Split (3)

train · 25k rows

text stringlengths 1.55k 332k	label int64 0 8
this application incorporates herein by reference u . s . pat . no . : 7 , 042 , 309 , issued on may 9 , 2006 , which relates to casters for an automatic ball throwing device . the present invention provides a device 10 having an first member or axle housing 20 and a second member or chock member 100 , as shown in fig1 . the device 10 can be removably attached to conventional standing sports equipment , such as , but not limited to pitching machines , l - screens and batting cages . the removable wheel caster device 10 , as shown in fig1 through 6 is generally for placement on a piece of equipment that has bottom supports with exposed ends . an example of employment of the device 10 is on l - screens used to protect batting practice pictures in baseball , an extension of a leg 14 is shown in fig2 . by attaching the caster 10 to each end of the generally horizontally oriented leg 14 on - the l - screen , one person or user can roll and maneuver the l - screen around a practice field instead of two people carrying it . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the device could be used on other items needing a removable wheel . in the present embodiment , the removable wheel caster device can be placed on the leg of an l - screen up to a size of two - inch in diameter . further , it should be appreciated that in other exemplary embodiments , the removable wheel caster can be manufactured to except a variety of sized legs . another example of employment is on generally vertically oriented legs 12 of a pitching machine . an extension of the leg 12 is shown in fig1 . the wheel caster device 10 is operably configured to receive legs from sports equipment in the vertical direction , such as , but not limited to , pitching machines or other devices with similar tripods legs . the wheel caster device 10 is held in place by the weight of the equipment . for sports equipment with tripod legs , generally two casters are used . once the conventional sports equipment is in place , the user can then set the chock or second member 100 , as shown in fig3 . by setting the chock 100 , there is no need to remove the wheel caster from the conventional sport equipment . the device 10 constructed out of a rugged durable material . in the preferred example ⅛ inch angled steel is used . it should be appreciated that in other exemplary embodiments , other similar materials common in the art may be used , such as , but not limited to , harden plastic or aluminum for example . the first member or axle housing 20 is similar to the axle housing disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 7 , 042 , 309 . the axle housing 20 is operably configured to receive a structure member of sports equipment such as the vertically oriented leg 12 , as shown in fig1 or the horizontally oriented leg 14 as shown in fig4 . the axle housing 20 includes a pivotably attached sleeve or support tube 22 , wherein the support tube 22 is operably configured to receive the vertically oriented leg 12 . the weight of the pitching machine holds the vertically oriented leg 12 in the sleeve 22 . the axle housing 20 further includes an open interior 24 operably configured to receive the horizontally oriented leg 14 . the first member 20 further includes a threaded pin 26 . the threaded pin 26 us to apply pressure against the horizontally oriented leg 14 . the pivotably attached sleeve 22 in the wheel caster device 10 is operably configured to receive legs from the tripod legged equipment . the pivotably attached sleeve 22 allows for adjustment in the varying angles between difference sports equipment . the pivotably attached sleeve 22 has a diameter , wherein the diameter is larger than the diameter of the leg 12 . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the support tube may also include a threaded pin to aid in the retention of the vertical leg . further , the axle house 20 in the present embodiment shows two examples of how the axle housing 20 can be attached to structural members of sports equipment . however , it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the axle housing may be attached by other methods common in the art , such as but not limited to , hinge portions or threaded sleeves for example . the axle housing 20 further includes an axle 80 operably configured to receive a wheel 82 . the axle 80 is fixedly attached to one end of the first member 20 and the wheel 82 is rotatably attached to the axle 80 . the chock 100 is rotatably disposed on the axle 80 between the wheel 82 and the axle housing 20 , as shown in fig1 through 6 . in particular , fig1 shows the chock 100 in a first or stored position . fig3 shows the chock 100 is a second or in - use position . additionally , the device 10 includes a plurality of washers . a first washer 81 is between the chock and the axle housing 20 , a second washer 83 is between the chock 100 and the wheel 82 and a third washer 85 is between the wheel and a retaining nut 89 , as shown in fig2 . in the present embodiment , the first washer 81 is fixedly attached to the axle housing 20 . however , it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the first washer need not be fixedly attached to the axle housing . further , in the present embodiment , the wheel 82 is retained on the axle 80 by the retaining nut 89 . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , other methods common in the art may be used to retain the wheel to the axle , such as for example a cotter pin . in the present embodiment , the axle housing 20 has a generally l - shaped profile . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , other types and styles of axle housing may be used . various examples of possible alternate embodiments for the axle housing will be discussed below . additionally , the axle housing has a retention member or locking tong 86 . the locking tong 86 is disposed on the same end of the axle housing 20 as the axle 80 . the present embodiment , the tong 86 is disposed in a recess in a vertical portion of the l - shaped housing 20 . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments the tong could be a vertical tong not in a recess , but on the top of the vertical portion of the l - shaped housing . the second member or chock member 100 , as shown in fig1 , is in the first position . the first position is a non - use , unchocked or stored position . fig3 shows the chock 100 is the second or in - use position . in the second position , the chock 100 is under the wheel 82 . the chock 100 keeps whatever conventional sports equipment the device 100 is mounted to from moving . now referring to fig7 through 10 , the chock 100 includes three portions , 110 , 130 and 150 . the first portion 110 includes a first surface 112 and a second surface 113 . the chock 100 has a perimeter comprising of six edges , a first or bottom edge 114 , a second edge 115 , a third or angle edge 116 , a fourth or top edge 117 , a fifth edge 118 and a sixth edge 119 . the first portion 110 further include an axle orifice 120 disposed on the first surface 112 in proximity to the first or bottom edge 114 and such that the orifice 120 penetrates through the first portion 110 to the second surface 113 . the axle orifice 120 in the present embodiment is elongated to allow the chock 100 to be moved rotatably about the axle 80 . in the present embodiment , the chock 100 , and the first , second and third portions 110 , 130 and 150 are all integral and constructed out of steel . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the chock and the first , second and third portions are not integral . additionally , it should also be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments the chock , first , second and third portions are constructed out of other materials such as aluminum or plastic for example . the first portion 110 additionally includes an engagement portion or tab 122 . the tab 122 is disposed on the first surface 112 of the first portion 110 . the first surface 112 is oriented towards the axle housing 20 . the tab 122 is generally perpendicular to and outward from the first surface 112 . the tab 122 has a locking orifice 124 . the axle orifice 120 and tab 122 are aligned vertically on the first surface 112 of the first portion 110 , as shown in fig8 . the locking orifice 124 is operably configured to receive the locking tong 86 on the axle housing 20 . the second portion 130 has two planar portions 131 and 132 . the two planar portions 131 and 132 are disposed adjacent - to each other to form an l - shape . the second portion 130 is disposed on the first portion 110 along the fifth edge 118 such that a side 136 of the second planar portion 132 is along the fifth edge 118 and the first planar portion 131 is aligned with the sixth edge 119 , as shown in fig7 and 8 . further , the first planar portion 131 has a height 135 . the second planar portion 132 has a length 134 . the two planar portions 131 and 132 have equal widths 133 . the length 134 of the second planar portion 132 is equal to the length to of the fifth edge 118 . the third portion 150 is similar to the second portion 130 . the third portion has two planar portions 151 and 152 . the difference is that the third portion is disposed adjacent to the third edge 116 of the first portion 110 , and the second planar portion 152 is aligned with the second edge 115 . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the first and third portions could be removably attached to the first portion . further , the first and third portions could be in other various exemplary embodiments , constructed out of other material , such as but not limited to , wedge shaped blocks of rubber or hard plastic for example . as mentioned above , the chock 100 is rotatably disposed on the axle 80 between the axle housing 20 and the wheel 82 . in the first position , the chock 100 is positioned such that the first and second portions 130 and 150 are above the wheel 82 , and the locking tong 86 is engaged in the locking orifice 124 . the chock 100 can be lifted by the user along the elongated axle orifice 120 . the tab 122 is lifted from the locking tong 86 . the chock 100 is now free to rotate about the axle . the user lifts up on the conventional sports equipment and continues to rotate the chock 100 until the chock 100 is in the second or in - use position , as shown in fig3 . in the second position , the chock 100 is positioned under the wheel 82 with the fourth edge 117 along the ground surface . in the present embodiment , the tab 122 is made by cutting the first portion 110 with two vertical cuts and a connecting horizontal cut . the tab 122 is then bent to the horizontal position . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the tab could be manufactured in by other means common in the art , such as for example welding a prefabricated tab to the chock . the tab 122 , locking tong 86 and locking orifice 124 are what hold the chock 100 in the first or stored position . however , it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the chock could be held in the first position by other means common in the art , such as but not limited to , a spring biased ball into a detent , for example . further , it is anticipated by the present invention that in other various exemplary embodiments , wheel bearings may be used in combination with the axle and the wheel as is common in the art . additionally , while the present embodiment of the device 10 is described for use with sports equipment , is should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments the wheel caster device may be used in conjunction with other devices such as but not limited to , wagons , carts lawn chairs , etc . the chock 100 of the device 10 of the present embodiment will chock the wheel 82 on both sides of the wheel preventing the wheel 82 from rolling in either direction . however , it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the chock may only be able to stop the wheel in one direction . alternately , in another exemplary embodiment , the chock may be selectable in order to stop the wheel in either direction . discussions about possible examples of alternate embodiments will be provided below . fig1 and 12 are front and rear view of a chock 200 . the chock 200 is an alternative exemplary embodiment of the chock 100 in the device 10 , made in accordance with the present invention . the chock 200 is similar to the chock 100 as described above . the chock 200 has a first portion 210 and a second portion 230 . the first and second portions 210 and 230 are similar to the first and second portions 110 and 130 of the chock 100 described above . further , the second portion includes has two planar portions 231 and 232 as in the second portion 130 of chock 100 . the chock 200 is different form the chock 100 in that the chock 200 does not have a third portion . further , the chock 200 is different in that the first portion 210 has five edges vice six edges , 214 , 215 , 217 , 218 and 219 . further , the chock 200 can be used on only one side of the wheel 82 . still further , the chock 200 is different from the chock 100 in that the two planar portions 231 and 232 are disposed adjacent to each other to form an l - shape , as shown in fig1 . the second portion 230 is disposed on the first portion along the fourth edge 218 such that a side 236 of the second planar portion 232 is along the fourth edge 218 . the first planar portion 231 is disposed at the junction of the third edge 217 and the fourth edge 218 and is generally perpendicular to the second planar portion 232 . the chock 200 like the chock 100 has an first or stored position and a second or in - use position . when in the second position , the chock 200 can only stop the wheel from moving in one direction at a time . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of a device 300 having a chock 400 and an axle housing 500 . the device 300 , the chock 400 and the axle housing 500 are alternative exemplary embodiments of the device 10 , chock 100 and axle housing 20 , made in accordance with the present invention . a wheel is not shown in fig1 . the chock 400 is similar to the chock 100 as described above . the chock 400 has a first portion 410 and a second portion 430 . the first and second portions 410 and 430 are similar to the first and second portions 110 and 130 of the chock 100 described above . further , the first and second portions 410 and 430 are similar to the first and second portions 210 and 230 of the chock 200 . the chock 400 is different from the chock 100 in that the chock 400 has two members 401 and 402 . the first member 401 is similar to the chock 200 . the first member 401 has a first portion 410 and a second portion 430 . additionally , the first part 401 like chock 200 has an axle orifice 420 , a tab 422 , an axle orifice 420 , a first planar portion 431 and a second planar portion 432 . the first member 401 is different from the chock 200 in that the tab 422 is longer than the tab 222 . additionally the axle orifice 420 and the tab 422 are not vertically aligned . the orifice 420 is offset vertically from the tab 422 . the second member 402 is a mirror image of the first member 401 as shown in fig1 . the second member 402 includes a first portion 440 and a second portion 450 . additionally the second member 402 has an axle orifice 448 and a tab 449 . the orifice 448 is offset vertically from the tab 449 . the tab 449 is different from the tab 422 of the first member 401 in that the tab 449 is shorter and the same size as the tabs 122 and 222 of the chocks 100 and 200 respectively . the axle housing 500 is similar to the axle housing 20 described above . the axle housing 500 includes a pivotably connected support tube 522 , an open interior 524 , a threaded pin 526 and an axle 580 . the axle housing 500 further include a tong 586 similar to the tong 86 in the axle housing 20 . the axle housing 500 is different from the axle housing 20 in that the axle housing 500 has a generally u - shaped profile . additionally , the axle housing 500 includes a second tong 587 . the tab 422 is operably configured to engage tong 586 and the tab 449 is operably configured to engage tong 587 . in the device 300 , the axle housing 500 receives the washer 581 , then the first member 401 of chock 400 , followed by the second member 402 of the chock 400 . both the first member 401 and the second member 402 are independently rotatably attached to the axle 580 . the device 300 offers the user a choice of which direction of the wheel ( not shown ) that the user desires to block . in a first direction the user would use the first member 401 of the chock 400 . in a second direction , the user would use the second member 402 of the chock 400 . or , if the user so chooses , both the first and second members 401 and 402 of the chock 400 may be used simultaneously . fig1 is an exploded perspective view of a device 600 having a chock 700 and an axle housing 800 . the device 600 , the chock 700 and the axle housing 800 are alternative exemplary embodiments of the device 10 , chock 100 and axle housing 20 , made in accordance with the present invention . the chock 700 is similar to the chock 100 as described above . the chock 700 has a first portion 710 , a second portion 730 and a third portion 750 . the first , second and third portions 710 , 730 and 750 are similar to the first , second and portions 110 , 130 and 150 of the chock 100 described above . the chock 700 also includes an axle orifice 720 and a tab 722 . the chock 700 is different from the chock 100 in that the chock 700 does not include a locking orifice as in the chock 100 . the chock 700 has a locking tab 724 as shown in fig1 . the axle housing 800 is different from the axle housing 20 in that the axle housing 800 is operably configured to engage an existing axle 814 , wherein the existing axle 814 is non - rotating . the axle housing 800 has main body 820 . the main body 820 includes an axle orifice 828 , a vertical support member 825 and a locking tab receiving orifice 827 . the main body farther includes an extended axle 891 and a set screw 826 . the extended axle 891 provides an axle to mount wheel 82 . the axle housing 800 covers the existing axle 814 . the extended axle 891 now becomes the axle to which the wheel 82 is mounted on . the set screw 826 is used to create pressure against the axle 814 holding the body 820 stationary relative to the axle 814 . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the main body may be permanently held stationary to the axle by means common in the art such as , but not limited to , key way or welding for example . the axle housing 800 is placed on the existing axle 814 . the washer 881 and chock 700 are placed on the extended axle 891 . the chock 700 is rotatably disposed to the extended axle 891 . the chock 700 remains in a first or non - use position by the locking tab 724 engaging the locking tab receiving orifice 827 . the user lifts the chock 700 releasing the locking tab 724 from the locking tab receiving orifice 827 . the chock 700 is now free to rotate about the extended axle 891 into a second or in - use position under the wheel 82 . additionally , the device 600 is not limited to sports equipment . it should be appreciated that in other various exemplary embodiments , the device could be installed on other equipment , such as for example a cart or a child &# 39 ; s wagon , for example . while this invention has been described in conjunction with the specific embodiments outlined above , it is evident that many alternatives , modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art . accordingly , the preferred embodiments of the invention , as set forth above , are intended to be illustrative , not limiting . various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention .	1
with reference to fig1 through 7 , there is provided a mechanism for electrically connecting various electronic devices to an article of clothing . the mechanism includes a sliding track 10 for carrying various electronic devices , such as for example diagnostic equipment , sensors , mobile computers , cooling devices and mobile telephones . sliding track 10 is a bulbous member . sliding track 10 may be stitched , knit , bonded , adhered or affixed via a hook and loop material to an article of clothing . sliding track 10 has a flat bottom surface that may be disposed adjacent to or attached to a garment . sliding track 10 may be extruded from a suitable non - conductive material and may be cut or stitched to a garment , such as a shirt , pants , shoes , hat or coat . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , sliding track 10 is formed from rubber . the sliding track 10 has a top surface that is disposed on the exterior surface of an exemplary garment . the top or bulbous area of the sliding track 10 has a plurality of channels . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the sliding track 10 may have two lower channels 12 and two upper channels 14 . lower channels 12 and upper channels 14 may be formed as u shaped apertures cut out or extruded with the sliding track 10 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the upper channels 14 and lower channels 12 have curvilinear edges 20 that define slits in the lateral sides of the sliding track 10 . an exemplary feature of the upper channels 14 and the lower channels 12 is that the upper channels 14 and the lower channels 12 encapsulate or otherwise seal and / or insulate at least one first conductive material , such as a copper wire , a metal coated carbon fiber , a metallic fiber , a doped fiber , a conductive fiber , an conductive organic material or a conductive polymer that may be disposed therein . in this manner , the upper channels 14 and the lower channels 12 prevent moisture , perspiration or fluid from entering upper channels 14 and lower channels 12 . disposed in the respective upper channels 14 and lower channels 12 is at least one first conductive material forming a lengthwise strip of material 50 . an exemplary feature of the first conductive material 50 , is that first conductive material 50 is disposed along a length of the sliding track 10 in each respective channel . first conductive material 50 may be stitched into the sliding track 10 . in another exemplary aspect , the first conductive material 50 may be any suitable material that may conduct electricity or photons particles . first conductive material 50 may be disposed in any suitable location in upper channels 14 and the lower channels 12 so as to maintain the seal and / or insulation properties of the upper channels 14 and the lower channels 12 . for illustrative purposes , the first conductive material 50 is disposed on the respective lateral side walls of the sliding track 10 parallel to the vertical center axis of the sliding track 10 . another exemplary feature of the first conductive material 50 is that the first conductive material 50 is electrically connected to a power source , for example a battery pack ( not shown ). power source ( not shown ) may be a portable battery , a dc power source , solar power or any other suitable power supply for supplying electric current to the first conductive material 50 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , first conductive material 50 is sewn or otherwise disposed in the garment . the first conductive material 50 is disposed in between the respective edges 20 of the u shaped channels in a manner to maintain a seal to prevent perspiration , moisture or any fluid from entering into and contacting the first conductive material 50 throughout the length of the garment . first conductive material 50 is also insulated to protect the wearer of the garment . an aspect of the exemplary insulation is that thermal and electrical conductivity , from the power supply ( not shown ) to the first conductive material 50 is not transmitted to the user &# 39 ; s body tissues . referring now again to fig1 there is shown an exemplary attachable portable electronic device 100 that may be affixed to an exemplary garment . electronic device 100 is illustrated as a rectangular shaped device , however one skilled in the art should appreciate that electronic device 100 may be any suitable shape and size . an exemplary feature of the electronic device 100 is that electronic device 100 has a plurality of spring biased rectangular buttons 105 disposed on the lateral sides of the electronic device 100 . connected to buttons are a plurality of second conductive elements 110 and 115 . second conductive elements 110 and 115 are shown as rectangular cylindrical structures , however second conductive elements 110 and 115 may be any suitable shape and size to allow second conductive elements 110 and 115 to mate with the respective upper channels 14 and lower channels 12 . an exemplary feature of the second conductive elements 110 and 115 is that second conductive elements 110 and 115 protrude through the respective edges 20 , insulation and / or seal and interface or otherwise mate with at least one first conductive element 50 to provide electrical power to electronic device 100 . one skilled in the art should appreciate that second conductive elements 110 and 115 are made from any suitable electrically conductive material , such as for example a copper wire , a metal , a conductive polymer , a metal coated carbon fiber , a doped fiber a metallic fiber , a wire , or any combination thereof . a plurality of spring members 120 are disposed along the length of the second conductive elements 110 and 115 . however , any other suitable method for biasing second conductive elements 110 and 115 may be utilized and incorporated into the present invention . referring now to fig2 as can be understood from the drawings there is shown the sliding track 10 with electronic device 100 receiving electrical power from the first conductive element 50 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , electronic device 100 has a contact 150 for a connection with ground . contact 150 is disposed in the interior of electronic device 100 , however it should be appreciated that contact 150 may be disposed in any suitable location in electronic device 100 for grounding electronic device 100 . it should be appreciate by one skilled in the art that a user may depress buttons 105 by imparting an axial force to at least one or both buttons 105 on the exterior surface of electronic device 100 . in this manner , second conductive elements 110 and 115 extend laterally in the direction toward sliding track 10 . one skilled in the art should appreciate that the second conductive elements 110 and 115 protrude through the channel edges 20 , insulation and / or seal and contact or otherwise communicate with the at least one first conductive element 50 . in this manner , the power from mobile power supply ( not shown ) is directed through first conductive element 50 to the second conductive elements 110 and 115 . in an illustrative embodiment of the present invention , the second conductive elements 110 and 115 contact and supply electrical power to electronic device 100 to operate electronic device 100 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , the electronic device 100 may be any suitable product 100 that utilizes electric power such as a computing device , a semiconductor , a sensor for monitoring physical aspects of the wearer , a mobile telephone , a mobile information infrastructure or any other suitable portable electronic device that may be attached to a garment and add beneficial qualities to the wearer and user . referring to fig3 and fig4 there is provided a respective top view and a cross sectional side view of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention for illustration purposes only . as can be understood from the drawings slider track 10 is stitched to the garment by knit operation 40 . however , any known methods in the art for attaching slider track 10 to a garment may be utilized including for example an adhesive , a hook and loop operation and / or bonding . as can be further understood from fig3 the electronic device 100 has buttons 105 that extend and protrude outward from the exterior lateral sides of electronic device 100 . it should also be appreciated that buttons 105 may be place in any suitable location disposed on electronic device 100 for allowing the second conductive elements 110 and 115 to mate with the respective pair of first channels 14 and second channels 12 . buttons 105 allow respective pair of second conductive elements 110 and 115 to interface with first conductive element 50 and transfer electrical power from first conductive element 50 to second conductive elements 110 and 115 to electronic device 100 for operational purposes . it should be also appreciated by one skilled in the art , that electronic device 100 may slide , glide or otherwise traverse vertically up and down the face of the garment in substantially parallel relation to first conductive element 50 , on sliding track 10 without a short circuit or interruption of power . an exemplary aspect of the sliding track 10 is that the sealing and / or insulation of the respective first channels 14 and respective second channels 12 is not disturbed by the sliding movement of the electronic device 100 . respective first channels 14 and respective second channels 12 are fabricated such that perspiration , fluid or moisture does not at any time enter the respective first channels 14 and respective second channels 12 to interrupt the transfer of power from first conductive material 50 to electronic device 100 . referring to fig5 there is provided a cross sectional view of another exemplary embodiment of the present invention . an adapter 310 or intermediate element is provided . adapter 310 may be formed as a rectangular structure . disposed on the bottom side of adapter 310 are a number of third conductive elements 320 . a strip 200 may also include a first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 disposed on the top side of the strip 200 . an exemplary aspect of the first protective element 300 and the second protective element 305 is that the respective first protective element 300 and the second protective element 305 overlay and provide a seal and / or insulation to the first conductive element 50 disposed within the strip 200 . in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , a number of third conductive elements 320 are disposed on the bottom side of an adapter 310 . one skilled in the art should appreciate , that any number of third conductive elements 320 may be used to transmit a suitable amount of power through adapter 310 to an exemplary electronic device ( not shown ). third conductive elements 320 interface with first conductive element 50 to provide power to an exemplary electronic device ( not shown ). first conductive element 50 may be disposed in any suitable location in a flexible strip 200 . strip 200 may be a rectangular shaped thermally non - conductive and electrically non - conductive structure that houses the first conductive element 50 . an exemplary feature of the first conductive element 50 is that the first conductive element 50 is in spaced relation and adjacent to a first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 . first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 mate with one another to act as a seal and insulator . in this manner , the first protective element 300 and the second protective element 305 prevent moisture , perspiration and / or fluid from entering and interrupting the flow of power through the first conductive element 50 disposed in the strip 200 . an exemplary feature of the first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 is that the respective first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 are a substantially rectangular in shape . the respective first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 include a connection point having a male and female member disposed therebetween to allow the respective first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 to interface with respect to one another . the respective first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 are selectively attached to strip 200 that houses the first conductive element 50 . the respective first protective element 300 and second protective element 305 extend outward from strip 200 and are of a suitable width to fit within a pair of arcuate channels 120 , 130 that are disposed on adapter 310 . it should be appreciated by one skilled in the art , that strip 200 may be connected or otherwise stitched to the garment . a number of third conductive elements 320 are electrically connected through adapter 10 by wires to an exemplary socket or interface 205 disposed on the top surface of the adapter 10 . top surface of the adapter 10 includes an aperture 210 for allowing the respective plurality of second conductive elements ( not shown ) disposed on an exemplary electronic device to connect with socket 205 so electronic device may receive power when electronic device is disposed on top of adapter 310 . referring to fig6 there is provided a top view of the present invention . as can be understood from the drawings , the respective first channel 120 and the second channel 130 are curvilinear in shape . first channel 120 and second channel 130 allow first protective element 300 and a second protective element 305 to spread apart with respect to one another and pass therethrough . in this manner , an exemplary electronic device 100 may transverse strip 200 disposed on garment . as can be further understood from the drawings , an electronic device may be disposed on the socket 210 on the top surface of the adapter 310 . strip 200 is made from a suitable thermally and electrically non - conductive material . strip 200 may be attached by a knit operation to an exemplary garment . referring to fig7 there is provided a cross sectional view along line aa of the adapter 310 . as can be understood from the drawings , the strip 200 has the respective first protective element 300 and second protective element 305 disposed on the top surface of strip 200 . in this manner , first protective element 300 and second protective element 305 are spread apart . first protective element 300 and second protective element 305 pass through the respective first channel 120 and second channel 130 in the curvilinear fashion as adapter 310 traverses the strip 200 . along line a - a , the first channel 120 and second channel 130 intersect to form a sole unified channel . after adapter 310 passes over a portion of the strip 200 the curvilinear channels 120 , 130 direct first protective element 300 to mate with second protective element 305 as shown in fig7 . the first protective element 300 mates with second protective element 305 as shown in fig7 thereby allowing the strip 200 to seal and encapsulate the respective at least one first conductive element 50 disposed therein . one skilled in the art should appreciate first protective element 300 and second protective element 305 in the closed position as shown in fig7 are suitable to prevent moisture , perspiration and fluid from entering therein so that uninterrupted power may be transferred from a power supply ( not shown ) to the exemplary electronic device 100 . the present invention having been thus described with particular reference to the preferred forms thereof , it will be obvious that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims .	0
the present invention will now be described on the basis of embodiments thereof in which the present invention is used for a system for managing the quality of network communication services , and with reference to the accompanying drawings . fig3 is a construction diagram of the service management system in a first embodiment of the present invention . a provider a gives ip telephone services to a user b having plural positions . a system 301 of the provider a includes a provider service network 305 adapted to supply ip telephone services ; a management data transfer network 304 adapted to take and give management data from and to a network unit by using a protocol , such as snmp : a network management system 303 adapted to monitor and control the network condition ; a service management system 302 including a service quality management module 101 adapted to monitor the service condition in cooperation with the network management system 303 ; a trouble management system 312 adapted to carry out service trouble relieving and service restoring steps and deal with user &# 39 ; s complaints ; a billing system 313 adapted to impose service charge on the user , demand payment of service charge from the user and collect service charge ; and a service order system 314 adapted to receive a user &# 39 ; s request for the provider &# 39 ; s presentation of services . a system of the user b includes a head office system 306 , a branch office 1 system 307 and a branch office 2 system 308 . the head office system 306 and the two branch office systems 307 , 308 are connected to access nodes 310 , which are provided in the provider &# 39 ; s service network , by using voip ( voice over ip ) gateways 309 provided on the side of the user . this enables the head office and branch offices of user b to talk over the telephone with each other by using voip terminals 311 network - connected to the voip gateways 309 . fig2 is a construction diagram of hardware which can be used for attaining this system . a service quality management module 101 shown in fig1 can be formed on a computer provided with hardware including a cpu 201 , a memory 202 , an input - output interface 203 , a display 204 , an input unit 205 , a storage 206 and a network unit 207 . in this hardware , the service quality management module 101 is stored in the memory 202 , and materialized as a process . the service quality management module 101 is connected to an external management system 209 ( 106 - 109 in fig1 ) via the network unit 207 . the system 301 of the provider a is formed of such functional blocks as shown in fig1 . the system 301 includes the service quality management module 101 attaining the service management system 302 according to the present invention , a network management functional module 106 , a service order functional module 107 , a trouble management functional module 108 , and a billing functional module 109 which are external modules . the network management functional module 106 is mounted on the network management system 303 , the service order functional module 107 on the service order system 314 , the trouble management functional module 108 on the trouble management system 312 , and the billing module 109 on the billing system 313 respectively . the service quality management module 101 is formed of a service quality management model defining block 102 , a service quality management model storage block 103 , a service quality calculation and evaluation block 104 , and a service condition monitoring block 105 . the service quality management model defining block 102 provides an input screen for a service quality evaluation model , service configuration , and service availability evaluation policy ( which will hereinafter be referred to as “ sa evaluation policy ”), and controls inputs and outputs into and from the screen . the service quality evaluation model shows the standards on the basis of which a user evaluates the services supplied by a provider . a user inputs a signal into a service quality evaluation model input screen ( which will hereinafter be referred to simply as “ model input screen ”) 10221 shown in fig1 . on the model input screen 10221 shown in fig1 , input fields for a customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10222 , a kind 10223 of services , a service class 10224 , a speech delay 10225 , a degrading coefficient 10226 thereof , a usable number 10227 of calling channels , a degrading coefficient 10228 thereof , service supply starting date and time 10229 and service quality intervals 10230 are displayed , and this model input screen receives an input from the user . the customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10222 represents a number for identifying a contract directly . the kind 10223 of services represents the kind of services provided . in this embodiment , voip is selected . other kinds of services include edi service and e - mail . the service class 10224 indicates a class of service , and , in this embodiment , “ normal ” is selected . other service classes include band width assurance . the speech delay 10225 and usable number 10227 of calling channels are service evaluation items . the service evaluation items include a disuse ratio of cells , which a user can select . the degrading coefficients 10226 , 10228 are coefficients representing the degree of deterioration of a service level on the side of a user . a value of this degree of deterioration is determined by a user . the service supply starting date and time 10229 are service starting date and time desired by a user . the service quality evaluation intervals 10230 represent time intervals at which a service quality evaluation process which will be described later is carried out . in each of the service evaluation items , three grades of evaluation levels are set . concerning the speech delay in this embodiment , a level 1 means a range ( 10225 a ) of 0 - 150 ms , a level 2 a range ( 10225 b ) of 150 - 400 ms and a level 3 a range ( 10225 c ) of not lower than 400 ms . the degrading coefficient 10226 is inputted as 0 . 5 ( 10226 a ) when the level changes from the level 1 to the level 2 , and as 0 . 1 ( 10226 b ) when the level changes from the level 1 to the level 3 . inputting the degrading coefficient of 0 . 5 when the level changes from the level 1 to the level 2 means to a user who wants to receive the service of the level 1 that the value of the service which the user practically receives decreases 0 . 5 times in the level 2 . the above - mentioned inputted information is stored on a service quality evaluation model defining table 10301 shown in fig1 and a service evaluation item table 10321 shown in fig1 . the service quality evaluation model defining table 10301 is formed of a customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10302 , the kind of services 10303 , a service class 10304 , the name of service group ( only when a service group is defined ) 10305 , a weighting coefficient ( only when a service group is defined ) for the evaluation of the service group 10306 , names of service evaluation items 10307 - 10309 , service supply starting date and time 10310 , and service quality evaluation intervals 10311 . concerning the customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10302 , the kind of services 10303 , service class 10304 , names of service evaluation items 10307 - 10309 , service supply starting date and time 10310 and service quality evaluation intervals 10311 , values inputted from the model input screen 10221 are stored . the name of a service group 10305 and weighting coefficient for the evaluation of service group 10306 will be described in a second embodiment . a service evaluation item table 10321 of fig1 holds information concerning the service evaluation items out of a service quality evaluation model . namely , this table holds a range value ( for example , “ 0 - 150 ms ”) ( 10323 - 10325 ) of an evaluation level and a degrading coefficient ( for example , “ 0 . 5 ”) ( 10326 - 10328 ) for a service level decrease from a level 1 to some other level with respect to the name ( for example , “ speech delay ”) of one service evaluation item . concerning the name of each service evaluation item , the name displayed on the model input screen 10221 is stored . concerning the ranges ( 10225 a - c , 10227 a - c ) of the evaluation level values and degrading coefficients ( 10226 a and b , 10228 a and b ), what are inputted from the model input screen are stored under the corresponding items . since one record is formed under one service evaluation item , two records are formed in the example of fig1 . a service configuration input screen 10381 shown in fig1 displays thereon input field of a customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10302 , a name of service 10382 , a kind of service calculation 10383 , service calculation conditions 10384 and the name 10385 of a sa evaluation policy respectively . the kind of service calculation 10383 indicates a unit for the calculation of service availability . on this screen , either the kind of service or a unit group ( which can be selected only when a service group is set ) can be selected ( 10383 a , 10383 b ). the service calculation conditions 10384 indicate the range of data to which the calculation of the service availability is directed . on this screen , either one of the quality evaluation interval unit and an accumulated total from the service supply starting time can be selected ( 10384 a , 10384 b ). the details of a method of utilizing the kind of service calculation and service calculation condition will be described later . a user inputs signals into this screen concerning all services the supply of which the user receives . the service configuration inputted during this time is stored by the name of services on the service configuration table 10331 . the service configuration table 10331 shown in fig1 has the customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10302 , the name of service 1 103382 , the kind 10333 of service 1 calculation , service 1 calculation condition 10334 , and the name 10335 of sa evaluation policy 1 . when there are plural services on the same customer &# 39 ; s contract number , they are stored ( 10336 - 10343 ) continuously by the same format . the sa evaluation policy is an evaluation standard for the service availability calculated by the procedure which will be described later . the sa evaluation policy is inputted by a user into the service availability evaluation policy input screen ( which will hereinafter be referred to simply as “ evaluation policy input screen ”) 10241 shown in fig1 . the service availability represents an index indicative of the degree of a user &# 39 ; s satisfaction concerning the service quality , which is expressed by a numerical value between 0 and 1 . when the numerical value comes closer to 1 , the service quality becomes higher , which indicates that the degree of the user &# 39 ; s satisfaction is high . when the numerical value comes closer to 0 , the service quality becomes lower , which indicates that the degree of the user &# 39 ; s satisfaction is low . the evaluation policy input screen 10241 is provided with a display field for the customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10222 , degree of satisfaction restoring measures 10242 and names ( 10243 - 10245 ) of services , and an input field for measures execution threshold values ( 10243 - 10245 ) by the kind of services . the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 10242 are measures to be taken by a provider so as to restore the degree of a user &# 39 ; s satisfaction when the service availability decreases with the degree of the user &# 39 ; s satisfaction at a low level . the measures include , for example , the issuance of trouble tickets and the compensation of service charge . the service names ( 10243 - 10245 ) are displayed with reference to those ( 10332 , 10336 , 10340 ) on the service configuration table 10331 . the measures execution threshold values ( 10243 - 10245 ) represent threshold values set so as to take the degree of satisfaction restoring measures when the service availability decreases to a level lower than the threshold values . namely , the above - mentioned measures are taken when the service availability becomes lower than the measures execution threshold values . in an example of fig1 , “ demand for the issuance of trouble tickets ” ( measures execution threshold value : 0 . 95 ) 10243 a and “ customer &# 39 ; s demand that the service charge be compensated ” ( measures execution threshold value : 0 . 75 ) 10243 c are inputted as the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 10242 with respect to the name “ sa1 - int ” 10243 of service . the measures of “ performance report to a customer ” are not executed since a measures execution threshold value therefor is not yet set ( n / a ) 10243 b . the sa evaluation policy inputted in this example is held in the service quality management model storage block 103 , and stored in the sa evaluation policy table 10351 shown in fig1 . the sa evaluation policy table 10351 has a name of evaluation policy 10352 , a decision whether the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 1 should be applied or not 10353 ( true or false ), and a threshold value for the execution of the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 1 10354 . when there are plural evaluation policies for the same customer &# 39 ; s contract number , they are stored continuously by the same format ( 10355 - 10358 ). in the example of fig1 , “ sa1 - int ” for the name of evaluation policy 10352 , “ true ” for the decision whether the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 1 should be applied or not 10353 , “ lower than 0 . 95 ” for the threshold value for executing the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 1 10354 , “ false ” for a decision whether the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 2 should be applied or not 10355 , “ n / a ” for a threshold value for executing the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 2 10354 , “ true ” for a decision whether the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 3 should be applied or not , and “ lower than 0 . 75 ” for a threshold value for executing the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 3 are stored in the form of one record . in order to start supplying services by using this system of the above - described constitution , a user b and a provider a make a contract ( service level agreement ) with each other concerning the service quality . the contract may be made not only by writing or by word of mouth but also in a manner in which a terminal provided on a head office system of the user b is connected to the customers &# 39 ; service management system 302 of the provider a by utilizing an internet 316 as a communication line to thereby input data necessary for the contract by an on - line system . the procedure for making such a contract will now be described , and the procedure for managing the services for customers by this system will thereafter be described . fig5 is a flow chart showing a flow of a process as a whole carried out in this system . prior to the starting of supplying new services , the user inputs a service quality evaluation model by using the model input screen 10221 given by the service quality management model defining block 102 . the contents of what are thus inputted are stored ( 10101 ) in the service quality evaluation model defining table 10301 held in the service quality management model storage block 103 . the detailed procedure for inputting the service quality evaluation model will be described with reference to fig6 and 11 . first , the user selects ( 10201 ) the service evaluation items . in this example , the speech delay 10225 and usable number of calling channels 10227 are selected . the level classification by the ranges of measurement values is carried out with respect to each of the selected service evaluation items , and the results are inputted as evaluation levels into 10225 a - 10225 c . in this example , the levels 1 - 3 ( 10225 c , 10225 b , 10225 a ) of speech delay are inputted as “ 0 - 150 ms ”, “ 150 - 400 ms ”, “ not lower than 400 ms ” respectively . this means that the user expressed the user &# 39 ; s desire to receive the supply of services of the level 1 , which is determined as a standard evaluation level . the degrading coefficients used when the standard evaluation level changes are then determined and inputted ( 10202 ). in this example , a degrading coefficient 10226 a used when the standard evaluation coefficient changes to the level 2 , and a degrading coefficient 10226 b used when the standard evaluation level changes to the level 3 are inputted as 0 . 5 and 0 . 1 respectively . the steps ( 10201 - 10202 ) are repeatedly carried out ( 10203 ) with respect to all of the services the supplying of which were requested , until this model has been defined . when there are service groups having common network resources ( 10204 ), the user defines ( 10205 ) a weighting coefficient for evaluating plural services having the network resources in common . since there are no service groups in this example , this step is not carried out . the inputted service quality evaluation model is stored on the service quality evaluation model defining table 10301 and service evaluation item table 10321 which are held in the service quality management model storage block 103 , to finish ( 10206 ) the service quality evaluation model inputting process . when the service quality evaluation model inputting process finishes , the service configuration inputting screen 10381 is displayed . the procedure for carrying out the service configuration inputting process ( 10102 ) will be described with reference to fig1 and 20 . first , a name of service is inputted ( 10601 ) as a name of the service quality evaluation model inputted latest . in this example , the service model is named “ sa - lint ”. the kind of service calculation and service calculation conditions are selected ( 10602 , 10603 ). in this example , “ the kind of service ” and “ interval unit ” are selected respectively . finally , a name of the sa evaluation policy is inputted ( 10604 ). the inputted service configuration is stored on the service configuration table 10331 held in the service quality management model storage block 103 , to finish the service configuration inputting process . when the inputting of the service configuration finishes , the sa evaluation policy inputting screen 10241 is displayed . the procedure for inputting ( 10103 ) the sa evaluation policy will be described with reference to fig7 and 13 . the user selects the degree of satisfaction restoring measures 10242 ( 10211 ) with respect to the names 10243 - 10245 of services . in this example , a demand for the issuance of trouble tickets 10242 a , a performance report to the user 10242 b and a demand that the service charge be compensated for the user 10242 c are selected and displayed . the threshold values for executing measures are inputted ( 10212 ) as conditions for executing the selected measures in 10243 a - c , 10244 a - c and 10245 a - c . the sa evaluation policy is set for each service or service group defined in the service quality evaluation model . therefore , the steps 10211 - 10212 are carried out repeatedly ( 10213 ) until the evaluation policies for all services have been set . the inputted sa evaluation policies are stored on the sa evaluation policy table 10351 held in the service quality management model storage block 103 , to finish the sa evaluation policy inputting process . the steps described up to now constitute the process carried out when a contract is made . the acceptance of the inputted conditions by the provider a means the arrival at the service level agreement . from this time on , the provider a has the duty to supply services to the user in accordance with the contents of the agreement . the procedure for managing the services supplied to the user in this system will now be described . the service condition monitoring block 104 in the service management system 302 transmits service evaluation items and a range of measurement value evaluation levels to the network management module 106 in the network management system 303 , and gives instructions to carry out a network monitoring operation ( 10104 ). the counting of the time is then done so as to determine the quality evaluation intervals , by using a time counter . after the time counter ( not shown ) is cleared , the counting of the time during which services are supplied starts being done ( 10105 ). the network management module 106 starts monitoring the network in accordance with the service evaluation items and evaluation level received from the service condition monitoring block 104 . the network management module 106 determines evaluation levels to which the measurement data concerning different service evaluation items belong respectively . every time the transition of the level is detected , the transition of the level is issued as a notification of event . the events may be notified periodically at predetermined time intervals . an event notified includes service evaluation items , and , an evaluation level and a time stamp at the notification time . the service condition monitoring block 104 is adapted to monitor ( 10106 ) the condition of the network on the basis of an event notified by the network management module 106 . the details of the procedure of this monitoring operation will be described with reference to fig8 . the service condition monitoring block 104 receives ( 10401 ) a level transition notifying event from the network management module 106 . an after - transition evaluation level is identified ( 10402 ) on the basis of the received event , and the event added ( 10403 ) to a level transition hysteresis table held in the service quality management model storage block 103 . the level transition hysteresis table 10411 shown in fig1 has a customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10302 , a service evaluation item 10303 ( for example , “ speech delay ”), an evaluation level 10412 ( for example , “ level 2 ”) notified by an event 1 , and a time stamp 10413 of the event 1 . second and later hysteresis data with respect to the same customer &# 39 ; s contract number are stored ( 10414 - 10417 ) continuously by the same format . the network monitoring operation continues to be carried out while services are supplied . the service quality calculation and evaluation block 105 monitors ( 10107 ) the service supply time counted by the counter , as to whether or not the service supply time exceeds the time specified by the quality evaluation interval . when the service supply time exceeds the quality evaluation interval , the service availability is calculated ( 10108 ) for every service defined in the quality evaluation model , on the basis of the contents of what are held in the level transition hysteresis table 10411 . the details of the procedure of the process will be described later . the service quality calculation and evaluation block 105 evaluates the service quality ( 10109 ) on the basis of the calculated service availability and sa evaluation policy held on the sa evaluation policy table 10351 . the details of the procedure of the process will be described . the steps 10105 - 10109 of fig5 are carried out repeatedly while the services continue to be supplied , and the measurement , calculation and evaluation of the service quality based on the service level agreement are thereby carried out ( 10110 ). the detailed procedure for calculating the service availability will be described with reference to fig9 . first , whether the service availability per evaluation interval is calculated or the service availability accumulated from the service supply starting time is calculated with reference to service 1 calculation conditions 10334 on the service configuration table 10331 , is determined ( 10501 ). a case where the calculations are made for every interval is now taken as an example , and a description of such a case will be given . the service quality calculation and evaluation block 105 takes out ( 10502 ) the contained data during the time corresponding to the quality evaluation interval actually measured , from the level transition hysteresis data 10411 held in the service condition monitoring block 104 . a service quality evaluation model corresponding to the relative service is obtained with reference to the service quality evaluation model defining table 10301 , and the service availability is calculated ( 10503 ). the service availability is determined by the following equation . sa = σ ( time during which a service level is held × degrading coefficient )÷ evaluation interval ( 1 ) when there are plural service evaluation items , this equation is applied to all of the evaluation items , and a product of the calculated service availability is determined , the product being used as a value of the availability of the relative service . the service availability determining method is not limited to this method . the lowest value of service availability among the values of service availability concerning all service evaluation items may be used as a value of availability of the relative service , or a value of service availability may be determined by carrying out a weighting operation with respect to each service evaluation item . the information is then retrieved ( 10511 ) from the sa evaluation policy table corresponding to the service , and the calculated value of the service availability and a measures execution threshold value are compared ( 10512 ) with each other concerning the quality evaluation item for which the degree of satisfaction restoring measures are set . when the value of the service availability is lower than the measures execution threshold value , the measures are executed ( 10513 ). for example , when “ the service availability calculated concerning sa1 - int is lower than 0 . 95 ”, instructions to demand that a trouble ticket be issued are given to the trouble management system 312 . when “ the service availability calculated concerning sa1 - all is lower than 0 . 7 ”, instructions to demand that the service charge be compensated for the customer are given to the billing system 313 . concerning all the values of calculated service availability , the steps 10511 - 10513 are carried out repeatedly ( 10514 ). the service quality calculation and evaluation block 105 may clarify the results of calculation of the service availability concerning a specific customer in accordance with a request made by an external management system . according to the above - described service management system , the degree of satisfaction in conformity with the circumstances of each user concerning the service quality can be determined quantitatively by employing a single index , which is called service availability , on the basis of a service quality evaluation model determined by the user . the provider can check by this system the quality of the system at any time during an operation thereof , and execute when the quality of the system lowers suitable measures at a suitable time so as to restore the degree of the user &# 39 ; s satisfaction . this enables the provider to maintain the degree of the user &# 39 ; s satisfaction at a level not lower than a predetermined level at all times , and the competitive power of the provider to be improved . according to this system , the provider becomes able to set service charge proportional to the service quality . namely , the provider can set the service charge high by promising that high - quality services will be supplied . conversely , the service quality may be lowered by reducing the service charge . employing such a service charge system has the following advantages . when a user sets the measures execution threshold value to a level near zero , the service quality lowers but the user can receive the supply of services at a correspondingly low price . on the other hand , when the user sets the measures execution threshold value to a level near one , the user can always receive high - quality services , and , even when the service quality should lower , compensation is given correspondingly . however , the service charge becomes correspondingly high . a second embodiment of the present invention will now be described . fig4 shows the construction of a system of a provider c supplying private line services having plural service classes , and that of a system of a user d utilizing the services among plural positions thereof . a system 401 of the provider c is formed of a provider &# 39 ; s service network 305 adapted to supply private line services , a management data transfer network 304 adapted to give and take management information by using a protocol , such as a snmp between itself and a network unit , a network management system 303 adapted to monitor and control the condition of the network , a service management system 302 adapted to monitor the condition of the services received by the user , in cooperation with the network management system 303 , and a service ordering system 402 adapted to manage the reception of orders for private line services . the system of the user d is formed of a head office system 403 and a branch office system 404 . an access node 406 provided in a provider &# 39 ; s service network 305 and a multiplexer 405 provided on the systems 403 , 404 are respectively connected together . the user d can therefore utilize services simultaneously by using various types of business terminals network - connected to the multiplexer 405 . in the same manner as in the first embodiment , the user makes a service level agreement with the service provider , i . e ., defines a service quality evaluation model ( group ) and a sa evaluation policy . this operation is carried out by utilizing the service quality evaluation model ( group ) input screen 10551 shown , for example , in fig1 , which displays input fields for a customer &# 39 ; s contract number 10222 , a name 10232 of a service group , the kinds 10552 , 10557 , 10560 of services , weighting coefficients 10553 , 10558 , 10562 for these services , service classes 10554 , 10559 , 10563 , service evaluation items of a usable band width 10555 , a transfer delay 10560 and an abandonment rate 10564 of cell , and degrading coefficients 10556 , 10560 , 10565 thereof . the user inputs information in all of these input fields . the weighting coefficients 10553 , 10558 , 10562 represent a relative order of precedence when there are plural kinds of services in the service group , and set so that the sum of all of the weighting coefficients becomes one . in this embodiment , plural applications ( edi service , tv meeting service and e - mail ) can be utilized at once on a common access line , and these services shall form one service group . when the user sets the weighting coefficients 10553 , 10558 , 10562 in accordance with the degree of importance of the applications in such a case , the service quality of the service group as a whole can be evaluated . when a service group having net work resources in common is defined ( 10505 ) in the service availability calculation flow shown in fig9 , the service availability of the group as a whole is determined ( 10506 ) in accordance with the following equation . sa = σ ( sa calculated for every kind of service × weighting coefficient ) ( sa : service availability ) ( 2 ) owing to the service availability thus calculated , the user can determine , for example , what point in time the service contract number should be increased or decreased , by comparing the service availability of each single kind of service with each other , or with reference to the service availability of a group on which more important business requirement , i . e . more important kind of service for the above - mentioned business is reflected . when the provider anticipates that a service quality - deteriorated condition will continue for a certain period of time , by utilizing the results of the summarization of service availability of the same kind of services , the service management system 302 can demand a temporary inhibition of the reception of orders for the same services from the service ordering system 402 . owing to the present invention described above , a service management system for obtaining a single index representing the degree of user &# 39 ; s satisfaction in which the user &# 39 ; s individual circumstances are taken into consideration , and determining the user &# 39 ; s satisfaction on the basis of the index can be attained . also , a service management system giving other existing system instructions to execute suitable measures corresponding to the degree of the user &# 39 ; s satisfaction can be attained .	7
the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings . the present invention will be detailed based on the concrete examples shown in the drawings . fig1 to 4 show a preferred embodiment of a printing system according to the present invention . fig1 shows the structure of a printing system 10 of this embodiment . in fig1 , a host computer ( data processor ) 100 and a printer ( output device ) 200 are connected by a signal line . the host computer 100 sends image data to the printer 200 to perform printing . the host computer 100 includes an application unit 101 , a printer driver unit 102 , an interface 103 , a central processing unit ( cpu ) 104 , a random - access memory ( ram ) 105 , a display 106 , a keyboard 107 and a mouse 108 . in response to an instruction of the cpu 104 , the application unit 101 manages the data and the number of pages of an original . the printer driver unit 102 receives data from the application unit 101 , and calculates the total number of print pages based on the information . the printer driver unit 102 also converts the data received from the application unit 101 into a language which a controller section 210 of the printer 200 can interpret , and adds information on the print content or the output style which the user has specified with the keyboard 107 and the mouse 108 . the interface 103 sends the converted data and the added information on the print content or the output style to the printer 200 . the printer 200 includes the controller section 210 and an engine section 220 . the controller section 210 includes an operation unit 213 , a cpu ( controller ) 211 , a ram ( memory ) 214 , a read - only memory ( rom ) 215 , and interfaces 212 . the interface 212 receives the data from the interface 103 of the host computer 100 . the cpu ( controller ) 211 analyzes the received data , reads the output style specified by the user from the ram ( memory ) 214 , and expands image data into a data format ( bit map data ) which the engine section 220 can interpret . the interface 215 sends the data to the engine section 220 . the engine section ( image forming unit ) 220 includes an interface 221 , an engine control unit 222 , and an output unit 223 . the interface 221 receives the data from the interface 215 . the output unit 223 prints the image data onto paper under the control of the engine control unit 222 . a floppy disk 300 is a program product storing software to be installed in the printer 200 . the floppy disk 300 stores a processing in the printer 200 described later with reference to fig4 . installing it in the printer 200 enables the printing system 10 to perform the processing shown in fig4 . fig2 shows examples of print contents and corresponding output styles in the present invention . for example , when the experimental result report which is a print content is specified , the output style is such that only the front cover is 1up - printed and the other pages are 2up - printed . when the meeting material is specified , the output style is such that the odd - numbered pages are printed at low resolution and the even - numbered pages are printed at high resolution . the user can specify the print content on a screen of the printer driver unit 102 of the host computer 100 by operating the keyboard 107 and the mouse 108 . print contents and corresponding output styles are previously stored in the ram 214 of the printer 200 . fig3 shows an example of output styles varying among pages in the present invention . this figure shows a screen of the printer driver unit 102 provided on the display 106 of the host computer 100 in this embodiment . the first and the second pages are 1up - printed on single - side at low resolution . the third to the tenth pages are 2up - printed on single - side at low resolution . the user can specify such output styles varying among pages on the screen of the printer driver unit 102 of the host computer 100 by operating the keyboard 107 and the mouse 108 . fig4 shows a flow chart of the control processing in the printer 200 . when the processing is started , in the controller section 210 , the interface 212 receives print data from the host computer 100 , and the data is temporarily stored in the ram 214 under the control of the cpu 211 ( steps s 100 and s 101 ). then , the cpu 211 analyzes the data in the ram 214 and the print content , shown in fig2 , specified by the user or the output styles varying among pages shown in fig3 ( step s 102 ), expands the print data into bit map data in accordance with the corresponding output style ( step s 103 ), and sends the data from the interface 215 to the interface 221 of the engine section 220 ( step s 104 ). in the engine section 220 , when the print data is received , the print data is sent to the output unit 223 under the control of the engine control unit 222 ( step s 105 ) and printing is performed ( step s 106 ). then , the processing is ended . fig5 ( a ) to 5 ( c ) show original image data and examples of outputs produced when output styles varying among pages are specified . fig5 ( a ) shows original image data where all of the first to the tenth pages are 1up - printed . fig5 ( b ) shows an output produced when the 1up printing is specified as the output style of the first and the second pages and the 2up printing is specified as the output style of the third to the tenth pages . fig5 ( c ) shows an output produced when the 1up printing is specified as the output style of the first and the tenth pages and the 4up printing is specified as the output style of the second to the ninth pages . while a printing system according to the embodiment has been described , it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above - described embodiment ; each of the memory , the specifying unit and the controller may be provided in either of the data processor and the output device . for example , all of the memory , the specifying unit and the controller may be provided in the printer 200 . in this case , a plurality of output styles corresponding to print contents are stored in the ram 214 of the printer 200 . the cpu 211 converts the image data into the output style corresponding to the print content specified with the operation unit 213 , and image formation is performed based on the converted data . as another example , all of the memory , the specifying unit and the controller may be provided in the host computer 100 . in this case , a plurality of output styles corresponding to print contents are stored in the ram ( memory ) 105 of the host computer 100 . the cpu ( controller ) 104 converts the image data into the output style corresponding to the print content specified by the printer driver unit ( specifying unit ) 102 , and image formation is performed based on the converted data . further , the software on the floppy disk 300 may be installed in the host computer 100 to enable the printing system 10 to perform the processing shown in fig4 . while any data processor that processes signals to output image data may be used , a host computer is generally used . the number of data processors may be either one or more than one . any output device that is capable of image formation may be used ; for example , a printer or a copier may be used . the number of output devices may be either one or more than one . the data processor and the output device may be connected by any means ; for example , they may be connected by a network line . the output device has an ejection bin . the number of ejection bins may be either one or more than one . although the present invention has been fully described by way of examples with reference to the accompanying drawings , it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art . therefore , unless such changes and modifications depart from the scope of the present invention , they should be construed as being included therein .	1
fig1 shows an essentially rotationally symmetrical fuel injection nozzle in a first embodiment wherein a nozzle body 2 is tensioned against a nozzle holder 6 by a union nut 4 . in a first guide bore 8 in the nozzle body 2 a valve needle 10 is displaceable mounted in the axial direction . at its front end , the valve needle 10 is provided with an essentially conical tip which cooperates with the valve seat in the nozzle body 2 which has a plurality of injection ports ( not shown ). in a central area the guide bore 8 is widened to form a pressure chamber 12 in which the valve needle 10 has a pressure shoulder 14 . the pressure chamber 12 is connected to a high - pressure inlet bore ( not shown ) implemented in the nozzle body 2 and via which fuel is fed under high pressure to the pressure chamber 12 . the nozzle holder 6 has a second guide bore 9 whose longitudinal axis is in line with the longitudinal axis of the first guide bore 8 in the nozzle body 2 . there is additionally implemented in the walls of the nozzle holder 6 a high - pressure inlet bore ( not shown ) which is connected to the high - pressure inlet bore in the nozzle body 2 in order to feed in fuel . there is provided in the second guide bore 9 in the nozzle holder 6 a pressure pin 16 that can be displaced axially and which is in active connection with a drive ( not shown ) which applies a required holding pressure to the pressure pin 16 . this drive can be provided electromagnetically or piezoelectrically or even by means of a spring mechanism . the pressure pin 16 acts on the valve needle 10 via an interposed transmission body 18 , the valve needle 10 , the pressure pin 16 and the transmission body 18 being disposed in axial alignment in order to achieve good power transmission . in the front area of the second guide bore 9 there is implemented a spring chamber 20 in which a spring force adjustment disk 21 is disposed . on the 21 spring force adjustment disk , a helical spring 22 is supported at one end . the other end of the helical spring 22 cooperates with an end face of the transmission body 18 , said helical spring 22 being designed in such a way that , in the unpressurized state when no fuel pressure is present in the pressure chamber of the nozzle body 2 , it presses the valve needle 10 , via the transmission body 18 , against the valve seat in the nozzle body 2 , thereby preventing fuel from being injected . a disk - shaped stop element 26 is inserted between opposite end faces of the nozzle holder 6 and of the nozzle body 2 , said stop element 26 having a central feed - through 28 through which the transmission body 18 protrudes sectionally as the active connection between the pressure pin 16 and the valve needle 10 . the stop element 26 is of annular form and fastened via fixing bores 32 to the nozzle holder 6 on the one hand and to the nozzle body 2 on the other . the stop element 26 has a first , upper sealing surface 30 which bears on a nozzle holder section 23 on the end face of the nozzle holder 6 , and a second , lower sealing surface 31 which bears on a nozzle body section 24 on the end face of the nozzle body 2 . the nozzle holder section 23 and the nozzle body section 24 in each case form sealing surfaces which cooperate with the sealing surfaces 30 , 31 on the end faces of the stop element 26 , the nozzle union nut 4 which engages a shoulder of the nozzle body 2 and presses the nozzle body 2 axially in the direction of the nozzle holder 6 , providing axial pretensioning of the nozzle holder 6 , of the stop element 26 and of the nozzle body 2 against one another , thereby producing a high contact pressure at their end faces . this means that the high - pressure inlet bores as well as the guide bores 8 , 9 and the feed - through 28 are reliably sealed against each other and to the outside . at its end opposite the transmission body 18 , the valve needle 10 has a stop 34 . in the idle position the valve needle 10 is seated on the valve seat because of the holding pressure acting via the pressure pin 16 on the transmission body 18 and the valve needle 10 and closes the injection ports so that no fuel is injected into the internal combustion engine . if the fuel pressure which is present in the pressure chamber 12 of the guide bore 8 and which acts on the pressure shoulder 14 on the valve needle 10 exceeds the holding pressure acting on the valve needle 10 via the pressure pin 16 and the transmission body 18 , the valve needle 10 lifts from the valve seat and moves axially against the pressure pin 16 and the transmission body 18 until the stop 34 of the valve needle 10 strikes the stop element 26 , thereby limiting the maximum travel of the valve needle 10 . this maximum travel essentially determines the amount of fuel injected via the injection ports . the stop element 26 disposed between the end face 23 of the nozzle holder 6 and the end face 24 of the nozzle body 2 provides a simple means of meeting the required tolerances for the maximum travel . the stop element 26 can be manufactured as a simple turned part , e . g . made of hardened steel , the bilateral end faces of the stop element 26 being implemented as sealing surfaces 30 , 31 having at least one cutout ( not shown in fig1 ). by means of the cutouts , a surface area of the sealing surfaces 30 , 31 is reduced and the sealing effect is increased . fig2 shows a plan view of a stop element 26 of a fuel injection nozzle . fig2 provides a top view of the upper , first sealing surface 30 of the stop element 26 . the stop element 26 has at its center the feed - through 28 for the transmission body ( not shown in fig2 ) which protrudes through the feed - through 28 in the installed condition . additionally provided in this disk - shaped stop element 26 are two oval cutouts 36 disposed mirror - symmetrically on the sealing surface 30 . in addition , a third kidney - shaped cutout 36 is implemented in the sealing surface 30 . to attach the stop element 26 to the end faces of the nozzle holder 6 and of the nozzle body 2 , two fixing bores 32 are distributed over the sealing surface 30 . a fuel inlet bore 33 is additionally provided in the stop element 26 . in fig3 shows a sectional view of the stop element 26 shown in fig2 along the line iii — iii . as can be seen from fig3 , the cutouts 36 in the first sealing surface 30 extend all the way through the thickness of the stop element 26 from the first sealing surface 30 to the second sealing surface 31 . this extending of the cutouts 36 all the way through can be achieved quickly in a simple and precise manner by punching them out from the material of the stop element 26 . between the cutouts implemented as punchings there is provided a web 38 which provides a stop surface for the stop 34 of the valve needle 10 . fig4 illustrates a stop element 26 of a fuel injection nozzle according to a third embodiment . as can be seen from the plan view of the first sealing surface 30 of the stop element 26 , in this case an individual cutout 36 is implemented on the sealing surface 30 . the cutout 36 has a polygonal shape which is implemented evenly over the sealing surface 30 and is mirror - symmetrical about the two central axes of the essentially circular stop element 26 . two fixing bores 32 and a fuel inlet bore 33 are provided in the edge region of the stop element 26 . fig5 shows a sectional view of the stop element 26 along the line v — v according to fig4 , the cutout 36 being provided in the stop element 26 both on the upper , first sealing surface 30 and on the lower , second sealing surface 31 . in the center of the stop element 26 is the feed - through 28 for the transmission body . the cutout 36 has a predetermined axial depth h of at least 0 . 02 mm in each sealing surface 30 , 31 . each cutout 36 therefore incorporates non - bearing and therefore non - sealing surface regions 40 which are made deeper compared to the sealing surfaces 30 , 31 so that an axial height difference exists between each sealing surface 30 , 31 and the surface region 40 of the cutout 36 . fig6 shows a plan view of another embodiment of the stop element 26 wherein the four cutouts 36 are formed in the edge region of the sealing surface 30 . the cutouts 36 are in this case semicircular and disposed mirror - symmetrically about both central axes of the disk - shaped stop element 26 , the shape of the cutouts 36 according to fig4 to 6 being produced , for example , by bilateral stamping of the stop element 26 . fig7 shows a sectional view of the stop element 26 along the line vii — vii according to fig6 , the feed - through 28 extending from the first sealing surface 30 all the way through the stop element 26 to the second sealing surface 31 . the sealing surfaces 30 , 31 are raised compared to the surface regions 40 of the cutouts 36 .	5
referring to the drawing , the reference numeral 10 refers in general to a fluidized bed boiler of the present invention consisting of a front wall 12 , a rear wall 14 , and two side walls , one of which is shown by the reference numeral 16 . the upper portion of the boiler is not shown for the convenience of presentation , it being understood that it consists of a convection section , a roof and an outlet for allowing the combustion gases to discharge from the boiler , in a conventional manner . a bed of particulate material , shown in general by the reference numeral 18 , is disposed within the boiler 10 and rests on a perforated grate 20 extending horizontally in the lower portion of the boiler . the bed 18 can consist of a mixture of discrete particles of inert material and fuel material such as bituminous coal . an air plenum chamber 22 is provided immediately below the grate 20 and a pair of partitions 24 and 26 divide the upper portion of the chamber 22 into a plurality of compartments , such as the three compartments 28 , 30 , and 32 . an air inlet 34 is provided through the rear wall 14 in communication with the chamber 22 for distributing air from an external source ( not shown ) to the chamber . a pair of air dampers 36 are provided in the inlet 34 , and in each of the compartments 28 , 30 , and 32 for controlling the flow of air into the chamber and through the compartments . the dampers 36 are suitably mounted in the inlet 34 and in the compartments 28 , 30 , and 32 for pivotal movement about their centers in response to actuation of external controls ( not shown ) to vary the effective openings in the inlet and the compartments and thus control the flow of air through the inlet and the compartments . since these dampers are of a conventional design they will not be described in any further detail . three air preheat burners 40 , 42 , and 44 are mounted through the front wall 12 , the side wall 16 and the rear wall 14 , respectively , and communicate with the chambers 28 , 30 , and 32 , respectively , for preheating the air flowing through the compartments . a bed light - off burner 46 is mounted through the front wall 12 immediately above the grate 20 for initially lighting off a portion of the bed 18 during start - up . the details of the operations of the burners 40 , 42 , 44 , and 46 will be described later . a distributor , shown in general by the reference numeral 50 , is mounted relative to the upper portion of the front wall 12 and operates to distribute particulate fuel material , such as coal , into selected portions of the bed 18 during start - up . a pneumatic spreader is used for example , however , the distributor could also be mechanical . the distributor 50 includes a inlet pipe 52 for receiving the coal and feeding same , by gravity onto a distributor tray 54 which extends into the interior of the boiler 10 . the tray 54 is pivotally mounted relative to a actuating lever 56 for controlling the movement of the tray between the positions shown by the solid lines and the two positions shown by the dashed lines . a control for the pivotal movement of the tray 54 is shown in general by the reference numeral 58 and can be of any conventional type . the distributor 50 also includes an air distributor unit , shown in general by the reference numeral 60 for distributing air at a selected rate through a plurality of vanes , one of which is shown by the reference numeral 62 , to inject the air across the coal on the tray 54 . as a result the coal is distributed into portions of the interior of the boiler 10 that are determined by the position of the tray 54 . a plurality of feeders 64 , 66 , and 68 are provided through the side wall 16 immediately above the bed 18 at spaced intervals which correspond to the spacing between the compartments 28 , 30 , and 32 in the air chamber 22 . the feeders 64 , 66 , and 68 also are adapted to introduce and feed particulate coal to the bed 18 . as a result of the location of the compartments 28 , 30 , and 32 and the feeders 64 , 66 , and 68 , the bed 18 is effectively separated into three portions shown in general by the reference numerals 70 , 72 , and 74 , respectively for reasons that will be set forth in detail later . to start - up the bed 18 , the dampers 36 associated with the air inlet 34 and the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 28 are opened , while the dampers 36 associated with compartments 30 and 32 are closed . air is thus distributed upwardly through the compartment 28 and through the perforations in the grate 20 immediately above the compartment 28 and into the bed portion 70 . this loosens the particulate material in the bed portion 70 and reduces material packing and bridging . the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 28 are then closed and the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 30 are opened to introduce air into the bed portion 72 in a manner similar to that discussed above . the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 30 are then closed and the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 32 are opened to repeat the process with respect to the bed portion 74 . the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 32 are then closed and the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 28 are opened and the air preheat burner 40 is fired . the air thus passes through the compartment 28 , and is thereby preheated before it passes upwardly through the bed portion 70 , with the flow rate of the preheated air being controlled to permit fluidization of the bed portion without substantial material elutriation . when the temperature of the bed portion 70 reaches a predetermined value , such as 250 °- 300 ° f ., the light - off burner 46 is fired to further heat the material in the bed portion 70 . when the temperature of the bed portion 70 reaches a predetermined higher lever , such as 800 °- 950 ° f ., the distributor 50 is activated in a manner to move the tray 54 to its lowermost position as shown by the dashed lines , and to turn on the air distributor 60 to distribute the particulate fuel from the inlet pipe 52 into the upper portion of the bed portion 70 . when the fluidized bed portion 70 reaches a further elevated predetermined temperature , such as 1200 ° f ., the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 30 are opened and the air preheat burner 42 is fired so that the bed portion 72 is fluidized with preheated air . due to presence of the preheated air , and the lateral mixing of the bed portion 72 with the bed portion 70 , the temperature of the bed portion 72 will rise rapidly and , when it reaches approximately 800 °- 900 ° f ., the position of the tray 54 of the distributor 50 will be adjusted to include distribution of the particulate coal to the upper portion of the bed portion 72 in addition to the bed portion 70 , as described above . when the fluidized bed portion 72 reaches the predetermined elevated temperature , which in the above example is 1200 ° f ., the bed portion 72 is fluidized by opening the dampers 36 associated with the compartment 32 and firing the air preheat burner 44 . the position of the tray 54 is then adjusted so that the particulate coal is also distributed to the bed portion 74 . after all three of the beds have been fluidized and have reached the predetermined elevated temperature of 1200 ° f . in the foregoing manner , the air preheaters 40 , 42 , and 44 , as well as the light - off burner 46 are turned off and the individual feeders 64 , 66 , and 68 extending immediately above the bed portions 70 , 72 , and 74 , respectively , can be activated to distribute particulate fuel directly to the upper portion of these beds . when the these fluidized bed portions reach a final desired temperature , such as 1550 ° f ., the relative precise control of the feed rate and accuracy of the distribution of the fuel material afforded by the distributor 50 is no longer needed , and the latter can be shut down and the final bed temperature can be controlled by controlling the rate of feed of the feeders 64 , 66 , and 68 . it is thus seen that the present invention provides an effective yet simple method of starting up a fluidized bed with a minimum of damage to the particulate material , while avoiding the costs associated with a partitioned type boiler . it is understood that if the boiler is used for the purpose of steam generation , a plurality of heat exchange tubes carrying the fluid to be heated , such as water , will be routed through the interior of the boiler in a conventional manner with these tubes being omitted in the drawing for the convenience of presentation . a latitude of modification , change and substitution is intended in the foregoing disclosure and in some instances some features of the invention will be employed without a corresponding use of other features . accordingly , it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the spirit and scope of the invention herein .	5
in fig2 a housing 501 is composed of a cylindrical metal body . the upper half portion of the housing 501 has a hexagonal section and the lower half portion thereof is provided with a screw portion 501a in its outer periphery . a sensing body 1 is inserted into the housing 501 . the sensing body 1 is composed of a cylindrical body having a closed upper end and an open lower end . the peripheral edge of the open lower end is welded to the inner edge of an opening of the housing 501 . the sensing body 1 is made of fe - ni - co alloy having a low coefficient of thermal expansion . the central portion of the closed upper end surface of the sensing body 1 is formed into a thin - walled diaphragm 11 for receiving pressure . a semiconductor chip 4 is bonded to the upper surface of the diaphragm 11 by a bonding structure as described later . the semiconductor chip 4 is connected to electrodes formed on a ring - shaped ceramic substrate 502 provided on the upper surface of the housing 501 so as to surround the semiconductor chip 4 , by way of lead wires 503 . a ceramic substrate 504 on which an ic circuit for processing signals is formed is disposed above the semiconductor chip 4 . the ic circuit is connected to the electrodes formed on the substrate 502 through pins 505 which support the substrate 504 . a cylindrical cover 506 is bonded to the outer peripheral edge of the upper surface of the housing 501 , and a lead holder 507 is closely fit in an upper opening of the cover 506 . a lead wire 508 extends from the substrate 504 to the outside of the sensor , penetrating the lead holder 507 . in fig2 reference numeral 509 denotes a seal ring , 510 , 511 denote seal resins , and 512 denotes a push ring for the seal ring 509 . the semiconductor chip 4 is provided with p - type semiconductor strain gauge elements 41 , 42 , 43 , and 44 which are formed at four points on a silicon ( si ) substrate surface by doping boron ( b ) as shown in fig3 . the strain gauge elements 41 and 43 are positioned just above the center of the diaphragm 11 while strain gauge elements 42 and 44 are placed just above the peripheral portion of the diaphragm 11 . these elements 41 to 44 are connected to each other through electrode leads ( not shown ) formed on the silicon substrate to form a full bridge as shown in fig4 . the bonding structure of the semiconductor chip 4 and the sensing body 1 is shown in fig1 . in fig1 the portion encircled by a circle a shown in fig2 is enlarged . the whole upper surface of the sensing body 1 is oxidized to form an oxide layer 2 . then , the semiconductor chip 4 is bonded on the oxide layer 2 through a low melting point glass layer 3 . the bonding strength in bonding portions of the bonding structure shown in fig1 is measured by a tensile test , the results being shown in fig5 and 6 . as shown in fig5 when the surface - roughness of the sensing body 1 is 0 . 5 μm to 3 μm , good tensile strength higher than 150 kg / cm 2 can be obtained . when the depth of the oxide layer 2 is about 1 . 5 μm to 5 . 5 μm , on the other hand , sufficient bonding strength higher than 150 kg / cm 2 can be obtained as shown in fig6 . non - crystal low melting point glass containing lead oxide as a main ingredient is used as the glass layer 3 . it is preferable to form the thickness of the glass layer 3 to 40 to 60 μm ( table 1 ) and to form the particle diameter of a filler thereof to about 2 . 0 μm as an average value and about 20 μm as the maximum ( table 2 ). however , when the thickness of the glass layer 3 is larger than 60 μm , both the sensitivity and strength are drastically decreased . the thermal shock test of cooling at - 40 ° c . and heating at 120 ° c . shown in tables 1 and 2 is repeated 200 times per hour and a high pressure operation test of applying a pressure load of 200 kg / cm 2 four time per minute is repeated one million times . in tables 1 and 2 , &# 34 ; 0 &# 34 ; denotes that no drift occurs in the output signals from the semiconductor chip after these tests while &# 34 ; x &# 34 ; denotes that some drift occurs in output signals from the semiconductor chip 4 after these tests . the method for forming the above - described bonding structure is roughly shown in fig7 . at first , the surface of the sensing body 1 is subjected to the acid - pickling step and the decarburization step . the acid - pickling step is performed by removing oil components from the surface of the sensing body 1 , using nitrohydrochloric acid . the decarburization step is performed by supplying steam in a deoxidizing and weak deoxidizing atmosphere containing h 2 and n 2 at 800 ° to 1100 ° c . for about 1 hour ( table 3 , d , f , j , k , l ). next , the surface of the sensing body 1 is subjected to the oxidation process in an o 2 ( oxygen ) atmosphere at 800 ° to 850 ° c . for 5 to 10 minutes ( table 3 , d , f , j , k , l ), whereby an oxide layer 2 of which the depth is 1 . 5 μm to 5 . 5 μm is formed . the glass layer 3 is formed by printing a glass paste on the oxide layer 2 and calcining the printed glass paste at about 400 ° c . the thickness of the formed glass layer 3 is preferably 40 μm to 60 μm . the glass paste is obtained by mixing glass powder with an organic solvent . the semiconductor chip 4 is placed on the calcined glass layer 3 and then is sintered at about 500 ° c ., whereby the semiconductor chip 4 is firmly bonded to the sensing body 1 . in the semiconductor pressure sensor having the above - described structure , when the diaphragm 11 is deformed due to the introduced pressure , tensile stress is generated in the semiconductor chip 4 bonded to the diaphragm 11 . this results in the resistance value of each of the strain gauge elements 41 and 43 on the chip 4 being drastically changed to obtain a linear output signal of high sensitivity , which corresponds to the measured pressure . furthermore , when the inner peripheral surface of the sensing body 1 composing a pressure inlet port is subjected to the oxidation process , excellent corrosion resistance can be obtained . as described above , according to the present invention , the diaphragm for directly receiving a high pressure is made of a metal of a high strength . therefore , the diaphragm is durable against high pressure . furthermore , the semiconductor chip provided with a semiconductor strain gauge is firmly bonded to the metallic diaphragm through glass under most proper conditions . this results in the highly sensitive pressure sensor being obtained . according to the present invention , the semiconductor chip is previously formed and then jointed on the metal diaphragm . therefore , mass - producible pressure sensors can be provided . table 1______________________________________glass thickness of thermal high pressureno . glass layer shock test operation test______________________________________c 20 μm x xc 40 μm o oc 60 μm o o______________________________________ table 2______________________________________ particle thermal high pressureglass diameter of filler shock operationno . average maximum test test______________________________________a 5 . 4 μm 1l0 μm x xb 5 . 4 μm 70 μm x xc 2 . 0 μm 20 μm o o______________________________________ table 3______________________________________condition of condition of bondingdecarburization oxidization state______________________________________a -- -- insufficient x formation of oxide layerb -- 800 ° c . × 10 min generation of x bubbles in glass layer ( insufficient bonding strength ) c 1000 ° c . × 1 hr -- insufficient x formation of oxide layerd 1000 ° c . × 1 hr 800 ° c . × 10 min good bonding oe 1000 ° c . × 1 hr 800 ° c . × 1 min insufficient x formation of oxide layerf 1000 ° c . × 1 hr 800 ° c . × 5 min good bonding og 1000 ° c . × 1 hr 800 ° c . × 30 min too thick oxide x layer ( insufficient bonding strength ) h 1000 ° c . × 1 hr 700 ° c . × 10 min insufficient x formation of oxide layeri 1000 ° c . × 1 hr 900 ° c . × 10 min too thick oxide x layerj 800 ° c . × 1 hr 800 ° c . × 10 min good bonding ok 1100 ° c . × 1 hr 800 ° c . × 10 min good bonding ol 1000 ° c . × 1 hr 850 ° c . × 5 min good bonding o______________________________________	6
in order to make the objects , technical solutions and advantages of the invention more apparent , the invention will be further described below in details with reference to particular embodiments and drawings . the exemplary embodiments of the invention and the description thereof herein are used to explain the invention but not intended to limit the invention . with an air interface security method of the invention , security mechanisms of security parameter negotiation , identity authentication , confidential communication , etc ., are introduced to the transmission protocol to thereby enhance the security protection capability of the air interface of the transmission protocol . the implementation process of the air interface security method of the invention includes : step 1 , a proximity coupling device transmits a security parameter request message , for example , including message codes , to a proximity card ; step 2 , the proximity card feeds back security parameters to the proximity coupling device after receiving the security parameter request message ; and step 3 , the proximity coupling device and the proximity card set up a secure link between them according to the security parameters . a particular embodiment of the step i described above can be as follows : when the proximity coupling device and the proximity card perform the iso / iec 14443 transmission protocol process , the proximity coupling device transmits a request for answer to select ( rats ) including the security parameter request message to the proximity card to initiate the security parameter negotiation with the proximity card . a particular embodiment of the step 2 described above can be as follows : when the proximity coupling device and the proximity card perform the iso / iec 14443 transmission protocol process , the proximity card returns an answer to select ( ats ) to the proximity coupling device after receiving the rats of the proximity coupling device , where the ats includes information on a support condition of the proximity card for an authentication mechanism , a cipher algorithm and other security parameters . the authentication mechanism includes but will not be limited to an authentication mechanism based on a pre - shared key or an authentication mechanism based on a certificate , and the cipher algorithm includes but will not be limited to a symmetric cipher algorithm or an asymmetric cipher algorithm . a particular embodiment of the step 3 described above can be as follows : after the proximity coupling device negotiates about the security parameters with the proximity card ( that is , the security parameters are requested and fed back in the steps 1 and 2 ), both of them perform identity authentication in accordance with the authentication mechanism among the security parameters as a result of the negotiation , e . g ., the authentication based on the pre - shared key or the authentication based on digital certificate . the secure link between the proximity coupling device and the proximity card is thus set up upon successful identity authentication . the proximity coupling device can negotiate with the proximity card in the identity authentication to generate a session key so that the proximity coupling device and the proximity card can encrypt and transmit data by the session key for confidential communication . alternatively the session key can be generated in another way such as a pre - distribution way , that is , the session key is distributed in advance to the proximity coupling device and the proximity card prior to the confidential communication . before the step 1 , the method can further include step 0 , in which the proximity card notifies the proximity coupling device of its security capability , particularly as follows : step 0 , the proximity card notifies the proximity coupling device that the proximity card has the air interface security protection capability in communication initialization and anti - collision processes . step 01 , the proximity coupling device transmits a select command to the proximity card in iso / iec 14443 protocol initialization and anti - collision processes ; and step 02 , the proximity card returns a response including information indicating that it supports the air interface security protection capability after receiving the select command transmitted by the proximity coupling device . a particular embodiment of the step 02 described above can be as follows : in the iso / iec 14443 protocol initialization and anti - collision processes , the proximity card transmits a select acknowledge ( sak ) to the proximity coupling device after receiving the select command transmitted by the proximity coupling device , where the sak includes the information indicating that the proximity card supports the air interface security protection capability , and the information can be carried by newly adding a value to the original values of the sak to notify the proximity coupling device selecting the proximity card that the proximity card has the air interface security protection capability . particular embodiments of the step 1 and the step 2 described above can be as follows : in a first example , in the step 1 described above , when the proximity coupling device and the proximity card perform the iso / iec 14443 transmission protocol process , the proximity coupling device transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card , where the message includes all of authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity coupling device and all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device ; and in the step 2 described above , after receiving the rats , the proximity card firstly selects a combination of one of all the authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity coupling device and one of all the cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device according to a local strategy , and then returns the ats including the combination of the authentication mechanism and the cipher algorithm to the proximity coupling device . in a second example , in the step 1 described above , when the proximity coupling device and the proximity card perform the iso / iec 14443 transmission protocol process , the proximity coupling device transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card ; and in the step 2 described above , the proximity card returns the ats to the proximity coupling device after receiving the rats , where the ats includes all of authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity card and all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card , so that the proximity coupling device can select a combination of one of all the authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity card and one of all the cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card as the security parameters as a result of negotiation with the proximity card according to its local strategy . in a third example , in the step 1 described above , when the proximity coupling device and the proximity card perform the iso / iec 14443 transmission protocol process , the proximity coupling device transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card ; and in the step 2 described above , after receiving the rats , the proximity card selects a combination of one of all of its supported authentication mechanisms and one of all of its supported cipher algorithms as the security parameters as a result of negotiation with the proximity coupling device , and returns the ats including the selected combination to the proximity coupling device . in a fourth example , in the step 1 described above , when the proximity coupling device and the proximity card perform the iso / iec 14443 transmission protocol process , the proximity coupling device transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card , where the message includes a combination of one of all of authentication mechanisms and one of all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device , both of which are selected by the proximity coupling device ; and in the step 2 described above , after receiving the rats , the proximity card judges whether it supports the combination of the authentication mechanism and the cipher algorithm in the rats according to the local strategy and returns the judgment result to the proximity coupling device via the ats . the invention further provides a proximity coupling device for implementing the air interface security method described above . the proximity coupling device includes a first transmission unit , a first reception unit and a first link setup unit . the first transmission unit of the proximity coupling device is configured to transmit a security parameter request message to a proximity card , the first reception unit is configured to receive security parameters fed back from the proximity card , and the first link setup unit is configured to set up a secure link with the proximity card according to the security parameters . a particular embodiment of the proximity coupling device can be as follows : in the transmission protocol process of the iso / iec 14443 protocol performed by the proximity coupling device , the first transmission unit of the proximity coupling device transmits an rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card to initiate the security parameter negotiation with the proximity card ; the first reception unit receives an ats transmitted by the proximity card , where the ats includes information on a support condition of the proximity card for an authentication mechanism , a cipher algorithm and other security parameters ; and the first link setup unit performs identity authentication on the proximity card in accordance with the authentication mechanism among the negotiated security parameters after negotiating with the proximity card about the security parameters . the secure link between the proximity coupling device and the proximity card is thus set up upon successful identity authentication . in another embodiment , the first link setup unit of the proximity coupling device can further negotiate with the proximity card in the identity authentication to generate a session key so that the proximity coupling device and the proximity card can encrypt and transmit data by the session key for confidential communication . alternatively the session key can be generated in another way such as a pre - distribution way , that is , the session key is distributed in advance to the first link setup unit of the proximity coupling device and the proximity card prior to the confidential communication . furthermore , in another embodiment , the proximity coupling device can further receive the security capability of which the proximity card notifies the proximity coupling device , that is , the proximity coupling device receives the information indicating that the proximity card has the air interface security protection capability , of which the proximity card notifies the proximity coupling device , in communication initialization and anti - collision processes . in a preferred embodiment , during the iso / iec 14443 protocol initialization and anti - collision processes , the first transmission unit of the proximity coupling device transmits a select command to the proximity card ; and the first reception unit receives information indicating that the proximity card supports the air interface security protection capability , of which the proximity card notifies the proximity coupling device , where the information can be included in the sak transmitted by the proximity card and can be carried by newly adding a value to the original values of the sak . particular embodiments of the first transmission unit and the first reception unit of the proximity coupling device can be as follows : in a first example , the first transmission unit transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card , where the message includes all of authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity coupling device and all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device ; and the first reception unit receives the ats transmitted by the proximity card , where the ats includes a combination of one of all the authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity coupling device and one of all the cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device , both of which are selected by the proximity card according to its local strategy . in a second example , the first transmission unit transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card ; and the first reception unit receives the ats transmitted by the proximity card , where the ats includes all of authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity card and all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card , so that the first link setup unit of the proximity coupling device can select a combination of one of all the authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity card and one of all the cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card as the security parameters as a result of negotiation with the proximity card according to the local strategy of the proximity card . in a third example , the first transmission unit transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card ; and the first reception unit receives the ats transmitted by the proximity card , where the ats includes a combination of one of all of authentication mechanisms and one of all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card , both of which are selected by the proximity card , as the security parameters as a result of the negotiation of the proximity coupling device with the proximity card . in a fourth example , the first transmission unit transmits the rats including the security parameter request message to the proximity card , where the message includes a combination of one of all of authentication mechanisms and one of all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device , both of which are selected by the first link setup unit ; and the first reception unit receives the ats transmitted by the proximity card , where the ats includes a result of judging by the proximity card whether it supports the combination of the authentication mechanism and the cipher algorithm in the rats according to its local strategy . the invention further provides a proximity card for implementing the air interface security method described above . the proximity card includes a second reception unit , a second transmission unit and a second link setup unit . the second reception unit of the proximity card is configured to receive a security parameter request message transmitted by a proximity coupling device , the second transmission unit is configured to feed back security parameters to the proximity coupling device , and the second link setup unit is configured to set up a secure link with the proximity coupling device according to the security parameters . a particular embodiment of the proximity card can be as follows : in the transmission protocol process of the iso / iec 14443 protocol performed by the proximity card , the second reception unit of the proximity card receives an rats including the security parameter request message transmitted by the proximity coupling device to initiate the security parameter negotiation with the proximity card ; the second transmission unit transmits an ats to the proximity coupling device , where the ats includes information on a support condition of the proximity card for an authentication mechanism , a cipher algorithm and other security parameters ; and the second link setup unit performs identity authentication in accordance with the authentication mechanism among the negotiated security parameters after negotiating with the proximity coupling device about the security parameters . the secure link between the proximity coupling device and the proximity card is thus set up upon successful identity authentication . in another embodiment , the second link setup unit of the proximity card can further negotiate with the proximity coupling device in the identity authentication to generate a session key so that the proximity card and the proximity coupling device can encrypt and transmit data by the session key for confidential communication . alternatively the session key can be generated in another way such as a pre - distribution way , that is , the session key is distributed in advance to the second link setup unit of the proximity card and the proximity coupling device prior to the confidential communication . furthermore , in another embodiment , the proximity card can further notify the proximity coupling device of its security capability , that is , the proximity card notifies the proximity coupling device that it has the air interface security protection capability in communication initialization and anti - collision processes . in a preferred embodiment , in the iso / iec 14443 protocol initialization and anti - collision processes , the second reception unit of the proximity card receives a select command transmitted by the proximity coupling device ; and the second transmission unit returns information indicating that the proximity card supports the air interface security protection capability to the proximity coupling device , where the information can be carried by newly adding a value to the original values of the sak and transmitted to the proximity coupling device via the sak to notify the proximity coupling device that the proximity card has the air interface security protection capability . particular embodiments of the second transmission unit and the second reception unit of the proximity card can be as follows : in a first example , the second reception unit receives the rats including the security parameter request message transmitted by the proximity coupling device , where the message includes all of authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity coupling device and all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device ; and the second transmission unit returns the ats to the proximity coupling device , where the ats includes a combination of one of all the authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity coupling device and one of all the cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device , both of which are selected by the second link setup unit according to the local strategy of the proximity card . in a second example , the second reception unit receives the rats including the security parameter request message transmitted by the proximity coupling device ; and the second transmission unit returns the ats to the proximity coupling device , where the ats includes all of authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity card and all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card , so that the proximity coupling device can select a combination of one of all the authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity card and one of all the cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card as the security parameters as a result of the negotiation with the proximity card according to its local policy . in a third example , the second reception unit receives the rats including the security parameter request message transmitted by the proximity coupling device ; and the second transmission unit returns the ats to the proximity coupling device , where the ats includes a combination of one of all of authentication mechanisms supported by the proximity card and one of all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity card , both of which are selected by the second link setup unit as the security parameters as a result of the negotiation with the proximity coupling device . in a fourth example , the second reception unit receives the rats including the security parameter request message transmitted by the proximity coupling device , where the message includes a combination of one of all of authentication mechanisms and one of all of cipher algorithms supported by the proximity coupling device , both of which are selected by the proximity coupling device ; and the second transmission unit returns the ats to the proximity coupling device , where the ats includes a result of judging by the second link setup unit whether it supports the combination of the authentication mechanism and the cipher algorithm in the rats according to the local strategy of the proximity card . through the introduction of security capability notification , security parameter negotiation , identity authentication , confidential communication and other security mechanisms , the invention can enhance the security protection capability of the iso / iec 14443 air interface , and provide the proximity coupling device and the proximity card with the identity authentication function so as to ensure the legality and authenticity of the identities of both sides in communication , and can further provide the proximity coupling device and the proximity card with the confidential communication function as needed to thereby prevent communication data from being stolen , tampered or the like . also the invention can well solve the problem of compatibility so that the air interface security iso / iec 14443 protocol can be fully compatible with the original iso / iec 14443 protocol , and the secure communication can be performed in the method of the invention only if both the proximity coupling device and the proximity card support the iso / iec 14443 protocol enhancing the security protection capability of the air interface . in another situation where only the proximity coupling device supports the iso / iec 14443 protocol with the security protection capability of the air interface , or only the proximity card supports the iso / iec 14443 protocol with the security protection capability of the air interface or the like , the proximity coupling device and the proximity card still use the original iso / iec 14443 protocol for communication . moreover the iso / iec 14443 protocol enhancing the security protection capability of the air interface improves the system security without bring any additional hardware overhead of the proximity coupling device and the proximity card . the objects , technical solutions and advantageous effects of the invention have been further described in details in the particular embodiments described above . it should be appreciated that the foregoing disclosure is merely the particular embodiments of the invention but not intended to limit the scope of the invention , and any modifications , equivalent substitutions , adaptations , etc ., made without departing from the sprit and the principle of the invention shall come into the scope of the invention .	7
as shown in fig1 - 3 , a dresser wheel 30 is supported on a housing 19 by bearings 5 , 6 and 9 . a left end portion of the dresser shaft 30 protruding from the housing 19 is sealed by a seal member 4 . interposed between the bearings 6 and 9 are an inner sleeve 8 and an outer sleeve 7 . an inner race of the bearing 9 is retained by a nut 25 threadedly engaged with the dresser shaft 30 , and a ring 10 is urged against an outer race of the bearing 9 by a cover plate 12 threadedly engaging the housing 19 . accordingly , the dresser shaft 30 is prevented from moving axially relative to the housing 19 . the hollow cover plate 12 is formed integrally with a screw shaft 12a which abuts an end flange 14a of a pipe 14 through a seal member 13 . retaining the flange 14a is a cap nut 15 in threaded engagement with the screw shaft 12a . an end of a drive shaft 37 inserted into the pipe 14 is fitted into an opening provided at the right end of the dresser shaft 30 . fitted onto a left end of the dresser shaft 30 and in abutment against a flange 23 is a dresser wheel 3 having a cutting edge 2 . the dresser wheel 3 is fastened by a nut ( not shown ) engaging a threaded portion 26 of the dresser shaft 30 . as shown in fig2 the housing 19 is provided on the undersurface thereof with a conically shaped mounting pedestal 29 insertable into a conical opening ( not shown ) formed in a predetermined portion of the dressing apparatus , and secured therein in a well known manner . this latter structure has no direct relationship with the subject matter of the present invention and therefore will not be further described . according to the present invention , the housing 19 is provided with first and second bores 20 and 40 , respectively , parallel with and straddling the dresser shaft 30 . an acoustic emission ( ae ) sensor 21 , which will be further described later , is retained in the first bore 20 . threadedly engaged in one end of the second bore 40 is a cutting liquid injection nozzle 11 . a conduit 36 for supplying cutting liquids is connected by a nipple 35 to an opposite end of the second bore 40 which defines a fluid chamber as shown in fig3 . the ae sensor 21 is retained in the first bore 20 formed in the housing 19 as shown in fig1 . closing the left end of the first bore 20 is a plug 22 . similarly , the right end of the first bore 20 is closed by inserting a threaded plug 17 against a spacer 18 through which a conductor 16 passes . prior to use of the dressing apparatus shown in fig1 - 3 , a dresser wheel 3 is fixed onto the shaft 30 in a position spaced from the nozzle 11 by a distance preferably between 0 . 3 to 0 . 5 mm . the nozzle 11 and the threaded plug 22 are firmly fixed into ends , respectively , of the second bore 40 and the first bore 20 by suitable adhesives . in addition , the inner end surface of the threaded plug 22 is coated with grease and against which the left end detection surface of the ae sensor 21 is urged . in the case of a disc - type grinding wheel ( not shown ), a rotational shaft thereof is arranged at approximately 30 ° with respect to the dresser shaft 30 , and the grinding wheel is fed in an axially transverse direction while being rotated . such movement produces contact between the cutting edge 2 of the dresser wheel 3 and a peripheral surface of the grinding wheel . the supersonic oscillations produced in the dresser wheel 3 by the shock occuring instantaneously with the contact of the cutting edge 2 and the grinding wheel are transmitted to the fluid chamber 40 via the cutting liquid injected by the nozzle against the dresser wheel 3 . thereafter , the supersonic oscillations are further transmitted to the ae sensor 21 through the housing 19 and the threaded plug 22 . a detection signal from the ae sensor 21 is fed by signal wires 16 to an electric controller ( not shown ) that effects output functions in response to the received indication of contact between the grinding and dresser wheels . thus , during a slow feed of the grinding wheel in a direction transverse to the dresser shaft 30 , the initial contact with the cutting edge is detected by the ae sensor 21 . accordingly , when thereafter , a feed parallel with the dresser shaft 30 is applied to the grinding wheel , shaping or dressing of a grinding wheel is carried out with a minimum grinding allowance produced by the cutting edge 2 . in an exbodiment shown in fig4 an annular fluid chamber 41a is provided between the housing 19 and the dresser shaft 30 in a location directly adjacent to the dresser wheel 3 . side walls of the liquid chamber 41a are formed by an annular seal member 4b adjacent to a bearing 51 and an annular seal member 4a adjacent to an end wall of the housing 19 . pressurized liquid is injected into the fluid chamber 41 through a tapped source hole 42 . the tapped hole 42 can be either sealed by a threaded plug ( not shown ) or used to continuously supply pressurized liquid to the fluid chamber 41a . in addition , an accumulator ( not shown ) may be connected to the tapped hole 42 . supersonic oscillatoons produced by contact between the grinding and dresser wheels are transmitted through the dresser shaft 30 , the fluid chamber 41a , the housing 19 and the plug 22 to the ae sensor 21 . in accordance with the present invention , therefore , supersonic oscillations produced at the instant the cutting edge 2 comes into contact with a grinding wheel are transmitted directly from the dresser 3 to the cutting liquid in either of the fluid chambers 40 or 41a and then transmitted to the ae sensor 21 through the housing 19 and the threaded plug 22 , in that way , the attenuation of the supersonic oscillations is minimized and excellent transmission efficiency achieved . since movements in the micron range can be detected by the ae sensor 21 , the peripheral surface of the grinding wheel can be shaped or dressed with a minimum feed of a grinding wheel , i . e ., a minimum grinding allowance . accordingly , waste of grinding material can be reduced and the useful life of grinding wheels improved . obviously , many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . it is to be understood , therefore , that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifcially described .	1
thus in accordance with the present invention levofloxacin hemihydrate is prepared by reacting ( s )-(-) 9 , 10 - difluoro - 3 - methyl - 7 - oxo - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 7h - pyrido [ 1 , 2 , 3 - de ][ 1 , 4 ] benzoxazine - 6 - carboxylic acid with n - methyl piperazine in a polar solvent preferably n - butanol at temperature of 120 ° c . to 125 ° c . for about 5 hrs to 12 hrs followed by removing the solvent by vacuum distillation at temperature below 100 ° c . toluene is added to the reaction mass followed by chloroform and mixed for about 30 min at temperature of 20 ° c . to 40 ° c . removed the insolubles by filtration and the solvent mixture is removed by distillation at temperature below 60 ° c . isopropanol is added to the reaction mass , cooled , mixed for about 30 min to about 4 hrs at temperature of 20 ° c . to 40 ° c . and isolated the levofloxacin crude . levofloxacin crude is dissolved in mixture of toluene - chloroform at temperature of 20 ° c . to 40 ° c . by mixing for about 30 min to 2 hrs . removed the insolubles by filtration , treated the clear solution with carbon and distilled off the toluene - chloroform at temperature below 60 ° c . isopropanol is added to the mass , temperature is raised to 65 ° c . to 90 ° c ., known quantity of water preferably to make - up the water content about 12 % to about 20 %, more selectively about 15 % is added to the reaction mass at temperature of 60 ° c . to 90 ° c ., mixed for about 5 min to 30 min , cooled to 15 ° c . to about 35 ° c ., mixed for about 30 min to 4 hrs , isolated and dried at temperature of 45 ° c . to 85 ° c . preferably at 60 ° c . to 70 ° c . gives the levofloxacin hemihydrate . the required ( s )-(-) 9 , 10 - difluoro - 3 - methyl - 7 - oxo - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 7h - pyrido [ 1 , 2 , 3 - de ][ 1 , 4 ] benzoxazine - 6 - carboxylic acid is prepared by the reported method . ( s )-(-) 9 , 10 - difluoro - 3 - methyl - 7 - oxo - 2 , 3 - dihydro - 7h - pyrido [ 1 , 2 , 3 - de ][ 1 , 4 ] benzoxazine - 6 - carboxylic acid ( 100 g ) is suspended in n - butanol ( 80 ml ), n - methyl piperazine ( 80 g ) is added and the temperature is raised to 120 ° c .- 125 ° c . reaction mass is maintained at temperature of 120 ° c .- 125 ° c . for 6 hrs and cooled to below 100 ° c ., distilled off the solvent under vacuum at temperature below 100 ° c . toluene ( 100 ml ) is added and again distilled off under vacuum to remove traces of n - butanol . reaction mass is cooled to 60 ° c .- 65 ° c ., toluene ( 200 ml ) and chloroform ( 1000 ml ) are added and mixed for about 60 min at 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . the reaction mass is filtered to remove insolubles . clear filtrate is collected and the solvents are distilled off under vacuum at temperature below 65 ° c . isopropanol ( 500 ml ) is added to the reaction mass , temperature is raised to reflux and maintained at reflux temperature for about 15 min at 75 ° c .- 80 ° c . reaction mass is cooled to 25 ° c .- 30 ° c ., maintained for 1 hr at 25 ° c .- 30 ° c ., the product is filtered and washed the wet cake with isopropanol ( 50 ml ). the weight of the wet cake is about 150 g and the wet cake as such is preceded to next step without drying . the above - obtained wet cake ( 150 g ) is dissolved in a mixture of toluene ( 500 ml ) and chloroform ( 2000 ml ). activated carbon ( 10 g ) is added and stirred for about 30 min at 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . the reaction mass is filtered , filtrate is collected and distilled off the solvents under vacuum at temperature below 60 ° c . isopropanol ( 50 ml ) is added to the mass and distilled off under vacuum at temperature below 60 ° c . isopropanol ( 425 ml ) is added to the mass and temperature of reaction mass is raised to reflux . water ( 75 ml ) is added slowly over 15 min and maintained for about 15 min at reflux temperature . reaction mass is cooled to 30 ° c . and maintained for about 30 min at 25 ° c .- 30 ° c . product is filtered and dried at 60 ° c .- 70 ° c . till constant weight . the ir and xrd of the product are identical with the reported data of levofloxacin hemihydrate .	2
a schematic diagram of my novel automotive turn signal warning device is shown in fig1 . there are five leads used to connect my novel device to an automobile . those leads are br , rt , lt , 12v and gnd on the drawing . the device is mounted under the automobile dashboard as not to obstruct the audible alarm of the device and the leads are then connected as follows . the power leads are connected in a conventional manner . lead 12v is connected to the accessory side of the automobile electrical system along with the vehicle radio , windshield wipers , etc . this will result in no power being applied to my novel device when the automobile is not in use . an empty fuse position on the fuse block of an automobile is located , a one amp fuse installed therein , and lead 12v is connected to this fuse . alternatively , an existing fuse serving accessory circuits , one or more of which are not supplied on the automobile , may be used . lead 12v may be connected to this fuse or to any accessory power lead going to this fuse . ground lead gnd is connected to any ground with return to the vehicles negative terminal on the battery . as mentioned previously , my novel turn signal warning device may be connected both to cars that have separate brake lights and turn signal lights , and to cars that have one set of lights for both brake and turn signals . this may be done with no modifications to the turn signal warning device . when connecting my novel signal device to a car having separate brake lights and turn signal lights , all five leads are all connected . lead br is connected to the power lead going to the brake lights on the vehicle . lead rt is connected to the power / signal lead going to the right turn signal light , and lead lt is connected to the power / signal lead going to the left turn signal light . when connecting my novel signal device to a car having one set of lights for both brakes and turn signals , the br lead is not utilized . only leads rt and lt are connected as described in the last paragraph . the design of my novel turn signal warning device is built around an lm555 timer circuit u8 that may be obtained from national semiconductor company . in my design this timer u8 is driven by logic circuitry that recognizes and indicates when a turn signal has been activated , the foot brake pedal has been depressed , and when emergency flashers have been operated . power is supplied to my novel warning device via leads 12v and gnd when the vehicle &# 39 ; s ignition is turned on . resistor r10 , zener diode d6 and capacitor c3 provide voltage regulation to the device thereby accommodating voltage fluctuations always found in motor vehicles . the regulated voltage vcc is provided to the circuits in my device as shown in fig1 . in vehicles that utilize one set of lights for both turn signals and brakes , when either the right or left turn signal is engaged , there is a pulsed signal on the corresponding lead rt or lt . when the brake pedal is depressed there is power applied concurrently on leads rt and lt . when the emergency blinkers are engaged there is a pulsed signal applied concurrently on leads rt and lt . as mentioned previously , lead br is not utilized . in vehicles that utilize separate brake lights and turn signal lights , when either the right or left turn signal is engaged , there is a pulsed signal on the corresponding lead rt or lt . when the brake pedal is depressed there is power applied to lead br . when the emergency blinkers are engaged there is a pulsed signal applied to both leads rt and lt . the turn signal on lead rt is clipped by zener diode d2 connected to lead rt to protect the logic circuits in my novel device from high voltages and transients normally existing in automotive electrical systems . the turn signal on lead lt is clipped by zener diode d3 connected to lead rt to also protect the logic circuits in my novel device . resistors r2 and r3 provide current limiting . resistor r1 and diode d1 connected to lead br provide the same functions . leads rt and lt are connected via current limiting resistors to the two inputs of exclusive or gate ( xor ) u2 and to the two inputs of and gate u4 . xor gate u2 is part of a single 4030 logic circuit along with xor gates u1 and u7 . and gate u4 is part of a single 4081 logic circuit along with and gates u3 , u5 and u6 . the two inputs of xor gate u2 and of and gate u4 are normally low . when there is a turn signal pulse applied to either lead rt or lead lt the output of xor gate u2 goes from its normally low state to a high state . if there is a high signal on both leads rt and lt , as there will be for brakes or emergency signals in vehicles that utilize one set of lights for brake and turn signals , the output of xor gate u2 will remain low . xor gate u1 connected to lead br is operated as an inverter . the output of this gate is normally high and goes low only when there is a brake signal present on lead br . the output of xor gate u1 is connected to one of the two inputs of and gate u3 and keeps this input normally high . when there is a turn signal on either lead rt or lt , the output of xor gate u2 goes high each time there is a turn signal pulse . the output of xor gate u2 is connected to the second input of and gate u3 so each time there is a turn signal pulse the output of this and gate goes high . however , if the brake pedal is depressed while the turn signals are operating in a vehicle having separate brake and turn signal lights the input to and gate u3 from xor gate u1 goes low and the output of the and gate remains low while the brake pedal is operated . connected to the output of and gate u3 are several components including capacitor c1 which has a value of 4 . 7 uf . when there is no turn signal , capacitor c1 remains discharged . when there is a turn signal and the output of and gate u3 goes high , capacitor c1 charges very rapidly through diode d4 , a 1n4001 diode . if the brake pedal is depressed the output of and gate u3 goes low and capacitor c1 discharges very rapidly through diode d5 , a 1n4001 diode . thus , when the turn signal is activated , and the brake pedal is not depressed , capacitor c1 is charged . the positive terminal of capacitor c1 is connected to one of the two inputs of and gate u5 . the second input of and gate u5 is connected to the output of xor ( exclusive or ) gate u7 which is operated as an inverter . the output of xor gate u7 is normally high , so as capacitor c1 charges , both inputs of and gate u5 are high and its output also goes high . connected to the output of and gate u5 is a pnp transistor q1 ( 2n3906 ) that is normally conducting and thereby placing a short across 47 uf capacitor c2 . due to this short , capacitor c2 is prevented from charging . when there is a turn signal the output of and gate u5 goes high and transistor q1 stops conducting . capacitor c2 commences charging through 380 kilohm resistor r9 . after approximately seventeen seconds capacitor c2 charges to a level that turns circuit u8 on to activate an audible alarm . circuit u8 is a national semiconductor lm555 . in applications where a common set of lights are used for both brake and turn signals , both leads lt and rt have power applied to them when either brakes or emergency flashers are utilized . thus , both of the inputs to and gate u4 are high and its output goes high . xor ( exclusive or ) gate u7 is operating as an inverter so the output of this xor gate goes from its normally high state to a low state . since the output of xor gate u7 is connected to one of the two inputs of and gate u5 , both inputs of and gate u5 cannot go high . this prevents the charging of capacitor c2 to start timing for the generation of the audible alarm . in a vehicle in which a common set of lights are used for brakes and turn signals , both leads rt and lt will be high when the left and right bulbs are both lit . they will both be lit steadily if the brakes are operated , and they will both be lit intermittently if the emergency signals are energized . thus , both inputs to xor gate u2 remain at the same level and the output level of this gate circuit does not change . the time out cycle never starts with the charging of capacitor c2 to trigger circuit u8 , so an audible signal is never generated no matter how long the brake lights are lit and no matter how long the emergency signals are engaged . circuit u8 has an output q that is normally high and goes low approximately seventeen seconds after the turn signals have been engaged , and the brake pedal is not depressed . this output of circuit u8 is connected to the negative terminal of piezoelectric alarm pz . the positive terminal is connected to the output of and gate u6 . one input of and gate u6 is connected to voltage vcc through resistor r8 as shown , and the second input to and gate u6 is connected to the output of and gate u3 and is pulsing when the turn signal is activated . the only purpose of and gate u6 is to synchronize the turn signal with the audible signal output from alarm pz . each time there is a turn signal pulse the output of and gate u6 goes high and permits current to flow through alarm pz . while what has been described above is the preferred embodiment of the invention , one skilled in the art may make many changes without departing from the teaching of the invention . for example , xor gates u1 , u2 and u7 that all operate as inverters may be replaced by inverting amplifiers , or the and gates to which they connect may have inverting inputs .	1
referring first to fig2 a preferred embodiment 10 of the pressure exchange apparatus in accordance with the present invention is generally shown . a solid cylindrical rotor 11 which has a pair of spaced end faces 12 and 14 . extending through the rotor 11 in an axial direction is at least one bore . in the preferred embodiment , and not by limitation , the bore is cylindrical , but could be of almost any shape . in fig2 two of the axially extending bores are depicted , and are designated by reference numeral 16 and 18 . as shown , the bores 16 and 18 each open at their opposite ends in the two end faces 12 and 14 . pressed into the two ends of each of the bores 16 and 18 are stops . the stops at the opposite ends of the elongated , axially extending bore 16 are designated 20 and 22 , and those at the opposite ends of the axially elongated bore 18 are designated by numerals 24 and 26 . a small cylinder or separator 28 is slidably mounted in axial bore 16 , and a similar small cylinder or separator 30 is slidably mounted in the bore 18 . in the preferred embodiment , the separators 28 and 30 may be constructed of any hard , rigid and wear resistant material . the separators 28 and 30 are not necessarily required , and can be removed depending on the process requirements and the liquids employed in the system . surrounding and enclosing cylindrical rotor 11 in a circumferential manner is a cylindrical housing 32 . the cylindrical housing 32 has a radially inner cylindrical wall 32 a which is preferably positioned closely adjacent but out of contact with the outer peripheral wall 11 a of the rotor 11 . a pair of generally cylindrical , relatively thick closure plates 34 and 36 are secured by axially extending fasteners 37 to cylindrical housing 32 . rotor 11 is thus rotatably and sealing contained in cylindrical housing 32 and closure plates 34 and 36 . the closure plate 34 is provided with a central counter bore 38 in which is mounted an annular bearing 40 for journaling a portion of a central shaft 42 which is provided coaxially to rotor 11 . intermediate the other distal end of the shaft 42 is another bore 38 ′ in closure plate 36 in which is mounted another annular bearing 40 ′ for journaling another portion of the central shaft 42 . a keyway 41 and key 41 ′ is provided between the shaft 42 and the rotor 11 for the transmission of torque from the shaft 42 to the rotor 11 . a seal 50 is provided in closure plate 36 around shaft 42 for the prevention of fluid leakage . the extending and exposed portion of the shaft 42 is adapted to be connected to a suitable source of power such as an electric motor or the like ( not illustrated ). an elongated low pressure fluid inlet passageway 52 extends through the closure plate 36 in a predetermined direction in relation to bore 16 and is directed to a single circular port 110 d . as shown in fig2 a second high - pressure discharge passageway 72 is provided in the closure plate 36 , disposed 180 degrees from the passageway 52 , also directed to a single circular port 100 c . similarly , a low pressure fluid discharge passageway 96 and a high pressure fluid inlet passageway 98 are provided in closure plate 34 . each of these passageways are also directed to a single circular port 100 a and 100 b respectively for connection of a hose or the like ( not shown ). it will be noted that the open ports or passageways 52 and 72 ( in the case of closure plate 36 ), and the open ports or passageways 96 and 98 ( in the case of closure plate 34 ) are located so as to be in alignment with the axially extending bores 16 and 18 through the rotor 11 when the rotor is in the position depicted in fig2 . of course , as the rotor 11 is driven in rotation by power applied to the shaft 42 , the axial bores 16 and 18 are moved out of alignment with the respective passageways . the openings to each end of each axially extending bore 16 and 18 are disposed on the same circular paths or at the same radius from the shaft 42 as the passageways in closure plates 34 and 36 . thus , the high pressure and low pressure fluid inlet and fluid discharge passageways which are provided through the closure plates 34 and 36 are successively brought into alignment with the axially extending bores 16 and 18 . through the rotor 11 at such time as the rotor is driven in rotation . still referring to fig2 ., the operation of the pressure exchange apparatus in accordance with the present invention will now be described . let &# 39 ; s assume that two process fluids which will be called fluid a and fluid b are available in an industrial process at pressures p 2 and p 1 , respectively . let it be assumed that the pressure p 1 of fluid b is substantially greater than the pressure p 2 of fluid a . with a source of fluid a at pressure p 2 available , this source is connected to the low pressure fluid inlet passageway 52 in closure plate 36 so that fluid a at pressure p 2 may enter this passageway . the passageway 96 through the closure plate 34 is connected to a relatively low pressure zone . the high pressure inlet passageway 98 is connected by a pipe ( see fig2 ) or other suitable means to a source of high pressure fluid b which is maintained at pressure p 1 . finally , the high pressure discharge passageway 72 is connected to suitable fluid confining means which can retain a fluid under pressure , and can permit fluid under pressure to be pumped thereinto from the high pressure fluid discharge passageway 72 . with these connections made to the several fluid passageways through the closure plates 34 and 36 , the depicted structure can be utilized for efficiently transferring substantially all of the pressure energy from the high pressure fluid b to the relatively low pressure fluid a . having set the rotor 11 in rotational motion by energizing a motor or other suitable prime mover connected to shaft 42 , the axial bores 16 and 18 formed in the rotor 11 are , in consecutive sequence , brought into axial alignment with passageways 52 and 96 , and then 72 and 98 formed in the closure plates 34 and 36 . thus , at the instant in the operation of the apparatus which is represented by the positions of the elements shown in fig2 the rotor has been rotated to a position in which the axially extending bore 16 is aligned with the passageways 52 and 96 . concurrently , the bore 18 has aligned with the passageways 72 and 98 . at this time , the relatively low pressure fluid a at pressure p 2 enters the bore 16 to the right of separator 28 via the low pressure fluid inlet passageway 52 . at the same time , some of fluid b which has been previously entrapped in the part of bore 16 to the left of the separator 28 is placed in communication with a vent or low pressure environment and can be discharged through discharge passageway 96 as the separator 28 is displaced to the left in bore 16 by the impress of the relatively low pressure fluid a entering the right side of this bore . in the case of the axially extending bore 18 , as shown in fig2 relatively high pressure liquid b at pressure p 1 is entering the left side of this bore from the high pressure inlet passageway 98 , and drives the separator 30 toward the right . this displaces the entrapped fluid a which is disposed in the right side of the bore 18 as a result of its entry into this bore at a previous time when the bore 18 occupied the position shown as occupied by bore 16 in fig2 . this occurred of course , at a time earlier in the rotational movement of rotor 11 . continued communication of the high pressure fluid b upon the left side of the separator 30 eventually drives separator 30 to the right side of the bore 18 , and completely displaces the relatively low pressure fluid a from this bore at a pressure which is only slightly less than that of the high pressure fluid b . it may thus be seen that as rotor 11 continues to rotate , the net effect is that , in being depressured from its elevated pressure p 1 , to atmospheric pressure , the high pressure fluid b is made to transfer efficiently its energy of pressurization to the relatively low pressure fluid a . the transfer is highly efficient due to the minimum energy required to displace the separators 28 and 30 in their respective bores without the use of valving which may choked or clogged . thus , relatively thick slurries of high solids content can be successfully passed through the pressure exchange apparatus . referring to fig3 and 4 , rotor 11 is provided with cylindrically shaped axial bores 58 or substantially arc - segment shaped axial bores 59 . the present invention contemplates all such shapes of bores for fluid transmission through rotor 11 . naturally , if required , separators 28 and 30 would be formed to slidably engage and seal the axial bores . referring to fig5 and 6 , the high pressure discharge port elongated passageway 72 extending through the closure plate 36 in a direction substantially parallel with the bore 16 is shown . also shown is the low - pressure inlet passageway 52 disposed diametrically opposed from the passageway 72 . as shown , the passageways 52 and 72 are essentially swept areas of the bores 16 or 18 located in rotor 11 . in this configuration , more than a single bore in rotor 11 is in fluid communication with a respective passageway . this increases overall apparatus efficiency as well as reduces pressure transients that occur as a result of starting and stopping the flow of liquids . these elongated passageways would also need to be provided in closure plate 34 so that the fluids may be equally communicated through the plurality of axial bores in rotor 11 . an increased sealing surface as shown by hatched area 60 is provided between the high pressure discharge passageway 72 and the low pressure inlet passageway 52 . this increased sealing surface substantially reduces or eliminates fluid leakage between the ports and increases apparatus efficiency . referring now to fig7 the closure plate 36 is shown isometrically to reveal the relationship of the passageways 52 and 72 with the circular ports 100 d and 100 c respectively . as shown in the figure , fluid entering passageway 52 is directed to flow through circular port 100 d , which provides an easy means for securing a typical cylindrical member such as a hose or a tube to the apparatus . similarly , fluid in passageway 72 is directed to circular port 100 c for further communication to a hose or the like . it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the illustrations described herein , which are deemed to illustrate the best modes of carrying out the invention , and which are susceptible to modification of form , size , arrangement of parts and details of operation . for example , more than one elongated passageway at a different radius could be provided to increase the throughput of the apparatus . variations and modifications of the passageway locations and sizes are fully contemplated by the present invention . the invention is intended to encompass all such modifications , which are within its spirit and scope as defined by the claims .	5
the present invention relates to touch pads . according to one aspect of the invention , a touch pad is provided on a media player to facilitate user interaction therewith . in one embodiment , the media player is a handheld device . according to another aspect of the invention , a touch pad is provided that can sense and resolve angular and / or radial positions of a moving object ( e . g ., finger ) as it is moved in a largely rotational and / or radial manner across the touch pad . in one embodiment , the touch pad that is based on polar coordinates rather than cartesian coordinates . other aspects of the invention will become apparent below . in any case , the aspects are not limiting and the various aspects of the invention can be used separately or in combination . the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to a few preferred embodiments thereof as illustrated in the accompanying drawings . in the following description , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art , that the present invention may be practiced without some or all of these specific details . in other instances , well known process steps have not been described in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the present invention . fig2 is a perspective diagram of a media player 100 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . the term “ media player ” generally refers to computing devices that are dedicated to processing media such as audio , video or other images , as for example , music players , game players , video players , video recorders , cameras and the like . these devices are generally portable so as to allow a user to listen to music , play games or video , record video or take pictures wherever the user travels . in one embodiment , the media player is a handheld device that is sized for placement into a pocket of the user . by being pocket sized , the user does not have to directly carry the device and therefore the device can be taken almost anywhere the user travels ( e . g ., the user is not limited by carrying a large , bulky and often heavy device , as in a portable computer ). for example , in the case of a music player , a user may use the device while working out at the gym . in case of a camera , a user may use the device while mountain climbing . furthermore , the device may be operated by the users hands , no reference surface such as a desktop is needed ( this is shown in greater detail in fig3 ). media players generally have connection capabilities that allow a user to upload and download data to and from a host device such as a general purpose computer ( e . g ., desktop computer , portable computer ). for example , in the case of a camera , photo in images may be downloaded to the general purpose computer for further processing ( e . g ., printing ). with regards to music players , songs and play lists stored on the general purpose computer may be downloaded into the music player . in the illustrated embodiment , the media player 100 is a pocket sized hand held mp3 music player that allows a user to store a large collection of music . by way of example , the mp3 music player may store up to 1 , 000 cd - quality songs . as shown in fig2 , the media player 100 includes a housing 102 that encloses internally various electrical components ( including integrated circuit chips and other circuitry ) to provide computing operations for the media player 100 . the integrated circuit chips and other circuitry may include a microprocessor , memory ( e . g ., rom , ram ), a power supply ( e . g ., battery ), a circuit board , a hard drive , and various input / output ( i / o ) support circuitry . in the case of music players , the electrical components may include components for outputting music such as an amplifier and a digital signal processor ( dsp ). in the case of video recorders or cameras the electrical components may include components for capturing images such as image sensors ( e . g ., charge coupled device ( ccd ) or complimentary oxide semiconductor ( cmos )) or optics ( e . g ., lenses , splitters , filters ). in addition to the above , the housing may also define the shape or form of the media player . that is , the contour of the housing 102 may embody the outward physical appearance of the media player 100 . the media player 100 also includes a display screen 104 . the display screen 104 is used to display a graphical user interface as well as other information to the user ( e . g ., text , objects , graphics ). by way of example , the display screen 104 may be a liquid crystal display ( lcd ). in one particular embodiment , the display screen corresponds to a 160 - by - 128 - pixel high - resolution display , with a white led backlight to give clear visibility in daylight as well as low - light conditions . as shown , the display screen 104 is visible to a user of the media player 100 through an opening 105 in the housing 102 , and through a transparent wall 106 that is disposed in front of the opening 105 . although transparent , the transparent wall 106 may be considered part of the housing 102 since it helps to define the shape or form of the media player 100 . the media player 100 also includes a touch pad 110 . the touch pad 110 is configured to provide one or more control functions for controlling various applications associated with the media player 100 . for example , the touch initiated control function may be used to move an object or perform an action on the display screen 104 or to make selections or issue commands associated with operating the media player 100 . in most cases , the touch pad 110 is arranged to receive input from a finger moving across the surface of the touch pad 110 in order to implement the touch initiated control function . the touch pad may be widely varied . for example , the touch pad be a conventional touch pad based on the cartesian coordinate system , or the touch pad may be a touch pad based on a polar coordinate system ( the later will be described in greater detail below ). the manner in which the touch pad 110 receives input may be widely varied . in one embodiment , the touch pad 110 is configured receive input from a linear finger motion . in another embodiment , the touch pad 110 is configured receive input from a rotary or swirling finger motion . in yet another embodiment , the touch pad 110 is configured receive input from a radial finger motion . additionally or alternatively , the touch pad 110 may be arranged to receive input from a finger tapping on the touch pad 100 . by way of example , the tapping finger may initiate a control function for playing a song , opening a menu and the like . in one embodiment , the control function corresponds to a scrolling feature . for example , in the case of an mp3 player , the moving finger may initiate a control function for scrolling through a song menu displayed on the display screen 104 . the term “ scrolling ” as used herein generally pertains to moving displayed data or images ( e . g ., text or graphics ) across a viewing area on a display screen 104 so that a new set of data ( e . g ., line of text or graphics ) is brought into view in the viewing area . in most cases , once the viewing area is full , each new set of data appears at the edge of the viewing area and all other sets of data move over one position . that is , the new set of data appears for each set of data that moves out of the viewing area . in essence , the scrolling function allows a user to view consecutive sets of data currently outside of the viewing area . the viewing area may be the entire viewing area of the display screen 104 or it may only be a portion of the display screen 104 ( e . g ., a window frame ). the direct ion of scrolling may be widely varied . for example , scrolling may be implemented vertically ( up or down ) or horizontally ( left or right ). in the case of vertical scrolling , when a user scrolls down , each new set of data appears at the bottom of the viewing area and all other sets of data move up one position . if the viewing area is full , the top set of data moves out of the viewing area . similarly , when a user scrolls up , each new set of data appears at the top of the viewing area and all other sets of data move down one position . if the viewing area is full , the bottom set of data moves out of the viewing area . in one implementation , the scrolling feature may be used to move a graphical user interface ( gui ) vertically ( up and down ), or horizontally ( left and right ) in order to bring more data into view on a display screen . by way of example , in the case of an mp3 player , the scrolling feature may be used to help browse through songs stored in the mp3 player . the direction that the finger moves may be arranged to control the direction of scrolling . for example , the touch pad may be arranged to move the gui vertically up when the finger is moved in a first direction and vertically down when the finger is moved in a second direction to elaborate , the display screen 104 , during operation , may display a list of media items ( e . g . songs ). a user of the media player 100 is able to linearly scroll through the list of media items by moving his or her finger across the touch pad 110 . as the finger moves around the touch pad 110 , the displayed items from the list of media items are varied such that the user is able to effectively scroll through the list of media items . however , since the list of media items can be rather lengthy , the invention provides the ability for the user to rapidly traverse ( or scroll ) through the list of media items . in effect , the user is able to accelerate their traversal of the list of media items by moving his or her finger at greater speeds . in one embodiment , the media player 100 via the touch pad 110 is configured to transform a swirling or whirling motion of a finger into translational or linear motion , as in scrolling , on the display screen 104 . in this embodiment , the touch pad 110 is configured to determine the angular location , direction , speed and acceleration of the finger when the finger is moved across the top planar surface of the touch pad 110 in a rotating manner , and to transform this information into signals that initiate linear scrolling on the display screen 104 . in another embodiment , the media player 100 via the touch pad 110 is configured to transform radial motion of a finger into translational or linear motion , as in scrolling , on the display screen 104 . in this embodiment , the touch pad 110 is configured to determine the radial location , direction , speed and acceleration of the finger when the finger is moved across the top planar surface of the touch pad 110 in a radial manner , and to transform this information into signals that initiate linear scrolling on the display screen 104 . in another embodiment , the media player 100 via the touch pad 202 is configured to transform both angular and radial motion of a finger into translational or linear motion , as in scrolling , on the display screen 104 . the touch pad generally consists of a touchable outer surface 111 for receiving a finger for manipulation on the touch pad 110 . although not shown in fig2 , beneath the touchable outer surface 111 is a sensor arrangement . the sensor arrangement includes a plurality of sensors that are configured to activate as the finger passes over them . in the simplest case , an electrical signal is produced each time the finger passes a sensor . the number of signals in a given time frame may indicate location , direction , speed and acceleration of the finger on the touch pad , i . e ., the more signals , the more the user moved his or her finger . in most cases , the signals are monitored by an electronic interface that converts the number , combination and frequency of the signals into location , direction , speed and acceleration information . this information may then be used by the media player 100 to perform the desired control function on the display screen 104 . the position of the touch pad 110 relative to the housing 102 may be widely varied . for example , the touch pad 110 may be placed at any external surface ( e . g ., top , side , front , or back ) of the housing 102 that is accessible to a user during manipulation of the media player 100 . in most cases , the touch sensitive surface 111 of the touch pad 110 is completely exposed to the user . in the illustrated embodiment , the touch pad 110 is located in a lower , front area of the housing 102 . furthermore , the touch pad 110 may be recessed below , level with , or extend above the surface of the housing 102 . in the illustrated embodiment , the touch sensitive surface 111 of the touch pad 110 is substantially flush with the external surface of the housing 102 . the shape of the touch pad 110 may also be widely varied . for example , the touch pad 110 may be circular , rectangular , triangular , and the like . in general , the outer perimeter of the shaped touch pad defines the working boundary of the touch pad . in the illustrated embodiment , the touch pad 110 is circular . circular touch pads allow a user to continuously swirl a finger in a free manner , i . e ., the finger can be rotated through 360 degrees of rotation without stopping . furthermore , the user can rotate his or her finger tangentially from all sides thus giving it more range of finger positions . for example , when the media player is being held , a left handed user may choose to use one portion of the touch pad 110 while a right handed user may choose to use another portion of the touch pad 110 . more particularly , the touch pad is annular , i . e ., shaped like or forming a ring . when annular , the inner and outer perimeter of the shaped touch pad defines the working boundary of the touch pad . in addition to above , the media player 100 may also include one or more buttons 112 . the buttons 112 are configured to provide one or more dedicated control functions for making selections or issuing commands associated with operating the media player 100 . by way of example , in the case of an mp3 music player , the button functions may be associated with opening a menu , playing a song , fast forwarding a song , seeking through a menu and the like . in most cases , the button functions are implemented via a mechanical clicking action . the position of the buttons 112 relative to the touch pad 110 may be widely varied . for example , they may be adjacent one another or spaced apart . in the illustrated embodiment , the buttons 112 are configured to surround the inner and outer perimeter of the touch pad 110 . in this manner , the buttons 112 may provide tangible surfaces that define the outer boundaries of the touch pad 110 . as shown , there are four buttons 112 a that surround the outer perimeter and one button 112 b disposed in the center or middle of the touch pad 110 . by way of example , the plurality of buttons 112 may consist of a menu button , play / stop button , forward seek button and a reverse seek button , and the like . moreover , the media player 100 may also include a power switch 114 , a headphone jack 116 and a data port 118 . the power switch 114 is configured to turn the media device 100 on and off . the headphone jack 116 is capable of receiving a headphone connector associated with headphones configured for listening to sound being outputted by the media device 100 . the data port 118 is capable of receiving a data connector / cable assembly configured for transmitting and receiving data to and from a host device such as a general purpose computer . by way of example , the data port 118 may be used to upload or down load songs to and from the media device 100 . the data port 118 may be widely varied . for example , the data port may be a ps / 2 port , a serial port , a parallel port , a usb port , a firewire port and the like . in some cases , the data port 118 may be a radio frequency ( rf ) link or optical infrared ( ir ) link to eliminate the need for a cable . although not shown in fig2 , the media player 100 may also include a power port that receives a power connector / cable assembly configured for delivering powering to the media player 100 . in some cases , the data port 118 may serve as both a data and power port . fig3 a - 3c show the media player 100 of fig2 being used by a user 120 , in accordance with different embodiments of the invention . in all of these embodiments , the user 120 is linearly scrolling 104 ( as shown by arrow 124 ) through a list of songs 122 displayed on the display screen via a slider bar 123 . as shown , the media device 100 is comfortably held by one hand 126 while being comfortably addressed by the other hand 128 . this configuration generally allows the user 120 to easily actuate the touch pad 110 with one or more fingers . for example , the thumb 130 and rightmost fingers 131 ( or leftmost fingers if left handed ) of the first hand 126 are used to grip the sides of the media player 100 while a finger 132 of the opposite hand 128 is used to actuate the touch pad 110 . as shown , the entire top surface of the touch pad 110 is accessible to the user &# 39 ; s finger 130 . referring to fig3 a , and in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , the touch pad 110 can be continuously actuated by a simple swirling motion of the finger 132 as shown by arrow 134 . by swirling , it is meant that the finger moves in an arcuate or circular manner . for example , the finger may rotate relative to an imaginary axis . in particular , the finger can be rotated through 360 degrees of rotation without stopping . this form of motion may produce continuous or incremental scrolling on the display screen 104 . referring to fig3 b , and in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , the user 120 can slide his or her finger 132 radially between the inner and outer perimeter of the touch pad 110 . for example , the touch pad 110 may be actuated radially as shown by arrow 140 . referring to fig3 c , and in accordance with one embodiment of the invention , the user 120 can slide his or her finger 132 substantially tangentially from all sides of the touch pad 110 . for example , the touch pad 110 may be actuated forwards and backwards as shown by arrows 136 and side to side by arrows 138 . fig4 is a block diagram of a touchpad / display system 200 , in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . by way of example , the touchpad / display system 200 may be used in the media player shown in fig2 and 3 . the touchpad / display system 200 utilizes a touch pad 202 and a display screen 204 . the touchpad / display system 200 via the touch pad 202 is configured to transform a swirling or whirling motion 206 of an object such as a finger ( as shown in fig3 a ) into translational or linear motion 208 on the display screen 204 . in one embodiment , the touch pad 202 is arranged to continuously determine the angular position of an object relative to the planar surface 209 of the touch pad 202 . this allows a user to linearly scroll through a media list 211 on the display screen 204 by swirling the object at least partially around the touch pad 202 . for example , by moving the object between any angular positions ( e . g ., 0 - 360 ) on the touch pad 202 . as shown , the touch pad 202 is divided into several independent and spatially distinct zones 210 that are positioned around the periphery of the touch pad 202 . any number of zones may be used . in one embodiment , each of the zones 210 represents a polar angle that specifies the angular position of the zone in the plane of the touch pad 202 . by way of ex ample , the zones 210 may be positioned at 2 degree increments all the way around the touch pad 202 . each of the zones 210 has an associated sensor disposed therein for detecting the presence of an object such as a finger . the sensors may be widely varied . for example , the sensors may be based on resistive sensing , surface acoustic wave sensing , pressure sensing ( e . g ., strain gauge , pressure plates , piezoelectric transducers or the like ), optical sensing , capacitive sensing and the like . in general , when an object approaches a zone 210 , and more particularly a sensor , a position signal is generated that informs the media system 200 that the object is at a specific angular position on the touch pad 202 . when an object is moved between zones 210 or over multiple zones 210 , multiple position signals are generated . these multiple position signals may be used to determine the angular location , direction , speed and acceleration of the object as its moved around the touch pad 202 . the system 200 also includes a control assembly 212 that is coupled to the touch pad 202 . the control assembly 212 is configured to acquire the position signals from the sensors and to supply the acquired signals to a processor 214 of the system . by way of example , the control assembly 212 may include an application specific integrated circuit ( asic ) that is configured to monitor the signals from the sensors , to compute the angular location , direction , speed and acceleration of the monitored signals and to report this information to the processor 214 . the processor 214 is coupled between the control assembly 212 and the display screen 204 . the processor 214 is configured to control motion inputs to the display screen 204 . in one sequence , the processor 214 receives angular motion information from the control assembly 212 and then determines the next items of the media list 211 that are to be presented on the display screen 204 . in making this determination , the processor 214 can take into consideration the length of the media list 211 . typically , the processor 214 will determine the rate of movement of the finger such that the transitioning to different items in the media list 211 can be performed faster when the finger is moved at greater speeds . in effect , to the user , the more rapid swirling of the finger enables effective acceleration of the transitioning of the list of media items 211 . alternatively , the control assembly 212 and processor 214 may be combined in some embodiments . although not shown , the processor 214 can also control a buzzer to provide audio feedback to a user . the audio feedback can , for example , be a clicking sound produced by the buzzer . in one embodiment , the buzzer 216 is a piezo - electric buzzer . as the rate of transitioning through the list of media items increases , the frequency of the clicking sounds increases . alternatively , when the rate that the finger is moved slows , the rate of transitioning through the list of media items decreases , and thus the frequency of the clicking sounds correspondingly slows . hence , the clicking sounds provide audio feedback to the user as to the rate in which the media items within the list of media items are being traversed . additionally or alternatively , the system via the touch pad may be configured to transform radial motion an object such as a finger ( as shown in fig3 b ) into translational or linear motion on the display screen . by radial , it is meant that the object moves in a substantially radial direction from the center of the touch pad to an outer perimeter of the touch pad . in one embodiment , the touch pad is arranged to continuously determine the radial position of a finger relative to the planar surface of the touch pad . this allows a user to linearly scroll through a media list on the display screen by moving the object at least partially between the center and outer perimeter of the touch pad . for example , by moving the object between a small and large radius ( e . g ., 0 - 3 cm ) on the touch pad . this may also allow a user to vary a characteristic of the media player . for example , by moving radially , the user may be able to change the volume of sound being played on the media player ( i . e ., acts like a potentiometer ). referring to fig5 , a radial touch pad 218 will be discussed in accordance with one embodiment . by way of example , the touch pad 218 may replace the touch pad shown in fig4 . the touch pad 218 may be divided into several independent and spatially distinct ones 220 that are positioned radially from the center 222 of the touch pad 218 to the perimeter 224 of the touch pad 218 . any number of radial zones may be used . in one embodiment , each of the radial zones 220 represents a radial position in the plane of the touch pad 218 . by way of example , the zones 220 may be spaced at 5 mm increments . like above , each of the zones 220 has an associated sensor disposed therein for detecting the presence of an object such as a finger . in general , when an object approaches a zone 220 , and more particularly a sensor , a position signal is generated that informs the system 200 that the object is at a specific radial position on the touch pad 218 . when an object is moved between zones 220 or over multiple zones 220 , multiple position signals are generated . these multiple position signals may be used to determine radial location , direction , speed and acceleration of the object as its moved radially across the touch pad 218 . referring to fig6 , a combination angular / radial touch pad 228 will be discussed in accordance with one embodiment . by way of example , the touch pad 228 may replace the touch pad shown in fig4 . the touch pad 228 may be divided into several independent and spatially distinct zones 230 that are positioned both angularly and radially about the periphery of the touch pad 228 and from the center of the touch pad 202 to the perimeter of the touch pad 228 . any number of combination zones may be used . in one embodiment , each of the combination zones 230 represents both an angular end radial position in the plane of the touch pad 228 . by way of example , the zones may be positioned at both 2 degrees and 5 mm increments . like above , each of the combination zones 230 has an associated sensor disposed therein for detecting the presence of an object such as a finger . in general , when an object approaches a combination zone 230 , and more particularly a sensor , a position signal is generated that informs the system 200 that the object is at a specific angular and radial position on the touch pad 228 . when an object is moved between combination zones 230 or over multiple combinations zones 230 , multiple position signals are generated . these multiple position signals may be used to determine location , direction , speed and acceleration of the object as its angularly and radially moved across the touch pad 228 . the angular and radial zones may be initiated at the same time or they may be initiated at different times . for example , the angular zones may be initiated for scrolling through a media player and the radial zones may be initiated for varying the volume of a media player . it should be noted that although the touch pads of fig4 - 6 are all shown as circular that they may take on other forms such as other curvilinear shapes ( e . g ., oval , annular and the like ), rectilinear shapes ( e . g ., hexagon , pentagon , octagon , rectangle , square , and the like ) or a combination of curvilinear and rectilinear ( e . g ., dome ). furthermore , in order to provide higher resolution , a more complex arrangement of zones may be used . for example , as shown in fig7 , the touch pad 238 may include angular and radial zones 240 that are broken up such that consecutive zones do not coincide exactly . in this embodiment , the touch pad 202 has an annular shape and the zones 240 follow a spiral path around the touch pad 202 from the center to the outer perimeter of the touch pad 202 . fig8 is a partially broken away perspective view of an annular capacitive touch pad 250 , in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention . by way of example , the annular capacitive touch pad 250 may correspond to the touch pad of fig2 . the annular capacitive touch pad 250 is arranged to detect changes in capacitance as the user swirls an object such as a finger around the touch pad 250 . the annular capacitive touch pad 250 is also arranged to detect changes in capacitance as the user moves their finger radially across the touch pad 250 . the annular capacitive touch pad 250 is formed from various layers including at least a label layer 252 , an electrode layer 254 and a circuit board 256 . the label layer 252 is disposed over the electrode layer 254 and the electrode layer 254 is disposed over the circuit board 256 . at least the label 252 and electrode layer 254 are annular such that they are defined by concentric circles , i . e ., they have an inner perimeter and an outer perimeter . the circuit board 256 is generally a circular piece having an outer perimeter that coincides with the outer perimeter of the label 252 and electrode layer 254 . it should be noted , however , that in some cases the circuit board 256 may be annular or the label 252 and electrode layer 254 may be circular . the label layer 252 serves to protect the underlayers and to provide a surface for allowing a finger to slide thereon . the surface is generally smooth so that the finger does not stick to it when moved . the label layer 252 also provides an insulating layer between the finger and the electrode layer 254 . the electrode layer 254 includes a plurality of spatially distinct electrodes 258 that have positions based on the polar coordinate system . for instance , the electrodes 258 are positioned both angularly and radially on the circuit board 256 such that each of the electrodes 258 defines a distinct angular and radial position thereon . any suitable number of electrodes 258 may be used . in most cases , it would be desirable to increase the number of electrodes 258 so as to provide higher resolution , i . e ., more information can be used for things such as acceleration . when configured together , the touch pad 250 provides a touch sensitive surface that works according to the principals of capacitance . as should be appreciated , whenever two electrically conductive members come close to one another without actually touching , their electric fields interact to form capacitance . in this configuration , the first electrically conductive member is one or more of the electrodes 258 and the second electrically conductive member is the finger of the user . accordingly , as the finger approaches the touch pad 250 , a tiny capacitance forms between the finger and the electrodes 258 in close proximity to the finger . the capacitance in each of the electrodes 258 is measured by control circuitry 260 located on the backside of the circuit board 256 . by detecting changes in capacitance at each of the electrodes 258 , the control circuitry 260 can determine the angular location , direction , speed and acceleration of the finger as it is moved across the touch pad 250 . the control circuitry 260 can also report this information in a form that can be used by a computing device . by way of example , the control circuitry may include an asic ( application specific integrated circuit ). fig9 is a flow diagram of touch pad - display processing 300 , in accordance with one embodiment of the invention . the touch pad - display processing 300 allows a user to interact with a graphical user interface of a computing device . the touch pad - display processing 300 generally begins at block 302 where at least one control object is displayed on the graphical user interface . by way of example , the control object may be a slider bar that highlights information from a list in a menu displayed on a graphical user interface on a display screen . the displayed control object is generally controlled by the processor 214 illustrated in fig3 . following block 302 , the touch pad - display processing proceeds to block 304 where a user input is received . the user input may be received by the processor 214 illustrated in fig3 . in one embodiment , the user input is an angular referenced input , as for example , a user input produced by a rotational user action such as a finger swirling across the touch pad . by way of example , the touch pad may correspond to the touch pad illustrated in fig3 . in another embodiment , the user input is a radial referenced input , as for example , a user input produced by a radial user action such as a finger radially moving across the touch pad . by way of example , the touch pad may correspond to the touch pad illustrated in fig4 . following block 304 , the touch pad - display processing proceeds to block 306 where the angular or radial referenced user input is converted into a linear referenced input . the conversion may be implemented by the processor 212 illustrated in fig3 . following block 306 , the touch pad - display processing proceeds to block 308 where control object is modified in accordance with the linear referenced input . for example , the control object such as a slider bar may be linearly moved from a first item to a second item on a list or it may be moved through multiple items on a list ( e . g ., scrolling ). the modification is generally implemented when the processor 214 illustrated in fig3 supplies the linear referenced input to the graphical user interface on the display screen . the various aspects of the invention described above can be used alone or in various combinations . the invention is preferably implemented by a combination of hardware and software , but can also be implemented in hardware or software . the invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium . the computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system . examples of the computer readable medium include read - only memory , random - access memory , cd - roms , dvds , magnetic tape , optical data storage devices , and carrier waves . the computer readable medium can also be distributed over a network coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion . furthermore , although a scrolling feature is described , it should be noted that a scrolling feature is not a limitation and that the touch pad may be used to manipulate other features . for example , the touch pad may be used to adjust a volume control in an audio application . in addition , the touch pad may be used to advance through frames in a movie in video editing applications . the touch pad may also be used in video game applications . the advantages of the invention are numerous . different embodiments or implementations may yield one or more of the following advantages . it should be noted that this is not an exhaustive list and there may be other advantages which are not described herein . one advantage of the invention is that a user is able to easily and rapidly traverse at lengthy list of media items . another advantage of the invention is that a substantial portion of the touch pad is accessible to the user , i . e ., the touch pad provides a large surface area for manipulation thereof . another advantage of the invention is that the touch pad can be continuously actuated by a simple swirling motion of a finger , i . e ., the finger can be rotated through 360 degrees of rotation without stopping . another advantage of the invention is that the touch pad provides more range of finger positions . for example , a left handed user may choose to use one portion of the touch pad while a right handed user may choose to use another portion of the touch pad . in essence , the touch pad is more ergonomic . another advantage of the invention is that the touch pad makes the media player more aesthetically pleasing . another advantage of the invention is that the touch pad allows an intuitive way to scroll on a display screen . for example , the user can manipulate the his or her finger side to side for horizontal scrolling and the user can manipulate his or her finger backwards and forwards for vertical scrolling . while this invention has been described in terms of several preferred embodiments , there are alterations , permutations , and equivalents , which fall within the scope of this invention . for example , although the invention has been described in terms of an mp3 music player , it should be appreciated that certain features of the invention may also be applied to other types of media players such as video recorders , cameras , and the like . furthermore , the mp3 music player described herein is not limited to the mp3 music format . other audio formats such as mp3 vbr ( variable bit rate ), aiff and wav formats may be used . moreover , certain aspects of the invention are not limited to handheld devices . for example , the touch pad may also be used in other computing devices such as a portable computer , personal digital assistants ( pda ), cellular phones , and the like . the touch pad may also be used a stand alone input device that connects to a desktop or portable computer . it should also be noted that there are many alternative ways of implementing the methods and apparatuses of the present invention . for example , although the touch pad has been described in terms of being actuated by a finger , it should be noted that other objects may be used to actuate it in some cases . for example , a stylus or other object may be used in some configurations of the touch pad . it is therefore intended that the following appended claims be interpreted as including all such alterations , permutations , and equivalents as fall within the true spirit and scope of the present invention .	6
a typical embodiment of the cork puller of the present invention is illustrated in fig1 and 2 ( front views ), and fig3 and 4 ( top views ). the mechanism of the embodiment illustrated is comprised of three pairs of lazy tong links including a top pair of links 30 , a middle pair of links 32 , and a lower pair of folded links 38 . the pairs of links are loosely pinned at pivotal connections 20 , 22 , 24 , 26 and 28 . links 30 and 32 are rectangular in cross section . folded links 38 are comprised of two sides integrally connected by a spine 50 , as shown in fig1 a . in fig1 the top ends of links 30 are loosely pinned to a folded strap hinge 18 at pivotal connections 20 . fig6 shows a handle shaft 12 having a substantially elongated hole 16 . fig1 shows the handle shaft 12 attached with a pin 14 to the folded strap hinge 18 . elongated hole 16 , shown in fig6 permits handle 10 and handle shaft 12 to fold compactly against links 30 and 32 into the folded configuration shown in fig3 . when the cork puller is collapsed , as in fig2 in preparation to inserting screw 36 into a cork the handle may be maintained in the folded configuration . lazy tong links 30 , 32 , and 38 are sized ( as to length ) so that the motion of handle 10 along an axis of the cork puller extending through the screw 36 and the handle shaft 12 is substantially greater than the motion of the base of shaft 34 . this provides the means for a force multiplication between the handle 10 and the base of the shaft 34 such that a relatively small upward pulling force on handle 10 results in a substantially greater application of force to screw 36 imbedded in the cork . a person using the mechanism has the mechanical means to apply a controlled pulling force on handle 10 , rather than an abrupt massive effort that could jerk a cork out of a bottle , thereby causing the bottle to slip from a person &# 39 ; s grasp . as shown in fig3 and fig4 planes of the links 30 and 32 at the pivotal connections 20 , 22 , and 26 are parallel to each other , and substantially perpendicular to the plane of the pivotal connections 20 , 22 , and 26 . all bearing surfaces at the pivotal connections 20 , 22 , and 26 are on parallel planes , so that the links 30 and 32 articulate cleanly and collapse smoothly and compactly to meet links 38 , facilitating the hand grasp of the cork puller as the screw is inserted into the cork . fig1 shows the shaft 34 with a shaft notch 42 which is located on each side of the shaft 34 so as to contact the middle links 32 and stabilize the position of the screw 36 in an axial position when device is collapsed for insertion into a cork as shown in fig2 . fig1 and fig2 also show notches 44 in the spine 50 of the folded links 38 , which act as stops and provide stability when the lazy tongs mechanism is collapsed as in fig2 . fig1 and fig2 show a flanged seat 40 which accommodates bottle tops of a range of sizes . a flange wing 46 is an extension and integral part of the flanged seat 40 and provides an attachment for the folded link 38 by the pivotal connection 28 . fig3 and fig4 show the contoured shape of the links 30 , 32 and the handle 10 in a preferred embodiment . in this embodiment , the contour of the device is adapted to fit into the hand of a right handed person providing comfort and leverage as the screw is inserted into the cork . an alternate embodiment reverses the contours of the links 30 , 32 and the handle 10 , and has a left handed screw to accommodate a left handed person . the handle 10 , the shaft 34 , the screw 36 , and the flanged seat 40 are all substantially symmetrically positioned , so the manual pulling force provided to the handle is in line with the shaft axis 48 . the folded links 38 shown in fig1 a have two sides integrally formed to receive lower ends of the links 32 between the two sides of the folded links 38 at the pivotal connections 24 shown in fig1 . the folded links 38 provide for a directly axial and symmetrical attachment of the middle links 32 at the pivotal connection 24 and of the flanged seat 40 at the flange wings 46 by the pivotal connections 28 as shown in fig1 . a further embodiment of the present invention includes flat , uncontoured links 30 and 32 providing for a less expensive construction . this embodiment also provides for the further embodiment of encasing links 30 and 32 in molded or shaped material to create an ergonomic configuration . the cork puller can be built of various metals , high strength plastics , or high technology materials such as those made of carbon fibers . our cork puller is operated by placing a tip of the screw 36 on the top of a cork with the cork puller links in the collapsed position as in fig2 . gentle pressure is directed axially to the screw 36 by the handle 10 , causing the screw to pierce the cork . torque or turning action is then applied to the collapsed cork puller , shown in fig2 and in fig3 . when the screw 36 is fully inserted into the cork by turning , the flanged seat 40 is on the top of the bottle . the shape of the flanged seat 40 allows the seat to accommodate bottles of different sizes . the handle 10 is then lifted from its collapsed position shown in fig3 and pulled upward away from the bottle . the pulling force on the handle 10 extends the lazy tong links 30 , 32 , and 38 , lifting the cork from the bottle top . the cork can be left on the screw 36 to provide a protective sheath for the screw 36 until the cork puller is next put into use . the present invention provides many advantages over known cork pullers . for example , the bearing surfaces which are pinned at pivotal points parallel to each other , provide clean articulation and smooth , symmetrical , compact collapse of the contoured links of the device . the compact collapse of the lazy tongs is an important advantage in that it provides a comfortable and sound grasp for the hand turning the screw into the cork . the contour of the upper links of the lazy tongs provide an ergonomic form for the hand applying force to turn the screw into a cork . the mechanical advantage provided by the lazy tongs , which are sized by length to provide an optimum lifting stroke , requires very little physical strength to extract a cork . another advantage of the present invention is that one hand is left free to hold the bottle down , and that holding force equals only the substantially reduced force necessary to pull the cork up . reduction of that pulling force results from the mechanical advantage of the lazy tongs system of leverage . finally , the present invention is simple and comfortable to use even by inexperienced persons . the flared flange seat and stepped flared flange seat provide an improvement over known flanged seats in cork pullers in that : 1 ) the cork puller pulls corks from a range of bottle top sizes including bottles with widened flanges ; 2 ) the cork puller provides a safe means of pulling corks without breaking of chipping the tops of bottles , because it features a flanged seat which distributes the pressure against the bottle top generated by the force of pulling the cork ; and 3 ) the flared flange or stepped flange seat design can be utilized in cork pullers with a pedestal that is essentially bell shaped , or with flanges not sufficiently flaring to receive a range of bottle top sizes thereby bringing to those cork pullers our advantage of fitting a range of bottle top sizes , including the widened flange bottle top . in addition , our cork puller is made of clean , smooth , durable materials in all of its embodiments . although the description above contains many specificities , these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments of this invention . thus the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents , rather than by the examples given .	1
referring to the figs , and particularly to fig1 which shows an electronic data system 10 , the system 10 comprises an information system 12 connected to the internet 14 via a firewall 16 . as is well known , a large number of web sites 18 ( only four of which are shown ) are also connected to the internet 14 . these web sites 18 are a source of information items in document form . the information system 12 comprises client devices 20 ( only three of which are shown in fig1 ) connected to a retrieved information storage database 22 by a tcp / ip - based intranet 24 that provides the client devices 20 with the world wide web facility . system 12 also comprises a web server 26 connected to the intranet 24 . the database 22 is in the form of a modified data warehouse and includes a data storage area 28 in the form of a large array of magnetic disk drives 30 ; and a database management system ( dbms ) 32 that controls storage of data within , and extraction of data from , the data storage area 28 . the data warehouse is a teradata ( trade mark ) system available from ncr corporation , 1700 south patterson boulevard , dayton , ohio 45479 - 0001 , usa that has been modified to include an artificial intelligence system 34 . the artificial intelligence system 34 comprises static intelligent agents and supporting resources , and the system is based on the aglets ( trade mark ) architecture , available from ibm corporation and described at the web page url http :// www . trl . ibm . co jp / aglets /. referring particularly to fig2 each client device 20 is a conventional personal computer ( pc ) and , as is well known , includes a system bus 40 interconnecting a processor 42 and associated memory 44 ; storage means 46 in the form of a magnetic disk drive and removable media storage such as a cd rom and a floppy disk drive ; a display 48 ; and input means 50 in the form of a keyboard and a mouse , trackball or similar . although each client device 20 is identical , for clarity of illustration of this embodiment , each device 20 is shown as operated by a different type of user . thus , device 20 a is operated by a ‘ user ’ of system 12 ; device 20 b is operated by a subject matter expert ( sme ) of system 12 ; and device 20 c is operated by an administrator of system 12 . the memory 44 in each client device 20 executes an operating system kernel 52 and a web browser 54 ( or browser component ), such as the microsoft ( trade mark ) internet explorer ( trade mark ) web browser . each client device 20 is able to access the agent system 34 by a user entering an appropriate url ( uniform resource locator ) in the web browser &# 39 ; s url field . reference is now made to fig3 which is a process flow diagram indicating the basic processes 100 implemented by the information system 12 of fig1 . firstly , an initialization process 102 is performed to initialize the system 12 ( fig1 ) and to allow users to select subject matter of interest to them . secondly , a retrieval process 104 is performed to retrieve information items from information sources . thirdly , an evaluation process 106 is performed to rate the importance of the information items retrieved . fourthly , a notification process 108 is performed to notify individuals of any important information items . to describe these four processes ( 102 to 108 ), reference is also made to fig4 which is a block diagram illustrating the architecture of the information system of fig1 . as illustrated in fig4 the agent system 34 comprises a control component 60 , a subject matter selection component 62 , an information items retrieval component 64 , a classifying component 66 , a rating component 68 , a feedback request component 70 , a notification component 72 , a management component 74 , and a database access component 76 . the control component 60 is a program that initiates operation of the management component 74 . the management component 74 is in the form of a rules - based program that manages the work flow between various components ( 64 to 72 ) in the agent system 34 . the initialization process 102 involves three distinct sub - processes : an administrator sub - process 102 a , a subject matter expert sub - process 102 b , and a user sub - process 102 c . the administrator sub - process 102 a involves an administrator using a client device 20 c ( fig1 ) to access the subject matter selection component 62 , which is in the form of a web portal . in this embodiment , the information items to be retrieved and rated relate to types of technologies ( displays , processors , memories , and such like ). the administrator creates a list of technologies and stores this list as a technologies table 109 in the data storage area 28 . this technologies table 109 is accessed by a user interface program ( described in more detail below ). the administrator selects the web sites that will be searched for information items , and configures the information items retrieval component 64 to retrieve items from these web sites . the information items retrieval component 64 is an intelligent agent component that sends http requests to the preselected web pages . for each web site to be examined for information , the administrator configures the retrieval agent 64 with the url for the web site , the web site hierarchy , and the page format of the page to be examined . typically , the retrieval agent 64 is provided with the url for a web site &# 39 ; s news page , and is provided with the tag below which the news items appear . the tag is typically different for each web site , but may be an image with the word “ news ” appearing on it . once the administrator has configured the retrieval agent 64 , the agent 64 can make an http request to the url having the web page with the latest news , and can strip off and discard all parts of the page except the text following the news tag . the sme sub - process 102 b involves a human sme subscribing to certain concepts . the sme also uses a client device 20 b ( fig1 ) to access the web portal 62 . referring also to fig5 which is a diagrammatic representation of a user interface 80 presented to an sme at client device 20 b , the sme is provided with a graphical interface 80 listing subscription information 82 selected from a hierarchical list 84 of available technologies on a window pane 86 . the sme is able to add more concepts to this subscription list 82 , selected from the technologies list 84 . any concepts the sme adds are identified as being ‘ owned ’ by that sme , so that the system 12 will request that expert to rate any retrieved information items relating to that concept . in this embodiment , the sme has added the concept ‘ displays : lcd ”, and the keywords ‘ liquid and crystal and display ’. thus , the sme is an sme for any information items that relate to lcd displays . when an sme subscribes to a concept , the sme enters a threshold value for that concept , so that any document relating to that concept that does not have an importance value ( a rating ) exceeding the threshold value set by the sme will not be notified to the sme . once the sme has subscribed to those concepts in which he / she is expert , the web portal 62 updates the data storage area 28 ( fig1 ) with these details . if an expert wishes to add a concept that does not appear in the list of technologies , then the expert can contact the administrator to have the concept added to the technology list . the user sub - process 102 c is the third sub - process in the initialization process 102 and may occur at any time after the previous two sub - processes have been completed . the user sub - process 102 c involves a user selecting subject matter of interest to him . to do this , the user also uses a client device 20 a ( fig1 ) to access the web portal 62 and register his preferences . referring also to fig6 which is a diagrammatic representation of a user interface presented to the user at client device 20 a , the user is provided with a graphical interface 90 having a list 92 of subject matter of interest to the user which is selected from a list 94 of technologies . the user is also able to enter an interest value for each subject matter of interest to him . the interest value is a number between 1 and 100 and represents the rating that an information item must receive before the user is to be notified about the item . once the user has selected those concepts of interest to him ( from the list of technologies ) and assigned an interest value to each , the web portal 62 updates the data storage area 28 ( fig1 ) with these details . the portal 62 transfers the update data via the database access component 76 ( in the form of a jdbc agent ) and the dbms 32 . thus , at the end of the initialization process , data storage area 28 stores a concepts hierarchy table 110 and a concepts keywords table 112 , as illustrated in fig7 and 8 respectively . these tables 110 , 112 contain hierarchy and keyword information respectively relating to all the subjects to which an expert has subscribed . each concept is defined by a superclass and a subclass , as shown in fig7 . each superclass - subclass concept may have a plurality of keywords associated with it ; thus , keyword table 112 has three entries for the “ displays : lcd ” superclass - subclass combination , as shown in fig8 . data storage area 28 also stores a user table 114 , as illustrated in fig9 and a subscriptions table 116 , as illustrated in fig1 . for each user , the user table 114 stores a user identifier in a user identification column 114 a ; the concepts ( superclass - subclass combination ) in which the user is interested , in a concepts column 114 b ; and the user selected interest value , in interest value column 114 c ; where a user is interested in multiple concepts , there is a row entry for each concept , as shown in fig9 . for each sme , the subscriptions table 116 stores an sme identifier in an sme identification column 116 a , the concepts ( superclass - subclass combinations ) to which the sme has subscribed in an sme concepts column 116 b , and the threshold value for each concept in a threshold column 116 c . it will be appreciated , however , that the user can access this portal 62 at any time to change his / her subject matter of interest and / or interest value for a selected subject matter . similarly , the administrator can access the portal 62 to reconfigure the system ; and the sme can update his subscriptions at any time . although only one sme has been described , system 12 typically will have a plurality of smes who subscribe , so that there are many different concept subscriptions . similarly , although only one user has been described , system 12 typically will have a large number of users , each having an interest in a specific subject matter . the retrieval process 104 will now be described in more detail with reference to fig1 . the retrieval agent 64 is activated periodically by the management program 74 ( which includes a timer 75 ). the retrieval agent 64 sends http requests to the web site addresses 18 which the administrator loaded into the agent in sub - process 102 a . the retrieval agent 64 receives web pages 140 ( information items ) in response to the http requests . the agent 64 then extracts the text from these pages 140 by identifying the tag ( loaded by the administrator in sub - process 102 a ) and copying the text beneath the tag to a new document 142 ( which is also an information item ). the tag may be a graphic having the letters “ news ” or “ latest information ” or “ updated information ” displayed on it , and typically varies from web site to web site . the rest of the retrieved web page is deleted . the retrieval agent 64 saves document indexing information relating to the retrieved web page in the data storage area 28 in a documents table 118 . the document indexing information includes the web page url , the date the document was retrieved , the document title ( if available ), and the document author ( if available ). the retrieval agent 64 also stores the new document 142 ( an information item ) containing the extracted text on the web server 26 . once an information item 142 has been stored on the web server 26 , the classifying component 66 evaluates the item 142 , as will be described with reference to fig1 . the classifying component 66 is an intelligent agent that includes rules for examining text contained in item 142 and determining whether the text contains any of the stored concepts and keywords . thus , each information item is examined for each concept and keyword stored in the concept hierarchy table 110 and the concept keyword table 112 . if an information item does not contain any of the concepts or keywords stored in the respective tables 110 , 112 , then the information item is deleted . if an information item does contain one or more of the concepts and / or keywords stored in tables 110 , 112 , then an entry for that item is made in a classification table 120 for every concept contained in the information item , as illustrated in fig1 . in fig1 , classification table 120 has a document reference column 120 a and a technology concept column 120 b . when the classifying agent 66 detects a concept in the information item 142 , the agent 66 creates an entry in the table 120 for that concept . the entry has an identification number in reference column 120 a and the concept description in concept column 120 b . in this embodiment , item 142 relates to lcd displays and crt displays . thus , the classifying agent 66 gives the item 142 a unique identification 122 ( the reference number # 1234 ), and creates one entry 122 a ( via the dbms 32 and jdbc agent 76 ) for this item 142 having the technology concept “ displays : lcd ” 124 a ; and a second entry 122 b for this item 142 having the technology concept “ displays : crt ” 124 b . in general , there will be an entry for each concept described in the item , so that one item may have multiple entries in the classification table 120 . once the item 142 has been classified , it is then rated for importance by the rating component 68 , which is an intelligent agent implementing an automatic ranking routine . there are two stages to the rating process . initially , an item is rated automatically by the rating agent 68 ( process 106 a ). however , there is a feedback rating process , in which an sme is asked to rate the item , and the sme &# 39 ; s rating is used to modify the initial rating ( process 106 b ). the initial rating ( process 106 a ) will now be described . to rate an item automatically , the rating agent 68 uses the classification table 120 , algorithms such as those used in conventional internet search engines , and any feedback information it has received , to determine the relevance of the item 142 . for each row in classification table 120 having a reference to item 142 , the rating agent 68 reads the corresponding entry in the concept column 120 b , and applies the conventional rating algorithms to produce a rating value . the rating agent 68 then creates entries in a rating table 126 to store the rating values for the items evaluated , as illustrated in fig1 . rating table 126 has a reference column 126 a and a technology concept column 126 b ( which reproduce the data of the classification table 120 ), in addition to a rating column 126 c and rater column 126 d . the rating column 126 c contains the rating value for that item / concept combination ; and the rater column 126 d indicates whether the rating was determined automatically by the rating agent 68 or by an sme . the notification process involves two sub - processes : an sme notification process and a user notification process . once the rating agent 68 has rated the entries in the classification table 120 and entered the rating values in the rating table 126 , the feedback request component 70 determines whether to send requests to smes . the feedback request component 70 is an intelligent agent implementing a boolean logic algorithm 144 , as illustrated in fig1 . information item 142 relates to two concepts ( displays : lcd , and displays : crt ), so there are two row entries 128 a , b in rating table 126 for item 142 . the feedback agent 70 reads the first row 128 a to determine the document reference ( column 126 a ), the concept ( column 126 b ), and the document rating ( column 126 c ). the feedback agent 70 then accesses the subscriptions table 116 ( fig1 ) to determine the sme responsible for that concept . in row 128 a , the concept is “ displays : lcd ” ( column 126 b ), so the identity of the sme for that concept ( from column 116 a of the subscriptions table 116 ) is “ ds56743 ”. the feedback agent 70 then reads the threshold value set by the sme from column 116 c . for this concept (“ displays : lcd ”), the sme has set a threshold value of 60 %. thus , only items retrieved by the system 12 having an automatic rating exceeding 60 % are to be notified to the sme . as the automatic rating ( from row 128 a and column 126 c ) for this item 142 is 80 % ( which is greater than the threshold value of 60 % set by the sme for the “ displays : lcd ” concept ), the boolean logic algorithm 144 within the feedback agent 70 determines that the sme identified by the code “ ds56743 ” is to be notified of the item 142 in relation to “ displays : lcd ”. as the automatic rating ( from row 128 b and column 126 c ) for this item 142 is only 45 % for the “ displays : crt ” concept , the boolean logic algorithm 144 within the feedback agent 70 determines that the sme identified by the code “ ds56743 ” is not to be notified of the item 142 in relation to “ displays : crt ”. this is because 45 % is less than the threshold value of 48 % set by the sme for the “ displays : crt ” concept . prior to notifying the sme about this item 142 in relation to “ displays : lcd ”, however , the feedback agent 70 access an sme message table 150 ( fig1 ) to ensure that the agent 70 has not already notified the sme about this item for this concept . the message table 150 has a document reference column 150 a , a concept column 150 b , an sme identifier column 150 c , and a rated column 150 d . if the sme has not already been notified of the item ( that is , the rated column is blank ), then the feedback agent 70 triggers an automatic email notification 146 that sends a one - line message to the sme indicating that a new item 142 relating to “ displays : lcd ” has been retrieved . the feedback agent 70 may use the sme &# 39 ; s identifier (“ ds56743 ”) to determine the sme &# 39 ; s email address . if the sme has already been notified , then the agent 70 may send an automatic reminder to the sme . the second stage in the evaluation process involves the sme applying a rating to the item 142 . referring now to fig1 , when the sme receives the email 146 , the sme launches the user interface 180 at client device 20 b . the user interface 180 is the same program as user interface 80 , listing subscription information 82 selected from a hierarchical list 84 of available technologies on a window pane 86 ; but now having a right side window pane 182 including details about item 142 . these details include , the name of the web site 184 from which item 142 was retrieved , the location 186 of the item on the web server 26 , the url of the web page from which the item was extracted 188 ( so that the sme can look at the item as originally displayed ), the date the item was retrieved 190 , the type 192 of file ( text , html , or such like ), and the rating 194 . the sme can read the item 142 by opening the document stored on the web server 26 . once the sme has read the item 142 , he then applies a rating to the item 142 based on his knowledge of the subject matter and his opinion of the importance of the item 142 ; in this example , the sme applies a rating of 76 %. when the sme applies a rating , the user interface program 180 conveys the sme &# 39 ; s rating to portal 62 , which conveys the rating to sme rating component 77 and to the jdbc agent 76 . the jdbc agent 76 updates the rated column 150 d in message table 150 to indicate that the item 142 has been rated by the sme . the sme rating component 77 is an intelligent agent that updates the rating value in the rating column 126 c of rating table 126 , and updates the rater column 126 d to indicate that the rating has been applied by an sme . the updated rating table 226 is shown in fig1 . the sme rating component 77 also provides feedback information to the rating agent 68 , which the rating agent 68 uses to improve future automatic ratings . once the sme rating has been applied , the evaluation process is complete . when an sme rating has been applied to the item 142 in relation to the “ displays : lcd ” concept , then the notification component 72 determines whether to notify interested users or not . the notification component 72 is an intelligent agent implementing a boolean logic algorithm 160 , as illustrated in fig1 . the notification agent 72 reads the first row 128 a of the updated rating table 226 ( fig1 ) to determine the document reference ( column 126 a ), the concept ( column 126 b ), and the document rating ( column 126 c ). the notification agent 72 then accesses the user table 114 ( fig9 ) to determine the users who are interested in that concept . in user table 114 , there are two users who are interested in the concept “ displays : lcd ”, “ rm78343 ” and “ mc34321 ”. for each of these users , the notification agent 72 determines the respective interest value from column 114 c , and compares these values with the rating values from column 126 c of the updated rating table 226 ( fig1 ). from column 114 c of the user table 114 ( fig9 ), it is clear that user “ rm78343 ” is only interested in items having a rating exceeding 52 %, and user “ mc34321 ” is only interested in items having a rating exceeding 81 %. as the sme rating ( from column 126 c of the updated rating table 226 ( fig1 )) for this item 142 is 76 % ( which is greater than the interest value of 52 % set by user “ rm78343 ”, but less than the interest value of 81 % set by user “ mc34321 ”), the boolean logic algorithm 144 within the notification agent 72 determines that user “ rm78343 ” should be notified but user “ mc34321 ” should not be notified of the item 142 in relation to the concept “ displays : lcd ”. prior to notifying user “ rm78343 ” about this item 142 , however , the notification agent 72 accesses a users message table 162 ( fig2 ) to ensure that the agent 72 has not already notified user “ rm78343 ” about this item 142 . the message table 162 has a document reference column 162 a , a concept column 162 b , a rating column 162 c , and a user identifier column 162 d . if the user has not already been notified of the item , then the notification agent 72 triggers an automatic email notification 164 that sends a one - line message to the user indicating that a new item 142 relating to “ displays : lcd ” has been retrieved . the notification agent 72 may use the user &# 39 ; s identifier (“ rm78343 ”) to determine the user &# 39 ; s email address . when the user receives the email 164 , the user launches the user interface 280 at client device 20 a . the user interface 280 is the same program as user interfaces 80 and 180 , having the same fields as these interfaces 80 , 180 but showing the sme rating of 76 % in rating field 194 . the user can read the item 142 by opening the document stored on the web server 26 . after a period of time , a vast number of items will have been retrieved , classified , and stored as information items , so that the user interface 380 ( fig2 ) can be used to review all of the information items available relating to any given concept within the concept hierarchy 84 . it will be apparent that this embodiment of the present invention provides an automated search , classification , and notification system that allows smes to participate in rating the importance of documents to a specified subject matter , so that individuals within an organization can access this system and refer to only the most important documents . as a two - stage rating is applied , one by the system and another by a person ( the sme ), the system is able to adapt its rating mechanism by comparing its rating value with that of the sme . in effect , this allows an sme to train the system in evaluating the importance of documents relating to the subject matter . as the system uses distributed agent - based technologies , the system is easy to scale across a large organization , and is able to classify on - line information and to alert interested users in real time . various modifications may be made to the above described embodiment , within the scope of the present invention , for example , other data storage systems may be used than the data warehouse described . in other embodiments , the artificial intelligence system may not be based on intelligent agent infrastructures , for example , it may be based on an expert system , or may be coded as a conventional computer program . although all the concepts and hence the information items described in this embodiment relate to technologies , in other embodiments , the concepts may relate to other areas , for example , law , medicine , business , commerce , or such like . in the above embodiment , experts subscribe to concepts and users register interest in concepts ; however , it will be appreciated that experts may also be users for subject matter for which they are not expert . in other embodiments , there may not be an sme available for a particular concept ; in such an embodiment , a user may receive notification of an item that has only been rated by the rating means , not by an sme .	8
in the following description , for purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art that embodiments of the invention can be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the invention . reference throughout this specification to “ one embodiment ” or “ an embodiment ” means that a particular feature , structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention . thus , appearances of the phrases “ in one embodiment ” or “ in an embodiment ” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment . furthermore , the particular features , structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments . fig1 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . in accordance with the illustrated example embodiment , package 100 includes one or more of coreless substrate strip 102 , backside contacts 104 , topside contacts 106 and substrate thickness 108 . coreless substrate strip 102 represents a thin substrate that may be rolled out and processed before being singulated . in one embodiment , coreless substrate strip 102 is a direct laser lamination generation 3 ( dll3 ) strip . in one embodiment , substrate thickness 108 is about 200 micrometers . fig2 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . as shown in package 200 , mold compound 202 is dispensed as a liquid on backside 206 and compressed by mold form 204 . in one embodiment , mold form 204 is a jig designed to compress mold compound 202 adjacent to sites where solder balls are to be attached . mold form 204 may be held in place for some time and may be heated to allow mold compound 202 to cure . fig3 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . as shown in package 300 , stiffening mold 302 is cured and provides added stiffness to package 300 . in one embodiment , stiffening mold 302 has a mold thickness 304 of about 100 micrometers . fig4 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . as shown in package 400 , solder balls 402 have been attached amongst stiffening mold 302 . in one embodiment , solder ball diameter 404 is about 10 mils . in one embodiment , solder balls 402 are made from a high melting point solder ( higher than about 220 degrees celsius ) so as to maintain their integrity through subsequent reflows , for example , a reflow for attaching a topside integrated circuit device . in another embodiment , solder balls 402 are not attached until later in the process after an integrated circuit device has been attached . fig5 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . as shown in package 500 , the package has been flipped over for topside processing . fig6 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . as shown in package 600 , integrated circuit device 602 has been attached to topside 604 of coreless substrate strip 102 . integrated circuit device 602 may represent any type of silicon processor or controller or logic . fig7 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . as shown in package 700 , underfill material 702 has been dispensed under integrated circuit device 602 . fig8 is a graphical illustration of a cross - sectional view of a partially formed ic package , in accordance with one example embodiment of the invention . as shown in package 800 , second integrated circuit device package 802 has been attached to topside 604 through solder balls 804 . second integrated circuit device package 802 may be any type of package and need not be a flip chip package . in one embodiment , package 800 is processed further and singulated from other packages . in the description above , for the purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form . many of the methods are described in their most basic form but operations can be added to or deleted from any of the methods and information can be added or subtracted from any of the described messages without departing from the basic scope of the present invention . any number of variations of the inventive concept is anticipated within the scope and spirit of the present invention . in this regard , the particular illustrated example embodiments are not provided to limit the invention but merely to illustrate it . thus , the scope of the present invention is not to be determined by the specific examples provided above but only by the plain language of the following claims .	7
