront 18 and the propagated wavefront 20 , respectively . in the three - dimensional representation , the two derivatives w o ( 2 , 0 ) =∂ 2 w o /∂ x 2 , w o ( 1 , 1 ) =∂ 2 w o /∂ x ∂ y , w o ( 0 , 2 ) =∂ 2 w o /∂ y 2 the original wavefront 18 and correspondingly for the propagated wavefront 20 are respectively summarized in form of a vergence matrix : s o = ( s oxx s oxy s oxy s oyy ) = n ⁡ ( w o ( 2 , 0 ) w o ( 1 , 1 ) w o ( 1 , 1 ) w o ( 0 , 2 ) ) , ⁢ s p = ( s pxx s pxy s pxy s pyy ) = n ⁡ ( w p ( 2 , 0 ) w p ( 1 , 1 ) w p ( 1 , 1 ) w p ( 0 , 2 ) ) ( 5 ) s oxx = ( sph + cyl 2 ) - cyl 2 ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ 2 ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ s oyy = ( sph + cyl 2 ) + cyl 2 ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ 2 ⁢ α ( 6 ) ( and analogously for the propagated wavefront ) the components of the respective vergence matrix are connected with the known parameters of spherical power sph , the magnitude cyl of cylindrical power , and the cylinder axis a of the cylindrical power . by means of the representation in form of the vergence matrix , by analogy with equation ( 4 ), the propagation of an astigmatic wavefront can be represented via the generalized propagation equation s p = 1 1 - d n ⁢ s o ⁢ s o ( 7 ) s o = ( s oxx s oxy s oyy ) = n ⁡ ( w o ( 2 , 0 ) w o ( 1 , 1 ) w o ( 0 , 2 ) ) , ⁢ s p = ( s pxx s pxy s pyy ) = n ⁡ ( w p ( 2 , 0 ) w p ( 1 , 1 ) w p ( 0 , 2 ) ) ( 8 ) are introduced as power vectors in the three - dimensional vector space for the original wavefront 18 and the propagated wavefront 20 . now , for consideration of higher - order aberrations in the propagation of the wavefront , corresponding vectors e k of the dimension k + 1 are introduced : for further consideration , at first only a two - dimensional representation will be described for reasons of simplification . here , some point on the original wavefront ( r = o ) or the propagated wavefront ( r = p ) is described by the coefficients a o , k of the original wavefront 18 correspond to the derivatives of the wavefront with y = 0 : in two dimensions , the vergence matrix s o in equation ( 5 ) is reduced to a scalar e o , k = nw o ( k ) = na o , k . for second or third - order aberrations , e . g . s o = e o , 2 = nw o ( 2 ) = na o , 2 , e o , 3 = nw o ( k ) = na o , 3 , etc . result . the same applies to the propagated wavefront 20 . here , it is to be noted that any wavefront at the intersection point with the main ray 10 is not inclined with respect to the z axis . since the z axis points along the direction of the main ray 10 , it is perpendicular to the original and propagated wavefronts in the intersection points of the main ray 10 with the wavefronts 18 , 20 . moreover , since the origin of the coordinate system is at the original wavefront 18 , it holds for the coefficients that : a o , 0 = 0 , a o , 1 = 0 , a p , 0 = d , and a p , 1 = 0 in two dimensions , the normal vector n w ( y ) for a wavefront w ( y ) results from n w ( y )=(− w ( 1 ) ( y ), 1 ) t /√{ square root over ( 1 + w ( 1 ) ( y ) 2 )}, where w ( 1 ) =∂ w /∂ y . for reasons of a simplified notation , first of all v ≡ w ( 1 ) and the following function is introduced : as derivatives n ( i ) ( 0 )≡∂ i /∂ v i n ( v )\| v = 0 of this function there result : the normal vector , which is perpendicular to both the original wavefront 18 and the propagated wavefront 20 , can be designated uniformly with n w . thus , for the first derivative of the normal vector there is determined : with the local aberrations of the original wavefront 18 , the corresponding coefficients a k and , equivalent thereto , the derivatives of the wavefront are directly defined as well . subsequently , the propagated wavefront 20 is determined therefrom particularly by determining its derivatives or coefficients a k for all orders 2 ≦ k ≦ k 0 up to the desired value k 0 , and thus the values of the local aberrations of the propagated wavefront 20 are determined . as a starting point , the following situation with respect to fig4 will be considered in an illustrative way . while the main ray 10 and the coordinate system are fixed , a neighboring ray 24 scans the original wavefront 18 ({ w o }) and strikes it in a section y o ≠ 0 . from there , it propagates further to the propagated wavefront 20 ({ w p }). as illustrated in fig4 , y o designates the projection of the intersection point of the neighboring ray 24 with the original wavefront { w o } to the y axis , while analogously the projection of the intersection point with the propagated wavefront { w p } to the y axis is designated with y p . the vector w o = w o ( y o ) ( cf . equation ( 10 )) points to the intersection point of the neighboring ray 24 with the original wavefront 18 , and the optical path difference ( opd ) with respect to the propagated wavefront 20 is designated with τ . accordingly , the vector from the original wavefront 18 to the propagated surface 20 is represented by τ / n n w . thus , it results for the vector to the corresponding point of the propagated wavefront : w p = w o + τ / n n w . as a basic equation there is introduced : now , from this equation , the desired relations are derived order by order . here , y p is preferably used as a free variable , on which y o depends in turn . for solving the equation , first of all the vector can be introduced . based on this , the following function is introduced for the further consideration : f ⁡ ( p , y p ) = ( y o + τ n ⁢ n w , y ⁡ ( w o ( 1 ) ⁡ ( y o ) ) - y p w o ⁡ ( y o ) + τ n ⁢ n w , z ⁡ ( w o ( 1 ) ⁡ ( y o ) ) - w p ) ( 18 ) where ( p 1 , p 2 )=( y o , w p ) are the components of p . now , if p = p ( y p ), the equation ( 16 ) can be represented in a compact form by : the derivatives of this function according to y p are preferably expressed by the following system of differential equations : ∑ j = 1 2 ⁢ ⁢ ∂ f i ∂ p j ⁢ p j ( 1 ) ⁡ ( y p ) + ∂ f i ∂ y p = 0 , where the matrix with the elements a ij :=∂ ƒ i /∂ p j is referred to as a jacobi matrix a . the jacobi matrix a thus reads the terms appearing in this equation are to be understood as w o ( 1 ) ≡ w o ( 1 ) ( y o ) w o ( 2 ) ≡ w o ( 2 ) ( y o ), n w , y ≡ n w , y ( w o ( 1 ) ( y o )), n w , y ( 1 ) ≡ n w , y ( 1 ) ( w o ( 1 ) ( y o )), etc ., where y o , w p are in turn themselves functions of y p . the derivative vector ∂ ƒ i /∂ y p can be summarized as p ( 1 ) ( y p )= a ( p ( y p )) − 1 b ( 24 ) based on this , the equation system for higher - order aberrations is preferably solved recursively as follows : p ( 1 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = a - 1 ⁢ b ⁢ ⁢ p ( 2 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = ( a - 1 ) ( 1 ) ⁢ b ⁢ ⁢ p ( k ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = ( a - 1 ) ( k - 1 ) ⁢ b , ( 25 ) in an alternative approach , it is suggested performing the recursion on the basis of equation ( 23 ) instead of equation ( 24 ). the first ( k − 1 ) derivatives of equation ( 23 ) yield : ⁢ ap ( 1 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = b ( a ) a ( 1 ) ⁢ p ( 1 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) + ap ( 2 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = 0 ( b ) a ( 2 ) ⁢ p ( 1 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) + 2 ⁢ a ( 1 ) ⁢ p ( 2 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) + ap ( 3 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = 0 ( c ) … ∑ j = 1 k ⁢ ⁢ ( k - 1 j - 1 ) ⁢ ⁢ a ( k - j ) ⁢ p ( j ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = 0 , k ≥ 2 ( d ) ⁢ ⁢ a ( 1 ) = ⅆ ⅆ y p ⁢ a ⁡ ( p ⁡ ( y p ) ) ⁢  y p = 0 ⁢ , … ⁢ , a ( k - j ) = ⅆ k - j ⅆ y p k - j ⁢ a ⁡ ( p ⁡ ( y p ) )  y p = 0 ( 26 ) designate the total derivatives of the function . formally , these equations are solved by : in order to obtain a ( 0 ) − 1 , preferably equation ( 21 ) is evaluated for p = 0 and equation ( 14 ) is applied . this yields : a ⁡ ( 0 ) = ( 1 + τ n ⁢ w o ( 2 ) 0 0 - 1 ) ⇒ a ⁡ ( 0 ) - 1 = ( 1 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 2 ) 0 0 - 1 ) ( 28 ) y o ( 1 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = 1 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 2 ) ⁢ ⁢ and ⁢ ⁢ w p ( 1 ) ⁡ ( 0 ) = 0 . a ( 1 ) = ⅆ ⅆ y p ⁢ a ⁡ ( p ⁡ ( y p ) ) ⁢ ❘ y p = 0 , etc . are preferably determined from equation ( 21 ) and preferably equation ( 14 ) is applied again . thus , it results in the second order : w p ( 2 ) = 1 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 2 ) ⁢ w o ( 2 ) ( 30 ) which basically corresponds to the above - described propagation equation . the higher orders can analogously be expressed by : equation ( 31 ) correspondingly applies to the derivatives and the coefficients a o , k and a p , k due to equations ( 10 ) to ( 12 ). now , if one replaces d = τ / n and β = 1 1 - d n ⁢ s o , in a generalized way , where in r k all wavefront derivatives e o , j of the lower orders ( j & lt ; k ) are expressed in form of local aberrations . even if a three - dimensional representation is more complex , it can basically be established by analogy with the two - dimensional representation . therefore , for the fully three - dimensional representation , only a few essential additional considerations will be described in the following . where w o ( x , y ) is determined according to equation ( 2 ), and the relationship between the coefficients and the derivatives is determined according to equation ( 3 ). the connection between the coefficients and the local aberrations results from a multiplication of the coefficient by the refractive index . preferably , by analogy with equation ( 13 ), formal vectors are introduced : n ⁡ ( u , v ) := 1 1 + u 2 + v 2 ⁢ ( - u - v 1 ) ( 35 ) so that the normal vectors with respect to a surface w ( x , y ):=( x , y , w ( x , y )) t are determined by : in the intersection point , it thus results n w ( 0 , 0 )=( 0 , 0 , 1 ) t , and the derivatives according to equation ( 14 ) are preferably determined from equation ( 35 ). as the basis for the consideration of a connection between the original and propagated wavefronts , preferably substantially equation ( 16 ) is used , with the difference that now x and y components are considered at the same time . as a vector of unknown functions , there is preferably determined : p ⁡ ( x p , y p ) = ( x o ⁡ ( x p , y p ) y o ⁡ ( x p , y p ) w p ⁡ ( x p , y p ) ) ( 36 ) and by analogy with equation ( 16 ), there is preferably used for the three - dimensional consideration : an importance difference compared to the two - dimensional consideration is that in the three - dimensional case two arguments exist , with respect to which the derivatives are taken into account . thus , already in the first order , two equations are considered : a ( p ( x p , y p )) p ( 0 , 1 ) ( x p , y p )= b y ( 38 ) the jacobi matrix a ( p ( x 2 , y 2 )) with the elements a ij :=∂ ƒ i /∂ p j is the same for both equations and analogous to equation ( 21 ), but now in the size 3 × 3 . the direct solutions by analogy with equation ( 25 ) are now determined by by analogy with equations ( 28 ) and ( 29 ), it results for the three - dimensional consideration : a ⁡ ( 0 ) = ( 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 2 , 0 ) - τ n ⁢ w o ( 1 , 1 ) 0 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 1 , 1 ) 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 0 , 2 ) 0 0 0 - 1 ) ⇒ a ⁡ ( 0 ) - 1 = ( γ ⁡ ( 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 0 , 2 ) τ n ⁢ w o ( 1 , 1 ) τ n ⁢ w o ( 1 , 1 ) 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 2 , 0 ) ) 0 0 0 0 - 1 ) ⁢ ⁢ γ = - 1 det ⁡ ( a ⁡ ( 0 ) ) = 1 1 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 2 , 0 ) - ( τ n ⁢ w o ( 1 , 1 ) ) 2 - τ n ⁢ w o ( 0 , 2 ) + ( τ n ) 2 ⁢ w o ( 2 , 0 ) ⁢ w o ( 0 , 2 ) ) ( 42 ) after further application of equations ( 39 ) and ( 41 ), it results in the second order w p ( 2 , 0 ) = γ ( τ / n ( w o ( 1 , 1 ) ) 2 +( 1 − τ / n w o ( 0 , 2 ) ) w o ( 2 , 0 ) ) w p ( 0 , 2 ) = γ ( τ / n ( w o ( 1 , 1 ) ) 2 +( 1 − τ / n w o ( 2 , 0 ) ) w o ( 0 , 2 ) ) ( 44 ) in a preferred embodiment , the coordinate axes for determination of the propagation are selected or determined such that the x axis and the y axis coincide with the directions of the main curvatures of the original wavefront . it thereby holds that w o ( 1 , 1 ) = 0 , and the equations ( 44 ) are simplified as in a corresponding way , the equations in the third order are preferably expressed as follows : d = τ n ⁢ ⁢ and ⁢ ⁢ γ = 1 1 - d n ⁢ s oxx - ( d n ⁢ s oxy ) 2 - d n ⁢ s oyy + ( d n ) 2 ⁢ s oxx ⁢ s oyy ) , the propagation of the wavefront in the second order in the form of the local aberrations can be expressed as follows : β x = 1 1 - d n ⁢ s xx ⁢ ⁢ and ⁢ ⁢ β y = 1 1 - d n ⁢ s yy , the propagation of the wavefront in the third order can be described by : in a preferred embodiment , the coordinate axes for determination of the propagation are selected or determined such that the x axis and the y axis coincide with the directions of the main curvatures of the original wavefront . thereby , the equations ( 47 ) and ( 48 ) are simplified as the propagation of fourth - order aberrations can be determined in a comparatively simply way by : e pk = b k ⁡ ( e ok + r k ) ( 52 ) with ⁢ ⁢ b k = ( β x k … … 0 ⋮ β x k - 1 ⁢ β y 1 ⋮ ⋱ ⋮ β x 1 ⁢ β y k - 1 ⋮ 0 … β y k ) ( 53 ) where r k represents a vector in which by analogy with r k in equation ( 33 ) all remainder terms r k x , k y are included . s p = t ( 2 ) ( { circumflex over ( r )} ) t ( 2 ) ({ circumflex over ( β )}){ tilde over ({ circumflex over ( s )})} p s ( { circumflex over ( r )} ) e p3 = t ( 3 ) ( { circumflex over ( r )} ) t ( 3 ) ({ circumflex over ( β )}){ tilde over ({ circumflex over ( e )})} p3 s ( { circumflex over ( r )} ) e p4 = t ( 4 ) ( { circumflex over ( r )} ) t ( 4 ) ({ circumflex over ( β )}){ tilde over ({ circumflex over ( e )})} p4 s ( { circumflex over ( r )} ) where s p , e p3 , e p4 , . . . apply in every coordinate system and where ⁢ β ^ = ( β ^ xx 0 0 β ^ yy ) ⁢ with ⁢ β ^ xx = ( 1 - τ n ⁢ w ^ ( 2 , 0 ) ) - 1 ⁢ β ^ yy = ( 1 - τ n ⁢ w ^ ( 0 , 2 ) ) - 1 ( w ^ ( 2 , 0 ) w ^ ( 1 , 1 ) w ^ ( 0 , 2 ) ) = 1 2 ⁢ ( w ( 2 , 0 ) + w ( 0 , 2 ) ) ⁢ ( 1 0 1 ) + 1 2 ⁢ ( w ( 2 , 0 ) - w ( 0 , 2 ) ) ⁢ 1 + ( 2 ⁢ w ( 1 , 1 ) w ( 2 , 0 ) - w ( 0 , 2 ) ) 2 ⁢ ( 1 0 - 1 ) is an auxiliary matrix , which can be referred to back to the matrix β = ( β xx β xy β xy β yy ) = ( 1 - τ n ⁢ ( w o ( 2 , 0 ) w o ( 1 , 1 ) w o ( 1 , 1 ) w o ( 0 , 2 ) ) ) - 1 by β ^ = r ^ ⁢ ⁢ β ⁢ ⁢ r ^ - 1 where r ^ = ( cos ⁢ ⁢ φ - sin ⁢ ⁢ φ sin ⁢ ⁢ φ cos ⁢ ⁢ φ ) is a rotation matrix , which transforms from the special system in which the x axis and the y axis coincide with the directions of the main curvatures of the original wavefront into the general system . here , s ⁡ ( r ^ ) ⁢ : = ( r ^ 0 0 1 ) is used , and , further , t ( 1 ) , t ( 2 ) , t ( 3 ) , t ( 4 ) in equation ( 54 ) are matrix - like functions which assign the matrices ⁢ t ( 1 ) ⁡ ( x ) = ( a c b d ) ⁢ t ( 2 ) ⁡ ( x ) = ( a 2 2 ⁢ ac c 2 ab ad + bc cd b 2 2 ⁢ bd d 2 ) ⁢ t ( 3 ) ⁡ ( x ) = ( a 3 3 ⁢ a 2 ⁢ c 3 ⁢ ac 2 c 3 a 2 ⁢ b a ⁡ ( ad + 2 ⁢ bc ) c ⁡ ( 2 ⁢ ad + bc ) c 2 ⁢ d ab 2 b ⁡ ( 2 ⁢ ad + bc ) d ⁡ ( ad + 2 ⁢ bc ) cd 2 b 3 3 ⁢ b 2 ⁢ d 3 ⁢ bd 2 d 3 ) t ( 4 ) ⁡ ( x ) = ( a 4 4 ⁢ a 3 ⁢ c 6 ⁢ a 2 ⁢ c 2 4 ⁢ ac 3 c 4 a 3 ⁢ b a 2 ⁡ ( 3 ⁢ bc + ad ) 3 ⁢ ac ⁡ ( bc + ad ) c 2 ⁡ ( bc + 3 ⁢ ad ) c 3 ⁢ d a 2 ⁢ b 2 2 ⁢ ab ⁡ ( bc + ad ) b 2 ⁢ c 2 + 4 ⁢ abcd + a 2 ⁢ d 2 2 ⁢ cd ⁡ ( bc + ad ) c 2 ⁢ d 2 ab 3 b 2 ⁡ ( bc + 3 ⁢ ad ) 3 ⁢ bd ⁡ ( bc + ad ) d 2 ⁡ ( 3 ⁢ bc + ad ) cd 3 b 4 4 ⁢ b 3 ⁢ d 6 ⁢ b 2 ⁢ d 2 4 ⁢ bd 3 d 4 ) for even higher orders , the matrices t ( n ) can be defined with n & gt ; 4 . finally , as expressions for solutions on which the solutions for the propagated wavefronts can be formed by the transformation in equation ( 54 ), there are predetermined for the order n = 2 s ~ ^ p = ( w ~ ^ p ( 2 , 0 ) w ~ ^ p ( 1 , 1 ) w ~ ^ p ( 0 , 2 ) ) = ( β ^ 11 - 1 ⁢ w ^ o ( 2 , 0 ) 0 β ^ 22 - 1 ⁢ w ^ o ( 0 , 2 ) ) = ( w ^ ( 2 , 0 ) 0 w ^ o ( 0 , 2 ) ) - τ n ⁢ ( w ^ o ( 2 , 0 ) 2 0 w ^ o ( 0 , 2 ) 2 ) , e ~ ^ p ⁢ ⁢ 3 = ( w ~ ^ p ( 3 , 0 ) w ~ ^ p ( 2 , 1 ) w ~ ^ p ( 1 , 2 ) w ~ ^ p ( 0 , 3 ) ) = ( w ^ o ( 3 , 0 ) w ^ o ( 2 , 1 ) w ^ o ( 1 , 2 ) w ^ o ( 0 , 3 ) ) in the following , it will be shown how the aberrations of a spectacle lens are considered in the optimization thereof in a preferable way by the wavefronts being described in different coordinate systems that are rotated relative to each other . as described with respect to fig1 and fig2 , the coordinate systems are preferably defined by the intersection points of the main ray 10 with the refractive surface 14 , 16 , by the refractive surface , and by the direction of the main ray 10 . in order to describe an incoming wavefront , the refractive surface itself , and the outgoing wavefront for the process of refraction on the refractive surface , preferably three different local cartesian coordinate systems ( x , y , z ), ( x , y , z ), and ( x ′, y ′, z ′) are used . the origin of all these coordinate systems preferably coincides with the intersection point of the main ray 10 with the refractive surface . while the systems have the normal direction to the plane of refraction ( i . e . the plane in which the incoming and the outgoing main ray are located ) as the common axis x = x ′= x , the z axis points along the incoming main ray , the z ′ axis along the outgoing main ray , and the z axis along the normal of the refractive surface . the orientations of the axis , axis , and axis are preferably selected such that each system is right - handed ( cf . fig5 ) at the transition between the coordinate systems , all vector quantities v depend on each other via the following relations where r designates the rotations about the common x axis and is defined by the three - dimensional rotation matrix in case of a rotation of the coordinate system by the angle α about the z axis , the coordinate transformation is described by x ~ = x ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ α - y ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α y ~ = x ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α + y ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ or ⁢ ⁢ ( x ~ y ~ ) = r ⁡ ( α ) ⁢ ( x y ) ( 57 ) thus , the wavefront { tilde over ( w )} in the rotated coordinate system { tilde over ( x )}, { tilde over ( y )} is described by { tilde over ( w )} ( { tilde over ( x )},{ tilde over ( y )} )= w ( x ( { tilde over ( x )},{ tilde over ( y )} ), y ( { tilde over ( x )},{ tilde over ( y )} )) ( 59 ) if one derives the wavefront { tilde over ( w )} according to { tilde over ( x )},{ tilde over ( y )}, one obtains the new coefficients ã m , k − m relative to the coefficients a m , k − m . if the coordinate system is rotated by the angle α , the new aberrations { tilde over ( s )} of second order ( in the rotated coordinate system ({ tilde over ( x )},{ tilde over ( y )})) are calculated via for higher orders of the aberrations , the dependency of the new coefficients a m , k − m on the old coefficients a m , k − m is preferably expressed by the resulting rotation matrix has the block structure , which shows that the coefficients a m , k − m of the order k only depend on coefficients a m , k − m of the same order k . the rotation matrix for the first 15 coefficients ( n = 15 ) up to the order ( k = 4 ) thus reads the matrix elements of the block structures r k ( α ) of the first order ( k = 1 ) yield the known rotation matrix r 2 ⁡ ( α ) = ( cos 2 ⁢ α - 2 ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α sin 2 ⁢ α cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α cos 2 ⁢ α - sin 2 ⁢ α - cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α sin 2 ⁢ α 2 ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α cos 2 ⁢ α ) ( 67 ) r 3 ⁡ ( α ) = ( cos 3 ⁢ α - 3 ⁢ ⁢ cos 2 ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α 3 ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin 2 ⁢ α sin 3 ⁢ α cos 2 ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α cos 3 ⁢ α - 2 ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ αsin 2 ⁢ α sin 3 ⁢ α - 2 ⁢ ⁢ cos 2 ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin 2 ⁢ α cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin 2 ⁢ α - ( sin 3 ⁢ α - 2 ⁢ ⁢ cos 2 ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α ) cos 3 ⁢ α - 2 ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ αsin 2 ⁢ α cos 2 ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α sin 3 ⁢ α 3 ⁢ ⁢ cos ⁢ ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin 2 ⁢ α 3 ⁢ ⁢ cos 2 ⁢ α ⁢ ⁢ sin ⁢ ⁢ α cos 3 ⁢ α ) ( 68 ) the equations ( 66 ) to ( 69 ) show that the block matrix elements e i , j ( α ) of the respective rotation matrix r k ( α ) have the symmetry e i , j ( α )= e k + 2 − i , k + 2 − j (− α ). with c = cos α , s = sin α , the block matrices can be simplified to read in a preferred embodiment , the aberrations are described in the form of zernike polynomials . in this case , the rotation is performed in the space of the zernike polynomials . the wavefront is preferably spanned by the zernike polynomials in polar coordinates : the zernike coefficients corresponding to a wavefront w ( x , y ) are preferably determined via the integral c k m = 1 π ⁢ ⁢ r 0 2 ⁢ ∫ ∫ pupil ⁢ z k m ⁡ ( x r 0 , y r 0 ) ⁢ w ⁡ ( x , y ) ⁢ ⅆ x ⁢ ⁢ ⅆ y ( 73 ) where r :=√{ square root over ( x 2 + y 2 )}, x = ρ cos φ , y = ρ sin φ , and r 0 the pupil size . in the preferred representation by means of zernike polynomials in polar coordinates , the rotation for the zernike coefficients is very simple . the vector of zernike coefficients is transformed by the rotation in a block matrix representation , the rotation matrix is directly based on the elementary rotation matrix of equation ( 57 ). for n = 15 , the rotation matrix has the form : for illustration purposes , every block belonging to the same radial order is framed . if the wavefront is represented via a series as in equations ( 70 ) and ( 71 ), a series representation , i . e . a linear combination of the coefficients a m , k − m results for the integral of equation ( 72 ) as well . if the coefficients c k m or a m , k − m are summed as vectors up to a specific order k , a transition matrix t ( n ) between the zernike subspace and the taylor series subspace of the order k can be indicated by ( c 0 , 0 c 1 , 1 c 1 , - 1 c 2 , 0 c 2 , 2 c 2 , - 2 c 3 , 1 c 3 , - 1 c 3 , 3 ⋮ ) = t ⁡ ( n ) ⁢ ( e e x e y e xx e xy e yy e xxx e xxy ⋮ e yy ⁢ ⁢ … ⁢ ⁢ y ) = n ⁢ ⁢ t ⁡ ( n ) ⁢ ( a 00 a 01 a 10 a 02 a 11 a 20 a 03 a 12 a 21 ⋮ ) ( 76 ) d ⁡ ( 9 ) = ( 1 … … 0 0 r 0 ⋮ ⋮ r 0 r 0 2 r 0 2 r 0 2 r 0 3 ⋮ r 0 3 ⋮ 0 … … 0 r 0 3 ) ( 77 ) designates a matrix that indicates the correct power of the pupil radius . the basic transformation matrix z ( n ) is determined by zernike expansion of the power series . preferably , the following representation is provided for the transformation matrix for n = 15 : in this equation as well , the blocks belonging to the same radial order are framed for purposes of illustration . it can be seen that non - disappearing elements also exist outside the diagonal blocks . however , they do not influence the rotation matrix r pot ( n , α ). in order to determine the rotation matrix r pot ( n , α ), r zernike ( n , α ) is transformed to the coefficient system of the power series development with equation ( 76 ): r pot ( n , α )= t − 1 ( n ) r zernike ( n , α ) t ( n ) ( 78 ) r pot ⁡ ( 15 ) = ( 1 0 … 0 0 r 1 ⁡ ( α ) ⋮ r 2 ⁡ ( α ) ⋮ r 3 ⁡ ( α ) 0 0 … 0 r 4 ⁡ ( α ) ) ( 79 ) wherein the block matrices are identical with those of equation ( 70 ). fig6 illustrates an exemplary method for individually optimizing a spectacle lens taking higher - order aberrations ( hoa ) of both the eye and the spectacle lens into consideration . in a step st 12 , not only the local aberrations of 2 nd order ( s ′ xx , s ′ xy , s ′ yy ) but also the aberrations of a higher order ( k ′ xxx , k ′ xxy , k ′ xyy etc .) at the vertex sphere are calculated on the basis of wavefront tracing ( st 10 ). from these , from the local aberrations , the values for sphere , cylinder , and cylinder axis ( sph , zyl , a ) of the spectacle lens are calculated with the help of zernike polynomials and / or other suitable metrics , preferably taking the pupil diameter or pupil radius into consideration . preferably , in a step s 14 , first of all zernike coefficients ( c 2 0 , c 2 2 , c 2 − 2 , . . . ) are determined . since now also the higher - order local aberrations are known , it is possible to calculate the ideal sph , zyl , a values of the spectacle lens for a finite pupil opening , which preferably correspond to the above - described transformed values . both the connection between the local aberrations ( s ′ xx , s ′ xy , s ′ yy , k ′ xxx , k ′ xxy , k ′ xyy , . . . ) and the zernike coefficients ( c 2 0 , c 2 2 , c 2 − 2 , . . . ), as it is particularly referred to in step st 14 , and the connection between the zernike coefficients ( c 2 0 , c 2 2 , c 2 − 2 , . . . ) and the values for sphere ( sph ), cylinder ( zyl bzw . cyl ), and cylinder axis ( a or α ) are provided as functional connections c 2 0 , c 2 2 , c 2 − 2 , . . . )= f ( r , ′ xx , s ′ xy , s ′ yy , k ′ xxx , k ′ xxy , k ′ xyy , . . . ) and sph , zyl , a = f ( r , c 2 0 , c 2 2 , c 2 − 2 , . . . ) in a step st 18 , particularly taking the pupil radius r into consideration . now , it is preferred that the pupil size r be specified to be variable for every visual point . it is particularly preferred that the pupil size be specified as a function of the object distance , which in turn represents a function of the visual point . this can be based e . g . on the near reflex , so that with near objects the assumed pupil diameter decreases . preferably , in the refraction determination ( st 20 ), not only the values for sphere , cylinder , and cylinder axis , particularly for distance and near vision , are determined subjectively , but additionally the higher - order aberrations ( c 2 0 , c 2 2 , c 2 − 2 , . . . ) are determined with an aberrometer . in a step st 22 , the subjective and objective refraction data are combined particularly considering object distance , direction of sight , and pupil diameter . thus , it is possible to calculate ideal ( transformed ) prescription values ( sph , zyl , a ) particularly for different pupil diameters depending on the visual point with suitable metrics . it is particularly preferred that the ideal prescriptions be calculated once and then be deposited as a function of the object distance . moreover , it is preferred that e . g . with the aberrometer also the individual pupil diameter be determined under photopic ( small pupil ) and mesopic ( large pupil ) conditions . otherwise , standard values from literature have to be used . subsequently , the spherocylindrical values of the spectacle lens ( sl ) can be combined with those of the eye ( st 24 ) in a known way ( combination sl / eye k : k ( ref , ast )= sl ( sph , zyl , axis )− eye ( sph , zyl , axis ). the target function ( st 26 ), in which particularly the target values s ( ref , ast ) provided in a step st 28 are taken into account , preferably remains unchanged . the differences between the combination values k and the target values s determined in step st 24 are particularly taken into account therein : k ( ref , ast )− s ( ref , ast ).	6
the compounds of the invention are prepared by the coupling of 2 - nitroaniline diazonium salt with 2 , 7 - dihydroxynaphthalene , and proceeds as follows : ## str5 ## in general , the compounds of the invention are prepared by first performing a standard diazotization , and the 2 - nitroaniline diazonium salt is used immediately in a coupling step with 2 , 7 - dihydroxynaphthalene . next , the azo compound is reductively cyclized with zinc . the material is then acylated with methacryloyl chloride . the current invention will be further illustrated by the examples , which are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit of the current invention . 2 - nitroaniline ( 0 . 25 mol , 34 . 5 g ) was warmed with concentrated hcl ( 95 ml ) to form a hydrochloride salt and the solution was cooled to 0 ° c . and diazotized with a cold solution of sodium nitrite ( 75 . 5 g , 0 . 25 mol ) in water ( 50 ml ). the diazonium salt solution added in small portions with vigorous stirring to a solution of 2 , 7 - dihydroxynaphthalene ( 0 . 2 mol , 32 g ) in ethanol ( 200 ml ) and water ( 200 ml ) at 5 ° c . and the reaction mixture was stirred for 3 hours at this temperature . the cooling bath was removed and the solution was stirred for 1 additional hour . the red - brown azo dye was then filtered and washed thoroughly with water . the azo dye was suspended in 2n naoh ( 300 ml ) and the reductive cyclization carried out by the addition of zinc dust ( 60 g ) over a period of 30 minutes followed by the dropwise addition of a naoh solution ( 50 %). after stirring for 48 hours , the mixture was decanted from the zinc residue and acidified to a ph of 3 to give a crude precipitated product . the product was then carbon decolorized in methanol and recrystallized from a methanol / water mixture to give 30 g ( 54 % yield ) of a light brown solid that looked pure by tlc analysis , and was 2 ( 2 , 7 - dihydroxynaphthyl ) 2h - benzotriazole ( bdhn ). the procedure of example 1 was followed using 4 - methoxy - 2 - nitroaniline ( 0 . 25 mol , 42 g ) in place of 2 - nitroaniline to produce 2 ( 2 , 7 - dihydroxynaphthyl ) 5 - methoxy - 2h - benzotriazole ( mbdhn ). the procedure of example 1 was followed using 4 - chloro - 2 - nitroaniline ( 0 . 25 mol , 43 . 3 g ) in place of 2 - nitroaniline to produce 2 ( 2 , 7 - dihydroxynaphthyl ) 5 - chloro - 2h - benzotriazole ( cbdhn ). to a solution of bdhn or 2 ( 2 , 7 - dihydroxynaphthyl ) 2h - benzotriazole ( 5 . 0 g 18 m mol ) and naoh ( 0 . 8 g , 20 m mol ) in water ( 100 ml ) a solution of methacryloyl chloride ( 20 m mol , 4 ml ) in chloroform ( 50 ml ) was added dropwise with vigorous stirring . the mixture was stirred for 1 additional hour . the organic layer was separated and washed thoroughly with water before evaporation to yield a crude product that was recrystallized from carbon tetrachloride to give a yellow solid ( 2 . 5 g , 40 % yield ) of 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 7 - methacryloxynaphthyl ) 2h - benzotriazole -- m . p . 167 °- 168 ° c . the reaction may be represented as follows : ## str6 ## the above reaction of the sodium salt of the free hydroxyl of bdhn with methacryloyl chloride in a water / chloroform schotten - baumann reaction gives the polymerizable uv stabilizer bdhnm ( 55 %). after isolating this light yellow solid by precipitation from chloroform and washing it with cold carbon tetrachloride , the uv spectrum of bdhnm in chloroform at 2 × 10 - 4 mol / l showed a λ maximum at 352 nm ( ε = 1 . 3 × 10 - 4 l / mol cm ) with a sharp cut - off at 400 nm in transmission mode at a concentration of 2 × 10 - 3 mol / l see fig1 where ( a ) is 2 × 10 - 5 , ( b ) is 2 × 10 - 4 , and ( c ) is 2 × 10 - 3 mol / l . the procedure of example 4 was followed using mbdhn ( 18 m mol , 5 . 5 g ) in place of bdhn to produce a light yellow solid of 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 7 - methacryloxynaphthyl ) 5 - methoxy - 2h - benzotriazole ( mbdhnm ). the procedure of example 4 was followed using cbdhn ( 18 mmol , 5 . 6 g ) in place of bdhn to produce a light yellow solid of 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 7 - methacryloxynaphthyl ) 5 - chloro - 2h - benzotriazole ( cbdhnm ). 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 7 - methacryloxynaphthyl ) 2h - benzotriazole was copolymerized with methylmethacrylate ( mma ) using 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) as an initiator as follows : a 100 ml pear - shaped flask equipped with a magnetic stirrer and side - arm with stopcock was charged with bdhnm ( 0 . 1 ) and recrystallized aibn ( 50 mg ). the flask was capped with a rubber septum and purged with nitrogen . toluene ( 10 ml ) and dimethyl acetate ( 5 ml ) was added to dissolve the solid completely and methylmethacrylate ( 10 . 5 ml , 9 . 9 g ) was added using a syringe . after three freeze - thaw cycles at 0 . 05 mmhg pressure to degas the homogeneous polymerization mixture , the flask was placed in an oil bath at 60 °- 65 ° c . under positive pressure of dry nitrogen . the solution was then stirred for 48 hours at an average temperature of 65 ° to 68 ° c . the polymer solution was then dissolved in chloroform ( 100 ml ) and added dropwise to a rapidly stirred beaker of methanol ( 600 ml ) to precipitate a white , fluffy polymer . the sample was then dried overnight in a vacuum oven . bdhnm was copolymerized with 2 - hydroxyethylmethacrylate ( hema ) and ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate ( egdma ) using 2 , 2 &# 39 ;- azobisisobutyronitrile ( aibn ) as an initiator as follows : a 15 ml polymerization tube was capped with a rubber septum and evacuated . a homogenous mixture of bdhnm ( 0 . 1 g ), hema ( 9 . 9 g ), egdma ( 0 . 025 g ) and recrystallized aibn ( 50 mg ), was added to the tube using a syringe . after three freeze - thaw cycles at 0 . 05 mmhg pressure to degas the polymerization mixture , the tube was placed in a constant temperature bath of 50 ° c . for 3 days , followed by an oven - curing cycle at 110 ° c . for 1 day . the product was then cooled to room temperature over a 12 - hour period . soxhlet extraction with water for 5 days failed to extract bdhnm , thus demonstrating the chemically bonded incorporation of the uv - absorbing group in the polymer matrix . a uv transmittance curve for the polymer of this example is plotted in fig3 using a 2 mm thick , unpolished disc cut from the polymer rod produced . the procedure of example 8 was followed using bdhnm ( 0 . 1 g ), mma ( 9 . 9 g ) and aibn ( 50 mg ). a uv transmittance curve for the polymer of this example in fig4 using a 2 mm thick , unpolished disc cut from the polymer rod produced . the procedure of example 8 was followed using mbdhnm ( 0 . 1 g ) in place of bdhnm to produce an uv - absorbing xerogel . while the preferred examples show the preparation of bdhn , bdhnm , and copolymerization of these materials with 2 - hyroxyethyl methacrylate and methyl methacrylate , it is to be understood that the type of comonomer is not critical , and it can be any monomer having a polymerizable unsaturated group such as styrene , acrylonitrile , methacrylic esters , acrylic esters , butadiene , isoprene , vinyl chloride , chloroprene , or other vinyl monomers . it is also possible to use polyvinyl compounds such as a divinyl monomer and vinylidene monomers and other compounds having α , β - unsaturated group . also , the usual grafting polymerization on the polymer in bulk or solution can provide the polymeric ultraviolet absorbers of the invention . it is also possible to incorporate these polymerizable uv absorbers in silicone polymers via an addition reaction to -- sih functionalities . the bdhn and bdhnm monomers can be used as reactive absorbers in a cured polymerizable composition ; i . e ., as the reactive component for curable polymerizable resin compositions such as unsaturated polyester resin compositions . the curable polymerizable resin composition is then polymerized , then bdhn and bdhnm monomers are also copolymerized with the polymerizable component to obtain a cured product having absorbency . when the bdhn and bdhnm monomers are used as the copolymerizable component of a polymer , the stability of the polymer to uv rays can be improved with only a relatively low concentration of the bdhn and bdhnm monomers . for example , the copolymer having uv absorbency can be obtained by incorporating only about 0 . 01 weight percent of the bdhn and bdhnm units or the ratio of the bdhn and bdhnm monomers in the copolymerization can be more than 1 weight percent ; however , the maximum ratio is not critical . nevertheless , when economical factors are considered , the limit of the ratio of the bdhn and bdhnm monomers to the total monomer mixture is about 20 weight percent . for applications in lens materials , the weight percent of polymerizable stabilizer ( bdhnm ) may range from as little as 0 . 1 % for screening up to 380 nm and up to 5 % for complete absorbance up to 430 nm .	2
the invention especially relates to compounds of the general formula i in which any alkyl part of any of the groups r 1 to r 3 , which may be straight chained or branched , contains up to 12 carbon atoms , preferably up to 10 carbon atoms , more preferably up to 9 carbon atoms , any alkenyl or alkynyl part of any of the substituents r 1 to r 3 contains up to 12 carbon atoms , preferably up to 10 carbon atoms , more preferably up to 9 carbon atoms , any cycloalkyl part of any of the substituents r 1 to r 3 contains from 3 to 10 carbon atoms , preferably from 3 to 8 carbon atoms , more preferably from 3 to 6 carbon atoms , any saturated or unsaturated chain , especially carbon chain , contains from 3 to 10 chain members , preferably from 4 to 6 carbon atoms , and any aryl part of any of the substituents r 1 to r 3 contains 6 , 10 or 14 carbon atoms , preferably 6 or 10 carbon atoms , and in which each optionally substituted group independently is substituted by one or more halogen atoms or nitro , cyano , alkyl , preferably c 1 - 6 alkyl , cycloalkyl , preferably c3 - 6 cycloalkyl , cycloalkenyl , preferably c 3 - 6 cycloalkenyl , haloalkyl , preferably c 1 - 6 haloalkyl , halocycloalkyl , preferably c3 - 6 halocycloalkyl , alkoxy , preferably c 1 - 6 alkoxy , haloalkoxy , preferably c 1 - 6 haloalkoxy , phenyl , halo - or dihalo - phenyl or pyridyl groups . any alkyl , alkenyl or alkynyl group may be linear or branched . a 4 - to 6 - membered heterocyclic group may be any heterocyclic group with 4 to 6 ring atoms , interrupted by one or more heteroatoms selected from sulfur , nitrogen , and oxygen , preferably oxygen . a halogen atom suitably denotes a fluorine , chlorine or bromine atom . the invention especially relates to compounds of the general formula i in which r 1 represents a c 1 - 10 alkyl , c 3 - 6 cycloalkyl , c 3 - 8 cycloalkyl - c 1 - 6 alkyl , c 1 - 6 alkoxy , c 1 - 10 alkoxy - c 1 - 6 alkyl or phenyl group . preferably r 1 represents a c 1 - 8 , suitably c 1 - 6 , alkyl group , especially a branched alkyl group , more especially secondary and tertiary alkyl groups as secondary butyl , tertiary butyl and tertiary amyl groups . more preferably , r 1 represents a t - butyl or t - amyl group . the invention further especially relates to compounds of the general formula i in which r 2 and r 3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom , a c 1 - 12 alkyl , especially c 3 - 10 alkyl , c 2 - 6 alkenyl , c 2 - 6 alkynyl , c 3 - 8 cycloalkyl - c 1 - 6 alkyl , c 3 - 8 cycloalkyl , phenyl , phenyl - c 1 - 6 alkyl , especially benzyl , halophenyl - c 1 - 6 alkyl or pyridyl - c 1 - 6 alkyl group , or r 2 and r 3 together represent a saturated carbon chain containing three to eight carbon atoms while optionally one or more additional oxygen atoms may be present in the chain and which chain may optionally be aryl - or cycloalkyl - fused . preferably r 2 and r 3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom , a c 2 - 12 alkyl , c 2 - 5 alkenyl , c 5 - 7 cyclo - c 1 - 2 alkyl , c 5 - 7 cycloalkyl or phenyl - c 1 - 2 alkyl group , or r 2 and r 3 together represent a saturated chain containing four or five carbon atoms while optionally additional oxygen atoms may be present and which chain optionally may be aryl - or cycloalkyl - fused , especially cyclopentyl , cyclohexyl or cycloheptyl fused , each of the above groups optionally substituted by one or more halogen atoms , especially chlorine and / or fluorine atoms , or c 1 - 4 alkyl , c 1 - 4 haloalkyl , c 4 - 6 cycloalkenyl or c 1 - 4 alkoxy groups . the invention also especially relates to compounds of the general formula i in which r 2 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group , preferably a hydrogen atom . the invention especially relates to compounds of the general formula i in which n represents 0 , 1 or 2 , particularly 0 . a particular preferred sub - group of compounds of the general formula i is that in which r 1 represents a butyl , pentyl or phenyl group , especially a t - butyl or t - amyl group . another particular sub - group is that in which r 2 and r 3 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a linear or branched c 1 - 12 alkyl group , especially a c 1 - 10 alkyl group , an allyl , c 3 - 7 cycloalkyl optionally fused with a cyclohexyl group , benzyl or phenyl group , or r 2 and r 3 together represent a saturated c 4 - 7 carbon chain , especially a c 4 - 6 carbon chain , which optionally may contain an additional oxygen atom and which optionally may be fused with a cyclohexyl ring , each of the above groups optionally substituted by a fluorine , chlorine or bromine atom or one or two methyl groups , a t - butyl , cyclohexyl , cyclohexenyl , phenyl or pyridyl group . the present invention further provides a process for the preparation of compounds of the general formula i as defined hereinbefore or acid - addition salts thereof , which process comprises reaction of a compound of the general formulae iia or iib ## str3 ## wherein n is 0 , 1 or 2 and r 1 is defined hereinbefore , with a compound of the general formula iii ## str4 ## in which r 2 and r 3 are as defined hereinbefore , under reducing conditions . suitable reducing conditions for the reductive amination are well known in the literature . see for instance j . march , advanced organic chemistry , j . wiley & amp ; sons , new york , 1985 . suitable reducing agents are formic acid ( leuckart - wallach reduction ), complex metal hydrides such as cyanoborohydride or hydrogen gas together with a hydrogenation catalyst , e . g . raney nickel . the starting compounds of formulae iia and iib are novel . therefore , the invention relates also to the novel starting compounds of formulae iia and iib . the compounds of formula iia can be prepared according to reaction scheme 1 , in which the following expressions have been used : step 1 : &# 34 ; strong base &# 34 ; represents a metal organic compound , preferably a metal dialkylamide or an alkali metal alkane , in particular lithium diisopropylamide ; &# 34 ; allylhalide &# 34 ; represents allylchloride , allylbromide or allyliodide . step 2 : &# 34 ; peroxoacid &# 34 ; represents suitably an organic peroxoacid , preferably an optionally substituted perbenzoic acid , in particular m - chloroperbenzoic acid . step 3 : &# 34 ; reduction &# 34 ; represents a reduction process carried out with a complex metal hydride , preferably a complex aluminum hydride or borohydride , in particular lithium aluminum hydride . step 4 : &# 34 ; oxidation &# 34 ; represents a oxidation process carried out in the presence of agents being capable of oxidizing primary alcohols to aldehydes , in particular with dimethyl sulfoxide in the presence of oxalyl chloride and a base . step 5 : &# 34 ; aldol condensation &# 34 ; represents a condensation process , preferably carried out in the presence of a base such as a metal dialkylamide or a metal hydroxide or a metal alkoxide . step 6 : &# 34 ; hydrogenation &# 34 ; represents a hydrogenation process carried out in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst , in particular in the presence of raney nickel and / or palladium . ## str5 ## wherein r represents a c 1 - 10 alkyl , c 3 - 6 cycloalkyl , c 3 - 8 cycloalkyl - c 1 - 6 alkyl , c 1 - 10 alkoxy - c 1 - 6 alkyl , phenyl or benzyl group . the compounds of formula iib can be obtained from formula iia according to reaction scheme 2 , in which the following expressions have been used : &# 34 ; oxidation &# 34 ;: as described for step 4 of scheme 1 ; ## str6 ## wherein n is 1 or 2 ; r &# 34 ; represents a c 1 - 10 alkyl , c 3 - 6 cycloalkyl , c 3 - 8 cycloalkyl - c 1 - 6 alkyl , c 1 - 10 alkoxy - c 1 - 6 alkyl or phenyl group ; x denotes halogen , preferably cl , br or i . the compounds ( iic ) wherein n is 2 may be further reacted to convert the aldehyde moiety to an imino group followed by reduction to form the compounds of formula i wherein n is 3 . starting compounds of the general formula iii are well known in the literature , and many of them are commercially available . the reductive amination process of the present invention is suitably carried out in the presence of an organic solvent , for example an ether , an alcohol or a carboxylic acid such as acetic acid . the process is suitably carried out at a temperature in the range of 0 ° to 150 ° c ., especially between 40 ° and 120 ° c ., in the case of formic acid as reducing agent or at temperatures between 0 ° and 50 ° c . in the case of complex borohydrides as reducing agents . in an alternative process for the preparation of the compounds of the present invention the starting compound of formula iia is first converted into the corresponding aminospiro ( 4 , 5 ) decane compound , for instance by reaction with hydroxylamine followed by reduction of the obtained oxime . the 3 - amino compound is thereafter alkylated , especially with a ketone or aldehyde under suitable reducing conditions or with an alkylating agent . the reaction of the ketone starting material and hydroxylamine is well known in the literature . the reaction may be carried out in an organic solvent / water mixture at temperature between 20 ° and 100 ° c . the reduction of the oxime compounds is also well known in the literature . the reduction can be carried out with complex metal hydrides , for instance lithium aluminium hydride , in an organic solvent , e . g . tetrahydrofuran , at temperatures between 40 ° and 80 ° c . the alkylation of amines using ketones or aldehydes is well known in the literature , and is described hereinbefore . the alkylation using alkylating agents is also well known in the literature . alkylating agents , for instance ( substituted ) alkyl halides may be used in suitable , inert organic solvents at temperatures between 40 ° and 100 ° c . the present invention also provides a process for the preparation of compounds of the general formula i as defined hereinbefore , or acid addition salts thereof , and in which n is 1 , which process comprises reduction of a compound of the general formula iia as defined hereinbefore to an alcohol , activation of the alcohol , followed by reaction with hydrogen cyanide , a salt thereof or with trialkylsilyl cyanide in the presence of a lewis acid , followed by reduction of the obtained cyanide group and alkylation of the amine obtained , especially with a ketone or aldehyde under suitable reducing conditions or an alkylating reagent . the reduction of the carbonyl group of the starting compound of formula iia can be carried out according to methods well known in the literature , for example by reduction with a complex metal hydride such as sodium borohydride . the activation of the alcohol can also be carried out according to methods well known in the literature , for instance by reaction with alkyl - or arylsulfonylchloride . the substition of the activated hydroxy group is suitably carried out in a polar organic solvent , for instance an alcohol , an ether or a ketone using hydrogen cyanide or a salt thereof . the substitution with a trialkylsilyl cyanide , as for example with trimethylsilyl cyanide , is carried out in an aprotic solvent , for instance in an ether or a halogenalkane , such as dichloromethane , in the presence of a lewis acid . the reduction of the cyano group is also well known in the literature , and can be performed as described hereinbefore . the alkylation of the 3 - aminomethyl group may be carried out as described hereinbefore . the present invention also provides a process for the preparation of a compound of the general formula i as defined hereinbefore , or acid addition salts thereof , and in which n represents 2 , which process comprises reaction of a compound of the general formula iia as defined hereinbefore , with cyanoacetic acid ( knoevenagel - doebner reaction ) followed by reduction of the compound obtained into an amine , and alkylation of the amine , especially with a ketone or aldehyde under suitable reducing conditions or an alkylating agent . the reaction of the ketone starting material and cyanoacetic acid is suitably carried out in a polar organic solvent such as pyridine . the reduction of the cyano group and the alkylation of the 3 - aminoethyl group may be carried out as described hereinbefore . suitably all reactions are carried out using substantially equimolar amounts of the reactants . however , it can be expedient to use one reactant in excess . it will be appreciated that in addition to the above described reaction steps additional chemical modifications can be made to the compounds and intermediates , e . g . introduction or amendment of certain substituents , additional alkylation reactions etc . the invention also provides fungicidal compositions comprising at least one of the compounds according to general formula i or an acid addition salt thereof , as well as methods of combating fungi at a locus comprising treatment of the locus with a compound of formula i or an acid addition salt thereof as defined hereinbefore , or with a composition as defined in this specification . the locus to be treated especially comprises plants subject to or subjected to fungal attack , seeds of such plants or the medium in which the plants are growing or are to be grown . the fungicidal composition comprises a carrier and , as active ingredient , a compound of the general formula i or an acid addition salt thereof . a method of making such a composition is also provided , which comprises bringing a compound of the general formula i as defined above or an acid addition salt thereof into association with at least one carrier . such a composition may contain a single compound or a mixture of several compounds of the present invention . it is also envisaged that different isomers or mixtures of isomers may have different levels or spectra of activity and thus compositions may comprise individual isomers or mixtures of isomers . the invention further relates to the use as a fungicide of a compound of formula i as defined hereinbefore or a composition as defined hereinbefore . a composition according to the invention preferably contains from 0 . 5 to 95 % by weight of active ingredient . a carrier in a composition according to the invention is any material with which the active ingredient is formulated to facilitate application to the locus to be treated , which may for example be a plant , seed or soil , or to facilitate storage , transport or handling . a carrier may be a solid or a liquid , including a material which is normally gaseous but which has been compressed to form a liquid , and any of the carriers normally used in formulating fungicidal compositions may be used . suitable solid carriers include natural and synthetic clays and silicates , for example natural silicas such as diatomaceous earths ; magnesium silicates , for example talcs ; magnesium aluminium silicates , for example attapulgites and vermiculites ; aluminium silicates , for example kaolinites , montmorillonites and micas ; calcium carbonate ; calcium sulphate ; ammonium sulphate ; synthetic hydrated silicon oxides and synthetic calcium or aluminium silicates ; elements , for example carbon and sulphur ; natural and synthetic resins , for example coumarone resins , polyvinyl chloride , and styrene polymers and copolymers ; solid polychlorophenols ; bitumen ; waxes , for example beeswax , paraffin wax , and chlorinated mineral waxes ; and solid fertilisers , for example superphosphates . suitable liquid carriers include water ; alcohols , for example isopropanol and glycols ; ketones , for example acetone , methyl ethyl ketone , methyl isobutyl ketone and cyclohexanone ; ethers ; aromatic or araliphatic hydrocarbons , for example benzene , toluene and xylene ; petroleum fractions , for example , kerosine and light mineral oils ; chlorinated hydrocarbons , for example carbon tetrachloride , perchloroethylene and trichloroethane . mixtures of different liquids are often suitable . fungicidal compositions are often formulated and transported in a concentrated form which is subsequently diluted by the user before application . the presence of small amounts of a carrier which is a surface - active agent facilitates this process of dilution . thus preferably at least one carrier in a composition according to the invention is a surface - active agent . for example the composition may contain at least two carriers , at least one of which is a surface - active agent . a surface - active agent may be an emulsifying agent , a dispersing agent or a wetting agent ; it may be nonionic or ionic . examples of suitable surface - active agents include the sodium or calcium salts of polyacrylic acids and lignin sulphonic acids ; the condensation products of fatty acids or aliphatic amines or amides containing at least 12 carbon atoms in the molecule with ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide ; fatty acid esters of glycerol , sorbitol , sucrose or pentaerythritol ; condensates of these with ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide ; condensation products of fatty alcohol or alkyl phenols , for example p - octylphenol or p - octylcresol , with ethylene oxide and / or propylene oxide ; sulphates or sulphonates of these condensation products ; alkali or alkaline earth metal salts , preferably sodium salts , of sulphuric or sulphonic acid esters containing at least 10 carbon atoms in the molecule , for example sodium lauryl sulphate , sodium secondary alkyl sulphates , sodium salts of sulphonated castor oil , and sodium alkylaryl sulphonates such as dodecylbenzene sulphonate ; and polymers of ethylene oxide and copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide . the compositions of the invention may for example be formulated as wettable powders , dusts , granules , solutions , emulsifiable concentrates , emulsions , suspension concentrates and aerosols . wettable powders usually contain 25 , 50 or 75 % w of active ingredient and usually contain in addition to solid inert carrier , 3 - 10 % w of a dispersing agent and , where necessary , 0 - 10 % w of stabiliser ( s ) and / or other additives such as penetrants or stickers . dusts are usually formulated as a dust concentrate having a similar composition to that of a wettable powder but without a dispersant , and may be diluted in the field with further solid carrier to give a composition usually containing 1 / 2 - 10 % w of active ingredient . granules are usually prepared to have a size between 10 and 100 bs mesh ( 1 . 676 - 0 . 152 mm ), and may be manufactured by agglomeration or impregnation techniques . generally , granules will contain 1 / 2 - 75 % w active ingredient and 0 - 10 % w of additives such as stabilisers , surfactants , slow release modifiers and binding agents . the so - called &# 34 ; dry flowable powders &# 34 ; consist of relatively small granules having a relatively high concentration of active ingredient . emulsifiable concentrates usually contain , in addition to a solvent and , when necessary , co - solvent , 1 - 50 % w / v active ingredient , 2 - 20 % w / v emulsifiers and 0 - 20 % w / v of other additives such as stabilisers , penetrants and corrosion inhibitors . suspension concentrates are usually compounded so as to obtain a stable , non - sedimenting flowable product and usually contain 10 - 75 % w active ingredient , 0 . 5 - 15 % w of dispersing agents , 0 . 