the present invention provides a method for increasing the milk clotting activity and decreasing the thermal stability of r . pusillus rennet by oxidizing the enzyme with a methionine oxidizing agent followed by acylation with a dicarboxylic acid anhydride . r . pusillus rennet is produced by well established methods and is commercially available as an aqueous solution . the native coagulant is more heat stable than calf rennet and to produce a heat labile preparation , processes have been developed to chemically modify the enzyme . these processes utilize methionine oxidizing agents such as hydrogen peroxide , peroxyacids and alkali metal hypochlorites which oxidize some of the methionine residues in the enzyme to methionine sulfoxide . by varying the extent of this oxidation a greater or lesser degree of thermal lability can be produced . unfortunately , this treatment often produces a decrease in milk clotting activity and some compromise has to be established between the degree of thermal lability and the loss of clotting activity . acylation of thermally destabilized rennet with a dicarboxylic acid anhydride as described herein provides a means to avoid this situation and permits the preparation of extremely labile rennets ( if so desired ) which have greatly increased milk clotting activity as compared to rennets that are oxidized to decrease their thermal stability but not acylated . the oxidation conditions are not narrowly critical ; the process may be carried out using any of a number of oxidizing agents which oxidize methionine such as hydrogen peroxide , other organic peroxides , peroxyacids , e . g . peracetic acid and persulfuric acid , chlorine containing oxidizing agents , e . g . sodium hypochlorite and chloramine - t ( sodium salt of n - chloro - p - toluenesulfonamide ). oxidation temperatures will typically range from about 0 ° to 40 ° c . since at below 0 ° c . the enzyme solution will tend to freeze and the enzyme may undergo some inactivation at temperatures above 40 ° c . the oxidation is preferably carried out at a temperature in the range of from about 5 ° to 15 ° c . and is typically carried out at a ph in the range of 3 to 8 with a range of from about 4 to 6 being preferred . the oxidation is carried out for a period of time and with a concentration of oxidizing agent sufficient to provide the desired degree of thermal lability . the exact conditions required to achieve the desired degree of thermal destabilization will require some routine experimentation which can be conducted as follows : the extent of destabilization of the enzyme may be determined as follows : the enzyme is diluted in 0 . 2m phosphate buffer , ph 5 . 5 and aliquots ( 2 ml ) are dispensed into screw cap test tubes . the tubes are placed in a water bath at 60 ° c . and then removed after 5 , 10 , 15 or 20 minutes , cooled in ice - water and assayed for residual milk - clotting activity as described below . an unheated sample of enzyme is used as a control ( 100 % activity ). calcium chloride is added to homogenized whole milk to a final concentration of 3 mm . aliquots ( 1 ml ) of this solution are dispensed into test tubes and equilibrated in a water bath at 37 ° c . a sample ( 0 . 1 ml ) of enzyme at a suitable dilution is then added , the solution rapidly mixed and the time to the first appearance of clotting measured . by comparing this time to the clotting time of a standard rennet solution ( 50 rennet units per ml , supplied by marschall products division of miles laboratories , inc ., madison , wis . ), the clotting activity may be calculated using the following formula : ## equ1 ## rennet activity is expressed in rennet units ( r . u .) per milliliter when the enzyme is in a liquid form . commercial rennets are usually supplied as &# 34 ; single strength &# 34 ; ( 90 r . u ./ ml ) or &# 34 ; double strength &# 34 ; ( 180 r . u ./ ml ). the acylation reaction may be carried out with any suitable dicarboxylic acid anhydride . typically an acid anhydride characterized by one of the following formulae is used : ## str1 ## where r is co 2 h or h , r &# 39 ; is no 2 or h and the ring is saturated or unsaturated ; ## str2 ## where r is cl , br , h or ch 3 and r &# 39 ; is h or cl ; or ## str3 ## where n is 0 or 1 and r and r &# 39 ; are ch 3 when n is 1 . the acylation is carried out at a temperature in the range of from about 0 ° to 40 ° c . preferably from 5 ° to 25 ° c . the ph of the reaction medium is typically maintained in the range of from 5 to 10 with a ph of from 6 to 8 being preferred . a range of anhydride concentration from about 0 . 1 to 2 percent ( w / v anhydride to enzyme solution ) is used with single strength rennet ( 90 rennet units per ml ) or its equivalent . the degree of increase in milk clotting activity is dependent upon the above factors and on the nature of the anhydride used . optimum reaction conditions may be determined by varying these parameters and monitoring the reaction using the tests described above . since the process of the present invention involves two steps , it can be carried out either with the oxidation or acylation step first . the figure illustrates the effect of varying the reaction order . referring to the drawing , line a represents acylation of a sample which was highly oxidized . its heat stability was low ( 13 % activity retained after 15 minutes at 60 °, ph 5 . 5 ) and it had lost almost half of its original activity . maleylation increased the activity to almost twice that of the native enzyme but thermal stability declined even further ( 3 % activity retained ). by comparison , calf rennet retains 56 % activity after heating under these conditions . line b represents a sample that was oxidized for only 5 hours with 1 % hydrogen peroxide , ph 5 . 5 , 4 ° c . its activity did not change and its heat stability was the same as the native enzyme ( 78 % activity retained ). however , when it was maleylated the activity rose to 21 / 2 times that of the native enzyme and the heat stability decreased to that of calf rennet ( 54 % activity retained ). it appears preferable to oxidize the enzyme and then perform the acylation because pursuant to this embodiment either the maximum activity is realized ( 250 %- vs - 200 % for the reverse reaction ) without unduly destabilizing the enzyme ( limited oxidation ) or an extremely thermolabile enzyme is produced without losing too much activity ( extensive oxidation ). the reverse reaction seems to produce products which have characteristics intermediate between these extremes and thus is less desirable . it is desirable to have a thermal stability similar to that of calf rennet since whey pasteurization conditions have been tailored to the destruction of this enzyme . a less stable enzyme would also be destroyed , of course , but this could lead to stability problems during long term storage . thus , in a preferred embodiment the enzyme is contacted with h 2 o 2 at a temperature of from about 5 ° to 15 ° and at a ph of from about 4 to 6 for a time sufficient to oxidize it to an extent such that the heat stability of the final product after acylation is decreased to a level whereby it retains 50 to 60 % of its milk clotting activity when heated to 60 ° c . at ph 5 . 5 for 15 minutes and then acylated . line c represents the reverse reaction order . the sample was first maleylated ; its activity rose by 55 % and its thermal stability decreased slightly . surprisingly , when this sample was oxidized for 3 hours with 1 % hydrogen peroxide , ph 5 . 5 , 4 ° c ., its activity increased before starting to fall again . the heat stability of th sample with the maximum activity was a little low ( 13 % activity retained ). these examples demonstrate that not only is the order in which the reactions are performed important but by changing the order and conditions a range of products with increased activity and varied thermal stability can be made . more specifically for maximum activity it is desirable to oxidize for a short time and then acylate but for minimum thermal stability it is desirable to oxidize to a greater degree , which results in some loss of enzyme activity , and then acylate to increase the activity . the method of practicing the invention is further illustrated by th following examples . hydrogen peroxide was added to the rennet to a final concentration of 1 % ( w / v ) at ph 5 . 5 , 4 ° c . samples were removed at intervals and tested for heat stability as disclosed above . when the heat stability had reached the desired level ( after approximately 5 days ) the reaction was terminated by the addition of catalase to destroy any remaining hydrogen peroxide . this extensive modification resulted in the loss of over 50 % of the enzyme activity before any acylation was carried out . in this and subsequent examples , the rennet used was oxidized as in example i unless otherwise stated . to 20 ml of oxidized r . pusillus rennet was added 100 mg ( 1 m mole ) of maleic anhydride with stirring at room temperature . several runs were conducted with the ph adjusted to various levels ranging from 6 . 5 to 9 . 0 with 1n naoh . the naoh was added with stirring which was discontinued upon completion of the naoh addition . after the reaction was complete , the ph of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 5 . 5 with 1n hcl since the enzyme is more stable at this ph . the milk coagulating activities of the acylated , oxidized enzymes were determined and compared with the milk coagulating activity of the oxidized enzyme ( which had not been acylated ) used as a control . the results of maleylation at different phs are summarized in table i . table i______________________________________reaction of oxidized r . pusillus microbial rennetenzyme with maleic anhydride at different phs ( 6 . 5 - 9 . 0 ) activity final total percent ofph ( r . u ./ ml ) vol . ( ml ) act . ( r . u .) original______________________________________control 50 . 9 20 1019 1006 . 5 130 . 3 22 . 6 2944 2887 . 0 138 . 0 22 . 5 3105 3047 . 5 144 . 7 22 . 6 3273 3218 . 0 146 . 5 22 . 6 3315 3258 . 5 140 . 0 22 . 6 3169 3109 . 0 134 . 4 22 . 7 3052 299______________________________________ to 20 ml of oxidized r . pusillus rennet there was added various amounts of maleic anhydride ( 50 mg - 200 mg , 0 . 5 m mole - 2 m mole ) with stirring at room temperature while keeping the ph at 7 . 5 with 1n naoh . stirring was carried out during the addition of the naoh solution . after the maleyation was complete , the ph of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 5 . 5 with 1n hcl . the milk coagulating activities of the acylated oxidized enzymes were determined and compared with the milk coagulating activity of the oxidized enzyme which was used as a control . the results of acylation with varying amounts of maleic anhydride are summarized in table ii . table ii______________________________________reaction of oxidized r . pusillus microbial rennetenzyme with different amounts of maleic anhydride ( at ph 7 . 5 ) amount ofmaleicanhydride activity final total percent of ( mg ) ( r . u ./ ml ) vol . ( ml ) act . ( r . u .) original______________________________________control ( 0 ) 50 . 9 20 1019 100 50 104 . 8 21 . 7 2279 223100 144 . 7 22 . 6 3273 321150 120 . 2 23 . 3 2797 274200 87 . 4 24 . 1 2104 206______________________________________ from the above data it can be determined that an activity maximum is reached with continued addition of the anhydride . to 20 ml of oxidized r . pusillus rennet was added 100 mg ( 1 m mole ) of maleic anhydride with stirring at various temperatures ( 4 °, 22 ° and 37 ° c .) while keeping the ph at 7 . 5 with 1 n naoh . stirring was continued during the naoh addition during which time the maleylation reation took place and then the ph of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 5 . 5 with 1 n hcl . the milk coagulating activities of the acylated oxidized enzymes were determined and compared with the milk coagulating enzyme used as control . the results of maleylation at different temperatures are summarized in table iii . table iii______________________________________reaction of oxidized r . pusillus microbial rennetenzyme with maleic anhydride at ph 7 . 5 atdifferent temperatures activity final total percent oftemperature ( r . u ./ ml ) vol . ( ml ) act . ( r . u .) original______________________________________control 43 . 0 20 860 100 4 ° c . 134 . 7 23 . 5 3165 36722 ° c . 128 . 0 23 . 6 3035 35237 ° c . 116 . 6 23 . 6 2754 319______________________________________ to 20 ml of oxidized r . pusillus rennet was added 1 m mole of the various anhydrides set out in table iv . in each case sodium hydroxide was added , with stirring , as needed to maintain the ph at 7 . 5 . the reaction was considered complete when no additional naoh was needed to keep the ph at 7 . 5 . this took from 30 - 45 minutes depending on the particular anhydride being used . after the reaction was complete , the ph of the reaction mixture was adjusted to 5 . 5 with 1 n hcl . the milk coagulating activities of the acylated oxidized enzymes were determined and compared with the milk coagulating activity of the oxidized enzyme used as a control . the results of acylation of the oxidized r . pusillus with various anhydrides are summarized in table iv . table iv______________________________________reaction of oxidized r . pusillus microbial rennetenzyme with various anhydrides at roomtemperature at ph 7 . 5 activity final total percent ofanhydride ( r . u ./ ml ) vol . ( ml ) act . ( r . u .) original______________________________________control 44 20 880 100maleic 125 - 145 * 23 . 3 2912 - 3378 330 - 383succinic 78 23 . 5 1826 207dichloro - 125 23 . 3 2908 330maleiccitraconic 75 23 . 3 1742 213phthalic 123 23 . 0 2822 345homophthalic 37 23 . 3 868 1003 - nitroph - 39 23 . 4 900 102thalicbromomaleic 107 23 . 3 2500 3301 , 2 , 4 , benzene 95 24 . 1 2300 278tricarboxyliccis 1 , 2 117 23 . 5 2750 333cyclohexanedicarboxylic3 , 3 dimethyl 61 23 . 0 1410 164glutaric______________________________________ * 5 runs were made . r . pusillus rennet was oxidized with a 1 % h 2 o 2 solution at 4 ° c . for 6 hours after which time the heat stability of the enzyme was still the same as the native enzyme and no activity had been lost . twenty ml samples were removed every hour for maleylation using the procedure described in example v . the milk coagulating activities of the acylated oxidized enzymes were determined and compared with the milk coagulating activity of the oxidized enzyme used as control . the results of this limited oxidation and acylation on the activity of the enzyme are summarized in table v . table v______________________________________effect of limited oxidation followedby maleylation on clotting activity percent activity final total oftime ( r . u . ( m / l ) vol . ( ml ) act . ( r . u .) original______________________________________0 hr . ( control ) 92 . 2 20 1826 1001 hr . oxidized 88 . 6 20 1755 96 . 11 hr . maleylated 174 23 . 23 4055 2222 hr . oxidized 87 . 7 20 1772 97 . 12 hr . maleylated 166 23 . 18 3849 2113 hr . oxidized 93 . 5 20 1852 1023 hr . maleylated 173 . 2 23 . 1 4002 2294 hr . oxidized 94 . 6 20 1891 1044 hr . maleylated 196 23 . 3 4574 2505 hr . oxidized 94 . 7 20 1895 1045 hr . maleylated 197 23 . 4 4602 2526 hr . oxidized 94 . 9 20 1898 1046 hr . maleylated 195 . 4 23 . 8 4644 254______________________________________ from the data of table v it can be determined that even very limited oxidation potentiates the effect of maleic anhydride , resulting in higher activity than could be produced by the anhydride alone . r . pusillus rennet was maleylated as described in example v . to a 20 ml sample of the maleylated enzyme was added 0 . 4 ml of 50 % ( w / v ) hydrogen peroxide solution ( to give a final concentration of 1 % w / v ) at ph 5 . 6 at 4 ° c . with stirring . the solution was maintained at 4 ° c . and samples were removed at intervals for assay . the results of this experiment are set out in table vi . table vi______________________________________effect of oxidation of maleylated r . pusillus rennet activity final total percent oftime ( hrs .) ( r . u ./ ml ) vol . ( ml ) act . ( r . u .) original______________________________________0 ( control ) 141 . 5 20 2830 1002 156 . 8 20 . 4 3199 1133 178 . 3 20 . 4 3637 1294 176 . 1 20 . 4 3592 127______________________________________ heat stability ( activity remaining after 15 minutes , 60 ° c ., ph 5 . 5 ); native r . pusillus rennet -- 80 %; maleylated r . pusillus rennet -- 66 %; oxidized ( 3 hrs .) maleylated r . pusillus rennet -- 13 %.	8
in all the figures of the drawing , sub - features and integral parts that correspond to one another bear the same reference symbol in each case . referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first , particularly , to fig1 thereof , there is shown a differential baseband signal , which is obtained from an intermediate frequency signal if via a demodulator 1 operating at a local oscillator frequency lo , and is filtered out after a buffer amplifier 2 by a baseband filter circuit 3 . the differential baseband signal is tapped off internally at the baseband output ir , irx , which is connected to a downstream baseband processor 4 , and is supplied to a sampling operational amplifier 5 . depending on a polarity of an offset voltage v offset , the operational amplifier 5 charges and discharges a capacitor c , which is fitted externally via an output cshi , via a controlled sampling switch 6 in the sample and hold circuit . a capacitor voltage is supplied to a differential amplifier 7 , where it is compared with a reference voltage v ref . compensation currents that counteract the offset voltage v offset are produced at an output of the differential amplifier 7 . the offset compensation process is carried out before each reception timeslot in the radio receiver , which is operated using time division multiple access ( tdma ). to this end , the sampling switch 6 in the known circuit is controlled via an offset compensation enable ( oce ) control signal , which is external to the module . the oce control signal requires its own pin and must be provided by the baseband processor 4 , which is located in a separate chip . to produce the oce control signal , additional complexity is required in the baseband processor 4 , and additional computer power is required . [ 0033 ] fig2 shows an integrated receiver or transceiver circuit module 9 . offset voltages which are present in baseband are likewise compensated for using the sample and hold circuit . as is shown in detail in fig2 the differential baseband signal , which is obtained from the intermediate signal if using the demodulator 1 fed with the local oscillator frequency lo , and is filtered out after the buffer amplifier 2 by a low - pass filter 10 , is for this purpose tapped off internally , after passing through a baseband control amplifier 11 , at the baseband output ir , irx . the baseband output ir , irx is connected to the downstream baseband processor 4 , and the baseband signal is supplied to the sampling operational amplifier 5 . depending on the polarity of the offset voltage v offset , the operational amplifier 5 charges or discharges the externally fitted capacitor c , which forms the hold element of the sample and hold circuit , via the controlled sampling switch 6 in the sample and hold circuit and via an output cshi . the capacitor voltage is supplied to the differential amplifier 7 , where it is compared with the reference voltage v ref . the compensation currents that counteract the offset voltage v offset are produced at the output of the differential amplifier 7 . a sequence controller 12 in the form of a sequencer 12 is provided on the integrated receiver or transceiver circuit module 9 . thus , according to the invention , the process of offset voltage compensation can be carried out before each tdma reception timeslot without an external control signal that , in the known circuit , must be provided by the baseband processor 4 . the required offset compensation enable ( oce ) control signal for the sampling switch 6 is produced internally by the sequencer 12 in the integrated receiver or transceiver circuit module 9 . an output , which emits the control signal oce , of the sequencer 12 that is contained on the integrated circuit module 9 is for this purpose connected to the control input of the sampling switch 6 , which is likewise contained on the circuit module 9 . the sequencer 12 is started even before the active reception timeslot ( rx slot ). the time sequence of the sequencer 12 is shown in detail in fig3 . in the exemplary embodiment , the sequencer 12 is started at the end of the programming of an integrated three - conductor bus that is used , per se , for actuating other functional elements and for carrying out other functions on the integrated circuit module 9 . in the exemplary embodiment , an enable control signal ( three - conductor bus ) and two control signals annotated pllon and puplo 2 are used to start the sequencer 12 . as shown in fig3 a rising edge of the enable control signal is used for starting , when the two control signals pllon and puplo 2 are in the high state (= logic 1 ). the sequencer 12 , which is accommodated in integrated form on the circuit module 9 , corresponds to a running - down counter which , together with decoder logic at the output , emits a state sequence ( timing ), which is defined such that it is fixed in time , at the output for specific signals , that is to say in this case for the control signal oce . the pulsed control signal oce is thus produced internally on the circuit module 9 . the offset voltage compensation thus takes place without any additional , external control and computation complexity from the baseband processor 4 . in comparison to the known solutions , this saves a control pin on the circuit module 9 , as well as computation power and programming complexity in the baseband processor 4 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig2 for the method according to the invention , the sequencer 12 is thus triggered or started by the three pulsed control signals enable ( three - conductor bus ), pllon and puplo 2 . these signals are already present on the integrated circuit module 9 , and are also required for other switching and adjustment processes . once the sequencer 12 has been started , then it sets the control signal oce to high level for a time period of approximately 50 μs , as can be seen from the timing diagram illustrated in fig3 which applies to a tdma frame ( duration = 4 . 615 ms ) in the gsm mobile radio system . the sequencer 12 then once again sets the control signal oce to the low level . once the counter function in the sequencer 12 has run down , the sequencer 12 stops and must be restarted from new by the three triggering control signals enable , pllon and puplo 2 . the pulsed control signal oce that is produced within the module controls the sampling switch 6 , and thus the offset voltage compensation process . there is no longer any need for a control signal which are produced externally and can thus be supplied on their own via a special pin on the circuit module 9 . [ 0046 ] fig4 shows a block diagram of an overall transceiver circuit integrated in a circuit module 13 , with a three - conductor bus and a sequencer 14 . those elements affected by the invention in the reception path part , which contain two differential signal paths ( i path and q path ), such as two demodulator mixers 15 and 16 , two low - pass filters 17 and 18 , differential baseband control amplifiers 19 and 20 and a sample and hold circuit ( s & amp ; h ) 21 , which interacts via pins cshi and cshq with external capacitors ( which are not shown in fig4 ), are illustrated surrounded by bold lines . as can be seen from fig4 the integrated transceiver circuit module 13 does not have a specific pin for the oce control signal for the sample and hold circuit 21 , since the control signal is produced within the module , using the sequencer 14 .	7
the present invention provides for fluid storage tank having an internal spill containment chamber and an integrated vent gas scrubber . in particular , the present invention is directed at above - ground fluid storage tanks that can be used for temporary or permanent storage of fluids produced during oil and gas production . when describing the present invention , all terms not defined herein have their common art - recognized meanings . as referred to herein , undesirable gases which may be controlled by the scrubbers of the present invention include hydrogen sulphide , volatile organic compounds including toxic compounds such as benzene , toluene , ethyl benzene and xylene , acid gas vapours , mercaptans and other sulfur compounds . above - ground fluid storage tanks with spill containment chambers are known . the figures depict a fluid storage tank ( 10 ) having a spill containment chamber ( 12 ), which is defined by containment wall ( 14 ) which completely separates the chamber from the interior volume of the tank . in one embodiment , the containment wall ( 14 ) attaches to the interior of the tank wall , such that the entire chamber is contained with the storage tank volume . in one embodiment , the containment wall may protrude from the tank periphery to expose an exterior portion ( not shown ) of the containment wall ( 14 ). the exterior portion may be a continuation of the interior portion , or may be attached to the interior portion or to the tank wall to create an extension of the spill containment chamber . in any configuration , what is important is that the containment chamber be enclosed , with an exterior access door or panel , and that at least a major portion of the chamber , and preferably the entire chamber , is contained within the storage tank ( 10 ) volume , as is shown in the figures . the chamber ( 12 ) encloses a vent gas scrubber ( 16 ), which is well - known in the art . the scrubber ( 16 ) comprises a tank vapour inlet ( 18 ) which is exposed to the headspace within the tank . gases from the tank may enter the scrubber through the inlet ( 18 ). gases are scrubbed within the scrubber ( 16 ) using well - known and conventional techniques . compact gas scrubbers for various gases are commercially available . amgas ( rocky view , alberta ) scrubbermax ™ models are designed to remove hydrogen sulfide , benzene , toluene , xylene , ethyl benzene , heavy hydrocarbons , acid gases , as well as other sulphur compounds . chemical substances used to scrub or absorb the gases may be stored in a chemical storage tank ( 20 ) within the chamber ( 12 ). in one embodiment , if the chemical is in the form of a liquid , it may be pumped through the scrubber by a circulation pump ( 22 ). the circulation pump ( 22 ) may also be used to change out the chemical stored in the storage tank ( 20 ). because the chemical in stored in a separate chemical tank within the containment chamber , the storage tank can be moved from location to location without removing the chemical . in fig1 , the chemical supply pump ( 22 ) is more centrally located within the chamber , while in alternative embodiments , such as shown in fig2 and 3 , the chemical pump ( 22 ) is located to one side . supply piping ( 26 ) may include isolation valves ( 40 ) and a t - fitting ( 42 ) for pumping off spent chemical solution . a chemical drain fitting ( 44 ) with a fill valve ( 46 ) returns chemical to the storage tank ( 20 ) from the scrubber , and permits filling of the storage tank ( 20 ). in one embodiment , the chemical supply pump ( 20 ) draws fluid from the bottom of the storage tank ( 20 ) to allow fluid pressure to easily prime the pump . a tank truck inlet connection ( 24 ) may be provided to allow tank trucks to tie into the system , when pumping off the tank ( 10 ). as the liquids are drawn from the storage tank into the truck , gases or vapors from the tank truck are pushed or drawn into the scrubber through the inlet connection ( 24 ), treated within the scrubber , and vented to the atmosphere through vent pipe ( 30 ). as a result , the amount of gas which may contain undesirable gases escaping to the atmosphere is minimized . the tank truck inlet may be connected to a vapor load riser that runs to the edge of the containment . a gas inlet switching valve ( 28 ) may be used to close off the tank vapour inlet ( 18 ) and isolate the scrubber ( 16 ) from the tank headspace . the scrubbed gases exit the scrubber ( 16 ) through scrubber vent pipe ( 30 ), which in one embodiment , passes through the tank ( 10 ) and tank roof to vent to the atmosphere . in one embodiment , the scrubber may comprises a pressure relief system , such as a relief valve . in one embodiment , the pressure relief system comprises a rupture disc discharge system ( 32 ). a rupture disc comprises a thin diaphragm held between flanges and calibrated to burst at a specified static inlet pressure . unlike relief valves , rupture discs cannot reseal when the pressure declines . once the disc ruptures , gases within the scrubber ( 16 ) may exit through the disc and through the rupture disc riser pipe ( 34 ) which extends through the tank roof , and terminates with a rupture disc indicator ( 36 ). the indicator ( 36 ) comprises any mechanism which provides a visual indicator that gas pressure has escaped through the riser pipe ( 34 ). thus , any personnel approaching the tank will be visually alerted to the fact the rupture disc has burst , and may take appropriate precautions . access to the chamber and the scrubber may be provided by a door ( not shown ) or panel fitted the exterior portion of the containment wall . the door may be insulated to improve heat retention in the chamber . the types and sizes of valves and fittings to connect the scrubber are conventional and suitable components may be chosen by those skilled in the art . the chamber ( 12 ) may also include valves and outlets configured in a like manner to that described in applicant &# 39 ; s co - owned u . s . pat . nos . 5 , 960 , 826 , 7 , 165 , 572 or u . s . patent application ser . no . 12 / 855 , 959 , filed aug . 13 , 2010 , the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference , where permitted . in particular , a tank suckout ( 50 ) may be provided to allow removal of the tank contents from a specified level . a chamber suckout pipe ( not shown ) may be attached to permit removal of any fluid contained in the chamber itself . the chamber suckout pipe has a first end and a second end where the recovery pipe is attached to the tank suckout and the recovery pipe extends into the chamber . when suction is applied to the end of the fluid outlet and the tank suckout valve is closed and the chamber suckout valve is open , fluid in the chamber may be recovered . other optional elements which may be included in the containment chamber may be chosen , such as , without limitation , heating elements such as a catalytic heater , or a high level shutdown switch . as will be apparent to those skilled in the art , various modifications , adaptations and variations of the foregoing specific disclosure can be made without departing from the scope of the invention claimed herein . the various features and elements of the described invention may be combined in a manner different from the combinations described or claimed herein , without departing from the scope of the invention .	1
techniques for using super masters to coordinate access by nodes in a database server cluster to data in a database are described . in the following description , for the purposes of explanation , numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention . it will be apparent , however , that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details . in other instances , well - known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the present invention . according to an embodiment of the present invention , as illustrated in fig1 , the techniques may be performed by a database server cluster 102 , which comprises multiple interconnected nodes ( 104 and 106 ) that manage database accesses by user applications ( 108 ), which may be located on application servers ( 110 ) outside the database server cluster 102 , to data ( such as data blocks 112 ) stored in a database ( 114 ). the nodes ( 104 and 106 ) in the database server cluster 102 may be in the form of computers ( e . g . work stations , personal computers ) interconnected via a network . alternatively , the nodes may be nodes of a grid , where each node is interconnected on a rack . the grid may host multiple database server clusters . each node may be a separate physical computer , or a separate domain ( running inside a virtual machine ) among a plurality of domains that partition a physical computer . in embodiments where some of the nodes may be domains , each domain behaves independently like a separate physical computer and constitutes a separate logical computer . the database comprises ( shared ) data and metadata stored on a persistent memory mechanism , such as a set of hard disks . the data and metadata may be stored , for example , according to relational and / or object - relational database constructs . one or more database servers may be deployed in the nodes . user applications interact with a database server by submitting database commands which cause the database server to perform operations on the data ( or a portion thereof ) stored in a database . a database command may be given in one or more database statements . the database statements may conform to a database language supported by the database server . a non - limiting database language supported by many database servers is sql , including proprietary forms of sql supported by such database servers as oracle , ( e . g . oracle database 10g ). a data block is an atomic unit of persistent storage used by a dbms to store database records ( e . g . rows of a table ). when a row needs to be accessed from persistent storage , the entire data block containing the row is be copied into a data block buffer in volatile memory of a database server . a data block usually contains multiple rows , and control and formatting information , e . g . ( offsets to sequences of bytes representing rows or other data structures , list of transactions affecting a row , a system change number ( scn ) of a recent change to the data block ). as used herein , an scn is a logical number assigned to transactions in commit time order . each change is associated with the scn of the transaction that performed the change . the scn associated with a change indicates the logical time at which the change was made within the database . under new techniques described herein , one or more nodes ( 106 ) in the database server cluster will be configured as super masters . a node ( 106 ) that has been configured as a super master has a buffer cache to store a copy of shared data resources that are assigned to the super master . the super master may provide a copy of an image of the shared data source stored in its buffer cache to other ( requesting ) nodes in some situations . the super master is configured to coordinate access by any of all nodes in the database server cluster to a shared data resource that is assigned to the super master , whether the shared data resource will be furnished out of its buffer cache or furnished by a different node in the database server cluster . an embodiment of present invention is illustrated in the context of multi - node database system , where the shared data resources are data blocks . however , an embodiment of the present invention is not limited to such database systems , or database systems in general . a lock mechanism may be used by a super master to coordinate access , by nodes in a cluster , to data blocks assigned to the super master . an exclusive lock may be issued to allow a node to perform any read / write access , while a consistent read lock may be issued to allow a node to perform read - only access . as used herein , a consistent read is designed to provide data from the database that reflects the state of the database up to a time which , for example , may be logically represented by an scn . for the purpose of this invention , other types of locks or other types of granularities of locks may also be used , so long as all compatible accesses to a data block can be ensured and all issued locks and all pending lock requests for which a super master is responsible can be tracked by the super master . a particular data block may have been assigned to a super master to coordinate access by the nodes in the cluster to the particular data block . the super master may use a queue , referred to as a grantor queue , to keep track of all locks that are granted and are in effect for the data block . at the same time , the super master may also use a second queue , referred to as a convert queue , to keep track of all unfulfilled lock requests that are waiting for a lock to access the data block . the buffer cache on the super master ( 106 ) stores the current version of the data block except for a brief transient period in which a committed change made by a different node ( 104 or 106 ) has yet to reach the super master ( 106 ). when this different node commits its change to the data block , an updated image of the data block will be provided to the super master ( 106 ). thus , the super master ( 106 ) will have , in effect , either the current version or the last version of the data block . the image of the data block stored in the buffer cache may be associated with an scn that was issued when the image was committed in the database . in some embodiments , the database system issues new scns in an ascending order . therefore , the buffer cache on the super master will have an image of the data block that has either the highest or second highest scn associated with the data block . for the purpose of brevity , a data block may refer to an image of the data block in a buffer cache of a super master , which image may correspond to a version of the data block that has been most recently committed in the database . when a ( requesting ) node needs a data block , the requesting node will send a request to a super master . this data block may not first exist in the buffer cache ( which is volatile memory in some embodiments ) of the super master . for example , this may be a first - time access for a period of time by any node in the cluster to the data block . in response to the request , the super master may retrieve the current image ( i . e ., the most recently committed image ) of the data block from a persistent store of the database . once retrieved , the super master may send a copy of this image to the requesting node and stores this copy of the data block in the buffer cache . when a different requesting node requests the same data block while the previous requesting node still holds the data block , the super master may directly provide the data block from its buffer cache to the other requesting node , so long as all outstanding types of accesses by all requesting nodes ( or all granted locks ) are compatible . in providing the data block in this way , the super master does not first retrieve the data block from the previous requesting node . this new approach reduces the number of 3 - way messages because a requesting node may not have to get a data block from a third - party holder node . rather , many accesses such as consistent reads can be directly granted by a super master and data blocks can be served out of the super master in 2 - way messaging involving only the super master and the requesting nodes . for example , a requesting node may not need the most current version of a data block . the requesting node may start a transaction with a consistent read at scn 5 ( i . e ., scn = 5 ). the holder node may be updating the data block at scn 6 . the master still has the past image of the data block at scn 5 and can serve the request directly . in this way , the request by the requesting node does not have to be fulfilled by the holder node . if a requesting node wants the current version of the data block and if a super master only has a version that is earlier than the current version , the request is handled in a modified fusion protocol involving the requesting node , the super master and a holder node that has the current version . for example , the requesting node may want to have an exclusive lock to update the current version of the data block . the master will send a message ( such as bast — blocking asynchronous system trap ) to the holder node to indicate that the holder node is holding the data block and the requesting node wants the data block . in some embodiments , the holder node does not release a data block such as the one requested by the requesting node until the holder node is asked to ( e . g ., by a bast ). it is up to the holder node to determine whether to continue holding the data block in its buffer cache or relinquish the data block . at a point of time when the holder node determines to relinquish the data block to the requesting node , a copy of the data block is sent to both the requesting node and the super master . in one embodiment , sending the data block to the requesting node and sending the same to the super master occurs concurrently . in an alternative embodiment , the data block may be first sent to the super master , which in turn forwards the data block to the requesting node . when the data block is relinquished by the holder node to the requesting node , the super master will obtain and store the current version of the data block in its buffer cache . when a node goes down , even though changes to a number of data blocks by this failed node are supposed to be committed in the database , these changes may not actually be made to the database . in this situation , when a super master discovers the failure of the node ( e . g ., through a certain clusterware layer that coordinates nodes in the database server cluster ), the super master can perform the recovery for any affected data blocks that are assigned to the super master for access coordination . in some approaches , a master would have to ask many other nodes that are currently holding the affected data blocks to perform recovery . however , under new techniques described herein , the super master may check the buffer cache and determine whether suitable versions of some of the affected data blocks can be found there . if so , no further action is performed . only if the buffer cache on the super master does not have a suitable version for a data block , does the super master need to locate a version from the database or from another node , so that changes from redo logs of the failed node to that data block can be applied . as used in this discussion , a suitable version refers to a version of an affected data block which version is no earlier than a particular version of the affected data block as if the particular version had just applied the changes in the redo logs of the failed node , but otherwise applied no other changes . for example , when a node fails , its redo logs may indicate that data blocks 1 , 5 , 6 and 7 have been changed . some of the data blocks indicated may currently be held by some other nodes that are running the database server cluster . instead of asking these other nodes to recover their holding blocks that are affected by the failed node , the super master will check its buffer cache for data blocks 1 , 5 , 6 and 7 , including any data block that currently is held by another node . for example , the redo logs indicate that after changes on the failed node are applied to data block 1 , data block 1 should have an scn 5 . if the super master discovers that its buffer cache has a suitable version of data block 1 with an scn 5 or later , then no recovery of the changes on the failed node to data block 1 is necessary . this is true even if another node currently is holding data block 1 with an exclusive lock . on the other hand , if the super master determines that its buffer cache only has a version of data block 1 with an scn 4 , then the super master may determine whether any node currently is holding data block 1 . if so , the super master may request the holder node to apply the changes in the redo logs . otherwise , if there is no node currently holding data block 1 , the super master will apply the changes in the redo logs to data block 1 to produce a version of data block 1 with an scn 5 . in this new approach , the super master has already had most of the data blocks in its buffer cache . no requests to other nodes are needed for many affected data blocks . whichever super master that is assigned to coordinate access to an affected data block will be responsible for recovering the affected data block by applying the changes in the redo log . if only one super master is responsible for all data blocks , it will be responsible for recovering all the data blocks . super masters may be specially configured for their role . for example , super masters may be interconnected with a faster ( closely coupled environment ) network so that they may share and / or move data blocks quickly . in addition , super masters may be protected more than non - super master nodes to ensure high availability of super masters available . super masters may be configured to run special processes that are involved in performing access coordination among all nodes of the cluster . in some embodiments , some database server processes may be deployed on a super master to interact with user applications . in some other embodiments , super masters do not directly interact with user applications outside the database server cluster . under new techniques described herein , all , or a portion , of data blocks in the database may be partitioned so that each super master is responsible for coordinating access to a different set of data blocks . buffer cache accesses can be tracked by statistical information collected by the super masters . based on the statistic information , the partitioning of the data blocks can be adjusted and optimized . for example , since all the buffer cache accesses are known , the super masters can detect that only node 1 accesses a particular table . accordingly , all data blocks associated with this particular table may be moved to a super master that has a relatively small number of communication hops from and to node 1 . in some embodiments , the super master is directly linked to node 1 . node 1 only needs to talk to this super master for accessing the particular table . in other words , the mastership of a data block may be transferred from one super master to a different super master in a re - mastering operation . in some embodiments , re - mastering of a data block can occur even if there are two or more nodes that access the data block , so long as one of the two or more nodes access the data block more frequently than other nodes . in an alternative embodiment , data blocks may be managed by a non - super master node bypassing the super master mechanism , if such data blocks are accessed more frequently by the non - super master node than other nodes . additionally and / or alternatively , a non - super master node may be promoted to a super master . a super master may read or write data blocks . for example , a checkpoint may be issued to call for writing changes with an scn 9 to a persistent store of the database . a super master that has a data block with this scn or less may commit the data block to a persistent store of the database . the writing of data blocks to persistent store of the database can also occur if a buffer cache on a super master needs space to read new data blocks . a least recently used ( lru ) algorithm may be used to free up space occupied by the least recently used blocks . in some embodiments , until a checkpoint occurs or a buffer cache on a super master runs out of space , data blocks may be held in the buffer cache without writing them to the persistent store . fig2 illustrates an example process under new techniques described herein . in block 202 , the database server cluster configures one or more nodes therein to be a set of super masters . as illustrated in fig1 , the database server cluster 102 manages accesses by user applications 108 to database 114 . in block 204 , the database server cluster assigns a first set of data blocks to a first super master in the set of super masters . the first super master will coordinate access by any of all nodes in the database server cluster to the first set of data blocks . the first set of data blocks may be a portion , or all , of the data stored in the database . here , a direct physical access path may exist between the database and any node in the database server cluster without needing to go through other nodes in the database server cluster . thus , even though a non - super master node may have a direct access to the data in the database , access to the data ( such as who has the exclusive lock to change a data block ) is coordinated and granted through a super master . once access to a data block is granted , a node may perform permissible access actions with the data block . in block 206 , the first super master stores a copy of the first set of data blocks in its buffer cache . the caching of the data blocks in the buffer cache may be continuously performed over time . in block 208 , the first super master processes a first request to access a first data block . this first request is made by a first node in the database server cluster . here , the first node may be different from the first super master . it is possible that because some prior accesses to the first data block have already been made , the buffer cache on the first super master has a copy of a version of the first data block . this version may correspond to an image of the first data block , which image has been most recently committed in the database for the first data block . in some embodiments , this version corresponds to a highest system change number that has been issued to the first data block . fig3 a illustrates a first example process flow that may be used to process a first request by a first node in the database server cluster , as referenced above in block 208 of fig2 . in block 302 , the first super master receives a first message from the first node to request a consistent read access to the first data block . in block 304 , in response to receiving the first message , the first super master sends a second message to the first node . this second message contains a copy of the first data block from the buffer cache of the first super master . fig3 b illustrates a second example process flow that may be used to process a first request by a first node in the database server cluster , as referenced above in block 208 of fig2 . in block 312 , the first super master receives a first message from the first node to request an exclusive access to the first data block . in block 314 , in response to receiving the first message , the first super master determines whether a holder node currently holds the exclusive access to the first data block . in block 316 , in response to determining that a holder node currently holds the exclusive access to the first data block , the first super master sends a second message to the holder node , said second message identifying the first data block and the first node . this second message causes the holder node to transfer a copy of the first data block to the first node . in block 318 , the first super master receives a third message from the first node to inform that the first node has obtained the exclusive access to the first data block . this third message may be sent by the first node after the first node obtains the first data block transferred from the holder node . alternatively , when performing the determination referenced in block 314 of fig3 b , the first super master , may determine that no holder node currently holds the exclusive access to the first data block . in response to this determination , the first super master sends a second message to the first node . this second message contains a copy of the first data block from the buffer cache of the first super master . in some embodiments , the first super master may not only coordinate access by any node in the database server cluster to the first data block , but also may write the first data block to at least one of disks that store the data in the database , when an event occurs . such an event may be that a checkpoint has occurred , or that usage of the buffer cache has reached a threshold . when the usage crosses the threshold , the first super master may write dirty data blocks to the persistent store of the database . the dirty data blocks may be selected using a least recently used algorithm . fig3 c illustrates a third example process flow that may be used to recover a data block after a node failed . for the purpose of illustration only , in block 322 , the first super master receives a second request to recover a second data block in the first set of data blocks . while the second data block in the buffer cache of the first super master is of a first version , the second request identifies a second version that should have been committed for the second data block . this second version perhaps is indicated in redo logs that were maintained by the failed node . in block 324 , the first super master determines whether the second version is more recently committed than the first version . in block 326 , in response to determining that the second version is more recently committed than the first version , the first super master retrieves one or more changes stored in the redo logs and applies the one or more changes for the second data block . as a result , now the buffer cache on the first super master contains a second version of the second data block . alternatively , in response to determining that the second version is no more recently committed than the first version , the first master node , or any other node in the database server cluster , takes no recovery action with respect to the second data block . as noted , each node in the database server cluster may be a separate physical computer , or may be either a separate physical computer or a separate domain of a physical computer . in some embodiments , capabilities configured for the first super master are different from capabilities configured for a node in the database server cluster that is not a member of the set of super masters . in some embodiments , to ensure high availability or fault tolerance of the first super master , the first super master may be configured with a backup super master that readily takes over when the first super master fails . a super master such as the first super master may maintain statistics information for accesses to data blocks by all nodes in the database server cluster . based on the statistics information , the set of super master may re - master a portion of data blocks , transferring one or more data blocks in the first set of data blocks to a second super master so that the second super master will coordinate access by any of all nodes in the database server cluster to the one or more data blocks transferred from the first super master . in some embodiments , the first super master may transfer one or more data blocks in the first set of data blocks to a particular node in the database server cluster that is not a member of the set of super masters so that the particular node will coordinate access by any of all nodes in the database server cluster to the one or more data blocks . fig3 d illustrates a third example process flow that may be used to update a master node by a holder node . for the purpose of illustration only , in block 332 , a master node sends a request to a holder node . this request causes the holder node to send a current version of the data block to a requesting node . in block 334 , a master node receives a copy of the current version of the data block from the holder node . here , the master node coordinates access to the data block by one or more nodes in a database server cluster . the database server cluster in turn manages accesses by user applications to a database that stores a committed version of the data block . for the purpose of illustration , it has been described that a super master or a master node performs in connection with other nodes a number of illustrated steps in the example process flows . however , it should be noted that a super master or a master node is not required to perform all of the illustrated steps . in some embodiments , a super master or a master node may perform any , some , or all of the steps illustrated in the example process flows . fig4 is a block diagram that illustrates a computer system 400 upon which an embodiment of the invention may be implemented . computer system 400 includes a bus 402 or other communication mechanism for communicating information , and a processor 404 coupled with bus 402 for processing information . computer system 400 also includes a main memory 406 , such as a random access memory ( ram ) or other dynamic storage device , coupled to bus 402 for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor 404 . main memory 406 also may be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor 404 . computer system 400 further includes a read only memory ( rom ) 408 or other static storage device coupled to bus 402 for storing static information and instructions for processor 404 . a storage device 410 , such as a magnetic disk or optical disk , is provided and coupled to bus 402 for storing information and instructions . computer system 400 may be coupled via bus 402 to a display 412 , such as a cathode ray tube ( crt ), for displaying information to a computer user . an input device 414 , including alphanumeric and other keys , is coupled to bus 402 for communicating information and command selections to processor 404 . another type of user input device is cursor control 416 , such as a mouse , a trackball , or cursor direction keys for communicating direction information and command selections to processor 404 and for controlling cursor movement on display 412 . this input device typically has two degrees of freedom in two axes , a first axis ( e . g ., x ) and a second axis ( e . g ., y ), that allows the device to specify positions in a plane . the invention is related to the use of computer system 400 for implementing the techniques described herein . according to an embodiment of the invention , those techniques are performed by computer system 400 in response to processor 404 executing one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained in main memory 406 . such instructions may be read into main memory 406 from another computer - readable medium , such as storage device 410 . execution of the sequences of instructions contained in main memory 406 causes processor 404 to perform the process steps described herein . in alternative embodiments , hard - wired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination with software instructions to implement the invention . thus , embodiments of the invention are not limited to any specific combination of hardware circuitry and software . the term “ computer - readable medium ” as used herein refers to any medium that participates in providing instructions to processor 404 for execution . such a medium may take many forms , including but not limited to , non - volatile media and volatile media . non - volatile media includes , for example , optical or magnetic disks , such as storage device 410 . volatile media includes dynamic memory , such as main memory 406 . common forms of computer - readable media include , for example , a floppy disk , a flexible disk , hard disk , magnetic tape , or any other magnetic medium , a cd - rom , any other optical medium , punchcards , papertape , any other physical medium with patterns of holes , a ram , a prom , and eprom , a flash - eprom , any other memory chip or cartridge , or any other medium from which a computer can read . various forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to processor 404 for execution . for example , the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk of a remote computer . the remote computer can load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line using a modem . a modem local to computer system 400 can receive the data on the telephone line and use an infra - red transmitter to convert the data to an infra - red signal . an infra - red detector can receive the data carried in the infra - red signal and appropriate circuitry can place the data on bus 402 . bus 402 carries the data to main memory 406 , from which processor 404 retrieves and executes the instructions . the instructions received by main memory 406 may optionally be stored on storage device 410 either before or after execution by processor 404 . computer system 400 also includes a communication interface 418 coupled to bus 402 . communication interface 418 provides a two - way data communication coupling to a network link 420 that is connected to a local network 422 . for example , communication interface 418 may be an integrated services digital network ( isdn ) card or a modem to provide a data communication connection to a corresponding type of telephone line . as another example , communication interface 418 may be a local area network ( lan ) card to provide a data communication connection to a compatible lan . wireless links may also be implemented . in any such implementation , communication interface 418 sends and receives electrical , electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams representing various types of information . network link 420 typically provides data communication through one or more networks to other data devices . for example , network link 420 may provide a connection through local network 422 to a host computer 424 or to data equipment operated by an internet service provider ( isp ) 426 . isp 426 in turn provides data communication services through the world wide packet data communication network now commonly referred to as the “ internet ” 428 . local network 422 and internet 428 both use electrical , electromagnetic or optical signals that carry digital data streams . the signals through the various networks and the signals on network link 420 and through communication interface 418 , which carry the digital data to and from computer system 400 , are exemplary forms of carrier waves transporting the information . computer system 400 can send messages and receive data , including program code , through the network ( s ), network link 420 and communication interface 418 . in the internet example , a server 430 might transmit a requested code for an application program through internet 428 , isp 426 , local network 422 and communication interface 418 . the received code may be executed by processor 404 as it is received , and / or stored in storage device 410 , or other non - volatile storage for later execution . in this manner , computer system 400 may obtain application code in the form of a carrier wave . in the foregoing specification , embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation . thus , the sole and exclusive indicator of what is the invention , and is intended by the applicants to be the invention , is the set of claims that issue from this application , in the specific form in which such claims issue , including any subsequent correction . any definitions expressly set forth herein for terms contained in such claims shall govern the meaning of such terms as used in the claims . hence , no limitation , element , property , feature , advantage or attribute that is not expressly recited in a claim should limit the scope of such claim in any way . the specification and drawings are , accordingly , to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense .	6
a cross - section of a superconducting magnet system for use in an mri system is illustrated in fig1 . superconductive magnet coils ( not shown ) are provided in a cryogen vessel 2 of a cryostat 1 . the coils are immersed in a liquid cryogen 3 , e . g . liquid helium . a central bore 4 is provided to accommodate a patient for examination . an access neck 5 with vent tube 6 is provided at the top of the cryostat 1 to allow access to the cryogen vessel 2 . for clarity reasons , other parts of the cryostat 1 , e . g . the refrigerator for providing active refrigeration to cool the cryogen 3 , the outer vacuum chamber , or the thermal radiation shields , are not shown . as illustrated in fig2 in more detail , a turret outer assembly 7 encloses upper extremities of the access neck 5 , and provides a normal exit path for cryogen gas from cryogen vessel 2 . turret outer assembly 7 is joined to the cryogen vessel 2 in a leak - tight manner and defines an interior volume which is separated from atmosphere by a protective valve and / or burst disc , in this case by a quench valve 8 . the quench valve 8 is closed until a certain pressure is reached within the cryogen vessel 2 . once the cryostat pressure reaches the certain value , the quench valve 8 is opened by the pressure acting upon it . quench valve 8 includes a valve plate 9 which is held against valve seat 10 by a first spring arrangement 11 . in case of overpressure within cryogen vessel 2 , a corresponding pressure of cryogen gas acting on the inner side 12 of the valve plate 9 will exceed the pressure acting on the outer side 13 of the valve plate 9 sufficiently to overcome the force of the first spring arrangement 11 and open the quench valve 8 . cryogen gas will escape , maintaining the pressure within the cryogen vessel 2 at an acceptable level . once the pressure in the cryogen vessel 2 drops below the pressure needed to keep the quench valve 8 open , first spring arrangement 11 will press the valve plate 9 back into contact with valve seat 10 . part of the valve plate 9 may be formed by a burst disc , not visible in fig2 as it lies in the plane of the valve plate 9 . in case the differential pressure across the valve plate 9 becomes much higher than the pressure at which the quench valve 8 should open , for example if the quench valve 8 sticks , or the pressure increase within the cryogen vessel 2 is extremely rapid or severe , the burst disc will rupture and cryogen gas will then escape through a hole left by the burst disc and out of the cryogen vessel 2 . this burst disc is typically a declared regulatory pressure relief safety device , provided to rupture in the event of quench valve failure . an embodiment of the invention is depicted in fig3 . the existing quench valve 8 , as shown in fig2 , is modified prior to air shipment , without thereby loosing the valve operability of the quench valve 8 . during modifying no part is removed from the quench valve 8 . instead , an accessory device 14 is installed to the quench valve 8 , which temporarily raises the cracking pressure of the quench valve 8 . the accessory device 14 comprises a main body 15 forming a cylindrical or box - shaped container 16 with walls 17 , with an open front 18 and a back plate 19 . the main body 15 is provided with a number of small vent holes , which serve as openings to allow cryogen gas originating from the quench valve 8 to escape from the container 16 in case of a quench . an exemplary position of the vent holes is indicated in fig3 by arrow 20 . the main body 15 is fitted to the outer flange 21 of the quench valve 8 by means of removable fastening elements 22 , e . g . screws . for this purpose , the front end of the main body 15 is extended to form mounting flanges 23 . the back plate 19 is arranged parallel to the valve plate 9 of the quench valve 8 , when the accessory devices 14 is mounted . a second spring arrangement 24 comprising four spring - loaded plungers 25 is provided within the container 16 . in fig3 only two plungers 25 are illustrated . the plungers 25 bear on the valve plate 9 , by this means raising the cracking pressure of the quench valve 8 . the second spring arrangement 24 comprises four spring elements 26 in the form of compression springs . the spring elements 26 are employed to act on the plungers 25 , in order to provide the spring load , as required . the back plate 19 of the main body 15 acts as counter bearing for the spring elements 26 . for each spring element 26 an internal guiding rod 27 is provided . all guiding rods 27 are mounted to the back plate 19 of the main body 15 . by means of the accessory device 14 , using the second spring arrangement 24 , the cracking pressure of quench valve 8 may be raised for example from 6 to 13 psig . in case of overpressure during air shipment , the pressure of cryogen gas acting on the inner side 12 of the valve plate 9 has to overcome the force of the second spring arrangement 24 in order to open the quench valve 8 . in this event , cryogen gas exits the cryogen vessel 2 and enters the container 16 , from which the gas escapes through the number of small vent holes . when mounted , the main body 15 of the accessory device 14 is adapted to serve as a protective enclosure both for the first and second spring arrangement 11 , 24 , as well as for the surroundings of the cryogen vessel 2 in case of a rupture of a burst disc . on arrival in the hospital or any other operational site , the accessory device 14 is removed , bringing the quench valve 8 back into its normal operation mode . although modifications and changes may be suggested by those skilled in the art , it is the intention of the applicant to embody within the patent warranted hereon all changes and modifications as reasonably and properly come within the scope of the applicant &# 39 ; s contribution to the art .	5
in accordance with this invention , the process provides for melting of metallic particles , such as machine chips , and comprises in particular the steps of placing metal chips into a preheating chamber containing non - oxidizing gases , moving the chips through the preheating chamber in a counterflowing atmosphere of non - oxidizing gas to preheat the chips and to partially eliminate any surface compounds , moving the chips into a prereducing chamber at the edge and in a counterflowing atmosphere of non - oxidizing gas to completely eliminate any surface compounds , collecting the chips in a melting chamber , heating the melting chamber with arc superheated , non - oxidizing gases , and removing molten metal derived from the melted particles from time to time as required . generally , metal chips are fed into a preheater - reducer in countermovement to exhaust gases from the melter . the preheater - reducer has a multi - purpose function including removal of water , gasification of oil to produce a reducing gas mixture containing co and h 2 , reduction of oxides and heating of the chips to an elevated temperature . the heated chips are then fed into the melter where the heat of fusion and the required superheat is added by exchange with the hot gases from the arc heaters . the discharge gases from the preheater - reducer flow through a gas recycle system and part of the clean gas is recycled to the arc heater . chip melting in this manner results in a minimum of metal loss because of the non - oxidizing nature of the melting environment . furthermore , any oxide on the surface of the chips is reduced which further increases the yield of the process . in fig1 a system for handling metal chips , such as aluminum , brass , bronze , copper , cast iron , steel , superalloys , as produced in a machine shop , is shown . the system comprises a storage bin 5 for metal chips which are dispensed at outlet 7 into the lower end of an elevator 9 . the chips are dumped from the upper end of the elevator into a holding bin 11 from where they flow as required to a chip melting furnace generally indicated at 13 . exhaust gas issues from an outlet 15 to a cyclone type separator 17 from where solid particles return as fires to the furnace via a conduit 19 . gas from the cyclone separator 17 enters the top of a scrubber 21 from where it flows to a gas recycle system that includes a moisture remover or demister 23 . from there it flows to a compressor 25 , a dryer 27 , a flow regulator 28 , and then through a conduit 29 to a plurality of arc heaters 31 associated with the furnace 13 . a gas burnoff stack 24 may be used for excess gas . a water cooling system , generally indicated at 33 , for cooling water from the arc heaters 31 includes a heat exchanger 35 , holding tank 37 , a water deionizer 39 , and a pump 41 by which coolant water is circulated into and out of the arc heaters 31 . as shown more particularly in fig2 the melting furnace 13 comprises a preheating section 43 , a prereducing section 45 , and a melting chamber 47 . the preheating section is substantially a heating zone comprising a refractory body which includes an annular chamber 49 , the lower end of which communicates with a horizontal chamber 51 . a feed chute 53 delivers metal chips 54 from the holding bin 11 . the chips fall upon a generally horizontal surface 55 where they are moved radially inwardly by rotating rabbles 57 which extend outwardly from the lower end of a driven shaft 59 that is driven by motor means mover 61 . the prereducing section 45 is a vertically tubular structure having a refractory wall 63 that forms a prereducing chamber 65 the upper end of which communicates with the annular surface 55 of the radial chamber 51 . the melting chamber 47 includes a truncated wall 67 , a bottom wall 69 , a slag hole 71 , a liquid metal holding chamber 73 , and a passage 75 communicating between the melting chamber 47 and holding chamber 73 . a tap hole 77 is included in the bottom wall 69 for tapping metal into a mold 79 . accordingly , the furnace 13 receives metal chips , such as iron chips 54 , through the chute 53 . the chips fall upon the surface 55 where they are preheated as they are moved radially inwardly by the baffles 57 to the prereducing chamber 65 where they drop to the melting chamber 47 to form a molten body 81 . as the chips move through the furnace 13 , they move in counterflow to reducing gas which enters the furnace through the arc heaters 31 and rises from the melting chamber 47 through the prereducing chamber 65 and the preheating chamber 51 to the gas outlet 15 from where it flows through a gas recycle system as set forth above . the arc heater 31 is similar in construction and operation to that disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 705 , 975 , but differs in some details as described herein . generally , the arc heaters 31 are each a single phase , self - stabilizing ac device capable of power levels up to about 1500 kilowatts or up to about 9000 kilowatts for a dual three - phase plant installation . in the practice of this invention it is preferred that six arc heaters be employed , two for each of the three phases of the ac power supply . as shown in fig3 the arc heater 31 has two annular copper electrodes 83 , 85 which are spaced at 87 about 1 millimeter apart to accommodate a line frequency power source 88 ( fig1 ) of about 4 kv . an arc 89 occurs in the space or gap 87 and incoming feedstock gas 91 immediately blows the arc from the space into the interior of the arc chamber 93 . the feedstock gas 91 must be compatible with the particular metal being melted in the furnace 13 and may be one of the gases selected from the group consisting of methane , hydrogen , steam , reformer gas , air , nitrogen , carbon monoxide , or mixtures thereof . the arc 89 rotates at a speed of about 1000 revolutions per second by interaction of the arc current ( several thousands amps ac ) with a dc magnetic field set up by internally mounted field coils 95 , 97 . the velocities yield a very high operating efficiency for equipment of this type and the elongated arc 89 is ultimately projected by the gas downstream toward and possibly into the melting chamber 47 . a cable 99 ( fig3 ) provides a source 100 ( fig1 ) of 40 volt , dc current to the spaced coils 95 , 97 . similarly , a cable 101 of ac current at 4000 volts is disposed at the upper end of the furnace 31 . both cables 99 , 101 are mounted in place by means of a cover assembly 103 which encloses the upper portion of the arc heater 31 to prevent dust and other contaminants from the atmosphere from depositing on the otherwise exposed electrical terminals and causing flashover due to the high voltage involved . each arc heater 31 comprises a mounting assembly generally indicated at 105 comprising a flange 107 and a bracket 109 . the flange 107 is secured to the outer metal surface 111 of the melting chamber 47 by suitable means , such as a weld 113 , and the flange 107 is secured to the bracket by radially spaced nut and bolt assemblies 115 . the flange 107 includes a water inlet 117 and a water outlet 119 by which coolant water is circulated into the arc heater for cooling the electrodes 83 , 85 in a manner similar to that set forth in u . s . pat . no . 3 , 705 , 975 . similarly , a gas inlet 121 ( fig4 ) is provided for conducting feed gas 91 to the space or gap 89 . moreover , the spaced end portions of the electrodes 83 , 85 at the gap or space 87 terminate in aligned , spaced , cylindrical portions devoid of out - turned radial flanges or enlarged portions as existed in arc heaters of prior construction . the resulting electrodes 83 , 85 are less costly to manufacture . furthermore , in accordance with this invention the downstream electrode 85 extends at 85a ( fig3 ) through the wall 67 of the furnace 13 to prevent the refractory in the wall from direct exposure to the high temperatures of the arc 89 and also focusing the arc more directly toward the surface of the molten body 81 . in conclusion the process of the disclosed invention is characterized by efficiency in both energy and material uses and incorporates the several functions involved into one structure thereby minimizing the problems associated with handling of solids , liquids , and gases .	8
a q - switched solid state laser oscillator , shown in fig1 , which is particularly suitable for the invention contains as laser crystal an nd : yvo 4 crystal 1 that is pumped directly by a high - power diode laser 2 in the form of a diode laser array , a diode laser bar or an arrangement thereof . imaging optics which are constructed for this purpose and which comprise two cylindrical lenses 3 , 4 with cylinder axes extending perpendicular to one another transform the collimated pump light beam ( 808 nm ) for spatial overlapping with the laser mode . the original focus - semiaxis ratio between the fast axis and the slow axis of about 1 : 20 is transformed into an asymmetric axial ratio of 1 : 2 . 3 and imaged on the nd : yvo 4 crystal 1 with this asymmetric beam cross section . in contrast to beam transmission by means of light - conducting fibers , the direct free beam transmission of the pump beam that is provided results in a technically simple construction that is less prone to losses and has a higher load capacity . according to fig2 , the anisotropic nd : yvo 4 crystal 1 which is provided at its beam entrance face 5 facing the diode laser array 2 with an antireflection coating for the pump wavelength of 808 nm and a highly reflective coating system for the laser wavelength of 1064 nm is oriented to the pump beam 6 in such a way that its crystallographic c - axis is directed in the direction of the greater dimension of the pump beam cross section ( parallel to the slow axis ) and the crystallographic a - axis , in whose direction the highest value of the crystal stress limit and of the thermal expansion coefficient is present , is directed in the direction of the smaller dimension of the pump beam cross section ( parallel to the fast axis ). it has been shown that the crystal strength can be substantially increased relative to a thermal stress by means of a reduction in the crystal height in direction of the a - axis and an increase in the temperature gradient connected with this . this means that the laser crystal 1 can be operated at substantially higher pump outputs and pump output densities than in previously known arrangements . this requirement is met by the construction according to fig2 in that the laser crystal has a crystal cross section traversed by the pump beam whose crystal edges 7 , 8 , 9 and 10 of different edge lengths are oppositely located parallel to one another in pairs , wherein crystal edges 7 and 8 have a shorter length than crystal edges 9 and 10 and extend in direction of the smaller dimension of the pump beam cross section . as a result of the asymmetry of the heat flow brought about by the reduction in the crystal dimensions in direction of the smaller dimension of the pump beam cross section and the consequent asymmetry of the thermal lens , an elliptic laser beam cross section is generated in the interior of the crystal whose axial ratio of greater than 1 : 1 and less than 1 : 3 is adapted to that of the pump beam cross section without requiring additional astigmatic elements in the cavity , i . e ., without having to employ different beam shaping means for the different axes . across from the beam entrance face 5 , the laser crystal is provided with an end face 11 that is cut at a brewster angle so that the axial ratio can be further increased by the factor of the ratio of the index of refraction of the laser crystal to the index of refraction of air . on the other hand , the elliptic laser cross section within the laser crystal has an approximately circular cross section when exiting from the crystal . in addition to the reflecting beam entrance face 5 , the solid state laser oscillator contains a beam folding mirror 12 adapted to the stability criteria of a cavity and an out - coupling mirror 13 . in a first embodiment form in which pulses with larger pulse lengths of greater than 500 ns are to be generated , the two parameters influencing the pulse length , i . e ., the cavity length and out - coupling coefficient , amount to 860 mm and 10 %, respectively . in general , cavity lengths greater than 500 mm are suitable for longer pulses of this kind . when the radius of curvature of the folding mirror 12 is reduced , the cavity length can be shortened and another construction of a solid state laser oscillator can be built for generating shorter pulses ( less than 500 ns ). with a cavity length of 240 mm , for example , the average output of the solid state laser oscillator can be varied from 2 . 0 w to 3 . 2 w with the beam quality ( m 2 & lt ; 1 . 1 ) remaining unchanged , which results in pulse lengths in the range of 30 ns at repetition rates of 30 khz . naturally , the solid state laser oscillator can also be designed with cavity lengths far below 180 mm in order to achieve pulse lengths of less than 15 ns . a q - switch in the form of an acousto - optic switch 14 is arranged between the folding mirror and the out - coupling mirror 12 , 13 for generating pulses . the cavity configuration is selected in such a way that the change in the thermal lens in the laser crystal caused by an output variation of the pump beam ( δp = 2 w ) does not result in a change in beam quality ( m 2 ≦ 1 . 1 ) and , in addition , the diameter of the coupled out laser beam is changed at most by 15 %. the oscillator output can be changed within a range of 0 . 8 w to 1 . 4 w , which leads to pulse durations of 1900 ns to 360 ns behind the amplifier at a repetition rate of 30 khz . the repetition rate can be adjusted by controlling the acousto - optic switch 14 within a range of 10 khz to 200 khz . the beam parameters of the laser beam 15 exiting from the solid state laser oscillator are matched to a laser amplifier arranged downstream ( fig3 ) by a lens combination 16 ( mode matching ); in particular , the laser beam cross section is transformed into an elliptic beam cross section with a low semiaxis ratio ( 1 : 2 to 1 : 3 ). due to the invariance of the beam quality and the minor ( 15 %) change in the beam diameter , it can be ensured that this matching is guaranteed at different pump outputs and output powers . this is the condition under which the pulse length variation of the amplified beam brought about by varying the output of the solid state laser oscillator can be realized . the laser amplifier shown in fig3 ( output power 50 w ) whose individual amplifier stages have already been described extensively in de 100 43 269 a1 , referenced herein , comprises six amplifier stages of this kind with a series arrangement of six laser crystals 17 - 22 which are diode - pumped by as many associated high - power diode lasers ( not shown in fig3 ). the pump beam exiting from the high - power diode lasers is initially collimated and subsequently focused in the laser crystals 17 - 22 . due to the high beam quality of the pump beam in the fast axis direction , a highly elliptic pump focus is formed with dimensions of about 0 . 1 mm × 2 . 0 mm which , at an absorbed pump output of 12 w , results in a very high pump output density and , therefore , in a high small - signal amplification . this amounts to greater than 10 per amplifier stage , so that the six amplifier stages give a total small - signal amplification of more than 10 6 . in order to prevent feedback from the laser amplifier in the solid state laser oscillator , the circular laser beam 15 exiting from the solid state laser oscillator traverses a faraday isolator 23 and , expanded by the lens combination 16 , subsequently penetrates all six laser crystals 17 - 22 successively in a zigzag path . in addition , the laser beam 15 is focused in the laser crystals 17 - 22 for further matching to the highly elliptic pump focus by means of cylindrical lenses 24 , 25 , so that the laser beam 15 collimated in the tangential plane traverses the laser crystals 17 - 22 in the sagittal plane with a highly elliptic focus . the present laser amplifier comprises two parts that are optically connected by a periscope 26 . after its second pass through the cylindrical lens 29 , the laser beam is collimated again also in the sagittal plane with the same elliptic cross section as before the first pass through the cylindrical lens 29 . accordingly , the laser crystals 17 - 22 are penetrated by mode - matched beams of the pump radiation and of the laser radiation 15 to be amplified and a thermal lens with varying thickness in planes perpendicular to one another is formed as a result of the radiated pump beam . the laser radiation 15 , focused in the plane with the thicker thermal lens , is directed into each of the laser crystals 17 - 22 and a beam waist forms in the area of the thermal lens . folding mirrors 27 - 32 which can also be used to adapt the beam dimensions in the slow - axis direction serve to ensure the zigzag path . additional deflecting elements 33 - 37 are used for building a compact arrangement . after exiting from the laser amplifier , the laser beam 15 is adapted to the desired beam parameters for the intended application by means of a lens arrangement , not shown , comprising four cylindrical lenses and an expansion telescope . fig4 , and particularly fig4 a , in which the q - switched oscillator pulse is preceded by an exponential rise in the leading edge , indicated in an exaggerated manner , show how the leading edge of the laser pulse at the output of the laser amplifier leads that of the oscillator pulse in time within the ns range . this is caused by the high small - signal amplification of the laser amplifier , whereby even very small oscillator outputs in the μw range are sufficient at a very early phase of pulse buildup to form a considerable portion of the leading edge of the amplifier pulse , so that the amplifier is already highly saturated very early on — in the present case , before reaching the pulse maximum of the oscillator — and the pulse maximum is already exceeded . the pulse is therefore longer . but overall , in addition to the apparent leading of the amplifier pulse , this results above all in the pulse widening which is adjustable , according to the invention , by means of the proposed arrangement . fig5 shows this time increase in the pulses as a result of the amplification process with high small - signal amplification , wherein the pump beam output in the solid state laser oscillator is changed over a very wide range , while the pump beam output in the laser amplifier remains constant . fig6 demonstrates the small degree of change in output power ( 10 %) at the amplifier output when varying the oscillator output due to the attenuation of the drop in output by means of the amplification . while the foregoing description and drawings represent the present invention , it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made therein without departing from the true spirit and scope of the present invention .	7
fig1 is a diagram illustrating a path monitoring system 0 according to an embodiment of the present art . the path monitoring system 0 has a plurality of routers 200 , a path monitoring apparatus 100 that analyses packets flowing between the routers 200 , and a terminal 300 . the path monitoring apparatus 100 has a packet receiver 102 , a topology / path manager 104 , a quality measurement unit 106 , a quality analysis result holder 108 , a static path determination unit 110 , and a path search execution request unit 112 . the packet receiver 102 is connected to an arbitrary point in a network and receives all ip packets including lsas of an ospf protocol . the topology / path manager 104 obtains lsas from the packet receiver 102 . the topology / path manager 104 manages information concerning connection between the routers 200 and path information of each flow from the obtained lsas . the topology / path manager 104 creates a routing table . a routing table according to this embodiment is described here with reference to fig2 and 3 . as illustrated in fig2 , a network system 1 has a transmission source sub - network 12 , a transmission source sub - network 14 , a transmission destination sub - network 18 , and a transmission destination sub - network 21 . a router a 24 is connected to the transmission source sub - network 12 , and a router b 26 is connected to the transmission source sub - network 14 . a router c 28 is connected to the router a 24 and the router b 26 . the router a 24 , the router b 26 , and the router c 28 form area 1 . a router d 34 is connected to the router c 28 . a router e 38 and a router f 40 are connected to the router d 34 . the router c 28 , the router d 34 , the router e 38 , and the router f 40 form a backbone . a router g 42 is connected to the router e 38 . the transmission destination sub - network 18 is connected to the router g 42 . a router h 48 is connected to the router f 40 . the transmission destination sub - network 21 is connected to the router h 48 . the router e 38 , the router f 40 , the router g 42 , and the router h 48 form area 2 . the above - mentioned lsas are generated by the routers and transmitted to respective adjacent routers . for example , the router c 28 transmits lsas to the router a 24 , the router b 26 , and the router d 34 . in addition , the router d 34 transmits lsas to the router c 28 , the router e 38 , and the router f 40 . the router c 28 refers to the lsa transmitted from the router d 34 to verify that the router e 38 and the router f 40 are connected to the router d 34 . the router c 28 then adds information relating to the router e 38 and the router f 40 , both of which are connected to the router d 34 , to the lsas generated thereby . thus , the routers update lsas that are generated thereby and transmitted to adjacent routers . the path monitoring apparatus 100 generates a routing table by obtaining the updated lsas . a routing table 400 illustrated in fig3 has transmission source sub - network information 402 , transmission destination sub - network information 404 , and path information 406 . in the path information 406 , passing routers provided along a path from a transmission source sub - network to a transmission destination sub - network are described . the quality measurement unit 106 categorizes packets obtained from the packet receiver 102 into flows of corresponding source and destination ip addresses . the quality measurement unit 106 measures the quality of each flow and identifies a quality deterioration point from the relationship between flows whose quality has deteriorated . the quality measurement unit 106 then stores the analysis results of the flows in the quality analysis result holder 108 . if there is a quality deterioration point , the quality measurement unit 106 notifies the static path determination unit 110 of the quality deterioration point . a method for estimating a quality deterioration point according to this embodiment is described with reference to fig4 and 5 . a network system 2 illustrated in fig4 has a plurality of sub - networks 902 , 904 , 906 , 908 , and 910 . the sub - network 902 is connected to a router 912 . the router 912 is connected to a router 914 . the router 914 is connected to a router 916 and a router 920 . the router 916 is connected to the sub - network 910 and a router 922 . the sub - network 904 is connected to a router 918 . the router 918 is connected to the router 920 . the router 920 is connected to a router 924 and the router 922 . the router 922 is connected to the sub - network 908 . the sub - network 906 is connected to the router 924 . now , suppose that a quality deterioration occurs at a link l 3 illustrated in fig4 . the quality measurement unit 106 receives traffic flows of flow 1 , flow 2 , flow 3 , and flow 4 and measures the quality of the traffic flows . the path of flow 1 runs from n 1 to l 1 , n 2 , l 2 , and then to n 3 . the path of flow 2 runs from n 7 to l 7 , n 5 , l 3 , n 2 , l 2 , and then to n 3 . the path of flow 3 runs from n 6 to l 6 and then to n 3 . the path of flow 4 runs from n 4 to l 4 , n 5 , l 3 , n 2 , l 2 , and then to n 3 . the quality measurement unit 106 performs mapping for these flows so as to indicate whether each flow has been normal or abnormal at links through which the flow passed as in a tomography analysis table 500 illustrated in fig5 . the quality measurement unit 106 refers to this table and , if flows that passed through a shared link ( l 3 in this case ) are all abnormal , identifies the link as a quality deterioration point . the links l 4 and l 7 may also be abnormal links here , but because the links l 4 and l 7 are also highly likely to be abnormal when the link l 3 , through which both flow 2 and flow 4 pass in this embodiment , is an abnormal link , the link l 3 located upstream from the viewpoint of the quality measurement unit 106 is determined as a quality deterioration point . in this embodiment , the types of packet include , for example , an ip packet , a transmission control protocol ( tcp ) packet , a user data protocol ( udp ) packet , and a real - time transport protocol ( rtp ) packet . upon determination of a quality deterioration , the quality measurement unit 106 finds packet loss by checking the id field of an ip packet , the sequence number of a tcp packet , or , in the case of a udp packet , lack of the sequence number of an rtp packet . fig6 is a diagram illustrating a quality measurement result database 700 that is stored in the quality analysis result holder 108 . the quality measurement result database 700 includes a transmission source ip address 702 , a transmission destination ip address 704 , the number of packets transmitted 706 , the number of packets received 708 , the number of packets lost on the transmission side 710 , the number of packets lost on the reception side 712 , and a quality analysis result 714 . the transmission source ip address 702 indicates the ip address of a transmission source network . the transmission destination ip address 704 indicates the ip address of a transmission destination network . the number of packets transmitted 706 indicates the number of request packets that passed through , from a transmission source network to a transmission destination network , a link to which the path monitoring apparatus 100 is connected . the number of packets received 708 indicates the number of response packets that passed through , from a transmission destination network to a transmission source network , a link to which the path monitoring apparatus 100 is connected . the number of packets lost on the transmission side 710 indicates the number of packets that lacked their respective sequence numbers or the like among the request packets that passed through , from a transmission source network to a transmission destination network , a link to which the path monitoring apparatus 100 is connected . the number of packets lost on the reception side 712 indicates the number of packets that lacked their respective sequence numbers or the like among the response packets that passed through , from a transmission destination network to a transmission source network , a link to which the path monitoring apparatus 100 is connected . the quality analysis result 714 indicates a flow whose packet loss was large with a cross ( x ) and a flow whose packet loss was small with a circle ( o ). the static path determination unit 110 receives a notification of a quality deterioration point from the quality measurement unit 106 . the static path determination unit 110 obtains the flows whose quality has deteriorated from the quality analysis result holder 108 on the basis of the notification of the quality deterioration point . the static path determination unit 110 categorizes the flows obtained from the quality analysis result holder 108 into flows that are determined on a sub - network - by - sub - network basis and executes quality measurement again after removing flows to a particular transmission destination sub - network . after executing this process on all transmission destination sub - networks , the static path determination unit 110 determines a transmission destination sub - network with which the quality deterioration point has changed as a candidate for a static path . the static path determination unit 110 then makes the path search execution request unit 112 execute a path search that uses traceroute or the like . if path information is found to be different from that held in a routing table by this execution of a path search , the routing table is updated and a router located immediately before a point at which the paths become different is determined as a setting router for the static path . the path search execution request unit 112 executes a path search that uses traceroute or the like on a particular route between transmission source and transmission destination networks upon receiving an instruction from the static path determination unit 110 . in addition , the path search execution request unit 112 requests a transmission source terminal of a path to execute a path search . by requesting execution of a path search only on a particular path , the static path can be identified in a short period of time . fig7 illustrates a search path candidate storage table 800 in the static path determination unit 110 according to this embodiment . the search path candidate storage table 800 has transmission source sub - network information 802 , transmission destination sub - network information 804 , and search path candidate information 806 . after obtaining the flows whose quality has deteriorated from the quality analysis result holder 108 , the static path determination unit 110 categorizes these flows into flows that are determined on a transmission - sub - network - by - transmission - sub - network basis and on a destination - sub - network - by - destination - sub - network basis , and registers the flows . on the basis of these transmission source and transmission destination sub - networks , the static path determination unit 110 selects transmission destination sub - networks to be removed and removes the selected transmission destination sub - networks , and makes the quality measurement unit 106 execute quality measurement and a process for estimating the quality deterioration point again . this process is executed for all combinations with one of the transmission destination sub - networks removed , and an entry in which the quality deterioration point has changed is registered as a candidate for a search path . by using this result , the static path determination unit 110 is able to estimate a path with which a path search is executed . fig8 is a diagram illustrating the principle configuration of a method for estimating the static path according to this embodiment . as illustrated in fig8 , a network system 10 has the transmission source sub - network 12 , the transmission source sub - network 14 , a transmission destination sub - network 16 , a transmission destination sub - network 17 , the transmission destination sub - network 18 , a transmission destination sub - network 19 , a transmission destination sub - network 20 , and the transmission destination sub - network 21 . the path monitoring apparatus 100 has the quality analysis result holder 108 and the static path determination unit 110 . the quality analysis result holder 108 has the quality measurement result database 700 described with reference to fig6 , and the static path determination unit 110 has the search path candidate storage table 800 described with reference to fig7 . the router a 24 is connected to the transmission source sub - network 12 , and the router b 26 is connected to the transmission source sub - network 14 . the router c 28 is connected to the router a 24 and the router b 26 . the router a 24 , the router b 26 , and the router c 28 form area 1 . a router k 30 is connected to the router c 28 . a router l 32 and the router d 34 are connected to the router k 30 . the transmission destination sub - network 16 and a router m 36 are connected to the router l 32 . the transmission destination sub - network 17 is connected to the router m 36 . the router e 38 and the router f 40 are connected to the router d 34 . the router c 28 , the router k 30 , the router l 32 , the router m 36 , the router d 34 , the router e 38 , and the router f 40 form a backbone . the router g 42 , a router i 44 , and a router j 46 are connected to the router e 38 . the transmission destination sub - network 18 is connected to the router g 42 . the transmission destination sub - network 19 is connected to the router i 44 . the transmission destination sub - network 20 is connected to the router j 46 . the router h 48 is connected to the router f 40 . the transmission destination sub - network 21 is connected to the router h 48 . the router e 38 , the router f 40 , the router g 42 , the router i 44 , the router j 46 , and the router h 48 form area 2 . in this embodiment , first , the quality measurement unit 106 determines that there are quality deterioration points in a link between the router d 34 and the router e 38 and a link between the router d 34 and the router f 40 as illustrated in fig8 . the quality measurement unit 106 does not determine a link between the router k 30 and the router d 34 , which is a link located upstream of the link between the router d 34 and the router e 38 and the link between the router d 34 and the router f 40 , but determines the link between the router d 34 and the router e 38 and the link between the router d 34 and the router f 40 as quality deterioration points . it is to be noted that although flows categorized on a sub - network - by - sub - network basis are illustrated for convenience of description , there are flows associated with a plurality of source and destination ip addresses in practice . it is also to be noted that , regarding the router d 34 , a static path is set for the transmission destination sub - network 21 so that packets in the router d 34 are forwarded to the router e 38 here . according to path calculation results obtained by using lsas of the ospf protocol , a path from the transmission source sub - network 12 to the transmission destination sub - network 21 is relayed from the router d 34 to the router f 40 . therefore , although a flow from the transmission source sub - network 12 to the transmission destination sub - network 21 also passes through a quality deterioration link in practice , which causes a quality deterioration in packets therein , the flow is regarded as passing through a link that connects the router d 34 and the router f 40 in the path calculation results obtained by using lsas of the ospf protocol . as a result , the quality measurement unit 106 incorrectly determines that the quality deterioration point is a link between the router k 30 and the router d 34 . the topology / path manager 104 creates a routing table 4001 illustrated in fig9 from the obtained lsas . the routing table 4001 has transmission source sub - network information 40012 , transmission destination sub - network information 40014 , and path information 40016 . the topology / path manager 104 obtains the path information of the network system 10 . from the routing table 4001 created by the topology / path manager 104 , the static path determination unit 110 determines that the router g 42 , the router i 44 , and the router j 46 are connected to the router e 38 , and the router h 48 is connected to the router f 40 . as illustrated in fig8 , when a plurality of routers are connected to the router e 38 and , in contrast , a single router is connected to the router f 40 , the thickness of a link connecting the router d 34 and the router e 38 is estimated to be larger than that of the link connecting the router d 34 and the router f 40 . in such a case , a path may be statically set to be relayed from the router d 34 to the router e 38 so as to increase the reliability of packet transmission by passing through a thick link . the static path determination unit 110 estimates that the router e 38 is statically set . fig1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for estimating a static path according to this embodiment . in step s 101 , the packet receiver 102 receives all ip packets including lsas of the ospf protocol . the process proceeds to step s 102 . in step s 102 , the topology / path manager 104 creates a routing table on the basis of the lsas obtained from the packet receiver 102 . the process proceeds to step s 103 . in step s 103 , the quality measurement unit 106 measures the quality of each flow and detects a quality deterioration point . the process proceeds to step s 104 . in step s 104 , the static path determination unit 110 determines whether or not at least two or more quality deterioration points have been detected . if at least two or more quality deterioration points have been detected , the process proceeds to step s 105 . on the other hand , if at least two or more quality deterioration points have not been detected , the process terminates . in step s 105 , the static path determination unit 110 refers to the routing table to determine whether or not a plurality of routers are connected to a router located downstream of a detected first quality deterioration point . if a plurality of routers are connected to a router located downstream of the first quality deterioration point , the process proceeds to step s 106 . in this embodiment , the first quality deterioration point is located between the router d 34 and the router e 38 , and the router g 42 , the router i 44 , and the router j 46 are connected to the router e 38 , which is a router located downstream of the quality deterioration point . on the other hand , if a plurality of routers are not connected to a router located downstream of the detected first quality deterioration point , the process terminates . in step s 106 , the static path determination unit 110 refers to the routing table to determine whether or not a router located upstream of a detected second quality deterioration point corresponds to a router located upstream of the detected first quality deterioration point . in this embodiment , the second quality deterioration point is located between the router d 34 and the router f 40 , and the router d 34 , which is a router located upstream of the second quality deterioration point , is also a router located upstream of the first quality deterioration point . if a router located upstream of the detected second quality deterioration point corresponds to a router located upstream of the detected first quality deterioration point , the process proceeds to step s 107 . on the other hand , if a router located upstream of the detected second quality deterioration point does not correspond to a router located upstream of the detected first quality deterioration point , the process terminates . in step s 107 , the static path determination unit 110 outputs an indication that it is possible that a static route is set for the router d 34 . the process terminates . as illustrated in fig1 , in a path monitoring system , a memory 2501 ( storage unit ), a central processing unit ( cpu ) 2503 ( processor ), a hard disk drive ( hdd ) 2505 , a display controller 2507 connected to a display device 2509 , a drive device 2513 for a removable disk 2511 , an input device 2515 , and a communication controller 2517 for connecting to a network are connected by a bus 2519 . an operating system ( os ) and application programs including a web browser are stored in the hdd 2505 , and when executed by the cpu 2503 , the os and the application programs are read out to the memory 2501 from the hdd 2505 . the cpu 2503 controls the display controller 2507 , the communication controller 2517 , and the drive device 2513 as necessary to cause the display controller 2507 , the communication controller 2517 , and the drive device 2513 to perform necessary operations . in addition , data being processed is stored in the memory 2501 , and may be stored in the hdd 2505 as necessary . such a computer realizes the various functions described above through organic and cooperative operation of hardware such as the cpu 2503 and the memory 2501 , the os , and necessary application programs , which are described above . finally , the effectiveness of this embodiment is described . fig1 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation in which it is supposed that a path for the transmission destination sub - network 21 is statically set , and traceroute is executed for a flow in the path in order to check an actual path . the path monitoring apparatus 100 logs in an arbitrary terminal of the transmission source sub - network 12 or the router a 24 using telnet or the like and causes the terminal to execute a traceroute command . after causing the terminal to execute traceroute , the path monitoring apparatus 100 receives response packets that have been sent back in response to traceroute at the packet receiver 102 and analyzes routers through which the response packets have passed on the basis of the transmission source ip addresses . because the router d 34 , the router e 38 , the router f 40 , and the router h 48 send back their respective response packets , a path can be identified from the transmission source ip addresses of the response packets . after the path is identified , if the path is different from one in a routing table , the routing table is modified . since a path after the router d 34 is different here , it is determined that the path for the transmission destination sub - network 21 is statically set and setting of the path is performed at the router d 34 . fig1 is a diagram illustrating another example of an operation in which traceroute is executed for a candidate for a static path . in the example of the operation illustrated in fig1 , the path search execution request unit 112 requests a terminal of a sub - network of a target path to execute traceroute . however , in this example of the operation , traceroute is directly executed by the path monitoring system 0 using an option of traceroute for designating a relay router , and the path to the transmission destination sub - network 21 is searched for while a router of the transmission source sub - network 12 is passed through once . in doing so , path search can be realized even when a router or terminal of a sub - network cannot be directly controlled . in contrast to the examples of the operation illustrated in fig1 and 13 , in this embodiment , it is not necessary to search or check routing tables of all the routers nor to execute traceroute for all the source and destination addresses , which successfully reduces the time taken by path search . in addition , since packets flowing in a network are monitored , it is possible to check a path even for , for example , a network having routers that cannot be accessed . according to an aspect of the art , a statically set path in a network can be efficiently identified . according to the wireless communication device and the method for wireless communication disclosed herewith , extension of a period of time required for data communication between nodes can be reduced in a wireless network to which a plurality of nodes belongs for carrying out ad hoc communication . as mentioned above , the present invention has been specifically described for better understanding of the embodiments thereof and the above description does not limit other aspects of the invention . therefore , the present invention can be altered and modified in a variety of ways without departing from the gist and scope thereof .	7
the term “ alkoxy ” means all variants possible for each number of carbon atoms in the alkoxy group i . e . for three carbon atoms : n - propyl and isopropyl ; for four carbon atoms : n - butyl , isobutyl and tertiary - butyl ; for five carbon atoms : n - pentyl , 1 , 1 - dimethyl - propyl , 2 , 2 - dimethylpropyl and 2 - methyl - butyl etc . the term “ transparent layer ” as used in disclosing the present invention means permitting the passage of light in such a way that objects can be clearly seen through the layer . the term “ aqueous medium ” means a medium containing water and water - miscible organic solvents containing between 50 % by weight of water and 100 % by weight of water . the term “ layer ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means a continuous coating unless qualified by the adjective “ non - continuous ”. the term “ pattern ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means a non - continuous coating , which may be an array , arrangement or configuration of lines and / or shapes , areas and / or regions . the term “ functional ” in the expression “ functional patterns ” as used in disclosing the present invention means having at least one function that is non - decorative , although functional materials as used in disclosing the present application may have a decorative function or utility in addition to a non - decorative function or utility . examples of such functions are non - decorative colouring , ph - indicating , whitening , fluorescent , phosphorescent , x - ray phosphor , conductive properties and catalysis . the term functional pattern therefore includes patterns of catalytic species including electroless deposition catalysts . the term “ catalyst ” in the expression “ electroless deposition catalyst ” as used in disclosing the present invention means a substance which alters the rate of a chemical reaction or physical process without itself being consumed i . e . it can accelerate or decelerate a chemical reaction e . g . electroless deposition . the term catalyst does not include species which of themselves have no electroless deposition catalytic properties , although they may be precursors of a species which does perform the function of an electroless deposition catalyst . autocatalysts are here included in the term catalyst . the term “ electroless deposition ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means deposition of conducting species , such as metals , without using electrochemical techniques . electroless deposition techniques usually involve a reaction between an oxidizing and a reducing species . the term “ hydrophilic phase ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means a phase with substantially hydrophilic properties i . e . containing or having an affinity for , attracting , adsorbing , or absorbing water . the hydrophilic phase mainly contains water and hydrophilic substances e . g . alcohols and cellulose derivatives , although small quantities of hydrophobic substances may be present . the term “ flexible ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means capable of following the curvature of a curved object such as a drum e . g . without being damaged . the term “ printing ink ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means an ink or one phase of a single fluid ink . the ink can be either hydrophilic i . e . accepted by the hydrophilic areas of a printing plate , roll or stamp , as used , for example , in reverse offset inks , or oleophilic i . e . accepted by the oleophilic areas of a printing plate , roll or stamp , as used , for example , in conventional offset inks . it may or may not contain at least one dye and / or pigment as colorant ( s ). the term “ dye ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means a coloring agent having a solubility of 10 mg / l or more in the medium in which it is applied and under the ambient conditions pertaining . the term “ pigment ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , is defined in din 55943 , herein incorporated by reference , as an inorganic or organic , chromatic or achromatic coloring agent that is practically insoluble in the application medium under the pertaining ambient conditions , hence having a solubility of less than 10 mg / l therein . the term “ binder ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means a polymeric species , which may be naturally occurring material , a modified naturally occurring material or a synthetic material . the term “ coated paper ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means paper coated with any substance i . e . includes both clay - coated paper and resin - coated paper . the term “ diffusion transfer reversal ( dtr ) process ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , refers to a process developed independently by a . rott [ gb patent 614 , 155 and sci . photogr ., ( 2 ) 13 , 151 ( 1942 )] and e . weyde [ de patent 973 , 769 ] and described by g . i . p . levenson in chapter 16 of “ the theory of the photographic process fourth edition ”, edited by t . h . james , pages 466 to 480 , eastman kodak company , rochester ( 1977 ), herein incorporated by reference . the term “ ionomer ”, as used in disclosing the present invention , means a polymer with covalent bonds between the elements of the chain , and ionic bonds between the chains e . g . metal salts of copolymers of ethylene and methacrylic acid commercialized by du pont under the tradename surlyn ®. according to the process for contact printing a pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst of the present invention , the pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst is printed via a hydrophilic phase . according to a first embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the pattern of electroless deposition catalyst consists of continuous areas of electroless deposition catalyst . according to a second embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the contact printing process comprises the steps of : applying a pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst via a hydrophilic phase to an intermediate stamp , plate or roller and transferring the pattern of electroless deposition catalyst from the intermediate stamp , plate or roller to a receiving medium . according to a third embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the contact printing process comprises the steps of : applying a pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst via a hydrophilic phase to a printing plate master and transferring the pattern of electroless deposition catalyst from the printing plate master to a receiving medium . preferred printing techniques include conventional offset printing with an aqueous fountain and an oleophilic ink , reverse offset printing using a hydrocarbon or mineral oil as fountain medium and a hydrophilic ink , offset printing using single fluid inks consisting of a fine emulsion of the ink in the fountain or of a fine emulsion of the fountain in the ink and driography using water - based driographic inks . offset printing has the advantage of printing smooth continuous areas at very high speeds with high resolution . evaporation of solvent and / or water from the offset fluids is very low in the printing press compared to e . g . screen printing . according to the process for contact printing a pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst of the present invention , the pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst is printed via a hydrophilic phase . development nuclei of the type well known in diffusion transfer reversal ( dtr ) image receiving materials are preferred electroless deposition catalysts e . g . noble metal particles , such as silver particles , and colloidal heavy metal sulfide particles , such as colloidal palladium sulfide , nickel sulfide and mixed silver - nickel sulfide . these nuclei may be present with or without a binding agent . according to a fourth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is non - metallic e . g . palladium , silver , nickel , and cobalt sulphides . according to a fifth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is a heavy metal sulphide , e . g . palladium , silver , nickel , cobalt , copper , lead and mercury sulphides , or a mixed sulphide , e . g . silver - nickel sulphide . according to a sixth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is metallic e . g . silver , platinum , rhodium , iridium , gold , ruthenium , palladium and copper particles . according to a seventh embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is capable of catalyzing silver deposition . according to the process for contact printing a pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst of the present invention , the pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst is printed via a hydrophilic phase . the hydrophilic phase may also contain : water - soluble gums , a ph buffer system , desensitizing salts , acids or their salts , wetting agents , solvents , non - piling or lubricating additives , emulsion control agents , viscosity builders , biocides and defoamers . however , the presence of additives in the hydrophilic phase should be avoided if at all possible to prevent pollution / poisoning of the electroless deposition catalyst with resulting reduction in catalytic activity . according to an eighth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase only contains water and the electroless deposition catalyst . according to a ninth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase further contains at least one water - miscible organic compound , such as aliphatic alcohols , ketones , arenes , esters , glycol ethers , cyclic ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran , and their mixtures , preferably an organic solvent . according to a tenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , less than 10 % by weight of the dissolved and dispersed solids in the hydrophilic phase is binder . according to an eleventh embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , less than 5 % by weight of the dissolved and dispersed solids in the hydrophilic phase is binder . minimalization of binder - content enables the catalyst species to exhibit maximum activity and prevents embedding of the electroless deposition catalyst species , making them non - accessible . according to a twelfth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is an aqueous fountain medium , such as used in conventional offset printing . according to a thirteenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is a hydrophilic ink , such as used in reverse offset printing with an oleophilic fountain e . g . of a hydrocarbon or mineral oil , in which the electroless deposition catalyst may replace part or all of the dyes and / or pigments . depending on the type of catalyst , it may be preferable to eliminate dyes , pigments or other additives from the ink to prevent pollution of the catalyst , hereby possibly reducing its efficiency . in addition , this would result in a higher concentration of catalyst in the dried layer . according to a fourteenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is a hydrophilic ink in which the concentration of electroless deposition catalyst is between 10 − 8 and 1 mol / l , preferably between 0 . 001 and 0 . 1 mol / l . according to a fifteenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is the dispersing phase of a single fluid ink , such as used in offset printing . the hydrophilic phase in single fluid inks is mainly based on ethylene glycols . to prevent coagulation and maintain a high efficiency of the catalyst , it may be necessary to replace a part of the ethylene glycols with water . according to a sixteenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is the dispersing phase of a single fluid ink and the electroless deposition catalyst is present in a concentration of between 10 − 8 and 1 mol / l , preferably between 0 . 001 and 0 . 1 mol / l . according to a seventeenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is the dispersed phase of a single fluid ink , such as used in offset printing . according to an eighteenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is a water - based driographic ink , in which the electroless deposition catalyst may replace a part or all of the dyes and / or pigments . depending on the type of catalyst , it may be preferable to eliminate dyes , pigments or other additives from the ink to prevent pollution of the catalyst , hereby possibly reducing its efficiency . in addition , this would result in a higher concentration of catalyst in the dried layer . according to a nineteenth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is a water - based driographic ink , which contains electroless deposition catalyst in a concentration of between 10 − 8 and 1 mol / l , preferably between 0 . 001 and 0 . 1 mol / l . according to a twentieth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase is exclusive of an ionomer . according to a twenty - first embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase comprises other functional ingredients e . g . selected from the group consisting of fluorescent , phosphorescent , ph - indicating , coloring , whitening and intrinsically conductive ingredients . according to a twenty - second embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is incorporated into a hydrophilic phase , which has a viscosity at 25 ° c . after stirring to constant viscosity of at least 30 mpa · s as measured according to din 53211 i . e . until successive measurements according to din 53211 are reproducible . according to a twenty - third embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is incorporated in a hydrophilic phase , which has a viscosity at 25 ° c . after stirring to constant viscosity of at least 100 mpa · s as measured according to din 53211 i . e . until successive measurements according to din 53211 are reproducible . according to a twenty - fourth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is incorporated into a hydrophilic phase , which has a viscosity at 25 ° c . after stirring to constant viscosity of at least 200 mpa · s as measured according to din 53211 i . e . until successive measurements according to din 53211 are reproducible . according to a twenty - fifth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is incorporated into a hydrophilic phase , which has a ph between 1 . 5 and 5 . 5 . according to a twenty - sixth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is incorporated into an aqueous fountain medium . according to a twenty - seventh embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is present in the fountain medium in a concentration of 10 − 8 to 1 mol / l , preferably between 0 . 001 and 0 . 1 mol / l . the aqueous fountain media may also contain : water - soluble gums , a ph buffer system , desensitizing salts , acids or their salts , wetting agents , solvents , non - piling or lubricating additives , emulsion control agents , viscosity builders , biocides and defoamers . according to a twenty - eighth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is incorporated into an aqueous fountain medium , which further comprises an anti - foaming agent . suitable anti - foaming agents include the silicone antifoam agent x50860a from shin - etsu . according to a twenty - ninth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the electroless deposition catalyst is incorporated into an aqueous fountain medium , which further contains a water - soluble gum , such as gum arabic , larch gum , cmc , pvp , and acrylics . according to a thirtieth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase further contains at least one water - miscible organic compound , such as aliphatic alcohols , ketones , arenes , esters , glycol ethers , cyclic ethers , such as tetrahydrofuran , and their mixtures . according to the process for contact printing a pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst of the present invention , the pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst is printed via a hydrophilic phase . according to a third - first embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , an oleophilic phase is involved in the contact printing process . according to a thirty - second embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , an oleophilic phase is involved in the contact printing process and the oleophilic phase is an oleophilic fountain . according to a thirty - third embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , an oleophilic phase is involved in the contact printing process and the oleophilic phase is the dispersed phase of a single fluid ink . according to a thirty - fourth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , an oleophilic phase is involved in the contact printing process and the oleophilic phase is the continuous phase of a single fluid ink . according to a thirty - fifth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , an oleophilic phase is involved in the contact printing process and the oleophilic phase is an oleophilic ink . according to the process for contact printing a pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst of the present invention , the pattern of an electroless deposition catalyst is printed via a hydrophilic phase and an oleophilic phase may be involved in the contact printing process . according to a thirty - sixth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic phase contains at least one colorant , which may be a pigment or dye . according to a thirty - seventh embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the colorant in the hydrophilic phase is a dye . according to a thirty - eighth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , an oleophilic phase is involved in the contact printing process and the oleophilic phase contains a colorant , which may be a pigment or a dye . according to a thirty - ninth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , an oleophilic phase is involved in the contact printing process and the oleophilic phase contains a dye . the colorant may be selected from the group consisting of pigments and dyes , may either be present in the hydrophilic phase or in an oleophilic phase e . g . the dispersed phase in a single fluid ink , an oleophilic fountain in the case of reverse offset printing or the oleophilic “ ink ” in the case of conventional offset printing . transparent coloured compositions can be realized by incorporating pigments e . g . azo pigments e . g . dalmar ® azo yellow and levanyl ® yellow hrlf , dioxazine pigments e . g . levanyl ® violet bnz , phthalocyanine blue pigments , phthalocyanine green pigments , molybdate orange pigments , chrome yellow pigments , quinacridone pigments , barium precipitated permanent red 2b , manganese precipitated bon red , rhodamine b pigments and rhodamine y pigments . according to a fortieth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the hydrophilic and / or oleophilic phase contains a dye and / or a pigment such that the colour tone of the ink and the background cannot be distinguished by the human eye e . g . by colour matching or colour masking by for example matching the cielab a , b and l * values as defined in astm norm e179 - 90 in a r ( 45 / 0 ) geometry with evaluation according to astm norm e308 - 90 . according to a forty - first embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the aqueous fountain medium further contains at least one surfactant i . e . at least one surfactant selected from the group consisting of cationic , anionic , amphoteric and non - ionic surfactants . according to a forty - second embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the aqueous fountain medium further contains at least one non - ionic surfactant e . g . ethoxylated / fluoro - alkyl surfactants , polyethoxylated silicone surfactants , polysiloxane / polyether surfactants , ammonium salts of perfluoro - alkylcarboxylic acids , polyethoxylated surfactants and fluorine - containing surfactants . non01 surfynol ® 440 : an acetylene compound with two polyethylene oxide chains having 40 wt % of polyethylene oxide groups from air products non02 synperonic ® 13 / 6 . 55 a tridecylpolyethylene - glycol non03 zonyl ® fso - 100 : a mixture of ethoxylated fluorosurfactants f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 7 ch 2 ch 2 o ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) y h where y = 0 to ca . 15 from dupont ; non04 arkopal ™ n060 : a nonylphenylpolyethylene - glycol from hoechst non05 fluorad ® fc129 : a fluoroaliphatic polymeric ester from 3m non06 pluronic ® l35 a polyethylene - glycol / propylene - glycol non07 tegoglide ® 410 : a polysiloxane - polymer copolymer surfactant , from goldschmidt ; non08 tegowet ®: a polysiloxane - polyester copolymer surfactant , from goldschmidt ; non09 fluorad ® fc126 : a mixture of ammonium salts of perfluorocarboxylic acids , from 3m ; non10 fluorad ® fc430 : a 98 . 5 % active fluoroaliphatic ester from 3m ; non11 fluorad ® fc431 : cf 3 ( cf 2 ) 7 so 2 ( c 2 h 5 ) n — ch 2 co —( och 2 ch 2 ) n oh from 3m ; non12 polyoxyethylene - 10 - lauryl ether non13 zonyl ® fsn : a 40 % by weight solution of f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 9 ch 2 ch 2 o ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) x h in a 50 % by weight solution of isopropanol in water where x = 0 to about 25 , from dupont ; non14 zonyl ® fsn - 100 : f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 9 ch 2 ch 2 o ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) x h where x = 0 to about 25 , from dupont ; non15 zonyl ® fs300 : a 40 % by weight aqueous solution of a fluorinated surfactant , from dupont ; non16 zonyl ® fso : a 50 % by weight solution of a mixture of ethoxylated fluoro - surfactants with the formula : f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 7 ch 2 ch 2 o ( ch 2 ch 2 o ) y h where y = 0 to ca . 15 in a 50 % by weight solution of ethylene glycol in water , from dupont ; according to a forty - third embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the aqueous fountain medium further contains at least one anionic surfactant . suitable anionic surfactants include : an01 hostapon ® t a 95 % concentrate of purified sodium salt of n - methyl - n - 2 - sulfoethyl - oleylamide , from hoechst an03 aerosol ® ot an aqueous solution of 10 g / l of the sodium salt of the di - 2 - ethylhexyl ester of sulphosuccinic acid from american cyanamid an04 dowfax 2a1 a 45 % by weight aqueous solution of a mixture of the sodium salt of bis ( p - dodecyl , sulpho - phenyl )- ether and the sodium salt of ( p - dodecyl , sulpho - phenyl )-( sulphophenyl ) ether from dow corning an05 spremi tetraethylammonium perfluoro - octylsulphonate an06 tergo sodium 1 - isobutyl , 4 - ethyl - n - octylsulphate an07 zonyl ® 7950 a fluorinated surfactant , from dupont ; an08 zonyl ® fsa a 25 % by weight solution of f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 9 ch 2 ch 2 sch 2 ch 2 cooli in a 50 % by weight solution of isopropanol in water , from dupont ; an09 zonyl ® fse : 14 % by weight solution of [ f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 7 ch 2 ch 2 o ] x p ( o )( onh 4 ) y where x = 1 or 2 ; y = 2 or 1 ; and x + y = 3 in a 70 % by weight solution of ethylene glycol in water , from dupont ; an10 zonyl ® fsj : 40 % by weight solution of a blend of f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 7 ch 2 ch 2 o ] x p ( o )( onh 4 ) y where x = 1 or 2 ; y = 2 or 1 ; and x + y = 3 with a hydrocarbon surfactant in 25 % by weight solution of isopropanol in water , from dupont ; an11 zonyl ® fsp 35 % by weight solution of [ f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 7 ch 2 ch 2 o ] x p ( o )( onh 4 ) y where x = 1 or 2 ; y = 2 or 1 and x + y = 3 in 69 . 2 % by weight solution of isopropanol in water , from dupont ; an12 zonyl ® ur : [ f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 1 - 7 ch 2 ch 2 o ] x p ( o )( oh ) y where x = 1 or 2 ; y = 2 or 1 and x + y = 3 , from dupont ; an13 zonyl ® tbs : 33 % by weight solution of f ( cf 2 cf 2 ) 3 - 8 ch 2 ch 2 so 3 h in a 4 . 5 % by weight solution of acetic acid in water , from dupont ; an14 ammonium salt of perfluoro - octanoic acid . according to a forty - fourth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the aqueous fountain medium further contains at least one amphoteric surfactant . suitable amphoteric surfactants include : amp01 ambiteric ® h a 20 % by weight solution of hexadecyldimethyl - ammonium acetic acid in ethanol according to a forty - fifth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the receiving medium is any receiving medium suitable for printing , which may be flexible or rigid . flexible media include but are not limited to paper , carton , cardboard , coated paper , a metallic foil or a plastic sheet or a composite of any of these materials . rigid media include but are not limited to glass , ceramics , epoxy resins or plastics or a composite of any of these materials . according to a forty - sixth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the receiving medium is paper , coated paper , a metallic foil or a plastic sheet . the receiving medium may be translucent , transparent or opaque . suitable plastic sheets include a polymer laminate , a thermoplastic polymer foil or a duroplastic polymer foil e . g . made of a cellulose ester , cellulose triacetate , cellulose butyrate , cellulose nitrate , polypropylene , polycarbonate or polyester , with poly ( ethylene terephthalate ) or poly ( ethylene naphthalene - 1 , 4 - dicarboxylate ) being particularly preferred . coated papers include laminates of paper , cardboard or carton with one or more layers of a polymeric material such as polyethylene or polypropylene . according to a forty - seventh embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the receiving medium is coated with additional layers , such as a subbing layer or receiver layer to render the substrate additionally adherent and receptive . any of the many subbing materials which are well known in e . g . the photographic arts can be used . typical of such subbing materials are gelatin , vinyl polymers such as polyvinyl alcohol and numerous polymeric materials , as well as other chemical compounds and compositions . the electroless deposition catalyst can serve as nuclei for electroless plating . the use of electroless plating is well known to those skilled in the art and is for example used in pcb manufacturing . different metals such as nickel , silver , copper , gold , gold alloys , platinum , ruthenium , rhodium , cobalt and cobalt alloys [“ electroless plating — fundamentals and applications ”, edited by glenn o . mallory and june b . hajdu , william andrew publishing / noyes ( 1990 )] can be plated electrolessly . according to a forty - eighth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the process further comprises the step of electroless deposition on the pattern of electroless deposition catalyst . according to a forty - ninth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , multiple layers of electroless deposition catalyst are printed sequentially to fabricate devices . each layer can have a different pattern and can be followed by a necessary process step , e . g . developing or plating , before the next printing step is carried out . according to a fiftieth embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the process further comprises the step of electroless deposition on the pattern of electroless deposition catalyst by a diffusion transfer reversal process in which a pattern of development nuclei is physically developed via a silver salt . for example , the three steps of printing development nuclei , a dtr process to convert the nuclei pattern to a conductive pattern and printing an insulating layer , can be repeated several times to create multilayered printed circuit boards . the printing of development nuclei and subsequent dtr to produce a conductive pattern , can be followed by the printing of enzymes for building in this way a ( bio ) sensor . according to a fifty - first embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the process further comprises the step of electroless deposition on the pattern of electroless deposition catalyst by a diffusion transfer reversal process comprising developing the electroless deposition catalyst with an unexposed silver halide containing layer ( transfer emulsion layer ) on a substrate , the amount of silver halide in the transfer emulsion layer being preferably between 0 . 1 and 10 g / m 2 agno 3 and particularly preferably between 1 and 5 g / m 2 and with a ratio of gelatin to silver halide in the range of 0 . 05 to 4 . 0 . according to a fifty - second embodiment of the process , according to the present invention , the process further comprises the steps of electroless deposition on the pattern of electroless deposition catalyst by a diffusion transfer reversal process ; and removal of the colored ink pattern which does not contain electroless deposition catalyst from the substrate , e . g . when the transfer emulsion layer is separated from the substrate after the dtr process . this will occur when the oleophilic colored ink in a conventional offset printing process has a low affinity towards the substrate , compared to the affinity towards the transfer emulsion layer . this is for example the case if the substrate is hydrophilic or has a hydrophilic coating layer , such as a gelatin layer . the advantage of the removal of the ink pattern , is that a second pattern of electroless deposition catalyst can be printed via the fountain medium , without the risk of poor transfer of the fountain medium from the offset blanket to the oleophilic ink - covered substrate regions . in case a first pattern of electroless deposition catalyst is ( partially ) overcoated with an oleophilic colored ink in a second print step , the electroless deposition catalyst will be less or no longer available to interact with chemicals with which the printed substrate is brought in contact . removal of the oleophilic colored ink of the second print step via dtr would uncover the underlying layer of electroless deposition catalyst again , regaining its functionality . the process according to the present invention can , for example , be used to produce conductive patterns for a multiplicity of applications including electroplating with metallic layers , sensors , the production of electrical circuitry for single and limited use items such as toys , in capacitive antennae as part of radiofrequency tags , in electroluminescent devices which can be used in lamps , displays , back - lights e . g . lcd , automobile dashboard and keyswitch backlighting , emergency lighting , cellular phones , personal digital assistants , home electronics , indicator lamps and other applications in which light emission is required . the invention is illustrated hereinafter by way of comparative examples and invention examples . the percentages and ratios given in these examples are by weight unless otherwise indicated . receiving medium nr . 1 125 μm pet with an adhesion promoting layer no . 01 2 125 μm pet with an adhesion promoting layer no . 01 , subbing layer no . 02 and 15 m 2 / l gelatin layer no . 03 3 125 μm pet with an adhesion promoting layer no . 01 , subbing layer no . 02 and 25 m 2 / l gelatin layer no . 03 4 125 μm pet with an adhesion promoting layer no . 01 , subbing layer no . 02 and 50 m 2 / l gelatin layer no . 03 5 pe - coated paper no . 04 with 25 m 2 / l gelatin layer no . 03 the coating solution for the adhesion promoting layer no . 01 has the following composition and was coated at 130 m 2 : copolymer of 88 % vinylidene chloride , 10 % methyl 68 . 8 g acrylate and 2 % itaconic acid kieselsol ™ 100f , a colloidal silica from bayer 16 . 7 g mersolat ™ h , a surfactant from bayer 0 . 36 g ultravon ™ w , a surfactant from ciba - geigy 1 . 68 g water to make 1000 g the coating solution for the subbing layer no . 02 has the following composition and was coated at 30 m 2 : gelatin 11 . 4 g kieselsol ™ 100f - 30 , a colloidal silica from bayer 10 . 08 g ultravon ™ w , a surfactant from ciba - geigy 0 . 4 g arkopal 0 . 2 g hexylene glycol 0 . 67 g trimethylolpropane 0 . 33 g copolymer of 74 % maleic acid , 25 % styrene and 1 % 0 . 03 g methylmethacrylate water to make 1000 g the coating solution for the gelatin layer no . 03 has the following composition : gelatin 40 g hostapon ™ t , a surfactant from clariant 1 g formaldehyde ( 4 %) 40 g water to make 1000 g pe - coated paper no . 04 is a photographic paper from f . schoeller , consisting of paper ( 166 g / m 2 ) with a tio 2 - containing pe layer ( 28 g / m 2 ), overcoated with a gelatin layer ( 0 . 25 g / m 2 ). the backside is a layer of 47 % ldpe and 53 % hdpe ( 24 g / m 2 ). offset printing of development nuclei via the fountain as hydrophilic phase the preparation of palladium sulphide physical development nuclei is described in the example of ep - a 0 769 723 , herein incorporated by reference . from this example , solutions a1 , b1 and c1 were used to prepare a nuclei dispersion with a concentration of 0 . 0038 mol / l . 10 grams of isopropanol was added to 90 grams of this dispersion . this was “ fountain medium a ”. 10 grams of isopropanol was added to 90 grams of a dispersion of silver physical development nuclei with a concentration of 0 . 027 mol / l ag and an average particle size of 5 - 6 nm . this was “ fountain medium b ”. printing experiments were carried out with a 360 offset printer from a . b . dick with mt253 yellow , a yellow offset ink from sun chemical , using a thermostar ™ p970 / 15 printing plate , receiving media 1 to 3 as described above and “ fountain medium a ” and “ fountain medium b ”. with both fountain media 150 prints were made without deterioration of the print quality , the non - printed areas containing the fountain dispersion were colourless . the preparation of the silver chlorobromide emulsion and the preparation of the transfer emulsion layer were as disclosed in ep - a 769 723 except that the coverage of silver halide applied was equivalent to 2 . 35 g / m 2 of agno 3 instead of 2 g / m 2 thereof . the transfer emulsion layer was processed in contact with the receiving media listed above at 25 ° c . for 1 minute with an agfa - gevaert ™ cp297 developer solution and subsequently dried at room temperature . after carrying out this diffusion transfer reversal ( dtr ) process , a silver gray pattern had been formed in the non - inked areas for both “ fountain medium a ” and “ fountain medium b ” and for receiving media 2 and 3 , showing that development nuclei had been transferred to the receiving media during printing . no coloration was observed for receiving medium 1 after carrying out this diffusion transfer reversal ( dtr ) process . the silver areas on receiving medium 2 with “ fountain medium a ” showed a resistance of 1500 ω / square . the silver areas on the other samples showed no conductivity . during separation of the transfer emulsion layer and the ( hydrophilic ) receiving media 2 and 3 , the ( hydrophobic ) yellow ink was transferred to the transfer emulsion layer , while the yellow ink remained on receiving medium 1 after separation . an additional copper layer was grown on top of the silver pattern by immersing it for 4 minutes in a reducer bath ( reducer neoganth 406 from atotech ), followed by electroless plating in a copper bath ( printoganth pv from atotech ) for 30 minutes . copper was only deposited on the silver pattern , resulting in a change from a gray to a copper - colored pattern . development nuclei were printed via the “ fountain medium a ” on receiving medium 2 and then developed via the diffusion transfer reversal process described in example 1 . the resistance was 1500 ω / square . the receiving medium was then developed for a second time via the diffusion transfer reversal process , using the same conditions as described before , resulting in a resistance of 100 ω / square . since the transfer emulsion layer did not have to be photoexposed , problems of misalignment of the transfer emulsion layer to the already patterned receiving medium did not occur . a single dtr process step in which the contact time was increased from 1 to 3 minutes , did not give a reduction in surface resistance compared with the two subsequent dtr processes . 1 % solution of polyvinyl ( nh 4 ) 2 pdcl 4 na 2 s alcohol in deionized [ g ] [ g ] deionized water [ ml ] water [ ml ] a1 2 . 17 25 475 b1 2 25 475 c1 3 . 2 40 760 the physical development nuclei were prepared , as described in the example in ep - a 0 769 723 , by a double jet precipitation in which solution a1 of ( nh 4 ) 2 pdcl 4 and solution b1 of sodium sulphide were added at a constant rate during 4 minutes to solution c1 containing sodium sulphide while stirring at 400 rpm . subsequent to precipitation , the precipitated nuclei obtained were dialysed to a conductivity of 0 . 5 ms . a 250 g sample of this dispersion was concentrated by evaporation to 50 g and 5 g isopropanol was added . this was “ fountain medium c ”. printing was performed as described in example 1 on receiving medium 5 , with both “ fountain medium a ” and “ fountain medium c ”. after dtr development was performed as described in example 1 , a silver grey pattern was formed in the non - inked areas with receiving medium 5 printed with both “ fountain medium a ” and “ fountain medium c ”. with “ fountain medium a ”, the silver areas showed no conductivity , whereas the surface resistance realized with “ fountain medium c ” was 170 ω / square . hence an increase in the development nuclei concentration in the fountain medium improved the amount of deposited silver and thus the conductivity . the conductivity could be increased even further by a second dtr process , resulting in a resistance of 30 ω / square . development nuclei were printed via the “ fountain medium a ” on receiving media 1 , 2 , 4 and 5 as described in example 1 . the prints were then overcoated with “ fountain medium a ” with a nominal wet coating thickness of 10 μm . the fountain medium dewetted the yellow inked hydrophobic areas and preferentially covered the ‘ fountain areas ’. after drying at room temperature , the prints were developed via dtr and dried , resulting in conductive patterns with the resistances shown in the table below . receiving gelatin layer resistance medium nr . support thickness ( ω / square ) 1 pet + adhesion layer — & gt ; 30 × 10 6 2 pet + adhesion layer + gelatine 1 . 2 20 layer ( 15 m 2 / l ) 4 pet + adhesion layer + gelatine 4 . 2 5 layer ( 50 m 2 / l ) 5 pe - coated paper + gelatine 2 . 1 6 layer ( 25 m 2 / l ) when dtr development was performed on thereby printed receiving media 2 to 5 , which all had a gelatin outermost layer , silver layers with surface resistances of 5 to 20 ω / square were obtained , whereas in absence of a gelatin outermost layer , as in receiving medium 1 , no silver was deposited on the nuclei pattern . it was further found that the surface resistance of the layer obtained by dtr - processing of the development nuclei on receiving medium 2 could be reduced by a factor of 7 . 6 upon sintering together the silver particles formed in the dtr process by heating with an energy of 1250 mj / cm 2 using a ir diode laser ( wavelength 830 nm ) beam . the present invention may include any feature or combination of features disclosed herein either implicitly or explicitly or any generalisation thereof irrespective of whether it relates to the presently claimed invention . in view of the foregoing description it will be evident to a person skilled in the art that various modifications may be made within the scope of the invention . having described in detail preferred embodiments of the current invention , it will now be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications can be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the following claims . all references , including publications , patent applications , and patents , cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein . the use of the terms “ a ” and “ an ” and “ the ” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention ( especially in the context of the following claims ) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural , unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context . recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range , unless otherwise indicated herein , and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein . all methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context . the use of any and all examples , or exemplary language ( e . g ., “ such as ”) provided herein , is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed . no language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non - claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention . preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein , including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention . of course , variations of those preferred embodiments will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description . the inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate , and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein . accordingly , this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law . moreover , any combination of the above - described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context .	2
the focus of the present invention is on how to exploit the preferences encountered in corpus analysis using thematic analysis ( analysis of word relationships ). referring now to fig1 there is shown a corpus of text 112 to be used for training . trainer 114 is a computer program which reads corpus 112 and creates collocation database 116 using an algorithm which is described below . once collocation database 116 is in place the actual tagging process may begin . an input device 122 is used for entering text to be tagged . the text is first processed by local context tagger 124 which uses local context rules to tag words . when no rule applies for tagging a word , then the word is tagged &# 34 ;? ?&# 34 ; ( meaning &# 34 ; untagged &# 34 ;). when local context tagging is completed , the text is next processed by thematic analysis tagger 126 . thematic analysis tagger 126 uses database 116 to tag the word - pairs left untagged by tagger 124 . word pairs are either tagged as fixed collocations or thematic relations depending on a variable factor associated with the word pair in the database . parser 130 is standard text parsing software which accepts as input the marked up text as processed according to the method just described . 1 . if a word pair is a collocation ( e . g ., holding companies ), and one of the two words is tagged &# 34 ;? ?&# 34 ;, then generate the s - stripped version ( i . e ., holding company ), and the affix - stripped version ( i . e ., hold company ). if vf ( variability factor ) is smaller than threshold , then tag first word a verb and the second word a noun ; ( c ) if vf is larger than threshold , then tag adjective - noun or noun - noun ( depending on lexical properties of word , i . e . , running vs . meeting ). checking for the noun - verb case is symmetrical ( in step 2 . b ). the threshold is different for each suffix and should be determined experimentally ( initial threshold can be taken as 0 . 75 . notice that local - context rules override corpus preference . thus , although preferred stocks is a fixed construct , in a case such as john preferred stocks , the algorithm will identify preferred as a verb . upon completion of thematic analysis tagging , the text is in condition to be passed to parser 130 which performs parsing on the tagged text . the first is ambiguous thematic relations which are collocations that entertain both subject - verb and verb - object relations , i . e ., selling - companies ( as in &# 34 ; the company sold its subsidiary . . . &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; he sold companies . . . &# 34 ;). the second is interference between coinciding collocations such as : market - experience and marketing - experience , or ship - agent and shipping - agent . fortunately , these cases are very infrequent . adjectives and nouns are difficult to distinguish in raw corpus ( unless they are marked as such lexically ). for example , since the lexicon marks light as both adjective and noun , there is no visible difference in the corpus between light / jj beer and light / nn bulb . the present algorithm tags both light cases as a noun . the example below illustrates the use of a fixed and a variable collocation in context , and motivates the need for thematic analysis . in this small sample , 8 out of 35 cases ( the ones marked &# 34 ;-&# 34 ;) cannot be resolved reliably by using local context only . without using thematic analysis , a tagger will produce arbitrary tags for taking and operating . __________________________________________________________________________ • latest version of the unix v operating system softwate and someth microsoft &# 39 ; s ms * slash * dds operating system * period * microsoft - ties obtained licenses for the operating system * period * with the + nths before ibm can provide an operating system that taps its mach + * comma * much as microsoft &# 39 ; s operating system software is now th + r * colon * eta systems inc . its operating system has not been debug + cyber uses an unusual internal operating system * s - colon * to sell +* hyphen * telegraph co . &# 39 ; s unix operating system * comma * fast becom - willing to suffer with a crude operating system * period * + at someday the macintosh ii &# 39 ; s operating system would be enhanced + phen * compatible computers and operating systems has created an op - allow the equity investors to take advantage of federal tax benef + spect that some countries will take advantage of the option to pay + * comma * probably will want to take advantage of an option such as + scheduling * comma * some might take advantage of the opportunity t + ed that rotated 360 degrees to take advantage of the view * period * + th cheap local deposits and by taking advantage of its low overhea - ins by nimbly trading zeros to take advantage of short * hyphen * to + dexes and futures contracts to take advantage of various differenc + itional financing * s - colon * to take advantage of future business o + pendent publishers * comma * and take advantage of our considerable + olon * but if brazil decides to take advantage of any price rally * + that some practical jokers had taken advantage of the offer * dash * + onent systems on time * period * taking advantage of changing demogr - ravel plans by a few months to take advantage of the low fares * pe + tic producers can successfully take advantage of the tax to eke on + ing lobbyists and scurrying to take advantage of the current hosti + homeowner &# 39 ; s refinancing to take advantage of lower interest ra + g complete pc systems * period * taking advantage of their lower * hy - rally came from investors who took advantage of rising stock pric + n part by investors rushing to take advantage of britain &# 39 ; s high c + * comma * stayed long enough to take advantage of the amenities tha + ber of institutional investors took advantage of the rally to roll + mma * mo * period * companies are taking advantage of that to rebuild + for example * dash * * dash * have taken advantage of the strong yen t__________________________________________________________________________ existing statistical taggers which rely on bigrams or trigram , but which do not employ thematic analysis of individual collocations fare poorly on this linguistic aspect . a database of collocations must be put in place in order to perform thematic analysis . ideally , the database is acquired by counting frequencies over a tagged corpus . however , a sufficiently large tagged corpus is not available . to acquire an adequate database of collocations , the full 85 - million wsj corpus is needed . it is necessary to infer the nature of combinations from indirect corpus - based statistics as shown below . the basic linguistic intuition of the present invention is presented below . __________________________________________________________________________verb - noun relations2 produced - car 387 expressed - concern 72 taken - advantage9 produced - cars 25 expressed - concerns 22 takes - advantage5 produces - cars 10 expresses - concern 995 take - advantage4 produce - car 31 expressing - concern 2 take - advantages13 produce - cars 3 expressing - concerns 260 taking - advantage17 producing - cars 33 express - concern 159 took - advantage2 production - carsnoun - verb relations947 companies - said 118 analysts - note 51 spokesman - acknowledged242 companies - say 192 analysts - noted 8 spokesman - acknowledges13 companies - saying 192 analysts - noted 2 spokesman - acknowledging135 companies - says 13 analysts - noting14146 company - said 79 analyst - noted43 company - say 6 analyst - notes20 company - saying 6 analyst - notes698 company - says 6 analyst - notes 9 analyst - notingadjective - noun constructs3491 joint - venture 3558 preferred - stock 2 operates - systems807 joint - ventures 11 preferred - stocks 627 operating - system2 joint - venturing 86 operating - systems 2 operational - systems 2 operates - system__________________________________________________________________________ frequencies of each variant in the wsj corpus are shown . for example , joint venture takes 3 variants totaling 4300 instances , out of which 4288 are concentrated in 2 patterns , which in effect ( stripping the plural &# 34 ; s &# 34 ; suffix ), are a single pattern . for produce car no single pattern holds more than 21 % of the cases . thus , when more than 90 % of the phrases are concentrated in a single pattern , it is classified as a fixed adjective - noun ( or noun - noun ) phrase . otherwise , it is classified as a noun - verb ( or verb - noun ) thematic relation . training over the corpus requires inflectional morphology ( analysis of word roots ). for each collocation p the following formula is applied to calculate p &# 39 ; s variability factor ( assume the collocation p is produced cars ): ## equ1 ## where fw ( plural ( p )) means the word frequency of the plural form of the collocation ; fw ( singular ( p )) means the frequency of the singular form of the collocation ; fr ( stemmed ( p )) means the frequency of the stemmed collocation . accordingly , vf ( producing - car )= vf ( producing - cars )= 0 . 32 ; and vf ( produce - car ) is ( by coincidence ) 0 . 32 . in contrast , vf ( joint - venture ) is 1 . 00 . a list of the first 38 content - word pairs encountered in a test corpus is shown below . __________________________________________________________________________vf ( p ) p fw ( p ) stemmed ( p ) fr ( st &# 39 ; d ( p )) mis ( p ) __________________________________________________________________________1 . 00 business - brief 10083 business - brief 10083 9 . 951 . 00 joint - ventures 4298 joint - venture 4300 12 . 111 . 00 aggregates - operation 9 aggregate - operation 9 5 . 840 . 56 produce - concrete 5 produce - concrete 9 4 . 591 . 00 crushed - stones 12 crush - stone 12 11 . 080 . 00 forming - ventures 0 form - venture 44 5 . 500 . 00 leases - equipment 0 lease - equipment 12 4 . 351 . 00 composite - trading 10629 composite trade 10629 9 . 411 . 00 related - equipment 65 relate - equipment 65 5 . 280 . 17 taking - advantage 260 take - advantage 1510 9 . 250 . 99 electronics - concern 482 electronic - concern 485 6 . 871 . 00 work - force 2014 work - force 2014 7 . 790 . 00 beginning - operation 0 begin - operation 160 4 . 111 . 00 makes - additives 5 make - additive 5 4 . 391 . 00 lubricating - additive 4 lubricate - additive 4 14 . 660 . 18 showed - signs 62 show - sign 339 6 . 281 . 00 telephone exchange 66 telephone - exchange 66 5 . 560 . 95 holding - company 7752 hold - company 8124 6 . 211 . 00 phone - equipment 51 phone - equipment 51 6 . 021 . 00 phone companies 572 phone - company 572 5 . 560 . 93 venture - partner 140 venture - partner 150 6 . 170 . 26 report - net 283 report - net 1072 6 . 101 . 00 net - income 9759 net - income 9759 10 . 541 . 00 home - appliance 96 home - appliance 96 11 . 010 . 99 brand - name 683 brand - name 687 8 . 980 . 96 product - lines 965 product - line 1009 7 . 121 . 00 equity - stake 266 equity - stake 266 6 . 651 . 00 earning - asset 46 earn asset 46 4 . 461 . 00 problem - loans 252 problem - loan 252 5 . 100 . 86 finance - specialists 30 finance - specialist 35 5 . 061 . 00 finished - products 93 finish - product 93 5 . 791 . 00 mining ventures 18 mine - venture 18 5 . 031 . 00 gas - industry 154 gas - industry 154 5 . 050 . 18 began - talks 27 begin - talk 152 4 . 560 . 55 produce - electricity 27 produce - electricity 49 6 . 141 . 00 power - plants 1353 power - plant 1353 8 . 121 . 00 oil - heating 14 oil - heat 14 4 . 010 . 97 contract - dispute 187 contract - dispute 193 6 . 64__________________________________________________________________________ the frequency of each collocation p in the corpus relative to its stem frequency is shown . the ratio , called vf , is given in the first column . the second and third columns present the collocation and its frequency . the fourth and fifth column present the stemmed collocation and its frequency . the sixth column presents the mutual information score ( mis ). the mis is calculated by dividing the number of occurrences of the collocation by the number of times each individual word in the collocation occurs alone . during training , collocations with mis values below a selected threshold may be ignored . notice that fixed collocations are easily distinguishable from thematic relations . the smallest vf of a fixed collocation has a vf of 0 . 86 ( finance specialist ); the largest vf of a thematic relation is 0 . 56 ( produce concrete ). thus , a threshold , say 0 . 75 , can effectively be established . while specific embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , it is realized that modifications and changes will occur to those skilled in the art . it is therefore to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention .	6
fig1 illustrates an example of area allocation on a bezel assembly 10 that includes a contactless smart card reader integrated into the bezel of a banknote acceptor ( e . g ., a validator ) configured for connection to a vending machine . fig2 is a side view illustrating the relative positioning of the various components . the bezel assembly 10 includes a horizontal slot 12 for the insertion of banknotes into the validator , which is connected to the control board of the vending machine that manages the credit and the vending of goods or services . the bezel assembly 10 also includes a vertical slot 14 , which partly overlaps the bill slot 12 . when a credit card ( or other type of card ) having a magnetic stripe is swiped through the vertical slot , information stored by the magnetic stripe is read by the card reader , which includes a low profile magnetic head 16 . the card reader is separate from the bill validator processing unit and is connected directly to a data processing module which , apart from other vending machine audit functions , processes the card data and connects to a network such as a local area network ( lan ) or wide area network ( wan ) to contact a server and process the credit card operations . the card reader also includes an antenna loop 18 to read information stored in a contactless smart card 26 containing a radio frequency ( rf ) microchip 28 ( fig2 ). the smart card 26 can be conform , for example , to iso standard 14403 . the antenna 18 is made , for example , of a multi - layer printed circuit board and should be located in very close proximity to the location where the user will present the smart card 26 to the machine ( e . g ., approximately at the center of the bezel area , which should correspond to the gravity center of the antenna loop ). thus , the antenna 18 should be close to the front wall of the bezel assembly 10 . the bezel assembly 10 further includes a display to provide information or instructions to the user , and a button 22 that can be pressed to allow a customer to terminate or cancel the transaction . the display , which can be implemented , for example , as an alpha - numeric display or a dot matrix graphic display , should be located at the front of the bezel assembly so as to be visible to the user . the approximate size of the aperture for the bezel assembly in a typical vending machine in the united states is about 86 mm by 108 mm , although the precise dimensions vary slightly among manufacturers . in a particular implementation , the aspect ratio of the bezel assembly is about 84 . 5 mm by 107 . 5 mm . thus , the bezel assembly has an external form factor that is compatible with an industry standard footprint . the various components compete for the real estate space available for the bezel assembly . for example , the capability to read a smart card without contact at a minimum distance from the antenna 18 imposes a minimum size to the antenna , which may be larger than the available aperture for the bezel assembly . to accommodate the components , some of the components overlap one another at least partially . that needs to be accomplished , however , without altering their operability in an undesirable way . a viable implementation can be obtained by sizing the antenna loop 18 to approximately the available area of the aperture remaining after space has been allocated to the bill entry slot 12 and the magnetic stripe slot 14 , and laying the display 20 on top of it in an overlapping fashion . the display 20 should be sufficiently thin to minimize the spacing it creates between the antenna 18 and a smart card held by a customer in front of the bezel . for example , a suitable display technology can be implemented using chip - on - glass lcd technology . such a display uses back - lighting , which can be obtained by integrating light emitting diodes (“ leds ”) 30 on the printed circuit board (“ pcb ”) for the antenna 18 . the typical radiating area of the antenna 18 is a loop around the perimeter of a rectangular area . in some implementations , the internal area defined by the loop is empty . alternatively , as in the illustrated example , the internal area defined by the loop can be used for other components ( e . g ., the cancel button 22 and back - lighting leds 30 ), so long as those other components create minimum interference with the optimum , or desired , radiation pattern . in the illustrated layout of fig2 , the size of the antenna pcb is approximately 64 . 2 mm by 61 . 85 mm . reading and decoding of the credit card or smart card information is performed by a controller that includes a microcomputer mounted on a control board 24 ( fig2 ) installed in the bezel assembly 10 . each of the magnetic head 16 , the antenna loop 18 , the cancel button 22 , the display 20 , the back - lighting leds 30 and a light pipe strip ( discussed below ) is electrically connected to the controller . the controller is connected to a data processing unit installed as a module of the vending machine . the controller and the data processing unit interact , for example , via a serial protocol and a set of command language . for compatibility with existing systems , the card reader controller can connect to the same port that earlier designs used for a single magnetic card swipe reader . depending on the type of card presented by the user , the controller reads either the contact - less smart card chip data or the swipe card data . in the case of a smart card , the controller authenticates the card using public and private encryption keys . another feature of the bezel assembly provides a predetermined visual effect through use of a light pipe strip 32 on the side of the credit card swipe slot 14 . the light pipe strip 32 includes a set of leds flashing in accordance with a predetermined sequence . illuminating sections of the light pipe 32 in this manner creates the effect of an airplane runway strip and suggests the direction of movement for insertion of a credit card in the swipe slot 14 . the molded light pipe elements can be made , for example , of a material with a volume diffusion property such as the commercially available material sold under the trade name acrylite ™. use of a volume diffusing material can produce a more aesthetically pleasing effect than surface texturing , which can leave visual hotspots . an example of a flashing sequence of the leds is illustrated in fig3 for three times t 1 , t 2 and t 3 , where t 1 & lt ; t 2 & lt ; t 3 . the sequential flashing is repeatedly performed . thus , at least some of the indicator lights ( leds ) are operable to flash in a strobe pattern and sequence to create an optical illusion of motion . the bezel assembly also can include an optical light pipe that directs light emitted by status leds mounted on the banknote acceptor chassis to the front face of the bezel assembly . this feature is useful because it facilitates the design of the bezel assembly as a standalone accessory that can be retrofitted to banknote acceptors already in service . the light from the status leds and appearing at the front face of the bezel assembly can be used by service personnel for diagnostic purposes . the bezel assembly further can be equipped with a small audio buzzer to provide additional feedback to the user about the progress of the transaction and to enable the system to conform to common user interface standards . fig4 illustrates a bezel assembly 100 installed on a bill validator 102 . a removable cassette 104 receives , stacks and stores bills received from the validator 102 . the cassette 104 is attached to the validator 102 in an “ upstacker ” version . fig5 , 6 , 7 and 8 illustrate additional views and details of the components according to the upstacker version . as shown in the example of fig7 and 8 , the bezel assembly 100 includes a bezel 128 , a control pcb 112 and an antenna board 140 . the control pcb 112 controls the card reading devices and bezel lights . components for the display include a hantronix hdg1602f - 1 chip - on - glass flat display 143 , a lens 142 , a light bar 147 for backlighting , a transmissive right angle film (“ traf ”) 145 and an enhanced specular reflector (“ esr ”)- pt film 146 , both of which are commercially available from 3m . in addition , a prism 138 serves as a light pipe to direct light from status leds to the front face of the bezel 128 . components for the credit card reader include a card swipe channel 130 , a led pcb 133 and a light bar 135 . other features of the upstacker version include the an upper spacer plate 137 , a spring 114 connected to the vend cancel button 132 , and an antenna holder 131 . fig9 illustrates a bezel assembly 200 installed on a bill validator 202 . a removable cassette 104 receives , stacks and stores bills received from the validator 202 . the cassette 204 is attached to the validator 202 in an “ downstacker ” version . fig1 , 11 , 12 and 13 illustrate additional views and details of the components according to the downstacker version . as shown in the example of fig1 and 13 , the bezel assembly 200 includes a bezel 225 , a control board 224 and an antenna assembly 223 . components for the display include a lcd display 222 , a display holder 228 and a backlight pcb 229 . in the downstacker version , the display 222 is at an upward angle to facilitate viewing of displayed information by a customer . in addition , a prism 232 serves as a light pipe to direct light from status leds to the front face of the bezel 225 . components for the credit card reader include a card swipe channel 234 , a magnetic head 226 and a spring 237 . other features of the downstacker version include a vend cancel button 231 , a bezel insert 227 , an antenna and control board holder 230 and a bezel plate 233 . various modifications can be made to the foregoing example ( s ) without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , other implementations are within the scope of the claims .	8
referring now to the figures , there will be disclosed an embodiment of the present invention . as shown in fig1 the feed roller mechanism includes of two drive rollers ( 3 , 11 ) and an idler roller ( 5 ) that opens and closes onto to the fixed drive roller ( 3 ). the two drive rollers ( 3 , 11 ) are housed in the front mount ( 6 ) and the rear mount ( 1 ) along with a drive shaft ( 2 ). mounted to the drive shaft ( 2 ) are two drive gears ( 8 ). the drive gears ( 8 ) engage two idler gears ( 9 ) that house the mechanism for opening and closing the idler roller ( 5 ). the idler gears ( 9 ), located at each end of the idler roller ( 5 ), are mounted to the pickup frame at weldment ( 4 ) and weldment ( 7 ). a film position sensor ( 10 ) is mounted at position in between the two drive rollers ( 10 ). spaced guides ( 31 and 32 ) are located along a sheet transport path between drive rollers ( 3 and 11 ) for guiding a sheet driven along the path by drive rollers ( 3 and 11 ). [ 0024 ] fig2 shows a detail view of the idler roller ( 5 ) mounting assembly . this mount assembly is on each end of the idler roller ( 5 ) providing an independent spring loaded mounting scheme . the idler gear ( 9 ) is pinned to the pickup frame using the idler pin ( 14 ) and is free to turn about this pin ( 14 ). a flag ( 12 ) also rotates about the idler pin ( 14 ) but is rotationally locked to the idler gear ( 9 ). this flag ( 12 ) is used to sense the position of the idler gear ( 9 ), and resulting idler roller ( 5 ) position , using the roller position sensor ( 21 ). the rocker pin ( 19 ) pins the rocker ( 20 ) to the idler gear ( 9 ), the rocker ( 20 ) is free to turn about this pin . the rocker 20 is attached to the drive ring ( 16 ) with a shoulder screw ( 17 ) ( see fig4 ). the body of the shoulder screw ( 17 ) is free to slide along the inside diameter of the rocker ( 20 ), while its end is screwed into the drive ring ( 16 ). this allows the drive ring ( 16 ) and rocker ( 20 ) to move relative to each other along the axis of the shoulder screw ( 17 ). the roller spring ( 18 ), holds the drive ring ( 16 ) and rocker ( 20 ) as far apart as possible until the head of the shoulder screw ( 17 ) bottoms out on a ledge inside the rocker ( 20 ). inserted into the drive ring ( 16 ) is the link ( 15 ). the end of the shaft of the idler roller ( 5 ) inserts into a flanged bearing housed in the link ( 15 ) and is captivated by an e - ring . the link ( 15 ) is pinned to the pickup frame ( 4 , 7 ) by shaft ( 13 ) and rotates the idler roller ( 5 ) open and closed relative to the drive roller ( 3 ). [ 0027 ] fig3 shows the stepper motor ( 22 ) with a motor pulley ( 29 ) mounted to its shaft ( 31 ). wrapped around this pulley is a toothed belt ( 27 ) that wraps around 2 drive pulleys ( 28 ) that are keyed to the ends of the two drive rollers ( 3 , 11 ). the belt ( 27 ) is tensioned using a fixed idler pulley ( 26 ). the two drive rollers ( 3 , 11 ) are driven by the stepper motor ( 22 ) with a 50 tooth to 16 tooth ratio . the dc roller motor ( 23 ) is geared to the drive shaft ( 2 ) using a pair of drive gears ( 24 , 25 ). this dc roller motor actuates the opening and closing of the idler roller ( 5 ) by transmitting torque through the drive shaft ( 2 ) into the drive gears ( 8 ) and into the meshed idler gears ( 9 ). referring now to fig4 - 7 , the operation of the present invention will be described . fig4 shows the maximum open position of the idler roller ( 5 ) relative to the drive roller ( 3 ). at this position , the rocker pin ( 19 ), which is rigidly mounted to the idler gear ( 9 ), has rotated to position of 190 degrees from horizontal . the idler gear ( 9 ) always rotates counterclockwise . the position is located by one edge of the flag ( 12 ) that engages the roller position sensor ( 21 ). as the rocker pin ( 19 ) rotates , it moves the rocker ( 20 ), shoulder screw ( 17 ), and drive ring ( 16 ) with it . the roller spring ( 18 ), holds the drive ring ( 16 ) and rocker ( 20 ) as far apart as possible until the head of the shoulder screw ( 17 ) bottoms out on a ledge inside the rocker ( 20 ). the drive ring ( 16 ) is pivotally mounted to one end of the link ( 15 ) which rotates the link ( 15 ) counterclockwise until it reaches this top dead center position . the idler roller ( 5 ), which is mounted into a ball bearing that inserts into the link ( 15 ), travels with the rotating link ( 5 ). in fig5 the idler gear ( 9 ) has rotated to the first contact position where the idler roller ( 5 ) first makes contact with the drive roller ( 3 ). in this position , the rocker pin ( 19 ) can no longer rotate counterclockwise unless the distance between the rocker pin ( 19 ) and the idler roller ( 5 ) axis is shortened . the mechanism that allows this distance to shorten is the axial motion between the shoulder screw ( 17 ) and the rocker ( 20 ). at this point , a torque load just begins to develop on the idler gear ( 9 ), prior to this point , the idler was in a no - load condition . in fig6 the idler gear ( 9 ) has rotated to the toggle position where the distance between the rocker pin ( 19 ) and the idler roller ( 5 ) axis is at its minimum . the shoulder screw ( 17 ) has slid axially inside the rocker ( 20 ) by a distance equal to the spring compression variable show in fig6 . at this position the spring force is at its maximum and transmits a force along the shoulder screw ( 17 ) axis that has a component of force that acts to clamp the idler roller ( 5 ) and drive roller ( 3 ) together . the torque load on the idler gear ( 9 ) in this toggle position is zero , the torque load on the idler gear ( 9 ) reached its maximum between the first contact position and the toggle position . [ 0031 ] fig7 shows the last contact position where the idler roller ( 5 ) is just about to lift off the drive roller ( 3 ). here the roller spring ( 18 ) is free to expand until the spring compression = 0 when the head of the shoulder screw ( 17 ) once again bottoms out on a ledge inside the rocker ( 20 ). at this point there is no longer any torque load on the idler gear ( 9 ). from this position , the idler gear continues to rotate counterclockwise which opens the idler roller until it returns to the maximum open position in fig4 . the invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
with reference to the drawings , an improved athletic shoe is indicated generally as ( 10 ) in fig1 . the shoe ( 10 ) includes an upper ( 12 ) constructed of leather , canvas , vinyl or similar materials known in the art . the upper is secured with laces ( 14 ) and a tongue ( 16 ). the upper ( 12 ) is coupled to a sole ( 18 ) which is secured by adhesive or similar securement means to a cleat platform ( 20 ). as shown in fig2 , the cleat platform ( 20 ) is constructed of a resilient material , such as hard rubber or the like , and is provided with a plurality of cleats ( 22 ). as shown in fig1 , secured over the cleat platform ( 20 ) is a resilient tread ( 24 ) constructed of rubber or similar resilient material . by providing the cleats ( 22 ) on a cleat platform ( 20 ), the shoe ( 10 ) provides greater feedback from the ground ( 34 ) to the user ( 32 ). preferably , the shoe ( 10 ) is provided with two front fang cleats ( 26 ) and ( 28 ), which extend above the sole ( 18 ) of the shoe . the fang cleats ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) provide a wider stance , translating into greater stability and less opportunity for damage associated with a “ rolled ” ankle . as shown , the fang cleats ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) are preferably provided with upturned edges , engaged with the upper ( 12 ) of the shoe ( 10 ), to more evenly disburse pressure from the ground ( 34 ) across the shoe ( 10 ). the shoe ( 10 ) also preferably provides more traditional cleats ( 30 ) which direct force toward the sole ( 18 ). the cleats ( 22 ) may be round , flat bladed , or of any construction known in the art , and are preferably constructed of a plastic or plastic polymer blend . if desired , some or all of the cleats ( 22 ) may be detachable from the cleat platform ( 20 ). any configuration , number or location of cleats ( 22 ) may be used . the resilient tread ( 24 ) is secured to the cleat platform ( 20 ) by adhesive or by any other means known in the art . the preferred material for construction of the resilient tread ( 24 ) is a pressure sensitive foam of a design and configuration wherein no more than ten percent of compression occurs until greater than half of the body weight of a user ( 32 ) is applied to the sole ( 18 ). this construction enables the shifting of the weight of a user ( 32 ) from side to side and forward to back , to cause extension of the cleats ( 22 ) into engagement with the ground ( 34 ). obviously , rubber , air chambers , or plastic or metal springs may be utilized as the resilient tread ( 24 ). as shown in fig3 , the cleats ( 22 ) may be provided in any desired pattern , but preferably include the fang cleats ( 26 ) and more traditional cleats ( 30 ). the resilient tread ( 24 ) preferably surrounds the cleats ( 22 ) completely or partially as shown in fig3 . the resilient tread ( 24 ) is preferably of a configuration and resiliency sufficient to extend downward beyond the majority of the cleats ( 22 ) when pressure is removed from the sole ( 18 ), and to expose more of the cleats ( 22 ), as shown in fig4 , when pressure is applied to the sole ( 18 ). the orientation of the cleats , as well as the configuration , orientation and construction of the resilient tread ( 24 ) is preferably matched to the specific sport and weight of the user ( 32 ) to expose the desired amount of the cleats ( 22 ) when the weight of the user ( 32 ) is applied to the sole ( 18 ). the resilient tread ( 24 ) is also designed to press against the ground ( 34 ) to retract the cleats ( 22 ) relative to the resilient tread ( 24 ) when a weight of the user ( 32 ) is removed from the sole ( 18 ). preferably the user ( 32 ) is preferably matched to the shoe ( 10 ) in a manner which allows the user ( 32 ) to gain the advantage of the engagement of the cleats ( 22 ) with the ground ( 34 ) when the weight of the user ( 32 ) is applied to the sole ( 18 ), but which retracts the cleats ( 22 ) from the ground ( 34 ) when the weight of the user ( 32 ) is removed from the sole ( 18 ). by retracting the cleats ( 22 ) when the weight of the user ( 32 ) is removed from the sole ( 18 ), injuries can be reduced . when the user ( 32 ) is attempting to gain traction , the cleats ( 22 ) act in a manner substantially similar to prior art cleats . however , when an undesired force is applied to a user ( 32 ), the user ( 32 ) reduces the weight on the shoe ( 10 ) causing the resilient tread ( 24 ) to retract the cleats ( 22 ) relative to the ground ( 34 ), and allowing the shoe ( 10 ) to move relative to the ground ( 34 ). in prior art shoes , the cleats often maintain engagement with the ground even when an undesired force is applied to the user . the engagement of the cleats with the ground often prevents the user from moving the user &# 39 ; s foot to avoid injury . accordingly , as the force is applied , the cleats maintain the user &# 39 ; s foot in place , leading to damage to the user &# 39 ; s leg , which may include broken bones and torn ligaments . in the present invention , when the weight of the user ( 32 ) is removed from the sole ( 18 ), the resilient tread ( 24 ) retracts the cleats ( 22 ), allowing the shoe ( 10 ) to move relative to the ground ( 34 ), thereby causing the user &# 39 ; s leg ( 36 ) to move relative to the ground in response to an undesired force , preventing injury to the user ( 32 ). another advantage associated with the shoe ( 10 ) of the present invention is the ability to extend some cleats ( 22 ) while retracting others . as shown in fig5 , if a user ( 32 ) applies pressure to one side of the sole ( 18 ), the weight compresses that portion of the resilient tread ( 24 ) against the ground ( 34 ) to extend the cleat ( 26 ) underneath the weight into the ground ( 34 ). as shown in fig5 , if the weight of the user ( 32 ) is applied to one side of the shoe ( 10 ), the cleat ( 28 ) on the side of the shoe ( 10 ) not subject to the weight remains retracted against the bias of the portion of the resilient tread ( 24 ) around the cleat ( 28 ) not under the weight of the user ( 32 ). similarly , as shown in fig6 , if the weight of a user ( 32 ) is applied to the front of the shoe ( 10 ), the resilient tread ( 24 ) compresses in the front , thereby exposing the forward fang cleats ( 26 ) and ( 28 ) into engagement with the ground , while retracting the remaining cleats ( 22 ) not subject to the weight of the user ( 32 ) against the ground ( 34 ). an alternative embodiment of the present invention is shown generally as ( 40 ) in fig7 and 8 , in which the resilient tread ( 42 ) is configured so as to completely cover the cleats ( 44 ) when no pressure is applied to the sole ( 46 ) of the shoe ( 40 ). in addition to providing maximum retraction of the cleats ( 44 ) relative to the shoe ( 40 ) to further reduce potential injury to the user ( 48 ), the additional depth of the resilient tread ( 42 ) allows the user ( 48 ) to walk on hard surfaces with less force being transferred through the cleats ( 44 ) to specific narrow portions of the sole ( 46 ). this increases the comfort of the shoe ( 40 ) to the user ( 48 ) by reducing pressure points across the sole ( 46 ). as shown in fig8 , the shoe ( 40 ) works in a similar manner to the preferred embodiment wherein a weight applied to a portion of the sole ( 46 ) compresses the resilient tread ( 42 ) in that area against the ground ( 34 ), thereby exposing the cleat ( 50 ) near that portion of the shoe ( 40 ), while minimizing the extension of the cleat ( 52 ) near the portion of the sole ( 46 ) having a lesser amount of weight applied thereto . although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof , it is to be understood that it is not to be so limited , since changes and modifications can be made therein which are within the full , intended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims . for example , it is anticipated that the cleats ( 22 ) can be constructed of any material less compressible than the resilient tread ( 24 ), and that the cleats ( 22 ) may be recessed relative to the resilient tread ( 24 ).	0
fig1 is a block diagram of a typical prior art networked computing system 10 . system 10 is comprised of network bus 12 , printing devices 14 and 16 , and host computers 18 and 20 . when either computer system 18 or 20 desires to print a document , it assembles page description language ( pdl ) instructions represented in fig1 by pdl generation modules 36 and 40 in computer systems 18 and 20 , respectively . pdl generation modules 36 and 40 may be a word processor , a desktop publishing program , a cad program , or any other program resident at the host computer that is capable of generating a series of pdl instructions . additionally , modules 36 and 40 may provide pdl instructions that were previously generated and are now stored on storage media , such a hard disc drive . examples of pdl &# 39 ; s include adobe &# 39 ; s postscript ® language , hewlett packard &# 39 ; s hp - gl / 2 language , and the pcl printer control language . before a printer can print the document , the series of pdl instructions must be processed by a raster image processor ( rip ) to form a raster image . this process is known in the art as raster image processing , or riping . the raster image is a bit - mapped representation of the document to be printed , with each bit in the bitmap representing the absence or presence of a dot ( or pixel ) on the printed page . in the prior art , it was common for the printer to include a rip . for example , in fig1 host computer 18 generated a series of pdl instructions at pdl generation module 18 , and the instructions were sent through network interface 38 to network 12 . a printer such as printing device 14 received the pdl instruction from network 12 through network interface 22 , processed pdl instructions into a raster image at rip module 24 , and printed the raster image at print engine module 26 . print engine module 26 may represent any type of printer known in the art , such a laser printer or an ink jet printer . the process of converting an image from a series of pdl instructions into a raster image requires a large amount of computation and generates a vast quantity of data . for example , to generate a raster image of an 8½ × 11 inch black and white page at a resolution of 300 dots per inch ( dpi ) requires approximately a megabyte of data , while a similar four - color document requires approximately four megabytes of data . because of the computational resources required to produce a raster image , the printer &# 39 ; s rip is often the bottleneck that determines the throughput of the printer . one solution to this problem is to provide a rip in the host computer , and send the processed raster image from the host computer to the printer . with the advent of powerful microprocessors such as the 80486 , pentium ™, and powerpc ™ microprocessors , riping can be performed in the background by a host system without the user perceiving significant system degradation . in addition , this solution lowers the cost of the printer because the printer need not be provided with a rip . for example , in fig1 rip module 42 of host system 20 processes a sequence of instructions from pdl generation module 20 to form a raster image . the processed raster image is then sent to a printer via network interface 44 and network 12 . because the raster image has already been generated , the document can be printed by a printer not having a rip , such printing device 16 in fig1 . in printing device 16 , the raster image is received from network 12 via network interface 28 , and provided to print engine 34 . alternately , the raster image can be provided to a printer having a rip . such as printer 14 , in which case the raster image will be provided directly to the print engine . one complication that arises when the rip is provided in a host computer is that the rip may not have information about the printer &# 39 ; s media and ink colors . when the rip is in the printer , in theory the rip will know how to properly interpret a color represented in a pdl instruction . for example . to generate a certain shade of red specified in the pdl instructions , the printer will have to deposit onto the print medium a combination of ink dots at certain ratios and positions . for a given color specified in a pdl instruction , the required combination and ratio will vary from printer to printer . when the rip is in the host computer , a user must preset parameters of the rip based on media information of the printer that will print the raster image . since individual host computers can rip pdl instructions in parallel , and the print engine can print a raster image as soon as it receives it . the only other factor which can prevent a printer from printing at the maximum speed of its print engine is the bandwidth of the network . many networks conform to the ieee 802 . 3 ethernet specification , which defines the hardware requirements of the network , the size of data packets that are transported by the network , and a data communication standard called iso - osi . the iso - osi communication standard defines a seven layer stack of primitives that ensures accurate data transfers between the physical ethernet hardware and applications accessing the network . protocols that implement the iso - osi standard include tcp / ip , ipx / spx , and appletalk ™/ ethertalk ™. fig2 is a diagram showing the iso - osi communication standard . with the exception of the application layer , this diagram represents network interfaces 22 , 28 , 38 , and 44 in fig1 . the lowest ( or first ) layer is the physical layer , which represents network interface hardware 46 . network interface hardware 46 is responsible for transmitting data packets to and receiving data packets from network bus 12 and will be described in greater detail below with reference to fig3 . the second layer is the data - link layer which represents data - link module 47 . when receiving data from the network , data - link module 47 retrieves a data packet from local memory in the hardware 46 and examines the data packet to determine whether the packet conforms to one of the supported protocols . in fig2 protocol stack 60 represents protocol a , protocol stack 62 represents protocol b , and protocol stack 64 represents protocol c . if the packet conforms to a supported protocol , the packet is provided to the network layer of the protocol stack of the protocol associated with the packet . when sending data to the network , data - link module 47 receives a data packet from the network layer of a protocol stack and provides the packet to the physical layer for transmission to the network . the remaining five layers of the iso - osi standard are the network , transport , session , presentation , and application layers . the application layer represents the application that is communicating with the network . the other four layers perform various functions such as encoding and decoding addresses of packets , high level error correction , partitioning data into packets , maintaining packet order and flow control , implementing process - to - process data flow , and formatting data for applications . generally , as data flows from layer to layer , it is repeatedly transferred and copied from a memory area associated with one layer to a memory area associated with another layer . fig3 is a block diagram showing a typical prior art implementation of the physical , data - link , and network layers . the physical layer comprises network interface hardware 46 , which includes network transmit and receive module 48 , local ram 50 , and dma - i / o module 52 . the data - link layer comprises data - link module 47 , which includes host processor ram 54 and data - link implementation software 56 . finally , the network layer is comprised of a portion of each of the protocol stacks 60 , 62 , and 64 . typically , network transmit and receive module 48 includes digital - to - analog converters , analog - to - digital converters , modulators , demodulators , and other components known in the art and required to convert the signals carried by network 12 into digital data suitable for manipulation by a computer system . when a data packet is received , module 46 stores the data packet in local ram 50 and signals data - link module 47 by asserting interrupt 58 . data - link implementation software 56 responds by requesting dma - i / o module 52 to transfer the contents of local ram 50 into host processor ram 54 . in prior systems , a complete data packet is transferred from the local ram of the physical layer to the host processor ram of the data link layer , even if the data packet contained data formatted in accordance with an unsupported protocol , and even if only a few bytes of data in the data packet were required by the application layer . in other words , a large number of bytes were transferred from one memory location to another unnecessarily . the layers defined by the iso - osi standard ensure accurate and reliable data transfers between computer resources connected by an ethernet network . the layers also ensure modularity and compatibility because the vendor of a product need only design the product to communicate with an adjacent layer . for example , a word processor ( which is represented by the application layer ) must only communicate with the presentation layer . likewise , ethernet hardware need only communicate with the data - link layer . while the iso - osi standard ensures accuracy , reliability , modularity , and compatibility , these attributes are achieved at the expense of speed . the continual copying of data ( even unneeded data ) from one memory location to another and the frequent handshaking that provides accuracy and reliability detract from potential throughput that could be obtained by a network based on the ieee 802 . 3 ethernet specification . fig4 is a block diagram of a computing system 65 in accordance with one presently preferred embodiment of the present invention . system 65 includes a conventional network bus 66 , as is known in the art . and a raster network bus 68 . raster network bus 68 is a dedicated network designed to transmit raster data from a rip to a printer . in fig4 computer systems 70 and 72 , printer 76 , and print server 82 are connected via network bus 66 . computer system 72 , printers 76 and 78 , raster data front end 80 , and print server 82 are connected via raster network bus 68 . printer 76 includes network interface 84 , rip 86 , print engine 88 , raster data buffer 90 , raster connection module 92 , and raster network interface 96 . since printer 76 is provided with a rip , printer 76 can accept and process pdl instructions . for example , computer system 70 , which includes pdl generation block 98 and network interface 100 , but does not include a rip , can send pdl instructions through network interface 100 to network bus 66 . printer 76 can receive the pdl instructions through network interface 84 , rip the instructions into a raster image at rip 86 , and print the raster image at print engine 88 . printer 76 is also coupled to raster network bus 68 via raster network interface 96 . raster connection management 92 maintains unique virtual connections between printer 76 and devices providing raster data , and raster data buffer 90 stores raster data in preparation for printing the raster data at print engine 88 . in one embodiment , raster data buffer 90 is large enough to ensure that print engine 88 can print a complete page at its maximum speed , thereby minimizing the banding effect associated with ink from a previous scan drying before the next scan . in another embodiment , raster data buffer 90 is large enough to store at least one complete raster image of a document , thereby allowing multiple copies of the same document to be printed without requiring reriping the pdl instructions , and without retransmitting the raster image over the network . in yet another embodiment , raster data buffer 90 is large enough to store two or more raster images , thereby allowing print engine 88 to print one image while raster data buffer 90 receives another . in this embodiment , images may be stored in a fifo queue and printed on a first - in first - out basis , or prioritized in some other manner . if raster data buffer 90 is sufficiently large , raster images may be permanently stored in buffer 90 , and repeatedly printed at the initiation of the user . because raster data buffer 90 must hold vast amounts of data , in a preferred embodiment of the present invention , buffer 90 comprises at least one hard disc drive . printer 76 and 78 are also provided with profile information modules 94 and 108 , respectively . profile information modules 94 and 108 provide media and ink profile information to computer systems that rip pdl instructions , as will be explained below . printer 78 includes print engine 102 , raster data buffer 104 . raster connection management 106 , printer profile information module 108 , and raster network interface i 10 . the elements referenced in printer 78 perform the same functions as the identically named elements in printer 76 . however , printer 78 does not include a rip nor a conventional network interface . accordingly , printer 78 does not process pdl instructions such as those from computer system 70 , but can only process rip data provided via raster network bus 68 . printers 76 and 78 are designed to utilize the system of the present invention . however , simpler printers may also be provided with raster data front end 80 to take advantage of the features of the present invention . raster data front end 80 includes printer profile information module 112 , raster network interface 114 , raster connection management 116 , raster data buffer 118 , and printer interface 120 . printer 122 is coupled to raster data front end 80 and includes printer interface 124 and print engine 126 . printer interface 124 of printer 122 and printer interface 120 of raster data front end 80 are connected by line 128 and together may form any common interface as in known in the art . such as a parallel interface , a serial interface , a scsi interface , etc . with the exception of printer interfaces 120 and 124 , the elements referenced in raster data front end 80 and printer 122 perform the same functions as the identically referenced elements of printer 78 . computer system 72 is comprised of raster network interface 130 , raster connection management module 132 , media / ink correction module 134 , rip 136 , pdl generation module 138 , and network interface 140 . network interface 140 provides access to conventional network 66 for typical network operations , such as file access , e - mail , and the like . pdl generation module 138 represents a device that provides pdl instructions . such as a word processor , a cad program , or a storage device storing previously generated pdl instructions . rip 136 processes the pdl instructions into a raster image . thereafter , raster connection management module initiates a connection dialogue with printers coupled to raster network bus 68 . the connection dialogue results in a virtual connection being opened to a selected printer and will be described in greater detail below . after a printer is selected , the selected printer provides media and ink information from the printer &# 39 ; s printer profile information module ( or the printer profile information module of the raster data front end attached to the printer ). the information includes the print media presently engaged by the printer , including thickness , transparency and reflectivity characteristics , size , and other factors affecting the print media . the ink information includes the ink lot number , color , and chromatic characteristics of the inks . media / ink correction module 134 uses the media and ink information of the selected printer to adjust for media and ink differences between printers to produce corrected raster image data . raster connection management module 132 then transmits the corrected raster image data through raster network interface 130 and raster network bus 68 to the selected printer . print server 82 is a device configured to receive pdl instructions from a computing device coupled to network 66 , rip the pdl instructions , and provide the resulting raster data to a printer via raster network bus 68 . print server 82 includes raster network interface 142 , raster connection management module 144 , media / ink correction module 146 , rip 148 , routing 150 , and network interface 152 . print server 82 is provided to receive a document represented by a series of pdl instructions from a computer system not coupled to raster network bus 68 , such as computer system 70 , or simply to off - load rip processing from another computer system . routing module 150 is provided to route printing jobs to a selected printer , and provide print job status information back to the computer system that originated the print job . the other referenced elements of print server 82 perform the same functions as the identically referenced elements of computer system 72 . fig5 shows a networked computing system 154 in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention . in system 154 , the conventional network and the raster network share the same physical network 156 . in addition to network 156 , system 154 includes printers 158 , 160 , and 164 , raster data front end 162 , computer systems 166 and 170 , and print server 168 . printer 158 includes printer profile information module 172 , rip 174 , print engine 176 , raster data buffer 178 , raster connection management module 180 , and raster network interface 182 . printer 160 includes print engine 184 , raster data buffer 186 , raster connection management module 188 , printer profile information module 190 , and raster network interface 192 . raster data front end 162 includes printer profile information module 194 , raster network interface 196 , printer interface 198 , raster data buffer 200 , and raster connection management module 202 . printer 164 includes printer interface 204 and printer engine 206 . computer system 166 includes raster network interface 208 , raster connection management module 210 , media / ink correction module 212 , rip 214 , and pdl generation 216 . print server 168 includes raster network interface 218 , raster connection management 220 , media / ink correction module 222 , rip 224 , and routing module 226 . finally , computer system 170 includes pdl generation 228 and network interface 230 . generally , the elements referenced in fig5 perform the same functions as similarly labeled elements in fig4 . however , the raster network interfaces of printers 158 and 160 , raster data front end 162 , computer system 166 , and print server 168 communicate via the network using standard iso - osi protocols , as well as the unique raster data protocol defined by the present invention . fig6 shows computer system 166 of fig5 . in fig6 network hardware 230 of raster network interface 208 is coupled to network 156 . raster network intervention module 232 of interface 208 intervenes between network hardware 230 and raster connection management module 210 and conventional protocol layers 234 . fig6 is also representative of print server 168 of fig5 . in the embodiment shown in fig4 fig6 is representative of computer system 72 and print server 82 , however , conventional protocol layers 234 are not present . protocol layers 234 implement the iso - osi standard shown in fig2 . when a data packet is received by network hardware 230 , raster network intervention module 232 examines the packet and determines whether the packet contains raster data . if it does , module 232 sends the relevant portion of the data packet to raster connection management module 210 . in one embodiment of the present invention , module 232 sends any packets that are not raster data packets to conventional protocol layers 234 , thereby providing maximum modularity with an existing implementation of conventional protocol layers 234 . in another embodiment of the present invention , raster network intervention module 232 is aware of the protocols supported by conventional protocol layers 234 , and ignores any packets that are not supported . in this embodiment , the functions of the data link layer and the raster network intervention module may be incorporated into a single module . raster connection management module coordinates virtual connections between rips and printers . in other embodiments , raster connection management module 210 compresses raster data , decompresses raster data , encrypts raster data , and decrypts raster data as is known in the art . module 210 also requests printer profile information from a selected printer , and adjusts outgoing raster data at media / ink correction module 212 based on media and ink characteristics of the selected printer . in fig6 pdl generation modules 216 a and 216 b provide pdl instructions that are riped by rips 214 a and 214 b , respectively . computer system 166 may have any number of rips , which are coordinated by raster connection management module 210 . raster connection module 210 then sends raster data to the selected printer via network bus 156 using the transmission protocol of the present invention , which is described below . fig7 shows printer 78 of fig4 . printer 78 is only coupled to raster data network bus 68 and includes print engine 102 , raster data buffer 104 , raster connection management 106 , and raster network interface module 110 . raster network interface module 110 includes raster network data link module 238 and network hardware 236 . if printer 78 were configured to support other protocols , printer 78 would be provided with conventional protocol layers 234 of fig6 and raster network data link module 238 would be replaced with raster network intervention module 232 of fig6 . fig8 shows a raster network interface 240 that is generic to a network system wherein the raster data network and the conventional data network share the same physical media such as that shown in fig5 and a network system wherein the raster data network and the conventional data network have separate data networks such as that shown in fig4 . network interface 240 comprises network hardware 244 and raster network intervention / data link module 252 . also shown in fig8 are network bus 242 , raster connection management module 256 , and conventional protocol stack 254 . network hardware 244 includes network transmit and receive module 246 , local ram 248 , and dma - i / o module 250 . network transmit and receive module 246 is coupled to network bus 242 and includes digital - to - analog converters , analog - to - digital converters , modulators , demodulators , and other elements required to transmit and receive data from network bus 242 . local ram 248 is provided to store data that has just been received from the network or is about to be transmitted to the network . dma - i / o module 250 is provided to transfer the contents of local ram 248 to protocol layers 254 or raster connection management module 256 , or alternately , to transfer data from layers 254 or module 256 into local ram 248 . the present invention implements a method of receiving data that greatly reduces overhead processing and data transfer . as discussed above with reference to fig3 in the prior art a received packet is always transferred from local ram into other ram that is part of the data link layer . in contrast , the present invention allows raster network intervention / data link module 252 to examine the contents of local ram 248 . if the contents of ram 248 are formatted in accordance with a supported protocol , module 252 directs dma - i / o module 250 to transfer data from local ram 248 to conventional protocol layers 254 or raster connection management module 256 . however , if the contents of ram 248 do not conform to a supported protocol , the contents are ignored . in addition , only required data need be transferred from local ram 248 . for example , some commands that are transmitted over a network require only a few bytes to be transferred from local ram 248 , while data packets containing raster data will require over a thousand bytes to be transferred from local ram . accordingly , network interface 240 minimizes the amount of data that must be transferred from local ram 248 . when a computer system or print server system desires to print a document , the system enters into a connection dialogue using the protocol of the present invention . the protocol defines three types of addressing modes and two types of packets . the three addressing modes are directed , broadcast , and multicast . a directed packet is sent to a single device on the network having a unique network address . a broadcast packet is sent to all devices on the network , and a multicast is sent to a subset of devices on a network . the two types of packets are command packets and data packets . data packets are used to transfer raster data to printers , and are “ connected packets ”, meaning they are only transmitted in association with a previously established virtual connection . data packets are directed packets , and are further classified based on the type of raster data they carry . command packets , on the other hand , may be “ connected ” or “ connectionless packets ”, and also may be directed , broadcast , or multicast . when the system desires to print a document , the system first transmits a printer id request . this printer id request includes a network address for the system and is contained in a connectionless data packet . the printer id request may either be broadcast to all network entities , or be multicast only to printers . all printers capable of handling raster data respond with a printer id response . the printer id response is contained in a directed connectionless packet and includes the printer &# 39 ; s network address , the printer type , and other information . the system that issued the printer id request then issues an open virtual connection request to a printer based on the received printer id responses . the open virtual connection request is contained in a directed connectionless packet and includes the network address of the system and the maximum number of data packets the system can transmit in a single burst . the selected printer must respond to the open virtual connection request with an open virtual connection response within a predetermined time limit . the open virtual connection request is contained in a directed connectionless command packet . receipt of the open virtual connection response by the requesting system establishes the virtual connection . the open connection response includes a connection id that uniquely establishes the connection in time and the maximum number of data packets that can be received by the printer in a single burst . the maximum number of data packets that the printer can receive in a single burst will be less than or equal to the maximum number of data that the system can transmit in a single burst . this maximum number of data packets will be referred to below as an end sequence number . once the virtual connection has been established , the system and the selected printer communicate via the virtual connection using connected command packets and connected data packets . the system sends a job information request command to the printer that includes information about the color streams present in the raster data , the size of the job , and the number of copies to print . the selected printer then issues a job information response command through the virtual connection to the system . the response informs the system whether the printer accepts the information contained in the job information command as valid . until this point , the system has initiated the dialogue and the printer has responded . however , at this point the printer becomes the initiator of raster data transfer operations . the printer issues a request / acknowledge command contained in a connected command packet that simultaneously acknowledges data received so far , and requests additional data . the request / acknowledge command includes a data parcel type field that identifies the color stream of the data required by the printer and a current sequence number that acknowledges receipt of all packets comprising a burst up to the current sequence number . normally , the system will transmit a complete burst of data packets to the printer without error , in which case the printer responds with a request / acknowledge command having the current sequence number equal to the end sequence number , thereby acknowledging to the system that all the data was received for that partial sequence . however , if a partial or whole burst of data packets is lost or otherwise corrupted , the printer will respond immediately with a request / acknowledge command having the current sequence number , thereby informing the system that a portion of the burst must be retransmitted . in other words , if the printer detects a problem with a burst , the printer requests that the system retransmit the burst , even if the system has not finished transmitting the original burst . by immediately requesting retransmission , the protocol of the present invention recovers from errors faster than prior art techniques . the system transmits data to the printer using data packets that have a size of approximately one kilobyte in one presently preferred embodiment of the present invention . accordingly , if the printer and the system negotiated a maximum burst size of 256 kilobytes , a burst would comprise 256 data packets . in addition to the connected commands described above , there are several other connected commands . a probe command is contained in a directed , connected command packet sent by the system to the printer to inform the printer that the system is still functioning and the virtual connection is still open . in a preferred embodiment , a probe is sent about every 30 seconds . the printer responds to a probe command with a probe response command , which is also contained in a directed , connected command packet . if the printer fails to respond to a probe command with a probe response command within a specified period of time , then the virtual connection is terminated . finally , a close command is contained in a directed connected packet and terminates the virtual connection . the close command can be initiated by either the system or the printer . when the transmission of raster data to the printer is complete , either the printer or the system may issue a close connection command , which terminates the virtual connection . the present invention facilitates printing a document over a network by increasing the speed of raster data transfers over the network . this is achieved by several unique features of the present invention . in one embodiment , a separate network is provided to transmit raster data . by providing a separate network , the total bandwidth of the network is available to transmit raster data . in addition , the present invention provides a protocol which minimizes protocol overhead within a printer or computer system . a received packet is examined in the local memory of the network hardware , and is ignored if not needed , and only those bytes of the received packet that are required are transferred from local memory . further , data is transferred directly from the local memory of the network hardware directly to the memory raster connection management module , as opposed to the multiple transfers that occur as data moves up and down a conventional iso - osi stack . finally , the data may be compressed and decompressed to obtain additional network bandwidth . the present invention also defines a unique raster data transmission format that minimizes the handshaking required by prior art transmission protocols . for any given network , the present invention has the potential to achieve 2 - 10 times the effective data transfer rate of raster data through the network compared to conventional techniques . accordingly , the present invention facilitates host based riping of documents represented by pdl instructions and anticipates other advances in the art that are dependent on network throughput . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers 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 .	7