1 - 10 % w of suspending agents such as protective colloids and thixotropic agents , 0 - 10 % w of other additives such as defoamers , corrosion inhibitors , stabilisers , penetrants and stickers , and water or an organic liquid in which the active ingredient is substantially insoluble ; certain organic solids or inorganic salts may be present dissolved in the formulation to assist in preventing sedimentation or as anti - freeze agents for water . aqueous dispersions and emulsions , for example compositions obtained by diluting a wettable powder or a concentrate according to the invention with water , also lie within the scope of the invention . the said emulsions may be of the water - in - oil or of the oil - in - water type , and may have a thick ` mayonnaise ` like consistency . the composition of the invention may also contain other ingredients , for example other compounds possessing herbicidal , insecticidal or fungicidal properties . of particular interest in enhancing the duration of the protective activity of the compounds of this invention is the use of a carrier which will provide a slow release of the fungicidal compounds into the environment of the plant which is to be protected . such slow - release formulations could , for example , be inserted in the soil adjacent to the roots of a plant , or could include an adhesive component enabling them to be applied directly to the stem of a vine plant . the present invention still further provides the use as a fungicide of a compound of the general formula i as defined above or a composition as defined above . the present invention is of wide applicability in the protection of crop plants against fungal attack . typical crops which may be protected include cereals , especially wheat and barley , rice , vines , vegetales , especially sugarbeet , potatoes , tomatoes , top fruit , especially apples , and cucumber . the duration of protection is normally dependent on the individual compound selected , and also a variety of external factors , such as climate , whose impact is normally mitigated by the use of a suitable formulation . the compounds of the present invention are especially suitable to combat erysiphe graminis in cereals . to a cold (- 20 ° c .) solution of lithium diisopropylamide ( 0 . 2 mol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 300 ml ) is added ethyl 4 - t - butylcyclohexylcarboxylate ( 42 . 5 g , 0 . 2 mol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ). the reaction mixture is stirred for 1h at - 20 ° c . and is then cooled to - 70 ° c . allylbromide ( 24 . 5 g , 0 . 2 mol ) is added and the reaction mixture is allowed to warm up to room temperature over night . the reaction mixture is then quenched with saturated aqueous ammonium chloride solution ( 200 ml ) and most of the organic solvent is distilled off under reduced pressure . from the remainder the product is extracted with toluene ( 500 ml ). the organic layer is separated , dried with magnesium sulphate and concentrated in vacuo to yield an oil ( 51 g ). distillation in vacuo ( b . p . 75 °- 82 ° c ./ 0 . 03 mbar ) furnishes the pure product as a colourless oil ( 46 g ). to a solution of 3 - chloroperbenzoic acid ( 25 g , 0 . 080 mol ) in dichloromethane ( 200 ml ) is added ethyl 1 - allyl - 4 - t - butylcyclohexylcarboxylate ( 17 g , 0 . 067 mol ) in dichloromethane ( 200 ml ). the reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature over night . precipitated 3 - chlorobenzoic acid is filtered off and the filtrate is washed twice with saturated aqueous sodium bicarbonate and 5 % aqueous sodium bisulfite . drying and evaporation of the solvent yields the product as a colourless oil ( 17 g ). to lithium aluminumhydride ( 5 . 0 g , 0 . 132 mol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ) is added 1 -( 2 , 3 - epoxyprop - 1 - yl )- 4 - t - butylcyclohexylcarboxylate ( 17 g , 0 . 063 mol ) as a solution in tetrahydrofuran ( 100 ml ) at room temperature . the mixture is stirred over night and excess lah is hydrolysed by careful addition of saturated aqueous sodium sulfate . precipitated inorganics are filtered and the filtrate is dried with magnesium sulfate . evaporation of the solvent furnishes 14 g of crude product which is recrystalized from light petroleum to yield the pure product ( 8 g ) as colourless crystals which melt at 93 ° c . to a solution of oxalylchloride ( 21 . 0 g , 0 . 165 mol ) in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) is added dimethylsulfoxide ( 21 ml ) in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) at - 70 ° c . the reaction mixture is stirred for 5 min . and 1 - hydroxy - methyl - 1 -( 2 - hydroxyprop - 1 - yl )- 4 - t - butylcyclohexane ( 17 . 0 g , 0 . 075 mol ) is added . the reaction mixture is stirred for 30 min . at - 70 ° c . triethylamine ( 100 ml ) is then added and the reaction mixture is allowed to warm to room temperature . the reaction mixture is washed with water and brine . the organic layer is dried with magnesium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo to yield 15 g of a crystalline solid which melts at 68 °- 72 ° c . it is used in the next step without further purification . to a solution of 1 -( propan - 2 - one - 1 - yl )- 4 - t - butylcyclohexane carboxaldehyde ( 14 g , 0 . 0625 mol ) in tetrahydrofuran ( 200 ml ) cooled to - 70 ° c . is added a 2m solution of lithium diisopropylamide ( 35 ml ) in tetrahydrofuran . the mixture is stirred at - 70 ° c . for 1h and is then allowed to warm to - 20 ° c . aqueous saturated ammonium chloride ( 100 ml ) is then added and the phases are separated . the organic layer is dried with magnesium sulfate and evaporated in vacuo . the crude product is dissolved in toluene ( 200 ml ) to which p - toluenesulfonic acid ( 0 . 3 g ) is added . the solution is heated to reflux for 30 min . after cooling the acid is removed by washing with 5 % aqueous sodium carbonate . drying and evaporating the solvent yields 11 g of a thick oil which is purified by flash chromatography ( silica , light petroleum / ethylacetate 10 : 1 ). 8 - t - butyl - spiro 4 , 5 ! dec - 3 - en - 2 - one ( 7 . 5 g , mol ) in ethanol ( 100 ml ) is hydrogenated on a mixture of raney nickel and palladium on charcoal ( 50 ° c ./ 60 psi ) until hydrogen uptake ceases . the catalyst is filtered off and the solvent evaporated in vacuo . the crude product is purified by flash chromatography ( silica , toluene / acetone 10 : 1 ). m . p . 78 °- 82 ° c . the title compounds are prepared by dissolving the ( substituted ) spiro ( 4 , 5 ) decane - 2 - one ( 4 mmol ), an amine of formula hnr 2 r 3 ( 4 . 2 mmol ) and zinc chloride 0 . 4 g ( 3 mmol ) in 20 ml dry methanol . sodium cyanoborohydride ( 0 . 31 g , 5 mmol ) is then added and the mixture is stirred over night at room temperature . the solvent is then distilled off in vacuo and the residue is taken up in ethylacetate ( 20 ml ), washed with 1n sodium hydroxide ( 20 ml ) and water ( 20 ml ). the organic layer is dried with magnesium sulphate , filtered and evaporated in vacuo to yield the crude product which might be further purified by chromatography on silica using mixtures with varying amounts of toulene / ethylacetate / triethylamine as the eluent . the compounds according to the invention have been prepared via the above described method as detailed below in table ia : table ia__________________________________________________________________________formula i ( n = 0 ) exampler . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 acid__________________________________________________________________________1 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 -- -- 2 t - butyl h 3 - heptyl -- 3 t - butyl h cyclohexyl -- 4 t - butyl cis --- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) och ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 -- -- 5 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 -- 6 t - butyl h 3 - methylcyclohexyl -- 7 t - butyl h 4 - methylcyclohexyl -- 8 t - butyl h i - butyl -- 9 t - butyl methyl cyclohexyl -- 10 t - butyl h cyclopentyl -- 11 t - butyl h cycloheptyl -- 12 t - butyl h 4 - chlorobenzyl -- 13 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- o --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- -- 14 t - butyl n - butyl n - butyl -- 15 t - butyl methyl phenyl -- 16 t - butyl h phenyl -- 17 t - amyl h cyclohexyl -- 18 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 3 -- -- 19 t - amyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- -- 20 t - amyl methyl cyclohexyl -- 21 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 6 -- -- 22 t - butyl -- h methyl -- 23 t - butyl -- h ethyl -- 24 t - butyl -- h n - propyl -- 25 t - butyl -- h i - propyl -- 26 t - butyl -- h n - butyl -- 27 t - butyl -- h t - butyl -- 28 t - amyl -- h methyl -- 29 t - amyl -- h ethyl -- 30 t - amyl -- h n - propyl -- 31 t - amyl -- h n - butyl -- 32 t - amyl -- h i - butyl -- 33 t - amyl -- h t - butyl -- 34 t - amyl -- h phenyl -- 35 t - amyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 5 -- -- 36 t - amyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )-- o -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 -- -- 37 t - butyl -- h -- h -- 38 t - amyl -- h -- h -- 39 n - butyl -- h phenyl -- 40 n - butyl -- h cyclohexyl -- 41 n - butyl -- h methyl -- 42 n - butyl -- h ethyl -- 43 n - butyl -- h n - propyl -- 44 n - butyl -- h i - propyl -- 45 n - butyl -- h n - butyl -- 46 n - butyl -- h i - butyl -- 47 n - butyl -- h t - butyl -- 48 n - butyl n - butyl phenyl -- 49 t - amyl -- h cyclohexyl -- 50 t - amyl methyl phenyl -- 51 t - amyl methyl methyl -- 52 t - amyl methyl ethyl -- 53 t - amyl methyl n - propyl -- 54 phenyl -- h methyl -- 55 phenylbutylphenyl -- 56 phenyl -- h cyclohexyl -- 57 phenyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 -- 58 phenyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )-- o -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 -- -- 59 -- h methyl methyl -- 60 t - amyl methyl n - hexyl -- 61 phenyl methyl n - hexyl -- 62 cyclohexyl -- h n - butyl -- 63 cyclohexyl -- h i - propyl -- 64 cyclohexyl -- h n - pentyl -- 65 cyclohexyl -- h t - amyl -- 66 cyclohexyl -- h s - butyl -- 67 t - butyl methyl ethyl -- 68 t - butyl ethyl ethyl -- 69 t - butyl n - hexyl n - hexyl -- 70 t - butyl -- h n - pentyl -- 71 t - butyl -- h allyl -- 72 t - butyl ethyl n - pentyl -- 73 t - butyl n - n - pentyl -- propyl74 t - butyl n - butyl n - pentyl -- 75 t - butyl s - butyl n - pentyl -- 76 t - butyl i - n - pentyl -- propyl77 t - butyl cyclohexyl n - pentyl -- 78 t - butyl methyl n - pentyl -- 79 t - butyl allyl cyclohexyl -- 80 t - butyl methyl cyclohexyl -- 81 t - butyl -- h t - butyl -- 82 t - butyl -- h cyclohexylmethyl -- 83 t - butyl -- h 1 - ethylpropyl -- 84 t - butyl -- h 2 - methylcyclohexyl -- 85 t - butyl -- h 2 - norbornyl -- 86 t - butyl -- h 2 - adamantyl -- 87 t - butyl -- h 3 - methylcyclohexyl -- 88 t - butyl -- h 4 - methylcyclohexyl -- 89 t - butyl -- h 4 - ethylcyclohexyl -- 90 t - butyl -- h 2 - ethylcyclohexyl -- 91 t - butyl methyl cyclohexylmethyl -- 92 t - butyl ethyl cyclohexylmethyl -- 93 t - butyl propyl cyclohexylmethyl -- 94 t - butyl methyl 1 - ethylpropyl -- 95 t - butyl ethyl 1 - ethylpropyl -- 96 t - butyl n - 1 - ethylpropyl -- propyl97 t - butyl i - i - propyl -- propyl98 t - butyl -- h cyclohexylmethyl -- 99 t - butyl -- h 1 - propylbutyl -- 100 t - butyl -- h 2 - cyclohexylethyl -- 101 t - butyl -- h 2 - heptyl -- 102 t - butyl -- h 3 - heptyl -- 103 t - butyl allyl allyl -- 104 t - butyl -- h n - heptyl -- 105 t - butyl -- h 2 - octyl -- 106 t - butyl -- h 1 , 1 , 3 - trimethylbutyl -- 107 t - butyl -- h 1 , 5 - dimethylhexyl -- 108 t - butyl -- h 2 - cyclohex - 1 - enyl - -- ethyl109 t - butyl -- h 4 - t - butyl - cyclohexyl -- 110 t - butyl -- h 1 , 3 - dimethylbutyl -- 111 t - butyl -- h 2 - t - butylethyl -- 112 t - butyl -- h 1 , 3 - dimethylpentyl -- 113 cyclohexyl - -- ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch (-- ch . sub . 2 --). sub . 4 chch . sub . 2 -- methyl114 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ( 1 , 2 - benzylene ) ch . sub . 2 -- -- 115 cyclohexyl - -- h n - octyl -- methyl116 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch . sub . 2 ch (-- ch . sub . 2 --). sub . 4 ---- 117 t - butyl methyl 2 - cyclohexylethyl -- 118 t - butyl ethyl 2 - cyclohexylethyl -- 119 t - butyl n - 2 - cyclohexylethyl -- propyl120 t - butyl -- h 4 - methylcyclohexyl - -- methyl121 t - butyl methyl 2 - methylpropyl -- 122 t - butyl i - 2 - cyclohexylethyl -- propyl123 t - butyl n - 2 - methylpropyl -- propyl124 t - butyl -- h c ( ch . sub . 3 )═ chcoch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 125 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - -- cyclohexyl ) 126 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - -- cyclohexyl ) 127 t - butyl -- c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - -- cyclohexyl ) 128 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 32 - norbornyl -- 129 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 52 - norbornyl -- 130 t - butyl -- c . sub . 3 h . sub . 72 - norbornyl -- 131 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch . sub . 2 -- c ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 -- 132 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- ch . sub . 2 -- c ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 -- 133 t - butyl -- c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 -- ch . sub . 2 -- c ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 -- 134 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 -- c ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 3 -- 135 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- -- tetramethyl - butyl136 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 -- tetramethyl - butyl137 1 , 1 , 3 , 3 - -- h -- ch . sub . 2 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- tetramethyl - butyl138 t - butyl -- h2 - decalylhcl139 1 - methyl - 1 -- h -- ch . sub . 2 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- cyclohexyl - ethyl140 1 - methyl - -- ch . sub . 3n - c . sub . 6 h . sub . 13 -- 1 - cyclohexyl - ethyl141 1 - methyl - --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- -- 1 - cyclohexyl - ethyl142 1 - methyl - -- h -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- 1 - cyclohexyl - ethyl143 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- ch . sub . 2 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 144 t - butyl -- h --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 och . sub . 3 -- 145 t - c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 2 - thf ) -- 146 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 147 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 och . sub . 3 --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 och . sub . 3 -- 148 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 149 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch . sub . 2 - 2 -( 1 , 3 - -- dioxolanyl ) 150 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 och . sub . 3 -- 151 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch . sub . 2 --( 2 - thf ) -- 152 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- ch . sub . 2 --( 2 - thf ) -- 153 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 2 -- 154 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( och . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 155 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 2 -- 156 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( oc . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ). sub . 2 -- 157 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - hcl cyclohexyl ) 158 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - hbr cyclohexyl ) 159 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - h . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3 cyclohexyl ) 160 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - 1 / 2 hooc -- cooh cyclohexyl ) 161 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - ch . sub . 3 cooh cyclohexyl ) 162 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - cf . sub . 3 cooh cyclohexyl ) 163 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 cooh cyclohexyl ) 164 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - c . sub . 5 h . sub . 11 cooh cyclohexyl ) 165 t - butyl -- h ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - c . sub . 11 h . sub . 23 cooh cyclohexyl ) 166 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - c . sub . 15 h . sub . 31 cooh cyclohexyl ) 167 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - c . sub . 6 h . sub . 5 b ( oh ). sub . 2 cyclohexyl ) 168 t - butyl -- h -- ch . sub . 2 --( 1 - methyl - saccharin cyclohexyl ) 169 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 hcl170 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 hbr171 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 h . sub . 3 bo . sub . 3172 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 1 / 2 hooc -- cooh173 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 ch . sub . 3 cooh174 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 cf . sub . 3 cooh175 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 cooh176 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 c . sub . 5 h . sub . 11 cooh177 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 c . sub . 11 h . sub . 23 cooh178 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 c . sub . 15 h . sub . 31 cooh179 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 c . sub . 6 h . sub . 5 b ( oh ). sub . 2180 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 saccharin__________________________________________________________________________ the compounds of formula i , wherein n represents 1 , 2 or 3 , are obtained from the corresponding compounds of formula iib , wherein n is 0 , 1 or 2 , respectively , using procedures analogous to example 1 ( vii ). the resulting compounds are given below in tables ib to id : table ib______________________________________formula i ( n = 1 ) example r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 acid______________________________________181 t - butyl -- h -- h -- 182 t - butyl -- h -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- 183 t - butyl -- hn - c . sub . 8 h . sub . 17 -- 184 t - butyl -- hn - c . sub . 6 h . sub . 13 -- 185 t - butyl -- h -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 hcl186 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- ch . sub . 2 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ). sub . 2 -- 187 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- 188 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- ______________________________________ table ic______________________________________formula i ( n = 2 ) example r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 acid______________________________________189 t - butyl -- h -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- 190 t - butyl -- h -- h hcl191 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch . sub . 3 -- 192 t - butyl -- h ( 3 - methyl )- -- cyclohexyl193 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 ) c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 hcl194 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) c . sub . 5 h . sub . 11 -- 195 t - butyl -- h -- c . sub . 7 h . sub . 13 -- 196 t - butyl -- c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9n - c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 -- 197 t - butyl -- h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 -- 198 t - butyl -- h2 - decalyl -- 199 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- 200 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- 201 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) c . sub . 5 h . sub . 11 -- 202 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) c . sub . 5 h . sub . 11 -- 203 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 5 -- -- 204 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- o --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- -- 205 t - butyl -- h ( 4 - t - -- butyl )- cyclohexyl206 t - butyl -- h ( 4 - methyl )- -- cyclohexyl207 t - butyl -- h ( 2 - methyl )- -- cyclohexyl208 t - butyl -- h -- c . sub . 5 h . sub . 9 -- 209 t - butyl -- h --( ch . sub . 2 )- 2 - thf -- 210 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 3 -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 -- 211 t - butyl -- c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 -- 212 t - butyl -- c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 -- ______________________________________ table id______________________________________formula i ( n = 3 ) example r . sub . 1 r . sub . 2 r . sub . 3 acid______________________________________213 t - butyl h h -- 214 t - butyl h -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) c . sub . 5 h . sub . 11 -- 215 t - butyl h -- ch ( c . sub . 2 h . sub . 5 ) c . sub . 4 h . sub . 9 -- 216 t - butyl h -- ch ( c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 ) c . sub . 3 h . sub . 7 -- 217 t - butyl h -- c . sub . 6 h . sub . 11 -- 218 t - butyl h -- c . sub . 7 h . sub . 13 -- 219 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- o --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- -- 220 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 5 -- -- 221 t - butyl --( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )( ch . sub . 2 ). sub . 2 -- -- 222 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )-- -- 223 t - butyl -- ch . sub . 2 ch ( ch . sub . 3 )-- o -- ch ( ch . sub . 3 ) ch . sub . 2 -- -- ______________________________________ thf means tetrahydrofurfuryl , acid means that the compound is an ammonium salt of the denoted acid . all other alkyl groups are straight chains unless otherwise designated as branched chains . c 6 h 5 means phenyl , c 7 h 13 means cycloheptyl , c 6 h 11 means cyclohexyl , c 5 h 9 means cyclopentyl and c 3 h 5 means cyclopropyl . physical data for the above compounds are set out in tables ii , iii and iv . table ii______________________________________melting pointexample no . melting point ° c . ! ______________________________________1 1283 67 - 694 70 - 725 5012 53 - 57______________________________________ table iv______________________________________molecular weight ( determined by mass spectrometry ) exampleno . calculated found______________________________________6 305 3057 305 3058 265 2659 305 30510 277 27711 305 305______________________________________ test compounds are dissolved in acetone and diluted with deionized water ( 95 parts water to 5 parts acetone ) containing 0 . 05 % tween 20 ®, a polyoxyethylene sorbitan monolaurate surfactant manufactured by atlas chemical industries , to give a concentration of 200 ppm . the plants are sprayed with the test solutions , dried and inoculated with fungi later the same day . when disease symptom development is optimal , the plants are rated for disease control according to the rating scale shown below . each test contains inoculated treated plants , inoculated untreated plants and a inoculated plants treated with reference fungicides . the data obtained are shown in table v . ______________________________________rating scalerating range % control______________________________________0 01 1 - 142 15 - 293 30 - 444 45 - 595 60 - 746 75 - 897 90 - 958 96 - 999 100t no evaluation possible______________________________________targetssymbol disease pathogen______________________________________as apple scab venturia inaequalisgdm grape downy mildew plasmopara viticolapb pepper botrytis botrytis cinerearb rice blast pyricularia grisea f . sp . oryzaesbc sugar beet cercospora cercospora beticolateb tomato early blight alternaria solaniwpm wheat powdery mildew erysiphe graminis f . sp . triticiwsn wheat septoria nodorum septoria nodorum blotch______________________________________ table v______________________________________example as gdm pb rb sbc teb wpm wsn______________________________________1 6 9 8 0 6 0 7 72 8 8 9 0 4 0 8 03 8 5 9 0 6 8 8 84 0 0 9 0 7 0 9 75 6 5 9 0 7 0 8 46 5 4 7 4 7 3 7 67 4 3 7 0 8 4 7 78 8 0 6 0 6 0 5 49 8 2 8 0 4 0 7 610 8 5 6 0 6 2 6 711 7 6 8 0 5 5 6 612 7 0 7 0 0 0 5 0______________________________________ test compounds are dissolved in acetone then diluted with deionize water ( 9 parts water : 1 part acetone ), and dispersed into cell well plates containing a suspension of ground fungal mycelium in a nutrient broth resulting in a final concentration of 25 ppm of the test compound . assay plates are incubated for 3 - 7 days at 22 ° c . growth inhibition is measured visually and is rated using the following scale : ______________________________________ rating % inhibition______________________________________ 0 0 1 1 - 29 3 30 - 59 5 60 - 89 7 90 - 99 9 100______________________________________ untreated controls , solvent blanks and reference fungicide are included in each test . ______________________________________symbol pathogen______________________________________fus oxc fusarium oxysporium f . sp . cucumerinumpsdc he pseudocercosporella herpotrichoidesptyh ul pythium ultimumrhiz so rhizoctonia solani______________________________________ fus psdc pyth rhizexample oxc he ul so______________________________________1 0 7 7 92 0 9 9 73 0 0 1 04 0 0 0 05 0 0 0 06 0 7 7 97 0 7 7 98 0 7 7 99 0 7 7 910 0 9 9 911 0 9 0 912 0 9 0 9______________________________________	0
for the purpose of promoting an understanding of the principles of the present invention , reference will now be made to the embodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same . it will , nevertheless , be understood that no limitation of the scope of the invention is thereby intended ; any alterations and further modifications of the described or illustrated embodiments , and any further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated therein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates . generally , the present invention in its preferred embodiment operates in the context of a network as shown in fig1 . system 100 includes a vulnerability and remediation database 110 connected by internet 120 to subnet 130 . in this exemplary embodiment , firewall 131 serves as the gateway between internet 120 and the rest of subnet 130 . router 133 directs connections between computers 137 and each other and other devices on internet 120 . server 135 collects certain information and provides certain data services that will be discussed in further detail herein . in particular , security server 135 includes processor 142 , and memory 144 encoded with programming instructions executable by processor 142 to perform several important security - related functions . for example , security server 135 collects data from devices 131 , 133 , 137 , and 139 , including the software installed on those devices , their configuration and policy settings , and patches that have been installed . security server 135 also obtains from vulnerability and remediation database 110 a regularly updated list of security vulnerabilities in software for a wide variety of operating systems , and even in the operating systems themselves . security server 135 also downloads a regularly updated list of remediation techniques that can be applied to protect a device from damage due to those vulnerabilities . in a preferred embodiment , each vulnerability in remediation database 110 is identified by a vulnerability identifier , and the vulnerability identifier can be used to retrieve remediation information from database 110 ( and from database 146 , discussed below in relation to fig2 ). in this preferred embodiment , computers 137 and 139 each comprise a processor 152 , 162 , memory 154 , 164 , and storage 156 , 166 . computer 137 executes a client - side program ( stored in storage 156 , loaded into memory 154 , and executed by processor 152 ) that maintains an up - to - date collection of information regarding the operating system , service pack ( if applicable ), software , and patches installed on computer 137 , and the policies and configuration data ( including configuration files , and elements that may be contained in files , such as . ini and . conf files and registry information , for example ), and communicates that information on a substantially real - time basis to security server 135 . in an alternative embodiment , the collection of information is not retained on computer 137 , but is only communicated once to security server 135 , then is updated in real time as changes to that collection occur . computer 139 stores , loads , and executes a similar software program that communicates configuration information pertaining to computer 139 to security server 135 , also substantially in real time . changes to the configuration registry in computer 139 are monitored , and selected changes are communicated to security server 135 so that relevant information is always available . security server 135 may connect directly to and request software installation status and configuration information from firewall 131 and router 133 , for embodiments wherein firewall 131 and router 133 do not have a software program executing on them to communicate this information directly . this collection of information is made available at security server 135 , and combined with the vulnerability and remediation data from source 110 . the advanced functionality of system 100 is thereby enabled as discussed further herein . turning to fig2 , one sees additional details and components of the devices in subnet 130 . computers 137 and 139 are traditional client or server machines , each having a processor 152 , 162 , memory 154 , 164 , and storage 156 , 166 . firewall 131 and router 133 also have processors 172 , 182 and storage 174 , 184 , respectively , as is known in the art . in this embodiment , devices 137 and 139 each execute a client - side program that continuously monitors the software installation and configuration status for that device . changes to that status are communicated in substantially real time to security server 135 , which continuously maintains the information in database 146 . security server 135 connects directly to firewall 131 and router 133 to obtain software installation and configuration status for those devices in the absence of a client - side program running thereon . processors 142 , 152 , 162 may each be comprised of one or more components configured as a single unit . alternatively , when of a multi - component form , processor 142 , 152 , 162 may each have one or more components located remotely relative to the others . one or more components of processor 142 , 152 , 162 may be of the electronic variety defining digital circuitry , analog circuitry , or both . in one embodiment , processor 142 , 152 , 162 are of a conventional , integrated circuit microprocessor arrangement , such as one or more pentium 4 or xeon processors from intel corporation of 2200 mission college boulevard , santa clara , calif ., 95052 , usa , or athlon xp processors from advanced micro devices , one amd place , sunnyvale , calif ., 94088 , usa . memories 144 , 154 , 164 may include one or more types of solid - state electronic memory , magnetic memory , or optical memory , just to name a few . by way of non - limiting example , memory 40 b may include solid - state electronic random access memory ( ram ), sequentially accessible memory ( sam ) ( such as the first - in , first - out ( fifo ) variety or the last - in first - out ( lifo ) variety ), programmable read only memory ( prom ), electrically programmable read only memory ( eprom ), or electrically erasable programmable read only memory ( eeprom ); an optical disc memory ( such as a dvd or cd rom ); a magnetically encoded hard drive , floppy disk , tape , or cartridge media ; or a combination of any of these memory types . also , memories 144 , 154 , 164 may be volatile , nonvolatile , or a hybrid combination of volatile and nonvolatile varieties . in this exemplary embodiment , storage 146 , 156 , 166 comprises one or more of the memory types just given for memories 144 , 154 , 164 , preferably selected from the non - volatile types . this collection of information is used by system 100 in a wide variety of ways . with reference to fig3 , assume for example that a connection request 211 arrives at firewall 131 requesting that data be transferred to computer 137 . the payload of request 211 is , in this example , a probe request for a worm that takes advantage of a particular security vulnerability in a certain computer operating system . based on characteristics of the connection request 211 , firewall 131 sends a query 213 to security server 135 . query 213 includes information that security server 135 uses to determine ( 1 ) the intended destination of connection request 211 , and ( 2 ) some characterization of the payload of connection request 211 , such as a vulnerability identifier . security server 135 uses this information to determine whether connection request 211 is attempting to take advantage of a particular known vulnerability of destination machine 137 , and uses information from database 146 ( see fig2 ) to determine whether the destination computer 137 has the vulnerable software installed , and whether the vulnerability has been patched on computer 137 , or whether computer 137 has been configured so as to be invulnerable to a particular attack . security server 135 sends result signal 217 back to firewall 131 with an indication of whether the connection request should be granted or rejected . if it is to be granted , firewall 131 passes the request to router 133 as request 219 , and router 133 relays the request as request 221 to computer 137 , as is understood in the art . if , on the other hand , signal 217 indicates that connection request 211 is to be rejected , firewall 133 drops or rejects the connection request 211 as is understood in the art . analogous operation can protect computers within subnet 130 from compromised devices within subnet 130 as well . for example , fig4 illustrates subnet 130 with computer 137 compromised . under the control of a virus or worm , for example , computer 137 sends connection attempt 231 to router 133 in an attempt to probe or take advantage of a potential vulnerability in computer 139 . on receiving connection request 231 , router 133 sends relevant information about request 231 in a query 233 to security server 135 . similarly to the operation discussed above in relation to fig3 , security server 135 determines whether connection request 231 poses any threat , and in particular any threat to software on computer 139 . if so , security server 135 determines whether the vulnerability has been patched , and if not , it determines whether computer 139 has been otherwise configured to avoid damage due to that vulnerability . security server 135 replies with signal 235 to query 233 with that answer . router 133 uses response 235 to determine whether to allow the connection attempt . in some embodiments , upon a determination by security server 135 that a connection attempt or other attack has occurred against a computer that is vulnerable ( based on its current software , patch , policy , and configuration status ), security server 135 selects one or more remediation techniques from database 146 that remediate the particular vulnerability . based on a prioritization previously selected by an administrator or the system designer , the remediation technique ( s ) are applied ( 1 ) to the machine that was attacked , ( 2 ) to all devices subject to the same vulnerability ( based on their real - time software , patch , policy , and configuration status ), or ( 3 ) to all devices to which the selected remediation can be applied . in various embodiments , remediation techniques include the closing of open ports on the device ; installation of a patch that is known to correct the vulnerability ; changing the device &# 39 ; s configuration ; stopping , disabling , or removing services ; setting or modifying policies ; and the like . furthermore , in various embodiments , events and actions are logged ( preferably in a non - volatile medium ) for later analysis and review by system administrators . in these embodiments , the log also stores information describing whether the target device was vulnerable to the attack . a real - time status database according to the present invention has many other applications as well . in some embodiments , the database 146 is made available to an administrative console running on security server 135 or other administrative terminal . when a vulnerability is newly discovered in software that exists in subnet 130 , administrators can immediately see whether any devices in subnet 130 are vulnerable to it , and if so , which ones . if a means of remediation of the vulnerability is known , the remediation can be selectively applied to only those devices subject to the vulnerability . in some embodiments , the database 146 is integrated into another device , such as firewall 131 or router 133 , or an individual device on the network . while some of these embodiments might avoid some failures due to network instability , they substantially increase the complexity of the device itself . for this reason , as well as the complexity of maintaining security database functions when integrated with other functions , the network - attached device embodiment described above in relation to fig1 - 4 is preferred . in a preferred embodiment , a software development kit ( sdk ) allows programmers to develop security applications that access the data collected in database 146 . the applications developed with the sdk access information using a defined application programming interface ( api ) to retrieve vulnerability , remediation , and device status information available to the system . the applications then make security - related determinations and are enabled to take certain actions based on the available data . in these exemplary systems , “ configuration information ” for each device may take the form of initialization files ( often named . ini or . conf ), configuration registry ( such as the windows registry on microsoft windows operating systems ), or configuration data held in volatile or non - volatile memory . such configuration information often determines what and how data is accepted from other devices , sent to other devices , processed , stored , or otherwise handled , and in many cases determines what routines and sub - routines are executed in a particular application or operating system . all publications , prior applications , and other documents cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if each had been individually incorporated by reference and fully set forth . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character , it being understood that only the preferred embodiments have been shown and described and that all changes and modifications that would occur to one skilled in the relevant art are desired to be protected .	7
the disclosure , including the accompanying drawings , is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation . it should be noted that references to “ an ” or “ one ” embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment , and such references mean at least one . referring to fig1 , an exemplary embodiment of a sign language recognition system 1 includes a camera 10 , a storage unit 12 , a processing unit 15 , a first output unit 16 , and a second output unit 18 . in the embodiment , the first output unit 16 is a screen , and the second output unit 18 is a speaker or an earphone . hereinafter the term signer is used for the person who uses sign language to communicate . the camera 10 captures images of the gestures of a signer . the processing unit 15 and the storage unit 12 processes the images 30 captured by the camera 10 , for obtaining what the signer means . the first output unit 16 displays what the signer is signing . the second output unit 18 verbalizes what the signer is signing . the storage unit 12 includes a sign language system setting module 122 , a sign language identification module 123 , a recognition module 125 , a voice conversion module 126 , and a gesture storing module 128 . the sign language system setting module 122 , the sign language identification module 123 , the recognition module 125 , and the voice conversion module 126 may include one or more computerized instructions executed by the processor 15 . the gesture storing module 128 stores different types of gestures and meanings for each gesture as shown in fig2 . each type of gestures includes a plurality of gestures . in the embodiment , the gesture storing module 128 stores two types of gestures . a first type of gestures corresponds to china sign language . a second type of gestures corresponds to american sign language . in other embodiments , the gesture storing module 128 may store more than two types of gestures or just one type of gestures . the sign language system setting module 122 is for setting a work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 . work mode hereinafter is referring to which language of sign that the signer is using . it can be understood that in the embodiment , the work modes of the sign language recognition system 1 includes a first mode corresponding to the first type of gesture , and a second mode corresponding to the second type of gesture . in the embodiment , receivers can use two buttons to manually set the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 . the sign language system identification module 123 is for automatically setting the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 when the receivers do not manually set the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 . to automatically set the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 by the sign language identification module 123 will be described as follows . the sign language identification module 123 compares the gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 with the plurality of types of gestures , to determine which type the gestures captured belongs to . if the gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 belongs to the first type of gesture , the sign language identification module 123 sets the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 as the first work mode . moreover , if a gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 belongs to both the first and second types of gesture , the sign language identification module 123 may compare the next gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 with the plurality of types of gestures , until it is determined which only one type the gesture belongs to . the recognition module 125 compares the images of the gestures captured by the camera 10 with the plurality of gestures , corresponding to the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 , to find out what the meanings of the gestures that are captured by the camera 10 are . the screen 16 displays the meanings obtained by the recognition module 125 . the voice conversion module 126 converts the gestures captured by the camera 10 into audible sounds . the speaker 18 plays the meanings of the gestures captured by the camera 10 . as shown in fig3 , the sign language recognition system 1 may be embedded within a mobile telephone . the camera 10 mounts on a surface of the body of the mobile telephone . furthermore , the sign language recognition system 1 may take the form of glasses worn by the receiver as shown in fig4 . the camera 10 mounts on a bridge of the glasses . referring to fig5 , an exemplary embodiment of a sign language recognition method is as follows . in step s 1 , the receiver determines whether the receiver needs to manually set the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 . if the receiver needs to manually set the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 , the process flows to step s 2 . if the receiver does not need to manually set the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 , the process flows to step s 3 . in step s 2 , the receiver manually sets the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 , then the process flows to step s 3 . in step s 3 , the camera 10 captures an image of a gesture of the signer . in step s 4 , the recognition module 125 determines whether the work mode is set . if the work mode is not set , the process flows to step s 5 . if the work mode is set , the process flows to step s 6 . in step s 5 , the sign language identification module 123 compares the gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 with the plurality of types of gestures , to determine which type the gesture of the signer belongs to , and sets the work mode accordingly . for example , if the gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 belongs to the first type of gestures , the sign language identification module 123 sets the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 as the first work mode . moreover , if a gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 belongs to both the first and second types of gestures , the sign language identification module 123 may compare the next gesture of the signer captured by the camera 10 with the plurality of types of gestures , until a determination is made which type the gesture belongs to . in step s 6 , the recognition module 125 compares the image of the gesture captured by the camera 10 with the plurality of gestures , corresponding to the work mode of the sign language recognition system 1 , to find out what meanings are associated with the gestures captured by the camera 10 . in step s 7 , the screen 16 displays the meanings obtained by the recognition module 125 . the voice conversion module 126 converts the meanings of the gesture captured by the camera 10 into audible sounds , and the speaker 18 plays the sounds of the gesture captured by the camera 10 . the foregoing description of the embodiments of the disclosure has been presented only for the purposes of illustration and description and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms disclosed . many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above everything . the embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the disclosure and their practical application so as to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to utilize the disclosure and various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated . alternative embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skills in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope . accordingly , the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description and the exemplary embodiments described therein .	6
in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the methods and mechanisms presented herein . however , one having ordinary skill in the art should recognize that the various embodiments may be practiced without these specific details . in some instances , well - known structures , components , signals , computer program instructions , and techniques have not been shown in detail to avoid obscuring the approaches described herein . it will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration , elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale . for example , the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements . while the techniques described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms , specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail . it should be understood , however , that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the techniques to the particular form disclosed , but on the contrary , the intention is to cover all modifications , equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present embodiments as defined by the appended claims . the headings used herein are for organizational purposes only and are not meant to be used to limit the scope of the description . as used throughout this application , the word “ may ” is used in a permissive sense ( i . e ., meaning having the potential to ), rather than the mandatory sense ( i . e ., meaning must ). further , the use of the word “ may ” generally indicates that the feature discussed may or may not be present in various embodiments . similarly , the words “ include ”, “ including ”, and “ includes ” mean including , but not limited to . this specification includes references to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment .” the appearances of the phrases “ in one embodiment ” or “ in an embodiment ” do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment , although embodiments that include any combination of the features are generally contemplated , unless expressly disclaimed herein . particular features , structures , or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner consistent with this disclosure . terminology . the following paragraphs provide definitions and / or context for terms found in this disclosure ( including the appended claims ): “ comprising .” this term is open - ended . as used in the appended claims , this term does not foreclose additional structure or steps . consider a claim that recites : “ a system comprising a display control unit . . . ” such a claim does not foreclose the system from including additional components ( e . g ., a processor , a memory controller ). “ configured to .” various units , circuits , or other components may be described or claimed as “ configured to ” perform a task or tasks . in such contexts , “ configured to ” is used to connote structure by indicating that the units / circuits / components include structure ( e . g ., circuitry ) that performs the task or tasks during operation . as such , the unit / circuit / component can be said to be configured to perform the task even when the specified unit / circuit / component is not currently operational ( e . g ., is not on ). the units / circuits / components used with the “ configured to ” language include hardware — for example , circuits , memory storing program instructions executable to implement the operation , etc . reciting that a unit / circuit / component is “ configured to ” perform one or more tasks is expressly intended not to invoke 35 u . s . c . § 112 ( f ) for that unit / circuit / component . additionally , “ configured to ” can include generic structure ( e . g ., generic circuitry ) that is manipulated by software and / or firmware ( e . g ., an fpga or a general - purpose processor executing software ) to operate in a manner that is capable of performing the task ( s ) at issue . “ configured to ” may also include adapting a manufacturing process ( e . g ., a semiconductor fabrication facility ) to fabricate devices ( e . g ., integrated circuits ) that are adapted to implement or perform one or more tasks . “ based on .” as used herein , this term is used to describe one or more factors that affect a determination . this term does not foreclose additional factors that may affect a determination . that is , a determination may be solely based on those factors or based , at least in part , on those factors . consider the phrase “ determine a based on b .” while b may be a factor that affects the determination of a , such a phrase does not foreclose the determination of a from also being based on c . in other instances , a may be determined based solely on b . in practical sourcing situations , buyers are typically faced with a significant number of business rules . in addition to this , the bidders often have other considerations such as capacity limitations , synergies , etc . in a sourcing system supporting these types of rules , there are often a rather large number of rules used in analyzing different scenarios for awarding the business . sometimes rules may be contradictory . when the number of rules is large and / or there are many items , bids , bidders , etc ., it can be very cumbersome to resolve such contradictions , and some tool for infeasibility resolution is highly desired . there at least two aspects of infeasibility resolution : 1 . obtain a feasible solution by relaxing some of the rules , preferably with small efforts from the buyer . for ease of discussion , we will discuss “ a buyer ”/“ the buyer ” as an entity which defines rules , resolves infeasibility , etc . however , it is to be understood that in practice there may be one or more buyers , one or more groups of buyers , one or more buying organizations , etc . this “ buyer ” may also be referred to as a manager , user , or otherwise . the specific term used should not be seen as limiting the invention . for example , sometimes in the literature the party controlling a bidding process is also called bid taker . the solutions described herein can also be used outside of e - sourcing and buying , in which cases , the term “ buyer ” can be replaced by a more appropriate term , such as manager . examples are resource planning , scheduling , exchanges , selling , etc . in addition , in various embodiments bids may correspond to goods , services , other tangibles and / or intangibles , or any combination of the foregoing . numerous such alternatives are possible and are contemplated . it is noted that while the following discussion is centered on e - sourcing , the methods and mechanisms described herein may be used in areas outside of e - sourcing . for example , the systems and methods may be used for planning , supply chain optimization , and other optimization areas . furthermore , the entity setting the rule need not represent a buyer , it may just as well be a bidder , analyst or otherwise . as described herein , a “ reference allocation ”, or “ reference point ”, represents a potential allocation or solution . for example , such an allocation or solution may be the result of solving a scenario or it may be a predefined allocation . alternatively , it may simply be a description of an allocation , such as “ allocate the lowest bid for each item ”. it is noted that a reference allocation does not need to represent a feasible solution to any specific scenario . a reference allocation may be used in many different ways . for example : 1 . if all rules violated by the reference allocation are identified , and all identified rules are relaxed , a feasible problem is generated . 2 . information about violated rules can be useful for a buyer in evaluating why he is unable to obtain an expected allocation , or to guide the buyer in setting priorities for one or more rules . fig1 a illustrates one embodiment of a method for determining an allocation . in the example shown , a model is received that is based on bids and rules ( block 100 ). for example , suppliers may provide bids on one or more items that wish to supply with the bids representing the price at which they will supply ( sell ) the items . rules regarding allocations ( i . e ., the awarding of contracts to suppliers based on their bids ) are also received . such rules may specify requirements on how the allocation is to be made . using the received bids and rules , an optimization model is received ( or otherwise generated ). generally speaking , the model may comprise a system of equations as described herein that includes constraints based on at least the received rules . having received the model , a determination is made as to whether a solution exists ( i . e ., is the model feasible ) ( block 102 ). if the model is feasible , then an allocation may be generated based on a solution of the model ( block 114 ). however , if the model is infeasible , then a reference allocation is selected by the user or system ( block 104 ). in various embodiments , the reference allocation is an initial allocation made without regard to the allocation rules that have been received . in this sense , the reference allocation may be viewed as a default allocation . for example , such a reference allocation may be a zero allocation in which no awards are made . alternatively , a reference allocation may simply award the lowest bid for each item . other reference allocations may be based on previously determined allocation and / or solution to a model . these and other reference allocation will be discussed further below . having made the reference allocation , a determination is then made as to whether any of the received allocation rules , have been violated . generally speaking , each rule is examined and compared to the reference allocation to determine if the rule is violated ( block 106 ). in this manner , each of the rules that are violated are identified ( block 100 ). having identified all rules that are violated by the reference allocation , all of the identified rules ( in some embodiments ) are relaxed ( block 112 ). in some embodiments , relaxing a rule may include complete removal of the rule . in other embodiments , relaxing of a rule may include reducing constraints imposed by the rule . for the purposes of discussion here , removal of the rule will be described . the comparison of rules against the reference allocation and the relaxation of the rules can be done at different levels , for example on a data structure directly representing the rule ( s ) or on an equation in an optimization model dependent on how data is received and processed in various embodiments . as used herein , the expression “ relaxing a rule ” and similar expressions may refer to a direct modification of rules , modification of a representation of rules ( e . g ., in equations used to represent such rules ), modification of data structures used to represent rules , and so on . once the identified rules that violate the reference allocation have been removed , the optimization model is then modified so that is reflects removal of these rules ( block 114 ). given the modified model , a new allocation is generated that is compatible with the modified model and a solution has now been obtained ( block 116 ). fig1 b , illustrates various method to identify and relax a sub - set of rules , based on one or more reference allocations . in the example shown , a reference allocation is used to obtain different results : ( i ) information about relaxed rules , ( ii ) a modified model , or ( iii ) a solution to the modified model . in block 120 , an optimization model including associated bids and rules is received . generally speaking , as described herein , the optimization model may include a system of equations based on bids and rules . however , the discussion may simply describe the optimization and including or comprising bids and / or rules . the received rules are then compared to one or more reference allocation ( block 122 ), and a determination is made as to whether any of the rules are violated by the one or more reference allocations ( decision block 124 ). if no rules are violated , then some other action may be taken ( block 126 ). however , if a rule violation is detected , then one or more actions ( denoted a ) may occur . in one embodiment , information about at least one rule that is violated by the reference allocation may be output ( block 130 ). another possibility is to relax at least one rule that is violated by the reference allocation ( block 140 ), and a modified model based on the relaxed rule generated and / or output ( block 142 ). yet another possibility is to relax at least one rule that is violated by the reference allocation ( block 150 ), and output a result of solving the model using the relaxed rule ( block 152 ). the comparison of rules against the reference allocation and the relaxation of the rules can be done at different levels , for example on a data structure directly representing the rule or on an equation in an optimization model dependent on how data is received and processed in various embodiments . elastic programming is a method for handling infeasibility in mathematical programming in which constraints may be broken with a penalty and the solver may then include these violation penalties in the objective . using such a method , each constraint can be violated and is penalized as a function of the magnitude of the deviation . in other words , a constraint may not need to be completely omitted . rather a constraint may be violated to different degrees at a cost . for example , assume the following linear problem : minimize : 2x + y subject to : x ≧ 1 ( 1 ) y ≧ 2 ( 2 ) x + y ≦ 1 . 