fig1 is a conceptual view illustrative of a manufacturing process flow of a manufacturing method for a semiconductor device according to the present invention . a manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes : a main body wafer manufacturing process x for manufacturing a wafer where the semiconductor device to be completed as a product is formed ; and a monitor wafer - manufacturing process z for manufacturing a wafer ( hereinafter , referred to as “ monitor wafer ”) where a monitor element 200 is formed . the main body wafer manufacturing process x and the monitor wafer manufacturing process z share a monitoring step c alone . the monitoring step c is important as a step of copying on the monitor element 200 formed on the monitor wafer , a quality of the semiconductor device formed on the main body wafer . a manufacturing process flow ( fig3 ) is basically applied to the main body wafer manufacturing process x . the monitoring step c of fig1 is selected from the manufacturing process flow of fig3 as needed . as the monitoring step c , plural steps may be selected . it is assumed here that steps preceding a step specified as the monitoring step c , for example , a gate oxide film formation step n are each referred to as a “ main body pre - process step ” b while steps in a manufacturing process succeeding the monitoring step c are each referred to as a “ main body post - process step ” d . the main body post - process step d includes a variation reduction step h . as the variation reduction step h , plural steps may be set corresponding to the monitoring step c as needed . steps are selected from the manufacturing process flow of fig3 as a subsequent pre - process step d 1 and a subsequent post - process step d 2 and set upstream and downstream of the variation reduction step h , respectively , as needed . the pre - manufacturing process x for the semiconductor device applied in the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to step - order sectional views ( fig5 to 13 , and 19 ). the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the step - order sectional views but is applicable to any pre - manufacturing process for a typical semiconductor device . needless to say , the present invention is not limited to a manufacturing method for a mos semiconductor device but is applicable to a manufacturing method for a bipolar semiconductor device , compound semiconductor , or the like . insulating films partially different in thickness are selectively formed near the surface of a semiconductor substrate , for example , a p - type semiconductor substrate 102 through thermal oxidation etc . to thereby form an oxide film 103 having a thickness of about 300 to 1 , 000 nm and an oxide film 104 having a thickness of about 50 to 100 nm . here , the p - type semiconductor substrate is used but an n - type semiconductor substrate can be used as well ( fig5 ). impurity ions , for example , phosphorous ions are implanted into the main body wafer surface in an impurity amount of about 3 . 0 × 10 12 / cm 2 to thereby form an impurity doped region for forming an n well 111 . this step is called a well impurity doping step . next , impurities doped into the main body wafer through ion implantation are electrically inactive unless otherwise treated and thus subjected to activation through heat treatment and recovered from damage upon ion implantation . in order to form a pmos transistor inside the n well 111 , the n well 111 needs to have some depth . in general , the requisite depth is about 1 to 3 mm for the miniaturized transistor and about 3 to 8 mm for the high - breakdown voltage transistor . to obtain an impurity profile necessary for the heat treatment , thermal diffusion is carried out under the conditions of 1 , 100 to 1 , 200 ° c . for several to over ten hours with an electric furnace , for example . this is called a “ well thermal diffusion step ” ( fig6 ). the well thermal diffusion step is such that plural ( about 150 ) large - diameter wafers are simultaneously processed at high temperature for a long time . here , the n well 111 is used , but a p well or both the n well and the p well can be used . b or bf 2 ions for selectively forming a p - type channel stopper 142 are selectively implanted into a portion near the p - type semiconductor substrate 102 surface , for example , after which an element isolation insulating film 130 and the p - type channel stopper 142 are selectively formed by using a locos method etc . ( fig7 ). in the case of forming the element isolation oxide film using the locos method , the thermal oxidation step is such that plural ( about 150 ) large - diameter wafers are simultaneously processed at high temperature and high oxidation rate for a long time . phosphorous , as , b , or bf 2 ions for controlling a threshold voltage are selectively implanted into the semiconductor substrate surface in an active region 132 for element formation where a mos transistor is formed later , for example , to thereby form an impurity doped region 201 . in some cases , as a region corresponding to the impurity doped region 201 , plural regions may be separately formed according to need , e . g ., according to a conductivity type of the mos transistor , and the threshold voltage . some specifications of the semiconductor device may impose too narrow tolerance on an ion implantation amount etc . ( fig8 ). even if a channel doping step m and its subsequent step , a gate oxide film step n are carried out in reverse order , the same semiconductor device can be obtained . an oxide film near the semiconductor substrate surface in the active region 132 for element formation is removed to form a gate oxide film 161 through thermal oxidation etc . ( fig9 ). here , the thickness of the gate oxide film 161 is arbitrarily set according to the specifications of the semiconductor device , but is an important process parameter for determining a threshold voltage of the mos transistor . after that ( after the formation of the gate oxide film 161 ), phosphorous , b , or bf 2 ions for controlling a threshold voltage may be selectively implanted , for example , into the semiconductor substrate surface in the active region 132 for element formation where the mos transistor is formed later to thereby form the impurity doped region 201 as shown in fig8 . a polysilicon gate 170 is selectively formed on the gate oxide film 161 through cvd , photolithography , or etching ( fig1 ). here , a process width of the polysilicon gate 170 is arbitrarily set according to the specifications of the semiconductor device , but is an important process parameter for determining a drive power of the mos transistor . also , after that , although not shown here , the oxide film is formed and then a second polysilicon layer for resistor may be formed . after an oxide film 164 is formed on the p - type semiconductor substrate 102 surface by cvd or thermal oxidation , phosphorous , as , b , or bf 2 ions for forming source / drain regions are implanted to the polysilicon gate 170 and the oxide film 164 in desired regions of the active region 132 for element formation in a self - alignment manner , for example , to thereby form an n - type source region 181 , an n - type drain region 191 , a p - type source region 182 , and a p - type drain region 192 ( fig1 ). here , the source region and drain region may each have a low - concentration impurity region called “ lightly doped drain ( ldd )” and a low - concentration impurity region called “ double diffused drain ” ( ddd ) and formed by diffusing impurities in a nitrogen or diluted oxygen atmosphere at about 900 to 1 , 100 ° c . the source / drain regions may have a low - concentration impurity region 134 formed by thermally diffusing impurities doped through ion implantation before forming the source / drain regions in a source / drain formation step p , at about 900 to 1 , 100 ° c in a nitrogen or diluted oxygen atmosphere ( fig1 ). this step is hereinafter referred to as a ddd step . an oxide film is deposited on the p - type semiconductor substrate 102 surface by cvd or the like and annealed at about 800 to 900 ° c . in a nitrogen or diluted oxygen atmosphere to thereby form an interlayer insulating film 163 ( fig1 ). a contact hole 250 is selectively formed in a desired region of the interlayer insulating film 163 by photolithography or etching , and the contact hole is made smooth through wet etching , reflow technique , or the like . a metal wiring 260 is selectively formed through sputtering , photolithography , etching , or the like . a protective film 270 is deposited by cvd etc . and an opening is selectively formed in a desired region ( in an external connection terminal region or the like ). here , the case of forming the single - layer metal wiring 260 is described , but plural layers may be laminated through an interlayer insulating film as the metal wiring . also , the metal wiring may be formed such that barrier metal forms a lower layer thereof and an antireflection film forms an upper layer . in addition , an annealing step for recovery from process damage may be carried out in a hydrogen atmosphere at 350 to 450 ° c . ( fig1 ). the monitor wafer manufacturing process z as a feature of the present invention includes : a monitor wafer pre - process step ( fig1 , step a ); a step of copying characteristics of a main body wafer by simultaneously processing the main body wafer and monitor wafer ( fig1 , step c ); a monitor post - process step for the monitor element 200 ( fig1 , step e ); a step of measuring characteristics of the monitor element 200 ( fig1 , step f ); and a step of setting manufacturing conditions in the variation reduction step h ( fig1 , step g ). here , the monitoring step c of copying the quality of the half - completed main body wafer on the monitor wafer aims at simultaneously processing the main body wafer and the monitor wafer in the same apparatus . in this embodiment , a mos diode shown in fig4 is used as the monitor element 200 where the quality of the half - completed semiconductor device is copied in the monitoring step c . hereinafter , an embodiment of the feed - forward type manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described in detail centering on a monitor wafer manufacturing process z . the p - type semiconductor substrate 102 for the monitor wafer is set to have a concentration about 10 to 50 % lower than the p - type semiconductor substrate 102 for the semiconductor device of the main body wafer . phosphorous , as , b , or bf 2 ions for controlling a threshold voltage are implanted into a portion near the p - type semiconductor substrate 102 surface to form an impurity doped region . here , the ion implantation step is desirably carried out under the same conditions for the semiconductor device whose process condition is to be predicted . this aims at further reduction in variations in the ion implantation step . the reason for using the low - concentration semiconductor substrate in this case is to improve the monitoring sensitivity . note that , the manufacturing process for the monitor wafer preceding the monitoring step c is preferably simpler than the manufacturing process for the main body wafer preceding the monitoring process c . more specifically , the monitor pre - process step of this embodiment dispenses with the n well formation step k and the locos step l unlike the main body pre - process step b and is preferably a simple and short - term process in terms of cost performance . as regards the substrate concentration for the monitor wafer as well , it is not always necessary to prepare a lower concentration semiconductor substrate than the main body wafer of the semiconductor device and the concentration thereof may be determined while balancing a cost and measurement precision ( fig1 , step a ). the monitoring step c is important as a step of copying a quality of the half - completed main body wafer on the monitor wafer . in short , this is a step of accurately copying on the monitor wafer a process influence ( monitor condition ) by which the parameter having a high rate of contribution that influences the quality of the completed semiconductor device can be estimated . in this embodiment , a gate oxide film step n of forming a gate oxide film 161 , which involves the large production variations is used as the monitoring step c . in the gate oxide film step n , plural ( about 150 ) large - diameter wafers are simultaneously processed in line at high temperature of about 850 to 1 , 000 ° c . for a long time . as a result , a difference in thermal history is caused between wafers or in a wafer . this step is more likely to cause large production variations . the production variations result from variations in thickness of the gate oxide film 161 , and an impurity concentration profile in an impurity doped region 200 below the gate oxide film 161 and upon the completion of the pre - manufacturing process x , are obviously observed as variations in the threshold voltage vt of the mos transistor . the monitor wafer and the main body wafer having undergone the main body pre - process step b are simultaneously processed . simultaneous processing is only intended to more accurately copy the process influence , so if the processing conditions are the same between the main body wafer and the monitor wafer , simultaneous processing for the main body wafer and the monitor wafer is not the requisite for the present invention . this concerns a copy accuracy . in order to more accurately copy the process influence , simultaneous processing is preferred . similarly , the monitor wafer is determined for an insertion position and the number of wafers to be inserted in consideration of correlation between a variation tolerance and a variation range of the gate oxide film formation step ( fig1 , step c ). in the monitor wafer post - process step ( fig1 , step e ), for measuring monitor conditions of the monitor wafer simultaneously processed with the main body wafer ( fig1 , step c ) in an amplifying manner with high sensitivity , the second gate oxide film 165 is additionally formed on the gate oxide film 161 formed beforehand , by thermal oxidation at about 800 to 850 ° c . or cvd at about 600 to 800 ° c . or lower with a film thickness about 0 . 5 to 1 . 5 times larger than the gate oxide film 161 . thus , the polysilicon gate 170 is formed on the second gate oxide film 165 by cvd . here , the second gate oxide film 165 is formed for amplifying the monitoring sensitivity . the threshold voltage vt to be adjusted is obtained as a function of q b / c ( q b : charge amount due to impurity ; c : gate oxide film capacitance value ) as represented by the equation ( 2 ) hence , the larger the gate oxide film thickness , the higher the sensitivity in amplifying and measuring the variations in impurity concentration profile ( variations in q b ). note that in this case , a more significant effect is attained when the impurity concentration profile varies more largely than the film thickness varies . in the gate oxide film formation step n , if the gate film thickness largely varies , it is advisable to dispense with the formation of the second gate oxide film 165 . also , in this case , the polysilicon gate 170 is used as the gate electrode , but metal or an aluminum silicon alloy , for example , may be used therefor . also , the formation temperature and time for the additional second gate oxide film 165 can be approximated to the thermal histories of the gate oxide film formation step n of the main body wafer of the semiconductor device and its subsequent steps , so that an impurity concentration profile can be detected with higher sensitivity ( fig1 , step e ). as mentioned above , the thermal histories relatively high temperature of the gate oxide film formation step n of the semiconductor device of the main body wafer and its subsequent steps supposedly involve the following six steps of : ( 1 ) forming the polysilicon gate 170 ( by cvd or the like ); ( 2 ) forming the oxide film 164 ( by cvd or thermal oxidation ); ( 3 ) forming low - concentration impurity regions ( through diffusion in a nitrogen or diluted oxygen atmosphere at about 900 to 1 , 100 ° c . in the case of using the ddd structure ); ( 4 ) forming the interlayer insulating film 163 ( by depositing the oxide film by cvd or the like , followed by annealing in a diluted oxygen atmosphere at about 800 to 900 ° c . ); ( 5 ) forming a smooth contact hole ( in the case of molding with a reflow technique ); and ( 6 ) promoting recovery from a process damage ( annealing step at 350 to 450 ° c . in a hydrogen atmosphere ) the term “ approximated to the thermal histories of the gate oxide film formation step n of the main body wafer of the semiconductor device and its subsequent steps ” means equalizing the histories of maximum temperature and processing time in the step ( 3 ) requiring the long - term heat treatment at the highest temperature among the steps requiring heat treatment at a relatively high temperature to be applied . note that plural steps requiring particularly high temperatures may be selected . this is because the impurity diffusion largely and mainly depends on temperature . in short , it is desirable to approximate the formation temperature and time for the additional second gate oxide film 165 in thermal history to the low - concentration impurity region formation step ( through diffusion in a nitrogen or diluted oxygen atmosphere at about 900 to 1 , 100 ° c . for about 3 to 5 hours in the case of using the ddd structure ). next , the process influence of the monitor element 200 is checked ( step f ). in this embodiment , the variations in impurity concentration profile of the impurity doped region 201 are derived from capacitance - voltage ( cv ) characteristics of the monitor element 200 of the monitor wafer to obtain information on measurements of the threshold voltage vt or flat band voltage vf ( fig1 , step f ). a gate oxide film thickness of the semiconductor devices mounted in great numbers on each wafer and the impurity concentration profile are estimated from the measurement information . based on a correlation between the known threshold voltage vt of the monitor wafer and the threshold voltage vt of the transistor formed on the main body wafer , the estimation information for estimating the threshold voltage vt of the main body wafer is created ( fig1 , step g 1 ). in this embodiment , the channel doping step m out of the main body post - process steps d is selected as the variation reduction step h . according to the estimation information , the ion implantation conditions in the channel doping step m is determined in an analog fashion so as to sufficiently reduce the variations in the threshold voltage vt . according to the estimation information and installation position and number of monitor wafers , the ion implantation condition of the channel doping step m , for example , impurity doping time is determined for each wafer or every several wafers with reference to fig2 c ( fig1 , step g 2 ). the main body wafer having undergone the monitoring step c is subjected to the channel doping process of the main body wafer for each wafer or every several wafers under the ion implantation condition determined in the condition setting step g 2 ( fig1 , step h ). the main body wafer having undergone the variation reduction step h passes through the subsequent post - process steps including a wafer inspection step u and thus the pre - manufacturing process x ends . as understood from the above description , the monitoring step c is a step of accurately copying a quality of the main body wafer on the monitor wafer . note that the wafer pre - process step a and the monitor post - process step e need to be steps of forming the monitor element 200 such that the copied quality variation is amplified and measured . here , in the description of this embodiment , the gate oxide film step n is set to the monitoring step c . the present invention is applicable to , based on the same idea , the locos step l , the polysilicon gate step o , the channel doping step m , the source / drain formation step p including the ddd step , and various etching steps , which cause the variations in electric characteristics of the semiconductor device , as the monitoring step c . also , in the above description , the channel doping step m is set as the variation reduction step h . however , the protective film formation step t , the source / drain formation step p including the ddd step , etc . may be set as the variation reduction step h . the monitoring step c or variation reduction step h may be selected in consideration of process characteristics . also , the monitoring step c or variation reduction step h may be set in plural but is preferably set taking into account a cost . also , the present invention is applicable to the step causing the damage and the damage recovery step in the manufacturing process . the present invention is directed to applications to manufacture of typical semiconductor devices and thus is applicable in a wide field of applications . for example , when the present invention is applied to manufacture of a semiconductor device including both a transistor requiring a high - voltage operation and a transistor requiring a low - voltage low - current operation , more specifically , a power management semiconductor device that controls charge / discharge of a lithium - ion battery , an effect of the present invention that realizes a semiconductor device with high quality and low cost can be exerted fully . however , needless to say , the present invention is not limited thereto .	7
the present invention uses an approach that is based on state - machines for handling migration of business processes and context from device to device and from device to server for bootstrapping purposes . a simple configuration of mobile devices connected to the internet and to a collection of pre - selected set of commerce servers is being considered . each device has capabilities to support local database systems , e . g ., embedded database system db2e from ibm , local file system , messaging system , run - time support for programming , e . g ., java based run - time , and administration applications . the following are the two main entities considered in the inventive design of the overall architecture . in their present architecture the mobile devices are capable of browsing extensible markup language ( xml ), hyper text markup language ( html ) or wireless markup language ( wml ) and hand held device markup language ( hdml ) forms / data . the devices are connected to local wireless local area networks ( lans ) such as institute of electrical & amp ; electronics engineers ( ieee ) standard 802 . 11b , through mobile modems , or via mobile providers who support wireless gateways . the assumptions are that each user has one or more devices , with each device supporting an operating system , such as palm , windows compact edition ( wince ), linux , to enable rapid deployment of applications over the local embedded database system , messaging system and run - time environments . the e - business server is a web - application server , which supports a java 2 enterprise edition ( j2ee ), sold by sun corporation , based enterprise architecture , and handles bootstrapping protocols for handling multiple devices . requests sent to the server are handled by serylets , as described in sairamesh 1 and dhiraj k . pradhan et al ., “ recoverable mobile environment : design and trade - off analysis ,” international symposium on fault - tolerant computing ( ftcs ) 1996 : 16 - 25 , which parse the device context , and handle the incoming requests . the server authenticates mobile users based on their profile and other information . fig2 illustrates a state - machine for performing a business process such a that described in connection with fig1 , where the business process is migrating on the client devices 26 - 28 ( fig1 ). prior to the execution of the migration state machine , the following process steps are performed : 1 ) an object &# 39 ; s life cycle states are determined and specified , e . g ., all possible non - failure states that an object goes through based on the non - failure action performed on it . for example , the distinct states required for transferring a shopping cart object of the tire purchasing process discussed above . in the given example these states include migrating 40 , drafting , 42 , authorizing 44 , pending 46 , completing 48 , canceling 50 , and done or exiting 52 states . 2 ) for each determined states , listing all possible failures , e . g ., power failure , network disconnect , resource ( disk ) insufficiency , disk failure , etc ., and associating these failures with one of the defined failure states , in the given example these defined states include authorization 54 , migration 56 , and cancellation 58 . 3 ) for each of the existing failure states 54 - 58 , specifying what action to perform if such failure occurred . the specified action will perform steps necessary to recover from the failure condition . 4 ) repeating steps ( 1 )-( 3 ) for each action of step ( 3 ). the process 60 can be executed on any device that is performing a migration and exists on the server side 24 for the order process . the original process without disconnection consists of only five states 42 - 50 . when the migration process 60 begins , it is in a draft state 42 , i . e ., placed in the shopping cart of the purchasing system . then it moves from state to state depending on the stage of the purchasing process . the following are the possible states the application process for order can go into without considering the disconnection and other failure conditions : draft 42 ; authorizing 44 ; pending 46 ; complete 48 ; and cancelled 50 . the user of the mobile device may be processing one or more orders when disconnected . the orders submitted from the device may be in any of the five states . however , due to network disconnection , timeouts , and failures , additional states represent the state of the order and the appropriate failure condition . the disconnected states are as follows : failure authorization 54 ; failure cancellation 58 ; and failure migration 56 . when the network 18 ( fig1 ) is disconnected , the process for handling migration of business processes and context moves to one of these disconnected or failure states . architecture for migration and disconnection is described below with some of the design criteria for developing a “ light weight ” client middleware for enabling e - business and computing applications to run in all kinds of potential modes . there are many design criteria to consider when developing and deploying an end - to - end solution for mobile commerce on clients and servers . the core design criteria for a simple middleware framework for e - business applications on mobile clients is discussed herein . the clients could be pdas , pocketpcs , wireless laptops , and other mobile devices . the framework includes : mechanism for handling disconnection , failures , resource constraints , such as low memory or low battery or network bandwidth , and providing the application user to access and perform business activities in seamless fashion . event management to handle all kinds of system failures , network disconnections , low battery , resource limits , and others . self - management : a process engine to drive the business processes on the client side for various object instances and process instances . for example , in the business scenario above , a process engine drives the order process based on the defined state - machine . authentication and session management : the client and server handle mobile sessions similar to regular web - browsers for some applications . session management is done through cookies , which have to be set by the servers in the responses , and conforming to the url encoded schemes . the clients have to maintain session information for interaction with the servers . fig3 illustrates architecture of the client device , which includes the following components : the main component for migration of business processes is a migration engine that ensures that the business process instances and contextual data is migrated from the device to another available ( and registered ) device in the network . the migration engine also plays a role in receiving business process instances from various clients in the network that are used by the business user . persistence and messaging : the first component is the database system , which is a reduced functionality embedded relational database system like db2e . the second component is the messaging component to handle in - bound and out - bound messaging in a reliable fashion . run - time engine : the most important component is the run - time of the e - business framework . this run - time engine handles the following : 1 . persistence of business objects in the local embedded relational database ; 2 . a process engine to handle all business processes , interactions and all kinds of events ( including failure events ); 3 . a set of recovery mechanisms which are run “ automatically ” to enable the application process state to move from disconnected to connected states and final completion of the process . self - management : the run - time engine through event management can handle all kinds of failure events as long as they are captured and put in an event queue . in addition , the engine can self - recover the processes that are in disconnected or failure states by performing simple recovery procedures . each mobile device may has a local database system 104 , a messaging component such as a the ibm &# 39 ; s mqe 106 , a java run - time engine , for example a j9 jvm from ibm , the j2me framework , and a collection of xml and user interface libraries . in an exemplary configuration , the mobile devices , such as palm and wince based devices may be connected to the internet via wireless ethernet cards enabled with 802 . 11b protocols . a base - station provides the link between the wireless device and the wired lan . in this configuration , a request from a mobile client is sent directly via reliable messaging or direct synchronous tcp / ip connections to the commerce server , such as an ibm product wcs be for e - business applications . additional references used in designing the present invention include a . tsalgatidou et al ., “ challenges in mobile electronic commerce ”, proceedings of the iec 2000 , 3 rd int . conf . on innovation through e - commerce . manchester , uk , nov . 14 th - 16 th , 2000 . peter muth et al ., “ from centralized workflow specification to distributed workflow execution ,” journal of intelligent information systems , 10 ( 2 ): 159 - 184 ( 1998 ). d . georgakopoulos et al ., “ an overview of workflow management : from process modeling to workflow automation infrastructure ”, journal of parallel and distributed systems , 1995 . g . alonso et al ., “ exotica / fmdc : a workflow management system for mobile and disconnected clients ,” journal of distributed and parallel databases , 1996 . a . jhingran , “ moving up the food chain : supporting e - commerce applications on databases ,” sigmod record 29 ( 4 ): 50 - 54 ( 2000 ). douglas b . terry et al ., “ managing update conflicts in bayou , a weakly connected replicated storage system , “ symposium on operating systems principles ( sosp ) 1995 : 172 - 183 . brian noble et al ., “ agile application - aware adaptation for mobility ,” symposium on operating systems principles ( sosp ) 1997 : 276 - 287 . prabhu ram et al ., “ distributed transactions in practice ,” sigmod record , 1999 . while the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims .	7
a yarn feeder r in fig1 has a stationary housing 1 which receives a drive motor m , and supports a storage drum t . the yarn feeder r can be used as a weft yarn -- storing and feeding device for weaving machines ( not shown ). the storage drum t is rotatably supported by a main drive shaft 2 ( illustrated diagrammatically by its axis ) and is hindered by means , e . g . magnets , in ( not shown ) a conventional fashion from rotating with the rotating drive shaft 2 . a winding or winding tube 3 is fixed to the drive shaft 2 . the winding - on tube 3 projects obliquely outwardly from the axis of main shaft 2 and carries at its free end an eyelet defining a yarn exit 5 . in fig1 the yarn y is inserted at the left side into the hollow main drive shaft 2 , extends through the winding - on tube 3 and exits via yarn exit 5 , where the yarn is then deflected towards the surface of the storage drum t and laid down on the surface in windings 6 . a textile machine ( not shown ) consumes the yarn supply consisting of the windings 6 upon demand . a bracket 9 extending alongside of and outside the storage drum t is connected with housing 1 . a sensor housing 10 containing several optoelectronic sensors s and s2 is arranged at bracket 9 ; at the lower side thereof and facing the surface of the storage drum t . in a winding - on region 7 , e . g . of conical shape , of storage drum t , a reflecting coating 8 is provided against which the opto - electronic sensor s is directed from the exterior . the opto - electronic sensors monitors the presence of the first yarn winding or windings or the travel of the yarn y from yarn exit 5 into windings 6 . the sensor s ( and also sensor s2 ) is received inside sensor housing 10 , behind a light inlet /- exit zone 11 or 12 , respectively , formed as a window . the light inlet /- exit zone 11 or 12 lies in the lower side of the sensor housing 10 . during operation of the yarn feeder r and with the rotation of yarn winding - on tube 3 , a forceful air stream 14 occurs which carries contaminants such as yarn parts , particles of an impregnation substance , and the like . the air stream 14 is directed against the lower side of the sensor housing 10 and , therefore , acts against the light inlet /- exit zone 11 and forcibly deposits contaminants there . in order to prevent these deposits from occurring a wind deflector 13 provided . the wind deflector 13 is located in the axial direction of storage drum t between yarn exit 5 and the light inlet /- exit zone 11 and is protrudes over said light inlet /- exit zone 11 in a direction towards the storage drum t . the wind deflector 13 can be unitary or integral with the lower side of sensor housing 10 . it is also possible to manufacture the wind deflector 13 as a form part and to fix it at the lower side of a sensor housing . the wind deflector 13 is designed and arranged such that the light inlet /- exit zone 11 is located leeward or downstream of deflector 13 ( with respect to air stream 14 ) and such that the air stream 14 is disturbed , formed into vortexes or diverted at the wind deflector 13 so that airstream 14 is unable to act directly against the light inlet /- exit zone 11 . fig2 shows that the wind deflector 13 is embodied by an essentially radial wall having a length which is greater than the width d of the light inlet /- exit zone 11 ( length of wind deflector 13 should at least equal its height h which essentially corresponds with the width d of the light inlet /- exit zone 11 ). the distance as measure in the axial direction between wind deflector 13 and the light inlet /- exit zone 11 preferably is smaller than the height h of the wind deflector 13 . fig1 and 2 also illustrated other light inlet /- exit zones , e . g . 12 , located further downstream , and associated with further sensors , e . g . s2 , which zones are shielded by a means of an upstream positioned wind deflector 13 &# 39 ;. of particular importance , however , is the wind deflector 13 closest to the light inlet /- exit zone 11 nearest t o yarn exit 5 , since this zone tends to receive the most contaminants . in most cases , the first wind deflector 13 is sufficient also to avoid the contamination of sensor windows -- e . g . 12 , provided further downstream . fig3 a - 3h illustrate variations of the wind deflector 13 . in fig3 a wind deflector 13 is a straight , essentially radial wall facing against the air stream 14 such that the light inlet /- exit zone 11 lies in the leeward wind shade of or downstream of wind deflector 13 . in fig3 b the wind deflector 13 cross section , and the inclined side of the wind deflector 13 faces or opposes air stream 14 . alternatively , according to the embodiment of fig3 c the essentially radial side of deflector 13 faces or opposes air stream 14 . in fig3 d the wind deflector 13 is oriented obliquely against the direction of the air stream 14 . it further is possible to arrange the deflector 13 opposite to that shown in fig3 d such that the wind deflector 13 somewhat hangs over the light inlet /- exit zone 11 . in fig3 e the wind deflector 13 is provided with an arc - shaped or terminal - shaped curved cross section . the hook end of the hook can extend in a direction opposite to the air stream 14 or alternately in the direction of the air stream 14 ( flow - break off edge ). in fig3 f , in a plane view onto the lower side of sensor housing 19 , the wind deflector 13 is illustrated as having a c - shaped configuration with its convexly curved side arranged to counter or oppose the air stream 14 . in fig3 g the wind deflector 13 the shape of an arrow or v such that either the point of the arrow is oriented in opposition to the air stream 14 , or alternatively the opposite side of the point may be oriented in opposition to the air stream 14 ( not shown ). in fig3 h an inverse mounting position of the c - shaped wind deflector 13 as shown in fig3 f is illustrated . the wind deflector 13 is preferably unitary or integral with the lower side of the sensor housing 10 . it is also possible to separately manufacture the deflector 13 as a plastic - or metal form part and then to attach the wind deflector 13 at the lower side of the sensor housing , e . g . by gluing , screwing , soldering , riveting or the like , e . g . in order to later equip or retrofit yarn feeders currently in use . for a window with a width of approximately 4 mm to 7 mm as the light inlet /- exit zone 11 ( in round or square form ), the wind deflector 13 can have a length up to 20 mm , a height h of about 4 mm and a thickness of about 1 . 5 mm . the longitudinal extension or length should at least correspond to the width d of the light inlet / exit zone . although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been disclosed in detail for illustrative purposes , it will be recognized that variations or modifications of the disclosed apparatus , including the rearrangement of parts , lie within the scope of the present invention .	3
the present invention provides an electrical connector for a disk drive which includes contacts for power , logic , and jumper connections . fig2 is an illustration a portion of a connector 100 of one embodiment of the present invention illustrating the power contacts 104 , and the jumper contacts 108 . within the power contacts 104 there is a + 12v contact 112 , a first ground contact 116 , a second ground contact 120 , and a + 5v contact 124 . within the jumper contacts 108 , there is a gpio - 1 contact 128 , a gpio - 2 contact 132 , a gpio - 11 contact 136 , a first gpio - 10 contact 140 , a second gpio - 10 contact 144 , a gpio - 0 contact 148 , a first ground contact 152 , a second ground contact 156 , and a self servo write ( ssw ) contact 160 . the ssw contact 160 , in this embodiment , provides a contact for a minus 5v supply for use while performing a self servo write operation , as discussed above , using more than a single read / write head within the disk drive . other voltages are also possible , with minus 5v being the voltage for this embodiment . providing the ssw contact 160 enables the disk drive to perform the self servo write operation during manufacture by , for example , placing the disk drive in a test rack with the test rack having contacts to provide minus 5v to the ssw contact 160 . in this embodiment , the self test rack also may have contacts to connect to the gpio - 1 contact 128 and the gpio - 2 contact 132 , which send and receive data related to the self servo write operation . in one embodiment , the gpio - 1 contact 128 operates to receive servo write information from the self test rack , and the gpio - 2 contact 132 operates to transmit servo write information to the self test rack . as previously discussed , when placing a minus 5v contact in the jumper contacts , making an electrical connection between this minus 5v contact and another jumper contact may result in damage to the electrical components within the disk drive . such damage may result in the drive no longer being functional . in order to help insure that contact is not made between the minus 5v contact and another jumper contact , a physical change is made to the disk drive . such a physical change is illustrated , for one embodiment of the present invention , in fig3 . the disk drive connector , or interface , 100 of fig3 includes a molded in shroud 168 , which provides restricted access to the ssw contact 160 . while the embodiment of fig3 has a shroud which is molded into the plastic which surrounds the electrical interface , and acts as an insulation around the ssw contact 160 , other devices for restricting access to the ssw contact 160 may also be used which are not molded into the plastic , such as , for example , a bead which is placed onto the contact at the manufacturing facility . such a bead may be held in place around the ssw contact 160 by mechanical interference ( force fit ), or an adhesive . the shroud 168 restricts access by preventing a customer from placing a shorting jumper across the ssw contact 160 which would electrically connect the ssw contact 160 with , for example , the gpio - 1 contact 128 . by restricting access to the ssw contact 160 in such a way , the chances are significantly reduced that any electrical contact between the ssw contact 160 , and any of the other contacts in the jumper contacts area 108 will be made . in addition to providing a physical restriction to the ssw contact 160 , the shroud 168 also provides a visual indication that the contact should not be connected to any other contacts . in one embodiment , the shroud 168 is a different color , thus providing additional visual indication that the ssw contact 160 should not be connected to another contact . referring now to fig4 , a cross - sectional illustration of a ssw contact 160 and associated shroud 168 for one embodiment is now discussed . in this embodiment , the shroud 168 is configured such that the ssw contact 160 extends beyond the end of the shroud 168 by a distance d . this extension of the ssw contact 160 enables a “ pogo pin ” contact from a test rack to contact the ssw contact 160 relatively easily . a pogo pin contact is a contact which is associated with the test rack , and contains a mechanism which allows the contact to telescope with respect to the test rack , such that when a disk drive is inserted into the test rack the pogo pin contact contacts the appropriate electrical contact on the disk drive and maintains pressure on the electrical contact during testing operations . as illustrated in fig4 , the end of the ssw contact 160 extends beyond the end of the shroud 168 , thus allowing a pogo pin to have a relatively flat or slightly concave surface which contacts the ssw contact 160 . other pogo pin surfaces are possible , so long as a reliable contact may be made to the ssw contact 160 . fig5 illustrates a connection between a pogo pin 170 , and the ssw contact 160 of fig4 . in another embodiment , illustrated in fig6 , a shroud 172 extends beyond the end of the ssw contact 160 . in this embodiment , the test rack would be configured with a pogo pin which is operable to extend into the opening in the shroud 172 and contact the ssw contact 160 . fig7 illustrates a connection between such a pogo pin 174 and the ssw contact 160 . this embodiment further reduces potential contact with the ssw contact 160 and other jumper contacts , although it requires tighter tolerances for the placement of the disk drive into the test rack to insure the pogo pin 174 from the test rack enters the opening in the shroud 172 . in another embodiment , illustrated in fig8 , the ssw contact 160 is manufactured such that it extends only a short distance beyond the base plate 176 of the plastic connector 100 . this configuration is referred to as a “ runt pin ” configuration . in this embodiment , even though no shroud is utilized , the likelihood of contact between the ssw contact 160 and other contacts is reduced because a shorting jumper is not able to be placed on the ssw contact due to its reduced height . thus , even if a shorting jumper was attempted to be placed on an adjacent contact to the runt pin ssw contact 160 , the reduced height of the runt pin minimizes the likelihood of an unintended contact between it and another contact . in this embodiment , as illustrated in fig9 , the pogo pin contact 178 in the test rack is configured such that it extends to contact the runt pin on the disk drive , enabling contact to be made between the pogo pin contact 178 and the ssw contact 160 . in another embodiment , illustrated in fig1 , a cap 180 is also used to restrict access to the ssw contact 160 . in this embodiment , the cap 180 is placed over the shroud 168 to completely insulate the ssw contact 160 . the cap 180 may be held in place by mechanical interference ( force fit ), by an adhesive , or by thermal shrinking of the cap after it is placed over the shroud . thus , the possibility of inadvertent contact to the ssw contact 160 is further reduced . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 , the cap 180 is placed over the shroud 168 , however it will be understood that other configurations of a cap may be used , such as a cap which blocks any access to the ssw contact 160 through the shroud 168 , as well as a cap that is placed over the ssw contact 160 without a shroud 168 being present at all . referring now to fig1 , a perspective illustration of a test rack slot 200 with respect to a hard disk drive 204 is now described for one embodiment of the present invention . in this embodiment , a hard disk drive 204 is inserted into the test rack slot 200 . as will be understood , there are typically a relatively large number of test rack slots 200 in a test rack for a disk drive manufacturing facility , in order to simultaneously test a large number of disk drives 204 . since the test racks hold many test rack slots 200 , it is convenient and practical to have electrical contacts between the test rack slot 200 and the hard disk drive 204 only at the rear of the hard disk drive 204 , at the 3 - in - 1 connector 208 for the disk drive 204 . this contact point allows multiple test rack slots 200 , and thus multiple hard disk drives 204 , to be stacked relative to one another in order to make efficient use of available space . the disk drives 204 may then be slid into and out of the test rack slots 200 . to facilitate the electrical connections to the electrical contacts in the 3 - in - 1 connector 208 , the test rack slot 200 contains a number of pogo pins 212 . as mentioned above , pogo pins 212 operate to contact the appropriate electrical contacts in the 3 - in - 1 connector 208 to the proper test fixture contact to perform testing operations , and ssw operations . the number of pogo pins 212 illustrated in fig1 is for the purposes of illustration only , and a test rack slot 200 may contain any number of pogo pins 212 , including more or fewer pogo pins 212 than are illustrated in fig1 . the test rack slot 200 is configured such that , when a disk drive 204 is aligned and fully inserted into the slot 200 , the pogo pins 212 contact the appropriate electrical contacts within the 3 - in - 1 connector 208 . the disk drive 204 has a connection for an external power supply for enabling ssw operations for more than one head on the disk drive 204 . thus , in this embodiment , the disk drive 204 is inserted into the test rack slot 200 and ssw operations , as well as other diagnostic and testing operations , may be performed . while the invention has been described in reference to a disk drive , it also has applicability to other electronic devices which may have additional or different power requirements during manufacturing than required for normal customer use . for example , a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant may have an operating system programmed into a programmable read only memory . when programming the programmable read only memory , a voltage higher than required for customer use may be beneficial for manufacturing efficiency . in such a situation , a connection as described herein may be utilized to help prevent inadvertent contact between incompatible electronic contacts . the foregoing discussion of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description . the foregoing is not intended to limit the invention to the form or forms disclosed herein . although the description of the invention has included description of one or more embodiments and certain variations and modifications , other variations and modifications are within the scope of the invention , e . g . as may be within the skill and knowledge of those in the art , after understanding the present disclosure . for example , the invention is described above in relation to hard disk drives , although the invention is also applicable to any application in which an electrical contact may be required for manufacturing purposes , but which is not needed by the device at the customer for normal device operation . it is intended to obtain rights which include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted , including alternate , interchangeable and / or equivalent structures , functions , ranges or steps to those claimed , whether or not such alternate , interchangeable and / or equivalent structures , functions , ranges or steps are disclosed herein , and without intending to publicly dedicate any patentable subject matter .	7
cashew nut shell liquid ( cnsl ) possessed inhibitory activity towards p300 . the systematic bio - activity guided fractionation of cnsl yielded unsaturated anacardic acids mixture , namely , the 8 ′ z - monoene , the 8 ′ z , 11 ′ z - diene , and the 8 ′ z , 11 ′ z , 14 ′ z - triene , which are the chief constituents (˜ 75 %) of cashew nutshell liquid ( 18 ), having maximum hat inhibitory activity . the hydrogenation of unsaturated anacardic acids mixture yielded a single compound , anacardic acid ( 2 - hydroxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ) showing an equally potent inhibitory activity towards p300 . this data indicated that absence of unsaturation in anacardic acid did not alter its hat inhibitory property . neither salicylic acid nor benzoic acid shown any inhibitory activity against histone acetyltransferases . the rate of the acetylation reaction at different concentrations of the inhibitors ( and in its absence ) was recorded with increasing concentrations of [ 3 h ]- acetyl coa and a constant amount of core histones . the double reciprocal plot for each inhibitor concentration and in its absence ( 1 / c . p . m . vs . 1 /[ acetyl coa ]) was plotted as shown in fig3 e . the results suggest that anacardic acid is a non - competitive type of p300 - hat inhibitor . the acidic group on the both salicylic acid and anacardic acid was modified to respective different amide derivatives using substituted anilides . most of these compounds , with different anilide moieties on anacardic acid and salicylic acid , when tested in vitro hat assay ( filter binding ), surprisingly showed an enhancement in the p300 hat activity , while keeping the pcaf hat activity mostly unperturbed . the interchanging of substitution pattern on the ring b in formula i was found to be affecting activation profile of molecule . deacetylation of the core histones in the presence or absence of the hat activating compounds , at 100 μm or 500 μm , shows no difference in the deacetylase enzyme activity indicating no affect on deacetylation activity and the hat enzyme specificity . the addition of increasing concentration of either inhibitors or activators does not produce any variation in the transcript levels as compared to the dmso control indicating that the compounds do not affect any component of the basal transcription machinery . the template pg 5 ml - array ( 8 ) was assembled into chromatin using the nap1 mediated assembly method ( experimental procedures ). addition of activators to the hat - dependent transcription reaction along with the p300 and acetyl coa after allowing for 30 min of acetylation either in the presence or absence of the compound . under these conditions we found the addition of dmso produced a slight drop in the transcript levels while the addition of activators enhanced the levels of transcription 1 . 6 fold over the dmso control . thus this result indicates that ctpb specifically enhances the hat activity of p300 , a function that is reflected even at the transcriptional level . in order to explain the 1 . 6 - fold increase in transcription levels , in contrast to the ˜ 5 - fold increase in the histone acetylation levels ; inhibitors did not affect the transcription from the dna template , but the hat - dependent transcription from chromatin template was inhibited by addition of inhibitors at 10 μm concentration . the cashew nut shell liquid ( cnsl ) is also known as cashew nut shell oil . cnsl is a dark brown viscous liquid reported to be 15 - 20 % by weight of the unshelled nut in africa , 25 - 30 % by weight in india and ca . 25 % overall . cnsl contains 90 % anacardic acid and 10 % cardol . 1 . roasting nuts and collecting expelled liquid ( indian native method , yield 50 %). 2 . extract with hot cnsl without charring the kernels ( yield 85 - 90 %). 3 . super heated steam treatment and collect condensate ( used to improve yields of 2 ). 4 . solvent extraction with hexane leading to more percentage of anacardic acid . 5 . supercritical fluid extraction . cnsl can also be extracted from cashew nuts that are soaked in water or humidified in piles and then held in a humid atmosphere so that the shell has set moisture content from 15 - 45 % depending on the methods . cnsl is used in the manufacture of brake linings , industrial belting and clutches , reinforcing synthetic rubber , for oil and acid resistance , in lacquers , in electrical insulation material , as a metal anti - corrosive material , for waterproofing and as an adhesive . the use of cnsl in varnishes , lacquers , paints and brake linings requires distillation and further refinement . anacardic acid ( 6 - pentadecylsalicylic acid ), a major component of cashew nut shell liquid ( cnsl ), is obtained by solvent extraction of cashew nut shells . it exists as a heterogeneous mixture of monoenes , dienes , and trienes . more specifically cold processed cnsl was purchased from commercial source . the anacardic acid present in the cnsl was purified as calcium anacardate by adding calcium hydroxide to cnsl dissolved in isopropyl alcohol . the pure calcium salt of anacardic acid was dried and treated with 1n hcl to release free anacardic acid ene mixture ( containing n = 0 , 2 , 4 , 6 ) ( general food corporation ( rye , n . y .) indian patent , 34671 , 1946 ). the ene mixture obtained by above method was hydrogenated in ethylacetate for 4 hrs over 10 % palladium - carbon using a parr hydrogenator . the catalyst was filtered off and the solvent evaporated in vacuo to yield saturated anacardic acid . the alkylation with dimethyl and diethyl sulphates using potassium carbonate gave the dialkylated derivative . diisopropyl anacardic acid was obtained by using isopropyl bromide in presence of k 2 co 3 with phase transfer catalyst in m1bk for 36 hrs . dialkylated anacardic acids were treated with potassium tertiary butoxide in dmso to yield respective o - alkyl anacardic acids . the o - alkyl anacardic acids on treatment with thionyl chloride in the presence of a catalytic amount of dmf yield corresponding o - alkyl anacardic acid chlorides . the resultant acid chlorides condensed with different substituted anilines yielded respective benzamide derivatives . all compounds were characterized by using fabms . tlc was done using precoated silica gel gf 254 plates ( merck , darmstadt , germany ) with hexane : ethyl acetate ( 7 : 3 ) as the developing solvent and visualized after spraying with vanillin sulphuric acid reagent . the following are preparation of starting materials used for synthesis of activator molecules and inhibitor molecules . isolation of anacardic acid from cnsl . commercially available solvent - extracted cnsl ( 1 kg ) was dissolved in 5 % aqueous methanol ( 6 . 2 l ), and calcium hydroxide ( 510 g ) was added in portions under stirring . after complete addition of calcium hydroxide , the temperature of the reaction mixture was raised to 54 ° c . and stirring was continued for 4 h . the supernatant solution was monitored by tlc for the absence of anacardic acid . after completion of the reaction , the precipitated calcium anacardate was filtered and washed thoroughly with methanol ( 2 . 5 l ), and the cake was dried under vacuum at 45 - 54 ° c . for 3 h ( dry weight 1 . 08 kg ). the filtrate was preserved for subsequent isolation of cardol and cardanol . calcium anacardate ( 1 . 08 kg ) was suspended in distilled water ( 4 . 5 l ) and 11 m hcl ( 600 ml ) was added and stirred for 1 . 5 h . the resultant solution was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 2 l ). the combined organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 2 l ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated under reduced pressure to yield 600 g of mixture of anacardic acid ( monoene , diene , and triene ). preparation of saturated anacardic acid . to a solution of an ene mixture of anacardic acid ( 500 g , 1300 mmol ) in methanol ( 2 . 0 l ) was added 5 % palladium - carbon ( 25 g ), and then hydrogen gas was passed through the solution at 2 . 5 kg / cm 2 until consumption of hydrogen gas ceased ( 4 - 5 h ). the reaction mass was filtered over a celite bed and washed with methanol ( 100 ml ). the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give an off - white solid ( 477 g ), which on recrystallization from hexane yielded 450 g . preparation of methyl 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate . to a stirred solution of anacardic acid mentioned above ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). dimethyl sulfate ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 10 min at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title methyl 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid . to a stirred solution of methyl 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 10 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 40 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 10 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 70 ° c . on a water bath for 2 h , and the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 8 : 2 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 10 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 5 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in hexane ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 7 . 6 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for the condensation with anilides . preparation of ethyl 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate . to a stirred solution of anacardic acid mentioned above ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). diethyl sulfate ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 10 min at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title ethyl 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid . to a stirred solution of ethyl 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 20 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 80 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 20 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 68 ° c . on a water bath for 3 h , the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 9 : 1 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 15 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 10 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in petroleum ether ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 15 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for the condensation with anilides . preparation of propyl 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate . to a stirred solution of anacardic acid mentioned above ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). n - propyl iodide ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 24 hrs at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title propyl 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid . to a stirred solution of propyl 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 10 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 40 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 10 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 70 ° c . on a water bath for 2 h , and the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 8 : 2 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 10 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 5 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in hexane ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 7 . 6 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for the condensation with anilides preparation of isopropyl 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate . to a stirred solution of anacardic acid mentioned above ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). isopropoxyiodide ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 10 min at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title isopropyl 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid . to a stirred solution of isopropyl 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 10 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 40 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 10 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 70 ° c . on a water bath for 2 h , and the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 8 : 2 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 10 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 5 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in hexane ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 7 . 6 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for condensation with anilides . preparation of methyl 2 - methoxy - benzoate . to a stirred solution of salicylic acid ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). dimethyl sulfate ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 10 min at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title methyl 2 - methoxy - benzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - methoxy - benzoic acid . to a stirred solution of v ( 10 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 40 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 10 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 70 ° c . on a water bath for 2 h , and the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 8 : 2 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 10 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 5 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in hexane ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - methoxy - benzoic acid ( 7 . 6 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - methoxy - benzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - methoxy - benzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - methoxy - benzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for the condensation with anilides . preparation of ethyl 2 - ethoxy - benzoate . to a stirred solution of salicylic acid ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). diethyl sulfate ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 10 min at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title ethyl 2 - ethoxy - benzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - ethoxy - benzoic acid . to a stirred solution of ethyl 2 - ethoxy - benzoate ( 10 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 40 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 10 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 70 ° c . on a water bath for 2 h , and the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 8 : 2 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 10 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 5 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in hexane ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - ethoxy - benzoic acid ( 7 . 6 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - ethoxy - benzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - ethoxy - benzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for the condensation with anilides . preparation of propyl 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate . to a stirred solution of salicylic acid mentioned above ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). n - propyl iodide ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 24 hrs at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title propyl 2 - propoxy - benzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - propoxy - benzoic acid . to a stirred solution of propyl 2 - propoxy - benzoate ( 10 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 40 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 10 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 70 ° c . on a water bath for 2 h , and the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 8 : 2 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 10 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 5 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in hexane ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - propoxy - benzoic acid ( 7 . 6 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - propoxy - benzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - propoxy - benzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for the condensation with anilides . preparation of isopropyl 2 - isopropoxy - benzoate . to a stirred solution of anacardic acid mentioned above ( 50 g , 143 mmol ) in acetone ( 300 ml ) was added anhydrous powdered potassium carbonate ( 80 g , 580 mmol ). isopropyl iodide ( 44 . 25 g , 290 mmol ) was added in portions for about 10 min at room temperature . after the addition was complete , the solution was heated to reflux temperature on a water bath and maintained for 3 h . the solution was cooled to room temperature and then concentrated under reduced pressure . distilled water ( 200 ml ) was added to the reaction mixture , which was then extracted with ethyl acetate ( 200 ml ). the organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 200 ml ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated to yield the title isopropyl 2 - isopropoxy - benzoate ( 45 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - isopropoxy - benzoic acid . to a stirred solution of isopropyl 2 - isopropoxy - benzoate ( 10 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 40 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 10 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 70 ° c . on a water bath for 2 h , and the progress of the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 8 : 2 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 10 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 5 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in hexane ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - isopropoxy - benzoic acid ( 7 . 6 g , 80 %). preparation of 2 - isopropoxy - benzoyl chloride . to a stirred solution of 2 - isopropoxy - benzoic acid ( 6 . 5 g , 16 mmol ) in hexane ( 60 ml ) were added thionyl chloride ( 2 . 5 g , 21 mmol ) and n , n - dimethylformamide ( 0 . 5 ml ). the reaction mixture was heated to reflux for 1 h . after the reaction was complete , the solvent was evaporated under reduced pressure to yield the desired 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoyl chloride , which was redissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and used for condensation with following anilides to yield respective benzamides . b : biochemical methods : purification of human core histones and recombinant proteins - human core histones were purified from hela nuclear pellet as described previously ( 12 ). the flag epitope tagged human topoisomerase i , histone deacetylase 1 ( hdac1 ) and pcaf , were purified from the recombinant baculovirus infected insect cell line , si 217 by the immunoaffinity purification using m2 - agarose ( sigma )( 13 ). full - length p300 was also purified from the recombinant baculovirus infected sf21 cells as a his6 - tagged protein through the ni - nta affinity column ( qiagen ) as described previously ( 12 ). the his6 - tagged nucleosome assembly protein 1 ( nap1 ), used for the in vitro chromatin assembly was purified from e . coli cells as previously reported ( 12 ) and the flag - tagged chimeric activator ga14 - vp16 , expressed in e . coli and purified by immunoaffinity purification with m2 agarose . human positive transcriptional coactivator , pc4 , was expressed in e . coli and purified as described earlier ( 14 ). the peptide substrate , a 45 residue core histone h3 n - terminal peptide ( n - cartkqtarkstggkaprqlaskaarksapstggvkkphrykpg - c ) seq id no : 1 was synthesized . hat assays were performed as described elsewhere ( 12 ). briefly , indicated amounts of proteins / peptide were incubated in hat - assay buffer containing 50 mm tris - hcl , ph 8 . 0 , 10 % ( v / v ) glycerol , 1 mm dithiothreitol , 1 mm phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride , 0 . 1 mm edta , ph 8 . 0 , 10 mm sodium butyrate at 30 ° c . for 10 min in presence or absence of compound followed by the addition of 1 pi of 6 . 2 ci / mmol [ 3 h ]- acetyl coenzyme a ( acetyl - coa ) and were further incubated for another 10 min . the final reaction volume was 30 ul . the reaction mixture was then blotted onto p - 81 ( whatman ) filter papers and radioactive counts were recorded on a wallac 1409 liquid scintillation counter . in order to characterize the inhibition kinetics of anacardic acid , filter - binding assays were done using constant amount of hela core histones in the presence or absence of aa with increasing concentrations of [ 3h ]- acetyl coa ( see fig3 e ). to visualize the radiolabeled acetylated histones , the reaction mixtures were resolved on 15 % sds - page and processed for fluorography as described elsewhere ( 14 ). histone deacetylase assay : deacetylation assays were performed in the hat assay buffer without sodium butyrate . 2 μg of core histones were incubated with 20 ng of p300 and 1 μl of 6 . 2 ci / mmol [ 3 h ]- acetyl coa for 15 min at 30 ° c . the activity of p300 was inhibited by incubating the reaction mixture with 10 nm p300 - hat specific inhibitor , lysyl - coa ( 10 ), for 10 min after which 50 ng of hdac1 was added , in the presence or absence of the compounds , and incubated further for 45 min . the samples were analysed by fluorography . in vitro chromatin assembly : chromatin template for in vitro transcription experiments was assembled and characterized as described earlier ( 8 ). in vitro transcription assay : transcription assays were essentially carried out as described elsewhere ( 8 ), with minor modifications . the scheme of transcription is enumerated in fig6 a . briefly , 30 ng of dna / equivalent amount of chromatin template was incubated with 30 ng of activator ( gal4 - vp16 ) in a buffer containing 4 mm hepes ( ph 7 . 8 ), 20 mm kcl , 2 mm dtt , 0 . 2 mm pmsf , 10 mm sodium butyrate , 0 . 1 mg / ml bsa , 2 % glycerol ( 8 ). the activating compounds were added to the acetylation reaction along with p300 and acetyl - coa , and incubated for 30 min . at 30 ° c . this was followed by addition of the p300 specific inhibitor lysyl coa ( 5 nom ) to quench the acetylation reaction . for inhibitors , the hat p300 was pre - incubated with indicated amounts of inhibitor on ice for 20 min ., following which it was added to the acetylation reaction in the transcription assay . for the dna transcription assays and chromatin transcription inhibition assays , the lysyl coa step was omitted . after acetylation , hela nuclear extract ( 5 μl , which contains ˜ 8 mg / ml protein ) was added to initiate the pre - initiation complex formation . transcription reaction was started by the addition of ntp - mix and α -[ 32 p ]- utp , after the pre - initiation complex formation . the incubation was continued for 40 min at 30 ° c . transcription was terminated by the addition of 250 μl stop buffer ( 20 mm tris - hcl ph 8 . 0 , 1 mm edta , 100 mm nacl , 1 % sds and 0 . 025 ng / μl trna ). the 32 p - radiolabeled transcript was extracted with phenol - chloroform , ethanol precipitated , dried pellet dissolved in loading dye ( 8 m urea , 0 . 005 % bromophenol blue and xylene cyanol ) and analyzed on 5 % urea - polyacrylamide gel . gels were then dried and subjected to autoradiography at − 70 ° c . quantification of transcription was done by fuji bas system . quantitation of dna and chromatin transcription data represents three independent experiments . the following examples illustrate the preparation of compounds of formula i using the starting materials described above : 2 - ethoxy - 1 - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - ethoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - methoxy - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - methoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - propoxy - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - propoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluromethyl - phenyl )- benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - isopropoxy - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - isopropoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - chloro benzenetriflouride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 4 - amino - 2 - trifluoromethyl benzonitrile in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - cyano - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - chloro benzenetriflouride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 4 - amino - 2 - trifluoromethyl benzonitrile in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - cyano - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - chloro benzenetriflouride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - n - propoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - chloro benzenetriflouride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 4 - amino - 2 - trifluoromethyl benzonitrile in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - cyano - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - n - propoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 4 - amino - 2 - trifluoromethyl benzonitrile in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - cyano - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - chloro benzenetriflouride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - ethoxy - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 4 - amino - 2 - trifluoromethyl benzonitrile in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - cyano - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - ethoxy - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - chloro benzenetriflouride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - methoxy - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 4 - amino - 2 - trifluoromethyl benzonitrile in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - cyano - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - methoxy - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - propoxy - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - chloro benzenetriflouride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - chloro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - n - propoxy - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - isopropoxy - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 4 - amino - 2 - trifluoromethyl benzonitrile in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield n -( 4 - cyano - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 2 - isopropoxy - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - ethoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - methoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - methoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - propoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - propoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . 2 - isopropoxy - 6 - pentadecyl - benzoyl chloride was condensed with 5 - amino - 2 - nitrobenzotrifluoride in dichloromethane in presence of triethylamine as acid scavenger to yield 2 - isopropoxy - n -( 4 - nitro - 3 - trifluoromethyl - phenyl )- 6 - pentadecyl - benzamide . the reaction mixture was then concentrated in vacuo and the residue was extracted into ethyl acetate . the ethyl acetate layer was washed with water and with cold aqueous hydrochloric acid , then dried over sodium sulphate and finally concentrated in vacuo . the residue obtained was chromatographed over silica gel to afford the desired product . isolation of anacardic acid from cnsl . commercially available solvent - extracted cnsl ( 1 kg ) was dissolved in 5 % aqueous methanol ( 6 . 2 l ), and calcium hydroxide ( 510 g ) was added in portions under stirring . after complete addition of calcium hydroxide , the temperature of the reaction mixture was raised to 54 ° c . and stirring was continued for 4 h . the supernatant solution was monitored by tlc for the absence of anacardic acid . after completion of the reaction , the precipitated calcium anacardate was filtered and washed thoroughly with methanol ( 2 . 5 l ), and the cake was dried under vacuum at 45 - 54 ° c . for 3 h ( dry weight 1 . 08 kg ). the filtrate was preserved for subsequent isolation of cardol and cardanol . calcium anacardate ( 1 . 08 kg ) was suspended in distilled water ( 4 . 5 l ) and 11 m hcl ( 600 ml ) was added and stirred for 1 . 5 h . the resultant solution was extracted with ethyl acetate ( 2 × 2 l ). the combined organic layer was washed with distilled water ( 2 × 2 l ), dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate , and concentrated under reduced pressure to yield 600 g of mixture of anacardic acid ( monoene , diene , and triene ). preparation of saturated anacardic acid . to a solution of an ene mixture of anacardic acid ( 500 g , 1300 mmol ) in methanol ( 2 . 0 l ) was added 5 % palladium - carbon ( 25 g ), and then hydrogen gas was passed through the solution at 2 . 5 kg / cm 2 until consumption of hydrogen gas ceased ( 4 - 5 h ). the reaction mass was filtered over a celite bed and washed with methanol ( 100 ml ). the filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give an off - white solid ( 477 g ), which on recrystallization from hexane yielded 450 g . to a stirred solution of ethyl 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate was reduced to alcohol using lithium aluminum hydride . anacardic alcohol was oxidized to corresponding anacardic aldehyde using pyridinium chloro chromate . to a stirred solution of ethyl 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoate ( 20 g , 240 mmol ) in dimethyl sulfoxide ( 80 ml ) was added potassium tert - butoxide ( 20 g , 890 mmol ) in portions . the solution was heated to 68 ° c . on a water bath for 3 h , the reaction was monitored by tlc using a hexane - ethyl acetate ( 9 : 1 ) solvent system . the reaction mass was cooled to 15 ° c ., poured into ice water , and then acidified with 10 % dilute hydrochloric acid . the precipitated solid was filtered and washed thoroughly with distilled water , and the crude mass was recrystallized in petroleum ether ( 50 ml ) to yield an off - white solid of 2 - ethoxy - 6 - pentadecylbenzoic acid ( 15 g , 80 %). 1 h - nmr : δ6 . 80 - 7 . 44 ( 3h , aromatic ), δ3 . 98 ( 2h , m , och2 ), δ2 . 55 ( 2h , m , ar — ch2 ), 1 . 29 - 1 . 63 ( 26h , m , methylene ), δ1 . 33 ( 3h , t , methyl next to och2 ), δ0 . 96 ( 3h , t , methyl ) commercially available solvent - extracted cnsl ( 1 kg ) was dissolved in 5 % aqueous methanol ( 6 . 2 l ), and calcium hydroxide ( 510 g ) was added in portions under stirring . after complete addition of calcium hydroxide , the temperature of the reaction mixture was raised to 54 ° c . and stirring was continued for 4 h . the supernatant solution was monitored by tlc for the absence of anacardic acid . after completion of the reaction , the precipitated calcium anacardate was filtered and washed thoroughly with methanol ( 2 . 5 l ). the methanol layer was collected and concentrated in vacuo . the concentrate was further purified on silica gel ( 100 - 200 mesh ) by column chromatography by using increasing amounts ethyl acetate in hexane to fractionate cardanol . commercially available solvent - extracted cnsl ( 1 kg ) was dissolved in 5 % aqueous methanol ( 6 . 2 l ), and calcium hydroxide ( 510 g ) was added in portions under stirring . after complete addition of calcium hydroxide , the temperature of the reaction mixture was raised to 54 ° c . and stirring was continued for 4 h . the supernatant solution was monitored by tlc for the absence of anacardic acid . after completion of the reaction , the precipitated calcium anacardate was filtered and washed thoroughly with methanol ( 2 . 5 l ). the methanol layer was collected and concentrated in vacuo . the concentrate was further purified on silica gel ( 100 - 200 mesh ) by column chromatography by using increasing amounts ethyl acetate in hexane to fractionate cardol . we have identified a small molecule compound , anacardic acid , from cashew nut shell liquid , know to have anti - tumor activity , which inhibits hat activity of p300 and pcaf ( fig1 a and 1b ). surprisingly , the amide derivatives ( fig3 a - 3e , fig4 a - 4b , and fig5 ) of the same compound show an enhancement of p300 hat activity with human core histones ( fig6 a - 6e ). these compounds are found to be specific for p300 since even at high concentration it cannot affect the hat activity of pcaf ( fig7 a - 7e ). the inhibitor anacardic acid also inhibits p300 hat activity dependent transcription from the chromatin template but not dna transcription . these results indicate the hat specific activity of anacardic acid . as expected , the amide derivatives enhance hat - dependent chromatin transcription whereas transcription from the dna template remained unaffected . most of the analogs of the amide compounds showed similar activity with regards to activation of histone acetylation , except one of the cn — derivatives , predominantly enhanced the acetylation of histone h3 . 1 . roth , s . y ., denu , j . m ., and allis , c . d . ( 2001 ) annu . rev . biochem . 70 , 81 - 120 2 . sterner , d . e ., and berger , s . l . ( 2000 ) microbiol . mol . biol . rev . 64 , 2 , 435 - 459 3 . redner , r . l ., wang , j ., and liu , j . m . ( 1999 ) blood 94 , 2 , 417 - 428 4 . marks , p . a ., rifkind , r . a ., richon , v . m ., breslow , r ., miller , t ., and kelly , w . k . ( 2001 ) nat . rev . cancer 1 , 194 - 202 5 . giles , r . h ., peters , d . j ., and breuning , m . h . ( 1998 ) trends genet . 14 , 178 - 183 6 . murata , t ., kurokawa , r ., krones , a ., tatsunmi , k ., ishii , m ., taki , t ., masuno , m ., ohashi , h ., yanagisawa , m ., rosenfeld , m . g ., glass , c . k ., and hayashi y . ( 2001 ) hum . mol . genet . 10 , 1071 - 1076 7 . ait - si - ali , s ., ramirez , s ., barre , f . x ., dkhissi , f ., magnaghi - jaulin , l . girault , j . a ., robin , p ., knibiehler , m ., pritchard , l . l ., ducommun , b ., trouche , d ., and harel - bellan , a . ( 1998 ) nature , 396 , 184 - 186 8 . kundu , t . k , palhan , v ., wang , z ., an , w ., cole , p . a ., and roeder , r . g . ( 2000 ) mol . cell . 6 , 551 - 561 9 . cullis , p . m ., wolfeuden , r ., cousens , l ., and alberts , b . m . ( 1982 ) j . biol . chem . 257 , 12165 - 12169 10 . lau , o . d ., kundu , t . k , soccio , r . e ., ait - si - ali , s ., khalil , e . m ., vassilev , a ., wolfe , a . p ., nakatani , y ., roeder , r . g ., and cole , p . a . ( 2000 ) mol . cell . 589 - 595 11 . costanzo , a ., merlo , p ., pediconi , n ., fulco , m ., sartorelli , v ., cole , p . a ., fontemaggi , g ., fanciulli , m ., schiltz , l ., blandino , g ., balsano , c ., and levrero , m . ( 2002 ) mol . cell . 9 , 175 - 186 12 . kundu , t . k ., wang , z ., and roeder , r . g . ( 1999 ) mol . cell . biol . 19 , 1605 - 1615 13 . wang , z ., and roeder , r . g . ( 1997 ) genes dev . 11 , 1315 - 1326 14 . prashanth kumar , b . r ., swaminathan , v . banerjee , s ., and kundu , t . k . ( 2001 ) j . biol . chem . 276 , 16804 - 16809	2
scuba under water equipment 10 illustrated in fig1 embodies a compressed air tank 12 which may be mounted on a buoyancy compensator vest 14 to be worn by a scuba diver to control the pressure in the vest . the air tank 12 has compressed air at a pressure of approximately 3 , 000 pounds per square inch when the tank is picked up to start a dive . the controls and connection of the scuba equipment are connected to the tank 12 , and reduce the air pressure admitted to the scuba vest 14 dependent on the depth that the scuba diver wishes to operate , the deeper the dive the higher the pressure needs to be in the vest 14 . the scuba self contained underwater breathing apparatus is in the shape of a vest and is secured to the scuba diver &# 39 ; s body by a buckle 28 or other suitable tie . the distributor valve 16 which controls the first stage pressure reducer controls the flow of air out of the tank 12 . one of the lines 20 out of the tank 12 goes to a pressure gauge 22 which the diver can readily observe to see how such air pressure is still in the tank to enable him to judge the time that he has remaining in the dive , depending on his rate of using the breathable air from the tank 12 . another line 24 is a second stage line which goes to the second stage regulator 26 having a suitable mouth piece whereby breathable air is supplied to the diver . the pneumatic horn 40 is located in parallel relation to the low pressure line 18 from tho pressure supply tank 12 and is spaced in parallel with the standard buoyancy compensation vest 14 by means of a flexible hose 30 . in fig2 the pneumatic horn 40 is shown with a lid 42 with purge vents ( not shown ) covered by a rubber purge valve 44 . the lid 42 is unscrewed when signaling above water and is retained by a lanyard 45 of chain links attached to a rivet 46 which is secured to the lid 42 . the other end of the lanyard 45 is attached to a rivet 48 located on the horn housing 52 . when operating under water the lid 42 is applied by the threaded connection 42 to render the horn operable to exert pressure from the diaphragm 102 to be expressed as impulses in the horn structure which exerts rapidly recurring pressure which can be detected by another scuba diver . the purpose of the lid 42 when the horn is operated while under water is to prevent water from filling the cone of the horn , and to permit the diaphragm 102 to vibrate while under water to transmit a message through the water to other scuba divers who are in the area . purge vents , ( not shown ), covered by a rubber purge valve 44 are provided to dissipate water from the inner conical shaped vibrator of the horn . the pneumatic horn 40 is activated by means of a push button 50 . the push button housing 54 is connected to the air line 56 . the entire unit snaps between the female quick - connector 58 and the &# 34 ; l &# 34 ;- shaped connector 60 which is a standard part of the buoyancy compensator valve 35 . the power inflator button 37 releases air from the tank 12 and inflates the vest 14 via the flexible rubber hose 30 . an alternative to this is by means of an oral inflator 55 with the control button 57 . fig3 is a sectional view revealing the interior of the device including the plastic horn 100 and a thin metal diaphragm 102 retained by four plastic fins 104 radially located within the resonating chamber 105 . the four plastic support fins 16 are similarly located radially about the horn 100 which is designed to create a very loud noise above water and , a noise that is audible underwater up to 100 yards as dive &# 34 ; buddies &# 34 ; tend to drift apart . this pneumatic horn is comprised of a push button 50 activator connected by threaded means to the air release / stopper valve 110 by a rod 51 which runs through air chamber 108 . the push button 50 is retained in the &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; position by a spring 122 which is placed in the air line 56 by removing a threaded plug 118 . in the off - position , air is free to travel from the male adapter 112 through the spring 122 to the female adapter 114 so that the buoyancy compensator can be used . when the push button 50 is depressed the unit is in the &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; position , and the air from the tank enters the air chamber 108 at a low pressure ( approximately 75 p . s . i . to 125 p . s . i .). the air pressure is further reduced by an orifice in the set screw 120 to a pressure suited to the characteristics of the horn ( approximately 22 p . s . i . to 50 p . s . i .). a threaded plug 116 is located externally on the push button housing 54 and its purpose is for the replacement of the set screw 120 . it is preferable that the pneumatic horn 40 be made of injection - molded plastic and be of more that one piece as shown by horn housing 52 and the push button housing 54 . furthermore , the whole unit is made watertight by a minimum of two &# 34 ; o &# 34 ;- rings , the push button o - ring 126 and the cover o - ring 128 ( both made of rubber ). it should be noted that rivets 46 and 48 are fully set in the injection - molded plastic of the lid 42 and the horn housing 52 , respectively . fig4 , and 6 serve to further illustrate the preferred embodiment of the pneumatic horn 40 . in fig5 a tiny metal ring 47 is shown in the phantom and its purpose is to prevent tangling of lanyard 45 when the lid is unscrewed much like a canteen lid is fashioned . in this figure , the purge vents 124 are also shown in phantom .	6
certain terminology is used herein for convenience only and is not to be taken as a limitation on the present invention . relative language used herein is best understood with reference to the drawings , in which like numerals are used to identify like or similar items . further , in the drawings , certain features may be shown in somewhat schematic form . it is also to be noted that the phrase “ at least one of ”, if used herein , followed by a plurality of members herein means one of the members , or a combination of more than one of the members . for example , the phrase “ at least one of a first widget and a second widget ” means in the present application : the first widget , the second widget , or the first widget and the second widget . likewise , “ at least one of a first widget , a second widget and a third widget ” means in the present application : the first widget , the second widget , the third widget , the first widget and the second widget , the first widget and the third widget , the second widget and the third widget , or the first widget and the second widget and the third widget . referring to fig1 , a portion of a wall 10 of a cabinet or a piece of furniture has an upper surface 12 that includes a capacitive sensor 14 countersunk into the surface 12 of the wall 10 . the sensor 14 is flush with the surface 12 and a veneer 16 ( see fig4 ) is then bonded to the surface 12 as well as to the sensor 14 . bonding to the sensor 14 helps prevent wrinkling or blistering of the veneer 16 . the wall 10 may be , for example , solid wood , wood fiber products or other non - metallic material suitable for construction of cabinets or furniture . similarly , the veneer 16 may be , for example , wood veneer , laminate or other non - metal material suitable for construction of cabinets or furniture . the veneer 16 may be bonded to the wall 10 and the sensor 14 , for example , with adhesive , thermally , or ultrasonically as appropriate for the materials . for satisfactory performance of the sensor 14 , the thickness of the veneer 16 ( e . g ., the dimension normal to a major surface of the veneer 16 ) can be limited to less than a threshold maximum for the sensitivity of the particular sensor . thicknesses greater than the threshold maximum can begin to interfere with the ability of the sensor 14 to detect the presence of a user &# 39 ; s hand , for example . for example , the thickness of the veneer 16 can be approximately 0 . 125 inches or less . other embodiments include a veneer that is approximately 0 . 010 inches or less . typically , the thinner the veneer , the better is the performance of the sensor 14 . a thickness of 0 . 025 inches can be suitable for certain applications , and can optionally be any commercially available veneer 16 thickness . the veneer 16 can optionally have an externally - exposed surface 37 ( fig3 ) with an appearance resembling wood or other material from which the cabinet 10 or furniture is made . such embodiments of the veneer 16 can optionally conceal the sensor 14 embedded in the cabinet 10 or furniture beneath the veneer 16 . alternate embodiments of the veneer 16 can include an appearance with a visible indicator that is viewable when observing the externally - exposed surface 37 , indicating a location where the cabinet 10 or furniture can be touched to control operation of an electric device 39 , described in detail below . referring to fig2 , examples 18 , 20 , 22 of the operable surface of the sensor 14 are shown ( these examples are most suitable for the embodiment of fig4 described below ). in each of the examples 18 , 20 , 22 , a capacitively coupleable pattern 24 , 26 , 28 , respectively , is provided . the patterns 24 , 26 , 28 are formed on the top of a printed circuit board 30 , typically by etching . the printed circuit boards can advantageously be the same thickness as standard router bits ( e . g ., 1 / 16 ″ and 3 / 32 ″). the sensors are used , for example , to provide off / on , selection , and variable “ slider ” functions for the operation of electrical equipment such as lighting , stereos , computers and audio - visual equipment . referring to fig3 , the bottom of the printed circuit board 30 includes circuitry 32 for the operation of the capacitive sensor 14 including wiring 34 for connection to an electric device 39 , such as a television , video receiver , lamp or other light fixture , an electrical device provided to the cabinet 10 or furniture itself , etc . . . . , controlled by touching the externally - exposed surface 37 of the veneer 16 above the sensor 14 . the surface of the printed circuit board may be surface treated to resist the chemicals present in wood and adhesives . a cavity for the sensor 14 in the wall 10 may be advantageously fabricated by routing out the shape and thickness of the printed circuit board 30 . the printed circuit board 30 may have rounded ends 38 that match the smallest radius turns made by a router bit when routing out the cavity . for example , the printed circuit board end radiuses , either half - round or quarter - round may match standard router bit and biscuit cutter diameters ( e . g ., ½ ″ and ¾ ″ diameter ). by matching the router bit profile , a snug fit can be obtained . a space 36 for the circuitry 32 and the wires 34 can be bored in the wall 10 . the circuitry 32 may be designed to specifically fit in the space 36 . an alternative method for fabricating a cavity for the sensor 14 is to route the cavity in the wall 10 from the back of the wall 10 . in this case , it is possible to eliminate the use of a separate veneer 16 , leaving a monolithically formed wall and externally - exposed surface 37 concealing the sensor 14 from view when observed from the ambient environment of the cabinet or furniture . instead , the routing process simply leaves the existing outwardly - exposed surface 37 of the wall 10 in place above the sensor 14 . for satisfactory performance of the sensor 14 , this remaining upper surface of the wall 10 should be 0 . 124 inches in thickness or less . as before , the sensor 14 can be bonded to the surface above it , particularly as the thickness may be as little as 0 . 010 inches , or at least placed against the surface . the veneer 16 , the remaining upper surface of the wall 10 , or other wood overlay can optionally be finished with an optional clear coat finish that is at least partially adsorbed into the wood . examples of such finishes include , but are not limited to a shellac , polyurethane , oil based finishes , etc . . . . that can aid in the efficiency of light transmission and / or touchpad sensitivity . referring to fig4 , an edge mount sensor 14 ′ is shown mounted at the edge of a wall 10 . in this case , the sensor 14 ′ is provided with a straight side 40 that corresponds to the edge of the wall 10 . typically , this edge will be covered either with another veneer or the like , or by a joint with another wall of the cabinet or piece of furniture . the printed circuit board 30 may be of flexible construction to allow use where the surface above the sensor 14 is curved , such as in cylindrical floor lamp posts . the circuitry 32 ( or controllers in an attached device ) may perform a variety of functions , such as lamp intensity control . for example , on / off with a double tap , or change in intensity ( 0 , 20 , 40 , 60 , 80 , 100 %) with single taps , or continuously variable ( e . g ., as a dimmer switch ) when a slider control is used . special tap sequences can enable special modes , such as color change when driving a rgb led lamp . alternate embodiments of the circuitry 32 or controller , etc . . . . , operatively connected to receive signals transmitted by the sensor 14 can optionally be programmable or otherwise compatible with a plurality of different electric devices 39 , which can be connected to communicate with the circuitry 32 via a hardwired communication channel 34 or a wireless communication channel ( e . g ., infrared , rf , short - range wireless communication protocol such as that referred to by the trade name bluetooth ™, 802 . 1x standards maintained by ieee , etc . . . . ). according to such embodiments , the circuitry 32 can be operable to transmit a signal that can change a television channel , adjust the volume of a television , etc . . . . if the television is ever replaced , the circuitry can be synced with , or otherwise rendered compatible with the new television in a manner analogous to a so - called universal remote control . according to alternate embodiments , the electric device 39 can be an adapter that cooperates with an existing electric device 39 , thereby allowing the circuitry 32 to be retrofit ( e . g ., used with existing electric devices 39 such as lamps , for example ) that may not be otherwise adapted to communicate with the circuitry 32 . for example , the electric device 39 in the form of an adaptor can be plugged into a conventional ac electric wall outlet commonly found in residential dwellings . a lamp with a dimmable bulb can be plugged into the adaptor . the circuitry 32 can communicate with the adaptor to control operation of the lamp ( e . g ., on / off , intensity settings , etc . . . . ) via a wireless communication channel , or via the wired communication channel 34 . for wireless embodiments , a battery or other stored energy device can optionally be embedded out of view in the cabinet 10 or furniture to supply electric energy to the circuitry 32 to facilitate operation of the sensor 14 and the circuitry 32 , including any optional wireless transmitter or other transmission circuit for transmitting signals over the hardwired communication channel 34 . according to alternate embodiments , the hardwired communication channel 34 can include a power cable plugged into the conventional ac electric wall outlet . the circuitry 32 of such embodiments can optionally be adapted to transmit control signals to the adaptor through the wiring in the residential dwelling that conducts electric power to the ac electric wall outlets . the location and / or patterns 24 , 26 , 28 ( fig2 ) of the operable surface of the sensor 14 can optionally be denoted and made visible when the outwardly - exposed surface of the veneer 16 or existing surface of the wall 10 is viewed . for example , a plurality of different , contrasting veneers 16 can be adhered to the flush surface collectively formed by the wall 10 and the sensor 14 . according to alternate embodiments , inlays , decorative overlays , carvings in the veneer 16 or existing wood surface of the wall 10 concealing the sensor 14 , any other suitable method of identifying the location of the concealed sensor 14 , or any combination thereof , can be utilized to indicate the presence of a touch - sensitive region . for example , the location and / or pattern of the sensor ( s ) 14 may be denoted based on the geometry and / or physical configuration of the collective furniture object including the embedded sensor 14 . as an alternative to having markings visible when the surface of the wood veneer 16 or existing wood surface of the wall 10 concealing the sensor 14 , a proximity sensor 50 ( fig5 ) can optionally be arranged to detect the presence of the user &# 39 ; s hand when placed adjacent to the sensor 14 to input an adjustment of the electric device being controlled . unlike conventional touch - sensitive lamps , for example , which allow users to input commands to turn the lamp on / off by touching any location on the exposed metal surface of the lamp &# 39 ; s base , the present technology limits the region that is touch sensitive to the regions adjacent to the sensor 14 . this touch sensitive region has a perimeter in a major plane that is at least partially , and optionally substantially or entirely surrounded by a non - touch - sensitive region of the cabinet or furniture , formed from a non - electrically - conductive material . an illustrative embodiment of such a proximity sensor 50 is shown in fig5 . a high sensitivity , low accuracy , touch sensor includes a plurality of separate touch pads 52 arranged to at least partially , and optionally substantially surround the sensor 14 , which is formed from a plurality of sensor segments in fig5 . each of the touch pads 52 can be operatively connected to the printed circuit board 30 to transmit a signal to a controller in response to a user &# 39 ; s hand being placed within a close proximity ( e . g . within one ( 1 ″) inch ) thereof . although shown as a plurality of touch pads 52 , alternate embodiments of the proximity sensor 50 can include a single touch pad with a void in which the sensor 14 can be arranged . however , for the sake of brevity , the proximity sensor in fig5 is shown and described as being formed from a plurality of separate touch pads 52 that are collectively operable to detect the presence of the user &# 39 ; s hand adjacent to the sensor 14 , even if the user &# 39 ; s hand is not centered above the sensor 14 . and regardless of the configuration of the proximity sensor 50 , the proximity sensor 50 provides operable coverage over a greater area than the sensor 14 to detect the user &# 39 ; s hand even when not centered directly over the sensor 14 . in response to detecting the user &# 39 ; s hand in close proximity to the sensor 14 , a microprocessor executing computer - executable instructions stored by a non - transitory computer memory , an application - specific integrated circuit , etc . . . . provided to the circuitry 32 or controller that received the signal ( s ) from the proximity sensor 50 can transmit a signal that illuminates the surface by activating buried leds 54 , lamps or other indicators located adjacent to the sensor 14 , optionally connected to the printed circuit board 30 , to frame or otherwise indicate the location and / or pattern of the sensor 14 . for the illustrative embodiment shown in fig5 , a led 54 is arranged on the printed circuit board 30 adjacent to each longitudinal end of the sensor 14 , thereby denoting the ends of the sensor 14 when the externally - exposed surface of the veneer 16 , existing wood of the wall 10 or other overlay concealing the sensor 14 is viewed from a vantage point external of the veneer of the cabinet or furniture . fig6 is a view of an underside of an illustrative example of a veneer 16 that is to be applied over the surface of the wall 10 flush with the sensor 14 shown in fig5 , with window regions 56 described below arranged over the leds 54 . the veneer 16 of fig6 can selectively transmit light from the led 54 or other light source provided to the printed circuit board 30 to denote the location , and optionally the pattern , of the sensor 14 . although described as a veneer 16 , the overlay concealing the sensor 14 from view when installed can be the existing wood of the wall 10 remaining following routing from beneath described above , a plastic or other non - metal substance , or any other object that is to conceal the sensor 14 . as shown , the veneer 16 includes windows 56 as regions of reduced thickness ( i . e ., the dimension perpendicular to — or extending into and out of — the major plane of the drawing sheet ) relative to the thickness of surrounding portions of the veneer 16 . for example , a window region 56 that is to be arranged over the led 54 in fig5 when the veneer 16 is installed can have a material thickness that is less than the material thickness of a surrounding , light - impeding region 58 that is to be offset relative to the led 54 . light emitted by the led 54 ( fig5 ) in response to the detection , by the proximity sensor 50 ( fig5 ), of the user &# 39 ; s hand in close proximity to the sensor 14 is observable through the window region 56 , but substantially blocked by the light - impeding region 58 . in addition to , or in lieu of the window region 56 , the veneer 16 in fig6 can include a frame region 60 that at least partially , and optionally fully surrounds a light - impeding region 62 that is shaped and sized to be arranged over the sensor 14 shown in fig5 . the frame region 60 includes a channel of reduced material thickness relative to the material thickness of the light - impeding regions 58 and 62 . thus , in response to detection of the user &# 39 ; s hand in close proximity to the sensor 14 , light from the leds 54 in fig5 , and / or additional leds ( not shown ) or other illumination devices , is transmitted more readily through the frame region 60 than through the light - impeding regions 58 and 62 . the result is the temporary illumination of a frame surrounding the sensor 14 ( fig5 ) concealed by the veneer 16 ( fig6 ). the extent to which the material thickness of the window and / or frame regions 56 , 60 must be reduced relative to the light - impeding regions 58 , 62 can be dependent on the species of wood used for the veneer 16 . although the window and frame regions 56 , 60 are described in detail , it is understood that any desired pattern , shapes , etc . . . . can be created in this manner to provide an externally - visible display helpful to the user input a command via the sensor 14 or convey other information to the user . for example , rather than utilizing different material thicknesses to create the externally - visible display , other embodiments can include a mask layer and / or ink that create a stencil through which light from the led 54 or other light source can shine . other embodiments can include , an arrangement including a pattern of separate leds , or one or more leds molded or otherwise formed in a specific shape corresponding to the desired pattern to be illuminated in response to transmission of the signal from the proximity sensor 50 . yet other embodiments can include a fiber - optic light conductor arranged in the form of the desired pattern to conduct and emit light from a led or other light source . fig7 shows an alternate embodiment of a sensor 14 that can be manipulated by the user to input a numerical selection , for example . again , the sensor 14 can be substantially surrounded by the proximity sensor 50 to detect the presence of the user &# 39 ; s hand adjacent to the sensor 14 . one , or a plurality of leds 54 are bottom mounted beneath a portion of the printed circuit board 30 , separated from the sensor 14 surface by the printed surface board 30 . for such embodiments , at least a portion ( optionally less than all ), or optionally all of the printed circuit board 30 can be formed from an un - dyed material , that is substantially transparent ( e . g ., translucent ). the transparency of the material forming the printed circuit board 30 allows light emitted by the underlying leds 54 to be transmitted through the printed circuit board 30 , thereby illuminating the sensor 14 from below . according to alternate embodiments , the window regions 56 can optionally be formed in the shape of numbers , characters , symbols , etc . . . . , and the surrounding areas formed as the light - impeding materials . fig8 shows a top view of a veneer 16 or other overlay according to such an embodiment , comprising a plurality of window regions 56 , each arranged in an array resembling a number pad such as that provided on a computer keyboard , remote control , telephone , etc . . . . similar to the previous embodiment , the window regions 56 can have a reduced material thickness , can be formed from a substantially - transparent material , or otherwise allow the transmission of light from the leds 54 such that the window regions 56 are visible to the user when the leds 54 are illuminated . each window region 56 can optionally include a character 64 such as a letter , number , symbol , etc . . . . formed from a light - impeding material . thus , when the window regions 56 are illuminated when the veneer is concealing the sensor 14 , the character 56 represented by each portion of the sensor 14 corresponding to the respective character can be observed . regardless of the structure and configuration of the devices used to denote the location , and optionally the pattern of one , or a plurality of , sensors 14 , the light source illuminated in response to the signal transmitted by the proximity sensor 50 can be turned off after having been activated for a predetermined period of time . for example , the circuitry 32 can optionally include a timer that causes the light source to be illuminated for 10 seconds after the user &# 39 ; s hand is no longer in close proximity to the sensor ( s ) 14 before being automatically turned off . thus , the system can illuminate the display when desired and conserve energy when not in use , regardless of whether electric energy is supplied by battery or from an electric outlet operatively connected to an electric utility . it should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding , modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure . the invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited . illustrative embodiments have been described , hereinabove . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the above devices and methods may incorporate changes and modifications without departing from the general scope of this invention . it is intended to include all such modifications and alterations within the scope of the present invention . furthermore , to the extent that the term “ includes ” is used in either the detailed description or the claims , such term is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “ comprising ” as “ comprising ” is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim .	7
referring now to the accompanying drawings , there are shown preferred embodiments of an image display apparatus according to the invention . fig1 is a block diagram to schematically show the main part of a navigation system adopting an image display apparatus according to a first embodiment . a vehicle speed sensor 2 for calculating the vehicle speed to acquire information concerning the traveled distance ( mileage ) and a gyro sensor 3 for acquiring information concerning the traveling direction are connected to a microcomputer 1 . the microcomputer 1 can estimate the position of the vehicle installing the navigation system ( image display apparatus ) based on the calculated traveled distance information and traveling direction information ( self - contained navigation ). a gps receiver 4 receives a gsp signal from a satellite through an antenna 5 and is connected to the microcomputer 1 . the microcomputer 1 can estimate the position of the vehicle installing the navigation system based on the gps signal ( gps navigation ). a dvd drive 6 capable of inputting map data , real image data , etc ., from a dvd - rom 7 ( any other storage unit is also possible ) recording map data and real image data of a satellite photograph of the earth &# 39 ; s surface is also connected to the microcomputer 1 . the microcomputer 1 stores necessary map data and real image data from the dvd - rom 7 in ram la of the microcomputer 1 based on the estimated current vehicle position information , route information concerning a guide route described later , and the like . to relate the real image data to position coordinates , a method of using latitudes and longitudes of the upper left corner and the lower right corner of a rectangular area represented by the real image data can be named . the microcomputer 1 can perform map matching processing of matching the estimated current vehicle position and the map data ( real image data ), thereby displaying a map image ( real image ) precisely indicating the current vehicle position on a display panel 9 b . switch signals output from a joystick 8 a and button switches 8 b placed on a remote control 8 and switch signals output from button switches 9 a placed on a display 9 are input to the microcomputer 1 . then , the microcomputer 1 performs processing responsive to the switch signals . for example , when the microcomputer 1 reads information concerning a destination , a point via which the vehicle will go to the destination , etc ., the microcomputer 1 finds an optimum route from the current vehicle position ( starting place ) to the destination via the point and displays the optimum route as a guide route on the display panel 9 b together with the map image . a plurality of infrared leds and a plurality of phototransistors are placed facing each other at the top and bottom and left and right of the display panel 9 b and can detect a position at which user touches the display panel 9 b , and the microcomputer 1 can acquire the detection result . next , processing operation ( 1 ) performed by the microcomputer 1 in the navigation system adopting the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment will be discussed based on a flowchart of fig2 . first , the current vehicle position is calculated from a gps signal and the like ( step s 1 ). an area e 1 surrounding the current vehicle position , for example , an area with a radius of several hundred meters with the current vehicle position as a center is calculated based on the calculated current vehicle position information ( step s 2 ). specifically , the radius may be 100 meters , 200 meters , 500 meters , or 1 , 000 meters . alternatively , the user may be allowed to specify the radius desirably through the remote controller 8 or the display 9 . also , the radius may be changed in response to the scale of a displayed map image . next , on the basis of the map data and the real image data stored in the ram 1 a , a map image is displayed as a background in the region containing the current vehicle position on the display panel 9 b and a real image is displayed in the area e 1 on the same scale as the map image ( step s 3 ). then , a mark m indicating the current vehicle position is displayed on the display panel 9 b ( step s 4 ). here , the processing operation at step s 3 will be discussed in more detail . the microcomputer 1 displays the map image on the display panel 9 b based on the formula ( 1 ). ( the displayed map data )=( the map data in an area e 0 )× α 0 +( the map data in the area e 1 )× α 1 ( 1 ) also , the microcomputer 1 displays the real image on the display panel 9 b based on the formula ( 2 ). ( the displayed real image data )=( the real image data in the area e 0 )× β 0 +( the real image data in the area e 1 )× β 1 ( 2 ) here , the area e 0 represents the remaining area other than the area e 1 . in the formulae ( 1 ) and ( 2 ), the map data and the real image data , which are to be calculated , may be pixel values luminance values , or the like . in the processing operation ( 1 ), to display the map image corresponding to the map data in the area e 0 , the microcomputer 1 multiplies the map data by the composite coefficient α 0 = 1 ; on the other hand , with regard to the area e 1 , the microcomputer 1 multiplies the map data by a composite coefficient α 1 = 0 . when the microcomputer 1 displays the real image corresponding to the real image data in the area e 0 , the microcomputer 1 multiplies the real image data by a composite coefficient β 0 (= 1 − α 0 , namely , 0 ). that is , the real image data is not displayed in the area e 0 ; on the other hand , when the microcomputer 1 displays the real image in the area e 1 , the microcomputer 1 multiplies the real image data by a composite coefficient β 1 (= 1 − α 1 , namely , 1 ). accordingly , since the composite coefficient α 0 is 1 ( the composite coefficient β 0 is 0 ), only the map image is displayed in the area e 0 . since the composite coefficient α 1 is 0 ( the composite coefficient β 1 is 1 ), only the real image is displayed in the area e 1 . fig3 shows a state in which the map image is displayed in the area e 0 and the real image is displayed in the area e 1 . according to the navigation system adopting the image display apparatus of the first embodiment , only the real image ( for example , satellite photograph , aerial photograph , etc .,) is incorporated into the area e 1 surrounding the current vehicle position on the display on the same scale as the map image , which is displayed as the background . therefore , it is made possible to capture a target , etc ., from many other angles . next , a navigation system adopting an image display apparatus according to a second embodiment of the invention will be discussed . the navigation system has the same configuration as the navigation system previously described with reference to fig1 except for microcomputer 1 . therefore , the microcomputer is denoted by a different reference numeral 1 a and other components will not be discussed again . processing operation ( 2 ) performed by the microcomputer 1 a in the navigation system adopting the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment will be discussed based on a flowchart of fig4 . first , the current vehicle position is calculated from the gps signal , etc ., ( step s 11 ). the area e 1 surrounding the current vehicle position , for example , an area with the radius of several hundred meters with the current vehicle position as the center is calculated based on the calculated current vehicle position information ( step s 12 ). the radius may be determined in the same way as the first embodiment . next , on the basis of the map data and the real image data stored in the ram 1 a , a map image is displayed as a background in the region containing the current vehicle position on the display panel 9 b and a real image is displayed in the area e 1 on the same scale as the map image ( step s 13 ). then a mark m indicating the current vehicle position is displayed on the display panel 9 b ( step s 14 ). here , the processing operation at step s 13 will be discussed in more detail . the microcomputer 1 a displays the map image and the real image on the display 9 based on the formulae ( 1 )-( 4 ). when the microcomputer 1 a displays the map image corresponding to the map data in the remaining area e 0 , the microcomputer 1 a multiplies the map data by a composite coefficient α 0 = 1 ; on the other hand , when the microcomputer 1 a displays the map image in the area e 1 , the microcomputer 1 a multiplies the map data by a composite coefficient α 1 ( 0 ≦ α 1 ≦ 1 , for example , 0 . 5 ). when the microcomputer displays the real image corresponding to the real image data in the area e 0 , the microcomputer 1 a multiplies the real image data by a composite coefficient β 0 (= 1 − α 0 , namely , 0 ). that is , the real image is not displayed in the area e 0 . on the other hand , when the microcomputer 1 a displays the real image in the area e 1 , the microcomputer 1 a multiplies the real image data by a composite coefficient β 1 (= 1 − α 1 , for example , 0 . 5 ). accordingly , since the composite coefficient α 0 is 1 ( the composite coefficient β 0 is 0 ), only the map image is displayed in the area e 0 . since the composite coefficient α 1 is 0 . 5 ( the composite coefficient β 1 is 0 . 5 ), display is produced in the area e 1 so that the map image becomes transparent from under the real image . according to the navigation system adopting the image display apparatus of the second embodiment , the real image ( for example , satellite photograph , aerial photograph , etc .,) is superposed in the area e 1 surrounding the current vehicle position on the display on the same scale as the map image , which is displayed as the background . therefore , it is made possible to capture a target , etc ., from many other angles . further , the images are combined so that the map image becomes transparent from under the real image . thus , a very large number of pieces of information can be provided for the user . in the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment , to display an image in the area e 1 , the map data is multiplied by the composite coefficient α 1 ( 0 . 5 ), the real image data is multiplied by the composite coefficient β 1 (= 1 − α 1 ), and the composite image is displayed in the area e 1 . however , in an image display apparatus according to another embodiment , the composite coefficient α 1 may be varied in the area e 1 . for example , the composite coefficient α 1 is set to 0 ( the composite coefficient β 1 is set to 1 ) in the center of the area e 1 and as approaching the boundary between the area e 1 and the area e 0 , the composite coefficient α 1 is increased and becomes 1 just on the boundary . whereby image transition from the real image to the map image can be made smooth . according to a navigation system adopting an image display apparatus of still another embodiment , the user may be made able to conduct various settings through a screen displayed on a display panel 9 b . for example , the user may be allowed to set through a composite degree setting screen as shown in fig5 the composite coefficient α 1 , namely , a coefficient determining the transparency of a map image relative to a real image as desired . the microcomputer 1 a combines the images based on the setup contents through the composite degree setting screen , so that a display state responsive to the user &# 39 ; s preference can be realized . for example , if the user selects satellite photograph priority through the composite degree setting screen ( see fig5 ), the composite coefficient α 1 is set to 0 . 3 for combining images ; if the user selects normal , the composite coefficient α 1 is set to 0 . 5 for combining images ; and if the user selects map screen priority , the composite coefficient α 1 is set to 0 . 7 for combining images . in the description of the image display apparatus according to the first or second embodiment , the real image is superposed in the area e 1 surrounding the current vehicle position on the display with the map image , which is displayed as the background . however , the map image may be superposed in the area e 1 surrounding the current vehicle position on the display with the real image displayed as the background . the user may be made able to switch the display state as desired . in the image display apparatus according to the first or second embodiment , the real image is superposed in the area e 1 surrounding the current vehicle position with the map image displayed as the background . however , in an image display apparatus according to further another embodiment , for example , the real image may be superposed in an area surrounding the destination , an area surrounding a predetermined facility ( for example , a station ), or an area surrounding a predetermined position previously specified by the user ( for example , home position ). furthermore , on the basis of route information concerning a guide route for guiding to the destination , the real image may be displayed in an area surrounding the guide route . for example , the real image is displayed along the guide route with the map image displayed as the background . next , a navigation system adopting an image display apparatus according to a third embodiment of the invention will be discussed . the navigation system has the same configuration as the navigation system previously described with reference to fig1 except for microcomputer 1 . therefore , the microcomputer is denoted by a different reference numeral 1 b and other components will not be discussed again . processing operation ( 3 ) performed by the microcomputer 1 b in the navigation system adopting the image display apparatus according to the third embodiment will be discussed based on a flowchart of fig6 . first , the current vehicle position is calculated from a gps signal , etc ., ( step s 21 ). next , on the basis of the map data and the real image data stored in the ram 1 a , a real image is displayed in an upper area e u of the display panel 9 b and a map image is displayed in a lower area ed of the display panel 9 b on the same scale as the real image ( step s 22 ). then , a mark m indicating the current vehicle position is displayed on the display panel 9 b ( step s 23 ). here , the processing operation at step s 22 will be discussed in more detail . the microcomputer 1 b displays the map image on the display panel 9 b based on the formula ( 5 ). ( the displayed map data )=( the map data in the area e u )× α u +( the map data in the area e d )× α d ( 5 ) also , the microcomputer 1 displays the real image on the display panel 9 b based on the formula ( 6 ). ( the displayed real image data )=( the real image data in the area e u )× β u +( the real image data in the area e d )× β d ( 6 ) in the formulae ( 5 ) and ( 6 ), the map data and the real image data , which are to be calculated , maybe pixel values , luminance values , or the like . when the microcomputer 1 b displays the map image corresponding to the map data in the area e u , the microcomputer 1 b multiplies the map data by a composite coefficient α u = 0 . that is , the map image is not displayed in the area e u . on the other hand , when the microcomputer 1 b displays the map image in the area e d , the microcomputer 1 b multiplies the map data by a composite coefficient α d = 1 . when the microcomputer 1 b displays the real image corresponding to the real image data in the area e u , the microcomputer 1 b multiplies the real image data by a composite coefficient β u (= 1 − α u , namely , 1 ). on the other hand , when the microcomputer 1 b displays the real image in the area e d , the microcomputer 1 b multiplies the real image data by a composite coefficient β d (= 1 − α d , namely , 0 ). that is , the real image is not displayed in the area e d . fig7 shows a state in which the real image is displayed in the upper area e u and the map image is displayed in the lower area e d . according to the navigation system adopting the image display apparatus of the third embodiment , the real image is displayed in the upper area e u of the display panel 9 b and the map image is displayed in the lower area e d of the display panel 9 b . by the way , in the navigation system , often the area surrounding the current vehicle position is displayed in the lower portion of the display panel 9 b and a location at a large distance from the current vehicle position is displayed in the upper portion of the display panel 9 b . thus , the real image is displayed in the area e u and the map image is displayed in the area e d as described above ( of course , the real image and the map image may be displayed in the area e d and the area e u respectively ), whereby an image on a nearby side and an image on a distant side can be discriminated from each other with the current vehicle position as the reference . in the third embodiment , the composite coefficient α u takes 0 . however , the invention is not limited to this . the user may be allowed to set the composite coefficients α u and α d through the remote controller 8 or the display 9 , desirably . the images shown in fig3 and 7 are images of viewing the earth &# 39 ; s surface roughly from above ( elevation angle θ = 90 degrees ) ( flat images ). however , the invention is not limited to images of viewing the earth &# 39 ; s surface roughly directly from above and an image of viewing the earth &# 39 ; s surface from a slanting direction ( 0 degrees & lt ; elevation angle θ & lt ; 90 degrees , for example , elevation angle θ = 60 degrees ) ( stereoscopic image ) may be displayed on the display panel 9 b .	6
referring first to fig1 , there is shown a principle of a data transmission system using a human body as a signal transmission path . the system includes a wearable transmitter 10 adapted to be worn on the human body , and a receiver 40 adapted to be connected to an equipment such as a personal computer 60 which utilizes data transmitted from the transmitter for controlled operation of the computer 60 , for example , a verified log - in of the user . the transmitter 10 is connected to a ground electrode 31 and a signal electrode 32 which are integrated into a garment 30 worn by a user in close proximity to the skin of the user . when the user carrying the transmitter 10 touches a touch electrode 41 of the receiver 40 , a signal path is established which extends from the signal electrode 32 through a portion of the user &# 39 ; s body , the touch electrode 41 , an internal circuit of the receiver 40 , a circuit ground 49 of the receiver 40 , the ground g , the other portion of the user &# 39 ; s body , the ground electrode 31 and an internal circuit of the transmitter 10 . the signal path extending through the human body is indicated by dotted lines . thus , a voltage signal applied across the electrodes 31 and 32 is transmitted to the receiver 40 when the user touches the touch electrode 41 . in fig1 , the circuit ground of the receiver 40 is connected to the ground g through a ground line 64 common to the computer 60 for the sake of simplicity . however , the circuit ground may be capacitively connected to the ground g or even capacitively connected directly to the major portion of the user &# 39 ; s body for establishing the signal path . as shown in fig2 , the transmitter 10 includes an electric circuitry and a battery 12 which are accommodated within a case 11 . the circuitry includes a data memory 13 storing data to be transmitted , a controller 14 , a modulator 15 modulating the data into a modulated voltage signal , a signal transmitter 16 applying the modulated voltage signal across the signal electrode 32 and the ground electrode 31 on the garment 30 . also included in the circuitry is a signal detector 20 which is connected to detect a start signal transmitted from the receiver 40 through the signal electrode 32 . the start signal is received across the signal electrode 32 and a circuit ground 19 . the circuit ground 19 may be connected to the ground electrode 31 . only the controller 14 and the signal detector 20 are constantly energized by the battery 12 to be ready for detecting the start signal from the receiver 40 . in the non - operative condition where the transmitter 10 is not transmitting the data , the controller 14 is kept in a sleep mode of consuming less electric current from the battery 12 . when the start signal is received as a consequence of the user touching the touch electrode 41 , the signal detector 20 wakes up the controller 14 which in turn energizes the data memory 13 , the modulator 15 , and the signal transmitter 16 to apply the modulated voltage signal across the signal electrode 32 and the ground electrode 31 for initiating the data transmission . the controller 14 incorporates a timer which starts upon detection of the start signal to provide a predetermined time during which the data is transmitted . after the elapse of the predetermined time , the controller 14 responds to deenergize the modulator 15 , the signal transmitter 16 and the data memory 13 . for this purpose , the controller 14 includes power switches 21 and 22 which are actuated by the signal detector 20 and the timer to selectively energize and deenergize the modulator 15 , the signal transmitter 16 and the data memory 13 . dotted lines in fig2 show power supply lines from the battery 12 . thus , after transmitting the data , the controller 14 goes back into the sleep mode of consuming less current or energy but being kept ready to detect of the start signal for another data transmission . the transmitter 10 optionally includes a display 24 for visual indication of the data stored in the data memory 15 . as shown in fig3 , the receiver 40 includes various circuits connected to the touch electrode 41 on the exterior of a housing of the receiver . the circuits are energized by a power source 61 provided in the computer 60 to which the receiver 40 is attached . the circuits are commonly connected to a circuit ground 49 which is in turn connected to a ground terminal 69 of the computer for connection with the ground . the circuits include a touch sensor 42 which is connected to the touch electrode 41 to give a touch signal when the touch electrode 41 is touched by the user &# 39 ; s body . also included in the circuits are a start signal generator 43 , a signal detector 44 , a demodulator 45 , and a controller 46 which controls the operations of the circuits . the signal transmitter 43 applies the start signal to the touch electrode 41 in response to the touch signal . the signal detector 44 detects the modulated voltage signal which is transmitted from the transmitter 10 and received across the touch electrode 41 and the circuit ground 49 . the modulated voltage signal thus detected is demodulated at the demodulator 45 to derive the first data which is then fed to the computer 60 to be processed thereat . for example , the first data includes a user &# 39 ; s identification code which is verified at a processor 62 of the computer with reference to various codes assigned to different users and stored in a data memory 63 . when the user &# 39 ; s id is verified as a correct one , the computer completes the log - in sequence to permit the access by the user . under the non - operating condition where the touch electrode 41 is not touched by the human body , only the controller 46 and the touch sensor 42 are energized to be ready for detection of the touching . upon the touch electrode 41 being touched , the touch sensor 42 gives the touch signal to the controller 46 which responds to close switches 51 and 52 to energize the signal transmitter 43 , the signal detector 44 , and the demodulator 45 , thereby generating the start signal and making the circuits ready for receiving the data from the transmitter 10 . the controller 46 also includes a timer which starts , upon receiving the touch signal , to provide a predetermined time interval during which the data transmission from the first transceiver 10 is expected to complete . after the elapse of the predetermined time interval , the controller 46 responds to open the switches 51 and 52 , deenergizing the signal transmitter 43 , the signal detector 44 , and the demodulator 45 . thus , the receiver 40 is kept in a sleep mode of consuming less electricity until the touch electrode 41 is touched . dotted lines in fig3 show power supply lines . the receiver 40 further includes an interface 54 in the form of the usb for transferring the data to the computer 60 as well as for receiving the power from a power supply 61 . further , the transmitter 10 and the receiver 40 are designed to effect a bilateral data transmission therebetween . for this purpose , the transmitter 10 additionally includes a demodulator 25 for demodulating data transmitted from the receiver 40 and that the receiver 40 additionally includes a modulator 47 for modulating the data to be transmitted from the receiver 40 . the modulator 47 of gives a modulated voltage signal indicative of the data to be transmitted to the transmitter 10 . the signal transmitter 43 of the receiver 40 is responsible for applying the modulated voltage signal to the touch electrode 41 for data transmission back to the transmitter 10 . in operation , when the user touches the touch electrode 41 of the receiver 40 , the touch sensor 42 provides a touch signal in response to which the controller 46 energizes the modulator 47 , the signal transmitter 43 , the demodulator 45 , and the signal detector 44 . at first , the controller 46 retrieves the data from the data memory 63 of the computer 60 and instructs to give and apply the modulated voltage signal indicative of the data . in response to the voltage signal from the receiver 40 , the controller 14 of the transmitter 10 activates the data memory 13 and performs a suitable processing of the data from the data memory 13 in consideration of the data received from the receiver 40 . the controller 14 updates the data of the data memory 13 depending upon the result of the processing . thereafter , the controller 14 activates the modulator 15 and the signal transmitter 16 so as to transmit the modulated voltage signal indicative of the updated data to the receiver 40 through the electrodes 31 and 32 . the modulated voltage signal received at the receiver 40 is converted into the data which is utilized by the controller 46 for a controlled operation of the computer or passed to another equipment to be processed thereat for a specific operation of the equipment . in this manner , the two - way data transmission is made between the transmitter and the receiver in a half - duplex manner . depending upon a specific application to which the system is applied , the system may be designed to have more than one data transmission cycles in which the one - way data transmission from either of the transmitter and the receiver repeats twice or more . in such case , the data in the data memory 13 of the transmitter 10 is modified or updated by the data transmitted from the receiver 40 . also , for minimizing energy consumption , the transmitter 10 is kept in the sleep mode until the modulated voltage signal is received from the receiver 40 , and comes back again in the sleep mode after the data transmission between the transmitter and the receiver is completed . in other words , the data memory 13 , the modulator 15 , the signal transmitter 16 , and the demodulator 21 are energized by closure of the switches 21 and 22 only for a predetermined time period starting from receiving the modulated voltage signal from the receiver . it is within the predetermined time period that the data transmission between the transmitter and the receiver is completed . likewise , the receiver is kept in the sleep mode until the touch electrode 41 is touched by the human body , and come back to the sleep mode after the data transmission between the first and second transceivers are completed . thus , the signal transmitter 43 , the modulator 47 , the signal detector 44 , and the demodulator 45 are energized by closure of switches 51 and 52 only for a predetermined time period starting from the touch electrode being touched . as shown in fig1 , and 5 , the garment 30 to which the electrodes 31 and 32 are attached is selected , for example , as a white gown that is always worn by a particular user like a physician , nurse , and laboratory worker while engaging a job requiring a verification of the user . as a matter of course , the garment 30 is not limited to the white gown and may take various types of the clothes such as a uniform for an office , factory , school , and the like organization or group . each of the ground electrode 31 and the signal electrode 32 is in the form of a fabric made by electrically conductive threads and is sewed on the inner surface of the garment 30 with the signal electrode 32 disposed at the shoulders of the garment 30 and with the ground electrode 31 disposed around the lower part of the garment corresponding to a hip and buttocks of the user , as shown in fig4 and 5 . instead of being lined on the garment , the electrodes may be woven into the garment as indispensable parts thereof . the above selected location of the electrodes 31 and 32 is particularly effective when the user access the computer 60 while sitting on a chair as shown in fig6 . in this condition , the ground electrode 31 receives a counter force from the seat of the chair to be pressed against the buttocks of the user , while the signal electrode 32 is pressed against the shoulders of the user with the help of weight of the garment for reliable electrical connection of the electrodes to the human body . it is noted in this connection that the ground electrode 31 is located closer to the foot of the user than the signal electrode 32 along the signal path extending through the human body so that the path extending from the signal electrode 32 toward the finger of the user can be substantially free from , i . e ., cannot be substantially interfered with the path extending from the ground electrode 31 to the foot of the user for reliable signal transmission between the transmitter 10 and the receiver 40 . as shown in fig7 , the case 11 of the transmitter 10 is formed into a nameplate which is made water - tight and accommodates therein the electric circuitry 28 forming the various functional circuits and elements as shown in fig2 , and the battery 12 energizing the circuits . the case 11 is provided with a spring - loaded clip 70 so as to be detachable to the garment , for example , at a breast pocket . the clip 70 is pivotally supported at its one end to the case so as to be movable between a pinching position and a release position . the clip 70 includes a pair of conductive terminals 71 and 72 which are connected to the electric circuitry , i . e ., across the signal transmitter 16 and which are isolated by a dielectric strip 73 . as shown in fig8 and 9 , when the case 11 is attached to the garment , i . e ., the breast pocket , the terminals 71 and 72 come into engagement respectively with pads 35 and 36 provided at one ends of respective leads 33 and 34 extending from the individual electrodes 31 and 32 . thus , the electric circuitry of the transmitter is connected to electrodes . in this connection , the leads 33 and 34 are also made of electrically conductive threads , more particularly , strands of the conductive threads sewed on or into the garment 30 . fig1 to 12 show another preferred embodiment of the present invention in which a case 11 a of the transmitter 10 a is detachable to a sleeve of the garment 30 by means of snap buttons which are normally utilized in association with clothing . that is , the snap button is made of conductive material and composed of a socket 81 and a ball 82 . in this connection , a ground electrode 31 a and a signal electrode 32 a are provided at the sleeve of the garment 30 for direct coupling with the electric circuitry of the transmitter 10 a . other structures are identical to the above embodiment and therefore no duplicated explanation is made herein . the case 11 a is in the form of a water - tight thin plate accommodating the electric circuitry 28 a of the transmitter 10 a and the battery 12 a . the case 11 a is provided with a pair of the sockets 81 which are internally connected to the electrical circuitry of the transmitter 10 a , while the electrodes 31 a and 32 a are provided respectively with the balls 82 . as in the previous embodiment , each electrode is made of conductive threads woven and sewed on or into the sleeve to form an annular band surrounding the sleeve in close proximity to the skin of the user wearing the garment for establishing a reliable electrical connection to the human body . in this embodiment , the balls 82 are sewed directly on the electrodes by use of the conductive threads or press - fitted into the electrode , thereby eliminating the leads extending otherwise by a certain distance along the garment from the electrodes . alternatively , the balls may be provided on the case , or a mixed pair of the ball and socket is provide on the case . in the illustrated embodiments , the ground and signal electrodes 31 and 32 are explained to be formed by the electrically conductive threads , however , the each electrode may be formed as a metal plating deposited on the surface of the garment or deposited on a fabric which is sewed on the garment . also , it is noted that the garment into which the electrodes are integrated is not limited to the garment like the white gown and may be any other kinds of the clothing that is constantly worn by the user who is in access to the verified system . therefore , the clothing may include an armband and wristband integrating the electrodes to which the case of the transmitter can be made electrically and physically detachable by - use of the above described snap buttons . further , the illustrated embodiments show only one application where both of the electrodes are kept in close facing relation with the skin of the user so that both of the electrodes are in direct electrical connection to the user &# 39 ; s body , however , it is equally possible that one of the electrodes is in direct facing relation , i . e ., electrical connection to the user &# 39 ; s body , while the other of the electrodes is arranged to face away from the user &# 39 ; s skin for capacitive connection to the receiver through the air . still further , although the illustrated embodiment is arranged to verify the data , i . e ., the user &# 39 ; s id at the computer 60 , the receiver 40 may be arranged to equip the processor and the data memory so as to have a function of verifying the data from the transmitter , and providing a verified output to an associated device for permitting the access or a required control of the device , for example , permitting an entry of the user into a restricted area .	0
referring now to the drawings at fig1 , and 6 where a mixer vehicle according to the invention is illustrated in a towable trailer structure generally designated mixer trailer 10 . a principal part of mixer trailer 10 is a tubular rotatable drum , drum 12 , which has a drum end plate 14 closing a first drum end 16 and oppositely a second end narrowing down as drum cone 18 to second drum end 20 which has a terminal opening , drum loader opening 22 . drum loader opening 22 has loader opening collar 24 around the edge to which an auxiliary covering , loader opening cover 26 , can be attached . drum support frame 28 , see parts illustration in fig3 is a separate frame providing support and rotating attachments for rotatable drum 12 . drum support frame 28 is affixed to base frame 30 by hinges 32 on base frame rear cross member 34 . base frame 30 is supported by tandem street wheels 36 in a generally horizontal attitude longitudinally . fenders 68 are attached to drum support frame 28 in a manner to cover the tops of tandem street wheels 36 . drum support frame 28 rests on top of base frame 30 in parallel alignment longitudinally with base frame 30 . normally , drum support frame 28 rests flat on top of base frame 30 and maintains drum 12 in a generally horizontal position with first drum end 16 lower than second drum end 20 . this prevents materials being mixed inside of drum 12 during rotation from slopping out through drum loading opening 22 when loader opening cover 26 is not in use . drum support frame 28 further includes drum support frame first center cross member 112 , drum support frame second center cross support members 114 , and drum support frame front cross member 116 . clutch 150 on drive shaft 146 is mounted on drum support frame first center cross member 112 . drive shaft 146 is supported at driver wheel shaft 164 end by spring biased driver wheel shaft retainer 196 and at driver pulley 134 and crank receiver stub 136 end by driver inner shaft retainer 192 . base frame 30 is affixed at a frontal end with angled tow bar supports 38 which form a near right angle to which the rearward end of single tow bar 40 attaches at the vertex . as shown in fig1 the angle of tow bar 40 relative to base frame 30 is adjustable vertically by crank 42 supported in tow bar adjust support structure 46 which repositions spring biased levering adjustment rod 44 . this allows base frame 30 to be adjusted relative to the attachment height of hitch 194 onto the trailer hitch attachment ball of a towing vehicle so mixer trailer 10 rides level when towed . a safety arm 50 with a stop plate 52 affixed facing drum end plate 14 is attached to base frame front cross member 54 , a cross support attached between angled tow bar supports 38 . safety arm 50 and stop plate 52 is to help prevent an accidental forward shift of a loaded rotatable drum 12 should it break lose during a sudden stop or an accident . stop plate 52 is in close proximity to but does not contact drum end plate 14 . mixer trailer 10 is designed for durability , stability , and safety being stabilized to prevent &# 34 ; fishtailing &# 34 ; or overturning during towing with independent suspension springs 138 , tandem axles 140 , and hydraulic surge brakes 142 . drum 12 rests rotatably on drum idler wheels 86 which are attached turnably in drum idler wheel mounts 90 by bolts 120 with washers 118 at each end affixed to drum idler wheel support frame 88 . drum idler wheel support frame 88 attaches to drum support frame 28 at drum support frame rear member 100 . fig3 best illustrates the various parts of mixer trailer 10 which are shown disassembled . rotatable drum 12 revolves around a center alignment indicated by the position of protruding drum axle 56 centered in drum end plate 14 and a diametric center where drum 12 rests on drum idler wheels 86 at the rear of drum support frame 28 . drum axle 56 is rotatably retained in drum axle bearing housing 58 supported by drum axle bridge 48 mounted on the front of drum support frame front cross member 116 . drum 12 is further maintained rotatably in a captive retainer strap , drum strap 80 , which fits in drum strap track 84 and is attached around drum 12 by drum strap coupler 216 . drum strap coupler 216 is retained in drum strap coupler retainer 218 secured by bolts 120 . plastic bearings 82 are rectangular plastic bearings of the &# 34 ; delvon &# 34 ; type affixed to the inner surface of drum strap 80 facing the outer surface in the center section of drum strap track 84 . plastic bearings 82 allow drum 12 to rotate freely but retained in drum strap 80 . directional arrows 64 in the illustrations represent attachment direction and movement . drum 12 is arranged to rotate while mixer trailer 10 is being towed and to be rotated manually by driver crank 144 removably attached to crank receiver stub 136 when mixer trailer 10 is parked . drum 12 can also be rotated while mixer trailer 10 is parked by an auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 using crank receiver stub 136 as part of auxiliary power attachment station 66 . for mixing both dry and wet materials efficiently , the interior wall of drum 12 has a longitudinal alignment of spaced agitation vanes 190 as can be seen in the opened side view of drum 12 in fig3 . during towing , drum 12 is rotated by driver pulley 134 located on one end of drive shaft 146 which is turned at the opposite end by rubber tired driver wheel 148 placed between tandem street wheels 36 . driver wheel 148 derives turning power from frictional contact with one or more of tandem street wheels 36 . when mixer trailer 10 is being towed , turning power is transmitted from driver pulley 134 by power belt 126 to belt direction transfer gear 130 and to front pulley 60 by drum turn pulley belt 124 . proper tension for drum turn pulley belt 124 is maintained by front pulley belt idler 200 . belt direction transfer gear 130 is attached to a support platform 198 mounted to the front of drum support frame 28 . power belt 126 is protected by power belt cover 132 and front pulley 60 and drum turn pulley belt 124 are covered along the top side by front pulley cover 62 . proper tension is maintained on power belt 126 by power belt idler 128 . for continued rotation of drum 12 while mixer trailer 10 is stationary , drive shaft 146 is clutched by clutch 150 to release driver wheel 148 allowing drum 12 to be turned by driver crank 144 or by auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 using auxiliary power attachment station 66 . as illustrated in fig6 auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 is operated remotely powered by auxiliary pump 152 which is attached to the framework of portable bulk material loader 154 useful for loading mixer trailer 10 directly at job sites . referring back to fig1 and fig2 for unloading separately mixed materials or ready mixed materials such as concrete , mixer trailer 10 features manual operated , fixed hydraulic pump 70 which operates hydraulic ram 74 to raise and lower the forward end of drum support frame 28 when hydraulic pump handle 72 is operated . see dotted outline of drum 12 in raised position shown in fig2 . fixed hydraulic pump 70 with hydraulic pump handle 72 is located on a support platform 198 affixed to base frame rear cross member 34 at the second drum end 20 near drum loader opening 22 of drum 12 which is also the discharge end . fenders 68 attached to drum support frame 28 by fender supports 122 angle upward as drum support frame angles upward . for dumping , the control , handle 72 , is effortless to operate and strategically positioned so that mixed materials such as concrete can be observed while being unloaded . pumping handle 72 raises the front end of drum support frame 28 to facilitate unloading mixed materials from drum 12 . when release valve 156 on hydraulic pump 70 is opened , hydraulic ram 74 , placed between drum support frame 28 and base frame 30 on base frame hydraulic ram support member 78 , eases drum 12 from an angled dumping position back to the normally sloped loading and towing horizontal position with first drum end 16 somewhat lower than second drum end 20 . in fig4 , and 7 , the clutching assemblage is illustrated which releases driver wheel 148 from turning drum 12 and allows drum 12 to be turned manually by driver crank 144 or by auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 when mixer trailer 10 is parked . fig4 in a top view of a portion of drive shaft 146 , shows the clutching assemblage which is operational through engagement and disengagment of interlocking couplers , slide coupler 158 and fixed coupler 160 . as illustrated in fig4 couplers 158 and 160 are in their normally engaged position with biasing compression spring 162 fully extended for turning rotatable drum 12 by driver wheel 148 ( not shown this illustration ) attached to driver wheel shaft 164 . drive shaft 146 is a two piece shaft , outer shaft piece 166 and inner shaft piece 168 with abutted ends maintained faced in fixed coupler 160 . the two pieces of drive shaft 146 can turn independently . fixed coupler 160 is secured to inner shaft piece 168 by lock bolt 170 and turns with inner shaft piece 168 . slide coupler 158 is slidably attached to outer shaft piece 166 and is held normally engaged with fixed coupler 160 by pressure from biasing compression spring 162 which is normally extended . grease fitting 172 in fixed coupler 160 provides lubrication along driver shaft 146 through grease groove 174 to the abutted sections of drive shaft 146 and to both couplers 158 and 160 . clutch engagement arm 176 , slidably affixed in clutch activator housing 178 , is shown upwardly positioned in the fig4 illustration . clutch engagement arm 176 is secured by clutch collar 177 to slide coupler 158 . a force applied to the free end of clutch engagement arm 176 inside of clutch activator housing 178 causes clutch engagement arm 176 to act like a gear shift , engaging and disengaging couplers 158 and 160 as force is applied and released . the fig4 illustration shows how drive shaft 146 is attached by shaft bushings 180 to drum support frame first center cross member 112 of drum support frame 28 ( see fig3 ) with clutch 150 centered , driver wheel shaft 164 at one end , and driver pulley 134 at the other end . driver wheel shaft 164 is coupled to outer shaft piece 166 by opened u - joint coupler 182 to facilitate removal of driver wheel shaft 164 without disturbing the assemblage of clutch 150 . biasing compression spring 162 abuts at one end to shaft bushing 180 and at the other end to plate 163 . plate 163 is the end covering of slide coupler 158 . fig5 is a top view of the same portion of drive shaft 146 as shown in fig4 . clutch 150 is disengaged . clutch release rod 184 pushed into clutch activator housing 178 is shown applying force to the free end of clutch engagement arm 176 . clutch engagement arm 176 has been pushed to compress biasing compression spring 162 and separate couplings 158 and 160 . clutch 150 has been disengaged freeing outer shaft piece 166 and driver wheel shaft 164 so driver crank 144 can be used to manually turn drum 12 or inner shaft piece 168 can now be used with auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 and auxiliary pump 152 for turning rotatable drum 12 as shown in fig6 . in fig5 clutch release rod 184 is shown removably retained in clutch activator housing 178 by spring biased lock pin 186 . pressing clutch lock lever 188 frees clutch release rod 184 allowing clutch release rod 184 to be removed and clutch 150 to self - return to the normally engaged position . fig7 illustrates the structural assemblage of clutch release rod 184 and clutch lock lever 188 in clutch lock lever support structure 189 , showing how movement of clutch lock lever 188 raises spring biased lock pin 186 freeing clutch release rod 184 for removal from clutch activator housing 178 . clutch lock lever support structure 189 including clutch release rod 184 and clutch lock lever 188 , as illustrated in fig8 is provided as a single unit for use with driver crank 144 . for use with auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 is shown in fig7 clutch lock support structure with lever 188 and spring biased lock pin 186 is provided as a part of the supporting frame of auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 . as illustrated in fig7 auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 is connected to inner shaft piece 168 of drive shaft 146 by hydraulic motor coupler 212 which fits over crank receiver stub 136 . auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 is operational and controllable through hydraulic lines 76 from a remote hydraulic power station . a remote power station is illustrated in fig6 in the form of auxiliary pump 152 attached in the support structure of portable bulk material loader 154 . portable bulk material loader 154 is a wheeled auxiliary dry mix loader useful with mixer trailer 10 for loading bulk materials to be mixed in drum 12 at a job site . fig6 illustrates a principal advantage of the immediate invention in that drum 12 can be rotated by auxiliary hydraulic motor 210 to facilitate material mixing at a job site with mixer trailer 10 used for stationary mixing . another advantage of clutch 150 , featured in mixer trailer 10 according to this invention , is the turning of drum 12 by engagement of clutch 150 during towing and the mechanics for disengagement of clutch 150 upon reaching a destination so drum 12 can continue to be turned by driver crank 144 . the turn capability of drum 12 is a big advantage when delivery of ready - mixed concrete is in progress . in trailers having non - turning hoppers used for cement delivery , the cement can set up inside the hopper becoming hardened and difficult to handle . if a delay occurs in emptying a non - turning hopper , the cement can become useless especially when ready - mixed cement is allowed to remain still for any length of time . when a gasoline motor is used on a small trailer to turn a drum , considerable trailer space is occupied by the motor , the motor mountings , and the gasoline supply tank . in the present invention , rotatable drum 12 occupies all of the trailer support area as drum 12 turns without loss of trailer space and the extra weight of a motor required to turn a drum . therefore , mixer trailer 10 according to the immediate invention can provide greater load capacity in a small trailer than a mixing trailer of the same size which requires inclusion of a gasoline engine . with clutch 150 providing accessible rotatable mechanics for turning drum 12 while mixer trailer 10 is towed or parked , a principal disadvantage seen in most other concrete delivery trailers is overcome . although we have illuminated our mixer vehicle , mixer trailer 10 , subject of this invention , considerably by both description in the specification and illustration in the drawings , this is not to be construed as limiting the invention to a particular mode , and the right to modify the invention within our claim scope is reserved by us . we consider it obvious that one skilled in the art could modify the invention for mobile support on a variety of transport vehicles other than a trailer , a truck bed for example . therefore , a similar end product of the invention as modified by others skilled in the art which falls within our claim scope , will be considered our invention .	1
as used herein , the terms hereinafter listed have the meanings shown next to the particular term : methyl isothiocyanate is ch 2 scn , being a member of the isocyanate family having the formula r -- scn , where &# 34 ; r &# 34 ; is a hydrocarbon radical . diazinon is the trade name for phosphorothioic acid . the structural formula is : ## str2 ## chloropicrin has the formula cl 3 cno 2 and is otherwise known as trichloronitromethane . t is telone , a dow chemical co . product which is dichloropropene and has the formula : ## str3 ## in carrying the invention into practice , various formulations were prepared having about 5 parts by weight and about 80 parts by weight of d - limonene as a solvent into which was added between about 10 parts by weight and about 90 parts by weight chloropicrin , namely , cl 3 cno 2 , additionally , in some of the formulations there was added about 80 parts by weight to about 20 parts by weight of methyl isothiocyanate . as a further formulation , several batches were prepared containing only d - limonene and methyl isothiocyanate , namely 10 parts by weight to about 50 parts by weight of the methyl isothiocyanate to about 50 parts by weight to about 90 parts by weight of the d - limonene solvent . also , in some batches diazinon was added in quantities of from zero to about 20 parts by weight . for the purpose of giving those skilled in the art a better understanding of the invention , the following illustrative examples are given : formulations prepared by the applicant herein were tested against formulations of the prior art at several locations in connection with various crops as shown : ( i ) location : gainesville , fla ., university of florida institute of food and agricultural sciences the formulation used , namely 17 % chloropicrin and 83 % d - limonene had a specific gravity of 0 . 961 or approximately 8 lbs . per gallon , a boiling point of 112 ° c ., a freezing point of - 81 ° c ., a flash point greater than 130 ° f ., vapor pressure at 20 ° c . of - 17 mm hg . it is almost insoluble in water , soluble in alcohol , petroleum solvents , chlorinated solvents and carbon disulfide . in the presence of water , it becomes corrosive to steel , aluminum , magnesium alloys and vinyl plastics . ( 5 ) c - 17 - d is c - 17 as hereinbefore described plus technical diazinon ( 92 %) ( iii ) location : tifton , ga ., costal plain experiment station , donald benson farm , tift county , georgia conclusion , in all the aforementioned tests the formulations described herein namely , d - limonene as a solvent with an effective amount of chloropicrin , and , also by adding an effective amount of methyl - isothiocyanate , and / or with an effective amount of phosphorothioc acid were superior and usually vastly superior to the other formulations shown of the prior art . in the formulations tested , the d - limonene solvent consist of between about 5 to about 80 parts by weight and the chloropicrin may consist of between about 10 and about 90 parts by weight , the methyl - isothiocyanate component may be from about 20 to about 80 parts by weight , and may include between about zero to about 20 parts by weight of phosphorothioc acid . another formulation which is effective consists of about 10 to about 50 parts by weight of methyl - isothiocyanate mixed into about 50 to about 90 parts by weight of d - limonene solvent . the combination of chloropicrin and methyl isothiocyanate is synergistic . with the further addition of diazinon , a double synergistic effect is obtained . peanut ( arachis hypogaea ` florunner `) d . w . dickson and t . e . hewlett root - knot nematode ; meloidogyne dept . of entomology & amp ; nematology arenaria university of florida ring nematode ; criconemella gainesville , florida 32611 curvatum evaluation of nematicides for managing the peanut root - knot nematode on peanut , 1984 : no . nematodes / 250 cm . sup . 3 soil treatment and overall methods of application & amp ; meloidogyne arenaria criconemella curvatum rate per acre ( active ). sup . x rate per 1001 . ft . row yield lb / acre % damage % smk . sup . y value / acre aug 10 oct 9 aug 10 oct 9 telone ii 15 . 0 gal 7 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 3 , 365a . sup . z 2 70 $ 971 4 b 191de 86bcdefg 328bcdef 10 inches apart ; 65 ml telone ii 15 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 3 , 332ab 3 69 944 10ab 211de 76bcdefg 276cdef 10 inches apart ; 65 ml vorlex 12 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 8 3 , 174abc 3 69 917 5ab 793ab 15fg 138f inches apart . sup . zz ; 52 ml telone ii 12 . 0 gal + 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 973abcd 1 74 884 30ab 110e 103bcdef 454abc temik 15g 6 . 0 lb 10 inches apart + at - peg , 14 inch band ; 52 ml + 49 g vorlex 12 . 0 gal + 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 8 2 , 919abcd 2 74 863 2b 864a 5g 150ef furadan 15g 6 . 0 lb inches apart . sup . z z + at - peg , 14 inch band ; 52 ml + 49 g telone ii 6 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 842abcd 2 71 832 38ab 246cde 140abc 196def 10 inches apart ; 26 ml chloropicrin 6 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 842abcd 1 73 850 4b 486bcde 67bcdefg 453abc 10 inches apart ; 26 ml untreated control 2 - chisels , 8 inches apart 2 , 793abcd 1 61 829 15ab 620abc 78bcdefg 346abcde untreated control 2 - chisels , 10 inches apart 2 , 766abcd 3 64 776 17ab 367cde 132abcd 531a telone ii 12 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 717abcd 3 69 784 19ab 307cde 70bcdefg 512ab 10 inches apart ; 52 ml telone ii 12 . 0 gal + 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 690abcde 3 69 768 15ab 229cde 112abcde 378abcd furadan 15g 6 . 0 lb 10 inches apart + at - peg , 14 inch band ; 52 ml + 49 g chloropicrin 3 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 624abcde 1 72 755 9ab 352cde 59cdefg 263cdef 10 inches apart ; 13 ml chloropicrin 9 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 467bcde 5 55 682 43a 752ab 78bcdefg 254def 10 inches apart ; 39 ml telone ii 9 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 467bcde 8 65 688 26ab 337cde 193a 458abc 10 inches apart ; 39 ml busan 1020 30 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 412cde 5 68 679 16ab 576abcd 40efg 193def 8 inches apart ; 130 ml busan 1020 36 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 292de 5 71 662 37ab 465bcde 47defg 207def 8 inches apart ; 156 ml soilex c - 17 15 . 0 gal 14 days preplant , 2 - chisels , 2 , 129de 6 52 578 10ab 422bcde 148ab 382abcd 10 inches apart ; 65 ml telone ii 15 . 0 gal at - plant , 2 - chisels , 10 inches 1 , 851e 3 64 503 6ab 152e 50defg 502ab apart ; 65 ml . sup . x rates calculated for row treatments were reduced from the overall ( broadcast ) dosage in proportion to the actual area tested . all dosages were calculated based on a 36 inch row . sup . y sound mature kernels based on government grading system . . sup . z means with the same letter are not significantly different according to duncan &# 39 ; s new multiple range test ( p = 0 . 05 ). . sup . zz ridged with diskhillers . __________________________________________________________________________soil fumigants company , inc . p . o . box 7801 - orlando , florida 32854tel . 305 / 293 - 8034boca west test plotsbelonolaimus onlypre - test , 11 days , & amp ; 34 days after injection sample number # 6 # 2 # 3 # 5 c - 17 + # 7 # 10 # 1 tel - c - 17 + # 4 c - 17 + diaz - tel - # 8 # 9 tel - nematode check one sarolex c - 17 sarolex inon one c - 50 c - 17 one__________________________________________________________________________sting - belonolaimus pretest 32 32 24 12 48 52 68 24 60 7211 days 24 4 20 8 8 12 4 12 4 1634 days 52 8 24 8 4 24 28 8 36root response @ none 4 new none 15 new 4 new ro 4 new 11 new none 4 6 new11 days root 11 / 2 &# 34 ; r 3 &# 34 ; 1 &# 34 ; long 4 &# 34 ; long 3 &# 34 ; long 1 &# 34 ; long 11 / 2 &# 34 ; long long longvisual re - poor good poor poor poor good good poor poor goodsponse @ 102 days 5 &# 39 ; of 6 &# 39 ; of turf 8 &# 39 ; of turf 6 &# 39 ; of turf turf__________________________________________________________________________ nematode three plot average below check telone c - 17 + s c - 17 c - 17 + d c - 50__________________________________________________________________________ pretest 39 57 51 29 40 24 11 days 33 15 % ↓ 8 86 % ↓ 28 45 % ↓ 9 69 % ↓ 7 83 % ↓ 13 46 % ↓ 34 days 47 21 % ↑ 25 56 % ↓ 24 53 % ↓ 17 41 % ↓ 13 68 % ↓ 7 71 % ↓ __________________________________________________________________________ sample number # 11 # 14 # 17 c - 17 + # 12 # 13 c - 17 + # 15 # 16 c - 17 # 18nematode diazinon check c - 50 diazinon c - 50 c - 17 sarolex check__________________________________________________________________________sting - belonolaimus pretest 32 36 36 36 12 16 80 4811 days 0 48 12 8 16 16 56 2834 days 16 4 12 0 0 8 44 84root response @ 11 days none none none none 6 new 5 new none none 3 &# 34 ; long 2 &# 34 ; longvisual response @ 102 days good 8 &# 39 ; poor good 5 &# 39 ; good 20 &# 39 ; poor poor poor poor__________________________________________________________________________ when the number of nematodes are estimated the following symbols are used vl -- very light infestation ; l -- light infestation ; mm -- moderate infestation ; h -- heavy infestation ; vh -- very heavy infestation . experiment no . and title : p5 - 84 . comparison of soilex and telone ii applied to peanut 8 days preplant . plot size and no . reps . : 2 rows , 25 ft long , 4 replications . soil temperature : maximum 84 f ., minimum , 73 f . at 4 &# 34 ; depth when chemicals applied . table p5a - 84__________________________________________________________________________effects of soilex and telone ii applied with the moldboard plow on peanutproduction , 1984 .. sup . 1 number nematodes / 150 cm . sup . 3 soil , 9 / 14 / 84 root - white vigor crico - meloido - treatment and method of . sup . 2 yield % knot mold stand rating nemella gynerate ( lb ai / a ) application ( lb / a ) smk . sup . 3 index . sup . 4 hits . sup . 5 ( 5 / 21 ). sup . 6 ( 6 / 22 ). sup . 7 ornata arenaria__________________________________________________________________________telone ii 55 . 8 a 4857ab 80 . 0 3 . 1a 3 . 3a 12 . 0a 3 . 5b 2425a 530 . 0asoilex 117 . 6 a 5162a 79 . 7 3 . 9a 3 . 3a 12 . 0a 4 . 3ab 1545a 422 . 5acontrol 4552b 78 . 7 5 . 9a 4 . 8a 13 . 3a 4 . 5a 2052a 1475 . 0a__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 data within same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different ( p = 0 . 05 ) according to duncan &# 39 ; s multiplerange test . . sup . 2 applied in moldboard plow furrow 10 &# 34 ; deep on 8 &# 34 ; centers 8 days before planting . . sup . 3 % sound mature kernel ( smk ) determined from composit sample from four replications . . sup . 4 rootknot index based on rating of 0 - 10 : 0 = no galling , 10 = 100 % of roots and pods galled . . sup . 5 white mold hits = number of hits per 50 ft row . one or more plants infected per ft of row in one hit . . sup . 6 stand = number of plants emerged per m of row . . sup . 7 vigor rating based on scale of 1 - 5 : 1 = poor growth , 5 = excellent growth . experiment no . and title : p6 - 84 . fumigant nematicides : methods of application to peanut 8 days preplant . plot size and no . reps . : 2 rows , 25 ft long , 4 replications soil temperature : maximum , 84 f . ; minimum , 73 f . at 4 &# 34 ; depth when chemicals applied . table p6a - 84__________________________________________________________________________effects of three fumigant nematicides applied with moldboard plow andsingle chisel on peanutproduction , 1984 .. sup . 1 number nematodes / 150 cm . sup . 3 soil , 9 / 14 / 84 root - white vigor crico - meloido - treatment and method of . sup . 2 yield % knot mold stand rating nemella gynerate ( lb ai / a ) application ( lb / a ) smk . sup . 3 index . sup . 4 hits . sup . 5 ( 5 / 21 ). sup . 6 ( 6 / 22 ). sup . 7 ornata arenaria__________________________________________________________________________telone ii 37 . 2 a 4640ab 76 . 7 4 . 3bc 3 . 0b 12 . 4a 2 . 5bc 3097a 932 . 5bvorlex 38 . 4 a 2975c 74 . 0 9 . 5a 18 . 0a 13 . 3a 2 . 3c 1652bc 2297 . 5atelone ii 37 . 2 b 4852ab 79 . 7 2 . 9cd 3 . 3b 11 . 6a 3 . 5a 2782ab 435 . 0bvorlex 38 . 4 b 4360b 76 . 0 3 . 4cd 3 . 8b 11 . 9a 3 . 0a - c 1702a - c 522 . 5bsoilex cp 39 . 2 b 4476b 78 . 3 4 . 1bc 3 . 0b 11 . 3a 3 . 0a - c 2597ab 700 . 0bnemacur 15g 2 . 5 c 5064a 78 . 7 1 . 4d 3 . 3b 11 . 6a 3 . 3ab 667c 470 . 0bcontrol 4325b 77 . 0 6 . 2b 3 . 5b 12 . 9a 3 . 3ab 1350bc 1135 . 0b__________________________________________________________________________ . sup . 1 data within same column followed by the same letter are not significantly different ( p = 0 . 05 ) according to duncan &# 39 ; s multiplerange test . . sup . 2 method of application : a = applied in moldboard plow furrow 10 &# 34 ; deep spaced 8 &# 34 ; apart 8 days before planting , b = injected 10 &# 34 ; deep in row with single chisel 8 days before planting , c = applied in 12 &# 34 ; band over row , rototilled 2 &# 34 ; deep at plant . . sup . 3 % sound mature kernel ( smk ) determined from composit sample from four replications . . sup . 4 rootknot index based on rating of 0 - 10 : 0 = no galling , 10 = 100 % of roots and pods galled . . sup . 5 white mold hits = number of hits per 50 ft row . one or more plants infected per ft of row is one hit . . sup . 6 stand = number of plants emerged per m of row . . sup . 7 vigor rating based on scale of 1 - 5 : 1 = poor growth , 5 = excellent growth .	0
fig1 illustrates a tire handler 10 embodying features of the inventions disclosed herein . tire handler 10 generally comprises suspension arm 20 , neck 30 , upper arm articulation member 40 , upper arms 50 , lower arm articulation members 60 , lower arms 70 , and tire engagement assembly 80 . suspension arm 20 is positioned at the top of tire handler 10 . neck 30 extends downwardly from suspension arm 20 . upper arm articulation member 40 is preferably adjustably connected to neck 30 . upper arms 50 extend generally downwardly from upper arm articulation member 40 and lower arm articulation members 60 are connected to upper arms 50 . lower arms 70 extend from lower arm articulation members 60 , and tire engagement assembly 80 is connected to lower arms 70 . each of these general components are discussed in additional detail below in connection with fig4 - 8 . suspension arm 20 is seen in more detail in fig4 . suspension arm 20 preferably provides appropriate attachment point ( s ) to allow tire handler 10 to be lifted by hoisting equipment ( not shown ) such as a mobile crane , overhead crane , boom lift , or similar equipment ( collectively herein “ hoist ”). suspension arm 20 comprises arm body 22 , hook assembly 24 , forward pulley 26 , and rear pulley 28 . arm body 22 is preferably generally - rectangular , comprising two parallel , spaced - apart side walls 222 surrounded by a wider rim 224 . an upper surface of rim 224 preferably comprises a planar lift track 226 , configured to be slidably engaged by hook assembly 24 . a forward suspension segment 225 is configured to be detachable from the rest of suspension arm 20 to reduce overall size of tire handler 10 for transport or storage . hook assembly 24 comprises hook 242 attached to lift trolley 244 with wheels 246 configured to engage lift track 226 . hook 242 can comprise a hook , loop , hole , latch , or other device ( collectively “ hook ”) that allows tire handler 10 to be securely lifted by a hoist . hook assembly 24 also preferably comprises selectively closable hook latch 248 , which most preferably can be operated remotely . hook assembly 24 is selectively movable along lift track 226 so that hook 242 can be moved in response to changes in the center of gravity . this movement is preferably automated and can be accomplished a leveling system 26 . leveling system 26 is shown in fig4 b . leveling system 26 preferably comprises hydraulic linear actuator 262 acting on a first cable 264 attached to hook assembly 24 via forward pulley 266 and rear pulley 268 . forward pulley 268 is linked to a reverse - motion pulley 276 , and a second cable 272 is attached to hook assembly 24 through reverse - motion pulley 276 and a forward suspension segment pulley 274 to allow controlled movement of hook assembly 24 in either direction . preferably , a controller 856 ( fig1 ) for the hydraulic system receives input from a level sensor 857 and controller 856 initiates appropriate movement of linear actuator 262 to automatically maintain a level position . most preferably , the controller 856 and level sensor 857 are located in the tire - engagement assembly 80 , although other locations can also be used . neck 30 preferably comprises an elongate rectangular beam connected at an upper end to suspension arm 20 by welding , bolting , or other high - strength method . neck 30 also preferably comprises a plurality of height adjustment holes 32 configured to provide selectable positions for engagement of upper arm articulation member 40 with neck 30 . the height adjustment holes 32 shown in fig4 are spaced approximately 12 inches apart . alternatively , many other means of adjustable connection are known and can be used . fig1 - 3 show neck 30 in a fully extended position . fig9 and 10 show neck 30 in a fully retracted position as can be used for storage . referring to fig5 , upper arm articulation member 40 is preferably generally symmetrical and comprises a centrally - defined neck engagement slot 42 . neck engagement slot 42 also preferably comprises forward neck engagement roller 424 and rear neck engagement roller 426 . these rollers facilitate movement of upper arm articulation member 40 with respect to neck 30 . upper arm articulation member 40 also preferably comprises a remotely - controlled neck position lock 43 . neck position lock 43 preferably comprises a hydraulic linear actuator 432 , configured to locking bolt 434 in a height adjustment hole 32 . neck position lock 43 also preferably comprises a lock indicator flag 436 configured to remain hidden inside upper arm articulation member 40 while locking bolt 434 is not engaged with a height adjustment hole 32 and to pivot into view when locking bolt 434 is safely engaged with a height adjustment hole 32 . upper arm articulation member 40 also comprises opposed shoulder beams 44 extending laterally to each side of neck engagement slot 42 . each shoulder beam 44 comprises an upper arm hinge 442 configured to support an upper arm 50 while allowing upper arm 50 to pivot through a range of angles with respect to shoulder beam 44 . upper arm articulation member 40 also preferably comprises two or more fork pockets 46 configured to facilitate lifting tire handler 10 by forklift ( not shown ), especially when in a collapsed position . upper arms 50 extend generally downward from upper arm hinge 442 . upper arms 50 preferably comprise rectangular beams . preferably , lower arm articulation members 60 are adjustably connected to upper arms 50 to allow further compactability when tire handler 10 is not in use , the ability to use tire handler 10 in tighter spaces , and / or additional tire size flexibility . adjustability can be provided by defining a plurality of upper arm engagement holes 52 in upper arms 20 . lower arm articulation members 60 comprise an upper arm engagement slot 61 , forward lower arm hinge 62 , and rear lower arm hinge 64 , and upper arm engagement bolts 66 . upper arm engagement bolts 66 are configured to selectively engage upper arm engagement hole 52 , preferably by remote hydraulic activation . lower arms 70 each comprise forward lower arm beam 72 and rear lower arm beam 74 . forward lower arm beam 72 is connected to forward lower arm hinge 62 . rear lower arm beam 74 is connected to rear lower arm hinge 64 . lower arms 70 also comprise a lower arm positioner 76 , which preferably comprises a hydraulic piston connected between a first location near an upper end of rear lower arm beam 74 and a second location near a lower end of forward lower arm beam 72 . lower arm positioner 76 allows controlled movement of lower arms 70 and the attached tire engagement assembly 80 . use of forward lower arm beam 72 and rear lower arm beam 74 that are of substantially equal length and in parallel position is preferred as this arrangement maintains tire engagement assembly 80 at a constant angle with respect to suspension arm 20 . the use of lower arms 70 and lower arm positioner 76 to move tire engagement assembly 80 forwardly allows tire handler 10 to work in more locations , such as removal or installation of the inner tire in a dual tire setup ( see fig1 ). referring to fig6 & amp ; 7 , tire engagement assembly 80 is preferably connected to the lower ends of each lower arm 70 through lower arm attachment shoes 82 . lower arm attachment shoes 82 are located near laterally - opposed ends of assembly platform 84 . attachment shoes 82 comprise forward hinge 822 , connected to forward lower arm beam 72 , and rear hinge 824 , connected to rear lower arm beam 74 . assembly platform 84 extends between lower arm attachment shoes 82 . assembly platform 84 preferably comprises at least two sections that are slidably interconnected to allow adjustment of the width of assembly platform 84 . assembly platform 84 also preferably comprises width adjustment means 842 such as a hydraulic cylinder . assembly platform 84 can also be used as a work surface for users working on a tire . therefore , assembly platform 84 is preferably configured to safely support the weight of one or more workers and tools . further , the upper surface of platform 84 comprises a slip - resistant surface to reduce the risk of accidents . additionally , as shown in fig1 , platform 84 can be supplemented with one or more platform extension planks 844 . platform extension planks 844 provide an extended work surface , allowing users to safely reach the tire and / or wheel when a narrower tire is being worked on . platform extension planks 844 can be removed when necessary to accommodate a wider tire , as shown in fig1 . assembly platform 84 also preferably includes one or more steps 846 , allowing easier access by a user . referring to fig1 , tire engagement assembly 80 comprises an equipment compartment 85 defined below assembly platform 84 . equipment compartment 85 preferably houses batteries 852 , battery charger 854 , controller 856 , level sensor 857 , hydraulic power unit 858 , and can also house other components and accessories . batteries 852 provide power for all electric motors and for hydraulic power unit 858 . batteries 852 preferably comprise an array sufficient to deliver at least 880 ah at 24 vdc and are charged through battery charger 854 using external ac power . at least a portion of assembly platform 84 is removable or hingedly liftable to provide access to equipment compartment 85 for maintenance or repair of equipment housed therein . although on - board electric power through a battery array is contemplated as a convenient power system , many other sources of on - board or external power are known and can be used , such as ac electric , hydraulic , or pneumatic power . tire engagement assembly 80 also comprises tire support arms 86 , which extend forwardly from lower arm attachment shoes 82 . tire support arms 86 comprise tire rollers 862 extending along an inside surface of tire support arms 86 . rollers 862 are powered by roller motors 864 beneath assembly platform 84 . roller motors 864 are preferably electric motors . tire engagement assembly 80 also comprises grab arms 90 . grab arms 90 comprise multiple independently - adjustable arm segments to provide for secure holding of a wide variety of tire sizes . most of the adjustability is accomplished using powered and remotely - controlled mechanisms , since the arm segments can be heavy and / or difficult to reach . a hub support segment 92 extends generally upwardly from attachment shoe 82 to grab arm hub 94 . hub support segment 92 comprises hub support post 922 and hub positioner 924 . hub positioner 924 preferably comprises a hydraulic linear actuator and is configured to change the location and orientation of grab arm hub 94 to accommodate differing tire sizes and to aid in moving to a storage mode . an outside intermediate arm segment 96 is connected at a lower end to grab arm hub 94 and at an upper end to outside arm segment 96 . outside intermediate arm segment 96 preferably comprises outside intermediate arm support post 962 and outside intermediate arm positioner 964 . outside intermediate arm positioner 964 preferably comprises a hydraulic linear actuator configured to adjust the position of outside intermediate arm segment 96 with respect to grab arm hub 94 . an outside arm segment 97 extends forwardly from an upper end of outside intermediate arm segment 96 . outside arm segment 97 comprises outside roller 972 , which can be moved by a user by changing the position of outside intermediate arm segment 96 to engage the tire when desired . when engaged with a tire , outside roller 972 restricts lateral movement while allowing rotational movement . a outside arm segment 97 also comprises telescoping extension 974 . telescoping extension 974 is concentric with outside roller 972 and extends forwardly of outside roller 972 . the amount of extension of telescoping extension 974 , as well as the angle of orientation of telescoping extension 974 , are preferably controllable using hydraulic activators ( not shown ). at a forward end of outside arm segment 97 , a forward arm segment 98 extends inwardly . forward arm segment 98 comprises forward roller 982 , which can be positioned by a user to restrict the tire from falling forward while allowing rotational movement of the tire . movement of forward arm segment 98 is accomplished by controlling the extension and angle of telescoping extension 974 . an inside arm segment 99 extends inwardly from grab arm hub 94 . inside arm segment comprises rear roller 992 at an inward end . rear roller 992 can be positioned by a user to restrict the tire from falling backward while allowing rotational movement . in a preferred embodiment , all movements of powered components of tire handler 10 , such as hook latch 248 , neck position lock 43 , upper arm engagement bolts 66 , lower arm positioner 76 , width adjustment means 842 , roller motors 864 , hub positioner 924 , outside intermediate arm positioner 964 , telescoping extension 974 are controlled using a wireless remote control unit 861 which communicates with a wireless receiver 859 connected to controller 856 . this allows a user to move and manipulate tire handler 10 and a tire while standing a safe distance away from tire handler 10 . certain fine adjustments , such as final alignment of wheel lugs , may need to be made by a user standing on or near tire handler 10 . for these situations , a secondary remote with a dead man switch is preferably used . the dead man switch prevents any powered movement of tire handler 10 unless the dead man switch is activated . fig9 and 10 shows tire handler 10 in a collapsed configuration for transportation or storage . in this configuration neck 30 is fully withdrawn through neck engagement slot 42 and upper arms 50 are withdrawn through lower arm articulation members 60 . assembly platform 84 is moved to its narrowest position and grab arms 90 are moved to an inward position . additionally , forward suspension segment 225 has been removed . fig1 and 16 show a tire handler 10 in use for a large vehicle and provides a example scale reference . fig1 shows use of tire handler on an outer wheel of a dual wheeled vehicle while fig1 shows use on an inner wheel of the same vehicle . the illustrated embodiment is sized for use with large moving equipment such as a caterpillar 797f , with tire diameters between 9 and 13 feet . in this embodiment , the overall height of the fully expanded tire handler is about 32 feet and the length of suspension arm 20 is about 15 feet . the materials , fasteners , welds , bearings and other features are sized to hold tire / wheel combinations weighing up to 20 , 000 lbs ., resulting in a device weight of about 12 , 500 lbs . those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that tire handler 10 can be made with different dimensions to accommodate other sizes and shapes of tires . further , not all described components and features will be necessary or desired for all uses . by way of examples : where compact storage is not required , tire handler 10 can omit adjustable neck connection and adjustable lower arm articulation connections ; where only easily accessible wheels will be serviced , movable lower arms may not be necessary ; and for some tire sizes and weights , tire engagement assembly might be supportable using a single arm rather than right and left arms . although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the disclosed embodiments , as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions , will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention . it is , therefore , contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention .	1
fig1 is a view schematically showing the configuration of a joint part of a robot . as shown in fig1 , the robot has a body side member 361 , a distal side member 363 , and a joint 362 which rotatably joints the distal side member 363 to the body side member . the distal side member 363 is adapted to be rotatable around an x axis with respect to the body side member 361 . the robot has a first wire 366 a an end of which is connected to a connection point 372 a of the distal side member 363 located in one side of a rotation center ( x in the figure ), and a second wire 366 b an end of which is connected to a connection point 372 b of the distal side member 363 located in the other side of the rotation center . by pulling the first wire 366 a and loosening the second wire 366 b , the distal side member 363 rotates in an a direction in the figure . by loosening the first wire 366 a and pulling the second wire 366 b , the distal side member 363 rotates in a b direction in the figure . the robot has a first actuator 368 a which moves the other end of the first wire 366 a back and forth , and a second actuator 368 b which moves the other end of the second wire 366 b back and forth . when the first actuator 368 a moves the other end of the first wire 366 a back and forth , and the second actuator 368 b moves the other end of the second wire 366 b back and forth , the robot can change the angle of the distal side member 363 with respect to the body side member 361 . hereinafter , the angle of the distal side member 363 with respect to the body side member 361 is referred to as the joint angle of the joint 362 . the robot has an encoder 472 disposed in the vicinity of the joint 362 . the encoder 472 is a sensor which detects an actual joint angle θmx of the joint 362 . hereinafter , the actual joint angle of the joint is often referred to as an actual angle . the robot has a controller 400 which controls an operation amount of the first actuator 368 a and an operation amount of the second actuator 368 b . the controller 400 controls the operation amounts of the actuators 368 a and 368 b to thereby control the joint angle of the joint 362 . fig2 shows the configuration of the controller 400 . the controller 400 has major features of the controller 200 provided to the robot 10 of the embodiment 1 as described below . the controller 400 has a data storage device 402 as shown in fig2 . the data storage device 402 stores data required to operate the robot . the data storage device 402 stores joint angle data and load torque data , for example . the joint angle data is data which describes a joint angle ( instructed angle ) of each joint when the robot actuates each joint to make a predetermined operation thereof over time . the joint angle data is prepared in advance by an operator of the robot , etc ., and is taught in advance to the robot . the controller 400 controls the operation amount of actuators so that the joint angle of each joint will become an angle instructed by the joint angle data . hereinafter , a joint angle described in the joint angle data is often referred to as an instructed angle . the load torque data is data which describes a load torque of each joint which is expected when the robot actuates each joint to make a predetermined operation thereof over time . the load torque of a joint is an external torque applied from the outside , and is a torque to change a joint angle . that is , the load torque does not include a torque applied by wires . the controller 400 has a differentiator 412 , a proportional integral derivative control ( pid control ) circuit 414 , a gain circuit 416 , an adder 418 , and a converter 434 . the differentiator 412 , the pid control circuit 414 , the gain circuit 416 , and the adder 418 are connected in series , and the data storage device 402 and the converter 434 are connected to each other by the series circuits . the gain circuit 416 is directly connected even to the data storage device 402 . the adder 418 is directly connected even to the data storage device 402 . the encoder 472 is connected to the differentiator 412 . the differentiator 412 inputs an instructed angle θtx of the joint 362 from the data storage device 402 , inputs an actual angle θmx of the joint 362 from the encoder 472 , and outputs a deviation angle ( θtx − θmx ) therebetween . the deviation angle ( θtx − θmx ) represents an error between the instructed angle θtx and the actual angle θmx , and shows an angle required to modify the actual angle of the joint 362 to the instructed angle . the pid control circuit 414 inputs the deviation angle ( θtx − θmx ) from the differentiator 412 , and outputs a modified deviation angle δθx which is obtained by increasing and decreasing the deviation angle . if the magnitude ( absolute value ) \| θtx − θmx \| of the deviation angle is large , the pid control circuit 414 will output a modified deviation angle δθx which is modified so that the deviation angle may be increased . the pid control circuit 414 cumulatively calculates the deviation angle , and outputs a modified deviation angle δθx which is modified so that a larger cumulative value of the deviation angle may result in a further increased deviation angle . further , the pid control circuit 414 calculates the change rate of the deviation angle , and outputs a modified deviation angle δθx which is modified so that a smaller change rate of the deviation angle may result in a further increased deviation angle . in addition , increasing the deviation angle means that the ( plus / minus ) sign of the deviation angle ( θtx − θmx ) is kept unchanged , while the absolute value thereof is modified so that it may become large . a general - purpose pid control circuit , etc . can be used as the pid control circuit 414 . the gain circuit 416 inputs the modified deviation angle δθx from the pid control circuit 414 , inputs a load torque θtx of the joint 362 from the data storage device 202 , and outputs an amplified deviation angle gx · δθx . this coefficient gx is a coefficient for amplifying the modified deviation angle δθx . the gain circuit 416 will set a larger amplification coefficient gx as the input load torque etx is larger . the gain circuit 416 multiplies the input modified deviation angle δθx by the set amplification coefficient gx . the adder 418 inputs the instructed angle θtx of the joint 362 from the data storage device 402 , inputs the amplified deviation angle gx · δθx from the gain circuit 416 , and outputs a modified instruction angle ( θtx + gx · δθx ). the adder 418 obtains the modified instruction angle ( θtx + gx · δθx ) by adding the instructed angle θtx to the amplified deviation angle gx · δθx . the modified instruction angle ( θtx + gx · δθx ) outputted by the adder 418 is an angle that has been modified from the instructed angle θtx with respect to the deviation between the instructed angle θtx and the actual angle θtm concerning the joint 362 . here , as the load torque of the joint 362 is larger , the magnitude of the modification will be larger . the converter 434 inputs the modified instruction angle from the adder 414 , and calculates a modified effective length la 2 for the first wire 366 a and a modified effective length lb 2 for the second wire 366 b form the modified instruction angle . the effective length of a wire is the length of a wire projected from an actuator . if the effective lengths of the first wire 366 a and the second wire 366 b are adjusted to the modified effective length la 2 and lb 2 calculated from the modified instruction angle , respectively , the joint angle of the joint 362 will be adjusted to the modified instruction angle . as shown in fig2 , the controller 400 has a first driver 451 which controls the first actuator 368 a , and a second driver 452 which controls the second actuator 368 b . the first driver 451 and the second driver 452 are connected to the converter 434 . the first actuator 368 a is connected to the first driver 451 . the second actuator 368 b is connected to the second driver 452 . the first driver 451 inputs the modified effective length la 2 for the first wire 366 a calculated by the converter 434 , and calculates an operation amount of the first actuator 368 a on the basis of the input modified effective length la 2 . and then , the first driver 451 operates the first actuator 368 a by the calculated operation amount . the first driver 451 stores a reference relationship between an operation amount of the first actuator 368 a and a length by which the first wire 366 a is moved back and forth by the operation amount ( or , a distance by which the other end of the first wire 366 a moves back and forth ). the first driver 451 calculates the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a on the basis of the modified effective length la 2 and the stored reference relationship . the second driver 452 stores a reference relationship between an operation amount of the second actuator 368 b , and a length by which the second wire 366 b is moved back and forth by the operation amount ( or , a distance by which the other end of the second wire 366 b moves back and forth ). the second driver 452 inputs the modified effective length lb 2 for the second wire 366 b calculated by the converter 434 , and calculates an operation amount of the second actuator 368 b from the input modified effective length lb 2 . and then , the second driver 452 operates the second actuator 368 b by the calculated operation amount . as described above , the controller 400 can calculate the modified instruction angle ( θtx + gx · δθx ) by modifying the instructed angle θtx of the joint 362 based upon the deviation between the instructed angle θtx and the actual angle θmx of the joint 362 , and can calculate the modified effective lengths la 2 , lb 2 for the wires 366 a , 366 b based upon the modified instruction angle ( θtx + gx · δθx ). then , the controller 400 can calculate the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a from the modified effective length la 2 , and can calculate the operation amount of the second actuator 368 b from the modified effective length lb 2 . accordingly , the operation amounts of the actuators 368 a , 368 b is calculated with respect to the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 . in the controller 400 , when the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 occurs , the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a and the second actuator 368 b are calculated so that the deviation will be removed . in the controller 400 , when the instructed angle of the joint 362 is modified by the deviation between the instructed angle and the actual angle , the magnitude of the modification is adjusted by the pid control circuit 414 and the gain circuit 416 . particularly , the magnitude of the modification is adjusted by the gain circuit 416 so that a larger load torque of the joint 362 may result in a larger magnitude of the instruction angle modification . as a result , when the load torque of the joint 362 is larger , the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a or the second actuator 368 b will be adjusted to be larger with respect to the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 . while the robot operates , the joint 362 acts in various ways . for example , there is a case where the joint 362 operates to support the total weight of the robot , and there is also a case where the joint 362 operate to support only the weight of the distal side member 363 . the load torque of the joint 362 varies according to the operation of the robot . when the load torque applied to the joint 362 is large , the first wire 366 a and the second wire 366 b will stretch or contract substantially , and a large deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 may result . when the load torque of the joint 362 is larger , the controller 400 modifies the instructed angle more substantially with respect to the magnitude of the deviation . therefore , when the load torque of the joint 362 is larger , the first actuator 368 a and the second actuator 368 b perform larger operation so that the deviation is removed . therefore , the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 will be removed rapidly , and the joint angle is accurately adjusted to the instruction angle . on the other hand , when the load torque of the joint 362 is small , the first wire 366 a and the second wire 366 b will stretch or contract slightly , and therefore a large deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 does not occur . as the load torque of the joint 362 is smaller , the controller 400 modifies the instructed angle more slightly with respect to the magnitude of the deviation . therefore , neither the first actuator 368 a nor the second actuator 368 b operates excessively . this prevents the joint angle of the joint 362 from vibrating , for example . since the deviation occurs slightly , the deviation can be removed rapidly and the joint angle is accurately adjusted to the instructed angle . the controller 400 can appropriately add the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 to the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a or the second actuator 368 b , thereby adjusting the joint angle of the joint 362 accurately to an instructed angle . fig3 shows a controller 404 . the controller 404 has major features of the controller provided to the robot of the embodiment 2 as described below . the controller 404 can be used for controlling the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a and the second actuator 368 b shown in fig1 similarly to the controller 400 . the controller 404 can replace the controller 400 for controlling the robot shown in fig1 . hereinafter , although the controller 404 will be described , the same components as those of the controller 400 shown in fig1 are denoted by the same reference numerals , and the detailed description thereof is omitted so as to avoid repeated description . as shown in fig3 , the controller 404 has the data storage device 402 . the data storage device 402 stores joint angle data and expected tension data the expected tension data is data which describes a tension expected to be generated in each wire when the robot actuates each joint to make a predetermined operation thereof over time . the controller 404 has the differentiator 412 , the pid control circuit 414 , the adder 418 , a first converter 432 , and a second converter 434 . the first converter 432 is connected to the data storage device 402 . the differentiator 412 , the pid control circuit 414 , and the adder 418 are connected in series , and the data storage device 402 and the second converter 434 are connected to each other by the series circuits . the adder 418 inputs an instructed angle δθx of the joint 362 from the data storage device 402 , inputs a modified deviation angle δθx from the pid control circuit 414 , and outputs a modified instruction angle ( θtx + δθx ) obtained by adding the instructed angle θtx to the modified deviation angle δθx . the modified instruction angle ( θtx + δθx ) output by the adder 418 is an angle which is obtained by modifying the instructed angle θtx of the joint 362 according to the deviation between the instructed angle θtx and the actual angle θtx . the first converter 432 and the second converter 434 are almost the same as the converter 434 in the controller 400 . here , the first converter 432 inputs the instructed angle θtx of the joint 362 from the data storage device 402 , and calculates an expected effective length la 1 for the first wire 366 a and an expected effective length lb 1 for the second wire 366 b from the instructed angle . the second converter 434 inputs the modified instruction angle ( θtx + δθx ) from the adder 414 , and calculates a modified effective length la 2 for the first wire 366 a and a modified effective length lb 2 for the second wire 366 b from the modified instruction angle . the controller 404 has a first variable distributor 461 and a second variable distributor 462 . the first converter 432 , the second converter 434 , and the data storage device 402 are connected to the input part of the first variable distributor 461 . the first driver 451 is connected to the output part of the first variable distributor 461 . the first converter 432 , the second converter 434 , and the data storage device 402 are connected to the input part of the second variable distributor 462 . the second driver 452 is connected to the output part of the second variable distributor 462 . the first variable distributor 461 inputs the expected effective length la 1 for the first wire 366 a from the first converter 432 , inputs the modified effective length la 2 for the first wire 366 a from the second converter 434 , and inputs an expected tension ta of the first wire 366 a from the data storage device 402 . and then , the first variable distributor 461 calculates a distributed effective length from the input expected effective length la 1 and modified effective length la 2 . the distributed effective length calculated by the first variable distributor 461 is a value between the expected effective length la 1 and the modified effective length la 2 . and , the distributed effective length is set to be near to the modified effective length la 2 as the tension of the first wire 366 a is larger . the first variable distributor 461 input the expected tension ta of the first wire 366 a from the data storage device 202 , and calculates the distributed effective length expressed by the following equation . k in the above equation is 0 ( zero )≦ k ≦ 1 , and is a coefficient proportional to the tension of the first wire 366 a . the distributed effective length calculated by the first variable distributor 461 can be considered as a value which is modified by adding the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 to the expected effective length la 1 calculated from the instruction angle of the joint 362 . the magnitude of the modification becomes larger as the tension of the first wire 366 a is larger , and especially , is proportional to the tension of the first wire 366 a . the second variable distributor 462 calculates the distributed effective length ( lb 1 +( lb 2 − lb 1 )· k ) for the second wire 366 b similarly to the first variable distributor 461 . in addition , the coefficient k which is used for calculation by the second variable distributor 462 is determined from the tension of the second wire 366 b , and differs from the coefficient k which is used for calculation by the first variable distributor 461 . the first driver 451 inputs the distributed effective length of the first wire 366 a from the first variable distributor 461 , and calculates an operation amount of the first actuator 368 a from the distributed effective length . the operation amount calculated from the distributed effective length can be considered as an operation amount calculated from an angle which is obtained by modifying an instructed angle of the joint 362 according to the deviation angle between the instructed angle and the actual angle . the magnitude of the modification of the instructed angle will be larger as the tension of the first wire 366 a is larger . the second driver 452 calculates an operation amount of the second actuator 368 b similarly to the first driver 451 . as a result , when the tension of the first wire 366 a is larger than the tension of the second wire 366 b , the first driver 451 calculates the operation amount from an angle which is obtained by modifying the instructed angle more substantially than the second driver 452 . when the tension of the second wire 366 b is larger than the tension of the first wire 366 a , the second driver 452 calculates the operation amount from an angle which is obtained by modifying the instructed angle more substantially than the first driver 451 . the first driver 451 and the second driver 452 operate the first actuator 368 a and the second actuator 368 b by the calculated operation amount , respectively . the controller 404 calculates the expected effective length la 1 for the first wire 366 a and the expected effective length lb 1 for the second wire 366 b from the instructed angle of the joint 362 . the expected effective lengths la 1 and lb 1 are calculated without considering the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 . further , the controller 404 calculates the modified effective length la 2 for the first wire 366 a and the modified effective length lb 2 for the second wire 366 b from the modified instruction angle which is obtained by modifying the instructed angle of the joint 362 according to the deviation between the instructed angle and the actual angle . the modified effective lengths la 2 and lb 2 are calculated with considering the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 . then , the controller 404 calculates the distributed effective length for the first wire 366 a from the expected effective length la 1 and modified effective length la 2 for the first wire 366 a . at this time , as the tension of the first wire 366 a is larger , the distributed effective length will be near to the effective length la 2 . that is , as the tension of the first wire 366 a is larger , the distributed effective length for the first wire 366 a will be more substantially affected by the deviation in the joint 362 . the distributed effective length for the second wire 366 b is calculated similarly to that for the first wire 366 a . as a result , in the first wire 366 a and the second wire 366 b , the distributed effective length for the wire with a larger tension will be more substantially affected by the deviation in the joint angle the joint 362 . in the controller 404 , the operation amounts of the first actuator 368 a and the second actuator 368 b are calculated from the distributed effective lengths for the first wire 366 a and the second wire 366 b , respectively . as a result , when the tension of the first wire 366 a is larger than the tension of the second wire 366 b , the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a will be more substantially modified with respect to the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 than the operation amount of the second actuator 368 b . conversely , when the tension of the second wire 366 b is larger than the tension of the first wire 366 a , the operation amount of the second actuator 368 b will be more substantially modified with respect to the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 than the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a . as described previously , while the robot operates , the load torque applied to the joint 362 varies according to the operation of the robot . when the load torque is applied to the joint 362 , the tension of either the first wire 366 a or the second wire 366 b will increase , while the tension of the other one will decrease . as the load torque of the joint 362 varies every moment , the tensions of the first wire 366 a and the tension the second wire 366 b also vary every moment . since the rigidities of the wires vary depending on the tension of the wire , the rigidity of the first wire 366 a and the second wire 366 b will vary every moment according to the operation of the robot . when the rigidity of the wire varies , the relationship between the operation amount of the actuator which moves the wire and the amount of change in the joint angle caused by the operation amount also varies . in particular , when the tension of the wire is small , the rigidity of the wire is low and is apt to vary . a delay may occur in the change ( so - called responsiveness ) of the joint angle with respect to the operation of the actuator , if the operation amount of the actuator is modified substantially with respect to the deviation in the joint angle . as a result , the joint angle may be vibrating . on the other hand , when the tension of the wire is large , the rigidity of the wire is high and stable . the deviation in the joint angle can be rapidly removed by modifying the operation amount of the actuator substantially with respect to the deviation . the joint angle can now be accurately adjusted to an instructed angle . when the controller 404 calculates the operation amount of the first actuator 368 a and the operation amount of the second actuator 368 b , the controller 404 adds the deviation in the joint angle more largely to the operation amount of the actuator which moves the wire , whose tension is larger , than to the operation amount of the other actuator , whose tension is smaller . when the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 occurs , the controller 404 operates the actuator for the wire with a larger tension substantially with respect to the deviation , while it operates the other actuator for the other wire with a smaller tension slightly with respect to the deviation . that is , the controller 404 causes a wire which is high and stable in rigidity to be moved substantially with respect to the deviation , and causes a wire which is low and unstable in rigidity to be moved slightly with respect to the deviation . accordingly , the deviation in the joint angle of the joint 362 can be rapidly removed , and the joint angle can be prevented from vibrating . the controller 404 can appropriately add the deviation caused in the joint angle of the joint 362 to the operation amounts of the first actuator 368 a and the second actuator 368 b , thereby adjusting the joint angle of the joint 362 accurately to the instructed angle . an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings . the present embodiment applies the technique of the present invention to a humanoid robot . fig4 is a front view of a lower body of a robot 10 . fig5 is a side view of the lower body of the robot 10 . fig6 is a view showing the structure of an ankle joint fig7 is a view showing the configuration of an actuator . although not shown , the robot 10 additionally has a head part , an upper body , an upper arm , a lower arm , etc . in the present embodiment , an anteroposterior direction ( traveling direction of the robot 10 ) of a foot part is defined as an x - axis , a horizontal direction is defined as a y axis , and a direction in which a lower leg part or a body extends is defined as a z axis . the axes are orthogonal to each other . as shown in fig4 , the robot 10 in the present embodiment has right and left legs 12 . the shape of the right and left legs 12 is mirror - symmetrical . the leg 12 is mainly composed of a thigh part 14 , a lower leg ( shin ) part 16 , and a foot part 18 . the thigh part 14 and the body part 20 are jointed by a hip joint 22 . the thigh part 14 and the lower leg part 16 are jointed by a knee joint 24 . the lower leg part 16 and the foot part 18 are jointed by an ankle joint 26 . with reference to fig4 , 5 , and 6 , the hip joint 22 , the knee joint 24 , and the ankle joint 26 will be described in order . first , the hip joint 22 will be described . a disk 36 which rotates around the z axis is attached to a plate - like pelvic part 28 via a bearing 34 ( refer to fig5 ). a pair of right and left disks 36 are provided . a shaft 30 extending from the pelvic part 28 side toward the thigh part 14 ( extending in the z axis direction ) is fixed to the center of each disk 36 . the shaft 30 rotates around the z axis with respect to the pelvic part 28 . an upper end of the thigh part 14 is connected to a lower end of a shaft 30 via a universal joint 32 . the universal joint 32 permits the thigh part 14 to rotate around the x axis and around the y axis with respect to the shaft 30 . the hip joint 22 has the shaft 30 which can rotate around the z axis with respect to the pelvic part 28 , and the universal joint 32 which permits the thigh part 14 to rotate around the x axis and around the y axis with respect to the shaft 30 , and constitutes a triaxial joint which is rotatable around each of the x , y , and z axes . next , the knee joint 24 will be described . two parallel flanges 40 extend downward at a lower end of each thigh part 14 . two parallel flanges 44 extend upward at an upper end of a shaft 42 constituting each lower leg part 16 . the knee joint 24 has a shaft 46 which extends in the y axis direction through these flanges 40 and 44 . the knee joint 24 permits the lower leg part 16 to rotate around the y axis with respect to the thigh part 14 . next , the ankle joint 26 will be described . since fig6 shows the simplified structure of the ankle joint 26 , the shape or dimension of the angle joint does not necessarily coincide with an actual shape or actual dimension . two parallel flanges 58 extend downward at a lower part of the shaft 42 of each lower leg part 16 . two parallel flanges 60 extend upward at the top face of the foot part 18 . the flanges 58 of the lower leg part 16 and the flanges 60 of the foot part 18 are jointed by a cross tip universal coupling 62 to constitute a universal joint . the ankle joint 26 permits the foot part 18 to rotate around the x axis and around the y axis with respect to the lower leg part 24 . that is , the ankle joint 26 is a biaxial joint which has the degree of freedom for each of the x and y axes . each joint of the robot 10 is driven using a wire ( the rotation of a hip joint around the z axis excluded . only this rotation is directly rotated by a motor without using a wire ). each wire has an end connected to a distal side member , and the other end connected to an actuator . the actuator moves each wire back and forth with respect to the distal side member . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the robot 10 has , for example , a wire 50 a and an actuator 52 a which moves the wire 50 a back and forth , a wire 50 b and an actuator 52 b which moves the wire 50 b back and forth , a wire 50 c and an actuator 52 c which moves the wire 50 c back and forth , etc . these control mainly the operation of the hip joint 22 . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the robot 10 has a wire 66 a and an actuator 68 a which moves the wire 66 a back and forth , a wire 66 b and an actuator 68 b which moves the wire 66 b back and forth , a wire 66 c and an actuator 68 c which moves the wire 66 c back and forth , a wire 66 d and an actuator 68 d which moves the wire 66 d back and forth , etc . these mainly control the operation of the knee joint 24 or the ankle joint 26 . the wires used for the robot 10 have the relationship between tension and stretch as previously described with reference to fig1 . that is , the rigidity of each wire changes depending on a caused tension . particularly , the rigidity is low in a state where a small tension is caused , and as the tension changes , the rigidity is also apt to change . with reference to fig6 , the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c which drive the ankle joint 26 will be described . wire termination guides 70 a , 70 b , and 70 c are fixed to the foot part 18 . each of the wire termination guides 70 a , 70 b , and 70 c is circular arc - shaped , the central axis of each circular arc extends in the y axis direction , and the surface of the circular arc has a predetermined width ( distance extending along the y axis ). the wire termination guide 70 a is on x axis , and is disposed further ahead than the ankle joint 26 in the x axis direction . the circular arc surface of the wire termination guide 70 a faces the front direction of the x axis . the wire termination guides 70 b and 70 c are located further behind than the ankle joint 26 in the x axis direction . the wire termination guide 70 b is located outside the ankle joint 26 , and the wire termination guide 70 c is located inside the ankle joint 26 . the circular arc surface of the wire termination guide 70 b , 70 c faces the rear direction of the x axis . lower ends of the three wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c are fixed to wire connection points 72 a , 72 b , and 72 c , respectively , of the lower ends of the wire termination guides 70 a , 70 b , and 70 c ( the wire connection point 72 c is shown in fig4 ). the other end of each of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c extends toward the knee joint 24 . the wire termination guides 70 a , 70 b , and 70 c prevent the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c from being sharply bent with a small radius of curvature . by the above configuration , by loosening the wires 66 b and 66 c in the same way while the wire 66 a is pulled toward the knee joint 24 , the foot part 18 rotates in one direction around the y axis of the ankle joint 26 , and the tiptoe side ( the left in the x axis direction of fig6 ) of the foot part 18 operates to rise . otherwise , by pulling the wires 66 b and 66 c toward the knee joint 24 in the same way while the wire 66 a is loosened , the foot part 18 rotates in the other direction around the y axis of the ankle joint 26 , and the heel side ( the right in the x axis direction of fig6 ) of the foot part 18 operates to rise . further , by loosening the wire 66 c while the wire 66 b is pulled toward the knee joint 24 , the foot part 18 rotates in one direction around the x axis of the ankle joint 26 , and the outside ( the right in the y axis direction of fig6 ) of the foot part 18 operates to rise . by pulling the wire 66 c toward the knee joint 24 while the wire 66 b is loosened , the foot part 18 rotates in the other direction around the x axis of the ankle joint 26 , and the inside ( the left in the y axis direction of fig6 ) of the foot part 18 operates to rise . by combining the above operations , the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 around the x axis and the joint angle of the ankle joint around the y axis can be independently adjusted by moving the three wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c back and forth . in addition , the positions of the wire connection points 72 a , 72 b , and 72 c are not limited to those in the present embodiment . next , the wires which control the operation of the knee joint 24 will be described . the operation of the knee joint 24 is adjusted using the wires 66 a , 66 b , 66 c , and 66 d . as shown in fig6 , three pulleys 64 a , 64 b , and 64 c are arranged alternately with the two flanges 44 at an upper portion of the shaft 42 of the lower leg part 16 . the three pulleys 64 a , 64 b , and 64 c are supported so as to be rotatable around a shaft 46 which passes through the flanges 44 in the y axis direction . the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c are wound around the pulleys 64 a , 64 b , and 64 c , respectively . the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c are separated from the pulleys on the front side of the pulleys 64 a , 64 b , and 64 c . further , as shown well in fig4 and 5 , the wire 66 d is fixed by the flanges 44 around the rear side of the x axis of the knee joint 24 . by the above configuration , by loosening the wire 66 d while the three wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c are pulled in the same way toward the thigh part 14 , the knee joint 24 rotates in one direction around the y axis , and the knee joint 24 operates to extend . by pulling the wire 66 d toward the thigh part 14 while the three wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c are loosened in the same way , the knee joint 24 rotates in the other direction around the y axis , and the knee joint 24 operates to bend . when the three wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c are made to simultaneously move back and forth at the same speed , the knee joint 24 can be rotated without rotating the ankle joint 26 . as shown in fig4 and 5 , the actuators 68 a , 68 b , 68 c , and 68 d which move the wires 66 a , 66 b , 66 c , and 66 d back and forth are disposed in the thigh part 14 . in the robot 10 , even an actuator for adjusting the rotation angle of the ankle joint 26 as well as the knee joint 24 is disposed in the thigh part 14 . accordingly , the distal side of a leg 12 is configured lightly , and the moment of inertia around the hip joint 22 is suppressed low . the robot 10 can operate the lower leg 12 with a small torque . next , the wires which control the operation of the hip joint 22 will be described . as shown in fig4 and 5 , ends of the wires 50 a , 50 b , and 50 c which drive the hip joint 22 are also fixed to lower ends 49 a , 49 b , and 49 c of the wire termination guides 48 a , 48 b , and 48 c . the rotation angle of the hip joint 22 around the x axis and the rotation angle of the hip joint around the y axis can be independently adjusted by moving wires 50 a , 50 b , and 50 c back and forth , respectively . further , the disk 36 which is rotatable in the pelvic part 28 is rotated around the z axis by a motor 38 . the motor 38 is fixed to the pelvic part 28 . the rotation angle of the hip joint 22 around the z axis is adjusted by the motor 38 . with reference to fig7 , actuators which move the wires back and forth will be described . fig7 shows the actuator 68 a which moves the wire 66 a back and forth . the actuator 68 a has a pair of flanges 102 and 106 , and three guide rods 108 , 110 , and 112 which connect them together . a feed screw 120 is disposed between the pair of flanges 102 and 106 . the feed screw 120 is supported to be rotatable , but not to be movable in its axial direction . a movable plate 104 is threadedly engaged with the feed screw 120 . the movable plate 104 has the structure of being guided by the guide rods 108 , 110 , and 112 . an end of the wire 66 a is fixed to the movable plate 104 . the actuator 68 a has a motor 114 . the motor 114 is connected to the feed screw 120 via a gear 116 and a gear 118 . when the motor 114 rotates , the feed screw 120 rotates . when the feed screw 120 rotates , the movable plate 104 slides along the guide rods and the wire 66 a is pulled in or fed out . the rotational amount of the motor 114 is proportional to an amount by which a connecting end of the wire 66 a connected to the movable plate 104 moves back and forth . the motor 114 is connected to a first driver 251 described in the latter section , and the operation of the motor 114 is adjusted by the first driver 251 . in the robot 10 the actuators 48 b , 48 c , 68 a , 68 b , 68 c , and 68 d which move the other wires 50 b , 50 c , 66 a , 66 b , 66 c , and 66 d back and forth have the same structure as shown in fig7 . in addition , the actuators which move the wires back and forth are not limited to this type . next , the controller which controls the operation of the robot 10 will be described . the body part of the robot 10 ( whose illustration is omitted ) is provided with a controller which controls the operation of the actuators 48 b , 48 c , 68 a , 68 b , 68 c , and 68 d , etc . hereinafter , taking the ankle joint 26 as an example , a method in which the controller controls the operation of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c which operate the ankle joint 26 will be described . fig8 shows the configuration of a portion of a controller 200 included in the robot 10 . fig8 shows mainly a portion of the controller 200 for controlling the operation of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c . the portion of the controller 200 shown in fig8 controls the operation of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c arranged in one of the right and left legs 12 . the controller 200 further includes a set of components shown in fig8 in order to control the operation of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c arranged in the another leg 12 . as shown in fig8 , the controller 200 has the data storage device 202 . the data storage device 202 stores joint angle data , load torque data , expected tension data , etc ., for example . the joint angle data is data which describes a joint angle ( instructed angle ) of each joint , when the robot 10 actuates each joint to make a predetermined operation thereof over time . for example , the joint angle data describes time - series data which describe an instructed angle θtx of the ankle joint 26 around the x axis , and time - series data which describe an instructed angle θty of the ankle joint around the y axis . the load torque data is data which describes a load torque expected to be applied thereto when the robot actuates each joint to make a predetermined operation thereof over time . the load torque data describes the load torque of each joint in its rotative direction over time . the load torque data describes , for example , an expected load torque etx of the ankle joint 26 around the x axis and an expected load torque ety of the ankle joint around the y axis over time . the expected tension data is data which describes a tension expected to be generated in each wire when the robot 10 actuates each joint to make a predetermined operation thereof over time . for example , as for the ankle joint 26 , the expected tension data describes the expected value of the tension ta caused in the wire 66 a , the expected value of the tension tb caused in the wire 66 b , and the expected value of the tension tc caused in the wire 66 c over time . referring to fig9 , taking the ankle joint 26 as example , a load torque applied to the ankle joint 26 , and tensions to be caused in the wires 66 a , 66 b and 66 c will be described . fig9 ( a ) shows a state where the foot part 18 is located in the air . fig9 ( b ) shows a state where the foot part 18 makes contact with a ground surface h . it is assumed that the instructed angles ( θtx , θty ) concerning the ankle joint 26 are equal to each other in a point of time shown in fig9 ( a ), and a point of time shown in fig9 ( b ). in the state where the foot part 18 is located in the air as shown in fig9 ( a ), for example , the gravity wt of the foot part 18 , etc . acts on the foot part 18 . the gravity wt tends to rotate the ankle joint 26 around the y axis . such an external torque ( except for torques caused by the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c ) which tends to change the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis is referred to as the load torque of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis . in this state , when the load torque of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis and the torques applied to the ankle joint 26 around the y axis caused by the tensions ta , tb , and tc of the wires 86 a , 86 b , and 86 c are balanced with each other in a state where the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis is the instructed angle θty , the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis is maintained at the instructed angle θty . in the state where the foot part 18 makes contact with the ground surface h as shown in fig9 ( b ), for example , the gravity wt of the foot part 18 , a reaction force f of the foot part 18 from the ground surface h , etc . act on the foot part 18 . the gravity wt and reaction force f tend to rotate the ankle joint 26 around the y axis . when the load torque of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis caused by the gravity w , the reaction force f , etc . and the torques applied to the ankle joint 26 around the y axis caused by the tensions ta , tb , and tc of the wires 86 a , 86 b , and 86 c are balanced with each other in a state where the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis is the instructed angle θty , the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis is maintained at the instructed angle θty . as apparent from comparison between fig9 ( a ) and 9 ( b ), even when the instructed angles ( θtx , θty ) of the ankle joint 26 are equal to each other , the load torque of the ankle - joint 26 around the y axis changes every moment following the operation of the robot . as the load torque changes every moment , the tension ta , tb , and tc of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c also need to change every moment . this is not limited to the ankle joint 26 , but is similarly applied to about each of the other joints . when the tension of each of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c changes , each of the wire 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c will stretch according to the tension change . as each of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c stretches , the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 changes even when the actuator 68 a , 68 b , or 68 c which moves each wire back and forth does not operate . in other words , it is necessary to calculate the operation amount of each of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c in consideration of the extension of each of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c . the robot 10 previously grasps the load torque of each joint which changes every moment following its own operation , and the tension of each wire which changes every moment following its own operation . as shown in fig8 , the controller 200 has a first converter 232 . the first converter 232 inputs the instructed angles ( θtx , θty ) of the ankle joint 26 around the x and y axes , and calculates and outputs expected effective lengths la 1 , lb 1 , and lc 1 for the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c , respectively . the first converter 232 corresponds to the first converter 432 shown in fig3 . the first converter 232 calculates the effective length for each wire similarly to the first converter 432 shown in fig3 . when the effective length for each wire is adjusted by the expected effective lengths la 1 , lb 1 , and lc 1 calculated from the instructed angles ( θtx , θty ), the joint angles of the ankle joint 26 around the x and y axes will be adjusted to the instructed angles ( θtx , θty ). the controller 200 has a second converter 234 . the second converter 234 itself is the same as the first converter 232 . the controller 200 has a first differentiator 212 , a first proportional integral derivative control ( pid control ) circuit 214 , a first gain circuit 216 , and a first adder 218 . the first differentiator 212 , the first pid control circuit 214 , the first gain circuit 216 , and the first adder 218 are connected in series , and the series circuit connects the data storage device 202 with the second converter 234 . the controller 200 has a second differentiator 222 , a second proportional integral derivative control ( pid control ) circuit 224 , a second gain circuit 226 , and a second adder 228 . the second differentiator 222 , the second pid control circuit 224 , the first gain circuit 226 , and the first adder 228 are connected in series , and the series circuit connects the data storage device 202 with the second converter 234 . the first differentiator 212 and the second differentiator 222 are the same as each other . similarly , the first pid control circuit 214 and the second pid control circuit 224 are the same as each other , the first gain circuit 216 and the second gain circuit 226 are the same as each other , the first adder 218 and the second adder 228 are the same as each other . as shown in fig8 , the first gain circuit 216 and the second gain circuit 226 are directly connected even to a data storage device 216 . the first adder 218 and the second adder 228 are directly connected even to the data storage device 216 . the controller 200 has a first encoder 272 which detects an actual joint angle ( actual angle ) θmx of the ankle joint 26 around the x axis , and a second encoder 274 θmy which detects an actual joint angle ( actual angle ) θmx of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis . the first encoder 272 is connected to the first differentiator 212 . the second encoder 274 is connected to the second differentiator 222 . although not shown in fig4 , 5 , and 6 , the first encoder 272 and the second encoder 274 are disposed in the vicinity of the ankle joint 26 . a set of the first encoder 272 and the second encoder 274 are disposed in each of the right and left legs 12 . the first differentiator 212 inputs an instructed angle θtx of the ankle joint 26 around the x axis from the data storage device 202 , and inputs an actual angle θmx of the ankle joint 26 from the first encoder 272 , and outputs a deviation angle ( θtx − θmx ) therebetween . the first pd control circuit 214 inputs the deviation angle ( θtx − θmx ) from the first differentiator 212 , and outputs a modified deviation angle δθx which is modified by increasing and decreasing the deviation angle . the first pid control circuit 214 calculates the modified deviation angle δθx in a way similar to the pid control circuit 414 shown in fig2 . the first gain circuit 216 inputs the modified deviation angle δθx from the first pid control circuit 214 , inputs a load torque etx of the ankle joint 26 from the data storage device 202 , and outputs an amplified deviation angle gx · δθx . this coefficient gx is a coefficient for amplifying the modified deviation angle δθ . the first gain circuit 216 calculates the amplified deviation angle gx · δθx in a way similar to the gain circuit 416 described in feature 1 . the first adder 218 inputs the instructed angle θtx of the ankle joint 26 from the data storage device 202 , inputs the amplified deviation angle gx · δθx from the first gain circuit 216 , and outputs a modified instruction angle ( θtx + gx · δθx ) obtained by adding the instructed angle θtx to the amplified deviation angle gx · δθx . the modified instruction angle ( θtx + gx · δθx ) output by the first adder 218 is an angle which is obtained by modifying the instructed angle θtx of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis according to the deviation between the instructed angle θtx and the actual angle θtm . the magnitude of the modification is adjusted so that a larger load torque etx of the ankle joint 26 around y axis may result in a larger magnitude of modification . the second differentiator 222 , the second pid control circuit 224 , the second gain circuit 226 , and the second adder 228 perform the same processing as that in the ankle joint 26 around the y axis . the second adder 228 outputs the modified instruction angle ( θty + gy · δθy ) of the ankle joint 26 around the y axis . the second converter 234 inputs the modified instruction angles ( θtx + gx · δθx , θty + gy · δθy ) of the ankle joint 26 around the x and y axes from the first adder 218 and the second adder 228 , and calculates and outputs expected effective lengths la 2 , lb 2 , and lc 2 for the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c , respectively . when the effective length for each wire is adjusted by the expected effective lengths la 2 lb 2 , and lc 2 calculated from the instructed angles ( θtx , θty ), the joint angles of the ankle joint 26 around the x and y axes will be adjusted to the modified instruction angles ( θtx + gx · δθx , θty + gy · δθy ). the controller 200 has a first driver 251 which controls the operation of the actuator 68 a , a second driver 252 which controls the operation of the actuator 68 b , and a third driver 253 which controls the operation of the actuator 68 c . the controller 200 has a first selector 241 , a second selector 242 , and a third selector 243 . the first selector 241 is interposed in a circuit which connects the first converter 232 and the second converter 234 to the first driver 251 . the second selector 242 is interposed in a circuit which connects the first converter 232 and the second converter 234 to the second driver 252 . the third selector 243 is interposed in a circuit which connects the first converter 232 and the second converter 234 to the third driver 253 . the first selector 241 is constructed to selectively connect one of the first converter 232 and the second converter 234 to the first driver 251 . the second selector 242 is constructed to selectively connect one of the first converter 232 and the second driver 252 to the second driver 252 . the third selector 243 is constructed to selectively connect one of the first converter 232 and the second converter 234 to the third driver 253 . the controller 200 has a first switching unit 261 , a second switching unit 262 , and a third switching unit 263 . the first switching unit 261 is connected to the first selector 241 . the second switching unit 262 is connected to the second selector 242 . the third switching unit 263 is connected to the third selector 243 . further , the first switching unit 261 , the second switching unit 262 , and the third switching unit 263 are connected even to the data storage device 202 . the first switching unit 261 inputs an expected tension ta of the wire 66 a from the data storage device 202 , and switches the first selector 241 on the basis of the value of the expected tension ta of the wire 66 a . when the expected tension ta of the wire 66 a is smaller than a predetermined value , the first switching unit 261 switches the first selector 241 so as to connect the first converter 232 to the first driver 251 . further , when the expected tension ta of the wire 66 a is larger than a predetermined value , the first switching unit 261 switches the first selector 241 so as to connect the second converter 234 to the first driver 251 . accordingly , when the tension of the wire 66 a is small , the expected effective length la 1 is input to the first driver 251 from the first converter 232 . and , when the tension of the wire 66 a is large , the modified effective length la 2 is input to the first driver 251 from the second converter 234 . similarly , the second switching unit 262 switches the second selector 242 on the basis of the expected tension tb of the wire 66 b . that is , when the tension of the wire 66 b is small , the expected effective length lb 1 is input to the second driver 252 from the first converter 232 . and , when the tension of the wire 66 b is large , the modified effective length lb 2 is input to the second driver 252 from the second converter 234 . similarly , the third switching unit 263 switches the third selector 243 on the basis of the value of the expected tension . to of the wire 66 c . that is , when the tension of the wire 66 c is small , the expected effective length lc 1 is input to the third driver 253 from the first converter 232 . and , when the tension of the wire 66 c is large , the modified effective length lc 2 is input to the third driver 253 from the second converter 234 . the first driver 251 calculates an operation amount of the actuator 68 a on the basis of the inputted one of the expected effective length la 1 and modified effective length la 2 for the wire 66 a , and operates the actuator 68 a by the calculated operation amount . the first driver 251 stores a reference relationship between a rotation angle of the motor 114 of the actuator 68 a and a length by which the wire 66 a is moved back and forth by the operation of the actuator . the first driver 251 calculates the operation amount of the actuator 68 a on the basis of the input effective length for the wire 66 a and a stored reference relationship . similarly , the second driver 252 calculates an operation amount of the actuator 68 b , and operates the actuator 68 b by the calculated operation amount . the third driver 253 calculates an operation amount of the actuator 68 c , and operates the actuator 68 by the calculated operation amount . with the configuration as described above , the controller 200 calculates the targeted expected effective lengths la 1 , lb 1 , and lc 1 for the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c from the instructed angles of the ankle joint 26 around the x and y axes . the expected effective lengths la 1 , lb 1 , and lc 1 are calculated without adding deviations caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 . further , the controller 200 calculates modified instruction angles around the x and y axes , which are obtained by modifying the instructed angles of the ankle joint 26 on the basis of deviations between the instructed angles and actual angles , and calculates targeted modified effective lengths la 2 , lb 2 , and lc 2 for the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c from the calculated modified instruction angles around the x and y axes . the modified effective lengths la 2 , lb 2 , and lc 2 are calculated with deviations caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 being added thereto . at this time , as the load torque of the ankle joint 26 is larger , the modified effective lengths are calculated with deviations being more largely added thereto . in the controller 200 , when the tension of the wire 66 a is small , the operation amount of the actuator 68 a is calculated from the expected effective length la 1 . that is , when the tension of the wire 66 a is small , the operation amount of the actuator 68 a is calculated without respect to deviations caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 . on the other hand , when the tension of the wire 66 a is large , the operation amount of the actuator 68 a is calculated from the modified effective length la 2 . that is , when the tension of the wire 66 a is large , the operation amount of the actuator 68 a is calculated with respect to the deviations caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 . each operation amounts of the other actuators 68 b , 68 c is calculated similarly to the above mentioned calculation . as a result , among the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c , for only one ( or some ) of the actuators which moves a wire with a large tension , the operation amount thereof is calculated with respect to the deviations caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 . furthermore , as the load torque of the ankle joint 26 is larger , the deviations are modified so as to be larger than the actual value , and the operation amount of the actuator is calculated with respect to the modified deviations . while the robot 10 operates , the load torque of the ankle joint 26 changes variously following the operation of the robot 10 , and consequently the tensions of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c also change variously therewith . since the rigidity of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c change depending on the tensions of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c , the rigidity of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 66 c change every moment following the operation of the robot 10 . when deviations are caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 , the controller 200 operates , with respect to the deviation , actuators for wires whose tensions are larger , and operates , without respect to the deviation , actuators for wires whose tensions are smaller . that is , the controller 200 causes wires which are high and stable in rigidity to be moved in accordance with the deviations , and causes wires which are low and unstable in rigidity no to be moved in accordance with the deviations . at this time , for the actuators to be operated , they are operated more largely with respect to the deviation , as the load torque of the ankle joint 26 is larger . that is , the actuators made to move back and forth are operated more largely with respect to the deviations , as the load torque of the ankle joint 26 is larger and as the deviations caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 are larger . accordingly , the deviation caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 can be rapidly removed , and the joint angle can be prevented from being vibrating . the controller 200 can appropriately add the deviation caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 to the operation amounts of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c , thereby adjusting the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 correctly to the instructed angle . although mainly the ankle joint 26 has been described hitherto , each of the other joints of the robot 10 performs the same processing operation . the robot 10 can continue to accurately control the joint angle of each joint , and can accurately perform an operation instructed by the joint angle data . even when the deviation in the joint angle occurs , the robot 10 is adapted such that a wire with a small tension is not operated selectively . accordingly , the deviation in the joint angle can be more largely added to the operation amount of actuators which move wires back and forth ( or , a feedback gain can be increased ), even when some wires have small tensions . accordingly , it becomes unnecessary to maintain the tension of all wires to be large . it is possible to reduce loads applied to the wires and the joints , and possible to reduce the power consumption of the actuators . the robot 10 can also use a controller 300 shown in fig1 instead of the controller 200 . hereinafter , the controller 300 will be described . here , in order to avoid repeated description , points different from those of the controller 200 will mainly be described . the controller 300 has a first variable distributor 311 , a second variable distributor 312 , and a third variable distributor 313 . the first variable distributor 311 is connected to the first converter 232 , the second converter 234 , and the first driver 251 . the second variable distributor 312 is connected to the first converter 232 , the second converter 234 , and the second driver 252 . the third variable distributor 313 is connected to the first converter 232 , the second converter 234 , and the second driver 253 . the controller 300 has a tension sensor 321 which measures a tension caused in the wire 66 a , a second tension sensor 322 which measures a tension caused in the wire 66 b , and a third tension sensor 323 which measures a tension caused in the wire 66 c . the first tension sensor 321 is connected to the first variable distributor 311 , and outputs a measured value of the tension caused on the wire 66 a to the first variable distributor 311 . the second tension sensor 322 is connected to the second variable distributor 312 , and outputs a measured value of the tension caused in the wire 66 b to the second variable distributor 312 . the third tension sensor 323 is connected to the third variable distributor 313 , and outputs a measured value of the tension caused in the wire 66 c to the third variable distributor 313 . the first variable distributor 311 inputs the expected effective length la 1 outputted by the first converter 232 , and inputs the modified effective length la 2 outputted by the second converter 234 . and , the first variable distributor 311 calculates and outputs distributed effective lengths from the input expected effective length la 1 input and modified effective length la 2 . the first variable distributor 311 calculates the distributed effective length according to a calculating expression descried below . k of the above expression is a coefficient of 0 ( zero )≦ k ≦ 1 . the first variable distributor 311 sets the above coefficient k on the basis of the tension of the wire 66 a inputted from the first tension sensor 321 . especially , the coefficient k is set so as to be proportional to the input tension of the wire 66 a . accordingly , as the tension of wire 66 a is larger , the first variable distributor 311 outputs the distributed effective length which has a nearer value to the modified effective length la 2 output by the second converter 234 . similarly to the first variable distributor 311 , the second variable distributor 312 calculates and outputs the distributed effective length for the wire 66 b , and the third variable distributor 313 calculates and outputs the distributed effective length for the wire 66 c . the first driver 251 calculates an operation amount of the actuator 68 a from the distributed effective length outputted by the first variable distributor 311 , and operates the actuator 68 a by the calculated operation amount . the second driver 252 calculates an operation amount of the actuator 68 b from the distributed effective length outputted by the second variable distributor 312 , and operates the actuator 68 b by the calculated operation amount . the third driver 253 calculates an operation amount of the actuator 68 c from the distributed effective length output by the third variable distributor 313 , and operates the actuator 68 c by the calculated operation amount . with the configuration as described above , the controller 300 calculates the operation amounts of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c from the distributed effective lengths for the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 68 c , respectively . for each of the wires 66 a , 66 b , and 68 c , as the tension of a wire which is larger , the deviations caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 will be added more largely to the operation amount of the actuator that moves the wire back and forth . when deviations are caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 , the controller 300 operates actuators for wires whose tensions are larger more largely with respect to the deviation , and operates actuators for wires whose tension are small slightly with respect to the deviation . that is , the controller 200 causes wires which are high and stable in rigidity to be moved more largely with respect to the deviations , and causes wires which are low and unstable in rigidity not to be moved much with respect to the deviation . accordingly , the deviation caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 can be rapidly removed , and the joint angle can be prevented from vibrating . a robot using the controller 300 can appropriately add the deviation caused in the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 to the operation amounts of the actuators 68 a , 68 b , and 68 c , thereby adjusting the joint angle of the ankle joint 26 accurately to the instructed angle . specific examples of embodiments of the present invention were described above , but these examples merely illustrate some possibilities of the invention and do not restrict the claims thereof . the art set forth in the claims includes various transformations and modifications of the specific examples explained above . the wires are not limited to those made of metal . for example , wires ( yams ) may be made of polymeric fibers . a robot may further include a device for calculating a load torque of each joint from stored joint angle data . the movement of a robot can be calculated from time - series data on the instructed angle concerning each joint described in the joint angle data . by calculating the movement of a robot , a load torque of each joint can be calculated . furthermore , the technical elements disclosed in the present specification or figures may be utilized independently or in various combinations , and are not limited to the combinations set forth in the claims at the time of filing of the application . further , the purpose of the example illustrated by the present specification and drawings is to satisfy multiple objectives simultaneously , and satisfying any one of those objectives gives technical value and utility to the present invention .	0