5 ( 3 ) where : x ε [ 0 , 1 ] y ε [ 0 , 2 ] minimize 2x + y + 100e 1 + 100e 2 subject to x + e 1 ≧ 1 ( 1 ) y + e 2 ≧ 2 ( 2 ) x + y ≦ 1 . 5 ( 3 ) where : x , e 1 ε [ 0 , 1 ] y , e 2 ε [ 0 , 2 ] the solution to the elastic version is x = 0 and y = 1 . 5 , with e 1 = 1 and e 2 = 0 . 5 giving a total violation cost at 150 . elastic programming is a means to relax a rule in various embodiments — when the scenario is modelled using mathematical programming and elastic programming is applied to one or more rules representing the rule . as described herein , we provide a modified form of elastic programming for this purpose , we introduce the term ep . applying ep is defined as one or more of the following : ( i ) applying elastic programming to relax one or more constraints in a mathematical programming problem representing some part of a scenario . ( ii ) omitting the representation of some part of a scenario or rule in the mathematical programming model . ( iii ) changing the scope or limit of a rule . omitting ( parts of ) the rule in the mathematical program can essentially be thought of as corresponding to using elastic programming with a rule violation penalty of zero , but technically , just omitting the rule may be more practical . for simplicity and readability , the description of ep * is based on the case where a penalty ( if used ) is proportional to the deviation from the rule , and where rules can be omitted . other variants are possible and are contemplated , such as using a penalty if the rule is broken and then adding no further penalty based on degree of deviation , using combinations of different such penalties , or use penalties based on combinations of deviations of different rules . the variants described here are exemplary only and should not be seen as limiting . in ep , a rule violation penalty can be a fixed number , user - defined , derived by the system , or otherwise . one alternative would be to use a user - defined value whenever defined , and a system default value otherwise . the variant above that obtains a feasible problem by applying ep to all rules that are violated by the reference point problem is denoted autorelaxbyalloc . the mathematical programming problem resulting from autorelaxbyalloc is feasible as there is at least one feasible solution : the solution corresponding to the reference allocation . autorelaxbyalloc is now described in a small example . in fig2 , an infeasible two - dimensional problem with four constraints ( c 1 - c 4 ) is shown . we also show two reference points , p 1 and p 2 , which may correspond to reference allocations for a corresponding scenario . as can be seen , p 2 is not feasible due to constraint c 3 , and p 1 is not feasible due to either of constraints c 2 and c 3 . next , in fig3 , autorelaxbyalloc with reference point p 2 has been applied . in order to make p 2 feasible , ep * has been applied on c 3 ( here the constraint c 3 has been relaxed , and removed from the figure ). p 2 is now a feasible solution , and there is a region around p 2 which is also feasible . for the case that the rule violation penalty applied by ep * on c 3 is high enough , the solver will return the solution being the top corner of the triangle forming the feasible region around p 2 , as this may be deemed to violate c 3 the least . in fig4 , the reference point p 1 is used . for this case , ep * is applied and both c 2 and c 3 are relaxed , and there is a larger feasible region . the autorelaxbyalloc method can hence be used to conveniently obtain a feasible solution with minimum input from the buyer , or allowing the buyer to set penalties at a detailed level if so desired . in various embodiments , autorelaxbyalloc can be invoked on request , for example when the buyer has been informed that his original scenario was infeasible , performed automatically by the system as soon as a solve attempt concludes that the problem is infeasible , or be triggered by some other event . once the allocation is obtained , it can be reported by the system in various ways . this can include all types of reports on the allocations and payments as well as reports on deviations from limits of the relaxed rules . based on the above discussion , below is a sample description of a bidding and allocation process . it is noted that the presented example is relatively simple for purposes of discussion . those skilled in the art will appreciate that in various situations there may be many more bidders , items and rules than discussed below . in this example there are two bidders that are bidding to serve as supplier for five items . the illustrated bid prices ( 100 - 104 and 90 - 94 ) in this table are arbitrary and are provided simply for purposes of discussion . each bidder has provided bids for supplying the items as follows : in table 4 above , incumbent supplier and new supplier have each provided bids for the sale of each of five items , item 1 - item 5 . in this example , we assume that the objective of the optimization is to minimize cost , though other objectives are possible and are contemplated . in this example , the cost of an item is defined as either ( i ) the payment to the allocated bid as stated in the bid , or ( ii ) 10 , 000 per non - allocated item if an item is not allocated . for example , if item 1 is not allocated in a given allocation , then a cost of 10 , 000 is applied . if items 1 and 2 were not allocated , then a cost of 2 = 10 , 000 = 20 , 000 would be applied , and so on . as with the above bids , the penalty mentioned here ( 10 , 000 ) is simply provided for purposes of discussion . in this embodiment , there is no penalty associated with violation of an omitted rule ( discussed in greater detail below ). rather , omitted rules are ignored and treated as though they do not exist . however , as will be further described below , penalties associated with rules that are made elastic may also be included in the cost and in some embodiments such costs could be associated with omitted rules as well if desired with no other rules present , the minimum cost occurs if the bids from new supplier ( the lowest bidder on all items ) are allocated on all five items , resulting in a total cost of 90 + 91 + 92 + 93 + 94 = 460 . next , assume that a buyer has defined a scenario s , including the rules of table 2 , to be used in the allocation calculation . hence scenario s contains : on review of the above rules it can be seen that scenario s is not feasible . for example , r1 and r3 cannot both be satisfied as r1 requires allocation of at least 4 units and r3 requires allocation of at most 2 units . in some embodiments , detection of such an infeasibility may include responding in one or more of a variety of ways — such as by producing a report when an attempt to calculate allocations is made . we will now describe six different embodiments for resolving the infeasibility of scenario s . the described embodiments are based on three different reference allocations and two relaxation methods , resulting in six combinations . it is noted that many possible reference allocations and relaxation methods are possible based on a variety of business considerations . these and other reference allocations and methods are possible and are contemplated . it is also noted that techniques to resolve infeasibility may be done after infeasibility has been detected , or such techniques may be applied without testing or knowledge of whether or not the allocation calculation is infeasible . resolution of an infeasibility can be triggered manually or automatically . these , and other variants are possible and contemplated . as will be seen , the described methods and mechanisms may provide a highly efficient approach for determining a lowest cost allocation within the context of given conditions . first , we describe three different reference allocations ( as shown in table 5 ) for use in resolving infeasibilities . in the table below , a “ 1 ” indicates that the supplier has been allocated the corresponding item ( s ) and a “ 0 ” indicates that the supplier has not been allocated the corresponding item . it is noted that other types of allocations such as split allocations , over - allocations , partial allocations , etc ., are also possible and contemplated , but are not described in this example for ease of discussion . in addition , while three different reference allocations and two different relaxation methods are discussed , a given process may only use one type of reference allocation and relaxation method . however , embodiments are possible where multiple approaches may be used either in parallel or according to some sequence . as seen from the above in table 5 , reference allocation a is allocating nothing to each supplier , reference allocation b is allocating each item to the lowest bid ( i . e ., new supplier in this example ), and reference allocation c is allocating each item to incumbent supplier . in the embodiments of this example , the reference allocations are defined without regard to any specific allocation rules defined by the buyer . in various embodiments , such reference allocations may be pre - defined in the sourcing platform . in other words , it may be predetermined that a given reference allocation to be used is to “ allocate nothing ”, “ allocate lowest bid ”, “ allocate incumbent supplier ”, or otherwise . in other embodiments , a reference allocation to be used may be based on some rules or conditions , and / or may be the result of earlier allocation calculation ( s ). as noted above , in addition to three reference allocations , two relaxation methods may be used ,: ( i ) omit all violated rules , and ( ii ) apply elastic programming to ( representations of ) violated rules with a penalty for violation of the rule . as an example , a penalty of 100 , 000 per unit for violation of a rule may be applied . so , for example , if a rule requiring allocation of at least 4 units is violated and the allocation is of 2 units , then the rule is violated by a measure of 2 units which incurs a penalty of 2 × 100 , 000 = 200 , 000 . similarly , if an allocation of 7 units were made , then the rule would be violated by a measure of 3 units which would incur a penalty of 3 × 100 , 000 = 300 , 000 . the penalty of 100 , 000 is an example only . different penalties may be used in different embodiments . penalties may also vary between different rules to reflect some type of priorities . given the above descriptions of the reference allocations and relaxation methods , we now describe the resulting six combinations as shown in table 6 . in embodiments 1 and 2 , we use reference allocation a . by comparing the above rules to reference allocation a , we can see that rules r1 and r2 are violated . r1 is violated as it requires the allocation of at least 4 units , but reference allocation a allocates 0 units . r2 is violated as it requires allocation of at least 3 units to incumbents and reference allocation a allocates 0 to incumbents . rule r3 is not violated as it requires allocation of at most 2 units and reference allocation a allocates 0 units . in embodiments 3 and 4 , we use reference allocation b . by comparing the above rules to reference allocation b , we can see that rules r2 and r3 are violated . r2 is violated as it requires allocation of at least 3 units to incumbents and reference allocation b allocates 0 units to incumbents . r3 is violated as it requires allocation of at most 2 units and reference allocation b allocates 5 units . rule r1 is not violated as it requires allocation of at least 4 units and reference allocation b allocates 5 units . in embodiments 5 and 6 , we use reference allocation c . by comparing the above rules to reference allocation c , we can see that r3 is violated as it requires allocation of at most 2 units and reference allocation c allocates 5 units . r1 is not violated as it requires allocation of at least 4 units and reference allocation c allocates 5 units . r2 is not violated as it requires allocation of at least 3 units to incumbent supplier and reference allocation c allocates 5 units to incumbent supplier . table 7 below summarizes the comparisons between the above described rules and reference allocations . in each of the six embodiments , having identified which rules are violated by a given allocation , the violated rules are relaxed . as described above in table 6 , the relaxation methods used by the example embodiments are to either to omit violating rules (“ omit ”) or make them elastic with a penalty (“ elastic ”). in various embodiments when using an elastic relaxation method , allocations may seek to minimize the penalty associated with violation of elastic rules when possible . as a result of the relaxation , we may say that we have a relaxed version , scenario relaxed (“ sr ”), of scenario s . following relaxation , a new allocation calculation is made based on sr . the result is shown in table 8 where “ incumbent supplier ” is abbreviated as “ inc ”, and “ new supplier ” is abbreviated “ new ”. in embodiment 1 , the violated rules r1 and r2 are omitted . r3 ( allocate at most 2 units ) remains and limits the total allocation to 2 items , leaving 3 items unallocated at a cost 3 × 100 , 000 = 30 , 000 ( penalty for non - allocation of items ). as noted above , the objective in these discussed scenarios is to minimize cost . therefore , 2 items ( item 1 and item 2 ) are allocated to the lowest bid ( i . e ., new supplier ), resulting in a total cost of 90 + 91 + 3 × 10 000 = 30 , 181 . accordingly , by using the reference allocation discussed above , rules that prevent a feasible solution are readily identified and removed , and a feasible solution is determined in an efficient manner given the conditions of the scenario and embodiment , the resulting total cost of the solution is guaranteed to be a lowest cost solution which may be deemed optimal in the given context . as will be seen in the following , the other embodiments likewise provide a very efficient approach to determining a solution to what was originally determined to be infeasible . in embodiment 2 , the violated rules r1 and r2 are made elastic with a penalty of , for example , 100 , 000 . r3 remains and serves to limit the total allocation to 2 items which will leave 3 items unallocated at cost 3 × 10 , 000 = 30 , 000 . regardless of which of the 2 items we allocate , allocation of 2 items will result in r1 ( allocate at least 4 units ) being violated by 2 units at a cost of 2 × 100 , 000 = 200 , 000 . therefore , r1 will have no impact on which items are allocated . however , to minimize the impact of violating the elastic version of rule r2 ( allocate at least 3 units to incumbent ), the 2 units to be allocated will be allocated to incumbent supplier . therefore , r2 will still be violated by 1 unit at a cost / penalty of 100 , 000 . to minimize cost ( according to the present scenario and embodiment ), items 4 and 5 , having the lowest bids , are allocated to the incumbent supplier at a total cost of 101 + 100 + 3 × 10 , 000 + 2 × 100 , 000 + 100 , 000 = 330 , 201 . in embodiment 3 , rule r1 remains unchanged and rules r2 and r3 are omitted . the solver can hence allocate all items at lowest cost . as a result , all items are allocated to new supplier at cost 90 + 91 + 92 + 93 + 94 = 460 . in embodiment 4 , rule r1 remains and rules r2 and r3 are made elastic with a penalty of 100 , 000 . with reasoning analogous to the above it can be seen that the lowest cost solution is to allocate item 1 to new supplier , and items 3 , 4 and 5 to incumbent supplier . the cost includes a penalty of 0 for r2 , 200 , 000 for r3 , and 10 , 000 for one unallocated item . therefore , the total cost is 90 + 102 + 101 + 100 + 10 , 000 + 200 , 000 = 210 , 393 . in embodiment 5 , rules r1 and r2 remain and rule r3 is omitted . the resulting allocation is item 1 and 2 to new supplier , and items 3 , 4 , and 5 to incumbent supplier , resulting in a total cost of 90 + 91 + 102 + 101 + 100 = 484 . finally , in embodiment 6 , rules r1 and r2 remain and rule r3 is made elastic with a penalty of 100 , 000 . this results in the same allocation and cost as for embodiment 4 . as seen above , the role of the reference allocation in these example embodiments is to determine what rules to relax . once that has been done , the reference allocation may have no further role in these embodiments . in addition to the above , the methods and mechanisms described herein can also be used iteratively . assume for example we refer to the set of rules for scenario s1 as r s1 and an allocation to scenario s1 as a s1 . 1 ) the buyer sets up a scenario , termed “ base ”, in which r base expresses one or more rules of the current tender . examples of such rules can be balance rules between different parts of a supply chain : for example in order to enable the allocation of a certain production bid , matching allocations of required raw material bids must also be allocated . 2 ) scenario base turns out to be infeasible . the buyer then uses the above described method using zero allocations ( allocate nothing ) as a reference allocation ( s ). the resulting allocation , a base , is concluded acceptable , even though it may be that case that , for example , a minor set of the desired sourced items cannot be bought as part of the current tender . 3 ) the buyer sets up a second scenario , termed “ asis ”. this scenario uses all rules of the rule set r base which are not violated by the new reference allocation a base . this set of rules is named r ′ base . the buyer then adds one or more rules that indicate incumbent suppliers should maintain their incumbent allocations as specified by a base . 4 ) the second scenario , asis , turns out to be infeasible . the buyer then uses one of the methods and / or mechanisms described herein to solve the scenario with a base as a reference allocation . as a consequence , all rules requiring that incumbents should keep their shares which are in conflict with a base are relaxed . a new allocation is then made , a asis . on running different reports on a asis the buyer may detect that all expected asis allocations may not be fulfilled because all the incumbents had not rebid on all of their current contracts . the buyer might then want to contact selected incumbents and encourage them to rebid and then rerun the asis scenario . it may also / alternatively be the case that asis reveals problems in the set - up of base and that r base rules need corrections and the process should restart at step 1 . once a asis is determined to be acceptable , the buyer continues to step 5 . 5 ) the buyer sets up a third scenario , termed “ preferred ”, which uses the rules of r ′ base plus one or more other rules ( e . g ., preferred business rules ). assume also that scenario preferred is infeasible . the buyer then uses the methods and / or mechanisms described herein with a asis as a reference allocation . note that the buyer in this example made a choice to start from r ′ base rather than r asis . this means that the particular rules of keeping incumbent allocations introduced in the asis scenario are not enforced , but that a asis is a feasible solution and that the rules introduced for scenario preferred are only relaxed when conflicting with a asis . the rules r ′ base are enforced and met in an allocation , a preferred , but the rules r asis need not be . it is also conceivable to automate the semi - manual process above . that is , define all set of rules , r base , r asis , and r preferred prior to beginning that above process , and define what reference allocations to use when , etc . as described above , the approach based on one or more reference allocations can provide information about which rules were violated , and to what degree , in order to obtain a feasible solution . though it can be very useful to obtain such a “ best effort ” feasible solution , this is sometimes not very informative for the user . in tenders with great complexity , the fact that a certain rule had to be violated can come as a surprise , and in order to understand why it was violated , more information ( e . g . what other rules a specific rule is contradicting ) would be very useful . in various embodiments , a sourcing system can be configured to automatically take infeasibility resolution actions if a user attempts to solve a scenario which turns out to be infeasible . such an action could , for example , be to relax rules using a reference allocation as discussed above . it could also be to inform the user about sources of infeasibility . the latter can for example be in the form of a report formatted in a suitable way for direct display on a screen or for download . in one embodiment , the method for providing information about the source ( s ) of infeasibility can be based on expressing high level rules as a mathematical programming problem using , for example , mixed integer programming ( e . g . as described in andersson , arne , mattias tenhunen , and fredrik ygge . “ integer programming for combinatorial auction winner determination .” multiagent systems , 2000 . proceedings . fourth international conference on . ieee , 2004 , and then maintain a mapping between ( i ) high - level rules and ( ii ) constraints in the mathematical programming problem . such a mapping could look like that shown in table 9 below : next , one or more irreducible infeasible sets ( iis ) of constraints , sometimes called irreducible inconsistent subsystem , are identified . the identification of iis for a mixed integer programming problem can be done with any of a variety of available mixed integer programming solvers , or by some special purpose algorithm . generally speaking , in the process above when one or more irreducible infeasible sets have been identified , the result is output by being saved to a machine readable media in a proper format or shown on a display of a computing device . one embodiment of such a method is depicted in fig5 . fig5 illustrates a method 500 that includes receiving bids and rules ( block 502 ), and a model builder electronically constructing a model including constraints based on the rules , and a mapping between the rules and constraints ( block 504 ). one or more irreducible sets of constraints are then identified ( block 506 ), and information about the identified irreducible infeasible sets is generated , stored , and / or output , etc . ( block 508 ). for the case of a complex rule , it may be translated to many constraints mapping to the same rule ( cf . rules 3 in table 3 ). for the case of a simple rule , it may be translated directly as a bound on a variable . hence , variable bounds can map to one or more rules . in various embodiments , all rules may not need to be modeled in the mathematical programming problem , but they may be maintained separately for efficiency . call this set of separately maintained rules , s r . one example of a rule in s r could be a “ reject bids ” rule , which may cause one or more bids not to appear at all in the mathematical programming problem . information about s r can be added once the mathematical programming solver has returned one or more iis . this can be done optimally ( for example by performing an analysis of rules in s r ) or in some approximate way ( for example by indicating where there are bids affected by rules in s r ). some rules may have a repetition . an example of such a rule could be “ allocate at most 3 winners per country ”. in this case , the mapping will also preferably contain enough information to derive which part of the repetition ( such as country ) a constraint maps to in order to provide a more accurate reporting , further illustrated below . once the iis have been identified , different types of output ( s ) and reports can be produced . these may be in many forms — from a simple message directly on a display , to an extensive , formatted , report . it can also be visible in an interface for viewing and / or editing rules , so that , for example , rules that are part of one or more infeasible set ( s ) are highlighted . furthermore , possible changes of the limits of one or more rules being part of an infeasible set of rules may be suggested or automatically performed based on an analysis of the problem at hand . it some cases it may be advantageous to report several iis in order to enable the buyer to resolve multiple sources of infeasibility at the same time . in practice , a reported infeasibility may reveal errors in project set - up , data problems , or other errors or problems which should be corrected . one example of an iis report in a spreadsheet - like format is shown in fig6 . in addition to what is shown in the sample report , the report can contain other information , such as the number of bids that occur in all of the conflicting rules . fig6 illustrates one embodiment of an infeasibility analysis report 600 in a table / spreadsheet format . in the sample report shown , rules r1 and r2 are identified as contradictory ( 602 ), rule r17 is identified as being a rule that cannot be fulfilled ( 604 ), and rules r3 , r12 , and r13 are also identified as contradictory ( 606 ). the method of identifying sources of infeasibility can be combined with the above discussed methods in different ways . for example , an identification of sources of infeasibility can allow the buyer to set specific rule violation penalties on some of them . turning now to fig7 , one embodiment of a system that may include the methods and mechanisms described herein is shown . a system of the type described here can typically support hundreds of users simultaneously , which may have many different roles and may be working in different projects . as shown in fig7 , the sourcing system 700 is connected to the internet via a connection including a firewall 702 . web pages for bidders , buyers , and other users can be produced in a web - server 706 . a backend server 708 can receive data and signals from the web - server 706 and store data to a database . in this example , a server cluster 712 ( e . g ., sql based or otherwise ) including storage area network 714 is shown that may store a database . in addition , the backend server 708 may be configured to perform different forms of processing and may also be configured to initiate jobs on other computers . for example , additional ( worker ) servers 710 may be utilized for processing tasks and / or storing data . still further , cloud based servers 704 may be utilized for processing tasks and / or storing data . further , the backend server may also be configured to manage scheduling of different tasks , such as closing the system for bidding in a specific project . the worker servers 710 can perform computationally intensive tasks , such as solving optimization problems or performing different forms of infeasibility analysis , or any other desired tasks . the system can be dynamic and add hardware dynamically at runtime . this can be in the form of rented computers from a cloud server provider . the server cluster ( or other forms of database hardware ) generally manages the longer term storage of data . in the example shown , one or more elements within block 720 may referred to as a processing system . in some embodiments , the backend server 708 generally performs processing tasks . in other embodiments , worker servers 710 may be used for performing one or more tasks . still further , in some embodiments , cloud based servers 704 may be used for performing processing tasks . depending on the configuration , bidders may be allowed to place bids through a web - interface 800 such as that shown in fig8 , or via uploads of bid forms in one or more designated formats . submitted bids can be received via the web - server , processed and verified in the backend server , and stored by the database hardware . the buyer may be allowed to express different desired properties of the allocation of business . a sample set of rules expressing such desired properties is shown in fig9 . such rules can be edited directly on a web - page , submitted via upload of documents or using any other suitable method . submitted rules can be received via the web - server , processed and verified by the backend server , and stored by the database hardware . fig1 illustrates one embodiment of a list of scenarios . the buyer can be allowed to compare the consequences of applying different set of rules , by applying them differently in different scenarios . such scenarios can be edited directly on a web - page , submitted via upload of documents or using any other suitable method . submitted scenarios can be received via the web - server , processed and verified by the backend server , and stored by the database software . fig1 shows such a possible list of scenarios . exact rule settings not shown , but the names of the scenarios give some guidance in the example . for example , scenario 1 is a cherry pick scenario ( a commonly used term denoting awarded the lowest possible bid for every item without any rules or other limitations ). then scenario 2 is limiting the allocation to two winners . as a consequence of this , the payment raises from 2 , 017 , 246 usd to 2 , 035 , 246 usd . similarly the other scenarios show trade - offs between desirable properties and cost . scenario ( index ) 5 of fig1 is infeasible , i . e . contains contradicting rules and hence does not have a solution . if , for example , a buyer initiates the solving of a scenario by pushing a button on a web - page , the information can be received by the web - server and processed by the backend server . the backend server may then update the status of the solve job via the database hardware . it can also schedule the solving to be performed by a worker server . the worker server can receive a job description , read required data from the database , solve the scenario , output the result to the database hardware , and update the job status when appropriate . fig1 shows a sample web - page displaying some details of scenario 5 . status is displayed as infeasible . the user is offered some help for infeasibility resolution . in this example , an infeasibility analysis report is available . this can be implemented to be done automatically by the system when the scenario was concluded infeasible , or to be done manually on request by the user . the content of this report can be of the type displayed in fig6 . in fig1 there is also provided the possibility of solving the scenario using a reference allocation . from a hardware processing perspective , the relaxation of rules and solving the relaxed model can be similar to the processing of a standard solve of a scenario . in fig1 , the scenarios of fig1 are shown again , but now scenario 5 has been solved using a relaxation based on a reference allocation “ zero ”. to analyze the outcome in more details , an e - sourcing system can allow for the production of different reports . if , for example , a buyer initiates report generation of a scenario by pushing a button on a web - page , the information can be received by the web - server and processed by the backend server . the backend server can then update the status of the job via the database hardware . it can also schedule the solving to be performed by a worker server . the worker server can receive a job description , read required data from the database , solve the scenario , output the result to the database hardware , and update the job status when appropriate . one such report is shown in fig1 . in this example , two columns per scenario are displayed : the allocated share of the volume in %, and the payment in usd . from the report , it can for example be seen that for scenario 2 , the rule of max 2 winners is fulfilled . for scenario 5 it can be noted that all rules could not be fulfilled ( as expected since the scenario contains contradicting rules and is infeasible ). if we assume that reference allocation zero means no allocation , using this reference implies relaxing the rules “ min 75 % to bidder 1 ”, and “ min 5 % to each of bidder 6 & amp ; 7 ”. in this particular example , the solver found a solution by violating one constraint in the rule “ min 5 % to each of bidder 6 & amp ; 7 ”, namely the constraint on min 5 % to bidder 6 . it is noted that the above - described embodiments may comprise software . in such an embodiment , the program instructions that implement the methods and / or mechanisms may be conveyed or stored on a computer readable medium , or on multiple computer readable media . numerous types of media which are configured to store program instructions are available and include hard disks , floppy disks , cd - rom , dvd , flash memory , programmable roms ( prom ), random access memory ( ram ), and various other forms of volatile or non - volatile storage . in various embodiments , as described one or more portions of the methods and mechanisms described herein may form part of a cloud - computing environment . in such embodiments , resources may be provided over the internet as services according to one or more various models . such models may include infrastructure as a service ( iaas ), platform as a service ( paas ), and software as a service ( saas ). in iaas , computer infrastructure is delivered as a service . in such a case , the computing equipment is generally owned and operated by the service provider . in the paas model , software tools and underlying equipment used by developers to develop software solutions may be provided as a service and hosted by the service provider . saas typically includes a service provider licensing software as a service on demand . the service provider may host the software , or may deploy the software to a customer for a given period of time . numerous combinations of the above models are possible and are contemplated . although the embodiments above have been described in considerable detail , numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated . it is intended that the following claims be interpreted to embrace all such variations and modifications .	6
it should be understood that the improved impact tool of the present invention can be fabricated in any of a variety of sizes , depending upon the needs of the user . thus , its size may range from a small model which may be handheld , to a large , heavy - duty model which must be carried and positioned by a piece of construction machinery such as a backhoe or a power shovel due to the weight of the impact tool and the magnitude of the forces involved . but it should be noted that the improved impact tool of the present invention is particularly adapted to be embodied in the latter sort of impact tool where the large forces and heavy weight of the moil make particularly valuable the various features of the present invention which are set out in detail herein . it is also to be understood that the improved impact tool of the present invention is by no means novel in all of its parts , with the improvements of the present invention lying solely in the construction and arrangement of both the moil and the lower portions of the impact tool . as can be appreciated , these improvements can be incorporated in any of a wide variety of impact tools of the class which utilize an elongated casing within which a pneumatically , hydrualically or electrically actuated hammer or piston repeatedly strikes the top of the moil . thus , the details of construction of these portions of the impact tool are here only briefly alluded to , and , by way of non - limiting example , applicant hereby expressly incorporates the details of construction for these portions of the above class of impact tools are set forth in my aforesaid u . s . pat . no . 3 , 739 , 863 , or u . s . pat . no . 3 , 661 , 216 , granted may 9 , 1972 to yamanaka or u . s . pat . no . 3 , 003 , 773 , granted oct . 10 , 1961 to feuhrer . referring now to fig1 the improved impact tool of the present invention , generally designated at 10 is shown , by way of non - limiting example , mounted to the end of a backhoe or power shovel boom , generally designated at 12 by means of mounting brackets 14 and a plurality of bolts 16 . the impact tool comprises upper and lower casing halves 18 , 20 within which a pneumatically , hydraulically or electrically driven hammer or piston , not shown , repeatedly strikes the top of the moil 22 during use , causing the moil to reciprocate violently . it is to be understood that the boom 12 , mounting brackets 14 and bolts 16 form no part of the present invention , and are shown only by way of illustration . in addition , the improved impact tool of the present invention could be sized and adapted to be mounted in many other ways , or even to be hand held . referring now to fig2 and 6 , which show the lower portion of the improved impact tool of the present invention , we see the lower casing 20 within which a pneumatically , hydraulically or electrically actuated hammer or piston 24 of conventional construction repeatedly strikes the top 26 of the moil during use . concentric within the casing is a hammer bushing 28 which encircles the hammer 24 and centers it over the moil 22 . the hammer bushing includes an inwardly projecting hammer bushing shoulder 30 which is of smaller diameter than the hammer and which engages the chamber 32 on the lower end of the hammer , as best seen in fig3 to limit the range of downward travel of the hammer . as best seen in fig2 the hammer bushing shoulder 30 also acts as a stop to limit the upward travel of the moil when the upper shoulder 34 on the octagonal upper portion 36 of the moil 22 strikes it from below . cooperating structures , including tapers 38 , 40 prevent the hammer bushing from relative movement with respect to the casings 18 , 20 . beneath the hammer bushing 28 and concentrically encircling the octagonal upper portion 36 of the moil is an upper moil bushing 42 defining a cylindrical cavity 44 which receives said octagonal upper portion of the moil , centers the moil beneath the hammer , and retains the moil against sidewise displacement . of course , the cavity 44 could be octagonal to match the upper portion of the moil . the upper moil bushing 42 rests on an inwardly projecting rim 46 of the casing which both restrains the upper moil bushing from downward travel . the rim 46 also receives loads transmitted to it by the upper moil bushing 42 from the hammer bushing 28 when the hammer bushing is struck by the hammer . it is understood that the material selected to be used in fabricating the upper and lower casings 18 , 20 , the hammer bushing 28 , the hammer 24 , the upper moil bushing 42 and the moil 22 are those conventionally used by those skilled in the art in constructing impact tools . a significant part of applicant &# 39 ; s present invention lies in the construction of his novel moil 22 , which is best seen in fig4 . the lower portion 48 of the moil is of conventional construction , being of cylindrical cross - section and terminating in a pointed work tip 50 . of course , as is often the case , the moil may terminate in an enlarged or angularly disposed work tip of any of a variety of constructions , such as that shown in the aforesaid u . s . pat . no . 1 , 470 , 622 granted to jimmerson . it should be noted that the octagonal cross section of the upper portion 46 of the moil serves no useful purpose per se , but is merely a result of the manufacture of the octagonal lower portion 52 of the moil , whose purpose will be explained subsequently in greater detail . since one of the purposes of the upper portion 46 of the moil is to contact the upper moil bushing 42 to prevent tipping of the moil , it is apparent that the upper portion of the moil could be of cylindrical cross section to match the cylindrical cavity in the upper moil bushing which receives it . of course , the diameter of such a cylindrical upper portion of the moil , not illustrated , must be sized such that it will pass , during removal or installation of the moil , through the octagonal cavity 54 of the nose bushing 56 , which receives the octagonal lower portion 52 of the moil . between the octagonal upper and lower portions 36 , 52 of the moil lies an annular recess 58 which forms a necked portion of the moil and which forms a lower shoulder 60 on the octagonal upper portion 36 of the moil . the functioning of the moil in association with other parts of the improved impact tool of the present invention will be explained subsequently in greater detail . referring now to fig2 and 6 , it is seen that the improved impact tool of the present invention includes a hollow nose cap 62 generally in the shape of a frustum . the tapered configuration of the nose cap is preferred to enable the impact tool to be used in tight situations where a nontapered nose cap might block access of the impact tool to the work piece , but it is within the scope of the present invention that a nontapered nose cap be used . the nose cap includes a pair of mounting ears 64 which are secured to the internal surface 66 of the nose cap , as by welding . the lower portion of the lower casing 20 of the impact tool includes a pair of mounting slots 68 which receive the upper ends of their respective mounting ears . associated with each mounting slot are a pair of mounting recesses 70 machined in the lower casing which receive the mounting pins 72 and the mounting pins associated mounting clips 74 . the mounting clips are located in grooves 76 located at one end of the mounting pins . each mounting ear 64 and one end of each mounting recess 70 includes a mounting pin aperture 78 which receives therethrough a transverse mounting pin 72 to hold the mounting ears and the outer casing of the impact tool in an assembled relation . as best seen in fig1 the purpose of the mounting recesses 70 are to provide mounting locations for the mounting pins and clips which are recessed below the external surface of the outer casing in order to minimize the possibility of damage to the mounting pins and clips , and to reduce the overall diameter of the impact tool for lower cost and to enable the impact tool to operate in tight places . similarly , it is seen that the external surface of the mounting ears 64 are also substantially flush with the lower casing for like reasons . of course , more than two mounting ears and associated mounting structures could be provided . the nose cap 62 , mounting ears 64 and mounting pins 72 are made of strong , tough material such as high strength sae 8620 steel which has been heat treated for surface hardness and internal toughness . mounting pins and clips are preferred over nut and bolt arrangements such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 1 , 481 , 641 , granted jan . 22 , 1924 to jimmerson because they cost less , enable quick assembly or disassembly of the impact tool , and have a high resistance to damage during use from flying debris and the like since they lack threads . the mounting pins and clips , being recess mounted instead of externally mounted as in jimmerson , are better protected from the possibility of damage and better enable applicant to reduce the overall diameter of his impact tool . applicant &# 39 ; s transverse mounting pins are preferred over longitudinal mounting nuts and bolts such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 1 , 470 , 622 , granted oct . 16 , 1923 to jimmerson because the longitudinal mounting bolts of jimmerson may be inherently more subject to failure because of the fact that they are subject to tensile forces rather than shear forces to which the transverse mounting pins of applicant are subjected . the generally cylindrical nose bushing 56 includes an octagonal bore 54 which receives therethrough a portion of the octagonal lower portion 52 of the moil with a relatively snug slip fit . lubricant is provided between both the upper moil bushing 42 and the octagonal upper portion 36 of the moil , and the octagonal bore 54 of the nose bushing and the octagonal lower portion of the moil . the upper portion of the nose bushing includes a cylindrical keeper ring recess 80 in which is mounted a split keeper ring 82 having an inwardly projecting impact shoulder 84 . as seen in fig2 when the cushioned moil stop is in an assembled relation , the impact shoulder on the split keeper ring projects inwardly into the annular recess 58 on the moil . the keepr ring is fabricated from low carbon steel such as sae 1018 and is somewhat ductile to conform to the shape of the lower shoulder 60 on the octagonal upper portion of the moil . as best seen in fig2 the cylindrical lower portion 86 of the nose bushing is prevented from sidewise displacement by its relatively snug slip fit with the circular aperture 88 in the nose cap through which is passes , and from which is projects at least slightly at all times . the cylindrical upper portion 90 of the nose bushing is received in a nose bushing recess 92 in the lower casing of the impact tool which serves to restrain the upper portion nose bushing from sidewise displacement during use . as is seen in fig3 even during maximum downward displacement of the nose bushing , the upper portion 90 of the nose bushing is at all times securely restrained by the nose bushing recess 92 . of course , by securely restraining both the upper and lower portions of the nose bushing from sidewise displacement , applicant achieves the objectives of increased resistance to vibration and wear , while also preventing any sidewise displacement of the moil itself during use . the nose bushing also includes an outwardly extending nose bushing flange 94 which terminates substantially flush with the lower casing . the nose bushing flange includes a pair of mounting ear slots 96 through which the mounting ears 64 extend . the flange on the nose bushing gradually tapers in thickness having a maximum thickness closest to the moil and gradually tapering to a minimum thickness at its periphery . such a construction maximizes the strength of the nose bushing flange over that which it would have if it were of constant thickness , and significantly increases its strength for weight characteristic over the conventional , uniform thickness nose bushing flange which is found in many prior art devices . referring again to fig2 and 6 , it is seen that a moil cushion 98 in the form of a body of resilient material is located between the lower surface 100 of the nose bushing flange and the internal surface 66 of the nose cap . by way of nonlimiting example , applicant &# 39 ; s moil cushion is fabricated from neoprene rubber having a durometer rating of 50 and a 2500 lb tensile strength , although as can be appreciated , a wide range of rubbers or other resilient materials could be used . a bonded connection is formed between the internal surface 66 of the nose cap , the moil cushion 98 and the lower surface 100 nose bushing flange by conventional vulcanizing techniques . in short , the nose bushing and the nose cap are held in the desired relation in a mold and mastic neoprene rubber is inserted to fill the space between the nose bushing flange and the internal surface of the nose cap . then the mold is inserted into a conventional vulcanizing press where heat and pressure finish the vulcanizing process to form the moil cushion and adhere it to both the flange on the nose bushing and the inner surface of the nose cap . adhesion of the rubber to the external surface 102 of the lower portion of the nose bushing is prevented , in the conventional fashion , by spraying that portion of the nose bushing with a silicone spray prior to appying the neoprene rubber to the mold . it is preferred that the moil cushion be bonded , as by vulcanizing , to both the nose bushing flange and to the internal surface of the nose cap in order to prevent any creep or displacement of the moil cushion during use despite the severe vibrational forces encountered . although the moil cushion contacts a portion of the external surface 102 of the lower portion of the nose bushing , it is not bonded thereto in order to enhance the ability of said external surface to slide with respect to the moil cushion . although a lubricant between the moil cushion and said external surface of the lower portion of the nose bushing is not required , a lubricant can be applied in this region to reduce friction therebetween . it is noted that because of the relatively snug slip fit between said external surface 102 and the aperture 88 in the nose cap , there is no possibility that the moil cushion will intrude therebetween during use of the impact tool . as best seen in fig2 the outer periphery of the moil cushion is substantially flush with the lower casing of the impact tool . it should be noted however that the maximum diameter of both the flange on the nose bushing and the moil cushion can be smaller than the maximum diameter of the lower casing , without departing from the scope of the present invention . similarly , the maximum diameters of the moil cushion and the nose bushing flange do not have to be the same . it is noted that the periphery of the moil cushion is unbounded by both the flange 94 and the nose cap in order to provide unrestricted space into which the moil cushion can flow when compressed . if desired , a shield , not illustrated , would be secured to the nose cap and the lower casing , as by screws , to cover the outer peripheries of both the nose bushing flange and the moil cushion in order to prevent foreign matter from damaging the same , and to prevent intrusion of foreign matter into the impact tool in this region . but again , in any embodiment in which the periphery of the moil cushion is bounded or enclosed , adequate space must always be provided into which the moil cushion can flow freely radially outwardly when compressed . at this point it may be convenient to note that , although it is not preferred , it would be possible to eliminate the split keeper ring 82 by utilizing in the present invention a split nose bushing , not illustrated . in such case , of course , the upper portion of the nose bushing would have to include an inwardly projecting shoulder which would extend into the annular recess in the moil when the impact tool was in an assembled relation . additionally , the nose bushing flange could not be bonded to the moil cushion . such a construction utilizing a split nose bushing is not preferred because of the increased cost in fabricating a split nose bushing , because a split nose bushing is considered to be structurally weaker and less vibration resistant , and because when the moil cushion is unbonded to the nose bushing flange , it may be subject to an increased tendency to creep or be displaced during use . in order to assemble the improved impact tool of the present invention , the top 26 of the moil is first inserted through the octagonal bore 54 in the nose bushing until the lower shoulder 60 on the octagonal upper portion 36 of the moil extends above the top of the nose bushing a sufficient distance such that the split keeper ring 82 can be inserted into the keeper ring recess 80 in the top of the nose bushing . naturally , the longitudinal length of the recessed portion 58 of the moil is sized to permit this assembly operation . since the impact shoulder 84 of the keeper ring extends inwardly into the annular recess on the moil , as seen in fig3 it prevents the moil from dropping out of the impact tool . next , the top of the moil is inserted into the lower casing 20 of the impact tool while the mounting ears 64 are inserted into their respective mounting slots 68 on the lower casing . to secure the mounting ears to the lower casing , the mounting pins 72 are inserted through the mounting pin apertures 78 in both the outer casing and the mounting ears , and are secured with the mounting clips 74 . although the moil shown in the figures terminates in a work tip 50 of reduced diameter , it is frequently the case that the moil may include an angularly disposed work tip 50 or a work tip having a diameter greater than the balance of the moil , such as a wide chisel - like work tip . if such is the case , it becomes apparent that is is desirable that it be possible to index the moil with respect to the lower casing of the impact tool , in order to properly orient the work tip with respect to the impact machine . of course , it is preferred that moils with such work tips have the capability of being indexed at several positions with respect to the impact tool in order to provide an orientation for the work tip that is most suitable for the particular task encountered . indexing of the moil of the present invention is provided by the octagonal lower portion 52 of the moil and the matching octagonal bore 54 in the nose bushing . rotation of the moil is prevented by the nose bushing , whose mounting ear slots 96 engage the mounting ears 64 on the nose cap to prevent any rotation of the nose bushing and the moil it encircles . it is apparent that since the lower portion 52 of the moil and the bore 54 in the nose bushing are octagonal , the moil can be oriented in four positions with respect to the impact tool . of course , it is within the scope of the present invention that these elements need not be of octagonal configuration , but could instead be of other configuration depending upon the number of indexing positions needed . if only one indexing position is needed , these elements need not have a polygonal configuration , but could instead be circular with one flat side , for example . in order to index the moil of the present invention , all that is needed is to remove the mounting clips 74 from the mounting pins 72 , withdraw the mounting pins from the mounting pin apertures 78 and drop the moil , nose bushing , split keeper ring , moil cushion and nose cap a short distance from the lower casing . then the split keeper ring is removed , which permits the moil to be dropped out of the nose bushing . next , the moil is rotated to the desired indexing position , reinserted into the nose bushing and the impact tool is re - assembled as has been previously described . an important feature of the present invention is that the octagonal nose bushing bore 54 also provides large areas of support for the octagonal lower portion 52 of the moil which it carries , instead of the single line of support which is provided in devices utilizing a nose bushing with a cylindrical bore and a moil with a corresponding cylindrical portion . this important feature greatly increases the life of both the nose bushing and the moil . now that a detailed description of the construction and assembly of the improved impact tool of the present invention has been given , applicant turns now to a consideration of its operation . during normal operation of the impact tool , it is understood that the work tip 50 of the moil is applied to a work piece with some condiserable pressure due to the weight of the impact tool along with any downward force applied by the backhoe or other device which is carrying the impact tool . this force will cause the moil to move upwardly within the impact tool to the position shown in fig2 where the upper shoulder 34 on the octagonal upper portion of the moil is in contact with the shoulder 30 on the hammer bushing and is prevented from further upward travel . then the hammer 24 in the impact tool is forceably propelled downwardly by hydraulic , pneumatic or electric actuating means , until it strikes the top 26 of the moil . the force of the hammer is transmitted by the moil to the work piece , and in the process the moil may travel downwardly a short distance . however , as long as the work tip of the moil is supported by the work piece , the lower shoulder 60 on octagonal upper portion of the moil does not strike the impact shoulder 84 on the split keeper ring . after the force of the blow of the hammer on the moil has been dissipated , the down pressure of the impact tool and the rebound of the moil from the work piece help to return the moil to its initial position or adjacent thereto . then , the cycle is repeated in rapid succession until the work piece is broken up to the desired extent . during this cycle it will be appreciated that the moil will oscillate longitudinally in such a manner that the impact shoulder 84 on the keeper ring is not struck due to the sizing of the annular recess 58 and the position of the split keeper ring . however , in the previously described cycle , should the work piece break or move away from the moil , or should the impact tool be inadvertently actuated when the moil is not in contact with a work piece , after the hammer strikes the top of the moil the moil will continue its downward stroke until the lower shoulder 60 on octagonal upper portion of the moil contacts the impact shoulder 84 on the split keeper ring , forcing it downwardly , as seen in fig3 . as this occurs , the energy in the moving moil is transferred from the moil to the nose bushing by means of the split keeper ring . as the nose bushing is forced downwardly by the moil it compresses the moil cushion forcing it to flow freely radially outwardly and thereby dissipating the energy of the moil without damage to the impact tool . as seen in fig3 at the maximum downward travel of the moil , the octagonal upper portion 36 of the moil always remains in contact with the upper moil bushing 42 , thereby always providing proper support for the upper portion of the moil . after the energy of the moil has been dissipated , the natural resilience of the moil cushion 98 returns the nose bushing to its initial position wherein the top surface of the flange is in contact with the lower casing . when the moil is reapplied to a work piece , the moil is forced upwardly until the upper shoulder 34 on the octagonal upper portion of the moil is in contact with the shoulder 30 on the hammer bushing , at which time the impact tool may be reactivated . thus we have seen that the present invention utilizes a unique one - piece , triple function nose bushing which not only indexes and properly supports the moil but also helps to transfer energy from the moil to the moil cushion when the moil moves past a predetermined position . from the foregoing , various further applications , modifications and adaptations of the apparatus disclosed by the foregoing preferred embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention is addressed , within the scope of the following claims .	1