referring to fig1 , a dual - walled dsc 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention is disclosed . the dual - walled dsc 100 and its components are illustrated and described as an mpc style structure . however , it is to be understood that the concepts and ideas disclosed herein can be applied to other areas of high level radioactive waste storage , transportation and support . moreover , while the dual - walled dsc 100 is described as being used in combination with a specially designed fuel basket 90 ( which in of itself constitutes an invention ), the dual - walled dsc 100 can be used with any style of fuel basket , such as the one described in u . s . pat . no . 5 , 898 , 747 , to krishna p . singh , issued apr . 27 , 1999 . in fact , in some instances it may be possible to use the dual - walled dsc 100 without a fuel basket , depending on the intended function . furthermore , the dual - walled dsc 100 can be used to store and / or transport any type of high level radioactive waste and is not limited to snf . as will become apparent from the structural description below , the dual - walled dsc 100 contains two independent containment boundaries about the storage cavity 30 that operate to contain both fluidic ( gas and liquid ) and particulate radiological matter within the cavity 30 . as a result , if one containment boundary were to fail , the other containment boundary will remain intact . while theoretically the same , the containment boundaries formed by the dual - walled dsc 100 about the cavity 30 can be literalized in many ways , including without limitation a gas - tight containment boundary , a pressure vessel , a hermetic containment boundary , a radiological containment boundary , and a containment boundary for fluidic and particulate matter . these terms are used synonymously throughout this application . in one instance , these terms generally refer to a type of boundary that surrounds a space and prohibits all fluidic and particulate matter from escaping from and / or entering into the space when subjected to the required operating conditions , such as pressures , temperatures , etc . finally , while the dual - walled dsc 100 is illustrated and described in a vertical orientation , it is to be understood that the dual - walled dsc 100 can be used to store and / or transport its load in any desired orientation , including at an angle or horizontally . thus , use of all relative terms through this specification , including without limitation “ top ,” “ bottom ,” “ inner ” and “ outer ,” are used for convenience only and are not intended to be limiting of the invention in such a manner . the dual - walled dsc 100 dispenses with the single - walled body concept of the prior art dscs . more specifically , the dual walled dsc 100 comprises a first shell that acts as an inner shell 10 and a second shell that acts as an outer shell 20 . the inner and outer shells 10 , 20 are preferably cylindrical tubes and are constructed of a metal . of course , other shapes can be used if desired . the inner shell 10 is a tubular hollow shell that comprises an inner surface 11 , an outer surface 12 , a top edge 13 and a bottom edge 14 . the inner surface 11 of the inner shell 10 forms a cavity / space 30 for receiving and storing snf . the cavity 30 is a cylindrical cavity formed about a central axis . the outer shell 20 is also a tubular hollow shell that comprises an inner surface 21 , an outer surface 22 , a top edge 23 and a bottom edge 24 . the outer shell 20 circumferentially surrounds the inner shell 10 . the inner shell 10 and the outer shell 20 are constructed so that the inner surface 21 of the outer shell 20 is in substantially continuous surface contact with the outer surface 12 of the inner shell 10 . in other words , the interface between the inner shell 10 and the outer shell 20 is substantially free of gaps / voids and are in conformal contact . this can be achieved through an explosive joining , a cladding process , a roller bonding process and / or a mechanical compression process that bonds the inner shell 10 to the outer shell 20 . the continuous surface contact at the interface between the inner shell 10 and the outer shell 20 reduces the resistance to the transmission of heat through the inner and outer shells 10 , 20 to a negligible value . thus , heat emanating from the snf loaded within the cavity 30 can efficiently and effectively be conducted outward through the shells 10 , 20 where it is removed from the outer surface 22 of the outer shell via convection . the inner and outer shells 10 , 20 are preferably both made of a metal . as used herein , the term metal refers to both pure metals and metal alloys . suitable metals include without limitation austenitic stainless steel and other alloys including hastelloy ™ and inconel ™. of course , other materials can be utilized . the thickness of each of the inner and outer shells 10 , 20 is preferably in the range of 5 mm to 25 mm . the outer diameter of the outer shell 20 is preferably in the range of 1700 mm to 2000 mm . the inner diameter of the inner shell 10 is preferably in the range of 1700 mm to 1900 mm . the invention , however , is not limited to any specific size and / or thickness of the shells 10 , 20 . in some embodiments , it may be further preferable that the inner shell 10 be constructed of a metal that has a coefficient of thermal expansion that is equal to or greater than the coefficient of thermal expansion of the metal of which the outer shell 20 is constructed . thus , when the snf that is stored in the cavity 30 and emits heat , the outer shell 20 will not expand away from the inner shell 10 . this ensures that the continuous surface contact between the outer surface 12 of the inner shell 10 and the outer surface 21 of the outer shell 20 will be maintained and a gaps will not form under heat loading conditions . the dual - walled dsc 100 further comprises a first lid that acts as an inner top lid 60 for the inner shell 10 and a second lid that acts as an outer top lid 70 for the second shell 20 . the inner and outer top lids 60 , 70 are plate - like structures that are preferably constructed of the same materials discussed above with respect to the shells 10 , 20 . preferably the thickness of the inner top lid 60 is in the range of 100 mm to 300 mm . the thickness of the outer top lid is preferably in the range of 50 mm to 150 mm . the invention is not , however , limited to any specific dimensions , which will be dictated on a case - by - case basis and the radioactive levels of the snf to be stored in the cavity 30 . referring now to fig2 , the inner top lid 60 comprises a top surface 61 , a bottom surface 62 and an outer lateral surface / edge 63 . the outer top lid 70 comprises a top surface 71 , a bottom surface 72 and an outer lateral surface / edge 73 . when fully assembled , the outer lid 70 is positioned atop the inner lid 60 so that the bottom surface 72 of the outer lid 70 is in substantially continuous surface contact with the top surface 61 of the inner lid 60 . during an snf underwater loading procedure , the inner and outer lids 60 , 70 are removed . once the cavity 30 is loaded with the snf , the inner top lid 60 is positioned so as to enclose the top end of the cavity 30 and rests atop the brackets 15 . once the inner top lid 60 is in place and seal welded to the inner shell 10 , the cavity 30 is evacuated / dried via the appropriate method and backfilled with nitrogen , helium or another inert gas . the drying and backfilling process of the cavity 30 is achieved via the holes 64 of the inner lid 60 that form passageways into the cavity 30 . once the drying and backfilling is complete , the holes 61 are filled with a metal or other wise plugged so as to hermetically seal the cavity 30 . referring now to fig1 and 3 concurrently , the outer shell 20 has an axial length l 2 that is greater than the axial length l 1 of the inner shell 10 . as such , the top edge 13 of the inner shell 10 extends beyond the top edge 23 of the outer shell 20 . similarly , the bottom edge 24 of the outer shell 20 extends beyond the bottom edge 13 of the inner shell 10 . the offset between the top edges 13 , 23 of the shells 10 , 20 allows the top edge 13 of the inner shell 10 to act as a ledge for receiving and supporting the outer top lid 70 . when the inner lid 60 is in place , the inner surface 11 of the inner shell 10 extends over the outer lateral edges 63 . when the outer lid 70 is then positioned atop the inner lid 60 , the inner surface 21 of the outer shell 20 extends over the outer lateral edge 73 of the outer top lid 70 . the top edge 23 of the outer shell 20 is substantially flush with the top surface 71 of the outer top lid 70 . the inner and outer top lids 60 , 70 are welded to the inner and outer shells 10 , 20 respectively after the fuel is loaded into the cavity 30 . conventional edge groove welds can be used . however , it is preferred that all connections between the components of the dual - walled dsc 100 be through - thickness weld . the dual - walled dsc 100 further comprises a first plate that acts as an inner base plate 40 and a second plate that acts as an outer base plate 50 . the inner and outer base plates 40 , 50 are rigid plate - like structures having circular horizontal cross - sections . the invention is not so limited , however , and the shape and size of the base plates 40 , 50 is dependent upon the shape of the inner and outer shells 10 , 20 . the inner base plate 40 comprises a top surface 41 , a bottom surface 42 and an outer lateral surface / edge 43 . similarly , the outer base plate 50 comprises a top surface 51 , a bottom surface 52 and an outer lateral surface / edge 53 . the top surface 41 of the inner base plate 40 forms the floor of the cavity 30 . the inner base plate 40 rests atop the outer base plate 50 . similar to the other corresponding components of the dual - walled dsc 100 , the bottom surface 42 of the inner base plate 40 is in substantially continuous surface contact with the top surface 51 of the outer base plate 50 . as a result , the interface between the inner base plate 40 and the outer base plate 50 is free of gaseous gaps / voids for thermal conduction optimization . an explosive joining , a cladding process , a roller bonding process and / or a mechanical compression process can be used to effectuate the contact between the base plates 40 , 50 . preferably , the thickness of the inner base plate 40 is in the range of 50 mm to 150 mm . the thickness of the outer base plate 50 is preferably in the range of 100 mm to 200 mm . preferably , the length from the top surface of the outer top lid 70 to the bottom surface of the outer base plate 50 is in the range of 4000 mm to 5000 mm , but the invention is in no way limited to any specific dimensions . the outer base plate 50 may be equipped on its bottom surface with a grapple ring ( not shown ) for handling purposes . the thickness of the grapple ring is preferably between 50 mm and 150 mm . the outer diameter of the grapple ring is preferably between 350 mm and 450 mm . referring now to fig2 and 4 concurrently , the inner shell 10 rests atop the inner base plate 40 in a substantially upright orientation . the bottom edge 14 of the inner shell 10 is connected to the top surface 41 of the inner base plate 40 by a through - thickness single groove ( v or j shape ) weld . the outer surface 12 of the inner shell 10 is substantially flush with the outer lateral edge 43 of the inner base plate 40 . the outer shell 20 , which circumferentially surrounds the inner shell 10 , extends over the outer lateral edges 43 , 53 of the inner and outer base plates 40 , 50 so that the bottom edge 24 of the outer shell 20 is substantially flush with the bottom surface 52 of the outer base plate 50 . the inner surface 21 of the outer shell 20 is also connected to the outer base plate 50 using a through - thickness edge weld . in an alternative embodiment , the bottom edge 24 of the outer shell 20 could rest atop the top surface 51 of the outer base plate 50 ( rather than extending over the outer later edge of the base plate 50 ). in that embodiment , the bottom edge 24 of the outer shell 20 could be welded to the top surface 51 of the outer base plate 50 . when all of the seal welds discussed above are completed , the combination of the inner shell 10 , the inner base plate 40 and the inner top lid 60 forms a first hermetically sealed structure surrounding the cavity 30 , thereby creating a first pressure vessel . similarly , the combination of the outer shell 20 , the outer base plate 50 and the outer top lid 70 form a second sealed structure about the first hermetically sealed structure , thereby creating a second pressure vessel about the first pressure vessel and the cavity 30 . theoretically , the first pressure vessel is located within the internal cavity of the second pressure vessel . each pressure vessel is engineered to autonomously meet the stress limits of the asme code with significant margins . unlike the prior art dsc , all of the snf stored in the cavity 30 of the dual - walled dsc 100 share a common confinement space . the common confinement space ( i . e , cavity 30 ) is protected by two independent gas - tight pressure retention boundaries . each of these boundaries can withstand both sub - atmospheric supra - atmospheric pressures as needed , even when subjected to the thermal load given off by the snf within the cavity 30 . referring now to fig5 , the dual - walled dsc 100 is illustrated having a fuel basket 90 positioned within the cavity 30 in a free - standing orientation . the fuel basket 90 serves to hold and support a plurality of snf rods ( which are located within fuel tubes 91 ) in the desired arrangement and maintains the desired separate locality . the fuel basket 90 comprises a plurality of disk - like grates 92 arranged in a stacked and spaced orientation . the separation between the disk - like grates 92 is accomplished via a plurality of vertically oriented tie - rods that pass through the cells of the disk - like grates 92 . once the tie rods are in place , one of the disk - like grates 92 is slid into position . tubular sleeves that can not pass through the cells are then placed over the tie - rods and above the disk - like grates 92 in place . the next disk - like grates 92 is then slid down the tie rods . however , because the tubular sleeves can not pass through the disk - like grates 92 , the two disk - like grates 92 are maintained in the spaced relation . the grates 92 are disc - like frames comprising a ring 185 and a plurality of series of beams 182 , 183 , 184 . the outer surface 186 of the ring 185 is in surface contact with the inner surface ii of the inner shell 10 . the outer diameter of the disk - like grate 92 is preferably 1700 mm to 1900 mm . the outer diameter , however is dependent upon the size of the cavity 30 . in the illustrated embodiment , the number of grates 92 is nine , and the thickness of each grate 92 is preferably between 1 mm and 10 mm . however , the invention is not so limited , so long as the snf rods are adequately supported within the cavity 30 . referring now to fig5 and 6 , concurrently , the fuel basket 90 further comprises a plurality of ventilate fuel tubes 91 . as will be discussed in greater detail below , when assembled , the ventilated fuel tubes 91 are inserted through the cells 180 of the stack of grates 92 , which are aligned . the ventilated fuel tubes 91 form cylindrical cavities 193 ( fig9 ) in which the snf rods will reside . preferably , the fuel cells 180 around the outer perimeter of the grates 92 ( i . e . the slots 180 nearest to the inner surface 11 of the inner shell 10 ) remain free of snf rods . referring now to fig7 , the grates 92 also comprise a plurality of smaller cells 181 for slidably receiving poison rods 93 . the poison rods 93 are provided between the loaded fuel tubes 91 to control reactivity in necessary cases . the number of poison rods 93 is selected to ensure that the computed k eff of the snf rods at maximum design basis initial enrichment , with no credit for burnup , and with the inclusion of all uncertainties and biases is less than 0 . 95 . however , in some embodiments , the poison rods 93 may not be required at all . the pitch p between each of the ventilated fuel tubes 91 is between 100 mm and 150 nm . the invention is not so limited however , and the pitch between the ventilated fuel tubes 91 is affected by both the size of the cavity 30 and the number and location of the poison rods 93 , and the radioactivity of the load to be stored . referring now to fig8 , a top view of one of the grates 92 is illustrated . the grate 92 is a honey - comb grid like structure . the grates 92 comprise a ring structure 185 , a first series of substantially parallel beams 182 , a second series of substantially parallel beams 183 and a third series of substantially parallel beams 184 . the ring structure 185 encompasses the a first , second and third series of substantially parallel beams 182 - 184 . the entire grate 92 can be constructed of a metal , such as steel or aluminum , or any of the materials discussed above . the first , second and third series of substantially parallel beams 182 - 184 are arranged within the ring structure 185 so that each one of the series of beams 182 - 184 intersects with the other two series of beams 182 - 184 . the intersection of the series beams 182 - 184 forms a gridwork that results in an array of fuel cells 180 and an array of poison rod cells 181 . more specifically , the general outline of the fuel cells 180 is created by the intersection of the first and second series of beams 182 , 183 while the poison rod cells 181 are created by the intersection of the third series of beams 184 with the first and second series of beams 182 , 183 . when assembled , the fuel cells 180 receive the fuel tubes 91 while the poison rod cells 181 receive the poison rods 93 . as can be seen the poison rod cells 181 are smaller and of a different shape than the fuel cells 180 . the relative arrangement of first , second and third series of substantially parallel beams 182 - 184 with respect to one another is specifically selected to create hexagonal shaped fuel cells 180 and triangular shaped poison cells 181 . of course , additional series of beams and / or arrangement can be used to create cells that have different shapes , including octagonal , pentagonal , circular , square , etc . the desired shape may be dictated by the shape of the fuel tube and snf fuel assembly to be stored . the series of beams 182 , 183 , 184 are rectangular strips ( i . e ., elongated plates ) having notches ( not visible ) strategically located along their length to facilitate assembly . more specifically , notches that extend into the edges of the beams for at least ½ the height of the beams are provided . the notches are arranged on the beams 182 - 184 so that when the beams 182 - 184 are arranged in the desired gridwork , the notches of the bottom edge of some beams 182 - 184 are aligned with the notches on the top edge of the remaining beams 182 - 184 . the beams 182 - 184 can then slidably mate with one another via the interaction between the notches . the beams 182 , 183 , 184 are then welded to each other at their intersecting points via tungsten inert gas process . while the beams 182 - 184 are illustrated as strips , the invention is not so limited and other structures may be used to form the gridwork , such as rods . referring now to fig9 , the structure of the poison rods 93 and the ventilated fuel tubes 91 will be described . in the illustrated embodiment , the poison rods 93 are hollow tubular members having a cavity 196 for receiving a neutron absorbing material . for example , the hollow tubular member can be constructed of a stainless steel and filled with boron - carbide powder . in other embodiment , the poison rods 93 can be constructed of a monolithic material , such as a metal matrix material , such as metamic . the outer diameter of the poison rods 93 is between 20 mm and 40 mm and the inner diameter is between 10 mm and 40 mm . the invention is not so limited , however . when assembled in the dsc 100 , the poison rods 93 are of a sufficient length so as to extend along the full height of the snf rods stored within the fuel tubes 91 . turning now to the fuel tubes 91 , the ventilated fuel tubes 91 are designed to allow for ventilation of heat emitted by the snf rods 200 stored therein . the ventilated fuel tube 91 comprises a tubular body portion 191 and a ventilated cap portion 192 . the tubular body portion 191 forms a cavity 193 for receiving the snf rods 200 , e . g ., in the form of fuel bundles ( half fuel assemblies ). preferably , the ventilated fuel tubes 91 have a horizontal cross sectional profile such that the cavity 193 accommodates no more than one fuel bundle . however , this is not limiting of the invention . the outer and inner diameter of the tubular body portion 191 of the ventilated fuel tube 91 is preferably between 75 mm and 125 mm , but the invention is not so limited . the tubular body portion 191 comprises a closed bottom end 194 and open top end 197 . the closed bottom end 197 is a tapered and flat bottom . as will be discussed in further detail below , the tapering of the closed bottom end 197 allows for better air flow through the dual walled dsc 100 . in an alternative embodiment , the closed bottom end 197 could further comprise holes and / or vents for improved air flow and heat removal . the ventilated cap portion 192 is connected to the open top end of the body portion 191 once the cavity 193 is filled with the snf rods 200 . the cap portion 192 is a non - unitary structure with respect to the tubular body 191 and removable therefrom . the caps 192 prevent any of the solid contents from spilling out during handling operations in the processing facility . the caps 192 of the tubes 91 comprise one or more openings 195 that provide passageways into the cavity 193 from the cavity 30 . the openings 195 are covered with fine - mesh screen ( not visible ) so as to prevent any build - up of pressure in the fuel tube 191 while containing any small debris within the cavity 193 of the tube 91 . it has been discovered that one inherent flaw in the design of the nuhoms dsc is that the hermetically sealed fuel tube creates a mini - pressure vessel around the snf rods stored therein . because of the small confinement space / volume available in the hermetically sealed fuel tube of the nuhoms dsc , even a small amount of water or release of plenum gas from the inside of the snf rods can raise the internal pressure in the fuel tube steeply , rendering it susceptible to bursting . as a result , the integrity of the fuel tube of the nuhoms dsc as a pressure vessel can not be assured when used to store previously waterlogged snf rods that contain micro - cracks with a high level of confidence . the ventilated fuel tubes 91 of the present invention , on the other hand , prevent pressure build - up by allowing ventilation with the larger cavity 30 via the opening 195 in the cap 192 the openings 195 are generally triangular in shape , but can be circular , rectangular or any other shape , so long as the proper venting is achieved . referring again to fig5 , when the ventilated fuel tubes 92 are positioned in the dual walled dsc 100 , a plenum exists between the top of the ventilated fuel tubes 91 and the bottom surface 62 of the inner top lid 60 . as mentioned previously , it is also preferable that the perimeter of the grid plate 92 remain free of fuel tubes 91 . whereas the present invention has been described in detail herein , it should be understood that other and further modifications , apart from those shown or suggested herein , may be made within the spirit and scope of the present invention . it is also intended that all matter contained in the foregoing description or shown in any accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative rather than limiting .	6
referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals designate identical or corresponding parts throughout the several views , preferred embodiments of the present invention are described . according to the present invention , a mobile device in communication with a first wireless system will begin communication with a second wireless system prior to or immediately after losing communication with the first wireless system . the mobile device may begin communication with the second wireless system , such as a wireless access point (“ wap ”), upon recognition that the signal strength of the first wireless system is deteriorating or losing strength . the handoff is handled quickly and substantially without interruption or loss of data packets , thereby , providing substantially seamless and continuous network connectivity during the handoff process . the present invention is thus particularly useful in improving the performance of delay sensitive applications , such as voice - over - ip ( voip ) and streaming multimedia applications . the present invention may operate on widely available ieee 802 . 11 wireless nic cards with no customized support from the underlying operating system . however , the present invention is not limited to currently available wireless nic cards and may optionally operate using customized support from the underlying operating system . background scanning is utilized to discover the presence of wireless systems in the surrounding network topology . the mobile device detects the presence of wireless systems in its vicinity by periodically scanning for radio signals from wireless systems . a wireless nic card or the like is used to detect wi - fi signals indicative of a wap within communication range . other types of radio signals may also be detected that are indicative of other type of wireless systems , such as cellar systems , within the communication range of the mobile device within the scope of the present invention . information relating to currently available wireless systems including , without limitation , security settings and network information , is maintained by the mobile device . one problem associated with scanning for radio signals is that such scanning typically results in delays . for instance , during the period of time that the channel is selected for scanning , data cannot be received or sent . additional delays in the wireless nic are associated with switching channels . to reduce these delays , the present invention uses a combination of channel prioritization and dynamic prediction to select a wireless system with minimal or no delay . communication using a particular wireless system may be desired for a number reasons including , without limitation , the wireless system &# 39 ; s security settings , network configuration , communication channel , better signal strength or the load in the associated wireless system . a particular level of security for a wireless system may be desired because the wireless system has the same security level as the currently connected wireless system , a minimum security level , a maximum security level , or a preferred security protocol . a handoff to a wireless system utilizing the same channel as the current wireless system may be desired because of the delay associated with switching channels . a particular channel may also be desired for other reasons including , without limitation , radio interference with other wireless systems , signal strength and existence of multiple wireless systems facilitating easier monitoring of the wireless systems and handoff process . preferential selection of a particular channel over another channel is known as “ channel prioritization .” the mobile device may also select a new wireless system based on its subnet with respect to the subnet of the current wireless system in communication with the mobile device . according to the present invention , mobile devices are configured to handle both layer 2 and layer 3 handoffs between wireless systems . a layer 2 handoff is a handoff between two wireless systems within the same subnet . the mobile device generally maintains the same ip address on the new wireless system in a layer 2 handoff . a layer 3 handoff is a handoff between two wireless systems having different subnets . the mobile device does not maintain the same ip address on the new wireless system in a layer 3 handoff . instead , the mobile device would request a new ip address on the new subnet using a technique known in the art , such as the dynamic host configuration protocol (“ dhcp ”). prior to a handoff , the mobile device compares the subnets of the available wireless systems to determine whether handing off the mobile device to an available wireless system will require a new ip address to be allocated . a layer 2 handoff that does not require a ip address allocation is preferred over a layer 3 handoff because of the possibility of delays associated with a layer 3 handoff and the increased possibility of packet loss . the present invention uses , selective mac layer packet buffering and background address request messages to remove noticeable delays associated with both layer 2 and layer 3 handoffs in wi - fi networks . in one embodiment , a handoff buffer is used for selectively storing packets during the handoff process . moreover , buffering scheme is used for storing packets when the mobile node performs background monitoring of wireless systems which are within the wireless range of the mobile node . the power saving mode feature available in ieee 802 . 11 networks is utilized to buffer packets at the wireless system access point during a handoff and background monitoring of wireless systems to prevent packet loss . utilizing the power saving mode feature decreases the probability of lost packets during link transitioning and makes the handoff process oblivious to the upper layer applications . however , other buffering techniques are possible within the scope of the invention . referring to fig2 , an exemplary block diagram illustrating the handoff of a mobile device 12 between multiple wireless systems within a single subnet is shown . in this example , the block diagram illustrates movement of a mobile device 12 at different physical locations a - d , respectively represented by 12 a - 12 d , over time t within a single subnet 24 . subnet 24 includes two wireless systems 20 and 22 for simplicity , but is not limited to such within the scope of the present invention . mobile device 12 periodically scans for available wireless systems within communication range . in this example , wireless system 20 is within communication range of mobile device 12 at locations a - c , and wireless system 22 is within communication range of mobile device 12 at locations b - d . mobile device 12 also periodically selects an appropriate wireless system to communicate with . this selection may be based on numerous factors including , without limitation , the wireless system &# 39 ; s availability , signal strength , security settings and network configuration . mobile device 12 may be configured to scan for wireless systems at any time including , without limitation , predefined intervals or upon the signal strength of an existing wireless system deteriorating beyond a predetermined threshold . referring to fig2 , wireless system 20 is detected by mobile device 12 at location a , wireless systems 20 and 22 are detected at locations b - c , and wireless system 22 is detected at location d . at location a , mobile device 12 establishes a connection with wireless system 20 . at location b , mobile device 12 detects wireless systems 20 and 22 . in this example , mobile device 12 maintains the connection with wireless system 20 at location b . maintaining a connection with a wireless system may be due to numerous factors including , without limitation , the availability , signal strength , security and subnet configuration of the available wireless systems . at location c , mobile device 12 detects wireless systems 20 and 22 . mobile device 12 disconnects from wireless system 20 and establishes a connection with wireless system 22 . this is also known as handing off communication from wireless system 20 to wireless system 22 . according to the present invention , the handoff occurs while mobile device 12 is within the communication range of wireless systems 20 and 22 . the handoff may occur at location c for any number of reasons including , without limitation , availability , signal strength and security configuration of the available wireless systems . for instance , the handoff may occur because wireless system 22 has a stronger signal than wireless system 20 . at location d , mobile device 12 detects wireless system 22 . in this example , mobile device 12 maintains the connection with wireless system 22 . referring to fig3 , a exemplary block diagram illustrating the handoff of a mobile device 12 between multiple wireless systems within different subnets is shown . in this example , the subnets are connected via routers 66 and 82 . as previously discussed , a layer 2 handoff ( i . e ., a handoff between two wireless systems in which the mobile device may maintain the same ip address on the new wireless system ) occurs when the handoff is between wireless systems within the same subnet , and a layer 3 handoff ( i . e ., a handoff between wireless system utilizing different ip addresses ) occurs when the handoff is between wireless systems having different subnets . in this example , wireless system 62 is on a different subnet than wireless system 76 . handoffs automatically take place with no intervention from the user . fig3 illustrates the movement of a mobile device 12 at different physical locations a - h , respectively , represented by 12 a - 12 h , over time t within subnets 64 and 80 . mobile device 12 periodically scans for available wireless systems within its communication range . in this example , wireless system 60 is within the communication range of mobile device 12 at locations a - c , wireless system 62 is within the communication range of mobile device 12 at locations b - d , wireless system 76 is within the communication range of mobile device 12 at locations d - g , and wireless system 78 is within the communication range of mobile device 12 at locations f - h . mobile device 12 periodically selects an appropriate wireless system to communicate with . the handoff between wireless systems 60 and 62 and between wireless systems 66 and 68 operate as discussed above with respect to fig2 . thus , mobile device 12 at locations a - c and f - h operate as previously discussed in fig2 with respect to handoffs between wireless systems having the same subnet . the handoff between different subnets will now be discussed . at location d , mobile device 12 detects wireless systems 62 and 76 . mobile device 12 hands off communication from wireless system 62 to wireless system 76 at location e . as previously discussed , the handoff may occur for various reasons . for instance , the handoff may occur because wireless system 76 has a stronger signal than wireless system 62 . because wireless systems 62 and 76 are on two different subnets , there may be additional delays associated with this handoff including the time required to associate mobile device 12 with a new ip address . however , our invention supports acquiring ip of different subnets beforehand during the background monitoring phase to decrease the delay of l 3 handoff process . accordingly , this additional delay may be taken into consideration during the handoff . in one embodiment , mobile device 12 will handoff while the signal strength of the wireless system currently in communication with mobile device 12 is still strong enough to remain in communication during this increased handoff period . referring to fig4 and 5 , block diagram illustrating respectively an exemplary wireless driver and a network agent interfacing with a tcp / ip stack according to the present invention is shown . in one embodiment , the wireless driver includes a wireless agent 112 , a network agent 116 and a handoff buffer 118 . the wireless agent 112 is configured to monitor wireless signal strengths from one or more wireless systems ( i . e ., 20 , 22 , 60 , 62 , 76 and 78 ) which are either in the same channel of the associated ap or in different channels of the radio spectrum . network agent 116 is configured to ( i ) monitor wireless signal strengths from one or more wireless systems ( i . e ., 20 , 22 , 60 , 62 , 76 and 78 ), ( ii ) correlate the quality of the received signals ,( iii ) communicate with dhcp servers and prefetch ip address of the different subnets which are within the wireless communication range of the mobile node and ( iv ) determine when a handoff is appropriate . network agent 116 is also be configured to switch between different channels , and to handle layer 2 and / or layer 3 handoffs . to minimize and / or eliminate packet lost , a handoff buffer 118 is used to store network packets when the wireless radio frequency is switched and / or a handoff is initiated . referring to fig6 a - 6d , flow charts illustrating the process of handing off mobile devices between wireless systems according to the present invention are shown . at block 152 , the hardware of the mobile device is initialized . this typically occurs during the hardware boot - up of the mobile device . the wireless agent and network agent are initialized respectively at blocks 154 and 156 . at block 160 , an mobile device actively scans one or more radio frequencies ( known as “ channels ”). the number of channels are calculated and marked as active at block 162 . at block 164 , an active scan is performed on the then - current channel . an active scan may include transmitting a probe_req message and waiting for a response from a wireless system . a list of available wireless systems 161 is updated at block 166 . the mobile device will repeatedly switch channels , scan the then - current channel and update the list of available wireless systems 161 , until all channels have been scanned at blocks 164 - 168 . at block 170 , the available wireless systems list 161 are sorted based on the rssi . an ip address for the available wireless system is reserved at block 172 . the available wireless systems list 161 is partitioned based on each wireless system &# 39 ; s subnet at block 174 . at block 176 , the available wireless systems list 161 is sorted based on the channel frequency . wireless system having the highest rssi is selected from the available wireless systems list 161 at block 178 . at block 179 , the mobile device connects and starts traditional operations with a wireless system . periodic background monitoring of the wireless systems is shown at block 180 . at block 182 , a delay between the periodic monitoring occurs . the mobile device instructs the then - connected wireless system to begin buffering by sending a psm message to the wireless system at block 184 . moreover the mobile node starts inline buffering to prevent packet loss at the mobile end during the process . the mobile device switches the channel and broadcasts a prob_req message in that particular channel and waits for a predetermined time to receive the probe_res message from the wireless access points on that channel before switching to a different channel at blocks 186 and 188 . the rssi is measured and the wireless system rssi trend is updated using ewma technique at block 190 . at block 192 , the mobile device switches back to the original channel where it is associated to the wireless system . the mobile device then transmits a psm awake message to the then connected wireless access point as a result of which the wireless access point releases the packets stored in the buffer to the mobile node at block 184 . also the mobile node releases its buffer and restarts the transmission . at block 198 , the available wireless systems list 161 is reordered based on the results from the background monitoring . the background monitoring may occur periodically or upon the available wireless systems list 161 becoming depleted as shown at block 200 . at block 210 , the available wireless systems list 161 is updated . the updating of the backup wireless systems lists is now discussed . the channels which are to be probed are identified at block 212 . at block 214 , a delay between the periodic probing occurs . the mobile device instructs the then - connected wireless system to begin buffering by sending a psm message to the wireless system at block 216 . the mobile device switches the channel and sends a prob_req at blocks 218 and 220 . a determination of whether a wireless system with an acceptable rssi has responded is performed at block 222 . if a wireless system with an acceptable rssi has responded , then an ip address is reserved and the available wireless systems list 161 is updated based on the subnet . otherwise , the mobile device switches back to the original channel at block 226 . the mobile device then requests the then - connected wireless system to flush its buffer at block 228 . the wireless system will respond by transmitting any buffered data packets to the mobile device . the probing continues until the number of wireless systems discovered satisfies the backup wireless systems lists . the mobile device is switched back into a normal processing mode at block 232 . referring to fig7 a - 7d , message diagrams illustrating the process of handing off mobile devices between wireless systems according to the present invention , are shown . the present invention thus includes a computer program which may be hosted on a storage medium and includes instructions which perform the processes set forth in the present specification . the storage medium can include , but is not limited to , any type of disk including floppy disks , optical disks , cd - roms , magneto - optical disks , roms , rams , eproms , eeproms , flash memory , magnetic or optical cards , or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions . obviously , many other modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings . the specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative , and are not meant to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner . it is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the disclosed concept , the invention may be practiced otherwise then as specifically described .	7
the circuit shown in fig1 has input terminals 9 , 10 for receiving an analogue input signal which varies in time . such signal may , for example , be a voltage signal the value of which varies in dependence on a measured parameter which causes it to vary in time . the nature of the input signal is not , of course , critical to the present invention and adaptation for accepting an electrical signal in which the information is contained in a varying current rather than a varying voltage is equally within the scope of the present invention . likewise , the source of the signal is unimportant and may come from any type of electrical measuring or signal generating equipment to which a chart recorder may in the past have been attached to provide a display and record of the variations thus manifest . the voltage signal appearing between the terminals 9 , 10 is applied to a signal digitizer 11 which will be described in more detail in relation to fig2 . this signal digitizer receives a timing signal from a time period generator 19 and produces an output signal on a data bus 12 in the form of a digital number of binary form . the data bus 12 may , for example , contain eight lines in which case the digital number emitted by the signal digitizer 11 may vary between 0 and 256 . greater discrimination and definition may be achieved by utilizing equipment capable of operating on more than 8 - bit digital signals , but for the purposes of the present description it will be assumed that 8 - bit digital number may contain the required information with adequate resolution . the data bus 12 branches into two parts 13 , 14 and the latter branch , 14 , leads to a memory 20 whilst the former , 13 branches again into a branch 15 and a branch 16 the former of which leads to a display controller 21 and the latter of which leads to a record / play back circuit 17 which also receives control signals from an address generator 18 . the address generator 18 is interconnected with the time period generator 19 and is linked by an address bus 22 to the display controller 21 and by a branching address bus 23 to the memory 20 . a further branch of the address bus 22 leads to a permanent record memory 31 . the display controller receives input control signals from a keyboard 32 and generates control signals on an output bus 33 leading to a solid state display device 24 which , as mentioned hereinabove , may be an electroluminescent display or a liquid crystal matrix . in fig2 there is shown the means for digitization of the signal appearing across the terminals 9 , 10 . the input signal is an analogue voltage which is fed to a voltage - to - frequency converter 25 which , produces a frequency signal at the output thereof , which signal varies in frequency in dependence on the magnitude of the input voltage signal . the varying frequency signal from the voltage - to - frequency converter 25 is supplied to a pulse shaper 26 which , by any of the known means , ( such as infinite clipping or saturation amplifying ) produces a square pulse wave from at its output at the same frequency as the wave form at the input . the square pulses from the pulse shaper 26 are then supplied to a counter 27 which counts for a time period determined by the period genereator 19 which , as shown in fig2 is itself consituted by an oscillator 28 , a first counter 29 the output of which is connected to a second counter 30 and to its own reset input , the output of the counter 30 being connected to its own reset input and to the reset terminal of the counter 27 . the oscillator 28 generatesa fixed frequency signal which is , in effect , divided down by the counters 29 and 30 to produce an output signal at a fixed period which depends on the required sampling time . this sampling time may be any suitable time period for the purposes to which the recording instrument of the present invention is put and may vary from merly seconds in some situations to minutes , hours or even weeks in others . in the present description the period of the sampling time will be assumed to be one minute . the counter 27 will thus produce an output to the data bus 12 representing the number of input pulses which it has counted during the preceding minute and is then reset by the time period generator 19 which latter then commences to time the next one minute period . the output from the counter 27 is in the form of an 8 - bit binary number supplied to the memory 20 and stored there in an address determined by the address generator 18 which is also controlled by the time period generator 19 so that each individual 8 - bit number arriving on the branch 14 of the data bus 12 is directed to an individual separate address by the address generator 18 until the memory 20 is full . when this happens the future operation of the circuit dependes on the program in the display controller 21 . if a long term store of the information is not required the address generator 18 may merely cycle through the address locations in the memory 20 , starting again with the first address location when the last has been filled so that the device only contains information pertinent to a fixed preceding time period and is continually updated . alternatively , if a permanent record is required , the display controller 21 detects when the last memory location is filled in the memory 20 and triggers the record / playback circuit 17 to cause the memory 20 to unload its contents into a permanent record 31 . as explained above this permanent record may be in the form of a magnetic disc of known type , a magnetic tape or a programmable read - only memory . in the case of the programmable memory this is held in a casing having releasable terminals such as plug and socket connections enabling it to be removed easily for storage and replaced by a similar memory for storing the next set of signals . the display on the display device 24 is representative of a fixed size set of signals within the memory , and represents a &# 34 ; field of view &# 34 ; determined by the maximum number of matrix elements from which such a display device may be made . the physical dimensions of the apparatus and the required resolution of the signal will also determine the number of individual digitized signals which may be displayed on the screen . fig3 illustrates the format in which the screen image appears , this representing a plurality of dark columns 40 , 41 etc ., the length of which from the edge 42 of the screen represents the position of a line 43 constituting an indication of variation in the value of the incoming signal applied to the terminals 9 , 10 . in addition , on the screen , alphanumeric representation of selected signals and calculations made from the values of these signals may be displayed . in fig3 the alphanumeric display represents the maximum value , that is the value of greatest signal displayed , and the &# 34 ; average &# 34 ; value of the signals displayed . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art how other alphanumeric signals representative of any desired combination of the stored signals or calculations based on the values of these stored signals may be made .	6
for the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention , reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described in the following written specification . it is understood that no limitation to the scope of the invention is thereby intended . it is further understood that the present invention includes any alterations and modifications to the illustrated embodiments and includes further applications of the principles of the invention as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which this invention pertains . fig1 depicts a functional block diagram of a medical device quality compliance system 100 . the medical device quality compliance system 100 includes a medical device 102 , a patient management database 104 , a care manager application 106 , a service application 108 , a device master record and service database 110 , and a refurbishment device 112 . while only one medical device 102 is depicted , a typical medical device quality compliance system 100 includes multiple medical devices 102 of different types and models . as depicted in fig1 , each of the components of the medical device quality compliance system 100 is in communication with at least one other component in the system through a communication network . the communication network may include one or more wired or wireless communication systems such as a local area network ( lan ), a wireless area network ( wan ), a virtual private network ( vpn ), the internet , etc . moreover , while depicted as separate components , one or more of the components may be realized in a single device . specifically , one or more of the patient management database 104 , the care manager application 106 , the service application 108 , and the device master record and service database 110 may be co - located . thus , for example , the patient management database 104 and the care manager application 106 may be stored in a common memory of a single server in some embodiments . the medical device 102 , also depicted in fig2 , may be for example a motorized wheelchair , a location monitoring system , a blood pressure monitoring system , a glucose monitoring system , an aspirator , a defibrillator , a continuous positive airway pressure ( cpap ) system , or the like . the medical device 102 includes a functional module 120 , a communication module 122 , and a gps receiver 124 . the functional module 120 includes components used for the primary function of the medical device 102 such as diagnosing , monitoring , or treating a disease . thus , in the case of a cpap device , the functional module 120 includes an air pump ( not shown ) that operates under the control of a processor ( not shown ) executing program instructions stored in a memory ( not shown ). the communication module 122 provides a communication link between the medical device 102 and the patient management database 104 . the communication module 122 may be a wireless connection or may be configured to be wired into a communication network . accordingly , the communication link with the patient management database 104 in some embodiments is established automatically while in other embodiments the communication link is established only on an as - needed basis as discussed more fully below . the patient management database 104 is operably connected to and maintained by the care manager application 106 . the patient management database 104 stores individual medical device data which is received from the medical device 102 . individual medical device data may include software version data , usage data , configuration data , etc . the care manager application 106 is operated by the care manager providing the medical device 102 to a user . the care manager application 106 includes various rules governing the use of the medical device including authorization for the device to be used as discussed more fully below . the service application 108 is controlled by a service manager who is responsible for field technicians who in turn provide services for the medical device 102 . the service application 108 controls / maintains the device master record and service database 110 . the device master record and service database 110 includes , for example , the various software versions used in the medical device 102 as well as a record of the appropriate software version to be installed on a particular type of medical device 102 . the device master record and service database 110 further includes data related to refurbishment processes and maintenance processes that are appropriate for the medical device 102 . the refurbishment device 112 is further depicted in fig3 . the refurbishment device 112 includes a digital camera 130 , a radio frequency identification ( rfid ) interrogator 132 , a gps receiver 134 , a communication module 136 , and a user interface 138 . the communication module 136 is configured to establish communications with both the device master record and service database 110 and the medical device 102 as discussed more fully below . additional details of the medical device quality compliance system 100 are provided along with discussion of a refurbishment / repair process 140 of fig4 . the process 140 begins at block 142 when the medical device 102 is provided to a patient . when the medical device 102 is initially provided , data related to the medical device 102 is stored in the medical device management database 104 which is maintained by the care manager application 106 . the patient then uses the medical device 102 ( block 144 ) at block 146 , the medical device 102 is locked - out of service . a medical device 102 may be locked - out of service autonomously in response to a predetermined condition or in response to a lockout command from the care manager application 106 . for example , if a medical device 102 has exceeded a predetermined number of uses without required maintenance , the medical device 102 may autonomously lockout further operation of the device . likewise , if a significant fault in the functional module 120 is detected , the medical device 102 may autonomously lockout further operation . in other embodiments , the care manager application 106 can control the medical device 102 to a locked - out condition for one or more of the above reasons , upon expiration of a service agreement , when a patient is dis - enrolled , when the patient no longer needs the medical device 102 , etc . after the medical device 102 has been locked - out , a notification is sent to the service application 108 that the medical device 102 has been locked - out ( block 148 ). in one embodiment , the lockout message is transmitted from the medical device 102 to the patient management database 104 , to the device master record and service database , and then to the service application 108 . in another embodiment , the care manager application 106 initiates the lockout message . depending upon the particular embodiment , the lockout message may include a request for service . the lockout message may include data indicating the reason that the medical device 102 has been locked - out . thus , the lockout message may indicate a need for cleaning the previous patient data prior to providing the medical device 102 to a subsequent patient , a need for providing the latest software upgrade , a need to replace a component , or the need for retesting the medical device . once the medical device 102 is locked - out , the medical device 102 cannot be further operated until a key is provided by the service application 108 . in order to accomplish unlocking of the medical device 102 , an operator or field technician with the refurbishment device 112 is deployed to the location of the medical device 102 ( block 150 ). at block 152 , the refurbishment device 112 establishes communication with the medical device 102 . establishment of communication in some embodiments is accomplished by a hardwire connection between the refurbishment device 112 and the medical device 102 . in other embodiments , the communication is wireless . the refurbishment device 112 then uses the rfid interrogator 132 to interrogate the medical device 102 to obtain identification of the medical device 102 . in some embodiments , the identification data is used to verify the correct medical device 102 is being refurbished by confirming the identity of the medical device 102 with identification data received from the care manager application 106 . in some embodiments , the identification data is stored in a memory and transmitted to the refurbishment device 112 through the communication module 122 . once the medical device 102 has been identified at block 154 , the refurbishment device 112 establishes communication with the device master record and service database 110 . the device master record and service database 110 provides the most recent refurbishment / repair data for the particular type or model of medical device 102 to the refurbishment device 112 ( block 156 ). in some embodiments , this data is provided prior to block 150 . the data provided to the refurbishment device 112 from the device master record and service database 110 includes a check list of processes involved in a refurbishment operation . the checklist may include steps related to upgrading software , replacing components , testing components , performing required regulatory checks , or performing maintenance on components . consequently , as refurbishment / service is performed ( block 158 ), the field technician confirms the refurbishment / service is conducted using the user interface 138 and the checklist ( s ) ( block 160 ). other refurbishment / service steps are verified electronically by the refurbishment device 112 . for example , proper installation of software upgrades may be verified electronically . in order to provide additional quality assurance , the rfid data obtained by the rfid interrogator is electronically affixed to the checklist . thus , there is an electronic record of the precise medical device 102 which has been refurbished / serviced . one step in the checklists may require the use of the digital camera 130 to obtain images of the medical device 102 . the physical condition / status of the medical device 102 may thus be documented . additionally , images may be acquired at various steps in component disassembly / repair . the documentation of the refurbishment / service may further be appended using the gps receivers 124 and 134 . data from the gps receivers 124 and 134 can be used to confirm the amount of time that the medical device 102 and the refurbishment device 112 were in proximity . additionally , data associated with the communication link between the two devices can be used for the same purpose . once all of the necessary repairs / testing / maintenance has been properly documented using the refurbishment device 112 , the field technician digitally signs a field service record including all of the documentation of the refurbishment / service . the signed documentation is communicated to the device master record and service database 110 ( block 162 ). data indicating the present state of the medical device 102 is further communicated to the patient management database 104 . this data may be transmitted from the device master record and service database 110 or from the medical device 102 . along with the electronic documentation , the refurbishment device 112 transmits an “ unlock ” request to the service application 108 . if the documentation satisfies all of the requirements , the service application 108 transmits a key to the refurbishment device 112 which can unlock the medical device 102 block 164 . transmission of an unlock key may further be dependent upon acquiring a new service agreement , a new prescription , etc . at block 166 , the refurbishment device 112 uses the key to unlock the medical device 102 . once the medical device 102 has been unlocked , the medical device 102 is returned to service , either at the original user location or at a different location . the above described embodiment thus provides a quality compliance system and method for the refurbishment process on a medical device which ensures that a refurbishment / service / maintenance process is properly performed on a medical device before the medical device is reused or redeployed to another patient . in different embodiments , the various steps may be performed in different orders . moreover , depending upon the particular embodiment , some of the steps may be modified , combined , or omitted . the processes which can be documented by the above described embodiments include data cleaning process , device cleaning process , identity confirmation operations , device testing processed , and software updating process . in one embodiment , a locked medical device triggers a message to a field server ( service application ) indicating that the medical device is locked and also sends data explaining the basis for locking the medical device . the basis may be a need for cleaning patient data , a need for providing a software upgrade , or a need for retesting the medical device . a refurbishment device documents the refurbishing process electronically or manually . the refurbishment device checks the identity of the medical device and the status of the process steps taken after coupling with the medical device . the refurbishment device has a digital camera to confirm the appearance and the cleaning operation of the medical device . the location of the operator during the refurbishment operation is confirmed with a gps receiver attached to the refurbishment device . while the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description , the same should be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character . it is understood that only the preferred embodiments have been presented and that all changes , modifications and further applications that come within the spirit of the invention are desired to be protected .	6
certain terminology is used in the following description for convenience only and is not limiting . the words “ right ”, “ left ”, “ lower ”, and “ upper ” designate directions in the drawings to which reference is made . the words “ inwardly ” and “ outwardly ” refer to directions toward and away from , respectively , the geometric center of the apparatus and designated parts thereof . the terminology includes the above - listed words , derivatives thereof , and words of similar import . additionally , the words “ a ” and “ an ”, as used in the claims and in the corresponding portions of the specification , mean “ at least one .” certain embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein describe a system and method for the nondestructive inspection of wind turbine blades suitable for both onshore and off - shore wind power generators and capable of detecting propagating defects or damage during normal turbine operation . inspections are made from ground or sea level without any requirements for access to the wind generator tower or any disruption of power generation . large utility scale wind power turbines are generally of the hawt design using composite air foil shaped blades to generate the rotational torque needed to drive the electrical generator . current utility scale wind turbine blades may range from 9 m in length up to more than 50 m , with much larger blades being designed for offshore wind power generators . the application of this invention may achieve good results on blades of all lengths manufactured with thermoelastic composite materials such as fiber glass and carbon fibers in an epoxy matrix . wind turbines blades , during normal operation , are subjected to continuous cyclic loading due to gravity and variable wind forces . thermal imaging of blade anomalies requires the test be conducted after sunset or on cloudy days during normal operation . after the blades have come to thermal equilibrium with the ambient air temperature , the only remaining thermal emissions from the blade occur at the site of propagating damage anywhere in the blade . tribological damage including plastic deformation , fretting , adhesive wear , oxidation , and phase transformations , such as melting can occur at rubbing crack faces . c . j . pye et al . ( ref 1 ) where cyclic gravitational loads pass through structural anomalies . heat is generated by three mechanisms ( j . renshaw , ref 2 ): internal frictional rubbing of contacting surfaces ( asperities ) on crack walls , deformation of the plastic zone surround the crack , and viscoelastic losses . while the local blade surface temperature anomaly is small and the area may be small , embodiments of the present invention provide excellent signal to noise ratio and quantitative data to evaluate the condition of the blades . telephoto optics are necessary to resolve the small angle α subtended by for example a 6 inch long crack at 300 ft . height , where α = arc sin 1 / 600 = 0 . 0955 ° or only 343 arc seconds . further , if the defect is located near the blade tip , the thermal indication will be moving at a high rate of speed . for example , on a typical 50 m blade operating at 20 rpm , the thermal indication will be moving at 176 . 8 ft ./ second . depending on the characteristics of the thermal camera , which commonly uses a relatively slow micro bolometer thermal sensor , the rotation of the blade through the field of view typical thermal camera makes it difficult for an operator to see , much less analyze , the thermal indications , even if the camera has the thermal resolution performance to detect the emissions at all . positioning the thermal camera on the right side of the tower ( on the ground or at sea level for an off shore turbine with ones back to the wind ) at a location approximately mid - span under the turbine rotor disk ( the plane containing the blade tips ) allows the camera to image the leading edges of the turbine blades as they move directly towards the camera with the angle of the blade changing relatively slowly . good results for defects on the blade leading edges can be obtained . the trailing edges may be inspected in the same manner from the left side of the tower ( with ones back to the wind ) where the blades are moving directly away from the camera . imaging a defect that is located elsewhere on the blades is more challenging since the blades are viewed up or down wind of the turbine disk and the image moves rapidly across the field of view of the camera . the thermal images of the rotating blades from positions upwind or downwind of the plane of the turbine disk can be captured with the thermal camera using the camera memory , if present , or a computer with the appropriate drivers for capturing digital images using a gige or camera link interface or an analog to digital video frame grabber or any other appropriate camera / computer interface well known in the art . a software algorithm to display each frame by frame in a series of sequenced images allows defects to be identified as the blade rotates into view of the camera . certain embodiments of the invention also include a peak - store image function that records the stored maximum value for each pixel in each frame . as a hot spot on the blade , caused by stress induced internal friction at the site of a propagating defect , plasticity or thermoelastic emissions , rotates into view , each pixel is locked to its maximum value . with a series of sequential frames combined into one peak stored image the motion trajectories of defect indications are recorded through each blade pass . because wind turbine blades are painted to reflect heat from the sun , the heat from sources other than active defects in the blade may appear in the thermal images of blades as reflections . one example might be the heat from a car situated near the wind tower . heat signal from a defect will form a sine wave trajectory track around the blade path , while reflection of heat sources on the ground or on adjacent towers appear “ painted ” on the image of the blade through a small number of frames or a small angle of blade rotation . in multiple embodiments of this invention a blade image de - rotation stabilization device can be added to the front aperture of the thermal camera to derotate the motion of the blade as it passes through the camera field of view . a two axis mirror motion using two actuators would allow more precise image motion compensation as the blade is viewed from a distance of from 100 feet to 1000 feet with frequently a considerable off - axis view . as such , the blade motion and the motion of any thermal emitters on the blade surface appears to move in a combined vertical and horizontal motion approximating a sine wave . blades are best inspected when within approximately 45 degrees of the 90 and 270 degree horizontal position so that the images across the span of the blade have approximately the same scale . the output signal from a function generator producing a ramp function can be used to drive a voice - coil linear actuator at an amplitude and repetition rate required stop the appearance of motion for several video frames . as the blade starts to pass through the field of view , the mirror pivot motion starts and tracks the blade image across the field of view . the frequency and amplitude can be set with each cycle corresponding to the turbine rotational period τ seconds to track one blade or τ / 3 to track all three blades sequentially . other embodiments include the use of the graphical target generated by software that is place on the video image from the thermal camera that triggers the de - rotator to initiate a mirror motion cycle . as the blade enters the thermal camera field of view and crosses the graphical target on the display , the computer starts to move the mirror to approximately track the blade as long as possible allowing the thermal camera time to capture multiple high quality images . the de - rotator motion may also be triggered by a photo detector established to detect light from a laser beam illuminating the blade from the ground . the unexpanded low power laser and detection electronics would provide an electronic trigger signal when the blade was in the correct position to start tracking . in another embodiment , a light weight thermal camera can be mounted to a hinged plate and operated with any of the methods for image de - rotation of the rotation blade as describe herein . referring now to the drawings , wherein like reference numerals indicate corresponding structure throughout the views , and referring in particular to fig1 , a schematic diagram of a hawt is shown that that is typical of both land based and off - shore turbine generators . the view 1 from behind the turbine facing the wind includes tower 6 extending up from the ground or ocean surface 2 to support the nacelle 8 which contains the generator and gear reducers , unless it is a direct drive generator . there are typically three blades on a utility scale wind turbine having root ends 10 and blade tips 21 . as seen from the side view 2 , the blade root ends attach to the rotatable hub 18 . blade side 16 facing the wind 4 is often referred to as the high pressure side . the blade side 14 , facing away from the wind is referred to as the low pressure or suction side . as the blade speed increases the blade pitch is adjusted to the optimal angle of attack to the wind to create the maximum lift and torque required to drive the electricity generator . fig2 shows the construction cross section of a typical hawt blade . wind turbine blades are generally manufactured with adhesively bonded composite shells forming the high pressure side 16 and the low pressure side 14 . the trailing edge 21 is adhesively bonded as is the leading edge 20 , with adhesive bonding in some cases between two flanges 22 formed by the inner and outer fiberglass skins that make up sandwich panels 18 . two spar caps 26 , which may be made from fiberglass or carbon fiber laminate or other like composite material are bonded to the edges of the sandwich panels 18 . the blade spar web 30 , which can be a solid fiberglass laminate or a sandwich construction with fiberglass or carbon fiber face sheets and a core material made with foam , balsa wood or other suitable material with high compressive strength . the spar web 30 is bonded with adhesive 28 to the spar caps 26 to form an i beam . sometimes a second or even third spar web is present forming a box beam . defects such as adhesive disbonds or unbonds present at the spar cap 26 to spar web 30 adhesive bond 28 may lead to catastrophic failure of the blade in service . fiber waves in the solid spar cap 26 laminate can also lead to cracking and ultimately to blade failure . further , trailing edge 21 splits or cracks in the high pressure 16 and low 14 pressure side shell adhesive bond 24 may be signs or excessive blade flex during operation . the trailing edge 21 adhesive bond 24 , in the area of greatest blade chord width towards the root end 10 supports blade twist loads . cracks and breaks in the adhesive bond 24 at these locations can also lead to blade failure unless detected in time and the turbine shut down and promptly repaired . when one of the reinforcing elements such as a glass or carbon fiber breaks , it makes a distinct sound , like a stick breaking . the sound propagates throughout the structure of the wind turbine blade , and throughout the enclosed space defined by the interior surface of the outer skin of the blade . in addition , a pressure gradient develops within the enclosed space as a result of centripetal acceleration . the pressure differential between the portion of the enclosed space that is proximate the wind turbine hub and the outermost portion of the enclosed space can be on the order of 2 psi . fig3 is a schematic diagram showing the side view of thermal camera 222 at locations down wind of tower 6 for inspection of the low pressure side of the blade 11 . thermal emissions 204 from defects in the blade 11 propagating due to cyclic stress load due to gravity and wind fluctuations are detected by thermal camera 222 . the side view also shows the plane 20 as a line extending to the ground or sea level 28 , containing the blade tips 12 . this approximate location is a good viewing position for blade 11 leading edge 20 inspections . fig4 shows thermal camera 222 , positioned at locations both on the up wind - high pressure side of the turbine blades , at two locations on either side of the tower in the plane of the blade disk and at a location on the down wind , low pressure or suction side of the blades to provide advantageous viewing of the entire blade surfaces during rotation . for the best view angle of the low pressure side 14 of the blades 11 is achieved with the thermal camera 222 positioned at approximately location 212 , however the best results are obtained using an image stabilizer as described here in or an image peak storage unit or software due to the relatively high speed the image of the blade passes through the camera field of view . the best view of the blade leading edges 20 are at position 214 , in the plane 20 of the blade tips , since the blade 11 is rotating down directly at the camera and the angles of points on the leading edge 20 are changing relatively slowly . moving down wind from position 214 gives good views of the forward low pressure side surfaces 14 , of the blade 11 with relatively low rate of angle changes over three to four video frames . position 216 is excellent for the trailing edge 21 of the blades and position 220 offers a full view of the high pressure side 16 of the blade 11 , which is best viewed with the image stabilizer or peak storage embodiment described herein . position 210 offers relatively poor views of the low pressure side except for the trailing edge 21 and the aft low pressure sandwich structure 18 , but with fast moving angle changes and with the blade twist . wind turbine farms are often located on hills or mountain ridges with little room to move away from the tower 6 . local conditions and land shapes often dictate where the best viewing angles can be obtained . fig5 is a schematic diagram showing a thermal camera 222 , positioned to receive low level thermal radiation 228 from the blade 11 due to thermoelastic emission from the stresses acting on the blade material due to gravitational forces from the blade rotation motion 17 . emission 226 from the mechanically stressed defect 224 appears warmer in the image produced by thermal camera 222 due to internal friction and plasticity around defect 224 . the camera 222 is positioned under the blade at position 214 to receive thermal radiation 228 from the leading edge and the forward part of the low pressure side 14 . this position reduces the angular changes due to blade rotation in the image during the frame acquisition . the streamed video images from the thermal camera 222 are recorded by image processing computer 230 , or in a memory device in the thermal camera 222 as video files , and processed presented using peak store or other image processing techniques and presented on monitor 232 . various means of processing the images including video image peak store , frame by frame analysis , histogram normalization , unsharp filters and so on to obtain good image quality and quantitative measurements of size and location comparing features of known size at the range to the target . fig6 shows how a thermal camera located at position 212 that can be used to test the entire blade from one location by pointing to a blade section inboard adjacent to the generator nacelle 8 and acquiring the thermal image sequences . moving or rotating the camera in an arc 230 outboard and overlapping the next blade section and so on until the tip is reached . the use of programmed servo or other motor drives to move the camera would allow for a fast automated test . fig7 shows a representation of the video peak store function . the thermal emitting defects 236 , 238 and 240 on blade 11 as shown , rotate counter - clockwise in this view of the low pressure side 14 of blade 11 , as seen from down wind of tower 6 . the axis of rotation 7 is shown in the approximate middle of the nacelle 8 . the larger thermal emitting defect , 236 , happens to be the closest defect to the axis 7 and generates the strongest signal 248 . in a peak stored image , each pixel is locked to the highest gray level value while image data is being acquired by the post - test analysis software or in the field during the test . the result is sources of thermal emissions can be tracked through the field of view as show in defect traces 248 , 246 and 244 and as shown in fig1 . a thermal emitting defect has a trajectory following the blade in rotation as viewed greatly off - axis . a line scan 252 , through the peak stored image 242 , maps the gray level value for each pixel in a line from one side of the image to the other and allows a graph 254 to be plotted showing the gray level signal intensity vs . position on the blade . the distance scale is calibrated in software from the size of know features on the nacelle 8 or tower 6 . these values can be corrected mathematically for the difference in velocity for different span wise locations on the blade using a look up table ( lut ) or other techniques for correcting image data based on geometric parameters well know in scientific programming and photogrametry . fig8 shows one embodiment of the thermal image de - rotator consisting of a mirror 241 , attached to a hinge 250 at one end and the opposite end is connected to a linear actuator or voice coil linear actuator 238 through a ball joint or universal joint 240 , whose cyclic motion in the direction of the blade motion can be adjusted to track the approximate motion of each blade 11 as it rotates through the field of view . the derotation will essentially stop the rotation motion for several frames . the blade appears to hang in space giving the thermal camera time to generate higher resolution images of the moving blade . the adjustments consist of amplitude of the ramp voltage 260 , which will compensate for the speed of blade rotation , the duration of the ramp function 262 , and the time 264 , between each start of the ramp function . the output of function generator 244 is amplified in amplifier 242 which then drives the linear motor actuator 238 . the motion of mirror 241 can de - rotate short sequences of images produced by thermal camera 222 . by selecting the repetition rate 262 , the user can select to image all the blades by starting the tracking motion every τ / 3 seconds , where τ = the period of rotation of the turbine in seconds , or by selecting a repetition rate oft , the images of the same blade 14 , will be presented and de - rotated . a spring can be used to provide a restoring force to bring the mirror back to its start position , ready for the next blade pass . only one or more video frames need to be tracked to substantially improve blurring of the thermal camera image due to blade rotation . the frequency of motion of the de - rotating mirror 241 , can be calculated in the following example . assume a turbine operating @ 15 rpm , a thermal camera 222 with a 30 frames per second frame rate , and it is desired to de - rotate 4 video frames . the period , τ , of the turbine is the time required to make 1 revolution , in this case 60 seconds / 15 rpm = 4 seconds . in this time , the thermal camera 222 ( operating at 30 frames / second ) captures ( 4 seconds × 30 frames / second )= 120 frames . the 4 frames we wish to de - rotate are captured over a time of ( 4 frames / 30 frames / sec . )= 0 . 133 seconds . to de - rotate these four frames then , we start moving the mirror to track the blade starting at 0 seconds , when the blade 14 enters the field of view of the thermal camera . the mirror 241 angle is changed ( increased or decreased depending on what direction the blade is moving through the field of view ) continuously over 0 . 133 seconds , then returned to the start position . to track only one blade , the tracking motion is started every 4 seconds ( τ ). to track all three blades sequentially , the tracking motion is started every τ / 3 seconds , 4 / 3 = 1 . 33 seconds . after each tracking motion , the mirror is returned to the start position to await the next tracking cycle . fig9 shows a second embodiment where the thermal camera 222 is moved in rotation to follow the blade 11 motion around axis 7 . the thermal camera 222 is mounted on a frame or plate 251 and connected to hinge 252 which is also attached to frame member 250 which supports actuator 238 . the opposite end of plate 251 is connected to the electric actuator through a flexible joint , such as a hinge or universal joint . the movement of the actuator causes the thermal camera 222 to move up and down which when aligned with a portion of the blade here the motion is substantially the same , will tend to stabilize the blade in the field of view of the thermal camera 222 . additional actuators can operate simultaneously to move the thermal camera in multiple directions however with additional complexity . in practice , one actuator is sufficient if a clear view of the blade 11 when it reaches the horizontal position during rotation can be attained in the field . another option is to rotate the entire actuator 238 , support plates 250 and 251 as well as the thermal camera 222 to align the motion of the actuator with the motion of the blade during data acquisition . reducing the driven mass reduced vibration and power requirements for the electronics and electric actuator , which may be battery operated or power from the vehicle used by the operator . the motion of the camera should be aligned approximately with the direction as the motion of the turbine blade 11 in the camera field of view during its rotation on axis 7 . as the high pressure side of the blade , which viewed from the up wind side of the tower 6 at position 220 is turning clockwise , rises into the field of view of camera 222 , the leading edge of the blade eventually crosses threshold marker 242 . this motion can be identified as a change in the pixel intensity value from that of the open sky as seen by thermal camera 222 , and the software electronically triggers the start of the motion of linear actuator 238 by computer 230 the waveform generator 244 and amplifier 242 . again , an optimal waveform is a ramp function which will move the camera 222 at a constant angular velocity to receive in lens 228 the thermal emissions 226 from the defect in the blade 224 as it moves vertically across the field of view at a constant velocity . this embodiment can also use a moving move a mirror . the tripod mount can also be fitted with a mechanical azimuth and elevation , for example , using rod 258 connected with a flexible joint 254 to the base frame for the camera 250 and locked with clamp 260 with the linear motor providing fine movement of the thermal camera or a mirror . although the embodiment shown uses a tripod 204 to support the thermal camera and image de - rotation mechanism , any sturdy support can be used including a truck , van , car or a wheeled cart to easily move the equipment around the site of the wind turbine . fig1 shows a graph of voltage vs time for the signal used to drive the image de - rotation actuator . for the manually operated de - rotation embodiment , the function generator operates continuously . the operator adjusts the repetition rate to match the turbine rotation period τ , 268 . the ramp function shown in fig1 has a 0 . 133 second duration to match the time for four video frames to be displayed . the electronic or software system can be designed to allow the operator to input these values directly and have the de - rotation device , using either the moving mirror 241 or the moving thermal camera configurations . fig1 is a schematic drawing showing the addition of a gimbal mount to stabilize the thermal camera 222 , and it &# 39 ; s various motion mechanisms and embodiments described here in , during use on water aboard a ship or vessel to inspect blades 11 mounted on off shore wind power generators . in one embodiment , counter weight 280 is supported by gimbal mount comprised of inner frame 270 and outer frame 272 connected by bearing pins 274 and 276 , as well as support housing or frame members 278 which is supported on the deck 29 of the ship or vessel . this allows camera 222 to remain aligned with blade 11 during inspections . this gimbal assembly may also be actively powered and use servo actuators and accelerometers , well known in the art , to provide a stable platform with respect to the vessel rolling and pitching movement for successful operation of the blade inspection system described herein . in addition , the shipboard blade test system may use an inertia platform to keep the camera aimed at the target blade during tests to compensate for ship motion . fig1 is a schematic diagram of the wind turbine blade inspection system described herein with the addition of a video recorder , camcorder , photographic camera or video camera 242 and a light source 244 , configured to record the serial numbers 282 written on the root end 10 of each blade as it is tested . frequently the optimal position for the thermal camera during the test is not the same position need to place the serial number camera to image the serial numbers . any one of a number techniques may be used to synchronize the thermal images with the serial number images . first , a gps clock can provide timing signals on the sound track of a video camcorder as well as timing signals to the thermal camera 222 or the computer 230 , if connected at the time of data acquisition . second , if the image de - rotator is being used an audible or electrical or visual signal can be sent by electrical line 243 to the serial number camera when the actuator begins to track the blade 11 . a delay may be needed to time the serial number capture with the position of the blade to allow the blade to move from the test angle to the best angle to capture the correct serial number . fig1 shows two test results on operating 1 . 5 mw utility scale wind power generators made with embodiments of this invention . the top image shows seven video frames of one blade from the high pressure side as it rotates through the thermal camera field of view . the images were recorded as a . mov file and played back through software that generates a peak store image . the trajectory 246 of the thermal emissions from an active propagating defect is seen as the blade rotates from top to bottom clockwise . the dark lines in the image of the high pressure side 14 of this blade are thermal camera 222 artifacts due to the fast blade 11 motion . the bottom image shows a test image of a leading edge of blade 11 that includes thermal response from hub 18 nacelle 8 and tower 6 . the test was made from position 214 in fig4 . two indications of defects 236 are seen . scaling from known features in the image , the defects are located at 7 . 2 and 9 meters from the root end 10 . one preferred embodiment for this method of remotely inspecting a land or offshore wind turbine blade or blades uses a sensitive ir camera with a fast integration time , wherein a single image or a continuous series of images of each blade is recorded as it passes through the field of view of the thermal camera . the ir camera integration time , t , should be fast enough to reduce the degrading effects of blade rotation creating an image without apparent motion smearing at the blade tip , ranging from 0 . 001 to 100 milliseconds but ideally , t seconds = τ / πd , where d is the diameter of the turbine rotor and τ is the rotation period of the rotor in seconds . the camera should be sensitive to mid - wave or long wave ir radiation , having a wavelength from 4 to 18 microns , corresponding to the wavelength of energy emitted by visco - elastic material undergoing cyclic stress loads . such cameras avoid the further complexity of requiring an means to track the blades as they rotate but are more expensive than microbolometer based ir cameras . wind turbine blade anomalies on an rotating rotor at night , after the blade has come to thermal equilibrium , present in three ways . first , heat may be caused by friction when a defect such as a crack is stressed cyclically by the various forces acting on the blade including the rotating gravity vector , varying wind speed , blade actuation torque , lift from the wind acting of the blade airfoil . this heat flows through to the surface of blade and appears as a hot spot . defects such as fiber waves and fatigue cracks produce such higher temperature thermal indications . the cyclic forces acting on the blade also generates heat due to the visco - elastic properties of the composite materials . other types of defects such as delaminations in the composite sandwich construction of the blade can block the flow of heat from deeper within the blade . such defects appear dark , as the surface temperature of the blade surface at that location is cooler than the adjacent areas . fig1 is a screenshot of a display image generated by the image processing computer showing a thermal image of the high pressure side of an operating wind turbine rotator with a video frame selected with the blade positioned horizontally blade showing a dark defect . this image was taken at night after the blade has come to thermal equilibrium from the effects of solar heating during the day . this delamination type defect is blocking the heat generated deeper in the blade and preventing it from reaching the surface . the camera used to record this image has a fast integration time of 0 . 001 seconds . another defect type that appears dark is a perforation of the blade shells , the two bonded halves that comprise the blade . air inside the blade is pressurized by the centripedal acceleration due to the rotator rotation . compressed air flowing through holes cools the material adjacent to such holes . the step of imaging the wind turbine blade may thus be performed while the turbine is rotating and compressing the air within an open cavity inside a hollow turbine blade and causing an inflow of outside ambient air into the cavity . the air cools the composite material within or around defects where it escapes through breaches of blade shell . other defects that allow material to be partially supported at the surfaces may be cooled by cool ambient air flowing over the blade . many of these defect types are caused by lightning strikes , transportation damage with through shell cracks and fatigue cracks . the ir camera may be advantageously mounted on appropriate vehicles to maneuver through the wind farm to test each turbine . using a remote control pan / tilt mechanism to steer the camera , mounting on the roof of a truck or car greatly increases testing throughput . a gps enabled helicopter flying a programmed route can reach all of the best test locations for a given wind direction and rotor orientation . in practice , 20 towers or more may be tested in one night . the ir camera can also be mounted on a boat for offshore turbine inspections . the dimensions and location of this defect indication need to be determined to allow proper evaluation and maintenance decisions . fig1 shows how a known distance can be defined on a still ir image of the blade . here the diameter of the blade root end , known to be 6 . 2 feet , is defined by clicking on one side of the blade root and dragging the measurement line across the image to the opposite side of the blade root , hence defining the diameter of the blade root or a reference line . the number of pixels in the image that comprise this line are counted to determine the image scale in unites of pixels per unit distance on the image of the blade . the image scale is accurate for all areas of the image of the blade at the same distance from the ir camera as the line segment defining the blade root diameter . the location of the defect with respect to a known datum such as the blade root end can then be measured as shown in fig1 . the computer mouse is used to move the cursor to the blade root , where a left click anchors a line at the datum which is then dragged across the image to the defects indications . so long as the line is moved across areas of the blade that are substantially equidistant from the ir camera as the defined reference line , the pixel count divided by the image scale will yield the distance of the defect to the datum . using the high speed ir camera images of blade tip defects , as shown in fig1 are easily detected with sufficient resolution to enable sizing and determination of location , in spite of the faster than 250 ft . per second speed . fig1 shows how two defect indications near the blade root end can be measured using a caliper overlay function . digital thermal and photography images are formed by focusing electromagnetic energy with a lens onto a flat sensor comprised of energy sensitive elements or pixels positioned in generally a rectangular array for example 600 horizontal by 420 vertical . as with any image of an object , the image scale , measured in pixels per unit distance on the surface of the object , changes continuously over the field of view as the angle θ between the camera lens and the position of each imaged point on the target changes . for a large flat object with the camera pointed straight on , the line from the center of the camera lens to the target is the shortest distance and the image scale will be largest value . as you move to an edge of the field of view , the angle and distance increase and the image scale decreases . fig1 shows one preferred method . objects in the field in a digital image may be measured with respect to other objects of features in the image . first , a the digital image must be calibrated by counting the number of pixels in a line segment that cross and ends at the extremes of a feature of known dimension , located at approximately the same distance from the camera to the feature desired to be measured . the number of pixels counted divided by the features known dimension gives the image scale at that location in pixels / unit of measure ( ft . or meters ). other features or objects can then be measured by counting pixels for either their length or wide or distance from a known datum , if in the field of view , the dimension being the pixel count dived by the image scale . for wind turbine generators we can select a calibration feature in the digital image that changes apparent width with changes in distance but does not change if the viewing angle changes , giving a more reliable measurement . one example of such an object is a sphere , whose diameter changes with distance , but not with the viewing angle . a cylinder is another example . the root end of wind turbine blades are cylindrical where they attached to the pitch bearing in the hub . regardless of the blade pitch or the viewing angle from the ground the blade root end diameter can be used to calibrate the image scale of a wind turbine blade and then allow measurement of other features at the same approximate distance . another area of known dimension could be the diameter of the tower at the base of the nacelle or at a visible weld joint . due to the increased thickness of steel at the tower joint welds , these joints retain heat from the sun and remain visible with infrared cameras during most of the night , when thermal inspection of wind turbine blades is best due to washout of defects with thermal emissions . the known dimensions at the blade roots or at tower welds may be used to calibrate the image scale . the imaging of the area of known dimension could be done using digital thermography , photography or any other passive or active imaging technique . software is then used to determine an image scale in units of pixels / ft ., pixels / meter , or any other scale of pixels to length . pixel counting is then used to determine a dimension calibrated in pixels of the size and / or area of the indication . this will permit the software to comparatively determine the dimensions of other features or objects , such as anomalies , that are located at approximately the same distance . the dimensions of such features or anomalies may then be converted back to a conventional dimensional measurement , such as feet , meters , or other units of length . the imaging software may then integrate dimensional measurements to determine the surface area of the feature or anomaly . a video image of root end of the blade and blade hub may be recorded continuously with a video camera and synchronized with video frames from a thermal camera imaging the blade for anomalies using at least one of gpos timing signals , wireless signals , or other means in order to identify blade serial numbers or the rotor lift lugs , thereby identifying the blade positions of specific blades with anomalies or features of interest . such imaging may be conducted with the wind turbine blade at multiple radial angles of rotation in order to generate an image scale template that corrects for image distortion over the field of view of the digital image as the wind turbine blade rotates . the imaging may be performed as the wind turbine blade rotates , so it is not necessary to immobilize the wind turbine blade or take the unit off - line during the inspection process . with the blade oriented horizontally , the angle of the arc subtended by a defect indication on the blade in the image is relatively small , so the error in sizing and locating the defect is relatively small . images where the blade is pointing at angles other than horizontally have an image scale much more distorted by changes in the distance from the ir camera to points on the blade . if the blade is pointing down , the distance from the camera to the blade tip is approximately equal to half the height of the tower . the image scale at the blade tip would be twice the value for the image scale at the root and defect measurements would be twice the actual size . a sequence of digital thermal images or photographic may be played back , frame by frame to allow the analyst the ability to select frames with optimal image quality for the definition of the boundaries of an anomaly . image measurement tools that measure each pixel value along a line through a defect indication can be programmed to measure the signal to noise ratio which may be defined as the pixel values for the area adjacent to the defect squared divided by the pixel values for the defect indication squared . such a tool , among many known to those skilled in the art of image processing may be used to quantitatively select the image with the best image quality . the field operator may image the wind turbine blade in position segments in order to capture a sequence of multiple images of all three blades at least once as they pass through the camera field of view . this may be followed by a rotation of the camera on its mount to capture the next blade segment in order to image a sequence of multiple images of all three blades at least once as they pass through the camera field and so forth until images of the entire blade are captured . in other words , segments broken up by length along the longitudinal axis of the blade , are scanned incrementally from the inside out as the blades rotate . the analyst reviewing the frame by frame sequence over the full blade length may use an image scale with a distance correction factor to obtain accurate measurements . it is to be understood , however , that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description , together with details of the structure and function of the invention , the disclosure is illustrative only , and changes may be made in detail , especially in matters of shape , size and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed .	8
whilst the invention has been described above it extends to any inventive combination of the features set out above or in the following description . the invention may be performed in various ways , and , by way of example only , an embodiment thereof will now be described by way of example only , reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which : fig1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of a defibrillator in accordance with this invention , and fig2 is a block diagram illustrating the control system of the defibrillator of fig1 . referring initially to fig1 , a semi - automatic automated external defibrillator in accordance with the invention is illustrated . the defibrillator includes a plastic case 10 with a carrying handle 12 on the top portion . the plastic casing 10 contains the storage battery control circuitry and associated equipment for the defibrillator . associated with the handle 12 of the defibrillator is a handle switch 14 which , in this embodiment , is a capacitive switch although it could be a micro - switch . the casing 10 includes a compartment 16 for the storage of electrode pads 18 and appropriate sensors 20 and 22 may be provided to detect opening of the electrode compartment 16 and / or removal of the electrodes . the defibrillator includes a visual display screen 24 and a loudspeaker 26 from which audio or visual instructions may be issued . the casing also includes an ‘ activation ’ button 28 and , internally of the casing , respective attitude sensors 30 and 32 for detecting the attitude of the casing relative to orthogonal axes . also associated with casing is a further touch - sensitive region 34 . in operation , the defibrillator is arranged such that it switches from an off state to an on state as soon as an operator grabs the handle . one example of a control system for the defibrillator of fig1 is shown in fig2 . the rescue mode operation of the defibrillator is initiated when an operator grabs the handle 14 on the top portion in order to carry or move the defibrillator 10 . the switch 14 mounted within the handle casing detects the grabbing of the handle and effectively functions as an on / off switch . in response to this action , a power control circuit 36 activates a power generation circuit 38 and initiates a rescue mode operation of a processor 40 . the processor 40 then begins a rescue mode operation by performing a self - test and then initiates the generation of an audible voice prompt via the loudspeaker 26 “ take to rescue site and remove electrode pads .” such audio prompting may be reinforced or replaced by visual elements e . g . on a display 24 without departing from the scope of the patent . once the processor 40 has performed the self - test and on the condition that the defibrillator is functioning correctly , the processor then repeats the audio prompt , “ take to rescue site and remove pads .” assuming that the handle is still being used to carry the defibrillator , the audio prompting will continue to repeat at a predetermined rate unless removal of the electrodes 18 from the defibrillator casing 10 has been detected by sensor 22 , or removal of the electrodes upon the patient . if desired , at a defined time following the initial grasping of the handle 12 , the audio prompting may become less frequent or cease altogether . this would prevent the battery powering the defibrillator system from being unnecessarily depleted and will also prevent the device becoming a audible nuisance if it were just being transported without any form of carry case or bag . should the device be placed down and then picked up again , thereby reactivating the handle , the process would start from the beginning . upon removing the electrodes 18 from the casing and / or upon removing the electrodes from their associated packaging , the processor 40 guides the operator through a sequence of actions required to enable the aed to achieve a stage capable of performing an ecg analysis and subsequent rescue shock if necessary . this typically involves placing the electrodes 18 upon the patients &# 39 ; chest , checking the airway , breathing and circulation of the patient and monitoring the impedance between the electrodes for future reference if a shock were to be required . in another embodiment , if the processor detects that the defibrillator has been activated and then deactivated , e . g . by the operator grabbing the handle and subsequently placing the unit down and releasing the handle , it may issue verbal instructions to guide the operator to attach a pair of defibrillator electrodes 18 not presently connected . furthermore in another variation , the processor may detect when the electrode pads are connected and when they are not automatically , and issue a suitable announcement such as e . g . “ unit in travel mode ” or “ unit ok ” as appropriate . in a third embodiment the defibrillator may guide the operator to touch a further “ activation ” or “ continue rescue ” button 28 in order for the rescue to proceed . in a fourth embodiment the defibrillator may have further sensors to detect at which stage the rescue is currently at and determine its audible or visual prompts accordingly . such sensors may be attitude sensors 30 , 32 capable of detecting whether the device is vertical or horizontal , and whether the device has been mistakenly placed on the ground the wrong way round . these sensors may only activate when the handle activation button 14 is released , or alternatively may be active for a predetermined time relative to the activation of the handle button 14 . naturally after the completion of a rescue the operator will activate the handle sensor 14 again when attempting to place the defibrillator back in storage or transport the unit with the patient to a nearby hospital facility . this post - rescue activation will cause the processor 40 to collect and to provide post - rescue data . this way includes instructions as to how to download or transfer any rescue data that may be held in memory , or as to the state of the battery and whether a recharge or replace will be necessary , or instruct the operator to replace the electrodes 18 used during the rescue . furthermore , the defibrillator contains an output interface 44 to enable any stored data to be transferred to a remote or local data storage or processing facility either directly by electrical cable , infra - red communication or wireless applications or via connection to a modem and subsequently to a communication network ( for example across an internet or intranet connection ). such data may include collected data during a rescue such as ecg , impedance , respiration , defibrillation data and audio or visual data collected by a microphone or camera as well as data collected during the defibrillator &# 39 ; s lifetime ( self test data , event history etc ). traditionally such data will require a large amount of memory and transfer across a data connection can take anywhere up to an hour if the connection is not high speed or if the data connection has a large amount of data traffic at that time . as can be appreciated requiring such a large amount of time to study any urgent data is not acceptable . to reduce this data transfer time post - rescue , gripping the handle 12 after use signals the defibrillator to compress the data stored in a memory 46 using a compression algorithm 48 prior to the transfer of data . such a compression operation on such a large amount of data can take up to ten minutes or so . hence such an essential operation is performed while the defibrillator is in transit to either a carry bag or being taken with the patient to a hospital and the unit is confirmed to not be in a rescue state ( i . e the unit has been picked up ). should the handle switch 14 again be activated and new electrodes used to perform a second rescue , the compression can be halted and data relating to a new rescue stored in the available memory . following the release of the post - rescue handle activation the defibrillator 10 may perform an additional self test to ensure that no damage occurred during transit . in , summary therefore the described embodiment and the various possible modifications illustrate an example of an automated or semi - automated defibrillator that automatically changes the operation mode , prior to any intended use , when an operator contacts a section or sections of the casing . in one embodiment operation mode of the defibrillator changes from a sleep mode to an on mode ; in another , the operation mode of the defibrillator may change from an off mode to an on mode . furthermore , the defibrillator can be designed to automatically change the operational mode when the operator has no contact with a section or sections of the casing for a predetermined amount of time . thus the operational mode of the defibrillator may change from an on mode to a sleep mode or alternatively from an on mode to an off mode . this automatic activation has been found to often decrease the time it takes the operator — particularly an inexperienced or anxious operator — to set up and use the aed to resuscitate a patient in cardiac arrest . furthermore , the operational mode of the defibrillator can be configured to change to a self - test mode when an operator contacts a section or sections of the casing prior to or following any intended use of the defibrillator . thus the tested functions could include the presence and interconnection of defibrillator electrodes , battery charge state and the operability of the high voltage circuit . visual and audible indicators are used to alert an operator if faults are identified . a record of each self - test may be stored in memory , and can be subsequently retrieved through a communications port or transmitted to a communications device via a transmitter module .	0
herein , an nmr probe is combined with a high pressure gas loading system to provide a versatile and convenient alternative for adsorption isotherm measurements . nmr signal intensity is proportional to the total amount of nmr active nuclei enclosed in its sensitive detection coil , making measurements of the nmr signal response particularly suitable for quantifying the amount of adsorption . moreover , nmr is able to differentiate different types of adsorbates ( methane , ethane , propane , butane , etc . ), and even different phases of the same adsorbate ( e . g ., adsorbed and confined phases ), based on their respective unique nmr signatures including relaxation times . nmr relaxation times can also be used to understand the molecular dynamics and local environment of the nuclei . thus the nmr - based measurement of multi - component adsorption isotherms enable novel understanding of gas storage mechanisms with microscopic details on the associated gas dynamics . this understanding is achievable even with shales and other rocks having very low porosity and permeability . in the following discussion , ultrapure methane gas is employed as a good approximation to natural gas to pressurize the sample . nevertheless , the disclosed method is also applicable to gas mixtures for adsorption measurement . of particular interest are various components of natural gas and the combinations thereof , including the other gaseous alkanes ( ethane , propane , butane , etc . ), nitrogen , carbon dioxide , and hydrogen sulfide . to enhance their nmr signatures , nitrogen and carbon - oxide molecules may be isotopically enriched with 15 n and 13 c , respectively . the nmr signal responses are measured at different gas pressures to construct the adsorption isotherm . the signal responses are then transformed to obtain a multi - dimensional distribution of the langmuir adsorption and nmr relaxation parameters . multi - dimensional cutoffs may then be applied to determine the gas adsorption parameters for different pore types . this approach efficiently overcomes the many challenges of shale gas storage analysis , including those attributable to microporosity and complex mineralogy . fig1 shows an illustrative rock sample characterization system having a pressurizable sample chamber 102 enclosed within the coils of an nmr probe 104 ( e . g ., a standard bruker 5 mm probe ) placed inside an nmr magnet 105 . a processor module 106 , typically in the form of a computer configured with a suitable data - acquisition interface ( e . g ., nmr spectrometer 107 ) and corresponding software , controls the nmr probe 104 to acquire measurements of the nmr signal responses as a function of gas pressure and to process those responses in accordance with the methods outlined below . the sample chamber 102 is further coupled via a cold trap 108 with a vacuum pump 110 to evacuate unwanted air and vapor from the sample chamber 102 prior to injection of the pressurizing gas . ( the intermediate pressure booster 109 has a bypass to permit the evacuation .) a pressure gauge 112 enables the sample chamber pressure to be monitored during the evacuation process and the subsequent pressurization process . a gas source 114 provides gas for pressurizing the sample chamber 102 . one contemplated system employs a high pressure cylinder of high purity methane gas ( 99 . 999 % research grade , available from airgas ) coupled to pressure booster 109 , which includes a high pressure generator and a syringe pump to boost the achievable gas pressures in the sample chamber 102 . together , the source and pressure booster enable the system to provide gas pressures of 12 kpsi or more . a series of manual valves 120 enables the source 114 , or cold trap 108 and vacuum 110 , to be selectively coupled to the sample chamber 102 , and further enables the sample chamber to be decoupled entirely from both the source 114 and vacuum 110 , as needed to enable loading of the sample chamber , evacuation of the sample chamber , pressurization of the sample chamber , and venting of the sample chamber . the experimental results discussed below were obtained by loading the gas shale samples in a high pressure nmr sample tube , which was then placed inside a high field nmr spectrometer that operated at 500 mhz 1 h nmr frequency ( bruker ). although the embodiments described herein are discussed within the context of low permeability rocks such as shale , it is contemplated that the methods and systems disclosed may be used in conjunction with any type of rock samples . methane and other hydrocarbon gases contain protons that carry nmr active nuclei , 1 h with nuclear spin - 1 / 2 , enabling them to be detected by 1 h nmr probe frequencies using any of the well - known nmr parameter acquisition techniques , in turn enabling the nmr probe to measure gas adsorption in a shale sample as a function of gas pressure . one technique measures nmr signal responses stimulated by a single radio frequency ( rf ) pulse corresponding to a spin flipping angle of n / 2 . this nmr signal response is known as free - induction - decay ( fid ). the fid can be fourier - transformed and processed into nmr spectra . the integrated area under the nmr peak is proportional to the total amount of gas within detection region . if desired , the central frequency and linewidth of the nmr peak can be used to identify gas in different phases , different molecular dynamics , and different local environments . depending on the substance and its local environment , the central frequency can exhibit a chemical shift , knight shift , or nucleus independent chemical shift . another technique measures the spin - lattice relaxation time ( t 1 ), a parameter characterizing how fast the longitudinal spin magnetization can relax back to the thermal equilibrium , using an inversion recovery sequence ( e . g ., a π pulse followed by a π / 2 pulse of the same phase ) or any version of saturation recovery sequence . t 1 is sensitive to the molecular exchange between surface adsorbed and pore space confined gas . the adsorbed gas has shorter t 1 because of the restricted motion on the surface . the t 1 of confined gas is a weighted average of t 1 of free gas and adsorbed gas depending on how fast the exchange between two phases . yet another useful technique measures the spin - spin relaxation time ( t 2 ), a parameter characterizing how fast the transverse spin magnetization can relax to zero upon interactions with neighboring spins or local environment , using a pulse - echo sequence such as hahn echo and carr - purcell - meiboom - gill ( cpmg ) sequences . in the hahn echo sequence , a ( π / 2 ) x - pulse is followed by a ( π ) y - pulse at the time τ after the initial ( π / 2 ) x - pulse to refocus the nmr signal at 2τ ( x and y here indicate their relative phase of the pulse ). as with other pulse - echo sequences , the signal is better preserved , i . e ., it is not cut off by the detection delay resulting from the intrinsic characteristics of the nmr resonant circuits . the cpmg sequence consists of a train of π - pulses with alternating phases to repeatedly and dynamically refocus nmr signal . it can compensate for the fast signal decay due to molecular diffusion and achieve much higher signal - to - noise ratio . t 2 is sensitive to the translational motion of gas molecules and local magnetic field gradient . t 1 and t 2 provide additional dimensions in nmr spectroscopy for accurate quantification of gas molecules within detection region and for precise differentiation of gas molecules in different phases , molecular dynamics , and local environments . the selected nmr measurements were repeated at each pressure step as the gas pressure was increased stepwise until reaching a preset limit ( e . g ., the elevated reservoir pressure ). the adsorption process was closely monitored by observing the change in nmr signal intensity , frequency shift , linewidth , t 1 , and t 2 , as the function of the gas pressure . we conclude that these measurement parameters reveal not only the gas storage mechanisms by separating the adsorbed gas from confined or free gas , but also the gas storage capacity of each mechanism . laplace transform algorithms are used to process adsorption and nmr data to obtain multi - dimensional distribution of langmuir adsorption and nmr relaxation parameters , which contain the key information regarding the microporosity and gas storage mechanism . conventionally , the laplace transform is applied to the dependence of the nmr signal response on the adjustable parameters of an nmr pulse sequence , such as spacing time between pulses and applied magnetic field gradient , to obtain the distribution of t 1 , t 2 , and diffusion coefficient . the transform process is further extended here with an inverse laplace transform to analyze the dependence of the nmr signal response on gas pressure . whether analyzed in terms of pressure dependence alone or in combination with the other spectroscopic information , the nmr - based isotherm measurements reveal valuable information about the distribution of pore volumes and surface chemistry . adsorption isotherms may demonstrate a variety of shapes and patterns , depending on the characteristics of both adsorbate and adsorbent , such as the surface adsorption energy , the number of available adsorption sites , the pore size and its distribution . they are classified into six types according to the iupac recommendations ( see sing , k ., et al . ( 1985 ). reporting physisorption data for gas solid systems with special reference to the determination of surface - area and porosity ( recommendations 1984 ). pure appl . chem ., 57 , 603 - 619 ). each isotherm type is governed by certain adsorption mechanism and isotherm equation associated with it . the essential parameters related to adsorption can be determined using the appropriate equations to fit and analyze the adsorption isotherms . these equations serve as the basis for the extended transform mentioned above . adsorption isotherms of methane gas in gas shale have been measured . they show common characteristics of a langmuir adsorption ( type i isotherm ) plus a linear component , which can be described as : where p i is the pressure and v i is the measured quantity at p i , v c is the amount of gas that is confined in the pores , v l and p l are langmuir volume and langmuir pressure parameters that are indicative of the number of surface adsorption sites and the adsorption energy . however , this classical treatment , termed as langmuir adsorption isotherm ( lai ), is unsuitable for processing adsorption data that involve multiple langmuir adsorption components , which is very common in heterogeneous porous media with a distribution of pore size and adsorption energy . as shale typically includes both organic and inorganic pores in a wide array of pore size and surface chemistry in gas shale , we generalize the foregoing isotherm equation to include multiple langmuir adsorption terms in the isotherm equation : where v l , j and p l , j are langmuir volume and pressure of the jth component . because this equation allows for a distribution of langmuir pressures , this approach is herein termed as the isothermal langmuir adsorption pressure ( ilap ) distribution method . curve fitting of the generalized equation to the measured adsorption isotherms is possible , but generally requires some knowledge of the number and volume for each langmuir components . to circumvent this issue , we note that the generalized equation is amenable to decomposition via an inverse laplace transform . in other words , by applying an inverse laplace transform to the measured adsorption isotherm , one obtains a langmuir pressure distribution without having to know the shale porosity or having to assume surface homogeneity , providing a simplified analysis on adsorption data and accurate quantification of storage capacity for each type of adsorption energy and pore size . consider the adsorption isotherm of fig2 a showing the gas adsorption as a function of gas pressure for an untreated shale sample . applying an inverse laplace transform yields the ilap distribution of fig3 a , shown as a graph of gas loading ( in standard cubic centimeters per gram of matrix material ) versus langmuir pressure . the distribution reveals two clearly separated peaks ; one at about p l = 0 . 15 psi and one at about p l = 1 . 7 psi . the sample was then bleached to remove kerogen and other organic material . the new isotherm measurement is shown in fig2 b and the new ilap distribution is shown in fig3 b having a single peak at about p l = 2 . 1 psi . the disappearance of the first peak indicates that it represented pores in the organic material , which had a stronger attraction for methane . this is deducible because the peak related to organic pores has smaller langmuir pressure ( i . e ., a stronger binding energy ). we note that the ilap distribution method disclosed herein is not limited to nmr - measured adsorption isotherms , but rather it is also applicable to adsorption isotherms measured by non - nmr methods including the volumetric or gravimetric methods suitable for higher - porosity materials . additional dimensions for the distribution can be derived by extracting traditional nmr parameters from the nmr response signals to yield , e . g ., a multi - dimensional distribution of langmuir pressure and nmr relaxation time . such a multi - dimensional ilap distribution is useful because nmr relaxation and diffusion phenomena all depend on pressure . the dependency is useful to identify the different phases of methane molecules when confined in or adsorbed on shale . in particular , laplace transform techniques are already used to extract both t 1 and t 2 from nmr response signals . langmuir pressure distribution can be combined with either or both of t 1 and t 2 distribution to form a multi - dimensional ilap distribution map . as laplace transforms are linear , the order in which the transforms are performed is generally interchangeable . moreover , the close relationship between a laplace transform and the inverse laplace transform allows them to be considered equivalent in the present context . if we combine the ilap distribution method with a determination of the t 2 distribution , for example by using a 2 - dimensional laplace transform algorithm , we obtain a two - dimensional ilap - t 2 distribution map such as that shown in fig4 b . fig4 b uses color , shading , or contours to represent the spectral component contribution to the nmr signals as a function of langmuir pressure and t 2 relaxation time . fig4 a shows the one - dimensional t 2 distribution ( obtainable by integrating fig4 b over langmuir pressure ), while fig4 c shows the one - dimensional p l distribution . in each of these views , two separate peaks are visible , and the two - dimensional map shows the characteristic p l and t 2 ( ranges ) associated with each peak . based on the fact that the t 2 of gas is shorter in smaller pores due to the higher surface - to - volume ratio , the peak with shorter and lower langmuir pressure in ilap - t 2 maps can be assigned to gas adsorption in small pores , while the peak with longer t 2 and higher langmuir pressure is assigned to gas adsorption in large pores . thus , the 2d ilap - t 2 distribution map can be used to further differentiate adsorbed gas according to pore size , with smaller t 2 indicating smaller pores . this map may be particularly useful for tracking adsorption progress by in situ monitoring of peak growth and shift associated with each gas component shown in the ilap - t 2 map . furthermore , the ilap distribution method can be combined with 2d t 1 - t 2 nmr measurement to generate 3d ilap - t 1 - t 2 distribution maps . fig5 a - 5e show 2d nmr t 1 - t 2 distribution maps as a function of gas pressure for a dry shale sample at 100 , 250 , 500 , 750 , and 1000 psi , respectively . fig6 a - 6e show the corresponding maps for the shale sample that has been hydrated prior to gas adsorption . each map is accompanied by a panel showing the ( normalized ) overall t 1 distribution and a panel showing the ( normalized ) overall t 2 distribution for that pressure point . in the dry shale sample ( fig5 a - 5e ), two peaks appear at about t 2 = 0 . 06 and 0 . 6 millisecond ( ms ). the intensity of the peak at t 2 = 0 . 06 ms reaches saturation at around 750 psi , corresponding to the langmuir adsorption behavior for gas in small pores . the peak at t 2 = 0 . 6 ms keeps growing as pressure increases , corresponding to the confined gas increasing linearly with pressure . in the hydrated sample ( fig6 a - 6e ), the peak at about t 2 = 0 . 06 is assigned to hydration water , which doesn &# 39 ; t respond to increasing methane pressure . the two peaks at about t 2 = 0 . 6 and 20 represent gas confined in large pores and in between granules , respectively . the comparison of dry and hydrated shale sample suggests that the smaller pores are preferentially occupied ( and blocked against methane adsorption ) by the water molecules . the langmuir pressure distribution is not explicitly shown in fig5 - 6 , but can be readily obtained using the inverse laplace transform as outlined previously . such further analysis has revealed that gas adsorption in nanopores demonstrates langmuir adsorption behavior , and that gas adsorption in larger pores demonstrates normal gas storage mechanism with linear dependence on pressure . these examples suggest that the 3d ilap - t 1 - t 2 distribution map provides additional dimension and resolution , enabling nmr to further differentiate multi - component gas adsorbates , such as a mixture of methane and water vapor , in a variety of adsorbed / confined phases and pore sizes . the 3d ilap - t 1 - t 2 distribution can thus be used for multi - component adsorption study in gas shale , such as a gas mixture with composition similar to that in the reservoir for accurate simulation of phase behavior . the same principle can be applied to chemical shift and other nmr shift due to the local magnetic environment , such as the nucleus independent chemical shift . the chemical shift , often labelled as δ , can be identified when molecules undergo fast motion in liquid or gaseous phases . the chemical shift and relative intensity of each individual peaks in nmr spectra are often diagnostic of the molecular structure . for instance , methane gas has one 1 h peak for all four equivalent protons in ch4 . for butane ( ch3 - ch2 - ch2 - ch3 ), the proton chemical shift in — ch3 groups are well separated from those in — ch2 groups . thus chemical shift can be used to concurrently analyze multiple components in hydrocarbon mixtures . nmr peaks may be further shifted by other mechanisms such as local magnetic susceptibility . as a pressure dependent measurement , the chemical shift provides a unique and diagnostic chemical identifier for multi - component gas mixtures and their respective distribution among adsorbed / confined phase in porous media . combing the adsorption isotherm and chemical shift , one can obtain a 2d ilap - δ distribution map using the inverse laplace transform . it can be further combined with t 1 and t 2 to form 4d distribution maps . here , we have applied multi - dimensional cutoffs to interpret gas adsorption parameters and quantify gas storage capacities for different pore sizes and adsorbed / confined phases . the multi - dimensional distribution of adsorption energy and nmr relaxation time generated by laplace inversion algorithm is an indicative of gas molecules in various phases and local environment , such as gas adsorbed on pore surface , confined in nano - to micro - pores , and in meso - to macro - pores . the established nmr relaxation mechanism can be used to qualitatively assign certain area of the multi - dimensional distribution to gas in certain phase and type of pore size . multi - dimensional cutoffs provide the quantitative threshold values / lines that separate those areas , allowing gas in each phase and type of pore sizes to be computationally separated and quantified using the integrated volume under the distribution map . the choice of multi - dimensional cutoffs is usually chosen as the minimum values between two peaks , but other cutoff selection strategies can be employed . fig7 is a flow diagram of one illustrative method embodiment . it begins in block 702 with a calibration operation to determine the nmr signal response intensity for each of multiple adsorbate concentrations in the sensing region . in block 704 , the rock sample is acquired and optionally homogenized by grinding and screening out any particles above a given size . in block 706 the sample is prepared , which includes performing any desired pre - treatments such as dehydration , bleaching , etc . block 706 further includes placing the sample in the nmr probe sample chamber . in block 708 , the system sets the temperature , which will be maintained throughout the isotherm measurement process . moreover , it has been observed that the present method is not particularly temperature sensitive , enabling the measurements to be acquired relatively fast even in the absence of a thermal bath . nevertheless , there are expected to be benefits for quantifying adsorption behavior at reservoir temperatures , and some system embodiments are equipped with a heating device and maintaining the temperature of the sample chamber . block 708 further includes evacuating air and vapor from the sample chamber in preparation for the pressurization step . in block 710 , the system measures the pressure and the associated nmr signal response , preferably measuring the signal amplitude as a function of pulse spacing and other nmr measurement parameters that may reveal additional information about the local environment for the 1 h nuclei . in block 712 , the desired nmr parameter ( s ) ( e . g ., t 1 and t 2 distributions ) are extracted . in block 714 , the system determines whether the predetermined pressure limit has been reached . if not , the system adjusts the sample chamber pressure , e . g ., by adding more pressurization gas , in block 716 before returning to block 710 . blocks 710 - 716 are repeated until the predetermined pressure limit has been reached , at which point the system reaches block 718 . in block 718 , the processing module calculates an inverse laplace transformation of the nmr signal &# 39 ; s dependence on pressure ( or of the extracted nmr parameters &# 39 ; dependence on pressure ) to obtain a langmuir pressure distribution having one or more dimensions . this distribution is displayed in block 720 to a user . the displayed distribution is preferably provided to the user via an interactive user interface . whether based on input from the user or based on an automated process , the system characterizes the sample in block 730 . such characterization may include identifying any peaks in the distribution , identifying langmuir pressures and other parameter values associated with the peaks , and associating each peak with a storage mechanism . such storage mechanisms may be specified in terms of pore size , surface chemistry , and phase status . the foregoing process can be extended to include new storage mechanisms as they are recognized . for example , some heavier hydrocarbons such as butane , propane , and hexane , may exhibit a capillary condensation effect in shale . the pressurizing gas may be modified to include some of these heavier hydrocarbons to reveal the extent of this storage mechanism . based on the results of the foregoing characterizations , reservoir engineers may be able to better evaluate the reservoir . for example , a precise understanding of the gas storage mechanism and its capacity provide inputs for an accurate estimation of ogip and the recoverable quantity . this is particularly important for reservoirs containing wet gas or retrograde condensate , as several gas storage mechanisms are involved at the same time . numerous other modifications , equivalents , and alternatives , 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 modifications , equivalents , and alternatives where applicable .	6
referring now to fig1 there is illustrated a clip 34 of the present invention . the clip 34 comprises a top leg member 62 , a connector portion 64 , and a second leg member 63 . the connector portion 64 comprises an elongated portion 77 and two spring members 65 , 66 . the first spring member 65 is located at the proximal end of the clip 34 and is coupled to the proximal end of the first leg member 62 . the second spring member 66 is located at the distal end of the clip 34 and is coupled to the distal end of the second leg member 63 . the first leg member 62 and the second leg member 63 are substantially parallel to each other along substantially their entire length . each leg member 62 , 63 has a tissue engaging surface 78 , 79 respectively . each tissue engaging surface interfaces with the tissue engaging surface of the other leg member . the tissue engaging surfaces 78 , 79 include scored surfaces 98 for holding tissue between the interfacing surfaces and preventing tissue from slipping out . the surfaces 78 , 79 may also have dimples 97 or the like to ensure closure and prevent movement of the clip 34 once it is placed on the tissue structure . the proximal ends of the leg members 62 , 63 form an opening 85 for capturing a tissue structure 99 ( fig5 ) such as a tubular vessel . the top leg member 62 includes two upper transverse tabs 75 located at the distal end of the top leg member 62 . the connector portion 64 includes two lower transverse tabs 76 located towards the distal end of the connector portion 64 . the clip has a height , h . the height is measured in a plane perpendicular to the ligating surfaces when the clip is passed through the shaft 5 , prior to placement over a tissue structure . the clips of the present invention are preferably made from various well - known materials or alloys of materials , for example , of titanium , tantalum , stainless steel , memory metals having super elastic characteristics or the various plastic materials that have some resiliency such as polyolefins , glycolide - lactide polymers and similar plastic materials . the yield strength of the material should sufficient to allow opening by the instrument of the clip , to place it over tissue and resiliently return to its original closed configuration . preferably , the material used is a titanium alloy , such as for example , titanium 3al - 2 . 5 v . fig1 illustrates a titanium strip 34a prior to performing the clip 34 from the strip 34a . transverse tabs 75 , 76 are formed in the titanium strip 34a by coining or other known manufacturing methods . the strip 34a is subsequently bent twice to form three substantially parallel portions , i . e ., the leg members 62 , 63 and connector portion 64 , and two bent portions , i . e ., the springs 65 , 66 . the bent portions act as springs biasing the respective ends of the attached leg member towards the opposite leg member , thus providing substantially uniform or substantially symmetrical biasing of the leg members towards each other . referring now to fig1 - 10 , there is illustrated a clip applier 1 of the present invention . a housing 4 includes a stationary handle 10 , a trigger 11 pivotally mounted to the housing 4 , and a knob 59 rotatably attached to the distal end of the housing 4 . the knob 59 and housing 4 are coupled to the proximal end of an elongated shaft 5 . the shaft 5 includes a stationary elongated lower jaw portion 41 terminating in jaw 9 , a grasper bar 31 , a feed bar 32 , a support tube 33 , a stack 35 of clips 34 , a feeder shoe 70 and , at its distal end 40 , a pair of jaws 8 , 9 for grasping and compressing a tissue structure 99 to be ligated . the outer diameter of the shaft 5 comprises the support tube 33 having a lumen through which extend the lower jaw portion 41 , grasper bar 31 , and feed bar 32 . the support tube 33 terminates just proximally of jaws 8 , 9 to permit pivotal action of jaws 8 , 9 the support tube 33 is constructed to resist excessive torquing to and / or deflection of the various parts of shaft 5 . the support tube 33 and the lower jaw portion 41 are rotatably attached to the housing 4 by way of rotating knob 59 . the knob 59 is attached to the support tube 33 by a press fit between the opening inner diameter of the knob 59 and the outer diameter of the proximal end of the support tube 33 . inwardly protruding lugs 48 of the knob 59 are rotatably engaged with outwardly protruding lugs 49 of the lower jaw portion 41 . the knob 59 permits 360 degree rotation of the shaft 5 with respect to the housing 4 . the trigger 11 includes a trigger arm 18 extending from the housing 4 so that the user may hold the handle 10 and actuate the trigger 11 by grasping the trigger arm 18 with the same hand . posts 12 molded into trigger 11 fit into bosses 13 molded into housing 4 , so as to permit pivotal movement of trigger 11 with respect to handle 10 . housing 4 further includes a feed cam 16 pivotally attached to the housing 4 and slidably coupled to the trigger 11 . the feed cam 16 is coupled on one end to a coupling mechanism 17 . the coupling mechanism 17 couples the force applied to the trigger 11 to the tissue grasping / compressing and clip advancing / placing functions of the device . the trigger 11 includes a trigger post 19 which moves within a slot 20 in the feed cam 16 . the trigger 11 is actuated by applying a force to the trigger arm 18 to rotate the trigger arm 18 towards the handle 10 . this force causes : the trigger 11 to pivot about posts 12 ; and the post 19 to move within the slot 20 to pivotally rotate the feed cam 16 with respect to the housing 4 . the rotation of the feed cam 16 multiplies the trigger force translating it into longitudinal movement of the coupling mechanism 17 as described in more detail below . the coupling mechanism 17 is arranged longitudinally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft 5 . the coupling mechanism 17 is comprised of a grasper coupling 21 , a feeder coupling 22 , an in - line spring 23 and a return spring 24 . the proximal end of the feeder coupling 22 includes a rearward extending post 26 , and a radially extending circular surface 27 . the feed cam 16 has two radially extending arms 25 which straddle a proximal or rearward extending post 26 of the feeder coupling 22 , and are slidably mounted between radially extending circular surface 27 and rearward extending post 26 . the radially extending arms 25 translate the rotational movement of the feed cam 16 to longitudinal movement of the coupling mechanism 17 . longitudinal movement of the coupling mechanism 17 comprises two distinct steps . the first step comprises compression of the return spring 24 which has a lower spring preload and / or a lower spring constant than the in - line spring 23 , and therefore compresses with less force . the first step corresponds to the tissue grasping and compression step of the trigger actuation . the second step comprises the compression of the in line spring 23 , in general , for the most part , after the return spring 24 has compressed . the second step corresponds to the clip advancement and placement step of the trigger actuation . the distal end of the feeder coupling 22 is slidably fitted and longitudinally moveable within the proximal end of the grasper coupling 21 . the grasper coupling 21 includes a radially extending circular surface 28 . the in - line spring 23 is situated over the feeder coupling 22 and grasper coupling 21 , and between circular surface 27 and circular surface 28 . the in - line spring 23 acts on circular surface 27 and circular surface 28 to longitudinally bias feeder coupling 22 and grasper coupling 21 away from each other . the grasper coupling 21 includes a second radially extending circular surface 29 on its distal end . the proximal end of the return spring 24 abuts against the distal end of the second circular surface 29 . the lower jaw portion 41 includes a circular surface 36 on its proximal end enclosed within rotation knob 59 of housing 4 . the distal end of the return spring 24 abuts against the circular surface 36 . thus , the return spring 24 biases the grasper coupling 21 in a proximal direction away from the proximal end of the shaft 5 , i . e ., away from the circular surface 36 of the lower jaw portion . as an initial force is applied to the trigger arm 18 , the feed cam 16 advances the coupling mechanism 17 , the return spring 24 compresses , and the grasper coupling 21 longitudinally advances . upon application of an appropriate additional amount of force , the feeder coupling 22 will slide towards the grasper coupling 21 as the in line spring 23 compresses . tissue is grasped and compressed by the top jaw 8 closing towards the jaw 9 of the stationary lower jaw portion 41 . an elongated portion 37 of the lower jaw member 41 extends through an aperture 30 in the housing 4 and an aperture 96 in the knob 59 , and along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 5 . the elongated portion 37 is formed in a u - shape by side walls 38 and floor 39 . the elongated portion 37 ends in a lower jaw 9 . the grasper bar 31 is attached at its proximal end to the grasper coupling 21 and extends longitudinally through an opening 47 circular surface 36 and the elongated portion 37 of the lower jaw portion 41 . the grasper bar 31 includes a ceiling 69 and two side walls 68 . the two side walls 68 fit inside and adjacent side walls 38 of lower jaw portion 41 . the grasper bar side walls 68 have series of slots 67 which expose a series of notched surfaces 61 on the inside of the lower jaw portion side walls 38 forward longitudinal motion of the grasper coupling 21 is transferred to the grasper bar 31 . the top jaw 8 is located at the distal end of the grasper bar 31 . downwardly extending posts 55 on the distal end of the grasper bar 31 are inserted into corresponding slots 56 of top jaw 8 to movably attach the grasper bar 31 to the top jaw 8 . the top jaw 8 includes a pair of hooks 51 on each side of the proximal end of the jaw 8 . the hooks 51 pivotally engage the lower jaw 9 at indentations 52 in lower jaw 9 . the top jaw 8 and lower jaw 9 include interfacing tissue contacting surfaces 53 , 54 , respectively . jaw 8 includes a window 87 through which compressed tissue may be viewed during the tissue compressing stage , and where a clip may be viewed during the clip advancing stage . advancement of the grasper bar 31 pivots the top jaw 8 closed towards the lower jaw 9 so that the interfacing surfaces 53 , 54 move together to compress any tissue structure engaged between jaws 8 , 9 . when the top jaw 8 is closed towards the lower jaw 9 , the engaged tissue is forced into a tissue channel 57 in the lower jaw 9 . the tissue channel 57 helps to ensure that the tissue does not extrude distally out of the jaws 8 , 9 when the clip is advanced onto the tissue . the tissue channel 57 also assists in properly positioning the tissue for disengagement of the clip 34 from the instrument . a pair of upwardly extending tabs 58 at the distal end of the lower jaw 9 also assist in tissue placement between the jaws 8 , 9 by acting as a distal tissue stop . a pair of proximal tissue stops 100 incorporated into fronts of hooks 51 , prevent tissue from going into the device proximally of jaw 8 . the tissue channel 57 , tabs 58 and tissue stops 100 properly place the tissue in the amount to be ligated , where the clip disengages from the device . this is particularly important as the clip 34 in this embodiment does not extend as long as the jaws 8 , 9 . release of the trigger 11 releases the return spring 24 , which causes the grasper bar 31 to retract and the top jaw 8 to open . after the jaws 8 , 9 close over a tissue structure 99 to be ligated , the trigger arm 18 is squeezed further initiate the second step , i . e ., clip advancement and placement . as the trigger is squeezed , a step force arm 2 on the trigger 11 contacts a corresponding step force rib 6 on the housing 4 . when the return spring 24 is compressed and the jaws 8 , 9 closed to the force of the return spring 24 , a protrusion 3 on the step force arm 2 contacts the corresponding step force rib 6 which imparts an increase in the tactile force felt on the trigger arm 18 by the user . this increase in force denotes the separation between the jaw closing mode and the clip advancement mode in the two - stage , single stroke actuation . similarly , the feed cam 16 has an anti back - up arm 14 with a protrusion 15 at its distal end . anti back - up arm 14 contacts a corresponding backup rib 7 on the housing 4 to prohibit the reversal of the feed cam rotational motion . this occurs at the transition between the jaw closing mode and the clip advancement mode of the trigger stroke . the back - up rib 7 measures a complete stroke of the trigger before it permits the anti back - up arm 14 to disengage therefrom , thus ensuring the clip 34 is properly advanced all the way onto the tissue , as described in more detail below . two engagement arms 44 with inwardly protruding tabs 45 , extend from the proximal end of the feed bar 32 . the engagement arms 44 extend through an opening in the distal end of the grasper coupling 21 into the feeder coupling 22 . feeder coupling 22 has a center rib section 46 which is straddled by the engagement arms 44 of the feed bar 32 and is engageably coupled by tabs 45 . the feed bar 32 is advanced by the forward motion of the feeder coupling 22 . in the second mode , i . e ., the clip advancement and placement mode , trigger arm 18 advances the feeder coupler 22 which advances the feed bar 32 . the feed bar 32 extends through the opening 47 in circular surface 36 and longitudinally between the elongated portion 37 of the lower jaw portion 41 and the grasper bar 31 , ending in a slightly bent heel portion 43 . during the second trigger step , the heel portion 43 advances the distal most clip into the jaws 8 , 9 and over an engaged compressed tissue structure 99 . a stack 35 of clips 34 is preloaded into the clip applier in an end to end configuration along the longitudinal axis of the shaft 5 . the feed bar 32 also advances the stack 35 . the feed bar 32 sits on top of the floor 39 of the lower jaw portion 41 . the stack 35 of clips 34 sits on top of the feed bar 32 between the feed bar 32 and the ceiling 69 of the grasper bar 31 . the distal most clip 34 in the stack 35 is positioned beyond the heel 43 at the distal end of the feed bar 32 and just proximal of the lower jaw 9 . the stack 35 of clips 34 with a feeder shoe 70 positioned proximal of the last clip in the stack 35 , is advanced distally through the shaft 5 by the feed bar 32 . the feeder shoe 70 has a main body 71 and a cantilevered lower arm 72 biased away from the main body . a tab 73 extends downward from the lower arm 72 and engages in one of a longitudinal series of slots 60 in the feed bar 32 , i . e ., so that the feed shoe 70 is positioned just proximal of the last clip in the stack 35 . the feed shoe 70 further comprises transversely biased arms 74 extending from the sides of the feed shoe 70 . during the resting stage and when the grasper bar 31 is advanced , the arms 74 are in contact with the notched surfaces 61 of the lower jaw sides walls 38 . the notched surfaces 61 are then exposed by slots 67 in the grasper bar 31 side walls 68 . the arms 74 are biased outward to impede proximal movement of the feed shoe 70 . the arms 74 permit distal movement of the feed shoe 70 . the feed bar 32 is advanced , and the arms 74 of the feed shoe 70 pass over the walls 68 of the grasper bar 31 . the arms 74 then engage exposed notched surfaces 61 again , this time distally by one clip length . when the feed bar 32 is advanced , the feed shoe 70 is advanced because the tab 73 is engaged in one of the feed bar slots 60 . the distal end of the feed shoe 70 advances the stack 35 of clips 24 towards the distal end of the instrument . each time the trigger 11 advances the feed bar 31 , the feed shoe 70 advances by one clip length . the grasper bar 31 has a cantilevered lifter spring 86 located towards its distal end . the cantilevered lifter spring 86 extends down from the ceiling 69 of the grasper bar 31 . during the initial advancement of the grasper bar 31 , the distal most clip is moved from the longitudinal plane of the stack 35 into the longitudinal plane of the feed bar 32 . during the second step of the trigger stroke , distal end of the feed bar advances the distal clip 34 into the jaws 8 , 9 which have closed over , compressed and temporarily occluded a tissue structure 99 . after the first clip is placed , the next distal most clip is moved downward from the feed bar 32 by the cantilevered spring 86 , as the feed bar 32 is retracted at the end of the trigger stroke . the cantilevered spring 86 prevents the distal most clip from retracting with the feed bar 32 . thus , the distal most clip in the stack 35 is transferred by the cantilevered lifter spring 86 after the second stage of the trigger stroke is completed . a longitudinal channel 93 is formed in the lower jaw 9 through which a downwardly extending depression 88 of the feed bar 32 rides to ensure the proper placement of the distal end of the feed bar 32 with respect to the distal clip throughout clip advancement and placement . when the distal clip is lowered to the plane of the feed bar , the lower transverse tabs 76 ride on shelves 90 formed in the side walls 38 of the lower jaw 9 . the shelves 90 interface with the inner surface of the lower transverse tabs 76 . the upper transverse tabs 75 ride along ramps 91 which engage the inner surfaces of the upper tabs 75 and angle the upper tabs 75 towards the top jaw 8 , causing the inner tissue engaging surfaces 78 , 79 of the biased leg members 62 , 63 to separate from each other to provide the opening 85 . at the end of the ramps 91 the upper transverse tabs make a transition from the lower jaw 9 to rails 92 in the top jaw 8 . the rails 92 engage the inner surface of the upper transverse tabs 75 . thus , the first tissue engaging surface 78 of the first leg member 62 is advanced into the top jaw 8 above the compressed tissue structure 99 . the second tissue engaging surface 79 of the second leg member 63 is advanced into the lower jaw 9 below the compressed tissue structure 99 . throughout the advancement of the clip , the body of the clip is contained within longitudinal channels 93 and 94 in the top jaw 8 and lower jaw 9 , respectively . upper transverse tabs 75 advance to openings 95 towards the distal end of the top jaw 8 . the width of the opening 95 is greater that the inner width of the rails 92 and closely corresponds to the outside width of the upper transverse tabs 75 . the tabs 75 disengage from the top jaw 8 as they are advanced through the opening 95 , allowing the upper leg member 62 to resiliently move toward the lower leg member 63 and contact tissue structure 99 with the tissue engaging surface 78 . likewise , at approximately the same time , lower transverse tabs 76 reach opening 96 towards the distal end of the lower jaw 9 . the width of the opening 96 is greater that the inner width of the shelves 90 , and closely corresponds to the outside width of the lower transverse tabs 76 . this allows the tabs 76 to disengage from the lower jaw 9 through the opening 96 , allowing the lower leg member 63 to resiliently move toward the upper leg member 62 and contact tissue with the tissue engaging surface 79 . the position of the tabs 75 , 76 corresponds to the timing of leg member disengagement from the jaws 8 , 9 of the instrument , to correctly place the clip on the tissue . although an upper and lower set of transverse tabs are shown , a number of combinations , including a single tab alone , are possible for disengaging a clip from the instrument . in addition , the channel 94 in the lower jaw 9 curves upward at its distal end to urge the clip 34 upward as it is disengaged from the lower jaw 9 . also , a kickoff spring 101 having a free end 102 extends from distal end of floor 39 of lower jaw portion 41 through channel 94 of lower jaw 9 . free end 102 is biased upward towards top jaw 8 . the kickoff spring 101 is compressed downward as the clip 24 is advanced distally into jaws 8 , 9 . as top jaw 8 opens , the force holding the clip against the kickoff spring 101 is released and the spring 101 urges the clip out of the jaws 8 , 9 . the stack 35 of clips 34 is moved sequentially until all clips have been dispensed . the shaft 5 includes a clip indicator 80 which allows the user to identify when there are approximately two unused clips remaining in the instrument 1 . the clip indicator 80 comprises two longitudinally positioned holes 81 , 82 in the support tube 33 located towards the distal end of the support tube 33 and two corresponding holes 83 , 84 in the grasper bar 31 . the feeder shoe 70 has a colored marker 89 which shows through the holes 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 when the feeder shoe 70 passes underneath the holes 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 as it is advanced distally . when the feeder shoe 70 passes the first hole 81 and corresponding hole 83 , two clips remain and when the feeder shoe 70 passes under the second hole 82 and corresponding hole 84 , one clip remains . a track plug 50 is positioned within the opening 47 of the lower jaw 41 and within the proximal end of the grasper bar 31 , to reduce the outward flow of body cavity gases through the opening 47 . the plug 50 is held in place and motionless with respect to the longitudinal motion of the grasper bar 31 and feed bar 32 by return spring 24 . although the instrument is shown to have one moveable and one stationary jaw , the instrument may have both jaws moving to close over tissue to be occluded . fig3 a illustrates a preferred embodiment of the clip applier 1 prior to actuation . at this stage , as further illustrated in fig5 a , the jaws 8 , 9 are open and may be placed about a tissue structure 99 . fig4 illustrates an enlarged cross section of the shaft 5 corresponding to the initial position of the device as illustrated in fig3 a . the transverse arms 74 of the feeder shoe 70 extend through slots 67 in side walls 68 of grasper bar 31 and are engaged against the notched surfaces 61 of the lower jaw walls 68 . the tab 73 extends downward from the lower arm 72 and engages in one of a longitudinal series of slots 60 in the feed bar 32 . fig3 b illustrates the clip applier of fig3 a as it completes the tissue grasping stage of the trigger actuation . the protrusion 15 on the anti back - up arm 14 of the feed cam 16 has just engaged with the rib 7 of the housing . thus , until this point ( see fig3 a ) the user can release the trigger 11 to open and reposition jaws 8 , 9 . just prior to locking , the protrusion 15 reaches the rib 7 and an increased tactile force is perceived by the user in actuating the trigger arm 18 . the increased tactile force is a result of protrusions 3 on an arm 2 contacting rib 6 in housing 4 . this indicates to the user that any additional force applied to the trigger arm 18 will require the user to complete the clip placement in order to release the jaws 8 , 9 . fig4 b corresponds to the stage just prior to locking . the jaws 8 , 9 are closed and the distal most clip has not been significantly advanced . once the protrusion 15 engages with the rib 7 of the housing as shown in fig3 b , the trigger stroke must be completed . fig3 b illustrates the end of the first stage and the initiation of the second stage of the trigger actuation . the protrusion has engaged with the rib 7 and the clip placement stage has been initiated ( fig3 b ). fig4 b corresponds to the clip advancing stage of the trigger actuation also illustrated in fig3 b , 3c , 5c , 5d , and 5e . the feed bar 32 is advanced distally along with the feed shoe 70 which correspondingly advances the clip stack 35 the distance of one clip . transversely biased arms 74 move across walls 68 of grasper bar 31 . as shown in fig5 c , the distal clip sits distally of the feed bar 32 . the upper transverse tabs 75 of the first leg member 62 ride up ramps 91 to the top jaw 8 , separating the inner tissue engaging surfaces 78 , 79 of the biased leg members 62 , 63 from each other to provide the opening 85 . in fig5 d , the clip 34 is advanced over the tissue structure . in fig5 e , the clip is disengaged from the shelves 90 , rails 92 , jaws 8 , 9 at the distal end 40 . this corresponds to the end of the trigger stroke , as illustrated in fig3 c . when the clip 34 is disengaged and the trigger arm 18 is released , the trigger 11 will return to its original position illustrated in fig3 a . fig4 c illustrates the shaft of the instrument when the trigger is released after the end of the trigger stroke . the in line spring 23 causes the feed bar 32 to retract . the biased arms 74 of the feed shoe 70 , however , remain engaged against the walls 38 of the lower jaw portion 41 so that the feed shoe 70 remains stationary . the lower arm 72 of the feed shoe 70 ramps out of the slot 60a in feed bar 32 in which it was positioned and into the slot 60b distal of slot 60a . also , the next distal most clip is moved downward from the feed bar 32 as the feed bar 32 is retracted at the end of the trigger stroke . the cantilevered spring 86 prevents the clip from retracting into the feed bar 32 . thus , feed shoe 70 and feed bar 32 are positioned to advance the next clip upon a subsequent actuation of the trigger 11 . the clips may be loaded and stored in the shaft as illustrated or , alternatively , in the handle , or , both shaft and handle . the applier may be capable of applying a plurality of clips as shown or a single clip . also multiple clips may be simultaneously applied by adapting the device to accommodate multiple rows of clips and multiple disengagement means at the business end . a cutting means made be included in this embodiment , for cutting a ligated structure between two of the clips . referring now to fig1 - 16 there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the present invention . an end effector 111 of a clip applying instrument is illustrated having : a shaft 105 ; a clip advancing fork 114 extending longitudinally through the lumen of a shaft 105 ; and a pair of pivotally attached hollow jaws 108 , 109 coupled to the distal end of the shaft 105 . the fork 114 has an upper prong 112 and a lower prong 113 , respectively . each prong 112 , 113 has a protrusion 116 , 117 extending transversely from the prongs 112 , 113 . each protrusion 116 , 117 has a camming surface 118 , 119 , respectively . the prongs 112 , 113 are respectively slidable within lumens 120 , 121 of jaws 108 , 109 . the lumens 120 , 121 of the jaws 108 , 109 include camming surfaces 128 , 129 corresponding to camming surfaces 118 , 119 of protrusions 116 , 117 . a partially formed deformable clip 122 is situated within the fork 114 . the clip 122 has legs 123 , 124 connected on their proximal end by a connecting member 125 and forming a narrow opening 126 on their distal end . the clip 122 is held by the legs 123 , 124 between the prongs 112 , 113 of the fork 114 . the jaws 108 , 109 are initially biased away from each other . as the clip fork 114 is advanced , the prongs 112 , 113 are advanced through the lumens 120 , 121 . as the fork 114 is advanced , the clip leg 123 slides within the lumen 120 of the top jaw 108 and the clip leg 124 slides within the lumen 121 of the bottom jaw 109 . in use , a tissue structure to be ligated is placed between the jaws 108 , 109 . the clip fork 114 is advanced , closing the jaws 108 , 109 together and pre - compressing the tissue structure between the jaws 108 , 109 . the fork 114 simultaneously advances the clip 122 over the pre - compressed tissue structure so that the tissue structure lies between the legs 123 , 124 of the clip 122 . the opening 126 of the semi - formed clip 122 is just sufficiently large enough to fit over a pre - compressed tissue structure and is small enough to fit within the shaft 105 . prior to any contact between camming surfaces 118 , 119 and camming surfaces 128 , 129 , the fork may be retracted , releasing the jaws 108 , 109 from the tissue structure before the clip 122 is closed over the tissue structure . as the clip fork 114 advances further , the camming surfaces 118 , 119 contact camming surfaces 128 , 129 which force the prongs 112 , 113 to close together . as the prongs close , they in turn force the legs 123 , 124 of the clip 122 to close together over the pre - compressed tissue . the clip 122 is made of a deformable material . thus when the clip 122 is closed , it is formed into its final shape and remains closed . the clip fork 114 may be retracted , thereby opening the jaws 108 , 109 , leaving the clip in place , ligating the tissue structure . ligating clips may be applied to blood vessels during a surgical procedure either as a single clip using a single clip applier or utilizing a multiple clip applier . the instrument may be inserted through a cannula during an endoscopic procedure and if a multiple clip applier is being used , the instrument may ligate or place clips on a number of vessels at a number of locations . the instrument may be made from various materials such as metals , plastic preferably a polycarbonate resin and the like . usually if the instrument is made from stainless steel the instrument will be reusable while if the instrument is made from plastic materials the instrument will be disposable . in certain embodiments of the instrument of the present invention , the instrument may be designed to accept a replaceable cartridge of clips . this may be accomplished with either a reusable instrument or semi - disposable instrument which is meant to be used a number of times on a single patient . having now described the present invention , it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and alterations may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof .	0
features of the inventive concept and methods of accomplishing the same may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of embodiments and the accompanying drawings . the inventive concept may , however , be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein . hereinafter , example embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which like reference numbers refer to like elements throughout . the present invention , however , may be embodied in various different forms , and should not be construed as being limited to only the illustrated embodiments herein . rather , these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete , and will fully convey the aspects and features of the present invention to those skilled in the art . accordingly , processes , elements , and techniques that are not necessary to those having ordinary skill in the art for a complete understanding of the aspects and features of the present invention may not be described . unless otherwise noted , like reference numerals denote like elements throughout the attached drawings and the written description , and thus , descriptions thereof will not be repeated . in the drawings , the relative sizes of elements , layers , and regions may be exaggerated for clarity . it will be understood that , although the terms “ first ,” “ second ,” “ third ,” etc ., may be used herein to describe various elements , components , regions , layers and / or sections , these elements , components , regions , layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms . these terms are used to distinguish one element , component , region , layer or section from another element , component , region , layer or section . thus , a first element , component , region , layer or section described below could be termed a second element , component , region , layer or section , without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention . spatially relative terms , such as “ beneath ,” “ below ,” “ lower ,” “ under ,” “ above ,” “ upper ,” and the like , may be used herein for ease of explanation to describe one element or feature &# 39 ; s relationship to another element ( s ) or feature ( s ) as illustrated in the figures . it will be understood that the spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or in operation , in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures . for example , if the device in the figures is turned over , elements described as “ below ” or “ beneath ” or “ under ” other elements or features would then be oriented “ above ” the other elements or features . thus , the example terms “ below ” and “ under ” can encompass both an orientation of above and below . the device may be otherwise oriented ( e . g ., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations ) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly . it will be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “ on ,” “ connected to ,” or “ coupled to ” another element or layer , it can be directly on , connected to , or coupled to the other element or layer , or one or more intervening elements or layers may be present . in addition , it will also be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being “ between ” two elements or layers , it can be the only element or layer between the two elements or layers , or one or more intervening elements or layers may also be present . the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention . as used herein , the singular forms “ a ,” “ an ,” and “ the ” are intended to include the plural forms as well , unless the context clearly indicates otherwise . it will be further understood that the terms “ comprises ,” “ comprising ,” “ includes ,” and “ including ,” when used in this specification , specify the presence of the stated features , integers , steps , operations , elements , and / or components , but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features , integers , steps , operations , elements , components , and / or groups thereof . as used herein , the term “ and / or ” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items . expressions such as “ at least one of ,” when preceding a list of elements , modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list . as used herein , the term “ substantially ,” “ about ,” and similar terms are used as terms of approximation and not as terms of degree , and are intended to account for the inherent deviations in measured or calculated values that would be recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art . further , the use of “ may ” when describing embodiments of the present invention refers to “ one or more embodiments of the present invention .” as used herein , the terms “ use ,” “ using ,” and “ used ” may be considered synonymous with the terms “ utilize ,” “ utilizing ,” and “ utilized ,” respectively . also , the term “ exemplary ” is intended to refer to an example or illustration . the electronic or electric devices and / or any other relevant devices or components according to embodiments of the present invention described herein may be implemented utilizing any suitable hardware , firmware ( e . g . an application - specific integrated circuit ), software , or a combination of software , firmware , and hardware . for example , the various components of these devices may be formed on one integrated circuit ( ic ) chip or on separate ic chips . further , the various components of these devices may be implemented on a flexible printed circuit film , a tape carrier package ( tcp ), a printed circuit board ( pcb ), or formed on one substrate . further , the various components of these devices may be a process or thread , running on one or more processors , in one or more computing devices , executing computer program instructions and interacting with other system components for performing the various functionalities described herein . the computer program instructions are stored in a memory which may be implemented in a computing device using a standard memory device , such as , for example , a random access memory ( ram ). the computer program instructions may also be stored in other non - transitory computer readable media such as , for example , a cd - rom , flash drive , or the like . also , a person of skill in the art should recognize that the functionality of various computing devices may be combined or integrated into a single computing device , or the functionality of a particular computing device may be distributed across one or more other computing devices without departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention . unless otherwise defined , all terms ( including technical and scientific terms ) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs . it will be further understood that terms , such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries , should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and / or the present specification , and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense , unless expressly so defined herein . fig1 is a perspective view of a mechanism for molding glass according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , according to an embodiment of the inventive concept , a mechanism 100 for molding glass having a curvature ( e . g ., a predetermined curvature ) ( hereinafter , referred to as a molding mechanism 100 ) includes an upper plate 200 and a lower plate 300 , and glass 400 is placed between the upper plate 200 and the lower plate 300 . the glass 400 is between the upper plate 200 and the lower plate 300 . the glass 400 extends lengthwise ( e . g ., has a long side ) in a first direction d 1 , and has a width ( e . g ., a short side ) in a second direction d 2 crossing the first direction d 1 . the glass 400 may have a flat shape prior to being molded by the molding mechanism 100 . the glass 400 may have a radius of curvature in a range of about 1 mm to about 20 mm , and may have a thickness in a range of about 20 μm to about 200 μm . when the curvature and thickness of the glass 400 are below the abovementioned ranges , the substrate might not be strong enough to support a display device or the like . when the curvature and thickness of the glass 400 are above the abovementioned ranges , the substrate might not be flexible because the substrate is too thick . when the glass 400 is molded by the molding mechanism 100 , the glass 400 may be molded to have a curved surface ( e . g ., a surface having a predetermined curvature ) in the first direction d 1 , and to have a flat shape ( e . g ., to be uncurved ) in the second direction d 2 . the upper and lower plates 200 , 300 of the molding mechanism 100 may be made of metal . although the molding mechanism 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a mold that is formed of graphite , the present invention is not limited thereto . as a non - limiting example , the molding mechanism 100 may be made of ceramic , tungsten carbide ( wc ), silicon carbide ( sic ), or the like . the upper plate 200 may be used for pressing the glass 400 so that the glass 400 is molded to have a curved surface . the upper plate 200 has a long side ( e . g ., extends lengthwise ) in the first direction d 1 , and has a short side ( e . g ., extends widthwise ) in the second direction d 2 . the upper plate 200 may include a supporting plate 210 having a flat shape , and may include a pressing part 220 below the supporting plate 210 . the supporting plate 210 and the pressing part 220 may each have a long side in the first direction d 1 , and a short side in the second direction d 2 . the pressing part 220 may be configured to be placed on the glass 400 , and the upper plate 200 may move downward to allow the pressing part 220 to press the glass 400 . the pressing part 220 is above the glass 400 , and has a first curvature that may be bent in the first direction d 1 ( e . g ., a first curvature that bends along the first direction d 1 ). when the upper plate 200 moves downward to press the glass 400 , the pressing part 220 may contact a top surface of the glass 400 , and a bottom surface of the glass 400 may contact an upper portion of a molding member 310 of the lower plate 300 , which also has the first curvature ( e . g ., has a shape corresponding to the first curvature ). the lower plate 300 may include the molding member 310 on which the glass 400 is located , and may also include an accommodating member 320 configured to accommodate the molding member 310 . the glass 400 may be located on the molding member 310 . the accommodating member 320 may include a groove h recessed downward from a top surface of the accommodating member 320 , and the molding member 310 may be inserted into , and fixed within , the groove h . a top surface of the molding member 310 and a bottom surface of the pressing part 220 may face each other , and the top surface of the molding member 310 may have the same shape as ( e . g ., may correspond to the shape of ) the bottom surface of the pressing part 220 . the lower plate 300 may include the molding member 310 configured to correspond to the pressing part 220 , and the molding member 310 may include a molding part ( e . g ., a surface of the molding member 310 ) 311 having a convex shape having the same curvature as ( e . g ., corresponding to the curvature of ) the pressing part 220 . fig2 to 4 are views illustrating a method for molding glass according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig2 is a view illustrating a lower plate of a glass molding mechanism , fig3 is a view of the glass located between the plates , and fig4 is a view illustrating the method for molding glass . in describing fig2 to 4 , reference symbols for above - described components are given , and overlapped description for the components will be omitted . referring to fig2 , the molding mechanism 100 is in a chamber 600 , and the upper plate 200 and the lower plate 300 face each other . the molding member 310 may be inserted into the groove h of the accommodating member 320 . the chamber 600 may include a vacuum pump for maintaining a vacuum state in the chamber 600 . the vacuum pump may be connected to the chamber 600 to adjust a pressure in the chamber 600 , thereby making a high vacuum environment in the chamber 600 . the vacuum pump may be connected to the outside of the chamber 600 having the high vacuum environment to discharge air in the chamber 600 to the outside . a heat radiation part 500 for heating the molding mechanism 100 is in the chamber 600 . a constitution in which the heat radiation part 500 heats the molding mechanism 100 will be described in detail with reference to fig5 . referring to fig3 , the glass 400 may be placed on the molding member 310 , and a side surface of the glass 400 may contact an area ( e . g ., a predetermined area ) of an upper portion of an inner surface of the accommodating member 320 in the groove h . the glass 400 may be inserted into the chamber 600 from the outside through a gate of the chamber 600 , and may be located on the molding member 310 . the upper plate 200 may move downward to press the glass 400 on the molding member 310 . referring to fig4 , the upper plate 200 may move downward to contact the top surface of the glass 400 , and to then press the glass 400 . the glass 400 may be molded to have a curved surface having the same curvature as ( e . g ., corresponding to the curvature of ) the molding member 310 . that is , when viewed from the second direction d 2 , the glass 400 may have a cross - section having a curved shape . the molding member 310 may face the upper plate 200 , and may contact a bottom surface of the glass 400 to support the glass 400 . accordingly , the glass 400 on the lower plate 300 may be pressed by the upper plate 200 to form a curved surface . the molding member 310 may be located in the groove h defined by the lower plate 300 . that is , side and bottom surfaces of the molding member 310 , to the exclusion of the top surface of the molding member 310 , may respectively contact inner and bottom surfaces of the groove h . the flat glass 400 may be on the top surface of the molding member 310 . both side surfaces of the glass 400 may contact the inner surface of the accommodating member 320 of the lower plate 300 in the groove h . the top surface of the molding member 310 may have substantially the same height as the top surface of the glass 400 after the molding . the upper plate 200 may be on the glass 400 , and the upper plate 200 may move downward to press the glass 400 . the pressing part 220 on a bottom surface of the upper plate 200 may press the glass 400 against the molding member 310 . that is , the pressing part 220 may press the glass 400 so that the glass 400 is molded to have substantially the same curvature shape as the pressing part 220 . fig5 is a view illustrating a method for heat - treating the glass according to an embodiment of the present invention . in describing fig4 and 5 , reference symbols for above - described components are given , and overlapped or repeated description for the components will be omitted . referring to fig5 , the glass 400 between the lower and upper plates 300 and 200 , which are described in fig2 and 4 , may be molded to have the curved surface in the chamber 600 , in which the upper plate 200 , the lower plate 300 facing the upper plate 200 , and the heat radiation part 500 for generating heat may be located . thereafter , the heat radiation part 500 in the chamber 600 may generate heat . the upper and lower plates 200 , 300 are heated , and the heat is transferred to the glass 400 by the plates 200 , 300 . as a result , the heat may be applied to the glass 400 . the heat radiation part 500 may generate heat having a temperature of about 400 ° c . to about 900 ° c . when molded to have a curved surface , a resistance force may be generated in the glass 400 to correspond to a pressure applied by the plates 200 , 300 . herein , resistance force may be defined as stress . due to the stress , the curved portion of the glass 400 may be damaged . when the heat is applied to the glass 400 , the stress generated in the glass 400 may be reduced or relieved . as a result , the damage of the glass 400 caused by the stress may be avoided . also , because the thermal process is performed in a state in which the glass is fixed in the closed chamber 600 , even in a large sized glass , temperature distribution may be uniform over the glass 400 , and a thermal deformation of the glass 400 may be reduced or minimized . the heat radiation part 500 may include a control part for adjusting thermal temperature and time . when the glass 400 is heat - treated , the glass 400 may be heated ( e . g ., heated to a predetermined temperature ) by the heat radiation part 500 , and may be maintained at the temperature for an amount time . the heat radiation part 500 may include a heater . fig6 to 7 are views illustrating a method for chemically tempering the glass according to an embodiment of the present invention . in describing fig6 to 7 , reference symbols for above - described components are given , and overlapped or repeated description for the components will be omitted . referring to fig6 and 7 , first and second portions of the glass 400 may be molded such that the glass 400 has a curved surface , and then the heat - treated glass 400 may be withdrawn through the gate of the chamber 600 . a storage bath 700 , in which a solution 710 for dipping the withdrawn glass 400 , may be prepared . the glass 400 may be dipped into the solution 710 in the storage bath 700 . the solution 710 may include potassium nitrate ( kno 3 ). first ions 800 ( see fig8 ) exist on the surface of the glass 400 , and the solution 710 may include second ions 900 ( see fig8 ). the first ions 800 may be sodium ions ( na + ), and the second ions 900 may be potassium ( k + ) ions . hereinafter , the solution 710 is defined as a potassium nitrate solution 710 . the solution 710 is heated ( e . g ., heated to a predetermined temperature ) to form a reinforcement layer on the surface of the glass 400 . a heating part for heating the solution 710 may be in the storage bath 700 . as a result of heating the solution 710 in which the glass 400 is dipped , a process of ion exchange that exchanges the first ions 800 at the surface of the glass 400 dipped in the solution 710 with the second ions 900 dipped in the solution 710 . through the ion exchange , compressive stress may be formed on the surface of the glass 400 to temper the glass 400 . the glass tempering method may be referred to as a chemical reinforcement . the ion exchange is a reaction in which ions of an insoluble solid may be reversibly exchanged with other ions having the same sign ( e . g ., the ions of the insoluble solid and the other ions may both be positively charged or may both be negatively charged ) as each other . for example , the ion exchange is exchanging one kind of ions that exist on a surface of a mineral contacting water , or on other positions , with another kind of ions that are dissolved in the water . positive ions between the mineral and the solution may include calcium ( ca 2 + ), magnesium ( mg 2 + ), sodium ( na + ), and potassium ( k + ). accordingly , the reinforcement layer may be formed on the surface of the glass 400 by the solution 710 . hereinafter , a constitution in which the reinforcement layer is formed on the glass 400 will be described in detail with reference to fig8 to 10 . fig8 to 10 are views illustrating a method for exchanging ions of the glass according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig8 is an enlarged view illustrating the surface , in which ions are exchanged , of the glass shown in fig7 , fig9 is a view illustrating an ion arrangement of the ion - exchanged glass , and fig1 is a view of a molded glass . in describing fig8 to 10 , reference symbols for above - described components are given , and overlapped description for the components will be omitted . referring to fig8 to 10 , the glass may be dipped into the heated solution 710 , and the first ions 800 existing on the surface of the glass 400 may escape from the surface of the glass 400 . the second ions 900 of the solution 710 permeate into the surface of the glass 400 , from which the first ions 800 are removed . that is , some of the second ions 900 may replace the first ions 800 . although potassium ions , as the second ions 900 , each have a radius that is greater than that of sodium ions , as the first ions 800 . accordingly , when the sodium ions 800 and the potassium ions 900 are ion - exchanged , the surface of the glass 400 may increase in strength . it should be noted that the method for chemical tempering the glass is not limited thereto . as a non - limiting example , microwaves may be emitted to the glass 400 to vibrate sodium ions 800 of the glass 400 , thereby loosening molecular binding structure of the glass 400 , and thereby generating heat caused by the vibration . also , the potassium ions 900 in the solution 710 may react to the microwave to vibrate the glass 400 , and thus ion activity of the solution 710 may increase , and heat caused by the vibration may be generated . the glass 400 that is chemically tempered and heat - treated may have compressive stress that is greater than that of the glass 400 if it were not heat - treated . according to an embodiment of the present invention , the method for molding glass may apply the heat to the glass molded to have the curved surface to relieve the stress of the glass . also , through the exchanging of ions , the compressive stress may be formed on the surface of the glass to temper the surface of the glass . it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the inventive concept . thus , it is intended that the present disclosure covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents . thus , to the maximum extent allowed by law , the scope of the present invention is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents , and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description .	2
as described above , a number of taste masking coating compositions are known . none of these compositions , however , are fully satisfactory as complete taste masking combined with rapid release cannot be achieved using these compositions . therefore , the inventors believed there to be a need for a taste masking composition that can provide a dosage form that is both palatable and bioavailable . the inventors have satisfied the above needs by using coating compositions that includes a combination of ( i ) copolymers of acrylate and methacrylate with a quaternary ammonium group in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose and ( ii ) polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymer . surprisingly , the inventors have found that when combinations of these two polymers are used as taste masking coating compositions , the release rate of the medicament is increased and optimal results are observed with respect to taste masking and release of active components . moreover , the amount of acrylate and methacrylate copolymers with a quaternary ammonium group in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose required for coating can also be reduced , thereby , ensuring the safety and acceptability of the dosage form . copolymers of acrylate and methacrylate with a quaternary ammonium group in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose is available under the trade name eudragit rd 100 supplied by rohm gmbh , darmstadt . this copolymer provides ph independent , fast disintegrating films and coatings that are especially suitable for taste masking purposes . a disintegrant , sodium carboxymethylcellulose , is inherently present in the eudragit rd 100 and thereby facilitates the fast release of the medicament . polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymers are commercially available under the trade name kollicoat ir and are marketed by basf corporation . this copolymer is highly soluble in water and is used as a covering or coating for instantaneous release in tablets . the inventors have found that the combination of these copolymers can be used to formulate an immediate release taste - masked pharmaceutical composition for oral administration . in such formulations , a core containing the bitter or unpleasant tasting drug is coated with a combination of ( i ) copolymers of acrylate and methacrylate with a quaternary ammonium group in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose and ( ii ) polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymer . the term “ immediate release ” as used herein means release of the medicament in the gastrointestinal tract within approximately one hour . as described in further detail below , the combination of the copolymers can be prepared as a general taste masking coating that can be applied to almost any medicament to mask the bitter or undesirable taste of the medicament without also delaying the availability of the medicament when consumed orally . further , a pharmaceutical composition using the combination of copolymers can be used in a method of treating , preventing or diagnosing a disease condition that includes orally administering a taste - masked pharmaceutical composition . as described in further detail herein , the pharmaceutical composition includes a core containing the bitter or otherwise unpleasant tasting drug . this drug containing or drug loaded core is coated with a combination of ( i ) copolymers of acrylate and methacrylate with a quaternary ammonium group in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose and ( ii ) polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymer . because of the taste masking , the pharmaceutical composition can be orally administered without the concern that the composition will be unpalatable . the drug - containing core may be selected from one or more of pharmaceutically inert insoluble materials , soluble material , and swellable materials . the insoluble inert cores may be , for example , sand ( i . e ., silicon dioxide ), glass , microcrystalline cellulose ( e . g ., celpheres ) or a plastic material ( e . g ., polystyrene ). the soluble inert cores may be a sugar selected from one or more of glucose , mannitol , lactose , xylitol , dextrose , sucrose and the like . the swellable inert cores may be , for example , hydroxypropyl methylcellulose or any other suitable swellable inert material . as described below , the drug is loaded on the core by coating or spraying of the taste masking coating composition . in addition to the above two copolymers , the coating composition also may contain lubricants that function as anti - sticking agents . these lubricants may be selected from talc , glyceryl monostearate , magnesium stearate , colloidal silica , other suitable lubricants , and mixtures thereof . the concentration of lubricant in the composition may be up to 10 % of the dry weight of the taste masking coating composition . the taste masking coating composition can be prepared in numerous ways . for example , the polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymer may be dispersed in purified water under stirring to form a solution . eudragit then is dispersed in the solution under constant stirring . talc next is added and the stirring is continued for approximately twenty minutes . following this stirring , the coating suspension is filtered through a 250 micron nylon cloth . this coating composition then can be applied to taste mask bitter medicaments by using any suitable procedure , such as spray coating , pan coating , fluidized bed coating , etc . in the coating procedure , the bitter , unpleasant tasting active ingredient can be directly coated with the coating composition . alternatively , a drug loaded core can be coated with the taste masking coating suspension in a fluid bed processor to obtain the desired taste masked product . as described above , the taste masking coating may be a combination of ( i ) copolymers of acrylate and methacrylate with a quaternary ammonium group in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose and ( ii ) polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymer . the copolymer of acrylate and methacrylate with a quaternary ammonium group in combination with sodium carboxymethylcellulose and polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymer may be present in a ratio of about 1 : 2 to about 1 : 3 , although formulations that are either below or above this range also are contemplated . the concentration of methacrylate - acrylate copolymer may be used at about 20 % w / w to about 30 % w / w and polyvinyl alcohol - polyethylene glycol copolymer at about 65 % w / w to about 75 % w / w of the total taste masking coating composition . the coating composition may be used to mask the taste of any category of bitter drugs . for example , the drug can be selected from alkaloids , antacids , analgesics , anabolic agents , anti - anginal drugs , anti - allergy agents , anti - arrhythmia agents , antiasthmatics , antibiotics , anticholesterolemics , anticonvulsants , anticoagulants , antidepressants , antidiarrheal preparations , anti - emetics , antihistamines , antihypertensives , anti - infectives , anti - inflammatories , antilipid agents , antimanics , anti - migraine agents , antinauseants , antipsychotics , antistroke agents , antithyroid preparations , anabolic drugs , antiobesity agents , antiparasitics , antipsychotics , antipyretics , antispasmodics , antithrombotics , antitumor agents , antitussives , antiulcer agents , anti - uricemic agents , anxiolytic agents , appetite stimulants , appetite suppressants , beta - blocking agents , bronchodilators , cardiovascular agents , cerebral dilators , chelating agents , cholecystekinin antagonists , chemotherapeutic agents , cholesterol reducing agents , cognition activators , contraceptives , coronary dilators , cough suppressants , cns drugs , decongestants , diabetes agents , diuretics , emollients , enzymes , erythropoietic drugs , expectorants , fertility agents , fungicides , gastrointestinal agents , growth regulators , hormone replacement agents , hyperglycemic agents , hypoglycemic agents , ion - exchange resins , laxatives , migraine treatments , mineral supplements , mucolytics , narcotics , neuroleptics , neuromuscular drugs , non - steroidal anti - inflammatories ( nsaids ), nutritional additives , peripheral vasodilators , polypeptides , prostaglandins , psychotropics , renin inhibitors , respiratory stimulants , sedatives , steroids , stimulants , sympatholytics , thyroid preparations , tranquilizers , uterine relaxants , vaginal preparations , vasoconstrictors , vasodilators , vertigo agents , vitamins , wound healing agents , and others . the analgesics may be such specific drugs as acetaminophen , aspirin , ibuprofen , naproxen , and ketoprofen . the antibiotics may be such specific drugs as cefuroxime axetil , cefpodoxime proxetil , ciprofloxacin , erythromycin , and clarithromycin . the gastrointestinal drugs may be such drugs as loperamide , famotidine , ranitidine , cimetidine and salts thereof . the cardiovascular agents may be such drugs as irbesartan , captopril , lisinopril and salts thereof . the cns drugs may be such drugs as nefazodone , buspirone and salts thereof . the antihistamines may be such drugs as chlorpheniramine and astemizole . the cholesterol reducing agents may be such drugs as statins , e . g ., atorvastatin , simvastatin , pravastatin , and lovastatin . all of these general classes of drugs and the specific drugs are expected to be capable of taste masking using the coating composition described herein . the coated core can be formulated as sprinkles , dry powder , suspension , emulsion , or as whole a chewable or dispersible tablet , or any other suitable oral dosage forms , including conventional tables and capsules . coating additives may be selected from one or more of plasticizers , coloring agents and gloss producers . the plasticizer may be selected from one or more of diethyl phthalate , dibutyl phthalate , triethyl citrate and polyethylene glycol . the coating composition also can be applied to a whole dosage form and thereby conceal the bitter taste of the medicament contained within . the following examples are provided merely to illustrate embodiments of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention . 1 . microcrystalline cellulose beads 190 . 0 mg 2 . cefpodoxime proxetil ( equivalent to 100 mg 142 . 4 mg cefpodoxime ) 3 . hydroxypropyl methylcellulose 40 . 0 mg 4 . hydroxy propyl cellulose 20 . 0 mg 5 . croscarmellose sodium 15 . 6 mg 6 . purified water qs 7 . isopropyl alcohol qs 1 . drug loaded beads 410 . 0 mg 2 . eudragit rd 100 25 . 0 mg 3 . kollicoat ir 68 . 5 mg 4 . talc 6 . 5 mg 5 . water qs 1 . drug coated , taste mask coated beads 510 . 0 mg 2 . fruit gum flavor 15 . 0 mg 3 . frescofort flavor 15 . 0 mg 4 . colloidal silicon dioxide 17 . 5 mg 5 . carrageenan 30 . 0 mg 6 . microcrystalline cellulose 10 . 0 mg 7 . sodium citrate 5 . 0 mg 8 . citric acid ( anhydrous ) 3 . 0 mg 9 . ferric oxide ( yellow ) 0 . 05 mg 10 . sucrose 2994 . 45 mg a liquid suspension of cefpodoxime proxetil and the combination of binders in water was prepared . frothing was minimized using a small volume of isopropyl alcohol . the liquid suspension was sprayed onto the microcrystalline cellulose beads ( mcc beads ) and dried to provide core beads using a fluid bed processor . the core beads then were screened to remove fines and agglomerates . the core beads were coated again with a taste masking coating ( eudragit rd 100 , kollicoat ir , talc , and water ) and dried in a fluid bed processor . the coated beads were sifted to remove fines and agglomerates . the coated beads were mixed with the various remaining ingredients to form the composition of the dry suspension . the final composition was optionally encapsulated . the in - vitro dissolution release profile of the cefpodoxime proxetil from the dry suspension of example 1 was determined in accordance with the procedure described in pharmacopoeial forum , vol . 23 , number 4 , july - august 1997 , pages 4388 - 4392 . in the procedure a weight equivalent to 5 ml suspension was added to 900 ml of glycine buffer ( ph 3 . 0 ) to form a solution . in this procedure , apparatus 2 with stirring at 75 rpm is used . aliquots of 5 ml of the solution were taken at 15 , 30 and 45 minutes and analyzed spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 259 nm . the results of the dissolution testing are provided below in table 1 . as can be seen in table 1 , greater than 60 % of the drug is released in 15 minutes , greater than 80 % of the drug is released in 30 minutes , and greater than 90 % of the drug is released in 45 minutes . hydroxypropyl methylcellulose , hydroxypropyl cellulose and croscarmellose sodium were dispersed in purified water under stirring . cefpodoxime proxetil then was dispersed in the above mixture under constant stirring . isopropyl alcohol was added and stirring was continued for thirty minutes . next , microcrystalline cellulose beads were coated with this cefpodoxime proxetil dispersion in a fluid bed processor to form granules . the granules were dried until a limit of detection ( lod ) of nmt 4 . 0 % at 105 ° c . ( on ir balance ). the dried pellets were coated with the taste masking coating suspension in a fluid bed processor to achieve pellets of the desired product . the in - vitro dissolution release of drug from the pellets of example 2 was determined in accordance with the procedure described in pharmacopoeial forum , vol . 23 , number 4 , july - august 1997 , pages 4388 - 4392 . a 0 . 510 gm sample of the coated pellets was added to 900 ml of glycine buffer ( ph 3 . 0 ) to form a solution . in this procedure , apparatus 2 with stirring at 75 rpm is used . aliquots of 5 ml of the solution were taken at 15 , 30 and 45 minutes and analyzed spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 259 nm . the results of the dissolution testing are provided below in table 2 . as can be seen in table 2 , greater than 70 % of the drug is released in 15 minutes , greater than 85 % of the drug is released in 30 minutes , and greater than 95 % of the drug is released in 45 minutes . while several particular forms of the inventions have been described , it will be apparent that various modifications and combinations of the inventions detailed in the text can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventions . further , it is contemplated that any single feature or any combination of optional features of the inventive variations described herein may be specifically excluded from the claimed inventions and be so described as a negative limitation . accordingly , it is not intended that the inventions be limited , except as by the appended claims .	0
fig1 indicates a 16 cylinder diesel engine having a left bank of cylinders designated 1l through 8l , a right bank of cylinders designated 1r through 8r , left and right intercoolers 9l and 9r , flanking the respective left and right sides of a centrally disposed turbocharger 10 at the free end of the engine , a traction generator 11 at the opposite or generator end of the engine and , on the right side of the engine near its generator end , an engine control governor 12 and an overspeed governor 13 . fig2 indicates : a left bank of fuel pumps 14l and 16l for left bank cylinders 7l and 8l , each having an adjustable fuel pump rack 18l ; a right bank of fuel pumps 14r and 16r for right bank cylinders 7r and 8r , each having an adjustable fuel pump rack 18r ; a pair of left and right fuel linkage systems including one series of left trains of mechanism 19l and another series of right mechanism trains 19r ; left and right fuel rack shafts 20l and 20r ; a cross - over linkage , composed of identical left and right halves 21l and 21r connected to each other in series and arranged to connect the left fuel rack shaft 20l to the right fuel rack shaft 20r at a common intersection point 22 on shaft 20r ; and a terminal linkage system , provided only on the right side of the engine , to extend between fuel rack shafts 20l and 20r on the one hand and the power piston 24 of the engine control governor 12 on the other hand and arranged to connect both of those fuel rack shafts through their common interconnection point 22 to an overspeed link 23 which is operatively associated with the power piston 24 of the engine control governor 12 . with the diesel engine shut down and the start contactors ( not shown ) blocked open or insulated , the engine fuel pump racks 18l and 18r must match the governor piston gap which is located in the vertical axis of the power piston 24 usually between the bottom of the engine control governor 12 and the top of the power piston 24 . to determine if a given fuel pump rack matches the governor piston gap and to effect the proper adjustment where a mismatch is encountered , a piston gap gage 25 , marked for a full load piston gap , is inserted in the gap . as stated before , gage 25 is assumed to be an 0 . 344 inch metal gage . with the gage in place , the overspeed link 23 is turned angularly upward to and held in a position wherein the gap gage 25 is firmly compressed or clamped between the bottom of the engine control governor 12 and the top of the power piston 24 . now , each of the individual pump racks 18l and 18r is inspected to determine if its millimeter travel position reads as required by the fuel load fuel setting . those fuel racks which are correctly positioned need no adjustment . each incorrectly positioned fuel pump rack 18l and 18r is conventionally unlocked , disengaged , screwed inwardly or outwardly to the proper millimeter travel position and then re - engaged and locked . during these individual adjustments , the piston gap gage 25 is continuously maintained in its compressed or clamped condition by means of a screw jack arranged between the bottom side of the overspeed link 23 and a rigidly but removably mounted base platform 26 with the top of the jack engaging the link 23 and the lower head - end of the jack &# 39 ; s adjusting screw engaging the base platform 26 . after all adjustments have been made , the adjusting screw of the jack is turned to reduce the overall length of the assembly to a point where both the screw jack and the gap gage can be removed . occasionally , the removal of the gage and the screw jack is overlooked . as a consequence , the engine control governor 12 is held in its wide open throttle position while its overspeed governor 13 is held inoperative . now , if the engine is started , it will take off and may increase in speed too rapidly to permit the screw of the screw jack to be unscrewed sufficiently to enable the screw jack to be removed in time to prevent damage to and possibly the wrecking of the diesel engine . in accordance with my invention , a metal break - joint screw jack is provided which operates in all respects like the conventional screw jack except that it can be instantly rendered inoperative simply by breaking the joint of the jack manually through a simple push or karate - like sweep of the hand . in specific terms , the preferred form of my screw jack comprises : a longitudinally extending upper part 30 having a lower end portion 31 of reduced thickness ; a similarly extending lower part 32 having an upper end portion 33 of reduced thickness arranged to overlap the reduced lower end portion of the upper part ; an adjusting flat - headed screw 34 threaded into the free or bottom end face of the lower part 31 ; and a transverse pivot 35 securing the overlapped end portions 31 , 33 of the two parts pivotally together for angular movement back and forth between operative and inoperative positions on opposite sides of their dead center position , wherein their respective pivot - intersecting long axes are aligned with each other so that they cooperate to form an angle of 180 ° between them . in the operative position , which is self - locking , the long pivot - intersecting axes of the parts cooperate to form one angle slightly less than 180 ° ( say 178 °) on one side and another angle correspondingly greater than 180 ° ( say 182 °) on the opposite side . for convenience and clarity , the opposite sides of the jack , which respectively correspond to the 180 ° minus and 180 ° plus angles of said long axes , are hereinafter called the locking side and the striking side , respectively . to stop the parts when they reach the self - locking position , the lowermost end face 36 of the reduced end portion 31 of upper part 30 is arranged , preferably sloped , to engage the corresponding , preferably sloped , end face 37 of the unreduced portion of the lower part 32 and , through such engagement , prevent continuing movement beyond the self - locking position . my screw jack is used in the same way as a conventional screw jack . after all racks are correctly set , the jack and gage are removed and the start contactors cleared for operation . however , if the diesel engine is started while the jack and gage remain in place , then the engine speed will start to rise rapidly . before it can rise to a dangerously high value , the joint of my jack can be broken and the jack removed quickly and more or less instanteously simply by hand - striking or pushing the strike side of the jack . the force used in breaking the joint need be no more than slight ; hence , the magnitude of the force required is not a problem . as soon as the joint is broken , the governor 12 will take over the speed control of the engine . in further accordance with my invention , the removably mounted base platform 26 is arranged so that it may be mounted one way , as shown in this case wherein the platform is at the lower end of its securing sidewall , or reversed in another case so that the platform is at the upper end of the securing sidewall . this will facilitate the use of the jack on diesel engines of different makes . also , for convenience and safekeeping purposes , the gap gage 25 preferably is secured to the screw jack by means of a long chain 38 . from the foregoing , it will be appreciated that i have provided a lengthwise adjustable jack for use between a stationary base 26 and the overspeed link 23 of a diesel engine to raise the power piston 24 of the engine &# 39 ; s control governor 12 to , and hold it in , its full load position during the adjustment required to match the fuel pump racks 18l and r with the governor &# 39 ; s piston gap , comprising : a . a longitudinally elongate body having 1 . opposite sides , including a strike side , 2 . an upper part 30 having an upper end engagable with said link 23 , 3 . a lower part 32 having a lower end engagable with said base 26 , 4 . a transverse pivot 35 ( a ) hinging the parts 30 , 32 pivotally for angular movement back and forth between ( i ) a locked joint position , wherein their longitudinal planes 38 , 39 , which extend through the longitudinal center axis of the pivot 35 , point in one direction and cooperate to form , on the strike side of said body , a fixed angle 40 slightly greater than 180 °, and ( ii ) a broken joint position , wherein said planes 38 , 39 point in the opposite direction and cooperate to form on the strike side of said body , another angle 41 less than 180 °; and b . means ( screw 34 ) on said body for adjusting the length of said body . while the body lengthening or adjusting means , preferably , is in the conventional form of the flat - headed screw 34 shown , any suitable means for adjusting the length of the body may be employed . for example , the lower part 32 or the upper part 30 may be composed of two longitudinally separated sections , the adjacent ends of which are longitudinally spaced to receive an interposed adjusting nut having threaded stems at its opposite ends , and formed with threaded holes to receive the threaded stems of said nut . the upper part 30 has a hole in its upper end face to receive the grease fitting ( not shown ) normally provided on the overspeed link 23 .	5
to avoid unnecessary repetition within the description , features that are common to more than one embodiment have been designated with the same reference numerals . fig2 illustrates an elevator according to the present invention . the elevator includes an elevator car 1 which is arranged to travel upwards and downwards within a hoistway 8 of a building . the elevator car 1 comprises a passenger cabin 2 supported in a frame 4 . a traction rope 52 interconnects the car 1 with a counterweight 50 and this rope 52 is driven by a traction sheave 54 located above or in an upper region of the hoistway 8 . the traction sheave 54 is mechanically coupled to a main motor 56 which is controlled by an elevator controller dmc . the traction rope 52 , the traction sheave 54 , the motor 56 and the elevator controller dmc constitute the main drive used to support and propel the car 1 though the hoistway 8 . in high - rise elevators the weight of the traction rope 52 is significant and a compensation rope 60 is generally provided to counteract any imbalance of the rope 52 weight as the car 1 travels along the hoistway 8 . the compensation rope 60 is suspended from the counterweight 50 and the car 1 and is tensioned by a tensioning pulley 62 mounted in a lower region of the hoistway 8 . a dynamic car controller dcc is provided to actuate the car 1 in response to a signal v c ; a c representative of the car speed or acceleration and a reference signal v r ; a r from the main drive . as clearly shown , there is a degree of elasticity and damping associated the traction rope 52 , the compensation rope 60 , the mounting of the traction sheave 54 , the mounting of the tensioning pulley 62 and the mounting of the passenger cabin 2 within the car frame 4 , respectively . fig3 is a perspective view of the car 1 shown in fig2 . two roller guides 10 are mounted on top of the car frame 4 to guide the car 1 along guide rails 6 as it moves within the hoistway 8 . each roller guide 10 consists of three wheels 12 arranged to exert horizontal force on the associated guide rail 6 and thereby the car 1 is continually centralized between the opposing guide rails 6 . as will be appreciated by the skilled person , a further pair of roller guides 10 can be mounted beneath the car 1 to improve the overall guidance of the car 1 . a significant difference between the roller guides 10 used in the present invention and those of the prior art , is that at least one of the wheels 12 can be driven to exert a vertical frictional force f against the guide rail 6 . the structure of the roller guides 10 is shown in greater detail in fig4 . for clarity , the middle wheel of the roller guide 10 has been removed . each wheel 12 has an outer rubber tire 14 engaging the guide rail 6 and has a central shaft 26 which is rotatably supported at a first point p 1 on a lever 16 . at its lower end , the lever 16 is pivotably supported at a second point p 2 on a mounting block 28 which is fastened to a base plate 18 . the base plate 18 in turn is secured to the top of the car frame 4 . a compression spring 19 biases the lever 16 and thereby the wheel 12 towards the guide rail 6 . the dynamic car controller dcc of fig2 will be explained with reference to the wheel 12 positioned on the right of fig4 . this wheel 12 is capable of being driven by an auxiliary motor 24 . the auxiliary motor 24 is mounted to the base plate 18 and it is aligned with the second point p 2 of the lever 16 . the wheel 12 further comprises a gear pulley 20 integral with its central shaft 26 . a transmission belt 22 is arranged around the pulley 20 and a second pulley ( not shown ) on the shaft of the auxiliary motor 24 ensuring simultaneous rotation . preferably the gear ratio is one , however a higher gear ratio can be used to enable a reduction in the size of the auxiliary motor 24 . although it is feasible to mount the auxiliary motor 24 directly to the shaft 26 of the guide wheel 12 , this arrangement would have several disadvantages with respect to the preferred arrangement shown in fig4 and described above . firstly , such an arrangement would add further mass to the wheel 12 and consequently would impair the ability of the roller guide 10 to effectively isolate vibration between the car 1 and the guide rails 6 . furthermore , the auxiliary motor 24 itself would be subject to strong and harmful vibrations . lastly , the arrangement would necessitate the provision of flexible wiring to the moving auxiliary motor 24 . a speed encoder 30 attached to a shaft 26 of a wheel 12 that is not driven by the motor outputs a signal v c representative of the speed of the car 1 . the car speed signal v c is subtracted from a speed reference signal v r derived from the main drive at a comparator 32 . a speed error signal v e resulting from this comparison is fed into a speed controller 34 mounted on the car 1 . the speed error signal v e is initially passed through a band - pass filter 34 a . the lower cut - off frequency of the filter 34 a is less than the fundamental frequency of the elevator to compensate for rope slippage in the traction sheave 54 and to prevent any build up of steady state errors . the upper cut - off frequency of the filter 34 a can be determined by the dynamics of the control system so as to prevent high frequency jitter . after filtering , the speed error signal v e is amplified in the speed controller 34 . proportional amplification k p is predominant in the speed controller 34 and results in a behavior commonly known as skyhook damping which is analogous to having a damper mounted between the car 1 and a virtual point which moves at the reference speed v r such that any deviations v e of the car speed v c from the reference speed v r result in the application of a force opposite and proportional to the speed deviation v e . additionally , the speed controller 34 can provide a certain amount of differential k d and integral k i amplification . differential amplification k d adds virtual mass to the car 1 while integral amplification k i adds virtual stiffness to the system . a force command signal f c output from the controller 34 is supplied to a power amplifier 36 which in turn drives the auxiliary motor 24 establishing a vertical frictional force f between the wheel 12 and the guide rail 6 to compensate for any deviation v e of the car speed v c from the reference speed v r . accordingly , any undesired vertical vibrations of the elevator car 1 will produce a speed error signal v e from the comparator 32 and the auxiliary motor 24 will be driven to exert a vertical friction force f between the wheel 12 and the guide rail 6 to counteract the vibrations . furthermore , when the car 1 is stationary at a landing , the auxiliary motor 24 , provided it has sufficient power , will keep the car 1 level with the landing and therefore the conventional re - leveling operation executed by the main drive is no longer required . in order to reduce the energy demand of the system , the auxiliary motor 24 is preferably of a synchronous , permanent magnet type so that energy can be regenerated when the motor 24 is decelerating the car instead of accelerating . ultracapacitors 38 in a dc intermediate circuit of the power amplifier 36 store this recovered energy for subsequent use . accordingly , power drawn from the mains supply need only compensate for energy losses . these losses are proportional to the loss factor ( 1 / η − η ) where η is the combined efficiency factor of the motor 24 , transmission belt 22 , the friction wheel 12 and the power amplifier 36 . for η = 0 . 9 , 0 . 8 and 0 . 7 , the loss factor is 0 . 21 , 0 . 45 and 0 . 73 , respectively . hence , the combined efficiency should be maintained as high as possible . the performance of the system was evaluated using the elevator schematically illustrated in fig2 . the simulation was carried out for two different installations ; the first having a travel height of 232 m using four aramid traction ropes 52 , and the second having a travel height of 400 m employing seven aramid traction ropes 52 . in both cases , the speed controller 34 employed zero integral gain k i , the lower cut - off frequency of the filter 34 a was 0 . 3 hz , and the vertical frictional force f developed between the driven wheel 14 and the associated guide rail 6 was limited to about 1000 n . a numerical summary of the results obtained is provided in table 1 . a more detailed analysis of the results showing car acceleration and iso filtered car acceleration ( modeling human sensation to the vibration as defined in iso 2631 - 1 and iso 8041 ) of the conventional system against that recorded for a dynamic car control dcc system according to the present invention is shown in the graphical representations of fig5 to 8 together with the force produced and the power and energy consumption of the dynamic car control dcc system . the results clearly illustrate that the dynamic car controller dcc reduces the amplitude of any vibrations exerted on the car 1 during travel and also shortens the time taken to extinguish those vibrations , especially for short trips ( fig6 and 8 ) which inherently are more susceptible to low frequency vibration and excitation of the fundamental mode of vibration . fig9 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the present invention . instead of speed , the vertical acceleration a c of the car 1 is measured by an accelerometer 40 mounted on the car 1 . the signal a c from the accelerometer 40 is subtracted from an acceleration reference signal a r derived from the main drive at the comparator 32 . an acceleration error signal a e resulting from this comparison is fed into an acceleration controller 44 . as in the previous embodiment , the acceleration error signal a e is conditioned by a band - pass filter 44 a and after filtering is amplified in the acceleration controller 44 . the acceleration controller 44 has proportional k p , integral k i and double integral k ii amplification . hence , it functions in a similar manner to the speed controller 34 of the previous embodiment but the quality of the signal is different and to account for this the level of filtering and amplification must be changed . as before a force command signal f c output from the controller 44 is supplied to the power amplifier 36 which in turn drives the auxiliary motor 24 establishing the vertical frictional force f between the wheel 12 and the guide rail 6 to compensate for any deviation a e of the car acceleration a c from the reference acceleration a r . accordingly , the auxiliary motor 24 will be driven to exert a vertical friction force f between the wheel 12 and the guide rail 6 to counteract vibrations . furthermore , when the car 1 is stationary at a landing , the auxiliary motor 24 , provided it has sufficient power , will keep the car 1 level with the landing and therefore the conventional re - leveling operation is no longer required . the dynamic car controller dcc , whether in the form of the speed controller 34 or the acceleration controller 44 , need not be fixed to the car 1 as in the previously described embodiments but can be mounted anywhere within the elevator installation . indeed , further optimization is possible by integrating the dynamic car controller dcc with the elevator controller dmc in a single multi input multi output ( mimo ) state space controller . as is becoming increasingly common practice within the elevator industry , the traction ropes 52 can be replaced by belts to reduce the diameter of the traction sheave 54 . the present invention works equally well for either of these traction media . furthermore , the auxiliary motor 24 of the previously described embodiments of the present invention can be a linear motor . in such an arrangement a primary of the linear motor is mounted on the car 1 with the guide rail 6 acting as a secondary of the linear motor ( or vice versa ). accordingly , the electromagnetic field produced between the primary and the secondary of the linear motor can be used not only to guide the car 1 along the guide rails 6 but also to establish the required vertical force to counteract any vibrations of the car 1 . this embodiment is less advantageous since currently available linear motors have low efficiency , are relatively heavy and energy recuperation is not possible . although the present invention has been described in relation to and is particularly beneficial for traction elevators incorporating synthetic traction ropes 52 or belts , it will be appreciated that the present invention can also be employed in hydraulic elevators . in such an arrangement the main drive comprises an elevator controller and a pump to regulate the amount of working fluid between a cylinder and ramp to propel and support the elevator car 1 within the hoistway 8 . in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes , the present invention has been described in what is considered to represent its preferred embodiment . however , it should be noted that the invention can be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described without departing from its spirit or scope .	1
an organic el display panel according to the invention may include one , or two or more organic el devices . the organic el device includes a substrate , a pixel electrode , an organic light - emitting layer , an insulating layer , and a counter electrode . the organic el device may further include a tft , a planarization film , a hole injection layer , an intermediate layer , and a second insulating layer ( line bank ). the material of the substrate differs depending on whether the organic el device is a bottom emission type or a top emission type . when the organic el device is a bottom emission type , the substrate needs to be transparent . therefore , the material of the substrate may be glass , transparent resin , or the like . on the other hand , when the organic el device is a top emission type , the substrate does not need to be transparent . the material of the substrate is not particularly limited as long as it has an insulating property . the “ substrate ” means a member having a surface on which a pixel electrode is formed . the substrate includes , for example , a tft and a planarization film . in general , the organic el device is connected to a thin film transistor ( a driving tft ) to drive the organic el device . specifically , the pixel electrode of the organic el device is connected to the source or drain electrode of the driving tft . the organic el device is stacked on a tft device . a planarization film is formed on the tft . the planarization film planarizes the unevenness of the surface of the tft and provides a flat surface on which the organic el device is formed . the planarization film includes a contact hole to connect the pixel electrode of the organic el device with the source or drain electrode of the driving tft . the thickness of the planarization film is generally in a range of 3 μm to 10 μm and may be about 5 μm . plural pixel electrodes are arranged on the substrate . when the substrate includes a planarization film , the pixel electrodes are formed on the planarization film . when the organic el device is a bottom emission type , the pixel electrodes need to be a transparent electrode . examples of the transparent electrode include ito ( indium tin oxide ), izo ( indium zinc oxide ), and tin oxide . when the organic el device is a top emission type , the pixel electrodes need to have a light reflecting property . examples of such pixel electrodes include alloys containing silver such as a silver - palladium - copper alloy ( also referred to as apc ), a silver - rubidium - gold alloy ( also referred to as ara ), a molybdenum - chromium alloy ( also referred to as mocr ), a nickel - chromium alloy ( also referred to as nicr ), and an aluminum alloy . the thickness of the pixel electrode is generally in a range of 100 nm to 500 nm and probably about 150 nm . the organic light - emitting layer continuously covers a region including two or more neighboring pixel electrodes . the organic light - emitting layer may directly cover the substrate and the pixel electrodes , or may cover the substrate and the pixel electrodes via another layer interposed therebetween . for example , the organic light - emitting layer may be disposed on another layer which can be a pixel regulating layer formed of an inorganic material such as glass or an intermediate layer formed of an organic material , the another layer covering the surface of the substrate other than the part on which the pixel electrodes are disposed . one or both of a hole injection layer and an intermediate layer may be disposed between the pixel electrode and the organic light - emitting layer . from the viewpoint of simplifying the structure and the manufacturing method of an organic el device , it is preferable that the organic light - emitting layer be disposed on a region on the substrate including the two or more neighboring pixel electrode . the hole injection layer is a layer formed of a hole injection material . examples of the hole injection material include poly ( 3 , 4 - ethylene dioxythiophene ) ( also referred to as pedot - pss ) doped with polystyrene sulfonate or derivatives ( such as copolymers ) thereof , metal oxides such as wo x ( tungsten oxide ), moo x ( molybdenum oxide ), and vo x ( vanadium oxide ) or combinations thereof such as wo x doped with mo . the thickness of the hole injection layer is generally in a range of 10 nm to 100 nm and may be about 30 nm . the hole injection layer is generally disposed on the pixel electrodes , but may cover both the substrate and the pixel electrodes . the intermediate layer serves to suppress the transporting of electrons into the hole injection layer or serves to efficiently transport holes to the organic light - emitting layer . the intermediate layer is a layer formed of , for example , polyaniline - based materials . the thickness of the intermediate layer is generally in a range of 10 nm to 100 nm and is preferably about 30 nm . the intermediate layer may cover only the pixel electrodes or the hole injection layer , or may continuously cover a region on the substrate including the pixel electrodes or the hole injection layer . the organic light - emitting material contained in the organic light - emitting layer is , for example , a high - molecular light - emitting material . examples of the high - molecular light - emitting material include polyparaphenylene vinylene and derivatives thereof , polyacetylene and derivatives thereof , polyphenylene and derivatives thereof , polyparaphenylene ethylene and derivatives thereof , poly 3 - hexyl thiophene and derivatives thereof , and polyfluorene and derivatives thereof . the organic light - emitting material may be a low - molecular light - emitting material . the hole injection layer , the intermediate layer , and the organic light - emitting layer formed of organic materials can be disposed in a region defined by line banks to be described later . the line banks are formed of , for example , polyimide or acryl resin . the resin constituting the line banks may contain fluorine . the resin containing fluorine is not particularly limited as long as it has a fluorine atom in at least some repetition units of a high - molecular repetition unit . examples of the resin containing fluorine compounds include fluorinated polyolefin resin , fluorinated polyimide resin , and fluorinated polyacryl resin . the height of the line banks from the substrate is generally in a range of 0 . 1 μm to 3 μm and preferably in a range of 0 . 8 μm to 1 . 2 μm . the shape of each line bank is preferably a forward tapered shape . the forward tapered shape means a shape in which a wall surface of a bank is oblique and the area of the bottom surface of the line bank is larger than the area of the top surface of the line bank . when the shape of the line bank is a tapered shape , the taper angle is generally in a range of 20 ° to 80 ° and preferably in a range of 30 ° to 50 °. the wettability of the top surface of the line bank is preferably low . the top surface of the line bank means a surface including the vertex of the line bank . the wettability of the top surface of the line bank is preferably lower than the wettability of the wall surface of the line bank . the contact angle of the top surface of the line bank with water is preferably larger than or equal to 80 ° and more preferably larger than or equal to 90 °. the contact angle of the top surface of the line bank with anisole , an intermediate ink , or an organic light - emitting ink is preferably in a range of 30 ° to 70 °. on the other hand , the contact angle of the wall surface of the line bank with anisole , an intermediate ink , or an organic light - emitting ink is preferably in a range of 3 ° to 30 °. the larger the contact angle becomes , the lower the wettability becomes . the insulating layer is disposed on the organic light - emitting layer and covers opposing edges of two or more neighboring pixel electrodes . the part of the organic light - emitting layer located in the central portion of the pixel electrodes is not covered with the insulating layer . the invention is characterized in that the insulating layer covering the edges of the pixel electrodes is located above the organic light - emitting layer ( on the counter electrode side ) and is not located below the organic light - emitting layer ( on the pixel electrode side ). the insulating layer may be disposed directly on the organic light - emitting layer or may be disposed on the organic light - emitting layer with another layer such as an electron transport layer interposed therebetween . the insulating layer is generally disposed along both directions of the long direction and the short direction of the pixel electrodes . when the organic el device includes a line bank , the line bank is generally formed along the long direction of the pixel electrodes so as to cover the edges of the pixel electrodes . the insulating layer is disposed on the organic light - emitting layer along the direction perpendicular to the line bank . the insulating layer may be disposed on the line bank , but is preferably disposed on only the edges of the pixel electrodes located between the line banks from the viewpoint of further planarizing the counter electrode . the insulating layer is preferably formed of a cured resin of a delay curing resin composition , which can be cured by ultraviolet rays and heat . when the resin layer disposed on the organic light - emitting layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays , the organic light - emitting material may deteriorate . from the viewpoint of preventing deterioration of the organic light - emitting layer due to the irradiation of ultraviolet rays , it is preferable that the insulating layer be formed of a cured resin of the delay curing resin composition . examples of the resin formed through the delay curing of the resin composition include an epoxy resin . the thickness of the insulating layer is preferably in a range of 1 μm to 3 μm . the counter electrode is disposed on the organic light - emitting layer and the insulating layer . the material of the counter electrode differs depending on whether the organic el device is a bottom emission type or a top emission type . when the organic el device is a top emission type , the counter electrode requires a light - transmitting property . therefore , examples of the material of the counter electrode include ito and izo . on the other hand , when the organic el device is a bottom emission type , the material of the counter electrode is not particularly limited as long as it is a conductor . the organic el display panel according to the invention may have a configuration in which the organic el devices are arranged in a matrix on the same plane . alternatively , the organic el device panel according to the invention may have a configuration in which the organic el devices are arranged on the same plane in rows . the organic el display panel according to the invention can be manufactured through a manufacturing method to be described later . in this way , when the organic light - emitting layer is formed in regions defined by the line banks using a coating method , it is possible to prevent the short - circuiting between the counter electrode and the edges of the pixel electrodes , and also to uniformly form the organic light - emitting layer . therefore , it is possible to suppress occurrence of a difference in brightness or a difference in light emission of the organic display panel and to provide an organic el display panel with excellent display quality . 2 . method of manufacturing organic el display panel according to the invention a method of manufacturing an organic el display panel according to the invention includes a step of forming plural pixel electrodes on a substrate , a step of forming an organic light - emitting layer that continuously covers a region including two or more neighboring pixel electrodes , a step of forming an insulating layer on the organic light - emitting layer so as to cover opposing edges of the neighboring pixel electrodes , and a step of forming a counter electrode on the organic light - emitting layer and the insulating layer . the method of manufacturing an organic el display panel according to the invention may further include other steps as long as the advantages of the invention can be achieved . examples of the method of manufacturing an organic el display panel include a method of manufacturing the above - mentioned organic el device . the method of manufacturing the organic el device includes , for example , 1 ) a first step of forming a tft on a substrate , 2 ) a second step of forming a planarization film on the tft , 3 ) a third step of forming pixel electrodes on the planarization film , 4 ) a fourth step of forming a hole injection layer on the pixel electrodes , 5 ) a fifth step of forming line banks that are disposed to cover a part of the hole injection layer and that defines a line region on the substrate in which the two or more pixel electrodes are arranged in a row , 6 ) a sixth step of forming an intermediate layer on the hole injection layer in the pixel in line region defined by the line banks , the intermediate layer being formed by applying , drying , and baking an intermediate ink , 7 ) a seventh step of forming an organic light - emitting layer on the intermediate layer by applying , drying , and baking an organic light - emitting ink , 8 ) an eighth step of forming an insulating layer on the organic light - emitting layer so as to cover the edges of a stacked layer of the pixel electrodes and the hole injection layer in the direction perpendicular to the line banks , and 9 ) a ninth step of forming a counter electrode to cover the organic light - emitting layer . in the first step of 1 ), the tft is formed on the substrate . the tft may be a silicon - based tft or an organic tft . in the second step of 2 ), the planarization film is formed on the tft . the planarization film is formed of , for example , a photosensitive resin through a photolithography . a contact hole for connecting the electrode of the tft with the pixel electrode is formed in the planarization film . in the third step of 3 ), the pixel electrodes are formed on the planarization film . the pixel electrodes can be formed , for example , by forming a thin conductor film through a sputtering method or the like and patterning the thin conductor film through etching . the method of forming the pixel electrodes is not particularly limited . in the fourth step of 4 ), the hole injection layer is formed on the pixel electrodes . examples of the material of the hole injection layer include oxides of transition metals , pedot , and other materials capable of forming a coating film through a coating method . the hole injection layer is formed on the pixel electrodes , for example , from tungsten oxide through a sputtering method . in the fifth step of 5 ), the line banks defining a line region in which two or more pixel areas are arranged in a row are formed so as to cover a part of the hole injection layer . the material of the line banks is a resin synthesized from a photosensitive material such as polyimide or acryl resin . the resin may contain fluorine . the banks are formed through photolithography processes ( applying , baking , exposing , developing , and burning ). the line banks are generally formed to cover the edges of the pixel electrodes along the long direction of the pixel electrodes with the hole injection layer interposed therebetween . in the sixth step of 6 ), an intermediate ink including an intermediate material and a solvent is applied onto the hole injection layer . the solvent is determined depending on the type of the intermediate material . examples of the solvent include an aromatic solvent such as anisole . the application method is not particularly limited . examples of the application method include an inkjet method , a dispensing method , a nozzle coating method , a spin coating method , a die coating method , an intaglio printing method , and an anastatic printing method . the inkjet method is preferable . the intermediate layer is formed by drying and backing the applied film . in the seventh step of 7 ), an organic light - emitting ink including an organic light - emitting material and a solvent is applied to line region defined by the line banks . the applied organic light - emitting ink includes a desired light - emitting material and a solvent . the solvent is determined depending on the type of the light - emitting material . examples of the solvent include an aromatic solvent such as anisole . the application method is not particularly limited . examples of the application method include an inkjet method , a dispensing method , a nozzle coating method , a spin coating method , a die coating method , an intaglio printing method , and an anastatic printing method . the inkjet method is preferable . the organic light - emitting layer continuously covering a region on the substrate including the tow or more neighboring pixel electrodes is formed by drying and backing the applied film . in the eighth step of 8 ), the insulating layer covering the edges of the pixel electrodes is formed on the organic light - emitting layer in the direction perpendicular to the long direction of the pixel electrodes . the insulating layer is formed by applying an insulating material through a screen printing method , a dispensing method , a die coating method , or the like . when there is no line bank , or when the line banks are separated from the edges of the pixel electrodes such that the edges of the pixel electrodes are not covered with the line banks , an insulating layer covering the edges of the pixel electrodes is further formed along the long direction of the pixel electrodes . when the insulating layer is formed of the cured resin of a delay curing resin composition , the insulating material containing the delay curing resin composition is irradiated with ultraviolet rays before applying the insulating material onto the organic light - emitting layer . the insulating material to which ultraviolet rays are applied is applied onto the organic light - emitting layer so as to cover the edges of the pixel electrodes . the insulating layer is formed by curing the applied insulating material through heat treatment . examples of the delay curing resin composition include an epoxy resin described in japanese patent application laid - open no . 2011 - 38090 , aliphatic compounds having an epoxy group and a hydroxyl group , and compositions containing a cation polymerization initiator . in the ninth step of 9 ), the counter electrode is formed so as to cover the organic light - emitting layer and the insulating layer . the counter electrode is formed of a transparent conductive material such as ito through a sputtering method . the method of manufacturing an organic el device is not limited to the above - mentioned method . for example , in the above - mentioned manufacturing method , the pixel electrodes may be formed on the substrate without forming the planarization film . in this case , the second step may be omitted . in the above - mentioned manufacturing method , the organic light - emitting layer may be formed on the pixel electrodes and the substrate without forming the intermediate layer . in this case , the sixth step may be omitted . alternatively , the above - mentioned manufacturing method may further include a step of removing the intermediate layer between the pixel electrodes on the substrate . in this case , a step of removing the applied film of the intermediate ink from the substrate may be included between the sixth step and the seventh step . in the above - mentioned manufacturing method , a pixel regulating layer can be disposed on a region on the substrate other than a region between the pixel electrodes . in this case , a step of forming a pixel regulating layer may be included between the third step and the fourth step . hereinafter , embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings . in embodiment 1 , a top emission type organic el device will be described . fig1 ( a ) is a plan view illustrating organic el device 20 according to embodiment 1 of the invention . fig1 ( b ) is a cross - sectional view of the organic el device taken along line a - a ′ of fig1 ( a ) . fig1 ( c ) is a cross - sectional view of the organic el device taken along line b - b ′ of fig1 ( a ) . in fig1 ( a ) , fig2 ( a ) , fig3 ( a ) , and fig4 ( a ) , transparent negative electrode 900 is not shown . as shown in fig1 ( b ) and ( c ), the organic el device 20 includes substrate 500 , pixel electrodes 600 , hole injection layer 610 , organic light - emitting layer 700 , insulating layer 800 , line banks 400 , and transparent negative electrode 900 . substrate 500 is , for example , a glass substrate . pixel electrodes 600 are a conductive layer disposed on substrate 500 . pixel electrodes 600 are formed of , for example , an apc alloy . the thickness of pixel electrodes 600 is preferably in a range of 100 nm to 200 nm . hole injection layer 610 is disposed on pixel electrodes 600 . hole injection layer 610 is formed of tungsten oxide ( wo x ). the thickness of hole injection layer 610 is preferably in a range of 5 to 30 nm . line banks 400 define areas of organic light - emitting layer 700 . specifically , the line banks are formed so as to define a line region in which two or more pixel electrodes 600 are arranged in a row . the line banks are disposed to cover at least a part of hole injection layer 610 . for example , line banks 400 are disposed to cover the edges of pixel electrodes 600 along the long direction with hole injection layer 610 interposed therebetween . line banks 400 are formed of , for example , fluorinated acryl resin . the height of line banks 400 from hole injection layer 610 on the substrate is preferably in a range of 0 . 1 μm to 3 μm . line banks 400 are formed to expose hole injection layer 610 . organic light - emitting layer 700 is disposed on hole injection layer 610 . organic light - emitting layer 700 is a layer covering hole injection layer 610 and a part of substrate 500 , the part being located between pixel electrodes 600 . the edges of pixel electrodes 600 are covered with organic light - emitting layer 700 with hole injection layer 610 interposed therebetween ( for example , see reference numeral 710 in fig1 ( b ) ). the thickness of organic light - emitting layer 700 is preferably in a range of 50 nm to 150 nm . organic light - emitting layer 700 is a layer formed of a derivative of polyfluorene . insulating layer 800 is formed on organic light - emitting layer 700 in a direction perpendicular to line direction of line banks 400 . insulating layer 800 is formed to cover the edges of pixel electrodes 600 with organic light - emitting layer 700 and hole injection layer 610 interposed therebetween . the thickness of organic light - emitting layer 700 formed on pixel electrodes 600 and hole injection layer 610 may decrease at the edges of the layers . as a result , pixel electrodes 600 and transparent negative electrode 900 may short - circuit . since insulating layer 800 is arranged on organic light - emitting layer 700 , such short - circuit is suppressed . the thickness of insulating layer 800 is preferably in a range of 0 . 5 μm to 3 μm . insulating layer 800 is arranged on the substrate between the two neighboring pixel electrodes 600 so as to cover opposing edges of the neighboring pixel electrodes 600 . the two neighboring pixel electrodes 600 are arranged in a row along the line direction of line banks 400 . transparent negative electrode 900 is a light - transmitting conductive layer disposed on organic light - emitting layer 700 and insulating layer 800 . the material of transparent negative electrode 900 is , for example , ito . when a voltage is applied between pixel electrodes 600 and transparent negative electrode 900 , holes from pixel electrodes 600 and electrons from transparent negative electrode 900 are injected into organic light - emitting layer 700 . the injected holes and electrons are combined inside organic light - emitting layer 700 to generate excitons . organic light - emitting layer 700 generates light due to the excitons and emits light through transparent negative electrode 900 . a method of manufacturing organic el device 20 will be described below . the method of manufacturing organic el device 20 includes 1 ) a first step of forming pixel electrodes 600 and hole injection layer 610 on substrate 500 , 2 ) a second step of forming line banks 400 covering at least a part of hole injection layer 610 and defining a line region in which the two or more pixel electrodes 600 are arranged in row , 3 ) a third step of forming organic light - emitting layer 700 on hole injection layer 610 , 4 ) a fourth step of forming insulating layer 800 on organic light - emitting layer 700 in the direction perpendicular to line banks 400 , and 5 ) a fifth step of forming transparent negative electrode 900 . the first step of 1 ) includes a forming a film made of material of pixel electrodes 600 on substrate 500 through a deposition method , a sputtering method or the like , and an etching a film so as to form a pattern of pixel electrodes 600 . hole injection layer 610 is formed on pixel electrodes 600 . the manufacturing method thereof is the same as forming pixel electrodes 600 . the hole injection layer is formed through a forming a film by sputtering method or the like , and etching the film so as to form a pattern . in the second step of 2 ), line banks 400 are formed on hole injection layer 610 so as to expose a part thereof . line banks 400 are formed , for example , through a photolithography method . specifically , the photolithography method includes a material applying process , a pre - baking process , an exposing process , a developing process , and post - baking process . although not particularly limited , for example , the pre - baking process is performed at 100 ° c . for 2 minutes . the exposing process is performed using i - rays having a main peak at 365 nm with a dose of 200 mj / cm 2 . the developing process is performed by removing by 0 . 2 % tmah for 60 seconds and washing with pure water for 60 seconds . the post - backing process is performed in a clean oven at 220 ° for 60 minutes . in the third step of 3 ), organic light - emitting layer 700 is formed on hole injection layer 610 , for example , through an inkjet method . an organic light - emitting ink is applied to the entire range of the pixel areas disposed in the line region defined by line banks 400 through an inkjet method , and then the resultant film of the ink is dried and baked . the drying is performed , for example in a vacuum chamber inside of which is depressurized . the depressurization can be performed with a vacuum pump until an ultimate pressure of 5 pa . the temperature is at 25 ° c . the baking process is performed , for example , using a hot plate at 130 ° c . for 10 minutes . in the fourth step of 4 ), insulating layer 800 is formed , for example , using a screen printing method . insulating layer 800 is formed in a thickness of 1 μm so as to cover the edges of pixel electrodes 600 and hole injection layer 610 and to be arranged perpendicular to line direction of line banks 400 . insulating layer 800 is extended on line banks 400 . the material thereof employs a delay curing type photosensitive resin composition . when the material is irradiated with ultraviolet rays after being applied , organic light - emitting layer 700 may deteriorate . accordingly , the material irradiated with ultraviolet rays in advance is applied using a screen printing method to form insulating layer 800 . the ultraviolet rays for the irradiation has a wavelength of 365 nm with a dose of 1 j / cm 2 , for example . the film is heated at 80 ° c . for 1 hour so as to be cured . in the fifth step of 5 ), transparent negative electrode 900 is formed , for example , on organic light - emitting layer 700 and insulating layer 800 through a deposition method . in this embodiment , when organic light - emitting layer 700 is formed in the line region defined by line banks 400 through application , is possible to suppress the short - circuiting between pixel electrodes 600 and transparent negative electrode 900 at the edges of pixel electrodes 600 . it is also possible to uniformly form organic light - emitting layer 700 . by line banks 400 , organic light - emitting layers of three colors of red ( red organic light - emitting layer 710 ), green ( green organic light - emitting layer 720 ), and blue ( blue organic light - emitting layer 730 ) can be printed separately . therefore , it is possible to provide a full - color organic el display panel . by arranging color filters of three colors of red , green , and blue on white organic el devices instead of printing three color light - emitting layers , it may be possible to provide a full - color organic el display panel . in this case , the lifetime of the organic el device may be shortened , because it may be necessary to raise the driving voltage for compensating a reduction of brightness due to the color filters . fig2 ( a ) is a plan view illustrating organic el device 30 according to embodiment 2 . fig2 ( b ) is a cross - sectional view of the organic el device taken along line c - c ′ of fig2 ( a ) . insulating layer 800 is formed to independently cover the edges in the short direction of the pixel electrodes , instead of covering neighboring pixel electrodes 600 along line direction of line banks 400 . the other configurations are the same as in embodiment 1 . in this embodiment , when organic light - emitting layer 700 is formed in the line region defined by line banks 400 by application , it is possible to suppress the short - circuiting between pixel electrodes 600 and transparent negative electrode 900 at the edges of pixel electrodes 600 . it is also possible to uniformly form organic light - emitting layer 700 . in this embodiment , the volume of insulating layer 800 formed on organic light - emitting layer 700 can be reduced . accordingly , it is possible to further reduce the amount of out gas from insulating layer 800 , and thus to further suppress the deterioration of organic light - emitting layer 700 . fig3 is a plan view of organic el device 40 according to embodiment 3 . insulating layer 800 is not formed on line banks 400 . by applying an insulating material onto only a part of the pixel area arranged in the line region defined by line banks 400 , insulating layer 800 is formed to cover the edges of the pixel electrodes and the hole injection layer . the other configurations are the same as in embodiment 2 . in this embodiment , when organic light - emitting layer 700 is formed in the line region defined by line banks 400 by application , it is possible to suppress the short - circuit between the pixel electrodes and the transparent negative electrode at the edges of the pixel electrodes . it is also possible to uniformly form organic light - emitting layer 700 . since insulating layer 800 is not formed on the top surface of line banks 400 , the unevenness of the top surface of the organic el device is reduced . the light emission characteristics of the organic el device deteriorate due to oxygen or water in the environments . accordingly , it is general that a sealing layer made of resin or thin film is formed . the sealing layer requires coatability . when the unevenness of a coating target is large , it is apparent that the coatability thereof becomes worse . therefore , in the organic el device according to embodiment 3 in which the unevenness of the device can be reduced , the coatability of the sealing layer is improved . accordingly , it is possible to provide an organic el device with smaller deterioration of the light emission characteristics . fig4 ( a ) is a plan view illustrating organic el device 50 according to embodiment 4 . fig4 ( b ) is a cross - sectional view of the organic el device taken along line d - d ′ of fig4 ( a ) . in embodiment 4 , banks are not formed . white organic light - emitting layer 750 covers pixel electrodes 600 which are formed on the entire surface of substrate 500 by a spin coating method or a slit coating method . insulating layer 800 is formed in a well - curb shape on white organic light - emitting layer 750 so as to cover the edges of pixel electrodes 600 with white organic light - emitting layer 750 interposed therebetween . transparent negative electrode 900 is formed to cover white organic light - emitting layer 750 and insulating film 800 . in this way , a white organic el device is provided . with this configuration , it is possible to suppress the short - circuit between the pixel electrodes and the counter electrode due to a decrease in thickness of the organic light - emitting layer at the edges of the pixel electrodes . accordingly , it is possible to provide an organic el device with excellent light emission characteristics . in an example , it will be described by experimental data that the shape of the organic light - emitting layer is depended on the cases where only a reflection electrode is disposed on the surface to which the organic light - emitting layer is applied and where a reflection electrode and an insulating layer are disposed thereon . a silver - palladium - copper ( apc ) film with a thickness of 150 nm was formed as a pixel electrode using a sputtering method on a glass substrate an100 ( 370 mm × 470 mm × 0 . 7 mm ) made by asahi glass co ., ltd . line banks were formed on the glass substrate having the apc film using a photolithography method . an acryl resin material made by asahi glass co ., ltd . was used as the material of the line banks . a film of the acryl resin material was formed using a spin coating method and a pre - baking process was performed at a temperature of 100 ° c . for 2 minutes . then , the resultant was irradiated with ultraviolet rays via a photo mask . the used bank material was a negative type material , in which an exposed portion was cured through a cross - linking reaction . the wavelength of the ultraviolet rays was a broad band having a main peak at 365 nm . the exposing dose was 20 mw / cm 2 and the exposure time was 10 seconds . then , the resultant was developed using a 0 . 2 % tmah aqueous solution ( nmd - 3 made by tokyo ohka kogyo co ., ltd .). the developer was washed with pure water , and then a post - backing process was performed in a clean oven at 220 ° c . for 60 minutes . an organic light - emitting ink including an organic light - emitting material was printed in the regions defined by the line banks by an inkjet method . a solvent of the organic light - emitting ink was cyclohexylbenzene . the printed ink was dried by depressurization drying . the depressurization drying was performed in a vacuum chamber equipped with a vacuum pump . the evacuation speed was set to a speed at which the chamber was evacuated from the atmospheric pressure to 10 pa for 30 seconds . the drying temperature was set to 25 ° c . thereafter , the resultant was backed using a hot plate at 130 ° c . for 10 minutes . the film shape of the organic light - emitting layer manufactured was measured by an atomic force microscope ( as - 7b made by takano co ., ltd .). the film profile and the thickness uniformity along the short direction ( direction parallel to line b - b ′ in fig1 ( a ) ) of the pixel electrode are shown in of fig6 ( a ) . the measurement area was set to an area between two line banks in parallel ( fig6 ( b ) ). the film profile in the long direction ( direction parallel to line a - a ′ in fig1 ( a ) ) of the pixel electrodes is shown in fig7 ( a ) . the measurement area was set to an area between two insulating layers in parallel ( fig7 ( b ) ). a silver - palladium - copper ( apc ) film with a thickness of 150 nm was formed as a pixel electrode using a sputtering method on a glass substrate an100 ( 370 mm × 470 mm × 0 . 7 mm ) made by asahi glass co ., ltd . an insulating layer was formed to cover the edges of the formed apc film . the insulating layer was a silicon oxide ( sio 2 ) film with a thickness of 100 nm formed using a sputtering method . line banks were formed thereon using a photolithography method . the formation conditions of the line banks were the same as in the example . next , organic light - emitting layers were formed in line regions defined by the line banks , and shape of the layers were evaluated . the formation conditions and the evaluation method of the organic light - emitting layer were the same as in the example . the thickness uniformity which is an indicator of the film profile and the film shape of the organic light - emitting layer in the example and the comparative example is shown in fig6 . the thickness uniformity is a value expressed by expression 1 . it could be seen that the film profile was further distorted in the comparative example rather than in the example . the thickness uniformity in the short direction of the pixel electrodes was 14 . 8 % in the example and was 33 . 4 % in the comparative example . the underlayer on which the organic light - emitting layer was printed includes the glass and the apc film in the example ; and includes the glass , the apc film and the sio 2 film in the comparative example . the number of types of the materials which are arranged on the underlayer was more in the comparative example than in the example . since the wettability differs depending on the materials , the larger number of types of the materials is present on the underlayer , the larger application unevenness occurs . it can be seen from the above description that as the number of types of the materials on the underlayer becomes smaller , the organic light - emitting layer with a more uniform thickness can be formed . in the organic el display panel , when the thickness of the organic light - emitting layer is non - uniform , a difference in brightness or a difference in light emission occurs , and thus the display quality deteriorates . therefore , in the organic el display panel according to the invention , the thickness of the organic light - emitting layer is uniform and thus the display quality is superior . the present application is entitled to the benefit of japanese patent application no . 2011 - 095748 filed apr . 22 , 2011 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by referenced in its entirely . the organic el display panel of the invention can prevent a short - circuit between an edge of a pixel electrode and a counter electrode and can achieve a uniform in brightness , even when an organic el layer of the organic el display panel is formed in a line region defined by line banks by application method . therefore , the present invention can provide an organic el display panel with high display quality at low production cost . the organic el display panel can be applied to a display of various electric devices such as portable information processing device including a word processor and pc , and wristwatch type electric devices .	7
fig1 is a diagram illustrating a system 100 for a relay and display of a channel based on a social network . the channel is a television channel . while the channel is described as a television channel , other channels are possible , such as a movie , an internet channel , a radio channel , a multimedia channel , and other channels . the social network is a network of contacts ( also referred to as connections , friends , associates , colleagues , followers , mentors , mentees , and / or the like ) connected on a social networking application executed over a communication network , such as internet , local area network , wide area network , metropolitan area network , or any other network . one or more server computers 102 are implemented at a server station . the server computers 102 include a content server 104 and a management system 106 . the content server 104 can include one or more computers , and the management system can include one or more computers . the content server 104 receives content of a channel from a third party , such as a business entity that desires to distribute its channel . the content of the channel can be received at base stations 108 via a direct connection , such as via ethernet , serial digital interface ( sdi ), asynchronous serial interface ( asi ), high definition multimedia interface ( hdmi ) or other connections . in other implementations , the content of the channel can be received at base stations 108 via a communication network , such as a satellite downlink , internet , intranet , local area network , wide area network , bluetooth network , infrared network , or any other network . the content server 106 transmits and provides the content of the channel to subscribers 110 and 112 . the content server 106 relays the content of the channel to a non - subscriber 114 if the non - subscribers is a contact of at least one subscriber 110 or 112 on a social network , wherein such a relay occurs for only a time - period for which the connected subscriber 110 or 112 is viewing ( also referred to as accessing or watching ) the channel . the social network is created and managed by the management system 106 , wherein the users ( for example , the subscribers 110 and 112 , and the non - subscriber 114 ) can add and delete their respective social network contacts . although the social network is described to be created and managed by the management server 106 , other implementations using a third party social network are also possible , wherein the third party social network can be one of facebook , linkedin , twitter , google plus , or any other social network . the content of the television channel can be transmitted to the subscribers and associated non - subscribers over a communication network 116 , such as the internet . although internet has been described , other communication networks can also be used , such as intranet , local area network , wide area network , bluetooth network , infrared network , or any other network . for the transmission and relay of the content to users , which include the subscribers 110 and 112 , and the non - subscriber 114 , a user device 118 is implemented at a location of each user ( 110 , 112 , 114 ). for example , the user device 118 can be placed at a home of each user ( 110 , 112 , 114 ). the user device 118 includes a graphical user interface that displays a channel to the user ( 110 , 112 , 114 ), and an input device ( for example , a remote control device with a keypad for input ) that receives input data from the user ( 110 , 112 , 114 ). the user device 118 can be a television set , such as a smart television set . although a television set is described , other user devices can alternately be implemented , such as a computer , a tablet computer , and other devices that have display capabilities . each user device 118 is connected , via a wire or wirelessly , and with or without a set top box 120 . if a set top box is employed , the set top box 120 can be placed next to the user device 118 in the home of the user ( 110 , 112 , or 114 ). the set top box 120 is connected , either via a wire or wirelessly , with an internet modem 122 that enables communication between a corresponding user ( 110 , 112 , or 114 ) and the servers 102 . the horizontal length ( that is , the width ) of the user device 118 can be more — and in some implementations , significantly more — than the vertical length ( that is , the height ) of the user device 118 so that the user device 118 allows a user ( 110 , 112 , 114 ) to easily navigate ( for example , scroll ) between various data elements , such as icons for channels , icons for contacts , and other data elements . arranging of data elements in a horizontal fashion for horizontal navigation can be more aesthetically pleasing for a user ( 110 , 112 , or 114 ) than vertical scrolling , because such a horizontal arrangement can display more data without requiring the user ( 110 , 112 , and 114 ) to continue scrolling to view additional data . although a set top box 120 is described herein , in some other implementations , a set top box may not be required . for example , there can be an end - user software application that can be executed on a user device ( for example , a smart television ) that can provide functionality in lieu of the physical set top box 120 . while the user device 118 is connected to the set top box 120 and the internet modem 122 , additionally , the user device 118 can optionally be connected to a cable television box 124 . in another implementation , the user device 118 can optionally be connected to one of : an internet protocol television ( iptv ) box , a receiver ( for example , a satellite or any other receiver ), and a tuner that allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to view the displayed content . such a connection to the cable television box ( or other receivers , as noted ) allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to view cable television ( or internet protocol television or other data ) as well besides viewing the content of the channel transmitted by the servers 102 . further , the user device 118 can optionally be connected to a satellite system 126 including a satellite transceiver so that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can view satellite television as well besides viewing the content of the channel transmitted by the servers 102 . as noted above , a channel is displayed to direct or first level contacts ( for example , friends ) of a subscriber on the social network when the subscriber is viewing the channel . however , other implementations are also possible . for example , in one implementation , the channel can be relayed and displayed to the first level contacts and the second level contacts ( for example , friends of friends ) of the subscriber on the social network when the subscriber is viewing the channel . in other implementations , the channel can be relayed and displayed to the first level contacts , the second level contacts , and the third level contacts of the subscriber on the social network when the subscriber is viewing the channel . in yet another implementation , the channel can be displayed to the contacts until any level of the subscriber , as determined by a developer of a client software application 302 ( described below ) implemented on the set top box 120 , when the subscriber is viewing the channel . the graphical user interface of the user device 118 displays data arranged according to an aesthetic display design 1402 ( described below ) that can appeal to the users ( 110 , 112 , and 114 ) and encourage them to view the channels displayed on the user device 118 . if user device 118 is a tv set , the graphical user interface presents / displays the data with adequately large formats so that users ( 110 , 112 , and 114 ) can view the data from up to a preset distance ( for example , 10 feet ) from the user device 118 without much strain on their eyes . further , the graphical user interface presents data with sufficient space between different data elements ( for example , text elements and graphical elements ) to avoid cluttering of those data elements on the graphical user interface . further , the graphical user interface of the user device 118 displays textual data using various fonts that the user ( 110 , 112 , and 114 ) can easily read from a distance , such as san seris fonts . moreover , this textual data can have a dark color that allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and 114 ) to see the textual data from a distance . additionally , the textual data can be presented in lines or paragraphs that are short ( for example , maximum of 90 words ) in order to encourage the user ( 110 , 112 , and 114 ) to read the textual data . to further encourage participation and interest of the user ( 110 , 112 , and 114 ), each line of the textual data has an average length of about 5 - 7 words , while having a minimum length of about 3 words and a maximum length of about 12 words . in some implementations , the graphical user interface can display a light colored text over a dark background rather than a dark colored text over a light background when possible . within the textual data , there can be an extra spacing between sentences and between paragraphs . the graphical data displayed by the user device 118 can have varying contrast and saturation levels . to avoid vibrancy and ghosting effects on the graphical user interface of the user device 118 , the graphical user interface may display pure white color sparingly . for example , if a displayed channel includes a section with a pure white color ( for example , # ffffff ), image processing techniques can be used to detect this section and replace the pure white color ( for example , # ffffff ) with a slightly different color ( for example , # f1f1f1 ). although pure white color has been described as being replaced by slightly different colors , in other implementations , other colors can also be replaced , such as bright red , bright orange , pure black , and / or any other color . additionally , the graphical user interface can use more image processing techniques to minimize large differences ( for example , gradients ) spanning between colors of various displayed elements . the user device 118 can include an input device , such as a remote control device , as mentioned above . the remote control device can be attached to a piece of furniture of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), such as a chair , a couch , a sofa , a table , a stand , and / or other pieces of furniture . the remote control device can include a keyboard for cursor movements . a mouse or a similar control device can be embedded on the remote control device . this mouse or similar control device allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to perform complex and precise movements on the graphical user interface of the user device 118 . such movements on the graphical user interface of the user device 118 include : drag and drop actions and drop down menu selections . further , a directional pad — also be referred to as a d - pad or control pad — can be embedded on the remote control device . the directional pad allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to navigate in ( for example , scroll through ) various options , select items , and perform other functions . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) uses the directional pad , the graphical user interface of the user device 118 can clearly highlight the active item that is being pointed to by a cursor that can be controlled by the directional pad . the functionalities of various buttons on the directional pad embedded in the remote control device of the user device 118 can vary based on previous use of the remote control device by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). for example , if the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that is being displayed a first page opens a new page , a press / click by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) of the left button on the directional pad can cause the graphical user interface of the display device 118 to display the first page . at other times , the left button can be used to scroll to items on the left of a currently selected item . further , the user input device ( for example , remote control device ) of the user device 118 includes one or more gyroscopic sensors to measure orientation of the user input device . the gyroscopic sensors enable the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to draw figures on a graphical user interface displayed on the user device 118 . the graphical user interface then allows the user to share the drawn figure with contacts or other users such that the graphical user interface displayed to those contacts or other users displays the shared figure . furthermore , the user input device ( for example , remote control device ) of the user device 118 includes at least one accelerometer to detect acceleration movements ( for example , shakes ) of the user input device . when the user performs a shaking acceleration movement with the user input device , the user device 118 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and the user devices 118 of the contacts or other users may vibrate . the vibration of each user device 118 can be accompanied with other multimedia effects , such as surround sound effects . in some implementations , the user device 118 either includes ( for example , embeds ) or is connected to one or more cameras . one example of such a camera can be a web camera . these one or more cameras can allow video - conferencing between two or more users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the user device 118 supports one or more of at least the following standards : 1080p over high definition multimedia interface ( hdmi ), 720p over hdmi , 480p over hdmi , and other standards . the video described herein can have one or more of at least the following formats : 3gp , avi , mp4 , h . 264 , mkv , wmv , and any other suitable formats . the audio described herein can have one or more of at least the following formats : aac , mp3 , wav , and any other suitable formats . the images described herein can have one or more of at least the following formats : jpg , png , and any other suitable formats . fig2 is a system diagram illustrating a system 200 for a relay and display of a channel based on a social network . the set top box 120 is implemented at a location of a user , which can be either a subscriber 110 , 112 or a non - subscriber 114 . the set top box 120 receives content of the channel transmitted from content server 104 , and displays the transmitted content to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the set top box 120 stores , in a memory , the content of the channel for replaying and rewinding when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) desires . the set top box 120 also receives authentication data from the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), wherein the authentication data can include login information , such as a user name and password , and / or other digital rights access authorization . for a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that has provided accurate authentication data , the set top box 120 determines a presence status of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) based on an access of the channel by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), a subscription status characterizing whether the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is a subscriber , and a social network characterizing one or more social networking contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). alternatively , the function of the set top box 120 can be implemented completely with a software application that is executed on a browser or on any other device . the management system 106 receives the authentication data from the set top box 120 and validates the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) based on the authentication data . for a validated user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), the management system 106 receives the presence status from the set top box 120 via the communication network 116 . the management system 106 retrieves the subscription status and the social network from a database within the management system 106 , wherein this database stores the subscription status and the social network of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). based on the presence status , the subscription status , and the social network , as received at the management system 106 , the content server 104 can transmit content of the television channel to the set top box 120 . the transmitted content is then displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) on a graphical user interface of the user device 118 . fig3 is a system diagram illustrating a system 300 for a relay and display of a channel based on a social network . a set top box 120 is implemented at a location of a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), such as a home or office of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the set top box 120 implements a client software application 302 including one or more content libraries 304 ( also referred to as content access provider libraries ), a content - stream receiving component 306 , a social user component 308 , and an account management component 310 . the content - stream receiving component 306 receives the content from the content libraries 304 so that the content can be transmitted and provided when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) or a developer of the software application 302 desires . the social user component 308 determines a presence status of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) based on a viewing activity of the channel by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the social user component 308 determines a subscription status characterizing whether the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is a subscriber , and a social network characterizing one or more social networking contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the account management component 310 receives authentication data from the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), such as login data including a username and a password . the management system 106 includes a communication server 312 and an account management server 314 . the communication server 312 uses an extensible messaging and presence protocol ( xmpp ) while communicating with the social user component 308 . the account management server 314 implements a representational state transfer ( rest ) software architecture that uses a hypertext transfer protocol secure ( https ) protocol . the communication server 312 receives the presence status from the social user component 308 . the account management server 314 stores the social network characterizing one or more social networking contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), provides the information associated with the social network to the social user component 308 , and receives the authentication data from the account management component 310 . in some other implementations , the communication server 312 can be implemented using architecture other than rest , and / or the account management server 314 can be implemented using architecture other than https . the content servers 104 transmit content of the television channel to the one or more content libraries 304 based on the authentication data , the presence status , the subscription status , and the social network . the transmitted content of the television channel is then displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) on a graphical user interface of the user device 118 . fig4 is a flow diagram illustrating a method 400 of relaying and displaying a channel to a non - subscriber when a subscriber is viewing the channel . at 402 , the content provider server 104 transmits a channel to a subscriber ( 110 or 112 ) of a service offering the channel . the channel can be transmitted over a communication network 116 , such as the internet . the transmitted channel can be displayed to the subscriber ( 110 or 112 ) on a graphical user interface of the user device 118 of the subscriber ( 110 or 112 ). at 404 , the social user component 308 of the software application 302 monitors a presence status of the subscriber . the presence status characterizes a presence of the subscriber 110 or 112 for viewing the television channel . the presence status characterizes at least one of the following activities of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ): viewing the channel , not viewing the channel for less than a threshold value of time , not viewing the channel for more than the threshold value of time , and viewing another television channel . at 406 , the presence status is displayed to the contacts of the subscriber , who may be either subscribers or non - subscribers of the channel that is being viewed by the subscriber . thus , if the non - subscriber 114 is a contact of the subscriber , the presence status is displayed to the non - subscriber . for any user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), the presence status of all contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). with respect to diagram 400 , the non - subscriber 114 is assumed to be a contact of the subscriber 110 or 112 , and the presence status is displayed on a graphical user interface of the user device 118 of the non - subscriber 114 . the television channel can be displayed to any user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), irrespective of the subscription status of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), for a first predetermined period of time ( for example , 10 seconds , 30 seconds , 1 minute , 2 minutes , or any other period of time ). after the predetermined period elapses , the transmission and display of the television channel to a non - subscriber can continue only if either a contact of the non - subscriber is a subscriber and is viewing the television channel . at 408 , at the first predetermined period of time and when the management system 106 verifies from the presence status that the subscriber is viewing the television channel , the content provider server 104 continues to transmit the channel to the non - subscriber 114 via the communication network 116 , such as the internet . the transmitted channel can be displayed to the non - subscriber 114 on a graphical user interface of the user device 118 of the non - subscriber 114 . the subscriber and the one or more non - subscribers are displayed a same content of the channel at all times such that there is no or minimal lag / delay between the displays to different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). for example , when different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) are viewing a soccer match , different kicks by players , running movements of the players , goals scored by the players , and all other events in the soccer match are simultaneously displayed with no lag or a minimal lag to all the users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the display of the channel with no or minimal delay is accomplished as follows . the client application 302 of the non - subscriber calculates the delay , and informs about this delay to the content libraries 304 and content stream receiving component 306 . the content libraries 304 compensate for the delay so that the channel is displayed synchronously to the subscriber ( 110 or 112 ) and the non - subscriber 114 . at 410 , communication can be enabled between the subscriber 110 or 112 and the non - subscriber 114 when the television channel is being displayed to the subscriber 112 and the non - subscriber 114 . this communication can be one or more of text , voice , video or multimedia communication , as desired by either the subscriber ( 110 or 112 ) or the non - subscriber 114 . at 412 , the transmission and display of the television channel to the non - subscriber 114 can be stopped at and after a second predetermined period of time ( for example , 2 minutes , 5 minutes , 15 minutes , 30 minutes , or any other period of time ) passes after the first predetermined time irrespective of whether the non - subscriber 114 is a contact of the subscriber ( 110 or 112 ). the server system 102 can stop the transmission and display of the television channel to the non - subscriber 114 when the non - subscriber 114 stops watching the television channel . in another implementation , the server system 102 can stop the transmission and display of the television channel to the non - subscriber 114 when the subscriber ( 110 or 112 ) switches to another television channel or turns off the system ( for example , turns off his / her set top box ). at the second predetermined period of time , the non - subscriber 114 is provided an option to subscribe by performing an action , such as paying , using a coupon , obtaining a credit , or any other suitable action . at 414 , the transmission and display of the television channel to the non - subscriber is continued or restarted if the non - subscriber 114 subscribes to the television channel . fig5 is a flow diagram 500 illustrating a first sequence of steps performed to simultaneously display the channel to different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and allow a communication between those users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the flow diagrams 500 , 600 ( described below ), 700 ( described below ) and 800 ( described below ) collectively show a method of simultaneously displaying the channel to a first user 501 and a second user 503 that is a contact of the first user 501 on the social network , and allowing a communication between the first user 501 and the second user 503 . at 502 , the second user 503 logs - in by inputting a username and password on a graphical user interface of the user device 118 of the second user 503 . this inputted username and password are sent over the communication network 116 to the account management server 314 . at 504 , the account management server 314 validates the username and password of the second user 503 . at 506 , if the username and password are determined as valid by the account management server 314 , the account management server 314 sends a user identifier , an application programming interface key , and a shared secret key to the client application on the set top box 302 of the second user 503 . the shared secret key facilitates identification and authentication of exchange between any of the users ( 501 , 503 ) and the account management server 314 . the shared secret key is generated after initial exchange and is used for encryption and de - encryption during subsequent exchanges in order to ensure that communications is secure . the user identifier and the application programming interface key can be used by the client application 302 of the second user 503 to communicate with 314 to gain access and view any channel desired by the second user 503 if the second user 503 is a subscriber of a service offering various channels . if the second user 503 is not a subscriber , the channel can be displayed to the second user 503 only if a contact of the second user 503 on the social network is a subscriber and is viewing the channel . at 508 , the second user 503 requests to view information associated with contacts of the second user 503 on the social network . the contacts can be one or more of : first level contacts , second level contacts , third level contacts , and so on . at 510 , the account management server 314 accesses an associated database to find the contacts of the second user 503 . the associated database can be a memory within the account management server 314 such that the access of the database is local . in other implementations , the database can be remote to the account management server 314 , and the database can be accessed remotely over a network , such as a local area network , wide area network , internet , or the like . at 512 , the account management server 314 provides a list or tree of social network contacts of the second user 503 to the client application 302 of the second user 503 . for example , the account management server 314 sends data associated with the contacts of the second user 503 , wherein this data includes a user identifier , profile photograph , name , and any other identifier associated with each contact of the second user 503 . at 514 , the second user 503 logs - in to the communication server 312 by inputting , in the client application 302 , the user identifier and the application programming interface key . at 516 , the communication server 312 validates the user identifier and the application programming interface key . at 518 , if the user identifier and the application programming interface key are valid , the second user 503 is connected to the communication server 312 , and the communication server 312 sends a confirmation of this connection . when both the second user 503 and first user 501 are connected to the communication server 312 and are viewing the same channel , they can communicate with each other . this communication can be one or more of text , voice , and video communication , as desired by either the second user 503 or the first user 501 . the text communication can include emoticons , tweets , predefined text such as canned text , third party messages such as twitter messages , and other possible text communication . the voice communication can include speech , laughter , utterances , hisses , boo &# 39 ; s , shouts , and other audio signals other than noise . the video communication can include significant movements of the users 501 and 503 , such as a jumping movement when a home - run is scored in a baseball match . a set top box 120 implemented at a location of the second user 503 automatically obtains the second user 503 &# 39 ; s presence status ( for example , status indicating whether the second user 503 is viewing a channel ), and indications of whether the second user 503 is scrolling from channel to channel , powered on the device , is powered off the display device , and / or is on a particular menu screen . the presence status is obtained based on current activities of the second user 503 . the presence status can be updated with a click on the channel change button on the remote to change the channel . the presence status characterizes at least one of the following activities associated with the second user 503 : viewing the television channel , not viewing the channel for less than a threshold value of time , not viewing the channel for more than the threshold value of time , and viewing another television channel . at 520 , the obtained presence is then sent to the communication server 312 via the communication network 116 . the presence status of the second user 503 is used to display to the contacts of the second user 503 irrespective of whether the second user 503 is being displayed the channel . in some implementations , the presence status is updated in real - time and displayed in real - time . in other implementations , the presence status can be updated at regular intervals of time , such as every 30 seconds , 1 minute , 2 minutes , 5 minutes , 30 minutes , 1 hour , 2 hours , or any other value of time . in yet other implementations , the presence status can be updated based on an event , such as a click of a button on a remote control device provided to the second user 503 . in some implementations , the first user 501 can be a non - subscriber 114 , and the second user 503 can be a subscriber 110 of a service offering the channels . in these implementations , if the second user 503 &# 39 ; s presence status indicates that the second user 503 is viewing a specific channel for more than a threshold value of time ( that is , not channel browsing but watching a particular channel steadily ), the channel can be displayed to the contacts of the second user 503 . otherwise , the specific channel that second user 503 is watching is prevented from being displayed to the other users . at 522 , the communication server 312 can send a presence status of social network contacts of the second user 503 along with identifications of the contacts . for example , the communication server 312 sends and displays the presence status of another user who is already watching a particular channel to the second user 503 . if that another user is viewing the channel , the second user 503 can decide whether to view the channel along with this another user and / or to communicate with this another user . fig6 is a flow diagram 600 illustrating a second sequence of steps performed to simultaneously display the channel to different users ( 501 , 503 ) and allow a communication between those users ( 501 , 503 ). the flow diagrams 500 , 600 , 700 ( described below ) and 800 ( described below ) collectively show a method of simultaneously displaying the channel to different users and allowing a communication between those users ( 501 , 503 ). at 602 , the first user 501 logs - in by inputting a username and password on a graphical user interface of the user device 118 of the first user 501 . this inputted username and password are sent over the communication network 116 to the account management server 314 . at 604 , the account management server 314 validates the username and password of the first user 501 . at 606 , if the username and password of the first user 501 are determined as valid by the account management server 314 , the account management server 314 sends a user identifier , an application programming interface key , and a shared secret key to the client application 302 of the first user 501 . the client application 302 of the first user 501 can use the user identifier and the application programming interface key to communicate with the account management server 314 to gain access to and view a channel desired by the first user 501 . if the first user 501 is a non - subscriber 114 and the second user 503 is a subscriber 110 , the first user 501 can view a particular channel only if the second user 503 is also already and viewing the particular channel . the shared secret key can facilitates identification and authentication of exchange between any of the users ( 501 , 503 ) and the account management system . the shared secret key can be generated after initial exchange and can be used for encryption and de - encryption during subsequent exchanges in order to ensure that communications is secure . at 608 , the first user 501 requests to view information associated with contacts of the first user 501 on the social network . the contacts can be one or more of : first level contacts , second level contacts , third level contacts , and so on . at 610 , the account management server 314 accesses an associated database to find the contacts of the first user 501 . the associated database can be a memory within the account management server 314 such that the access of the database is local . in other implementations , the database can be remote to the account management server 314 , and the database can be accessed remotely over a network , such as a local area network , wide area network , internet , or the like . at 612 , the account management server 314 provides a list or tree of contacts of the first user 501 to the first user 501 . for example , the account management server 314 sends data associated with the contacts of the first user 501 , wherein this data includes a user identifier , profile photograph , name , and any other identifier associated with each contact of the first user 501 . at 614 , the first user 501 logs - in to the communication server 312 by inputting the user identifier and the application programming interface key , as received by the user at 606 , in the client application 302 . at 616 , the communication server 312 validates the user identifier and the application programming interface key . at 618 , if the user identifier and the application programming interface key are valid , the first user 501 is connected to the communication server 312 , and the communication server 312 sends a confirmation of this connection . when both the first user 501 and the second user 503 are connected to the communication server 312 and are viewing the same channel , they can communicate with each other . this communication can be one or more of text communication , voice communication , and video communication , as desired by either the first user 501 or the second user 503 . a set top box 120 implemented at a location of the first user 501 automatically obtains the first user 501 &# 39 ; s presence status on a channel . the presence status is obtained based on activities of the first user 501 , such as a click on the channel change button on the remote to change the channel . the presence status characterizes at least one of the following activities associated with the first user 501 : viewing the television channel , not viewing the channel for less than a threshold value of time , not viewing the channel for more than the threshold value of time , and viewing another television channel . at 620 , the obtained presence is then sent to the communication server 312 via the communication network 116 . the presence status of the first user 501 viewing a channel is then displayed and notified to the second user 503 . in some implementations , the presence status is updated in real - time and displayed in real - time . in other implementations , the presence status can be updated at regular intervals of time , such as every 30 seconds , 1 minute , 2 minutes , 5 minutes , 30 minutes , 1 hour , 2 hours , or any other value of time . at 622 , the communication server 312 can send a presence status of social network contacts of the first user 501 along with identifications of the contacts . for example , the communication server 312 sends and displays the presence status of the second user 503 for a particular channel to the first user 501 . if the second user 503 is viewing a particular channel , the first user 501 can decide whether to view the particular channel along with the second user 503 and / or whether to communicate with the second user 503 . fig7 is a flow diagram 700 illustrating a third sequence of steps performed to simultaneously display the channel to different users ( 501 , 503 ) and allow a communication between those users ( 501 , 503 ). the flow diagrams 500 , 600 , 700 and 800 ( described below ) collectively show a method of simultaneously displaying the channel to different users ( 501 , 503 ) and allowing a communication between those users ( 501 , 503 ). at 702 , the second user 503 begins viewing a channel , and continues to view for more than a threshold amount of time ( for example , 1 second , 2 seconds , 5 seconds , 20 seconds , 40 seconds , 1 minute , 5 minutes , 30 minutes , or any other amount of time specified by the service provider that offers the channel ). at 704 , if the second user 503 is a subscriber of a service offering multiple channels including the channel viewed by the second user 503 , the client application of the subscriber sends a request to generate a first group view token to the account management server 314 . the group view token includes : identification of the subscriber for whom the group view token is generated , the channel , a number of consumers ( for example , contacts of the subscriber ) that are allowed to concurrently use the group view token , and a number of consumers for which the group view token is currently activated . in one variation , the group view token can include a server identifier that indicates the location of the server that has stored the content of the channel . for a consumer to access channel for which the consumer is not subscribed , the following occur . the account management server 314 has a prior knowledge of the group view token associated with the channel that the consumer desires to view . the consumer requests accessing the channel . subsequently , the client application 302 of the consumer sends a request to the account management server 314 . in return , the account management server 314 validates the request by verifying that limits have not been exceeded , that the group view token is still valid , by checking friends relationship , and performing other checks . if the token validation succeeds , the group view token can be delivered to the consumer either through the communication server 312 or through the account management server 314 . along with the group view token , the server can provide playback information ( for example , instructions to use the group view token ) that the consumer can use to view the content . at 706 , the account management server 314 verifies the subscription status of the second user 503 so as to determine whether the second user 503 is a subscriber . at 708 , upon verifying that the second user 503 is a subscriber , the account management server 314 generates and sends a first group view token to the second user 503 . a set top box 120 implemented at a location of the second user 503 automatically obtains the second user 503 &# 39 ; s presence status on a channel . the presence status is obtained based on activities of the second user 503 , such as a click on the channel change button on the remote to change the channel , and any other activity . the presence status characterizes at least one of the following activities associated with the second user 503 : viewing the television channel , not viewing the channel for less than a threshold value of time , not viewing the channel for more than the threshold value of time , and viewing another television channel . at 710 , the set top box 120 of the second user 503 sends a presence data of the second user 503 updating the communication server 312 that the second user 503 is viewing a particular channel . the presence data is constantly updated . the updated presence data includes a brief electronic programming guide ( epg ) description , the content identifier , the server identifier , and the first group view token . at 712 , the communication server 312 sends the updated presence data of the second user 503 to the first user 501 . at 714 , the user device 118 of the first user 501 displays the presence data of the second user 503 . if the presence data of the second user 503 indicates that the second user 503 is viewing the channel , the first user 501 can view the channel if the first user 501 is a contact of second user 503 . at 716 , the first user 501 sends a request to the account management server 314 to view the channel that is being viewed by the second user 503 . the request is based on the first group view token that was generated and sent to the second user at 708 . at 718 , the account management server 314 can determine whether the first group view token of the second user 503 is valid for use by the first user 501 . to determine the validity of the first group view token of the second user 503 , it is determined whether the first user 501 is a contact to the second user 503 on the social network . if the first user 501 is directly connected to the second user 503 on the social network , the first group token is considered to be valid . other conditions ( for example , whether the limit of allowed concurrent views for this token has been reached ) may also determine whether the token is considered to be valid . at 720 , the account management server 314 enables / allows the first user 501 to view the channel when the second user 503 is viewing the channel . when the first user 501 is enabled to view the channel , the one or more content provider servers 104 send the content of the channel on the user device 118 of the first user 501 . a graphical interface of the user device 118 displays the content of the channel . fig8 is a flow diagram 800 illustrating a fourth sequence of steps performed to simultaneously display the channel to different users ( 501 , 503 ) and allow a communication between those users ( 501 , 503 ). the flow diagrams 500 , 600 , 700 and 800 collectively show a method of simultaneously displaying the channel to different users ( 501 , 503 ) and allowing a communication between those users ( 501 , 503 ). at 802 , the first user 501 receives the playback stream data for the channel from the content provider servers 104 , and begins viewing the channel . at 804 , the first user 501 enters a message for all contacts in the social network that are also viewing the channel . the message is entered on the graphical user interface of a user device 118 of the first user 501 . the message can be entered using a remote control device provided with the set top box 120 . although a remote control device is described as an input device herein , other input devices can also be used , such as a keyboard , a mouse , a joystick , an audio microphone , and / or any other input device . the message can be short and can have an upper limit , such as 50 words , 75 words , 100 words , 120 words , 140 words , 200 words , or any other number . at 806 , the set top box 120 of the first user 501 sends the message to the communication server 312 . at 808 , the communication server 312 sends the message to all or any specific one of the contacts of the first user 501 , including the second user 503 as selected by first user 501 . at 810 , the first user 501 sends a first group view token of the second user 503 to the account management server 314 so as to validate the first group view token for continuing to view the channel . at 812 , the account management server 314 verifies whether the first user 501 is connected to the second user 503 in the social network . if the first user 501 is connected to the second user 503 in the social network , the account management server 314 can enable the non - subscribing first user 501 to view the channel when the subscribing second user 502 views the channel . at 814 , the account management server 314 sends a confirmation message to the set top box 120 of the first user 501 . the confirmation message characterizes that the subscribing second user 502 is viewing the channel and that the first user 501 is connected to the second user 502 on the social network . subsequently , the set top box 120 facilitates a display of the channel on the graphical user interface of the user device 118 of the second user 502 . at 816 , the subscribing second user 503 stops viewing the channel . the presence status of the second user 503 changes from viewing the channel to not viewing the channel . at 818 , the updated presence status of the second user 503 is sent to the communication server 312 . at 820 , the communication server 312 sends a message to the account management server 314 , the message requesting to invalidate the first group token associated with the channel . in addition to the subscribed user leaving the current channel , there can be alternate or additional other cases of invalidation , such as one or more of : user logging out from the server , disconnection from the server due to network unavailability , a simultaneous login from another device , and any other feasible condition . specifically , invalidation of a group view token can occur as a result of the subscriber logging out from the communication ( xmpp ) server , logging out of the account management server , being disconnected from the communication server ( due to network connectivity interruption ), logging into the xmpp server on the same account from another device , and / or any other condition . at 822 , the second user 503 begins viewing a second channel , and continues to view for more than a threshold amount of time ( for example , 1 second , 2 seconds , 5 seconds , 20 seconds , 40 seconds , 1 minute , 5 minutes , 30 minutes , or any other amount of time specified by the service provider that offers the channel ). the second channel is associated with a content identifier and a server identifier . the content identifier identifies the channel , and the server identifier identifies the location of the server that has stored the content . at 824 , the subscribing second user 503 sends a request to the account management server 314 , the request requesting a second group view token to be generated for the second channel . at 826 , the subscription status of the second user 503 is verified to determine that the second user 503 is subscribed to the service offering the second channel . at 828 , the second group view token for the second channel and the second user 503 is generated and sent to the second user 503 . at 830 , the set top box 120 of the second user 503 determines a presence status of the second user 503 , and sends presence data to the communication server 312 . the presence data is constantly updated . the updated presence data includes a brief electronic programming guide ( epg ) description , the content identifier , the server identifier , and the second group view token . at 832 , the non - subscribing first user 501 continues to use the first ( that is , old ) group view token for the channel that was viewed by the second user 503 before viewing the second channel . at 834 , the first user 501 sends a request to the account management server 314 to validate the first group view token for the first user 501 . at 836 , the account management server 314 verifies a validity of a group view . this validity is not verified , as the first group view token was invalidated , as noted above at 820 . the non - subscriber &# 39 ; s video stream can be terminated by a group view token polling validation mechanism . in one implementation , the termination of the non - subscriber &# 39 ; s video stream can be initiated by a server . this initiation by the server is not dependent upon the client device to periodically validate the token . in this method , the server may detect that a group view token has been invalidated and may directly terminate any video streams which were delivered as a result of the group view token . at 838 , the account management server 314 sends an invalid status to the first user 501 . the invalid status characterizes that the first group view token is invalid and the first user 501 needs a new token to continue viewing the channel or needs to subscribe to the service so as to continue viewing the channel . at 840 , the invalid status terminates the display of content of the channel to the first user 501 , and displays a message to the first user 501 . in another implementation , the termination of viewing ( as described in the implementation of ‘ invalid status ’ above ) can be implemented by a cease order given by the communication server 312 or the account management server 314 to the first user 501 . the displayed message prompts the first user 501 to purchase the service from a store including multiple channels so as to continue viewing the channel . fig9 is a diagram illustrating a first graphical user interface 900 that allows a group - watch of a channel by different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in a virtual living room . group - watch characterizes a simultaneously view of a channel by different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in a group and an interaction between those users . group - watch allows social network contacts to interact with each other conveniently and intuitively , as further explained below . two or more users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can interact with each other simultaneously , thereby forming a virtual living room where people can view a same channel and discuss about the viewed channel . on the graphical user interface 900 , icons of contacts of a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) are displayed . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) clicks on a contact &# 39 ; s channel list ( by scrolling at icons 1708 , as described below ), the user is immediately displayed the list of friends who are on the system and the respective electronic programming guide ( epg ) of the channel being viewed by each contact . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) clicks an “ all friends ” button 902 on the graphical user interface 900 , the graphical user interface 900 can display a list of contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). based on the selected criteria for display , the graphical user interface 900 can display the friends according to the selected criteria . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) clicks the “ favorite friends ” button 904 , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can be enabled to create and / or access one or more favorite contacts . the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can be enabled to add or delete favorite contacts via the user device 118 or via a web computing application that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can access either on the user device 118 or any other computing device . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) clicks the “ recent friends ” button 908 , the graphical user interface 900 can display the recent friends of the user . the contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can be displayed based on criteria specified by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) for display of the contacts . the criteria for display can be one or more of : display of contacts sorted according to first name , display of contacts sorted according to last name , display of contacts sorted according to location , display of contacts sorted according to subscription status , display of contacts according to channels viewed by them , display according to frequency of channel views , frequency of views with each contact , time spent on the respective user device 118 , and other criteria . one or more of the buttons 902 , 904 , 906 , and 908 can also be provided on a remote control device provided to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) along with the set top box 120 . an icon of each contact can display at least some of : a name and photo ( or other one or more identifiers ) of the contact , the channel viewed by the contact , the program being viewed by the contact on the viewed channel , and the presence status of the contact for the channel . the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can select ( by clicking ) an icon of a contact with whom the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) wants to simultaneously view the content being currently viewed by the contact , and then communicate ( for example , text chat , talk , and / or video chat ) in a separate menu interface . also , when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects the icon of a contact , the portion 910 of the graphical user interface 900 can display a number of contacts that are viewing the channel together with the selected contact . for example , when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects the icon 911 for contact “ andrew jones ,” the portion 910 of the graphical user interface 900 displays the contacts of “ andrew jones ” that are viewing the channel together with “ andrew jones .” after the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects the icon 911 , the user device 118 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can display the channel displayed to the contact “ andrew jones .” in another aspect , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can select the icon of a contact , and then invite the contact to view the channel being displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). if the invited contact decides to join , the user device 118 of the contact of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can display the channel being displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). fig1 is a diagram illustrating a second graphical user interface 1000 that allows group - watch of a channel by different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in a virtual living room . when an input of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is pointing on the icon 911 for the contact “ andrew jones ,” the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is provided an ok button 912 ( shown in diagram 900 ) that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can click to view the channel viewed by the contact “ andrew jones .” the channel viewed by the contact “ andrew jones ” can be displayed on the graphical user interface 1000 . the graphical user interface 1000 displays a chat window 1002 that allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to chat with other contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that are viewing the selected channel that is being viewed by the contact “ andrew jones .” the chat window 1002 can display a history of chat of a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) with the contact “ andrew jones ” or with any other desired particular contact . the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is provided an option to chat in at least one of multiple available languages . during the chat , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is also provided an option to use emoticons and symbols . to interact with the contacts , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can input messages via the remote control device associated with the user device 118 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). although a textual chat is described , an audio and / or video chat is also possible . to provide input in an audio chat , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can input voice via a microphone embedded in the remote control device or via a separate microphone / speaker conferencing system provided to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). to provide input in a video chat , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can input video via a camera embedded in the remote control device or a camera connected to the set top box 120 provided to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). while the microphone and / or the camera are described as being embedded in the remote control device , in some other implementations , the microphone and / or the camera can also be externally attached to the user device 118 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). in an alternate implementation , the graphical user interface 1000 can display various elements based on an aesthetic display design 1402 , which is described below in more detail . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a third graphical user interface 1100 that allows a group - watch of a channel by different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in a virtual living room . the chat window 1002 can be changed to a friends - window 1102 that displays the contacts viewing the selected channel that is being hosted by the contact “ andrew jones ” ( that is , the channel for which the contact “ andrew jones ” is a subscriber and is viewing the channel , while contacts of “ andrew jones ” are viewing the channel by virtue of being his contacts and irrespective of whether those contacts have subscribed to the channel ). the friends - window 1102 can also display the contacts that are not viewing the selected channel that is being hosted by the contact “ andrew jones ,” and their presence status with respect to other channels that they are viewing . further , the friends - window 1102 displays icons for those other channels being viewed by the contacts that are not viewing the selected channel . in an alternate implementation , the graphical user interface 1100 can display elements as displayed by graphical user interface 1702 , which is described below in more detail . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a third graphical user interface 1200 that allows a group - watch of a channel by different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in a virtual living room . with the remote control provided to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can send messages to one or more contacts . the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can send a single message to all contacts , or can individually select a contact and send messages to the selected contact . the window 1202 can provide different emoticons , which the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can select and insert within a message . in an alternative implementation , the graphical user interface 1200 can display elements as displayed by graphical user interface 1502 , which is described below in more detail . as noted above , the users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that are connected and are viewing a same channel can communicate via text messages , audio messages , and / or video messages . more than two users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can communicate with each other simultaneously , thereby forming a virtual living room where people can view a same channel and discuss about the viewed channel . two or more users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can also communicate privately via private messages . further , a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can also communicate , either privately or publically , with a public user who may not be in a same virtual living room as the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the graphical user interface 1202 can optionally present the communication history ( if available ) for each conversation between the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) of the graphical user interface 1202 and any other user . for audio communication , the background noise can be reduced so that only voice and utterances are transmitted to contacts in the virtual living room . the background noise in audio communication is reduced as noted below . when a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) speaks , the audio signal is obtained at the set top box 120 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the set top box 120 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) then matches and extracts the differences between the original stream of the channel and the recorded audio signal , which can include the audio in the original stream and the voice message by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). if a level of the differences is more than a threshold value ( for example , 30 decibel , 40 decibel , 50 decibel , 70 decibel , or other threshold values ), the recorded audio signal likely includes the voice message by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) rather than merely noise , and the set top box 120 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can transmit the recorded audio signal to other users . if the level of the differences is less than the threshold value , the audio signal likely includes merely noise , and the set top box 120 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) does not transmit the recorded audio signal to other users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) over the network 116 , such as internet . such a prevention of transmission of noise saves bandwidth cost and preserves highest audio quality of the audio communication between users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). further , echo reduction and / or cancelling techniques can be employed in the set top boxes 120 and the microphone / speaker systems to eliminate or reduce ( for example , minimize ) echo resulting from the voices and utterances of one or more users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in the room , as these voices and utterances can bounce back into the microphone . the microphone system can include an array structure that can be implemented to maximize the signal to noise ratio within the virtual living room . the array structure can implement digital signal processing techniques . the microphone array structure can capture audio voices and utterances of the users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that are both near and far from the microphone system . the microphone system can be deployed in the center of each room where the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is located . the array structure can be implemented as a strip of multiple microphones attached to the user device 118 . in one implementation , the strip of microphones can run across the entire bottom of the user device 118 to form a sound bar . the microphones can communicate with one or multiple digital signal processors ( dsps ). the dsps provide for the ability to individually “ steer ” the reception of each of the microphones embedded in the microphone array strip to pick up the voices and utterances of different users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that may be located in different places ( for example , center , close to center , fringes , corners , and / or the like ) in a room . the array can cover the expanse of the entire horizontal length or / and breadth of a face of the user device 118 . the long length of the array allows a significant number of microphones to be used . because of this significant number of microphones and because of these significant numbered microphones being in a straight line , the quality of the audio pickup is significantly better than conventional systems . thus , the quality of audio heard at the one or more receiving ends of the virtual living room group is superior to that associated with conventional systems . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a third graphical user interface 1300 that displays channels available for a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the graphical user interface 1300 displays icons of some channels . each of these icons further displays a number of viewers viewing the channel . the graphical user interface 1300 displays icons of the channels in an order based on one or more of : preferences of the viewer , number of friends simultaneously viewing a particular channel , activity of conversations for each channel , keywords ( describing the context of the content being watched ) that can be pulled from the conversations , frequency of views of each channel by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), subscribed channels , unsubscribed channels , and other criteria . in one example , if a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) generally views sports channels and discusses various sports with other contacts in virtual living rooms , the graphical user interface 1300 can display more sports channels followed by other channels associated with sports . similarly , if another user often views cooking channels and discusses cooking techniques with other contacts in virtual living rooms , the graphical user interface 1300 can display more cookery channels followed by other channels associated with cooking . in another implementation , the icons of the channels can be displayed on the graphical user interface 1300 in an order of popularity , which is characterized by the number of viewers currently viewing the channels . in some other implementations , the icons of the channels can be displayed on the graphical user interface 1300 in an order of popularity of a particular user based on a combination of number of viewers and their preferences ; thus , the display of the icons can be different for each user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in this implementation . in another implementation , the icons of the channels can be displayed on the graphical user interface 1300 in an alphabetical order of channel name or channel number . in yet another implementation , icons of the channels can be displayed on the graphical user interface 1300 based on number of previous views by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). in one implementation , the user device 118 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to prepare a list of favorite channels and assign a rank to each channel . the graphical user interface 1300 can then display the icons of favorite channels arranged according to their respective ranks . the graphical user interface 1300 can further display premium channels that may be available for viewing to both subscribers ( 110 , 112 ) and the non - subscriber 114 . the user device 118 of the non - subscriber 114 can display the premium free channel to the non - subscriber 114 irrespective of whether any contact of the non - subscriber 114 is subscribed to the service and viewing the premium channel . thus , the premium channels can always be available to any user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). such premium channels can encourage new users to view those premium channels , and eventually become subscribers to view other payment - requiring channels . the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can click on any premium channel displayed on the graphical user interface 1300 , and join a common virtual living room that includes all the users viewing the premium channel . in some implementations , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can optionally elect to communicate with only the contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) who are in the virtual living room , and not with other viewers in the virtual living room . the service provider can manage the rights to the content of the displayed channel so that the non - subscriber can watch the channel for just a predetermined amount of time . fig1 illustrates an aesthetic display design 1402 of one example of a graphical user interface 1404 executed by the user device 118 . the display design 1402 includes placing of various elements , which include a video playback area 1406 , a main interaction area 1408 , a clock panel 1410 , a menu bar panel 1412 , a notification panel 1414 , a voice living room panel 1416 , and a discovery grid window 1418 . the user device 118 can semi - transparently superimpose data of at least some of these elements on the video of the video channel displayed on the graphical user interface 1404 . the graphical user interface 1404 can present a video playback option to a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects the video playback option for a stored or previously displayed video , the graphical user interface 1404 displays a playback of the video in the video playback area 1406 . in one variation , when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects the video playback option for a stored or previously displayed video , the graphical user interface 1404 displays a playback of the video on the entire graphical user interface 1404 without displaying any other element . the main interaction area 1408 includes an emoticon area 1419 , a message composition panel 1420 , a contacts list panel 1422 , and an electronic program guide ( epg ) channel surf panel 1424 . the emoticon area 1419 displays all emoticons that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can use while entering commands or sending messages to contacts by using the remote control device of the user device 118 . the message composition panel 1420 allows a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to compose messages that can include emoticons , and to send those composed messages to contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). the contacts list panel 1422 displays contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that are currently online , and allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to select one or more displayed contacts and to interact with the selected contacts . the electronic program guide ( epg ) channel surf panel 1424 can be displayed when a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) scrolls through channels within a subscribed channel list . some elements of the graphical user interface 1404 are described in more detail below . fig1 illustrates a graphical user interface 1502 displaying the emoticon area 1419 , the message composition panel 1420 , and the notification panel 1414 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 1502 . the graphical user interface 1502 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the graphical user interface 1502 activates the message composition panel 1420 when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses a keyboard button ( for example , qwerty keyboard button ) on a keyboard of the remote control device of the user device 118 . the message composition panel 1420 displays the numeral , letter , or symbol pressed by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) on the keyboard . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses an emoticon button on the keyboard , the graphical user interface 1404 activates the emoticon area 1419 . when activated , the emoticon area 1419 displays all available emoticons . the message composition panel 1420 allows a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to enter a maximum of a predetermined number of characters , such as 140 characters . the message composition panel 1420 replaces last character with any additional character that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) enters after entering 140 characters . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) begins composing a message in the message composition panel 1420 , the graphical user interface 1404 can activate a notification panel 1414 . the activated notification panel 1414 can display recent messages ( for example , messages sent and received with a past preset time period ) between the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and various contacts . the display of recent messages advantageously allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to view the messages in case the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is responding to at least one of the recent messages . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses an up - direction key of a directional pad of a remote control device of the user device 118 while composing a message in the message composition panel 1420 , the graphical user interface 1404 highlights ( for example , brightens ) and / or increases the visibility ( for example , increases size and / or opacity ) of the emoticons displayed in the emoticon area 1419 . the graphical user interface 1404 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to navigate within the emoticon area 1419 by using the direction keys on the directional pad of the remote control device . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects ( for example , points over ) an emoticon by using the remote control device , the graphical user interface 1404 can increase the size of the selected emoticon in the emoticon area 1419 so that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can visually differentiate the selected emoticon from other emoticons . the emoticons in the emoticon area 1419 include standard emoticons and unique emoticons , such a tomato emoticon 1504 . unique emoticons are also referred to as funimoticons or funny emoticons . although a tomato emoticon 1504 is described , in some variations , other unique emoticons can be alternately or additionally used , such as fruits , vegetables , flowers , animals , food , and / or other emoticons . when a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects any emoticon , the emoticon is displayed in the message composition panel 1420 of the graphical user interface 1404 of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). when a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses a unique emoticon button on the remote control device of the user device 118 to activate a unique emoticon mode , selects a unique emoticon from the emoticon area 1419 , and performs a preset movement with the remote control device , the graphical user interface 1404 can display the selected unique emoticon in the video playback area 1406 ( as described below with respect to graphical user interface 1602 ) of user devices 118 of both the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and one or more intended recipients , who can be contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). simultaneously , the audio accompaniment for the emoticon can generate a corresponding sound in the audio speaker attached to or within each respective user device 118 . further , while using the message composition panel 1420 , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can click a voice button on the remote control device of the user device 118 . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) clicks this voice button , the message composition panel 1420 displays an icon for a microphone that gradually brightens and / or increases in size . subsequently , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can keep a press - to - talk button pressed on the remote control device to speak into a microphone embedded in the remote control device . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) speaks into the microphone , the displayed icon for the microphone can lighten up for convenience of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). a voice button of the remote control device can also perform voice to text conversion . this voice button can be dedicated or exclusive for performing voice to text conversion . the graphical user interface 1404 can then display the converted text data in the notification panels 1414 of both the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and one or more intended recipients ( if any ). the message composition panel 1420 includes icons 1506 for third party social networks , such as one or more of : facebook , linkedin , twitter , blogs , or any other social network . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects an icon 1506 for a third party social network , the graphical user interface 1502 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to share one or more messages composed in the message composition panel 1420 to the third party social network associated with the selected icon 1506 . in some implementations , the voice messages or voice - to - text converted text messages can also be shared via third party social networks . the message composition panel 1420 includes a cancel button 1508 . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects the cancel button 1508 , the graphical user interface 1502 cancels the sharing of the messages via the third party social networks . the remote control device includes a back button , which , when selected by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), can alternately be used to cancel the sharing of the messages . the notification panel 1414 displays messages characterizing a chat between a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and one or more contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). for one to one messages , the notification panel 1414 displays conversations between a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and each contact of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in a separate corresponding chat window . for messages involving a virtual living room comprising more than two users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), the notification panel 1414 displays a separate chat window for a chat in each virtual living room . the notification panel 1414 can implement a fade - out animation where messages received or sent more than a predetermined time ( for example , seven seconds ) ago are automatically removed from display . the menu bar panel 1412 provides an option that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can use to view associated historical chat messages . with one or more messages in each chat window , icons for social networks , email , and other sharing tools are provided . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) clicks on an icon 1506 for a sharing tool , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can share that message via the associated social network , email , text message , or any other related mechanism . in some implementations , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can click on the icon 1506 for the sharing tool to share the entire chat history or any desired portion of the entire chat history . any post that is posted on the sharing tool is also posted on an administrative account for the sharing tool . for private messages between two or more users ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), the notification panel 1414 can display an envelope - shaped icon next to those messages so that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can identify the private messages . fig1 illustrates a graphical user interface 1602 displaying a unique emoticon 1504 splashed in the video playback area 1406 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 1602 . the graphical user interface 1602 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the graphical user interface 1602 can display the unique emoticon 1504 in the video playback area 1406 when a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses a unique emoticon button on the remote control device of the user device 118 to activate a unique emoticon mode , selects a unique emoticon 1504 from the emoticon area 1419 , and performs a preset movement with the remote control device . some examples of the preset movement can be one or more of : rotation of the remote control device , quickly movement of the remote control device in any direction , quick movement of the remote control device in a particular direction , or any other performs movement . the selected unique emoticon 1504 can be displayed in the video playback area 1406 of the recipient contact while overlying the displayed video of the channel . when the unique emoticon 1504 is displayed in the video playback area 1406 , the size of the unique emoticon 1504 is enlarged so that the intended recipient can be notified easily . when the unique emoticon 1504 is activated , another preset movement — similar to those noted above — of the remote control device by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) causes the video display areas 1406 of both the user and one or more intended recipients to display another previously - displayed unique emoticon 1504 . the activated unique emoticon mode can be deactivated when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses the unique emoticon button again on the remote control device , or when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) does not press any button on the remote for a preset time period ( for example , 30 seconds ) after the activation . fig1 illustrates a graphical user interface 1702 displaying the contacts list panel 1422 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 1702 . the graphical user interface 1702 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the contacts list panel 1422 can display : a channel number 1704 of the channel being displayed , a logo 1706 of the channel being displayed , and icons 1708 of contacts of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) that are currently online . the displayed icons 1708 of the contacts can be displayed alphabetically , according to an order customized by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), and / or any other order . the icons of contacts , to whom a same program is being displayed as that displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), can be highlighted ( for example , indicated with a colored check mark , boundaries indicated with a colored scheme , and / or other ways of highlighting ) while icons of other contacts can be dimmed . the direction keys on the directional pad of the remote control device can allow the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to scroll through various displayed friends . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects an icon of a particular highlighted contact , the contacts list panel 1422 can display : an icon allowing the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to call the selected contact , and an icon allowing the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to send a message to the selected contact . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects an icon of a dimmed contact , the contacts list panel 1422 can display : an icon to invite the selected contact to view the channel displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ), an icon to enable the channel displayed to the dimmed contact to be displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) so that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can join the selected contact , and an icon allowing the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to send a message to the selected contact . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) scrolls over ( for example , by using left or right direction keys on the directional pad of the remote control device ) a contact , the graphical user interface 1702 can display : the channel being currently displayed to the contact selected by the scrolling process , and a number of participants or viewers in a virtual living room if the selected contact is watching the channel as a part of the virtual living room , or a list of contacts who are online but not watching in the same virtual living room . when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) selects the contact selected by the scrolling process by clicking on the icon for the contact , the one or more server computers 102 can automatically include the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) in the virtual living room of the selected contact by synchronously relaying and displaying the video channel of the virtual living room to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and the selected contact . thus , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) joins the selected contact at the current frame of the video being displayed rather than from the beginning of the video . the menu bar panel 1412 provides an option that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can use to hide the contacts list panel 1422 . fig1 illustrates a graphical user interface 1802 displaying the electronic program guide ( epg ) channel surf panel 1424 and the clock panel 1410 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 1802 . the graphical user interface 1802 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the epg channel surf panel 1424 displays details associated with channels as the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) surfs subscribed channels using the direction keys on the directional pad of the remote control device . the epg channel surf panel 1424 is displayed when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses the up direction key or the down direction key on the directional pad . the epg channel surf panel 1424 can display icons and other details ( for example , channel number , program being displayed , and a brief description of the displayed program ) of three channels in a vertical format , wherein the middle channel can be the channel currently displayed . the epg channel surf panel 1424 may display the brief description of the program for only the channel that is currently being displayed . the clock panel 1410 includes a clock that displays current time . the graphical user interface 1802 displays the clock panel 1410 when the graphical user interface 1802 displays the epg channel surf panel 1424 . fig1 illustrates a graphical user interface 1902 displaying the emoticon area 1419 , the message composition panel 1420 , and the contacts list panel 1422 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 1902 . the graphical user interface 1902 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the user device 118 can enable interaction between the emoticon area 1419 , the message composition panel 1420 , the contacts list panel 1422 , and epg channel surf panel 1424 . for example , when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses the qwerty keyboard while contacts list panel 1422 is activated , the graphical user interface can display the message composition panel 1420 above the contacts list panel 1422 , which continues to display the list of contacts . to prevent a conflict of input data via the remote control device , the epg channel surf panel 1424 can be prevented from being displayed simultaneously with any one or both of the message composition panel 1420 and the contacts list panel 1422 . fig2 illustrates a graphical user interface 2002 displaying the menu bar panel 1412 . the menu bar panel 1412 includes a menu button 2004 , a friends tab 2006 , a chat tab 2008 , a history tab 2010 , and a profile tab 2012 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 2002 . the graphical user interface 2002 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the menu button 2004 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to activate or deactivate the menu bar panel 1412 . the friends tab 2006 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to turn on or turn off display of contacts in the contacts list panel 1422 and to activate a privacy mode . when the privacy mode is activated , the system can no longer know what channel is currently being watched by the viewer , and thus , the contacts of the viewer can no longer watch together with this viewer . the chat tab 2008 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to chat , by sending and / or receiving one or more messages , with one of : everyone , contacts only , and nobody . the history tab 2010 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to view chat history in the notification panel 1414 . when the graphical user interface displays the menu bar panel 1412 ; the emoticon area 1419 , the message composition panel 1420 , the contacts list panel 1422 , and the notification panel 1414 can be activated while other panels may not be activated . the profile tab 2012 displays the profile photo of the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) clicks the profile tab 2012 , the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) is allowed to view , add , delete , and / or modify the details of the user &# 39 ; s registration with the subscription service . the details associated with the subscription service can include : profile photo , credit balance , latest purchase , number of friends , email address , and / or other data . fig2 illustrates a graphical user interface 2102 displaying the voice living room panel 1416 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 2102 . the graphical user interface 2102 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the voice living room panel 1416 displays icons 2104 of contacts and possibly other users that are in a current voice session with the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) and that are being displayed a same channel as that displayed to the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ). these contacts and possibly other users may have been previously invited by the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to join the voice session of the virtual living room . the voice living room panel 1416 can display an icon 2106 for a microphone that the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) can use to vary the volume . to avoid conflict of space , when the graphical user interface 2102 displays the voice living room panel 1416 , the graphical user interface 2102 may not display any of the menu bar panel 1412 and the discovery grid window 1418 . fig2 illustrates a graphical user interface 2202 displaying a discovery grid window 1418 . the user device 118 executes the graphical user interface 2202 . the graphical user interface 2202 displays various elements based on the display design 1402 . the discovery grid window 1418 can display all the available channels irrespective of the user &# 39 ; s subscription status for each of those channels . the graphical user interface displays the discovery grid window 1418 when the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) presses the ok button or enter button on the remote control device when the main interaction area 1408 and the notification panel 1414 are not displayed , as in this situation there is no conflict in using the ok button or enter button . the discovery grid window 1414 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to group / filter the available channels according to at least one of : favorite channels , popular channels , genre , type , alphabetically , numerical order of channel numbers , subscription status , and any other criteria . some examples of genres include : chinese , any other language , lifestyle , news , sports , business , and other possible genres . the discovery grid window 1414 allows the user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to add any desired channel to favorite channels , and rank the added channel as compared to other favorite channels . additionally , the discovery grid window 1414 displays data describing the current channel . the data describing the current channel includes : the channel number 2204 , popularity of the channel ( for example , current popularity characterized by number 2206 of contacts currently viewing the channel ), name 2208 of the channel , name 2210 of a current program on the channel , a start time 2212 and an end time 2214 of the program , and a brief description 2216 of the program . in one possible implementation , the client application 302 can allow a user ( 110 , 112 , and / or 114 ) to become a moderator of a virtual living room . the moderator can have followers that are users following the moderator . the one or more servers 102 can relay comments ( for example , textual comments and / or audio comments ) of the moderator during display of a video channel to the followers in real - time ( that is , as the moderator writes and / or speaks ). the moderator ( for example , a celebrity , such as roger federer ) can inform various people that he / she will be commentating during an event ( for example , the french open tennis final ) relayed and displayed on a video channel . the moderator can inform the people about this via a third party social network , a website , a print media , television advertisement , and / or the like . these people can join the virtual living room at any point during the commentary . the one or more servers 102 can simultaneously relay and display same video frames of the event ( for example , the french open tennis final ) to all the users in the virtual living room ( including new users that may be joining at various points in time ) while simultaneously relaying same commentary by the moderator ( for example , roger federer ). in some implementations , the moderator can leave the global following mode , and jump to contacts only mode , which is when the one or more servers 102 relay the comments of the moderator to only the contacts of the moderator . in the global mode , the moderator can have the option to receive text messages from any follower . the moderator can also individually choose to reply to at least some of the messages . during the global mode , the moderator can continue to talk to his / her contacts , wherein the voice of the contacts can also be relayed to all the followers of roger federer . during the contacts only mode , the moderator can receive text message and / or talk to the contacts . various implementations of the subject matter described herein can be realized / implemented in digital electronic circuitry , integrated circuitry , specially designed application specific integrated circuits ( asics ), computer hardware , firmware , software , and / or combinations thereof . these various implementations can be implemented in one or more computer programs . these computer programs can be executable and / or interpreted on a programmable system . the programmable system can include at least one programmable processor , which can be have a special purpose or a general purpose . the at least one programmable processor can be coupled to a storage system , at least one input device , and at least one output device . the at least one programmable processor can receive data and instructions from , and can transmit data and instructions to , the storage system , the at least one input device , and the at least one output device . these computer programs ( also known as programs , software , software applications or code ) can include machine instructions for a programmable processor , and can be implemented in a high - level procedural and / or object - oriented programming language , and / or in assembly / machine language . as can be used herein , the term “ machine - readable medium ” can refer to any computer program product , apparatus and / or device ( for example , magnetic discs , optical disks , memory , programmable logic devices ( plds )) used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor , including a machine - readable medium that can receive machine instructions as a machine - readable signal . the term “ machine - readable signal ” can refer to any signal used to provide machine instructions and / or data to a programmable processor . to provide for interaction with a user , the subject matter described herein can be implemented on a computer that can display data to one or more users on a display device , such as a cathode ray tube ( crt ) device , a liquid crystal display ( lcd ) monitor , a light emitting diode ( led ) monitor , or any other display device . the computer can receive data from the one or more users via a keyboard , a mouse , a trackball , a joystick , or any other input device . to provide for interaction with the user , other devices can also be provided , such as devices operating based on user feedback , which can include sensory feedback , such as visual feedback , auditory feedback , tactile feedback , and any other feedback . the input from the user can be received in any form , such as acoustic input , speech input , tactile input , or any other input . the subject matter described herein can be implemented in a computing system that can include at least one of a back - end component , a middleware component , a front - end component , and one or more combinations thereof . the back - end component can be a data server . the middleware component can be an application server . the front - end component can be a client computer having a graphical user interface or a web browser or an application software , through which a user can interact with an implementation of the subject matter described herein . the application software can be installed on a computing device , such as a tablet computer , a smartphone , a smart television set , a laptop computer , a desktop computer , and / or any other computer or computing device . the components of the system can be interconnected by any form or medium of digital data communication , such as a communication network . examples of communication networks can include a local area network , a wide area network , internet , intranet , bluetooth network , infrared network , or other networks . the computing system can include clients and servers . a client and server can be generally remote from each other and can interact through a communication network . the relationship of client and server can arise by virtue of computer programs running on the respective computers and having a client - server relationship with each other . although a few variations have been described in detail above , other modifications can be possible . for example , the logic flows depicted in the accompanying figures and described herein do not require the particular order shown , or sequential order , to achieve desirable results . some terms that may have been used with different reference numerals can refer to same or similar elements . other implementations may be within the scope of the following claims .	7
the substantially cylindrical , rod - shaped radiation coagulator represented in axial section in fig1 is at this time the preferred embodiment of the present invention . it comprises a member serving as a handle , in the form of a thick - walled tube 10 , preferably of stainless steel . in the anterior end of the tube 10 , by machining or the like , an ellipsoidal reflector 12 is formed , its surface highly polished and preferably plated with gold . in the reflector 12 there is an incandescent lamp 14 to serve as source of heat radiation , in particular a tungsten - halogen low - voltage lamp , closely embraced by the reflector 12 . the clearance between the lamp envelope and the reflector is preferably at most 5 mm , preferably about 2 mm . the incandescent lamp 14 is connected by way of a connecting line 16 passing through the central hole of the tube 10 to a connecting line 18 set , preferably liquid - and vapor - tight , in the rounded posterior end of the tube 10 . in the embodiment illustrated in fig1 the connecting line 18 leads to the tube 10 from a current supply circuit for the filament . the tube 10 has a somewhat smaller diameter in an anterior portion 10a , so that a thin - walled tube 20 may be slipped on , consisting for example of stainless steel and so dimensioned that its exterior is substantially flush with the exterior of the posterior portion 10b of the tube 10 . in the anterior end of the tube 20 is inserted a tissue contact element 22 consisting of a cylindrical piece of sapphire monocrystal . the tissue contact element 22 is bonded to the tube 20 by means of a layer 24 of silicone adhesive resistant to elevated temperatures . the cylindrical exterior surface 22a of the tissue contact element 22 is highly polished , so that the tissue contact element can act as a short optical guide . the anterior annular edge 22b of the tissue contact element is rounded ( the radius of the rounding may for example be 0 . 5 mm ), so that there is no danger of damage to sensitive tissue by the edge of the tissue contact surface 22c formed by the face of the element . the silicone adhesive layer 24 will not interfere with the optical guide function , its refractive index being below that of sapphire . portion 10a of tube 10 is provided with an annular groove accepting an o - ring seal 26 . this o - ring seal , the silicone adhesive layer 24 and the seal where the cable 18 enters the posterior end of tube 10 ensure that the coagulator represented in fig1 can be steam autoclaved without danger of entry of steam into the interior and consequently of damage to the reflector 12 or other internal parts of the coagulator . on the radiation entrance surface of the tissue contact element 22 facing the incandescent lamp 14 , a dielectric thin - layer filter 28 may be applied by vapor deposition , limiting the lower bound of the spectral interval transmitted to , for example , 600 nm so as to reduce the glare effect of the emerging radiation . alternatively , or in addition , the sapphire constituting the tissue contact element 22 may be doped in known manner with chromium ions , so that it assumes a red color , likewise reducing the glare effect . furthermore , in a radiation coagulator of the kind represented in fig1 the portion of tissue contact element 22 protruding from the tube 20 will be made as short as possible , in particular shorter than 10 mm , preferably shorter than 3 mm , in particular about 1 mm . when using an incandescent lamp 14 with a rating of 250 w , the anterior end of reflector 12 and the tissue contact element 22 are preferably about 16 mm in diameter . with a 12 - mm or 25 - mm diameter of the cylindrical tissue contact element , it is expedient to employ incandescent lamps with ratings of 150 or 400 w , respectively . the temperature distribution occurring in the course of a coagulation corresponds to that described below with reference to fig7 . the coagulator represented in fig2 differs from that of fig1 in two respects . firstly , the tube 10 &# 39 ; is bent , the angle α of the bend being preferably between about 90 ° and 150 °. secondly , the tissue contact element 22 &# 39 ; has a wedge - like tapering end to facilitate coagulation in fissures of tissue , for example in accidental injuries to the liver . however , all exposed edges of the wedge - shaped tissue contact element 22 &# 39 ; are rounded , so that they will not act as cutting edges and cause injuries . the tube 20 &# 39 ; may be textured on the outside ( not shown ) to facilitate rotating it in order to change the orientation of the straight anterior edge 22 &# 39 ; d of the wedge relative to the tube 10 &# 39 ;. thus , the tissue contact element 22 &# 39 ; here has two tissue contact surfaces 22 &# 39 ; c . the cylindrical portions 22 &# 39 ; a of the lateral surfaces are again highly polished . the wedge angle of the tissue contact element 22 &# 39 ; may for example be between 40 ° and 90 °; it is preferably about 60 °. it must not of course be so small that emergence of the radiation will be hindered by total reflection . in the coagulators according to fig1 and 2 , the lamp 14 is preferably arranged at a close distance from the light entrance surface of the tissue contact element , but without touching it . the distance from the envelope of the lamp 14 to the light entrance surface may for example be 1 to 2 mm , and preferably is no more than 10 mm . the embodiment illustrated by way of example with reference to fig2 may be modified so that instead of a bent tube 10 &# 39 ;, a rod - like member is used comprising a flexible wedge , so that the angle α may be adjusted at will . the flexible portion may for example consist of a length of corrugated tubing . a further modification of the embodiments above described by way of example consists in the use of a tissue contact element in the form of a cylindrical rod one face of which , acting as light entrance surface , is perpendicular to the axis , while the other face , serving as tissue contact surface , is oblique to the axis . again , the angle this oblique surface makes with the axis must not be so great that exit of radiation is obstructed by total reflection . as before , all exposed edges are rounded so that they cannot cause injury . alternatively , the contact element may have the shape of an oblique cylinder , i . e . a plate with parallel radiation entrance and exit surfaces oblique to the mean direction of radiation . finally , a tissue contact element in the form of a prism with two faces at an angle of 90 ° to each other may be used , one acting as light entrance surface and the other as tissue contact surface , with an oblique surface at which the light having entered through the entrance surface is reflected towards the tissue contact surface . the radiation coagulator represented in fig4 may in principle be constructed as described in german letters of disclosure no . 2 , 717 , 421 with reference to fig1 thereof . it contains a heat radiation source in the form of a tungsten - halogen low - voltage lamp 114 having a reflector 112 in the form of a hollow mirror of aluminum . instead of the aluminum reflector , use may alternatively be made of a reflector with a reflective layer of gold , or a dielectric thin - layer reflector selectively reflecting in the band of wavelengths between about 0 . 6 and 1 . 4μ . the coagulator according to fig4 further contains a rigid optical guide 121 in the form of a quartz rod of circular cross section , enclosed by a thin metal tube 120 . the reflector 112 reflects the heat radiation of the incandescent lamp 114 into a light input end of the guide 121 . at the light exit end of the guide , a tissue contact element 122 is arranged , for example a cylindrical rod of clear monocrystalline sapphire having an optically polished lateral face 122a , of the same diameter as the rod - shaped guide 121 and forming its continuation . the end of the tissue contact element 122 away from the guide 121 forms a contact surface 122c , highly polished and free from scratches . the anterior edge of the tissue contact element is rounded so as not to cut into the tissue . in the known case , the tissue contact element is to be as thin a platelet as possible , intended merely to form a low - adhesion tissue contact surface . in the present case , the tissue contact element has the additional function of preventing excessive heating of the surface of a tissue to which the tissue contact surface 122c is applied . this is accomplished , in the coagulator of fig4 in that the tissue contact element 122 has a comparatively great length l and an adequate cross section . the length l is preferably greater than 3 to 4 mm , preferably at least 6 mm , in particular 10 mm and over . the tissue contact element may be between 4 and 10 mm in diameter . to destroy deeper tissue using a lamp 114 with a rating of for example 150 w and an optical guide 121 about 10 to 20 cm in length , about 6 mm is an appropriate value for the diameter . the tissue contact element , by virtue of its dimensioning , has so high a heat capacity that in one treatment cycle , normally requiring about 2 seconds , it will not heat so intensively as to alter the tissue surface in any undesirable manner . the temperature rise at the tissue contact surface 122c during a period of treatment of 2 seconds should expediently be at most 50 degrees , preferably at most 30 degrees , better yet at most 20 degrees celsius , when the coagulator is to be used to destroy deep - lying blood vessels . with radiation in the wavelength band from 0 . 6 to 1 . 4μ , substantially absorbed in the interior of the tissue only , the distribution of temperature t as a function of the depth of penetration d will be as shown by the curve 127 in fig4 a . in a region 129 in the interior of the tissue , the temperature will rise during the period of irradiation of for example 15 seconds so far that coagulation and destruction of tissue will take place in that location , in other words for example to temperature up to about 80 ° or 90 ° c . in a region adjoining the contact surface 122c down to a depth d 1 , the temperature required for coagulation will not be attained , owing to the cooling effect of the contact element 122 applied to the tissue . from a depth d 2 onward , the radiation will have been attenuated to such an extent that the temperature of coagulation will fail to be reached likewise . much like that of fig4 the radiation coagulator of fig5 contains a tungsten - halogen incandescent lamp 214 , a reflector 212 , an optical guide rod 221 and a tissue contact element 222 . between the lamp 214 and the entrance end of the optical guide rod 221 there is an optical filter 215 in the form of a cell containing an aqueous solution of a red dye . an expedient alternative is a dielectric thin - layer filter having a suitable transmission characteristic . the filter 215 absorbs the short - wave components of radiation including ultraviolet radiation and the longer - wave infrared , so that substantially only radiation in the wavelength range between 0 . 6 and 1 . 4μ will enter the guide . the contact element 218 is closely adjacent to the light exit end of the guide rod 221 and is enclosed by a cooling means 230 , which may be a finned cooling element , similar to those used for transistors , of a liquid - filled cell , optionally provided with cooling fins 230a in addition . an alternative to the cooling system 230 in fig5 is represented in fig6 . here the tissue contact element 322 consists of a comparatively large disc , of which only a central portion 322 &# 39 ; is traversed by the radiation s . thus , coagulation takes place near the central portion only . the outer portion around the central portion 322 &# 39 ; serves as a cooling element or heat sink . the radiation can be limited to the central portion 322 &# 39 ; by an optical guide 321 in the shape of a truncated cone , its peripheral surface 321a being polished . for the tissue contact elements 222 and 322 , preferably a material of high heat conductivity is employed , such as beryllium oxide . suitable parts of beryllium oxide may be produced at comparatively moderate cost by hot pressing and sintering for example ; they are sufficiently transparent to serve the present purpose . fig7 shows a light output system having an optical guide rod 422 serving simultaneously as tissue contact element . it has a truncated cone end 422d , forming a tissue contact surface 422c . the element 422 consists of a crystalline , transparent material of the above mentioned kind , having a high heat conductivity , so that the element 422 diverts heat from the tissue 429 adjacent to the tissue contact surface 422c acting as light exit surface . if use is made of unfiltered radiation from a 150 - watt tungsten - halogen lamp operated at a color temperature of approx . 3000 k , a rod 422 50 mm in length , at least 10 mm in length , of sapphire monocrystal with a tissue contact surface 422c approx . 2 to 6 mm in diameter , a coagulation zone 429a penetrating deep into the tissue 429 can be produced . the resulting distribution of temperature as a function of the distance d from the tissue surface ( skin ) corresponds to the curve drawn solid in the graph of fig7 a . the tissue temperature at the tissue surface is limited , owing to withdrawal of heat by the rod 422 acting as a cooling element , to a moderate value t 2 , higher than the coagulation temperature t 3 indeed , but not so high that carbonization , or an excessive adhesion of the tissue to the light exit surface 422c results . the removal of heat compensates to a certain extent for the intensity drop of the radiation entering the tissue , so that up to a considerable depth , a comparatively flat temperature distribution and a temperature above the coagulation temperature t 3 are obtained . when a tissue contact element of a poor heat conductor such as quartz glass or synthetic material is used , a temperature distribution corresponding to the dotted curve is obtained , in which case a very high temperature t 1 occurs at the tissue surface after only a short time . the tissue then chars at the surface , impeding any deeper penetration of the radiation , so that the hemorrhage is arrested less effectively and the tissue tends to adhere to the contact surface . similar effects arise also when too thin a contact element of sapphire or the like is used . the electric power input from the incandescent lamp serving as source of radiation should generally be at least 75 watts , preferably at least 100 watts . for satisfactory coagulation , generally an output density of at least 10 w / cm 2 or more is required in the cross section of the tissue contact element traversed by the radiation at the contact surface . the output density should preferably be at most 100 w / cm 2 , so that no excessively rapid heating of the tissue will occur at the contact surface , with the danger that the tissue will dry out too rapidly at the contact surface and then adhere in an undesirable manner .	0
reference will now be made in detail to embodiments , examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings , wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout and the size of each component may be exaggerated for clarity . in this regard , the present embodiments may have different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the descriptions set forth herein . accordingly , the embodiments are merely described below , by referring to the figures , to explain aspects of the present description . fig1 illustrates a pattern of a plurality of semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 formed on a wafer substrate 100 including sapphire . as illustrated in fig1 , in general , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be arrayed in a rectangular - shape lattice on the wafer substrate 100 . the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be formed on the wafer substrate 100 by performing , but not limited thereto , one of well - known processes . one or more electrode pads 11 and 12 for electrical connection may be formed on a top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . fig1 illustrates a case in which two electrode pads 11 and 12 , that is , an n - type electrode pad 11 and a p - type electrode pad 12 are formed on a top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . for example , as illustrated in fig1 , the repetitive two electrode pads 11 and 12 may be disposed at respective corners facing each other in a diagonal direction . the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 arrayed on the wafer substrate 100 are independently separated from the wafer substrate 100 and then respective operating characteristics of the respective semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are tested . for example , the operating characteristic may include a light - emission spectrum , brightness , a response speed , a driving voltage , or the like . according to a result of the test , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be classified into various categories . afterward , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics with respect to a light - emission spectrum or brightness may be re - arrayed on the same carrier substrate 110 , as illustrated in fig2 . while fig2 illustrates a case in which 56 semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are re - arrayed on the carrier substrate 110 , the case of fig2 is exemplary and thus the number of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 re - arrayed on the carrier substrate 110 is not limited thereto . a gap between the re - arrayed semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be determined by a thickness of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 and a dicing width . for example , the gap between the re - arrayed semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be from about 50 um to about 500 um . after the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are re - arrayed on the carrier substrate 110 , a phosphor is applied thereto so as to surround the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . the phosphor may be appropriately selected according to a light - emission characteristic of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . for example , a phosphor may be selected according to a light - emission characteristic of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , so that light emitted from each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may excite the phosphor and then white light having a predetermined spectrum may be generated . thus , according to the present embodiment , a phosphor that matches with a light - emission characteristic of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 is selected and applied thereto , so that , after manufacture is complete , irregularities in light - emitting qualities of white light - emitting device chips may be reduced . hereinafter , various methods of applying a phosphor to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 re - arrayed on the carrier substrate 110 are described in detail . fig3 illustrates a method of applying a phosphor by performing screen printing , according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig3 ( a ), first , an adhesion layer 111 is formed on the carrier substrate 110 , and the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the adhesion layer 111 at regular gaps . the adhesion layer 111 functions to assure positional stability of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 arrayed on the carrier substrate 110 . for example , the adhesion layer 111 may be formed of a photosensitive adhesive ( psa ) that is curable by ultraviolet ( uv ) light . the carrier substrate 110 may be formed as a flexible film that is easily bent or may be formed as a solid flat plate . in a case where the adhesion layer 111 is formed of the psa , the carrier substrate 110 may be formed of a uv - transmitting material . however , if the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be stably fixed on a surface of the carrier substrate 110 , the adhesion layer 111 may be omitted . next , referring to fig3 ( b ), a stencil mask 115 for screen printing may be disposed on the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 arranged on the carrier substrate 110 . as illustrated in fig4 , the stencil mask 115 may include a mesh structure 116 formed of steel use stainless ( sus ), and a masking member 117 formed to mask the mesh structure 116 . a surface of the mesh structure 116 may be further coated by using metal including chromium ( cr ), nickel ( ni ), palladium ( pd ), copper ( cu ), gold ( au ), aluminum ( al ), or the like , in order that the phosphor can easily pass through the mesh structure 116 . the masking member 117 may be formed of a polymer or a metal thin film . referring to fig4 , the masking member 117 functions to mask the electrode pads 11 and 12 formed on the top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 , and to mask gaps between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , so that the masking member 117 prevents the phosphor from being applied thereto . the masking member 117 has a plurality of openings 118 so as to allow the phosphor to be applied only to a top emission surface and four side surfaces of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . in order to apply the phosphor to the side surfaces of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 , each opening 118 of the masking member 117 may have a size that is slightly greater than a size of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . thus , the size of each opening 118 may be a value corresponding to the total sum of the size of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 and a thickness of the phosphor that is formed on a side surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . for example , the thickness of the phosphor formed on the side surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may be between about 20 um and about 100 um , so that the size of each opening 118 may be vertically and horizontally greater than the size of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 by about 20 um through about 100 um . also , a gap between the openings 118 may be the same as a gap between phosphors that are applied to facing surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . for example , the gap between the openings 118 , that is , the gap between the phosphors may be from about 40 um to about 200 um . a portion of a bottom surface of the masking member 117 contacts the adhesion layer 111 of the carrier substrate 110 , and the other portion of the bottom surface contacts the electrode pads 11 and 12 of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . for example , referring to fig5 that is a cross - sectional view of a structure of the stencil mask 115 , a first portion 117 a of the masking member 117 contacts the adhesion layer 111 of the carrier substrate 110 , and a second portion 117 b contacts the electrode pads 11 and 12 of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . thus , the first portion 117 a and the second portion 117 b have different heights . by using the masking member 117 having two heights , the top emission surface and the four side surfaces of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 , except for the electrode pads 11 and 12 of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 , may be simultaneously applied by using the phosphor . referring back to fig3 ( b ), when the stencil mask 115 is disposed on the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , a phosphor paste 30 is arranged on the stencil mask 115 . afterward , the phosphor paste 30 is pushed and pressed by using a squeeze 120 . then , the phosphor paste 30 passes through the mesh structure 116 in each opening 118 of the stencil mask 115 , so that the phosphor paste 30 is uniformly applied to the top emission surface and the four side surfaces of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . the squeeze 120 may be formed of a plastic material so as to prevent a metal particle from being generated by friction against the metal that forms the masking member 117 . for example , the squeeze 120 may be formed of urethane , acryl , or polycarbonate , or may be formed of an engineering plastic material , including nylon or the like , which has a high abrasion - resistance and excellent mechanical properties . the phosphor paste 30 may be formed by mixing a resin and one or more types of phosphors according to a predetermined mixing ratio . the types of phosphors and the mixing ratio may be selected according to a light - emission characteristic of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . the resin may be formed of a polymer material having characteristics including high adhesion , high heat - resistance , low hygroscopic properties , and high light - transmittance , and in general , the resin is formed of an epoxy - based curable resin or a silicon - based curable resin . a curing system of the resin may be thermally curable or photocurable , or a combination of thermally curable and photocurable . after the phosphor paste 30 is uniformly applied to the top emission surface and the four side surfaces of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 , the phosphor paste 30 may be hardened by applying heat or light thereto . afterward , as illustrated in fig3 ( c ), a phosphor layer 35 may be formed on the top surface and side surfaces of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . next , the stencil mask 115 is removed , and the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 on the carrier substrate 110 may be independently separated by using a holder 125 . in a case where the adhesion layer 111 is formed of a psa that is curable by uv light , before the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are separated , the uv light is irradiated to a bottom surface of the carrier substrate 110 to harden the adhesion layer 111 . in this case , when the adhesion layer 111 is hardened , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be further easily separated . in a subsequent process , each of the separated semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 is packaged to manufacture a white light - emitting device chip . a shape of the stencil mask 115 illustrated in fig4 may vary . for example , fig6 illustrates a stencil mask 115 ′ according to another embodiment of the present invention . in the stencil mask 115 of fig4 , the masking member 117 is divided into a region for masking the electrode pads 11 and 12 , and a region for masking a gap between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . that is , the masking member 117 for masking the electrode pads 11 and 12 is separately arranged in the opening 118 . on the other hand , in the stencil mask 115 ′ of fig6 , the masking member 117 extends to regions corresponding to the electrode pads 11 and 12 via corners of each opening 118 . the stencil mask 115 ′ of fig6 further easily masks the electrode pads 11 and 12 , thereby preventing a phosphor from being applied to a portion of the electrode pads 11 and 12 . referring to fig2 , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are arrayed in the same direction on the carrier substrate 110 , but an array direction of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may vary . for example , fig7 illustrates a case in which adjacent semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are arrayed in different directions . referring to the case of fig7 , compared to an array of fig2 , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 on even rows of an odd column are rotated by 90 degrees in a left direction , and the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 on odd rows of an even column are rotated by 90 degrees in a left direction . thus , in an entire array , the electrode pads 11 and 12 are gathered at respective corners and face each other . this array further facilitates formation of a masking member . for example , fig8 illustrates a stencil mask 115 ″ according to another embodiment of the present invention . the stencil mask 115 ″ of fig8 may be used in the array of fig7 . in the case of fig7 , four electrode pads 11 and 12 are gathered at respective corners and face each other , so that a region of the masking member 117 which masks the electrode pads 11 and 12 may be largely formed in a center among four openings 118 . thus , referring to a case of fig8 , it is further easy to form the masking member 117 . fig9 illustrates a method of applying a phosphor by performing screen printing , according to another embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig9 ( a ), first , an adhesion layer 111 and an adhesive layer 112 are sequentially formed on a carrier substrate 110 . then , semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the adhesive layer 112 at regular gaps . the adhesion layer 111 functions to temporarily fix the adhesive layer 112 thereon . as described above , the adhesion layer 111 may be formed of a psa that is curable by uv light . also , as described above , the carrier substrate 110 may be formed as a flexible film that is easily bent or may be formed as a solid flat plate . in a case where the adhesion layer 111 is formed of the psa , the carrier substrate 110 may be formed of a uv - transmitting material . the adhesive layer 112 may be a single layer formed of the same material but may be a multi - layer structure having different layers . fig1 is a cross - sectional view illustrating the carrier substrate 110 , the adhesion layer 111 , and a multi - layered structure of the adhesive layer 112 . referring to fig1 , the adhesion layer 111 and the adhesive layer 112 are disposed on the carrier substrate 110 . the adhesive layer 112 may include a first adhesive layer 112 a , a photo - reflection layer 112 b , and a second adhesive layer 112 c that are sequentially formed on the adhesion layer 111 . in this case , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be arrayed on the second adhesive layer 112 c . the adhesive layer 112 may have high reflectance so as to reflect light emitted from a lower portion of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and may have heat - resistance and thermal conductivity so as to resist and deliver heat , which is generated from the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , to the outside . also , the adhesive layer 112 may have high adhesion to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . in a case where the adhesive layer 112 is formed as a single layer , a filler such as white titanium oxide ( tio 2 ) may be dispersed in an adhesive resin . also , a filler coated by metal including ag or al having high reflectance may be dispersed in the adhesive resin . the filler may function to reflect light and to increase thermal conductivity by forming a thermal path in the adhesive layer 112 . in a case where the adhesive layer 112 is formed as a multi - layer structure having the aforementioned three layers , the second adhesive layer 112 c contacting the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be formed of a transparent adhesive material having high light - transmittance so as to transmit light emitted from the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . the photo - reflection layer 112 b may be a high reflective metal thin film coated on a top surface of the first adhesive layer 112 a or a bottom surface of the second adhesive layer 112 c . for example , the photo - reflection layer 112 b may be formed of a metal material including ag or al , and may have a thickness in the range several tens nm to several um . the first adhesive layer 112 a arranged below the photo - reflection layer 112 b and contacting the adhesion layer 111 is not required to have light - transmittance , so that the first adhesive layer 112 a may be formed of an opaque adhesive material . the aforementioned fillers having high thermal conductivity may be dispersed in the first adhesive layer 112 a . the first adhesive layer 112 a and the second adhesive layer 112 c may have the same thickness or may have different thicknesses . in general , for heat radiation , the first adhesive layer 112 a may have a thickness that is less than that of the second adhesive layer 112 c . after the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are arrayed on the adhesive layer 112 , as illustrated in fig9 ( b ), a stencil mask 115 for screen printing is disposed on the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . a structure of the stencil mask 115 is the same as the descriptions above . after the stencil mask 115 is disposed on the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , a phosphor paste 30 is arranged on the stencil mask 115 . afterward , the phosphor paste 30 is pushed and pressed by using a squeeze 120 , and by doing so , the phosphor paste 30 may be uniformly applied to top surfaces and side surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . afterward , the phosphor paste 30 is hardened by applying heat or light thereto , and then the stencil mask 115 is removed . by doing so , as illustrated in fig9 ( c ), a phosphor layer 35 may be formed on the top surface and the side surfaces of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . afterward , when the adhesive layer 112 arranged below each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 is cut by performing a dicing process , as illustrated in fig9 ( d ), each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may be separated from the carrier substrate 110 by using a holder 125 . here , the adhesive layer 112 is adhered on a bottom surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . as described above , if the adhesion layer 111 is formed of a psa that is curable by uv light , before the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are separated , the uv light is irradiated to a bottom surface of the carrier substrate 110 to harden the adhesion layer 111 . in this case , when the adhesion layer 111 is hardened , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be further easily separated . in a subsequent process , each of the separated semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 is packaged to manufacture a white light - emitting device chip . according to the one or more embodiments , the masking member 117 is formed in an area between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , so that the phosphor is not applied to the area between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . however , it is also possible to completely and uniformly apply the phosphor to the carrier substrate 110 whereon the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are arrayed . in this regard , fig1 illustrates a phosphor applying method , according to another embodiment of the present invention . first , referring to fig1 ( a ), a stencil mask 130 is illustrated , wherein the stencil mask 130 may be a metal mask having one opening 131 by which an inner portion is completely open . the opening 131 of the stencil mask 130 may correspond to an inner portion of a carrier substrate 110 whereon the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed . referring to fig1 ( b ), a frame portion of the stencil mask 130 may be disposed at side edges of the carrier substrate 110 . thus , all of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 on the carrier substrate 110 may be positioned in the opening 131 of the stencil mask 130 . afterward , as illustrated in fig1 ( c ), a phosphor paste 30 is arranged in the opening 131 . afterward , the phosphor paste 30 is uniformly applied to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 by pushing the phosphor paste 30 with a squeeze 120 . here , the phosphor paste 30 may be applied to not only a top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 but also applied to an area between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . referring to fig1 ( c ), only an adhesion layer 111 is disposed on the carrier substrate 110 but an adhesive layer 112 may be additionally formed on the adhesion layer 111 . after the phosphor paste 30 is uniformly applied thereto , as described above , the phosphor paste 30 is hardened so that a phosphor layer 35 ( refer to fig1 ) may be formed . by doing so , the phosphor layer 35 may be formed not only on the top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 but also formed on the area between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . in the present embodiment , the phosphor layer 35 is also formed on electrode pads 11 and 12 that are formed on the top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 , and thus , after formation of the phosphor layer 35 is complete , it is necessary to remove the phosphor layer 35 on the electrode pads 11 and 12 . as illustrated in fig1 , the phosphor layer 35 may be removed by irradiating a laser to portions corresponding to the electrode pads 11 and 12 . for this removal , a laser 140 that emits light having a wavelength band absorbed by a binder resin forming the phosphor paste 30 may be used . for example , in a case of a silicon resin binder that is widely used , a co 2 laser having a wavelength most absorbed by a silicon resin may be used . in this manner , by irradiating the laser 140 to the portions corresponding to the electrode pads 11 and 12 , the phosphor layer 35 on the electrode pads 11 and 12 is removed , so that the electrode pads 11 and 12 may be externally exposed . afterward , in a final process , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be independently separated by performing a dicing process . in the present embodiment , the phosphor layer 35 is even formed between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , so a blade may be used to separate the phosphor layer 35 in the dicing process . for example , referring to fig1 ( a ), the phosphor layer 35 formed between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 is cut by using a blade 145 . the blade 145 may be a rotation - type blade that cuts the phosphor layer 35 while rotating , or may be a fix - type blade that presses the phosphor layer 35 with a sharp blade and then cuts the phosphor layer 35 . in order to prevent contamination due to particles of the phosphor layer 35 , which are generated during a cutting process , the phosphor layer 35 may be cut with zero kerf width . for this , the blade 145 may be a metal blade having undergone a treatment to improve a surface hardness . also , instead of using the blade 145 , the dicing process may be performed by using a laser . in fig1 ( b ), the phosphor layer 35 is cut by using one of the aforementioned ways . afterward , as described above , each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may be separated from the carrier substrate 110 by using a holder 125 . instead of a metal mask , a mesh mask may also be used as a stencil mask , wherein the mesh mask has an opening in which a metal mesh is formed . fig1 illustrates a method of applying a phosphor by using a mesh mask , according to another embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 ( a ), a mesh 134 is formed in an opening 133 of a stencil mask 132 . here , the opening 133 may correspond to an inner portion of a carrier substrate 110 whereon the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed . referring to ( b ) of fig1 , a frame portion of the stencil mask 132 may be disposed at side edges of the carrier substrate 110 . thus , all of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 on the carrier substrate 110 may be positioned in the opening 133 of the stencil mask 132 . afterward , as illustrated in fig1 ( c ), a phosphor paste 30 is arranged on the mesh 134 . afterward , the phosphor paste 30 is uniformly applied to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 by pushing the phosphor paste 30 through the mesh 134 by using a squeeze 120 . here , the phosphor paste 30 may be applied to not only a top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 but also applied to an area between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . after the phosphor paste 30 is uniformly applied thereto , as described above , the phosphor paste 30 is hardened so that a phosphor layer 35 ( refer to fig1 ) may be formed . after the phosphor layer 35 is formed , as described above , according to processes shown in fig1 and 13 , the phosphor layer 35 on electrode pads 11 and 12 is removed and then a dicing process may be performed . fig1 illustrates a phosphor applying method according to another embodiment of the present invention . the embodiment of fig1 is similar to the embodiment of fig1 but is different in that masking members 136 are formed in a mesh 134 of a stencil mask 135 so as to mask electrode pads 11 and 12 . referring to fig1 ( a ), similar to the stencil mask 132 of fig1 , the stencil mask 135 has an opening 133 and the mesh 134 , and further has the masking members 136 functioning to mask the electrode pads 11 and 12 . positions of the masking members 136 may correspond to positions of the electrode pads 11 and 12 on semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . thus , as illustrated in fig1 ( b ) and ( c ), a phosphor paste 30 may be uniformly applied to a top surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 and an area between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 except for areas of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 in which the electrode pads 11 and 12 are arranged . here , each masking member 136 may have a height that is sufficient to directly contact the electrode pads 11 and 12 on each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . afterward , a process of fig1 is omitted , and a dicing process of fig1 may be performed . according to the embodiments of fig1 , 14 and 15 , each of the stencil masks 130 , 132 , and 135 has only one opening 131 or 133 , but a stencil mask may have a plurality of openings corresponding to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . for example , a stencil mask 137 of fig1 has a plurality of openings 138 . referring to fig1 , a mesh mask has openings 138 each in which a mesh is formed . however , the plurality of openings may also be applied to a metal mask in which a mesh is not formed . in a case of the stencil mask 115 of fig4 , the plurality of openings 118 correspond to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , respectively . however , in the stencil mask 137 of fig1 , one opening 138 may correspond to a plurality of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . in a case where the stencil mask 137 of fig1 is used , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be grouped and arrayed so as to correspond to respective positions of the openings 138 . that is , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be divided into a plurality of groups , and then may be arrayed at positions of the openings 138 which correspond to the groups , respectively . by doing so , an area to be applied with a phosphor paste may be reduced so that the phosphor paste may be further uniformly applied thereto . fig1 illustrates a phosphor applying method according to another embodiment of the present invention . according to the phosphor applying method of fig1 , a phosphor paste is applied by using a spray coating method . referring to fig1 , an adhesion layer 111 is formed on a carrier substrate 110 , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the adhesion layer 111 at regular gaps , and a spray device 180 is positioned above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . while only the adhesion layer 111 is illustrated in fig1 , an adhesive layer 112 may also be formed on the adhesion layer 111 . the spray device 180 sequentially moves above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and sprays a phosphor paste 45 on the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . by doing so , the phosphor paste 45 may be sprayed on top surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and areas between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . here , the phosphor paste 45 may be formed by further adding a catalyst to a paste that is a mixture of a phosphor and a binder resin , so that an average viscosity of the phosphor paste 45 may be less than about 100 cps . afterward , as described above , the phosphor paste 45 is hardened so as to form a phosphor layer 35 , and as illustrated in fig1 and 13 , the phosphor layer 35 on the electrode pads 11 and 12 is removed and then a dicing process may be performed . fig1 illustrates a phosphor applying method according to another embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 ( a ), an adhesion layer 111 is formed on a carrier substrate 110 , and semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the adhesion layer 111 at regular gaps . configurations and characteristics of the carrier substrate 110 and the adhesion layer 111 are the same as the descriptions above . afterward , as illustrated in fig1 ( b ), a release film 150 having a phosphor film 50 adhered thereon is disposed above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . here , the release film 150 is disposed in such a manner that the phosphor film 50 adhered on the release film 150 faces the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . the release film 150 may be formed of a plastic material including polyethylene terephthalate ( pet ), polyvinyl chloride ( pvc ), or the like . the phosphor film 50 adhered on the release film 150 may be formed in a manner that a liquid thermocurable resin is disposed on the release film 150 , one or more types of phosphors are dispersed in the thermocurable resin according to a predetermined mixture ratio , and then the thermocurable resin is partially hardened . after the release film 150 is disposed above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , the phosphor film 50 is completely adhered on surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 by performing a general laminating process . while the phosphor film 50 is adhered on the surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 , the phosphor film 50 may be heated . by doing so , the phosphor film 50 may be easily moved from the release film 150 to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 , and the phosphor film 50 may be easily deformed , so that adhesion of the phosphor film 50 may be improved . afterward , the phosphor film 50 that detaches from the release film 150 and moves to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 may be hardened . this laminating process may be performed in a vacuum atmosphere . by doing so , it is possible to prevent the air from collecting on surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and an interface between a surface of the carrier substrate 110 and the phosphor film 50 . afterward , as illustrated in fig1 ( c ), a phosphor layer 55 may be formed surrounding top surfaces and side surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . when the formation of the phosphor layer 55 is complete , the phosphor layer 55 is patterned to expose electrode pads 11 and 12 ( refer to fig1 ) on the top surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . for example , a mask 160 formed of a film or a glass substrate having a pattern of a plurality of openings 161 for transmission of light may be disposed on the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and then uv light may be irradiated thereto . positions of the openings 161 may correspond to positions of the electrode pads 11 and 12 . then , the phosphor layer 55 on the electrode pads 11 and 12 may be exposed to the uv light and then removed . thus , the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be externally exposed . next , as illustrated in fig1 ( d ), by performing a dicing process , the phosphor layer 55 between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and the adhesion layer 111 below the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are cut . then , as illustrated in fig1 ( e ), each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may be separated from the carrier substrate 110 by using a holder 125 . as described above , in a case where the adhesion layer 111 is formed of a psa that is curable by uv light , before the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are separated , the uv light is irradiated to a bottom surface of the carrier substrate 110 to harden the adhesion layer 111 . when the adhesion layer 111 is hardened , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be further easily separated from the adhesion layer 111 . in a subsequent process , each of the separated semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 is packaged to manufacture a white light - emitting device chip . fig1 illustrates a phosphor applying method according to another embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 ( a ), an adhesion layer 111 and an adhesive layer 112 are sequentially formed on a carrier substrate 110 . then , semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the adhesive layer 112 at regular gaps . the adhesion layer 111 functions to temporarily fix the adhesive layer 112 thereon . configurations and characteristics of the carrier substrate 110 and the adhesion layer 111 are the same as the descriptions above . also , a configuration and characteristic of the adhesive layer 112 may be the same as those of the adhesive layer 112 described above with reference to fig9 . afterward , a phosphor may be applied around the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 in the same manner described with reference to fig1 . that is , as illustrated in fig1 ( b ), a release film 150 having a phosphor film 50 adhered thereon is disposed above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . after the release film 150 is disposed above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , the phosphor film 50 is adhered on surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 by performing a laminating process . as described above , while the laminating process is performed , the release film 150 may be heated , and the laminating process may be performed in a vacuum atmosphere . then , as illustrated in fig1 ( c ), a phosphor layer 55 may be formed surrounding top surfaces and side surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . when the formation of the phosphor layer 55 is complete , the phosphor layer 55 is patterned to expose electrode pads 11 and 12 on the top surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . for example , uv is irradiated to the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 via a mask 160 having a plurality of openings 161 . by doing so , the phosphor layer 55 on the electrode pads 11 and 12 may be exposed to the uv light and then removed . next , as illustrated in fig1 ( d ), by performing a dicing process , the phosphor layer 55 between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and the adhesive layer 112 and the adhesion layer 111 below the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are cut . then , as illustrated in fig1 ( e ), each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may be separated from the carrier substrate 110 by using a holder 125 . here , the adhesive layer 112 is adhered on a bottom surface of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . in a subsequent process , each of the separated semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 is packaged to manufacture a white light - emitting device chip . fig2 illustrates a phosphor applying method according to another embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig2 ( a ), an adhesion layer 111 and an adhesive layer 112 are sequentially formed on a carrier substrate 110 , and then , semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the adhesive layer 112 at regular gaps . referring to fig2 , the adhesive layer 112 is further arranged on the adhesion layer 111 but in the present embodiment , the adhesive layer 112 may be omitted . that is , similar to the embodiment of fig1 , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be arrayed on the adhesion layer 111 without the adhesive layer 112 . afterward , as illustrated in fig2 ( b ), a release film 150 having a phosphor film 50 adhered thereon is disposed above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . in the present embodiment , the phosphor film 50 is patterned to have openings 51 at positions corresponding to electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . that is , a phosphor is not formed on the positions corresponding to electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . afterward , as illustrated in fig2 ( c ), the phosphor film 50 is adhered on surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 by performing a laminating process . by doing so , a phosphor layer 55 may be formed surrounding top surfaces and side surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . in the present embodiment , the openings 51 are previously patterned at the positions corresponding to the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , so that the phosphor layer 55 is not formed on the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . thus , it is not necessary to separately perform a process so as to expose the electrode pads 11 and 12 . afterward , by performing a dicing process , the phosphor layer 55 between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and the adhesive layer 112 and the adhesion layer 111 below the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are cut . then , as illustrated in fig2 ( d ), each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may be separated from the carrier substrate 110 by using a holder 125 . in a subsequent process , each of the separated semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 is packaged to manufacture a white light - emitting device chip . fig2 illustrates a phosphor applying method according to another embodiment of the present invention . the embodiment of fig2 is different from the previous embodiments in that semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are first arrayed on a phosphor film 50 that is patterned to have openings 51 . that is , referring to fig2 ( a ), the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the phosphor film 50 adhered on a release film 150 . as described above , the phosphor film 50 is patterned to have the openings 51 at positions corresponding to electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . that is , a phosphor is not formed on the positions corresponding to the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are arrayed so that top surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 whereon the electrode pads 11 and 12 are formed contact the phosphor film 50 . here , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are aligned so that the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 correspond to the openings 51 of the phosphor film 50 . according to the present embodiment , it is possible to avoid difficulty in simultaneously and exactly aligning the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the openings 51 of the phosphor film 50 . afterward , as illustrated in fig2 ( b ), the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are disposed on the carrier substrate 110 whereon an adhesion layer 111 and an adhesive layer 112 are formed . in this process , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are disposed in a manner that bottom surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 contact the adhesive layer 112 . the phosphor film 50 and the release film 150 are still adhered on the top surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . referring to fig2 , the adhesive layer 112 is further arranged on the adhesion layer 111 but the adhesive layer 112 may be omitted . that is , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 may be disposed on the adhesion layer 111 without the adhesive layer 112 . afterward , the phosphor film 50 is adhered on surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 and the carrier substrate 110 by performing a laminating process . by doing so , as illustrated in ( c ) of fig2 , a phosphor layer 55 may be formed surrounding top surfaces and side surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . in the present embodiment , the openings 51 are previously patterned at the positions corresponding to the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , so that the phosphor layer 55 is not formed on the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . thus , it is not necessary to separately perform a process so as to expose the electrode pads 11 and 12 . afterward , by performing a dicing process , the phosphor layer 55 between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and the adhesive layer 112 and the adhesion layer 111 below the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are cut . then , as illustrated in fig2 ( d ), each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 may be separated from the carrier substrate 110 by using a holder 125 . in a subsequent process , each of the separated semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 is packaged to manufacture a white light - emitting device chip . fig2 and 23 illustrate a phosphor applying method according to another embodiment of the present invention . the present embodiment of fig2 and 23 is different from the previous embodiments in that a laminating process may be omitted . first , referring to fig2 ( a ), an adhesion layer 111 is formed on a carrier substrate 110 , and a patterned phosphor film 50 is adhered on the adhesion layer 111 . the phosphor film 50 is patterned to have openings 51 at positions corresponding to electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . afterward , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 having the same light - emission characteristics are arrayed on the phosphor film 50 . the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are disposed so that top surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 whereon the electrode pads 11 and 12 are formed contact the phosphor film 50 . here , the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are aligned so that the electrode pads 11 and 12 of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 correspond to the openings 51 of the phosphor film 50 . next , as illustrated in fig2 ( b ), by performing a dicing process , the phosphor film 50 between the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 , and the adhesion layer 111 below the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are cut . then , as illustrated in fig2 ( c ), each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 and the phosphor film 50 adhered thereto may be separated from the carrier substrate 110 by using a holder 125 . afterward , sequentially referring to fig2 ( a ), the holder 125 is vertically rotated so that the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are disposed above the holder 125 . accordingly , the phosphor film 50 is positioned above the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . then , as illustrated in fig2 ( b ) and ( c ), a clamping device 170 lifts up each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 from the holder 125 , and arranges each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 on a base substrate 200 . the base substrate 200 may be a lead frame of a light - emitting device package , or may be a printed circuit board ( pcb ) having a predetermined wiring . a collet 171 having a hollow cavity may be arranged on a front end of the clamping device 170 . the collet 171 may have a cavity having a shape corresponding to an outer frame shape of each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 . thus , after the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 are arrayed on the base substrate 200 , as illustrated in fig2 ( d ), the collet 171 presses down the phosphor film 50 , each semiconductor light - emitting device chip 10 is accepted into the cavity of the collet 171 , and the phosphor film 50 is pressed down by the collet 171 , so that the phosphor film 50 may be coated on top surfaces and side surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . simultaneously , the phosphor film 50 may be hardened by irradiating heat or uv light thereto , so that a phosphor layer 55 may be formed on the top surfaces and side surfaces of the semiconductor light - emitting device chips 10 . it should be understood that the exemplary embodiments described therein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation . descriptions of features or aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as available for other similar features or aspects in other embodiments .	7
referring now to fig1 - 7 , an attachment made in accordance with the concept of the present invention , and generally indicated by the numeral 10 , is shown . referring particularly now to fig1 a side view of the attachment 10 of the present invention locked around a conventional safety pin 12 is shown . the conventional safety pin 12 has first and second wire limbs 20 and 22 respectively . a coiled portion or hinge 24 connects limbs 20 and 22 and allows for movement of limb 22 relative to limb 20 , with limb 22 biased so that the safety pin is open , unless it is latched closed , as is well known . cap 26 at the end of limb 20 has an opening 27 opposite limb 20 which allows free end 28 of limb 22 to be secured within the cap 26 . the spring loaded hinge 24 ensures locking engagement of the free end 28 of limb 22 within the cap 26 . the elongated main body 30 of the attachment 10 has a longitudinally extending contoured center channel 32 within which the limb 20 of the safety pin may be seated . the width of the center channel 32 is selected to stably secure a range of sizes of safety pins . standard sizes of safety pins start at size 0 ( about ⅞ inch in length ), and increase in size incrementally ( e . g . size 1 , size 2 , etc . each having correspondingly larger dimensions ) and proportionately . each attachment 10 of the present invention is designed to accommodate safety pins in a range of at least three sizes . it should be noted here that safety pins having the same overall length may not have the same diameter wire limbs 20 , 22 . in particular , brass safety pins tend to have thicker diameter wire limbs 20 , 22 than steel safety pins . thus , the center channel 32 must be contoured to accommodate safety pins having different wire diameters . to facilitate the placement of safety pins having a variety of wire diameters within the channel 32 , the vertical walls of the primary retainer section 34 , as well as the interior surfaces of the first pair of opposing retainer elements 36 each have a plurality of features . primary retainer section 34 retains the coiled portion 24 of the safety pin 12 . as has been previously mentioned , safety pins are available in a wide range of wire diameters . accordingly , the center channel 32 , particularly in the region of the retainer section 34 must be designed to ensure snug engagement regardless of wire diameter . if the safety pin 12 is situated too loosely within the center channel 32 it will tend to rotate relative to the attachment 10 thereby making the safety pin difficult for the user to manipulate . among the features allowing for stably supporting the pin 12 is the raised portion 40 of interior wall 42 of the retainer section 34 . this raised portion 40 allows for snug engagement with a safety pin having a diameter approximately equal to the width w of the center channel 32 . for pins 12 having a width wider than w , raised portion 40 is compressed by wire limb 20 , the wire limb then urging both the raised portion 40 and the interior wall 42 outward without causing a substantial deformation of the retainer section 34 . it can be readily appreciated that the attachment 10 must be made of a material sufficiently compressible in order for the raised portion 40 to function properly , while still maintaining its overall shape with repeated use . in the preferred embodiment , the attachment 10 is made of high impact styrene a transverse arcuate shaped recess 44 extends across the top of the retainer section 34 . the recess 44 allows for placement of a tool such as a needle nosed pliers in order to position the safety pin 12 within the retainer section 34 as will be discussed in more detail later . the first intermediate retainer section 48 extends from retainer section 34 and has a pair of opposing retainer members 50 with sloping exterior walls 52 . mutually opposed arcuate sections 54 immediately adjacent transverse exterior wall 53 of retainer section 34 cooperate to form a substantially circular recess or space . this space serves to ease positioning of the pin 12 within the channel 32 by reducing the surface area of the interior walls 56 of retainer members 50 , thereby reducing the resistance encountered when attempting to push the wire limb 20 down into channel 32 . insertion of limb 20 into channel 32 is further facilitated by chamfered top edges 58 . retention of the wire limb within the center channel 32 is enhanced by inwardly sloping interior walls 60 . the second intermediate retainer section 64 has a substantially identical profile to retainer section 48 as can be seen in fig6 . the fourth retainer section 68 includes a pair of opposing retainer members 70 spaced apart at a width slightly greater than width w . the slightly greater width allows for placement of the cap 26 within the center channel 32 . the interior walls 72 are vertical . to facilitate positioning the pin 12 within the channel 32 the spaces 76 , 78 between retainer section 68 feature sidewalls 80 , 82 having a reduced height . pin 12 is further secured within attachment 10 by pushing the wire limb 20 down into the center channel 32 with needle nose pliers or similar implement , utilizing spaces 76 , 78 between members 48 , 64 . 70 . it should be noted space 76 has a lower elevation than 78 . this lower elevation is essential when installing a # 1 steel or brass safety pin as the head 26 of the # 1 safety pin has a mass that must be below the center line w so that safety pin limb 20 can be correctly seated into retainer 64 . if elevation of space 76 was the same as that of space 78 the head 26 of pin 12 keeps pin limb 20 from being pushed down into channel 32 completely and thereby not seating in between retainer walls of retainer 64 . in operation , a safety pin is secured within the attachment by first placing the coiled end 24 of the pin 12 in retainer section 34 , utilizing a needle nose pliers or similar implement to push the coil end down into the retainer section 34 and channel 32 . depression 44 facilitates proper insertion of the coiled end 24 as has been previously mentioned . the pin 12 is further secured within the attachment 10 by using the needle nose pliers to push wire limb 20 down into the center channel 32 , utilizing spaces 76 , 78 between retainer members 70 , 64 , and 48 . ease of insertion is facilitated by chamfered top edges 58 as has been previously mentioned . once the wire limb 20 is firmly seated within the center channel 32 , the needle nose pliers may be used to urge intermediate retainer members 48 , 64 together . it should be noted that retention of the wire limb 20 is primarily accomplished by the sloping interior walls of retainer members 64 and 48 , in cooperation with retainer section 34 . if necessary , the pin 12 may be secured within the channel by use of an adhesive . it should be further recognized that since the attachment is designed to hold the safety pin by merely engaging wire 20 by the design of section 34 and sloping members 60 of intermediate members 48 and 64 , the attachment 10 allows the safety pin 12 to be removed at anytime . with particular reference to fig7 an attachment 100 having identifying indicia is shown . projections 110 which are used as identifying indicia may have a generally rectangular base 112 and extend outwardly with a pronounced taper . the projections 110 may be molded at the time the attachment 100 is made so that a unitary construction is obtained . of course , if desired the projections can be formed or attached by any other feasible means . also , any other identifying indicia can be applied including , but not limited to braille , raised lettering or the like . the projections 110 can correspond to a characteristic of an item such as color or size . any scheme can be used to identify the characteristics of the item , for instance the projections 110 can have different profiles or may vary in number . the attachment 100 is identical to the attachment 10 with the exception of the identifying indicia and thus functions in the manner described above . from the foregoing description , one skilled in the art can easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this invention and , without departing from the spirit and scope thereof , can make various changes and modifications of the invention to adapt it to various usages and conditions . it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the sole embodiment described above , but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims :	0