thus , it is the nature of the polymeric material forming the matrix of the microspheres which constitutes the originality of the present invention . this polymeric material is essentially formed of a homopolymer constituted of recurring units of general formula ( i ). such polymers possess the remarkable property of being biocompatible and bioerodable , i . e . they can degrade chemically or biochemically by cleavage of the lateral substituents . the speed of erosion of the microspheres in accordance with the invention being dependent upon the molecular weight of the support material , the speed can therefore by modulated simply by using a support material having a molecular weight adapted to the speed of erosion desired . the microspheres according to the present invention thus possess a progressive and modulated bioerosion which enable , for example , the transport of a biologically active substance , dispersed in the support material , up to the location in the organism where its action will be the most efficient . the bioerosion of the microspheres also prevents their accumulation in the organism ; their use is therefore no more limited . according to a particular characteristic , the homopolymer mentioned above is constituted of recurring units of the general formula ( i ) in which : r 1 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms ; r 2 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms ; and and preferably in which r 1 and r 2 represent a ch 2 — ch 3 group . these different types of polymers of the poly ( methylidene - malonate ) family are particularly suitable for the encapsulation of hydrophilic substances , notably substances of biological origin , and optionally biologically active substances . & lt ;& lt ; biologically active molecule )) is understood as meaning , in a non - limiting manner , any molecule having a prophylactic or curative biological action , in vitro or in vivo , notably an anti - infectious agent , in particular an antiseptic , antibiotic , antiviral , antiparasitic or antimitotic agent , notably an anticancer agent . antibiotic or antiseptic agents which can be used can be rifampicin and colistine for example . didanosine , ribavirine , zidovudine , acyclovir , ganciclovir , foscarnet , vidarabine and zalcitabine can be cited in a non - limiting manner as examples of antiviral agents . cis - plastin and taxol can , for example , by used as anticaner agents . according to a currently preferred embodiment of the invention , the support material of the microspheres contains : from 90 % to 99 . 5 % by weight of a homopolymer as defined above ; and from 0 . 5 % to 10 % by weight of a copolymer comprising at least one sequence having a hydrophilic character and at least one sequence having a hydrophobic character , said sequence having hydrophobic character preferably comprising at least one recurring unit of the general formula ( i ). advantageously , the sequence having hydrophilic character of the copolymer mentioned above is selected from a poly ( oxyethylene ), a poly ( vinyl alcohol ), a poly ( vinylpyrrolidone ), a poly ( n - 2 - hydroxypropyl methacrylamide ), a poly ( hydroxyethyl methacrylate ), a hydrophilic poly ( amino acid ) such as a polylysine , a polysaccharide , and will preferably be a poly ( oxyethylene ). the copolymer can have a block structure , preferably a di - block structure or tri - block structure , or a grafted structure . the addition of such copolymers into the support material enables obtaining a homogeneous dispersion of the substance to be encapsulated inside each of the microspheres . the addition also enables modulating the hydrophilic / hydrophobic ratio of the surface of the microspheres , and this enables preventing or limiting strong and often denaturing interactions with the substance to be encapsulated . further , these copolymers , the chemical nature of the hydrophobic sequence of which is identical to that of the homopolymer which essentially constitutes the microspheres , are particularly advantageous for the implementation of the currently preferred method of preparing the microspheres , as will be explained in more detail by the following . in general , the microspheres in accordance with the present invention can be obtained by carrying out a method comprising : preparing a multiple emulsion having three phases , the intermediate phase of which is constituted of a solution of polymer ( s ) constituting the support material in a volatile organic solvent , and evaporating said organic solvent , under conditions which enable causing the precipitation of the polymer around the droplets constituting the internal phase . this multiple emulsion can be obtained in a classical manner by dispersing a first emulsion of the water - in - oil type in a second aqueous phase containing a stabilising agent . this multiple emulsion can also be obtained by an “ inverse ” method which consists in pouring an aqueous solution into a first emulsion of the water - in - oil type . in an entirely unexpected way , this “ inverse ” method enabled obtaining results which are entirely remarkable , sometimes even better than those obtained by the classical technique mentioned above . thus , according to a second aspect , the present invention relates to a method of obtaining microspheres as described above , comprising : a ) preparing a first solution of the polymer ( s ) mentioned above constituting the support material in a volatile organic solvent optionally containing a surfactant agent , b ) preparing a second solution non - miscible with the solution obtained in a ), optionally containing said substance to be dispersed and optionally a surfactant agent , c ) preparing a first emulsion by dispersing the second solution in the first solution , the continuous phase being constituted by the solution of polymer ( s ), either by dispersing , with agitation , the first emulsion obtained in c ) in a dispersing medium non - miscible with said first emulsion , said dispersing medium optionally containing a stabilising agent ; or by pouring with agitation ; into said first emulsion , a solution constituted of a medium non - miscible with said first emulsion , said medium optionally containing a stabilising agent , according to a particular characteristic of the invention , the method mentioned above further comprises : the first step of the method of preparing the microspheres in accordance with the invention therefore comprises the preparation of an emulsion of the water - in - oil type preferably in the presence of a suitable surfactant agent , the oily or organic phase containing the polymer ( s ) intended to constitute the support material of said microspheres . firstly , a solution of the polymer ( s ) constituting the support material is prepared with the aid of a suitable volatile organic solvent optionally in the presence of a surfactant agent . advantageously , preformed polymers will be used in this step insofar as the homopolymers which essentially constitute the support material of the microspheres can be obtained under the conditions which enable a good characterisation in terms of molar mass and of mass dispersity . the homopolymers which are constituted of recurring units of the general formula ( i ) can be prepared from monomers , for example by following the method described in the ep 283346 patent which corresponds to u . s . pat . no . 4 , 931 , 584 and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 142 , 098 patents which are incorporated herein by reference , said monomers being generally degassed under vacuum of a paddle pump to constant weight in order to remove the polymerisation inhibitor ( so 2 ). these homopolymers will however be advantageously prepared anionically in an aprotic medium , for example by dispersion of the monomer in acetone , followed by the addition of sodium hydroxide under agitation , followed then by evaporating the acetone and drying the polymer thus obtained . other aprotic organic solvents such as acetonitrile , dioxan and tetrahydrofuran can be used instead of acetone . the molecular mass of the homopolymer obtainable by carrying out this method can be perfectly mastered by a judicial choice of the conditions of implementation , and in particular of the concentration of the monomer in the organic phase , of the ph and of the molarity of the polymerisation initiator ( sodium hydroxide ). in general , homopolymers having an average molar mass of 1 , 000 to 100 , 000 , and preferably of 5 , 000 to 80 , 000 , will be used within the context of the present invention . the volatile organic solvent which can be used for the preparation of the first solution containing the polymer ( s ) constituting the support material will generally be selected such that its boiling point be lower than that of water . it will therefore be possible for this solvent to be removed easily during the final evaporation step by enabling the precipitation of the polymer . ethyl acetate constitutes a volatile organic solvent which is particularly suitable to this end . the surfactants which can be used for stabilising the first emulsion can be of various natures and will be added to the organic phase containing the polymer ( s ) ( first solution ) and / or to the aqueous phase ( second solution ) which constitutes the dispersed phase . it can be for example a poloxamer such as the product marketed under the designation pluronic ® f68 , or even a poly ( vinyl alcohol ) such as the product marketed under the designation mowiol ® 40 - 88 , or even a polysorbate , or a surfactant copolymer the hydrophobic sequence of which has a chemical nature which is identical to that of the homopolymer constituted of recurring units of the general formula ( i ). it has been demonstrated that such surfactant copolymers and in particular poly ( methylidene malonate ) and polyoxyethylene copolymers are particularly advantageous insofar as they enable obtaining a very stable first emulsion on the one hand , and obtaining a good anchoring of the surfactant in the matrix after evaporation of the solvent on the other . the surfactant copolymers mentioned above can be prepared by classical polymerisation techniques well known to the person skilled in the art . amongst these techniques , anionic polymerisation , radical polymerisation , or even the technique of coupling of the copolymer precursor sequences , will preferably be used , these sequences having been adequately functionalised beforehand at the end of the chain . the anionic polymerisation comprises the sequential addition of the monomers and enables obtaining copolymers of a perfectly defined structure , the amounts of initiators and monomers engaged enables controlling the degree of polymerisation of each one of the sequences . either by anionic polymerisation of a first monomer and reaction on the growing chain of a second monomer ; or by activation of a precursor polymer which will serve as initiator of the polymerisation of a second monomer . the initiator agents which can be used within the context of these anionic polymerisations will generally be : on the one hand , organometallic derivatives , such as butyllithium and particularly diphenylhexyllithium ; on the other , alkoxides and in particular macromolecular alkoxides such as a poe alkoxide which can be generated by activating a hydroxyl function with the aid of cumylpotassium , diphenyl methylpotassium , naphthalenepotassium . the anionic polymerisation will generally be carried out in a solvent which is compatible with the various sequences of the copolymer . in the case in which the sequence having hydrophilic character is constituted of a poly ( oxyethylene ) and the sequence having hydrophobic character is constituted of a poly ( methylidene malonate ), the block copolymers will be prepared preferably by successive anionic polymerisation of ethylene oxide and then of methylidene malonate or by activation of a commercial monohydroxylated polyoxyethylenated precursor and subsequent anionic polymerisation of the poly ( methylidene malonate ) sequence . in general , tetrahydrofuran will preferably be used as polymerisation solvent , this product enabling working in a homogeneous medium and influencing the polymerisation kinetics favourably . the monomers used for preparing the hydrophilic sequences will generally be commercial products . the coupling technique is also more particularly suitable for preparing block copolymers . this reaction is generally carried out from pre - synthesised and functionalised homopolymers , in the presence of a coupling agent and optionally in the presence of an activating agent , in a suitable solvent . an α - carboxy group - functionalised poly ( oxyethylene ) homopolymer and an α - hydroxy group - functionalised poly ( methylidene malonate ) homopolymer will advantageously be used in the case of the preparation of the preferred copolymers according to the invention , the hydrophilic sequence of which is constituted of a poly ( oxyethylene ) and the hydrophobic sequence of which is constituted of a poly ( methylidene malonate ). the α - carboxy group - functionalised poly ( oxyethylene ) homopolymer can be obtained for example by transforming a commercial α - hydroxy group - functionalised poly ( oxyethylene ) with succinic anhydride . the α - hydroxy group - functionalised poly ( methylidene malonate ) homopolymer can be obtained directly by anionic synthesis in aqueous medium or by anionic synthesis in a solvent using an aqueous sodium hydroxide solution as polymerisation initiator . dicyclohexylcarbodiimide ( dcci ) will advantageously be used as coupling agent which is particularly adapted to this polymerisation . the coupling reaction can optionally be activated by basic catalysis , and will generally take place in a solvent which is compatible with the homopolymers , such as dichloromethane in particular in the particular case of the preferred copolymers of the invention . the radical polymerisation is more particularly suitable for preparing grafted copolymers . this polymerisation is generally carried out from a macromonomer , i . e . an oligomer which bears , on one of its ends , an ethylenic group which is radical polymerisable and which is able to react with a monomer to form a copolymer having a grafted structure . this polymerisation will generally be carried out in the presence of an initiator in a suitable solvent . it will be possible for various functionalised macromonomers to be used in the case of the preparation of the preferred copolymers , the hydrophilic sequence of which is constituted of a poly ( oxyethylene ). it will be more particularly preferred to use a methacryloyl group - functionalised poly ( oxyethylene ) macromonomer . such a product can be commercial ( aldrich ) and will be constituted for example by a poly ( oxyethylene ) chain of molar mass between 308 and 440 g / mol , or will be prepared from a commercial poly ( ethylene glycol ) monomethyl ether by coupling with methacrylic acid in dichloromethane to form a methoxy terminal function . such a macromonomer may even be prepared by activation of a poly ( oxyethylene ) and subsequent reaction with methacryloyl chloride . it is also be possible for the copolymers having grafted structures to be prepared by transesterification of a poly ( oxyethylene ) monomethylether with the lateral ester chains of a pre - synthesised poly ( methylidene malonate ). this transesterification will generally be carried out with alcohol in the presence of a catalyst at high temperature . copolymers the total molar mass of the sequences of which having hydrophobic character is between 1 , 000 and 80 , 000 g / mol , and preferably between 1 , 000 and 50 , 000 g / mol are particularly suitable within the context of the present invention . generally , it will be possible for the first emulsion serving for the preparation of the microspheres according to the invention to be obtained by means of a shearing homogeniser of the ultraturrax type ( 13 , 500 rpm - 5 minutes ) for example . the substance to be encapsulated is generally added to the dispersed aqueous phase of the first emulsion . the second step of the method of preparing the microspheres in accordance with the invention comprises preparing a second emulsion : either by dispersing , with agitation , the first emulsion obtained in the first step in a dispersing medium non - miscible with said first emulsion , said dispersing medium optionally containing a stabilising agent ; or by pouring with agitation into said first emulsion , a solution constituted of a medium non - miscible with said first emulsion , said medium optionally containing a stabilising agent . generally , the dispersing medium non - miscible with the first emulsion is an aqueous phase in which the first emulsion is introduced , preferably dropwise , and the emulsion is also prepared for example with the aid of a homogeniser of the ultraturrax type ( 8 , 000 rpm ; 5 minutes ). poly ( vinyl alcohol ) constitutes a stabilising agent which is particularly suitable for the preparation of the second emulsion . optionally , this second step can be followed by a supplementary step of displacement of the organic solvent . the third essential step of the method of preparing the microspheres in accordance with the invention consists in evaporating the volatile organic solvent having served for the preparation of the solution of the polymer ( s ). in the particular case in which this solvent is ethyl acetate , this evaporation is carried out for a period of time of about 12 hours at ambient temperature , under magnetic agitation ( 1 , 400 rpm ). the person skilled in the art will select in an appropriate manner the various conditions of implementation of these three first essential steps of the method in accordance with the present invention as a function of the physico - chemical and morphological characteristics of the microspheres sought after . generally , these microspheres will have an average diameter of between 1 μm and 100 μm , preferably of between 5 μm and 50 μm for their application as vectors in the pharmaceutical field . generally , the microspheres obtained at the end of the third step will be isolated by centrifugation , washed , and optionally lyophilised . according to a third aspect , the present invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing the microspheres which have just been described . these compositions will generally be suitable for an administration via the oral route and will be presented for example in the form of tablets , gelatine capsules , powders or granules . the present invention will now be illustrated by the following non - limiting examples : the size of the microspheres was measured by the technique of the coulter counter and the morphological examination carried out by sweeping electronic microscopy , either on the crude prepared microspheres , or after cryofracture ; the molecular mass of the polymers was determined by gel permeation chromatography ( gpc ). 100 mg of methylidene malonate 2 . 1 . 2 are dissolved in 10 ml of acetone with magnetic agitation . 100 microlitres of 0 . 1 n sodium hydroxide are added progressively with magnetic agitation . the polymerisation is maintained for 5 minutes and then 100 microlitres of 0 . 1 n hcl are added always with magnetic agitation . the acetone is all removed under vacuum . the polymer obtained is then washed with the aid of about 100 ml of distilled water and then dried under vacuum . the molecular mass of this polymer is 30 , 000 . 280 mg of poly ( methylidene malonate ) are dissolved in 10 ml of ethyl acetate . 1 ml of aqueous phase containing 60 mg of ovalbumin is emulsified in the organic phase with agitation with the aid of an ultraturrax at a speed of 13 , 500 rpm for 5 minutes . this emulsion is then added to 100 ml of a 2 % aqueous solution of poly ( vinyl alcohol ), the agitation being made with the aid of an ultraturrax at a speed of 8 , 000 rpm for 5 minutes . the evaporation of the ethyl acetate is carried out at ambient temperature overnight , with mechanical agitation ( turning blade ) at a speed of 1 , 400 rpm . the microspheres are collected after centrifugation at 4 , 000 rpm for 10 minutes and then washed 6 times with distilled water and each time they are subjected to a new centrifugation . after the last centrifugation , the microspheres are placed back in suspension in a volume of 3 ml of distilled water and are then lyophilised . the microspheres thus obtained have an average diameter of 6 microns and 14 . 2 % of the ovalbumin used in the preparation is encapsulated in the pmm 2 . 1 . 2 microspheres , and this corresponds to an encapsulation of 2 . 5 % ( w / w ). this preparation is administered via the oral route to c3h mice at the dose of 100 micrograms of encapsulated ovalbumin ( per mouse per day ) over 5 consecutive days . the last oral administration took place 7 days before the sensitisation of the animals to ovalbumin which is carried out by subcutaneous injection of free ovalbumin ( 100 micrograms per mouse ) on days do and d14 . 90 % of the mice survive the second injection while less than 30 % of the mice administered with the microspheres without ovalbumin or with the same dose of non - encapsulated ovalbumin survive . carried out according to example 1 but pluronic f 68 is added into the aqueous phase containing the ovalbumin at a concentration of 2 %. carried out according to example 1 but 20 mg of poe - pmm copolymer are added into the aqueous phase containing the polymer . in this example , a poe - pmm 2 . 1 . 2 block copolymer was used . this copolymer was obtained by successive polymerisation of the two monomers by starting with the preparation of the poe block , in carrying out the following experimental protocol . the reactor ( 250 ml ) in which the polymerisation is carried out is connected to a vacuum line enabling working under high vacuum and ridding of protic impurities . the solvent ( thf , 150 ml ) purified of all traces of moisture is cryodistilled into the reactor at − 70 ° c . the initiator ( potassium tert - butoxide ( 0 . 1n / thf ); 10 ml ) is then added with the aid of a syringe via a septum . the polymerisation is carried out at ambient temperature for 48 hours . after this time , a sample enables verifying , by gel permeation chromatography , the molar mass ( 4 , 000 g / mol ) and the polymolecularity index ( 1 . 13 ) of the first sequence . the mm 2 . 1 . 2 ( 0 . 5 ml ), freshly degassed under vacuum to remove the so 2 used as polymerisation inhibitor , is then added rapidly and at once at ambient temperature . after 5 hours , the copolymer is deactivated by the addition of methanol and is precipitated in diethyl ether . 5 units derived from mm 2 . 1 . 2 are fixed onto the poe , and this corresponds to a molar mass for the pmm 2 . 1 . 2 of 1 , 150 g / mol . the thermal analysis of the copolymer reveals a glass transition temperature of − 16 ° c ., as well as a melting peak of 45 ° c . ( δh = 117 j / g ). carried out according to the technique described in example 1 , but the ovalbumin ( 60 mg ) is replaced by 2 mg of v3 28 peptide from the v3 bru loop of the gp 120 of hiv ( sequence nntrksihi gpgrafyatgdiigdirqa ). the microspheres obtained have an average size of 5 . 8 microns and 70 % of the v3 28 peptide used is encapsulated in the microspheres and this corresponds to an encapsulation of 0 . 48 % w / w . the study made in sweeping electronic microscopy reveals particles which are smooth and spherical . carried out following example 4 but pluronic f 68 is added into the aqueous phase containing the peptide at a concentration of 2 %. the microspheres obtained have a size of 7 . 0 microns and 70 % of the v3 28 peptide used is encapsulated in the microspheres . carried out following example 4 but 20 mg of poe - pmm copolymer are added into the aqueous phase containing the peptide . carried out following example 4 but 20 mg of poe - pmm copolymer are added into the organic phase containing the polymer . carried out following example 1 but the internal aqueous phase is constituted of 1 ml of 0 . 5m acetic acid containing 3 mg of type ii collagen . the microspheres thus obtained have an average diameter of 6 microns and 66 . 6 % of the collagen used in the preparation is encapsulated in the microspheres of pmm2 . 1 . 2 , and this corresponds to an encapsulation of 0 . 7 % ( w / w ). carried out following example 1 but the internal aqueous phase is constituted of 1 ml of distilled water . the microspheres thus obtained do not contain any biologically active substance . their average diameter is 7 . 0 microns . carried out following the technique described in example 1 but the ovalbumin ( 60 mg ) is replaced by the plasmid pcdna3 ( 5 mg ). the microspheres obtained have an average size of 7 μm and 9 . 8 % of the plasmid used is encapsulated in the microspheres and this corresponds to an encapsulation of 0 . 17 % ( w / w ). the study made in sweeping electron microscopy reveals particles which are smooth and spherical . carried out following example 10 but pluronic ® is added into the aqueous phase containing the plasmid , at a concentration of 2 %. the microspheres thus obtained have an average diameter of 7 μm and 12 % of the plasmid used is encapsulated in the microspheres and this corresponds to an encapsulation of 0 . 22 % ( w / w ). carried out following the technique described in example 1 but the ovalbumin ( 60 mg ) is replaced by the oligonucleotide ( pdt16 ) ( 2 mg ). the microspheres obtained have an average size of 4 . 8 μm and 20 . 6 % of oligonucleotide used is encapsulated in the microspheres which represents an encapsulation of 0 . 19 % ( w / w ). carried out following example 12 but pluronico at a concentration of 2 % is added into the aqueous phase containing the oligonucleotide . the microspheres obtained have an average diameter of 5 . 7 μm and 23 % of oligonucleotide used is encapsulated in the microspheres which corresponds to an encapsulation of 0 . 21 % ( w / w ).	2
the invention defines the use of several sources in the source - specific ssm multicasting system ( ssm , source specific multicasting ) without reducing the ssm &# 39 ; s data security or scaling properties . the source is discovered in a manner similar to the prior art msdp protocol ( msdp , multicasting source discovery protocol ), but not all the features specified for msdp are needed to implement the invention . the source is discovered with the source &# 39 ; s and receiver &# 39 ; s means , which means that the multicasting routing does not need any other functionalities than ssm support . pim - sm without the register / register stop messages is an example of this . the invention also simplifies the controlling of the source , because the original source of the ssm channel also controls the other sources . fig1 is a simplified depiction of the prior art msdp protocol method of implementing a multicasting tree . source s belongs to network domain d 1 together with rendezvous point rp 1 . source s registers as the source by sending a source active message to rendezvous point rp in the same network domain d 1 . rendezvous point rp 1 forwards the source active message ( sa ) to other rendezvous points rp 2 - rp 5 at the same level , which also register the source s as the source of the multicasting network . this way , the source active message spreads through the internet via all the rendezvous points rp in several network domains d 1 - d 5 . the actual multicasting 10 is not necessarily routed through rendezvous points rp 1 - rp 5 , but normal routing methods can be used . only msdp signalling is transferred through rendezvous points rp . in the msdp protocol , rendezvous points rp are directly connected to source s , if any of receivers r is interested in the source group in question . after this , the transmit network can be optimised for sending multicasting data so that the router closest to receiver r is connected directly to source s using the shortest possible route . however , information on active sources s is still transmitted through rendezvous points rp . fig2 is a simplified diagram of the arrangement according to the invention , in which new source s 1 is added to a channel according to the ssm protocol . the original ssm channel is formed of source s and source group g so that receiver r sends a request to join group g and source s . this way , the ssm channel ( s , g ) is formed before second source s 1 is connected to the system . the original ssm channel is used to discover the internal source s of the communication band in logical multicasting group 1 . in the invention , group controller gc is defined as the ssm channel &# 39 ; s original source s which acts , in relation to other sources s and receivers r , as a peer entity resembling the msdp protocol . group controller gc comprises means that can filter out unwanted messages received from other sources . the group controller may also operate without the source features so that it only takes care of the signalling of the multicasting traffic according to the invention . logical multicasting group 1 is defined according to the invention when several sources s , s 1 are handled in the source - specific ssm protocol . in logical multicasting group 1 , separate ssm channels 20 , 30 belong to the common multicasting group . at a minimum , logical multicasting group 1 can be comprised of one ssm channel ( s , g ) that contains one source s and a group of receivers r . the multi - source support according to the invention in the ssm protocol requires that , in addition to the ssm support , sources s , s 1 and receivers r must support certain msdp functionalities . contrary to this , no additional features are required of the routers besides the ssm support . according to the invention , rendezvous points rp are not needed in the network , there is no need to include information on rendezvous points rp in the multicasting addresses , and the pim register / register stop functionalities are not required in the designated router ( dr ). the discovery of new source s 1 in logical multicasting group 1 is based on the formed original ssm channel 20 , which is of the form ( s , g ) and in which s is both the source and group controller gc of multicasting group g . original ssm channel 20 ( s , g ) transports the source information together with the normal multicasting traffic originating from source s . when new source s 1 wishes to send to the same logical multicasting group 1 , it sends a source active ( sa ) message according to the msdp protocol to group controller gc . it must be noted that all the group addresses that are not covered by the ssm protocol , must be part of logical multicasting group 1 . message sa is sent to group controller gc &# 39 ; s unicast address by the tcp / ip protocol using udp port 639 . this port is the same as used by the msdp protocol . the msdp source active sa message is comprised of address s of group controller gc , address g of logical multicasting group 1 and address s 1 of the new active source . all the active sources must update the msdp source active information via group controller gc at predetermined intervals whereby the existing and new sources are kept up - to - date on the active sources of logical multicasting group 1 . when receiver r receives information on new active source s 1 , multicasting channel 30 according to the ssm protocol is established between source s 1 and receiver r . the new channel 30 is of the form ( s 1 , g ). all the traffic in logical multicasting group 1 may consist either of one or more ssm channels or transfer chains . fig2 shows , for reasons of simplicity , just one new source s 1 . however , the system according to the invention may include several new sources . it is furthermore possible to set an upper limit for the number of new sources . when group controller gc receives the source active sa message , it makes a decision based on the predetermined criteria on what procedure or access control is applied in forwarding the message to the original ssm channel ( s , g ). if it is in accordance with the procedure to forward the information , the group controller sets the destination address of the msdp source active message as the logical group address g . the message is sent by using the udp / ip protocol . at the same time group controller gc updates its own msdp cache . if the procedure decision denies the sending of the msdp source active message , the message is discarded . if the msdp source active cache entry expires , group controller gc must delete it from the cache . group controller gc can also work solely in the control role the way rendezvous point rp does , that is , it does not have to send actual multicasting data . receivers r find information on new sources s 1 by monitoring msdp source active messages on the original ssm channel 20 . depending on the implementation of the receiver &# 39 ; s host computer , receivers r can connect to new source s 1 either by sending reports according to the igmpv3 or mldv2 ( igmpv3 , internet group management protocol version 3 ; mldv2 , multicast listener discovery protocol version 2 ) to designated router dr . alternatively , receivers r may forward the decision - making to the application . in such a case , the application interface must be modified to support the decision . receivers r may also maintain the msdp source active cache , it is seen necessary to remove inactive sources and the associated status information . if the msdp source active status information expires , receiver r must send an igmp / mld leave message to delete the status information associated with source s . if receiver r wants to leave logical multicasting group 1 and all the sources s , s 1 connected with it , it sends the igmp / mld leave message to group address g . the functionality of the msdp peer entities in association with the invention deviates from what is presented in the standard in that only part of the normal features are employed in the invention . the following describes the differences in the msdp implementations . the messages of the msdp protocol are usually processed at rendezvous points rp , but in the invention the message processing is implemented at sources s , s 1 and receivers r . this reduces the load on the network . because the msdp messages are only sent to relevant multicasting groups , scaling problems typical for msdp do not occur . below , the term msdp - lite will be applied to the subset of the msdp protocol according to the invention . msdp - lite uses both udp and tcp over ip compared to tcp / ip in normal msdp . in udp , the port number corresponding to tcp is used . when the operation takes place by udp from group controller gc to receiver r , msdp - lite does not employ the msdp messages peer hold timer , keepalive timer or connectretry timer . msdp - lite does not support information encapsulation from the source . as msdp - lite only operates between designated sources s , s 1 , group controller gc and receivers r , there is no need for msdp peer rpf forwarding implementations . msdp - lite uses the same tlv format ( tlv , type length value ) in the messages as the normal msdp . msdp - lite supports tlv types 8 and 9 which are new tlv types designed for the purpose . the length of the source active message can be , for example , 1460 octets , excluding tcp , udp , ip and layer - 2 headers . fig3 a shows an msdp - lite source active tlv message adapted to the ipv4 protocol . here , the message is of type 8 . in the length field , the length of the message &# 39 ; s control information is presented . the length of the field is 12 octets plus four times the octets in the entry count field . the entry count field shows the number z of the sources . thus , several sources can effectively be included in the same logical multicasting group &# 39 ; s address . the group controller address field depicts group g &# 39 ; s address for the original ssm channel ( s , g ). in the source address field , the ip address of the active source in the logical multicasting group is presented . fig3 b shows an msdp - lite source active tlv message adapted to the ipv6 protocol . here , the tlv type is 9 . in the solution according to the invention , protective measures are taken against denial - of - service attacks by , for example , limiting and filtering the source active messages whereby an upper limit is set in the logical multicasting group for the public sources . the aforementioned means are implemented with prior art means , for example , by software components , memories or processors and they are not described in closer detail for this reason . the invention is not limited exclusively to apply to the presented embodiments , but many variations are possible within the scope of the inventive idea of the invention .	7
the frontal part of a combine harvester c illustrated in fig1 is equipped with three chain conveyors 1 , 2 and 3 . the chain conveyor 1 conveys the crop transported thereto by a header auger 4 to an indicatively illustrated threshing mechanism 5 . the chain conveyor 1 is located between the header auger 4 and the driven front wheels 6 of the combine harvester . it runs upwardly toward the front wheels 6 . the tailings or return conveyor 2 conveys the incompletely threshed crop back to the threshing mechanism 5 . the chain conveyor 3 conveys the sieved grains to the grain tank 42 . the chain conveyor 1 used for drawing in the crop preferably comprises two conveyor chains 43 , while the other two chain conveyors 2 and 3 are only equipped with one conveyor chain 43 . moreover , the two chain conveyors 2 and 3 are arranged within closed housings 9 and 10 . the tension adjusting devices , which will be explained in more detail hereinafter , are equipped with controlled hydraulic cylinders 11 , 12 and 13 . the chain conveyor 1 is equipped with a fixed driveable shaft 14 and a displaceable shaft 15 . in corresponding manner , the conveyor 2 is equipped with a fixed driveable shaft 16 and a displaceable shaft 17 . in similar manner , the chain conveyor 3 is equipped with a fixed driveable shaft 18 and a displaceable shaft 19 . mutually spaced feed rake slats are fixed to the chain in the conveyor 1 and feed plates 29 are fixed to the chains in the conveyors 2 and 3 . advantageously the tension adjusting elements in the tension adjusting devices are hydraulic cylinders 11 , 12 or 13 , although one should not exclude the possibility of using mechanical , motor driven , linear adjusting devices . one benefit of using hydraulic cylinders 11 , 12 , 13 is that they can be installed by a single person without any problem . to tension the conveyor chains 1 , 2 , 3 , the hydraulic cylinders are supplied with pressurized oil as hereinafter described . since a hydraulic system is already available in an agricultural harvesting machine c , the extra costs are extremely small . the components associated with the hydraulic cylinder are simple components which can be easily installed and have a long life . the arrangement of the hydraulic cylinder or the hydraulic cylinders and the design of the linkage or the connector members is determined by the size and the positioning of the conveyor 1 , 2 , 3 , within the machine c . in fig2 and 3 , the displaceable shaft ( i . e . 15 , 17 , or 19 ) is rotatably mounted in two swing levers 20 , 21 disposed externally near the walls of the housing 44 for the chain conveyor . the chain conveyor is provided with a partition wall . a pivotal axis 22 at one end of the swing levers is offset from the shaft 15 , 17 or 19 but is axially parallel therewith . coupling rods 23 are articulated at 23 a to the end of the swing levers 20 , 21 opposite the pivotal axis . the opposite ends of the two coupling rods are attached to a transverse member 24 which is engaged centrally by the piston rod 11 ′ of the hydraulic cylinder e . g . 11 . this hydraulic cylinder 11 is attached to the wall of the housing 44 facing the pivotal axis 22 . as shown in fig2 the shaft 15 lies approximately midway between the pivotal axis 22 and the articulation point 23 a for the coupling rod 23 . favorable transmission of the forces applied by the hydraulic cylinder 11 results when the displaceable shaft 15 , 17 , or 19 is mounted centrally between the pivot axis 22 and the articulation point 23 a of the swing levers 20 , 21 . the swing levers 20 , 21 then operate as a single arm , thereby resulting in a very effective moment on the displaceable shaft 15 , 17 , or 19 . to save space , it is expedient if the transverse member 23 or the piston rods 11 ′ are guided . two guide profiles 25 are fixed to the same wall of the housing , these being provided with slots 26 in which the transverse member 24 is guided . although in this case , the coupling rod would be inclined relative to the direction of conveyance of the chain conveyor , the hydraulic cylinder or the hydraulic cylinders would nevertheless be accessible . the guide profile 25 is arranged on the same wall of the housing as the hydraulic cylinder 11 . this embodiment is particularly recommended when the width of the chain conveyor 1 , 2 , or 3 is relatively large , for example , in the case of the feed chain conveyor 1 . to increase the tensional force , it is also possible to connect a hydraulic cylinder ( e . g . 11 ) to each coupling rod 23 . a suitable arrangement is shown in phantom lines in fig3 where the tension adjusting device incorporates two hydraulic cylinders 11 which are articulated to the associated ends of the two coupling rods 23 . the hydraulic cylinders 11 are then controllable in synchronism . a sprocket 27 is fixed on the shaft 15 , 17 or 19 so as to rotate therewith and the conveyor chain 28 is entrained thereover . mutually spaced feed plates 29 ( see fig2 ) are fixed to the conveyor chain 28 . a similar sprocket is mounted on the fixed shaft 14 so as to rotate therewith and thereby drive the conveyor chain 28 . the embodiment shown in fig4 and 5 is particularly well - adapted for use with the chain conveyors 2 and 3 . this embodiment is particularly suitable for the conveying to the grain tank and for the return of threshed material to the threshing device since these conveyors are relatively narrow . a sprocket 31 is fixed on the shafts 17 and 19 so as to rotate therewith and the conveyor chain 32 is guided thereover . the chain conveyors 2 and 3 are equipped with partition walls 33 which have y - shaped recesses ( see fig5 ) below the shafts 17 , 19 into which the hydraulic cylinders 12 , 13 are inserted . u - shaped yokes 34 are fixed to the piston rods 12 ′, 13 ′ of the hydraulic cylinders 12 , 13 , the shafts 17 , 19 being mounted therein . to prevent the displaceable shaft 17 , 19 from jamming or tilting , provision is made for the shaft to be guided in slots 36 in two parallel housing walls extending at right angles to the shaft 17 , 19 . guide disks 35 disposed at the ends of these shafts slide over the exterior of the housing and cover the slots . the slots 36 create a free - space for the displacement of the shafts 17 , 19 . the lower shafts 16 , 18 are mounted at fixed points and are driveable . sprockets of similar construction to the sprockets 31 are mounted thereon . these conveyor chains 32 have feed plates 29 inserted therein . this embodiment is extremely simple since the existing partition wall is used and the mounting for the displaceable shaft is established by means of the yoke . in an advantageous arrangement , the hydraulic cylinders for each of the chain conveyers are controllable in common . the circuit diagram of fig6 shows that two hydraulic cylinders 11 are used for the chain conveyor 1 while just one hydraulic cylinder 12 , 13 is employed in the respective chain conveyors 2 and 3 . pressurized oil is supplied from a common pressure source 37 over the pressure lines 38 to each of the hydraulic cylinders 11 , 12 , 13 . a non - return valve 39 is installed in each of the respective supply lines to the hydraulic cylinders 11 , 12 , 13 in such a manner that the pressurized oil can flow only in the direction in which the piston rods extend from the hydraulic cylinders 11 , 12 , 13 . for load relieving purposes , controlled valves 41 are provided in the bypass lines 40 so that the load can be selectively removed from either the two cylinders 11 or the cylinders 12 or 13 . with this design , it is possible to apply pressure simultaneously to all of the hydraulic cylinders and thereby tension each of the chains . the same pressure is thus applied to all of the cylinders . however , if different tensional forces are required , this can be done by using pistons of different diameter . the non - return valve prevents oil from returning , but the bypass line can relieve the load on a hydraulic cylinder when necessary . whenever the drive motor of the harvesting machine is restarted , each of the chain tension adjusting devices is simultaneously and automatically supplied with the hydraulic pressures associated therewith and the piston - cylinder units are refilled where necessary . the low pressure hydraulic system in the machine is particularly advantageous and fully adequate for this purpose . other objects , features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art . while preferred embodiments of the present invention have illustrated and described , this has been by way of illustration and the invention should not be limited except as required by the scope of the appended claims .	1