before describing the adsl data rate optimization mechanism according to the present invention , it should be observed that the invention resides primarily in a software routine , which is executable by an upstream ( e . g . central office associated ) link extender &# 39 ; s supervisory communications controller , that controls the operation of telecommunication signalling components within an adsl telecommunication system , such as that described in the above - identified &# 39 ; ______ application . as a result , the configuration of such a system has illustrated in the drawings by readily understandable block diagrams , showing only those specific details that are pertinent to the present invention , so as not to obscure the disclosure with details which will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein . the data rate optimization routine itself has been illustrated in a flow chart format , which is primarily intended to show the various steps of the invention in a convenient functional sequence , whereby the present invention may be more readily understood . for purposes of providing an illustrative embodiment , the following description will detail the application of the data rate optimization routine of the present invention to the adsl range extension system described in the &# 39 ; ______ application . it should be understood , however , that the communication environment described herein is merely an example of one digital signal transport scheme to which the present invention may be applied and is not to be considered limitative of the invention . attention is now directed to fig7 and 8 , which show the respective steps of the data rate optimization routine of the invention , as carried out by the supervisory microcontroller of the ale - c 120 of the adsl system of fig1 described above . as pointed out previously , this adsl data rate optimization mechanism is operative to automatically induce the dslam to employ a downstream adsl data rate that is compatible with the data rate that can be supported by the sdsl link , and which provides support for an auxiliary ( 64k ) pots channel . as a precursor step , the sdsl data rate optimization routine of the invention is initially supplied with a desired or “ target ” sdsl data rate to be used for the sdsl link . in accordance with a preferred embodiment , this target sdsl data rate will have been derived in accordance with a precursor sdsl autobaud mechanism detailed in the above - referenced &# 39 ; ______ application , and used to train the sdsl loop , as identified in step 700 . given the target sdsl data rate , an initial query step 701 determines whether the dslam is to employ a predetermined , ‘ fixed ’ data rate , or a ‘ best effort ’ data rate . as pointed out above , where the data rate is fixed or pre - established by the telecom service provider ( typically based upon non - variable parameters of line card circuitry installed in the central office ), the only question to be resolved is whether the sdsl data rate is sufficient to support the fixed rate . typically , the fixed rate will correspond to a prescribed minimum data rate that has been guaranteed to the customer . as a non - limiting example , minimum ( downstream ) guaranteed data rates may range between 256k to 896k , at 128k increments . thus , a 512k × 384k service subscription would correspond to a downstream payload data rate of 512 kbps and an upstream data rate of 384 kbps . to accommodate the downstream payload ( plus the 64k pots channel ), the sdsl link would have to have trained at least at 512k + 64k or 576 kbps . a minimum guaranteed data rate will be stored in a “ guaranteed minimum ” register . in the ( fixed data rate ) case , the answer to query step 701 is “ fixed ,” and the routine will transition to step 800 , wherein a rate_limit register is loaded with a prescribed value . the rate_limit buffer is used to overwrite a signal - to - noise ratio ( snr ) value that is reported to the dslam by the ale - c and thereby ‘ spoofs ’ the dslam into training the link at a data rate that may be considerably lower than that supportable by the ( relatively short ) adsl link between the dslam and the ale - c . in step 800 , the prescribed value that is written into the rate_limit buffer is a “ disable overwrite ” code , such as ff hex , to disable the overwrite . as pointed out previously , the rate_limit buffer is one of a set of storage registers or buffers , that store various data rate parameters associated with the optimization routine of the invention . the rate_limit buffer comprises an m - bit ( e . g ., eight - bit ) register , each increment of which represents a prescribed data rate segment ( e . g ., 32 kbps or simply 32k ). thus , in the fixed data rate case , the rate_limit buffer will be loaded with the value ff hex , to inhibit overwriting the data rate that has been pre - established by the telecom service provider , prior to transitioning to an ‘ initiate adsl train ’ step 801 of the sub - routine sequence shown in fig8 . the sub - routine of fig8 is carried out in both the fixed rate and best efforts rate cases , and will be described below . where the answer to query step 701 is “ best efforts ” mode , the routine transitions to a ‘ calibration ’ training sequence , a first step of which is the ( rate_limit = 40h ) step 702 . in step 702 , a prescribed digital value ( e . g ., 40 hex ) associated with an initial adsl data rate is written into the rate_limit buffer . in the present example , where each increment of the rate_limit buffer represents a 32k data rate segment , writing the value 40 hex into the rate_limit buffer in step 702 implies a calibration training data rate of ( 2 5 ×( 4 × 16 1 + 0 × 16 0 )× 1000 )= 2 . 048 mbps . it should be noted that the invention is not limited to this or any particular value . the data rate associated with this rate_limit code value ( e . g ., 40 hex ) may vary depending upon the operational parameters of a particular dslam vendor &# 39 ; s equipment . it is expected to be relatively fast ( e . g ., in excess of 1 mbps ), given the relative short length of the adsl channel link 114 between the dslam 104 and the ale - c . next , in step 703 , the calibration routine initiates an adsl train , and transitions to the self - looped query step 704 , which determines when the adsl channel link 114 from the dslam 104 has trained . once the adsl link has trained up ( at some data rate ), the calibration sequence transitions to step 705 , wherein the data rate value at which the adsl link has eventually trained during calibration is stored or written into a “ calibrate ” buffer . ( typically , this value is in excess of 1 mbps , as described above .) the calibration sequence next transitions to step 706 , wherein a “ max_down_adjust ” buffer is loaded with a digital code value representative of the difference between the value ( 40 hex ) that was previously loaded into the rate_limit buffer in step 702 and a digital code value representative of the actual data rate at which the adsl link eventually trained during step 704 . this code difference corresponds to a maximum ( max ) offset between the data rate at which the dslam - to - ale - c link was originally expected to train and the data rate at which this link actually trained . as pointed out earlier , due to the normally , relatively short distance between the dslam and the ale - c ( typically co - located ), the max difference code is typically ( but not always ) a relatively small positive number . subsequent steps 709 - 714 accommodate for significant departures from this expectancy . next , in step 707 , the contents of the rate_limit buffer are replaced with a “ target ” digital code value . as pointed out above , the “ target ” digital code is representative of the actual sdsl data rate ( such as that derived using the sdsl autobaud mechanism detailed in the above - referenced &# 39 ; ______ application , as described above ) that the sdsl link is to support . next , in step 708 , the calibration sequence drops the adsl link and transitions to an initial query step 709 of a rate limit minimization sub - routine . in query step 709 , a determination is made as to whether the digital code value that was loaded into the max_down_adjust buffer in step 706 has a negative or a positive value . if the contents of the max_down_adjust buffer are negative ( the answer to query step 709 is yes ), it is inferred that the difference between the initial calibration data rate at which the loop is expected to train and the data rate at which it has actually trained is relatively large , and the routine transitions to query step 710 . in step 710 , the calibration routine determines whether adding the digital value currently stored in the rate_limit buffer ( the target sdsl data rate ) to that stored in the max_down_adjust buffer will result in an underflow of the max_down_adjust buffer . if so ( the answer to query step 710 is yes ), the routine transitions to step 711 , which replaces the ( target sdsl data rate associated ) digital code in the rate_limit buffer with a minimum ( non - zero ) value of ‘ 1 ’. the routine then transitions to query step 721 . however , if the answer to query step 710 is no ( the sum of the digital value currently stored in the rate_limit buffer and that stored in the max_down_adjust buffer is non - negative ), the routine transitions to step 712 . in step 712 , the ( target sdsl data rate ) code in the rate_limit buffer is augmented by the contents of the max_down_adjust buffer ( representative of the difference between the value ( 40 hex ) and the data rate at which the eventually adsl link trained ), and the routine transitions to step 721 . if the answer to query step 709 is yes ( i . e . the contents of the max_down_adjust buffer are positive ), it is inferred that the data rate at which the loop has actually trained is relatively close to its expected value , and the routine transitions to query step 713 . in step 713 , the routine determines whether adding the digital value currently stored in the rate_limit buffer to that stored in the max_down_adjust buffer will result in an overflow of the max_down_adjust buffer . if not ( the answer to query step 713 is no ), the routine transitions to step 712 . in step 712 the ( target sdsl data rate ) code in the rate_limit buffer is augmented by the contents of the max_down_adjust buffer ( representative of the difference between the value ( 40 hex ) and the data rate at which the eventually adsl link trained ). the routine then transitions to step 721 , as described above . if the answer to query step 713 is yes , however , the routine transitions to step 714 , which replaces the ( target sdsl data rate associated ) digital code in the rate_limit buffer with an all one &# 39 ; s value of ff hex ( that disables overwriting the snr reported to the dslam , as pointed out above ), and the routine transitions to query step 714 . thus , at the completion of steps 709 - 714 , the rate_limit buffer will contain one of a minimum ( non - zero ) digital code value (‘ 1 ’), a digital code value ( ff hex ) that disables overwriting the snr reported to the dslam , or an maximum - adjusted rate - limit code . in steps 721 - 723 , the routine sets the minimum data rate at which the dslam is to operate . in query step 721 , a determination is made whether a minimum data rate that has been guaranteed to the customer can be accommodated by the ( target ) sdsl data rate . ( as pointed out above , a range of minimum guaranteed data rates may be employed ( e . g ., ranging from 256k to 896k , at 128k increments )). in step 721 , a “ minimum ” guaranteed data rate ( as stored in a “ guaranteed minimum ” register ) is compared with the difference between the target sdsl rate ( as stored in the target register ) and the ( 64 kbps ) data rate of the auxiliary pots channel . as long as the difference between the target sdsl rate and the ( 64 kbps ) data rate of the auxiliary pots channel is at least equal to or greater than the minimum guaranteed data rate , then delivery of that minimum guaranteed data rate to the customer is assured . in this case ( the answer to step 721 is yes ), the routine transitions to step 722 , wherein the difference between the target sdsl rate and the ( 64 kbps ) data rate of the auxiliary pots channel is stored in a “ minimum ” data rate register . the routine then transitions to step 801 of the adsl training sub - routine of fig8 to be described . however , if the difference between the target sdsl rate and the ( 64 kbps ) pots data rate is less than the minimum guaranteed data rate , the routine transitions to step 723 , wherein the guaranteed minimum value is stored in the minimum data rate register . the routine then transitions to step 801 of the adsl training sub - routine of fig8 . at step 801 , a new adsl train is initiated ( using the data rate code value currently stored in the rate - limit register ), and transitions to self - looped query step 802 , to determine when the adsl channel link 114 from the dslam 104 has trained . as noted above , in the case of ‘ fixed ’ data rate mode , the rate_limit buffer will have been loaded in step 800 with the value ff hex that inhibits overwriting the data rate that has been pre - established by the telecom service provider . for ‘ best efforts ’ ( variable ) data rate mode , however , the calibration sequence described above will have resulted in the rate_limit buffer being loaded with one of a minimum ( non - zero ) digital code value (‘ 1 ’), a digital code value ( ff hex ) that disables overwriting the snr reported to the dslam , or an maximum - adjusted rate - limit code . once the adsl link has trained up in step 802 , the sequence transitions to query step 803 , wherein the actual data rate value at which the adsl link is now trained is compared with the contents of the target sdsl data rate as supplied in step 700 . if the trained ( actual ) adsl data rate is greater than the target sdsl data rate ( the answer to query step 803 is no ), it is concluded that the sdsl link will not support the trained data rate , and the routine transitions to step 812 , which drops the adsl link . the routine then transitions to query step 813 , which determines again whether the dslam is to employ a predetermined , ‘ fixed ’ data rate , or a ‘ best effort ’ data rate . where the answer to query step 813 is “ fixed ” mode , the routine will return to step 801 . however , where the answer to query step 813 is “ best efforts ” mode , the routine transitions to step 723 of the routine of fig7 wherein the contents of the max_down_adj register are replaced . it will be recalled that in step 706 , the max_down_adj register had been loaded with a digital code value representative of the difference between the value ( 40 hex ) and a digital code value representative of the data rate at which the eventually adsl link trained during step 704 . in step 724 , the contents of the max_down_adj register are replaced with a code representative of the difference between the contents of the target ( sdsl data rate ) register and the actual ( currently trained ) data rate register . the routine then transitions to step 709 and proceeds as described above . if the answer to step 803 is yes ( implying that the sdsl link will support the ( actual ) data rate at which the loop is currently trained , the routine transitions to query step 804 . in query step 804 , the actual data rate is compared with the value of the minimum data rate ( as stored in the minimum data register in step 722 or 723 for best efforts mode ). if the minimum data rate is greater than actual data rate ( the answer to query step 804 is no ), the routine transitions to step 812 , as described above . on the other hand , if the actual data rate is greater than or equal to the minimum data rate , the routine transitions to query step 805 , which inquires whether the mode is ‘ best efforts ’ or ‘ fixed rate ’. if the answer to query step 805 is yes (‘ fixed rate ’ mode ), the routine transitions exits at step 810 ( the dslam negotiation is complete ). on the other hand , for ‘ best efforts ’ mode ( the answer to query step 805 is no ), the routine transitions to query step 806 . query step 806 compares the current contents of the actual data rate register with the contents of the calibrate data rate register ( previously stored in step 705 with the data rate at which the loop eventually trained during the calibration sequence . if the current contents of the actual data rate register are the same as the contents of the calibrate data rate register ( the answer to step 806 is yes ), the routine exits at step 810 ( the dslam negotiation is complete ). however , if the current contents of the actual data rate register are different than the contents of the calibrate data rate register ( the answer to query step 806 is no ), the routine transitions to query step 807 . in query step 807 , the contents of the actual data rate register are compared with the ( sdsl data rate ) contents of the target data rate register . if the actual data rate is the same as the target data rate ( the answer to query step 807 is yes ), the routine exits at step 810 ( the dslam negotiation is complete ). if , however , the contents of the actual data rate register differ from the contents of the target data rate register ( the answer to query step 807 is no ), the routine transitions to step 808 . query step 808 determines whether this is the first time that max / min conditions ( of steps 803 and 804 ) have been met . if the answer to query step 808 is no , the routine transitions to step 811 . in step 811 , a flag is set indicating that the dslam has met the max / min conditions , and the routine transitions to step 812 , described above . however , if the answer to query step 808 is yes ( implying that the max / min conditions have been satisfied once before ), the routine exits at step 810 ( the dslam negotiation is complete ). once dslam negotiation is complete ( the routine has transitioned to step 810 ), the finally arrived at data rate currently stored in the actual data rate register ( which has been determined to be sufficient to support the sdsl data rate and the auxiliary 64k pots channel ) is forwarded by the ale - c to the ale - r in the downstream site for training the customer &# 39 ; s modem . as will be appreciated from the foregoing description , the normal tendency of a dslam to transmit data at as high a data rate at which an associated short haul loop will train is controllably modified by the downstream rate establishment mechanism of the invention , which effectively ‘ spoofs ’ the dslam into perceiving that the short haul loop is a much longer loop . as a result , the dslam is selectively induced to transmit at a downstream adsl data rate that is compatible with the data rate supported by the sdsl link ( and also accommodates an auxiliary ( 64k ) pots channel ). while we have shown and described an embodiment in accordance with the present invention , it is to be understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible to numerous changes and modifications as known to a person skilled in the art , and we therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein , but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art .	7
large conferences , typically including 10 &# 39 ; s of participants , will typically have many participants viewing the exact same image ( current speaker plus the most recent 4 or 9 speakers ) as opposed to small conferences , typically including up to 11 participants , where everybody will see a different image , e . g . current speaker in large view , plus the 9 other participants in live “ thumbnail ” views , also known as picture - in - picture ( pip ). a participant will never see himself . if there is packet loss present , there is a chance that some participants ( especially if they are remote participants in a single location , such that they will see the same quality across the wan ) will have the same degree of packet loss or the same bandwidth constraints . hence it makes sense to group endpoints sharing the same bandwidth , packet loss , resolution , etc and use the same virtual endpoint ( ve ) to generate this particular stream . according to embodiments herein , a continuous monitoring of the packet loss characteristics of the connections between the ve and the real endpoints is provided , and may move an endpoint to a different ve at any time . fig1 shows a possible structure of how video data from an endpoint of a current speaker might be processed and switched in a video conference involving virtual endpoints and stream switching nodes . the components included in the mcu are enclosed in the dotted line . an endpoint comprises i . a . typically a decoder and an encoder , which encoder is encoding video data that is being transmitted to an mcu for further transcoding and switching . in some embodiments , virtual endpoints are implemented in the mcu , also comprising a decoder and an encoder for among others to release the respective endpoints from having to generate and transmit video data in different formats and resolution . note that the ve is the entity that composes the outgoing image , and does the encoding of the live image to e . g . the h . 264 standard . when video data from an endpoint has been processed by its dedicated virtual endpoint , it is forwarded to a switching node which is switching the processed video data to other virtual endpoints respectively serving the endpoints in the video conference subscribing video data from the endpoint of the current speaker or a former speaker . the upper part of fig1 shows a situation of one dedicated virtual endpoint for each endpoint subscribing video data , while the lower part of fig1 shows a situation where three of the endpoint subscribing the same video data are sharing the same virtual endpoint . consequently , the subscribing endpoints are sharing encoders on the line - side between the mcu and the endpoints . shared encoders on the line side is relevant for very large meetings ( whether they are distributed or not ), since it greatly increases the number of participants that can connect to a single switching node . on the other hand , sharing encoders in the backplane is relevant for distributed deployments of an mcu . in a distributed mcu application , where multiple switching nodes reside in different locations , the media streams are transmitted between switching nodes over a logical entity called “ the backplane ”. as exemplified in fig2 , location a , b , c and d and the backplane belongs to a distributed mcu . this allows for optimizing resource usage in distributed conferences where multiple nodes are involved . the transcode entities indicated at location a comprises i . a . an encoder to encode video data from respective ves at location a switched by the location &# 39 ; s stream switching node to be forwarded through the backplane to other locations subscribing video data from one or more of the endpoints associated with location a . as indicated from the arrows crossing the backplane , this also applies for the opposite direction . as an example , if the current speaker is in location a , all the other participants in locations a , b , c , and d should receive the transmitted video from the current speaker . the switching node in location a will therefor send one stream to location b , one stream to location c and one stream to location d . each stream will be separately encoded in the transcode entities in order to cope with packet loss and other network impairments across the backplane . hence , fig2 shows the naïve case with one transcoder per stream . this works and is robust , but is requires a lot of resources since transcoding a high definition ( hd ) video stream is quite cpu intensive . in the case of low bandwidth or packet loss between location a and location b , the stream from a to b can be separately transcoded to a lower resolution format using less bandwidth ( compared to the streams from a to c and a to d ), hence making the system more robust . however , it is possible to reduce the need for cpu resources by sharing of encoders . embodiments herein , teaches a general process starting with no encoders in the ve or transcoder entity at all . each stream across the backplane or the line - side is monitored for packet loss indicated by a packet loss indication ( pli ) and requests for new participants and new location of the distributed mcu . in the event of a request for a new participant or detection of a pli within a time frame , an encoder is allocated for that stream . if other streams have similar packet loss issues , these streams are grouped together and will share a common encoder . fig3 is a flow chart illustrating an example embodiment . a “ pad ” denotes a virtual entity within a transcoding entity or a ve when encoder resources are shared . “ new pad requested ”— occurs when a new endpoint or a new location joins the call or when a pli has been detected within a certain time frame . when a new pad is requested , a new encoder will be created in order to generate the stream to be sent out through the pad and to the real endpoint or to a different location through the backplane . according to one embodiment , a pad is adjusted to monitor packet loss indications ( pli ) of the data packets received from the associated endpoint on the line - side or from an associated location on the backplane . when an endpoint is subscribing video data , a new pad is requested in a ve 1 . similarly , when a location is subscribing video data from another location , a new pad is requested in a transcoder entity at this location . in both cases , a step of creating a new encoder is executed 2 . it is then investigated whether the maximum number of encoders is reached 3 . the maximum number of encoders is the predefined allowed number of encoders which is not shared by a plurality of pads . if the maximum number of encoders is reached , all existing pads in addition to the new created pad are linked to the newly created encoder 4 , i . e all the pads will share the newly created encoder . if the maximum number of encoders is not reached , only the new pad will be linked to the newly created encoder 5 . then , the now unused encoders are freed 6 and made available for subsequent creation of new encoders . the process is then pending for a pli 7 , and when pli is detected 8 within a predefined timeout period 9 since last pli , the process then turns to the step of creating a new encoder 2 , and is proceeding further according to the process from there as described above . if pli is not detected within the predefined timeout period , the process is accordingly pending for a pli in another predefined timeout period . fig4 is an illustration of a snapshot in a ve or a transcoder entity having four non - sharing encoders each linked to one pad shown in solid lines . here , the predefined maximum number of encoders is four . the dotted lines indicate what happens when a new encoder is introduced , either because of a new pad request or because a pli within the predefined time period is detected . as can be seen , all existing pads in addition to the new created pad are linked to the newly created encoder . as a consequence , the other encoders are freed as available encoding resources for subsequent pad requests . as streams are monitored for packet loss and bandwidth characteristics they can be moved from one shared encoder to another shared encoder . best case , a stream can stop using a transcoder altogether . the embodiments as described above have shown that hundreds of endpoints can be served by tens of ves , resulting in significant savings in cpu usage . the embodiments herein are not limited to the above described examples . various alternatives , modifications and 15 equivalents may be used .	7
in order to better comprehend the present invention , the content thereof is further described by way of the following examples . however , the scope of the present invention would not be confined in the following examples . the raw materials used in the following examples are sandy kaolin ores coming from maoming , guangdong province , china . as shown in fig1 , a process for producing the kaolin product for paper coating includes the following steps : ( a ) the kaolin ores were mined by hydromechanization and the solid content of slurry was 6 wt . %. kaolin slurry a was obtained when the slurry at the mine site was passed through the spiral classifier and three - stage hydrocyclones to remove the sands , and then the kaolin slurry a was transferred into storage pool . dispersants sodium hexametaphosphate e . g . in 1 kg / t and sodium silicate e . g . in 0 . 8 kg / t , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry a , were added to the kaolin slurry a to obtain kaolin slurry b . the kaolin slurry b was passed through the hydrocyclones to obtain kaolin slurry c whose content of sands was reduced to less than 0 . 05 % and the tailings were thrown away . the kaolin slurry c was deposited for a period of time to reach a concentration of 13 wt . % to obtain kaolin slurry d , which was transferred to the next step . the kaolin slurry d as transferred from the former step was classified with a horizontal spiral sedimentation machine with the rotate speed of 3700 r / min ( round per minute ) and the separating parameter of 3000 . the bottom flow was used for other applications and the overflow was kaolin slurry e . the kaolin slurry e was allowed to flow into an octagonal pool and stirred by an agitator . sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphoric acid were added into the kaolin slurry e in the octagonal pool . the sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphoric acid were added in 2 kg / t , 6 kg / t and 2 kg / t respectively , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry e , and ph value of the slurry was adjusted to about 2 . the bleaching was performed for 10 minutes , and kaolin slurry f was obtained . the ferric irons ( fe 3 + ) were removed from the kaolin by chemical bleaching with the methods of acid dipping , reduction and complexation . the ferric irons ( fe 3 + ) in the kaolin were reduced to ferrous irons ( fe 2 + ) by sulfuric acid and sodium dithionite under the chemical bleaching reaction ( reduction reaction ). in order to prevent the reversion that the ferrous irons are re - oxidized to ferric irons and the phenomenon that the slurry reverses from white to yellow , phosphoric acid was applied to complex the ferric ions and the whiteness of the kaolin was improved by washing the complex out from the slurry . the additions of the sulfuric acid and sodium dithionite were determined by the ferric ions content of the kaolin according to the reaction formula as follows : fe 2 o 3 + na 2 s 2 o 4 + 3h 2 so 4 ═ na 2 so 4 + 2feso 4 + 3h 2 o + 2so 2 ↑ ( d ) iron ions were eliminated by circular rinsing and the kaolin slurry f was washed by circular rinsing and dewatered to remove the ferrous ions and ferric complex and then kaolin slurry g was obtained ; ( e ) water was removed by the pressure filtration and the kaolin slurry g was filtered and filter cakes , which contained 32 wt . % water and had a ph value of 4 . 3 , fell into a dispersing pond ; ( f ) slurry was produced by deflocculating ( the filter cakes were treated by chemical agents after they were dewatered ) complex dispersants , ph adjusting agent and intercalator were added into the filter cakes . complex dispersants used were sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium polyacrylate . the ph adjusting agent used was sodium hydroxide and the intercalator was urea . sodium polyacrylate with a molecular weight of about 1300 was added in 1 wt . %, sodium hexametaphosphate was added in 2 wt . %; sodium hydroxide was added in 3 wt . % and the intercalator urea , a conventional agricultural fertilizer , was added in 2 wt . % as compared to the dry weight of the filter cakes ( the weight of the dry powders ). the slurry was stirred and dispersed to obtain kaolin slurry h whose solid content was 56 wt . % and ph value was adjusted to 6 . 3 . the kaolin slurry h was added into vertical agitated mills containing particulate grinding medium ( ceramic spheres , glass beads , synthetic corundum spheres or nylonpolyethylene spheres ) and then kaolin slurry i was obtained whose solid content was 56 wt . %. the kaolin slurry i was passed through two layers of 325 - mesh vibrating sieves to achieve kaolin slurry j ; and spray driers were restructured by adding insulating layers on the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker at first ( intercalating urea into the layers of kaolin by the waste heat of the spray drier ). the kaolin slurry j which had passed through vibrating sieves was dried in high speed centrifugal spray drying tower , and the parameter of fresh feed pump was 3 . 5 hz ( in order to control the feed rate ), the temperatures of the inlet and the outlet of the spray drier were set to 230 ° c . and 60 ° c . respectively and the moisture of kaolin powder was controlled at 3 wt . %. the intercalation reaction in the kaolin slurry was performed in the process that the powder passed through the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker . the kaolin product for paper coating was obtained finally after the intercalation reaction . the indexes of the products were analyzed ( see table 1 and table 2 ). ( a ) the kaolin ores were mined by hydromechanization and the solid content of slurry was 7 wt . %. kaolin slurry a was obtained when the slurry at the mine site was passed through the spiral classifier and three - stage hydrocyclones to remove the sands and then kaolin slurry a was transferred into storage pool . dispersants sodium hexametaphosphate e . g . in 1 . 5 kg / t and sodium silicate e . g . in 1 . 0 kg / t , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry a , were added to the kaolin slurry a to obtain kaolin slurry b . the kaolin slurry b was passed through the hydrocyclones to obtain kaolin slurry c whose content of sands was reduced to less than 0 . 05 % and the tailings were thrown away . the kaolin slurry c was deposited for a period of time to reach a concentration of 14 wt . % to obtain kaolin slurry d , which was transferred to the next step . the kaolin slurry d as transferred from the former step was classified with a horizontal spiral sedimentation machine with the rotate speed of 3800 r / min and the separating parameter of 3200 . the bottom flow was used for other applications and the overflow was kaolin slurry e . the kaolin slurry e was allowed to flow into an octagonal pool and stirred by an agitator . sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphoric acid were added into the slurry e in the octagonal pool . the sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphoric acid were added in 3 . 5 kg / t , 6 kg / t and 2 . 3 kg / t respectively , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry e , and ph value of the slurry was adjusted to about 3 . the bleaching was performed for 15 minutes , and kaolin slurry f was obtained . ( d ) iron ions were eliminated by circular rinsing and the kaolin slurry f was washed by circular rinsing and dewatered to remove the ferrous ions and ferric complex and then kaolin slurry g was obtained . ( e ) water was removed by the pressure filtration and the kaolin slurry g was filtered and filter cakes , which contained 33 wt . % water and had a ph value of 5 . 0 , fell into a dispersing pond . ( f ) slurry was produced by deflocculating ( the filter cakes were treated by chemical agents after they were dewatered ) complex dispersants , ph adjusting agent and intercalator were added into the filter cakes . complex dispersants used were sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium polyacrylate . the ph adjusting agent used was sodium hydroxide and the intercalator was urea . sodium polyacrylate with a molecular weight of about 1500 was added in 1 wt . %, sodium hexametaphosphate was added in 2 . 5 wt . %; sodium hydroxide was added in 3 wt . % and the intercalator urea , a conventional agricultural fertilizer , was added in 2 wt . % as compared to the dry weight of the filter cakes ( the weight of the dry powders ). the slurry was stirred and dispersed to obtain kaolin slurry h whose solid content was 58 wt . % and ph value was adjusted to 6 . 5 . the kaolin slurry h was added into vertical agitated mills containing a particulate grinding medium ( ceramic spheres , glass beads , synthetic corundum spheres or nylonpolyethylene spheres ) and then kaolin slurry i was obtained whose solid content was 56 wt . %. the kaolin slurry i was passed through two layers of 325 - mesh vibrating sieves to achieve kaolin slurry j . spray driers were restructured by adding insulating layers on the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker at first ( intercalating urea into the layers of kaolin by the waste heat of the spray drier ). the kaolin slurry j which had passed through vibrating sieves was dried in high speed centrifugal spray drying tower , and the parameter of fresh feed pump was 3 . 8 hz , the temperatures of the inlet and the outlet of the spray drier were set to 258 ° c . and 65 ° c . respectively and the moisture of kaolin powder was controlled at 4 wt . %. the intercalation reaction in the kaolin slurry performs was performed in the process that the powder passed through the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker . the kaolin product for paper coating was obtained finally after the intercalation reaction . the indexes of the product were analyzed ( see table 1 and table 2 ). the process for producing the kaolin product for paper coating included the following steps : ( a ) the kaolin ores were mined by hydromechanization and the solid content of slurry was 7 wt . %. kaolin slurry a was obtained when the slurry at the mine site was passed through the spiral classifier and three - stage hydrocyclones to remove the sands and then the kaolin slurry a was transferred into storage pool . dispersants sodium hexametaphosphate e . g . in 1 . 5 kg / t and sodium silicate e . g . in 1 . 02 kg / t , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry a were added to the kaolin slurry a to obtain kaolin slurry b . the kaolin slurry b was passed through the hydrocyclones to obtain kaolin slurry c whose content of sands was reduced to less than 0 . 05 % and the tailings were thrown away . the kaolin slurry c was deposited for a period of time to reach a concentration of 15 wt . % to obtain kaolin slurry d , which was transferred to the next step . the kaolin slurry d as transferred from the former step was classified with a horizontal spiral sedimentation machine with the rotate speed of 3800 r / min and the separating parameter of 3500 . the bottom flow was used for other applications and the overflow was kaolin slurry e . the kaolin slurry e was allowed to flow into an octagonal pool and stirred by an agitator . sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphoric acid were added into the kaolin slurry e in the octagonal pool . the sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphorous acid were added in 5 kg / t , 7 kg / t and 3 . 4 kg / t respectively , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry e , and ph value of the kaolin slurry was adjusted to about 3 . the bleaching was performed for 15 minutes , and kaolin slurry f was obtained . ( d ) iron ions were eliminated by circular rinsing and the kaolin slurry f was washed by circular rinsing and dewatered to remove the ferrous ions and ferric complex and then kaolin slurry g was obtained . ( e ) water was removed by the pressure filtration and the kaolin slurry g was filtered and filter cakes , which contained 33 wt . % water and ph value was 5 . 0 , fell into a dispersing pond . ( f ) slurry was produced by deflocculating ( the filter cakes were treated by chemecial agents after they were dewatered ) complex dispersants , ph adjusting agent and intercalator were added into the filter cakes . complex dispersants used were sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium polyacrylate . the ph adjusting agent used was sodium hydroxide and the intercalator was urea . sodium polyacrylate with a molecular weight of about 1500 was added in 1 wt . %, sodium hexametaphosphate was added in 2 . 5 wt . %; sodium hydroxide was added in 3 wt . % and the intercalator urea , a conventional agricultural fertilizer , was added in 5 wt . % as compared to the dry weight of the filter cakes ( the weight of the dry powders ). the slurry was stirred and dispersed to obtain kaolin slurry h whose solid content was 59 wt . % and ph value was adjusted to 6 . 5 . the kaolin slurry h was added into vertical agitated mills containing a particulate grinding medium ( ceramic spheres , glass beads , synthetic corundum spheres or nylonpolyethylene spheres ) and then kaolin slurry i was obtained whose solid content was 56 wt . %. the kaolin slurry i was passed through two layers of 325 - mesh vibrating sieves to achieve kaolin slurry j . spray driers were restructured by adding insulating layers on the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker at first ( intercalating urea into the layers of kaolin by the waste heat of the spray drier ). the kaolin slurry j which had passed through vibrating sieves was dried in high speed centrifugal spray drying tower , and the parameter of fresh feed pump was 3 . 8 hz , the temperatures of the inlet and the outlet of the spray drier were set to 370 ° c . and 70 ° c . respectively and the moisture of kaolin powder was controlled at 5 wt . %. the intercalation reaction in the kaolin slurry was performed in the process that the powder passed through the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker . the kaolin product for paper coating was obtained finally after the intercalation reaction . the indexes of the product were analyzed ( see table 1 and table 2 ). the process for producing the kaolin product for paper coating included the following steps : ( a ) the kaolin ores were mined by hydromechanization and the solid content of slurry was 10 wt . %. kaolin slurry a was obtained when the slurry at the mine site was passed through the spiral classifier and three - stage hydrocyclones to remove the sands and then the kaolin slurry a was transferred into storage pool . dispersants sodium hexametaphosphate e . g . in 2 kg / t and sodium silicate e . g . in 1 . 2 kg / t , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry a , were added to the kaolin slurry a to obtain kaolin slurry b . the kaolin slurry b was passed through the hydrocyclones to obtain kaolin slurry c whose content of sands was reduced to less than 0 . 05 % and the tailings were thrown away . the kaolin slurry c was deposited for a period of time to reach a concentration of 19 wt . % to obtain kaolin slurry d . the kaolin slurry d as transferred from the former step was classified with a horizontal spiral sedimentation machine with the rotate speed of 3900 r / min and the separating parameter of 3800 . the bottom flow was used for other applications and the overflow was kaolin slurry e . the kaolin slurry e was allowed to flow into an octagonal pool and stirred by an agitator . sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphoric acid were added into the slurry e in the octagonal pool . the sulfuric acid , sodium dithionite and phosphorous acid were added in 7 kg / t , 8 kg / t and 5 kg / t respectively , based on the weight of the kaolin slurry e , and ph value of the slurry was adjusted to about 4 . the bleaching was performed for 25 minutes , and kaolin slurry f was obtained . ( d ) iron ions were eliminated by circular rinsing and the kaolin slurry f was washed by circular rinsing and dewatered to remove the ferrous ions and ferric complex and then kaolin slurry g was obtained . ( e ) water was removed by the pressure filtration and the kaolin slurry g was filtered and filter cakes , which contained 35 wt . % water and ph value was 5 . 9 , fell into a dispersing pond . ( f ) slurry was produced by deflocculating ( the filter cakes were treated by chemical agents after they were dewatered ) complex dispersants , ph adjusting agent and intercalator were added into the filter cakes . complex dispersants used were sodium hexametaphosphate and sodium polyacrylate . the ph adjusting agent used was sodium hydroxide and the intercalator was urea . sodium polyacrylate with a molecular weight of about 2000 was added in 3 wt . %, sodium hexametaphosphate was added in 3 wt . %; sodium hydroxide was added in 4 . 5 wt . % and the intercalator urea , a conventional agricultural fertilizer , was added in 6 wt . % as compared to the dry weight of the filter cakes ( the weight of the dry powders ). the slurry was stirred and dispersed to obtain kaolin slurry h whose solid content was 62 wt . % and ph value was adjusted to 6 . 5 . the kaolin slurry h was added into vertical agitated mills containing a particulate grinding medium ( ceramic spheres , glass beads , synthetic corundum spheres or nylonpolyethylene spheres and then kaolin slurry i was obtained whose solid content was 62 wt . %. the slurry i was passed through two layers of 325 - mesh vibrating sieves to achieve kaolin slurry j . spray driers were restructured by adding insulating layers on the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker at first ( intercalating urea into the layers of kaolin by the waste heat of the spray drier ). the kaolin slurry j which had passed through vibrating sieves was dried in high speed centrifugal spray drying tower , and the parameter of fresh feed pump was 4 . 0 hz , the temperatures of the inlet and the outlet of the spray drier were set to 380 ° c . and 85 ° c . respectively and the moisture of kaolin powder was controlled at 5 wt . %. the intercalation reaction in the kaolin slurry was performed intercalation reaction in the process that the powder passed through the packing auger , the elevator scoop and the bunker . the kaolin product for paper coating was obtained finally after the intercalation reaction . the indexes of the products were analyzed ( see table 1 and table 2 ).	2
referring now to the drawings and , more particularly , to fig1 - 15 , there is shown generally a specific , illustrative adjustable hinge 10 for doors , windows or the like according to various aspects of the present invention . in one embodiment , illustrated generally in fig1 , the hinge comprises two hinge bodies , an upper body 11 and a lower body 12 , respectively , for respective attachment to a fixed frame 13 and a mobile frame or leaf 14 of the door or window and pivotally connected to one another by a pin 15 . both the upper body 11 and the lower body 12 of the hinge are provided with suitable means 16 for fixing them respectively to the leaf 14 and to the frame 13 of the door or window , such as fixing screws 16 a and a plate 16 b for covering the screws 16 a . the plate 16 b is attached with further screws 16 c ( see fig5 ) accessible to the operator from the inner side of the door , and thereby also provides protection against burglars . first means 17 , described later on with reference in particular to fig5 and 6 , for the adjustment of the mutual positions of the two hinge bodies in a direction crosswise to the axis of the pin 15 are associated with the upper body 11 . more in particular , this direction is substantially parallel to the plane of the door or window leaf and is indicated by the letter z in fig8 , 9 , 10 and 11 . for the sake of brevity , from now on , the adjustment in said direction z will be called “ lateral adjustment ”. second means 18 ( see fig4 ) for the adjustment of the mutual positions of said two hinge bodies 11 and 12 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the plane of the door or window leaf 14 (“ orthogonal adjustment ”) are associated with the lower body 12 . third means 19 for the adjustment of the mutual positions of said two hinge bodies 11 and 12 in the direction of the axis of the hinge pin (“ vertical adjustment ”) are also associated with the same lower body 12 . the second and third adjustment means are described later on . the first means 17 of hinge lateral adjustment comprise a sleeve 20 defining an internal seat 21 ( or , in other words , a circular blind hole ) for coaxially coupling , by interference , with the upper part 15 a of the revolving pin 15 , and an outer lateral surface for coupling with a corresponding housing 22 passing through the upper body 11 . clearly , in other embodiments , the pin 15 and sleeve 20 may be made in a single piece or , in any case , be monolithic . the sleeve 20 substantially consists of a cylindrical body 20 a extending over the full length of the upper body 11 of the hinge 10 . a flange 23 abutting against the lower edge of the upper body 11 projects from the lower end of cylindrical body 20 a . at the other end of the sleeve 20 , opposite the flange 23 , a blind hole 24 is formed , shaped to form a hexagon - shaped seat for a wrench . the lateral surface of the cylindrical body 20 a forming the sleeve 20 is formed with three distinct portions 20 b of contact with the walls of the housing 22 . in the present embodiment , the contact portions 20 b are longitudinal projections with a semicylindrical shape the axis of which is parallel to the axis of the cylindrical body 20 a . as clearly shown in the figures , the projections 20 b are equidistant from one another around the cylindrical body 20 a , i . e . they are spaced at an angle of 120 °. fig1 shows a variation of the sleeve , identified here as 120 , equivalent to the one described above . in this variation the sleeve 120 is still formed with three projections 120 b , but two of them are radiused to one another . the sleeve 20 is axially pivotable in the housing 22 and the form of the housing is such that , while the sleeve remains constantly in contact with the walls of the housing during its rotation to change position , it can occupy substantially any position along a limited length in the direction parallel to the plane of the door or window leaf , i . e . the direction z of lateral adjustment of the first means 17 . see specifically fig8 , 9 , 10 and 11 . in particular , the shape of the housing 22 is symmetrical with respect to a longitudinal plane parallel to the axis of the pin 15 and is formed with three different sliding grooves for respective projections 20 b . in particular two first grooves 22 a that are symmetrical to one another in relation to said plane , and one second groove 22 b , extending between the first grooves 22 a . the two first grooves 22 a are radiused to one another at adjacent ends thereof , while at the opposite ends they have abutments 22 c for the respective projections 20 b , corresponding to the ends of the pivotal stroke of the sleeve 20 , i . e . the limit stops for the adjustment in the direction of the plane of the door or window leaf 14 . the upper hinge body 11 comprises means 25 for reversibly locking the sleeve 20 inside the housing 22 by means of a thrust exerted in a defined locking direction that , in this example , is crosswise to the housing 22 ( and also orthogonal to the lateral adjustment direction z ) and lies on its symmetry plane . in fig8 , 9 , 10 and 11 , said plane / direction corresponds to the position “ 0 ” of the sleeve inside the housing , as explained in more detail later on . the locking means 25 comprise , for instance ( see fig4 and 5 ), a threaded dowel 26 inserted through a corresponding counter - threaded through hole 27 provided on the side of the upper hinge body 11 . the dowel 26 extends in the housing 22 and abuts against the side of the cylindrical body 20 a of the sleeve 20 , at a recessed area or gap 22 d formed an intermediate position in the projections 22 a . when the locking dowel 26 pushes against the cylindrical body 20 a of the sleeve 20 , at least two projections 20 b exert a thrusting action on the inside wall of the housing 22 , i . e . on the respective grooves 22 a , 22 b in two directions incident to one another . in other words , the thrust exerted by the dowel is decomposed along two directions that are not parallel to one another ( in the example , the result is achieved because the projections are angularly spaced by 120 °; in fig8 , the arrows showing the thrusting action on the projections for locking the sleeve are indicated by the letter s ). the locking dowel thus succeeds completely in taking up any slack due to machining tolerances in the coupling between the sleeve 20 and the housing 22 . the lateral adjustment of the hinge is carried out as follows . the sleeve 20 is coaxial to the hinge pin 15 and it is integral therewith . the pin can rotate inside the lower hinge body 12 . action can be taken with a wrench in the hexagon - shaped seat in the blind hole 24 at the end of the sleeve 20 to make the sleeve rotate ( note that the sleeve cannot translate because it is attached to the pin , which is pivotally connected to the hinge body associated with the fixed door frame ). the particular shaping of the housing 22 ensures that the projections 20 b sliding along the walls of the housing induce a thrust sufficient to achieve a substantial translation of the housing , i . e . of the upper hinge body 11 , in the lateral adjustment direction z ( i . e . the direction parallel to the main plane of the door leaf ). fig8 shows the respective positions of the sleeve 20 and the upper hinge body 11 in position “ 0 ”, i . e . in the position of intermediate adjustment in which the three projections 20 a are in contact with their respective grooves on the inside walls of the housing 22 and the hinge body can still translate to the right or left of said position . fig9 shows the respective positions of the sleeve 20 and the upper hinge body 11 in position “ x ”, i . e . after maximal rightward displacement , where one projection 22 a abuts against the corresponding limit stop 22 c . note that the axis of the pin 15 has been displaced from position “ 0 ” to position “ x ” while sliding in the z direction ; the three projections 22 a are in a different position , but always abutting with the inside surface of the housing 22 . similarly , fig1 shows the respective positions of the sleeve 20 and the upper hinge body 11 in position “ y ”, i . e . of maximal leftwards displacement , where one projection 22 a abuts against the corresponding limit stop 22 c . note that the axis of the pin 15 has been displaced from position “ 0 ” to position “ y ” while sliding in the z direction ; here again , the three projections are in another different position , but always abutting with the inside surface of the housing 22 . fig1 schematically shows the mutual positions of the sleeve 20 and the upper hinge body 11 in any of the different intermediate positions in which they can be adjusted . once the upper hinge body 11 has been suitably positioned in relation to the sleeve 20 , the locking dowel 26 is tightened against the sleeve 20 , thus preventing any mutual movements of the sleeve and the housing and taking up the slack in the coupling between the two . finally , a small cap c 1 is fitted to cover the housing 22 . it should be noted that the respective positions of the sleeve and the housing can be adjusted continuously and not stepwise , so they can occupy any intermediate lateral hinge adjustment position . as mentioned previously , second adjustment means 18 are advantageously associated with the lower body 12 for adjusting the respective positions of said hinge bodies 11 and 12 in a direction substantially orthogonal to the plane of the door leaf (“ orthogonal adjustment ”), and third adjustment means 19 are associated therewith for the vertical adjustment of the hinge . the first lateral adjustment means 17 , the second orthogonal adjustment means 18 and the third vertical adjustment means 19 are substantially independent of one another . as shown in particular in fig4 , 6 and 7 , the second orthogonal adjustment means 18 comprise a cylindrical cavity 28 passing through the lower hinge body 12 along an axis parallel to the axis of the pin 15 . a sleeve 29 is housed in the cylindrical cavity 28 and is fitted with a flange 30 abutting against the upper end of the lower hinge body 12 the sleeve 29 is formed with a vertically - extending through hole 29 a , which in turn contains a bushing 31 — made of a self - lubricating plastic material , for instance — pivotally housing the lower part 15 b of the revolving pin 15 . the bushing 31 is eccentric with respect to the sleeve 29 . the eccentricity between the axis of the bushing 31 and pin 15 and the axis of the sleeve 29 is indicated by the letter e in fig1 . in this figure the axis of the bushing 31 and pin 15 , and the axis of the sleeve 29 lie on the same plane , which coincides with the direction “ z ”, i . e . a direction parallel to the plane of the corresponding door leaf ( when closed ) passing through the axis of the pin 15 . the lower opening 32 in the through hole 29 a of the sleeve 29 is in the shape of a hexagon to enable the rotation of the sleeve with the aid of a suitable wrench . the bushing 31 on which the pin 15 is supported and rotates is substantially integral with the sleeve 29 so that , when action is taken on the hexagon - shaped lower opening 32 , the bushing 31 is also rotated . with reference to the orthogonal adjustment of the hinge , fig1 shows the intermediate position of the hinge in which the eccentricity e is aligned with the direction z . from the intermediate position , a rotation of the sleeve induces an angular displacement of the eccentricity and a consequent revolution of the axis of the pin 15 on a circular path with a radius e . depending on the direction of rotation , the axis of the pin 15 may consequently come to be displaced forwards or backwards in a direction orthogonal to the direction z , i . e . it may be brought closer to or further away from the door frame . fig1 shows a clockwise rotation of the sleeve such that the pin 15 is displaced ( in z ′) from the direction z towards the door frame . fig1 shows an anticlockwise rotation of the sleeve such that the pin 15 is displaced ( in z ″) from the direction z away from the door frame . a screw 33 engages with the sleeve 29 through a counter - threaded through hole 34 in the side of the lower hinge body 12 . one end of the screw 33 is inserted in a semicircular groove 35 formed on the lateral surface of the sleeve 29 and abuts against the sleeve 29 to lock it in position and take up any slack on the coupling between the cylindrical cavity 28 and the sleeve 29 . the ends 36 of the groove 35 define the limits stops for the rotation of the sleeve and consequently the ends of stroke for the orthogonal adjustment of the hinge . there is a further semicircular groove 35 a on the sleeve 29 , symmetrical to the groove 35 in relation to a vertical plane , enabling the sleeve to be used for both rightward and leftward opening hinges . the internal lower portion 37 of the through hole 29 a in the sleeve 29 is threaded for coupling with a small counter - threaded cylinder 38 , with a blind backing plate 38 a that has a hexagonal shape to allow for the insertion of a suitable wrench . the bushing 31 , and therefore the pin 15 , rest on said small cylinder 38 . together , the small cylinder 38 and the internal lower portion 37 of the through hole 29 a constitute the above - mentioned third adjustment means of vertical hinge adjustment 19 . in fact , by acting on the small cylinder 38 , the bushing 31 with the pin 15 , and consequently also the upper hinge body 11 , is displaced upwards or downwards . once the orthogonal and vertical adjustments are carried out , a lower cap c 2 is inserted to cover the cylindrical cavity 28 . the hinge thus conceived enables the proposed objects of the invention to be achieved . in fact , this hinge structure enables the respective positions of the hinge bodies to be adjusted independently , thereby succeeding in completely taking up the slack due to manufacturing tolerances , entirely to the advantage of a greater durability of the hinge assembly . in particular , this hinge enables a lateral adjustment of the respective positions of the hinge bodies that is extremely precise ( because it is not stepwise ) and that is particularly effective in taking up the slack , this latter action taking place “ automatically ” with the locking of the hinge bodies in the required position . moreover , the range of adjustment is extremely precise thanks to the presence of limit stops on the adjustment elements , thereby any problems of erroneous hinge adjustments are avoided . it has to be pointed out that the terms “ upper ” and “ lower ”, “ right ” and “ left ”, as used in the present specification , are to be understood with reference to the corresponding sides of the drawings in which the hinge of the invention is shown . clearly , the hinge thus conceived may undergo numerous modifications and variants , all coming within the scope of the present invention ; moreover , all the components may be substituted with other , technically equivalent elements , without departing from the scope of the invention . in practical terms , any materials may be used , providing they are compatible with the intended use , and they may be of any shape and size , according to need and the state of the art . where the characteristics and techniques mentioned in any of the claims are followed by reference signs , these have been included merely as an example and for the sole purpose of facilitating the reading of the claims and they shall consequently not be construed to limit the interpretation of the element they identify . various modifications and alterations to the present invention may be appreciated based on a review of this disclosure . these changes and additions are intended to be within the scope and spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims .	8
the present invention in the form of one or more exemplary embodiments will now be discussed . the present invention can be applied to the third step of the initial cell search procedure when a mobile terminal is initially powered on to identify the base station or cell which transmitted the received signals containing a scrambling code . fig1 is a simplified diagram illustrating the timing of the scrambling codes of the eight ( 8 ) cells within a group . referring to fig1 the scrambling code of each cell is transmitted on a periodic basis and the period of the scrambling code of each cell is thirty - eight thousand and four hundred ( 38 , 400 ) chips , i . e ., the scrambling code of each cell is repeated after 38 , 400 chips . for example , for cell “ 0 ”, c 0 is transmitted at t 0 and at t 38 , 400 . furthermore , the scrambling codes of any two adjacent cells are offset by sixteen ( 16 ) chips . for example , cells “ 0 ” and “ 1 ” transmit c 0 and c 16 respectively at to . the scrambling codes of all the cells within the group are transmitted at the same frame boundary . by having a 16 - chip offset between two adjacent cells , the scrambling codes between two adjacent groups of cells are offset by one hundred and twenty - eight ( 128 ) ( 16 * 8 = 128 ). according to one exemplary method of the present invention , a scrambling code represented by the received signals is identified by using a single scrambling code generator to attain n chip correlation of the received signals with eight ( 8 ) primary scrambling codes in a group within n + 16 * 7 = n + 112 chips . [ 0028 ] fig2 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method of the present invention . referring to fig2 at 20 , the correlation length n is first determined . the correlation length n is the amount of time during which correlation between the received signals and the generated scrambling codes is summed up . the correlation length n is selected such that reasonable correlation results can be obtained . typical values of the correlation length n range from sixty - four ( 64 ) to two hundred and fifty - six ( 256 ), depending on the relative carrier frequency offset between the transmitted and received signals . a person of ordinary skill in the art will know how to select the proper correlation length . next , at 22 , using the selected correlation length , the chip offset ( co ) between two adjacent scrambling codes , and the number of cells ( c ) within a group , a master scrambling code is generated . the master scrambling code has a period , e . g ., 38 , 400 chips , which is sufficient to allow correlations to be performed reliably . n + co ( c − 1 ) corresponds to the amount of code needed to be generated to perform a correlation of length n with c cells spaced co chips apart . it should be noted that the product term co c represents the chip offset between the respective scrambling codes of the first cells of two adjacent groups of base stations or cells . as mentioned above , during the first two steps of the initial cell search procedure , the start of the frame containing the scrambling code is identified and group identification information relating to the group which includes the cell that transmitted the received signals is available . with this information , the group which includes the cell that transmitted the received signals is identified . moreover , using this information , the proper master scrambling code which covers all the possible scrambling codes from all the cells within the identified group can be generated . at 24 , portions of the master scrambling code are used to create individual scrambling codes which correspond to the cells within the identified group . these individual scrambling codes are then correlated with the received signals in a parallel manner to determine which of the cells within the identified group transmitted the received signals . the following is an example illustrating the exemplary method of the present invention . the example is based on the following assumptions : the correlation length n is two hundred and fifty - six ( 256 ); the chip offset co is sixteen ( 16 ); and the number of cells c within the identified group is eight ( 8 ). the period of the master scrambling code is thirty - eight thousand and four hundred ( 38 , 400 ) chips . next , three hundred and sixty - eight ( 368 ) chips ( c 0 → c 367 ) of master scrambling code is generated from a single scrambling code generator tuned to the first primary cell of the underlying identified group . the length of three hundred and sixty - eight ( 368 ) chips is determined based on the formula n + co ( c − 1 ) which , in this case , equals to 256 + 16 ( 8 − 1 )= 256 + 16 * 7 = 256 + 112 = 368 . it should be noted that it is not necessary to generate all three hundred and sixty - eight ( 368 ) chips prior to correlation . the generation of three hundred and sixty - eight ( 368 ) chips is specified to emphasize the total number of chips required out of the scrambling code generator to implement eight ( 8 ) parallel correlations of two hundred and fifty - six ( 256 ) chips each . [ 0031 ] fig3 is a simplified diagram illustrating parallel correlations of eight ( 8 ) cells in a group using a single scrambling code generator . as shown in fig3 each of the eight ( 8 ) correlators correlates the received signals ( d 0 → d 255 ) with two hundred and fifty - six ( 256 ) chips of scrambling code , each starting at an offset of sixteen ( 16 ) chips . for example , the first correlator correlates the received signals ( d 0 → d 255 ) with the complex conjugate of ( c 0 → c 255 ); the second correlator correlates the received signals ( d 0 → d 255 ) with the complex conjugate of ( c 16 → c 271 ); and so on , and the final correlator correlates the received signals ( d 0 → d 255 ) with the complex conjugate of ( c 112 → c 367 ). the correlation results are then obtained from each of the correlators . by evaluating the correlation results , the scrambling code represented by the received signals can be identified and , hence , the identity of the base station or cell which transmitted the received signals can also be determined . [ 0032 ] fig4 is a simplified diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the exemplary method described above in accordance with the present invention . it is to be noted that the received signals are processed simultaneously in real - time by eight ( 8 ) parallel correlators . the scrambling code generator generates three hundred and sixty - eight ( 368 ), i . e ., n + 112 chips . this is in contrast to 8n chips that must be generated for the alternative approach in the parallel search implementation . hence , there is a factor of 8n /( n + 128 ) savings on the scrambling code generation complexity using the present invention , which equals to 5 . 3 for n = 256 ( an 82 % reduction in complexity ). the exemplary method of the present invention as described may be implemented in software , hardware or a combination of both . for example , the exemplary method of the present invention may be implemented as control logic using software embedded in a mobile terminal . when implemented using software , the exemplary method may be implemented in a modular or integrated manner within the mobile terminal . based on disclosure provided herein , a person of ordinary skill in the art will know of other ways and / or methods to implement the present invention . referring to fig3 it can be seen that in accordance with the exemplary method , for a correlation length of two hundred and fifty - six ( 256 ), a 16 - chip offset between scrambling codes and eight ( 8 ) cells within a group , a master scrambling code with a period of thirty - eight thousand and four hundred ( 38 , 400 ) chips is generated . this would require a global storage access of 8n * 2 locations ( since data is complex ) for every n chips of correlation . if hardware resources are not limited , then the master scrambling code and the received signals can be stored in memory registers and each correlator can then read out the corresponding 256 - chip scrambling code that it needs to perform the correlation . [ 0035 ] fig5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the exemplary method described above in accordance with the present invention . as will be illustrated below , the exemplary implementation reduces the storage and access requirements needed to implement the exemplary method in accordance with the present invention . referring to fig5 at 50 , a portion of the master scrambling code is generated to populate the correlators . the generation of the master scrambling code by a single scrambling code generator is described above . the number of correlators and the length of each correlator respectively depend on the number of cells within a group and the chip offset between the respective scrambling codes of two adjacent cells within the group . the correlators collectively contain the entire generated portion of the master scrambling code , i . e ., each correlator is populated with a segment of the generated portion of the master scrambling code . the length of the portion of the master scrambling code to be generated depends on the chip offset between the respective scrambling codes of two adjacent groups of cells . as mentioned above , this chip offset , in turn , depends on the number of cells within a group and the chip offset between the respective scrambling codes of two adjacent cells within the group . for instance , for a w - cdma communication system , there are eight ( 8 ) cells in a group and the chip offset between the scrambling codes of two adjacent cells within the group is sixteen ( 16 ). hence , the length of the portion of the master scrambling code to be initially generated is one hundred and twenty - eight ( 128 = 16 * 8 ) chips . at 52 , a set of received signals are captured . the duration of the capture period equals to the chip offset between the respective scrambling codes of two adjacent cells within a group . for a w - cdma communication system , the duration of the capture period is thus sixteen ( 16 ) chips . at 54 , the set of received signals are correlated with the generated portion of the master scrambling code by the correlators and the correlation results are stored . after the correlations are performed , at 56 , each correlator shifts or propagates its segment of the generated portion of the master scrambling code to its neighboring correlator , with the exception that , at 58 , the first correlator discards its current segment and the last correlator receives a newly generated segment from the single scrambling code generator . then , the process returns to 52 where the next set of received signals are captured and correlated . the foregoing process is repeated until the entire master scrambling code is generated and correlated . from an alternative perspective , this can be viewed as segments of the master scrambling code being correlated in a pipelined fashion on a first - in - first - out basis . [ 0038 ] fig6 is an exemplary physical implementation of the exemplary method described above . referring to fig6 there is shown an exemplary system 60 having a single scrambling code generator 62 and eight ( 8 ) correlators 64 - 78 . this exemplary system 60 operates based on the following assumptions : there are eight ( 8 ) cells in a group ; the chip offset between the respective scrambling codes of two adjacent cells in a group is sixteen ( 16 ) chips ; and the correlation length n is selected to be two hundred and fifty - six ( 256 ). the exemplary system 60 operates as follows . initially , before any correlation is performed , the correlators cor 0 - cor 7 64 - 78 are collectively populated with a portion of the master scrambling code by the single scrambling code generator 62 . the portion of the master scrambling code that is initially generated is one hundred and twenty - eight ( 128 = 16 * 8 ) in length ( c 0 → c 127 ). this portion of the master scrambling code is segmented and populated into the correlators cor 0 - cor 7 64 - 78 . each correlator has a length of sixteen ( 16 ). for example , after initial population , correlator cor 0 78 includes scrambling code segment c 0 - c 15 ; correlator cor 1 76 includes segment c 16 - c 31 ; and correlator cor 7 64 includes segment c 112 - c 127 ; and so on . it should be noted that the initial generation of all one hundred and twenty - eight ( 128 ) chips of the portion of the master scrambling code before starting any of the correlations is not required . one of the correlators 64 - 78 can be started every sixteen ( 16 ) chips in a pipelined fashion . next , a set of complex data signals or samples which is sixteen ( 16 ) chips in length , d 0 - d 15 , are received and fed to each of the correlators 64 - 78 . then , each correlator partially correlates the same set of received complex data samples with the complex conjugate of its corresponding scrambling code segment . it is to be noted that the respective scrambling code segments of any two adjacent correlators have a chip offset of sixteen ( 16 ) chips . for example , the first correlator cor 0 78 correlates the received data samples , d 0 - d 15 , with the complex conjugate of its corresponding scrambling code segment , c 0 - c 15 ; the second correlator cor 1 76 correlates the received data samples , d 0 - d 15 , with the complex conjugate of its corresponding scrambling code segment , c 16 - c 31 ; and so on , and the final correlator cor 7 64 correlates the received data samples , d 0 - d 15 , with the complex conjugate of its corresponding scrambling code segment , c 112 - c 127 . the correlations of the eight ( 8 ) correlators 64 - 78 are performed concurrently in a parallel manner and the correlation results are stored for subsequent evaluation . after this first iteration of correlations , each correlator passes its current corresponding scrambling code segment to a neighboring correlator . it should be noted that each correlator has two neighboring correlators . in effect , with two exceptions which will be described below , this means each correlator also receives a new corresponding scramble code segment from another neighboring correlator . graphically , this is shown as follows : cor 1 → cor 0 , cor 2 → cor 1 , cor 3 → cor 2 , cor 4 → cor 3 , cor 5 → cor 4 , cor 6 → cor 5 . in essence , the scrambling code segments are shifted or propagated along the correlators 64 - 78 . the two exceptions are the first correlator cor 0 78 and the last correlator cor 7 64 . for the first correlator cor 0 78 , its current corresponding scramble code segment is discarded ; and for the last correlator cor 7 64 , a new scrambling code segment generated by the single scrambling code generator 62 is fed to the last correlator cor 7 64 . the newly generated scrambling code segment is the next segment of the master scrambling code that follows the scrambling code segment that was in the last correlator cor 7 64 before that scrambling code segment was transferred to correlator cor 6 66 . for example , after the first iteration , the newly generated scrambling code segment to be fed into the last correlator cor 7 64 is c 128 - c 143 . this is because scrambling code segment c 128 - c 143 follows scrambling code segment c 112 - c 127 within the master scrambling code . by shifting or transferring the scrambling code segments as described above , the entire master scrambling code is propagated along all the correlators 64 - 78 and is eventually correlated with the received data samples as described in fig3 . the next set of complex data samples are received , d 16 - d 31 , and loaded into the correlators 64 - 78 . another iteration of concurrent correlations by the correlators 64 - 78 is then performed again . the foregoing process of shifting the scrambling code segments , receiving the next set of complex data samples and performing another iteration of correlations is repeated until the master scrambling code is correlated or , conversely , the collective length of all the received complex data samples reaches the correlation length . [ 0043 ] fig7 a illustrates the correlation results generated using the exemplary method shown in fig3 . fig7 b illustrates the correlation results after the first iteration of correlations by the exemplary system 60 . comparing fig7 a and 7 b , it can be seen that by using the exemplary system 60 shown in fig6 sixteen ( 16 ) terms are generated by each of the eight ( 8 ) correlations after one iteration . hence , in order to generate the complete results as shown in fig7 a based on a correlation length of two hundred and fifty - six ( 256 ), sixteen ( 16 ) total iterations are executed . as can be seen above , scrambling code segments which make up the master scrambling code are internally shared amongst correlators 64 - 78 . for every predetermined period ( that is defined by the chip offset between the respective scrambling codes of any two adjacent cells within a group ), e . g ., sixteen ( 16 ) chips , the corresponding scrambling code segment of each correlator is refreshed or updated . this sharing of scrambling code segment reduces the access to the otherwise globally stored master scrambling code by a factor of eight ( 8 ) ( for cases using the above assumptions ), i . e ., 2n scrambling code read accesses are required every n chips of correlations . in addition , for every iteration of correlations , the scrambling code generator 62 transfers or generates only 2n / 16 binary values to one of the correlators 64 - 78 . as mentioned above , the rest of the correlators 66 - 78 internally share the scrambling code segments which are already present amongst the correlators 64 - 78 . to further reduce scrambling code memory access as well as each correlator &# 39 ; s working size , the technique of packing and unpacking bits may be used . if the above binary values were packed into a word and then unpacked at the time of correlation , the scrambling code generator 62 then needs to transfer only 2n /( 16 * 16 ) 16 - bit words to the group of correlators 64 - 78 . that is , the working size of each correlator may be reduced to 2n /( 16 * 16 ) by packing sixteen ( 16 ) bits at a time . this also reduces scrambling code storage access to 2n / 16 . furthermore , it is understood that while the present invention as described above is applicable to a w - cdma communication system , it should be clear to a person of ordinary skill in the art that the present invention can be applied to other types of communication systems . moreover , it should be noted that the present invention as described herein may be implemented in a number of ways . for example , the present invention may be implemented using the adaptive computing architecture as disclosed in u . s . patent application ser . no . 09 / 815 , 122 entitled “ adaptive integrated circuitry with heterogeneous and reconfigurable matrices of diverse and adaptive computational units having fixed , application specific computational elements ,” filed on mar . 22 , 2001 , the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if set forth in full herein for all purposes . for instance , using the adaptive computing architecture , the scrambling code generator 62 and the correlators 64 - 78 may be implemented on demand within a mobile terminal . based on the disclosure provided herein , a person of ordinary skill in the art will know of other ways and / or methods to implement and apply the present invention . it is further understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and purview of this application and scope of the appended claims . all publications , patents , and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes in their entirety .	7
in accordance with one embodiment , the present invention is directed to a removable cap assembly 10 . the salient features of the present invention , according to one embodiment , are shown in fig1 . although not limited thereto , assembly 10 includes a sipper tube 20 , a cap 30 , and a stopper 40 that , together , can be coupled to a bottle mouth 50 . the stopper fits in the cap to help provide a water tight sealing device for covering mouth 50 . tube 20 is then held by stopper 40 to provide an animal feeding bottle . sipper 20 can be one of many commercially available and well - known tube shaped devices that are designed to dispense small amounts of liquid on demand . the simplest of these devices , shown in fig1 , includes a vertical portion 22 and an angled portion 24 that is bent about an elbow 23 . tube 20 has a hole 26 at its end . the hole is dimensioned so that a relatively small amount of liquid can flow when the liquid &# 39 ; s surface tension is broken . it is understood that many different types of sipper tubes can be used in conjunction with assembly 10 and the invention is not limited to use with tube 20 shown in fig1 . cap 30 is preferably formed of plastic , but it can also be formed from metal or any other appropriate material . cap 30 includes a curved side wall 37 . as shown in fig1 , wall 37 may include serrations on its outer surface in order to provide an improved gripping surface for a user . the inner surface of wall 37 is formed with threads so that cap 30 can be attached to bottle mouth 30 . extending from wall 37 is a top portion 32 of cap 30 . now considering fig2 a along with fig1 , a boss 34 extends perpendicularly from portion 32 and together they form a t - shape in cross section . also , a circumferential rib 36 extends from the top portion of boss 34 and together they form an l - shape in cross section . a rigid cylindrical opening is defined by rib 36 that — as discussed below — is dimensioned to receive part of stopper 40 . the opening is large enough so that sipper tube 20 may pass therethrough . boss 34 and rib 36 serve multiple functions . besides being configured to hold stopper 40 , the they cause the entire structure of cap 30 to be more rigid . other function and advantages of this design will be discussed below . stopper 40 is formed from rubber , or a material with similar properties , and includes a disk - shaped base 42 . a cylindrical wall portion 46 rises from the center of base 42 and has a hole 49 which extends through the stopper as can be seen in fig2 b . a first groove 44 encircles wall portion 46 in base 42 . groove 44 is dimensioned to receive the bottom portion of boss 34 of cap 30 . a second groove 48 is located on wall portion 46 in a position that corresponds to rib 36 of cap 30 . in one embodiment , a channel 45 — with an upper surface 60 and a lower surface 62 — is formed along the bottom of base 42 and the surfaces are dimensioned to respectfully receive an upper surface 61 and inner surface 63 of bottle mouth 50 . described below are additional embodiments of cap 30 along with corresponding stoppers 40 . in the embodiment shown in fig3 a and 3 b , second groove 48 is located at the base of wall portion 46 in a position that corresponds to a rib 35 of cap 30 . in this embodiment , rib 36 is extended and serves to enclose stopper 40 when stopper 40 is inserted into cap 30 . this enclosure helps to prevent collection of dirt between stopper 40 and cap 30 . as shown in fig8 a and 8 b , a plug 80 may be provided that is sized to frictionally fit within hole 49 . while fig8 a and 8 b illustrate such a plug as it is used with stopper 40 shown in fig4 b , it is understood that plug 80 can be used with any of the stopper embodiments . plug 80 is useful for sealing hole 49 when tube 20 has not yet been inserted into hole 49 . thus , should bottle 50 be filled with liquid before tube 20 is inserted , plug 80 can be used to prevent spillage and evaporation of the contents of bottle 50 . this is useful in at least two circumstances . namely , it is often the case that bottles must be filled but they are not immediately needed . also , at times bottles are used without sipper tubes . instead bottles are drilled with side feeding holes that can be accessed by an animal . in this instance , it is desirable to completely seal the bottle . plug 80 allows for both of these contingencies . in an additional embodiment , as shown in fig4 a and 4 b , wall portion 46 of stopper 40 is cone - shaped and therefore has a smaller lower diameter as compared to its upper diameter . in this embodiment , wall portion 46 lacks second ridge 48 . however , cap 30 includes rib 36 which is designed to contain stopper 40 . instead , boss 34 of cap 30 is also cone - shaped to complement wall portion 46 of stopper 40 . in another embodiment , as shown in fig5 a and 5 b , wall portion 46 of stopper 40 has threads 41 disposed on its outer surface which are configured to engage threads 35 disposed on boss 34 of cap 30 . in this embodiment , wall portion 46 lacks second ridge 48 . however , cap 30 includes rib 36 which is designed to contain stopper 40 . in yet another embodiment , as shown in fig6 a and 6 b , wall portion 46 of stopper 40 includes one or more depressions 43 in the form of half - spheres , quarter - spheres , cones , or any other appropriate shape , that are dimensioned to receive corresponding protuberances 39 that are disposed on boss 34 . alternatively , protuberances may be disposed on stopper 40 and depressions may be disposed on boss 34 . once again , in this embodiment , wall portion 46 lacks second ridge 48 . however , cap 30 includes rib 36 which is designed to contain stopper 40 . now turning more specifically to fig2 a and 2 b in addition to fig1 , an explanation can be given of the manner in which assembly 10 is used . stopper 40 is fit into cap 30 by forcing part of wall portion 46 through the opening formed by boss 34 and rib 36 . the diameter of portion 46 is wider than the diameter of the opening made by rib 36 . thus , in one embodiment , beveling on the top of portion 46 aids in forcing portion 46 through the opening . also , the material itself is capable of being compressed and subsequently retains its original shape . forcing the top of portion 46 through the opening allows rib 36 of cap 30 to engage second groove 48 of stopper 40 . likewise , boss 34 engages groove 44 of stopper 40 . with stopper 40 in this position , base 42 is adjacent to the top portion 32 . finally sipper 20 can be inserted into opening 49 , where it remains in place by friction fit . as with the embodiment shown in fig2 a and 2 b , structural features of the embodiments shown in fig3 , 5 , and 6 allow stopper to remain engaged to cap 30 . turning first to the embodiment shown in fig4 , cone - shaped wall portion 46 must be forced into complementary shaped opening formed by boss 34 . because the upper diameter of wall portion 46 is larger than the lower diameter of the opening formed by boss 34 , stopper 40 remains engaged to cap 30 unless force is applied to separate the two components . in the embodiment shown in fig5 , threads 41 on wall portion 46 of stopper 40 engage threads 35 on boss 34 of cap 30 , so that stopper 40 is connected to cap 30 . stopper 40 is screwed on to cap until base 42 meets the underside of top portion 32 of cap 30 . in the embodiment shown in fig6 a multitude of protuberances 39 are positioned to mate with depressions 43 so that stopper 40 remains attached to cap 30 when base 42 is adjacent to the underside of top portion 32 . in one embodiment , cap 30 and stopper 40 are formed separately and then joined together as discussed above . instead , stopper 40 may be molded using a previously formed cap 30 as a mold . in this instance , molten material is poured into cap 30 and sets to form stopper 40 . this method can be used for any of the above embodiments of stopper 40 and cap 30 . thus , in the embodiment shown in fig5 a and 5 b , stopper 40 would take on a shape including threads 41 . for any of the previously described embodiments , when cap 30 is clamped down around bottle neck 50 , the underside of base 42 of stopper 40 compresses to provide a biasing force to separate cap 30 from the bottle neck . so that stopper 40 seals against bottle 50 along two surfaces , as shown in fig1 , lower surface 62 of groove 45 engages inner surface 63 of bottle 40 , and upper surface 60 engages upper surface 61 of bottle 40 . in one embodiment , as shown in fig7 a and 7 b , four discreet threads 55 are disposed on bottle 50 and four corresponding threads are disposed on cap 30 . it is understood that any number of threads may be disposed on bottle 50 and cap 30 . the use of more than one continuous thread allows cap 30 to be tightened on bottle 50 with less than 360 degrees of turning . and , the use of multiple threads helps to create a seal along the full 360 degrees of cap 30 . attachment of assembly 10 to bottle 50 causes a tension fit and positive engagement of threads 34 and 54 so that the cap need only be rotated a relatively small amount to maintain a safe , tight fit . furthermore , because the material is in a compressed state and seeks to expand , it provides a friction surface against the bottom of the cap further preventing any inadvertent loosening of the cap during use . therefore , a tight seal is provided without twisting to engage all of the neck threads . this seal is improved by the relatively large surface area of stopper 40 that is in contact with cap 40 . as compared to prior art assemblies , this surface area is increased by introducing boss 34 and rib 36 . at least one major advantage of the design herein described , is the cylinder shaped opening that is generally defined by boss 34 of cap 30 . unlike prior art caps , boss 34 provides lateral support for stopper 40 . this support minimizes the range of motion of tube 20 . in the prior art , a lack of support resulted in tube 20 being free to move in relatively unrestricted manner . this in turn may result in loosening the tube in the stopper . also , the additional surface contact between cap 30 and stopper 40 serves to assure a water - tight seal . another advantage of the presently described device is that the width of the opening formed in cap 30 for stopper 40 is relatively smaller than prior art openings . this is another factor which helps to improve the overall rigidity of assembly 10 . preferably the width of the opening is less than two times the height of the cylinder forming the opening . this further assures rigidity of the structure . also disclosed have been features that were designed improve the overall cleanliness characteristics of a bottle feeder . while only certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein , many modifications , substitutions , changes or equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art . it is therefore , to be understood that this application is intended to cover all such modifications and changes that fall within the true spirit of the invention .	1
referring now to the drawings , preferred embodiments of the invention are described below . fig1 is a block diagram of an automobile air conditioner in embodiment 1 of the invention . in fig1 when a circuit breaker 3 is closed , a capacitor 7 is charged by a battery 1 by way of fuse 2 , circuit breaker 3 , diode 4 , resistor 5 , and charge / discharge changeover relay 16 . at this time , the relay 16 is closed at the contact ( b ) side as shown in fig1 . when driving a motor - driven compressor 14 , a controller 10 receives a command for operating the motor - driven compressor 14 from an air conditioner controller 12 , and checks the charge voltage of the capacitor 7 detected by a voltage detector . when the voltage detected by the voltage detector 8 has reached a specified value , the controller 10 closes a relay 6 . then , the motor - driven compressor 14 is driven by an output unit 11 . to stop the motor - driven compressor 14 , the controller 10 receives a stop command of the motor - driven compressor 14 from the air conditioner controller 12 , and stops the output from the output unit 11 , and then opens the relay 6 . when the relay 6 is opened , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged . discharge operation is explained in the following . the air conditioner controller 12 first opens the circuit breaker 3 , and issues a discharge command to the controller 10 . then , the controller 10 closes the charge / discharge changeover relay 16 to the contact ( a ) side . as a result , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged through the charge / discharge changeover relay 16 and resistor 5 . in this embodiment , the resistance value of the resistor 5 is tens of ohms , the capacitance of the capacitor 7 is 1000 μf , and the discharge time is about 1 second . on the other hand , the discharge time by the switching power supply unit 9 is about tens of seconds . that is , the discharge time in this embodiment is about tens of times faster . thus , according to the embodiment , a resistor of large capacity is not needed separately for discharging , and the electric charge in the capacitor 7 can be discharged only by the software for operating the charge / discharge changeover relay 16 . hence , the size of the apparatus can be reduced . further , without requiring connection of motor - driven compressor or complicated software , the electric charge in the capacitor can be discharged promptly . fig2 is a block diagram of an automobile air conditioner in embodiment 2 of the invention . in fig2 same components as in fig1 are identified with same reference numerals , and detailed explanation is omitted . in this embodiment , the charge / discharge changeover relay 16 in embodiment 1 is replaced by diodes 17 , 18 , and a transistor 19 . when a circuit breaker 3 is closed , a capacitor 7 is charged by a battery 1 by way of fuse 2 , circuit breaker 3 , diode 4 , resistor 5 , and diode 18 . at this time , the transistor 19 is turned off . discharge operation of the capacitor 7 is explained in the following . the air conditioner controller 12 first opens the circuit breaker 3 , and issues a discharge command to the controller 10 . receiving the discharge command , the controller 10 turns on the transistor 19 . as a result , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged through the diode 17 , resistor 5 , and transistor 19 . at this time , the diode 18 prevents the current from flowing directly from the capacitor 7 to the transistor 19 to break it down . hence , according to the embodiment , since the semiconductors are used instead of the relay 16 in embodiment 1 , the apparatus is reduced in size , and the durability of the apparatus can be enhanced . fig3 is a block diagram of an automobile air conditioner in embodiment 3 of the invention . in fig3 same components as in fig2 are identified with same reference numerals , and detailed explanation is omitted . in this embodiment , the resistor 5 in embodiment 2 is replaced by a constant current circuit 20 . the constant current circuit 20 is , as shown in fig3 composed of a transistor 201 , resistors 202 , 203 , and a zener diode 204 . the constant current circuit 20 continues to charge the capacitor 7 at a constant current until its voltage becomes about vc 1 ( vc 1 = vs − 2vd − vz , where vs is output voltage of battery 1 , vd is forward voltage of diodes 4 , 18 , and vz is zener voltage of zener diode 204 ). then the capacitor 7 is charged up to about vc 2 ( vc 2 = vs − 2vd − vbe , where vbe is base - emitter voltage of transistor 201 , vbe & lt ; vz ). same as in embodiment 2 , when the relay 6 is open , receiving the discharge command from the air conditioner controller 12 , the controller 10 turns on the transistor 19 , and the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged . that is , when the transistor 19 is turned on , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged through the diode 17 , constant current circuit 20 , and transistor 19 . at this time , the constant current circuit 20 discharges the electric charge at a constant current until the voltage of the capacitor 7 becomes about vd 1 ( vd 1 = vd + vz , the forward voltage of diode 17 is also vd ). then the capacitor 7 is further discharged until the voltage becomes about vd 2 ( vd 2 = vd + vbe ). herein , vd is about 0 . 7 v . in the embodiment , vz is about 3 v . for example , supposing the voltage of battery 1 to be 200 v , the capacitance of capacitor 7 to be 1000 μf , and the constant current to be 0 . 2 a , both the charge time and discharge time is 1 second ( 200 v × 1000 μf / 0 . 2 a ). the discharge time by the switching power supply unit 9 is about tens of seconds conventionally . that is , the discharge speed is about tens of times faster in this embodiment . according to the embodiment , the value of discharge current can be set arbitrarily . as compared with embodiment 1 or 2 , the maximum current can be smaller , and a circuit element of a small rated current value can be used , so that the apparatus is further reduced in size . fig4 is a block diagram of an automobile air conditioner in embodiment 4 of the invention . in fig4 same components as in fig3 are identified with same reference numerals , and detailed explanation is omitted . in this embodiment , instead of the power source 13 of the controller 10 in embodiment 3 , it is designed to feed a supply voltage of 12 v from the switching power supply unit 9 to the controller 10 . in the embodiment , the transistor 19 remains in on state until the supply voltage of the controller 10 declines and the controller 10 fails to operate . when the supply voltage of the controller 10 declines and the controller 10 fails to operate , the transistor 19 is turned off , and discharge of the capacitor 7 stops . thereafter , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged by the switching power supply unit 9 as the load . this embodiment does not require external power source 13 as used in embodiments 1 to 3 . that is , when discharging the electric charge in the capacitor 7 , it is not necessary to connect the 12 v power source 13 , and the work for discharge is simple and easy . when starting checking , discharge is possible by disconnecting immediately . fig5 is a diagram showing characteristics of supply voltage supplied from the switching power supply unit 9 to the controller 10 in this embodiment . in fig5 the input voltage on the axis of abscissas is the input voltage to the switching power supply unit 9 , which is equal to the voltage of the capacitor 7 . when the input voltage is higher than vl , the switching power supply unit 9 delivers a voltage at rated supply voltage v 0 of the controller 10 . in this embodiment , v 0 is 5 v . when the input voltage becomes lower than vl , as shown in fig5 the output voltage also declines . the controller 10 operates at the rated voltage vo ( 5 v ), but substantially operates until the voltage becomes lower than 3 v . that is , from the time of the voltage of the capacitor 7 becoming lower than vl until the output voltage becomes 3 v , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged through the constant current circuit 20 . when the supply voltage becomes lower than 3 v , and the controller 10 stops , the transistor 19 is turned off . as a result , the constant current circuit 20 stops , and the voltage of the capacitor 7 at this time is lower than vl . when this voltage vl is set at a low voltage not to cause trouble in checking and repairing at the time of designing of the switching power supply unit 9 , same as in the foregoing embodiments , checking or repairing can be started in a short time . fig6 is a block diagram of the controller 10 in this embodiment . the controller 10 comprises a microcomputer 15 for starting the control software , and a capacitor 26 connected to the 5 v power source terminal of the microcomputer 15 . the capacitance of the capacitor 26 is set at a value enough to hold the supply voltage of the microcomputer 15 at 5 v for more than the time required to discharge the capacitor 7 sufficiently . since the microcomputer 15 substantially operates at about 3 v , the voltage may be lowered to 3 v . ( the standstill of the microcomputer 15 means the standstill of the controller 10 .). therefore , until the capacitor 7 is discharged sufficiently , the controller 10 and discharge circuit function , and the capacitor 7 is discharged completely in a short time ( in 1 second by applying an example of embodiment 3 ). hence , checking or repairing can be started in a short time . fig7 is a block diagram of an automobile air conditioner in embodiment 5 of the invention . in fig7 same components as in fig4 are identified with same reference numerals , and detailed explanation is omitted . in this embodiment , a cut - off detecting circuit for detecting that the connection of the battery 1 is cut off is added to the configuration in embodiment 4 . the cut - off detecting circuit is composed of a resistor 21 , a resistor 22 , and a diode 23 . a potential voltage by the resistor 21 and resistor 22 is fed into the controller 10 . the diode 23 is a protective diode provided for the same purpose as the diode 4 . in the embodiment , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged regardless of the signal from the air conditioner controller 12 . when the connection of the battery 1 is cut off , for example , due to opening of the circuit breaker 3 , melting of fuse 2 , or disconnection of connector , the potential voltage by the resistor 21 and resistor 22 becomes about 0 v . the controller 10 judges this about 0 v as a discharge signal , and turns on the transistor 19 for discharging . as a result , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged by way of the diode 17 , constant current circuit 20 , and transistor 19 . according to the embodiment , the controller 10 controls the discharge circuit according to the signal from the cut - off detecting circuit , and hence discharge can be started without receiving signal from the air conditioner controller 12 ( in other word , without receiving a cutoff signal of direct - current power source from outside ). therefore , at the time of checking or repairing , by cutting off the battery 1 by detaching the connector or the like , the capacitor 7 can be discharged easily . if the fuse is blown , meanwhile , discharge can be done without requiring any particular work . fig8 is a block diagram of an automobile air conditioner in embodiment 6 of the invention . in fig8 same components as in fig7 are identified with same reference numerals , and detailed explanation is omitted . in this embodiment , the cut - off detecting circuit of embodiment 5 in fig7 is designed to drive the transistor 19 directly . while the battery 1 is not cut off , a transistor 24 is turned on by the potential voltage by the resistor 21 and resistor 22 , and the collector voltage of the transistor 24 becomes about 0 v . therefore , the base voltage of the transistor 19 is about 0 v , and the transistor 19 is in off state . when the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged , it is discharged regardless of the signal from the air conditioner controller 12 . when the connection of the battery 1 is cut off , for example , due to opening of the circuit breaker 3 , melting of fuse 2 , or disconnection of connector , the potential voltage by the resistor 21 and resistor 22 becomes about 0 v , and the base voltage of the transistor 24 also becomes about 0 v , so that the transistor 24 is turned off . when the voltage of the capacitor 7 is applied to the base terminal of the transistor 19 through the diode 17 and resistor 25 , the transistor 19 is turned on . as a result , the electric charge in the capacitor 7 is discharged by way of the diode 17 , constant current circuit 20 , and transistor 19 . according to the embodiment , since the discharge circuit is directly controlled by the cut - off detecting circuit , the controller 10 does not require software for discharging , and discharge can be started by the hardware circuit only . therefore , the software of the controller 10 is lighter in load , and regardless of the situation of the controller 10 , for example , if the supply voltage is lowered and the controller 10 fails to function , discharge can be started . in the foregoing embodiments , the resistor 5 or constant current circuit 20 is used as the power feeding device , but the same effects are obtained by using other means .	5
turning now to the drawings , and in particular to fig1 a and 5 , the apparatus 10 according to the principles of the invention is illustrated . as shown in fig1 a , apparatus 10 , broadly defined , includes a frame 100a and first and second rotatable elements , alternately referred to as first and second rollers 20 , 32 , mounted for rotation in the frame 100a . first and second rollers 20 , 32 are similarly constructed as will be made evident below . the frame 100a provides support for first roller 20 which is mounted for magnetically coupling with the second roller 32 , as fully described below . by precisely positioning rollers 20 , 32 in the frame 100a , a substantially uniform nip width is formed between the mounted first and second rollers 20 , 32 through which a contacting web can be conveyed . according to fig5 rollers 20 , 32 are arranged for conveying a web of indeterminate length through a series of web processing steps , such as fixing , washing , etc ., which exposes the roller elements to corrosive materials . referring to fig1 b , the first and second rollers 20 , 32 are shown in a cross - sectional view taken along line 1b -- 1b of fig1 a . as shown , first and second rollers 20 , 32 are spaced slightly apart in the frame 100a forming nip 46 between them so as to accommodate a web of predetermined thickness . the first and second rollers 20 , 32 comprise first and second magnetic cores 22 , 34 , respectively . the respective first and second magnetic cores 22 , 34 are preferably made from a non rare - earth permanent magnet material such as aluminum - nickel - cobalt , barium - ferrite , copper - nickel - iron alloy , iron - cobalt - molybdenum alloy . most preferred of the non rare - earth materials is aluminum - nickel - cobalt . the respective first and second magnetic cores 22 , 34 may also be made of a rare - earth material such as neodymium - iron - born , or samarium - cobalt . in this instance , the most preferred material is neodymium - iron - boron manufactured by magnaquench , inc ., of indiana . referring to fig1 b , it is important to our invention that respective first and second magnetic cores 22 , 34 are polarized with a plurality of radially disposed surface poles of alternating polarity around their circumferences . referring again to fig1 b , the first roller 20 further comprises first and second layers 26 , 30 , respectively which surround the first magnetic core 22 . the first and second layers 26 , 30 , respectively are preferably coated onto the first magnetic core 22 using the techniques described below . according to our preferred embodiment , a first bonding layer 24 is coated onto the first magnetic core 22 . first bonding layer 24 is preferably comprised of copper or copper based alloys , chromium , gold , silver and combinations thereof . most preferred is copper and its alloys . skilled artisans will appreciate that first bonding layer 24 may be applied to first magnetic core 22 by using any of several conventional techniques . we , however , prefer depositing the first bonding layer 24 onto first magnetic core 22 using physical vapor deposition ( pvd ), chemical vapor deposition ( cvd ), or some electroless or electrolytic deposition process , each producing substantially the same result . preferably , we deposit first bonding layer 24 onto first magnetic core 22 using an electrolytic deposition process . in the preferred embodiment , first bonding layer 24 has a thickness in the range of about 50 to 200 angstroms , preferably 100 angstroms . referring once again to fig1 b , after the first bonding layer 24 is bonded to first magnetic core 22 , a first layer 26 comprising a corrosion resistant material , is coated onto the first bonding layer 24 . first layer 26 comprises preferably a coating of electroplated nickel or electroless nickel . the preferred method for depositing the first layer 26 of corrosion resistant material onto first bonding layer 24 is electroless plating . the first bonding layer 24 functions to enhance the adhesion of the first layer 26 of corrosion resistant material to the core 22 . preferably , first layer 26 has a thickness between 0 . 1 mil and 1 mil , most preferred being 0 . 5 mil . according to fig1 b , a second bonding layer 28 is coated onto first layer 26 . the second bonding layer comprises alloys of nickel - aluminum , nickel - chromium , cobalt - chromium - aluminum or combinations thereof . while numerous techniques may be used to deposit the second bonding layer 28 , we prefer using a pvd or a plasma spraying . preferably , the second bonding layer 28 has a thickness in the range of about 1 , 000 to 10 , 000 angstroms , most preferred being 5 , 000 angstroms . still referring to fig1 b , a second layer 30 comprising a wear and abrasion resistant material , is coated onto the second bonding layer 28 . the second bonding layer 28 enhances the adhesion and minimizes the porosity of the second layer 30 by sealing pores ( not shown ) in the second layer 30 . the preferred method for coating the second layer 30 onto the second bonding layer 28 is by dipping the roller 20 in solutions of polyurethane or acrylic . alternatively , the second layer 30 may be spin or dip coated onto the second bonding layer 28 of first roller 20 in a solution of sol - gel comprising silicon dioxide or alumina . yet another acceptable technique for coating the second layer 30 onto the second bonding layer 28 is thermal or plasma spraying with a wear and abrasion resistant material such as chromium oxide , zirconium oxide , aluminum oxide , or composites of zirconia - alumina , or a combination thereof . referring again to fig1 b , the second roller 32 further comprises third and fourth layers 38 , 42 , respectively which surround the second magnetic core 34 . the third and fourth layers 38 , 42 comprise the same materials as the first and second layers 26 , 30 , respectively , which surround the first magnetic core 22 as described above . moreover , the third and fourth layers 38 , 42 are coated onto the second roller 32 using the same techniques and specifications as described above for coating the first and second layers 26 and 30 , respectively , onto the first magnetic core 22 . specifically , third and fourth bonding layers 36 , 40 , respectively , comprising the same materials as first and second bonding layers 24 , 28 , respectively , enhance the adhesion of third and fourth layers 38 , 42 , respectively . the third and fourth bonding layers 36 , 40 are coated onto the second roller 32 using the same techniques and specifications as described above for coating the first and second bonding layers 24 , 28 , respectively , as described above . referring to fig2 a perspective is shown of the first roller 20 and 30 end support member 50 . the end support member 50 has a cavity 58 for receiving the tapered end 44 of the first roller 20 . the end support member 50 is fixedly attached to the end of the first roller 20 by shrink fitting or alternatively by press fitting . the other end support members 52 , 54 , 56 , which are identical in to end support member 50 , are fixedly attached in a similar fashion to the respective ends of the first and second rollers 20 , 32 , as shown in fig1 a . referring to fig3 an exploded view of frame 100a is shown . the frame 100a comprises a bearing bracket component 110 with a through - hole 112 , insert receiving hole 114 , and wall 116 . the frame 100a further comprises a bearing bracket component 120 with a through - hole 122 , and walls 124 , 126 with insert receiving holes 128 , 130 respectively . referring to fig4 a perspective is shown of a partially assembled frame 100a . specifically , bearing bracket component 110 abuts bearing bracket component 120 such that wall 116 of bearing bracket component 110 is between walls 124 , 126 of bearing bracket component 120 with insert receiving hole 114 aligned with insert receiving holes 128 , 130 forming insert receiving hole 140 . the horizontal spacing between through - hole 112 of bearing bracket component 110 and through - hole 122 of bearing bracket component 120 is determined by the width of insert 150 which is inserted into the insert hole 140 . thus insert members of different widths can be used to vary the horizontal spacing between through - holes 112 , 122 . the insert member 150 with threaded portions 160a , 160b , 160c , 160d is fixedly attached to assembled frame 100a once it is inserted into insert receiving hole 140 by screwing bolts 170a , 170b , 170c , 170d onto threaded portions 160a , 160b , 160c , 160d , respectively . bearing sleeves 200 and 210 are shrunk fit into through - holes 112 , 122 , respectively . referring again to fig1 a , the transport roller assembly is shown with identical frames 100a , 100b assembled and adjusted to provide a specific separation between first and second rollers 20 , 32 . further , first and second rotatable elements or rollers each have end support members 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 which are shrunk fit onto the ends of the first and second rollers 20 , 32 as shown . the shaft portion 51 of end support member 50 passes through sleeve bearing 210 in frame 100a and is fixedly attached to rotor shaft 70 of motor 60 . the shaft portions 53 , 55 , 57 of end support members 52 , 54 , 56 , respectively , pass through the respective sleeve bearings in frames 100a and 100b . thus the first and second rollers 20 , 32 , respectively , are free to rotate about their longitudinal axis . when motor 60 rotates it causes rotation of the first roller 20 which , in turn , causes synchronized rotation of the second roller 32 due to their mutual magnetic coupling ( see rotation arrows 90 , 92 , 94 ). the end support members 50 , 52 , 54 , 56 are made from aisi 316 stainless steel , wherein the end shaft portions 51 , 53 , 55 , 57 are electroplated with teflon impregnated nickel so as to reduce the coefficient of friction . referring to fig5 a schematic cross - sectional view is shown of a web transport system utilizing the web conveyance apparatus 10 of the present invention . a web of material 300 is transported through a corrosive solution 320 container 330 . the first and second rollers 20 , 32 rotate as indicated by rotation arrows 350 . the web 300 passes through the nip 46 between the first and second rollers 20 , 32 , and is moved via a frictional force as indicated by translation arrows 360 . the invention has thus been described in detail with the particular reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention .	1
the coiled marker of the invention is of such flexibility , both axially and transversally , so that , when inserted in a flexible organ such as a breast or a prostate , it will follow the changes of shape of said organ . the lateral flexibility of the markers must be similar to the flexibility of the tissues in which they are inserted . the coiled marker does not present any mechanical . resistance to the change of shape . after insertion through a needle , the marker is largely straight . when the organ changes in shape , either under the influence of the treatment , or under natural growth or stresses , the flexible markers will take a curved shape . it has been experienced that the coiled markers grip the organ they arc inserted into , and follow the longitudinal change of shape . one can therefore follow the change of shape and relative position of markers for following increase in size and change of shape of the organ . the fact that the markers of the invention have an excellent ultrasound visibility means that these repeated examination may be performed with the ultrasound technique , thereby avoiding the doses of repeated x - ray exposures . the implantation of two or more coiled markers in an organ allows following the position of the organ in the body . this is especially necessary for flexible organs such as breast or prostate . depending on contents of bladder or colon , the prostate may be displaced by several cm . treatment by an external beam may be directed with a precision better than 1 mm . fig1 a , 1 b , 1 c 1 d illustrate how the change of shape of an organ can be followed using the markers of the invention . in fig1 a , two markers 1 , 2 have been inserted into an organ 3 ( symbolized here as a gel - filled balloon ). the markers are straight after insertion . in fig1 b , the organ has been submitted to a uniform pressure from above , and the change in shape of the organ can be inferred from the change in relative orientation of the markers . similarly , in fig1 c , the organ has been submitted to a uniform tension from above , and the markers show a corresponding change in relative position . in fig1 d , the organ has been submitted to a non uniform pressure , e . g . due to stresses within the body ( full bladder or stomach , gas , swelling , etc ), stresses from localized growths ( tumors ), external stresses ( clothing or hardware in contact with the patient ), changes in weight , changes in hydration , etc . these are reflected in the change of shape of the intervening length of marker 1 . the use of two or more interstitial markers of the invention inserted parallel allow even better follow - up of the change of shape , as shown on fig2 a and 2 b . as illustrated on fig3 a , 3 b , and 3 c , the evolution of an organ or tumor can be followed using the interstitial markers of the invention . in fig3 a , one or more markers have been inserted parallel and straight around a region of interest 4 . subsequent images are taken after a period and can show growth ( fig3 b ) or decrease in size ( fig3 c ) of the region of interest . it is to be emphasized that the imaging technique used for the follow - up must be able to see the markers , but do not have to be able to see the region of interest . therefore , an imaging technique that is faster , less invasive , or more comfortable for the patient can be used . especially , the ultrasound imaging technique can be used . another application of the interstitial marker according to the invention is the marking of an “ excision bed ”. specifically , in numerous medical procedures a volume of tissue is surgically removed , such as in the case of a lumpectomy . in many of these cases it is important to be able to return to this same tissue volume for follow - up procedures such as radiation therapy , additional surgical excision , etc . as this “ empty ” volume is ill defined until the healing process is complete , elongated flexible markers placed in the tissue immediately adjacent to this volume can provide a detailed description of the location . in this case , point markers suffer the same deficiencies as identified above for soft tissue or tumor volume marking with the added issue that the typical 2 - 3 mm migration can cause the marker to fall into the excision volume and simply be “ floating ” in this tissue void . the extended length of the interstitial marker according to the invention eliminates this possibility . in these cases , the elongated marker could be either inserted into the target tissue or sutured in place in cases where an open surgical procedure has been used . fig4 represents a human breast 5 indicating the subsurface excision bed 6 ( void formed by the lumpectomy ), and the skin - level surgical scar 8 . the surgeon would have the option of deploying a continuous length of marker 7 around the periphery of the excision bed or several lengths placed strategically about the bed itself . the marker according to the invention is particularly useful in the external beam therapy of prostate cancer . patients who have been diagnosed with prostate ( or other ) cancer have a number of surgical ( radical prostatectomy or other surgical excision of the affected tissue ) and non - surgical options to evaluate for their treatment . these non - surgical options include radiation therapy options , hormone therapy , hypothermia , hyperthermia , drugs and genetic therapy . to date , only radiation therapy and surgical removal have shown 10 - year disease free survival rates above 80 % and represent the standard of care in the industry . of the radiation therapy options , the optimal goal is to deliver as much radiation ( up to the prescribed dose ) as possible to the organ ( in this case prostate ) and as little radiation as possible to all the surrounding tissues to reduce the comorbidity ( or side effects ) of this procedure . as a result , the progression of external beam radiation therapy over the past two decades has been focused on providing a beam of radiation that matches the shape of the organ . with each passing year , publications show advances in being able to target the radiation in more effective was and continually lessening the dose to adjacent tissues . at this point in time , the most accurate of these therapies ( proton therapy ) claim the ability to localize the beam to 0 . 1 mm of the intended target location . fig5 illustrates the method for marking the boundaries of anatomical regions , with the application to the prostate 9 . elongated marker 10 has been inserted in the prostate , near the prostate / rectum boundary . such marker may typically have a length of 4 cm , and is used for height adjustment . elongated markers 11 and 12 are located at the left and right hand side of the prostate , and delimit the lateral width of the gland in the mid - plane . these markers are used in conjunction with marker 10 for left - right alignment . marker 13 defines the prostate apex , and is used for cranial - caudal adjustment of patient position . marker 14 defines the prostate base , and is used also for cranial - caudal adjustment . once in place , these markers will follow the change of position , size and orientation of the gland , and thereby allow follow - up of the decrease or increase in size of the organ , and allow precise positioning and directing during radiation beam treatment . fig6 illustrates a known device 15 used to deploy the elongated marker pattern identified in fig5 through the use of needles 16 and a rectilinear template 17 designed for transperineal alignment with trus ( transrectal ultrasound ), and a method of patterned insertion of the elongated markers 1 through these needles , with pusher wires . prostate markers may also be inserted digitally through the rectum and positioned with tactile guidance and / or ultrasound imaging guidance . fig7 represents a coiled marker 1 , having an outer diameter of 500 μm ( 0 . 5 mm ), made of thin wire having a rectangular section of 50 × 200 μm , coiled with the broad side along the axis of the coil , and having a length of 5 cm . the length of the marker may be chosen as required by the application , and may be as short as 1 cm for marking the longitidinal ends of an organ , as in the case of prostate apex and base , and as long as necessary , e . g . for biopsy sites , where lengths of 10 cm or more may be used . depending on the application , the outer diameter may be chosen between 25 μm and 2500 μm , and the wire may have a circular cross section with a diameter between 10 μm and 2500 μm or a rectangular cross section with sizes between 10 μm and 500 μm . the aspect ratio i . e . the ratio of length to outer diameter in the example shown is 100 , but it has been determined that an aspect ratio in the range on 10 to 250 or higher provides a good combination of flexibility and x - ray and ultrasound visibility . another characteristic feature of a helical coil is the pitch , that may be defined as the axial length between two successive coil windings . other examples of coils suitable for particular applications are given below : primarily designed for use with ultrasound or diagnostic x - ray imaging techniques . the lateral flexibility obtained by using a coil according to the invention is very high . this flexibility is easily determined by measuring the droop of a length of helical coil fastened horizontally from one end . the other end droops in response to its own weight . it was determined that a coil made of stainless steel , having an outer diameter of 350 μm , a rectangular cross section wire of 200 μm by 50 μm , a 220 μm pitch , and a free length of 35 . 5 mm , droops by 2 . 9 mm . fig8 represents a preferred embodiment of a coiled marker 1 , having sections of different pitch . sections of high pitch 18 ( less dense coils ) provide a good flexibility , while sections of low pitch 19 ( dense coils ) provide good x - ray and ultrasound visibility . fig9 a - 9 d represent images of the marker coils of the present invention obtained from various imaging techniques : fluoroscopy ( fig9 a ), ct ( fig9 b ), x - ray ( fig9 c ) and ultrasound ( fig9 d ). it has been discovered by the inventors of the present invention that a helical coil , such as disclosed in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 419 , 621 , which is incorporated herein by reference , can effectively be used as an interstitial marker according to the invention . more precisely , said document discloses a radioactive coiled wire . these radioactive coiled wires are obtained through an activation process that may be exposure to an accelerated beam of charged particles of a precursor material , through ion implantation technique , or through thin film deposition of an isotope . the coil that can be used as interstitial marker is the coil prior to activation . this allows using same material for use as an interstitial marker as well as precursor for making a brachytherapy device . these coils may also be used after activation , and be used simultaneously as a brachytherapy device and as a marker , for a combined brachytherapy / external beam irradiation treatment .	0
fig1 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment in which the peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors of the present invention is applied to an automated range finding system , which function corresponds to fig8 . hereinafter , the explanation will be given with respect to photo sensors . in fig1 a portion of the peak level detecting apparatus for basic photo sensors is illustrated in the right side of the figure , and that for reference photo sensors is illustrated in the left side of the figure with a center line representing the light axis . the portions are arranged at predetermined distances from the light axis . both portions are formed on the same substrate of a semiconductor chip with a cell structure by semiconductor technology for integrated circuits . the elements p ( bl ) ˜ p ( bm ), p ( rl ) ˜ p ( rn ) are photo diodes with the same shape , and each photo diode is separated electrically . at one electrode of the photo diodes p ( bl ) ˜ p ( bm ), p ( rl ) ˜ p ( rn ), a drain layer d ( rn ) is formed to discharge unnecessary charges through discharge gates l ( bl ) ˜ l ( bm ), l ( rl ) ˜ l ( rn ). the drain layer is made with an n + impurity layer to which the predetermined voltage v ( ld ) is applied . the discharge gates l ( bl ) ˜ l ( bm ), l ( rl ) ˜ l ( rn ) are turned &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; by a voltage level of a control signal v ( l ). to the other electrode of the photo diodes p ( bl ) ˜ p ( bm ), p ( rl ) ˜ p ( rn ), u shaped charge storage means s ( bl ) ˜ s ( bm ), s ( rl ) ˜ s ( rn ) are formed through the barrier gates a ( bl ) ˜ a ( bm ), a ( rl ) ˜ a ( rn ). the barrier gates a ( bl ) ˜ a ( bm ), a ( rl ) ˜ a ( rn ) generate potential barriers in the substrate of the micro chip , which correspond to the voltage level of the bias signal vo which is applied to the surface electrodes of the barrier gate . the charge storage elements s ( bl ) ˜ s ( bm ), s ( rl ) ˜ s ( rn ) also generate the potential profile corresponding to the voltage of the bias signal v ( st ) which is applied to the u - shaped surface electrode . in the blank portion of the u - shaped charge storage elements s ( bl ) ˜ s ( bm ), s ( rl ) ˜ s ( rn ), drains d ( bl ) ˜ d ( bm ), d ( rl ) ˜ d ( rn ), which are made with n + type impurity layers , are formed to be surrounded by a pair of a clearing gate and a barrier gate , g ( bl )/ r ( bl ), gb2 / rb2 , ˜ g ( bm )/ r ( bm ), g ( rl )/ r ( rl ), gr2 / rr2 , ˜ g ( rn )/ r ( rn ). in the clearing gates g ( bl ) ˜ g ( bm ), g ( rl ) ˜ g ( rn ), the potential barriers corresponding to the voltage level of the control signal cr which is applied to their surface electrode , are generated , and another potential barrier is generated in other barrier gates r ( bl ) ˜ r ( bm ), r ( rl ) ˜ r ( rn ) which correspond to the voltage level of the signal ag applied to their surface electrodes . herein , the clearing gates g ( bl ) ˜ g ( bm ), g ( rl ) ˜ g ( rn ) have another function to discharge the unnecessary charges of the photo diodes p ( bl ) ˜ p ( bm ), p ( rl ) ˜ p ( rn ) to the charge storage elements s ( bl ) ˜ s ( bm ), s ( rl ) ˜ s ( rn ) with a deeper potential barrier by a high temporary voltage . moreover , the transferring gates z ( bl ) ˜ z ( bm ), z ( rl ) ˜ z ( rn ) and the charge transfer lines ccdb , ccdr which are made by charge coupled devices are formed in said order at the output electrode of the charge storage elements s ( bl ) ˜ s ( bm ), s ( rl ) ˜ s ( rn ) of the charge storage means . the transferring gates z ( bl ) ˜ z ( bm ), z ( rl ) ˜ z ( rn ) are operated to be &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; and &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; with a control signal t ( g ) which is applied to their surface electrodes . the charge transferring lines ccdb and ccdr transfer the signal charges with a clock signal of φ ( bl ) ˜ φ ( b4 ), φ ( rl ) ˜ φ ( r4 ) by a so - called four phase driving operation . each element of the charge transferring means transfers one signal charge with four phase driving . the floating gates f ( bl ) ˜ f ( bm ), f ( rl ) ˜ f ( rn ) are formed adjoining each transferring element of the aforesaid charge transferring means in order to output the voltage signals which correspond to the signal charge stored in each charge transferring element without any destruction . herein , the charge transferring line ccdb at the basic photo sensor side is controlled to transfer the signal charge between adjoining elements only for draining the signal charges , while the charge transferring line ccdr at the reference photo sensor side is controlled to transfer signal charge horizontally between adjoining elements at any time . the signals generated in both floating gates f ( bl ) ˜ f ( bm ), f ( rl ) ˜ f ( rn ) are received by the multiplexers ( 20 ) and ( 21 ) and then serially outputted as signals sb and sr by a parallel - serial transformation with channel indication signals chb and chr for a predetermined time interval . the explanation of the composition of the photo sensors are as described above . the outputted signals sr and sb are supplied to a correlation calculation circuit ( 22 ) to get the result of the correlation value h ( l ) of the aforesaid formula ( 1 ). the entire operation of the automated range finding contains ordered steps of : a ) discharging unnecessary charges in the photo diodes p ( bl ) ˜ p ( bm ), p ( rl ) ˜ p ( rn ) to the drain d ( rn ), b ) exposing the photo diodes p ( bl ) ˜ p ( bm ), p ( rl ) ˜ p ( rn ) to the image of the remote object for an appropriate time interval , and the system is controlled by signals v ( l }, v ( 0 ), cr , ag , t ( g ), v ( st ), φ ( bl ) φ ( b4 ), φ ( rl ) ˜ φ ( r4 ), ch ( b ) and ch ( r ) which are supplied from the control signal generating circuit ( 23 ). the circuit described above is made by so - called c - mos manufacturing technology for semiconductor integrated circuits applied with two layer wiring technology . each element and surface electrode of the aforementioned example are formed in the first polysilicon layer and wiring ( which are indicated with marks of -·-·- in fig1 ) is formed in the second polysilicon layer utilizing the technology such as two layer wiring technology . furthermore , the peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors of the present invention contains detection circuits ( 24 ) and ( 25 ) to determine whether the permissible amount of charge capacity has been reached in at least one of the aforesaid charge storage elements s ( bl ) ˜ s ( bm ), s ( rl ) ˜ s ( rn ) in the exposure process . because both circuits ( 24 ) and ( 26 ) have same composition , hereinafter an explanation will be given of fig1 for only the detection circuit ( 24 ) as an example . the circuit comprises an operational amplifier ( 26 ) and a comparator ( 27 ). to the inverted input terminal of the operational amplifier ( 26 ), wirings to all the drains d ( bl ) ˜ d ( bm ) are connected commonly to receive a voltage signal n ( b ) which is generated in the aforesaid wirings . to the other non - inverted input terminal of the operational amplifier ( 26 ), a predetermined bias voltage v ( ref1 ) ( for example 3 . 5 v ) is applied , and a capacitor device c and a switching device ( 28 ) are connected in parallel between the output terminal and the inverted input terminal . the output terminal of the operational amplifier ( 26 ) is connected to the inverted input terminal of the comparator ( 27 ) a , and a predetermined reference voltage v ( ref2 ) is applied to the non - inverted input terminal of the comparator ( 27 ) to supply a detection signal s ( eb ), which is generated at the output terminal , to the control signal generating circuit ( 23 ). the detector ( 25 ) on the reference side of the apparatus receives the voltage signal η ( r ), which corresponds to η ( b ), and supplies a detection signal s ( er ), which corresponds to the detection signal s ( eb ), to the control signal generating circuit ( 23 ). the control signal generating circuit ( 23 ) stops the exposure process when a change , explained later , occurs in the aforesaid detection signals s ( eb ) and s ( er ). this is achieved by stopping the signal charge flow to the signal storage elements s ( bl ) ˜ s ( bm ), s ( rl ) ˜ s ( rn ), for example , by breaking contact with the barrier gates a ( bl ) ˜ a ( bm ), a ( rl ) ˜ a ( rn ) and at the same time to make contact with the draining gates l ( bl ) ˜ l ( bm ), l ( rl ) ˜ l ( rn ) in order to maintain the control signal at the predetermined level . herein , the switching device ( 28 ) is turned &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; temporarily and discharges the unnecessary signal charge in the capacitor device c by a reset signal rs which is output from the control signal generator ( 23 ) just before the exposure process is begun . the capacitance of the capacitor device c should preferably be small to ensure acute sensitivity of the detectors ( 24 ) and ( 25 ). hereinafter , the operation of the peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors according to the present invention will be explained with reference to fig2 fig3 and fig4 . the portion of the apparatus regarding the signal detection means will first be explained in further detail . a photo cell to operate a signal charge generated in the photo diode p ( bl ) which is arranged in rightmost part in the charge storage portion in fig1 is illustrated in fig2 . b ) an n + type impurity layer indicated by dots which is doped in the p - well , c ) plural surface electrodes indicated by solid lines which are formed by a polysilicon layer and d ) wirings indicated by marks of -·-·- to connect among the aforesaid surface electrodes in the figure . a side view l a vertical cut along the line a - a in fig2 is illustrated in fig3 and the potential profile for the side view is also illustrated in the fig3 . the status of the potential profile just before the exposure process begins , is described as follows . the u - shaped charge storage element has a fermi level of β3 with a predetermined voltage v ( st ) ( 3 . 5 v in this example ), which is generated in u - shaped form from a top view because the surface electrode of the storage element has a u - shaped form . the drain d ( bl ), which is surrounded by the charge storage element , has a fermi level of β4 after the capacitor device c in fig1 has been discharged . the potential level of the gate g ( bl ) which is arranged between the aforesaid two devices is decreased to the level β4 by a signal cr of high voltage in order to discharge unnecessary charge in the storage element s ( bl ) to the detector ( 24 ) through the drain d ( bl ) when the status is reset before the exposure process . then the gate g ( bl ) has a potential of level β0 given by a signal cr with low voltage ( 0 volts at the moment in this example ) in the exposure process . the other gate r ( bl ) has a potential of level β2 from an applied voltage ag ( adjusted within the range from 1 . 5 to 3 . 5 v ). the transferring gate z ( bl ) is biased to have a potential β0 by a signal t ( g ) when it does not transfer charges to the charge coupled device line ccdb , and it is biased to have a potential between the level β3 and β ( ccd ), which is the level of the potential well of the charge coupled device line ccdb when charge transfer is to occur . the drain layer d ( rn ) is biased to have a potential of β6 , which is the deepest potential in this example , by the predetermined applied voltage vld ( 6v ). the potential of the gate l ( bl ) is decreased to be equal to a signal v ( l ) with high voltage at the reset process before the exposure begins , and it is biased to be β1 when the signal v ( l ) becomes a low voltage ( 1 . 2 v ). the barrier gate a ( bl ) has a potential of β2 which is set by an applied voltage v0 . herein , as the charge storage element s ( bl ) and the drain d ( bl ) are isolated together so that signal charge cannot pass directly through them , the charges are transferred through the gates g ( bl ) and r ( bl ) without fail . with the potential profile as described above , a signal charge ( indicated by a mark &# 34 ;-&# 34 ; in the figure ) induced by a photo electric effect in the photo diode p ( bl ) is transferred to the charge storage element s ( bl ) through the barrier gate a ( bl ) and is stored therein when the exposure process is begun . the accumulation process is continued by the potential barrier β3 until the potential level of the charge storage element s ( bl ) becomes equal to that of the gate ag . when the charge accumulation is continued to the level of β3 , the signal charge flows into the drain d ( bl ) by an overflow from the potential barrier and it changes the voltage of a signal η ( b ) which is applied to the detection circuit ( 24 ). according to this change , the capacitor device c in the detection circuit ( 24 ) is charged and the output signal level from the operational amplifier ( 26 ) is increased gradually . when the charged voltage becomes larger than v ( ref2 ) ( 4 v ) at the time t ( s ) as shown in fig4 the detection signal s ( eb ) is inverted to the level &# 34 ; low &# 34 ;. the inversion is detected by the control signal generator ( 23 ), which outputs a command to stop the exposure process . by these sequential processes , the exposure process is restricted to a time period between time t ( 0 ) when it is begun and time t ( s ) when it is stopped . in this example , explanation was given only of the cell including the charge accumulation element s ( bl ). however , the processes for the other cells are substantially the same as the aforesaid cell for the charge accumulator s ( bl ). the operation for the other cells begins after the same potential profile was set , and because all drains are connected to the detection circuit ( 24 ) with a common wiring , ( cells being connected to the detection circuit ( 25 ) for the case of the reference side ) when the signal charge in at least one of the charge accumulator elements begins to flow over the potential barrier , the signal s ( eb ) changes to the &# 34 ; low &# 34 ; level . by this construction , the detection circuits ( 24 ) and ( 25 ) are not designed to stop the exposure process when the average of the charges stored in all charge accumulator elements becomes larger than a predetermined threshold level , but are designed to stop the exposure process when only one of the charge accumulator elements attains the saturation level . due to this design , all signal charges are kept within the level at which a permissible amount of charge is contained in the charge accumulator element , so that the signals s ( b ) and s ( r ) which are supplied to the correlation calculation circuit ( 22 ) do not contain any clip . thus , the result of the calculation is based on the actual light levels which properly correspond to the remote object , and precise range finding can be realized . in the above described example , the apparatus comprises barrier gates r ( bl ) ˜ r ( bm ), r ( rl ) ˜ r ( rn ) to set the potential barrier to detect the predetermined peak level , and also gates g ( bl ) ˜ g ( bm ), g ( rl ) ˜ g ( rn ) for the purpose of discharging unnecessary charges . as for another embodiment of the peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors , the gates g ( bl ) ˜ g ( bm ), g ( rl ) ˜ g ( rn can be neglected . in this embodiment , the function of discharging the unnecessary charges is performed by the barrier gates r ( bl ) ˜ r ( bm ), r ( rl ) ˜ r ( rn ) with proper adjustment of the voltage level of the control signal ag . this modification can simplify the overall structure of the apparatus . another simplification can be accomplished by utilizing only one of the detecting circuits ( 24 ) and ( 25 ) because they have the same structure and achieve the same function . hereinafter , another embodiment of a peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors will be explained with reference to fig5 . the embodiment illustrated in fig1 is applied to a peak level detecting apparatus which is formed in a single semiconductor chip for an automated range finding apparatus . the embodiment in fig5 illustrates a peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors , as an embodiment of the present invention with a more fundamental structure having applicability for an optical apparatus not limited to the automated range finding apparatus . a ) plural photo diodes pd ( 1 ) ˜ pd ( n ) which are arranged in line form and isolated from each other , b ) a barrier gate th which is formed adjoining the plural photo diodes pd ( 1 ) ˜ pd ( n ) which is made of a poly silicon layer , for example , and c ) a drain dn which is formed parallel to and adjoining the barrier gate th , and which is made of n + impurity layer on a p - well of the semiconductor substrate . the barrier gate th generates a potential barrier of a predetermined level in the substrate by a predetermined voltage signal ag . herein , the voltage of the signal ag is maintained at the predetermined level for the exposure interval of the photo diodes pdl ˜ pdn , however , before the exposure , unnecessary charges in the photo diodes pdl ˜ pdn can be discharged by raising the voltage of the signal ag in order to make the potential deeper . the drain dn is connected to a detection circuit similar to the detection circuit ( 24 ) in the above described example . when the induced charge in at least one of the photo diodes pdl ˜ pdn passes over the potential barrier during the exposure , a voltage η generated in the drain dn is changed . this change is detected by the detection circuit so as to reverse the output signal s ( eb ). hereby , the same or the corresponding components of the detection circuit ( 24 ) in fig1 are indicated with the same reference numerals in fig5 . fig6 illustrates a cross sectional view of the peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors in fig5 along the line b - b , and the potential profile of the semiconductor substrate corresponding to the cross sectional view . the fermi level of the isolation is set at the highest level ε ( 0 ). the potential barrier made by the signal ag is set at ε ( 1 ), and the fermi level of the drain dn is set at ε ( 2 ). these three levels are controlled to hold a relation , ε ( 0 )& gt ; ε ( 1 )& gt ; ε ( 2 ). hereby , to discharge the unnecessary charges from the photo diodes pdl ˜ pdn to the drain dn , the potential ε ( 1 ) is changed to be deep at the level of ε ( 2 ) by temporarily applying the high voltage signal ag in the resetting process before the exposure . with the embodiment as described above , because there is only one coupling between the barrier gate th by which the potential barrier is made , and the drain dn by which the signal charge flowing over the potential barrier is detected , which is commonly possessed for all of the photo diodes , the composition of the whole apparatus can be simplified . as for a specific application , the automated range finding apparatus of the prior art in fig8 can use the peak level detecting circuit in fig5 instead of the charge detection circuit ( 19 ) in fig8 . in this embodiment , the peak level detection can be accomplished in the same manner for the photo diodes x ( rl ) ˜ x ( rn ), x ( bl ) ˜ x ( bm ) in fig8 with the arrangement of the photo diodes pd ( 1 ) ˜ pd ( n ) corresponding to that of the photo diodes x ( rl ) ˜ x ( rn ), x ( bl ) ˜ x ( bm ) in fig8 . as for other applications of the peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors of the present invention , it can be used in an automated exposure apparatus in which the most appropriate exposure can be realized . with the arrangement of the plural photo diodes pdl ˜ pdn in a predetermined field angle of a camera , so called spot measurement which is performed with a base of the strongest light value portion , can be realized utilizing the detection of signal charge reaching a predetermined level in at least one of the photo diodes . as described above , the peak level detecting apparatus for image sensors of the present invention can be applied to not only an automated range finding apparatus and and automated exposure apparatus in the above described embodiments , but also various optical apparatus . the invention being thus described , it will be obvious that the same may be varied in many ways . such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the spirit and scope of the invention and all such modifications as would be obvious to those skilled in the art are intended to be included within the scope of the following claims .	7
the vinylidene chloride copolymers herein referred to include copolymers composed of vinylidene chloride as a main component thereof and unsaturated monomers copolymerizable therewith , said copolymers containing from about 60 to about 95 percent by weight of vinylidene chloride . such copolymers can usually be obtained by copolymerizing from about 50 to about 98 parts of vinylidene chloride with from about 50 to about 2 parts of a copolymerizable unsaturated monomer . copolymerizable monomers , suitable for the practice of the present invention include , but are not limited to , vinyl chloride , acrylates such as methyl acrylate and butyl acrylate , methacrylates such as methyl methacrylate and butyl methacrylate , acrylonitrile , isobutylene , vinyl acetate , and so forth . these copolymerizable monomers may be used singly or in combination . vitamin e useable according to the present invention includes alpha -, beta -, gamma - and delta - tocopherol and mixtures thereof . as the alkyl ester of thiodipropionic acid , it is preferable to use dilauryl thiodipropionate or distearyl thiodipropionate . the phosphates according to the present invention include alkali metal salts and alkali earth metals salts of the following phosphoric acids : orthophosphoric acid ; metaphosphoric acid ; peroxophosphoric acids such as peroxomonophosphoric acid and peroxodiphosphoric acid ; polyphosphoric acids such as pyrophosphoric acid , triphosphoric acid and tetraphosphoric acid ; and polymetaphosphoric acids such as trimetaphosphoric acid and tetrametaphosphoric acid . illustrative alkali metal salts and alkali earth metal salts of these phosphoric acids include sodium pyrophosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate . sodium pyrophosphate and sodium tripolyphosphate are most effective for obtaining a high stabilizing effect . according to the present invention , each of the aforementioned stabilizers are advantageously added in an amount of from about 0 . 0005 to about 0 . 2 parts by weight and , preferably , from about 0 . 001 to about 0 . 05 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the vinylidene chloride copolymer . further , the present invention is characterized by a combined use of the aforementioned three types of stabilizers . for any of these stabilizers , a content lower than 0 . 0005 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the vinylidene chloride copolymer is insufficient for achieving the object of the present invention . addition of amounts exceeding 0 . 2 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the vinylidene chloride copolymer causes the stabilizing effect to be substantially saturated . such excessive amounts are not only disadvantageous economically , but also lower the transparency of the resultant moldings . according to the present invention , the stabilizers may be added to the monomers before they are copolymerized into a vinylidene chloride copolymer ( hereinafter , this method shall be referred to as an advance addition ), or the stabilizers may be added to a vinylidene chloride copolymer dispersion ( hereinafter , this method shall be referred to as a slurry addition ). with slurry addition , other additives ordinarily used for vinylidene chloride resins may be added , as required , together with the stabilizers according to the present invention . alternatively , the stabilizers may be added to a vinylidene chloride copolymer during drying or following drying ( hereinafter , this method shall be referred to as a dry addition ). with dry addition , as with slurry addition , the aforesaid other additives may be added together with the stabilizers according to the present invention . further , the aforementioned three methods , advance addition , slurry addition and dry addition , may be applied in combination . however , the advance addition method is most preferable for the present invention because the stabilizers , according to the present invention , act to prevent heat deterioration of prepolymers during polymerization and because the stabilizers are evenly dispersed in and throughout the resultant polymerization product . while the mechanism which leads to improved heat and light stability of vinylidene chloride resins is not clearly understood , it is supposed that the aforementioned three types of stabilizers according to the present invention as used in combination might produce a synergistic effect . hereinafter , the present invention will be described further in detail by way of examples and references , in which all parts and percentages are given in terms of weight . by an advance addition method , varied quantities of racemic - alpha - tocopherol , dilauryl thiodipropionate and sodium pyrophosphate were added as stabilizers into a mixture consisting of 80 parts of vinylidene chloride monomer and 20 parts of vinyl chloride monomer . the resultant mixtures were then subjected to suspension polymerization . any of the suspension polymerization processes known in the art will work . the resultant vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride copolymers polymerized to a conversion of 85 percent and reduced viscosity ( specific viscosity / concentration ) of about 0 . 45 , as measured in terms of their 2 grams / liter tetrahydrofuran solution at 30 ° centigrade ( hereinafter &# 34 ; c &# 34 ;). following polymer recovery , 5 parts by weight of acetyl tributyl citrate and 2 parts by weight of epoxidized linseed oil were added per 100 parts of the recovered vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride copolymers to obtain copolymer resin compositions having the stabilizer contents as given in table 1 below . the resultant copolymer resin compositions were then extruded into tubular parisons using a one and one - half inch melt extruder with a length to diameter ratio of 14 having a die temperature set at 190 ° c . prior to completion of crystallization , the tubular parisons were vortically wound up , without being oriented , around a thin bar so as to form discoidal shapes 2 centimeters thick by 8 centimeters in diameter . the heat resistance of the resin compositions during the molding process was evaluated by visually observing heat discoloration of the respective resin discs . the light resistance of the vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride resins was evaluated by using crystallized parisons set on a standard fadeometer ( model fa - sh - c , manufactured by toyo rikagaku kogyo co ., ltd .) in accordance with jis l - 0842 - 71 in which the irradiation time was set to 120 hours for all vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride resin samples . under the testing method of jis l - 0842 - 71 , resin specimens , a black panel and a white panel revolve around a carbon arc lamp and are exposed to the ultraviolet radiation generated by the carbon arc lamp for a period of 120 hours so that the temperature of the black panel may be kept at 63 ° c . plus or minus 5 ° c . and so that the temperature of the white panel may be kept at about 40 ° c . discoloration of the specimens is graded by comparison with a standard sample . the results of the evaluation of the resins of example 1 and references 1 through 7 are also given in table 1 below . table 1__________________________________________________________________________ heat lightcomposition stabilizers contents * discoloration resistance__________________________________________________________________________example 1 racemic - alpha - tocopherol 0 . 01 not discolored grade 6 . 5 sodium pyrophosphate 0 . 01 ( colorless ) dilauryl thiodipropionate 0 . 02reference 1 none 0 . 00 colored in grade 3 light - brownreference 2 racemic - alpha - tocopherol 0 . 04 colored in grade 4 light - brownreference 3 sodium pyrophosphate 0 . 04 colored in grade 5 light - yellowreference 4 dilauryl thiodipropionate 0 . 04 colored in grade 3 light - yellowreference 5 racemic - alpha - tocopherol 0 . 02 colored in grade 5 sodium pyrophosphate 0 . 02 light - brownreference 6 sodium pyrophosphate 0 . 02 slightly grade 4 dilauryl thiodipropionate 0 . 02 yellowedreference 7 dilauryl thiodipropionate 0 . 02 colored in grade 3 . 5 racemic - alpha - tocopherol 0 . 02 light - brown__________________________________________________________________________ * contents of stabilizers added per 100 parts of the vinylidene chloridevinyl chloride copolymer . it is clear , based upon the results shown in table 1 , that the vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride copolymer resin composition obtained by the process according to the present invention , shows a significantly higher heat stability during molding than the comparative samples , as well as an excellent post - molding light resistance rating ( the larger the number the better the rating ). vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride copolymers containing about 90 weight percent vinylidene chloride and about 10 weight percent vinyl chloride were prepared by suspension polymerization of a monomer mixture comprising about 82 parts of vinylidene chloride and 18 parts of vinyl chloride . the resultant polymer had a conversion of about 90 percent and reduced viscosity ( specific viscosity / concentration ) of about 0 . 54 , as measured in terms of their 2 grams / liter tetrahydrofuran solution at 30 ° c . to each of the samples , 4 parts by weight of dibutyl sebacate , 2 parts by weight of dioxtyl adipate , and 2 parts by weight of epoxidized linseed oil were added per 100 parts of the copolymer . further , varied quantities , as shown in table 2 , of natural tocopherol ( a mixture of alpha -, beta -, delta -, and gamma - tocopherol ), distearyl thiodipropionate and sodium pyrophosphate were added as stabilizers by the dry addition method to obtain varied vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride compositions . in the same manner as in example 1 , the resultant respectively vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride resin compositions were subjected to a heat resistance rest by way of heat discoloration and a light resistance test by means of a fadeometer . the results of the evaluation of the resins of example 2 and references 8 through 11 are also shown in table 2 below . table 2__________________________________________________________________________ heat lightcomposition stabilizers contents * discoloration resistance__________________________________________________________________________example 2 natural tocopherol 0 . 005 not discolored grade 6 sodium pyrophosphate 0 . 010 ( colorless ) distearyl thiodipropionate 0 . 015reference 8 none 0 . 000 colored in grade 3 light - brownreference 9 natural tocopherol 0 . 020 colored in grade 4 sodium pyrophosphate 0 . 010 light - brownreference 10 sodium pyrophosphate 0 . 020 colored in grade 4 distearyl thiodipropionate 0 . 010 light - yellowreference 11 distearyl thiodipropionate 0 . 020 colored in grade 3 . 5 natural tocopherol 0 . 010 light - brown__________________________________________________________________________ * contents of stabilizers added per 100 parts of the vinylidene chloridevinyl chloride copolymer . as clearly understood from the results shown in table 2 , the vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride resin composition obtained by the process according to the present invention , is far superior to the resin compositions obtained by the processes of references 8 through 11 in terms of heat stability and post - molding light resistance . in the same manner as in example 1 , vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride resin compositions were prepared by the advance addition method with varied levels of additives , as noted in table 3 , in accordance with the present invention . the resultant resin compositions were then subjected to a heat resistance test by way of heat discoloration and a light resistance test by means of a fadeometer as in example 1 . in addition , a parison transparency check was conducted before the parisons were vortically wound up as in example 1 . the results of the tests are also shown in table 3 . table 3__________________________________________________________________________ dilauryl racemic - α - sodium thiodi - heat lightcomposition tocopherol phosphate * propionate * discoloration resistance transparency__________________________________________________________________________reference 12 0 . 0003 0 . 0003 0 . 0003 colored in grade 3 transparent light - brownexample 3 0 . 001 0 . 001 0 . 001 not discolored grade 5 . 5 transparent ( colorless ) example 4 0 . 010 0 . 010 0 . 010 not discolored grade 6 transparentexample 5 0 . 050 0 . 050 0 . 050 colored in grade 6 . 5 transparent light - yellowreference 13 0 . 250 0 . 250 0 . 250 colored in grade 6 . 5 opaque light - brown__________________________________________________________________________ * contents of stabilizers added per 100 parts of the vinylidene chloridevinyl chloride copolymer . as clearly understood from the test results shown in table 3 , the physical properties , particularly light resistance , of the vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride resin composition are improved as the contents of the stabilizers , according to the present invention , increase . however , if the additive contents exceed the upper limit of the range of stabilizer content , according to the present invention , the light resistance of the vinylidene chloride - vinyl chloride resin containing the stabilizers will not continue to improve , but will , in fact , be reduced as will the heat resistance and transparency of the parisons . in a manner similar to the foregoing beta -, gamma -, or delta - tocopherols are used as the vitamin e component with similar results .	2
in fig1 is shown a rocket engine thrust generating device 10 having a combustion chamber section 12 , a converging section 14 , a thrust nozzle section 16 , and a diverging section 18 terminating in a thrust gas discharge section 20 . by its construction , the thrust generating device is provided with an inner wall 22 or substrate preferably formed of high conductivity copper or copper alloy , having a plurality of cooling channels machined longitudinally therein for the flow of a cooling medium such as nitrogen tetroxide ( n 2 o 4 ) therethrough . for purposes of illustration only one channel ( shown in phantom line ) has been depicted . referring to fig2 a , in addition to fig1 open cooling channels are machined or cut longitudinally into inner wall 22 which has been electrocated with a nickel metal layer or overlay 24 of from about 0 . 010 inch to about 0 . 10 inch . prior to forming the open cooling channels , this nickel overlay is machined to a desired design thickness of from about 0 . 01 inch along the thrust nozzle and diverging sections 16 and 18 to about 0 . 065 inch along the converging section 14 . the open cooling channels are formed by machining through the nickel overlay and into the copper substrate comprising inner wall 22 to form open channels having a bottom surface 26 and a side wall surface 28 separated by lands 30 . while the inner wall or substrate is preferably made of copper as previously noted , it may also be made of a copper alloy , e . g ., copper - zirconium , copper - beryllium , copper - silver , or a copper alloy of the &# 34 ; narloy &# 34 ; series ( trademark of rockwell international ) or any other suitable material , e . g ., niobium . the width to depth ratios of the open channels and width of the lands . 30 between the channels vary . for example , the width and depth of the channels within the converging section will be about 0 . 063 inch for the width and about 0 . 125 inch for the depth . along the throat section the width is about 0 . 043 inch and the depth is about 0 . 033 inch . for the diverging section the channel width is about 0 . 063 inch and a depth of about 0 . 062 inch . the channel wall angle may vary from about 12 ° to about 90 ° with reference to the horizontal bottom surface of the channels . in addition , the width of lands 30 between the channels may vary from about 0 . 15 inch to about 0 . 040 inch along the length of the thrust generating device or rocket engine . referring again to fig2 a , and also to fig2 b - 2g , the construction of the cooling channels is more clearly defined . as noted , in fig2 a the substrate or inner wall 22 has a nickel overlay 24 and an open cooling channel machined therein . in fig2 b and 2c , the bottom and side walls and the land surfaces are activated to receive the final protective corrosion - resistant gold layer . the composite activation layer comprises a first nickel layer 32 or strike and a gold overlay 34 or strike . these layers are electrodeposited so as to coat the bottom and side surfaces of the channel and also coat the nickel overlay 24 over the land surface area . this activation layer prepares the copper bottom and side wall surfaces of the cooling channel for the electrodeposition of a protective gold layer 36 ( note fig2 d ) which is electrodeposited over the activation layer . in the activation layer , the nickel strike is from about 0 . 00001 to about 0 . 00005 inch thick , the gold strike is also from about 0 . 00001 to about 0 . 00005 inch thick , while the protective gold coating or layer 36 is from about 0 . 0002 to about 0 . 002 inch thick ; all depending in some measure on the channel wall angle and design parameters . more particularly with regard to the gold protective layer , its thickness is determined by the porosity parameters , heat transfer , flow , adhesion or bonding characteristics and especially by the need to protect the physical integrity of the channel against the possible deleterious effects encountered when using a corrosive cooling medium such as nitrogen tetroxide . next , a meltable filler compound 38 is introduced into the channel elements as seen in fig2 e . the filler compound is generally a low melting wax or a mixture of an emulsifiable wax and a hydrogenated cyclic hydrocarbon resin , having a melting point of from about 90 ° c . to about 97 ° c . too brittle a wax may result in cracks during use and acid - electrolyte entrapment . this in turn can affect the conductive coating quality . also , too high a melting point wax presents removal difficulties and too low a melting point wax can result in loss of shape of a deposited metallic layer during the electrodeposition process . as shown in fig2 e and 2f , the channels are filled with the filler material to the top edge thereof . next , the lands are wet sanded to remove the activation layers , the protective gold layer and any wax residual . then , silver powder is burnished into the wax to enhance the next electrodeposition step . finally , as shown in fig2 g , a nickel metal layer or cap 40 of from about 0 . 018 inch to about 0 . 5 inch , depending upon design requirements , is electrodeposited over the lands and filler material . cooling channel formation in wall 22 is completed by heating and flushing the filler material out of the channel , thereby providing a closed cooling channel 42 in the wall member . the following example and comparison tests will further illustrate the practice of the invention without unduly limiting its scope . an inner wall member 22 consisting of a copper substrate with recessed cooling channels formed therein is produced utilizing the following materials and operating conditions : an initial cleansing prepares the wall substrate for subsequent processing . this initial cleansing is a vapor degreasing step lasting about 20 minutes utilizing technical grade tetrachloroethylene ( perchloroethylene ). the wall substrate is then thoroughly flushed with solvent followed by rinsing first , with an alkaline cleaner followed by deionized water . the wall substrate is inspected for any defects deleterious to the electrodeposition operation . the prepared copper substrate is next coated with a nickel layer or overlay by electrodeposition , which deposited layer is machined until from about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 1 inch of nickel uniformly coats the copper substrate wall . open cooling channels are then longitudinally formed by cutting through the nickel overlay and into the copper substrate . channel sizes range from about 0 . 042 inch wide to about 0 . 032 inch deep and from about 0 . 062 inch wide to about 0 . 120 inch deep with straight sides . the substrate wall is now characterized by longitudinal , open cooling channels , as described , having nickel coated lands separating the channels . these lands vary in width from about 0 . 15 inch to about 0 . 040 inch along the length of the wall . the wall is again cleansed by solvent flushing and rinsing with deionized water preparatory to phase ii . the wall substrate prepared according to the steps and conditions of phase i is now processed to activate or prepare the bottom and side walls of the channels for a bonded protective gold layer . the channels will then be completed in phase iii with the application of a nickel layer over the lands and channels , thereby forming closed cooling channels in the wall substrate . the wall substrate of phase i is treated in an anodic etch tank , cathodic activate tank , nickel chloride strike tank , gold strike tank and rinse tanks constituted as follows : ______________________________________anodic etch tankphosphoric acid = 71 % by wt . ( balance distilled water ) temperature = 44 ° c . cathodic activate tanksulfuric acid = 40 % by wt . ( balance distilled water ) temperature = 39 ° c . nickel chloride strike tanknickel chloride hexahydrate = 214 g / lhydrochloric acid = 36 g / ltemperature = 41 ° c . anode = depolarized nickelgold strike tankgold = 0 . 68 tr . oz / galph = 0 . 27anode = platinum - coated titanium having a platinum coat of about 1 . 5μ . rinse tanksfilled with deionized watertemperature = 46 ° c . to 56 ° c . conductivity = 5 . 0 micromhos______________________________________ procedurally , the wall substrate of phase i is affixed to a suitable plating assembly and immersed in a rinse tank of deionized water . the assembly is removed and quickly lowered into the anodic etch using a hot lead . exposure to the phosphoric acid is for 90 seconds at a current density of 100 a / ft 2 ( amperes per square foot ) followed by continuous rinsing and resubmersion in the first rinse tank water . the plating assembly is removed from the rinse tank and lowered into the cathodic activate ( sulfuric acid ) using a hot lead . exposure is for 300 seconds at a current density of 100 a / ft 2 followed by continuous rinsing with submersion in a second rinse tank . immediately , the assembly is withdrawn from the second rinse tank and conveyed to the nickel strike tank in 30 seconds with continuous rinsing using deionized water . rinsing is curtailed and the assembly lowered into the nickel strike tank using a hot lead where the assembly remains for 300 seconds at a current density of about 60 a / ft 2 . a nickel coating having a thickness of about 0 . 00005 inch is deposited over the lands surfaces and the bottom and side wall surfaces of the channels . the assembly is removed from the nickel strike tank and transported in 49 seconds with continuous spraying with deionized water to the gold strike tank and submerged therein using a hot lead . the assembly remains in the gold strike tank for 120 seconds at a current density of about 15 a / ft 2 resulting in a gold strike layer of about 0 . 00005 inch . the final step of phase ii is the deposition of a protective 24 - carat gold coating over the gold strike covering the nickel strike . a gold electrodeposition system is utilized in which gold as a metal ( 0 . 98 troy oz / gal ) is contained in a bath having a ph of 5 . 5 and a temperature of about 72 ° c . the assembly is removed from the gold strike tank , rinsed and lowered into the gold plating solution within the gold electrodeposition system . the assembly remains within the plating solution for 7 hours at a current density of 3 a / ft 2 . upon removal , a protective 24 - carat gold layer about 0 . 002 inch thick has been deposited over the gold strike layer . phase iii completes the cooling channel construction . the wall substrate prepared in phase ii is now ready for channel closure . prior to final nickel deposition using a nickel electrodeposition system to form the outer closure layer , a wax filler is applied so as to fill the channels completely . the wall substrate with the wax - filled channels is placed in a clean oven for at least 1 hour at about 67 ° c . ( 120 ° f .) to pre - expand the wax in the channels . after cooling , the land surface areas are wet sanded to remove excess wax , the activation layer and gold protective layer on the lands . wet sanding is performed while flooding with deionized water ( about 41 ° c . to about 45 ° c .). after rinsing , the entire wall surface area is then dried with gaseous nitrogen . a conductive coating of silver powder is lightly applied to the filler wax surface by burnishing , covering each channel sequentially . when all of the filler surfaces have been coated satisfactorily , excess silver powder is removed by rinsing the surface with detergent , deionized water , and then drying with gaseous nitrogen . an activation system is prepared consisting of an anodic etch tank , cathodic activate tank and rinse tanks constituted as follows : ______________________________________anodic etch tankphosphoric acid = 71 % by wt . ( balance distilled water ) temperature = 43 ° c . anodic etch current density = 100 a / ft . sup . 2cathodic activation tanksulfuric acid = 41 % by wt . ( balance distilled water ) temperature = 40 ° c . cathodic current density = 100 a / ft . sup . 2rinse tanksfilled with deionized watertemperature = ( 50 ° c .- 56 ° c .) conductivity = 5 . 0 micromhos______________________________________ the basic procedures of phase ii regarding exposure of the wall substrate to the anodic etch tank , cathodic activate tank and rinse tanks are followed in phase iii . this prepares the nickel coated land areas and conductive wax filler for the nickel sulfamate deposition process . a nickel electrodeposition system is then prepared in which the electrolyte composition comprises : ______________________________________nickel , as metal = 78 . 0 g / lboric acid = 43 . 0 g / lph = 4 . 0specific gravity = 1 . 26temperature = ( 58 ° c .) ______________________________________ the prepared substrate is then introduced into the nickel electrolyte composition using a hot lead . with a deposition rate of about 0 . 001 inch per hour at about 20 a / ft 2 , an outer nickel plate of a thickness of from about 0 . 01 to about 0 . 5 inch is deposited over the surface of the land surface areas and wax filler . subsequently , the outer nickel plate is machined to design requirements , and the wax filler material is removed by melting and flushing from the cooling channels . a wall member having cooling channels closed by an outer nickel plating or cap results . a full - scale model of a combustion chamber was fabricated from a solid piece of copper . an initial layer of from about 0 . 010 inch to about 0 . 015 inch of electrodeposited nickel ( edni ) was deposited prior to final contour machining and slotting of the test sample . four quadrants of six coolant channels and five inlet channels and a connecting aft manifold were machined in the test sample . this was considered a &# 34 ; minimum &# 34 ; representation of a high pressure pump fed engine ( hppfe ) component system combustion chamber for evaluating the electrodeposition parameters / processes and porosity determination . the electrodeposition processes included the plating deposit , tooling and shielding , wax application and close - out of the channels . an electrochemical porosity determination method was developed and verified on flat , 1 . 0 × 4 . 0 inch copper test coupons , and then confirmed on slotted test panels and the full - scale model test chamber . two sets of two test panels , each depicting an array of channel sizes and shapes to be used in the combustion chamber coolant channels protected by nickel or gold were fabricated from copper . for the first set of panels , the specimen for nickel plating had the channels machined without a nickel layer while the specimen for gold plating first had a layer of nickel from about 0 . 010 inch to about 0 . 015 inch electrodeposited before channel machining . channel sizes ranges from 0 . 042 inch wide by 0 . 032 inch deep to 0 . 062 inch wide by 0 . 120 inch deep with straight sides . several 12 - degree sided channels were fabricated with approximately the same width - to - depth ratios as the straight - sided channels . planned nickel and gold thickness was 0 . 001 inch and 0 . 002 inch , respectively . referring to table 1 below , channel areas no . 1 ( 0 . 042 inch wide by 0 . 030 inch deep ), no . 3 ( 0 . 062 inch wide by 0 . 060 inch deep ) and no . 6 ( 0 . 062 inch wide by 0 . 120 inch deep ) were prepared . these channel configurations closely approximate the channel geometry in the test combustion chamber . for producing the second set of panels , changes were made in the way the test panels were fabricated . the changes were : ( 1 ) an initial nickel layer ( 0 . 010 - 0 . 015 inch ) was plated prior to machining of the channels for both edni ( electrodeposited nickel ) and edau ( electrodeposited gold ) channel coating evaluation . ( 2 ) the planned thickness of the nickel deposit was increased from 0 . 001 inch to about 0 . 002 inch . ( 3 ) electrolyte flow impingement and panel agitation were employed during deposition of the gold having a planned thickness of 0 . 002 inch . each panel was machined flat and then the channels were machined as indicated . the panels were wax filled , silvered , and closed out with electrodeposited nickel . on the electrodeposited gold coated panels , the gold was sanded off the lands to expose the initial nickel layer prior to silvering of the wax and nickel closeout . this allowed a standard edni to edni activation for the closeout of both panels . finally , after closeout and removal of wax and filler , a manifold was attached for flow testing . the panels were then subjected to a flow test in which hot nitrogen tetroxide was caused to pass through the test panels . the test temperature was about 144 ° c . for the nitrogen tetroxide ( nto ) with a pressure of about 720 psig . a flow rate of from about 0 . 012 to about 0 . 025 lb / sec for a duration of about 1 hour was used . thermal cycle testing was performed on the coated panels . each was subjected to 40 and 2 , 000 cycles from ambient to 420 ° c . sections were taken from each sample after the 40 cycles of the 2 , 000 cycles of testing for metallographic evaluation . evaluation of the cross sections from the series of edni and edau coated test panels showed no anomalies in the electrodeposited coating , i . e ., no voids , cracks or delamination ( unbonding ). cross sections of both as deposited and post blister test ( about 550 ° c .) were evaluated . the protective coating deposit was uniform , with thinning toward the bottom of the channel and , as expected , at the corners . the channels with the 12 - degree sides showed an increase in deposit thickness at the bottom . however , the deposit thickness with the straight sides approach the &# 34 ; throwing power &# 34 ; efficiency for slanted channel walls . for the first set of panels tested , no appreciable differences in throwing power efficiency were evident between the electrodeposited gold or electrodeposited nickel . measurements taken from cross sections were used to evaluate the efficiency of the deposit on the surface and the corner of the channels for each of the channel areas . for the planned thickness of 0 . 001 inch for edni and 0 . 002 inch edau , table 1 summarizes the amount of electrodeposited metal that was actually obtained . table 1______________________________________thickness measurements ( inches ) from set no . 1 panelsedni edau land bottom land bottomarea no . surface corner surface corner______________________________________1 ( tht ) 0 . 00075 0 . 00045 0 . 0018 0 . 000532 0 . 00062 0 . 00045 0 . 0017 0 . 000473 ( fwd ) 0 . 00066 0 . 00031 0 . 0014 0 . 00034 0 . 00070 0 . 00049 0 . 0014 0 . 000325 0 . 00071 0 . 00032 0 . 0013 0 . 00036 ( aft ) 0 . 00073 0 . 00020 0 . 0013 0 . 000227 0 . 00086 0 . 00031 0 . 00145 0 . 000218 0 . 00088 0 . 00054 0 . 0017 0 . 00061______________________________________ note : areas with similar channel geometry to the hppfe combustion chamber are identified as tht = throat : fwd = forward end : aft = skirt below throat . the second set of panels had twice the planned thickness of nickel coating than the first , 0 . 002 inch versus 0 . 001 inch . the projected thickness of gold coating remained the same at 0 . 002 inch . with flow impingement agitation for deposition of the gold , the throwing power of the gold was shown to be better than that of the nickel . an increase in deposit efficiency for gold from about 23 % to about 90 % was achieved . table 2 summarizes the amount of electrodeposited metal that was obtained . table 2______________________________________thickness measurements ( inches ) from set no . 2 panelsedni edau land bottom land bottomarea no . surface corner surface corner______________________________________1 ( tht ) 0 . 00195 0 . 0011 0 . 002 0 . 001952 0 . 0019 0 . 0009 0 . 0021 0 . 001853 ( fwd ) 0 . 0016 0 . 0007 0 . 002 0 . 00164 0 . 00195 0 . 0008 0 . 002 0 . 001855 0 . 0018 0 . 0006 0 . 002 0 . 00176 ( aft ) 0 . 002 0 . 0005 0 . 0018 0 . 00167 0 . 002 0 . 0007 0 . 002 0 . 00188 0 . 002 0 . 0014 0 . 0022 0 . 002avg . 0 . 00194 0 . 0008 0 . 00199 0 . 0018______________________________________ note : area with similar channel geometry to the hppfe combustion chamber are identified as tht = throat : fwd = forward end : aft = skirt below throat . post nitrogen tetroxide ( nto ) flow test examination of the edni panels showed extensive erosion of the electrodeposited nickel and corrosion of the copper . examination of the first electrodeposited gold panels showed minor indication of erosion / corrosion of the copper , although none was detected in the cross sections evaluated . it appears that the nickel deposit contains sufficient porosity to allow the nto to corrode the copper beneath the nickel deposit , resulting in subsequent undermining and erosion of the nickel . metallographic reexamination of the second nickel - and gold - coated panels showed no indication of copper corrosion after flow testing . as discussed in more detail below , porosity tests of the second nickel panel gave some positive indication of porosity . neither of the gold panels showed any indication of porosity . the potentiometric sweep porosity determinations are depicted in table 3 below which summarizes the comparative results of the porosity tests for the slotted test panels . table 3______________________________________porosity determinations gold nickel deposit ( μa ) deposit ( μa ) ______________________________________flat test panelsdeposit thickness ( in . ) 0 . 0002 & lt ; 10 550 . 0004 & lt ; 10 400 . 0006 & lt ; 10 600 . 0008 & lt ; 10 100 . 0010 & lt ; 10 100 . 0012 0 10slotted test panelsset no . 1before nto flow & lt ; 20 & gt ; 1000after nto flow 450 corroded , not testedset no . 2before nto flow & lt ; 7 . 3 78after nto flow 0 29after 40 thermal cycles 5 33after 2000 thermal cycles & lt ; 1 57______________________________________ note : μa is peak current * local visual indication of copper corrosion products . when porosity testing was performed on the submitted sections of the first set of test panels , the gold - plated sample did not show any porosity except in the area where a hole was drilled or international scratches were made . the nickel - plated sample was completely porous and did not show any signs of protection at all . on the post nto flow tested panels , the gold - coated test panel contained some minor indications of copper corrosion products resulting in porosity being detected . the nickel - coated test panel showed no protective coating as the panel started to corrode during the porosity determination . on the second set of test panels , the gold - coated test sample showed no indications of porosity other than background current indications , whereas the nickel - coated test panels did indicate porosity . the thickness ranges of the nickel coating in the corners of the slotted panels were from about 0 . 0005 inch to about 0 . 0014 inch which correlated to the earlier testing of porosity on flat copper test panels . on the post nto flow tested panels , the gold - coated panel did not show any porosity while the nickel - coated panel again showed porosity . it will of course be realized that various modifications can be made in the design and operation of the present invention without departing from the spirit thereof . thus , while the principle , preferred construction , and mode of operation of the invention have been explained and what is now considered to represent its best embodiment has been illustrated and described , it should be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically illustrated and described .	5
turning now to a detailed description of the invention , there is shown in fig1 a full view in perspective of the mobile modular support stand 1 of this invention wherein there is shown a chassis 2 comprised of two main components , a base 3 , and a lattice column 4 . the base 3 is comprised of an essentially u - shaped main cross bar 9 , to which is attached to forward extending support legs 10 . it should be noted that the two forward extending support legs 10 are angled away from each other such that the front ends 11 of the base 3 are farther apart than the back ends 12 . this arrangement of the support for the base 3 tends to provide support for the chassis 2 that is not possible with equally spaced - apart support members such as are found , for example , in u . s . pat . no . 6 , 721 , 178 , u . s . pat . no . 6 , 493 , 217 , and u . s . pat . no . 5 , 493 , 220 discussed supra . it should be noted that the base 3 is constructed such that the support provided by the u - shaped main cross bar 9 in cooperation with the forward extending support legs 10 is provided by a complex angle of such components , in both the vertical and horizontal dimensions . if the linear axis lines of the forward extending support legs 10 were extended beyond the back ends 12 as shown in phantom in fig2 b , the angle φ would be on the order of about 35 ° to about 65 °, with the preferred angle φ being on the order of about 45 ° to about 55 °. this provides for the nesting of parts , maximizing the stability for large loads , provides visually dynamic mode enhancement of the unit and it minimizes the unit &# 39 ; s visual mass . this construction allows for optimizing access to the contents of the unit , minimizing the utilities management capability and provides for desired visual characteristics . the base 3 transfers all load to the floor through the castors 14 , which are designed to be oversize from the normal . attached to the ends 11 of each of the forward extending support legs 10 , and the end of the u - shaped main cross bar 9 are rotatable castors or wheels 14 . each of these castors or wheels has the capability to rotate and to also roll such that the mobile modular support stand 1 has unique mobility and flexibility in steering when the mobile modular support stand is moved , and allows for ease of transport over uneven surfaces and thresholds , in and out of elevators , over rugs , and the like . in certain applications , the castors 14 can be replaced with glides . also , this type of castor or wheel 14 is capable of being locked such that the mobile modular support stand 1 cannot be moved . in addition , surmounted above each of the rotatable castors 14 is a bumper disk 13 that is manufactured out of materials that will enable them to absorb contact with other surfaces and prevent the mobile modular support stand 1 from being damaged . this type of bumper disk 13 also protects the walls and other objects in a building as the absorbent capability absorbs shocks that would normally damage such wall structures . in addition , the disk 13 provides a design detail that is not available with other mobile units . the disk 13 is large enough to extend beyond the caster or wheel radius to aid in the damage control aspects of the disk 13 . as can be viewed from fig1 , each of the legs 5 of the lattice column 4 are attached at their bottom ends 6 to the base 3 to obtain the chassis 2 . it should be noted for purposes of this invention that this connection can be a permanent connection , or it can be a connection that is easily disconnected . for example , the legs 5 can be welded in place , or they can be inserted into cup - like retainers , or some other means of attaching / detaching the legs , such as pegs on the base and hollow legs that are insertable over them . in addition , it is contemplated within the scope of this invention that the bottoms of the legs can have insertable tabs , and that the base member , on the top surface can have a slot for receiving such insertable tabs . what is important is that such a connection can hold against the stress of heavy objects placed in storage or on shelves of the mobile modular support stand 1 . the height of the lattice 4 is designed to accommodate low configurations such as stools , to intermediate heights such as casual seating , and high configurations such as for standing and for video screen support . thus , the lattice 4 ranges in height from about 24 inches to about 58 inches , the preferred range being 28 inches to 52 inches . it should be noted that the devices of this invention are intended to be those that are capable of interchanging the accessory modules by removing the lattice entirely from the base and substituting another lattice that already has an another accessory module capability . for example , a lattice on a base that contains , for example , a moveable desk top , can be interchanged with a lattice that contains computer and computer capabilities . thus , there is shown in fig1 the chassis 2 , the base 3 , the lattice column 4 , the legs 5 of the lattice column 4 , and in addition , there is shown a cross - bar 7 that holds the top ends 8 of the legs 5 in a solid position . it is contemplated within the scope of this invention to use cross - bars 7 that are removable from the tops of the legs so that the lattice can be broken down and packaged or transported and then can be reassembled . turning now to fig2 , that is a view in perspective of the base 3 of the invention showing the main crossbar 9 , the forward extending legs 10 , the front ends 11 of the forward extending legs 10 , and the back ends 12 of the forward extending legs 10 . in addition , there is shown two posts 16 that are configured such that each leg 5 of the lattice 4 can be placed down over the pegs 16 , respectively , and hold the lattice 4 in place . this is another method by which legs 5 can be attached to the base 3 . yet another method of attaching the legs 5 of the lattice 4 to the base 3 is through the use of bolts and / or screws . it is contemplated within the scope of this invention to provide a modular component mobile support stand that can be easily and quickly assemble and disassembled so that tools are not required . it can be noted from fig1 that there is a pair of cantilever support members 15 that are detachedly affixed to the legs 5 of the lattice 4 . the cantilever support members 15 are arranged on the legs 5 at any height that is desirable to accommodate the accessories that are being placed thereon . cantilevered support members 15 are illustrated in fig3 a wherein the top cantilevered support member 15 is tilted upwardly at its distal end 19 and the bottom cantilevered support member 15 is fully engaged and located perpendicular to the leg 5 . fig4 is a full top view of a cantilever support member 15 of this invention in which there is shown the distal end 19 and the near end 20 of the cantilever support member 15 . there is also shown near the near end 20 , a gap 21 or opening that is the size of the outer diameter of a leg 5 . at the near end 20 there is shown an extension 22 of the cantilever support member 15 that is used to attach the cantilever support member to the leg 5 . the extension 22 terminates in an l - shaped extension 23 that has a tooth 24 positioned vertical to the inside surface 25 of the l - shaped extension 23 . the cantilever support members 15 are useful in many sizes , for example , larger , heavier members 15 for large loads , and smaller , lighter members 15 for smaller , lighter loads . the back surface 17 of the legs 5 can be found in fig3 b . therein are shown slots 18 into which the tooth 24 is inserted . thus , in use , the cantilevered support member 15 can be moved up and down on the leg 5 by tilting the distal end 19 up slightly to dislocate the tooth 24 from the slot 18 , the cantilevered support member 15 can then be moved up or down as desired , and then the distal end 19 is lowered to the horizontal and the tooth is inserted into the slot 18 . in order to prevent accidental dislodgements , a pivoting cam 26 is located near the gap 21 and on the top surface 27 of the cantilevered support member 15 . the pivoting cam 26 , when the lobe 28 is positioned toward the leg 5 , disables an upward tilt of the distal end 19 of the cantilevered support member 15 , and consequently the tooth 24 remains engaged in the slot 18 and the cantilevered support member 15 is locked to the leg 5 . similarly , when the lobe 28 of the pivoting cam 26 is positioned away from the leg 5 , the distal end 19 of the cantilevered support member 15 can be tilted up and the cantilevered support member 15 is unlocked from the leg 5 . fig5 is a top perspective view of a device of this invention showing the legs 5 enclosed with a casing 29 . the casing 29 is comprised of two front fascia panels 30 and a rear fascia panel 31 . it is contemplated that this casing 29 can be comprised of a single front fascia panel . where two front fascia panels 30 are used , it is contemplated that they can be separated by yet another leg 38 ( fig1 ) that can have power outlets contained therein . fig6 is an exploded and enlarged view of fig5 and wherein like numerals designate like components , there is shown the casing 29 with its component parts , front fascia panels 30 and back fascia panel 31 . this casing 29 is designed in one embodiment to be clipped onto the lattice 4 and in another embodiment , it is designed to be firmly attached to the lattice 4 . the inside hollow cavity 32 provided by the casing 29 is provided by the assemblage of the various components , i . e . the lattice 4 , the back fascia panel 31 , and the front fascia panels 30 , and provides a hollow cavity 32 housing a variety of functional accessories . the hollow area 32 can accommodate a power and data strip , cord management , paper management trays , wireless data transmitters and receivers , battery packs to power items being used on the mobile modular support stand 1 . access to the hollow cavity 32 can be achieved by accessing through the front fascia panels 30 , or by removing the back fascia panel 31 . with reference to fig6 , and 8 , there is shown therein various combinations of the accessories on individual mobile modular support stands 1 . for example , in fig7 , there is shown a bottom shelf 33 , a desk top 34 , and an elevatable drawing board 35 . it should be noted that this particular configuration , among others , allows for a stool or chair to be placed at the front of the mobile modular support stand 1 . turning to fig8 , there is shown an arrangement of shelves 33 and the attachment of a handle 36 to the legs 5 . in fig9 , there is shown a cabinet 37 and a shelf 33 . the accessories can have many sizes and shapes and this is dependent on the intended end use of the device 1 . the accessories can be manufactured from wood , veneer , laminated panels , painted panels , power coated materials , metals , fabric covered panels , and the like . flat surfaces can be outfitted with top surface side rails to prevent materials and items from slipping and falling to the floor . the device 1 can be compiled into a kit that can be pre - determined by the customer and the kit can be shipped to the customer for assembly .	1
fig1 illustrates a conventional optical reduction system . from its long conjugate end where the reticle is placed to its short conjugate end where the wafer is placed , it possesses a first optical component group 120 , a beamsplitter cube 150 , a first quarter - wave plate 140 , a concave mirror 130 , a second quarter - wave plate 160 , and a second optical component group 170 . a feature of any optical system is the interdependence of numerical aperture size and spectral radiation requirements . in order to efficiently illuminate the image or wafer plane 180 , linearly polarized light is used . the limitations of linearly polarized light are introduced above and discussed in the following sections . as recognized by the present inventor , the use of linearly polarized light at numerical apertures greater than about 0 . 5 introduces small , but noticeable , asymmetries in the imaging . these asymmetries in imaging are caused at least in part by diffraction of the linearly polarized light at certain feature orientations . fig2 a illustrates the asymmetries or print biases which result from the use of linearly polarized light at the reticle 110 . simply , reticle 110 is placed in the path of both linearly polarized light 205 and circularly polarized light 210 . the two types of light are separated by separator 215 . after the reticle , the intensity of the light is distributed differently , as shown by distribution curves 220 and 225 . the results are shown on wafer 180 . here , the projected image 230 resulting from the use of linearly polarized light 205 is not as clear or sharp as projected image 235 which results from the use of circularly polarized light 210 . circularly polarized light 210 is indistinguishable from unpolarized light in its imaging behavior . the imaging behavior of unpolarized light is such that it diffracts equally regardless of the orientation of the feature through which it is projected . when the projection optic cannot accept unpolarized light , but requires linearly polarized light , it is possible to provide circularly polarized light to illuminate the reticle and thereby eliminate the feature orientation bias . thus , print biases are reduced . the properties of wave plates are shown in fig2 b and 2c . fig2 b illustrates the properties of a quarter - wave plate . linearly polarized input 240 enters the wave plate 245 at the input polarization plane 255 . the optic axis 250 and other factors discussed in detail below determine the orientation of the output light . here , wave plate 245 is designed to produce circularly polarized output 260 . similarly , fig2 c illustrates the properties of a half - wave plate . linearly polarized input 265 enters the wave plate 270 at the input polarization plane 280 . the optic axis 275 and other factors discussed in detail below determine the orientation of the output light . here , wave plate 270 is designed to produce linearly polarized with plane of polarization retarded output 285 . wave plates ( retardation plates or phase shifters ) are made from materials which exhibit birefringence . birefringent materials , such as crystals , are generally anisotropic . this means that the atomic binding forces on the electron clouds are different in different directions and as a result so are the refractive indices . in the case of uniaxial birefringent crystals , a single symmetry axis ( actually a direction ) known as the optic axis ( shown in fig2 b and 2c as elements 250 and 275 , respectively ) displays two distinct principal indices of refraction : the maximum index n o ( the slow axis ) and the minimum index n e ( the fast axis ). these two indices correspond to light field oscillations parallel and perpendicular to the optic axis . the maximum index results in ordinary rays passing through the material . the minimum index results in extraordinary rays passing through the material . the velocities of the extraordinary and ordinary rays through the birefringent materials vary intensely with their refractive indices . the difference in velocities gives rise to a phase difference when the two beams recombine . in the case of an incident linearly polarized beam this is given by : α = 2 ⁢ ⁢ π ⁢ ⁢ d ⁢ ( n e - n o ) λ ; where α is the phase difference ; d is the thickness of wave plate ; n e , n o are the refractive indices of the extraordinary and ordinary rays respectively , and λ is the wavelength . thus , at any specific wavelength the phase difference is governed by the thickness of the wave plate . as discussed above , fig2 b illustrates the operation of a quarter - wave plate . the thickness of the quarter - wave plate is such that the phase difference is ¼ - wavelength ( zero order ) or some multiple of ¼ wavelength ( multiple order ). if the angle between the electric field vector of the incident linearly polarized beam and the retarder principal plane of the quarter - wave plate is 45 degrees , the emergent beam is circularly polarized . additionally , when a quarter - wave plate is double passed , e . g ., when the light passes through it twice because it is reflected off a mirror , it acts as a half - wave plate . by quarter - wave plate is meant a thickness of birefringent material which introduces a quarter of a wavelength of the incident light . this is in contrast to an integral number of half plus quarter - waves or two thicknesses of material whose phase retardance differs by a quarter - wave . the deleterious effects of large angle of incidence variations are thereby minimized at the high numerical aperture by the use of such zero order wave plates , and by restricting the field size in the plane of incidence . similarly , fig2 c illustrates the operation of a half - wave plate . the thickness of a half - wave plate is such that the phase difference is ½ - wavelength ( zero order ) or some odd multiple of ½ - wavelength ( multiple order ). a linearly polarized beam incident on a half - wave plate emerges as a linearly polarized beam but rotated such that its angle to the optical axis is twice that of the incident beam . to more clearly delineate the present invention , an effort is made throughout the specification to adhere to the following term definitions as consistently as possible . the term “ circuitry ” refers to the features designed for use in a semiconductor device . the term “ feature orientation ” refers to the patterns printed on a reticle to projection . the term “ long conjugate end ” refers to the plane at the object or reticle end of the optical system . the term “ print bias ” refers to the variations in the lines on the wafer produced by asymmetries in the optical system . asymmetries are produced by diffraction at various stages of the system and the reticle . the term “ semiconductor ” refers to a solid state substance that can be electrically altered . the term “ semiconductor chip ” refers to semiconductor device possessing any number of transistors or other components . the term “ semiconductor device ” refers to electronic equipment possessing semiconductor chips or other elements . the term “ short conjugate end ” refers to the plane at the image or wafer end of the optical system . the term “ wave plate ” refers to retardation plates or phase shifters made from materials which exhibit birefringence . the present invention uses circularly polarized light to eliminate the reticle diffraction induced biases of conventional systems . fig3 illustrates an embodiment of the present invention that eliminates such asymmetries or print biases . a first quarter - wave plate 305 is introduced before the object or reticle plane 110 . first quarter - wave plate 305 converts the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light , as illustrated in fig2 b . as discussed above , circularly polarized light is indistinguishable from unpolarized light in its imaging behavior . the imaging behavior of unpolarized light is such that it diffracts equally regardless of the orientation of the feature through which it is projected . thus the print biases which result from reticle diffraction are reduced . in order to minimize transmission loss through the rest of the optical system , second quarter - wave plate 315 is inserted to linearly polarize the radiation before the optical component group 320 . with respect to quarter - wave plates 305 , 315 , 340 and 360 , one orientation is to have the first quarter - wave plate 305 oriented with its fast axis parallel to that of the input light . the second quarter - wave plate 315 and fourth quarter - wave plate 360 have their fast axes in a parallel orientation but perpendicular to the fast axis of third quarter - wave plate 340 . it is also apparent to one skilled in the relevant art that second quarter - wave plate 315 could be inserted into the system anywhere before the beamsplitter 350 . this aspect is shown in fig4 where second quarter - wave plate 425 serves the same function . the transmission loss caused by the use of circularly polarized light within optical component group 320 influences the placement of second quarter - wave plate 425 . specifically , the use of unpolarized or circularly polarized light at the beamsplitter would cause a transmission loss of 50 %. if a non - polarized beamsplitter were to be used , 75 % of the light would be lost . therefore , while alternate embodiments are possible , they may not be feasibly implemented . with respect to quarter - wave plates 405 , 425 , 440 and 460 , one orientation is to have the first quarter - wave plate 405 oriented with its fast axis parallel to that of the input light . the second quarter - wave plate 425 and fourth quarter - wave plate 460 have their fast axes in a parallel orientation but perpendicular to the fast axis of third quarter - wave plate 440 . the present invention can be implemented in various projection optic systems . for example , the present invention can be implemented in catadioptric systems as described in detail herein , as well as refractive and reflective systems . on skilled in the relevant art , based at least on the teachings provided herein , would recognize that the embodiments of the present invention are applicable to other reduction systems . more detailed embodiments of the present invention as provided below . fig5 illustrates one embodiment , of the optical reduction system of the present invention . from its long conjugate end , it comprises an first quarter - wave plate 508 , an object or reticle plane 110 , a second quarter - wave plate 511 , a first lens group lg 1 , a folding mirror 520 , a second lens group lg 2 , a beamsplitter cube 530 , a third quarter - wave plate 532 , a concave mirror 534 , a second quarter - wave plate 538 , and a third lens group lg 3 . the image is formed at image or wafer plane 180 . the first lens group lg 1 comprises a shell 512 , a spaced doublet including positive lens 514 and negative lens 516 , and positive lens 518 . the shell 512 is an almost zero power or zero power lens . the second lens group lg 2 comprises a positive lens 522 , a spaced doublet including a negative lens 524 and a positive lens 526 , and negative lens 528 . the third lens group lg 3 comprises two positive lenses 540 and 542 , which are strongly positive , shell 544 , and two positive lenses 546 and 548 , which are weakly positive . the first quarter - wave plate 508 passes circularly polarized light incident upon the object or reticle plane 110 . the folding mirror 520 is not essential to the operation of the present invention . however , the folding mirror permits the object and image planes to be parallel which is convenient for one intended application of the optical system of the present invention , which is the manufacture of semiconductor devices using photolithography with a step and scan system . radiation enters the system at the long conjugate end and passes through the first lens group lg 1 , is reflected by the folding mirror 520 , and passes through the second lens group lg 2 . the radiation enters the beamsplitter cube 530 and is reflected from surface 536 passing through quarter - wave plate 532 and reflected by concave mirror 534 . the radiation then passes back through the quarter - wave plate 532 , the beamsplitter cube 530 , the quarter - wave plate 538 , lens group lg 3 , and is focused at the image or wafer plane 180 . lens groups upstream of the mirror , lg 1 and lg 2 , provide only enough power to image the entrance pupil at infinity to the aperture stop 531 at or near the concave mirror 534 . the combined power of lens groups lg 1 and lg 2 is slightly negative . the shell 512 and air spaced doublet 514 and 516 assist in aberration corrections including astigmatism , field curvature , and distortion . the lens group lg 3 , after the concave mirror 534 , provides most of the reduction from object to image size , as well as projecting the aperture stop to an infinite exit pupil . the two strongly positive lenses 540 and 542 provide a high numerical aperture at the image and exit pupils and infinity . the shell 544 has almost no power . the two weakly positive lenses 546 and 548 help correct high order aberrations . the concave mirror 534 may provide a reduction ratio of between 1 . 6 and 2 . 7 times that of the total system . the negative lens 524 in the second lens group lg 2 provides a strongly diverging beam directed at the beamsplitter cube 530 and concave mirror 534 . the strongly positive lens 522 provides lateral color correction . the air space doublet comprising lenses 524 and 526 helps to correct spherical aberrations and coma . concave mirror 534 is preferably aspheric , therefore helping further reduce high order aberrations . the transmission losses introduced by the beamsplitter cube 530 are minimized by illuminating the object or reticle with linearly polarized light and including a quarter - wave plate 532 between the beamsplitter cube 530 and the concave mirror 534 . additionally , by increasing the numerical aperture in lens group lg 3 , after the concave mirror 534 and beamsplitter cube 530 , the greatest angular range is not seen in these elements . however , the use of linearly polarized light at numerical apertures greater than about 0 . 5 introduces small but noticeable asymmetries in the imaging . in the present invention , this can effectively be removed by introducing another quarter - wave plate 538 after the final passage through the beamsplitter cube 530 , thereby converting the linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light . this circularly polarized light is basically indistinguishable from unpolarized light in its imaging behavior . the optical system illustrated in fig5 is designed to operate at a reduction ratio of 4 to 1 . therefore , the numerical aperture in the image space is reduced from 0 . 7 by a factor of 4 to 0 . 175 at the object or reticle plane 110 . in other words , the object space numerical aperture is 0 . 175 and the image space numerical aperture is 0 . 7 . upon leaving the first lens group lg 1 the numerical aperture is reduced to 0 . 12 , a consequence of the positive power needed in lens group lg 1 to image the entrance pupil at infinity to the aperture stop of the system close to the concave mirror 534 . the numerical aperture after leaving the second lens group lg 2 and entering the beamsplitter is 0 . 19 . therefore , the emerging numerical aperture from the second lens group lg 2 , which is 0 . 19 , is larger than the entering or object space numerical aperture of lens group lg 1 , which is 0 . 175 . in other words , the second lens group lg 2 has an emerging numerical aperture greater than the entering numerical aperture of the first lens group lg 1 . this is very similar to the object space numerical aperture , which is 0 . 175 , due to the overall negative power of the second lens group lg 2 . this is contrary to prior art systems where the numerical aperture entering a beamsplitter cube is typically close to zero or almost collimated . the concave mirror 534 being almost concentric , the numerical aperture of the radiation reflected from it is increased only slightly from 0 . 19 to 0 . 35 . the third lens group lg 3 effectively doubles the numerical aperture to its final value of 0 . 7 at the wafer or image plane 180 . the present invention achieves its relatively high numerical aperture without obstruction by the edges of the beamsplitter cube by means of the negative second group lg 2 and the strongly positive third lens group lg 3 . the use of the beamsplitter cube 530 rather than a plate beamsplitter is important in the present invention because at numerical apertures greater than about 0 . 45 a beamsplitter cube will provide better performance . there is a reduction of the numerical aperture within the cube by the refractive index of the glass , as well as the absence of aberrations that would be introduced by a tilted plate beamsplitter in the non - collimated beam entering the beamsplitter . the construction data for the lens system illustrated in fig5 according to the present invention is given in table 1 below . the lens according to the construction in table 1 is optimized for radiation centered on 248 . 4 nanometers . the single refracting material of fused silica and the large portion of refracting power restricts the spectral bandwidth of the embodiment illustrated in fig5 to about 10 picometers or 0 . 01 nanometers . this spectral bandwidth is more than adequate for a line narrowed krypton fluoride excimer laser light source . the embodiment illustrated in fig5 can be optimized for any wavelength for which fused silica transmits adequately . a wider spectral bandwidth can be achieved by the use of two optical materials with different dispersions . a second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in fig6 . from its long conjugate end , it comprises a first quarter - wave plate 608 , an object or reticle plane 110 , a second quarter - wave plate 611 , a lens group lg 4 , a folding mirror 622 , a lens group lg 5 , a beamsplitter cube 632 having surface 638 , a third quarter - wave plate 634 , a concave mirror 636 , a fourth quarter - wave plate 640 , and lens group lg 6 . the image is formed at image or wafer plane 180 . the lens group lg 4 comprises a spaced doublet including negative lens 612 and positive lens 614 , a weak positive lens 616 , positive lens 618 , and shell 620 . the lens group lg 5 comprises a positive lens 624 , a negative lens 626 , a positive lens 628 , and a negative lens 630 . the lens group lg 6 comprises two positive lenses 642 , cemented doublet including positive lens 644 and negative lens 646 , positive lens 648 , and cemented doublet including shell 650 and positive lens 652 . this second embodiment uses calcium fluoride in one of the individual positive lenses of the lens group lg 4 , negative lenses of the lens group lg 5 , and two of the positive lenses of the lens group lg 6 . the construction data of the second embodiment illustrated in fig6 of the present invention is given in table 2 below . this second embodiment is optimized for radiation centered on 193 . 3 nanometers and has a spectral bandwidth of about 200 picometers or 0 . 2 nanometers . a slightly line narrowed argon fluoride excimer laser is an adequate light source . additionally , the design can be optimized for any wavelength for which both refractive materials transmit adequately . the bandwidth will generally increase for longer wavelengths , as the material dispersions decrease . for example , around 248 . 4 nanometers such a two - material design will operate over at least a 400 picometers , 0 . 4 nanometers bandwidth . at wavelengths longer than 360 nanometers , a wider range of optical glasses begin to have adequate transmission . a third embodiment illustrated in fig7 takes advantage of this wider selection of glasses and further reduced dispersion . from its long conjugate end , it comprises a first quarter - wave plate 708 , an object or reticle plane 110 , a second quarter - wave plate 711 , a lens group lg 7 , a folding mirror 722 , a lens group lg 8 , a beamsplitter cube 732 having a surface 738 , a third quarter - wave plate 734 , a concave mirror 736 , a fourth quarter - wave plate 740 , and lens group lg 9 . the image is formed at image or wafer plane 180 . the lens group lg 7 comprises a spaced doublet comprising negative lens 712 and positive lens 714 , spaced doublet including positive lens 716 and negative lens 718 , and positive lens 720 . the lens group lg 8 comprises a positive lens 724 , a negative lens 726 , a positive lens 728 , and a negative lens 730 . the lens group lg 9 comprises a positive lenses 742 , cemented doublet including positive lens 744 and negative lens 746 , positive lens 748 , and cemented doublet including shell 750 and positive lens 752 . the construction data of the third embodiment illustrated in fig7 is given in table 3 below . this third embodiment operates over a spectral bandwidth of 8 nanometers centered on 365 . 5 nanometers . a radiation of this spectral bandwidth can be provided by a filtered mercury arc lamp at the i - line waveband . the optical glasses other than fused silica used in this third embodiment are commonly known as i - line glasses . these optical glasses have the least absorption or solarization effects at the mercury i - line wavelength . fig8 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the optical reduction system of the present invention . this embodiment has a numerical aperture of 0 . 63 and can operate at a spectral bandwidth of 300 picometers , and preferably of 100 picometers , centered on 248 . 4 nanometers . from the long conjugate end , it includes a first quarter - wave plate 808 , an object or reticle plane 110 , a second quarter - wave plate 811 , a first lens group lg 1 , a folding mirror 820 , a second lens group lg 2 , a beamsplitter cube 830 , a first quarter - wave plate 832 , a concave mirror 834 , a second quarter - wave plate 838 , and a third lens group lg 3 . the image is formed at the image or wafer plane 180 . the first lens group lg 1 comprises a shell 812 , a spaced doublet including a positive lens 814 and a negative lens 816 , and a positive lens 818 . the second lens group lg 2 comprises a positive lens 822 , a spaced doublet including a negative lens 824 and a positive lens 826 , and a negative lens 828 . the third lens group lg 3 comprises two positive lenses 840 and 842 , a shell 844 , and two positive lenses 846 and 848 . again , as in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 , the folding mirror 820 of fig8 is not essential to the operation of the invention , but nevertheless permits the object 110 and image plane 180 to be parallel to each other which is convenient for the manufacture of semiconductor devices using photolithography . the construction data of the fourth embodiment illustrated in fig8 is given in table 4 below . this fourth embodiment is optimized for radiation centered on 248 . 4 nm . the single refracting material of fused silica and the large portion of refracting power restricts the spectral bandwidth of the embodiment depicted in fig8 . however , because the fourth embodiment has a maximum numerical aperture of 0 . 63 rather than of 0 . 7 as in the first three embodiments , the fourth embodiment provides acceptable imaging over a spectral full - width - half - maximum bandwidth of 300 picometers , or preferably of 100 picometers . thus , in the former , an unnarrowed , or , in the latter , a narrowed excimer laser can be employed for the illumination source . the fourth embodiment differs from the first three embodiments in that the net power of lg 1 and lg 2 of the fourth embodiment is weakly positive rather than weakly negative as in the first three embodiments . in addition , this illustrates that the overall focal power of lg 1 plus lg 2 can be either positive or negative and still permit an infinitely distant entrance pupil to be imaged at or near the concave mirror 834 . fig9 illustrates a fifth embodiment of the optical reduction system of the present invention . preferably , this embodiment has a numerical aperture of 0 . 60 and operates at a spectral bandwidth of 300 picometers centered on 248 . 4 nanometers . from the long conjugate end , it includes a first quarter - wave plate 908 , an object or reticle plane 110 , a second quarter - wave plate 911 , a first lens group lg 1 , a folding mirror 920 , a second lens group lg 2 , a beamsplitter cube 930 , a third quarter - wave plate 932 , a concave mirror 934 , a fourth quarter - wave plate 938 , and a third lens group lg 3 . the image is formed at an image or wafer plane 180 . the first lens group lg 1 comprises a shell 912 , a spaced doublet including a positive lens 914 and a negative lens 916 , and a positive lens 918 . the second lens group lg 2 comprises a positive lens 922 , a spaced doublet including a negative lens 924 and a positive lens 926 , and a negative lens 928 . the third lens group lg 3 comprises two positive lenses 940 and 942 , a shell 944 , and two positive lenses 946 and 948 . again , as in the embodiment illustrated in fig5 , the folding mirror 920 of fig9 is not essential to the operation of the invention , but nevertheless permits the object and image planes to be parallel to each other which is convenient for the manufacture of semiconductor devices using photolithography . the construction data of the fifth embodiment illustrated in fig9 is given in table 5 below . this fifth embodiment is optimized for radiation centered on 248 . 4 nm . the single refracting material of fused silica and the large portion of refracting power restricts the spectral bandwidth of the embodiment depicted in fig9 . however , because the fifth embodiment has a maximum numerical aperture of 0 . 6 rather than of 0 . 7 as in the first three embodiments , the fifth embodiment provides acceptable imaging over a spectral full - width - half - maximum bandwidth of 300 picometers . thus , an unnarrowed excimer laser can be employed for an illumination source . the fifth embodiment differs from the first three embodiments in that the net power of lg 1 and lg 2 of the fifth embodiment is weakly positive rather than weakly negative as in the first three embodiments . in addition , this illustrates that the overall focal power of lg 1 plus lg 2 can be either positive or negative and still permit an infinitely distant entrance pupil to be imaged at or near the concave mirror 934 . it is apparent to one skilled in the relevant art that the use of the first quarter - wave plate in any of the above embodiments depends on the initial polarization of the radiation incident on the long conjugate end . therefore , if the polarization of the light is circular or unpolarized prior to the long conjugate end , then the first quarter - wave plate , used to transform linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light , could be omitted . such an implementation can be shown by omitting first quarter - wave plate 305 from fig3 and / or first quarter - wave plate 405 from fig4 . further implementations of this configuration in the other embodiments described above are obvious to one skilled in the relevant art . while specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above , it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only , and not limitation . it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims . thus , the breadth and scope of the present invention should not be limited by any of the above - described exemplary embodiments , but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents .	6