before the description of the present invention proceeds , it is to be noted that like parts are designated by like reference numerals throughout the accompanying drawings except for fig1 to 3 to which the prior art pertains . fig4 to 6 pertain to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention . fig4 is a schematic perspective view , with a portion cut away , of a line filter assembly ; fig5 is a sectional view thereof ; and fig6 is a side view thereof . in fig7 there is shown a multi - linked winding bobbin assembly made of synthetic resin . the multi - linked winding bobbin assembly shown therein comprises first and second bobbins 10 which have respective hollows 8 defined therein and are linked together in an in - line fashion by means of a thin - walled portion 9 of 0 . 5 to 2 mm in wall thickness . a copper wire having its peripheral surface coated with an electrically insulating material is wound around the first bobbin 10 so as to extend from one end of the first bobbin 10 towards the opposite end thereof adjacent the thin - walled portion 9 thereby to form a first coil 11 , and then around the second bobbin 10 so as to extend from one end of the second bobbin 10 adjacent the thin - walled portion 9 towards the opposite end thereof thereby to form a second coil 12 . the copper wire so wound around the multi - linked winding bobbin assembly has its opposite ends soldered to respective metallic terminal members 13 secured rigidly to the first and second bobbins 10 . third and fourth coils 14 and 15 are also formed on another multi - linked winding bobbin assembly of similar construction in a similar manner as shown in fig7 . however , the direction of turn of the copper wire used to form the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 is opposite to the direction of turn of the copper wire used to form the first and second coils 11 and 12 , while the total number of turns of the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 is equal to that of the first and second coils 11 and 12 . each bobbin assembly is folded 180 inwardly about the respective thin - walled portion 9 as shown in fig8 to allow the first and second coils 11 and 12 , or the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 , to be juxtaposed relative to each other . while the first and second bobbins 10 having the first and second coils 11 and 12 are juxtaposed to each other as shown in fig8 a generally u - shaped first core member 17 having a pair of arms is mounted on the juxtaposed bobbins 10 with the arms thereof inserted into the respective hollows 8 in the bobbins 10 with the first and second coils 11 and 12 thereby to complete a first coil unit . similarly , while the first and second bobbins 10 having the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 are juxtaposed to each other in a manner similar to that shown in fig8 a generally u - shaped second core member 17 having a pair of arms is mounted on the juxtaposed bobbins 10 with the arms thereof inserted into the respective hollows 8 in the bobbins 10 with the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 thereon thereby to complete a first coil unit . thereafter , the first and second coil units are coupled with each other , with the arms of the first core member 17 abutted end - to - end with the arms of the second core member 17 , by means of a generally u - shaped elastic metal clamp 18 that tightly embraces the first and second core members 17 together as shown in fig5 thereby completing the line filter assembly with the first and second core members 17 defining a closed magnetic circuit . it is to be noted that the elastic metal clamp 18 is preferably made of stainless steel and that each of the first and second core members 17 is made of ferrite . it is also to be noted that each of the first and second coils 11 and 12 and each of the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 should be so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of line currents counteract to each other whereas the first and second coils 11 and 12 and the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 should be so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of the line currents can remain the same with respect to each other . in the line filter assembly of the construction described hereinabove , a leakage inductance brought about by a leakage of the magnetic fluxes from the core members 17 to the outside thereof caused by each of the coils 11 and 12 , 14 and 15 is rendered to be 1 to 1 . 5 % of the inductance of each of the coils 11 and 12 , 14 and 15 , which is of a value lower than one half of that of the prior art line filter assembly . because of this , a magnetic saturation of the core material resulting from the line current can hardly take place and the line filter assembly can be manufactured of a size 20 to 30 % smaller than that of the prior art line filter assembly for a given inductance with the same line current . the multi - linked winding bobbin assembly employed in the line filter assembly according to the foregoing embodiment may be modified as shown in fig9 . in the example shown in fig9 the multi - linked winding bobbin assembly comprises first and second bobbin units . each of those first and second bobbin units comprises first and second bobbins 10 around which the first and second coils 11 and 12 , or the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 , respectively , are wound in a manner similar to those shown and described in connection with the foregoing embodiment of the present invention . they are then bent or folded 180 ° inwardly and are subsequently accommodated within the casing 16 to complete the line filter assembly . also , as shown in fig1 , the first and second bobbins 10 having the first to fourth coils 11 to 14 turned therearound may be housed within the casing 16 such that the first and second coils 11 and 12 can be positioned diagonally opposite to each other while the third and fourth coils 13 and 14 can be diagonally opposite to each other . in such case , the resultant line filter assembly can exhibit the leakage inductance within the range of 0 . 7 to 1 % of the inductance of each of the coils 11 and 12 , 14 and 15 , and can be manufactured in a size 20 to 30 % smaller than that of the prior art line filter assembly for a given inductance with the same line current . the line filter assembly according to the foregoing embodiment of the present invention may be also modified as shown in fig1 and 12 . according to the modification shown in fig1 , a first multi - linked winding bobbin 10 having the hollow 8 defined therein and also having a plurality of radially outwardly flanged collars 19 has coils 11 , 12 and 14 , 15 alternately turned therearound over the entire length thereof , and another similar second multi - linked winding bobbin 10 having the hollow 8 defined therein and also having a plurality of radially outwardly flanged collars 19 has coils 11 , 12 and 14 , 15 similarly alternately turned therearound . the first and second winding bobbins 10 having the coils thereon are juxtaposed with each other by means of generally u - shaped core members 17 having respective pairs of arms which are inserted into the respective hollows 8 of the first and second winding bobbins 10 and are connected together by means of an elastic metal clamp 10 used to embrace the first and second winding bobbins 10 together as shown in fig1 , so as to thereby complete the line filter assembly . it is to be noted that the number of turns of the coils 11 and 12 is chosen to be equal to that of the coils 14 and 15 , but the coils 11 and 12 are wound in a direction counter to the direction of turn of the coils 14 and 15 . in the modified line filter assembly of the construction shown in fig1 and 12 , the leakage inductance brought about by a leakage is found to be about 0 . 5 to 0 . 8 % of the inductance of any one of the coils 11 , 12 , 14 and 15 and , therefore , the modified line filter assembly can be assembled in a size 40 to 50 % smaller than that of the prior art line filter assembly . while in the foregoing embodiment of the present invention , reference has been made to the use of the elastic metal clamp for clamping the generally u - shaped core members 17 together to complete the line filter assembly with the arms of the core members 17 inserted into the hollows 8 of the bobbins 10 , the use may be made of a generally - shaped core member ( a core member in the form of a generally rectangular frame ) forming a closed magnetic circuit and , in such case , divided multi - linked winding bobbins are mounted on the core member , followed by a winding of respective wires therearound to complete the line filter assembly . even this line filter assembly can give similar effects as those afforded by the line filter assembly utilizing the generally u - shaped core members . according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention , the line filter assembly can give a reduced leakage inductance resulting from a leakage of the magnetic fluxes ; is less susceptible to magnetic saturation of the material for the core member during the flow of the line current and can have an increased number of turn of the coils as compared with those used in the prior art line filter assembly . however , the coils of an increased number of turns tends to emit heat as a result of the flow of the line current and , therefore , the number of turns available is limited by an increase in temperature . this can be substantially suppressed when portions of the line filter assembly where the coils are formed are filled with resinous material such as epoxy resin , silicone resin or urethane resin and it has been found that the temperature increase could be suppressed about 50 %. when in the line filter assembly shown in and described with reference to fig4 to 6 those portions of the line filter assembly exteriorly of the coils are filled with epoxy resin by the use of a dipping method , the size of the resultant line filter assembly could have been reduced further 20 to 30 % to exhibit the same inductance at the same temperature increase when the same line current is passed . the line filter assembly according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig1 to 16 . fig1 is a perspective view of a bobbin assembly used in the practice of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention ; fig1 is a side view of the bobbin assembly of fig1 ; fig1 is a perspective view of the first and second bobbins juxtaposed to each other ; and fig1 is an exploded view of the bobbin assembly shown in fig1 . a bobbin assembly shown in fig1 and made of synthetic resin comprises first and second bobbins 10 which have respective hollows 8 defined therein and also have radially outwardly extending end flanges 20 each having no metal terminal . those bobbins 10 are pivotally linked together by means of a connecting pin 21 having its opposite ends secured to the respective end flanges 20 so that one of the bobbins 10 can pivot relative to the other of the bobbins 10 . while the bobbins 10 are held substantially in line with each other , a copper wire having its peripheral surface coated with an electrically insulating material is wound around the first bobbin 10 so as to extend from one end of the first bobbin 10 towards the end flange 20 thereof to form the first coil 11 on the first bobbin 10 and then from the end flange 20 of the second bobbin 10 towards the opposite end thereof thereby to form the second coil 12 on the second bobbin 10 . the copper wire so wound around the bobbins 10 has its opposite ends soldered to respective metallic terminal members 13 secured rigidly to the first and second bobbins 10 . third and fourth coils 14 and 15 are also formed on another bobbin assembly of similar construction in a similar manner as shown in fig1 . however , the direction of turn of the copper wire used to form the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 must be opposite to the direction of turn of the copper wire used to form the first and second coils 11 and 12 , while the total number of turns of the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 is equal to that of the first and second coils 11 and 12 . one of the first and second bobbins 10 having the first and second coils 11 and 12 formed respectively thereon and connected together by means of the connecting pin 21 is rotated relative to the other of the first and second bobbins 10 in a direction shown by the arrow in fig1 so that the first coil 11 can be brought to a position juxtaposed to the second coil 12 as shown in fig1 . then , the arms of the generally u - shaped first core member 17 and the arms of the generally u - shaped second core member 17 are inserted into the respective hollows 8 of the first and second bobbins 10 from opposite directions until free ends of the arms of the first core member 17 are brought into abutment with free ends of the arms of the second bore member 17 within the hollows of the first and second bobbins 10 , thereby completing the first and second coil units . thereafter , the first and second coil units are clamped together by means of the elastic metal clamp 18 that embraces the first and second core members 17 together . the assembly is then enclosed in a casing 16 , thereby completing the line filter assembly . in the practice of the second embodiment of the present invention , during the formation of the first and second bobbins 10 by the use of a plastics molding technique , the connecting pin 21 is integrally formed with one of the first and second bobbins 10 while a socket 22 for receiving a free end of the connecting pin 21 is formed in the other of the first and second bobbins 10 as shown in fig1 , so that the first and second bobbins 10 can be connected together by means of the connecting pin 21 for rotation relative to each other . alternatively , as a modified form , the first and second bobbins 10 may be formed with respective sockets 22 as shown in fig1 so that the first and second bobbins 10 can be subsequently connected together by means of a separate connecting pin 21 , which may be made of synthetic resin , ceramics or metals , so that one of the first and second bobbins 10 can rotate relative to the other of the first and second bobbins 10 . in either case , after the first and second bobbins 10 have been juxtaposed in side - by - side fashion as shown in fig1 , the arms of the core members 10 are inserted into the respective hollows in the first and second bobbins 10 from opposite directions to complete the first and second coil units which are subsequently clamped together by means of the elastic metal clamp 18 thereby to complete the line filter assembly . at this time , each of the first and second coils 11 and 12 and each of the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 should be so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of line currents counteracted to each other whereas the first and second coils 11 and 12 and the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 should be so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of the line currents can remain the same with respect to each other . since during the fabrication the first and second bobbins 10 are rotatably connected together , the line filter assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention is substantially free from a problem associated with the presence of fins which would be formed if the first and second bobbins are folded about the thin - walled portion such as employed in the first embodiment of the present invention and , therefore , the assembly can be beautifully accommodated within the casing 16 without requiring an increase in number of the manufacturing steps . in addition , since the first and second bobbins 10 remains connected even after they have been accommodated within the casing 16 , the physical strength of the complete line filter assembly can be increased advantageously . also , the storage of the bobbins 10 after the coils have been formed thereon can be easily accomplished with no coils being loosened . a third preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig1 and 19 which show a perspective view , with a portion cut away , of the line filter assembly and an exploded view of the bobbin assembly used in the line filter assembly of fig1 , respectively . the bobbin assembly shown in fig1 and made of synthetic resin comprises two bobbins 10 which have respective hollows 8 defined therein . each of the bobbins 10 has a plurality of radially outwardly flanged collars 20 formed integrally therewith at its opposite ends and also at a generally intermediate portion thereof . a copper wire having its peripheral surface coated with an electrically insulating material is wound around one of the bobbins 10 so as to extend from one end collar 20 thereof towards the intermediate collar 20 thereof to form the first coil 11 on such one of the bobbins 10 with opposite ends of the copper wire soldered to terminals 13 fast with the bobbin 10 while another similar copper wire is wound around such one of the bobbins 10 so as to extend from the intermediate collar 20 towards the opposite end collar 20 thereof thereby to form the third coil 14 on such one of the bobbins 10 with opposite ends soldered to terminals 13 fast with the bobbin 10 . second and fourth coils 12 and 15 are also formed on the other of the bobbins 10 in a similar manner . however , the direction of turn of the copper wire used to form the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 must be opposite to the direction of turn of the copper wire used to form the first and second coils 11 and 12 , while the total number of turns of the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 is equal to that of the first and second coils 11 and 12 . in order for the bobbins 10 to be connected together in side - by - side fashion , the end collars 20 of one of the bobbins 10 is formed with a dovetail projection 23 and a dovetail groove 24 , respectively , whereas the end collars 20 of the other of the bobbins 10 is formed with a dovetail groove 24 and a dovetail projection 23 , respectively . accordingly , after the formation of the coils 11 and 14 on one of the bobbins 10 and of the coils 12 and 15 on the other of the bobbins 10 , the bobbins 10 are connected together in side - by - side fashion with each other with the dovetail projections 23 engaged in the dovetail grooves 24 so as to form respective dovetail joints . after the bobbins 10 with the coils thereon have been connected together by means of the dovetail joints , the arms of the generally u - shaped first core member 17 and the arms of the generally u - shaped second core member 17 are inserted into the respective hollows 8 of the bobbins 10 from opposite directions until free ends of the arms of the first core member 17 are brought into abutment with free ends of the arms of the second bore member 17 within the hollows 8 of the bobbins 10 . thereafter , the first and second core members 17 are clamped together by means of the elastic metal clamp 18 that embraces them . the assembly is then enclosed in the casing 16 , thereby completing the line filter assembly . at this time , each of the coils 11 and 12 and each of the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 should be so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of line currents counteract to each other whereas the first and second coils 11 and 12 and the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 should be so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of the line currents can remain the same with respect to each other . according to the third embodiment of the present invention , the bobbins 10 having the coils thereon are connected together by means of the dovetail joints and , therefore , the use of any bonding agent to connect the bobbins together can be advantageously dispensed with , thereby minimizing the number of manufacturing steps . the line filter assembly according to a fourth preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig2 in sectional representation . in this line filter assembly , four multi - linked winding bobbins 10 all made of synthetic resin and each having the hollow defined therein are employed , and coils 11 , 12 , 14 and 15 are formed respectively on those four bobbins 10 . those bobbins 10 are housed within the casing 16 comprised of a pair of side walls 16a and 16b and an intermediate partition wall 16c and , thereafter , the opposite arms 17b of the first and second core members 17 are inserted into the hollows of the bobbins 10 until free ends of the arms 17b of the first core member 17 are brought into abutment with free ends of the arms 17b of the second bore member 17 within the hollows 8 of the bobbins 10 . each of the first and second core members 17 is made of ferrite or the like and is of a type comprising the pair of the opposite arms 17b connected together by means of a bridge 17a , said bridge 17a having a cross - sectional surface area which is 1 / 2 to 3 / 4 of that of any one of the arms 17b . thereafter , the first and second core members 17 are clamped together by means of the elastic metal clamp 18 that embraces them thereby to complete the line filter assembly . it is to be noted that the elastic metal clamp 17 is preferably made of stainless steel and is of a generally u - shaped configuration having a pair of opposite bent fingers 18a engageable respective side portions of the first and second core members 17 to clamp the first and second core members 17 together . in the assembled condition , the coils 11 and 14 are mounted around one of the arms 17b of the core member 17 while the coils 12 and 15 are mounted around the other of the arms 17b of the core member 17 and , at this time , each of the coils 11 and 12 and each of the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 are so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of line currents can be counteracted to each other whereas the first and second coils 11 and 12 and the third and fourth coils 14 and 15 are so arranged and so positioned that the directions of flow of magnetic fluxes developed in the respective core members 17 as a result of flow of the line currents can remain the same with respect to each other . in the construction as hereinabove described , when a line current is allowed to flow across the coils 11 and 12 , mounted on the opposed arms 17a of the core members 17 forming the closed magnetic circuit , and also across the coils 14 and 15 mounted on the opposed arms 17b of the same core members 17 , the magnetic fluxes passing only through the closed magnetic circuit defined by the core members 17 counter - act each other , accompanied by a leakage of the magnetic flux from the opposed arms 17b of the core members 17 into an ambient space exteriorly of the closed magnetic circuit . accordingly , no magnetic flux is substantially produced in the respective bridges 17a of the first and second core members 17 and , since the average length of the magnetic path defined in the closed magnetic circuit is reduced even though the cross - sectional surface area of each of the bridges 17a of the first and second core members 17 is chosen to be 1 / 2 to 3 / 4 of that of any one of the arms 17b thereof , an equal inductance can be obtained . accordingly , a performance comparable to the line filter can be obtained and , also , the volume and the space for installation of the line filter assembly can be reduced about 10 to 20 % as compared with a line filter assembly of a type wherein the cross - sectional surface area of each of the bridges of the first and second core members is chosen to be equal to that of any one of the arms thereof . the line filter assembly according to a fifth preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in fig2 in sectional representation and is designed to withstand external vibration to ensure a highly reliable performance . referring now to fig2 , two multi - linked winding bobbins 10 all made of synthetic resin and each having the hollow defined therein are employed , and coils 11 and 14 are formed on one of the bobbins 10 while the coils 12 and 15 are formed on the other of the bobbins 10 . those bobbins 10 are housed within the casing 16 comprised of a pair of side walls 16a and 16b and an intermediate partition wall 16c and , thereafter , the opposite arms 17b of the first and second core members 17 are inserted into the hollows of the bobbins 10 until free ends of the arms 17b of the first core member 17 are brought into abutment with free ends of the arms 17b of the second bore member 17 within the hollows 8 of the bobbins 10 . each of the first and second core members 17 is made of ferrite or the like and is of a type comprising the pair of the opposite arms 17b connected together by means of a bridge 17a to render the respective core member 17 to represent a generally u - shaped configuration . thereafter , the first and second core members 17 are clamped together by means of the elastic metal clamp 18 that embraces them so as to thereby complete the line filter assembly . it is to be noted that the elastic metal clamp 17 is preferably made of stainless steel and is of a generally u - shaped configuration having a pair of opposite bent fingers 18a engageable respective side portions of the first and second core members 17 to clamp the first and second core members 17 together and also having a bent tip 18b continued from each finger 18a so as to extend perpendicular thereto . the bent end 18b integral with each finger 18a of the elastic metal clamp 18 is so designed and so dimensioned that the tip thereof can be brought into engagement with an inner surface of the side wall 16b of the casing 16 while the bent end 18b itself is held in contact with a corresponding one of the opposite ends of the bobbin 10 . in this construction , in the event that external vibration is applied to the line filter assembly constructed as shown in fig2 , the ends 18b of the respective fingers 18a of the elastic metal clamp 18 cooperate with the side walls of the casing 16 and the adjacent ends of the bobbin 10 to absorb the vibration so as to thereby to avoid any possible collision between the core members 17 and the bobbins 10 . accordingly , not only damage to the closed magnetic circuit defined by the core members 17 , but also any possible reduction in magnetic permeability can be advantageously avoided to enable the resultant line filter assembly to operate in a stabilized and reliable manner . the casing 16 used in the line filter assembly may be modified as shown in fig2 . the casing 16 shown in fig2 comprises the pair of the side walls 16a and 16b and the partition wall 16c positioned intermediate between the side walls 16a and 16b . the partition wall 16c has its opposite ends formed with respective core guide recesses 25 , a bottom face of each of said core guide recesses 25 having a deformable projection 26 formed integrally therewith . the deformable projection 26 in each of the core guide recesses 25 is capable of being deformed in contact with the associated bridge 17a of each of the core members 17 when the elastic metal clamp 18 is encircled to clamp the core members 17 together . to cause the closed magnetic circuit , defined by the core members 17 , to be sandwiched between the elastic metal clamp 18 and the deformable projections 26 is effective to substantially eliminate any possible rattling of some component parts of the line filter assembly which would occur during and after the assembly thereof and also to eliminate the need of use of any bonding agent , so as to thereby avoid a reduction in performance and to improve the reliability . the size of each of the deformable projection 26 in the partition wall 16c of the casing 16 is selected so as to be of a value which is greater than the difference between the maximum size thereof available or permissible within the tolerance in dimension of the core members 17 , forming the closed magnetic circuit , and the minimum size thereof available or permissible within the tolerance in dimension of the partition wall 16c of the casing 16 and , also , as to be of such a value that the limit in size thereof attainable by the respective deformable projection 26 when deformed can be smaller than the difference between it and the maximum size thereof available or permissible within the tolerance in dimension of the core members 17 forming the closed magnetic circuit . however , it is to be noted that , instead of the use of the deformable projections 26 in the partition wall 16c of the casing , the casing 16 may be either integrally formed with thin - walled portions during the molding of the casing 16 or fitted with cushioning elements , such as silicone rubber pieces , subsequent to the molding of the casing . a sixth preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to fig2 and 24 . the bobbin assembly shown in fig2 and made of synthetic resin comprises two bobbins 10 which have respective hollows 8 defined therein . each of the bobbins 10 has a plurality of radially outwardly flanged end collars 20 formed integrally therewith at its opposite ends and also a plurality of radially outwardly flanged intermediate collars 19 at a generally intermediate portion thereof . the coils 11 and 14 are formed on one of the bobbins 10 and the coils 12 and 15 are formed on the other of the bobbins 10 . the bobbins 10 with the coils 11 , 14 and 12 , 15 mounted thereon respectively are subsequently housed within the casing 16 of a generally e - shaped cross - section , followed by a fitting of a bottom plate 27 to the casing 16 . thereafter , the arms of the generally u - shaped first core member 17 and the arms of the generally u - shaped second core member 17 are inserted into the respective hollows 8 of the bobbins 10 from opposite directions until free ends of the arms of the first core member 17 are brought into abutment with free ends of the arms of the second bore member 17 within the hollows 8 of the bobbins 10 . the first and second core members 17 are subsequently clamped together by means of the elastic metal - clamp 18 that embraces them . in this embodiment , each of the end collars 20 of each of the bobbins 10 has its opposite sides formed with respective engagement grooves 28 which open towards the side walls 16a and 16b and the partition wall 16c of the casing 16 . on the other hand , a portion of each of the side walls 16 and 16b and the partition wall 16c of the casing 16 , which confronts the associated engagement groove 28 in the corresponding end collar 20 is formed with an engagement rib 29 which is engageable into the associated engagement groove 28 as the assembly of bobbins 10 with coils thereon is housed within the casing 16 . also , respective lower edges of the side walls 16a and 16b of the casing 16 are formed with retainer pawls 31 for retaining in position the multi - linked bobbins 10 . the side walls 16a and 16b of the casing 16 is further formed with hook pawls 31 which can be snapped into respective detent holes defined in the bottom plate 27 to secure the latter to the casing 16 with the filter assembly housed therein in the form as sandwiched between the casing 16 and the bottom plate 27 . the system shown in fig2 and 24 is advantageous in that no bonding agent is employed to fix the component parts in position , thereby minimizing the number of manufacturing steps and that the component parts can be tightly fixed in position within the casing so as to thereby improve the reliability considerably . from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention , it is clear that substantial portion of magnetic leakage fluxes from one of the coils and also from the other of the coils can be counterbalanced to make a magnetic saturation difficult to occur . also , the core members forming the closed magnetic circuit may be small in size for the resultant line filter assembly to operate with the same line current to give the same inductance and , therefore , the line filter assembly as a whole can be manufactured compact in size , low in height and at a reduced manufacturing cost . also , any possible influence which may be brought by the line filter assembly on peripheral component parts can be minimized . thus , the present invention has a significant utility .	7
the invention enables the use of a pair of microphones for multi - channel surround recording . a conventional two - channel stereo microphone , or a two - channel microphone specifically optimized for use with the proposed algorithm , is used to generate two signals ( or a two - channel or stereo signal ). a post - processor is applied to the microphone generated signals to convert them to multi - channel surround . the so - generated surround audio signal mimics the natural spatial aspect of the sound that has arrived at the microphones . the stereo microphone needs to have directional responses such that the direction of arrival of sound can be estimated from level difference and possibly phase difference between the two microphone generated signals . as will be shown , the range of uniquely decodable directions of arrival can be up to or nearly up to 360 degrees , enabling true multi - channel surround sound . all the weaknesses of previous techniques mentioned in the introduction are addressed by the invention : since the necessary microphone is based on only two channels , it will be more cost effective to build than a multi - channel microphone . the two recorded channels can be stored similarly as storing the signal when using conventional stereo recording . the used microphone is coincident or nearly coincident and thus can have a small form factor . an additional benefit is that the recorded two signals are a good stereo signal , thus if the post - processing is not applied good stereo performance can be expected . in this section , various two channel microphone configurations are discussed with respect to their suitability for generating a surround sound signal by means of post - processing . since human source localization largely depends on the direct sound , due to the “ law of the first wavefront ”, the analysis is carried out for a single direct far - field sound arriving from a specific angle α at the microphone in free - field ( no reflections ). without loss of generality , for simplicity , we are assuming that the microphones are coincident , i . e . the two microphone capsules are located in the same point . given these assumptions , the left and right microphone signals can be written as : x 2 ( t )= r 2 ( α ) s ( t ) ( 1 ) where s ( t ) corresponds to the sound pressure at the microphone locations and r 1 ( α ) is the directional response of the left microphone for sound arriving from angle α and r 2 ( α ) is the corresponding response of the right microphone . the signal amplitude ratio between the right and left microphone is note that the amplitude radio captures the level difference and information whether the signals are “ in phase ” ( a ( α )& gt ; 0 ) or “ out of phase ” ( a ( α )& lt ; 0 ). if a complex signal representation is used , such as a short - time fourier transform , the phase of a ( α ) gives information about the phase difference between the signals and information about the delay . this information may be useful if the microphones are not coincident . fig1 illustrates the directional responses of two coincident dipole ( figure of eight ) microphones pointing towards ± 45 degrees relative to the forward x - axis . the parts of the responses marked with a + pick up sound with a positive sign and the parts marked with a − pick up sound with a negative sign . the amplitude ratio as a function of direction of arrival of sound is shown in fig2 ( a ). note that the amplitude ratio a ( α ) is not unique , that is for each amplitude ratio value exist two directions of arrival which could have resulted in that amplitude ratio . if sound arrives only from front directions , i . e . within ± 90 degrees relative to the positive x direction in fig1 , the amplitude ratio uniquely indicates from where sound arrived . however , for each direction in the front there exists a direction in the rear resulting in the same amplitude ratio . fig2 ( b ) shows the total response of the two dipoles in db , i . e . p ( α )= 10log 10 ( r 1 2 ( α )+ r 2 2 ( α )). ( 3 ) note that the two dipole microphones pick up sound with the same total response from all directions ( 0 db ). from the above discussion it is concluded that two dipole microphones with responses as shown in fig1 are not very suitable for surround sound signal generation because of these reasons : only for an angular range of 180 degrees does the amplitude ratio uniquely determine the direction of arrival of sound rear and front sound is picked up with the same total response . there is no rejection of sound from directions outside of the range in which the amplitude ratio is unique . the next microphone configuration considered are two cardioids pointing towards ± 45 degrees with responses as shown in fig3 . the result of a similar analysis as previously is shown in fig4 . fig4 ( a ) shows a ( α ) as a function of direction of arrival of sound . note that for directions between − 135 degrees and 135 degrees a ( α ) uniquely determines the direction of arrival of the sound at the microphones . fig4 ( b ) shows the total response p ( α ) as a function of direction of arrival . note that sound from the front directions is picked up most strongly and more weakly the more sound arrives from the rear . from this discussion it is concluded that two cardioid microphones with responses as shown in fig3 are suitable for surround sound generation : three quarters of all possible directions of arrivals ( 270 degrees ) can uniquely be determined by means of measuring the amplitude ratio a ( α ), that is , sound arriving from directions between ± 135 degrees . sound arriving from directions which can not uniquely be determined , i . e . from the rear between 135 and 225 degrees , is attenuated , partially mitigating the negative effect of interpreting these sounds as coming from different directions . a particularly suitable microphone configuration is the use of super - cardioid microphones . the responses of two super - cardioid responses , pointing towards ± 60 degrees , are shown in fig5 . the amplitude ratio as a function of angle of arrival is shown in fig6 ( a ). note that the amplitude ratio uniquely determines the direction of arrival of sound . this is so , because we have carefully chosen the super - cardioid microphone responses to have a null response at 180 degrees . the other null responses are at directions ± 60 degrees . note that this microphone configuration picks up sound “ in phase ” ( a ( α )& gt ; 0 ) for front directions in the range ± 60 degrees . rear sound is picked up “ out of phase ” ( a ( α )& lt ; 0 ), i . e . with a different sign . matrix surround [ 1 - 4 ] uses a similar philosophy for decoding two - channel signals to surround signals . thus obviously , from this perspective , this microphone configuration is suitable for generating a surround sound signal by means of processing the recorded signals . fig6 ( b ) illustrates the total response of the microphone configuration as a function of direction of arrival . during a quite large directional range , sound is picked up with similar intensity . towards the rear the total response is decaying until it reaches zero at 180 degrees . yields the direction of arrival of sound as a function of the amplitude ratio between the microphone signals . the function ( 4 ) is obtained by inverting the function given in ( 2 ) within the desired range in which ( 2 ) is invertible . for the example of two cardioids as shown in fig3 , the direction of arrival will be in the range of ± 135 degrees . if sound arrives from outside this range , its amplitude ratio will be interpreted wrong and a direction in the range between ± 135 degrees will be returned by the function . for the example of two super - cardioids as shown in fig5 , the determined direction of arrival can be any value except 180 degrees since both microphones have their null at 180 degrees . as a function of direction of arrival , the gain of the microphone signals needs to be modified ( compensated ) in order to pick up sound with the same or approximately the same gain within a desired range of directions . the gain modification ( compensation ) as a function of direction of arrival is where g determines an upper limit in db for the gain compensation . such an upper limit is often necessary to prevent that the signals are scaled by too large a factor . the solid line in fig7 ( a ) shows the gain modification within the desired direction of arrival range of ± 135 for the case of the two cardioids . the dashed line in fig7 ( a ) indicates the gain modification that is applied to sound from rear directions , i . e . between 135 and 225 degrees , where ( 4 ) yields a ( wrong ) front direction . fig7 ( b ) shows the total response of the two cardioids ( solid ) and the total response if the gain compensation is applied ( dashed ). the limit g in ( 5 ) was chosen to be 10 db , but is not reached as evident from fig7 ( a ). a similar analysis is carried out for the case of the super - cardioid microphone pair . fig8 ( a ) shows the gain modification for this case . note that at the sides of the graph , the limit of g = 10 db is reached . fig8 ( b ) shows the total response ( solid ) and the total response if the gain compensation is applied ( dashed ). note that the compensated total response is decreasing towards the rear , despite of compensation . due to the limitation of the compensation gain , the total response is decreasing towards the rear ( due to the nulls at 180 degrees infinite compensation would be required ). after compensation , sound is picked up with full level ( 0 db ) approximately in a range of ± 160 degrees , making the super - cardioid microphones in principle a very suitable for recording of signals to be converted to surround sound signals . the previous analysis shows that in principle two microphones ( or a two - channel microphone , or a stereo microphone ) can be used to record signal which contain sufficient information to generate a surround sound audio signal . the invention enables effective usage of two - channel microphones ( or stereo microphones , or use two microphone capsules ) together with post - processing to generate a surround sound signal . thus , effectively , the invention enables surround sound recording with a two channel microphone . use of knowledge ( or assumption ) about the directional responses of the microphones to obtain information about the directions to which sound components of the microphone generated input signals are rendered when generating the surround output signal . a sound component is defined as signal part contained in the microphone generated signals . additionally , two - channnel microphones suitable for surround recording have the property that the more sound arrives from the rear at the microphones , the lower is the level at which sound is picked up . this is due to the directional responses of the microphones , which are weaker towards the rear . thus , it is also important to consider knowledge ( or assumption ) about the directional responses of the microphone signals to determine compensations gains , which when applied to sound components , result in that sound components are picked up with the same or approximately the same gain within a desired range of directions . in the following , two examples are described on how to implement the invention . one way of converting the microphone signal pair to a multi - channel surround audio signal , is to use a modified matrix surround decoder [ 1 - 4 ]. the matrix surround decoder is modified to render sound components to the correct directions ( 4 ) and gain compensation according to ( 5 ) needs to be added too . note that when super - cardioid microphones are used , gain compensation can be applied to the two microphone generated signals , resulting in a signal which is matrix surround compatible . in this case , the matrix decoder already can use its mechanism for deteremining rendering direction of sound components , but gain compensation needs to be added to the matrix decoder . a more sophisticated way of generating the multi - channel surround audio signal is described in the following . usually , not only a direct wavefront reaches the microphones , but a mix of direct sound and reflections . thus , the signal model of ( 1 ) is extended to : x 1 ( t )= r 1 ( α ) s ( t )+ n 1 ( t ) x 2 ( t )= r 2 ( α ) s ( t )+ n 2 ( t ), ( 6 ) where s ( t ) represents a direct localizable sound and n 1 ( t ) and n 2 ( t ) represent reflected sound or generally speaking sound which is independent between the two microphones . the signal model ( 6 ) can be written simpler as x 2 ( t )= ws ( t )+ n 2 ( t ), ( 7 ) where now s ( t ) does not anymore directly relate to the sound pressure of direct sound at the microphone locations , but is a scaled version thereof . the weights w is the amplitude ratio of the direct sound . in order to improve performance and allow simultaneously sound arriving from different directions at different frequencies , the signal model is preferably considered independently at different frequencies . in this case , ( 7 ) and the analysis and synthesis below is considered in a filterbank subband domain or short - time spectral domain . there are many heuristic methods to obtain estimates of s ( t ), a , n 1 ( t ), and n 2 ( t ). one possibility is to use : where e {.} is a short time average or mean estimate and φ is a short - time estimate of the normalized cross - correlation : the estimated weight w is used as an estimate for the direct sound amplitude ratio a ( α ) ( 2 ). the gain compensated direct sound is where f ( w ) ( 4 ) is the direction estimate of the direct sound . the gain compensated direct sound signal is mixed to the surround sound output signal such that it is perceived from the correct or desired direction by a listener . multi - channel amplitude panning may be used to achieve this . one good option is to mix the left reflected sound signal n 1 ( t ) ( also denoted ambient sound or reflected sound signal ) to the front and rear left channels of the surround output signal . to improve ambience and improve spatial image stability , the signal given to the rear can be delayed and low - pass filtered . we are using a delay of 30 milliseconds and a low - pass filter with 8 khz cutoff frequency . similarly , n 2 ( t ) is mixed to the right front and right rear channels of the surround output signal . alternatively , reverberators may be applied to the reflected sound in the rear surround channels to decorrelate them from the reflected sound in the front surround channels . it is not obvious whether to apply the gain compensation only to the direct sound ( 10 ), or also to the reflected sound n 1 ( t ) and n 2 ( t ). we tried both and it does not seem to make a big difference . as mentioned , it is favorable to process the signals in a subband or spectral domain . we are using a short - time fourier transform . to reduce the number of spectral coefficients ( or subbands ), we are grouping subbands together to “ critical bands ”, with a frequency resolution motivated by the periphery of the human auditory system , in a similar fashion as described in [ 5 ]. the proposed processing is applied independently in each “ critical band ”. after processing , the spectral coefficients of the output surround signal are converted back to the time - domain to generate the time - domain surround sound output signals . the above described method will be suitably implemented in a device embedding an audio processor such as a dsp . this device comprises different software components dedicated to the various tasks performed . a first component concerns a first calculation means that determine directions of sound components related to the microphone characteristics . a second component concerns a second calculation means that determine compensation gains of sound components related to the microphone characteristics . a third component concerns a third calculation means for generating the output audio channels , y 1 , . . . , ym , by using the microphone generated audio channels , x 1 , x 2 , directions , and compensation gains . it is to be noted that in one embodiment of the invention , the compensation gains of the second calculation means are determined related to the sum of the responses of the microphones . in case that the calculation is executed in subbands , the device of the invention comprises a splitting means to convert the input signal into a plurality of subbands and the first , second , and third calculation means are acting on each subband as a function of time . the contents of the following publications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety , [ 1 ] j . hull , “ surround sound past , present , and future ,” tech . rep ., dolby laboratories , 1999 , www . dolby . com / tech /, [ 2 ] j . m . eargle , “ multichannel stereo matrix systems : an overview ,” ieee trans . on speech and audio proc ., vol . 19 , no . 7 , pp . 552 - 559 , july 1971 , [ 3 ] r . dressler , “ dolby surround prologic ii decoder - principles of operation ,” tech . rep ., dolby laboratories , 2000 , www . dolby . com / tech /, [ 4 ] k . gundry , “ a new active matrix decoder for surround sound ,” in proc . aes 19th int . conf ., june 2001 , and [ 5 ] c . faller and f . baumgarte , “ binaural cue coding — part ii : schemes and applications ,” ieee trans . on speech and audio proc ., vol . 11 , no . 6 , pp . 520 - 531 , november 2003 .	7
the electrical signal regenerator 1 shown in fig1 contains an equalizer 2 , a clock data recovery circuit 3 ( cdr in the following ) coupled to the output of the equalizer , a switch 4 for selecting either the output of the cdr circuit or via a bypass 24 the output of the equalizer . the selected signal from switch 4 is then fed to a decision circuit 5 , i . e ., a comparator which decides upon logical signal value 0 or 1 to produce output signal 7 . additionally , the signal regenerator has a loop back line 25 for test purposes . a basic idea of the present invention is to adapt the operation of the signal regenerator to the bitrate of the received signal . the invention recognizes that for an electrical input signal 6 operating at 2 . 7 gbit / s , i . e ., the lowest otn bitrate , electrical equalization is sufficient , while for approximately 10 gbit / s , additional cdr is necessary to improve the jitter properties of the signal regenerator . therefore , the cdr circuit 3 contains a frequency meter which measures the frequency of the input signal 6 and controls the switch 4 to select either the output of the cdr circuit 3 or the output of the equalizer as output signal 7 . the frequency meter is advantageously realized with an external quartz oscillator and a counter which counts the number of pulses of the recovered clock signal of the input signal per measurement cycle defined by the external oscillator . it shall be noted that signals of the third otn level , i . e ., at 43 gbit / s will not be discussed in the following as a bitrate of that level would encompass additional system limitations that shall not be discussed here and is not an object of the present invention . typically , if 43 gbit / s signals shall be processed electrically , one would choose a parallel format , e . g ., converting the 43 gbit / s into 4 × 10 . 75 gbit / s and process the 4 signals in parallel . the equalizer is shown in more detail in fig2 . input signal 6 is first amplified by amplifier op 20 . the amplified signal is fed to two taps t 1 , t 2 . each tap contains a multiplier m 20 , m 21 , however , multiplier m 21 in tap t 1 is fixed to value 1 in this example . multiplier m 20 can be adjusted via control loop 14 . tap 1 is a delay line which contains three cascaded amplifiers op 22 , op 23 , and op 24 and has a delay in the range of about 100 ps . in the embodiment shown , the delay line has a delay of 94 ps . the amplifiers are simple differential buffer amplifiers , i . e ., feedback - controlled current amplifier with a broadband frequency spectrum of up to 12 ghz and a delay of approximately 30 ps , each . the total amplification of the three amplifiers of the delay line is adjusted to the value 1 . both taps are connected to an adder - subtractor 8 . tap t 1 is connected to the inverted input and top t 2 to the non - inverted input of the adder - subtractor 8 , so that the signal from tap t 2 is subtracted from the signal from tap t 1 . the output of the adder - subtractor is fed to a limiter 9 at the signal output of the equalizer . the limiter 9 is a limiting amplifier which serves to adjust the total amplification of the equalizer to be greater than 1 . output 17 of the equalizer is fed to cdr circuit 3 in fig1 and via bypass 24 to switch 4 . peak detectors 10 and 11 measure the maximum pulse amplitude before and after the delay line of tap t 1 . the peak values are subject to a / d conversion by a / d - converter 12 and the digital values then evaluated by logic circuit 13 in order to determine a control signal to tune multiplier m 20 . in addition , the output of the equalizer can be fed back to the input for test purposes via test loop 21 and amplifier op 21 . the equalizer is optimized to compensate cable distortion of coax cables or backplanes that have a relatively smooth frequency response with low - pass characteristic , which is typically the case as long as there are no signal reflections . the frequency response of the equalizer is approximately a sinus curve , whereby the maximum value is controlled by multiplier m 20 in tap t 1 and the width of the curve depends on the delay value of tap t 1 . for 10 gbit / s applications , the frequency response of the equalizer has its maximum at 5 ghz , i . e ., approximately half the bitrate of interest because 5 ghz is the fundamental frequency of a signal operating at 10 gbit / s . the frequency response of a coax cable for example , has typically a “ sqrt ( f )” shape , which can be approximated relatively well by the rising edge of the sinus shape . in other words , the rising edge of the sinus shaped frequency response curve of the equalizer is used to compensate the cable distortion for signals up to approximately 10 gbit / s . the normalized frequency response curve of the equalizer is shown schematically in fig3 , denoted with reference sign 31 . curve 32 is the typical frequency response curve of a coax cable . it can be observed that the rising edge of the sinus - shaped equalizer curve approximates adequately the distortion of the coax cable . via multiplier m 20 , the ratio between and input and output of tap t 1 is adjusted . this ratio depends on temperature and other external conditions . the control loop in tap t 1 can thus be used to adapt the equalizer dynamically to changing conditions . however , it may also be sufficient to adjust tap t 1 only once when switching the equalizer on and let the initial ratio fixed afterwards . during start of the equalizer , a static signal is fed via test loop 21 to the input of the equalizer and amplifier op 20 turned off ( i . e ., no external input signal ). peak detector 10 measures the static test input and peak detector 11 measures the output of tap t 1 . the peak detectors are realized with a capacitor that is charged with the input signal until its voltage reaches the maximum signal amplitude after approximately 0 . 5 μs . this peak measurement is cyclical , i . e ., after a measurement cycle of about 2 μs , the voltage at the capacitor is reset to zero to start a new measurement cycle . cyclical measurement is necessary to enable detection of a loss of the input signal , because if the peak detectors will not be reset , they would hold the maximum value , once fully charged , forever even when the input signal has long disappeared . the results from the two peak detectors are fed via a / d - converter 12 to logic circuit 13 , which is implemented with logic gates but could alternatively also be implemented with a processor and corresponding control software . the logic circuit 13 is a state machine that considers input and output peak values and determines according to a predefined optimization routine a scheduled value for the ratio . in the preferred embodiment , the scheduled ratio is 0 . 3 . when the equalizer is switched on , the logic circuit 13 adjusts the ratio between input and output of tap t 1 in 10 steps . afterwards , it may be disabled . alternatively , it can continue to adjust the ratio to changing temperature conditions in an on - line tracking process . this may be advantageous , if the cooling of the entire signal regenerator is insufficient and therefore temperature will change during operation . peak detector 10 has thus two functions . on the one hand , it detects loss of input signal and raises via logic circuit 13 a corresponding alarm and on the other hand , it serves to measure and adjust the ratio between input and output of tap t 1 . the equalizer 2 can compensate distortion of about 12 to 14 m coax cable or alternatively of about 1 . 7 to 1 . 8 m backplane . fig4 a and 4 b show signal measurements of a 10 gbit / s signal after 104 cm backplane plus 3 m coax cable . such measurements are typically referred to as eye diagrams . fig4 a is an eye diagram of the distorted input signal . it can be observed that the eye is completely closed . fig4 b shows the eye diagram after equalization . it can be observed that the eye has been widely opened by the equalizer . it can also be observed , however , that the poorly defined crossing area and the relatively soft rising edge would lead to jitter in the regenerated signal . therefore , at 10 gbit / s , additional cdr is required . fig4 c shows the eye diagram after cdr . the signal is now perfectly re - shaped and does not show any jitter anymore . the signal regenerator according to the present invention is adapted to compensate electrical cable distortion but can , however , also be used to compensate distortion of an optical signal due to dispersion effects . fig5 shows the eye diagram of an optical signal after 1 km standard multi - mode fiber at the output from an optical receiver , i . e ., directly after o / e conversion . no optical dispersion compensation has been applied . the eye diagram before equalization , i . e ., the output signal from the optical receiver , has been nearly closed ( upper part of the figure ) and the equalizer perfectly opens the eye ( lower part of the figure ). the test loop via op 21 described above can advantageously also be used for testing the equalizer during manufacturing on the wafer or after packaging . as the entire equalizer circuit is an analog circuit without any logical components such as flip - flops in the signal path , looping back the inverted output to the input creates a ring oscillator . in particular , a first ring oscillator leads via tap t 1 and a second ring oscillator leads via tap t 2 . each ring oscillator oscillates at a different frequency . the difference of the two frequencies from these two paths gives an exact measure for the delay of the first tap t 1 . this can be used as a criterion to sort the chips during manufacturing , because the delay determines the maximum value frequency in the frequency response curve shown in fig3 . the tolerance for this frequency value is +/− 15 %. therefore , chips that have a deviation from the scheduled value of more than 15 % will be sorted out . the advantage of testing the chip this way is that no high frequency test equipment , i . e ., for test in the range of several ghz , is required because the ring oscillation is in the range of several mhz , only , but that the test nonetheless gives an exact measure for the high frequency properties of the chip . the cdr is a clock recovery circuit and a decider circuit clocked by the recovered clock . the clock recovery circuit is realized with a phase - locked loop ( pll ). the pll has a voltage - controlled oscillator , a loop filter , and a phase detector . the phase detector compares the phase of a recovered clock signal with the phase of the input signal and generates an error signal , which corresponds to the phase difference between the two . the loop filter generates two control signals from the error signal . it has a first loop that generates the first control signal , which serves to adjust the oscillator to dynamical phase shifts in the input signal and a second control loop , which generates the second control signal that adjusts the oscillator to long - term variations in the phase of input signal . the first loop is designed as an analogue circuit , while the second control loop is designed as a digital circuit . details of the phase - locked loop and the associated control circuitry , that detects when the pll has locked , is disclosed in co - pending european patent applications entitled “ phasenregelkreis , übertragungstechnische einheit , erkennungsschaltung und digital - analog - konverter ”, “ erkennungsschaltung , phasenregelkreis , übertragungstechnische einheit und digital - analog - konverter ”, and “ digital - analog - konverter , phasenregelkreis , übertragungstechnische einheit und erkennungsschaltung ” by the same inventor and filed the same day as the present application , which contents is incorporated by reference herein . the switch 4 in fig1 is build of basic switch circuits of the type described in co - pending european patent application entitled “ basic switching circuit ” by the same inventor and filed the same day as the present invention , which contents is incorporated by reference herein . the signal regenerator according to the invention is designed for use in network elements of optical transmission networks , where the internal signal processing is performed electrically . in particular , such network elements have internal electrical signal paths and these paths are terminated by electrical signals regenerators as described above . preferably , signal regenerator of the above type are used in an optical switch . an optical switch is a device for establishing cross - connections in an optical transport network and is therefore commonly also referred to as optical crossconnect . internally , such optical switches typically operate electrically . therefore , a number of internal signals must be distributed electrically and are thus subject to distortion . therefore , at the end of each internal signal path , a regenerator as described above is located . in a preferred embodiment , the optical switch has a bitrate - transparent , asynchronous switching matrix . the matrix is constructed of a number of individual switch modules . each switch module is a basic square matrix with a switching capacity of 32 input signals , i . e ., a 32 × 32 space switch . preferably , each switch module has a 33th input and output for test purposes . this allows to loop a test signal into the matrix and out of the matrix at any point in the matrix without having to change the cabling between the switch modules . the switch modules are arranged in the form of a three stage clos matrix to form a large space switching fabric . fig6 shows a block diagram of one switch module s 6 . it comprises 33 input ports i 1 - i 33 and 33 output ports o 1 - o 33 . electrical signal regenerators 1 are connected to each of the input ports i 1 - i 33 to compensate distortions in the input signals . fig7 shows how the switch modules are connected to form a three stage clos matrix . in this arrangement , 16 switch modules form a combined input / output stage and 10 switch modules form the center stage . the switching matrix has a overall switching capacity of 160 signals . even when in practice the input stage switches is 1 - is 16 and the output stage switches os 1 - os 16 are identical , for better graphical presentation they are shown isolated into output stage modules and input stage modules in the figure . 10 input ports of each input stage switch module is 1 - is 16 are used as inputs for the input stage and 20 output ports of each module is 1 - is 16 are used as outputs of the input stage towards the center stage . virtually , each input stage module as shown in fig7 is thus a 10 × 20 switch module . two outputs of each input stage module connect to each of the center stage modules cs 1 - cs 10 . conversely , the output stage modules os 1 - os 16 shown in the figure are virtually 20 × 10 switch modules , i . e ., have 20 input ports connected to the center stage modules and 10 output ports , each . each center stage module is connected on its output side to two input ports of each output stage module . it can be observed , that one “ virtual ” input stage module ( 10 × 20 ) and one “ virtual ” output stage module ( 20 × 10 ) combined into one real switch module uses 30 inputs and 30 outputs thereof . the remaining two inputs and outputs are unused . in total , the switch matrix thus contains 26 switch modules . this forms a fully non - blocking switching matrix where each input port can be connected to each output port . the cabling between the matrix modules and between the optical receivers and transmitters and the matrix is made with coax cables . in total , 960 cables are required . in order to balance signal distortion , each cable is terminated by an electrical signal regenerator 1 as described above . preferably , two regenerators of the above described type are combined into a single integrated circuit . this would allow to combine receive and transmit direction from and towards the same i / o port of the crossconnect within one ic . the switch modules are preferably of the type described in co - pending european patent application entitled “ electrical space switching matrix ” by the same inventor and filed the same day as the present invention , which contents is incorporated by reference herein . this type of switch module allows to switch electrical signals of arbitrary bitrate of up to 12 gbit / s . if the input signal is an otn signal ( g . 709 ) of the lowest hierarchy level , i . e ., otu 1 , with a bitrate of 2 . 7 gbit / s , the signals are subject to electronic equalization , only . the signal regenerators 1 automatically detect this bitrate and bypass their cdr circuits . if the input signal is otu 2 with a bitrate of 10 . 7 gbit / s , the regenerators 1 automatically select their cdr circuits for output . this arrangement has the advantage that any otn signals ( excluding here otu 3 for the reasons discussed above ) can be processed irrespective of their bitrate with the some hardware and without any manual hardware configuration . in a further advantageous improvement , the 33th signal input in each switch module is used to generate a 4 ghz frequency signal . this can easily be achieved with the switching modules described below by simply switching a loop back in the test input port of each module . this results in a ring oscillation of 4 ghz , similar to the ring oscillation described above for test purposes of the equalizer . this 4 ghz signal is used as a monitor signal and switched to any un - used output port of the module , i . e ., to each output port that carries no signal at the moment . the electrical signal regenerator connected to an un - used output in front of the subsequent switch module will automatically detect the 4 ghz tone rather than a 2 . 7 gbit / s signal or a 10 . 7 gbit / s and would thus know that the internal cable connection is alright . conversely , if a regenerator does not detect neither a 4 ghz tone nor a valid 1 . 7 or 10 . 7 gbit / s signal , it concludes that an internal cable is broken or disconnected and raises a corresponding alarm . the 4 ghz tone is thus used to continuously check internal matrix cabling that carry no signals at the moment . this improves reliability of the entire optical switch . having described by way of non - limiting examples various embodiments of the present invention , it will be clear to those skilled in the art , that the invention is not restricted to implementation details and particular figures given in these embodiments . conversely , those skilled in the art would appreciate that several changes , substitutions and alterations can be made without departing from the concepts and spirit of the invention .	7