in the present invention , the most effective compounds as the source for polymeric ultraviolet absorbers useful for a number of applications are 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole , and 2 ( 2 - acetoxyl - 5 - methylphenyl )- 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole . the characteristics of the compounds of the present invention are excellent optical properties with a broad absorption having the highest intensity in ultraviolet region and low absorbancy in the visible region excellent thermal and other types of stabilities . the styrene type compounds having vinyl group as a polymerizable group on the benzotriazole group of 2 ( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) 2h - benzotriazole have such characteristics . the compounds having an ethyl or a haloethyl group instead of a vinyl group are intermediates and can be converted into the compounds with the vinyl group . the vinyl compounds of the present invention can be homopolymerized or copolymerized with a comonomer having a polymerizable unsaturated group to produce the polymeric ultraviolet absorbers . the compounds having vinyl group of the present invention are easily purified and have high polymerizability for homopolymer or copolymer formation , they have excellent characteristics in comparison with other known polymeric ultraviolet absorbers . the vinyl group on the benzotriazole group in comparison with the vinyl group substitution on 2 - hydroxyphenyl group is important to provide more useful monomers which have different copolymerization characteristics by its more electron deficient properties . it is also important to have the possibility if utilizing two r 2 groups in order to improve the ultraviolet absorbing properties or to improve the stabilities of the hydroxy groups , and in addition to minimize the coloring of the compounds , that is , polymers with other metal complex additive , or possible oxidative degradation . therefore , the polymeric ultraviolet absorbers having excellent balanced characteristics of the ultraviolet absorbance and other physical properties and functions can be obtained . the preferable process for producting the compounds of the present invention will be illustrated . as the sources , ethyl - o - nitroaniline and an alkylphenol are used . it is better to have the 4 - substituted alkyl phenol to obtain the 2 ( 2 - hydroxyphenyl ) 2h - benzotriazole structure in a high yield , at least one o - position of the alkyl phenol must be unsubstituted . the ethyl substitution in o - nitroaniline may be in the 3 - or 4 - position , usually 4 - ethyl - o - nitroaniline is more easily obtained . ethyl - o - nitroaniline is diazotizated with a nitrite and then alkylphenol is added to perform the condensation reaction to an azodye and the product is reduced to obtain 2 ( 2 - hydroxyalkylphenyl ) ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole . the process for producing the conventional benzotriazole ultraviolet absorbers can be applied . in the next steps the ethyl group of the compound is converted into the vinyl group . for example , the hydroxy group is protected by acetylation before the bromination of the ethyl group with n - bromosuccinimide . the bromoethyl group is further converted into the vinyl group by dehydrobromination , and then , the acetoxy group is removed by hydrolysis to the vinyl compound of the present invention . the process for producing the vinyl compound of the present invention is not limited to the above - mentioned process . as the optimum process , 2 -( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole is produced by the conventional process and then the ethyl group is converted into the vinyl group . the compounds having vinyl group of the present invention ( hereinafter referred to as benzotriazole monomer ) have the vinyl group as the polymerizable unsaturated group . therefore , the benzotriazole monomer can be homopolymerized or copolymerized with a comonomer in the presence of a polymerization initiator , azoinitiators such as azobisisobutyronitrile or peroxides such as bpo . in the copolymerization the type of comonomer is not critical , 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 . compared to compounds with the vinyl group in the phenol ring , the vinyl group on the benzotriazole ring make the incorporation of the monomer of the present invention easier to the olefinic copolymer such as styrene , acrylic ester copolymer . it is possible to understand the character by its relatively active radical character . it is also possible to use polyvinyl compounds such as divinyl monomer and vinylidene monomers and other compounds having α , β - unsaturated group . usual grafting polymerization on the polymer in bulk or solution can provide the polymeric ultraviolet absorbers . the homopolymers of the benzotriazole monomer or the copolymer having relatively high contents of benzotriazole monomer unit can be used as addition type ultraviolet absorbers for synthetic resins and other products . the copolymers having relatively low content of benzotriazole monomer units are effective as polymers having ultraviolet absorbancy . the benzotriazole monomer is used as a reactive type ultraviolet absorber . in the latter case , a ratio of the benzotriazole unit to the polymer can be low . for example , the copolymer having ultraviolet absorbancy can be obtained by incorporating only 0 . 01 wt .% of the benzotriazole monomer unit . the ratio of the benzotriazole monomer to the total monomer in the copolymerization can be more than 1 wt .% to impact the ultraviolet absorbancy to the polymer . the maximum ratio is not critical and homopolymers of the benzotriazole monomer are also effective . in view of economical aspects , the upper limit of the ratio of the benzotriazole monomer of the total monomer is about 70 wt .% in the case of the relative ultraviolet absorber . the copolymers having relatively high content of the benzotriazole monomer unit or the homopolymers of the benzotriazole monomer can be used as the addition type ultraviolet absorbers . for example , the polymeric ultraviolet absorber can be incorporated into various synthetic resins to prepare synthetic resins having ultraviolet absorbancy . it also can be used to incorporate it by coating or surface grafting . the amount of the benzotriazole monomer unit in the copolymer as the addition type ultraviolet absorber depends upon the amount of the copolymer in the product , or the amount of the copolymer in the product depends on the content of the benzotriazole monomer unit in the copolymer . therefore , the actual amount of the benzotriazole monomer unit in the copolymer is needed to impart desired ultraviolet absorbancy into the product . the content of the benzotriazole monomer unit in the product is usually more than 0 . 01 wt .%. the present invention also relates to the homopolymer or copolymer of the benzotriazole monomer . the copolymer obtained by copolymerizing 0 . 01 to 70 wt .% of the benzotriazole monomer with a comonomer are especially preferably used in various application requiring ultraviolet absorbancy . the copolymer can be a random copolymer but also can be a graft copolymer obtained by grafting the benzotriazole monomer on to a copolymerizable polymer . the benzotriazole monomer can be used as a reactive ultraviolet absorber in polymerizable composition which is to be cured for example as the reactive component for curable polymerizable resin composition , such as unsaturated polyester resin compositions . when the curable polymerizable resin composition is polymerized , the benzotriazole monomer is also copolymerized with the polymerizable component by random or graft copolymerization to obtain a cured product having ultraviolet absorbancy . when the benzotriazole monomer is used as the copolymerizable component of a polymer , the stability of the polymer to ultraviolet rays can be improved to obtain a plastic having excellent weathering resistance . the homopolymer or the copolymer of the present invention can be incorporated into the other plastic or can be used for coating the plastic instead of the conventional ultraviolet absorber to improve the weathering resistance of the plastic . the benzotriazole monomer itself or the oligomer of the monomer of the present invention can be used for various purpose . the benzotriazole , or the homopolymer or copolymers can be also used for various applications , for examples , as a component or additive for synthetic fibers , for a surface processing agent or dying agent for fibers , for a component for coatings or paints or impregnating wood or as a component for cosmetics or sun screen lotion . it is also possible to use them as medical substrates which should have high weathering resistance . the uses are not critical . in these uses , it is possible in many cases to combine it with an antioxidant . the present invention will be further illustrated by certain examples , which are provided for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to be limiting the present invention . preparation of 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole ## str3 ## 3 - nitro - 4 - aminoethylbenzene ( 55 . 4 g , 0 . 4 mole ), dispersed in 160 ml of water and 150 ml of conc . hydrochloric acid was diazotized by the dropwise addition over a period of one hour at 0 ° to 5 ° c . of a solution of sodium nitrite ( 30 g , 0 . 45 mole ) in water ( 100 ml ). the diazonium salt solution was added from a dropping funnel over a period of 30 min . at 15 ° c . to a stirred solution of p - cresol ( 43 g , 43 . 3 g , 0 . 4 mole ), sodium hydroxide ( 16 g , 0 . 4 mole ), sodium carbonate ( 120 g , 1 . 13 mole ) and 600 ml of water , which had been placed in a two liter beaker . the azo compound separated as a dark red crystalline solid after continued stirring of the reaction mixture for several hours , it was dissolved in aqueous 2 n sodium hydroxide ( 400 ml , 0 . 8 mole ) solution , and this mixture , in a two liter beaker equipped with a mechanical stirrer , was placed in a water bath . zinc powder ( 120 g , 1 . 84 mole ) was added to the stirred solution which resulted in an exothermic reaction ; additional 25 % aqueous sodium hydroxide ( 200 ml ) was added over a period of 3 hours . after the first hour the color of the reaction had changed from red to green ; the reaction was completed at 70 ° c . the suspension was cooled to room temperature and allowed to settle , the supernatant liquid decanted , the remaining suspension filtered and the filter cake washed with chloroform . the filtrate was acidified with 6 - n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution , extracted with chloroform and the organic layer thoroughly washed and dried over anhydrous magnesium sulfate . after removing the solvent under reduced pressure , a viscous dark brown oil ( crude 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole ) was obtained in 80 % yield ( 95 g ). which was immediately acetylated with acetic anhydride ( 150 g ) and 1 g of conc . sulfuric acid as a catalyst followed by removal of acetic acid by distillation under reduced pressure . 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole was purified by distillation ( 180 ° c ., 0 . 05 mmhg ). the yield was 49 %. the product was recrystallized from n - pentane and had the following properties . ______________________________________ c h n______________________________________calculated : 69 . 14 % 5 . 80 % 14 . 23 % found : 69 . 38 % 5 . 97 % 14 . 53 % ______________________________________ pure 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl )- 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole was obtained by the hydrolysis of 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole . a solution of 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole ( 5 . 9 g , 0 . 02 mole ) and 10 ml of ethanol was poured into a solution of sodium hydroxide ( 2 . 0 g , 0 . 05 mole ). the resulting fine dispersion was heated to 80 ° c . for 3 hours . after cooling to room temperature , the homogeneous solution was acidified with 1 n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution and the solid precipitate was extracted with carbon tetrachloride . the solution was chromatographed and the eluate concentrated under reduced pressure . the residue was recrystallized from n - hexane by cooling the solution to - 78 ° c . white needles were obtained which were collected by filtration , washed with cold n - hexane and dried . 2 . 7 g ( 54 % yield ) of 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole was obtained , which had following properties . ______________________________________ c h n______________________________________calculated : 71 . 13 % 5 . 97 % 16 . 59 % found : 71 . 32 % 5 . 83 % 16 . 89 % ______________________________________ in a 500 ml three necked flask equipped with a mechanical stirrer and a refluxing condenser was placed pure crystalline 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - ethyl - 2h - benzotriazole ( 29 . 5 g , 0 . 1 mole ), nbs ( 18 . 9 g , 0 . 105 mole ) and carbon tetrachloride ( 165 ml ). the mixture was heated to reflux and aibn ( 0 . 33 g , 2 mole ) was added as the catalyst . after 1 hour of reaction the 1 h nmr spectrum of the reaction mixture showed the disappearance of the starting materials of the methylene proton absorption and the appearance of methine proton absorption of the brominated product . the mixture was filtered to remove succinimide and excess nbs , the carbon tetrachloride solution was washed with 5 % aqueous solution of sodium bicarbonate and water , concentrated and dissolved in chloroform ( 100 ml ), which produced a small amount of solid , which was removed and the filtrate again concentrated under reduced pressure , chromatographed , brought up dryness and recrystallized from n - hexane : white needles were obtained in a yield of 67 % ( 25 . 1 g ), which had the following properties . ______________________________________ c h n br______________________________________calculated : 54 . 57 % 4 . 29 % 11 . 23 % 21 . 36 % found : 54 . 54 % 4 . 47 % 11 . 17 % 21 . 56 % ______________________________________ preparation of 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole . ## str6 ## in a 500 ml three neck flask which was fitted with a mechanical stirrer and a reflux condenser , 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 ( 1 - bromoethyl ) 2h - benzotriazole ( 30 g , 0 . 08 mole ), triethylamine ( 41 g , 0 . 40 mole ), acetonitrile ( 120 g ) and picric acid ( 0 . 1 g , 0 . 4 mmole ) were dissolved and rapidly heated to reflux by dipping the flask into a heated oil bath . the progress of the reaction was followed by 1 h nmr measurements of samples taken from the reaction mixture . after 2 hours the methine proton resonance of the starting material had disappeared and the vinyl protons had appeared at 5 - 6 ppm . the reaction mixture was cooled , diluted with carbon tetrachloride ( 200 ml ) and stirred with a 6 n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution at 0 ° to 5 ° c . the organic phase was separated and washed three times with 2 n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution and water and brought to dryness . the residue was dissolved in dichloromethane ( 50 ml ) and the solution poured into 500 ml of n - hexane which resulted in the precipitation of a small amount of polymeric material which was removed by filtration . the solution was concentrated under reduced pressure and a pale brown viscous liquid was obtaied . the oily residue deposited yellow crystals . further recrystallizations gave white transparent crystals in 25 % yield . the resulting product had the following properties . ______________________________________ c h n______________________________________calculated : 69 . 61 % 5 . 15 % 14 . 33 % found : 69 . 64 % 5 . 27 % 14 . 35 % ______________________________________ preparation of 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole ## str7 ## in a 200 ml flask equipped with a reflux condenser and a mechanical stirrer were placed 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole ( 7 . 2 g , 24 . 5 mmole ), a 20 % solution of sodium hydrogencarbonate ( 4 . 2 g ), methanol ( 110 g ) and picric acid ( 0 . 01 g ). the mixture was heated and kept for 1 . 5 hours at reflux temperature . the clear , yellow solution was cooled to room temperature , filtered and acidified slowly at 0 ° to 50 ° c . with 1 n aqueous hydrochloric acid solution . the precipitate was dissolved in chloroform ( 100 ml ), and the organic layer was concentrated . several precipitation of the chloroform or a dichloromethane solution into methanol were sometimes necessary to remove some insoluble material . the vinyl compound was finally crystallized from methanol / water , dried at 0 . 05 mm , and gave 3 . 4 g ( 55 % ) yield . which had the following properties . ______________________________________ c h n______________________________________calculated : 71 . 70 % 5 . 21 % 16 . 72 % found : 70 . 74 % 4 . 92 % 16 . 43 % ______________________________________ into a 5 ml glass tube , 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole ( 0 . 75 g , 3 mmole ), toluene ( 1 . 80 ml ) and azobisisobutylonitrile ( 2 . 5 mg , 0 . 015 mmole ) were charged . the homogeneous mixture was degassed by three freeze - thaw cycles with nitrogen sweep , sealed at 0 . 005 mmhg and the tube was placed in a constant temperature bath of 50 ° c . for 14 days . after the polymerization , the content was taken out from the tube and dissolved in 5 ml chloroform and precipitated into 50 ml methanol . the resulting precipitate was collected by filtration and dried under reduced pressure for a few days . a 76 wt .% yield ( 0 . 39 g ) was obtained with a η inh viscosity of 0 . 05 dl / g ( 0 . 5 g / dl solution of chloroform at 30 ° c .). in a 5 ml polymerization tube were placed 2 ( 2 - acetoxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole ( 0 . 40 g , 1 . 6 mmole ), mma ( 0 . 91 g , 9 . 1 mmole ), aibn ( 3 . 3 mg , 0 . 02 mmole ), and toluene ( 1 . 3 g ). the homogeneous mixture was degassed by three freeze - thaw cycles with a nitrogen sweep , sealed at 0 . 005 mmhg and the tube was placed in a constant temperature bath of 50 ° c . after 8 days it was opened , the viscous contents dissolved in 5 ml of dichloromethane and filtered . the solution was poured into 400 ml of methanol , the solid collected by filtration , washed with methanol ( 50 ml ) and dried under reduced pressure for a few days ; a 30 wt . % yield ( 0 . 39 g ) of copolymer with a η inh viscosity of 0 . 1 dl / g ( 0 . 5 g / dl solution of chloroform at 30 ° c .) was obtained . the copolymer composition was about 16 mole % as judged by nmr spectroscopy where the aliphatic protons adjacent to the ester oxgen of the acrylate were compared to the aromatic protons . in a 3 ml polymerization tube were placed 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylphenyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole ( 0 . 25 g , 1 mmole ), acetone ( 0 . 20 ml ) styrene ( 0 . 59 g , 5 . 7 ml ) and azobisisobutyronitrile ( 5 . 5 mg , 0 . 033 mmole ). the homogenous mixture were degassed by three freeze - thaw cycles with nitrogen sweep , sealed at 0 . 005 mmhg and the tube was placed in a constant temperature bath of 50 ° c . for 2 weeks . after the polymerization was judged complete the content of the tube was dissolved in 10 ml of chloroform and the polymer precipitated into 100 ml of methanol . the resulting precipitate was collected by filtration and dried under reduced pressure for a few days . a yield of 42 wt .% ( 0 . 35 g ) of copolymer was obtained with an η inh viscosity of 0 . 07 dl / g ( 0 . 5 g / dl solution of chloroform at 30 ° c .). the copolymer composition was about 15 mole % of benzotriazole monomer as judged by elemental analysis for nitrogen . in a 5 ml polymerization tube were placed 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methylpheyl ) 5 - vinyl - 2h - benzotriazole ( 0 . 4 g , 1 . 6 mmole ), toluene ( 1 . 56 ml ), butyl acrylate ( 1 . 16 g , 9 . 1 mmole ) and azobisisobutylonitrile ( 3 . 5 mg , 0 . 021 mmole ). the homogenous mixture was degassed by three freeze - thaw cycles with nitrogen sweep , sealed at 0 . 005 mmhg and the tube was placed in a constant temperature bath of 50 ° c . for 11 days . after the polymerization was judged complete the content of the tube was dissolved in 5 ml of chloroform and precipitated into 50 ml methanol . the resulting viscous precipitate was taken out by a decantation , dissolved in 2 ml of benzene and dried in a vacuum under freezing point of the solution . a 9 wt .% of yield ( 0 . 14 g ) of the copolymer was obtained with an inherent viscosity η inh of 0 . 10 dl / g ( 0 . 5 g / dl solution of chloroform at 30 ° c .). the copolymer composition was ap . 22 mole % of benzotriazole monomer as judged by nitrogen analysis of the copolymer . table 1__________________________________________________________________________chemical shift data of . sup . 1 h nmr spectra of 2 ( 2 - hydroxy - 5 - methyl )- 5 - vinyl - 2hbenzotriazele ( 2h5m5 &# 39 ; v ) and intermediates ch . sub . 2ch . sub . 3 chch . sub . 3 chbrch . sub . 3r . sub . 1 chbch . sub . 3 arch . sub . 3 ## str8 ## ## str9 ## aromatic protons__________________________________________________________________________1 . 30 ( t ) 2 . 82 ( d ) 2 . 30 ( s ) 11 . 0 ( s ) 7 . 0 to 8 . 31 . 30 ( t ) 2 . 82 ( d ) 2 . 30 ( s ) 2 . 43 ( s ) 7 . 0 to 8 . 3 5 . 17 ( d ) 1 . 98 ( d ) 2 . 33 ( s ) 2 . 20 6 . 8 to 7 . 9 2 . 28 ( s ) 5 . 3 ( d ) 5 . 56 ( d ) 6 . 33 ( dd ) 2 . 40 7 . 0 to 8 . 0 2 . 35 ( s ) 5 . 35 ( d ) 5 . 80 ( d ) 6 . 84 ( dd ) 11 . 0 ( s ) 7 . 0 to__________________________________________________________________________ 8 . 1 note : product of i : example ( 2 ) ii : example ( 1 ) iii : example ( 3 ) iv : example ( 4 ) iv : example ( 5 ) ## str10 ## -	2
a periodic operation of the sensor is preferred , a cycle period being made up of the first and the second time interval . consequently , the cycle period essentially corresponds to the rotation period of the vehicle tire . the relevant measuring data include the changes of the acceleration forces on the sensor during the transition of a sensor tire section into a tire contact area and out of the tire contact area . a processing of the time values of these transitions , which are able to be detected via the occurrence of relatively great changes of the acceleration forces , and / or a processing of the time period between two transitions allows for the determination of the tire contact period and / or the tire rotation period . the comparatively great changes to the acceleration forces arise in the transition region in that during the tire contact period essentially the gravitational force acts on the sensor and in the other region the effect of a centrifugal force brought about by a tire rotation dominates on the sensor . the sensor tire section includes a section of a tire &# 39 ; s running surface that essentially overlaps the sensor in a radial direction . in the sense of the present invention , the tire contact surface refers to a contact region between the vehicle tire and a road surface , the tire contact period including a time period of a road - surface contact of an infinitesimal subregion of the tire &# 39 ; s running surface during a tire rotation , and the tire rotation period including the time period for a tire rotation or a complete rotation of the tire by 360 ° relative to the tire axis . the time period of the second time interval is selected in particular as a function of the tire rotation period and the tire contact surface , so that preferably the second time interval is shorter than the tire rotation period less the tire contact period . by this means , it is ensured in a particularly advantageous manner that the sensor is operated at the first query rate only in the less relevant measuring range , while in the relevant measuring range , i . e ., in the transition region or during the tire contact period of the sensor tire section , the sensor is operated at the second and in particular higher query rate . in particular , it is provided that the first and the second time intervals are constantly adjusted or optimized , especially in the case of changes in speed , so that the energy savings is maximized at a constant functionality and measuring accuracy . it is particularly advantageously possible to determine the tire contact surface , a tire circumference , the tire &# 39 ; s running surface and / or an escape velocity of the tire &# 39 ; s running surface as a function of the tire rotation period and / or the tire contact period . it is particularly preferable to provide for an adjustment of the query rates during operation and / or a detection ( e . g ., upper vibrations ) of the tire rotation period by additional sensors , so that in particular the sensor is switched on only when entering the tire contact surface . according to a preferred further refinement , the first time interval is smaller than the tire rotation period less the tire contact period , and the second time interval is greater than the tire contact period , the cycle period essentially corresponding to the tire rotation period . it is thus ensured in a particularly advantageous manner that the second time interval is situated at least in the entire relevant measuring range , while the first time interval lies outside of the relevant measuring range . by this means , the time values of the transitions are detected using a comparatively high query rate , while the query rate is low or equal to zero only for the time period in which no transitions occur . according to an additional preferred refinement , before the periodic operation having the cycle period , the sensor is operated for the duration of a third time interval at a third query rate , in particular the third query rate being greater than the first query rate and less than the second query rate , and / or the third time interval including at least one tire rotation period and / or at least one tire contact period and preferably being used to determine the tire rotation period and / or the tire contact period . the determination of the tire contact period and / or the tire rotation period in a third time interval is provided for the initial determination of the first and / or the second time interval as a function of the tire contact period and / or the tire rotation period , in particular a comparatively approximate determination of the measurement variables being performed at a more approximate query rate than the second query rate . in particular , during a one - time passing through of the tire contact period , a rough estimate of the tire rotation period is possible , for example , via an empirical relation between tire rotation period and tire contact period of a vehicle tire having correct air pressure , the ratio of which is normally 90 to 10 . according to an additional preferred refinement , the time intervals having different query rates are set by an additional sensor and / or by an energy converter . thus , the external detection of the tire rotation period is particularly advantageously implemented via additional sensors and / or via energy converters , e . g ., a vibration sensor , the length of the time intervals being determined as a function of this externally determined tire rotation period . according to an additional preferred refinement , a change to an action of force on the sensor and / or the time period between at least two changes to the action of force are measured by the sensor , and the corresponding time values are stored so that in a particularly advantageous manner a plurality of time values for determining the tire rotation period and / or the tire contact period are processed together . according to an additional preferred refinement , a load measurement of a vehicle , a profile depth determination of the vehicle tire , and / or a condition determination of a road surface are / is performed , in particular as a function of the tire rotation period and / or the tire contact period , in the sense of the present invention the tire rotation period and the tire contact period being equivalent to the tire rotation speed and to the tire contact surface , respectively . a further objective of the present invention is a sensor array for performing a method according to the present invention , the sensor array including a sensor , a counter , and a storage unit , at least the sensor being disposed in the vehicle tire , preferably in a region having a radius larger than zero relative to the vehicle tire axis . in a particularly advantageous manner , such a sensor array allows for a significantly more energy - saving determination of tire rotation periods and / or tire contact periods relative to the related art , in particular the sensor detecting the changes to the action force and during querying of the sensor , the respective time values of the counter being stored in the storage unit . thus , a subsequent further processing of the time values to determine the tire rotation periods and / or tire contact periods is possible in a central processing unit , for example . since in each instance only comparatively large changes of the action of force are detected , preferably the use of an analog - digital converter to read out the acceleration sensor using a comparatively low resolution is provided . thus , the energy consumption of the sensor array may be reduced further . fig1 shows a sensor array 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention , a sensor 1 , in particular an acceleration sensor , being disposed in a region of a vehicle tire 2 that has a radius 12 greater than zero relative to a vehicle tire axis 11 , so that the sensor is located in particular in the region of a tire running surface 17 . a tire contact surface 40 is formed by a contact region between tire running surface 17 and a road surface 18 . a sensor tire section 17 ′ includes a section of tire running surface 17 , which overlaps sensor 1 essentially in a radial direction , parallel to radius 12 . if sensor tire section 17 ′ is positioned in tire contact surface 40 due to a rotation 41 of vehicle tire 2 around vehicle tire axis 11 , then essentially the gravitational force ( 1 g ) acts on sensor 1 while a centrifugal force 37 acts on sensor 1 as soon as sensor tire section 17 ′ is positioned outside of tire contact surface 40 . fig2 illustrates a graphic representation of action of force 8 on sensor 1 in a sensor array 10 according to the exemplary embodiment , plotted against a time unit , an action of force scale being plotted on an ordinate 8 ′ and a time scale being plotted on an abscissa 20 . for a transition of sensor tire section 17 ′ into tire contact surface 40 and out from tire contact surface 40 respectively , the curve of action of force 8 shows a comparatively great change 9 , a difference between the corresponding first and second time value 20 ′, 20 ″ of these changes 9 encompassing a tire contact period 4 . the difference between a third time value 20 ″, which characterizes the next cycle of a subsequent transition , and the first time value 20 ′ encompasses tire rotation period 3 , a first time interval 5 being situated in an interval that corresponds to tire rotation period 3 less tire contact period 4 , a second time interval 6 being situated in the interval of tire contact period 4 , and overlapping this interval in particular at a start time and at an end time . preferably , it is possible to detect large changes 9 of the action of force early through a change in action of force curve 8 , action of force curve 8 tending toward a local minimum 51 during these changes . a measurement of the time derivation of action of force curve 8 is provided , particularly preferably . in a third time interval , tire rotation period 4 and the times of a first transition t 0 , a subsequent second transition t 1 , and a third transition t 3 following the second transition are stored initially using a comparatively low query rate of sensor 1 , the consideration of additional transition times being possible to increase the exactness . it follows that the tire rotation time results from the difference of the third and the first transition t 3 - t 1 . from this it is now calculated at which time sensor tire section 17 ′ will again transition into tire contact surface 40 , sensor 1 then being switched off until this time for the duration of a first time interval 5 . shortly before this time , sensor 1 is switched on again at a relatively high second query rate , so that tire contact surface 40 is queried during a second time interval 6 , additional time values of additional transitions being stored in the process . tire rotation period 3 is calculated and / or corrected once again as a function of the additional time values , and sensor 1 is switched off for the duration of a newly calculated or corrected first time interval 5 . thus , the length of first and second time interval 5 , 6 is constantly adjusted , so that a change in the vehicle speed , for example , is taken into account immediately . the difference between first time interval 5 and wheel tire rotation period 3 less wheel tire contact period 4 is in particular adjusted as a function of the speed of the vehicle , so that sudden acceleration or braking maneuvers of the vehicle do not lead to a loss of measured values in second time interval 6 . alternatively , an additional initial third time interval is provided , which only detects a tire contact period 4 and subsequently turns off sensor 1 immediately . tire rotation period 3 is determined in this instance only as a function of tire contact period 5 .	1
i believe that the improved uniformity achieved by gung is in part achieved by the magnet ring 62 producing a generally semi - toroidal magnetic field 64 that resembles a dipole field adjacent the chamber sidewall 14 or the shields on the side of the chamber away from the rotating magnetron 36 but also exists on the side of the chamber 12 temporarily aligned with the rotating magnetron 36 . as shown in more detail in the schematic elevation view of fig2 , the magnetic field 64 produced by the magnet ring 60 is a magnet dipole field except for unimportant secondary effects due to annular form of the magnet ring 60 . inside the chamber sidewall 14 , the dipole field 64 creates a magnetic barrier against the diffusion of the plasma , in particular its electrons , to the grounded chamber sidewall 14 . as a result , the plasma containing the sputtered metal ions which diffuses from the target 16 near the magnetron 46 is prevented from diffusing to the grounded wall 14 . such a diffusing plasma results in a plasma that is stronger at the chamber center 38 than nearer its edge . such a non - uniform plasma as it approaches the wafer 24 being sputter deposited and otherwise plasma processed insults in a strong radial non - uniformity on the wafer 24 . with the reduced sidewall diffusion , the plasma becomes more uniform in the radial direction resulting in more uniform wafer processing . however , the dipole field 64 suffers some disadvantages . as illustrated , it bulges inwardly into the chamber near the midline of the magnet ring 60 . that is , the dipole field 64 bulges towards the chamber central axis 38 and creates a significantly concave barrier . as a result , the plasma is confined within the inwardly concave barrier and the ionized sputter particles are somewhat focused towards the center of the wafer 24 , resulting in uneven sputter deposition but more particularly sputter etching of the wafer 24 . the sputter etching of the wafer 24 is particularly important for coating the sidewalls of a narrow deep via of high aspect ratio . barrier metals such as refractory metals including titanium , molybdenum , tantalum , tungsten , cobalt , chromium , and ruthenium have reduced but significant electrical conductivity and their nitrides , which may be sputter deposited in the magnetron sputter reactor by reactive sputter , are poor conductors . if the sputter flux has a high ionization fraction and the wafer is strongly biased , the ions are drawn deep within the via to coat the bottom via sidewalls . what portion of the flux strikes and is deposited on the bottom of the via is likely to be resputtered simultaneously or subsequently and be deposited on the bottom via sidewalls . hence , the process reduces or eliminates the barrier layer at the bottom , where it is not required against the underlying metal level , and increases the sidewall coverage . the effect of a bulging magnetic barrier seems not to not be significant for the present generation of copper sputtering ( though it may become so in future generations ). however , the sputtering tantalum with the configuration of fig1 produces poor radial uniformity of sidewall asymmetry and bottom deposition and resputtering . copper and tantalum are distinctly different materials . the target resputtering yield is significantly different between the two results in a significantly higher ionization fraction for copper to the extent that sustained self - sputtering is possible with copper but not tantalum . that is , for copper sputtering , after plasma ignition , the argon sputtering gas may be turned off and the sputtered copper ions will act as the sputtering gas to support the plasma . also , the significantly different masses of copper and tantalum will produce significantly different rates of sputter etching within the vias . the plasma can be better confined and produce more uniform sputter deposition and etching by flattening the magnetic field adjacent the chamber sidewall 14 or associated shield . the flattening can be achieved by splitting the magnet ring into two or more magnet rings separated by space or other dielectric . as schematically illustrated in the elevational view of fig3 , a split magnet ring 70 includes two magnet sub - rings 72 , 74 of the same polarity with a separation or axial spacing 76 that is non - magnetic or at least of substantially reduced magnetic permeability from that of the two magnet sub - rings 72 , 74 . each sub - ring 72 , 74 produces a respective substantially dipolar magnetic field . however , a resultant combined split ring magnetic field 78 is substantially flattened , especially on the interior of the sidewall 14 , because of the non - magnetic spacing 76 . as a result , the combined magnetic field 78 acts as an effective barrier adjacent the chamber sidewall 14 to prevent plasma from diffusing to the grounded sidewall 14 or shield , but with significantly reduced focusing of the plasma toward the center 38 of the chamber 12 . this configuration has the further advantage that magnetic saturation of the magnet rings 72 , 74 is reduced . as a result , the average magnetic field density produced by the split magnet ring 70 is increased over what would be produced if the magnet rings 72 , 74 using the same magnets were continuous or placed adjacent each other with no spacing 76 between them . a sputter reactor 80 of the invention is illustrated in the schematic cross - sectional view of fig4 including the split magnet ring 70 . an estimated magnetic field distribution 82 underlying the unbalanced roof magnetron 36 combines the unbalanced field from the magnetron 36 and the split magnet ring 72 . the magnetron 36 is preferentially the unbalanced ldr magnetron having an arc shape of a closed plasma loop , as disclosed by gung et al . in u . s . patent application ser . no . 10 / 949 , 735 , filed sep . 23 , 2004 and now published as u . s . published patent application 2005 / 0211548 , incorporated herein by reference . in its sputtering position , the convex side of the arc shape is close to the periphery of the target 16 so that its magnetic field is concentrated near the target periphery . the magnetron 36 can be switched by a centrifugal mechanism so the arc shape more closely aligns with the target radius to thereby clean the central portions of the target 16 between depositions . a split magnet ring assembly 90 illustrated in the orthographic view of fig5 includes two half collars 92 , 94 composed of non - magnetic material such as aluminum . the two half collars 92 , 94 can be joined together with alignment pins 96 and screws 98 around the exterior of the chamber sidewall 14 and screwed to supports on the sidewall 14 through vertical through holes 100 . each half collar 92 , 94 includes two annular inwardly facing ribs 102 having recesses to accommodate a plurality , for example , eight vertically polarized rod magnets 104 . each magnet 104 has an exemplary length of about 15 cm and an exemplary diameter of 6 mm and may be composed of ndbfe . that is , there are two sets of sixteen magnets 14 ( divided between the two half collars 92 , 94 ) arranged about the central axis for a chamber configured for 300 mm wafers . the vertical spacing between the magnets 14 may be varied to optimize deposition uniformity . a typical range is 25 to 44 mm , that is , greater than the length of the individual magnets and preferably at least twice the magnet length but less than four times the magnet length , plus the thickness of the associated pole faces . screws capture the magnets 14 on the ribs 102 through two pairs of washer - shaped holders 106 composed of magnetic material , for example , ss410 stainless steel , and disposed on opposing vertical spaced sides of the ribs 102 to act not only as holders but also as magnetic pole faces . in general , the sidewall magnets are effective only in the presence of significant wafer biasing , for example , 800w rf power for a 300 mm wafer , in order to resputter the tantalum deposited on the via bottom onto the lower via sidewalls . the biasing draws the ionized sputter ions also affected by the auxiliary sidewall magnets while neutral sputter atoms are primarily unaffected by either wafer biasing or sidewall magnets . sputtering uniformity tests were performed using various ring magnets for sputtering tantalum . sheet resistance r s was measured for a deposited tantalum film to determine the deposition uniformity across the wafer radius . as shown by the graph of fig6 , either a single sidewall magnet ring , as taught by gung , or a split magnet ring with no spacing between the two rings produce about the same high non - uniformity , generally considered unsatisfactory . split magnet rings with spacings of 25 mm and 44 mm significantly reduce the non - uniformity . further experiments have demonstrated that the split magnet ring is effective at increasing the resputtering near the wafer edge relative to the generally higher resputtering at the wafer center . the split magnet ring has also been applied to sputtering titanium . in this case , the spacing between the two magnet rings was reduced by 2 mm to optimize the performance . the design freedom of varying the spacing in different applications is one advantage of the split magnet ring . it is possible to have three or more magnet sub - rings with non - magnetic spacings between them . although the invention has been described with reference to sputtering tantalum and titanium , it is applicable to sputtering other materials , particularly barrier metals . experiments have shown the usefulness of the invention to sputtering tungsten .	7
for base springing joint 21 of fig1 there is used compressed - air springing unit 5 of any type , e . g . a torus bellows , a cylinder - piston joint or a membrane springing element which is provided with connecting pipe 11 for inlet or outlet of compressed air . the characterization of springing unit 5 used is not essential for understanding in its passive sense ( when connection pipe 11 is closed ) and can be alinear or linearized by means of a sufficient reserve volume . parallel to compressed - air springing unit 5 passive damper 6 is connected , which can be of any type as well , yet there is preferred a slight damping , and furthermore , on the basis of an active damping resulting from the use of additional energy , this damper could be omitted with the results being good enough . to base springing joint 21 formed , as already said , as a parallel joint of compressed - air springing unit 5 and passive damper 6 , in vertical direction vibrating mass 1 is fastened on rigidly by acceleration transformer 2 . it must be pointed out that hereinafter only a possibility of acceleration transformer 2 being arranged between mass 1 and springing joint 21 is mentioned , whereas identical results are achievable when said transformer is arranged between springing joint 21 and excitation source 9 , because in both cases the same force biasing mass 1 is transmitted over acceleration transformer 2 . mass 1 with base springing joint 21 represents a base passive vibrating system , whereas acceleration transformer 2 is incorporated in this joint already due to the control . with the same purpose there is foreseen connecting pipe 11 . mass 1 ( except that part of it that falls to a person ) is of course connected rigidly to base spring joint via acceleration transformer 2 only in vertical direction ; the localization thereof in other directions is not shown in the drawing , because although it is necessary , it has no influence upon the commentary on the functioning of the apparatus according to the invention . the joining of mass 1 and base springing joint 21 by acceleration transformer 2 is presented as an equivalent scheme in fig2 . therefrom it can be seen that the compressed - air springing unit 5 consists of parallel interconnected passive damper 19 and elastic element 18 , and furthermore , correction exciter 20 connected to said elastic element in series , whereat said exciter exists on the ground of the fact that by additional inlet or outlet of compressed air it is possible to influence base springing joint 21 correctively in such a way that excitation caused by the unevenness of the road or the land and diagrammatically displayed in fig2 as excitation source 9 influences base springing joint 21 by other elements of the vehicle . the basic object of the invention being the reduction of vibrations of mass 1 for random excitations , it is necessary for the controlling arrangement to influence compressed - air springing unit 5 quickly and without any greater displacement of phase angle in the zone of the fundamental frequency of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 but in the opposite direction to the influence of the excitation source 9 . good results are to be expected only under this condition . on the basis of said conditional feature , there is provided acceleration transformer 2 which is represented as a springing joint composed of elastic element 17 and damper 16 , the fundamental frequency of which in association with mass 1 , lies high above the fundamental frequency of base springing joint 21 with the same mass of the construction . the change of elastic deformation of acceleration transformer 2 as a result of vibrating is , when said condition is fulfilled , i . e . the fundamental frequency being considerably higher and damper 16 enabling low damping , very well proportional to the change of force which affects mass 1 absolutely to the ground , and consequently it is proportional to the change of the acceleration of mass 1 wth respect to the ground , too . accordingly , the elastic deformation of acceleration transformer 2 precedes the deflection of mass 1 for 180 °, with the phase angle between the absolute deflection of mass ( 1 ) with regard to the surroundings and the deformation of acceleration transformer ( 2 ) having a value deflected from 180 ° by not more than 30 °. as known from the theory of vibrating systems , the deflection of vibrating mass , when observing the resonance frequency of vibrating system , remains behind the deflection of exciting vibration for about 90 ° ( in case without damping exactly 90 °), which means that the elastic deformation of acceleration transformer , 2 , in case of fundamental frequency of base springing joint 21 and mass 1 , precedes the excitation produced by land and vehicle or the excitation from the excitation source 9 , respectively , for about 90 °. as a result of using acceleration transformer 2 , there exists a reserve of about 90 ° to the active controlled excitation of compressed - air springing unit 5 . the elastic deformation of acceleration transformer 2 being relatively small has to be increased up to a stroke being great enough for main valves 14 , 15 of valve joint 4 to be opened . said increasing could be performed by any type of deflection amplifier 3 , and in a special construction , said amplifier could be even released . the alteration of deflection from the central position in one and other direction at the inlet ( place ) of valve joint 4 , said alteration being great enough , is changed , by valves 14 and 15 , in the alteration of compressed - air flow in one direction from air reservoir 8 via conduits 23 , 12 , valve 14 , conduits 30 , 10 , 22 and connecting pipe 11 into springing unit 5 , and in the other direction from compressed - air springing unit 5 via connecting pipe 11 , conduits 22 , 10 , valve 15 and conduit 13 into the atmosphere . obviously , it is necessary for the alteration of compressed - air flow , according to the physical rule , to be proportional ( best , if linear proportional ) to the alteration of deflection at the inlet of valve joint 4 or the outlet of deflection amplifier 3 , respectively . consequently , valves 14 and 15 have to be used , the alterable throttling of which is achieved by a relative movement thereof . as illustrated in fig1 the valves 14 and 15 are mechanically coupled in parallel so that one of the valves is opened and one of the valves is closed by movement of the deflection amplifier 3 . a special embodiment of the apparatus can be realized by valves the functioning of which is entirely digital , i . e . the valves are closed till a certain movement thereof and are completely opened when said movement is greater . the resistance of compressed air in the recesses of valves 14 and 15 as well as partly the resistance in said conduits being great enough , it is not difficult to fulfil the condition that the compressed - air resistance of the valves and conduits is several times greater than that of springing unit 5 , and thereby a condition of integration is fulfilled automatically . due to the compressed - air stream in or off , the corrective deflection of excitation of springing unit 5 remains , through phase , behind the alteration of air flow for 90 °, which is a known feature of any integration . thereby , the deflection of controlling excitation of springing unit 5 is approximately in - phase with the excitation of excitation source 9 , but it acts , if correctly connected , by valves 14 and 15 in opposite direction , whereby at resonance frequency , on principle , effective reduction of vibrating mass 1 is made possible . at realization , there is to consider the alinearity of elements , thermodynamic properties as well as features of behaviour of vibrating systems , which all could cause an additional phase displacement , whereat the amplitude could be , in case of fundamental frequency of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 , adjusted by the reinforcement of regulating system on the basis of using compressed - air of higher pressure , the air resistance of valves and the like . in the zone of frequency above the resonance of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 arises the following situation . the deflection of mass 1 remains behind the excitation deflection of excitation source 9 for more than 90 ° and the phase angle increases from 90 ° to 180 ° with the increasing frequency . consequently , the elastic deformation of acceleration transformer 2 precedes the deflection of excitation of source 9 for less than 90 ° and the phase angle is lowering from 90 ° to 0 ° at increasing frequency . although the integration of compressed - air flow in springing unit 5 is normally performed through the displacement of phase angle for about 90 ° in the sense of remaining behind , the exciting deflection achieved through correction exciter 20 is no more in the opposite sense of functioning in phase with the exciting deflection of excitation source 9 , and therefore the influence of control is lowering with the increasing of the frequency . simultaneously , the amplitude of controlling excitation is lowering , too , because it depends upon the characteristic curve of the reinforcement of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 which is rapidly lowering with the increasing of the frequency over the resonance one . there appears a negative influence of the feature of the amplitude of accelerating mass 1 , which is proportional to the square of frequency , but this influence is weakened again , because the amplitude is lowering linearly with the increasing frequency at the integration owing to the air - flow into and out of springing unit 5 . the influences as mentioned above act in the sense of reducing the control effect at frequencies lying higher than the resonance one , and besides , the base controlling system requires less energy at these frequencies . for vibrations of mass 1 at these frequencies it could be confirmed that the reducing thereof , having used passive damper 6 with a low damping , is achieved mostly passively by suspending the mass as such . consequently , there is provided a frequency filter which demands less energy , whereat there is no need for much quicker functioning of the controlling system at higher frequencies , which all represents an important advantage of the present invention . in the zone of frequencies below the fundamental frequency of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 there exists the following situation . the deflection of vibrating mass 1 remains behind the deflection of excitation source 9 for less than 90 °, and the phase angle proceeds from 90 ° to 0 ° when the frequency is lowering . therefore , the elastic deformation of acceleration transformer 2 precedes the deflection of excitation source 9 for more than 90 °, and the phase angle proceeds from 90 ° to 180 ° when the frequency is lowered . although the integration of air - flow in the air cylinder is again performed normally , i . e . by the displacement of the phase angle for about 90 ° in the sense of remaining behind , the deflection of correction exciter 20 is no more in the opposite sense of functioning in - phase with the deflection of excitation source 9 , as this has happened at the fundamental frequency of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 , and therefore the influence of control is lowering together with lowering frequencies . simultaneously , there is lowering the amplitude of correction excitation , because it depends on the characteristic property of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 which is rapidly lowering with the frequency being lowered below the resonance one . said amplitude is lowering also due to the acceleration of mass 1 , the amplitude lowering of which is occuring together with the lowering of frequency proportionally to the square of the frequency , while linear increasing of the amplitude occuring through the lowering of frequency on the basis of integration due to the air - flow into and out of compressed - air springing unit 5 has a harmful influence . consequently , at the frequencies lower than the resonance one there comes to rapid reduction of control as well as energy expenses , and base springing joint 21 with mass 1 acts like a passive one , which means that the amplitude of mass 1 is , through the lowering of frequency , approaching the amplitude of excitation source 9 . it is of course necessary because mass 1 , which in fact is the total part of the vehicle , has to move with the vehicle when very low frequencies of excitation are in question , e . g . when the vehicle is driven over a land . for springing unit 5 there has to be defined central position because of small asymetry of functioning . in an opposite case , there could appear a displacement of said position , which could lead to an abnormal regime of functioning . in consequence of this , there is provided an auxiliary organ , mid - position controller 7 , which according to the momentary state of springing unit 5 , with air resistance being very high , slowly fills or empties said unit 5 . said filling or emptying represents a permanent waste of energy which can be very small , and therefore does not influence the functioning at frequencies in the zone of fundamental frequencies of base springing joint 21 with mass 1 . therefore , valves 28 and 27 of mid - position controller 7 are closed at the central position of springing unit 5 , and after the displacement from said central position in one direction , there is opened the compressed air inlet which flows from reservoir 8 via conduits 23 and 24 , then via valve 28 , conduits 29 , 25 , 22 and connecting pipe 11 into springing unit 5 , and after the displacement in the other direction , the air is let out of the springing unit 5 , wherefrom it flows via conduits 22 and 25 , valve 27 and conduit 26 into the atmosphere . the valves 27 and 28 can be of any type , and there is not required a continual opening in relation to the deflection of vibration , yet it suffices for valve 28 or 27 to be completely opened when springing unit 5 is somewhat displaced from its central position . considering the energy saving , there is possible to determine a zone for the central position of controller 7 , whereat valves 28 and 27 are opened in one or the other direction , yet out of said zone . considering the physical properties of compressed - air springing unit 5 , it is evident that it does not behave in the same manner when excited mechanically by excitation source 9 or actively by the inlet and outlet of the compressed air through connecting pipe 11 , which is represented by correction exciter 20 . the behaviour of compressed - air springing unit 5 regarding said different manners of excitation is very much alike . the difference is lowering in the sense of lowering the damping by passive damper 6 , and said differences disappear when the mentioned damper 6 is not included therein . in practical embodiments , when damper 6 of low damping is provided , said feature has no influence on the functioning of the apparatus according to the invention . a special embodiment ofacceleration transformer 2 with deflection amplifier 3 is shown as an example in fig3 . as elastic element 17 there is provided a screen 33 of any design and of thin walls filled with a non - compressible fluid , which at elastic deformation of screen 33 influences plunger 32 by tube - shaped cylinder 35 . consequently , cylinder 35 as such operates as damper 16 , whereas by changing the cross - section of screen 33 to the cross - section of cylinder 35 there is achieved an increasing of the plunger stroke and thereby deflection amplifier 3 is performed . the output of deflection amplifier 3 lies accordingly between plunger 32 and connection part 34 . plunger 32 does not react or else it reacts very little when very low frequencies of the screen deformations or a static deformation thereof are in question , because of the diameter of the tube - shaped cylinder being a little larger than the diameter of plunger 32 , and so the liquid can penetrate between plunger 32 and cylinder 35 . thereby it is possible to adjust the apparatus to different values of mass 1 , whereas spring 31 arranged parallel to the inlet of valve joint 4 serves for preserving the central position of plunger 32 with respect to cylinder 35 . in general , for automatic adjustment of the controlling system to different values of mass 1 , there is necessary , at the outlet point of acceleration transformer 2 , to put a damper in series with the inlet of deflection amplifier 3 or in series with the inlet of valve joint 4 , whereas parallel to the inlet of deflection amplifier 3 or parallel to the inlet of valve joint 4 there is necessary to put an elastic element enabling returning movement into the defined central position of the inlet . mid - position controller 7 represents beside the properties already mentioned also automatic adjustment of the central position of mass 1 for different masses , e . g . a seat with drivers .	8
the serial arc plasma injector device of the present invention reduces and controls uneven and incomplete burning of a combustible mass where the source of ignition is a high energy plasma arc . specifically , this disclosure relates to serial arc plasma injectors and devices which can be integrated with or coupled to a propellant containment cartridge . the embodiment of this invention is supplied with each new round of electrothermal - chemical ammunition cartridge . the present invention is distinguished from earlier systems in as much as the serial arc plasma injector enables isolated plasma arc injections at desired energy levels throughout discrete segments of a combustible or propellant mass . further , the present invention enables the invasion of a propellant mass having linear , circular , helical or any other shape and geometry while maintaining a desired level of plasma discharge throughout the extent of the propellant mass . thus , the problem of creating a multiplicity of isolated plasma arc injection points , having same or varying energy levels , in a propellant is one of the many important points of this invention as will be discussed herein below . an embodiment of the serial arc plasma injector is shown in fig1 . cartridge housing 10 comprising a stub case 12 and a rim insulator 14 ( polyethylene or equivalent ) is integrally attached to a projectile 16 . coupling 18 is integrally attached to stub case 12 at one end and threadably connected to capillary 20 on the other end . capillary 20 is supported at coupling 18 and cantilevers out into cartridge 10 . power supply connection 22 is disposed at the center of rim insulator 14 and provides a direct contact with anode 24 . anode 24 partially extends into capillary 20 . capillary 20 comprises steel housing 26 and dielectric liner 28 ( peek / s2 glass or equivalent ). capillary 20 further comprises a central bore 30 in which a plurality of intermediate electrodes 34 are disposed . at the cantilevered end of capillary 20 , cathode terminal 36 is threadably inserted into steel housing ; 26 and forms a closed end . anode 24 , intermediate electrode 34 and cathode 36 are separated by segments of arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. vent holes 40 , forming a specific total area , surround each segment of arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. dielectric sleeve 42 ( polyethylene or equivalent ) having variable thickness provides support for intermediate electrodes 34 at their shaped ends 34a ( refer to fig4 b ). metallic fuse wires 44 connect anode 24 to an intermediate electrode 34 . intermediate electrode 34 is in turn connected to another adjacent intermediate electrode 34 or cathode 36 . membrane cover 46 or dielectric coating is applied to the exterior of capillary 20 . propellant 48 surrounds capillary 20 . coupling 18 , in cooperation with alumna ( ceramic ) tube 50 and structural insulation tube 52 , provides support for capillary 20 and connects stub case 12 and rim insulator 14 as well as power supply connection 22 . turning now to fig2 a detail segment of capillary 20 is shown wherein intermediate electrodes 34 are shown encased in a section of capillary 20 . electrode tips 34a extend into dielectric sleeve 42 . vent holes 40 are radially distributed around arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. vent holes 40 are of variable diameter as shown . fuse wire 44 extends is between intermediate electrodes 34 . fig3 depicts a segment of capillary 20 in which different types of materials , geometries and structures of intermediate electrodes 34 , gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;, dielectric sleeves 42 and fuse wires 44 are used . as will be discussed hereinbelow , the serial arc plasma injector device provides flexibility and adaptability to generate a plasma arc that is compatible with the propellant immediately surrounding a particular segment of capillary 20 . fig4 a shows anode electrode 24 , and tip 24a . fig4 b shows intermediate electrode , 34 and tips 34a with the tips on either side . intermediate electrode 34 includes a generally cylindrical central segment having a larger diameter than the tip sections . fig4 c shows cathode electrode 36 and tip 36a . cathode 36 is configured to include a cap end which forms the closed end for capillary 20 . fig4 d shows intermediate electrode 34 with segments comprising different types of metallic substances m1 and m2 . referring to fig5 and fig6 an assembly particularly designed to provide structural support for slender cartridges is shown . in the interest of simplicity , the cartridge housing is not shown . the structure comprises a pair of ranged metal sleeves 58 with a series of bolt holes 60 . a plurality of steel rods 62 tie ranged metal sleeves 58 together and thereby secure the contents of capillary 20 . steel rods 62 are covered with a dielectric sheath 64 . on one end , a connector base 66 is threaded into one of the flanged metal sleeves 58 . a base support 68 is integrally connected to connector base 66 as shown . connector base 66 incorporates power supply connector 22 which is further connected to anode 24 . cap assembly 70 is threaded into a second flanged metal sleeve 58 . cap assembly 70 provides support and connections to cathode 36 . flanged metal sleeve 58 includes notches 59 designed to mate with cartridge housing attachments ( not shown ). fig7 shows an open air arc test fixture . pressure sensors 72 and 74 are located at a first and last arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. central points 76 , at arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; represent the position at which plasma is emitted and resistance readings taken . fig8 - 14 are graphical representations of operational and performance data obtained using the open air test fixtures . the set of data is discussed hereinbelow to clearly define some of the distinguishing features and advances of the serial arc plasma injection device . the disclosure hereinabove relates to some of the most important structural features and operational parameters for the serial arc plasma injection device . the operation of the device , under a best mode consideration is described herein below . referring to fig1 sufficient power is supplied from a high energy pulse forming network or equivalent power source ( not shown ) at power supply connection 22 . current flows to the anode 24 . from anode 24 , the current travels to cathode 36 through a conductive path which includes intermediate electrodes 34 , electrode tips 34a and / or fuse wires 44 . electrode tips 34a and / or fuse wires 44 ablate until a series of plasma arcs are formed at arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. the plasma ultimately discharges through vent holes 40 to ignite segments of propellant 48 located in the immediate area surrounding vent holes 40 . as will be discussed hereinbelow , the structure of the intermediate electrode 34 , tips 34a , arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;, vent holes 40 and the overall cooperation of these elements with associated structures provide one of the many unique aspects of the serial arc plasma injector device invention . primarily , anode 24 extends partially into capillary 20 forming an extended tip therein . the tip of anode 24 can be shaped to accommodate a particular application requirement , for example , geometric shapes such as cylindrical , conical , frusto - conical or a tapered cone have been used depending upon the type of propellant 48 and the type of fuse wire structure to be used . anode 24 is connected to fuse wire 44 , which is generally metallic . fuse wire 44 is in turn connected to an intermediate electrode 34 . intermediate electrode 34 provides one of the unique features of the serial arc plasma injector device . the structure of electrode 34 is suited to adopt different types of geometric shapes and metallic substances at electrode tip 34a . for example , referring to fig3 b and 4d , electrode tips 34a , 34b , 34c and 34d may be made of aluminum on one side and copper or steel on the other . similarly , as shown in fig4 d , two different types of metals m1 and m2 may be coupled to form an intermediate electrode 34 with symmetric or non - symmetric arrangement of the different metals . further , different types of alloys may be used as intermediate electrode 34 tailored to be compatible with a specific type of propellant . this flexibility in the structure of the intermediate electrode 34 , anode 24 and cathode 36 enable not only variable geometric arrangements of electrodes but also variations in the type of metals to be used at each arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. further , depending upon the type of propellant 48 , which surrounds the immediate area of arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;, the length , geometric arrangement and type of fuse wire metal to be used may be tailored to provide the most compatible plasma arc for a given power supply and propellant . particularly , intermediate electrode 34 enables the maintenance of different types of plasma arc injection points throughout the length of capillary 20 . the length , and other geometric parameters of intermediate electrode 34 may be tailored to provide variable sizes at different locations along a slender capillary 20 . this flexibility enables to generate and inject specific amounts of plasma into a segment of propellant . fig3 depicts an exemplary arrangement of intermediate electrodes 34 forming a tapered fuse by means of extended tips 34c . yet another arrangement shows intermediate electrodes 34 having conical tips 34d with a space therebetween . another arrangement shows electrode tips 34d connected via fuse wire 44 . further , the next arrangement shows synthetic air &# 34 ; a &# 34 ; contained between a pair of button shaped tip electrodes 34b . similarly , the next arrangement shows a vacuum &# 34 ; v &# 34 ; contained between button shaped tip electrodes 34b . the arrangement and structure of fig3 depicts that the present invention , particularly intermediate electrode 34 , enables to tailor each plasma arc to meet specific requirements . for example , a slender cartridge containing different architecture and compositions of propellants may need variable ignition time and temperatures at different segments . heretofore , plasma injection devices are not capable to provide precise and segmentally isolated plasma arc throughout a slender propellant mass . further , it is the experience of the applicant that intermediate electrode tips 34a anode tip 24a and cathode tip 36a contribute to sustain plasma by slow and controlled ablation , based on specific design geometry and cross sectional area . thus , intermediate electrodes 34 , anode 24 , cathode 36 and the associated structures of the present invention are conducive to effect and accommodate variable ablation rate requirements at different segments of a slender propellant . these features enable the generation of a more controllable plasma source compared to thin and singular fuse wires which usually ablate or explode spontaneously . fig2 depicts the structure of variable size vent holes 40 which are radially distributed at arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; of capillary 20 . vent holes 40 increase in size , in both directions , from the center of arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; longitudinally outward . plasma flow is generally considered hydrodynamic in nature and the arrangement of vent holes 40 enables near uniform discharge of plasma into the surrounding propellant 48 . the unique arrangement of vent holes 40 includes two sets of concentric holes . the first set of vent holes 40a are configured having variable diameters and the second set comprise constant diameter vent holes 40b on the outside . this structure provides ease of manufacturing while retaining the advantages of the variable size vent holes . vent holes 40 extend through dielectric sleeve 42 , which provides fuel for the plasma by ablation . dielectric sleeve 42 also provides structural support for the electrode tips by use of variable thickness . in other words , the electrode tips are held in position using different dielectric sleeve 42 thicknesses to accommodate the variable sizes and geometries of the various electrode tips at arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. housing 28 forms a layer over dielectric sleeve 42 . vent holes 40 extend through housing 28 . housing 28 is made of dielectric material and provides fuel for the plasma by ablation . vent holes 40 are larger at steel housing 26 which forms the top layer of capillary 20 . membrane 46 covers vent holes 40 and steel housing 26 . particularly , membrane 46 is designed to withstand plasma pressure and ruptures only at specified design pressures . under normal storage conditions , membrane 46 segregates the contents of capillary 20 from propellant 48 . the serial arc plasma injection device operates by using isolated infusion of plasma arc into a propellant mass at strategically located segments . the plasma is injected at arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; positions . primarily , with reference to fig1 sufficient energy is supplied to anode 24 via power supply connection . anode 24 includes a geometrically shaped tip 24a which may extend as an electrode into arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; or in the alternate may be used as a connection for a fuse wire . similarly , intermediate electrode 34 having geometrically shaped tips 34a , extends into arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; facing anode tip 24a with a space therebetween . in the alternate , a metallic fuse wire 44 may be used to connect anode 24 and intermediate electrode 34 . similarly , intermediate electrode 34 is connected via tip 34a or fuse wire 44 , to another intermediate electrode or cathode 36 . cathode 36 also comprises electrode tip 36a which is geometrically shaped to extend into arc gap &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; or provide fuse wire connections . accordingly , the high power supplied at anode 24 travels through the chain of intermediate electrodes and / or fuse wires to cathode 36 . cathode as 36 provides a conductive path for current to flow into cartridge 10 . further , cartridge 10 transmits the current into the gun tube ( not shown ) where it is grounded . when the high energy current is supplied via power supply connection 22 , electrode tips and / or metallic fuse wires start to heat up in each of the serially oriented arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; ( refer to fig1 and 3 ). plasma starts to form and eventually plasma discharges from bore 30 via vent holes 40 into the surrounding propellant . it should be noted that each intermediate electrode 34 comprises a threaded or machined central portion which creates interruptions between adjacent arcs . these interruptions provide a safe space between burning propellant segments such that spontaneous detonation or uncontrolled ignition of propellant 48 is avoided . moreover , by varying the length of the central portion of intermediate electrode 34 , ignition and eventually combustion patterns in segments of a slender propellant can be controlled . as discussed hereinabove , single fuse wire plasma injection systems have operational and practicability problems when used in slender propellant systems . particularly , short arcing of plasma is a common problem in such systems . the embodiment of fig5 is suited for very slender propellant systems which are susceptible to arcing problems . steel bolt 62 provides structural integrity to the assembly . further , dielectric sheath 64 provides insulation and prevents short arcing and shot - circuiting of plasma . the open air test fixture depicted in fig7 shows a similar arrangement as in fig5 . the operational and performance parameters for the plasma arc injectors are recorded using the open air test fixture of fig7 . fig8 - 14 are graphical representations of some of the most important parameters . primarily , the test is focused on measuring plasma distribution at various arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ; of capillary 20 . the readings are taken at segments 76 which correlate to centers of arc gaps &# 34 ; g &# 34 ;. the resistance readings at segments 76 show significant similarities , both in magnitude and profile ( refer to fig8 and 10 ). initially , at about 0 . 2 milli seconds , a spike develops revealing that the initial flow of current through the electrode is small , thus resulting in higher resistance ,, readings . however , after about 0 . 3 milli seconds , the resistance is reduced substantially and follows a near constant linear path showing the establishment of a stable flow of current . after 4 milliseconds , the resistance increases substantially showing instability in the plasma arc and deterioration of the arc . beyond 5 milliseconds , the readings become erratic after which event the plasma arc becomes extinguished . fig1 shows that the power ( mega watts ) increases as the resistance reaches a near constant level . this means that both the current and voltage are increasing and the power reaches its highest peak between the time interval of 1 . 5 and 2 . 0 milliseconds . accordingly , the power curve decreases as the resistance rises . fig1 provides a comparison between the voltage ( kilo volts ) and the current ( kilo amps ). both the voltage and the current rise thus accounting for the rise in power during the same time interval , i . e . 1 . 5 - 2 . 0 milli seconds . after about 2 . 00 milliseconds , the current decreases at a faster rate than the voltage thus confirming the high resistance observed for this time period ( refer . to fig8 - 11 ). the current ( kilo amps ) is also compared to pressure ( kips per square inch ) across the capillary 20 ( refer to fig1 ). the plot shows that there is a direct relationship between current and pressure . both the current and pressure follow a similar pattern of initial rise and subsequent decrease in magnitude . fig1 shows a plot for two readings of pressure ( million pounds per square inch ) versus power ( mega watts ) in a single test . the curves show a general linear relationship between pressure and power . this result implies that knowledge of one will enable the prediction of the other . in other words , the serial arc plasma injection device disclosed herein enables a near precise prediction of either power or pressure when one of them is known . it is noteworthy that power and pressure are some of the most significant performance and design parameters in electrothermal - chemical gun systems . it is also noteworthy that the serial arc plasma injector device of the present invention enables the predictability of these and other parameters by creating uniform distribution of plasma throughout the extent of a slender propellant mass . accordingly , the serial arc plasma injection device disclosed herein enables formation of reliable plasma arcs tailored to ignite and promote efficient combustion of specific segments of a slender propellant mass . heretofore , plasma injection systems use exploding wires and electrodes to create a single continuous plasma arc source over a length of a propellant . further , prior practice in this art is limited to the use of a continuous fuse wire which is centrally disposed parallel to a longitudinal axis of a cartridge . the serial arc injector device disclosed herein enables not only linearly arranged serial arc plasma injection but could also be used with cartridges having helical , circular , staggered , non - linear and randomly oriented propellant mass . further , unlike single and continuous fuse wires , there is no need of a longitudinally structured cartridge . the intermediate electrodes of the serial arc injectors could be configured is to follow both linear or non - linear path to allow the injection of plasma in any propellant mass containment region . accordingly , the intermediate electrodes and associated structures of the present invention are especially suited to create discrete plasma arc stations along a desired path within a propellant mass . particularly , the present invention provides a significant advance in the art where the propellant is not only slender but also comprises different types of combustible chemicals which need various energy levels to ignite . the present invention enables the strategic injection of a measurable amount of plasma into several segments of a slender propellant . intermediate electrode 34 may be designed to include various types of tip geometries , tip length and different types of metals at either tips 34a . further , as mentioned hereinabove , the central portion of intermediate electrode 34 may be varied to control ignition and combustion fronts within the surrounding slender propellant mass . moreover , the present invention enables the control of ignition and combustion patterns within a slender propellant . the device of this invention enables the creation of consistent , reliable , controllable , multiple and isolated plasma arcs which are discretely tailored to meet the combustion needs of various segments in a propellant mass . particularly , the present invention enables a segmental and isolated invention of a propellant mass with plasma without the attendant problems which include , inter alia , arc extinguishment , arc short circuiting , limited ignition , erratic ignition , non - uniform combustion of propellant and detrimental or premature detonation . more particularly , non - uniform combustion generates pressure peaks and fluctuations which undermine the efficiency of a gun system . uneven burning of a propellant mass creates high peak pressure waves which limit the type , geometry and arrangement of a propellant that can be used in a gun . uncontrolled pressure peaks create significant thermal and kinetic stresses on a gun system , thus dictating heavy hardware design to overcome the stresses , and also reduce propellant energy yield due to degradation of the pressure - time curve . the present invention overcomes all these limitations and problems . it provides a segmented , isolated chain of plasma arcs which are incubated to form a specified energy level of plasma discharge tailored to initiate ignition and establish efficient combustion in a particular segment of the propellant mass . while a preferred embodiment of the serial arc plasma injection device has been shown and described , it will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the scope of the appended claims .	8
with reference now to the figures , and in particular with reference to fig1 there is depicted a unit comprised of the door installation kit secured by the packaging , display , storage and transportation container of the present invention . the container has three separate and distinct pieces : the botton piece 10 , the middle piece 50 , and the top piece 30 . various parts of the door kit are contained within the packaging , as required for the particular installation . in particular , the parts of the kit which may be contained are : door 60 , hinge jamb 62 , sill 64 , head jamb 66 , sweep 68 , brick mold 70 , and strike jamb 72 . brick mold 70 is composed of a top piece and two side pieces . hardware , which may be used in the installation , can be placed in the enclosed area formed by the bottom piece 10 . the container is easily adapted to fit and secure additional parts as may be desired . the additional parts can be stored in bottom unit 10 or the spacers of the bottom unit may be cut out . in the preferred embodiment , the packaging is made from a cardboard material , although other foldable sheet material may be used . fig2 shows bottom piece 10 being of sufficient dimension so that it may be folded to envelope the bottom end of door 60 . the dotted lines represent preformed creases in the foldable sheet material . these creases facilitate the folding of the packaging when placed around the kit components . two parallel creases 11 and 12 extend across the bottom piece , parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof , with a distance a between creases 11 and 12 . distance a is approximately the same as the combined thickness of door 60 and the thickness of hinge jamb 62 , head jamb 66 , or strike jamb 72 . creases 13 and 14 are normal to the longitudinal axis of bottom piece 10 , and used to facilitate the folding of side edges of bottom piece 10 . flaps 16 and 17 have tab inserts 25 and 26 , respectively , adapted for receiving and locking with tabs 20d and 20f . the use of staples with the door unit may result in visible damage which will deter potential customers from buying the packaged door units . therefore , the present improvement is the use of tabs and tab inserts to keep the door packaging unit folded instead of staples or glue as previously used . the width of each flap 16 and 17 is the distance b between the side edge of bottom piece 10 and crease 13 or 14 . distance b is approximately the same length as distance a . bottom spacer 20 extends from the front edge of the bottom piece 10 and has cut - out portions 21 and 22 . cut - out 21 is of slightly larger dimension than the combined widths of sill 64 and head jamb 66 , while cut - out 22 is of slightly larger dimension than the width of sweep 68 . pre - formed creases 23 and 24 in bottom spacer 20 facilitate folding . distance c between bottom spacer 20 and crease 13 is approximately the same as the width of hinge jamb 62 . distance d between bottom spacer 20 and crease 14 is approximately the same as the combined widths of strike jamb 72 and brick mold 70 when placed side by side . bottom spacer 20 has a cushion pad 20a and holder bar 20b . cushion pad 20a provides a cushioning surface between door 60 and the other parts of the door installation kit . flap 20c is located as illustrated and adapted to be folded along crease 13 and has tab 20d . tab 20d is designed to be inserted and locked into tab insert 25 . flat 20e is capable of being folded along crease 14 and has tab 20f , which tab is designed to be inserted and locked into tab insert 26 . once the tabs 20d and 20f are inserted into their respective tab inserts 25 and 26 , a topless box is formed , which is held together without the use of staples or glue . fig2 a , 2b and 2c show sequentially the steps of folding bottom piece 10 so that the door unit kit may be contained therein . all folds are 90 ° unless otherwise indicated . tabs 18 and 19 are folded along creases 13 and 14 respectively , as illustrated in fig2 a . fig2 b shows how bottom spacer 20 is folded along creases 23 and 24 , which folding creates cushion pad 20a and holder bar 20b . the front edge and back side of bottom piece 10 are folded along creases 11 and 12 , respectively . flaps 16 and 17 are folded in against end tabs 18 and 19 . flaps 20c and 20e are folded in against flaps 16 and 17 , as illustrated in fig2 c . tabs 20d and 20f are then inserted into tab inserts into tab inserts 25 and 26 to form a topples box . the use of tabs allows attachment without staples or glue . fig3 shows top piece 30 with the dotted lines representing pre - formed creases in the foldable sheet material . as with the bottom piece , these creases facilitate folding when the top piece is placed around the kit components . parallel creases 31 and 32 extend longitudinally across top piece 30 with distance g between creases 31 and 32 . distance g is approximately the same distance as the combined thickness of the door and the thickest separate kit piece . cut - out portions 33 and 34 are dimensioned to allow taller parts , such as hinge jamb 62 and strike jamb 72 and side pieces of the brick mold 70 , to extend through top piece 30 at the point where they are taller than door 60 , as shown in fig1 . these cut - out portions secure hinge jamb 62 and strike jamb 72 and brick mold 70 , and prevent them from moving within the packaging container . the side of cut - out portions 33 and 34 may be modified to accommodate additional tall door parts such as stiff weatherstripping . flaps 35 and 36 are located at each side of top piece 30 and defined by means of pre - formed creases 37 and 44 . the width of each flap 35 and 36 is the distance h between the side edges of top piece 30 and creases 37 or 44 . distance h is approximately the same as distance g . top piece end tabs 38 and 39 are located at each side of top piece 30 and defined by creases 37 and 44 . the width of end taps 38 and 39 is approximately the same as width g between creases 31 and 32 . the height of tabs 38 and 39 is approximately the same as distance h . top front spacer 40 extends from the front edge of top piece 30 with creases 41 and 42 to facilitate folding . distance i between top spacer 40 and crease 37 is approximately the same as the width of hinge jamb 62 . distance j between top spacer 40 and crease 44 is approximately the same as the combined width of strike jamb 72 and the two longer pieces of brick mold 70 . fig3 a , 3b and 3c show sequentially the steps of folding top piece 30 so that the kit may be securely contained therein . referring to fig3 a , tabs 38 and 39 are folded along creases 37 and 44 , respectively . next , top spacer 40 is folded along creases 41 and 42 , creating top cushion pad 40a and top holder bar 40b . cushion pad 40a provides for separation and stabilization to keep door 60 in place . the front and back edges of top piece 30 are folded along creases 31 and 32 . flaps 35 and 36 are folded in against end tabs 38 and 39 , respectively . next , tabs 40d and 40f are folded in against flaps 35 and 36 . tabs 40c and 40e are inserted and locked into tab inserts 43 and 45 , respectively , thus forming a topless bos . this improved attachment method allows forming top piece 30 into a box without staples , glue or some other fastener . the door kit parts fit snugly into the box formed by top piece 30 . strike jamb 72 and hinge jamb 62 and the two larger pieces of brick mold 70 extend through cut - out portions 33 and 34 , respectively , as shown in fig1 . this permits top piece 30 to rest on the top of door 60 is held firmly in place , with respect to the other components of the kit . fig4 shows middle piece 50 with dotted lines representing pre - formed creases in the foldable sheet material . middle piece 50 has a front and bacck side with position tabs 54 , 55 and 5l extending from the back side at convenient locations to secure the door unit parts . middle spacer 51 extends from the front side of middle piece 50 . creases 52 and 53 facilitate folding . distance k between creases 52 and 53 is approximately the same as the separate thickness of sill 64 , head jamb 66 and sweep 68 . position tabs 54 , 55 and 56 extend from the back side of middle piece 50 . position tab 54 is designed to separate hinge jamb 62 from sill 64 and head jamb 66 . position tab 55 is designated to separate sill 64 and head jamb 66 from sweep 68 . position tab 56 is designed to separate sweep 68 from brick mold 70 and strike jamb 72 . these position tabs prevent the various kit components from banging and striking against each other . hinge jamb 62 , sill 64 , head jamb 66 , sweep 68 , brick mold 70 and strike jamb 72 each fit securely inside the spaces between the position tabs 54 , 55 and 56 , when middle piece 50 is folded up . fig4 a and 4b show sequentialy the steps of folding middle piece 50 so that the door kit may be contained therein . first , middle spacer 51 is folded along creases 52 and 53 so as to form a protective cushion between door 60 and the tops of sill 64 , head jamb 66 , sweep 68 and the smaller brick mold piece 70 , as more fully illustrated in fig1 . position tabs 54 , 55 and 56 are folded over to an acute angle so that they hold sill 64 , head jamb 66 , sweep 68 and the smaller piece of brick mold 70 lateraly in place . end flaps 57 and 58 are folded along creases 59 and 60 so as to form na l shaped side edge with leg portions , as illustrated in fig4 b . leg portions of end flaps 57 and 58 are then placed between the door 60 and hinge jamb 62 and strike jamb 72 as a cushion . sizing the middle piece 50 properly as set forth above allows a tight fit and provides cushioning between the door 60 and hinge jamb 62 and strike jamb 72 . the method of assembling the door unit installation kit is similar to the method disclosed in the patent application , which is incorporated herein for all purpose . the substantial improvement however is that tabs are inserted into tab inserts to form the top piece and bottom piece boxes . these tabs and tab inserts provide a fastening means which does not damage the door and kit parts , whereas the staples or glue disclosed in the patent application may have damaged the door unit if not properly assembled . although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the disposed embodiment , as well as alternative embodiments of the invention will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention . it is , therefore , contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall between the true scope of the invention .	1
as discussed above , fig1 depicts , in part , a schematic diagram of a conventional multiple chamber semiconductor wafer processing tool . the depicted cluster tool 100 is controlled by a sequencer that executes the scheduling routines determined by the present invention . the present invention is embodied in a schedule generator 50 that produces scheduling routines which are executed by the sequencer 136 . fig2 depicts a block diagram of the scheduling generator 50 that produces the scheduling routines executed by the sequencer to control the cluster tool 100 of fig1 . additionally , the schedule generator 50 operates to determine an optimal sequencing routine for a given processing sequence and tool configuration . although , the schedule generator is shown to remotely produce schedules and download one or more schedules to the sequencer , those skilled in the art will understand that the invention could be practiced on a processor within the sequencer . the schedule generator 50 contains a microprocessor 200 as well as memory 202 for storing a schedule generation routine 210 , a schedule optimization routine 212 and the scheduling routine ( s ) generated by routines 210 and 212 . the microprocessor 200 cooperates with conventional support circuitry 206 such as power supplies , clock circuits , cache , and the like as well as circuits that assist in executing the software routines . as such , it is contemplated that some of the process steps discussed herein as software processes may be implemented within hardware , e . g ., as circuitry that cooperates with the microprocessor to perform various process steps . the schedule generator 50 also contains input / output circuitry 208 that forms an interface between conventional input / output ( i / o ) devices 214 such as a keyboard , mouse , and display as well as an interface to the sequencer . although the schedule generator 50 is depicted as a general purpose computer that is programmed to determine scheduling routines in accordance with the present invention , the invention can be implemented in hardware as an application specific intergrated circuit ( asic ). as such , the process steps described herein are intended to be broadly interpreted as being equivalently performed by software , hardware , or a combination thereof . the automatic schedule generator 50 of the present invention executes a schedule generation routine 210 that generates all possible schedules for a given trace . a schedule optimization routine 212 facilitates an automated process of producing an optimum schedule for a given cluster tool using an exhaustive search of all possible schedules . “ tool configuration ” describes physical placement of chambers within a cluster tool . for example , the tool may have chambers c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 , a loadlock ( ll ) as well as one or more robots . “ process sequence ” is the order in which processes are applied to a given wafer . for example , p n is the name of the n - th process ( e . g ., etch ) and , p 1 , p 2 , p 3 , ( which also may be written as p 1 → p 2 → p 3 ) is a process sequence . “ processing capability ” of a cluster tool is the result of mapping a required process sequence onto the set of chambers within the tool . the image of this mapping is called a “ trace ”. for example , a process sequence p 1 → p 2 → p 3 may be mapped onto four chambers c 1 , c 2 , c 3 and c 4 to yield a trace note that processes p 1 and p 3 are mapped into chambers c 1 and c 4 , respectively , while process p 2 is mapped into c 2 c 3 ( the process p 2 is performed in both c 2 and c 3 ). chambers c 2 and c 3 are said to be parallel because a wafer visits ( is placed into ) either c 2 or c 3 ( but not both ). in other words , the sign in c 2 c 3 represents an exclusive or function . “ stage ” is a set of one or more chambers which correspond to the same process . wafers visit exactly one chamber from a given stage . the notation ( c x c y c z ) means that wafers can move to either chambers c x or c y or c z , but only into one of the chambers . that is , ( c x c y c z ) is a stage comprised of three “ parallel ” chambers . generally speaking , the term “ schedule ” means a finite and repeatable sequence of wafer and robot movements through the cluster tool . more formally , let s be the set of all possible wafer and robot states . a string of symbols ( letters ) from a finite set of states s is referred to as a word . symbols are represented as letters from the alphabet s . for example , if s ={ 0 , 1 } 2 , then ( 0 , 0 ), ( 0 , 1 ), ( 1 , 0 ), and ( 1 , 1 ) are all possible letters in alphabet s and ( 0 , 1 )( 1 , 1 )( 0 , 1 ) is a word having a length of 3 letters over s . each letter identifies the instantaneous state of the tool . for example , as is discussed in detail below , a letter may define the particular positioning of a wafer or wafers within a tool at a particular point in the trace . broadly speaking , whatever the specific alphabet , a schedule s is represented as a word , which starts and ends with the same letter ( e . g ., x ), this is the only repeated letter , and a successor v of a given letter u must satisfy alphabet dependent rules , i . e ., rules which define a valid trace . traces are available in three different configurations , a trace is a parallel trace if it is comprised of exactly one stage ; a trace is a serial trace if each stage has exactly one chamber and a trace is a mixed trace if it is neither serial nor parallel . ( clearly , to have a mixed trace , the number of chambers in the trace is at least three .) a trace is said to be knotted if there is a chamber whose name appears more than once in the trace ( that is , the corresponding process sequence contains a processing loop ). to illustrate , fig3 and 4 schematically depict 4 - stage serial and mixed traces , respectively . fig5 depicts a high level flow diagram of the schedule optimization routine 212 . the optimization routine contains a schedule generation routine 210 that produces all possible schedules in an alphabet induced by a given trace . routine 212 is an automated process that performs the following steps : b ) produce all possible schedules over l ( routine 210 ) using a two step process , where the first step ( step 508 ) generates all possible successor positions ( letters ) to which a wafer can be moved from a present position ( letter ) and the second step ( step 510 ) uses a backtracking technique to change wafer positions such that other successor positions ( letters ) can be computed by step 508 , c ) evaluate each of the schedules in ( b ) with respect to throughput ( for a given set of robot and process parameters ) ( step 504 ), d ) record a schedule or a set of schedules which have the highest throughput for the given trace l ( step 506 ). since step ( c ) requires a throughput simulation program , for computational efficiency , steps ( a ), ( b ) and ( d ) are generally incorporated into the simulation program . a plurality of embodiments of the present invention are discussed below in sections b , c , d and e of this disclosure . specifically , the definitions of a schedule in a { 0 , 1 } n alphabet , rules for generating successors of a given letter , and modules needed for computation of successors are given in section b for a serial trace and section c for mixed and parallel traces . in section d , these processes are extended to include robot utilization in the computations . lastly , a generalized backtracking routine for generating all possible schedules from a given trace , applicable to any trace with or without a robot , is presented in section e . an n - chamber serial trace ( as illustratively depicted in fig3 ), comprised of chambers c 1 , c 2 , . . . c n , is associated with an n - tuple from the alphabet { 0 , 1 } n . if { overscore ( x )} is such a tuple , then , for i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n ; { overscore ( x )}[ i ]= 0 , if chamber c i is empty , and { overscore ( x )}[ i ]= 1 , if c i contains a wafer . in accordance with this representation , a schedule s is a finite string of binary n - tuples , which starts and ends with the same binary n - tuple and this is the only repeated n - tuple in the string . in addition , any two consecutive n - tuples { overscore ( u )} and { overscore ( v )} in the string , { overscore ( v )} being a successor of { overscore ( u )}, differ in at most two coordinates and are related in accordance with the following rules : s 1 ) if { overscore ( u )}[ l ]= 0 , then { overscore ( v )}[ l ]= 1 . for all k & gt ; 1 , { overscore ( v )}[ k ]={ overscore ( u )}[ k ]. ( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from the loadlock into c 1 .) s 2 ) if { overscore ( u )}[ n ]= 1 , then { overscore ( v )}[ n ]= 0 . for all k & lt ; n , { overscore ( v )}[ k ]={ overscore ( u )}[ k ]. ( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from c n into the loadlock ). s 3 ) if , for some k ∉{ 0 , n },{ overscore ( u )}[ k ]= 1 and { overscore ( u )}[ k + 1 ]= 0 , then { overscore ( v )}[ k ]= 0 and { overscore ( v )}[ k + 1 ]= 1 . for all i ∉{ k , k + 1 },{ overscore ( v )}[ i ]={ overscore ( u )}[ i ]. ( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from c k into c k + 1 ) fig6 illustrates all possible schedules available ( i . e ., two schedules ) in a 2 - chamber serial trace . fig6 a depicts a schematic diagram of the 2 - chamber serial trace of fig6 having a wafer in position represented by the 2 - tuple ( 1 , 0 ). these n - tuples are referred to herein as the coordinates of wafer positioning . from position ( 1 , 0 ), the schedule of fig6 dictates that the wafer is next moved to a position represented by the 2 - tuple ( 0 , 1 ), i . e ., a wafer is now in chamber c 2 and no wafer is in chamber c 1 . thereafter , the schedule may follow one of two paths , either the wafer in c 2 is moved to the loadlock ( a wafer positioning that is represented by 2 - tuple ( 0 , 0 )) or another wafer is moved into chamber c 1 ( a wafer positioning that is represented by 2 - tuple ( 1 , 1 )). as such , each 2 - tuple represents a set of possible positions for a wafer or wafers that validly fulfill a step in the trace . similarly , fig7 illustrates the seven possible schedules available in a 3 - chamber serial trace and fig7 a depicts a schematic diagram of the trace of fig7 having a wafer positioning represented by the 3 - tuple ( 0 , 1 , 0 ). from fig7 the strings represents particular scheduling routines that are generated by the schedule generator for a three chamber serial trace . such schedules may contain a set of robot and chamber parameters that yield higher or lower throughput than other schedules in the set of all schedules . as such , the only way to determine an optimum schedule is to examine the throughput under all possible schedules and , using the optimization routine , determine which of the schedules is optimal . as mentioned above , the 2 n binary n - tuples ( position coordinates ) are regarded as letters from the alphabet { 0 , 1 } n . a finite string of letters is referred to as a word . for example , strings s p , s w , and s x are all 5 - letter words . in this terminology , a partial schedule s of length k is a k - letter word s ( 1 ) s ( 2 ) . . . s ( k ) in which next letter s ( i + 1 ) depends only on the previous letter s ( i ), i = 1 , 2 , . . . , k − 1 , and is built according to rules ( s 1 ) ( s 2 ), and ( s 3 ) stated above . in accordance with these rules , all letters in a partial schedule are different . a full schedule is a word w ( 1 ) w ( 2 ) . . . w ( n ) such that w ( 1 ) w ( 2 ) . . . w ( n − 1 ) is a partial schedule and w ( n )= w ( 1 ). for example , the word w =( 1 , 1 , 1 )( 1 , 1 , 0 )( 1 , 0 , 1 )( 0 , 1 , 1 ) is a partial schedule , where w ( 1 )=( 1 , 1 , 1 ) and w ( 4 )=( 0 , 1 , 1 ). ( generally , if w ={ overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k , then w ( i )={ overscore ( u )} i ). from the definition of a schedule , if { overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k is a partial schedule , then { overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k { overscore ( u )} k + 1 is also a schedule ( partial or full ) provided { overscore ( u )} k + 1 is obtained from { overscore ( u )} k according to rules ( s 1 ),( s 2 ), and ( s 3 ). a given letter { overscore ( u )} k may have anywhere from 1 to [ n / 2 ]+ 1 successors { overscore ( u )} k + 1 . the number of successors ( variable nmb below ) is easily determined by the following function : where sercount ({ overscore ( u )} k ) represents the number of successors of { overscore ( u )} k in a serial n - chamber trace . since , in an exhaustive search , all the successors are examined , the foregoing pseudo - code determines the total number of successor letters that must be computed to complete an exhaustive search . generating all sercount ({ overscore ( u )}) successors of a given letter { overscore ( u )} is not particularly difficult . as each successor of { overscore ( u )} is generated , it is stored in a binary matrix z that has sercount ({ overscore ( u )}) rows and ( n + 1 ) columns . the last column of z is reserved for a boolean variable that is set to true if the successor was used in a partial schedule and is set to false if the successor was not used . this entry is used later in the backtracking routine ( discussed below with reference to fig1 ) that generates all possible schedules for a given trace . the successors of a given letter are determined by the following function . there are two functions which are used repeatedly in the above pseudo - code . function copy ({ overscore ( u )},{ overscore ( v )}) returns letter { overscore ( u )} that is a replica of letter { overscore ( v )}. this manner of implementing rules ( s 1 ), ( s 2 ), and ( s 3 ), in which the routine first copies { overscore ( u )} into { overscore ( v )} and then modifies { overscore ( v )}, is not inefficient because { overscore ( u )} and { overscore ( v )} differ in at most two coordinates . function store ({ overscore ( v )}, z ) copies letter { overscore ( v )} into a proper row of matrix z . note that in the above module , the routine copies a binary n - tuple twice ; clearly , in implementation , the routine copies the successor of { overscore ( u )} ( slightly altered n - tuple { overscore ( u )}) into the proper row of matrix z directly . using the foregoing pseudo - code and given a letter { overscore ( u )} in a serial trace , the pseudo - code generates all possible successor letters of { overscore ( u )} and stores them in matrix z . for example , in fig7 given the letter ( 0 , 0 , 0 ), the pseudo - code produces a string of valid successor letters , e . g ., letters ( 1 , 0 , 1 ), ( 0 , 1 , 0 ), ( 1 , 1 , 0 ), and ( 0 , 0 , 0 ). given a different initial letter , a different valid set of successors is produced , e . g ., letter ( 0 , 1 , 0 ) may produce letters ( 1 , 1 , 0 ), ( 1 , 0 , 1 ), ( 1 , 0 , 0 ) and ( 0 , 1 , 0 ). the representation of an n - chamber mixed trace by a binary n - tuple is slightly more involved because exactly one chamber from a given stage is visited by a wafer and there are no wafer transfers within the stage . thus , the schedule generation routine must recognize different stages as well as parallel chambers within a stage . fig4 depicts an illustrative mixed trace containing four stages with six chambers , where chambers c 1 and c 4 are serial and chamber pairs c 2 ( a ), c 2 ( b ) and c 3 ( a ), c 3 ( b ) are parallel . without loss of generality , it is assumed that an n - chamber mixed trace is comprised of k successive stages , f 1 , f 2 , . . . , f k , k ≦ n . if 1 , 2 , . . . , n are positions in a binary n - tuple { overscore ( x )} that corresponds to chambers c 1 , c 2 , . . . , c n , respectively , then positions 1 , 2 , . . . ,\| f 1 \| corresponds to chambers in stage 1 , positions \| f 1 \|+ 1 ,\| f 1 \|+ 2 , . . . ,\| f 1 \|+\| f 2 \| correspond to chambers in stage 2 , and so on . if chamber c belongs to stage f t , then position i in the corresponding associated binary n - tuple { overscore ( x )} belongs to f t and iεf t ( while , in fact , i is one of the consecutive \| f 1 \| positions in { overscore ( x )}). in this representation , a schedule is a finite string of binary n - tuples which starts and ends with the same binary n - tuple . this is the only repeated letter in the word . in addition , if { overscore ( v )} is a successor of { overscore ( u )}, then { overscore ( u )} and { overscore ( v )} differ in at most two coordinates and the following rules define the relationship of { overscore ( u )} and { overscore ( v )}: m 1 ) if for some iεf 1 , { overscore ( u )}[ i ]= 0 , then { overscore ( v )}[ i ]= 1 . for all k ≠ i , { overscore ( v )}[ k ]={ overscore ( u )}[ k ]( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from the loadlock into stage 1 .) m 2 ) if for some iεf k , { overscore ( u )}[ i ]= 1 , then { overscore ( v )}[ i ]= 0 . for all j ≠ i , { overscore ( v )}[ j ]={ overscore ( u )}[ j ]. ( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from the last stage f k into the loadlock ). m 3 ) if for some iεf t and some jεf t + 1 , { overscore ( u )}[ i ]= 1 and { overscore ( u )}[ j ]= 0 , then { overscore ( v )}[ i ]= 0 and { overscore ( v )}[ j ]= 1 . for all r ∉{ i , j }, { overscore ( v )}[ r ]={ overscore ( u )}[ r ]. ( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from stage f t into the next stage f t + 1 .) in determining the number of successors of a given letter { overscore ( u )}, it will be handy to define a sequence m o = 0 and where \| f 1 \| is the size ( number of chambers ) of stage f t . the above sequence reflects the partition of the index set of { overscore ( u )} into stages . clearly , m k = n , where n is the number of chambers . the number of successors of { overscore ( u )} is determined by the following function : obviously , if m t = t and k = n in the above pseudo - code , then mixcount ({ overscore ( u )}) becomes sercount ({ overscore ( u )}). also , for a pure parallel n - chamber trace , due to k = 1 , the 3 - nested “ for ” statements in the above pseudo - code are null ; by joining the first two loops ( since there is just one stage ), the pseudo - code reduces to : which always returns nmb = n . thus , in a pure parallel n - chamber trace , any given letter has n successors . a function that generates and stores all successors of a given letter in a mixed trace is : functions copy ({ overscore ( u )},{ overscore ( v )}) and store ({ overscore ( v )}, z ) are the same as in the corresponding routine for serial traces . ( note that this time matrix z has mixcount { overscore ( u )} rows and ( n + 1 ) columns .) again , if m t = t and k = n in the above function , then mixgenerator ({ overscore ( u )}) becomes sergenerator ({ overscore ( u )}). for pure parallel traces , due to k = 1 , a function that generates successors of a given letter { overscore ( u )} is : note the similarity between functions that count successors and functions that generate successors . in fact , conditions for identifying a successor are identical in both types of function ; the difference is what is performed once the condition is detected . fig8 depicts an illustrative schedule tree for a 3 - chamber mixed trace , ( e . g ., ll → c 1 →( c 2 c 3 )→ ll ), where the successors of a particular letter are determined using the mixgenerator ({ overscore ( u )}) pseudo - code . fig8 a depicts a schematic diagram of the trace of fig8 having wafers positioned in position ( 1 , 1 , 0 ). when the schedule generation routine includes robot movements , than to an n - chamber serial trace , comprised of chambers c 1 , c 2 , . . . , c n , the routine must associate a ( n + 1 )- tuple from { 0 , 1 } n ×{ 0 , 1 . . . , n }. if { overscore ( x )} is such a tuple , then , for i = 1 , 2 , . . . , n , { overscore ( x )}[ i ]= 0 , if chamber c i is empty ; and { overscore ( x )}[ i ]= 1 , if c i contains a wafer . thus , as before , the first n coordinates of { overscore ( x )} are from { 0 , 1 }. the robot position is described by the last coordinate of { overscore ( x )}, i . e ., x 3 in the 3 - tuple ( x 1 , x 2 ; x 3 ), where x 1 and x 2 are wafer coordinates and x 3 is a robot coordinate . we set { overscore ( x )}[ n + 1 ]= k if ( and only if ) the robot is in a home position at chamber c k . if { overscore ( x )}[ n + 1 ]= 0 , the robot is positioned at the loadlock . let s n represent the alphabet of the above association . for example , if n = 2 , then s 2 is comprised of twelve 3 - tuples , namely , for an n - chamber serial trace , \| s n \| is the number of ( n + 1 )- tuples from { 0 , 1 } n ({ 0 , 1 , . . . , n } and thus \| s n \|=( n + 1 ) 2 n . these ( n + 1 )- tuples are referred to as letters from the alphabet s n . as before , a word is a finite string of letters from s n . for example , is an 8 - letter word . note that a word may contain repeated letters . for example , abcdaxy is a word , but not a schedule . in this representation , a schedule s is a word ( a string of the above described ( n + 1 )- tuples ), which starts and ends with the same letter and this is the only repeated letter . furthermore , any two consecutive letters { overscore ( u )} and { overscore ( v )} ( where { overscore ( v )} is a successor of { overscore ( u )}) differ in at most three coordinates and are related in accordance with the following rules : a ) if { overscore ( u )}[ 1 ]= 0 and { overscore ( u )}[ n + 1 ]= 0 , then { overscore ( v )}[ 1 ]= 1 and { overscore ( v )}[ n + 1 ]= 1 . for all i ∉{ 1 , n + 1 }, { overscore ( v )}[ i ]={ overscore ( u )}[ i ]. ( this correspondence to a wafer being moved from the loadlock to c 1 .) b ) if { overscore ( u )}[ n ]= 1 and { overscore ( u )}[ n + 1 ]= n , then { overscore ( v )}[ n ]= 0 and { overscore ( v )}[ n + 1 ]= 0 . for all i ∉{ n , n + 1 }, { overscore ( v )}[ i ]={ overscore ( u )}[ i ]. ( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from c n into the loadlock .) c ) if for some r ∉{ 0 , n }, { overscore ( u )}[ r ]= 1 and { overscore ( u )}[ r + 1 ]= 0 and { overscore ( u )}[ n + 1 ]= r , then { overscore ( v )}[ r ]= 0 and { overscore ( v )}[ r + 1 ]= 1 and { overscore ( v )}[ n + 1 ]= r + 1 . for all i ∉{ r , r + 1 , n + 1 }, { overscore ( v )}[ i ]={ overscore ( u )}[ i ]. ( this corresponds to a wafer being moved from c k into c ( k + 1 ) , where neither c k nor c ( k + 1 ) is a loadlock .) d ) if { overscore ( u )}[ 1 ]= 0 and { overscore ( u )}[ n + 1 ]= j where j ≠ 0 , then { overscore ( v )}[ n + 1 ]= 0 . for all i ≠ n + 1 , { overscore ( v )}[ i ]={ overscore ( u )}[ i ]. ( this corresponds to a robot moving from home position at c j to a home position at a loadlock in preparation for a wafer moving from the loadlock into c 1 .) e ) if { overscore ( u )}[ n ]= 1 and { overscore ( u )}[ n + 1 ]= j where j ≠ n , then { overscore ( v )}[ n + 1 ]= n . for all i ≠ n + 1 , { overscore ( v )}[ i ]={ overscore ( u )}[ i ]. ( this corresponds to a robot moving from a home position at c j to a home position at c n in preparation for a wafer move from c n into loadlock .) f ) if for some r ∉{ 0 , n }, { overscore ( u )}[ r ]= 1 and { overscore ( u )}[ r + 1 ]= 0 and { overscore ( u )}[ n + 1 ]= j where j ≠ r , then { overscore ( v )}[ n + 1 ]= r . for all i ≠ n + 1 , { overscore ( v )}[ i ]={ overscore ( u )}[ i ]. ( this corresponds to a robot moving from a home position at c j to a home position at c r in preparation for a wafer moving from c r into c r + 1 ; c o represents the loadlock .) note that rules ( a ), ( b ), and ( c ) above are , in fact rules ( s 1 ),( s 2 ), and ( s 3 ), respectively , when the robot is already prepositioned to move a wafer , while ( d ),( e ), and ( f ) correspond to prepositioning the robot for moves defined by rules ( a ),( b ), and ( c ), respectively . a routine that calculates the number of successors of a given letter as well as finds and stores these successors is designed in a similar manner as in the previous cases for mixed and serial traces ( this time by following the steps ( a ) through ( f )). in such a routine , the number of successors is considerably large because , every time a wafer transfer is possible ( e . g ., { overscore ( u )}[ i ]= 0 or { overscore ( u )}[ n ]= 1 or { overscore ( u )}[ i ]= 1 and { overscore ( u )}[ i + 1 ]= 0 , a robot may have to be prepositioned ( e . g ., from any of the n − 1 positions j ≠ 0 or j ≠ n or j ≠ i ). to achieve routines for determining the number of successors and the successors themselves that includes robot position , the new functions used are modifications of sercount ({ overscore ( u )}) and sergenerator ({ overscore ( u )})( or mixcount ({ overscore ( u )}) and mixgenerator ({ overscore ( u )})). given the foregoing description of sercount ({ overscore ( u )}), sergenerator ({ overscore ( u )}), mixcount ({ overscore ( u )}) and mixgenerator ({ overscore ( u )}), a person skilled in the art could readily modify these functions to account for robot position using the aforementioned rules ( a )-( f ). backtracking algorithms use special problem - tailored techniques to systematically explore implicitly directed graphs ( usually trees ). such algorithms are well known in the art . in the schedule generation routine , a backtracking algorithm is used in conjunction with one or more of the previously discussed successor generation routines ( e . g ., sergenerator ({ overscore ( u )}) or mixgenerator ({ overscore ( u )})) to produce every possible schedule given a particular trace . let { overscore ( u )} 1 be the starting letter of a schedule . by using the rules for adding a successor letter as discussed in sections b , c or d above , the foregoing routines build a partial schedule , say s ={ overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k . there are two questions to answer every time a new letter { overscore ( u )} k + 1 is added to partial trace s : a ) is { overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k { overscore ( u )} k + 1 a full schedule ? b ) if { overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k { overscore ( u )} k + 1 is a full schedule , are there other full schedules which have not been recorded ? a word { overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k + 1 is recognized as a full schedule if it is built according to rules for successor letters and if there exists an index i & lt ; k + 1 such that { overscore ( u )} i ={ overscore ( u )} k + 1 and all letters { overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k are different . thus , to determine a full schedule a routine checks whether or not for every newly appended letter { overscore ( u )} k + 1 which is a proper successor of { overscore ( u )} k . once it is found that { overscore ( u )} i ={ overscore ( u )} k + 1 for some i & lt ; k + 1 , the routine either prints or stores the full schedule { overscore ( u )} i { overscore ( u )} i + 1 . . . { overscore ( u )} k + 1 . to find other schedules , the routine removes { overscore ( u )} k + 1 from the full schedule s and looks at some other unused successor of { overscore ( u )} k . if there is such a successor , say letter { overscore ( z )}, the routine checks if { overscore ( u )} 1 . . . { overscore ( u )} k { overscore ( z )} is a full schedule . if { overscore ( u )} 1 . . . { overscore ( u )} k { overscore ( z )} is not a full schedule , the routine looks at unused successors of { overscore ( z )} and so on . if { overscore ( u )} 1 . . . { overscore ( u )} k { overscore ( z )} is a full schedule , the routine removes { overscore ( z )} and looks at another unused successor of { overscore ( u )} k . if there are no unused successors of { overscore ( u )} k , the routine goes back ( backtrack ) and looks at unused successors of { overscore ( u )} k − 1 and so on , until the routine returns to the starting letter { overscore ( u )} 1 . basically , the routine contains the following sequence of steps : 1 . ( initialize .) choose the letter { overscore ( u )} 1 of a schedule and go to step 2 . 2 . if schedule { overscore ( u )} 1 { overscore ( u )} 2 . . . { overscore ( u )} k is not complete , go to step 3 . else , go to step 4 . 3 . find a successor letter ( of the last letter { overscore ( u )} k , in the schedule ) which was not used , append it to the partial schedule and go to step 2 . if there are no unused successors , go to step 5 . 4 . print or store the schedule and go to step 5 . 5 . if there are no more schedules , then stop . else , go to step 6 . 6 . ( backtrack .) remove the last letter from the complete schedule and go to step 3 . clearly , the routine must ensure that it does not print ( store ) duplicate schedules in step 4 as well as that the routine has printed ( stored ) all possible schedules . the former is accomplished in step 3 where the routine appends only an unused successor of the last letter to the partial schedule . the latter is ensured by a proper termination condition ( for example , the routine is at { overscore ( u )} 1 ( the initial letter ) and there are no unused successors ). it is convenient to choose the first letter { overscore ( u )} 1 so that it has only one successor , e . g ., { overscore ( u )} 1 ={ overscore ( 0 )} or { overscore ( u )} 1 ={ overscore ( e )} 1 , where { overscore ( e )} k is the k - th column ( row ) of an n by n identity matrix . for example , as illustrated in fig9 starting with letter { overscore ( 0 )}, the routine builds a tree whose nodes are letters . if { overscore ( x )} is such a node , the children of { overscore ( x )} are successors of a letter { overscore ( x )} and , for serial traces , there are exactly sercount ({ overscore ( x )}) of the successors . as such , the routine produces { overscore ( 0 )}, { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 and { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 { overscore ( e )} 2 as successive partial schedules . ( the word { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 { overscore ( e )} 2 is a directed path from node { overscore ( 0 )} to node { overscore ( e )} 2 .) since { overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 2 and { overscore ( e )} 3 are successors ( children ) of { overscore ( e )} 2 words { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 { overscore ( e )} 2 ({ overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 2 ) and { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 { overscore ( e )} 2 { overscore ( e )} 3 are partial schedules as well . now , { overscore ( e )} 3 has two successors ({ overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 3 and { overscore ( e )} 4 ), while { overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 2 has only one successor ({ overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 3 ). hence , { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 { overscore ( e )} 2 ({ overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 2 )({ overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 3 ) and { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 { overscore ( e )} 2 { overscore ( e )} 3 ({ overscore ( e )} 1 +{ overscore ( e )} 3 ) and { overscore ( 0 )}{ overscore ( e )} 1 { overscore ( e )} 2 { overscore ( e )} 3 { overscore ( e )} 4 are all partial schedules and so on . as mentioned previously , letters comprising a given word ( or partial schedule ) s are distinguished by their positions ; so s ( 1 ) is the first letter in s , s ( 2 ) is the second , and so on . the level of a search tree is denoted by l this is also the length of a partial schedule . partial schedules of length l are thus paths of length l in a search tree . function scnt ({ overscore ( x )}) returns the number of successors of { overscore ( x )}. as such scnt ({ overscore ( x )}) is either sercount ({ overscore ( x )}) or mixcount ({ overscore ( x )}) or either of these for a model which includes robot movements . if s is a partial schedule of length l , then s + w or sw is a partial schedule of length l + 1 and s ( l + 1 )= w . similarly , if length of s is l and s ( l )= w , then s − w has length l − 1 ( in short , + means append a letter and − means remove a letter ). finally , a commitment to data organization ( structure ) is necessary in an efficiently designed routine . keep in mind that the number of chambers ( and thus the number of successors of a given word ) is relatively small . thus , it does not make any difference if the routine generates all successors of a given letter and stores them , as opposed to dynamically generating the successors one - by - one as the need arises . a basic schedule generator routine can be summarized by the following five steps : 1 . initialize the schedule : s ←{ overscore ( 0 )} and l ← 1 and go to step 2 . 2 . { overscore ( x )}← s ( l ) and δ ← cnt ({ overscore ( x )}). store δ successors of { overscore ( x )},{ overscore ( y )} 1 ,{ overscore ( y )} 2 , . . . ,{ overscore ( y )} ∂ , and mark them unused . go to step 3 . 3 . s ← s +{ overscore ( y )} 1 and l ← l + 1 and δ ← δ − 1 . mark { overscore ( y )} 1 used and go to step 4 . 4 . compare s ( l ) with s ( 1 ), s ( 2 ), . . . , s ( l − 1 ), respectively . if s ( i )= s ( l ) for some i & lt ; 1 , print s and l and go to step 5 ; else , go to step 2 . 5 . s ∂ s - s ( l ) and l ← l − 1 . if l = 1 , stop ; else , go to step 6 . 6 . if δ = 0 , go to step 5 . else ( δ & gt ; 0 ), append an unused successor of s ( l ) to s , mark it used , δ ← δ − 1 , and go to step 2 . in step 1 , the routine initializes the schedule , s , and the level of the search tree , l . clearly , l must be initialized to 1 . as for the initial letter in schedule s , for convenience , the routine uses a letter that has only one successor . a letter { overscore ( 0 )} corresponds to a situation in which all chambers are empty ( i . e ., the tool has just begun processing wafers ). in step 2 , the routine first finds the number of successors , δ , of the last letter , say { overscore ( x )}, in a partial schedule s ( clearly , { overscore ( x )}= s ( 1 )). function cnt ({ overscore ( x )}) returns the number of successors of a given letter { overscore ( x )}. then , by using the rules which determine the successor of a given letter , the routine finds , stores and marks unused successors of { overscore ( x )}. as a result , a successor may be a record with two fields : the first field is the actual letter , while the second field is a boolean variable with value true if the successor was not used in a particular partial schedule s and value false otherwise . ( or the routine may use a matrix representation for the list of successors as described in sections c and d above .) in step 3 , one of the unused successors of the last letter { overscore ( x )} is appended to the partial schedule s , the length of schedule l is increased by 1 and the number of unused successors of { overscore ( x )} is decreased by 1 . ( there will always be at least one successor to any given letter .) in step 4 , the routine checks if s is a full schedule by comparing the newly added ( the last ) letter s ( l ) with all previous letters s ( 1 ), s ( 2 ), . . . , s ( l − 1 ). ( that should be accomplished every time a new letter is appended to a partial schedule .) if s ( l ) is a repeated letter , the routine prints ( stores ) the schedule ; else , the routine continues with building the schedule . when a partial schedule becomes a full schedule , s ( 1 ) s ( 2 ) . . . s ( l ), after storing the schedule , the routine removes the last letter s ( l ) and look for some other unused successor of s ( l − 1 ). if there are some unused successors , the routine appends a successor to the partial schedule , finds its successors , appends one of these successors and so on . if there are no successors , the routine removes s ( l − 1 ) from s and looks for unused successors of s ( l − 2 ) and so on . the program terminates when l = 1 and δ = 0 ( meaning there are no unused successors of the first letter ). the routine above is valid for any representation of the scheduling problem . that is , either serial or mixed traces with letters from { 0 , 1 } n or either of these traces with robot position being part of the model ( and thus alphabet from { 0 , 1 } n ×{ 0 , 1 . . . , n }). clearly , functions that count and generate successors of a given letter are different each time . fig1 depicts a flow diagram of a schedule generation routine 1000 that operates as generally discussed above . the routine 1000 begins at step 1002 by initializing the schedule , e . g ., setting an initial letter to an n - tuple ( n - string ) of zeros . at step 1004 , the routine finds , stores and marks all unused successors of the last letter in a partial schedule . the successor letters are determined using the pseudo - code routines sergenerator , pargenerator and mixgenerator and the number of successor letters for each letter is determined using sercount , parcount and mixcount . of course , as mentioned above , if the robot position is to be taken into account , these pseudo - code routines must be appropriately modified to accommodate the expanded letters and the modify rules of successor generation . then , at step 1006 , the routine appends an unused successor of the last letter to a partial schedule as well as increases the length of the schedule by one and decreases the number of unused successors by one . the routine queries , at step 1008 , whether the last letter of the partial trace has been reached . if the query is negatively answered , the routine proceeds along the no path to step 1004 . if the query is affirmatively answered , the routine proceeds to step 1010 where the schedule is either printed or stored . steps 1012 , 1014 , 1016 and 1018 represent a backtracking process . at step 1012 , the routine removes the last letter of the schedule to produce a partial schedule and reduce the schedule length by one . then , at step 1014 , the routine queries whether the length of schedule is one . if the query is affirmatively answered , the routine stops at step 1016 . however , if the query is negatively answered , the routine proceeds to step 1018 . at step 1018 , the routine queries whether there is an unused successor to the last letter . if the query is negatively answered , the routine proceeds along the no path to step 1012 . otherwise , the routine proceeds to step 1020 where an unused successor is appended to the partial schedule . the routine then returns to step 1004 . once all possible schedules are determined and stored in memory , the schedules are processed by a conventional throughput model . specifically , each schedule is used by the model to predict a throughput for that schedule . the throughputs for all the schedules are compared to find the schedule having the highest ( best ) throughput . the schedule with the highest throughput is deemed optimal and is used to control the sequencer . the throughput model may be executed upon the sequencer computer or , more likely , it is executed on a remote computer , and the optimal schedule is downloaded to the sequencer . the present invention rapidly computes all possible schedules for a given cluster tool configuration . the schedules are then executed by a conventional throughput model to determine the optimal schedule . as such , the present invention facilitates automatic determination of an optimal schedule in a rapid and accurate manner that has heretofore been unavailable in the prior art . although various embodiments which incorporate the teachings of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein , those skilled in the art can readily devise many of the varied embodiments that still incorporate these teachings .	8
referring now to the drawings and more particularly to fig1 , there is shown an isometric view of load test apparatus assembly 100 of the present invention . the load test apparatus 100 is comprised of a horizontal beam assembly 110 , which is supported by two vertical lifting means , such as cylinder assemblies 120 . cylinder assembly 120 is comprised of a stationary cylinder 250 , a coaxial piston rod 260 extending vertically upward from the top of stationary cylinder 250 , and a horizontal base plate 285 attached to the bottom surface of stationary cylinder 250 . four cable assemblies 130 connect the beam assembly 110 to four lifting eyes 330 of a typical basket 160 . cylinder assemblies 120 are pressurized by a hydraulic pump assembly 150 . cylinder assemblies 120 are connected to the hydraulic pump assembly by hoses . the hoses are omitted from the drawings for clarity . the upward force produced by cylinder assemblies 120 is displayed by a load indicator 140 . the basket 160 has a vertical centroidal axis 390 , a central vertical longitudinal plane 360 , and a central vertical transverse plane 370 . the basket 160 is not a component of the present invention . it is included in the drawings to more clearly show the operation of the present invention . fig2 shows the beam assembly 110 which is comprised of a beam 200 , and two pivotal plate assemblies 210 . beam 200 has a series of horizontal adjustment holes 230 bored transverse to a longitudinal axis 220 of beam 200 and perpendicular to the sides of beam 200 . each pivotal plate assembly 210 is comprised of a pivotal plate 410 and a beam housing 420 . pivotal plate 410 is pivotally attached to beam housing 420 and to beam 200 by an adjustment pin 430 . adjustment pin 430 has a longitudinal axis 435 . referring to fig3 , pivotal plate 410 is comprised of a wing plate 412 and an adjustment pin housing 725 . wing plate 412 has a central rectangular thru - hole 515 and a series of cable attachment thru - holes 510 displaced from the bottom of plate 412 . the longitudinal axis 730 of adjustment pin housing 725 is horizontal and is coincident with the centroid 460 of rectangular thru - hole 515 . pivotal plate 410 has a central plane 480 parallel to the face of pivotal plate 410 and coincident with centroid 460 of rectangular thru - hole 515 . referring to fig4 , the beam housing 420 is comprised of a horizontal top plate 550 , two vertical side plates 560 , and a horizontal bottom plate 570 . a load cell housing 440 extends vertically downward from the bottom plate 570 . top plate 550 , side plates 560 , and bottom plate 570 are fixedly attached together so as to form a horizontal , rectangular beam housing opening 490 whose dimensions are slightly larger than the outside cross - section dimensions of beam 200 , i . e ., beam 200 can fit through the beam housing opening 590 . a transverse thru - hole 580 is bored through both side plates 560 such that the axis 585 of thru - hole 580 is horizontal and is coincident with and perpendicular to the horizontal axis 590 of beam housing opening 490 . bottom plate 570 has a bottom surface 575 . load cell housing has a vertical longitudinal axis 445 . fig5 shows a top view of the load test apparatus assembly 100 showing a top view of the beam assembly 110 . fig5 is included solely to describe the location of section 6 depicted in fig6 and section 7 depicted in fig7 a and 7b . fig6 shows a partial section view through the beam 200 , beam housing 420 and the piston rod 260 of the load test apparatus assembly 100 . beam 200 fits within the beam housing opening 490 of the beam housing 420 such that each pivotal plate assembly 210 fits slidably onto beam 200 . a compression load cell 450 , shown in cross - section , is sandwiched between the top surface 280 of the piston rod 260 and the bottom surface 575 of bottom plate 570 . piston rod 260 fits slidably within load cell housing 440 . load cell 450 may be electronic , hydraulic , or other type of compressive load cell . load cell 450 is connected to load indicator 140 . this connection may be by electrical cable , radio - telepathy , or other means . the load cell 450 and the associated load indicator are standard components . the specifics of the type of load cell 450 and the type of load indicator 140 are not pertinent to the present invention . the connection between the load cell 450 and the load indicator 140 is omitted from the figures for clarity . fig7 a shows a section view cut at section 7 of fig5 showing the pivotal plate assembly 210 and the adjustment pin 430 of the load test apparatus assembly 100 . fig7 b shows the same section view as fig7 a , with the exception that the adjustment pin 430 is in its retracted position 630 . the piston rod 260 and the load cell 450 are omitted from fig7 a and 7b for clarity . the adjustment pin 430 has an extended position 640 and a retracted position 630 ( seen in fig7 b ). in the extended position 640 , each adjustment pin 430 is centered within its respective adjustment pin housing 725 such that it engages both the beam housing 420 of the pivotal plate assembly 210 and the beam 200 . specifically , the adjustment pin 430 is disposed within adjustment pin housing 725 , thru - holes 580 of the beam housing 420 , and a selected thru - hole 230 of the beam 200 . thus , when the adjustment pin 430 is in the extended position 640 , the respective pivotal plate assembly 210 is restrained from sliding axially along beam 200 , and pivotal plate 410 is free to rotate about the adjustment pin 430 . in the retracted position 630 , the adjustment pin 430 is disposed axially within adjustment pin housing 725 such that it continues to engage the adjustment pin housing 725 and one thru - hole 580 of beam housing 420 , but it does not engage beam 200 . thus , when the adjustment pin 430 is in the retracted position 630 , the respective pivotal plate assembly 210 is free to slide axially along beam 200 , while the pivotal plate 410 is still pivotally attached to the beam housing 420 . fig8 shows a cable assembly 130 in detail . each cable assembly 130 is comprised of a steel cable 290 with a clevis 300 attached to each end . the cable assemblies 130 are of equal length . cable 290 has a longitudinal axis 295 . cable assemblies 130 and clevises 300 are standard components commonly used for lifting objects . the operation of clevis 300 is known to anyone skilled in the art of millwright . fig9 a and 9b show an end view and front view , respectively , of the attachment of the pivotal plate assemblies 210 to the basket 160 . a cable assembly 130 extends from and between a selected thru - hole 510 in wing plate 412 of the pivotal plate 410 to a respective lifting eye 330 on the basket 160 by means of the clevises 300 . an angle a 1 between the cable assembly 130 and a horizontal plane is projected onto the transverse plane 370 of basket 160 . the projected angle a 1 is determined by which thru - hole 510 of pivotal plate 410 is selected . an angle a 2 between cable assembly 130 and a horizontal plane is projected onto the longitudinal plane 360 of basket 160 . each cylinder assembly 120 is displaced a distance d 1 from a respective end of basket 160 . the projected angle a 2 is determined by the distance d 1 . common practice dictates that angles a 1 and a 2 must be greater than or equal to 45 degrees . fig9 c shows an enlarged detail of fig9 b . in this view , adjustment pin 430 , its axis 435 , and plane 480 are perpendicular to the plane of the drawing . it can be seen that axis 435 of adjustment pin 430 , axis 220 of beam 200 and axis 445 of load cell cylinder 440 all intersect at a common point 455 . pivotal plate 410 rotates freely about adjustment pin 430 , thereby allowing the central plane 480 of pivotal plate 410 to become coincident with axis 295 of cable assembly 130 . plane 480 of pivotal plate 410 is coincident with axis 435 of adjustment pin 430 . axis 295 of cable assembly 130 represents the line of action of the force transferred by cable assembly 130 . this force is transmitted from adjustment pin 430 , through plate 410 , through cable assembly 130 to lifting eye 330 . axis 445 of load cell housing 440 represents the line of action of the upward vertical force provided by the hydraulic cylinder assembly 120 . this force is transmitted from the piston rod 260 of hydraulic cylinder assembly 120 , through load cell 450 , and through bearing housing 420 to adjustment pin 430 . axis 220 of beam 200 represents the line of action of the resultant of these two forces , specifically a tensile load transmitted from adjustment pin 430 to beam 200 . from the preceding description , it is seen that all of the described forces are transmitted through adjustment pin 430 . the intersection of the lines of action of the forces referred to above is significant because the forces do not impart moment loads on any of the members . in general , stresses from moment loads are considerably greater than stresses from tensile loads . by eliminating moment loads , the members may be considerably lighter than if moment loads were present . reduction of the weight and size of a load test apparatus significantly increases the safety of operation . fig1 shows a general embodiment of the prior art . for purposes of the current discussion , the vertical lifting means , such as a hydraulic cylinder , is referred to as a column 900 . a load test apparatus comprising a single force generating means , such as a single cylinder assembly , i . e ., a load test apparatus comprising a single column , requires that the column extend upward from the bottom of the basket to the point of convergence 910 of each of the cable assemblies 920 . this point of convergence 910 may be a considerable distance above the basket . for a projected horizontal angle of 45 degrees between cable assemblies 920 and the central transverse plane of basket 160 , the height of a single column must be at least one half of the longest dimension of the basket . thus it is seen that the single column cylinder assembly must be considerably longer than the columns of the load test apparatus 100 of the present invention . vertical members loaded in compression , generally known as columns , have a property know as a “ slenderness ratio ”. in simple terms , the slenderness ratio is a relationship between the column &# 39 ; s least radius of gyration and its length . the slenderness ratio of a column determines if the column is more likely to fail due to buckling rather than due to compressive axial stress . a column with a high slenderness ratio , i . e ., a long , slender column , will fail due to a buckling load , known as the critical load for that column . in order to safely withstand a given load , such as the load to be applied to a basket 160 by a load test apparatus , a longer column must have a larger radius of gyration than a shorter column . a longer column must therefore be larger and heavier than a shorter column designed to withstand the same load as that applied to the longer column . referring again to fig1 , it is seen that if each of the cables 920 are not exactly the same length , a side load will be induced at the top of the column 900 . similarly , a side load will be induced if the column 900 is not positioned exactly at the center of the basket 160 , i . e ., not directly beneath the point of convergence of the cables . the presence of even relatively small side loads applied to the top of a long column significantly reduces the capability of the column to safely withstand a vertical load . several factors , including human error on the part of the operator , make it inevitable that extraneous side loads will be applied to any load test apparatus . the load test apparatus 100 of the present invention is more capable of safely withstanding the effects of side loads than that of the apparatus shown in fig1 . in operation , the load test apparatus assembly 100 of applicant &# 39 ; s invention is lowered into the basket 160 and positioned such that axis 220 of the beam 200 is coincident with the longitudinal plane 360 of the basket 160 , i . e ., the beam 200 is centered within the basket 160 . the adjustment pin 430 of each pivotal plate assembly 210 is moved axially to the retracted position 630 , as shown in fig7 b . each pivotal plate assembly 210 is moved axially along beam 200 such that each pivotal plate assembly 210 is equidistant from the transverse plane 370 of basket 160 and a distance d 1 from the end of basket 160 . a first clevis 30 of a first cable assembly 130 is attached to a first lifting eye 330 . the second clevis 300 of the first cable assembly 130 is attached to a selected hole 510 of a pivotal plate 410 . as described above , the selection of hole 510 determines the size of the projected angle a 1 . projected angle a 1 must be no less than 45 degrees from a horizontal plane . conversely , it is desirable that the selected hole 510 be as near to longitudinal plate 360 ( that is , as near to the beam 200 ) as possible in order to minimize the stresses within pivotal plate 410 . the hole 510 is therefore selected such that it is as near to the beam 200 as possible while still allowing projected angle a 1 to be equal to or greater than 45 degrees . the remaining three cable assemblies 130 are attached to the remaining lifting eyes 330 and to holes 510 in the same relative position as the first hole 510 selected as described above . thus , the connections of the cables 130 to the pivotal plates 410 will be symmetrical about both the longitudinal plane 360 and the transverse plate 370 after all four cable assemblies 130 are attached to the four lifting eyes , the pivotal plate assemblies 210 are then attached to the beam 200 . the procedure for positioning and attaching a first pivotal plate assembly 210 to beam 200 is described below . the second pivotal plate assembly 210 is the attached in a similar manner such that the position if the two pivotal plate assemblies 210 is symmetrical about the transverse plane 370 . the pivotal plate assembly 210 is attached to beam 200 by inserting the adjustment pin 430 through a selected adjustment hole 230 in beam 200 . as described above , the projected angle a 2 must be no less than 45 degrees from a horizontal plane . distance d 1 , from the end of the basket 160 to the cylinder assembly 120 , determines the magnitude of angle a 2 . an adjustment hole 230 is selected such that angle a 2 is equal to or greater than 45 degrees . after selection of the appropriate adjustment hole 230 , the pivotal plate assembly 210 is moved axially along beam 200 until the alignment pin 430 is coaxially aligned with the selected adjustment hole 230 . the adjustment pin 430 is moved axially within the adjustment pin housing 725 until it is in the extended position 640 as shown in fig7 a . hydraulic hoses are connected to the hydraulic pump assembly 150 and the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 120 . the load cell 450 is electrically connected to the load indicator 140 . this electrical connection may be made either by using wires or by radio - telepathy . the hydraulic pump assembly 150 is activated to energize the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 120 so that the desired testing load is applied by the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 120 to the beam assembly 110 , as measured by load cell 450 and displayed by load indicator 140 . this test load may be held for some amount of time as required by the governing standard or procedure . after the test load has been applied to the basket for the required amount of time , the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 120 are de - energized , the cable assemblies 130 are removed from the lifting eyes 330 of the basket 160 , the hydraulic hoses are removed from the hydraulic cylinder assemblies 120 , the load cell 450 is disconnected from the load indicator 140 , and the load test apparatus 100 is removed from the basket 160 . the foregoing description is merely an illustration of the principles of the load test apparatus of applicants &# 39 ; invention . since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art , the description is not intended to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described . accordingly , all suitable modifications and equivalents are intended to fall within the scope of the invention .	6
fig3 is a tabular layer listing for a red light emitting vcsel device indicating the thin - film semiconductor material epitaxial layers for that red vcsel device , a device that relieves the foregoing limitations . each of the 33 layers in the table for the vcsel device structure is specified with respect to its composition , thickness , dopant type and dopant concentration . the epitaxial structure is grown on a gaas semiconductor material substrate that is doped n - type , and is labeled layer number 0 in the table . the substrate major surface on which the further layers are to be deposited should be misoriented from the ( 100 ) orientation by 6 to 10 °. this choice provides an improvement in the optical quality of the algainp layers of the active region where the emitted light is generated . however , a higher degree of misorientation results in a tendency for the high aluminum containing layers of the mirror to oxidize or otherwise degrade at an accelerated rate . device mirrors , 2 ′( layers 2 through 10 ) and 3 ′( layers 21 through 32 ), are made up of two kinds of primary layers alternating with each in a device layer stack with each comprised of one of two differing compositions of al x ga 1 1 - x as , that is , an alas layer free of gallium alternating with an al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layer . these primary layers are spaced apart with layers in between in which the aluminum and gallium distributions are mole fraction graded monotonically over the layer thickness to match the gallium content in the primary layers on either side of the graded spacer layers . while it is desirable for the gallium content of the two primary layers to differ as much as possible in order to maximize the reflectivity to the light intended to be emitted , the minimum aluminum composition is limited to around a mole fraction value x = 0 . 5 in order to eliminate absorption due to the band edge . mirror 2 ′ closest to the substrate is doped to be of n - type conductivity with silicon . numerous other n - type dopants could alternatively be used , including tellurium and selenium . mirror 3 ′ on the opposite side of a device active region , 4 ′, has the same range of compositions and with similar monotonically graded spacer layers between the two primary layers , but is doped to be of p - type conductivity with carbon . other p - type dopants could alternatively be used , such as zinc or magnesium . the total thickness of a mirror layers repeatability period is ½λ where λ is the desired wavelength within the range of 650 nm to 680 nm . the details of the layer thicknesses and doping concentrations are chosen to minimize the electrical resistance of the device without having an unduly negative impact on the optical reflectivity of the mirror or on optical absorption . the thickness of the graded spacer layers is shown to be around 20 nm . the thicknesses of the other two layers are each approximately equal to the ¼λ minus the thickness of a graded spacer layer . the thickness of the graded spacer layer should be at least 10 nm thick to reduce the electrical resistance of the mirror without reducing the optical reflectivity thereof an optimum thickness is typically in the range of 20 to 25 nm . the choice of doping concentration is also a matter of balancing the desire to reduce resistivity by increasing the doping concentration , without increasing the optical absorption due to free carrier absorption . in the six periods of n - type conductivity mirror 2 ′ closest to active region 4 ′, the doping is 5 · 10 17 / cm 3 in the al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layers and alas layers , and is graded over the layer thickness from 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 , at the side of the graded spacer layers closest to the adjacent alas layer , to 5 · 10 17 / cm 3 at the side of the graded spacer layers closest to the adjacent al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layers . in the remainder of the n - type conductivity mirror , the doping is uniform at a level of 2 · 10 18 / cm 3 . within p - type conductivity mirror 3 ′, in the first six periods closest to the active region , the doping in the al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layers is 5 · 10 17 / cm 3 , the doping in the alas layer is 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 , and is graded over the layer thickness from 5 · 10 17 / cm 3 , at the side of the graded spacer layers closest to the adjacent al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layer , to 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 at the side of the graded spacer layers closest to the adjacent alas layers . inmost of the remainder of the p - type conductivity mirror , the doping is 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 in the al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layers , 2 · 10 18 / cm 3 in the alas layers , and grades over the layer thickness from 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 , at the side of the graded spacer layers closest to the adjacent al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layer , to 2 · 10 18 / cm 3 at the side of the graded spacer layers closest to the adjacent alas layers . the lower doping in the mirror periods closest to the active region in both p - type conductivity mirror 3 ′ and n - type conductivity mirror 2 ′ is chosen to reduce the free carrier absorption in the layers where the optical field is highest . the more distant mirror periods have a weaker effect on absorption of the optical beam , and hence a higher doping concentration can be tolerated to aid in reducing the electrical resistance . at the outer surface of p - type conductivity mirror 3 ′ in the device ( outer surface of layer 30 ) there is provided a first al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layer , in which the doping is graded from 2 · 10 18 / cm 3 to 3 · 10 19 / cm 3 , to thereby grade to the doping of a further layer of al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as that is provided thereon doped to 3 · 10 19 / cm 3 . the outermost layer is gaas and is doped at & gt ; 1 · 10 19 / cm 3 . these three layers together come to a thickness of approximately 9λ / 4 thick where λ is the desired emission wavelength of the device . the purpose of doping these topmost layers of the structure at a very high concentration is to provide a very low lateral resistance in order to spread the device operating electrical current evenly across the aperture of the device . in the case where an oxide aperture is used for current confinement , the compositions of the mirror are to be adjusted . since the layer to be oxidized must contain a higher al concentration than the other mirror layers , alas can no longer be used for the low index layer . typically al x ga 1 - x as with x in the range from 0 . 85 to 0 . 95 would be used . however , if the oxide aperture is located in mirror 3 ′ between the active layer and the metal interconnection with an aperture , then it is preferable to continue to use alas as the low index layer in the other mirror ( mirror 2 ′ closest to the substrate ), in order to minimize the electrical resistivity and maximize the thermal conductivity of this latter mirror . on the other hand , 2 to 4 of the bottom mirror periods closest to the quantum well active region may also have a reduced aluminum content , in order to avoid accidental oxidization of these layers when the aperture is being oxidized . other doping concentrations are possible for use ranging from a low of 1 · 10 17 / cm 3 in the six layer repeatability periods of mirrors 2 ′ and 3 ′ closest to the active region to a high of 3 · 10 18 / cm 3 in the remaining portions of those mirrors . however , concentrations within approximately ± 30 % of the ones specified in fig3 are typically optimum . other variations on mirror configurations can have benefits in reducing the electrical resistance of the device or improving the thermal conductivity , or both , one of which is shown in the example of fig4 . fig4 a shows the schematic representation of mirror 2 ′ as configured in the table of fig3 above , i . e . having a quarter wave thickness of alas , or the low index layer of the mirror , that is alternated with a quarter wave thick layer of algaas , or the high index layer of the mirror . the alternative mirror , 2 ″, is shown in fig4 b . while the total thickness of the mirror period remains at a half wavelength , the thickness of the alas layer is increased , while the thickness of the algaas layer is decreased . since the alas layer has both a higher mobility , and a higher thermal conductivity , the resistance of the mirror is reduced , and the thermal conductivity is increased . the optical thickness of the alas layers is 50 % greater than the optical thickness of the al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 as layers but any ratio greater than 1 : 1 will have a positive effect . yet another variation for reducing the electrical resistance of the mirror structure is illustrated in fig5 . since the mobility of n - type conductivity alas and algaas is significantly higher than that of p - type material , the electrical resistivity of the device in the table of fig3 above can be reduced by doping not only mirror 2 ′ thereof to be of n - type conductivity but also doping mirror 3 ′ thereof to be of n - type conductivity . nevertheless , a pn junction is required for proper functioning of the device . this can be accomplished by incorporating a tunnel junction , 20 , in an extended active region , 4 j ′, of the device adjacent to that resulting n - type conductivity mirror , 3 ″, between the tunnel junction extending active region 4 ′ and capping layer 7 . when the pn junction at quantum well active region 4 ′ is forward biased , tunnel junction 20 will be reverse biased . by highly doping the layers forming tunnel junction 20 , the breakdown voltage can be made very low , so that this junction does not add much to the required drive voltage of the device . the highly doped layers ( 10 19 / cm 3 ) are kept very thin , and located at an optical null in order to minimize their excess contribution to the free carrier absorption loss . the tunnel junction comprises , sequentially grown , a highly doped n ++ - conductivity type layer , 21 , followed by a p ++ - conductivity type layer , 22 , each having a thickness of around 100 to 350 å . the n - type conductivity layers have a doping concentration of approximately 2 · 10 19 / cm 3 and the p - type conductivity layers have a doping concentration of approximately 8 · 10 19 / cm 3 . in between the two mirrors 2 ′ or 2 ″ and 3 ′ or 3 ″ of the device of the table in fig3 or the mirror variations in fig4 and 5 are the layers ( 11 through 20 ) of active region 4 ′ as bounded on either side thereof by a corresponding one of a pair of cladding layers , 5 ′( layers 11 and 12 ) and 6 ′( layer 20 ), the region in which the injected charge carriers combine with one another and emit light . these layers are based upon the ( al x ga 1 - x ) y in 1 - y p material , which is lattice constant matched to gaas at a value of approximately mole fraction y = 0 . 51 . hereafter , y will be specified only when it differs from a value of 0 . 51 . active region 4 ′ begins from mirror 2 ′ with a 60 nm thick ungraded spacer or cladding layer 5 ′ of al 0 . 7 ga 0 . 3 inp , doped to have a n - type conductivity at a level of 5 · 10 17 / cm 3 , followed by a 15 nm thick layer of the same composition but undoped . the next layer is a 20 nm thick layer of undoped al 0 . 4 ga 0 . 6 inp . the light generating layers consist of the three ga 0 . 46 in 0 . 54 p quantum wells of approximately 7 nm thickness each seperated by two al 0 . 4 ga 0 . 6 inp barrier layers with a thickness of 6 nm each , all undoped . this is followed by another 20 nm thick layer of an undoped al 0 . 4 ga 0 . 6 inp composition . active region 4 ′ is then ended on the side thereof opposite from where it begins by al 0 . 7 ga 0 . 3 inp ungraded spacer or cladding layer 6 ′ with a thickness of 75 nm and doped p - type to a level of 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 that is located next to the structure of p - type conductivity mirror 3 ′. the total thickness of the algainp layers is adjusted to be equivalent to the optical thickness of 1λ , where λ is again the desired emission wavelength of the vcsel . the thicknesses of the ga 0 . 46 in 0 . 54 p quantum well layers in active region 4 ′ are adjusted slightly to achieve the desired emission wavelength in the range of 640 to 670 nm depending upon the desired emission wavelength within that range . active region 4 ′ of algainp materials is chosen to provide the best carrier injection and carrier confinement in order to improve the wavelength and temperature range of operation , and to improve the output power . the quantum well composition of ga 0 . 46 in 0 . 54 p is chosen to provide a compressive strain of approximately 0 . 5 %. this increases the well depth , and increases the bandgap discontinuity between the quantum wells and surrounding barrier layers , to reduce carrier leakage . the composition of the spacer , or cladding , layers 5 ′ and 6 ′ is also chosen to be near the maximum band edge offset to provide improved carrier confinement . finally , the doping concentrations and locations are chosen to provide a balance between good carrier injection , without undue free carrier absorption . in particular , the use of a higher concentration of p - doping with zinc ( 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 ) provides an improved barrier to electron leakage into p - type conductivity mirror 3 ′ which would cause increased optical absorption . the wavelength at the peak of the photoluminescence emission from the quantum wells is chosen to be 5 nm to 15 nm shorter than the fabry - perot resonance cavity mirror separation , or cavity emission wavelength , to enhance the higher temperature performance of the devices . this increases the temperature range of operation since the peak of the quantum well emission moves to higher wavelengths with increasing temperature faster than the fabry - perot resonance wavelength , the emission wavelength of the vcsel cavity increases with temperature . this means that the two are aligned at a temperature above room temperature and so improves the higher temperature performance . the offset between the cavity emission and the quantum well emission can be increased to achieve improved higher temperature performance , but this comes at the cost of an increased threshold current , and reduced output power at room temperature and below . the two considerations are balanced depending upon the performance requirements of a particular use selected for the device . fig6 provides a tabular layer listing for a red light emitting vcsel device indicating the thin - film semiconductor material epitaxial layers for an alternative red vcsel device having a semiconductor material thin - film epitaxial layer structure with 34 layers that allows the device to achieve a better performance at higher temperatures . the layers of mirrors 2 ′( layers 2 through 10 ) and 3 ′( layers 22 through 31 ) of this device are identical to those of the layer structure set out in fig3 but an active region , 4 ″, therefor ( layers 11 a through 21 b ) has algainp layers that differ from those in the device of table 3 as described below . active region 4 ″ between mirrors 2 ′ and 3 ′ is still a total of 1λ thick , where λ is the desired optical emission wavelength . with the exception of the quantum wells and barrier layers , the in composition of all the layers is chosen to be lattice constant matched to gaas , i . e . approximately ( al x ga 1 - x ) 0 . 51 in 0 . 49 p . the first layer adjacent to n - type conductivity algaas material based mirror 2 ′ is a ( al 0 . 7 ga 0 . 3 ) inp spacer , or part of a cladding layer , 5 ″, ( layers 11 a through 12 ) doped to have an n - type conductivity at 5 · 10 17 / cm 3 . then , over a thickness of approximately 55 nm there is provided a graded spacer layer , with the composition mole fraction graded from x = 0 . 7 to x = 0 . 5 . this layer is also doped to have n - type conductivity at 5 · 10 17 / cm 3 . this is followed by an undoped al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 inp that is 14 nm thick . next are four barrier layers interleaved with three quantum well layers , all undoped . the quantum well layers are compressively strained with a composition of ga 0 . 46 in 0 . 54 p . unlike the structure of fig3 , here the barrier layers are arranged to be under tensile stress in order to compensate the compressive stress of the quantum well layers . these layers are ( al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 ) inp with the value of y adjusted to be greater than 0 . 51 to thereby provide a tensile stress of approximately 0 . 35 % in these layers . after the fourth tensile stressed barrier layer is a cladding layer , 6 ″, beginning with lattice constant matched undoped al 0 . 5 ga 0 . 5 inp layer with a thickness of 14 nm . a graded spacer then follows with its composition mole fraction graded from x = 0 . 5 to x = 0 . 7 over a thickness of 55 nm . this layer is doped 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 . the final al 0 . 7 ga 0 . 3 inp spacer in cladding layer 6 ″ is 20 nm thick and doped 1 · 10 18 / cm 3 . thus , active region 4 ″ in this vcsel has a balancing of the compressive stress of the quantum wells with the tensile stress of the interleaved barrier layers to provide even better carrier confinement . the tensile stress , in combination with the compressively strained quantum wells , provides an even greater improvement in the quantum well depth than is observed in a structure with lattice matched barrier layers and compressively strained quantum wells of the same composition . in addition , the balancing of the strain makes it possible to decrease y even more to create an even greater degree of compressive strain in the quantum wells without risking the generation of defects that would have a negative impact on device lifetime . in addition , the mole fraction graded x = 0 . 5 to x = 0 . 7 algainp layers also provide better carrier confinement . another variation of the active region configuration is shown in the active region representation diagrams of fig7 . fig7 a shows the arrangement of fig6 with the use of al 0 . 7 ga 0 . 3 inp cladding layers both for n - type conductivity cladding layer 5 ″ and for p - type conductivity cladding layer 6 ″ in active region 4 ″. the variation involves the replacement of these al 0 . 7 ga 0 . 3 inp cladding layers with alas layers of the same optical thickness ( or an optical thickness that maintains the total cavity thickness at an integer multiple of λ / 2 ) as shown in fig7 b . thus , a n - type conductivity alas layer , 5 ′″, in fig7 b replaces layer 5 ″ of fig7 a and a n - type conductivity alas layer , 6 ′″, in fig7 b replaces layer 6 ″ of fig7 a to form an active region , 4 ′″. the alas layers still provide carrier confinement , but have a higher thermal conductivity , thus assisting in removal of heat . thicker layers will be more effective in thermal management , but make control of the thickness of the cavity more challenging . fig8 shows yet another variation at the active region . in this case a thin gap transition layer , 23 , is included at the interface between n - type conductivity algainp cladding layer 5 ″ and the first alas layers in mirror 2 ′ and a thin gap transition layer , 24 , is included at the interface between the p - type conductivity algainp cladding layer and the first alas layers in mirror 3 ′. a band discontinuity exists at the interface between the alas and the algainp , contributing to the voltage drop across the device . the incorporation of a gap transition layer that is very thin (& lt ; 10 nm ) provides an intermediate step in the band energy , thus reducing the discontinuity . however , the gap transition layers are not lattice matched to the gaas substrate , and so the thickness of these layers must be kept very thin to avoid generating defects that might degrade the lifetime of the device . in addition to the foregoing epitaxial layers , other structural arrangements are provided in the devices to obtain current confinement and allow electrical contact so as to also improve the performance of the devices . fig9 and 10 show in a representative device schematic diagram in a partial layer diagram and atop view of a device , respectively , which illustrate such features . thus , there is shown a red light vcsel , 10 , having a substrate , 11 , with a metal interconnection , 11 ′, provided on the exposed outer surface thereof . a n - type conductivity material mirror , 12 , is supported on substrate 11 and has between it and a p - type conductivity mirror , 13 , an active region , 14 , both supported thereon . mirror 13 has a capping layer , 17 , supported thereon with an oxide or implant confining layer , 18 , therein , and a metal interconnection , 19 , on the side of device 10 opposite that with interconnection 11 ′ with interconnection 19 having therein an emission aperture and being supported on that layer 17 . in fig9 , carrier confinement is obtained by providing a gain guide through an ion implantation to form confining layer 18 using protons . protons are a material species which can penetrate through the rather thick layers of the p - type conductivity mirror and make the material where they come to reside insulating . the protons are implanted with an energy that places the peak of the implantation for layer 18 at a distance of 2 to 6 mirror layer repeatability periods above active region 14 of vcsel device 10 . this carrier confinement structure could alternatively be provided by an oxide aperture through growing a low index mirror layer in the structure with a al composition therein greater (& gt ; 0 . 95 ) than the composition of the other low index mirror layers ( which equals al0 . 85 ), and then using a steam atmosphere at a high temperature to oxidize the high al containing layer to form an insulating al 2 o 3 . however , the implanted structure for layer 18 has several advantages . it allows the use of alas in the top mirror which has a higher thermal conductivity than algaas and thus will allow easier heat removal . it generates less stress than does an oxide layer , and hence can result in a more reliable device . it provides a smaller contrast in refractive index , and hence can allow a single mode device to be made at a higher diameter ( up to 10 μm ) than would be possible with an oxide aperture . the correct aperture size for the aperture in layer 18 in a single mode device with the gain guide provided by an ion implantation is 6 μm & lt ; aperture diameter & lt ; μm , with 8 to 10 μm typically the optimum size . a smaller diameter device would be required to achieve a single mode device with an oxide aperture for carrier confinement . the emission aperture in metal interconnection 19 , which allows the light to escape the device for emission , should nominally be the same diameter as the implant aperture ± 0 . 5 μm though shown as of different diameters in fig1 . equal metal and implant aperture diameters typically provide the best combination of output power efficiency and low lateral resistance ( i . e . the current does not need to travel a longer lateral distance to reach the aperture .) fig9 and 10 also show a device electrical isolation implant structure , 25 , to isolate one vcsel device from its neighboring devices in a multiple device monolithic integrated circuit chip so the injected carriers pass through the intended device rather than traveling to a neighboring device . this implantation is also more likely to be implanted using protons , although it is conceivable that another species , such as oxygen , for instance , could be used if a high implantation energy is available . the inner isolation implant diameter is large enough that it does not interfere with the metal contact to the device , i . e . with an inner diameter aperture which is at least 10 μm larger than the inner diameter of the metal . the outer isolation diameter should be 5 to 40 μm larger than the inner diameter . while it could be “ infinite ” ( a blanket implant everywhere except for the devices ) the narrower ring of an implant is expected to provide a thermal advantage , i . e . unimplanted material is a better thermal conductor than the implanted material . the choice of the width of the implanted ring is a balance between the need to provide good isolation between devices , with the desire to maximize the thermal conductivity . a particular issue in red vcsel devices is thermal lensing , i . e . the index of refraction is affected by heating in a nonuniform manner . both the proton implant and the oxide aperture methods for providing electrical and optical energy confinement in vcsels present limitations . generally , oxide apertures provide too strong index guiding resulting in multi - mode devices for all but the smallest apertures . while single mode devices can be achieved for small aperture devices , the amount of single mode output power achievable is limited by heating and current density . on the other hand , the weak index guiding provided by the proton implant can allow single mode performance to be achieved at larger diameters , but thermal lensing becomes a problem , with the modal structure varying as a function of temperature . when the device is to be modulated with a very wide bandwidth , the occurrence of thermal lensing can lead to difficulties in achieving modulation with a predictable and stable output power as a function of temperature . one alternative red light vcsel device , 10 ′, for maximizing the ability to achieve high single mode output power while minimizing the thermal lensing is to use a double proton implant , or a graded ion implantation therein as is shown in the representative schematic diagram of fig1 . the lower energy implant layer , 18 ′, is shallower , and a mask forming a smaller diameter unimplanted region is used . the second , higher energy implant , to form implant layer 18 is used with a mask that provides a larger diameter unimplanted region . the higher , smaller diameter implant layer 18 ′ helps to guide the current flow to the center of the lower implant aperture , thus helping to counteract the thermal lensing effect that guides current away from the center . however , this approach keeps the current density in the active region consistent with a larger diameter device which is important for achieving a larger single mode output power , and improve device lifetime . this effect can also be refined by using multiple (& gt ; 2 ) implant energies and mask diameters , or possibly by the use of implantation done at an angle to achieve the effect of a smaller diameter implant toward the surface of the device , and a larger diameter implant closer to the active region . yet another alternative , 10 ″, for achieving mode control and a larger diameter single mode in a red light . vcsel device is shown in the representative schematic diagram of fig1 . this uses a combination of an ion implantation aperture and an oxide aperture . the specific implantation is to provide proton implant layer 18 to a depth centered close to quantum well active region 14 , i . e . centered anywhere from the quantum well active region to four periods above the quantum wells . in addition , an oxide layer , 18 ″, with an aperture is formed at a position greater than six periods toward interconnection 19 from quantum well active region 14 in order to provide a weak index guide . basically , oxide layer 18 ″ will provide a weak index confinement for the optical modes , providing greater stability with temperature of the optical modes , while proton implant layer 18 will provide the electrical current confinement . another alternative for a red light vcsel device configuration and its fabrication process is shown in the representative schematic diagram of fig1 . in this case , an etch into capping layer 17 and mirror 13 of fig9 is performed , preferably one that leaves a slight positive slope in that resulting mirror , 13 ′ and in resulting capping layer , 17 ′, in a modified vcsel , 10 ′″, in fig1 . the metal for a metal interconnection , 19 ′, with an aperture is then deposited so that it covers this etched sloping sidewall in providing this interconnection . the purpose of this configuration is to further improve the heat removal from the device because the heat generated therein during operation is conducted more effectively in the lateral direction than in the vertical direction in the structure . this arrangement allows the metal to be in contact with the sidewalls and several layers in the structure to more easily remove heat from the device . the ability to use alas , which has a higher thermal conductivity than the algaas alloy , in the mirrors which the proton implant design allows further facilitates this heat removal . as mentioned above , this option is allowed by the use of proton implantation for the gain guide , but is not available to use if the gain guide is an oxide aperture . furthermore , the arrangement also allows the isolation implant to penetrate deeper into the device , or alternatively , allows for a lower energy implant . another arrangement , 10 iv , for the electrical contact structure of a red light emission vcsel is shown in fig1 . in this arrangement , metal contacts , 26 , suited for ohmic connection to n - type conductivity material make electrical contact to a surface provided parallel to the substrate of a modified n - type conductivity cladding layer 15 ′ in active region 14 at n - type conductivity mirror , 12 . further , metal contacts , 27 , suited for ohmic connection to p - type conductivity material make electrical contact to a surface provided parallel to the substrate of a modified p - type conductivity mirror , 13 ′. thus , contacts to the pn junction of the vcsel device are made to a cladding layer and a mirror layer in and near active region 14 within vcsel device 10 ′″ rather than being formed to the substrate and emission surface of the device . this arrangement requires etching two mesas — one mesa is etched in the portion of p - type conductivity mirror 13 of fig9 near to active region 14 to form modified mirror 13 ′ of fig1 ( or alternatively the top of p - type cladding region 16 in active region 14 suitably modified ) for contacts 27 , while the other mesa is etched in the portion of n - type conductivity cladding layer 15 of fig9 in active region 14 to form modified cladding layer 15 ′ of fig1 ( or the portion of the n - type conductivity mirror 12 near active region 14 suitably modified ) for contacts 26 . the implementation of this approach can be facilitated by using thicker cladding layers ( but designed so that the overall cavity has an optical thickness which is an integer number of the emission wavelength ), or separate contact layers within the mirrors . etch stop layers ( typically thin layers which are not etched by the same wet or dry chemistry used to etch the rest of the structure ) can be used to stop precisely at the desired layer . this arrangement places the metal interconnection layers , which typically have a high thermal conductivity , as close to the active region as possible to enable the removal of heat generated during device operation . furthermore , current does not have to be passed through the higher resistance mirror layers thereby minimizing the heat generation during operation due to electrical resistance . fig1 shows a representative schematic diagram of a vcsel array arrangement to maintain a constant thermal load on vcsel devices to minimize the thermally induced time dependence of their performances . for instance , the output of one vcsel may decrease , or even increase , as the result of a neighboring device being switched on to emit red light on . the structure of fig1 pairs a vcsel device 10 , as an example , which emits light , with a second device , 10 v , which is identical except that there is no opening in the metal to allow light emission . in use , current would be switched between the light emitting device and the closed device during operation . when one wishes to turn off one of vcsel devices 10 , one switches the current to its closed aperture counterpart . the thermal load on the chip should remain nearly the same . while the figure shows two rows of devices : one row with normal apertures , and the other with closed apertures , a variety of other geometrical arrangements are possible depending upon the intended uses therefor . other ways for managing the thermal heat generation and removal include the use of an overcoating on the chip with a polymer or dielectric layer with a high thermal conductivity , such as diamond , or aluminum nitride ( aln ). the use of solder to attach the die to the package , rather than conductive epoxy may improve the heat removal through the package . thinning the substrate to less than 100 μm and attaching the die to a high thermal conductivity submount may improve the heat removal . another arrangement for heat removal is shown in a representative schematic diagram of a vcsel array packaging configuration in fig1 . in this configuration the device bond pads , 28 , are plated with thick metal with red light vcsels 10 , for example , positioned between them , and the resulting array device is mounted by solder or stud bumping to a transparent superstrate , 29 , preferably one with superior thermal conductance . the proximity of devices 10 to metal lines 28 carrying away the heat is advantageous for those devices . alternatively , gaas substrate 11 could be removed after the device is mounted to superstrate 29 , and contacts could be made to the back side of the vcsel devices . the chip or wafer would then be mounted on a high thermal conductivity submount , which now no longer needs to be transparent . this would also facilitate removal of the heat . a further representative schematic diagram of a vcsel array packaging configuration is shown in fig1 . in this package , following partial fabrication of the vcsel structure ( the formation of the proton implant or oxide aperture in a vcsel 10 for example ), the wafer with the partially fabricated vcsels can be attached at an exposed surface of p - type conductivity mirrors 13 therein , for example , to a submount coated with a thick , thermally conductive metal layer , 30 . the original gaas substrate 11 is then removed , and a metal contact , 31 , is deposited and patterned on the now exposed surface of the remaining structure originally located next to gaas substrate 11 ( n - type conductivity mirror 12 in this example ). this metal contains open apertures allowing the light to escape from the center of each vcsel . the result also allows for the use of a thick metal layer in close proximity to active region 14 to facilitate heat removal from the device . a representative schematic diagram of a vcsel device packaging configuration with active heat removal is shown in fig1 . in this package , the vcsel structure could be any of the configurations already described , or some combination of those configurations . a vcsel device 10 , as an example , is placed directly upon a thermo - electric cooler , 32 , to control the temperature of the device during its operation . thermoelectric coolers are standard microelectronic components for controlling the temperature of circuit or other heat generating operating devices , such as an optoelectronic device or an integrated circuit , and can be purchased in sizes small enough to fit inside a to header style package , 33 . alternatively , a thermoelectric cooler could be monolithically integrated by first growing a number of gaas pn junctions for such a cooler on a gaas substrate , before the growth and processing of the vcsel structure materials to thereby form vcsel devices . a stack of around 5 to 20 pn junctions would be grown sequentially one on top of the previous each on the order of 1 , 000 to 5 , 000 å thick as the basis for the cooler . the junctions can be electrically interconnected in parallel through selective etching and metallization interconnection , or electrically interconnected in series through use of intermediate tunnel junctions . active cooling of vcsel devices allows keeping them in suitable temperature ranges in which the desired performances can be achieved . in the devices set out in the foregoing , the key consideration for the mirrors is to reduce the series electrical resistance thereof and the optical absorption therein which in turn results in less heating of the device . this is accomplished by increasing the width of the graded layers in the mirror , reducing the doping levels in the mirror close to the active region , and increasing the doping level in the mirror repeating material layer periods further away from the active region . reduction of resistance , and therefore heating , is also addressed by heavily doping the layers of the p - type conductivity mirror farthest from the active region to reduce the contact and lateral resistance . within the active region , the choices available are made to minimize the impact of heating . the choice of quantum wells with compressive strain , combined with either lattice matched or tensile strained barrier layers , improves the carrier confinement in the active region , thus increasing the temperature range of operation . the use of a more highly p - doped region in the p - type spacer or cladding layer confines electrons to the active region , and prevents them from being injected into the p - type conductivity mirror . layer composition choices and grading is also done with the objective of improving carrier confinement . thermal conductivity must also be improved so that heat can be removed more effectively from the device . the use of the proton implanted structures combined with alas containing mirror contributes to that objective . the width of the isolation implant region is limited with the objective of improving thermal conductivity . etching of the top mirror , and deposition of metal on the etched sidewalls provides a path for heat removal . the deposition of a thermally conductive dielectric , the use of solder in the package , and the packaging structures described for more effectively providing a short thermal path from device to package are all designed to remove heat from the device more quickly and effectively . in general , these enhancements will increase the output power , reduce the threshold current for lasing , reduce the resistance , and increase the temperature range over which the devices successfully operate . although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments , workers 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 .	7
before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail , it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings . the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways . also , it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting . the use of “ including ,” “ comprising ,” or “ having ” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items . unless specified or limited otherwise , the terms “ mounted ,” “ connected ,” “ supported ,” and “ coupled ” and variations thereof are used broadly and encompass both direct and indirect mountings , connections , supports , and couplings . further , “ connected ” and “ coupled ” are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections or couplings . fig1 shows a food storage device in the form of a heated food display 10 . the heated food display 10 includes a housing 14 , a shelf 18 positioned in the housing 14 , a magnetic assembly 22 that couples the shelf 18 to the housing 14 , and a food retaining device 26 coupled to the shelf 18 . the heated food display 10 is illustrated with two shelves 18 , although more than two shelves 18 or less than two shelves 18 can be used . the housing 14 includes a frame 34 , a roof 38 , a floor 42 , and translucent panels 46 coupled to the frame 34 . the illustrated frame 34 is generally square - shaped and includes four vertical posts 50 at the corners that connect the roof 38 and the floor 42 . the four vertical posts 50 are constructed from a magnetically conductive material , such as steel . in other constructions , the posts 50 may be made of some other magnetically conductive material , a magnetic material , or may be coated with a protective finish or coating . in addition , other constructions may remove the roof 38 and the floor 42 . furthermore , the frame 34 may include more than four posts 50 or less than four posts 50 . the illustrated roof 38 includes lights ( not shown ) and a heating system ( not shown ). the lights may be turned on or off to better display a food product ( not shown ). the heating system circulates hot air through the heated food display 10 to maintain the temperature of the heated food product displayed on the shelves 18 . in other constructions , the heater may be in the floor 42 . in addition , the roof 38 may include a lighted sign or other display that indicates the contents of the heated food display 10 . the roof 38 is constructed of a molded plastic , although other constructions may use sheet metal or other materials . in still another construction , the food storage device is a cooled food display , wherein the roof 38 or floor 42 may contain a cooling unit to maintain a cool temperature within the housing 14 . the illustrated floor 42 provides a base for the heated food display 10 and includes four feet ( not shown ) that the heated food display 10 rests on . one or more of the feet act as levelers to ensure the heated food display 10 is level and solidly positioned on a counter top ( not shown ) or other surface . the illustrated translucent panels 46 are supported by the frame 34 and cooperate with the frame 34 , the floor 42 , and the roof 38 to define the inside of the heated food display 10 . one or more of the translucent panels 46 is movable ( e . g ., hinged ) with respect to the frame 34 such that the translucent panel 46 provides access to the inside of the housing 14 . in other constructions , the housing 14 may include more than four translucent panels 46 or less than four translucent panels 46 . for example , one or more of the translucent panels 46 may be replaced with a mirror surface . in addition , the housing 14 may be different shapes and the proportions may be different than those illustrated . referring to fig2 , the illustrated shelf 18 is constructed from welded metallic rods that are arranged to form a rectangular surface that supports food products inside the housing 14 . the plurality of metallic rods includes support members 54 and surface members 58 that are spaced a distance apart from each other to define spaces 62 such that air may circulate within the housing 14 through the shelves 18 . the shelf 18 defines a first side 66 , a second side 70 , a shelf front 74 , and a shelf back 78 . in other constructions , the shelves 18 may be formed as a single piece , or may be constructed from different materials , such as a plastic . in addition , the shelves 18 may be a different shape , have larger or smaller spaces 62 , or may be formed as a solid surface . in the illustrated construction , four magnetic assemblies 22 are provided to support each shelf 18 . referring to fig3 - 6 , each illustrated magnetic assembly 22 includes a bracket 82 and a magnet holder 86 . the bracket 82 includes an arm 90 and an upper portion 94 . the illustrated arm 90 and upper portion 94 are formed as a single piece and are oriented at 90 degrees with respect to each other . the 90 degree relation acts as a leveling mechanism for the shelf 18 such that the shelf 18 is level with respect to the first side 66 and the second side 70 . as shown in fig3 , the upper portion 94 includes two upper protrusions 98 that engage the top of the surface members 58 , and four lower protrusions 102 that engage the bottom of the surface members 58 such that the bracket 82 is secured between the surface members 58 . in other constructions , the magnetic assembly 22 may be formed as multiple pieces and may attach to the shelf 18 in different ways or may be formed as part of the shelf 18 . in addition , the magnet holder 86 and the bracket 82 may be formed as a single piece . turning now to fig5 , the illustrated magnet holder 86 is attached to the arm 90 and secured with a first fastener 106 . a magnet 110 is held in the magnet holder 86 by an intermediate material 112 . in the illustrated construction , the intermediate material 112 is a plastic with thermal properties to match or exceed the maximum temperatures within the heated food display 10 . in other constructions the intermediate material 112 may be a glue , a rubber , an epoxy , or another material . fig5 illustrates the magnetic assembly 22 in an exploded state wherein the intermediate material 112 is visible that secures the magnet 110 in the magnet holder 86 . the magnet holder 86 includes a second fastener 114 such as a threaded stud which is inserted through an aperture 118 in the arm 90 and fastened with the first fastener 106 such as an acorn nut . in addition , the second fastener 114 and the first fastener 106 may be different fasteners as is known by those skilled in the art . each magnetic assembly 22 engages the surface members 58 to secure the magnetic assembly 22 to the shelf 18 . each magnetic assembly 22 is operable to magnetically couple the shelf 18 to one of the posts 50 of the housing 14 , thereby positioning the shelf 18 with respect to the housing 14 . in this way , the shelf 18 may be positioned inside the housing 14 at a number of angles with respect to the floor 42 . in other constructions , more than four magnetic assemblies 22 or less than four magnetic assemblies 22 may be secured to each shelf 18 . fig3 and 4 illustrate a distance d 1 that is defined as the vertical distance between a top surface 122 of the lower protrusion 102 and a bottom surface 126 of the upper protrusion 98 . the distance d 1 is slightly larger than the diameter of the surface members 58 such that when the surface members 58 are engaged with the bracket 82 the magnetic assembly 22 is secured to the shelf 18 and inadvertent disengagement is inhibited . in other constructions , the distance d 1 may be equal to the diameter of the surface members 58 or slightly less than the diameter of the surface members 58 . referring to fig5 , a width d 2 of a stabilizing portion 130 is sized to fit between two adjacent surface members 58 ( see fig6 ). in the illustrated construction , the width d 2 is slightly smaller than the distance between the two adjacent surface members 58 . in other constructions , the width d 2 may be larger than the distance between the two adjacent surface members 58 or substantially equal to the distance between the two adjacent surface members 58 . in operation of the illustrated construction , the magnetic assemblies 22 are secured to the shelves 18 by positioning the bracket 82 , while disengaged , below the shelf 18 between two adjacent surface members 58 at the midpoint of the space 62 defined by the adjacent surface members 58 and spaced from the sides 66 , 70 . the surface members 58 are then elastically deformed such that the space 62 is enlarged to the point where the upper portion 94 of the bracket 82 may be moved through the space 62 . when bracket 82 is positioned with the upper portion 94 positioned as shown in fig6 , the surface members 58 are released and return to the original position wherein the upper protrusions 98 may not move through the space 62 and the upper protrusions 98 engage the top of the surface members 58 and the lower protrusions 102 engage the bottom of the surface members 58 such that the magnetic assembly 22 is secured to the shelf 18 . when the magnetic assemblies 22 are secured to the shelf 18 and still spaced from the sides 66 , 70 , the shelf 18 can be positioned within the housing 14 . after the shelf 18 is satisfactorily placed , the magnetic assemblies 22 are slid toward the corresponding side 66 , 70 into the positions shown in fig2 and 6 . the magnetic assemblies 22 are positioned along the posts 50 to couple the shelf 18 to the posts 50 of the housing 14 and hold it in a position with respect to the floor 42 such that the shelf 18 and posts 50 are arranged as shown in fig7 . this arrangement allows the positioning of the shelf at an infinitely variable range of angles while holding the shelf 18 level with respect to the first side 66 and the second side 70 . referring to fig2 and 8 , the illustrated food retaining device 26 is removably coupled to each shelf 18 . the illustrated food retaining device 26 is formed as a single piece and includes a front side 134 , a back side 138 , a bottom edge 142 , a first end 146 , a second end 150 , and two tabs 154 attached to each of the front side 134 and the back side 138 ( see fig8 ). the first end 146 extends to the first side 66 of the shelf 18 and the second end 150 extends to the second side 70 of the shelf 18 such that the food retaining device 26 extends substantially between the first side 66 and the second side 70 . the food retaining device 26 inhibits food products from inadvertently falling off the shelf 18 . the food retaining device 26 may be removed from the shelf 18 by flexing the food retaining device 26 so the tabs 154 disengage the surface members 58 . in some situations , it is conceivable that removing the food retaining device 26 may be desirable . the food retaining device 26 may be formed from multiple pieces or may be constructed from a screen like material . as is best seen in fig3 , the food retaining device 26 is positioned near the shelf front 74 and is secured to the shelf 18 by positioning the tabs 154 to engage the surface members 58 of the shelf 18 while the bottom edge 142 of the back side 138 is positioned on the support members 54 of the shelf 18 . the food retaining device 26 also defines cutouts 158 on the front side 134 that extend from the first end 146 to the tab 134 closest to the first end 146 , and from the second end 150 to the tab 134 closest to the second end 150 . the cutouts 158 are sized to provide clearance for the magnetic assemblies 22 . in other constructions , the cutouts 158 may be different sizes or shapes . once the magnetic assemblies 22 are positioned as shown in fig2 , the food retaining device 26 can be engaged with the shelf 18 . the food retaining device 26 is elastically deformed such that the tabs 154 fit in the space 62 defined between the surface members 58 . when in the position shown in fig2 and 3 , the food retaining device 26 is released and returns to the original state and the tabs 154 engage the surface members 58 to attach the food retaining device 26 to the shelf 18 . only one food retaining device 26 is preferred as the shelf 18 is substantially level with respect to the first side 66 and the second side 70 such that food product is inhibited from rolling side to side and falling from the shelf 18 off either the first side 66 or the second side 70 . in other constructions , the food retaining device 26 may be placed at different positions between the shelf front 74 and the shelf back 78 . in addition , more than one food retaining device 26 is conceivable . various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims .	0
referring now to the drawings and more particularly to fig1 - 3 , a fluid system 10 is illustrated and includes a variable displacement axial piston pump 12 that receives fluid from a tank 14 via a conduit 16 and delivers pressurized fluid via a supply conduit 18 to a fluid control valve 20 and selectively through work conduits 22 , 24 to a fluid actuator 26 . in the subject arrangement , the variable displacement axial piston pump 12 is a unidirectional pump that rotates in a counterclockwise direction as driven by a power input shaft 27 . the fluid system 10 also includes first and second pressure sensors 28 , 30 respectively connected to the tank conduit 16 and the supply conduit 18 . the pressure sensors 28 , 30 are operative to sense the pressure in the respective lines and deliver an electrical signal to a controller 32 through electrical lines 34 , 36 . a position sensor 40 is mounted on the variable displacement axial piston pump 12 and operative to sense the displacement of the pump and deliver a signal representative thereof to the controller 32 via an electrical line 42 . various other components could be used in the subject fluid system 10 without departing from the essence of the subject invention . for example , several control valves 20 and associated fluid actuators 26 could be used . likewise , other sensors of various types and styles could be used . the variable displacement axial piston pump 12 includes a housing 44 having a head portion 46 and a body portion 48 . the head portion 46 defines an inlet port passage 50 that is connected to the conduit 16 and an outlet port passage 52 that is connected to the supply conduit 18 . in the subject arrangement , a port plate 54 is disposed between the head portion 46 and the body portion 48 . the construction of the porting within the port plate 54 is more clearly illustrated in fig3 and will be discussed more fully below . it is recognized that the porting illustrated in fig3 could be made within the head portion 46 without departing from the essence of the subject invention . a rotating group 56 is disposed within the body portion 48 and includes a barrel 58 having a plurality of cylinder bores 59 defined therein spaced from one another around an axis of rotation 60 of the barrel 58 . each of the cylinder bores 59 is oriented within the barrel 58 parallel with the axis of rotation 60 . a plurality of piston assemblies 62 are operatively associated with the barrel 58 and each one of the plurality of piston assemblies 62 includes a piston 64 slideably disposed in the respective ones of the plurality of cylinder bores 59 . each one of the plurality of piston assemblies 62 also has a shoe 66 pivotably attached to one end of each piston 64 in a conventional manner . the barrel 58 has an end surface 68 that is in mating , sealing contact with the port plate 54 to provide communication between the cylinder bores 58 and the respective inlet and outlet port passages 50 , 52 of the head portion 46 . a closed chamber 70 is defined in each cylinder bore 59 of the barrel 58 between the end of the piston 64 and the end surface 68 thereof . referring to fig3 the porting between the barrel 58 and inlet and outlet port passages 50 , 52 of the head portion 46 is more clearly illustrated . for explanation purposes only , the “ 270 ” degree position illustrated in fig3 relates to a position on the right side of the drawing of fig1 and the “ 0 ” degree position illustrated in fig3 relates to a position on the right side of the drawing of fig2 . an arcuate slot 72 is defined in the port plate 54 and provides communication between the plurality of closed chambers 70 and the inlet port passage 50 . a plurality of slots 74 are defined in the port plate 54 circumferentially spaced from the arcuate slot 72 and provides communication between the plurality of closed chambers 70 and the outlet port passage 52 . the “ 0 ” and the “ 180 ” degree positions represent a neutral axis which will be more fully described hereinafter . the “ 90 ” degree position , commonly referred to as the top dead center ( tdc ) position , represents the point at which the respective closed chambers 70 are at their smallest volume for a given displacement of the variable displacement axial piston pump 12 . the “ 270 ” degree position , commonly referred to as the bottom dead center ( bdc ) position , represents the point at which the respective closed chambers 70 are at their largest volume for a given displacement . the arcuate distances ‘ delta ’ tdc and ‘ delta ’ bdc represent the distance that the barrel 58 travels during use in which a trapped volume of fluid within respective closed chambers 70 are being subjected to changing pressures depending on the direction of movement of the respective pistons 64 within their associated cylinder bores 59 . referring again to fig1 and 2 , a swashplate arrangement 76 is pivotably disposed within the body portion 48 . as viewed in fig1 the swashplate arrangement 76 is pivoted in a first arcuate , clockwise direction relative to the axis of rotation 60 of the rotating group 56 . the swashplate arrangement 76 of the subject embodiment includes a primary member 78 , a secondary member 80 , and an actuating mechanism 82 . the primary member 78 is mounted within the body portion 48 on a pair of arcuate bearing assemblies 84 in a known manner . an operating lever 86 extends from the primary member 78 and is operative in response to an external command ( not shown ) to change the angular position of the primary member 78 relative to the axis of rotation of the rotating group 56 . the primary member 78 has a concave spherical surface 88 on one side thereof between the pair of bearing assemblies 84 . the secondary member 80 is pivotably disposed on the primary member 78 and has a convex spherical surface 90 on one side thereof that is of a size and shape sufficient to mate with the concave spherical surface 88 of the primary member 78 . as viewed in fig2 the secondary member 80 rotates in a counterclockwise direction . the pivot direction of the secondary member 80 is oriented at an angle about the axis of rotation 60 of the rotating group 56 relative to the pivot direction of the primary member 78 and could be in the range of 80 to 100 degrees . in the subject embodiment , the angle is at 90 degrees . a flat surface 92 is disposed on the other side of the secondary member 80 and mates , in a well known sliding relationship , with the respective shoes 66 of the plurality of piston assemblies 62 of the rotating group 56 . in fig2 the actuating mechanism 82 is shown broken out from the sectional view . as can be understood from fig1 the actuating mechanism 82 , when viewed in fig2 would be located behind the power input shaft 27 . in order to more clearly illustrate the actuating mechanism 82 , it is being shown as a broken out portion . the actuating mechanism 82 includes a link 94 having a first portion 96 and a second portion 98 . the first portion 96 is disposed in a slot 100 of the primary member 78 and rotated about a pin 102 disposed thereacross . the first portion 96 also includes a lever arm 104 at the end thereof away from the second portion 98 . an abutment shoulder 106 is disposed within the slot 100 at the bottom thereof and the lever arm 104 is in operative contact with the abutment shoulder 106 . a biasing member 108 , such as a spring , is disposed in the slot 100 and is operative to bias the lever arm 104 against the abutment shoulder 106 thus holding the secondary member 80 in its “ 0 ” angle position relative to the primary member 78 . the second portion 98 of the link 94 extends into a slot 110 defined within the secondary member 80 . a slot 112 is defined at the end of the second portion 98 and a reaction member 114 is disposed across the slot 110 of the secondary member 80 and through the slot 112 of the second portion 98 of the link 94 . a remotely controlled actuating mechanism 116 is mounted on the housing 48 and is connected to the controller 32 via a signal line 118 . the actuating mechanism 116 includes an actuator 120 having an output member 122 in continuous operative contact with a force member 124 that is disposed within the primary member 78 and in contact with the lever arm 104 of the link 94 and acts against the bias of the biasing member 108 . fig4 a - c relates to one representative example , each plot refers to the relationship of the differential pressure between the inlet and outlet port passages 50 , 52 and the magnitude of movement needed in the secondary member 80 , with the primary angle at a fixed location , to provide a smooth pressure transition between the inlet and outlet port passages 50 , 52 as each cylinder bore 59 of the barrel 58 moves through the top and bottom dead center positions ( tdc , bdc ). the plot line 126 in fig4 a illustrates the above noted relationship when the primary member 78 is fixed at 3 degrees . the plot line 128 in fig4 b illustrates the same relationship when the primary member 78 is fixed at 7 degrees while the plot line 130 in fig4 c illustrates the same relationship when the primary member 78 is fixed at 13 degrees . fig5 a - c relates to the same representative working example as that of fig4 a - c . each plot of fig5 a - c relates to the relationship of the angle of the primary member 78 and the magnitude of movement needed for the angle of the secondary member 80 when the differential pressure between the inlet and outlet port passages 50 , 52 is maintained at a fixed level to provide a smooth pressure transition between the inlet and outlet port passages 50 , 52 as each cylinder bore 59 of the barrel 58 moves through the top and bottom dead center positions ( tdc , bdc ). the plot line 132 of fig5 a illustrates the above noted relationship when the differential pressure between the inlet and outlet port passages 50 , 52 is maintained at 10 , 350 kpa ( approx . 1500 psi ). the plot line 134 of fig5 b illustrates the same relationship when the differential pressure is maintained at 20 , 700 kpa ( approx . 3000 psi ) while the plot line 136 of fig5 c illustrates the same relationship when the differential pressure is maintained at 31 , 050 ( approx . 4500 psi ). fig6 a - c relates to the same representative working example set forth with respect to fig4 a - c and fig5 a - c . the plots of fig6 a - c illustrate the relationship of power saved with the subject invention when the subject variable displacement axial piston pump 12 is being worked within a range of differential pressures with the primary member 78 being maintained at different fixed angles . the plot line 138 of fig6 a illustrates the power savings for a range of differential pressures when the primary member 78 is being maintained at 3 degrees . the plot line 140 of fig6 b illustrates the power savings for a range of differential pressures when the primary member 78 is being maintained at 7 degrees while the plot line 142 of fig6 c illustrates the power savings for a range of differential pressures when the primary member 78 is being maintained at 13 degrees . fig7 a - b generally illustrates how the tdc and bdc positions are effectively moved , during use , when the angle of the secondary member 80 is changed relative to the primary member 78 . the representative face surface 144 of the plot of fig7 a generally illustrates the flat surface 92 of the secondary member 80 with the primary member 78 rotated to its maximum position about its neutral axis , i . e ., a line from the “ 0 ” degree point to the “ 180 ” degree point , with the secondary member 80 at its zero angle position . the outline 146 of the representative face surface 144 illustrates one of the closed cylinder chambers 70 makes a complete revolution . as previously noted , at the “ 90 ” degree point , the volume of the closed cylinder chamber 70 is at its smallest volume during the rotation of the barrel 58 . as the cylinder chamber 70 rotates counterclockwise from the “ 90 ” degree point on to the “ 270 ” degree point , the cylinder chamber 70 is increasing in volume and reaches its largest volume at the “ 270 ” degree point or bdc position . as it continues to rotate from the “ 270 ” degree point to the “ 90 ” degree point , the volume in the closed chamber 70 decreases . [ 0030 ] fig7 b illustrates the representative flat surface 144 with both the primary member 78 and the secondary member 80 angled to their maximum positions . as seen from this representation , the tdc position has shifted from the “ 90 ” degree position towards the “ 0 ” degree position and the bdc position has shifted from the “ 270 ” degree position towards the “ 180 ” degree position . consequently , the respective closed cylinder chambers 70 reach their minimum effective volume at a location less than 90 degrees and each of the closed cylinder chambers 70 reach their maximum effective volume at a location less than 270 degrees of rotation of the barrel 58 . during the operation of the subject fluid system 10 incorporating the subject variable displacement axial piston pump 12 , the operator initiates an input to the fluid control valve 20 to direct pressurized fluid to one end of the fluid actuator 26 moving it in the desired direction . the fluid being exhausted from the other end of the fluid actuator 26 returns to the tank 14 across the control valve 20 in a conventional manner . the operator &# 39 ; s input results in a simultaneous command , based on the load requirements , being delivered to the operating lever to pivot the primary member 78 to a flow producing angle . in the subject piston pump 12 , the angle ranges from 0 degrees to 15 degrees . it is recognized that the magnitude of the angle range could be more or less without departing from the subject invention . an input command to the actuating lever 86 acts to rotate the primary member 78 in a clockwise direction as viewed in fig1 . once the primary member 78 is pivoted to a desired angular position , the respective pistons 64 of the plurality of piston assemblies 62 begin to reciprocate within the respective cylinder bores 59 of the barrel 58 . with reference to fig3 a closed chamber 70 is illustrated as being at the tdc position , in which the volume of fluid within the closed chamber 70 is at its smallest level . as the barrel 58 rotates in a counterclockwise direction , the piston 64 begins to withdraw from the cylindrical bore 59 due to the fact that the shoe 66 is following the flat surface 92 of the secondary member 80 that is still at its “ 0 ” degree position relative to the primary member 78 . since the flat surface 92 is at an angle with respect to the axis of rotation 60 , the distance between the flat surface 92 and the end surface 68 of the barrel 58 is increasing . the movement of the piston 64 results in the volumetric space within the closed chamber 70 increasing . as illustrated in fig3 an arcuate distance is defined in which the closed chamber 70 is not in communication with either the outlet port passage 52 through the slots 74 or with the inlet port passage 50 through the slot 72 . consequently , there is a trapped volume of fluid within the closed chamber 70 that is expanding since the volumetric size of the closed chamber is increasing . once the closed chamber 70 reaches the slot 72 , fluid from the tank 14 begins to enter the closed chamber 70 to fill it with low pressure fluid . it should be recognized that at the tdc position of the closed chamber 70 , the fluid within the closed chamber 70 was still pressurized since it had just left communication with the pressurized slots 74 . naturally , the pressurized fluid at tdc is transformed to tank pressure by the time that the closed chamber 70 enters the slot 72 . this is referred to as ‘ the pressure transition ’. once the closed chamber 70 reaches the bdc position , the closed chamber is totally filled with fluid at tank pressure , which in the subject arrangement is atmospheric pressure . at the bdc position , the closed chamber 70 is at its largest volumetric value . as the rotation of the barrel 58 moves the closed chamber 70 past the bdc position , the piston 64 begins to retracts into the cylinder bore 59 which reduces the volume of the closed chamber 70 . from the time the closed chamber 70 leaves the bdc position , the fluid within the closed chamber 70 is trapped from both the tank and the pressure port . during this movement from bdc , the fluid is being compressed . once the closed chamber 70 reaches the high pressure slots 74 , the fluid in the closed chamber 70 enters the slots 74 and forced at the high pressure to the fluid actuator 26 to do work in a conventional manner . from the time that the closed chamber 70 leaves the bdc position , the fluid therein goes from zero pressure to the pressure level within the slots 74 which as noted above is referred to as ‘ the pressure transition ’. as the closed chamber 70 continues to move towards the tdc position , the fluid therein is continually being expelled therefrom at the system operating pressure . in order to smooth out the respective pressure transitions and improve system operating efficiencies , the volume of trapped fluid at the tdc and bdc positions are controlled . it is believed that the magnitude of fluid compression needed at the tdc and bdc position are very similar . consequently , the subject invention uses an average of the tdc and bdc fluid compression requirement for both tdc and bdc pressure transition control for each set of system parameters . it should be recognized that the fluid compression requirements change as the system parameters change . in the subject arrangement , the pressures of the fluid in the tank inlet conduit 16 and the supply conduit 18 are being sensed by pressure sensors 28 , 30 and representative signals delivered to the controller 32 to establish a deferential pressure between the inlet port passage 50 and the outlet port passage 52 . likewise , the position of the primary member 78 is being sensed by the position sensor 40 and the representative signal delivered to the controller 32 . these system parameters are then being used to determine what position to pivot the secondary member 80 . based on the relationships set forth in the plots illustrated in fig4 a - c and 5 a - c , a series of maps would be provided in the controller 32 . consequently , for any differential pressure between the inlet and outlet passages 50 , 52 and any angular position of the primary member 78 , the controller 32 would generate a signal to move the secondary member 80 to a desired angular position in the range of 0 - 10 degrees . the secondary member 80 is pivoted , as viewed in fig2 in a counterclockwise direction in response to receipt of the signal from the controller 32 being directed to the remotely controlled actuating mechanism . the output member 122 acts on the force member 124 causing the link 94 to pivot about the pin 102 . the link 94 acts on the reaction member 114 to move the secondary member 80 in proportion to the signal from the controller 32 . as clearly indicated in fig7 b , any combined movement of both the primary member 78 and the secondary member 80 results in the location of tdc and bdc positions changing from the positions set forth in fig7 a that represent angular movement of only the primary member 78 . it should be recognized that the representation illustrated in fig7 b applies to one example in which both the primary member 78 and the secondary member 80 are at their extreme angular positions . from the illustration of fig7 b , it should be noted that the closed chamber 70 reaches the indicated tdc position prior to the barrel 58 reaching the 90 degree position . consequently , further rotation of the barrel 58 towards the 90 degree position does not change the pressure of the fluid in the closed chamber 70 . the pressure within the closed chamber 70 only begins to gradually decrease when the closed chamber 70 reaches the 90 degree position . from a review of fig3 it is noted that the closed chamber 70 is still in communication with the pressure slots 74 at a location less than 90 degrees but due to the change in location of the tdc position , the volume of the closed chamber 70 is at its smallest volume and is slightly increasing as is noted from the outline 146 that represents the path of the piston 64 . the volume within the closed chamber 70 is beginning to slightly increase . however , the pressure of the fluid in the fluid system 10 remains the same . as the closed chamber 70 moves from the 90 degree position , communication with the pressure slots 74 is interrupted . as the closed chamber 70 moves through the delta tdc arc , the pressure within the closed chamber 70 is being reduced at a more gradual rate and once it opens into the tank slot 72 the pressure therein has been effectively transformed . likewise , once the closed chamber 70 , reaches the new bdc position as indicated in fig7 b , the volume of the fluid within the closed chamber 70 has reached its largest value . as noted from fig3 the closed chamber 70 is still in communication with the tank through the slot 72 . as the closed chamber 70 moves towards the ‘ 270 ’ position , the volume of the fluid in the closed chamber 70 is being slightly reduced while it is still in communication with the low pressure slot 72 . as the closed chamber 70 moves through the delta bdc arc , the trapped volume of fluid is compressed . thus the pressure transition between the low pressure slot 72 and the high pressure slots 74 is made smoother by compressing the fluid in the closed chamber 70 while the closed chamber 70 rotates through the trapped region near bdc . from the above , it is noted that the pressure change within the piston chamber is a function of the volume change that the piston chamber undergoes as the piston passes through the trapped volume region ( delta tdc / delta bdc ). naturally , the amount of trap distance required at tdc and bdc will be different for any given angle of the primary member 78 because the amount of fluid in the closed chamber 70 at tdc is less than the amount of fluid in the closed chamber at bdc . as recognized from a review of fig6 a - c , there is significant power savings of the subject arrangement over conventional systems where the swashplate has only one degree of movement . the plots illustrated are for example only . it is recognized that operation of a different axial piston pump would result in different power savings . likewise , operation of the subject embodiment would result in different power savings for different angles of the primary member 78 . from the foregoing , it is readily apparent that the subject variable displacement axial piston pump 12 provides smooth pressure transitions between the inlet port passage 50 and the outlet port passage 52 at both tdc and bdc positions . by controlling the pressure transitions , the efficiency of the variable pump is increased . other aspects , objects and advantages of the subject invention can be obtained from a study of the drawings , the disclosure and the appended claims .	5
a centrifugal pump system according to the present invention is shown generally at 100 in fig1 . pump system 100 includes a centrifugal pump 9 , a priming device 5 , a priming chamber assembly 8 and discharge non return valve 55 . the centrifugal pump 9 may contain a separate suction cover 25 or it can be an integral part of the pump casing 10 to permit the mounting of one or more strategically located replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 . the priming device 5 can consist of any vacuum producing mechanism including , but not limited to , a vacuum pump , venturi , or diaphragm primer . the priming chamber assembly 8 consists of two sections ; an upper section 50 and lower section 35 so that the upper portion 50 may be removed to allow access to the pump for inspection , cleaning , maintenance , etc . the upper section 50 is attached to the top of the lower section 35 about midway of the length of the lower section 35 of the priming chamber assembly 8 . however , certain embodiments may include the upper section 50 intersecting into the lower section 35 at any point along the length of the lower portion of the priming chamber 8 . the lower portion 35 of the priming chamber assembly 8 contains one or more strategically located anti - rotation vanes 60 that are positioned relative to the anti - rotation vanes 65 in the centrifugal pump suction cover 25 or casing 10 to remove air and prevent the centrifugal pump 9 from air locking . the size , shape , number and exact placement of the stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 and removable anti - rotation vanes 65 are determined based on the specific geometry of the centrifugal pump impeller . test data appears to indicate that impellers with a higher rotational velocity require more anti - rotation vanes then those with a lower rotational velocity . one possibility for this outcome has to do with the higher energy required by impellers with greater rotational velocities to generate head ( pressure ) inside the pump casing due to the axial components of the flow vector . it is possible that other factors may play a part in this determination . the stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 may also be referred to as the primary stationary vanes 60 . the replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 may also be referred to as secondary replaceable vanes 65 . the lower section 35 may also be described as an intake plenum 35 . the fluid flow 70 is shown entering the entrance of the lower section 72 . the fluid flow 70 may include fluid 70 with entrained air along with other possible substances ( not shown ) which may include suspended dirt , rags or stringy material ( not shown ). the primary stationary vanes 60 includes a curved forward section 60 a ( best shown in fig6 ) proximal to the entrance 72 of the lower section 35 . the primary stationary vanes 60 with their curved forward section 60 a help to prevent rags and stringy material from catching and accumulating on the surface , while the primary stationary vanes 60 aid in the removal of air to prevent the centrifugal pump system 100 from air locking . as shown in fig2 , the centrifugal pump 9 is comprised of a shaft and bearing assembly 13 connected to an impeller 12 via a washer 16 and bolt 17 . a pump casing 10 with replaceable wear ring 20 , rear plate 14 and suction cover 25 is mounted to the shaft and bearing assembly 13 . the suction cover 25 permits mounting of one or more replaceable strategically located anti - rotation vanes 65 . in some embodiments the suction cover 25 may be an integral part of the pump casing 10 . the priming chamber assembly 8 is comprised of an upper section 50 and lower section 35 with a removable baffle 45 in between to prevent any fluid from splashing into the upper section 50 and possibly passing through to the priming device 5 . the lower section 35 of the priming chamber assembly 8 contains one or more strategically located anti - rotation vanes 60 that are positioned relative to the anti - rotation vanes 65 in the centrifugal pump suction cover 25 or casing 10 , if suction cover 25 is integral to pump casing 10 , to remove air and prevent the centrifugal pump 9 from air locking . in one embodiment , the lower section 35 has 3 vanes , these vanes are oriented with the flowing fluid which is heading to the suction cover 25 and then to the rotating pump impeller 12 . the centrifugal pump system 100 is shown with its components in an exploded perspective view in fig3 . the component assembly of the centrifugal pump 9 may generally comprise a rotating pump impeller 12 , with pump casing 10 , wear ring 20 , suction cover gasket , 15 and suction cover 25 . the suction cover 25 or casing 10 contains one or more replaceable strategically located anti - rotation vanes 65 and anti - rotation vane bolts 66 for fastening the anti - rotation vanes 65 . the component assembly of the priming chamber assembly 8 may generally comprise an upper section 50 , lower section 35 , removable baffle 45 in between with gaskets 40 . intermediate the suction cover 25 and the lower section 35 is a lower section gasket 30 . the lower section 35 may also be referred to as the input plenum 35 . the lower section 35 of the priming chamber assembly 8 contains one or more strategically located anti - rotation vanes 60 that are positioned relative to the anti - rotation vanes 65 in the centrifugal pump suction cover 25 or casing 10 to remove air and prevent the centrifugal pump 9 from air locking . as best seen in fig4 , the replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 in the suction cover 25 or pump casing 10 are positioned relative to the stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 in the lower section 35 of the priming chamber assembly 8 . the lower section 35 of the priming chamber assembly 8 is connected to the upper section 50 , and includes a replaceable baffle 45 sandwiched in between . the replaceable baffle 45 permits air to enter the priming system upper section 50 for removal , while allowing the water flow to continue into the rotating impeller 12 . the size , shape , number and exact placement of the stationary vanes 60 and the replaceable vanes 65 are determined based on the specific geometry of the centrifugal pump impeller . in one embodiment the geometry of the stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 , are arranged such that the three longer vanes 60 affixed to the inner wall of the intake plenum or the priming device lower section 35 are arranged at the 3 , 6 and 9 o &# 39 ; clock positions . in a circular cross - section of the priming device lower section 35 , where 12 o &# 39 ; clock position is considered 0 ( zero ) degrees , the three longer vanes 60 would be located at 90 degrees , 180 degrees and 270 degrees in the clockwise direction respectively . it is to be understood that the plurality of longer vanes 60 may be positioned at other angular separations then discussed above and further the number of the plurality of longer vanes 60 is not limited to 3 ( three ). in this embodiment , the four replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 are affixed to the inner wall of the suction cover 25 are arranged at the 2 , 5 , 8 and 11 o &# 39 ; clock positions which appear to be a configuration which permits maximum effectiveness . in a circular cross section of the suction cover 25 , where 12 o &# 39 ; clock position is considered 0 ( zero ) degrees , the four replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 would be located at 60 degrees , 150 degrees , 240 degrees and 330 degrees in the clockwise direction respectively . this places the four replaceable anti - rotational vanes about 90 degrees apart from one another . it is to be understood that the plurality of shorter vanes 65 may be positioned at other angular separations then discussed above and further the number of the plurality of shorter vanes 65 is not limited to 4 ( four ). it can be seen that the two types of anti - rotation vanes 60 and 65 are proximal to each other , and both are located joined to the wall of a specific pump intake structure in a radial fashion , both projecting outwardly into the fluid flow path 70 , the primary stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 on the lower section 35 and the removable secondary anti - rotation vanes 65 on the adjacent suction cover 25 , or in some embodiments in the entrance to the centrifugal pump housing itself . tests show that an acceptable range for the placement of the replaceable shorter anti - rotation vanes 65 relative to the longer anti - rotation vanes 60 is a about 15 to 35 degrees from each other . the optimum angle for the 2 , 5 and 8 o &# 39 ; clock positions is about 30 degrees clockwise from the three longer anti - rotation vanes 60 and the shorter anti - rotation vane at 11 o &# 39 ; clock position is about 30 degrees from 12 o &# 39 ; clock position of the suction cover 25 . it is to be understood that primary anti - rotation vanes 60 do not move . the secondary anti - rotation vanes 65 are secured by mechanical fastener to the interior cylindrical sidewall of the suction cover 25 . once secured , the anti - rotation vanes 65 do not move either . they can be replaced or may be placed in another position , but once fastened they remain stationary . fig5 shows the general configuration of the replaceable anti - rotation vane ( s ) 65 that are mounted in the suction cover 25 or pump casing 10 which contain a mounting pad 65 a and one or more mounting holes 65 b . the replaceable anti - rotation vane 65 includes a curved or angularly cut section at the entrance 65 c to prevent rags or stringy materials from catching and accumulating on the surface . the size , shape , number and exact placement of the replaceable anti rotation vanes 65 are determined based on the specific geometry of the centrifugal pump impeller or other centrifugal pump system 100 considerations . this diagram also shows the relationship of the incoming fluid flow 70 and the rotating reversing flow of fluid 80 from the impeller 12 onto the anti - rotation vane 65 . fig6 shows the general configuration of the stationary anti - rotation vane ( s ) 60 in the lower section 35 of the priming chamber assembly 8 . the anti - rotation vane ( s ) 60 include a curved section at the entrance 60 a to prevent rags and stringy materials from catching and accumulating on the surface . the size , shape , number and exact placement of the stationary vanes 60 are determined based on the specific geometry of the centrifugal pump impeller or other centrifugal pump system 100 considerations . this diagram also shows the relationship of the incoming fluid flow 70 and the rotating reversing flow of fluid 80 from the impeller 12 onto the anti - rotation vane 60 . fig7 shows another embodiment of the invention whereby the replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 ′ in the in the centrifugal pump suction cover 25 ′ have a curved shape opposite of the direction to the swirling fluid 80 ′ to create vortices which counteract the low pressure zone in the center of the fluid flow 70 ′. in fig7 six of the smaller replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 ′ are shown each separated by 60 degrees . the number of smaller replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 is not limited to 4 as shown in fig4 or 6 as shown in fig6 , but is chosen appropriately to meet the requirements of the centrifugal pump system 100 and variances in the components thereof , such as the impeller . in fig5 , a replaceable anti - rotation vane 65 is shown and it should be noted that it does not have a curvature 65 d ( best seen in fig8 ) as the replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 ′. it is to be understood that circumstances may exist where a mixture of the 2 different replaceable anti - rotation vanes 65 and 65 ′ may be desirable and such a configuration is contemplated as part of this invention . fig8 shows a representative replaceable vane 65 ′ with mounting tab 65 a ′ and mounting tab holes 65 b ′ for securing the tab to the centrifugal pump suction cover 25 ′. the replaceable vane 65 ′ includes a curved section 65 c ′ at the entrance to the fluid flow 70 ′ to prevent rags and stringy material from catching and accumulating on the surface . the anti - rotation vane 65 ′ has a curved shape 65 d opposite of the direction to the swirling fluid 80 ′ to create vortices which counteract the low pressure zone in the center of the fluid flow 70 ′. fig9 shows the general configuration of the stationary vanes 60 ′ in the lower section 35 ′ of the priming chamber assembly . the upper section 50 ′ of the priming chamber assembly is also shown . removable baffle 45 ′ is shown intermediate the lower section 35 ′ and the upper section 50 ′. the upper section 50 ′ may be removed to clean elements of the lower section 35 ′ with relative ease . additionally , the removable baffle 45 ′ keeps the fluid out of the upper section 50 ′ which is part of the system which prevents the centrifugal pump from experiencing an air lock condition . it will be noted that a plurality of stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 ′ are located at about the same angular displacement from each other as previously discussed . also , the plurality of stationary anti - rotation vanes are joined to the wall of the lower section 35 ′ projecting outward radially into the fluid flow 70 ′. the stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 ′ include a plurality of apertures or holes 60 b present along its length . the number of apertures 60 b is determined by any of a variety of requirements of the centrifugal pump system 100 such as variances in the components thereof , such as the impeller , fluid flow rates , composition of air - fluid froth being pumped , as well as other dynamic fluid and pump material properties . additionally , it has been considered to employ both stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 with the stationary anti - rotation vanes 60 ′ when appropriate circumstances exist . fig1 shows a schematic of the stationary vanes 60 ′ that are mounted in the lower section of the priming chamber whereby the vanes 60 ′ have holes 60 b located parallel to the swirling fluid 80 ″ that create additional discrete vortices which counteract the low pressure zone in the center of the fluid flow 70 ″. the stationary vane 60 ′ includes a curved section 60 a ′ at the entrance to the fluid flow 70 ″ to prevent rags and stringy material from catching and accumulating on the surface . finally , it is to be understood that various alterations , modifications and / or additions may be incorporated into the various constructions and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention . this includes , but is not limited to , the size , number and placement of both the primary and secondary vanes , the geometrical configuration of both the primary and secondary vanes , and the position of the components of the priming chamber assembly with respect to one another . to recap , the invention is directed to a centrifugal pump for imparting a flow to a fluid which includes a priming chamber having an inlet for receiving a fluid , said priming chamber affixed to a centrifugal pump housing , said centrifugal pump housing including a centrally disposed rotating impeller therein , said centrifugal pump housing having an exit for discharging a fluid , a fluid flow path intermediate said inlet and said exit , said priming chamber having a cylindrical section with an air exit located through an opening through said cylindrical section , said cylindrical section having an interior wall , a plurality of primary vanes attached to said interior wall of said cylindrical section projecting into said fluid flow path toward said rotating impeller , whereby air present in a flowing fluid will be removed through said air exit . another way of stating the gist of the invention would be having a centrifugal pump which includes an intake plenum , said intake plenum have an intake plenum entrance and an intake plenum exit , a suction cover , said suction cover having a suction cover entrance and a suction cover exit , said intake plenum exit affixed to said suction cover entrance , a rotating impeller in a pump casing , said pump casing having a pump casing entrance and a pump casing exit , said suction cover exit affixed to said pump casing entrance , said intake plenum being cylindrical and having an interior cylindrical sidewall , said intake plenum having an air exit located through an opening through said cylindrical sidewall , a plurality of primary vanes , said primary vanes are affixed into said interior cylindrical sidewall , where said plurality of said primary vanes prevent air lock during operation of said centrifugal pump . while the invention has been described in its preferred form or embodiment with some degree of particularity , it is understood that this description has been given only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction , fabrication , and use , including the combination and arrangement of parts , may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention .	5