19 -- third seam of body portion joining front and back panels together referring now to fig1 there is shown a woman &# 39 ; s garment 10 cut away at the armpit to show a pocket assembly 11 of a fabric such as cotton . as best seen in fig1 and 2 , the garment 10 is shown on its interior as having a main body 12 , a sleeve 13 , a stitched seam 14 where the sleeve is connected to the body and a vertical stitched seam 15 that runs the length of the sleeve 13 and down the side of the body 12 of the garment 10 . a pocket assembly 11 is shown connected to the garment 10 , by stitching to the existing seams 14 , 15 of the garment 10 . as shown in fig3 the bottom of the pocket assembly is shown as comprising four quadrants seamed at 21 and 22 . the seam lines 21 , 22 of the bottom of the pocket are connected to the existing seam lines 14 , 15 of the garment 10 . the pocket assembly 11 is thus seen to be attachable to a completed garment 10 . fig4 illustrates the top of the pocket assembly 11 as including a first piece 23 of the fabric cut the same shape and length of the bottom section and extending from one side a little more than one half of the width of the bottom section . a second piece 24 or top flap of fabric is cut to the same length of the bottom section and extends from the opposite side a little more than one half the width of the bottom and overlaps the first piece 23 . the first 23 and second 24 pieces form an opening through which an antiperspirant absorbent shield or pad , or any item the wearer wishes to have contained within the garment , can be inserted . the shape and size of the pocket assembly can be changed depending on the size of the existing garment , the area within the garment , where it will be attached and the fabric being used in construction of the pocket assembly . the pocket assembly could be a kite shape for mens &# 39 ; garments , oval shape for womens &# 39 ;, as well as rectangular , square or circular . with this assembly 11 the stitching lines can not be seen on the outside of the garment which would ruin the outer appearance of the garment . the pocket assembly 11 is also removable without destroying the garment . while the pocket assembly 11 is shown in the figs . as attached to the underarm area of a garment , it can , in fact , be attached to any area of the garment depending on the needs of the wearer , e . g . padding in a bra . additionally , it can be used in garments for both males and females . the pocket assembly may be of an elastic material to hold an inserted anti - perspirant shield therein . also the assembly may have double flaps as illustrated or a single flap with a small opening . regardless of the shape of the pocket assembly or the arrangement of the flap closure , the seams of the assembly are always stitched to the seam lines of the garment . it should be obvious that changes , additions and omissions may be made in the details and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims .	0
ocular prosthesis 20 in the form of an artificial eye is illustrated in fig1 in place on orbital implant 22 under upper eyelid 24 and lower eyelid 26 . in fig2 device 20 has been removed exposing anterior surface 28 through which sclera simulation 30 , iris simulation 32 and cornea simulation 34 is visible . the front perspective view of fig3 shows one thirty - second inch round bore opening 36 and one thirty - second inch round vent opening 38 opening through anterior surface 28 above iris simulation 32 barely visible through sclera simulation 30 . in these locations both openings are under upper eyelid 24 when in use . in fig4 the rear perspective view shows posterior surface 40 and cap 42 . in fig5 transparent center cast section 44 covers and provides the visual appearance to display iris simulation 32 and cornea simulation 34 on the main body of the acrylic casting body 45 . as also shown in fig6 cavity 46 opens through access 47 to posterior surface 40 and through openings 36 and 38 through anterior surface 28 . cap 42 releasably closes cavity 46 and conforms to posterior surface shape 40 . alternative embodiments are illustrated in fig5 a , 5b , and 5c . artificial eye 48 is cast of body resin 50 with clear acrylic resin section 52 essentially covering the entire anterior surface and making cavity 54 visible when the wearer lifts upper eyelid 24 to check the contents of the cavity . bore opening 56 opens to the anterior surface and vent hole 60 opens directly through cap 58 to the posterior surface . in fig5 b , ocular prosthesis 62 includes cavity 63 closed by cap 42 &# 39 ;. the &# 34 ; prime &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; double prime &# 34 ; designations throughout the specification indicate that that element is essentially identical to that of an earlier figure . bore opening 64 and vent opening 65 open from cavity 63 through anterior surface 28 &# 39 ;. cavity 68 is drilled into solid body to receive lacrisert ® insert 70 into that cavity opening directly through anterior surface 28 &# 39 ;. cavity 68 is positioned directly below bore opening 64 so that lubricant flowing downwardly provides sufficient lubrication for the lacrisert ®. in fig5 c , device 72 includes bore openings 76 and lacrisert ® bore opening 80 drilled side by side and joined together opening from the cavity through anterior surface 28 &# 34 ;. vent hole 78 provides the standard air vent to facilitate flow . in this embodiment , the lacrisert ® 82 swells and lubricate through direct contact with lubrication fluid 88 inside cavity 74 . as shown in fig6 b , and 7 at least one detent projection 84 extends under lip edge 86 of the eye body around opening to cavity 46 . most views show detents , such as detents 84 , at each cross - section edge of the cap . however , this is due to choice of the cross - section cut and a plurality of detents are sufficient , preferably about four for each cap , spaced around the periphery . as illustrated in fig6 pin 89 can be used to remove cap 42 either by inserting it through bore opening 36 or vent opening 38 or as shown in fig6 a and 6b by prying under tab 85 of the cap to lift it off . tab 85 aids in positioning cap 42 over the access opening . in fig7 cap 42 has been removed exposing cavity 46 bounded by lip edge 86 . as shown here , bore opening 36 and vent opening 38 open directly from cavity 46 through anterior surface 28 . in fig8 standard one half ounce lubricant bottle 90 containing a standard lubricant solution approximating normal tears is equipped with bent polyethylene tube extension 92 which is inserted into hole 36 to fill cavity 46 with the liquid . since hole 36 is under upper eyelid 24 , it is necessary to lift the eyelid to insert tube 92 into the hole and fill the cavity . through capillary action , the contact with the eyelid draws fluid from the cavity to wet the eye ball . fig9 through 13 illustrate a method of manufacture of a device of the present invention . artificial eye 94 is made using standard methods well known in the art that has been impression fitted to the patient . clear section 98 is cast in the eye to provide the iris and cornea simulations . using a prosthesis mix quick set stone or plaster , platform 96 is made for pressing and fabrication of the chamber cap . the stone platform is trimmed and artificial eye 94 is removed as shown in fig1 . in fig1 , the artificial eye is inverted so that the posterior surface is facing upwardly . using rotary ball grinder 100 , cavity 102 is routed out of the eye from the rear . in fig1 plasticine , wax , clay , or silly putty ® are used as filler plug 106 in the cavity to form the space that will remain open . a plurality of detents 104 , similar to detents 84 above , are formed by forming a plurality of small hollows under the lip after which medical grade r . t . v . silicone , such as dow corning r . t . v . no . 382 silicone is spread over the plug . platform 96 is re - engaged and pressed for about one minute against the posterior surface of eye 94 forming silicone resin cap 108 to the exact shape of platform 96 . when the silicone rubber has fully cured , platform 96 is removed , the cap is pried off and the putty removed . holes are drilled into the cavity at the chosen points . twist drills , size sixty through eighty are used to drill the holes into the body , that is the bore openings and vent openings into the chambers . for certain embodiments , the cap may be shaped to hold a ball or button in place by merely indenting the putty to the chosen shape and allowing the silicone rubber to flow into the cavity and upon curing to form the means to hold the ball or button in place . the chamber may be positioned at any location in the artificial eye , but it is preferred that the chamber be positioned at the top upper most section so that the bore opening can be under the upper eyelid . the liquid flows outwardly under the lid and over the prosthesis and down to reach the lower portions of the eye . the chamber is ground with a small ball burr with an undercut leaving a rim around the circumference of the chamber rim to provide a surface for detents extending from the cap to hold the cap in place . the interior of the chamber is polished . the r . t . v . silicone is catalyzed for gelling in about twenty seconds . the chamber is overfilled and immediately the posterior surface of the artificial eye is pressed against the stone platform mold covered with a thin film of vaseline ®. hard hand pressure is applied for at least one minute to force the silicone into and around the chamber hole . the silicone sets sufficiently in ten minutes or less after which the silicone is lightly polished in the area of the chamber . the silicone is removed from the chamber and trimmed with scissors or a razor blade . the bore opening used to allow the lubricant to weep from the chamber is drilled with a drill or a fine burr and finely polished . lubricant is placed in the chamber , the cap is placed in position closing the chamber . a notch tab in the chamber access aids in placement of the cap . after the prosthesis has been cleaned and any excess lubricant removed , the prosthesis is inserted into the eye socket and attached to the orbital implant . an alternative cap composition is triad ii light cured acrylic resin supplied by dentsply of york , pennsylvania . this semi - rigid material is used in the same fashion as the silicone rubber except that it is covered by a transparent film and cured by exposure to the light after which it is trimmed and ground to the proper shape and surface smoothness . while devices with only one large chamber and a small chamber are illustrated , it will be clear that a plurality of chambers of the same or different sizes may be provided in the artificial eye . these chambers may be charged with the same lubricant or may be charged with different materials . thus one chamber can be filled with a lubricant , while the other can be charged with a medicine , such as a bactericide , antihistamine or the like . certain devices and mechanisms in the artificial eye are described hereinbelow to aid in dispensing the lubricant from the artificial eye . the simplest method is merely to have the patient press on the prosthesis thus exerting pressure on the cap against the orbital implant . this tends to dispense a small amount of lubricant from the chamber through the weep hole and effectively lubricate the eye . the flexible or semi - rigid character of the cap material allows the cap to flex when pressure is applied to dispense liquid from the chambers . in fig1 , device 110 utilizes ball applicator 112 which rotates freely while protruding through anterior surface 114 . as shown in fig1 , chamber 118 is carved out of body 116 . ball 120 is slightly larger than the diameter of the hole extending through anterior surface 114 from the chamber . cap 122 is formed of silicone rubber with extension 124 extending into the space of chamber 118 and holding ball 120 against the hole while allowing it to rotate as it contacts the upper eyelid . another applicator device is illustrated in fig1 through 19 wherein device 126 include button 128 flush with the anterior surface proximate weep hole 130 and vent hole 132 , all the openings extending into chamber 140 . button 128 is molded of the triad ii light cured acrylic resin and is shaped to extend out through opening 134 but of a size too large to come out of the hole . cap 136 is formed with extension 138 to abut the rear surface of button 128 and hold it in position . when button 128 is depressed with the person &# 39 ; s finger , lubricant is expelled through weep hole 130 . while this invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments disclosed herein , it is not confined to the details set forth and the patent is intended to include modifications and changes which may come within and extend from the following claims .	8
the devices disclosed herein are useful in transport of agent into or across biological barriers including the skin ( or parts thereof ); the blood - brain barrier ; mucosal tissue ( e . g ., oral , nasal , ocular , vaginal , urethral , gastrointestinal , respiratory ); blood vessels ; lymphatic vessels ; or cell membranes ( e . g ., for the introduction of material into the interior of a cell or cells ). the biological barriers can be in humans or other types of animals , as well as in plants , insects , or other organisms , including bacteria , yeast , fungi , and embryos . the microneedle devices can be applied to tissue internally with the aid of a catheter or laparoscope . for certain applications , such as for drug delivery to an internal tissue , the devices can be surgically implanted . the present invention provides agents which can be a protein , peptide , cell homogenate , whole organism or glycoprotein effective as a sensing agent or protective agent . the present invention also provides a presentation configuration of the agent in which for sensing , single molecules , multimers , aggregates , or multimer through nanoparticle anchoring may be used ; whereas , for delivery ( vaccination ) the configuration of the biological molecule may also comprise : single molecules , multimers , aggregates , or multimers through nanoparticle anchoring . nanoparticle anchoring can be through nanoparticles of gold , silver , titanium , agarose , proteins , dendrimers , proteins or polymers . the preferred option is the multimeric nanoparticle presentation . the present invention also has applications in the food industry for quality detection and for one or more infective agent ( s ), the infective agent can be a microorganism . the microorganism can be selected from one or more of the group comprising a virus , bacteria , protozoa and / or fungus . the inventors have unexpectedly discovered that a novel delivery structure and composition , as well as the composition and configuration of the biological reagent for delivery and methods for their production . by forming the agents for delivery in the presence of removable and / or degradable nanoparticles of different composition to the composition of the delivery molecules , the nanostructured molecules incorporate a nanoporous structure capable of holding large and small molecules and nanoparticles - anchored biological molecules for delivery as vaccines and therapeutics . it is also recognised that a number of novel polymer systems which when subjected to certain stresses change composition to have a nanoparticular structure which is different to the surrounding polymer , and such polymers can have application with their improved solubility ( degradation properties ) for the delivery of reagents from polymer array patches . the aforementioned polyvalent nanoparticular vaccination particles can be released from polymer patches with penetration to the interstitial layer in live tissue the aforementioned polyvalent nanoparticular sensing agents can be retained on the surface of the polymer patches with conducting properties for signal transduction . the inventors have surprisingly found that the identical polymer is used for presenting ( delivery / anchored sensing ) the nanostructured molecule ( s ), and also unexpectedly , a polymer which although biocompatible is preferably not biodegradeable has advantages of speed of molecule delivery not requiring the lengthy time dependent degradation . in the aspect of the invention that has application to delivery for vaccination through the stratum corneum , resident time in this layer is of the order of two weeks . in a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a process for delivering molecule ( s ) precisely to the appropriate depth using the microneedle arrays having nanostructured delivery molecules . construction of the device and control of structure of the polymer , by embedding nanoparticle - sized materials with properties to allow dissolution of the nanoparticles to create a mesoporous structure with nanoporous cavities for holding reagents or nanoparticle structured reagents . to be delivered by the array patch structure . both hollow and solid penetrator ( solid needle ) arrays are constructed with any of a range of sizes between 20 μm and 250 μm but the preferred sizes ( lengths ) are 25 μm and 150 μm . the dimensions of the whole array could be in the order of 1 cm square or with a diameter of 1 cm . however , the size of the array patch would be based on the amount of material to be delivered and the needle density packing on the patches . the microneedles are preferred to be in an array format , but could be randomly arranged . the arrangement of the microneedles may be a result of the method used in manufacture . the microneedles may be arranged so that more than one reagent can be coated and delivered from the one array . a polymer which when subjected to certain stresses change composition to have a nanoparticle structure which is different to the surrounding polymer , and such polymers can have application with their improved solubility ( degradation properties ) for the delivery of reagents from polymer array patches . a polymer that contains a nanoparticle that can be selectively removed to produce nanosized pores or cavities on the microneedle surface . the microneedle array patches of the present also provide applications for the treatment and prevention of human diseases . preventative vaccination of a wide variety of human disease states can be achieved , for example , the present microneedle arrays can be used to vaccinate against any one or more of the disease states selected from the group comprising infectious diseases ( including but not limited to meningococcal disease and tuberculosis ) and autoimmune diseases ( including but not limited to multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis ). as used herein , the term “ nanoparticle ”, is intended to include particles that range in size from about 1 nm to about 1000 nm . preferably , the nanoparticles are in the range from about 50 nm to about 500 nm . as used herein , the term “ fabric ”, is intended to describe the material which the particle is composed of . as used herein , the term “ biocompatible ”, is intended to describe molecules that are not toxic to cells . compounds are “ biocompatible ” if their addition to cells in vitro results in less than or equal to 20 % cell death and do not induce inflammation or other such adverse effects in vivo . as used herein , “ biodegradable ” includes compounds are those that , when introduced into cells , are broken down by the cellular machinery into components that the cells can either reuse or dispose of without significant toxic effect on the cells ( i . e ., fewer than about 20 % of the cells are killed ). the agent that can be delivered by use of the present invention includes any therapeutic substance which possesses desirable therapeutic characteristics . these agents can be selected from any one or more of the group comprising : thrombin inhibitors , antithrombogenic agents , thrombolytic agents , fibrinolytic agents , vasospasm inhibitors , calcium channel blockers , vasodilators , antihypertensive agents , antimicrobial agents , antibiotics , inhibitors of surface glycoprotein receptors , antiplatelet agents , antimitotics , microtubule inhibitors , anti secretory agents , actin inhibitors , remodeling inhibitors , antisense nucleotides , anti metabolites , antiproliferatives , anticancer chemotherapeutic agents , anti - inflammatory steroid or non - steroidal anti - inflammatory agents , immunosuppressive agents , growth hormone antagonists , growth factors , dopamine agonists , radiotherapeutic agents , peptides , proteins , enzymes , extracellular matrix components , ace inhibitors , free radical scavengers , chelators , antioxidants , anti polymerases , antiviral agents , photodynamic therapy agents , and gene therapy agents . in particular , the therapeutic substance can be selected from any one or more of the group comprising alpha - 1 anti - trypsin , anti - angiogenesis agents , antisense , butorphanol , calcitonin and analogs , ceredase , cox - ii inhibitors , dermatological agents , dihydroergotamine , dopamine agonists and antagonists , enkephalins and other opioid peptides , epidermal growth factors , erythropoietin and analogs , follicle stimulating hormone , g - csf , glucagon , gm - csf , granisetron , growth hormone and analogs ( including growth hormone releasing hormone ), growth hormone antagonists , hirudin and hirudin analogs such as hirulog , ige suppressors , imiquimod , insulin , insulinotropin and analogs , insulin - like growth factors , interferons , interleukins , luteinizing hormone , luteinizing hormone releasing hormone and analogs , heparins , low molecular weight heparins and other natural , modified , or syntheic glycoaminoglycans , m - csf , metoclopramide , midazolam , monoclonal antibodies , peglyated antibodies , pegylated proteins or any proteins modified with hydrophilic or hydrophobic polymers or additional functional groups , fusion proteins , single chain antibody fragments or the same with any combination of attached proteins , macromolecules , or additional functional groups thereof , narcotic analgesics , nicotine , non - steroid anti - inflammatory agents , oligosaccharides , ondansetron , parathyroid hormone and analogs , parathyroid hormone antagonists , prostaglandin antagonists , prostaglandins , recombinant soluble receptors , scopolamine , serotonin agonists and antagonists , sildenafil , terbutaline , thrombolytics , tissue plasminogen activators , tnf -, and tnf - antagonist , the vaccines , with or without carriers / adjuvants , including prophylactics and therapeutic antigens ( including but not limited to subunit protein , peptide and polysaccharide , polysaccharide conjugates , toxoids , genetic based vaccines , live attenuated , reassortant , inactivated , whole cells , viral and bacterial vectors ) in connection with , addiction , arthritis , cholera , cocaine addiction , diphtheria , tetanus , hib , lyme disease , meningococcus , measles , mumps , rubella , varicella , yellow fever , respiratory syncytial virus , tick borne japanese encephalitis , pneumococcus , streptococcus , typhoid , influenza , hepatitis , including hepatitis a , b , c and e , otitis media , rabies , polio , hiv , parainfluenza , rotavirus , epstein barr virus , cmv , chlamydia , non - typeable haemophilus , moraxella catarrhalis , human papilloma virus , tuberculosis including bcg , gonorrhoea , asthma , atheroschlerosis malaria , e - coli , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , h . pylori , salmonella , diabetes , cancer , herpes simplex , human papilloma and the like other substances including all of the major therapeutics such as agents for the common cold , anti - addiction , anti - allergy , anti - emetics , anti - obesity , antiosteoporeteic , anti - infectives , analgesics , anesthetics , anorexics , antiarthritics , antiasthmatic agents , anticonvulsants , anti - depressants , antidiabetic agents , antihistamines , anti - inflammatory agents , antimigraine preparations , antimotion sickness preparations , antinauseants , antineoplastics , antiparkinsonism drugs , antipruritics , antipsychotics , antipyretics , anticholinergics , benzodiazepine antagonists , vasodilators , including general , coronary , peripheral and cerebral , bone stimulating agents , central nervous system stimulants , hormones , hypnotics , immunosuppressives , muscle relaxants , parasympatholytics , parasympathomimetrics , prostaglandins , proteins , peptides , polypeptides and other macromolecules , psychostimulants , sedatives , and sexual hypofunction and tranquilizers . paratuberculosis ( johne &# 39 ; s disease ) is a chronic , progressive enteric disease of ruminants caused by infection with mycobacterium paratuberculosis . the disease signs of infected animals include weight loss , diarrhea , and decreased milk production in cows . herd prevalence of johne &# 39 ; s disease is estimated to be 22 - 40 % and the economic impact of this disease on the dairy industry was estimated to be over $ 200 million per year in 1996 . in addition , m . paratuberculosis has been implicated as a causative factor in crohn &# 39 ; s disease , a chronic inflammatory bowel disease of human beings , which has served as a further impetus to control this disease in our national cattle industry . the treatment and prevention of johne &# 39 ; s disease has become a high priority disease in the cattle industry . the membrane protein p34 , seq id no 1a , elicits the predominant humoral response against m . paratuberculosis and within the published sequence antigenic peptide epitopes have been identified , which include but are not limited to : see for example , ostrowski , m et al . ( 2003 ) scandinavian journal of immunology , 58 , 511 - 521 . peptide regions on other potential antigens can also be used in the device which can include the antigens described in : alkyl hydroperoxide reductases c and d are major antigens constitutively expressed by mycobacterium avium subsp . paratuberculosis . olsen , et al . ( 2000 ) infection and immunity , 68 ( 2 ), 801 - 808 . two proteins p11 and p20 have been identified as potential antigens for use in vaccination . thus suitably nano - structured vaccinations for mycobacterium infection for diseases such as johnes disease can be made and delivered according to the methods and devices of the current invention . bovine mastitis is a serious problem , common in both lactating dairy - type and beef - type animals . the management of this disease is practiced mostly on the dairy - type animal where daily udder handling is required . mechanical milking machines may have caused an increased incidence of mastitis ; the true origins of the disease remain unknown . bacterial organisms identified from affected glands are varied ; however , the species of streptococcus and staphlococcus are most commonly isolated . purified proteins which act as antigens to bovine mastitis have also be described and are incorporated by reference ; immunisation of dairy cattle with recombinant streptococcus uberis gapc or a chimeric camp antigen confers protection against heterologous bacterial challenge . fontaine et al . ( 2002 ) vaccine , 2278 - 2286 . it would be expected that specific peptide epitopes from these proteins would be antigenic . paua protein has been successfully used to vaccinate cattle to prevent mastitis caused by challenge infection with s . uberis ( leigh , j . a . 1999 . “ streptococcus uberis : a permanent barrier to the control of bovine mastitis ?” vet . j . 157 : 225 - 238 ). vaccinated , protected cattle generated serum antibody responses that inhibited plasminogen activation by paua ., s . uberis paua protein sequence : epitope region peptides selected from this protein useful as vaccines candidates when presented in the appropriate nanoparticle form : including but not restricted to as well as the whole or selected fragments of the protein sequence above . omp85 proteins of neisseria gonorrhoeae and n . meningitides and peptide sequences derived therefrom can be used as vaccines against the organisms causing meningococcal disease when presented in nanoparticle form , or variants according to us 2005074458 , which is herein incorporated by reference . and the gonococcal and opacity proteins according to ep0273116 , including but not restricted to : fragments of the core protein used for in vitro immunisation can include but not be limited to : these can be used in conjunction with or without toll receptors and or lipoproteins as indicated by the following reference : cell activation by synthetic lipopeptides of the hepatitis c virus ( hcv )— core protein is mediated by toll like receptors ( tlrs ) 2 and 4 . liver flukes ( fasciola spp .) infect a wide range of animals , including humans . the disease that is caused is termed fasciolosis . as with most parasitic diseases , there is a complex life cycle . economically , sheep and cattle are of primary importance . infection with liver fluke leads to decreased production due to poor energy conversion ( meat and milk in cattle , meat and wool in sheep ) and can lead to mortality ( particularly in sheep ). vaccines targeting liver fluke have been investigated for many years , with most subunit vaccines centered on glutathione - 5 - transferase ( gst ), cathepsin l ( catl ) and fatty acid binding proteins ( fabp ). attenuated vaccines , created by the irradiation of metacercariae , are very effective , however this method of vaccination is not commercially viable . therefore , subunit vaccine candidates have been considered . dna vaccines have been assessed and recombinant proteins such as cathepsin b been cloned and analysed . antigens have been cloned and the use of cathepsin l proteases as vaccines described , see for example u . s . pat . nos . 6 , 623 , 735 and 20050208063 , which is herein incorporated by reference . the n - terminal sequences of the proteases to be used for in vitro immunisation can include but not be limited to : these can be incorporated into a nanoparticle ( s ) or can be formed as a nanoparticle . an injectable nanoparticle can be prepared that includes a substance to be delivered and a nanoparticular polymer that is covalently bound to the molecule ( s ), wherein the nanoparticle is prepared in such a manner that the delivery molecule ( s ) is on the outside surface of the particle . injectable nano - structured molecule ( s ) with for example , antibody or antibody fragments on their surfaces can be used to target specific cells or organs as desired for the selective dosing of drugs . the molecule for delivery can be covalently bound to the nanoparticular polymer by reaction with a terminal functional group , such as the hydroxyl group of a poly ( alkylene glycol ) nanoparticle by any method known to those skilled in the art . for example , the hydroxyl group can be reacted with a terminal carboxyl group or terminal amino group on the molecule or antibody or antibody fragment , to form an ester or amide linkage , respectively . alternatively , the molecule can be linked to the poly ( alkylene glycol ) through a difunctional spacing group such as a diamine or a dicarboxylic acid , including but not limited to sebacic acid , adipic acid , isophthalic acid , terephthalic acid , fumaric acid , dodecanedicarboxylic acid , azeleic acid , pimelic acid , suberic acid ( octanedioic acid ), itaconic acid , biphenyl - 4 , 4 ′- dicarboxylic acid , benzophenone - 4 , 4 ′- dicarboxylic acid , and p - carboxyphenoxyalkanoic acid . in this embodiment , the spacing group is reacted with the hydroxyl group on the poly ( alkylene glycol ), and then reacted with the molecule ( s ). alternatively , the spacing group can be reacted with the molecule , such as an antibody or antibody fragment , and then reacted with the hydroxyl group on the poly ( alkylene glycol ). the reaction should by accomplished under conditions that will not adversely affect the biological activity of the molecule being covalently attached to the nanoparticle . for example , conditions should be avoided that cause the denaturation of proteins or peptides , such as high temperature , certain organic solvents and high ionic strength solutions , when binding a protein to the particle . for example , organic solvents can be eliminated from the reaction system and a water - soluble coupling reagent such as edc used instead . according to another embodiment , the agent to be delivered can be incorporated into the polymer at the time of nanoparticle formation . the substances to be incorporated should not chemically interact with the polymer during fabrication , or during the release process . additives such as inorganic salts , bsa ( bovine serum albumin ), and inert organic compounds can be used to alter the profile of substance release , as known to those skilled in the art . biologically - labile materials , for example , procaryotic or eucaryotic cells , such as bacteria , yeast , or mammalian cells , including human cells , or components thereof , such as cell walls , or conjugates of cellular can also be included in the particle . injectable particles prepared according to this process can be used to deliver drugs such as non - steroidal anti - inflammatory compounds , anaesthetics , chemotherapeutic agents , immunotoxins , immunosuppressive agents , steroids , antibiotics , antivirals , antifungals , and steroidal anti - inflammatories , anticoagulants . for example , hydrophobic drugs such as lidocaine or tetracaine can be entrapped into the injectable particles and are released over several hours . loadings in the nanoparticles as high as 40 % ( by weight ) can be achieved . hydrophobic materials are more difficult to encapsulate , and in general , the loading efficiency is decreased over that of a hydrophilic material . in one embodiment , an antigen is incorporated into the nanoparticle , alternatively , the antigen can compose the entire nanoparticle . the term antigen includes any chemical structure that stimulates the formation of antibody or elicits a cell - mediated humoral response , including but not limited to protein , polysaccharide , nucleoprotein , lipoprotein , synthetic polypeptide , or a small molecule ( hapten ) linked to a protein carrier . the antigen can be administered together with an adjuvant as desired . examples of suitable adjuvants include synthetic glycopeptide , muramyl dipeptide . other adjuvants include killed bordetella pertussis , the liposaccaride of gram - negative bacteria , and large polymeric anions such as dextran sulfate . a polymer , such as a polyelectrolyte , can also be selected for fabrication of the nanoparticle that provides adjuvant activity . specific antigens that can be loaded into the nanoparticles described herein include , but are not limited to , attenuated or killed viruses , toxoids , polysaccharides , cell wall and surface or coat proteins of viruses and bacteria . these can also be used in combination with conjugates , adjuvants , or other antigens . for example , haemophilus influenzae in the form of purified capsular polysaccharide ( hib ) can be used alone or as a conjugate with diptheria toxoid . examples of organisms from which these antigens are derived include poliovirus , rotavirus , hepatitis a , b , and c , influenza , rabies , hiv , measles , mumps , rubella , bordetella pertussus , streptococcus pneumoniae , clostridium diptheria , c . tetani , vibrio cholera , salmonella spp ., neisseria spp ., and shigella spp . the nanoparticle should contain the substance to be delivered in an amount sufficient to deliver to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of compound , without causing serious toxic effects in the patient treated . the desired concentration of active compound in the nanoparticle will depend on absorption , inactivation , and excretion rates of the drug as well as the delivery rate of the compound from the nanoparticle . it is to be noted that dosage values will also vary with the severity of the condition to be alleviated . it is to be further understood that for any particular subject , specific dosage regimens should be adjusted over time according to the individual need and the professional judgment of the person administering or supervising the administration of the compositions . the present invention will now be more fully described with reference to the accompanying examples . it should be understood , however , that the description following is illustrative only and should not be taken in any way as a restriction on the generality of the invention described above . a polycarbonate sheet was laser ablated using an excimer laser beam . the needle cross - section is determined by the shape of the aperture that the laser beam passes through prior to irradiating the polycarbonate workpiece . this process known as excimer laser photolithographic ablation , uses an imaging projection lens to form the desired shapes . the depth of laser ablation , and hence the maximum height of the cast material is determined by a computer program operating the excimer micromachining system . using excimer laser ablation of a polycarbonate sheet , a series of moulds for a microneedle arrays were fabricated with eleven different shapes and heights in the ranges of 20 μm to 200 μm . moulds were fabricated for a number of different microneedle shapes including square , circular , oval , cross needle , triangular , chevron , jagged chevron and half moon . in addition to the shape of the microneedles , the density , depth and pitch of the microneedle were varied . for example , the laser ablation process was used to create moulds for two dense arrays : a ) 50 μm diameter shapes on a 50 μm pitch approx 100 μm high . the moulds were evaluated to determine their suitability for fabrication process with a variety of techniques including optical microscopy , laser scanning confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy . it has been our experience that good perforation structures are usually complex in cross section , and not normally simple conical protrusions . hence shapes were chosen that contain edge features and symmetry that , lead to improved performance for perforation . initial moulding trials were conducted with materials with two different viscosities . the most viscous material had a putty - like consistency , the second had a honey - like viscosity . these materials were applied to the polycarbonate moulds and pressure was applied via a glass tile to ensure the indentations were filled . to aid in the removal of gas bubbles in the moulds , a vacuum was applied to the moulded materials . the material was hardened by curing the polymer / polymer precursor using a sixty - second exposure to light from a handheld blue led source through the glass tile . demoulding was a simple process , relying on the material &# 39 ; s tendency to adhere more to the backing glass tile than to the polycarbonate mould . the moulds were made of polycarbonate sheet 250 to 500 μm thick and were more flexible than the glass tile . hence the moulded material could be “ peeled ” from the slightly more flexible mould . the resultant structures were examined under an optical microscope . some of the structures were measured using a laser scanning confocal microscope or imaged using a scanning electron microscope . the second honey - like material filled the mould , and the air bubbles formed in the needle recesses of the mould and were removed through the application of a vacuum . many of the structures demoulded satisfactorily and the mould was made usable for further trials with a combination of liquid and sonication cleaning . a silicone release agent was applied to the polycarbonate to assist in demoulding , alternatively , materials such as peek or silicone elastomers could be used as the female moulds . a number of microneedle arrays were fabricated with varying shapes , length , aspect ratios and needle densities . the various shapes are shown in fig1 . the cross - shaped needle moulds filled well with polymer , including the point at the intersection of the cross that is formed as a result of the ablation process . the combination of the relatively large side arms and the fine feature at the apex produces a robust structure with good mechanical properties . the circular microneedle approximately 140 μm high with an aspect ratio of about 3 was produced . a triangular microneedle which is approximately 100 μm high and has an aspect ratio of about 2 was prepared . the smooth apex of the shape is due to the polymer moulding material and has not fully reproduced the fine texture of the ablated mould . an array patches with circular microneedle 20 μm in diameter and 50 μm high and 100 μm in diameter at 100 μm pitch , approximately 100 μm high were produced a variety of different shaped needle profiles were produced to investigate the effect on skin perforation on the shape of the microneedle . array patches with a series of coloured spikes and crosses were constructed from polydimethylsiloxane ( pdms ), a clear elastomer material by excimer laser machining 2 moulds in polycarbonate with four patches of 10 mm × 10 mm each , with female features of tapering circular structures , and crosses . the pitch and depths of the structures were varied . clear and coloured pdms was cast from these features . initial moulding trials were conducted with standard pdms supplied by dupont . this is a two part formulation , with 10 % accelerator added to cause the material to set . the mixture was placed in a vacuum chamber to speed up outgassing prior to moulding to prevent bubble formation during curing . fig2 shows a top view of a fabricated pdms cross shaped microneedles and fig3 shows the side view of the fabricated cross shaped microneedles . fig4 , 5 and 6 show various microneedle arrays prepared according to the described methods . aqueous based colouring was added to the pdms prior to casting ; adding larger quantities of colouring intensified the colour , additional curing accelerator was added to compensate for the volume of aqueous colouring added . the material was hardened by curing the moulded material by placing in a 45 ° c . oven for several hours . curing rates were significantly slower for the coloured material . somewhat surprisingly demoulding the aqueous coloured material was more successful than the non - coloured material . this could be due to a range of effects such as increased curing accelerator , casting thicker pieces that tended to hold onto the needles more effectively during demoulding , or perhaps some inhibition of adhesion between pdms and polycarbonate as a result of the aqueous additive . the microneedles produced by the method of example 3 can be coated with a layer of a biocompatible electrically conducting polymer to modify the delivery characteristics of the microneedle . thus to assist in the delivery of certain types of molecules , a polyaniline coating can be applied to the solid polymeric microneedle after demoulding . the conducting polymer can be applied using techniques known in the art , including electrodeposition . during the electrodeposition phase ( including polymerisation ) biological reagents ( for vaccines , drug delivery etc ) can be included in the conductive polymer . the conductive polymer can be polymerised ( electrodeposited ) under conditions in such a way as that the electrodeposited polymer surface has characteristics that enable the diffusion of the biological reagent out into the surrounding environment ( skin ) in order for the biological reagent to be functional for its purpose . a number of different thickness coatings can be applied depending on the desired application , ranging from 20 nm to 20 μm can be produced . in another experiment , polyaniline and polypyrrole can be codeposited electrochemically on microneedles made from conductive materials under potentiostatic or galvanostatic conditions conditions . electropolymerisation can be carried out by varying the applied potential and the feed ratio of monomers . formation of polyaniline - polypyrrole composite coatings can be confirmed by the presence of characteristic peaks for polyaniline and polypyrrole in the infrared spectra . composite coatings composed of polyaniline and polypyrrole can be formed at applied potentials of & lt ; 1 . 0 v . polypyrrole is preferentially formed at 1 . 5 v . methods of electrodeposition have been described previously and include adeloju , s . b . and shaw , s . j ., ( 1993 ) “ polypyrrole - based potentiometric biosensor for urea ” analytica cimica actica , 281 , page 611 - 620 ; adeloju s . b . and lawal , a ., ( 2005 ) intern . j anal . chem ., 85 , page 771 - 780 , based on their use as a sensor . we have surprising found that the techniques can be applied to incorporating proteins and peptides into a polymer layer for delivery of the proteins and peptides as therapeutics such as peptide and protein antigens ( for vaccines ), hormones ( erythropoietin , parathyroid hormone ) and drugs ( insulin ). the nanoparticles can be formed from metals ( gold silver ) light metals , polymer material by any of the standard techniques ( u . s . pat . no . 6 , 908 , 496 to halas et al . ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 906 , 339 to dutta ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 855 , 426 to yadav ; u . s . pat . no . 6 , 893 , 493 to cho et al .). the surface of the nanoparticles can be functionalised to anchor / immobilise ( multimerise ) the biological reagents for improved immunisation efficiency . cao l , zhu t and liu z ( 2005 ) “ formation mechanism of nonspherical gold nanoparticles during seeding growth : role of anion adsorption and reduction rate .” journal of colloid interface science , july 11 . bilati u , alleman e and doelker e . ( 2005 ) “ poly ( d , l - lactide - co - glycolide ) protein - loaded nanoparticles prepared by the double emulsion method — processing and formulation issues for enhanced trapment efficiency .” journal of microencapsulation , 22 ( 2 ), 205 - 214 . rolland j p , maynor b w , euliss l e , exner a e , denison g m and desimone j m ( 2005 ) “ direct fabrication and harvesting of monodisperse , shape specific nanobiomaterials .” journal of the american chemical society , 127 ( 28 ), 10096 - 100 . the biological agents can be immobilized on the surface of a nanoparticle or integrally incorporated inside the nanoparticle during fabrication . the delivery agent may also be directly manufactured or naturally present in a nanoparticulate form . the biological agents insulin and ovalbumin were structured as nanoparticles using supercritical fluid technology , to produce nanoparticles of dimensions 50 - 300 nm . the insulin nanoparticles were suspended in a solvent ( ethanol ) and attached to the surface of the microneedles . insulin and ovalbumin attached to microneedles are each being delivered separately across the stratum corneum and the response to the delivery of insulin can be measured . erythropoietin is a glycoprotein hormone produced in the liver during foetal life and the kidneys of adults and is involved in the maturation of erythroid progenitor cells into erythrocytes . there are several human conditions and treatments for cancer which result in low levels of circulating red blood cells and therefore administration of erythropoietin is desirable . erythropoietin can be nanostructured by supercritical fluid technology and attached to microneedles for delivery by microneedle array , and delivery efficiency can be measured by physiological effects on red cell numbers in mice ( including flow cytometry ). the surface of a polymeric microneedle array can be nano - structured during fabrication by lining the microneedle mould with nanoparticles which can be selectively removed . the microneedles can then be cast , hardened and demoulded to produce microneedles with nanoparticles embedded on the surface of the microneedles . the embedded nanoparticles can then be removed , for example by dissolution or leeching techniques , to yield a microneedle that has nano - sized pores or cavities on their surface . the delivery agent molecules or nanoparticles can then be associated with the introduced pores by non - covalent interactions or covalent bonds . referring to the process shown in fig7 , the method includes the steps of : ii ) template nanoparticles removed with solvent leaving recesses over microneedle surface and then nano - structured reagent ( s ) are added to the solution ; iii ) nanostructured reagent ( s ) fits into recesses within needle structure to form the microneedles with the nanostructured reagents associated with the microneedles . the moulded microneedle can alternatively be chemically treated with a solvent , chemical reagent , electrochemical or physical treatment to induce surface cavity and / or nanopore formation . a polyaniline microneedle array can be fabricated by electropolymerization of a monomer solution contained in a microneedle array mould under an applied potential . the progress of electropolymerisation can be monitored by weight gain analysis and infrared spectroscopy . the nanoparticles can be added to the monomer solution prior to polymerization to form a microneedle array with the delivery molecule integrally incorporated into the needles , or the nanoparticles can be associated to the surface of the microneedles by a post demoulding step . to demonstrate the efficacy for the loading of patches with nanoparticles , a series of microneedle arrays was coated with quantum dots . quantum dots are semiconductor crystals typically between 1 and 10 nm in diameter and have unique properties between that of single molecules and bulk materials . under the influence of an external electromagnetic radiation source , quantum dots can be made to fluoresce and therefore their position accurately determined using readily available optical techniques . circular microneedle array patches with both bullet and cross shaped needles were constructed in plga ( poly - dl - lactic glycolic acid , 0 . 8 cm in diameter with a 2 mm edge ). the patches were coated with quantum dots by placing 100 μl of cdse / zns quantum dots ( 200 picomolar , invitrogen qtracker ™ 655 nm ) on top of the microneedles and air drying . the arrays were examined for fluorescence using confocal microscopy . the arrays demonstrated red fluorescence on the both the bullet and cross shaped needles indicating coating by the quantum dots . as shown in fig7 , coverage was shown at the tops over the needles and down the sides to the base . the cross shaped needles demonstrated more confluent coverage of quantum dots , as shown in fig8 . the uptake of quantum dots by lymphocytes can be observed by in vitro studies on cultured cells and by in vivo studies on hairless mouse models . to demonstrate the efficacy for the loading of patches with nanoparticulate biological molecules , a series of microneedle array patches were coated with nanostructured insulin . insulin can be nanostructured using various methods including super critical fluid technologies . the particle size of the insulin averaged 300 nm . circular plga patches in high density cross and needle shapes were coated with the nanostructured insulin by placing 100 μl of nanostructured insulin in iso - amyl alcohol ( total 0 . 6 units insulin / patch ) on top of the patches and air drying . the patches were then examined for the presence of insulin using field emission gun scanning electron microscope ( feg - sem ), as shown in fig9 and 10 . the patches demonstrated the presence of nanostructured insulin both over the top surfaces of the microneedles and down the side edges of the needles . the density of the insulin nanoparticles on the cross shaped microneedles was much lower due to the higher surface area of the crosses compared to the bullets . bullet shaped patches were coated with quantum dots by placing 100 μl of cdse / zns quantum dots ( 200 picomolar in saline , invitrogen qtracker ™ 655 nm ) on top of the microneedles and air drying . the patches were applied to the rear flank of hairless mice by manually pressing . the patch was removed and the skin excised and examined for fluorescence using confocal microscopy , as shown in fig1 . the skin demonstrated red fluorescence on the surface of the stratum corneum indicating deposition of the quantum dot present on the base of the array . confocal imaging deeper into the epidermis indicated red fluorescence in the shape of a bullet demonstrating penetration of the microneedle to a total depth of approximately 60 μm , as shown in fig1 . this experiment demonstrates conclusively that the microneedle array can be used to deliver nanoparticles across stratum corneum layer of the dermis . insulin was nanostructured using a supercritical fluid process . an average particle size of 300 nm was obtained . the insulin was suspended in various solvents including isopropanol , isoamyl ethanol , ethanol , methanol or other coatings onto the array . for coating of the microarrays , insulin nanoparticles were suspended in solvent to a final concentration of 120 u / ml ( 4 . 32 mg / ml ) and sonicated for 60 seconds to ensure complete dispersal throughout the suspension . the suspension was then applied to each microarray ( 6u in 50 μl ) and allowed to air dry . for subcutaneous delivery in the control experiments , the solution used to coat the microarrays was diluted 1 : 300 in normal saline ( final concentration of 0 . 4 u / ml ). hairless mice were anaesthetised with pentobarbitone ( 60 mg / kg , i . p .). blood samples were obtained by tail laceration and blood glucose was measured using a commercial glucose - meter ( optimum ™ xceed ™; abbot diagnostics ). after obtaining two consecutive readings , mice were treated as indicated and blood glucose was recorded every 20 minutes for the remainder of the experiment . mice were treated with either a positive control ( insulin suspension , 1u / kg , s . c . ), insulin loaded microarrays ( 2 patches for each mouse , 6u / patch ), or negative control ( 12u insulin applied directly to the skin without any microarray ). administration of the insulin via the microarray patch can be shown in the mouse by a change in the blood glucose levels . any discussion of documents , acts , materials , devices , articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the present invention . it is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present invention as it existed before the priority date of each claim of this application . it will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and / or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described . the present embodiments are , therefore , to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive .	0