hereinafter , exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings . like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout . an organic light - emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a method of manufacturing the same will be described with reference to fig1 through 16 . fig1 through 15 are schematic cross - sectional views sequentially illustrating a method of manufacturing an organic light - emitting display device , according to an embodiment of the present invention . fig1 is a schematic cross - sectional view of an organic light - emitting display device manufactured using the method of fig1 through 15 , according to an embodiment of the present invention . referring to fig1 , a buffer layer 11 and a semiconductor layer 12 are sequentially formed on a substrate 10 . the substrate 10 may be formed of a transparent glass material including sio 2 as a main component . the buffer layer 11 may be formed on the substrate 10 to provide the substrate 10 with a smooth surface and prevent impurity elements from penetrating into the substrate 10 . the buffer layer 11 may include sio 2 and / or sin x ( x ≧ 1 ). the buffer layer 11 and the semiconductor layer 12 each may be deposited using any one of various deposition methods such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition ( pecvd ), atmospheric pressure cvd ( apcvd ), low pressure cvd ( lpcvd ), and the like . the semiconductor layer 12 may be formed on the buffer layer 11 . the semiconductor layer 12 may be formed of amorphous silicon or polysilicon . in this regard , the polysilicon may be formed by crystallizing amorphous silicon by rapid thermal annealing ( rta ), solid phase crystallization ( spc ), excimer laser annealing ( ela ), metal induced crystallization ( mic ), metal induced lateral crystallization ( milc ), sequential lateral solidification ( sls ), or the like . referring to fig2 , a first photo - resist ( p 1 ) is coated on the semiconductor layer 12 , and a first photomask process is performed thereon using a first photomask m 1 including a light - blocking portion m 11 and a light - transmitting portion m 12 . although not particularly illustrated in fig2 , an exposure device is used to perform an exposing process using the first photomask m 1 , followed by a series of processes such as developing , etching , and stripping or ashing . referring to fig3 , because of the first photomask process , the semiconductor layer 12 is patterned as an active layer 212 of a thin film transistor and a lower electrode 312 of a capacitor . the lower electrode 312 of the capacitor is formed of the same material as that of the active layer 212 on the same layer on which the active layer 212 is formed . referring to fig4 , a first insulating layer 13 , a first metal layer 14 , a first transparent conductive layer 15 , and a second metal layer 16 are sequentially stacked on the resulting structure of fig3 . the first insulating layer 13 may be formed as a single layer formed of sio 2 or sin x , or a plurality of layers formed of sio 2 and sin x , and acts as a gate - insulating layer of the thin film transistor and a dielectric layer of the capacitor . the first metal layer 14 may be formed of an aluminum alloy . the aluminum alloy may include aluminum as a main component and may further include nickel ( ni ). in addition , the aluminum alloy may further include a small amount of silicon ( si ), lanthanum ( la ), germanium ( ge ), and / or cobalt ( co ). since the first metal layer 14 is formed of an aluminum alloy , when the first metal layer 14 , the first transparent conductive layer 15 , and the second metal layer 16 are etched , the second metal layer 16 and / or the first transparent conductive layer 15 may be etched without damage . thus , the manufacturing process of the organic light - emitting display device may be enhanced . in addition , the first metal layer 14 may further include a small amount of ni , thereby further enhancing etching properties , which results in further enhancing the manufacturing process of the organic light - emitting display device . because of the etching process , the first metal layer 14 , the first transparent conductive layer 15 , and the second metal layer 16 have the same ( e . g ., identical ) etched surfaces on their sides ( see , for example , fig6 ). the first metal layer 14 is formed as a semi - transmissive reflective film , e . g ., as a semi - transmissive mirror , and has a thickness of 50 to 200 å . in one embodiment , when the thickness of the first metal layer 14 is less than 50 å , the reflectance of the first metal layer 14 decreases significantly and thus , it is difficult to form optical resonance between the first metal layer 14 and a counter electrode , which will be described later . in another embodiment , when the thickness of the first metal layer 14 is greater than 200 å , the transmissivity of the first metal layer 14 decreases significantly and thus , the luminous efficiency of an organic light - emitting display device decreases . the first transparent conductive layer 15 may include indium tin oxide ( ito ), indium zinc oxide ( izo ), zinc oxide ( zno ), indium oxide ( in 2 o 3 ), indium gallium oxide ( igo ), and / or aluminum zinc oxide ( azo ). the second metal layer 16 may include aluminum ( al ), platinum ( pt ), palladium ( pd ), silver ( ag ), magnesium ( mg ), gold ( au ), nickel ( ni ), neodymium ( nd ), iridium ( ir ), chromium ( cr ), lithium ( li ), calcium ( ca ), molybdenum ( mo ), titanium ( ti ), tungsten ( w ), and / or copper ( cu ). in the present embodiment , the second metal layer 16 includes al . in addition , the second metal layer 16 may include a plurality of metal layers , for example , fourth , fifth , and sixth metal layers 16 a , 16 b , and 16 c . in the present embodiment , the second metal layer 16 may have a three - layer structure ( mo / al / mo ) in which the sixth metal layer 16 c is formed on a top surface of the fifth metal layer 16 b and the fourth metal layer 16 a is formed on a bottom surface of the fifth metal layer 16 b , wherein the fifth metal layer 16 b is formed of al or al alloy and the fourth and sixth metal layers 16 a and 16 c are each formed of mo or mo alloy . however , the second metal layer 16 is not limited to the example described above , and may be formed of various suitable materials and to have various suitable layers . as described above , since the first metal layer 14 is formed of an aluminum alloy , the stacked structure of the first metal layer 14 , the first transparent conductive layer 15 , and the second metal layer 16 may be simply patterned . as a result , etched surfaces on all sides of each of the first metal layer 14 , the first transparent conductive layer 15 , and the second metal layer 16 are the same as one another . the stacked structure of the first metal layer 14 , the first transparent conductive layer 15 , and the second metal layer 16 may be patterned by being simultaneously or commonly or concurrently etched using a single etchant . alternatively , the second metal layer 16 may be first wet etched , the first transparent conductive layer 15 may be wet etched or dry etched , and the second metal layer 16 may be then dry etched . as described above , the first metal layer 14 formed as a semi - transmissive reflective layer may be simply patterned . thus , the manufacturing process of the organic light - emitting display device may be enhanced . referring to fig5 , a second photo - resist p 2 is coated on the second metal layer 16 , and a second mask process is performed using a second photomask m 2 including a light - blocking portion m 21 and a light - transmitting portion m 22 . referring to fig6 , as a result of the second mask process , the first metal layer 14 , the first transparent conductive layer 15 , and the second metal layer 16 are patterned as first , second , and third pixel electrodes 114 , 115 , and 116 , respectively , first , second , and third gate electrodes 214 , 215 , and 216 , respectively , of the thin film transistor , and first , second , and third upper electrodes 314 , 315 , and 316 , respectively , of the capacitor . referring to fig7 , the active layer 212 is doped with ion impurities by using the first , second , and third gate electrodes 214 , 215 , and 216 formed as a result of the second mask process as self - aligned masks . as a result , the active layer 212 includes source and drain regions 212 a and 212 b that are doped with the ion impurities and a channel region 212 c disposed therebetween . that is , by using the first , second , and third gate electrodes 214 , 215 , and 216 as self - aligned masks , the source and drain regions 212 a and 212 b may be formed without using a separate photomask . referring to fig8 , a second insulating layer 17 and a third photo - resist p 3 are coated on the structure obtained as a result of the second mask process , and a third mask process is performed using a third photomask m 3 including a light - blocking portion m 31 and a light - transmitting portion m 32 . referring to fig9 , as a result of the third mask process , a first opening 117 a and a second opening 117 b for exposing portions of the third pixel electrode 116 , contact holes 217 a and 217 b that respectively expose the source and drain regions 212 a and 212 b of the thin film transistor , and a third opening 317 for exposing portions of the third upper electrode 316 of the capacitor are formed in the second insulating layer 17 . referring to fig1 , a third metal layer 18 is formed on the resulting structure of fig9 . the third metal layer 18 may include al , pt , pd , ag , mg , au , ni , nd , ir , chromium ( cr ), li , ca , mo , ti , w , and / or cu . in the present embodiment , the third metal layer 18 includes al . in addition , the third metal layer 18 may include a plurality of metal layers , for example , seventh , eighth , and ninth metal layers 18 a , 18 b , and 18 c . in the present embodiment , like the second metal layer 16 , the third metal layer 18 may have a three - layer structure ( mo / al / mo ) in which the ninth metal layer 18 c is formed on a top surface of the eighth metal layer 18 b and the seventh metal layer 18 a is formed on a bottom surface of the eighth metal layer 18 b , wherein the eighth metal layer 18 b is formed of al or al alloy and the seventh and ninth metal layers 18 a and 18 c are each formed of mo or mo alloy . however , the third metal layer 18 is not limited to the example described above , and may be formed of various suitable materials and formed to have various suitable layers . for example , the third metal layer 18 may have a three - layer structure including a ti layer , an al layer , and a ti layer . referring to fig1 , a fourth photo - resist p 4 is coated on the third metal layer 18 , and a fourth mask process is performed using a fourth photomask m 4 including a light - blocking portion m 41 and a light - transmitting portion m 42 . the third metal layer 18 is patterned in the fourth mask process . in this regard , when the third metal layer 18 is etched , portions of the second metal layer 16 formed below the third metal layer 18 may also be patterned . that is , referring to fig1 , the third metal layer 18 is patterned to form source and drain electrodes 218 a and 218 b that are respectively electrically connected to the source and drain regions 212 a and 212 b . in this patterning process , a portion of the third pixel electrode 116 exposed via the first opening 117 a and the third upper electrode 316 exposed via the third opening 317 are simultaneously or commonly or concurrently etched and removed . as a result , the second pixel electrode 115 and the second upper electrode 315 are respectively exposed via the first opening 117 a and the third opening 317 . referring to fig1 , the structure obtained as a result of the fourth mask process is doped with ion impurities . the doped ion impurities are b ions and / or p ions , and the doping concentration of the ion impurities is 1 × 10 15 atoms / cm 2 or greater , and the doping process is performed , targeting the lower electrode 312 of the capacitor , which is formed by patterning the semiconductor layer 12 . accordingly , the lower electrode 312 of the capacitor becomes highly conductive , thereby forming a metal - insulator - metal ( mim ) capacitor together with the first upper electrode 314 and the second upper electrode 315 , which may result in increasing the capacitance of the capacitor . referring to fig1 , a fifth photo - resist p 5 is coated on the resulting structure of fig1 , and a fifth mask process is performed using a fifth photomask m 5 including a light - blocking portion m 51 and a light - transmitting portion m 52 . in this regard , the exposure device is used to perform an exposing process using the fifth photomask m 5 , followed by developing and ashing processes . as illustrated in fig1 , a fourth opening 119 for exposing the second pixel electrode 115 is formed in the fifth photo - resist p 5 , and the remaining portion of the fifth photo - resist p 5 is then sintered and formed as a third insulating layer 19 . the fifth mask process is not limited to the example described above , and may be performed by forming the third insulating layer 19 using an organic material and / or an inorganic material , coating the fifth photo - resist p 5 on the third insulating layer 19 , and performing a general mask process thereon to form the fourth opening 119 . since the first pixel electrode 114 , including a semi - transmissive mirror , is disposed below the second pixel electrode 115 exposed via the fourth opening 119 , the first pixel electrode 114 may partially transmit light and partially reflect light . by using the first pixel electrode 114 , which is a semi - transmissive mirror capable of partially transmitting and reflecting light , an organic light - emitting display device employing an optical resonance structure may be manufactured . in the present embodiment , since the first pixel electrode 114 , which acts as a semi - transmissive mirror , is formed of an aluminum alloy , the first pixel electrode 114 and the second pixel electrode 115 may be simultaneously or commonly or concurrently patterned and thus , the manufacturing process of the organic light - emitting display device may be enhanced . referring to fig1 , an organic layer 21 , including an organic emission layer 21 a , and a counter electrode 22 are formed on the second pixel electrode 115 . the organic emission layer 21 a may be formed of a low molecular weight or high molecular weight organic material . the organic layer 21 includes a hole transport layer ( htl ) and a hole injection layer ( hil ) that are sequentially stacked on the organic emission layer 21 a towards the second pixel electrode 115 , and includes an electron transport layer ( etl ) and an electron injection layer ( eil ) that are sequentially stacked on the organic emission layer 21 a towards the counter electrode 22 . the organic layer 21 may further include various other suitable layers , if necessary . the organic layer 21 , including the organic emission layer 21 a , may realize the optical resonance structure by suitably varying the thicknesses of the organic emission layer 21 a for each pixel or the thicknesses of the other layers included in the organic layer 21 except for the organic emission layer 21 a . the counter electrode 22 is formed on the organic layer 21 as a common electrode . in the organic light - emitting display device according to the present embodiment , the first pixel electrode 114 and the second pixel electrode 115 are used as an anode , and the counter electrode 22 is used as a cathode ; however , the opposite case is also possible . in addition , the counter electrode 22 may be formed as a reflective electrode including a reflective material in order to form an optical resonance structure . in this regard , the counter electrode 22 may be formed of al , ag , mg , li , ca , lif / ca , or lif / al . also , a sealing element and an absorbent element may be further formed on the counter electrode 22 to protect the organic emission layer 21 a from external moisture or oxygen . embodiments of the present invention may be directed to a bottom - emission type organic light - emitting display device , in which the displayed image is realized towards the substrate 10 . by having a distance between the counter electrode 22 and the first pixel electrode 114 be a resonance thickness , such embodiments may also have enhanced luminous efficiency by using the optical resonance . in addition , the lower electrode 312 of the capacitor is formed using n +- or p +- doped polysilicon , and the first upper electrode 314 and the second upper electrode 315 are respectively formed using a conductive metal and a transparent conductive material , e . g ., a metal oxide , thereby forming an mim capacitor . in contrast , when a metal - oxide - silicon ( mos ) capacitor is used , a high voltage needs to be continuously applied to a specific wiring of a panel , and thus there is a large risk of electrical shortage . however , as described above , the organic light - emitting display device includes the mim capacitor and thus , these problems may be prevented or reduced , and limitations on the design of the organic light - emitting display device are decreased . the organic light - emitting display device and the method of manufacturing the same as described above provide the following effects . first , a pixel electrode employs a semi - transmissive mirror , thereby forming optical resonance in a bottom - emission type organic light - emitting display device in which the displayed image is realized towards a pixel electrode . thus , the luminous efficiency of the organic light - emitting display device may be enhanced . second , the semi - transmissive mirror is formed of an aluminum alloy , thereby reducing or preventing the damage of a transparent conductive layer or a gate electrode in a patterning process of the pixel electrode . in addition , this allows patterning a plurality of stacked structures of the pixel electrode in a single process . thus , the manufacturing process of the organic light - emitting display device may be enhanced . third , the organic light - emitting display device including the semi - transmissive mirror may be manufactured by five mask processes . fourth , an mim capacitor structure may be formed in a simple process and thus , the manufacturing process and circuit characteristics thereof may be enhanced . while the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof , it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims , and equivalents thereof .	7
as is old and well known in the cement processes of the art , the kiln feed may be processed to portland type cement clinker by either the &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; process or the &# 34 ; wet &# 34 ; process . typically in a &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; process , the admixture of argillaceous and calcareous type materials is proportioned , ground and blended . the mixed materials then pass through raw grinding mills , in which the fineness is brought to about 200 mesh . the raw materials are then passed to the cement kiln and burned in the usual manner to a portland type cement clinker . in a typical &# 34 ; wet &# 34 ; process , the admixture of components is proportioned , made into a slurry with water and ground to a uniform fineness , approximately 200 mesh ( tyler ), the water content of the slurry usually being between 30 % and 40 %. this slurry is fed to the cement kiln and burned to a portland type cement clinker , the water content of the slurry being volatilized and carried over as steam with the kiln gases . no attempt will be made in the present instance to describe in any detail the processes involved in drying , proportioning , grinding and preparing the raw materials required to the kiln feed , the burning of the mix to clinker or the subsequent treatment of the clinker in the manufacture of the various types of portland cement . all of this is well known to persons skilled in the art . if the &# 34 ; wet &# 34 ; process is employed in the process of this invention , the fluorine containing inorganic acid can be added as a concentrate or as a more dilute solution along with the water employed to make the kiln feed slurry . if the &# 34 ; dry &# 34 ; process is employed , a more concentrated form of the acid may be used . what is critical to the present invention is that the flux be a fluorine containing inorganic acid , and be included in certain amounts . the fluorine containing inorganic or mineral acid can , for example , comprise fluotitanic or hexafluorotitanic acid ( h 2 tif 6 ), fluoboric or tetrafluoroboric acid ( hbf 4 ), fluophosphoric acids , such as fluorophosphoric or phosphorofluoridic acid ( h 2 po 3 f ), difluorophosphoric or phosphorodifluoridic acid ( hpo 2 f 2 ) and hexafluorophosphoric acid ( hpf 6 ), fluosilicic or hexafluorosilicic acid ( h 2 sif 6 ) and hydrofluoric acid or hydrogen fluoride ( hf ), with fluosilicic and fluotitanic acids being preferred . hydrogen fluoride usually occurs as a gas , as compared to hydrofluoric acid which is a water solution of hydrogen fluoride . although the gaseous form is less preferred than the solution form of hf in view of the handling problems , etc ., it is nonetheless considered to be within the scope of the present invention . the fluorine containing inorganic acid is employed in an amount of up to 3 . 0 % by weight based upon the weight of the dry solids in the raw material to be burned and converted into clinker , preferably in an amount in the range of from about 0 . 1 % to 1 . 0 % by weight with the range of from 0 . 2 % to 0 . 5 % by weight being also preferred , and can be used to flux and / or mineralize any portland or portland type cement raw material . the fluorine containing acids to be employed can be pure reagent grade acids or industrial grade acids , such as those which are the by - product of other chemical reactions . for example , fluosilicic acid is a by - product of phosphoric acid manufacture and is produced as an aqueous solution at a concentration which usually varies between 23 % by weight and 25 % by weight . industrial grade fluosilicic acid solution may also contain about 0 . 1 % by weight p 2 o 5 and about 15 ppm of heavy metals . further in the industrial grade solution , a slight excess of free hf may be present in the solution to stabilize it and prevent any silica precipitation . to give those skilled in the art a better understanding of the invention , a number of examples were run . the examples are offered merely by way of illustration , and it is not intended that they be taken as limiting the scope of the invention . in the examples , three raw feeds were used , and the typical analyses of these feeds , as well as their predicted , potential clinker mineral compositions , which have been calculated from their analyses using the bogue equations as is known in the art , are set forth in the following table i . a discussion of the bogue equations and the method of calculating the potential cement compounds is set forth on pages 114 - 117 of lea , the chemistry of cement and concrete , third edition , 1971 , chemical publishing co . the feeds were industrial feeds , i . e ., were obtained from the feed end of kilns producing commercially available cements , and these are hereinafter identified as raw feeds , a , b and c . raw feeds a and b are type i portland cement raw feeds with raw feed a being produced for use in a wet process and raw feed b being produced for use in a dry process , while feed c is a white portland cement raw feed , which is normally more difficult to burn and is produced for use in a dry process . table 1______________________________________kiln feed analyses______________________________________actual composition ( percent by weight ) ingredient raw feed a raw feed b raw feed c______________________________________sio . sub . 2 13 . 88 13 . 87 15 . 23al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 3 . 27 3 . 99 2 . 99fe . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 1 . 42 1 . 74 0 . 54cao 42 . 67 42 . 49 44 . 88mgo 2 . 03 0 . 95 0 . 92so . sub . 3 0 . 70 2 . 05 0 . 15na . sub . 2 o 0 . 16 0 . 2 ( est .) 0 . 2 ( est . ) k . sub . 2 o 0 . 67 0 . 65 0 . 36loi ( loss on 35 . 52 34 . 45 35 . 39ignition at950 ° c .) potential cement compounds ( percent by weight ) c . sub . 3 s 65 . 2 49 . 2 70 . 0c . sub . 2 s 12 . 3 23 . 2 14 . 1c . sub . 3 a 9 . 7 11 . 6 10 . 7c . sub . 4 af 6 . 7 8 . 0 2 . 5______________________________________ the raw feeds a , b and c were used as received , except that raw feed a was screened to remove all particles larger than 50 mesh ( tyler ). this removed about 3 % by weight of the total feed , but did not significantly change the composition of the feed . next , an amount of about 1 . 0 % by weight of h 2 sif 6 , in the form of commercially available fluosilicic acid solution , which is the by - product of phosphoric acid manufacture and contains about 24 % by weight h 2 sif 6 , about 0 . 1 % by weight p 2 o 5 and 15 ppm of heavy metals ( as lead ), was added and thoroughly blended with each of the feeds which were in a dry form . after blending , the mixtures were clinkered , along with control samples which contained no flux , by heating them in platinum dishes at 1200 ° c . for periods of 0 . 5 hours , 1 . 0 hour , and 2 . 0 hours . after clinkering , the quantity of unreacted lime ( cao ), also known as free lime , remaining after heating was determined by x - ray diffraction analysis . in x - ray diffraction analysis , a sample is exposed to a beam of x - rays , and the diffraction pattern is used to identify the particular crystal structure and hence composition of the crystalline solid . for the purpose of the x - ray diffraction analysis tests involving this application , the cao peak was measured at 37 . 3 ° 2θ ( theta ). day - to - day variations in x - ray tube intensity were corrected by also running a novaculite ( alpha - quartz ) intensity standard , and then normalizing all data by the daily novaculite intensity ratio . free lime content was obtained from a calibration curve constructed from samples which were independently analyzed by a wet chemical method given in astm c - 114 . the results , which are set forth in table ii , demonstrate the effect of the flux in the clinkering process . the raw feed c contained a relatively high level of free lime after burning , but nonetheless the use of a fluorine containing acid reduced that level of free lime and domonstrated the effect of such acids in a mix which is very difficult to burn . table ii______________________________________free lime content of raw feed samples containing 1 . 0 % by weight h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 and burned at 1200 ° c . for varioustimes free lime (%) time temperature 1 . 0 % raw feed ( hr ) (° c .) control h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6______________________________________a 0 . 5 1200 17 . 3 5 . 6 1 1200 16 . 6 2 . 8 2 1200 16 . 4 1 . 6b 0 . 5 1200 22 . 5 4 . 4 1 1200 21 . 3 1 . 9 2 1200 20 . 8 1 . 2c 0 . 5 1200 56 . 4 24 . 9 1 1200 51 . 2 22 . 4 2 1200 49 . 8 17 . 8______________________________________ varying amounts of fluosilicic acid ( h 2 sif 6 ) in the form of the fluosilicic acid solution of example i , were added to wet and dry raw feed a . in this example , the oversized particles in the feed , which are retained on a 50 mesh screen ( tyler ) and had been screened out in the previous example , were ground and blended back into the screened bulk material . the raw feed which was in a dried condition was divided into two portions . one portion was designated a dry feed , and the other portion was reconstituted into an about 30 % by weight water slurry by the addition of water to form a wet or slurry feed . with the dry feed , the flux was blended into the dry feed , and then the mixture was burned . with the wet feed , the resulting mixture was dried prior to burning ( or clinkering ), by heating the mixture to 105 ° c . for several hours until it had a dry appearance . while the wet feed examples are not the same as those in a wet burning process , there are a number of similarities . in each case the burning was , along with a control sample which contained no flux , for 1 hour at 1300 ° c . in platinum dishes , and the results are shown in table iii which follows : table iii______________________________________free lime and alite contentsof raw feed a containingh . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 mixed with wet or dry feed , and burned 1 hour at 1300 ° c . h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6addition feed free cao alite (% by weight ) condition (% by weight ) (% by weight ) ______________________________________0 wet 8 . 6 350 . 125 wet 5 . 6 470 . 25 wet 2 . 3 580 . 50 wet 1 . 5 580 . 25 dry 4 . 2 480 . 50 dry 2 . 3 52______________________________________ both the free lime and alite ( tricalcium silicate ) contents were obtained by x - ray diffraction . for this purpose , the alite peak occurring at 51 . 8 ° 2θ was measured . the alite content represents comparative estimates based upon interpolations from the bogue calculated value of potential alite content from a well - burned clinker obtained using raw feed a , which did not contain flux . the results show that the fluorine containing acid can be added to either a wet or a dry feed . further , an apparently more thorough mixing of the flux and raw feed is achieved with a wet feed since higher alite and lower free lime values were achieved . various amounts of h 2 sif 6 , in the form of the fluosilicic acid solution of example i , as well as comparative additions of various amounts of powdered caf 2 , a conventional fluxing agent , were added to the reconstituted ( about 30 % moisture content ) raw feed a slurry of example ii . after drying , the mixtures , as well as control samples which contained no flux , were burned for 1 hour at 1200 ° c ., 1250 ° c ., 1300 ° c . and 1350 ° c . in platinum dishes . the results which were obtained by x - ray diffraction and which are set forth in table iv ( all percentages are by weight ), show that the use of the fluorine containing inorganic acid flux , namely fluosilicic acid solution , unexpectedly results in a more thorough burning of the raw feed than does the use of caf 2 flux , and further that each of these is better than not using any flux , for all of the temperatures involved . table iv______________________________________free lime and alite contents of raw feed a with theflux added to a slurry and burned 1 hour at varioustemperatures______________________________________amount free cao (%) flux (%) 1200 ° c . 1250 ° c . 1300 ° c . 1350 ° c . ______________________________________none 0 21 . 3 15 . 2 8 . 0 5 . 9h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 0 . 125 15 . 6 11 . 1 5 . 2 3 . 6 &# 34 ; 0 . 25 11 . 4 7 . 7 2 . 5 2 . 1 &# 34 ; 0 . 50 5 . 6 3 . 5 1 . 3 0 . 7caf . sub . 2 0 . 25 15 . 7 12 . 3 5 . 9 5 . 8 &# 34 ; 0 . 50 12 . 5 9 . 4 3 . 0 2 . 5 alite (%) 1200 ° c . 1250 ° c . 1300 ° c . 1350 ° c . ______________________________________none 0 3 19 42 59h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 0 . 125 21 29 50 60 &# 34 ; 0 . 25 31 36 58 58 &# 34 ; 0 . 50 41 48 60 60caf . sub . 2 0 . 25 24 34 56 57 &# 34 ; 0 . 50 29 34 54 62______________________________________ a dry sample of 1800 grams of as received raw feed a ( i . e ., including all oversize particles ), was thoroughly mixed and blended with 0 . 5 % by weight ( based upon the weight of the dry solids in the raw feed ) of h 2 sif 6 , in the form of the fluosilicic acid solution of example i . the mix was then divided into six equal parts , placed in platinum dishes , and burned for 2 hours at 1300 ° c . the so formed clinker was reblended and the complete oxide composition and free lime contents were determined by the wet method of astm c114 - 69 , as well as the free lime and alite contents , by x - ray diffraction analysis . in addition , the potential clinker compositions were calculated from the oxide composition using the bogue equations . the results are shown in table v . next , the clinker was ground in a ceramic ball mill to a blaine fineness ( astm c204 - 73 air permeability method ) of 3450 cm 2 / g . and blended with 0 . 0 %, 3 . 0 %, and 5 . 0 % gypsum ( ca 2 so 4 . 2h 2 o ). the cements hydrated in a normal manner , and the clinker containing 5 % gypsum ( an amount which is usually found in portland cements ) was subject to a modified vicat setting time determination and indicated an initial set at 31 / 2 hours and a final set at 7 hours . the procedure was modified in order to accommodate for the fact that the amount of cement produced was not in a sufficient quantity to be subjected to the normal vicat test . in addition , the clinker containing 5 % gypsum was used to make nine 2 - inch ( 50 - mm ) cement mortar cubes having a cement to sand ratio of 1 : 2 . 75 , a water cement ratio of 0 . 485 and being in accordance with astm c - 109 - 73 . the resulting compressive strengths are set forth in table vi in pounds per square inch , with these values in megapascals ( mpa ) being given parenthetically . as can be seen , mortars made with cement clinkers fluxed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention exceed the compressive strengths set forth in the astm requirements for portland cement ( astm c150 - 76a ). table v______________________________________analysis of fluxed clinker forraw feed a containing 0 . 5 % by weight flux______________________________________actual composition (% by weight ) ingredient wet analysis x - ray diffraction analysis______________________________________sio . sub . 2 21 . 55al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 5 . 25fe . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 2 . 05feo nilcao 65 . 30mgo 3 . 20so . sub . 3 0 . 65sulfide s nilna . sub . 2 o 0 . 20k . sub . 2 o 0 . 40free cao 1 . 45 2 . 1potential composition (% by weight ) c . sub . 3 s 62 . 0 60c . sub . 2 s 15 . 0c . sub . 3 a 10 . 4c . sub . 4 af 6 . 2______________________________________ table vi______________________________________test time compressive strength standard deviation ( days ) psi ( mpa ) psi ( mpa ) ______________________________________1 915 ( 6 . 31 ) ± 7 ( 0 . 04 ) 7 4079 ( 28 . 12 ) ± 48 ( 0 . 33 ) 28 4779 ( 32 . 95 ) ± 210 ( 1 . 44 ) ______________________________________ the same steps as in example iv were repeated , except that raw feed was reduced so that all of it passed a 50 mesh screen ( tyler ) as was the practice in example ii and was in the form of an about 30 % moisture content slurry and the amount of fluosilicic acid was 0 . 25 % by weight based upon the weight of the dry solids in the raw material . the so formed clinker was analyzed using the wet ( astm c114 - 69 ) method , and the potential compound composition was calculated using the bogue equations and these values are set forth in table vii . in addition , compressive strengths of a sample of clinker containing 5 % by weight gypsum were run in accordance with astm c109 - 73 , and they are set forth in table viii . as is seen , mortars made from clinker fluxed with a fluorine containing mineral acid achieve compressive strengths in excess of those required by astm c150 - 74 . table vii______________________________________analysis of fluxed clinker forraw feed a containing 0 . 25 % by weight flux______________________________________ actual composition (% by weight ) ingredient wet analysis x - ray diffraction analysis______________________________________sio . sub . 2 21 . 76al . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 5 . 00fe . sub . 2 o . sub . 3 2 . 20cao 66 . 10mgo 3 . 03na . sub . 2 o 0 . 18k . sub . 2 o 0 . 68feo 0 . 02so . sub . 3 0 . 77sulfide s 0 . 006free cao 1 . 97 2 . 5loi 0 . 37potential clinker composition (% by weight ) c . sub . 3 s 64 . 8 61c . sub . 2 s 13 . 5c . sub . 3 a 9 . 5c . sub . 4 af 6 . 7______________________________________ table viii______________________________________test time compressive strength standard devia -( days ) psi ( mpa ) tion psi ( mpa ) ______________________________________1 1563 ( 10 . 77 ) ± 14 ( 0 . 10 ) 7 4504 ( 31 . 05 ) ± 47 ( 0 . 32 ) 28 5158 ( 35 . 56 ) ± 139 ( 0 . 95 ) ______________________________________ in order to demonstrate the wide variety of fluorine containing acids which can be employed as fluxing agents in accordance with the teachings of the present invention , samples were made using the raw feed a of example ii , reconstituted to a slurry by the addition of water in an amount about 30 % by weight , and various amounts of five different fluorine containing mineral acid fluxing agents , mostly in the form of acid solutions . the percentage by weight of the acid in the solution is indicated parenthetically . the acids used were those which are commercially available . the samples were burned for one hour at various temperatures in platinum dishes , along with control samples in which no flux was added . the resulting clinkers were analyzed by x - ray diffraction to determine their alite and free lime contents . the results which are set forth in table ix ( the percentages are by weight ), clearly demonstrate the usefulness of a wide variety of fluorine containing acids as fluxing agents . table ix__________________________________________________________________________free lime and alite contents of raw feed a andflux burned 1 hour at various temperatures__________________________________________________________________________ amount free cao (%) flux (%) 1200 ° c . 1250 ° c . 1300 ° c . 1350 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________h . sub . 2 tif . sub . 6 ( 60 %) 0 . 25 8 . 4 7 . 6 2 . 3 1 . 4 0 . 50 5 . 4 3 . 8 0 . 9 0 . 5hbf . sub . 4 ( 48 %) 0 . 25 14 . 1 11 . 7 4 . 3 2 . 5 0 . 50 11 . 2 6 . 6 1 . 2 2 . 0hpo . sub . 2 f . sub . 2 ( 100 %) 0 . 25 13 . 5 11 . 1 3 . 4 1 . 9 0 . 50 9 . 2 7 . 0 2 . 8 2 . 9hpf . sub . 6 ( 60 %)* 0 . 25 2 . 9 1 . 0 1 . 2 0 . 7 16 . 9 -- 4 . 3 -- 0 . 50 6 . 7 4 . 0 1 . 5 1 . 3 9 . 6 -- 1 . 3 -- h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 ( 24 %) 0 . 25 9 . 2 8 . 1 3 . 0 1 . 5 0 . 50 8 . 6 4 . 3 1 . 1 1 . 2none 0 . 18 . 9 12 . 8 7 . 1 4 . 5 0 . 20 . 5 16 . 1 6 . 2 5 . 3__________________________________________________________________________ alite (%) 1200 ° c . 1250 ° c . 1300 ° c . 1350 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________h . sub . 2 tif . sub . 6 ( 60 %) 0 . 25 31 34 55 60 0 . 50 42 52 59 67hbf . sub . 4 ( 48 %) 0 . 25 16 22 51 57 0 . 50 28 40 57 57hpo . sub . 2 f . sub . 2 ( 100 %) 0 . 25 17 25 58 56 0 . 50 31 39 54 57hpf . sub . 6 ( 60 %)* 0 . 25 45 39 66 64 15 -- 53 -- 0 . 50 36 51 57 61 34 -- 56 -- h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 ( 24 %) 0 . 25 31 32 58 61 0 . 50 36 46 61 60none 0 . 3 26 53 57 0 . 8 22 54 57__________________________________________________________________________ * the initial data generated ( which is also the first occurring ) using hpf . sub . 6 appeared to be in error and so a second run with a fresh sample at 1200 ° c . and 1300 ° c ., but not 1250 ° c . and 1350 ° c ., was run to verify the initial numbers . while the second run was higher , it was still less than control , but since the retest did not show the initial data to be erroneous , both sets of data are included to samples of the raw feed a of example ii , reconstituted to a slurry by the addition of about 30 % by weight water , were added varying amounts of four fluorine containing acids in the form of acid solutions , with the amount of acid indicated parenthetically , and four of the calcium salts of such acids in the form of solid powders of which caf 2 and casif 6 . 2h 2 o are known as fluxing agents . these mixtures , as well as control samples in which no flux was added , were then burned in platinum dishes for one hour at 1200 ° c . and at 1300 ° c . the resulting clinkers were then analyzed , by x - ray analysis , for free lime and alite contents . the percentages , in percent by weight , which are set forth in table x , demonstrate the unexpected high levels of fluxing that the fluorine containing acids achieve over their salts , and in fact most of the acids proved superior to caf 2 . table x__________________________________________________________________________free lime and alite contents of raw feed a with 0 . 25 % flux added to a slurry and burned 1 hour at various temperatures amount free lime (%) alite (%) flux (%) 1200 ° c . 1300 ° c . 1200 ° c . 1300 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________hf ( 49 %) 0 . 25 11 . 2 2 . 9 33 61caf . sub . 2 0 . 25 15 . 4 3 . 8 22 55h . sub . 2 tif . sub . 6 ( 60 %) 0 . 25 10 . 6 2 . 8 34 59catif . sub . 6 0 . 25 13 . 6 3 . 4 21 58h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 ( 24 %) 0 . 25 12 . 1 3 . 2 32 58casif . sub . 6 . 2h . sub . 2 o 0 . 25 16 . 4 3 . 4 20 56hbf . sub . 4 ( 48 %) 0 . 25 14 . 8 3 . 6 19 57ca ( bf . sub . 4 ). sub . 2 . h . sub . 2 o 0 . 25 17 . 0 4 . 7 13 56none 0 . 20 . 2 7 . 8 2 44__________________________________________________________________________ to samples of the raw feed a of example ii , wherein the particles over 50 mesh were reduced to less than 50 mesh and reblended in , reconstituted to a slurry by the addition of about 30 % by weight water , were added 0 . 25 % by weight , based upon the weight of the dry solids in the raw feed , of two known prior art fluxing agents , namely fluorspar ( caf 2 ) and calcium fluosilicate ( casif 6 . 2h 2 o ), and a fluorine containing mineral acid fluxing agent in accordance with the teachings of the present invention , namely fluosilicic acid ( h 2 sif 6 ). these mixes , as well as control samples to which no flux was added , were then burned in platinum dishes for one hour at various temperatures between 1300 ° c . and 1450 ° c . the particular kiln employed held six samples , and so duplicate samples were run containing fluorspar and calcium fluosilicate . the resulting clinkers were then analyzed for % free lime and % alite contents using the aforementioned x - ray diffraction analysis technique . the percentages , which are set forth in table xi and are expressed as percent by weight , demonstrate the unexpectedly high levels of fluxing which the fluorine containing mineral acids achieve in comparison to known prior art fluxing agents . table xi__________________________________________________________________________free lime and alite contents of raw feed a , which was burnedfor 1 hour at various temperatures and to which was added 0 . 25 % of two prior art fluxes and one flux in accordance with the presentinvention__________________________________________________________________________ free lime (%) flux amount (%) 1300 ° c . 1350 ° c . 1400 ° c . 1450 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________none 0 8 . 3 4 . 6 3 . 7 1 . 9caf . sub . 2 0 . 25 5 . 2 4 . 0 3 . 4 2 . 7 &# 34 ; 0 . 25 4 . 6 4 . 2 3 . 2 2 . 4casif . sub . 6 . 2h . sub . 2 o 0 . 25 5 . 7 3 . 6 3 . 7 1 . 3 &# 34 ; 0 . 25 5 . 1 3 . 2 3 . 1 1 . 2h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 0 . 25 3 . 5 2 . 5 1 . 9 0 . 9 alite (%) 1300 ° c . 1350 ° c . 1400 ° c . 1450 ° c . __________________________________________________________________________none 0 41 54 58 64caf . sub . 2 0 . 25 54 58 63 67 &# 34 ; 0 . 25 56 59 61 66casif . sub . 6 . 2h . sub . 2 o 0 . 25 53 58 61 64 &# 34 ; 0 . 25 54 55 58 66h . sub . 2 sif . sub . 6 0 . 25 54 59 61 72__________________________________________________________________________ thus as has been shown , the use of fluorine containing mineral acids in accordance with the teachings of the present invention facilitates the burning of hard to burn raw portland type cement mixes , as well as reducing the amount of energy necessary to burn raw feed mixes to produce portland type cement clinker . when the fluorine containing mineral acid is used in the preferred amount of between about 0 . 2 % to 0 . 5 % by weight based upon the weight of the dry solids in the raw feed , mixed using the wet mixing with a raw feed which has been reduced to pass 50 mesh ( tyler ), and burned at about 1300 ° c . for between about 1 and 2 hours , it is expected that the maximum combination of benefits will be achieved . that is , the cement clinker produced will be achieved with a reduced energy consumption while containing high amounts of alite and low amounts of free lime . it is well understood by those skilled in the art that certain differences are to be expected in the scale - up of the cement making process from the laboratory to the industrial level . such differences will include the residence time of the raw feed within the burning zone of the kiln and the actual temperature required under such conditions to achieve the beneficial results taught by the subject invention . thus , while there are differences , it is expected that a scale - up can be done by those of ordinary skill in the art . the precise results in scaling - up are difficult to predict since , as is well known in the art , the burning of a raw feed in a cement kiln is an extremely imprecise process . the temperature in the burning zone can fluctuate as much as 100 ° c . and the composition and fineness of the raw feed is not controlled with scientific exactness . therefore , the precise amount of fluorine containing mineral acid to be employed may need to be adjusted within the discussed range according to the specific kiln conditions . further , the amount of fluorine containing mineral acid could be employed in an amount of up to about 3 . 0 % by weight based upon the weight of the dry solids in the raw feed since fluorine containing compounds , usually caf 2 , have been included in cement clinkers in amounts up to 3 . 0 % by weight . amounts in excess of 3 . 0 % by weight will begin to produce adverse effects on the compressive strengths of the resulting cements . while the invention has been described with reference to certain preferred embodiments thereof , those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention . it is intended , therefore , that the invention will be limited only by the scope of the claims which follow .	2
persons of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting . other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure . referring to the drawings , for illustrative purposes the present invention is shown embodied in fig1 and 2 . it will be appreciated that the apparatus may vary as to configuration and as to details of the parts , and that the method may vary as to details , partitioning , and the order of the acts , without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein . fig1 shows a game device according to the present invention . the game device has a cabinet 100 encloses a video display 102 and a set of standard game play buttons shown generally as buttons 104 . the game device also comprises the internal hardware and software needed for gaming devices , including at least one processor , dynamic memory , non - volatile memory , system support circuitry such that a commercial operating system such as linux will operably run therein , and i / o connections including interfaces to the various player devices such as buttons 104 and video 102 . further , it is expected that most embodiments will have an external network connection . also included is the software needed to implement the specific game . the internals are not illustrated . in addition to many features that are typical to a game device , the new and unique addition to reel gaming is shown in fig1 . there are five reels shown on video screen 102 as rectangular boxes . the main game will have its paytable and theme . in addition to the main game , there will be a special bonus symbol that , in one preferred embodiment , looks like 3 tiny reels in a tiny game display . any number may be used in the miniature games , with one preferred embodiment using 3 reels with standard 17 ″ or 19 ″ screens , and using 3 , 4 , or 5 miniature reels in larger screens such as 27 ″ or 32 ″ lcd screens . when the bonus symbol appears in a winning location , a special event occurs . shown in fig1 are three miniature reel symbols in locations 106 , 110 , and 108 after the reels have come to a stop in the main game . shown is one embodiment where the player enters the bonus round if 3 of the miniature reel symbols show anywhere on the screen , making a scatter pay . the inventive bonus games disclosed herein may be triggered in any manner a game designer wishes . embedded reel window 112 corresponds to one of the embedded reel symbols 106 , 108 , or 110 . shown are three miniature reels 116 that will be “ spun ” ( in actuality , visually simulating reel spins on a video screen ). also shown is progressive display meter 114 . progressive display meter 114 will contain a numeric value corresponding to the current value of the progressive associated with this particular embedded reel game . the progressive amount may be displayed in any convenient manner , including being shown as individual ( per reel ) banners or displays on the main reel game 118 . fig2 illustrates game play with embedded reel games . box 200 comprises those actions associated with a player choosing to play a reel game having embedded reel games . continuing into box 202 , the player begins play at the main game level , setting the main reels in motion . box 204 corresponds to the main game finishing a spin , and the reels stopping . after the main reels stop , diamond 206 corresponds to the actions needed to determine if the miniature reel symbols found in the viewable area ( 102 of fig1 ) comprise a win event that triggers play of the miniature reel games . if the answer is “ no ”, diamond 206 is left for box 208 . the actions corresponding to box 208 are any further actions needed to finish this game at the main level ( for example , there may be other bonus win events that occurred in the same game and needing payout ). after this game is completed , box 208 is left for box 202 , where a next game is initiated . returning to diamond 206 , if the answer is “ yes ” then box 210 is entered . the actions corresponding to box 210 include those needed to generate and display one set of reel spins for an embedded reel game . one of the un - spun embedded reel symbols is animated . the order of playing each enabled bonus embedded reel game doesn &# 39 ; t matter , but it is expected that most game developers will choose to traverse the winning miniature reel symbols in left - to - right , top - to - bottom order . the symbol that is the representation of an embedded reel game either becomes animated in and of itself , or , is visually replaced with a representation of a set of reels of the reel game that is associated with the bonus game symbol . a preferred embodiment is for the game to appear in miniature where the bonus symbol is ; preferably the bonus symbol is the game and it appears to animate as the player watches . however , some game designers may want to have the embedded reel games play off to one side , above , in a different screen , or any other way attractive to a player . whichever case is used in an implementation , the embedded reel game has its reels begin to spin . in one embodiment the paytable associated with the embedded reel game is shown to the right of the symbol . it may be shown in any way a game designer wishes . the order of these events is not important ; for example , the paytable may be shown to the player first , and the player indicate when she or he is ready to start the embedded reel game with the touch of a button ; alternatively , the paytable my be displayed during the entire time the embedded reel game is being played . one embodiment has the paytable appear as a side - pull pop - out display , which appears to slide out from the right of the symbol . embedded reel game paytables may be shown to a player in any way , including being part of the static display on the game cabinet . after the miniature reels stop , box 210 is left for box 212 . the actions corresponding to box 212 include checked for and / or paying to the player any credits won based on the reels &# 39 ; final position . box 212 is left for box 214 , where the actions corresponding to this box include evaluating the stopped reels for a progressive win event . the progressives associated with each embedded reel game may be implemented in any way suitable to the game designers . one preferred embodiment has a separate progressive associated with each embedded reel game ( each different embedded reel game ). in this embodiment , each reel of the 5 reels that make up the main reel game has one embedded reel game symbol associated with it . this is different from the embedded reel game found on each of the other four reels . a win event comprises two or more embedded reel game symbols appearing as a scatter pay ( anywhere on two different reels ). thus , a win event may be comprised of 2 , 3 , 4 , or 5 embedded reel game symbols on a 5 - reel main game . in this embodiment each of the embedded reel games is a different game , and each will have its own progressive . it is thus possible for a player to win from 2 to 5 progressives during the play of a single embedded reel game bonus event ! any configuration of progressives may be used with the present invention . this includes having a single progressive associated with any or all of the embedded games , which has the advantage of building a single higher jackpot over a plurality of smaller jackpots . other embodiments include using the same progressive with the embedded reel games as is used with the main game . in this case , a player has the possibility of winning the current progressive up to 6 times on a single play ( once on the main game , and once each on each of the embedded reel games up to 5 ). if this later embodiment is used , a preferred part of the embodiment would include the use of seed money or an initial minimal jackpot amount used in the funding of the progressive jackpot . the winnings for the collective bonus round are built into the paytable of the main reel game based on the average win per game of the miniature games &# 39 ; paytables , totaled for the number of symbols comprising each win event . progressives are expected to be funded in the same manner as is currently used for the main reel of the present invention ; however , any method of funding progressive jackpots may be used . use of existing reel games as the embedded reel games was chosen based on brand and game recognition by players , but is not a requirement to practice the present invention . the miniature reel games may be custom made for each game having this bonus . any number of miniature games may be used for the winning symbols , including the use of a single miniature reel game and a single bonus symbol ; the miniature reel games may use any number of reels ; variable paytables may be used based on the number of credits a player is making ; etc . further variations of the embedded reel games will come to the mind of a person skilled in this art and who has the benefit of the present disclosure ; these variations are within the inventive scope of the present disclosure . upon evaluation and payout of any progressive win amount , box 214 is left for diamond 216 . if all the symbols corresponding to embedded reel games have been played , then the “ yes ” exit is taken to box 208 where any remaining actions associated with the main game are continued . if the answer is “ no ”, then box 210 is re - entered and another miniature reel game is played . the loop comprised of boxes 210 , 212 , and 214 with diamond 212 continues until all the symbols that made up the current win event have their associated miniature reel games played . after that occurs , the main game is completed and the player is ready to initiate the main game again . the presently preferred embodiment has each miniature reel game in the bonus round play in sequence . another embodiment has all of the miniature reel games play in parallel , which creates more excitement at the expense of possible confusion by some players . upon the completion of each miniature reel game any winnings are added to the player &# 39 ; s credit meter . although the description above contains certain specificity , the described embodiments should not be construed to be the scope of the disclosed invention ; the descriptions provide an illustration of certain preferred embodiments . the scope is determined by the claims and their legal equivalents .	6
as used herein , the term “ wood stain ” shall mean a semitransparent solution or suspension of coloring matter ( such as dyes or pigments or both ) in a vehicle ( binder and thinner ), designed to color a piece of wood by penetration without hiding it or leaving a continuous film . wood stains typically have low solids contents relative to paint , i . e ., less than 20 percent by weight solids . wood stains can be oil - based or water - based . oil - based wood stains generally comprise one or more pigments , a binder such as an alkyd resin containing a drier , and organic solvents such as mineral spirits , vmp naphtha , kerosene , xylene , toluene or a mixture of these . in contrast , water - based wood stains have waterborne binders such as acrylic emulsions and water dilutable alkyds . as used herein , the term “ vehicle ” shall mean a binder and one or more thinners and optionally other ingredients ( excluding colorants ) used to form wood stains . as used herein , “ colorant ” shall mean a substance that imparts color to another material or mixture . colorants can be either dyes or pigments ( organic or inorganic ). pigments are insoluble in the vehicle , whereas dyes are soluble in the vehicle . inorganic pigments include metal oxides such as the oxides of iron , titanium , zinc , cobalt , and chrome . earth pigments may utilize mineral pigments obtained from clay . various forms of carbon may be used for black pigments . organic pigments are insoluble in the vehicle and are derived from natural or synthetic materials , and include phthalocyanine , lithos , toluidine , and para red . organic pigments may be employed in a precipitated form as a lake . dyes are organic materials and include acid dyes , such as azo , diazo and triarylmethane dyes , and basic dyes , such as aniline dyes . pigment - based colorants are often provided in the form of tinting concentrates comprising highly concentrated levels of color pigment dispersed into a vehicle . the amount of color pigment used in a colorant is typically from about 5 weight percent to about 70 weight percent , depending on the type of color pigment . as used herein the term “ chromatic colorant ” shall mean a colorant that is not black , white or grey . as used herein , the term “ tinting strength ” shall mean the measure of the effectiveness with which a unit quantity of wood stain alters the color of a wood substrate . the concentration of colorants in a wood stain contributes to tinting strength in a major way . one of the components of the present invention relates to the measurement of color . briefly , color is a sensation evoked by the physical stimulation of color photoreceptor cone cells in the human retina . the stimulation consists of electromagnetic radiation in the visible spectrum comprising wavelengths between 380 and 700 nm . the photoreceptor cone cells can be separated into three classes , with each class being sensitive to a different spectral distribution of radiation . this trichromacy of color sensation permits the color of an object to be described by three numerical components , such as the tristimulus values x , y and z , which are based on the tristimulus responses x , y , and z of a standard observer that were developed through experimentation by the commission internationale de l &# 39 ; éclairage ( cie ) in 1931 . more specifically , the tristimulus values x , y and z are the integrals of the products of the functions x , y and z with the radiant energy distribution functions from the object . the tristimulus value x is the red primary , the tristimulas value y ( which is equal to the luminous reflectance or transmittance ) is the green primary , and the tristimulus value z is the blue primary . the total color difference between two objects is referred to as δe and is generally calculated as the square root of the sum of the squares of chromaticity difference δc , and the lightness difference , δl : δe =[( δc ) 2 + δl 2 ] 1 / 2 . color difference equations are well known in the art and are used to transform the tristimulus values x , y and z into a more uniform matrix that can be used to calculate δe . the spectral characteristics of an object can be determined from reflectance measurements taken by a spectrophotometer using the kubelka - munk theory . as is well known , the kubelka - munk theory relates reflectance at complete hiding ( r ) of a paint film at a specific wavelength to two optical constants , k ( the absorption coefficient ) and s ( the scattering coefficient ). after some basic assumptions , the kubelka - munk theory can be expressed by the following equation : the present invention is directed to a method of verifying the color and tinting strength properties of a manufactured batch of wood stain . more specifically , the present invention is directed to a method of measuring the color and tinting strength of a manufactured batch of wood stain , comparing these measurements to the standard color and tinting strength for the wood stain , and , if necessary , changing the color and / or tinting strength of the manufactured batch of the wood stain . the method of the present invention may be used for both oil - based and water - based wood stains . the method utilizes a single angle spectrophotometer 10 connected to a personal computer with a central processing unit . the computer may run a color matching software program that is proprietary to the assignee of the present invention , namely the sherwin - williams company . the color matching software program may include a plurality of databases containing spectral data for colorants applied to substrates in the manner described below . the color matching software program may also contain one or more formula ( s ) for wood stain composition ( s ) ( ex colorants ) describing the required proportions of vehicle and other additives . as shown in fig1 , the spectrophotometer 10 may have an integrating sphere 12 defining a cavity 14 with a highly reflective , optically diffuse surface 16 . a light source 18 connected to the cavity 14 via a lamp port 20 illuminates the cavity 14 to diffusely illuminate a specimen 22 at a specimen port 24 . a receiver 26 is positioned at a receiver port 28 to receive optical radiation from the specimen 22 . the receiver 26 may be positioned normal to the specimen 22 , along the diameter of the sphere 12 , or , more preferably , at angle of up to 10 °, more preferably about 8 ° from the specimen normal 30 . the receiver 26 conveys the reflected light from the specimen 22 to a light analyzer ( not shown ). the light analyzer also receives reference light from the light source , which is used to correct for variations in the intensity of the light source . the light analyzer includes a device for separating light into its component wavelengths , such as a diffraction grading or a prism , and an array of detectors to measure the intensities of the different wavelengths . signals from the detector array are multiplexed and fed to a data processor ( not shown ), which produces digital signals that are conveyed to the personal computer . a commercially - available single angle spectrophotometer that may be used in the present invention is the coloreye 7000 color spectrophotometer sold by gretag macbeth . in a first part of the method of the present invention , standard measurement batches are produced for wood stains that are to be manufactured in a production facility . a white colorant is used to form the “ standard ” measurement batch and should be the same type of white colorant that is specified for the wood stain system to be manufactured . if no white colorant is available in that particular system , one must be developed ( procedure under separate explanation ). preferably , the white colorant is added in an amount sufficient to provide the standard measurement batch with a y value of about 70 , as determined by the spectrophotometer . typically , about 100 parts of the white colorant are used per 20 parts of the standard batch of the wood stain . the amount of the white colorant added to the standard batch is recorded and the same white colorant will be used to form a “ test sample ” of the manufactured batch of the wood stain . if the tints for a particular wood stain system does not specify a white colorant , a standard is carefully prepared by omitting one of the chromatic colorants of the tints from the wood stain formula , and substituting it with titanium dioxide . once the standard measurement batches are produced using a compatible white colorant , they are carefully applied to leneta hide charts in even coats to provide complete hiding . typically , the thickness of the coats on the hide charts is about 6 mils . after the coats of the standard test measurement batches are dry , reflectance readings of the coats may be taken using the spectrophotometer 10 . each reading comprises a plurality of reflectance measurements made at 10 to 20 nanometer intervals along the visible light spectrum . using these reflectance measurements , the x , y and z tristimulus values for each of the standard measurement batches may be calculated according to the formulas : x = ∑ λ ⁢ er x y = ∑ λ ⁢ er y z = ∑ λ ⁢ er z where e is the relative energy of a standard light source , r is the reflectance of the standard measurement batch and x , y , z are the color functions for a specified observer . the x , y and z tristimulus values may be stored in the personal computer for later use . after a manufactured batch of a wood stain has been produced in the production facility , a test sample of the manufactured batch is taken for measurement . an equal portion , or substantially the same amount , of the identified test white colorant as used for the standard measurement batch above is added to the test sample of the manufactured batch . as set forth above , the ratio of white : standard sample or white : test batch sample is typically 100 / 20 . the test measurement is carefully applied to a leneta hide chart in an even coat to provide complete hiding . the thickness of the coat is typically about 6 mils . after the coat of the test measurement sample is dry , a reflectance reading of the coat is taken using a spectrophotometer . the reading comprises a plurality of reflectance measurements made at 10 to 20 nanometer intervals along the visible light spectrum . using the formulas described above for the standard measurement batches , the x , y and z tristimulus values for the test measurement sample are calculated , and thereby δe values can be calculated . although it is preferred that the standard measurement for all of the wood stain colors manufactured at a production facility be prepared and their reflectance measurements taken and stored in the personal computer before any manufacturing batches of the wood stains are produced , the present invention is not limited to this sequence of steps . the standard measurement batch color for a particular wood stain may be prepared and its reflectance reading taken at the same time or even after the test measurement sample for a manufactured batch of the wood stain color is prepared and its reflectance reading taken . using the reflectance readings of the standard measurement batch and the test measurement sample , the color and tinting strength of the manufactured batch is compared to the color and tinting strength of the standard batch of the wood stain . more specifically with regard to color , a software program associated with the spectrophotometer 10 or loaded on the personal computer uses the reflectance readings to calculate the color difference ( δe ) between the standard measurement batch and the test measurement sample . if the calculated δe is within an acceptable deviation range , the color of the manufactured batch is deemed to be acceptable . if the calculated δe is outside the acceptable deviation range , a colorist views the tristimulus values x , y , and z of the standard measurement batch and the test measurement sample and subjectively determines the additional amount ( s ) of one or more of the colorants ( used in the formula for the wood stain ) that need to be added to the manufactured batch to move the color of the manufactured batch toward the color of the standard batch so as to produce a δe that is within the acceptable deviation range . the additional amount ( s ) of colorant ( s ) is / are then added to the manufactured batch . a new test measurement sample may then be produced and coated on a hide chart and additional reflectance readings taken for comparison to the standard measurement batch . this process may be repeated until the δe is within the acceptable deviation range . although the colorist must still subjectively determine the additional amount ( s ) of colorant ( s ) that need to be added in the event the δe is outside the acceptable deviation range , the colorist is provided with objective tristimulus values x , y , and z , which greatly help the colorist make his / her determination and is a vast improvement over simply visually viewing a stained piece of wood , where the color is affected by the wood substrate , the opacity , and the viewer . instead of subjectively determining the amount ( s ) of colorant ( s ) that need ( s ) to be added , it is contemplated that a color matching software program loaded on the personal computer may be used to determine the amount ( s ) of colorant ( s ) that need ( s ) to be added . the color matching software program would include a plurality of databases containing spectral data ( k and s values ) for colorants applied to leneta hide charts in a manner similar to that described above for the standard measurement batches and the test measurement sample . with regard to the tinting strengths of the standard measurement batch and the test measurement sample for the manufactured batch , the k / s value of the standard measurement batch at the wavelength with the lowest reflectance ( maximum absorption ) is compared to the k / s value of the test measurement sample at the same wavelength . if the difference between the two k / s values is within an acceptable deviation range , the tinting strength of the manufactured batch is deemed to be acceptable . if the difference between the two k / s values is outside the acceptable deviation range , additional proportional amounts of the colorants may be added if the difference indicates that the tinting strength of the manufactured batch is too weak , or additional vehicle may be added if the difference indicates that the tinting strength of the manufactured batch is too strong . the tinting strength of the manufactured batch may be expressed as a percentage of the tinting strength of the standard batch , where the percentage is calculated using the ratio of the k / s value of the test measurement sample to the k / s value of the standard measurement batch . the method of the present invention provides a number of benefits . the method permits different batches of a particular wood stain to be manufactured with consistent properties of color and tinting strength and enables a manufacturer to provide an end user customer with objective evidence of this consistency , namely δe &# 39 ; s and tinting strength percentages . the ability to provide different batches of the wood stain with consistent tinting strengths prevents batches of wood stain from being manufactured with tinting strengths that are too weak and , thus not of acceptable quality , or too strong , which wastes colorants , wastes product itself , and is uneconomical . while the invention has been shown and described with respect to particular embodiments thereof , those embodiments are for the purpose of illustration rather than limitation , and other variations and modifications of the specific embodiments herein described will be apparent to those skilled in the art , all within the intended spirit and scope of the invention . accordingly , the invention is not to be limited in scope and effect to the specific embodiments herein described , nor in any other way that is inconsistent with the extent to which the progress in the art has been advanced by the invention .	6
referring to fig1 , ( 1 ) a payout is based on % of stock value change since last spin ; ( 2 ) after spin stops , the total payout figure progressive builds with bell sounds chiming ( not an instantaneous result ) and the wheels stop sequentially . logic is based ‘ spin formula ” ( see below ); the button ( 3 ) takes the player to the settings and themes application page ; the button ( 4 ) takes the player to the details application page ; and the button ( 5 ) takes the player to the stock portfolio application page ; an area ( 6 ) aggregates the total stock portfolio performance and displays as a single trend line graph ; an area ( 7 ) captures the history of each spin and displays a single ‘ tile .’ extended historical tiles can be viewed by sliding a finger horizontally across the spin tiles . data of each spin captured includes wallet ( total portfolio ) value at the time of the spin and trend of value since previous spin ; a button ( 8 ) starts machine / wheel spin ; and the application ( 9 ) calculates the total portfolio value and inserts this within the “ wallet total ” field . referring to fig2 , a stocks application page allows a player to add valid stock symbol by selecting the “ stocks ” button ( this button is found as # 5 in fig1 ). the player can add a stock symbol by selecting the “ add new ” button . the player can enter the number of shares that have been previously purchased . application system calculates the value of the stock based on the number of shares times the current value of each share . the application pulls in data automatically from yahoo finance . referring to fig3 , on a news application page allows a player to access the latest news feed from yahoo finance by selecting a stock in the portfolio as displayed within the stocks application page , followed by selecting the “ news ” button . more detailed news can be obtained by selecting each news headline . the application takes the player to the detailed news article as found on yahoo finance . this invention uses stock market performance and translates that data into slot machine results . in the case of the first time user , he or she builds a portfolio by entering the symbol ( s ) for the shares of stock ( s ) that he / she owns , and entering the number of shares of each owned . this determines the initial wallet . for example , assume the user entered an initial portfolio of stocks in two companies , ibm ( ibm ) and apple computer ( aapl ). also assume they entered quantities of 10 shares of ibm and 1 share of apple at current market prices of $ 50 and $ 800 respectively . the initial wallet amount would be $ 1300 . 00 ( 10 × 50 + 1 × 800 ). the user then spins the wheels , and the application queries for current market prices of both stocks in the portfolio . assume for this example that the price of ibm increase to $ 51 per share , and the price of apple stock stayed the same at $ 800 per share . the spin gain percentage is then determined by dividing the result of the spin ( s =$ 10 ) by the original portfolio and multiplying by 100 . in this example , it is 10 / 1300 * 100 , or 0 . 76 %. note that the spin gain percentage may be positive or negative . reels ( see device default view drawling , fig1 ) are built using a strip sized 100 wide by 1300 high ( pixels ) see fig1 below “ classic slots ” strip . the stop positions of the reels are then determined by comparing the spin gain percentage to the reel log charts ( see fig4 , 5 and 6 below ). for a stock price gain of 0 . 76 % there are six possible matches . the invention generates a random number between 1 and 9 ( or the number of combinations ) to determine which of these symbol combinations would be used . let us assume in this example that the random number generated is 1 , so the combination is bell , bell , bell . when the spin button is pressed , the reels begin the animation of spinning . each reel is a 100 wide by 1300 high , graphic , with the symbols being evenly spaced vertically at 100 pixel increments . the wheels are started at different times so as to guarantee that they are not all showing the same symbols at the same time as they spin . the symbol combination ( bell , bell , bell in this example ) is translated into a stop position for each wheel . in the 100 × 1300 graphic , the bell is at position 6 , so in this case , for each wheel , the stop positions are defined as 600 , 600 , 600 for each reel . the invention gives each reel a minimum spin time ( 0 . 5 seconds for the first reel , 1 second for the second reel , and 1 . 5 seconds for the third reel ) to guarantee that they stop in sequential order . after each minimum spin time has passed , the corresponding wheel animation is slowed . this allows for more accurate sampling of its current position . each reel &# 39 ; s vertical position is sampled as fast as the processor and os of the device allow . when the current vertical position of the current reel is equal to its stop position , the wheel is stopped . the next wheel ( left to right ) is then slowed and sampled until all wheels are stopped on the correct symbol . in summary , the invention translates an entered stock market portfolio of shares into a slot machines wheel logic . this logic also translates resulting combinations of symbols into “ winnings ” and therefore “ wallet ” ( see default device view drawling ).	6
fig1 a is a perspective view of a patient &# 39 ; s face 100 exhibiting temporal hollowing 120 in the pterional region of the skull of the patient . the size , shape and location of such temporal hollowing of a patient may differ based on patient &# 39 ; s anatomy as well as the type of injury and / or the amount of tissue atrophy incurred by the patient in this region . fig1 b is a perspective view of the patient &# 39 ; s face with a repaired pterional region such that the temporal hollowing has been corrected and is no longer present . after an initial surgery to correct a bony void is performed , a subsequent procedure using a pterional graft , pmma , filler , absorbable material or tissue engineered substrate , for example , may be performed in order to repair the soft tissue defect . the subsequent procedure may be conducted via injection of pmma percutaneously into this region or by placing a pterional flap through a small incision made in the skin . however , a patient will likely exhibit aesthetic asymmetry between the time of the initial surgery and the subsequent revision surgery to correct the temporal hollowing shown in fig1 a . the patient - specific cranial implants and methods of designing such implants of the present invention together provide simultaneous customized hard tissue ( i . e . bony ) reconstruction and soft tissue ( i . e . fat / muscle ) reconstruction in a single procedure approach such that temporal hollowing is avoided and revision procedures will not be required . fig2 is a perspective view of a patient &# 39 ; s skull 200 exhibiting a large irregularly shaped bone void 210 predominately positioned in the temporal lobe thereof . fig3 a - 3c show one embodiment of a patient - specific cranial implant 300 of the present invention designed to fill a bone void , such as shown in fig2 , for example . patient - specific cranial implant 300 includes a perimeter 320 configured to contact a perimeter 220 of bone void 210 when patient - specific cranial implant 300 is coupled to bone void 210 in a preoperatively planned position . upon coupling of patient - specific cranial implant 300 to bone void 210 , plates , fasteners and / or adhesive glue , for example , may be used around perimeters 220 , 320 of bone void 210 and implant 300 , respectively , in order to fix the position of implant 300 with respect to bone void 210 . a description of such plates and fasteners used to couple a patient - specific implant to a perimeter of a bone void is shown and described in the surgical protocol titled “ stryker cmf customized implant peek ,” the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety . implant 300 includes a base portion 340 and an augment portion 360 . base portion 340 includes a convex outer surface 342 and a concave inner surface 344 . outer and inner surfaces 342 , 344 of base portion 340 are preferably curved in a superior to inferior direction , a posterior to anterior direction , and a medial to lateral direction . augment portion 360 protrudes outwardly from base portion 340 in the medial to lateral direction . augment portion 360 includes a convex outer surface 362 that is also preferably curved in the superior to inferior direction , the posterior to anterior direction , and the medial to lateral direction . base portion 340 and augment portion 360 each have a first radius of curvature in the superior to inferior direction , a second radius of curvature in the posterior to anterior direction and a third radius of curvature in the medial to lateral direction . the first , second and third radii of curvature of the base portion 340 are all larger than the first , second and third radii of curvature of the augment portion 360 , respectively . therefore , base portion 340 is flatter and not as steeply shaped as augment portion 360 . the radii of curvature are generally not constant along any one direction for each of the base portion 340 and augment portion 360 . augment portion 360 has a lateral side 370 that preferably forms a portion of a perimeter 350 of base portion 340 . the location of augment portion 360 with respect to base portion 360 is such that lateral side 370 of augment portion 360 preferably forms a portion of perimeter 320 of implant 300 along with perimeter 350 of base portion 340 . when cranial implant 300 is implanted , the most lateral portion of outer surface 362 of augment portion 360 is preferably located on a line tangent to the most lateral portion of the zygomatic arch , the line being substantially parallel to the sagittal plane of the patient . augment portion 360 also extends as far posteriorly as it does superiorly so that an area of augment portion is roughly square . a method of designing a patient - specific craniofacial implant , such as cranial implant 300 , for filling a void in a skull of a patient and for replacing soft tissue is shown in fig4 a - 6b . a tomographic scan such as a computed tomography (“ ct ”) scan of a patient with a lateral cranial defect that fully or partially extends into the pterional region of the skull is first taken . off the shelf ct segmentation software is then used to create a three dimensional (“ 3d ”) model of the patient &# 39 ; s cranium including the lateral cranial defect . a patient - specific craniofacial implant is then designed using computer aided design (“ cad ”) software . the patient - specific 3d implant will fill the bony void left by a craniotomy , for example , and also augment the visible temporal portions of the patient &# 39 ; s head . using the cad software , a preliminary implant model 400 is designed by mirroring contralateral bone of the lateral cranial defect . generally , the contralateral bone is mirrored off of the central sagittal plane 410 as shown in fig4 b of a patient &# 39 ; s skull in order to define the size , shape and location of preliminary implant model 400 with respect to the cranial defect . models of deformed or missing segments of internal structures , such as a lateral cranial defect , may also be constructed from coordinate data specifying the deformed or missing segment that is derived from representations of a normal mirror image segment of the structure . for example , coordinate data defining a mirror image segment of a structure is useful in the construction of an implantable prosthetic inlay that is to replace a missing segment of a generally symmetrical internal anatomic structure as shown and described in u . s . pat . no . 4 , 436 , 684 to white entitled , “ method of forming implantable prosthesis for reconstructive surgery ,” the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety . in instances where bilateral deformities exist , the dual - purpose implants of the present invention may be at least partly designed using standard gender - specific dimensions . while preliminary implant model 400 may be designed using any one or more of the above described methods , it represents a traditional customized implant that does not account for soft tissue in the pterional / temporal region . in a method of the present invention , preliminary implant model 400 is used as a guide during subsequent design steps . the outer contour 420 of preliminary implant model 400 is augmented in order to account for the soft tissue loss . preliminary implant model 400 is designed to have a perimeter that contacts the entire perimeter of the bone void . augment portion 500 is designed to augment the pterion in order to counter the effects of temporal hollowing . careful attention is made not to include excess material inferiorly which may contribute to mandibular interference known as trismus . the ct coronal cross section of fig4 b shows the difference between preliminary implant model 400 and an updated implant model including augment portion 500 . in some design processes , augment portion 500 may only project outwardly from preliminary implant model 400 such that it does not span the entire length of a bone void , and therefore does not contact the entire perimeter of the bone void as does the preliminary implant model . as can be seen in fig4 b , for example , augment portion 500 is not symmetric to contralateral bone as is preliminary implant model 400 . together , preliminary implant model 400 and augment portion 500 form an updated implant model 600 as shown in fig4 a . preliminary implant model 400 has a first volume and augment portion 500 has an additional volume . with the addition of the volume of augment portion 500 to the first volume of preliminary implant model 400 , updated implant model 600 therefore has a second volume greater than the first volume . this figure also includes a directional legend with arrows in three dimensions . s , i , m , l , p and a on this legend , and any other legend in the drawings , stand for superior , inferior , medial , lateral , posterior and anterior , respectively . most of the bulk reproduction of the soft tissue in the pterion region , which is represented by augment portion 500 , occurs at the anterior , lateral , inferior portion of the temporal skull . in determining the location of the most lateral portion of the outer surface of augment portion 500 , the preliminary implant model 400 is extended laterally away from sagittal plane 410 , for example , until the outer surface of augment portion 500 meets the most lateral portion of the zygomatic arch 550 of the patient as shown in fig5 b . the most lateral portion of the zygomatic arch is depicted by vertical line 540 in the coronal cross section shown in fig5 b . in the coronal plane , the temporal region of the preliminary implant model is augmented by drawing a substantially straight or slightly curved line 560 from the temporal crest 530 until line 560 intersects vertical line 540 adjacent the most lateral portion of the zygomatic arch 550 . temporal crest 530 is located at the point where there is a change in tangency of the pterional skull as pertinent in the present scenario . of note , various other areas of the temporal ( i . e . pterional ) skeleton could be assessed for dual - purpose reconstruction . this process is preferably repeated in several different two dimensional (“ 2d ”) coronal cross - sections . the updated implant models created in the 2d cross - sections are then combined using the ct segmentation software in order to create the 3d updated implant model shown in fig6 a - 6b , for example . as shown in fig6 a - 6b , augment portion 500 extends posteriorly from the lateral orbital rim 575 to a vertical line 580 perpendicular to the sagittal plane drawn through the external acoustic meatus 585 . augment portion 500 should extend as far posteriorly as it does superiorly so that the augmented area is roughly square as shown in fig5 a . the augmented area is roughly outlined by box 570 overlying updated implant model 600 in fig5 a . fig7 a , 7 c , and 7 e are a series of lateral views of a 3d reconstruction of one embodiment of an updated implant model 600 implanted in a model of a bone void of a patient &# 39 ; s skull 610 , each of these views including a section line 7 b , 7 d , and 7 f , respectively . section lines 7 b , 7 d , and 7 f are each situated at different locations on the 3d models . section line 7 b is located in a posterior region , section line 7 d is located in a central region , and section line 7 f is located in an anterior aspect of the pterional region of the patient &# 39 ; s skull 610 in these lateral views . fig7 b , 7 d and 7 f are coronal cross - sectional views that correspond to fig7 a , 7 c and 7 e , respectively . each of these coronal cross - sectional views show updated implant model 600 including a preliminary implant model 700 and an augment portion 800 . as can be seen most clearly in fig7 d , augment portion 800 is not symmetric to contralateral bone as is preliminary implant model 700 . most of the bulk reproduction of augment portion 800 is created in this central region of the pterion . fig8 a , 8 c , and 8 e are a series of frontal views of updated implant model 600 each having a section line 8 b , 8 d , and 8 f , respectively . section lines 8 b , 8 d , and 8 f are each situated at different locations on the 3d models . section line 8 b is located in a superior region , section line 7 d is located in a central region , and section line 8 f is located in an inferior aspect of the pterional region of the patient &# 39 ; s skull in these lateral views . fig8 b , 8 d and 8 f are axial cross - sectional views that correspond to fig8 a , 8 c and 8 e , respectively . each of these axial cross - sectional views shows the difference between preliminary implant model 700 and an updated implant model including augment portion 800 . as can be seen most clearly in fig8 d , augment portion 800 is not symmetric to contralateral bone as is preliminary implant model 700 . it is designed and modified specifically to make up for the soft tissue discrepancy . in other words , it can be used for deformity prophylaxis and / or secondary correction . each patient - specific cranial implant of the present invention will be customized to fit the unique bony void and individual anthropometry of the patient , and therefore , the design inputs described above may be adjusted as needed . for example , with respect to bilateral deficits , the dual - purpose implants can be fabricated used gender - specific anthropometric norms . once the design of updated implant model 600 is finalized using the cad software , a patient - specific craniofacial implant may be manufactured using any one of many known manufacturing techniques , such as steriolithography , milling , and molding , for example . the implant can then be manufactured , for example , from alloplastic materials such as pmma , medpor ®, and peek . although the invention herein has been described with reference to particular embodiments , it is to be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and applications of the present invention . it is , therefore , to be understood that numerous modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims .	0
fig1 shows a configuration example of cells in a case where automatic lay - out is performed using a method of an embodiment of the present invention . a primitive cell group is divided into a core portion ( core cell 102 ) in which a logic circuit is made up of transistors etc . and a power - supply wiring portion ( wiring cell 101 ) in which a power - supply line and an inter - cell signal line are arranged . the wiring cell 101 is prepared as many as the number of mutually different numbers of grids , to sandwich the core cell 102 in arrangement . these cells constitute a primitive cell group used in the present invention . the number of grids shown in fig1 is just one example and not restrictive . an example of cell arrangement by use of the primitive cell group of fig1 is shown in fig2 . in a core portion is there arranged a plurality of the core cells 102 to realize a certain function , above and below which is there arranged the wiring cell 101 having an arbitrary number of grids in arrangement ( fig2 a ). only one number of grids can be set in initial setting for each lay - out data item , so that if there occurs a region in which the initially set number of grids is excessive or insufficient depending on density of the core cells 102 or the number of the inter - cell signal lines ; by using a method of the present invention , however , this region in which the number of grids is excessive or insufficient can be extracted to then replace an initially set wiring cell 101 with a wiring cell 103 having the number of grids that matches this region ( fig2 b ). a lay - out method of the present invention has a function to decide whether an arbitrarily set number of grids is excessive or insufficient using such a primitive cell group as described above , a function to calculate the number of grids that is optimal to a region , if any , of such excess or insufficiency , and a function to replace an initially arranged wiring cell with a wiring cell having a calculated number of grids . the following will describe operations of the present embodiment with reference to a flowchart of fig3 . at a stage of floor planning for lay - out , the process selects a plurality of wiring cells each containing an arbitrary number of grids ( step 301 ). the process arranges the core cell 102 and the wiring cell 101 to perform connection processing for an inter - cell signal line . this connection processing is actually performed as many times as a selected number of grids ( steps 302 and 303 ). based on a result of this processing , the process extracts the number of the inter - cell signal lines passing through the wiring cell of data which has come up with a minimum lay - out area ( step 304 ). the process compares the set number of grids and the extracted number of the inter - cell signal lines to each other ( step 305 ) and , if the set number of grids is not excessive , immediately performs fine wiring and removes a wiring error ( step 310 ). if the set number of grids is excessive or insufficient , on the other hand , the process subtracts a predetermined number from the extracted number of grids ( step 307 ). in this case , the predetermined number has been set preferably to three or less but is not restrictive in particular . the process performs this processing on each of such wiring cells 101 as to have an excessive or insufficient set number of grids ( step 308 ) and replaces them with a wiring cell containing a newly set number of grids ( step 309 ). in this case , the core cell 102 is not changed in arrangement but moved vertically by replacement of the wiring cells 101 . data thus obtained undergoes fine wiring and wiring error removal ( step 310 ) and , if no error is found , provides final data . if an error is found , on the other hand , the process identifies a wiring error location ( step 312 ) and newly sets the number of grids which is larger , by one , than the number of grids contained in a wiring cell having this error ( step 313 ) and then replaces this wiring cell with a cell containing the thus re - set number of grids ( step 314 ). the process performs re - wiring and error removal on the error location and , if no more error is found , provides current data as final data . if another error is found , on the other hand , the process returns to a step of identification of an wiring error location ( step 312 ), to repeat processing described below . the following will describe a method for setting a new number of grids in a case where a set number of grids is excessive or insufficient , with reference to fig4 . in an arrangement example of fig4 a numerical value of six is set as the number of grids in initial setting ( in which power - supply wiring portions 1 and 2 each have three grids ), so that extraction of horizontal lines passing through the power - supply wiring portions 1 and 2 comes up with a result of one or two as the number of these horizontal lines . the process calculates a ratio of the number of the horizontal wiring lines being one and two in an area of the power - supply wiring portion 1 . the process re - sets the number of grids to the number of the wiring lines which has a ratio of 50 % or more in the area . as a result , in the power - supply wiring portion 1 in fig4 the number of the wiring lines which has a ratio of 50 % or more is two , and in the power - supply wiring portion 2 , it is one . if no number of the wiring lines which has a ratio of 50 % or more can be obtained , the process selects the number of the wiring lines which has a highest ratio as a processing subject . in this case , the process sets the number of grids which is smaller than a processing - subject number of the wiring lines by about one or two to then perform fine wiring . if an error still remains , to remove it , the process changes setting of the number of grids . the settings given here are just one example and those of the ratio and the number of grids can be changed . fig5 shows a cell arrangement and wiring cell replacement processing on data obtained after temporary wiring . data before wiring - cell replacement has five as an initially set number of wiring grids ( three in the power - supply wiring portions 2 and 4 plus two in the power - supply wiring portions 1 and 3 ). the process utilizes operations of the present invention to extract horizontal wiring lines passing through the power - supply wiring portions 1 , 2 , 3 , and 4 and re - set the number of grids that matches each of the wiring cell regions ; as a result of which , the wiring cells are replaced so that the number of grids may be changed from two to one in the power - supply wiring portion 1 , similarly , from three to two in the power - supply wiring portion 2 , from two to one in the power - supply wiring portion 3 , and from three to two in the power - supply wiring portion 4 . as can be seen from fig5 the necessary number of grids before wiring - cell replacement is a total of 10 , whereas that after the replacement is a total of six , meaning a reduction of four grids of area in size . the following will describe another embodiment of the present invention with reference to fig6 . when inter - cell signal line connection processing ( wiring processing ) is performed , there may occur a spacing error or a short circuit error between one signal line and another or data in a core cell . if such an error cannot be removed in automatic lay - out wiring processing , the error can be removed using a method of the present invention . processing of a step of wiring error location identification ( step 312 ) and the subsequent in fig3 corresponds to an error removing procedure according to this method of the present invention . it is also possible to use this method only for error removal . in fig6 a power - supply wiring line and an inter - cell signal line short - circuit with each other at a boundary between the power - supply wiring portions 1 and 2 . this short circuit error is located using the present method to then replace the power - supply wiring portion 2 with a wiring cell having one more grid . the following will describe a further embodiment of the present invention with reference to fig7 . if the cell cannot be reduced in size in the power - supply wiring portion 2 eventually , a region can be specified to reduce the cell in size partially . this is actually possible by preparing , in addition to a wiring cell 1 , a wiring cell 2 for connection of a portion where a step has occurred , as power - supply wiring cells in a primitive cell group . calculation processing performed here is the same as that described above . by the present invention , it is possible to set the number of wiring grids that matches a region having a low wiring density which has not been utilized by conventional technologies . moreover , a chip size can be reduced if a region where core cells and wiring cells are arranged is reduced in area by replacing the wiring cells . furthermore , by the present invention , automatic lay - out data undergoes wiring cell replacement and then fine wiring , so that a high - quality ( high density ) wiring result can be obtained . although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments , this description is not meant to be construed in a limiting sense . various modifications of the disclosed embodiments will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description of the invention . it is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover any modifications or embodiments as fall within the true scope of the invention .	7
referring now to fig1 - 15 , there is shown the preferred embodiment of the present invention . a mulching mower mechanism 10 is provided which includes a mower deck 12 adapted for being suspended or otherwise attached beneath the frame of a lawn tractor ( not shown ) between the vehicle &# 39 ; s front and rear pairs of wheels . the deck 12 includes a top wall 14 and side walls 16 . the mower deck 12 is generally completely enclosed and does not provide a discharge outlet through which clippings are expelled . therefore , clippings cut by the mower blades 18 and 20 recirculate within the deck 12 to be re - cut or mulched by the blades 18 and 20 . the clippings are then deposited into the turf . mulching blades 18 and 20 are utilized to maximize the re - cutting of clippings within the deck 12 . the mulching blades 18 and 20 include an outer cutting portion 22 with a leading cutting edge 24 and a trailing upturned wing 26 which creates an updraft as the blade 18 and 20 rotates for suspending clippings within the deck 12 . the blades 18 and 20 also include an inner mulching portion 28 with a leading cutting edge 30 and a trailing deflector portion 32 which is designed to deflect air and clippings downwardly for directing mulched clippings into the turf . the mower mechanism 10 includes a drive system 34 which causes the first and second blades 18 and 20 to rotate within the mower deck 12 . a conventional belt drive mechanism ( not shown ) which includes a conventional v - belt 36 is utilized for driving a drive pulley 38 . the drive pulley 38 is mounted to a first spindle 40 to which the first or right blade 18 is also mounted . a flexible toothed timing belt 42 engages a first toothed sprocket 44 mounted with the first spindle 40 . the toothed belt 42 also engages first and second toothed idlers 46 and 48 mounted to a mounting plate 50 . the mounting plate 50 is operatively mounted to the deck 12 by way of bolts 106 that fix the spindle housing 52 and 54 to the deck 12 . the second toothed idler 48 tensions the toothed belt 42 . a second toothed sprocket 56 is drivingly engaged by the toothed belt 42 . the second toothed sprocket 56 is fixed with a second spindle 58 to which the second or left blade 20 is mounted . during operation , the v - shaped belt 36 transmits rotational motion to the drive pulley 38 . the first spindle 40 , first toothed sprocket 44 and first blade 18 rotate with the drive pulley 38 . the toothed belt 42 transmits rotational motion from the first toothed sprocket 44 to the second toothed sprocket 56 . the second spindle 58 and second blade 20 then rotate with the second toothed sprocket 56 . the drive system 34 is configured such that the right spindle 40 and right blade 18 will rotate in a clockwise direction and the left spindle 58 and left blade 20 will rotate in a counterclockwise direction . the right and left blades 18 and 20 are therefore counter - rotating . a tensioning mechanism 60 is supported by the mounting plate 50 . the tensioning mechanism 60 includes a bracket 62 to which the second toothed idler 48 is mounted . the second toothed idler 48 is held within a slot formed in the mounting plate 50 . a rod 64 having a threaded end portion 66 is received by the bracket 62 , and is pivotally mounted to the mounting plate 50 . a compression spring 68 is positioned between a portion of the bracket 62 and a washer 70 held in place by a nut 72 threaded on the rod 64 . the spring 68 presses against the washer 70 and bracket 62 to press the bracket 62 and second toothed idler 48 in a direction that will place tension in the toothed belt 42 . the length of the spring 68 can be adjusted by manipulating the nut 72 on the threaded end portion 66 of the rod 64 to thereby place the proper tension in the toothed belt 42 and for insuring that the toothed belt wraps properly around the various sprockets and idlers . once the appropriate amount of tension is placed in the toothed belt 42 , the second toothed idler 48 can be fixed with respect to the mounting plate 50 . a cover 74 , as best seen in fig1 , can be attached to the mounting plate 50 and will serve to generally enclose the drive mechanism 34 and generally confine and reduce noise created by the toothed belt drive system 34 . the cover 74 also acts as a barrier that helps prevent debris from accumulating on and around the belt drive system 34 and therefore improves the drive system operation . the cover 74 includes an opening 75 through which the drive pulley 38 passes when the cover 74 is being installed on the deck 12 . a plurality of attaching bolts 77 secure the cover 74 to the flange portion 79 of the mounting plate 50 . by attaching the cover to the mounting plate 50 and not the deck 12 , the present invention eliminates attaching hardware that might extend into the interior of the blade chambers 76 and 78 . the mounting plate 50 provides structure for supporting the toothed idlers 46 and 48 and tensioning mechanism 60 . therefore , the toothed idlers 46 and 48 and tensioning mechanism 60 are not coupled directly to the mower deck 12 . the attaching hardware which mounts the toothed idlers 46 and 48 and tensioning mechanism 60 to the mounting plate 50 does not protrude through the mower deck 12 to the interior of the blade chambers 76 and 78 . the interior of the blade chambers 76 and 78 therefore remains smooth and continuous and does not include any sharp of protruding structures against which clippings can accumulate and clog the deck 12 . effective mowing and mulching is thereby facilitated . the mounting plate 50 also serves as a stiffener which rigidifies the spindles 40 and 58 as the toothed belt 42 applies forces to the spindles 40 and 58 . the mounting plate 50 also helps resist forces encountered when the blades 18 and 20 hit obstructions . these forces are transmitted from the blades 18 and 20 to the spindles 40 and 58 to the spindle housings 52 and 54 and then to the mounting plate 50 and deck 12 . the mounting plate 50 helps absorb these forces and generally rigidifies the deck 12 and helps prevent the deck 12 from deforming under these loads . embossments 112 and a flange portion 79 formed integral with the mounting plate 50 help strengthen and rigidify the mounting plate 50 . such embossments 112 or other rigidifying shapes , if formed in the deck itself for rigidifying the deck against loads encountered during operation would establish shapes on the interior of the chambers which would act as structure to which wet and sticky grass clippings would adhere . the mounting plate 50 therefore provides structure in which stiffening shapes 79 and 112 can be formed without adversely affecting the flow of material within the blade chambers 76 and 78 . the mounting plate 50 may also help isolate vibrations created by the toothed idlers 46 and 48 and drive system 34 . the attaching hardware that couples the first toothed idler 46 to the mounting plate 50 includes a washer , hex bolt , spacer and locknut washer . the attaching hardware that couples the second toothed idler 48 with the mounting plate 50 includes a spacer , carriage bolt and locknut washer . next , the shape of the mower deck 12 according to the present invention will be discussed . the mower deck 12 includes adjacent first and second blade chambers 76 and 78 within which the respective right and left blades 18 and 20 rotate during operation . each blade chamber 76 and 78 includes a channel 80 which extends around the blade &# 39 ; s axis of rotation and spindle 40 or 58 . the front , side and rear portions 82 , 84 and 86 of the channels 80 extend at a generally constant radius from the spindle 40 , 58 . the portions 88 of the channels 80 directly between the spindles 40 and 58 extend closer to the spindles 40 and 58 than do the other regions of the channels 80 . the channels 80 of the blade chambers 76 and 78 can therefore be described as being d - shaped when viewed from above , with their flatted portions 88 being positioned directly adjacent one another . the flatted portions 88 of the channels 80 helps direct clippings and air inwardly so that they do not flow into or interact with the flow in the other blade chamber 76 or 78 . the rotating blades 18 and 20 operate to cut the growing grass plants near the front portion 82 of the mower deck 12 in the area where the outer cutting portions 22 of the blades 18 and 20 are traveling outwardly away from the centerline of the deck 12 . the trailing upturned wing portion 26 generates an updraft within the blade chamber 76 and 78 . after the grass has been cut at the front 82 of the chamber 80 , the upturned wing 26 lifts the clippings and directs them in the direction of blade rotation . the clippings will thereby be transported through the channel 80 so they can be recut into finer particles by the blade 18 , 20 . the front portion 82 of the channels 80 are spaced a relatively large distance above the blades 18 and 20 and are relatively tall and narrow for allowing clippings and air to travel a significant distance above the blades 18 and 20 . the channels 80 then slope down from the front portion 82 to the lower rear portion 86 . the rear portion 86 of each channel 80 is relatively shallow and wide . the low top wall 14 of the rear portion 86 of the channel 80 forces clippings downwardly where they are more likely to interact with the blade 18 , 20 for being recut . the lower top wall 14 of the rear portion 86 of the channel 80 also helps allow finely mulched clippings to be directed or drop into the turf 86 of the channel 80 is relatively wide which allows the clippings to travel radially inwardly where they are more likely to interact with the inner mulching portion 28 of the blade 18 , 20 for being recut into smaller particles and directed downwardly into the turf by the trailing downturned wing 32 . a front skirt portion 90 of the mower deck 12 includes a lowermost edge 92 that is somewhat higher than a rear skirt portion 94 . the higher front skirt 90 allows clearance for the deck 12 to travel over the growing grass without trampling or bending the grass plants forwardly . the grass plants are therefore in a better position to be lifted by the updraft within the chambers 76 and 78 and are in better position to be cut by the blade 18 , 20 . other portions of the sidewalls 16 of the chambers 76 and 78 are lower than the front skirt 90 to help confine clippings within the chambers for recutting . the blades 18 and 20 of the present invention are counter - rotating , and travel in paths which overlap by approximately two inches . the blade chambers 76 and 78 are positioned directly adjacent one another for allowing the blade paths to overlap in an area between the chambers 76 and 78 . a flow divider 96 is fixed as by screws 98 to the top wall 14 of the mower deck 12 in the area between the chambers 76 and 78 . the flow divider 96 extends downwardly from the top wall 14 of the mower deck 12 and defines a lowermost edge 100 which is in relatively close proximity to the top of the rotating blades 18 and 20 . the flow divider 96 helps establish a barrier between the two chambers 76 and 78 so that interaction between air and clippings between chambers is minimized . if the flow in the two chambers 76 and 78 were allowed to interact more between the chambers 76 and 78 , large clumps of clippings might tend to accumulate in this area . this is because the blades 18 and 20 direct clippings forwardly in the area between the chambers 76 and 78 , and may otherwise cause clumps of suspended clippings to accumulate in the front central portion 102 of the deck 12 . however , the flow divider 96 tends to prevent the flow in one chamber 76 or 78 from interacting with the flow in the other chamber 76 or 78 and helps direct clippings in a circular motion within the respective chambers 76 , 78 so that large clumps tend not to accumulate in the front central region 102 of the deck 12 . furthermore , the flow divider 96 helps break up any large accumulation of clippings in this area 102 . clumps that may accumulate in the region between the chambers tend to be split in half by a forward edge 104 of the flow divider 96 which extends in the vertical dimension . this forward edge 104 helps divide any mass of clippings so that the clippings will be recirculated within the two chambers 76 and 78 and be further dispersed . the flow divider 96 shown in the drawings is a plastic part that is fixed as by screws 98 to the top wall 14 of the deck 12 . the deck 12 is a stamped metal part . due to the shape of the flow divider 96 , it may be difficult and / or costly to form the flow divider 96 as an integral portion of the deck 12 when stamping a piece of sheet metal . furthermore , forming the shape of the flow divider 96 integral with the deck 12 may make the deck 12 unacceptably weak and susceptible to flexing in the area of the flow divider 96 . therefore , the flow divider 96 is formed as a separate part and assembled to the deck 12 . the flow divider 96 shown in the drawings adds rigidity to the deck 12 . however , a deck with an integral flow divider could be formed by a stamping process without departing from the spirit of the present invention . the mulcher mowing mechanism 10 according to the preferred embodiment is designed to eliminate any protrusions within the chambers 76 and 78 to which clippings might adhere . clogging within the chambers 76 and 78 is thereby minimized even when mowing in wet conditions . the interior surface of the deck 12 is generally smooth and continuous without any sharp corners or structural protrusions against which clippings might stick and accumulate . very little hardware such as bolts or other fixtures are attached directly to the walls of the deck 12 . idler pulleys of conventional mowers are often mounted directly to the deck . the toothed idlers 46 and 48 according to the present invention are mounted to a mounting plate 50 which extends between the first and second spindles 40 and 58 . the mounting plate 50 is fixed with the deck 12 by being confined between the spindle housings 52 and 54 and the top wall 14 of the deck 12 . attaching hardware or bolts 106 secure the spindle housing 52 and 54 to the deck 12 and thereby secure the mounting plate 50 in place . the mounting hardware of the toothed idlers 46 and 48 therefore do not protrude through to the interior of the deck 12 . clogging of clippings inside the chambers 76 , 78 is thereby reduced due to the smooth and continuous interior surface of the chambers 76 , 78 and the lack of structure against which clippings may stick and clog . the mulching mechanism 10 according to the preferred embodiment provides a right blade 18 which rotates clockwise and a left blade 20 which rotates counterclockwise . the deck 12 is positioned beneath the belly of a lawn tractor such that the right front wheel 114 of the tractor is generally aligned with the outer right portion 108 of the right blade chamber &# 39 ; s channel 80 , and the left front wheel 116 of the tractor is generally aligned with the outer left portion 110 of the left blade chamber &# 39 ; s channel 80 , as best seen in fig3 a and 3b . during normal forward operation the front tires 114 and 116 will travel over a strip of turf and generally press or bend the blades of grass forwardly . the outer portions 108 and 110 of the channels 80 will then pass directly over this strip of flattened grass . the upturned wing portion 26 of the cutting blades 18 , 20 are travelling rearwardly in this location , such that the draft created by the blade 18 , 20 is directed rearwardly and upwardly . the rearwardly and upwardly directed draft is therefore directed in an ideal direction for maximum lifting of the forwardly bent grass plants that have been run over by the front tires 114 and 116 . the paths of the right and left blade 18 and 20 overlap in the area between the chambers 76 and 78 , and therefore the grass between the blades 18 and 20 will be properly mowed without leaving an uncut strip of grass between the blades 18 and 20 . therefore , staggering or offsetting the chambers 76 and 78 in a diagonal configuration is not required . the chambers 76 and 78 are positioned directly laterally of one another and therefore are relatively compact for being positioned beneath a relatively small lawn tractor . furthermore , this configuration of chambers 76 and 78 allows the operator to easily maneuver the lawn tractor to either the right or left , and allows an operator to mow or trim close to obstructions easily with either side of the deck 12 .	8
fig1 - 3 show a portable air - curtain incinerator 10 capable of cleanly converting biomass into electrical power in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention . incinerator 10 generally comprises a firebox 12 , an air curtain manifold 14 arranged to direct a curtain of high - velocity airflow over an open top of firebox 12 , and an equipment deck 16 adjacent the firebox . equipment deck 16 supports a fuel tank 18 , an engine 20 running on fuel stored in fuel tank 18 or powered by electricity from a local power grid , and a fan 22 driven by engine 20 to generate airflow through air curtain manifold 14 . an electrical generator ( not shown ) may also be included for starting the engine 20 in the case where the portable air - curtain incinerator 10 is being used in a remote connection , with no access to a local power grid . incinerator 10 may be constructed generally as described in commonly - owned u . s . pat . no . 5 , 415 , 113 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . however , modifications for recovering waste heat and generating electrical power may be implemented as described below in accordance with the present invention . for recovering waste heat , the sidewalls of firebox 12 are equipped with heat recovery panels 24 having tubing 26 for conducting a flowing heat transfer medium such as an environmentally benign refrigerant or a water solution . for sake of simplicity , the present description refers to a refrigerant , however it will be understood that other heat transfer media may be used . panels 24 are insulated on the inner exposed side with refractory material . heat recovery panels 24 may be formed as disclosed in commonly - owned u . s . pat . no . 6 , 536 , 360 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference . alternatively , retrofittable heat recovery panels may be mated to existing thermo - ceramic firebox side panels . each heat recovery panel includes an inlet port 28 and an outlet port 30 . ports 28 and 30 are fitted with suitable coupling hardware for connecting hose or tubing lines thereto . as may be understood , the outlet port 30 of a given panel 24 may be connected by hose or tubing lines 32 to the inlet port 28 of a next panel , and so on , to provide a continuous flow path for heat transfer medium to traverse substantially the entire length of a sidewall of firebox 12 . retrofittable heat recovery panels may be formed using stainless steel to inhibit corrosion . as shown in fig5 , heat may also be recovered from above the exhaust plume 51 of the firebox 12 by constructing a partial heat recovery roof 52 . due to the forces of the air curtain 53 , the exhaust plume 51 ( or compression of exhaust gases ) rises up from the wall opposite the air curtain manifold 14 . the exhaust plume 51 covers the entire length of the firebox 12 , and approximately 20 % of the width of the firebox 12 . the temperature of the exhaust plume 51 reaches over 1800 degrees fahrenheit ( 982 . 2 degrees celsius ). the partial heat recovery roof 52 may use similar heat recovery panels as the sidewalls of the firebox 12 to recover heat from the incineration of waste . fig3 shows that tubing 26 and connecting lines 32 are part of a closed refrigerant loop generally indicated by numeral 34 . the refrigerant starts at a pump 36 as a liquid and is cycled through heat recovery panels 24 along a sidewall of firebox 12 . heat from incineration of biomass within firebox 12 is transferred to the refrigerant , causing the refrigerant to change from liquid phase to gaseous phase and rapidly expand . the rapidly expanding gas is conveyed to a high speed generator 38 on equipment deck 16 , causing the generator &# 39 ; s turbine to spin at a very high rate to generate high frequency alternating current ( ac power ). the gaseous refrigerant exits generator 38 and travels through a condensing portion 40 of loop 34 , which serves to condense the refrigerant to its liquid phase . alternatively , the heat transfer medium may be kept under pressure so that it remains in a liquid phase after being heated by the incineration of biomass . the pressurized heat transfer medium is directed to a heat transfer unit containing a refrigerant . the heat from the pressurized heat transfer medium causes the refrigerant to change from liquid phase to gaseous phase and rapidly expand . the rapidly expanding gas is conveyed to a high speed generator 38 on equipment deck 16 , causing the turbine to generate electric power . in this case , the heat transfer medium may be water , kept under pressure , which reaches a temperature about 275 degrees fahrenheit ( 135 degrees celsius ); however , other liquid mediums may be used . condensing portion 40 may be embodied in a variety of ways depending upon the location and use of incinerator 10 . the simplest and lowest cost system is to run the refrigerant line through a cool water ( about 78 degrees fahrenheit ; 25 . 6 degrees celsius ) bath 42 where cooling water is drawn from a local pond , stream , lake or well . in this system no cooling water is consumed , lost or contaminated in the process but the water returned to the source will see about a 10 degrees fahrenheit ( 5 . 6 degrees celsius ) increase in temperature . a variant of this would be to use a portable water tank or truck to circulate the water for cooling . the size of the tanker would depend on the size of firebox 12 and the amount of power being generated . another option is an evaporative cooler which uses a small amount of water run over the heat exchange coils to cool the refrigerant . a further option is an air blast cooler which uses air fans to blow cooling air across a radiator and cool the refrigerant . this option would not use water , but would consume more of the electricity produced by incinerator 10 . waste hot air from the air blast cooler may be used to warm a building or greenhouse . generator 38 may include a single stage turbo expander , rated , for example , at 28 , 000 rpm , and a high speed two - pole rare earth magnet alternator providing , for example , a 100 kwe minimum output . by way of further example , the electrical output may be 380 - 480 v line - to - line rms 3 phase 4 wire 50 / 60 hz 100 kwe minimum . generator 38 outputs into a power conditioning module 44 located on equipment deck 16 . power conditioning module 44 controls , distributes and conditions the power coming from generator 38 . power conditioning module 44 may be a pe modulated solid state module programmable to user requirements . first the power is distributed within the incinerator system itself to charge the batteries and to run all the pumps , valves , fans and electronics of the system . this consumes approximately 10 % of the available power ( except for an air blast cooling system , which would consume an additional 10 %). the other 90 % is then conditioned for output to the local power grid . power can be provided at almost any voltage and frequency required , but the most common is 480v three - phase ac power . power output is dependent in part on the capacity of the incinerator firebox 12 . using an existing firebox configuration such as the model s220 firebox available from air burners llc , incinerator 10 will consume between three and six tons of wood waste per hour and is expected to yield a minimum output of about 100 kwe . if a larger firebox configuration is used , such as the model s327 firebox from air burners llc , incinerator 10 may generate between 175 and 300 kwe . incinerator 10 is fully self - contained and easily transportable , making its use possible at multiple sites or communities . on - site connections include the electrical grid and possibly a source of cooling water . fig4 shows an alternative embodiment 100 of the present invention , wherein multiple air curtain incinerators 110 are in communication with a single shared power generator 138 . generator 138 may be part of a power generation and cooling station 150 located near air curtain incinerators 110 . station 150 is shown as further including a condensing system in the form of a cooling water bath 142 ( other condensing systems may be used as discussed above ), and a power conditioning module 144 . gas phase refrigerant is carried by conduit 132 from incinerators 110 to station 150 to rotate the turbine of generator 138 to generate electrical power . power conditioning module 144 converts the generated power for distribution along line 152 to the local power grid for general use and along lines 154 to incinerators 110 for powering components of each incinerator 110 that run on electrical power . refrigerant is cooled and returned to its liquid phase as it is conveyed through cooling water bath 142 . conduits 133 , equipped with suitable pumping hardware ( not shown ), carry the condensed refrigerant back to the incinerators 110 to repeat the cycle . as will be appreciated , the embodiment of fig4 requires only one generator for a group of fireboxes , and a large portion of the generated electricity may be sold to a utility company at a profit . it may also be possible to realize additional income from generating and selling carbon credits on the open market ( e . g . the carbon credit exchange or “ ccx ”). advantageously , in both embodiments described above , the refrigerant is contained in a closed system and is not expelled or replenished . the present invention provides a portable system for generating power from large scale biomass incineration . the present invention reduces wood waste by 98 %; ten tons of logs in yields about two - hundred pounds of ash out ( a clean natural ash which is a highly desirable recycled product for agriculture , growers , nurseries and is also a good landfill cover ). the invention also captures energy from the wood waste and converts it to electricity , providing an additional income from the sale of that electricity . the present invention is useful in almost every landfill , transfer station or forestry operation . air curtain incineration is a well - tested and proven technology that allows for natural burning of clean wood waste while protecting our environment from the smoke typically associated with open burning . of course , the wood waste has enormous energy potential that may now be realized by the present invention , and significant amounts of electricity may be made available in remote locations .	8
as explained above , having a hase - type emulsion with a thickening power comparable to that of prior emulsions containing alkyl phenols , but without using the latter , represents a technical problem which was unresolved . when working on this problem , the inventors succeeded in developing new associative acrylic thickening agents , using a particular associative monomer , the oxyalkylated chain of which bearing a hydrophobic group is an alkylcyclohexanol alkoxylate . such compounds have been identified as surfactants , and can be obtained by alkoxylation of an alkyl phenol and hydrogenation of the product obtained . reference may notably be made to the document u . s . pat . no . 6 , 111 , 146 which describes their synthesis . the resulting compounds are designated by the expression “ alkylcyclohexanol alkoxylates ”. it is noteworthy that the final structure is not that of an alkyl phenol , and that the resulting product will not be categorized as such . preferred associative monomers according to the invention have the following formula ( i ): m and n are independent integers of less than 150 , at least one of which is non - zero , a and b designate alkyl groups which are different one from another , and have 2 to 4 carbon atoms , where group ao preferentially designates ethylene oxide , and group bo preferentially designates propylene oxide , r ′ designates a polymerizable unsaturated group , preferentially methacrylate , r designates a linear or branched alkyl group containing 8 to 20 carbon atoms , and preferentially a linear alkyl group having 9 to 12 carbon atoms . in formula ( i ) each of the ( ao ) and ( bo ) groups can independently be reversed in direction — i . e ., -( ao )— can be —( oa )- and —( bo )— can be —( ob )—. the associative thickening agents which result from the polymerization of a monomer composition composed of one or more of these monomers of formula ( i ), of one or more of ( meth ) acrylic acid and of one or more of an ester of ( meth ) acrylic acid , which also make up a part of the invention , have no alkyl phenols ; in an unexpected and particularly advantageous manner , they enable a water - based paint to be thickened to a level of viscosity at least equal to that provided by hases containing alkyl phenols . it is even demonstrated that a rheological profile is obtained for the invention which is very similar to that proposed by the products of the state of the art for alkyl phenols . a product has therefore successfully been developed which is at least equivalent , and which overcomes the problem relating to the use of alkyl phenols . one preferred object of the invention therefore is a hase - type emulsion , containing water and a polymer that is composed of : a ) ( meth ) acrylic acid , b ) an ester of ( meth ) acrylic acid , and c ) a monomer of formula ( i ) above . preferred emulsions , associative monomers and associative thickening agents of the invention are also characterized in that , for the monomer of formula ( i ), one or more of the following apply : r designates a linear alkyl group having 9 to 12 carbon atoms subject , of course , to the limitation in formula ( i ) that at least one of n and m must be non - zero . these emulsions , associative monomers and associative thickening agents of the invention are also preferably characterized in that the polymer which they contain is composed of , expressed as a % by weight of each of its monomers : a ) of 20 % to 55 %, preferentially 35 % to 45 %, of ( meth ) acrylic acid , b ) of 40 % to 70 %, preferentially 45 % to 55 %, of at least one ester of ( meth ) acrylic acid , c ) of 2 % to 20 %, preferentially 3 % to 15 %, of at least one monomer of formula ( i ). another preferred object of the invention is a method to thicken an aqueous formulation , by introducing an emulsion of the abovementioned hase type , or an associative thickening agent of the invention , into the formulation . another preferred object of the present invention is an aqueous formulation containing a hase - type emulsion according to the invention , or an associative thickening agent of the invention , where this formulation is preferentially characterized in that it is a water - based paint . the following examples provide illustrative embodiments of the invention . one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize the numerous modifications and variations that may be performed without altering the spirit or scope of the present invention . such modifications and variations are encompassed within the scope of the invention . the examples do not in any way limit the invention . this example illustrates the manufacture of a water - based paint , in which a thickening agent of the prior art containing an alkyl phenol having 15 carbon atoms and a thickening agent according to the invention , the r group of which is a linear alkyl chain having 9 carbon atoms , is used : the corresponding hydrophobic group therefore contains 15 carbon atoms in this case . this test illustrates the prior art . it uses an aqueous emulsion with 30 % by dry weight of a polymer containing grafted alkyl phenols , which is rheotech ™ 3000 sold by the company coatex ™. this test illustrates the prior art . it uses an aqueous emulsion containing 30 % by dry weight of a polymer consisting of , expressed as a % by weight of each of its monomers : a ) 37 . 1 % ( meth ) acrylic acid , b ) 52 . 9 % of ethyl acrylate , c ) 10 . 0 % by weight of a monomer of formula r ′—( oe ) n - r ′″ where r ′ designates the methacrylate group , oe is ethylene oxide , n is equal to 25 and r ′″ is the alkyl phenol group having 15 carbon atoms . this test illustrates the invention . it uses an aqueous emulsion containing 30 % by dry weight of a polymer consisting of , expressed as a % by weight of each of its monomers : a ) 37 . 0 % ( meth ) acrylic acid , b ) 53 . 0 % of ethyl acrylate , c ) 10 . 0 % by weight of a monomer of formula ( i ) where -( ao )— in formula ( i ) is —( oa )- and designates ethylene oxide , m = 0 and n = 25 , r ′ is the methacrylate group and r designates a linear alkyl group having 9 carbon atoms . in each of the tests n o 1 to 3 , 150 grams of mowilith ™ ldm 1871 , 42 grams of bipermuted water and 6 grams of the emulsion to be tested are introduced into the beaker . the ph is adjusted by using ammonia ( 28 %) to a value of between 8 . 6 and 8 . 9 . at 25 ° c ., the brookfield ™ viscosities at 10 and 100 revolutions per minute ( μ bk10 and μ bk100 ), and the stormer ™ ( μ s ) and ici ™ ( μ ici ) viscosities of the paint are measured . results are shown in table 1 . as used herein the terms composed of , contains , containing , including , and terms similar thereto , when referring to the ingredients , parts , reactants , etc ., of a composition , component , etc ., according to the invention mean , in their broadest sense , “ includes at least ” but also include within their definition all those gradually restricted meanings until and including the point where only the enumerated materials are included ( e . g ., consisting essentially of and consisting of ). the above written description of the invention provides a manner and process of making and using it such that any person skilled in this art is enabled to make and use the same , this enablement being provided in particular for the subject matter of the following list of preferred embodiments and the appended claims , which make up a part of the original description . the following list of preferred embodiments are fully described herein in a manner allowing the skilled man to both make and use them : a hase - type emulsion , comprising water and a polymer comprising polymerized units of : a ) ( meth ) acrylic acid , b ) an ester of ( meth ) acrylic acid , and c ) a monomer of formula ( i ): m and n are independent integers of less than 150 , at least one of which is non - zero , a and b designate alkyl groups which are different one from another , and have 2 to 4 carbon atoms , r ′ designates a polymerizable unsaturated group , r designates a linear or branched alkyl group containing 8 to 20 carbon atoms wherein in formula ( i ) each of the -( ao )— and —( bo )— groups can independently be reversed in direction such that -( ao )— can be —( oa )- and —( bo )— can be —( ob )—. the emulsion according to embodiment 1 , wherein , for the monomer of formula ( i ), m = 0 , ao designates ethylene oxide , and n is between 20 and 40 . the emulsion according to embodiment 1 , wherein the polymer comprises , expressed as a % by weight of each of its monomers : a ) of 20 % to 55 % of ( meth ) acrylic acid , b ) of 40 % to 70 % of an ester of ( meth ) acrylic acid , c ) of 2 % to 20 % of a monomer of formula ( i ). the emulsion according to embodiment 3 , wherein the polymer comprises , expressed as a % by weight of each of its monomers : a ) of 35 % to 45 % of ( meth ) acrylic acid , b ) of 45 % to 55 % of an ester of ( meth ) acrylic acid , c ) of 3 % to 15 % of a monomer of formula ( i ). the emulsion according to embodiment 1 , wherein , for the monomer of formula ( i ), -( ao )— is —( oa )- and designates ethylene oxide , m = 0 , n = 25 , r ′ is a methacrylate group and r designates a linear alkyl group having 9 carbon atoms . a method of thickening an aqueous formulation , comprising introducing the hase - type emulsion according to embodiment 1 into said formulation . a water - based paint , comprising a hase - type emulsion according to embodiment 1 . as used herein , the phrases “ selected from the group consisting of ,” “ chosen from ,” and the like include mixtures of the specified materials . the term “ mentioned ” notes exemplary embodiments , and is not limiting to certain species . as used herein the words “ a ” and “ an ” and the like carry the meaning of “ one or more .” when a polymer is referred to in shorthand notation as comprising a monomer ( or like phrases ), the monomer is present in the polymer in polymerized form . as used herein the term ( meth ) acrylic means methacrylic and acrylic , includes mixtures , and supports both terms . all references , patents , applications , tests , standards , documents , publications , brochures , texts , articles , etc . mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference . where a numerical limit or range is stated , the endpoints are included . also , all values and subranges within a numerical limit or range are specifically included as if explicitly written out . the above description is presented to enable a person skilled in the art to make and use the invention , and is provided in the context of a particular application and its requirements . various modifications to the preferred embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art , and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . thus , this 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 . in this regard , certain embodiments within the invention may not show every benefit of the invention , considered broadly .	2
the present invention proposes a solution for improving accessibility to the products stored in the dispenser , offering an ultra - simple design with no moving parts and thus no risk of mechanical breakdown , and considerably reducing energy loss in refrigerated dispensers . in that instance , the invention offers an effective compromise that is more economical and environmentally friendly than existing refrigerated cabinets . to achieve this , the invention concerns a dispenser of the type indicated . the outlet opening is closed by a blocking membrane with slits made of airtight material , and in that the dispenser comprises at the end of the housing a ramp angled towards the outlet opening located at the rear of the housing and causing the product in the stack to advance along a predetermined course through the outlet opening so that it partially emerges through the blocking membrane and may be grasped manually from outside the dispenser without the need to open a door or a trap or to perform any other manipulation . thus , the product is presented automatically to the consumer , even if the housing is a refrigerated one . the outlet opening may be located at the lower extremity of the housing , with the stacked products being automatically displaced by gravity , or at the upper extremity of the housing , with the stacked products being automatically displaced by a pushing force , the housing defining a stack that may be either a straight vertical stack or a zigzag stack . the housing is advantageously adjustable at least in depth in order to adapt to various product lengths . for this purpose , it comprises a fixed portion defining the base of the housing and an adjustable portion defining the lateral walls and rear of the housing and joined to the fixed portion by attaching means . the attaching means may comprise complementary fittings or sliding parts respectively located on the fixed and adjustable portions of the housing and respectively defining fixed or infinite adjustment positions . the dispenser preferably comprises several housings arranged generally parallel to one another to provide sufficient capacity , being at least partially formed of grills and separated from one another . in the preferred embodiment , the case is closed by at least one door which allows the housing to be restocked with products . it may also comprise either an integrated refrigeration means or a remote refrigeration means . in both cases , the housings are at least partially formed of grills . it may also be modular in configuration . in this situation , the case is designed to receive at least one detachable module comprising at least the housing and the outlet opening , adapted for at least one product , and the dispenser comprises several interchangeable modules of this type . the invention also concerns a dispensing cabinet comprising an assemblage of at least two dispensers like those defined above , the cabinet also possibly comprising a centralized refrigeration means and a means for connecting it to the dispensers . the dispensers comprise an assembly means allowing them to be detached from one another , the assembly means advantageously being at least partially integrated within the exterior surfaces of the dispensers . the advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following description of several embodiments provided by way of non - limiting examples , with reference to the attached drawings , in which : fig1 is an elevation view of a first embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention ; fig2 is a perspective view of an arrangement of several dispenses according to fig1 ; fig3 is a perspective view of the storage zone of the dispenser of fig1 ; fig4 is a lateral cross - section of the dispenser of fig1 ; fig5 is a view similar to fig3 of a variation of the embodiment of the storage zone in the dispenser of fig1 ; fig6 is an overhead view of the storage zone of fig5 ; fig7 is a view similar to fig1 of a second embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention ; fig8 is a view similar to fig4 of the dispenser of fig7 ; fig9 and 10 are , respectively , a front view partially in cross section and a lateral cross - section of a third embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention ; fig1 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a dispenser according to the invention , with the door open ; fig1 and 13 are side cross - sections of the dispenser of fig1 shown with bottles and with cans , respectively ; and fig1 is a perspective of a modular variation of the dispenser of fig1 . with reference to the drawings , dispenser 10 , 10 ′ of consumable products according to the invention may , but does not necessarily , concern beverages packaged in disposable or returnable containers such as bottles 1 ( cf . fig1 - 6 , 9 , 10 , 12 ), cans ( cf . fig1 ), or cups 5 ( cf . fig7 - 8 ) which may or may not be in the form of individual portions . it may also concern any consumable food product so long as the product is of sufficient consistency or is packaged in a sufficiently rigid container to be stored superimposed one on top of the other . this dispenser 10 , 10 ′ is based on a simple , very economical and highly reliable dispensing concept , since it has no mechanisms or moving parts capable of causing malfunctions or requiring regular maintenance , as explained below . it comprises , with reference to fig1 , a case 11 which may be cube shaped and equipped with a locking door 12 on the front allowing dispenser 10 to be restocked with bottles 1 . the door may also be located on another surface of case 11 . the front surface of case 11 is preferably transparent or translucent to display the bottles arranged inside dispenser 10 . in the example shown , door 12 has a window and combines the functions of “ window ” and “ access means ” to a storage zone 30 . dispenser 10 also comprises on the front surface four outlet openings 20 located in the lower portion of case 11 . the number of these outlet openings 20 depends upon the number of stacks of bottles 1 provided in storage zone 30 . each outlet opening 20 is closed by a flexible blocking membrane 21 with slots , arranged , for example , in a star shape , allowing a bottle 1 to emerge partially through it , with its mouth 2 , for example , constituting a handle for extracting it manually without any need to open a door or trap or perform any other manipulation , thus maintaining the airtight seal of case 11 , especially if it is refrigerated , and conserving cooling energy . dispenser 10 comprises a storage zone 30 inside the case 11 a first example of which is illustrated by fig3 and 4 , defining four parallel housings 31 for receiving horizontally positioned bottles 1 oriented parallel to the axis of outlet openings 20 with their mouths 2 facing forward , and stacked on top of one another in a column , each housing 31 opening into an outlet opening 20 . this storage zone 30 may be made of solid , perforated , or grill partitions , or a combination of these types of partitions . in the example shown it is made of grills 34 attached to a base 35 , the grills 34 forming baffles to separate housings 31 from one another and thereby improving product refrigeration , as will be explained below . the number of housings 31 varies depending upon the dimensions of case 11 . the width and height of these housings 31 are defined according to the dimensions of bottles 1 or other products for dispensing . however , the width may be selected to accept products of different widths . each housing 31 defines a straight vertical column capable of laterally guiding stacked bottles 1 so they descend automatically by gravity without becoming blocked and their extremity arrives in the axis of outlet openings 20 . this vertical column may also have a zigzag shape . however , this version is more complex to manufacture and requires more lateral space than the version with straight columns . dispenser 10 comprises , at the base of housings 31 , a means for automatically advancing the lower bottle 1 in each column towards its outlet opening 20 along a predetermined course c until the mouth 2 of bottle 1 appears outside outlet opening 20 so a hand can simply and quickly grasp it . this automatic advancement means comprises , at the rear of each housing 31 , a ramp 40 angled towards the corresponding outlet opening 20 . this ramp 40 forms with the base of housing 31 an angle α ranging from 45 to 900 , preferably equal to 60 °, and it displaces bottle 1 , which continues its descent by gravity , horizontally into the axis of outlet opening 20 according to arrow a along a course c corresponding in this case to the height of the neck of bottle 1 , approximately 2 to 3 cm . ramps 40 are joined to housings 31 of adjustable depth so as to adapt storage zone 30 to different product lengths . they may be formed of solid , perforated , or grill walls . in the example shown in fig3 and 4 , they are formed of solid walls provided in base 35 supporting grills 34 . to be adjustable in depth , storage zone 30 is formed of a fixed portion 32 located in the base of case 11 and defining the base of housings 31 , and of an adjustable portion 33 defining the lateral and rear walls of housings 31 and joined to the fixed portion 32 by an indexing means 50 . fixed portion 32 consists of a generally rectangular plate with grooves 36 formed in it and having rims 37 on opposing sides , grooves 36 and rims 37 being perpendicular to the front surface of case 11 . the adjustable portion 33 comprises base 35 and grills 34 , base 35 being guided translationally within grooves 36 in fixed portion 32 . storage zone 30 may be completed by one or two supports 38 for holding a vertically positioned bottle 1 behind glass door 12 in order to display the product or products to be dispensed . as shown in fig4 , bottles 1 are guided vertically on four sides by the lateral and rear walls of housings 31 and to door 12 against which the mouths 2 of the bottles abut , which prevents a bottle 1 from positioning itself crosswise . the indexing means 50 may comprise complementary fittings respectively provided on the fixed portions 32 and adjustable portions 33 that define the fixed adjustment positions . the complementary fittings consist , as in the example illustrated , of two rows of notches 51 parallel to arrow a formed in opposing rims 37 on the fixed portion 32 and two fingers 52 sized to engage in a notch 51 located on the corresponding sides of base 35 of adjustable portion 33 . notches 51 are spaced at regular intervals , which could also be irregular , each notch 51 defining a fixed and predetermined adjustment position . other equivalent forms of complementary fittings may be used . even other indexing means may be used , such as for example , complementary sliding elements located respectively on fixed and adjustable portions 331 to allow an infinite number of adjusted positions . fig5 and 6 illustrate another embodiment of storage zone 30 ′ made exclusively of grills 34 , without a base , and in which ramps 40 ′ are also formed of these grills 34 . in this variation , the indexing means 50 ′ comprises rows of parallel openings 51 ′ located in the fixed portion 32 ′ and feet 52 ′ which engage in these openings 51 ′ located at the base of adjustable portion 33 ′, with openings 51 ′ defining the fixed and predetermined adjustment positions . fig7 and 8 illustrate another embodiment of a dispenser 10 ′ according to the invention adapted for dispensing lidded cups 5 . this dispenser 10 ′ differs from the preceding one by having blocking membranes 21 ′ at its outlet openings 20 with slots that are i - shaped , t - shaped , or similar , in order to allow the strip handle 6 of cups 5 to project partially . of course , storage zone 30 is adapted to the size of cups 5 . fig9 and 10 illustrate yet another embodiment of a dispenser 110 according to the invention in which outlet openings 20 are no longer located at the lower portion , but at the upper portion , and stacked bottles 1 are no longer displaced by gravity , but by a force exerted by a flexible means 80 located in the lower portion of each housing 31 . this flexible means 80 comprises in the example shown a plate 81 attached to a spring device 82 such as a compressed helicoidal spring , a spiral spring , stacked belleville washers , or a similar device . thus , stacked bottles 1 are displaced automatically toward outlet opening 20 under the influence of spring device 82 , with first upper bottle 1 being automatically displaced through outlet opening 20 by ramp 40 . when this bottle is withdrawn from dispenser 110 , the following bottle 1 appears automatically . if no new bottle 1 appears , this means that the housing 31 in question is empty and that it can be refilled by opening door 12 . this type of dispenser 110 is advantageously used in bars to facilitate the work of the bartender and significantly reduce contortions when it is necessary to stoop and search for bottles stored in refrigerators with limited access behind the bar . dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 may comprise an integrated refrigeration means , either attached or remote . in this instance , case 11 is thermally insulated , door 12 is equipped with a sealing gasket , and blocking membranes 21 , 21 ′ are made of material that is airtight and watertight , for example , with a natural or synthetic rubber base , to ensure sealing of outlet openings 20 and limit loss of cold air . in the example shown , the refrigeration means 60 is integrated , housed inside case 11 , and comprises a compressor 61 , a static evaporator 62 , and an exterior condenser in the rear ( not shown ), compressor 61 being connected to the electrical supply network with a cable ( not shown ). grills 34 in storage zone 30 , 30 ′ are preferably made of corrosion - resistant metal wire to ensure satisfactory thermal exchange between refrigerated case 11 and bottles 1 . the fact that the stacks of stored products are separated from one another by these grills 34 encourages air circulation and improves product refrigeration , thus consuming less cooling power . in the hypothetical instance where the refrigeration means is remote , dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 comprises connections to the cooling network ( not shown ). if the refrigeration means is attached , there is some means of attachment , such as clips or the like , for connecting the refrigeration unit to case 11 . the dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 may be completed by an assembly means 70 allowing several preferably identical dispensers to be combined to form a dispenser cabinet 100 , like the example illustrated in fig2 , adapting the dispensing volume to demand . this assembly means 70 may be integrated with each dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 using complementary attachment means such as ribs 71 located on the lower surface of cases 11 and grooves 72 located on the upper surfaces . in this embodiment ribs 71 may serve as feet when dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 is used individually . obviously any other form of complementary attachment may be used , the forms being located randomly on case 11 , for the purpose of assembling dispensers 10 by superimposing them and / or placing them side by side like legos ®. the assembly means may also consist of additional parts , such as attaching brackets , hooks , and the like , to connect the cases to one another by screwing , clipping , or some similar method . in dispensing cabinet 100 , dispensers 10 , 10 ′, 110 may be completely independent and use their own refrigeration means 60 , affording a great deal of flexibility in use ; or conversely , they may be dependent and connected to a centralized refrigeration means 60 ′ located in the lower portion of the cabinet , for example . fig1 through 14 illustrate a variation of dispenser 10 of fig1 through 6 in which outlet openings 20 ′ are angled relative to the front surface of case 11 in the direction opposite to the ramps 40 to facilitate the release and grasping of the product , as shown in fig1 and 13 . in the preceding example in which the outlet openings 20 are essentially located in the plane of door 12 , ramp 40 must be inclined sufficiently to generate a course c larger than the width of door 12 . therefore , a compromise needs to be reached between the angle of ramp 40 to ensure that the product is guided correctly without tipping or becoming blocked , and the course c to be generated to ensure that there is sufficient area for grasping the product outside the dispenser . the fact that outlet opening 20 ′ is angled in the opposite direction from ramp 40 creates a larger product grasping area while the course c of the product remains the same . moreover , since blocking membrane 21 is angled , it offers less resistance to the product , thus facilitating its discharge while still remaining airtight , as the membrane remains pressed against the periphery of the product . in fig1 , the stored products are bottles 1 and the gripping area comprises the mouth 2 , the neck , and the first portion of the body of bottle 1 . in fig1 , the stored products are cans 3 and the gripping area comprises the extremity 4 of can 3 and the first portion of the body of can 3 . dispenser 10 of fig1 through 14 is completed by an intermediate grate 39 located between storage zone 30 and door 12 . this intermediate grill 39 may be articulated with hinges to one side of case 11 , as shown , or attached to the case by any other similar means . it holds supports 38 between its vertical shafts , which perform the function of vertically guiding the products through their housings 31 and maintaining them inside storage zone 30 when door 12 is open . this dispenser 10 may have a modular construction as shown in fig1 , in which case 11 that may comprise the refrigeration means is standard and may incorporate interior modules 90 , 91 adapted to the products for storage , for example , one module 90 for dispensing bottles 1 , one module 91 for dispensing cans 3 , or any other module . in the example shown each interior module 90 , 91 comprises a unit 92 surrounding storage zone 30 , outlet openings 20 ′ and intermediate grill 39 , the dimensions of the unit allowing it to be introduced inside case 11 of dispenser 10 by sliding it like a drawer . thus , a single dispenser 10 is quickly and easily adapted for different products by simply exchanging interior modules 90 , 91 . this type of dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 may equip any industrial commercial , or even domestic location , since the products to be dispensed may be delivered conventionally by a transporter or purchased at a store with no need to modify the factory packaging . once unpacked , the products are loaded into dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 through the front , with door 12 providing access to storage zone 30 , 30 ′. since housings 31 are open on the front , loading the products in a stack is very quick , as the first product in each stack automatically advances along course c using ramp 40 , 40 ′ relative to the rest of the stack . after door 12 is closed , dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 is very simple to use . the products are automatically presented in outlet openings 20 , 20 ′ and can be grasped easily by one hand . when a product is removed from dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 1101 the next product appears , thanks to ramp 40 and the fact that the stack of products is automatically displaced . at any time dispenser 10 , 10 ′, 110 can be restocked if an inspection through glass door 12 reveals that one or more housings 31 are empty , or simply if no product appears in one or more outlet openings 20 , 20 ′. it is clearly apparent from this description that the invention achieves the stated goals , i . e ., a dispenser that is economical to produce , maintenance - free , versatile , modular , and very simple to use . the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments described , but extends to any modification and variation obvious to a person skilled in the art while still remaining within the scope of protection defined in the attached claims .	0
the embodiment relates to a radiator for efficiently radiating a heat radiated from a heater element used in , for example , a power converting device . the heater element includes , for example , a diode of a converter part that converts an ac into a dc in a power converting device , a bipolar transistor of an inverter part that converts the dc into the ac , and an igbt , a mosfet , or a gto as a switching element . the present invention is not limited to this embodiment . fig1 is a top view illustrating a semiconductor device using a radiator according to this embodiment , and fig2 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line a - a of fig1 . referring to fig2 , a lead frame 7 is joined to one surface of a radiation fin support base 1 through an insulating resin sheet 10 , and the lead frame 7 and the radiation fin support base 1 are electrically insulated from each other . the lead frame 7 is soldered to a heater element 9 with a metal wire . also , in order to efficiently radiate a heat from the heater element 9 , the lead frame 7 , the radiation fin support base 1 , and radiation fins 4 are formed of a member made of copper or aluminum which is high in thermal conductivity . further , a mold resin 6 covers the heater element 9 , the lead frame 7 , and a metal wire 8 , and electrically insulates those respective members from the external . also , in order to provide an insulation property and a high conductivity , the insulating resin sheet 10 is made of epoxy resin mixed with a filler made of silicon or boron nitride particles . it is preferable that the coefficient of linear thermal expansion of the insulating resin sheet 10 is smaller than the coefficient of linear thermal expansion of the radiation fin support base 1 . also , the other surface of the radiation fin support base 1 is formed with plural parallel fin grooves 2 , and the radiation fins 4 are installed in the fin grooves 2 . fig3 is a front view illustrating a radiator according to a first embodiment of the present invention . fig3 ( a ) is a diagram illustrating a state in which one of the radiation fins 4 is installed in each of the plural parallel fin grooves 2 formed in the radiation fin support base 1 . also , a first projection 3 having a predetermined height is exposed from a bottom surface of each fin groove 2 . in this example , the height of the first projection 3 is configured to be lower than an upper end of each fin groove 2 . for that reason , even in a state where the radiation fins 4 is inclined obliquely with respect to a height direction of the fin grooves 2 , the radiation fins 4 can be inserted into the fin grooves 2 without any interference with the fin grooves 2 or the first projections 3 . this makes it easy to insert the radiation fins 4 in a process of manufacturing the radiator . fig3 ( b ) is a diagram illustrating a state in which the first projections 3 are tilted toward the radiation fins 4 side by press work , and each of the radiation fins 4 is swaged between a top of the first projection 3 and a side surface of the fin groove 2 . fig4 is a perspective view of the radiation fin support base 1 , the fin groove 2 , and the first projection 3 . in the first embodiment , each of the fin grooves 2 is formed in a cuboidal shape . also , each of the first projections 3 is formed from the bottom of each fin groove 2 in a cuboidal shape . fig5 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line b - b of fig3 ( a ), and fig6 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line c - c of fig3 ( a ). as illustrated in those drawings , in the first embodiment , a longitudinal length of the first projections 3 and a longitudinal length of the fin grooves 2 are identical with a longitudinal length of the radiation fin support base 1 . it is desirable that a method of manufacturing the radiator according to the first embodiment includes the following manufacturing processes . that is , the method undergoes a process of forming the plural parallel fin grooves 2 to one surface of the radiation fin support base 1 , the first projections 3 within the respective fin grooves 2 through the die cast molding or the extrusion molding at the same time . then , the method undergoes a process of installing one radiation fin 4 in each of the fin grooves 2 . thereafter , the method undergoes a process of inserting a press blade 5 between one side surface of the fin groove 2 where the radiation fin 4 is not installed and the first projection 3 and weighting the press blade 5 by a press machine , thereby tilting the first projection 3 toward the radiation fin 4 side , and pushing the top of the first projection 3 against one side surface of the radiation fin 4 to swage the radiation fin . accordingly , the radiation fin 4 is fixed between the side surface of the fin groove 2 and the top of the first projection 3 . fig7 is a diagram illustrating a process of tilting the first projections 3 by using the press blade 5 among the above processes . in this example , in order to easily inserting the press blade 5 between the first projection 3 and the fin groove 2 , it is desirable that the tip of the press blade 5 is shaped so that a width of the press blade 5 is narrowed toward the tip thereof as illustrated in fig7 . also , in order to make it hard to break the press blade 5 , and in order to increase a press blade angle , it is desirable to partially flatten the tip of the press blade 5 . from the above viewpoints , it is desirable that the press blade 5 is trapezoidally shaped so that the width of the press blade 5 is narrowed toward the tip thereof . as illustrated in fig7 ( a ), the press blade 5 ( or a swaging jig ) is inserted between one side surface of the fin groove 2 where the radiation fin 4 is not installed and the first projection 3 , and the first projection 3 is tilted toward the radiation fin 4 side . more specifically , as illustrated in fig7 ( b ), the press blade 5 is inserted between one side surface of the fin groove 2 where the radiation fin 4 is not installed and the first projection 3 , and then pressed by the press machine . in this example , because the first projections 3 are made of metal large in plasticity such as copper or aluminum , each of the first projections 3 is deformed by pressing through the press machine , and tilted toward the radiation fin 4 side according to the shape of the tip of the press blade 5 . thereafter , the tip of the press blade 5 is abutted against a lower end of the fin groove 2 , and stops . with this operation , the top of the first projection 3 presses the radiation fin 4 toward the side surface of the fin groove 2 . for that reason , as illustrated in fig7 ( b ), the radiation fin 4 is swaged between the top of the first projection 3 and the side surface of the fin groove 2 . through the above processes , there can be obtained a radiation fin attaching structure having high adhesion between the radiation fins 4 and the side surfaces of the fin grooves 2 . as a result , because large contact areas of the radiation fins 4 with the fin grooves 2 can be ensured , the thermal resistance between the radiation fins and the radiation fin support base can be reduced , thereby enhancing the radiation effect . also , in this situation , as illustrated in fig7 ( c ), the top of the first projection 3 is dug into the side surface of the radiation fin 4 while maintaining an uprightness of the radiation fin 4 . the shape of the tip of the press blade 5 and the amount of stroke of the press blade are determined in advance so that a depression 13 can be formed to the side surface of the radiation fin 4 . this makes it possible to easily manage the amount of tilt of the first projection 3 by the amount of stroke of the press blade 5 . further , it can be easily determined whether the press work has been normally conducted , or not , by visually inspecting the side surface of the radiation fin 4 . the press weight exerted on the press blade 5 when tilting the first projection 3 is a sum of a force component in a direction along which the press blade 5 is advanced and a force component in a perpendicular direction , that is , in a direction of widening a width between the first projection 3 and the fin groove 2 . in this case , if an angle of the tip of the press blade 5 to the direction along which the press blade 5 is advanced is obtuse ( that is , ( force component in the direction along which the press blade 5 is advanced )& lt ;( force component in the perpendicular direction )), there has been generally known that the first projections 3 is not tilted from an interface thereof with the radiation fin support base 1 , but is deformed toward the radiation fin 4 side from , for example , the tip portion of the first projection 3 , that is , buckling distortion . if the first projection 3 performs buckling distortion , because the amount of widening of the width between the fin groove 2 and the first projection 3 is reduced , there is a risk that the radiation fin 4 is not normally swaged . under the circumstances , the first projection 3 can be formed in a trapezoidal shape so that the width thereof is increased more from the top toward the bottom . with this configuration , even if the position of the press blade 5 is slightly displaced from between the fin groove 2 and the first projection 3 when the press blade 5 is inserted into the fin groove 2 , the first projection 3 can be prevented from performing buckling distortion . as a result , the amount of widening of the width between the fin groove 2 and the first projection 3 can been ensured , and the radiation fin 4 can be normally swaged . with the above configuration , according to the first embodiment , the press blade 5 ( or a swaging jig ) is inserted between a side surface of the fin groove 2 where the radiation fin 4 is not installed and the first projection 3 , and the first projection 3 is tilted toward the radiation fin 4 side . as a result , the radiation fin 4 is swaged between the top of the first projection 3 and the side surface of the fin groove 2 . with this configuration , there can be obtained a radiation fin attaching structure improved in the adhesion of the radiation fins 4 and the side surfaces of the fin grooves 2 . as a result , because large contact areas of the radiation fins with the fin grooves can be ensured , the thermal resistance between the radiation fins and the radiation fin support base can be reduced , thereby enhancing the radiation effect . fig8 is a front view illustrating a radiator according to a second embodiment of the present invention . the same configurations as those in fig3 are denoted by identical symbols , and their description will be omitted . differences from the first embodiment reside in that two radiation fins are installed in one fin groove and in the shape of the projections . fig8 ( a ) is a diagram illustrating a state in which two radiation fins 4 are installed in each of the plural parallel fin grooves 2 formed in the radiation fin support base 1 . also , a biforked second projection 11 having a predetermined height is exposed from the bottom surface of each fin groove 2 substantially in the center thereof . this embodiment is identical with the first embodiment in that the height of the second projection 11 is configured to be lower than the upper end of each fin groove 2 . also , fig8 ( b ) is a diagram illustrating a state in which a width of a recess of the biforked tip of the second projection 11 is widened by the press work , and the radiation fin 4 is swaged between the top of the second projection 11 and the side surface of the fin groove 2 . fig9 is a perspective view of the second projection 11 . in fig9 , each shape of the biforked tip portion of the second projection 11 is shaped into such a trapezoid that the width thereof is increased from the top of the second projection 11 toward the bottom . alternatively , as in the first embodiment , each shape of the biforked tip portion of the second projection 11 may be rectangular . fig1 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line b - b of fig8 ( a ), and fig1 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line c - c of fig8 ( a ). the same configurations as those in fig5 and 6 are denoted by identical symbols , and their description will be omitted . from both drawings , in the second embodiment , the respective lengths of the second projections 11 and the fin grooves 2 in a longitudinal direction of the grooves are identical with the length of the radiation fin support base 1 in the longitudinal direction of the grooves . it is desirable that a method of manufacturing the radiator according to the second embodiment includes the following manufacturing processes . that is , the method undergoes a process of forming the plural parallel fin grooves 2 on one surface of the radiation fin support base 1 , and at the same time , forming the second projections 11 within the respective fin grooves 2 so that the tips thereof are biforked . in this example , the radiation fin support base 1 , the fin grooves 2 , and the second projection 11 are each formed by the die cast molding or the extrusion molding as in the first embodiment . then , the method undergoes a process of installing two radiation fins in each of the fin grooves 2 . thereafter , the method undergoes a process of inserting the press blade 5 into the recess of the biforked tip of each second projection 11 , and weighting the press blade 5 by the press machine , thereby pushing the top of the second projection 11 against one side surface of each radiation fin 4 to swage the radiation fin . accordingly , each radiation fin 4 is fixed between the side surface of the fin groove 2 and the top of the second projection 11 . with the above manufacturing method , in order to fix two radiation fins , only one recess of the tip of the second projection 11 needs to be swaged by the press blade 4 ( or swage jig ). therefore , as compared with the conventional art , the number of press blades used in the process of manufacturing the radiator can be reduced . as a result , since the weight when conducting the press work can be reduced , the press machine can be downsized . fig1 is a diagram illustrating a process of widening the biforked tip of each second projection 11 by using the press blade 5 among the above processes . the same configurations as those in fig7 are denoted by identical symbols , and their description will be omitted . as illustrated in fig1 ( a ), the press blade 5 ( or the swaging jig ) is inserted into a recess of the biforked tip of the second projection 11 . thereafter , the press blade 5 is further weighted , and advanced until the press blade 5 is abutted against the bottom of the biforked tip of the second projection 11 . in this example , because the second projections 11 are made of metal large in plasticity such as copper or aluminum as with the first projections 3 , each of the second projections 11 is deformed , and as illustrated in fig1 ( b ), the width of the tip of the second projection 11 is widened according to the shape of the tip of the press blade 5 . as a result , because one top of the biforked second projection 11 pushes the radiation fin 4 against the side surface of the fin groove 2 , the radiation fin 4 is swaged between the top of the first projection 3 and the side surface of the fin groove 2 . with the above configuration , there can be obtained a radiation fin attaching structure improved in the adhesion of the radiation fins 4 and the side surfaces of the fin grooves 2 . as a result , because large contact areas of the radiation fins 4 with the fin grooves 2 can be ensured , the thermal resistance between the radiation fins and the radiation fin support base can be reduced , thereby enhancing the radiation effect . also , as described above , when the tip of the press blade 5 is abutted against a bottom of the biforked tip of the second projection 11 and stops , as illustrated in fig1 ( c ), the top of the second projection 11 is dug into the side surface of the radiation fin 4 while maintaining an uprightness of the radiation fin 4 . the shape of the tip of the press blade 5 and the amount of stroke of the press blade are determined in advance so that the depression 13 can be formed to the side surface of the radiation fin 4 . this makes it possible to easily manage the amount of widening of the width of the biforked tip of the second projection 11 by the amount of stroke of the press blade 5 . further , it can be easily determined whether the press work has been normally conducted , or not , by visually inspecting the side surface of the radiation fin 4 . with the above configuration , according to the second embodiment , the press blade 5 ( or the swaging jig ) is inserted into the recess of the biforked tip of the second projection 11 , and the width of the tip of the second projection 11 is widened so that one top of the biforked second projection 11 pushes the radiation fin 4 against the side surface of the fin groove 2 . therefore , the radiation fin 4 is swaged between the top of the first projection 3 and the side surface of the fin groove 2 . with this configuration , there can be obtained a radiation fin attaching structure improved in the adhesion of the radiation fins 4 and the side surfaces of the fin grooves 2 . as a result , because large contact areas of the radiation fins 4 with the fin grooves 2 can be ensured , the thermal resistance between the radiation fins and the radiation fin support base can be reduced , thereby enhancing the radiation effect . further , when the above two radiation fins 4 are swaged between the tops of the second projection 11 and the side surfaces of the fin groove 2 , only one portion of the recess of the biforked tip of the second projection 11 needs to be swaged by the press blade 4 ( or the swage jig ). as a result , as compared with the conventional art , the number of press blades used in the process of manufacturing the radiator can be reduced . as a result , since the weight when conducting the press work can be reduced , the press machine can be downsized . in the second embodiment , the biforked tip is used as the second projection 11 , but instead of the above configuration , two of the first projections 3 used in the first embodiment may be arranged substantially at the center of the fin groove 3 . in the first embodiment and the second embodiment , the respective lengths of the first projections 3 , the second projections 11 , and the fin grooves 2 in the longitudinal direction of the grooves are identical with the length of the radiation fin support base 1 in the longitudinal direction of the grooves , and the respective members are successively formed . in a third embodiment , for example , the first projections 3 and the fin grooves 2 in the first embodiment are divided in the longitudinal direction of the grooves , and the divided first projections 3 and the divided fin grooves 2 each having the same length are paired . fig1 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line b - b of fig3 ( a ), and fig1 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line c - c of fig3 ( a ). the same configurations as those in fig5 and 6 are indicated by identical symbols , and their description will be omitted . from those drawings , in the third embodiment , the first projections 3 and the fin grooves 2 are each divided into two pieces in the longitudinal direction of the grooves , and the divided first projections 3 and the divided fin grooves 2 each having the same length are paired with each other . in the third embodiment , if the first projections 3 and the fin grooves 2 are formed by die cast molding , the divided surfaces of the first projections 3 and the fin grooves 2 are formed by a die as with the first projections 3 and the fin grooves 2 . on the other hand , when the first projections 3 and the fin grooves 2 are formed by the extrusion molding , the divided surfaces are formed by a cutting work after molding . particularly under an environment in which an ambient temperature is extremely low , a stress is applied to a contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the side surface of each fin groove 2 and a contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the top of each first projection 3 due to respective linear expansion differences of the fin grooves 2 , the first projections 3 , and the radiation fins 4 . in particular , when the lengths of the fin grooves 2 and the first projections 3 are long as in the first embodiment and the second embodiment , because an absolute value of expansion and contraction amount becomes large , the stress is increased . as a result , the fin grooves 2 , the first projections 3 , or the radiation fins 4 are deformed , and the contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the side surface of each fin groove 2 and the contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the top of each first projection 3 become smaller in contact area . this makes a thermal resistance between the radiation fins 4 and the fin grooves 2 larger , resulting in a risk that the radiation effect is deteriorated . on the other hand , in the third embodiment , each of the fin groove 2 and the first projection 3 is divided into two pieces in the longitudinal direction of the groove whereby a length of each of the fin groove and the projection is shortened . as a result , the respective expansion and contraction amounts can be reduced to decrease the absolute value of the stress . with the above configuration , even in an environment where the ambient temperature is extremely low , the large contact areas of the contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the side surface of each fin groove 2 and the contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the top of each first projection 3 can be ensured . this makes it possible to prevent the thermal resistance between the radiation fins 4 and the fin grooves 2 under the above environment from increasing . further , when the first projection 3 is divided into two pieces , because the weight necessary when subjecting the first projections 3 to the press work becomes small as described above , the press weight can be further reduced . with the above configuration , according to the third embodiment , when the fin grooves 2 and the first projections 3 are each divided into two pieces in the longitudinal direction of the grooves , the respective expansion and contraction amounts of the fin grooves 2 and the first projections 3 can be reduced even in the environment where the ambient temperature is extremely low . also , the large contact areas of the contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the side surface of each fin groove 2 and the contact surface of each radiation fin 4 and the top of each first projection 3 can be ensured . for that reason , the thermal resistance between the radiation fins 4 and the fin grooves 2 under the above environment can be prevented from increasing . in the third embodiment , the fin grooves 2 and the first projections 3 are each divided into two pieces in the longitudinal direction of the grooves . however , each of the fin grooves 2 and the first projections 3 can be divided into , for example , three pieces in the longitudinal direction of the grooves . further , the respective lengths of the divided fin grooves and projections can be changed . fig1 is a cross - sectional view taken along the line b - b of fig8 ( a ), and fig1 is a diagram illustrating a part of a front view of a radiator according to the fourth embodiment . the same configurations as those in fig8 and 12 are indicated by identical symbols , and their description will be omitted . from fig1 , in the fourth embodiment , the fin grooves 2 are each divided into three pieces in the longitudinal direction of the grooves . the second projections 11 having the same length as that of the fin grooves arranged at both ends of the radiation fin support base 1 among the divided fin grooves 2 is paired with those fin grooves . also , a third projection 12 having the same length as that of the fin groove 2 arranged at the center of the radiation fin support base 1 among the divided fin grooves 2 is paired with the fin groove 2 . further , the third projection 12 is higher in height than the second projections 11 . as a result , as illustrated in fig1 , each radiation fin 4 is fixed by projections different in height such as the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 . in this example , when the radiation fin 4 is inserted between the fin groove 2 and the second projection 11 and the top of the second projection 11 is press - weighted , the amount of widening of the width of the recess formed to the tip of the second projection 11 is changed due to warpage or dimensional variation of the radiation fin support base 1 or displacement of the press blade . for example , if the amount of widening of the width of the tip of the second projection 11 is large , the radiation fin 4 will be deformed into a shape like a hiragana “ ku ” toward the second projection 11 side with the top of the second projection 11 as a base point . as a result , because the contact area of the side surface of the radiation fin 4 and the side surface of the fin groove 2 is reduced , the thermal resistance between the radiation fin 4 and the fin groove 2 becomes large , resulting in a risk that the radiation effect is deteriorated . on the other hand , in the fourth embodiment , the heights of those three fin grooves 2 are identical with each other . however , the height of the third projection 12 arranged in the center of the radiation fin support base 1 is set to be higher than the height of the second projections 11 arranged at both ends of the radiation fin support base 1 . the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 swage the radiation fin 4 at respective different positions in the height direction of the radiation fin . for that reason , a stress exerted on the contact surface of the radiation fin 4 with the projection is dispersed on contact areas thereof with the tops of the second projections 11 and the top of the third projection 12 , and the radiation fin 4 can be prevented from being deformed into the shape like a hiragana “ ku ”. also , when the radiation fin 4 is inserted between the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 and the fin grooves 2 , after the radiation fin 4 is inserted between the third projection 12 higher in the height and the fin groove 2 , the radiation fin 4 is inserted between the second projections 11 lower in the height and the fin grooves 2 . that is , the radiation fins 4 is inserted between the second projections 11 and the fin grooves 2 in a state where a backlash is suppressed between the third projection 12 and the fin groove 2 . as a result , the radiation fin 4 can be easily inserted between the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 and the fin grooves 2 . in particular , when the radiation fin 4 is long , when the radiation fin 4 is inserted between the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 and the fin grooves 2 , the radiation fin 4 is tilted , thereby making it difficult to insert the radiation fin 4 between the second projections 11 at both ends of the radiation fin support base . however , according to the fourth embodiment , because the presence of the third projection 12 higher in height can prevent the radiation fin 4 from being tilted as described above , the radiation fin 4 can be easily inserted between the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 and the fin grooves 2 . further , in the process of manufacturing the radiator , after the radiation fins 4 are inserted between the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 and the fin grooves 2 , the radiator is transported . in this situation , because the height of the third projection 12 is higher , the radiation fins 4 can be prevented from being tilted or falling at the time of transporting the radiator . with the above configuration , according to the fourth embodiment , each of the fin grooves 2 is divided into three pieces in the longitudinal direction of the groove , and the second projections 11 lower in the height having the same length as that of the fin grooves arranged at both ends of the radiation fin support base 1 among the divided fin grooves 2 is paired with those fin grooves . also , the third projection 12 higher in the height having the same length as that of the fin groove 2 arranged at the center of the radiation fin support base 1 among the divided fin grooves 2 is paired with the fin groove 2 . as a result , each radiation fin 4 is more surely fixed by the second projections 11 and the third projection 12 and the fin groove 2 . one example of a semiconductor device using the radiator according to the first to fourth embodiments will be described hereinafter . fig1 is a perspective view illustrating the semiconductor device , and fig1 is a top view illustrating the semiconductor device . fig1 is a cross - sectional view taken along a line d - d of fig1 . the same configurations as those in fig8 are indicated by identical symbols , and their description will be omitted . in the semiconductor device , the radiation fin support base 1 covered with a mold resin 6 at the side surface and the bottom surface thereof and the radiation fins 4 are individualized . with this configuration , because a fin length of the radiation fins 4 can be made longer than a length of the mold resin 6 in a longitudinal direction of the radiation fins 4 , and a fin pitch between the adjacent radiation fins can be narrowed , an installation area of the semiconductor device can be reduced . also , since a total of the surface areas of the radiation fins 4 in the semiconductor device can be increased , the radiation effect can be enlarged . as a result , for example , an element that is small in an absolute maximum rating of a junction temperature can be selected as the heater element 9 , thereby making it possible to downsize the heater element and reduce the costs . also , the side surface and the bottom surface of the radiation fin support base 1 are covered with the mold resin 6 . the radiation fin support base 1 is formed by the die cast molding or the extrusion molding as described above , and therefore the radiation fin support base 1 may be warped or swelled . in addition , the radiation fin support base 1 may be expanded and further deformed due to a change in the ambient temperature . for the above reasons , there is a risk that a force for pressing the radiation fins 4 toward the fin grooves 2 is decreased , and the thermal resistance between the radiation fins 4 and the fin grooves 2 is increased to deteriorate the radiation property . on the other hand , the side surface and the bottom surface of the radiation fin support base 1 are covered with the mold resin 6 . therefore , the side surface and the bottom surface of the radiation fin support base 1 can be held so as to prevent the radiation fin support base 1 from being expanded and deformed . as a result , the force for pressing the radiation fins 4 toward the fin grooves 2 can be prevented from being decreased , and the radiation property can be prevented from being deteriorated .	7
in the following , a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings , in which the invention is applied , by way of example , to a combined defrosting and refrigerating apparatus . referring to fig1 there is shown schematically a general arrangement of a combined defrosting and refrigerating apparatus embodying the present invention , wherein reference numeral 12 denotes a box - like housing essentially made of a heat insulating material . a defrosting heater 7 and an intra - box air circulation fan 9 ( i . e . fan circulating the air within the box - like housing ) are provided within the box - like housing 12 . upon operation of the intra - box air circulation fan 9 , the latter causes an air flow to be created through a duct 10 and spaces 11a defined between shelves 11 and which circulates as indicated by arrows . disposed at an appropriate location ( hereinafter referred to as an outlet port ) within the duct 10 located on the discharge side of the air circulation fan 9 is a temperature sensor ( th1 ) 13 for detecting the air temperature at the outlet port , while there is disposed on the air exit side of the space 11a and preferably above the uppermost shelf 11 , i . e . on the suction side of the air circulation fan 9 ( hereinafter referred to as the inlet port ) a temperature sensor ( th2 ) 14 for detecting the air temperature in the inlet port , wherein both of the temperature sensors 13 and 14 are electrically connected to a control circuit 17 also referred to as a controller . mounted fixedly in a conventional manner above the topmost shelf within the box - like housing 12 is an evaporator 6 which is connected to a compressor 1 , a condenser 3 , a dryer 4 and a capillary tube 5 in the manner shown in fig1 to thereby constitute a cooling system of a known arrangement . reference numeral 2 denotes a cooling fan for the condenser 3 . the aforementioned defrosting heater 7 is disposed between the evaporator 6 and the uppermost shelf 11 and is connected to a thermostat 8 provided for the purpose of protecting the defrosting heater 7 . the compressor 1 , the defrosting heater 7 and the protecting thermostat 8 mentioned above are also connected electrically to the controller 17 . further connected to the controller 17 are a defrosting start switch 15 serving for changing back and forth between the refrigerating mode and the defrosting mode as will be described hereinafter and a defrosting mode indicator lamp 16 which is lit during the defrosting operation mode . the control circuit or controller 17 is so arranged as to respond to the signals supplied from the outlet air temperature sensor 13 and the inlet air temperature sensor 14 for controlling the defrosting and refrigerating operations by supplying appropriate control signals to the compressor 1 , cooling fan 2 , defrosting heater 7 , the intra - box air circulation fan 9 and others . in the case of the illustrated embodiment , the defrosting start switch 15 is constituted by a momentary type push - button switch which can be closed by being depressed by a user while opened when the switch is released . it should however be noted that the controller 17 remains in the defrosting operation mode once the defrosting start switch 15 is pushed even when the switch is subsequently released . thus , the defrosting mode indicator lamp 16 continues to be lit , indicating that the apparatus is in the defrosting mode . at the end of the defrosting operation , the control circuit 17 is automatically changed over to the refrigerating mode . next , operation of the apparatus will be described in detail with reference to fig1 . in the refrigerating operation mode , the combined defrosting and refrigerating apparatus shown in fig1 operates as a refrigerator while operating as a defroster or thawing machine in the defrosting operation mode . in the refrigerating operation mode , the air cooled down through heat exchange with the evaporator 6 of the cooling system is discharged from the intra - box circulation fan 9 into the interior space within the housing through the duct 10 to cool foods and the like disposed on the shelves 11 and then fed back to the evaporator 6 through the inlet port . in this refrigerating operation mode , the controller 17 responds to the signal supplied from the temperature sensor 14 mounted at the inlet port for turning on and off the compressor 1 and the cooling fan 2 so that the interior temperature within the housing can be maintained at a temperature level within a predetermined range of temperature . the control process to this end is illustrated in fig2 . more specifically , fig2 graphically illustrates a relationship between the intra - box temperature detected at the inlet port and the on / off operation of the compressor 1 and the cooling fan 2 , wherein the inlet air temperature tr is taken along the ordinate while the time t is taken along the abscissa . in fig2 a reference symbol tc represents a set refrigeration temperature , ta represents a lower limit of the intra - box temperature , tb represents an upper limit of the intra - box temperature , and td 1 represents the width or range within which the intra - box temperature is allowed to vary . in other words , td 1 = tb - ta . the waveform shown at the bottom row in fig2 represents the on / off periods of the cooling system . during the on - period , both the compressor 1 and the cooling fan 2 are operated . on the other hand , in the off - period , both the compressor 1 and the fan 2 are deenergized or stopped . as will be seen in fig2 when the inlet air temperature sensor 14 detects the lower limit ta of the intra - box temperature , the cooling system is turned off . thereafter , upon detection of the intra - box temperature reaching the upper limit temperature tb due to increases in the temperature within the housing , the cooling system is again turned on . in this manner , the intra - box temperature within the housing is maintained in the temperature range defined between the lower limit ta and the upper limit tb . upon closing of the defrosting start switch 15 , the apparatus is set to the defrosting mode , which is indicated by the lighting of the defrosting mode indication lamp 16 . in this defrosting operation mode , control is first so performed that the outlet air temperature can be maintained constant , as will be described hereinafter in conjunction with fig5 to 8 . on the other hand , when the inlet air temperature sensor 14 detects a temperature lower than a predetermined level at which the defrosting operation is to be started , the defrosting heater 7 is electrically energized to warm up the interior of the housing . upon detection of the temperature which is higher than the defrosting start temperature and at which the defrosting operation is to be stopped , the defrosting operation mode is completed and is automatically changed over to the refrigerating mode under the control of the controller 17 . when the defrosting start switch 15 is closed to effect the defrosting operation mode , the cooling system remains in the energized state to continue the cooling operation , provided that the temperature detected by the inlet air temperature sensor 14 is higher than the defrosting start temperature . at the time the defrosting start temperature is detected , the cooling system is deenergized while the defrosting heater 7 is energized under the control of the control circuit 17 . the control process briefly discussed above will be explained in more detail by referring to fig3 and 4 , in which fig3 graphically illustrates a case where the temperature detected by the inlet air temperature sensor 14 is higher than defrosting start temperature when the defrosting mode is set by the defrosting start switch 15 , while fig4 illustrates a case where the detected temperature is lower than the defrosting start temperature at the time when the defrosting mode is set . in both of fig3 and 4 , the inlet air temperature tr detected by the inlet air temperature sensor 14 is taken along the ordinate with time t being taken along the abscissa . further , a symbol ts represents the defrosting start temperature at which the defrosting operation is to be started , and te represents the defrosting completion temperature at which the defrosting operation is to be stopped or ended . in the waveform representative of the relationship between the inlet air temperature tr and the time , a solid line curve portion represents the defrosting operation , while broken line curves represent the refrigerating operation . a waveform shown below the abovementioned waveform and labelled &# 34 ; on &# 34 ; represents the defrosting mode , i . e . the energized state of the defrosting mode indicator lamp 16 , while a waveform shown at the bottom and labelled &# 34 ; off &# 34 ; indicates the refrigerating mode , i . e . the deenergized state of the defrosting mode indicator lamp 16 . further , a width td 2 is given by td 2 = te - ts ≧ 0 . as will be seen in fig3 when the defrosting start switch 15 is closed at a temperature level a which is higher than the defrosting start temperature ts to thereby set the defrosting mode , the defrosting heater 7 is not yet energized regardless of the defrosting mode , and the refrigerating operation is continued . as a consequence , the temperature tr is lowered down to a point b . at this time , when the defrosting start temperature ts is detected by the inlet air temperature sensor 14 , the cooling system is deenergized while the defrosting heater 7 is energized , whereupon the defrosting operation is started . subsequently , when the inlet air temperature sensor 14 detects the defrosting completion temperature te at a point c as the intra - box temperature rises , the defrosting mode is stopped or ended , whereby the defrosting heater 7 is deenergized while the cooling system is automatically energized to establish the refrigerating operation mode . referring to fig4 when the defrosting start switch 15 is closed at a point d lower than the defrosting start temperature ts , the defrosting heater 7 is immediately energized to start the defrosting operation . subsequently , upon detection of the defrosting completion temperature te at a point e , the defrosting mode is completed , whereupon the defrosting mode is automatically changed over to the refrigerating mode . according to the present invention , the defrosting heater 7 is proportionally controlled during the defrosting operation so that the outlet air temperature detected by the temperature sensor 13 mounted at the discharge port of the air circulation fan 9 is maintained to be constant for defrosting the articles disposed on the shelves within the housing , as described hereinbefore . for having a better understanding of this control operation , the control performed for maintaining the outlet air temperature to be constant will be described comparatively with the hitherto known apparatus in which such control is not carried out , by referring to fig5 to 8 . fig5 is a view for graphically illustrating relationships among the outlet air temperature , the inlet air temperature and the temperature of foods and the like to be defrosted in the case where the defrosting heater 7 is energized in a continuous manner according to the prior art technique . fig6 is a view similar to fig5 for illustrating behavior of the temperatures mentioned above . in fig5 and 6 , the temperature is taken along the ordinate with time taken along the abscissa . curves a and a &# 39 ; represent the temperatures at the outlet port , curves e and e &# 39 ; represent the temperatures at the inlet port , te represents a set temperature at which the defrosting operation is to be ended , a curve to represents the preset proportionally controlled temperature , curves b and b &# 39 ; represent temperatures of foods or the like which can be defrosted at a high rate , curves , c and c &# 39 ; represent the temperatures of foods or the like for which defrosting proceeds at a standard rate , and curves d and d &# 39 ; represent temperatures of foods or the like which are defrosted at a low rate . referring to fig5 when the defrosting heater 7 is energized continuously , the outlet air temperature becomes high as the defrosting proceeds . in the case of the foods or the like which can be defrosted at a higher rate , a considerably higher temperature will be attained at the end of the defrosting operation , giving rise to the possibility that the foods and the like may be adversely affected . in contrast , in the case illustrated in fig6 the temperature of the foods and the like is prevented from rising beyond the outlet air temperature and thus can be protected against adverse effects even at a point in time close to the end of the defrosting operation , because of the proportional control of the defrosting heater 7 . next , the proportional control according to the invention illustrated in fig8 will be described comparatively with the control of the outlet air temperature performed within a predetermined range according to the prior art technique ( fig7 ). as with the cases of fig5 and 6 , the temperature is taken along the ordinate with time taken along the abscissa in fig7 and 8 . a reference symbol te represents the defrosting completion temperature , l and l &# 39 ; represent the temperatures detected at the outlet port , and m and m &# 39 ; represent temperatures detected at the inlet port . referring to fig7 when the outlet air temperature is controlled so as to allow variations thereof within the predetermined range as indicated by the curve l , variations also occur in the inlet air temperature m . in the region near the defrosting completion temperature te , a small variation or change in the inlet air temperature m causes the defrosting completion temperature to vary significantly , as indicated by a point f or a point g , making it impossible to detect the defrosting completion temperature te in a steady manner . in contrast , according to the present invention , the inlet air temperature m &# 39 ; is increased steadily , thus allowing the defrosting completion point to be detected at a point h in a steady manner . fig9 is a block diagram showing an example of the control circuit indicated by the block 17 in fig1 according to an embodiment of the present invention for performing the control of the operation described above . in fig9 a broken line block 20 indicates a circuit portion for controlling the operation in the refrigerating mode , and a broken line block 30 indicates a circuit portion for controlling the operation in the defrosting mode . in the refrigerating mode , a voltage signal indicative of the set refrigerating temperature tc shown in fig2 is set in a refrigerating temperature setting circuit 21 . a first comparator 22 implemented as a window comparator has one input to which the signal indicative of the set refrigerating temperature tc is supplied from the refrigerating temperature setting circuit 21 and the other input supplied with a temperature signal which is derived from the output of the inlet air temperature sensor 14 through a temperature detection circuit 23 serving to convert the output of the sensor 14 to a voltage signal . on the basis of the input signals mentioned above , the first comparator 22 outputs a signal for energizing or deenergizing the cooling system between the intra - box upper limit temperature tb and the intra - box lower limit temperature ta so that the inlet air temperature is maintained within a predetermined temperature range td 1 ( see fig2 ). the output signal of the first comparator 22 is utilized for energizing the compressor 1 through a gate 24 and a compressor driving circuit 25 . it should be noted that only the compressor 1 is shown as representative of the cooling system . in the refrigerating mode , the defrosting start switch 15 is not closed , and a defrost / refrigerate mode control circuit 26 outputs a refrigeration command signal to the gate 24 which is thus enabled to pass therethrough the signal produced by the first comparator 22 . when the defrosting start switch 15 is closed to establish the defrosting mode , the defrosting / refrigerating mode control circuit 26 first produces a lamp lighting signal for lighting the defrosting mode indication lamp 16 . an outlet air temperature setting circuit 31 serves to set the proportionally controlled temperature to represented by the curve a &# 39 ; in fig6 and the curve l &# 39 ; in fig8 . the signal output from the outlet air temperature sensor 13 is converted int a voltage signal through a temperature detection circuit 32 to be subsequently supplied to an amplification circuit 33 which amplifies the voltage signal detected by the temperature detecting circuit 32 with reference to the voltage signal supplied from the outlet air temperature detector 13 , whereby an amplified signal s is produced to be applied to a second comparator 34 . the amplified signal s has such a characteristic that the signal voltage is increased as the temperature detected by the sensor 13 becomes higher . the second comparator 34 compares the amplified signal s output from the amplifier 33 with a signal r produced by an oscillator 34 &# 39 ; serving as a reference signal source for the second comparator 34 . the reference signal r produced by the oscillator 34 &# 39 ; may be , for example , of a saw - tooth waveform ( or alternatively a triangular waveform ) of 1 hz superposed with a d . c . bias voltage . when the reference signal r is greater than the amplified signal s supplied from the amplifier 33 , the second comparator 34 produces an output signal w which triggers the energization of the defrosting heater 7 and otherwise turns off the defrosting heater 7 . more specifically , as will be seen in a waveform diagram shown to the right of the second comparator 34 in fig9 the second comparator 34 produces the signal for turning on or off the defrosting heater 7 in the overlapping portions of the amplified signal s and the reference signal r depending on the duration of the overlap ( reference is to be made to the waveform w shown on the output side of the second comparator 34 in fig9 ). in the defrosting operation mode , the amplified signal s usually rises up from a low level and is stabilized at an appropriate point in the overlapping portion . it should be mentioned here that difference between the temperature at which the off signal begins to be output , i . e . the outlet air temperature at which the magnitude of the amplified signal s output from the amplifier circuit 33 coincides with the lower limit of the saw - tooth wave , and the temperature at which only the on signal begins to be output , i . e . the outlet air temperature at which the magnitude of the amplified signal s coincides with the upper limit of the saw - tooth wave is set to be about 1 ° c . in this manner , the second comparator 34 outputs the signal w for proportionally controlling the defrosting heater 7 . the output signal w of the second comparator 34 is supplied to a gate 35 . when the gate 35 receives the defrosting operation command signal from the defrost / refrigerate mode control circuit 26 , the defrosting command signal is transferred through the gate 35 to the heater driver circuit 36 to energize the defrosting heater 7 . the signal output from the outlet air temperature setting circuit 31 is applied also to a defrosting start / end temperature generating bias circuit 37 which is arranged such that on the basis of the signal representative of the preset temperature supplied from the outlet air temperature setting circuit 31 , a signal representative of a temperature lower than the preset temperature by a predetermined temperature ( in the case of fig8 ) or a signal representative of a temperature equal to the preset temperature ( in the case of fig6 ) is produced and supplied to a third comparator 38 implemented as a window comparator in which the lower limit of the window is set at the defrosting start temperature ts with the upper limit of the window set at the defrosting end temperature te . thus , when the voltage signal derived from the inlet air temperature sensor 14 and applied to the third comparator 38 through the temperature detecting circuit 23 is beyond the lower limit of the window , the third comparator 38 outputs the refrigerating operation command signal . in response thereto , the defrost / refrigerate mode control circuit 26 outputs the refrigerating operation command signal to perform the refrigerating operation under the control of the circuit portion 20 . subsequently , when the aforementioned voltage signal is lowered below the lower limit of the window , the third comparator 38 outputs the defrosting operation command signal in response to which the defrost / refrigerate mode control circuit 26 outputs the defrosting operation command signal to the gate 35 . thus , the defrosting operation is carried out under the control of the circuit portion 30 . when the voltage signal has attained the upper limit of the window , the third comparator 38 again outputs the refrigerating operation command signal , whereby the refrigerating operation is performed under the control of the circuit portion 20 . at this stage in which the refrigerating operation is started , the defrosting mode indication lamp 16 is extinguished . when the refrigerating operation is started after the defrosting operation is once completed , the defrosting / refrigerating mode control circuit 26 can no longer trigger the defrosting operation even when the voltage signal derived from the output of the inlet air temperature sensor 14 goes below the lower limit of the window of the third comparator . in other words , the defrost / refrigerate mode control circuit 26 allows the defrosting operation to be carried out only once after the defrosting start switch is closed . in the foregoing , an embodiment of the control circuit 17 has been described by referring to fig9 . it should however be understood that this is only by way of example and other various circuit configurations will readily occur to those skilled in the art for implementing the intended functions of the control circuit 17 . it is apparent from the foregoing that many advantageous features are provided by the present invention over the prior art . in the defrosting mode , the defrosting heater is proportionally controlled with the aid of the outlet air temperature sensor 13 . thus , the outlet air temperature can be maintained substantially constant , whereby an undesired temperature rise can be avoided to protect foods or the like from being adversely influenced . furthermore , due to the fact that the outlet air temperature is held substantially constant in the defrosting mode , the inlet air temperature is stabilized , whereby the defrosting completion temperature can be detected stably with improved repeatability by monitoring the inlet air temperature . since only one inlet air temperature sensor is provided at the intake side to perform the defrosting start control , the defrosting completion control and the refrigeration control , a defrosting / refrigerating apparatus can be inexpensively realized with favorable cost - performance . in the defrosting / refrigerating apparatus according to the present invention , such an arrangement is adopted in which when the intra - box temperature is higher than the defrosting start temperature upon closing of the defrosting start switch 15 , the refrigerating operation is forcibly performed until the intra - box temperature is lowered to the defrosting start temperature , wherein the defrosting operation is automatically started at the point in time the intra - box temperature has attained the defrosting start temperature . thus , troublesome procedures such as the manual setting of the refrigerating mode , waiting for attainment of the defrosting start temperature and the manual setting of the defrosting mode at the point in time that the defrosting start temperature has been attained can be rendered unnecessary . numerous alterations and modifications of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art . it is to be understood , however , that the present disclosure relates to the preferred embodiment of the invention which is not to be construed as a limitation of the invention . all such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims .	5
the non - heating liquefaction extrusion and jetting forming process of present invention involves the following steps : 1 . the material is liquefied with chemical menstruum to dissolve , water to hydrolyze . the material is first prepared as powder of nanometer particles , then added in colloid menstruum to obtain flow state through emulsification process or by hydrogen bond interdiction . the material is liquefied without heating . the significance of the present invention is that it protects the special property of many special materials especially the bioactive materials . it is helpful in improving the precision in forming the final material and reducing the costs . 2 . there is heat exchange when the droplet deposits on the surface of the prototype , and the droplet will join the prototype by diffuseness in traditional processes such as fdm . the material in the process of the present invention solidifies when the menstruum volatilizes , water vaporizes , or the menstruum or agglomerate ( not the forming material itself ) solidifies and results in the solidification of the material or the powder , there is formation of hydrogen bonds or jetting the curative at the same point to solidify the material . the fundamental point of this invention is that the solidification process is not carried out by lowering the temperature of the material to below the melting point . the material is liquefied with a nonheating method . the material is extruded or jetted under the pressure of gas or screw and becomes droplets or jet which deposits according to a certain path and forms a solid part after the menstruum is removed . when the material is extruded continuously , the material will have silkiness but still in droplet form . 3 . the material used in present invention is pasty stock made by mixing and emulsifying the main forming material with menstruum , or dissolving , hydrolyzing and hydrogen bond interdiction . since heating is not required or the temperature is not higher than the melting point of the main material , the disadvantageous infection to the special property of biomaterial is avoided . because there is no heating process , this forming process is very fit for the making of tissue engineering scaffold . scaffold is one of the three essentials of tissue engineering . the other two essentials are target cells and growth factor that are working dependent on the scaffold . the porous scaffold provides a necessary supporting environment for the cells to crawl and multiply therefore realizes the three - dimensional culture and enables the reconstructing of bone , blood vessel and kidney with special structure . the present invention reengineers the geometrical model of scaffold according to the anatomical data of human apparatus . since the data model comes from the anatomical data of computerized tomography of animal or human apparatus , the process not only realizes the individuation service , but also anastomoses the original organ at both dimension and shape . the production process of rapid prototype machine is controlled by data model , and the material is extruded layer by layer . because the nozzle diameter and jetting speed can be controlled accurately , high precision production is realized geometrically . it is not necessary to make mould and to fabricate by perfusion process . 4 . the present invention is very fit for the rapid forming of tissue engineering material with bioactive material . since heating is not needed , the bioactive material should not to be destroyed in the forming process . the present invention is also fit for the extrusion or jetting of other materials such as polymer , macromolecule and plastic . the liquid droplets mentioned above will connect to each other in continuous jetting process , namely will form jet in continuous extrusion . the extrusion jetting belongs to this type , and the above analysis adapts to this situation . the extrusion or jetting forming process without heating liquefaction according to the present invention shown in fig3 includes the following steps : 2 . the material is extruded or jetted at normal temperature through the nozzle under the pressure and forms droplets or jet ; 3 . the droplets or jet deposits in a controlled path and solidifies when the menstruum is removed and becomes the solid part . the present invention can be realized by the existing mem - 300 - ii melted extrusion manufacturing equipment with none heating nozzle extruding at normal temperature . the sizing agent is fed to the inner chamber of the nozzle by feeding organization and continuously or discretely extruded under the pressure and the control or the numerical control system . the mem - 300 machine includes framework , x , y and z guide rails on the framework , nozzle set , driving and control circuit , forming room and industrial computer shown in fig4 . in fig4 the worktable 43 moves from above to below driven by the z shaft so that the nozzle can keep a constant target distant to the forming surface . fig5 is the x - y scanning system sketch map of fig4 . in fig5 the nozzle 51 moves in a horizontal plane together with x shaft along the y shaft to realize the scanning movement in the whole plane . since the nozzle heating set , temperature control system and the heating system of the forming room are taken out , the cost of the hardware is reduced . the other advantage of the normal temperature extrusion process is less thermal stress of the prototype , and greater ease in obtaining the precision of dimension and shape . the detailed method of the extrusion and jetting process with the mentioned equipment of present invention is : first , create a cad model of the object , then slice and plan the scanning route with the control software developed by the center of laser rapid forming of tsinghua university . load the material into the feeding set , connect the pressure gas pipe and turn on the air compressor . start up the control software . the nozzle will scan the contour and fill in the inner space along the planed route under the control of the control software . in order to get rid of the menstruum rapidly from the forming material and solidify , the forming chamber should keep a low temperature with some method such as dry ice . the examples of the forming material and its solidification method of present invention are listed below : dissolve the forming material poly - lactic - acid with chloroform to get the sizing material , then put the material inside the chamber of the nozzle and forming with jetting . during the jetting process , the chloroform volatilizes and the material solidifies . dissolve the abs with acetone and form by extrusion or jetting process . mix the hydroxyapatite nanometer powder , collagen and dissolved poly - lactic - acid together and extrude or jet the sizing agent through nozzle to form . the specific embodiments herein disclosed , since these embodiments are intended as illustrations of several aspects of the invention . any equivalent embodiments are intended to be within the scope of this invention . indeed , various modifications of the invention in addition to those shown and described herein will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description . such modifications are also intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims . various references are cited herein , the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entireties .	1

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