according to the partial - response concept disclosed in the cited kretzmer patent , a channel having an available bandwidth w is excited at the theoretical maximum signaling rate of 2w symbols per second . where the channel does not have ideal shaping , i . e ., a flat amplitude - frequency characteristic with absolute cutoff at both upper and lower band edges , and a linear phase - frequency characteristic , intersymbol interference necessarily results . accordingly , the channel response to each impulse is dispersed over more than one signaling interval of duration ( 1 /( 2w ) second and a plurality of received samples must ordinarily be correlated in order to recover the original transmitted sequence . as part of the partial - response concept , the channel statistics can be predetermined and controlled in such a way that the channel dispersion can be compensated in advance of transmission by precoding . in the type of partial - response signal shaping that kertzmer has designated class iv the channel is shaped such that its response to each impulse includes two symmetrical nonzero components of opposite polarity spread over three signaling intervals with the center interval having a zero response . this class of partial - response shaping has found favor because its average direct - current component is zero , and the signal spectrum has zero transmission at both band edges without sharp , difficult - to - realize cutoffs . if the channel signal is designated s n at an arbitrary sampling instant n and results from the application of an impulse c n to such channel , then according to the class iv partial - response shaping , the c n components are typically multilevel at n levels and the s n components then have ( 2n - 1 ) levels . the receiver for the signal s n would normally correlate samples taken at alternate signaling intervals . however , c n may advantageously be precoded from another multilevel signal b n by addition of the c n - 2 component thereto . thus , addition modulo - n ( mod n ) signifies casting out multiples of n from the sum and recording only the excess thereover . this is analogous to determining that 3 p . m . is 4 fours after 11 a . m . by substracting n = 12 from the sum of 11 and 4 . if the c n components are derived from some basic signal b n in accordance with equation ( 2 ), then consequently , b n can be decoded at a receiver by a memoryless detector from single samples of the received signal s n . kretzmer disclosed how equations ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) can be implemented for n = 2 , in which case s n would have three levels . in my cited copending application there is disclosed how these equations can be implemented for n = 2 m , where m is an integer . as long as m is an integer there is a one - to - one correspondence between the n signal levels and integral numbers m of binary digits . unfortunately , for n = 4 seven levels are required on the channel and many practical channels do not possess a low enough signal - to - noise ratio to permit reliable decisions among so many levels . however , it has been determined that five channel levels can be reliably distinguished in widely available telephone carrier channels . five partial - response channel levels assume three coding levels , hereinafter referred to as ternary . ternary coding further presupposes one and one - half binary signal bits per coding level , on the average . this invention is addressed to the implementation of equations ( 1 ), ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) broadly for the case where n is an integer not a power of two and , by way of specific example , where n = 3 . because of the absence of direct correspondence between coding levels and binary inputs partitioning of a binary signaling sequence is required as is explainable in connection with fig2 . line ( a ) of fig2 is diagrammatic of a binary serial bit stream a m of data moving from right to left ( time is increasing to the right ). in each equal signaling interval 0 through m an impulse is generated on one of two logic levels 1 or 0 , which may advantageously be respective positive and negative potentials . these intervals are partitioned into k groups of three with the groups designated by the integer k as shown . for k = 1 , binary intervals 1 , 2 and 3 occur ; for k = 2 , intervals 4 , 5 and 6 ; and for k = k , intervals m - 2 = 3k - 2 , m - 1 = 3k - 1 and m = 3k occur . line ( b ) of fig2 shows a group of equal signaling intervals 0 through n , which are exactly one and one - half times the duration of the intervals on line ( a ), e . g ., interval 1 on line ( b ) is one and one - half times the duration of interval 1 on line ( a ). these intervals are partitioned into k groups of two , in exact correspondence with the k groups of three on line ( a ). for k = 1 intervals 1 and 2 occur ; for k = 2 , intervals 3 and 4 ; and for k = k , intervals n - 1 = 2k - 1 and n = 2k . in each interval a ternary signal will be generated at one of three logic levels 0 , 1 and 2 , which may advantageously be respective negative , zero and positive potential levels . by way of specific example , the triplets of line ( a ) are mapped to the doublets of line ( b ) according to table a . table a______________________________________a . sub . 3k - 2a . sub . 3k - 1 a . sub . 3k b . sub . 2k - 1 b . sub . 2k b . sub . 2k - 1 . sup . 1 b . sub . 2k - 1 . sup . 0 b . sub . 2k . sup . 1 b . sub . 2k . sup . 0______________________________________0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 00 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 10 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 10 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 11 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 01 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 01 1 0 2 2 1 1 1 11 1 1 0 2 0 0 1 1x x x 1 2 0 1 1 1______________________________________ the first three columns represent the eight possible permutations of binary triplets and the next two columns are the translated ternary doublets . it is seen that there are nine possible ternary pairs , and only eight possible binary triplets . the 1 - 2 ternary pair in the last row ( indicated by x &# 39 ; s ) does not correspond to any binary triplet and therefore is a violation of the selected coding . this pair can only validly occur between ternary groups , a circumstance which will be used to advantage at the receiver to preserve the correct pairwise association of ternary doublets . the coding is entirely arbitrary but is selected to optimize the error performance of the transmission system . since components and circuits for handling binary digits are more readily available than circuits for handling ternary digits , the ternary digits are encoded binary fashion as shown in the last four columns . the columns headed b 2k - 1 1 and b 2k - 1 0 are the binary equivalents of the ternary digits b 2k - 1 , the superscripts 1 and 0 indicating respectively the most and least significant binary digits . similarly , the columns headed b 2k 1 and b 2k 0 are the binary equivalents of ternary digits in the column headed b 2k . the following logic equations summarize the binary coding of the ternary digits : equations ( 4 ) through ( 7 ) are derived by induction from table a . equation ( 8 ) indicates how the ternary digit is the sum of its binary - coded levels . precoding is facilitated by the use of binary - encoded ternary digits as will be more fully discussed in connection with the description of fig4 . fig1 is a block diagram of a complete partial response data transmission system using ternary coding according to this invention . for purposes of specificity it is assumed that the bandwidth of channel 22 is 36 kilohertz , that the channel is of the type used in telephone carrier systems , that the channel signaling rate is 72 kilobauds per second and that the binary signaling rate is 108 kilobits per second . the data transmission system comprises a transmitter including elements 10 through 20 and timing source 37 , transmission channel 22 and a receiver including elements 24 through 36 . the transmitter portion comprises serial binary data source 10 , serial - to - parallel converter 12 , binary - to - ternary converter 14 , precoder 16 , digital - to - analog converter 18 and partial - response filter 20 . data source 10 generates serial binary data under the timing control of timing source 37 by way of lead 38 at the exemplary rate of 108 kilohertz . a representative serial data stream a m is shown on line ( a ) of waveform diagram fig8 . line ( d ) of fig8 shows the serial clock timing ( sct ) stream from timing source 37 . serial data from source 10 is transformed in groups of three to parallel form in converter 12 and the parallel outputs appear on leads 13 as labeled . lines ( a ), ( b ) and ( c ) of fig8 indicate the respective outputs for the representative data stream . binary - to - ternary converter 14 operates on the parallel outputs on leads 13 in accordance with equations ( 4 ) through ( 7 ) to produce binary encoded ternary digits on output leads 15 . the binary encoded equivalents of the representative data stream appear on lines ( g ) through ( j ) of fig8 . lines ( e ) and ( f ) of fig8 show the respective baud ( symbol ) clock timing ( bct ) and bct / 2 waves generated conventionally in timing source 37 . timing source 37 may advantageously include a 432 kilohertz crystal oscillator driving respective divide - by - four and divide - by - six countdown chains to produce the required sct and bct timing waves . precoder 16 operates on the binary - coded ternary digits on leads 15 in accordance with equation ( 2 ) evaluated for n = 3 . precoded ternary digits c n represented by pairs of precoded binary digits c n 1 and c n 0 on parallel output leads 17 [ lines ( n ) and ( o ) of fig8 ] are converted to serial analog form in converter 18 in conventional fashion . precoded binary - coded ternary digits c n thus presented on lead 19 are applied to partial - response filter 20 where , due to the dispersion effect , five - level line signals s n are created . partial - response filter 20 is designed to impart to transmission channel 22 a spectral shaping in accordance with kretzmer &# 39 ; s teachings which is dome - shaped , as shown in his fig2 b . signals c n and s n for the exemplary data sequence are shown on lines ( p ) and ( q ) of fig8 . wave c n is a summation of c n 1 and c n 0 and thus has three levels designated 0 , 1 and 2 . wave s n results from taking the difference of the present c n level and the twice - delayed c n - 2 level in accordance with equation ( 2 ). before turning to the receiver and the block framing problem , specific implementations of blocks 12 , 14 , 16 and 18 of fig1 are discussed . fig3 is a detailed logic diagram of an illustrative embodiment of serial - to - parallel converter 12 and binary - to - ternary converter 14 . serial - to - parallel converter 12 comprises a three - stage shift register having at its input the serial binary data sequence a m on line 11 , an advance lead 38 supplied with sct timing at the 108 kilohertz rate , and output leads 13 from the individual shift register stages . at any given instant three consecutive serial data bits will be stored in the respective shift register stages sr - 1 , sr - 2 and sr - 3 . the bit stored in stage sr - 1 is considered the present bit a m , as represented on line ( a ) of fig8 . stages sr - 2 and sr - 3 store the remaining bits a m - 1 and a m - 2 as shown on lines ( b ) and ( c ) of fig8 . these lines are seen to be identical except for the time difference , so that at times m = 3 , 6 , . . . , 3k three consecutive input digits are in parallel time coincidence for application to binary - to - ternary converter 14 . the sct wave is shown on line ( d ) of fig8 . at the input of converter 14 leads 13 connect through and - gates 40 to a logic matrix . a timing wave bct / 2 at 36 kilohertz , as shown on line ( f ) of fig8 has a positive transition every three bits of the a m data wave . applied to and - gates 40 by way of lead 39 , this timing wave admits samples of the signals on parallel leads 13 to the logic matrix in broken - line box 14 . this matrix implements equations ( 4 ) through ( 7 ) and table a . thus , the outputs of and - gates 40a , 40b and 40c are respectively designated a 3k - 2 , a 3k - 1 and a 3k . specifically , direct data samples and data samples inverted by inverters 41 are applied as shown to further and - gates 43 through 46 and or - gates 42 , 48 and 49 . in addition the outputs of and - gates 46 and or - gate 48 are combined in and - gate 47 . the ultimate outputs on lead pairs 15a and 15b are two binary - coded ternary digits b 2k - 1 and b 2k . these digits are shown in their binary coded forms on lines ( g ) through ( j ) of fig8 . the operation of the logic matrix is straightforward and is readily followed by one skilled in the art . for example , the more significant binary component b 2k 1 of ternary digit b 2k results from the logical summation of binary data digits a 3k - 2 and a 3k - 1 in and - gate 43 , in accordance with equation ( 6 ). similarly , the associated binary component b 2k 0 of ternary digit b 2k appears at the output of or - gate 49 as either the data digit a 3k - 1 ( if it is a 1 ) or the logical summation of the inverted a 3k - 2 data digit and the direct a . sub . 3k data digit , in accordance with equation ( 7 ). the b 2k - 1 digits are derived in accordance with equations ( 4 ) and ( 5 ) in the same way . fig4 is a logic diagram of an illustrative embodiment of precoder 16 and digital - to - analog converter 18 of fig1 . the following table b can be constructed in implementation of equation ( 2 ) and the convention adopted respecting the binary encoding of ternary digits : namely , ternary 0 is represented by the binary digit pair 00 ; ternary 1 , by binary 01 or 10 ; and ternary 2 , by binary 11 . allowing ternary 1 in the precoded digits c n to be represented by both the binary pairs 01 and 10 simplifies the logic . . [. table b______________________________________ternary digits binary digitsb . sub . n c . sub . n - 2 c . sub . m b . sup . 1 . sub . n b . sup . 0 . sub . n c . sup . 1 . sub . n - 2 c . sup . 0 . sub . n - 2 c . sup . 1 . sub . n c . sup . 0 . sub . n______________________________________0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 00 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 10 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 11 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 11 1 2 0 1 0 1 1 11 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 11 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 02 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 12 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 02 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 02 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 . ]. ______________________________________ table b______________________________________ternary digits binary digitsb . sub . n c . sub . n - 2 c . sub . n b . sub . n . sup . 1 b . sub . n . sup . 0 c . sup . 1 . sub . n - 2 c . sup . 0 . sub . n - 2 c . sub . n . sup . 1 c . sub . n . sup . ______________________________________0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 00 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 10 2 2 0 0 1 1 1 11 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 11 1 2 0 1 0 1 1 11 1 2 0 1 1 0 1 11 2 0 0 1 1 1 0 02 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 12 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 02 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 02 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 0______________________________________ the first three columns headed by b n , c n - 2 and c n represent ternary digits . subscript n represents the present digit and subscript n - 2 , the precoded digit which occurred two signaling intervals previously . the columns headed by b n 1 and b n 0 are the respective most and least significant binary digits encoding the ternary digit b n . similarly , the columns headed c n - 2 1 and c n - 2 0 are the binary digits encoding ternary digit c n - 2 ; and the columns headed c n 1 and c n 0 are the binary digits encoding ternary digit c n . it will be noted that rows 2 and 3 , 6 and 7 , and 10 and 11 are duplicates except for the alternate binary encoding of the ternary digit 1 . by standard techniques logic equations can be written row by row for the binary entries in table b wherever a 1 occurs in the c n 1 or c n 0 column . row 2 can be represented as which is interpreted to mean that c n 1 = 1 can result from the logical anding of the complements of b n 1 , b n 0 and c n - 2 1 with the uncomplemented c n - 2 0 . the remaining rows can be similarly represented . thus , for all rows in which c n 1 = 1 , the following logic equation can be written : the encircled plus sign indicates the exclusive - or function by which a 1 output is produced for 01 and 10 inputs and a 0 output otherwise . equation ( 10 ) and ( 12 ) are implemented in straightforward fashion as shown in fig4 in which the four - rail binary inputs are converted to a two - rail condition . equations ( 4 ) through ( 7 ) above are obtained by the same type of inductive analysis . the paired binary - coded ternary digits b 2k - 1 and b 2k appearing on lead pairs 15a and 15b [ lines ( g ) through ( j ) of fig8 ] from the ternary converter of fig3 are applied to and - gates 51a through 51d , which are alternately enabled in pairs by the bct / 2 timing wave on lead 39 [ line ( f ) of fig8 ]. and - gates 51a and 51b are enabled on the down stroke of the timing wave by way of inverter 53g and gates 51c and 51d , on the up stroke . the outputs of and - gates 51a and 51c , containing alternately the b 2k - 1 1 and b 2k 1 digits are combined in or - gate 52a to form the b n 1 digits at the system signaling rate . similarly , the outputs of and - gates 51b and 51d , containing the b 2k - 1 0 and b 2k 1 digits , are combined in or - gate 52b to form the b n 0 digits at the system signaling rate . thus , the outputs of or - gates 52a and 52b contain the binary - coded ternary digits in two - rail serial fashion , as shown on lines ( k ) and ( l ) of fig8 . precoder 16 combines the b n 1 and b n 0 digits in logic fashion according to equations ( 10 ) and ( 12 ) with its own precoder outputs delayed by two system signaling intervals t to form present precoded digits c n 1 and c n 0 , as shown on lines ( n ) and ( o ) of fig8 . precoder 16 illustratively comprises a plurality of and - gates 57 and 59 , or - gates 61 , inverters 53 and 58 , delay units 55 and 56 , and exclusive - or gates 54 as shown in fig4 . the effective inputs to precoder 16 are digits b n 1 , b n 0 , c n - 2 1 and c n - 2 0 . its outputs are c n 1 and c n 0 at or - gates 61a and 61b . and - gate 57a combines inverted digit b n 1 with inverted digit b n 0 . the inverted digits are obtained from inverters 53a and 53b . and - gate 57b combines digits b n 1 and b n 0 as shown . and - gates 57c and 57d similarly combine b n 1 , b n 0 and b n 0 , c n - 2 0 . the b n 1 b n 0 output of gate 57a is combined with the c n - 2 0 digit in and - gate 59a . exclusive - or gates 54a and 54b form the combinations b n 1 ⊕ c n - 2 1 and c n - 2 1 ⊕ c n - 2 0 , respectively . and - gates 59b through 59f operate on their inputs to form the groups b n 1 b n 0 c n - 2 0 , b n 1 b n 0 ( c n - 2 ⊕ c n - 2 0 ), b n 1 b n 0 , b n 0 c n - 2 0 ( b n 1 ⊕ c n - 2 1 ), b n 1 b n 0 c n - 2 1 and b n 1 b n 0 c n - 2 1 , respectively , in a conventional manner . or gate 61a combines the respective outputs of and - gates 59a , 59b and 59c to form binary - precoded digit c n 1 . or - gate 61b similarly combines the respective outputs of and - gates 59d , 59e and 59f to form binary precoded digit c n 0 . the c n 1 and c n 0 outputs are connected by way of leads 62 and 63 to delay units 55 and 56 as shown to furnish the inputs c n - 2 1 and c n - 2 . sup . 0 to the precoder itself . binary coded digits c n 1 and c n 0 from precoder 16 are further combined in linear adder 60 to form the ternary output digit c n on lead 19 . refer to line ( p ) of fig8 for a representative c n wave . the three - level c n wave in the output of adder 60 , by operation of partial - response filter 20 and channel 22 thereon in accordance with equation ( 1 ), becomes the five - level wave s n on line 21 of fig1 . passage through channel 22 also adds noise and distortion to its output on lead 23 . a representative s n wave is shown on line ( q ) of fig8 . this wave is capable of interpretation modulo - three as shown on line ( r ) of fig8 . waves s n and s n ( mod 3 ) are equivalents . positive levels 0 , 1 and 2 are identical in both waves . however , levels (- 1 ) and (- 2 ) in the s n wave become by modulo - three excess levels ( 2 ) and ( 1 ), respectively , in the s n ( mod 3 ) wave . the receiver for the ternary transmission system of this invention operates on the received s n wave to restore the binary encoding , to partition the paired blocks properly and to decode the binary message wave . as shown in fig1 the receiver comprises analog - to - digital converter 24 , ternary converter 26 , block - sync monitor 28 , framing control 36 , multilevel - to - binary converter 29 , timing recovery circuit 34 and binary data sink 30 . the received signal s n may be visualized from the section of an idealized eye pattern shown in fig5 . the eye pattern shown would be formed on an oscilloscope synchronized with the transmission rate of 72 kilobauds per second when a random message wave has successive periods superimposed . diamonds 71 and 72 represent eye openings in which the vertical dimensions indicate amplitude decision margins and horizontal dimensions indicate sampling time margins . for the idealized wave shown sampling times should occur at the centers of the diamonds . for an individual sample the amplitude level would occur on only one of the integrally numbered levels . slicing decision levels are those frictionally designated . analog - to - digital converter 24 , under the control of a sampling wave at 72 kilohertz on lead 33 from timing recovery circuit 34 , is effectively a multilevel slicer . the s n input wave on line 23 is applied in parallel to converter 24 and , by way of lead 32 , to timing recovery circuit 34 . converter 24 first slices the incoming signal about the 0 level designated l 0 in fig5 to determine the polarity of the sample . the wave is then folded by full - wave rectification for example , about the 0 level so that levels - 2 and - 1 are superimposed on levels + 2 and + 1 and sliced again at both the l 1 and l 3 levels . for each slice about the respective levels l 0 , l 1 and l 3 positive or negative outputs are obtained depending on whether the signal sample falls above or below the respective slicing levels . it is apparent that if all three slicers yield logical one outputs level + 2 was received , and if all three slicers yield logical zero outputs level 0 was received . a continuation of this analysis yields the following table c . . [. table c______________________________________slicers received binary codel . sub . n . sup . 0 l . sub . n . sup . 1 l . sub . n . sup . 3 level b . sub . n . sup . 1 b . sub . n . sup . 0______________________________________0 0 0 0 00 1 0 - 1 1 10 1 1 - 2 0 11 0 0 0 0 01 1 0 + 1 0 11 1 1 + 2 1 1 . ]. ______________________________________ table c______________________________________slicers received binary codel . sub . n . sup . 0 l . sub . n . sup . 1 l . sub . n . sup . 3 level b . sub . n . sup . 1 b . sub . n . sup . 0______________________________________0 0 0 0 0 00 1 0 - 1 1 10 1 1 - 2 0 11 0 0 0 0 01 1 0 + 1 0 11 1 1 + 2 1 1______________________________________ equations ( 13 ) and ( 14 ) are implemented in binary - coded ternary converter 26 . the binary digits on leads 27 are monitored in block - sync monitor 28 and are also decoded in multilevel - to - binary converter 29 to yield the original binary data train a m at the transmission rate of 108 kilobits per second for delivery to data sink 30 . block - sync monitor 28 detects the presence of the ternary pair 12 and sends an appropriate signal to framing control 36 . framing control 36 supplies both timing wave scr and framing wave bcr / 2 to binary converter 29 in the correct phase to decode the ternary digit pairs . it compares the occurrence of the violation pair 12 with the phase of the bcr / 2 ( 36 kilohertz ) wave . each time this pair occurs at the wrong phase , i . e ., within a partitioned pair , a counter is advanced . when the counter overflows , the phases of both the bcr / 2 and scr waves are shifted and the ternary pair is repartitioned . the counter avoids changing the timing on every occurrence of the violation pair , since a single occurrence may be due merely to channel noise . fig6 is a more detailed block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of blocks 26 , 28 and 36 on fig1 . the received wave s n on lead 23 is sliced in analog - to - digital converter 24 to yield the outputs l n 0 , l n 1 and l n 3 on leads 25 as previously explained . the bcr wave at 72 kilohertz is recovered in timing recovery circuit 34 from the input wave on lead 32 in a conventional manner by counting down from a master oscillator at 432 kilohertz , for example . this oscillator is also counted down to generate the scr wave at 108 kilohertz . the manner in which the phase of the master oscillator is controlled may , however , be accomplished more precisely as described in the copending application of j . g . kneuer , ser . no . 808 , 130 filed mar . 18 , 1969 . binary - coded ternary converter 26 in fig6 comprises exclusive - or gate 75 , inverter 76 , and and gates 77 , 78 and 79 , which together implement equations ( 13 ) and ( 14 ) in an obvious manner . consecutive binary - coded ternary digits appear on leads 27 and are applied to binary shift register pairs 80 and 81 as shown . these pairs , each containing separate storage cells for most and least significant binary parts of the encoded ternary digits , make available the present and immediately preceding digits simultaneously . these digits are provided on output leads 90 , timed by the bcr wave on lead 95 . proper data recovery requires a proper pairwise association of received ternary digits . the violation pair 12 is encoded in binary form as . [. b n - 0 .]. . iadd . b n - 1 0 . iaddend . = b n 1 = b n 0 = 1 . iadd . and . iaddend . b n - 1 1 = 0 . therefore , the occurrence of this pair can be represented logically by block sync information signal equation ( 15 ) is implemented in a straight - forward manner in broken line block 28 , which comprises inverter 82 and and - gate 83 . gate 83 combines digits b n - 1 0 and b n 1 with inverted digit b n - 1 1 as shown . line ( s ) of fig8 shows the occurrence of the bsi signal for the representative example . the bsi output on lead 84 is applied to framing control 36 , which illustratively comprises as shown in fig6 up - down counter 88 , divider 85 , delay unit 89 and phase control 91 . in addition to the bsi signal on lead 84 block 36 is also supplied with the bcr and scr timing waves on leads 33 and 35 . in operation up - down counter 88 is arranged to count on every occurrence of the bsi signal at input t . the direction of the count is determined by the bcr / 2 wave obtained from divide - by - two circuit 85 . if the bsi input occurs in the positive half - cycle of the bcr / 2 wave , the count is down . if it occurs in the negative half - cycle , the count is up . counter 88 overflows after a chosen number of up - counts without intervening downcounts . the overflow count is selected on consideration of the noise statistics of the channel and , by way of example , may be eight . at the time the overflow count occurs , an output appears on lead 92 which adds a count to divider 85 , thus shifting the phase of bcr / 2 by 180 °. the phase of the scr wave is changed to correspond to the new phase of the bcr / 2 wave by phase control 91 . finally , the counter is reset to a reference state by way of delay unit 89 . the phased scr and bcr / 2 waves are made available on leads 37 and 93 . in fig8 on line ( s ) the left - hand bsi pulse is assumed to cause the overflow occurrence in time with the negative half - cycle of the bcr / 2 wave on line ( t ). the bcr / 2 wave is seen to shift by half a cycle . at the same time the scr wave is shifted correspondingly . the remaining bsi pulses are coincident with the positive half - cycles of the bcr / 2 wave and cause no phase shift therein . the recovered data to the left of the first bsi pulse is seen to be spurious , but that to the right is valid . one function remains to be performed in the receiver and that is the conversion of the binary - encoded ternary digits properly partitioned to the serial binary state . this can be accomplished as shown in the illustrative embodiment of fig7 . ternary - to - binary converter 29 , as expanded in fig7 illustratively comprises input and - gates 96 , logic circuitry including further and - gates 99 , 103 , 104 and 106 ; or - gates 98 , 102 and 105 , and inverters 97 , 100 and 101 ; and shift register 109 . the inputs include two simultaneously available binary - coded ternary digits on lead 90 from fig6 the phased scr wave on lead 37 and the phase - shifted bsr / 2 wave on lead 93 . by analysis of table a the following logic equations can be written for the binary digits a 3k , a 3k - 1 and a 3k - 2 : in equations ( 16 ), ( 17 ) and ( 18 ) n replaces the 2k terms used in table a for simplicity . the binary inputs on leads 90 are admitted to the logic circuitry on the up strokes of the bcr / 2 timing wave on line 93 at the rate of 36 kilohertz . the logic circuitry operates on these inputs to implement equations ( 16 ), ( 17 ) and ( 18 ) in a straightforward manner . the parenthetical term in equation ( 16 ) results from combining the b n 0 digit inverted in inverter 97 with the direct b n - 1 1 digit in or - gate 98 and this resultant is further combined in and - gate 103 with the b n - 1 0 digit as shown to form the desired a 3k output digit . similarly , the parenthetical term in equation ( 17 ) is formed in or - gate 102 by combining the b n - 1 0 digit inverted in inverter 101 with the direct b n - 1 1 digit as shown . this resultant is in turn combined in and - gate 106 with the b n 0 digit to form the desired a 3k - 1 digit . in a similar manner the inverted a 3k - 2 digit defined by equation ( 18 ) is formed by the indicated logical operations in inverter 100 , and - gate 104 , or - gate 105 and and - gate 99 on the respective b n - 1 1 , b n - 1 0 , b n 0 , and b n 1 input digits . in addition , the direct a 3k and a 3k - 2 digits are derived by inverting the outputs of and - gates 103 and 99 in inverters 108 and 107 as shown . the three parallel binary digits a 3k , a 3k - 1 and a 3k - 1 thus derived from the two parallel binary - coded ternary digits are applied simutaneously to the respective stages sr - 4 , sr - 5 and sr - 6 of conventional shift register 109 at the bcr / 2 timing rate . these same digits are advanced from top to bottom of shift register 109 under the advance control of the scr timing wave from lead 37 onto output lead 31 to reconstitute the original serial data train a m . as shown in fig1 this data train is delivered finally to data sink 30 . line ( v ) of fig8 shows the reconstituted representative serial data train . although this invention has been disclosed in terms of a specific embodiment using a particular number of encoding levels and positive logic , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the principle of the invention is of much wider application .	7
the following examples illustrate aspects of this invention . they are not intended to limit the invention . modifications of the specific pre - coat compositions , hot melt adhesive materials , tufted carpets and procedures of these examples can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention . this example illustrates a preferred specific embodiment of the composition of this invention , and how to prepare it . nine % of a low density polyethylene in pellet form having a melt index of 150 , and 2 % of a 50 % solution of azidosulfonylhexyl ( triethoxy ) silane (&# 34 ; silane &# 34 ;) in methylene chloride are placed in a tumble drier and tumble dried at ambient temperature for about two hours or until all the methylene chloride is evaporated to provide 10 % of a dry silane - coated polyethylene material . the 10 % dried silane - coated polyethylene material is placed in the hopper of an extruder and melt blended at a temperature of about 131 ° c . for a first pass through the extruder . the melt blended material is collected from the orifice of the extruder and placed in the hopper of the extruder again for a second pass through the extruder at a temperature of 160 ° c . the resulting material is then pelletized with the use of air drying devices instead of the conventional water bath to crystallize the polymer . the use of a water bath is avoided in order to prevent premature moisture - initiated coupling or bonding through the silyl group . in a tank equipped with an agitator and heated with steam at a temperature of about 150 ° c ., a resin blend is prepared by blending 70 . 2 % of a c 5 - c 9 resin having a ring and ball s . pt . of 60 ° c . ; 5 . 4 % polyethylene wax having a melting point of 115 ° c . and a molecular weight of 2000 ; and 14 . 4 % of a naphthenic oil having a specific gravity of 0 . 9000 and an s . u . viscosity at 38 ° c . of 500 sec . the silane - bonded polyethylene pellets ( 10 %) are then added to the tank containing the resin blend and mixed until a homogeneous blend is obtained . this example illustrates another specific embodiment of this invention . the composition is prepared according to the procedure of example 1 . the formulation of the composition is set forth in table i . table i______________________________________components percent______________________________________4 -( azidosulfonyl )- 4 &# 39 ;-( triethoxysilyl ) 10 . 0propyldiphenylether bonded low densitypolyethylene having a melt index of 150 . c . sub . 5 resin ( ring & amp ; ball s . pt . 95 ° c .). 70 . 4naphthenic oil ( sp . grav . 0 . 9000 ; 14 . 2s . u . viscosity at 38 ° c . 500 sec . ) polyethylene wax ( m . pt . 115 ° c .) 5 . 4______________________________________ this example illustrates another embodiment of this invention . the composition is prepared according to example 1 except that 3 -( methyldimethoxysilyl ) propyl azidoformate is used instead of azidosulfonylhexyl ( triethoxy ) silane . this example illustrates another embodiment of this invention . the composition is prepared according to the procedure of example 1 using the formulation of table i except that 3 -( methyldimethoxysilyl ) propyl azidoformate is used instead of 4 -( azidosulfonyl )- 4 &# 39 ;-( triethoxysilyl ) propyldiphenyl ether . this example illustrates another embodiment of this invention . the composition is prepared according to example 1 except that 3 -( trimethoxysilyl ) propyl diazoacetate is used instead of azidosulfonylhexyl ( triethoxy ) silane . this example illustrates another embodiment of this invention . the composition is prepared according to the procedure of example 1 using the formulation of table i except that 3 -( trimethoxysilyl ) propyl diazoacetate is used instead of 4 -( azidosulfonyl )- 4 &# 39 ;-( triethoxysilyl ) propyldiphenyl ether . this example illustrates another embodiment of this invention , and how to prepare it . forty - eight % of the pre - coat composition of example 1 and 22 % of an ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymer having a polymerized vinyl acetate content of 19 %, by weight of the copolymer , are melt blended in a container by aerating at 160 ° c . thirty % of a calcium carbonate filler is then added to the melt blend to provide a hot melt adhesive material . this example shows the tuft bond strength of finished carpets prepared with the precoat composition of this invention and an ethylene - vinyl acetate copolymer - based hot melt adhesive material containing the pre - coat composition of this invention as the backcoat . carpet specimens are prepared according to the procedures of ansi / astm d1335 - 67 using 10 oz ./ yd . 2 of the composition of example 1 as the pre - coat at 155 ° c . and then applying 24 oz ./ yd . 2 of the hot melt adhesive material of example 7 as the backcoat ( test specimen 1 ) and , as the control , 10 oz ./ yd . 2 of the composition of example 1 as the pre - coat and applying 24 oz ./ yd . 2 of the hot melt adhesive material of example 7 as the backcoat , both of which are minus the 10 % silane - coated polyethylene material ( test specimen 2 ). the carpet test specimens were mounted and tested for tuft bond strength according to ansi / astm d1335 - 67 . basically , this test measures the amount of force required to separate individual pile yarns from the carpet . the results of the test are tabulated below : ______________________________________ test specimenstuft bond strength , lbs . 1 2______________________________________initial 17 . 9 15 . 0 7 days 20 . 2 18 . 114 days 23 . 1 17 . 2______________________________________ * stored at 23 ° c . and 50 % relative humidity . this example illustrates another embodiment of this invention . a hot melt adhesive material is prepared according to the procedure of example 7 using 25 % of the pre - coat composition of example 1 except that a c 5 resin is used instead of the c 5 - c 9 resin , 45 % of an amorphous polymer of propylene having a ring & amp ; ball softening point of 150 ° c ., and 30 % of a calcium carbonate filler . this example shows the tuft bond strength of finished carpets prepared with the precoat composition of this invention , and a hot melt adhesive material based on an amorphous polymer of propylene containing the precoat composition of this invention as the backcoat . carpet specimens are prepared according to the procedures of ansi / astm d1335 - 67 using 10 oz ./ yd . 2 of the composition of example 2 as the pre - coat land then applying 24 oz ./ yd . 2 of the hot melt adhesive material of example 9 as the backcoat ( test specimen 3 ) and , as the control , 10 oz ./ yd . 2 of the precoat composition of example 2 as the pre - coat and then applying 24 oz ./ yd . 2 of the hot melt adhesive material of example 9 as the backcoat , both of which are minus the 10 % silane - coated polyethylene material ( test specimen 4 ). the carpet test specimens were mounted and tested for tuft bond strength according to ansi / astm d1335 - 67 . the results of the test are tabulated below : ______________________________________ test specimenstuft bond strength , lbs . 3 4______________________________________initial 17 . 1 15 . 0 7 days 22 . 1 18 . 114 days 24 . 1 17 . 2______________________________________ other features , advantages and specific embodiments of this invention will become apparent to those exercising ordinary skill in the art after reading the foregoing disclosures . such specific embodiments are within the scope of this invention . moreover , while specific embodiments of the invention have been described in considerable detail , it is not limited thereto , and variations and modifications of those embodiments can effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	3
in accordance with the invention , cobaltic hydroxide is dissolved to yield cobaltous chloride by contacting a water slurry of cobaltic hydroxide with a sufficient amount of an organic reductant from the group consisting of methanol , formaldehyde , and formic acid to reduce the cobaltic hydroxide and with hydrochloric acid added in the presence of the reductant at a rate such that the solution ph does not decrease below ph 1 . thus , the reaction is carried out with the water slurry of cobaltic oxide hydrate with the addition of the organic reductant prior to or in combination with the hydrochloric acid . preferably , when the organic reductant is added first to the slurry containing cobaltic hydroxide , a closed vessel fitted with a reflux condenser is used to prevent excessive losses of the volatile organic reductant . the reduction reaction from cobaltic to cobaltous ions is temperature dependent and accordingly the initial slurry temperature should be at least about 75 ° c . to obtain adequate reaction kinetics . the dissolution reaction is exothermic with the result that the slurry temperature tends to rise into the region of 90 ° to 95 ° c . dependent upon the addition rate of acid to the reaction mixture . the oxidation of methanol appears to occur in stepwise fashion through formaldehyde to formic acid and followed ultimately by the conversion of the initial methanol to co 2 and water . it is found , however , that even when a large excess of methanol is present the concentration of formic acid and formate during the reduction will be almost below the detection limit for these compounds . upon completion of the reaction involved any excess methanol can readily be recovered and cobalt can be recovered as cobaltous chloride hexahydrate simply by evaporation of excess water . the process of the invention can be used in a cobalt leach - electrowinning loop for the production of electrolytic cobalt using spent cobalt electrowinning electrolyte , hydrochloric acid and methanol to leach cobaltic hydroxide . in such as process , the chlorine evolved in the electrowinning can be used to prepare cobaltic hydroxide from impure cobalt - containing process liquor . materials which may be treated in accordance with the invention may contain , on a dry basis , about 50 % to about 58 % cobalt , up to about 2 % nickel , up to about 2 % iron , up to about 2 % copper , up to about 5 % sulfur . some examples will now be given . a water slurry was prepared by mixing 50 grams of cobaltic hydroxide in 100 milliliters of water . the cobaltic hydroxide contained , by weight , 57 . 6 % cobalt , 0 . 01 % copper , 0 . 43 % nickel , 0 . 11 % iron , 1 . 4 % sulfur , 0 . 18 % chlorine ion , 3 . 61 % sulfate ion , 3 . 08 % water . when this slurry was treated with the hydrochloric acid solution containing hydrochloric acid in the ratio of two moles hcl to each mole of cobalt , in an addition time of one minute , it was found that after three hours of reaction a final ph less than 1 resulted with a cobalt extraction of 56 % and a cobalt concentration in solution of 79 . 3 grams per liter . strong evolution of chlorine gas resulted . a series of similarly prepared cobaltic hydroxide slurries was then treated seriatim with mixtures of hydrochloric acid and methyl alcohol in which the molar ratio of methanol to hydrochloric acid was varied from 0 . 165 to 1 . 2 . the rate of addition of the hcl - methanol mixture was controlled to hold the ph in the reacting slurry above 1 . the initial slurry temperature was 75 ° c . and during reaction the temperature increased to 90 ° c . 0 . 2 milliliters of methanol was added to the slurry just before the first addition of acid - methanol mixture . the slurry was vigorously stirred to contact the reactants . the results of four experiments carried out under the four described conditions are set forth in the following table 1 . the results in the table establish that the presence of methanol not only prevents chlorine evolution but also promotes the extraction of cobalt in solution . a large excess of methanol , however , was required to achieve complete cobalt extraction . this was attributed to the fact that an open reaction vessel was used for the test . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ reagents hcl meoh addition reaction solution co ( mole / ( mole / time time final co extractiontest mole co ) mole co ) ( min ) ( min ) ph ( g / l ) (%) __________________________________________________________________________1 2 0 . 33 62 120 0 . 95 118 832 2 0 . 66 16 35 1 . 5 130 923 2 1 . 00 12 20 1 . 5 132 944 2 2 . 40 5 180 2 . 0 142 100__________________________________________________________________________ a slurry was prepared containing 400 grams of cobalt hydroxide cake assaying 50 % by weight cobalt in 0 . 5 liters of water in an open beaker . the slurry was reacted at 60 ° c . with a formaldehyde - hydrochloric acid mixture added continuously at a rate corresponding to 40 milliliters of 37 % formaldehyde solution and 80 milliliters of 12 normal hydrochloric acid per hour . a virtually clear leach solution was obtained after seven hours of reaction and the extraction of cobalt was 98 %. the ph of the leach solution was 1 . 75 with a cobalt concentration in solution 170 grams per liter as cobaltous chloride . the consumptions of hcl and formaldehyde were , respectively , two moles of hcl and one mole of formaldehyde per mole of the cobalt leached . another 400 gram sample of cobalt hydroxide cake which had been dried at 150 ° c . for 16 hours and had a particle size of less than - 200 mesh , assaying 50 % by weight cobalt was slurried with 0 . 5 liters of water in a glass reaction vessel open to the atmosphere through a reflux condenser . 40 milliliters of a 95 % by weight methanol solution were added to the slurry representing 200 % stoichiometric excess of methyl alcohol with respect to reduction of the feed trivalent cobalt to divalent cobalt . the slurry was heated to 80 ° c . and 12 normal hydrochloric acid solution was added on ph demand at ph setting of 2 . after nine hours of reaction the extraction of cobalt in solution was 81 % complete at a concentration in solution of 162 grams per liter . 200 grams of cobalt hydroxide cake assaying 50 % by weight cobalt were slurried with 0 . 5 liters of water in a glass reactor open to the atmosphere through a reflux condenser . 40 milliliters of a 95 % by weight methanol solution were added to the slurry representing 400 % stoichiometric excess of methanol for reduction of the feed trivalent cobalt to divalent cobalt . the slurry was heated to 90 ° c . and a 12 normal hcl solution was added on ph demand at a ph setting of 1 . 5 . after four hours of reaction at 90 ° c . the extraction of cobalt in solution was 96 % at a concentration in solution of 130 grams of cobalt per liter . the experiment described in example 3 was repeated and continued by adding to the reaction mixture 10 milliliters of a 98 % by weight formic acid solution and the reaction was then continued for 6 hours at 80 ° c . with addition of 12 normal hcl on ph demand at a ph setting of 2 . at this point the extraction of cobalt in solution was 95 % at a concentration of 172 grams of cobalt per liter . the experiment described in example 4 was repeated and continued by adding to the reaction mixture 10 milliliters of 98 % by weight formic acid solution and the reaction continued for two hours at 90 ° c . with a 12 normal hcl solution being added upon ph demand at a ph setting of 1 . 5 . the extraction of cobalt in solution was 98 . 5 % complete at a concentration of 133 grams per liter of cobalt . cobalt chloride leach solutions obtained in examples 3 and 6 were evaporated at 105 ° c . until the cobalt concentration in solution was approximately 400 grams per liter . the concentrated solutions were then slowly cooled while being stirred at 1 , 000 rpm . crystallization of 60 to 70 % of the cobalt as cobaltous chloride hexahydrate onto the walls of the container occurred . the solids were recovered after filtering and drying in air . analyses of the feed cobaltic hydroxide and of the cobaltous chloride hexahydrate resulting are shown in the following table 2 . table 2______________________________________ methanol andmethanol leach formic acid leachexample 4 example 6 feed * feed * co ( oh ). sub . 3 cocl . sub . 2 6h . sub . 2 o co ( oh ). sub . 3 cocl . sub . 2 6h . sub . 2 oelement ( wt . %) ( wt . %) ( wt . %) ( wt . %) ______________________________________co 25 . 3 25 . 3 27 . 1 27 . 1ni 0 . 42 0 . 29 0 . 17 0 . 11cu 0 . 003 0 . 0004 0 . 006 0 . 0012pb 0 . 004 0 . 001 0 . 0003 0 . 001fe 0 . 060 0 . 001 0 . 035 0 . 009ca -- 0 . 004 -- 0 . 001mg -- 0 . 0004 -- 0 . 0002na 0 . 60 0 . 049 0 . 014 0 . 002mn 0 . 011 0 . 003 0 . 007 0 . 003s -- 0 . 56 -- 0 . 069c -- 0 . 12 -- -- ______________________________________ note : composition of co ( oh ). sub . 3 feed cakes are referred to the same co as the cocl . sub . 2 . 6h . sub . 2 o product for sake of comparison . wet co ( oh ). sub . 3 cake usually assays 25 % co ; dried co ( oh ). sub . 3 assays 50 % co . while the process has been described hereinbefore through the use of methanol , formaldehyde and formic acid as the organic reductant the equivalence of ethanol and its oxidation products has been recognized in the art . in fact the equivalence of alcohols containing up to four carbon atoms and their oxidation products has already been recognized in the art , to that of methanol as a reductant for cobaltic ion . however , methanol , formaldehyde and formic acid are the preferred ingredients for purposes of reducing cobaltic ion , with the overall dissolution reactions believed to be as follows , respectively : 1 . 6 co ( oh ) 3 + 12hcl + ch 3 oh 6 cocl 2 + co 2 + 17 h 2 o 2 . 4 co ( oh ) 3 + 8hcl + ch 2 o 4 cocl 2 + co 2 + 11 h 2 0 3 . 2 co ( oh ) 3 + 4hcl + hcooh 2 cocl 2 + co 2 + 6 h 2 o although the present invention has been described in conjunction with preferred embodiments , it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention , as those skilled in the art will readily understand . such modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the invention and appended claims .	2
the ndo enzyme consists of three polypeptides : a reductase polypeptide ( rd , molecular weight about 37 , 000 ), an iron - sulfur ferredoxin polypeptide ( fd , molecular weight about 13 , 000 ) and a terminal oxygenase iron - sulfur protein ( isp ) that contains two subunits with an α 2 β 2 subunit structure ( molecular weights : α about 55 , 000 , β about 21 , 000 ). in substrate binding studies , isp binds to naphthalene and the reduction of this enzyme - substrate complex by nadh in the presence of rd , fd and oxygen results in the conversion of isp - bound naphthalene to cis - naphthalene dihydrodiol . the naphthalene oxidation limiting polypeptide was identified by adding the cell extract from cells expressing only one polypeptide encoded by a single ndo gene to the cell extract of a cell expressing all three polypeptides . three plasmids , each containing an isolated gene encoding one of three polypeptides of the ndo enzyme , were constructed . the constructions of the three plasmids , were done using recombinant techniques known to those skilled in the art . general methods used in the isolation of dna , the cleavage of dna with restriction enzymes , the construction of recombinant plasmids and the introduction of the recombinant plasmids into microbial host cells are known in the art and are described in many publications including maniatis et al ., molecular cloning -- a laboratory manual , cold spring harbor laboratory , chapters 3 , 4 , 5 , 8 , 11 and 12 ( 1982 ) and current protocols in molecular biology , edited by ausubel et al ., greene publishing associates and wiley interscience , chapters 1 , 2 and 3 ( 1987 ). all dna modifying enzymes used in the examples and experiments described below were purchased from bethesda research laboratories , gainesburg , md . or new england biolabs , beverly , mass . the organism , p . putida g7 , contains a plasmid designated as nah7 which was the source of dna for the constructs described below . the nah7 plasmid is involved in naphthalene degradation and is described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 520 , 103 . the dna sequence of nah7 encoding the ndo enzyme system ( the naha gene ) was cloned by ensley et al ., science , 222 : 167 ( 1983 ) and subsequently sequenced . about 3500 base pairs ( bp ) of this dna sequence encode all of the ndo proteins . the genes encoding these proteins are clustered and sequentially located on the plasmid . the starting material for the construction of the pacl plasmid was the pcfm526 plasmid . the construction of the pcfm526 plasmid was described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 710 , 473 . the pacl plasmid was derived from pcfm526 by substituting a dna sequence containing a synthetic p l promoter and a ribosome binding site between the unique aatii and clai restriction sites for the original dna sequence of pcfm526 . the substitution was performed by digesting pcfm526 with aatii and clai , isolating the resulting 4000 bp fragment from agarose gel and ligating the fragment with the following oligonucleotide : ## str1 ## the pacl plasmid thus contained a p l promoter as well as the other sequences of pcfm526 including a heat - inducible promoter , a restriction site bank cloning cluster , a plasmid origin of replication , a transcription terminator , genes regulating plasmid copy number , and a gene conferring ampicillin resistance . the following procedures were used to isolate and clone the three genes encoding the three polypeptides of the naphthalene dioxygenase enzyme . the gene encoding the isp polypeptide was a 2500 bp fragment of nah7 dna which was isolated and cloned into the publicly available plasmid puc9 to construct plasmid isp - pea2 , as shown in fig1 . plasmid isp - pea2 was then transformed into e . coli strain jm105 as described by ensley et al ., microbial metabolism and the carbon cycle , edited by hagedorn et al ., harwood academic publishers , pp . 437 - 455 ( 1988 ). the gene encoding the rd polypeptide of the ndo enzyme system was cloned into pacl by digesting the pror / sac plasmid , described below , with xhoi , removing the xhoi / xhoi fragment and religating the plasmid to itself . the resulting construction eliminated about 2200 bp of the pror / sac plasmid dna but retained all of the rd gene and was designated as rd - pacl . plasmid rd - pacl was also transformed into e . coli strain fm5 . in order to prepare a plasmid containing only the fd gene , the pror / sac plasmid was digested with kpni to eliminate the region containing the isp gene and the digested plasmid was isolated from an agarose gel . this was followed by a religation step to construct a plasmid designated pror / kpn . this construct was digested with clai and bamhi to release about a 1500 bp fragment containing both the rd and the fd genes . this fragment was further digested with ddei to generate a 343 bp fragment spanning the ddei and kpni restriction sites . the ddei site is 10 bp upstream of the initiation codon of fd while the kpni is 3 bp downstream of the termination codon of fd . the sticky end of the ddei site was blunt - ended using s1 nuclease and cloned into a blunt - ended ecori site of the pacl plasmid . the kpni sites of both the fd gene and pacl were kept intact for proper ligation . this construct containing the fd gene was designated as fd - pacl . plasmid fd - pacl was transformed into e . coli strap in fm5 . the transformed cells were cultured and grown under standard conditions . shaker flask experiments were performed using 500 ml of difco brain heart infusion ( bhi ) broth . cells were grown to an optical density of 0 . 5 ( 600 nm ) at 30 ° c . followed by a three hour incubation period at 42 ° c . at the end of three hours at 42 ° c ., the incubation was continued at 30 ° c . for six hours with the addition of indole at a rate of 100 mg / liter / h . cell extracts were prepared as described by ensley et al ., j . bacteriol ., 155 : 505 ( 1983 ). briefly , cells were resuspended ( 1 g wet weight cells per 2 ml buffer ) in 50 mm tris buffer , ph 7 . 8 , containing 10 % glycerol , 10 % ethanol and 0 . 5 mm dithiothreitol ( teg buffer ). the cells were disrupted by two passages through a french pressure cell at 7 , 000 lb / in 2 at 4 ° c . and the resulting mixture was centrifuged for one hour to give a supernatant crude cell extract . crude cell extracts prepared from the combined extracts of all three transformed cell lines reconstituted the ndo activity in indole - exposed cells . the ndo activity of the cell extracts was monitored using a standard procedure . samples of cells were removed from the growth medium and diluted in luria broth which gave a cell density measured by absorbance at 550 nm of approximately 0 . 25 . this corresponded to a whole cell protein concentration of approximately 0 . 05 mg / ml . a 0 . 5 ml aliquot of the diluted cell suspension was transferred to a small test tube , and the suspension was allowed to equilibrate at room temperature for five minutes . the assay reaction was started by the addition of 50 nmoles of 14 c - naphthalene dissolved in 5 μl of dimethylformamide . the specific activity of the naphthalene was generally between 5 , 000 and 10 , 000 counts / min / nmole . the reaction was allowed to proceed for five minutes with occasional vortex mixing . after five minutes , a 20 μl aliquot of the mixture was removed and spotted on a section of a thin layer chromatography plate . residual naphthalene in the reaction mixture was removed by drying the plate under a stream of air at room temperature for about thirty minutes . the volatile , labelled naphthalene was removed by the stream of air while any naphthalene metabolites produced during the ndo mediated reaction were non - volatile and remained on the plate . the amount of non - volatile 14 c - naphthalene metabolites on the plate were measured by liquid scintillation counting . the assay reaction using radio labelled naphthalene is proportional to the capacity of the enzyme to react with the indole . experiments using crude cell extracts from the clones containing isolated ndo polypeptides and those prepared from indole - exposed cells indicated the fd component to be the most metabolite - limiting polypeptide . this was demonstrated by adding increasing amounts of crude cell extracts , approximately 20 mg / ml of total protein prepared from each clone , to the extract prepared from induced host strain fm5 transformed with all three ndo genes six hours after indole addition . the data compiled in table 1 indicates there was a 2 . 5 - fold increase in activity with the addition of the fd polypeptide to the six hour crude extract . as used herein , the phrase &# 34 ; enhanced naphthalene dioxygenase activity &# 34 ; refers to a time related increase in the naphthalene dioxygenase enzymatic activity of a cell extract produced in a host strain in accordance with this invention as compared to the naphthalene dioxygenase enzymatic activity of a standard cell extract . the comparative standard cell extract is the cell extract of a host strain transformed with a dna sequence encoding a naphthalene dioxygenase enzyme as described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 520 , 103 . table 1______________________________________ndo activity in 6 hour cellular extractndo activity ( cpm ) ______________________________________ added rd ( μl extract ) 4100 03500 22200 61800 101750 20 added fd ( μl extract ) 4700 08000 29800 511000 1011900 1512500 20 added isp ( μl extract ) 4100 05100 25000 54900 105900 155800 20______________________________________ the following examples are illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention . example 1 describes adding multiple copies of the fd gene to a transformed cell . example 2 describes culturing cells transformed with the ndo genes in the presence of iron . example 3 describes site selective mutation of the fd gene . the generation of a dna sequence containing multiple copies of the ferredoxin gene enhanced ndo activity and was constructed using a three step sequence to give the fd - 911 plasmid . the pror / sac plasmid was constructed from the plasmid pn1816 . the pn1816 plasmid , shown in fig2 was constructed by initially isolating a 5500 bp pvuii to bglii fragment of nah7 dna containing the ndo genes . this fragment was cloned into the hpai - and bamhi - digested pacl plasmid . in addition to the naha genes encoding the ndo polypeptides , the 5500 bp fragment of nah7 dna contained approximately 800 bp of pseudomonas dna upstream from the ndo genes and the nahb gene encoding cis - naphthalene dihydrodiol dehydrogenase downstream from the naha genes . to delete the nahb gene from the pn1816 plasmid , the sacii site located 30 bp downstream from the isp gene was used to generate the pror / sac construct , shown in fig2 . the pn1816 plasmid was partially digested with sacii , and the resulting restriction site sticky ends were blunted using klenow treatment . the dna was then digested with ecori releasing a 4300 bp fragment containing the naha genes . this 4300 bp dna fragment was cloned into the pacl plasmid between the ecori and hpai restriction sites creating a plasmid construct designated pror / sac . the pror / sac plasmid was transformed into e . coli strain fm5 , a host organism used for regulation of the p l expression system . the host organism , fm5 , was deposited with the american type culture collection , rockville , md . on may 19 , 1989 and was designated a . t . c . c . no . 53911 . the next step of the construction required modifying the 5 &# 39 ; end of the ndo gene to give the fd - pacl plasmid . about 800 bp of dna of unknown function in front of the rd gene in the pror / sac plasmid was deleted to give the 911 - pacl plasmid , shown in fig2 . a previously constructed plasmid , atg # 6 , containing an ssti site in front of the rd start - site was utilized to design the construct designated 911 - pacl . atg # 6 plasmid was constructed by initially digesting pror / sac with ecori and hindiii and cloning this fragment into similarly digested and commercially available m13mp11 . an ssti site was generated by site - directed mutagenesis at amino acid positions 2 and 3 of the rd gene without altering the amino acids at these positions . the nah genes including the mutation were removed from m13mp11 as an approximately 3500 bp fragment by digestion with ssti and hindiii and the ssti / hindiii fragment was cloned into paci that had been digested with ecori and hindiii along with an oligomer linker ( aattcaggaggaataacatatggagctc ) having an ecori and ssti sticky ends to give the atg # 6 plasmid . to construct the 911 - pacl plasmid , the atg # 6 plasmid was digested with ssti and hindiii and the nah gene insert removed from m13mp11 was ligated into hindiii and xbai digested pacl along with the linker ( ctagatggagct ) containing xbai and ssti sticky ends to give the 911 - pacl plasmid . the synthetic oligomer linker contained the initiation codon of rd and allowed proper spacing between the rd gene and the pacl plasmid . an additional copy of the fd gene was inserted in front of the cassette containing all of the ndo genes in the 911 - pacl plasmid . this construct was designated as fd - 911 , as shown in fig2 . the fd - pacl plasmid was digested with kpni and blunted with klenow treatment . this dna was further digested with hindiii . the 911 - pacl plasmid was first digested with clai and blunted with klenow treatment . the 911 - pacl plasmid was further digested with hindiii releasing a 3550 bp dna fragment containing all four genes . this 3550 bp dna fragment was isolated by agarose gel electrophoresis and ligated into the kpni blunted / hindiii digested fd - pacl plasmid to give the desired gene construct , the fd - 911 plasmid . the data in table 2 indicates the result of shaker flask experiments using strain fm5 transformed with the fd - 911 plasmid and shows enhanced ndo activity . table 2______________________________________ndo activity with plasmid fd - 911 time ( hours afterndo activity ( cpm ) heat induction ) ______________________________________5600 65700 84000 102000 12 100 21______________________________________ the addition of iron to cell culture broth has been reported to have little stimulating effect on ndo activity , see e . g ., ensley et al ., j . bacteriol ., 149 : 948 ( 1982 ). however , iron , by as yet an unknown mechanism , yields a significant effect in increasing the ndo activity during indigo production by the same enzyme . based on the results of crude cell extract studies , experiments were initiated to test the effect of iron supplementation on ndo activity using whole cells . increasing feso 4 . 7h 2 o concentrations were tested in bhi medium using e . coli fm5 transformed with pror / sac as the production strain . results obtained from shaker flask experiments , in which the medium was supplemented with iron confirmed this observation . the data shown in table 3 indicates higher concentrations of feso 4 . 7h 2 o increased ndo activity in cell extracts . table 3______________________________________ndo activity in cell extracts time ( hours after ndo activity ( cpm ) heat induction ) ______________________________________no iron 2000 6 1000 8 400 11added iron 2100 6 2000 8 1800 11______________________________________ the data in table 3 indicates ndo activity typically decreases both after indole feed and during indigo production . however , supplementing the crude cell extract with 0 . 3 μmol feso 4 . 7h 2 o maintained the ndo activity in both the 8 and 11 hour crude extracts to nearly normal levels . table 4 indicates the approximate saturating levels of added feso 4 . 7h 2 o . a total of 1 . 8 g / l or 3 . 6 g / l of feso 4 . 7h 2 o was added with 0 . 6 g / l of indole over a 6 hour period following induction . approximately 70 % and 50 % of the original activity remained after 6 and 10 hours following indole feed , respectively . table 4______________________________________ndo activity with plasmid pror / sac and iron time ( hours after ndo activity ( cpm ) heat induction ) ______________________________________no 9000 6feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 5000 8 2000 10 1750 12 200 211 . 8 g / l 9000 6feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 12000 8 9100 10 6300 12 200 213 . 6 g / l 9000 6feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 12000 8 9100 10 6200 12 200 21______________________________________ additional experiments also showed the ndo activity may be enhanced by adding iron to the culture broth used to grow cells transformed with a dna sequence encoding an extra copy of the fd gene , exemplified by the fd - 911 plasmid , and to grow cells transformed with a dna sequence encoding a ferredoxin analog , as exemplified by the fd - 911abc plasmid . when the bhi medium was supplemented with iron during indole feed , ndo activity was retained for extended periods . the supporting data is compiled in table 5 . the results of the experiments in this example show ndo activity may be significantly enhanced by the addition of iron to the crude extracts or to the growth medium . table 5______________________________________ndo activity with plasmid fd - paclabc and fd - 911 time ( hours after ndo activity ( cpm ) heat induction ) ______________________________________plasmid fd - 911abc 8000 6and 1 . 8 g / l 11000 8feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 12000 10 12250 12 1800 21plasmid fd - 911 5600 6and 1 . 8 g / l 8000 8feso . sub . 4 . 7h . sub . 2 o 9250 10 8000 12 3750 21______________________________________ a ferredoxin gene derivative modified by site - directed mutation also enhanced ndo activity . the change in the amino acid sequence at position 47 from his to cys made this position in consensus with about 23 other ferredoxin sequences reported in the literature . the change in the amino acid sequence at position 52 from met to ile eliminated the sulfur group found in the met while keeping the charge at that position similar to the naturally occurring amino acid . the change in the amino acid sequence at position 67 from his to arg eliminated the his at this position and replaced it with an amino acid having similar properties . these changes in the ferredoxin polypeptide resulted in increased ndo activity . the fd gene was changed to give different amino acids in the amino acid sequence at positions 47 , 52 , and 67 . these changes were his to cys , met to ile and his to arg , respectively . the oligomers used to make these mutations are shown below . site - specific changes are underlined . ______________________________________ amino acid geneoligomer change designation______________________________________ ## str2 ## hiscys a ## str3 ## metile b ## str4 ## hisarg c______________________________________ the fd - pacl plasmid was digested with xbai and hindiii and the resulting 345 bp fragment was cloned into plasmid m13mp11 , commercially available from new england biolabs , beverly , mass . the changes to the three dna sequences by site - directed mutagenesis were performed by essentially following known procedures described in current protocols in molecular biology , edited by ausubel et al ., greene publishing associates and wiley interscience , chapter 8 ( 1987 ). after mutagenesis , the mutated fd gene was removed from the m13mp11 plasmid by digestion with xbai and hindiii sites . this mutated fd gene was cloned into the pacl plasmid digested with xbai and hindiii to give the new plasmid , fd - paclabc . the fd - paclabc plasmid was then treated as described above in the construction of the fd - 911 plasmid to construct a plasmid designated fd - 911abc . the data showing extended ndo activity in a strain carrying the fd - 911abc plasmid is compiled in table 5 , discussed above . while the present invention has been described in terms of specific methods and compositions , it is understood that variations and modifications will occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the present invention . accordingly , it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such equivalent variations which come within the scope of the invention as claimed .	2
i have found that in general , the abnormal cells and tissues in the body have free lipids . thus , a lipid or compound having a lipidic character introduced into the body can be selectively taken by the abnormal cells . accordingly , it is believed that a potassium compound having lipidic properties is useful as a therapeutic agent for patients who have such abnormal cells . i have found that potassium can be incorporated in the molecule of a fatty acid by heating together an organic or inorganic salt of potassium with a fatty acid or its oil . preferably , the fatty acid or oil is previously oxidized by being heated and mixed with air or oxygen . the mixtures of potassium and fatty acids or oil are heated at a temperature above about 230 ° c . for a time until an exothermic reaction is observed , which reaction indicates that the incorporation is taking place . examples of the potassium / fatty acid or oil compositions that can be used according to the invention include the reaction products of allylic unsaturated fatty acids or esters and a potassium salt . these reaction products are produced by heating a liquid composition containing a fatty acid or fatty ester , structurally characterized by allylic unsaturation with a potassium salt . applicant believes that any potassium salt may be used in this invention . preferably , the potassium salt is an organic potassium salt such as potassium acetate or potassium carbonate , and the liquid is preferably oxidized for example , by bubbling air or oxygen through the reaction mixture . the allylically unsaturated compound is preferably a naturally occurring oil containing polyunsaturated fatty esters , such as an animal , vegetable , or fish oil , and , particularly , polyunsaturated vegetable oils . sesame oil , a vegetable oil consisting largely of triglycerides , is the most advantageous composition found to date in the practice of this invention . the composition utilized should contain a significant percentage of molecular species having allylic moieties to render the compositions useful according to the invention . such moieties are indicated by the following partial structures -- ch ═ ch -- ch 2 -- ch ═ ch -- and / or -- ch ═ ch -- ch ═ ch -- ch 2 --. as indicated , the unsaturation can be conjugated or nonconjugated , but the composition must contain allylic methylene hydrogen . such compositions may initially be oxidized or heated in the presence of air or oxygen at the temperature range between about 100 ° c . and about 150 ° c . the oxygen can be obtained by merely heating the composition in a vessel which is open to the atmosphere , but preferably and advantageously , the source of oxygen is a gas such as air which is injected into the heated oil . introduction of air also provides a source of agitation . the heating step is conducted for a period of from about 15 minutes to about two hours . the temperature should be maintained at an upper limit within the range of about 230 ° c . to 250 ° c ., and preferably about 235 ° c . to 240 ° c . these temperature limitations are based on a heating time of about one - half hour . the temperatures can be altered within limits depending on the time of heating . for example , when the temperature is about 235 ° c ., the time is about one - half hour , while temperatures as high as 250 ° c . require a shorter period of time for heating . higher temperatures for a prolonged period of time tend to degrade the composition and should thus be avoided . agitation , by stirring for example , aids in the reaction , and experiments to date indicate that a fairly violent stirring is advantageous . the introduction of air into the mixture during the heating is also very advantageous , particularly when the mixture is not subjected to prolonged heating and thus , is the preferred method . the mixing or stirring can be accomplished with the introduction of the air . after the reaction has taken place , the mixture is cooled . the remaining fluid is ready for use after appropriate sterilization for injection or incorporated into capsules , such as gelatin , for oral administration . the precise nature of the compositions which result from the above - described treatment or the identity of the effective component or components is not presently known . it is known , however , that these compositions do include potassium and that a proportion of potassium in the range of about 1 to 10 weight percent has been found to be effective . as mentioned above , although any potassium salt may be used , an organic salt of potassium , such as potassium carbonate or potassium acetate , is preferred , with the potassium bonding the eleostearic acid present in this oil . although any amount above 0 . 1 % of potassium incorporated into the composition is useful , the preferred amount ranges between about 1 to 10 weight percent . the products obtained have the potassium incorporated in general at the level of the double bonds of the different unsaturated fatty acids , this causes their toxicity to be exceptionally low . the injection of 1 ml of a product having 5 % potassium to a mouse does not kill it . the incorporated potassium composition may be administered orally , by injections , sublingually or rectally in the appropriate formulation . the incorporated potassium is believed to be absorbed by the abnormal cells , thus compensating for their low potassium content . this treatment produces objective and subjective improvement in the conditions , of patients having a variety of diseases based upon such abnormal cells . the neoplastic diseases are examples of diseased in which low cellular potassium abnormal cells are found . such low cellular potassium abnormal cells are believed to cause an catabolic imbalance in the body . this catabolic imbalance can be analyzed and diagnosed by blood and urine analyses . a low eosinophilia ( below 100 / cmm ), a high red cell sedimentation rate ( above 15 ml / 1 hour ), a high serum potassium ( above 4 . 5 meq ), a urinary acid ph ( below 7 ), high specific gravity ( above 1 . 016 ), low surface tension ( below 89 dynes / cm ), and low calcium or chloride excretion are indications of an catabolic imbalance . ( the opposite analyses would indicate a anabolic imbalance .) these analyses and clinical manifestations have to be changed by the administration of the incorporated potassium compound . in a 5 % potassium incorporated preparation , amounts from about 1 / 10 to 2 ml daily are predilectly used for the treatment of this catabolic imbalance . for other conditions with anabolic imbalances , doses from about 2 to 10 ml daily are predilectly used . in general the higher the dose used , the better are the clinical results . interesting results are those concerning pain , the changes induced in the lesions manifesting first an action upon pain . manifest changes in the tumors and in the subjective manifestations of the neoplastic diseases are obtained even in a very short time . thus , the incorporated potassium appears as a predilect treatment of the symptoms of neoplastic conditions , and possibly to the treatment of such condition themselves . good results were also obtained in the use of the incorporated potassium compounds for the different manifestations of aids ( acquired immune deficiency syndrome ) as well as for the arc ( aids related complex ). interesting also are the results in almost all the different conditions , such as neurological conditions , epilepsy and others , the problem of cellular potassium deficiency being a general pathological occurrence . interesting is the action of the lipidic potassium products on the viral infections . the incorporated potassium composition may be administered together with different other agents . while it is apparent that the invention herein disclosed is well calculated to fulfill the objects above stated , it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and embodiments may be devised by those skilled in the art , and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and embodiments as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention .	0
the apparatus of the invention is illustrated schematically in fig1 and its actual implementation in practice will be described as required . a trough 10 conveys the molten metal 12 to be tested from the furnaces in which it has been melted to subsequent treatment stages such as a degasser , filter bed and caster . alternatively for an off - line test which is not illustrated , a sample of about 2 kg of the metal would be transferred as quickly as possible from a holding furnace or transfer trough to a stirred test vessel heated as required to maintain the metal in molten condition . in accordance with the invention , the cleanliness of the molten metal , either in the flowing stream or in the stationary test vessel , can then be examined by drawing a sample , by means of reduced pressure , into a sample - receiving test container or vessel 14 which is removably mounted by any suitable means in an end cap 16 . the end cap is mounted by a standard 18 for vertical up and down movement , so that the test vessel 14 can be dipped at will into the flowing stream 12 and withdrawn therefrom . the end cap has four electrodes protruding downwardly therefrom , three of which are inside the container . the first of these three electrodes is a current - carrying electrode 20 consisting of a metal rod the upper part of which is encased in an insulating material 22 , so that only the exposed lower tip 24 immediately adjacent to a passage 26 in the container wall is in electrical contact with molten metal that enters the container . a similar current - carrying electrode 28 is mounted by the end cap so as to extend outside the container parallel to the first electrode 20 with its bare lower tip also immediately adjacent to the passage 26 . the resultant current path between the electrodes 20 and 28 and through the passage 26 is supplied with current from a battery 30 via a ballast resistor 32 that can be shunted when required by a switch 33 , one of the leads including a switch 31 and an ammeter 34 . the end cap 16 also provides a fluid connection from the interior of the test container to a three - way valve 36 , which permits the interior to be connected alternatively to a source of reduced pressure , or to a source of a suitable shielding inert gas , such as argon , or to the atmosphere . the reduced pressure source consists of a reservoir 38 which is exhausted as required in between tests through valve 39 by a pump 40 . the pump is shut off while the tests are underway , so that any electrical noise produced by its electric motor does not hinder electrical signal processing , and so that any pulsations in flow of the evacuating gas are not transmitted to the entering molten metal . the two electrodes 20 and 28 are connected to a differential amplifier 42 and thence to a logarithmic amplifier 44 , a peak detector 46 and multi - channel analyser 48 , which can also serve as a recorder . the analyser / recorder 48 is operated automatically so as to be switched on when sufficient metal has entered the container to contact the lower level electrode 50 of a metal level detector 52 , and to be switched off when sufficient metal has entered the sample - receiving vessel to contact the upper level detection electrode 54 of the level detector . alternatively the analyser recorder can be operated manually , the sampling period used then being a fixed period of time as set by the operator . before use the interior of the container 14 is flushed with argon gas to avoid as much as possible contamination of the metal by air . the container is then lowered into the stream , and the valve 36 is operated to connect the container interior to the reduced pressure reservoir , whereupon the molten metal is drawn smoothly and rapidly through the passage 26 . as soon as enough metal has entered the container to touch the tip 24 of the electrode 20 a current path is established between the two electrodes 20 and 28 and through the passage . the current flow is principally controlled by the ballast resistor 32 and this remains sufficiently constant ( less than 1 % variation ) during signal processing . since the area of contact between the liquid metal 12 and the electrodes 20 and 28 is limited to the tips 24 and 29 , the only changes in voltage that are measured are those arising from the displacement of conducting fluid by particles passing through the passage 26 . each of these particles when sensed produces a record as illustrated by fig5 consisting of a positive voltage pulse 50 over and above the steady state value . thus , as each particle passes through the passage 26 it displaces its own volume of the liquid metal and causes a change in the electrical resistance between electrodes 20 and 28 . in the presence of an applied current , this resistance change causes the above - described transient voltage pulse to appear between the two electrodes 20 and 28 . the magnitude of the transient voltage pulse is related to the equivalent spherical diameter of the particle according to the following equation as given by r . w . deblois and c . p . bean in review of scientific instruments ( 1970 ) 41 , 909 : ## equ1 ## where δv is the voltage change , ρ is the electrical resistivity of the molten metal , i is the current , d is the equivalent spoherical particle diameter and d is the passage diameter . the voltage pulses that result from the passage of the particles are of relatively low amplitude superimposed on a large d . c . signal ; these are fed to the differential pre - amplifier 42 and filtered to remove the large d . c . component and inevitable high frequency noise . the logarithmic amplifier 44 extends the dynamic range of the signal , and its output is fed to the peak detector which samples the signal and produces discrete pulses of fixed length that can be handled by the analyser 48 . the analyser counts the number of these pulses and also analyses them as to size . the output of the analyser is therefore a histogram of particle number from which the particle concentration in the specimen can be determined , and also particle size distribution , as illustrated by fig6 . the analyser can include a cathode ray tube for immediate display of this histogram , or a recorder , or a memory store from which the information is obtainable at any time . by adjustment of the gain of the amplifiers 42 and 44 and the current and knowing the input range of the multichannel analyser 48 , it is thus possible by application of the above equation to relate each channel of the analyser 48 to an equivalent spherical diameter of a particle , so that passage through the passage of such a particle causes a count to appear in that channel . the y - axis of the graph of fig6 is therefore representative of counts per channel , while the x - axis has the dual representation of the channel number of the analyser and the spherical diameter in micrometers equivalent to each channel . severe problems are involved in obtaining usable information as to particle count and size distribution of unwanted particulates when the liquid involved is a molten metal , and do not appear to have been overcome hitherto , but are overcome by the method and apparatus of the invention . in a specific apparatus that has been tested successfully the metal involved was aluminum at a temperature of about 700 ° c . ( 1260 ° f .). other metals which have also been analysed with this apparatus are zinc at 450 ° c ., lead at 400 ° c . and gallium at 35 ° c . the sample - receiving container 14 that was employed is a tube of borosilicate glass ( kimble 45052 ) of length 20 . 0 cm , diameter 2 . 5 cm , and wall thickness 0 . 13 cm , while the orifice 18 is as illustrated by fig4 of about 300 micrometers minimum diameter that has been formed by a flame - piercing procedure described below . the electrodes 20 and 28 are of steel rod of 6 . 5 mm diameter enclosed in a glass sheath of 1 . 0 mm thickness , with approximately 5 . 0 mm of the rod end exposed to the molten metal . copper wire is unsatisfactory for this purpose , although other metals more resistant to attack by molten aluminum , such as titanium , or steel clad copper rods would also be adequate . the volume of a typical sample between the level electrodes 50 and 54 is about 16 ml and takes about 60 seconds to draw into the vessel using a vacuum of about 12 . 5 cm ( 5 ins .) mercury . when the test container is immersed in a flowing stream such a sample will have been taken from about 300 - 600 kg of metal that has passed by the container . the molten metal can be blown out of the tube by use of the pressurized argon and the particle sizes again monitored . the apparatus is then immediately ready for a new test ; alternatively the interior can be connected to atmosphere until the vacuum is relieved and then the tube replaced with a new one . it will be noted that the signal processing procedure could be reversed by applying positive pressure to the interior of a filled sample - receiving vessel and monitoring for the presence and size of the particulates as they are expelled through the passage and out into the surrounding melt ; such a procedure can then be &# 34 ; backed - up &# 34 ; by applying suction to the vessel interior to draw liquid metal into it while monitoring the signal produced . if a positive pressure source is used then preferably it is a quiescent source such as a pre - pumped reservoir of compressed gas so as to avoid the presence of pump pulsations during the test . it is believed to be surprising that a molten metal can be handled in this manner , particularly molten aluminum , which is known to be chemically highly aggressive , and also to have a high surface energy so that considerable difficulty would be anticipated in attempting to pass it through an aperture of the necessary small size within a sufficiently short period of time and without freezing or any mechanical difficulty , such as enlargement of the passage by the flow of the molten metal through it . the passage diameter for the above - described preferred embodiment is about 300 micrometers , but a range of diameters can be used depending upon the metal under test and the size and nature of the particles to be examined . the diameter will in practice be in the range from 100 to 5000 micrometers , more usually from about 200 to about 500 micrometers . for example , the deleterious inclusions commonly found in aluminum are within the range of about 20 - 80 micrometers effective diameter . however , in the case of molten steel it is found to contain deoxidation products of size in the range about 10 - 80 micrometers , reoxidation products of size in the range about 100 - 500 micrometers , and slag particles of as yet unknown size , but many of which are believed to be of size about 1000 micrometers . it is known that with a molten metal the conductivity is completely an electronic phenomenon , as contrasted with the ionic conductivity characteristic of the prior art coulter apparatus employing an aqueous media described above . the currents that are required to obtain a useful reading can be very large and the battery 30 must be capable of delivering a steady current of about 1 to 500 amperes during the period of the test , depending upon the diameter of the orifice , the resistivity of the metal being tested and the sensitivity desired . in the case of molten aluminum , with an aperture diameter of 200 to 500 micrometers , a preferred narrower range of current is from 1 to 100 amperes corresponding to a current density through a 300 micrometer diameter aperture of from 1 . 4 × 10 7 to 1 . 4 × 10 9 amps / m 2 and a power density in a 300 micrometer diameter aperture of from 5 × 10 7 to 5 × 10 11 watts / meter 3 . despite these extraordinarily high power densities , the metal in the aperture does not vaporize during the test because of its short residence time in the passage . each apparatus of the invention will require to be custom designed for the metal with which it is to be used and the range of particle sizes to be detected and , in particular , the range of currents that will be employed is relatively wide . table i below gives the electrical resistivities of some typical metals to which the invention is applicable , the values being taken from the 8th edition of &# 34 ; metals handbook &# 34 ;, published by the american society for metals , 1964 . table 1______________________________________ electrical temperature resistivitymetal ° c . μω - m______________________________________aluminum 700 0 . 25bismuth 271 1 . 29copper 1083 0 . 22iron ( steel ) 1536 1 . 39gallium 30 0 . 26mercury 100 1 . 03sodium 97 0 . 096nickel 1450 0 . 85lead 340 0 . 98zinc 413 0 . 35magnesium 650 0 . 27potassium 64 0 . 14tin 232 0 . 45cadmium 400 0 . 34______________________________________ for example , if an aperture of 300 micrometers diameter is taken as standard then , as indicated above , the typical preferred current value for molten aluminium for the detection of particles in be range 20 - 150 micrometers is 60 amperes . if equivalent voltage pulses are to be obtained then molten sodium will require an applied current of about 150 amperes [( 60 × 0 . 25 )÷ 0 . 096 ], while molten iron will require an applied current of about 11 . 5 amperes [( 60 × 0 . 25 )÷ 1 . 3 ]. again for example , with molten iron if the applied current is reduced to 1 ampere , while the lower limit for the detection of particles is 20 microvolts , then the smallest size of particle that can be readily detected rises from 20 micrometers to 45 micrometers [ 20 ×( 11 . 5 ) 1 / 3 ]. with currently readily available equipment voltage pulses of less than 20 microvolts start to become indistinguishable from the background electrical noise . it will be seen therefore that the ultimate limits of particle sizes which can be detected depend upon the size of the aperture used , the metal to which the invention is applied , the current that is applied , and the threshold voltage pulses that can usefully be detected . it has been found practical to provide the required constant current through the circuit from a current source comprising a 6 volt lead acid battery and an appropriate ballast resistor . it is desired to use a source that is as smooth and noise free in power delivery as possible and the d . c . battery system described is found to be effective and economical . the size and shape of the aperture is found to be unexpectedly critical in obtaining usable readings . a simple drilled opening as illustrated by fig2 can be employed , but does have a tendency to cause turbulence in the flow through it . thus , preferably it should not cause turbulence in the metal flow and to this end can be made of the shape of fig4 in which it presents an opening to the entering molten metal that is considerably larger than its minimum cross - section area , and then tapers smoothly outwardly from the minimum area portion into the body of the test container . for detection of particles of about 20 micrometers effective diameter or larger suspended in aluminum the minimum area portion will need to have a diameter of less than 300 micrometers when using the preferred applied current of 60 amperes , the exact length of the passage being of no consequence . it can be shown that the signal amplitude is inversely proportional to the fourth power of the passage minimum diameter , but the sampling rate is dependent on flow rate through the passage and is therefore proportional to the passage cross - section area ( d 2 ), and these two parameters are in conflict with one another . the problem of possible blockage of the passage by large particles of course increases with decrease of minimum diameter , and the values given are a practical compromise . it can also be shown that there is a direct relationship between signal amplitude and current . a principal problem is the inevitable background noise and the usual precautions were taken to reduce this as far as possible , e . g . by twisting lead wires together , together with the unusual precaution particular to this invention of using a secondary battery as a d . c . power source . background noise was also found to be caused by various other mechanical sources , such as vibration of the apparatus , and this must also be avoided as much as possible . in the specific example , the background noise was found to be about 5 microvolts rms of which 2 microvolts was input noise of the amplifier . it is at present believed that one factor that permits operation of the method and apparatus is that the liquid metal surrounding the current passage serves as an excellent faraday shield , which reduces the background noise to an acceptable value and permits the use of the necessary high - gain amplifiers . a passage of the form of fig2 has a relatively long length of constant diameter ; a long passage has the potential disadvantage that more than one particle can be passing through at any one time , but also has the potential advantage that the elongated pulse produced gives an opportunity of also examining the geometry of the particle . a passage of the cross - section illustrated by fig3 is advantageous in reducing inflow turbulence and can be formed by drilling and countersinking , the resultant passage being of diameter a and effective length b ; difficulty is experienced in counterboring the inner orifice because of the restricted space available . a preferred cross - section for the passage is illustrated by fig4 in which the passage decreases smoothly , progressively and somewhat exponentially toward a central minimum , and increases in a corresponding manner away from the centre . it is found with a container of a glassy material that the orifice can readily be formed to this preferred profile by piercing with a suitably sized and shaped gas flame ; the material softens and its surface energy moves it to form the preferred profile automatically . the sampling tube may be disposable . it has also unexpectedly been found advantageous to precondition the newly - formed passage before a test is performed by passing an extremely heavy current ( 2 to 10 times the normal operating current ) in the flow path for a specific minimum period of time . in the apparatus of fig1 this can be obtained by closing the switch 33 and short - circuiting the ballast resistor 32 . this preconditioning current will be in the range of 10 to 1000 amperes , and as a specific example , with an apparatus intended to operate with a normal test current of about 60 amps the preconditioning current should be in the range 120 to 600 amps . the preconditioning current will be applied for at least 1 to 5 seconds the period being increased if the lower currents are used . it is believed that this preconditioning may operate by causing intense local heating and possibly vaporization of the metal in the passage which attacks the surface and rids it of adsorbed gases and small holes , thus ensuring that the metal is in complete contact with the wall of the passage . this operation is also carried out if , during a test , it is observed that the baseline of the electrical recorder becomes unstable . in the latter case it is believed that the instability may be due to particles , particularly smaller particles , adhering to the passage wall , and that the intense localized heating by this preconditioning current increases the contact angle between the metal and any such particles , thus promoting their removal . owing to the high sensitivity required of the apparatus to obtain usable results above the level of the background noise present or generated during a test it was also found , as described above , that a completely quiescent vacuum source was necessary to draw the molten metal into the test container , since the pulses produced by any type of vacuum pump resulted in the imposition of an additional pulsing signal on the peak detector read - out that would otherwise have required computer analysis and filtering to remove . in the specific test equipment described above the vacuum reservoir used had a volume of about 10 liters , so that there was no substantial change of pressure during a test . the use of argon gas in the apparatus minimized any production of oxide particles that might subsequently cause errors if the sample is analysed by microscopic methods . the molten metal can alternatively be moved through the orifice by application of pressurized gas to the metal outside the container , but in practice this is not as satisfactory or as economical as the vacuum method described . a specific form of the test apparatus employed as the differential amplifier 42 ( type 5a22n of tektronix ) is the front end of a tektronix type 5223 digitizing and storage oscilloscope that also served for direct observation of the signals . this differential amplifier is equipped with suitable selectable high and low pass filters . the maximum excursion of the particle pulses fed to the preamplifier was in the range of about 5 - 1000 microvolts on the 0 . 30 volt baseline ; for practical purposes the voltage difference was measured between the tips of the two current - carrying electodes 20 and 28 , so that the d . c . component arises from the voltage drop along each electrode as well as the voltage drop across the path through the passage . pulses smaller than 5 microvolts were completely lost in the overall background noise and the amplifier output was fixed at 50 millivolts per division ; amplifier gains of 500 - 5000 were normally used by adjusting the sensitivity control . the log amplifier 44 and peak detector 46 consisted of a tracor northern type tn 1214 which gave a satisfactory output of about 0 - 10 volts and includes a sample and hold circuit capable of providing pulses of about 2 microseconds duration from the relatively long pulses of about 500 microseconds produced by the passages of the particles . these short pulses were required for the multichannel analyser 48 used , a tracor northern model 1206 , which has a ten bit analog / digital converter that will divide a 0 - 8 volt input into 510 equal voltage channels and count , store and display up to 10 6 - 1 events per channel . fig6 shows a typical plot that is obtained with the method and apparatus of the invention as just specifically described . it will be noted that the graph begins at the channel equivalent to particles of size of equivalent spherical diameter about 20 micrometers and terminates at the channels equivalent to particles of size greater than about 50 micrometers , the number of particles detected decreasing progressively between these values . fig7 will be referred to below . in a method of operation according to the invention a sample of metal to be tested is provided from a stream or batch thereof and is tested by the method and using an apparatus of the invention . when the inclusion content for particulates of greater than the said predetermined value is above a given value as determined by operation of the invention then the stream or batch from which the sample was taken is treated to reduce the inclusion content , for example by directing the stream or batch to a suitable location at which the inclusion content is reduced for example by chlorine - nitrogen degassing or a repeat application of sparging gas . fig8 shows in graphical form the magnitudes of the voltage pulses that will be observed when essentially non - conducting particles of various equivalent spherical diameters pass through holes of respectively 200 , 250 and 300 um diameter in the wall of the sample - receiving vessel . the equivalent particle diameter in micrometers is recorded on this graph abscissa , while the corresponding pulse magnitude in microvolts is recorded on the ordinate . these values given are for molten aluminium through which a test current of 60 amperes is passed , the value of ρ being 25 × 10 - 8 ohm - metres . a series of examples are now provided to illustrate the use and versatility of the method and apparatus of the invention for the monitoring of molten metal cleanliness characteristics . unless otherwise specified , the following set of operating conditions were used : ______________________________________diameter of passage ( minimum ) = 300 micrometerselectrical current through passage = 60 amperespreamplifier gain = 1000logarithmic amplifier response = 3 . 33 log . sub . 10 v . sub . in + 6 . 67v . sub . out ( volts ) gauge pressure during sampling = - 12 . 5 cm hg ( vacuum ) minimum particle size analysed for = 20 micrometers ( based on diameter of an equivalentvolume sphere ) liquid metal tested = aluminum______________________________________ a bath of 25 kg of commercial purity aluminium was held within a temperature range of 710 °- 725 ° c . and fed with a 9 mm diameter aluminum rod containing titanium diboride grain refining nuclei ( aluminium + 5 % ti + 1 % b ). four successive additions were made to the stirred bath , resulting in the data points shown in fig9 . as expected , a linear correlation was obtained between the inclusion count rate ( ordinate ) and amount of titanium added ( abscissa ), the latter being computed in parts per million ( ppm ). this is an example of the use of the method and apparatus of the invention for studying the behaviour of inclusions in aluminum melts . referring to table 2 below , commercially pure aluminum was melted and held at 700 ° c . in a 100 kg resistance heated furnace for a period of six hours ( a ). the melt was stirred ( b ), settled for two hours ( c ), and treated with a 20 p . p . m . addition of boron stirred into the melt ( d ) so as to nucleate and precipitate ( ti - v ) b particles . following subsequent periods of settling and stirring ( e through i ), a second boron addition of 85 p . p . m . was made ( j ), followed by final periods of settling and stirring ( k - m ). table 2 therefore gives a history of the melt &# 39 ; s cleanliness as measured using the invention during the sequence of processing operations noted . it illustrates the settling characteristics of ( ti - v ) b particles and demonstrates the requirement of minimal convection and stirring to rid aluminum melts of such impurity particles . it also illustrates the type of operation that can be achieved using the rapid test procedure provided by the invention . table 2______________________________________ resistive pulse reading ( total counts perprocessing operations minute ≧ 20 μm ) ______________________________________a metal held at 700 ° c . for 6 hrs . 32b melt stirred 305c a 2 hr . settling period allowed 108d a 20 p . p . m . addition of boron stirred 2750 into melte following a 5 - minute settling period 847f melt stirred 2767g following a 5 minute settling period 727h following a 1 hr . settling period 310i following a further 1 hr ., ten minute 295 periodj an 85 p . p . m . addition of boron stirred 8405 into meltk following a 10 minute settling period 3527l following an overnight ( 12 hr ) settling 79 periodm melt stirred 2748______________________________________ following boron additions to a 50 tonne tilting furnace held at 710 ° c . for the precipitation of ( ti - v ) b from the melt , tests were carried out to determine the influence of settling time on melt cleanliness . for this example sample of molten aliminum were taken from the transfer launder , into which metal from the tilting furnace was poured . fig1 shows the results which it was possible to observe with the process and apparatus of the invention , namely the differences in melt cleanliness that were observed when standard operating practices for tilting furnaces were employed , as shown by curve a , in which an initial one hour settling period is observed , and when a different practice was employed ( curve b ); in which the tilting furnace was filled and emptying and casting procedures initiated immediately afterwards . curve b shows the much higher inclusion count rate in excess of 1000 counts per minute ( c . p . m .) obtained at the start of casting with this different practice , settling of ( ti - v ) b particles within the tilting furnace subsequently resulting in cleaner exiting metal , with the entrained inclusions finally reaching more normal levels after 120 minutes of pouring to become similar to those registered by curve a . a magnesium aluminum alloy was first treated by passing the melt prior to casting through a filter bed consisting of a box of tabular alumina balls , its purpose being to filter undesirable inclusions from the metal . the metal was sampled before and after the filter and the results are those given in table 3 below , obtained after five minutes into casting . the table shows the size distribution of particles before and after passage through the filter bed , and indicates the efficiency of the filter for different particle sizes . the overall efficiency for particle removal was 70 % and , as shown , appeared to be independent of equivalent particle diameter for sizes ranging between 16 and 50 micrometers . the apparent drop in efficiency at high particle diameters may be due , in part , to the random error in sampling procedure which increases in significance at the low count rates at larger particle sizes . table 3______________________________________particle size counts counts filtermicrometers before filter after filter efficiency______________________________________16 - 20 740 210 72 % 20 - 25 460 115 75 % 25 - 30 158 47 70 % 30 - 34 69 19 72 % 35 - 40 38 12 68 % 40 - 45 14 9 36 % 45 - 50 8 5 38 % 50 14 13 7 % ______________________________________ tests were carried out to monitor cleanliness levels during the casting of aluminum can stock from a tandem furnace continuous casting system . in this series of tests , the results were obtained employing the method and apparatus of the invention compared with those obtained with the known podfa system . in this latter test system ( porous disc filtration apparatus ) a sample of at least 1 kg of molten aluminum is forced under pressure through a porous ceramic filter disc which will retain all solid inclusions of greater than a predetermined size . some metal is allowed to remain on the disc and permitted to freeze . the disc and the sample are then sectioned and polished and the section examined microscopically by a trained observer . the procedure can only be regarded as semi - quantitative ; there is some indication of particle size and size distribution and the composition and source of the inclusions can be deduced , but a highly skilled operator is needed and the time required to obtain useful test results is about 24 - 48 hours . fig7 therefore provides a comparison of the results obtained with the two cleanliness measurement techniques , those of the invention being shown in solid lines while those of the podfa technique are shown in broken lines . the results of the invention are recorded at the left ordinate in terms of inclusion count rate per minute , while those on the right ordinate scale are from the porous disc filtration analysis , in terms of the relative area of inclusions observed per unit sample weight . it will be seen that the results of the tests correlated relatively closely with one another , with the exception that the test results of the apparatus of the invention were immediately available in more detailed form . table 4 below provides examples of the particle size distributions sampled at the 35 , 55 and 150 minute mark respectively . table 4______________________________________particle size inclusions per kg . after elapsed timemicrometers 35 min 55 min 150 min______________________________________20 - 25 22 , 350 12 , 000 6 , 30025 - 30 10 , 800 2 , 700 1 , 35030 - 35 5 , 400 1 , 500 60035 - 40 3 , 150 600 30040 - 45 1 , 800 -- -- 45 - 50 1 , 800 -- -- 50 1 , 800 -- -- ______________________________________ the initial peak observed in fig7 after 30 minutes corresponded to the completion of tapping from one furnace and the start of pouring from the second furnace . the large peak in particle count rate corresponded to the entrainment of surface impurities in the fresh stream of metal . following the first 35 minutes of flow from that particular furnace , metal cleanliness improved as sedimentation of particles within the tandem furnace continued . after 185 minutes of casting , another furnace was tapped leading to another surge in entrained particulates , again followed by subsequent improvement quality .	6

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